good mortgage morning. a royal celebration on the water. spectacular show today on the river thames all in celebration of queen elizabeth's diamond jubilee. we'll take you into the middle of the action. time's up. george zimmerman, the man who shot an unarmed teenager in florida must turn himself in today. will the battle over his finances hurt hits credibility when the case goes to trial? and with a little help from his friends, a fifth grader with scre cerebral palsy runs a race.

it is now a viral hit. cerebral palsy runs a race. it is now a viral hit. today is sunday june 3rd, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolf. a lot of chatter across the pond this morning. today is day two of the the queen's jubilee. >> it seems like all of london is taking part or watching today's jubilee celebration. the queen and members of her family, including prince william and kate are leading this. they've got anything that floats, it seems. and we're going to catch up with it all live in just a moment. >> i think they're expecting something like 1,000 flotillas coming down the river.

>> it must be raining. >> it's london, so there's a good chance. check this out, a minnesota woman is head to jail tomorrow after a feud with her neighbors. it is a feud you have to see to believe. >> whoa, what is she doing? >> i'm not sure what is happening there. >> we're going to hear from the people on the unfortunate receiving end of that. >> somehow you knew someone was going to end up in cuffs want the. >> with a paper like this. >> annie griffith is one of the first female photographers ever at national geographic magazine. her trail blazing work is stunning. you have to see this. that's coming up. plus, he may be the world's fastest cat. his name is sponge bob. he weighs the same as a 4-year-old child. we're going to tell you how he's doing and what he's doing to try to slim down. he is not looking the least bit concerned about his weight right now. he's looking awfully comfortable. >> he's looking for mice. >> or full fat cheese, either

one. but we're going to be in london where it's the queen of england launching more than 1,000 ships today. it's all part of her stunning diamond jubilee celebration. michelle kosinsa ziosinski is l the river thames where it's all happening. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. this will be 1,000 votes for her majesty, one carrying her and watched by more than a million people along these banks. what a way to honor a woman who has reigned for 60 years. interestingly, she became queen during the month of february and it feels every bit of february right now. >> for days, one impressive wave has been building here, made up of tall ships, barges, the navy, you make it. colors flying. now, this morning, a glimpse of the royal vessel decked out, seven tons of flowers aboard

harry, camilla, william and kate. a marvell of painstaking craftsmanship. every inch made certain to be just right. >> absolutely majestic. also is quite fun, like the dolphin is licking the thames' ear and there are lots of fish in his ear. there are details all over the skrupt temperature that are quite entertaining. >> on a banner, artists sewed more than a million buttons. but not everything is quite so fancy. take these two doctors from san francisco and their kayaks, out preparing in the cold, damp and whipped this morning, long before most of us even had one eye open. >> it's such a privilege to be able to be involved in one of their biggest days in history. it is pretty incredible. >> reporter: there's a floating belfrey with eight new bells, each bearing a royal name. church bells will respond.

one barge will hold the london philharmonic. floating along those haunting strings of edward l.gontz. >> it will be very loud. for us. >> when they pass british intelligence services, they will switch to the james bond theme. it's all based on the kind of river pageant charles ii would stage in the 1600s, captured in paintings. now this has captured the national, even global, imagination. we are not going to be discouraged by the weather. we're just going to come down and enjoy ourselves. >> reporter: true to form, they say nothing will keep them from enjoying what is expected to be the largest, proudest spectacle in all of elizabeth's reign. there is a lot that could go wrong here. the water on the thames tends to get very choppy. you have boats big and very small. you have to keep them from

bumping into one another. there's been much rehearsal, serious security at every bridge. it's all starting in about an hour and a half. jenna. michelle kaczynski, thank you so much. in just a few minutes, we'll talk to nbc's special correspondent, ben fogel. he's riding in one of the flotillas today. we will look forward to hearing from him. now back to lester. this is the day the florida neighborhood watch volunteer who shot trayvon martin must head back to jail, this after a judge revoked his bail. charles hadlock is following this for us from stanford. >> good morning, lester. george zimmerman is expected back at the seminole county jail by midafternoon on friday. on friday, the judge in the case revoked zimmerman's bond after the court learned zimmerman and his wife about how much money they may have had. it turns out zimmerman had at

least $135,000 in a special pay pal account that zimmerman had set up to pay for his legal defense fund. on friday, state prosecutors presented tripts of telephone conversations between zimmerman and his wife. the state says they were talking in code, hiding the exact amounts of money. the judge was not happy about that saying zimmerman benefitted from a lower bond when he and his family may not have told the truth about how much money they've had. attorneys for trayvon martin's family says this is the best evidence yesterday yet that zimmerman may not have told the truth about what happened that night. a wall of smoke is advancing across a wide area of southern country in southwestern mexico. miguel has more on the state's largest ever wildfire. >> the fire has consumed some

277,000 acres. it is roughly the size of the city of dallas. it is still burning tonight, churning in the hilla national forest. it's an area that is remote. many firefighters are not able to get to. that's why the air attack is so crucial in this fire. the wind speeds will be a major issue today as will be temperatures. this morning, it's very chilly. it's in the 40s or 50s, 50 degrees here. later on this afternoon, it's expected to be upwards of 80 degrees. we're seeing a 50-degree shift in temperature. it will be a very tough day here on the fire lines, a big day for crews who are trying to suppress the largest wildfire in new mexico state history, the biggest wildfire burning anywhere in the country. >> thank you very much. we want to get caught up now with the rest of the morning's headlines. then we'll turn it to msnbc's alex witt with the headlines. >> police in toronto are sear searching for a gunman who

opened fire saturday at one of canada's busiest malls. the shots killed one person and wounded seven critically. that mall is in canada's largest city. it's very popular with tourists. syria's president says his government had nothing to do with the houla massacre, saying not even monsters would carry out such an ugly crime. he spoke today for the first time about sunday's massacre, which killed more than 100 people, half of them children. he told parliament they are driving the country toward civil war. two-team emmy winning actress catherine justen has died of cancer. she is the president secretary on nbc's "the west wing." she was 72. finally, there was a high profile hollywood wedding saturday. actress drew berrymore was

beaming after tying the knot with her fiancee. the wedding was held at barrymore's home in montecito, california. we wish her well. >> is five months in celebrity terms different than in other people's terms? is that maybe two years for us or something, maybe? for me, that seems like such a short period of time. alex, thank you very much. >> next thing you know. you say that and then -- >> that's right. >> stephanie abrams is here with a check of the weather. hey, stef. >> hi, guys. good to see you. let's talk about what happened outside the central plains. we had severe yesterday and loo at this. it is s. lti pdownngou down. everything is moving eastbound into places like arkansas and also into missouri. the northeast is getting in on some of this rain. heavier showers into maine. let's show you exactly how much is going to fall. very heavy amounts for some of you. we could see over 2 inches in some locations and throughout the rest of the country it's going to be just gorgeous there

this one will bring cold weather to the coastline by tomorrow. tomorrow will be a dry day, cool on the coast. 64 in san francisco. 75 in san jose. one of the warmer spots in the east bay at livermore at 82. tomorrow, things go downhill. 60s inland, 50s at the coast and get the umbrellas ready for those showers. >> lester, back to you. politics, election day is just five days away. some news about the economy is making president obama's re-election effort a lot more difficult. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning. >> good morning, lester. we're talk about those job numbers that came out friday. only 69,000 jobs added. the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.2%. how can this not hurt the

president and help mitt romney? >> this is a campaign that mitt romney wanted to run, wants to run and will run. there will be five reports between now and november. so we stay in this cycle of evaluating month to month. whether there's been job creation. and there are indications here that could lead to a global slowdown. we would invite this look at the president's record and whether we can be doing better when it comes to economic recovery. >> as you note, there will be some other job reports between now and november. but a recent merris poll shows romney is almost tied with obama in three key battleground states. this early in the game, would that usually be of a big concern to a sitting president? >> well, it just shows you that those battlegrounds are going to be tough, tight and they're very, very important. but it also shows, those three states, you have the unemployment rate lower than the national average. there will be a message that the president has, which is, look,

things were really bad. things have gotten better, and in states like ohio they've really gotten better. who are you going to give in credit to if we're going to make this purely a referendum? that's the double edged sword here for romney. >> each of these men have surrogates who were not always on message. case and point thursday, bill clinton praised mitt romney's business record and his background work at bain capital saying he is a sterling business record. is this a case while it helps normally to have bill clinton on your side, but sometimes not always? >> look, this is a former president who has huge sway in the democratic party who just called the republican nominee someone who has a sterling business background. that's tough when you're making the case against his business record as being a qualification to be president. so i think that's difficult and i think it's corey bookeresque, if you will, harkening back to what booker said on "meet the press" about these attacks on

romney and bain capital. one thing you can see right now about the obama campaign, they don't seem to have ironclad control over the surrogates or about the message. there will be other democrats out there speaking their mind rather than sticking to a disciplined script. and i think that's something that chicago will be taking a look at here as we move forward. >> give us a preview of what's coming up this morning on "meet the press" david. >> we've got ohio governor john kasich squaring off against governor deval patrick, the governor of massachusetts. so she'll square off this morning. >> we'll see you a bit later. david, thanks. we tell you all the time about bullying in schools, kids being cruel to others. this story, this one is completely different. this is about a courageous fifth grader and a group of very supportive classmates and the viral video is inspiring people all around the world. the story from nbc's charles hadlock. >> reporter: it was field day at

colonial hills elementary school outside columbus. and 11-year-old matt woodward was determined to compete. matt has cerebral palsy. his brain struggles to coordinate his muscles. matt's mom shot this video of the 400 meter race, a quarter mile, a race matt wanted to run. >> that's matt. he wants to do the biggest thing. it's go big or go home with matt. he is always trying to do everything that every other kid can do and he gives himself a challenge. >> less than a minute into the race, it's clear to see that matt is struggling. some muscles can barely move. but somehow, matt keeps moves them. for a moment, it looked like he might give up. but around the track he goes. matt's gym teacher, john blain, began to walk alongside him. he asked matt if he was going to stop? no way, matt said. as matt crossed the halfway point, something amazing happened. other kids who have already finished the race and some who never even took part began to

join him and cheer him on in a spontaneous act of kindness. >> whew! >> it's when those kids came out that i did start to cry a little bit. it was just really beautiful to see them supporting my son. >> reporter: matt crossed the finish line in 3:58, just enough time to show the world that acts of courage can also inspire acts of kindness. >> nice, matt. >> reporter: for "today," charles hadlock, nbc news. >> proud message for all of us there. >> we hear so many stories of bullying and bullying. to see a story like this, it's heart warming. coming up next on "today" queen elizabeth leads thousands of boats as part of her diamond jubilee celebration. we're going to talk to a man who has literally a front row seat to the historic event. especially in this economy. but with three kids, being home more really helped. man: so we went to fidelity.

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line the river thames. they'll watch the royal family take part in a 1,000 boat flotilla as part of queen elizabeth's diamond jubilee. ben foggel is taking part in the event. >> good morning, jenna. it was a very early start here in london. the rowers were assembling from 7:00 in the morning to a very wet, rainey and cold, but the excitement was incredible in the air as the bunting went up, the union flags were flown and boats like this skiff that i'm in with my team were launched on to the thames. you can probably see all the boats we're going past now as we go to join the main fleet. there's already people waving and shouting and hollering. it really is an electric atmosphere. unlike anything i've ever experienced here in london. we've got just a short time to get to the assembly point and then the official flotilla will

be under way. jenna, back to you. >> ben, i'd put a move on out there. you don't want a traffic jam during the flotilla. thank you so much and our coverage continues tomorrow with meredith vieira. tuesday, matt joins us live there for special coverage of the diamond jubilee. still to come on the sunday edition of "today," you think you have a bad neighbor? this woman is going to jail foi how she treated a family on her block. [ dog barking ] ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests, but your basic paper towel can handle them. especially if that towel is bounty basic. the towel that's durable and scrubbable. in this lab demo, bounty basic is stronger than the leading bargain brand. everyday life. bring it with bounty basic. affordably priced. tested by everyday life. unty napns. ty

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this is today in the bay. good morning to you. looking live at some of the fog that is shrouding the city, and keeping temperatures cool all around the bay. thanks for joining us. and you've been talking about a cooldown, and we are definitely starting to feel it. >> yes. the fog is a good indication of that onshore flow pushing in the past couple of days. it is 49 this morning in santa rosa. 52 in san francisco. in the south bay, of course, feeling good at 56. we are going to see sunshine later on today. if you're at the coast, it's going to be limited. the further inland you're headed, that'shere you'll see

more sun. the cold front is due to arrive tomorrow. today, a few pockets of 80s inland. 64 in san francisco. 75 in san jose. tomorrow, though, the 70s and 80ings will be a thing of the past. 60s for the inland areas, 50s at the coast. and that comes with lots of wind and rain. dust the umbrellas off. next weekend we're back in the 80s. >> we'll extend our sleeves from three-quarters to full. we remember the passing of a longtime leader. memorial services will be held for john lee. the 81-year-old was a three-time mayor of san mateo and served on the city council for 13 years. lee died early in may after a battle with cancer. colleagues praised lee's passion for the city, and the way he touched so many lives. services will be held this afternoon at the san mateo county event center. a somber anniversary for firefighters in san francisco.

hundreds of people gathered to pay tribute to vincent perez and anthony valero. a year ago they died responding to a house fire in the diamond heights neighborhood. 26 dedicated a memorial garden in their honor. >> very heart warming to see the outpouring from the community. >> the city's fire chief said her department has learned lessons from those deaths and continues to develop new policies and strategies to make sure it doesn't happen again. a 25-year-old man is in jail after a bizarre incident at the airport. police say this man, robert monroy, broke into an airport fire station, ripped his clothes off and then witnesses say monroy was walking naked and acting erratically in the parking garage of the airport. eventually he led officers on a

foot chase but was eventually arrested at terminal b. monroy faces several charges, including burglary and indecent exposure. coming up at 7:00 on today in the bay, a bay area high school coach is under sexual assault allegations against one of his students. that story, and all of the day's news, plus that chilly forecast that we know about for the work week coming up at 7:00. we'll see you right back here in 30 minutes.

and we're back on a sunday morning, june 3rd, 2012. just a gorgeous day here in new york city. our thanks to the wonderful folks spending part of their morning with us out here on the plaza. i'm jenna wolfe alongside lester holt. and if you've ever had a bad neighbor, this is the story you've got to check out. this is the neighbor from hell. >> this is the bad neighbor that is on her way to jail, actually. has been banned from her own home because she's been repeatedly harassing her neighbors, allegedly. the folks across the street have a laundry list of complaints against her. we'll hear their reaction to her punishment. i'm not quite sure what that little dance was outside the house there. >> nor do i want to even guess. so, we will just see how that

one pans out. then, back in the '80s, steven b. was a famous radio personality, and after moving to california years later, he disappeared from a yacht in the pacific ocean, but investigators figured out that he did not drown. we're going to have more on this "dateline" mystery coming up. then you got a chance to meet a remarkable woman who i met on assignment several years ago. annie griffiths, one of the first female photographers ever at "national geographic" magazine. what she does with a camera is simply just breath-taking. we're going to look into her trail-blazing work and take a look at some of that stunning work. >> if i told you we both looked at the same thing the exact same way, i shot it one way and what she did with it was unbelievable. such a remarkable woman. we'll talk to her. and then, spongebob is in the house. this is a fat cat. this tubby tabby -- and that's it for my feline terms -- weighs in at 30 pounds. he is up for adoption. we're going to find out what's being done to get him back to a healthy size. >> he was much heavier. he is losing weight now.

>> i think he lost about three pounds already, so -- >> wait until you see his abs. >> i cannot wait. >> done a great job with that. first, let's check with stephanie abrams for the weather. we have a set of twins celebrating their birthday. look at them for a second. one is living in miami. one is living in buffalo. can you tell which is which? yeah, you're all bundled up. this is too cold for you, huh? >> yes, it is. >> it's too cold and it's? >> it's just like home. >> just like home. let's look at temperatures throughout the country. because we are seeing the cooler air through portions of new england, otherwise, the heat is on throughout the plains. we'll see the 90s, each triple had. digit readings. the threat for the severe weather is through the center of the county. how about heading back to work tomorrow? where's the bad weather? well, it's in the southeast well, good morning. i'm anthony slaughter. we're looking at fog along the coastline today. but we're also looking at a very powerful cold front that will move through tomorrow, that will

drop our temperatures back in the 60s inland. today we're looking at 80s inland. 82 in livermore. 75 in san jose. cool at the coast, 64 in san francisco. big-time changes tomorrow. rain and wind. grab those umbrellas. and we have two best friends with their hair braided exactly the same. remember doing that when you were a kid? if it's your birthday, all you have to do is go to weather.com to find your birthday forecast. happy birthday, guys. jenna, over to you. an update now on a most unneighborly situation. tomorrow morning, a minnesota woman is due to start serving 90 days in jail, all because of what her neighbors say was unbearable harassment, and they've got it all on tape. nbc's craig melvin has the latest. >> reporter: this little dance in a driveway is just part of the reason, according to a judge, lori christensen is going to jail. kim and greg hoffman say this home video they shot is but a

chapter in their nightmare of a story. >> well, she is the neighbor from hell. >> yes, she is definitely the neighbor from hell. >> reporter: they say the harassment started shortly after they moved into their quiet neighborhood just outside st. paul 15 years ago. >> she started with the obscenities, just really went crazy and started calling me names, swearing at me. >> reporter: the hoffmans videotaped signs like this one on christensen's garage door. it reads "i saw mommy kissing a breathalyzer." kim hoffman is a recovering alcoholic. >> i've been sober for three years. >> reporter: fed up, the hoffmans got a restraining order. in 2011, prosecutors say christensen pled guilty and served more than a month in jail for violating the order. in 2010, she also pled guilty to two misdemeanors. then, earlier this month, prosecutors claim the harassment was still happening, including verbal tirades aimed at the hoffmans children. the 49-year-old works as an executive assistant. neither she nor remember

attorney would comment for our story, but back in february, she had this to say to a local tv station. >> i had a psychological evaluation. >> okay. >> they said if i were to have been a man, that this would not have been happening, but because i'm a single female, i have a very good job, i have the biggest house in the neighborhood. >> reporter: wednesday, christensen ignored reporters when she went to court, where a judge called her actions "crap." he ruled that she violated probation by disobeying a harassment restraining order and sentenced her to jail again, this time a 90-day sentence. he also ordered her to serve 4 1/2 years probation. >> i didn't wish this on lori, and she still hasn't answered the question why yet. >> reporter: lori christensen is not allowed to go within one mile of her old house. she claims she'll never go back and plans to sell it. for "today," craig melvin, nbc news, new york. and now here's lester. >> all right, jenna, thanks. back in the 1980s, deejay steven

b. was a popular radio star. years later, he was a millionaire living in california before his life was cut short. tonight, his story is the subject of a "dateline" investigation. keith morrison joins us now from los angeles with more. keith, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. you know, you would have liked steven b. steven williams, great voice, a funny man, a wonderful cook and so impressive on the radio. in fact, he was a big deal on the radio, one of the pioneers of the two-man morning format. so, steven b. was quite a guy, but he was also a little naive where it came to money. down below the surface of the pacific ocean, on the far side of california's catalina island, is a silent current. strange how it flows up to the swelling coastline of santa barbara, then just before the open sea turns back to glide again past the storied island.

on one sunny day in may 2006, someone in it. >> our victim we identified as steven bailey williams. >> steven bailey williams, better known to his friends, family and fans as steven b. >> 96 kpke friday morning with the bird and the b. >> reporter: a deejay with a distinctive voice and personality that had made him famous in the 1980s as part of the hit denver-based radio show steven b. and the hawk. >> they were funny, they were great writers, they were great comedians. >> reporter: he eventually left, moved down to southern california to manage his father's nearly $2 million estate. >> the creative side of his mind worked very well, but he was not a good money manager. >> reporter: it seemed for tutus then that right around that time, he made a new friend, harvey morrow. >> steve said he's helping me with stuff.

he's a retired financial planner, investment banker. >> reporter: he lured him into harvey's boat, so when he died, detectives naturally wanted to take a close look at that boat, steven's last known residence. and when they did, they learned something that probably should have been obvious all along. that fancy, doled-up tub was paid for, practically every dollar, by the unwitty steven b. >> the whole amount he took from steven went right back into that. >> if only the detectives could talk to harvey. turned out, they had just missed him. >> he had some dealings in bellibel belize before, and we believe that's possibly where he's heading. >> reporter: but harvey headed in the opposite direction, north to a quiet town in montana. it took months before detectives arrested him and charged him with steven b.'s murder. and steven's friends were gratified, but that wasn't the end of the story, not even close. >> i thought, oh, my god, he's being set free. >> reporter: in fact, it took, what, six years, two trials and

30,000 pages of evidence to finally convict harvey morrow in the murder of steven b. and what a strange trip it was, lester. >> all right, keith morrison. we'll finish that trip tonight on "dateline." it's called "who killed the radio star?" it airs tonight at 7:00/6:00 central. hope you'll join us for that. up next, we'll go behind the lens of the globe-trotting photographer who's captured some of the planet's most beautiful imagesssagesaf. te messages. not once in my life did i ever think i would have heart disease. she just didn't fit the profile of a heart event victim. she's healthy, she eats properly. i was pushing my two kids in a stroller when i had my heart event. i've been on a bayer aspirin regimen ever since. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone. so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i know if i take my bayer aspirin i have a better chance of living a healthy life. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am proheart on facebook. this is my grandson.

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it's real fruit juice; crisp, sparkling water; and no added sugar. and they come in these really cool cans. you want one? i'll wait a bit. all right. mm. refreshing. refreshing ocean spray sparkling juice drinks. in these really cool cans. sparkling... savings. get a coupon for ocean spray sparkling juice drinks at oceanspray.com or on facebook. if a picture's worth 1,000 words, then annie griffiths has plenty to say. as one of the first-ever female photographers at "national geographic" magazine, she's had a rare glimpse into some of the most stunning places on earth. annie has also edited a series

of books for "national geographic," from "simply beautiful photographs" to the latest collection called "life in color." i spent an interesting day with annie griffiths and discovered how snapping a photo can make you see things in an entirely new way. ♪ >> reporter: the photos delicately captured moments from all over the world, and the eyes behind the lens, annie griffiths. she's one of the first female still photographers at iconic "national geographic" magazine. >> i remember i went, this could be a cover, which is i think the only time in my life i thought that, but it was just so beautiful. >> reporter: for over 25 years, her photos have graced the covers and filled the pages of "national geographic." >> and this is the one that we decided was the strongest. it became the spread -- >> reporter: oh, look at this! >> for the story.

>> reporter: she first picked up a camera back in college and knew instantly she would never put it down. >> it was really like absolutely falling in love, where you know, you can't see, you can't think, you can't -- you're in love. and that's what happened as soon as i started taking pictures. >> reporter: all of a sudden, you're what, 25, and you find yourself at "national geographic"? >> yeah, it was kind of meteoric. >> reporter: i mean, really! >> it was. >> reporter: more exciting or anxious? >> terrified. >> reporter: terrified, okay. >> absolutely terrified. >> reporter: soon, she was jetting around the globe, from namibia to new zealand, over 150 countries and countless photographs, each picture telling a remarkable story. >> i arrived with certain expectations. there was -- >> reporter: what were your expectations? >> roaring victoria falls, the whole nine yards. and i got there and it was like, you know. so, i was talking to some of the locals and i said, oh, man, i didn't know the river ever ran

this often and that's the only time you can swim. and i was like, what? you can actually swim and walk out to this area, which is a little swimming hole. it's an indentation of rocks. >> reporter: wow. >> but it was as we went to leave that i turned around and this man was having just a really personal moment in one of the most beautiful places on earth. i've learned over the years to -- >> reporter: annie's own story is told in her memoir "a photo, two camera, two kids and a camel." >> i knew i would never be leaving my kids to go on assignment. it just wasn't in my dna. so i decided, well, i'll take them with me. and i mean, i started really early, i think we were in 13 countries before she was born. >> reporter: multitasker and master of her craft. i joined annie out in the field and behind the lens to learn how to see things from her point of

view. so, we decided to come to the washington monument because this is someplace and something that has been photographed thousands and thousands of times. >> yep. >> reporter: i need you to help me figure out what makes it different. i want to know how you see things and what actually you see when you look through the camera lens. >> well, the joy of photography really is that everybody sees it slightly differently. now, isn't that interesting? i put it on the right and you put it on the left. >> reporter: wow, yeah! >> awesome. >> reporter: got it. she might be the pro, but annie loves to share what she knows. oh, that was so good! look what you did! >> all right! >> reporter: these photos might not make the cover of "national geographic" magazine, but even for annie griffiths, that's not the point. look at your face. you are having such a good time. now, this is something you've been doing for what, 25 years? >> longer. >> reporter: it's about finding freedom and joy by simply snapping a photo. >> it makes me so happy. it's great. it's like putting on a pair of

wings or something, you know, and just, just going, and i love it, and it never stops, you know. from the very beginning. >> far and away one of the most interesting women i've met over the course of my time here at the "today" show. and she wrote this incredible book, "a camera, two kids and a camel"? i think i've read it three times. beautiful stories, remarkable stories of everywhere she's been all over the world. you spent time with her as well. >> i had a chance to witness her work in south africa a few years ago on assignment. and what i love is her ability, the way she engages people. this way, you don't speak the language, but a wonderful smile and way about her, and some incredible images she has. >> and she's so good at listening. she listens to the local people around her and she takes in the culture around her, and that's how she does her work. >> unfortunately, i didn't learn a thing. i still take snapshots as opposed to photographs. >> on your iphone. once again, our thanks to "national geographic" for allowing us to spend so much time with annie. thank you. just ahead, we're going to introduce you to the one and

only spongebob. this fat cat is up for adoption and kind of on the move. we're going to tell you about his new diet regimen and where he ends up. easy, easy, fiearst, t but first, these messages. we love the sun 'n water so we use new coppertone wet 'n clear. it sprays clear on wet skin while most sprays go on white 'n messy. we get broad spectrum protection when we splish 'n splash with new coppertone wet 'n clear. coppertone. embrace the sun. fight both fast with new tums freshers!

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glamour and beauty take center stage tonight in las vegas as 51 contestants vie for the title of miss usa 2012. cat cora is co-host of bravo's "around the world" and they are two of the judges for tonight's big event and they are joining us this morning. hi, guys. >> hi! >> good morning. >> mary lou, let me start with you. why are people so intrigued by

the miss usa pageant? >> you know, i think people have always been fascinated with beauty and the idea that someone could come up through the ranks and represent the united states in the miss universe pageant. and it's always kind of fun to watch the fashion, the bathing suits, the conversation -- >> exactly. >> -- and find somebody who's really poised and beautiful. >> kat, what for you will be the biggest factor in judging the pageant tonight? >> well, i think it's really all about beauty. and i think, you know, for miss usa, that's really what the criteria is. and we're going to be looking at how these confident women carry themselves, how they, you know, that brightness, that it factor, and is this miss usa going to be able to go on and represent the united states in miss universe? and that's really what we're looking for. >> mary lou, if you had to give some of these contestants a little bit of advice before tonight, what would it be as a judge?

>> i would say, well, i don't get to talk to them before. we don't even get to meet them until at the exact moment. it's all very, you know, very sacred in terms of fair, fairness. >> right. >> i would say be the best you that you can be and project this air of confidence, exude a certain poise and being able to represent the united states. >> and kat, real quickly. >> i would say have a good time! have a sparkle. >> absolutely. and kat, twitter is involved somehow? people are going to tweet in, what, a question, a comment? >> oh, yeah. i mean, basically, you know, twitter. we're going to be tweeting all night, twitter, you know, everyone write in, write in. we're going to also be asking people for their questions because we always ask miss universe a question. so you know, twitter, you know, writing in and let us know. >> yeah. >> what your question is. >> yeah. we're actually going to be taking a question from the twitter feed, et ce >> miss usa has gone interactive. cat cora and marilu henner, thank you very much for your

time. you can watch "miss usa 2012" starting at 9:00/8:00 central here on nbc. once again, here's lester. >> jenna, thank you very much. now we want to introduce you to a special cat with a dubious distinction. his name is spongebob. at 30 pounds, he's about three times the weight of your average cat. with him is kendra mara, with had shelter trying to find spongebob a home. good to see you. >> thank you. >> he's a 9-year-old cat. his previous owner became ill. he's 30 pounds. how much was he when he came to you? >> he came to us at 33 pounds. >> what's the ideal weight for a cat like this? >> the ideal weight is between 7 and 12 pounds. so, he's a little over that. >> how did spongebob get to be so large and in charge, shall we say? >> i mean, it's a best guess that his owner was just free

feeding him dry food. it was an older gentleman who was ill and i believe he just left out dry food all day. and sponge just kind of took it upon himself to eat all day every day. >> you noted he's up for adoption. are people afraid of adopting a cat like this? >> i think so. i think people are intimidated because they think he's going to need a lot of extra room or a lot of extra time. he definitely does not need a lot of extra room. right now we do have him in a large dog pen, so -- >> that's not a good sign. >> that's humiliating for spongebob. >> that is embarrassing for spongebob. thank god you're not processing that. >> he's not a shy boy. he will need a little bit of extra time. we've worked hard to come up with a diet plan and exercise regimen for him. so, a little bit of extra time, but honestly, we've had blood work done for him. it's totally fine. >> let's be honest, we had another cat on here that was the biggest and died shortly after of pulmonary failure. >> yes. >> so i mean, is this cat as healthy as can be under the circumstances? >> definitely not.

as i said within his blood work is okay. he's not diabetic now. but definitely, this is not the ideal weight. you know, we're not putting him on the show and say, you know, look at the fat cat, isn't it funny? >> sure. >> this is -- feline obesity is a real problem. this is not healthy weight for him. he can develop arthritis. he probably does already have some. so we're trying to get him down to a healthier weight. he's already lost weight, so his new owners will need to continue that. >> so, no weight watchers or slimfast or anything or jenny craig? just more of a liquid diet compared to solid foods? a lot of walking around? >> only wet food, no dry food. low carbs. >> most important, is he a nice kitty? >> he's a wonderful cat. he's a very sweet boy. >> okay. >> we're not taunting you. we want to make you better and also smaller. >> kendra mara, thank you for coming on. >> thank you for having us! >> you have a fund-raiser on thursday. i wanted to mention that. >> yes, our annual fund-raiser thursday night, yes, thank you. >> we'll be back in a moment. but first, these messages. cash rewards card s. the

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♪ i hope you have the time of your life ♪ we're going to close the show this morning with our "today's life illustrated," our weekly chance to go through your family photo albums. you send them to us. >> that sounded creepy. >> it did. today we applaud the graduates in your life. >> next weekend we'll take a look at another milestone we often see in june weddings. so, please send some of your favorite pictures. >> you can submit them on our website, today.com, or on facebook and twitter. >> or we'll just figure it out and get them for ourselves. that does it for now. i'll see you tonight on "nbc nightly news." have a great day, everybody. >> bye. ♪ ♪

♪ here's to the memories, these are my souvenirs, my mental pictures of everything ♪ ♪ here's to the late nights, here's to the fire light, these are my souvenirs, my souvenirs ♪ ♪ i close my eyes and you're back in time, i can see you smiling, you're so alive ♪ ♪ we were so young, we had no fears, we were so young, we had no idea that life was just happening ♪ ♪ life was just happening ♪

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