good morning. political payback? new jersey governor chris christie now accused of withholding millions of dollars in sandy recovery aid after one mayor reportedly wouldn't back a key project. but the christie administration says not so fast. this morning we take you inside the fight. polar plunge part two. after a week of pleasantly mild weather, temperatures set to drop sharply again. will it be as bitterly cold? dylan is on top of it. and birthday bash. first lady michelle obama celebrating her 50th birthday last night with a whole lot of dancing. we'll hear about someone who

scored an invite. sunday, january 19th, 2014. and welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> and i'm lester holt. why do i feel like polar vortex is going to be one of those phrases at the end of 2014 it will be a banned phrase? had. >> we dug it out from the meteorology textbooks. it is real. it never sounded bizarre because i learned about it. >> this will be a banned phrase. >> right up there with hash tag and selfie. >> we'll bring you an inspiring story that's featured in a duracell battery.

>> i love that story. so excited for that. we do begin this morning, though, with our top story today which is governor chris christie getting hit once again with accusations of using his office to get revenge on political opponents. michael isikoff is joining us with all of this. michael, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. legislative leaders in new jersey who already served christie's office with 20 subpoenas say they may now expand their probe to look at new allegations that held relief money from hurricane sandy when one mayor refused to play ball. chris christie continues his weekend swing through florida this morning while he faces charges back home. >> i remember him telling my sinner circle i can't believe this. i just received a direct threat from the governor of the state of new jersey.

>> reporter: dawn zimer remembers getting the threat saying it's important she back a million dollar development project or we're not going to help you with funds to rebuild from hurricane sandy. >> and he said i know these things are not right. these things should not be connected, but they are. and if you tell anybody i'll deny it. >> reporter: zimmer says she couldn't believe it. >> i'm stunned that he would use the sandy funds and hold those sandy funds over my head. when you consider what happened to hoboken, we were devastated. >> reporter: e-mails obtained by "the mystery in effingham county"'s steve kor knack key who say it's represented by david samson. one of his top advisers who this week was investigated by a panel. >> the connections we can make is the project is represented by wolf and samson.

and samson is very close to christie. but there's no evidence that shows they are conspireing on this. >> reporter: zimmer who refused to back the project says hoboken received only $342,000 of the $100 million it requested. but zimmer did not speak out at the time. >> i probably should have come forward. >> reporter: christie aides shot back calling the charges outlandishly false and noted that zimmer praised him last august in this tweet, to be clear i am very glad governor christie has been our gov. it's clear partisan politics are at play here when players with an ax to grind come out of the woodwork. in his response today, christie's spokesman said christie and his entire administration have been helped hoboken getting what they need in recovery. and is targeted to get more when

the obama administration approves the next rounds of funding. and a spokesperson said in a statement its conduct in representing that development project was appropriate in all respects. one other point the christie camp is slamming msnbc calling it openly hostile to the government. >> thank you. david gregory a moderator of "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning. >> this morning has gained traction. just because chris christie is a likely or possible gop presidential contender does it at the same time insulate him on making the charges of this being partisan politics stronger. maybe help him? >> well, we have to see how it plays out. the reality is that there is an ongoing investigation led by the democrats in the assembly. and if they don't produce anything, they are going to be open to charges that they are having a wide enough net to capture anything in that net that would hurt chris christie. and to try to expand it beyond

the bridge issue. look. he's called the closure of these lanes a scandal. he's taken responsibility for that. what he has to deal with is his image as a bully. now you have democratic mayors who see he's potentially weakened stepping forward. are they telling the truth? we don't know. that has to be tested in the course of this investigation. this will be with him for awhile in this period that's like an invisible primary for republicans many of whom are scrambling right now or trying to line up their organizations this far out for 2016. >> you've got a front row seat to the wheelings and dealings of politics. you know houp how it works. but is this. part of the way things works? >> it can be. we know this in how people wheel and deal in congress. this is part of legislating at a congressional level. not this idea of a threat all

the time. we just don't know in this particular case. this kind of negotiation certainly happens in politics. you know what also happens in politics? you get this scrutiny when you want to run for president. all candidates face it. i think christie is in that hot seat right now. you've got a national democratic party happy to pile on here and level these charges as well. >> before you get out of here, i want to ask you about what's going on in afghanistan. the president said in an interview on friday he hoped to be remembered as the president who successfully wound down the wars in iraq and afghanistan. as you know the wheels in some cases are falling off the bus. fallujah in iraq is falling to al qaeda. we saw the attacks against foreigners yesterday in afghanistan that killed three americans. is the president's legacy with regard to these wars at risk? >> i think it's bigger than this president in terms of what the

united states did in iraq and afghanistan. i think there is going to be a lot of pressure for the united states to bear some responsibility to have some presence in afghanistan as we move forward. remember, the ongoing kind of firm belief about what the u.s. ought to be doing is making sure that al qaeda doesn't get a foothold again in any of these countries and in a position to attack. it was much truer in afghanistan. it's truer in iraq. >> lots to talk with you about this morning. we know you'll have more on "meet the press." >> thanks. it is time to put on the extra layers again. there's another arctic chill making its way. it was just a few weeks ago we were dealing with the blast from the so-called winter vortex when the temperatures dropped below zero in a lot of places. dylan is tracking this. >> it is not going to be as bad but still broutly cold for a lot of areas in the midwest and in areas like the northeast too.

now, here is the polar vortex. we've talked a lot about this. it's this cyclone that sits up normally in the north pole. it's normally nice and compact and doesn't move much. what we're going to see is it start to wobble. then it breaks from being in the north pole and dips to the south. last time we got right into the heart of this polar vortex. that's why we saw exceptionally cold temperatures. but this time around, the coldest is going to stay right up in canada. but we are going to tap into some of that really cold air. let's compare it to last time. last time the coldest of the cold, the high temperature in chicago was 2 below. this time around it's 12 degrees. still extremely cold. minneapolis last time around it was 12 below. this time about 3 degrees. new york city will feel about the same. maybe a little milder in the morning. in boston it will be colder. last time around with the vortex it was 22. this time around by wednesday it will be about 14 degrees. not as bad as last time, but

still certainly a shock to the system. and extremely cold. >> all right. thanks. we'll get your full forecast in a few minutes. it's just cold. >> it's just cold. >> doesn't matter how low. it's cold. >> the difference between 19 and 8, still the same amount of layers for me. insanity. you've got other headlines of the morning. >> good morning, everyone. hundreds of residents who evacuated the suburbs of los angeles because of the ranging wildfire are now able to return home. the colby fire broke out in the angeles national forest. according to latest reports, the blaze is now 61% contained and has burned 1900 acres. an update now in the philadelphia school shooting. the teenager police were searching for turned himself in. police charged 17-year-old rasheem roswell for his involvement in friday's shooting. two students were shot. both in the arm.

we are learning this morning that dennis rodman is in rehab. the former nba star checked into an undisclosed facility for alcoholism. he made comments about a missionary being detained in north korea. he admitted he was drinking at the time and apologized. serena williams lost in the fourth round of the tournament. williams later said she was struggling with a back injury. the loss broke her 25-match win streak dating back to august. deflated but not defeated. minnesota vikings fans watched their beloved metrodome take its last gasp saturday. with the time lapse video it took seconds. i wish i could have time lapse videoed my high school years. demolition is starting monday to

make way for a new $1 billion vikings stadium. finally not to be confused with bam bam and boo boo. bow bow made her -- are we l literally running out of names? you met her on our show yesterday. zoo officials are keeping the panda house open longer so people can see bow bow. what's not to love about really hairy babies? >> hear hear. >> that is what i say. first lady michelle obama might be sleeping in this morning after staying up late for the big 50th birthday bash thrown in her honor. kristen welker has more on who came out to celebrate with the obamas. good morning. >> reporter: hey, lester. good morning to you. guests tell us this was a night that really did live up to its billing with performances by beyonce and john legend. and the guest list was just as impressive.

all to celebrate the first lady and 50 years. some of the biggest names in hollywood and washington and chicago turned out to celebrate the first lady's big night. tell us how you're feeling going into the party. >> we all think it's going to be a great party. she's the first lady and we're here to support her. >> i'm looking forward to singing happy birthday to her and being able to celebrate this great milestone in her life. >> reporter: even al roker. you ready to dance? >> oh, gosh, yes. i hope it's old school. >> reporter: guests were told to eat beforehand and dust off their dancing shoes. for a first lady known to do the dougie. she always has fun. and turning 50 has been no exception. >> there's no, oh, i don't want to talk about her age. 50 is not something to lament.

>> reporter: instead it's been something to celebrate. from pictures of her aarp card or this tweet. the woman who has become a model mom is now an example of how to hit a major milestone with ease. >> i just hope she has another 50 years and more coming. you know? and that she'll accomplish everything she's capable of accomplishing. >> reporter: guests celebrated late into the night enjoying delicious desserts and a-list entertainment. >> here for the first lady's birthday. and that was the highlight. and the president gave a wonderful speech about her. then beyonce performed. wow. >> reporter: now, cameras and cell phones weren't allowed in. but guests tell us other celebrity sightings include stevie wonder, james taylor. and the first daughters were there. everyone seemed to agree that the highlight was the speech that president obama gave to his wife. and i also hear he did some dancing last night.

>> all right. kristen welker, thanks very much. another awards show is now in the books and there are some clear front runners as we get closer to the oscars. kristen dahlgren is here with the look at the screen actors guild awards. they get it from their peers. >> so the sag awards are the ones that the actors vote on themselves. while for some it's about winning respect of peers. for others it's about watching because the show is seen as a window into what will happen at the oscars. >> reporter: another round in hollywood's ever-intense award season. and it was "american hustle" that danced off with the night's biggest win at the sag awards. >> and the actor goes to the cast of "american hustle." >> reporter: the film took home the outstanding ensemble award. besting "12 years a slave" often seen as its toughest oscar

competition. >> to be acknowledged alongside the others in the room tonight. >> reporter: in individual, there weren't many surprises but there are definite front runners. matthew mcconaughey continued his streak after "dallas buyers club." while cate blanchett added another. >> i thank those that voted for me. for those that didn't, better luck next year. >> reporter: this year's darling won again for "12 years a slave". >> being recognized by fellow actors is an honor of the highest ordered. >> reporter: while jared leto becomes the man to beat after his supporting role in "dallas buyers club." >> thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you so much. >> reporter: the sag awards are also handed out for tv.

among the big winners "breaking bad" and bryan cranston as long as "modern family." lester you vote on these. how'd you do? >> i got the best picture wrong. best actors right. i have to go back and compare. but it was nice to be part of it. thanks very much. and dylan is outside. she's got a check of the rest of the country's forecast for us. >> even though it is cold in the northeast, it is really warm in the western half of the country. not good news for california where they could really use some rain. but we are going to see a nice mild day in denver today. big out that way. temperatures up 16 degrees above average. it's all because of that ridge in the jet stream. it will keep it fairly warm and dry with the drought monitor indicating 62% of california is still under those extreme drought cond good morning. 6:17 the time. anthony slaughter here. we are talking about another

very warm day across the bay area, waking up to clear conditions across the board with a few 30s and 40s for the most part. a little breezy in san francisco, but overall later on this afternoon temperatures again very comfortable. in fact we're talking about record-setting territory really for the past six days, and today will be no different. 70 in san francisco, low 70s for our inland valleys and again unhealthy air quality is expected today, so take it easy if you do have to be outside. have a good sunday. plan that is >> and that is your latest weather. coming up, the first black character in "saturday night live" makes her debut. we'll check out the highlight right after this. what if you could shrink your pores just by washing your face?

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i'm serious. i told you -- >> the newest featured player to join saturday nightlife, sasheer sam mat the joined the show last night. >> jenna is in the orange room with more on how she did in her debut. >> clearly a lot of pressure on sasheer zamata, the first female cast member in six years. if social media is any indication, people are just going to want more. >> sasheer zamata! >> reporter: all eyes were on sasheer. she has us from the start with this rhee on nah interpretation. at this point we knew she was funny. we knew she could dance, and then we found out she could sing as well. she appeared in almost every sketch in the first half hour.

"snl" prominently featuring their first female black player in six years. but the night belonged to host and musical guest drake from his opening monologue. ♪ i'm black and jewish, don't be so foolish ♪ >> right to this "indiana jones" number, to showing off his poetry skills. >> that makes you more real. >> he quickly became the number one trending topic overnight on twitter and ended the show with a shout-out and a hug. what a great pairing. what i wouldn't give to have drake at my ba mitzvah. twending on twitter, kelly writes, drake has shown y'all he can wrap, act and sing tonight. very clear he's not here to play. sean says talented, absolutely beautiful. we'll be watching every week now. she got the hard part over with.

whoo. it's behind her, her baidu. now it's just every week after this. >> maybe we can relax and enjoy the show now. still to come, who doesn't love a good competition? i'll go behind the scenes of hollywood game night for more [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits. delicious, but say i press a few out flat, add some beef, sloppy joe sauce and cheese, fold it all up and boom! delicious unsloppy joes perfect for a school night. pillsbury grands biscuits. make dinner pop.

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good morning to you. looking live at the bay bridge, we can see clear all the way across the bay practically. very nice start to this morning. mild day on tap. thanks for joining us, i'm kris sanchez. anthony slaughter has a look at the weekend forecast. i think most folks will be inside all day. >> celebrating the 49ers' win. today even though it is going to be bright, talking about record-setting heat, unfortunately our air quality will suffer once again. it's going to be unhealthy and we'll have to spare the air. keep that in mind. you'll notice as we're waking up temperatures in the 30s and 40s. right at 30 for an average. overall, though, afternoon highs today once we get past noon will soar back into the low 70s in inland valleys. the east bay, tri-valley and

south bay expecting mid-70s here. san francisco we see a high of 70 degrees but overall again anything in the 70s this time of year is record-setting territory. we'll talk more about our rain chances coming up today at 7:00. chris, back to you. now to the 49ers' quest. it is gameday and the 49ers and the seahawks will battle for that nfc championship. muni changing things up just a little bit in anticipation that some of the celebrations might be joined by vandals on the streets of san francisco. several times before celebrating fans have climbed up on top of street cars and have been near overhead wires, which are charged with electricity. so the agency is taking some of its historic cable cars out of service and some of the street cars as well, including the ones on the f market line. buses will run the market street line instead. also the iconic cable car lines will be mostly out of service starting this afternoon. the california line stops at 2:00 this afternoon.

the powell hyde and powell mason cable cars will run only between fisherman's wharf and chinatown starting at 4:00 this afternoon. it took just a few minutes for a fire to destroy a popular restaurant in the south bay and having a fire station just around the block wasn't enough to save it. the fire started just before 6:30 yesterday morning at the flames restaurant in south san jose. there workers were getting the coffee shop and bakery ready to open and the chef says the wall started shaking and then he ran to the front of the restaurant and a fire had started. he says the fast-moving fire was too much for him and for his co-worker to handle, so he ran across the street to the nearby fire station for help. it took 75 firefighters nearly two hours to get the fire under control. one of the major concerns was keeping it from spreading to nearby gas stations and other businesses as well. several passengers who survived the crash at sfo this past summer have filed a lawsuit against boeing, the maker of

that plane. the according to the "chicago tribune" the suit claims boeing's negligence contributed to the july 6 crash. that suit claims some of the equipment was improperly installed an defective, resulting in inadequate warnings for the pilots about their low speed. three chinese girls died in the accident and emergency response served about 100 people. they are now listed in the lawsuit. coming up at 7:00 on "today in the bay" just how loud is the seattle seahawks crowd? we'll take you to mineta international to give you an idea. all the news in 30 minutes. 1... 2... 6... 10! [ female announcer ] piña colada yoplait. it is so good when you need a little escape. [ mom ] still counting. ♪ more than a feeling ♪ when i hear that old song they used to play ♪ ♪ more than a feeling [ female announcer ] yoplait light boston cream pie. at 90 calories it is so good

when you want more than a feeling. ♪ >> it's my birthday today! >> mine, too! >> don't forget about me. >> happy birthday! >> mikey, will you go to the formal with me? >> happy birthday! >> hi, dad. we're back on this sunday morning, jan arp 19, 2014. michael, you've got to go to the formal with her. i don't know who that was. >> i would hope so. if not, maybe lester will take you. >> let me see how that went. it's starting to get a little

cold outside here on the east coast again. you wouldn't know that by our crowd on the plaza. they've been taking great pictures all morning long. we saw some of those on the marquis outside. we have a lot coming up in this half hour. we want to get you caught up on the morning's top headlines. the mayor of one new jersey city says her city was denied millions in aid because she refused to do what the christie administration wanted her to go. the governor's office calling those charges nothing more than partisan politics. the u.s. embassy confirms a third american civilian was killed in the terror attack at a restaurant in kabul. "american hustle" taking home top honors in zs.a.g. awards. and still to come -- >> you were focused on "american hustle." >> this was the only movie i had seen. so i wanted to see christian bale and i didn't see him

standing up there if you want to know the truth. let's keep talking. still to come in this half hour -- sorry about that -- a story about an unlikely team in an unlikely setting. a bobsled team from my native jamaica hoping the winter games in sochi will be their time to is shine again. even the colors of the bobsled stand out. >> so cool. spent time in lake placid training. >> as a jamaican? >> sort of, yeah. try as i might, there was no preparing for my appearance on "hollywood game night.night," i an experience i'll share. >> dvr set. so psyched. in hand or of national popcorn day, we're going to do a little taste test. >> sal is starting it off. >> save some for us. popcorn is a weakness of mine. >> you and my mom.

that's her big weakness. an nfl player who is telling his inspirational story of over coming deafness. he's featured in a duracell commercial that's been viewed more than 6.5 million times on youtube. nbc's joe fryer has more. >> reporter: it's the story of an underdog. about a deaf kid with dreams and detractors. >> i was picked on and picked last. >> reporter: in one minute this duracell commercial chronicles 23 years of derrick coleman's life, his fight to silence the critics. >> i've been deaf since i was 3, so i didn't listen. >> reporter: and his triumphant rise, becoming the league's first deaf offensive player. >> now, i'm here with a lot of fans in the nfl cheering me on. and i can hear them all. >> reporter: the ad has more than 6 million online views and countless online reactions. just got goose bumps. anyone else? why can't more commercials be like this?

from the mom of a child who gets discouraged because he is deaf, thank you. >> if i can do it, you can do it. i'm nobody special. i'm just a guy who has hearing aids and wanted to play football and found a way to do it. >> reporter: coleman will take the field in today's nfc championship game as the seahawks host the 49ers inside a stadium that's so loud, the earth shaking cheers actually register on the richter scale. >> you play in the loudest stadium in the nfl. what's that like for you? >> it's great. their energy is basically more energy for us, more motivation. >> can you feel the fans? >> i can feel them. >> reporter: on the field coleman relies on hearing aids and lip reading to understand the plays. off the field he shares his can-do message with hearing impaired kids. it seems to be working. >> reporter: what do you want to do when you grow up? >> i want to be a football

player. >> 100 kids in there, i want at least one of them to walk out of there knowing that, okay, i can do this. >> reporter: an inspiring message fans can hear and most of all feel. for today, joe fryer, nbc news, seattle. let's get a final check of the weather from dylan outside. >> hey, guys. good morning. it is a little chilly in the northeast. we also have some snowshowers in parts of the northeast and back into the great lakes, especially western michigan where we have lake-effect snow. lighter snowshowers moving through massachusetts. as far as accumulation, we won't see all that much, about one to three inches from ohio into northwestern pennsylvania. it's this little clipper system moving through. we have a couple of showers possible in florida today. 61 back in denver, 69 in parts of southern texas. so it is mild in the western half of the country. as we go into tomorrow, holiday for a lot of you, martin luther king junior day, we'll see more

snowshowers with a third clipper system. at this point they keep moving into the great lakes region. in the southeast yes, it is extremely dry. once again, no rain in the forecast for today. you'll notice your day planner in san francisco does keep things dry and sunny. no fog to report of. temperature near 70 degrees by this afternoon near 2:00 and really every location across the board today will be very warm and once you get into the 70s this time of year action we're talking with records. so from san francisco over towards the east bay, south bay, even the north bay expecting a mix of low to mid-70s and again that would set a few records. the thing to keep in mind, we do have to spare the air but we're hoping for a win from our 49ers. this is a nice surprise. you made it out here. >> the tail end of your forecast. it's cold. >> if you could speak fast, it's cold out here. >> your legs are freezing. >> we're not thinking about that part. with 18 days until sochi, it

looks like an underdog team will be getting another chance to go for gold. many of you have seen "cool running" so you know about the rise to glory for the jamaican bobsled team members. >> winston watts and marvin dixon qualified for the 2014 olympics in sochi, the first time a jamaican bobsled team has qualified for the winter olympics since 2002. >> look at the time. world record! >> reporter: it's home to some of the world's fastest men and women on two feet. while jamaica has plenty of places to run, what it doesn't have is ice, which is what makes the story of a jamaican bobsled team as improbable as it is endearing. and now after failing to qualify for the last two olympics, the jamaicans are heading back to the games. >> no one thought that the

jamaican bobsled team is still alive. >> reporter: 47-year-old veteran and captain winston watts who came out of retirement to lead this team has for months pushed his squad uphill to qualify for sochi with a group short on experience and sponsors. >> the thing is we're one of the most famous teams in the world, but the most poorest team ever. >> reporter: famous because of this movie. "cool rungs" was a loose account of the bobsled team's debut with the 1988 olympics in calgary where they became the underdog darlings of the games. pat brown coached the team in calgary. >> i was 21 years old and we were being treated like rock stars at the games. it was a lot of fun. they had so much pride to represent their country. >> reporter: most of the current team is too young to recall the calgary games, but they identify with "cool runnings." >> do you remember the 1988 team? >> it was crazy, you know what i

mean? ice? we're a tropical country. >> reporter: they make their training headquarters in the unlikely town of evanston, wyoming, not far from the olympic track in park city, utah. as they look forward to sochi, their hearts are back on the islands. >> how much joy would it bring jamaica to see a team carrying the flag into the stadium? >> it would be such an honor for me plus the team that i'm with there plus the president and also the whole entire country. >> reporter: and now, the jamaican bobsledders have proven to competitors and sponsors that they are no novelty act and are in it to win. >> we're no bunch of jokers, not because of the movie came out. we're true athletes, serious contenders. >> at 47, winston watts becomes the oldest bobsled competitor in this year's winter olympics. we should point out though they've qualified, that don't have a lot of sponsorship,

they've been running on borrowed sleds, looking for help to get to sochi. >> i hope they get it. >> would love to see them get there. we know you have a lot of shoots this week in preparation for the olympics, doing a lot of the behind the scenes stuff. you did a little curling in vegas. >> i was with the u.s. women's curling team as they were warming up for sochi in vegas. >> wow. >> like you didn't know that's the video we were going to use. >> lester is like ice? nobody told me we were on ice. >> you know what lester said to me this morning. i said how was the curling? but he said the holdest part is balancing -- holding the curling thing with my beer. that's the hardest part. >> we'll show the entire episode where i stay on my knees. >> and hold the beer. >> had fun with the ladies, curling. >> we'll cut you off right now.

>> with the women's curling team. up next, google is reinventing the wheel. first there were google glasses. lester, as your friend, i'm telling you to stop. now they're taking on contact lenses but for a very ♪ and you said no phones. the vacation you've been looking for is here. come and take it, universal orlando.

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this morning in today's tech, a peek into future of google glasses now working on a contact lens that would monitor a diabetes patient's glucose levels. there are more than 25 million americans who are living with

diabetes. a lot of them have to brick their finger multiple times a day to check their levels. this is a contact to eliminate that. how? >> you put it in your eye. it has a glucose sensor, obs youly. tiny antenna, as thin as a hair and a controller that makes the whole thing work. it can communicate with a device to send information about glucose levels. >> it would monitor it -- >> monitors the glucose levels in your tears. >> we know this is at least five to ten years out. ultimately are they looking at this as just a contact lens for people who don't wear corrective lenses or, say, if you wear contacts anyway, this would be a special kind to help you see and monitor? >> i think ultimately both. you'll have people with contacts that need this monitors and then you'll have people just with diabetes that want to get this information. dual duty. >> any chance this can merge into the google glasses which do totally different things. >> if you look at what google is doing with getting information in different ways, i think it

makes sense. if you think 10, 15 years out, they can get the components out, something like this, doing what google glass is doing is a real possibility. >> google moving into medical technology? >> i think google is moving into crazy ideas. in the medical space, there's a lot of new crazy ideas. they want to attack on all fronts. >> a pretty exciting one. nice having you with us this morning. thanks for coming in. we know lester's got game. can he bring it on the set of "hollywood game night"? we'll let you be the judge. "hollywood game night"? we'll let you be the judge. first, t as your life changes, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust along the way, refocus as careers change and kids head off to college, and revisit your investments as retirement gets closer. wherever you are today, fidelity's guidance can help you fine-tune your personal economy.

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when you gather a group of friends for an evening of fun and games, you never know how that night will turn out. imagine the excitement when you go really big. you've got celebrities, you've got a band, you've got a bar. now add lester into your mix and you've got a party. >> myself aside, that is all the make kings of nbc's "hollywood game night." i was recently invited on as a guest and contestant hosted by the ever funny jane lynch. >> the next game -- >> reporter: somewhere between a

celebrity pop quiz, a cocktail party and a late night jam session. nbc's "hollywood game night" offers a new twist on some good old-fashioned fun. >> this is inspired by sean hayes' game notes, our executive producer. i've been to game nights at his home. crazy, wild, very interesting people from all walks of life. >> reporter: i was invited to play this night. >> this is my wonderful band. >> reporter: host jane lynch showed me around. >> we actually have a functioning fireplace. this is where i hang out. this is my home. >> reporter: is this a real bar or night? >> it's a real bar. booze. that's a real portrait of me. i'm sure you have a portrait of yourself. >> reporter: as a journalist i wanted to come prepared. how do you prepare for this? >> pi son. >> reporter: i have been overthinking this thing because i'm a news guy.

you can't study this. >> no. this is why it's going to be very good for you to do this. you have to abandon yourself, you have to surrender to the game and to the experience and not worry about the fact that girng to have you doing silly things. >> reporter: there are two teams. each comprised of slee celebrities who play for charity and one civilian who competes for money. tonight it was the men versus the women, martin short and jason alexander are on my team. >> how would you describe it? >> humiliating often. >> i don't know the last name of the second guy. that's my problem. >> this is a lucy goosey game. >> the opposition, three very funny ladies. >> i think we're more competitive than anyone on the stage has ever been. >> reporter: actresses beth bears, july bowen and valerie bertonelli. >> i'm mean as a snake. she's a survivor.

>> we know about beyonce. we'll be fine. >> you have three correct. >> reporter: game on. i quickly learned the only real prerequisite, the ability to let your hair down. it's important to be able to think right off the top of you head. >> this is really funny and it's hard to concentrate because i'm laughing so much. >> hamburger, things you put ketchup on and you eat them. >> reporter: and shake a leg, literally. ♪ twist and shout >> reporter: i'm having such a great time but i can't focus with martin short next to me. he is cracking me up. >> i'm telling you, it's getting hot in here. >> reporter: you know you're having a good time when on camera in front of a huge audience, you break out the rob robot. it's a far cry from the games you crew up playing at home, but certainly a winner to me.

>> you have them all correct. >> i can't give away the ending. did my team win or lose? you'll have to tune in to the season premier of "hollywood game night" tomorrow at 8:00, 7:00 central. i have to tell you, i have never had so much fun. so nervous going in. >> it looks like a blast. >> everyone is having fun. >> just playing silly games. >> what we loved about it is something you could not prepare for. you're such an over-preparing guy. >> i was study tapes of the show and trying to brush up on my pop culture. >> out of your comfort zone. >> you're either in all the way or you're not. it was fun. i forgot to wish you guys happy national popcorn day. to the salty treat most commonly associated with the movie theater. >> salty, butter, plain or caramel. we have new gourmet pop corns. this is a new thing.

four flavors from three different companies. this is from popcorn opolus. >> is it cranberry or something? >> cranberry. >> i like that. >> are they certain flavors. >> there's a card. tell us what that one is, lester? >> raspberry grape yogurt. >> sounds extremely healthy. >> that's really good. >> this is doc popcorn, developed by a husband and wife team. they wanted healthier snack alternatives. >> i think i figured it out. i think this is snooker doodle. >> either that on cinnamon toast crunch. >> sinfully cinnamon. >> all right. >> i think we're both right. this is easy popcorn from an 8-year-old named isabel who started developing popcorn and was selling it not too far from

us in new york city over the summer. >> an 8-year-old made this? >> she made this. izzy pop. >> without a ton of stuff on it, it's a pretty healthy snack. >> this has got some kick. >> jalapeno. >> whoo! >> wow, jalapeno. >> an 8-year-old you said? >> slow burn, but quite good. >> our last one. is this your favorite? >> this is my favorite. i love this. this is also from popcornopolous. >> it's got to be like birthday cake. >> cupcake. >> cupcake. >> i'm so close on all these. >> hold on, hold on, hold on. >> ke mix them together. >> happy popcorn day. we'll be right back after these messages. [announcer] welcome to the all-new intuit quickbooks. run your entire business with it. get paid however you want with it.

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let's check in once more with david gregory for closer look on what's coming up on "meet the press." >> hello all. president obama plans to rein in government spying. intelligence chairs dianne feinstein and mike rogers. more charges of retribution against the christie administration. plus may york city mayor rudy giuliani defending the governor. that's going to do it for us on sunday morning. thanks for watching. don't forget. eat your popcorn today. >> national popcorn day. >> i'm surprised there's any left. >> not for long. i'll see you back here tonight for "nbc nightly news." have a great day everybody. thanks for watching.

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nature at its most delicious. good morning, i'm kris sanchez. coming up, the big game between the 49ers and the seahawks is finally here and has the bay area preparing for rowdy fans and possible vandals. the unusual precautions authorities are taking to ensure public safety. also destroyed in just minutes. why firefighters could not save this south bay restaurant even though they were right around the corner. and more record warmth for some bay area cities. we'll have that forecast for you. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you, looking live at the bay bridge and a beautiful start to the day. is it red and gold by design? who knows what kind