the guy that came up with the idea was all alone until he convinced nasa to do it. we are very proud of everything that did happen. >> pretty amazing too. thank you very much. that's what's happening "today in the bay." we are back at 7:25 with a live, local news update. we are not going without showing you the oracle arena. >> the warriors trying to stay ries. the sharks trying to win game two. dozens of homes destroyed. we're live on the scene. damage control. >> i will not tolerate this kind of behavior. >> president obama announces the head of the irs is out of a job as the white house tries to calm a growing storm. and "today" exclusive, wave robson, former michael jackson protege and once his chief defender now claiming the pop star molested him as a child. why is he changing his story

today, thursday, may 16th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a thursday morning, i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. and we're following this breaking news out of texas this morning. daylight is now revealing the full extent of the damage caused by a string of powerful tornadoes. >> we're told the hardest hit city granbury is 70 miles west of dallas and rescue crews have worked through the night there going home to home searching for more possible victims. >> obviously the story is still developing. let me get right to nbc's charles hadlock. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. many residents said they heard the warnings, but never expected a tornado so fast and furious. >> the houses are no more, they're leveled. >> a string of tornadoes tore

through north texas wednesday night, the hardest hit region, granbury, about 65 miles southwest of dallas and home to 8,000 residents. dozens of homes were destroyed. >> everything's demolished. >> reporter: residents scrambled to take cover in their homes. >> we need a medic unit to respond. >> it was horrible. the freakin' -- the house started shaking. we were in a closet. you could hear it, it sounded like a train going on. >> reporter: while others were forced to flee, seeking help at nearby shelters and hospitals. >> fire department's advising they're bringing six wounded and walking out. >> it's definitely a nightmare. within 10 or 15 minutes, everything was happening. >> all six of the people confirmed killed were in the ranchos brazos neighborhood. on the outskirts of granbury. the homes there mostly built within in the last five years for habitat for humanity. those who lived in the region for many years, already know the terrifying strength of twisters

here. >> on a range from 1 to 10, probably about a 10. >> reporter: and the tornado that hit granbury last night was one of ten tornadoes to hit texas last night. savannah? >> charles hadlock, thank you. we're also following breaking news in afghanistan, at least six americans killed by a suicide car bomber in kabul. nbc's atia abawi is there with the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. another deadly day here in afghanistan. at least 12 people were killed after a suicide bombing in the capital of kabul. at least six of them were americans, the other six were afghan civilian. what we know is that there were two american soldiers, four civilian contractors in a convoy when they were targeted by the suicide bomber driving a car with explosives. is the notorious islamist group claimed responsibility for the attack. which goes to prove it's not just the taliban that the forces are fighting here.

>> thank you very much, atia abawi. we're also following developments on three scandals within the obama administration. the acting commissioner of the irs is out and there are calls for more heads to roll. nbc's white house correspondent peter alexander has more on that story. peter good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. this white house has been facing days of intense scrutiny. and this morning, they're hoping they stopped the bleeding. the president has been accused by his critics of being too slow, too passive, even too disengaged in terms of his response to these swirling storms, and now launched what you might describe as a three-front war hoping to try to halt the political damage. >> the white house trying to neutralize three spreading controversies at once. late wednesday, president obama himself announcing the resignation of irs' acting commissioner steven miller, his departure early next month. >> americans have the right to be angry about it, and i am angry about it. >> reporter: miller acknowledged an

immediate need to restore trust in the nation's tax agency. but the president's critics aren't satisfied. one top house republican insisting there are still far too many unanswered questions. questions surrounding the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi last september, as well. the white house releasing 100 pages of previously classified e-mails and notes outlining the intense back and forth between diplomatic and intelligence officials over the government's talking points used by u.n. ambassador susan rice that ultimately removed any reference to al qaeda or previous cia warnings in the region. a senior intelligence official telling nbc news deputy cia director mike morell crossed out those references on this early draft. but morell's then boss david petraeus seemed to disagree with the watered down version that excluded any mention of security warnings. writing, frankly, i'd just as soon not use this. republicans accused the white house of playing politics right before the election. >> you don't have to be sherlock

holmes to figure this out. the story of benghazi if accurately reported would undercut the narrative, al qaeda's on the run and they manipulated the evidence to help the political reelection. >> the white house says no political advisers were involved in the process. and following the justice department's widely criticized seizure of journalist phone records, the white house wednesday pressed congress to revive a law that would protect reporters from having to reveal information in the future. the white house is also going to face head-on another significant issue that the administration wants to address. today, this morning a senior administration official tells me that the president will meet with his joint chiefs and the defense secretary, matt, to focus on the issue of sexual assault within the military. mr. obama will also face more tough questions today hosting a press conference alongside the turkish prime minister. >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. we want to bring in chuck todd. northbound's chief white house correspondent and political chief director. good morning. >> good morning. >> wonder what the thinking is

inside the white house. they you and i both know often they look at things like this and say, oh, this is a faux washington scandal, it will blow over. seems to be different this time. seems to be genuine concern. >> it was typical white house reaction, they underreact, underreact, and then they do it in one day and try to get it all behind them. the story they're most concerned about is the irs. they don't think any other story will penetrate with the public. the irs gets the credibility of the government. this is the government that's trying to implement health care, trying to reform the immigration system. if the irs is not trusted, it actually could undermine all of his plans. >> and it's easy to understand. you can explain what happened here in one sentence which is powerful ammunition for the nation's critics. do you think that the steps were taken yesterday are sufficient to stem the furor? >> not with congress. and i think the president showed more anger than he did in the early days as much about politics as anything else with the public, but congress isn't satisfied and they shouldn't be. that ig report didn't answer certain questions like, why did these rogue individuals in the

cincinnati office do what they did? >> meantime, releasing a series of e-mails that covered the debate that went on within the agencies of the administration over what to say about the september 11th attacks on the consulate in benghazi. do those e-mails reveal anything about whether or not this is a side show as the president has called it or something more substantive? >> well, i think we know campaign politics wasn't involved, but agency politics was. i think this raises more questions about what was the argument going on between the state department and cia? one of the most intriguing e-mails was at the end from david petraeus. then cia director. he goes, why are we even bothering with these talking points? they've become so watered down. it had to do with what the state department wanted done. >> and very quickly, i read a headline that said republicans see blood in the water. they see a president very vulnerable politically. is there a danger they will overreach? >> there is. that's what happened to republicans in 1998 with bill clinton. and if all of congress is focusing on hearings to do scandals, the voters will punish them. they've done it in the past.

>> chuck todd, more to come on this, thank you very much. >> thanks very much. bad news if you dreamed of waking up $360 million richer this morning. there was no powerball win erbil last night. you know what that means? the jackpot and lottery fever are now growing. more on this. mara, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, to you. well, the power ball jackpot soars to at least $475 million for saturday's drawing. the odds of winning are 1 in 175 million, but lots of folks are still hoping lady luck is on their side. >> big money tonight -- from the sunshine state here -- >> reporter: unfortunately for countless lottery hopefuls -- >> remember, match this number and you're always a winner. tonight it is 32 -- >> reporter: no one had power ball's winning numbers wednesday night. the $363 million grand prize would have been the seventh largest payout in history. but now that jackpot has

swelled to $475 million and disappointment is giving way to excitement about another shot at the big prize. >> this is an exciting prospect to imagine it just for $2 you could win something like this. >> reporter: this current jackpot has been growing since march. power ball prizes are actually getting bigger faster since the price of a single ticket doubled to $2 a year ago. bigger prizes equals bigger dreams. >> i would go to a spa for a month. >> of course. i'd show up for work. >> i'm going to buy my own island and start my own country. rebel are. >> reporter: well, winners have between 90 days and a full year in some states to come forward. lotto reps say give yourself plenty of time to decide if you want your payout in 30 years or faster in the large lump sum. they also stret good financial advice is crucial. i personally would go for the lump sum. >> definitely. >> i love that guy who said, would you go to work? yeah, i'd show up to work to let them know i quit. >> i like the guy who said i'll

start my own country. >> mara, thank you. >> natalie's here with the morning's other top headlines including new developments on a shooting we've been following in new orleans all week. >> good morning, everyone. with the suspect in the new orleans mother's day parade shooting is now in police custody. 19-year-old akein scott was arrested wednesday night. officials say they identified scott on surveillance video taken of the shooting that wounded 19 people including two children. now let's head to wall street cnbc's mary thompson is at the new york stock exchange. a good day for google, right? >> reporter: it certainly was, natalie, on a day when the dow and s&p 500 hit yet new record highs again. google topped $900 a share for the first time ever. investors focus on retailers with j.c. penney and nordstrom due out with their profits from the prior quarter. and news on small suvs known as crossovers fareed poorly in a crash test.

only the subaru forester was the only one of the vehicles tested to receive a good rating on a front-end crash test. natalie, back to you. >> mary thompson at the new york stock exchange, thank you. well, two incredible videos caught on tape. first in philadelphia on wednesday afternoon. a stroller carrying a 14-month-old girl rolled away from the child's mother, tumbling five feet onto the elevated train tracks. the girl remained inside the toppled stroller, strapped in. her mother, as you see, jumped on to the tracks and staff halted an approaching train at a nearby station. the girl was treated at a local hospital and no charges are expected to be filed against that distracted mother. still very scary there. and in rural pennsylvania, a bus driver got the shock of his life when a deer came flying through his windshield. the stunned animal scrambled around trying to leap back out the way it came. marching around on the seats. the driver kept his cool, immediately stopped the bus and opened the door

letting that poor, frightened deer scamper out of there again. poor thing. 12 minutes after the hour, you're up to date. to savannah, matt and al. >> is it appropriate to make a bus fare joke there? >> probably. >> i'd never think of it. >> it's about a buck. >> oh. >> so you ask, you get the no, then he goes for it. >> exactly. >> thank you very much. >> all right, mr. roker. >> the deer was okay. anyway. let's show you. we've got fire to talk about. we've got three areas of wildfires going on. first of all in nebraska in currently in wisconsin, douglas county looking at some severe damage, anywhere from 10 to 20 homes destroyed, in minnesota, there's a wildfire going on as they continue to try to put it out on the ground and in the air and as we head to california, frazier park, california, a massive wildfire going on, over 3,000 acres. this one very close to los angeles. now, last night's storms in granbury, you can see on the radar as they push through, these storms fire up and it's the worst time just around

sunset. so it's hard to see them as the rain wraps into those systems. now, we've got further to the east, more rain out of this same system that caused big problems. and as it pushes through, looking at anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain from houston on into shreveport, louisiana. we're going to get to your local forecast in just a moment. but first this message. ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. today is going to be epic. quaker up.

it's 7:14. good morning. i'm christina loren. make sure you count on slick conditions but not for the whole bay area. showers already starting to deteriorate. more on the way this evening. 71, livermore, 67, fremont. 59. that's it today in san francisco. developments in two high-profile court cases. o.j. simpson testifying in his bid for a new trial on armed robbery charges while today jurors in the jodi arias case consider the ultimate punishment after finding her eligible for the death penalty. we'll begin in phoenix with diana alvear. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. as the judge explained to the jurors, all murders are considered cruel by definition, but did travis alexander suffer during his 2008 death at the

hands of jodi arias? >> we the jury, duly impaneled find that the the aggravating factor, especially cruel has been proven. >> reporter: the jury took three hours to decide that the way jodi arias killed her boyfriend, travis alexander fit the court's definition. arias was convicted may 8th of premeditated murder. >> as to count one, first-degree murder, guilty. >> reporter: after the verdict, she told a local station she prefers a death sentence to life in prison. >> i believe death is the ultimate freedom. so i'd rather just have my freedom as soon as i can get it. >> reporter: arias stabbed alexandre 27 times, slashed his throat, and after he was already dead, shot him. >> she made sure that she killed him by stabbing him over and over and over again. >> reporter: prosecutor juan martinez called on a medical examiner to convince the jury alexander suffered before he died. >> was he alive when he was stabbed in the heart? >> yes. >> was he alive, in your opinion, when his throat was slit?

>> yes. >> reporter: the defense argued alexandre died quickly and the violent struggle brought on an adrenaline rush that would've dulled his pain. but while his family sobbed, martinez told the jury there was nothing quick about his death. >> they said this is a short period of time, it's 11:38:20, let's sit for two minutes. and now he has his throat slit. that wasn't a short period of time, it was an incredibly long period of time to be continually stabbed. >> reporter: and in just a few hours the defense team will present mitigating factors they hope will save arias from a death sentence. they could choose to call members of her family to the stand to testify about her character or perhaps mental health experts. anyone they choose, really. arias can choose to forego this process, but legal experts tell us this would be extremely rare considering how high the stakes are in this case. matt? >> diana, thank you very much. and now to the o.j. simpson

case and the former football star now a convicted felon taking the stand. nbc's miguel almaguer with the latest on this. good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning. o.j. simpson testified all day in court on wednesday. at times he laughed, seemed straightforward, and was always direct, a man with so much on the line. shakeled in his prison jump suit, a now 65-year-old o.j. simpson struggled to pour a cup of water but appeared to be his confident old self as he broke years of silence. >> did you want to testify? >> yes. >> reporter: in five hours of testimony, simpson told the judge he deserves a new trial and a shot at freedom. >> there was no talk about guns at all. >> reporter: convicted of organ straiting the 2008 armed robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers in a vegas hotel room, simpson was sentenced up to 33 years in prison, but he now says his

former lawyer yale galante -- galanter told him of a possible plea deal. advised him not to testify. >> did you trust mr. galanter? >> yes. >> and always knew about his plans taking back the heirlooms, simpson claims he owned. >> i followed what i thought was the law. my lawyer told me you can't break into a guy's home. i didn't break into anybody's room, i didn't beat up anybody, i didn't try to muscle a guy. >> on wednesday, the public saw an older and different looking simpson than the one who didn't testify during his infamous 1995 trial. >> if it doesn't fit, you must acquit. >> when he was acquitted of the murders of ex-wife nicole brown simpson and her boyfriend ron -- her friend ron goldman. now into a prison sentence that could last another 28 years, legal analysts say the former football star is running out of options. >> this is a hail mary pass by o.j. simpson. most of these petitions are never granted. but frankly, this is o.j., so the case is always a little different. >> reporter: o.j. simpson on the

stand for what may be his last shot at a new trial and possibly his freedom. in the coming weeks, a judge will decide if o.j. simpson will get a new trial. as for the lawyer he accuses of botching his case, he's had no comment and will testify in court tomorrow. >> miguel, thank you very much. coming up, after years of defending and swearing under oath that nothing sexual happened with michael jackson, choreographer wade rob son now claims he was molested by the pop star. this morning he's speaking out star command,

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that was it... it was time for a serious talk with my dermatologist. this time, he prescribed humira-adalimumab. humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. in clinical trials, most adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis saw 75% skin clearance. and the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make the most of every moment.

ask your dermatologist about humira, today. clearer skin is possible. good morning. 7:26. i'm jon kelley. major delays for your morning commute. let's get right to mike. major delays for the bart system. the coliseum station, i have seen trains traveling through this area for that line, for the oakland line. let's take you out to the maps. what we are talking about is the fact that the÷ú macarthur stat had a lot of police activity. chp has shut down a couple of lanes for westbound 24. that's the reason for the huge backup coming out of orinda

approaching telegraph. those lanes have reopened. we still have major delays on that bart system originating because of that police activity at the mcarthur station. i hear word that an arrest has been made. we are waiting for more details from the b.a.r.t. spokesperson officially. highway 24, major delay through orinda over toward oakland. 880 is a problem coming out of 238 through hayward and oakland. also making headlines here in the bay area. a deadly 24 hours in the south bay. investigating four homicides since yesterday afternoon. the host recent happening early this morning. a man found dead in the parking lot of the jack in the box restaurant on blossom hill road and snell avenue. the suspect still on the run. the rain, yes, indeed, it has returned to the bay area. drivers having used windshield wipers this morning as they get out of bed and head to wherever

they are going. meteorologist, christina loren, joining us to tell us about all the rain. good morning. good morning to you, jon. take a look at this. embedded with the light to moderate showers, we are getting a little pop-up thunderstorm activity in livermore. if you get caught to one of the cells, you could get caught on a brief heavy downpour. light, widespread rainfall. 71 on the way to livermore. 67 in fremont. it will be a cool day in san cf1 o only hitting 59 degrees. major changes around the corner. we are going to be in the upper 80s by sunday. more weather whiplash headed our way. jon, back to you. got to take care of that neck with the whiplash. a good-looking weekend. we'll have another local update coming your way in one half hour from now. the "today" show many could go your way. ♪

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you're looking now at live images of cleburne, texas, where a confirmed three tornadoes in that area touched down around 8:30, 8:45 central time last night, doing extensive damage as you can see from the helicopter image. and that's -- these were deadly storms. al's going to have more on them. >> the biggest one was about a mile in diameter, at least six people dead, and they are expecting that may go up as daylight now is up and they're searching from home to home. >> it's a story we're going to be covering. it's 7:30 now on this thursday morning, i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie, al roker, and natalie morales. also, is your little leaguer using the right helmet? coming up, the new ratings aimed at protecting your kids from

dangerous head injuries. and for years he's made us laugh on "saturday night live." what do we expect from seth myers when he moves to lathe knig "late night"? amanda knox' former boyfriend who like amanda spent years in an italian prison. we'll get his side of the story tomorrow on "today." but this morning, we begin this half hour with a new claim from wade robison, michael jackson's former protege and long time defender claims that the pop star molested him for years. we're going to talk to wade in a moment exclusively, but first, his story. >> for years, dancer and famed choreographer wade robson spoke of his one-time friend and mentor michael jackson with only admiration. >> just had a wonderful relationship. i learned so much from him as an artist and as a kind human being. >> in fact, in 2005, when jackson was acquitted of the only molestation charge he ever

faced acquitted of the only molestation charge he faced in court, he was a star witness. >> he was an adult, articulate, and adamant that nothing untoward had ever happened when he was with michael jackson. >> now he's making a belated claim against jackson pfsz estate because his lawyer said jackson was a sexual predator, and he collapsed under the stress and sexual trauma of what happened to him for seven years as a child. >> in my opinion, this is all about greed and money. >> but child abuse experts say wade's belated claim is not uncommon and children often take decades to acknowledge abuse. >> tragically, this is a very, very common story. study after study after study on childhood sexual abuse has shown it takes adulthood for many victims to come forward and it is very possible that even kids in their 20s do not understand that a crime was committed against them.

>> jackson's estate says robson's claims are outrageous and have no credibility. wade, good morning. good to see you. you know the things you're going to say this morning and perhaps in a court of law are going to get a lot of attention, make a lot of headlines, so before i ask you specifics, what's your mindset right now? >> what's my mindset? i feel strong. i feel like this is the right thing to do because this is my truth. >> despite what some people may say after you say this thing snz. >> yes. >> let me take you back to 2005, the child molestation of michael jackson. you were the first witness by the attorney for michael jackson. he said he called you first because you were so powerful asserting the innocence of michael jackson, and here you are years later and you're going to say just the opposite. what happed? >> first of all, one thing i want to clear up is this is not a case of repressed memory.

i never forgate one moment of michael did to me, but i was psychologically and emotionally completely unable to unwilling to understand that it was sexual abuse. >> what are you alleging he actually did? >> he sexually abused me from 7 years old until 14. >> i know it's a difficult and personal question, but can you be more specific because you're accusing someone who is deceased of criminal activity. so i need you to be a little more specific. did he perform sexual ax on you? did he force you to perform sexual acts on him? what was the nature of the abuse? >> yes. exactly what you said. he performed sexual acts on me and forced me to perform sexual acts on him. >> how old were you when it started? >> 7. >> how long did it last? >> until about 14. >> now, when you testified in 2005, and you took the stand and raised your right hand and swore under oath that nothing sexual ever happened between you and

michael jackson -- >> yeah. >> why did you lie? >> you know, i said what i understood. and i said what i was able to say. from 7 years old, from day one of the abuse, michael told me that we loved each other and this was love. this was an expression of our love. and you would follow that up with, but if you ever tell anyone what we're doing, both of our lives and our careers will be over. when i was 11, when the first trial was going on, the criminal investigation in '93, he would call me every day and role play and tell me the same sort of things and also tell me then that if anyone ever thought that we did these things, any of these sexual things, both of us would go to jail for the rest of our lives. >> when you testified in 2005, did michael jackson or anyone working for him offer you money to say the things you said? did they tell you you must lie on the stand at that time? >> no. there was no money, there was

no, you must lie. michael, when he would talk to me before these things were going on, he would call me every day as these things were happening, it was complete manipulation and brain washing. it wasn't any sense of the truth on the phone. he would role play with me and train me for these scenarios. >> you know, you say it's not repressed memory. you say you always knew and had in your mind what happened between you and michael jackson. you also say when you finally had a son of your own that it was looking at that son that made you think if anyone ever did to your son what michael jackson did to and with you, you'd kill that person. >> yeah, during -- i'm a father and i became a father 2 1/2 years ago to this beautiful baby boy. during the first 18 months of his life, i collapsed into two nervous breakdowns. at that point, i had no idea what was wrong with me, what was going on. during the second one, this thing happened where i started

looking at him and imagining him being a victim of sexual abuse that i was at the hands of michael. for the first time in my life, i began to realize that my completely numb and unexplored feelings in relationship to what michael did to me might be a problem, and maybe i needed to speak to someone about it. >> howard was a lawyer for the jackson estate said this, he has adamantly denied under oath and in numerous interviews over the past 20 years that michael jackson ever did anything inappropriate to him. now he wants us to believe that he committed purgely at least twice and has been lying to everyone about mr. jackson since the early 1990s so he can file a claim for money. his transparent lawsuit comes nearly four years after michael passed. his claim is outrageous and sad. jermaine jackson said wade robson is full of, and then used an expletive. what is your response? >> i understand completely how hard it is to understand this. that being said, the idea that i

would make all of this up and put myself, my wife, my son, my entire family through this extremely stressful and painful experience all for the sake of money is completely -- >> but that's what you're going to be accused of. you're going to say you defended michael jackson while he was alive because he was good for your career, and now that he's gone, there's an opportunity here to sue his estate. he can't defend himself and get money. why didn't you go to the lawyers and do this quietly? and try to settle -- make some kind of a deal? >> because i have lived in silence and denial for 22 years. and i can't spend another moment in that. in order to truly heal, i have to speak my truth and i have to speak the whole truth. that's one thing that you'll never speak from me. i'm never going to go away with this for the sake of money. i'm never going to be silenced for money. that's not going to happen.

>> with all you have been through, the work you did with mikan jackson and what you now allege was sexual abuse by michael jackson, when i say his name to you, this morning, what do you think of? >> heartbreak. pain, anger. and compassion. you know, there's no excuse for what he did to me, and i believe many others, but he was a troubled man. and every effect has its cause. you know, the image that one presents to the world is not the whole explanation of who someone is. michael jackson was, yes, an incredibly talented artist, with an incredible gift. he was many things. and he was also a pedophile and a child sexual abuser. >> his fans have been contacting me on twitter this morning, and in record numbers, wade, and a lot of them are saying you're a traitor. you understand their emotions this morning?

>> i understand how confusing it is to understand. you know, how hard it is to understand. i get that, but all it takes is a little bit of education into child sexual abuse and realizing how unfortunately typical my scenario is, the trauma and psychological effects of child sexual abuse last for so long. you know, i had no understanding of this until up until just a year ago, and i'm just at the beginning of my healing process. i'm sure i'll be dealing with this for the rest of my life. but i'm so thankful that this is happening now because now i can get my life back. you know, and my son, my son is the one who saved my life. >> wade robson, thank you for your time this morning. we're back right after this. this day calls you. to fight chronic osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step.

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on that breaking story we're following out of texas. those deadly tornadoes, we want to get a check of today's forecast, as well, from al. >> thanks so much, savannah. you guys are from texas, not too far from where these tornadoes are. >> about 65 miles from there. we live in mansfield, texas. >> everybody you know is okay? >> everybody's fine. >> all right. let's take a look again as we go live. and you can see just exactly what's going on in texas. a number of homes that have been destroyed by at least three tornadoes touching down, at least six people dead, upwards of 100 people injured. here's what it looked like from the radar from last night as this system moved through. there's granbury in cleburne, as well. the storms pushing through at about 8:15 central time. and as they pushed through, they brought those tornadoes that really devastated the region. right now, we've got that same line moving to the east. it's lost a lot of the punch and that's good news. the other big story we're tracking right now, the heat. the jet stream is way, way up to the north and that's going to

bring heat from the midwest and the rockies all the way into the plain states. you can look, though, we were looking at a lot of wet weather stretching from the great lakes all the way down into texas, some clouds in the pacific northwest, the heat continues in the southwest. 100 degrees in phoenix today, plenty of sunshine along the coast with a high of 83 t 7:56 on a thursday morning. you are close to the weekend. getting to work might be a little more difficult with showers on the radar. a live picture of mostly cloudy conditions over san jose. this is what we are working with. most highways are nice and slick. highs are going to be cool today.

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>> so about 50/50? >> i think about 50/50 from what i've seen so far. >> we're going to take a turn and tell you seth myers is coming up after your local news. no secondhand smoke in here... ...and no cigarette advertising around here. there's a reason we know this is really bad... ...and this is really good. there's a reason 2 in 3 people are surviving cancer. and we cannot be silent until it's 3 out of 3. this shout-out is for everything the american cancer society has done in the last 100 years. let's make noise and finish the fight. gotta get that bacon! bacon?! bacooon! smokey bacon, meaty bacon, tasty bacon!

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the time now is 7:56. good morning. i'm jon kelley. counselors will be out at a san francisco elementary school today talking to students, helping them deal with the death of their classmate, 9-year-old mikaela lynch. her body was sadly found in the water near the family's vacation home in clear lake yesterday morning. she disappeared on mother's day. mikaela, who had autism, went to school at sunset elementary. the owner of the party bus company in jail nearly auñ year after a woman fell out of the party bus to her death.

john st. james facing charges of vehicular manslaughter. a 25-year-old woman sadly died after falling out of that party bus on the way to santa cruz. maximum six years in prison. it is friday eve. that's the good news. the bad news is, you might need an umbrella out there. christina loren here to tell us about it. >> you might end up getting wet but not soaked. these are just light showers. you can see it embedded within the deep green. a little pop-up thunderstorm. quickly fell apart as we head throughout the day. all the cool ocean air will continue to pump on shore. highs are only going to end up in the upper 50s in places like san francisco. a quick return to fall. through tomorrow, temperatures stay cool. in the weekend, we warm up rapidly. in sunday. 7:57. let's check the drive with mike. >> let's show folks this view of 110 real close up. i want them to look at windshield wipers, one or two swipes here and there. you have wet, damp rhodoads.

not a major concern. folks hit the brakes. be careful out there and drive safely. b.a.r.t. system recovering from major delays out of the macarthur statement in pittsburg, bay month and richmond. traffic slow for 24. back to you. back in half an hour. we hope to see you then.

hi, ladies, how are you? >> hi, ladies, how are you? >> 8:00 now on this thursday morning, it's the 16th of may, 2013, and we have a great crowd here at rockefeller plaza. and they are enjoying, among other things, the beautiful weather we're having in the northeast. finally, it's feeling like spring. >> i think this is the first time you've been out here without a jacket. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie. they look nervous. coming up, we are used to seeing him at night. saturday night seth. well, now we're going to see the morning version of seth because

he's here in our studio and he's going to tell us about his new gig taking over for jimmy fallon. we're excited about that. also, walking to our studio right now, zoe saldana is here. lots of talk with her about the new "star trek" movie, and get reaction to some other topics making news when we sit down with her in just a couple of minutes. then we want to remind you about today's great american adventure. we're kicking it off monday from beautiful hawaii. and then we're off to see old faithful, yellowstone national park. >> on wednesday, we'll be in the city of chicago. thursday, we'll move on to the sun fun capital of orlando, florida. and then on friday, we'll head back north and we will be doing a show live from seaside heights on the jersey shore. governor chris christie of new jersey will join us. and we'll have the special concert from the music group fun. that's live on the shore, today's great american adventure, five anchors, five destinations. it all starts monday right here on "today." >> all right. before we get to all of that,

let's get over to natalie with a check of the day's top stories. good morning, everyone. rescuers are going door to door searching for victims of deadly texas tornadoes that struck west of dallas-ft. worth. hardest hit was the town of granbury where officials say at least six people lost their lives and as many as 100 were injured. the storm system also dropped rain and large hailstones on other parts of the state. at least two u.s. nato troops and four civilian american contractors were killed this morning when a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of foreign advisers in the afghan capital of kabul. at least 35 people were also injured. the blast was so powerful, it leveled several houses in the area. the scandal at the internal revenue service has cost acting irs commissioner, steven miller, his job. in a televised statement from the white house last night, president obama did not

criticize miller by name, but called the irs targeting of tea party groups inexcusable misconduct that he will not tolerate. miller, meanwhile, is due to testify before congress tomorrow. o.j. simpson testified in a nevada courtroom on wednesday that his former lawyer had advised him that it was okay to use some force to retrieve personal items from memorabilia dealers back in 2007. simpson is trying to win a new trial on the resulting armed robbery and kidnapping convictions that sent him to prison for 9 to 33 years. a jury in phoenix has decided that convicted murderer jodi arias is eligible for the death penalty. after deliberating for less than three hours on wednesday, the jury found that arias had been especially cruel when she stabbed and shot her ex-boyfriend in 2008. the jury returns today to hear new testimony and arguments to help it decide if arias should be put to death or spend life in prison. there was no grand prize winner in last night's $360 million power ball drawing. but that means the jackpot for

saturday's drawing will be at least $475 million. the odds of winning the top prize are just 1 in 175 million. by comparison, your odds of being struck by lightning are estimated at 1 in 280,000. well, a lightning bolt did strike this television tower in st. petersburg, russia, on monday night. the brilliant flash caught on tape. nobody was hurt, but the strike did disrupt television for a few minutes. and this athlete gave it everything she had, and perhaps a little bit more, at the european arm wrestling championship in lithuania. check it out. her screaming, apparently not enough to defeat a stronger opponent. the video posted on youtube under the title called "the exorcist."

it's now four minutes after the hour. let's check back in with al with your weather. "today's" weather is brought to you by the makers of non-drowsy claritin. with claritin, you can experience non-drowsy relief throughout your allergy season. live claritin clear. >> let's take a look at your pollen. it is kind of rough throughout the northern tier of states. anywhere from seven to ten, that's pretty rough. a little bit less down into the gulf coast area, but all in all, not too great.e awfully toasty y from the southwest into the great lakes, we start off in the southwest, albuquerque, 88, 88 in midland, texas, 14 degrees above normal, 103. as we make our way to the east and north, look at the other temperatures. looking at 81 in des moines, chicago, 75, and along the east coast, boston 79, scranton 79, 91, in fact, we got some friends

here from chicago, what's your name? >> cheryl. >> and? >> doug. >> and you're -- >> 75 and -- partly sunny skies in chicago. very nice. hey, they showed up with that stuff. i don't know how that happ 8:06 now. good morning. meteorologist christina loren. a sight we haven't seen in some time, raindrops accumulating on our san francisco camera this morning. probably want to take the umbrella with you. showers streaming onshore from the pacific. showers starting to clear out just a touch. this is over the past hour but still fair game for some light spotty activity throughout the day today. keep that umbrella handy. highs cool, only ending up in the 60s and 70s. upper 50s in san francisco. much warmer weekend ahead. the plaza, take some pictures and you can place them at today plaza and see what your friends are doing here on the plaza because some of it is kind of

nutty. it borders on the awkward. >> it does. every morning. >> #todayplaza. >> all right. good. speaking of a little nutty, seth myers is here, going to be talking about what he has planned when he takes over "late night" in the near future. also zoe saldana is in the studio. we'll talk about movies, life, and a lot more. and a great way for older americans to get tech savvy. first, these messages. allergy relief. i'm still claritin clear ! i've been claritin clear for 12 days ! when your allergies start, doctors recommend taking one clinically-proven claritin every day during your allergy season for continuous relief. 18 days ! 17 days ! i'm still claritin clear ! 22 days of continuous relief. live claritin clear. every day. take the claritin clear challenge: get continuous, non-drowsy allergy relief or your money back. go to claritinchallenge.com for details.

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we are back at 8:09. seth meyers happens to be here right next to us. >> a lot of people are talking about the upcoming move to "late night." congratulations. >> thank you. it's great to be here. thanks for having me. >> yeah, i'm fighting a cold, that's why he's doing that. >> you're a trooper to be here because you're not feeling well at all and you haven't had any rest lately. >> it's a cold. >> just a regular cold. but no doctor says that the way to beat a cold is work all night on a comedy show. >> no stress. >> exactly. >> you obviously with "snl" 12 years with lorne michaels. he's going to be the e.p. of this show. you're going to take it to the next level? >> yeah, it's very funny to say my relationship with lorne michaels is strong, but i guess

that's accurate. >> it seems to be firm ground for people who want to go on and host their own late night talk show. why is that? >> i think i owe a debt to jimmy to show it's a nice progression. i'm very happy to be doing it. but i think if you sit at that update desk, you know, you learn how to talk about topical stories and certainly with the guests you learn to talk to crazy people. although, when you do "late night," they're really crazy people. >> you have until probably around february to plan what you want the show to be. and i guess everyone's asking you what the show's going to be. >> yeah, it's strange to get a job that doesn't start for eight or nine months. i think it'll be one of those things where the first show you do, you're going to learn a thousand things you didn't know yet. >> do you see a recurring role for us? >> if you guys can stay up that late, i'd love to have you. >> jimmy doesn't start for quite a while on the "tonight show." i was on with jimmy the other night. and he said despite the fact

this is down the road, you've started sending him threatening letters saying your going to be taking over the show. >> that's what history has bourn out over the years so it's foolish to think i won't be gunning for him. >> is this what you've always dreamed of as a kid? >> it's weird, my dream was "snl," i'm one of those unfortunate people that i'm just playing off the string. >> it's all downhill from here? >> i was just trying to find a job that had health insurance. >> are you going to be on the same floor across the street? >> i don't think i'll be on the same floor, but the same building and that's exciting. >> and about the same time. gives opportunities for you guys to do cameos on each other's show? >> yes, i think if we can figure out how to get back and forth, it'll be fun to cameo. >> the most exciting thing for me that the guy who had the job before me will be in the same building. >> did you set him on speed dial? >> he's pretty close, yeah. but i think number one is

program throughout the building is to be lorne. >> exactly. >> we're all going to end up working for him at some time. i think he's going to produce "meet the press." >> it's like it's very slowly we're all sleeping on the fact that this is how he takes over. >> "snl" is this grueling schedule. do you t wil be easier, dare i say it? >> i can't imagine it's less grueling. the thing this will have less of that "snl" has is the crazy late nights. the thing i'll miss most, our writing night is tuesday night, we all sleep at the office, we're all up when this show starts and my favorite thing when you guys have a band, we want to open up the windows and go, people are trying to work. >> we already have that. >> exactly. >> right above the bakery. you've got about 8 months to go. are you going to take a little time off? >> i am going back to "snl" in the fall and do the first half -- >> that's kind of crazy. >> it's crazy, but i'mowhere

nearmotially ready for saturday to be my last show. i wouldn't be able to handle that. >> do you know if there'll be a band or anything? >> do you have a band? >> well, i do play a little guitar. do you like depressing chick music. >> yeah, take us out, savannah. >> everyone's slitting their wrists. >> and he wonders who he claimed to be. >> i've changed, though, now, i'm happier now. all right. thank you. >> congratulations. >> thank you, guys. >> let's go over to natalie. >> all right, guys, thanks. now to other trending stories of the morning. are we, perhaps, one step closer to cloning humans? for the first time, scientists have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells back to their embryonic state. researchers at oregon health and science university took skin cells from a baby with a genetic disease and they were able to fuse them with donated human eggs to create human embryos that resemble those of a baby. researchers hope the advancement will help develop replacement

tissue to treat diseases like parkinson's and diabetes. it's also, of course, prompting a lot of ethical objections from critics, as well. >> a lot of people also talking about this an interesting story, white nonhispanic kids will no longer make up the majority within five or six years. according to the census bureau, by 2018 or maybe 2019, we may be living in a minority/majority country, meaning no single racial or ethnic group will make up more than half of the population. of course, that would be the first time in history that's ever happened. >> changing the terminology of minority. >> exactly. as the stock market continues to reach new heights, so too is the art market. pulled in a record of $495 million on wednesday night in a contemporary art auction featuring works, and if you thought the $495 million figure wasn't impressive enough, this

will impress you or at least it will stick in your memory. calling it golden girls gone wild. this is formally known as b. arthur naked. it is a portrait painted in 1991 of the "golden girls" star completely topless. we have fuzzed it out there, but it is truly topless. it sold for $1.9 million to matt lauer. >> no, i bought the water color. >> exactly. but $1.9 million. >> anonymous bidder. >> wow. >> okay. it's beautiful, but that's a big price tag. >> somebody really loves her. >> i didn't know this was in existence. >> didn't know. i have a nude of george helmsley -- sherman helmsley, i should say. >> yeah, right. to change or not to change, this in this morning's something retro. women are going back to the old tradition of taking their

husband's name after marriage. exclusive data from facebook shows that young brides are increasingly likely to abandon their maiden name and take on their husband's name which raises the question -- >> did mike write this story? >> are you going to be savannah feldman or are you going to be savannah guthrie. >> i think i'm going to stay at savannah guthrie. >> in your personal life. >> yeah, i don't know. it's a hard question to answer and i think if you have kids if you're looking to have kids, that also enters this discussion. >> yeah. >> definitely. >> so i don't know. but i'm used to my name. i've had it for 41 years. >> that's good. born with it. yeah, i don't know. but i think it's interesting and some women are saying, they like that old tradition of taking and having one family name for everybody. so i can see both sides of it. there. >> there you go. >> here's the question. >> all right. >> another trending item this morning, "allure" magazine cover

featuring actress zoe saldana. the headline, 115 pounds of grit and heartache, but sparking backlash online over the mention of her weight. on its facebook page "allure" is defending the decision calling zoe a power house adding we were so impressed by what a tough, confident woman she is we wanted to capture that. and savannah's making her way over to zoe right now. >> we have you right here, we'll ask you quick on that issue. some people are thinking that it was wrong of the magazine to say 115 pounds. do we care or not care? >> i think it would have been wrong if they were lying about my age -- about my weight. this is how much i weigh. it's something i can't control. it's who i am. i've always been a thin frame. i was a ballet dancer. so they wanted to do that. i don't think it was to make an issue of my weight. i think it was to talk about that for a lightweight person i seem to be really strong minded. >> i think that's what they were saying that you're full of grit.

and this has interesting stuff in that article i want to talk to you about it. but first, the reason you're here, "star trek," the new movie. we have a clip of it. let's take a look. >> okay. >> your boyfriend's second guessing every chance he gets. sorry, that was inappropriate. sometimes i want to rip the thi bangs off his head. >> it's not you. >> it's not? wait, are you guys fighting? >> i'd rather not talk about it. >> what is that like? >> ears burning? >> so we're back, what do you love about the franchise on this movie? >> that j.j. abrams was the chosen director to revamp it. the fact that i'm going to be a part of a series now for the rest of my life.

that was -- that has such a beautiful, strong and positive message of peace when it was conceived almost 50 years ago. and that it has maintained its essence. which is why it has so many fans around the world. >> you are the communications specialist, multilingual. i've been studying, i'm prepared to do the rest of the interview fully in klingon. you learned this fake language? >> i did. i've done it before. i played a character where i had to speak a completely alien language throughout the whole movie and speak english with that alien accent. so i don't know, it definitely prepared me for it, i guess. >> you have a relationship with spock. and you your relationship has progressed to bickering stage. so congratulations on that. >> yes, yes. what i liked about j.j. abrams and always capturing characters. whether it's in the future, past or present, they're still human

because the argument that they are having in the spaceship could have been happening in a car. >> let's talk about the "allure" magazine piece. it's very revealing in lots of ways. we see you and you're kind of topless, i guess, you have your arm over -- we'll show you the picture in a minute. what was your thinking behind that and was that liberating, intimidating, exciting? it's a beautiful photograph. >> thank you. it was something i've never done publicly, you know with a magazine. it never happened where you have a creative editor approach you and ask what you want to do. and i felt so incorporated in the whole process of conceiving this concept for the story. and i had never sort of been by myself wearing my birthday uniform. and i sort of wanted to be bold and be myself. and be naked in a very symbolic way, as well, with my fans. >> you also were very open in this about a lot of trials of

your past, losing your dad at a young age, and you also talk about your sexuality very openly. you say you might end up with a woman raising my children, that's just how i am. >> i think it's important to get out that whatever i decide to do with my sexual preference will be my prerogative and my right and as of now i've been attracted to the male species. i don't know if that will continue. but if one day i wake up and feel differently about who i find attractive, i will do that and i will be supported and loved by those that support and love me. >> well, as always, great to talk to you. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. and once again, the movie "star trek" is in theaters today. and now here's matt. >> thank you very much. little league season getting into high gear in cities all across the country. if you're a parent, there's an important change tied to helmets that you should know about. nbc's kerry sanders is in tampa, florida. good morning.

>> reporter: matt, nationwide, every league requires a baseball helmet like this. but this summer, one major manufacturer is about to change the way these helmets are rated. >> two hands, buddy. >> reporter: on america's field of dreams, almost 2 million boys and girls are stepping up to the plate and somewhere in the stands, there's usually a mother like karen fearing the worst. >> what goes through your mind as a mom? >> just don't get hit, please. get out of the way. >> get out of the way, yeah. >> even at 9 years old, kids can pitch up to 50 miles per hour. >> bad throw. >> and the ball went? >> it hurt a little bit and my head was kind of like -- >> reporter: in the big leagues, an even greater risk. as we saw last week, sometimes the pitcher can be hit by the ball. and in the case of adam greenberg --

>> oh, my goodness -- >> reporter: a head injury can end a career. >> for adam and other professionals, those are the acceptable risks to play in ballparks like this. but for kids, the cdc reports each year, more than 9,000 wind up in emergency rooms leaving batters boxes with concussions or worse, traumatic brain injury. at the rollings test facility in suburban, st. louis, it's clear the damage a fastball can do to a young head. this is a 90-mile-per-hour strike to a watermelon. >> kids are more prone to concussions than are adults. youngsters have disproportion e disproportionately large heads and very, very weak necks. >> since the 1980s, there's been an industry standard that all batters helmets should withstand a 68-mile-per-hour ball. but now rollings believes it's time for those standards to change. their new helmets have ratings,

70-mile-per-hour helmets for younger players, 80-mile-per-hour helmets for 12 to 16-year-olds, 90-mile-per-hour helmets for high school and collegiate players and 100-mile-an-hour helmets for the pros. >> people buying that 68-mile-an-hour helmet but using it at every level of play including up to major league baseball. >> as senior vice president of rollings, he oversees research, he's also the father of an 8-year-old player. >> the more peace of mind that parents have that their kids are being taken care of properly with the right equipment, the higher the level of participation we'll have in our sports. >> the rating system means that these helmets are not only working at lower speeds but those at lower speeds are lighter, which we heard the doctors say are good for young players. other manufacturers will all still have to meet the standard of 68 miles per hour. matt? >> got it, kerry.

thank you very much. as the father of little leaguer jack and romy, i'm in favor of this. i love this idea. still ah good thursday morning to you. 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the boston marathon bombings are prompting changes to this weekend's bay to breakers race in san francisco. race organizers, police and city officials will be at city hall this afternoon to talk about race security, planned road closures and new course features. large backpacks will be banned and runners without bib numbers will be removed from the course. want to check the morning commute with mike. how's it looking out there? >> with the changing weather conditions we have, changing conditions on the roadway. as soon as rain comes through, we see a lot of slowing. now just low clouds and mist throughout this portion of palo alto. heading into the southbound where the green, shows you might have wet conditions around the

bay or at least damp for the roadways. the northbound routes really hitting the brakes. we're showing a smooth but slow drive both directions for 880 between the dumbarton and the san mateo bridges. and also the b.a.r.t. system recovering from earlier major delays now down to 15 minutes for the richmond line in both directions heading out of the mcarthur station. >> thank you very much. our next local news update, we'll have an update when it comes to the forecast. what's with the rain? we'll check in with meteorologist christina loren. i'll be back in half an hour. hope to see you then.

♪ ♪ it's 8:30 now on a thursday morning, may 16th, 2013.

here on the "today" show and here on rockefeller plaza, this talented group from uniondale high school, that's the to show choir and they are amazing. we'll have more from them in a little while. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, natalie morales and mr. al roker. >> love the show choir. it's very glee. and they've got a performance coming up. that's not the only excitement we have coming up. we've set up a photo booth right here on our plaza so people could come in, take a picture, remember their moment here on the plaza. we love it when people come and visit us. and now we're making it a little bit easier. >> all right. and then, calling all dads, we are looking for the best homemade burger recipe in the land. >> that's right. i love a good burger. we want you to go to today.com, send us a photo or video of your creation for a chance to compete in our father's day burger

battle. and we'll grill it out here on the plaza on june 13th. >> remember that dinner in your patio you had the burgers? that was fantastic. >> we'll do that again. >> i know. speaking of competition, it's heating up on "the voice," the field narrowed down to ten this week and 20-year-old r & b singer from atlanta was the singer sent home. vito, nice to see you. pleasure, good to have you here. >> hi. >> bold move. >> thank you. >> you chose to sing justin bieber's "boyfriend." you've got usher sitting right there, one of the guys who discovered justin bieber. that was a big decision. >> man, you know, i really just told you strategically, man, i really thought me taking this song would catch his attention like it did and added my own twist to it would be more of like, oh, wow. like a strategic decision on my end. >> and it worked. definitely paid off. we talked to you last week when we visited "the voice" and one of the things i think is so

memorable about you is how you handled all of this in the face of some really trying circumstances. you lost your mom just before you made it into the competition. how are you doing? and how are you processing everything? >> i'm okay, actually. i think her passing actually has been a driving force for me to keep this trend moving, actually. i feel that she's been a really big inspiration to me, not just to me but to millions of people that have been watching because she was so strong. it's like, you know, i'm doing okay. just like i know she's okay. >> and she got to see you for the audition process. it was pretty amazing. down to about ten contestants left. who do you kind of figure is leading the pack? >> vocally, i think that sasha, i think she's like the new-age whitney houston. i know those are big shoes to

fill. >> yeah. definitely. >> i think sasha has a great side. yeah. >> good luck to you. >> thank you. >> thanks for spending time with us this morning. we appreciate it. just a reminder, you can catch the voice monday and tuesday 8:00/7:00 central time on nbc. let's look ahead toward your weekend. first of all, starting with tomorrow, looking at a lot of wet weather from the plains to the mid-atlantic states. pacific northwest on the wet side, sunny and hot, texas on into the southwest, nice and warm through the southeast. then as we move into saturday, slight risk of strong storms in the central plains, sunny and warm from texas into the southwest. going to be hot down in florida. then sunday, sunday, we expect some rain along the mid-atlantic coast and into the northeast, strong risk of strong storms in iowa. gorgeous weather from texas the gulf coast on into the southwest. 8:34 now on a thursday morning. take a look at this beautiful

live picture coming in from san rafael. you can see the clouds moving quickly, fast enough to catch those with the naked eye this morning. showers will continue to stream onshore today. the front has pushed into the south bay. so the south bay right now getting the most moisture. throughout the next couple of hours, showers will continue to clear out of here racing into the central valley. but a cool day, only in the low 70s and upper 50s in san francisco. lot of weather going on this weekend. make sure you get what you need. go to the weather channel on cable, weather.com online, come down to the plaza, #todayplaza to get your pictures online. let's head down to florida and uncle willie. >> hey, mable, she is from beautiful phoenix, arizona. 105 years old, beautiful artist, loves her artwork and so does everybody else. and if you will, please, this is

mr. floyd foote from cresco, iowa, 100 years old today. happy birthday, loves his john deere. if you were a john deere fan, you're devoted. i love them. robert and virginia gerald from goldsboro, north carolina, married 80 years. could you handle that? anyway, they're very close and love each other very much. and here is bessie barbarito, from connecticut, 100 years old today, makes her own pasta. delicious. i mean, she is some kind of fine italian cook. a lot of good italian cooks in connecticut. we have alton garner from kempner, texas. and very proud to be an american. isn't that nice? good, patriotic citizen.

can't beat that. this is kathryn mahar from california, 104 years old today. loves newspapers, reads them, every one she can get ahold of. that's it, that's all. now back to new york where they read newspapers. >> thank you very much. coming up, from tablets to smartphones, how to get today's seniors more tech friendly. but first, this is "today" on nbc. for our families...

our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created... a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more.. low and no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know... exactly what you're choosing...

and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks... with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories... america's beverage companies are delivering. this morning on "today's" tech, older americans looking to get more tech savvy. jenna wolf is here with more on that story. >> we know what this is about. i think sometimes we forget how hard it is to learn a new skill. for seniors picking up a smartphone or tablet or laptop for the first time can be daunting. tech school for seniors. >> there's nothing on this

stupid camera that has this size thing. >> reporter: it's called bridging the generation gap. marrying the past to the present with a touch of the future mixed in. >> hit the backspace. >> tv land has a show devoted entirely just to that. >> it's off. >> if you've ever tried to show your grandparents or even your parents how to use one of these gadgets, you understand. >> they'll never catch up. >> what do you mean? >> they just -- their brains have been formed in a different time. >> i'm getting my father and mother to turn over to smartphones. >> people don't want to be left behind. they want to learn to use gmail, an ipad, what their grand kids, neighbors are using, that's what they want. >> tom is the founder of a rather popular program for seniors, a program that teaches technology, all kinds of technology. one of the most popular classes on this new york city campus.

>> okay, everyone. welcome to our ipad basics introductions to ipads. >> heavy course load on this day. >> we are going to go over first how to take pictures. >> the student body a little older. the curriculum, a little looser. and the classes range from fairly basic to quite basic to wow, that's pretty basic. >> but here, everyone computer literate or not is fully welcome. >> well, i don't have a computer. and i decided that it's time i got with it. >> i'm always telling him, slow down, wait, wait, you have to show me, don't just do it for me. >> armed with curiosity, these students signed up for intro to ipad with an emphasis on intro. >> do you have a smartphone? >> no, i have a stupid phone. >> the classes at senior planet exploration center are free funded by grants and donations.

they run ten weeks long and cover a variety of topics. everything from video games to digital cameras to social networking. >> that's how my parents skype with me. i only see their eyeballs. >> this is the center of the country, we have taught 13,000 classes, never charged for one. >> there are no final exams, only some social assignments. on the day we were there, we had to perform a selfie. >> i'm going to photo bomb your picture. ready? >> didn't you photo bomb me? was it good for you? >> it's very nice. >> just two classes in, the students are not only picking up the ipad basics, but a little confidence too. >> after today's class, i feel like i already want one. so i'm enjoying it. >> i've decided to accept it.

>> as she said, technology is definitely here to stay. i'm sure we can all relate to this. you get your parents or grandparents a phone, a cell phone, you can never call them. they only put it on when they want to call. somehow they have grasped the concept of safie i saving minut. >> i know this older guy having trouble loading stuff on to his ipad, oh, i'm sorry -- >> matt lauer. >> what he's saying is, is there a minimum age for this class? >> these guys had a full i.t. session before the show. he's like i right click what? >> i hit a brick wall on my ipad downloading last night. i think it's great. i do. >> you guys did some selfies. >> yeah, we did. >> it's all about -- >> we haven't figured out how to put them on the air yet. >> we couldn't get all our faces. >> could you get any closer, savannah? >> that's a good one. >> yeah, that one. >> managed to get that --

>> i have very long arms. >> sign up for one of these classes, get in on the ground floor and learn. >> i take it with my mom, how about that? >> that was great. >> great idea. >> thank you. coming up next from politicians to sports stars, we're going to check out celebrity homes that are for sale. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right. we're back now at 8:46 with "today's" real estate. a tour of celebrity homes now on the market. "today's" real estate contributor, barbara, good morning. i like the selection this morning. there's really cool ones. let's start here in new york city. annie lebiwitz has put her townhouse. >> it's actually three townhouses put together and has a work space on one side divided by a courtyard on the other side. a fabulous home.

everything's been done in this home on the corner of greenwich which is the epicenter of where you want to live if you're looking to be in greenwich village. it's actually 10,000 square feet in total roughly. it's got four bedrooms, two baths and it's got 13 fireplaces. where are you going to get 13 fireplaces? >> what jumped out at me, four bedrooms and 10,000 square feet, only two baths. >> only two baths. you would not be an easy guy to sell to. >> caught my attention. that's all right. >> she's moving uptown and not going to find that 13 fireplaces up there, but you'll get the bath. >> brace yourself. >> it was $33 million, just to put in perspective it's now $29 million, still a little bit high priced. >> all right. let's move out to arizona right now. and we have the former home of senator john mccain and his family. talk to me about this one and why is the home so special? >> this home is special because it has history, it's still called a mccain house in the area. he's raised his family with seven kids with his wife cindy. and you can see this house has plenty of room.

it was actually bought by an investor and she totally redid the house and now it's a tuscan mansion. >> 14,000 square feet, 7 bedrooms. >> imagine, and how many baths on that? i bet you didn't count the baths on that. it's actually 6 1/2 baths, but that doesn't count the guest house which has another four or five baths in there. this has a master suite, a jaquzzi tub. plenty of space, two guest cottages. this thing is a compound. >> let me ask you, i was surprised to see the asking price of $2.9 million. i thought it would be higher. >> this house ought to go because it has no work to be done and it has that history everybody's happy to pay for. >> let's go to lake tahoe, okay, this is an incredible spread, it belonged to billionaire larry ellison, you know, the founder or co-founder of oracle. talk to me about this property. >> what i like best about the property, i picture the guys there fat and happy because they made $96 million last year, he

came from the lower east side, imagine living in this house after that background. good for him. it's got a screening room, a guest house, it has five bedrooms and three baths in the guest house alone. all in all, the whole house has six bedrooms, 8 1/2 baths, a soundproof room, i could go and on and on and on. in that particular area, values have gone up by 30%. he's been making money. >> and the price we'll get to in a second. but the views -- >> the views are -- >> lake tahoe is a gorgeous place. >> this house is perched right in the best spot of lake tahoe. >> it should be the best spot, it's $28.5 million. let's go to calabasas, california, a beautiful mansion for sale. this one, owned by nba all-star mitch richmond. >> and this one is the ultimate guys' crib. there wouldn't be a woman that put stuff in the house that he put in the house. it's got a water slide,

basketball court, built-in barbecue, sports bar, a beauty salon, wine secellar. and a children's homework room. and the backyard comes with a pool with its own giant waterfall. come on. that's just a little basketball court. why not? >> how do you feel about the price of $9.49 million. >> i don't know, that's a lot of money for this part of the country. but if you're going to buy into all that stuff, why not blow $10 million on this? >> sure, easy for you to say. up next, a special varsity week performance on the plaza from a remarkable high school show choir. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we are wrapping up varsity week here at the "today" show with a talented group of singers from uniondale high school on new york's long island. >> emphasis on the talented. courtney, lynette is the group's director, good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> this group is 2 years old. >> yes. >> you made it to the nationals and you were named the most promising group? >> yes, we were. the most promising new group. and it was unbelievable. >> and as i understand it, a lot of these guys didn't even know how to dance necessarily before you started this. >> they didn't.

they were very shy. they didn't want to sing. they looked at me like this lady is crazy. you want to teach us to dance and sing? and they love it. >> courtney, you were one of those very shy and weren't so sure. what brought you on? >> the music program, she just kept encouraging me and eventually after fighting, i did it. >> and is it sure you rehearsed eight hours a day? >> yes, until 10:00 p.m. >> will you show us what the rehearsal has given us? take it away. ♪ ♪ ♪ the party's just beginning

♪ the music's playing celebrate ♪ ♪ under the street lights ♪ a night you won't forget ♪ ♪ to the beat of the rhythm of the night until the morning light ♪ ♪ rhythm of the night ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the rhythm of the night to the morning light ♪ ♪ rhythm of the night

♪ good morning to you. it is 8:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the man accused of kidnapping and killing sierra lamar is scheduled to be in court in just minutes. antolin garcia torres has yet to mr. a plea. sierra lamar disappeared in march of last year. time to check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> still the showers coming in. but they are starting to clear out.

that is good news for anybody who's about to head out to work this morning. all this activity is racing into the central valley. highs are going to be cool. you'll notice the difference from yesterday. low 70s inland. 50s in san francisco. a major warm-up just around the corner.

♪ a lot of country today. >> welcome to apparently barefoot and buck wild. >> another thursday edition on "today." >> aren't you glad you picked today to come out? >> picked the wrong shoe to come out. >> the fun has only just begun. >> as they say. >> and you know her from msnbc's "now with alex wagner" week"today"s at noon. i'm not sure you picked the best day to come. >> there is no bad day to come. >> we like to call it hazing. >> yeah, this is worth -- the first take is "breakfast of bugs. "al, i hear this was your great

idea. >> i saw this report from the u.n., they're encouraging people worldwide to include more insects in their die tt to redu hunger. almost 2 billion people eat bugs, beetles, caterpillars, so we have a chef here, where my family goes to eat. now, chef, this is -- what are these made of? >> they're just base eckally fried grasshoppers, lightly sauteed with hall pianos and onion. we traditionally in mexico, you know, in a taco, with guacamole, salsa, they're delicious. >> is this popular on the menu? >> yes, very popular. >> okay. >> yes, the first time on the menu and -- >> okay, al, we'll start with you. >> i love how he gives you a lime, as if that will make it better. >> you know, i begin my day with a bowl full of grub worms, so i'm a little -- i think i've

reached my quotient. wow, and there are more on the side. there's more on the side. >> you can't get enough grasshoppers. >> i found out about this segment about five seconds ago. >> come on. >> oh, come on. we have a couple more takes before -- >> i'm going in. >> go all in. >> come on, willie. you do it, i'll do it. are there water bottles on hand? >> it's really almost as good as a bowl full of grub worms. >> you first. >> no, no, no, you first. oh. >> good. there's a crunch to that. >> come on, natalie. >> i can't. i can't. i can't! >> natalie! natalie! natalie! natalie! come on, come on, come on. >> the cartilage is really -- it adds -- [ groans ] al, i'm sorry. >> is there water by any chance? oh, my gosh. well, thanks -- question mark.

>> there you go. >> can i say -- >> sure, go ahead. >> on a serious note, 870 million people are-under-underfed around the world. >> sure. >> 1.2 billion people eat on less than $1.25 a day. a little lime, really crunchy. >> yes. mexican -- >> if you want to leave some of the plain ones so she can munch -- >> yeah, there you go. >> i'll pass. i can understand why -- they're pretty -- they're okay, if you can get past the mental side. >> chef, thank you. >> by the way -- >> a lot of people are waiting for the cicada so -- >> they're coming out already down south, the southeast. >> the little leg i can't seem to get out of my teeth. >> it's like the popcorn stuck in the -- >> 17-year cicada, so it's vintage cicada. >> that's right. you get this meal once every 17 -- >> yes, they're extremely juicy. >> mm-hmm. >> so they say.

>> is there any way -- is there some water -- >> okay, pass it around. >> how about take two? >> let's go to our take two. big, big, big night tonight on nbc. "the office" going off the air after nine sneeps -- seasons. it's over tonight. there's a look back at 8:00, 7:00 central and an hour-long finale at 9:00, 8:00 central. >> the big to-do, dwight getting married. >> yes, one of my favorite shows. >> did steve carell make a comeback -- >> i don't think so. but think of the careers launched. >> john, and -- >> i went to college with john and we were in a sketch comedy group together. >> really? >> one of us ended up on a hit comedy show. the other one didn't. >> a cable show where -- >> where, i'm uncredibly

un-funny, but nonetheless -- >> improv comedy? >> my life is one long, improv comedy. >> what college? >> brown university. rhode island. >> craig robinson, ellie kemper from "bridesmads." >> "snl" wrapping up. >> yes, wrapping up, ben affleck hosting, and the last time we'll see bill hader. >> yeah, we have a great comedic character, and barely 21st century. >> people are wondering if fred will be back, if seth just told matt and savannah he will be back before the fall before he leaves. we'll get to see them -- >> every now and then they go through this giant upheaval. i remember in the early '80s. >> they have a whole bunch of cast members in the last two years, so i seem like it's good news -- >> for the four of us. some slots opening up. >> yeah.

>> the comedy stops again that -- >> a key gaffer on the "snl" set. >> there you go. >> hader is a big loss. a big loss. he was so good -- >> he was this generation's phil hartman. >> exactly. the last episode saturday night. take three caught in the video of the morning, out of western pennsylvania. this happened tuesday night. surveillance camera in front of a bus, a deer comes crashing through the windshield. >> wow. >> aw, i feel so -- >> it scrambles -- >> you would have thought the deer -- >> the deer is trying to get out, poor thing. >> bus driver pulls over, open the doors, and then the frightened, obviously stunned deer makes her way out. >> approaching more and more into nature, we're seeing this more, you know, deer coming through malls and convenience stores and -- >> they just want to do some shopping. >> of course. >> i'm, of course, kidding. >> yes, again, the comedy --

>> yes. >> yeah, the deer looking for sales. >> yeah. >> i do feel bad for the deer, though. >> he had to get out, because he didn't have exact change. it's about a buck. >> i was waiting -- >> yeah, i know, i know. we'll get the grasshoppers out of our teeth while natalie -- >> one person out of 80. delayed reaction. >> it took a while. >> i tried it at 7:00, and it got the same reaction. i'll do it on kathie lee and hoda. >> okay, let's get to the headlines. officials in north texas are looking for more survivors and victims after an outbreak of tornados ripped through the area during the night. hardest hit was hood county, texas, where six people were killed, about 100 injured. two neighborhoods in granbury were devastated. one area was hit with hail the size of grapefruits, we were told. a deadly day for americans in afghanistan. two u.s. soldiers and four american civilian contractors were killed when a suicide car

bomber attacked their convoy in kabul. in all, 15 people were killed, including two children. sources confirm that the surviving boston bomber suspect scrawled a note inside the boat he hid in. in it, dzhokhar tsarnaev said the bombings were in retaliation for the actions of the u.s. against muslims in afghanistan and iraq. nbc sources add he had since repeated many of the things written in that note in discussions with law enforcement investigations. the first major fallout from the irs improperly targeting conservative groups. on wednesday, acting irs commissioner steven miller was forced out amid three investigations by congress, and one by the fbi. last night, president obama said he is angry and will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but especially in the irs. congressional hearings are set to begin tomorrow. and testimony gets under way today in the penalty phase for convicted killer jodi arias.

on wednesday, an arizona jury determined that arias is eligible for the death penalty in what it found to be the especially cruel killing of her one-time boyfriend in 2008. this morning, her defense team begins offering what it hopes to show are, quote, mitigating factors that could spare her life. bad news, there was no news in last night's $360 million powerball drawing. the good news, for all of us, there's still a shot at saturday's drawing as it soars at least $475 million. that's almost half a billion dollars! >> put the finger up. >> the camera's not on me. it will be the second biggest jackpot -- [ laughter ] >> picking the grass hopper out of your teeth. >> yeah, like a twofer, do the dr. evil and get some of the grasshopper -- >> i think there was a leg or -- -- >> thank you, "today" show. a sudden end to a hot police pursuit in portland, oregon. it started when an officer spotted a speeding car and took

off after the driver. the officer came to a screeching halt when he came upon a mama duck and two ducklings in the middle of the road. got to love the music added to it. he got out and escorted the duck family to the side of the road, while he was able to make way for ducklings. the speeding driver, though, apparently got away. >> the music -- >> yeah, there you go. ? so not only dash cams, but they have a little karaoke machine. >> yeah. and with the -- >> right. right. natalie, thanks. >> and a look at the weather. >> let's see what we've got for you. we're starting off today with the strong storms that caused all of the death and devastation in texas. they are making their way into the lower gulf coast, but they're dying down, thank goodness. rain moves into northern california. wet weather also making its way through the mid-atlantic states today. showers in the pacific northwest. gorgeous day mid-atlantic states into the southeast. and we've got the heat continuing in the southwest with plenty of sunshine in the

western great lakes. that's what's going on 9:10 now. starting to get a little bit of a break in these clouds. but still it's going to take a while for the sun to break through. still have showers on the radar this morning. you can see most of that activity racing into the central valley. we have enough moisture out there to get the highways nice and slick. travel cautiously. highs cool. bring the umbrella as well. 59 in san francisco. but we'll be right back to the upper 80s by sunday. staying hot for monday of next week. that's your latest>> weather. >> all right, al, thanks. a bonus take for you, we'll cleanse the palate from the grasshoppers. two men here to share their take on corn on the cobb. it has a little kick. welcome. >> thank you. >> so tell us about this. >> we purposefully removed all of the bugs just to -- >> you're putting them back in after all that. >> this is our take on grilled

corn, and just like our sandwich, we layer the corn with different textures and flavors. first it starts off on the grill. should we make one -- >> yes, yes. >> what's in the sauce? >> this is a chill mayonnaise -- >> ooh, the secret ingredient. >> and relatively liberal with this. >> oh, yeah, good. >> we'll go with a little -- >> coconut? >> coconut flake. for the sweetness. a little bit of dark chili powder. >> oh, i like that. >> yeah. >> and like with the bugs, you need a little bit of lime -- >> squeeze of lime. >> -- at the end. i encourage you -- >> can we top it with the bugs? >> you've really come around on the grasshoppers. >> all right. who's going in first? >> i'll try this. this is no problem. the bugs, on the other hand, ooh -- >> mm. >> do that again but slower? >> oh, al. that's really good. >> a little lime on it --

>> i like the -- i love the sauce, the mayonnaise is delicious. >> thanks. >> great stuff. you can get the full recipe at today.com make it yourself, but you can't get the secret sauce. >> well-guarded. >> thank you, guys. alex, thank you. sorry about everything. >> now that i've gone there with the bugs, it's just going to be cicadas and maybe, you know, some sort of small earthworm. >> yeah, just -- >> no big deal. >> like popcorn. anybody else? >> i had a lot of bugs when we were in beijing. they were good. >> alex, see you at noon on msnbc. next, some must-have medical tests for women. we'll tell you what you need to know after this.

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"today's" health is brought to you by air optix aqua contact lenses. ♪ this morning on "today's" health, must-have medical test for women. dr. carrie peterson is here to talk about some preventive procedures to help take control of your health and save your life. she's a contributor to "women's health" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> that's an important listing of all of these tests. starting first with blood pressure. now what range should it be in? and how often should you get your blood pressure checked? >> the ideal blood pressure is 120/80 and normal below 135/85. it should be checked every two years starting in your 20s and if it's normal every two years is sufficient, if it's high, it will be needed to be checked more frequently than that. >> and if you have a history of high blood pressure in your

family, something to keep an eye on. >> if there's a family history, tell your doctor. >> cholesterol check, a lot of people getting it checked every year. what are they looking for and what are the normal levels? what is considered bad cholesterol? >> you should start getting your cholesterol checked in your 20s, as well. and if it's normal which is total less than 200, or ldl, less than 130, then you can wait five years to get your next check. but some people still like to know their numbers, they ask for it more frequently. but that's not necessary unless it's high. >> now, a lot of women don't have their thyroid function necessarily checked out unless they start feeling certain symptoms. what are some things to, you know, think about and talk with your doctor with and when should you get your thyroid checked out. >> if you have no symptoms, it's not recommended to have it checked, however, if you're experiencing symptoms of an over or underactive, you should. and symptoms would include fatigue, weight gain, constipation and hair loss. if it was overactive, it would

be nervous, rapid heart rate and weight loss. >> okay. so definitely get those tests, as well. now mammogram and there's a lot of confusion, especially given more recently new guidelines about how often women need mammograms after age of 40. >> there's two sets of guidelines, the american cancer society and the united states task force. they do not agree. however, physicians are still generally following the acs guidelines which is getting them annually after age 40. of course, if you have a family history, you may need to start sooner than that. so always discuss with your gynecologist your family history and you can make a plan that's best for you. >> now, clinical breast exams also shouldn't be ruled out. you should be doing that in conjunction, right? >> there are conflicts between the two societies' guidelines, the acs guidelines do say that in your 20s and 30s, do a clinical breast exam every year, every three years and after your 40s every year. >> but there's a conflict, talk to your doctor.

>> your doctor makes sure there's no lumps there. pap smears, we know they can prevent cervical cancer. what do women need to know and should they be getting it every year? >> they don't need it every year if it's normal. in your 20s, you can do it every three years if it's normal. after age 30, every 3 to 5 years if it's normal. if it's abnormal, you'll need it more frequently. >> women should talk to their doctors about all the std screenings and the hpv tests? >> that's right. there's a new dna test that is routinely done now starting at age 30 at the time of your pap smear. so your gynecologist should be doing that already but you can talk about it. and with regards to stds, they are out there and prevalent. if you have a new partner or multiple partners, ask to be checked. >> colonoscopy, how often do you do them? >> starting at age 50, every ten years, unless you have a family

history, start sooner. >> thanks so much. and coming up, last minute memorial day get aways. still time to book. we'll tell you where to go right after this. i started a week ago going pro with crest pro-health. since i've been using crest pro-health, i've noticed a huge improvement. [ male announcer ] go pro for a clean that's up to four times better, try these crest pro-health products together. the toothpaste is really awesome. it cleans a lot. [ male announcer ] crest pro-health protects not just some, but all these areas dentists check most. this is gonna be a very good checkup. i feel it. [ male announcer ] go pro with crest pro-health. my dentist was so proud of my teeth today. after using crest pro-health for a few weeks, i just feel brighter, fresher, cleaner. after using crest pro-health for a few weeks, sleep in my contacts. relax... air optix® night & day aqua contact lenses are approved for up to 30 days and nights of continuous wear, so it's okay to sleep in them. visit airoptix.com for a free 1-month trial. backflips and cartwheels.mile? love, warmth.

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coming up in "today's" kitchen, we'll check out a traditional dish with a modern twist. >> no. real food. plus, the sport bloopers of the month, spanning the world with our pal. >> and great destinations and great deals for memorial day

weekend. still time to book now. first your local news and weather. (phone ringing) hey college girl. hey mom. i just got your package. great. yea, mom you're the best. i thought you would like it. so, how are your classes, are you enjoying them? (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. we can't wait to get you home. i love you mom. i love you too. we'll see you soon. choosey moms, choose jif. i wa s ha ving an affair with greek nonfat yogurt, 0% fat packed with protein thick and creamy look i'm in a committed relationship with activia and i've been happy now with activia greek i can have the best of both.

activia greek. ♪ dannon good morning to you. 9:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a deadly 24 hours in the south bay. officers and deputies are investigating four homicides since yesterday afternoon. the most recent happened early this morning. a man was found dead in the parking lot of the jack in the box restaurant on blossom hill road and snell avenue. the suspect is still on the run. in the meantime, a person of interest in custody this morning in connection with a triple stabbing that killed a 1-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman. 29-year-old ruben ramirez was detained in san francisco last night. he reportedly lives in san jose at the home where the woman and baby boy were killed. a 3-year-old girl was also stabbed and is in stable condition at the hospital. a special fund-raiser will be held tonight for the martinez boy injured in the boston

marathon bombings. aaron hearn went through several surgeries on his leg after one of the bombs went off just a few feet away from him. tonight, a concert will be held to raise money for hearn and his family. the show starts at 8:00. tickets are $15 per person. we'll have a look at weather and traffic right after this.

welcome back. 9 the time now, 9:28. 9 still getting light showers here in san francisco. mostly cloudy conditions and that's why we have flight delays still running at an hour and 15 minutes. keep that in mind. elsewhere across the nation, looking pretty good. showers starting to thin out, getting residual activity in the east bay. we'll get another round throughout night. nothing heavy. highs will be cool. 71 degrees for livermore. 59 in san francisco. clearing you out by friday. we'll see a nice, warm weekend ahead. >> good morning. you gave them fair warning about the evening commute.

880 south through fremont jams up as you're coming past the truck scales and tesla. the dumbarton bridge is moving a little slower this morning. 680 and 880 through wetter roadways, an issue there. a smooth drive but slow northbound 101. 880, 85, 87, all slow. and possible wet roadways throughout the south bay from earlier rains as well. the peninsula drive with slowing as well. >> been a busy morning. thank you for joining us. another local news update is coming up in half an hour. have a great mompk.

♪ >> just another day on "today." >> our compliments to the chef. >> i felt terrible. it's a delicacy eating these grasshoppers, but as we tried it a little bit earlier, had that grasshopper after taste. >> you're making the face before you bite it. >> i can't get past the mental part of it. >> look at that. the anticipation. >> give me some credit. i ate it. >> you did. >> yes, you did. >> natalie ate it. >> thank you. >> no amount of guacamole and limes can hide the fact you're eating a grasshopper. >> yeah, thanks for reminding me. the after taste is starting to go away. >> it has a way of staying with you. welcome back to more of

"today" on this thursday, may 16th, 2013. if you've been dragging your feet making plans for memorial day weekend, you may be rewarded for your procrastination. good deals for that holiday get away. and in today's melting pot, no grasshoppers, we'll be learning how to make a classic portuguese dish that you can make for dinner tonight. >> anything spanish we should have you say because you say it better than anyone. okay. >> why not. here with some of the funnier sports moments over the last month, we're going to go spanning the world with len. >> first, let's get a quick look at the weather. >> starting with tomorrow, wet weather stretching from the plains on into the mid-atlantic states, rainy in the pacific northwest, sunny and hot in the southern tier of states. for saturday, more rain makes its way into the mid-atlantic, a slight risk of strong storms in the northern plains. sunny and hot through the southwest into florida. and sunday, sunday, rain along

the mid-atlantic states and a slight risk of strong storms in the mid mississippi river valley. rain in the plains and the sunshine continues from the gulf, texas, into 9:32. we are so close to the weekend. just getting to work this morning, not going to be as easy as usual. showers coming down for the past couple of hours. they are starting to thin out and race into the central valley. travel cautiously out there. and bring a coat. today's cool. 71 for livermore. 72 in gilroy. just 59 degrees in san francisco. much warmer weather just around the corner. over the course of the next 72 hours, we are going to jump from the low 70s to the upper 80s inland. hope you have a great day. >> and that's your latest weather. willie? >> today's travel is brought to you by alamo rent-a-car. drive alamo, drive happy. this morning on "today's"

travel, memorial day weekend get aways. it is the traditional start of the summer season, but if you thought it was too late to book a room near the beach, we've got deals for you. good to see you. >> good to see you, willie. >> first thing you want to say about this is loyalty programs are a good place to start. >> especially if you're renting a car and a lot of people do. definitely think about loyalty programs the same way you would for airlines. so maybe go and make sure that you can get access to fast breaks, which is some of the companies call them, which is basically you don't have to go up to the counter and get deals and points back to use for hotels, it's a great idea. >> cool. let's get into some of these properties. i noticed a lot of these are smaller, more intimate spots which i like. and we start in maine. >> i love kennebunkport. it is amazing in that it's right in dock square. you have access to everything it offers. so charming there, my favorite lobster roll place is the clam shack and you can walk there

from here. i love this hotel, it's $169 a night. all the places we have, there's still availability right now. now in five minutes, i'm not sure. but you should call. >> is it a good idea to bring kids to some of these smaller places? >> you know, i think it's important to check with the owners and see what kind of vibe the place has, but all of these places are absolutely kid friendly. >> let's move not too far away to the cape, the tip of the cape p-town. >> provincetown is a beautiful place. this is a brand new inn. some people are nervous about staying in an inn because they think it's going to be too granny cozy, this place is the opposite. it is all white on white. the owner is the designer and your chef. he makes a mean breakfast burrito. so for $250 a night, they have a three-night minimum for memorial day weekend, you can stay and you have access to everything that cape cod offers and is a lot. >> just to reiterate, it's not

chachka filled. >> very minimal. >> the postcard inn in florida. >> it's very close to tampa. the west coast of florida is beautiful. i love this hotel because it is playful. it's tongue in cheek. the there's a lot of fun in attitudes, it's a great place to go with friends and family. on a beautiful stretch of beach. you can do your kite flying and all the time on the beach. they have a great pool, as well. i also love they have something called a snack shack. >> oh. >> where they serve really hot wings. >> really. >> with a cold beer, that feels like memorial day to me. >> nothing better than a hot florida beach with hot wings. >> cold beer. >> okay. good. and under $200 a night. let's move west to laguna beach. >> dates back to 1925, and laguna beach is one of the most stunning beaches in all of the u.s. in 2010, they decided to add a series of suites themed for

surfing. so i love the fact that you have a hotel within a hotel. these suites are not really expensive. again, $199, so under $200 a night. and this one we're looking at, the quick silver suite and feels like a combination between a surfer's lodge and maybe like a chalet in switzerland. amazing views from the deck and all of their food. i love to talk about food because when you travel, you need to eat. under $12, everything on their menu. >> okay. all right. let's move up to the pacific northwest for our last one. the ocean inn in oregon. >> this is in northern oregon. travel and leisure called this town one of the best small beach towns in the country. if you're looking for small town america that kind of feeling, this is a great place to stay. this has an interesting new england vibe. they all have kitchenettes. again, i'm talking about food. it's on my mind. very, very charming and you can go -- they have cruiser bikes

you can take out, and they even give you tools to go clamming. have you ever been clamming? >> i have been clamming. >> yeah, they have a little thing. >> i don't know if i'm good. but i've been. >> you can make your own clams after you find them. >> i wouldn't do it on my first try. >> amazing value. >> have a great memorial day weekend. >> where are you headed? >> i'm going to probably stick in the area. not go too far, although those look pretty good. thanks. take care. coming up next, spanning the good world of sports. i describe myself as a mother, a writer and a performer. i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone.

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5 delicious choices under 575 calories. ♪ back now with our good friend len berman taking us on a wild ride through the world of sports. good morning. >> good morning. i hope this can meet your expectations. >> make it good, lenny. >> the kentucky derby and lots of playoff action. let's go spanning the world. >> unbelievable! ♪

>> on your mark, get set, 30 skiers all in a row in quebec, a simultaneous back flip. nicely done. but our oops of the month, the french cyclist and -- oh! >> nobody got hurt. except for him. and don't bring your ipads to the game in northern ireland, doesn't work out well. mr. t and hockey in the same sentence, i pity the fool that thought he would make it. thinks it's the perfect time for team pictures. yeah, it could work. the golfer strips down to his undies to make that shot. there should be a dress code on the green. waddle away. in detroit, it's dance cam with a very shy usher, everyone doing it. except for him. well, i guess you know the rest of the story, right?

>> yowsa. >> give that man a dollar bill. our fan for the month, in seattle, he catches the foul ball with his cup of beer and there's only one thing to do, chug away. but maybe next time wear a bib. oh, no. here's our worst fan in arizona, a long home run to center, the guy on the right backs away and lets his girlfriend take the hit. man, chivalry is dead. conversely in texas, a foul ball catch, here's my hero. you know, i think this leaves for a cialis moment. >> whoa. >> our play by play of the month. i'm guessing the announcer thought it was a clean hit. >> it was a clean hit! it was a clean hit! it was a clean hit! it was a clean hit! >> okay. >> went on for a while. >> i like the taiwanese announcer as manny ramirez hits

his first home run in taiwan. >> manny ramirez! home run! >> in any language, home run. our new equipment of the month. here's the latest in golf carts, bubba watson's hovercraft. what water hazard? these are good times. but, you know, you can't let the hovercraft fall into the wrong hands, that's what they always say. that's an accident waiting to happen, yeah, absolutely. that must have been fun. >> it was fun. >> our athlete of the month, of course, 7-year-old jack hoffman scoring a touchdown in the nebraska spring football game. way to go, jack, you are our hero. >> fantastic. >> and it met your expectations. >> totally. beyond the cialis moment, the

best. >> and jack got to go to the oval office. >> that's a great story. we like that one. >> thank you. coming up next, we'll have a little portuguese home cooking in today's melting pot. that's right after this. yeah, kfc!

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♪ [ male announcer ] bring your style to life. this memorial day, save $5 off all paint and primer and stain and sealant in one at lowe's. guess what? you can do it. that it's almost impossible to eat healthy. but you can do it. that you can't improve your mouth's health with a toothpaste. with colgate total® you can. [ male announcer ] colgate total® does more than protect. it fights germs for 12 hours. in 24 hours starts to fortify enamel. and in 4 weeks helps improve gum health. you see? for better mouth health, use colgate total®. [ male announcer ] do more than protect. improve mouth health with colgate total®. you can do it! this morning on "today's" kitchen, melting pot, pork pinados, a recipe he remembers

his grandmother making. the executive chef in greenwich, connecticut. >> how are you, al? good to be back. >> you remember your grandma making this? >> yeah. my grandma had a local eatery in portugal. this is one of the dishes i enjoyed the most as a kid. pork is a very prominent protein in portugal, especially in our area, and she would make these quick pork cutlets with a salad on top. it's gorgeous. >> i like that. >> very light, very healthy. >> we start off with a piece of pork loin like this and you can make these incisions like this to kind of butterfly it open. right? once you have the pork, butterfly it open, we pound it out just to tenderize it a little bit and also to distribute the thickness of the meat so you get even cooking. >> this cooks quickly because it's so thin. >> definitely cooks very quick. we're going to add a little bit of salt to season. and if you can mix in that parsley into those panko bread crumbs, we're going to drench

the pork in a little bit of egg wash and get a quick little mix for me. perfect. >> okay. >> that's good. and now we're going to basically do this. and just put a little bit of bread crumb on top. coat it nice, give it nice crust and flavor. and they go really well. >> could you use another kind of meat? >> sure, chicken, veal, nice and light too. so at this point, we're going to take a nice little pan with oil and put it -- >> any oil you like? >> i use a little bit of vegetable oil for frying, for cooking, olive oil. you're going to see a little bit of crust forming, caramelization and golden brown, and at which point we go to this pan here. we're going to flip this over. >> look at that. >> and see the nice golden brown in the pankos. and this can literally cook for maybe about a minute and a half on each side and you're going to take it off and place it on to there. >> okay. >> once we have these going, we're going to incorporate it with the pork that's there. and stepping down, now we're

going to make the salad. this is the important part. we have really great acidity here. it's merlot vineyard. >> can you say a good balsamic? >> you can use red wine vinegar, you know, apple cider vinegar. and this has great acidity being made on the market. we have fresh, beautiful tomatoes coming into season. some beautiful water crest which is going to add the greens and pepperiness. >> can you use like arugula? >> you can use it or incorporate a couple of other greens like kale. >> it's on every menu right now. this is a fresh lemon zest to add a little bit more acidity, a little bit of sea salt. >> hey, guys, how are you? >> hi. >> and al, we're going to add the vinegar, a little bit of

olive oil. >> delicious. >> and toss this up. >> nothing like your hand to toss it, right? >> i'm a chef. >> it's the best tool there is. >> now we have the pork here. okay. and we're going to put three little pieces here for you guys. >> this looks great. >> and now -- i won't use my hands because now it's going to you. you can eat the first part. >> no, clean hands. >> it's so colorful. >> perfect. >> puts water in your mouth as soon as you see it, right? and it's healthy, localry and really enjoyable. >> thank you. >> in portugal during the summertime we use rose as a wine of choice. the nice crisp acidity. >> thank you. >> this is from the southern region of portugal. >> you have a lot of great wine. >> the restaurant is named after the region in portugal where port wine is produced and there's great red and white

wines. >> thank you so much. >> my pleasure. >> we're back in a moment. but first this is "today" on nbc.

wow. this is fantastic, by the way. go on the website and get this. this is incredible. coming up tomorrow, plastic surgery without the surgery. >> that's right. and let's just take one more check of our favorite clip of the morning. >> oh, no. >> natalie eating. >> i just enjoying my pork and had to go back to that. come on. >> you dropped that too. >> eat some grasshopper. >> coming up next, booted from "the voice" after your local news and weather. crystal geyser is always bottled at the mountain source. crystal geyser.

crystal geyser. crystal geyser. then we deliver it directly to you. good morning to you. it is 9:56. i'm marla tellez. counselors are at a san francisco elementary school talking to students about the death of their classmate, 9-year-old mikaela lynch. her body was found yesterday

morning. she disappeared on mother's day. mikaela who has autism went to school at sunset elementary in san francisco. the owner of a party bus company is in jail almost a year after a 25-year-old woman fell out of one of the moving buses and died on highway 17. john st. james is now facing charges of vehicular manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. he owns party bus of santa cruz. the incident happened last july. if convicted, st. james faces a maximum six years in prison. i got sprinkled on earlier this morning. let's get a look at the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> you still looked good out there. those showers which are now starting to dissipate, we have another round to get through throughout the evening hours. expecting as much moisture to come through as what came through this morning. nothing heavy. good news for the pollen levels as well as the air quality.

don't need any additional growth when it comes to fire season. elevated fire danger into next week. highs from the upper 60s, low 70s into the upper 80s. dry pattern shaping up next week. >> looking at the bay bridge toll plaza. gray skies but driving conditions are okay. the fastrack lanes starting to clear up. and more slowing heading into berkeley out of richmond. san pablo slow around the curve. a slower drive on the peninsula. south 101, late slowing heading down out of burlingame and into south san mateo. slow through fremont for 880 and 680. wet roads coming out of sunol. >> thanks, mike. we'll be back at 10:26.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody, we're so glad you're with us for thirst-day thursday, may 16th. big weekend coming up. it's supposed to be beautiful in the northeast. >> for the first time when you woke up, you didn't really need a coat, that's been the first time in a while, right? >> i think 5:05, i was out with the dogs and i thought it was going to be the most gorgeous day. >> if you didn't win the powerball jackpot.

don't worry, because nobody did and the jackpot is humungous, $475 million, which is half a billion, almost. half a billion dollars. >> that you didn't even earn. >> you just got it because you picked random numbers. is this the old one or new one? >> that's the old one. >> play, because the drawing is next saturday. it's going to get even -- this coming saturday? >> yes. >> now you were busy last p.m. what were you doing over there with david letterman, did he have his way with you, hoda? >> it's kathie lee country over there. >> not really. >> i think so he had some fun with our show. and our drinking problem, as he calls it. >> we don't drink, they just put it in front of us. >> when are you on, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.? >> yes. we start drinking immediately at 10:00. >> you're being silly, you don't

really drink. >> we do. >> every day? >> every day. >> do you think you thought about entering a program? >> whose idea was it start drinking? it was kathie lee's wasn't it? >> you'd think it was. >> what percentage of the time are the two of you incoherent? >> i'm incoherent right now. >> oh, pouring on the sexual charm for him. >> what are you talking about? >> the long egyptian legs. and playing with the hair. perfect. >> i was not playing with my hair. >> he's a sucker for that. awesome, hoda. you had your way with him. >> he asked about your dogs, chardonnay and chablis. i said they passed away. >> did he ask you about regis,

my other dog? >> no. >> but he did ask about bambino? >> yes. >> you looked beautiful. >> thank you. let's talk about those, this is story that was in the "new york post." we're not 100% confirmed. but it's been in the paper and a lot of folks are been talking about it. when you go to the big amusement parks and there's the long, long lines that you wait in with your kids. >> in the burning sun at universal. >> all of them. so hot there. >> well they say that there are a group of mothers who have taken it upon themselves to hire disabled people for $1,000 a day, to be part of their group so that they can cut line and get to the front. so in other words, a disabled person is allowed to have six people with them. so you're allowed to bypass everybody in the long line and get on the ride before everyone and they say that there are some manhattan families that are doing this. >> just manhattan? >> that's what it says here.

>> well it's a new york paper. >> i don't know, it sounds awful. >> and if you can beat the system, any system, somehow. what are you teaching your children is the point of that. when you're totally misrepresenting somebody. when they're not a member of your family. >> how fun is that to go around with people you don't even know, you have to pretend, you don't even know their middle name, it's just wrong, weird. >> you have to see when people are getting ready to board airplanes, they call up the know, the elderly and those who need assistance with babies and stuff. inevitably in that group there's one or two -- >> limping. >> they don't need it. >> they just, they're getting on. they want to get on and that's how they're going to do it. >> they want their space up top before anyone else gets it. >> that's what i hate, because the plane is all full and you're getting on. in places like that you'll see a

lot of people getting on planes with wheelchairs and when they get off, they're running off the plane. >> would one of those be joanne la marka? >> probably. >> a spokesperson for disney said the company is upset with the abuse of the accommodations and is taking steps to deter this kind of activity from ever happening again. how much do we have to hear that? >> that's all we hear from our leaders, constantly. we'll take steps to see justice. >> abercrombie and fitch, they don't sell clothes to girls above a size 10. >> but they will sell to large-size guys because they want the athletes. >> so there was some backlash when we heard about the ceo who said he only wants beautiful people in his clothes. >> only a certain type of person should buy his clothes. >> let's live here for a minute. >> kirstie alley was very upset.

>> she battled weight issues. >> she said he kids would never shop there. and better than that there was a writer, greg carver, he was so upset about the comments, he decided to scoop up clothes and give them away to thrift shops and homeless people. >> he spent a lot of money. that stuff is not cheap. >> he's making a point, i guess the video has got tons and tons of hits. i don't know how many. >> four million hits. >> here it is. >> handing out abercrombie and fitch. shifts to -- >> so a lot of needy people. >> do they know how chic and hip it's supposed to be? do they care? >> no. but i think he's making his point big-time. >> like do you want -- and they're asking people in the video for folks who have mistakenly purchased abercrombie and fitch attire to give it away, to homeless people. >> that's what he says. >> so this has legs? >> yes. >> well, well. people don't like elitism.

they don't. they just don't like it. it's fundamentally, they know it's wrong. >> we're going to talk about plane complaints the other day. we got a lot of responses from you guys. >> you're very smart. first of all, we didn't know, according to a lot of people on facebook. if you have the middle seat, you get first dibs on both arm rests. >> you have no place to go and somewhere to do. >> so the unspoken rule is, because you got stuck in the crummy middle seat, you get both arm rests. another girl got upset on the plane. she said you know the people who flip their hair over the back of the seat? >> no, yeah. >> your hair is getting such traction. >> a life of its own. >> what's going on with the hair? please explain it. the hair is big and you're into it and everyone's into it. >> i don't know. it's most ridiculous thing in the world. but i'm going to keep wearing it this way for a while and getting attention. i walked out this morning and dean cain went, i heard a wolf

whistle. do you know how long it's been since a heard a wolf whistle? a long time. >> doesn't that feel so good to hear that? >> i didn't know if it was directed at me. this woman had hair so, so long, she flipped it over the back seat into this woman's lap. the flight attendant asked the girl three times to remove her hair. she did, but minutes later, flipped it back into over by now, linda's meal. it stayed there for six hours. linda was so ticked off. when it came time to get rid of her stale gum -- >> she's vindictive, this one. >> she didn't do a nice thing. but some say she was justified. >> she put it, you know where she put it. >> that's terrible, that's aushl. >> what the girl did or what the woman did? >> both. >> these sisters were flying from new york to ireland. there were two loud women behind them. >> they happened to be french, i think. >> one decided to be foot -- in the arm rest between the two

sisters. >> the foot was in between. >> that would be like right here, somebody's foot. >> yes, now we don't know what kind of shoe or. >> or whether there was a shoe on it. >> she said she was so disgusted. she picked up an arm rest. and sent it back. the woman shut up and kept her smelly feet to herself. >> i think it's weird where people put their feet. >> i think it's weird that people wear flip flops and their feet are filthy. and they have toe jam. >> don't say that. >> if you want to make hoda go crazy, say toe jam. >> "anchorman 2" is coming you, so i saw the actual version anch anchorman. this is the actual version of "afternoon delight."

♪ gonna find my baby ♪ gonna hold her tight ♪ gonna grab some afternoon delight ♪ ♪ when it's right, it's right ♪ why wait until the middle a cold, dark night ♪ ♪ when everything is a clearer in the light of day ♪ ♪ doesn't this put you in the -- ♪ ♪ when we know the night is always gonna be here anyway ♪ ♪ thinking of you is working up an appetite ♪ ♪ looking forward to a little afternoon delight ♪ ♪ rubbing sticks and stones together ♪ >> we've got to save some dime for this. if you need a good laugh, and who doesn't. we went yesterday to the golden theater to see -- "vanya, sonia, masha and spike." an unbelievable cast. six tony nominations. >> sigourney weaver is in it. >> hoda had to leave because you

were doing letterman. i'm telling you, hoda, it has a great chance of winning the tony for best play. it's just hysterically funny. >> look at the cast. >> david hyde-pierce. the guy who plays spike. >> with the bow tie. >> he is genius. he's a real beefcake type. but so funny, you want to cry. and kathleen nielson, and it makes you laugh your spanx off and it makes you cry your eyes out. it was so well done. >> such a great one. >> i went to, i had to go to the ladies room because i had a long trip back to connecticut. i go to the ladies room. you know, the wednesday matinees, lots of women and i think it's an older theater, so they're probably five stalls. with about 200 women that need to go to the ladies room. so finally, they, they close down the men's room and let the women go, because it was going to be curtain time. believe me, sometimes you don't want to rush back to your seat. you don't want to miss what

haens. so all of a sudden i'm waiting there in line and two guys come. come in -- drop it, and yup. >> you were in there? >> yes, we were all standing there. >> yes, yes. >> i'm going, okay. >> and then the ladies behind me go -- guess what? and i said what? and she said hoda and kathie lee are here! and i said, they're here? and she said yes, you could get their autograph. and i said why would i want to do that because i'm kathie lee. oh, my god. oh, my gosh i'm going to write my memoir that i went to the bathroom in the men's room with you. you missed it yesterday. >> i love it, i love it. >> okay. not okay, hoda-woman. >> is it okay for celebs to try online dating. martha stewart is trying it. let's see what we have to say. >> it's hard enough to protect your privacy when you're a celebrity. why would you want to exposureself in such a way?

>> heck yes, who cares how you find love, as long as you find it. >> that's what i'm saying. >> i am totally in love with our little character. >> love them. >> wish we were as cute. >> we have a cute guy coming up, don't we? >> look at this juggling act. >> you're going to be dancing from ear to ear. >> dean cain. >> and they're in hair and makeup as we speak, two ladies from the plaza getting ambushed. makeup as we speak, two ladies from [ male announcer ]ambushed. there's a story behind the silver of philadelphia cream cheese. it always begins with fresh local milk blended with real, wholesome cream. going fresh from the farm, to our fridge, in just six days. because we believe in fresh taste. mmm. [ male announcer ] when it comes to taste, philadelphia sets the standard. and introducing the new standard in afternoon snacking. made with real ingredients like milk, cream, and belgian dark chocolate. new philadelphia snack delights.

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dean cain is well known for playing the heroic clark kent or superman in the mid '90s, and now on to a new adventure. in the new vh1 series called "hit the floor." >> he plays a professional basketball coach who gets recruited to pick the beautiful dancers who cheer on the team.

they play the devil girls, take a look. >> the entrance to the gym is this way. >> there's no point in my being there. >> oh, come on. you're judging finals, former all-star come back to coach your old team. this is an awesome promotion for you. >> they're not promoting basketball. this is about the dancers who have gotten completely overmarketed by the way. they're marketed like blow-up dolls. >> then it goes downhill from there. >> although. it was great to see you. hi, dean. you've done ten episodes, a scripted series for vh1. >> it's the second one they've tied. the cast is ridiculous. all the dancer girls, we'll sit around and have a cast read-through. kimberly least plays opposite of

me and we'll look around the cast, are you kidding me, they're ridiculously gorgeous. >> did you die when you got the script? did you say this is perfect for me. >> the guy's a professional basketball coach and he gets to judge girls' dancing. i could spend my whole life wanting this. >> it's almost a porno. >> but it's legal. >> did you play sports when you were younger? >> i played professional football for the buffalo bills for half a season. well, okay, for 15, 20 minutes. >> were you hurt? >> i got hurt as a rookie. but i know the world. >> your dreams were shattered? >> they weren't. >> they weren't? >> i was probably 30 years old before i said i'm not going to play in the nfl any more. i was already shooting "lois and clark" before i thought i would hang it up. all of my friends are real coaches like jason garrett, coach of the dallas cowboys. >> that's your -- that's your posse, huh?

>> yes. >> posse is good. >> now when you you played superman and people remember you as that. is it difficult to get cast in other roles sometimes because of something like that? >> it can be. for me it's been no problem. i've done maybe 100 movies since then and it's great. i love the work i'll work on a $50 million movie or a $1 million movie. >> and you have another mouth to feed by the way because your 13-year-old son lives with you. >> he is a cutie. >> we got to see his picture. >> he looks just like me if i was blonde and perfect. >> like everybody on your show. >> how have your dance-judging skillsors, where do they come from? >> from years of meticulously honing them on the dance floors. i've driven by scores. >> there's video that you were there. >> are you a good dancer? >> am i a good dancer? it depends on when you ask me that question. >> let's turn up the music.

i'm not dancing alone. come on! >> see, i'm not. >> come on. >> i need to be drinking. >> let's go, baby. >> let's go baby. >> i'll do the close-up. >> that doesn't count. >> i'm kidding. >> no. that was it. >> kathie it's got a great move. >> this is how you watch. >> let's go to the video. >> let's see it. >> when you dance with a real man, baby. >> i'm looking. >> any time now. >> you see it's an old thing in show business called timing! >> never mind. >> there we go. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm going to say you win that one. >> a little spank at the end.

>> good game. >> great to see you, the show "hit the floor" premieres on vh1, may 27th at 9:00 p.m. it's the end of the road for one of our talented singers from "the voice." what's next for you see the "mini" ion my chest? funny, yes? no. i'm huge. flavor? i'm bursting with it. creamy? i ooze it. rich. creamy. and 100% natural cheese.

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the intense ache made it hard to do the things that i wanted. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica.

ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. 20-year-old singer vito made his singing debut in front of millions of people on "the voice" impressing usher with his r&b sound. >> for the first time this season. the final 12 sang for america's votes and none of the contestants could be saved by the judges. sadly vito's journey came to an end. but he stopped by our studio and it's a pleasure to meet you. >> thank you. >> and you're talented and you're sweet. >> i try to be. >> you're a tribute to your mom. >> a lot of us got to know you and your mom. we know your mom passed away

early in the season and it was a very emotional journey for you singing on "the voice" wasn't it? >> i think definitely it was emotional especially the beginning of it. the blind audition battle round. it was so close to when she had passed. i think that as i progress in the show and as i went on and advanced through rounds, i was thinking it had gotten easier for me, because it was almost like at a certain point like when i talk about my mom, when i talked about her, i would cry. but it was at a certain point when i talked about it, she wouldn't let me cry. >> vito, we want to wish you the wouldn't[ kelly ]ry. people say it's really hard to follow a healthy routine. guess what? you can do it. that it's almost impossible to eat healthy. but you can do it. that you can't improve your mouth's health with a toothpaste. with colgate total® you can. [ male announcer ] colgate total® does more than protect. it fights germs for 12 hours. in 24 hours starts to fortify enamel. and in 4 weeks helps improve gum health.

you see? for better mouth health, use colgate total®. [ male announcer ] do more than protect. improve mouth health with colgate total®. you can do it! improve mouth health with colgate total®. land of the free and home of the mouth-watering ball park frank... made with 100% angus beef... and just a dash of democracy. ball park franks. so american you can taste it. now mega lash volume goes mega plush! bye, bye brittle! volum' express mega plush from maybelline new york. our first gel-mousse mascara! for mega lush lashes, soft to the touch. mega plush mascara ♪maybe it's maybelline good morning to you. it is 10:26. i'm marla tellez. expect to see some changes at the bay to breakers race in san francisco this weekend. race organizers, police and city officials will be at city hall this afternoon to talk about race security, planned road

closures and new course features. security will be tighter in the wake of the boston marathon bombings last month. large backpacks will be banned and runners without bibs will be removed from the course. we'll take a look at weather and traffic after the break.

welcome back. the time now, 10:28. what a difference just a couple of hours make. look at this, all the shower activity now racing into the central valley. seeing a little bit of sunshine. not a whole lot but a mix of sun

and clouds and temperatures are going to be pretty cool. struggling to reach the low to mid-70s. even in the warmest cities, 72 for gilroy today. over the weekend, we have a major warm-up ahead. coming up at 11:00, we'll show you the first named storm of the pacific hurricane season. that's on the way. first let's get you over to mike. >> we have slowing down the eastshore freeway because of that volume of traffic. train throughout the bay area made things slow at times. we have a recovery through emeryville out of richmond. approaching the toll plaza, an earlier crash has moved from lanes. and the peninsula, slowing through san mateo and the golden gate bridge because of the conditions. >> thanks, mike. our top story today, a person of interest is in custody now in connection with a triple stabbing that killed a 1-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman. 29-year-old ruben ramirez was detained in san francisco last night. he reportedly lives in san jose at the home where the woman and baby boy were killed. a 3-year-old girl was also

stabbed and is in stable condition at the hospital. what neighbors are saying about this man coming up at 11:00. welcome back to "today" on this thirst-day thursday, and it's the time where we reveal ambush makeovers for two women who were lucked off the plaza. with us is "today" contributor and stylist to the stars, ♪ louis liccari ♪ la la la la la >> and "people" style watch editor and stylist, jill martin. >> we had a gorgeous day, so many people to pick from. we found two great, great candidates. >> you found someone named lynn quevo. 49 years old from portland, oregon. since she works as an electrician, she throws her hair back into a ponytail and baseball cap every day and was

so thrilled to get the opportunity for a glam new look. let's take a listen to her story. >> well, lynn normally wears a hard hat because i can't get over that you're an electrician. >> yes, electrician. >> so tell me about your usual uniform. >> just jeans and t-shirt and -- >> and you're outside all the time. >> a baseball cap and a ponytail. >> and no makeup, ever? >> no makeup. >> your boyfriend, ron, for a year, what do you think of all this? >> i think it's exciting. >> you've never seen her obviously with a new look because it's been a year. so what do you think of her getting a new look? >> i'm excited, i think it will be fun. >> are you ready to get a little dolled up? >> yes. >> exciting. >> her boyfriend, ron, please raise your hand? her brother, john and her friend sam with the upside-down bli blindfold. here's lynn before. all right, lynn, let's see the

new you. >> oh wow. lynn, you guys, ready? take off your blindfold. >> whoa! >> are you ready? >> yup. >> come right here and turn right here. >> wow. >> it's nice. >> why don't you look here at camera 12. louis, tell us about the hair. >> obviously most -- strongest thing i could hear, i made changes from a blonde to a brunette. which is a very bold thing to do. the perfect hair color to accents your skin color and beautiful eye color. >> the highlights pass through, so it doesn't look monochromatic or goth. >> let's start with ron the boyfriend, what do you think? >> i'm amazed, gorgeous. >> wow. >> you like? >> i always knew my sister was pretty, but i didn't know she was that pretty.

>> how about sam? >> she's always looked the same ever since i met her. so big difference, beautiful, beautiful, i love it. >> she wears a hard hat every day, no makeup. we thought we would go a little '60s mod, very in for spring, this is maggie london. >> big round of applause for lynn. thank you. >> now our second lady, laurie who is 50, from lake charles, louisiana. just turned 50. told us it was her dream to be made over on the "today show," we decided to grant her birthday wish and give her a brand new style. let's listen to her story. >> she was going to scribble my name in, because she didn't make the sign. no offense taken. so you want this? >> yes. >> dell me why? >> i watch every makeover. i love that part of the show. and i just am excited to get the chance to do one. >> what's your supportive sister think? >> i think this is great, we're celebrating her 50th birthday, we came here specifically to see "the today show." >> okay.

well we're going to ditch the s a little bit. >> great, good, i'm excited. >> she's adorable. >> she's here with her sister. lisa. >> hi, lisa. >> one last look at laurie and bring out the new laurie! >> oh! >> wow. >> you got that louis liccari red going on. all right, lisa. >> wow! >> so great. >> you look fantastic. we're going to prove it to you. turn around, please. >> oh wow. >> oh, my gosh, i love it. >> oh, my gosh. >> i pumped her hair color up, a few shades of red make all the difference. vanessa gave her a great fantastic haircut. blow and dry, gorgeous right out of the shower and color story is complete with the makeup. >> what do you think? >> she's beautiful.

just wonderful, thank you. >> thank you. >> people always say thank you, it's so sweet. >> and jill, tell me about the dress? >> 50th birthday, red lace, by elijah j. they're going 0 to two broadway shows. >> what are they? >> "lucky guy" and "pippen." >> two home runs. >> bring them both out. >> beautiful. coming up, things that make you sound smart. go! go olive garden's three course italian dinner, just $12.95. choose one of five new entrees. go grilled with our new chicken toscano served with creamy parmesan risotto. or go succulent with our new shrimp penne. plus soup or salad and breadsticks. finish on a high note - dessert! three full courses just $12.95. olive garden, we're all family here! and try our lighter fare menu.

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don't just vacuum clean. resolve clean. if only it just took glasses. >> how to sound smarter in a tech-driven world of l.o.l., in a world that's become a although more casual. >> grammar tips to help you make the good impression. courtney smith is the executive

editor of "readers' digest" for people who know how to read. >> and terry shodeen, author of "small message, big impact." >> it is true, because we're so techie and there's auto correct on spelling and everything else, we don't pay as much attention to grammar as we used to, do we? >> i was texting my daughter and for the first time i did "u-r" for your. what's one of the things we do to make us sound stupid? >> the word "like" is universally disliked. it's all about what impression you want to send. >> and absolutely. the goal is, what is your intention. so if you're selling yourself on the job interview or selling a product or a service or a philosophy or idea, you're

trying to present yourself and your ideas in a way that's attractive to people and inspires them to want to hear more. >> we're sabotaging our own success, in other words. >> let's see how smart we are, shall we? we're going to look at movie clips and see if we can pick out the grammatical error, let's start with a clip from "mean girls." >> his name is aaron. >> no, no, you can't like aaron. that's gene ex-boyfriend. >> they went out for a year. >> i thought she dumped him for shane. >> irregardless, ex-boyfriends are off-limits to friends. >> irregardless. >> we knew it. >> regardless covers it and a good memory trick is that the "ir" in irregardless is irrelevant. >> oh! >> okay. i love the movie "anchorman." let's see if we can find the grammatical error.

>> greg killed a guy. >> did you throw a trident. >> horses, a man on fire and a killed a guy with a trident. >> rick i've been meaning to talk to you about that, you should find yourself a safe house, lay low for a while because you're probably wanted for murder. >> i thought it was perfect. what happened? what was wrong? >> he used trident, which is a noun as a verb? >> no, actually -- >> he did. >> let's let the pros tell us. >> here's what jumped out at me is the lay low. >> lie low. >> it's lie low. >> but it's a colloquial term we've come to accept. >> just making a statement. >> they are their own distinct words. brick laid someone low by killing them. but you lie low after murdering someone. >> maybe he meant the other word. >> laid low. if you know what i'm saying.

>> one more quick one. >> go ahead. >> well i'm honored. this place is so cool. >> me and my dad built this. >> my dad and i built this. >> you would never say me built it. and you take out the other person and -- >> did you know that, hoda? >> i did know that should you correct people in front of people? >> yes. >> no, the important thing is to present yourself in a way that helps you to move your intentions forward. whatever your goal is. so if it's a job interview, you want to sell yourself in a way that inspires them to say, let's give this person the next interview or let's give them the job. so words are important. they do matter. >> all right. kids. >> when you say correctly, you add -- speak correctly, you add panache to your personality. >> that is, like, so true. >> they're some of the most amazing creations you've ever seen on a beach. we're getting together --

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check out these guys waiting for a train. it's a sand sculpture called train stop and just one of the amazing creations from rusty croft and kirk rademaker, also known as the sapped guys. >> these guys take playing with sand to a whole new level and they've been busy creating something special for us in our own studios. >> how long did it take you? what time did it start? >> 10, 15 minutes. >> did you guys as kids play in the sand a lot? is that how it all began? >> playing in the dirt. >> but you've got to be artistic by nature. >> yeah. >> you're both sculptors in real life? >> starting in building and realized -- what. >> you got to be a kid. that's what you got to be. you got to be a kid at heart.

>> and you've got to be willing to let your beautiful creation be washed away by any tide that comes along or by any bully on the beach. >> that's not so fun. but the fact that it's ephemeral and goes away is one of the best things about working with sand. >> show us if regular people can do it like us. you're going to show us how to create a little window on the corner. >> i'm good at this. >> so crafty. >> i'm good. >> one of the tools we use, little power knives. >> start at the top. >> make a window. >> you've made sand castles before, yeah? >> i'm making a window. >> or door or a -- big hole. excellent. >> i thought that's what we were doing. >> there's no right or wrong. >> so you can fix it. >> what was wrong with what i did. >> it's a little crummy. i mean that in a sandy way. >> you want to have moist sand, you've got to have the right kind, because sometimes it just -- you made it an oval.

>> how pretty or a little detail. >> you guys take your show on the road, don't you? >> absolutely. >> sponsored by ocean potion. >> doing sand castles in the sun tour this summer. we're going to coastal cities all over the country this year and bringing friends and family together for fun in the sun. that's the idea. get the family out there, your friends together. >> and people can watch you all day long. >> and what am i doing? >> what is she doing over there. >> let me show you here. you're going to get dirty. >> i've been known to do that once or twice. i have two children. >> this is a sand castle. use wet sand. >> and when you make a wall. you put your hands in there. and you grab -- >> what is that. what are you doing in there. >> and then you pull it out and -- >> this is like the movie "ghost" remember? >> that's how you make a wall.

>> give it a little jiggle. >> here you go. >> do it, do it. >> one more, close-up on my chest please, when they say jiggle. okay? thank you. >> we wish you the best of luck, all right? >> have a great tour this summer. >> hottest acts in country music, right after this. >> stop jiggling. >> i can't help myself.

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> they're the red-hot trio known as the sexy pistols. >> and they're here with their new song, "ante up." we leave you with this.

♪ ♪ ♪ i feel a right that's about to go wrong ♪ ♪ i got a shiver down to the bone ♪ ♪ i feel a scene coming on ♪ i got a buzz in my brain ♪ drunk on a love going down like champagne ♪ ♪ i got a feeling it's going to leave a lipstick stain ♪ ♪ and i'll be the only one to blame ♪ ♪ and you can see it all over my face ♪ ♪ sweet temptation all over the place ♪ ♪ give me tall, dark and handsome ♪ ♪ mix it up with something

strong ♪ ♪ i feel a scene coming on ♪ please, jesus don't hold me back ♪ ♪ i know it ain't mine, but i want it so bad ♪ ♪ the smoke in the whiskey got me in a breeze ♪ ♪ and it all in the back ♪ and you can see it ♪ all over my face ♪ sweet temptation ♪ all over the place ♪ give me tall, dark and handsome ♪ ♪ mix it up with something strong ♪ ♪ i feel a scene coming on

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ well you can see it ♪ all over my face ♪ sweet temptation ♪ all over the place ♪ give me tall, dark and handsome ♪ ♪ mix it up with something strong ♪ ♪ i feel a scene coming on ♪ i feel a scene coming on

good morning, everyone. thank you very much for joining us. i'm jon kelley. >> good morning. i'm marla tellez. we are learning more about the south bay stabbing where a 1-year-old boy and his aunt were killed inside their home. neighbors are revealing new information about the family relative named as a person of interest in this case. nbc bay area's christie smith joins us live at the scene of the crime in san jose with their reaction and new details on this investigation. christie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. neighbors tell us that when they heard a desperate call for help, they pretty much knew that it would be this house here. some people have left flowers here this morning. three people stabbed inside, a relative detained