pt piocafod nsr univerl letenbvision ♪ it is thirst-day, thursday. march 22nd, 2012. it is not kathie lee singing, it is country star john rich. he's here to help me out while

kathie lee enjoys some time off. look at you, cowboy. >> look at you! >> you came with your hat on. >> i dressed up for you. >> you did. that song we just played put you in the best mood. it looked like shooting the video was a blast. >> it was. we shot that in my house in nashville. pretty crazy. ted nugent and sebastian bach and cowboy troy and all the crazies up in my house all at the same time. it was fun. >> i love it. a lot of people when they look at you, they know you john rich as part of a duo, big and rich. there's one song that everybody thinks of, too. >> which one is that? >> i think it's "save a horse." ♪ save a horse ride a cowboy you got to say sit-tay. we redefined the word city. new york sit-tay.

>> we remember you from kicking it around on "celebrity apprentice." you ended up winning the whole thing last year. >> i know. i got to tell you, it was one of the craziest things i ever did. really tough. at the end of the day we raised $1.4 million for the kids at st. jude's children's hospital. huge deal. >> when you hit on a show like this, you have obviously your country base and a lot of fans. then go on "celebrity apprentice" and you get a whole nother audience. now you have another project that's knocking on your door. if you like music shows, this sounds like a winner. >> there are so many music shows out there, some great ones. this show kind of came across my desk and i went, i would watch that show. it is basically the 180 of like an "american idol" or something like that where on "american idol," "the voice," they all come to the judges. this is the opposite of that. i'll actually walk up to somebody's door, knock on the door. there will be all these cameras about me. i'll go, hoda, john rich, nice to meet you. you're a really great singer.

i've been checking you out for about the last month and it just seems like we got to connect a few more dots with you. i'm here to help you with the performance of your life which is going to happen in three days which you have in idea but it is going to happen. i have my suitcase, my guitar case, where's your couch, i'm moving in. i move into their house, go to work with them. and so do the other folks. queen latifah, gloria esteban. >> a lot of people think i can do that. some of them have kids, they don't have time or money so you go to them. >> they got to work, pay the bills. and they can't stand in line to audition. so we go to them. >> i can't stop thinking about the last time -- >> you're hitting on me with your eyes. you seeing this? i love it. it makes me want to sing actually -- you just set me up perfect because i've been working on this for a while. >> okay. >> just anticipating this moment. >> i've been waiting -- >> look at your face! >> i'm excited. >> okay. it goes like this. ♪ hoda

♪ when i think about you ♪ i think about love ♪ hoda when i put my arms around you ♪ ♪ i think about love i feel like make hoda love ♪ ♪ hoda love ♪ hoda love ♪ i feel like making hoda love ♪ sing it hoda love ♪ hoda love ♪ i feel like making hoda love ♪ who doesn't feel like making hoda love across the usa? can i get a hell yeah! >> you're the best. >> now we're ready to rock. >> by the way, we poured you a little drink for daddy as we call it. >> thank you so much. >> i'm not sure what it is. >> star jones calls me that, by the way. >> she calls you daddy? >> yes. >> that is very good.

>> i call her my chocolate cupcake. >> what do you call me? >> we don't want to talk about that on the air. >> careful! so in all the papers -- what did you think? you came to town, you see tim tebow's coming to the new york jets. the headline on the "post," "god him." what do you think about tim tebow coming our way? >> i like tim tebow, number one. he took denver to the playoffs. and i like him. i mean i like anybody that stands up for what they believe in. even if i don't agree with him, i actually happen to agree with him. but even people that don't agree with when they're really strong about their convictions, i go, see, that's american for me. you stand for what you believe in, whether you're into that or not, you got to respect this guy. >> i think the jets just want someone who's going to win. that's how they are. >> yeah. i mean the jets, they've just gotten so close so many times. one of my best friends charlie from actually here in new york sit-tay has been a jet fan all his life.

he just wants to wang -- bang himself in the head every season. i don't know what he thinks about this. but i think tim will come up here and sling it. >> we're excited about that. we were combing through the newspapers. came up with a couple of things. number one, there was this 5-year-old little boy from england. adorable kid who had really long locks. he didn't want to cut his hair and everything was fine, his mom, everyone said look at this kid -- he's got beautiful hair, blah, blah, blah. he goes to school and gets teased relentlessly. comes home crying, says cut my hair. cut my hair. so they go to the barber shot and here's the after picture. he's all clipped up. still looks happy. now sometimes in this particular case, i think the mom did it because the bullying. sometimes the kids want to keep their hair the way they want to keep their hair. what do you think about that? >> i think parenting is a personal thing. some parents like to keep it military in their house. they go buzz haircuts. you know? then some say, grow your hair

long, do whatever you want do. i think that's a personal choice the parents make. i do think parents should run the house, not kids. but he looks like a happy kid in either position and if he was getting teased, i mean you can see how he would cut his hair. >> i noticed a kid in the restaurant crying and screaming, the kid's like what do you want to eat. the kid's like i don't know. chicken or shrimp. >> you should have seen me in kindergarten with a full mustache and cowboy hat. you want to talk about getting teased? that's getting teased. they went this guy? i don't know. granted, it was a sharpie, but it was still there. you should see my kindergarten graduation picture. like that, cowboy lat and sharpie stash. >> you got two kids. are they out of control? cute kids, by the way. >> one of them is one of them is really chill. i got both things going on. >> last time you were here you had one. since then you've had another, 6-month-old now. >> yeah. his name's colt. his pappy is a pistol, he's a son of a gun.

so i named him colt. >> what did your wife think of that? >> she thought it was funny. sam colt was a great american. he helped us win some wars. cash is after johnny cash. some day i think cash will think his dad's the coolest guy in the world. but some day i'll remind him i gave him a pickup line for a name. some day he'll thank me, how you doing, darling, cash rich. you're in right off the bat. doesn't matter where you go in this world, son, you're in. say whatever you want to say about the old man, i gave you a pretty cool name. >> we do this thing on our show -- we do a version "the voice" with little kids. we bring little kids on and we let them sing and we judge them -- >> crush their dreams! crush little children's dreams. >> i want you to watch some kids. close your eyes because we don't have blind folds. close your eyes. go ahead with the first one. ♪

>> okay. wow. doesn't sound like a little kid. >> they can be from 8 to 16. >> wow. >> you like? >> yeah. i like that voice control. that's not easy to do. >> what are you talking about? >> the little vibrato thing. that was nice. >> okay, we have another one? ♪ ♪ >> okay. what do you think of that? >> clear.

clear voice. clear. i think -- i would say you got to keep practicing and get better and better but what a clear tone. it amazes me how young people -- how many talented people there are. >> i know! >> they're just everywhere. it is unbelievable. >> because of youtube, now people can find them. have you ever done jury duty? >> no. >> what? you've never been called? >> no. but i've been on the other side of that. google me. you'll see what i'm talking about. >> okay. there was this woman -- >> thanks for bringing that up. great. there went all my endorsements out window. >> a 57-year-old lady from denver, susan cole. she didn't want to be on jury duty. she had stuff to do, business, work. she decided she was going to dress up like a crazy person. she put curlers in her hair, smudged her makeup all up. she appeared disheveled, disoriented and she went there and told the judge, her quote, "she had post traumatic stress disorder and the judge dismissed her. people go to extremes to get out of jury duty. they really go to the edges. >> doesn't seem like something you'd want to do. anybody that wants to do jury

duty, i probably want them trying me. i just want to nail somebody! like i don't want to be on the other side of that guy. but i don't think you're supposed to lie to judges. you get in trouble for that. >> she got on the radio and laughing about it with one of the radio deejays, the judge heard. now she's in big trouble. >> so she's dumb, basically. who does that? >> i love your music so much but every thursday i do a different kind of music so this is not one of your songs. i pick an i-hoda song. >> i have heard about this. you just play something. something you love. >> this is something i love. it is old school, a little funk but i thought i would mix it up a little bit. we're ready. >> get ready! get ready! ♪ fire >> come on now! this is great. ♪ fire >> i wish kathie lee would react like this.

♪ fire woo woo woo woo woo ♪ fire ♪ we want the funk is not gotta have that funk ♪ ♪ we want the funk they go together, man. match it up, jay-z style. >> i love john rich. >> you are eyes are like a fireworks show. >> coming up next -- >> twinkle twinkle twinkle. like twinkling lights. louis and jill fought the fog, they found -- >> and lord, you smell good. just like wine. fine as wine, you are. >> we'll be right back after this. 5 rpm gum. choose your energy. ♪ an energizing fruit or relaxing mint flavor. new 5 rpm gum.

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subway. eat fresh. when i'm on the night shift. when they have more energy than i do. when i don't feel like working out. when there isn't enough of me to go around. ♪ when i have school. and work. every morning. it's faster and easier than coffee. every afternoon when that 2:30 feeling hits. -every day. -every day. every day is a 5-hour energy day. [ male announcer ] 5-hour energy. every day. it is time for another installment of today's "plaza ambush makeovers." while john begged us for a new look -- we're sticking to our plan. >> now what are you going to do? >> this is you. >> well, it is when two lovely ladies are plucked from the plaza for a total transformation! pentecostal style! >> "today" contributor and stylist to the stars louis

licari la-la-la-la-la. >> and jill martin, "us weekly" contributor and author have come to work their magic. how was it? >> it's great. spring. what a better time to get a makeover than spring. >> it was a little foggy, hazy, not a good hair day. that's good for you guys. >> we love that. >> bonnie daily is our first lucky lady. she's 48 years old from phoenix, arizona. her daily beauty routine consists of putting her hair in a ponytail. so her daughters begged us to give her a glam new look. let's take a look at her story. >> tons of signs in this family. we did pick mom. you tell me she deserves this. why? >> she does for everyone else but she doesn't do anything for herself. >> i know you really want this, too, for your mom. >> yeah. she just works so hard and she hasn't had her hair cut like for a year. >> all right. well you deserve a haircut, you deserve to be pampered. are you ready?

>> i am very ready. >> all right. we're all ready. over here to our left is her husband, terry, her daughters andrea and cassie. you guys, please keep your blindfolds on until i give you the green light. here is bonnie daily before. all right, bonnie, let's see the new you. >> wow! wow wow wow! all right, kids. you guys all ready? take off your blindfolds, check mom out. >> mom, are you ready? all right, bonnie, spin right around here? >> oh, my gosh. >> you look hot. >> wow. >> you should go give her a kiss right now on the mouth. >> right on the mouth. >> look at his eyes all teared up. lord. >> he doesn't want to mess up the makeup. >> oh, sweet! tell us about the hair. >> bonnie, you're beautiful before and you're even more beautiful after. for example, she had great hair. vanessa just gave her layers for movement. again, the swept-away bangs made her hair richer to emphasize the

facial features, it gives the facial features definition. >> kids, family, what do you think? >> you look beautiful. >> amazing. >> the whole family looks weepy. jill, that outfit is hot. >> the jeans are white house black market. the top is simply vera, vera wang at kohl's. jacket, andrew mark. >> what do you think? >> you need to buy her a bottle of champagne and go celebrate. she looks gorgeous. >> big round of applause for donnie. go join your family. >> who's next? >> next up we got rita robel, from eau claire, wisconsin. just celebrated her 50th birthday by losing 30 sounds so she was thrilled to get a brand-new look to go along with this brand-new chapter in her life. let's listen to her story. >> why don't we. >> well, surprise. you're getting an "ambush makeover." you're like, yes, she's doing it. tell me why she deserves it. >> because she just turned 50 and she's my mom and she's never done anything before like this.

>> you ready for a change? because you are going to look totally different. >> i am so ready for a change. i really am. >> oh, she is ready. >> so she's here with her daughter rachel. i think we should take one more look at rita before. >> okay. i'm ready! >> you ready? >> yes! >> bring her out! rita, where you at, girl? >> wow! >> wow. all right. rachel, take off the blindfold. >> mom! >> gorgeous. >> want to go see yourself? >> i do. >> are you sure? >> yes. >> spin right around. >> oh, my god! oh, my god! >> you look adorable. >> i have -- oh, my god! 50's going to be good. >> 50s are going to be great. >> louis, you changed the hair completely. >> totally. you look like an uptown girl now.

what we did is vanessa again cropped off her hair. it was way too long for the texture. the bangs now work. i lightened it and even gave her a pop to her lip color to make the whole thing come together. >> looks great. what do you think, hon? >> i love it. i've never seen her like this before. >> that dress, that is form-fitting, girl. you got her into something sexy. >> i actually picked it. i gave her something, she's like, no, i'm going to have that one. you can dress it up and dress it down so i loved this dress. >> let's bring bonnie out. bonnie, come join. big round of applause for both of our girls. guys, makeovers are now on thursdays so if you want to get ambushed come to the plaza and we will try to do our number on you. we have a lot coming up. >> up next, if you like dogs -- sara's "webtastic." >> you're so smart. >> is that a word? >> i don't know. we made it up. >> we'll find out. we know a place where tossing and turning

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we are back with our special

series called "webtastic" where sara haines picks a video. and that will have everybody laughing. >> this week's video features a dog with a unique talent. >> much like small children around the world, tommy, a golden retriever, loves to go to the playground. his favorite part -- the slide. check it out. >> tom, would you like to go down the slide? yes? come on now. come here. one go. tom? wait there. tommy, go on then. go on then. go on then. down you come. >> it has over 120,000 hits and he followed them up once and they turned around and he was coming down and now he loves the slide. >> he just keeps doing it. >> he keeps doing it. he's 6 years old. >> love that. get my dog to do that. >> my chihuahuas walk on their hands. >> really?

>> yeah. >> you have another one or just one? >> two! hoda -- >> i mean another video. that's it? still to come, when your child wants what the other kids have. what should you do? we're going to have that answer coming up. then how to give your guard an spring clean-up. and what's wrong with sandwiches for dinner? >> nothing. you've also a fellow country singer. >> casey james getting ready to rock the joint. >> we'll be right back after this. ♪ so every year my family throws this great reunion in austin. but this year, i can only afford one trip and i've always wanted to learn how to surf. austin's great -- just not for surfing. so i checked out hotwire. and by booking with them, i saved enough to swing both trips. see, hotwire checks the competition's rates every day so they can guarantee their low prices. that's how i got a 4-star hotel on the beach in san diego

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hmm twix. also available in peanut butter. we are back on this thirst-day thursday. we are back with more from country music star john rich. he's helping me out while kathie lee is enjoying some time off. >> speaking of awkward situations, i was looking around kathie lee's dressing room, i

thought i wonder if that shoe would fit me. so i borrowed one of her shoes to see if i could get it on. by the way, this is just really -- this speaks for itself, i think. >> it is teeny. i like your blue cowboy boots. >> something like that? you think i'd get any attention? if i went to times square later on tonight? >> actually, no, probably not. >> this is an awesome shoe. there you go. >> we're going to talk about awkward situations. hey, kids. let's get to our first one, shall we? >> go, go. >> my brother-in-law has been having a hard time financially. he works construction in the summer and plows snow in the winter. there hasn't been much of either this year. we've been a lot luckier. is there a way to offer him money even though he hasn't asked for it. i know he's a proud person. from sue. >> wow. sister-in-law of the year. absolutely. absolutely. you just tell her the truth. tell him the truth.

you get him in private and you say, listen, we all hit bumps in the road. that's life. and we would really like to help you out if you'd feel comfortable with that. >> you do it that straightforward? >> yeah. and i would say, listen, i know this is something you would do for me. and if you feel uncomfortable offering money, then maybe offer a perk. listen, do you want a vacation? a week vacation at my country house? so that feels a little -- it's not saying, hey, you're destitute and i feel like sorry you. >> i'd give the man an opportunity to earn it. i'd come one a situation if i needed something done or a job or something like that, short term i'd say, i know you don't want some give-away. do this for me and i'll give you a little bit. >> if he says no? then drop it. >> that's a great idea. >> what's question number two here? >> i don't know. >> why don't you do this one. >> oh, lord. my 7-year-old son will frequently say things like, "jim

has an ipad, why can't i?" is it too soon to tell him we want afford things like that? >> what do you guys think of that? >> you know something, you don't want to have a little kid worrying too much about money. so i'd frame it more in terms of that's not what your daddy and i think is important. we'd rather save for your sports camp or your summer school or whatever the kid and parents think is important. >> you can say, this is a big gift, this is not something we plan on getting right now, or it's not in the budget right now. i think that's certainly okay to say to a child without getting them too worried. >> what do you think? >> i grew up in a pretty lean environment as a kid. i remember going to school and some kids had brand-new reeboks. i had these -- we went to the dollar store and bought some banged up shoes. some kids kind of looked at my shoes, i said i'm going to go mow yards or wash a window. i think it's okay for kids to go without something for a minute and say, if you want that, go earn it. that's the american way. >> i have a major crush on a guy who works in a different

department in my company. i don't know him very well. i was thinking of hosting a basketball watching party -- >> is this your question and is it about me? >> a basketball watching party at my apartment this weekend and inviting him to come. >> that's not a secret crush. >> or should i be more direct? should you have a big party and invite the guy down the hall? >> i'd say, like, i like this big group idea because dating in the office pool -- the office is not a meat market. you got to go back to the office tomorrow whether the date is a bust or terrific. so go for group activities until you really get to know him. >> i think it is really clever. again, because it can be awkward when you are dating somebody at work. this is an opportunity to get to know somebody better, it may not be clear to this guy after a party that you want to date him, but it gives you an opportunity to talk, chat, and feel more comfortable. >> if i'm that guy? i want that girl to walk up to me and smack me so hard on the

butt that her hand stings. i go, hey, i guess you like me. she goes, i sure do, you want to go have a drink. >> what about the chase though? >> i'm just saying that's what i would do. >> but then she's got to walk by your stung hiney every single day. >> love is worth the jump. >> love is all about vulnerability. jump, baby, jump. >> coming up, how the grass can really be greener in your own backyard. that can of pledge under your sink isn't just a great way to clean wood. pledge is also gentle on leather. safe on stainless. missed a spot. great for shining motorcycles... wood? come on. it's pledge. car seats and dashboards. hey there! it cleans laminate furniture... or whatever that was. even granite. today, pledge shines a whole lot more than just end tables. [ male announcer ] for a quick dusting, try pledge wipes. [ female announcer ] sc johnson, a family company. four delizioso subs, featuring the molto bono chicken parmesan. juicy, oven crisp chicken

covered in marinara sauce & bubbly cheese on freshly baked italian herb & cheese bread. subway. eat fresh. see? he's taking his vitamins. one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups. greetings from the people here sure are friendly but some have had a hard time understanding my accent. so to make sure people get every word of the geico savings message i've been practicing how to talk like a true chicagoan. switching to geico could save you hundreds of dollars on car insurance... da bears. haha... you people sure do talk funny. geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

time for "today's garden." a special spring cleaning treat. if you ever wished the guy known for gardening would ambush your garden -- we've got the next best thing. >> right here, he's going to show you how to make your grass green, how to trim them shrubs. >> i look like the backyard samurai right now. >> back off! >> yeah. here are some tools, john, check that out. it is kind of like a buck knife style. but it is called a quick saw. it is called a quick saw because

in a matter of a couple of seconds, talk about the largest limbs you have -- >> don't worry, this is all for a demonstration. >> can i shave with this? >> the design -- it's got like three angles on it. quick saw. beautiful because springtime is a time for regrowth. >> i just want to see you hold that. >> can you basically go outside and hack all your plants. you can be a hack this time of year, because everything's going to come back. all the plants are pushing up all their new growth. >> you cut the dead stuff off. >> get rid of what you have to. use a quick saw like this one. corona makes a beautiful one. >> these are your big girl shears. >> these are better for you. >> john, take this down to like 14 inches. lower. lower. lower. cut on an angle. all the time. >> prune that thing! >> john, while she's doing that -- >> it doesn't cut. >> you got to go at an angle.

>> cut right in there. come on, hoda. get it like you really want to do it. really? really? come on, john, get it done. you guys got like five more seconds. >> this is all bad. >> hoda. hoda. >> it was hard. >> here's the thing. if you take some loppers like this, you should be able to get in here but you got to go to the gym more. you just make a cut. you just make a cut and you can get rid of this. you can do size reduction in your plants, then john comes in right behind and he can shave this. >> get this thing just right down just like that. chopping broccoli. >> this is the time of year when you can take all your trees, all your shrubs -- >> smoke is coming out. >> you can get back in control of all your plants. springtime is a for folks to do pruning. >> let's talk about flowers. >> if you don't want do that,

instead, hoda, are these cute or what? i think every woman should have one of these in her purse. prune your little flowers. >> but how do you know what you're supposed -- >> you're cutting the stems down to the point of origin where the stem comes from. these are nice, narrow tip pruning scissors. >> how far down? down here? >> you can cut them wherever you want, really. if you remove the stems, that's beautiful. see how this has a nice narrow edge? someone like john, big guy like you, you would need these. >> 30 seconds. >> can i cut one? >> you can cut all the flowers you want. you were flirting with hoda earlier, singing some songs. cut her a flower. >> your ornamental grasses outside, we've cut the shrubs. ornamental grasses look like this? cut these all down to nothing. >> very destructive. >> no. this is about coming back. new growth. lastly, if you have your lawn outside and your lawn looks like crud basically, you can overseed your lawn.

this is the time to get good quality grass seed out there. overseed your existing lawn, you get a bunch of new growth for the spring season. >> we got it. thanks for all the help. it was fun. we have worked up an appetite so it is going to be time to make some dinner right after this. good morning. tracking this sluggish storm across the country, slowly inching to the east, bringing the rain into the southeast. hopefully that will clean up some of the pollen that's already on the ground. it's not going to help all that much, but it might clean the cars up a little bit. chicago expecting showers and thunderstorms up into the northern plains. this system will still impact kansas city and our temperatures, even though we have a lot of cloud cover and rain around, will stay above average in many spots. 76 this louisville.

74 in new york city with the rain on the way. in fact, showers arrive in new york across the northeast by the time we get into saturday, across the southeast. the rain will be pushing out, especially by the afternoon. meanwhile, the middle of the country looking quiet. but we have another system to track headed down into central california. snow again in oregon. it's been a week of wintry weather for you. as far as the temperatures go, first half of the weekend, 75 in kansas city. only 52 in san francisco with that storm pushing in. and a cold front drops the temperatures in the 50s. by sunday, some rain along the eastern seaboard, d.c. impacted there. if you're heading out to the cherry blossom festival, showers and thunderstorms in the forecast all weekend. we get rid of this by next week. rain by tuesday across the northern plains. thunderstorms, as well. 68 in minneapolis for march with

thunderstorms. so still not cool like we should be this time of year. temperatures are not record shattering, but well above average by next week. 74 again in chicago. 56, however. a little cooler there in the northeast. get your latest forecast weekday morning on "wake up with al" on the weather channel. [ male announcer ] how it feels to chew 5 gum. ♪ ♪

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time for "today's kitchen what's cooking." today we have sandwiches on the menu for supper. >> about time we got to the food. gail simmons is a judge on bravo's "top chef" as well as author of "talking with my mouth full." i do it all the time. >> great reviews your book is getting. >> i just love that people are reading it, getting inspired by it. >> just write stuff down on a notebook and it turned into this book. >> it really turned into my career. i had some really good advice when i was young. i decided to follow my passion

and here i am today with you guys. >> look at you, girl. we're making sandwiches for supper. we don't call it dinner, john. we call it supper. >> i don't know if i've ever cooked with anyone in a cowboy hot. >> what else have you never done with someone in a cowboy hat? it begs the question, people. it begs the question. >> we'll get to that later. >> sandwiches are great for lunch but if you add some good protein, kick them up a little bit -- i like a hot supper, they are great for dinner, too. instead of bread i'm going to use puff pastry which you can fine in the frozen section of your grocery store. it is really easy to work with. i'll make a classic monty cristo. but it's baked and it's warm and gooey. i'm rolling it out with a little bit of flour so it is about a foot square. i'm just going to take a pizza cutter and cut it into four like that. now are you going to help me out, john. >> sure. >> john is the chef in this group. >> good. i'm excited. >> i don't know about that.

>> you're going to take some ham. follow me, john. first actually you're also going to brush -- just take this brush -- >> what is this? >> this is an egg wash. egg and water. brush the sides along the border. >> it is like glue. so it closes it. >> that's exactly right. it acts as glue and anything with an egg is good with me. then you take a little ham, a little cheese, put it down of kind to one side. >> it is almost like we're making a burrito a little bit. >> that's exactly right. fold it over and seal those edges that you put the egg wash on. just like that. >> good, john! nice. >> seal those edges. >> bake in the oven, 350. >> let's go down to the eating portion of the program. >> they come out looking like this -- >> you bake at 350 or 20 to 30 minutes. they come out golden and beautiful.

this is a sweet version i'm serving with maple syrup on the side. or some mustard on theide as well. other great dinner sandwiches -- a crispy chicken sandwich with a big heaping arugula salad. and some lemony mayo. that's a greek yogurt based spread. a blt with avocado and beautiful fried egg. >> you rock. good luck again with your book. >> thank you. >> guess what's going on downstairs? guess who's sanging? casey from "american idol," guys. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: the "toyota concert series" on "today" -- brought to you by toyota. casey james broke on to the music scene in the ninth season of "american idol." he made it to the top three, while his "idol" stint ended there, his career certainly did not. >> casey spent the last two years working on his country allium. and he has made a great album just called "casey james." >> so did "american idol" change your whole life? >> yeah, it changed everything from top to bottom. wake up in the morning and do something different than you've been doing every day before that. >> did you write the songs on the cd? >> i wrote nine -- should say co-wrote 9 out of the 11 that are on there.

>> that's not easy. >> that's what takes the time is really writing great songs. >> we're excited you're here. what are you going to play for us? >> we're going to do the very first single off the album called "let's don't call it a night." >> all right, play it boy -- thanks! ♪ ♪ love the way you look in that dress ♪ you got me thinking thoughts in my head ♪ ♪ the way your body's moving slowly to the music only leaves me wanting more ♪ ♪ so baby let's don't call it a night ♪ ♪ well i love the way you're holding me tight ♪ ♪ when you're next to me there's no place i'd rather be ♪

everything is feeling so right ♪ ♪ so baby let's don't call it a night ♪ ♪ just let that clock tick away ♪ ♪ cause in the morning we can sleep in late ♪ ♪ right now let's spend our time on what we've got in mind ♪ ♪ i'll get up and close the door ♪ ♪ and baby let's don't call it a night ♪ ♪ well i love the way you're holding me tight ♪ ♪ when you're next to me there's no place i'd rather be ♪ everything is feeling so right so baby let's don't call it a night ♪

♪ ♪ yeah baby let's don't call it a night ♪ ♪ well i love the way you're holding me holding me tight ♪ ♪ when you're next to me there's no place i'd rather be ♪ ♪ everything is feeling so right so baby let's don't call it ♪ ♪ no let's don't call it a night ♪ ♪ no no no no no no ♪ woo

♪ no no no no ♪ ♪ >> casey! great job! terrific. thank you, thank you. and a big, big thank you to this man right here, you guys.