>> smik a tweeter. thank you. >> that and so much more. >> thank you so much for being with us this morning. we'll be back at 7:25 and updates throughout the morning. we'll be back at 11:00 a.m. good morning, $5 gas on the rise? gas prices on the rise with no end in sight, threatening to smash the all-time high by memorial day. this morning, the toll that would take on the fragile economy. fanning the flames, rick santorum takes a new shot at president obama's faith, by mentioning the controversial pastor, reverend jeremiah wright. as donald trump comes to mitt romney's defense with one week to go before the primary races in michigan and arizona. and he's a college freshman who has come up with a clever way to distract basketball players. he's popping up at games all across the country and guess

where he is today, tuesday, across the country and guess where he is today, tuesday, february 21st, 2012? captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning, i'm ann curry. >> and i'm david gregory in for matt this morning. i saw the fast last night i was at the knicks game. i said, his mother must be so proud. look at that face. this is what, you know. this is the mark he makes. anyway we'll talk to him later. you mentioned gas prices, they've never been this high this early. it's got lot of people worried. >> this morning's new national average is $3.57 a gallon, up six cents in one week, a full 40 cents higher than what we were paying a year ago. but that could be a bargain

compared some of the prices we're hearing about are being predicted in the coming months, we'll get more on that. and there's breaking news overnight. because europe has gleed to a second massive bailout to save greece from bankruptcy. and so the question now is what will all of this have as an impact on the u.s. economy. we're going to take a look at that. and new details this morning on the trial of a man accused of murdering his wife during a honeymoon diving trip in australia. we'll tell you what the victim's best friend told the court about a pretty disturbing conversation she had with the suspect at his wife's own wake. and a woman who thought she met a man of her dreams on an online dating site. they had a baby. but instead of building a life together, christy gaffney, claims that the man who was already married, as it turns out, tricked her into signing away her legal rights so he and his wife could adopt the child. we'll talk to this woman coming up in a miguel, thank you so much for

reporting on this story. jim cramer is host of "mad money" on cnbc. good morning to you. is there anything on the horizon that could prevent $5 a gallon gas by memorial day? >> only if the irans resolved and iran stops this stopped and iran stops its nuclear program. >> iran only accounts for about 2.5% of the world's oil exports. so why is it having such a big impact on the u.s. price of gas? >> well, they are gigantic

exporter to europe. europe's go the to find its oil somewhere. they take away from ours, there's not a lot of excess supply right now. >> what about the options for example, the administration, i know republicans are starting to make gas price as campaign issue. so one suggestion that was made last night overnight by a former senior adviser to president obama, he said what about compensating people when gas prices go up? he had a proposal for that. could this help? >> right now, congress is in no mood to be able to give that kind of a tax break after all the wrangling they just had. the only thing i could see that could help is radical use of natural gas for surface fuel. it's got to be trucks, trucks are the giant users of imported oil. >> barring that, the impact on the u.s. economy with the rising gas prices? >> we're going to go to $5 if the trajectory continues for the price of oil. i think you can figure that every $10 increase in the barrel of oil is going to translate to 25 cents at the pump. >> meantime we've got to look at

what happened overnight regarding greece. basically europe finally agreed to give them a new bailout. and this to prevent bankruptcy. could this also have a positive impact for the u.s. economy? >> yes. not as positive as the negative of higher gasoline prices. but this is good, really helps the stock market. the worries of europe are going away. >> meantime, you mentioned the stock market on friday it was a big day for people who are investors. is this good for only rich people? or is this good for all americans? >> well 90 million households own stock in some form. either through eyres or 401(k)s, so any increase in the stock market will help. >> but did investor who is were just rich win? or did everyone win? >> i think if you're saving and using any part of the stock market, then you're a winner, too. >> jim cramer, thank you so much for your perspective and it's been a pleasure to talk to you, you can catch jim on "mad money" week nights at 6:00 and 11:00 eastern on cnbc. now here's david.

the republican primary races in michigan and arizona are just one week away now. and the contest could not be any tighter between mitt romney and rick santorum. nbc's peter alexander is on the campaign trail again this time in shelby township, michigan. peter, good morning. >> david, good morning to you. many political insiders agree the next seven days may be the most critical week in mitt romney's political career. he is back here in michigan again today, trying to secure votes in this state, where he was born and raised. meanwhile, his rival, rick santorum is already en route to arizona. and for santorum, the stronger poll numbers lately means more money, but also more scrutiny. >> wow. this is a, a big week coming up. >> just one week until the next crucial showdown in michigan, rick santorum isn't backing down from what some viewed as a shot this weekend at the president's faith. >> it's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. >> on fox news, santorum may have fanned the flames when he

again insisted he was not questioning the president's christianity. >> he went to reverend wright's church for 20 years. can you question what kind of theology reverend wright has, but it's a christian church. he says he's a christian, he goes to a christian church now. >> no, no, no. not god bless america, god damn america. >> reverend wright is the chicago pastor forced to resign from his church after some of his controversial sermons were made public during the 2008 campaign. santorum maintains his original comments about the president's so-called phony theology, were aimed at what he calls mr. obama's radical environmentalism. >> i am going to question what he's doing in this country, to drive up the cost of energy, destroy this economy. and do so at the behest of a bunch of radical environmentalists who, who do, who do in fact want to drive up the cost of energy. >> on the campaign trail, santorum also repeated his sharp critique of the president's health care overall. the father of a 3-year-old child

with a genetic disorder. he argued pre-natal testing causes abortion, including he says, 90% of babies with the same disorder as his daughter. >> we need to have a health care system in this country that respects the dignity of every human life in america. >> facing a must-win in michigan, mitt romney has shied away from engaging on those hot-button social issues. instead, deriding the former pennsylvania senator as a consummate politician. >> senator santorum goes to washington, calls himself a budget hawk. then after he's been there a while, he says he's no longer a budget hawk. well i am a budget hawk, i don't want to spend more money than we take in. >> and during a radio show in michigan on monday, donald trump, perhaps romney's most recognizable advocate, argued nominating santorum could cost republicans the race this fall. >> there's no gift, no christmas gift that could be given better than rick santorum for the democrats. he are just salivating at that.

and you know, i don't think they believe it's going to happen. but boy, would they like it to happen, because that would be an easy election. >> and by law, the campaigns are not required to reveal how much money they have raised each month. mitt romney leading the pack again in january, david, the campaign raising $6.5 million. but spending nearly three times that much, almost $19 million. showing how critical the romney campaign views wins in these early contests leading up to super tuesday next month. >> yeah, michigan will be important. peter alexander, thank you so much. let's check the morning's top stories with natalie morales. >> good morning, everyone. thousands of angry afghans took to streets of kabul this morning after hearing reports that cray korans and other religious texts were improperly disposed of at bagram air field. the u.s. commander of international troops in afghanistan has ordered an investigation into the incident.

that he called unintentional. in which about 30 korans belonging to former detainees at the base were allegedly burned or thrown in the trash. iran is reporthood i threatening to take preemptive strikes against any perceived enemies if it feels its national interests are put in jeopardy. an official from the iran news agency quotes the deputy head of armed forces as taking that newly aggressive stance as to how iran appears to be placing limits on a visiting team of nuclear officials. the country's midsection is is cleaning up after strong storms ripped through on monday. gusts nearly 60 miles per hour plowed through luck ok, texas, knocking 18-wheeler trucks clear off the road. and in kansas, severe thunderstorms dumped hail and heavy rain. retired astronaut, mark kelly is writing a children's book about an intrepid little mouse that goes to space. "mouse tranaut" a partially true story will be published this fall and inspired by the mice

taken into space on his first shuttle mission. a prehistoric flower is blooming once again. thanks to russian scientists and an arctic ground squirrel who buried the fruit of the tiny flower some 32,000 years ago in the frozen siberian tundra. and dna experts are working now to verify the ice age plant. if it checks out, it would in fact be the oldest on record to be cloned and grown from ancient tissue. sounds like "jurassic park." everyone's favorite fake anchorman returned to his news desk last night. stephen colbert explained his abrupt two-day absence during the opening of monday's show. >> as the hub around which the republic turns, i can understand why the machinery of this great nation ground to a halt last week when you were denied this.

evidently, having 11 children makes you tough as nails. confidential to a lovely lady --. >> aw. that tough as nails lovely lady is colbert's 91-year-old mother who was ailing last week. and he left the "report" for two nights to take care of her while she was sick, as a good son should. it's 7:14. by the way, he's the baby of 11 children. >> isn't that something. isn't that something. >> well i would say having 11 children would make you tough as nails. >> that's extraordinary. >> meantime, all dressed in brown, mr. roker is here for a check of the weather. >> and our best wishes to the colbert mother. let's show you what's happening out west. we've got a big powerful storm and a lot of moisture streaming toward the pacific northwest. it's going to be bringing a lot of rain, a lot of wind, we've got flood watches from olympia, up to forks, bellingham, we're expecting a lot of rain there and we've got a higher risk of avalanche warnings, where we've

had skiers in the back country killed over the weekend. due to avalanche. look at the rainfall. we're talking anywhere from two to five, locally eight inches of rain in the pacific northwest. over the next 24 hours. that's what's going on around >> we do have some fog out there but it shouldn't last long. i'm meteorologist christina loren. we're looking toward highs today in the upper 60s and 70s, even right at the coast very warm for this time of year. 65 in dublin, in record territory, san francisco, 67 degrees later on today. continuing to climb leveling off thursday into friday. nice and warm, showers this weekend. and that's your latest weather. ann? >> thank you. jury selection resumes in the high profile trial of a former rutgers university student accused of using a web cam to spy on his roommate's encounter

with another man. kerry sanders joins us from new brunswick, new jersey, with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, ann. just picking a jury this the case may take longer than usual because most people, including the potential jurors, think they know this case. college roommate spies on his gay roommate with a web cam and streams it on the internet for everyone to see. that roommate, tyler clemente commits suicidsuicide. but the details are different and it's the details that the experts say make the case extremely difficult for prosecutors. 18-year-old tyler clemente jumped to his death from the george washington bridge. prosecutors allege just days before his roommate had, for a second time, spied on tyler with a web cam. tyler was in their dorm room, again with a 30-year-old man, sharing an intimate gay

encounter. >> we have to disspell the myth that bullying is a normal rite of passage. >> reporter: the link between the web cam spying and tyler's suicide drew condemnations. >> he was outed on the internet and killed himself. >> reporter: the facts of the story may contradict some of the publicity. for one thing tyler's sexuality was not a secret and his suicide won't even be mentioned at trial. rabi is accused of invading his roommate's privacy with the web cam. >> this is a case of invasion of privacy for setting up a camera on a computer and taking a peek at his roommate kissing another man. that's what this is. it's not recorded. it wasn't distributed on the internet. there is not evidence that this jury will ever hear that tyler killed himself as a result of it. >> reporter: prosecutors offered a plea deal, but he turned it down. >> he's innocent.

he's not guilty. that's why he rejected the plea. >> reporter: it's expected the defense will argue that he was not targeting tyler for being gay and that the web cam, turned on twice, only for a few seconds and viewed by a handful of college kids down the hall was a college prank like a scene from the movie "american pie." >> did i miss anything? >> no. you are just in time. >> reporter: tyler's older brother james. he's also gay. >> some people think that this web cam broadcasted on the internet and posted it there for the whole world to see. you know the truth. does that difference matter? >> no. what difference could it possibly be? those people that did look at it or were intending to look at it had no business to see that. >> reporter: in the indictment, prosecutors include some texts. my roommate asked for the room until midnight. i said okay and i left. and i turned on my web cam. i saw him making out with some

dude. is there any question in your mind why your son took his own life? >> i don't know why he did what he did. >> i don't think we can get into the cause and effect of the suicide right now because of the trial. >> reporter: tyler clemente's parents and brother say they intend to be here at the courthouse every day for the trial. the one thing they say they would like to hear is an apology from their son's former roommate. as he maintains his innocence that's unlikely. if convicted, he could face ten years in prison. ann? >> kerry sanders this morning, thank you. it is 7:19. here's david. >> thanks, ann. we were talking about how mild the winter has been here. mildest in decades. it's a different story in europe where huge snowstorms and sub zero temperatures hit with deadly fury. michelle kosinski is in switzerland this morning with the latest.

good morning. >> reporter: hi. it's hard to believe people in the alps were saying, where is the snow? we need it for skiing. soon to be followed by 18 feet in some places. now that the temperatures are rising a little that's making the danger of avalanche and flooding greater. the second brutal winter for europe in a row. this winter blasted europe like a blow torch of cold. just as swaths of the continent were brought to an icy stillness the images captured seem other worldly. waves on the black sea frozen in motion. reverse seas walkable, streets skatable. record-breaking cold in europe, more snow than anyone can remember -- up to the rooftops. hundreds of people have died. tens of thousands cut off by impassable roads. in kosovo an avalanche killed

all by a 5-year-old girl in a family of nine. she was we beneath snow for more than ten hours. >> europe is the victim of a high latitude block where if the weather system in the upper levels of the atmosphere is set up over the northern latitudes somebody has to pay for what would be normally cold weather there farther south. >> reporter: the deep freeze extends east to china where the waterfalls stopped falling. in colorful tibet, whiteout. and west, rome saw its first snowfall in 25 years. babbling fountains of milan stunned silent. germany and the ski towns of austria, switzerland, france relish snow, just not upwards of a dozen feet all of a sudden where avalanches claimed the lives of more than a dozen people. on friday, the prince of the netherlands, son of the queen, was trapped in an avalanche skiing in austria. the father of two is in stable

but life-threatening condition. now finally, temperatures are breaking, but so is ice. not a good thing in belgrade this week. an the danube, giant pieces crushed boats. the force of winter won again. now the u.s. military has stepped in to help get people out and supplies in to towns in mont n mo montanegro. it looks like a swarm spring is on the way but a lot of heat will be reflected instead of absorbed. david? >> it is a beautiful scene. thank you so much, michelle kosinski in switzerland. still ahead on "today" emotional testimony from the best friend of a woman who was allegedly murdered by her own husband during their honeymoon diving trip in australia. we'll have the latest from

court. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] for dry, itchy skin, get lasting relief

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intensive healing for lasting relief. still ahead, a woman who claims she was duped into having a baby with a married man so he and his wife could have the baby. we'll speak to her coming up. >> and basketball's newest face after your local news. when you have tough pain, do you want fast relief?

try bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. >> good morning. the time is 7:26. i'm jon kelley. you feel like you're spending more to fill up your gas tank, you're not alone. right now we're all paying more than $4 a gallon at most gas stations. experts say several factors are driving the fuel prices up. tension in the middle east and improving economy increasing demand and the supply right now is pinched. refineries are shutting down prepared to make california's summer blend. sound like new sangria. the price is forcing some to consider other options. >> one way back to san jose on

caltrain is about 8.75. a better deal. >> experts say we can expect to see prices continue climbing, that hurts. but so far they are not expecting a new high price of $5 a gallon. as if that's comforting. time to check in on the forecast outside. meteorologist christina loren is here to tell us about fat tuesday. >> we're going to see comfortable conditions later on and you can save by giving your heater a break. a weather bug for you. throughout the day temperatures will climb, driving your wind off shore, warming along the way. breezy across the bay, sunny and mild. for tomorrow, even warmer. we're going to see mid-70s return even to san jose, livermore and concord. 68 degrees today in morgan hill. about 65 in pleasanton and san francisco, 67 degrees. 71 for santa rosa. near records just about everywhere. if you'll be celebrating fat tuesday tonight we have

comfortable conditions, 57 with temperatures dropping once that sun goes down. make sure you're ready for that. let's check the traffic. >> let's get a live look, the south bay starting to show tie-ups. through the middle of the screen, that jams up around 880. there was an earlier accident. 101 at de la cruz. slowing there and a new accident, more problems for the south bay. sigalert for 780 past military west and for the east shore tying things up in richmond. >> thank you. for the latest traffic and news check out nbc bay area on facebook. [ male announcer ] technology accelerates at a relentless pace.

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♪ you're as cold as ice ♪ you're willing to ♪ you're as cold as ice ♪ willing to sacrifice your love ♪ ♪ tuesday, february 20, 2012. it is very cold. we felt like we had to go back to this very cold sedcene in th alps, but a stark contrast to here in the northeast. it could hit 50 degrees today and the 60s later on in this this week. and there's a big reason for everyone outside to cheer as they wave to their families and friends back home.

>> my kids asked me if they could wear shorts to school this morning. hi jed. i know he's watching this morning. but you still have to dress for winter. >> that's a good thing for a father to say. that's right. jed, listen to your dad. just ahead, we're going to talk about a fresh start for a woman who used to be -- used to have the ear of the first family. >> yeah. desiree rogers was the president's social secretary, who resigned in the wake of that party crashing scandal you might remember. now she's opening up in a candid interview with savannah guthrie about her time in the white house and how she's reinventing herself now. it will be interesting to hear from her. and a woman who claims she was tricked to signing away the legal rights to a child she had with a man she met online. he later told her he was married and was adopting with his wife. now that woman is fighting to get her daughter back. we'll have an exclusive live interview coming up. but we begin this half hour with the emotional testimony at the murder trial of a man

accused of killing his wife during their honeymoon in australia. nbc's tom trong is in birmingham, alabama, with details. good morning. >> reporter: hey, david. good morning to you. it's now day sen of this trial, and the prosecution continues to lay out its case against gabe watson, accusing him of drowning his newlywed wife tina during a diving adventure in australia. the defense says it was all an accident, but tina's best friend told the court she doesn't believe it. >> tina and i were best friends. she was my absolute best friend in the world. >> reporter: an emotional amanda phillips took the stand monday, testifying for the prosecution that she painfully remembered the phone call about her best friend, tina watson. >> and i couldn't believe what she was telling me. she said that tina died. >> reporter: prosecutors say ay gabe watson drowned his

26-year-old bride during their 2003 australian honeymoon, accusing him of turning off her air supply while scuba diving near the great barrier reef. this photo taken by another tourist actually shows tina at the bottom of the sea. the defense says tina panicked in the strong currents and gabe tried to help, but tina knocked off his scuba mask, forcing him up as she sunk to the bottom. >> if saw someone lying on the bottom of the sea bed. >> reporter: he brought tina to the system.em. >> full equipment appeared to be in place. she did have a regulator in, a mask on.. >> was she interacting with you? >> no. she wasn't. >> were her eyes open? >> her eyes were open. >> reporter: prosecutors say watson's motive was to collect e on tina's life insurance policyt shortly after tina's death, phillips recalled a phone ho conversation she had with watson.ne >> what was the reason why there was a conversation about insurance? >> because they had talked about changing the life insurance policy before the wedding.

>> because they were getting married? >> yes. >> now, there was discussion sso about the fact that for a few dollars more there could have been a larger policy? >> yes>>. >> reporter: the defense pointed out that in fact the watsons did not increase the policy. they also say that tina's father was actually the beneficiary. watson already served 18 months in australia for involuntary manslaughter. he has since remarried, and his second wife is at the trial.hi in court monday, phillips testified about an awkward moment she had with gabe at tina's wake. >> we walked up to the casket, and he said, you know -- i said, you know, she looks very pretty in that outfit.tfit and he. said, he said, well, at least her breasts are perky. a >> reporter: and this trial is expected to last a few more days. it's been an. almost nine-year e struggle for tina's family to bring the trial back to birmingham, where prosecutors say watson hatched his plan.lan. at this point, the court has resumed. if convicted, he'll face life in prison.

>> tom, thank you very much.uch. savannah guthrie is today's legal correspondent. star jones a legal veteran and former prosecutor. good morning, ladies. >> good morning. >> this is a very unusual case. as mentioned, gabe watson has already spent this on the plea there. so there seems like there was some resolution. how unusual is it for him to come back to america and face triaial here? >> it's fairly unusual. especially considering the alleged murder took place in australia. he's done some time in australia and i know a lot of our amateur law students at home are thinking, wait a minute doesn't this amount to double jeopardy? you can't be tried twice for the same crime. but the difference is it's two different jurisdictions and there's two different elements, he served time for involuntary manslaughter in australia, which is an allegation that he didn't rescue here. here he's charged with an intentional killing. >> and star, part of this, too, is whether the prosecution's case has been undermined a little bit. a key point is why, right?

you know, you don't have to prove motive, but everybody wants to know. he was not even the beneficiary of the life insurance policy. it seems to be something that undermines the prosecution's case. >> well the argument is going to be what he knew at the time. he didn't know that he was not the beneficiary at the time is what the accusation is going to be. this is a death pecuniary gain. that's what the allegation is and that this defendant hatched a plot to kill his wife in the united states, in the state of alabama and that plot came to fruition in australia. that's the plan. >> something the defense has done to undermine it so effectively so far? >> i think they cross-examined one of the experts on the stand yesterdayen and this goes to how fast did gabe watson ascend. was he in a panic, rushing to the surface to get help for his wife? and i think there's conflicting evidence. the prosecution put on evidence that said even the prosecution expert acknowledged that he was

going two to three times faster, potentially than what would be considered safer. and the case might turn on technical details. >> and the defendant's behavior, before, during and after is what the jury will ultimately look at. as to whether or not this is the kind of dude that would commit a murder. >> and some remarks he apparently made based on testimony, about his wife, commenting on her appearance in the casket, that sort of thing. >> he said that's a little bit of a creepy guy who was in it for himself. but being a creepy guy is not enough to get you convicted of murder. >> how about the picture that's being shown. it's a picture of tina watson sinking to the bottom, gabe watson ascending, the dive instructuror swimming to help her. is there something we're going to be able to discern. >> as you look at the picture, you say to yourself, why isn't he a certified diving instructor, rushing to her aid? it seems as if he's moving up and away from where there's an emergency. this is guy who was certified

four different ways. a lot of people have said that he overstated his experience. but he did have four certifications. he should have been going to help her. >> that's going to be a question coming up. star-van as you're known on broadway. we want to get a check of the weather now with al. got some friends from louisiana celebrating mardi gras, fat tuesday, all right. hey, how about a little hail? we all hail from kansas. well take a look here you see it coming down. in kansas city. we're looking at, we had some really rough stuff, big storm blew through, one person killed in heavy winds. so again, they had some pretty strong stuff making its way through the region. as we show you what's happening for today, afternoon temperatures, we've got 20s and 30s in new england, 70s down in florida, some smidge of 80s down in southern texas. 70s through southern california. rest of the country fairly seasonal. look for snow through the central great lakes. snow this morning in chicago.

that will end later on. heavy rain in pacific northwest. lot of snow in the intermountain region. and the cascades adds well, sunshine >> it's a cold and clear start to this tuesday morning. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. but, the 40s and 50s throughout right now. will climb into the low 60s by noon in place likes san jose, 63 degrees. we'll round out the day with plenty of 70s on your temperature map. fairfield, santa rosa, gilroy and almaden valley touching on the 70s today. and the warm-up continues as we head through your wednesday. leveling off a little thursday and friday. warm, showers sunday and monday. don't forget. you can always check your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. david? >> al, thank you very much. coming up next, the obamas' former social secretary who resigned in the wake of the party-crashing scandal speaks

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through mercedes-benz financial services. back now at 7:43. it's has been two years since desiree rogers time as the social secretary at the white house came to an end. she sat down with savannah guthrie. good morning. >> good morning. a lot of people remember the obamas' eye catching, glamorous social secretary. she was forced out of the job after the infamous state dinner party crashing. she has a new job, a new life and no regrets. desiree rogers has arrived again. >> good morning. >> reporter: back on top, heading the power house johnson publishing. >> can i get the jet file? >> reporter: with a new mission

to breathe life into the legendary brands jet, ebony and fashion fair cosmetics. >> some people argue why you have a magazine focused on black america. i say why not? there are still people that whether or not it is black americans or not black americans that need and want to understand the authentic voice of black america. >> reporter: under rogers, the magazin magazines' once sagging circulation numbers are on the rise and there is a slick new website. >> it's a beloved brand. you mess with it too much and people say it's unreek niezable. >> it's a balancing act. we didn't want to change it. we wanted to revitalize it. we are proud of the work that's been done. >> reporter: rogers, too, is in the midst of her own renaissance after a public fall from her perch as social secretary of the obama white house. >> congratulations, mr. president. >> reporter: in the heady early days after inauguration rogers was the glamorous friend of

michelle obama brought in to plan 'vents at the white house while cultivating the image of the first family. you came to washington and made a splash. >> i didn't try to make a splash! >> reporter: you couldn't help it. were you surprise bid the attention? >> i was a little bit surprised. i think the team was surprised by the uh attention we got. >> reporter: rogers made waves replacing stodgy traditional white house events with more creative fare. a petery jam, star gazing and a luau. she was featured in vogue, snapped at fashion week next to anna wintour. later photographed in borrowed designer clothes and jewels for a wall street journal magazine article. there was no way you were going to come to the white house and blend in. >> i tried. it didn't work. i had my black suit on and my button down shirt and my little mini heels. it didn't work. >> reporter: rogers turned heads

but soon raised eyebrows inside the white house. the president's political advisers were worried about appearances as the nation descended into economic crisis. there seemed to develop a caricature as if you were doing things that were glamorous or tone deaf to the times, to the economic realities. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: how do you respond to that? do you think that was unfair? >> i don't think i have to. i think anyone who knows me and knows the kind of work and creed i follow, they know better. i'm not that much of a glamour girl. >> reporter: then there was what she said in the wall street journal magazine calling the obamas the best brand on earth. the presidents' advisers were not pleased. >> i'm a business person. i'm not trying to be a politician. >> reporter: was it a matter of being straightforward and honest and maybe that doesn't go over well in washington? >> you're not going to get me to say that.

>> reporter: just as it appeared she had weathered the early growing pains. >> mr. and mrs. salahi. >> reporter: michaele and tareq salahi talked their way into the state dinner. were you in shock? >> i don't know that i would say in shock. i was disappointed. my first reaction goes to, well, how did this transpire? >> reporter: secret service acknowledged failing to properly check their identification but rogers was criticized for not stationing someone from the social office at the outer checkpoint and attending the dinner as a guest wearing a designer gown, not as a working staffer. >> do you think you took the fall for that? that you got blamed? >> it's not about me. it really isn't. the one thing i can say is everywhere i go people know that face, know that girl. that's the aftermath i have had to deal with. so that's a little bit more annoying than anything else.

>> reporter: you are forever linked with the salahis? >> everyone says, tell us what happened. not gonna! i'm not trying to prove anything. i'm a pretty secure person. i know, you know, what i know. that's all it takes. if i can sleep at night, everyone else should let it go. >> reporter: rogers designed in early 2010. white house insiders agree the salahi incident was her undoing. do you still believe the obamas are the best brand on earth? >> i do. >> reporter: have you talked to them? >> i haven't talked to them recently. >> reporter: do you feel burned by the experience? >> no. i don't waste time on silliness like that. i think when you serve your country it's about your country and not about you personally. i'm a pretty strong and tough girl. >> talking to folks who worked with rogers at the white house they feel she had an impossible

job given the economic setting. they say they respect and like her to this day. she really relishes her new position and feels it's a place she can fit in and be herself. >> thank you, savannah guthrie. still ahead, a woman allegedly tricked into giving away the rights to her baby by a man she met online. we'll talk to her exclusively coming up but first, these messages. (phone ringing) hey college girl. hey mom. i just got your package. great. yea, mom you're the best. i thought you would like it. so, how are your classes, are you enjoying them? (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. we can't wait to get you home. i love you mom. i love you too. we'll see you soon. choosey moms, choose jif.

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♪ >> good morning. the time is 7:56. i'm jon kelley. a new twist to a gruesome search. a convicted serial killer describing the location of a third burial site. wesley shermantine has been leading police to victims. more than 1,000 bones have been recovered that took place last week all in an abandoned well identified near linden. investigators were in the process of searching for a second well when shermantine revealed there is actually a third site he claims herzog buried another body. no word when or if investigators will be looking into this third well. >> time for a check on your weather. it's fat tuesday. good morning to meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you.

we do have a little fog over the golden gate bridge. it will not last long. we'll give it another hour or so, but high pressure clearing those skies rapidly. high pressure driving the winds off shore pushing from land to sea. bringing us into near record warm territory later on. we'll see breezy to windy conditions across the bay, by tomorrow peak warmth, mid 70s return, maybe a couple of 80s. so enjoy this warming trend while it lasts. 67 in livermore and 70 in fairfield. if you missed the showers, they come back in the forecast late sunday into monday. temperatures drop. so like i said before, short-lived stretch of fair weather. thing of the past by this weekend. >> hopefully this is short lived but probably not. the south bay slowdown northbound at 280 at winchester. your second accident in the last half hour cleared to the shoulder. look at 280 approaching the area off 87 and northbound 17, this is just off of the interchange

in the northbound direction. we also have slowing southbound 680 through sunol, as things get congested out of pleasanton into fremont. >> for the latest updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. we're back in a half hour. [ female announcer ] off limits?

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8:00 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 21st day of february 2012 as we say a warm hello to our new friends in rockefeller plaza. it's a chilly morning. i think it's 33 degrees, if i can read that thermometer correctly. among those faces we may recognize this guy. he's a young man who gained a big following online because he has a huge picture of his own face with that expression on it for basketball games. we'll explain that story coming up. >> he likes to say, it's not

about him. >> that's what you say all the time, too. >> right. >> anyway, i'm ann curry alongside david gregory in for matt this morning and, of course, our al roker. coming up, a serious topic. a woman's nightmare. she met a man online and eventually they had a daughter. what she didn't know was the man was already married, she says, and was planning to adopt a child with his wife. so she's here this morning to talk about her story. it's a sad state of affairs. >> is another extraordinary story coming up. a teenage girl goes surfing and in the process suffers a rare spinal cord injury. doctors said she would never walk again but she refused to accept that. >> good for her. >> that's terrific. later on, david gregory and i are already part of the trend. we are on this. neon. >> oh, yeah. >> we are going to show you how

to wear neon. >> look at jill. >> the lights aren't even on in the studio. amazing. >> these are happy colors, don't you think? >> looks like she just walked through plutonium. >> i know. meantime let's get to natalie morales for a check of the top stories today. hey, natalie. >> good morning, ann, david and al. good morning, everyone. rising gas prices are hurting more than motorists. economists warn they threaten the recent improvements in the economy. a 25% jump in prices would cost the economy about $35 billion in reduced consumer spending. prices are already up more than 25 cents since january, an average of $3.57 a gallon for regular unleaded nationwide according to aaa. experts say they could reach $4.25 by late april. greece won a second massive financial bailout early today when the eurozone partners finally stitched together more than $170 billion rescue

package. it is hoped the bailout will help greece avoid a disastrous default next month and secure the euro currency. ahead of the next crucial show down for the gop candidates the two front-runners are giving republican voter as clear choice. rick santorum is hitting hard on religious and social issues while mitt romney emphasizes jobs and the economy as a can-do corporate executive. michigan and arizona hold their primaries tuesday. former international monetary fund chief dominique strauss-kahn is being questioned today by french police investigating a suspected hotel prostitution ring. some prostitutes say they had sex with strauss-kahn at parties in paris and washington, d.c. in 2010 and 2011. one of his lawyers said strauss-kahn didn't know the women were prostitutes. crowds gathered outside the rosehill primary school in oxford england hoping for a glimpse of kate middleton there to support a childhood art therapy charity.

now for a look at what's trending today our round-up of what has you talking online. bethenny frankel is a top search on google after revealing monday she suffered a miscarriage when she was 8 weeks pregnant. she tweeted her thanks to all of my beautiful, fearless fans. twitter and facebook are lighting up over today's carnivale and mardi gras celebrations. will ferrell was in the parade kicking off festivities there. he tossed goodies to the cheering crowd including toy cow bells because sometimes you just need more cow bells. this video is also going viral. it's an example of men behaving badly. it shows the finnish husband checking out a danish princess during a state dinner last month. nice try. all right. 8:04. now back to al with a check of

the weather. >> just checking out the crown jewels. hello! oh, my. well, it's your birthday. where are you from? >> north carolina. >> happy birthday. >> thank uh you so much. >> there you go. hello! let's check your weather and see what's going on. cleveland, ohio. hello, cleveland. greatest location in the nation. nbc 3, kyc. showers, windy with temperatures in the mid 40s. heavy rainmaking it into the pacific northwest. going to be nasty. we have snow in the intermountain region. avalanche for the pacific northwest. sunshine in the east. temperatures into the upper 40s here in the northeast. showers along the midatlantic coast. ♪ >> they're singing for the weather! i like it.

good morning to you. it's cold out there and cloudy as well. we do have low clouds and fog along the golden gate bridge. you can see from the live picture the upper deck of the bay bridge toll plaza starting to get improvement. visibility starting to build in this area. still as we continue through the morning hours, whatever fog we do have will lift quickly, and we'll end up in 60 and 70s. not even the warmest day of the week. that will be tomorrow. 75 degrees inland. thursday, friday we level off a yournd rain sunday into monday. est weather. mr. gregory? >> mr. roker, thank you very much. coming up next, a woman who claims she was tricked into having a child with a married man so he and his wife could have a baby. we'll speak to her after this. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning...

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we'll speak with her in a moment. first, craig melvin has her story. good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning. kristy gaffney did what so many single people are doing. she tried an online dating site, met a guy and fell in love. then she said things went terribly wrong. kristy gaffney thought she'd finally found mr. perfect on a dating website. he told her his name was ed. >> together we talked about marriage. we talked about getting a house together. moving in together. you know, making a life together. >> reporter: the 29-year-old pennsylvania woman thought he was american royalty. >> he told me and my entire family that he was a dupont. told me the story of his family and the castles in delaware. >> reporter: she remembers he bragged about his elite job. >> he said he worked with the cia. >> reporter: gaffney said ed also said he was divorced and his ex-wife could not have children. after dating for about six

months gaffney got pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl, gabriella. at the time the couple lived separately. one sunday night ed took his daughter and promised to return her the next day. >> i started texting him and he stopped responding to my text messages and phone calls. so i lost it. i just went crazy. >> reporter: when she finally met him to get her daughter back kristy said he dropped a bombshell. >> he's like, i'm married. i can't divorce my wife because i'll lose everything. >> reporter: you never knew he was married? >> never. >> reporter: never had suspicions? >> i never did. >> reporter: gaffney said she also found out ed dupont was really named emmitt dippold. they were adopting gaffney's baby. >> i couldn't believe he was telling me this. it was surreal. >> reporter: kristy gaffney signed papers after gabriella was born. she said dippold told her the

document allowed him to claim rights as the father. >> i was like, okay. i had no reason not to trust him. i signed. the document was a few pages long. he gave me the signature page and said, just get this signed. >> reporter: take a close look. she actually agreed to, quote, give up permanently all rights to this child. >> i felt like someone stabbed me with a knife. i couldn't believe that he would do -- that anybody would do something so horrible. >> reporter: why didn't you read the papers? >> i did. i looked at it. i said, i don't really understand it. >> reporter: gaffney took dippold and his wife to court and argued the adoption was based on fraud. the judge agreed saying mr. dippold was engaging in a diabolical scheme from day one. there is no way she knew she was giving up her parental rights to the child. the dippolds appealed. their lawyer had this to say. >> the document was signed in

its entirety before two notaries who testified under oath in court that she signed the document. emmitt dippold has no interest in dispar rajjing the birth mother. i'm here to make a plea to this woman that it is not in the best interests of her daughter to create a media sensation about this baby. >> reporter: as all this plays out in court, 14-month-old gabriella lives with dippold and his wife. kristy gaffney vows to keep fighting for full custody. we asked emmitt dippold to speak to us for the story. his lawyer said he doesn't want it played out in the media. he wants what's best for his daughter and will abide by whatever the courts decide. >> kristy gaffney is here along with sam tartaro. good morning.

welcome. >> good morning. >> why are you going public? we heard the father of your child hopes this is not publicized. >> it's been almost a year since he took her. it hasn't gone anywhere. it was ruled upon fraud and duress, but even so that happened with the way the courts are the way they are they filed an appeal. the judge said it was the most frivolous appeal he's heard but the custody judge won't hear it until after the appeal. >> you're hopeful people -- >> i'm hopeful. and ever since i did the initial local interview i have had a lot of support which is helpful. >> you're very emotional about this. >> yeah. >> what makes it hardest for you? >> my daughter. i think she's missing out on her

mother. i can't believe people could do something this horrible and be okay with themselves. >> how often do you see your daughter? >> right now i see her every other weekend. >> every other weekend? >> yes. >> knowing she's in the care of the man who was her father. >> yes. >> and his wife. >> yes. >> do you have concerns? >> yes, i do. >> what are your concerns? >> one is obviously they were trying to take her from me and adopt her. so i don't want her to get acquainted with them, especially if i do get her back. that's just messing up her life. also, i know how these people are now. they schemed against me to get her from me. i don't want her raised like that. >> sam, how long might this go on before this is resolved? where are we legally in this case? >> the adoption judge ruled that the adoption has been dismissed

e . she was induced by fraud and duress. that's on appeal to the superior court. that could take another six months. they may appeal that decision to the supreme court which could take another year. in the meantime the custody where kristy would get her baby back, there is a stay order on that. so we won't be able to get into a custody decision for maybe a year and a half. we have appealed that decision. we haven't had a response from the superior court on that. >> if everything you're saying happened is true, people listening to it are going to say why didn't you know ahead of time? how could you have been so duped? how would you respond to that? >> he was very controlling during our relationship. i was very much in love. he was promising me marriage, everything i wanted. you know, having a family together. we constantly talked about those things. when you're with somebody and you talk to them every single

day. you see them a couple times a week at least and you're discussing the future like we were constantly, you don't think someone would do something like this to you. he met my entire family, came to family events. he met my son and he even said he wanted to adopt my son. i didn't think anybody would be capable of doing something like this. >> it's not a short relationship. it was 18 months. >> i know it's something that's a chapter and we don't know how this will end. we appreciate your spending time talking to us. thank you so much. we look forward to seeing how this develops. thank you. up next, another story which is about a 19-year-old who is learning to walk again after suffering a rare spinal injury tiupg after this.the first i can't afford to ignore our retirement savings, not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways

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told she may never walk again. it all started during a family vacation in hawaii. we're going to talk to her in a moment. first nbc's janet shamlian has the story. ♪ >> reporter: kristin was as active as an 18-year-old gets. a college volleyball player, she loved sports. when her family decided to try surfing on their hawaiian vacation, kristin was all for it. she got up on the board, but when her legs started feeling strange, kristin headed to shore. >> i started to walk up the beach. i made it about 50 yards before i couldn't make it anymore. i collapsed. >> reporter: initially everyone thought she was stung by a jellyfish but it was soon apparent the injury was more serious. >> we didn't know why there was anything wrong. she just suddenly couldn't walk. by the time we got to the hospital she was essentially paralyzed from the waist down. >> reporter: when they returned to colorado, kristin was confined to a wheelchair and

struggling to navigate the family's stair-filled home. although there was no fall kristin had suffered a spinal injury. a rare condition known as surfer's miyelopathy. >> after i heard the news -- here it goes. [ voice breaking ] >> reporter: the news kristin's mom heard that day would prove wrong. at first it was a toe wiggle. now 15 months after that fateful day, kristin is walking. >> push, push, push. >> reporter: mostly with the help of a therapist or an electronic stimulator but sometimes she can do it on her own. not far. just a dozen steps or so. considering her injury it's a marathon. what role do you think her energy and tenacity has had? >> it's everything. had i been in her position i'm sure i would have reacted differently.

>> okay. we're done. >> reporter: where does she get that from? >> i wish i knew. >> reporter: doctors cautioned that often there isn't progress after the first year. but don't tell kristin who continues to mark milestones like driving again. she believes bigger accomplishments are just down the road. for "today" janet shamlian, nbc news, loveland, colorado. >> kristin is with with us now along with nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. good morning to you both. >> thank you. >> your dad is so proud of you. how have you been able to keep your hopes high and your tenacity at this level? >> i think from the beginning i knew there was a reason it happened. i knew that something good could come out of it if i allowed it to be a negative thing it would be. if i allowed myself to grow from it, it would be a positive thing. >> important message.

take us back to when you got the injury and when you first started feeling pain did you think it was serious right away? >> not really. my lower back started to hurt. i just thought that i -- my muscles were sore because i wasn't used to using them or something. i had no idea it was anything serious. >> i have not heard of this before. >> i hadn't either. for first-time surfers out there, it's back pain first and then a numbness or tingling through the legs and an inability to walk. it happens to first-time surfers. you can see the symptoms that go with it. it's almost hyper flexation of the back. they are pulling their chest up. the advice is for the first time sit on your board. don't lie on it. stay in the water no longer than a half hour. this doesn't happen often. but it's because the blood vessels to the spinal cord pinch

off. it's an ischemic problem, a blood flow problem. >> you have been able to get it back because of this technology. show us how it works. >> what it does is simulates the muscle and nerve right here. it allow me to pick up hi foot when i'm walking. >> it's electric stimulation. >> it is. there are two electrodes in here. the biggest problem for me is picking up my feet. this picks up my feet for me. it's doing it. >> on its own. >> from here down to your heel. the foot pulls up. >> i didn't do any of that. >> that's a helpful start to get you up. you still need the crutches. >> yes. i do need the crutches. >> okay. >> kristin, this went from not being able to walk at all. >> i was completely paralyzed,

yes. >> remarkable. >> the future is for strokes, people with congenital problems to put the stimulators in. the interesting thing is the electrical stimulation to the muscle that allows her to pick up her heel. extraordinary. >> good morning, time is 8:26. i'm jon kelley. hayward, police right now searching for a domestic violence suspect who was accidentally releesd after a psychiatric evaluation. the 32-year-old was arrested at his ex-girlfriend's home saturday, during a confrontation with police. he slit his own throat and then stabbed himself. he was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, but accidentally released. fernandez is 5'8", 150 pounds and everybody has lots of bandages and a suture around his

neck. if you see him, call hayward police. right now let's check out things out on the roads for your commute to work. i couldn't think of a better than than mike inouye. >> good. we're looking where you're going to be on the east shore freeway for quite some time. 51 minutes off the carquinez bridge. a stalled bus off the toll plaza. it's crowded there. another stall right past the merge off the racetrack and off the richmond bridge, making things even worse. to the city, spilled asphalt as well northbound 280. a lot of junk around the bridge. >> for the latest traffic and news update, check out nbc bay area on facebook. we'll be back in a half hour with another local update. ♪

okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours?

[ eves ] years ago, i hurt my shoulder drag racing. that's when i decided to take it easy, so i took up hang gliding. [ female announcer ] a grandpa who refuses to grow up. [ eves ] the pain was bad, but the thought of not being a hang glider pilot was worse. [ female announcer ] that's when eves turned to sutter health's palo alto medical foundation. [ eves ] the doctors that i dealt with, they got it, that this old guy wanted to return as a hang glider pilot. they got me flying again. [ female announcer ] palo alto medical foundation, and sutter health -- our story is you.

8:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 21st of february, 2012. we have a really nice crowd and a big crowd lining rockefeller plaza. apparently our spring break season has begun. >> midwinter break. >> that's right. midwinter break. also presidents' weekend we just

had. many people managing an extra day here. we're happy they stopped by. i'm ann curry alongside david gregory and al roker. al roker. >> that's right. >> meantime, we'll be talking about the season's hottest colors. >> we've been talking about it all this morning. it's neon, of course. this is taking us everywhere from clothes, shoes accessories. one of our producers has been wearing neon for so long. >> back in the '80s still. >> how do you pull off such a bold look? jill martin is here to show you house. >> even something for guys there, too, by the way. >> there is a little something for guys. >> and we've got "top chef" gail simmons along. she'll share recipes she's collected on her path to becoming a professional cook. that looks yummy. >> chocolate! doesn't that look amazing? >> also, you know, the winter

months will wreak havoc on your skin, the season for the dry, itchy, uncomfortable feeling so we'll show you how to get rid of that and make your skin healthy. >> exfoliate and moisturize. >> i did that just before the break. >> together? >> yes. >> i was holding the pink tag, the neon thing, yeah. first we want to say a warm hello to jack blankenship, college freshman from alabama who found a way to creatively distract opposing players. he holds up, as you can see, a huge photograph of himself, making a funny expression. jack is now joining us this morning. jack, what possessed you? what gave you this idea? >> show us the face. >> well, you know -- our games, you know, the university will print out pictures of random celebrities for everyone to hold, like a big photo of. i thought it would be hilarious to bring a picture of myself doing a face that -- between my

friends that we like to do. so, i figured, why not? >> i was at the knicks game last night and i saw you. it was linsanity, you were part of it last night. the nets were tough but you were there. you actually -- you did some good work there. >> oh, thank you. >> now, this has gone viral, by the way. i think you have more than a million fans on youtube, is that right? >> that's correct. >> the big man on campus at university, right? >> the university has been great supporting me. even one game they printed up like 200 pictures of my face for the whole crowd to have. >> and you also brought your face a couple years ago here to the "today" show. >> that is correct. >> i didn't even realize it. >> i didn't realize that. videotape of that? >> i think we have videotape of that. >> we see him there. >> there's the face right there. >> mom is here. what does she think of the face? is this the look she's so proud of? >> she's seen before? >> she's never been supportive

of it until now. >> oh, now she's all for it. >> there's mom right there. >> hi, mom. >> she gets a trip to new york. she's like, keep making the face, son, you're making me proud. >> that's correct. >> mom, can you do the face? >> one more time with the face. >> yeah! >> all right. >> our director joe michaels -- >> i think you have the face down. i don't know how many hours you spent practicing that. >> flare your nostrils, you frown -- >> al's working on it. >> -- raise your eyebrows, make them big and then inhale. >> looks good. >> well done. >> really, a lot of fun. >> thank you so much. it's a pleasure to be on my favorite morning talk show. >> whoa, that was nice. thank you. >> we'll take that down to times square and scare some people. that's pretty good. >> meantime, let's talk about the morning weather. >> let's see what's happening. we'll show you for today, heavy

rain for our friends in the pacific northwest. flooding will be a big problem. avalanche advisories as well. look for wet weather upper river advisori advisories. more heavy rain and wind in the pacific northwest. snowy conditions through the intermountain region, sunny and mild from the southwest into texas, showers along the gulf good to you. it's kind of cloudy out there over the golden gate bridge now but we are clearing quickly. and right now inland cities are already seeing that sunshine. 69 degrees in san jose later on today. 70 almaden valley. 70 degrees in fairfield. happy fat tuesday to you. out and about in the city tonight. 57, cool, clear conditions. you'll need that jacket. we climb in temperature through wednesday. thursday and friday we expect to level off a bit. showers sunday into monday.

>> and whether you're worried about weather in your face or not, you can go to weather.com online. >> thank you very much. coming up, neon. >> very excited about it. >> i'm excited, too. we'll get the full rundown on how to spice up your wardrobe with a little neon. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:38. this morning on "today's up next, neon, hottest colors on the runway and red carpet. how can we incorporate this look into our regard robe and home. "you can weekly" contributor jill martin is here to tell us. it's everywhere. you almost need sunglasses. what accounts for this trend? >> well, you know, we saw it on the runway. we see it on the red carpet.

when you see it on slibts and on the runway on models, it's so bright. as you were saying, you know if you're coming and going. in real life it doesn't always translate. there are ways to get in on the trend, more muted trend so everyone at every age. >> you say muted. this may be in the more muted category although it's very, very bright. >> we're starting with jeans. a lot are more youthful. if you want to get in on it, you can wear a longer top, a skinny jean if you love your legs. these starting at $59, available at bloomingdales and just in all the colors for spring. so, if you want to kick offspring, have one bright pair of jeans, this is a fun way to do it. >> for the young people, shorts are cute. >> tractor jean shorts, $68. these are great. definitely a more youthful look. >> if you don't want to have your entire wardrobe or the piece you're wearing on a particular day to be really, really bright, you can just pop a color. >> like you. we just put this necklace on, which is so great to pop the gray. but these are bracelets you can layer and just give a little black dress or anything you're

wearing that little bit of spice. this is starting at $26. if you take a look around, these are great. even when you're on the beach, if you want to dress yourself up a little bit. these -- they have everything for every age and a little earring, too, i have on. >> those are pretty. you know what's nice about these bright colors, is they make you happy and make people who see you happy. >> even the m&ms we were eating in the breck room, everything bright brings happiness out. >> i'm wondering about makeup. what do you think about putting bright colors on your eyes? >> i put a bright color on my eye. >> looks good on you. >> i think it's fun for at night. i'm in my mid-30s. i can pull if off. if you're younger you can mix and match the colors. this is the way to do it. makeup forever. this is a more muted palette for your eyeshadow. you can play around with that a little bit. and then another way is manicures and pedicures, so much fun. these are from stevia, and you can just really get in on it that way. so, just -- i have a bright color on my nails and toes.

you can mix and match. that's also kind of like an accessory. >> that's right. and especially on your toes when you can hide them sometimes. you can't hide them when you're wearing flip-flops but these are fun. >> haviana, for girls. i don't suggest it for men. and kids. starting at $18. these are great and fun if you're running around town and want to look like, you know -- >> one of the difficulties in buying things that are in neon, especially in shoes, is figuring out how to wear them. you worry, can i match them? is it practical to buy something so bright. what's your response? >> well, gray, black, white. i mean, i really think you pick these neutral colors and then you go with a brighter shoe. these are nine west, the chunky shoe you can wear during the summer. and then these are really bright. i mean, have you to really know where you're going, who you're going with and what your style is to pull off a heel like this, because i do think this is a bolder move. >> on the other hand, if you pick the right shade, you can mix and match really bright

colors. you know, maybe this one with this one would be kind of pretty together. >> right. and fun. i'm wearing bright pink and yellow and red. i really think you have to play with it. and really bring out your personality. the shoes are from macy's. cork are from nine west. everybody is loving these cambridge satchels. >> especially david gregory. >> david gregory asked me if he could have the pink one. $118. this is something you could pick up and put down. if you really want that fun look and then you get to work and put it away, this is the way to do it. >> this is a way to surprise somebody who's very close to you with neon. >> a way to get in on it at home. hanky panky. you know, a lot of people are now wearing a bright color under a white t-shirt, the bright colored bra for the pop of color and that subtle hint. so, this is hanky panky, available at macy's. this is a way just for when you go to work and your professional world. you see these are definitely more mutd but i love these. these are the -- you put in your cards in the back and then you

hold your phone in the front. >> you think these are going to make it less likely for you to lose your phone? >> or your credit card. i can only have one thing, so this is great. also the blue or the white are for men. now, the only other way, and i think men should not -- should not get in on this trend, because i think it's not -- i would say stylish or manly, however, speakers, by ihome audio, the only way i would say men should get in on this trend. >> okay. so you can -- and you put those in your office if you want, if you want a little color. >> yeah. or on the beach, at home. you plug these into your iphone or ipad or blackberry and play music off them. >> i would like to see a man in a pop of color neon pocket square. >> okay. >> at a dinner party. >> a pocket square is good. or a skinny tie. >> yeah. very skinny. >> very, very, very, very skinny. >> thank you so much. coming up next, we have the "top chef" gail simmons sharing her personal recipes including

the chocolate cake. first, "today" on nbc. te cake. first, this is "today" on nbc. anyone who grows things for a living will tell ya... a plant is only as good as the soil you put it in. look, both these potted plants got the same sun. same water. only difference? this. miracle-gro potting mix.

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♪ this morning on "today's kitchen: what's for dinner" recipes of a professional cook. gale simmonds is the host of "top chef: just desserts" and out with a new book "talking with my mouth full." i like the memoir. >> it's true. i spend a lot of time talking with my mouth full. >> what most influenced you and your approach to food? >> when you start looking back on your life, you realize there were so many moments where food plays such an important role, in the travel i did growing up my whole life, my family life, obviously, around the table. so many moments that all kind of led to me deciding that i wanted to work with food

professionally. >> we're going to talk about a stew here that was influenced by your time living abroad. >> that's right. when i was young i lived in spain for a year of college. and the woman who i lived with -- i lived with a family. the woman i lived with decimated her vegetables. we would see these beautiful vegetables in the morning when we would leave for school. by lunch they were brown and soggy. i'm redeeming her. >> tell me what i can do. >> first of all, i have onion and garlic in a pot. if you want, i'm going to grab this terlezzo, give it a stir. you can make this vegetarian. >> turkey sausage -- >> anything. and from here i'll add tomatoes. throw them right in. let this cook out, brown a little bit. >> is this something that you can make early before you're sitting down to dinner because vegetables take a while? >> that's the best thing about stews. even better a day later, right? >> right. chickpeas, can you do these canned? >> you can do them dried, or

soak them overnight and dry them overnight. this is paprika, bay leaves. i cook this out. and then my favorite ingredient are fresh artichoke hearts. you can use canned, but fresh in season are -- >> i'm sorry to interrupt. you had them soaking in water for -- do you need to do them for a while? >> just a little lemon juice in water to keep their color otherwise they turn brown. chicken stock. this all cooks out, about 20 minutes. make sure it gets nice and thick. you can add reserve tomato juice. >> let's move on to the banana bread. >> and i throw in fresh spinach and serve it with tomato and garlic on grilled bread. >> i want to look at the bread. what kind of bread is best for that? >> you want something thick. something you can sink your feet into like a venice country bread. served with tomato.

let's get to dessert. i know you're hungry. >> before we do that, i love vegetables. this is grilled zucchini? >> i also lived in israel for a little part of my life. my mother would never serve us eat mac and cheese. she always made us eat. >> you kzucchini -- >> my mother made us eat a lot getting up in is a tribute to my mother. a little tribute to my time spent in israel. dressing with mayonnaise and lemon, pomegranates and lemons. >> let's get to this. >> my mom's chocolate banana loaf. it's really for all time of the day. it's perfect for breakfast. >> that's fantastic. >> also a loaf my mother made. i changed it a little. i make it with whole wheat, chocolate ganash, ripe bananas. want a taste? >> i will.

>> it's a recipe you don't think of when you're young but when you realize it's one of the best comfort foods of all. >> fabulous! that's great. a lot is in the book? >> they are. they're in the book. they are in the book. i have an article in "food & wine" magazine about healthy recipes i eat. >> that does not include that. >> and it's all about talking with my mouth full. >> as i've been done. >> cease how easy? >> the book is "talking with my mouth full". up next, the best ways to care for your winter skin. first, this is "today" on nbc. as you can see, i'm in a tricky situation here. i'm bidding on a 1979 dukes of hazzard lunchbox.

my auction ends in 15 seconds ! even worse, my buddy's bidding on the same lunchbox ! it's airbrushed ! but i've got verizon 4g lte. it's so fast, i can outbid him at the last second. i got it ! yes ! woo hoo ! it's got a thermos ! rely on verizon, america's largest 4g lte network. because only the fastest survive. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur?] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that c help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪

>> announcer: today's health is brought to you by lens crafters. >> back now at 8:52 with "today's health." this morning the best ways to take care of your skin in the winter months. dr. fusco is a dermatologist in new york city and is joining us. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is a tough time of year to have skin not itch and be dry. you say there are simple things we can do at home. >> yes. >> tell us about these ideas. >> we have had a mild winter so far but it still takes a toll. we have a humidifier here. >> that's a small one. >> it's cute and portable. you can bring it to the office.

>> with a bottle of water. >> right. this delivers humidity to the air. >> how much can this possibly fill up? it's such a small device. >> a small room or office. >> you recommend a regular size humidifier in the bedroom. >> yes. this is a nice alternative. it's hygienic. you throw out the bottle. >> what about a shower head. >> this is a special shower head. even tap water can contain chlorine which can add dryness to the skin. so this is something with a filter in it that actually filters out the chlorine. >> that's a good idea. now in terms of what we can put on our skin in general to moisturize you have something that's for the skin? >> i do. we have weleda. this product is for babies. it's eco-friendly and fragrance free. people forget babies have thin skin. they lose a lot of heat through

the skin and it's important to protect it from the elements. we have kiehl's ultra which is light, well tolerated by all skin types. it protects and hydrates. >> that's for the face? >> and neck. >> these products are considered not too expensive. >> none of them will break the bank. >> what about for the eyes? people say the skin around the eyes is more delicate. >> it is. >> so you can't use the same stuff as i do on my eyes as i do on my face. you're supposed to use something specific. >> when you can. this philosophy eye cream is great because it hydrates and has retinol to improve collagen. >> what about the feet? >> you want a rich cream like this first aid product. it works on stubborn, scaly patches. >> you also have a problem often times with redness. there are a lot of products out there that attack redness.

>> many of them just camouflage. but this particular product, the redness relief has complex in it. it actually treats the underlying inflammation which causes the redness. great for red noses in winter. >> takes it down. what about cleaning the skin? we aren't supposed to use soap? >> the more sudsy the soap is, the tougher it is on skin. use a gentle cleanser. ponds is wonderful for that. >> that's been around for a long time. >> it's a gold standard. >> also for the body. use a lighter soap. >> something suds-free. >> the hair also gets dry. >> this is awapuhi which takes away dryness and this flat iron has keratin in the plates. >> do you recommend we maybe wash our hair less often in winter. >> yes. definitely.

>> and there are things we can eat that are good for us and moisturize us from the inside? >> from the inside. >> they include -- >> oils, fatty acids. for example, the walnuts right there and the flaxseed are high in omega-3. >> you can get the flaxseeds ground up. >> right. >> dr. francesca fusco, thank you for the fresh ideas to help our skin feel better. up ahead, shopping smart, the best things to buy in february. first, your local news. good morning, everyone. time now is 8:56. i'm jon kelley. the palo alto city council expected to approve a plan to share police dispatch services with neighboring cities. under that plan, palo alto, mountain view, los altos will

purchase a new system and share it. it will cut costs swim prove response time. the los altos city council will take this up next week. good morning to meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you, jon. we're looking good for today. 69 inland. we have clouds out there. the sun will break through the clouds over the next hour. warmer for wednesday. have a fantastic fat tuesday. each year 700,000 americans suffer strokes. most could be prevented. manager your stroke risk factors, exercise regularly,

slurred speech, facial numbness, difficulty moving can be the first signs of stroke. call 911. be stroke savvy. could save your life. ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering.

back now with more of back now with more of "today" on this tuesday morning, the 21st day of february, 2012. it is fat tuesday, by the way, for all of you revellers out there. and it's clear that our nice big crowd this morning is in a party mood. and we're glad that they could spend their weekend a little bit to be here on our plaza, blowing kisses to all of us. meantime, i'm ann curry. al roker. and savannah guthrie is here this morning as well. and consumers are feeling the pinch when it comes to gas prices. >> yeah.

if you're going to be getting on the road, planning a summer road trip, expect to pay more at the pump. that's really the headline on this. gas prices predicted to soar in the coming months. they are already up more than 25 cents in less than two months, and it's not only bad for drivers, of course. it could really affect the fragile economy. it could drive prices up. this is something they are looking at the the white house in terms of the political context. >> and granted, you may be paying for more gas, but there are still some ways you can save this february. everything from the popular electronic tablets to home furnishings, ski vacations, and even chocolate. chocolate. we're going to show you shocking -- chocolate -- how to get some sweet deals in "today's money." and health news just ahead. how hormones affect a woman's health. there are a range of hormones in a woman's body that regulates everything from sleep to weight to mood. and we'll explain the most important ones at work, and the roles they play, and how to keep

them in balance as well. ok. >> i'm just watching. >> yes, they do like it too. >> watch and learn. let's get a check of the morning's top stories from natalie morales. rising gas prices are hurting more than motorists. they threaten the recent improvements on the economy. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, good morning. the price for premium here already tops $5 a gallon. and while this station may not be the norm, the prices could become this summer. across california, sticker shock at the pump. >> $96.92. >> reporter: the golden state putting drivers in the red. the state average, $4.03 a barga gallon, a bargainon compared to here where it's $5. >> it's going to hurt.

>> reporter: gas prices have never been so high so early in the year. >> it impacts everything. it impacts, you know, how much the cheerios are going to cost. it impacts, you know, how much you pay for the 7 eleven hot dog you get. >> reporter: new york is closing in on $4 a gallon. the midwest hovering near $3.50. washington state $3.64. wyoming has the cheapest gas at $3.03, while hawaii has the most expensive average, $4.23. but by april, experts say, the national average could top $4.25. by midsummer, several cities could see $5 a gallon. analysts say three reasons are driving the skyrocketing price for gas. >> so the perfect storm, the juggernaut that we are facing in rising gas prices, is, one, the geopolitical issues in the middle east. the second would be investors and speculators who are clearly trying to buy oil and own it.

and third would be a number of refinery closings. >> reporter: adding to the problems, a fire at a washington state refinery friday. a key west coast supplier that drove up prices overnight. fedex driver jermaine stevenson now now rethinking how he'll get to work. >> probably ride my bike to work. >> reporter: meantime, in san diego, gas station attendants have been assaulted verbally and even physically because of the pinch at the pump. >> somebody was throwing cans of soda. they were throwing them at the person, you know, changing the sign. >> reporter: gas prices taking a toll now, and predicted to soar to record highs come summer. gas prices will also affect your pocketbook at home. food costs will go up because so will shipping costs. you'll pay more for an airline flight, and it's already estimated that americans spent about 8.5% of their income on gas alone. >> miguel, thank you.

well, greece has been thrown a life preserver this morning as the european union officials have reached an agreement to give greece more than $170 billion in bailout loans in an effort to lower the country's debt by 2020. details are still being hammered out this morning following marathon overnight negotiations. about 2,500 evangelical pastors are joining roman catholic leaders who oppose the president's birth control rule. under a compromise, insurers rather than religious institutions would provide birth control coverage to employees. but opponents say the requirement still infringes on religious freedom. retired astronaut mark kelly is writing a children's book now about an intrepid little mouse that goes to space. mouttronaut is inspired by the mouse that were taken into space on kelly's first shuttle mission. he most recently collaborated with his wife, gabrielle giffords, on a memoir about her recovery from a shooting. and it's a bird, it's a

plane, no, take a look, it's superman. apparently he's lost in costa rica. good thing he gets this nice lady to roll down her window to hell h tell him the way to san jose. the video has spawned dozens of copycats trying the stunt from the back seat as well, though we don't recommend you try this at home. it is funny to watch. six minutes past the hour. back out to ann and david. >> it's a lot safer to make a funny face on the internet. meantime, do try out the weather. it looks like it's going to be pretty nice, right, al? >> that's right. in fact, it inspires singing here. got a nice group. where are you guys from? >> rochester. >> oh, rochester. rochester, michigan. let's check it out right now. show you what we've got. a big bloom of moisture out of the pacific taking dead aim on the pacific northwest. a lot of heavy rain over the next 24 hours. they have flash flood watches

from bellingham all the way down to olympia. we are also looking at avalanche warnings from the olympics into the cascades because of all the heavy rain and snow. rainfall amounts, next 24 hours, we're talking anywhere from two to seven inches of rain locally. well, it's still kind of cloudy out there but the sun is breaking through clouds in the south bay. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. we'll see a comfortable second half of the day, temperatures climbing into the upper 60s and low 70s. if you'll be celebrating fat tuesday tonight, 57 degrees at 7:00 p.m., cool, clear. and that clear sky tonight will make way to a cold start tomorrow. nonetheless, we'll rebound nicely up to 75 degrees wednesday. holding on to the mid-70s for thursday. and that's your latest weather. savannah? al, thanks. this morning on today's health how hormones affect your body.

they regulate your how hormones regulate efrgs. how can you keep them in balance? dr. carrie, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> are you ready for "final advance"? we have a lot to cover. what are hormones? >> hormones are chemical messengers made of one part of the body and they send a signal to another part of the body to perform a function. >> let's start with the brain. we'll look at four different areas of the body. and the first one we want to talk about, oxytosin, or the love hormone. >> it's the feel good hormone. it goes up when you touch someone. it heightens tourust, lets you create bonds, and plays a role in reproduction. during childbirth, it facilitates labor and helps with breast feeding. >> interesting. another important hormone is cortisol. too much is not a good thing.

>> it's released on a 24-hour cycle. and what it does, when we feel a threat, when we feel like we are in danger, we get a burst of cortisol, allowing us to have a burst of energy to help us survive. and then it should go back down to normal. but psychological stress does the same thing. it causes it to go up. and if you're chronically under stress, that means your cortisol is chronically elevated, and that can cause problems over time. it doesn't help us. it hurts us. elevates blood pressure, blood sugar, and impairs your immune system. what about cortisol? >> this is made when the sen goes down. and its peak production is if it's dark out. and what do we often do at night? we watch tv, on the computers. these are all light emitting devices, and these are going to

impact optimal mel tonein production. so we recommend to turn these devices off a few hours before bedtime. dim the lights in your living room, get ready for bed, and then in your bedroom, keep it really dark. >> should you wear one of those silky masks? >> that would be nice. >> ok. that's very interesting. i didn't know that. let's move on to the stomach. there are two what we call hunger hormones. what are they called? >> these are leptin and gorelin. gorelin is produced in the pancreas and the stomach, and it stimulates the hormone. the other suppresses appetite. and both are being studied in the role of obesity. >> and i'm reading that some sugars can affect leptin, which makes you hungrier? >> that's right. so candy can cause higher

levels. and sleeplessness makes you hungry as well. >> serotonin is the next hormone in the stomach. what does it do? >> made predominantly in the gut, controls intestinal considerations. also contributes to mood and sexual behavior. and researchers believe that a glitch in the serotonin pathways can influence mood and possibly lead to depression, but it's not measurable. >> the next is the all almighty thyroid. it can really affect a woman's health. >> it can. if it's too low, it's called hi hypothyroidism, causing weight gain and fatigue. if it's too high, it can cause weight loss, palpitations, tremor and anxiety. if you have these symptoms, you should definitely bring it to your doctor's attention. if you have a family history as well, get them checked. last but not least, a woman's ovaries.

estrogen and progesterone. we are familiar with those. >> we are. this controls ovulation and the menstrual cycle. and birth control alters these levels preventing ovulation and pregnancy. but estrogen can also be impacted by weight gain as well, and also chronic stress. and that's why they can lead to problems with fertility. >> and the last hormone we want to talk about is testosterone. >> we make about 10% of what men make. it controls the same function. libido, muscle mass, and bone density. if it's too high, you can get facial hair growth and acne. if you have he's symptoms, call your doctor. >> lots of good information. thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up next, from homis homishinhomis homeland securihome furnishings and new cars, we have tips to avoid buyers' remorse. but first, these messages.

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bargains. here with the inside scoop is a personal finance expert and host of financially fit on yahoo, farnoosh, good to see you. >> good to see you, al. >> what does it take to figure out the deals you will be looking for? >> you want to look at seasonality, the temperatures have been warm for february. and this is the type of -- for some industries february is a slow month. you may see them desperate to sell items, push inventory out of the stores. >> the hottest thing right now is the ipad. tablets are big. are we looking at price breaks? >> in some cases we are. the reason is because apple is rumored to announce the ipad 3 in march. if that's true retailers will reduce prices of the ipad 2 between now and march. we are already seeing it in stores in the midwest.

many stores slashed the ipad 2 price $70 bucks to $429. it will be good until february 25. if you are looking for this, you may want to make a trip to the midwest and buy this at a meijer store. >> the announcement coming in early march? >> march 7 is the earliest i have heard. you never know. >> talk about a mild winter throughout much of the country. >> yeah. >> we can expect winter clothes to be on sale. >> winter clothes, parkas, ski clothes. i bought a winter coat in november and now the same coat in my size, my color is 50% off. february is a good time always to stock up on seasonal items. this month you are seeing better inventory because of the weather. >> for example, nordstrom's. >> eddie bauer for men's coats. >> buy a size up for the kids and put it away.

>> why not? if this is a need for the future, stock up now. >> ski vacations. i was surprised to see it. >> this is typical ski season. why reduce prices? again because of the temperature, slopes are seeing low foot traffic. so places like utah and colorado, reducing prices. i like to go to jetsetter.com, sneakaway.com for a last-minute deal. and snowbird utah. if you want to travel and ski during the earlier part of the week, you will see reduced prices. about $99 per ski package. if you really want to get a better deal on ski packages, shop online before you go to the ski resort or go to area ski shops around the mountain area because a lot of times they have discounts of so% to 20% off. >> this is a good time to make over your home and get new furniture. >> two reasons. february is typically when the home furnishing stores see the

new inventory come in. the old inventory has to go. also, february is the slowest month for home sales in the entire year. people are staying home thinking, i could use a new couch or carpeting. you see pottery barn and macy's slash prices on home furniture, bedroom furniture and things like that. >> and this is a good time for a deal on chocolate. >> chocolate! >> oh, how nice. >> if you can get over the heart-shaped packaging this is the time to buy chocolate. this was 50% off at a local drugstore. this is for you. >> oh, thank you. >> you can buy it, freeze it or use it as ingredients for baked goods. ghirardelli.com and godiva, 50 to 60% off online. >> february is a good time to work out the arms. farnoosh bringing the gun show. bang, boom, yeah!

that's what i'm talking about. >> thank you. >> still ahead, foie gras for mardi gras? we have a feast fit for a king mardi gras? we have a feas-one. for a king -two. -three. -one. two. three. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. -it's as easy as...1. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. but with pizza hut's tuscani tuesday, we have you covered! get pasta for two for just six bucks, or family-size pasta for just ten bucks on tuesdays. both complete with breadsticks. only on tuesdays. only at your pizza hut. here's a better idea... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits.

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like many chefs today, i feel the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. and that's what they do with great grains cereal. see the seam on the wheat grain? same as on the flake. because great grains steams and bakes the actual whole grain. now check out the other guy's flake. hello, no seam. because it's more processed. now, which do you suppose has better nutrition for you? mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's new glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

speaking of "the biggest loser" we want to say hello to the latest contestant to have the scales tip against him on "the biggest loser." roy, good morning. >> good morning. >> you started off your journey at 306 pounds. you lost 52 pounds there. how much have you lost since then? >> another 25. >> terrific. >> that's fantastic. >> tell us about your at-home regimen? as you told us before the commercial you said you ran a 5-k and won. >> the first one in 27 years. i came in first place. >> congratulations. >> i have to be honest. think i was the only entry in my age group. >> doesn't matter. >> first place is first place. >> but i finished and that's important. >> you say there is a whole

thing about kids and obesity. >> it's an epidemic. because i relate well to kids, for some reason. >> a red suit on you may look good this time of year. >> yeah. so i really have tried to appeal to the younger people and i led for years kids into high adventure programs. ones that the parents would be interested in, too. i try to get them together in a way and really extreme high adventure so they can earn bragging rights for life. >> and you recently snow boarded? >> yes. my behind is still sore. >> do you think you will do it again? >> no doubt about it. i want to get better. >> i bet the ranger got a laugh out of that. >> yes. the trainers say you don't learn from a relative or a friend or they won't be a relative or friend for long. >> that's true. good for you, roy. keep up the good work. >> one more message if i may.

>> real quick. >> you know, i am watching and if you're not good, i will know it. i'll see it. >> oh! >> better be good. >> ho, ho, ho! cong to a mall near you. >> "the biggest loser" airs at 8:00/7:00 central on nbc. >> and still ahead, your local news and weather. to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ]

♪ [ laughter ] honestly, i'm having a little trouble with the eyes. find eye popping savings at the sears president's day event right now, get up to 30% off all kenmore appliances and up to 15% off all other appliance brands sears. number one in appliances. good morning. 9:26, breaking news out of the south bay. a large mountain lion has been sighted and cornered in a los gados hills backyard. these are exclusive pictures just into your nbc newsroom. that is a big cat. our crew on the scene tells us the mountain lion spotted behind a house this morning in los gados. the family's dog chased it up a tree. right now we're told fish and game are on the scene and they are planning to back off and hope the big cat returns to the

wild. we will have more on news at 11:00. in other news, students at a south bay high school back in class after someone tagged the school with racial slurs and offensive images. some of the graffiti is so graphic we had to blur out the words. this is shot inside the classroom at san jose's mountain pleasant high. the walls tagged with references to hitler. door had racial slurs and obscenities. some students were writing remembrances on the wall but administrators say it went too far. >> i can never accept the n word and every other slur and it is offensive and we will not tolerate it. >> if the person or people responsible for the racist graffiti are students the spstrict says they could be orensud expelleded. a look at the forecast and roads after the break.

welcome back. 9:28.

cool, cloudy out there. we're still on par to touch on the seven days later on today. this is one of the cooler days as we head through the next 72 hours. 75 by wednesday. mid-70s on thursday. then things change a little bit as we head into the weekend. a few more clouds, temperatures drop off, showers arrive sunday into monday. mike? >> after folks went way from the bay bridge or without the bay bridge upper deck for a few days they're itching to get back there. you have to wait. but it's a popular place to be. about an hour's drive off the carquinez bridge after a number of accidents have cleared off of the east shore freeway. jam off of the richmond bridge. 24, 580, 880 slow. live look past the coliseum shows north bound past high street jamming but moving better here. slowing through oakland through the toll plaza.

my feeling is your job is to get somebody -- >> i can't lie to you. that's 10% -- >> you never want to do something to keep me from taking proper medicine or things like that. but if you say, i think you have the fortitude to beat this but you know clinically it's impossible that's okay. that's a lie. >> uh you may recognize today's professionals, donny deutsch, dr. nancy snyderman and star jones deciding whether it's okay for a doctor to sugar coat the truth. star looks out of it. if the prognosis could help a patient feel better. they are back for another round of hot topics tomorrow on

"today." >> all right. meanwhile coming up in this half hour, getting a deal on your wheels. buying a car can be one of life's biggest purchases few but you could be taken for a ride. we have tips to help you avoid buyer's remorse which a lot of people feel when they purchase a car. >> exactly. we can't complain about the winter we are having in the u.s. in europe it's a different story. eastern europe had brutal weather that's literally cut off entire towns. why is it happening and is it expected to end any time soon? we'll have the latest on the story. and today is fat tuesday, the last hurrah before lent begins tomorrow on ash wednesday. to mark the occasion we are preparing a feast with french flair in "today's kitchen." >> looks good, too. >> delicious. looks like cassoulet. first, al roker has a check of

the weather. >> i love it when you speak french. let's take a look and see what's happening for the afternoon. we are looking for temperatures in the 20s and 30s in new england. also around the great lakes. we've got 20s in the central rockies. plenty of sunshine in new england. heavy rain and wind in the pacific northwest with heavy mountain snows. plenty of sunshine through the southern california area into texas. look for sunshine tomorrow into the southeast. showers and thunderstorms along the gulf. sunny and mild through the southwest. showers through the upper ohio well, the sun is breaking through that low deck of clouds. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. headed towards a warm-up starting today. 69 in san jose. hit 68 degrees in concord. staying mild for tonight's fat tuesday celebrations in the city by the bay. 57 at 7:00 p.m. cool and clear. through wednesday, even warmer. level off a little bit thursday into friday. but hold on to 70s.

things change sunday into monday, showers, cooler and cloudier. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks. up next, putting you in the driver's seat when you do some car shopping coming up right after this. ♪ my heart skips a beat ♪ my heart skips a beat ♪ my heart is playing tricks on me ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing new special k granola bars. ♪ i can't break through with 4 grams of protein. and 4 grams of fiber. finally, a granola bar that makes your heart skip a beat. a snack that loves you back. what will you gain when you lose? ♪ ...skips a beat look at me: one. we're a salty sweet snack. two. salty sweet snacks get eaten. and three. i'd prefer her versus "hungry eyes" over here... ♪ i've got hungry eyes

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this morning on "today's consumer," buying a car with no regrets. it is a big investment and very often people drive off the lot with buyer's remorse. here with us is lisa lee freeman. >> good morning. >> we know buying a car is a huge investment. people walk off the lot with buyer's remorse often. you did a survey. >> we surveyed thousands of readers and also asked experts at the test track. consumer reports tests cars every year and they buy them. they have learned pretty much all the lessons, experienced the regrets. we asked our readers to share their mistakes so you can learn from their mistakes. >> let's get to them. one of the biggest mistakes people make is neglecting to do a thorough test drive. they may take a quickie around

the block. really important to know what you are buying. >> go to the dealership. take you for a ride locally on the streepts and you don't get a feel for the car. you have to go on the highway. see if the car has pick up and go. you want to do hard braking. feel if the car is lurching, feels secure and feel whether the seats are comfortable. you probably want to be out there for 30 minutes if you can do it. bring the kids along. if you have car seats, bring those. not all car seats fit all cars. you want to see if you can get it in, is it easy, does it take up too much room? make sure the kids can look out from the back seat. they will get bored, nauseous. it will be terrible. bring your kids. >> test every little feature. i learned that the hard way. you never know. also people tend to skip options to save money and they often regret it. they want the little bells and whistles. >> not only do people want to save money, they're in a rush.

maybe you crashed your car and you need a new one or you want instant gratification so you buy whatever they have on the lot without the options. figure out what are the options you must have. for me, heated seats. >> cup holders. lots of them. >> make sure you get them. $1,000 for an extra isn't necessarily that much money when you look at it over the course of the loan. it bhmay be less than a dollar day. don't be stingy with the features. if you want a feature, get it! >> go for it. >> people are also having cars much longer. they are hanging on to them. don't have a car you will hang onto with a feature you really want that you don't have. >> another thing is dealerships push extended warrantees and consumers are overwhelmed, buying a car and they sign up for it and regret it. when is it a good idea and when

is it not? >> it seems like a logical thing to do. it's a big investment. this is an insurance policy. the dealers push hard and a lot of people regret buying them because they never use them or the warrantee costs more than the repairs they have done. you're better off putting the money aside you would use to pay for the warrantee and set it aside for a fund in case you get a problem down the road. that's really important to do that. number one, buy a reliable car to begin with. >> very important. in order to do that one of the things is to make sure you do your homework first. that's important. you say to make sure you shop online. really know everything that comes with the car and what it's going for online. >> find out the options. also when you do your homework one thing you need to find out about is not just going online but also going to a bank. find out what loan you qualify for. a lot of times you get to the

dealer and they may bump up the rate beyond what you qualify for. do your homework before you step into the dealership and make sure you are getting the best deal possible. >> make sure you do your research. when you have the research in hand one of the things you say is don't show all your cards. don't show your hand all at once to the dealer. >> right. one of the other things is to find out if you have a trade-in, find out the value before you go to the dealer and don't mention it. negotiate the price of the car, not the price of the car with the trade-in, loan, all that. negotiate one thing at a time. that's really important. >> all right. lisa lee freeman, great advice. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> learned a lot. up next, much of europe is in a dangerous deep freeze with some towns cut off. we'll have the latest on condition there is after these messages. achoo! [ male announcer ] but when she used tissues, she went crazy wild.

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according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] across the u.s. it's been one of the mildest winters in decades but it is a much different story in europe where huge snowstorms and sub zero temperatures have claimed more than 600 lives. nbc's michelle kosinski is in switzerland this morning with more on this deep freeze. good morning to you.

>> reporter: hey, savannah. the beginning of the season the alps were saying what are we going to do, where is the snow? that was soon followed by 18 feet in some areas, cutting off entire towns. now that the temperature is going up a little bit it's making the avalanche and flooding risk higher. this is the second brutal winter for europe in a row. this winter blasted europe like a blow torch of cold. just as swaths of the continent were brought to an icy stillness the images captured seem other worldly. waves on the black sea frozen in motion. reverse. seas walkable. streets skatable. eastern europe has endured record-breaking cold, more snow than anyone can remember. up to the rooftops. hundreds of people have died. tens of thousands cut off by impassable roads.

in kosovo an avalanche killed all but a 5-year-old girl in a family of nine. she was beneath snow for more than ten hours. >> europe is the victim of a high latitude block where if the weather system in the upper levels of the atmosphere is set up over the northern latitudes somebody has to pay for what would be normally cold weather there farther south. >> reporter: the deep freeze extends east to china where the waterfalls stopped falling. in colorful tibet, whiteout. and west, rome saw its first snowfall in 26 years. the colosseum coated. babbling fountains of milan stunned silent. germany and the ski towns of austria, switzerland, france relish snow, just not upwards of a dozen feet all of a sudden where avalanches claimed the lives of more than a dozen people. on friday, the prince of the netherlands, son of the queen, was trapped in an avalanche skiing in austria. the father of two is in stable

but life-threatening condition. now finally, temperatures are breaking, but so is ice. not a good thing in belgrade this week. on the danube, giant chunks broke apart, crushing and sinking boats. people beaten by the season tried to save their spring past time, but the force of winter won again. the u.s. military has just stepped in to help montenegro move people out and critical supplies in to some of their towns. meteorologists say it looks like warm temperatures are headed to europe for maybe an early spring. the problem is with all the snow much of the heat will be reflected instead of absorbed. savannah? >> michelle kosinski, it looks so pretty. causing a lot of havoc there. thank you. up next, we are going to put the fat in fat tuesday in "today's kitchen." first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in "today's kitchen" what's on the menu? a fat tuesday feast with a french flair. tate, chef, good to see you. >> happy fat tuesday to you. >> you're going to start off by putting some fat in there. pbj and foie gras sandwich? >> that's phat with a p-h. this is a pecan butter. little bit sweeter with more toast to it and a fig jelly. the foie gras here and a little bit of brioche. you can also use texas toast. a little bit of a sear and we have the sandwiches here with the foie and a great way to finish it is with maldron sea

salt. gives it a little bit of crunch, salt. delicious. >> that's really good. >> it's not just for breakfast anymore. >> no, it's not. >> fantastic. >> now a sausage and duck cassoulet. >> this is our most popular item. we are at 11,000 feet up on the mountain. we bring it up and cook it at that altitude. we cook it low and slow because of where we are. we have beautiful white beans you soak in water first. >> right. >> we have them hot in the pan. we need to add the veal stock to this. >> all right. >> a little bit of our tomato paste. >> why tomato paste? >> you need a little bit of acid in it. the fruitiness that really makes the beans pop, the veal stock pop, everything else. for the sausage, up in telluride we use elk sausage that we make there or buy from some of the local guys. because it's fat tuesday we are

using andouille sausage. lamb sausage works just as well, like a megrgues is. go ahead and grab that. >> is that duck? >> it's a confit of duck leg which we cooked low and slow at 200 degrees. a lot of herbs in it. confit, as you know, means "with fat" or "low calorie" in french. the confit is a way to preserve the meat. >> okay. >> as part of of the cassoulet and the beans we have a mirepoix, the holy trinity of cooking. celery, onions and carrots. actually a little bit of garlic in this as well. we'll get a nice brown on these veggies here. then we'll add a little bit of red wine and let it deglaze.

>> nice. >> this is the finished beans. this is what you end up with. the way we build this is add the confit into there. if you can spoon that in and then i will add -- >> cover it up. >> we'll also add the sausage right in there. and to finish it, we'll bake it in the oven. it doesn't need much time. >> you have bread crumbs. this is panko. the japanese bread crumbs. we have thyme, rosemary, parsley and butter to make it crisp up golden. >> and you put it in for how long? >> pop it in the oven for 15 minutes maybe. we end up with a beautiful stew, the cassoulet. and this is a stick to your bones item. >> all right. >> what do you think? >> wow. >> the duck bone pulls right out of there. >> wow. that's amazing. >> to finish it off we decided

because it's fat tuesday to do beignets which are perfect. >> hey! >> you came in time for the beignets. >> they come for the show, they stay for the beignet. between the foie gras, pbj and cassoulet, have a defibrillator. >> happy fat tuesday. >> thank you so much. >> great to be here. >> all right. still ahead from nbc's hit show "parenthood, we have actor sam yager. >> and sara hanes goes to work as a butcher, believe it or not. >> after your local news and weather.

♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. good morning to you. 9:56. i'm marla tellez. we do have an update to breaking news that we've been following

out of the south bay. take a look at these. pictures we first brought you exclusively at 9:26. it's a large mountain lion stuck up a tree. this is in a los altos hill backyard. we just got word the mountain lion left on its own, headed back into the wild. that is good news for this neighborhood. now it was spotted behind a home this morning, it was chased up the tree by the homeowner's dog. more on this on nbc bay area news at 11:00. in other news now, if you're spending more to fill. your gas tang, you're not alone. you'll pay more than $4 at most gas stations. experts say several factors are driving up fuel prices. tension in the middle east and improving economy is increasing demand, and the supply is pinched. refineries are shutting down as they prepare to make california's special summer blend of gasoline.

almost feels like summer outside now in february. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> good morning. late winter believe it or not. potential for 80 degree warmth later on this week. the warmup starts today. by noon, temperatures into the low to mid-60s. 64 at noon in san jose. and then we'll round out the day with plenty of 70s and low 70s for today. talking about mid-70s inland for tomorrow. fat tuesday tonight in the city on the cool side. bring a jacket. 57 degrees. cool, clear conditions. staying cold and temperatures will drop like a rock with a clear sky tonight. keep that in mine for the greater bay area. wednesday into thursday warm, showers arrive sunday into monday of next week. let's check your drive with mike. >> take a look at the bay bridge toll plaza which is packed right now getting to there, 53 minutes off the carquinez bridge and things jammed up at the toll plaza back to the maze and the berkeley curve. we'll get back to the maps and end with this lovely shot here

at the approach coming off the east shore freeway. 53 minutes and a stall off the maze. back to you. >> busy morning. 10:26.be back at skin gold anti-itch lotion gives fast, lasting relief. got an itch? gold bond lotion. the quick fix for almost every itch.

. captions paid for by nbc-universal television it's booze day tuesday and a perfect day for fast tuesday, february 21st, and we are celebrating mardi gras. >> it is mardi gras in new orleans. >> nice balls. >> thank you. boy, bourbon street clears out quickly.

usually wall-to-wall people. the streets were jammed at 10:00 this morning and this is i guess the cleanup, the after. >> what do you mean? it's over? doesn't it go on for a while? >> it's been going on for two weeks. people are exhausted. >> i see what you're saying, because tomorrow is the beginning of lent, whatever nasty things they're doing they have to stop today. >> it's so much fun in new orleans on mardi gras. such fond memories of it. one of the memories is of the wonderful king cake, which we have on our table. >> i'm not going to destroy it this year, like i did last year, looking for the baby jesus. >> a lesson kathie lee taught us. this is from one of the top bakeries in new orleans. why am i cutting it like this? >> i don't know. i thought you were supposed to use your fingers. >> take a bite. >> no. no bite. i'm looking for baby gee suls. he's not there. did you get him? >> it's cinnamon y and sweet and buttery and delicious.

>> the person who gets the baby jesus has to buy the next cake for somebody. how many can you eat? >> people get a lot of those. we have a mardi gras cooking segment. we're drinking hurricanes, which are -- >> which i never realized why you drink a hurricane because you don't want hurricanes, you know, but people want these kinds of hurricanes. >> i know. they're delicious. they're fruity and strong and potent. >> oh, my. >> happy mardi gras, everybody. >> i guess there's a hurricane going on. >> a little later in the show we'll do some mardi gras stuff. >> what's this? >> you just catch them. i don't know. you catch them. you throw them. that's what happens. we have a whole table full of beads. >> hoda had a big weekend. >> i went to florida with my mom for the long weekend to spend some time. we had the most relaxing, laid-back -- there's my mom and i just hanging. >> yeah. >> we have our beach picture. and the next photo is of one of your former boyfriends. >> what? >> john tisch.

he's in the middle. >> aww. he's a sweetheart of a guy. >> there's his wife, lizzie, and mason their daughter and my mom and jen. he regaled me with the story of your chance meeting. it wasn't really a chance meeting. he wanted to date you badly. >> i don't know about that. all i know is there were two people, when i was working with frank on "good morning america," two gentlemen that said, kathie, i have a friend, they called, they said do you know that kathie lee johnson? frank said, yeah, we're friends, we work together. both said can you set me up? i never did blind dates and i still don't. but anyway -- and i just never felt comfortable with those sort of things. both times i said to frank i'll go if you go. one was tim mara, whose family owned the giants since the beginning, and the other was john tisch, both men of great substance and great personality and wonderful. but i guess -- and john i liked

a lot. but because frank was there and frank i was comfortable with, i yakked with frank the entire time. i ended up marrying him. sorry, john. went to john's fist wedding. i'm telling you, it was covered in all the society papers as one of the biggest weddings. it was gorgeous and amazing. there were all kinds of stories in the press, i don't know if they were true or not, that just the flowers alone from holland that had been flown in, like $500,000. one of those over-the-top beautiful things. during the ceremony, frank leaned over and said, this could have been yours. you know, i was -- anyway, i saw john last week at the party before the super bowl and said, it could have been us. but a running gag. >> it is a running gag. >> a sweetheart of a guy. he is a doll. >> how was your holiday weekend? >> it was amazing. i went out to california with cassidy. she had a couple of, you know, auditions and cody's out there, his final couple of months of

school, we think. i don't know. anyway, it was fun. at one point, took 12 -- i think it was a table of 12 of us with -- i never, like, sat down with cody and, like, 12 kids from his -- that he lives with. >> how was that? >> you know what, nice kids. he pickings nice friends. one crazy kid called jersey, but other than that, you know, it was good. it was nice. i love california. you know i do. >> yep, yep, yep. >> all good. >> it is february, you guys, and there are some people out there who don't realize it's february on the calendar because you still have your christmas lights up. people are getting sick of it. >> people are still wearing their christmas balls. >> hey. so we had a sneaky photographer who wept around to various homes in one neighborhood and just snapped pictures of christmas lights that are still up. >> yeah. psychological reasons for wanting to -- at least those aren't colored. you know? those reason multicolored.

the little white ones i can see keeping on all season long. >> but the santa and the reindeer -- >> and people have wreaths hanging on their doors. they're fire hazards now, you know? just get rid of them. move on with life. >> i yutzed to have christmas lights on my balcony forever because, you know what, to undo it, to do it -- just leave it. >> where was jay this whole weekend? >> he was busy. he was in sun valley, idaho, doing some stuff. >> you guys are smart. you chemopersonal time together and you give each other space. >> yes. >> which is very important, i think. >> you need breathing room. >> i think you do. >> frank didn't go with us to california. >> what did frank do? >> i don't know. who knows what frank does? i don't know. >> all right. so, as you guys know, whitney houston's funeral was over the weekend and it was very emotional and poignant.

we'll talk about it a little later. >> we haven't had a chance, you and i, to talk about it. i was blown away by tyler perry and really moved by kevin costn costner. they both absolutely captured tone perfectly, stories perfectly. it was magnificent. performances were amazing. bebe winans. i liked when kevin costner said god's probably wondering how he created something so perfect. >> absolutely great. they're obviously selling off some of her -- auctioning off, i think, some of her things, dress and earrings and stuff. >> couple things from "the bodyguard." >> you know what's funny, whitney houston's story is such a big, significant story, and this other kid is next to her in this picture, jeremy lin, getting such incredible play, on the cover of "sports illustrated," "time" magazine. >> doesn't seem it's going to his head at all. >> no. >> very grounded in his family and faith. seems like he's enjoying it but

also has perspective. he says this can't last. people will turn on you. have you noticed, hoda? >> they turn. >> they don't mean to. >> but they do. >> not winning anymore, so -- this guy will be a winner long after he stops winning basketball games. he's a winner of a human being. he really is. this is a guy who thought he was a winner. i love this story. >> you've been driving down the street and there are cones and you want to make a turn but you can't because there are cones blocking it. most people will not turn there because they know there are rules and others -- >> i can't, there's a cone. >> other people say i don't care. so anyway, this happened in san francisco, california. a guy couldn't stand to be stuck in traffic so he took a short cut through the cones and got stuck in wet cement. so anyway, the workers were frantically trying to shovel him out and apparently he couldn't get out of the car. he's sloshing around. his porsche is in the cement. anyway -- >> pride comes before the

cement. >> and also there was this lady driving through mcdonald's or whatever and the perp in front of you is taking forever and they're trying to count their money and i don't know what's happening. you want to go. this woman couldn't stand anymore. >> she honked once, she did, yelled. >> didn't work. she decided to ram her, just to ram her car into the back of hers. the driver was arrested. >> then she realized, oh, my gosh, this is probably worse than a cone. and she drove away. but they found her and charged her with aggravated battery. >> that can happen. have to be careful with your patience. >> i don't drive around a lot because i don't. i'm able to, but -- be grateful that i don't drive around that much. when i go to california, i get a car, rent a car and stuff. these newfangled things where -- just give me a thing where i can go reverse, you know, or park or drive. don't give me four drives. give me one drive. >> and a key that goes in the

keyhole, not the nonkey cars. >> now there's a new thing. there's nothing worse than not knowing your car. you like press a little button this way to get it -- you guys know what i'm talking about? just the right little touch or it doesn't -- so i'm driving. cassidy has to brake everywhere we go. we can't go a block without braking. brake. i can't get -- i can't. i put it into reverse. i finally get in reverse and then i can't get it into drive. oh, lord. >> the new cars are harder. >> people are honking at me. somebody could have started -- >> ramming you, too. >> yeah. then i take it out on the person behind me. i go, go around, go arnold. like it's their fault that i'm so stupid i can't -- that's it. >> we have to talk act our girl, sara, because she's in self

magazine. >> good for you, sara. what did you do to lucy danzinger to get in self magazine? >> we don't like to print that, but we were doing girlfriend dates because there are so many times you just eat and drink and every girl knows paying for calories is not your ideal. brittany is in there and my best friend, e rinn. >> you got your little chihuahuas in there. friday night. >> how cute. >> apparently sara doesn't just stick to friday nights. apparently saturday nights is something that was so huge, sara can't even -- didn't show up anywhere on sunday. sara. >> there was a party. >> it happened at my apartment. a little teeny place in new york where i thought i was safe to let christine go and maybe have a bible study in my apartment. >> but that wasn't what happened. >> that wasn't in the cards. at 10:00 here, i'm in los angeles, i start getting texts of people doing weird things with chickens. now, there's a chicken -- i have a chicken -- adorable little

chicken on top of a huge thing. and one of our esteemed producers who won the edward r. murrow award, is doing something weird with a chicken. that's all i'm going to say. >> are her initials j.l. long? >> yes, they are. enough, sara. >> drank more wine. >> coming up, the latest news from hollywood and our guy -- >> is andy cohen here? >> andy cohen is in the house. >> hide the children! >> then where's the beef? sara finds out. if she's not too hungover. lisa's new normal hi jamie. here's my activia video. love this stuff. i'm starting to feel a change no longer feeling slow. i can't believe i thought irregularity was my normal. now i don't miss a beat. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. i knew lisa would love her new normal. . . . . . . . . . .

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♪ it's time for today's buzz, bringing you up to date on all the celebrity news you need to know this minute. >> from remembering whitney houston and what happened on "saturday night live," andy cohen is in the house. >> how are you, hon? >> he said to me this morning, i'm tired. and i said, why? because you have the best life in the world? >> ever. >> i'm appreciative of everything. i just said i was tired. you asked me how i was doing. i was sober as a church mouse last night. just so you know. >> really? why? >> because you just accused me of having a hangover. >> no, i didn't. not you. >> oh, oh. >> anyway, let's -- whitney's funeral on saturday. you got to watch it. >> i thought, i want a baptist funeral. i just thought it was absolutely incredible. >> yes. a celebration. >> a celebration. and adding to what you said

about costner and tyler perry, i thought that her bodyguard was incredible. her real bodyguard. pat houston, her sister-in-law. everyone added something completely different. >> yeah. nobody said the same kind of story. >> exactly. which was i think just presented the full picture of her. >> the full picture of her, yeah. >> there's been a lot of buzz about bobby brown being turned away and what really happened. >> what was the story? >> he was invited plus two or something, and he brought nine people. >> that's so rude. >> but to his credit, he didn't cause a scene. went in, kissed the coffin, left. >> what happened with bobbi kristina? there was talk that she left. >> there's a lot of unfortunate speculation saying that she has some sort of a substance abuse problem herself. and i'm certainly hoping that everyone is -- >> it wouldn't be surprising. >> that it's not true. >> now, what about rihanna and chris brown? this shocked me. they are collaborating again? >> well, there was speculation

for a while. rihanna said that there was a special guest on her new song. there was speculation that it was maybe going to be chris brown. it turns out it is, and not only that, chris brown has a new remix out of "don't stop the music," and rihanna's voice appears on that. now, it's getting so much publicity, which i guess -- >> that's probably the reason. >> i know. but you know what? nobody wants -- nobody wants them to be together. >> well, i don't know that -- but maybe they want them to be forgiving and moving on. maybe it could be that. is anybody saying they are a couple again? >> there is speculation. >> see, that's why i don't read that crap. >> are you saying me somehow? >> no, no. >> even colbert. that was weird. he was gone for a week. >> he was gone for a few days. they shut down production of his show last week. >> for his mom, right? >> it turns out his mom, who is 91, was ill, and he sent out kind of a special message to her last night. it was his first night back. and she has 11 kids. and he said it turns out you're

a very strong woman. and he sent her a very sweet little message on the show. >> i think that's just awesome. you know? you don't think of guys like that as having mothers. >> yeah. >> well, and loving them. >> everybody has a mom. >> exactly. but we don't hear about his personal life and that sort of thing, and it makes someone very human and lovable. >> yes. >> andy, we have to run. >> stop it! >> happy fat tuesday. is that what you say? >> happy mardi gras. >> and how is the show going every single night? >> it's going great. >> good for you. >> love you. >> see you at 11:00 tonight. >> we'll be there. up next, sarah takes a stab if she can working the counter of a popular new york city specialty shop. but can she cut it? cud the cut the beef?ee bo f ti cubo t it?t we'll find out right after this. i am loving this greek yogurt.

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it is time for "sara in the wow. everything new york has to offer. >> this time around, she checked out a local business that's been around for more than half a century. >> one of my favorite things about the city, you can get almost all of your groceries from family-owned specialty shops. so this week, i decided to check out what life is like as a butcher. >> hmm. what would you like? just tell me how many. >> the butcher shop is an institution in manhattan's west village. >> good morning, sarah.

>> good morning. >> reporter: a family-run business passed down for four generations and counting. i got to meet brothers jerry, frank, and joe. >> how's that? >> reporter: along with frank's son, matthew. was that difficult working with family? >> we're still here. >> reporter: aside from the fact that you've been here for so long, what makes this the place to go? >> i think our relationship with our customers. you know, we are really family oriented. >> reporter: frank took me behind the counter to try out my own charm. >> sometimes you have to suggest things, sarah. >> ok. suggest things. >> do you like lamb? do you like beef? >> what's your favorite? >> the brown one. >> reporter: it was time to get down and dirty. >> we put the new york strips in here. this is your new york strip. >> ok. >> you're going to pull that out. >> don't you have like clampers or something? >> yeah, right here. these are the clampers today. lift it up. it's not going to bite you, sarah. we dry age all our steaks. about 21 days old.

>> yeah, i'm freshening it up. >> where did you wipe your hands? >> oh, on my shirt? on your shirt. >> no. >> ok. >> good. >> wow, that's a lot of meat. >> yay, sarah! >> very nice. >> tony, i got a new butcher. >> reporter: regular customer tony was easy to please. >> what kind of steak? >> she's a professional. >> right. frank, let's talk about it before we tell him. what do we give him? >> whatever one looks nicer. >> which one looks nicer? >> i would say the rib eye looks amazing. >> it's my favorite. >> my favorite as well. >> tony, are you going to cook this for me? >> yes. >> will you make us a steak and come back? >> yes. >> should i put it in there nicely together like a heart? >> yeah. that does look like a heart. >> reporter: i was really getting into the swing of it. >> just kidding. i got it. i think i need the cleaver. >> no. >> reporter: frank passed me on to baby brother joe to learn about veal. >> is that really a butcher

thing? were your hands a different size before? that looks like a serving of meat by itself. you're wasting string. jerry, joe's wasting string. >> they are always tell me that. >> there's a little sibling rivalry here. >> very good, sarah. >> very good. >> legs of lamb. >> reporter: and then it was matthew's turn to throw me a bone. >> these are beef bones. these are the femurs. >> reporter: rivalry or not, there was no shortage of fun behind the counter. >> we always sing along to lady. gaga. this is a 100% lady gaga store. >> why? is it the meat thing? >> yeah. >> reporter: by the end of day, there was even a little love in the air. >> tony! he wasn't joking! tony, i love you! >> sarah, you two timer. >> he made it for me. that's romantic. >> i was here first, sarah. >> i kind of love tony now. first day on the job, how did i

do? >> you did great. you fit right in. >> i'm a natural. >> you're it. >> yay! >> hey. nice. >> it's not going to work out.we all right. still to come, sandy yeager is with us. nature fusion cold & flu syrup. flavored with real honey. powerful cold medicine that leaves out artificial flavors and dyes and instead uses something more natural, honey. new nature fusion cold & flu from vicks.

and instead uses something more natural, honey. love the taste., love the simple ingredients. love the price. new dannon pure yogurt. please your family. please your budget. try olive garden's new three course italian dinner for $12.95. start with all the homemade soup or salad and breadsticks you want. next choose from five new entrees like smoked mozzarella chicken. finally a delicious dessert. the new three course italian dinner. from olive garden. [ laughs ] ♪ [ female announcer ] hey, ladies. here's a little something you'll find irresistible. cinnamon toast crunch, with a delicious cinnamon and sugar taste that's amazing. crave those crazy squares.™ good morning. it's 10:26. i'm marla tellez. a tense stand-off in the los

altos hills. here's why. pictures we first brought you exclusively one hour ago, a large mountain lion up a tree in a backyard on la barranca road. this is in los altos hills. the homeowner spotted it first, then his dog chased it up the tree. less than an hour ago the cat came down and took off into the woods. we will have more from our crew who was the first on the scene in the liv report 30 minutes from now. we'll check the forecast and roads after the break.

welcome back. 10:28 now. still seeing clouds overhead, the sun is breaking through clouds. and we're warming up nicely already at 10:28. temperatures climbing into the 50s. 53 in san jose. up to 63 degrees by noon. once the sun breaks through, it's not going to take long before temperatures climb into the 70 and upper 60s. 66 degrees in fremont. celebrating fat tuesday tonight in the city, 57 degrees. cool and clear. bring that jacket. i'll have your full forecast during our 11:00 a.m. broadcast. let's check the drive with mike. >> festivities in the city distractions on surface streets as well. drive safely and carefully. east shore freeway, still over 45 minutes of the drive time coming off the carquinez bridge, past the golden gate fields racetrack, into the berkeley curve. still dragged out of san pablo to the toll plaza itself.

580 jammed after disabled rigs on the maze area. cleared from this map. so we'll show you south bay, quickly recovered after a couple of earlier accidents at 280. now it's all clear. >> thank you. we'll be back with nbc bay area news at 11:0 jon kelley and i will see you son. we are back on this tuesday with more of "today" with the handsome actor sam jager. you have probably already fallen in love with him. he plays joel graham, who along with his wife is gearing up to adopt a baby from a teen mother-to-be. take a look. >> you stay here with sid. i think he's going to want me at the hospital. i'll call you. >> here's your bag, your purse. >> hey. >> yeah. >> our son is coming. >> our son is coming. >> wow! >> oh.

>> now you sealed the deal. now we really love you. >> there's a lot packed into these last two episodes, isn't there? >> normally on our show, people are looking for gossip. and i'm like, it's mostly two people working things out with their children, you know? and for once, we have really good, juicy gossip, and i love that. >> what's the gossip? >> well, trying to figure out whether or not we get this baby at the end of the season or what. >> but it's still sweet. >> that is sweet, very sweet. >> you're not going to tell us? >> that's as risque as we get. no cars going over the cliff or anything like that. >> it's still the lean in tv despite not having those bells and whistles. >> because you care about the characters. >> what i love about it, it's so messy like real families are. it just shows all the complications and people trying to be better parents. >> we never start out that way. let's have a really bad marriage and a messy relationship and be really awful parents. >> totally. i don't see this going anywhere, but i'm going to stick it out for a couple of months. >> exactly. you have a couple of kids. do those kind of life lessons in

your real life play out? >> i realized recently that my -- i find these issues with my character and i want to defend him. and i'm like, i realize is that my character's issue or my issue that i'm trying to project? >> well, because he is a stay at home guy. >> he is a stay at home guy. and he loves his wife. just like my wife is very strong willed. >> so there are problems at home. >> [ laughter ] >> that's all right. we don't judge. so tell us about it. >> it's rough, if i can be honest. but trying to figure out like going into work and being like, why am i trying to defend joel here? is that joel's issue or -- >> or yours. >> but as an actor, that's what you do. you observe. so you can take what you learn and apply it to a character. >> yeah. and there's so many great actors on our show. i am lucky to work with all of them. >> and you have a 2-year-old and a 17-year-old step daughter. >> yeah. >> wow. >> do they get along? >> they do. >> do they have issues? >> no. they get along well. he goes to bed every night calling her name.

>> he wakes up at 4:00 calling yours. >> we're trying to train him to call hers, but no far no luck. >> good luck with that. >> thank you. >> and you have an independent film you're working on? >> i wrote and directed a movie called "take me home" about a woman who gets into a cab in new york and drives across the country, out to california. >> and they bond? >> and they bond, yes. >> that's great. >> thank you. >> so that was just from your little brain? >> yeah. i actually conned my wife into playing the woman. and she shot from new york all the way out to california. >> with a 2-year-old with you? >> no. before the 2-year-old was born. and somehow she is still married to me. >> wow. >> yeah. >> you make a movie together, and do construction at the same time, you're good. >> especially with a woman that powerful, as you know. >> there really are issues. i like it. >> sam, good luck. >> thank you. >> nice to meet you. >> sam, you're adorable. >> thank you. all right. and you can watch sam and "parenthood" tonight at 10:00,

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if you think we've come a long way, baby, just wait until you hear the stories some women reveal about what really goes on in the working world. >> ivan mizener is the chairman and founder of business organization, bni, as well as the co-author of "business networking and sex," not what you think. and paula williams is a lonely workplace expert. how do you follow that? we're happy you're here. >> thank you. me, too. >> a lot of this is about networking. i think a lot of us find us in a position where you have to network, you have to go into a room with strangers and meet people. it makes a lot of -- i know me and some other women uncomfortable initially. >> i'm sure. one of the reasons is the networking disconnect where people show up at networking events and they're there to sell. if you ask them, i'm here to buy, nobody's there to buy.

so after trying to sell and not build relationships -- >> like a competitiveness instead of cooperativeness. >> the collaboration is key. and women are better at it than men. >> why is that, ivan? >> it's based on a survey we did of 12,000 business professionals and found out that women were more likely to be collaborative, to be relationan and men were more likely to be transactional, hi, my name's ivan, what's your business? >> hoda, your point, the word networking scares us. schmoozing and -- >> yeah. phony. >> yeah. when in essence i want's about meeting people and finding a genuine connection, learning something about this group of people, you know, whether you check in on linkedin, whatever that is, so you know something about them so it feels natural. if it feels more natural to you, it will to them. >> are men not treating women well? the way we teased, we said you won't believe story. >> absolutely. we had open-ended questions and

a thousand responses. three women in a row said i hate networking events. they hit on you. three in a row. then the fourth one, the guy, says i love the networking events. a great way to pick up chicks. on behalf of men everywhere, i'd like to apologize. >> that's never going to change, though, no matter how much enlightenment they get. >> oh, yeah. >> just better at it. >> oh! >> some women wear phony wedding bands because they don't want to be hit on. >> several women said they wore wedding rings, they were married to not get hit on. >> that doesn't usually stop men, does it? >> no. >> men are more likely to be guilty of premature solicitation. i want to say that three times. that's where they meet somebody and go right into the business or are trying to make a connection in some way, whereas the women don't do that. >> when you brag about how great you are, guys seem to think that's a great thing, hey, i've done x, y, and z.

usually every woman in the circle is looking around going, get a load of him, can you believe it? should women be more that way? >> i think at the end of the day when you're authentically talking about what it is you're contribute, if you love the job you do or the business you've started and you're genuinely asking questions about the person in return. that is two-way exchange. it's not hey, look at me. i know something a little about you. >> it comes off as phony. >> women are better at that, making that relationship. where they're weak and where it came up in the survey was they're not as good at asking for the sale. >> we talk act it all the time. >> getting to business. >> what do we do instead? dance around snilt. >> one person said i hate going to networking events because women spend 90% of their time talking about their families and kids and don't get to business. >> women want to offer something first and then ask. sort of what can i do to help you? >> in the survey, here's the beauty of it, women actual lynette worked less, spent less

time networking but generated more business than men by a substantial amount. >> because of their relationships. >> because they're relational. that beats transactional every day of the week. >> once again, we win. >> coming up next, toys that teach your children a thing or two. ♪ [ male announcer ] what if we could keep enough plastic waste to cover all of manhattan out of landfills each year? the equivalent of 140 million trash bags, gone. by using new glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. ♪ it's a small change that can make a big difference. ♪ the mccafé caramel mocha from mcdonald's, she's been expecting a little bit more out of...everything.

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"today's moms" is brought to you by crest 3d white. >> time for "today's moms" and ways to keep your kids busy during winter recess. from reading and writing to arithmetic, toys that will teach your children as they play and have a good time. >> sean bean is "parenting" magazine's executive editor and is here to share his favorite picks to bring out the genius in your child. hi, sean.

>> how you doing? >> so much for kids these days we didn't have for our children. so much fun. >> absolutely. >> the wall coaster. before you do it, tell us what's going to ham. >> actually, the 12-year-old kid invented this. his dad found him in a basement. he was cutting paper towel rolls in half, scotch taping them to the wall. >> show us how it works. >> this is a great idea. you can throw a bunch in here. and it goes all the way down. you can do it all along the wall. you can use stickies to attach it everywhere. >> you can start in different places? >> yes, you can. >> look at this, hodie. >> okay. pretty cool. >> yeah. >> did this make this little kid a fortune? >> is he a billionaire? >> oh, he bought a bentley. i saw him. he's doing just great. >> look who we have here. >> little girl. hi, babies. >> abigail and elizabeth. what are they doing? hi, guys. >> this is called pizza mania.

pizza is math because it's the world's most delicious pie chart. so why not break it down into a game so it forces addition, subtraction, because the chef calls out the order, he says add pepperoni, add mushroom, take away onion, add green pepper. it becomes an addition and subtraction game for young kids. a fun way to work on math. >> cool. thanks. and? >> one of the big things going right now is personalized books for kids. a couple cool ones here. here we have personalized storybooks where essentially you put in the kid's first name and last name and get the books back with their name inserted in it. >> great idea. >> hi. >> hi. >> it spells it out over the course of pages so it's not just about learning your name but read reading, about spelling. who doesn't want to read a book about themselves? >> narcissism. >> good for you. >> the older version, essentially you get this packet which looks like the s.a.t. form

but you fill out the pages, draw, add stories, pictures and send it in. three weeks later, you get a leather-bound book and it's a really fun way to get kids engaged into reading and writing. >> okay. >> rory story cubes is super cool. you get nine cubes. you just roll them out and you have little pictures on them so you make a story based on what's on here. >> excellent. >> you can say once upon a time, kathie lee was walking down the street with a cane and hoda parachuted in and landed on a sheet. >> yeah. >> storytelling, problem solving. really cool. >> we have about 1:30. up front, who do we have? >> look at alex. >> essentially this takes a coloring book and puts it on your ipad. >> you're drawing here and it's coming up here? show us more. >> is that spider-man? that is really cool.

>> that's awesome. >> the markers he's using can't use it to draw on toilets or walls or anything else. you don't have to worry about messing up the house. >> come here with us. >> all right. >> dee jay. >> this is discovery dee jay. music inspires brain activity. used to be a casio keyboard. now it's all about the turntables. 26 sound effects, eight rhythms, the headphones. they can sing through it. totally cool. a lot of fun. >> you guys did really well. thanks so much. stay with them. okay. >> for older kids, you see these man on the street interview where is you ask some tween about american history. they say, what's -- what is new jersey? where is new jersey? they say it's close to old jersey. nobody knows anything. this is just a fun way to learn facts for kids 9 and up. hold on. >> wait, wait, wait. >> jackson is the capital of which -- >> mississippi. >> we're done.

>> moving on. >> moving on. >> for the coup de grace, city blocks. obviously blocks are really fun, open ended, creative toys. used to be lincoln logs but who wants to be living in a cabin in the woods? let's go to the city and build something cool. we have the chrysler building here, which is great. the boys here are working on something brand new. >> good job, guys. >> we're expecting the empire state building to be done in the next -- >> in a week or two. >> thanks so much. we appreciate it. >> up next, time to party. a mardi gras menu.

all right. we are taking you into "today's kitchen" to celebrate mardi gras the right way. if you're inviting friends over for fat tuesday, we have one.

>> the co-owner of a wonderful restaurant in new orleans called le creme. >> from sugar. >> sugar. look at you. >> thanks for having me. >> what are you whipping up? >> first of all, i want to start out with a nice little beverage. this is actually the official cocktail. new orleans is the only city in the country that has the states in the cocktail. >> bourbon in it? what's it got? >> rye whiskey. a little absent. >> you'll be absent a long time drinking this. absent from work the next day. >> we have just a couple minutes. >> go! whip it up! >> i know you're both phenomenal cooks. we'll make a little jumbalaya. >> okay. >> this is just basically a smoked pork shoulder. >> pork. mm-hmm. >> we'll get this nice and brown. you want to really brown it. >> okay.

so actually then we'll get the chicken in here. >> chicken and -- chicken and sausage. >> and sausage. you want to get this all nice and brown. you'll cook this around. >> brown that. >> we're going too to get celery. >> unyoun, so -- onion, some ga. this is the trinity, the traditional cajun. >> okay. >> onions. you'll stir that around a little bit. >> tomatoes. >> a little tomatoes. then let's get the spices. cajun spices. >> bay leafs. >> some rice. >> and then rice. and some chicken stock. >> not beef stock. chicken stock. >> chicken stock. you want to put some shrimp in there and other things? >> yes, we do. look what's happening. >> now we have our jumbalaya. >> you added some rice to it. >> some rice. and let that cook.

going to let that cook about 20 minutes. >> come on. >> and then here. let's get some of this. >> you know it. of course. that's a party dish. >> this is great. >> thank you very much. a little bit of scallions on top. >> no. no. we just have a minute. come to the back. >> delicious. >> all right. let's go to the back here. next we have a new orleans tradition. absolutely beautiful. so little crystal hot sauce. next up, banana beignets. >> banana filled? i'm going to dunk it in. >> chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce. >> we only have about 30 seconds but this is your favorite. >> bunt cake.

>> thanks for coming to see us. happy mardi gras! tomorrow, hide the children. william shatner will share his world with us. >> i'm a little afraid. >> how to dress before you walk out the door. honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my internet cord.

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