from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaz >> hello, everybody. it's fun-day monday, november 25. it's very chilly in new york. we have lots going on. i hope you had a great weekend. >> if you guys were up late, you may have watched the american movie awards. we're going to give you the highlights. it was quite the show. should you or can you bring your dog to a thanksgiving dinner at

somebody else's house? is that -- we're going to find out. we're going to find out. before we get started in exactly 10 seconds, -- at -- right now. they did a study that said 10:01 is the time of day that you are the most productive. >> it's over by 10:02. it's over. >> the least productive time? 4:00 p.m. on tuesdays. 4:00 p.m. on tuesdays. >> i think it's more like 4:00 p.m. on a friday when you're trying to get out of town. what do i know. you watched these last night? >> the american music awards. i like them because there is so much theater, so many different outfits. so i was dying to see what people were wearing. first miley cyrus was coming out and i thought, oh, my god, i can't wait to see what she's wearing. you know what she wore? >> a suit, you said.

>> a pantsuit. a simple white versace -- she had clothes on. >> she looks so adorable in that. i wish she did that more often. >> they said, watch out for lady gaga, she won't even make it on the platform, her outfit is so huge. well, here's what she was doing. she rode in on a horse. >> is that because she's the new voice of versace and she's doing her donnatella. people are trying to outweird each other. i think miley won the outweirding thing, she did her wrecking ball song with a big cat that appeared to be lip synching. >> would you like to see some? ♪

♪ ♪ you ever did was wreck me ♪ ♪ yeah you wrecked me ♪ ♪ yeah, you wrecked me >> look at the cat's tongue. >> keep your eye on it, keep your eye on it. come on. anyway, the big winners of the night, taylor swift won four awards including artist of the year, best country album, female country pop artist. >> i wonder how long she can keep that up, right? they're all real talented. justin timberlake took home three awards, rihanna won the icon award. what was so funny, i was noticing when i was watching it -- >> when pit bull was on stage and he was doing his thing and other artists were performing, everyone in the audience seemed to, when you saw cutaways, seemed disinterested. you want everyone to enjoy the music, and everybody has their own music and they're not enjoying -- >> protecting their own taste

and not appreciating other artists? not everybody can be a hoda woman. who loves everything. i mean everything. last week when we were out doing "the tonight show" with jay leno, i stayed a little longer and did my podcast with the amazing carl reiner. to sit with someone like that -- there he is. he's 91 years old. i read his book on the way out called "i remember me." he remembers everything. he's sharp as a tack. he came with his manager, george e. shapiro, and we had the nicest, nicest time, hoda. i'm so enjoying the opportunity to talk at length with people. i didn't know what it would be like for him, whether it would be a struggle to remember anything. i could have sat for five hours with the man and he never would

have run out of stories. >> when can we hear that one? >> that's going to be downloaded on wednesday. >> how? >> you can still listen right now to our darling neil, neil sedaka. and you can get hoda woman's. >> go to our podcasts. it's so fun, they're unedited. it's fun. >> i had dinner with regis and joy saturday night at val bella saturday night, and i'm sorry for the ruckus he caused, and i apologize to every table he went to and every birthday celebration he destroyed. he sends his love to his koda. >> here's one thing i think will anger most women watching our program. here's the situation. there is a beauty salon in the u.k. that has decided it is going to charge women who wear

size 12 or larger more money for leg waxing, okay? they explain that the reason they do that is because there is more leg to wax. so they need to spend more money -- >> for more wax. >> -- for more wax. >> takes longer, apparently. >> i think that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard. >> you're not in the leg waxing business. >> first of all, how are they going to decide who pays more. >> you have to take off all your clothes, so maybe they look -- >> that's awful! >> think about it. if you buy a house, you have to pay more for square footage. i don't know! for a large pizza, you pay more. >> not for large pants if you get pants that are size 6 -- >> there's a lot more material. i'm not saying it's right or wrong, they're saying it costs them more, hoda. >> it is wrong. that means people who are little get everything. they get the cheaper pants, they get the cheaper leg waxing, they

get everything they want, and all the rest of us have to pay more for everything. >> you can buy a happy meal at mcdonald's. their littler and you don't have to pay as much, or you can go in the children's section and buy little clothes that fit you. i'm not saying they're right or wrong -- >> they're wrong. >> hoda, have you ever been in business? if it costs you more to do business, you have to amortize to make a profit. it might be rude and uncomfortable, and i'm sorry for that. >> they're trying to save money and they're going to lose business. that's my prediction. >> if you want your legs waxed and it's going to cost you $8 more to get your legs waxed, it's like somebody who gets on a plane and has to buy two seats because they're overweight. i know, but that's what the airlines make you do. i'm not making this stuff up, and i'm not saying it's right or wrong. >> this is what my mom does. she makes her own leg waxing

stuff. she takes sugar, water and lemon and stirs it on the pot for a long time, and it gets into this gummy substance. then you use that and you do your own. i got to tell you, it works. >> would she show it on the air? that would be great. >> i'm thinking she could. it's really great. >> but if your mother happened to gain weight, and she won't because she's a very active woman, she would need more lemon, more sugar, wouldn't she? >> no, she wouldn't need that much more. you just use the same stuff. you don't need a big blob, you just need -- it's the same -- >> i don't do all that stuff, so i just -- good old razor for me, baby. yeah. shave those babies. >> they say again it's the time of year where people are getting sick because it's getting cold out. people recommend in a study of german and hospital infection --

>> my dad always taught me. there are some guests here today. a young woman shook my hand very nicely, looked me in the eye and said, it's nice to meet you. nothing takes the place of that, hoda, just a little purell afterwards. >> a woman in the street asked me if i minded taking a picture of her family, and i remembered i was in the gym a couple days ago, watched some one go into the bathroom with their phone. so i thought, i wonder if she ever walked into the bathroom with her phone. it got me thinking about germs. i don't ever think about. every time somebody hands you your phone and says, can you take a picture for us, that phone has been places and we don't know where it's been. >> last week when we talked about the intimate things you do in front of your loved one, and half of you said no problem doing any of that stuff, and the other half said, are you

kidding? >> we were talking about should you use the restroom with your spouse or boyfriend, should you shut the door or not do it with them in there. 50% said they would use the bathroom -- >> but not floss. just kidding. >> look what shirley wrote. i don't close the bathroom door when i go. when you've been married as long as we have, there's no reason to hide anything anymore. >> teresa disagrees. she says, i would rather be in horrific pain crunching the seat of my car, lifting myself off my seat, driving somewhere to do my number two than where my husband can witness. i feel sorry for the denny's that's close to her. because that denny's has seen some action. >> favorite things. >> i've been waiting to taste your favorite thing. >> guys, i'm afraid to tell you about these because you'll be addicted. they're called snappers. they're pretzels covered can

caramel and chocolate. you get them at the milkshakefactory.com. they are addictive. crazy. please don't get them because you'll never stop eating them. >> this time of year, my -- a lot of christmas albums come out, i think my favorite of all time. a christmas album. two fantastic ladies have released one. liz calloway has a wonderful -- ♪ have yourself a merry little christmas ♪ >> called "merry and bright" on sale tomorrow at amazon.com. and linda eder. christmas where you are. available now at lindaeder.com. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ >> i wouldn't have chosen that song to listen to because she's got one of those soaring, huge, belt things like barbra streisand. terrific ladies.

don't forget nancy lamats. >> all right, gang, coming up. from audiences around the country. we're going to fill you in on the holiday scoop you missed over the weekend. and oh, by the way, this is the world's greatest rose. it's the brad pitt-angelina jolie. i think it's called miramar. first these messages. >> that's good.

we're waking you up. it's time for today's buzz and we get you caught up on all the star-studded scoop you just can't live without, apparently. >> the music awards to gaga's latest assignment and the best at the box office. we have you covered with senior writer tim stack. >> we love our tim. what's up? >> nothing. how you doing? >> you didn't like the amas last night, huh? >> it was like i ate a bad piece of cheese and i was hallucinating. no, it was just kind of weird. it was entertaining.

>> were rock stars behaving badly? >> it was just rock stars doing crazy, crazy performances, as usual. >> what did you think stole it? what was the performance you thought stole it? >> i love katy perry. i'm a katy, if you will. >> you're on team katy. >> i'm on team katy. but she opened with a japanese-inspired version of a song. >> she's not going to get some flak, you think? >> she got a little. i think it was a ridiculous statement that someone thought this had some kind of racist tone. >> no, she said it was one of her favorite places. this song is her favorite off the album. about jim mayer, and the trip to africa that she took. >> please explain the cat and miley cyrus.

>> i can't explain miley. honestly, this is so bizarre. also, her, like -- the hemlines. a crotch line? it's very disturbing to me. the cat freaks me out. this was like in the peak of my bad cheese moment. i really think this was it. >> what's worse than the peak of that? >> the thing is, she does sound amazing. >> she's a great singer. >> that cat freaks me out. i don't like cats in general, so i don't like them lip syncing and floating in air. >> didn't she have a big birthday, too? >> yeah, it was her 21st birthday over the weekend and she basically instagramed a ton of photos, most with her dogs and her in bed. instead of having -- there she is, like, happy birthday, crazy hair. >> at least she's not showing her birthday suit.

>> she's not for once. she was basically sharing with all her animals in bed. >> that could have been worse. she could have been in her birthday suit sharing her bed with, you know, the fleet. >> the fleet? >> you know. you never know. it happens. >> how about lady gaga? she's the new face of versace. >> she rode in like a man horse or something, a robot horse, but she's the new face of versace and she actually wore the gown to the amas that she's wearing in the ad campaign. you can see she's sort of channelling donnatella and janice from the muppets. yes, she's the new face of versace. she even has a song on her album called "donnatella." >> wasn't there an article saying she and her manager were splitting? >> she and her manager left each other, but there was a story in the post that said it was over creative differences. >> the article said, i think, there weren't enough hit songs

on her cd, get back in the studio and finesse it. >> it's a very different album. i don't personally love it and i love gaga. it's different. it's darker. it's an odd album. >> let's talk about the box office. "the hunger games" sequel. did very well. >> i saw "catching fire" over the weekend. it's so good. it gloes -- >> it grossed $160 million, which is a record. it broke the previous record for a november opening. >> do you remember how long ago we were at ew and you guys had "the hunger games" on the cover and we said, "the hunger games"? what the heck? >> i think one of your big stories was trendsetter. >> yes, we're still waiting patiently. >> i spread the buzz. >> thank you, tim staff. we love you. we're going to have a fan of the week surprise moment. >> wait until you see the prize, you might like it. >> first, these messages.

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hey, everybody, it's fun-day monday, so that means it's time for our surprise fan of the week. drum roll everybody as we spin the globe in search of the winner. she's carla moore from virginia beach. hi, carla. how are you? >> i'm good. >> tell us about that little

friend of yours. >> this is dexter. he watches the show with me. >> we're going to tell you why you were chosen. you're a loyal viewer since 2009. because of your work schedule, you record our show every day. you watch it the next night with that cute little dexter. >> she even made a coconut to give to us for mardi gras with our logo on it. she hoped to give it to hoda in new orleans last year, but hoda woman just wasn't there. >> carla, you ready to find out where you're going to go? >> yes. >> you and a friend are going to aruba for four nights and three days. at the hyatt regency. you'll be treated to breakfast daily and dinner at the mexicato, the island's premium restaurant. >> you'll also enjoy time on the beach, swim at multi-pool complex, go swimming or snorkeling. hotel accommodations are

provided by aruba and airfare provided by the aruba national. are you excited? you can't take dexter? >> i'll try, but he'll fight me. he'll be with my sister. >> happy thanksgiving, sweetheart. >> james patterson takes us between the covers. >> if you know what we mean. >> and is it wrong to seat the children at their own thanksgiving table? >> they prefer it, i think. that and your other holiday etiquette questions are going to be addressed. can you bring your dog, your lip-syncing cat? but first your local news. .

all right, we're back with more today on this fun-day monday. with thanksgiving and hanukkah just days away, we could always use a little refresher when it comes to our holiday manners. >> here's someone to answer all

your holiday etiquette questions, diane. >> and we already learned something. we're not supposed to put our napkin on our lap until the hostess does. i didn't know that. >> i'll put my napkin on my lap. now you can. do i bring a hostess gift? hostess gifts are a big challenge. that's what i get asked this time of year. >> i usually bring a bottle of wine or champagne or something. >> you definitely bring something because it shows you're excited about coming over. but there's a difference between a holiday gift and a host gift around the holidays. >> what should you not bring? >> don't bring chilled bottles of wine. if i bring you a chilled bottle of wine, i want you to serve it. stinky hand cream or body lotion.

when i say smelly, you know that strong stuff that you buy -- do you like it? >> if it's in a container, you don't smell it, do you? >> what if i don't like that scent? you're just kind of thinking ahead a little bit. and flowers. flowers sound like a great idea until you hand your host some flowers and she has to cut them and put them in a vase, so have them delivered. be creative. monogrammed napkins are lovely because you're thinking of the host. >> charmin has a question. she's on skype and has a question for you. >> what's your question, hon? awe whaupt's -- >> what's your question, hon? >> here's my question. if i hosted a family dinner for several families with young children, should the children be seated at a kids' table, or should they sit together with their parents? >> i think kids' tables are great if they're done the right way. so if there's only two kids, but them at the main table because

than feel -- then they feel os t trasized -- os ttracized or punished. but a kids' table should be set up just as beautifully as the adult table. it could be appropriate utensils, and if it's fine china, you may not want to put that fine china for the three-year-old kids, but make it fun. butcher paper, craft paper, let them draw. >> crayons in the wine glass. >> exactly. little buckets of crayons. make sure their food is cut up accordingly. if mom isn't going to be able to jump up back and forth. >> they have more fun together than they do listening to uncle george talking about his indigestion. >> we've been talking about a dog. say you have a dog and you're going to someone's house. can kathy bring bambino to your house for thanksgiving? >> if kathie brings bambino, she should call me first. >> if i am allergic to bambino. if i don't want bambino because i'm allergic -- >> he's hypo-allergenic. >> i don't want to offend kathie

lee, so i might say, could you i want to spend time with you the i love you. i want to see you. would you mind for this afternoon to find a good pet sitter that will take care of bambino. >> would you go? >> i like being with him more than most people, so i would probably stay home and eat a drumstick. >> here's an alternative. i'm going to make bambino a home away from home. i'm going to make a little bed for bambino. >> he barks like a maniac he wants his mommy. >> for the most part, just get permission from the host. if you're spending a holiday weekend, it's one thing if you can't keep your dog at home. >> there could be extenuating circumstances. the family could be allergic, a fellow guest might have said don't let bambino come. >> what about bringing a dish? you want to bring something and

you show up with your favorite casserole. >> don't show up with your steaming pot of succotash stew and expect them to put it on the table. you're going to call ahead and ask, do you mind if i bring something? the host might say no because she's planning the menu. >> a lot of thought might have gone into it. >> i would be like, thank you very much. >> she is always gracious and always grateful, too. it's a lovely way to be. >> deal with it! >> so you know what, hoda, you would put it on the table because that would be the kind thing to do. >> you know what the really kind thing to do would be? if you gave us some food, diane. >> here's some food and always pass it to the right. >> you can go to klgandhoda.com. >> only serve the bread from the right? i've been doing it wrong all this time.

>> we're not telling until next time. >> his latest thriller will keep you guessing until the very end. >> and it will make a great holiday gift. we're going to talk to our best-selling author. james patterson is with us right after this.

he's one of the most successful writers of all time with more books on the "new york times" best sellers list than hoda and myself combined. >> more than any other author

ever. in fact, james patterson has sold nearly 300 million books, and his latest called "cross my heart" is already getting raves. >> should i have brought a hostess gift? >> yes, you should have. think how many we've sold for you over the years, james. >> i'll bring one next time. >> some of the books we see just your name on as the author and sometimes we see you co-write some of your books. >> yes. >> how does that work? >> the -- >> the end. >> excellent. >> how do you get those people? to put your name alongside somebody else is a tremendous honor. >> it's a lot more people that i've known for a long time, people that i worked with.

>> what's your favorite way to work? >> you know, somebody said you're lucky if you find something you like to do, which is true in life, and then it's a miracle if somebody will pay you to do it. i love to work. i do it seven days a week. >> do you like mornings? do you have a little room you go to where you say don't call me? >> if you went in my office, what you would see is all wait around there are stacks of manuscripts. at this point there are 51 live either movie scripts or -- >> in the works. >> yeah. >> when you see one of your books turn into a film, which you did recently, how does that feel to watch it play out? >> it's a mixed bag. you always hope they're going to be great. you just never know what's going to happen. >> you're giving your child to somebody. >> i don't care if they change anything as long as it's good.

morgan freeman did a great job. >> we get in trouble if we tell people anything about your books. >> you can tell people about this book, about "cross my heart." this is the 20th, which a mazes me, and what i find most satisfying, this is the best alex cross ever. it's really, really good. so if you've never read alex cross, and god knows who wouldn't have read him, this is a good one, and if you like the series, it's a really good story. >> what makes this villain unique in this book? >> the villain, he wants to destroy alex. and he starts by literally solving some of the crimes that alex is working on with the police department. he goes out and solves them. then he just -- he wants to demonstrate to alex that he can turn a good man into a bad man. >> that's the book of job, baby. >> here's one of our fan questions. donna phillips tweeted us and

asked, are you a self-taught writer or did you take classes? >> i took one. i was add graduate school at vanderbilt, and i did take one writing course there, not in terms of learning how to write, just doing more writing. i don't know that i got any advice there as i just wrote a lot. >> do you think that writers can be taught, or are you inately a born writer? >> i don't know. i never try to guess or judge what other people should do. i've seen people that are taking courses and have done very well with it. ann patchett went to the university of iowa writing school, and i think that helped a little bit. >> we wish you good luck with this one. >> he doesn't need it. you need it. he's fine. as those holiday invitations pile up because you know you're popular, the calories can pile

on, people. >> madeline is here to help you cut the creep. >> we don't mean the guy you're dating. >> maybe you should, though. >> maybe cut them both. [ female announcer ] this is laura.

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we are back and it's time for "cut the creep," our special series to keep you from blowing your diet during the holidays. >> it's hard to keep those extra pounds from sneaking onto the scale from now until the new year, so our lovely madeline lindstrom is here to help you. >> she's brought along a couple friends, two viewers who told us they would like madeline's help as well. madeline, this is kind of an interesting concept. we're trying to stay the same. >> right. just don't gain is what we're going to do over the next six weeks. this is the time of year you want to put on the stretch pants, the baggy dress, call it a day and say, i'll worry about it in january. if you cut the creep now, you're mindful. you can have a great holiday and

indulge if you pay a little attention. >> how much weight do people usually gain during the holiday? >> you see different amounts. some gain five, some gain a few, but what you gain you typically don't lose over the next year. you can't go by averages and you know yourself what you gain. >> you're a new mom. you took off that baby weight. how long did that take you to take that off? >> i would say probably six months. >> look what you got for it. >> oh, my god. are you an eggnog drinker? >> yes. we couldn't wait until the supermarket started selling it for the season. yes, yes. so almost every night. >> look at you, poised with your -- stop drinking that! >> you like to put a little dark rum in there, too, don't you? >> well, if you're going to drink it, make it count, baby. >> madeline, those liquid calories can really -- >> she's very honest about it. she does a lot of things right but she knows her challenge.

it's the eggnog and the red wine as the season goes on. she can pass desserts, which is not a problem. what i love about what she's doing is she's found a way to moderate this. she adds almond milk and cuts it one to one. >> you make it yourself, in other words, now? >> well -- >> you weighed everybody before? >> yes. >> so kathie, you love to bake. >> you have to snack and taste it along the way. >> it's not only you love it, but when you try not to have it -- who is your husband? >> benny. he likes to feed you, doesn't he is this. >> yes, he's the food devil. i call him the food devil. >> what do you do? how do you not get tempted? >> it's difficult, but i try to find healthier things to do.

bake a little different, add a little less sugar. >> use splenda or something like that. >> i actually don't like things unless they're totally natural. >> she's a baker and she likes to give food as gifts. she has a very famous carrot cake we're hopefully going to sample, but now she keeps her hands busy so she's not eating. healthier doesn't always mean lower in calories. >> how much weight do you guys usually gain over the holidays? >> i would say a few. maybe two or three. >> i have five. >> do you? >> yeah. then i struggle in january to get rid of the sugar also, because i like sweets. >> you're not alone because that's when all the commercials come out for the weight loss. they all come out in january. >> the best thing to start heading this off is to learn to barter. say, i'm going to have one item

so i don't have that. i'm going to have a roll so i won't have that extra glass of wine. you want to be mindful. think before you eat. >> they're going to add up. last night i did something i've never, ever done before, the first pre-party for the season. it was a beautiful buffet. they were passing around truffle french fries. i had one bite. i said, i'm going to see if i can do it. i took one bite and put it down and looked at it. i thought, okay, that's a start. i was thinking about cutting the creep. >> and you had that under your belt. the more you succeed at being the taster. we're all worried we'll take a taste and go crazy. >> but then you feel so arrogant. >> you start to feel good. >> yes. yes.

can we have the music one more time? okay. i like that. this is going to be fun. >> we're going to keep checking in, madeline, is that the deal? >> we're going to keep checking in, they're going to keep track of their calories and be mindful. >> thank you. we look forward to watching. >> if you've got a way to cut the creep and help lighten up the eggnog or carrot cake. go to hodagandklg.com and hit the like button. we've got a special thing coming up, but first this is "today" on nbc.

holiday celebrations begin this week and there are a lot of families that could use a little extra help, so we're kicking off our 25th annual toy drive. >> she's brought along some of santa's elves, her son a.j. and daughter kaitlyn. nice to see you all. >> you guys have been helping us out for a decade now. tell us why. >> it's really a great

opportunity for us to give back to the community. we have 26 companies this year that are donating about $14.4 million in products and cash. we have a number of companies like clever container has donated a lot of really cute organizational tools. this is actually for the backseat of a car to organize your items. we've got a lot of different things. we've got some great software from software advantage. fire dogs from d-tech and great lotions from shakley and other great companies as well. >> you're helping out the military, too? >> it's great for people in the military, a spouse in the military. it's very portable, so no matter where they're stationed, they can run their business from there. >> that's really great. >> hi, kids. >> hi. >> looking forward to it? >> you teach your kids early about giving. >> thank you very much. if you would like to donate to our toy drive, bring a toy to deposit or donate on line. tomorrow, two handsome men are here, we have rick springfield.

jesse's girl. the essentials for your bar before the holidays. >> i'm here to help. you and i will get through this together. ♪