good morning. trifecta, rick santorum sweeps the gop presidential contests in colorado, minnesota and missouri. what does that mean for front-runner mitt romney? we will break it all down. a cry for help. police release the 911 call from the social worker who brought josh powell's two sons to his home. >> it is two little boys in the house. there's an adult man who has supervised visitation, and he is in the house with the kids. and investigators search a storage unit looking for clues for the disappearance of his

wife. and breaking the silence a. woman who says she had an affair with jfk when she was a white house intern. why is she revealing her secret now 50 years later. meredith vieira is here with the exclusive rock center interview meredith vieira is here with the exclusive rock center interview today, february 8th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. rick santorum said his three wins show he's the conservative alternative to barack obama. what does it say for mitt romney? >> the most telling results are from minnesota. take a look at this. mitt romney finished third with 17% of the vote there, and keep in mind that this is a state that he actually won with 41% of the vote four years ago. so, should last night's defeats

be viewed as a bump in the road for romney or a major setback to the chances of winning the nomination? we will talk about that with chuck todd coming up in a few minutes. >> also, an emotional end to a case we have been following more than two years. the kidnapping and murder of a 7-year-old girl as she was walking home from school in florida. her killer faced the girl's family in court including her 9-year-old twin brother. do they think justice was served? coming up, somer thompson's mother joins us to speak out in a live interview. >> later on, today's professionals weigh in on hot topics. what do they think of gisele's post super bowl comments? is there discrimination against single people in this country? we'll get star, donny and nancy's thoughts. first, we begin with rick santorum's clean sweep of the three presidential contests last night. peter alexander joins us with

more. good morning, peter. >> reporter: it's cold in colorado but a hot streak for rick santorum. he's won four states to romney's three. for santorum that means more money and more momentum. for romney, who hadn't even mentioned rick santorum by name since early january, and when we looked it up, that means he has one more contender to worry about. [ applause ] >> conservatism is alive and well in missouri and minnesota. [ applause ] >> reporter: celebrating his biggest night since the iowa caucuses, rick santorum surged back into the spotlight. >> i don't claim to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney. i stand here to be the conservative alternative to barack obama. [ applause ] >> reporter: santorum told the cheering crowd the president just doesn't listen. >> you better start listening to the voice of the people. but then again i wouldn't be surprised if he isn't listening. why would you think he would be listening now? has he ever listened to the voice of america? >> no! >> why? >> because he thinks he knows

better. he thinks he's smarter than you. he thinks he's someone who is a privileged person who should be able to rule over all of you. >> reporter: santorum tried to tie mitt romney to the president. >> health care, the environment, cap and trade. and on the wall street bailouts, mitt romney has the same positions as barack obama. >> reporter: and took a dig at romney for his fumble last week. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. >> i care about the very rich and the very poor. i care about 100% of america. >> this was a good night for rick santorum. i want to congratulate senator santorum. >> reporter: facing a reinvigorated rival, romney took a page out of rick santorum's blue collar story trying to cast himself as the son of a working man. he said his mother, the former president of american motors

once worked as a carpenter. >> my father never graduated college. he apprenticed as a plaster carpenter. he was good at it. he could take a handful of nails and put it in his mouth and spit them out pointy end forward. >> reporter: after the speech secret service agents dragged away a man who tried to glitter bomb the canada data. newt gingrich largely ignored all three contests, launching a bus tour in ohio targeting early super tuesday voters. >> since early voting is beginning, if you can go on facebook, twitter, e-mail or telephone or even in the old fashioned sense see people face to face we'd be very, very grateful. >> reporter: the three leading candidates had three different directions ahead of the maine caucuses. and the next big showdown will be in arizona and maine. >> thank you so much. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. good morning to you. >> good morning, ann.

>> rick santorum swept the three states with little money and small operations and he's technically won more states than mitt romney. will he get a second look by the party and the voters? >> well, it is pretty clear he will get a second look. he got a second look by activists in all three of the states. remember who showed up to the poll, these are the die-hard republican party conservatives who showed up to all three places. these are the folks who pick up the phone and do the door knocking and they rejected mitt romney and chose santorum because you said it in the lead-in, he didn't have any money or organization in the three states, but he had a little bit of campaigning that he did and free media and a little bit of paid media, but that was it. so what this says is that it is a rejection right now by conservatives of mitt romney. >> take a look at the numbers that matt pointed us to early about how big the rejection was, because the you look at minnesota in 2008, romney won with 41%.

yesterday, he got 17%, and he of course lost across the board. so is this to some degree this enthusiasm gap that we are hearing about, and what other reasons can explain why he was so roundly defeated? >> well, i think that you have to go right at the enthusiasm issue among conservatives. again, every time that mitt romney has taken two steps forward, it is because he has had money and organization and never been because his message was resonating with the base of the republican party. what last night was about was about the base of the republican party. take just colorado. let's take the romney campaign at the word that they kind of skipped minnesota and didn't take missouri and no delegates at all involved in the process there. so look at colorado. colorado was a place that mitt romney spent some money, and that he did campaign in, and it is where he spent last night and thought he would win in, and they lost there, too.

this is about the activist community, because the conservatives have not been able to get acquainted with him. every time we have looked at the exit polls, it is because of they have gone to someone else, and just because they have not been ready or mitt romney has convinced them that he is a conservative to be the nominee. >> and what about newt gingrich, can he maintain the position to focus on the south, and secure the nomination, and what happened to him last night? >> well, that is what mitt romney has to fear, because he is now all of the sudden fighting a two-front war. if santorum and gingrich do this divide with santorum focus on some states and gingrich on another, and that is a real problem for romney, because they could deny him a lot of delegates on super tuesday, but if it comes to where both of them are campaigning, santorum

and gingrich, we have seen that gingrich can be dangerous to mitt romney when mitt romney not concentrating on him. this the difficulty for romney. he has to keep gingrich's negatives up. you have to continue the negative campaign. you can't let up on him. now he has to start a contrast with rick santorum. he tried last night. we'll see. there are issues in rick santorum's wheelhouse that we are debating now. >> chuck todd, thank you for your perspective. it's now 7:09. here's matt. >> thank you very much. now the ongoing debt crisis in greece. there appears to be ongoing optimism that leaders will secure a bailout for that troubled country, a deal that cannot come soon enough for the people of greece. keith miller is in athens with the latest on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the greek government is under tremendous pressure to reach a deal, a new bailout. if they can't reach an agreement, greece could be the first country in the european

monetary union to default. that would send the economy here into a death spiral. there are already signs of an economy in collapse. soup kitchens and bread lines are packed with people without jobs and little hope of finding one. leo's work as a painter of icons dried up, and at the age of 64, he lost everything. he had nowhere to go. >> i grabbed a few warm clothes, books and ten boiled eggs, and i left the house. i found myself in the park. >> reporter: greece, like leo, is bankrupt. for decades the country lived well and worked little, all on borrowed money. now greece is suffering under severe austerity measures imposed by its neighbors as conditions for a bailout. >> if you walk down the streets of athens, you notice that the lights are going out in a number of apartments. it's not that they're empty. they're occupied but people

can't afford the electricity bill anymore. >> reporter: the basic fabric of life is unraveling. suicides up 40%. homicide and violent crime up almost 100%. and cuts in social services so deep it is making the greeks sick, literally. hospital admissions jumped 24%, even as hospital budgets were cut by 40%. dr. kanikis has seen the number of patients visiting this charity clinic quadruple in less than year. >> we have people who are starving, people looking for doctors in medicine. >> reporter: to pay down debt the government cut the salaries of public employees by 40%. and at the same time increased sales tax to 23%. a gallon of gasoline now costs almost $10. >> i'm angry with the government. whose fault is it? the government.

it is not the taxpayer's fault. >> reporter: the words tragedy and economy are greek in origin but the ancients never imagined that these words together would define greece's modern day crisis. the negotiations continued this morning but the greeks are going to have to make more concessions, more cuts in jobs, salaries and benefits in order to get the funds to keep this country afloat. matt? >> keith miller in athens on this story this morning. thank you very much. it's 12 minutes after the hour. once again, here's ann. >> thanks, matt. now to washington state where funeral services will be held on saturday for the two young sons of josh powell. he killed himself and his sons when he set his house on fire. for the first time we are hearing the 911 call from the social worker who was there at the time. miguel almaguer is in graham, washington, with details this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. detectives were back here at the

crime scene on tuesday. they fanned out across the region. this as, for the first time, we are hearing the dramatic 911 calls. >> there was a man and two children. i just dropped off the children and he wouldn't let me in the door. >> reporter: the social worker who brought 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old braden to their father josh powell's home immediately called 911. >> there are two little boys in the house and an adult man. he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. >> reporter: from the beginning, it was clear that this was no accident. >> and you think that he might have done this intentionally? >> yes. >> reporter: police say that powell planned the double murder the day before purchasing ten gallons of gas, transferring $7,000 out of the bank account and even giving away his children's toys. >> hello. this is josh. i'm calling to say good-bye. >> reporter: powell then left this chilling voicemail with

family and friends 20 minutes before he torched his home. >> i am not able to live without my sons, and i'm not able to go on anymore. i'm sorry to everyone i've hurt. good-bye. >> reporter: josh powell's sister was among the first who heard his message and called 911. she feared the worst had happened at her brother's home. >> i'm afraid of seeing something. i don't want to see. >> reporter: in 2009, powell was named a person of interest in his wife susan's disappearance. he was never charged with a crime, but in september, he lost custody of the boys to susan's parents and only allowed so ed supervised visits. this weekend, chuck and judy cox will bury their grandchildren. >> i think he was very selfish, and that's why he took the kids.

if he couldn't have them, no one could. >> reporter: with susan's disappearance unsolved, tuesday night investigators searched a storage unit rented by powell. >> if you have a storage shed, we want to know what's in it. >> reporter: police now say josh's father steven has been named a person of interest interest in steven's disappearance. he's awaiting trial on child pornography charges. today he's on suicide watch. >> steven will always be part of the investigation. we have questions and stuff we'd like to talk about. >> reporter: police say before his boys died in the fire, josh hit them both with a hatchet. jennifer graves is josh's estranged sister. >> the thought of those babies suffering, and they must have because they weren't dead when the explosion was done. they suffered and they died. >> reporter: the heartache and panic from sunday, still vivid for that social worker, too. >> he opened the door. the kids were one step ahead of me. they're 5 and 7. they were one step ahead of me and he slammed the door in my face. >> reporter: the social worker's

husband says she is devastated with the loss of the boys. >> she had bonded with the boys. she had taken them to a number of visits before and was very close to them. as i say it was devastating to her to have had this happen. >> reporter: police say the social worker who brought the boys here and called 911 did everything she could. the funeral for the powell boys will be held on saturday. ann? >> all right, miguel almaguer, thank you so much. a quick programming note, "dateline" will have a look at the powell case friday at 10:00/9:00 central time on nbc. >> let's head to the news desk where natalie is standing by yo >> good morning. a major breakthrough in california where the hotly contested gay marriage ban known as proposition 8 has now been overturned and declared unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. the ruling applies only to

california. the case could be headed to the supreme court. new york prosecutors will not pursue rape charges against the police commissioner's son. the manhattan district attorney's office found criminal charges were not appropriate following an investigation into the rape accusation against tv anchor greg kelly. kelly's accuser said he assaulted her after they met for drinks in october. kelly denied wrongdoing. pennsylvania prosecutors are pushing to have jerry sandusky kept indoors only while under house arrest after neighbors complained the former penn state assistant football coach was watching children in a school play ground from his back porch. sandusky is awaiting trial on child molestation charges. his attorney says the concerns are unfounded. it may look like a tsunami is about to engulf the florida panhandle but not to worry. these photographs show what haze and humidity can do to the clouds. this is over panama city,

florida. striking images. the first lady is proving to be unbeatable. late night host jimmy fallon brought spandex to the white house despite disapproving looks from the first dog and mrs. obama herself. after doing push-ups, twirling hula hoops, hurling dodgeballs and pulling through a tug of war, the first lady won the face-off in a dramatic to the second potato sack race. the fun was all part of michelle obama's let's move fitness campaign. cue "chariots of fire." 7:18. back to ann, matt and al. jimmy's having fun. >> we need to get him a trainer. >> let's show you what's going on as far as your weather's concerned. we have a quiin mgovppli cer zipping along. it will bring snow to southern ohio, pennsylvania and south of new york. the system moves through rapidly

by 11:00 tonight. it's offshore. because it's moving quickly it won't dump a lot of snow. one to three inches generally and some areas not going to see that much well, we have some thick pockets of fog out there. good morning to you, i'll meteorologist christina loren in the nbc bay area weather center. watch out, we're measuriing visibility in hundreds of feet. but by 10:00 a.m. today, getting a good amount of clearing over the greater bay area, and we'll be able to warm up into the mid 60s inland and by the bay, even warmer for tomorrow. rain returns sunday into monday. hope you have a great wednesday. that's your latest weather. matt? >> for years we have been told to lower the amount of salt in our diets. according to the centers for disease control nine out of ten adults are still consuming far too much. in some cases double the recommended daily amount.

tom costello has more on that. >> reporter: salt or sodium leads to high blood pressure. this is what we're talking about for a daily maximum. i'm eyeballing it, but that may be too much. amazingl amazingly, a third of the american population has high blood pressure and 800,000 people die each year from diseases related to high blood pressure. >> how's that weight going? stable? >> reporter: when it comes to being lucky, don is a living example. >> i was walking in the office and all of the sudden i was on the floor unconscious. >> reporter: it was a massive heart attack. buy bistanders, doctors and paramedics saved his life. he stopped smoking and cut back on the salt. >> i eat less red meat, more fish, a lot of oatmeal and i'm conscious about not eating salt. >> reporter: the cdc says many

of us would do well to follow his lead. on average americans consume 3,300 milligrams of salt or sodium each day, twice what's recommended for anyone at risk over age of 51 and all african-americans. in fact, 44% of the sodium we eat comes from only ten types of foods. surprisingly breads and rolls are at the top of the list followed by cold cuts, deli and packaged meats, pizza, poultry, soup, sandwiches incluzing cheeseburgers, cheese, pasta dishes, meeatloaf-type dishs an at the bottom, snacks. >> nearly two thirds comes from food at the grocery store. another quarter from food at restaurant. >> reporter: if you eat an egg and cheese sandwich with coffee and orange juice for breakfast that's 770. soup and sandwich for lunch with iced tea, 1600.

sp ga spaghetti dinner, 730. and after dessert you're over 3,000 milligrams. as for don in boston it's been five years since his heart attack. >> he's a model patient. he's on medication, stopped smoking, exercises and he's doing well. he certainly understands the risk of having too much salt in his diet. >> reporter: doctors would like to see that much salt. the grocery industry has been cutting back sodium levels for years and walmart announced plans to cut sodium and sugar levels from thousands of products while cutting prices on produce. more fruits and vegetables, more healthy home cooking are the keys, say the experts to cutting the high salt level intake. >> thanks, tom. coming up, details on the relationship between jfk and the woman who claims she was his mistress as a 19-year-old white house intern. meredith's here to share her

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call or click today. coming up, the family of a florida 7-year-old who was kidnapped on her way home from school and murdered faces h in >> summer thompson's mother speaks to us after your local news. oh, oh. oooh! will love ever come my way? oh my! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer sweeper's new, thicker cloths get deep into ridges picking up more dirt, dust and hair than a broom to help leave your floor up to three times cleaner. you sure are a pick-me-up! [ male announcer ] swiffer cleans better or your money back.

new ocean spray cherry juice drinks, like cran-cherry, made with sweet cherries and the crisp taste of cranberries. ah, sweet deal! find out how to get a free cherry juice drink at oceanspray.com or on facebook. good morning, laura garcia cannon. jean quan will deliver her second state of the city address want to. the mayor has a -- the chief of police sent his offices investigating 20 shootings in the past seven days. city also continues to deal with the occupy movement. occupy protesters say they will stage a silent protest when mayor kwan speaks tonight. s san jose may consider new ways to reduce its police force. the auditor would come up with recommendations today. he says it does not mean there will be cuts. last week, tech giant ibm

released a report saying based on the city's prime rate, san jose could cut up to 400 police jobs at a savings of $60 million. fog is the word of the morning around here. i want to check in with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning. taking a live look at the golden gate bridge, where you can see, we are already clearing out. now that the sun is out, starting to clear from the top down, the sun warming up that top layer of cloud cover. as we head throughout the day, by 10:00 a.m., you can see the future cast, mostly clear conditions over the greater bay area. with all that sunshine coming in early, temperatures will approach that 70-degree mark in places like gilroy, last los gatos today. 61 for dublin. 63 degrees in san francisco, and 63 in bodega bay. the next couple days, no real changes. we warm up through thursday, staying mild through friday. and then over the course of the weekend, getting a few showers sunday into monday. valentine's day. cool and cloudy, don't forget about it, though, next tuesday, 59 degrees inland. 7:27, let's check your drive with mike. >> fair warning for the fog, as

well. you showed that. south bay, we do have the slow down, starting in the northbound direction. usual suspect down here moving up into the lower bay shore for southbound 101. menlo park shows speeds in the 50s. san ma at a owes slows on 101 at 92 and across 92, slowing across the bridge, as well. there is some fog developed, and you can't see from coast to coast. but you can see the traffic in front of you. so traffic flows smoothly on 92 in both directions. and oakland, slowing as you come up towards the coliseum. again, the low clouds hovering around, visibility on the road is okay, but watch those clouds coming through, laura. >> all right. thank you very much, mike. and thanks for joining us. check out nbc bay area on facebook for the latest.com date.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 8th day of february 2012. we have a lot of smiling faces, people who got up early to be in rockefeller plaza. meantime inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. just ahead we'll hear from a woman who claims she was jfk's teenage mistress. >> we told you about mimi alford earlier in the week. she said the affair started on her fourth day as a white house intern. she opened up to meredith in an exclusive interview about how it began, their time together and why she didn't come forward

sooner. meredith has a preview of tonight's interview. >> nice to have her here. also here we have today's professionals discussing topics including a controversial super bowl ad, gisele's behavior after the game and why some say singles are discriminated against in america. >> we begin with the family of 7-year-old somer thompson facing the little girl's killer in court. we'll talk to her mom diena in a moment. first, mark potter is in florida with the latest. good morning to you, mark. >> reporter: good morning, matt. somer thompson's murder deeply affected this area. when her killer came to the courthouse to plead guilty and be sentenced there was a lot of anger and he was confronted by the victim's family. by coming to court to plead guilty to murder and other charges 26-year-old jarred harrell avoided the death

penalty. but what he couldn't escape was a withering attack from the family of 7-year-old somer thompson whom he kidnapped, raped and strangled to death before throwing her body in a dumpster. >> you took her dignity, her virginity and then her life. after all that you then treated my child like trash. >> reporter: thompson disappeared on her way home from school on october 19, 2009. two days later her body was found in a nearby georgia landfill. after a months-long investigation, detectives arrested jarred harrell who lived near the thompson home. in court he confessed. >> you lewdly touched her in her private areas and strangled her to death. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: his sentence, life in prison with no chance of parole. >> with this plea agreement, you are going to die in prison.

>> reporter: one by one somer's family spoke to jarred harrell about how he destroyed a precious life. >> how could you kill a defenseless 7-year-old girl that only loved everybody? >> i can't let my children live carefree like children should for fear of others like you. >> reporter: thompson's twin brother glared at jarred harrell. >> he won't look as you. he's a coward. >> we know you did this. we have evidence. she trusted you. but you had to do what you did and look where it got you. and now you're going to jail! >> reporter: his sister abigail fought back tears. >> i don't know how you can live with yourself. you don't know how bad you hurt my family. but i hope you suffer just like me and my family did. i can't explain how much me and my friends and family, everybody i know and everybody my family

knows, how much they hate you. you're not even a human being. your name is not jarred harrell. your name is monster. >> reporter: as to why there was a plea deal rather than a trial seeking the death penalty authorities wanted to guarantee his life in prison. >> we made sure today jarred harrell will never have the opportunity to hurt another child. >> reporter: they said with the plea deal they avoided years of appeals. >> good luck, monster. >> reporter: during the hearing jarred harrell showed no emotion, never apologized or spoke to the family. when it was over he avoided eye contact and walked out to start his life behind bars. >> mark, thank you very much. diena thompson is with us exclusively. good to see you. >> you, too, matt. >> how did you get through that snm just do what you've got to do. no other choice. it's stand up and fight or lay down and die. i won't lay down and die for a monster.

>> you talked about spending all your energy ensuring he got the death penalty. in this court procedure basically you agreed to life in prison. why? >> basically with the information that was afforded to me by the prosecution considering all parties involved, my children who would be drug back into the court for god knows how long, this ensured he would never hurt another child which is truly giving justice to other children. what we want and what we get sometimes aren't the same thing. >> i have had people sit here before in similar, unfortunate circumstances and they say part of the reason they did something like this is because there was some sense of forgiveness. i don't get that from you at all. >> no. i don't grforgive him. he's going to leave prison in a coffin and probably sooner than he would have on death row. >> talk to me about your children and family members who spoke directly to jarred harrell. your son samuel.

this is somer's twin. he was 7 at the time. he's 9 years old now. did he want to do this? >> not at first. when he heard everyone talking he wrote that statement and he got up and made us all so very, very proud of his strength. >> he's a brave little boy. do you worry, diena, that it was a haunting experience -- the courtroom appearance as opposed to some kind of healing experience? >> no. when he got done reading it and spun around in the chair you could almost see relief that he got to face the monster and tell him what he thought. at least that's what i felt like. >> your oldest daughter abigail told jarred harrell his name is monster. this is the part i think i uh might have asked you last time. how do you tell your children and how should others prepare their children for the fact that there are -- i always tell my kids there is no such thing as monsters. ghosts, monsters. they are in the movies. how do you dew prepare your kid

cans and how should others prepare their kids that there are monsters out there? >> we have to empower our children. rad kids, all kinds of programs you can get them in. we can't tell them. we have to teach them. i told somer and it didn't do any good. we had to teach and empower our children. you can kind out about rad kids on their website or go to summerthosummer -- somerthompson.org. >> this man stole such an innocent thing from the world. this is a walk home from school. how do your children deal with something so simple today? >> unfortunately they are much older than they should be. they have been forced to grow up really fast because of this situation and much like the rest of us, have a hard time trusting pretty much anybody. we have to treat everybody like we don't know them. >> do you wish he would have looked at you in court, made eye contact? was that something you were

hoping for? >> yes. he owed me that. he owed me at least that. >> why? >> because he stole my child from me in such a vicious way. my family deserves that. he should have said something. but he's a coward. that's what a coward would do. >> the last two years of your life have been dedicated to making sure justice was served here. do you think it was served? and where do you go from here? >> it's served as best as it can be. i think the inmates in prison are probably going to do him some justice for me. i just want to move forward with the foundation and try to help other families and try to do something to make it where this can't happen again. >> you're a brave lady with a brave family. thank you for coming back. >> thank you for having me. >> now a check of the weather from al. >> thank you very much. as we look around the country, this is the fourth warmest january on record. nine states had their top ten warmest januaries ever.

let's show you temperaturewise what we can expect. it will be chilly around the great lakes and northern plains. 20s and 30s there. in new england, 30s. 70s into california. 80s in southern florida with hit or miss shours and thunderstorms. light snowshowers into the northeast rain in the pacific northwest. look for cloudy skies through the southwest. big area of high pressure dominates. we'll have sunshine for the northern plains all the way down into northern texas. kind of a cool, cloudy start to this wednesday morning. good morning to you, i'm meteorologist christina loren live in the nbc bay area weather center. but that sun will be out later today. in fact, by 10:00 a.m., gettingg mostly sunny skies over the greater bay area and temperatures climbing into the mid 60s as a result. 66 degrees today in san jose, 54 degrees in walnut creek. and you'll hit about 53 degrees staying nice and comfortable, even in the city of san francisco. even more so for your thursday, and rain moves back in sunday

into monday. >> you want your latest weather, go to the weather channel online. matt matt? >> thank you very much. up next, the woman who claims she was jfk's mistress during her time as a white house interc meredith is hehit wer her exclusive "rock center" interview after this. of. place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, kwoez. it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country.

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aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh! back now at 7:43 with more on the former white house intern who claims she had an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. mimi alford details her experience in "once upon a secret." she sat down with meredith vieira for an exclusive interview for tonight's "rock center" with brian williams. good morning. >> good morning to you. this is a story that mimi alford

kept secret for 50 years. she didn't talk about it publically. she was outed in a historian's book in 1953 and admitted she was indeed the mimi who had the affair with jfk. then she basically disappeared until now. >> most mornings when i woke up i thought, i don't want to get up and write this book. i want to hide under the covers. >> what made you get out from under the covers? >> i think when you keep a secret and keep silent about something you do it because you think it's keeping you safe, but in fact it's deadly. >> reporter: the secret, claims alford, started in the summer of 1962 when the 19-year-old debutante from a prominent new jersey family began what she says was an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. >> i was sort of swept into this web. the handsome president, his charisma, magnetism. >> reporter: mimi said it began

on the fourth day of her new job as a white house summer intern when she received a phone call from dave powers, the president's close aide. >> he said, a group of us are going to have a swim at lunchtime. would you like to join us? i thought, well, it was a little bit odd to be swimming in the middle of the day at work. where's the pool? i didn't know the white house had a pool. of course i didn't have a bathing suit either. he said, don't worry, there are bathing suits. >> reporter: in this heated pool, mimi found herself with two other young white house staffers. >> they were in the water and dave escorted me in. shortly thereafter the president arrived. no one said the president was going to join us. he put on his trunks and came into the water. >> reporter: hours later she was taken on a private tour of some of the rooms of the residence by her president where she lost her virginity to him in jackie kennedy's private bedroom.

did he realize if you were a virgin? >> i think he did. he kept asking me if i was all right. i was all right. there was not a lot of conversation. >> reporter: here you are a young woman. you have never had sexual relations before at 19. >> no. >> reporter: by your own account naive. >> yep. >> reporter: you have just had sex with the president of the united states. how can you be all right? >> i didn't start to cry. i was hysterical. i clearly wanted to go home. and i did, very quickly go home. but i didn't feel scared. maybe that's the thing about shock. i don't know. >> reporter: after losing her virginity to president kennedy on her fourth day on the job they began an affair, spending evenings together in the private residence as often as twice a week. you're 19. he's 45. what did you talk about? >> we didn't have a lot of time to talk. he was the president. what we talked about was not world affairs. the president was boyish and

playful with me. >> reporter: in her book mimi calls their sexual encounters varied and fun describing the president as a sensualist who enjoyed being silly, especially in the bathtub. >> he had a collection of little yellow rubber ducks. they were in the bathtub and rubber ducks became part of the game. >> reporter: what did you do with the rubber ducks? >> we had races in the bathtub. he was not being president when he was with me. >> reporter: no. definitely not. sometimes mimi would travel with the president, flying on the support plane in her role as press office intern. an one trip she said she attended a lavish party for the president at bing crosby's house but she was mostly in the hotel waiting for the president to summon her. that's where you started the waiting game. >> yes. waiting in the hotel room. >> reporter: did you feel at all

like i'm being used here? it's almost like you were a call girl to him. >> i never felt that. now, looking back, i can see it's not a good place for a 19-year-old to be, in a relationship that's so imbalanced and with such a powerful person and an older man and at the beck and call. i see how sad it was. that is not how i felt at the time. >> reporter: can you give me an example that would say to me this was more than just being a mistress? >> just the way he was. the way he smiled with me. i feel that he did. he actually cared about me. >> several teem tied to the jfk administration said she was an intern and had special access to the president. she didn't realize there were reportedly so many other women. she also talks about the fact that as much as she add miles an hour -- admired the president he

had a dark side. she refers to his demons and i think there are things that will shock people. >> meredith vieira, thank you so much for the interview and talking to us this morning. you can see meredith's full story on "rock center" with brian williams on its new day and time tonight at 9:00/8:00 central time here on nbc. also then after, mimi will be here for her first live television interview tomorrow here on "today." still ahead, an inside look at how the stars live. we'll take you on a tour of celebrity homes that are now on the market. first, these messages. sweet, nutty crunchy nut.

[ sighs ] i can't wait till morning. wait! it's morning in china! ♪ [ male announcer ] it's sweet, it's nutty... it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's crunchy nut. it's morning somewhere. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country.

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wednesday morning to you. women in a dorm rom at san jose state will return to court to the. michael escobar is scheduled for a pretrial hearing. the 21-year-old is charged with five counts of battery for allegedly assaulting women in their rooms as they slept. he remains in jail on $150,000 bail. let's check that forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you. we are clearing out quick low over the golden gate bridge. you can see plenty of sunshine overhad he here. we have overcast conditions over the course next hour. at 10:00 a.m., ploet pleatly clear. we see highs in the 70s in some

cities as a result of that sunshine coming in off the top. 70 degrees in los gatos. 62 in castro valley. 63 in san francisco. even a comfortable 620 degrees in wine country today. warmer as we kick off your thursday. friday, 65 degrees. we'll take you down just a couple degrees in temperature with more fog. let's check your drive with mike. >> we want to track a northbound 101, 87. typical slow pattern here. southbound 17 to hamilton. we're looking at a slow drive through san mateo through wed redwood city and menlo park. an action around the 82 interchange. jammed because of the accident clearing and partly because look at this, we have the fog. that's a big pocket coming

through sunol, you lower the speeds into fremont, laura. back to you. >> thank you very much. for the latest traffic and news, check out nbc bay area on facebook. another local news update in half an hour. okay, people, let's get started. pete, did you forget yours?

me pete, me use pen! (laughter) sorry i'm late, i was in the 16th century looking for pete's pen. (laughter) guys, guys. take it easy, ok? pete's mom is videochatting me, and she wants her pen back! ok, alright, well. i just got one. so... yeah, you've got a little... yep, i can feel the wet patch. don't look at it. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.

we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th day of february, 2012. temperatures dipping down. about 33 degrees. it will get a little better today and a blast of cold air the end of the week. >> maybe a little snow the end of the night. >> little? >> yeah. >> i'm matt lauer. i'm here with al roker and ann curry. among the topics of troefls this morning, does spanking your child help correct bad behavior. that's giselle bunchon there.

>> that tape was rolled too soon. >> did she cross the line when it came to her post super bowl comments about he receivers on her husband's team. we'll be talking about that in a moment. >> sometimes, you just can't control live television. meantime, we're talking about how movie stars lived. there are a number of homes on the market, in excludeing one by ryan reynolds and a pink mansion. we'll take a look inside what is on the market. i suppose the rest of us can just dream, matt. >> and speaking of stars, denzel washington will be here. he has an action new thriller called "safehouse." >> ben says he's not a morning person so it's great he's here this morning. >> let's go inside to the

newsdesk with all the headlines. >> good morning. rick santorum is riding a new wave of momentum in the race for the presidential nomination. santorum swept tuesday's votes in minnesota, missouri and colorado and topping mitt romney, who finish ed third plae in missouri and second place went to raup. rick santorum said he's the conservative to barack obama. the 911 recordings from the social worker after bringing the two sons to josh powell's home only to have an explosion occur. >> there's two little boys in the house and the father had supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids? >> you think he might have done this intentionally? yes. >> a funeral will be held saturday for 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old braden.

senate minority leader mitch mcconnell warned the obama administration has crossed a dangerous line by requiring employee health plans including hospital hospitals with contraception. the administration is now exploring ways to make the rule more compatible with religious beliefs. the top policy official with the susan g. komen breast cancer organization resign ed thursday. she said the officials discussed the funding cut before they came on board because they were concerned about alienating catholic donors. now, a look at what is trending today, a quick look at what has you talking online. a top search on yahoo after it foiled and attempt to

blackmail. an iowa woman is claimed to have asked for $10,000 saying she had situations of amy duggar with an older man. amy duggar says there is no truth to the scandalous story. jack-in-the-box is pairing its new blt cheeseburger, get this, with a bacon milkshake. it uses bacon flavored syrup, not meat, but it still packs 40 grams of fat into a 16 ounce cup. makes your stomach turn. president obama's tumbler page features the commander in chief trying what could be a secret weapon at the white house science fair, a gun that uses air pressure to fire marshmallows. >> oh! let's look. >> the president said the young scholars put his own schoolboy science project to shame. very cool. 8:04 right now. let's go back outside to matt

and ann. >> he's lucky the secret service didn't tackle them. >> good thing it was a marshmallow. >> exactly. >> now, to the top stories -- a quick check of the weather. we just heard from the top stories. >> you stick to the weather. >> i'm trying. i'm trying. >> where's the state top marshmallow man when you need him. >> we have friends here. where are you from? >> arlington, texas. >> this young woman said it's our wedding anniversary. all three of you. a little fun in arlington. >> yeah? >> do you want to wish your grandkids a happy anniversary? >> i lost my voice. >> well, share it with all three of you having a good time. grandma wishes you guys a happy day. congratulations. you two. >> no. you two. so confused. look at this. she's got a t-shirt that says keep austin weird. you guys need to move over to

austin. anyway, let's check your weather, see what's happening. our pick city today, bluefield, virginia, where things are normal there. rain and snow showers, 40 de greeand bringing snow in west virginia and rain in the pacific northwest. showers ending down in southern california. beautiful day in new england, a little on the chilly side. lots of rain in southern texas. look for a few showers around visibility and hundreds of feet in some cities across the bay. i'm meteorologist christina loren. watch for thick fog from san francisco all the way to santa rosa. now there are reports of slight delays due to the low ceilings. but we're already noticing the clearing trend and that will be the case as we head through the second half of your day. 66 as a result of all the sunshine. you'll hit about 63 in san

francisco, even warmer for your thursday. and then we get showers as we head into the second half of your weekend. to ms. curry. >> coming up, are singles penalized in america? that's one of the issues the professionals will be talking about com coming up after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪

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that's what i was supposed to say now. well, no one can understand you. ♪ new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation from [ babbling ] ...covergirl. that's what i'm talking about. see? what did you just say? i'm looking for some "beeza-beeza-vuza-vuza." so it doesn't come down to this. hey, i need a card & some chocolates. cards are in aisle 5... candy's in aisle 74. why wouldn't you just put them together? a little exercise wouldn't hurt you. [ beep ] just go to walgreens. [ female announcer ] you'll find short lines, great parking and valentine's day favorites... like hallmark cards & gifts... premium chocolates like lindt lindor truffles... fragrances, even fresh flowers. shopping. simplified. with walgreens...there's a way. back now with today's professionals. we're joined as always by star jones, donny deutsch and dr.

nancy snyderman. they have interesting opinions we hope on the hot headlines of the day. who saw the super bowl? who saw what happened after the super bowl? tom brady and his wife, the supermodel gisele bundchen, were walking out of of the stadium and were confronted by hecklers, giants fans. here's what happened. >> eli owns your husband! >> my husband cannot throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. >> she basically said how is he supposed to throw the blanking ball and catch it at the same time referring to the dropped passes late in the game? how did mrs. tom brady handle this? >> very poorly. mr. tom brady could not have been happy. tom brady said, i will throw to my receive rs any day of the week and the receivers aren't the ones who threw the ball for intentional grounding, safety,

interception. she stood for her man but she looked like a fool and made him look like a back. >> when you're the quarterback you reap the benefits of the win and take the burden of the losses. >> and spouses should not be in somebody else's profession. this was a classic case of a spouse commenting on a partner's work performance. now, listen, she should have been a classier act, pretended she didn't hear it and also brushed her hair. >> the pray for tommy, i didn't like that. there are other things to pray for. >> that didn't bother me. but one thing a heckler wants is to get under your skin. the thing you can't allow to happen is let them under your skin. >> i loved it when somebody yelled "eli rules." i completely believed.

>> and now to single in america. it is believed that unmarried people pay more for car churns, health insurance and they don't get the same tax braex married couples do. is there singles discrimination? >> there is from a tax basis, absolutely. if you file as a married couple you get a better tax rate than single people. i think going out socially and in the work place, not. but it's economically true. >> as someone who's been married and single -- >> several times. >> i felt when i was single, dealing with corporations, i'm not saying they weren't giving me business, why is this guy single? there's less stability. something i felt. sometimes i had to answer for why i was single. on the flip side for young people, single is a benefit not because they work around the clock. >> they have no responsibilities of home. >> cuts both ways. >> with meredith here earlier we used to have the discussion all

the time on "the view." meredith was a working mom. we had to make sure our spring break was around her kids' spring break. >> that's just reality. >> why is it? >> i'm being honest with you. meredith and i talked about it. >> married people can hijack. >> i had to work around my friends' kid cans' li -- kids' lives. that's reality. >> maybe i didn't want to break in march. >> if you're single you stay at work longer, the less you see people and you become a news nun. >> this ad that ran during the super bowl, get back to the super bowl it was for chrysler. it was all about the tough times detroit has seen and the fact that there is a rebirth there. it was voiced by clint eastwood. here's a listen. >> people are out of work and they're hurting. they're all wondering what they're going to do to make a

comeback. we're all scared because this isn't a game. the people of detroit know a little something about this. they almost lost everything. but we all pulled together. now motor city is fighting again. >> i think a lot of people liked the ad. then came the criticism that this is more than a car commercial. this is a campaign ad for barack obama thinly disguised. what do we think about it? >> if, in fact, the country is coming back and it benefits this administration, then they reap the benefit. >> the republicans should be quiet. by saying this is a barack obama ad you're saying america the beautiful, america is on its way back. so basically chrysler was so smart. i don't think in their mind they said we'll do a pro obama ad. they were doing a comeback ad and the republicans are looking like fools.

>> i grew up in indiana. detroit, ft. wayne and the whole beltway, i think a lot of people have felt the mid western pain. as a mid western girl i thought it was about our spirit. i didn't see this as political at all. when the talk started 72 hours afterward i was stunned. >> by the way, barack did make the move to save the auto industry. like him or not. >> did you hear the same talk? >> it was so smart. it wasn't buy america. it was about detroit. >> anything that's rah-rah us is a good thing. >> great ad, by the way. >> let's switch gears. let's talk about new findings in the great spanking debate. who's spanked as a child? >> i was. >> hair brush once. >> i was. >> as an adult? >> last night? >> two decades worth of research

prove spanking doesn't change a child's behavior for the better. it increases aggression. >> i'm stunned that we keep talking about this every 18 to 24 months over and over again. >> parents have a dilemma about this. >> we know it invites aggression. kids don't learn from it and violence begets violence. there is no win in spanking your kids. >> parents should do what they think is right. having said it, i would not spank my child. sometimes i will do the squeesz of the hand if they're out of line. i'm very -- parent this way. parents need to parent this way. a touch on the tush -- >> oh, donny. >> that's not my style. >> what about people who say, i turned out okay. >> i did, but i learned more in the last 20 years. i have learned ways to get my frustration out that doesn't include spanking. i don't know that i would spank. >> on the flip side we are too

johnny did something horrible. ooh, a one minute timeout. spanking is one thing but we could have gone too far in the other direction. >> i think even parents against spanking will admit they have done a pat on the fanny or said, listen to me, and grabbed by the arm. spanking is just a no win. >> spanking wasn't the way to discipline me. sending me to my room was a better way. >> look how she turned out. >> donny deutsch, star jones, dr. nancy snyderman. good to see you. up next, a look at remarkable celebrity homes that are now on the market right after this. capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money.

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experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. we're back now at 8:22. this morning on today's real estate the celebrity housing market. when a star puts his or her home on the market it's a chance for the curious to get a glimpse into the lavish details that come with those eye-popping price tags. ba basha the idea is that you can sell your home for more, right? how much more does the value go up because you own the home? >> 5% to 10%. everybody loves to brag that they bought the house the celebrity owned. >> but? >> celebrities never get a good

deal. if anyone spots a celebrity looking at their home gets tough on the price. they know they're rich and don't give them a break. >> we have a house that was once owned by scarlett johansson and ryan reynolds. >> this is an amazing house. a little over six months ago after filing for divorce they put their house on the market. it's just on the other side of the hollywood freeway. the house is all about the outside. it's a party house. it has two bedrooms, three baths, 2835 square feet big. >> beautiful. >> it's a classic mid century home. great lighting on the house on half an acre with unobstructed views from downtown all the way to the ocean while you swim in the pool. there are walls of glass, a flat grassy yard, oversized salt water pool. outdoor bath and the couple reportedly paid only $2.9 million when they purchased the home. that's only four years ago. they hope to make a sizable half a million profit.

>> chances? >> chances are good. this is a sweet spot. it's one of the best streets. >> christina aguilera, one of the judges from "the voice" selling a pink mansion in beverly hills. it was owned by another musician before her? >> definitely. it was owned by ozzy and sharon osbourne. she bought it for $11.5 million five years ago. it's a mediterranean house which is popular there. the hedges have been grown forever to make it look important. anyone could make a great entrance on this stairway. you don't even have to be a movie star. look at the dining room. the extra rooms include a gift wrapping room, movie room, beauty salon and the kitchen is. >> reporter:y. it has pop culture over the triple fireplace in the corner. >> whoopie goldberg has a house

for sale as well. >> not that fancy. comes with 745 acres of grass to cut, cows to feed and rolling hills. it was built in 1790. she did a renovation on it eight years ago. very traditional. >> we have been hearing a lot about new england patriots quarterback tom brady. he has a boston penthouse on the market. >> everybody's focused on the new house he's building in los angeles for a whopping $20 million. he also has a stunning home in boston on one of the best street there is. he bought the mansion for $6.2 million and developed it, the wise guy he is. he's a smart businessman. he put in four condo units and moved into the top of the house. it has a huge floor plan. the main rooms on the top floor over look beacon street and runs the full width of the house.

entertainment room, media room. everything a rich guy wants in a townhouse in boston. >> the rest of us can dream. >> it's fun to peek. >> you gave us a peek this morning. thank you so much. barbara corcoran. speaking of stars good morning to you. 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. two bay area women gun kid nipped were with a christian tour group visiting historic sites when armed tribesmen abducted them. that despite a search by the military. after several hours the women were released. they say they were able to remain calm and are looking forward to returning to egypt in the future. first they're coming home. let's see what kind of traffic's out there with mike. >> if you're heading to work,

you have some slowing getting there. there's an accident in the center divide and a distraction off the dublin interchange. a new accident involving three cars in the last few minutes westbound of 580 as you're approaching the interchange. could be an issue. more specifically near livermore aft avenue. we have more slowing down the west shore freeway and a live look at the toll plaza shows you the conditions. we have fog in many areas including the bridge. >> thank you, mike. and thank you for joining us. check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update for you in a half hour. have a great morning.

8:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th day of february 2012. our crowd is enjoying a little bit of a chilly morning here in rockefeller plaza. we're glad to have them here waving at friends and family back home. meantime, including lenny. he's still out there with us. meantime we have a movie star in our studio.

>> one of the biggest. denzel washington is in the studio now. he's got a brand new movie out called "safehouse." you know "the artist"? nothing like that. absolutely nothing. but "the artist" -- someone dies every five minutes. he plays a cia rogue operative. >> also ahead, valentine's day is looming. coming up, a lot of people looking for love. we'll tell you about a search that leads many to the internet. coming up, some of the more unique websites that are out there catering to rather specific crowds. >> all right. >> okay. and on today's money 911 we have our panel of experts ready to answer your questions, everything from what do you do with multiple 401(k)s or when to change your auto insurance if you have an older car. >> all right. first before that let's get a check of the weather. >> absolutely. >> i like that idea.

let's show you what's happening. it's on the nippy side in the northeast. we have light snow moving through the ohio river valley into the midatlantic states. wet in the pacific northwest. snowshowers in the rockies. mild through the southwest tomorrow with lingering showers and snowshowers in the rockies. rain in central texas. up and down the eastern seaboard we have gorgeous weather. hit or miss thunderstorms around southern florida and the bahamas. we have snowshowers around the central great lakes. good wednesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christine loren. still tracking deep pockets of fog, but the overall trend is clearing. we're seeing a lot more sunshine through the south bay and over by the city. still, though, big pockets. in concord and fairfield where you're down to a quarter of a mile of visibility. in porti osf the east bay and the interior valley. we're coming way up. the sun is out and it's going to warm us up into the 60s.

64 in san francisco. even warmer for your thursday. more rain moves in over the weekend. captiva, florida, to say hello to uncle willy. >> oh, how sweet it is. south seas island resort in lovely florida. one of the prettiest places in the world. i'm sorry. i'd invite you for a boat ride but my yacht is being repaired. happy birthday from stuckmucker. that's all i carry on my yacht. manly stanley sorenson of south range, wisconsin. all kinds of activities in his life, especially his church. attributes his longevity to the good lord. you cannot beat that faith in god. how sweet it is. leola allmond from richmonday, virginia. 106. loves to cook, sew and do kroz word puzzles.

o florence hatz of palm beach, florida. she's 104. she's won so many awards and good things in her life for playing bridge. that's a game of great skills and brains. things i'm short on. antonio hernandez. he's from harlingen, texas. the confederate air force. did you know we had one? enjoys boxing and te kwquila. what a man. here's rose, that's a pretty name. rose greenfield of palm beach gardens, florida. 101 years old. a lovely champion bridge player. so many people play bridge. it's a great game of skill. lester trubey of union city, michigan. he's 104. lives independently and attributes his longevity to his

wonderful wife. been with her 72 years. the "today" show is 60. how about that? they were practically newlyweds when we started. back to new york. >> thank you, commodore. >> thank you so much. >> do you know what happened ten years ago today? >> i know. it says right here. we had an opening ceremony in salt lake city for the big olympic games. >> right. >> and the cauldron was lit by the hockey team. >> the 1980 hockey team. we have only 170 more days before the opening ceremonies for the summer olympics in london. >> get cracking! >> i like the summer part. and they are right here on the networks of nbc. >> meantime who's coming up? >> i have a feeling i know. >> denzel washington. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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back at 8:37 with two-time back at 8:37. denzel washington, a force to be reckoned with in his new movie called "safehouse" and eluded capture for almost a decade. take a look. >> that house is a secure location. whoever crashed it didn't stop by the nearest safe house and ask for directions. someone told them about it. you better ask yourself, can you trust your landlord. forget about me, they will focus on you and try to make a connection between you and i so if they hasomething fall throug have somebody to fall back on in their little senate hearings. i'm not the enemy tonight. >> they pitched this project to you at lunch and the way i read, you got up in the middle of lunch and said, okay, i'll do this.

it was that quick? >> not quite. >> not that quick? >> a brilliant young director. maybe that was after i had seen his movie. the first thing, let me see this kid's movie. he did a film called "'scy money." it was a brilliant film. i met him, 32 years old. father fought in the revolution in chilchile, raised in chile a gre background and great young filmmaker. >> for the last several decades, he's motionless. he has no personal connections, purelymercenary, out to win and defeat everybody. how do you go about a guy like that? >> typecasting. >> actually, i read this book called "the sociopath next door." that was like my bible i related to. traits of a sociopath, no

conscience, no source of remorse. usually atheist, want to win and dominate, in different ways, sometimes through pity and domination. >> even winning in terms of a conversation, if you're engaged in a conversation, you want to win in that conversation, you want to defeat me. >> he's about to get water-boarded and telling the guy he brought the yong towels. >> you said something about winning on the script? >> just how am i going to win today? for example, there is a film in the football stadium. he starts yelling and screaming like a little girl, he's going to kill me, two seconds later, he killed a couple people. >> at this stage in your career as accomplished an actor you are, that type of thing focuses you on a daily basis? that word, little phrase? >> i'm from the theater so i'm building and developing a character. someone says, you're a bad guy. i don't know what that means. do i twist my moustache and go -- i have to develop a character. or they'll call it an action

picture or thriller. that's for someone else to mana it after the fact. i will develop the character. >> talking about the intensity you bring and simple dialogue, it is incredible. he said, it gives you sun burn. he literally is like being in acting school. incredible to work with someone like that. he's an absolute legend, one of the best living working actors we have for today. why did you think he was good for the part? >> he brings a natural innocence to it and a tough guy. he did some rugged fight scenes. >> i know the fact you got a black eye during filming this. the way he tells the story, you did something that irritated him. >> i'm from new york. you know that didn't happen. what happens is i'm handcuffed breaking through the car and i reach over his neck -- over his head to try to choke him.

we're going 100 miles an hour. we're flying all over the place, as i reached forward, he hit back and hit me in the eye. >> saw a mouse under your eye and your look was like, yep, you did just give denzel washington a black eye. >> it was an accident. >> a lot of violence in this. was it necessary? >> it's rated r. it is what it is. it's an intense film. it's not a comedy. >> you were last time -- one of the last times you were here, you were on broadway, which worked out very well. >> with viola davis. >> exactly. who just had a big time, nominated for an academy award. do you miss that, something you like to do, do two pictures get back on broadway. you say you're a theater actor. >> i'm doing three or four things. i love the theater and i'm talking with kenny lee about another play and producing another film that will start shooting in april or may. i love directing and i like

acting. >> you like your finger in a lot of things. the story goes with this script. i don't want to make the screenwriter sound like he or she did not do a good job. you thought it was a work in progress. you spent a lot of time -- >> six months. >> is that something now at your stage of your career, you have license to do? >> i've always done it with my character but i've been helping to develop scripts a long time. >> you like the collaboration side of things? >> i do. it's a window into the character i'm playing. >> this one, as i mentioned, is a thrill ride from the opening sequence to the end called "safehouse." good to have you here. >> and it opens on friday on universal pictures. coming up next, the ever expanding world of online dating and we will explore some of the more unusual options. first, is the "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: today's relationships is brought to you by hershey's bar air delight. what make as hershey's bar pure in pure, delicious hershey's chocolate. >> back now at 8:45. this morning on today's relationships, the business of dating. whether it's a website, professional matchmaker or app, there are more options than ever for those looking for love. they don't have to play the dating game. we have national correspondent amy robach who's taken a closer look at ways people are playing cupid these days. >> that's right. it's an industry approaching $2 billion a year in revenue fuelled by 30 million people who have taken the search for romance online. a big chunk of that has come to be known as niche dating. once we counted on finding a mate at church, at work, at happy hour. online dating has changed that

and connected people who wouldn't have met any other way. tempted by trekkies? fantasize about farmers? maybe you're an adulterer. there are plenty of those online. or maybe you're into riding. >> horses are my passion. >> reporter: in north oak, california, valerie keeps lucy and shadow. >> i have dated outside of the realm of horse owners and they don't get it. >> reporter: she wants a man who shares her passion. so she turned to equestrian singles.com. today, valerie is going on a first date with john paulson who is excited about meeting a boots-wearing, ranch-loving woman like her. >> great to meet you. >> nice meeting you. i love your hair. >> thank you. are you ready for a ride? i love your blue eyes. >> thank you. >> reporter: of the hundred top dating sites more than half target narrow interests. no one knows how many niche

sites there are. they can spring up and disappear overnight. the fastest growing group of online daters is boomers. >> really involved, scary. >> yeah. i moved my dog in. >> reporter: aging boomers jack daniel and hannah hogan have no plans for a quiet retirement. they met through -- where else? bikerkiss.com. >> much better to go on a niche site. a lot less work sorting through thousands of people. why not narrow it down? >> i see ourselves having a lot of fun until the day i die. i'm so connected with this girl it's unreal. if i was to order something from god it would be this girl. >> reporter: valerie and john's date didn't have quite the same result. they share a love of horses. just not enough human chemistry.

>> we're now riding into the sun set. >> yes, indeed. >> reporter: there are a hundred million singles in the u.s. and, for now, these two will remain among them. unfortunately no luck there for john and valerie, but there's been a change in how daters connect and a the internet may soon become the most used way to find a mate leaving millions of daters hoping luck might be, ann, just a click away. >> very cute. listen, there has been a sig ma attached to dating online with so many people now using online sites to date. what's happened to that stigma? >> it's melting away. if you think of the numbers. 30 million online daters now out of 100 million singles in mrk. a third of all people go online to find their mate. the stigma is quickly eroding. one of the fastest growing generations of people online dating, 55 and older.

>> what stood out for you as you watched the process? >> what was interesting is the science that goes into some of the websites, the algorithms. match.com, e-harmony hire mathematicians, scientists, and put together what they call the secret sauce where they know exactly what you want, what you say you want and what you actually want when you go online. you have an algorithm formulated to find that person. they can't predict love but they say they can predict like. then you have the opportunity to find love through like. >> good to know there is science behind this. amy, thank you so much. see more of the full report, love at first byte, the secret science of online dating, tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on cnbc. and we'll talk about the struggling housing market. first, this is "today" on nbc.

president kennedy created the peace corps more than 50 years ago. through the years some 200,000 volunteers have lent a helping hand in 139 countries. >> that's right. vanity fair special correspondent maureen orr launched peacecorps postcards.com to share videos of the work being done around the world. good morning. >> good morning.

>> this has been a particular passion for you for as long as i have known you you have talked about the peace corps. >> right. i was a peace corps volunteer in colombia when i turned 21. it was the most enriching and important experience for me to stay with me throughout my life. you're serving your country. you're learning a new culture and language and these people i made friends with who were so different than i was and am have stayed my friends throughout life. >> the idea behind peace corps postcards is that to keep the message out there, afraid it was being lost in the information age? >> i think so. the peace corps today is very modern. it's in 75 countries with 9,000 volunteers and a huge waiting list. it's amazing. i was just in china and saw these amazing volunteers doing beautiful work. it is such a great program. the peace corps is worth five

hours in iraq. its budget is less than military marching bands but the presence it has and the friends it makes for us abroad and the way people learn from it and it gives back i think needs to be out there. >> when we think about china you think beijing and modern cities, but there are a lot of rural areas that the peace corps is needed in. >> that's right. we went to -- three and a half hours by air southwest of beijing and saw wonderful volunteers who were all there to teach english at the university level but then they have all these secondary programs and so they are teaching glee club and shakespeare and, you know, the american prom and cooking clubs. these kids are the first kids in all the cities that have a million people in there we don't know exist. these are the first foreign rs they meet. >> how do they react to the glee

club or the american prom? >> oh, my god. they love it. they really get into it. there is such a curiosity about western life and culture. they never get to meet real americans. this is an opportunity for them to see that it's not like what reality tv might be that they would see. >> thank goodness. >> your being in the peace corps was an opportunity for you to become a volunteer in so many great charities. thank you. >> you know, i still have my maureen.

good wednesday to you. 8:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. san francisco's plastic bag ban has gotted broader. unanimously approving a measure to expand the ban on nonreusable

bailing. not just groceries. if customers need to buy a bag, it will cost them a dime. a check of the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. >> the fog is starting to burn off. we still have dense fog out there. travel cautiously. we'll see plenty of sunshine later this afternoon. 65 degrees inland. warmer for thursday. rain moves back sunday into monday. hope you have a great wednesday. whatcha lookin' for hon? ah, these new jeans i want. i've been looking everywhere. new blue jeans? oh, don't be crazy, i've got tons of blue jeans. frank! frank! get my jean bin, susie wants my jeans. no she doesn't. here we go. nice and loose. ohhh. those are loose,

but i actually just ordered three pairs of this kind. ooooohhhh. oh. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.

back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th of february 2012. feeling like an actual winter day in the northeast. we've got temperatures in the mid to low 30s. we still have a couple of people hanging out outside the studio. many of them have gone in to seek shelter by now. >> my feet were numb. >> it's chilly. >> it is. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, savannah guthrie and al roker. coming up this hour, a woman who said she had an 18-month affair

with jfk. >> why she is she spilling the secret now five decades later? we'll hear what she had to say in an interview meredith vieira had exclusively coming up. >> on today's money 911 if you have moved from one job to another you may have several 401(k)s that you're not sure what to do with. we have advice on the best way to combine them and advice to pay down debt and save on car insurance. >> there is also good news finally in the housing market. experts say there are signs of life in some cities. we've got the top ten housing markets that are poised to bounce back in a big way. >> good news. >> let's go to the news desk. natalie is there with the headlines. >> good morning to you once again. good morning, everyone. it was a big night for rick santorum as the former pennsylvania senator swept the caucuses in minnesota, and colorado and took first place in the nonbinding missouri presidential primary. santorum's tuesday night wins

marks romney's toughest day on the campaign trail to date. in minnesota he came in third place bested by ron paul and falling even further behind overnight with newt gingrich. officials in washington state released the 911 recordings from the social worker who brought josh powell's two sons to his home for a supervised visit sunday only to have powell set off an explosion that killed himself and the boys. >> there's two little boys in the house and there's an adult man. he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. >> you think he might have done this intentionally? >> yes. >> powell had been the only person of interest in his wife susan's disappearance. a funeral will be held saturday for charlie and braden. a major breakthrough in california where the hotly contested gay marriage ban known as proposition 8 has been overturned and declared unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. the ruling applies only to

california and doesn't decide whether any state could ban gay marriage. the case could be headed to the supreme court. now for more on the former white house intern who claims she had an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. mimi alford details her experience in "once upon a secr secret." she sat down with meredith vieira for an interview for tonight's "rock center" with brian williams. >> reporter: mimi said it began on the fourth day of her new job as a white house summer intern when she received a phone call from dave powers, the president's close aide. >> he said, a group of us are going to have a swim at lunchtime. would you like to join us? i thought, well, it was a little bit odd to be swimming in the middle of the day at work. where's the pool? i didn't know the white house had a pool. of course i didn't have a bathing suit either. he said, don't worry, there are bathing suits. >> reporter: in this heated pool, mimi found herself with two other young white house staffers.

>> they were in the water and dave escorted me in. shortly thereafter the president arrived. no one said the president was going to join us. he put on his trunks and came into the water. >> reporter: hours later she was invited back to the white house residence and then she was taken on a private tour of some of the rooms of the residence by her president where she lost her virginity to him in jackie kennedy's private bedroom. did he realize if you were a virgin? >> i think he did. he kept asking me if i was all right. i was all right. there was not a lot of conversation. >> reporter: here you are a young woman. you have never had sexual relations before at 19. >> no. >> reporter: by your own account naive. >> yep. >> reporter: you have just had sex with the president of the united states. how can you be all right? >> i didn't start to cry. i wasn't hysterical. i clearly wanted to go home. and i did, very quickly go home. but i didn't feel scared. maybe that's the thing about

shock. i don't know. >> meredith's full interview airs tonight on "rock center" with brian williams at its new time, 9:00/8:00 central time. curious spectators swarmed a crane in pakistan where it took a crane to lift the six-ton whale shark out of the water. they get that bigby feeding mainly on plankton. that's spectacular. now over to al with a check of the weather. >> where were they taking it? >> out of the water to take care of it. it was in the wrong place. >> wow. that's something. let's show you what's happening as far as today is concerd. we have a quick-moving system. that's the good news. it will drop a little snow. no big problems. b maybe some slick roads. through this morning, light snow through central pennsylvania through central new jersey. then offshore and that's about it. snowfall amounts, generally one to three inches. maybe a little bit higher

elevations in west virginia might see six. well, we still have some dense fog out there. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. but for the most part we are clearing out nicely. ten miles of visibility. san jose, 17. santa rosa, your visibility is surely but slowly creeping up as well. by 10:00 today we should have clearer conditions. and as a result of all the sunshine coming in, temperatures in the 60s, even a few 70s. tomorrow even warmer. the rain moves in saturday to sunday. looks like we'll see showers ore the greater bay area sunday to monday as welch. today's money 911 where our team of experts help you work out your financial issues. jean chatzky, author of "money 911." david bach, founder of finish rich.com and author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson, cnbc's personal finance correspondent. good to see you. >> good to be here.

>> we're going to justina from bloomington, indiana, on skype. good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> hi! i have three separate 401(k) accounts from past employers. now that i'm in school i would like to roll the into one account. i'd like to know what to look for and also how can i now save for retirement? i already have a roth ira. >> what should she do? >> for administrative purposes, i think you should just take the 401(k)s, roll them into a rollover ira where you already have the roth. that way you can access everything by logging in one time. it will be simpler as long as the fees aren't outrageous. you probably want to put it in a traditional ira rather than a roth because you're in school and you don't want to come up with the money to pay the taxes. does that make sense? >> how does she do it? >> contact a financial services

firm, the one where you have your roth and ask for an ira roll over kit. since you're in bloomington, go have mother bear's pizza for me. >> wow. go by jean's home. it's a museum. very special. >> exactly. >> thank you. next we have an e-mail question from jim from iowa. he writes, is there a good formula for when to drop auto collision insurance coverage? my collision premium is $86 per year with a $500 deductible. the average nada trade in value on my 2002 vehicle is $3,000. sharon? >> when he trades it in or if he takes the collision coverage that extra physical damage of your car only. a lot of people see it as optional coverage they don't need. he needs to think about whether he has the peace of mind that he'll be able to come up with $2,500 which is the trade-in value minus the deduct bable if the car is totaled.

if he doesn't have the money you need the insurance. $86 doesn't seem like a lot to pay for that peace of mind. keep in mind that will probably be reduced the older the car is. it's already ten years old. >> and everybody time somebody drops it they get in an accident the next day. >> good thought. we have another e-mail. this one asked to be anonymous. my fiance is behind on child support and in court with his child's mom who is asking for more money. i make more on my job than he does and have other money making investments. when we get married will my income and assets be affected by his child support problems? >> legally, no. but if you're trying to do things like pay your rent together and say you have a $3,000 rent payment or mortgage payment, his obligation to make that child support payment comes first. it has to come first. you want to make sure your

family finances are okay. i think you should really do this before you get married. clear everything up and get him current. >> definitely have the conversation about who will pay for what, how to manage finances together. >> maybe have a good sit-down. >> powwow with a financial advisor. >> she could be marrying into a huge financial liability. >> so much good news for you, anonymous! have a good life! now to the phone. we have karen from colorado. good morning, karen. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> i'm recently divorced and i want to use my maiden name on things. will i be able to change my name on my credit cards or reapply? >> what do you think? >> all kinds of divorce questions today. here's the thing. in your divorce decree it should state what happens with the old credit cards. is it a joint account or specifically in your name? >> it's in my name but my married name.

>> just take the document from your divorce decree, go through the process in colorado of getting your name officially changed. go back to the credit card company, show them that you have changed your name and they should be able to transfer your existing credit to your new name. the credit you built on the credit card is technically yours though it's a different name. >> he should go through and check her credit report five or six months down the road to be sure everything happened correctly. >> and nobody pulled a fast one. >> exactly. >> good luck, karen. now to twitter. katielady in atlanta tweeted, want to buy a home next year. is it better to over pay, pay down school debt or save the money to increase our down payment? which is smarter? >> the smart thing to do -- >> 140 characters or less. >> -- would be to be debt free but that's difficult to do. most people graduate with $27,000 in debt. she needs to be current on the loans. that's very important.

make the payments on time. that's going to help her score. also if she defaults she's not eligible for some of the v.a. or f.h.a. loans. try to consolidate loans so you can get a lower rate. having the one loan payment may look better on your score as well. the key is the good credit score, low interest rate and a better mortgage rate. start now figuring out what the monthly payment will be. save the money to build a down payment and let you know if you can actually make the student loan payments and pay for a house. >> a dry run. >> exactly. >> jean chatzky, david bach, sharon epperson, thank you. if you're on the east coast, david will be answering your questions for the next hour or so on a live web chat on today.com. up next, the top ten cities most likely to bounce back from the real estate bust. and later, a romantic valentine's dncin fnetoir st, t . first, these messages. ♪

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this morning on today's real estate, ten housing markets to watch. national home sales may not recover until next year but confidence is rising and some local markets are set to outshine others this year. barbara corcoran is here with the top ten list. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's talk first about who put the list together and what was the criteria they used? >> in the news every year

publishes a survey. they are trying to pinpoint the ten markets most likely to have the greatest appreciation and turnaround. one piece of the criteria is that the home price be similar or below the national average plus great jobs and a low foreclosure rate. >> let's get to the list. number one on the list is raleigh, north carolina. so what's the average sales praise there and how does it compare to the median sales in the u.s.? >> it's $224,000 whereas the national average right now is a low $169,000. but this is a market that's been buyed by the young population that's been growing. that creates a tremendous demand for housing. this is a traditional three bedroom, two and a half bathhouse with a screened in porch and water view. get it for $170,000. lots of jobs, lots of homes available and the prices are right. >> and lots of young people.

that's great. next is wichita, kansas, number two on the list. there is a particular industry that's helped buoy this market as well. >> definitely. if you like airplanes you will be happy in wichita which is the air capitol of the world. home to aircraft companies including cessna spirit, hawk, beachcraft and leer jet. if you like that kind of thing you will be there. this is a nice home with enough room for a growing family. three bedroom two bath with vaulted ceilings room for a growing family and the affordability is key in wichita. it's a vibrant housing market. >> $119,900. >> good value. >> third on the list is rochester new york. their employment rate has contributed to the comeback there. what is the rate? >> what the employment rate is doing now is it's next to nothing. they are not counting the

unemployment rate anymore. it has one of the 20 fastest growing job markets in the country which is great to have. if you're young with a family and you want to get a job, this is a sweetheart of a house. it has four bedrooms, one and a half baths, it's a colonial and only $124,900. look at the finishes in the room. it's a sweet house. >> it is. >> next is des moines, iowa. what quality does the area have that makes it attractive for families to live there? >> families love it because it has great schools. if you want to motivate a family, give them great schools and half the problems are solved. gives you bang for your buck. we have a typically priced house. it's a five bedroom, two bath craftsman-style house with plenty of updates and it's only $150,000. almost the entire community is fully employed. wichita is a friendly place to live. >> the fifth area that's likely

to rebound is chattanooga, tennessee, georgia. how expensive are homes here? >> they are affordable or wouldn't be on the list. they attract people from surrounding states moving in all the time. there are good jobs, houses, values. three good reasons to live in chattanooga. the house is a sweetheart. >> let's take a look at the rest of the list. six is peoria, illinois, seven amarillo, texas, eight is binghamton, new york. waterloo-cedar falls, iowa and bloomington-normal, illinois. good places to invest. >> the most important thing in each of the communities the house prices are already 5% to 11% higher than last year. you would swear there is no real estate recession in these towns. that makes it a great place to invest.

>> barbara corcoran, thanks for showing us what we should do with our money. coming up, from cocktails to candy candlescapes we have a valentine's party with colin after these messages. this is harvest day, the time where all the hard work is paying off. my name is ed pines, and i've been growing oranges for tropicana for 15 years. we nurture the trees all year long to harvest the fruit at the right moment. this is perfect for tropicana. at tropicana, we pick the oranges at the peak of freshness. it's all about growing the best orange to get the best juice. i love growing oranges. ♪ [kids talkhot potato!ing]es. hot potato ♪i got a fever, it's goin all around♪

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add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. i can't do a thing in the morning until i've had my juice. ♪ still to come on "today" a special wednesday edition of our plaza ambush make overs. two lucky ladies in the crowd get head to toe new looks and you see the amazing results. >> in today's kitchen we help you wow your sweetie with a valentine's day feast with the first family of italian cooking. that's amore! >> now that's a pizza. >>

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good morning. it's 9d:26. the mayor has had a hot on her plate the last few months. just this week the chief of police said his officers were investigating 20 shootings in the past week. the city also continues to deal with the occupy movement. occupy protesters say they'll stave the protest when the mayor speaks tonight. hackers, they've targeted oakland city leaders. they posted the personal information of mayor quan and

other city leaders yesterday. home addresses, salary information and family information also included. the incidents were called cyber terrorism and he's taking steps to protect his family. anonymous attacks most of the city council except councilwoman rebecca cap lynn. instead, they thank her for her support. san jose may reconsider its ways to protect the police force. he say this in does not mean there will be tests. laest week ibm released a report thld cou cutatn the c they cld c cut rates at a savi g savings of $60 million.

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still socked in with fog. we're going to hit the 70s like los gatos. san francisco will come in with 63. the warmest time of the day, typically 3:00, 3:30 in the afternoon. a little bit of rain on the way surchld into monday. let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> the live shot. it's still foggy. the roadways seem like they're not having problems seeing, but seeing from the top of the building, that is an issue. with. we show you a backup. slow down the east shore freeway and in san francisco, 101 is jammed. likely because of the fog earlier. >> thanks. we'll be back with our next news and update in 30 minutes.

♪ the band from denver known as the fray. they have been burning up the charts for the last decade. they are out with a new single "heartbeat" and will be here for a live performance tomorrow here on "today." >> meantime, coming up this half hour if you want to throw a valentine's day party we have the guy for you -- to plan the party. celebrity planner colin makes it look easy with fun cocktails, favors and tablescapes. >> cute. >> he'll help us set the mood for an unforgotable valentine's

day bash. >> nice. >> who better to warm our hearts and item misthan the scottos. they have a sweetheart of a feast, even heart-shaped pizza to impress that special someone. look at that. >> how cute. >> great idea. >> i love their pizza. so good. >> everything's good there. before that we have to get to the weather first. >> we'll show you first today a quick clipper bringing snow across the ohio river valley into the midatlantic states. showers in the pacific northwest. high surf advisories southern california. rain in texas. hit or miss showers through florida which will continue into tomorrow. we have more rain in the pacific northwest. sunny skies return to the northeast and the great lakes. it's going to be cold. we are looking at showers in central texas. this is the fourth warmest january on record. we just celebrated that. >> nice. >> almost no ice on the great lakes.

to this wednesday morning. good morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. the sun is breaking through and we'll see enough to hit the mid-60s, and even upper 60s and 70s. los gatos, 65 for you. a little more fog on friday morning. then into the weekend, showers return sunday and monday. hope you have a fantastic wednesday. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. up next, party planner to the stars colin callie helps you throw together a fabulous valentine's day after this. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come to ge after the plant i was working at

closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ can i have the definition? swapportunity: the opportunity to swap a higher calorie snack for a yoplait light. that's not a real word. oh haha it's real. [ female announcer ] delicious yoplait light at around 100 calories. do the swap today. you could spend as much as $200. olay says challenge that with an instrument that cleanses

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>> announcer: today celebrates valentine's day is brought to you by silky smooth dove chocolates. share love with dove. >> this music is getting us in the mood. this morning on today celebrates valentine's day, throwing a memorable bash from heart-shaped jello shots to more. colin cowie always has good ideas. good morning. shall we dance? >> absolutely. >> or we could throw a party. >> whether the party is for two or 20, this is fun, sexy ideas anyone can do. >> valentine's day can be a sore spot for a single person. do you have ideas for singles and those coupled off? >> first off, get everyone a cocktail. >> i was going to say we should drink. >> we have the rose bottles. each person has their name on it. everybody knows who everybody

is. >> so cute. >> i thought you were giving me two. i don't know what you've heard. >> let's keep going. >> you have the straw. >> and the tray with red hots. >> so cute. >> this is a new one for me. gejello shots, how did you do i? >> with a lot of vodka. >> they're very good. you should try one. >> mm. >> those are good. >> fun idea. heart shapes on the cake stand. easy to do. i made a wreath out of carnations. put the ice bucket inside there. and put campaign inside. these are cool. we found them on amazon.com. they're light-up ice cubes. >> you can save them for other parties, too. we have mood lighting here. >> we have an old candlabra.

>> this is the little valentine heart candies we love. >> it's a candlescape. whether it's a party for two or more the different height candles protects them from the wind and the candy. everyone looks romantic in candlelight. >> good lighting is key. >> excellent. >> this is decadent. what's this? >> this is one of my residence piece. it' e's linguine with lobster. these are the trays you have in the kitchen for more space. we covered it in fabric, a little bit of tape. >> why is lobster romantic? >> you can eat wit your hands. it's an aphrodisiac. >> why did i ask? >> gets us in the mood.

between the lobster and canaddl and this we're good to go. here we have shot glasses with tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches in the shape of hearts. >> do you have a cookie cutter? >> yes. >> that's adorable. dessert. >> these are cool. take a box lined with gerber daisies to make it interesting and these are -- >> cake pops. >> i have already had two jello shots. it's hard. >> they're incredible. this is a fun idea. you could use it as the center piece of the buffet. it's a message board. you leave messages for guests. tell them what your room number s. >> that's forward. but i guess it's valentine's day. >> colin, these are adorable

ideas. thank you so much. coming up, we'll keep with the valentine's day theme. the scottos have a special feast for that special someone. first, these messages. this year i have a lot more than one valentine: one for making my perfect cup of coffee, one for being the perfect neighbor, and one for no reason at all. your moment. your dove.

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a former hit man and doctor is hiding from the mob on a cruise ship but leave it is witness protection program to investigate a lake monster in minnesota. as wild as it sounds that's the premise of a great humorous crime fiction novel "wild thing" follow-up to "beeat the reaper" by josh bazell. thanks for being here. >> thank you. >> i loved this book. your character is a medical doctor. you, of course, have been studying medicine but you had to take a little bit of a break because the book proved popular. >> yes. i haven't finished my residency yet, but i'm trying to go back in june. >> was your dad an influence? your dad is borobert bazell, ou correspondent. >> and a crime fiction fan.

a fan of yours as well. >> all of the sudden he changes his name. now dr. lionel asthma hired by a reclusive billionaire to find out if there is a monster in the lake killing people? >> right. >> where do you come up with it? >> it seemed like a natural thing to think about at the time. >> really? >> he needs to be in obscure places because the mob is chasing him and he's self-loathing. so he ends up with horrible job assignments that never pan out the way they are supposed to. >> you did a lot of research including looking at the lo loch ness monster. is there such a thing? >> i would love to believe there is. to the extent you can prove a negative which you never can, you can come close with the loch ness monster. we have seen every inch of that loch and there is no reason to think there is a big animal there and there is reason to think it was a hoax specifically

started to save a town in scotland during the depression. >> there are parallels in your book. but there is a lot of dark humor and i love a book where there is a former mob hitman turned doctor and you also work sarah palin in. >> yeah. she needed to be there. there are certain things that it's hard to do realistically in a novel. for instance, if i were to create a character who, say, had been the senator from pennsylvania, as rick santorum was. rick santorum does not appear in the novel and i had the character get up and say global warming was a hoax and we had to change the constitution to limit the rights of gay people. no one would believe that. if i said that the entire republican establishment sat quietly and no one stood up and said, that's a krcrazy man talkg

it would seem i was being biased. if you're going to approach the republican establishment which i wanted to do in a book about belief and the policies that come from rational tity you hav to skirt toward the real. >> but you can probably do the same on the democratic side as well. >> absolutely. in fact, i do a little bit in the book. >> in fact, the book is so successful leonardo dicaprio has optioned it for an hbo series. >> correct. >> that's cool stuff. >> it's awesome. >> congratulations. it's a terrific book called "wild thing." i just love the character. i think everybody will. >> i love your books. >> thank you, josh. high praise indeed from you. thank you. still ahead, what's more romantic than dinner with the scottos? tha they are whipping up a

♪ this morning we are cooking

up a valentine's dinner to remember -- >> so romantic. >> with the scottos. >> love is in the air. ♪ >> marion, anthony and elena. i guess -- are you having a moment? >> i'm sorry. >> we don't even need to cook. >> someone's cooking in the kitchen. >> we're going to start over here. you're starting off with your traditional pizza. >> in a heart shape for valentine's day. >> do you stretch it for that shape? >> you bet and we put it in a form. >> makes it easy. >> here we are starting with meat lasagna. everyone said why? why is that romantic? comfort food warms the heart. >> aw! >> that's right. i'm always right. anyway, we're putting more ricotta, mozzarella and grated cheese on this. it's layer after layer.

this is all our home made sheets of lasagna. put it right on. again you do another layer with the meat. this is sauteed chuck meat. our sauce is a meat sauce. >> okay. >> as you can see -- >> it has lots of vegetables in there. kar carrot, it looks like. >> it's wonderful. you can't get better than that. then you bake it? >> one hour at 350. it's the best lasagna you have ever had. >> you warmed my heart. >> if you don't have time to make it uh how would you get something like that? >> go to the scotto restaurant. >> we're selling it on hsn monday night. >> great idea. >> and we have a healthier option. >> you could share together and make this together.

>> indeed. >> let's take a shrimp. this is a 15-20 or a u-10, whatever you want for sizing. >> okay. >> take the vein out and stuff it. the stuffing is panko. >> you can do it. > seems like your department. >> crab and mayo. yes? >> yes. >> we'll add mayo to this. >> that's the crab stuffing. >> you want the mayo to bind it and stuff it. push it inside. >> yes. >> push it right in. >> i don't want to devein it. >> you're going to bake them for ten minutes. >> bread crumbs? >> they're already in there. once you have done it and the dish is done we make a sauce. i started with shallots, champagne or proseco which is a little bit less expensive. >> this is not my first drink of the day. >> cream. >> the whole thing?

>> yes. let it reduce for ten minutes. finish with a pat of butter. >> one pat or all these? >> one pat. once we have done that, comes out of the oven, everything is done. we're then going to place the dressing on the bottom of the plate and add the shrimp on top to make it pretty. >> lovely. okay, great. how long do we cook it? >> ten minutes. are we done? >> yes. done. >> oh, my gosh. al, most people think chocolate on valentine's day. i'm going with banana pudding. bananas are loaded with potassium. gives you a quick pick me up. have a bite. so i have eggs here, sugar, a little bit of salt. i'm going to start to temper the eggs. anthony, if you would whisk this for me. >> why temper? >> you don't want the eggs to turn into scrambled eggs.

look how gorgeous. >> look at that! >> then we put this in our milk and start to whisk some more. now important to keep eating the banana because you get exhausted from the whisking. >> you have none left. >> it will start to stick a little. >> what's in there? >> banana liquer. at the end add vanilla and a couple pats of putter. >> or four. >> let it cool. refrigerate it four hours covered tightly. this is what it looks like. isn't it stunning? load it in the pie crust. if you want chocolate we have sauce here. >> >> okay. happy valentine's day! >> kathie lee and hoda are next.

good morning to you. it's 9:56. i'm marla tellez. welders say the condition of the

company's old gas lines are questionable and have potentially deadly flaws. the san francisco chronicle reports the welders noticed the problems while working on bge's high water testing of the pipelines last year. the tests were done after the deadly san bruno pipeline explosion in september of 2010. the welders say the gas lines have corrosion, flawed wells and shoddy repairs. bge says they are taking the accusations seriously and they're geoffing. it had finished verifying the safe operating pressure of thousands of miles of gas pipeline. the testing was dub in densely populated areas in northern and central california. water pressure was used to check the pipes' strength. utility will now turn its attention to remaining gas lines under rural areas. all right. let's go ahead and check the forecast with meteorologist

christina loren. good morning. >> good morning, marla. we're looking much better than just a half hour ago. above one mile. we'll see the sunshine about 10:30, 11:00 today. ore the course of the hour, a lots of clearing taking place. 69, even warmer tomorrow in places like san jose friday into the weekend. things are to change. we get a few showers sunday into monday. let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> that was in the lanes for a few minutes, not enough snow up on our sensors. two more accidents huddled often the area. again, the slowing starting to clear. northbound 101 jams up as is tradition and we have slowing at 237 and 880. we'll get you over to the map to show you how it is.

still slow. back to you. >> we'll be back. in the meantime you can find us on facebook.

yes, it's winesday wednesday. february 8th, the wait is almost over. tomorrow where are we going >> we'll be live from the "atlantis" resort in the bahamas. if you're there, come join us on thursday. we'll do the show live and another one on tape. >> the weather is supposed to being a great.

>> you know what the latest thing is >> people know what planking is. owl is when you do this and you have pictures. everything catches on. >> they are all stupid. this one takes the cake for the most stupidest. >> it's called breading. it's only for cats. >> i thought discrimination was against the law in our nation law. >> only cats can do breading. they are called inbred cats. you put your cat's head in it. it has 1,000 likes. >> maybe if we stuck our head in an oven. >> who does this stuff except joann? that was her cat. >> took her all night to get that shot. wonder bread, you're wasting food. >> she was fwrogy.

you're at your most creative when you're at your grogginess. yet another survey -- i don't believe this one. >> here's the thing. when you wake up, okay, you're kind of out it but some people at night they keep a little note pad by their bed if you have an idea, you can joit down. i'll tell you -- >> you're not groggy, you're awake. >> no you're still in and out. >> you are. you're not post-menopause jal. >> when i'm in the shower i stand there and it's amazing because i have nothing to do but to think about the day. i'll think of, oh, this is a much better transition, can you think of things while in the shower. i think about just anything. that's my -- >> i'm happy for you. >> that's not good for the environment. you got to think these things through. >> whether you the most creative >> middle of the night but it's because i'm wide awake and can't

sleep. i'm at my most creative and i sit down and clear a set and a place and i get to work and i'm focused. let's ask lisa kudrow. who is more focused than she is. we'll ask lisa. makes no sense to me. you're your most creative. i've never written a good line of a song once when i was groggy. >> for some of us, once you start your day you have a million tasks to do. in the shower i have nothing to do but to be in there. >> you have to wash. that's what you do when you're in there. >> this is so exhausting. >> the reason to be in the shower. i'm happy four. >> the water is running all over you. you're thinking. after you wash, there's more five minutes you're spending in there. >> you know where else she spend time. >> don't begin to go there. >> we'll get a little graphic. embarrassing with lisa kudrow sitting there. it's in the name of you helping

to improve your health. >> another study. >> says how long you sit on the commode can affect your health. there's some science behind it. president carter was diagnosed with hemorrhoids a while ago. >> i'm enjoying this chat today. while being treated by a pro proctolog im proctolo proctologist. >> when you get older you like the commode to be higher. [ toilet flushing sound ] >> it's never past my mind it need to be higher. >> higher toilets are for people who can't lean down. you have to take care of people. the bottom line is they say it affects your health.

so squat. i guess the lesson is squat. >> there's a teacher who has been taken to task because she wants to put -- >> keep going. >> they are rubbing their heads. i do not know why. my hair? who cares. a teacher in new york city school has limited her students to bathroom visits to three a week. when they have to go they only have three minutes. here's the thing. she was tired of having all of the educational process upset because every five seconds some kid, i need to go the bathroom. >> became a thing. >> it's hard enough to teach kids today. [ commode flushing sound] >> let's get out of this one. >> i told you, winter is not the one big deal. so is this host chat. we're leaving for the bahamas tomorrow. >> here's the deal. i know much can't come.

i wish you could. trip advisor has come out with a list of people's choice awards. these are their top his. one of them happens to be the "atlantis" where we're staying. congratulations to them. ninth trendiest in the world. top honors, the world's trendiest hotel went to a villa in south africa. >> i hear so many great things about it. very trendy. >> if your looking for the most lures, go to the grand del mar in san diego. the best b and b is the thompson house in duluth, minnesota. rates start at $179. >> it's beautiful. doesn't look like it would be on the list. it looks like a beautiful home. >> sure.

voted the best bargain in the u.s. on the sea coast inn in hyannis, massachusetts. 88 bucks a night. if you're traveling this might come in handy. >> i can see you in the airport. >> you know how you get tired lugging your suitcase around. there's a suitcase you can ride. it's $300. >> so there you are in the picture yourself in the airport. everyone is walking and not you. >> not sarah. >> she's gliding. that's pretty cool. >> it doesn't look like it holds a lot. >> it looks like a backpack. >> but if you're going on an overnight trip and not packing too much it's great. >> it's winesday so we have chocolate wine. >> called vino. >> red wine, milk chocolate and cream. i don't care any more.

9.99 from cocovino.com. >> are we going? that's it? >> we should talk about one more thing. you know how marriage is in decline. >> yes. >> so, "usa today" did another study and says two-thirds of us aren't sure i want to marry. >> i think what's happening it was a study that was out in "usa today." people who were single looked at married couples and said i don't want that because everyone is divorcing or breaking up and stuff like that. so there's nothing that they are looking at saying that's something i would like to be a part of. so they say marriage has been declining for more than 35 years. i didn't get this. the people who were surveyed in this, said that they had sex on the first date. a majority of them said they had sex on the first date. first date. first date. >> you know what? i think it's a disturbing trend,

i really do. most people, they say it's because they are in social media so much they already feel they know the person. that's the excuse they are giving. >> why your getting so edgy? >> because most of us have had a one nightstand, hoda. [ laughter ] hoda can't remember. great relationship deal breakers. you knows what yours are. >> they say these are the top ones that overall according to the survey. disheveled appearance is one of them that causes a breakup. >> sloppy can be cute. most kids today are sloppy. it's when there's a smell that accompanies it. >> unclean. being lazy. lazy. >> that i couldn't take. >> being too needy. that's a big one. just needy. they are never satisfied. this is the most important, lacking a sense of humor.

you don't have one of those there's no place you can buy one. you'll have a rough life. you'll have a big rough life. >> so you may not know this but think about it because apparently in the winter time you yawn more than you do during the other seasons the year. like our viewers are doing right now. [ yawning noises ] >> doesn't mean if you're tired or bored. >> what you're doing is fixing your internal temperature so it syncs up. >> outside? >> when you're out in the winter. >> think it's something to do with -- you see someone else downing it and you think gee -- it feels good to yawn. so it's contagious that way. >> whenever somebody -- >> let's try it. everybody yawn. >> now i know. >> keep yourself from yawning. [ yawning ]

>> i'm really boring. >> all right, you guys. we have a good show coming. up next, lisa kudrow. she's got another season of "who do you think you are?" . >> terrific show. and today's ambush makeover. >> terrific show. and today's ambush makeover. but first these ag over time, my lashes thinned. after 40, i didn't have enough lashes. my doctor said...latisse® is the only fda approved prescription treatment...for inadequate or not enough lashes. now with latisse®...my lashes are longer...darker, with more than double the fullness in 16 weeks. if you are using or have used, prescription products for eye pressure problems, use latisse® under close doctor care. latisse® use may cause increased brown pigmentation of the colored part of the eye which is likely permanent. eyelid skin darkening may occur which may be reversible. if you experience eye problems or have eye surgery, consult your doctor. common side effects include

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jeer all curious about where we came from. only is a kudrow's nbc show on "who do you think you are?" now in its third season the audience goes on an adventure with celebrities. >> the discoveries are surprising and the experience is life changing. >> where did my great-grandfather and great-grandmother meet? were they here or did she somehow break that whole, that

whole lineage, those eight times back lineage and was she the one to leave this island to go on to the mainland? did she meet him there or did he whisk her away or who knows? >> wow. >> good to see you. how are you >> she knew both of them were from italy, tuscany. >> but she wasn't sure who was from where. it was her great-grandmother that was from alba and found they went back like eight generations back. she was the first one who left when she married the great-grandfather. that's the story. >> those are the cool things to find out. >> those are cool to find out. but the story is her great-grandfather was killed when her grandfather was only like 3. so she had heard that because he was, you know, they thought he was a philanderrer and he was

caught with somebody else but that's not the story. >> this must have taken a lot of time. >> we started working on mariss marissa's story on the first season. >> it's very difficult to find records of poor italians or poor irish. >> you were also a participant. you traced your roots too. what was that like for you >> it was intense. i'm not sure what other word to use right now. it was a lot to process because, you know, it's one thing to hear the stories, you know, and maybe they are true, maybe they are not and you know what happened in a put them away if they are disturbing like oh, yeah they were rounded up and shot. you are like that's what happened in history they are part of that. but then when you go and you

just personalize it and you come face to face with what actually happened and you can't put it away, then it's a lot to process but it's worthwhile. >> you take them physically to the place where these things happened and that has a whole power of its own that you're thinking wow they met right here. >> right here. this is where he was killed. okay. >> yeah. that's a whole lot of processing. >> is everyone happy that they do it. so, you. they are all happy that they did it. >> when we look at you, we can't help think "friends," do you guys still keep in touch? >> we do sometimes texting or emailing or bumping into each other somewhere. yeah. you know. >> that was then. >> that's the thing. the trouble with such success is that you can be pigeon-holed from it and you haven't let that happen to you at all. what other projects are you working on? >> we have web therapy which

will have a second season on showtime. that's where i'm meeting that horrifying therapist. >> is that scripted or is that -- >> prithat's improviced. it's really fun. >> as a young actress studying did you go to improv groups? >> that's where i started. the groundlings. >> we wish you great luck with this show. who else on this episode. >> great season. martin sheen. then it's blair underwood. and helen hunt. and rob lowe. 12 people. it's a lot. >> so this show, who do you think you are airs friday nights at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. up next those funny awkward photos that will leave you saying what the what? right after this. o0 c1 2 o0

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>> he's making some of his exquisite creations. what are we doing right here? >> you're a chocolatier. >> i love chocolate so much. this is a chocolate brown cocktail. lots of gin in the morning, orange juice and syrup, chocolate water and sugar. lots of ice. >> there's something for everyone. >> there is. chocolate liquor i poured on top. cheers. >> this is a perfect most romantic indulgent chocolatey cocktail. >> very nice. >> from a grant and full of flavor. put loads of chocolate in. so, the key thing i love about

valentine's and making gifts for people is truffles. >> is that too high? >> no in the pan sizzling, heavy cream, sugar and pour this -- >> what kind of sugar? >> light brown sugar. bring to it the center. pour it on to lot was chocolate. >> semi-sweet? >> or high percentage, 70% or 80% and you're making a grn anache. chocolate and cream. >> a lot of chemistry. >> it is but it's fun and all about love. >> we have bleu cheese into the ganache. it works. whisk that in. allow it to cool. pop it in the frigid. you get this. now you have a spoon each, ladies. you'll get messy. >> i'll eat it out of the truffles. >> don't eat it just yet. take a spoon of ganache.

dip your fingers into the cocoa powder sugar. you'll get messy. and roll really quickly on your fingers. you both to get messy with this. healthy size trufl. >> yes. who do likes her sweets. >> leave them like that and this one is pretzels. >> lavender flowers. >> you'll get really sticky. >> you got to get involved. we're new at this. >> that's good. >> that looks like a mess. >> you got 30 seconds. >> there we go. >> what is that thing over there? >> try one of those. >> these are mayan cupcakes. drizzle the syrup on top. >> we got to run. you're the best. >> thank you so much.

>> still ahead how much now about the cold and flu season. we'll take our quiz. >> get ready for the big reveal, the spectacular results of today's ambush makeover. that's delicious. >> rub your partner the righta valentine's day. we'll be right back after this. i love it! . right now, you can have it for free. - shut up! - free. yeah. [ man announcing ] imagine if you could get the best for free. - this is mine? - no. - shut up. - i can't just give away my best stuff for free. at h&r block, we're serious. we believe you deserve the best tax preparation available for free. so for a limited time, we'll prepare simple federal tax returns for free... at one of our 10,000 offices. call 1-800-hrblock.

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two women who were kidnapped were released. they were with a christian tour group visiting historic sites when armed tribesmen abducted them. that sparked a search by the military. after several hours the women were released and they say they're looking forward to returning to egypt in t.h fure. going to we're going to check in with christina and mike after the break.

welcome back. the time now, 10:28.

we still have some deep pockets of fok, but we really are improving in terms of visibility. right now a less than a quarter of a mile in san francisco. it's starting to creep up in places like san jose and sunnyvale. it's mostly cloudy. that will like by be the case until the afternoon. 70s in places like los gatos and gilroy. by this weekend, we get another round of rain. so outdoor activities will be better off on saturday than if you planned them for sunday. let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> all right, christina. still slow down the shoreway. over half an hour. we have a new accident happening in the last few minutes westbound at san pablo. that's caused backup. there are a couple more cars moving over to the shoulder right now. slow into berkeley. we have 880 as it passes the coliseum. that's not the problem. low clouds hanging out. but it looks like it's starting

to burn off. san jose, we're looking at a similar lighting for this shot, 280, though, moving nicely past that 880-17 interchange. back to you. tonight at 11:00, get ready for an up close tour lica california. bob redell is going to take us on a race. ♪ we are back on this winesday wednesday ready to play our weekly trivia game who knew. it's still cold and flu season so we'll find occupant how much you know about our worst winter nemesis which of golf course is germs. kathie lee is across the street ready to handout hundred bucks to those who get the question right. here with me is dr. carrie peterson a medical contributor from "women's health" magazine.

we're ready to see how smart our folks are. >> lovely lady from jacksonville. germs can live on hard surfaces for how long? 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours or one week? >> 48 hours. >> good for you. >> wow. she's right. >> did you guess? >> two days. that's how long they last? >> can last anywhere from few minutes but up to 48 hours. germs tend to live heartily on hard surfaces than plastics or stainless steel. >> okay. >> this gentleman is an aussie but lives in milwaukee. how many colds can children in school environments have per year, five, ten, 12 or 15? >> 12. >> oh, my gosh. another guess? >> how is that possible? >> 12 cold per year. seem like a lot. >> it's definitely more than

what adults get because children they are more susceptible. they are not as good at covering their mouths. their environments are dirtier. they get sicker more than adults. >> i have a cutey from boone, north carolina. true or false the stomach flu and influenza are the same thing? >> i'll go with false. >> he's smart too. >> wow. >> yes. okay. stomach flew and flew are different. >> different germs. influenza causes the traditional flew which is the stuffy head, the aches, the fever. traditional flu can have stomach symptoms but a different germ. >> very nice lady from portland, oregon. you can spread the flu to others before you have symptoms. >> true. >> wow, you guys are on fire.

>> all right. four for four. before you start feeling the sniffling. >> one day prior you're contagious. even if you don't know you have the flu or cold you can give to it other people and you're contagious for about five days after. after symptoms. >> another very pretty floridian this one from gainesville. antibiotics can treat which of the following, the cold, the flu, neither, or both? >> neither. >> neither. you say neither, i say neither. either way, you're right. >> i thought you need an antibiotic when you get the flu. >> they only treat bacteria where flews and colds are virus. antibiotics don't work. they can cause problems because they can create resistance. then when you need them they don't really work. >> a lot of people pop something. i hope the next person gets it right. >> i know. this guy from england is a huge

kathie lee fan. and he's dying to win my cd. let's see how long should you wash your hands effectively to rid them of germs. five seconds, 20 seconds, two minutes, doesn't matter as long as you use soap. >> i'll go for it doesn't matter as longs you use soap. >> and you win a kathie lee cd. >> he's happy. he's happy. kind of. >> so, the correct answer here is 20 seconds. >> 20 seconds. proper way to wash your hands is run them under cold clean running water. lath everyone r them. sing happy birthday twice. that adds up to 20 seconds. rinse them well. >> this beautiful girl is from brazil. true or false, going out in chilly weather with a wet head will thread a cold? >> false.

>> wow. golly. >> good one. >> that's one of those wives tales. >> you cannot get sick from cold weather or a wet head. the only thing that gets you sick is germs. the reason people get sick in this l more frequently is that we're indoors more often so we're in more close contact with people and likely to spread germs. >> great advice. kathie lee will come back and find out how these two ladies look after their ambush makeover right after this. rica's softest. no wonder people want to share them on and on. send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com and start your own chain of sharing. in return, you'll receive a sample of new kleenex cool touch tissues... the only tissue that actively releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose on contact.

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we're back on this special winesday wednesday edition of today's plaza ambush makeovers. we plug two lucky women and surprise them with a new look. >> here's our team. ♪ >> and our "us weekly" contributor is here. >> we found two great looking women. you have to work it to work it and with a little bit of effort you can make something good into something great. >> what your saying? >> let's start off with miss becka patton. she's from columbus, ohio. the last time she wore heels was

on her wedding day. she jumped at the chance to get a glam new look. let's take a listen. >> all right. i kind of had to bully new to this but you said yes if i let you do one thing. >> say hi to my boys at home zachary and nicholas and my husband steve. >> because of them you need this? >> yeah, i could use it. >> steve you told me is going to be absolutely shocked. >> definitely. >> all right, steve, we're going to make her look hot. are you ready to go? >> i guess so, yes. >> okay. guess who she is here with her brother-in-law and the twins. >> we won't give you blindfolds. close your eyes for us. we'll trust you. >> i'll let you know when to open them. here is becka patton before. come see the new you. >> oh, wow. okay. >> hold on guys.

ready to open up your eyes. hold on the babies. >> wow. >> wow in tandem. that's good. >> you ready to see yourself. >> yes. >> spin around. >> oh, my goodness. >> you're gorgeous. you like? >> yeah. >> you're beautiful. >> turn right around. look right there at camera number 12. talk about the hair cut. >> she need ad hair cut today. if you fine yourself tying your hair back every day guess what? it's time to gate hair cut. so we gave her a great hair cut, gave her shape. i softened her color with a little bit of high light. add highlights in the winter to give yourself a little glow. >> guys what do you think? >> amazing. >> i hope she will still want to help us change diapers. >> that little black dress is hot. >> i didn't pick it. she did.

>> asymmetry. >> it's simply vera wang available at kohl's, under $100. >> our second lady is jennifer. she's 37 from sidney, australia. she's a stay-at-home mom and today is the first day that she's taken time for herself. what better way to pamper yourself than with an ambush makeover. she's with her friend and her friend's son. let's listen to her story. >> second victim, second mommy with two kids and you told me help, i need a headacheover. >> yes, i would like a little bit avenue look. i feel i've looked the same since high school. >> what do you think your husband will think? >> i don't know. >> we're going to take new to the factory like we say. you ready to go? >> yes, yes. that sounds good. >> keep that blindfold on. >> that's her friend.

>> that's her friend and her son. yes. we're going to get right to it. bring out the new jennifer. >> whoa. >> oh, my gosh, forms. all right. leanna take a look. >> wow. you look great. >> turn around sweetie. take a look at yourself. >> oh, my god. >> you look awesome. gorgeous. gorgeous. wow. beautiful. >> i'm shocked. >> you have highlights under your natural color. i threat highlights because she wanted to keep some lightness and brightness. her hair was very thick and in a triangle shape. just a little bit of glow. don't over do the bronzer.

get rid of that winter look. >> the dress is what? >> color blocking so big especially going into spring. this is from dana morgan and high boots from payless. >> looks great. come on out, becka. >> becka is taking care of the babies back there. >> up next those funny awkward photos that will leave you saying what the what. >> we hope so. >> right after this. with lots os left behind. that's why there's charmin ultra strong. its diamondweave texture is soft and more durable versus the ultra rippled brand. so it holds up better for a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. i go in peace. yes, you do my little alien. [ female announcer ] we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra strong? love the taste., love the simple ingredients.

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(car horn) paying with your smartphone instead of cash... (phone rings) that's a step forward. with chase quickpay, you can send money directly to anyone's checking account. i guess he's a kicker... again, again! oh, no you don't! take a step forward and chase what matters. we're back with the giggle inducing segments we call what the what? we'll be happy with the giggle. sarah scoured through the tos you sent in. she's here with this week's top picks >> you're in for a real treat. our first photo is sent from steve johnson. i hope there's not a fire drill. the last time you want to be confused is when it's hot in

here. our next photo was set in from sharon long from new mexico. it seems like a pretty good deal. >> cass transitions? >> it was on a vet sign. i feel they should say neutering. castration sounds just so -- >> walk in, walk out. >> you'll limp out, baby. >> or crawl out. >> you ride out on a different horse. >> jane kauffman from mount pleasant, south carolina submit this photo. you couldn't have picked a better spot to sit? that's her great dane. his name is moose. her friend took that picture. how funny. it's the biggest dogs that think they are small. >> she's so tiny. >> can you imagine watching tv around him. >> oh, my gosh. >> we have a big dog and she can't get close enough to you. >> they don't realize. i have chihuahuas.

we have a photo from virginia. would you guys drink that? it does have the magic word wine in it. >> special kind of wine. >> even i wouldn't drink that. >> might overlook it. depends how bad the day was. >> kate from mount pleasant, michigan sent us this photo. i know a good deal when i see it. clearance. it was zero but now 1.99. it's that club membership that gets you the perks. >> finally gail submitted this photo. i don't know how i feel about these two being in the same place. >> emergencies welcomed. >> okay. >> if you have a photo please send home to our website. up next couples massage for valentine's day. do we need to say more? >> no we don't. >> we won't say if this is

"today" on nbc.

if you are looking for a great gift for your significant other hey what is better than a romantic massage. >> yes. going to a spa or hiring a professional is nice but if you have more of a do it yourself attitude, lisa is here with a few at home techniques that will spice up your relationship and save you a few bucks. this one would destroy my relationship. >> this is one of those things where it is really good four. some people think it's a luxury. >> it's really good for you especially if you're a couple. i give this as a homework more than anything else is go home, couples massage. you first, me next or me first you next. and it's something -- >> what if we can't agree on that. then we have some big problems. >> then you got come back.

>> how should he do it. >> how he should do it, start with the head. nape of the neck. further down. nape of the neck. >> this is go green. >> i got kyle. >> so we're going start with little circles back of the neck. all right. don't under estimate how a light touch can feel really good. just like let it go. light touch can feel fantastic. get some lymphatic drainage. then you go to longer strokes down the back. >> keep going. >> doing it in circles as well. most important as couples is you keep giving feedback. we want groaning. >> this is great. >> excellent. >> we want groaning. >> there we go. further down. let's do long strokes. >> long strokes. >> careful. >> very good.

>> watch out. >> we'll talk about that when you turn over. >> turn over? what? >> yes, kyle. >> as a massager ask how does this feel? how does this feel? is this hard enough? is this okay. >> harder. harder. >> harder or softer. >> harder. you have to use oil when you're with someone else like this. not with dresses on obviously but we can't go there. one of my favorites is this massage mint. i got to tell you i love this. got the nubby side. soft engineer nubby side. if you're not comfortable with your hands. go. this is my favorite thing ever. using oils and massage creams is fantastic. these are from pure romance.com. >> she's still talking. >> we have to run. >> give each other feedback.

>> thank you. >> by the way, gang, we -- >> no need to stop. keep going. >> we'll see you in the bahamas, everybody, right? is that where we're going to go? we may not make it. we may have to send matt lauer and ann curry because we're a little busy. bye.

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