♪ from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. it's fun-day monday. june 24th. are you sorry to be back at it this week? but we're going to make you smile today, we promise. >> we certainly are. we're going to show you, first of all if you haven't seen the ugliest dog on earth, we'll show them to you. >> the newest ugliest. >> wally. >> i think we need a recount, though. that's the way i feel about it. >> we'll reveal ones we think should have won the ugliest dog. >> show page three. >> we'll have to show it before

we get started. come to me. look at that. >> i'm going to my dentist today because my teeth used to look like that but dr. larry rosenthal has changed my life. >> those teeth are terrible. >> how was your weekend, miss thing? >> you know what? we -- i think it was one of the best weekends ever, ever, ever. the only time frank and i left our house and that point we just built was for church. and yesterday morning i was down there early doing devotions and i thought about regis and joy. i said i haven't seen them in a while. we couldn't get together in a while. i said maybe they're home this weekend. they had a new grandchild that lives out in california. their daughter joanna has just had a new baby girl. i give them a call. the next thing we know, they're coming. we had lunch yesterday. i don't know if we have the picture to show. there.

>> the puppies. >> look at leola. >> look at joy. the shape that woman is in. >> she knows how to pose. >> there's reg. he said, i want a gaz eastboundo. -- gazebo. every time regis comes to our house, he goes, and yet another place to eat. we had a great lunch. and our friends. we just entertained all weekend long. but it didn't feel like it because it's such a comfortable spot. >> the moon. >> i tried to take pictures of it. the pictures do not even show because i looked and said that's the most beautiful thing. i took a picture and it looked like a pin prick on a camera, but it was gorgeous. >> it was spectacular. but it was gorgeous. and saturday night that's what frank and i did. we went down there, built a fire and had a little vino. >> of course you did. >> but the moon was coming on. it's 11:00. frank and i haven't stayed up until 11:00 with our clothes on in a long, long, long, long time. >> hey, hey. >> all right. i have to say i haven't been out

to giant stadium. i've never been to a ball game there. >> you have to go to a football game with us this fall. >> i'd love to go. they had this health expo that channel 4 does, locally. it was a terrific event. it's the whole football field filled with fun and games for the kids. they had like a 2-year-old run. i ended up taking some pictures with some really nice people who were out there. yeah. look. >> they came to sign your book for them. >> no, they wanted to bring wine. no one would let anyone bring vino into the stadium. >> what has become of this country? >> i don't know. it was awful when people can't bring their hodie a little wine. >> they were asking for you and there were some adorable kids who were there. most were crying when they came near me. i don't know what it was. >> they have a good sense about people. >> stop it. >> so last night, nik wallenda, did you guys watch that? >> only on the news. i couldn't watch. >> i can watch something once i know it's over and has a happy ending. but to think that -- he's one

tiny nano second away from death was hard. >> it was so hard to watch. i watch the clips too. i followed it on twitter. they said he's just left. someone said i can't watch it. this is torture. it's unwatchable because it was so difficult to watch him walking across the grand canyon. took him 22 minutes. >> three football fields long. >> if you hear what he was saying as he started, he was praying pretty much. let's listen. >> i would, too. >> i command it in your name, jesus. authority of god praise you. praise you, jesus. praise you lord. winds are way worse than i expected. praise you, jesus. >> doing good. looks spectacular. >> when you see that wide shot. and the wind. and at one point he had to squat down. >> wasn't it true that -- oh, oh. and there's no net, by the way. he doesn't want -- >> don't take your hand off me. >> why did he do that?

>> first of all, his kids are at the end. >> that's the reason to get to the end. but at the same time how horrible for his loved ones. >> how about the run at the end? >> oh, my god. >> make you nervous about that when you are watching the u.s. open and there's a putt and you think you've got it and they lose it because of that. >> they say most people get in car accidents a few blocks from their home because they're home and they don't have to think about it. >> i would have been praying the whole way, too. >> it's hard for us to put ourselves in, obviously, his shoes. and just say why in the world would you risk something as precious as your life? but we have to understand culturally, that's the third generation of the flying wallendas. that's just what they do. they are circus performers. >> and the thing i was thinking, if the kids are at the end watching, how could you do that to your children? but those children are probably going to grow up and do it. >> they're already in the family

business. >> it's part of you. it would be shocking for any other kid to watch his dad risk his life. for these kid who get used to it. he wants to walk from the empire state building to the chrysler building, nine city blocks above manhattan. >> i think it's a little easier to get insurance when you are going over something that there are no people below you. but to try to block off nine blocks -- >> can you imagine in manhattan? >> with most people standing there looking at you and yelling. yelling at you. stop! don't do it, nik wallenda. >> if you had trouble sleeping last night, sunday night, you aren't alone. >> thank you frank and bambino. sunday night is the most difficult night to fall asleep because you have kind of monday morning anxiety. >> right. >> so if you have trouble sleeping during the week it's going to get worse on sundays. >> and it was last night. it truly was. >> why? >> poor frank doesn't know he's doing what he's doing. so when i have had it and then i

knock him over, he's like, what? what? what? turn over! but bambino is doing it now. >> what's he doing? >> he's a little restless. he's a little restless. >> i know you aren't supposed to sleep with the dogs or your husbands after a certain amount of years, but i kind of like them both, and -- >> i think they are getting bored in the control room. >> clearly. >> the other reason people have trouble falling asleep they have social jetlag which is you stay up later on friday night, sleep in on saturday and it throws off your normal rhythm of your week. >> well, good. >> we talk about the -- >> this is the funniest thing. we have to see the dog. >> the ugliest dog contest, again, we showed you a couple of pictures. there some are hideous ones in a good way, who are here. why don't you come out. here's wally. >> see, i think wally is adorable. >> hi, nice to meet you. >> were you excited when wally won?

>> yes, i was. >> i wouldn't have put wally in the running. explain the other ones that win this thing. >> this is where the term dog ugly comes from is these guys. >> show us a trick he does that shows off his best act. >> i put him in a contest in our small town. he's never won hand some dog. he's won unusual dog. >> that doesn't make him ugly. >> i put him in the world's ugliest dog contest. >> what does he do when he gets a sit. wally, sit. sit. oh, wally -- >> wally. >> oh, my god, those little feet. i'm looking at his feet. >> wow, wally. wow. wally is quite the dog, isn't he? oh, yeah, wally. oh, my god. >> so unusual, that's what the judges liked about him. he was different. >> but he's so cute. >> in the face they were saying the rest of him was unusual.

>> you think because he's won this he's going to get a big head? a bigger one? >> that's no joke. stop it. you are disgusting. >> is it going to go to his head, getting all this attention? >> i don't think so. he's had attention since he was a little puppy because he's always looked unusual. >> a lot of puppies have paws like that. you think they are going to grow into it. he has grown into them. >> beagle, bassett and boxer. >> he didn't have a chance. >> but i still think there were some other ones. do we have any pictures of the other ones that were in the running? now tell me -- >> oh, oh, oh. >> no, these aren't -- >> that looks like meredith's dog. >> wally is cute. >> i know. >> oh, the mohawk. oh, wow. >> that's not so bad. >> oh. >> oh, my. is that --

>> how is that even possible? >> wally wants another one. >> well, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> i brought in my favorite thing, but i prefer wally. >> bye, wally. i spent all weekend out in the sun. you know how i am about the sun. i used this product that we had on the air the other day. i had some farmer lines and stuff, and i wore the 50-plus and kept adding it. this l'oreal paris, it's new. sublime sun. sublime sun sunscreen for about $10 at your local drug store. it's 50. but it goes up even more than that. it has a beautiful sheen to it. >> does it smell good? >> you tried it the other day and said even you'd wear it. >> i love it. isn't that great? >> here's my favorite thing. i drink coffeemate because i can't have dairy and i love it. guess what they came out with.

this is sick. coffee mate that tastes like girl scout cookies. like all your favorite girl scout cookies are now in coffee mate form. >> do you want that in coffee first thing in the morning? >> yes, you do. i don't usually like sweetness in my coffee. >> oh, that kind of coffee mate. it's liquid. >> does sara have one? >> yes. this is a jackory mini. got off amazon for $29.95. it's the smallest external battery you can have for your iphone. you can get an extra 50 hours charging. yeah. when you -- think about when you are traveling. i live by outlets because my phone is always dead. just bring this in your purse or bag or pocket. >> i so wanted to steal that from her. >> you are here. you are trouble, mr. danger. >> my other favorite thing is, i watched the lone ranger last night with my friend army hammer. army is here today along with that guy over there. >> marlon. >> the screamer, we like to call him.

don't walk away from your phone. we're dialing up our fan of the week. he's starring in one of the funniest summer films. >> we're going to hang out with marlon wayans. who is always a scream. >> and could it be wedding bells for kim and kanye. plus, a big surprise from brad pitt. >> what's that? >> i don't know. >> and the lone ranger.

if you haven't seen the previews then you probably can't wait to check out one of the funniest films "the heat" which stars sandra bullock, melissa mccarthy and marlon wayans. >> an fbi agent that happens to be sandra bullock's love interest that finds himself right in the middle of all the action. check it out. >> excuse me, i was wondering if you would -- >> okay. awkward. nothing personal but as a rule, i make it a point not to date my co-workers so thank you. >> i was wondering if you would not talk to me in that tone. >> oh, oh, yes, of course.

>> it's a little different. >> yeah, of course, why wouldn't i? >> why would you? >> i wouldn't. >> we should go to the paint factory? >> are we clear here because it got real awkward. >> no, we're good, right? we're really good. >> same page. >> i don't want any -- >> okay. here we go. let's go to the paint factory. >> she doesn't want to date co-workers so spread the word. >> shut up. >> what does she say? >> she doesn't want to date co-workers, so spread the word. >> i love being here. you guys feed us wine. let's do it. >> we know what you like, baby. >> we going to do this. you know what this is like? this is like going to breakfast after the club and we're going to continue to party. let's do it. >> this looks so fun. these two girls must have been a kick to work with. >> tell us about the script and how much were you guys playing and having fun with it? >> a lot of it was improvise. a script but that whole ending was like improvised. melissa and sandra, they are both really strong with

improvising. and it's funny because i was actually the straight man in the movie. >> you were? >> yeah, melissa is hilarious. the filthiest mouth in this movie. >> who? >> melissa. >> she makes a sailor blush. >> there's an old black man somewhere down her throat. richard pryor somewhere down there just cursing up a storm. she's so funny. they play well together. and they are both beautiful. >> if you'll remake a movie as iconic as the heat you make it with a brand new take. >> oh, "the heat" was an actual movie? i thought it was original. >> was it? >> maybe i'm wrong. >> there was a movie "city heat." >> maybe that's what i'm thinking of. >> and then "the heat of the night." >> but enough about me. >> all right. i'm wrong. write it down. once in a while -- >> i'm sorry. i thought there was an old classic movie -- never mind! >> in the heat of the night?

>> that's not the one. >> anyway, go ahead. >> what is it like to make this amazing new, brand new movie? >> well, the brand new movie is amazing. working with both of them is great. sandra, i got to play her love interest. which is cool. >> how much of a love interest are you? >> i didn't get to kiss her. but i got to look at her in a lot of different ways like i wanted it but i couldn't have it. >> unconsummated love affair. >> put it this way. when they said cut, like afterward, in my head, a lot of nasty stuff happened. but on set, it didn't happen. >> you remember when you were here last time. >> what happened? >> do you remember? you screamed a lot. >> i screamed. >> from the movie. >> we're going to remind you. this is what it was. [ scream ] [ scream ] >> now we're going to quiz you. we're going to play a scream and see if you can guess who it is. >> if you need anybody to scream

just look at these ugly dogs. >> here's the first one, listen. [ screams ] >> who is that? >> one of your kids? >> my son. >> drew barrymore from "e.t." >> wow, that was a good scream. >> scream number two. >> we just saw this. >> okay. scream number two. listen first and then we'll show you who it is. [ screams ] >> psycho? >> close. >> let's roll the tape. this is what it is. >> oh, the original. or was it a remake of an iconic movie? >> we have one last one. see if you can guess this. [ screams ] >> one more time. >> no, that was it. >> now go.

>> that was so fast. >> this is the real one. >> what is this? what are you hitting the shake for? >> giving you something to scream about, baby. >> we wish you great luck with the movie. >> thank you. >> all the best with this brand new movie. >> it comes out june 28th. >> at a theater near you. if your phone rings, pick it up because we may be calling you. we're going to surprise our fan of the week right after this. what do you think about caffeine? we consume over two billion cups of coffee every week without a second thought. 5-hour energy has less caffeine than some starbucks coffees, new movie.

it is time for one of our favorite things around here when we surprise our "fan of the week." who is it going to be, sara? >> our winner this week is lindsey kaufman. she watches on k.a.r.e. in minetonka, minnesota. >> i think we have her on the line with us.

are you there? >> i'm here. i'm so excited. oh, my goodness. >> a big congratulations. we want to tell everyone, a little bit about you. lindsey was so excited to receive the aarp magazine with you two on the cover. >> they don't like it to be called aarp. she also said in her application it was her dream to appear on the "today" show so we're making that dream come true. >> she looks 12 years old. >> she is, kind of. >> why does she get aarp? >> because she likes you two. she says she scheduled her classes around the fourth hour. in the summer, she lays her yoga matt in front of the tv to get her work-out while watching her two favorite ladies. do you want to hear where you are going? >> i am so honored. >> oh, lindsey, we love you. >> it's not the nobel peace prize. where is she going? >> the lake winnevista resort in florida. four-night stay at the resort, as well as two spa treatments. sounds like the perfect get away

for a hard-working college student. hotel and airfare provided by star sky hotel and resorts. >> lindsey, we love you. have a fun time. thanks for all your love and support and friendship. >> guess what's coming up next? the lone ranger, armie hammer.

♪ we are back with "today's buzz." we catch you up on all the hollywood gossip you might have missed over the weekend. >> from the paula deen controversy to the latest between kim and kanye. the always naughty but nice. >> how are you? >> good to see you. >> kim and kanye, we heard about the name. north west is the name of the baby. if you google north west, it's no longer a direction on your compass. kim and kanye have started to move up that google search. the direction is still number one, but the baby name is moving up. >> kanye has won round one?

there's no "k" in that and his name is there and not kardashian. >> she said she didn't want that name. jay leno asked her a month ago. jay said there's a rumor it's going to be north west and she laughed and said no. so kanye -- >> round one to kanye. >> and then the big news this weekend is they got married or engaged. that is not true. she does not have the ring on it. they are not engaged yet. >> i think kris jenner is here tomorrow. >> we will talk to her. >> james gandolfini, there's a service coming up. >> the body arrived back in new jersey last night. >> it looked like a scene from "the sopranos." to see it in a crate was so upsetting. >> absolutely. and on thursday there's a service here in new york. >> is that private or can the public attend? >> interesting, because it's the large largest cathedral in the world. it can hold about 10,000 people.

>> that won't be enough for him i don't think. >> a lot of fans there. obviously a lot of his cast mates are coming into this. doing different projects throughout the world but they'll all come in for thursday's ceremony. >> every time you see footage of someone that's recently passed, doesn't it just -- you can't believe that person is gone. >> you just saw him in a film or in a clip or walking on a red carpet. >> i think people are still digesting this. >> let's talk paula deen. we didn't get to get to it in chat this morning. a lot has been talked about what's going to happen to her career. >> she's lost her contract at the food network where she's been 11 years. >> qvc is putting her on hold. they haven't decided yet. >> what do you think? >> i think that's going to be very difficult. i think qvc is an amazing business. if she keeps selling pots and pans she may have a chance of coming back. she doesn't have a scheduled date to return yet. they've not cancelled her but haven't given her a new date. >> they're waiting. >> do you think this is a career ender? >> i don't know. i think that if she is honest and says i'm terribly sorry and she means it from her heart, i'd like to think that -- >> how can people know?

apparently her video that she made did not -- >> it didn't help. >> i think that was about the video was so badly produced. >> i think sometimes people think i'll go directly to the people on youtube but i think that can -- sometimes watching you interact is much better in that way. >> also the danger of getting someone professional person in there with you. it makes it look too contrived and -- >> matt will be fair and give her the opportunity. >> really tells the truth, speaks from her heart, then we'll see what happens. >> doesn't think about it too much. >> right. >> all right. weekend box office. big winners. who won? >> brad pitt's movie that everyone was a bit nervous about did fantastic. >> didn't get great reviews at all. >> cost a fortune. they reshot it, rewrote it. cost about $250 million. so massive box office. everybody was terribly nervous about it. >> number two, though? >> "monsters" was number one.

that didn't get great reviews either. >> just shows you. >> so that one did well. >> monsters number one, brad pitt number two. and the studio are having a sigh of relief because they were worried about this movie. got terrible reviews. reshot the ending. cost a fortune and looks like it's going to do okay. >> $250 million. >> rob, lovely to see you. >> rob was admiring our next guest. armie hammer. who isn't? the hottest young actor. i can't look because he's one of my favorites. there he is. armie hammer. he is now the lone ranger. he'll be with us in just a moment. uh-oh! guess what day it is?? guess what day it is! huh...anybody? julie! hey...guess what day it is?? ah come on, i know you can hear me. mike mike mike mike mike... what day is it mike? ha ha ha ha ha ha! leslie, guess what today is? it's hump day.

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with over 30,000 hotspots. at&t u-verse high speed internet. now on our newly expanded advanced digital network, a connection your whole house can count on. ♪ ♪ nice. >> that's got to be a first, right? >> never seen a camera wear a mask. >> armie played both of the

winklevos twins. >> remember that? >> exactly. now he's starring in one of the biggest on-screen adventures starring alongside johnny depp reprising the role of "the lone ranger." take a look. >> you want me to wear a mask? >> the men you seek think you are dead. better to stay that way. >> all right. but if we ride together to bring these men to justice in a court of law. is that understood? >> okay. so that's a nice tender moment between you and tonto. first of all, great to see you. >> hi, armie. >> great to see you both. thank you for having me. >> so much fun to see you in your favorite major -- you've been in lots of great movies lately, but you are the the lone

ranger, baby. this changes everything. >> yeah, well, fortunately i'm wearing a mask for most of the movie. may not change to much. >> as is our entire crew. >> everybody. we're all in that. so you have to -- it took four or five auditions for you to land this role. >> yeah. >> that must have been a little unnerving. >> you'd think every audition you'd get called back you'd feel better. then you think the competition is getting that much more steep. it's a nerve-racking process. but if you find a job like this, you got to chase it. >> when you got the call, what did that feel like? >> i was partially convinced i called the wrong person. >> it was like 1,000 ideas i tried to get outas once. -- i tried to get out at once. >> especially the last ten minutes of this thing, it's pretty intense. you and johnny depp did almost all of your own stunts. that's not exactly what you're known for. >> right. >> i think when you read this script, i know you wanted to do it. you wanted to work with johnny depp and that director, but what in the world did you say, oh, my gosh, that's going to be -- how long is that, like almost a year? >> like nine or ten months.

when it says in the script tonto drags john reed behind a horse i thought, oh, they'll figure out a way to do that. of course you show up on set and they say, we're going to drag you behind a horse. >> are you kidding? >> what was it like working with johnny depp? he's a terrific actor. did it help you up your game or -- >> totally. it's like you sort of rise to the level. especially when you have rabinsky directing and bruckheimer producing and johnny depp starring. like playing tennis with somebody better than you, it raises your game a little bit. hopefully. >> your prepared to how this could end up changing your life quite a bit? johnny depp can't really walk around and be johnny depp, privacy and all that. >> put on the mask then nobody -- >> this was the first time i was exposed to anything like this. seeing how johnny has to live his life. like a fugitive on the lam. more than anything else. he has to hide. doesn't look fun. >> this mask really did change how you felt about yourself, didn't it? you were talking about how when you put this on on set, suddenly everyone's demeanor --

>> when i walked out of the trailer it was like, hey, armie go stand over there. but if you come out in the mask and the guns, especially the older guys on set who grew up with the lone ranger, they just got giddy. >> tell us about your life away from the camera. you and your beautiful wife elizabeth -- >> is she here? >> she is here. have just opened a bakery in san antonio. >> elizabeth, you want to come over and tempt hoda? she's given up sweets, but i bet she will not -- >> how adorable is she. >> she's pretty darn adorable. >> we just had our two-year anniversary. >> and you came bearing gifts. what's that? >> oh, no big deal. since we came from new mexico, i might as well get you a couple of flasks. if you are going to drink wine, you might as well drink like a cowboy. >> how cute are you. >> so thoughtful. >> of course, anything for you guys. >> we're so happy for you. "the lone ranger" is so much fun. watched it last night with a whole gamut of little people in my house and they went crazy for it. i hope you have a big hit. >> it opens in theaters, by the way, next wednesday.

>> thank you darling. he's a 21-year-old opera singer who is now singing a new tune after dropping 167 pounds. >> we'll find out how he did it right after this. >> can you open that for me, lone ranger? ♪ good morning. we have your seven-day forecast. want to talk about some heat that will continue for parts of the east. we'll watch for severe weather once again into the plain states, around the chicago area, strong storms, some showers and thunderstorms for the southeast. boston, 95. mid 90s for new york and washington as well. cooler in atlanta. 84 the high there. we are going to be talking about even hotter temps in the southwest. 105 for phoenix. wait until you see what the end of the week and weekend will bring for them. tomorrow showers up in the pacific northwest, mid section will be pretty dry, but once

again, showers and thunderstorms through the ohio valley, midwest, and down into the southeast. tomorrow highs into the mid 80s in atlanta, cooling in boston with highs near 90, 86 in chicago, 98 in albuquerque, 110 in phoenix, mid 70s per san francisco and los angeles. on thursday, 96 in denver. 100 in albuquerque, 112 in phoenix. so the temps just continue to climb. we'll have upper 80s for new york city and washington. keep an eye on to the sky for showers and storms. unsettled on the east coast near the end of the week. chicago you're also going to make it into the low 80s for the end of the week. the big story will continue to be the high heat in the southwest. look at phoenix highs, 117 on friday. way, way hot, even for an area known for the heat this time of year. 117 for phoenix, again on saturday. 80 in seattle. 102 in salt lake city. on the other side of the country, keep the showers and

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♪ we're back with look at me now, the joy fit club, and a man fed up with his weight decided to make a change. >> ted pattel lost 167 pounds in 11 months. before we meet him, let's take a look at his amazing story. >> hi. my name is ted. growing up, i loved to perform, but there were plenty of roles i wasn't cast for because of my size. ♪ once upon a time so i turned to opera where i thought i could rely on my voice to carry me on stage.

♪ i've always been a pretty tall guy. at 6'6", i thought my height could justify my weight of 362 pounds. i tried to convince myself that i don't look that bad. but who was i kidding? i was obese. my weight also affected my personal life. i could never get a date. i figured that no one wanted to be with a fat kid. but in my junior year of college, my friend told me about a diet called medifast. i was sick and tired of being winded at my opera rehearsals so i gave it a try. friends and family didn't believe i could stick to my diet but a month into the program, people started to believe in me and cheer me on. today i've lost 167 pounds. i have more energy, self-confidence -- ♪ oh, what a beautiful morning and better vocal abilities. not only do other people see me differently, but i see myself

differently, too. ♪ everything's going my way >> it sure is. here with us, the leader of the joy fit club, joy bauer. hi, joy. >> see how handsome he was before he lost the weight. when i first met him, i thought he was a model. you guys are going to flip out. so a few things that he's completely changed. one, like so many people, he loves chipotle. before he was getting these double steak burritos with rice, cheese, beans, sour cream. 1280 calories. now what he does, he's ordering the bowls without rice so there's chicken, lots of vegetables and he adds salsa and guacamole. only 500 calories. so you can still have fast food. >> you can have brown rice once in a while, right? >> yes, he doesn't but you can. another thing i think that people don't realize is the sweetened iced teas have just as much sugar as the soda. so he was drinking about eight of these 16-ouncers a day.

1280 calories. but 78 teaspoons of sugar. >> that's unbelievable. >> how many calories? >> 1280 just from the liquid. what i told him to do now he is brewing four bags of peach tea and four tea bags of raspberry over eight cups of hot water, putting it over a pitcher with ice and jazzing it up with frozen raspberries and peaches. >> i can't believe that visual. what about diet snapple? >> then you are getting the artificial sweeteners. so really the best bet is just something clean like the tea bags. >> here is ted's before picture. all right, ted, come join the joy fit club. >> oh, my god! >> awesome. >> standing ovation. >> give us a tah-dah as you do that. ♪ tah-dah >> wow! >> didn't losing the weight change your vocal abilities?

>> absolutely. i sing a little bit more lyr lyrically which is more helpful for someone that's my age. i'm still a really young singer and so it's, you know, where i was singing dramatically was not quite the right place for me. it's like carrying around four 50-pound weights. >> and he's getting the hunk rolls now. -- roles now. >> he's a hunk. >> how is the chick situation? >> it's going pretty good. a lot of things in the works so, yeah. >> we're so happy for you. you look terrific. we wish you the best of luck. great success in your career, too. joy, you always, always amaze us. >> good for you. >> all right, the best-selling author, you can't even imagine how many books this man has sold. he's been moonlighting again. >> he's going to tell us all about it. >> we're talking about james patterson. >> this is "today" on nbc.

james patterson has been on "the new york times" best seller list more than any other author in the world.

let that sink in. >> wow. >> now he's out with two new great reads for the summertime. >> one for you. a thriller called "second honeymoon" and one for your kids which he's passionate about called "middle school: how i survived bullies, broccoli and snake hills." good to see you. this is the first time you've delivered two works of art. >> and it's always the same reason. i want people to get into the habit when they go to the library, go into the book store go online, don't just get a book for yourself. get a book for your kids. >> such a passion project, getting kids reading. i think what makes it so palatable, not only is it written well, but there are great illustrations, so kids could eat that up. >> it's very funny. like when my son jack was 8 we said you'll read every day this summer. he said, do we have to? >> he didn't like reading. >> he's a smart guy. wasn't a big reader. but he read every single day. by the end of summer he'd read about 12 books. please get your kids reading this summer. >> parents have sort of given up on that.

they let them sit in front of the tv, play the video games. >> if you send your kids out into the world and they aren't confident readers, it's like sending them out into the world with a handicap. nobody would do that. nobody in their right mind -- >> not knowingly. they're not realizing they're doing that. >> people come up to me, can't get them to the dinner table. you must. and it's fun. that's the nice thing. >> a lot of publishers are running into a hard time because a lot of things are out on ebooks. >> people aren't going into the book stores as much. that hurts. >> what do you think the future will be like. >> it's going around. there are more independent book stores, actually. they are coming back. >> something about having that book in your hand. >> i like both. ebooks are great, but, if -- >> they are convenient. >> if you are going to do ebooks you'll have to introduce your kids to them. if you aren't going to the book store or libraries, if your kids aren't reading, they're not going to be able to get through high school. >> for your young people's book, what age group would be picking

up the book? >> 8. pretty good 8-year-old readers up to about 13 would be the middle school books. >> tell us the premise of "second honeymoon." the first honeymoon, it's my favorite of the thrillers. >> which is what? of the 22 that you've written? >> 800, i think. something like that. so this one is we're revisiting the main character and it took about six years to come up with an idea that i thought would be a cool idea for it. >> we wish you success but it just seems redundant. >> well, i wish you success, too. >> thank you. >> try to get those kids to read. >> don't try. you got to do it. >> grandparents that are watching, parents, do it. >> great to see you again. >> coming up tomorrow, the very handsome new dad channing tatum is with us. >> plus, the former first lady of france. >> and all your summer style needs from jill martin. >> have an awesome fun-day monday. guess what's coming up? booze day tuesday.

>> something for everybody. >> academy award winning actress marley mat lynn turns up the volume. facing the music on celebrity appresentice. >> you have to respect her. >> i'm deaf. i don't know what a music legend is. jeff: plus dancing with the stars surprise reunion. a little about me. i'm recently married. i work with my wife on the show. and i'm learning to be a dad to two amazing kids in a blended family. i'm hosting the talk show because there's a lot to talk