this morning on "early today," opening day. first lady michelle obama gets set for center stage at the democratic national convention. gentle giant. hollywood mourns the loss of oscar-nominated actor michael clarke duncan. >> and naughty no more. england's prince harry steps out out for the very first time england's prince harry steps out out for the very first time since his naked ro in vegas. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with convention kick-off. the democratic national convention officially begins in charlotte tonight where first lady michelle obama will take the stage and try to convince

undecided voters that her husband deserves a second term. nbc's tracie potts joins us live with all those details. she's in charlotte for us. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn. behind the stage where it all gets started tonight, the stage where we will see michelle obama, but not where we'll see the president. he's going to be a few blocks away at the bank of america stadium. one more day of campaigning for him before he arrives to make his case here in charlotte. last night president obama told hurricane victims -- >> nobody's a democrat or a republican. we're all just americans. >> reporter: but not in charlotte this week. he'll accept the democratic nomination for president on thursday. >> on thursday night i'm going to offer you what i believe is a better path forward. >> reporter: tonight we hear from michelle obama. she checked out the stage monday. >> she's going talk about the president that she knows, the husband she married, and, of course, the father to her children. >> reporter: maryland's governor and san antonio's mayor, julian

castro also speaks tonight. castro's the first latino to give a keynote address, the same spot president obama had in 2004. >> the first lady, i'm sure, is going to deliver a very positive message. governor o'malley and mine is an optimistic message as well. >> reporter: paul ryan told a packed north carolina crude all those features will avoid the key question. >> here's the kind of words we're not going to hear. we're not going to hear evidence and facts about how people are better off. >> reporter: vice president biden says we are, and here's why. >> osama bin laden is dead, and general motors is alive. >> reporter: biden arrives in charlotte today. meantime mitt romney's relaxing with family in new england rehearsing for october's debate. >> reporter: and the dell will he gates have to practice here today and they'll vote on the democratic party's platform, which includes higher taxes for the wealthy.

>> all right. tracie potts there for us in charlotte. tracie, thanks so much. well, according to the latest gallup poll, republican presidential candidate mitt romney's acceptance speech at the gop convention in tampa last week scored a record low with americans. only 38% of americans rated romney's speech as excellent or good. that is the lowest rating of any of the eight speeches gallop has tested since bob dole's gop accepted speech in 1996. 16% rated the romney address as poor or terrible. well, elsewhere, it has been one week since isaac slammed into the gulf coast, and still tens of thousands are in the dark. while crews have been working around the clock to restore electricity, utilities report more than 40,000 customers are powerless in louisiana. in louisiana some low-lying areas are still under water. and now a triple-digit forecast could make an already difficult clean-up even more miserable. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in california, take a look at these dramatic pictures of what's being described as a fire tornado. more than 4,000 acres have

burned in the angeles national forest, and wildfires like this one are known to create their own wind conditions. a thousand campers and other visitors were evacuated as the fire grew since breaking out on sunday. in mississippi, hurricane isaac has caused more than 5,000 dead rodents to wash up along the gulf coast, and that number could double. the dead swamp rats are not only an eye sore, they could even create a health hazard, so now local officials are asking the state to help in the cleanup. and, finally, california's world-renowned muscle beach lived up to its name as men and women have clearly spent more time weightlifting than most of us ever will strutted their stuff for judges. more than a hundred hard bodies competed in categories ranging from teenagers to seniors all at the spot made famous by arnold schwarzenegger. we all know that spot, right? and now for a look at your national and regional weather --

here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. did you pull out the baby oil? did you go to the beach? >> i did. i actually took a nap on the beach. it was fantastic. >> this has been years in the making, people. >> it was one of those naps where i woke up and i was like, how long have i been sleeping? my wife's like, six minutes. >> six minutes for five years. >> good morning, everyone. we don't sleep a lot on this ship if you guys get the drift. good morning, everyone. let's talk about yesterday and over the holiday weekend. haven't been tracking any rainfall in the west. it's hard to find any this morning. temperatures continue to be very warm. it's hard to believe we're ever going to cool it off. eventually we will. we definitely notice the sun is setting a lot earlier in the day and rising later. sooner or later we'll cool things off. 104 in phoenix, 102 in vegas. seattle slightly cooler. portland was near 80 degrees yesterday. as far as what we're dealing with out there, this morning it looks like no issues on the roads.

pretty dry conditions too. high temperatures we saw yesterday, 88 in salt lake city, 88 in boise. cooler tonight. one thing that has changed out there, monsoonal moisture has been coming up from the south. dew points have been increasing. we'll add a slight chance of showers and storms out there to areas like vegas, even southern california you'll have a little more moisture in the air. it won't be quite as comfortable as it was. it's a dry forecast. it hasn't rained in seattle since i think it was july 10th. it's been over a month and a half. it's ridiculous. that's86 degrees. very much summer like day in the west. no signs really of rain or a cooldown kind of continuing. >> all right, bill. thank you.

aid on the way for spain. italy, everyone wants a piece of the airlines. current economic conditions for the tooth fairy. early morning headlines are straight ahead. justin bieber has a new tattoo, how many does he have, and what was his first? stay tuned. another mild show for tiger woods. a pair of walk-offs out west and a thrilling end to the first weekend of the college football season. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. "the new york times" reports the u.s. is close to an economic deal with egypt's new government to eliminate $1 billion of egypt's debt to help make the transition to democracy. syrian president bashir al assad says there will be no dialogue with the opposition before the army imposes security

throughout the country. meanwhile an opposition group says the government is bulldozing homes in damascus, a suburb there, allegedly because the owners sheltered rebel fighters. in colombia the woman known as the godmother of cocaine was killed by an assassin on a motorcycle. griselda blanco spent nearly 20 years in prison in the u.s. for drug trafficking and murder. actor michael clarke duncan has died at age 54, almost two months after a heart attack. he was best known for his oscar-nominated role in "the green mile." and england's prince harry made his first public appearance since naked photos of him appeared on the internet. he met with critically ill children and their parents yesterday in london. well, tipped off, one of the kids he was meeting wanted to make a joke about that photo scandal. harry playfully warned him not to, quote, say something cheeky. now here's an early look at one of the top health warnings on msnbc.com.

well, a new study finds organic produce and meat is no better for you when it comes to vitamin and nutrient content, but the organic options can lower exposure to pesticide residue and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. the report reviewed data from more than 200 studies that examined the nutrient and contaminant levels in both types of food. and for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at nbcnews.com. and now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow closed ahead of the holiday weekend at 13,090 after rising 90 points. the s&p added 7. the nasdaq gained 18. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei lost 8 points while in hong kong the hang seng dropped 129. on the heels of last friday's hints of more stimulus from fed chief ben bernanke, today traders will also be pondering stimulus from another central bank. optimism grew yesterday that the

european central bank will announce a spanish and italian bond purchasing plan at its next meeting thursday after ecb president mario draghi told european lawmakers if the bank purchased short-term sovereign bonds, it would not breach the european union's prohibition against directly financing eurozone economies. still not all euro news was good. moody's put the european union on notice. its aaa rating is at risk of downgrade due to the continent's ongoing debt crisis. nevertheless, even after moody's changed its outlook on the eu to negative, the euro held its ground thanks to high hopes a serious plan to tackle the region's debt crisis is about to emerge. elsewhere valeant pharmaceuticals agreed to buy medicis pharmaceutical for $2.6 billion to expand in dermatological products. british airways and iberia owner iag are looking into buying a stake in american airlines. american airlines is already in merger talked with u.s. airways.

>> lufthanza passengers, beware. cabin crews say they're striking today for eight hours in frankfurt and berlin in a dispute over pay and conditions. hyundai has reached an agreement with its union workers to end the costliest strike in the company's history. and, finally, you know it's bad when this happens. inflation is hitting the tooth fairy. but it's good news for the kids. a new survey shows kids found an average of $3 per tooth under their pillow this year. that's up 15% from last year. well, coming up, extra innings walk-offs, tiger makes bank, and players head to the u.s. open tennis quarterfinals. plus, a college football matchup goes down to the wire and beyond. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and the weather map doesn't look much like september. very hot in th middle of the country with tropical humidity in the east. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports in college football last night, 16th ranked virginia tech relied on their kicker to come from behind and then sealed the deal in overtime. here's nbc's mario solis with an

early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the opening weekend of the college football season ended with a thrilling battle in blacksburg. 16th ranked virginia tech got all it could handle from georgia tech. pick it up in the final minute. jackets down four. tevin washington finds stephen hill. georgia tech takes the lead with 44 seconds left. that is enough time for the hokeys to get it to field goal range. cody journell from 41 yards out. he'd champ one from 38, but he doesn't miss this one. ties the game as time expires and forces overtime. after a v.a. tech interception, it's journell again. this time a chip for the win. no doubt about it, number 16 virginia tech gets a scare but pulls out the win, 20-17 in o.t. tennis, american marty fish pulled out of the u.s. open because of health concerns. on the women's side, second ranked agnieszka radwanska was upset by roberta vinci. serena williams won in straight sets. golf, final round of the deutsche bank championship. tiger woods was in the hunt

until the end. his chip on 15 limps out. he finished in third place and with it becomes the first golfer to surpass the $100 million mark in career earnings. the day belonged to rory mcilroy. a long birdie attempt on 18, and rory stalls it at the cup. he would tap in to win the deutsche bank championship. baseball, a pair of walk-offs out west, dodgers and padres tied at 3-3 in the 11th. two on for a.j. ellis, and he delivers. slaps an rbi single to right. in comes andre ethier. dodgers win in dramatic fashion, 4-3 in 11. and, finally, to san francisco where the giants were using the force against the d 'backs. down one in the ninth, buster posey rips a single past third. in comes a tying run, and we're off to extras. then in the tenth, marco scutaro, same spot, same result. giants score five in the final four innings to beat arizona, 9-8 in ten. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. sir paul notches another honor, and bobby brown is out and says he's clean.

your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, what kind of daring fried food can you expect to see this year at the texas state fair? you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." update on your forecast. you can see a little bit of that moisture up in baja.

central portions of nevada. a little more humidity in the air trying to keep temperatures down. high pressure off the west coast and intermountain west is keeping the west coast dry. if we get any showers out there, it will be very isolated. another very hot day out there in many areas. well, if you're watching us on kiem, news channel 3 in eureka, california, you see how winds and water help create the weather you see and feel at wind, water, weather at discovery museum. >> we would have gone for that. >> i know. i haven't been there already and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. you can add yet another honor to one former beatles' long list. already sir paul mccartney, this coming weekend french president francois hollande will decorate mccartney as an officer of the legion of honor. that is france's highest public distinction. elsewhere, a canadian power couple is taking shape as toronto maple leaf captain dion phaneuf and his long-time girlfriend calgory-born actress

elisha shubert became engaged over the weekend. well, tmz reports bobby brown is out of rehab, denies he left early and says he's 22 days sober. bruce willis's wife emma is shooting down a report that the 57-year-old actor was considering legal action against apple because he wants to leave his digital music collection to his daughters. and, finally, last weekend justin bieber tweeted a photo of his new tattoo, a crown, to his nearly 28 million followers. who knew he had seventh. >> looks like he's being held hostage. zpl please, stop tattooing me. he's only 18 years old. >> his hair's all spiky and done up. >> all is well with the world. >> get hair and makeup right before that was done? >> guys, this is going to be an important one. it shows a tat.

and this comes to us from kxas nbc 5 in dallas where they say everything is big in texas, and this morning, that probably includes a few bellyaches. the state fair held its annual fried food cook-off. always a favorite. and the entries included some favorites, you know, the deep fried chocolate cake, fried bacon, cinnamon rolls and deep fried pork wings. deep fried jambalaya full of shrimp, cajun sausage, flour, and ranch dressing on the side. on the side. that's important. save a few calories there. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

the olympics may be over, but in canada daredevils are still trying to get their fix. racers took part in the world downhill skateboarding and street luge championship. the competitors hit speeds of over 50 miles an hour with their bodies just inches from the road. broken into two parts, the event featured both upright skateboarding and a road version of the traditional ice luge. while in el salvador a simple food fight may be smarter, nevertheless, young men gather and hurl fiery gasoline soaked rags at one another. it's in commemoration of a huge volcanic eruption in 1668 that forced all the residents to evacuate the town. despite the dangers there have actually been very few serious injuries.

and, finally, in romania, no bride is safe. it is a tradition in which brides are dragged away as part of a mock abduction by friends and then they're driven to a tourist spot where they are held hostage so to speak. looks more like fun. the bride dances and poses for photos while the kidnappers negotiate with the abandoned groom. the ransom, usually a few bottles of whiskey or a public declaration of love. kind of like a bachelorette party. >> kind of. motivation for the ex-boyfriend to go kidnap the bride over a few bottles of whiskey. >> whoa, yeah. still not over it, huh? it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. no easy day. the first account of the mission killing of osama bin laden is set for release today. the former navy s.e.a.l. and author who has written the tell-all has been warned by the pentagon that they may take legal action for divulging classified information.

jurors in the drew peterson trial will hear closing argument this morning. the 58-year-old ex-cop is charged with drowning his third wife. savio's death was treated as an accident until peterson's fourth wife vanished three years later. and happy birthday to singer, actress, and new mom beyonce knowles who turns 31 today. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and more as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. savannah guthrie reports live from north carolina where democrats are gearing up for their national convention. and jamie lee curtis will be live in studio talking about her new children's book, "my brave year of firsts." and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com