at space shuttle discovery as it lands. >> a historic piggy back ride. have a great one. am good morning. security breached. the prostitution scandal involving secret service agents widening this morning. could the president's safety have been compromised? billion-dollar ripoff as the weather heats up, this morning, why you may get far less than you paid for at the pump. the simple solution that some gas stations are fighting. and no victim. no crime. will there be a criminal investigation into that incident involving pippa middleton and a driver holding what appears to be a pistol. driver holding what appears to be a pistol. we're live in paris.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm savannah guthrie in for ann curry this morning. with word those secret service agents had secret information in their possession. >> you're a secret service agent and you're there with a are prostitute. somewhere nearby in that room is a copy of the president's exact itinerary. what would happen if that itinerary fell into the wrong hands? we're also hearing that even more acts and military personnel may have been involved in this than originally thought.

coming up, we'll talk about the fallout with new york representative peter king. and ahead -- start packing. that's mitt romney's message to the president obama. and actress jennie garth will be here. she's going through a difficult divorce from her husband of 11 years. how she's hoping to turn the page with a new reality show. the racy tale and women can't get enough of it. this morning of the author of "fifthty shades of grey" opens up in a rare interview. >> two of the ladies in this studio have read the book, correct? >> correct. natalie is alt the news desk with a check of the headlines.

good morning to you guys once again, in the news this morning, new developments after kate middleton's sister pippa middleton was photographed with a friend appearing to be aiming a pistol. >> reporter: hi, natalie. all of this controversy surrounded by a acquaintance of pippa middleton. just this morning, a french photographer said that he felt sure that gun was plastic. others quote, police sources that they're reviewing the photos and expect to receive more information. using a gun real or fake to threaten someone is a gun. at this point, police say that there's no investigation because no one has filed any formal complaint about it. natal natal natalie. >> michelle, thank you. congress is putting the generalselveses administration,

gsa, in the hot seat, set to grill both and former officials on a las vegas conference back in 2010, on monday, the gsa official at the center of the las vegas spending scandal used his fifth amendment rights on capitol hill to keep silence. but damaging photos posted on his wife's facebook page shed new information. new information abroad on an air canada jet last january. a canadian transportation investigation board when the pilot awoke from his approved nap, his fatigue mistake a venus for a ootd pilot. he took a nose dive. at the time air canada blamed the incident on turbulence.

the space shuttle "discoverry" takes to the sky one last time. as you see there, the two are piggybacking to washington d.c., where the oldest and most proudest shuttle will begin its stay at smithsonian. the final winner of the m a megamillion winner has come forward. from the small town of red bud, illinois. the winner in illinois will be required to claim his or her prize publicly. savannah and matt we'll get to know who this person is tomorrow. everybody's going to be moving to red bud, illinois. becoming their best friend. >> and happening on tax day. thank you, natalie. mr. roker is here with a check of the weather.

>> here what's happening right now. lot of wet weather to talk about down through the gulf. man, it's getting wet. anywhere from three to four inches of rain, that's why we got flash flood watches and flood watches from port author to new orleans. heavy rain. a little bit more in some localized flooding. around much of the can country, a risk of strong storms, down to the southeast. more rain in the p well, it's kind of a cloudy start, but we'll see full-on sunshine later on today. i'm christina loren. and temperatures slated to hit the 70s yet again. 70 degrees in the valley, 66 for fremont, 70 in redwood city and

70 degrees right by the beach in santa cruz. as we head throughout the weekend, things start to climb. 85 degrees friday, 84 saturday, 90s possible. >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. new details are emerging about the widening prostitution scandal involving members of the secret service. this as the demand for answers grows louder in congress. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house with more on that. kristen, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. those 11 secret service personnel are waking up this morning after having their security clearances revoked. and now we are learning more about the night that may have led to this entire situation. as the investigation into the secret service and military prostitution scandal enters its fourth day, one u.s. official tells nbc news a group of the men were out and about at this bar, play club, in cartagena, last wednesday. several locals told our sister

network telemundo they saw 10 or 11 americans there that night saying they were drinking, partying and watching a strip show. u.s. officials say the men later brought prostitutes back to this hotel, less than a mile from where the president would very eent lullly stay. now, secret service and military investigators are looking into the possibility that there may have been more men involved. so far, u.s. officials say there are at least 11 secret service, and more than 5 military personnel under scrutiny. nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff, has been speaking with law enforcement officials. >> sources tell us among those involved were two secret service supervisors, three members of the elite counterassault team, whose job it is to repel attacks on the president's motorcade, and three members of the countersniper team, those officers with rifles who scout for threats from the tops of buildings. >> reporter: isikoff also reports none of the agents was part of the president's personal detail. but had hard copies of the president's schedule.

>> if the prostitutes had access to that, they could have potentially given it to a foreign intelligence service, a drug cartel, or even a terrorist group. >> reporter: sources tell nbc news the military officials under investigation include bomb disposal experts and dog handlers from the army, navy and marines. >> i can speak for myself and my fellow chiefs who are embarrassed by what occurred in colombia. we let the boss down. >> obviously if violations are determined to have been the case, then these individuals will be held accountable, and that's as it should be. >> reporter: members of congress are calling for an investigation. but for this former secret service agent, who served for 12 years, the damage is already done. >> this is a national embarrassment. he's our president. he's overseas. he's not a democrat president. he's our president. overseas. and this was an embarrassment. >> reporter: now the military has sent a special investigator to cartagena who will be

interviewing people at that hotel and anyone else who may have information about this incident. savannah? >> all right, kristen welker at the white house thank you. new york republican congressman peter king is chairman of the house committee on homeland security, which oversees the secret service. congressman, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. >> before we get into the larger issues here, we know that 11 agents were involved with allegedly 11 prostitutes. but there have been reports that up to 20 may have been involved. can you confirm that there were more than 11? >> my understanding right now is that the number is at 11. obviously, everything is being done to find out the exact number. but as of now, the only precise number is 11. 11 agents and 11 women. >> there's another report that the scene got rather ugly that morning, in that one of the agents actually threw furniture, got very angry at the hotel manager. to your knowledge, is this true? >> so far, i don't believe it is true. but again, it's being examined. there was a dispute between the agent and the woman. and the agent initially would not allow the hotel manager into

his room. but the hotel manager did go and get the colombian police. my understanding is when the police arrived, there was an argument between the agent and the woman over the amount of money, but as far as the furniture, so far there's no evidence of that. i know that the investigators have spoken to various hotel employees, and as of now there's no evidence that there was furniture being thrown around or that there was a really disorderly scene. it was the argument between the agent and the woman, though. that's for sure. >> let's talk about the security breach here. i know you look at this as more than theoretical. we've reported that these agents actually had the minute by minute presidential schedule in their rooms. can you paint a picture of how damaging this could have been to the president's security. >> yeah, right now, we really lucked out on this. because this could have been disastrous. first of all, as you said, agents have access to the president's schedule. even if they didn't, just having prostitutes, if they were agents

working for a terrorist group or al qaeda for that matter, they would just be able to pick up anything, any tidbit of information as to where the president might be, what might be being planned, who else might be coming in. and also, there could be materials, laptop computers, all of this. i mean, this violates the most basic rule of being a secret service agent. don't allow a potential enemy into your security zone. you don't put yourself in a compromising position. your job is to protect the president of the united states. >> let me ask you the larger question here. "the wall street journal" wrote about a culture within the secret service of wheels up, rings off. referring to, once the president is in the air, the rings come off, the partying begins. do you think there is a larger cultural problem within the secret service? and does it disturb you that this actually happened before the president was wheels down, before he even got there? >> certainly, to me, i think the most disturbing thing, that this happened before the rez got there. it's one thing what happens afterwards. that's a separate issue. but the fact that there was

drinking and partying going on while they should have been getting ready for the president to arrive, that makes it even worse than it is. >> do you think it's widespread in the agency? >> i've spoken to many people, i've dealt with secret service agents in washington and new york, actually around the country, i've been on presidential trips. i have not seen this type of behavior. i think -- the fact that so much attention something focused on this, i think it's the exception. that's why i think the secret service manager, the director, mark sullivan, why they're coming down so heavy on these 11 people. because this does -- i mean, i have great respect for the secret service. they do an outstanding job. they're professionals. that's why this is being done after so diligently and so vigoro vigorously, finding the secret service director and all people at the top level. >> on the secret service draekter, should he keep his job? how far should accountability go? >> when this happened he acted immediately. he removed those 11 agents from the country immediately. got them out of the country. right now, i know that there's a very severe investigation going

on. i've known mark sullivan. i have great regard for him. and from all we know so far he acted quickly, he acted promptly and did the right thing. i think it's wrong to be prejudging either mark sullivan or the entire secret service on what 11 agents did. >> thank you for sharing your views this morning. now here's matt. >> all right, savannah, thank you. mitt romney is hitting the campaign trail in pennsylvania today. but he's clearly got his sights set on pennsylvania avenue. launching the search for a running mate. nbc's peter alexander is in washington, d.c. peter good morning to you. >> good morning to you. mitt romney said he began the vp search process this past weekend but he won't say when he'll make his final decision. campaign advisers say experience is going to be one of romney's top criteria. and the 2008 vp choice of sarah palin, who critics say was insufficiently vetted, is sure to cast a shadow on the process, as well. >> this campaign is just getting going. it's going to be fun. >> reporter: just watching him, it's clear mitt romney is becoming increasingly comfortable in his role as the

presumptive republican nominee. >> mitt romney in the house today. >> reporter: spending monday at a red sox game, romney fired off this fastball at president obama during an interview with abc news. >> start packing. that's what i'd like to say, obviously. we have a very different view. the president, i'm sure, wants another four years. but the first years didn't go so well. >> reporter: campaign advisers confirmed to nbc news that romney has formally started the search for a running mate. tapping one of his closest confidants, beth myers to head up the vp vetting process. senator john mccain has already weighed in. but campaign advisers say don't expect romney to pick a game changer like sarah palin. meanwhile, ann romney is clarifying her response to a democratic strategist remarks last week that the wealthy mother of five couldn't understand the challenges facing cash-strapped working moms. >> his wife has actually never worked a day in her life. >> reporter: during a private fund-raiser in florida this

weekend, overheard by reporters outside, ann romney said this about those remarks. it was my early birthday present for someone to be critical of me as a mother. and that was really a defining moment. and i loved it. when the remarks became public monday, ann romney explained she doesn't view the controversy in political terms. >> that wasn't how i meant it. it was a birthday gift to me, because i love the fact that we're talking about this. i love the fact that women are talking about deficit spending, and the economy. i love that. >> it's a thrill to be here on "saturday night live." >> reporter: the real mitt romney revealed he's considering an appearance on "saturday night live" but he says it will depend on the nature of the skit. he says he wants it to be funny. >> and of course, there's that unforgettable opening we all know oh, so well. hey, new york, let's start the show. >> it's saturday night. >> yeah, exactly, what he said. that's right. >> reporter: romney says he

watches the "snl" skits and he thinks that he is, quote, very good. by the way, as for ann's birthday. she said her favorite present is a beautiful red dress from her husband. she says she liked it so much she might actually save it for the convention this august. >> all right. peter alexander in washington this morning. peter, thank you very much. it's 17 after the hour. once again here's savannah. >> matt, thanks. now to the death of trayvon martin. george zimmerman, who is charged with second degree murder, is seeking a new judge in the case. nbc's kerry sanders is in sanford, florida, this morning with the details on that. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning, savannah. it's up to judge jessica recksiedler if she will recuse herself from this case. she's already publicly acknowledged the potential conflict of interest. meantime, the lawyer representing george zimmerman, who says his client was acting in self-defense the night he shot trayvon martin, filed papers here on monday, asking the judge to step down. but those documents, like so many associated with this case, are currently sealed from public view.

if convicted of second degree murder, 28-year-old george zimmerman could spend the rest of his life in prison. with so much at stake, defense attorney mark omar ra wants the judge to reveal any conflict of interest she may have in this case. >> there's certainly the potential of conflict. get it taken care of now. >> reporter: what is the potential ethical conflict? judge jessica recksiedler's husband is also a lawyer. jason recksiedler works mostly civil litigation at one of the largest law firms in central florida. a law firm where mark meejam is a partner. zimmerman had asked him if he would represent him. but when he declined he recommended o'mara. adding to the mix, he is a legal expert on contracts with cnn and hln to comment on this case. another twist? he and o'mara are friends.

both were legal analysts on wkg-tv in orlando during the casey anthony trial. >> in a high profile case where everything is magnified, even a small conflict can become big enough to take a judge off the case. >> reporter: if judge recksiedler recuses herself, the case will be randomly assigned to another judge. it's up to whomever presides over this case to decide if the investigation records should remain sealed or should be released to the public. a consortium of news organizations, including the new york times, mcclatchy, and nbc news has filed for the release of all documents. that could include photos of george zimmerman the night of the shooting. a videotaped interview with police. trayvon martin's autopsy reports. and detailed investigative narratives by detectives. >> our public records law says if the information is information the defense should get, then the whole public should get it. it's just part of the whole way

of looking at how our justice practice should work. open, transparent, available to anyone. >> reporter: a bond hearing is scheduled for this friday, and these issues could come up then. but accord administrator here says the schedule is not set in stone and could change. savannah? >> all right, kerry sanders in sanford, florida, this morning, thank you. it is now 7:20 and here's matt. >> savannah, thanks. families are created in a lot of different ways these days but some say the laws are not keeping up with the science. and one american mother says that has placed her in a situation that's both frustrating and humiliating. here's nbc's martin fletcher. >> they're like perfect. >> reporter: like any mom, she adores her children. >> i wonder what i did to get such an amazing gift. >> reporter: what she did was in vitro fertilization in israel. using donor sperm and donor eggs to have a baby. in her case, twins maya and

sheila, now 2 1/2 years old. because she's an american from chicago, she went to the u.s. embassy in israel to register her daughters as americans, and that's when joy turned to anger. >> i was embarrassed, humiliated, horrified, ashamed. >> reporter: to her last petition over a loudspeaker in a crowded room she asked her, a single mother, how she conceived the children. >> it's an outrageous question. >> reporter: and that was just the beginning. after more private questions asked in a public least, elise fled in tears. she said her children's request for u.s. citizenship, denied. why? because there's no proof that either the donors of the sperm or of the egg is american. everything's anonymous. secrecy guaranteed. >> they are my kids. i carried them for nine months. >> you can have a child that is a child without a country. they are not going to get u.s.

citizenship because there's no biological connection. and the laws of that foreign country may say we don't recognize this child as our citizen, either. and the law really needs to address this. >> reporter: if maya and sheila were adopted there'd be no problem. but in vitro babies. >> u.s. policy is not keeping up with the technology. that's essentially what the issue is. >> reporter: there is a way for the girls to become americans. live in america for six months and do all the paperwork there. but the family lives in israel. and what elise thinks should be an automatic right, the children born to an american mother are american, well, it's harder for in vitro babies born outside the united states. for "today," martin fletcher, nbc news, tel aviv. >> we reached out to the state department, officials there tell us they are sympathetic to the family's situation, but they are following the law. just ahead, more on the fallout over these photos of pippa middleton in a car with a driver who is holding what appears to be a gun.

word a photographer is actually in on it. we'll get a live report from paris. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up a costly problem that's aing to your misery at the pump. why consumer groups say you're being cheated every time you fill up your gas tank on a hot day. >> and we'll reveal the suburban mom behind the hit novel "fifty shades of grey." but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. can your makeup remover do that? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover. [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need is the smooth, creamy taste

of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ werther's original caramels. good morning, everyone. time now is 7:26. i'm john kelley. there are new concerns about how to remove a stranded boat without disturbing that delicate environment. >> where the boat is actually sitting is right off of our largest marine mammal area where probably upwards of about 1,000 california sea lions and some stellar sea lions were hauled out there at the time. so it is, you know, pretty critical wildlife area right there. >> the boat known as low-speed chase crashed into the islands during a race on saturday. three crew members were rescued, but five more are still missing. and right now presumed dead. experts say they'll consider the

environmental impact before they try to salvage it. yesterday was tax day, but christina loren says no sweat. >> we're going to pay you in sunshine for at least five consecutive hours, consistent hours too. 54 degrees in san francisco, by noon today, we'll be at 64 degrees in places like fremont, 61 in oakland. and the sunshine, the most of it between the hours of 10:00 and 2:00. after that, the clouds will roll right back in, but not before we hit 70 degrees in places like san jose, concord, fairfield and santa rosa, fair game. iffer the 70s, things really start to warm up as we head toward the end of the week. high pressure sets up driving that offshore flow. and as a result, take a look at where our temperatures are headed. 78 degrees thursday, up to 85 degrees inland friday. we hold on to the mid-80s for the first part of your weekend. let's check your drive with mike. well, we had a series of three incidents around the caldecott tunnel westbound. that's your commute direction. they've all cleared from the roadway, but the backup has not

slowed. and over on your right side of your screen, an accident clearing from lanes as you're heading south into walnut creek, but adding to the slow down off that interchange with 680 and 24 and westbound 80. your commute direction for the east shore freeway, that accident moving to the shoulder there, adding to the distraction. approaching half an hour off the bridge to the toll plaza. south bay, slowing northbound, especially 280 at 880 where a disabled vehicle clearing from lanes, john. back to you. >> appreciate it. for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook. another local update in one-half hour from right now. [ girl ] my mom always tells me:

if you want something done right, then do it yourself. that's the idea behind our children, our future -- the ballot initiative to fix our schools. we've waited years for the politicians to do it. now, we can do it ourselves. our children, our future sends every k through 12 dollar straight to our schools... not to sacramento. it benefits every kid in every school, with local control of the money. that's why the p-t-a supports it. my mom likes it, too.

so have you read it? we're talking about "fifty shades of grey." it is the steamy novel that's become a worldwide sensation. women, it seems, can't put it down. and you may be surprised when you meet the mom who wrote it. coming up our interview with the elusive e.l. james. 7:30 now on a tuesday morning, april 17th, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie, who is in while ann is taking some time off. >> good morning, everybody. also ahead today, you expect to get what you pay for when you fill up at the pump. especially these days when you're paying so much. but apparently that is not always the case. we're going to tell you why consumer groups say you're being ripped off every time you get gas during the long, hot days of summer. >> also ahead, it's called sin city for a reason. now there's an unusual way to heal yourself after a night of

heavy partying in las vegas. and all you have to do is hop on a bus. it's going to be a little controversial. we'll explain that. >> that's an interesting idea. and then jennie garth is going to be here. we're going to talk to her about her new reality show, moving to the country with her daughters and the recent end of her marriage. we'll catch up with her in a few minutes. >> all right, let's begin this half hour with that incident involving pippa middleton, what looks like a gun and photographers in paris. nbc's michelle kosinski has the latest. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: hi, matt. when you see those photos it seems very clear that this thing is a gun. what we don't know, was it real? was it fake? but real, or fake, if someone was being threatened, then this could be considered a crime. just this morning a french photographer was quoted anonymously as saying he felt sure this was just a plastic toy. he thought it was nothing more than a joke. but other reports are quoting police sources as saying that they are reviewing the photos and expect more information to come in.

it was the photo seen around the world. and astounding people on how pippa middleton and her pals could have found this amusing. while pippa and three friends took a convertible drive through paris on sunny saturday, here look at the driver, pointing a gun directly at someone. the others, smiling. the headlines now blaring, and citizens asking, who do they think they are? >> you can't just brandish a gun in broad daylight and point it at somebody, but to do it in france is even worse. because france has very, very tough gun laws. >> reporter: the alleged target of the sun was a paparazzo. and despite reports some photographers may have known it was a joke a police source is quoted as saying they expect to receive more information. brandishing a gun in france whether real or not, is a crime. punishable by up to several years in prison. pippa middleton could potentially be called as a witness if this were to become an investigation.

and if it were believed she was in on the idea, the planning or carrying out of threatening someone this way, she, too, could be prosecuted. >> i don't think you can ever overreact when there's a gun being pointed at someone. whether it's a fake gun, or a real gun. >> reporter: the young man in the back seat is, according to newspapers, viscount. who was seen at a birthday party pippa had attended the night before with another prominent young parisian. here she smiles coyly next to a man with a dog collar and chain around his neck. this is an embarrassment for sociable pippa. she stepped into the public eye at her sister's royal wedding, looking angelic. the palace has no comment. here in paris the aggressive paparazzi has long drawn the ire of its subjects. it was here, you remember in 1997, princess diana died in that horrible car crash, the driver pursued by photographers.

this time it seems the paparazzi was the intended target, and joke or not, not too many others besides those in this car are smiling. now a situation like this, of passengers in the car could potentially be charged with something like being an accessory if they helped plan a threat. or maybe disorderly conduct if they took part in a prank. but the likelihood of this is a whole other story. and at this point police say there is no formal investigation, because no one has come to them and complained about the gun, or pippa, or anything. matt? >> all right, michelle kosinski in paris this morning. michelle, thank you very much. martin bashir is the host of the martin bah bashir on msnbc. he has covered the royal family extensive. >> christopher, let me start with you, because you always have a good way of putting things in perspective for me. clearly this is something that happened with bad judgment. it is a joke if it's that that

went very wrong. the police have photo evidence. but unless somebody comes forward does this become anything more than a front page photo that has a short life span? >> no, i'd say that's exactly what it is. in fact the french press is laying it on the entertainment pages, if it's playing it at all. they're not taking this very seriously because there are no charges and because they think probably it was a plastic gun based on at least one of the paparazzi who was there has told gala.fr. i think they're not playing it very seriously here. >> have you heard any of these reports that have circulated here, christopher, that perhaps the paparazzo, the photographer who was the target of this joke, if it was a joke, might have actually been in on it? >> well, that's exactly what we're reading, and what the french press is saying. that the paparazzo was, you know, playing along with this. it was all kind of a joke. but let me just be clear about something and that's how stupid this was. whether it was a joke or not. this was taking place very close

to the big train station here in paris, where the eurostar is. where there are armed police and armed soldiers on patrol all the time. the last thing you want to do is be brandishing anything that looks like a gun in that vicinity. so this wound up being a joke, it will probably be a short-term story. but there was a potential here for tragedy, and i can't overstate how stupid it was to be playing these kinds of games where they were playing them. >> martin, let me turn to you. image is very important for the royal family. pippa middleton is not actually a member of the royal family. but how big a deal is this? >> i remember a courtier once saying to me that whenever a member of the public gets close to the royal family, they utter a paraphrase of the lord's prayer, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil. why? because members of the public, when they get into contact with the royal family, have an opportunity. it brings with it with a connection, so for example, a month before the royal wedding last year, pippa middleton's parents, they

run a family business, a merchandising business, they started producing all these kind of merchandises around the royal wedding. a month after the royal wedding, pippa middleton is sitting in one of the most prestigious seats at roland garros, the french tennis open. now would she have been there if her sister had not married the heir to the throne? of course not. the problem is you have opportunity without responsibility because you're not placed -- you're not a member of the royal family and yet you're connected in some way. >> how does the royal family handle a public relations nightmare like this? who takes charge in a situation like this? >> i don't think the palace will say a word. but i think her sister will give her the mother of all tongue lashings. this year is hugely important for the united kingdom. it is the queen's diamond jubilee. it is the london 2012 olympics. you and i will be in london taking the best network television in america there. to provide exclusive coverage. this is the last thing the royal family needs. >> except these things tend to go away. the royal family has survived if not thrived in the wake of some other incidents of young people

behaving badly. we don't have to catalog all the incidents involving prince harry over the years. >> we don't. and also, she is a young person, and as i said, she's not a member of the royal family. so she ought to be unencumbered. the problem is that if your sister is married to the heir to the throne, it brings with it certain responsibilities. and that's why, whatever she does is going to be scrutinized. and that's why her sister, i think, is probably going to give her a tongue lashing. >> she might have to come out with an apology herself. martin bashir here in new york, christopher in paris, thanks as always. nice sighing you. and a remainder you can catch the martin bashir show 3:00 p.m. weekdays on msnbc. let's get a check of the weather from mr. al roker. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by so slimming jean from chico's. >> and good morning. boy was it hot in boston yesterday. you won the boston marathon? >> we got second. >> yeah. in a parallel universe.

but how hard was it during that heat? >> really hard. >> well, congratulations. >> happy birthday, jenna. >> all right. happy birthday to jenna. let's talk about these temperatures. yesterday boston, 87 set a record. 86 in watertown. buffalo up to 82. 84 in montpelier. we've got cooling weather, big cool front moves through so it's going to be anywhere from 10 to 30 degrees cooler today. watertown only 52. 77 in new york city. we need some rain, though, because we've got very dry conditions, red flag warnings from southern new jersey all the way on up in to new england. and as you can see, temperatures are going to be in the 30s and 40s around the great lakes. 80s and 90s through the southwest. good news in the northeast. we're going to be seeing some heavier rain as we move into the weekend. into the well, we do have some pretty dense fog developing out there, especially right by the water. so keep that in mind as you make your way out that front door. 70s in the forecast for today. 70 degrees in the valley, 70 in

livermore, and we're even talking about the upper 6s right by the bay, mid-60s at the coast today. tomorrow's just about the same. we're going to level off and then climb. thursday into friday up to 85 degrees. hope you have a fantastic tuesday. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. up next, a new pain at the pump. why you may not be getting what you pay for when you fill up your gas tank on a hot aipll exth n 'lweigplexatthn rat right af these messages. cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪

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they could be overcharging you at the gas pump. today, jeff rossen is here with the story. good morning. >> good morning. you don't need me to tell you gas prices are incredibly high. if you are like me, you shop around for the best price. there's a summertime secret, cheating you at the pump out of billions of dollars. talk about sticker shock, $4, $4.50, more than $5 for gas. we are all feeling the squeeze. >> gas prices are going crazy. >> i'm spending too much money for gas. >> consumer watchdogs say many drivers don't know the half of it. >> it's a huge rip off for american drivers. >> reporter: when it's hot outside and the goose lean is warm, you are not getting what you pay for. >> every time you stick that nozzle in your tank -- >> reporter: here is the issue. when gas gets hot, it loses

energy meaning your car loses miles to the gallon. fill it up when it's 90 degrees and you get ten miles less out of the same gas of tank. you are paying the same amount at the pump. >> there's no way to tell the value you are getting when we pull into the gas station. >> according to this 2007 report, americans rr paying 1. $5 billion extra for gas that summer. gas prices skyrocketed. >> is this fixable? >> yes. there's technology on the market to fix it. >> it would give you the right amount of gas for your money based on the heat. those pumps are available today, but the gas stations won't install them. they are fighting it. >> we simply don't agree the juice is worth the squeeze. >> dan represents the gas stations saying they are giving

consumers the best deal they can. they benefit in cold weather. installing the new pump is too expensive. >> putting that cost on gas station owners transferred to the consumers. >> if they put the technology in place, we have to pay for it? >> of course? >> here in canada, they have been doing it for two decades. they use the pumps that measure for temperature. on a hot day, you get more gas for your money. consumer advocates say here, no matter what the weather, you get what you are paying for. now, angry american drivers have filed class action lawsuits against gas stations in 21 states calling it fraud forcing them to install the high-tech pumps. what is your message to the oil industry? >> stick it. we are getting ripped off. it's easy to fix. >> now, it looks like the big companies are taking action as

part of a legal settlement. costco agreed to install the new pumps in warm weather states. three of the big oil companies, bp, shell and conocophillips are settling, too. this is not over yet. not by a long shot. other chains are fighting the lawsuit. they will be in court next month. we are going to keep an eye on this. consumers within the it changed. >> every penny counts. jeff rossen, thanks so much. still to come, the rare interview behind the shy mom. the new hangover cure going through las vegas. we are going to go on a ha ridngover heea on hangover heaven coming up after this. don't say a word. we used to be enemies, but that's absurd. a nibble on your ear used to keep me up all night. now our relationship can be nice and bright. yes, my chocolate friend, our struggle's thru. when i bite your head off, i'll still love you.

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from north carolina who started drinking hours before. >> i don't know what to expect. this is my first time in vegas. >> sin city. it's the place to break loose and have a good time. >> so a night the four of us will never forget. >> a montra captured in the movie "the hangover" where it leads to a rough morning. >> some guys just can't handle dates. >> now they might have a little help. some of our north carolina resolvers are the first customer of hangover heaven, a bus for the times you feel like hell. >> this is the front line of the bus. >> jason is a board certified anesthesiologist and a businessman. i was in the recovery room one day treating patients for headaches, nausea, aches and pains and realized a lot of the medication eggs i was giving them work well for a hangover. >> so this bus will travel the vegas strip on weekend morning looking for people to hook up to

ivs and rehydrate for a start. the redemption package starts $90. the salvation with extra medicines for different systems runs $150. for this group from casper, wyoming, it's worth it. >> we're here for a company outing, a sales meeting. not a lot of meeting going on. >> another woman clearly needed help. >> thank god i got on this bus. whew. >> sure enough, within 20 minutes, we saw a definite improvement. >> i think it will definitely encourage a lot more debotchry, that's for sure. >> still, they offer this disclaimer. hangover heaven is not designed for emergencies or serious medical conditions resulting from alcohol poisoning. >> this is really a short-term fix and it's really the hydration component. it doesn't take away the toxicity of alcohol. >> but for this business, location is everything. just ask its first customers.

>> 45 minutes and i'm good. >> i love this bus. >> now the owner says that he won't treat anyone who is belligerent. this is all about allowing people to enjoy the rest of their vacations, he says. matt. >> thank you very much. stick a needle your arm because you had too much to drink? a bad idea. >> i think they should serve burger and fries. cheerleading, and baseball. those years were crazy. so, as we go into this next phase, you know, a big part of it for us is that there isn't anything on the schedule. (belhi.ings)

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good morning, everyone. the time is 7:56. i'm john kelle y. investigators discovering new clues in the disappearance of sierra lamar. the sheriff's office not being specific, but it may include a fingerprint, dna, or a hair fiber. investigators have collected several pieces of evidence including sierra's purse and cell phone along with used condoms found in a field not far from her home in morgan hill. last night, sierra's friends and family releasing hundreds of pink balloons into the sky marking the one-month anniversary of her disappearance. time now for a check on your local forecast. i have two words, sunny and gorgeous. >> yes. and i'll have three words, wait for it. as you can see here, we've got mostly cloudy conditions over the city by the bay. we do have sunshine here in san jose. but the sun will breakthrough those clouds even in san francisco over the course of the

next few hours. we're headed towards a gorgeous day starting out mild in the 50s. we're going to hit the mid-60s in most cities by noon today and rounding out the day with plenty of 70s in the south bay and the east bay, even up in santa rosa, 70 degrees today. as we head through tomorrow, just about as warm. things really start to warm up as we head toward friday, saturday, temperatures climbing into the mid-80s. that means isolated 90s possible in the warmest cities across the bay. stay nice and warm all the way through the start of next week. let's check your drive with mike. >> you wait for it, i'll wait in it. look at the live shot northbound 280 coming at us. going off to the left, 880 jammed up off of that freeway, as well. back to the maps, you see the slower driving here. a disabled vehicle reported right around the interchange. another accident on the southbound side. quite a distraction, the northbound routes suffering from the morning commute. 280, 85, an accident clearing there, as well. over toward the maze, slow drive and also around the walnut creek interchange. 680 is tough. >> thank you very much. and for the latest traffic and

news updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook. back in half an hour with more local updates.

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at 8:00 on a tuesday morning, it's the 17th day of april, 2012. and you know what it makes it? >> tax day. >> tax day 2012. that's right. these people have filed their returns, they're shipshape. including lenny. and that's good news. i'm on the plaza along with savannah guthrie, who is in while ann is taking some vacation time this week. and mr. roker, as well. and if we could look through the penguins over here, we might actually see that in our studio right now is the one and only jennie garth. she is out with a brand-new reality show and it comes just weeks after, i guess, a pretty well publicized split or end to

her 11-year marriage. jennie's going to be here to talk about the show and the split in just a couple of minutes. >> look forward to catching up with her. then coming up a rare interview with the suburban mom who wrote that racy novel, "fifty shades of grey." a lot of people are reading this. women can't seem to put it down. we will learn more about how she came to write this naughty novel. we talk about women reading it. you know, men can read it, too. >> yeah but just curious. you read the book. >> yes. >> and there's another book and you have not been driven to read that, why? >> because i'm prude i guess. it was a little too racy for me. >> okay. >> but other people, they order it right away. get right to part two. >> okay. >> what grinds your gears? what makes you your blood boil? what burns you -- anyway. >> thank you very much. >> is it your boss? your spouse? how you handle your an remember can have a big impact on your overall health and happiness. we're going to help you figure

out your anger style, and then help you cope with it. >> before we get to that. let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk. she's got a check of all the headlines. >> good morning again, matt, savannah and al. the investigation into an $823,000 las vegas conference by the general services administration is now looking into possible bribes and kickbacks. on monday, a house panel did not get to hear from the gsa figure at the center of the scandal, jeff neely, who invoked his fifth amendment rights and refused to testify. a fired agency executive and a current official are set to testify today. mitt romney has formally started his search for a running mate. the presumptive republican presidential candidate said monday he has put longtime adviser bess myers in charge of selecting and vetting potential ticket partners. a special u.s. investigator has been sent to colombia to question witnesses about the widening secret service scandal. 11 agents have been stripped of their security clearance, accused of inappropriate

behavior with prostitutes in colombia. and nbc news has learned that the agents were not part of the president's personal detail but that they did have hard copies of his schedule. at least five members of the u.s. military have also been implicated. the lawyer for defendant george zimmerman has filed papers asking the judge assigned to the trayvon martin murder case to step down. the judge has acknowledged a potential conflict of interest through her husband's connections as an attorney at a large florida law firm. if the judge does recuse herself, the case will be randomly assigned to another one. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick roundup. what has you talking on line. the virtual performance by the late tupac is an internet sensation. and now its creators are discussing a possible tour. they envision the hollow gram of shakur performing duets with the likes of eminem. online techies are breathing new life into the persistent

reports that apple is developing a mini ipad. a chinese language website is claiming the mini will hit the market later this year. and twitter is buzzing over first lady michelle obama's leggy prom pictured revealed on the ellen show on monday. >> that slit was a little high. >> yeah. >> i don't know if i'd let my kids go out with a slit that high. let's not show this to malia and sasha. >> ellen was a good sport. she joked that her own prom dress used to be a tablecloth. there is a look. we all have a picture like that in our past. it's 8:04. let's go back to al with a check of your weather. what did you wear to prom, the blue tuxedo? >> i couldn't get a date to the prom. >> ah, al. i'll be your date next time. >> okay. thank you. so i could maybe go with some tall ladies to the prom. wow. you are all tall. what's the deal? >> it's stand tall week. >> okay, there you go.

enough said. leaves me out but what the heck. they're all doing good. let's see what we've got for you. safrena could do this. our pick city today, nbc 6, miami. partly sunny, warm, 84 degrees. going to be toasty. we've got a lot of rain along the gulf coast. some flood watches along the gulf coast from texas on into louisiana. we've got some more clouds getting ready to move into the pacific northwest along the coast. showers there. cooling down here in the northeast. plensy of sunshine. slight risk of strong storms in the southeastern atlantic states we have some thick fog right by the water. inland cities are getting a lot of sunshine. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. we will see the 70s in the south bay where the sun is shining. 71 in san jose, and tomorrow, just a touch warmer. we really warm up thursday into friday. look where the temperatures are headed, up to 85 degrees inland friday. holding on to mid-80s the first

part of the weekend. make outdoor plans. hope you have a great tuesday. >> and that's your latest weather. mr. lauer? >> all right, al, thank you very much. coming up, the woman behind the "fifty shades of grey" phenomenon. we'll talk to the author of that steamy novel. but up next, jennie garth is in our studio. she's going to talk about her new reality show, and a split that made the headlines. [ male announcer ] we imagined a vehicle that could adapt to changing road conditions. one that continually monitors and corrects for wheel slip. we imagined a vehicle that can increase emergency braking power when you need it most. and we imagined it looking like nothing else on the road today. then...we built it. the 2012 glk. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins,

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a lot of hershey's happiness in little drops of milk chocolate. and cookies n creme. pure hershey's. back now at 8:10 with actress jennie garth. fans fell in love with her on "beverly hills, 90210." and recently she's been in the headlines for her split with her husband peter facinelli. now garth and her three daughters are entering a new chapter with a new reality show called "jennie garth, a little bit country." take a look. >> come on, guys. here we go. here we go. everybody, look at my new trend. okay. they're fighting. i really think that there's some peeing going on right now. >> there's pee right there. >> i didn't really think about it until they started tearing my house apart. a dog peeed on my couch. that is when the reality set in.

seriously? on my couch! >> jennie garth, good morning to you. we definitely see a different side of you in this. >> yes. the obsessive compulsive -- >> doesn't match up with having all those animals. we'll talk about the show in a few minutes. but of course you have this new reality show and it's coming at a time you're facing the painful reality in your own life, recently splitting from your husband. has it been hard to go through that on such a public stage? >> that is probably the hardest part about it, actually, is the timing of everything. when i started to take this show on, i wasn't headed down this road. it -- it was sort of -- it happened in the middle of filming the show. and now part of my job that i'm doing any kind of an actress is following through and doing the

press on something. so now i'm doing the press circuit for the show and doing interviews and people want to talk about it. and you know, i'm okay talking about it. but it's not -- certainly not something that i'm going out and, you know -- not something anybody really wants to talk about. >> so you moved out to the country. it wasn't for the purpose to get away. but has it had that effect? how has it helped you deal wiwith a really struggling time i'm sure. >> being in the country has allowed me a really great perspective. just some clarity. and open space, you know. >> but the show wasn't the reason for the split, i take it? >> no. no. no. the show was just something that the girls and i wanted to do, you know, to keep us busy creatively and we thought it would be fun. and so -- but the two really do not go to the at all. >> you know, you've been pretty open about the separation. i know one of the reasons is because you want to help other women. you were with him for 17 years,

married for 11. what's been the hardest part about it? did it come as a shock? >> no, you know, it was something that we were working through to the. and as anybody who's been through it, it's always, you know, kind of shocking when it ends up finally happening. but, it was, you know, sad, and you know, for our family unit. we're a really great family. and i think that we always will be. because we have three beautiful daughters together. >> and how are the girls doing? now they have this new environment, too, are they flourishing out there? >> they're doing great. you know. peter is still really involved with them. i'm, of course, really involved with them every day. and we have a great time together. >> one of the burdens of being in the public eye is that people speculate about what went wrong. or why it happened. and some people said well he's been so successful now with the "twilight" movies and maybe that is somehow the reason of the split. anything you want to say about

that? >> i enjoyed the quote that i was, i don't remember what it was exactly, but i was envious of his fame, or whatever. there was nothing like that going on. i was very happy for him, and, you know, so happy to be at home with the kids, and enjoying my early retirement, you know. i didn't want to work at that time. i just wanted to be at home, on the farm. >> on the farm is really about a lot of fun more than anything else. there are a lot of laughs on this show. i have to ask you about what happens in the first episode. where your assistant is sucking on a cow udder. please tell me how this happened. >> this is good tv. you won't want to miss it. we have a bet, she and i have this bet and she thinks that that's how you actually milk a cow and i am not lying to you when i say this, she's serious about that. so i bet her, that she has to actually suck the cow's udder so she loses the bet. >> an image we will not get out

of our minds any time soon. >> no. >> real quickly before we go. how many animals do you have? >> oh, i don't know. a lot. i'm an animal hoarder at this point. >> jennie garth. you look great. thank you so much. really appreciate it. you're going to be back to talk later to kathie lee and hoda, too. you can catch the series premiere of "jennie garth, a little bit country" this friday night on tnt. coming up, the suburban mom and author of "fifty shades of grey" opens up in a rare interview about her racy novels and their surprising success. ♪

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we're back now at 8:19 with the woman behind the "fifty shades of grey" phenomenon. the racy novel is a hit with readers all around the world. and nbc's sister company universal pictures just won the bidding for the movie rights. this all comes as a surprise to the british author who really doesn't like to talk about it all that much. but she gave nbc's michelle kosinski a rare interview. michelle, good morning again. >> hi, matt. e.l. james is a suburban mom, former tv producer, who almost on a whim writes this erotic romance. very erotic. the story of an innocent college girl and her billionaire boyfriend. and it just sold 2 million

copies in one month. well, the author cannot believe it. >> this is my mid-life crisis. all my fantasies out there -- >> every fantasy that you've had is in this? author e.l. james' best-selling book, "fifty shades of grey," definitely gets a reaction. >> it makes you squirm in your seat. >> it definitely, for lack of a better word, gets you going. >> i couldn't stop blushing at some points. >> women who are reading it are saying they're having more sex with their husbands. >> reporter: is there anything revolutionary about this? >> no. >> then why is this causing -- >> i don't know! >> -- such a stir. you need to be in the mood to write? or a particular mood to write this type of fiction? do you need a couple of glasses of wine? >> i always need a couple of glasses of wine. for that sort of story. >> are you writing every day? >> almost, yes, i was. every day, every minute. i had a phone and i used to write on the train.

beat it in my mac and then tidy it all up. >> so you're just a woman obsessed. >> i was obsessed. i didn't do anything else. >> from the simple purchase of some lingerie to the steamy rules and limits of a dominant/submissive relationship, fifty shades is as graphic as its content is unusual. are you writing this are you thinking, oh, man, this is good, people are going to love this? >> no. not at all. here i was amazed how popular it was. i'm still amazed. i'm stunned by its popularity. >> in simple tv terms, an sabre yeah, the book's heroine, surrenders her will to her dom mant lover christian grey and finds both love and happiness. i'm trying to find the first description of him. he's very -- okay. you hate this. why is this excruciating for you? >> this is excruciating. >> this christian grey is the richest, most elusive, most enigmatic bachelor in washington

state. is that what women really want? >> i think in their fantasies, yes. in real life i think there's something very, very different. you want someone without those issues. >> why does he have to be rich and domineering? >> because that's really attractive on paper. >> is it saying that women have this secret desire to be submissive? >> possibly, yes. you know, you're in charge of your job, your house, your children, getting food on the table, doing all of this, all of the time. you'd love for someone else to just be in charge for a bit. >> shades of grey sparked a number of columnists to wonder if this is actually bad for women. fifty shades of retro grade. though not a single woman we interviewed thought so. >> what i really enjoyed was the dynamic between the characters and the way they evolved together. >> it's all about compromise. i will do this if you do that, in a way. >> the things that the main character goes through are some of the things that you wonder yourself, but you're too afraid

to ask. >> it's about openness and talking about what you want, and also talking about what you don't want. >> but i'm open in my mind. i can't say that i've done any of those things. >> steamy romance has been a staple for century. author jackie collins' work was first called nasty, filthy and disgusting. and yes, hugely successful. >> as an author you can never be worried about what people are going to think. i mean, if i'd been worried about what people are going to think i would have never written another word after my first book. >> the first, and now second and third book were inspired by the twilight saga. now this suburban mom's got a movie deal herself. and is well on her way to becoming a significant, if improbable voice, for generations of women. >> i think this is a very undisciplined kind of world and undisciplined writer. it's raw. i'm not a great writer. >> she makes no apologies for

the writing, the plot, anything, said she wrote this as a hobby. sheer fantasy. so there. matt? >> well, she's caused quite a stir. michelle kosinski in paris for us this morning. michelle, thank you very much. and now here's al. >> hey, matt, thanks so much. competition heating up on nbc's hit singing competition "the voice." quarterfinals kicked off last night. and two contestants sent packing. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> hi, al. >> this has been a heck of a ride for you. jesse, i should say if i want to start first, because i mean you were homeless, single dad, and now here you are, you get your act together, and you're singing on "the voice." what's this ride been like for you? >> well, it's been an incredible but enjoyable ride. you know, being here on nbc "the voice." yeah, we've had some very challenging moments, my daughter and i. but you know, i just teach her to find the positive, you know, even in the negative, and just

focus on that. and the moment of the now. and it will bring about more of the same. >> such a beautiful girl. and jordis, you're on team blake. last night you showed that emotional side. any regrets to doing that? >> not at all. i think it was really appropriate song for my journey on the show. and i think, you know what, ability to, i guess connect to a lyric is something central. i'm really proud of what i did here. >> jesse, you were on team christina and in the end christina said i had to go with the strongest team. did you talk to her afterwards and find out why she decided to boot you? >> no. i don't know if i'll have that opportunity. i mean, i know one of the last things that i remember her saying is that she had to go with her gut. and my thing is, hey, you know, it's all about what you feel, and if she felt that, to me, it's like, it may be the end in some sense but i see it as the beginning. so i'm not mad or disappointed. i'm just grateful for the experience that i've had thus

far. >> all right. looks like a great beginning for both of you. jordis, jesse, thank you so much. more eliminations tonight at 9:00, 8:00 good morning, it is 8:26. i'm marla tellez. a $5,000 reward is offered to help find the man that kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman near lake merit. a 34-year-old woman tells police she was kidnapped on lake shore boulevard near our lady of the lord's church. someone got out of a car, grabbed her and forced her into a vehicle. the suspect description is limited. we have a couple of accidents. mike inouye has the information. >> accident 101, north and

southbound, same area, both clearing from the roadway. look at all of the slow drive from san jose to mountain view, passing by 237. 101, 880 an accident. northbound 280 at 85, still on the shoulder. live look at 880 past the coliseum. volunteer builds here. marla, back to you. for the latest traffic and news updates, check us on facebook, search nbc bay area. we'll be back at 8:56.

we're back now, 8:30 on a tuesday morning. the 17th day of april, 2012. we're taking a look at a big crowd that's gathered on rockefeller plaza, some women who are standing tall. >> savannah tall. >> excuse me, i've got to go with my ladies. >> outen the plaza, i'm matt lauer -- >> did you know they were going to be here? >> no! we didn't plan it. but i think we have a connection.

>> my people. >> my people! >> out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. savannah is here while ann is taking some time off this week. we've got natalie here and al, as well. and if you are looking for a great place to go on your next vacation, conde nast traveler is out with their list of the hottest new resorts and spas and hotels. these are places that either opened this year, reopened this year or were completely renovated and some of them on the list are affordable, great suggestions coming up. >> all right. also ahead, what is your anger management style? apparently there are different ways to handle your anger. some are more healthy than others. we will tell you how to figure it out and how to come up with a new approach to handle your anger. apparently repressing and then just becoming more and more builter is not on the list. >> are you somebody who keeps it all inside? >> yeah, repress. repress it. >> i go to a certain point then i explode. >> yeah. >> i think i'm kind of like al. you kind of reach that tipping point. >> i don't get mad often but

when i get mad, it's not good. anyway, just a warning to all of you. >> remember -- >> what do you have al going on? >> well, hey, by the way, sometimes you're trying to decide what you're going to make for dinner. should you have steak, should you have seafood? why choose? why not have both? we're going to show you a great little steak and seafood dinner that you can put together pretty easily. >> all right. and after you eat that then we can talk about our most pressing diet dilemmas. coming up we're going to answer some of your most asked questions, including should you trust those calorie counters on those workout machines. >> never trust them. >> really? >> lots to get to. mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? >> all right? >> i've had it! sorry. >> i believed you had had it. >> let's show you what's going on for today. we've got plenty of sunshine, but cooling down here in the northeast. slit risk of some strong storms in the southeast. more rain in the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine to the southwest, with mild conditions continuing today, rain along the

pacific northwest coast, sunny and cool in the northeast, and in the great lakes. showers along the southeastern and mid-atlantic coast. sunny and warm throughout much of florida. nice and mild conditions, central plains, on down into texas. well, it is a cool start to this tuesday morning, but lots of sunshine slated for the first part of the day, starting between 10:00 and 2:00, we are getting full on sunshine. then the clouds roll back in. not before we reach 71 in san jose today. holding to the upper 60s in places like oakland. tomorrow morning, another round of fog is anticipated. temperatures soar to 85 degrees inland friday. >> savannah is talking with these people right now. she gets some tall girls. hey, don't forget, check your weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable. weather.com online. and now let's go with the happy guys dotcom, mr. willard scott.

hey, uncle willie. >> we've got birthday buddy wishes from florida. check the list and you can see for yourself. i like this man. this is the lovely rosco cassidy from owensville, kentucky. world war ii veteran and every evening he has a little shot of bourbon. that's where they invented it, kentucky. did you know that? freda popky, wilkes-barre, pennsylvania. she's 104. loves to argue politics and cook traditional jewish food. and we have gilbert herrick, rochester, new york, 100 years old today. an excellent painter, and he just got married at 99. a lot of guys would like to. hattie goldsmith, from greenville, south carolina is 104 years old today.

the oldest member of her church. they all love her down there. love her to death. helen turner has a great name, turner, linwood, new jersey, is 105 years old today. wrote a book when she was 100. and now she's going to write a sequel. how about that? an active lady. and willie elliot, good old william is from philadelphia, pennsylvania, home of the cream cheese and liberty bell. he is a proud mail carrier for 40 years. that's it from good old captiva, island. back to new york. >> all right. see you guys at the meeting later. willard, thank you so much. coming up next, the biggest hot spots of the year. where you can go and get a really good value. conde nast list is coming up for the best spots for 2012.

laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] get the mileage card with special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? [ male announcer ] the united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. "today's travel"er is brought to you by walt disney world. don't wait. let the memory begin.

>> back now at 8:37. this morning on "today's travel," the best new hotels, spas and resorts. if you're planning your summer vacation, we've got great ideas. lisa gill is senior editor for conde nast traveler here with their 2012 hot list. good to see you. >> good morning. >> not a reader's poll. this is all about editors and writers. >> right. the hot list is an editor's pick of the world's best new hotels that have opened all around the world in the past year. >> or reopened. these places could have been renovated and reopened in 2012. the u.s. does pretty well on this list. there are 12 entries. let's start with one of them. you love this hotel in scottsdale, arizona. is it called the segoro. >> this is one of the reinventions. a cluster style building, fun new design. friendly vibe. we love this place because of the burst of color in a place that has a lot of sand tones. >> and a lot of these types of resorts are located in the middle of nowhere in the desert.

you like this because it's right on the edge of old town. >> right near the shopping district, the arts district, so you can walk around and enjoy the town. $125 a night is the starting point. >> let's move on to chicago. the public in chicago getting a lot of attention. >> yeah. >> this was a top to bottom renovation. >> it was. it is the first of ian schrager's new hotels. hotel classic in the gold coast. and they've done a fabulous job in >> especially like the food here. >> we love the food. the restaurant is iconic. a lot of celebrities used to go there and still go there. it's had another reinvention, and it's all good stuff. >> as you mention right on the gold coast. let's head down to new orleans right now. in the french quarter, what did you like there? >> we love that new orleans is on the list this year. the saint is a modern twist on new orleans style. it's in the french quarter right on canal street. and we love the historic touches, gas lanterns and the entryway but the rooms are very

modern and fresh and we love that combination of fresh and historic. >> when i was looking through the information on this particular hotel, the saint, one thing jumped out at me. you describe or the writers describe it as boardleo chic. >> that's the burgundy bar which has a louis armstrong theme. we love it. you know, deep red bankettes and very cozy spaces. >> new orleans is a great town to visit any time of the year. the next property has been described as an upscale grown-up version of summer camp, located only about 2 1/2 hours from here out on montauk in long island. >> this is like summer camp for adults. it's so much stuff to do. it's a very social experience. you can do ping pong, yoga, paddle boarding. feels like summer camp. rooms are kind of rustic with cedar plank walls and it's really fun. it's a really fun place to be. >> if you are a surfer this one is just a shuttle bus ride away from the best surf break on the east coast. or at least arguably, that's

ditch plains out in montauk. >> this place is open from may to september. so it's a real summer get away. >> i was looking at some of the rates on this one. and it says $175 a night. that's not for peak season right? >> peak season is july and august and i will pay a little bit more. you can find really great deals in the months around that, may, june, and september. >> all right. let's get a little bit more exotic. the next one is a cool hotel in marrakech, morocco. >> marrakech is one of the hottest cities in the world. and ria joya is a real gem of a place. seven rooms. >> total? >> it is seven rooms total. it's in a traditional moroccan house called a riyad. and the rooms are oriented around an inner court yard. it'sintimate. the attention to detail is amazing. we love the milan meets morocco. >> because there are only seven rooms my guess is it's a little more expensive? >> it's very affordable. rooms start at $228 a night. it's really great for groups. if you rent the whole place you have the whole place to

yourself. >> finally, this is the most expensive one on the list i understand. this is abu camp in botswana. >> this is a place to add to your bucket list. it's in northern botswana and situated on a 450,000 private game reserve that has the highest concentration of elephants anywhere in africa. so your experience with eleph t elephants here is really like no other place you'll ever be. lap of luxury. and it's the best thing about this place, totally solar powered so you're saving the planet. >> i went to botswana for where in the world one year. it is stunningly beautiful. what's the best time of the year to go there, because they're in their fall season right now. >> mm-hmm. they do have a anyy season. it's best to check with an agent who can book you at the right time and also the right season. but i would say probably the summer months, the fall months is really great. don't forget the price is a little pricey, $3800 for two people per night. but that includes all meals, game drive, laundry, park fees, so you get a lot of value for your money. >> thank you very much. appreciate it.

>> coming up next, how to determine your manager style, and find healthier ways to handle the stress in your life. we'll get to that. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] instead, try the new subway smokehouse barbecue chicken, big bbq taste 6 grams of fat. subway. eat fresh. here's big news from verizon wireless

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how do you deal with stress and manage your anger? we all face daily pressures that can push us to the brink from problems at work to traffic to the annoying habits of your spouse and kids. well, in may's "prevention" magazine, they break down the different styles of anger. and psychiatrist and "today" contribute gail saltz is here with the details. good morning. >> good morning. >> i guess we all need a shrink. >> i could hear during the break there were some unhealthy anger styles going on. yeah. >> we'll get into that. this is a starting point. some people say i don't get angry. i don't feel angry. is that possible? >> no. everybody experiences anger, because everybody has fights and things happen they don't like. whether they're conscious of their anger, aware of it, and

able to utilize it in a way that resolves conflict is another story. but if they repress it, or later as we'll discuss, avoidance, then, in fact, they might not have it in their awareness. but it's still going on. and it does take a toll, both on your mind and body. so there are about four different anger management styles. we'll put them on the screen. why is it important to identify what your style is? >> because some anger management styles are truly bad for you. they're bad for your cardiovascular health. they're bad for your emotional health. and they're bad for your relationships, because they make it impossible to actually resolve conflicts in a productive way. >> let's get to our first one, we call it reactive. this is our explosive, door-slamming, voice-raising, matt lauer character. >> apparently so. unbeknownst to me. but you can actually -- you feel the feeling, and whatever you feel is out of your mouth and out of your body right away in this explosive way. the problem with that is, it's shown to correlate with

cardiovascular disease, increases your blood pressure, you have all of these physiologic symptoms of anger. and it takes a toll on your heart. it also takes a toll on your relationships. because the bottom line is, these people are perceived as bullies, as difficult to be with. and it doesn't help you resolve a conflict. let me also say that nationally, i think we have a problem with reactive types. like, you know, someone who is exploding, being a bully, and we're not getting things resolved. >> then there is the opposite he said of the spectrum, which is the passive aggressive approach, which i guess is a person is angry, they act like they're not angry, but then take it out in an indirect way? >> right. they with hold anything nice they might say or give you the silent treatment or they say snide comments with a smile on their face. but they're zingers. women do this quite frequently, unfortunately, especially if they feel it's not okay to be angry in a forthright way. but the side effect is, you tend to carry around your anger much

longer. you ruminate about it. and it makes you more anxious and feel, frankly, more angry. >> it sounds like a bad cycle, because the recipient of this behavior may not know what you're really mad about but then they get mad and it's a terrible cycle. >> exactly. so this breaks up relationships. i think this is a big factor in marriages, which, as you know, have a very high divorce rate. couples who treat each other in a passive aggressive way. >> now to the next, who simply walk away and avoid it, avoid ant. >> but it isn't. something is actually going on and you're avoiding it. this is shown to correlate with cardiovascular disease as well. so you need to think about it. >> because why, you're holding it in and repressing it? >> you're holding it in, and even though it's not conscious, it's affecting your cardiovascular system. it also correlates with depression, because people who are avoidant tend to feel helpless, whatever is happening to them, they can't effect it, they're stuffing it down. and depression is known as anger

turned inward on the self so it does tend to make people depressed. >> there are times when you shouldn't have an explosive reaction. >> it's not the same as not having an explosive reaction. they're somewhere in between, which is directive. being aware that you're angry, saying, ooh, i feel angry, i'm going to think about how i want to respond to my angry feeling. you do respond, but in a thoughtful, respectful manner that helps you resolve what's going on. so, you know what, savannah, i'm angry with you. let me tell you about why. >> we're describing the final category, actually, which is the direct person. >> exactly. >> count to ten and then try to address it? >> well, if you are the reactive type, then you would do just that. you would notice, ooh, i'm feeling like i'm going to blow up. i want to stop, think about what's going on, and respond in a way that i thought through, that i think is going to help me resolve the conflict. which is not the same as making a snide comment, walking away, exploding, or saying, you know

what, you are a bad person, because i'm angry. >> real quickly, just to be devil's advocate and don't get mad at me, gail, is there any value to letting someone see your anger in that explosive reaction? a controlled reaction, as opposed to the direct approach you described? >> the direct approach is the controlled reaction. so, yes, there is a definite advantage to let someone see you're angry. you should work toward that. that should be the goal. let them see you're angry, but in a controlled and thoughtful manner, not in a, i've completely lost it. people who lost it later feel guilty, too, which is not a helpful effect. >> dr. gail saltz, thanks for the session. write you a check afterwards. appreciate it. >> my pleasure. coming up next, we put a new twist on surf n turf in "today's" kitchen. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] with all your car does for you, he really wants to hear those three little words: chevron with techron. care for your car.

if you want something done right, then do it yourself. that's the idea behind our children, our future -- the ballot initiative to fix our schools. we've waited years for the politicians to do it. now, we can do it ourselves.

our children, our future sends every k through 12 dollar straight to our schools... not to sacramento. it benefits every kid in every school, with local control of the money. that's why the p-t-a supports it. my mom likes it, too. "today's kitchen" is brought to you by folgers. the best part of waking up is folgers in your cup. we're back at 8:52. this morning on "today's kitchen" we're spicing it up with an asian inspired surf and turf meal. chef roger's latest cookbook is everday exotic. good to see you. >> good to see you, sir. >> doing a little kind of surf and turf. >> that's the idea. but we're focusing around black beans. >> you call in your cookbook an

ingredient obedient. >> a lot of people are intimidated by ingredients. you don't know what to do with it. i'm going to teach you how to be the master of the ingredient. >> listen to me. >> fermented black beans or regular? >> it's not regular beans that you know like mexican cuisine or some french cuisine. this is actually a soybean that's been cured and fermented. sometimes with ginger but always with salt. >> how hard to find? >> you can find them in any chinatown, supermarket. in canada where i live i see it in most supermarkets now. and it's really inexpensive. so we take these beautiful fermented black beans, basically chop them down, because it's quite salty and you don't want to have a big bite of salt on one. a little bit of oil in here. toast that up and you can already smell the aroam map >> right. >> it smells kind of like soy sauce. garlic, shallots, ginger. very simple. we want nice, fine dice so it breaks down. can you stir that up for me? >> absolutely. >> you're a pro at this.

>> that smells good. >> i hear you can get busy in the kitchen. >> i can. >> the chilies. >> are these spicy? >> they're a little bit spice si. not as spicy as thai hot but they are above jalapenos, for sure. you have the sauce sauce. i'll do the white wine -- the red wine vinegar. rice wine vinegar, sorry. >> and a little sugar? >> a little bit of sugar, yeah. water. about half of that water i think will do the trick. because it's quite salty. we have fermented black beans and the soy sauce. >> then you've got -- >> got those flavors. we've got cornstarch and water. you're going to let that bubble up. now very important when using cornstarch, al, it's got to boil to activate so that it starts breaking down. >> and then we end up with something like this. >> no, that's -- >> no, no, we don't. >> no! what are you talking about? >> the key ingredient. >> okay. so this is just some shallots in the pan with a little bit of oil.

>> use whatever oil you like. i like a very neutral oil because i don't want to overtake the flavor. can you turn that down just a little bit. boiling is good, bubbling over, not so good. >> not good. >> shrimp. >> this is shrimp peeled, deveined, tails off. and we're just going to saute this to get some of the flavors. >> hopefully it cooks pretty left. >> we're golden, okay. a minute. that's like forever in tv land. >> yeah. you've never been on our tv. >> okay so check this out. there's some of that sauce, right? >> ooh. >> take some of the sauce. add it in to there. you see that immediately start to come together. and we don't want to kill these ingredients so we're just going to add a little bit of green onion. >> scallion. >> yes, green onions. some chopped cilantro. >> right. meantime you're grilling up a fillet? >> yes, these are six or eight ounce filets. you take those. throw it on a plate. >> uh-oh. >> we'll have to go. >> that's good. >> top it and put it on.

>> you can put it on top. >> thank you so much. still ahead, simple ways to give your home a spring face-lift. it is 8:56. i'm marla tellez. weekend parking in san francisco may be getting more expensive. they are expected to approve a plan to enforce parking meters sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m. right now, meter parking is free on sundays.

they say it will add up to $2 million. aren't you loving the forecast? here is meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning. doesn't get much better than this in san jose, completely clear start. we have fog lingering over the coastline, keep that in mind, but we hit the 70s today. 78 degrees thursday, 85 on friday! ♪ [ male announcer ] it's one thing... to have created an icon and quite another to have done it generation after generation. to the long line of legendary mercedes-benz sl roadsters... ♪ the 2013 sl.

i am suzanne shaw. it is tax season. a good repair to rethink one of california's biggest tax shelters, proposition 13. the law kept legions of families from being taxed out of their homes. it also protects owners of commercial property, skyscrapers, malls, and vineyards reep savings from that gap. assessors are reassessing prop 13. san francisco's close the loophole campaign is going after corporate deals. other groups want to target all nonresidential properties. nbc bay area supports an honest debate about the unintended results of prop 13. it was supposed to benefit homeowners, not high-rises. assembly bill 2014 would create

a prop 13 taskforce which is a good start. what do you think? tell us at nbceditorials.com. and we're back with more of today on this tuesday morning, april 17th, 2012, nice crowd sticking around on a sunny morning here in new york city. not a cloud in the sky. a perfect morning. i'm matt lauer with savannah, while anns taking time-out. she would not normally be here anyway. we're also joined by al roker and cameron hall. we'll talk about pippa middleton, she is seen in a car with friends, one of those friends appear to point what is a gun at a photographer. the question now is will there be a criminal investigation?

>> not clear whether it was a real or fake gun. what will police do we'll have the latest on the investigation. not a smart thing to do in a crowd. ever wonder when you're working on your trainer, the treadmill whether the calorie counters are accurate, we'll gt the answer from joy bauer? is low fat peanut butter better than the real thing? the answer in diet sos. jeff rossen has questionable and criminal behavior, all caught on camera including a guy apparently took out his frustration at a car dealership, never a good thing, crashing up the show room when the car was not ready on time. animals on the loose, a woman who escaped serious injury when an suv rammed right through the 7-eleven. i love her composure, like really, what happened? >> star reflect.

>> when the slurpee wasn't done on time. it was going to be better but didn't come out. >> that was bad. let's go inside. >> busted! >> nationalie has a check of th headlines. >> you can work on that, good morning, everyone. congress is putting the general services administration in the hot seat, set to grill current and former officials on an $823,000 las vegas conference back in 2010. on monday jeff neely the gsa official at the center of the scandal used his fifth amendment rights on capitol hill but damaging photographs posted to his wife's account have surfaced showing nim a lavish hotel room during a scouting trip for the 2010 conference. mitt romney has formally launched started his search for running mate. the presumptive presidential

candidate said monday he has put long time advice or beth meyers in charge of selecting and vetting potential partners. a special u.s. investigator has been sent to columbia to question witnesses about the secret service scandal. eleven agents stripped of their clearance accused of inappropriate behavior with prostitutes in columbia. they were not part of the president's personal detail but had hard copies of his schedule. five members of the u.s. military have also been em play indicated. president obama is unveiling a plan to increase federal supervision of oil markets. it would crack down on illegal market manipulation by speculators, which some democrats blamed for higher gas prices. the space shuttle discovery took to the sky once more with a little help from a modified jumbo back. nasa's shuttle will begin the

retirement at the smithsonian. another reason this morning to get enough shut eye. a story from boston's brigham and women's hospital, people who sleep fewer than five hours a night have an increased risk of developing type ii diabetes. new developments this morning after kate middleton's sister pippa was photographed with a friend who appeared to be pointing a gun with paparazzi. michelle has more, good morning. >> reporter: all this controversy and buzz surrounding an acquaintance of pippa's pointing what clearly appeared to be a gun on the streets of paris brought a bar rage of reports some conflicting. this morning a french photographer was quoted anonymously saying he was sure that gun was plastic, this was all a big joke. but others quote anonymous police sources saying they are reviewing the photos and expect more information to come in. threatening anyone with a gun,

real or fake, is a crime but at this point, police say there is no investigation, because no one has yet filed a formal complaint. . a stolen penguin is back where he belongs, seven-year-old dirk was swiped on saturday by a group of young men who abandoned him in shark-infested waters. the culprits were busted, dirk was rescued and he's now a top story on today.com. he is a cutie. five minutes past the hour, up to al with a check on the weather. >> the penguins should take the guys and leave them in the shark infested water. more rain around the gulf coast, some parts of texas yesterday picking up ten inches of rain. not so much today. we do have flood watches in effect, stretching from port arthur, texas all the way to new orleans, everywhere in between. rainfall amounts from three to

six inches of rain locally, generally about two to four inches. that's what is going o well, we have some stubborn low clouds sitting right by the coast. otherwise, clear conditions in the south bay and east bay as a result of sunshine coming in early. temperatures reaching the 70s in places like san jose, 69 in oakland. and heading through wednesday up, thursday, the marine layer back to sea. 85 degrees friday. we hold onto mid-80s for the first part of the weekend. sunday, temperatures tumble to 70. time now for "joy's diet s.o.s." where we answer your daily diet dilemmas. our favorite "today" nutritionist joy bauer is here from the healthiest peanut butter to the accuracy of calorie counters on workout equipment.

we want to go to suzanne. she's checking in via skype from allison park, pennsylvania. good morning, suzanne. >> good morning. hi, joy and al. >> what's your question? >> hi. i've heard that almond flour is good for you because it's low on the glycemic index. however it's significantly higher in calories. so i wondered if you think it's better for you thanary whole grain now flours. and i'm gluten free so i typically use a brown rice flour blend. >> it's true that almond flour is low on the glycemic index. that means that it doesn't spike your blood sugar. that's because it's low in carbs and high in fiber. it's actually a really good gluten free option for diabetics and for people that have high blood sugar issues. but like you mentioned it's super high in calories and that's because it's basically ground almonds. and we know that almonds are super healthy like all nuts but they're also very calorie dense. i think the perfect compromise for gluten free recipes is look at how much total flour a recipe

calls for, maybe healthy muffins or pancakes and then use a third almond flour and two thirds your traditional brown rice blend or any other flour, and then you get the benefits of the almond flour but keep the calories down. >> all right. suzanne, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> now we've got glinda from rochester, michigan. good morning. >> good morning, al and joy. i've always thought that reduced fat peanut butter was a healthier choice versus regular peanut butter. but when i look at the label, i've noticed that although the fat content might be less, it has higher amounts of other items that might not be so desirable. which is the healthier choice? >> so, there's no benefit to buying reduced fat peanut butter. you really nailed it. whether it's reduced fat or traditional peanut butter, two tablespoons will give you roughly 200 calories. and the reduced fat peanut butter, when they pull out the fat, what are they doing? they're adding in extra carbohydrates. so you're better off getting the

heart healthy fat from the peanuts for those calories than just extra carbohydrates. but the only caveat is on the market now, if you're looking for a super low calorie reduced fat peanut butter they have these powdered brands. the most popular is called pb-2 and they press the oil-roasted peanuts and extract about 85% of the fat. so you take the powder and you mix it with water and it's only 45 calories per two tablespoons. >> how do they taste? >> well, that's the thing. it doesn't taste bad. but you're definitely going to have to compromise a little bit on the taste and the texture. al, the company is going to kill me. >> it's not horrible, but, you know -- >> for people that are looking for the dramatic calorie savings, it really does taste okay. but it doesn't taste like the real mccoy. >> all right. or you can just grind up a corduroy suit and try that. >> no! it doesn't taste that bad! he's lying. . >> all right. a viewer e-mail here from virginia. she writes, how accurate are the

calorie trackers on workout equipme equipment? some machines ask me my weight and age but some don't require that info. >> unfortunately, the calories are not that accurate. they can overshoot by about 20%. and it really makes sense. because to figure out how many personal calories you're burning you need your age, your height, your weight, your heartrate, your fitness level, your body composition. so the machine can't take all of that into consideration. but i still think it's a great ball park figure. it's true encouragement but you just don't want to us it as the end all. for people who want a more specific number you can invest in a heart rate monitor because that will give you a truer reading. >> do you burn more calories eating regular peanut butter or the powdered? >> we got to go. >> thanks so much. still to come, easy and affordable ways to brighten your home decor. but up next some of the wildest moments caught on tape. jeff rossen takes a look at the people and animals and things, and places getting busted!

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sold only at walgreens. ♪ now to our series "busted!" a look at some of the greatest, not so great moments caught on tape. nbc's jeff rossen is here with a roundup of the wild antics of some of your neighbors. >> maybe even you. who knows. we'll get to the individual know in a second. the bottom line here is there's always a camp california rolling and chances are if you're doing something bad you're going to get busted. we like to pull all the videos together to show you all of it and what happened in the past week. >> where do you start? >> start in connecticut. this is actually a pretty good one. a woman is actually standing in a convenience store at a

7-eleven, buying a lottery ticket of all things and watch what happens. boom. driver comes right through, literally misses her by inches. i think it's important to mention, as i said, she was buying a lottery ticket. look how close she came. she jumps up on the counter, the driver actually pulls out and leaves. turns out, he admits to being drunk in court papers. his lawyer says the driver, and that's him, just got back from two tours in iraq. >> oh. >> and made a mistake. >> wow. i like that her hood never came down. >> i know. >> her wardrobe -- >> she just jumped on the counter. >> let's move on to moss kwo and a runaway suv. we just saw one. >> there was another runaway suv. this one is in moscow. it's a doctor. he's actually a gynecologist. and you see he grabs his car and just went through the show room and started ramming into cars for three minutes straight. tamron asks why? why would he do that? well, he was there to pick up another car and they said you're going to have to wait 20 minutes and he totally freaked out. >> didn't want to wait 20

minutes? >> they had to wrestle him to the ground and out of the car. again he spent three minutes ramming into everything he could see. we have some aftermath video to show you. and this is all the damage he did. he ended up getting busted, in that caught on camera moment and he has to pay thousands of dollars to that dealership. >> somebody's going to see you. now let's go to courtroom outburst in florida. >> this man is there for a domestic abuse hearing. you think you're going to be on your best behavior in court. but not this guy. he asked the judge can i kiss my girlfriend before you take me away? the why said no, and he flipped out, they took a bailiff and two other men trying to handcuff him to keep -- sedate him and keep him there. he ends up getting a resisting arrest charge on top of the domestic violence hearing. all because he wanted to kiss his girlfriend and the judge said no. >> moving on to a pretty determined police officer in vietnam. >> this actually happened to me in new york city on occasion. >> not vietnam. >> this video is from vietnam.

this cop wanted to write a bus a parking ticket. no big deal. the bus driver wasn't going to have it and took off with the cop standing on the bumper. keep watching. the cop doesn't get off the bumper, even as the bus moves. >> this is not real. >> this is real. and the bus got up to 30 miles per hour. >> no. >> and the cop would not let go. he wanted to write that ticket. this went on for several minutes. >> i challenge this. this is like a spoof. >> we have a challenge? mark, do we have -- is there anything in place for a tamron challenge? this actually did happen. he stayed on the bus. by the way at the end heent up writing that ticket to the bus driver. the bus did get up to 30 miles an hour. look at him staring the guy down. >> i see you because i'm in your windshield. but it's not just people. you have animals. how do you bust an animal? >> you're about to see. this is new jersey. there's a cow who escapes from a slaughter house. good for him, right? he gets out. you can see the police were

called. this truck tries to ram the cow. the cow is okay. he continues to run. they eventually tranquilize this cow and he stops. here is the best part. this is where getting busted actually pays off. because this cow was so determined, the slaughterhouse now says we're going to let him go. we're going to give him over to an animal farm. we're not going to turn him into meat. >> that's the least that they could do. >> look at that. look at the car. >> oh. >> he's okay, though. he's okay. >> he's going to an animal farm. >> now he's being pet by lots of children with colds. >> my daughter is giving him feed. >> another animal in kansas. >> i just love this picture. a cop on the side of the road sees this. look at this picture. it is a zebra standing on the side of the road. he actually escaped from a farm. >> with the cow? >> with the cow. i mean look, they're all banding to the. the animals are taking over. i thought the picture was cool. he was sent back to the farm and he was busted for kind of grazing on the side of the road. >> this is in kansas. you're riding down the street,

you look over and there's a zebra. you ask yourself, what did you have to drink that night? >> that's right. >> interesting. again most of these people who were convicted, obviously they were guilty. >> innocent until proven guilty. >> jeff rossen, thank you very much. coming up next, she lost more than 65 pounds on the biggest loser ranch and she's still dropping weight. how did she do it? we'll find out right after this. losing weight clicked for me when i lost weight in all the right places. you know what i mean! [ laughs ] when i tried to lose weight other ways, i felt hungry all the time. on weight watchers online, i eat all day long. i loved grabbing those activity points and throwing them into my tracker. and then it adds it up for you at the end of the week so that you can earn more points for food. i never thought that way before. i lost 38 pounds with weight watchers online. i really did it. [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] join now and get one month free. hurry offer ends april 21st. weight watchers online. finally, losing weight clicks.

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let's take a minute to say hello to chris pickler, the latest contestant to have the scales tip against her on "the biggest loser." you started off the show. you were 240 pounds when you were kicked off. you were 172 pounds. amazing. how much have you lost? and how are you keeping it going at home? >> well, i would like to have my weight be a surprise at finale. >> yes. >> so i'm going to keep that part to myself. but, doing it at home, it's just -- it's an adjustment, with four kids, and you know, everything that you have to do at home. >> and you got a great makeover. you got to meet michelle obama at the white house. what was that like? >> that was incredible. it was such a surreal experience to go to the white house. and to have my kids join me there. stories that they can tell their grand kids.

it was amazing and i love michelle obama. she's so down to earth and so genuine. >> there was a moment there, you had talked to your husband, and then you had a little bit of a relapse, i guess, bingeing. something a lot of people can relate to. what did you learn from that experience? >> well, you know, i think that was just something that i needed to go through, and i realized very quickly that those behaviors were causing me a lot of damage. and the way i felt after it, you know, after going through the process was so much different than in the past when i would go through it. so it was a learning experience for me. and i haven't had one since. >> good for you. good for you. >> you look fabulous. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> chris pickler. "the biggest loser" airs tonight at 8:00. 7:00 central here on nbc. i'm here with karen

and her bffs and we are talking about activia. i've been eating activia and i feel great! i'm used to having irregularity. i feel like that's normal. if you are not feeling like trying this on, that's not normal. activia helps with occasional irregularity when eaten 3 times a day. feeling regular to me was a new feeling... i came to find my 'new normal' and i love it! ♪ activia and try new silky, fruit tiacvia harvest picks. another way to enjoy activia. carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. same as becka's science fair... another mini-wheats day coming up! ummmm...you rock. right here! [ female announcer ] kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal is packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains

to help keep your kids full and focused. good morning, everybody. the time is 9:26. i'm jon kelley. environmental officials say there r new concerns how to remove a boat on the farallon islands. >> where the boat is sitting is off the largest marine mammal haulout area where upwards of a thousand california sea lions were hauled out there. it is a critical wildlife area there. >> that boat crashed into the island during a race on saturday. three crew members were rescued, but five more are missing and right now presumed dead. experts will consider the

environmental impact of removing the boat before they try to salvage it. a high profile advocate for missing children will be at the state capital testifying on two death penalty proposals. mark klaas's daughter was kidnapped and killed in 1994. the killer has been on death row for 16 years. today, klaas will testify in support of a senate bill that would end the automatic appeal of death sentences, and send an amendment that would transfer death sentences from supreme court tourts a aoke locourts. a look at the local weather and traffic after the break. [spring releases] boing...boing (sir can-a-lot) excuse me, madame. [giggles] i only intended to punch up your potatoes

with the flavor of glorious spam! (woman) oh... i never thought of that. (sir can-a-lot) i wouldn't be here if you had, madame. (ancr) break the monotony. for more fun ideas visit spam.com. 9:28. welcome back. you can see we have quite a bit of fog lingering by the city by the bay. come 10:30, the sky will look like this. we will see the 70s as a result. 71 in san jose, 71 in los gatos. san francisco on the cool side as a result of low cloud cover. tomorrow, we'll see more cloud cover to start.

thursday, friday morning, waking up with full on sunshine. as a result, temperatures soar to 85 degrees inland. check the drive with mike. westbound 237, great america parkway, two separate accidents cleared from the roadway. all of the backup from mal paid as. northbound 101 adding to that slow down after an earlier accident at move et had things blocked. 387 and 85, folks trying to escape that route. southbound foot hill expressway and page mill, a slippery slow down. back in a half hour with more local updates.

♪ >> i love that song. swifter, higher, stronger, get ready to cheer, because as of tomorrow the 2012 summer olympic games in london are just 100 days away. and we are going to be ramping up the excitement, taking a look at who you'll be rooting for in july. that is tomorrow on "today." >> doesn't it make your heart race? >> it literally does. love it. >> this will be -- >> get into training, guys. >> thanks, again. >> okay, meantime just ahead, this is one of the happiest times of the year for high school teenagers as they get ready for prom and graduation. but unfortunately it's also the time when we see a spike in the

bummer of alcohol, or drug-related car crashes. and peer pressure certainly can be a big factor. coming up advice for parents on how to talk to your kids. >> all right. then also ahead, updating your home for spring and summer. does not have to really cost you a fortune. it's just about knowing what the hottest trends are like black and white, graphic patterns, animal prints. throw it all together and you've got a wow of a room. we're going to show you how to incorporate it throughout your house. >> a brighter room. >> wow, nice. >> whoo! >> fancy. >> took a little while to set it up. >> wow. >> a little extra time there. >> i like that. and a steakhouse meal you can make at home in "today's kitchen." one of new york's top chefs is going to show you how you can be satisfied with a steak salad if you choose the right cut of meat, and you know how to prepare it. >> that looks like the right cut of meat. >> all right. >> all right. >> tamron has the goose bumps. >> over steak alone.

>> chills. >> okay. let's show you for today, we've got some showers in the pacific northwest. cooling down here in the northeast. but still nice and sunny. plen i of sunshine through the southwest. slight risk of strong storms along the southeastern atlantic coast into the southeast. for tomorrow, sunny and cool, new england into the northeast. rain along the southeast, and mid-atlantic coastline. a few showers in the pacific northwest coast. sunny and hot in the southwest, on in mild conditions into the central plains and down into texas.

>> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you. up next from bold color to wild animal prints the latest home trends for spring right after this. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ apply online or at a bank of america near you. at olive garden, we're as passionate about cheese as you are. so we've created three new parmesan dishes. new grilled chicken parmesan, chicken fresh off the grill as well as grilled shrimp or grilled steak, all with a parmesan crust. passion for parmesan for a limited time only at olive garden.

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this morning on "today's home," brightening up your decor with the hottest spring trends. the lifestyle editor of gilt.com is here with some affordable ideas to give the rooms of your home a little face-lift. good morning. >> good morning. >> i love just all these colors we're seeing. that's the first trend. this is straight off the runway, bringing it to the home now. >> exactly. >> bold, bright colors. >> bold, bright colors has actually made its way into our living rooms. the great thing is, you don't have to do tons of color at once. you can sort of ease into it with little pops. and it really does enliven a room. lots of easy ways to bring in color, starting with artwork. believe it or not, artwork doesn't have to be expensive. and this is a poster from momastore.org and a very famous painting, love the spectrum rainbow, and at $18 you can bring this in. you won't feel like you're so committed, take it down if you get tired of it at the end of the summer. >> you were saying color makes

us just so happy. for example you say you can add that little burst of color just by adding a small piece of furniture. this table makes me happy. >> it totally makes me happy. these are quadruple threats, they're from westbound and target. they're indoor, outdoor. you can drag them anywhere. you can use them as foot stools, side tables, real stools. put two together as a coffee table and they're fantastic. also, talk about accessories. the throw pillow equals the single easiest way to give a room a face-lift ever. these are called the chrome ma throw pillar and they're mod and hand embroidered. also a throw like these from company c really easy way to bring in some color, and our rugs. these are three different rugs from dash and albert dotcom, and we're all about, you know, really vibrant stripes and fun. you know, for spring. and plus these are affordable. they start at $30 so you can

throw them down in spring, fold them up, put them under -- >> these are great. >> exactly. >> so they're good for that, as well. you don't have to be worried about just looking like a kid's room. >> no, not at all. >> you can incorporate bits and pieces of it. >> let's move on to the black and white. which i love this kind of all to the. but would you do all of these patterns together? >> probably not. it might be a little overkill. >> a little overkill. we love the bold impact of black and white but you may want to use it sparingly. >> exactly. >> let's start with this special mirror, natalie. isn't it amazing? >> gorgeous. >> from wisteria.com. it's beautifully made. 1,000 pieces of mother of pearl in it. >> it's a real statement maker. >> so entry way, living room, dining room, anywhere. and starting at just $311. so that's pretty reasonable. and our chair, loving this chair. >> it's great. >> sort of a zigzag in the home decor world a blownup zigzag is called a chevron.

>> okay now we know. >> this is from urban outfitters dotcom, just $279. and here is the easiest accessory that you can change. >> a lamp shade. >> change out a lamp shade. keep the lamp if it's outdated, just change out the lampshade. this is from lamps plus. can you design your own lampshades and it starts at $69. >> some more black and white accessorie accessories. >> and then loving these throw pillows. they're great. and don't be afraid to mix patterns. just make sure you vary the scale, and our rug, again, a great graphic print. ties it all together. >> i love it. okay now from these, this whole pattern to over here let's go own bolder. now we're in the animal world. >> we went a little animal over here. we've got zebras, snake prints, leopard prints. >> yeah, absolutely. and you know i love to wear any animal print. and i love also to have it in a room. >> it's great. >> so we started with this lamp. it's called the loops lizard

lamp. and so lizard skins, and snake skins, are really huge. in fashion, as you know. and also really great way to bring texture into a home. it's a little bit more subtle. and this is by seventh avenue. and then again, we've got these great, love these stools. they can be side tables >> these you can get at couture dotcom. zebra is the iconic stand-by animal print. can you never go wrong with zebra. >> i love how you tie all this with a natural piece of furniture so it's sort of like a tonal basic. >> exactly. and you it really sort of helps, you know, doesn't detract from all of the animal print you have going. >> right. >> now these pillows are from dwell studio dotcom. i love them. they're linen and they're amazing in any room and i'd love to see them in a kid's room, living room. >> they're really, really fun.

and finally we've got great rugs again. >> leopard prints can never go wrong. and a little giraffe. we're seeing more giraffe and interesting colors. these are from ruglots.com. >> i love these. >> thanks, natalie. >> thanks kathy. great little vignettes here. coming up, as we get into prom season, keeping your kids from drinking and driving. [ female announcer ] lose yourself in a delicious special k protein shake.

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this morning on "parenting today," preventing teen drinking and driving. prom and graduation season usually happy times yet too often it's overshadowed by underage drinking and tragedy. an upcoming "dateline" report shows how teen pressure and

alcohol can be a deadly michelle. michelle borba is parenting expert and a "today" contributor. >> good morning. >> you were part of this "dateline" series. and it is a part of the my kid would never and the question was posed would your kid get into a car with another teen who'd been drinking. that's a heck of a question. and we have a clip of what happened. let's play that. >> will johnny, jordan and christina get in a car with a driver who they think is drunk? >> are you drunk, like actually? >> their parents, who have all predicted their kids won't get in the car, stare at the monitors. they all get up, but christina and jordan are reluctant to go. >> i don't think -- >> yeah, i don't think he should be driving. >> with hearts racing, their parents wait to see what will happen next. >> he's getting in the car. >> oh -- >> michelle, were you surprised by the parent and attorney reaction there? >> i was not surprised by the parents who were in a state of shock. in terms of the kids getting in

the car, unfortunately, that's another no surprise, as well. we know that teens are risk takers. but we also know that the lull of peer pressure is a huge push and that's what parents have got to be wise about. >> sort of push back against that you have a list of things that parents really can work through. you say set clear rules and put it in writing. how does that help? >> because a survey of over 1,000 teens said if you are a hands-on parent, you've set clear rules, you monitor, you know their comings and goings, it reduces their risk factor of getting behind that car and drinking and driving by four times. there's no guarantee. but how glorious is that? set up contact with your child. sit down and at that point actually have clear consequences, again, which means you get in behind that car, i am monitoring you, but if you call, and get a ride, then you do not lose the keys or your license. i will give you the ride home. >> so everything is on the table. everyone's clear about where the family stands on this issue. that is great. but you also say, listen, as i

parent you have to monitor and sometimes you've got to pull tricks from your parent bag, including a hug to see if there's been drinking. >> this is the bottom line here. move your chair right to the front door. when your kid walks in every night, you stand up, you give them a huge hug. but you're doing something called the smell test. smell for the alcohol. look at the eyes. look to see if they're a little red. also look to smell their breath. are they chewing gum? how about that mint? listen to their speech. how was the party sweetheart? it is it slurred? can they walk straight? doesn't mean you don't trust your child. but it does mean that you're protecting them. >> so none of this, we're in bed, you know, mom and dad are sleeping, you get to come in on your own. >> kids know if they're being monitored the risk factors go down. >> you also say form an alliance with other parents. that is so key. >> it's so key. and we forget this one thing. where is the alcohol? at the party. but here's the other key, we think the party is being supervised. 99% of parents said they wouldn't serve the alcohol.

28% of kids say, where did they get it? at a party that you thought was supervised and it was parents who were supplying it. your rule is, call before any party, and introduce yourself to that parent. >> and you won't have to worry about being a pushy parent or appearing to be pushy? >> it's your rule. the fascinating thing is, is when your kids say nobody else does it, you'll discover most other parents want to do it. get an alliance with the parents. you want to keep your kids safe. >> absolutely. another strategy is to create a secret code and i think this is so key. your kid may want to call you and say, mom, my friend is drunk but they don't want to look like the person who's ratting out the crowd. >> they don't want to lose faith. here's what you do need to do. set up a preestablished code ahead of time. it could be a text, that's nothing more than 111. or it could be a comeback that means, mom i think i'm coming down with the flu. that really means, drop everything, go pick up that kid with no questions asked, but please make sure one other thing. most parents say they have a code. but the problem is, is that the parent -- the kid doesn't use

the code because they say, hey, you're giving them the lecture and you didn't follow through on what you said. >> briefly, alcohol and the availability sometimes in the house. >> it's huge. lock it up. also be very careful to watch your credit cards. and because the hottest new place for kids to buy liquor is online. >> oh. all right. a lot to watch out for. but if done right hopefully everyone will have a great graduation. >> looking forward. >> thank you, michelle. and you can see more on this topic on today.com, and on that special "dateline," "my kid would never

this morning in "today's kitchen," easy as one, two, three, a steakhouse salad. you're not just having a chunk

of juicedy meat, salads are hearty salads. executive chef michael jordan from the steakhouse nyc. good to see you. >> al, nice to see you. >> i love this idea of combining steak and a salad. you've got something healthy but you've got something you can sink your teeth into. >> it's spring. time to think healthy. we've got summer coming up. >> you're using a cut of beef, i haven't heard of. a carver steak. what is that? >> what it is, it's london broil but it's not your mother's london broil. what we've done is taken the best part of it which is on the cuff, which has less of a vein. we've cut out the veiny part and using the more tender meat. >> can the butcher get this for you? >> you certainly can. ask for london broil or top round. >> this is a steak you're going to marinate a little? >> it is. we're kind of doing it the old shake and bake way. >> ah. >> exactly. >> sorry. i've got to get out of here. >> so basically keep it simple. take a little bit of soy sauce.

>> a splash. some red wine, good cabernet from california. >> okay. >> some black pepper and a pinch of this, not all of that. >> what is this? >> that's coriander. >> okay. >> and then, you know you just zip it up, don't worry about it. roll it up, put it in your fridge overnight. done, done, done. take it out in the morning, drain it. put it on a towel. grills about three or four minutes a side. takes a little more time than with your filet would take. >> all four sides? >> that's the way we do it. take it out. the key is to rest it. always rest steak. so, rest it for five. that's the rule of thumb. >> and the salad part of it? >> exactly. we just made a very, very simple vinaigrette. roasted peppers, peeled them. this is just a mustard vinegar, balsamic and olive oil. you start with good balsamic and good olive oil you can't go

wrong. keep it simple. tour it in. want to toss that up? >> sure. >> if you want to plate it, i will plate up some steaks. >> sounds like a good idea. >> again, this is the carver steaks. you want to slice on the thin side. you don't want big, chunky pieces. you want kind of nice, even medium rare to rare pieces. >> okay. >> just like that. >> and it's not an expensive cut of meat, which is one of the great parts about it. but it's an underused cut of meat. >> the salad helps it go a little bit of a longer way. >> and it's a lean cut. so it's not -- it's healthy. >> and then you've got a cheese blintze and beet salad? >> i do. this is a little different. this is something, beets are kind of the steak of vegetables. they're big and hearty and have that great, great meaty taste to them. earthy taste. >> right. >> come on in. >> uh-oh. >> tamron is from texas.

so she's been waiting for meat. >> there's nothing wrong with that. >> we're talking about you're from texas and you like steak. >> i like it raw. yes, i do. >> this is a phyllo dough. just one piece of pastry. >> and ted we've got the recipe on the website. >> we've got the blintzes. goat cheese inside. >> michael jordan from the steakhouse nyc. thanks so much. appreciate it. how is it? >> mm-mmm. >> she can't even talk. >> still to come, i'll take over for you, hoda and kathie lee. another round of auditions for the voice kid's version.

good morning, it is 9:56. i'm marla tellez. this morning, a 17-year-old girl was released from custody after refusing to appear in court with the man accused of raping her. a sacramento judge ordered her

to jail a week ago since she refused to show up at two court appearances involving the alleged attacker. prosecutors told the judge the victim's appearance was necessary to protect the public from an alleged serial rapist, but the girl's attorney says the whole ordeal is unnecessary. >> i do believe it should not have happened in the first place. i do believe that there were less extreme measures to obtain her statement. >> the judge has apologized for his ruling. meanwhile, the girl has been released to a secret location with a gps monitoring device to keep track of her whereabouts. the defendant is facing three counts of rape and sexual assault. turning out to be a mild day in the bay area on this tax day. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning. you can't blame it on the rain, we have a great looking day shaping up, especially the south and east bay where the sky is already completely clear overhead. not the case in san francisco. the temperature is definitely

indicative of that. 54 degrees there. we are at 66 in sunnyvale. the good news, now that the sun is out in the south and east bay, temperatures shoot up 10 degrees in the next two hours. when we reach daytime highs between 3:00 and 4:00, hitting the 70s in livermore and san rafael. the full forecast at 11:00. we have a traffic impact for eastbound 92 and westbound, both through the hills. basically hillsdale east of 92, an accident near the center divide blocks the left lane, fast lane. that's a distraction for westbound, the commute direction. that's why things are tied up there. plan on an alternate. accident at 8th street cleared, and brush fire off livermore at 580. thank you. we'll be back with the next weather update.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. so glad you're with us for booze day, tuesday. it's april 17th already. and time to pay the tax man, baby. if you haven't already, hoda woman. >> today is the day. >> by tonight, right? >> it is also significant for another reason this day. it is my mom's birthday! so big happy birthday to sammy. she's celebrating -- ♪ happy birthday >> my brother and his wife and hanna are coming over for dinner

tonight so happy birthday to mom. >> but dad in washington. oh, well. happy birthday, sammy. hopefully we'll have our moms with us for mother's day. i told my mom to plan it. she said i don't know. awfully busy. >> last night if you guys were gathered around the tv, t"the voice" was on. they had team blake and team christina competing. at the end of the two-hour show blake and christina were each asked to eliminate whoever they thought did the worst job of the group. that's something new they haven't done. as usual, judge kathie lee gifford, you are going to be the judge today to see if you'd vote the way that these judges did. first, singers from team blake. ♪ she's country

♪ little bit stronger ♪ getting along without you baby ♪ ♪ better off without you baby ♪ ♪ so take a look at me now ♪ there's just an empty space ♪ and you comin' back to me is against all odds and it's what i've got to face ♪ >> lots of talent there but i would let the second person go. >> you voted the way that blake voted. >> really? >> she actually kind of got voted back. >> she's not untalented. just what i saw was not as good at the other three people. that particular part of the song. sorry. from now america's going to vote on three.

you're 1 for 1. team christina. see who she eliminated. ♪ i can see a halo ♪ halo ♪ halo ♪ halo ♪ i think i been mistaking you for somebody else ♪ ♪ somebody who gave a damn ♪ your sticks and stones with zbloets th ♪ that was when i ruled the world ♪ >> i think blake's team is much stronger. because each time i heard one i thought well that's the person i would let go.

but i would have let go of the third girl this time. >> she was the one who sang the katie couric song that she actually cut jesse, the first guy, that i was so surprised about. >> mistake. >> he was so, so good. the other thing that made "the voice" interesting is that the coaches sang with their teams, so you got to see the dynamic among them. here's blake tonight with his team. ♪ heartache tonight ♪ heartache tonight i know ♪ it's gonna be a heartache tonight ♪ ♪ a heartache tonight i know lord i know ♪ ♪ it's gonna be a heartache tonight the moon's shining bright so turn out the light and we'll get it right ♪ be a heartache tonight ♪ ♪ a heartache tonight i know ♪ what he yeah >> who is your ferravorite on t

blake? >> the first gentleman. >> he's just whoa crazy. >> it's just an attitude. mad. >> okay. so now this is christina -- i'm sorry, here's christina's team and she's performing with them. ♪ makes me work a little bit harder ♪ ♪ makes me that much wiser ♪ made my skin thicker ♪ makes me that much strong smarter ♪ ♪ thanks for making me a fighter ♪ ♪ attitude ♪ >> well. i mean it's rousing but i thought it was supposed to be about the contestants. >> christina's more -- yeah. >> this has rejuvenated her career. >> what about her outfit.

>> not quite age appropriate but fine. >> just wondering what you thought of that. i'm sorry, this book -- "fifty shades of grey." >> am i the only woman who hasn't read that? >> i was on a plane and saw lots of ereaders reading that book. a lot of -- >> i'm just going to ask you. "50 shades of grey." the guy that she loves's name is -- it's about him. >> it's about -- it's about women who are in charge all the time in their life, with work, they're exhausted, make every decision at home and finally in the bedroom somebody else makes decisions. >> all the time? >> yes. in the first book. and it kind of gets kinky, too. it is not just about decisions. it is about a

dominant-submissive relationship. >> i take it they're not married. right? >> they're both single. what's interesting is you wonder who wrote this book because it's captivated so many people -- >> we were stunned when we saw who it was. >> she's very likable. >> she reminds me of adrianna trigiani. >> sh is my mid life crisis, all my fantasies out there. >> every fantasy you've had -- >> yeah. is in there. >> is there anything revolutionary about this? >> no. >> why is this causing such a stir? >> i don't know! >> as you're writing this, are you thinking man, this is good, people are going to love this? >> not at all! no, i was amazed how popular it was. i'm stunned by its popularity. i did this in a very undisciplined kind of way. i'm a very undisciplined writer. it's very kind of roar -- i'm not a great writer. >> i stbt still don't think ill

he read the book but i love her. >> i was looking on "the new york times" best seller lists, on the ebooks there was ranked one, two and three. it goes into sequels. it's really caught a lot of different kinds of women. told my mom to read it before i read it. i didn't know what it was. >> next thing you know, sammy's reading it. part of her birthday present -- >> she wrote me a letter. she wrote i've read "a lot" in all cops. it's juicy. i started reading it -- i was like, oh -- >> if you're ashamed your mother's reading it, it is not good for you to read. >> i know. >> yes. now yesterday we did a thing on "our favorite things." i do lot of glow minerals lip gloss. use lots of different kinds of lip glosses. i said it had resveritrol.

it is this one that has the bite. lot of bifting -- "50 shades of grey?" . >> maybe. a little. the book is steamy. there's new study out that talks about the state of sweat. okay sm they say that more women think having b.o. is worse -- >> i'm not allowed to say f.a.r.t. but we can say b.o.? >> yes. is worse than sitting through an interview with food in your teeth. would you rather be interviewed by someone and have bad b.o. or have spinach in your teeth? neither of which you can do something about. >> definitely, food in your teeth. that happens to everybody. but b.o. doesn't. and shouldn't. >> only 7% of women say they would tell somebody if they had bad b.o. >> that's different -- the thought that you would be offending somebody and they can't wait to get away from you,

haven't you ever been in a room and they're talking really up close at you, and it is not just about the personal space, it is that i'm going to gag if they don't move away. you move away and they go closer. yeah. it's just -- so people don't know they have to be told. >> i was in a cab two days ago. i got in it and shut the door and i wanted to kill myself. if i had hairspray, i would have sprayed it up my nostrils. it was so bad. i unrolled the window, i hung my head out the window like a dog. i couldn't stand it. imagine me not worried about my hair. i didn't care. out the window. it was awful. i could still -- after i wanted to change! >> that's not somebody you're ever hopefully going to see again. but if it is somebody you work with. if you've ever been in a situation like that, what have you done about it and what was the reaction to it. we got a lot of contests

coming up. the mother of the year contest. >> the winner gets -- >> is it $112,962.45. >> you don't have the 45 cents -- >> but that's part of it. that's what they figured out is a stay-at-home mom -- they don't say how many children so i think that -- not that we're going to be anymore if you have lots of kids. so what do you have to do? >> go to klgandhoda.com why you or someone you recommend should be the best mom. then there is another one. right? >> sara? >> we also know the kentucky derby is coming up. take a picture of yourself and go to our website. now through april 23d, next monday. you have to win a trip to the kentucky derby. >> i've been to that just one and it was a lot of fun. next, actress jennie garth will talk about a new reality

show and also a little bit about her split from her husband. some very talented people compete in our next blind round. the kid's audition. but first these messages. a mini-wheats day to me! and becka's science fair is on the 8th. she's presenting the solar system. hey i've got just the whole grain fiber to help keep her full so she can stay focused. um...you rock. she'll be ready to rock. right here! [ female announcer ] make your kids big days, mini-wheats days. packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full and focused. now available in cinnamon roll flavor. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused. those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican.

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to country girl. packing her three kids up and heading to the farm for her new reality show called "jennie garth a little bit of country." >> come on, guys. here we go. here we go. everybody, look at my new friend. okay, there's fighting. i really think that there's some peaing going on right now. >> i didn't really think ten more dogs would be a big deal until they started tearing my house apart. that is when the reality set in. seriously! there's pee on my couch. >> making -- the fuzzing out the poop makes it look worse than the actual poop. >> it was an actual doggy turd. >> we're finding out all sorts of words we can't use on this show. how's life on the farm.

>> it's so much fun, the girls and i. we get to have fun and shoot a show and they cut it together and make it a cute -- every episode was really cute. i foster cared ten dogs. then we had to go and find homes for them. >> you've always wanted to live out in the country? that's been a dream of yours for a long time? >> ever since my dad passed away, i just wanted to get to the country and raise my girls up there and sort of a quieter lifestyle. this is certainly mott something that i did to make a reality show about it. this was my life and that's where we live. >> your daughters are what ages? >> 14, 9, and 5. >> all right. but the timing on this was kind of interesting. wasn't it? >> it was, unfortunate, yes. after we started film being the show, my husband and i separated and then ended up filing for divorce. >> at that point did you think, had is not going to work?

let's get rid of the cameras, there's too much going on right now, or did it end up being a way to work through a lot of your pain because you were distracted a lot with the work you were doing? >> the show was never about our relationship or anything like that. it was supposed to be a fun show, me and the girls. so in that respect it was okay. and it was -- it did sort of help me work through -- there are beats in the show that end up -- inevitably being about what i'm going through, my personal life. but i don't focus on it at all and i try not to talk about it too much. >> it has to be awkward promoting this show and knowing this question is going to continue to come up. >> it is. it's kind of put a damper on the press tour for the show but i am really excited for a little bit country and i want people to watch it. >> so any concerns you have about your children being exposed in this way, you're okay with. >> i'm okay with it. we're very protective of the girls and they had a great time

doing it. >> you take your cues from them. huh? >> yes, for sure. >> we wish you good luck with this show, "a little bit country." it debuts friday on cmt. >> yes. >> good to see you, sweetie. up next want chairs are ready and waiting for round two of "today's voice the kid's edition." >> we're going to do it right after this. [ female announcer ] do you know what's in your anti-aging lotion? if it's on the label, it's on your skin.

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it is time for "today's voice the kids' edition" and our second round of blind auditions. we've asked you to submit a video of the most talented child you know singing acapella. >> you did and folks here narrowed it down last week. hoda filled two slots on her team and has just one open. i haven't chosen anyone yet so i've got plenty of room. before we get started, the lovely sara is going to tell us about the rules.

>> it is going to be just like the show if you watch it. we'll turn around if you like a singer -- >> press the buzzer first, hoda. >> though that doesn't mean much -- >> no, apparently not. >> you'll have three contestants. you already have two. >> i don't anyone to be offendedoffended f if i can't pick them -- >> sorry, should have thought it through! >> turn around. okay. contestant number one. ♪ ♪

>> you were awesome! i wanted to hit it so bad! >> you were, you were, you were! >> you were awesome! tell us your name. >> kelsey bland. >> kelsey, you're adorable. where you from, sweetheart. ? >> houston, texas. >> wow, are you darling. you're very, very talented. i think if i had heard you last week i would have picked you. now i'm nervous because i have three to fill and i have to listen to eight singers. so know that that's why i didn't. okay, nn. >> i can say the exact same thing. did you see -- no, i was dying to hit my buzzer for you. okay? but i do know this. again, you just sang for three million people and that's a big, big deal and you sang -- beautifully! beautifully! >> i love the choice with the little dress. too cute. >> do you sing in school? >> yes, i'm a junior in high school. >> what school? >> st. stephen's episcopal.

>> you made them proud. >> thank you, sweetie. >> turn around? >> we're going to break. we've got two more acts that are going to come up vying for "today's voice." >> i saw four people standing there. stay tuned. right after this. >> you were awesome. food, meet flavor. flavor, meet food. introducing swanson flavor boost.

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this is today in the bay. good morning, it is 10:26. i'm marla tellez. investigators discovering new clues in the disappearance of sierra lamar. the sheriff's office not being

specific. but it may include fingerprints, dna or hair fiber. investigators collected several pieces of evidence including sierra's purse cell phone and purse and condoms found in a field not far from her home in morgan hill. last night, sierra's friends and family released hundreds of pink balloons into the sky marking the one month anniversary of disappearance. we'll have a look at the forecast and roads after the break.

welcome back. 10:28. still dealing with low clouds over oakland. let's show you san jose. it is a matter of time before the beautiful blue sky is situated over the entire bay area. 70 in san jose today. we're keeping you in the mid-60s by the bay because of that low cloud cover. 78 degrees by thursday. peak warmth friday, up to 85 degrees. we'll let you know the city by city forecast during the 11:00 broadcast. let's check the drive with mike. the south bay is looking better. 101 showing clearing, that's what's going on. no big drama there. 880 out of fremont and mill paid as slow. accidents cleared from 92 as well, making things move smoother, recovering through san mateo hills for highway 92. across the water, 92 across the bay. haze and low clouds christina is talking about will continue to clear. back to you. coming up on the news at 11:00, turning waste into fuel here in the bay area. we'll take you on a tour of the

project at moffett field in 30 minutes. jon kelley and i will see you then! we are back it tuesday morning with "today's voice the kids' edition." in our last half-hour we heard a terrific contestant sing a song. >> we have two more to go. let's get started. >> just like the show, you're going to turn around if you like what you hear. you've got three to fill, you've got two, hoda -- >> i have one. >> one. three. >> i have a headache. >> contestant number two. >> boom. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ oh i want to dance with somebody ♪ ♪ i want to feel the heat with somebody ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ oh i want to dance with somebody ♪ ♪ with somebody who loves me >> nice, ladies! i went to get you and hoda beat me to it. >> you guys rock. >> what are your name? >> are you sisters? >> yes. we're from st. louis, missouri. >> well congratulations. hoda's whole team is done now. all the pressure's on me.

>> you guys are terrific. do you sing in school? >> yes. concert choir. >> you guys were terrific. >> thank you! >> thank you so much. >> we've got another person. turn around again. >> pressure's on me now. >> all the way around, miss hoda. >> i could actually watch -- but i won't. ♪ a b ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> yeah! >> woo! >> hi! how are you? >> it's a guy from -- who won "idol" -- scotty. >> i've gotten that before, believe it or not. >> like his little brother. >> you are adorable. >> what's your name, sweetie? >> my name's max. >> where are you from? >> san diego, california. >> how long are you? >> 15 years old. wow, terrific. you are a treat to listen to. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. very, very much. sorry about that. >> you rock it, but take care, buddy. allrightee. six down, three more to go. next tuesday we're going to see our last batch of contestants. >> that means i have to choose all three of them. >> we'll have a little chat. >> hoda's going to change the again. your shopping guide for

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now on "today's style," spring shoes. warmer weather means it is time to give the boots the boot and slip into some pretty sandals. >> hi. glaxs on your new little one. >> thank you. so nice to break out the sandals. >> it is. this spring it is all about color but thankfully it is all

about comfort. finally the shoe operatives are listening. ankle strap sandals. you can see this pair here are very bright. these are under $50 but they get a little extra buckle detail. that's what you want to look for in this kind of shoe. in the summer when your feet swell and they sweat and get bigger? it happens to all of us, ladies. >> only 7% of your friends will tell you. >> here they have an expandible strap. isn't that neat? those are hsn.com. these from h & m, $34.95. >> if you're -- if you don't wear it with pants if you're short legs, it will cut you. >> do you want to know what you should be wearing? >> you should be wearing these with something that's cinches in at the waist if you are going to show off your legs because you

want shows you have a feminine figure. you see the tie around the waist? >> she's got a nice long, lean leg. >> she'll be so happy you said that but if you are shorter, you can wear them with something cropped at the ankle. >> wedges. no matter what length your leg is, wedges are the answer. these are right now very fun, very flirty. we have them in a floral print from nine west. i love this tribal prints are so hot right now, these are at macy's. these are very jazzy, sort of get down, get down shoes. >> these are just so high. i was running after bambino in our grass yesterday in a wedge. you know, even though you feel like you're secure, they're not. you got to be careful. >> they're not running shoes. bamby flow, come on, get with the program. these are at jcpenney, $50. with color, you can really do a lot with different prints and

different colors for the spring. now this -- these are running shoes. bambino, can you run after him in these. cap toe flat. what's different about the flat right now is that we've elevated a little bit from the ballet flat. can you see the little pop of neon here. those are under $25. >> that's all the color blocking thing that's been a rage. >> it continues on. here from target, don't these feel so springy? >> i love sprips anyway. >> if you're a person who likes neutrals, you can really play with pattern and print there. >> prices are -- >> all under $100. those are under $25. these are at zappo's.com. you remember boat shoes? they're totally making a comeback. we wanted to acknowledge the original. these are sperry, the authentic originals since 1935. >> they have avenue held up very well! >> you're a nantucket person!

>> yeah. >> very preppie -- >> the cobblestones there, you got to wear these. >> i'm so glad you said that. because these even have sort after sneaker sole so you can get that fun print. $27.99 at payless. if you want to get jazzier, these are from k-mart, under $20. >> espadrilles never go out. >> never. these are the most comfortable shoes. you were talking about sweat? only 7% will tell you? when you wear the jute, your feet won't sweat because it absorbs it. these are from tommy hilfiger. again with the stripes they feel so summery. jenna, my daughter and i, have been talking every day. you talk about tangerine -- >> the big color of the spring. >> from lauren by ralph lauren. under $60. >> that's amazing for ralph.

>> in that ombre, you can do so many with these. stripes from forever21, $16. >> you can't believe the prices at forever21. cass will come home with like a bag full of stuff. i go how much money did you spend? she'll say $100? she's got like a thousand things in it. >> we tried to give you guys a bunch of different price ranks. spring shoes, it is so much fun shopping for them. just have a good time. >> fun shopping for that new little one of yours. next, how to overcome what's stopping you from getting what you want. a lot of women have that issue. >> not here. you... colorful... soft...

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i can barely hear a thing with amber's band practicing. ♪ you're right, we've had enough. but i know exactly what to do. you take care of the music and i'll switch us to anthem. sometimes you just have to pull the plug. ♪ sorry, grandpa, we'll try to keep it down. i just... give it to me. ♪ [ female announcer ] we know you're still more rocker than rocking chair... that's why we've created medicare supplement solutions that are just right for you. we have plans with no copays, no deductibles,

and lifetime coverage. you may even qualify for one of our guaranteed acceptance plans. if you're eligible for medicare or will be soon, you can schedule an in home visit or get answers right over the phone. call anthem blue cross today at 1-877-230-6352. that's 1-877-230-6352. if you're hitting a wall at work, or stuck if a pattern of bad relationships, sometimes the problem is you! it's getting in your way and you don't even know it! >> so what should you do?

"marie claire" magazine tackles this topic. >> ladies, what are we doing wrong? why aren't we getting the life we want? what's the problem? >> it happens to the best of us. everybody has those little disappointments and you've worked so hard and you just don't understand why you didn't get that job, why you didn't get that promotion, why the guy didn't call you back. maybe it is a little something you're doing yourself. >> i think everyone has a friend like this. there's a friend who can't stop talking. let's pretend and you can't get a word in edgewise. let's pretend. what should you do in that case? >> the question is are you a friend to yourself? maybe you have to look inside -- maybe others have given you that signal but look inside and say what is it that i'm doing that i don't have to do. in other words, can i be a better listener, to use your

example, how can i really pay attention, do i look at other people who do well and are they listening more, are they asking questions, are they responding to questions differently? what are they doing that enhances their relationship whether it's a personal relation. or one at work. rather than just really talking, talking, talking and hearing myself all the time. >> it all sounds right until you put it into a real life situation where you'd like to help your friend who you say has a problem like this, interrupting all the time where o or know it all or that sort of person, but you don't tell them because you don't want to lose them as a friend as well. what if the person who thinks they are a know-it-all, they do know it all? >> yeah, what about that? >> we all know a lot about something. but the attitude -- it can be a strength but the attitude of coming across as a know-it-all isn't really helpful. that's what could be a pattern. if you are a good friend, you might be able to really tell

them in a kindly fashion, you know, would you like this feedback, are you interested in hearing it? because it is really hard to hard construct -- >> it's hard. it has to come from a friend loves you and only wants the best for you. >> sometimes you can be in the work place and you realize you are stuck either at mid management or somewhere you can't get beyond. often when you say, hey, what's the story to your boss, i'd love to move up, well, we just don't have any spaces, or really there is another issue at hand, maybe it is your management skims lls some other problems that they're not telling you about. >> it may be the boss is not the person to ask this feedback. you may want to go through someone you trust, a family member, professional, dear friend who can give that you sort of advice frankly. you have to be open to receiving it in a non-defensive way. >> it seems to me the boss is the one who actually should. if you've been passed by for something, if you have the courage to go to your boss and

say why did suzie get that, that person, he or she in your case, because you're the boss, you would have to say, you're not as aggre aggressive, you didn't show it. it helps people to know why instead of being frustrated. >> it definitely does help to know. to your point, you may not want to go to your boss because your boss may be the person who you might see something that you don't want them to see. but in fact it is the boss' responsibility to help someone move up and become the best that they can be. so you can say if you are the boss, these are some issues you may want to work on. there's a way you can do this. you might try this. so many people don't network. so many people don't use role models. so many people don't get over their own fear which gets in the way. we can have fear of success and fear of failure. some people are not working well when they are under stress. sometimes a manager can really help someone work differently,

show them a different way. >> there are people who have friends who don't ever apologize. no matter what. they've done something wrong, you just want them to say, look, i'm sorry about that. but they don't do it. is there something you could say to that person? it is not an easy conversation to have? and how would you have it. >> you have to come from a very non-confrontational place and just express it honestly and with their best interests at heart. it can't be that critical. i think it is all in your tone and demonstrating -- >> it is a good article, by the way. >> i agree. >> i think it is a wonderful article. as far as apology, some people can't get over ourselves. we want to blame other people. it is pride. if you look inside and say what's going to happen to me if i say i'm sorry to someone. because if you admit you're wrong or not 100% right, are you allowing someone else to share some of the glory.

if you have to have it owl a tour yef somebody you're not going to say you're sorry. >> and there won't be that many people at your funeral so think it through. thanks, ladies. >> they're going, what? up next, sara's here with one amazing "webtastic" video. but first, this is today on nbc.

we are back with our special series, "webtastic," where our very own sara haines has everybody hitting send. >> this week features geronimo. >> nicknamed "the double dutch dog," loves to jump rope and is double dutch skills had me jumping for joy. check it out. ♪

♪ blb ♪ ♪ >> is this real? >> yeah. he's 2 years old. his owner adopted him when he was 3 months. you know performs for a stunt company. stunt dog productions. this took five weeks to perfect his school. >> first of all, the jumping into the ropes. have you ever tried to jump -- it's hard with one and one rope. you know what i mean? that is astonishing. >> this was posted on april 4th. it has over 600,000 hits. when you have a dog that does that -- >> good job. thank you, sweetie. tomorrow, actress julie andrews comes in with her daughter. >> she's got another darling little children's book. plus actress blythe danner

is going to be here. "lucky one" with zac efron. the wines to help you get over the tax blues or anything, really.

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