>> nice finish. >> first three fake. >> fourth time's a charm. >> thank you. have a great day. good morning. here we go again. a new deadly storm bringing heavy snow and ice for the 115 million people in 22 states feeling its wrath. as much as a foot of fresh snow, treacherous road conditions, and widespread power outages. and round three is close behind. breaking overnight, hoffn arrests, four people in custody in connection with the death of philip seymour hoffman as we learn new details about the oscar winner's final hours. taking on tobacco one pharmacy saying they will remove tobacco from their shelves. it's a costly decision. will other stores follow suit? and breaking news, shaun

white shocker, the snowboarder makes the stunning announcement one day before the competition is set to begin. we'll tell you what it is today, wednesday, february 5th, 2014. from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" countdown to the olympic winter games with matt lauer, live from olympic park in sochi, russia, and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer in olympic park in sochi. >> matt, good morning to you, i'm savannah guthrie here in studio 1-a. and don't make us wait any longer. what are we hearing from shaun white this morning? >> we have just received a statement from shaun white, he's giving to us first. and here's what he says, after much deliberation with my team, i've made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home

the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for team usa. the difficult decision to forego slopestyle is not one i take lightly. as i know how much effort everyone has been holding the slopestyle event in history. a history i had planned on being part of. so the shorthand here is shaun white was going to compete in two different events, slopestyle and halfpipe, he has pulled out of slopestyle. he had a bit of an injury in a training session. he jammed his wrist. we don't know if that caused him to pull out. but he will focus solely on trying to make history as the only american male to win three gold medals in a row in the same event in consecutive olympic games. that will be in the halfpipe. but shaun white and the slopestyle, no longer, guys. >> and a lot of the athletes said the course seemed dangerous to them. >> two other athletes injured. so the course itself? or the design of the course? >> i don't know. >> there are some people saying

they hope that organizers make some adjustments to the course before the competition. they say it is a little bit difficult to get used to. shaun white just says, you know what, i can't risk further injury, i have to concentrate on making history. and that, according to this statement, is what he's doing, guys. >> big decision by him. >> he'll give it more than 100% effort in the halfpipe. >> and look good doing it. >> exactly. one of our favorite athletes. check back in with you, matt, in a few minutes. but we want to get to today's top story. it's the weather. cold, wet, dangerous and slamming half the country right now. this monster snow started falling on tuesday. already, it's impacted 115 million people in nearly two dozen states. this stretches from the midwest where schools are canceled and states of emergency all the way up to the northeast. and the number of flights being canceled continues to climb quickly this morning. already, at least 2,000 flights grounded. we've got our team fanned out across the east coast. we're going to start with nbc's ron mott in westminster, mass, this morning. ron, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning to

you. as you can see, the snow is coming down hard at this hour. the rate is 1 to 2 inches every hour. the reason why, the snow is dry and fluffy. it piles up quickly. we expect heavy snow through lunch hour through 1:00 and taper off at evening and dinner time, it will stop. the trouble is the to south, more moisture in the snow and that, of course, means it hangs outages down that way. power crews are standing by. so many schools close today, a lot of parents at home with the children and the roads are clear of traffic and snow plows are able to get out to the streets. we expect the evening commute to be better than the morning commute. savannah. >> all right. ron mott, thanks to you. and let's go over to ron allen. he's out on the roads in

whippany, new jersey. i hope i pronounced that right. ron, good morning. keep your eyes on the road. >> reporter: yeah. i am, savannah. it's very slow-going out here. the roads are treacherous. as you look out the window, it is a lot better. there are snow plows everywhere. it is moving along. there are areas where a lot of this is icing over. that's the big concern with the storm, ice. we had sleet, freezing rain through the morning, the temperature is still below freezing. there is a concern this could ice over. a lot of the towns in northern new jersey and elsewhere, are running out of supplies of salt. they are trying to ration it. here is what we have been seeing. the snow plows on the left. they are trying to make clear the roads and then they try to put down some salt. this is quite something. five or a half dozen plows out since this morning trying to

make sure things are clear. treacherous commute. we are hearing that some of the transit lines or suburban lines are down in new jersey and some subway lines in new york city. a good day to stay at home if you don't need to get out. >> or if you have a live shot on the "today" show. ron allen, be careful out there. thank you. let's head a little further south now. nbc's kristen welker holding down the fort in cumberland, maryland, this morning. kristen, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. well, the snow is still here from the last winter storm, and we have .50 of igs ice that formed. this is what we are talking about. it is making conditions treacherous. the big problem is power out ages. about 800,000 in maryland and new jersey. it is due to frozen power lines and downed trees. dangerous conditions on the

roads. an official with the maryland highway administration says they had 1,800 trucks plowing and salting overnight. just as many today trying to make sure these roads are as passable as possible. officials say it is dangerous out here. if you don't have to leave your home, they suggest you stay at home. a lot of people are ready for winter to be over. back to you, al. they have run through the snow removal budgets. this is from central pennsylvania on into new jersey and long island. this is all icing going on, this pink. this is dangerous. we look for ice accretion. the accumulation of ice to exceed an inch and you see power outages. more than 100,000 people without power.

we have an icy mess in midtown. look at the snow-covered roads. still snowing in chicago. temperatures at or above freezing. you look at this. ice storm warnings in lower ohio and into indiana. we have winter weather advisories and freezing rain advisories. low pressure. we are calling it on the weather channel winter storm nika pushing across the east. it stays snow in new england for a long time. that will have a big effect. the southern is the icing. anywhere from .25 inch to .50 inch from pennsylvania to new york. we drill down closer. look at this. new jersey and parts of long island, 1 inch of ice or more. that is dangerous. snowfall is 1 to 3 back from chicago into the northeast. but we're also looking at a lot of snow anywhere from 6 to 8 or i should say 9 to 12 in boston.

3 to 6 in central new york into new jersey. schools all throughout the northeast closed with the exception of new york city which i think is inexcusable because the mayor has not closed the schools. dangerous out there. >> it is really tough commute out there. al, thank you. see you in a couple of minutes. let's head out to sochi and check in with matt. >> thanks very much. we have more now on the breaking news we told you about a little earlier. shaun white pulling out of the slopestyle event, still competing in halfpipe, but not competing in slopestyle which was scheduled to start and still will start tomorrow here in sochi. we want to go up to rosa khutor, that's the ski resort about 30 miles from here. keir simmons has more on the decision and fallout. keir, good morning to you. >> hey, matt, good morning. shaun white's dedication is legendary, so this would have been a difficult decision for him to make. he wasn't at practice this morning. now he has told "today" that after much deliberation, rather than try to compete in both the slopestyle and halfpipe, he'll

focus on the halfpipe. >> reporter: shaun white was on the slopestyle course tuesday looking confident. later, he wiped out injuring his wrist. but there was no hint of his dramatic decision at a team usa news conference this morning. >> i'm really excited. this is my third olympics, and my third chance to defend my title on the halfpipe. it's great. >> reporter: in a statement he told "today," the difficult decision to forego slopestyle is not one i take lightly as i know how much effort everyone has put into holding the slopestyle event for the first time in olympic history. however, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other olympic goals. shaun already has two olympic gold medals in the halfpipe, he'll now concentrate on making it a third straight gold. in an interview before the decision, he told matt of the

pressure success brings. >> how do you manage it? how do you handle that expectation? >> just try to win. i think my best quality is i feel like, you know, when the pressure's on, i seem to do better. >> and sochi slopestyle is proving a challenge for everyone, says nbc's slopestyle analyst todd richards. >> look at that. >> yeah, that's basically a tester. >> not a jump. >> that's just cruising over, getting warmed up. >> reporter: while warming up, a norwegian has been carried off with a broken collarbone. and marika enne from finland suffered concussion. but says u.s. medal hopeful, sage kotsenburg, these are big jumps for a big stage. >> this course is intense, you know, it's the olympics. probably the biggest course we've been on. >> reporter: and changes are being made to that course, matt, to make it better for the snowboarders. the good news is we still have medal chances in the slopestyle

and millions of fans will be able to see him in this competition. but, matt, the competition hasn't even begun yet and already drama. >> yeah, no question. keir simmons at rosa khutor, thanks very much. just a quick little bit of explanation, the black eye that shaun white had, he suffered that in training, went face first into the air bag they use to protect him. savannah, back to you. >> the fact the snowboarders are worried about the course when they have such a high tolerance for danger, matt, is incredible. thank you so much. we'll see you in a couple of minutes. breaking news here overnight. four people in police custody as the investigation into the actor philip seymour hoffman's death widens. nbc's katy tur has the story this morning. katy, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. philip seymour hoffman's death on sunday, the nypd has stepped up their efforts to crack down on heroin across the city. last night, a tip led them to a lower manhattan apartment building where hoffman may have once bought drugs. inside, they found 300 bags of heroin and arrested four people

for possession. >> three men and one woman were taken into custody late tuesday, part of the ongoing investigation into actor philip seymour hoffman's death. the arrests were made in a lower manhattan apartment close to where hoffman's body was found earlier this week. >> and inside, they did find numerous bags, we're told hundreds of bags of heroin. the investigation is ongoing and law enforcement sources tell us there are strong leads to indicate that the heroin inside that apartment was the same that was sold to hoffman. >> the news comes as new details are emerging about how the actor spent his final hours. sources say bank records show hoffman withdrew $1,200 from an atm the night before he died, and a witness told investigators he saw hoffman with two men as he withdrew the money. in the apartment where the "capote" star died, sources say police found 49 full and 23 empty bags of heroin along with six bottles of prescription drugs used for adhd, anxiety, and one used for treating drug

addiction. newly released lab tests show the heroin did not contain fentanyl, an additive used to intensify the high and linked to multiple deaths. >> the question remains for the medical examiner, how much of the drug did he take? and what was it that caused his death? >> the results of hoffman's autopsy have not yet been released but could come as early as today. >> and the four arrested have not been charged with selling hoffman drugs. police say they're still investigating that. as for hoffman's funeral, it will be private, but there will be a public memorial later this month. >> katy tur, thank you so much. meantime, natalie's following another scandal. this time the navy? >> that's right. and a cheating scandal. the u.s. military dealing with a big cheating scandal involving the navy. says about 30 senior instructors at the nuclear propulsion school in south carolina have been suspended. officials tell nbc news, the

instructors there have been decertified pending investigation. this scandal follows the suspension of 92 air force missile launch officers in montana. navy officials say these sailors are involved in training for nuclear power plants on navy ships. they are not connected to nuclear weapons programs. in iraq today, a wave of bombings has rocked central baghdad striking mainly near the heavily fortified green zone where key government offices are located. in all, at least 16 people were killed. the deadliest of today's blast took place outside the foreign ministry building where two parked car bombs went off simultaneously. those explosions killed at least seven and wounded 15. after more than 36 years on the run, police say they finally caught a woman who escaped from a michigan prison back in 1977. police arrested judy hayman on monday in california. she was arrested on monday. this was her original booking photo, taken after she was arrested for attempted larceny.

then 23 years old, she was only supposed to spend a minimum of 16 months behind bars. she's being held in san diego while awaiting extradition back to michigan. well, the athletes aren't the only ones who have been seen milling around the streets of sochi. the mascots have finally arrived there. so far, they've been a big hit. there's the polar bear, the hare and the leopard. they were chosen from 24,000 sketches from a poll. they were narrowed down by a judging panel. and one thing many people are noticing the mascots are surprisingly normal. remember these from the winter olympics in the past? quachi and sumi. and the mythical creatures from vancouver, or the snowball and ice cube in torino. this had a little bit more of a fun feel. >> this almost sounds like a joke. a polar bear -- walk into a bar. >> what do they order? >> why the long face? >> thank you. mr. roker, i'm running out of witty banter on the weather. >> almost as the communities are

running out of salt. and look, i must admit, i do have a little skin in the game calling out the mayor of new york city, i've got a kid in public school. come on, mr. mayor, shut it down! we will have your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. in the next 30 seconds. in 30 seconds. talk and textimited for as low as $45 a month? $45 a month. wow...no annual contract. no annual contract. no long-term agreement. no long-term agreement. really? really. ok, so what's the catch? there is no catch. ok, i'm obviously getting nowhere with you. i'm gonna need to speak with the supervisor. i am the supervisor. oh, finally someone i can talk to. [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. new smartphone plans starting at $45 a month, with no annual contract. only from at&t. 7:17 on wednesday morning. we have major rainfall headed towards the bay area. but for the most part, we'll stay dry until 6:00 p.m. temperatures are going to be on the cool side.

clouds increasing as we head throughout the day today. we get our first showers as we head throughout tonight. stop that clock for you. we meet back here tomorrow morning, we're going have a lot of rain on radar. the heaviest totals in south bay. more rain saturday into sunday. by the way, there are 1.1 million students who have to get to school this morning in the new york city school system in the five boroughs. >> how many kids right now are saying al roker for mayor? >> thank you so much. >> gracie mansion is a nice place to live. watch it, de blasio. we've got a big development concerning one of the country's biggest pharmacy chains. cvs says it will soon begin removing all tobacco products from the 7,500 stores

nationwide. we have nbc's tom costello with more. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: it's very big. good morning, savannah, cvs says it could not reconcile the contradiction between trying to improve people's health while at the same time selling tobacco products. the big question this morning, will other pharmacy retailers decide they need to do the same3 cvs. su presidenta dice que no it simply makes no sense for cvs employees to sell cigarettes and chewing tobacco. >> they are working with our patients with chronic conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol and diabetes. we know smoking is extremely unnecessary.

>> reporter: it will cost $2 billion in revenue for cvs. it will transition focusing on pharmacy services and mini clinics. the question is will other pharmacies feel pressure to ban tobacco. >> we are not just talking about drug stores, but the big box retailers who have pharmacies rm. >> reporter: from the american pharmacist and heart and and certify society. the cvs announcement coming as the fda reveals the ad campaign to teenage smokers. >> most adult smokers take it up when they're younger than the age of 18. so we want to reach those kids who might be starting a life long deadly habit. >> reporter: this morning, a fresh attempt to snuff out tobacco. >> reporter: 500,000 people die from smoke-related illnesses.

cvs is going to start a campaign to quit. this morning, the white house is applauding the move. savannah, back to you. >> tom costello in bethesda, thanks so much. let's check in with tamron. what everyone's talking about in the orange room. >> let's guess. the weather. >> i tweeted about it. >> i tweeted about it, as well. i think we've reached the point where we're not complaining anymore. for those of you who say it's complaining, come on now, we're just sick of it. enough already, in fact, that's our hashtag. #enoughalready. it was the coldest january in 20 years in minnesota. wichita just broke a 117-year-old daily record with 7 inches of snow. so as you see there, enough already. and natalie, savannah, al, further proof we've had enough already. this is something you'll never see on television in your life. i always wear high heels.

do you know how hard it is to find snow boots with a heel? because this is what i came in with these. 5 inches. we got cute pictures from cuties. this is enough already, #enoughalready. let us know what you think. >> i think your boots are adorable. and if you have cute boots like that, buy two pairs. one format for natalie and one for me. >> i'm going on ebay right now. >> thank you. coming up, we've got a rossen report you want to see. exclusive new details about what actually went on on justin bieber's private jet. and abusive behavior by the pop star. matt. also ahead from sochi, we have one of the stars of the u.s. ski team that's julia mancuso, often thought as an underdog, but this is not someone to take lightly. we'll talk to her. but first, "today" on nbc.

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my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. pronamel will help protect the enamel from future erosion. very good wednesday morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. police in san francisco looking for a hit-and-run driver who sent a man to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. police say the man was walking in a crosswalk near van ness and grove street when hit. a 62-year-old woman shot by police overnight has died. the shooting happened last night at an apartment complex on foothill boulevard near grove way. police say they wren to the complex after the woman called 911 several times. officers say when they arrived, she pulled out a gun, moved towards the officers in a threatening way and, they say, she refused to drop that gun. one of the officers opened fire. a cpr instructor in san jose could face disciplinary action for reportedly selling online

cpr recertifications. rural/metro says where the instructor works, it made the discovery after reviewing internal records. investigators are trying to find ow which i mechltmts bought recertifications instead of learning them. enjoy the clear morning. >> big changes on the way. good morning to you. time now 7:27. we are proud to be the home of the olympic here at nbc bay area. and as we're simultaneously watching those olympics, tomorrow morning, we are talking about major rainfall headed our way. temps end up in the 50s for today. stick around. i'll time out the system to your doorstep. i'll have updates all morning. mike inouye and your drive. >> slow drive for san jose. this is 101, look at the live shot first, cars creeping by. the map, the upper right mand side of the screen, red there. in the middle north 280 which we

typically see slowing. south 880, jamming up towards stevens creek boulevard. off-ramps closed in both directs of 880 because of power line down, power pole reportedly hit by a big rig this morning at monroe near valley fair mall. we don't know when this will open hearing hours for the closure. south 680 jammed coming into sunol. >> thank you. thank you for joining us. back with another update in a half hour.

♪ a little irony with our more than 100,000 people elsewhere throughout the northeast. airline cancellations already at about 2,300. >> said it before, say it again, can't wait to get to sochi and warm up. matt. >> let me tell you, i'm calling my kids every morning, it's like groundhog day. they haven't had a full week of school in about a month. either canceled or delayed by two hours. they're not complaining.

they will be when they're in school july 4th, but they're not complaining right now. meanwhile, did you guys know sochi is the warmest city ever to host the winter olympics? it is true. and when you get here on friday or saturday, you might find some of the paint still drying around here. all the venues are finished, not only here in the olympic park, but up in the mountains in rosa khutor. and we'll talk to one of the stars of team usa, julia mancuso aka, super jules. is going to talk about her olympic dreams. >> we'll look forward to that, matt, thank you. meanwhile, here are the stories making news this morning. and did we mention? big winter storm crippling more than 100 million from the midwest to the northeast. flights canceled as al mentioned. people are being told to stay off the roads. 30 senior instructors of the navy have been suspended as the u.s. investigates a cheating scandal at the nuclear

propulsion school. and shaun white made a big announcement this morning. we broke it here on the "today" show, he will not be competing in the slopestyle competition in the winter games. he will be on the halfpipe as planned. another person we know and love, not competing in the winter games, lindsey vonn, recovering from a knee injury. but the good news for us is, she is joining our "today" family during the games. this morning, her first report, she's going to tell us what it takes to raise an olympian. and she knows firsthand. >> she knows firsthand. >> her mom knows something about. but first, a rossen report, details about what happened aboard justin bieber's private plane when it was searched days before the super bowl. our national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is here with more on that story. jeff, good morning. >> good morning. new trouble for the biebs. law enforcement sources tell nbc news, this wasn't just bratty behavior by a teenager.

justin bieber was outright abusive to the crew. and his behavior could have been dangerous in the air. sources say the pilots even had to use emergency equipment just to keep the flight safe. for the first time, exclusive new details from inside justin bieber's private jet. when federal agents boarded and searched his luxury g4 in new jersey last friday, law enforcement sources tell nbc news, there was still a strong odor of marijuana and smoke in the air. pot smoke so thick, during the flight, sources say, the pilots had to put on oxygen masks so they wouldn't get high. >> the pilots fears for the safety of the airplane and the passengers because of the influence of this drug affecting their performance. >> but bieber wouldn't stop. according to the official police report obtained exclusive by nbc news, the captain warned the passengers, including bieber, on several occasions to stop smoking marijuana and stop their harassing behavior toward the flight attendant.

that flight attendant telling authorities, the pop superstar and his father jeremy bieber were extremely abusive verbally. she ended up taking refuge near the cockpit to avoid the biebers and avoiding further abuse. >> if this were a commercial flight, the pilots would have landed that airplane immediately a arrests would have been made. >> justin bieber admitted to officers he was smoking pot and drinking. but was let go when no additional drugs were found. he's been dealing with police all over north america. in toronto last week, he surrendered on charges of criminal assault. his attorney says he's innocent. just a week before -- >> total bond would be $2,500. >> he faced a judge in miami, arrested for misdemeanor dui, resisting arrest, and driving with an expired license. bieber's pled not guilty. hollywood insiders worry justin bieber is spiralling out of control. >> he needs an intervention.

he needs to separate himself, quite frankly, from his enabling parent. what a horrible example for all of his fans. >> important to note here, bieber has not been charged with anything from that flight. the crew decided not to press charges, but according to the official report, while the abuse wasn't physical or sexual, that flight attendant said she refuses to work another flight with bieber or his father. late last night, we reached out to bieber's camp. they declined to comment. but a friend of the star told me they are hoping these public incidents will make him realize he needs to wake up, savannah. >> kind of unbelievable. thank you, jeff, so much. let's take a turn and get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by safelite. trust safelite. go online to safelite.com to schedule now. >> and guys, not only do we have to worry about all this icy weather, we've got some really arctic air. not as bad as we were dealing with a couple of weeks ago.

but look at these temperatures. right now, billings, feels like 15 below, 18 below in bismarck. omaha feels like 19 below. kansas city, by tomorrow, it will feel like 6 below for an overnight low. 12 below in st. louis. 3 below in cleveland. and the cold air hangs around friday with temperatures in minneapolis, windchills of 26 below and air temperature of 10 below. we don't see any moderation in sight until some time on sunday. that's what's going on around 7:36 on a wednesday morning. mostly clear sky over san francisco for now. we've got major changes coming to your forecast. we have a lot of rain starting tonight. as we head throughout the afternoon, only going to reach mid 50 in the city. temperatures are going to be cool everywhere. have that jacket with you. we'll hold off on showers for a while. stop the clock, getting into tonight, widespread rainfall by

11:30, heaviest rain at this timing tomorrow morning. that's your latest weather. good news, guys, that storm we were talking about yesterday might have been a major snowstorm for the northeast. backing off a bit. still heavy snow for new england, but the area of heavy snow has shrunken a bit. >> there you go. a little bit of good news. >> finding the light. have you heard this one? it sounded like an incredible tale of survival in the pacific, and now growing evidence it might actually be true. a man who recently surfaced claims he survived being lost at sea, get this, for more than a year. well, some doctors are saying this story is plausible. there are some skeptics. let's get the story now from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: for the cast away thought to be dead more than a year, pictures from london's "daily mail" show a fresh haircut, a clean shave, and a tale of survival as long and tangled as the beard he once

had. jose alvarenga wobbled back on to land with a story even he can't believe. god, he says, kept him alive as he watched a crew mate die of starvation. i was going to kill myself, he says. i saw my friend die of hunger and thirst. while in a 24-foot boat like this one, he says the storm swept him 6,000 miles from mexico to the marshall islands without food, water or fishing gear. alvarenga says he used a box to shelter himself from the sun as he drifted on a boat about this size. he says he killed fish, turtles and birds to stay alive and drank rain water whenever he could. he says he survived 14 months in the open ocean before finally seeing land and swimming ashore. >> he was saying thank god, thank god, thank god over and over again. >> the 37-year-old who looks

healthy is suffering from swollen organs, which may explain his bloated appearance, say doctors who treated him. >> i have no reason to believe he was lying to me. he looked me in the eye, he answered my questions directly. >> but his story of survival has plenty of critics, especially on social media. it shocked his family back home who had never given up hope. his mother says, i always dreamed he was alive. a castaway who says he beat the odds and cheated death. but this morning, faces skeptics. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> become so cynical the society suspects the story not to be true. >> people are suspicious because the appearance isn't what someone would expect after 14 months at sea. >> i think it was just one official. it wasn't this ground swell and maybe anonymous people on social media. but the experts believed him. >> can you imagine surviving 14 months and no one believes? >> the good news is, his soccer ball just washed up.

>> wilson! >> yeah. coming up next, talking about adrenaline rush. maybe the ultimate selfie video. that story is trending this morning. and then live from sochi, downhill racer julia mancuso on going for the gold in her fourth olympic competition. matt will catch up with her right after this. [ john sarrouf ] it's our mission at the family dinner project to support families in getting back to the table. one day we get this incredible call from cheerios saying "what about breakfast?"

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[ male announcer ] and we do. it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪ 7:44 now on this wednesday morning, we're back in sochi, russia, olympic park and the olympic competition just one day away. we're joined by julia mancuso. and a young lady with three olympic medals under her belt when it comes to the big events like the ones we'll be seeing here in sochi, this is also someone who rises to the occasion. julia, it's nice to see you. good morning. how are you? >> i'm doing good. >> fourth olympic games? >> yep. >> yeah. you started when you were 3, obviously. >> yeah. time flies. >> how does it feel to be here? >> it's exciting. i love the olympics, growing up in olympic valley. so, yeah, time flies and here we are at another olympics. >> was there ever any doubt after vancouver and your great performance there you would stretch it out and come back for

another olympic games? >> well, definitely not. i've had a different journey to every olympic games. and going into vancouver, once again, i was coming back from injuries and got those medals. so it was just another kickstart to another great four years. >> i talked to you one time, and you said to me it was really important for you personally to be comfortable out there. you had to feel comfortable on the slopes. i know earlier this year, you went through a period you weren't all that comfortable. you talked a little bit about equipment problems. are you comfortable now? >> i am comfortable now. and it feels great. it's kind of crazy to think a month ago i was in a place struggling and things weren't going well. but just in time, i figured things out and i'm really excited and hoping for great races. >> a little later in our show, lindsey vonn's in our studio talking about what parents contribute to the development of an olympian. and the reason she's there is because she's not here. does her absence in any way impact you emotionally? >> i mean, it's really tough because you're on top of the

hill for yourself, really. and in training it's always with your teammates. and definitely miss my teammate. it's really, you know, too bad lindsey can't be here. but at the same time, it's still just me in the start gate. we're glad she's healthy and on her way to recovery and can't wait for her to get back. >> on the mend. you've also told me in the past, you like to find ways in your life to have fun. you don't make it all about one thing. you try to get out there and enjoy things. what do you do here in sochi or any olympic venue to take your mind off the pressure? >> well, i came all the way down here from the mountains. that was a fun adventure. >> to dance around on the plaza. >> exactly. it was great to get on the train and check things out down here. that's the first start and going to opening ceremonies is another thing. >> you will be marching? >> yeah, looking forward to it. it's exciting, great to be here and take in the whole experience. >> tr with you? >> sure is. >> we get to see it hope? >> i hope.

>> always great to have you here. >> thank you. >> good luck in these games. >> thank you. >> lindsey vonn will be here later to talk about the role of parents in raising olympians. let's go back to tamron. >> lindsey and i are playing flappy bird. go. >> it's taking over the internet and we got killed. we're going to tell you how to play coming up. are you ready? >> yep. >> you're a competitor. i quit smoking.

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you said it's pretty challenging. i started practicing this morning. we're going to demo it. basically, you have this bird and your bird has to make its way -- okay. come on. >> you've got to keep tapping the bird. >> you've got to keep tapping the bird. and this was developed by a guy in vietnam. and it's -- as i mentioned. here i go. so this morning, because i'm obviously bored and you are too, i'm challenging all of you at home to go online, open up the free app and oh. >> gets you every time. >> and you know it's easy enough to beat tamron. >> don't make her leave the orange room and hurt you. >> here i go. >> oh! >> i'm actually playing it.

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good morning to you. 7:56. i'm scott mcgrew. people in palo alto concerned about a recent home invasion robbery streak crime, car break-ins looking to the police for answers. the department hosted a community meeting last night. police offered safety tips, like only opening the door to people you know. however, they say it can be dang trous dangerous to ignore a knock. board members will vote on a new mascot for vallejo high school. the school adopted the apache decades ago. supporters say the mascot was offensive. dunts and alumni defended the mascot as an honor to the tribe and the vallejo high spirit. let's check in with christina. >> also in high spirits. a good looking day shaping up. temperatures are going to be cool for today, bring that jacket, but i'm excited about

the rain. as you know, a lot of talk about the drought for the state of california. we're about to chip away at that drought with very decent storm totals coming in. as of this time tomorrow morning, more rain on the way. we stop the clock, through 8:00 a.m., we meet back here tomorrow, we'll have heavy rain rolling through particularly the south bay. you want to keep that in mind. not expecting as much in the north bay. before all is said and done from the first system, we could measure an inch of rain in san jose with potentially an additional 2 to 3 inches on the way to the north bias we get into the weekend. traffic alert, let's get over to mike inouye. >> this is not video, it's live footage. we lost them. we'll have that glitch. but there's the powerful, bottom 0 the screen, snagged wires and pulled the power volt down. i imagine, oh, darn it as you did that. had to keep the person safe until they turned out the power. got them out of the cab.

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it's 8:00 on "today." and coming up, rome has its fountains, paris has its tower, so what about sochi? they have benches. we'll take you there. plus, how do you actually raise an olympian? we'll hear from lindsey vonn. herr mom made all the difference. plus, totally unplugged. what the red hot chili peppers are saying after being caught wireless at the super bowl. and the passing "the tonight show" torch. >> i could not be happier for him. welcome my friend jimmy fallon! >> more from jimmy and jay as the host signs off today, wednesday, february 5th, 2014.

♪ >> we came to the "today" show and they invited us inside. whoo! >> hi, wisconsin! ♪ >> it's 8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the fifth day of february 2014. those are some hearty souls outside studio 1a on rockefeller plaza on a rainy, sleety, snowy, messy morning in new york city and much of the northeast. i'm matt lauer in sochi, russia, where it's about 40 degrees, not nearly as bad in new york. and since those hearty souls are outside, our less-than-hearty team has moved inside studio 1a. i've got savannah, al, natalie and tamron holding down the fort there. guys, good morning to you. >> yeah, we're pretty wimpy this morning. not al. he'll be out there a little later on. >> yeah. >> by the way, #enoughalready is trending. >> yeah. >> people are sick of this weather. >> oh, good. >> no surprise there. >> what about #angryal?

>> well, al's been a little upset about the mayor not closing schools because it's a mess out there. by the way, it just so happens today is national weather person day. >> oh, happy weather person day! >> give your weather person a hug. >> aww. >> i didn't get you anything! >> oh. in fact, it forced a lot of our friends, get them some road salt. a lot of roads are running out of salt. >> the gift that keeps on giving this time of year. >> meanwhile, matt, you are breaking some pretty big news out of sochi this morning. >> yeah, how about #noslopestyleforshaun. shaun white has pulled out of the slopestyle competition that's set to begin tomorrow. he had a little bit of an injury, said he didn't want to risk anything further on that very difficult course. instead, he's going to concentrate on his effort to make history as the first american man to three-peat in gold medals in the same event, three consecutive olympic games. that's the halfpipe. so, again, no slopestyle for shaun white. he's focusing on the halfpipe, folks. >> yeah. makes some sense. meanwhile, what else have you been up to there?

>> you know, i took my first adventure this morning, savannah. i went into the town, the city of sochi. it's about 17 miles or 30 kilometers from here, 30-mile drive. it's very, very nice. i want to say, i was very pleasantly surprised. they have a beautiful park called riviera park, and that is the place to go for the broken-hearted and those looking for love. >> ooh. ♪ >> this is riviera park in the heart of sochi. it's a combination urban garden and amusement park, and it's one of the most popular places around here. if you were to come here in the summer months, these sidewalks would be teeming with people. they come at the end of a work day to relax or come on the weekends just to spend time with their children. but forget the roller coasters and the tennis courts and all those things. there are two attractions here that are more popular than anything else. the first of those attractions is located right here by this fountain in the center of the park, and people come from all

around just to use it. it's called lover's bench, and it's beautiful. it's made up of a series of concentric hearts. and according to the local legend, if you come here with your special someone -- [ speaking foreign language ] and you sit down and you pop the question, well, she'll say yes. and boom, you're in a relationship. and you know how relationships are, they're great. until they aren't. but have no fear. here at riviera park, there's an answer for that, and it's just on the other side of the fountain. it's called reconciliation bench, and notice the way it's shaped. according to that local legend, if you come to this bench and you sit down with that same special someone, well, you're immediately drawn back together. [ laughter ] >> oh, love.

>> don't know where to go from that. >> wow. >> the love bench. >> you know, it occurred to me -- >> did you get her number? >> -- when i did the introducti introduction, i said it's the place to go if you're looking for love. i ju it's not that kind of park. just want to make that clear. >> she is adorable. did you get her name? >> ludnilla. ♪ ludmilla, whoa ho >> we shot that this morning and what bothers me is she hasn't called me yet. >> maybe your russian's not that good. >> she still has two weeks. >> matt, thank you. >> that was awesome. >> how do we turn that fr that? >> i've got to do the news. >> downer. >> sorry about that. it is a downer with the second winter storm this week hammering the country with heavy snow and freezing rain. nbc's ron mott is in westminster, massachusetts, with the very latest there. ron, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, good

morning. we're an hour's drive west-northwest of boston. this area's expecting the highest accumulations of snow from this storm, upwards of 14 inches. we're off to a good start in that regard. take a look, it's the dry, fluffy snow that piles up quickly. the concern to our south is they've got a little bit of a rain mix, so that's heavier stuff. the concern, of course, is power outages. now, the timing going forward, we're expecting heavy snow at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour through the lunch hour and perhaps beyond 1:00 or 2:00. then we'll start to see it taper off and then it will finally a. wing at 6:00 or 7:00 tonight. the evening commute we think will be a lot more manageable than the morning commute. natalie? >> we sure hope so. ron mott in westminster, massachusetts. thanks. president obama is praising cvs pharmacies for announcing they will stop selling tobacco products by october 1st. >> they were anounouncing they will stop selling tobacco products by the 1st. saying it also sells money.

>> suspected drug over dose of actor phillip seymour hoffman, investigators are looking into if any of them sold drugs to him. some frightening video out of brazil where armed gunmen forced a hospital and forced patients and staff to hand over their valuables, you can see the suspects entering the awaiting room with gun's drawn going from person to person taking valuables. fortunately no one was hurt. no arrests have been made yet. hollywood is mourning the loss of actor richard bowl, the

89-year-old died of complications on monday. ujtsds . former american idol runner up clay aiken is running for congress. the 35-year-old singer and special ed teacher announced he is seeking a democratic position in north carolina saying he will focus on education and jobs adding that he thinks washington is disfunctional. man of many careers. let's check the weather. today's weather brought to you by k jewelers, every kiss begins with k. all right guys we have almost three quarters of a million people without power, the reason for this, all of the icy conditions.

a lot of power outages are in kentucky, on into new jersey. the temperature is right at 32 degrees in new york city. we just lost our live picture in massachusetts and we're snowed out in detroit. so it is crazy stuff going on out there. it's going to continue to really, we're going to look at the cold air coming in in the plains, we got the snow and ice in the east, temperature below or at zero in the north west. look for icy conditions in the so . 8:09, good wednesday morning to you i'm christina loren. we have a lot of weather headed our way. today mostly cloudy, we're going to hold off on the showers until later this evening.

through about 11:00 p.m. tonight the bulk of the moisture will move through the bay area and it will rain heavily it looks like through the night and tomorrow morning we'll likely be tracking heavy showers, especially in the south bay. be ready for that. >> all right, al. thank you. coming up at 8:10 in trending, olympic park may be ready for the athletes. but is the rest of sochi ready for the tourists? plus, lindsey vonn is here at 8:15, telling us all about the one person who helped her shoot for the stars. and then at 8:20, jay leno looks back at his 22 years as the "tonight show" host as jimmy fallon prepares to take over. ♪ [ laughs ] well, mom... "mom." i can't believe this is finally happening. before our daughter gets here... ♪ here. [ jane ] behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my new open hearts waves collection at kay jewelers.

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we're back now at 8:15. here's what's trending today. would you ever ignore the dying wishes of someone close to you? >> probably not, right? >> i don't think so. >> what about if it were the pope? >> definitely not. >> well, there's a lot of controversy right now around a cardinal who was a secretary and confidant of the cardinal. set to publish a book of the former pope's personal notes. and john paul has specifically requested those papers be burnt. so the decision now to publish

them has angered a lot of catholics. the cardinal, though, says it would be a crime to destroy the papers. >> you could keep them and not publish them. >> there's an option. >> surprised he doesn't have a larger say over this. >> who do they actually belong to? >> yeah. >> i guess public domain, perhaps soon. >> well, you may have been a little bit too busy rocking out to bruno mars and the red hot chili peppers, but a few of you picked up on this. something strange about the band's instruments. they actually were not plugged in. according to the red hot chili peppers, they didn't have a choice. the nfl didn't want to risk audio issues so it forced them to use pre recorded music. the singing was live, though. basically viewers treated to the greatest air guitar performance ever. >> i would have never known. >> that's pretty cool. >> yeah, exactly.

>> everybody loves a selfie. taking a plain selfie is so last year. we're about to show you a guy who really knows how to grab the craze literally by the horns. this is christian plang with what could be the most extreme selfie ever. during a bull run. a photographer captures this amazing photo. it mean, talk about your selfie. >> not just a photo. turns out he was taking a video. hoe's huffing and puffing and screaming, trying to outrun the bull. listen to him. >> oh, no! >> smartly he gets off to the side. >> yeah, okay. too close for comfort for me. >> i've never seen a video selfie of running from the bulls, but that's exactly what i thought it would be. >> i've never heard of this particular running of the bulls. >> all across the country. >> would you do it? >> yeah. >> in my high heels? >> no. >> if you do it with me.

>> i'll lay down and let them trample me. we all know what would happen. >> a bunch of flash standing. that's what's trending today. and we've got more on the countdown to sochi. there's no doubt it takes countless hours of preparation, training and shear determination to become an al olympic athlete. that's not all. a new nbc special is looking at some of the important people behind those athletes. it's called "how to raise an olympian," and it features today correspondent lindsey vonn and her mom. let's take a look. >> you know, the toughness i learned from my mom definitely helped me a lot. it's a really fine line between glory and disaster. >> you can't always win. so we have to work through that. and there will always be another race. >> my mom's always been supportive and loving no matter how i do or how successful i am. no matter what obstacle you face, you can always overcome

it. in the end, the overlying theme is being tough, trying to stay positive. >> and take a look at this. we have a live shot right now. this is high above sochi, russia. rosa khutor mountains, the torch is making its way. feeling a little bit real as lindsey vonn joins us in the studio. pretty exciting to see the olympics get underway. i'm sure bittersweet for you. >> it is definitely bittersweet. it's exciting to see the americans getting ready and the excitement building. it's pretty cool. >> this is probably the last place you wanted to be two days before the olympics and i don't take it personally. >> definitely the last place i want to be, but i'm happy to be here nonetheless. and excited to be part of the team. >> i have to ask you about shaun white. he made this decision, we just announced it this morning, he's not going to be on the slopestyle course. you understand what it's like to make these hard decisions. this must have been really tough. >> yeah. i completely understand. i mean, i see he definitely wants to be prepared for the halfpipe. and that's where he thinks he

can win the gold medal, i think that's a smart choice. obviously he's going to be disappointed to not be in the first slopestyle event ever in the olympics. >> that slopestyle course has gotten some criticism or concern from some of the athletes. you went to sochi and checked out the ski slopes. what did you think of them when you saw them? >> i thought the alpine events were amazing. the mountains are beautiful, the course was absolutely perfect. they have everything you could want in an alpine course. i'm not sure how the slopestyle course is. but obviously if shaun's not racing, then that kind of speaks for itself. >> i want to talk about this special. it's so cool, you and your mom, we feature a lot of different olympians. tell us about that support system. you work so hard, but you have people behind you cheering you on. what does that mean? >> it means everything. especially, i've been injured the last two years now, to have people who love you and care about you no matter what, win or lose, that's what keeps you going. and my mom had a stroke when she

gave birth to me. so she's been through a rough time. and to have the p & g for mothers is amazing. because moms don't ever get that recognition they deserve, especially my mom. i feel like she's been through a lot. it was pretty special to be a part of that p&g team. >> now we know where you get your fighting spirit. and we're looking for you in the world championships and olympics after that, but on our couch in the meantime. >> exactly. >> lindsay, good to see you. raise an olympian" tonight 8:00/7:00 central right here on nbc. we'll send it over to sochi and to matt. >> thanks. please give my best to lindsey. now we're going to talk about history being made in late night television where after 22 years, jay leno's about to hand over the reins of the "tonight show" to jimmy fallon. for fallon, perhaps the challenge of a lifetime. >> jimmy fallon is here tonight. jimmy fallon is here. he's not here to talk.

he's helping me pack. >> do you remember the first time, jay, you thought it is possible that i may become the host of the "tonight show"? >> that was five years ago. >> the first time. >> oh, the first time. i thought you said the second time. i'm sorry. cut. >> "tonight show" with jay leno. >> i remember when i got the phone call. it was a pretty big moment in my life. it was amazing. >> what was the phone call like for you? >> i remember they were going to release a press release at 12:00 noon or something new york time. we're having a monologue meeting with the writers. sitting there, looking at the clock. it hits 12:00 noon and everyone's phone starts buzzing. it was exciting. >> i could not be happier for him, please welcome our good friend, jimmy fallon! >> and as jimmy prepares to take over on february 17th, jay leno's 22-year reign as king of late night comes to an end tomorrow. >> i have made the right choice.

>> do you have a moment when you look back at your time on the "tonight show" and you're going to think, that was the moment i realized it's the best job? >> probably when the sitting president came on, when barack obama came on, having the actual president of the united states on the show. that was pretty amazing. >> you told a group of young people that broccoli was your favorite food. now, lying to voters is one thing. lying to children, that's -- >> now on his final week as the "tonight show" host -- ♪ thanks for the memories >> -- leno has invited back some of his favorite guests to say good-bye. >> i don't know what we're going to do, what i'm going to do without jay. but jimmy has a lovely warmth about him and just delightful. i've hit on him tonight three times, and i think he's going to be fun to spend some time with. >> deb bik vickers has been jay's producer and close friend for over 20 years. >> one of the things about jay that people might be surprised

about is he's funny on the air, but he's funnier off. and most comfortable probably in his denims and hanging out more so than in the suit and tie and the cameras and stuff. >> you know, jimmy, jimmy starts the new "tonight show" on the 17th. and it would be a shame if there was some sort of accident he was not able -- [ cheers and applause ] >> jay and his crew have been killing it for more than 20 years. so when we come out of the gate, we want to come out fast and hard. >> jimmy fallon! >> fast, hard and in it for the long haul. >> congratulations on the "tonight show." >> thanks. >> seinfeld came up to me at a party and we were talking about this, and he said -- you've got this forever! do you realize that? is that what you want? >> thank you, jay leno, for carrying on the proud tradition of the "tonight show" host with such humor and class.

>> and looking forward to the new chapter of my life. and i told jay, i gave him a round trip ticket to new york, coach, because he's humble. as many jokes as he wants. >> how is that possible? how is that possible? >> whenever he wants, he's got a stage. >> jay's last night, tomorrow night. jimmy fallon takes over on the 17th. we wish them both well. they're good guys. back to you in new york. >> thank you so much. end of an era, start of a new one. >> hard to believe it's finally happening. >> i know. coming up -- don't we like to have a little voyeurism? take a look at celebrity homes. >> wow. >> we are going to take a big look inside celebrity homes featured in architectural digest. and some of them -- actually all of them are amazing. we'll show them to you. first, a check of your local news and weather. ♪

a very good morning to you, it is 8:26, i'm laura garcia-cannon. disturbing new details of a murder investigation of a 3-year-old girl in napa. her mother and mother's boyfriend are in vail. they are said to have stored her body in a freezer for days. on saturday, police returned to the apartment and sadly found her body. that's a tough one. >> yeah, northbound 880 through oakland, a slower drive here

developing. it is over on the shoulder, but enough distraction to cause slowing. south 680 jammed by three lanes being blocked. and we're looking toward the south bay where the northbound routs are slow, for sure, but the stevens creek off ramp is closed because of a big rig that pulled down some power lines. >> thank you, we'll be back with another local news update for you in half an hour or so. have a great wednesday morning opinion .

♪ 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 5th of february, 2014. a pretty shot from indoors. >> exactly. >> we have so many beautiful shots of the snow this morning. feeling like a broken record. i'm sure you are, al. >> a big problem with this, it's relentless, and so many communities have blown through their snow removal budgets. they're actually running out of salt and chemicals to put on the roads. >> it is crazy.

and winter just won't let up. >> no, it won't. meanwhile, coming up, inside this half hour, we're going to inside the homes of the stars from patrick dempsey's malibu home to john mellencamp's island get away and jane fonda's ranch. so we can dream about something more pleasant. >> yeah. and a reminder that "today" book club's latest pick is "under the wide and starry sky." and here's the big question, where do fannie and lewis spend their honeymoon? tweet your answers. and you, yes, you, could get a signed copy of the book. know the answer, don't say it. >> i bet i do. >> read the book. >> as an added bonus, we've got the author nancy huran joining us for a google plus hangout next month. rsvp to today.com. let's go back out to sochi, matt is standing by. what's going on?

>> a lot going on. the olympic competition starts tomorrow, savannah. and for the first time ever, we're going to have a team figure skating event. two members with team usa. say hi to marissa and simon. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> welcome home to you. you were born in russia. >> i was, yes. in moscow. >> when was the last time you were on russian soil? >> over 15 years ago. and we've never competed here either. this is a great opportunity for us. first time competing here in my home country. >> let's talk about this team event. it is history making. it's the first time it's ever happened marissa. and team usa has told people what some of the competition's going to look like. and you are the pair. >> yeah. >> what are you looking forward to? >> we had such a strong team. we competed in 2013 in the world team trophy and usa won gold. we're hoping to help participate in that team and bring home another gold. >> you like the concept, the whole team concept as opposed to the individual thing? >> yeah. it's another way for us to bond as teammates.

>> i think one other thing i'd like to talk about, you're from rhode island, and i know both of your families will be here for the olympics. but some skating clubs in rhode island got together. they held fundraisers so your family could make the trip here. we don't hear a lot about that. but it's awfully important to the athletes, isn't it? >> yeah. it was amazing. i didn't expect that support from them. and it's great to have my mom, my dad and my brother here. and we're all supported by them back home. and they're truly honored to have a rhode island skater come from rhode island go to the olympics. i'm just blessed to be here. >> and you've got boston connections. >> that's right. >> just outside boston? >> just outside boston. >> and i'm just, you know, so thankful for all the support from family and friends back home. and we have such a great city supporting us and our home club. we're so thankful and grateful to everyone who has helped us on our journey here. >> we're grateful for your dedication. we have to go back to new york now, simon. you speak a little russian.

>> da. >> da. that's all you speak? is that it? >> that's it. >> would you do me a favor and send it back to savannah in new york in russian? >> we'll take it. thanks, guys. meanwhile, who do we have here? the u.s. hockey team members they're ready to play, all they've got to do now is get to sochi. a reenergized team, usa is looking to sochi with the eyes on the gold. guys, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> ryan, you're the veteran of the team. you came so close in vancouver. how do you like your chances this time around? >> i like it. we have a lot of guys coming back from that silver medal team. and we were a little disappointed losing the way we did. but we have a good chance and excited to go to sochi and win gold. >> and derrick, what's it like putting that usa jersey on and getting ready to head out? >> it's a tremendous honor. super exciting.

find myself pretty lucky to represent my country. and, you know, it's pretty cool to be able to do it with a couple teammates, as well. >> and ryan m., ryan in the middle. you guys are teammates with the rangers. does that give you an advantage or a flow together? >> i think it helps, the circumstances, going so far away from home. being able to relax with people you've been around for a while. and these two are forwards and play a little bit together. if they're on the ice together, that helps. >> i love the understatement from the hockey players. i watch you guys, you bring it, and you're like, it's cool. >> and how long do you get to practice as this olympic team before you're out there competing? >> yeah. actually, we got three days of practices and we're thrown on the ice. >> got it down. >> learn as you go. >> february 12th, is that right? >> yes. >> well, good luck to you. we'll see you in sochi. >> go for gold! all right. now for more on team usa, let's go back out to sochi and matt.

>> not only will the men's hockey competition be intense, but so will the women's competition. we have megan duggan and ladies, good morning to you. got any advice? what are the men going to experience when they get to sochi? >> everything's ready and waiting for them to get here. >> you've had a good time so far? >> excellent. >> ladies, you're twins. everybody says twins know what the other is thinking. you skate on the same line when you play. does that give you an advantage? >> i think so. megan's our line mate right now and i think we communicate really well. maybe sometimes too much. but, yeah, i think growing up together and playing together has always helped. >> we've covered a lot of olympics and winter olympics. they say the figure skating is the glamour sport of the olympics. i think ice hockey is. it's the most intense competition i see every time we go to the winter games. how do you describe the passion?

first of all, that they have here in russia. talk about canada and the united states. >> well, the olympics, that's the biggest stage we get to play on. we train all four years for this tournament. and this is a stage that we want to play on, that we dream about playing on. so you can't -- you're not going to get anything but the best from all the teams here. >> and i want to say that the russians when you talk to them here, they are absolutely determined to win two gold medals. do you think you can perhaps break their hearts a little bit? >> that's a plan, i think. we've been preparing ourselves in every which way we can on the ice, off the ice, mentally, physically, everything we can do to come here and take away a gold medal for our country back in the u.s. >> well, we wish you well. we love the jackets, by the way. those are very cool. team usa, women's ice hockey, good luck. >> thank you. >> back to new york and al. >> thank you so much. talk about ice. it is a mess out there. in fact, new york state's governor cuomo has closed i-84

to all vehicles. and here's the problem, you've got this line of blue. this is basically what we call the 340 line, anything north of that is below freezing, below it and close to it, it's at freezing. so you get that icy mix right there. it's going to be a mess. you look brooklyn right now. roads -- look at -- this is the fdr. now, normally at this time, this thing would be packed, people have decided to stay home and just call it a day because it is rough out there. rain to the south and so we've got some fog in the southeast. it's chilly up in the -- up into seattle. 34 degrees and partly cloudy. . 8:38 on a wednesday morning, i'm christina loren. it will be a chilly day, similar temperatures to what we experienced in the last couple days. getting up to 59 in the north bay, and 57 in the east bay. rain on the way and a lot of it, we want to get right to showing you what we're expected.

the first showers by about 3:30 p.m. 10:30 you see widespread rainfall heavy at times. the heaviest anticipated this time tomorrow morning. >> all right, al. thank you so much. we want to follow up on today's wishing well. great stories brought to you earlier in the week. and a chance for our viewers to help pay it forward. on monday, we introduced you to lasunias. when her daughter took her to see the broadway musical for christmas, she burst into tears, cried all night. had only enough money for one ticket and not the airfare to get there, mom to new york. when we heard this story, we knew we had to put this one in our wishing well. and no surprise, our incredible viewers responded with hundreds of offers and ideas. >> all right. so without further adieu, let's check in with her and her daughters. hi, ladies. >> good morning. >> we meet again.

i have to ask, how has your life changed in the last two days? have you been hearing from a lot of people? >> yes, i have. a lot of long lost friends, family members, et cetera. >> well, that's so sweet. so we have a lot of generous offers and people who wrote us. but first, your heart has to be racing. you know we brought you here today for something big. you know this, right? is your heart racing? is it pounding? girls, are you nervous? are you excited, girls? >> yes, i am. i am. >> what are you going to do? all right. >> stretch it out a little bit longer. >> we'll tell you what some people offered some ideas. first up -- >> first up, so we're opening up the hearts and homes as we know. marching band director bryce from ohio said that they would send their entire band into action and would raise the money, the band is raising the money for your trip. also, meredith in new jersey. >> these are just ideas.

>> ideas. we got these offers. >> meredith in new jersey says she wanted to open up her home to you and your family. but we've got some other great ideas that came through, as well. >> yeah. we're telling you about what viewers wrote. flight attendant said she would give you her buddy pass. however, we are -- and we just wanted to say, we have the best viewers who really wanted to help. but we've got a plan for you. >> yes. >> first of all, as i understand it, ladies, you got a $20 gift certificate to southwest airlines to get you started on maybe getting an airfare, right? >> correct. >> well, you can use that for snacks because southwest has agreed to fly you and your daughters to new york so you can come see the musical. but that's not all. okay. that's not all. >> that's enough for them. >> that's a start. >> because you're going to also be in the heart of time square at the residence inn and you're staying through the weekend, ladies.

you have plenty of time to see new york. and just in case you do get hungry, one of my favorites, b. smith. i'll tell you what's on the menu later when i call you, but we'll have dinner at b. smith, treated like a real v.i.p. >> and -- let me ask you a question. you're all ladies here, what are you going to wear for the big night? >> oh, gosh. i'm still working on it. >> well, hold that thought because rent the runway has graciously offered to outfit all three of you ladies in some designer clothes. so you're going to love that. fabulous. and what you are really here to see, motown the musical, you're getting three v.i.p. and behind the scenes passes to see the musical here on broadway. and the cast is so excited to meet all of you. what do you say about that? >> oh, my gosh! >> oh, my lord!

>> now, ladies, the show is a dancing show. people stand up in the aisles. i'll need you to practice your moves. you've got to represent. >> all right. >> there you go. >> all right. well, you guys going to come visit us while you're on this trip. by the way, icing on the cake, magnolia bakery, the cupcake place around here, they're going to give you cupcake decorating sessions, as well. >> and no visit to new york, ladies, would be complete without visiting us here at the "today" show. we're going to get to meet you three tomorrow morning. i know your bags are packed because i believe you already packed your mom's bags, right, girls? she's ready to go. >> i love it. >> the answer is the laughter. it's so cute. >> well, ladies, we're really excited. you're going to have so much fun. we can't wait to meet you. get ready, pack your bags and we'll see you in a little bit in new york. >> oh, my goodness.

>> can't wait to meet you. >> thanks to our viewers. >> our viewers are awesome. >> offered these great ideas. >> i know it's cold outside, but that warms you up. >> so sweet. >> thanks to our viewers, that was awesome. we'll take a turn, get an inside look at some of those celebrity homes that are opening their doors and letting us check them out. we'll have that story. and talk about a transformation, the winner of the latest season of "the biggest loser." "the biggest loser" joining us live. but first, this is "today" on nbc. nbc universal's coverage of the 2012 london games

was the most watched television event ever. so, what's next? the upcoming winter games from sochi. where every second of nbc universal's coverage will be available on every device. on tv, online or streaming on the nbc sports live extra app. beginning february 6th, experience the winter games everywhere. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal

♪ we are back at 8:46 with an exclusive look inside the homes of patrick dempsey, jane fonda, and john mellencamp. the editor in chief of "architectural digest." in the march celebrity homes

issue on newsstands now. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> if only we were at patrick dempsey's house in malibu right now. it looks gorgeous. >> it is gorgeous. it's such a special house. >> it's a frank gary designed house, right? >> it is. he's one of the most -- the preeminent architects of our time. built it in the '60s as an artist studio, and the dempseys have turned it into a marvelous family home. >> they have kids. what kind of changes and adjustments to make it look the way it looks right now? >> well, the house is sort of a big, open loft. and the materials are really humble. it's reclaimed wood. what they really did to it was add on to the outside. >> they've got this 5-acre land. what a beautiful garden. >> beautiful garden, marvelous outside eating area and outdoor kitchen, a pizza oven. they have chickens, they have goats, they have donkeys. do i spot an airstream trailer? >> and an airstream trailer, as

well. >> this is a ranch that kind of found jane fonda. >> it did. she got a real estate brochure in the mail, and she was looking at a ranch that was 2,300 acres, river running through it, boarded by park, she said this is what i'm going to do. >> she hand picked all the items in there. even a witch's bed. what does that mean? >> mirrors at the foot and at the head and it's supposed to protect you. >> oh, there's the witch's bed. and she's had some celebrity visitors. do they approve? >> she told us that robert redford was there and he thought it was 100 years old. that's a good thing. >> the highest compliment, right? has the feel of the antique look. >> exactly. >> john mellencamp, i've got to give a shout out because my friend monique gibson was the interior decorator here. >> it is such a great place. it's on an island right near savannah. and he was inspired by a church in south carolina. and you can see the arches in

the fireplace and the windows on the porch. this is very moody house, very minimalist. really, really beautiful. >> it's a showstopper and you can only get there by boat? >> yeah. >> so you're not going to swing by unannounced, i guess. >> no, i don't think so. >> beautiful pictures, great story. thanks for bringing it to us. >> thank you. coming up next, one of the few times that losing is good. we're going to talk to the new biggest loser. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

and we are back at 8:51 with a really big loser. and by loser, we mean winner. >> yeah. >> 24-year-old rachel frederickson crowned the latest biggest loser on the nbc show last night. losing an amazing 155 pounds. that's 60% off her starting body

weight. rachel was going to be in studio with us this morning, but her flight was canceled because of the weather. >> yes. >> so rachel, congratulations. you look amazing. >> thank you so much. thank you. hi, everyone. >> you know, it's really -- you started at 260. can you believe where you have -- how far you've come? >> i can't believe it. it's been just such an amazing almost 7 1/2-month journey. i'm truly so grateful for the whole, whole experience. >> i was reading about your background. and you were a swimmer. you were a real athlete before you gained this weight. do you think that helps you in the competition? >> i think absolutely. i lost that athlete, lost that confidence. and, you know, coming back, i got that spark back. the athlete started to come out. and, you know, winning the challenges and then fighting for my spot in the finale and the

triathlon. so to have that athlete come back was just an amazing, amazing feeling. >> yes. terrific. so what's next for you, rachel? clearly you won the grand prize of $250,000. what are you going to do with that? >> you know, i have this brand new life ahead of me. probably going to shop a little bit for new clothes. save it and just use it for something really special. it's going to be a great life. >> congratulations. >> a whole new life. >> thank you. >> whole new world. you look fabulous. congratulations to you. we send you our very, very best. >> thank you. thank you so much. >> and go back to bed. it's early there. >> i know. >> we're back -- >> stay warm. >> thank you. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

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beautiful, beautiful day in the neighborhood. >> what do we have the next hour? >> helpful tips, especially when it comes to staying fit on the roads this winter. >> willie actually took a driving test. we'll see how he did. plus, do you know the best month of the year for romance? this february, right? or to start construction on your home. all of that. we'll look forward to that. and we'll get a check of your local news a

good morning, everyone. 8:56. i'm scott mcgrew. the city council will invest in smart meters downtown that will accept payments via sell phone, debit cards, credit cards, and coins. the council last night decided not to pass the costs on to

consumers. >> good morning to you, scott. a lot of snowfall and rainfall on the way to the bay area. it all starts up as we head throughout tonight. grab the jacket, leave the umbrella at home tonight. for the first in a series of storms, we could be tallying up to three quarters of an inch of rain.

from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, and willie geist live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning, february 5th, 2014. happens to be happy weather person day. national weather person's day. >> you deserve a big hug because you've been working overtime and -- >> it's been busy. >> all kinds of shifts here. >> my meteorologist back in the weather office has been going nuts. but we've been having a lot of stuff going on. and we're going to check in with willie who is in sochi in a little bit. >> that's right. but let's talk about the storm again. here we are the double whammy. >> yeah. >> and it's been a horrible storm. once again, 20 million people

affected across the country. >> just the commute. you look at everybody who is under a watch, a warning or advisory, it's 110 million people. >> is that right? >> yeah. >> almost 750,000 without power right now. 2,300 flights that have been canceled. schools across the northeast into the ohio river valley have been shut down with the exception of new york city. >> new york city. and al will let you know about it. >> mayor de blasio, shut those schools down. >> it's been rough getting around them. you see a lot of people slipping and sliding and falling. it's dangerous. not just driving, but even walking. got to be careful out there. >> it is really rough. >> 4 inches of snow here in new york city, i think, but followed by rain and icy mix, coming in this morning, it was pretty slick out ther icy mix when i was coming in, i. was pretty slick..em. >> it is a heavy snow. between the that's the problem, between the, icing and the sleet, it is treeh bringing down trees which are r bringing down power lines. the other thing we have been th talking about see talking about, you see snowplows

there.lows there. a lot of communities have a lot of communities have blownw through their snow removal rem and are physically out of budget and are physically out od rock salt and chemicals. >> this is early february.chemi. >> march is pretty busy for many of our area here in the northeast, so march is pretty busy for many of our area here in the and alsf northeast as well and much of s going to be scraping by the country is going to be barrel tryin scraping by the barrel trying tg difference find out how they are going to make up for the difference there. >> and folks are propane and natural gas and >> folks that have propane and up. natural gas and oil have gone up. to heat their homes. it is going to cost them more t. >> it really is. >> and heat their homes.me there is a this is a tough, tough winter. that big >> if there is a better news today, that big storm you were this talking about or predicting by this weekend is backing off.>> a >> not as bad.s snow and not as wide a >> not as much and not as wide a geographic area. new england has to watch out. new england has to watch out. a point is good news. >> all right. but, again, any news at this point is good news. >> all right.s we are dealing wr woes as we are dealing with our woesn here, willie is in sochi where it is much warmer.

i think it's in the 40s there, right, willie? i think it is in the 40s there, right, willie?yeah >> reporter: yeah.. 40s. i'm looking at it is in the 40s. in new york and other i'm looking at the video in newe york and other places.rew on th it is nothing like this here. no snow on the ground. though. that's w plenty up in the mountains.heto. shaun white, that's where the news is today. known athlete at these games shaun white, arguably the best known athlete at these games w from one of around the world, has withdrawns from one of the competition he o was slated to participate in, the snowboard slope style. cslo. it's a first time event. a first-time event, a race down tricks and different the hill on the snowboard with halfpipes and big jumps. hurt his tricks and different wrist half-pipes and big jumps. t ver course. but he said he hurt his wrist on this very course. treason he says, that is not the reasonu why he has pulled out. gave a sc he gave a statement to nbc newsr in which he says, after much ity deliberation with my team, i ' made my decision to have made the decision to focusg solely on trying to bring home n the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for team half-pipe for team usa. the difficult decision is not one i tak the difficult decision to foregi slope style is not one i take p lightly as i know how much effort everyone has put into he the holding the slope style for thef first time in olympic history, now, some people speculating

the a history i had planned on t being a part of. difficult. shaun white was some speculating that the course to s was too difficult.dangerous. shaun white was not the only one he called to say, this is down right dangerous.estyle course he called this slope style he week. course intimidating earlier in r the week and there were a coupl broke his collarbone. and then, of major injuries, one norwegia concussion, had to woman had a concussion and had to be pulleda off the course in a stretcher. stretcher. obviously, they are going to c before competition begins. make changes before competition begins. is shaun white the big news is that shaun whiti will not be in the first ever pr slope style competition up on sp the mountain.et mountain. as for behind as for some of the behind the here, want t scenes stuff here, i want to o show you the mascot.we're used i think we are used to these t we've got standard ones here. freakishly odd, what are they mascots. polar bear, hare and the leopar we have the polar bear, the hart and the leopard. nature. all animals that exist in nature.2012 in london? . i think we're still trying to on the other hand, 2012 in exa cyclops london, mandeville. were. we had mythical

2010 in vancouver, we had mega e quachi and sumi. sasquatch and a guardian spirit. so there you have it here in sochi, at least, we're back for the standard animals. by the way, guys, a mythical sea bear, sas kauch and a spirit. arrive in sochi c limits today telling u the olympic torch did arrivy telling us the games are getting awfully close.rts tomorrow. opening games on friday. it'll make tour around sochi, up to the competition starts tomorrow. mo, the town up there and down to the stadium for the event opening games friday. games on guys. the opening game on friday night guys. we have anne thompson? >> do we have ann thompson? i h. >> i thought i i think i heard her voice. hear >> as the torch is coming in. >> we'll get >> we'll get a slit screen with. lly up in the mountains. >> she is up in the mountains. >> >> that's cool.yway. >> the willie, excitement must be e building t really building there now that athletes a the athletes are getting there, the torches arrive there..torch it is making its way. you must be feeling you must be feeling a little biy more of that olympic spirit throughout.mpmp>> you know how . you >> you guys know how it is. you get here on monday and it f

feels a little slow.w. feels sl everybody is getting their feetm under them and figuring out o g. where to go. the athletes come as the athletes come on the set. feel the we have to talk to a lot of them.citement. competition is 24 hours you feel the energy and excitement.eady to go. >> it competition is 24 hours away.if we are ready to go..>> it does. can't wait to get >> it looks really beautiful.anr can't wait to get there. p day, what's your phrase of the day, willie?wigood. phrase of the da >> phrase of the day, you ready for this one. this one? >> uh-huh. >> this is do you speak english. this is, do you speak english? do you speak english? critical for us over the nex i'm going to cheat a little bit [ speaking russian ] do you speak english?ed it. got it. [ speaking in russian ] working on that since 6:0 i have been working on that since 6:00 a.m.id you know thatr natalie has a year of russian under her >> did you know that our natalie >> i forgot most of it. has a year of russian under her belt? >> i did. >> i forget most of it. >> yes, yep. you got it. >> that's it. she already knew >> yes, it is that.that was me it and you already knew it. [ speaking in russian ] i still. but very few phrases. >> that's one i still remember. very few phrases. very impressive, my friends. >> very impressive, my friend.

>> what are you doing.ou doing? still remember that. >> all right. thank you. [ speaking in russia ] >> that's thank you. see, i don't know when to use i don't know when to use that. they just come out.. in the adv. stop. >> you are in the advanced class.s. phrases popping out. >> all of a >> random phrases popping out.s. >> i can't wait until we c i can't wait until we combine k the phrases, willie, with dark natalie. what will -- >> oh, my gosh. you mix who knows what we will hear? >> reporter: oh, my gosh.little. a little russian water as we call it around here. >> waiting for darkness in russian. >> she will be our black russian. our black russian, >> i'll be your black russian. k >> all right, guys.ian. all right. >> see you, willie. we will check back in with you tomorrow. have a good one. have you made your valentine's day plans? kind of like sending a gift ser to your wife. >> it's a weird thing. all of the sudden, boom. >> i did buy the card. restaurants around the country, this is the time when they get their valentine's day menus all

planned. they had some interesting themes going on. there is a restaurant here in new york city that is offering an entirely beyonce themed menu. here is an example. this is at bruyy's nyc in brooklyn. it includes jay-ziti, and i am pasta fierce are some of the offerings. >> i like this next one. mcdonald's offering candlelight dinners. >> some people can't afford some of that. >> not just that. i thisnk it is actually kind of unique. >> at white castle, the romance is back. love is back in the cattle. >> i like when you say it back in the castle. >> love is back in the castle. >> specially after that slider, it settles right in. romantic. >> it's amazing to me, that's romantic. here in new york, though, what >> it's amazing to me here in hs new york what happens. advance for you have to book months in and they jack up the prices. it'll be like a $200

advance for valentine' s day. menu just, you know, starting out at $200, not including whatever drinks you they jack up the prices. right. >> and a $200 special menu, not including whatever the drinks are. there's too much usually, an okay meal. you think? >> that's too much pressure, don't you think? billy joe >> that's the problem, pressurey >> my favorite was when my d, n husband, we first started datend on valentine's day. h dinner at home and t he made me dinner at home. that was it. ever. what about you? it was the best thing ever. what about you? >> same kind of thing, we did > the same kind of thing. actu i had dinner at home.ally that was actually a lot nicer.as hey, take a look at this next story. it is awfully creepy.y creepy. it's a statue of it is a statue of a man sleep i. walking in his underwear.. >> that looks where it is at? >> where >> that looks real. located is where the statue is located is stranger. stranger. it's an it is wellsly college, an all massachusetts. >> what's the point female college in massachusettso well, >> what was the point? apparentt artist, tony mateli, sleep camh this walker is part of the campus exhibit.more than 100 students e more than 100 students have a p signed a petition asking etge.o

to remove the administrators to remove the statue.itays the highly life-li sculpture has within just a few hours of its outdoor installation become a sou it says -- the petition has the apprehension, highly lifelike statue has fea triggering thoughts become a source of apprehension members and triggering thoughts of our regarding sexual assault for it. i don't know about that, but -- >> well many members of our campus community.t' looking i don't know about that. >> art is meant to provoke and cause comments. >> provoking a >> art is meant to provoke and cause comments. . job. >> it certainly is provoking a lot. a cross >> that's almost like a cross gd between the walking dead and naked cowboy.>> oh. >> very strange. >> all right.'s check your weat. see let's check your weather and see what's going on. rough. i again, it has been rough. talki we are talking about an icy mix northeast into the ohio river throughout much of the northeast valley. syracuse is no the ohio river valley.23, itk syracuse is 23.32 degrees right. new york city, 32 degrees right now and, in fact, you look, new ve got an icy mess in york city, you can see, we've . got an icy mess in times square kind of picturesque until lowell, massachusetts, that's shovel it. that's kind of kind of picturesque until you

have to drive through it or shovel it.country, we that's kind of tough. at a day of the rest of the country, we are looking at a day of warnings, all the way to watches, from kansas city all g the way to new england. we are not going to see much as system makes relief out of this thing as thi east, it brings that icy mix. system makes its way to the east.. so it stays snow really througho it brings the icy mix.ut of colder air funnels in.n. york on into new england. look at these it stays snow throughout much of upstate new york into new england. seeing look at these ice amounts. outa. this is where we are seeing all these power outages. accretion, if you will, up when you get ice secretion up t down and an inch if you will, that's whe. an trees come down and power linesn fall and snowfall, eastern new en massachusetts, on into new o a snow in englan we have some active weather headed our way, finally, right? it is going to be a chilly day. temperatures reaching into the 50s. pull out your umbrella later tonight. showers quickly approaching the bay area.

for the most part the bulk of the moisture will be confined at that point. heavy downpours overnight into tomorrow morning. have a fantastic wednesday. >> and that's your l ♪at3 c1 that's your latest weather. coming up next, if you plan on doing home on doing some home renovations, is the t when is the time to do it?im may not want to wait until you may not want to wait until . >> we've got the best and the end of the year. months for your mone >> we have the best and worst y these messages. month for your money, health and relationships right after these messages. ♪ hearts, stars and horseshoes

♪ clovers and blue moons ♪ hourglasses, rainbows ♪ and tasty red balloons let's go! ♪ lucky charms ♪ frosted lucky charms ♪ they're magically delicious ♪ see what's new at projectluna.com [richard] after the laptops are closed and refunds have been paid, there's still a billion unclaimed tax dollars. get your billion back america.

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♪ well, maybe you're thinking about making an appointment or joining a new gym. >> well, no matter what you plan on doing, some months are better than others when it comes to your health, wallet and relationships. and here to break it down for us, an obgyn, retail analyst and ian kerner. good morning, gang. >> good morning. >> let's start with you. if you're going to schedule an annual exam with your internist, is there a better time of year versus not good time of year? >> i think the better time to do it is june. it's not after the holiday. remember, you always have in january the beginning of at least your new year's resolution. hopefully it'll implement things. i think if you go too, too early, your labs might be abnormal. you need to go to the doctor more repettively.

>> january's the worst month because you've been bingeing. >> there you go. and you might need to be on medication. and who wants to be on medication? do it in june instead. >> well, let's talk about elective surgery. we're talking about cosmetic procedure or elective surgery for medical reasons. is there a time to schedule that? >> there is a better time to schedule it, i think it's october. most of us have deductibles and usually met by that time. so your out of pocket expense is much less. >> and worst month july? >> july, new residents come in, longer procedures, longer anesthesia sometime for you. you might have a potential of more side effects. >> oh. that's not good. >> not good. >> gym memberships. now, to me, i guess the best month is january. but i would think that's the worst one because it's so crowded. everybody wants to get in. >> it is crowded. it's actually january and february because you know that the gyms are going to get crowded. they really want you to get in there and sign up for those

hardships. the salespeople want to get their quotas up. they're more willing to negotiate on a good price, get those perks in. and yes, you might be fighting the crowds but end up getting a better price in those months. >> all right. worst time of the month for gym membership signing up? >> that would be march. basically those memberships start to lull. about a fifth of the people aren't going into the gyms anymore and, guess what, the gyms want that. they don't want that depreciation on that equipment. they want you to just sort of stay at home. they're making money on your membership. it's a lull and they're probably going to give you -- not going to be willing to negotiate as much. >> you want to renovate your home. when's the best month? >> the best month to do it is in the winter months and specifically in november. kind of goes contrary to what you would want, what you would think. but basically, this is when contractors have the least amount of work. they want that new work in there. and they're going to give you a better price.

most of the time, they're willing to knock off the price about 30% or 40%. >> what about the worst time of the year to schedule a construction or renovation? >> summertime. and i actually scheduled my renovations during the summertime. and they end up charging you a lot more because they have so much work and not going to give you the amount of attention you need. >> get in line with everybody else. >> exactly. >> relationships, when is the best month to reignite romance? >> february, next week. but with this weather, it's going to be hard for a lot of people to get out. maybe plan a valentine's day at home, snuggle with a good movie, bring in some food. >> i like your style. >> december not a good month? >> too much family, too much stress, too much holiday stuff, too many money worries. i think that's a hard time to really create that window for romance. >> what about for the single folks? >> best time to date. >> april. spring. birds are doing it, bees are doing it. >> yeah. >> all right.

and the worst month, i guess, november, holiday stress. >> i'm going to say the holiday stress. going out dating and this isn't so easy either. >> i know. well, thank you all, guys. we've learned a lot over the last couple of days. thank you so much. i've got all the news you need coming up. >> you've got fantastic knees. >> thank you. we've got actress elizabeth banks shows off her wild side. she's got a film sure to be a blockbuster, like lego buster. cannot wait. first, these messages.

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largest pharmacies announced this morning it will stop selling tobacco products in its stores. cvs care mark will end selling this year. the chain what lose about $2 billion annually from tobacco sales. new government regulations will allow patients to get test results directly from the lab without going through their doctors. the new rule will give patients more control over their health care and reduce mistakes. health experts say a doctor's office or hospital should still call each patient regardless of their test results. a warning today about a virus that could be lurking in your e-mail. the subject may read passing of your friend. but when you open that, you may see this. this resembles a website of an actual funeral home in texas. it's legitimate business, but if you click on the hyperlink, it then takes you to the zip file and you open that and you'll unleash a virus. radio shack used a super

bowl ad to show how the stores are being dismantled and rebuild and some stores will be justi dismantle. it's unclear how many stores are affected and when the closings will begin. if you thought the ipad was a huge hit, well the latest rumored product may be more popular. the company hasn't officially announced the release of the iwatch just yet, but a morgan stanley analyst says if and when it hits the market, first year sales can reach more than $70 billion. the ipad took in $12 billion during its debut year. and we are getting our first look this morning at three very cute and very rare white lion cubs. they were born in a private zoo in poland. the owner says he feels three times lucky. there are around 90 in existence. the white lion cubs will be allowed outside in april. aren't they just adorable? coming up, if you have to

hit the roads in all this ice and snow, willie before he left for sochi will tell you how to navigate the roads safely coming up after your local news. of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i should've looked some more." ♪ that's why walgreens makes it easy to save even more on your medicare part d prescriptions. ♪ just stop on by and leave all the legwork to us. switch to walgreens today where you could save with copays as low as zero dollars on select medicare part d plans. at the corner of happy and healthy. so we made our own commercial to tell you why. chex makes seven gluten free flavors. like cinnamon, honey nut, and chocolate.

when you find something this good, you want to spread the word. [ all ] we love chex! a very good morning to you, it's 9:26 i'm laura garcia-cannon. police in san francisco looking for a driver that sent a man to a hospital with life threatening injuries. the man was walking in a crosswalk when he was hit. a 62-year-old woman shot by hayward police overnight has died. it happens overnight at an apartment complex near grove way. police say they went to the complex after the woman called 911 several times. when they arrived, she pulled out a gun, moved toward the officers in a threatening way. a cpr instructor could face disciplinary action for selling

online cpr recertifications. rural metro where the instructor works said they made the discovery after going over records. we'll have a look at weather and traffic after this break.

welcome back. i'm christina loren. hopefully you're off to a good start. we have a lot of rain moving in tonight. we'll hit the 50s today, 57 in the east bay. let's get right to the forecast as conditions are changing rapidly. we stop the clock for you at 11:00 p.m., widespread rainfall, and another system moving in into late friday and saturday. it could produce up to three inches of rainfall in the north bay. here is mike inouye.

>> we have a typical slower drive right now. it's not unusual. the map of the southbound shows you the northbound rout is looking pretty smooth, the lowture continues for the offramps at stevens creek boulevard because of the powerlines that were knocked down. and the bay bridge, a slower drive coming down. a car on the side of the road. that traffic break is clear. >> thank you for joining us. we'll be back with another local news update in half an hour.

♪ and welcome back to "today" wednesday morning, february 5th, 2014, here in the northeast, it is a mess. over 2,300 flights have been canceled. there are massive power outages. 750,000 people. schools across the region have been canceled. >> yeah. >> with the exception of new york city. and this is getting worse because we've now gotten -- we're getting word that the one, two and three trains, major line in the city. >> yeah. most direct lines. >> has lost power between 42nd and 120th street -- 124th street. >> people are stranded. >> stranded in subways. kids are waiting for trains to -- a lot of kids get to --

the 1.1 million kids who get to school, a lot of them take the subways. this is crazy. >> i'm scared for the people who are in those subways if they're trapped without power. and those dark tunnels. that's worrisome. >> right now, the governor of the state has actually closed i-84, which is a major interstate. >> right. >> east/west interstate within the borders to all vehicular traffic. >> it's unreal. >> it is horrible. >> it is. >> let's take a look, show you what's going on as far as the weather's concerned. this stuff is really pretty dangerous. and here's the big problem, okay. we've got -- here we go. you can see this area of pink. now, the line for freezing is really just along this area here. what's happening, you're getting this colder air coming from the north. as that cold air comes in, it's further away from the 32-degree line. it's staying snow. however, you've got warm air

coming up off the ocean. and where those two areas converge, that's the icy mix, and that's where you're seeing up to an inch of ice accumulating. and that's causing the big problem. so this area from western and central pennsylvania on into long island, we are basically talking about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice. but within that, you can see now, we're seeing up to an inch of ice. and that's what's causing all these power problems. it is a mess as far as the snowfall is concerned. it's going to be tapering off. but, again, coastal new england going to pick up anywhere from 9 to 12 inches of snow. stay tuned to your nbc station and the weather channel for the latest information you need to get through this day. that's what's and now it's our turn, bay area. mostly cloudy as we head throughout the day today.

you'll notice dark stormclouds coming in, we'll tap into that atmospheric river. major rain totals starting tonight and another system over the weekend. we could measure over three inches of rain by monday in santa rosa, over 2.5 in napa and over an inch here in san jose. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right. if all this cold weather has you and your kids climbing the walls, we have something fun for you to do. >> the lego movie follows emmit whose life turned upsidedown when he runs into wild style who guides emmit on a quest. >> you're the one the prophesy spoke of, you're the special. >> me? >> you found it and the prophesy states you are the most important, most talented, most interesting and most extraordinary person in the universe. that's you, right?

>> uh, yes. that's me. >> wild style voiced by the wonderful elizabeth banks. >> welcome. >> good morning. thank you. >> our kids cannot wait for this movie. what was it like to play an action figure? lego. >> well, she's one of the best female characters i've ever played, actually. she's a kick-butt action hero. i love she's providing a great role model for all kids, girls and boys. >> a lot of these movies, especially the cartoons tend to be either kind of princess type movies or they're boy movies. and this one looks like it really is pretty much down the middle. >> yeah, it is. and, you know, we all play adults. this is wild style right here. she's a throwback to '80s hip-hop. she's very sassy and take charge. >> can you hold that up to the camera?

>> yeah. >> i love that with the hair. >> she's so fun. >> some great co-stars. >> co-stars. i was promised by lauren miller. they promised me, we're going to bring everybody into the booth, you're going to get to improv and it'll be organic. and it was. will arnett plays batman, my boyfriend in the movie. i think that's why she gets the style. you know how you date a guy, their style rubs off on you. girls, don't do that. >> she's better than batman. >> she is, right? he's kind of a narcissistic jerk in this movie. >> she puts him in his place. >> if you'd been dating morgan freeman's character -- >> he's so loose in this movie. it's really fun. i've had a lot of fun with everyone. >> that's different, though, because usually when you do the animated movies, you're doing it in a booth by yourself. able to improv and react with each other.

>> it breathes life into this movie. and we made ourselves laugh in inappropriate ways that are not in the movie. >> it is a kids' movie. >> for children. >> "pitch perfect 2," we understand you'll be reprizing your role again. >> i'm reprizing my role as gale and directing the movie. i'm excited to be taking it on. you know, obviously, we had no idea the first film would catch on as much as it has. >> i loved that movie. >> great. i really hope to bring as much sort of joyfulness and fun and musicality to the second one, which will be out in 2015. >> and i've got to ask you to take a turn here. but you starred with philip seymour hoffman in "the hunger games." just wanted to know your thoughts on the loss of such a great actor. >> i -- i am still processing. i really am in shock. he is an absolutely amazing actor, respected by everyone and part of our family at "the hunger games."

and we will miss him terribly. and obviously, really upset for his children and partner. >> yeah. that's a tough one. it really is. >> a tragedy. >> but he's got such an amazing legacy. >> yes. he does. and, yeah, and he'll -- it lives on. which is amazing. >> hopefully people can learn from this when it comes to addictions and fighting substance abuse. >> i hope so. >> thanks. on a happier note, we're so glad this movie is coming out because our kids are going stir crazy at home. all this weather. they have something to look forward to, the lego movie is opening this friday nationwide. >> thanks for being with us. >> appreciate it. coming up, willie's going to get a lesson in driving through this dangerous winter weather. safety tips we all could use right about now after these messages. these are snickers bites. bite-sized snickers you pop in your mouth. some might ask, "why didn't we think of these years ago?" tammy, please remind me to make snickers in a bite size. [ interference ] you know my memory tammy.

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snow at detroit's airport that they can't -- >> gets worse and worse by the hour. >> the delta regional jets, they're stuck. they're trying to get tugs to pull them out. >> oh, my gosh. this is just -- it's been pretty ridiculous of a winter already. and with much of the country in the midst of the severe weather today, better not to get behind the wheel as we've been telling you about. in fact, nearly 40% of weather-related accidents happen this time of year in the winter. >> if you've got to drive in these conditions, you want to know how to navigate the slippery roads. our man willie before he left got the low down. >> yeah. as you guys said, best not to get out there and drive today. but when you do go back out on the roads, they're going to be slippery and icy. before i left for sochi last week, i went to a closed course with a professional instructor to get winter driving safety tips. >> reporter: a familiar sight this time of year. cars skidding, sliding, and crashing on roads all over the country. i went to the monticello motor

club outside new york city for a lesson in winter driving with instructor cory lewis. >> hey. >> hey, cory. willie. >> willie. >> how are you, man? >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you. this is our ride for the day? >> not just yet. just a nice little family fun sedan, get you warmed up. >> reporter: winter driving class starts before we even get in the car. >> one of the first major things you want to look at is your tires. make sure there's proper air in them, also, good tread. take a simple penny, stick it in the tread like so. got a brand new fresh tire. >> the idea if it was worn down enough, you'd put the penny in and see the top of abe lincoln's head, time for new tires. >> exactly. >> my first lesson was in braking correctly on ice. >> brake actually a little bit sooner than what you would normally intend to. so nice and smooth with the brake. slowly coming to a stop. as you feel the car slow down

very efficiently, you don't get any of the a.b.s. kicking in. >> what does that mean exactly? >> antilock braking system. you'll hear a little bit of a vibration sound. basically the tires trying not to lock up. there's the a.b.s. kicking in and the tires. >> then, a familiar feeling. >> well, we're stuck. >> seems to be that way, yeah. >> reporter: how do we get moving again? >> is there a way out of this other than digging yourself out and having somebody push the car? >> there are a few different options. first, slowly let off the brakes, slowly apply the throttle. slowly start moving forward and let the traction control take over. and set to roll again. >> just like you don't want to slam on the brakes on ice, you don't want to slam on the gas. >> exactly. >> and sometimes, you just have to get out and push. >> a little bit of manpower. >> yeah. >> sometimes all the technology in the world doesn't help.

all right. >> let's go. keep pushing. >> reporter: for the next lesson, it was my turn to take the wheel as i learned how to control a skidding car. >> remember to turn into the slide, don't continue with it. turn into it now. >> the opposite. >> the opposite, yes. there you go. turn into the slide. turn into it. there you go. >> my final challenge of the day, avoiding an accident or a pothole without losing control. >> okay. so we set up these cones up here and simulate an accident taking place immediately on the road and just to get out of the way of that. >> there you go. come up to an accident. >> oh, boy. >> all right. >> you got this? >> yeah. i got it. >> yeah? >> yeah. >> an accident just happened up

ahead. smooth input. there you go. we just missed it. >> all right, cory. i fell like you've taught me well. i think i'm ready for the porsche. >> i think so. >> really? >> let's go. come on. >> yeah. yeah. yeah! >> we're good. we're good. whoo-hoo! >> bottom line, guys, cory and the gang at monticello motor club says don't panic, be smooth with it. if you're going to stop, do it slowly. jamming on the brakes or gas either way is the most dangerous things you can do. >> good stuff. i learned a lot. got to go into it not out of the slide. we're going to learn about comfort food that's not going to put on the pounds. 350 calories or less in under 30 minutes from our buddy bobby after these messages. wow, this hotel is amazing.

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♪ 30 minutes, then you have enough time to cook up a healthy serving of comfort food for your family tonight. >> bobby dean is here. terrific recipes under 350 calories from his new book "bobby deen's every day eats." congratulations, i understand you're a newlywed. >> i did. i got married in july. >> and your wife is here. >> she is.

she makes things -- it's easier to cook healthy now that i'm married because she's a triathlete. she runs marathons. >> keeping you in shape. >> she does all that stuff. >> you're starting off with a great chili. >> yep. great chili. i like things to be inexpensive, very simple and all the ingredients to be accessible to everyday people. because that's how i like meals to be. but if you look at the ingredients here of this chili, it's completely meatless. and there's no saying you should e an old saying that says you should eat the rainbow for good health. it's completely meatless. we're using a chicken broth here. >> you want the vegetable broth. >> to make it completely vegetarian, you could. we're going to use mushrooms and onions, which is the basis for a lot of good recipes. and beans, white beans, black beans, and kidney beans. >> canned or cooked? >> they're canned. when i use canned ingredients, i

like to drain and rinse them because there's a lot of sodium and preserves. that's a good start, and we're going to go ahead and add our broth to that. >> yeah. >> and heat it up. and garlic, jalapenos, chili powder, all the regular things you would expect. garlic, jalapeno, if you want to spice it up, leave the seeds in there. 2 tablespoons of the chili powder. and our kale, if you'd like to do that for me. and the tomatoes. canned tomatoes with all the juices. no problem with used canned, diced tomatoes. >> saves you time and the nutrition is just as good. >> absolutely. even more so is what i've heard. and this is what your chili will turn out looking like. >> fantastic. >> it's really quick, right? >> you can put this together in 15 minutes and let it boil for another 10 or 15 minutes and simmer and it's going to be good. these are going to be mcintosh baked apples. core them with a simple corer

like this and get the center out. you wouldn't go all the way to the bottom. and then, stuff it -- >> just a little. >> the chili is only 200 calories per serving. and these apples are only 128 calories per serving. a little bit of butter, a little bit of cinnamon right on top. a little bit of maple syrup. >> bake it up. >> bake it up. >> put a little water on the bottom. >> right, exactly. kind of steams while it's cooking. 10 minutes, 128 calories, recipes are super simple and light, vegetable macaroni & cheese for the kids, loaded with broccoli and cauliflower. >> how's your mom? >> she's doing well. >> tell her hi. >> i will. >> congrats on the wedding. >> thank you very much. >> you can get these recipes from today.com. [ wind howling ]

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we want to check out the status of the olympic predictions we made with "usa today." find out who most people agree with. as usual, natalie in the lead with 35%. >> all right. >> i'm just getting spanked. >> usa today 22%. we're having fun. you had fun with your answers. >> sure. i had fun with my answers. >> if you want to keep voting, though, bring up al's percentage, go to today.com. coming up next, hoda and kathie lee and the cast of the millionai millionaire matchmaker. and we'll show you how to protect yourself in a house fire. one of the most frightening things you can probably live through. so we want to make sure you do. so we're going to do all that coming up with hoda and kathie lee. try to survive all this weather out there. >> that's right. after your local news and weather.

well, good morning, everyone. people living in palo alto concerned about a recent home invasion robbery are looking to the police for answers. they hosted a community meeting

last night where police offered safety tips like only opening the door for people you know. they say it can also be dangerous to ignore a knock because burglars often look for an empty house. the vallejo high school is looking for a new mascot. they cannoted the apache mascot several years ago, and some think it is not appropriate. temperatures cool today, basically the same where we ended up yesterday, but a lot of rainfall on the way to the bay area. starting tonight and especially tomorrow morning, and take a look at what makes it's way to tahoe as we head to the next 72 hours. we're talking major snowfall totals potentially. stick with us, i'll keep you updated and give you a full

forecast today at 11:00 a.m. >> looking toward oakland where it looks a lot nicer in the last ten minutes than it did. the map will show you the slower drives still going north past the coliseum. the earlier disabled vehicle, slow through berkeley, and all lanes have been cleared in the last 20 minutes. southbound 101 slow through palo alto. back to you. >> thanks, mike. another local news update for you in half an hour. ♪ ho ho ho

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from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey everybody. it's a very wet, winesday wednesday february 5th. we made it hoda. how did we do it? >> we did it make. i have to say this morning i woke up a little extra early and took blake out. for some reason i didn't think it was going to be snowing. that's the photo. he's covered. it was 3:30 in the morning. that was underneath the awning.

he looked like a white dog. he was covered. >> at least you can find him in the snow. i take bambino and it's over. you'll never find him. it's like camo. >> i brought louis in this morning. he's like an ice belly, chunks hanging off his belly. why do we live here? >> there are power outages all over. there's a salt shortage. everything is crashing down. >> people are going to have to drink margaritas without salt. >> look at this. we could point out, rockefeller center looks like it doesn't ever snow here because there's clean up. that shows how bad it is if they have snow on the streets. i think they catch the snowflakes as they're drifting

down here so no one slips. >> it's true. we are expecting -- >> wait until sunday. >> could be a classic nor'easter with several feet of snow. >> they kept saying three inches or three feet. who knows? >> let's talk about bieber for just a minute. >> oh lord. >> we have new details. jeff broke the story this morning. we told you justin bieber was a board a private plane with friends and his dad coming in for the super bowl. >> the law enforcement sources smelled what smelled like marijuana. of course some police reports, official reports, they said bieber and company was warned on the plane to stop smoking marijuana because the captain i'm sure was worried about getting high. >> they had to allegedly wear oxygen masks. >> imagine the pilot and co-pilot wearing oxygen masks

because justin bieber and company refused to stop smoking weed. >> they were harassing -- >> we don't know this to be true. the flight attendant told authorities justin and his father were extremely abusive verbally. >> so much she had to go up to the front of the cabin to hang out with the pilots. >> i guess she was on the gulf stream. she vowed she would never fly with them again, bieber, his dad and the rest of the group. who knows. it was a private plane. it's illegal to smoke pot on a plane i imagine, right? >> you're asking me? that's funny. >> i don't know. i'm afraid to take a tylenol sinus. i assume yes. it was coming from toronto. you've got the international situation going too. no drugs were found when they did search the plane.

they should check the toilet probably. bieber has not been charged with anything from the incident. we did of course reach out to justin's camp. they decline to comment. customs could search justin bieber every time he flies. customs has the right to check anyone with an ongoing conviction. he has two. he's 19 years old, on top of the world hoda. >> it's one thing for him to keep doing stupid if this happened. it's another thing when your father is on board the plane. look, a 19-year-old, it's bad any way. you assume the grown up in the group would say at least for the safety of the people on the plane. the pilot is breathing this stuff in. >> nobody is thinking. that's not the part of the brain that's working. the father, i wish he was traveling with patty his mom instead. when she was traveling with him, you didn't see this favor.

there's also a pastor he has tremendous respect for. i won't say the pastor's name. he's a tremendous pastor that justin has respect for. he needs to go get on a plane with him. if he took a se bat kal and spent time with justin. >> justin has two pending cases. he has not been convicted. red hot chili peppers were playing with bruno mars. fans noticed none of the guitars were plugged in while they were playing. they're just out there not plugged in. on monday, flea -- >> which is flea? >> my entire life i've tried to avoid fleas. >> flea tweeted. no trickery, no choice, but no tricky. >> in other words we weren't trying to fool you. they told us we could use our

own lyrics and stuff but -- >> vocals were live but not the other. there's a really good reason for that. >> why? >> first of all they have so little time to get the teams off to get everything ready, everything is timed to the nano second at these things. even if you want to -- i asked to sing live when i did the star spangled banner. they would not let you back then. they let renee the other day. that's new. the orchestra, no. my friend rob did the orchestration. they have things going on all over the place. >> it's halftime. you have to mix and all kinds of things. there's so many other things in the world to be upset about. the fact they were singing live to a track, it doesn't matter. >> someone tweeted funny. everyone loved the bruno mars

concert. it said i watched the most spectacular bruno mars concert, and a football game broke out. >> seattle fans are a little upset that seahawks are not getting the respect they deserve. you know what, i understand how they're feeling that way. i think that everybody whether a broncos fan or not, is saying they played an awesome awesome gape. >> let's talk about richard sherman. he keeps talking. he's the guy at the end of the last game said something. this is what he said this time. he basically said the seahawks figured out manning's hand signals. and also i guess the audibles. he is saying we are smart football player, not just strong guys. we're reading the thing. we decoded and cracked the case. that was why they did so well against the broncos. >> well, he was there, so you know i'm not going to say he's right or wrong.

i know somebody that knows a little about football. frank gifford is on the line. i called him earlier. i said honey, come on with us and explain. is that possible sweetheart? first of all, good morning. >> omaha, omaha, omaha. >> what? >> omaha. your husband is a funny man. >> doing frank he did decode? did the defense read manning so well they cracked the case? >> i'm not an expert on that for sure, but it sure looked like it didn't it? >> that's not what you told me an hour ago. >> what did he say to you? >> they figured out when he was changing the plays behind the line of scrimmage, i think they knew what he was changing it too. >> peyton calls his own plays pretty much? >> pretty much, yeah. given certain situations you go into a game like the super bowl, you have a third and five.

you have a situation where there's a third and long, third i and short, you can change it. you're strict to what you've been working on. >> it's the third and short thing. >> i want to know about the nickel. >> and omaha. >> nickel is defense. omaha, i don't know. unless running for mayor or something. >> honey, isn't it true also that we heard from a friend andy that was there that seattle fans were so loud that peyton probably couldn't be heard by his own guys in some ways? >> that can be a problem. it has been a problem to him in the past. let's face it. they'll be the first ones to tell you, they were outplayed. it was a great game.

i don't think you can take away from them saying they tricked. >> honey, that was inciteful. >> thank you. kiss bambino for me. >> if you can find him. vanity fair did something i guess daring for some of the actors. >> you wonder why they agreed to it. >> actors and actresses agreed to be inside the magazine. they had to do their own makeup. they could show up with one person. >> no air brushes, no post air brush or anything. let's look at oprah. >> does she have eye liner on? you're allowed a little. >> scarlet looks like a teenager. >> everyone looks younger. >> there's shawn. >> and kate winslet looks

beautiful. gorgeous. >> let's see brad. >> that looks like the modelling lighting. that chanel commercial. >> why do some of the most gorgeous people in the world go out of their way to look ordinary to you? maybe they're sick of being called the most gorgeous in the world. he's still great looking. facebook celebrates the ten year anniversary. i have been chatting on facebook all morning. everybody sends their love to you miss hoda. >> was it fun chatting? >> i enjoy it. nobody writes letters anymore. facebook and twitter are the way to stay in touch. >> what did they want to know mainly? >> about this. we're not going to tell them. it's a prop rarely touched. right guys? but they want to know how you stay so gorgeous? that's what they wanted to know. all right. if you want to know what we said, head to our facebook page

and check it out. guess what happens every minute in the u.s. >> what? >> a fire breaks out. if looking for love or a date for valentine's day, look. million air match maker patty is here. those six people did not know each other until this morning. >> i wonder if they're going to try to find love. >> she's going to try to find their life mate. and the very funny event. nicole [ female announcer ] they became the generation that brought us tweets and eco-friendly cars. but first, they were flintstones kids. ten million strong and growing. well, we've come a long way too. today, flintstones means more than just multivitamins. introducing flintstones healthy brain support gummies. an omega 3-dha supplement specially designed to help support healthy brain function in today's kids. ♪ we are flintstones kids that's the flintstones effect.

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this is different. this is care. ♪ this premiered in 2009. the community has found a following of devoted fans. >> this is a group of friends that meet at the possible worst

place. nicole brown stars in the opinioned religious housewife. >> there's a word for people that remind you you're not god and you try a little harder. >> so nicholas cage is jesus? >> no. but he clearly works in mysterious ways. >> hello honey. i was vegan for three minutes. i tried it for a minute, a hot minute. >> what did you miss most? >> bacon. that lovely lovely swine. i missed it. >> you have a connection. don't you? >> i want to tell this story. i was in the movie called "percy jackson". you were there. you were so lovely to me. i've been a fan of yours forever. when you came in, i was like this is kathie lee. i was trying to not be that

girl. you were so kind and descent. i went in calm. it wasn't like a hollywood conversation. it was how you doing honey? good luck. you said things about california. it was lovely. >> it was human. >> and you got the role. >> i got the role. >> kathie didn't. >> you were my good luck charm. >> you're a bundle of nerves. it's awful to audition. you don't anymore do you? >> i take my head shot and go in. i have an audition in new york while here. >> you do broadway? >> i would love to do broadway. i don't feel i've earned it yet. you got to be worthy of broadway. you can't show up and be on the board. you've got to earn it. >> go tell that to half of hollywood on broadway now. >> i want to be worthy of it. i'm going to wait.

>> this has been such a it. it got such traction. fans kept it on right? >> great thing is we have five fans. they're very, very rapid. they do flash mobs. they're lovely. we've got five years on the backs of them. >> you've done difficult things throughout this. you lost your creator for a while. now he's back. is that making a difference is this. >> it is this year. it's like getting the band back together. dan harmon knows the characters better than anyone. to get him back -- it's like we didn't have that for a year. you need dan. >> how about joel? >> i'm not allowed to look him in the eye. i can't make eye contact. he's 7'12". he's lovely. he loves you guys. >> he's one of the single funniest people. do you have trouble between takes not cracking up.

>> we don't have trouble. they can't use half the takes we do. >> and kim. i can't look at him without laughing. >> so you're happy? >> yes, i am kathie lee. >> thank you for coming to see us. >> we wish you continue. >> thanks for having me. >> broadway would think you're worthy. >> that's nice to hear. >> if you can catch new episodes of "community" after the olympics, starting february 27 on nbc. how to prevent and put out fires in your home. >> could there be sparks flying between singles upstairs? patty is up there. she's trouble. she's going to find out if there are

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valentine's day just around

the corner, we thought we'd have fun with none other than millionaire match maker patty. >> coming up in the next half hour, she has advice for you whether looking for a date or long term relationship. right now, patty, there have been a couple of meetings. they're all taking place. any love connections? >> i thought the first couple is a love connection. now they're meeting other people. i don't know. this is a free for all. >> this is like your show where you throw a bunch of people together and give them a short amount of time. how can someone get to know each other? >> ask questions. what are you passionate about? what do you like to do on the weekends? don't go to negative places. only passionate places. >> should they know right away if there's chemistry from the jump? >> you and i know that. you talk about. that. >> there's a new study that says

basically you may actually not like someone initially or be attracted and suddenly you do. >> i've done that and ended updating them. like when you meet someone and they push it hard for you. they want you badly enough to go, maybe that's not a bad guy. >> why doing there's a lot of singles out there online? are they too busy? >> where do you meet anymore? bars are not the place. online dating is a billionaire industry. more are single than ever. >> and a lot of people use to meet at church. you made a lot of love connections on your show haven't you? >> we've had a couple of marriages, one on television and one off. i met my boyfriend online. it does work. >> so we're going to come back and meet all these couples. you're going to tell us who have

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boulevard. they went to the complex after she called 911 several times. she pulled out a gun, moved towards them in a threatening way, and refused to drop the gun. a cpr instructor could be in trouble for selling online certifications. rural/metro says they discovered he was selling them online.

welcome back now. happy wednesday to you. temperatures will climb into the upper 50s. it is about 57 in the south bay and along the peninsula and we have major changes ahead. rainfall starts to move in tonight. we have a series of storms on the way to the bay area potentially capable of producing tremendous rainfall totals. we want to make sure you're ready for this and those windshield wipers are ready. >> yeah, make sure they're fresh. there is a haze at the bay bridge. not a problem though. a few cars in the cash lanes off to the right as you approach, not a big deal. smote traffic in palo alto. a little slow through mountain view, typical there.

that's the only issue for the south bay. the offramp is still closed in both directions on 880 because of the power lines down. winesday wednesday. welcome to play our trivia game "who knew" in honor of our weather person's day. even though you might not be happy with ice and snow outside, you cannot blame them. it's not their fault. hoda is across the street ready to hand out $100 to those that get the questions right. those that do not, they're going to get a new copy of her paper back book. >> hello bill karins. >> so we ready to play?

>> we're ready hoda. >> hi what's your name? >> camile lloyd. all these people are on the plaza. >> what is the difference between a hurricane and typhoon? a, location of the storm -- >> you already know? >> is she right? >> she is. we've got a ringer. it's all about the location. >> so in asia they call them typhoons or that part of the world right? >> right. atlantic hurricanes, indian ocean cyclones. we could have made it three choices trying to confuse her. we were nice. >> all right hoda. here's a question. there's a little piece of tape. please listen up. which weather phrase am i known for around here. >> which weather phrase am i known for around here? a, hotter than blazes. b, here's what's happening in

your neck of the woods. c, keep your weather eye open. or d, be sure to let sunshine in your world today. which is it? >> he is so ridiculous. he's crazy. tell us your answer. >> dan bell and it's b. >> is he right? >> yes. >> not a good day for my book, dan. >> a lot of people wonder why does al say that every single day five times a day? there's local tv stations. there's a person that has to press a button. if he don't know when it's coming, they don't push the button at the same time. >> he always says it with joy. >> not today. ready for the next one? all right. what's your name ma'am? >> janet. >> you been out in the snow all

day? >> i have been. >> here's your question. please miss it. when is the last day of winter in 2014? >> march 21st. >> is she right? >> no, you're supposed to go yea, i get the book. >> i get the book! >> good try hoda. >> a lot of years it is march 21st. that sticks in our mind. this year it's march 19th. we get the spring solstice. our spring and winter is different. we have meteorological winter. december, january, february. i'm almost done. you have got to wait until the 19th. >> we have a ways to go. i didn't understand a word he said. >> never understand bill. >> valluerie from texas. >> a recent video of what weather channel meteorologist

fending off an on air attack went viral? >> c? >> mike sidell. lucky girl you get a book. >> sign it for her hoda. >> just recently a college student went after jim cantori. without moving his upper torso he river boats him in the gut. >> was the kid found? >> jim said he wanted to teach everybody a lesson. he's in his office and doesn't want people to bother him. i think more might now. >> thank you so much. hoda, i'm sorry you have to go through the rain out there. how's your hair? >> i'm giving my book away to everybody so there. >> great. we're checking back in on our single mixer with millionaire match maker patty i'm randy, and i quit smoking with chantix.

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on relationships, if you are sing and will trying to land a date for valentine's day or looking for long term love interest, who better to turn to for advice than patty stanger? she makes it her business to find singles their match. here they are on our show. pria, danielle, evan, jay, michael. >> hello everybody. was it awkward or pretty comfortable up there? give a thumbs up if it was okay, a little weird? it's 45hard to meet a complete

stranger and start a conversation. >> i thought you were doing real well. >> i could talk to my wall. >> that could be a problem. >> don't admit that on a first date. >> patty, they had a little bit of time. wasn't a lot. about 30 minutes. >> less than what we do on the show. >> doing there were connections on that brief window? >> yes. can i say the connections? danielle and evan from the start. >> they live like a couple blocks from each other. how joe graphically desirable. seriously? >> did you feel something with danielle? >> i had a nice time talking to all ladies. danielle was especially nice to talk to him. >> did you feel something? >> very friendly. you got the upper east side feel. we both live in the same neighborhood. >> kathleen, did you connect with any of the guys? >> i thought everybody was nice. yeah, i had connections with everybody in different ways. either worked in the similar neighborhood or lived in the

same neighborhood. >> so there's possibility? >> yes. >> how about you pria? >> not really. >> she just started dating after a marriage. she's new to the scene. >> you a wounded person, right? yeah. that's never easy coming through that. >> a lot of people expect to meet someone and feel this heart pounding. >> like a movie love story. you've got to go with the flow, enjoy the experience and make friends. the guy that you make as a friend will likely lead to a husband. that's proven by the way. >> we're going to get to things you should not do. what are you guys looking for in a woman? that's michael right? >> someone with confidence, someone that shares the same interest as me. someone motivated and wants to have an amazing time in this great city and just go from there. >> someone that can take a joke. >> i'm taking them. hoda too. >> you are nice.

>> evan? >> like most people it starts off with chemistry, physical attraction and then hopefully once the wine wears off you still have the emotional connection. >> you go on a date and have a few drink to take the edge off. >> two drink maximum. that's what i say. >> you say no sex. >> we have hormones in our body that makes us fall in love even with a loser. sex gives you a orgasm and you're done. >> how long? >> two to three month period to get to no someone. you can fool around and do other things. >> what happened to our world? tell us real quickly what are you looking for sweetie? >> someone that can make me laugh. it's nice to have fun in the day and someone who's sweet.

i always like people that show vulnerability. >> danielle? >> i would say somebody that goes against the grain, doesn't take the road everyone else takes. >> what about you? >> someone who's honest and smart. >> straight forward? >> i'm pretty straight forward so yes. >> what are the land minds in the boughting world? >> ta -- the dating world? >> talking about the exes. anything about women. >> i like my mother very much. >> don't get drunk like we talked about. also, talking about the experience of dating which neutralizes the sex. if you talk about the dates you went online with, it doesn't make the other person feel special. >> and listen. >> listen. that's a good one. >> thanks everybody. we wish you luck. tune in to patty's value

valentine's special tomorrow night on bravo. hoda and i go in the kitchen. will we crack under pressure? and life saving advice to will we crack under pressure? and life saving advice to put fires ou♪ ♪ your home. new hershey's spreads. bring the delicious taste of hershey's chocolate to anything - everything - you can imagine. explore the endless possibilities of the delicious chocolate taste that only hershey's can deliver. with new hershey's spreads, the possibilities are delicious.

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prevent and protect yourself from a house fire. >> a house fire breaks out every minute. most fires are completely preventable. here with what you need to know, the fire chief who's been with the chicago fire department 34 years. >> he's an advisor and consultant on the nbc series chicago fire where he keeps story lines as close to real as possible. >> i imagine more fires come about during these times because people are trying to keep warm. >> winter can be tricky. we're going to talk about ways fires start today. >> candles are big ones. you forget they're bed. >> that happened last night. i'm not going to say who did it, frank. it's scary you wake up and it's still burning. >> candle, lighters, matches

left around that children can get. candles are nice. when you go to bed or leave the room, blow them out. >> leave the room? >> well, leave the house. >> god forbid something happens, you walk out and see something smoldering. should you throw a blanket or do something? >> if you take time and not panic -- panic kills people. if we take time and do the right thing -- if the fire is small, we're going to talk about ways to extinguish it. >> you can pound it with something like a rug? >> we'd rather have you call 911 and leave the house. >> let's talk about space heaters. those are a source for fires. >> space heaters can be dangerous. you kind of get what you pay for in a space heater. cheaper ones don't have tip over

shutoff valves. a house pet can tip over a heater. or a child. now you have a big time fire hazard. people can be dangerous. people put them too close to the bed. blanket comes off at night. keep a minimum of three foot clearance between combustibles and these heaters. >> some say when lights are flickering, there's a chance you have a short in your electrical line. is that true? >> it could be. if the whole house is flickering, it is probably something outside. you call your provider. if it's inside. one room you might have a shortage. extension cords quite often can be a cause of fire damage. light weight extension cords. people use them to replace receptacles. >> we have less than a minute. cooking is a huge problem. if you find yourself with a fire on or in the stove, what's the first thing to do?

>> cook as good one of the main ways fires start. the first step is to shut off the stove. if i have a grease fire, shut off the stove. second step, take a lid. use a pot holder or glove and use the lid as a shield. most times if there's a little residual fire -- >> don't take it to the sink right? >> one cup of water in grease could fill your whole home. >> most people think water? >> baking soda works as extinguishing agent. never flour. >> always have an extinguisher and smoke detector in your house. >> if you have one in your kitchen it's great. smo smoke detectors on every level and near the bedrooms. >> all these tips are online.

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we're back with our own olympic competition. kathie and i are going for the gold. >> world cooking contest known as culinary olympics takes place in france next year. team usa is ready. we got them. >> only two chefs were chosen to compete. they are chef phillip and chef tyler stover. they are here with their coach gavin casen. we're going to say congratulations first of all. >> what a thrill? >> yeah. >> wow. >> it's a five and a half hour competition. >> it's five and a half hours. you do meat and protein. >> you're going to do us proud.

go america. >> we're going to give you a test run. see if you know your stuff. tell us what you're doing. >> i'm supposed to be the judge. i'm going to help you cook. >> we're going to do this in a minute and a half. we're going to each take an egg. you're going to use the popper. put this popper on top like this. then like that. then if you squeeze it a little bit. you can see the lynn. >> go along there. hoda good girl. >> i'm sorry. >> don't get cocky. >> it was supposed to go in here. >> we have to cook now. >> see how good i did? >> you killed it. >> they have a whole tray over there. take them the tray that's already done. let's do that. >> we're going to keep playing. >> all right. >> i'm going to make some of the eggs as a result, okay? >> is this empty egg shell going

to be the case we put the scrambled eggs? >> right. that's basically our plate. >> where do these go? >> the important thing to recognize items like this is it has finesse and strategy to it. we try to do things like this that's very difficult. >> i love it. eggs are fun. i like popping it. >> we have the caviar over there. i'm going to scramble the eggs. >> you're supposed to do this. i'm the judge. >> you're right. i'm sorry. >> i'm going to season a little bit. >> then what do we do? >> theirs is going to be really fancy. >> ours is good. >> all right. now we need -- i'm going to steal some of their stuff. >> dump it in. >> give me a shell. >> i have a good one here. >> we have a minute. >> dump it in.

you'll be good. >> straighten up. >> it's hot. okay. turn it this way. the camera can't see it like that right? >> down to the last 30. tell us which is better. >> put nit. put in caviar. hold on. >> seconds and go. >> for timing you have won so far. let's see presentation. >> let me see theirs. >> oh my -- no. >> kat come here. >> that's pretty good. >> follow us on instagram and twitter. we'll announce the winner for that right there. >> parks and recreation actor chris craft and act bush make overs and this special story you won't want to miss.

nbc bay area news starts now. good wednesday morning, thank you for joining us at 11:00 a.m. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm scott mcgrew and we're less than 24 hours away from the first competition at the winter olympics. some of the u.s. team's most well known athletes have withdrawn. >> just one day before competition was supposed to begin, shawn white says he is dropping out of the slope style event. he jammed his wroois during practice and says he does not want to risk injury.