good morning. breaking news. have they found it? >> two distinct pinger returns were audible. significantly, this would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. >> what officials are calling the most promising lead yet in the search for malaysia air flight 370. on the stand, oscar pistorius testifying at his murder trial. >> i can't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that i've caused you and your family. i was simply trying to protect reeva. >> we're there live with his emotional apology. down under. prince george arrives in new zealand with his parents

overnight to begin his first official tour as a royal. and a legend lost. ♪ looks like we both agree on what to do ♪ >> mickey rooney, one of hollywood's iconic stars, dead at the age of 93. the highs and lows of his remarkable life and career today. monday, april 7th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today." with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. >> it's a good monday morning, because mr. roker is back. i love how you're sporting the arm sling casual business look. >> very nice. how you feeling? >> feeling good. thanks to all the well wishes and all the nice folks who sent the nice thoughts and prayers. >> we're going to have much more on that. good to have you back, buddy. >> thanks. we want to get back to our top story.

those signals that are consistent with pings from the plane's black boxes have been detected in the indian ocean. nbc's katy tur is in kuala lumpur with the latest on the investigation. katy, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey there, matt. we told you on friday that this would be a critical weekend. and in fact, it was. a number of acoustic signals were reported, two of which coming from "ocean shield" and its pinger locator. this being the most significant development yet. taking off one by one, as they have been doing for a month, search planes headed to scour the indian ocean. but now, with a renewed sense of urgency and optimism from ships on the water. >> today, i can report some very encouraging information, which has unfolded over the last 24 hours. >> reporter: "ocean shield" first heard an acoustic signal sunday, lasting for two hours and 20 minutes. but lost it as the ship made a turn. then another signal, this time

on the return leg, lasting for 13 minutes. two distinct sets of pings that could be consistent with two black boxes, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. >> clearly, this is the most promising lead. >> reporter: the australian ship is using a u.s. naval pinger locator, one of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment out there for detecting black boxes. right now, "ocean shield" is searching a small corridor off the australian coast between the signals it picked up and ones a chinese ship using much less sophisticated technology detected over the weekend. today is day 31 of the search for mh-370. critical timing, as the black box beacons only last around 30 days. still, no confirmation that any of the pings are connected to mh-370. >> if they gain another acoustic event on that towed pinger locator, that will be the trigger at the moment for mapping and visually looking at

the ocean floor. >> reporter: basically, they are waiting for another ping so they can triangulate the position and then put the unmanned submarine into the water so it can scan the ocean floor. this could take hours, this could take days, this could take weeks. there's just no telling how long it will take. but again, the most hopeful sign that we've had yet, matt. >> katy tur in kuala lumpur. katy, thanks very much. greg feith is a former investigator with the ntsb. bob hager was a longtime aviation correspondent for nbc news. good morning to both of you and bob, i'll start with you. this ship was in contact with this pinger for two hours, 20 minutes in one direction. it turned around, caught it for 13 minutes in the other direction. it's a huge development. >> yeah, i think so, too. we've had a lot of ups and downs in this. but this looks like the beginnings of a breakthrough. i mean, at least it gets them in the right area, you know? so that's very important, as opposed to searching this huge area of the ocean. >> so as katy just mentioned, they mark this location with a gps right now. they go back, try to triangulate

this. what are we talking about realistically in terms of time? >> i think she's right. you know, could be days, weeks, months. it can take a long time. this is very, very slow work. t. this is very, very slow work. but the point is, now, even if the pinger eventually quits, at least they're in the general area and they might even be able to find it without a pinger. >> they can get an autonomous underwater device in there and start to map the bottom of the ocean. >> they do it with side scan radar, side scan sonar, which is like an underwater radar, and then finally you start taking still pictures down there, see if you can see it. >> greg, obviously this comes in the nick of time. we've been talking about the battery life on those devices, and it has to be nearing the end. >> absolutely, matt. that's the critical thing. we have the pings. the bad thing is for the second pass, they didn't have it for the same duration. they had to go deeper to get it. the signal itself may be fading. so they're really going to have

to work hard to try and triangulate and get a position for the underwater rov. >> and now we need to know what happened. if they locate the black boxes and the wreckage, we want to know what happened on that flight. just real quickly, if you will, remind me what the cockpit voice recorder might tell them and the flight data recorder. >> if the cockpit voice recorder has survivsurvived, it probably have a lot of information on it because it only records for two hours. this is a six to seven-hour flight, it's already overwritten itself, unless, of course, the pilot may have pulled the circuit breaker. the flight data recorder is going to tell us what happened as far as what the airplane was doing, but it's not going to tell us why or how it happened. but it will give us some parameters to tell us whether the automation was flying, that is the auto pilot, or whether there were physical inputs made by the captain and/or first officer. >> once again, a promising

"today's" national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is at the courthouse this morning. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hey, savannah, good morning to you. this surprised everybody when he got up there and began everything by saying "i'm sorry" and going into a very tearful explanation about how he feels about it all. legal experts say it all comes down to this now. no experts, no neighbors, just pistorius. all alone trying to convince the judge this was self-defense. an honest mistake when he shot and killed his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. this morning, for the first time, oscar pistorius in his own words. as he walked to the witness box today, the courtroom silent, oscar pistorius started his testimony with a tearful apology to reeva steenkamp's family, the girlfriend he shot and killed in his bathroom. >> i'd like to apologize and say

there's not a moment and there hasn't been a moment since this tragedy happened that i haven't thought about your family. i wake up every morning and you're the first people i think of, the first people i pray for. i can't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that i've caused you and your family. i was simply trying to protect reeva. i can promise that when she went to bed that night, she felt loved. i've tried to put my words on paper many, many times to write to you, but no words would ever suffice. >> reporter: reeva's family looking on just feet away. pistorius chose to testify off camera, audio only, telling the court he's on anti-depressants. >> i'm scared to sleep. for several reasons.

but i have terrible nightmares about things that happened that night, i wake up and i smell -- can smell -- can smell blood and i wake up to being terrified. if i hear a noise, i wake up just in a complete state of terror. to the point that i'd rather not sleep. >> reporter: pistorius delved into his disability, how he doesn't have legs and how that impacts his life. >> it's a difficulty when i don't have my legs on. i don't have balance. very limited mobility. >> reporter: pistorius told the court when he thinks about the shooting that night and the death of reeva, he has panic attacks and depends on his family for help. >> obviously, if i want to

handle a firearm again, i've got a security guard that stands outside of my front door at night. but i wake up terrified. for some reason i can't calm myself down. i phone my sister and she comes and sits by me a while, which she did. >> reporter: spend a lot of time on the stand talking about his disability. he is more vulnerable than most people because he cannot move around as fast and trying to explain why he shot through the bathroom door. pistorius is back on the stand tomorrow. we will watch it all four you. savannah. >> jeff rossen at the courthouse.

thank you very much. we are joined for the first time by cynthia mcfadden. nbc's new investigative correspondent. cynthia, good morning, and welcome to nbc. >> it's a pleasure to be here, savannah. >> we have a lot to talk about. before we get into the specifics of what we've heard from pistorius this morning, there's a distinction in the south african legal system when you look at what we do in this country. he really had no choice but to take the stand. >> effectively, he had no choice. in the u.s., defendants have a right against self-incrimination and many choose not to take the stand. but in south africa, the judge would be permitted to enter a finding that he didn't have a defense at all if he didn't take the stand. so effectively, he had to get up there. >> basically an adverse inference against him. >> correct. >> now, as far as this testimony, we've heard a lot from oscar pistorius this morning about his background, his childhood. certainly how he feels about his prosthetics. i can understand why you would do that before a jury. this is a case being heard by a judge. do those kinds of facts matter as much? >> sure. i mean, look, the fact-finders, the judge and the two assessors,

or two assistants, who by the way, if they agree with her, they can overrule her, they're judging demeanor as well. they're looking for credibility. credibility is the person's life story now. his life is essentially in his own hands. and they want to create a case -- i mean, the most critical issue is did he reasonably fire into a door behind which he did not know who was there? did he reasonably take that action? was he reasonably afraid? and so they're trying to create a life story that would make it credible. of course, south africa, the death rate is very high in south africa, it's one of the highest in the world. but they're saying not only was he afraid because he's a south african, he was afraid because he's a man with a disability. he was afraid because he grew up with a single mother who had a gun under her bed, as he just testified. >> nbc's cynthia mcfadden, welcome, and thank you very much. >> what a pleasure to be here, savannah. >> we are glad to have you. we'll be seeing you a lot more, i'm sure. >> i hope so. we'll take a turn. natalie has other stories, including renewed violence in ukraine. >> good morning, everyone. violence is erupting once again in eastern ukraine this morning as armed gunmen stormed

government buildings in three different cities. in donetsk, pro-russian activists clashed with police, demanding a referendum to join russia. ethnic russians in the city have been protesting to secede from ukraine since russia annexed the crimean peninsula last month. a 1-year-old girl is improving this morning after a dramatic rescue at sea. the navy and california air national guard rescued a family, including their sick baby, from a disabled sailboat in the middle of the pacific ocean. the 36-foot sailboat hit rough waters, losing power and the ability to steer. at the same time, the 1-year-old developed a fever and a rash, so the family sent out a distress signal. we're going to have much more on this incredible rescue coming up in our next hour. more than 100 people were arrested and dozens were injured when a street party turned into a riot in southern california this weekend. about 15,000 people attended the annual del topia spring break party near the uc santa barbara campus.

police say some people began throwing rocks, bottles and bricks at officers. police then used tear gas, pepper spray, and foam projectiles to break it up. some scary moments in indiana this weekend when a hot air balloon crashed into some power lines. the dramatic incident caught on camera. take a look. seven people were in the balloon's basket at the time. it was trying to land when it floated into the power lines, causing that small explosion you saw there. the balloon then fell to the ground. thankfully, no one onboard was seriously hurt. and in massachusetts this weekend, a wedding venue goes up in flames just minutes after the couple said "i do." the justice of the peace captured this video of the fire. as you can see, the entire building completely engulfed in flames. everyone inside, including the approximately 150 guests got out safely. investigators say a carelessly discarded cigarette was likely to blame. it is no surprise when a fight breaks out at a hockey game, but you probably wouldn't expect to see this as a charity

game. and especially between firefighters and policemen. take a look. this is the scene on long island on sunday. new york fire department facing off with the police department in an annual charity game. the benches then cleared. the brawl went on for 20 minutes before order was finally restored. all in the name of a good cause. by the way, if you're keeping score, the nypd went on to win 8-5. >> they were able to arrest the other players. >> who brought order to that disorder? >> they'll have some serious discussions about what happened there this morning. natalie, thanks very much. welcome back, bud. >> thanks, guys. we've got a lot of severe weather going on through the south. in fact, we've got flooding to talk about. this is near birmingham, alabama. people driving into these underpasses and getting flooded out, and then swift water rescues have to be made. and as we look right now on the radar, you can see we've got a lot going on. the heavy rain has moved through birmingham, but you can see what

is left. these are parking lots in apartment buildings. they've had to rescue folks from the first floor using rafts. so they're continuing to track that. and in fact, you can see on the live radar, the heaviest showers and thunderstorms now moving into mobile just to the south of atlanta. it is making its way through, and so with this rain, we're seeing anywhere from two to five inches of rain, so we have flash flood warnings from mobile up into birmingham, flash flood watches into parts of georgia, including atlanta. and tornado watches today until later this morning from new orleans all the way into central alabama. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. let's do a brand-new. let's step away from the bland and let the color fly. let's get to the one store with more number-one choices and match this or this without using too much of this. then let's crack open a can and get to it. paint? no. let's do pow. let's do this.

more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now get $5 off cans and $20 off buckets of behr ultra interior. nbc bay yare eye microclimate forecast is brought to you by probiattic drink. i'm meteorologist christina loren. temperatures mostly in the 50s to start the day. crystal clear from the coast to the inland valleys. as a result of that clear start in san francisco, nice and north bay at 82 degrees and 84 degrees here in the south bay and those warm spring temps stay with us for most of the week and then we'll drop the temperatures off, bringing some showers by friday. >> al, thank you very much. >> his career spanned a lifetime.

a veteran of more than 300 films, mickey rooney loved to act, and he loved the limelight. >> you never get tired of hearing applause. >> for rooney, the accolades came early. born joseph yule jr., he began performing at just 17 months old. by the time he could walk, he was a star. his stage name became permanent, as did his place in hollywood history. a young rooney was box office gold. >> i was the number one star of the world over such greats as the late king gabel and spencer tracy and errol flynn. i was playing in a pretty big ball game at 20, 21 years of age. >> standing just 5'3", rooney said he felt like a man 6'6". >> excuse me for running away, betsy. >> it's all right. >> his popular "andy hardy" series ran for almost 20 years. >> get off as fast as you can and jump sure and clean.

>> in "national velvet" he taylor. in the adventures of "the black stallion." rooney shined in what may have been his most memorable role. but he also had his critics. some called this performance in "breakfast at tiffany's" racist. >> once again, i must protest! >> through it all, rooney won golden globes, emmys, and later in life, an honorary academy award. >> if anybody tells you that they aren't thrilled to be nominated for an academy award, you tell them that they're just full of baloney, because it's the greatest thrill that can come to a performer in our business. >> he was what they used to call in show business a triple threat. he could sing, he could dance, he could act. and do them all equally well. >> married eight times with 11 children, rooney's life wasn't picture-perfect. he made and also lost millions. >> my name is mickey rooney. >> he told congress in 2011 he had been a victim of elder abuse.

>> i've been abused, financially, medically. my wife and i have hungered for food at our house. >> i want success so. >> but the showman will always be remembered for his long body of work. a legacy that lives on today. >> that is sad news. he was on this show many times. did some really memorable interviews. for the older among us, he was clearly an icon. >> i was just thinking, he really crosses many, many generations. because of that longevity. 80-year career in hollywood. coming up, did he help his case? we're going to go back to south africa and get more on this morning's emotional testimony from oscar pistorius, unfolding right now. and the duke and duchess of cambridge, along with prince george arrive in new zealand overnight. we're live on the first leg of the young royals' first trip overseas. carson, welcome back. >> thank you very much. plus, the professor that got

pranked big-time by his own class. if you haven't seen the video, it's priceless. all that coming up. but first, this is "today" on

opens up about her new sitcom, an ambitious world guinness attempt in our plaza. can she pull a 15,000 pound truck in high heels? with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. i was taking warfarin but wondered, could i focus on something better? my doctor told me about eliquis for three important reasons. one, in a clinical trial eliquis was proven to reduce the risk of stroke better than warfarin. two, eliquis had less major bleeding than warfarin. and three, unlike warfarin there's no routine blood testing.

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with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove doesn't strip your skin like soap. good monday morning to you, 7:26. i'm peggy bunker. police are investigating an early morning shooting in south san jose. a man in his 30s was shot at least once near an apartment complex on snow drive. he was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. right now police do not have any suspects. also police are trying to figure out who vandalized several smart cars in san francisco overnight. one car flipped up on its roof and another on its side and one was even lifted up on to its back end. a witness at one of the scenes said he saw a group of about eight people walk up to a smart car and lift it up. the search for a missing hiker from menlo park was called off. 100 people and canine units scoured over the weekend looking for any sign of magdalena

glinkowski. no one has seen the software developer since march 30th when a camera caught her buying a parking ticket. they found her i.d., cell phone and credit cards inside a car in a parking lot. hey, good morning to you, peggy. everybody at home. it's going to be a warm one today. already pretty mild out there at 53 degrees now in san jose and mostly clear sky overhead and as a result of this clear start not only in san jose but at the immediate coast, we're going to warm up a lot today. into the mid-80s, about a 25 degree jump. south bay at 84 degrees and 75 in san francisco today. and 82 degrees in the north bay. your seven-day forecast shows you hotter tomorrow and bring in showers as we head throughout friday. cut off low developments. right nowmeres mike. >> san mateo bridge moves

smoothly and see slowing and the top speed across the bay, that's okay. map shows you not a big problem for 92 across and slowing down coming off 38 and south of there, that's where 880 jams towards newark and fremont and an earlier crash cleared 15 minutes ago and start to recover through that area. south bay 280 at 101. peggy just reports of a car fire and smoke. we'll track that back to you. another local news update for you coming up in 30 minutes. in the meantime, have a great day. ♪ ♪

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7:30 now on this monday it's the 7th of april, 2014. it's the start of a big week in rockefeller plaza. that's why we have this dramatic music playing. each morning, we are going to have someone attempt a guinness world record live on our plaza, and it will start this morning with the heaviest vehicle pulled in high heels by a female. friends, i do not think we have a winner or a record holder in this category yet. >> no, we'll be setting a record. >> yes. she's got her high heel booties and she's ready to tow a truck. >> and then we're going to have you two try this. >> i have a doctor's excuse. >> you certainly do. meantime, we'll get to that in our 8:30 half-hour. let's look at what is making headlines. u.s. navy equipment used in the search for malaysia air

flight 370 has picked up signals consistent with pings from a plane's flight recorders. they had contact with one of the pings for about two hours and 20 minutes in one direction, then the ship turned and picked up the signal for another 13 minutes. but it could take several days to confirm the origin of those sounds. hollywood legend mickey rooney has died. the 93-year-old broke into acting more than 80 years ago. he was the top box office draw in the late '30s and '40s. he was nominated for four academy awards, and received two special oscars for his big screen lifetime achievements. and the duke and duchess of cambridge and their son prince george kicked off a lengthy trip down under overnight. it's the first of the young royal's life. we're going to take you inside their trip in just a little bit. all right, but we want to begin this half-hour with more on oscar pistorius's testimony this morning, happening at his murder trial. today's national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is with us from the courthouse once again. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hey, savannah, good

morning. this really is a milestone in the case. we have not heard from him, and what his story is about that night. sure, we've read it and heard it from his defense lawyers, but never in his own words, and that is exactly what's happening here in pretoria today. within secondss of taking the stand, he offered an emotional apology to reeva steenkamp's family sitting feet away in the courtroom. take a listen. >> i wake up every morning and you're the first people i think of, the first people i pray for. i can't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that i've caused you and your family. >> reporter: after that apology today, pistorius talked a lot about his disability and talked about growing up in the house with his mother with a gun under her bed. the crime rate in south africa

and how he, himself, is a victim in south africa. making him more susceptible to intruders. pistorius is back on the stand tomorrow. prosecution is the key. they will try to trip oscar pistorius up on the version of events that night. we will watch it for you. savannah. >> all right, jeff ross, we know you'll keep an eye on it. thank you very much. let us turn and get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> we still have some severe weather to talk about as we make our way into the southeast. in fact, a risk of strong storms today from new orleans all the way to norfolk, virginia and ocala, florida, with the possibility of thunderstorms. damaging winds, dangerous lightning, and we cannot rule out the risk of tornados. as this system all lifts up to the north and to the east, look for washington to get into this later this morning, into the afternoon. heavier showers and thunderstorms move into new york and new england late tonight on into tomorrow. anywhere from one to two inches of rain, but in the southeast, we could be looking up to three to five inches of rain. and we're also going to see a big warm-up.

the jet stream is going to take a change. it's going to ridge up to the west, and so that's going to push way up to the north throughout much of the country. look at that warm air, mild air making its way into the northeast. downright hot, southern texas, and into southern california over the next few days, temperatures -- high temperatures in l.a. getting up near 90 degrees in downtown. that's what's going on around 7:34 on a monday morning. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. temperatures are mild to start. close to 60 in san francisco and 53 here and in the south bay, want to show you your forecast. by lunchtime, low 70s in san francisco. it is going to be warm out there. here in san jose at lunchtime, we'll see temperatures in the mid up toer 70s and then we'll round out the day with plenty of 80s across the board and 83 on the peninsula and 83 in the south bay and 75 in san francisco and 83 in the north bay.

a family of four sailing around the world got into trouble when their sailboat broke down. and their 1-year-old baby fell ill. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest on this. miguel, good morning to you. >> reporter: the kaufman family began their trip around the world in this small harbor here in san diego. it was to be the journey of a lifetime and now it's a rescue they will never forget. it was high drama in the open seas. new pictures of an incredible rescue. it all played out like a hollywood script. a pararescue team plunging into the pacific so they could reach a crippled sailboat and bring a sick 1-year-old girl to safety. >> if you were to take a navy z.e.a.l. and paramedic and then throw in a few more years of training, that is a pararescueman.

>> reporter: this morning, the kaufman family with little lira is now aboard the uss vandergrift. >> some people like to be alone, and some people don't. >> reporter: for eric and cheryl kaufman, it began a trip of a lifetime, circumventing the globe. their 36-foot sailboat lost power in steering 900 nautical miles off the coast. adrift april 3rd, they sent a may day. the boat is crippled, lira is seriously ill. the rescue team reaches them in hours. but it takes three days for the vandergrift to reach the family. sariah english has spoken to her sister charlotte by satellite phone. >> i'm just calling to tell you i love you. >> lira is doing great. she is responding well. she no longer has a fever. so she's doing great. they're all very tired.

and a little bit in shock. >> reporter: a shocking end to a dream journey that still became the trip of a lifetime. this morning, the family is facing several critics who said they should not have taken the children on the trip around the world. they say they are proud of their choice and expected back in san diego this week. matt. >> miguel almaguer, thank you very much. no. no, no, no. >> just because you can, doesn't mean you should. >> it' >> it's crazy. you don't put kids of that age through something like that. >> people had two reactions to that story. glad they're okay, what on earth were they thinking. coming up, the great billy crystal will join us on "trending." up next, we're live in new zealand with little prince george's first ever official trip. and his parents were there, too. >> looks like the gerber baby. george's first ever official trip.

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we're back at 7:42, with the start of the duke and duchess of cambridge's tour of new zealand and australia. it marks prince george's first trip overseas and his first official duty as a royal. let's get to sarah james, she's in wellington this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. it's nighttime here in new zealand. the end of a long day for the duke and duchess of cambridge, whose visit has caused great excitement here. but there is no doubt the biggest star of this tour is the littlest royal, a cheerful, cheeky cherub baby prince george. the country known as the land of the long white cloud lived up to its name with a windy welcome for will, kate, and 8-month-old george. the trio got the queen's permission for two heirs to the throne to travel on the same plane. but there were no complaints about the weather when kate

disembarked with her precious cargo. >> she looked fantastic with her jackie kennedy style outfit. but the baby, all eyes were on prince gorge. there she was holding him for the world to see. i think that was the focus of all the cameras. >> while george is still too young to walk, he is already following in his father's footsteps. in fact, prince william was almost exactly the same age as his son is now when prince charles and new bride diana took their tour of the region in 1983. a trip which drew crowds by the tens of thousands, and which turned diana into an international star. like diana before her, kate is a fashion icon. but it's not just her outfits that dazzle. the duchess, earning rave reviews for her grace and poise. later, with prince george in the care of his traveling nanny,

will and kate received a traditional welcome, complete with a nose rub, a we can to a land kate has long said she couldn't wait to visit. tomorrow, the royal couple will recuperate from that big journey with the little one. their new zealand tour also includes adventure, play dates for george, and a trip to christchurch, which prince william visited after the earthquake in 2011 before they head to australia. i can tell all of you, the aussies can't wait. back to you in new york. >> thank you so much. >> by the way, al, you've been gone for a few days. we haven't done a hongi in a long time. >> oh. >> you want to hongi with me. no, you don't. i'm cold. >> i can hongi with you from here. just ahead on "trending", you're going to meet the woman who rejected jon hamm on a totally '90s dating show. >> dude! >> second thoughts.

>> kirstie alley and greg kinnear coming up. >> they'll be here, all right. that was a weird harry cut. what do you call that? i'm their mom at the playground and i'm his mom at the dog park. the kids get trail mix, and here's what you get after a full day of chasing that cute little poodle from down the street. mm hmm delicious milo's kitchen chicken meatballs. they look homemade, which he likes almost as much as making new friends yes, i'll call her. aww, ladies' man. milo's kitchen. made in the usa with chicken or beef as the number one ingredient. the best treats come from the kitchen. mayo? corn dogs?

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so they might actually eat them. genius. this isn't my first rodeo. get more easter for everyone. walmart save money. live better. back now at 7:49. carson is in very good company in the orange room. >> how are you guys doing? later in the 8:00 hour, we'll get to know why you guys are here. we have a thing we do at today.com called orange room roulette. they come in, answer a question left to them from the previous celebrities. very confusing. we're going to have you both take a shot at it. >> i think greg should go first. >> greg, want to go first? >> show a little enthusiasm, greg. come on. >> why are we doing this?

>> who left that one? >> what makes you happy? that is literally the question. what makes you happy. >> who wrote that? >> quick early segment in the morning. >> we'll move on to kirstie. >> okay. we get to write these before we leave, right? >> that's right. you get to write a couple. >> oh, my god. of course i got the world's longest question. what's something you always meant to do but never got around to. or dared to. >> who's that from? >> i think it's sandwiched between these two. with matt lauer watching. you want to know where's matt lauer? that's where he is. >> well, fantastic. you want to see more of these, and why wouldn't you? go to today.com. >> we're going to franchise this. >> they're going to actually write a question. greg, what's the question you're going to leave for the next

celebrity? >> i have to say -- >> probably about trigonometry. >> politics. >> this one's fantastic. >> read over his shoulder, carson. >> why are you leaning over my -- [ laughter ] >> greg is gone. greg said, i'm so out of here. >> why are you looking at my boobs? that's a great question. the guest on tomorrow's show is going to answer the question. perfect. >> all right, guys. >> all right, let's get to it. coming up on "trending," the students who used a cell phone to pull the ultimate prank on their professor. >> and a guinness world record attempt live on the plaza. a woman in heels. trying to pull a 15,000-pound

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you are watching "today in the bay." 7:56 i'm scott mcgrew. a family and a sick baby girl rescued at sea are safe aboard a navy ship and could be back home in san diego as early as today. video of yesterday's dramatic rescue showing a team deploying right into the open ocean 1,000 miles off the coast of mexico where the family's sail boat lost steering and communications. crews from moffett field helped in the rescue. 1-year-old baby lera is now in stable condition after receiving medical care for fever and a rash. the parents took off on an around the world journey bringing baby lera and her 3-year-old older sister with her. the boat broke down and the baby became sick. let's check your weather this morning with christina. good morning. >> hey, good morning to you, scott. good morning to you at home. almost at 60 degrees in oakland, san jose and san francisco at 56

degrees and a warm one out there. as temperatures approach the mid-80s just about everywhere, except for at the immediate coast. so, grab a light jacket this morning, something to keep you warm for the first part of the day, but at the end of the day, 10 to 15 degrees above average. for tomorrow the 90s are expected and then we have rain on the way for next week. you'll see that on your seven-day forecast. count on warm conditions and make sure you're ready for that. close the blinds in your home and keep it nice and cool in there. here's mike and your drive. >> the sun heating things up and not really blinding causing them to need to slow down a bit. southbound 101 heading in towards the sun and look at the map from the peninsula side and doesn't show a problem as far as the speeds slowing down a bit and east bay where we see a lot of slowing southbound 880 approaching san mateo bridge. the earlier crash at stevenson and fremont set off all that closing and it is heavier than last week. >> all right, mike, we'll see

you back here in half an hour.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, on the stand. >> i'd like to apologize and say that there's not a moment and there hasn't been a moment since this tragedy happened that i haven't thought about your family. >> oscar pistorius takes the stand in his own defense. his emotional testimony from inside the courtroom. plus, a star-studded morning here in rockefeller plaza. billy crystal, kirstie alley, and greg kinnear are all up early and here live in studio 1a. then, one for the record books. we're kicking off a week of guinness world record attempts live on the plaza. this morning, can a woman in high heels pull a 15,000-pound truck? we'll find out today, monday, april 7th, 2014.

>> we're from atlanta celebrating birthdays in new york! >> today is my 10th birthday. >> good morning, new york! ♪ >> we're on spring break from michigan. >> we love the "today" show! >> aloha from hawaii. >> hey, lexi, back in missouri. will you go to prom with me? back now, 8:00 on monday morning. it's the seventh day of april, 2014. big crowd of spring breakers in rockefeller plaza this morning. and by the way, some of them may be noticing a distinct odor in the air. there's a smoke smell. there's a wildfire, some kind of a fire down in new jersey. look at the skyline. you can see. >> it's like 90 miles away, but

the winds are bringing it here. you smell it. >> anyway, that's coming from our neighbors to the west and south, and we hope that gets under control real fast. meanwhile, out on the plaza, we've got a big event and a big week of events here. >> yes, we are setting world records, in some cases breaking world records this morning. she is going to try quite a feat. she is going to try to pull -- oh. [ laughter ] that's kirstie alley. that's way too easy. >> a joke. fantastic. kirstie alley. my hero. >> our camera did a great job on that, too. that reveal was perfect. looked like she was pulling the truck. >> that was very, very good. impressive. meantime, couldn't help but notice the cover of "usa today" weekend. look at that. >> very nice, you guys. >> who's that bearded guy? >> but it's nice. it's an issue celebrating service to the community, and

we're obviously doing some projects. that young lady right there came up with a great idea and she's a hero in her community. go to the magazine and read it and check it out. >> very cool. all right. let's get a check of the top stories of the morning. natalie's at the news desk. >> good morning to you all once again. planes and ships searching for malaysia air flight 370 are zeroing in on their most promising lead so far. ships have detected underwater sounds this weekend that officials say are consistent with pings from aircraft black boxes. those sounds were picked up in a remote part of the indian ocean where the water is almost three miles deep. the flight with 239 people onboard disappeared a month ago. olympic blade runner oscar pistorius on the stand for the first time today at his murder trial in south africa. nbc's jeff rossen is covering it all for us in pretoria once again. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hey, natalie, good morning to you. we've been watching oscar pistorius for the past 20 days or so break down in court, trying, hands in his head.

head in his hands. today when he got on the stand, within seconds, he broke down crying down a tearful, emotional apology to reeva steenkamp's family sitting just feet away. talking a lot about his mobility issues today, how he has a hard time getting around without his prosthetic legs. all part of the defense's case that he was vulnerable to an intruder and that's why he shot four times through the door, that it was all an accident. but the real test here comes when he starts going through the actual facts of that night, which he hasn't done yet. nano second by nanosecond, and the real test will come when prosecutors give him a grilling. legal experts say this is one of the best prosecutors in south africa, and he is going to try to trip oscar pistorius up. back on the stand today and he'll be back on the stand again tomorrow, natalie. >> all right, jeff rossen in pretoria, south africa. thank you. sad news out of hollywood this morning. acting legend mickey rooney died sunday at his home in north hollywood. rooney was the top box office draw in the late 1930s and early '40s, playing all-american boy

andy hardy. he was often paired with close friend judy garland. his 5'3" stature and eight marriages made him a punch line for comedians. rooney won two honorary oscars and an enemy. he was 93 years old. a wannabe sports mascot lost his cool this weekend. it was all caught on camera. billy cub was hanging out in a chicago bar when some joker came up behind him and removed his giant head. billy then answered with a hard right paw to the chin. other patrons broke up the brawl, giving billy a chance to retrieve his head and to stalk out. the chicago cubs point out that billy is strictly self-appointed and has never been affiliated with the team. that will teach him. let's get a check of the weather once again with al. >> all righty, thanks so much, natalie. got all these nice folks hanging out here. hanging out with dad. where are you guys from? >> chicago. >> you're going to warm up later this week. awfully nice. let's check it out. show you what we've got going on. down to the southeast, it is

raining like crazy. take a look at new orleans right now. they've got flooding going on. downtown new orleans keeping an eye on that. and you can see we've got a tornado watch in effect from louisiana all the way up into central alabama, on into later this afternoon. and we're also looking at a risk of strong storms from the mid-atlantic states down into the gulf coast. southeast as well. some rain in the pacific northwest. fabulous day in los angeles today. 85 for a high. look for 49 and partly cloudy skies in chi-town. rain moves into new york city later today. a high of 51 good monday morning to you. it's already 59 yes in san francisco, where the northerly winds are starting to pump. we're going to see near-record temperatures across the bay. here's the kicker. even warmer for tomorrow. the temperatures drop like a rock as we head into the end of

the week. we have showers on the way, mostly north of the golden gate bridge. that comes into the mix on friday into saturday. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up on trending, did big papi's white house stunt bring an end to the presidential selfie? >> i hope not. plus, a bevy of stars in studio 1a. we're talking about billy crystal, kirstie alley and greg kinnear. and our week of guinness record attempts kicks off with a woman in heels pulling a nearly eight-ton truck. can she do it? we'll find out. but first, these messages. as part of your service, we did a 27-point inspection on your chevy, you got new tires and our price match guarantee. who's this little guy? that's birney. oh, i bet that cone gives him supersonic hearing. watch what you say around him. i've been talking a lot about his procedure...

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we know we're not the center of your life, but we'll do our best to help you connect to what is. all right, we're back at 8:09 with what's trending today. these days, when a person meets the president, i think the first thing is to not shake hands, it's to take a selfie. but has david ortiz ruined the presidential selfie for the rest of us? i pose the question, because after the red sox slugger's photo with president obama turned out to be staged, although doesn't he say it wasn't staged? >> he says no, it was spontaneous. >> apparently the white house is cracking down anyway. a top aide says from here on out, all selfies with the

president could be baed. the white house does not want to risk another publicity stunt. in fact, the administration was so irked by that photo, they complained to samsung, expressing concerns and calling the product placement inappropriate. >> okay. >> i hope it's not the end of selfies. >> maybe case by case. >> as long as there's no product endorsement. >> i think most regular folks don't have those product endorsements. so it's probably safe to do a selfie with them. >> reminds me, by the way, of that song that my kids are addicted to. ♪ let me take a selfie >> i play it every single morning. >> little known fact, matt plays that song every morning. >> you know who does not play that song? billy crystal. >> this guy right here. >> hey, billy crystal! >> can we take a selfie, billy? here we go. >> got to turn the camera. >> it's not on.

>> hey, billy. >> hi. what's shaking? >> pitching middle relief. >> really? >> he doesn't even know what that means. >> like a falcon. >> start using that. >> why am i standing and you're sitting? >> i don't know. why is that? >> i am standing. >> that's why they call you a walk-on guest. by the way, 700 sundays. one of my favorite plays ever. >> thank you. >> and you're bringing it to hbo. >> yes, april 19th. >> which is really cool. they captured this. i had a screener. they really captured it beautifully. >> i'm very happy with it. you know, it's ten years of work. and we had to make it right. >> the whole family. >> it's opening day for the yankees home opener. that's not what i want to talk about. i want to talk about last week's opener for the mets. okay? we had a little daniel murphy controversy. took not one, but two games off

because his wife gave birth. he's entitled to three days off for paternity leave. he got blasted on sports radio. you are not only a fan of the game, a student of the game, but you're an evolved man. what do you think about this? >> i thought it was totally right. he actually caught the baby as it came out. [ laughter ] >> perfect. >> come on! let's go. let's go. come on, come on. >> he did have a role. >> they needed his skills. >> listen, i was a mr. mom back when it wasn't cool. and i talk about it in the show, back in 1970 -- well, my daughter. and i did that for a year and a half and it was the best time of my life. and it forever bonded us. this is a father with his child. so who was upset with him? >> mike francesco. >> what's he doing? what's he doing? al, you're on from t-net. >> not exactly the brightest bulb. >> it's not just the mother's

job. she did the most difficult thing in bringing the baby into the world, so he's there, he should be. >> absolutely. >> did they lose the two games that he missed? >> yes. >> well, now it's stupid. [ laughter ] >> there's the punch line right there. leave it to billy. >> somebody said hey, by the way, you play for the mets. it's not going to matter. >> you said that. >> oh! >> whoa! >> that was during the commercial break. >> sorry. >> now something they're calling the best -- >> stick around, bill. the best prank ever. it happened in grand rapids, michigan. all you need to know is that one professor there has a rule that if your cell phone rings in class, if you're a student, you've got to answer the call, you've got to put it on speakerphone for the entire class to hear. and in this video, sure enough, one student's phone goes off during class. take a look. >> is this necessary? >> yes. >> this is kevin.

>> okay, you might want to -- >> okay. >> okay. [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> oh, wow. got schooled. >> that was a good one. >> i love that professor. it was like he knew he was being videotaped. >> that was very cool. >> what do you think of that policy, billy? >> i don't like it. i don't like it. but the whole cell phone thing, i don't like. even though i have one. that's going back to share it with the class, share it with everybody. >> yeah, exactly.

>> speaking of sharing, mickey rooney as you know passed away. i know you were a big fan of his work. >> tremendous. i did one of his last personal appearances at the 50th anniversary of "it's a mad mad mad mad world." i hosted an evening at the academy with the surviving members of the cast. the late jonathan winters was there, too. i think john's last appearance. and mickey, first of all, he's one of the most talented actors ever in the history of the movies. he was the number one box office champion. i believe seven years in a row. he could sing great. tap dance great. he did shakespeare. he was a phenomenal talent. and we brought him out onstage. he was in a wheelchair and he got out of the chair and did a time step for about a minute. brought the house down. and jonathan said to him, don't do that again or you'll die. [ laughter ] but he was a tremendous talent. and someone at five foot tall that everybody looked up to. >> he was incredible.

>> perfect. >> by the way, i want to mention that we're going to hang out this afternoon. we're going to spend some time talking about "700 sundays." looking forward to that. >> me, too. >> i'd also like to declare you the best trending celebrity guest ever. >> you set the bar. >> what do i get for that? >> not a thing. >> you get to come back. >> a handshake. >> thanks, billy crystal. good to see you. that's what's trending today. up next, kirstie alley on her new sitcom, her struggles with weight, plus she has a big

emmy winner kirstie alley has been in the spotlight for more than 30 years, from sitcoms to movies to her public battle with weight. and we're delighted to have kirstie back here in studio 1a this morning. good to see you, good morning. >> good to see you. >> before we get to announcements and involvements, how are you? i was looking at the research. you haven't been here in a few years. are you doing okay? >> i'm doing great. i'm having a lot of fun out there. in the world. >> you love doing a sitcom again? >> i do. >> does that life work for you? >> it's the best life that you could possibly have. it's better than a banker's life. it's the best actor life you could have because you basically work four days a week, sort of. >> i think what's great, you work with great people. you have michael richards of "seinfeld" fame. rhea perlman of everything fame. is that one of the benefits of doing a sitcom, you just get to hang out with funny people? >> you don't field like hanging out unless you trust the people that you're working with. because they're so genius, we do just get to hang out. it's feeling really good. >> i was raised never to talk

about a woman's age, but you blurted your age out on a national show not long ago and you told the world you are -- >> well, i had a birthday since i blurted that. >> so you're -- >> so now i'm 40. no. i'm 63. >> all right. and i get the fielding you are not letting that age define you. you're kind of throwing it out the window and saying i feel great. >> well, there's nothing you can really do about it. so that's how you have to work with it. i think you just sort of -- you know, i feel amazing because i feel healthy and i feel happy and i have my kids are doing great, and i have a sitcom. i mean, who wouldn't feel great? >> yeah, why complain? >> i don't have anything to complain about really. >> last time i was with you, we were at your house. >> yes. you were on the yellow sofa. i remember it well. >> i remember it well, too. we were talking about some nasty comments that were written in some of the newspapers and tabloids about your weight. >> yes. >> you want to talk a little bit about that now? because i know you were with jenny craig -- i think it was 2004 to 2007. >> yes. >> have i got the dates right?

>> yeah. >> and you lost a lot of weht. >> yes. >> and when you stopped, you did kind of roller coaster. >> i did. for a while -- i maintained it for three years. i maintained it actually i think for four years. and then, you know, i went off the rails a little bit. >> what triggers that? what triggers going off the rails? >> there's two things with me. i think everybody's different. two things with me. if i have man trouble. and they upset me. and then the other -- you can't imagine that. >> one-sided, but that's okay. >> listen, men, stop upsetting your women. you make them fat. and the other one is i have too long of a definition of a holiday. which, you know, the christmas holiday lasts from halloween to valentine's day. so i just -- i have to really be more disciplined in that time period. and i stopped doing what jenny craig tells you to do. and i didn't have a consultant anymore. and that's for me really crucial.

>> and i was reading that you're watching "kirstie" the sitcom and you looked and said i need to lose some weight again. >> yeah. i was like, you look okay on the street. but you don't look -- on tv, not so much. and it is different. it's different for actresses because you really do look a little different on television. and showing you from every angle. you know, if i'm posing for a picture, i'm not turning my butt around. >> but you're not also the kind of person who wakes up every morning and runs to the skasm. >> -- scale. >> i am now. >> there's a couple things you can do that help. write down everything that you eat. and if you weigh every day, because what happens with me anyway, if i don't weigh every day, then i don't weigh for about a week, and then i get on the scale and i've gained three pounds and i go okay, then i don't get on the scale again until six months later, because i'm just afraid to get on the scale. so if you can make yourself do it every day, i think that that's a good thing. >> but you're now going back and you are going to have a business relationship with jenny craig. >> yes, i am, matt!

>> that's the big announcement. >> you were there before for the big announcement. this is your duo announcement. yes, we've sort of merged situations, and i'm really excited. >> yeah. and do you have a goal? >> i have a goal to lose 30 pounds. >> okay. >> i know this isn't politically correct, but i grew up -- you know, when there were actually fat ladies in the circus. and now so many of us are fat that you can't tell us apart. there were actually fat ladies in the circus. remember that at fairs and different things and they would parade the fat lady out. so i call that circus fat. and i'm not circus fat, but i need to lose 30 pounds. >> just get back to a fighting weight. >> well, 30 pounds is a lot. for most women, they would flip their you know what, the thing we can't say, but they would flip out. >> you want to come back? will you kind of keep us abreast of this, so to speak? >> i want to come back every

week until i can just stand here naked and proud in front of the world. >> just the mental image there. you tweeted last night, by the way -- >> i did. >> you were going to come on the show and make me blush at least a dozen times. so there's one. you owe me 11. 11 blushes to come. >> if i wasn't censored, i could make you blush all over the place. >> and we'd both be out of work. kirstie alley, it's always nice to see you. >> matt lauer, thank you. >> what a pleasure. let's go over to savannah. the best-selling book "heaven is for real" tells the true story of a 4-year-old's near death experience and what he describes as a trip to heaven. now it's heading to the big screen with greg kinnear starring as the father who tries to understand his son's incredible story. take a look. >> what about the hospital? how do you feel about that? does that scare you? >> no. that's where the angels sang to me. >> the angels sang to you? >> yes.

>> when? >> during the operation when mom was in one room talking on the phone and you were in another room yelling at god. >> and greg kinnear is with us. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i was thinking, for some people, the religious aspect of this film will make them flock to the theaters, and for others, maybe it's a reason to stay away. >> yeah. >> did you have any trepidation about that part of it? >> well, i thought that the -- i think you're right. i mean, there are some people who just are going to write it off immediately, but i think that there's a large audience of people in the middle, maybe not sure what they think, how they feel about it that might be open to the story. and i was really surprised. i mean, i definitely had some -- you know, it's not an ambiguous title, "heaven is for real." but i thought randy wallace, who is an excellent writer, he wrote "braveheart" and directed me in "we were soldiers", did a great

way of finding his way in the story. the story doesn't get bogged down with what heaven looks like. it's not these clouds. i can tell you that. >> well, good. because those clouds are fake. >> whatever it is, let's hope it's not this. but it doesn't get bogged down with the specifics of what it is or what it looks like, and instead just focuses on this family, and this incredible kind of story that they went through and gives you a front row seat. >> you have this wonderful little actor. i guess he's about 4 or 5 years old. he plays colton. he's so cute. how was he to work with? one of these actors that just stays in his trailer all day, sipping tea? >> that's him. you know what, he's really -- you know, has no affectation. he's too young to have the cute child actor thing happening. it's all natural. he's kind of the best actor in that way. it's infuriating to work with.

he's effortless in that sense. we lack looked at thousands of and he came in and auditioned. joe roth is the producer, we had a little audition in his office. little connor came in there from a little town in ohio and just shocked us all. he had this very natural gift and it was really great. >> well, i know you and remember you, of course, from your talk show days. do you look around a morning show set like this and think gosh, what could have been. >> the fried chicken smell emanating from the kitchen over there. >> i walked in and i was saying, it does smell like chick in here. they're baking next door here. >> maybe it is heaven. >> well, don't you think i'll be the judge of that a little later on? i'll be checking that out. i don't know. this looks like serious television. i used to work at e. slightly different set. >> you love it when we say what. >> oh,

good morning to you. it's 8:26. starting this morning, crossing the golden gate bridge will cost you $1 more. tolls are expected to go up by a quarter every year until eventually they reach $8 by 2018. it's to prevent a $142 million budget shortfall. the morning commute is well under way. >> it's very slow right now. past the coliseum, we had a steady increase to the volume of traffic. just north of the coliseum, around 5th, we had a stall. the gold hyundai was blocking one lane for about ten minutes. that was enough to clamp down on the speeds.

now it's clear as far as the lanes go. we should see recovery. the east shore freeway coming down out of richmond into berkeley, down to the 20-mile-per-hour mark. standard for a monday. the cluster of accidents for north 230 and 880. but they're all moving quickly to the shoulder. heavier traffic flow than last week, but not as bad as it sometimes can get. we do have another local news update just about 30 minutes away. we'll see you then. avo: safeway gets that staying on budget can be a real bear.

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8:30 now on this monday morning. it's the 7th of april. we've got a great spring break crowd gathered in rockefeller plaza. and in a few moments, we believe they will see a guinness world record set. carson's trying. it's not working. >> where's leah? there she is. right there. leah is going to attempt to pull a 15,000-pound truck five

meters, or 16.4 feet. so this is going to be huge. >> and in heels. >> and in heels she's attempting to do it. >> also, she's going to attempt to complete the most double ditch skips by a dog in one minute. she currently holds the mark at 113. >> i can do one. plus, feel like you're in a rut? marlo thomas is here with some inspiring stories of women who have changed the course of their lives midlife to follow their passions. >> but first, al, let's get a check of the weather. >> we are looking at the risk of strong storms. gulf coast and the mid-atlantic states, a lot of wet weather into the mid-atlantic and the northeast. sunny and warm in the southwest into southern california. then, for tomorrow, the heat continues in the southwest. we've got wet weather along the eastern seaboard into northern new england. more rain moves into the pacific northwest. the heat continues in the southw

8:31 on a back-to-work monday. clear as a bell from the coast all the way through your inland. temperatures right now in the mid to upper 50s. we're headed toward an unseasonably warm day, to the tune to 10 to 15 degrees above average. plenty of 80s. maybe a little bit of shower activity later on this week. cutoff low developing. best chance right now looks like the north bay and areas just to the south of the golden gate bridge. breaking down that heat by the end of the week. >> and that's your latest weather. where are you guys from? >> chicago. >> and you're a little warmer in chicago than it is here. >> it's nice. >> very good. all right. now, let's head into where it's even warmer, the orange room and carson. >> check this thing out. ank you, al, very much. spring breaker fever. mr. chocolate is here attempting to break the guinness world record for the world's largest chocolate egg. thank you so much for being

here. tell me a little bit about this. just the sheer dimensions, break it down. >> it's pretty much 120-pound egg. over 24 inches wide. the 18th of april, those eggs are going to be here at rockefeller center and go to an auction. 260 eggs going to be here, all about the same size. only one in chocolate. >> where did you get the idea to do this? you've done such great things with chocolate. >> thank you very much. this is something that's happening in europe, in london, and now it's in new york. the sales of all the eggs going to go to charity. one of the charities to help new york's school. another for the preservation charity of southeast asia. >> is this solid? >> it's not solid, but it's very thick. 120 pounds. that's a lot of chocolate. a lot of chocolate for easter. and the world record, needs to be sold by -- for more than $11,000 at the auction.

>> all right. good luck to you. >> thank you very much. >> nice to have you here. jacque. thank you, guys. back to you. >> save us a bite. >> exactly. still ahead, our guinness world record attempt live on the plaza. can a woman in high heels, that woman, pull a 15,000-pound truck? we're about to find out. but first, marlo thomas on how to start again and succeed. back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

we are back at 8:36 with award-winning actress and best-selling author marlo thomas. she's hoping to inspire women across the country with her latest book called "it ain't over till it's over." malo talks to people who have

have realized their dreams. >> i quit my job, cashed in my i.r.a., put my money where my heart was, and opened the most unique dance exercise studio. ten years later, 23,000 registered students. the cat is out of t bag. >> we're the founders of brads reconstruction bras. as two sisters who both carry the brc breast cancer gene, we have created a patented bra solution for women who have undergone a mastectomy with breast reconstruction, like us. >> our eureka moment came when we realized we were going to live through breast cancer. >> i'm jamie james, and i created the cellfolia. like most women, i carry a handbag and threw all my essentials into it. never able to find anything when i needed it. i knew i needed to create a product that would help women have all of their essentials in the palm of their hand.

my eureka moment came when i brought my prototype to my tailor and he handed me back something that once fit in my head and now was a product. >> i'm carrie o'brien, the designer and creator of commando underwear. i was in a corporate job doing public relations. one thing i did love to do was give advice about underwear. our eureka moment was when we decided to banish visible panty lines forever. >> that's a good mission to have. >> i know. she made millions from it. >> it's incredible. i think this book is so inspiring. you've got people who really reinvented themselves. why was that topic fascinating to you? >> i travel around the country raising money for st. jude. everywhere i went, women would talk to me about their lives. a lot of them said they just felt stuck. you know, they were 42 years old, their kids had grown and their dream kind of ran out on them. or they got a divorce or they got a layoff, they lost their job, somebody died in the family, or maybe they just had this nagging thing in the back

of their mind, like there's something i always wanted to do. why didn't i do it? maybe i can go for it now. and the exciting thing is, if you're in your 40s or 50s, you've got 30, 40, 50 years left. you might as well go for it. like this wonderful woman who's photographed right there, the doctor. she was 42 years old and she was a graphic artist and she did a medical journal for a company, and she said yeah, i really wish i had gone into medicine, it's what i wanted to do. a friend of hers said why don't you do it now? she said well, i'm 42 years old. i'll be 50 by the time i get to be a doctor. she said you're going to be 50 anyway. so she did and she's a practicing physician. i just think it's so exciting to just go for it. i have this saying in my own life, which is never face the facts or you'll never get up in the morning. that's what these women did. they just never faced the facts and they went for it. when you read them all together, you think, i could do that. >> that's what i was going to say. it's not just a matter of admiring other women or thinking that was nice. when you read these all

together, you start thinking, what's my big dream? what could i do? is that the point to kind of inspire? >> yes, and also how to. how do i get started? i think that's the most interesting part about reading these stories. is that these women see themselves as their own resources. you know, they know that, okay, i've got to make a phone call to try to find somebody to help me. maybe i have to get a new skill set. maybe i have to go back to class and learn something. maybe i should go into partnership with my sister or my mother or my husband or my daughter. a girlfriend. it's a way of starting to see that there are many, many ways to get to where you want to go. and i think that's an important part of this. is every day, do one thing rather than -- because it's not in the head. this one woman just said, something that i had in my head, i saw it in my hand now that i have it. that's just it. you've got to get it out of your head and each day do one more thing. i think that will get you to your goal. >> yeah, and i think one thing you learn from the book is what

are smart risks or calculated risks versus a dangerous risk. >> a lot of women, some of them took a mortgage out on their house. they borrowed on their retirement. they went back to one woman sold her designer clothes on ebay and started her business. i think there's a million ways to do it. it's just you got to have the guts to do it. >> well, this book will give you those guts. it's "it ain't over till it's over." good to have you here. up next a world record about to be set. meet the 42-year-old woman about to pull a 15,000-pound truck. hang out for this one. this is is "today" on nbc.

>> today one of our special series spring breakers today.

remarkable people are going to attempt to set guiness world records right here on our plaza. first up, leah and here is the word. the heaviest vehicle pulled in high heels by a female. you get that? in a moment she's going to try to pull that 15,000-pound truck, five meters or as savannah will tell you, 16.4 feet. >> for a good cause to raise awareness for women in homelessness. if she sets the record walmart donates $25,000 to women in need in new york. take a look. >> i am leah from toronto, canada. i pull trucks. you know, most people who do truck pulling are in strong man competition. i have never done one of those.

i'm a flat-footed flunky. i never thought i would do anything like this but turns out i'm good at it. when you pull a truck you think that it would start hurting from the back and then go downward but really it starts from your feet and goes up. when it comes to training, you can't do it in any kind of enclosed space. it's the most humiliating thing actually. i go into a parking lot and i tie myself to my car and i go for a jog. you know, if ever i were to run for mayor my scandal would be 1,000 twitter pictures of my butt. when i was homeless i have to say i didn't think that my life would turn into anything. you talk about survival when you're talking about the challenge of trying to pull yourself, turn your life around, it's kind of like pulling a truck because ultimately it's really, really hard at first. but if you persist and persist

and persist and it really does take little steps like in life, when i was in my shelter bed i made the promise that i would become successful and come backnd be a role model, help other women rebuild their lives faster than i did. it's not just about pulling trucks obviously. i tried to make my life into a story that would capture the imagination of other people, that would be so outrageously amazing that any one could believe that they could get to where they wanted to be as well. that's an example that inspires. >> without further adieu hello to leah. also mike, good morning to you both. le leah, it's a great metaphor. let's get practical. how did you discover that you were good at pulling heavy trucks in high heels? >> you know, it was kind of by accident but when i got out of the shelter i was trying to find a job and the only thing i could find was rick shaw running so i was pulling people and i got

paid for every pefrn i could put in. i was known. i broke the wheel at eight. grew i up pulling. it was a way i pulled out of poverty and the way i'm pulling women out of poverty. >> it's not enough to do it in sneakers do it in high heels. >> you better believe it. turning your life around after homelessness is way harder than pulling a truck in heels. i want to show women we're stronger than we think and we can get there. my organization helps that we have proven that women who are homeless can rebuild their lives, become successful business women, career women. >> you are a great example in every way. should we step out of the way. >> anything we have to be watching for, mike, that will qualify or disqualify? >> we pressumeasured her heels, are good. the truck, that's it. >> so leah, you tell us when you're ready and you just have at it. >> leah, you said it's okay to

talk to you during this. >> yes. oh, my goodness. >> come on, leah. >> looking at her feet and they are slipping. i'm looking at the process and it looks uphill. couldn't we have done this in the other direction? >> now you tell us. >> leah, the wheels are moving a little bit but they rock backwards. you have no idea how badly i

want to get behind the truck and give a push. >> i know. >> it's definitely moving a little bit which is impressive in and of itself. leah, what do you think? you know what, i have to be honest, we're looking thinking the same thing. this looks like it's going uphill. >> have to do it on flat ground? >> so we can't do it downhill. 1.3 grade. all right. that's what we're trying. i notice your feet like you would have a little leverage and all of a sudden your feet would slip. >> yes. but i got another pair of shoes if you would be willing to let me try it again. >> we've got some representatives here from walmart. >> for everything you do, and all you do to raise awareness we

think this should go to women in need anyway. >> thank you. thank you so much. >> you know, i mean -- >> i have to walk in heels. >> this is really amazing because there is -- this is a situation women in need are going to support -- i'm thankful for the board because they have you know, they believe in supporting women just like you guys do. and i'm incredibly proud just to be here. thank you. >> we're proud of you for trying. you gave it your best effort. >> are they supposed to take the emergency brake off? >> take it out of park? >> leah, thank you very much. we want to also thank sarah thorn from walmart and bonnie stone who is here from women in need. thank you as well. thanks to you. that's a wonderful gesture.

this is "today" on nbc.

a little live drama. >> that was frustrating. >> it was. >> if you look closely at the wheels of that -- or the tires of that truck, they started to

rock. >> and then it would just go back. >> and it would go backward. >> it was that grade. >> so apparently you have to do it uphill or you have to do it on level ground. and we chose uphill. >> because we don't have enough level ground. >> i was ready to turn the whole truck around. but then it would be downhill. >> there's a guy sitting in the driver's seat. he could have gotten out to help out a little bit. >> that would have made a difference. >> in the driver's seat in case that thing really started going. wasn't a lot of danger of that, but he would have applied the brakes so we didn't take out some of our viewers here. but still. >> that's 250 that could have helped her. >> you know, but leah said it well. there are no losers, and women in need, the organization, gets a big truck from walmart, so we're happy about that for sure. took a lot of courage. >> and we don't normally do big commercial plugs, but hat's off to walmart for donating that

money anyway. >> yeah, absolutely. so what records are we attempting to set later in the week? >> by the way, you know that it's real, right? first of all, some guys are going to be doing the team trampoline bounce tomorrow. the idea i think is to get the highest bounce off the trampoline. there they are. >> are they doing that in the plaza? >> i believe so. >> what's the wind like tomorrow? >> wow. >> every single day this week, we're going to attempt to set a guinness world record. >> natalie said basically, have we thought this through? [ laughter ] >> make sure there's cushions and padding everywhere. >> we have got rashida jones joining us. she's got a great new movie called "cuban fury." it's hilarious. i watched it last night. >> we love this music that's playing, too. >> it's very inspiring. >> when do we get the chocolate egg?

good morning, everyone, 8:56. whole foods markets has issued a regional recall this morning affecting all of its stores in northern california and the bay area. the company recalling its chipotle chicken wrap. apparently it contains a fish allergen i cannot included in the product's label. it has a use-by date yesterday. so maybe you shouldn't be using

them anyway. somebody got fish in the chicken. as you're getting yourself ready, maybe having coffee, breakfast burrito, mid-80s coming our way. 75 degrees in san francisco. it's going to be warm out there. hard to believe we had snow on top of mount hamilton five days ago.

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and thrive. from nbc news, this is "today's take," with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist, and tamron hall. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on a monday morning, april the 7th, 2014. big crowd outside for us this morning. i'm willie geist, along with natalie, tamron, and yes, that gentleman to my left, mr. al roker back in the building, everybody. >> can we give you a squeeze? >> careful with that, right? >> i walked up to al, i haven't seen him in a few days, i almost went al, how you doing, buddy? then guided it to the other shoulder. >> i have a terrific surgeon, riley williams. he stopped by to check on me. on the way out, he gives me a hug and claps me on the shoulder. he said, did i just do that?

but it was fine. it's fine. >> and you're feeling all right? >> i feel good. >> did the family pamper you over the weekend? >> not in the least. >> they didn't help you get dressed? >> it's not that hard. they tell you, you just kind of let your arm hang and bring the shirt up. don't put a t-shirt. button doug shirts are the way to go. and i've been doing all the rehab already. >> how long do you wear the sling? >> as long as i can get sympathy out of it. >> will you start color coordinating it with the outfits? >> it's very funny. i forget the name of the company, but mickey sees this and he goes oh, dad, does beach make a sling? >> oh! >> i said that's not beats. >> maybe there's a market for that. >> absolutely. >> that's a great idea. >> got a little credit for that. >> get on that. >> you came right back into some weather. another dramatic day in alabama. actually in birmingham. what's going on down there? >> they really got slammed. there's been massive flooding.

flash flooding. these are some underpasses people try to drive through, which is always the most dangerous thing to do. not the most. but look, six inches of water can knock you off your feet of moving water and a foot can move a car. they've had massi ivive floodin. home rescues. they've had to go into one apartment complex and start rescuing people using inflatable rafts. >> almost looks like the ocean there. >> it's crazy stuff. luckily the rain has stopped in birmingham, but that whole area which we're going to get to a little bit later on, there's severe weather. this is that area we were talking about. this is near i-65 and lake shore road. they were actually doing deep water rescues. high water rescues. >> and bailey collins sent us those photos. >> hope you're doing all right in alabama. that's pretty scary. when it's above the level of the cars. i know a story a lot of people were following this weekend was that dramatic rescue at sea. it played out in the middle of the pacific ocean with navy

warships having to go in and rescue a family after their boat lost power. they have a 1 and a 3-year-old onboard the boat. the 1-year-old was seriously ill. the family was about 900 miles from cabo san lucas, mexico. eric and charlotte kaufman, their 3-year-old cora and baby lira were there. sailors then helped the family on to the ship's small boat, and then on to the ship as part of a joint u.s. navy coast guard operation, california air national guard rescue effort as well. they were stuck there at sea, so, you know, apparently they were there for quite a while before they could be rescued. but a lot of people talking about this one, because a lot of people saying what they were attempting to do? >> so irresponsible. >> sail around the world with a 3 and a 1-year-old onboard. a lot of people online, a lot of critics out there saying that, you know, you've got to take into account the life-threatening situation you're putting your family into, your children into.

for example, sharon hughes on her facebook page says our tax dollars at work. warship, helicopters. glad your little one's okay, but you should really pay for this monetarily. think of how that money could have gone to help people who really need the help. >> well, look, it's not like they break this out on an individual basis for pay. >> rescued at sea. that's what their job is. >> the rescuers are putting themselves at risk to do this and they do that willingly. but these are small children. we've got small kids. you've got nieces and nephews. you know that anything can happen to your kid on a given day, in the perfect circumstances. a ship at sea with a 1-year-old? >> i'm all about adventure and traveling with your children at a young age. but, like, putting them in life-threatening situations where -- i mean, it's a 36-foot boat. one small rogue wave could knock that thing over. one bad storm. i mean, all it took -- even though the parents say they were

well-prepared, as they said, for their journey. but you're still -- you know, god forbid one of the kids had appendicitis, or as it is, here in this case, you did have a 1-year-old who became seriously ill. >> this is the equivalent of putting a kid in a hot car, in my opinion. i think it's like leaving the kid. we can all chime in. we don't know them. but, a family member has come out and criticized them. so there's one thing for people who don't know you online, and even myself to give my two cents on this. but i think the family knows them better than all of us, and one family member came out and said this was not a good thing. you're right, you can be adventurous and you want your children to experience things. i love this commercial that the woman and dad are experiencing things with the kid and the dad goes, don't tell mom. don't tell mom. i love that, because you do want your child to have a fulfilled and well-rounded life. but this one definitely, it turned out this could have been worse, but if this isn't a wake-up call to those parents. >> by the way, when you're a 1-year-old, you're not learning

anything. you have no memory of it whatsoever. we wouldn't take our 1-year-old to a restaurant, let alone sail around the world with them. they're not fit to be in public. and certainly not to be sailing around the world. >> we traveled, but we would never go around the world. >> have you sat at a restaurant with a 1-year-old? >> you pick the restaurant. >> chuck e. cheese. >> nope, not even that. >> christina called it our blackout period. we're not going in public with that human being. >> wow. come on. >> wait until you guys get old. we're not taking mom and dad out. they're too old to be in public. >> spooning your oatmeal wrong, buddy. going to be stuck at home. >> what is the appropriate age then? >> to go out in public? i'd say 12 to 14. >> when they can read a menu. >> when they can pay for themselves. >> exactly. but what i mean is, these people are different than us. they see parenting and the world different than we do. probably not a good idea. >> we should point out our chief correspondent did say the national guard would not charge

for what is considered a rescue at sea. according to a navy official, think national guard disaster relief or tornados, floods, etc. those are aided and not billed. so they are expected to be choppered home to san diego tomorrow. >> so they do get a cool chopper ride out of it. >> they get life experience. >> that's not so bad. >> look at these pictures. >> i don't think they should be charged. it was a rescue. we don't want to have them pay back, but i would like to have them come on and talk. >> the family did put out a statement telling their side of the story. they said, we understand there are those who question our decision to sail with our family, but please know this is how our family has lived for seven years. we are proud of our choices and our preparation. we remain grateful for those who came to our aid. we're so glad they're okay. they have a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old. thank god they're all right. something that will warm your heart today. we always bring you these videos of kids being reunited with that are parents who have been serving overseas.

well, an 8-year-old got the surprise of a lifetime when her dad unexpectedly returned home from serving overseas. so here's the story. air force sergeant will altias from new jersey had been serving in southwest asia since last august. he is a single dad. his beautiful little girl is named lyric and she's been living with an aunt in florida. on friday, her teachers and classmates at mount dora bible school played a word game, which ultimately revealed this moment. >> lyric's dad is home. >> lyric's dad is home. ♪ >> oh, my gosh. and i love dad's one arm lift of her. sweeps her off her feet. >> i bet you they're still hugging. that is so wonderful.

>> and he is a single parent, getting family members to help him raise her while he's overseas. and the school participated. good morning to the school. >> great way to do it, too. her face, though, was like don't mess with me. this is not funny. there's dad! awesome. >> she had to run down the aisle to him. >> boom, i love that. speaking of catching, it's every fan's dream to catch a foul ball in a major league baseball game. so during friday's pittsburgh pirates-st. louis cardinals game at pittsburgh's pnc park, you want to talk about a catch. check this out. >> out of play. four with the brewers. four with the reds. how about this. that ball landed in that gentleman's popcorn bucket. thank goodness that wasn't the beer cup. look at this catch. >> super slow-mo. >> wow. >> oh!

oh, yeah! a popcorn-nado. >> i'm surprised it didn't go through the popcorn container. >> that is great. whoa! and the pirates go on to beat the cardinals. that was pretty good. >> i love it when they -- you know, when a foul ball is hit on a broadcast, they don't show where it went. but then you heard that crowd reaction, you had to go to the replay. >> that was pretty cool. let's show you what we've got going on. we've been talking about this severe weather. check this out. we've got a line of thunderstorms from the gulf stretching right on into mobile, alabama. it is unbelievable stuff there. we're looking at this -- look at this. stretching just to the west of new orleans, all the way south of atlanta. heavy showers and thunderstorms. and in fact, we have a tornado watch now until 4:00 p.m. from the panhandle of florida into central and almost northern georgia. as these storms fire up, a risk of strong storms from new orleans all the way to norfolk. dangerous winds, lightning, tornados likely, all the way

into ocala, florida. this system is going to be pushing up to the north, so we have clouds in new york now. the yankees have their home opener around noon. look at this, too. we've got a lot of rainmaking its way early tuesday morning into new england. and in fact, we've got a series of flood watches and warnings stretching from parts of mississippi all the way into georgia, including atlanta, anywhere from two to four inches of rain through the southeast. one to two inches as you get here into the 9:11 on a monday morning. and temperatures are climbing quickly. we're at 63 degrees on the peninsula right now headed to 83 degrees. before the day is done, it's going to be very warm out there. we'll stay warm all week long, until the very finish of it. warm spring temps that will peak in the upper 80s in places like san jose. five to ten degrees as we get into your wednesday.

temperatures tumble at the end of the week. and take a quick look. this is our tower cam from top of the rock. no, that's not the top of the rock. >> no. >> anyway, we've got -- there it is. there's a wildfire going on in jersey, about 30 acres or so. but it is burning like crazy, and smoke has now made its way into all of manhattan. and you're in midtown, you can smell the smoke. >> i walked out this morning, i thought there was like a building on fire nearby. >> i didn't know what that was. >> i could smell it inside my building. i thought my apartment building was on fire. >> you thought it was dinner in last night. >> oh, that hurt. >> let me tell you guys about something that's happening tonight, very exciting. the best of us awards show. it's the inaugural event honoring outstanding performances by the united states olympic and paralympic teams. i hosted it. we taped it last week. it will be on tonight, 7:00 on nbc season. all the stars from the olympics in one room.

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bit of constructive feedback? >> yeah, please do. >> well, i've noticed a little flaw in your game. >> okay, listen, i think i know what you're going to say. this probably is about me continually rolling the billions into the recessed gutters, isn't it? >> yes, it is. >> yeah. i think it's the only weakness in my game, you know? >> it is the only weakness, but it's a pretty major one. >> yeah. >> i love that. rashida jones, so good to have you back here. >> hi. >> so this movie is not really about bowling, it's more about salsa dancing. >> yes, i hope so. >> did you know about salsa? >> i didn't know. i trained for this movie. i trained for a couple months in london with nick and it was really, really difficult. don't try anything new as an adult. because you'll realize how bad you are at it. >> that's terrible advice. >> actually, try something new. it's good. it's humbling. >> tell people at home about nick frost, who may not know who he is, because he is incredibly funny in this movie.

>> he is incredibly funny and tale talented. he is an english comedian actor and writer. he was in movies like "shaun of the dead" and "hot fudge." he's the smartest, coolest, sweetest person i've ever had the chance to work with. >> you wanted to work with him. you stalked him. >> i wasn't like active or dangerous or anything. >> wasn't a restraining order. >> no, not yet. we'll see how the press goes for the movie. but i loved him and wanted to work with him and i did kind of fan girl him a little bit. yeah. >> that's okay. >> what is it like shooting in london? you're an american in london, literally. >> it's different. it was raining every single day. i was there during the summer right before the olympics. and it rained every single day. >> all right. >> that is not great. it was the middle of the summer. but everybody's really nice. >> it was terrible. is that what you're saying? >> it was a lot of tea.

>> any other stereotypes? >> a lot of tea and a lot of scones. they do say cheerio. cheers. cheerio. >> the other guy we have to talk about in this movie, because you have sort of relationships with all these guys, is chris o'dowd, who was -- it was a really great script, but he delivers some of these lines, most of which can't be repeated on television. >> it's a little early for what he said. but he plays the foil, the kind of third point of the love triangle. he's a very confident man. >> yes. >> and he teases nick a lot about his weight and about his status in the office. i know, you do feel really bad for him. but also, luckily, off screen, chris o'dowd teases me a lot about my height and my age. >> oh. >> wait a minute. >> he really gets away with it. he's funny enough -- the jokes are funny enough that it's okay. >> all right. >> do you miss "parks and rec"? >> i do. but i see my castmates all the

time. i text with amy every day. we have not admitted that we are apart yet. denial, yeah. >> rashida jones, you're so full of talent. "cuban fury" hits theaters this friday. >> very funny. it's super cute. up next, all the news you need to know before you walk out the door. but first -- you're not making fun of me today. >> this phrase gets every one of

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taking a look at the headlines, planes and ships searching for flight 370 are zeroing in on their most promising lead so far. ships detected underwater sounds this weekend that officials say are consistent with pings from aircraft black boxes. those sounds were picked up in a remote part of the indian ocean where the water is almost three miles deep. the flight with 3239 people onboard disappeared a month ago. researchers studied 2,000 people who already had osteoarthritis in their knees and found that the women who drank at least one glass of low-fat or fat-free milk each day slowed the progression of

the disease which wears away the joints. however, they did not find the same effect in men. mickey rooney, one of the top box office draws in the 1930s and '40s died sunday in his california home. he was nominated for four academy awards and received two special oscars for film achievements. he was often paired with close friend judy garland. mickey rooney was 93 years old. and it was a record-breaking weekend at the box office. "captain america: the winter soldier" brought in more than $96 million domestically. that's a record for the month of april. "noah" was a distant with 17 million. "divergent" was third. a french tight rope walker crossed the seine river by balancing on a cable nearly 500 feet long. hundreds of parisians and tourists cheered as he covered his eyes with a blindfold halfway across. the acrobat performed without a harness or a net. but several police boats were waiting below just in case.

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with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove doesn't strip your skin like soap. good monday morning to you. it's 9:26. police are investigating an early morning shooting in east san jose. he was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. police are trying to figure out who vandalized several smart cars in san francisco overnight. another one flipped on its roof and on its side. now, a witness at one of the scenes said he saw a group of about eight people lifting the car up and then walking away. the search for a missing hiker from menlo park has been called off. they scoured mount tams over the weekend looking for any sign of

magdalenea glencow ski. no one has seen her since march 30th where she was buying a parking ticket. they found her identification, her cell phone and credit card inside her parked rental car in the parking lot. a quick break here. when we come back, we'll take a look at your weather and your traffic.

9:28. welcome back. it is going to be warm out there. we're already warming up into the low 60s. we're going to be in the mid-70s by lunchtime, rounding out the day in the mid-80s. it will be warm out there. 84 degrees is the warm down here in san jose. 75 degrees in gorgeous san francisco today. we're almost getting uniform temperatures with the offshore flow. 83 for the north bay today. 84 degrees out in the tri valley. 79 for the east bay. you'll notice even warmer as we head through tomorrow. here's mike and your morning drive.

>> a lot of sunshine. but slow southbound. you can see that in the shot. 880 jams up past the coliseum in toward marina boulevard and san leandro. both sides in red, the southbound is not usually this slow. jamming up downtown oakland. we have a recovery after an earlier crash cleared from the marina. now all these folks are probably heading southbound into the south bay. >> we have another local news update coming up in about half an hour. in the meantime, have a great day.

welcome back to "today" on monday morning, april 7th, 2014. i'm willie along with al, natalie, and tamron. you guys remember your prom pictures? >> that means yes. >> sadly, i probably still have the dress somewhere, too. >> really? >> didn't do. >> you did go? >> couldn't get a date. >> no. i don't believe that. >> anyway -- why do you bring that up? painful memories. >> former auburn university head football coach gene chizik didn't look too happy to be letting his little girl go to the prom with her date. look at the photograph showing his 16-year-old daughter -- [ laughter ] >> that's his daughter landry. her date jared. and gene chizik, who by the way, is jacked.

look at gene chizik. >> i was going to say look at those guns. >> the date's mother actually tweeted the photo writing, you think my son will come home from prom alive? fair question. she told us chizik had posed for the photo and thought it would be a funny photo bomb. >> we're happy to tell you they all survived prom, they had a good time. >> yes. >> that's the best. and he's got muscles, and he's standing there like -- >> intimidating enough dating the daughter of the former auburn football coach. >> that kid's got nerves of steel. >> absolutely. >> everybody survived. that's the good news. >> they all had a good time. >> all right, mr. roker. >> the dad rips a phone book in half. make sure you call! it's like he knows the hulk. that guy's pretty impressive. risk of strong storms today from the mid-atlantic all the way down to the gulf coast. out west, you are in for a spectacular day. phoenix, 90. 85 in los angeles. some rain in seattle.

and 69 degrees. tomorrow, that same system makes its way up the coast. it's going to be windy and wet in the northeast on into new england, stretching all the way down into florida. the western 2/3 of the country going to be, again, spectacular. some cool weather around the great lakes. wet weather moves into the pacific northwest. it's going to be sunny and warm, stretching from texas all the way into southern california. highs tomorrow, los angeles, you're going to get up tomorrow's actually going to be warmer. good morning to you. we're going to hit the mid-80s right here in the bay area for most of the city today. 82 for the north bay. and hey, we're looking good in san jose, to hit the mid-80s tomorrow. the home opener for the san francisco giants. 75 degrees out there for first pitch. it's going to be outstanding. we'll be out there live tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. temperatures warm this week. make sure you're ready for that. and rain by friday.

>> and that's your latest weather. guys? >> all right, al. thanks a lot. it is national volunteer week, a time to recognize people doing extraordinary things for others in their communities. hopefully inspire you to do the same. >> readers digest has highlighted creative ways. barbara odair, and monica fioreti who has helped carrie and her son oscar. welcome, everybody. barbara, i know you feature everyday heroes all the time in "reader's digest." you've picked 11 different organizations as well. these are creative ways that can encourage people to volunteer. and a couple of the companies -- what are the things you wants people to know about these companies and what they're doing? >> we found 11 organizations that approach volunteerism in very creative ways. and "reader's digest" celebrates everyday heroes in every issue. we believe ordinary people can be heroes in every way.

extraordinary people. ordinary people can do extraordinary things. and that's by helping people using their skills, everyday skills like caring, compassion, you know, giving their time, energy. they don't have to have special expertise. >> or a lot of money to help out. >> or a lot of money. >> you've picked great organizations. we're going to highlight a cup of them. let's start with kaboom. improved playgrounds, more than 15,000 to date and engage volunteers. among them, linda prout. how did you get involved and what do you get out of this process? >> well, after katrina, people had lost their homes, their schools, their libraries, playgrounds. everything they owned. and kaboom made a commitment to build 100 playgrounds in the gulf coast area so that children could play and just be kids again. >> what do you do? are you there with a hammer and nails putting playgrounds together? >> when you first arrive, they

give you a name tag with a sticker and that's your team and you do whatever they say. assemble equipment. you spread mulch. you build park benches and picnic tables. you paint murals. just whatever your team says for you to do. and six hours later, they cut the ribbon on a completed playground. >> six hours later. that's amazing. >> talk about seeing the joy in a child's eyes when they step foot on that new playground. the next organization we're highlighting is the hero network. this is an organization that gives a chance to be an everyday hero, making anyone's request or dream come true. over 110,000 wishes have been granted so far. everything from food to hurricane sandy victims to helping retired police officers. monica, i know you've been volunteering with the hero network for a long time now. you've helped grant over a thousand wishes. tell me some of the ones that -- i mean, so many different wishes, but what are some of your favorites? >> one wish in particular, glenda, a woman with cerebral palsy, her dream was to go up to

philadelphia art museum stops like sylvester stallone did in the movie "rocky" and we granted her wish. that was so fun. oh, my gosh. i'm going to start crying. >> well, you've done so many of these wonderful gestures. and we have another one right here. carrie, with your beautiful son oscar. you came to the hero network, and what did you ask? >> i asked for a gate trainer for my son. when i looked at the prices, it was over $2,000 and i was asking trouble getting insurance to pay for it and i had nowhere else to go. and i posted a wish, and monica answered my wish. she helped me every step of the way. i wouldn't have been able to get the gate trainer if it hadn't been for her. >> to help your little son oscar walk. he has pffd, which is a rare birth defect affecting the growth of his legs. can he show us tow to walk in his gate trainer? oscar, you want to go for a

spin? want to take a little walk? want to give it a try? >> maybe not. >> he wants to be held by mom right now. i get that. >> he doesn't perform on command. come on, now. >> i know. it's amazing. what you all have done is so great. thanks to all the volunteers who make a difference in america. you guys do a wonderful job. >> thank you all. >> thank you. >> and if you want to find out more about volunteering, head to our website today.com. >> these two are a pretty good place to start. coming up next, should a 3-year-old be kicked out of daycare for cursing? the mom jury is in after this. dog's fleas and ticks is staring you right in the face. nexgard from the makers of frontline® plus it's the only chew that kills both fleas and american dog ticks. vets recommend it, and dogs, well they're begging for it. nexgard is for dogs only and hasn't been evaluated for use in pregnant, breeding or lactating dogs.

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one. it's in san antonio, a mom says her 3-year-old daughter was kicked out of daycare for using the "s" word. apparently the daycare has a no tolerance policy. carol and erica, you have 3-year-olds. >> yes. >> what do you think? >> zero tolerance for 3-year-olds? i mean, it's a great way to keep class size down. but my first two kids were such angels and my third, i walked to preschool right now and i get to the door, and i go please, take him back. it's tough. >> they're repeating everything they hear at this age. >> these adorable, irrational sponges. we slip up once, and we all have, it's going to come out at the most inappropriate time. that's just the way it is. no zero tolerance. a daycare has to have tolerance for everything. >> the child also didn't use it in context. because the mother said -- that would be my concern is if she used it appropriately. but she didn't. >> she said it once.

>> and if she could spell it -- >> how would you deal with the school? would you go and confront them? >> i think you've got to find the right fit. if they have a zero tolerance preschool, maybe it's not the right fit for you. but you would hope they would just redirect the child and work with it. >> i think that's it. if that's -- do you want your kid in that school? >> exactly. >> let's move on to the florida school board. apparently enforcing a dress code policy, not for the students, though, but for the parents. the drop-offs. because parents are showing up in their pajamas. or the jeans that come down here. >> i roll to the bus stop in pajam pajamas. i throw a big winter jacket. i'm getting a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old out the door every single morning. >> should there be a zero tolerance policy on parents who show up in pajamas? >> here's the problem. you are trying to legislate what should be common sense. and you just need to know that if you're going to tell your kids don't wear booty shorts,

then you don't wear booty shorts. can we say booty? now i've said it three times. >> i think there's appropriate dress code that you -- i mean, you want to set the example for your own kids, right? >> shouldn't there be an age limit for wearing the words on the bum for parents? should moms be carded when they try to buy the pink? >> i'm with you on that. >> i'm kind of anti-dress code, period. even for kids, believe it or not. i feel like that's our opportunity to make mistakes. we would have no embarrassing throwback thursday photo if -- >> you don't want your kids out there with everything hanging out. >> this is true. >> then it becomes a distraction. i think you need to be -- hanging up your pajamas. >> i comb my hair and brush my teeth. i'm still a pajama mom. >> all right. i guess we're out of time,

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the new book "the neelys: comfort food from our southern kitchen to yours." making fried chicken with a twist. great to see you guys again. >> great to see you guys again. >> these are generational recipes but you lightened them up a little bit. can't eat the way grandma and grandpa eat. >> we remixed it a little bit. kind of bring it up to the times. but also to reach back and still contribute that, add some of that. but it's important to keep a identifies balance. >> people, they want this now. they love their old favorites, but they want to eat a little bit better. >> they really do. with this being our third cook book, i think the thing that's most attractive about this book is everyone can relate to down home grandmother, grandfather in the backyard, those type of stories. >> so fried chicken with a twist. what's the twist? >> the twist is, first of all, we're going to dredge it. this chicken -- and al, i'm going to help you out. we've got paprika, some pepper, some onion powder, and add that

salt right in. we're going to give that a stir. we're going to dredge that chicken, al. you're familiar with this. we've got eggs and butter milk and then we've got some hot sauce. and then you can take that and whisk that all together. >> the butter milk, the acidity of the butter milk? >> and also it's going to bond things together. the seasoning has been on our chicken overnight. i like to season just like a good old barbecue, want to do it the night before. we're going to take some of our seasoning and put it into our flour. we're going to season our flour. just a little bit more flavor. then we're going to come right in, there you go, al. and dredge it. >> he doesn't need those tongs. >> al goes right in. >> the great thing about it. he's dredging it and it's going through both. we've got grandmother's cast iron skillet. we've got peanut oil. got it at about 350 degrees. we want it good and hot.

and we're going to come right in to our skillet. once it fries for about ten, 15 minutes until it's golden brown, obviously the thighs and the breast are going to fry a little harder. >> and you don't want to crowd the pan. >> never. it lowers the temperature of your oil. and then you don't get an even cook. >> that candy thermometer saved my life. >> you got the proper temperature. this is a hot maple glaze that will just come right across our chicken once it's done. and look here, y'all. that's good old southern fried chicken. >> what goes in the glaze? >> some hot sauce, some maple syrup, some mustard and a little butter, we'll add it right to the chicken. >> make some waffles with that. >> oh, yes. >> a little twist on mashed potatoes here. >> exactly. that's mashed cauliflower. a great way to trick our kids into having something nice and

healthy. i got started with my own. i have to keep the side dish moving. so i cored off my cauliflower. i used some butter and then some garlic to give it a little saw today. stir it all in. you want to add in some warmth to loosen it up. you put everything all in here. >> there are people who say i wanted my mashed potatoes. but this tastes good when you mix it all together. >> don't even tell them. don't even tell them. >> i'll take that approach. >> get it all in there. of course, cheddar cheese. >> bring in the cheese. >> got to have the cheese, baby. >> and then just mash it all up. >> actually, because cauliflower, the texture is different, you want to put it right into the food processor. that saves a lot of time. and then the peppers. >> you mind if i get in here and try it? >> that's fantastic. >> that's the finished product. put some chives on top to make presentation wonderful. >> that is great. it's great. >> isn't it amazing?

>> pat and gina neely, thank you so much. that is good eating. for these recipes and more, head to today.com. we're back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

look at that. kathie lee and hoda coming up next. as always, prepared. >> in 45 years, she's never been late. not once. >> what do you got? >> kirstie

good morning, everyone. 9:56. a family is safe aboard a navy ship and could be back in san diego as early as today. video of yesterday's dramatic rescue shows the team

deploying into the open ocean 1,000 miles off the coast of mexico, where the family's sailboat had lost steering and communications. crews helped in that rescue. 1-year-old baby lira now in stable condition after receiving med cal care for a fever and a rash. the parents took off in an around-the-world journey bringing their children along. the boat broke down and the baby became sick. let's check our weather this morning. >> temperatures are really warming up. it is so warm out there already. we're in the 60s, heading to the 70s by about lunch toil. mid-80s as we round out the day. highs about 2:00, 3:00 in the afternoon. the warm spring temperature today will stick with us tomorrow. we'll climb a little bit and then we drop off wednesday and thursday. a little rain on the way for friday. we'll talk more about that at 11:00. let's check your drive and see how you're looking.

>> that spring weather, rotating around the bay. pretty much the larger ones to speak with. next week, we see more schools again. loosening up over the past few minutes. we see a slower drive eastbound 580 reaching the dublin area. it caused a slowdown. we had a couple of crashes westbound through livermore into dublin. they've both moved to the shoulder. 680 not much of a deal. look at the southbound side, slow from downtown to 238. earlier crash there. south bay not so bad. >> mike, thank you very much. we'll have a local news update coming up in half an hour.

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use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures. recommended by vets. loved by dogs. from the makers of frontline® plus. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. guess what? it is fay monday. it is april 7th. we have got two-time -- no, actually won emmys, i don't know how many times. she's won golden globes. and she's very talented, kirstie alley. and marlo thomas has won a bunch of stuff too. >> they are both here. >> they are both here. >> we have the joy fit club member and we also have a dog that is going to break the guinness book of world records for doing the double dutch. >> we hope. >> the double dutch. >> yes. >> that is so -- >> we had nothing but women on

the show today, yeah. >> you have? >> it is really -- it is hard even to do one rope, but two. okay. anyway. >> you know what else it is today, hodi? >> what? it is a big day. ♪ ♪ it's a celebration >> close your eyes. where were you six years ago today? >> it is our sixth anniversary. >> yea! >> which only proves that there is no accounting for taste. let's take a look at a quick recap of the last six years. shall we, hoda? >> yes, let's do it. >> "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. >> i have my journalistic standards. ♪ ♪ i wanna hoda on your coffee on the back of my gilapi ♪

>> kathie got low. >> you have not let me do my friday funny. >> it is finally time. hold on one second. >> oh, i wonder if my phone is going to ring. oh, oh -- >> there's a number. >> oh. >> is that my number? is my phone ringing? >> hello, hello. >> look -- i have 20 voice mails. 22. 23. >> proven, hoda woman. ♪ ♪ here we come on the run ♪ ♪ with a burger on the bun ♪ >> did anybody find anything attractive down there until we started shaving and dyeing and -- what about you, missy? >> i'm the landing strip. >> seeing any 747s recently? >> fat guys make better lovers.

>> i've known that. no, i've known that. ♪ ♪ boots with the pearls >> i'm not even going to drink. i'm going it eat. >> please, crank it. >> god bless you all. ♪ >> love you, sweetheart. >> love you too. i can't believe that. >> i thought i was going to stay one year and something happened along the way this and is it, i fell in love with somebody and it is you, hoda woman. i love you. >> i love you too. >> tradition has it, the gift of iron -- >> iron? >> is given for a sixth anniversary. >> okay. >> thank you, jerry. here's mine. if it is an iron -- >> if it is iron supplements, which i could use -- >> i bet it is. >> you got iron supplements. >> iron supplements. >> i got the iron. thank you, guys.

>> thank you so much. at least jerry just made some money. >> thank you, you guys. thanks to our staff. six years of putting up with us. >> and we love you dearly. and our -- everybody in the control room. >> yes. >> you all too. >> if you watch the acms last night, the country music awards, those are always fun. >> annual academy -- they don't like it when you don't say the annual academy of country music. >> anyway, blake shelton hosted it with luke bryan. >> and you're very upset. very upset, aren't you? because miranda lambert looks so darn great. >> i'm the one who walked in and said she looked so great. that's terrible. you threw me under the bus. i thought she looked fabulous and she's the big winner of the night and she had lots of costume changes. they kicked off the whole night with the band perry. >> love them. >> they sang, and then something happened after they sang, a whole avalanche of white confetti finely shredded fell on to the audience. and if you look -- it is, like,

you have new hair and lots of spray in it, and -- look. >> oh. >> one of those times where they pretend it is okay, but they all want to scream. >> my god, it is -- poor carrie. it is all in there. i wonder if those are snowflakes. >> no. that's not a good idea. >> anyway. blake and luke are friends, they always have fun and look at how blake introduced luke's performance. >> ladies and gentlemen, here's last year's entertainer of the year and nominee again this year, bluke lyran! >> i want to see how great miranda looked. >> she looked so good. >> female vocalist of the year for the fifth year in a row. >> we don't know. jason aldean, male vocalist of

the year. >> it is our sixth year. >> how convenient, picture is not available. george strait was voted on by the fans and won entertainer of the year. >> he says he's retiring though, right? no, no, no. are we going to get to see this? oh, good, maybe a little bit of blake and shakira singing their duet "medicine." ♪ in a second make it fade ♪ ♪ you're my medicine medicine ♪ ♪ medicine medicine ♪ ♪ medicine we make it better ♪ ♪ you make me feel whole >> it is so great. she's adorable. and what "the voice" has done for her career. a huge star around the world, but she really wasn't -- almost like -- >> who? >> she's adorable. the australian girl.

>> kylie minogue. huge star around the world and a lot of people would not know her in america. >> you're right. you're right. let's talk about cute and crazy cute. we're in love with this family. prince william and kate, they walked around with baby george. they arrived in new zealand. okay. look at this. eight months. it is windy. he's not even bothered. he's happy. bouncing baby. looks just like william. he's adorable. i mean -- >> he's got -- >> that's my favorite when they're like can we go -- anyway, he's so -- oh, such a -- looks like such a happy baby. >> did you see the -- when the wind -- a picture in the newspaper, the wind blew her skirt up, she's got the greatest legs in the history of the world. she looks fantastic. >> i can't believe how great she is. we're moving on to favorite things quick, but this is such a cool thing. so, on thursday of last week, "beautiful" the musical was on again. >> you went for the fourth time. >> i didn't go on thursday

because on thursday carole king was in the audience. before we show this, she dressed up in a wig, glasses, sat in row k, next to her daughter, but some people don't know that's her daughter, and watched the whole thing, the cast deposit kn didn't know. nobody knew. she watched the whole thing. when it was over, she got up on stage when they were doing the thing with the aids charity where they go up and ask people after the show is over -- >> broadway cares. >> broadway cares. she walked up on stage. let's see. >> oh, my gosh. >> every year at this time, the broadway and theatrical community from coast to coast joins together to raise money for an amazing organization called broadway cares. ♪ even in the dark eest night

you just call out my name ♪ ♪ and you know wherever i am ♪ ♪ i'll come running to see you again ♪ >> wow. >> anyway, so they -- she sang and by the way, that is jessy mueller, so brilliant in the show. >> there are a bunch of shots and it showed her sobbing when she first saw her on stage. what a great surprise. the music is out on itunes. >> what a day for you not to be there. >> i've gone five times. the one time i don't go, i was so bummed. >> i'm so glad carole has seen it now. it is such a beautiful tribute to -- not just her music, but her life. she's beloved. all right, speaking of beloved, i've not been able -- thank you, everybody, for coming out this past weekend. >> you're very popular. >> so grateful. yeah, we have to stay an hour

longer each place, so thank you, everybody. appreciate it. but my -- your favorite thing is what? >> it is actually "beautiful," the music, the soundtrack is out now. >> i get it, get it. my favorite thing, i've not been allowed to speak about, but this one -- i was muzzled by my own daughter who has a small role, but a pivotal role in a movie that i finally was allowed to see yesterday. it is bizarre to see your daughter on the big screen. it is a movie called "god's not dead", been out for three weeks, it was the number five -- there is cassidy. been out for three weeks. it is still number four. >> so it is climbing. >> still number four. it was five for both weeks, now number four. and it has been a huge surprise. that's kevin sorbo, huge surprise in the box office. so obviously -- >> terrific. >> i'm a proud mom. i am a proud mom. she's turning out to be a very good little actress. love her. >> congratulations, cas.

>> thank you for finally letting me go. >> a reminder that american express is looking for moms to bring to new york city for an epic everyday getaway. so -- >> all you got to do is submit a photo of your mom inspired everyday moments and you and a friend could be chosen to come to the big apple for a great adventure. >> go to klgandhoda.com for all details. >> connect button. >> yes. enough talking, we're going to find out what hollywood is talking about where we bring out the "hollywood buzz". >> and so sorry that our friend mickey rooney passed away this past weekend. if you thought of starting over, marlo thomas is here with brave women that reinvented their lives at mid-life. and many star reinvented herself many times over, kirstie alley

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[ baby crying ] everything's fine. [ male announcer ] of all the things that happen on your wooden surfaces, disinfecting has to be one of them. clorox disinfecting wipes. gentle on wood. hard on germs. [ rattling ] wanna see what's in it? yeah! whoagasp! whoagasp! whoagasp! you wanna make these? you put it in here? yeah, put it in there. ok, just press. i'm gonna give you some m&m's® to put in there. ok! ready? and then you wanna take this... ...put it together. shake it. [ giggles ] are you making them for the easter bunny? no, you. ahhhhh. [ female announcer ] this easter... bring a tradition... out of its shell. rice krispies®. i did it! you did! kirstie alley is an emmy and golden globe winning actress known for "cheers" and "veronica's closet". >> and on her new show with a clever name called "kirstie".

>> couldn't think of anything else. >> she said she didn't like what she saw and after years of battling her weight, she decided to get back on track. so now, seven years after being a paid spokesperson for jenny craig, she's the face of the weight loss program once again. it is nice to see you. >> well, well, what are you doing? >> i'm pushing -- i can see -- i want it to be up like that. i don't know how you get that up? >> just do the whole thing. i'm right with you. >> let's do this, which hoda doesn't like. >> they like that. >> hi. >> so seven years, huh? >> since i did jenny craig, yes, it has been. >> you were talking with matt earlier about how the weight -- it creeps up. nobody gains seven pounds overnight, or do they? >> when i wasn't a spokesperson for jenny craig anymore, it crept back on. i didn't follow the program or the presets. and then i lost it again with a

program i invented that was called organic liaison. and then i -- you know, i really miss -- the thing i love jenny craig is the food was really good and i loved the consultant. it was like having a coach. if you're an athlete, you have to have a coach. >> is it harder? i find now it is harder for me to lose weight now than it was when i was younger. it is one of those thins you feel like you're battling. do you think age factors into it at all when it comes to weight loss with you? >> it probably does. i don't like to say that because i don't -- i feel like for every time i say age factors into anything, i'm just putting a nail in the coffin, you know? >> i'll say it for you. yes, it does. menopause, though, every doctor will tell you it is harder for women -- >> it might be. but i have an easy time gaining weight and i think an easy time losing weight. >> good for you. >> if i just keep relatively active and follow some rules. my problem is i don't have

guidelines. >> you're a rule breaker. >> i am a bit. i go in stages. >> you're a naughty girl. >> i'm a bad girl. >> what is your trigger when it comes to eating? everyone has got theirs. >> my trigger is just holidays, big deal for me. i have a very long span of holidays. >> valentine's day. >> easter is almost here. >> i know. i got to -- yeah. it is sort of really when there is a lot of -- i'm from kansas, i like heavy foods. i like cooking a lot for people. and entertaining. i've eaten two meals probably by the time i'm done cooking so -- >> taste testing. you got to make sure it's good. >> "dancing with the stars", everybody who has been on that talks about how grueling it is. you dropp eped a ton of weight,t that sort of exercise -- >> that's not something you're going to do. i lost the weight before and

then i did it and lost more and i kept losing weight after. and but, no, no one can do that. but, again, you have -- you also have the future, you know, dance teacher standing there making you do it. and i guess if you walked around in real life with a dance teacher all the time and they made you do it -- >> you would do it. >> i can only take maks for so long. >> how much do you want to lose? >> 30 pounds. >> what amount of time to do that or just whenever? >> i'm going to give myself probably five months. i'm not -- i don't want to make my -- set myself up to fail. >> you know what you got to do, avoid all the state fairs this summer. everything is fried and corn dogs and everything. >> nice to see you, kirstie. >> great to see you guys. and you both look very well. >> thank you, you too. >> she didn't say good. that's not good. we have all the celebrity gossip you may have missed over the weekend.

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all you gotta do is click on over to fingerhut.com. get the credit you deserve to get all kinds of great stuff. juice! we are back with spring breakers today. and our attempt to have a guinness world record set here on our show. >> we'll see if 4-year-old geronimo can break her own record with the most double dutch skips by a dog in a minute. >> her last record was 113 jumps in 60 seconds. sam is the owner and mike is the guinness world record adjudicator. >> and the nice gentleman on the end will also help us. >> have no idea who he is. >> what made you decide to have your dog enter this type of, you know --

>> well, apparently there wasn't a record yet for a double dutch dog, so they contacted me and asked me to do it. i'm, like, yeah, sure. jgeronimo went viral on youtube from her double dutch video i put out a few years ago. they saw it. >> she's a rescue, right? >> she is. >> how did you teach her how to do that? >> a lot of time, a lot of patience and not much of a life. >> well, we should point out, if anyone ever tried to double dutch, it's hard. we'll show how hard it is with a human being. >> sure. >> which is me. >> which will be hoda. >> because kathie's neck hurts. >> allegedly. >> over here? >> please be careful, too. be careful. >> you have to really time it. >> okay, go ahead. >> ropes are heavy, i can't even -- >> who is this guy on the end? >> i'm afraid. >> get in there. get involved.

>> anyway -- >> excellent, hoda. >> those are ropes. >> what do we to? >> we're going to do it now. >> geronimo is ready. >> let's go. >> sit, stay. >> let's back up. >> not you. you're the adjudicator. >> sit. >> look at this. >> good baby. look at her. eye and paw coordination. >> i'm mesmerized. >> who is the guy on the end? >> don't mess him up. i can't even look. >> i don't know. >> right now we have the guinness book of world record --

>> adjudicator. >> whatever he is. he's counting. >> his name is sam valley. who is the other guy? >> only 36 seconds. >> wow. now, look, as this is happening, we may go to break, but we're count and calculating every jump. >> why are we going to break? this is fascinating television. i don't want to. i don't think it's right. i don't think it is fair to our guests. >> we can't. >> five, four, three, two, one. >> yes, good job! >> good job, geronimo. >> did he break it? >> we're going to tell you -- >> oh, wow, this hotel is amazing. oh no. who are you? who are you? wrong answer. wait, daddy, this is blair, he booked this room with priceline express deals and saved a ton. yeah, i didn't have to bid i got everything i wanted. oh good i always do. oh good

he seemed nice. express deals. priceline savings without the bidding. they always figure it out. so they deserve a smart choice in litter. we make fresh step scoopable with carbon that's trapping and eliminating odors. fresh step, your cat deserves the best. good morning, everyone. 10:26. police investigating an early-morning shooting in south san jose. a man in his 30s shot at least once near an apartment complex on snow drive. he was rushed to the hospital in serious condition.

police do not have any suspects yet. police trying to figure out who vandalized several smart cars in san francisco overnight. one car flipped on its roof, the other on its side, one lifted on its back end. a witness at one of the scenes said he saw a group of about eight people walk up and lift the car up.

good monday morning to you. it is going to be warm out there. almost feeling like summertime.

eheat will come on strong and fast. 83 degrees along the peninsula. south bay at 84 degrees today. we'll stay warm just about all week long. take a look at this. warmer as we head into your tuesday. then temperatures tumble. and we're going to get rain showers friday through saturday. let's check the drive and say good morning to mike. >> folks, i took a gamble and i guess i lost. we'll take the live shot away from us, 880, waiting for three -- actually, five vehicles heading southbound and blocking part of your fast lane. this is the sweeper caravan past the coliseum. we'll show you on the map what we're talking about. south out of downtown. you lose basically a lot of speed as they do have that area closed off right now. that will continue down to san leandro over the next few minutes. 580 will continue to recover. a lighter flow of traffic throughout the rest of the bay area. the toll plaza still has the

slowing. the sweepers are by the coliseum. more local news in a half an hour at 11:00. see you then. that's geronimo. we're back with "today" on this fun day monday. and the judge is reviewing everything now, our adjudicator. did geronimo break the guinness book of world records with the most double dutch jumps in one minute? >> i love that dog. before we get to that, it is time to get you caught up on all of "today's buzz" with the celebrity gossip you missed over the weekend, here is josh zaks. >> thank you, ladies. >> i'm waiting, i want to find out. >> cannot reveal it yet. >> they're adjudicating. >> it takes time. let's start with the box office. no surprise really what wound up on top. >> "captain america" doing gang busters. $9.62 million in north america. huge internationally. cracked $300 million globally.

>> the eighth in the franchise, from what i understand. >> who can even count? >> $3 billion. >> yeah. it did particularly well in china where it made almost $40 million. it just goes to show that studios have to start thinking about exactly whether something works for the chinese market as well. but it is the biggest opening week -- biggest opening april weekend ever. >> ever. >> are you mocking my -- >> now, "noah" in second. >> not doing wildly well, but made back its money. it will go on to make more than $200 million, which is good. >> no small change. >> and third place was "divergent" and fourth place was "god's not dead" starring cassidy. >> a small role. there she is. let's stop and look -- >> get the adjudicator to --

>> she shot that two years ago. you grow so much as you're making it. >> "captain america," they're planning it out to 2028. they have at least 14 years worth of more franchise. >> is it unusual for a film to go from fifth to fourth? usually every week you see them dropping. >> it is a good sign. "noah" lost 60% of the audience between the first week and the second week. so word of mouth matters. >> jon hamm's cute video that came out. >> 25 years old. i'm not sure that cute is the right word. >> jon hamm is next, 25 years old, he's a waiter. jon hamm, ladies and gentlemen. >> how do you make her feel special? >> well, start off with some fabulous food. little fabulous conversation. and then -- >> what else is fabulous, jon. >> end it with a fabulous foot massage for an evening of total fab fabulosity. >> total. >> i'm not sure about the haircut. >> that was the haircut that what's his name had in "winter's

tale" and that's why the movie didn't do well. colin farrell. >> encouraging to people like know see, like, the coolest, hottest guy on television back when he was 25, looking a little like a sleazy sort of -- he doesn't look cool. there is hope for us yet. >> he never got picked. he was on that show twice and -- >> the girl passed over him and tmz tracked down the woman who didn't take him. and she lives in los angeles, she's married for five years, so she said i don't regret it for a second. i wouldn't take a thousand jon hamms over my husband. i don't know why you need a thousand of them anyway. probably just three. >> let's talk -- >> use them up so quickly. >> let's talk golf digest. it is a controversial cover. it is not a golfer on the cover. >> it is paulina gretzky, nothing to do with golf other than the fact -- she looks hot, put her on the cover. >> put her on the cover of a hockey magazine, not golf. >> she's engaged to --

>> i can't remember the name. >> dustin johnson, a pga guy. but there is an uproar because a lot of the female golfers are saying, what about us? what are we, chopped liver? this is not a swimsuit "sports illustrated" edition. >> what are they trying to get, more people to buy the golf magazine? >> i'm sure that's going to work. >> it is not going to happen. >> so negative on our anniversary. >> thank you. it is our anniversary. and -- >> got married. >> new married man, congrats. >> yes. >> wish you all the best. >> can't get the scale to budge, find out what a joy fit club member did to drop 300 pounds. >> and emmy and golden globe winning actress marlo thomas on reinventing yo

so, here's the story of new lancaster. the year is 1890. milton hershey has a killer recipe for caramel. flash forward... milton's recipe is reimagined into buttery rich, smooth, surprisingly soft cremes, called lancaster. so you give one a try. and wow. they melt in your mouth, while you kick up your feet and forget everything you thought about caramel. like a throwback to the past, yet totally new. and that's new lancaster. it's caramel reimagined. [ rattling ] wanna see what's in it? yeah! whoagasp! whoagasp! whoagasp! you wanna make these? you put it in here? yeah, put it in there. ok, just press.

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have you ever thought about quitting your job or changing the course of your life completely to follow your dream but you thought to yourself, well, it is just too late? >> award winning actress and best-selling author marlo thomas says it is never too late. and writes all about it in her new book "it ain't over till it's over:reinventing your life and realizing your dreams anytime at any age". >> she's hethese women are the my book, two of the 60 women i wrote about in the book. they're so fabulous because they didn't let society tell them what they should do if they were the right age to do it. they just decided to take their dream and go for it. >> all these women, each of them, had a moment, like, you call it a eureka moment, they said --

>> an a-ha moment, that can be terrifying. what made these women take the leap? >> i think because we realize, all the women are realizing, if you're 42 years old, your dream runs out on you, it does somewhere in the 40, you raised your family and now what? and, hey, you can live another 40 years, you can live another 50 years, what are you going to do with it? you better have a backup plan, a second dream, a third dream. >> i like cinnamon's dream. this was genius, you knew women loved manicures. you decided instead of us going to the manicure place, you would bring the manicure to us. >> i had a roommate in college who was pregnant with her third child, this is after school, of course, i called to check on her one day, how are you what do you need? she said i would love a pedicure before i deliver. i said let me find someone to come to you. i searched the internet and called salons and couldn't. that's when the idea for nail taxi was conceived. >> nail taxi. >> great idea. >> show up at people's homes

or -- >> we go to hospital rooms, offices, hotels, wherever they need it. we do weddings, baby showers. >> a boost. >> what were you doing before that and were you afraid to sort of jump out of that? >> i walked in pr for 13 years before i had this idea. and there was a lot of fear, you know? but i went ahead and pushed through it and did it and i would like to encourage women to take that leap of faith, to go for it. >> what is a great idea too is to do one little thing every day. you can't do the whole banana at once. if you say, okay, i'm going to make a call. today i'm going to figure out how i -- something. >> what skill set i need. >> please leave your card with hoda, okay? >> looking at this great painting by you, leila, you took a leap and decided to become an artist, something you loved your whole life. >> yes, yes, i did. >> most people don't make money at that. it must have been scary going into that. >> it was very scary. it was very scary.

but my hope was to create something that nobody had painted before, and i layer cities on top of each other. underneath this city you see lives two other cities, venice and new york, new york times as well. >> what a great idea. >> how clever. >> underneath the cities live other cities and so my job was to create something that nobody paints in the world. >> but the first person she went to, an art gallery expert, that she was told to go to for advice, said, no. no way. >> it will never -- >> there is always a naysayer. >> there were portraits and -- and that work had been done before. she said -- >> this is unique. >> in the market, you have to create something that nobody paints in the world. >> just a discouragement, made her own thing. >> they need a paycheck. >> this all seems great, but you know, we need to be practical too, don't we? >> we do need to be practical. also, there is all kinds of --

one woman sold all of her clotheses on ebay, all of her fabulous clothes. another woman took a loan out on her retirement fund, scary, but she did it, mortgaged her house and sold her car. if you want to go for your dream, you got to go for it. >> nobody else can do it. >> you got to believe in yourself. >> da vinci, anucci, i love it. >> thank you. >> 58 other stories and every one of them -- >> they're all great. >> marlo, congrats on another new book. best-seller in the making. our newest joy fit member. >> she shows off the amazing weight loss. and one brought along a special recipe for cookie dough lovers. >> and showed us the ropes, double dutch. but did geronimo break the guinness book of world records. >> i can't wait to find out. >> i think she did. >> i think so. but [ buzzer! door knock! ] isabella... vincent...sharon? did you say bounty is obviously the best brand?

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we are back with "the joy fit club" and two new members who got fed up with being overweight and decided to do something about it through a healthy diet and exercise. >> they lost nearly 300 pounds combined and here to introduce them to us is "today" nutritionist and leader of "the joy fit club," joy bauer. >> hi. it is going to be pretty hard to beat, but i think we can do it. these people are unbelievable. >> sarah berger is the first person. >> 35 years old from chicago, illinois. and in this picture she's at her heaviest, she's 333 pounds here and she felt depressed, defeated and she told me she really thought she had lost her chance to have a fulfilling life. her a-ha moment happened on the job. she's a nanny. so she had her kids she was taking care of, who she adored and cherished, at the playground and there were other mean spirited kids that started yelling nasty things about her weight. she felt at that moment it

changed the relationship she had with her own kids because they lost respect for her. it was horrible. but she spurred into action. i will tell you her success is dependent on one word, support. she hired a trainer, she met with once a week, who supported her every single day, to today. she bonded with a gym rats at the gym and they gave her kudos every time she hit a milestone and her family, she set up a text chat every time she weighed herself, she sent the number off to all of her friends and family. and, of course, you know, no matter what it says, they were motivating. >> i can't wait to see her. here is her before picture. >> she's 123 pounds thinner! >> look at you! >> how do you feel? >> i feel amazing, yeah. >> she's a personal trainer now and gets her inspiration from her clients. >> that is fantastic. >> how much exercise played in along with your eating habits? >> six days a week. it is a lot. i love it. >> good for you.

>> 40 more pounds she wants to lose and there is no doubt she's going to hit -- >> i'll send you guys photos. >> she has these crazy recipes. this is her hummus cookie dough. >> yes. >> if you like it, i'll tweet out the recipe. >> hummus and cookie dough mixed up well, it is chickpeas. >> is it good? >> all right. >> it tastes like cookie dough. >> it does. >> i can't believe it. >> next we have 34-year-old cameron marshall from irving, texas. in this picture, he weighs 382 ponds. he started gaining weight after high school, sort of like that single guy syndrome. he didn't have a cook, didn't know when to shop for and relied on fast food. breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. his 4-year-old nephew actually asked him all weepy, why can't

you play with me? how come you're winded all the time. that did it for him. he jumped into action. he'll walk out here. he is 174 pounds slimmer and you won't recognize him. >> come on out. let's see. >> oh, yeah. >> show them the biceps. >> awesome. wow. >> wow. >> so what does your nephew say now? >> calm down. i'm exhausted. >> yeah, we're able to do all the things that he likes to do now, which is -- i'm sorry, for me, it is a little -- this story is a little emotional for me. >> of course it is. what an accomplishment though, god bless. >> really changes. >> three things he did, i want to show some of the strategic moves. he eats his sandwiches open face, he loses the top layer of bread and uses a fork and knife. it slows down the bites. he took a couple of things, salad toppers, that make boring rabbit food exciting, fruit,

olives, slivered almonds, salsa. and he's still a guy. guess what this is? it is a frozen meal. he's doing healthy frozen meals. >> those are available now for people. >> and frozen vegetables. it works. >> one choice at a time. >> congrats. >> congratio a [ yodeling plays ]

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now to the moment you've all been waiting for, did geronimo break her own guinness world record of 113 double dutch skips in a minute? >> sam valley is geronimo's owner, mike jinella is the

adjudicator, and that other guy we didn't introduce last time, rope holder, seth buchanan. >> drum roll, please. let's all look at mike. mike? >> if we have the drum roll. >> keep it going. did she do it? >> geronimo needed at least 114 skips to break the record. with 128, she did it! >> yea! oh, my gosh! 128? >> shattered it! >> awesome. geronimo, you did it! >> give her more. congratulations. >> you guys, coming up tomorrow, a performance by martina mcbride. >> great actor grieg kinnear is here. and jorge posada and his beautiful life laura. and we have got some time on our hands. we'll just -- >> can he do -- what else can he

do? >> dance. dance. >> dance for 30 seconds, please. >> dance more. >> and keep dancing, geronimo. let's everybody dance. everybody. let's do it. happy anniversary, hoda. >> happy anniversary to you. i love geronimo. why can't blake do anything? >> wow. >> yes! >> awesome. we'll see you tomorrow. what's tomorrow, hoda? >> booze day tuesday. >> right, exactly. >> five more seconds. >> have an awesome

. right now, at 11:00, the bay area heating up. we give you a live look at san jose, dublin, oakland. much of the bay area in the 80s today, some places could hit the 90s. we could certainly see a record or two. thank you for joining us. >> how about those temperatures. my goodness, sounds toasty out there. like summer. >> yeah, it does feel like summer. what's interesting, peggy and scott, we broke a temperature record yesterday in oakland. the 24-hour difference in your temperatures, we're actually running seven degrees warmer than we were at this hour in oakland yesterday. this is an indication of the