mr. kerry expected to fly into sfo this afternoon. >> he is going to stay overnight and headed back to washington tomorrow morning. that's it for "today." take care. good morning, mega winners. two very lucky ticket holders in that massive mega millions jackpot set to split $636 million and perhaps even more. progress, firefighters starting to get a handle on that raging wildfire in california's big sur but will the weather cooperate long enough to get it fully contained. lifesaver, a blind man falls off a subway platform and his trusty guide dog leaping to the rescue. >> we kept saying stay down because the train was already coming. >> this morning, the incredible story of friendship and loyalty. >> and she is "the voice." >> tessanne chin. congratulations from team adam.

winner of "the voice." >> an inside look at the star-studded finale and we'll hear from the winner today, wednesday, december 18th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, i'm savannah guthrie along with al roker and natalie morales. we're all losers. >> we didn't win the mega millions. >> but that's a lot of cash. if you bought your tickets in either california or georgia check your ticket carefully. the first winning ticket was sold at a gift shop in san jose. the other at a newsstand inside that building in atlanta. >> all right. get your ticket out. get your coffee going. for the record the winning

numbers are 8, 14, 17, 20, 39, and the mega ball 7. i always wanted to do that. let's get right to gabe gutierrez who is outside the winning location in atlanta. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're here in buckhead, one of the nicer areas in atlanta. this is outside the high-rise office building. this is leading some people to believe this ticket may have been bought by an office pool. meanwhile, clear across the country in san jose another winning ticket was sold and now several people must now decide what to do with all of that money. $636 million, the second biggest lottery payout in u.s. history, will be split among at least two winners after tickets in california and georgia matched all six winning mega millions numbers tuesday night. the odds of hitting that winning

combo, about 1 in 259 million. the owner of jenny's gift shop in san jose will get a payout of roughly $1 million just for selling one of the tickets. >> feels good. come to my store. i feel good. i don't know if i can sleep tonight. >> reporter: it came after days after mega mania nationwide. nevada is one of the states nevada is one of the states normal limits seven states that don't sell the tickets causing ridiculous lines across state lines in california. 70% of the tickets for this jackpot were sold yesterday. at its hike, customers bought half a million tickets a minute. for this store owner an amazing sell against all odds. >> i feel good. i'm a lucky person.

keeps my people happy. whatever that is, you know. >> reporter: california and georgia continue their winning ways. for california, this is the 11th time the state has sold a winning ticket of a jackpot of more than $100 million. for georgia, it's the seventh time. as we wait for the winners to come forward. i have breaking news to report. the nbc atlanta office pool, well, we got $13. >> way to go. >> congratulations. >> party in atlanta. >> 88 cents each. >> i know. >> gabe, thank you so much. there are new developments this morning in the fight against the dangerous wildfire burning in the popular big sur area of california. officials are now saying the weather is cooperating and helping firefighters with containment. nbc's katy tur is there. katy, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. 2013 has been the driest on record here in california. you can see the results of that behind me. these flames have been burning here since sunday. they already destroyed 15 homes on this ridge and they're still

threatening 40 more. night two and the fire continues to eat away at the ridge line. big sur is a firefighters' nightmare. steep rugged terrain that's uniquely beautiful and uniquely treacherous. also night two without a home. he only had minutes to get out of bed and run before he lost everything, including two cats. >> we didn't have time to grab anything basically out of the house because it was coming so fast. >> reporter: one of at least 15 homes turned to ash. his parents home was among them. >> everything is gone. their house, their workshop, one of their cars. everything. >> reporter: big sur is about as closely knit as small communities come. when the offshore winds drove the blaze up their mountain, the town rallied together

feeding the hungry and housing the now homeless. even the town's fire chief wasn't safe. despite her best efforts, martha carston's home was first to go. >> by the time other people got there, it was just too late. >> reporter: she captured it all on camera, from the fire engulfing her home to the charred remains. now she is fighting to save her neighbors as her loss is only beginning to sink in. >> i've lived here for almost 43 years. i don't know what else i would do. i will, at some point, when this is over. >> reporter: what's fuelling the fire? very dry vegetation, very dry and warm weather and wind. so far it's 20% contained and firefighters hope that if the weather cooperates can they have it fully contained by friday, matt. >> that would be great news for a lot of people. katy tur, thank you very much. natalie is following a frightening shooting in nevada. >> that's right. terrifying moments inside a reno nevada hospital on tuesday after

a man opened fire killing one person and wounding two others. police say the man entered a building at the medical center and started firing. the shooter then turned the gun on himself. his identity hasn't been released yet. the two victims that survived the attack are in critical condition. police are still searching for a motive. nasa ordered up a series of emergency space walks to fix a broken cooling line at the international space station. it's a big job requiring to replace a pump with a bad valve. two american astronauts are scheduled to walk as soon as saturday to fix the problem. a dramatic rescue is caught on camera after a crane operator becomes stranded as a massive fire burns below. take a look. this all happened in kingston in ontario canada. an apartment building was fully engulfed in flames and the crane operator had no way to escape. well, a helicopter slowly approached the worker and took

him to safety. he suffered only minor injuries. two people were killed tuesday night when their small plane crashed near an atlanta neighborhood. it happened minutes after take off. no one on the ground was injured. witnesses say it appears that the pilot took a sharp turn at the last second to avoid the houses. gaining lots of attention because of what the winner is going to do with his prize money. he won $40 million in a lottery. he said he doesn't need the money and he is pledging to give every cent of his winnings to charity. tuesday he and his son visited a cancer center where he donated $1.2 million. chris lost his wife to cancer two years ago and says she would have been ecstatic over his decision. what a great man. and it is the gift that keeps on giving. in toronto, major rob ford is at it once again. this was the scene tuesday afternoon inside the council

chambers. a jazz group was in council to perform bob marly's one love and original christmas song and major bob ford and others were there -- >> she's getting too close there. >> yeah, i would stay far away from that. it came hours after ford apologized for calling members of the council corrupt. and five hours later he apologized for that dance. >> i have nothing to say. >> it's going on and on and on. >> i have nothing to add. >> thank you natalie, appreciate it. mr. roker, how about a check of the weather. >> it's like a christmas party there. an office party. guess what, if you were driving in the northeast, black ice was a wbig problem. this is in brooklyn near bayside. 30 cars involved. what a mess. parts of the long island expressway last night in new york were also shutdown. this happened all the way up into the northeast.

black ice, just exactly what is it? right around this time of the year, it's a big problem. you have wet roadways with temperatures close to 32 degrees. so that's right near freezing so these roads get an invisible ice barrier, especially bridges and overpasses. you hit it, it's slick. you spin out and there's a big problem. there goes the last storm that caused all of our problems yesterday. we're seeing streamers of lake effect snow developing today. so generally 3 to 6 inches from michigan into upstate new york. this is what is going to be left over from the storm in new england. 63 and partly sunny skies in los angeles today. the snow showers continue around the great lakes but we are looking for a major warm ♪ [ male announcer ] even well-planned holidays can wind up at the corner of "stockings are stuffed" and "quick -- duck!" luckily, walgreens is always nearby,

so it's easy to get in and out for extra stocking stuffers... or anything else you might suddenly need. stop by walgreens anytime for hershey's kisses chocolates, gift cards, and more. plus most stores are open 'til midnight. here at the corner of happy and healthy. good wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist, christina loren. temperatures aren't that cold this morning. we are mostly in the 40s across the bay area. we will show you your hour by hour forecast. this is for san jose. you can see it is still a little hazy. our air quality has improved. you are going to see more in the background for today. 62 degrees at 4:00 p.m. comfortable conditions there. elsewhere, 60s all across the bay area. even in san francisco today. >> that's your latest weather. that's your latest weather. >> we're learning more this morning about the colorado high school student that critically

wounded a classmate last week before taking his own life. this is the author of a controversial book that may have influenced the gunman speaks out. here's nbc's justice correspondence pete williams. >> reporter: investigators say when karl pierson walked in last friday with a shotgun and more than 125 rounds of ammunition he had written on his arms with marker. on his forearm this latin phrase which means the die has been cast. he also wrote five combinations of letters and numbers which investigators say correlate to five rooms in the high school he may have been planning to attack. and now the author of a book that pierson read, the anarchist cookbook said it shouldn't be published. a classmate said he had been a fan of it. >> he had been reading it since sophomore year and giving it to people. >> reporter: police say he

brought three cocktails to the school the day of the shooting. >> it is a crudely drawn instructions on how to make bombs, traps and even illegal drugs. >> it was produced at the peak of the counter culture and became something of a bible to people on the extreme left in those years. >> reporter: and now that it's come up in connection with a school shooting, the man that wrote it said it shouldn't be p pubbished. he says it's no longer responsible for defensible to keep it in print but it's likely to keep right on selling, available on several online retailers. the publisher says there's victims of almost anything and everything and i just don't think we need to start banning books. in colorado well wishers are leaving flowers and notes for claire davis, the 17-year-old

critically wounded in the arapahoe shootings. meantime, a heart wrenching imagine from that day is now emerging. a 17-year-old that survived scribbled this message to his family on his hand. i love you all so much and i'm here now. very poignant imagine. we turn to what is a bizarre story. how far would you go to get out of work? a top epa official will be sentenced for milking the government out of almost $1 million for claiming he worked undercover for the cia. details on that. >> his name is beal. john beal. with a license to steal. >> i decline to answer that question on the basis of my 5th amendment privilege. >> the highest paid official at the epa did absolutely no work for years according to court

documents, claiming he was serving as an undercover spy for the cia. >> he never worked for the cia. there's no record of him even being on the premises. >> reporter: they obtained his internal e-mails revealing how he pulled off his sherade. i'm at langly this morning and another i'm in pakistan. what was he really doing? >> he was riding his bicycle and reading books and working around his house. >> reporter: he is now seeing a therapist. he also received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses and billed taxpayers for first class air tickets and claimed he was suffering from malaria that he got in vietnam where they had

never been so he could get a handicap shopping space. they're now wondering why his boss didn't challenge his cover stories. mccarthy discovered beale's fraud and imposed new controls. he is due to be sentenced this morning. >> there's two stories this morning to leave you speechless. toronto and that. >> let's see if willie can top that. he has a remarkable rescue all over social media this morning. >> a scary one with a good ending. a scary moment for a visually impaired man here in new york city and for scores of witnesses. what could have been a tragedy, instead, a heartwarming tale all thanks to one courageous and loyal guide down. >> reporter: he is lucky to be alive this morning and a lot of the credit goes to his brave seeing eye dog orlando. >> he was wobbling and next thing you know he's on the track. >> reporter: the visually

impaired williams was waiting for the subway tuesday afternoon when he began to feel woozy and fell from the platform on to the tracks at this station in upper manhattan. >> he got too close to the edge and all of a sudden he just fell right on the tracks. the dog was trying to hold him back. >> reporter: the loyal orlando jumped down after williams and began barking with help. with the train fast approaching bystanders tried to alert the driver while also yelling at the fallen williams. >> we kept telling him to stay down. that the train was already coming in. >> reporter: the train did graze them but the alert conductor managed to slow down and they escaped without serious injury. williams is recovering telling the associated press, quote, the dog saved my life. meanwhile, the four legged hero made a brief appearance last night with the owner's

girlfrie girlfriend. >> i'm grateful to god. >> reporter: who is also thankful for the bravery of man's best friend. >> it has a happy ending for now but williams health insurance doesn't cover the cost of caring for a nonworking dog. he is set to retire sometime early next year so he could lose the dog the way things stand right now. obviously people wanted to know how they could help. we have this up on their facebook page. as soon as he tells us where he wants help to come from, what organization can help give money to keep orlando we're going to put it on our facebook page because a lot of you have been asking what you're going to do. knowing the american people, cecil is going to keep his dog. >> especially during the holiday season. what a great way to show you care about other people. willie, thank you so much. coming up, what is it like to actually win a massive jackpot like mega millions? what the winners will go through and what they have to watch before they can claim their prize. >> an inside look at the crowning of music's newest star on a star filled finale of the

voice. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

. shot outside our studio on this beautiful wednesday morning. coming up, he's 50? the distinguished group of hollywood stars that brad pitt is joining today. >> what's wrong with 50? >> you say that with shock. >> unbelievable. >> and then the lighter side of 2013, we're going to look at the fun, the laughter, the good times we shared this year. >> all right. >> this is a tape that always makes you laugh and cringe at the same time. >> makes us cringe especially. >> we'll show it to you in a little while. but first a check of your local news and weather.

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you are watching "today in the bay." a very good morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. at least two people waking up much, much richer after winning the megamillions. one of them could be you. or maybe someone you know. check the ticket, winning numbers, 8, 14, 17, 20, 39. the megaball, lucky number 7. one winning ticket sold at a newsstand in georgia. the other sold right here in the bay area. in an unassuming gift shop in east san jose on tully road. so far, local winner hasn't come forward but the store owner is thrilled. i feel good. i feel good. it comforts my soul. i feel good. i don't even know can i sleep tonight? i really not think about that.

in my heart, i just want to sell people the good ticket, make people happy. >> oh, i'm so happy he is happy. the store owner will win $1 million just for selling that ticket. no wonder why he is happy. as for the winners, each would get $318 million over a period of 30 years or $170 million in cash. i cannot wait to see who it is. here in the bay area. we all need something free for the rest of us who lost. free forecast. meteorologist, christina loren. >> we are going to get some better air quality. a lot of people would pay for that. it is our 11th straight spare the air day. south bay, looking good. out in the north bay, want to show you your hour by hour change. 57 in san jose and 62 at the end of the day. then, i can tell you right now, temperatures are going to be pretty comfortable as we head throughout this afternoon. there is going to stop to drop

off again as we head there tomorrow. here is mike inouye in your morning drive. >> let's get you to this full screen. northbound jamming up as you are approaching the coliseum. all lanes are clear. look at the bay bridge toll plaza. we do have that backup. the backup filling in all lanes on the approach. the map shows you this extent of the earlier crash. downtown oakland has cleared. use the san mateo brinl as your alternate as we are heading across the ba i. >> thank you very much. i will be back with another local news update in half an hour. see you then.

the winner of the voice is tessanne chin. congratulations. >> back now at 7:30 with last night's emotional moment as tessanne chin was crowned the winner of the voice. coming up we'll have highlights of the evening including special performances from lady gaga to celine deon. >> i think our studio is on fire. >> a little smoke in here. >> meanwhile, so first adam levine wins sexiest man alive and then his sing erwins the voice. how is his year going? >> and he's adam levine. >> exactly right. >> he finally broke blake.

>> didn't he get engaged this year too. >> to a super hot super model. >> winning. >> we'll take a look at that. also we'll take a look at headlines today. two winning tickets were sold for the $636 million mega millions jackpot. one at a gift shop in california and another at a newsstand in atlanta. >> conditions are improving for firefighters as they battle a wildfire in big sur, california. >> astronauts will perform space walks to fix a cooling problem at the international space station. the first is scheduled for saturday. >> okay. still coming up, love today. we've had a pretty good fun year. we've got a lot of great moments. >> right. >> a lot of embarrassing moments. but we're just going to put them out there and let you enjoy, coming up. >> all right. can't wait for that. it's a big day for brad pitt. we'll fill you in on why the

mega star is celebrating. or maybe not. >> a lot to celebrate for him too. we'll begin with more on the mega millions drawing and what twiners will now face. kerry sanders is in richmond, virginia with that part of the story. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. the friday mega millions jackpot starts back at $15 million as you can see on the billboard behind me. if you were among the mega million ticket holders that didn't win last night. here's a peak into what might have been. your road to riches would have started at a lottery office like this one. >> if i had the winning ticket, would i show it to you. >> yes, you would. >> reporter: it's not uncommon for folks to take a selfie with the ticket. they then confirm the ticket is real. >> we put it under the lights and you can see virginia lottery underneath. so you say -- >> congratulations. this is the winning ticket. >> you've seen the winners. what do they do?

they go crazy. >> they go crazy. >> then into a conference room where you watch video with advice from previous winners. >> stop, don't do anything. >> it's a job. when you have money you have to take it like a job. >> you should take care of it the way you would any money that you worked for. >> pages of paperworks, cash option or annuity and then that first moment when you realize this is not a dream. >> congratulations. >> so had i won this is what it would look like. >> exactly. >> but it's over and we're going to have to scratch out this name. >> this is just pretend kerry. >> well, a guy can dream, right? >> if you bought a ticket, you can take solace in about 30% goes to the state where you purchase the ticket. so they use that money for things like education and

conservation and in this really big lottery, they raised about $300 million for the states that participated. >> that's the good side. >> you should just grab that check and run. >> just take it to city bank or whatever. >> and savannah pointed out his had no taxes written out. >> just saying. >> pretty good. >> let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> today's weather is brought to you by jared the gallery of jewelry. truly unique design that you won't find just anywhere. that's why he went to jared. >> still a little cloudy here. let's go down to norfolk. the hampton roads area. you can see we have a beautiful sunrise today. #today sunrise. enjoy some of that. it will be beautiful. all right. we have changes coming in our weather. our friends out west have been enjoying this must above normal temperature band. we have been looking at arctic air here in the northeast. by the time we get toward the weekend, the jet stream takes a

big dip in the mid-section of the country and goes way up to the north here and the east. and watch what happens. for today denver is at 63. dallas 68 degrees. new york city at 37 that's 6 degrees below normal. by friday pittsburgh is up to 49, 76 in tallahassee. and sunday, new york city, 66 degrees. >> yeah. >> norfolk 72. 71 daytona. our friends in oklahoma city well, we're not really chattering here in the bay area. good morning. i'm meteorologist, christina loren. it is pretty mild out there. you can see plenty of clouds overhead making for a really pretty sunrise out there to kick off the day. temperatures are in the 40s across the board. a similar sky. san francisco, over the peninsula and in the south bay.

as we get into the afternoon, temperatures are going to climb from the upper 40s into the 60s. it is another spare the air day. as we get through tonight into tomorrow, a cold front comes through and this is going to bring us much better air quality. >> a controversial case in connecticut to tell you about. al case in connecticut the tell you about. two teenagers will be in court today to face charges stemming from a deadly drunk driving crash even though they weren't actually in the car at the time of the accident. >> here's nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: a car full of teens, booze and what became a game of musical chairs, several taking the wheel, turned into a deadly combination. jane who never made it to her 18th birthday last friday is at the center of an unusual legal case. she was driving alone drunk when the car she borrowed plowed into a tree outside of hartford, connecticut killing her. she was a passenger along with four other teenage boys. the first boy dropped one

passenger off and drove himself home. another boy took over from there and drove to his house. that left her alone to drive herself home. she managed to steer clear of trouble for about a half mile before losing control and her life. her blood alcohol level was.27. more than 13 times the legal limit for drivers under 21. the last two friends in the car with her are facing criminal charges including reckless endangerment. >> through text messages and interviews we were able to determine that they well knew she was intoxicated and shouldn't have been driving. >> reporter: but some experts say prosecutors may have a tough time winning convictions if the case even goes to trial. >> you see somebody affirmatively doing something that's creating a risk of injury to somebody else or to a group of people. you don't see a situation in which somebody is not doing something. >> reporter: the tragic results of drinking and driving.

a case that questions who is designated with ultimate responsibility. nbc news boston. >> that's going to create a lot of controversy. >> an eye opener. >> reporter: we're going to take a turn. up next an evening of excitement and stars. the season five winner of the voice is crowned. >> and from costumes to competitions to dancing and facial hair. all of the fun and laughter we have shared this year. but first, these messages. [ female announcer ] jared the galleria of jewelry presents a commercial for women only. ♪ this is levian chocolate diamond jewelry. ♪ levian, masters of jewelry design for centuries is the only company on earth to make jewelry with chocolate diamonds. ♪ and jared is the only place where you'll find such an amazing levian selection. with styles you won't find anywhere else. ♪ levian. that's why he went to jared. ♪

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back now at 7:41 with a night of stars and surprises as the voice crowned it's newest winner and joe fryer was there. good morning. >> good morning, savannah, we're here at the site of the big season 5 finale. it was a night filled with super star cameos, surprising duets and the crowning of the new voice. a 28-year-old singer from jamaica. the finalists had the distinction of headlining a two hour concert on live tv while nervously awaiting the voice's final results. the finalists performed not only with fellow season five contestants but the chart topping stars. this was tessanne chin's

reaction when she learned she would get to sing with her idol celine deon. >> she is even better in person if that is possible and just extremely honored to be able to sing with her. >> reporter: even stars sang with stars. lady gaga's performance featured a surprise duet with christina. they had never even met before getting together with the song. but the true stars of the night were the last three who 24 hours before sang their heart out. >> with will eliminated first it was down to two powerful female voices pitting tessanne against jackie lee. >> the winner of the voice is

tessanne chin. >> reporter: the newly crown voice then performed test. test. test. 3 c3 . ♪. test. coached the three previous winners. instead, he started a sketch mocking his dancing skills. >> could you reprise that right now? >> i was going to bust out a couple of moves but something like this maybe. >> reporter: despite not winning, blake made it clear to me he is holding up just fine.

clearly i did not see that coming. blake won three seasons. for coach adam this is win number two. he also won the first season. christina came so close but still has not won. the voice returns in february with usher and shakira back in those seats. >> thank you. by the way, blake a good kisser? >> reporter: let's just say i haven't washed my cheek yet. >> fantastic. >> you also haven't left the lot i noticed. that's called stalking, joe. >> hoda is jealous by the way. >> tessanne is going to be here live tomorrow. >> that's right. >> looking forward to meeting her and congratulating her. coming up, are they ready? we'll go to sochi with 50 days left until the winter olympic games. >> and willie is in the orange room celebrating 50 years of brad pitt. got some of his personal photos. >> halfway [ laughter ] [ grunts ]

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well, if willie seems especially happy today it's because he is in celebrating mode. brad pitt turns 5-0 today. willie is all in a tizzy. >> i am. this isn't creepy, right? it's a reproduction of the wallpaper in my living room.

brad does turn 50 years old. big year for celebrities turning 50. john johnny depp, john stamos, michael jordan. there was a research poll that shows adults over 50 feel younger than their age. makes sense and they agree that old age starts at 68. >> wow. >> what do you guys think of that? >> 70. >> 70 and that's just kind of old conduct and public intoxication -- that's just kind of old age. >> yeah, 80. >> do you know who is 70 years old today? >> keith richards turned 72 today. do you guys have favorite brad pitt movies by the way? >> yes. thelma and louise.

>> wait we have to watch this clip. >> he's so young there. my goodness. >> that's the way it works. >> i'm going to go with more recent one. money ball. it was a fun movie. >> what about you willie? >> i'm a fight club guy. >> yeah. you're not supposed to talk about fight club. remember rule of fight club. don't talk about it, ever. >> happy birthday, brad. >> yeah and by the way, that was a good one to pull up keith richards. 70 years old. happy birthday keith. >> all right. coming up, singing, dancing, gags and gangs. our year of fun and embarrassment inside studio 1-a and well beyond. >> and our holiday cookies get a make over. >> and jill martin has a $400 gift card for $40? how does that happen?

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a very good wednesday morning. 7:506. i'm laura garcia-cannon. police are on the hunt for two men that used their van to steal an atm early this morning in the pacific heights neighborhood of san francisco. the men used a chain to pull the atm out of the grown. after a short chase, police found their van with the atm inside. the robbers are still on the run at this hour. fire officials say they hope to have the wild fire burning in big sur contained by the end of the week. the fire burning near highway 1 has already burned 770 acres and nearly two dozen homes. it is only 20% contained. let's check the forecast right now with meteorologist, christi christina lauren. good morning to you, laura. good morning to you at home. temperatures pretty comfortable, 60s. i'm happy to report, it is not as hazy.

you can make out the mountains in the distance. along the peninsula. 63 later this afternoon. we are looking really good. temperatures warming up to where you could ditch that first layer. as we head throughout the day, wind is going to pick up and we are talking about fierce wind. a wind advisory in place at the higher elevations starting tonight at midnight. that will last until 6:00 p.m. on thursday. you can see as of this evening, getting pretty gusty specially right along the coastline and through the higher elevations. let's check your drive and say good morning to mike inouye. the earlier crash cleared a while back. the big one over at oak. we have a second crash that happened at 23rd. that caused additional slowing. we are recovering again. the toll plaza has the metering lights turned on just before 7:00. the lanes all backed up. starting to thin out a little bit now. a typical pattern over to the right. your alternate, the san mateo bridge moves smoothly in. the slow drive coming off toward 101, laura. back to you. thank you very much. i'll be back with another local

news update in half an hour. hope to see you then.

♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, the search is on. the latest on those two winning tickets from last night's $636 million jackpot. plus, countdown to sochi with just 50 days to go. excitement is building. but will they be ready? and what a year it was. ♪ we salute fun, family and friends today. wednesday, december 18, 2013. ♪ >> we're seniors from virginia! hi, mom. >> we're from florida. >> merry christmas.

>> we're just married. ♪ laughing all the way ♪ ♪ >> hey, al, come sign my book, please! >> this is just one of the greatest christmas presents you could possibly give. a wonderful christmas present. ♪ >> we're back at 8:00 on this wednesday morning. out on the plaza. chilly plaza. right in front of the beautiful christmas tree. i'm matt lauer, with savannah guthrie and al roker and willie geist. al was handing out copies of his book. >> yeah, it makes a lovely christmas present. >> thank you for giving it to us. we appreciate it. >> don't forget the companion book "don't make me stop this car." >> a lot to get to. let's check in with natalie and the top stories. good morning, again. >> hey, good morning. well, if you bought your mega

millions tickets in georgia or california, you just might own a piece of last night's record jackpot. two winning tickets were sold. they would share a prize estimated at $636 million, one dream ticket was purchased at this newsstand in atlanta. the other came from a gift shop in san jose, california. president obama has named two openly gay sports to the winter olympics, making a strong statement about anti-gay laws in russia. it will include billy jean king and ice hockey silver medalist caitlin cahow who is also openly gay. the white house says the president's schedule doesn't allow him to attend the olympics. sentencing today for the retired epa official who lied about being a cia spy to skip out on his real job, often for months a at time.

climate change expert john beale was the highest paid employee and he earned more than 2 hundred thousand dollars a year. he pleaded guilty to bilking the guilty out of millions over the last decade. it raises new questions about oversight at the epa. fire crews are making progress against the wind fire that's been burning in the big sur area in the california coast. dozens of families have been evacuated. heavy smoke limited efforts to fight the fire from the air. a court date for the harvard student accused of making the bomb threats that forced the evacuation of four campus buildings on monday. 20-year-old eldo kim admitted sending the hoax e-mails to get out of taking exams. he could face up to five years in prison. why did a man carry a live alligator into the convenience store?

he wasn't looking to cause some trouble, but he wanted to trade the gator for a 12-pack of beer. he found the gator in a local park and decided to swap it for a few cold ones. well, instead, he was fined for wildlife violations. and the gator was released into a swamp. can't make that stuff up. 8:04. time for a check of the weather and al. >> that's a good one. thanks natalie so much. so you're getting married. when's the wedding? >> june 7th. >> all right. >> then you just got married. >> yes. >> what's your advice for them? >> say yes. >> okay. >> because you already said yes. >> yes. >> there you go. you're halfway home. congratulations all you guys. let's see what we have for you, as we go down to florida. oh, man, it will be nice there the next few days. look at miami. getting up to 75 degrees today. clear skies tonight. #sunrise. pick city wlwt cincinnati, nbc 5. showers by friday, but warming up into the mid 50s.

as you can see, afternoon temperatures going to start to get toasty in the southwest. that warmth will be making its way to the east. but in the meantime look for chilly conditions in the plains across to new england. 16 in caribou, more rain and fog in the pacific northwest. 63 degrees along the coast inland a little bit warmer and 8:05 this wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. happy to the the bearer of good news. it is not as hazy out there. spare the air day. our air quality has improved. you can see that this morning. you can make out the mountains in the distance. from our san francisco camera, look at the pretty clouds overhead. it's 46 fwreez. we are headed towards the comfortable day climbing into the 60s, and our air quality is going to improve even more so as we get into your thursday and friday, and then we'll be in the moderate range for saturday. the over kavrat is windy conditions develop tonight. >> you guys are the best parents

ever. they let you skip school to be here. man! my folks would never let me skip school. coming up, who is ready to eat? the winning recipe for christmas cooking. today's holiday steals and deals. a gift card for food lovers. the good times we have shared here on "today" in 2013, right after this. right after this. ♪ it's the night before christmas, ♪

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one-on-one review of your retirement plan. [ bell rings ] [ man ] take five! you really seem to be dragging your a-- [ donkey brays, snorts ] mid morning slump. that's why i started drinking this new lipton natural energy tea. it naturally has more caffeine and theanine. mmmm... i feel better already. [ female announcer ] new lipton natural energy tea. [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their family's delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas!

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>> thanksgiving day parade has come and gone. rockefeller center tree behind us is lit. there is one more tradition we want to share with you. >> our annual look back at the fun we have all had this year. >> there is a beautiful shot of the sunrise. >> we're handing out roses to

some of the folks who have come down here. >> there it is. >> good morning. >> did we do something with the set? >> we changed something. >> did i miss something? >> wow, wow, wow, reflection. >> is there something in your can eye? >> good morning. shotgun wedding. this morning -- sorry. i read the wrong headline. >> i'm matt lauer and i'm too old to have sex. >> you know the difference between me and women? >> we all walked out. savannah walked out and said

hello. we all said wow. >> 8:30. the puppy sleeping in the orange room. ♪ you're going to hear me roar [ bird chirping ] [ music playing ] >> is this how you get in the >> i'm still allowed here. ♪ >> here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> what a strange block of television. >> i'll do one every time i accidentally say 60. >> hoda, you just said it.

you know what a shot is. it's all the way down. oh, my gosh, she did it. >> 60 is good. oh! >> here is carson. what's shaking in the orange room? >> selfies going on. >> this is just the beginning of a ground swell that's going to bring digits to america and the world. ing digin to america and world. >> is there something going on in the orange room? they closed the door. >> oh. oh. >> get out of here. >> you're one of the first people i talked to that said i love dating. >> i was even thinking of going on match.com.

>> that looks like laura dern. it is. >> you can go get warm. >> what are you talking about? i'm being warmed by my love of carson. >> right now i'm busy talking to the people. >> i feel like i have been waiting my whole life to meet you. >> the invitation is open and at any time for you to go do the "today" show. >> if you don't have anything to do in the morning, tune into the "today" show. jenna is a correspondence there by continuing the warm relations the bush family has with the national press. >> natalie, you're going to hit the high note on that. we'll come in and back you up. here we go.

>> boom. >> wow, you know what, they took a real risk. somebody could have been hurt in the making of that. >> ♪ i bet a boy cute as can be ♪ ♪ summer days ♪ take me out to the ball game ♪ take me out to the crowd >> that's enough. ♪ she hit the flo. kathie got low, low, low, low, loaded ♪ ♪ plus we know you like it sloppy ♪ ♪ we think you're really nifty ♪ even though you're almost 50 ♪ >> how authentic and terrifying. >> did you think i'd crumble,

did you think i'd lay down and die. >> is this you? >> crank it. >> yeah. >> my people. my people. my people. >> my people. my people. >> performing his smash hit which is the song of the summer, blurred lines. [ music playing ] ♪ this is a woman's world ♪ this is a woman's world ♪ and i'm stronger, strong enough to rise above ♪ ♪ this is a woman's world >> this is the biggest crowd we have ever had ♪ ♪ and we danced all night to the best song ever ♪ ♪ we knew every line now i can't

remember ♪ ♪ and i won't forget her ♪ cause we danced all night to the best song ever ♪ ♪ this is our house. this is our rules. we can't stop and we won't stop ♪ ♪ can't you see it's we who own the night. can't you see it's we who about that life ♪ ♪ come on. i'm talking about these blurred lines. yes i am ♪ ♪ i know you want it baby. oh yes you do ♪ ♪ but you're a good girl ♪ come on now ♪ all right ♪ i love these blurred lines >> mr. vice president, hey, how you doing?

yes. >> wow. >> yes. >> wow. wow. [ music playing ] >> niners rule baby, they rule. >> i can't even hear you. but we have you beat. >> not a bad way to start the morning. [ music playing ] >> the crowning achievement. >> i pity the fool.

>> we're gonna do it. >> yabba dabba do. >> where's cj? >> is someone drowning? >> it's hard for me to take you seriously with this. >> yeah and i'm having an easy time taking you seriously. >> we're growing full beards to raise money and awareness for men's health. we're calling it no shave november. >> you have moved past the stubble. >> it's salt and pepper. but heavy on the salt. >> a friend of mine said to me you look like the villain in a low budget film. >> it's time for the big shave. >> oh, my. >> goatee.

>> i am going to keep the beard. >> oh, hey now. >> oh my gosh. >> oh my. are we still rolling? >> 3, 2, 1. [ music playing ] >> look at your coordination willie. >> put on the gloves layla. let's go. >> when there is snow, there are

snowballs. [ music playing ] >> i want you to see him down here with magic heat here. >> double dog dare me to put my tongue on this. [ music playing ] >> al roker for the first time in 39 years overslept. >> yeah, i did. >> you missed "wake up with al" this morning. >> yeah, we changed the name to al, wake up. >> we have a seat for you right here. >> okay. all right. hugh grant -- i mean, hugh grant -- >> hugh grant. >> we have savannah guthrie

along side matt lauer and al roker. >> i'm al roker? >> oh my god. [ music playing ] >> ow. >> we're going to get a prostate screening live on the air. >> this is taking today show bonding experiences to a whole new level. >> who are we going to do to top that. >> don't even ask. >> we came to watch the prostate movie. >> what does the weather man say? ♪ what does the fox say? [ music playing ]

>> what just happened? >> i don't know. [ music playing ] >> did that really happen?

>> one more time. >> wow. >> you forget about half the stuff that happened last year. >> i know. >> amazing. >> you had a break out here when it comes to dancing. >> i had an out of body experience for 12 months and it's gone back into the body this week. >> no. >> i look at you two, you dance constantly. and you drink almost every show. >> and my favorite moment of the whole thing was when liza told you to stop. >> i love her though. >> the "today" show should put on a musical. >> i think we should. >> come on. let's go. >> yes, indeed. >> i'm just saying. >> anybody notice one glaring omission in that tape from the last year? >> no, i did not. >> how much did you pay the

editors to take your stumble out of that. >> i don't know what you're talking about. >> they made me look pretty good too. >> no, not again. >> no matter how many times you play it you're not going to see it. >> we want to see the version -- >> see look. i got right up. >> yeah. >> the first time willie tried to get up the ramp i grabbed his arm and nearly dislocated my shoulder. >> you were no help. whatsoever. >> anyway, thanks. great job [ applause ] >> headlines

a very good morning to you. the two sides have been renegotiating since last week. they're trying to reach an agreement over the disputed paid family leave provision. bart management insists the provision was mistakenly put in the final package that they ratified last month. let's check that morning commute now with mike. how is it looking? >> we're looking really good. as far as the rails go, no delays reported for bart. we look over towards oakland, 880 northbound where you continue to have a slow drive. that's the toughest drive for the bay area right now. slow past the coliseum. we talked about a second crash that's happening the last half hour. up near 23rd. now, that should be clearing to the shoulder there. you see the slow drive for 880 as well. westbound 580 coming up through

oakland wrish a tougher drive considering the rest of the bay looking lighter than we typically see on a wednesday. a smooth slower drive down through richmond, but no big surprises there. south 680 at 242. a crash cleared to the shoulder. a slowing out of pleasant hill into concorde. typical pattern. again, lighter than normal volume there, and especially for the south bay. northbound route other direction. 87 had a tough morning. that thnz over the last few minutes. back to you. >> all right. thank you very much. another local news update coming up in half hour. hope to see you then. -those other store cards... -...preferred shopper...

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8:30 now on this wednesday morning. it is the 18th of december, 2013. christmas is one week away right now. do you recognize our elf? justin long getting toys from those on your plaza. you can go to today.com if you want to find out how you can take part in our 20th an verse toy drive. >> remember when we did that

thing we did when we talked about our favorite holiday cookie and we said send in our best recipes? well, the recipes poured in and we'll help make and taste the best of the bunch. >> that's exciting. >> looks good. attention last minute shoppers. jill is back with holiday steals and deals including one item at a remarkable 90% off. but first, let's say hello to justin long. >> hey. >> good to see you. >> you brought your fans with me i see. >> yes, there she is. >> justin, this movie is so cool and realistic looking and as i understand it you are a huge dinosaur's fan. was this a dream come true? >> huge. i was a lot smarter too when i was seven and eight. i knew all the scientific names. i knew where they were from. >> who is the baddest dinosaur

ever? the t-rex? >> i think the raptor because they're the ones you should look out for. they were little but they were real mean. >> and your character i understand was a little bit of an underdog dinosaur. >> huge. >> relate a little bit? >> i did. i was really tiny -- i was 4'9" going into high school and 89 pounds so i was a really small fellow. so i was the runt. >> it worked out for you. >> it's working out. >> willie was 4'9", 80 pounds in second grade. >> i was. >> did the producers of this movie know you were obsessed with dinosaurs? like get me long? he is a dinosaur guy. >> no it was the people that did alvin and the chuipmunks. so it was related to that.

>> what research did you do. >> for example i played this dinosaur and their parents used to chew up the plants and put it back in their kids mouths. i found myself asking my friend ifs they would do that. >> how did that go over? lots of friends in the process. >> i don't have any. >> walking with dinosaurs opens friday nationwide. >> yes. >> have a great holiday. >> thank you. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather. >> let's show you what we've got going on. first of all -- >> whoa. >> how are you. >> what's going on. >> wow. >> how are you? >> how are you. >> how are you? >> my goodness. >> how are you. >> i love it. >> no matter what the weather, you still wear the same outfit. >> what are you doing here? >> just on morning joe doing a little promotion and the new

season is on netflix. >> fantastic. >> rock and roll all of fame. musical excellence. urpasses ch

million cho case. on february 7th the olympic torch will enter olympic stadium for opening ceremony. the completion of a 40,000 mile journey. the longest in history that brought the flame from the north pole to outer space. a sleepy coastal resort town, sochi is usually associated with russian summers. but as the wind gusts kick up on the black sea and the cable cars run in the mountains, russia promised an unforget bt winter. snowfall has organizers breathing a sigh of relief that mountain venues will be primed and ready in only 50 days. >> a lot to get done. we will all be there. >> yeah. >> heading over there at the end of january and some in the early part of february i. should be a lot of fun. >> you have the snow bunny

outfit picked out. >> yeah, it's a bunny. >> have you thought about your event together yet? >> had something to do with vodka. >> oh, now that is an event. >> a reminder the olympic action kicks off on february 6th here on nbc. the opening ceremony the next night. up next, we will test out viewer recipes for our favorite holiday cookies. but first, this is "today" on nbc chlts

nbc.. all right. we're back now at 8:39 with today's top holiday cookie. a few weeks ago we revealed our favorite seasonal treats and put out the call for your recipes. we have now narrowed down the field to our five favorites and we're ready to give them a try. >> wow. >> dramatic. >> really suspenseful.

>> everybody go down the line and introduce yourself. >> all right. >> hoda kotb. >> i love ginger spice cookies. this is a recipe of yours. >> it is. it goes back to my great grandmother. >> this is a combination of spices, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. >> what's that here? >> that's the dough. that's already mixed. we're going to incorporate the spices. it will look wet. that's because of the combination of butter and molasses that keeps them extra moist. >> you make big cookies. >> i do. i like my cookies big. >> then i don't have to eat three. >> make them how long? >> 10 minutes. they stay nice, soft and chewy. >> cheers. >> cheers to you.

i'll take it from here. we all love shortbread. i was the lucky one who got to pick it and you added something extra to it. tell us about this. >> yes. i have. i made the shortbread and then the caramel and chocolate which is easy. it's flour, sugar, salt and butter and caramel is condensed milk and butter and corn syrup. >> okay. >> and the chocolate glaze has a bittersweet and semisweet chocolate with corn syrup and butter and when that solidifies in the fringe you spingel the salt. >> do you cook the shortbread and then add the layers or do it at the same time? >> no, shortbread for 20 minutes in the oven and let it cool. >> i'm ready to try it. we'll pass it down to natalie. >> okay. this is my favorite. i understand this is your favorite as well but you actually went to jeremy wigerma

your friends. >> we got a little addicted so i figured i needed to make them at home because it was cheaper than flying to germany. >> it's like a sugar cookie on the outside. >> there's ground almonds. the traditional recipe is ground hass hazelnuts but they're a pain. >> this is rasberry jelly. >> you have the cut out side there. you leave that side. >> we'll assemble this with the r raspberry. >> and then you put the sugar on top. >> gavin, they call you the cookie man. >> absolutely. >> this goes back in your family too. >> right. my grandmother and mother. my sister makes them. yeah, family recipe. >> what makes it special?

you put cream of tartar in there, why? >> it creates a break apart in your mouth tasty cookie. >> they're pretty simple. >> really simple. straightforward and in honor of my mom because she was known in the neighborhood for making giant cookies we're going to make two giant cookies here. you're going to do green and i'm going to do red sprinkles for the holidays. just a nice little roll here. >> i just love to eat the cookie dough. >> yeah. >> all the way around. >> flatten it out a little. >> flatten it out. >> there you go. >> cheers. >> is it her turn from brooklyn. >> yes. she is waiting very patiently. our favorite cookie, the snowball. >> yeah. >> what makes yours better than anybody else's. >> it has almond and chocolate chunks and it's rolled in an expresso powdered sugar. it's like a little extra special

snowball. >> how long do you bake those guys for? >> you bake these for about ten minutes. so you just mix together the expresso powder. >> is it an old family recipe. >> it's actually developed on my own. i'm into creating special treats. >> she spells her name alnd. >> i think that's it. >> these are all great recipes. thank you for being here. we appreciate it. coming up next, a brand new holiday edition of steals and deals including $400 to spend at your favorite restaurants for just $40. >> wow. >> but first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:46 with an all new edition of deals and steals.

good morning, jill. everything in time? >> everything in time. fans, celebrities have come up and say, everyone loves a good deal. >> this is the whole situation. everybody always loves this. restaurant.com. he gift card. $400. you get this $400 gift certificate. you print it out or e-mail it to somebody for over 18,000 restaurants. it can be used in different denominations. $400 credit. walk in. you can get alcohol, the entire meal. but get this, the deal is $40 for $400 value. and you can split it up as gifts. >> so you could get two gift certificates. >> i could give you $100 and i could use $300. or give mike $100. that's 90% off. >> next we have jewelry.

anthony dryer bracelets with freshwater pearls. four choices. go online to see which is which. retails $250. $75. that's 70% off. i have them. i'm wearing them. we could have used this last month. >> yes, we could. >> $73 to $115. this is the minimal consist. the shaving cream, after-shave, shave brush with a stand. so fancy. a nice gift to give. or exclusive hair care, shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling cream. would mike like this? >> i'm sure he would love it. >> $73 to $115 is the retail. $33. up to 71% off. >> okay, great.

beautiful. >> you know how i love this. >> i know. >> you could bathe with mike in the naked body butter. bliss $116. four for the price of one. katie holmes and rihanna use this. $29. >> and you get four? >> four for the price of one in the tote. and we're giving away 30 to our viewers right now. go on today.com. willie and i took a picture. we are looking for the best caption for this picture. >> keep it clean, people. >> yeah. it's more of a gift and less about, you know, the lotion. go to today.com and give your favorite caption. >> let's run through the products.

egift card from restaurant.com, pearl brace lets, eshave and body butter by bliss. for more information, just call jill or head to today.com. coming up next, who needs wrapping paper to take your holiday gift to the next level. [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world of happier holidays. time to enchant, delight and amaze. safeway will help you gather everyone 'round.

a smoked, shank half ham is only 99 cents a pound. starbucks is just $6.99, that's a cup of good cheer. get sweet clementines for $4.99, enough for everyone here. turns out this season less is really so much more. so make your holiday merrier than ever before. safeway. ingredients for life.

>> you know, good things come in great looking packages. if you're stressed at the thought of wrapping your pile of christmas presents, have no fear. great ways to make your gifts stand out. >> good to see you. >> i love the way you packaged these. themes for everyone. >> you have three seconds to make a first impression. >> this gift would be perfect for? >> this gift would be great for a gourmet chef or somebody in the hospitality business. we tie this on here. >> right. >> and we have beautiful fresh herbs on top and a little bow on top of that. great way to go. >> then for the world traveler. >> i love this. is this real maps? >> actually wrapping paper that looks like a map. real easy to do. this would be great for where in the world is matt lauer. >> all the locations. >> and this is a great touch.

>> this has a compass inside and we got a personalized. >> that's a fabulous idea. >> now on to the music lover. the printed music paper and a red ribbon and here's our card. write on there who it's too and who it's from and double sided tape on there. >> we're giving a gift to you this holiday season. >> that on top like that. >> where did you find that by the way? >> the craft store as well. >> all right. now let's move on to the business man and why do you like this wrapping? >> because you can have the shirt inside the box and put the tie outside the box. >> is this a real tie? >> it is. you put a little bit of double sided tape on the back here and you can apply a pocket for me. put the pocket up front here. >> actually a pocket would be straight. >> just like a shirt. >> and we'll pop that inside the pocket and because everybody needs a pen inside the pocket. >> you just got a nod from our

stage manager. he likes that idea. >> that's a perfect one. now this one is for what, the fashionista? >> yes we used a shirt as gift wrap and fashioned a ribbon out of a tape measure and you use a poloroid to show what it looks like. >> from fashionista to glamour girl. >> this is actually fabric but there's all kinds of beautiful paper you can find at the craft store as well. three different layers of ribbon. put that underneath there with a finishing touch. put it right underneath there. >> this would have been great when gloria gaynor was here. >> that was true. >> a parting gift for her. >> i get the message. and the ribbon up. >> goes there. >> something really beautiful. takes a few minutes to create. >> does it ever bother you when you wrap things so carefully and

you watch people tear them open in 30 seconds. >> no but that's the fun of it, isn't it? >> this one you call colin's pick. >> i think it's beautiful to put flowers on the gift. fresh or kids on top and you can write directly on to the paper, matt. >> what should i write? >> this is going to go to savannah. so she is coming over here. we have a dry marker here. let's pretend that that marker worked. >> savannah, that's your gift. >> thank you so much. >> you write to savannah. >> savannah, i got you an ornament. >> earrings. >> colin, thank you so much. happy holidays. >> by the way, this organizer is the bomb. >> isn't that great. >> great for wrapping. >> thank you so much. >> guys, what's coming up at 9:00? >> kids registering for christmas gifts. >> you scan it in and get what you want. >> lots to talk about there.

jean chatzky is here with us today. >> . >> good morning. 8:56. i'm terry mcsweeney. the search is on for the bay area's newest millionaire. someone bought the mega millions lottery ticket in the gift shop in san jose. another winning ticket was purchased in georgia. now based on the $636 million million over a period of 30 years or $170 million in cash before taxes. let's check your forecast wrush

here's christina. >> thank you, terry. good wednesday morning to you. temperatures are warming nicely out there, and it is a spare the air day, but our air quality is improving. it's going to continue to do so as we head throughout the next couple of days. 46 degrees in livermore. we're headed towarky the mid 60s. show your seventhed forecast in just a few minutes. hope you have a great day.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, and willie geist. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to today on this wednesday morning. look who dropped by. >> i was in the green room and i had nothing to do. >> well, you can come hang out with us any time. >> you have a new movie coming out. >> we don't have to talk about that. >> our kids are going to want to see this. >> it's a dinosaur movie. i didn't mean for this to be another plug thing. i just want to hang out. >> here's something you're going to love. >> what's happening? >> over here, our stage guy jerry was saying what is this.

>> first of all as we can see it's a great conversation starter. >> yeah. you walk around with that everywhere you go. >> i like to call it my adult formula. it's vegetables kale, spinach the whole thing. >> it's not as pungent as it looks. >> is the mason jar for effect? >> no, the mason jar is very hip administer. >> it is. >> a little apple in there. >> there's apple. >> you can see how strong. >> no i do this every morning too. but do you put pepper in here too. >> i smell spice. >> i put a little tummeric. >> i knew a smelled a spice. >> a lot of crew guys laughing. >> it's how i maintain my little 12-year-old dancer frame. >> doesn't that character in the movie -- doesn't the mother chew up the food and then spit it into your mouth. >> thank you for segwaying into yet another plug.

it's true. he's an herbivore and his mom chews up plants and spits it into the mouth. >> that's what that looks like. >> there's celebrity parents that do that too, actually. >> you're not kidding. alicia silverstone does it. >> there's somebody else. >> but her kid is 22. >> that's good. >> have you done that for your kids? >> no, i cut their food. that's as far as i go. >> but with your teeth. >> no, utensils. >> you're the weird one. >> sometimes if the beef has a little gristle on it i'll bite it off. >> but you don't spit it into their mouth. >> you chew your kid's food. first of all, you're giving them gristle. >> no, i'm taking it off. i throw it out. see, willie is with me on this. >> mine is different than yours. >> don't let me stand alone here. >> so my kid will take a bite of

something and they decide they don't like it and we're sitting somewhere and i'll say put it in my hand and the idea of getting up and going into the garbage can is too much. >> ew. >> that's even worse. >> that's worse. >> it's like broccoli or something. good for you. >> who am i working with? who are these parents. >> this is what you do for your kids. >> i cut the crust off a grilled cheese sandwich for courtney and i ate it. that was it. >> so you don't give them gristle usually? >> we'll move on. >> see. conversation starter. >> a good parent. >> conversation starter. done it again. >> so we dindn't win the mega millions now. >> we're moving on now. we don't care. >> is that what you were going to talk about. kerry sanders did a piece about what it's like when you win.

i don't care. >> they say $75,000 that's what you need to be happy and after that. >> 75,000 and that. >> the green juice. >> great story in new york this morning, i don't know if you saw the tabloids, this guy, cecil williams has a guide dog. he is a visually impaired man and fell off a subway platform up in harlem. >> he fainted. >> yeah and got too close to the platform. the dog starts barking and basically rouzs the man and gets everybody around to call for help. >> the dog jumped into the platform with him. >> and jumped down on the track with him and begins to bark for help. the train grazed williams and the dog but because the dog roused him they layed down on the track. >> so really he won the lottery. >> this is man's best friend here. the dog's name is orlando. it's a bittersweet story, though, because orlando is set to retire being a seeing eye dog next year.

so williams, apparently, his insurance company won't pay for a dog -- >> a nonworking dog. >> so we're hoping that people will help out. i think once you hear the story you can't not want to help. >> we want to know what can we do to make this happen. >> we'll have places you can donate money so he can keep the dog after he retires. >> talk about a dog that was meant to be by that man's side. >> such a sweet story and from that another sweet story. >> toronto major rob ford. >> no, no. we need a medium. >> no. >> this is how we roll here, okay, justin? >> we go extreme. there's no inextreme. >> ride or die. that's what we do here. >> i guess we love to dance. >> bob marley's one love during a toronto city council meeting.

roll it. >> yes. >> yes. >> oh. oh. >> i'm sorry. if chris farley hasn't been reincarnated, i don't know what's happened. >> meanwhile, this is just hours after calling all of the city council people crooks. >> actually, he called them corrupt. >> no, he said crooks too. so let's get together and feel all right. one love. >> he has to get creative to up his douchebaggery. he's going to have the push the next guy into the tracks. >> he said it not us. >> what are they doing in the city council in toronto? just break out some marley. >> no, there was a jazz band playing for them; i don't know why they bring the jazz band. >> that tape stopped rolling just as he started to twerk. >> thank goodness for that. he could have hurt somebody. >> he's really off rhythm.

>> i'm not exactly a great dancer myself. >> oh, yeah. >> here we go. >> you got to hold it until george's reaction. >> i love the leg up. there we go. >> oh my gosh. >> she is actually better than rob ford. >> yes. yes. >> that's my favorite line. >> that's every commercial break around here. that's what i see in the back. >> that's tremendous. >> i don't know about you but i'm spent. >> you're done. >> okay. >> nothing left. >> we're switching gears to a happy feel good story. >> we're going all over the place. we noah adults like to register for gifts when getting married. >> i hate that. >> now kids can do it. >> you hate it? >> the whole registering. not only do you have to give to

somebody, you're getting married, you're happy. you found each other. >> and you have to tell people what i want. i not only want a gift, but i want this and this. >> do you have to use that voice. >> it feels like you should be using that voice. >> but you must really hate this idea. >> wait until you hear this one. >> toys "r" us has designed a wish list wizard app which turns parents phones into gift scanners so kids can go through and scan the gifts they want while they're browsing in the store and then share the list with the family and friends. >> that's a disaster. >> why is that different than making a christmas list? >> because you're believing in santa. not like the toys "r" us fairy. >> no, i go right to the transactional relationship. >> does christine know you feel like this. >> no. >> here's what toys "r" us said, our wish list program is extremely popular. it has been used by hundreds of

thousands of gift givers during the holidays and year round. >> i'm out. >> your kids are going to ask to use that for a knife and fork set for you so you don't have to masticate. >> just stop doing that? >> oh my gosh. >> justin long, we're so bad you stopped by. >> oh, no, there's more. >> why don't you come over and help me do the weather. >> help me do the weather. >> right over here. >> this will be great. >> okay. so you know, we had this storm here in the northeast. >> sure. loved it. >> hit that bad boy. so we're going in. hit st. louis. >> bing. >> boom. and here it comes. look at that. what do you think of the weather there. >> it's comparable to here. >> sunny, cold, 46 degrees. >> hit the arrow there if you would, sir. >> boom. >> here we go. lake effect snow showers coming in. there goes the storm. >> classic great lakes. >> the classic great lakes. >> that's what happens. classic erie. >> what are you going to do?

>> lake effect snow coming across. >> so do you know what my tag line is to the local stations. >> and that's all we got for you. no? close? when it snows, it snows. can i ask you something real quick when it rains it pours, what do you say when it snows a lot. >> it snows. very eloquently put, al roker. good morning to you. temperatures right now in the 40s. getting into the 50s now in san francisco. san jose, 49 degrees. we're headed towards the mid 60s for today. it is going to be comfortable out there, but cooler by about five to ten degrees, and winds are really going to pick up as we head throughout tonight. hope you have a great day.

>> have you watched the show? you don't know the neck of the woods line. >> walking with dinosaurs, 3-d opening up friday. >> thank you guys. >> thanks for having me. >> want to read the tease. al, thanks. up next, why the antibacterial soaps we all use might not be as good for us as they thought. plus surprising news about music lessons for preschoolers when we go for [ mom ] because we have people over so often, we've learned how to stretch our party budget. ♪ the only downer? my bargain brand towel made a mess of things. so goodbye so-called bargain brands, hello bounty basic. the affordably priced towel that's an actual bargain. watch how one select-a-size sheet of bounty basic is 50% stronger than a full sheet of the bargain brand. it takes a strong towel to stretch a budget. bounty basic. the strong but affordable picker upper. and try charmin basic.

and you appreciate the things i do. tell me you love me. even if you say it every day. just tell me. [ female announcer ] everyone you love has something they need to hear this holiday. tell them with a hallmark card. [ [ bell rings ]er ] everyone you love has something the[ man ] take five!s holiday. you really seem to be dragging your a-- [ donkey brays, snorts ] mid morning slump. that's why i started drinking this new lipton natural energy tea. it naturally has more caffeine and theanine. mmmm... i feel better already. [ female announcer ] new lipton natural energy tea. bill: boy, oh, boy.s penguin! ja: yay! now what do you think he's got in that gift box, bill? bill: hopefully a present for my wife! jane: oh, no... bill: yea... catch the great ritz holiday parade across the web, for deals, recipes, and festive fun. it all starts at ritzparade.com.

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this holiday we're and putting down phones. we're raising our glasses and lifting our spirits. here, the hottest gift is a fresh baked breadstick. heartwarming new recipes are coming right out of the oven and we're touring the classics of italy without leaving the table. at olive garden, the best holiday gift is being together. so join us! cause we're all family here. get together for unlimited soup, salad & breadsticks lunch just $6.99. if you're a fan of diet soda you'll be happy about the news we got about a popular

artificial sweetener. >> plus surprising news about the antibacterial soap. >> she is an assistant professor of medicine and adam is the director of gynecology at norwalk hospital in connecticut. good to have you. >> good morning. >> the first one, the multivitamin study that had people going what do we do now. >> i know. >> this was a very strongly worded study by doctors and experts that say the vitamins not only do they not do good but they may not be good for you. is that right? >> there were two studies that didn't show a benefit for memory and heart disease in people that already had heart attacks. but then an editorial came out that said for all people that take multivitamins they're useless. don't waste your money or time. that's a little overstretch. studies on multivitamins have been mixed for certain

conditions like caderacks. but for a regular individual, do you need them? probably not. getting your vitamins from food are much better. >> does that extend to kids or elderly folks? >> it does. elderly population shows it may be helpful. it's difficult to create a perfect study. i can't put you on the exact same supplement and life style and diet. there's no way to control those things. for certain people they need it. women need folic acid before pregnancy and that's important. they were looking at 36,000 women in menopause and calcium and vitamin d is good for those that need bone fractures. >> for everybody that's walking around and healthy and getting a great diet with no disease and who is not necessarily menopausal it's better to get a multivitamin.

>> another one that caught everybody's attention was about antibacterial soaps. the fda saying they don't work. >> not only do they not work but they may not be safe. the fda is proposing a new ruling that will show that they're more effective than soap and water and safe. one may potentially be harmful. they're not saying it is but some animal studies have shown it may increase hormone levels. so they want to see is it safe or effective. good old fashioned soap and water, scrubbing hard is the best way to present infection from bacteria. sometimes the market is disleading and makes you think they do. >> the solution to pollution is delution. you need at least 30 seconds under water rubbing your hands. try to think about keeping your

kids under water for 30 seconds. but that's what you need to do. there's zero evidence to say that the antibacterial product actually helps. the chemicals work and kill bacteria. if they soak with bacteria to two to three hours. >> so folks that drink diet sodas, there's good news. >> yes. >> some news. >> yeah. so according to the european union, it's considered safe in taken in their recommended amount. if you drink less than 16 cans a day, if you're an average sized adult. >> if you drink more you have other problems. >> wow. >> i have to say, 16 sounds like a lot but it's not like they said you have to drink 100, 16 if you're thinking about people with a big gulp who might be at a football game, you can get to that level pretty quickly if you think about i. i wouldn't say it's totally safe drink as much as you want but for most consumers it's relatively safe.

>> within moderation. >> there have been other studies on diet sodas, increase in weight gain, metabolic syndrome. but this particular ingredient looks like it's okay. >> good information. thanyou. >> coming up next, i've got all the news you need before you head out the door this morning. >> guess what today is, free shipping day. we have the best last minute days and all the deadlines you did you get chips for the party? nope. [ ding ] cheese plate?

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taking a look at the headlines, this is the day congress could actually send the president a budget for the next two years. the senate is expected to take a full vote today. it would mean no more kicking the can down the road every few months and no more government shutdowns. it would restore half the automatic budget cuts for the pentagon and domestic agencies. >> bad news for home buyers, mortgage rates are going up in the new year. it's the result of policy changes meant to reduce the role that fannie mae and freddie mac make in the market. >> when you're looking for a good nutritional male you don't turn to the airlines to satisfy that need but aa new study by diet detective tells us which airlines are doing a better job than others and he says virgin america and air canada are at the top of the list. on virgin, for example, the average meal or snack box has 360 calories.

as for the not so good, he says frontier, southwest serve the worst food. >> if you are looking to pick up beyonce's hot new album, you're not going to find it at target. the self-title album set a record after it was released exclusively on itunes friday and wracked up more than 600,000 sales just in it's first three days. now billboard reports target won't carry the physical cd because the early digital release hurt demand for the hard copy. >> and take a look at these. some adorable penguins bringing holiday cheer to visitors at an amusement park in south korea today. nine penguins paraded through the park dressed as santa claus, reindeer and christmas trees. a penguin trainer lead the parade. it will welcome visitors at the park until the end of the year. that is about the cutest thing. back over to willie and al. >> what does the fox say. >> what does the penguin say.

>> natalie, thanks. coming up, how to make sure your kids aren't spoiled rotten these holidays. >> and a pie ♪ [ male announcer ] this holiday, don't get stuck at the corner of "oh! you got me something" and "oh...this is awkward." remember, walgreens has a great assortment of little somethings, and we're always nearby, so it's easy to get in and out. see you on your lunch break. swing by walgreens for lindt lindor truffles, hallmark cards, and more. plus most stores are open 'til midnight. here at the corner of happy and healthy. [ bell rings ] [ man ] take five! plusyou really seem are to be dragging your a-- [ donkey brays, snorts ] mid morning slump. that's why i started drinking this new lipton natural energy tea. it naturally has more caffeine and theanine. mmmm... i feel better already. [ female announcer ] new lipton natural energy tea. not financially. so we switched to the bargain detergent but i found myself using three times more than they say to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide.

so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. that's my tide. what's yours? good morning. it's 9:26. i'm terry mcsweeney. this morning at least two people are waking up much, much richer after winning the mega millions. right now we have no idea who they are. check your ticket. the winning numbers are 8, 14, 17, 20, 39, 7. one winning ticket so, we'll have -- the other winning ticket sold right here in the bay area at jenny's gift shop in east san jose. the local winner has not come forward, but the store owner is thrilled. >> i feel good. feel good. come to my store. i feel good. i don't know if i can sleep tonight. i'm really not thinking about that in my heart.

i want to sell two more. makes people happy. >> the store owner wins $1 million just for selling the winning ticket. it's based on the $363 million jackpot. each would get $318 million over a pearled of 30 years or $170 million in cash. we'll have a look at weather and traffic after the break.

>> temperatures are climbing nicery. actually in the 50s in santa rosa. later on today we'll climb into the mid 60s for most bay area cities. low 60s in san francisco, though. you can notice very clearly from all these live cameras, it is not as hazy out there for today. our air quality is going to continue to improve as we head throughout the next couple of days. a cold front will come through tonight. it's going to kick up some wind. it will also purify our air quality and we're holding on to good to moderate levels through saturday. cleats check your drive. >> speaking of air quality, here's mike. >> all these folks are at least driving a little slower northbound 880 coming through

the haze there which they are partially contributing to. we're looking at north 880 towards the coliseum. a slow drive continues here after earlier crashes. a bunch of them. most of them around 23rd and fifth up in downtown oakland. all crashes have cleared. look at 580 westbound. still throw through the area. rest of the area looking light. we do have a crash 238. the direction to the castro valley y, and that crash has cleared. quickly recovered there. also heading over to the san mateo bridge, an easy drive. some folks are heading there to avoid a crash. back to you. >> thanks very much. we'll have more local news for you in 30 minutes. [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world of happier holidays. time to enchant, delight and amaze. safeway will help you gather everyone 'round. a smoked, shank half ham is only 99 cents a pound. starbucks is just $6.99, that's a cup of good cheer. get sweet clementines for $4.99, enough for everyone here. turns out this season less is really so much more.

so make your holiday merrier than ever before. safeway. ingredients for life. welcome back to today. it's wednesday morning, december 8th, 2015. i'm willie with al and natalie. >> we're showing the monitors. >> we're going to turn these on. >> that will be good. >> part of the program here. >> live tv. when you can't see yourself it's hard to do your job. >> yeah. so, you know, we asked our viewers to send in their ugliest holiday sweaters and boy did they respond. >> fantastic. >> great job out there. the hardest part was to get it down to five. oh my goodness. >> she made this all herself. does that surprise you. >> no, she didn't make it. >> she purchased the sweater but then i guess the contest at work but she added to it. >> oh my goodness. >> you can't buy that.

>> she did it for a coworker who has cancer at work. this was a charitable effort and what an effort it was. wow. she is going to be tough to beat. let's look at the next one. alexis cole. >> she's all in. >> oh, boy she is. >> looks like she added the accessories. the hat and earrings that go along with it. this is a sweater made for her christmas party. she posted the pictures on facebook. other people asked her to make sweaters for them as well. >> those are cool. >> all right. the next one, beth from tucson, arizona. >> savannah's hometown. >> yes. >> she bought the sweater at the thrift store and other supplies at a craft store. >> that's going to die in here now. >> yeah, steven rogers. he tells us he and his wife chris sported these to an ugly sweater contest. they won. that has electronics in it. >> it has lights and stuff. >> i like that.

you have dylan martin. he is a graphic designer that created his ugly sweater for a work contest. >> how hot and uncomfortable would that be. >> he calls himself the new age griswald. here's the five choices. go to today.com to cast your vote. the winner will appear on our show friday morning and come to new york to be with us and model the ugly sweater live in our studio. >> can't wait for that. >> first another check of the weather from mr. roker. >> let's head out west and show you what's happening. as we look at san diego, cloudy skies and gloom out there. 54 degrees and partly cloudy as we get into the afternoon. look for more sunshine along the mid-atlantic states. fog and rain in the pacific northwest. look for lake effect snow hanging around the gre 9:32. happy wednesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. just seven days away from

christmas at this point. attorney generals temperatures will be comfortable if you have shopping. you probably want to do it early, though. it's going to be breezy later on today. right now we're at 49 degrees in san jose. by lunchtime, 57. between about 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. tonight is when we're really expecting the winds to increase. do keep that in mind. otherwise, a pretty good-looking day coming our way. temperatures are going to climb out of the 60s into the mid 60s today. the east bay, san francisco, 62 degrees for you. >> that's your latest weather. >> we're down to the wire. christmas just a week away and 32 million americans haven't started shopping yet. >> boy. >> if you want to get your gifts shipped on time and want to know where the last minute deals are, we have the answers thanks to our today financial editor. good to see you. >> nice to see you guys. >> we're here to help people out. >> today is free shipping day. >> free shipping day which means 900 stores are shipping for free with no minimums. go to free shipping day.com and

you can see the entire list but we pulled some of the top deals. e e eddie bauer. the body shop 50% off everything. pet smart, up to 30% off depending on how much you spend. go to the website though to get the code. >> what is the date for free shipping with no minimum purchase? >> that's a little trickier because some stores will continue to do it. we pulled together a list and it's stores you like to shop at like saks and j. crew which is tomorrow. the last possible one is zappos which says it will get your stuff there if you shop december 23rd. >> wow. >> that's pushing it. >> yeah. pushing it and with no cost, right. >> when we talk about our budget, for folks that haven't finished shopping, they might start panicking and now they may overspend if they haven't already. >> a couple of tips here, people have about an average $300 in gift cards lying around their house. go find them and use those to buy your gifts.

you won't bust your budget. if you're sitting on a ton of frequent flyer miles, you can use them to buy stuff. it's not the most economical use of the miles. you'll get the best bang for your buck by buying an airline ticket. you can get gift certificates to saks and the gap. you can use your delta points to buy bracelets. so there's a lot out there. >> for those that can hold out until maybe after christmas, there's a lot of after christmas sales, right? >> if you wait until the day after the holiday, that's when you want to buy aparallel and everything will go on major sell. the last day of the year is actually the best day of the year to buy a car because car dealers have to meet quotas. if you can wait until january you'll get better deals on fitness equipment and furniture because the new stuff starts to come in and if you need to buy a mattress, just wait until may. >> and then the electronics always good around february.

>> around february because of the super bowl. so everybody wants their big screen tvs. that's when you get the best price of the year. >> we had bad weather the last couple of weekends. is that putting pressure on retailers to cut prices even more. >> no question. no question. we are seeing entire stores, like eddie bauer and the body shop mark things down 30, 40, 50%. >> they want to get rid of that inventory. >> they do. >> coming up, having your pie and eating it two. we have the top prize in our too good to be hea smoke?

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today's holiday kitchen is brought to you by hershey's kisses chocolates. delightfully delicious one of a kind kisses. >> we're back with another edition of too good to be healthy. we asked you to send in your healthiest holiday pie recipes. we now narrowed it down to three finalists to compete for the grand prize. >> they're the best in the land. they are here to lead us through the tasting along with nutritionist joy bauer. good morning everyone. >> quite the competition. >> it's a smack down. >> pie this time of the year is a must have but a regular slice clocks in at 500 calories. that's before you include the whipped cream or ice cream. but i'm telling you this because you're going to be amazed at this small amount of calories in

these competitive gal's pies and the huge taste. >> huge. >> let's start with megan's pumpkin buy. >> pumpkin pie. >> her secret weapon is dates. she purees dates which are tweet and sticky. in the trust with pecans and oats and a little bit of cinnamon. everything comes together. this is one slice. we spit it for you to try and you to try. >> that's a pretty good helping. >> yeah, one slice is only, remember, an original slice of pie is about 500. this is 215 calories. >> megan, how did you come up with this? >> well, i have a food blog i created for my family and friends to show them that eating healthy can be delicious and

easy. my family loves it during the holidays so i wanted to make a pie healthy to eat. >> and a dessert that delivers seven grams of fiber. >> okay, lauren. now tell us about this. >> so these are mini apple cranberry pies and i love the automatic portion control because you cannot cut yourself a huge slice of pie. start to finish, one of these delicious babies are only 170 calories. >> wow. >> what you can't see is there is a crust here and she works in crushed cinnamon graham cracker with chopped pecans. and the filling is just a mix of sweet apples and tart cranberries. >> yummy. >> and the topping is the best. >> how did you come up with this. >> i'm a registered dietitian and i like to cook healthy for my family and my for friends and i thought this would be a fun way to eat something healthy.

it's portion control. and delicious. so the sweet and the tart together makes it really great. >> that's really good. >> all three of these ladies are fellow health nuts. registered dietitian. register dietitian, health nut. >> last but not least, sandy. >> this is her pear pie. look at this. this looks like a pie you would buy at an expensive bakery. >> this is art work. >> what she uses for the crust is whole wheat pastry flour. some people try regular whole wheat for crust and it's too coarse. this works beautifully. because she is using sweet pears, she can really minimize the sugar. there's hardly any sugar in there. gorgeous. one gigantic slice. it's two of these together. only 200 calories. >> come on. >> why did you choose pears? >> pears are seasonal. this is the time of year for pears. they're sweet on their owns so

when you cut back the sugar you want to have the sweetness of the pears. >> she is famous for this pie. her family and friends are waiting for it. >> they also look at the pie first. >> what's the prize here, joy? because we have to decide a winner. >> jerry has a lovely basket. >> it's a basket of goodies with all things for baking and i signed a cook book and also they literally -- >> joy, we have to talk here. >> and all three recipes are going to be featured on our site. >> i'm a little tense. >> here we go. >> a long deliberation. we decide that while all three of these are delicious in their own special way. >> yes. >> we're going right here with lauren. >> lauren. >> congratulations. here you go. congratulations. >> merry christmas to you all. that was a tough one. >> great job. happy holidays. >> you too. >> they'll all be on the

website. >> joy, thank you too. coming up next, how to teach your kids to focus on the giving instead of the getting during the holidays right after this. ♪ [ female announcer ] resisting the magical taste of silky smooth dove® chocolate

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just tell me. [ female announcer ] everyone you love has something they need to hear this holiday. tell them with a hallmark card. >> it's that time of year when many kids are spoiled with gifts but if your chish are more thankless than thankful, you need to nip that in the bud. >> she is the author of if i

have to tell you one more time and the author of social sklz for success. >> good morning. >> this all hits home to us. our kids are comparing presents and asking for things all the time. what's the first tip that's going to help brat proof our kids. >> give santa a backseat and put the focus on giving. in the week ahead you have plenty of time for your kids to clean out their toy chest and put together a donation for charity but talk about who might get that gift. it's going to go to another boy or girl just about your age. >> maybe have them come with you as you're making the donation. >> exactly. >> goodwill is accepting gently used toys. >> some won't accept used toys for safety reasons. is there a way around that? >> goodwill.org is one. baby buggy.org, check online for locations near you. also women shelters and

consignment shops will take it. >> but i love what she is bringing up and this lesson in empathy. that's one of the most valuable lessons we can teach our children during the holidays. it's that social and emotional skill and pretty pulling yourself in someone else's shoes. on that note, it's very important to help your child put themselves in santa's shoes and really doing the gift giving from start to finish. so easy for us as parents to go out and do the buying and the wrapping and the cards and all of that stuff. but maybe the gifts aren't going to look that beautiful but let them really experience the art and the joy of giving. >> even crafting their own gifts to give to the people they love, right? >> of course and making sure that some of your gifts are crafted as well. it's not just about the material objects. >> there's another one you both point to which i love which is modeling behavior. so many times they put so much into a gift or it's this big buy and they put so much work into

it. how do you work with your kid on that? >> well, the key there is practice ahead of time. you can't expect kids to be grateful in the moment if they haven't practice add head of time. roll play with them key phrases they can use and practice over and over. when you get to grandma's house they'll show appreciation for the gift. >> also the thanks isn't just for the objects. i have work shops in new york city and they're so focused on thank you for the nintendo ds or this or that but when you're talking about experiences or when people aren't expecting a thank you necessarily. so thanks for bringing our family together during the holidays. >> and you both say that sometimes no is something that you have to tell your kids, even during this magical time of the holidays. you're doing them a favor, amy, right. >> yes. you want to reign in the wish list. we're not going to get 15 or 20 gifts. narrow it down to three things and it's okay to say no during

the holidays and throughout the years. that disappointment fosters resr resilience. >> kids that are grateful have more fruitful lives. that's why i devote a chapter in my book how on to teach this valuable skill in life. >> we have talking to do at home. thank you so much. >> thanks ladies. >> if you have more questions at about brat proofing your kids, head to today show.com. >> brat proofing. >> a new term. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

we are so grateful to everyone who made a valuable contribution to our 20th annual holiday toy drive. >> one of our long time partner

companies is hasboro. she is here with diary of a wimpy kid actor. good morning. >> good morning. >> what are you donating this year. >> $400,000 worth of toys and games including one of our hottest toys, furby who came dressed in his holiday sweater. >> and you have generation on. >> generation on throughout the year encourages kids to make their mark on the world by volunteering and helping out in their community and spreading the joy. >> do you do that? do you get out there and help out? >> yeah and kid dos that all the time and they're partnering up to spread the joy by acknowledging the kids doing service and donating an extra toy to your toy drive. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. still time to donate. until this friday. check out today.com for details. >> kathie

>> good morning. 9:56. i'm terry mcsweeney. two men used their van to steal an atm before leading officers on a chase. it happened in the pacific heights nabtd of san francisco at jackson and fill more. officers say the men used a

chain to pull the atm out of the ground. after a short chase, police found their van with the atm inside, but police have not found the robber yet. fire officials say they hope to contain the wildfire in big sur by the end of the week. it's in the los paid rays national forest. it has burned close to 800 acres and nearly two dozen homes. it is only 20% contained. let's check the forecast for those firefighters. here's christina. >> we've got fierce wind shaping up for tomorrow night into tomorrow. that will likely hamper the situation. it's only going to be about for a 24-hour period. right now we are in the 50s. as we head throughout the day today, you'll notice some changes out there. this looks like smog. it's actually fog returning to the bay area. you can see it moving here with the in any cased eye this morning. that's a good sign for us. on shore flow has resumed. that means better air quality as of now. by tomorrow we're going to be in the good range as those winds really sxraink a cold front comes through. that will mean temperatures that aren't quite as mild as they have been, but, you know what,

not much cooler for tomorrow. 56 degrees today in the east bay. tomorrow right around 63. let's check your drive. here's mike. >> well, we've had a lighter volume of traffic all week, but we've had a tough drive all morning through oak labor day. just one patch of 880 still slow as you travel north past the coliseum, past high street. look at the map here. the sun continues to break through that haze. we have traffic starting to break up into the hire 50s now in through downtown. 580 clear now as you head up to the bay bridge toll plaza. metering lights have been turned on, but not a major problem. typical backup for a short time. northbound looking really good. north 880 slow up to 101. late slowing as well. terry, not a big daily. back to you. >> all right, mike. another local news update for you in half hour.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. from rockefeller plaza. >> that's what the group called the broadway kids. the kids that work on broadway. years ago i added that. i thought it would be fun to hear. >> it is. >> do you know what musical that's from? >> no. "elf?" >> no. jerry herman.

all right. it is wine's day wednesday. it is national free shipping day for 390 retail outlets. how do you know if it is one of them? >> you have to call or check online or something. >> guess so. we love him. justin long. he's unpredictable. he comes to play and it is hard to get him to leave. >> he showed me a horrifying picture. i hope we have it on the air. >> okay. last-minute gifts for all of guys in your life. you are supposed to have one guy? last night, big night. >> "the voice." >> before we reveal the winner, we have in a hermedically sealed case and we sat on it all night long. >> here is yours and here's mine. >> we said tessanne.

>> we were right. >> 28-year-old. wow. let's hear from her. >> the winner of "the voice" is -- tessanne chin! congratulations from team adam. winner of "the voice." a big hand for tessanne chin and all three of our finalists tonight. >> there's something so authentic about her. she is one of these people who -- oh, her mom. >> will we show when she sang with her idol. >> she loved celine dion so much. she revealed she would sing with

celine dion. >> you don't understand. she is the one person i love in my life. ♪ ♪ we can do it >> she's got it. >> she sure does. i bet she is having such a surreal moment. i am -- what cares if i win. i'm singing with celine dion. >> she's coming on the show tomorrow. >> she is. i hear. >> she will have a huge career. >> she always is surprised by everything. she yelled out mommy when she won. >> frank does that sometimes.

>> that's so sweet. you know what? you liked that, didn't you, al roker. don't you have a bike to get on or some place to go? >> he's got nothing. >> hoda and i -- >> come over here. you don't have a mic on. >> what did you and hoda do yesterday? >> we talked about the rose parade. >> you are promoting it. >> you said to say tessanne. >> i predicted it there too. >> what does al roker do after he has done seven hours straight of television in the morning? >> i go over and practice the dark arts over at 30 rock. >> that explains a lot. working. >> exactly. >> we love you, al. bye. >> you are working on the parade. >> okay. >> love you. >> so jennifer -- >> say hi to justin long for me.

>> we will. jennifer lawrence make things that make us love her more. she sat down with barbara walters. she said there is something that upsets her about hollywood. since they don't allow swear words on tv and cigarettines ar regulatie regulated, she thinks it should be illegal to call people fat on tv. >> if we are regulating cigarettes and cuss words because it has an impact on young people, why not have that impact. she is young. >> sometimes she actually called out the fashion police on tv. you look at somebody and you say, oh, my god, she looked terrible. >> here is the thing about human nature. you cannot legislate morality.

people will make up a new word. it's the dark side, al! of human nature. if he stops doing the dark arts, it would stop. >> most 13-year-old girls have a fear of being overweight. they are skipping meals. some are drinking diet drinks. >> it goes younger than that. >> part of it is parents don't realize if you look fat in this. should i eat a salad instead of this. >> cassidy is a health freak and diet -- a fitness freak. it is negative. i think it is too late for me, but not too late. you know who it is not too late for? little north west. she's precious. >> this is the most beautiful picture. people had to figure out something that was not perfect about it. there are people out there, news outlets we will not name. they believe her eyebrows were

somehow waxed. that is a ridiculous statement. anyway -- >> kim went on twitter and say do people think i would wax my daughter's eyebrows so young? i would at least wait until she was 2 1/2. then she wrote back, i'm kidding. they are thick, natural and amazing. leave babies alone. they are perfect the way they are. >> the paparazzi should leave them alone. >> there's a new law. >> kim and her baby and kourtney and her baby were walking down the street in l.a. watch. >> move, guys! >> hey, get out of the way! >> you start to hear penolpe

crying. >> here's the thing, the thing about that, she cursed and they were all on her and the baby is crying. >> are you all right? have you ever done this? you think of something and it is inappropriate and you cannot stop laughing? >> no, i've never done that. i'm fascinated you are doing it right now. what exactly is it, hoda, can you describe it more? hoda, you have to. >> no, i'm busted. let's play a game. >> the law. can we go back to that? they just passed it. remember, we saw everybody testifying. we saw i think jennifer gardner and -- thank you. halle berry. >> there is a deal. >> the paparazzi who take video

and pictures of a child without parental consent. in a harassing manner. that is what they were doing. it can cost up to a year in jail. that doubled now. hoda! a potential fine up to $10,000. hoda thinks that's funny. >> no, i don't. it is like a funeral. you are doing it and you hate it. you have no idea. >> you know what was funny? the older woman that was falling down the escalator. even funnier. do you realize it is the holiday season out there, hoda? >> let's more on. brad pitt's 50th birthday. we want to wish him a happy 50th. >> we are about to cross guys off your list. from your grandfather to your son, we have everybody covered. i'm dying to know what this is. i'll tell you after she tells me.

actor justin long is here to unwrap it for us. we love him! that's lovely. [ male annncer ] this is jim, a man who doesn statill. but jim has af, atrial fibrillion -- an iegular h, not caused by a heart valve problem. that putjim at a greaterisk of soke. for years, jim'medici tied him to a monthly trip te clinto ge. but now, witonce-a-day xarelto®, jim's the me. jim's doctor recommended xarelto® like warfarin, arelto® is pr effective to rucafibelated stroke risk. but xarto® is e firs only onca-day prescripti bod thinner for patien with afib not caused by a heart valve probl. that doesn't requir routine ood monitori so m's not ed to that monitoringoutine. [ gps preed the designated route. notoday. [ale anuncer ] for patients currently llanedn warfarin, the is limited information on how xarelto® and e

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no knn dietary restrictions. call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. no knn dietary restrictions. of rich and creamy peecchocolate happiness. whenhehocolate is hershey's, fe is delicious. with windowsro is one awesome macne cai do my work stuff on it? work and play. it's got the new winds and powerful intel processor so y can do it all likeixing easure and business. that sounds so rebellious. yeah, like mixing fire and ice likeolka dots and plaid. hehey, careful. i could pull it off. own the season.

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"walking with dinosaurs." >> is the only family movie. >> it'the ly fy movie thisstmas? >> i think so. soou'rout of lu >> it's lik jurassic pk means lion king in patchi. >> hi,'m patchi. >> is that a he in your head? >> uh, no. yeah, tecally. >> iikit. rely, i'veever see anying likehat before. >> really? >> there's my mom. i'm sorry. i have to go. >> we just met. >> i'm not supposedo talko guys outde my herd. sorry. bye. >> don't go. >> seek me out later, okay? >>yeah! she likes me. >> and- >> i hav to tellou somethi about that clip. rst of all, theovie -- >> you're thrled with it it's so fun.

i gw up loving dinosaurs. ias obsess. it is so life-like an fun if you have kids that like dinosas that. particularscene, just cut off bere this line >> say itor us w. >> i say she likes me and i have a little he in my frill from an accident i was in,y character does. an i say,heikes me and she kes my ho. notkidding. i mus have done 80 take becae i cn't get through it without laughing and then they wantede to say it more exte say it a little - so you y home sayg that line. good acting exercise shikes me a she lik my hole. >> is in the moe. >> it'sthere. ma the cut. >> it's cool becauset's animat. it does look real li. >> you can see individual hrs on the hea of the teptyractyls. you say yoused to like them

and becauseou have aged quite t,t,illed a lot of brain cells doin the w stu that u like to do, you hav 10% of yourknowledge. >> i've become muc stupider i have evolved intetually. ilmost said speakingof. and ttould havbeen me. obseed wit rtiles and phib and i ledharles darwin, origi o scies that read as a who hasn't? now i couldn'tell yo they asked me myavorite dinosaurs and i lik the big ones clint eawo >>lint eastwood. >> yes. yeah. >> that's terrible! that terrible! >> you a one point co-hted with kathie lee. >> we did. >>hy d they all leav >> because it's over. >> there all over there. they just move around? >> they just heard that al roker has le the building so they lost interest. >> up unl then they thought i

waalker. >> , i don't thi so. >> identical. >> hereou doing a khie lee imon >> kristinigoingme. >> krist wigg >> go ahead. >> i can't. i can't doit. she'so good. >> we knew exactly what you met. so life i good f justin long. >> isn'tit? >> is it a question? >> ye tell us how goo it is. >> this is very suggesve it's nice. 's good. i feel like my hair has gwn a little bit. how long ago was that clip? >> tnk it was in 20. >> halfway throughpuberty. and there was -- >> oh, yeah, fie joke

>>ha nobody apeciated. >> classic kath. >> me? , make the jokes. rit. >>ife goo we see you with a autiful young la and you'r happy. we don want us to it tell you anythingou don't. >> d't veal >> don't tell us. >> we don't wt to -- >> there are certaineople tha hoda and absolutely ade, and just pull fnd long for just theappiness that ty derve and you're one of them. >> oh, w! thyou, guys. >> there's about 100, but you're one of them. me and -- ye, thank you. >>e mean it. >> tngs are very nice. >> have a great holiday. >> and the miepe naonwide, hoda. >> on iday. >> i'mot leaving, by the way. i'm sticking around. >> yes. >> by the way, i you lik ng justin and some other guys in your life gifts? i thought you were going to guys in your life gifts? i[ hosmer ] i kinda knetheir actionou ba little like,

you know, "what are you thinking?" oh, i h a knot in my che. i didn'teally wantero gobut... i felt kehere were bigger and better things for me to d [ hmer ] my self-coidence just wehrough the roof. [ dad ] iwas awesese to see her transform fa girl, in a s town, to a soldier. [ male announcer ] you made them strong. we'll make them army stng. talk to youron or daughter about joining the army. find out h goarmy.com/rents. wi all the chainy t with her. mistyped texts we've shared... she'wortup to 300 s in-sre credit. well then it's splitsville for us, baby. own the season. ade in yr old smartphone for up to 00 iste credit. waart.

jt unroll, fill... top, bake... and... wow. this is your best ever. thank you. [ female announcer ] pillsbury p crust. make the holidays pop. [ female announcer ] pillsbury p crust. a c bargain bleach.ives you twice as many los that's twicas many white shirts! that's twices ma white sock and twice as many white ov! clorox. one cup. twicas many loads. that's twices ma white sock

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because 's sti looking for the perfect presenfothe guys in his life. whtt to fige that out than another guy. >>ho is with us? >> tyler sonson, lovely scandian llow. he h everythinfoyour nephew, grandfather and great-grandfather, all of the above. >> allright. what hav got? >> we have a lot to get through. i'm going to talk quickly. arent doesn't le a retro style play tent? vw camper play set. >> look at that. gre for the bchn the summ, greatentn the beach. 64bucks. >> does it have window >> it has a zip-ou -- >> i know. >> velcro. >> olerow are you ing? >> oliver! >>s is a sensatn, the

hoodie backpack. 's a thi among kids, as everyone knows. thishoodie back nike has done it. >> nike? >> oliver isn'toi to wear a hat, no matr what his mom says, right? >> ah. >>hy aren'you in school? >> because i just like this back. it's reallycool. >> ay. coco. >> further to thbrother,he guy serious aut bee should be serious about the glasswe he drinks it out of. thest barware out there. this set of four is $40. it comes with a glassor every type o beer. w there's notng worse than coming home, wanng a cold one and finding all you have is a warm one, which is why w love thes guys, chillsners. you putt in - >> sebody answer the phon >> youut it i the --

>> we're so sorry. >> it's unrelated to this. there no sound effith the chillsr. and then wha i love about this guy on your iphone, everyone is using eir iphone. the le isn't that grea perfect for groupsh >> ye!selfie >> ome. for tdiy guy, who doesn love make yr own meats? delicious. honey sed. >>hat isotwi. >> it is honeysed. number ten on sentials, large stron skillet. gets bter wiage. chemicals. >>ow much is that? >> 25 bucks for this size. >> oh, ok! >> more of grandfatr, fatr thing. it's a great thing to breathe

new li into that oldecord coection. >> exactly. >> b t t. >> a lastly -- >> b t t. >> a lastly -- >> we have no ♪ >> b t t. >> a lastly -- >> we i'm gonna do this... no. nono i'm gonna beat you this me. ♪ yes... (laughing) yes!! ♪ [ female annonocer ] holid cookire a big job. everything haso be jus righ ection is in the details. ♪ pillsbury ckie dough. make the holidpo pillsbury ckie dough. ♪

♪ pillsbury ckie dough. the new trésor lancme jingleells might be getting rattledbut your nves a you know walmart's still got the ox one. pa-pow! mo you own is season. get thseason's hotte gifts kehe xbo1. at walrt. good morning. 10:26. this morning at least two people are waking up much, much richer after winning the mega millions. right now we have no idea who they are. check your ticket, the winning numbers are 8, 14, 17, 20, 39,

and the mega ball is 7. the other winning ticket sold here in the bay area at a gift shop in east san jose. the store owner wins $1 million just for selling the winning ticket. as for the winners? based on the $636 million jackpot, each would get $318 million over a period of 30 years, or $170 million in cash before taxes. we'll have a look at weather and traffic after this. pine brothers softish throat drops are the best throat drops in america for minor sore throat irritation, then you can believe it. nothing on the market soothes your throat as effectively and deliciously as pine brothers. in fact, they're more than just a throat drop. they're an experience. please give pine brothers softish throat drops a try and find out why i'm such a fan of this wonderful product. thanks. female announcer: since 1870.

>> good wednesday morning to you. welcome back. temperatures are going to be comfortable but cooler as we wrap up the day with the 60s. 66 degrees in the east bay. san francisco, looking towards the high of about 62 degrees. it's going to be pretty out there. you're actually going to be able to see the mountains off in the distance. our air quality has improved a touch. still a spare the air day, but likely by tomorrow we'll get out of that pattern. not as hazy for today. five to ten degrees of cooling. by thursday fierce wind really kicks in, and then friday we're looking at good air quality, cool and clear conditions. remember your seven-day forecast at the bottom of your screen. let's check your drive. here's mike. >> right here to my left. your right. we're looking at the bay bridge toll plaza with a tiny backup. very mild here. we did have the metering lights turned on about 7:00. likely because of all the backup that was in oakland after an earlier crash. that was let loose from the bay bridge. we have finally recovered. let's look at the maps and move the drive from oak labor day in towards the bay bridge and across into san francisco. southbound 101 does see slowing still southbound out of burlgame. through san mateo, that's where things hit the brakes. not a big deal.

usually a tough spot. back to you. >> mike, thanks a lot. we'll have more local news coming up in a half hour at 11:00. hope to see you then. ♪ rain dro on r >> we're back on this wines day weesy. playing a game cald"who knew?" it is exactly one week until christmas, we thoug we would test your knowled of holiday aditns. kathie lee, of course, is r acss the street at the nbc experience store, ready to hand out $100hohose who get the questions right. to tse who d't, they get an early christmas gift, kate e's christm cd. >> myhrtm cd. >> a sior editort better homes and gardens. are you read >>et's do it. >> all rig, kath. over to you. >> lovely lady visitg from houston. how many candy canere sol duringhe holiday season? 64 million, 900 million, 1.76 billion or 381 ion?

wow! >> b. >> 900 million? on buzzer ] t's ay home and it's such a lovy journey. t correctnswer here, 1.76 billn? that's a lo >> hello. >> when they began, did you know, they were straight white sur stick that is people hung their trs. later they g handed out during and later ty got their red stripes and ppermint flavor d now w make a lot of them. >> say that agai what did you say? >> yourg. >>hank you. you'reery sweet. you're fromake nd, rit, in orida? what american holiday was e popularhristmas song "jgle bells" auallyrien for in 1857? valentine's day, thanksging, christmas or new year's day? >> ristma c. [ buzzer >> youon't happenoave children, do you? youook tooyoung. >> yes. >> terrific. >> the cor answer here, thanksgiving.

>> yes. that's a triy one. >> yes. >> it was written by an o organist. he called it the one horse open sleigh. first song broadca frompace in 1965. >>ou'r kidding. >> isn't that cool? >>ic little bit of tria. >> i asked her where she's from. she saidhebron ay t how many lights illuminate thisyear's rockefeer christmatree? 10,000, 25,000, 30,000 or 45,000? >> the corct answer is 30,000. [ buzzer ] >>, buthe thought it was ght, boy. >> it ys o the sign. >> reay? yes. >> that's called confiden. the correctwer 45,000 led lights. >> by the numbers thiss year, 5,000 miles of strin lights, thyear, be 76-feet tall and homany gallons of water? >> that was de. 90 not what said on the

prograbefore. >> you had message. >> go tors >> in famous poem "ait fr st. nicholas" also kwn as "twas the night before christmas" how does st. nk manage to ssigne the chimney? sprinkles magic st, spins, or puts his finger on his nose and ds. >> d. >> who did that? who did thed? oh! nta saw you do that. >> think there's somebodyk there, googling. th awer i d, ps his fingers to h nose and nods. indeed. spoke not a word. went straight his rk. filled ought stockings and tur with a rk, laying his finr to the s sef his nos and vi a nod up thehimney he rose. >> you're from dallas. whh coany was the fst to use santa claus in an advertisement? ford, mtgomery ward, coccola or macy's? >> d, macy's.

[ buzzer ] >> she wanted thiscd for ristmas. and you got it. >> the correct answere is co cola? >>exactly. 1930,ery famous painting of department store sta claus enjoying a coke. an appeared in "the saturda evening post." >> w haveime from one more, kath. >> from battlecreek,michigan, at is e name of e dog in th dr.ss classic "how the grin stolechstmas"? butch, max,arvin or blake? >> i would say max. [ ding ] >> that'ght. >> he is correct. cu little do >> we got one. excellent. interesting fact, thi film was rrated andhe grinch's voice is none oth thanoriskarlov. >> who is that? >> ankenstein. >> didn't kn that. trivia. >>has for coming to seeus. >>hank you. merry chstmas. we learn a thing or t out holiday foo from

madelyn. d ndut if the ladies are ab to i had ongoing pain. an inten ache all over. it wasard to do what mattered. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia. thought to be the result ofveractive nerves that causehronic, widespread pain. rica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned la can significantly relieve fibromyaiaain. for some, as ely a the first week of eatment. now, ian do more with the ones i love. lyricas nofor eryo. it mausserious allergs or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell yo doctor right aw ou have these, new or worseninprsi, or unusual changes in mood or behavio or swellg, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry visn, muscle in wh r, orir feeling. common deffects are dizziness,leepess, weight gain and swelli of hands, legsnd feet. donrink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't dve or e machinery unt you know how lyrica affects you. those who havead a drug or alcoh problem may be more likely toisuse lyri. itless fibromyalgia pain, i'm feeling beer with lyrica.

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hiirls! what?! t the samsung galaxy s4 on at&t for $99 and pick up katy perry's prismy walmar we areack on ts wines day wednesday. guess wt time it is.

>> time to cut t creep. by the time thiis over,'m going to have that timed. we've been following our two brave ladies, melvinaarrison from thanksgiving week, frheing them fm pack on the pounds nce thanksving. >> madelyn. >> hell we have their igh-in who is first? >> lvina. ere it comes. you're o thescale. >> i think shelost. >> and you would be ght. melva lost. >>h, down 1.8. >> not only cuttinghe creep but she's down 1.8 from the start. >>p next is kathy. >> up or down kathy now is -- s is dn hf

apo yes, for o 3.8. almost four pounds down. >> you have to live, too, darling. >> you guys are doi gr cuing the creep, you're a downnd you're learning a lot fr this tha they can stick with. e' going to play aittle game >>are going to things up playing a littleame and what you've bee learng. holiday ods. the way this game wos, i have a question. ers choice of three different answers, a, b, or c. bu in when you tnk you know the aner buzz hard. there's a grt prize at the zble uh-, hodie. >>ueion number one, h many eamed medium shrimp can you eat for 250 calories >> 10. >> y would be wrong. >> 15. >> ! >> wh? >> >> you eat 20 shrimp? >> 10calories. >>fantastic. >> that'sawesome. i love shrimp.

>> onelass of spice eggnog 360 lories. how many glasses of champagne can you have for te calories? you gs buzzed in how many? >> three. >> you would be wrong. >> two, three or four. >>t can't be four. two? >> no it is four. eav learned nothing. >> it is 90 calies in a glass of champagne? >> five ounces. >> allright. >>n dish. lesshan 30 calorieie for a ve-ounce serving. which on is it baked ham, cente cut pre rib o salmon? >> salm. >> no. you can't revea it. >> tells you how many calories. >> it's going to be a cb uffi, but not all crab. which oneasess than 300

calories? >> c. >> you would b ong. >> all rit. give it. is. >> it's t p rib. the baked ham. baked ham is pretty lean. >> this would be explaining why i have not been able to cut the creep. >> now we're gng t talk about dessert, your specialty. carrot caow many minutes uld you need to walk- , no, no. weav more. how many minutes wou you need to walk the mall. >> c. >> to bn the caloes? >> c. >>no. >> 75 >> you're right! >> so sad. >>75 minute 350 calories in that ca. now let us finish upstrong. >>strong? we've been pitiful. >> well, keep trying. which one of these has few than 10 calories in a serving? one candy cane. >> i'm in. we know t one.

we're about to tie u. one candy cane. >> you are right. ho! >> we didt ask you that. >> we n. >> no, you wi you guys, congratulations. oh, ye you guys ju ropes. seangyutide cheer. wait until you see this special performany strait ♪ ho ho ho

[ female announce] at 100 calories, not all food choices d up. some are gian some not sgiant. when managing your weight, bigger is always better. ♪ hho ho ♪ green giant all thgoodss of milk, all the liciousness of hey's syrup. don'neutrali t bad odorand freshen.h. withlad odshield with febreze.

got the tree, open the door! ahh! there's a tter way to ve. he's notibernati! because ifou've shopped at sears, you may have valuable points d on millionof great gift ideas in stores ort sears.m. remember, pots equal dollars. so hurryn and use them now before they expire. holidaa better way sears. d i thout you weregonna ea.

>> annncer: theoyota concert seriesntoday" brought to you by toyo. wt started off as a colge acca krchlt krchl apellaroup, they've gone vira >> straight no chaser has shared the stage with tikes ofe

logrn. th are singing wondeul chrimaime off their new album called "und the influence: holiday edion >> nice. ♪he moo isig the srits up we're here tonight and that' enough♪ ♪ simy having a wonderful christmastime the party' on the fein he at only comes this te o ye ♪ ♪ simply havin' a a wonderful christmastime simp havin' a wonderful

christmaste ♪ ♪ the choir o children sing theig ♪ ♪ ooh oo ooh ♪ ♪ing dong di dong ♪ ♪ the wor is o lift your glass oh, don't look down ♪ ♪ simply having a wderful christmaste christmastime ♪ng a wonderf ♪ the party i on the feelings he at onl comes ts time of year wee he tonight and that's enough♪ ♪ chrastime ♪ simy having a wonderful ristmaime simply having a wonderful chrimastime ♪ the party's on

the spirit's up we're here tonight and tha enoug ♪ ♪ simpl having wonderful christmastime simply having a wonderful chstmaste ♪ ♪ the choir ohildren sg their songs they've pcticed allear lo long ♪ ♪ fa la la la la ♪ fa la lala ♪ the moo is right the spirit's u we're he ton , and that's enoug ♪ ♪ we're sply havinin erfulhristmastime we're simplying aonderful

christmastime ♪ ♪ simply having a wonderf chrimas♪ ♪ oh ohohoh ♪ ♪ a wderful chrisasme ♪hristmas ♪ oh oh oh ♪ christmas ♪ a wonderfulhristmas ♪ christmasme >> that' sicianship, hoda. >> thas what i w going t say. >>epter: we'll be back wh a special guest. first this is oday" onbc.

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gifts are t way to20 million

disadvantaged children all over thenited st as part of our annual toy drive thas to the wonderl doons by yound our corporate sponsor. >>microft is a company well own for theirgeneroty, offeri a valuable service to our nonpfit organizations. laa walcese to tell us about it, microsoft's new yor general manager. so great to see you. thank you for the support you ve us every ar. >> we're datg approximately $2 milon in produs and serves to chary. we focus on organization that is ve a dicated youth program thatines up with our youth inittive. they will be able to apply online and we'll wor withhem to match the organization's needto o offering. >> you mus getincredible feedback fromhese organizations. what do they say when they hear -- we do. when theitation shows up and they reaze the options they have

we me e infrastructure headadhe free. >>oundstand erything she's saying,hoda? >> most of . it's very thie. >> it sounds very generous. thk you so ch we'rso grateful. have a wondeul holiday. >> thank you. >> she's going to scotla. >> ocoursehe is. >> and amsterdam. member, our toy dri ends this friday. if you would like to date logon to klndhoda.com. gadgets that me gre gifts for under $100. >> and have you thght about buying stock f someone for

>> the store owner. where is the person that won the mega million lottery ticket. >> a cool front on the bay area. that's great news for air quality, but it's bad news for anyone planning the holiday travels. we have fierce wind on the way. we're going to give you the timeline for the changes right here in the bay area coming up. a smash and grab to the extreme. police use the thieves use their van to ram and steal an atm before leading police on a chase through san francisco. >> good morning. thanks for joining us. >> it is t