♪ from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. oh, hello, everybody. look how many more people we seem to have as the temperatures rise a little bit here on thirsty thursday, january 9th. right? double digits. >> you know what's funny, i can't believe how good -- when i saw it was 23 degrees out, i was happy. >> i know. >> you go outside and you feel the difference between yesterday and 23. >> it's going to get back to the 50s by this friday. >> craziness.

the whole world is crazy. >> right. so the people's choice awards were last night, guys. and 700 million fans voted. >> that's amazing. >> i didn't realize that many people voted. so it must be cool if you're one of those selected and especially if you're sandra bullock. >> everybody loves -- the woman cannot do anything wrong. she's perfect. >> she won four. favorite movie actress, favorite comedic actress, favorite dramatic actress, favorite movie duo with george clooney for "gravity." >> wow, wow, wow. was meryl streep upset? >> she probably was. >> "the heat" also won best comedy. here is one of our favorite moments from that particular movie. >> stop pulling me pants off. >> jesus. >> what? >> what are those? >> what? stop. stop it. those are my spanx. they hold everything together. >> why, what's left -- to pop out. >> you've got to use a lot of that during that movie. only "wolf of wall street" had more. that was really funny though, wasn't it? >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> you know, i'm happy for her.

the only bad decision she ever made was that marriage. i guess she probably wouldn't see it as that. >> no, she wouldn't. >> she's not the type that lives in the past. >> no, she isn't. i'm so happy for her. >> justin timberlake had a good night. >> he did well. he took home three awards and it was funny. at one point when justin timberlake was getting up for the award ellen thought it was for her. hello, not you, back down. back down. >> was that shtick or did she really believe -- >> i don't know. but ellen did win, by the way, for best talk show host i think for the 18th year in a row or something like that. 15th. >> she should take herself out of the running. >> other people would like a chance. >> rosie did and other people as well. they finally just sort of did. >> yeah, so other people can have a chance. >> other people can have a chance, yeah. so justin timberlake won for favorite male artist, favorite r&b artist, and favorite album for "the 20/20 experience". >> the best way to celebrate the wins is this. he went to taco bell and posed for photos with all the people who worked there behind the counter. he's just a cool guy. i think there's just something

so great about him. >> he's a delightful guy. and the new thing is vendors, vending machines that have -- we talked a little bit about that. why were we up so dag gon early? throws me off my game. >> we don't know what we were doing there, but -- >> they need us. >> they did. >> desperately. >> there were no other women around, but -- >> exactly. >> but we talked about this thing, called a burrito box. it is a vending machine and you put your money in it, and the burrito heats up -- >> in 60 seconds. >> in 60 seconds. you can get extra sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce. you pay a little extra for that. and while you're waiting, because who wants to stand anywhere for 60 whole seconds, they play a music video that you can watch to pass the time. it's at a gas station in santa monica. >> i think it's probably going to be very successful. there's always people that want something on the run and want something hot instead of -- >> would you eat something hot out of a vending machine? how are they heating it in there? a microwave inside? >> i don't know how they do it.

you know how scientifically challenged i am. i just worry about how many preservatives have to be in something sitting in a package for that long before it's being eaten by a human being. i think it's a concern. i'd want to know about the preservatives. >> and burritos. are they beef burritos or bean? >> it's all different kinds. >> because if you want meat it's been sitting -- >> i like old beans. >> or old meat. >> i really want to get my money's worth on old beans. i think there was this target worker who helped catch a kidnapper, hoda woman. >> this woman, her name was roxanne ramirez, did that. she works at target. she noticed something weird in the store and saw the guy fidgeting and sending off weird signals and a strange vibe. so she said you know what, i'm just going to -- so she walked outside, she wrote down his license plate number and put it in her purse and thought, well, if something pops up at least i would have been smart enough. well, later that night it turned out that there was an amber

alert issued when a child was missing, a 7-year-old. and they described the kidnapper. and who was this guy? it was the same weirdo she saw in the parking lot. >> i'm so proud of that lady. she gave the police the license plate number, and thanks to her tip 45 minutes later the police had rescued the child. do you know how critical the first hours are? kidnapper is david douglas, we would like to tell you all his name. >> and he also said here's what why he did it. the quote is the government made him kidnap the child. >> i think we know what we're dealing with now. >> yes. there is a cute video. >> we haven't seen it yet. we like to see it when you see it. what 100 days at a gym looks like. >> this woman was trying to lose weight. she's 32 years old. she lost 33 pounds. she weighed i think 348. she dropped to 315. and she decided -- >> sort of hit a plateau. >> she got stuck. >> she said i'm going to go to the gym for 100 days. >> in a row. >> and then she was going to film her progress over the course of those three months. >> this should be great. let's take a look.

>> next 100 days, i'll be on the journey of losing weight and finding myself. ♪ ♪ now we're standing side by side ♪ ♪ as your shadow ♪ 'cause i need you more ♪ we found a love in a hopeless place ♪ >> girl. >> you know what? she lost 18 pounds and three dress sizes. 51 pounds. think about three months of your life. think about how you feel in january and how you would feel in march if you dropped that weight. all it would take is going to the gym every day for 100 days, and -- >> i'm sure she was probably watching what she was eating as well. >> yeah. >> we don't know that. but who was it? joy bauer told us if you just cut out 100 calories a day -- >> right. >> -- for a year you'll lose ten pounds. >> right. so when you think about that -- >> a banana is like 100 pounds, right? i mean 100 calories. >> yeah. >> you know who i see standing over there?

>> who? >> i see kris jenner. >> she's hard to miss. >> kris jenner is with us today. >> she is. >> she has lots of 'splaining to do. >> we need to know the real stuff, not the stuff you told matt. the other stuff. >> we want the stuff you told me in the dressing room. >> she'll be with us in a second. but first i was trying to get out of hoda's playlist. >> no. you can't get out of this one. this is one of those songs, if you ever heard of salt and pepa? >> yeah. i have. >> then you'll like this one. >> i liked it till -- i didn't say i like them. ♪ ♪ salt and. ha's here and we're ♪ ♪ working up a sweat ♪ number one ♪ push it ♪ push it ♪ push it good

>> push what? ♪ push it real good >> oh, my gosh. >> i knew you liked it. >> oh, no! yes. kris, go. >> push it good. >> she can't help it. >> is it okay or not okay to ignore social media? >> i wonder what we said. >> hmm. >> sure it's okay. i did it for years. i understand why people want to connect and now i understand why people want to disconnect. >> you understand it. >> yes. >> all right. sure it's okay. you get to choose what you let into your world. >> that makes sense, hodi. >> thank you. that was intelligent. >> we need to work on the timing of that a little bit. >> a little bit.

>> so we've been talking about our moves of the day. today we have carrie dorr. every day this week we've been going through some moves. here's how you can get fit. carrie dorr from pure barre. that's how you got confused. >> she's doing the underarm jiggle. >> she's going to show us what to do about our flotsam. >> and the stuff that spills over your bra straps. >> i hate that stuff. >> do the exercise during this commercial break. >> a couple of cans of campbell's soup. >> we're going to check in with her a little later. did you know we made a list? >> we did? >> yes. and it's not a bad one like we usually do. the question here is who would be your ideal bridesmaid? david's bridal asked. most people loved tina fey and amy poehler. they were number one. with 30% of the vote. jennifer aniston and courteney cox came in second. katy perry and rihanna came in third. lucy and ethel came in fourth. and --

>> shirley and laverne -- >> but pulling up the rear with 6% of the vote was us. >> wow. >> we were at the bottom of the list. >> but we're on the list. thank you very, very much, everybody. >> we have a big show. jill and louis scoured the plaza for ladies to bring in from the cold for hot makeovers. >> we're going to reveal the ambush makeovers in a bit. >> kris jenner will fill us in on the big changes in her life. what are they, kath? >> oh, my. we don't have enough time to discuss it! >> she'll tell it after this. >> we'll get it out of her. stretch our party budget.'vo ♪ the only downer? my bargain brand towel made a mess of things. so goodbye so-called bargain brands, hello bounty basic. the affordably priced towel that's an actual bargain. watch how one select-a-size sheet of bounty basic is 50% stronger than a full sheet of the bargain brand. it takes a strong towel to stretch a budget. bounty basic.

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it's gummies for grown-ups. get $2 off at oneaday.com. mother of six, grandmother of three. executive producer of "keeping up with the kardashians" kris jenner has a lot to keep up with herself. >> in season nine of the popular

e! reality show the family dynamics are challenged when kris and bruce jenner call a family meeting to discuss their separation. take a look. >> nobody's getting a divorce. nobody's doing anything right now. >> i just think we both decided we just always want to be first and foremost family and friends. >> yeah. >> but don't you think that living apart too long will make you guys really enjoy that? >> they said that way before they even did this. i said, too much time apart is, like, that's where you get comfortable. >> and we're fine with that. and what we need you to understand this and be okay with it. we're better as friends than we are the other way. >> okay. >> kris is here with us to explain all that. >> yeah. that was shot a little while ago. we're in the middle of filming season 9 right now. we took a couple of weeks off for the holidays and that was a minute ago. and when i see that played back, i'm like wow, i remember that day. >> but it was actually when? when was that? >> like october. >> you're not wearing your

wedding ring. so is it -- >> i'm wearing that little ring. >> that little guy. are you on the way to formalizing a divorce? >> you know what? i don't think we've really made that decision. we're just very happy with the way things are right now. we get along much better and the kids are much happier and my house is definitely on overload. i was telling kathie earlier, kim and kanye live there, north the baby. there's a lot going on. >> i was reading that kim's thinking of changing her name to west. and kardashian is such obviously the signature of your family. is that happening or is that -- >> i don't know if they made a decision yet. >> but kanye wanted to? >> you know what? i haven't asked him. but i'm sure -- i mean, who wouldn't want that? if you're getting married, it's kind of a very traditional thing to do. yeah. >> what's it like having kanye west live at your house? what do you talk about at breakfast? >> he is actually -- he's amazing. he's a great dad. so he spends most of his time with the baby. and -- >> only child, right? >> 6 months old.

she's 6 months old and she's such -- you forget how amazing that first six months of life is. all the changes and rolling over -- >> but i like the way she's doing the eyebrows. >> she giggles and they sing to her and it's just -- >> she's fabulous. >> i think they look great. >> that's so silly. the things that people say are remarkable. >> first of all, i'm sorry, but on the front page it said bruce was having a sex change operation. >> so long ago. >> that is a story that they keep regurgitating. >> what is that? >> from the '70s. you know, it's so old -- >> before he married and had two children? >> yeah. well, he has six kids altogether. so i don't know. it's like the things that people write. it's like the eyebrow story are north. like kim did north's eyebrows. like really? she was four months old. >> waxing. you never do that.

>> these kinds of things are so ridiculous and i think that what i try to do is give the american public a lot more credit, you know, for some of the stuff that's written that they don't -- who is going to believe this? >> but the trouble is if it's on every one of them, kris, you go to buy some bananas and you get a lot of kardashians. you know? and how can people -- they have to watch your show, really, to know the -- >> yeah. i think you watch the show, you see the dynamic of everything that's going on. i think the reason that the viewer stays engaged is because they have seen us invested in this relationship with the family for eight years, nine seasons. and seen all the changes and the transitions and marriages and divorce and babies and pregnancies and -- >> and khloe's okay? just briefly fill us in on a couple of things. >> it's been a hard time for khloe. it's hard to watch your baby go through something tough. >> yeah. i love her. >> is my goddaughter going to

marry harry stiles? >> i wouldn't buy a dress just yet. >> but they are dating. >> well, i don't know. they're friends. >> oh, my gosh. >> but just please tell me you're not dating. >> no. i'm not dating. >> that's what i say that fits. okay? >> as my best friend. >> yes. >> she's going to -- she's drawing a lot of -- >> give our love to everybody. >> i will. >> kris, thank you. special premiere, season nine. >> watch the show. it's pretty amazing. the first couple episodes are riveting. >> sunday and monday, january 19th and 20th at 9:00, 8:00 central on e!. >> they were beautiful before but wait till you see them now. we're going to reveal our ambush makeovers. >> two very lucky ladies. >> and work that underarm flab and back fat. i hate the word back fat. >> i saw new your bikini. >> we all did. and now my journey across the country has brought me to the lovely city of boston. cheers. and seeing as it's such a historic city, i'm sure they'll appreciate that geico's

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bat wings, bingo arms, whatever you want to call them.

it's hard to get rid of that underarm jiggle. >> and the bra bulge. >> yeah. >> so say good-bye to those swing wings. with these moves of the day from carrie dorr who's created pure bar and she promises you're going to see some quick results. how quick, carrie? >> really quick. i think ten times. >> really? >> yeah, yeah. you have to work while you're doing it. >> we know that. >> show us what to do. >> you need some lightweights. >> these are really light? what are these? a pound? >> two pounds. we'll do the back of the arm first. >> which part are you focusing in on? this part? >> yeah. so you take your feet hip width apart and bend your knees and hinge forward from your waist. pull your elbows back and then extend your arms straight. you can get them really straight and in. >> hold it? >> just one inch and then down. >> ooh. that's hard. >> you feel it. >> feel the burn. >> that's a two-pound weight. that's hard.

>> and stay there. and, yeah, take them to the side. >> oh, stop it. i got to get out of your way. >> okay. >> so then face the ceiling and then up an inch and down an inch. >> can i say something? that's hard. >> you stayed there half an hour, you would really feel it. >> i can't even do it for two minutes. >> are your arms hurting? >> not yet. >> it is a small movement. move from the back of the arm. >> okay, got it. >> now the bra flab. where is that? >> i really notice this after babies, it seems to come out more. so -- >> especially if you nurse. >> feet hip width apart and bend your knees. and then just press your arms in like this. kind of like you're giving someone a big hug. and pull your shoulders back. >> let's do that again. >> pull your shoulders back. >> oh. >> stick your chest out. >> now what do you do? >> you're going to open your arms. and th close them crossing one

over the other, just slightly. and then open. and close. >> ow. >> i don't like this. >> you can -- i liked what we were doing before. >> press them together. if you were to open and then press together, and then one more time, open, press together. and now just stay pressing together and small presses in. so press in. >> presses in. >> press. press the weights together. >> that's hard. >> i see your bosom moving too. that's probably good for that as well. >> we'll take anything. >> thank you very much. thank you. >> you guys at home, do those exercises. we'll be right back.

♪ party in the usa we are back with more of "today" on this thirsty thursday. that means it is time to reveal our "ambush makeovers" for two ladies plucked off the plaza. >> and sweeping them into their makeup chairs for hot new looks our crack makeup team. they are "today" contributor and stylist to the stars. >> sing along at home.

♪ louis licari ♪ la, la, la, la, la >> and "today" contributor and contributing editor -- >> a lot of contributing going on. >> for "people style watch" -- >> maybe find another word. >> jill martin. >> all right, kiddos, how was it out there? >> it was good. we found two ladies from california who were ready to -- they were freezing cold and they were ready for red hot makeovers. >> let's start off with julie blackston. she's 56 years old from el segundo, california. she said she's had the same look for as long as she can remember and she has begged us to give her a brand new style. let's take a listen to her story. >> well, thanks for taking a lot of time to make the sign. but it is a rhyme. i'm not asking for a lot, just make me hot, because i am cold. but we picked you and tell me how you feel. >> i am so excited. i waited for this forever and i just can't believe it's happening to me! >> and mike's a trooper. because she makes you watch this every week and says i want this. >> every thursday morning she records it, and then we watch it in the afternoon. >> and then you brought her

here? >> yes, we did. i brought her here just for this. >> aw. we love that. so romantic. so we're going to make you hot for him. what do you think? >> i can't wait. i can't wait, i can't wait! >> there is mike with his blindfold on. all right, mike, please keep that on until i give you the green light to take it off. >> he's happier than he looks. >> here is julie before. all right, julie, let's see the new you! ♪ [ cheers ] >> oh, my gosh. all right. are you ready? all right. mike, take off your blindfold. >> oh, yeah! you're beautiful, honey. >> are you ready for a whole new look, julie? >> i sure am. >> turn around, sweetie, right behind you. >> oh, my gosh! oh, my gosh. >> that's really you. >> can i do -- oh, no. i'm a woman. >> julie, look right here at camera 12 if you wouldn't mind. louis, tell us what happened with that hair.

>> okay, the first thing i did is i made it darker. julie was afraid of red. the big tip is when you're afraid of red use a semi-permanent color. it won't oxidize. so it will just gradually fade back to blond. i cut her hair to a more appropriate length. and of course it's layered and shaped to her face. and the makeup of course -- >> and the bangs and the whole thing. >> i love the dress. >> she loves the dress. >> jill, tell us. >> this is what's going to happen. she told me, hoda will say -- >> hot. leather, hot. >> what am i wearing? >> oh, spanx? >> we went through the whole thing. she's wearing new. n-u-e. >> that looks great. >> you always -- >> the whole thing available on edressme.com. >> adorable. >> what do you think, hubby? >> beautiful. absolutely beautiful. >> thank you, julie. you look hot. >> you look adorable. our second lady is alice walker, 65 years old from sacramento,

california. she's never colored her hair before and never wears makeup. so she was a little nervous but excited to try a new look. let's listen to her story. >> it's hard to believe this, but alice is the shy one of the group. so you say let's do this. >> you're right, right. we talked her into it. >> forced her into it. >> yes, she needed a little encouragement, a little push, she's missing her boat trip around the island today to do this, but we all lost our luggage coming from sacramento and three days ago we could have all used a makeover. >> we're giving this to you today, so just tell us how you feel. >> oh, i feel very, very happy. >> well, you are going to be even happier in a few hours. >> she sure is. and she's here with her husband, glenn, and her friend barb. let's take one last look at alice before. and bring out the new and beautiful -- oh, my gosh. >> they're going to die. alice, stand right there.

oh, my gosh. okay, you guys, ready? glen, barb, take them off. >> oh, my gosh. >> oh, my gosh. >> i think they're happy. we're going to make you happy now too. turn around. take a look. keep it together. oh, my gosh. >> don't cry. >> so sweet. >> you need some kleenex. >> thank you. >> stand right here. >> she said she hasn't looked so good in ages. [ applause ] >> i am so happy. these are tears of happiness. >> come here together. >> don't cry your makeup off. >> louis, tell us -- >> she was born a redhead, by the way. so she said, louis, the one thing i want is the color i once

was. i think we duplicated it pretty scloes, don't you think? >> come over here. >> everybody's crying. >> there. >> her bangs were a bit short. so he had to make it -- the bangs work with the new haircut. >> you look gorgeous. >> i did -- enid gave primer to her face, so any wrinkles that were there are erased. >> what about the dress? come on. >> this was our most emotional. i was a little worried going into this. i feel like you were scared the whole time. >> i was scared. >> this is one of our best reactions. we're so happy. and this is nue also. >> oh, you look lovely, barb. and everybody looks fantastic. alice. >> thank you. how many men does it take to change a lightbulb? >> just one when he's lou manfredini. >> coming up after this. >> no, i need plenty of people. ♪

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do not call the handy man. just ask lou. he's here with all the help you need around the house, whether you've got an overused fireplace or a toilet that runs all night. "today" contributor and host of the syndicated show "house smarts" lou manfredini has the answers to your questions. you never disappoint. >> no, you don't. >> thank you. >> you're one of those men that never disappoints. >> ever. >> ever. >> so here we go. the chimney. >> i've been married a long time. so that's something. >> how often do you need to clean your chimney? a lot of people are lighting fires. >> this is very important. if you're doing fires, say, anywhere from one to six, do it every couple of years. six to ten, once a year. >> what do you mean, one to six? >> fires in that fireplace. >> that's it?

>> yeah. if you're doing less than six you can go every couple of years. if you're doing six or more, you should be doing it on an annual basis professionally. >> what if you're doing a couple hundred? >> then that's absolutely -- >> then should you do it more than once -- >> no, once a year is fine. it needs to be professionally done. there are fabulous chimney sweeps all across the country. you got to find the good ones. that $99 special isn't giving you -- you need someone that's certified with the chimney sweep institute of america. >> okay. >> here is a good question, from julie. "we recently replaced our interior lightbulbs with new energy efficient soft white ones. they're so bright. how can we be energy efficient but not make -- >> here is a sample of lights. they're going to bring the lights up. they're going to be very bright when they first go on. what has happened now, the legislation in lighting is the 100 watt, the 75 watt, the 60 and the 40 as of january 1st are no longer manufactured in the united states. you can still buy them as long as supplies last, but in about a year they'll be gone. now, we're going to dim these just so it doesn't blow out the camera. >> can you dim them, though?

are they dimmable? >> certain kinds are. so this particular one over here is a compact fluorescent light bulb. notice how this one went out. this is l.e.d. this is a dimmable one. this is not. it is just dimming because we're here for camera. these regular curly qs -- see what happens when you dim it? >> i hate those. >> hate is a strong word. >> i use it for when i really hate something. i hate them. >> the color temperature of all of these have gotten a lot better. this technology is evolving. this particular one is an l.e.d. bulb. these are dimmable. the cost is coming down. the problem is when these first came out they were $50 apiece. these dimmable compact fluorescents, you can buy anywhere from $7 to $10, this is where it is going, the technology is getting better. >> how long will they last at that cost? >> the good quality bulbs, you get when you pay for, will last about six years as opposed to these that lasted about a year. regular incandescent bulbs, we're used to that.

they're very inefficient lightbulb. that's what we're transitioning to. this is all government legislation. >> no kidding. let's not get into that. >> here is a question from a woman named joanne lamarkka. >> oh. where is she from? >> how do you stop your toilet from running all night long? >> she's from jersey. her town. >> inside this toilet there are two aspects to worry about. this is the fill valve and this is the flush valve, the flapper. your water in your toilet is leaking because of two things. the water level in this little pipe here, the water is too high. this is the overflow. so it will constantly be running. you can adjust it by this screw that's right in here to lower the water level, bring it down in the tank. >> with a screwdriver? >> with a screwdriver. this is a flush valve. this flapper, if it is not sealed properly, water can leak inside here. you can replace this for five bucks. so easy. it comes off real quickly, put the new chain on, put this on -- joanne lamarkka's toilet in

montclair, new jersey won't leak. >> everything we do is home cooking around here. >> here is something for ginger moffett. what is the best way to paint old paneling walls? >> so i like this look. a lot of people don't. but this is a primer that you have to put on first in those grooves to fill with a brush first. it's a stain-killing primer. >> this is to get a flat surface? surface. >> this is to get a prepped surface. you're not going to get a flat surface. you're going to get that grooved look. and when you prime that -- >> i like that. >> i do too. >> i like that a lot. >> what you're going to do with this primer, once that dries, then you can choose a color. and look how bright. it's an inexpensive way to bring a room back to life. >> thank you, lou manfredini. >> lou will answer your questions. >> we get a chance to make a difference in 2014. >> we inspire you coming back

after this. it's time to change the way we clean.

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♪

we're back with a very special series called "shine a light." hoda and i get a chance to spotlight important people and causes that are very dear to our hearts. >> yeah, we wanted to start the new year by helping others and hopefully inspiring you guys to do the same. so here's a look at how we hope to make a difference. >> st. jude's is a children's hospital for kids with cancer. it pays the bills. it takes care of the kids. it helps the families. and it's not a sterile, horrible hospital situation. there's colors. and there's balloons. and there's toys. there's something about it that's uplifting and joyful. >> well, hello! >> the first time i walked into st. jude children's hospital in memphis i just remember the feeling that washed over me. i remember seeing a kid's face and you think -- you think when you walk in the door you're going to be sad, which i appear to be now, but there is

something when you walk in, you see these kids and suddenly you transform from sadness to joy. >> is this thing hard to push around? >> no. >> i remember thinking, like, what's happening? my heart was breaking and then five minutes later i'm with these kids who are kids. these kids who are playing. these kids with parents who were cheering for them. >> what keeps you happy? >> my daddy. >> and you could tell they don't want you to look at them with sad eyes. they want to play. they want to sing. they want to be joyful. this year my goal is to help kids with cancer. as a cancer survivor myself i know what it feels like as a grown-up and i know how difficult and what a struggle it is. but what i can't even fathom even now is what it feels like to be a kid, to be one of these little boys or little girls who are struggling with this grownup disease, something they shouldn't have to deal with. and you know, all you want to do is reach out and help and hug. i'm not a doctor. i'm not a nurse. i feel like you want to do something, but what can i do?

what i would love to do is make a huge incredible music video, okay? for these kids. with a song that's an anthem about being brave and being strong. and have this wave, this music video go across the country, from hospital to hospital to hospital, and you watch these kids and you think to yourself, like i want to be there. i want to be part of that. and you -- i think it makes not only the kids feel good and their parents feel good but us at home watching feel good. ♪ >> it dawned on me after hurricane sandy, so many people lost so much during that hurricane. we were blessed that we didn't lose our home, didn't lose loved ones. but we did lose like 250-year-old tree that had been there long before we were a nation. and so from that moment on, this whole past year has been about rebuilding, rebuilding what we had lost, and it turned out to be so much better.

2014 is going to be the year that my family celebrates 20 years in the same home. so i started chronicling pictures and things and hopefully by the end of the year we will have a coffee table book that is called "good giffts." g-i, g-i-f-f-t-s. "one year in the heart of a home." so that we can encourage other people to make memories with their children, share recipes, build a life together that's going to last. i also want to help those people who aren't as blessed. we want the proceeds to go to the salvation army, which is an organization i work with for well over 20 years that does fabulous work all year round. not only taking care of people's physical needs, hunger and clothing and material things, but they serve the whole human being. they understand how important a person's soul is and how important it is to minister to that person as well. i want this book to be a blessing to whoever picks it up. i want to put a smile on their

face. i want to put a song in their throats. i want to put a prayer of gratitude in their own souls for the blessings that they have in life. that's what i'm going to do. >> that's what i'm going to do. >> hopefully how i'll make a difference. >> shine a light. >> shine a light. >> in 2014. >> just wait. >> just wait. >> just wait. >> wow. are we going to do that? >> i think we are. >> starting tomorrow. >> you are? >> photo session. the first recipes are being made. and i'm looking forward to it. >> i love the idea. it's going to be great. >> so you help me with mine and i'll help you with yours. >> i like it. we'll be back with much more in a minute. but first -- >> this is "today" on nbc. >> of course it is.

we wanted to check in with pure barre creator carrie dorr. i hope all of you at home have been doing your arm exercises. >> yeah, keep it up. all right. tomorrow we're going to get the fab abs. how about that? >> yes. plus the hunting is back. the relationship advice. >> and how to turn the winter blues into a new exciting season. >> and we're going to get you ready for the golden globes.

everybody have an awesome thirsty thursday because tomorrow is -- >> try day >> i'm here to help. you and i will get through this together. [applause]