you need to go to the zoo. >> i think i need to go now. >> with he need to go right now as well. have a great weekend. >> take care. >> you looked at me shocked. good morning, backlash good morning, backlash, target reaches out to angry a potent storm system threatening the plans of travelers. >> the show may not go on, the duck dynasty family speaks out for the first time since the suspension of its star. >> rapid reflexes. the bus passenger that sticks up to a man with a gun speaks to us exclusively. what he says might surprise you. today, friday, december 20th, 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, everyone. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm carson daly along side natalie morales. al is over at the weather post. matt has the morning off. >> there is a renal reason al is at the weather post. >> you call this storm a triple threat. >> absolutely. we're looking at every kind of weather you can talk about. look at what it's doing to the traffic already. here's the 14th street bridge. nonstop traffic. i-95 in philadelphia a real mess. so let's first take a look at the 14th street bridge. traffic moving but, boy, it's going to start to back up and then we go to philadelphia from our nbc station there, channel 10, you can see overturned tractor trailer on i-95. this is going to be a mess. we're just getting warmed up here, friends. this is going to be an icy mess for a good portion of the country. here's the set up we've got.

we'll be looking at arctic air making its way in from the north around these low pressure systems. then much above normal air coming up from the south and, of course, the area that's going to be the battle zone is in between. an icy mess, snow will be setting up and wet weather to talk about. by friday afternoon, a quarter of an inch of ice from kansas city into chicago. into tonight, this is going to be a real mess, friends. by early saturday morning on into new england up to a quarter of an inch of ice. look how much heavier it gets. late sunday night early monday morning, up to a half inch of ice. that's catastrophic levels. heavy rain, 5 to 7 inches. could be 8 inches of rain locally. that's going to be major flooding. and then snow to the west of chicago, up to 12 inches of snow in the next 48 hours. then there's the severe side of the system. we are looking for the risk of strong storms today from austin

to little rock. we expect to see the possibility of tornadoes especially from monroe to memphis tomorrow. that is a fedex hub so they are probably going to be delays as far as package delivery and goes into the mid-atlantic states to the gulf. this is a multifaceted storm that goes into sunday and affect travel, delivery of packages. power outages. it's going to be a mess. >> when i look at your map i see airline hubs everywhere. it's worrisome. we have more on the alarming security breach with target as many as 40 million cards compromis compromised. we have jeff rossen at a target in boynton beach, florida. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: one of the biggest hacking security breaches of credit cards in u.s. history. when came to target during

thanksgiving and a few days ago when you went to buy something and swiped any credit or debit card at the checkout counter that is when police believe the authorities got your information. and customers are getting angry this morning. reports of people calling target, going on target's website, having a hard time getting in touch with the store and so overnight in response, target sent out a e-mail blast to customers saying your trust is a priority and we deeply regret the inconvenience. a lot of people were worried about this. this morning we are going to answer all of your questions and show you how easy it is for the thieves to use this information to go on a shopping spree posing as you. the u.s. secret service is now leading the information into this massive security breach affecting customers at all target stores between november 27th and december 15th, the peak of the holiday shopping season. 40 million credit and debit card numbers may have been compromised. this target shopper fears the hackers already used her debit

card. >> i noticed my bank account is pretty low and saw $1,273 charge to the microsoft store. >> reporter: so how did the thieves do it? authorities don't know but it was either sophisticated organized criminals that may have planted a virus or it was an inside job. target hired a third-party forensic firm to prevent it from happening again. what exactly did the thieves steal? all the information on the cards' magnetic strips including full names, card numbers, expiration dates and security codes. is the problem fixed? target said yes. it's identified and resolved the issue. but it took target three weeks to realize it and experts say the damage was already done. >> 40 million records is a large number. that means in the united states there's a one in seven chance that your credit card has been compromised. >> reporter: and once they have your information, security

expert jim stickley showed us in the past how quickly they can create a fake card. >> once you have the data, you can take a hotel room key, slide it through. now this room key has the exact same data this credit card has. >> reporter: thieves can also sell your personal information around the world on the black market. in 2009, the secret service showed "today" how it works. stolen visas, mastercards, and amexs all being peddled in this online flea market for criminals and experts fear that's exactly what's happening right now with this latest breach at target. so how do you protect yourself? here's advice, if you used a credit or debit card keep a close eye on your account for anything suspicious. if you want to be extra safe, experts say you can also call your credit card company today and cancel your card and get an all new number to protect yourself. here's something else, keep a close eye on your credit report

to make sure people aren't opening accounts in your name. do that for free and we have a link to help you do it at today.com. >> thank you, jeff. that's a store that is affecting a lot of people right now. thank you, jeff rossen. now from a late night surprise announcement from the obama administration. another fix for the botched health care roll out, specifically for all of those cancelled policies. the white house now says people that don't get insurance in 2014 can apply to get a one-year exemption from penalties and can now buy catastrophic coverage. this is something previously not permitted under the law. let's get to chuck todd. he is the nbc's chief correspondent and political director. good morning to you. it seemed to me that insurers were blindsided by this announcement and not happy about it. >> reporter: well, they are not happy about it at all. let me explain what's going on here. part of it has to do with the fact that the administration fears that all the people that got cancellation notices about their policies because they

didn't meet the minimum requirements that the new law allows, not enough of those folks have signed up for new health care. the deadline is three days away. if you want to have coverage begin on january 1st and not have it uninterrupted. so they feared these folks weren't going to do it. a little part of the law that allowed for folks under 30 to have a hardship clause and get an exemption to buy these catastrophic policies, now they're opening it up to anybody who has gotten a cancellation notice. but here's the issue, if you got a cancellation notice and you think the plans are too expensive but you aren't eligible for any subsidy you can claim hardship and use your cancellation notice as the reason. if you think the policies are too expensive, you don't qualify for the subsidies but never got one of these notices, you can't file for a hardship. so it creates an arbitrary, two classes of people that don't have insurance and that's what the insurance companies are upset about. they say it's messing up the marketplace, here at the very

last minute and it really messes up their finances. remember, they're being asked to cover more than they ever had to cover before. this is why there's such confusion at the last minute. >> and needless to say, more ammunition for the critics of the law. chuck todd, thank you so much. >> you got it. all right. natalie has overnight developments on the terrifying theater collapse. >> that's right. this happened in london in the theater district last night when the ceiling collapsed at a crowded theater sending debris crashing down on people below. dozens were injured and some seriously and, today, lots of questions on how this happened. jim maceda is in london with more. >> reporter: some thought it might be part of the play when people in the front row suddenly ran to the exits. hanna george was in a balcony seat. >> somebody was screaming and somebody went look out and the ceiling collapsed. >> reporter: chunks of debris rained down as several hundred

watched "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" triggered chaos and panic. at least 80 theatergoers were injured and some seriously. amazingly there were no fatalities. most had head wounds like this man, momentarily struck unconscious. >> i just obviously got banged on the head. the next thing i know i was in the foyer. >> reporter: firemen quickly found the source of the collapse. >> it has been confined to some heavy ornate plastery. typical what you expect to find in a theater. >> reporter: the award winning play was on a roll with packed houses every night until this. officials say they carried out a structural assessment overnight and will release an initial report today. while one of london's most popular victorian theaters remains shut. >> that was nbc's jim maceda reporting from london.

been acquitted. lawson admitted in testimony she used cocaine and marijuana. in southern california, officials are investigating three separate bus accidents thursday and one of them deadly. the buses were carrying commuters and casino gamblers on rainy freeways. the crashes in riverside and san diego counties left at least one person dead and more than 60 injured. a search is underway for the victims of a deadly mudslide in brazil. horrific video there as you watch it. the florida congressman that pleaded guilty to cocaine possession a month ago says he has no plans to resign. trey radel spoke out thursday after leaving a drug and rehab facility saying it never got in the way of his duties. >> i made a mistake and i know that. i let you down. i let your country down. and, again, for that, i am sorry. i will do everything in my power

to make it up to you and to regain your trust. >> the florida republican is on probation for a year and under investigation by the house ethics committee. two adults are being hailed as heros after saving the lives of fourth graders on a bus. on thursday, a south carolina school district released this video. you see what happened there. this happened this month when a driver lost control of a school bus and was thrown from his seat. an aide quickly grabs the wheel. a teacher hit the brake. the two were able to stop the bus and fortunately nobody was hurt. quick thinking there. and check this out, a flash mob right here in new york brought a holiday favorite to life recently recreating this scene from one of our favorites around here, "a charlie brown christmas." ♪

so cute. even linus with a blanket there! it was enough to get everyone >> where is snoopy? >> yeah, i don't see the snoopy dance. >> it's coming. >> it's coming. >> wait for it everybody. >> let's see. >> there you go. >> there's snoopy. >> that is so cute. >> adorable. >> why didn't you call us? i would have loved to have participate in that. >> i love the kid that is going like this. >> yeah. that's my dance. >> that is so cute. adorable. are you doing the snoopy dance about this forecast? >> it's not a happy dance. that's for sure. our friends in salt lake not doing a happy dance either. yesterday, they got ice and then they got snow. i mean, it made a mess. the roads were really in trouble. cargo plane slid off the runway at the salt lake city airport. a lot of damage. there were power lines down. right now, 15,000 to 20,000 folks still without power.

and as we look at what's going on right now, guys, we have a big change happening as far as temperatures. so we got the jet stream that dips down to the south. oh, i got to press that there. the jet stream comes down to the south and then up to the north here. we have this cold arctic air. bismark 10 degrees today. 15 degrees below normal. look at this. she loves when i say this, savannah, 76 degrees. that's 14 degrees above normal. >> hello! >> her ears go like this. >> we're talking about my favorite subject. >> exactly. 12 degrees above normal. then we make a move to saturday. washington d.c., 68. savannah was really hot, we all knew that, 14 degrees above normal but omaha 32 as the cold air makes it's way in. by sunday, savannah is at 76. >> all right. >> orlando at 78. >> savannah at 76, and in honor of carson, bismark is 10 degrees. >> what about carson city, nevada? >> i couldn't get that on there. next hour we'll get carson city. >> savannah has never been to savannah. >> what are the odds?

>> i know. >> but i digress. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. 3at the corner oft get k "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.

plus most stores are open 'til midnight. weather. we're now hearing from the "duck dynasty" family for the first time since phil robertson was suspended over remarks. kerry sanders, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, the family patriarch is not saying anything after the community in "gq" magazine. the family is saying in part, we are a family rooted in faith and we believe the bible is his word. late last night, the family of patriarch, phil robertson issued a news statement casting doubt

on the future of the show saying as a family we cannot imagine the show going forward with the patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions with a&e. while the family's religious beliefs are on the show, the magazine had an article and robertson said no one was singing the blues and par phrasing the bible of homosexuals compared to others who won't inherit the kingdom of god. statements he echoed in 2010. >> women with women, man with man, they committed indecent acts with one another. they received the due penalty for their perversions.

>> a&e and others are hearing an outcry for americans who find this distasteful and offensive. >> reporter: more than 1 million fans liked a new facebook page called stand with phil robertson. >> i don't see a problem with what he said. everybody should have a right to say what they wish. >> reporter: family friend louisiana governor bobby jindal. >> this is a man who believes in his heart of treating people with respect and equality. >> reporter: the controversy isn't going away. i was here in west monroe, louisiana in october where i did a different story with phil robertson and his wife miss kaye. at the time, i got an inside read on how they read the bible. the men say they have their beards because the scripture tells them men should not cut their facial hair. carson. >> thank you, kerry sanders.

carson is here. that means one thing. tamron is there in the orange room. good morning to you. >> good morning. it's not a bad new york morning temperature-wise even though al is tracking a big storm. but take a look at what's happening right outside our door. what in the world would make people sleep on the ground in new york city, sleeping bags, some in chairs? only one thing. take a look. who is in town? justin timberlake and jimmy fallon taking over snl saturday. jimmy fallon's second time hosting. he was there two years ago. and he brought his best friend, justin timberlake. they have a bromance that's epic in 2013 now and beyond. and we decided to take a look back at the year of the bromance between fallon and j.t. take a look. ♪ you know i'm bringing sexy back ♪

>> we go hard hashtag. >> we can't stop. >> #trueplayersforlife. >> you want to sing that song we heard on the radio today. ♪ there's nothing i can do ♪ i only wanna be with you >> is it possible for america to pull itself out of this economic disaster? and if so, how? >> until the next time we do this. >> until the next time we do this. >> thank goodness the next time will be saturday. i love it. it's hilarious. they got us to thinking today's #orangeroom. best bromances of all time. blake shelton and adam levine. clooney and brad pitt, snoopy and charlie brown, frank sinatra and the rat pack. >> you got all the good ones. >> what's on your list?

>> i like that. >> matt and privatize matt and al. >> you and joe biden. >> definitely. >> that's epic. >> #orangeroom, the best bromances of all time. let us know. >> that's snoopy and charlie brown, that's the only interspecies bromance. >> they're ground breakers. coming up, can ryan o'neal keep the painting? and an exclusive live interview with the bus rider that fought back against the would-be robber. what he thinks about his decision now. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, his "today" show debut with an eye opener on what's become a major threat to u.s. security.

>> and remember this, chuck norris officially responded. wait until you see it. all that after your local news. she's just gif-ing out, what's uhoney...randma? i didn't know grandma could move like that. get more this holiday by redeeming the shop your way points you've earned. plus, shop online and pick up in-store for free. kmart. get in. get more christmas.

i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! [ female announcer ] symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ man ] with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today we're ready for whatever swims our way.

ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. a good friday morning to you, it is 7:26, i'm laura garcia-cannon. right now, fremont police trying to track down five men wanted in connection with a home invasion. police say a woman was hiding in a building when the thieves stormed inside her home on armor way near the st. james apostle church. this happened wednesday. the woman, who was home alone at the time, called her brother for help. police say she is new to the u.s. and didn't know about 911. this surveillance video shows one man running across the yard before hopping into a gray or silver infinity suv. police say the suspects threatened the woman, one man had a gun, another a knife. the suspect crip raped gold chain off that victim's neck and took off with other jewelry and electronics i. police say the woman was rattled but not hurt.

the attorney for the young oakland teen age deer claired brain dead after having her tonsils remove will file an injunction in court today that injunction would prevent doctors at children's hospital in oakland from taking 13-year-old jahi mcmahon off a ventilator, at least through the holidays. check the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. nice day ahead? >> good looking day shaping up. a live look at san francisco what a difference a day makes, beautiful blue sky and lots to go around, all over the bay area. this is the sky that we are waking up with. temperatures chilly. 42 in san francisco, 39 along the peninsula. we head throughout the afternoon, going to climb into the 60s, comfortable finish to the day. i do want to take you to the changes headed our way the next few days. this they will be subtle but this is the final full day of fall. we kick off winter tomorrow. breezy at times, nice, crystal clean air quality, get nothing your saturday, low clouds to start, warming by two to three degrees and we will keep that warmup going for your sunday. let's check your drive. here's mike inouye. >> final fulldy of fall.

that's tough one, huh? tough over here, a little tougher to there are drive, the screen, you see one box truck on the shoulder, that was in one lane sticking out the slow lane, off the freeway, west 80 past the university avenue overcrossing at the top of your screen, so, some slowing through that area and constricting traffic a little bit you can holding up the very light bill at the toll plaza, there are meetering light levels looking at fremont, south 880, buildings all around the bay but very light, laura. back to you. >> all right, friday night i as we say and you say. thanks. 7:28. another local news update in half an hour. see you then.

7:30 on a friday morning. december 20th, 2013. there's a pretty shot of the sun coming up. we're heading into the last weekend before christmas. shopping panic ensuing nationwide. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie alongside al roker, natalie morales, and carson in for matt this morning. here's a look at the headlines today. the massive storm al has been talking about it can slow travel plans. severe weather expected across the entire eastern half of the country. investigators are trying to figure out what caused part of a ceiling to collapse during a performance at a crowded theater in london. more than 75 people were injured. >> and target sent an e-mail to customers overnight warning them to be vigilant in the wake of that massive security breach.

it urges all shoppers to monitor their bank accounts for any unusual activity. coming up, we're welcoming msnbc's anchor ronan farrow. he's going to take us to the city where terrorists are trying to recruit american citizens. eye opening story. >> it really is. then we have this to tell you about. a young man who was actually wounded in the boston bombing, the boston marathon bombing, he finds love and a future wife during rehab. we are going to have an exclusive interview live with the couple coming up. >> that's great. let's begin this half hour with the verdict in a trial over a famous painting of farrah fawcett. here is more from nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: by a jury vote 9-3, the 30-year-old silk screen of farrah fawcett, one of two made by and warhole was deemed ryan o'neal's property. the university of texas which fawcett attended claimed ownership because she left all

of her art work to the school. but o'neal argued that warhol made one portrait for fawcett and the other for him. >> at the end the jurors came through. >> reporter: their relationship spanned three decades and although the disputed warhol was in her home when she died of cancer in 2009, o'neal retrieved it, prompting the lawsuit. but those closest to fawcett supported o'neal, including jaclyn smith. >> i really feel that farrah would want that portrait with ryan. >> reporter: and her son patrick and the son she had with o'neal, redmond. >> let her rest in peace. >> i know she had something to do with this up there. >> o'neal said he and fawcett always agreed that the paint belonged to him, even in the years when it was displayed in her home. it was no surprise to the

probate lawyer ken ostgrove. >> he and fawcett always agreed the painting belonged to him. even in the years when it was displayed in her home. >> it was his idea to get the paintings made. he knew andy warhol. they were handed one to him and one to her. >> reporter: he testified he had no interest in the estimated value of up to $12 million. he told matt on today that though his relationship with fawcett had broken their feelings for each other lasted until their final days. >> she loved me. she said so. >> reporter: and now a jury says he does own the painting that he says he talks to as a way of talking to her. for "today," mike taibbi, nbc, los angeles. >> a long twisted tale. we take a turn now and get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. >> and we have got a real severe situation happening this weekend. so we have got this cold frigid air coming out of the plains meeting up with this really warm moist air. so this is the battle zone right here. we're going to be looking at icy conditions from oklahoma all the

way to northern new england. the other problem, we've got, i mean, a strong risk of severe weather and tornadoes down through the lower gulf. that frigid air and all of that snow making its way from nebraska into oklahoma. sunday, the icy conditions really focused right up into northern new england but we do have a slight risk of strong storms from the mid-atlantic states into the gulf coast. it's going to be cool out west. nice and mild in southern california. that's what's going on in your neck of the woods. good friday morning to you, i'm meteorologist christina loren. you see on your contour map here where you're getting the blue we doville very pockets of air, 30, san martin, 30 in san francisco, waking up with 42 degrees and we also have good air quality out there for today. look at how beautiful the day is shaping up to be. about 4 59 at 4 p.m. in the city. 60s later on today, a comfortable day shapingxñ up fo us, we get to the weekend, climb even more some warmer days

ahead. i hope you have a great day. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you so much. >> now to a growing concern over terrorists being recruited here in the u.s. ronan farrow is just back from kenya. he has the story. good morning. good to see you. >> thank you, savannah. the al shabaab terror group is linked to security and where are they looking for new recruits? look no further than the heart land. >> this is the best place to be honestly. >> anywhere that you can. >> reporter: this al shabaab recruiting video targeted a community in minnesota where these young men are from. the al qaeda link terror group already successfully lured dozens of americans to join it. >> he was a regular american

kid. he was a very good student. he had never had any record of any problems. >> reporter: his uncle says he grew more isolated before disappearing in 2008 when his family reported him missing. in 2009, his life ended like those of many who are radicalized, killed in somalia. >> tell me about the moment of finding out that news. >> it was very intensive moment. my sister handled that very well. i mean, you could see the pain in her face. but what she told me is finally she got some sort of closure. >> reporter: he and dozens of other young men like him were recruited from one neighborhood in minneapolis. in this quite minneapolis

neighborhood and others like it across minnesota, tens of thousands of somali americans go about ordinary midwestern lives but this is also ground zero for terrorist recruitment in the united states. after a recent al shabaab attack killed more than 60 people in kenya, congress seemed interested in the terrorist groups effects to recruit americans. >> we need to get ahead of their efforts to radicalize vulnerable youth. >> reporter: but local groups mentoring young men to prevent terrorist recruitment say the federal government offered no follow up and no resources. that worries him. >> what is the threat? what could happen? >> al qaeda recruitments will never go away. they are watching what we do. so we have the momentum now and what i am afraid every night is that we lose the momentum and we go away. they will come back and the

recruitment will start. >> savannah, i saw this community really fighting back against this recruitment threat but that's going to take resources that they just don't have. they told me al shabaab has millions. they're running on empty. maybe we need to fix that. >> you hate to think about people in this country feeling they don't have any options. great to have you here and welcome to nbc. >> great to see you. >> coming up, trending. what is the most despised word of the year? we'll tell you. up next, the quick thinking bus passenger that stood up to a man with a gun. but was that [ woman ] "the levian family have been masters of jewelry design for centuries." ♪ this levian collection is amazing. maybe it's time to start your own. [ female announcer ] kay jewelers presents today's levian collection... [ gasps ] [ female announcer ] ...featuring exclusive levian chocolate diamonds. from the levian family -- where the latest in fashion meets fine jewelry. one more reason kay is the number-one jewelry store in america. it's... a work of art?

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happy friday. we're back at 7:42 with a man involved in a dramatic scene we first showed you on thursday. >> you probably remember this video. he was minding his own business on a seattle bus when a man walked up and pointed a gun in

his face. he jumped up and grabbed the weapon and soon other riders helped subdue the suspect. well, casey morgan is with us exclusively. good to have you. >> good to have you here. >> a lot of people can relate to someone sitting on the bus zoning out on their phone buchlt when a guy comes up to you and point ace gun in your face, you leapt into action without even thinking about it. it seemed like all instinct. >> you can say that. i had my head phones on and my phone on and i just looked up and saw the gun and a lot of people thought it was a conscious action to try and take him down but it was something just pure instinct and i recall thinking as it was happening that this is a bad idea. >> but your body was still just going through the motions and once that happened it was one of those things where it had to be carried to the logical conclusion. >> what were you listening to? was anything motivating this?

>> i don't think so. >> we think about being heroic like this. looking back again would you have done the same thing again? >> no. i have thought about the idea of being mugged for a phone. it's like you can take my phone. but in the moment with no real understanding of why a gun was being pointed at me, something came over me and i didn't have any sort of thoughts about doing a good deed or anything. but the people that did that jumped in, those are the people that really -- they had the choice and they chose to help. >> it might have been a different outcome if you had been left there by yourself. >> did you surprise yourself kind of? >> yes. i mean, i don't think i would have imagined myself doing this. i'm fairly mild mannered. no training or anything like that. when i think about rationally i wouldn't have taken the actions. one thing lead to another. >> what was the reaction from your friends and family? >> disbelief.

i don't think anyone thinks of me that way. i surprised my wife. she looked at me -- >> my hero. >> i bet she thought it was kind of cool. >> i'm not sure what's going to come out. >> now that she sees your cat-like reflexes. >> i suppose so. >> what about you? just back on the bus? >> yeah, next day. i don't think it's anything that changes my daily routine and it's something that doesn't happen very often. i don't think not riding the bus is the answer. >> yeah, but now would be perps watching this, looking at you, you're good to go. they're not messing with you. >> would you do the same thing if you could do it over? >> probably not. it's easier to think that things turned out okay. >> good for you. great story. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. >> coming up, we'll tell you a great story. it's about a couple that got together out of the rubble of the boston marathon attack. the bombing victim that met the love of his life during his

recovery. >> and then a little later from the orange room, what is your favorite holiday movie of all time? we'll find out after this. [ bell rings ] [ man ] take five! hey, joyce! [ grunts ] you really seem to be dragging your a-- [ donkey brays ] mid morning slump. [ donkey snorts ] that's why i started drinking this new lipton natural energy tea. come on! it's naturally has more caffeine and theanine than regular lipton. here. you'll thank me. mmmm... tastes amazing, right? i feel better already. [ donkey brays ] [ man ] two minutes! tea time. [ female announcer ] for a little oomph, try new lipton natural energy tea. [ donkey brays ] jingle all the way... ♪ells, ring in the holidays with buy one get one free family sleepwear ...like joe boxer. plus members always get more. kmart. get in. get more christmas. so you think santa will like these... red and green m&m's? i don't know! i never met the guy!

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fidelity's guidance can help you fine-tune your personal economy. start today with a free one-on-one review of your retirement plan. we are back at 7:50. tamron has the latest on the latest over the big battle. >> al roker, in honor of you, christmas movie faceoff in america. >> you have to go bigger. >> i might need to go home. all week long our viewers have been voting on today.com, which christmas movie rules the roost. my love lost in the first round. what's up with that? but we have the two finalists. are you ready? >> yes. >> you don't sound like it. let's get this party started. and we are down to two christmas classics. "it's a wonderful life," yes, from 1946.

>> what happened to "elf?" >> elf lost. >> okay. listen. we're not asking for votes from you guys. this is what the people -- elf didn't make it. >> oh. >> "it's a wonderful life" beat "elf." >> what about christmas story. >> christmas vacation. christmas vacation. the classic that pretty much summed up my childhood is on the list. so these are the two. i hear that you're unhappy. >> i want a recount. >> recount. >> elf can't lose in the suite 16. >> on that list, you've got a "charlie brown christmas." that's not a movie. >> how the grinch stole christmas, not a america. >> more time america. christmas movie fight in america. >> there's going to be a lot of fights in many homes over this. >> it's a thankless job, tamron, but someone has to do it. >> thanks. >> coming up, big news out of london this morning, a verdict just in in the nigella lawson courtroom trial. we'll get to that. >> and on trending, the heart melting moment as a young man

realizes he's accepted to college. >> and how one widower is building memories of mom with his little girl. need a spoon, dear? not anymore.

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a very good friday morning to you, the search is on for the suspect in a home burglary in the los altos hills. investigators hope you can help. deputies say three men seen here broke into a home on berryhill lane through a sliding glass door. no one was home at the time. the suspect ransacked the house and took off with the jewelry box. take a gook good look at this sketch, police in pleasanton say this is the man who maybe responsible for several recent break-ins in homes. the latest was december 3rd at the civic square apartments on bernal avenue. the a tenant came home to find this man inside the victim says the suspect threatened to kill him if he called anyone. the suspect then took off with cash and jewelry. want to check the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. >> really nice friday. you know, is the last friday before christmas, we have a warming trend headed our way, temperatures cold out there,

feeling winter-like. this is the last full day of fall, we kick off winter officially, we head through tomorrow, san jose looking nice and clear what a difference a day makes, air quality-wise, it is good. breathe easily for today. temperature-wise later on today, forecast the 60s all across the board, lots of clear skies to go around. as we get through the weekend, a little bit of a change headed our watch breezy at times today, clean air, for your saturday, going to climb by two to three degrees, additional warming and going to keep that going for your sunday as well. your 7-day forecast right at the bottom of your screen. check your drive and say good morning to mike inouye. >> last day of school for a lot before vacation, excited kids means distracted kids. watch the school buss the next hour. north 880 past oakland coliseum, the high speed high rise nothing dramatic, the bay bridge, look at that metering lights were on, no backup at the toll plaza, slow down the eastshore freeway, down 101, mountain view, earlier crash cleared, kicked off a clearing, 237.

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♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, rising from the rubble. a love story born on boston's darkest day. the bombing victim and the nurse he just proposed to join us exclusively. plus, pure joy. the priceless reaction of a young man who just found out he is headed to college. >> and #annoying. the most irritating words of 2013 revealed "today" friday, december 20th, 2013. ♪ >> hey, al, today we're in your neck of the woods! ♪

>> i got a picture with al. best day ever! >> back at the "today" show. >> stand by. savannah, here we go. >> all the way from australia! happy holidays! >> happy holidays and good morning to all of you. welcome back to "today" on a beautiful friday morning. just a few days before christmas. we have a very boisterous crowd. >> yes we do. >> i would say musically challenged. this section over here was singing "santa claus is coming to town." very good. morning, i'm savannah guthrie alongside carson daly, al roker and miss tamron hall. >> it is warm out. we have a lot to get to. let's start way check of the morning's top stories with natalie. good morning to all of you once again.

breaking news out of london this morning, two aides to celebrity chef nigella lawson today were found not guilty in court. jim messina is in london with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. well, what this means is that the jury did not believe nigella lawson's story that her two personal assistants abused her trust and spent over $1 million with a credit card that belongs, in fact, to lawson's ex-husband charles saatchi. instead, the jury found that the assistants' story made sense. that lawson approved those purchases and that she, as it turns out, a frequent user of cocaine, may have done that to curry favor with the women to prevent the secret of her drug abuse from getting out. that at least was the defenses -- those defending the two women, that was theirs. this is a huge blow to lawson, her reputation, and her career which she has been trying to launch in the united states.

natalie, back to you. >> jim maceda in london with that breaking news, thanks again. officials have launched an investigation into the ceiling collapse that injured more than 80 people last night in a crowded theater in london's west end. a section of the ornate ceiling came down and took part of the balconies with it. witnesses described it as chaos. the century old apollo theater filled with dust. many of the injured suffered head wounds. some serious. the dramatic end to a police standoff was caught on camera this morning in sidney, australia. a man with a container of flammable liquid inside his car drove onto the sidewalk outside a government building and threatened to ignite it. officers swarmed the car after two hours of negotiations. a grim reminder this morning. 60,000 americans are still serving in harms way in afghanistan. the body of terry gordon was returned to american soil last night. the mississippi soldier was one of six american service members

killed this week when their helicopter crashed. it was the deadliest incident for american forces in afghanistan in more than a year. well, target has sent an e-mail to customers overnight advising them to monitor their bank and credit card accounts for signs of fraud. cyber thieves were able to steal debit and credit card data from 40 million target customers. it happened between late november and december 15th. target began investigating the breach as soon as it found out. some customers complained about trouble contacting target through its website and call centers. former nba star dennis rodman is defending his trip to north korea as an attempt to ease relations between that country and the united states. rodman is using his third visit to train north korean basketball players for a birthday tournament honoring leader kim jong un. he plans to meet with kim who just last week allowed his own uncle to be executed for alleged treason. small talk in space is a big deal when it's a robot doing the

talking. researchers released video of the first humanoid space robot chatting with a japanese astronaut aboard the space station this morning. it is designed to serve as a companion during long lonely missions. i wonder how good he is at making conversation. 8:05 right now. let's go back outside to savannah, carson, tamron, and alabama. >> that's what i want for christmas. >> i just hope his name isn't hal. >> i missed that joke. oh? oh, okay. sorry. sorry. should we get a check of the weather. >> i think the weather -- i want to go back to this -- i want to go back to this christmas movie thing. >> this is an issue. >> the results are from today.com viewers voted. we have brackets here. elf dropped out early. >> this is bogus because it's not -- as much as they are beloved, how the grinch stole christmas and a charlie brown christmas are not movies.

be they are 22 minute tv specials. >> right. they're short. be >> who agrees with al? >> al has a vote. >> i'm telling you. i'm just saying. >> okay, but you said -- i think it's epic that al -- you suggest "die hard." >> "die hard" is a great christmas movie! >> the holiday spirit. >> the results on today.com. >> yippee yi kay eye! >> the winner, christmas movie face-off. >> america. let's check your weather and see what we've got for you. we are looking right now. a mess in chicago. there's been some airport cancellations already at o'hare. there's airport delays. we'll be checking on that. chances of a white christmas, getting one-inch snowfall on the ground for st. louis. you have a 26% possibility. kansas city 18%. make your way on into omaha and you'll see a 36% chance.

huron 60%. thank you, al. we're looking towards a california christmas this year. that means lots of sunshine, and temps that are right at average. talking about the mid 60s on wednesday. for today not much cooler. we're going to warm up in the 30s and 40s. we're in the low 60s for today, though. 63 on the wanway to san francisco. 63 in the south bay. here's where we're headed. this is an idea. trend goes for the whole bay area. this is focussing in on san jose. we'll be at 65 degrees as we keep on climbing through sunday. almost 70 on monday.w4 >> love actually is a christmas movie. >> yeah, i hate to fight about love. >> it's true. >> all you need is love. >> the debate is going to continue. >> thank you very much singing that song. >> coming up next on trending, chuck norris's epic response to another famous actor's

unbelievable stunt. >> and then a heartwarming love story. the boston bombing victim that just got engaged to a nurse he met during his recovery. >> all you need is love. that's so sweet. >> and a husband's love for his late wife recreated touching pictures with his young daughter. but first, these messages. ♪ ♪ when you have less time to shop, we'll have more registers open. walmart.

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today we honor an email sent by rachel. unsubscribe! [ male announcer ] in honor of the important things you do this holiday season trouble understanding others on the phone due to a hearing loss? save up to $100 on any new phone visit sprintcaptel.com or call 877-805-5845. when you switch to sprint. we are back at 8:13. here's what's trending today. carson and al, you guys are most modern evolved dads. >> i think so. >> very hands on dads. >> but we all remember when this was the ideal father figure. >> i'm not going to bargain with you. >> oh, mr. cleaver. in the 50s and 60s it was all about that but according to a myth busting report from the cdc, today's fathers are no longer happy to be those stern hands-off.

nine out of ten dads say they bathe, diaper and dress their kids two times a week and two out of three helped with homework and the more involved the dad is the better the potential outcome is for that child. >> i was really hands on with jack. my first kid. it does dwindle a little bit. i haven't changed as many dirty diapers. i'm owning it right now. >> yeah. >> it backed off a little bit but of course you share in those things and you want to be a part of all of that. >> i was lucky. my dad was hands on. he was a bus driver and way ahead of his time and when he was there, he was there. >> which one of you could change a diaper faster? not that it's a competition. >> i do it every day. he has been out of practice for awhile. i can change al's diapers very fast. >> in fact, he did this morning. >> sorry. >> let me ask you guys a question, do you remember when you got your college acceptance

letters. >> yeah. and rejections. >> and rejections. >> sure. >> it's obviously a thrilling and emotional moment and that especially true for ryan holcomb who has down syndrome. he was just accepted into a program at clemson university in south carolina designed for student with learning disabilities. ryan's parents say they're so excited for him but like many parents they're not quite ready for him to move out. >> look at the reaction. >> it says yes. what do you say? >> yes. it's crazy. yes. >> oh. great moment there. >> great. >> he's going to be attending clemson's life program. it's a program for kids with disabilities. it's a great program. >> it's a huge next chapter in your life for any of us and that letter just symbolizing that. wow, i have been accepted and that's a great universal feeling. >> there's a voice on the tape either a mom or sister saying you're a college student.

that's really cool. >> well, so what are you like, you know, the most annoying words of 2013? the folks did a survey. here is what they found and coming in 5th place, obviously. just saying, very popular on twitter. also up there in 4th place, you know. and sorry, like is not liked by many. it comes in second. the most annoying word, can you guess? >> i can make a list. >> twerking. >> totes. >> totes is up there. >> but this was popularized in the 90s comedy clueless. >> the topic is haiti and she's talking about some little party. >> hello. it was his 50th birthday. >> whatever. >> yes. it is. whatever said sarcastically in that annoying voice. that's topping the list. 5th straight year in a row. >> deets instead of detail.

>> is it really that much longer? you're not saving any time. >> guilty as charged. >> i love this next one. it's a viral video. jean-claude van damme doing this epic split in a commercial for volvo. a lot of folks tried to copy it but then there's chuck norris, ladies and gentlemen. mr. texan, chuck norris, check him out. >> the bird of dawning and then they say no spirit can walk around. [ inaudible ] >> oh, yeah. >> yes. >> how does he get back up?

i don't know. >> al, where is he flying the weather's so nice? >> chuck norris, 73 years old. and that is real. >> no. >> that's real. >> no. >> and those are soldiers. >> two jets. >> this was done by a hungarian animation company and obviously cgi. >> it's real according to al. >> i want to see splits also. >> that would be good. now let's switch gears and talk about a touching love story rooted in tragedy. the boston marathon bombing is a day no one wants to remember but for one victim this was a day both his recovery and his love story began. >> reporter: it's a photo we will never forget. especially james costello who was with friends cheering on runners at the boston marathon

finish line when two bombs exploded. moments before this photo of costello was snapped, he had pulled two rusty nails from his stomach. he was treated on the streets with burns covering his arms and legs and multiple shrapnel wounds. he spent two weeks at massachusetts general where he underwent multiple surgeries. president obama stopped in to lift his spirits. rehab treatment followed. a time where he says he wondered what good could possibly come from such a tragedy. there he would find someone else who would lift his spirits forever. costello met krista in passing. she was a nurse on a six week temporary assignment. that lead to a first date followed by 8 inseparable moments all leading up to him proposing to her in france. costello shared his happy ending on facebook writing i now

realize why i was involved in the tragedy. it was to meet my best friend and the love of my life. we're so pleased to have james costello and his fiancee krista with us. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> more importantly, congratulations. >> thank you so much. >> post a picture on facebook and everybody is talking about it. are you surprised at the reaction this has gotten? >> yes. >> yeah. i think we're surprised. we wanted this reaction from our friends and family. we didn't know it was going to be the whole world. >> yeah, but the whole world wants to say congratulations and they love hearing this story. so tell it again, james. you're in rehab and you see krista? was it love at first sight? were you thinking of romance in that moment? >> no. yeah. i had noticed her in passing and shortly after that she came into my room to cover a lunch break and changed the dressing on my leg and still no thoughts of

that and then after we realized we had some mutual friends and we started talking and i invited her to a benefit. >> and you had taken care of a lot of boston bombing survivors. something stood out about james. >> yeah. that smile. we had mutual friends and everyone was kind of, oh, look at this. on to the next one as far as different benefits and fund-raisers that we went to together and then here we are. >> think about what a year it's been. that imagine of you coming out of the boston marathon attacks. it seems to me in the last year you have seen the worst and now you have the best. >> yeah. one thing that she hates that i always say is i'm actually glad i got blown up. i wish everyone else didn't have to. but i don't think i would have ever met her if i didn't. so yeah, i'm pretty happy. >> i do hate when you say that. >> but it's from the heart. and we're so happy you found

each other in the midst of all of this. thank you for being here. >> thank you so much. >> congratulations. >> and i won't ask you what everybody asks engaged couples. when are you going to set the date? keep us posted. >> absolutely. >> have a great holiday. >> you too. >> we'll send it over to carson. savannah this next story first caught the eye of today.com and became it's most social story of the year. 5 million page views and more than 300,000 likes. it's about a young widower who found a touching way to make sure the memory of his wife lived on for their daughter. >> when allie learned in 2011 she wouldn't survive a rare form of lung cancer, her daughter olivia was just a year old and her greatest fear, says husband ben, was one any mom could understand. >> one of her biggest concerns was olivia forgetting her and not remembering her. >> reporter: ben was determined not to let that happen. remembering that a few years ago

her sister melanie had taken the couple's wedding photos in their new home before they even moved in, ben called melanie for another photo session. he and his now 3-year-old daughter were moving out so the house was empty again and an idea was born. >> i had a lot of anxiety going into the session. >> reporter: this time pictures of a dad and daughter where a young bride and groom once stood. on a day when life was full of promise and the future was unknown. >> i knew this would be the last time i was in that house and the last time i was going to feel her everywhere and see her everywhere. that was it. >> reporter: in some of the same spots where ben and allie for photographed she now snaed ben and olivia. she posted the photos on her blog never expecting what happened next. within days they went viral. seemingly touching a collective nerve. they have now been seen all over the world. >> i think that so many people just want to see people living

gracefully after a devastating loss. and showing people that you can go on and ben can heal and we all can heal together. >> reporter: but in the end, these photos are for a little girl who lost mommy far too soon. they will be treasured for the rest of olivia's life, even as others admire them now. >> they see hope in these photos and that's really what i want from this. and, you know, we lose our loved ones and they go away and it's painful and it hurts, but the love doesn't go away. that never goes away. >> reporter: a beautiful tribute as photos help keep memories alive. for today, nbc news cincinnati. >> oh. so heartbreaking. >> living gracefully after a tragedy. those photos represent that grace. >> what a beautiful thing to do. can you imagine how she'll

treasure those. >> she'll cherish those photos. >> unlike video these are moments in time that are frozen forever. >> love that. great story. >> so coming up, we have got ethan hawke here. it's his turn on broadway. he is working hard. >> he is. he plays in macbeth and he is going to share his holiday traditions with us. and he is our elf for the day. he will collect toys on the plaza. let's see what's shaking with him. but first on a friday morning, let's get a check of your local news and weather. >> i wonder what his favorite

a good friday morning to you. i'm laura garcia cannon. today officers will continue their investigation into a dog fighting ring, but right here in the bay area. police went to an east oakland home on eldridge avenue to serve a warrant yesterday. no one was there, but they did find 11 pit bulls chained up in kennels in the backyard. one dog bit two people before being subdued. animal control says this is one of the bigger operations they've seen in a while. so far no arrests. hope they're okay. let's check that morning commute with mike. what are we looking at there? >> it's looking all right. a light volume around the bay. we still have a couple of trouble spots. oakland and our camera here. the northbound side you see clearly the slowing past the coliseum. slow from san leandro. not jammed, but he slow. in the southbound side we're

seeing traffic increase a bit, but there was a crash reported right at high street, and we just passed our camera view that may have moved out lanes. it's slowing out of downtown into the coliseum. both directions, though, moving through the upcoming bay bridge toll plaza. the east shore freeway shows good volume of traffic. an earlier crash this berkeley about an hour ago caused quite a disruption, but things have moved out into the same area as well. no major problems other than that, and down across the richmond san rafael bridge, slowing down. back to you. >> thank you very much. i'll be back with another local news update in half hour. have a great friday morning.

. 8:30 now on thi friday morning, decemr 20th, 2013. an a wrapping up our 20t annual toy drive and this mornin yes, that'than hawke doing the honors thi morning. gathering some of the great ftsksrom our crowd have ought wn if you wanto get inn this you cantop by. you caal get on today.com and contribute tohe toy drive. this is t t 20t year.

>> coming up, anotheriday traditio th morning, we' givin to a remarkable group doi good things in one of america's finest cies. >> but rst, we'll say hello to ethan hawke. od morning to you. >> thank you for doing elf d th role on broadway is aad re complicated. you're playing macbeth. that intimidating? >> more intimidating than playing an elf. i more of a physical re i ard youy. explain th peop are sprised to hearou y that. >> shaspeare write these long s thatave sword fights. it's nothat physical. i enjoy it. >> y ho play deador hile on stage. >> yft you're huffg d puffinouave to pretend like you're not breathing.

>>ow do you do that. >> i don't know. >> you find yourself using the shespeare dialogue in every day li, like hark? >> i don't do it too much because i have four ksnd they'll make fun of me. >> what about the other projects you've got, you've got bore sunrise and -- >> it's a great trilogy. they're cool movies. >> i love when you grow with the characters. i fell i love wit the series but guess wants t get in on our christma mov bale. han has a favorite christmas movie. >> i don't know what the bate is. i don't know what you'r talking about but what popped into my mind, you remember a christm story whereehe kid gets his tongue -- >> y arehe man. about. 's at i'm tking >> yeah.

butt' great. >> did we spe about this? >> no, we didn't. no, we didn't. christmastory andlf should havmade it to the final. >> i age. absolutely >> animated fil made it high. what are y doing with the kids? you haveour kids. this is busy te for you. >> yeah, doing macbeth at night and then tryin too christmas shopping. m tired. >> well, thanks foreing our elf. great to have you here. good morning to you. temperatures are going to end up in the mid 60s for today. pretty day shaping up. good air quality. can you clearly see that from all of our live cameras. san francisco looking really pretty at this hour.

beautiful blue sky overhead. as we bet into this weekend, a little bit of a warming trend headed our way, which is good news for you last minute shoppers out there. 63 degrees today. warmer conditions as we head through your sunday. we are going to climb from the low to mid 60s today into the upper 60s and some of your cities as we get into sunday. hope you have a fantastic weekend. and that's your latest ather. carson. >> thank you, al. this is it, theal day of our 12 day of christmas bargains an elizabeth has two major deals. it all comes down to this. weave 11 and 12. it's sadly or but the deal is this. you can go totoday.como get the deals i'm talking about today. they'r 60, 50% off. >> big deals today. >> i call these the sweetes deals. let's art with lindt chocolate. they're offering two different theye usually $50. e box has 95 truffle in it

antoday yan get it for 60% off. only $20. and they have anothth box that has theiravorite chocolate bars and also some more of their truffl. soreat deal. again,o to today.com to the code and y can buyhose for your loved ones. . >> >> and the next deal is the new motorola phone. what's coolbout the phone is you can customize it a billi dieren ways. at they did is went and figured out wha was bugging smartphone users. so you want the came, you flip your wri and it comes on. touch anywhere on the screen to ta t picture. it has complet free te. you're in the car andeed directions, youust say hey phone. >>t kind o deal? they're expensive. >> they are. usuay retails for 99.99 with urpl. todayou can gett for 5 off. it's anywherom9. to 49.99 in the pre.

check it out today.com and you can ge all of these deals. >> h long do these deals last >> okay. only 24 hour so you want to go, you go to go now. christmas is aost here anyway so y're runniut of time anyway you look atit. >> 12ays of christmas comes soon. thank you very much. this is great and great deals for you at home. again, 24 hours. go to the website for re. savannah ove to you. >>ou're talking 12 days and i'm tking 48 daysntil the olympics in soi. we have sten holcomb here geing up forsochi. good mor t you. goomorning to you. >>'m not doi a well as you. steven remain perfect. you're 7 for 7-on-the world circuit this year. >> yeah it's a little overwhelming and kind of surreal. winning seven medals total in an entire season is unheard of, let alone winningvery sgle race seven in a row. we're on a high. we're 48 days ayromhe

olympics which i can't bieve already re. it blows my mind. it's gone so fast. >> and you're the defending gold meda champs butshere some extra pressurehen you have the kind o seaso you guy have had? >> a little t. going into vancouver we won a couple of races but we were stilthe underdog but right now being undefeated and going into a neutral tracin rauussi it's a chal >>otnly are you amazing at bobsled you'r and danr andour moves areeen worldwide. >> it went viral a couplef yearsgo during the olympi. was born onhe world cup circuit. >> itooks really complicated but do you think you cou show it to me? >> it's ver sile >>ust kind of like that. a i doing it now? >> you're up thereith the greatest. >> i'm wh you.

>> you'r up there w. >> kw we'll see i sochi. can't wait. congra. remind everyhe olymp competitioio begins february 6t. you can it all right here on nbc. >> comg up next, a holid surpse for a deserving woman thatdevoteserself to empowering those in need. but first on a friday morning, this is oday" nbc.

e are bac a 8:40 with our special series getting to the heart of christmashere we team up wh walmart. kristen dahlgren is here with our latest installment. good morning. >> good morning. it's easy for us toet cght up in our own hectic holidays d overok those thaton't

haveanhing, not even a home. but an organization called the empowerment plan is not just king se the homeless has a warmoat but swing how sometimes all someone need a chance. >> it w very colnd bitte and peoplere cruel. >> it was rough. it was really rough. i mean, i had no water to dnk for a couple of ds andeall thing to eat. >> what do you do? ere do you go from re? how do y pick yourself up? i felt like theres no w out. >> i was staying from house to hoe. and en i ended up goi to the shelter because that was my las rert >> did youver imagine you woul end up in ashelr? >> no, ma'am. it never crossed my mind at all. i went to private school. i had aartial scholarship. was a schol athlete. i dn't tnk iould ever be homeless. never thought that. >> so you don'tnow why someone ishomeless. you don't know why they end up in the shelter.

everyone story i different. and a lot of thetime, we dehumanize them. >> reporr: 24ear-old veroca scott is the ceo and for of the empowerme an. anrganation that makes winter coats that turn into sleeping bags toive to e homeless what began as veronica's class projecturned into a mission. >> i woman ended u sing the cos and she es up screaming at me and saying we don't need coats, we need jobs. and s was right. >> reporter: so veronica turned theoats into aany. hiringothers from shters. they can do anything. their ambition is limitless because they're dog i not just f themselves but their family. >> thiis the fst time i've ever felt that i belong. and 's nderful. i just turne 50 lastmonth. >> i talk to eve single person

before we hire them and say this is your clean slate. this is yr opportunity toake whatever it is you want to make of yourseland with yoursf and with your family. >> reporter: 13 seamstrtrses are employed and work atore tn wing. >> right now i in llege. >> reporter: they're stitching their lives bk together ten of the now have their own homes. >> she knows that homess. she didn't mind sitting in th shelte wanting to get to know us. that'sike no way. like we're supposed to be lost. thrown away. toss out. no. not us. >> a lot of peopl feel sorry for us and i don't thi that's the way they should el. i tnk thi is an accompshme that we made. so m they should look up to us look at us for who were and not what we have bn through. >> reporter: sfor whohey are and who they are beming, walmart has a surpris for these women and their families. >> you a such an impressive group of women, we wanted t do something extra scial for you. so the "toda show teamed up

with walmart -- they'reoing to make me cr >> we st wanted to make your christmas withou and your faes a ltle era special this year. so why don't you ce on inside and see wt we've got foryou. >>orter: even the basics were more tnheld have imagined. i got erythi. >> youre so special. >> i know you guys hav all been thugh toughes and fought back and wre so proud of what u're doing, getti your own places. and so wmart has given each of you all ofhese thing for yr new homes. >> reporter: they have alleen given a secon chance. now thell haveverything else they needo start over. thank you so much. thank you so much. ank you somuch. >>ach of the women also got $1,0 gift certificate to waart. the empownt plan got a gift

as well. thounds of dollars in office supplies, caras, ipad, new chairs for the seamstresse and $50 giftd theyanse as they help grow. you w me cry in there. theseom really touched me. one ofhem said she had been sleengn the coat that ty were sewing a giving away to her homeless people she had an apartment but sll di't have enough to furnish it. she sa thishanged myfe. >> so many great point in that story along the way. veronica, 24 starting it. the coat, what an ingus id. and i love h h saying i see someg in u. givi them sething that hel them rebuild their live >>amazin youet to think about what th , we'reot tbe tossed aw. >> right. we're n diable. >> we're fightg back andou see theirhiren andou know that this is generational. this helpshat m mher who hel her chil and cnges a generati >> great story. >> well done. best thing you say you've ever done. >> my favorite story. it was so nice to be able to help them out like that.

>> love it. >> kristen, thank you. coming up next, we'll tell you about an athlete with a golden touch on and off the field. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: today's extra yards brought to you by walmart. save money, live better, walmart. >> this morning on today's extra yard, an nfl kicker who is making a big difference in the lives of fans with his efforts off the field. alex flanagan from nbc's football night in america has the story. good morning. >> good morning, everybody. so nice to be here. well, november 17th's game was memorable for chicago bear's robbie gould, not just because he kicked the game winning field goal in overtime against the ravens but because the same storms that touched down during the game devastated bears fans throughout the state and he knew he had to help. >> reporter: it was an unusual

start to a chicago bears home game in november. >> this area then was elevated from a tornado watch to a tornado warning. >> due to the weather the game will be temporarily suspended. >> reporter: halfway through the first quarter the game was suspended due to severe storms. >> you had heard maybe some rumblings about tornadoes. you hear that at times, especially in the midwest. but realistically, how many times does it touchdown? how many times does it do what you see on tv in joplin or other places. >> reporter: but just a few hours drive from soldier field, the storm did touchdown devastating small towns like washington. and coal city. >> so you're dealing with a football game, having no idea that there are people that are losing their lives and their homes. >> not a clue. i had a game to prepare for. it wasn't until at night when you're scrolling through social media you say, oh my god, this really happened? the immediate response was let's go help.

>> reporter: the devastation was incomprehensible. over 2,000 homes damaged or destroyed. robbie was determined to help. he knows about persistence. he was cut twice as an nfl rookie and at one point was out of football working construction. he stuck with it. the bears picked him up in 2005 and since then he has become one of the most accurate kickers in the league with 1,000 career points. it's no surprise that 48 hours after the storm he and his teammates mobilized. they boarded a bus filled with supplies and headed out to aid in the cleanup. >> can you describe what the devastation looked like? >> you can't. if i try to explain to somebody that there's piles that are almost a story and a half tall of rubble, you forgot about the game on sunday when you went down there on tuesday. you forgot you hit a game winning kick. you forgot about the tackle. you really think about what's

important in life. >> this is what is left of our house. >> reporter: she and her son james lost everything. >> i was at work and my son was here with my mom. i got a phone call that the house was gone. they were stuck in the basement. >> reporter: after the tornado touched down, amy found the bears tickets she had bought for her son's birthday buried in the rubble. for an afternoon the two escaped reality. james had a chance to meet robbie. >> to hear his family lost their home and turn around and talk to him and he forgets all about it for at least two to three minutes is a big deal for me. >> reporter: carson and logan williamson saw the tornadoes thunder through town. >> i was scared when the power went off and when i heard when the tornado happened. >> reporter: they met robbie on his second visit to help clean up efforts. >> it was nice of them to come down. they didn't have to do that but they chose to come down here. >> i'm very proud of our guys. they get it. they know they're not just football players but they're

part of a larger community and they really take that responsibility seriously. >> reporter: there's still a long way to go before things are even close to normal for the tornado victims. >> i don't want to forget about it. whatever the process is going to be, i want to be there from start to finish. i do think everyone will prevail. >> robbie and his foundation will spend much of the year continuing to help the victims. he arranged a voo variety of events through his charity, the golden touch and one of those things is this t-shirt. they just made this. they'll start selling this on his website in january and all the proceeds will go to tornado victims. >> thank you. >> thank you alex. appreciate it. robbie and his chicago bears, by the way, take on the philadelphia eagles this sunday night. coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. with football night in america right here on nbc. we'll be back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right. as we reveal the winner of our holiday movie bracket, i just want to remind everyone here, this is the holiday season. let's keep it festive and friendly. >> al. >> well, this is -- listen, the people have spoken. today.com and the winner of our orange room christmas

face-off -- i don't even know, this is how guarded of a secret it is, it's a wonderful life. >> that's a classic. >> there you have it. >> you know what -- >> no elf -- >> i'm a diehard guy. >> you too? >> by the way, i mean, this isn't on purpose i promise, but it's a wonderful life just happens to be on nbc tonight. 8:00, 7:00 central. >> i'm just saying. >> what do you have coming up next hour? >> we have fun. we'll look back at the year that was which means a lot of natalie singing. >> i thought you said fun. aww! >> and me and al cuddling in canoes. >> we have our secret santa gifts as well to reveal. >> oh, you have to wait to find out. >> oh, it is me. >> oh, well.

you're like the -- >> more secrets revealed. but first, this after your local news and weather. good morning. it is 8:56. i'm terry mcsweeney. a garbage truck has hit and killed a pedestrian. it happened near the intersection of jones and antonio street. cpr was performed on the scene, but the pedestrian was declared dead. we have a crew headed to that scene. right now let's check weather. here is christina. >> oh, thank you, terry mcsweeney. we have a good-looking day

shaping up. you know, temperatures are climbing nicely already out there, south bay. 45 degrees. as we head throughout the afternoon, we are going to climb into the mid 60s. make sure you're ready for a gorgeous day. and an even better weekend as we keep that climb going. hope you have a fantastic friday. -those other store cards... -...preferred shopper...

...club...things... ...kept sending me coupons for cat food. i'm just not a coupon clipper. i buy what i want to buy. can i get a reward for that? [ brina ] something extra from raley's, bel air, and nob hill. you get something extra rewards... ...for the way i shop... for buying the things i like. instant offers, points balance, right here on my smart phone. [ brina ] join today at raley's dotcom, or at your store. ...it rewards you... for being you. [ brina ] something extra -- now rewarding over 1 million members.

from nbc news, this is today's tape with al rocker, natalie morales in studio 1a in rockefeller center. >> welcome to the "today" show on this december 20th, 2013. >> we should be opening with christmas music. >> the hot dance. >> breaking out a new move. >> that's it. >> that's my, whatever. there you go. >> that's her running man christmas music. >> i've got to go shopping right

now dance. >> did you hear this, at target, this is huge, credit card hack that affected up to 40 million americans. target customers had their card information ripped off over a 19-day period that began the day before thanksgiving in november going into december, including black friday weekend. >> and they just found out about all of this this week. >> yes. >> so we reached out to some experts and asked what you could do if you were at target, you shopped in store and you think your information has been stolen. the first thing they say is cancel the credit card or debit card and contact equifax, transunion and put a freeze on your credit report. there's info at fdic.gov. that means nobody can access that credit info without your

information. >> other than the nsa. >> yes. >> it can mean a hold-up for you when you try to apply for a job or mortgage or a credit card. a fraud alert will let agencies know to give requests for your credit information with more scrutiny without outright stopping your credit card altogether. >> so i'm a target customer. i got the e-mail saying be aware that this is happening. it's very frustrating because it is, now, do i have to go back and cancel all of the -- i don't remember what credit card i used when i was a target. then it becomes an issue of -- well, you obviously have to look at all of your credit card statements very closely. you should be doing this anyway during the holidays and if anybody opens up their credit card during the holidays it's like, oh, my gosh. what did i do. >> it's only if you were in store. >> exactly. but it's frightening. it's another reminder to all of us how prevalent this kind of

thing is out there right now. and a lot of these are very organized crime organizations. >> and the scope of the perpetration is amazing. >> target is looking into it for the time being. they could really use some retail sales. hope those tips help out. we've got a great story to tell you about you. we're going to do our secret santa later in the show. >> coming up at 9:30. >> what if your secret santa was microsoft founder and world's richest person, bill gates. >> yes! >> one woman named rachel joined the online secret santa that matches random people for gift exchanges. her gift box contained a stuffed cow and confirmation of a donation made in her name of a cow via to charity heffer international. >> this is a really great

organization that the gates foundation is behind, bill and melinda gates. >> it's about hunger and poverty. >> right. >> she also received a book, national geographic journeys of a lifetime. and a picture of one bill gates holding the stuffed cow and a signed note that reads in part, "to rachel, my secret santa present to you is a cow. don't worry, you will for the have to build a barn. happy holidays, bill gates." >> he kind of looks like dennis the menace's father. >> show me the picture again. >> fantastic. what a great story. and i guess reddit is doing that. they've done the secret santa a couple of years now. >> that's pretty cool. >> great of the gates foundation to do that as well. and obviously we're giving them pu publicity so it worked.

>> that's pretty good. a cow, you know -- >> a maserati to go along with the cow. i also want the cow. let's be clear. >> something for daddy. >> the $20 ceiling, not even close. are you guys in the market for a new home? >> sure, yeah. >> there is a hot, hot market. there's a four bedroom in pennsylvania being advertised as, quote, slightly haunted. >> what does that mean? >> nothing serious, though, end quote. the owner asking 144,000 bucks. here's what he says you get. the sounds of phantom footsteps, a strange knocking sound followed by a very quiet, hardly noticeable scream at 3:13 a.m. -- >> not 3:14. >> that, woulds because that's when we get up in the morning. >> there you go. >> if it screams, it's fine. >> he says it happens once a

week, twice a week tops. >> and then there's the image in your bathroom mirror or that could be you. >> 144,000, not far from scranton, pennsylvania. victorian. >> do we have any indication that the ghosts are there? >> have the ghost busters been there yet? >> anybody could say, hey, i have an something walking around in the attic. >> it's a nice house. >> are you suggesting that it may not be haunted? you're so cynical. >> what do you think, he's just doing this for publicity? >> he would never do that. >> never. >> if your house is haunted, is that a value add? plus, it's haunted. >> people love that kind of thing. >> the good news is, when you go on vacation you don't have to have anybody house sit. >> or maybe you could open it up to a haunted house tour. >> the possibilities are

endless. >> that's great the week before october 31st. you've got nothing. >> so you're not buying it at all? >> no. >> no? i mean, i think it looks like it has a tons of character, including ghosts. so i'd take a look. >> a ghost of a dead guy in the attic. >> remember we held our horrible holiday sweater party? >> yes, we did. >> we got so many entries. you guys did an incredible job. we're going to announce the winner in a minute. but mitsy -- i don't know how you can beat that. alexis cole from clarksburg, west virginia. >> she made that herself, by the way. >> and then from tucson, arizona. steven rogers from ureka springs, arkansas. and then dylan from texas. the winner is dylan martin!

dylan, whoa. what just happened? my eyes. wow! >> that is fantastic. >> tensil man here. >> how did you come up with this design? >> that's fantastic. >> how did you get through the tsa checkpoint? >> very tough. they had to open it up, it's all wired underneath the lights. >> what were you going for in. >> i was going for the most craziest randomest thing. >> you're a graphic designer. >> right. >> so you put stuff together all the time, radio it? >> yep. and usually it looks better than this, though. >> not a representation of your work. you're being creative. but you also call yourself the new age clark -- >> i tend to go a little over board on things. >> really? >> and you incorporated electronics, which is impressive. >> yep. there's three strands of lights,

nine to ten feet of tensil going on. >> is that hot? you must be sweating. >> not too bad. >> will you wear this around christmas or is it going in the trash can on your way out? >> well, i've got to keep it. >> send us your picture on christmas day with your family. >> does he get a prize? or is that being here? >> new york in christmas. who can beat it? >> get your picture taken under the christmas tree. >> congratulations. >> fantastic. great job. >> nice work. >> top that, people. all right. let's get a look at the weather. >> all right. we've got a lot to talk about coming up because we've got this system that really, in a sense, has two sides to it. so it's our top weather. we have two stories here. first of all, we've got this icy mess that's going to be causing big problems and then we've also got severe weather in the south. so here we go. show you, we've got this warm

air coming on in. so that's going to bring in moisture and heat. then, colder, arctic air in between it and that's where we see the battle zone. so by friday evening, this evening from kansas city, chicago, cleveland, watertown, icing. icing continues throughout central ohio, oklahoma. then, as we get into saturday afternoon, look how much rain into early sunday morning. we're talking about icing of up to half an inch. central oklahoma all the way up into the great lakes and there's snow with this system just west of chicago we're talking about 9 to 12 inches of snow. it's a severe snow system that brings in a risk of strong storms from austin to little rock. then saturday, this is the day that we're most concerned about, a risk of strong storms. we will probably see tornadoes on saturday and then as we move into sunday, more wet weather, more strong storms from mobile,

alabama, louisiana, all the way in happy friday, bay area. time now 9:11. temperature outside mostly in the 40s. climbing to the 50s in some cities. beautiful clear sky, and a nice-looking day shaping up. also, as we get into this weekend, we're going to warm up a touch, and christmas is looking fantastic. if you have friends, family coming into town, we'll end up in the mid 60s. 65 degrees come wednesday, christmas day, in san jose. hope you have a fantastic weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. >> thank you. coming up next, "picture perfect" right after this. . wow. 'swow," you know? wow. wow. that feels "wow." [ male annncer ] oral-b deep sweep, featuring 3 cleaning zones with dynamic power bstles th reach deep tween teeth

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>> a london theater collapse, a volcanic eruption and very cool selfie. >> that's what was captured in these memorable photos. >> and here with the stories is josh from huff post live. >> great to be here. >> let's start with this incredible picture we're seeing as we saw overnight in london, there was that theater collapse that happened in the theater district. >> yeah, the apollo theater. central london, 720 people sitting there watching a play on the west end running since last august. at 8:15 they hear a crackling and crumbling above them and the whole roof collapses. it's a miracle people weren't killed. more than 80 people injured. 7 of them seriously. but there were -- >> yeah. >> the firefighters say it was incredible. there had been thunderstorms and

rain. they think the water dripped down into the ceiling. >> thank god nobody was killed. >> wow. >> another story, this one here in the united states, a wildfire in big sur, california. >> fortunately, it seems like it's under control but over the weekend, on monday, the fire started erupting. condition 24 hours it had consumed i think 769 acres. you had 300 homes being evacuated. one of the homes destroyed -- i think there were 17 homes destroyed -- was the fire chief's home. that is especially sad. they thought we were out of the woods because it had been raining earlier this month and there wasn't much of a chance for fires and then it got super hot and dry. >> 79% contained. >> is that the latest figure? >> yes. >> let's check out mt. edna. this is just spectacular. >> beautiful. >> so we're looking at the southeastern edge of this -- this is europe's tallest volcano. it's europe's most active

volcano, part of italy. this is not an uncommon thing. 16 times this year we've already had eruptions but this is the biggest in a while. nobody has been hurt, nobody has been evacuated. it's spectacular. there's some beach-side resort towns and the italians are so used to this they walk around with umbrellas with the raining debris. you want me to tap dance? >> impressive. >> well, let's get to this incredible photo bomb moment by justin timberlake. take a look at this. can you imagine the fans? >> this is one of the brilliantly viral things that explodes overnight and no one is quite sure what happened and so this user posted it to reddit. i'm guessing it's in atlanta because that's where j.t. was doing his concert on tuesday. i have no reason to be able to

confirm that and j.t. sees them doing a selfie and just photo bombs them. he's such a good sport. >> that's a framer right there. >> meanwhile, justin timberlake and jimmy fallon hosting "snl." >> can't imagine a better photo bomb. on broadway together -- >> i love it. >> we add a third member to the crew. >> a, they are wearing matching christmas-themed colors and santa looks confused a little bit. >> i think he thinks they've been bad boys. >> i love their bromance. they are doing no man's land and by the way it's gotto. but they are having a great time. they are taking selfies of themselves from wall street, from the empire state building.

it's really sweet. >> they are asking santa for a tony, i think. >> and they might just get one. >> josh, great italian accent. come back any time. >> next time i'll do it entirely in an italian accent. >> i like it. coming up next, randi zuckerberg is going to help us find the perfect gift and track santa from your smartphone. but first, these messages. and you appreciate the ings i d d becae we'll alwa be a family. tell me i ing out the best in you. ♪ that you're thankful. ♪ that it won't be the same without me. tell me you love m even if you sait every day. just tell me. [ ma announcer ] everyone you love has something th need to hear oliday. tellhem with a hallmark card.

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taking a look at the headlines, a warning for holiday shoppers who may be tempted by store credit card offers. the upfront savings you get by signing up will be less than what you pay later in interest. it suggests you skip any offer that doesn't give you a 10 to 15% discount. be aware that they can actually reach up to 25% or more and ask about the grace period to find out how long you have to pay off the balance without interest. after the holiday shopping rush, then come the massive returns and people will be facing even tighter rules. a survey from consumerworld.org found three big box stores are shortening their return windows. so you want to be sure to check out those receipts. >> and did you know the most wonderful time of the year is the most dangerous time of year for drivers. public safety experts say more crashes are likely to occur in the six days surrounding christmas than in the days

surrounding new year's. the majority are fender benders. important recall information for parents with young children. playtex is recalling more than 300,000 of its hip hammock infant carriers saying the buckles can crack or break. parents should stop using them. the company is offering refunds. and first lady michelle obama in the holiday spirit as she helped to sort out hundreds of toys at a military base in washington on thursday. presidential staffers donated the gifts as part of the marine corps toys for tots campaign. she thanked service members and their families for all they do throughout the year while still finding time to volunteer. well don there. let's send it back to willie and al. >> good job by the first lady there. >> coming up, i meet one of my childhood idols. natalie sings and al rubs elbows with the vice president when we look back at all the fun we had this year. >> we have unbelievable appetizers that are going to be

so easy for you. it's all coming up after your local news and weather. with somebody who actuy knows how. you shouldsk san for a new face. i'm about to deck your halls. did u ge tank you note? tanks for e mories. whatcha doing? whoa - hey! ju, uh...watching the newsws a lot of unrest ov there in... this looks like. merry christmas! yoshld ask santa for a place to hide. rad m for mare. give battlefield 4 and all the hottest ea games with up to $ bus in-game content. only at walmart. i just served my mothein-law ur chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ ftly ] she's right bd me isn't she? [ male announcer ] proesso. yogotta taste this soup.

good morning. it's 9:26. that breaking news is going on in san jose. that is where a car crashed into a house near the intersection of blossom avenue and santa theresa boulevard. at least two people are injured. we're hearing there could be as many as six people hurt. crew hz to rescue one person who was trapped. our helicopter is on the way to eçe scene.i crews headed there as well. police are investigating a deadly crash in san francisco. a garbage truck has hit and killed a pedestrian in the tender loin neighborhood. happened about 7:30 near the intersection of jones and o'ferrell. he was hit by a garbage truck that was backing up. this is the third deadly crash involving an ecology garbage

truck since may. an oakland teenager declared brain dead after having her tonsils removed will have their attorney file an injunction. it would prevent doctors from taking the 13-year-old off a ventilator at least through the holidays. we're going to have a look at weather and traffic after this.

we're going to hit about 62 degrees in san jose. elsewhere i'm forecasting low to mid 60s. 63 in san francisco. 65 in the north bay. our air quality has dramatically improved. this is where we're headed. this is the overall trend. it's going to be warmer throughout the next couple of days. want to focus on san jose just to give you a taste of how nice it is going to be on monday. 63 the monday before christmas. as we progress deeper into next week, temperatures are actually going to stay nice and stead where i. we'll be at 64 degrees as we get into early next week. here's mike. >> we're looking at oakland where we have a slow drive north

past high street. one car on the shoulder there, but it's a little distraction. not a big deal. we have the slower drive continuing to increase in speeds, and we had an earlier crash that held things up a bit towards 23rd. another issue at northbound 880 that did not result in anything. we thought we had -- that's not there. alamo and danville has just started to clear for 680 as well. that's much better through that stretch, and slowing through palo alto. still 101 after an earlier crash. back to you. >> all right, mike. thanks very much. another local news update in half hour. to those who've waited... worried... poked and prodded... taken risks... and lived in a state of "what if?"... welcome to a new state... of health. welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage. financial help for those in need. and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition.

enroll now at coveredca.com or call 1-800-752-6631. welcome back to "today" on a friday morning, december 20th, 2013. great holiday crowd outside. i'm willie along with al and natalie and the time has come guys, our secret santa exchange. >> are you ready? >> we drew names earlier this week. >> are you ready? >> yes. >> am i going first? >> ladies first. >> well, i drew willie which was easy to figure out who got what. but anyway, since i feel like i'm somewhat responsible for what happened here a little while ago, i'm going to let you open that first. >> what happened? >> we'll see. just open it up. rip it open. >> i'm trying to respect your wrapping. >> oh, it's not my wrapping. >> quote, your wrapping. >> oh, wow.

>> hey! >> it's horrifying. >> i thought you should forever be immortalized. >> that is fantastic. >> how much was the frame? >> that was free. it was in my office. >> okay. >> but there's a little extra something that goes along with it. no shave november, we loved seeing you go through the facial hair growth process. but since you're now so clean-cut and well shaven. >> the art of saving. >> that's a travel set for you to pack when you go to sochi. >> that is awesome. >> how much was this? >> that was $25. >> you went over. >> i went over by $5. it's hard under 20. >> kristina, where should we put this in the apartment? >> where's the trash compactor? >> this is porn star willie. >> it's even worse than i remember.

>> sorry. i got lost in it for a second. i guess i'll go next. i drew al roker. >> oh, look at this. >> picture as well. >> or poster perhaps. >> you have inspiration in getting the gift. >> there you go. >> it's kind of a walk through our year together. >> oh, look at this. >> see, we all have similar ideas. fantastic. >> the make-out session. >> nice. >> cuddling in the canoe. >> and my favorite, when jeanine driver violated you. >> that was al's favorite of the year. so that's a little something for above the mantle. >> i love it. >> the good news is, the restraining order is still on her. >> so, natalie, merry christmas. >> thank you. >> i saw this and thought of you. your more athletic side and artistic side and it's a wonderful organization. >> oh, okay. >> this is a sweet gift, then. >> well, i think so. >> this is an inspirational

gift, you said. okay. what have we got here? oh, very cool. >> it's a dance top. >> this is fan as it stick. i love that. >> if you're in new york and you haven't seen it you have to go. >> go. >> my parents said it was the most exciting performance. >> so incredible. >> change your life. >> i love this. all right. let's show you what is going on around your part of the country. wait a minute. you told me to go to local and then you show this. minneapolis, boom. that's not minneapolis. this could have turned out pretty nicely. risk of strong storms on saturday from the gulf coast into the ohio river valley. icy conditions from new england into oklahoma. and then sunday, sunday, we're looking at more strong storms 9:33. good friday morning to you. you've made it to the end of the

week. temperatures are warming up nicely. we're close to 50 degrees in places like san francisco. nice comfortable finish for the day. temperatures are going to climb by a couple of degrees. breezy at times. nice clean air quality as we fwet into your weekend. subtle changes to tell you about. we'll see low clouds tomorrow morning, and then warming you up tomorrow afternoon by two to three degrees. sunday looks pretty good. cold start. comfy finish, and christmas day temperatures are going to climb into the mid 60s. >> and that's your latest weather. guys? >> thank you. >> in case you need reminding, it's the last weekend before christmas. many of you may be rushing to get the last-minute gifts. >> or if you're done, curl up in front of the fireplace, even if you don't have one. here to show us some of the greatest apps for the holidays is randi zuckerberg ceo and founder of zuckerberg media and author of dotcome complicated. >> happy friday. >> happy friday.

>> i love this one. this is to help you get organized. it's called easily do and it acts like a personal assistant. >> it does. every year i make the new year's resolution to get more organized and this app is helpful. it can send you wake-up information about your daily commute. it will text your spouse when you're leaving work automatically so they know. you can also sync it to your e-mail. that's a really great one. >> so goes through your calendar and sorts it out for you. >> so kind of goes through your calendar and sorts it through for you? >> great deal. >> now for people out shopping, sale sorter is a good one to find sales near where you live. >> exactly. so you can actually go through and star your favorite stores. it will alert you when there's sales going on at any of your favorite stores or let's say you're standing in the middle of the shopping mall you can click location nearby and it will show you who is having a sale near you in the mall. >> okay. >> really helpful for that last-minute holiday shopping.

>> there's also a site where we can use social media to help find a more personal gift for somebody you love. this is called picky gifts. >> picky gifts. i actually searched for the perfect gift for willie. it thought willie is a man of style. a movie buff. i saw you doing that earlier this year, fitness buff, so automatically i said relaxed preppy. i think that's pretty good. and then it generated a perfect list of gifts. i can get you an nfl snack helmet. i can get you a wireless sleep device. all sorts of things customized. >> thank you, randi. i wasn't expecting that. that's fantastic. what a great segment this has turned out to be for me. how about the app instead, shows how giving a small amount can make a big difference. >> this encourages you to make small changes in order to give back. instead of buying that latte every day, maybe you only buy it every other day and instead you donate the $3 to charity. so i really like that. although it does have here

instead of dining out for lunch, i want to know where someone is dining out for lunch for $5. >> yeah. >> because it's probably not here in new york. >> real quick and i think we're going to skip ahead is the santa claus or christmas eve tracker. we love that. google santa tracker. >> this is a really, really fun one. if your kids are excited about santa, it actually shows you a countdown until santa comes and on christmas you can follow along on google maps and see where santa is and the technology behind the slides. >> i love that and the norad site. that shows you exactly where santa is on christmas eve. randi thank you so much. >> man of style. >> yes. coming up next, quick bites you can whip up in no time to bring to a holiday party or serve at your own. right after this. al is busy in the kitchen. ow!

so you think santa ll like these... red and green m&m's?s? i don't know! whaaaaa! he does ext! they do exist! uhm... santa?

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the chef wh t greatest name ev. the executive chef h recipes we can make in minutes. >> thanks f having me. >> all ght. what we're doing here is going to make a little cranberry apple jam. methinrely mple. you don't he time, get really gat jam. we have a going on there. we have appl som cranbey. a littleit of sur. we can do a little bit of orange

zest. sur easy. make it well in vance. you're good with the herbs, al >> okay. >> touch of onge juice. >> how long do you cook that wn to? >> until it breaks down. the cranberries break down. have a little sug going on ere. we'll do little bit rig here. >> yea >> and we're going tohrow those on the grill. >> yeah. >> ty brown up. >> w can put them in e oven also. >> wt kind of ead? >>baguette. anything thasaying ound. doesn't matter ift's fresh because we're going to tstt ckp. how b of a chunk of brie should you have? >> a big as you're in the mood for. >> we can top it with that. so that comes out nicend bbly. and this one love right here. this is our crab cake wh tabao caar. what we do is we aually don use any bret all. th iss a little egg and weake

it in the mfinti >> bigger tins tre if you want to have itores an entree. finger food here. a littleit of chive onp. >> talk to me about the tabasco caviar. >> you take oil and eat it up and drop it in a it fms balls. it is amazing. and if you guys everake it out to san diego or los angeles, i have restaurantsut erer al i keep it real my restaurants are named sere sucker. >> that's fantastic. >> that will we you up in the morning. >> got ttry this. >> super easy. super n. try them. come visit me in january in california for the restaurant moh and checkut our new restaurant. >> happy holidays. we havehe recipe o today.com. >>ing next, we earss ourselves allver again. al, natie and i take aook back at the good times we've had this year ght after this. >> hey now.

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yeah we'll split it. [ female annouer ] made fresh, light, buttery and akey that's half. that's not half! guys, i have more. thanks, mom. [ female announcer ] do you have enough pillsbury crescents? is holiday we're and putting down pnes. 're rsi our glasses and lifting our spirits. re, the hottest gift is a fresh baked breadstick. heartwarming new recipes are coming rightut of thov. and were toung the classics oitaly witht leaving the e ble. at olive garden, the bestholiday gift is being togeth. so join us! cause 're all family here. gea free $10 bonus offer whenu.

oh, wt a year has been. who can forget wile ripping off his t-shirt with his ildhood idol hulk n. >> o whatbout you getting a vocal lesson from la minnelli. >> or alhaking handsith the vice president during t inaugural parade. >> here the fun we've d. >> aouncer: this is today' take with al roker, natalie moles, and williegeist. ome into you ro, you have

watch this. >> what i really lovbout todas take is reay that anything can happen. >> yeah. there is a show plan, but thatomes acss o the air. he o >> it's just really funo let ose a little bit. > you nailedthat. >> re's what's happening in yo neck of t woods. >> ebody sees natalie as this great mom. >>eave momm alone. >> this pfessiona newscast. >> the's a darkide there. >> this beautif angelic face. >> what is going on withon jovi. >> com really strange stuff. >> shoppin and wchin porn at theametime. >> people playing with my hair. >>illie is the annoyin younr brother.

>> mommy p some wine -- >> willie is sport a hydropack. >> natalie lat this afternoo will be doina draticeading from 50 shades of grey. >> he has this thing where he lifts his eyebrow. >> what's up with your ordination willie. >> let it go. >> setimes iomeut a who knows what's going to happen. al is that crazy uncle. >> you are ait crazy, aren't you? >> pay no ation to e men hind the man. >> he has every reference from every movie, tv show. hey lady. >> that's wt's going on around the country. here's what's happeni -- >> willie and al have something going on. thers no question. they he lied abo their whereabouts to get some a

time. >> we were together. >> ah, wewere. >> there is a bromance tha manifested ielf in pretty remarkable ways. >> il cuddle you. >> it's just going to be you and me. >> yeah. >> bromance. [ music playing >>hey, hey, he >> hey little thing let me- that's it. >> t world will be aetter ace. >> oh. ♪ pour someugar on me

>> hit it natalie. ♪one, two, three strikes you're out a the old ball ♪ doing over there?hat are you >> i'm diginight now. >> i he to tell you how hot a rug of che hair is. >> i think that's whattodas take is all about. you have a take. we have a take. and all tether it's areat conversation. >> athis point i can't imagine my morning without natalie and al. >> you're a vylessed person you enjoyhat you and you t to do it with peoe you enjoy. >> i just le you guys. >> so touching. >> if you really loveud, you won' sing in 201414 >>ot a chance. >> not achance. le means never singing again. >> bigger and bolder in 2014.

>> none ofhose good times happ without theincredible am we have. the producer, our crew. let'srt with our producer that put that together. at a greatiece but really our enti team. >> erybody down onheontrol room. l the folks that arehere. >> you guys make i fun fors every morning and you let us be ourselved you let me sing. >> no, you jus sing. we don't let you sing. >> oh. >> we'realking tour executive pr abo jus maybe curtailing the singing a ttle bit. cutting m off. >> yeah. put the seven sond delay in >> for the shake of the viewers at home. >> thank y to the viersor a great year. we can't wait for anoth one. we're backn a moment. this is "today" on nbc. >> sing u out. ♪ i

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donated asart of thi year's total, gethis guys, to 3$363 million. >> she is the star ofhe dney xd serie kicking it. >> good to see you. >> you tipped off wityour swear. >>elus what you're donating thisear. >>120,000n hel kitty merchandise. for e toy drive and i'm really grateful and happy to be able to be a part o it. >> i loved hello kitty growing up and you love hello kty as well >> i have been a fan since i was a little girl. >> thank you. merr ristma >> thank you. >>e want to he a bighanks tour t drive team. >> job well do.

good morning. 9:56. i'm terry mcsweeney updating you now on that breaking news going on in san jose where a car crashed into the porch of a house at the intersection of blossom avenue and santa theresa boulevard. firefighters at the scene tell us it started as a crash between

two cars. one of the cars had ended up on the front porch of the home. one person was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. we're told that she is responsive. we have a crew headed to the scene. we'll have more information as it cams into our newsroom. the search is on for a home suspect in the burglary in los altos hills. you are looking at him. deputies say the men seen here broke into a home on barry hill lane at the sliding glass door. no one was home at the time. they ransacked the home and took off with a jewelry box. let's check the weather. here is christina loren. >> we're looking over here to the san mateo bridge. beautiful weather over here. not as much haze in the past days. we'll look across the bridge and see how things are going. a live look shows you also here the westbound direction away from us. moves nicely over to the 101 and 280. slow through san mateo, and an

earlier stall cleared about five minutes ago just past the toll plaza. a little slowing in both directions for 808 past the coliseum. now, nbc has had a heavier flow of traffic. the southbound side we did have a crash earlier about an hour and a half ago at high street. didn't see any heavy impact after that crash cleared. then a sudden burst of traffic slowing in the southbound direction. yesterday they were also crews heading south of the coliseum, and that caused a slowdown there on that said of the bay. on the peninsula side 1 on 1 moves smoothly, and typical slowing into san francisco for 101 as well as for 280. back to you. >> thanks very much. we'll have another local news update for you in half hour. hope you can join us.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody, it is try day friday, december 20th. in something called a what? >> a twinsy. >> this is supposed to be good for couples. this is an actual thing. just so you know, it's like being in a potato sack race because we have our legs, one of our legs -- >> don't jump, i can't go with you. >> it's supposed to ensure -- >> it's great in high heels. aren't you going to move in there? >> we're going to pivot, we're

going to pivot. >> i'm with you, i got you. okay, hody, all right. good girl. 1, 2, 3. this is an xl. >> i just feel a lot closer to you. i understand why this probably works. i would suggest that people go to couples therapy wearing this. >> it's $0. >> yeah, there's a little hole -- >> i'm so glad, because you never know. >> the original factory shop -- okay, i don't know. it's missing an "m." >> what? >> you go that way, i'll go this way. >> i have to go this way, i have to go this way. >> all right, i'm crossing your leg. is someone talking to us? >> i don't know. >> all right, so let's go to our social cues column. because if you're having visitors come for the holiday, it might help, a lot. >> phil got a tricky question. the woman wrote -- >> what did she write? >> she wrote this. this is kind of surprising to

me. she invites friends to her cabin in the weekend. she always expects her guests to help a little with expenses like contributing to the cost of meals and gas. she says, this is her quote, she gets resentful when they don't offer to pay. >> they're in the mountains. why do they need gas money? they got there and then they're going to get in their car and go. where are they going that they have to pay for gas? >> grocery store nearby. >> is it appropriate to ask invited guests to pay? >> no, it's a ridiculous statement. >> phil says, we all have our own expectations of houseguests. i'm thrilled if mine don't wreck the place. if you want guests to help with expenses you need to make that clear with the initial invitation. >> if i was invited to someone's house, they lived in a cabin, and they said, would you mind kicking in for food and gas, i would feel guilty that i hadn't -- because i usually offer something, like, let me take you to dinner.

but i think it's a strange request to expect your guests to pay for the gas in the car. >> i think there are other underlying issues that the lady has. >> why would you ever go back to that cabin? why would you have friends that wouldn't offer? w why, oh, why. why are we doing this segment? >> why are we wearing this snuggy? >> it's a twinsy. >> it's hot. >> i've never had any complaints, baby. yet another new study, giving pets for christmas. >> all right, so here's the question. >> what's that we hear at the door? [ doorbell rings ] >> you heard it's a bad yidea t give a pet for christmas, turns out it's not. >> you gave cinnamon to the little boy. with riley. look. cinnamon lee has grown. >> cinnamon lee is huge. >> adorable. >> according to a study done by the aspca, 86% of pets given to

a new family at christmas, they end up keeping it. >> your leg is very bizarre. >> we'll wait to we get a -- >> it's also a hoody. >> this is my leg. >> it's smooth. >> what is your leg -- >> come on, hoda, we're bonding, come on. >> what do you think? >> i don't know what we're doing. >> what most legs do when they get around you. >> all right, i understand, i see the appeal. people surveyed said -- first of all, what -- >> why are we doing this segment? >> people give pets for christmas and you always hear it's a bad idea. >> but it's not necessarily so. now they're doing extra packages and things at christmastime. >> i feel like i should -- >> let's go on. you know, we're not into this, it's obvious. >> all right, we did ask you

guys, we wanted to see your holiday trees, your christmas trees. last year, we showed you -- >> we showed you ours. beautiful. with the white lights and the beautiful bow. mine is pretty too. anyway, you guys have also sent your trees in to us on facebook. we wanted to pick up -- look at this classic tree. it's doing well. tracy greco's white-themed tree. >> that's beautiful. >> i like that. i like white. >> i do too. some unconventional ones. angie bloggette does an upside down tree. she hangs it from the -- >> you know what, i would love her. yeah. >> next is a happy pink tree decorated with shoes. by lisa. nothing says christmas like shoes. >> all right, finally, dora talbot says she -- >> that's hoda's. >> i thought it was mine. >> she did a charlie brown tree. don't sit back, it's not comfy for me. >> do everything together. >> all righty. this is a baby sloth that was

born. what's cuter than a baby sloth? >> this is the aquarium at baltimore. look at the video of the baby sloth named scout along with mom ivy. >> ivy. >> making the first public appearance. >> aw. >> the baby was born last month. they still don't know if it's a boy or girl. apparently, you don't know the sex for a few years after the birth. >> when they hit puberty, it's obvious. >> they sleep 20 hours a day. i would love that. >> so does frank! >> that would be the best. >> so what's so unusual about that? and sloths can mate and give birth while hanging upside down. >> i knew you could make a baby that way, i just didn't know you could deliver it that way. another study, hoda. >> yes, it says it is better to be right than give in during an argument. that is a terrible -- >> i always think that's -- what am i supposed to do with that? >> a lot of times in

relationships, someone just agrees with the other's opinion rather than start an argument. the question is, is that a good thing? according to the british report on the -- would you stop with your leg? i'm hot. relationship broke up, hoda because -- really is. so if you want me to go, you want to break up with me, then make me stop doing what i'm doing to your leg. >> just move over a little. it's hot. >> see, we're having one of those kinds of -- that's exactly what they're talking about. we're having an argument. one of us has to give in. but the report says we shouldn't because it does not bring long-term happiness. it might make you cooler but -- >> pride and stubbornness actually encourages good mental health. >> i find that strange. >> i think at some point, some partner has to -- >> has to give a little bit, anyone who has ever been in one knows that. >> i'd rather be the person saying i'm sorry. >> it would just be easier. >> yeah, you don't want to be a doormat. >> a doormat, no.

>> all right, it is time for -- >> please, my leg, you're hot! >> we have a friday fund, okay. >> please stop it. >> santa claus is in the mall seeing the little children. he saw an older woman standing in line among the little children. santa was' little confused because he doesn't usually get requests from adults but he let the woman come up to see him. what do you want for christmas, santa claus asked. i want something for my mother, please, said the woman. santa smiled and said, well, that is very thoughtful and loving of you. of course. what would you like me to bring your mother for christmas? she thought about it a moment and she said, "a son-in-law." >> move your leg. >> all right. >> thank you. see. doesn't it feel better? >> no, i liked it. >> time for today's johnson's baby announcement. >> celebrating new moms and they're adorable new families.

samantha grace. she was born october, in mesa, california. the little girl's mom says baby samantha has already become best friends with the family's two dogs. send a picture of that. we'd love to see it. now to a baby born in mobile, alabama. colin brett. he weighs 8 pounds, 15 ounces at birth and his parents offered this advice to new parents, savor every sleeping moment you can get. >> next up is logan. he was born in virginia. his mom and dad say their son is a real busy bee who can't seem to stay still. >> that's right. our final johnson's baby of the week is sadie fern. oh, my goodness. born on november 4th in waterloo, iowa. her mom says little sadie loves to cuddle and watch hoda and kathie lee. we could get her in here. congratulations. go to klgandhoda.com for

detailings. >> we have to talk about this shoe. it's $120. >> it's a real shoe? >> it's not, but it's -- >> it's a green grass shoe. >> it's just a fess thiv thing. we thought you might like it. >> all right, we have the preview of all the big movies opening next week, but are they worth the price of the popcorn? jason kennedy is here. get me out of the twinsy! >> right after this. verizon has the latest smartphones on america's largest 4g lte network. what does lte actually mean? it's a faster form of wireless communication. it stands for long term evolution. or maybe, it's love these electronics. he loves this stuff. yeah me too. look. touch. everything. or maybe it's lightspeed. transfer. engage. i exceeded the punch line quota didn't i? own the season with our low price guarantee on the latest verizon 4g lte smartphones, like the samsung galaxy s4 for just $99. walmart.

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mmmm... tastes amazing, right? i feel better already. [ donkey brays ] [ man ] two minutes! tea time. [ female announcer ] for a little oomph, try new lipton natural energy tea. [ donkey brays ] christmas is always a big day at the box office. >> there are all kinds of fun films. here to give us the insiders

look is e! news correspondent and our good pal jason kennedy. >> a lot of movies happening. >> like six. >> i think seven. >> that's unusual. my first one is "wolf of wall street" because it's my favorite actor, leonardo dicaprio. it's based on a true story. it's a martin scorsese film. jonah hill's in it, matthew mcconaughey. it's not a killedd's movie. running time of about three hour. leo was nominated for a golden globe. >> is it wall streetish, like kind of like that a little bit? >> yeah. >> "the secret life of walter miltie." >> ben stiller, kristen wiig. he's had this anonymous life, just going through the motions. >> the invisible guy. >> not really enjoying work but at work he always is day dreaming. finally, he gives into those daydreams and goes on this wild epic adventure.

i've heard good things. it looks interesting. >> is this a remake? what was "the secret life of walter mitty," i've heard of it -- >> i believe it was a book or remake of a movie. i got to do my research a little bit better on that. >> i'm sorry. >> somebody's been having a little too much -- >> kate, was it a remake? >> it was a book. >> it was a book, i guess i was right. >> we should explain why you might be nervous. >> his mother's here. >> mom makes him nervous. >> how cute is she? >> look at that top hat. >> all bundled up. because she's from ft. lauderdale, florida. >> just for this, just for my segment. >> to see her boy. >> love mama. >> the next movie, "the invisible woman." >> directed by ralph fiennes. he plays charles dickens, of course, the world's most beloved author. it focuses on his crazy wild affair with a 17-year-old actress at the time. sir charles wallace 45 years old. he was married for 20 years. he had 10 kids.

nobody knew this was going on until after his death. >> this is true? >> this is an accurate portrayal. >> who plays the young -- is that scarlett johansson? who plays the young girl? >> it's not scarlett johansson. >> kate, who's the -- >> kristin -- >> okay, but felicity's in it as well. >> all right, there we go. >> kate winslet is in the next one you like. "labor day." >> she got nominated for a golden globe. she's a divorced mom. she's depressed. she goes to the store with her boy. all of a sudden, josh approaches them, insists they take him home. turns out he's a convict on the run. but starts falling for the convict on the run. >> oh, no. >> she's great in this. >> it is josh brolin after all. >> got to help a little bit. i've heard great things about this. we end with "august osage county." they made some changes. >> we loved the play. >> not really to the movie but the release date, it's not december 25th anymore, they

moved it to december 27th. a limited release in new york and l.a. then going wide in january. >> yeah, a lot of oscar nominations. >> absolutely, julia and meryl streep. you can't go wrong in this. they both got a golden globe nomination. it's family dysfunction, a dark movie, but wonderful, wonderful cast, ensemble. >> our crack research team has come up with some information. >> "the secret life of walter mitty" was a film in 1947. >> who starred in it? >> it was danny kay. >> i loved him. >> it was a book, like i said. >> who wrote it? >> i believe james thurboro i believe. >> that's right. >> you're a genius. >> thank you, jason. >> hey, i'll be here all day. >> we love you. okay, gifts that prove it's the thought that counts. >> bobby's all abuzz with presents that will not cost you a thing right after this. i had ongoing pain. an intense ache all over. it was hard to do what mattered. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia...

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it is time for bobbie's buzz. >> don't bust your budget because meaningful always will trump a must have. >> bobbie thomas is here to share some that will have you having good thoughts. >> this is where my inner geek shines. i love this and it's great for the last minute. crew yacreate a memory card box. whether you fill it with old

photos or -- i made this for my mom. >> bobbie. that's her mother. that's imelda marcos. >> i like shoes. then you can also create a perpetual memory box where you just separate by month so somebody can record what they did on that day every year. you can also create when you need it notes. so that when somebody's feeling sad or wants a laugh, you open when and you can customize it. >> i love that. >> these are things you can repurchase around the house or this is $1.40 at staples to get the organizer. next, coupons have been around forever. you can think about the person and personalize them and print them out. you can do anything from promising to clean out a closet, give somebody the chance to flake, no excuses needed. and you can also diy an of the month club. for grandma, art of the month. that comes with a letter. accessory of the month, courtesy of my closet. or cookie of the month for dad.

>> these are cute. >> and then last but not least, you can do what i call the ciy for dummies. take an old book and use an exacto knife and simply carve it out so you have a little secret book nook. or simply grab markers and all those mismatched mugs. you can create anything quotable or anything that will inspire. i love this quote that says a woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until you put her in hot water. >> oh, that's cute. >> way to go bobbie. >> really lovely ideas. >> bobbie, you have a little time what are you doing for the holidays with your hubby? >> i get to go home. >> first time being a married lady. >> we're learning to split the jewish and catholic thing so we're going home for christmas but we spent the holidays, hanukkah, at his parents. >> did you already pick something, a gift? >> no, it's really hard. >> he already got the greatest gift you can get. i've never seen a man so in love. >> aw. >> only bambino looks at somebody like that. that is love.

>> i'm very excited for you. >> you had a good year. >> you're always so generous and thank you for opening your home and your heart. >> she had a beautiful wedding. it was great. >> happy holidays, everyone. >> is it okay to regift? >> follow the etiquette just ahead. >> and mary j. blige gets you in the holiday spirit. all of that is coming up after your local news. did you get chips for the party? nope. [ ding ] cheese plate? cheese plate. no, i made something better. you used the oven?

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it's 10:26. i'm terry mcsweeney. a car crashed into the porch of ipblossom avenue and sa boulevard. firefighters tell us it started

as a crash between two cars, and one of the cars ended up on the front porch of the home. one person taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, but we are told she is responsive. a live report on nbc bay area news at 11:00. we'll take a break and have traffic and weather after this.

>> welcome back. pretty day shaping up. i want to start to show you a couple of things. beautiful blue sky overhead. yeah, a couple of ripples out there on the water, but it's not as choppy on the bay as it was yesterday. those winds have started to die

down. temperatures today will be comfortable. we'll end up in the 60s across the board. 63 in san francisco. 63 degrees in san jose for today. overall looking good. breezy at times. it is the final full day of fall. by tomorrow we kick off winter, and low clouds return. two to three degrees warmer. we'll keep that warmup going for your sunday. let's check your drive. especially around the mall. >> stanley station has major delays heading into richmond and daley city. direction still heading top of the east bay or off into the water, there are equipment problems. that's all we have. major delays out of san leandro. we have slowing now north 87 as you are heading up. my friend will, one of our directors, sent me a message saying there's a crash there involving several vehicles. one lane now closed. it was very slow through the area heading up into downtown. look at the bay bridge toll plaza, and a nice new flow of traffic as well. no backup, and we have the metering lights off.

we have a slow flow of traffic through the maze. back to you. >> we'll have more local news corrupt in a half hour at 11:00. see you then. we're back with more on this try day friday with more on how to handle awkward moments that come along with holiday celebrations no matter who you are. >> gift giving, friend's festivities, we have the answers. >> this time of year brings it all out. >> it's a frenzy. >> let's start with one of the main questions. should you or should you not give your boss a gift. >> that's a big question. the protocol is no. you do not need to feel obligated. let me tell you, if you're sitting at your desk and you see all your co-workers sashaying to the boss's office with a wrapped gift. look at the kcorporate culture.

if you can join a group and give one gift, great. i would suggest something tiny, something small, something not personal because you don't want to look as if you're trying to ask for special favors. >> say you know what kind of cologne or perfume, is that too -- not cologne. how about if you know he or she is a sports fan and you get them something sports related. >> why are you saying him? >> i say he or she. >> i know. >> so just make sure that they -- here's the key, or here's a little, a little something to think about. if they can wear it, if it touches their body, don't get it. unless it's gloves. >> you don't want to be too personal with your boss. getting a guy cologne -- >> you don't want any office gossip. >> a question from south carolina. she's on skype. >> hi, kelly. >> hi, how are you? >> we're good. >> i would love to make new connections. would it be appropriate to pass out business cards at a holiday

function? >> ooh. >> the answer to that would be a no. because while the host is passing out hors d'oeuvres on one side of the room, you're passing out business cards at the other, and it looks like you're taking advantage of that party. we all want to make a good impression with new connections. rather than passing out business cards, just make a good impression. and if they ask, do you have a card, you say -- you know, you say, you know, i didn't bring any with me. don't bring them. it's not a lie if you don't have them. we look at it and say, oh, i like that person, and throw them away. >> how can you get in touch with someone then? the hostess -- is that all right to do? >> you can say, may i call you on monday, may i have your number? >> contact info. >> yes, absolutely. >> what about regifting. this is always full of land mines. >> i say yes to regifting but you have to regift with caution. so make sure it's new. make sure it's in the original

box. don't switch boxes to a better store, you know, than it came from. make sure when i give it to kathie lee, i've looked -- i've turned it upside down. normally people don't want to mess up the front, you know, the front of the bag or the box. they put the gift tag underneath. and you don't regift in circles of friends. so you two wouldn't regift each other's gifts. you would go outside that circle. >> hoda did with something jill gave her. >> yeah, i did. i gave it back to her. i gave it back. i didn't even remember. >> i took it from my tree. so be honest and say, listen, this scarf is -- >> i'm always honest, i say, i have six of these but i thought of you when i -- i thought you would love that. >> honesty is the best policy. >> last, if you have a nosy or rude family member -- >> everybody does. >> they won't stop asking you personal questions, what do you do? >> let's just say uncle joe sees

that new car you've saved up for and says, you know, are you sure you can afford that car out there and you just say, you know, i planned and i budgeted just like you taught me growing up. and it's what i have. do you like the color? and then you deflect. kind of change the subject a little bit. >> what about that age old awful thing, when are you going to have kids? or why aren't you two married yet? >> that is awful. you'll see their face. you know based on what they look like if it's sincere or if it's just nosy. just say, you know, when we decide, you are going to be on the list. >> all right. thanks very much. happy holidayings. the store shelves might be empty of christmas decorations -- >> but make your own, right after this. [ male announcer ] if you're a rinse user, you may have heard there's a new rinse that talks about protecting, even after eating and drinking. crest pro-health has always done that. and addresses all these other areas as well. rinsing with pro-health after brushing can take your oral health to a new level.

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if your house still is not decorated for the holidays and you can't find anything left on the store shelves, we've got just the help you need. >> that's right, he's frank fontana. he's brought his do it yourself ideas right here. he's the author of frank fontana's dirty little secrets of design. >> you have another little secret. europe going to be a daddy again! >> yes, my wife is pregnant. >> we're so happy for you. >> thank you. >> how old is your first one? >> he's about 2 1/2. he's pictured behind you. remember that day? i remember that. >> oh, memories. >> this is actually a great time to seque to our projects. reusing everything from the buttons in your home to the race in your yard. our first project here, you're

displaying so properly -- >> thank you. >> vana white. >> it's a garden rake turned into a christmas tree with a few simple buttons, a little hot glue. know you have issues trying to find the right place to put your holiday card. i thought that might be one solution. >> that's great. >> there's a lot of wonderful "today" show producer's adorable children. >> and this is just one of those simple little wreaths you get like at michael's or something. >> a great way to pay homage to family, friends, those who are no longer with us. i think that this could be another solution for your christmas cards too. >> i like the black and white. think it looks pretty. >> nostalgia. >> all right, girls. >> this looks scary. >> it does. >> everything else is pretty much wine related. >> i wonder where that got started? it's out of control, that's for sure. >> here's a really creative way to reuse some wine bottles. you're probably wondering how did the lights get in the bottle

without being stuffed through the top? >> how did they? >> with this magic tool. a drill buiit made specifically for glass. you want glove, goggles, a little tape in the back in the area you're drilling. make sure you secure the bottle with maybe somebody holding it. >> that's crazy. >> it's warm. >> you want to keep the top open because -- or use led lights. if that doesn't work for you, stuff them through the top. >> yeah, looks good. >> make it happen. wine glasses, everybody has extra wine glasses laying around. i'm sure you got a couple. >> turn them upside down, ornaments underneath. on top -- i know. shove. >> shove is not a great word. >> i tried delicately putting them in. it doesn't work. shoving them works better. so this is a little trick i use during the holidays. candles, if you're doing something like this, and you got

kids around, they're going to ne knock them over. these have wax on the outside so they look real. that's a good use for your old wine glasses. as far as centerpieces go, this is a little something different. i regifted this. somebody gave it to me and i reused it. again, using the moss as a base. took some terra cotta pots. my trusty battery powered candle again. shoved it right in there. >> easy, easy. >> a little fluff. >> we'll do it. >> we'll talk about the corks. you got your wine bottles. the glasses. now the corks. >> isn't that cute? >> how adorable. >> so these are little ornaments you can make with the kids. i suggest you man the glue gun. >> what do you do? >> i'll have you each do one. >> we're warmed up here and primed. >> the technique, real simple, take your corks, stack them with the body and legs first. then take your glue on the bit.

stick it together. be creative. use this as a -- >> you mean a bigger one? >> i don't really know what i'm doing. >> just pretend you know what you're doing. stick them on the legs. the body. then the head over here. >> i don't really -- >> for the ears, you just take pipe clean, wrap it around, poke them in the top. i don't know what -- yeah, you probably don't want to get that on your fingers. >> no, no, no. >> keep your children away from this. >> that's why i say you man the gun. >> we got it. >> you are really good, on it. what's next? >> lastly, i like this. this to me brings it all home. it's the urban christmas tree. the reclaimed christmas tree. i call this the wish tree. i brought this special little blessing for kathie lee. you're all about bringing the joy, hoda. as your family come, over, you

give them an ornament, you hang them. i got two little hooks for you guys to make a wish. >> that new baby is born safe and happy and healthy. have a great, great new year. >> thank you very much, merry christmas. >> thank you so much, frank. >> mary j. blige gets us in the holiday spirit. >> her first christmas album. 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 a free $10 bonus offer when you purchase a $50 gift card. jingle all the way... ♪ells, ring in the holidays with buy one get one free family sleepwear ...like joe boxer.

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mary j. blaj ige is called queen of soul. she's sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. >> now she's released her very first holiday album. here is mary j. blige singing "this christmas."

♪ ♪ hang all the mistletoe, i'm going to get to know you better ♪ ♪ this christmas ♪ and as we trim the tree ♪ how much fun it's going to be together ♪ ♪ this christmas ♪ fire bright and blazing ♪ we're caroling through the night ♪ ♪ and this christmas ♪ will be a very special christmas for me ♪

♪ my world is filled with cheer ♪ ♪ this christmas ♪ and as i looked around ♪ this christmas ♪ fireside blazing bright ♪ we're caroling through the night ♪ ♪ and this christmas will be ♪ a very special christmas for me ♪ ♪ merry christmas all over the land ♪

♪ it's christmastime ♪ it's christmastime ♪ oh fireside blazing bright ♪ we're caroling through the night ♪ ♪ this christmas will be a very special christmas for me yeah ♪ ♪ merry christmas all over the land ♪ ♪ have a very merry christmas yeah ♪ ♪ and a happy new year yeah ♪ i hope that it's full of cheer everybody ♪

♪ i hope you get everything everything you wanted for christmas ♪ ♪ i hope your families are together ♪ ♪ i hope everyone is safe and sound ♪ ♪ merry christmas everybody ♪ yeah yeah yeah >> mary j.! >> love her. >> very special gift for me that's music to my ears. >> yes, you're going to find out. first, this is "today" on nbc.

christmas is the season of giving so i presented kathie lee with a gift that was very, very precious to me. >> i already love this because it's me. >> okay. so, is it better to give than to receive? take a look. >> hey, hoda, woman, what you

doing? >> i'm getting ready for the holidays. >> what did you get me? >> you're not supposed to ask but i got you the one thing you have always wanted. >> but i already have everything i've always wanted, hoda, i have you. >> oh, god, okay, not really. okay, but you're never going to guess this in a million years. >> world peace. >> the cure to all disease. >> i know, immortality. >> i'm talking about something really important, hello. >> what could be more important than world peace, ending diseases and achieving immortality? >> this is big. i mean really big. >> really, hoda, bigger than what? >> what till you see. just wait until you see. >> oh, come on. >> all right, i'm going to tell you. i am going to give you -- >> yes. >> my i-hoda song for a day. >> what? >> yeah. >> hoda, i hate i-hoda. >> you don't get it. you get to pick. you get to pick your own song. >> you mean i get to pick like a good song? a real song? >> oh, please. all right, for the girl who has

everything, you now have i-klg. >> you made me so happy. >> i got the greatest, i got the best. wait till you see. >> where you going? >> here you go, oh, hody, are you ready? >> go, kathie, go. ♪ and have yourself a merry little christmas now ♪ >> merry christmas, everybody, and god bless. >> finally i got something i wanted. >> that was -- >> such a great job. >> that is our very own animator. he is just a doll. >> he is such a sweet guy. >> he's so talented. thank you so much, william. >> all right, next week, we have trisha yearwood, holiday performances by leona lewis. plus, family activities everybody can enjoy over the winter break.

and they're all free. >> have a great weekend and get shopping because you're running out of time.

right now at 11:00 breaking news in south san jose. one person taken to the hospital after a car ended up crashing into the front porch of a home. as you can see. it happened about two hours ago in the section of lawson avenue and sanity why theresa boulevard. one of those cars ended up on the front porch of that home right there. one person was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. we are told she is responsive, though. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> i'm peggy bunker. happening also right now president obama is getting ready to hold his latest news conference of the year. now, later tonight he and his family will head to hawaii for the christmas vacation so this will be his last news