good morning. ragingi inferno, firefighters bracing today for winds of up to 40 miles an hour as the out of control fire now pushes closer to thousands of homes. we are on the front lines with the latest. stunning admission, mike tyson, once one of the most feared men in boxing, now afraid for his own life. >> i don't want to die. i'm on the verge of dying because i'm a vicious alcoholic. >> the tough road to sobriety for the former heavyweight champ. and thousands of people paying good money to be chased by a pack of 1,000-pound animals in america's first-ever running of the bulls. we'll find out if the adrenaline

rush was worth it today, sunday, august 25th, 2013. from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill, live from rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> and aisle carl in for lester holt. along with dylan dryer. it's a tough situation for the firefighters trying to get a handle on the massive fire burning in yosemite national park. officials say it's created its own weather pattern making it too unpredictable to control. we're going to get the latest in just a moment. >> scary stuff there. also ahead this morning, the escalating situation in syria. defense secretary chuck hagel saying today the u.s. military is ready to act if ordered to do so by the president. he says all options are being considered at this point. we are live in the region with new development. >> plus, we'll take you to an

emotional memorial service that was held saturday for the mother and brother of kidnapped teen hannah anderson. >> tough one there. we'll bring you the very latest on that. and also, i'm not sure if you've heard these statistics, but it's actually more difficult to get into than harvard, that is the storied nbc page program, a launching pad for a number of successful careers. we this morning are celebrating 80 years of the page program. lester wasn't allowed to wear that uniform until we did this segment a couple weeks ago. we'll show you how we suited up. >> also rocked that. >> that was fun. first, tom castello's got the very latest. tom, good morning. >> reporter: carl, good morning. it's now one of the biggest fires in california history. 6600 residents are under evacuation advisories, advisories, not orders. meanwhile the fire continues to grow now about the size of

chicago. in northern california, they fear the afternoon winds that carry the embers fanning the flames and the anxiety of nervous homeowners watching this fire from a nearby ridge. >> what happens we get up on top here, it will make a run. just make an inrun into so no ra. >> reporter: this retired firefighter has been listening to the radio traffic between helicopters and ground crews. >> i'm a little concerned. i'm a little concerned. i've got animals and need to get them out. >> i would be gone if i lived right there. >> reporter: with strike teams standing by to protect nearby homes, more than 2,700 firefighters are battling this fire. now more than 200 square miles and growing. >> that is unreal. >> reporter: on the southern flank near yosemite national park, it's mostly isolated. the tourist areas of the park safe. the commanders say so far it's burning stanislaus and yosemite.

about 2,000 structures remain threatened. those are along the front of the fire. also of concern, three dozen ancient sequoia trees, like these, not in immediate danger, but rangers are taking steps to protect them. and in this northern california ranch country, along with the people animals are also at risk. >> the horses were just nuts and galloping around. we could hardly catch them. >> beautiful country out there. it's god's country. to see it get devastated like this is horrible. >> reporter: back to the winds, we're expecting them again today. 30 to 40 miles per hour. they are likely to fan the flames yet again making life very difficult for these firefighters. guys, back to you. >> that is a tough situation. tom cost ello. defense secretary chuck hagel says the u.s. is preparing for always options as speculation rises as the u.s. is planning to strike. this as doctors inside syria confirm they treated thousands of people who were victims of

what appears to be a chemical attack. our chief foreign correspondent, richard ang eng l is in turkey near the border this morning. richard, what's the latest? >> reporter: we've spoken to senior members, erica, of the syrian opposition. they fear that if there is no action taken, no response to what they firmly believe was a chemical weapons attack, that there could be other attacks. that bashar al assad's regime could be emboldened and decide to use these same type of weapons against civilians in another circumstance. they also say that over the last several days they have received large shipments of weapons, tons of weapons, going to the syrian opposition coming through turkey, in fact coming through this area. and they also say that they believe they have evidence that bashar al assad personally ordered the alleged chemical attacks on the outskirts of

damasc damascus. they said they have evidence, they didn't specify what evidence, but they have evidence that it was bashar personally. >> that is a pretty strong statement we're hearing. one i know people want to hear more about. richard, thank you. david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." good morning. a year ago the president said the red line would be chemical weapons. there is a waiting period right now. the president saying waiting to confirm essentially that this is what happened. but there's also a lot more pressure. he met with his national security team yesterday. is there a sense of where things are headed at this point? because the clock is clearly ticking. >> i think they're headed toward some kind of limited strike. but the president's being cautious. according to everybody i talk to who's familiar with these deliberations, there's a lot of attempt by the president to look around the corner, to try to understand both what they seek to accomplish with a military strike of any kind and what the ramifications would be, what the consequences would be.

part of making the case what is gathering steam is the idea you have jihadist elements coming to syria because it's so unstable. and that that gets to our core national interests. you have chemical weapons in the mix, falling into potentially the wrong hands. and, yes, the predicament of the red line. and his overall belief wmd cannot be tolerated. an active effort to make sure iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon, use of wmd in syria has gotten to a cost, a level of cost that's simply unbearable. >> so at this point then, david, is there a new red line for the president? >> no, i don't think you're hearing that. i think the president's been careful to say that this is of grave concern and that he's talking about a threat to u.s. allies, he's talking about a threat to u.s. bases. that has been suggested to me as sort of the making of a case for

action by the international community. he spoke to british prime minister david cameron. there's going to be an attempt to build support within the international community. again, for some kind of limited strike. i think it's important to point out what this would not mean. i think the overall effort here is to try to punish assad, to try to roll him back. we are not talking about the kind of intervention that would lead to a long-term intervention or even a long-term involvement with what is considered to be a civil war there. so it would be unsatisfactory to a lot of people in terms of stopping the bloodshed. i think the president wants to do something here that punishes assad and sends a message. >> david, we're pretty tight on time, but i have to ask you quickly. as we look at the options here, there's a lot of talk and comparison this weekend over what happened with president clinton in kosovo, is that a potential route you're hearing? >> i think limited air strikes is a potential route. beyond that, that level of intervention becomes a much different matter. >> also a lot of talk of course about domestic support as well for this.

david, thanks. we'll check in with you in just a bit for a preview of what's coming up on "meet the press". big news out of egypt this morning. tom yamis in for jenna on that. >> good morning, everyone. the first day of the long-delayed retrial of former egyptian president hosni mubarak. he appeared in a courtroom caged today three days after being released from prison. he's due back in court in september on charges he conspired to kill protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster. back here in the states, the mother and brother of kidnapped survivor hannah anderson were remembered in an emotional funeral. this happened saturday. our joe prior has that story. >> reporter: for hannah anderson and her family, it was a time to remember the two victims who never had a chance to be rescued. >> for the deaths of tina and ethan, there are no easy words. >> reporter: christina anderson was 44 years old but never lived down that nickname. after she was born two months

premature. >> she was a devoted mother and a wonderful person. >> reporter: her son, ethan, was only 8 years old and loved football so much his teammates showed up to pay their respects in their uniforms. >> we will miss them forever. we will always remember them and ask what could have been. >> reporter: from the front row surrounded by her grandparents, hannah listened to the tributes. and a few days earlier in an exclusive interview with to"tod" offered some of her own. for her mother. >> she was strong hearted and very tough. >> reporter: and for her brother. >> he had a really big heart. ♪ amazing grace >> reporter: on this day they said their good-byes knowing tina and ethan's ashes are joined together creating a permanent bond that won't be broken. joe fryer, nbc news, california.

>> the 12-year-old boy from florida who is battling a rare brain-eati ining parasite has d. he was being treated with an experimental drug that worked in a similar case in arkansas. family members believe he was infected while knee boarding with friends in a water-filled ditch earlier this month. the donald is heading to court for allegedly running a phony university. new york attorney general filed the suit saying donald trump's investment school promises to make students rich and get them apprenticeships. instead it skured them into expensive seminars. trump says the lawsuit is false and politically motivated. you don't have to be a golfer to appreciate this one. consecutive holes in one on the par 3, 14th hole during the third round of barclays. about 20 minutes later both understandably pumped after that one. but imagine troy. he gets that hole-in-one.

and everyone is going crazy for the other hole-in-one. >> wait a minute. i did it first. >> two rounds is the way to go. >> there you go. >> works for me. >> tom, thanks. dylan is here with a check of the weather wearing a very nice sweater which should tell us something. >> we had no choice after yesterday's debacle. being this cold in august, what is going on? it is cool and dry in the northeast. it is hot and dry out west. that is not helping firefighters with the fire fighting, especially out near yosemite where it is going to be in the mid-80s again today. winds will gust up to 25 to perhaps 40 miles per hour. and humidity is only at 20%. so extremely dry and windy conditions out that way. on the flip side of that, further southwest we have the remnants of what was evo, tropical storm evo now pushing the moisture into the southwest. over the course of the next few days we could end up with about

three to five inches of rainfall in that area. that is why flood watches and flash flood watches have been posted across parts of california, nevada and into arizona. elsewhere, the rest of the country's actually looking pretty quiet except for areas in the northern plains and upper midwest where we could see some stronger thunderstorms later on today with gusty winds and hail. both a >> and that's your latest forecast. carl. >> dylan, thanks. now to a stunning admission by former heavyweight boxing

champion, miketyson. in a surprising news conference tyson revealed he's been lying about being sober and said he's on the verge of dying. more now from michelle franzen. >> reporter: it was more self-confession than fight promotion. >> that's danger up here. right. it wants to kill everything. it wants to kill me too. >> reporter: mike tyson was once the most feared man in the ring, the youngest heavyweight champion winning his first 19 fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. but fame and fortune brought trouble and soon his personal life overshadowed his hall of fame career. >> i haven't drank or took drugs in six days. and for me that's a miracle. >> reporter: he's on his third marriage and has served three years on a rape conviction. >> i'm a bad guy sometimes. and i did a lot of bad things. and i want to be forgiven. >> reporter: after prison tyson tried to revive his care. but even inside the ring he couldn't escape the bizarre, like when he bit a chunk out of

evander holyfield's ear, or appeared with this friegghtenin tattoo on his face. but he was able to remake himself as an actor. appearing in movies and on tv. with the help of spike lee he even had his own one-man show on broadway. >> mike tyson, you just never know, he's been so many personas. there have been so many mike tysons over the years that you never know what's genuine. >> reporter: friday we saw the latest latest encarnation. the fight he was backing ended in a no decision. and as fortyson's future, no decision on that either. >> i want a sober life. i don't want to die. i'm on the verge of dying because i'm a vicious alcoholic. and i've been -- wow. i've been, god, this is interesting stuff. >> reporter: for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news.

>> hope he gets it together in the near future. up next on "today," i want my mtv. a sneak peek at all the surprises in store at tonight's mtv video music awards right after this. a can of del monte green beans? ♪ ♪ if i was a flower growing wild and free ♪ ♪ all i'd want is you to be my sweet honeybee ♪ ♪ and if was a tree growing tall and green ♪ ♪ all i'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves ♪ grown in america. picked & packed at the peak of ripeness. the same essential nutrients as fresh. del monte. bursting with life™. the same essential nutrients as fresh. younnot giving a thought to sacrtheir own satisfaction. doll, you're sacrificing seamless color for the perfect wave? i mean surf's up. stop with the sacrificing, start here. light & fit greek nonfat yogurt.

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store for tonight. e! correspondent alicia is here. >> leave it to mtv, marking the 30th anniversary by making history. they're becoming becoming the first live show to broadcast from the borough of brooklyn. m it tv's music video awardses has always been the place for the hottest artists debuting music, memorable performances and iconic moments. in 2003 there was that britney spears/m spears/madonna kiss. kanye west interrupting taylor swift's acceptance speech in 2009. >> beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. >> reporter: beyonce chose the 2011 vmas to reveal her baby bump. now with the always unpredictable lady gaga scheduled to open this year's show, the tradition of spectacular vma moments is sure

to continue. >> katy perry and lady gaga, whose singles have come out at the same time, who will both be performing their songs live on stage for the first time and who are both known for weird, wild, and wonderful outfits. ♪ we're rocking body to it body ♪ >> reporter: celebrating its 30th anniversary the vmas are pulling out all the stops honoring pop, rock, and hip-hop videos. >> and you're going to see major league artists this year launching the campaign for their records and singles. ♪ fireworks >> reporter: joining katy perry and lady gaga with albums coming out soon, justin timberlake w. h tonight timberlake will be prese presented with the michael jackson video vanguard award where he is expected to be joined with former band maids n sync. then there's miley cyrus whose new cd drops in october.

the 20-year-old is performing at the vmas for the first time, and she's nominated for three awards, including one for best song of the summer. >> miley is definitely going to step out tonight. i can tell you that much. it's not the hannah montana myley that you are familiar with. >> reporter: she is facing tough competition against one direction's best song ever. ♪ and we dance all night to the best song ever ♪ >> reporter: and "blurred lines." that tune by robin thicke we can't get enough of. ♪ i know you want it >> great. there's a song i'll have in my head the rest of the day. >> all day long. one direction or "blurred lines"? >> will you be watching tonight? >> i think i might be. i haven't watched in a while. >> the gaga/perry showdown. i'm a gaga guy. >> kacarl quintanilla gaga guy. she and katy perry are seated

next to each other. i saw that. and also taylor swift is seated very close to connee west. >> interesting. >> i'll be doing recertificate is of. >> the n sync thing, they're together but we haven't confirmed they're performing? >> they have one tweet and it says, mike check, is this thing on. is this really their account? justin's seat is four seats next to them. >> i see your heart is beating faster. >> i'm watching for you. alicia, thanks. have fun tonight. just ahead, 4,000 daredevils in front of some raging animals. sounds like a great way to spend your saturday, right? ♪ [ bats squealing ] we weren't really morning people. we're vampires after all. then we tried this nutri-grain fruit crunch bar. it's so crunchy. crunchy granola, mmmm... made with real fruit, 20 grams of whole grains. now, we love mornings. it's amazing what we're getting done. [ laughs ] whoa. slow down, boy.

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good morning to you. looking live at where the golden gate bridge should be. if there only was a little less fog. thanks for joining us. i'm kris sanchez along with anthony. how long do you think it will stick around? >> probably until about 11:00. really thick, and we're seeing airport delays. right now, about an hour on arriving flights. temperatures are not too mild or not too cool, rather. temperatures yesterday at this time were about 10 degrees cooler. already 65 degrees in san jose. 66 in livermore. san francisco at 64 degrees. the clouds are thick, drizzle is

going to be with us until about 11:00, right up against the coastline. we have an hour delay on arriving flights at sfo. later, after 11:00, we'll start to break out with sunshine earlier in the south and east bay, that's when temperatures warm back to the 70s and 80s. san francisco today, 66. santa rosa back to 80. temperatures climb each and every day, but not a major warm-up this week. next friday, looks like another su system will hug the coast. >> thank you. we continue to follow a developing story. the massive rim fire has scorched more than 200 square miles, bigger than the entire area of the city of san jose. some 5500 homes are threatened and right now, it's only 7% contained. an improvement over yesterday. crews are working tirelessly, clearing brush and setting sprinklers to protect two groves of giant sequoias. park officials say they're hopeful because the fire is moving away from the iconic

trees. >> we're optimistic about that. the fire likely is not to reach those, but if it does, we're ready for that. >> the fire is also burning just four miles from the reservoir which supplies most of san francisco's water. so far, though, the water is not affected. now to san jose where the search is on for the suspect who shot and killed a man in broad daylight. this happened in downtown yesterday afternoon near third and julian streets about four blocks from san jose state university. police say the victim was shot at least once and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. his identity has not been released. people in a nearby building heard the gunfire. >> we heard seven gunshots while we were in class and really surprising to hear them so close by. so then the instructor went out and checked out what he could see and came in and shut the door and called 911. >> this shouldn't be happening at all. and they need to do something about it. people, i mean, bullets don't

have names on them. people walk down the street, and bullets are flying. anyone can get hit. anyone can be hurt. >> investigators say they are interviewing witnesses to try to piece together what may have led to the shooting. coming up at 7:00 on today in the bay, looking back on history and the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. ahead of the 50th anniversary ahead of the historic "i have a dream" speech. right now, more of the "today" show.

oh, my word! >> you're taking a look at some of the 4,000 people in rural virginia this weekend taking the bulls by the horn. major adrenaline rush for them as they literally run for their lives. the running of the bulls in america. we have a close-up look at all of that just ahead. but first we welcome you back to "today" on this sunday morning, august 25th, 2013. it is a beautiful, sunny day here in manhattan. it's a little bit warmer and less of a windchill than yesterday. we're happy about that. we have a lovely crowd with us including some girl scouts from virginia. are you guys saving your voiceses for later? there we go. there we go. i'm erica hill along with carl quintanilla who is in for lester today. tom llamas in for jenna and

dylan, well, we are book ends holding down the fort. it was the job made famous or infamous on 30 rock, the nbc comedy. the nbc universal page program is serious business and today we're marking a major milestone, 80 years. >> which is pretty impressive. >> that's a long time. >> and really famous faces who began their careers as nbc pages, people like regis philbin, our own willard scott the, just to name a few. so hester and i thought we would try our hands, try to follow in their footsteps for a day. let me tell you, though, it's only because we work here they would let us do that. lester tried, he got the rejected out of college. i never would have made the cut. it is not easy to get into. we'll tell you a little bit of why as we celebrate 80 years of pages. >> that looks like a lot of fun. >> it was a fun day. they were very kind to us. also ahead, many families are trying to squeeze in one last road trip before summer wraps up. coming up, we'll tell you with

an app that will make those long hours together much more fun. erica, you probably have heard, are we there yet? >> i need this. we're about to take a 12-hour drive to see my in-laws in indianapolis. so, mario, help us. and these guys haven't met a pair of leotards that they don't like. >> you mean carl and tom? >> yes. and these guys, they've made it to the semifinals of "america's got talent" with their unique mix of aerobic strength and humor and they're here in bright, shiny pants and all to put on a little bit of a show for us. amazing. >> they have nothing on me and carl. nothing. >> nothing. core strength, erica. >> we're looking forward to your performance a little bit later. before we get to that dylan has a final check of the forecast. it is a really nice day in the northeast. i found this day over here with his awesome sunglasses. you know all the presidents? >> yeah. >> who is our current president? >> barack obama. >> who was our first president?

>> george washington. >> who was our 15th president? you can say anything. the most of us don't know. i want to hear the rest of those 44 presidents. we are going to see some pretty hot temperatures right in the middle of the country. that's where it still feels like summer. temperatures will be about 15, almost 20 degrees above normal with highs today in the mid to upper 90s, high humidity. so it is going to be brutally hot out that way so naturally we do have excessive heat watches and warnings up across minnesota, parts of wisconsin, and into iowa as well. there's also in that same area the chance where we could see some strong storms this afternoon and the chance of some hail and also some

and today's top spot comes to us from alaska. our affiliate ktuu and the alaska state fair in palmer, alaska, is right outside of anchorage. the fair seen this year is fun matters which i think should be the theme every year. coming up eny great alaskan food and entertainment along with an appearance by the legendary bill cosby. so our friends at ktuu will be at the fair all day and they're also celebrating their 60th anniversary. really a great event. erica? >> sounds like a great day. quite the scene in virginia on saturday. thousands of people from across the country turning out for what they said was the thrill of a lifetime, getting chased by a pack of charging bulls. hmm. the our own daredevil kerry

sanders was there for it all. >> reporter: the running of the bulls, american style. on a quarter mile dirt track in virginia, 4,000 people paid $75 for the adrenaline rush of risking it all. what would your mom think? >> oh, she didn't want me to come. >> reporter: the cowboys who wrangled these bulls say they're surprised some of those who chose to run. >> some people in here looked like they couldn't run to a buffet but they're in here running with the bulls. >> reporter: unlike the spanish version, the bucking bulls from the rodeo circuit do not have their horns sharpened. they are not jolted with electricity to make them run, and they're not killed in a bullfight afterwards. still, protesters say it's abuse. >> we are becoming more conscious of animal welfare and animal suffering at an event like this. it takes a step backwards. >> reporter: some runners strapped cameras to their heads

like best friends luke and evan. >> it was a lot of fun. the bulls are going it to keep coming. you have to worry about everyone else crossing in front of you, jumping for the fence. are. >> reporter: all fun until it's not. several people thought they could outrun the animals. but bulls run 35 miles per hour, as fast as a gold medal olympic sprinter. two people were taken to the hospital. you knew some people would get injured? >> of course. it's a dangerous event and we said that up front. >> reporter: an event scheduled to take place in nine more cities around the country. and just like in spain after the running with the bulls there's a tomato fight. look at you. >> i know. i got hit in the mouth, hit this the head. >> reporter: a spanish tradition no longer just for spain. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, near petersberg, virginia. >> good call on kerry's part to bring the goggles. the hurricane gear for the tomato fight. the. >> some the bulls, the look in the eyes are like you are mine.

>> if i was a bull, that's what i would think, too. you idiot, why would you want me chasing you? have you seen my horns? >> i can run 35 miles per hour. are what are you thinking? >> a little bit of fun, though. looks like fun. >> the ambulance is the tip. >> the horns weren't sharpened, guys. it's not that bad. >> so we'll cheer you on next year. let us know. you'll give us the exclusive aft after? >> you've got it. >> okay, mark your calendars everybody. up next, the travel app to turn those endless hours on the road into a fun adventure for the

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back now where mario's top three. if you're about to pack the kids in the car for one last summer road trip, you may want to think about a few fun detours along the way. kind of like this memorable scene from "national lampoon's vacation". >> i saw the detour signs. >> i didn't see any. >> i saw them when you and mom were looking at the map. >> aud ree, they put up big signs like this one. >> maybe not quite like that. today's digital lifestyle is along with tech trends.

>> that's a classic. >> classic picture. >> we have gps now, we have google map. none of that should happen again. >> some of these apps are trying to prevent moments like that. >> and help you discover things you don't normally think about. this is called road trippers, with an s. it's free. it's on the ipad. entertain, food, nature services. let's say i wanted to find shopping. and i wanted to do antique shopping. i could go antique shopping in new york. it's going to pull up a map instantly. and it's going to show me exactly where that is on the map. >> so do you need to know in advance what you want to see? or can you say show me anything on this particular route? >> show me anything on this particular route, show me things i'm not aware of that i would like to uncover and discover in that area. then i can say things all the way down to my phone as a little bucket list so i can go back to it later. >> that's a great tip. you've got a new category of toy called the convertible. >> yes. not a car. >> what is that? >> it seems like a car thing. no, it's a laptop. this is something that came out

about a year or so ago. what makes it convertible is the fact you can now with a lot of the different designs of these computers, fully bend this, carl, so it flips into a complete pad. >> hello. >> it's a full blown laptop, it has touch, over 100,000 apps on this. easy to carry. >> great battery life. >> great battery life. >> $900. >> yeah. it's very light. you can get it online for about $200 less. you can find it for around $700. >> interesting. some new toys maybe for christmas. finally, "the huffington post" is going to stop using anonymous comments on their site. >> yes. >> you can see how the game has changed and it's gotten nasty. >> it is. this is an effort to control the nastiness. we've seen vicious comments, racist comments, ignorant comments and it was about trying to have an intelligent discourse for stories on the web. so this isn't banning all comments. it's banning anonymous comments. what that means is now you have to have a real user name

attached with who you are. but as we all know, you can circumvent that with a fake e-mail address. >> it's easy to start a new account and operate under a fake account. >> it is. but it's a big step for a big media company to say we have to step up and figure out how to have intelligent conversations. >> what's your best advice to people victims of rude comments online? >> take a deep breath, step away from it. if you feel it's cyber bullying and you're feared for your safety, alert authorities. if someone's trashing your names, you need to look at reputation services, like reputation.com. >> thank you so much, mario armstrong. just ahead, yes, they're successful network news anchors, but can erica and lester make the grade when they try the nbc page. we'll find out after this. you like to keep your family healthy and fit.

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we are celebrating a big milestone around here. it's the 80th anniversary of the nbc page program. gives college graduates a chance to work behind the scenes for up to a year here at nbcu. >> it's an incredible experience. this morning that loud noise you hear are the more than 100 pages current and form er who are joining us on the plaza, all of these lovely people in green t-shirts back here. they're here to help us celebrate. before we get to that, we wanted to given you a little history of the program and also lester and i thought even if we couldn't have made the cut before, they have to let us in now so we tried our hand at being pages for a day. 30 rock may have introduce d tv

audiences to the nbc page -- >> don't tell me i don't have a dream, sir. i am living my dream. >> but the page program has been introducing aspiring broadcasters to the business since 1933. >> the nbc guides would have to be graduate engineers. >> among the program's successful alums our own willard skart, kate jackson, and tv host regis philbin. >> i got a break on the "eddie fisher show." walked up the aisle to get into the elevator so they had a page and it was me, me, regis, holding the elevator for eddie fisher. regis was on tv. nbc start ed it all 80 years ag. i'm proud to say i was part of it. >> nbc has grown a lot since then and so have the page opportunities. >> my page say assignment is technical operations with nbc. >> i'm on assignment. >> right now on assignment with "morning joe." >> to say the program is selective is an understatement.

it's harder than getting into harvard. of the 16,000 that apply each year fewer than 2% make the cut. i'm living proof. i applied back in the 1970s only to be quickly rejected. best revenge, i'm an anchorman at nbc news. >> an anchorman who has a suit that almost perfectly matches the page uniform. so why not try being a page for a day? >> erica, you look perfect. lester, we do need to change your tie. >> you don't like my tie? >> i love your tie. but this goes with the uniform. >> okay. >> i'll hold your manual. >> with my tie ib you sorted it was on to the big test. almost 200 pages of material every page has to prove they know. >> he definitely has the advantage. he's been here, what, 13 years? the man has three shows. he could run the building. >> okay. well, here we go. how much did the current studio cost and when was it finished? >> september of '06. and a lot of money. >> $25 million.

>> really? i think i put $1 million. >> how many lights are in the studio? >> 300. >> yes. >> what's your answer, lesser? >> it was 72 but i was east only counting the lights on me. >> she studied. when did matt lauer become a co-anchor on "today." >> i said '97 by but i think it's '94. >> you've got it. >> we mew it was in '97. >> of course we did. all that history and trivia is essential because pages are considered ambassadors here. they are often the first person people meet at nbc. >> and they, or are on this day, we, are the guides on it this popular tour. >> it's kind of fun for us. >> i think i need a lot of help. do you have a trick for this? >> these are tricky. >> is this new page hazing? just a little? it's okay. i can take it. the neither of us had been on the tour but luckily these paying customers hadn't either. >> it's official.

once you get your stuff, you can come on this way. thankfully we started the tour in a place we know well, the floor housing the nbc news headquarters. well, welcome to our studio. this is where "nbc nightly news" is done. that's the teleprompter so we don't have to memorize the news or read from the papers in front of us. >> and this is also reflected so it's reflected up onto this. >> so far so good. the next stop, the "today" show. normally we would take you right to the "today" show studio. since erica and i work here, a little familiar with this place, we thought it might be fun for you to see the control room. >> everybody's in here making sure the right video gets on at the right time. >> typically we have a director who occupies one of these chairs, works with an assistant director. he has the road map are for the show. >> so this is studio 1a. >> it's a very fun place to be. >> a favorite moment? >> we had lionel richie on and he invited all of us here to participate, so he handed us

maraccas and we danced. >> the moment of truth. i need to ask you how we did and i hope you'll be kind. [ applause ] >> okay, i'm good with that, thanks. >> lester, we're done. this is good. now you can add a fourth job to your roster. so it is a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of hardork. during your years of page, most complete an average of three assignments. they have to apply for all of those jobs. they don't automatically get them but about three-quarters are able to find jobs within the company at the end of their year. >> the joke this morning is they're all here organizing each other. >> exactly what they're doing. and joining us now bonnie who took care of lester and i. you were very kind to us. you're wrapping up pretty soon. >> in. >> one of my favorite things you did i have to say, you helped teach someone on ""saturday night live"" sign language. >> i did. things have fallen into place in better ways than i could have imagined. i taught sign language right

after i started the program. the director of the program got a call and asked if anyone knew how to do sign language. i happened to be the only one who did. i went down for a couple of days and now my work is a part of television history which is incredible. >> as much as we love these, do you want to see the new uniform? drum roll, please. >> what do you think? did it improve it? >> you know what, i love the suits that we're in right now. i think they're very professi professional. the new suits are incredible. they're very tailored. i think the blue and gray is visually appealing. they have a design on the lap lapel -- >> the button is the original button from the '30s. >> which i love. a cool addition. >> and how else do you celebrate? you bring in kate. >> i hope you like very small slices. will it is. >> 80 years. it's such an honor for those of house were not part of the page program to celebrate this with

all of you because we couldn't do what we do every day without what so many current and former pages do for us. so that you to everybody. it's an incredible program. get your applications in now. >> [ female announcer ] did you know the average person smiles more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. kevin!

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they call they call themselves acrobatic comedians. a huge hit on "america's got talent". >> they are a huge hit. their acts combine strength, balance, a whole lot of fun, a fair amount of glitter. and now they're doing pretty well on "america's got talent." they're joining us this morning. >> thank you for having us, guys. >> you guys are in a great spot right now moving into this competition. we were talking quickly during the break, you've been doing it 20 years. you never get nervous, you say. >> no. i think we've been doing it for such a long time that we know what to expect and we know how to prepare for it. and we get about as nervous as, i mean, do you get nervous when you take a shower? no. you've done it a million times. that's how we know. >> we're not showering at radio city with millions of people watching, which is probably better for everybody involved but we digress. >> you've been doing this since you were very little kids, even

though you're not brothers per se. >> absolutely. we've been doing this for about 20 years now. just sticking with it. it's come so far and look where we are now. just stick with it. >> consistency is key, really. >> we've got a little preview of you guys. but i think everybody here's dying to see you do some more. >> absolutely. >> show us what you got. ♪ >> that was amazing. you make it look so easy too. >> yes. >> i like the little pillow too for the head. >> you have to have that. >> well, you have to keep the hair -- >> yeah, it's all about the hair. great to have you with us on the plaza. we're looking forward to watching you later this week on "america's got talent".

>> next tuesday and wednesday night 9:00, 8:00 central here on nbc. >> we will be watching. we'll also be watching david gregory on "meet the press." what do you have coming up this morning? >> the latest on syria, but also our special program, looking at the state of the american dream from civil rights to economic opportunity, even immigration. i'll sit down with georgia congressman john lewis as well as cory booker, louisiana governor bobby jindal and the special round table, reverend al sharpton, all coming up this morning on "meet the press". >> david, thanks. before we go, we want to raise a glass and say a special thank you for antwon, 17 years. he's retiring today. you make every morning a pleasure. from day one you've been wonderful. >> thank you so much. all of you. thanks to my nbc family, and to my wife. >> come back tomorrow. we'll do this again. >> have a great day everyone.

right now at 7:00 on today in the bay, the firefight continues near yosemite national park as the rim fire continues to burn out of control. we'll show you how crews are protecting the giant sequoias. >> in and the south bay, murdered murder murdered in broad daylight. >> and we'll look back on history. we'll show you how thousands honored the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. ahead of the 50th anniversary of his historic "i have a dream" speech. this is today in the bay. good morning to you. and we're looking live at the start of the day in the south bay. a little cloud cover, coo