good morning. manhunt. authorities in afghanistan search for one of their own policeman in connection with the killing of two senior american officers. nato commanders say the attack will not go unanswered. we're live in kabul with the latest. one tape, two stories. douglas kennedy is accused of having a violent confrontation with nurses at a new york hospital. he says they were the aggressors. the nurses blame it on them. it's hollywood's main event, the academy awards. all eyes will be on tonight's red carpet. see the stars and what they're wearing. from the fashion to oscar predictions, we have it covered. "today" sunday, february 26, 2012.

good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe. how are you doing? >> i'm great. it's your birthday. >> how did you know? it's crazy. i didn't tell anybody. >> you gave me that look, please mention it. >> i went 365 days to give thaw look. >> and you were so quiet. >> i didn't mention a word this month at all. >> a little surprise later on. can you wait? >> only one? one surprise? >> two surprises? >> for the amount of advertising, i expect one and a half. >> this is your day. >> let me guess, you're going to start? >> i'll start. >> all right. it's really his day. >> we have a lot of news to get to. we're following the violence in afghanistan. authorities searching for an afghan police officer tied to saturday's deadly shooting of

two nato officers. we'll goat a live report from kabul in a moment. the race to the white house is getting down to the wire for gop candidates with two days to go until the crucial michigan primary. mitt romney and rick santorum are hitting hard. we'll have analysis of both. then an update on nelson mandela, former south african president is out of the hospital after having a procedure to determine the cause of a stomach problem. we'll get the latest from south africa and tell you how the 93-year-old is doing this morning. and the oscars are finally here. billy crystal is back. his song and dance routines are always fun to watch. does he have any new tricks up his sleeve this year? i hear the answer is yes. >> we'll hear he's doing a tribute. and will sasha baron be the scene stealer? >> an ongoing story all week. i had fun being a flight

attendant. wait until i'm back there. from dealing with passengers, dealing with emergencies, they undergo serious training, dot, dot, dot, except on the day i worked. i worked a flight on the way back from dallas to new york. let's just say, everybody wanted a refund. >> let's see if everybody wanted to go down the slide in a hurry. >> absolutely. >> that's later on. we'll start on a much more serious note. we'll begin in afghanistan. authorities there are searching for an afghan intelligent official accused of killing two american officers. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the afghan defense minister called his u.s. counterpart leon panetta last night offering his condolences and apop guysing for the deaths of two u.s. army officers as anti-american protests continued. police and demonstrators clashing again yesterday in

northern afghanistan. the protesters attacked shops, government buildings and a united nations compound. they shouted "death to america," a scene repeated here for the past five days. and for the second time this week, a deadly attack on u.s. service members. in kabul, to american advisers to the afghan interior ministry, an army colonel and a major, were shot and killed by a gunman inside their offices. the building had some of the heaviest security in the country. in a statement after the attack, the pentagon said, the u.s. condemns it in the strongest possible terms and said defense secretary leon panetta urged the afghan government to take decisive action to protect coalition forces. the taliban claimed responsibility saying it was in response to the burning of the korans by u.s. soldiers earlier this week. on thursday, an afghan soldier killed two other u.s. service members during a protest outside a base in eastern afghanistan. that night, general john allen,

commander of nato forces in the country, visited the base, consoling the soldiers and telling them, the afghan people still need them. >> now is the time to look deep inside your souls, remember your mission, remember your discipline, remember who you are. and come through this together as a unit. >> reporter: but after yesterday's killings, general allen recalled all advisers working at afghan ministries in and around kabul for what he called force protection reasons. he said that today's attack will not go unanswered. throughout afghanistan, the anti-american protests continue despite a series of apologies by u.s. and nato. >> i offer my sincere apologies. >> we apologize to the afghan people. >> our sincerest apologies for what happened. >> reporter: but many here want more. this man says, we don't accept when they say we apologize. we don't want americans here at all. afghan officials have told us

they're looking for a man named abull sabor, a high ranking intelligent official that went missing shortly after the shooting. the taliban did claim he killed the americans for them. jenna? >> thank you very much. and now here's lester. >> thanks. now to politics. it's down to the wire for michigan primary and shaping up to a two-man race with mitt romney and rick santorum neck and neck. both candidates are stepping up their game as we get closer to the crucial vote. with us now is david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." good morning to you. we've seen in the last couple of days, santorum and romney, going at each other. we've talked about the huge risk, if romney can't carry his home state. what about santorum, how big a risk is this for him? >> it's important. santorum has this momentum, he's in the spotlight because of the contests he won, because he's made michigan such a close contest now with mitt romney. but he's pledging to stay in the fight. and there's every reason he

will. he'll go on to super tuesday, go on beyond that. romney's telling supporters, fund-raisers and others, that they've got to brace themselves for a fight that goes well into may because of the rules for how they acquire delegates in this race. so, i think for both of them, this is a high-stakes tuesday. >> santorum not only going after romney, he went after president obama, talking about education. let me play it and i want to get your thoughts. >> sure. >> president obama once said, he wants everybody in america to go to college. what a snob. well, i understand why he wants you to go to college. he wants to remake you in his image. >> listening to that, i'm wondering if santorum is tipping off his own class warfare here. >> yes, in a way he is. i think he's made the point about a lack of intellectual diversity on campuses. in a way this tries to tie into an economic message which will

underline the importance of vocational skills for people to go on and work in this economy. it's an interesting area. one of the things we know about this economy of high employment is that if you're college educated, you're much better off. i think it would be interesting to discuss with senator santorum and i will on the program, whether he thinks college education is in the end better for americans in a transforming economy than worse. >> it seems like nothing about this republican race has gone the way many predicted it. what are the chances that this thing goes past -- in terms of a competitive race, goes past super tuesday? >> i think there's no question it will. because it becomes a delegate fight at that pint. depending on how romney does here on tuesday, he's still not going to have an overwhelming number of delegates. there are a lot of delegates at stake in super tuesday. there's still filing deadlines open for candidates who may want to jump in although i think that possibility is remote. i still think this is a long

contest. you've heard from beginning rich and santorum they pledge to stay in. political pros i talk to say there's no compelling reason for them to get out long they can raise enough money to keep going. >> you mentioned santorum is going to join you. who else is on the show? >> jan brewer from arizona and jerry brown, we'll look at whether jan brewer will endorse tuesday? >> we'll see you then. thanks. once again, here's jenna. >> we'll switch gears and talk about nelson mandela. he's out of the hospital after undergoing procedure saturday to treat abdominal pain. ron allen is in south africa, joining us now. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. there's a big sigh of relief in south africa as you reported nelson mandela is on his way home. it's been 36 hours or so since he was admitted to the hospital behind me. a military hospital so there's a lot of secrecy, privacy. we've been kept far away and the government issued a few statements along the way which has heightened the concern in this community and around the world about his condition.

he's 93 years old. any time he's brought to the hospital, there's a lot of concern about just how badly or how well he is going to do. this procedure, as we understand it, it was called a laparoscopic, which essentially involves looking inside his stomach with a video camera to determine what kind of treatment should follow. he was released, the government says, because nothing serious was found. so, he's going to be treated further. again, as to his overall health, we don't know exactly what condition he is in. we do know all of this happened a year ago when he was rushed to a private homespital because of respiratory problem. stayed there for a week or so. again, a 93-year-old man, a lot of concern, but right now, he's left the hospital, home, recovering after what doctors say was a very quiet night here, relaxing with family. jenna? >> ron allen, thank you very much. we want to get more of this morning's headlines from msnbc's alex witt at the news desk. >> good morning to you both. good morning, everyone. syrians are voting today on a

new draft constitution as rebels report more clashes and shellings around the country. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is on the border between turkey and syria. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, alex. this referendum is effectively a yes/no vote on new clauses and amendments to the syrian constitution, which in principle sounds very good. it sets term limits for the syrian president, president bashar al assad would have to step down in 2014. allows for multi-party democracy and removes the syrian baath party from its central role in politics. the syrian government is presenting this as the centerpiece of its reform process, a reform process that the syrian opposition has been calling for. the problem is, there are many good clauses in the old syrian constitution which are not being respected and the opposition has no confidence that any changes to the constitution would be

respected either. so, they are calling for a boycott amid this climate of ongoing violence. the opposition says at least 25 people were killed today. alex? >> we'll see what this day brings there. thank you so much. pakistan is tearing down the compound where osama bin laden was killed last may by navy s.e.a.l.s. under powerful flood lights, heavy machinery began saturday night to demolish the three-story compound in northwest pakistan where bin laden lived for years. the process is about halfway down done. the land will be turned into a park. thousands gathered in central moscow in the latest protest against russian prime minister vladimir putin. he's expected to easily win a third term in the march 4th presidential election. a position he held from 2000 to 2008. but the unprecedented wave of protests has undermined his image as a strong leader who rules with broad public support. three people are confirmed dead in a 40-plus vehicle pileup on interstate 80 in pennsylvania. close to 100 others were hurt.

some had to be treated in local hospitals. there was heavy snowfall and whiteout conditions at the time of the crash saturday afternoon. danica patrick is looking to make a strong showing as she takes part in the greatest challenge of her storied racing career. the 29-year-old makes her debut this afternoon in nascar's biggest race, the 54th daytona 500. well, paying at the pump is becoming increasingly painful as gas prices rose saturday for the 18th day in a row. aaa says average price of unleaded gasoline is now $3.67 a gallon. which is almost 30 cents higher than a month ago. cnbc will report monday on what's become a pressing problem for consumers as well as the obama administration. we're seeing pictures of one of the most famous newlyweds taking the cocker spaniel for a walk in london. kate middleton and 4-month-old lupo strolling through kensington gardens.

he appears to be keeping kate from being lonely while prince william is away on military duty in the falklands 8,000 miles away. now back to the birthday girl and lester and janice as well. >> and i'm here, too. that works out well. >> there's the birthday girl. >> i don't know where that joke went but -- >> weird. >> thanks very much, alex. >> hi, good morning. i like kate's hat. of th >> the dog was the subject of that bit. >> i don't care. i'm looking at fashion. the dog was cute, too. so, maybe you're wearing your hat this morning. as a matter of fact, you probably are over the northern plains. winter has returned to your area with winter storm warnings, watches and advise ris from dakotas down into minnesota, back into eastern sections of montana. you'll see anywhere from 6 to 9 inches of snow in some spots. especially from duluth over towards fargo. generally speaking, 3 to 4 inches expected for today. winter travel will be hazardous

in your ar and the weather around the bay area certainly feels like winter this morning. look at that, 29 degrees in santa rosa and 30s across the north bay valley. you can see the clouds approaching. that system spinning offshore will toss some showers our way, and with the chilly air in place, we're talking low snow levels that i think by tomorrow, even though there's not a lot of moisture, we could see the levels dipping close to 2,000 to 3,000 feet, especially across the south bay hilltop and a better chance of rain as we go into tuesday night and wednesday. >> now here's lester. >> janice, thanks up. next on "today," tailor swift tries to make today a fairy tale for a fan. how she's turning one teenager's drm

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you see, kevin beat leukemia when he was 13, but now with high school graduation just months away, his cancer has returned. >> this time around i wasn't expecting it at all. i was living my high school life. ♪ >> reporter: a life that included varsity football, kevin's favorite song is swift's "we belong with you" a song about an outsider. in the video they go to prom together. ♪ you belong with me which got him thinking -- >> i thought of someone who is strong and confident, someone who will make me actually feel like i belong there that night. someone who is beautiful, gorgeous. >> reporter: someone like taylor swift. kevin's sister victoria soon started the taylor swift take kevin mcguire to prom facebook page. last year justin timberlake attended a military ball with a marine and justin bieber married

a 6-year-old girl fighting cancer on valentine's day. >> hoping that when she does see what's going on she'll let me know if she can or if she can't. ♪ >> reporter: over 100,000 facebook likes later taylor did say yes, kevin, i'm so sorry but i won't be able to make it to your prom. but i'm wondering, the acm awards are coming up, would you be my date? love, taylor. an invitation to the academy of country music awards which kevin says is ten times better than prom. and one sister who is forever thankful. >> definitely something to fight for. something to make his recovery a little bit. something definitely to look forward to. >> reporter: for "today," lilia luciano, nbc news, atlanta. >> absolutely love those kind of stories. >> it's a great story. >> it's so heartwarming, it really is when stars take time out to really do something like that. still to come on "today," did robert kennedy's son but his newborn in danger? or was he part of a

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still to come on "today," oscar predictions as hollywood sets the stage for its biggest night. who might walk away with the golden statues. >> plus, i had some extra time on my hands. i enrolled in flight attendant school. let's just say i wasn't a model student. i wouldn't do that. get married? no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. nice ring. knock it off. ignore him. with the capital one venture card you earn... double miles on every purchase. [ sharon ] 3d is so real larry. i'm right here larry. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half.

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good morning to you. looking live from our san bruno mountain camera at the bay bridge. very blue start to the day, and not just in the picture before you but on that weather map as well. rob mayeda says don't say i didn't tell you. its cold. >> north bay in the 20s in some spots. right around santa rosa, napa earlier, 28. 29 in santa rosa. not too bad, san francisco, 43 degrees and in san jose. cold and clear skies. but by afternoon you see the spin of the clouds offshore. that is a cold weather system that's going to pull in clouds for the afternoon and eventually we'll see some showers headed our way. notice here, 4:00, clouds

spilling in but look closely around san jose, off to the east. you see that. mt. hamilton could be looking at some snow tonight. not just mt. hamilton but elevations as low as 3,000 feet and even lower as it goes through the day on monday. today, should be a dry day, see increasing clouds. notice the temperatures staying mostly in the 50s. three-day forecast. cool temperatures heading into monday. some scattered showers. wettest part of the week tuesday into wednesday. that system also will low snow levels. 3,000 to 4,000 feet and we'll finally start to clear out and warm up. good timing as we head towards next weekend. >> thanks very much, rob. >> republican presidential candidate newt gingrich is hoping to jump start his campaign while visiting the bay area. speaking at a rally in burlingame gingrich blasted the obama administration for not doing anything to ease gas prices. gingrich took jabs at house minority leader nancy pelosi which some say also bashed the

bay area. >> has very strange fantasies and understandings of reality. >> newt gingrich came to california. he came right to -- right next to san francisco saying there's a better way so i don't think it has anything to do with other than nancy's desire to create rumors and try and affect the election. >> the california primary takes place on june 5th, and the late est polls here show mitt romney leading by six points over rick santorum, but the two top gop candidates did not accept the invitation to the california republican convention. our political analyst larry gjertsen will join us in 15 minutes to talk about that snub. california governor jerry brown is in washington, d.c. meeting with other state governors. he is taking part in the annual national governors association conference. governor brown met with president barack obama last friday but has not said whether he's seeking more federal aid. also on the table, health care reform and the $98 billion high speed rail project which is

losing momentum. the governors conference was created to discuss policy and share ideas. by the way, governor brown will be on "meet the press" later on this morning. high gas prices are taking a toll on drivers. the average price in california for regular is now 4.27 a gallon. this is up 50 cents in just the last month. tension in the middle east is one of the main reasons for that sharp increase, but even if you don't drive much, you'll probably feel the impact. more on that coming up at 7:00. also this morning, we're going to have all the day's stories for you, so stick around. we'll be back here at 7:00.

we are back on a sunday morning, february 26th. i just like the sound of it. just saying february 26th for whatever reason, 2012. our thanks to a wonderful group of people who have come out to spend part of their sunday morning with us. there are about 20 people in this crowd celebrating birthdays today. myself not included. there are other people having wonderful days. right? isn't today a great day? >> you didn't bring a sign. >> i didn't bring a sign because -- >> happy birthday. >> alongside lester holt i'm jen jenna wolfe. >> we're covering a lot of stories, robert kennedy's

youngest son faces misdemeanor charges for allegedly clashing with nurses who tried to stop him from taking his newborn son out of a hospital. we'll talk to a representative of the nurses involved. >> then we'll preview the gloelden globes -- that already happened so how about we preview the oscars. what to expect on the red carpet and will will sacha baron cohen be allowed? they said, don't come and then they said come. >> in "life" illustrated we got thousands of photos. we'll show your favorites. yes, it is your birthday. >> yes, it is. >> do you know what i got you? i was trying to get you special video tweet. >> treat or tweet? >> tweet. i've been spending all morning long trying to do this. i think i got it tweeted out and

then i deleted it. but do we have it? here it is, listen ♪ happy birthday to you happy birthday to you ♪ >> aw. what was that? >> i think jim said something like, we tried to get barry manilow. >> do you know how much effort i went into trying to tweet that today. >> believe me, i know. >> i might have deleted it by accident. >> can you put me on it? i don't even get it. >> no. you're my tweet adviser. and then cupcakes and fruits. >> you don't do cupcakes. >> we do cupcakes and you do fruit. >> oh, how sweet. is it appropriate to hug you on air? >> yes. >> you're the best on air work husband i've ever had. >> the only one she's ever had. >> it's cold out here. we'll send it over to janice for a check of the weather.

>> i need a hug, too. since we're on the birthday theme, what's your name? >> my name is renni. >> happy birthday. wearing a princess hat from philadelphia. you're cebrating. 'll stay on the birthday theme as we talk about theweathe let's check anat see what's happening around the country. rain in florida. quite ait of heavy rain over north florida this morning. we've got some snow over the northern plains. the southwest is clear but it's much cooler than it has been. you're looking at windy conditions from the central plains into the southwest. only 61 in albuquerque today. highs in the 50s from san diego to san francisco tori reeno, 50. chilly rain across the new england. thunderstorms over texas and oklahoma and snow over the intermountain west. you're 18 with 42 years experience? >> absolutely. >> i think that's the best thing ever. what about you. you're 10. how many years of experience do you have?

>> probably ten. >> you're good. >> certainly feels like winter around the bay area. 20s and 30s in the north bay. 30s and 40s elsewhere. we'll see increasing clouds today. actually going to block out the sun so highs will only be in the 50s. yes, we will have to talk about some showers coming in late tonight, on into monday. keep an eye on those mountains. you can see we'll see a few snow showers mixed in. as low as 2,000 to 3,000 feet as we go through monday and another wetter system tuesday night into wednesday and turning warmer next weekend. >> janice, thank you. the charges and finger-pointing continue after this week's arrest of a kennedy family member over a dispute caught on tape involving his newborn baby. nbc's jonathan dietz joins us with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. new documents and new accusations today could shed more light on the kennedy versus baby nurses dust-up at a

suburban new york hospital. with a 3-day-old boy in the middle of it all. this is the mug shot of douglas kennedy and this is the video that investigators say shows douglas kennedy's crimes. two nurses claim kennedy attacked them. even kicking one to the ground. all while allegedly trying to break hospital rules by trying again and again to take his newborn baby out of the maternity ward for a walk outside. nbc news has obtained copies of sworn statements by nurses involved. the nurse in charge says she asked kennedy repeatedly to return to room 328. or to place the infant in a bassinet and that he needed to calm down. when the nurses tried to stop him from going out and down a stairwell, this tape shows the nurse getting knocked to the floor. in a sworn statement she says, kennedy kicked me in the left side. nurse lane says an angry kennedy twisted my arm, causing pain and she watched as he kicked nurse

luciano in her midsection. holding the baby, kennedy then fell and lane says the infant's head bounced up and back as kennedy made a direct impact with the floor. kennedy and his wife, molly, who was still hospitalized from having a c-section, blame the nurses. claiming the nurses lunged at him and the baby, causing him to fall. they had no right to attempt to grab our child out of his father's arms. kennedy is a reporter at fox news and the tenth of 11 children born to robert and ethel kennedy. douglas and molly kennedy say they're angry and upset over the child endangerment and other misdemeanor charges. they say it's wrong in making a crime out of a father protecting his baby. >> he's not the aggressor. these nurses, they are the ones who are guilty of endangering the welfare of a child. >> reporter: kennedy's lawyer showed nbc news this letter from the nurses' attorney that suggests a lawsuit is likely.

>> you should contact your insurance company. what's this case really all about? money. >> reporter: important to note the baby was not injured. as for kennedy, this week he pleaded not guilty to the charges, one misdemeanor and and carry a maximum one year term in jail. back to you. >> thank you very much. elliott cobb is the attorney representing the two nurses in this case. thank you. >> we did invite doug and molly kennedy as well as the kennedy's attorneys. they both declined to come on. they released a statement saying, quote, the nurse had no right to attempt to grab our child out of his father's arms. i, douglas, was shocked and appalled when she did so. did your clients try to remove the baby physically from mr. kennedy? what did they say happened? >> you need the whole scenario set forth. these nurses had worked the day shift for a 12-hour shift. about 7:20 p.m. on january 7th

of this year, while they were in the process of leaving their shift, all of a sudden mr. kennedy appeared and he had a child, a newborn in his arms. they told him that you couldn't have a newborn in that position in the hospital. had to be in the nursery be a a bassinet or with the mother. he ignored them, went to the elevator. it's all shown on tape. the tape speaks for itself. they went for the elevator to prevent him from leaving the unit. it's on tape. it shows one pushing the button and the other one blocking the door. mr. kennedy then turned around, went for a staircase and in doing so, one of the nurses put her hands on the handle. he twisted her arm. the other nurse was kicked by mr. kennedy. she attempted to hold the baby's head, which was wobbling back and forth. there was never an attempt by any one of the nurses in any way to touch mr. kennedy. >> but is it hospital procedure for the nurses to intervene, to

physically handle the baby or try to stop mr. kennedy or anyone, or was it more procedure for them to wait for security to get involved? >> the procedure is when you find someone who you believe is going to take a newborn off the unit, to call a code pink. they also saw disruptive behavior. they called a code purple. that's combination of a baby about to be taken from the unit. on top of, that disruptive behavior. the person sitting at the nurse's unit immediately called for security. but before they could get there, the nurses had to do something to stand in the way. there was no touching whatsoever with respect to mr. kennedy. >> this incident happened on january 7th. the big issue for you is the amount of time it took for mr. kennedy to be arraigned. why was that such a problem for you? >> all right. that's a mystery here. because on january 7th, following the incident, both of my clients presented themselves to the police force. that's in westchester county,

somewhere -- somewhat north of the city. at that particular point in time, they gave full detailed statements. no lawyer, including myself, was present. there was no attempt to arrest this man. i contacted the ceo of the hospital, who gave me lip service, who apparently did nothing. it took about six weeks before the assistant district attorney got around to the point of even looking at the video and making a decision as to whether criminal charges should be brought. >> we appreciate you coming on and speaking on behalf of the nurses. we should mention, we did invite the kennedys and their lawyers to come on, but they did decline. we'll be right back right after this. tylenol:nyquil. what are you doing? nyquil (stuffy): just reading your label.

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♪ tonight is the biggest night in hollywood. 84th annual academy award. not only a major night for films but also for fashion. >> while movie fans will watch to see if their pick nabs best picture, fashionistas far and wide will tune in to see what and who their favorite stars are wearing. we take a look. >> reporter: it's one of hollywood's biggest nights. the glitz, the glamour, and, of course, the a-list celebrities. and while much of the attention may be on who will walk away with the shiny gold statue, chances are at this year's academy awards, you're as likely to hear -- >> who are you wearing?

>> reporter: as well as "and the oscar goes to." after all, finding that perfect red carpet look is one of the most important things an actress can do. step out looking stunning and it can catapult your career. >> it can propel you from mrs. average into mrs. fabulous. >> reporter: get it wrong and you're sure to land on that dreaded worst dress the list. >> there areologi lee gons of cs across the world ready to pounce. >> reporter: finding that perfect gown involves much more than slipping into something off the rack. many designers keep list of actresses who fit their brand profile. another factor, star power. this year expect high profile nominees to compete for the best look. >> designers want to dress those girls because they're the names at the moment, the eyes of the world are upon them. >> reporter: so far this award season we've seen everything

from neutrals to blush tones with black and white trend walk down the carpet. will the oscars follow suit? >> we'll be seeing flashes of red. lots of metallic columns, beautiful, gorgeous, ball gowns and some somber, dark looks. ♪ >> reporter: so come sunday night, who will be the risk-takers, the fashion forwards and the best dressed award winners? >> i think we're going to get a few surprises on sunday night. you can't please everyone all the time. but really we just want our movemove movery movie stars to be beautiful and gorgeous. >> let's talk about who might bring home an oscar and who might leave empty handed? >> here to walk us through his oscar predictions, senior writer for "newsweek" and "daily beat" thanks for being with us. let's start not so much with nominees but someone making headlines this week, sacha baron cohen. he threatened he would show up to the oscars showing up as the

dictator from his new film "the dictator." the v invitation was revoked and then they said, come on back. >> there was a little scuffle. sacha baron cohen will be the dictator on the red carpet tonight and then appear as himself during the telecast. >> it's not a publicity stunt or anything? >> no. it will help the movie that comes out this summer. and we're talking about it now. >> everyone's delighted billy crystal is back. they keep trying new things and in the end they come back to a classic. >> i know. he works the best. there's been a few hosts -- he hasn't hosted since 2004 but this is his ninth time hosting. he's always great. i love how he invents himself into the movies and sings about it. >> he's doing that this year? >> i think so. he hasn't talked about his plans. >> people love that. let's get to it. start with best picture, "the artist," with ten nominations. is this going to win best movie?

>> under $30 million. it's a great movie. it's absolutely going to win. it won golden globe, producer guild, it will win. >> what about actor, george clooney and jean duardion. >> clooney had the momentum early. >> now meryl streep, best actress. her 17th nomination but she hasn't won since 1982. how do you count out viola davis? >> people think it's -- people thought it was going to be her year this year but i think davis will win. if she wins, she'll be the second african-american actress to ever win best actress after halle barry. >> surprised michele williams isn't getting more buzz? >> i am. she won independent spirit awards last night. gave a great speech. i don't know if this year's her

year. >> christopher plumbmer, might e his night? >> i think he's going to win. >> what about for supporting actress, my pick was melissa mccarthy because i loved "bridesma "bridesmaid" but pick is octavia spencer. why are you laughing? >> no, i like that. >> i think miss spencer will win that for best supporting actr s actress. >> and martin scorsese won in best director, think he'll win again? >> i think it's going to go to the guy from "the artist" and his name is impossible to pronounce. >> i think it was the slow speed with which you pronounce it -- >> whoever is gg giving that award should practice. >> will this award ceremony be over or under six hours? >> i think it will be just over -- no, under, probably 3 1/2 or so. >> super bowl length. >> absolutely. >> thanks so much. great to you have here. just ahead, "today's" life

illustrated and the photos you sent us of life's precious moments. jenna as a flight attendant? we'll have to see it to believe it. ♪ [ kareem ] i was fascinated by balsa wood airplanes since i was a kid. [ mike ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet. these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques. [ mike ] it's going to fly people around the world. safely and better than it's ever done before. it would be a real treat to hear this monster fire up. [ jaronda ] i think a lot of people, when they look at a jet engine, they see a big hunk of metal. but when i look at it, i see seth, mark, tom, and people like that who work on engines every day. [ tom ] i would love to see this thing fly. [ kareem ] it's a dream, honestly. there it is. oh, wow. that's so cool! yeah, that was awesome!

[ cheering ] [ tom ] i wanna see that again. ♪

♪ here's the deal. we've all traveled, we all know air travel can be stressful, but despite delays, patdowns and the sweaty man sitting next to you, there's always someone on that plane looking to make you feel better. the flight attendant. as frequent flier i recently turned the tables on myself and found out what it's like to fly a few hundred miles in their shoes. >> i thought maybe you would like to hear a song. >> reporter: once upon a time, the friendly skies were just a little friendlier. ♪ there is only one river ♪ there is only one sea

>> reporter: these days, flight attendants have a lot more on their plates once airborne. skill and knowledge, yes. but also some thick skin. >> many times the customer will appear upset with us. one thing to remember, it's like water rolling off the back of a duck. >> reporter: here at american airlines training center in dallas, future flight attendants go through an intensive 6 1/2 week training program covering everything from emergencies to the tiniest of details. >> we always lay the napkins out with the logo facing the passenger. >> reporter: i dropped in for a day-long crash course, which has a very literal meaning here at flight attendant school. >> some of my friends that aren't flight attendants, after an accident or something happens on the news they're like, oh, that's what you do. less than 90 seconds to get passengers off the plane. this is the fastest way to do that. >> reporter: bam!

oh! woo! that was smooth, like butter. then there's the unlikely event of a water landing. whoa, whoa, momma. which they train for in some realistically frigid water. no, too cold. >> there you go. there you go! >> reporter: meanwhile, back in one of the facility's mock cabins they work on more common necessities, like patience. i'd like a triple drink of apple juice, diet coke, diet sierra mist and if there's room on top, cranberry juice. okay. all three the wrong ones. i want three new ones. let's start over. how does that saying about payback go again. sorry, sir, we're getting ready

to take off. >> i'll be are the. >> reporter: wrap it up. sir, have i to call someone in a higher position than myself if you -- >> it's off. >> reporter: i need the power to be off as well, sir. thank you very much. did you hear what i said? give me that phone! give me the phone! give me the phone! give me the phone! give me the phone! >> let's talk about some things you didn't do so well. you don't take the phone away from the passenger. that's their phone. yeah, we don't wrestle them to the ground. that's kind of a big no. >> reporter: despite this unfortunate incident, american let me pitch in on the flight home. with actual people. you need any help with that? >> no. ♪ >> reporter: look how much help i'm providing. i feel accomplished. ♪ have a drink on me >> reporter: the more flexible you are with your orders, the faster y'all get your drinks. i've made a disaster here. i spilled two bottles of water.

i ruined 90 napkins. need a vodka? i do. the verdict from the paying public? >> very did a great job. she has a flare for it. >> i thought she was amazing. she must be a quick learner. >> reporter: no, i didn't make them say that. that said, this is harder work than it looks. the next time a real flight attendant asks you to put your seat backs and tray tables up, listen. just remember, it could be a lot worse. excuse me, sir, that needs to get shut off right now. >> i've been on a few flights where it seems they'll come to blows. >> seems like it. it's interesting to see things from their per peculiartive. i will sit, fasten my seat belt and shut off my personal device. >> hard krk ll be back with today's "life illustrated ". two. three. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three.

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with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. of brothers and sisters and you delivered. >> like all brothers and sisters, we have good days, some bad days but we appreciate you sending us a collage of all moments in time. we're going to leave you with those now. >> as you watch those, we'll say good-bye. thanks for joining us on this sunday. i'll see you later on tonight on "nbc nightly news." enjoy the rest of your weekend. >> bye. ♪ keep you always all your wishes come true ♪ ♪ maybe you always do for others and others do for you ♪ ♪ climb on every rung may you stay forever young ♪ ♪ may you stay forever young ♪

♪ ♪ may you grow up to be true may you always tell the truth ♪ ♪ see the life in you may you always be courageous stand up right and be strong ♪ ♪ may you stay forever young ♪ may you stay forever young ♪ ♪ may your hands always be busy may your feet always be quick ♪ ♪ when you have a strong foundation ♪ ♪ then your heart always be grateful ♪ ♪ and may you stay forever young ♪ ♪ may you stay forever young ♪