trees and saturated soil. and the golden gate bridge, an arrest made as a result of an earlier crash. >> please be careful as you head out the door. good morning. good morning. sorry or not. confusion over a conversation between the st. louis rams and the st. louis police. the police say they heard an apology for the player's hands up ferguson protest. but in a strange twist, the rams say there was no such thing. so who is telling the truth? can he come back? in re rice's first interview since that incident in the elevator, he speaks out the scrutiny he's faced and why he thinks he should be back on the football field. >> the only thing i can hope for and wish for is a second chance. stepping down, bill cosby remains from the board of his alma mater and the place he served 32 years.

why some are calling this a privilege toll moment in the scandal. and u2. a surprise concert in times square from u2. but with bono recovering from the bike accident, he calls in some high powered people to replace him. it's the boss himself making it a beautiful night for fans tote, tuesday, december 2, 2014. 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 tuesday morning. a lot of people still talking about the interview you did with janay rice. now we're going to hear from ray rice. >> a lot of people online have been weighing in on whether this

has changed their opinion on whether ray rice should get a second shot in the nfl. 61% of the people in our survey said no. 39% said yes. we'll see how the numbers change after we hear from ray rice in the 7:30 half-hour. we're going to begin in ferguson with the unusual argument. this in the wake op an onfield show of support for the protesters in ferguson. nbc's ron allen has the latest on this for us. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. the st. louis rams and police have been trying to settle their differences but now they're arguing over the word of the meaning ie polling ji. several rams' players took to the field on sad making the hands up gesture now that the grand jury cleared darren wilson who claims michael brown never tried to surrender. >> they will not be disciplined by the club, nor will they be

disciplined by the national football league. >> rams coach jeff fisher backing his players right to free speech after this statement that has the st. louis police fuming. >> to us it seems like rather than allowing wounds to heel they're picking ap the scabs. >> we want to let the community know we support them. >> reporter: in a bizarre exchange of tweets and exchanges overnight, police claim the rams apologized after a rams' official called the police chief and said he regretted it. the rams said no. then police tweeted a definition of apology. feelings are still clearly raw. own monday students and colleges nationwide formed demonstrations tweeting pictures with the #hands sup walk out. attorney general eric holder interrupted in atlanta, his first stop of several across the country sent by president obama to start a national conversation about what he called the

simmering distrust between police and communities of color. >> i think ferguson laid bare a problem that is no unique to st. louis or that area and not unique to our time. >> in a meeting with civil rights leaders mr. obama said he'll make a program that provides military equipment to local police more transparent and accountable. and he called for millions of dollars for new community police initiatives, including $75 million for 50,000 body cameras for police, now being worn by departments like the ferguson police since the death of michael brown. >> reporter: and here in ferguson we had another night of relative calm. one thing helping is that police have closed off the small part of town hardest hit by the violence. still a national guard presence here. ferguson still under a state of emergency. i want to turn now to the

scandal swirling around comedy legend bill cosby. he's now resigned as a true tee at his alma mater. kate snow is hear with the latest on that. >> good morning. bill cosby has served on temple university's board of trustees since 1982. but with the public pressure mounting, the university said cosby decided to step down. for years now temple university has put dr. cosby on the stadium. >> you did this and you came and now you have it. now do something with it. >> this was his beloved temple. >> i always associate with temple with you in college. >> the police bill cosby recommend innocenced about. but on monday he called the board of trustees that he served on and resigned. i've always been proud of my association, i have always wanted to do what would be in the bst interest of the university and its students.

as a result i've tendered my resignation from the temple university board of trustees. students and alumni from temple have been calling on the university to cut ties from cosby. the board says only that it accepts his resignation. >> i think it's a big deal both because his image has been tied to temple for decades now and also because the first big allegation against him many years ago was by an employee of temple university. >> in 2005 the director of operations for the women's basketball program at temple accused cosby of drugging and assaulting her. that civil suit was settled. but 20 more women have now publicly accused cosby. cosby has never been charged with any crime and his attorney called the accusations unsubstantiated fantastical stories. >> willingness twobl that someone loved and respected could be capable of such

terrible acts is there in a way that it wasn't even a few years ago. kods by's next comedy shows on this weekend. they're now able to offer the refunds to those who don't want to attend any longer. >> kate, thank you very much. there's a new warning this morning about malicious software. this comes in the wake of a devastating cyber attack on sony pictures. here's jacob ras con with the story. >> when hackers attacked sony pictures, they left a message on company computers, hacked by gop or guardians of peace. >> they created a facebook page just a faux days ago. from a hacker community, they're considered a nonentity. >> the group is so unknown and made so many rookie hacker mistakes. >> word on the hacker street is

whoever is knowing this doesn't know how to act like a real hacker. >> some security analysts say the sony attack could be the work of a disgruntled employee. >> the fact that the person has a d encryption key and what amounts to administration privileges this is not north korea doing this but somebody on the inside. >> a seen yr official tells nbc news that north korea is a suspect in the attack after it promised to retaliate if sony pictures released the movie "the interview. >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea? >> yes. >> while north korea has not commented on the attack, analysts agree that the country is capable. >> they absolutely have the capability with thousands of cyber hackers working for their government in their military. >> north korea is a powerhouse when it comes to cyber security. if they wanted to do this with

sony, sony would be offline completely. >> yet sony considers the damage may have on their reputation and their bottom line. for "today" nbc news los angeles. natalie is now here. she's got a development in the middle east. >> well the lebanese military says it's detained a wife and child of the isis leader. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in istanbul with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. lebanese security officials tell nbc news that a woman and a young child were detained in lebanon nine days ago. they were picked up while trying to enter lebanon, having false identification records. they were arrested with an unspecified foreign national agency.

there is some speculation that the leeb knees hads held frp the iraqi government. it's unclear how much intelligence she might have. she's one of three of his known wives. she's still in custody and has the potential to have a great deal of information about the inner circle of the isis leadership. she could also be potentially used as a bargaining chip to swap for hostages. >> thank you, richard. a man who shot and killed four people monday has been found dead in west virginia after an hours' long manhunt. pete williams is in washington with the details. >> reporter: good morning. a statewide man hut in west virginia is over now that the man accuse of carrying out the killing spree has been found dead. the day long hunt for a killer ended late monday in a wooded air afterof north central west virginia. their suspect, 39-year-old jodi lee hunt was found dead of a

self inflected gunshot wound. think accuse him of killing four people in separate shooting incidents in quick succession. >> these weren't random acts of silence. mr. hunt did know each of those victims and we do have some key pieces of evidence that point towards him as being the suspect. >> authorities say one of the victims was a 39-year-old woman, sharon kay berk shire, a former girlfriend who last month filed a nick violence charge against hunt. >> anywhere from a day to a month later we see actions taken that can be detrimental to the person filing the order. >> investigators say hunt recently posted this message on facebook. i'm deeply hurt by events that led up to this day. don't play a game with one's heart. >> state police asked for public

help in finding the suspect's extended cab pickup. a teen in utah is in custody this morning accuse of taking a loaded gun to school intending to open fire on fellow students. police say an alert student probably saved some lives by seeing the gun and then contacting the authorities. the school was placed on lockdown and the 16-year-old suspect was taken into custody. police say he admitted he brought the gun to school intending to shoot a particular student and open fire own others. his identity has not been released. a utah man put his never ending pasta pass to good use. matt tribe was only 1,000 recipients to get his hand on the pasta pass. but instead of filling up on the food himself, tribe gave his meals to homeless people in utah and he dubbed his project random

act of pasta and he delivered 125 meals. such a nice guy. >> i was trying to do how many carbs that would be. >> a lot of carbs and father . e >> mr. roker is here. >> we're seeing the second day of heavy rain moving in. from san francisco to los angeles we've got strong storms moving in. a big upper level low off the coast. we're also watching the jet stream now. that's going to be pumping in tons of moisture into southern california. so as we watch this all move in, into this morning, this afternoon, an into tomorrow,' goeft flash flood watches and warnings in effect stretching from central california all the way into southern california because we're looking at anywhere from three to five inches, maybe even as much as eight inches of rain in the foot hills, especially between los angeles and san diego where we've got these burn areas,

there's no vegetation to hold in the root systems. so the mud will come flowing down the hillsides. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. ♪ come in and use your starbucks gift card any day through january 5th for a chance to win starbucks for life. oh, the rain we so desperately need is coming in, unfortunately right in the heart of your morning drive. watch out, we have heavy periods of rain on the way all day long basically, by about lunchtime we're going to start to see the steady stuff start to deteriorate. but then we have a chance for a

thunderstorm formation for this afternoon. we're on our way to the low 60s. you'll need your jacket and umbrel umbrella. we'll talk more in just moments here on "today in the bay." leaving a philadelphia bar on thanksgiving morning. nbc's stephanie gosk is here with more on that. stephanie, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. the fbi is officially part of the search for shane montgomery, calling his disappearance suspicious. they say they have no reason to believe montgomery would just leave on his own. there's no surveillance video and so far no sign of the 21-year-old. >> shane montgomery was on college break, out with friends the night before thanksgiving, but he never made it home. for days, search teams have waded through the local canals and canvassed philadelphia streets while his distraught parents wait for word. >> i believe somebody knows where shane is. and somebody knows what happened to shane.

>> the last time anyone saw him was at this pub just before 2:00 am closing. >> shane apparently, from what i have been told, walked in to -- dee jay equipment. one of the bouncers went up to him and said you've got to go. and he said okay, i've got you. i was getting ready to go anyway. >> reporter: director of operations at the bar disputed media reports that montgomery was kicked out because he was drunk. >> he politely left the building walking through the front door. shane was courteous and friendly when he left. causing no concern for the manager or security at this point. >> reporter: the college student turned left out the door and disappeared. post every posters have been put up all over the state. fbi, state and local police, friends and family have all been part of the search. >> this has been a five-day grind. but every day, you see all these people that are involved. it keeps you going.

it pushes you. >> reporter: montgomery's parents say they are thankful for the support and remain hopeful investigators will soon uncover a lead. >> they are relentless on this. they are relentless and all we need is just a little break. we get a break, this is going to end. >> there's a $25,000 reward posted for any information that helps find shane montgomery. 10,000 of that is being donated by the pub where he was last seen. matt? >> stephanie, thank you very much. we'll shift gears now, quite something in times square last night here in new york city. a big concert featuring some of the biggest names in music. it was all a surprise. willie geist is there. good morning to you. >> this was a cool night. good morning, savannah. combine 75 grammy awards worth of talent assembled quickly to commemorate world aids day. throw in a former presidential message and a current one and

fill-ins for bono and you have a big night. thousands came together for the world cause. with u2, carrie underwood. and kanye west. ♪ bow in the presence of greatness ♪ >> rocking the times square crowd on three hours notice. the surprise event was announced monday evening by bono. with the u2 front man still recuperating in dublin from a bike accident, the concert went on without him. playing the role of bono, cold play's chris martin. and the boss himself. ♪ i want to tear down the walls that hold me inside ♪ >> a gravelly bruce springsteen. the concert was held to

commemorate world aids day, raising awareness to help combat a disease that has claimed 39 million lives since 1981. and it drew not just the biggest names in music, but political rock stars as well. >> this year for the first time ever, more people were put on life saving medicine than were diagnosed with aids. we are going to win this fight. >> reporter: headliners uniting in the hopes of a world without aids. ♪ but i still haven't found what i'm looking for ♪ >> i guess if you need a fill-in for bono, bruce springsteen, chris martin, you could do a lot worse. it struck people singing how cool this gathering was. chris martin gets through the first song and says, wow, dreams come true for people old and young. you got to sing with u2. >> people were given a few hours notice on social media? >> yeah, on social media for the red organization that bono started years ago to fight aids. it sprung up in times square. obviously a long time in the works.

for the fans who showed up five or six of the biggest stars in the world were in front of you. >> as you're there to see the naked cowboy. >> he was there, too, though. >> especially when it's raining. >> tamron is in for carson in the orange room. what's going on? >> oh, boy this one is a big one, i think. coca cola has tried soda, water, energy drinks, juices. and now the beverage diet is launching a new drink. you might have heard of it. it's called milk. >> what? >> that's not the problem, guys. next month, coca cola is introducing what they call a higher end, high-end style milk. 50% more protein and 50% more calcium. by looking at this ad, you see that's not the issue. this ad campaign caused a stir because it features images of women clothed in milk with the slogan "drink what."

let me get this slogan here. "drink what she's wearing and milk looks good on you." >> as you can imagine, it got a lot of reaction there. dan said in case you missed it, ads for coke's new milk brand show nude women covered in milk being weighed. one woman is on a scale here. hannah says a lesson in how not to launch an ad campaign from coca cola with their milk. coca cola says we are taking a new approach. you will see a new advertising as we launch this pin-up. i think that is the concession. >> totally new approach. >> not good. >> even tony the tiger took a different approach. we heard from his wife monday. this morning, ray rice speaks out about that domestic violence scandal that has derailed his career in the nfl. >> that's what i'm worried about fixing.

i want my life, my daughter, my family -- we all just want to gravitate -- we all just want our lives back. >> we're going to hear from him exclusively. >> a bit later on, on trending, the christmas card from one politician that's getting attention for, well, all the wrong reasons. first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, the man behind discovery's latest stunt, being eaten alive by an anaconda snake. he's here to tell us what that felt like. >> what could possibly go wrong? and music from leann rimes after your local news. ♪ to attain success, one must project success. that's why we use fedex one rate®. >>their flat rate shipping. exactly. it makes us look top-notch but we know it's affordable. (garage door opening) (sighs) honey, haven't i asked you to please use the....

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good morning, i'm laura garcia-cannon. it's 7:26. bob redell is in woodside where a large tree came down. >> reporter: a huge chunk of this tree came down. the fire department, which happens to be next door, said this is an older tree, apparently has some rot. it wasn't windy but got that extra bit of water inside that weakened it enough to come down. it took down a power line and

pg&e has deenergized that line. we're waiting for them to remove the line. it's got a lot of tension on it. it's too dangerous, it could snap and hurt someone and they don't want that to happen. they're waiting for pg&e to come and remove the line to relieve the tension. this is only affecting about five homes. woodside is shut down by pinada. reporting live, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you very much. the rain meantime has been pretty wide spread. let's check in with christina. >> it's heavy. you want to give yourself time to reach your destination safely with numerous storm reports coming into the bay area. the heavy rain has been coming down all morning long, consistently for the past four, five hours. the heaviest is located right

over the tri-valley, over gilroy. thunderstorms expected later today. grab your jacket and umbrella. bring your patience on the road. here's mike. >> it's soupy, wet and drippy conditions. we're talking about the build northbound through the south bay. 87 at 101, a lot of snowilowing because of puddling starting to build there. and the build kicking in across the bay as well. >> we'll be back in half an hour with another update for you. stay safe.

7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 2nd of december, 2014. feels like the first of december. >> that was yesterday, actually. >> we get set to light that beautiful christmas tree tomorrow night. what's making headline this morning, a powerful storm in parts of california. heavy rain set to trigger mudslides in some places. residents spent monday night putting out sand bags as a precaution. boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev is asking to move his trial outside massachusetts, saying it will make it difficult to find an impartial jury. sexual assault allegations

have led bill cosby to resign from the board of trustees at temple university. he served as a board of trustee for 32 years. one man's very daring and controversial stunt, being eaten alive by the world's largest snake. the question everyone is asking, as our friend bryant gumbel would say. why? >> that's not the only question i might ask. >> lots of questions. >> we'll talk to him in a bit. holiday sales are everywhere, of course. what are the best days of the week to buy things like airplane tickets, groceries, gas? we'll tell you when to shop to save the most. >> the date does matter, apparently. let's begin the half hour with exclusive conversation with former nfl star ray rice. we heard from his wife janay monday about that february fight in an atlantic city elevator. ray was not home while we did that interview. afterward, he arrived home and he agreed to join his family for a conversation. and i began by asking ray what the last ten months have been like for him.

>> for me, it's definitely been a coming together for all of us. and me and my wife and, obviously, you know, my mother and father to the left. you know, my relationship with my father is just something that, you know, i cherish, something i didn't have growing up. and, you know, i'm just blessed to be in this family. >> janay was pretty honest with me and candid with me as well that you guys went right into counseling. counseling makes no sense unless you learn something about yourself. what have you learned about yourself over these past several months? >> counseling, i'll be honest, my counselor, what he did was basically rip me apart and build me back together. and i say that in -- >> did you resist it? >> i couldn't. i couldn't resist it, you know. and that was the thing. i was able to let somebody else in and literally tear me down. and i wasn't resisting.

it was just so much you don't know about yourself. you know, you grow up and you think you know it all. i had a ceiling over my head. i was a professional athlete. a ceiling sometimes -- you put yourself in a place where you don't really understand where you're going. but, you know, somebody else tells you that that's not reality. >> three months after the first video, showing what happened outside the elevator was released, ray and janay held a press conference that actually stoked the controversy even more. >> we didn't see a ton of anger on janay's face and heard her apologize. at that press conference, we didn't hear you apologize to her. and that upset a lot of people. do you understand that? >> yes. i definitely understand that. and the reason why that press conference was the way it was, because we were still under legal situations. so, there wasn't much that could be said.

but i'll be honest, we were nervous. i was nervous. and that was the first time we were available to speak. and i made a horrendous mistake not apologizing to my wife. we was going in, we were given what to speak about. it wasn't truly coming from us, if you can understand. but i, you know, made that clear the last time i was able to speak, that my wife is an angel. she can do no wrong. i take full responsibility for my actions. >> in hindsight, did it bother you to hear her apologize? >> in hindsight, i think she was doing it because she -- she knows what kind of -- she knows what i do for a living. she understood my job and my profession. and it was her doing that trying to take light off the situation. >> to protect you. >> yeah. and i appreciate it, but that's not what the big deal is.

the big deal is for me to always protect her. that's why i say i take full responsibility. she can do no wrong. this is something, you know, as a man, you have to own and, you know, we're horribly sorry and i'm horribly sorry for what i have put my family through. i have to bring my daughter to school. she's going to grow up. she's going to google her father's name and the first thing that's going to come up -- we know what's going to come up. >> not highlights from the field. >> not at all. >> that's the reality of it. and that's what i'm more worried about fixing. i want my wife, my daughter, my family to -- we all want to just -- we all just want our lives back. you know, i don't -- i realize football is one thing. now i realize that the amount of people we've affected, the amount of families we've affected that, you know,

domestic violence is a real issue in society, you know. we could take off one bad night and just happen to be on video. we are truly sorry to the people that are going through it and it's a real problem. i know when the time is right. i know my wife wants to help. i know i want to help. >> ray, i had to ask her directly, janay, other than that incident we saw on that videotape, was there ever a moment in this marriage or this relationship before or after that where you were the victim of abuse. >> and i understand that. i truly understand that. one thing you learn is that, you know, we weren't in a perfect relationship. no relationship is perfect. we've had arguments but when you talk about abuse, you know, that's something that, you know, we know that we never crossed that path. then did we say things to each other that -- do we want to take back at times? yeah, we crossed that line before. it never got to an altercation

that went that far. you know, that was just very uncharacteristic of, you know, myself. i never -- i take responsibility. that was very uncharacteristic. >> you know what people have said about your wife after all this. >> yes. >> they say she's a woman in denial or she's just hanging on to ray rice because he's a football player and he's got a big paycheck and he's got fame. in many ways, they've been diminishing janay. >> yeah. >> how do you feel about that? >> i knew my wife before i had anything. i say this in a way where she -- she knows where i'm from. we both know where we came from. and just to be honest with you, she's very independent. my wife can survive in this world without me. she can survive in this world, in society without me. she can do it on her own. one thing i want people to understand is she sacrificed her

life, her well-being for me. now the role is reversed. i'm sacrificing my well-being for her. >> if you never play football again? >> i'll sacrifice more so she can have a better future. >> does that surprise you? >> no, not at all. not at all. i know he wants to play football. but i know regardless, he'll always support me in anything i want to do. so, god forbid he doesn't play football again, then i'll step in and, you know, maybe i'll be the provider. >> i'm standing here, looking at you. i've done a lot of interviews and i know people are going to watch this interview and dissect every piece of language. >> body language. >> every piece of body language. >> facial expression. >> to see what's going on in this family. you are aware you're going to be living under that scrutiny for a long time as a family? >> of course. >> of course. >> we know. >> but we know who we are. and we know the truth. >> we know. >> that's the thing.

we know the truth. >> it's up to other people. they have to deal with it. we really don't. >> they have to live with whatever they feel or think. that's on them. >> we can't let it consume us. >> exactly. >> exactly. >> we just have to keep moving forward, as they've been doing. >> what do you think it would take for another owner and another group of fans to put the images of that video behind and say, we'll take a chance on ray rice? >> one thing i think that they would have to be, you know, willing to, you know, look deeper into who i am and realize that me and my wife had one bad night and i took full responsibility for it. and one thing about my punishment and everything going along with anything that happened is that i've accepted it. i went fully forward with it. i never complained. i never did anything like that. i took full responsibility for everything that i did. and only thing i can hope for and wish for is a second chance. >> of course, it remains to be seen if another nfl team will

give him that second chance, this year, which a lot of people think will be doubtful, or next season. >> did it seem to you that they felt relieved to be able to speak at length to this? >> their emotions are still raw. it's been ten minutes. months. the gentleman on the right there is janay's dad and not ray's dad, as ray grew up without a father present. that is her father and her mother. >> we are putting a lot of the interview online, including what janay's father said about people criticizing her. >> that's right. >> a check of the weather with mr. roker. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. >> we have weather activity on both coasts. we have a wintry mix making its way in the northeast. baltimore, right now, showers and frozen precip. hartford, sunshine. you're going to get into the mess later on this evening for

the evening rush hour. during the afternoon, that moisture makes its way north. as it gets into the colder air, forms snow. rain mostly to the south. here is what we're looking at. winter weather advisories and freezing rain advisories from central indiana all the way on up into new england. generally along the coast, we're talking about half an inch to a quarter inch of rain. as you get into interior sections of new england and upstate new york, you could be looking at six to nine inches of snow out of this thing. 7:41 now. te take a look at this. richmond/san rafael bridge, we have a lot of rain still lighting up your radar at this hour. heavy along the peninsula, still heavy moisture through contra costa county and that moderate rainfall has returned. showers turning spotty during

the afternoon. then i can tell you we have thunderstorms on the way. looking for that toward this evening. p next, did your baby make the list? we are revealing the top baby names in 2014. >> then you know the song "let it go"? >> sure. >> yeah. >> we'll meet the puppy that simply can't let it go. first these messages. t thes ♪ what if you could give her diamonds... in her favorite color? diamonds that capture her look, her style...perfectly. kay jewelers presents the artistry diamonds collection. genuine diamonds, in vivid blues, greens, blacks, yellows and purples. and right now save up to 30% off select artistry diamonds in a palette of colors, at kay... the number one jewelry store in america. artistry diamonds. they're diamonds...of a different color. ♪ every kiss begins with kay. i can... order safety goggles. play music for seedlings. post science fair projects.

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we'll take it! terrific. sell your car the fast and easy way, with no strings attached, at carmax. start here. all right. we're back at 7:46 with an interesting list, the top baby names of the year. okay, tamron. >> baby center out with the top list. we used pictures from our facebook page sent in to us from viewers, jackson, aiden, number two. liam number three top boy names. top girl names, sophia, how beautiful is she, emma, olivia, eyes of heaven. wondering about some of our popular names around here,

little london, carson's baby girl, 98 and vale, cheeks and all. >> and rising. >> and speaking of rising, al, your name up 18%. matt, up 14%. savannah, 5%. natalie, 5%. tamron does not exist. >> she does in her own world. >> my parents made up the name. >> she does in her own world. >> my parents made up the name. best days to ♪ >> she does in her own world. >>you don't need to think about best the energy that makes our lives possible. because we do. we're exxonmobil and powering the world responsibly is our job. because boiling an egg...

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♪soft holiday music ]♪ can you help me up? [ snow intensifies ] [ sleighbells ring in the distance ] aleve. all day pain relief with just 2 pills. get back to being you. did you get chips for the party? nope. (ding) cheese plate? cheese plate. no, i made something better. you used the oven? boom.

pillsbury crescents. make the holidays pop. that's the way i look at life. looking for something better. especially now that i live 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 if i kept digging, could i come up with 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. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke.

eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. those three important reasons are why eliquis is a better find for me. ask your doctor today if eliquis is right for you. too bad some cash back cards only let you earn bonus cash back at a few places. then those categories change every few months. sometimes it's drug stores, then it's hardware stores. nothing says "happy holidays" like a shovel. fortunately there's the quicksilver card from capital one. with quicksilver you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase every day. tis the season to ask...

what's in your wallet? in the country. we operate just like a city, and that takes a lot of energy. we use natural gas throughout the airport - for heating the entire terminal, generating electricity on-site, and fueling hundreds of vehicles. we're very focused on reducing our environmental impact. and natural gas is a big part of that commitment.

good morning to you. it's 7:56, i'm laura garcia-cannon. for drivers everywhere, it's been a cautious, long morning commute. live in san jose just north of 680. in woodside the storm took down part of a tree and damaged power lines in the process. they are working to clean that up right now. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren tracking everything. >> in woodside we picked up over 3 inches of rain just since midnight. the richmond/san rafael bridge, you can see the rain is coming down heavily. we'll get all the details with how the rain is impacting your drive in a moment but first, the rain will likely continue

through lunchtime. then the showers will start to wind down and the wind will pick up. and we'll switch our focus to potential thunderstorms from 12 to 5 all across the bay area. we could see pea-sized hail, brief, heavy downpours and winds in excess of 50 miles an hour. we need the rain, we're getting it and we'll have your totals today at 11:00. >> back to work tuesday this wook after thanksgiving holiday week. we expected a lot more traffic. folks are operating cautiously because of the conditions out there. that's better news. a slow drive north 880. look how soupy it is, wet. look at the maps, though. it is not as bad as we usually see on a tuesday, especially on a rainy tuesday. actually pretty nicely moving in the 50s both directions to oakland, all the way to the carquinez bridge. no flooding reported throughout

san jose. back to you. >> thank you for joining us. another local news update in half an hour.

coming up, eaten alive. >> we have an anaconda. [ bleep ] >> you got it? you got it? >> discovery's latest stunt, being swallowed by the biggest and had most powerful snake on earth opens up about why he did it and how he survived. holiday sales, the best days to shop for everything, from plane tickets to cars to groceries, to get your best bang for your buck. and leann rimes stops by studio 1a to help us get into the holiday spirit "today," tuesday, december 2nd, 2014.

good morning, south dakota! >> we love new york city. >> shout out to everybody back home in hamburg, pennsylvania! >> salvation army is celebrating giving tuesday. >> hi to our family and friends back in georgia. happy holidays. it is 8:00 on "today." what is the date? december 2nd, 2014. out on our plaza, as we all gather along. >> matt, check out -- >> gave me a miscue. >> our friends at "people" magazine are announcing the

first-ever "people" magazine awards. >> the celebration in pop culture, featuring performances by maroon 5, five seconds of summer, special performances by jennifer lopez and so much more. catch it all december 18th here on nbc. >> top stories of the morning. natalie is over at the news desk. hello, nat. >> good morning to you guys. on capitol hill, senate committee holds a hearing with athletes set to testify. until recently, the league's records have not been very good on the issue. ray rice is speak out for the first time since striking his then fiance in an elevator. his indefinite suspension from the nfl has been overturned and he hopes to play again. matt asked what it will take for another team to take a chance on him. >> me and my wife had one bad night and i took full responsibility for it.

and one thing about my punishment and everything going along with anything that happened is that i have accepted it. i went fully forward with it. i never complained. i never did anything like that. i took full responsibility for everything that i did. only thing i can hope for and wish for is a second chance. >> rice said domestic violence is a real issue in society and when the time is right, he and his wife want to help others going through it. president obama is asking congress for money to buy body cameras for police officers in the aftermath of ferguson, missouri. he called for 50,000 body cameras to record events such as the shooting that killed michael brown. >> i think ferguson laid bare a problem that is not unique to st. louis or that area. and is not unique to our time. >> the president says he wants a program currently providing military-style equipment to local police to become more transparent and accountable.

bill cosby has resigned from the board of directors at temple university, his alma mater, facing sexual assault allegations by more than 20 women, cosby said in a statement he resigned because he wanted to do what would be in the best interest of the university and its students. cosby's attorney calls the women's allegations unsubstantiated. and a story that will make you smile until the cows come home. in a youtube video gaining steam online, 5-year-old brianna has trouble explaining to her mother how the family's cow got inside the house. when her mom didn't buy any of the excuses, she uses the only tool left in her disposal and that is her cuteness. she snuggles up on the floor with the cow and creates a photo-op so adorable. who can resist that? it's so cute. 8:04 right now. let the cow stay in the house. let's get another check of the weather with al. >> announcer: "today's" weather

is brought to you by the salvation army. thanks to you, the salvation army will provide shelter for 27,000 people tonight. learn more at red kettle reason.org. >> and good morning, everybody! we've got -- if your mom is 80 years -- what's your name, ma'am? >> carol. >> carol? >> from tucson, arizona. >> you look fantastic. sav aanna savannah, somebody from tucson. >> come here, please, please, please. go. do it. >> oh, my wife, seven years ago we were married. >> uh-huh. >> unfortunately, i had to use her mother's ring and i wanted to present her with the ring that she always wanted. >> that's awfully sweet. >> i've been carrying this around in my pocket. >> how long have you been carrying that around? >> two days. please take it off my hands. >> at least you know she never

goes through your pockets. >> and i never did -- will you marry me? >> oh, congratulation. >> and happy birthday, sweetie. >> tamron hall, finding wishes and champagne dreams. congratulations. let's show you what we've got going on. just a nice moment here. you can see we've got wet weather in san francisco, heavy showers there and in washington, d.c., some icy weather conditions along the east coast. we're watching in between. afternoon temperatures are going to be into the 70s through the gulf coast. teens and 20s in single digits through the plains in northern new england. rest of the country today, look for clouds here in the northeast. more wet weather out west. it is going to be a oh, that rain is still coming in heavily. we have a really great story to tell when it comes to your totals thus far. this is just since midnight, almost three and a half inches, almost an inch of rain on the valley floor in san jose, and the north bay getting great

totals, but the highest numbers coming in from the peninsula and south bay. throughout the day today, we'll keep the heavy rainfall until lunchtime, then showers will start to deteriorate and we'll get isolated thunderstorms. rain is taking the forecast until saturday. >> tamron is crying. >> it's very sweet. oh, my gosh, it's so sweet. >> on trending, another reason to love the "frozen" hit "let it go." you really have to see it. >> good thing idina menzel is not here. what was he thinking? the man sent out to be eaten alive by a giant anaconda. we'll meet him, coming up. leann rimes is signing an ornament for our orange room. hi,

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you can get a great deal during toyotathon. ah, the bold new camry. i love the new look. and it's a blast to drive. oh, so you've driven it? [motor racing] woooooooo! yeah, i've taken it for a spin. toyotathon is on, get low 1.9% apr financing for 60 months on the bold new 2015 camry. offer ends january 5th. plus every new toyota comes with toyotacare, toyota's no cost maintenance plan. i know a great place for a drive. ♪ >> announcer: what's trending today is brought to you by subway. build your better breakfast. we're back now at 8:12 with what's trending today. >> holiday photo gone viral for all the wrong reasons. we've all been there for photos

where you have to hold that smile. it starts to look a little frozen. perhaps that's what happened to former prime minister tony blair. he and his wife just sent out their christmas card, having a little fun with it, stiff pose and awkward smile are almost like a grimace. can you imagine? your christmas card gone viral? >> for the wrong reasons. >> send someone a christmas card and then they criticize you? >> i know. >> i don't think it's terrible. >> they signed off on it. certainly they took more photographs and that was the one they like the best. speaking of frozen. >> idina menzel was with us on monday. we think she would be flattered by this next puppy, oakley, seems to be resting during this first song that's playing. but then the song changes to idina's "let it go." ♪ don't let them in don't let them see

see the good girl let it go let it go ♪ >> he loves the song. caught his attention immediately. >> that's how we sing "let it go." >> very close. anybody know what happened on this date, what momentous thing happened on this date ten years ago? >> we know. >> brian williams succeeded tom brokaw as anchor of nightly news. in honor of this major milestone, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite brian moments. >> as we continue, a great tradition starting tonight. >> this is an absolute disaster. >> what do you need the most? >> this sign is part of the old funtown pier. >> i've worked for the national security agency undercover overseas. >> i got this fwi tar and want

to make it talk. >> that is now we slow jam the new. >> oh, yeah. >> i'm brian williams, reporting tonight from new york. good night. >> yeah. >> lot of moments over ten years and we posted all of them on our website. go to today.com and you can have a little brian fest. >> he has done a terrific, terrific job. congratulations. >> great guy. >> that's what's trending today. now to a stunt that's getting a lot of attention. you'll see why. conservationist sent out to be eaten alive by an anaconda, mission through the amazon documented through a new discovery channel special. take a look.

>> and paul rosalee is with us now. bunch of guys sitting around a table, trying to come up with crazy ideas for a television special and someone says, i know. maybe we could have a guy eaten by a snake, pass the bong? how does that go? >> it started with me watching rain forests get burned and getting really frustrated that people weren't as excited about it as i was. i said i want to do something that's going to grab people's attention. >> that raises a question. what ideas got discarded? >> people tried everything else. every year, as i work down th e there, year after year, you see this habitat being destroyed. i worked with anacondas for years now. i know a lot about the species and know how scared people are

of big snakes. >> you're trying to preserve the forest, it seems your heart is in the right place. a lot of people say this is not the right way to go about it. people at peta say this is basically harming the snake. how do you respond to that? >> i'm the guy down there protecting these animals and the ecosystem. what's cool about peta, 35,000 people in a week came out to support a snake and usually snakes are the villains. i thought it was really cool that so many people spoke up in support of a snake. >> let's talk about the whole situation. so, you set out to find the anaconda. >> that's the hardest part. >> one of sufficient size. >> yeah. >> how big was the -- >> we ended up catching one that was 20 feet, which is not easy to do. >> how do you go about getting yourself in position to be eaten? >> that was a long process. that, we had to design a suit that could withstand the crush.

anaconda latch on with their bite and crush. i had to be able to survive the crush part. we had a carbon fiber suit designed and make sure i would be able to breathe in case i made it inside the anaconda and put pig's blood on the outside of the suit to make me as appealing as possible. >> how does an anaconda go about swauling a human of your side? >> head first. feet first you would be -- head first everything is streamlined. whether it's a deer, crocodile, mouse, when snakes eat, they eat head first t goes smooth. for me, you have to go head first. >> what was it like as your head was going down that snake's throat? >> it was a difficult thing -- it was such a stressful -- my heart was going like this. last thing i remember is seeing the snake's mouth open straight at my face. everything went black and then i felt -- it was like being caught in a wave. it was wrapped up and you feel that crush. for over an hour i was being

constricted and then -- >> could you see? could you hear? >> i couldn't see. i couldn't hear much. i just had -- i was radioing back to people telling them that i was alive. >> this is weird but could you smell? i can't imagine it was a pleasant experience. >> i don't remember smelling anything. that wasn't important at the time. >> it reminds me of a bizarre moment from marlin perkins mutual of omaha. the team is outside, you're doing great, paul. >> they're going, can you still breathe? they're checking in. making sure i'm okay. we had veterinarians on site to making sure that the snake was okay, there were people making sure that me or the snake wasn't getting hurt. >> some people were saying an anaconda expends all this energy to ingest something of your size and ultimately gets no meal. is that harmful to the snake? >> it could be, especially for a wild snake. if you deprive it of a food source and then it has to go back out and reinvest that time

in trying to find something to eat. we had vets on site, took very good care of the snake, made sure she was healthy. >> how did you get out? >> they don't tell you how the tightrope walker make it is across. you have to watch on sunday. >> okay. paul, bizarre. completely bizarre. >> i'll do anything to -- >> glad you're here on the couch. >> my wife was there, jumping on the snakes with us in the amazon, watching me while i was in the suit, keeping everybody else fine. >> and hosing you down before you step foot in the house. >> paul rosalee, thank you. >> thanks, guys. >> "eaten alive" airs on the discovery channel this sunday at

all right. never mind those holiday sales. when it comes to things like plane tickets, tv, food, do you know which day to shop on to get the best deal? sharon epperson is cnbc's personal finance correspondent. she says time something everything. good morning. >> good morning. >> i remember sbrug the ceo of a major store chain a while ago and he told me he knew when people get their paychecks and position items in stores accordingly and price accordingly. this is a real science. >> this is a real science. many companies are doing it based on -- it makes it a lot easier now, based on online sales to figure out when are some of the best deals to get what you want. >> it's tuesday.

let's start with tuesday. what is today a good day to shop for? >> today is a great day if you want to take your kids out to eat for free. go to website kids eat for free.com. put in your zip code and figure out tonight i could take my kids to a local restaurant, at least my younger one, under 10, and they could eat for me with me. >> a good day to buy airline tickets. >> movie tickets actually. >> i'm sorry. >> a lot of conventional wisdom says tuesday is a great day for airline ticks. i'm going to tell you the best day for that in a minute. >> wednesday, good day to buy groceries and jewelry. odd combination. >> groceries because a lot of weekend discounts begin. you'll get those ads in the newspaper or online for some of the discounts at groceries. for jewelry, there have been some websites, those that track online retailers say that you can get a great discount on jewelry on that day. >> let's move on to thursday. i know clothes shopping is good on thursday. >> yep. >> handbags? >> yeah. again, you can get a big

discount on handbags on that day, this is a website that looks at online retailers that says you can get handbags nearly 50% off on thursday. clothes, great day. it varies depending on what type of clothing you might be buying. >> new clothes, my man purse. and i should jump on a car because friday we're talking about gasoline. >> exactly. now you know that gas prices are down about 50 cents a gallon in the last year, on average. almost any day of the week you're shopping for gas seems like a bargain compared to a year ago. friday is a great day to fill up. some people may say i'm doing it on my way to work monday. the lowest prices are usually over a weekend. fill up before the weekend. >> what's good on saturday? >> maybe some discounts at department stores. they might have some good discounts for the weekend. you may think a lot of people are shopping but there's a lot of people doing many things on the weekend. they want to bring down the surprises and get you in the stores. >> retailers realize they're competing for your free time on a saturday. >> they have to do that.

>> they have to do something to get you away from what you would normally be doing. sundays, airline tickets. >> airline tickets. a new study came out this fall that did a scientific look at airline tickets and found you could spend somewhere between 10% to 30% less by buying an airline ticket on sunday depending whether or not it's a domestic or international ticket. >> they also say, by the way, sunday is a good day for swimsuits. not sure about that. >> there's a reason for that. >> why? >> if you have a long weekend you'll buy a swimsuit for that long weekend. on sunday you're back. they want to make sure they get you back in the store. >> on monday? >> take a look at cars and electronics. one thing to remember with cars, look for when the rebates or bonus days are going to be. often it can be on that day. the same is true for manufacturers that put rebates or discounts on some of the products, electronics that you might be. retailers pass that on to the consumer and that often happens at the beginning of the week.

>> full week of savings by sharon epperson, thank you. appreciate it. >> you bet. miss leann rimes has a new album, about to go on tour. >> yep. >> some singing a christmas song for us. >> absolutely. >> she l-o-v-e, capital

you're watching today in the bay. >> a very good morning to you. it is 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. rain is saturating the bay area this morning. the past few minutes the national weather service issued a advisory for the entire bay area until 7:30 tonight. made for difficult driving conditions, even before the morning commute this morning. you should see how some roads are flooded along highway 101 in san francisco. drivers taking it slow. let's check in with mike. >> good morning, 280/880 interchange, soupy conditions here. in the south bay, slow coming up through campbell. the green means a wet road, but

blue means bigger puddling and ponding. jammed up north 17 and morgan hill, where john who works at the news desk says things are at a standstill. look at that, rain definitely dampening the conditions over there. slow 880 between the san mateo and dunbarton bridge and things generally keep building up. now it's really sticking around for the entire bay. flooding reported in spots around the bay bridge. back to you. >> we'll be back for you in about half an hour. hope to see you then. hope you have a great morning.

♪ it's 8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the second day of december, 2014. and leann rimes is here to perform for us live. first she is busy collecting toys for our 21st annual holiday toy drive. we want to get you involved. head to today.com for all the details. >> speaking about toys, what should you get the little ones on your list? we have sought out the real

experts, real babies, real parents, real kids. we'll start our four-day naughty or nice toy review. that's coming up. we'll get started in a couple of minutes. >> can't think of a gift to buy for someone you love? how about baking your own gift. >> wow! >> we have delicious and creative ideas for you. >> very nice. don't forget about the spot network's kindest kid in america contest. we introduce you to the finalists and voting ends tomorrow. please logon to our website. make sure you make a selection. we will reveal the winners. all the kids, i have to say, are amazing. adorable kids. >> let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> announcer: giving tuesday on the plaza is brought to you by the salvation army. thanks to you, the salvation army, to provide shelter for the 27,000 people tonight. learn more at

redkettlereason.org. the 124th salvation army campaign well under way. 25,000 bell ringers are all across the u.s., helping to ring bells for people in need. a few folks from the salvation army are also joining us. lieutenant colonel, national spokesperson. good to see you. >> nice to be with you, al. >> how many people in the salvation army currently helping? >> we help about 30 million people every year. that includes every zip code in the united states. >> and we've got lieutenant jones with us here, a bell ringer. now what's the red ketle all about? the red kettle reason? >> an opportunity for the community to sfourt their own community, a chance to know they are helping people right within their own community. >> i've seen some of you bell ringers out there. some of you have very elaborate routines going. >> absolutely. in many communities you can stand there and ring a bell and say we're here.

especially in a place like new york, there's a lot more competing for people's attention. we want to let people know, hey, we're here. >> do you have any kind of a routine down? >> i'm not really a dancer. nobody wants to see me dance. >> where does the money go during this season? >> the money you drop in this kettle stays right here in new york city. that's the case all over the country. >> each community stays in that community? >> each community stays right there in that local community and helps families. we'll help over 4 million children with toys and clothes and families will have a warm meal this christmas because of the donation. >> lieutenant bucarell and lieutenant jones, thank you very much. merry christmas. we need this rain in the bay area, and we have some really impressive totals, although it's still coming in heavily, make sure you travel cautiously out there. we picked up an inch of rain. this is more rain than we've had

since 2012 in the bay area, and by the time it's all said and done, it could be more rain than we've had since 2009. we really need it. your totals are looking good. over an inch just about everywhere so far, with heavy stuff still streaming in. heavy rain winding down, thunderstorms expected later this afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you very much. kicking off a holiday series, naughty or nice. kids put toys to the test. to get the takes of children and parents for some of the season's hottest gifts. babies, toddlers and preschoolers. first let's show you how we got the results. 40 new toy s reviewed by more than kids across 24 states. how easy was it to open the package, the quality of the product, ease of assembly, how fun and engaging the toy was as well as how long the fun lasted.

>> the best way to review a toy is in the home with a family. you really get to see how the instructions work, the packaging, the assembly and, most importantly, does your child still want to play with that toy two weeks later? >> you want this? >> the excitement was building in the dowdy house where he was eager to get to work while his sisters were busy with their own toy. >> they're very opinionated. they will definitely let you know if something isn't right. >> over in the kang household, off to a good start after discovering the special package that arrived in the mail. >> it's really fun. >> the feedback will be welcomed advice for toy reviewer roxanne meyer who says she can always use the help. >> in advance i wish i really knew what i was getting into before spending a lot of money on a new toy. >> and we found just the right people to let her know.

>> i like it because it can move its neck and tail and do crazy stuff. >> all right. stephanie oppenheim is the co-founder of toy portfolio. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i love our adorable little testers. >> you're totally in the zone, savannah. we know that little babies don't need a lot of toys but need to be well chosen, which brings us to the first toy here. she is fast asleep, one of our producer's babies right here. this got the highest score of the day. parents loved the fact that it was very old fashioned, and also the music it plays is like a music box rather than a lot of electronic noise. we've got a 29 out of 30. >> gd reviews from parents. not justify the scores but the review. >> lot of good comments. jackson is on this toy from infantino. putting babies down on the mat. parents thought it was an engaging toy. he was been playing on it for a

while. only negative remark, one parent thought the mat was too thin but for safety reasons with little babies you really need it to be thin. you don't want to put a baby down on a thick mat. >> maybe put it on a carpet, in other words? >> little more padding. >> who doesn't love a bouncing ball? >> it got a 26. jaden is playing with his mom, his little brother is also playing with it. great toy for engaging your kids in play. kids like the textures. they giggled with it. sometimes the kids didn't know what to do with it. that's where you're getting on the floor and playing with your kids. >> you don't just leave them with the ball. >> no. >> props for playing with your baby. roller block wall from fisher-price only got a 19 from the parents. they like the block idea but thought the overall toy while sturdy and well made was bulky and not that engaging. they didn't think it would have lasting play vau. little bit of a disappointment on that one.

now moving on to toddlers. they're all about on the go. juliette is getting on this three-in-one elephant from fisher-price. our kids couldn't wait to get on it. good thing to know about this, one of our parents pointed out, it takes 35 to 40 minutes to put it together. if you're not particularly handy. oh, elliott. if your kids aren't -- if you're not handy, you want someone to have you help with it. >> assemble it beforehand. >> exactly. our kids couldn't wait. next toy is v-tech smart shop center. one of the toys we tested this year -- there you go! it fits in with toddlers who love doing things dp s again an again. families reported this was the easiest toy to put together. one family said after two weeks of playing with it every day their son was not that much into it. >> kind of over it. >> and every child is different. >> this is one of the few hot

toys of the year, the disney get better talking mobile, featuring doc mcstuffins, wonderful character. she wants to be a doctor, just like her mom. and she works out on all of her toys. our parents were so excited to get this toy but were concerned about the quality. a lot of the pieces fall off. one of the other things we always look at, you can see there's a lamby on the box, but there's no lamby in the toy. >> you don't want to disappoint the little ones? >> exactly. >> lamby sold separately, in other words? >> exactly. >> finally? >> zuppo legos, open-ended set. parents loved the fact that the kids were building from the beginning. hi, elliott. elliott is building here as well. >> okay. >> want to try this? >> you can try that one over there. >> parents love the fact that the kids were building. and they appreciated the storage it comes in as well. all in all, great toy for

toddlers. >> one down, three more to go. stephanie oppenheim, thank you so much. >> tomorrow the lowdown on toys for early school years, 5 to 8-year-old sets. but this morning, holiday treats that you can make and give as

back now at 8:42. not sure what to buy loved ones for your holiday list? create your own delicious treats to sweeten the season. better homes and gardens contributor. happy holidays. >> happy holidays. >> good morning. we're your elves today. congratulations. you're going to show us how to make the actual item and then the packaging is beautiful. >> exactly. if you get past the candy and not eat it all, then you can

package it. >> what are we making here? >> traditional toffee, ingredients are vanilla, butter and salt. couldn't be easier. if it gets higher than 120 degrees, that's okay. >> you want to be as accurate as possible. >> it's not one of those sugar products that you're scared to stir. stir away. and then you pour it into a pan lined with tin foil and spray just a little bit with nonstick cooking spray. you see it levels itself out very easily. you don't have to do a lot. be careful you don't get the hot sugar on your paws. that hurts. >> then what do we do? >> that's what it looks like. you want it to be nice and cool. then you melt some white chocolate or dark chocolate and little bit of shortening. you see chocolate and it looks chalky? this helps it stay nice and shiny. >> you spread it on top of the topping? >> and you spread it with marcona almonds. >> and when you are done, you

chop it up? >> you chop it up. >> and make it look like this. what a beautiful presentation. >> not that hard. >> not hard at all. you just have to be patient and let it cool. if you put the chocolate on early when you break it up, the chocolate will more than likely fall off. >> i'll keep working on this. >> you can use a hammer to chop it up. >> coconut cheesecake bars. >> it's a good one. >> talk to me. >> line a pan with gram crackers, put them face down so the dots are down. >> this is my skill level. >> here is the trick. when you're using a graham cracker as a guide, i take a picture with an iphone to remember where the placement is of all the stuff. don't move the pan around. >> what do i do with this? >> you use that in half. that's where you use your breaking skills. >> i assumed but -- >> then you spread a plain batter on top of it and you get a colored batter and make little

polka dots. the trick is you put it in -- colored batter in the freezer a little bit and only go halfway down and do just a little squeeze. not a big squeeze. little squeezing. this makes polka dots. say your batter is crazy runny, you can put it all over the place and then take a little toothpick and make swirly whirls. it's just as pretty. >> show us the finished product. super cute how you've assembled this. >> al is doing a gorgeous job. these are perfect little treats. i usually put parchment in between so they're easier to pick up. >> and they're right there inside, too. >> these look delicious. >> these are tobbagens. you place them on either side. make sure they stand up. then you put a little royal

icing or two people, that's even better. put a little royal icing down the side. it's really easy. confecti confectioner sugar. >> tastiest glue ever. preferably one that is rectangular, make the little wooden slats. >> that's a cute idea. >> put a little ribbon around it. i use them for place holders on dinner plates and put matt, savannah, al. >> it will look like snow. >> these are delicious. cherry lime mipistachiop pralin >> put the sugar inside, let it harden, lift them out or turn it upside down, give it a gentle pat and they'll fall out. for packaging, these are gorgeous. make sure they face out.

and they're delicious. so win/win. they're a praline but have that beautiful color and cherry flavored. yummy. >> i could dive into that cheesecake. thank you very much. happy holidays. >> thank you for having me. >> we posted these recipes on today.com where you can also learn how to get involved in our million meals by christmas food drive. up next, a holiday favorite from leann rimes. first this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> leann rimes was just 14 years old when she won two grammy awards. 20 years later she's still at the top of the music charts. she just released "one christmas: chapter one."

good to see you. when it says chapter one, that makes me think there's going to be a chapter two and a chapter three. >> yes. sorry, savannah. yeah, there actually is. i love christmas. we talked about this earlier. i really kind of wanted to stret stretch it out for personal reasons and then we'll do two more that will end up as one full project in 2016. >> you say you're obsessed with christmas. con fe confession here. >> i'm usually on top of this. this year was august. >> you waited till august? >> i d i'm usually done by now but because of the tour i'm not at all. i did the whole cyber monday thing and i'm trying to get some shopping done while i'm in town. >> a special tour going on in december with this album? >> yes. >> december 20th? >> yes. absolutely. we're on the east coast this year for one christmas tour. we actually teamed up with save the children also to raise some money for kids in need this year through their donation program

of sponsoring a child for a dollar day. my fans are fantastic. they're so giving. i can't wait to see them all out on tour. it will be fun. >> we can't wait to sing. so take it away. >> okay. ♪ ♪ i'll have a blue christmas without you ♪ ♪ i'll be so blue just thinking about you ♪ ♪ decorations of red on a green christmas tree won't mean a thing dear

if you're not here with me ♪ ♪ and when those blue snowflakes start falling that's when those blue memories start call iing ♪ ♪ you'll be doing all right with your christmas of white ♪ ♪ but i'll have a blue blue christmas ♪ ♪

♪ decorations of red on a green christmas tree it won't mean a thing dear if you're not here with me ♪ ♪ and when those blue snow flakes start falling that's when those blue memories start calling ♪ ♪ you'll be doing all right with your christmas of white ♪

♪ oh, but i'll have a blue blue christmas ♪ >> leann ri mechltmes, thank yo. she'll be back with a more music a little later. and we'll see her tomorrow night for the lighting of the rockefeller

a very good tuesday morning to you. it is 8:56 right now. a live look at san francisco this morning. the bay bridge there in the distance, bay area getting saturated from one of the heaviest downpours in years. let's check the latest right now. >> taking a live look out here. look at that wet roadway, soupy conditions around the bay. traffic slowly built and now

it's slow because it's built. this is past oakland coliseum. look at your maps, red all over the place. you can see below 20 miles per hour, up towards the bay bridge on either side of the bay, crossing across the san mateo bridge and routes through the south bay, that's a very tough drive, as well. look at san jose, soupy conditions here, and through the peninsula. back to the "today" show.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall live from studio 1a rockefeller plaza. it's tuesday, december 2nd. one day way from tree lighting. >> right now, online media is on fire. >> about willie geist. >> no, no. tamron hall, people think you're not wearing pants, including willie geist. >> it's so strange. i saw willie this morning. >> stand up so they can see the pants. >> no! >> but -- >> when you're sitting down it looks like you're not wearing pants. >> he said it looks like you're

not wearing pants and i'm getting tweets from people saying where are your pants? why would you think i would show up for work without pants? >> for half a second i thought oh, my gosh, she's not wearing pant. >> this is like the commercial with the chocolate m & m. they think she's naked. >> our trend today is leather. >> those are leather pants. >> natalie is wearing leather, too. >> i forgot. i didn't know you had leather as your tuesday's trend. >> we had no idea we would both be wearing leather pant. >> well let me show you what i -- >> al is wearing his chaps to work again. >> i had those on earlier. it was a little chilly out. >> so as willie greeted me about my leather pants, i said, you have failed me, willie geist. you disappointed me for the last time. >> oh. >> wow! >> jeez. >> this is how i break up. this is how i do it.

this is how i break up. >> for the last time. >> i begged willie not to -- >> you should do it. >> it's good. >> i said why would you shave your goatee? johnny, who does my hair. he said i love willie's goatee. >> are you sure about this? >> no, no, that's like dirty willie. >> exactly. hello. >> here is the shot. zoom in on that. >> he looks like v from vendetta. johnny said that you just needed to trim it up more. like you just needed -- >> more importantly, how did the wife feel about it? >> the wife. >> the wife? >> the wife. the wife was happy to see my face back, i'll be honest with you. >> she has seen it for how many years? >> did we just jump into the '50s? the wife. >> how did the old ball and chain think about it? >> you know you answer to the

wife. >> i answer to my wife. >> you thought you looked like chuck todd. >> the chuck todd. he has a patent on that. >> you have a chip. >> same color as chuck and -- anyway. it's gone. it would take six months to get it back. >> can you please grow it back? >> no. do you know how long it's going to take? >> six months, yes. i do. >> fine, all right. i'll let it go. yesterday we talked about matt's interview with janay rice. we also told you, ray rice was not present for the interview of janay and her mother but he showed up at home later and matt said can i ask you a few questions? and boy, did he ever. he asked him the same question he asked janay about abuse. >> no relationship is perfect. we've had arguments. but when you talk about abuse, you know, that's something that, you know, we know that we would never cross that path. but then did we say things to

each other that we want to take back at times? yeah, we crossed that line before. it never got to an altercation where -- that went that far. you know, that was just very uncharacteristic of, you know, myself. i take responsibility. that was very uncharacteristic. >> ray echoing what ja inform ay said in the interview yesterday, that there have been no previous incidents and none since what we saw in the elevator. ray also spoke to matt about how his 2 1/2-year-old daughter, raven, would be affected in the future by the incident. >> i'm horribly sorry for everything that i have put my family through. i still have to live every day, go take my daughter to school. she's going to grow up. and the way the internet works now she's going to google her father's name and the first thing that's going to come up is -- you know. we know what's going to come up. >> another part of the interview i thought was important was that ravens press conference we all saw. and he didn't apologize to his wife. and he said the ravens gave us

talking points. we couldn't say certain things for legal reasons and i think he called it a horrendous mistake not to apologize to his wife in that moment. he said he obviously apologized to her privately. he should have apologized to her there. he said we were reading from a script and were nervous and weren't ourselves today. >> 60% of folks say ray rice should not be signed to another nfl team. 40% say yes. maybe time eventually softens that opinion. >> a year from now where that stands. >> and it's also a lesson, i guess, on many levels but taking your own destiny in your hands. someone says to you, say this. and your heart tells you otherwise, in the end, you're responsible. i know they're both young. and i get that. but if that story is true and there was something within them that said i really don't want to do this, but the ravens are telling me -- it's a cautionary tale.

go with what you know. it's your life. your life. >> such a tsunami. >> i get it. i get t that's why it's a cautionary tale. that's exactly why there's a lesson in that. there are lessons across the board. but in that, you take your destiny in your hands and take nothing from anyone else. >> i think ray was smart to stop and take a few questions from matt. you can watch the full interview on today.com. whether you like the guy or not or think he should play or not, that's interesting. >> you also hear from janay's dad. that's her mom standing next to her but next to her was her dad. he has a lot of strong things to say about what people have talked about his daughter. and i think it's where people are checking that out on today.com. >> it's compelling from their sides to hear them in their words, their voice and answering all of matt's questions. >> absolutely. we'll move on to what was an incredible event. it happened right in the middle of times square yesterday if you were one of the lucky ones who just happened to be here in new york city. willie, you were there for it.

>> i was. >> to commemorate world aids day, u2 announced on its facebook page they would be holding this surprise concert right there in the middle of times square hours before the start. problem, as you all know, bono was injured in that bike accident and is still recovering. he called in a couple of his good old buddies including bruce spring teen, chris martin from coldplay, carrie underwood, kanye west. incredible event for the thousands of people who got that facebook fan page or tweet. >> sadly, the weather wasn't great. they all sound amazing singing u2 songs. >> it was incredible. you figure who could possibly fill in for bono and then chris martin pops out. there's a mike, no singer. they start "with or without you" and chris martin comes out. he does two songs and he goes away. >> going bananas.

>> bono start this had red campaign many years ago. but for keeping on with the effort in the fight against aids, we all know the statistics. 39 million lives have been claimed since 1981 because of aids. but also keeping up -- he planned this, even though it was a surprise, obviously, to do something in the middle of times square, you have to plan it a little bit. to continue on with the effort even though he was injured in that bike accident. >> seriously injured. >> surgery. >> major facial surgery, as reported by the doctor. >> absolutely. yeah. >> i want to see his contact book that you can say, willie, call -- >> you know, it's funny you say that. before the music starts, bill clinton walks out and pulls out a piece of paper. i got an e-mail from bono yesterday. >> that's pretty good. >> had 20 years of practice with the man. >> can you do that again? >> no. >> he also did a mean rand paul. >> do you really? >> i'll have to think about

that. no, even know what rand paul -- >> do deniro. >> no. >> come on. >> what is this? >> do deniro! >> just throw anybody out. willie's good at it. did you somebody the other day. >> you don't do a deniro? >> everybody does a deniro. >> no, no, you did. it's the eyebrows, the mouth. >> to your point, tamron, he sends an e-mail to bill clinton and bill clinton shows up and runs the show. >> anybody else? call out a name. >> willie does an impersonation of me. not on air, though. >> in a commercial break? >> this is her. we'll go to a commercial in about five minutes, tamron looks at her phone. talking to herself. i'm hungry. i want a cheeseburger. ooh, ice cream. i'm like, who are you talking to? >> it's so true. >> telling her phone -- >> talking to this guy.

>> so rude. >> is it not true? >> okay, moving on. >> it's so true. >> moving on, miss natalie. it's so true, get out of here. the bills house, cowboys fan, giants, oswego. you will become a bills fan after seeing this one. check out the amazing christmas light tribute to, i think, one of the classiest football teams around. take a look at this. ♪ the bills make me want to shout kick your heels up shout throw your hands up shout the bills are making it happen now stand up and shout say you will shout it right now baby say you will ♪ ♪ come on come on say you will come on and shout ♪ ♪ say you will yeah shout

buffalos happy now ♪ >> how much is the light bill? we dent know and they don't care because they love the bills. love that. >> that's great. >> really quickly -- >> oh, what? >> we have a shot of tamron. >> what? >> you were on steve harvey. >> oh, yeah, the steve harvey show. >> we love steve harvey. you actually end up -- you're going to be on there today. >> it airs today. >> a little sneak peek of you in "ask steve." >> oh, yeah, ask steve. >> i recently went on a date with a guy who is 50-ish years old and he sent me a message with an emoticon with the little kiss and willie said men don't send emojis. is it a deal breaker? >> i think willie's right about that. he's 50 something? how does he even know where that is on the phone? you know, my kids send me all

these symbols and stuff. my wife sends me symbols. i'm looking at my phone. i'm trying to figure out where the hell are these faces at? i don't have that kind of time. i don't really know. and he in his 50s? ooh, i don't have nothing to say. i'm going to send a face. >> so much for that. >> but i sent al roker an emoji two days ago and what did i say? yes, i sent you an emoji. >> you did. >> i think it's okay for women to send it. >> al, can a man send an emoji? >> he can, but he has to give up his man card. but first this. >> true. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by the salvation army. thanks to you, the salvation army will provide shelter for 27,000 people tonight. learn more at red kettle reason.org. >> got a lot going on out west. heavy rain making its way into san francisco. looking for showers and thunderstorms.

we're also looking at wet weather down in southern california as well. flash flood watches, winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings up and down the california coast. coastal areas, one to three inches of rain. in the hills could be up to eight inches of rain. then we've got a mess here in the neef. we're going to be looking at more wet weather from washington, d.c. down into boston. expect to see some frozen precip making its way through. freezing rain advisories and winter weather we have a flood advisory issued for the entire bay area, and that is in place until 7:30 this evening. i haven't seen that for years, my friends want we need this rain. it's coming in heavily and will continue to with the development of thunderstorms offshore. look at this. we've got lightning strikes and a very unstable air mass that's going to move right over the bay area. we are counting on thunder and lightning in our neck of the woods this afternoon. we'll let you know if anything

serious develops. temperatures cool, cloudy, rain today. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. for all the joy of holidays, the next month or so can take a toll on your overall health. [ jeremy ] i get to spend all day, every day, visiting with dentists, getting an understanding of what they're looking for. somebody who has sensitivity, they want relief from their sensitivity pain, but they also want the other things that are available in toothpaste. new sensodyne complete protection is designed specifically for sensitivity sufferers, but then, on the other side of the coin, it's also delivering on the other attributes that patients want out of a sensitivity toothpaste, delivering a complete package. i think dentists are going to want to recommend sensodyne complete protection. it's going to be a breath of fresh air for them. sensodyne complete protection.

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>> go time. >> oh, sorry! nearly half a million americans say their stress levels have increased the past several years. with the rush of the holiday season upon us, it's going to get worse. so tackle it now. >> yes, it is. health magazine contributing medical editor, dr. roshini raj. dr. raj, good to see. >> you hello. when you think about stress overall, it start that is fight or flight response. hormones are raging, cortisol. this was good back in the day when we were being chased by wild animals.

now with chronic levels of though hormones going through our body can wreak havoc. >> head to toe. >> chronic stress can definitely increase your risk of anxiety disorder, depression, short-term memory loss, dementia, increase your risk of stroke. headaches. people feel they're stressed they get more headaches or migraines. definitely in the brain it's having some effect. >> it causes seasonal allergy flare-ups? >> one thing that contributes when they get a flare is stress. not only do you need to stick to your medications and avoid the triggers but also try to reduce stress. it can trigger a flare. >> how about the muscles? spasms? >> when you're in a stressful situation, you tense up your muscles. if you're getting ready for a fight that's a good thing. chronic tension in muscles lead to sore muscles, pain, spasming and your joints. stress increases your risk of arthritis as well. >> heart disease and risk of

heart attack. >> absolutely. clearly known. increased stress increases your risk of heart attacks, heart disease, wreaking havoc on your vessels. type a personality is the most at risk for heart attack. >> not great for the stomach either is stress. >> no. there's a concept of the mind/gut convection. same neurotransmitters in your brain can react on your gut. irritable bowel syndrome. weight gain and obesity definitely linked to stress. >> for fertility, it can impact your sex drive, irregular hormones. now that we have this list, what's the practical advice? >> we need to do something about it, clearly. unplug. i definitely recommend text-free time during your day. if you're an addict, like many people are, start with 15 minutes but spread it out to an hour where you're decompressing with your friends, family or alone but without any technology in there. >> how about exercise? how important is it? >> i can't say it enough. exercise is so great for every part of your body but an amazing

stress reducer. particularly if you're able to exercise outdoors, get some sunlight in there, even better for the stress. >> social connections, meet a lot of people over the holidays. take advantage of that, i imagine. >> good social connections, not the stressful ones. >> it can be very isolating when you're stressed out. having a drink with a friend or going to an exercise class with someone. >> i swear by meditation. i meditate twice a day. >> it's a real trend now. people are jumping on the band wagon. it's wonderful. it only takes a few minutes. it could be waiting for the doctor. wherever you are. >> always good to see you. to find out how stress affects other parts of your body go to today.com. other parts of your body go to today.com. should you choose before larry instantly transferred money from his other parts of your body go to today.com. should you choose bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business

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stormy weather taking center stage today. a live look at 101 in palo alto right now. a big storm making its way through the bay area. a small advisory in effect for all nine counties in the bay area. let's check in now with meteorologist christina loren. >> there's a flood advisory in place for the entire bay area. good morning to you. that stays in place until 7:30 this evening, as we're going to continue to see this rain move onshore and basically what that means, when you head out and about today, you will likely encounter areas of ponding and puddles on the roadways with more activity slated for the second half of the day. take a look at this, thunderstorms now firing off offshore. it's going to take awhile for that unstable air mass to make

its way to the north bay, but we are expecting it to arrive about 1:46 in santa rosa and 1:14 bodega bay. look at that, another real time lightning strike. this is the kind of weather we don't typically get because of the drought, we haven't had rain like this in years, so you want to take it easy out there. 64 degrees is the high on the peninsula. east shore today at 61 degrees. 57 degrees, that's your high for the north bay, with the thunderstorms expected mostly between noon and 5:00 p.m. we'll be here watching that for you all day long. not going to drop that guard, not even for a moment with this kind of weather in the bay area. right now, send it to the break.

we're getting a little break, starting to see things break up as far as your morning commute. this is southbound 101, look still big puddles in the roadway, but the freeway itself moving better. this is southbound 101. look at your maps, volume starting to decrease in the north bay. also the upper east shore

freeway condensing down to golden gate field and the approach 580, 24 and 880 towards the bay bridge, still a slow drive into san francisco. soupy conditions around much of the bay. recovering, again, for oakland, but 880 through hayward and fremont, finally seeing relief. slow across the san mateo bridge and through palo alto, sam showed you the earlier shot. southbound 101 jammed up with wet, slippery roadways and for the dublin interchange. back to you. >> it is going to be a painful commute today. another round of rain, thunderstorms, christina was saying, on its way. we'll have more in 25 minutes. join us then.

welcome back to "today" on this tuesday morning, the 2nd of december, 2014. take a look at the beautiful tree this year, that will be lit up tomorrow night by al roker, natalie morales, matt, savannah. >> that's right. >> we'll go drinking somewhere. >> hey! >> they plan on getting lit up themselves. >> tweeting. >> whoa, whoa, what was that? >> you know. >> the longer we do this show, the more we find out. >> getting to know you. >> speaking of the holidays, we'll do a little secret santa. >> okay. >> deliver the gifts on our christmas show. we'll do the drawing right here and now. >> so much pressure. >> please let us know what you think at work and at home, wherever you are watching. >> it's too much. >> the next 25 days is filled

with such pressure. >> yeah. >> i love giving gifts, but the gifting is out of control. >> i'm going to get you a little violin. >> i would love for us to write a personal letter to each other, something you said or did that impacted that person's year. something, you know -- >> meaningful. >> thoughtful and not a key chain that you're regifting, al. >> did you pick? you did. >> from last year. >> maybe i do like this. >> i can see right through it. >> these are very see through. >> yeah. you really spent big money on the heavy stock. >> budget from last year, that's why. >> now i know who you have. >> you. >> not so secret anymore. >> she saw it. she saw it. >> let's do it again. >> redo. >> we'll do it while al does the weather. >> he saw it. >> don't you feel like you're in the spirit? >> i'm just saying, let's write letters to each other. >> okay. let's do that. let's do it.

in fact, it's a $50 limit. so let's write letters on $50 bills. >> it's $25. >> $25? all right. thank you, lovie. in the northeast, icy mix with snow to the north, rain to the south. we're watching that. rest of the country, we expect to see, again, more heavy rain through southern california, central california. mountain snows there. fog down around the central gulf coast. got a lot of fog in san francisco right now. major airport delays at san francisco international airport. tomorrow that wet weather spreads to the east. snow in the central rockies. we've got sunshine in the north, in the midatl good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. with an nbc bay area microclimate weather alert. you can see right now a lot of the heavy rainfall is moving over an area we desperately need it, from sacramento south to stockton. heavy rain.

we're getting a break for now from the heavy stuff, but there's more on the way. expecting that to return to richmond about 11:14. you can see out here on the pacific, we've got numerous thunderstorms developing, expecting thunderstorms to move over the bay area as of this afternoon. more on that in moments. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right. ready for a road trip, guys? >> yeah. >> oh, yeah. >> if you're a parent you know what it feels like to constantly be in a rush, whether getting the kids off to school in the morning or rushing off to soccer practice. >> ow. >> are we there yet? >> ow! >> "today's" nutritionist joy bauer will show us how kids and parents can eat healthy on the go. >> okay. >> hi, mom. >> hey! this is the ultimate joy ride. >> ha, ha. >> get it? >> joy ride. >> let's tighten up a little bit so we look like we're really in a car. there you b=ç

>> there we go. >> i'll give you all scenarios. as a team you guys are going to pick which you think is the healthier pick. >> okay. >> so first try to wake the kids up three separate times to get them downstairs, up for breakfast. you throw them in the car. which is the better breakfast? whole wheat slice of toast with jam and o.j. or toasted whole grain waffle with peanut butter and sliced banana? >> waffle. >> waffle has it. excellent. >> here's why. this is all carbs. at least with the waffle you have from the peanut butter healthy fat, protein, fiber from the banana. they'll stay energized in the morning. good job, team. family. >> thanks, mom. >> now you drop the kids off at school but you didn't eat. >> no. >> so you hit the coffee shop or the deli. low-fat banana muffin or an egg cheese sandwich on a roll? >> egg cheese sandwich on a

roll! hit the horn [ horn honks ] >> the sandwich will hold you because of all that protein until lunch. this is a lot of sugar. basically a cupcake without any frosting. >> that huge bun is okay? >> are you talking about my sandwich? >> buns are good. in this case, i would say lose the top bun or you can order it with an english muffin to reduce the starch. >> you're not watching the road, mom. >> i'm so sorry. now what's going to happen, you pick your kids up for an after-school activity. >> right. >> they haven't eaten since lunchtime. >> right. >> which is often around 11:30 in the morning. >> that's bad. >> pack them a snack for the car. are you going to give them eight pretzels and a cheese stick or popcorn and a cheese stick? >> popcorn and a cheese stick. >> you guys are nailing this! yes! this is great. >> look at jerry running alongside here. >> that's because the pretzels

are basically white flour and yeast and popcorn has fiber. amazing. now we are exhausted. we're if falling on our face. we worked, took care of the family. are you okay, al? so you want the most potent pick-me-up. is it going to be a cup of coffee with a handful of almonds or a skim milk cappuccino? >> coffee. >> there you go. last question, are you going to give them a six-piece chicken nugget and parfait or quarter pound hamburger with parfait? >> nuggets. >> hamburger. >> nuggets. there is less calories and carbs. with so many kids dealing with weight and type ii diabetes, this is the better choice. >> faster, faster.

>> whoa! >> oh, parfait everywhere. >> you want to eat something. you're at the fast food restaurant. al, tamron, willie, natalie, what is the lesser of two evils? a double cheeseburger or is it going to be the checken club sandwich? >> chicken club. >> cheeseburger. >> the lesser of the two evils. >> al had it. this is tricky. the chuck chicken club has more calorie. >> bacon. >> bacon, mayo. bottom line is, use your smart phone. check the calories. all fast food lists those calories online or in the restaurant. >> all right. thanks so much. up next, before you hop in the car and pick out your christmas tree we'll show you how to pick out the best fir and make it last all season long. how to pick out the best fir and make it last all season long. come on, keep driving! ah, the bold new camry. how you can get a great deal and makeduring toyotathon.n long. come on, keep driving! i love the new look. and it's a blast to drive.

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excellent, delicious... and yummy! honey bunches of oats. tasty! yummy! up to 27% more brush movements. patented sonic technology with get healthier gums in two weeks. innovation and you philips sonicare save when you give philips sonicare this holiday season. a lot of folks will be hitting the tree farms, find that perfect christmas tree, whether you want one with a nice fragrance, full and sturdy. here are things to consider. >> to help you find the perfect tree and care for it all season

long. >> good morning. >> if i'm getting a tree, will it last? >> if you do it the right way. trees are like -- they're all available. it depends how much money you want to spend. douglas fir, in california we have a bunch of two-by-fours made out of. they're flimsy on the branches. the ornaments fall off. >> they're widely available. >> they're inexpensive. >> you get the tree. what do you do too-to-make sure it will stay fresh? >> come on over here. first of all, check this out. we've got the douglas, right? thin and flimsy. frazier fir. >> this is the one i like. >> they say americans choose this as their favorite christmas tree. very widely available. blue sort of greenish silver, two-tone. theáyou have the noble fir.

>> how do you keep that new christmas tree smell going? >> keeping your trees looking good all season long, getting your money's worth and the smell inside of your house. all of them will smell good. the trick really is to make sure it's freshly cut before you stick it in the water. >> by the time they trim it up and you drive it home, the sap, which in trees gets all over your car, the accept is moving so fast through this tree, it will seal the would you know. now the tree will not take up water. >> you have to do it yourself when you get home? >> don't even have them cut it. >> don't even bother. >> have them cut it when you're at home. everybody has a $10 saw. get yourself a saw. you had your son do this, right? >> exactly. >> safety first. >> i did this in like, what was it, 18 seconds, you guys? >> let's see. >> ready, ready? nice, fresh cut. >> thousand one, thousand two, thousand three, thousand four, thousand five, thousand six, thousand seven, thousand eight,

thousand nine, thousand ten, thousand 11, thousand 12. >> wow! >> fresh. >> right height and everything to get it inside. otherwise you're doing it all over again. if you're there at the christmas tree lot, you have to do something like this. remember we did this? took a little bandage, wrap it around there. it's like fresh cut flowers. you wouldn't keep them out of water. >> once you get it in the stand should you put anything in that water? >> you don't need to put anything in the water, softeners. if you have leftover packets from your flowers, you can put them in there. but it's fresh cut. keep checking on it. >> something more environmentally friendly. >> living tree. >> it often will cost you a little bit more money. come january 1st, you can go sbouts p outside and put this in your yard. >> i like that idea. >> well done. >> next year you're doing this segment. >> you do the sawing. speaking of christmas trees, 85-foot norway spruce right

there across the way gets lit tomorrow night. you can tune in for a star-studded special at 8:00 pm. >> it would take you a couple of hours to saw that thing. >> right. be like ahmad, wear some leather pants if you're going to a party. tamron will show you come on! wait for me! there it is. ah! hurry up. you're heavy. are you sure these letters will get to santa?

yes, of course. hold still. almost there. a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's and we'll donate to the make-a-wish® foundation. together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe. osteo bi-flex® with joint shield™ nurtures and helps defend your joints° so you can keep doing what you love. what'd you guys do today? the usual! the usual! [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex, ready for action. [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex, it's cookie time. cookie time? it's cookie time. get your betty on. show 'em what you got. ahhh! you can do this. this! betty crocker sugar cookie mix. your head start to homemade. get your betty on! ♪witit's time for us to go♪ow. ♪spread some fa la la la la.

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no one? remember when we used to raise the roof, diane? oh, quiet, richard, i'm trying to make sense of flo's terrible drawing. i'll draw the pants off that thing. oh, oh, hats on hamburgers! dancing! drive-in movie theater! home and auto. lamp! squares. stupid, dumb. lines. [ alarm rings ] no! home and auto bundle from progressive. saves you money. yay, game night, so much fun. time now for my tuesday trend. we're talking about something i love to wear during the holiday season. leather. in fact, i wore it last tuesday. lot of you liked that combo. i wasn't crazy about it, but i kind of pieced it together. got a pretty sweet comment from thameena. she says okay, the feet of whoever dressed -- i'll kiss the feet of whoever dressed tamron hall this morning. when i was trying to find the perfect outfit for our "today" show party, i was thrill when i came across a leather dress on

sale that i do planning on wearing to one of the parties i'm going to. i had it refitted. leather gives. my recommendation is buy it as tight as you can. hence these tight pants. because it gives. lili liliana vasquez is here. jennifer hudson rocking leather. whether it is faux or real, we're looking for the deals. liliana is the author of "cheap chica's style guide." >> good advice buying it one size down. it will never go back to that original size. >> you spend money and it's too big, especially in the behind. i bought these on sale last year as well. this is a good time to buy leather on sale because of all the holiday sales. >> absolutely. you can go real or faux with leather. we'll start with one of my

favorite faux leather pieces for the season. a woman has to have a leather or pleather pencil skirt under $60. perfect holiday party piece. it looks beautiful when you mix it with textures. think beyond basic black when you're thinking about leather. there's no black leather up here. it looks more expensive when you do it in jewel tones. >> i picked this nude color because i think it elongates your body. it happened to match the color of my skin, which gives it a naked approach. >> i think it's actually with a top. showing us fabulous style. nordstrom. leather in the front not in the back. we paired it with the brocade pants. you still want to be office appropriate but festive. >> can you wear leather -- i don't have a stylist. for the woman who tweeted and

asked about it, i pick my own clothes out. can you wear leather? >> i think you can wear leather on leather. i like it separated. definitely mix suede in with the leather. last, but not least, we have these gorgeous -- >> i love this. >> these are real leather pants at tj maxx for $199. that can be a splurge for a lot of people but leather pants are timeless, classic and they go with everything. you could pair them with a great sweater. sequin top. and the quality of them -- i want you to touch them. the quality is amazing on these. >> oh, wow! >> i know. >> so, again, it's that time of the year. all of the sales. i've seen a ton of cute leather items on sale. you will get your wear out of it. take care of it. look at the treatment of it. you look fantastic, by the way. for more of our looks go to

today.com.

we've been collecting your generous donations on the plaza all morning for our annual toy drive. leann rimes helped us fill our bag. thank you again for your incredibly generous gift. >> in our ninth year, over $2 million of home decor candles and home fragrance gifts for children to give to their parents or some special adult in their arrive. >> why is that important, for kids to give a gift to their parents? >> it's important to understand that the holidays aren't just about receiving but are about giving. it makes them proud. >> thank you again for the swren russ donation from party light. we appreciate it. go to today.c

well, good morning, everyone. 9:56. i'm scott mcgrew. certainly, drivers facing a tough go this morning across the bay area, from the biggest rainfall in years. here's a look at the tough commute on 880 in fremont. the chp says the number of crashes, much higher today than

usual. the storm triggering flight delays at sfo and the entire bay area under a small stream flood advisory. that expires tonight at 7:30. let's talk to the woman of the hour, christina. good morning. >> good morning to you, scott. well, you know we need the rain and we're definitely getting that rain, but that's not the big story for today. this is. we've had over 248 lightning strikes offshore, and we're expecting very unstable air mass to cross right over the north bay as we head throughout this afternoon, so thunderstorms in the bay area, although very unlikely. that will be the case for today. in addition to that, we're going to keep that heavy rain going for most of today and another round moves in as we head through tomorrow. heaviest north of highway 92, on and off showers and another round of morning thunderstorms. we've had numerous reports and we'll have more today at 11:00. full team coverage. we'll show you how much more we're expecting and what this rain has already done.

most rain in over three years, mike. >> a lot of crashes reported earlier throughout the bay area, but they've been able to make their way to the shoulder quickly, but still slippery roadways, reduced traction and visibility got to play a factor today. this is 580 west through dublin. the water ticking up, even though it's not actively raining, but we did get a lot of rain. wet roadways, still slow south 680. pleasanton and sunol. jammed in all areas. accompanied with the rain, slow drive, look at palo alto, south 101, slow coming down the peninsula. soupy conditions throughout. back to you. >> all right, mike. another check of weather and news, as well, coming up in half an hour. we'll see you then.

♪ >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, everybody. hoda's favorite day. booze day tuesday. we've got an awesome show, leann rimes is going to perform a holiday song. and if you like "sex and the city" a great new show called "girlfriends' guide to divorce" inspired by the author vicki iovine and the star lisa

edelstein. valentine's nine months ago or something. >> think out of the box. if you're not planning on heading to the christmas tree farm to chop down a balsam fir, we've got ones that will lighten up your house. think about those. >> bob bbobbi thomas is going t one of those. we're not going to reveal the banner. this is a hot card that everybody wants. we're not going to tell you about it -- >> the american express card -- >> no. giving tuesday. it's a global day dedicated to giving back. it's almost in response to black friday, cyber monday. >> yeah. >> just to get the emphasis back into what's truly important. salvation army of new york greater division held its 65th. >> we were there! >> it was a lot of fun.

great people there. it was a nice crowd. and you know, a lot of people donated some money. and one of the other great -- there was a great children's choir. >> yes. >> who we loved. they sank beautifully. >> something special on every single person's chair. it was the hit. i have to say it may have been the hit of the entire night. >> i don't know, i hope so. >> "good gifts." anyone who ordered it it's one year in the heart of the home. all proceed goes to the salvation army. if you want to order go to goodgiftsbook.org. this whole thing was held at the marriott marquee where we were last night. i was driving downtown. i said, you better get there early. i said, oh, yes, i'll be there. i had a 12-block riding which

was kind of rainy. to take me 12 blocks it took me one hour. i would have walked except i had heels and it was raining. >> and she has hair issues. >> and i had a bag. there was a pop-up surprise concert right in the middle of times square. u2 and bono -- >> bono couldn't be there. >> so springsteen sang in his place, chris martin sang in this place. no kidding. quick concert. 45 minutes all for words aids day. i guess they let people know three hours before. and carrie underwood, aapparently. amazing. amazing. >> nasty, rainy. ♪ >> a great song. >> a beautiful song. president clinton showed up. anyway, it was all a terrific day. look what happened. you know what's great about

new york, you have no idea. you're just going down the street and them there's -- >> sometimes, there are nice surprises. meanwhile if you want to give back, go to givingtoday.org -- >> no one clikitty clacks from here. they just go to the website. there was a country music special on last night. cma country christmas. >> every week there's an awards show. >> jennifer nettles sang with idina menzel. and they did an interesting take on the song "let it go" from the movie. take a look. ♪ ♪ let it go let it go ♪ the perfect is gone here i stand in the light of day ♪ ♪ ♪ let it go let it go

♪ let it go ♪ it bothered me anyway >> wow. amanda. that was a great pick. amanda watches the shows and goes this is great. >> we'll see. >> that, amanda, from new orleans, that was awesome. >> and also found a dog who seems to come to life when he hears the song "let it go." >> his name is oakley. >> and his react when he hears it. watch. ♪ ♪ let it go let it go ♪ let it go let it go >> isn't that adorable.

he also sings tunes. when the song switches he tunes oit. >> goes back to sleep. >> that's called a hit. you want to see another hit. jada pinkett smith -- i've got to get a good night's sleep one of these years. >> married to will smith, she's got a gorgeous figure, toned. look at this photo. this is jada's 61-year-old mother. >> yeah. >> what! >> coming out of the water, i guess willow took that picture. >> she said this is a shot of willow's grandmother, my mother emerging from the ocean. she's 61, i want to be her when i grow up. >> i think she's well on her way. >> it's official, kathie griffin is joining e-fashion police.

>> i wouldn't want the job. i think the comparisons are inevitable. i think kathy griffin is a talented comedian, but she's not a legend like joan. >> i think it's the chemistry between the groups. if kelli osborne clicks with her. and the guy brad, he's the new guy. he's replaced george. >> so it depends on how they react to her. look, no one wants to see someone taking joan's place. >> here's the thing, too. the reason why joan works so well, she can be the most accostic, aserbic biting person. she was like a mother to all of these cast members. i'm not sure they're going to

see the maternal side of her. that is what makes it palatable to people. she has that spirit. >> joan tried to speak the way she saw it. sometimes, people got hurt. you always got a laugh pretty much. >> congratulations, you guys -- wait, this is so hot. remember we told you about this thing? we can't even touch it because it's so hot. this is the starbucks gold card. the starbucks gold card actually has a guard who's here guarding it. >> where? >> she's over there in the corner. >> she looks like she's in her 20s. >> anyway, that's her. >> oh, i'm afraid of her. wow. here's the deal, this card will get you a free starbucks -- >> i saw that! >> she didn't even blink. >> this gives you a free starbucks coffee every day for

30 years. that's almost 11,000 free coffees. >> here's who gets it. ten people can win a gold card. here's what you do. if you buy your coffee and you have to buy it with either a starbucks gift card or your iphone thing. >> a mobile device. >> a mobile device. if you buy the coffee that way, you are eligible for this. so that you can -- >> oh, to explain. >> there's more. you take the printsed code on your receipt that you always throw away -- some people keep them. good, you need it. you go to the website and you clikity-clack and you put it -- in the meantime -- ten people win. that's it. >> only ten people will go through that. i'll just way for my coffee and get out of town.

give me my coffee. i'll give you my cash. >> ten people in the whole nation. that is so funny. >> you know what i say we do -- watch this, missy -- >> don't touch it! >> now, there are nine available. nine gold cards. >> you got to put that back. put it back -- oh, no! >> now, no one's going to find it, great. nobody goes down there. nobody. all right. we have a quick shoutout. we want to do a really -- she's freaking out. >> we've got to -- with this story, guys, we need your stories. please send your uplifting stories. >> stories that moves us to tears. by the way, guess who is here? it's been called funny, moving

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i'm free. >>ce. no one never really gets married thinking of divorce is in their future. in this country, 40% to 50% of marriages end up that way. >> it's not a laughing matter. a new tv show called "girlfriends' guide to divorce" brings a little comedy to the topic. the self-help author in her 40s who is in denial that her marriage is unraveling, so she turns to her divorced friends

for device. >> -- then we all go back to normal and the kids wouldn't really know he's gone. >> but he's been promiscuous and not discrete. >> i know he's dating. >> and here we have vicki iovine, the author and one of the executive producers on the show. we had a chance because we knew about the chance early on only because we happened to be there. in it. >> it's funny about your character how you're getting divorced and you just don't want anyone to know. and then you finally come out with it. >> vicki, she's an expert at marriage and everything. that's her job. >> i didn't think i was an

expert. i really thought of myself as a person who made mistakes and would tell you about them later and i learned about them. >> exactly. >> and that did eventually happen to me, in the beginning when i was going through divorce. as you say, it's painful, it's humiliating. >> even if it's not your fault, you feel you failed. >> they made abby so much like vicki in that sense because i think everyone feels that way. but when it's public, when it has to be that much more public, the same feelings are magnified because everybody gets to point at you. >> you had a very cute story how you immediately got married and immediately started shooting this show. how does the brain work when you have the honeymoon glow? >> i was so sick on my honeymoon because we drove to vancouver the day after we got married. my husband got to take care of me. he was so great. i think ultimately, when you're doing a show about divorce and you've just gotten married.

you're really thinking about the same stuff. you're thinking about how do we make it last, how do we make it work. because if you get married in your 20s, you're just sort of like an idiot getting married in fantasy land. you know that life has -- >> yeah. >> and we actually got married within a week of each other this year. >> were you afraid to take the plunge again or did you think this time -- >> i was -- yes. when i met my husband, i said, i just hope you know i'm not going to marry again. >> you told me that. >> i didn't see the point. >> when they came to you about your book and wanted to turn it into a scripted television show, how much of it is true to your book? or do they just kind of take the concept and -- >> i think after the first season it's going to go its own place based on the characters. in the beginning when marty knox and i, the creator, started

talking. we shared a lot of our secrets. i'd say a lot of the storiy ies 50/50 that i realized we might not have revealed to our families before we went on the air. >> i'm definitely not clean vicki. i'm definitely not trying to be vicki. the concept of being in a position like she was. >> this is a first for bravo, we'll see how it goes this evening. >> she's having a big party. >> big shin dig with popcorn. i'm literally getting off a plane, live tweeting and it's fun and exciting. >> you can catch the series premiere of "girlfriends' guide to divorce" tonight on bravo. >> the hottest books right now in artificial christmas trees. >> the hottest books right now in artificial christmas trees. they're going to and the winner >> the hottest books right now in artificial christmas trees. thof this year's superstar...

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when it comes to buying a new christmas tree, snow is the way to go for a lot of people. and whether you want one that's prelit by hoda -- >> hey -- >> -- tall or prelit, there's a tree four. amy goodwin. the lifestyle editor. >> hello. >> we're in our artificial tree world right now. >> we are. i believe we love a great deal. the prolonged story with artificial trees they're going to last you season after season. so that's a great thing. >> some people have allergies, some people worry about animals and fires. >> so what should we start with, amy? >> so this is our low-cost budget tree that has a lot ofkí &

it's fire retardant. out of the to7+beát+ák typicall the products. >> that is beautiful. >> gorgeous, right? >> these are all kind of decorative trees, right? i love this. we feel like we're in the musical in a way. these have come back in a huge way. metallics are huge with trees. from treetopia. you have the flocked trees. interestingly enough, i'm not a pink person - there's something candyish. >> from 1960s. the flocked is coming back in a huge way. this is kind of reminiscent, a starlet tree. >> like a peppermint. >> right, the combinations of red and quite. >> and a charlie brown tree. >> a charlie brown tree. every year, you can actually play a little charlie brown tune as well. >> oh, is this real? >> that's artificial? >> no, this is artificial.

>> i thought this was the joke at the end. >> it's a tree from brookstone at the end. >> it's a tree from brookstone that han why unlimited talk, text and toweb for just 34.88 a month? honey, we've got unlimited internet! look at that! what should we do? i mean, we can pin, post, tweet, snap, tag, check-in and share...oohhh... why don't you do whatever you just said... on your own phone? eeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhh!!! because you need to do more... without paying more. get connected with walmart family mobile, our lowest price unlimited plan, for just $34.88 a month. the plan you want, online and in store. save money. live better. walmart. you're not doing anything hand, as fast as you used to. do you need help? what is that? swiffer dusters. i can extend it so i don't have to get on the step stool. it's like a dirt magnet just like my kids. i think swiffer definitely gave me some of that time back. losing your chex mix too easily? deploy the boring potato chip decoy bag.

with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix has twenty bags of interesting. pick your mix. yes. cup your hands together for me and let's put some just around your neck. [ bell rings ] thanks, here can you hold him? [ bell rings ] [ female announcer ] by their second kid, every mom is an expert and more likely to choose luvs than first time moms. live, learn, and get luvs. good morning, everyone. i don't need to tell you. big storm rolling through the bay area. let's take a live look at san francisco. major delays for flights at sfo, as well. a flood advisory in effect for the entire bay area. that expires at 7:30 tonight. and the woman with the radar,

the scientist, is christina loren. let's talk to her. >> well, it doesn't take a scientist to tell you, scott, the most rain we've had in years here in the bay area, and it is still coming in heavily. you can see that right now up and down the peninsula, into the north bay. getting a bit of a break in the south bay, but take a look at what is on the way. we have this highly unstable air mass, a lot of lightning and thunder all headed towards the north bay coast as we head through about 1:40 this afternoon. on top of this, 709 lightning strikes so far, two more, add that to the equation. we have more on the way. we'll give you all the details today when we meet back at 11:00. see you then. here's mike with your drive.

all right. looking for our live look in san jose. windshield wipers back on. headlights on. that's the law for safety sake, folks. there's a wet road for 101, but the map still slow all of your northbound south bay routes are jammed right now. late in the commute, even on a tuesday looking at a tougher drive, but getting better as folks are heading towards the bay bridge. live look through oakland, things are really jamming up past high street. soupy conditions here, as well. watch the transitions, slick conditions and across the bridges, tougher view, as well, as low clouds and rain sweeping through the area. be careful out there. >> thanks, mike. full coverage of the weather throughout our 11:00 newscast coming up in a bit. see you then.

♪/nñ we're back with more on "today" on thadúj booze day tuesday. if you notice that your skin is a little scaly after the8 thanksgiving it's tile to cut -- >> you do it already -- >> cut the creep. zm >> the holiday creep. andy korea belushi, a mother of six from long island. nicole torres a mother of two. >> just like the rest of us, they're hoping to avoid the calories that come along with the holidays. here to show us is nbc news contributor .ábmadeline. >> you got this over the holidays. how did they do? >> they did really great. they had good tips.

they were mindful. andrea who -- drum roll -- >> and it's the incentive, right. >> down three pounds. >> oh! >> good girl. you lost three pounds over thanksgiving weekend. >> my husband bought everything that he knew i wouldn't eat. >> like what? >> carrot cake. >> ; +1oh, yeah. anything with vegetables. no, not good. >> okay. >> nicole. >> nicole. nicole was down one. nicole. >> that's wonderful. she's very petite. >> yeah. >> what did you do? >> well, i actually cut my mashed potatoes with cauliflower in that. the kids didn't notice. and i actually got on the treadmill. >> it shows you incentive to do

it but a lot of people can get motivated with that. >> we're always unaware, being mindful. they indulged smartly, didn't feel deprived. ay holiday. today we'relhi/ñ going to do a cocktail party with cocktails. >> they're killers. >> they're killers. everybody is not going to have a spritzer and celery stick. back on earth. we're going to talk more about a cocktail party. >> we're going to join teams. >> with dcúandrea. >> okay. >> what is the game? >> the game is we're going to have a cocktail and appetizer brought out. it can be put right here. i want you to buzz in if you think this is over or under 300 calories. >> that's benchmark? >> right. >> the first one will be a vodk martini, 1 1/2 ounces of vodka and three watermi"xd crackers w-

under or over? >> we say it's over, definitely. >> and you would be definitely wrong. only because it's -- >> okay. >> because, it's aboutáy 280 because it's a small martini. again, very thin paper thing water crackers but an ounce of cheese⌟r # filled up. >> very few calories. and a splash of vermouth. and the size is small. >> next we have -- >> rum and cola. >> rum and a cola. and we have three mini vegetable egg rolls. over or under? >> feel no pressure. good luck. >> over. >> over. >> and you would be right. 350. coca-cola has -- you can save 100 calories and make it under if you just use diet. and these are only about 50 each. you can have two. we want this to be moderate.

>> they have one, we have none. if we don't get it right -- >> next we have white wine, five ounces of white wine, pita chips. two tablespoons of artichoke dip. >> we thought about it, we discussed it, it's definitely over. >> it is definitely under. it is under. and here's why.  of wine. okay. about 120 calories and then these are only two tablespoons of this spinach dip. so it's not big chunky handfuls of this or big spoons of this. if you keep ay#tnñ moderate por you're going to be around that. >> that does make you feel better. >> because you can have a light dinner later or make this a small dinner for yourself. >> let's bring out the nextbpu0. >> the next one would be -- >> it's already --

>> three little bacon quiches and five ounce us of champagne. >> we got it. it's all about you. i believe in you. >> under. >> and you would be right. >> when she leaves it up to her -- >> about 95 calories. so a glass of champagne is going to be one of your best friends at a cocktailf'm party. >> it's tied 1-1 -- >> 3-1. >> triple or nothing. >> okay. five ounces of red wine -- >> no pressure. nicole, no pressure? >> over. and you would be right. >> oh! >> need a lot of calories. >> there's one more. >> thank you, girard. we don't have time.q=ú >> thank you, girard.

>> all right, come on. >> great job, you guys. by the way, it does make you feel better you that can eat something at a cocktail party and not be totally blowing your diet. >> can we have those little egg things back, please? >> yeah. >> besides foodkm?ñ and drink yl want some music at your party. >> we got leann

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the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. country superstar leann rimes million albums and won two grammy awards at just 14 years old becoming the youngest ever to do so. >> now she's got a new chris

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oh, yeah -- ♪r;ui÷ @&h(lc& >> what is it, ÷gptapaul, do yo know? >> the rainbow connection. the man behind that memorable hit and many others is paul williams. >> paul say recovering alcoholic

ñ underwent change. he's here with tracy jackson. >> some people avoid self-help books because they ink it's going to be all clinical and stuff. you tell your story in such a personal and powerful way. you were friends and you saw paul going through recovery and tell us what were you thinking? >> i watched paul and being a little girl and watching this big celebrity who i was crazy about. >> you were never a little girl. >> and they i tried to get a tv show and i was in hollywood. i couldn't. then he came back, and then i saw, with other friends peop:uk who had bottomed out, come back and resurfaced.

i got recovery envy. even though i'm not addicted to drugs and alcohol. it was something that, youk fn , coming from a father who didn't love about myself. i think we all self-soothe in different ways. >> you wants to take a page from paul's work. >> i wanted to take a page in recovery. >> for years people were saying i wish we had what you had. i'm actually sitting with two people who know what a horrific little guy knows what a selfish arrogant guy i was. >> you were always very sweet to me. he's happy to hear he didn't remember. ráñember. life. the fact is it's the way i approached the world. i put the plug in the jug. and we come over a series of affirmations that makes it simple. because it needs to change.

>> what's something that people can take-away? >> something that you can change is probably me. >> the first one. >> start right there. >> and that's what recovering people do. it starts with them. they have to stop. and we all have to stop. we always like to say when we're talking to people in places, how many people have said this is my last? anybody watching who has ever said this is my last -- fill in the blank -- >> right. >> you have some problems. >> right. >> you may not be lying.ax gutter. but you got work to do. >> and the affirmation that i will learn from my mistakes. i've made mistakes my entire life i spent decadesam.hç hidin fact i was drinking. this is my school. this is a great lesson, every mistake we make. for people dealing with, we're

coming into azx season that is treacherous season for everybody. and this book is certainly not -- there's addicts that are using it. alcoholics that are using it. if you have issues, addicted your iphone. the wrong relationships. the victim attitude. there's so much for everybody. >> well, it's the season. like birth control. you go and have one drink %éy ano home. or are you doing endless amounts of things. >> right. >> it took 30 points off of me, right? >> certainly did. >> and probably added 30jí yea. >> i hope. >> it's great to see you both. >> it's an amazing book. we hope you get it. we're hoping to change more lives with another display of gratitude and giving. a big donation in our

every year at "today," we like to spread holiday cheer for those who need it most with the annual toy drive. >> it's been going strong now for 21 years and "today" is helping us get back to the community. founder and president of ceo of 31 gifts. she's here along with senior executive director emily oliver jones. and they were with'k us last nit at the salvation army there. >> you made a nice donation there. and look at you at it again. >> we're proud to be here on giving tuesday. this sour fifis our fifth year. and we're excited to+hiy[uj million gifts over the last five years. backpack products. >> things that kids can use.8f >> why do you think it's so important for to you help out? >> i think it's because it gives people hope. and to be able to know that someone cares about them. i think that's really important. >> we're glad we've gotuóu@÷ yoh here. you're enjoying yourself --

>> you party animal. >> i represent fullness in focus and we love to take the 31 products and giving it back. with the children getting the presents and opening it. >> we[weo think about the litt kids this time of year, we think about the food and stuff. but the teenagers, that's a huge th

nbc bay area news begins with a microclimate weather alert. >> well, good morning to you. thank you for joining us. i hope you're dry. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm kris sanchez. i was not. it started coming down overnight. it has not let up, from flooded streets and downed trees, to traffic messes and mudslides. the chp says it took more than 400 calls during this morning's commute alone. four times more than normal. and it's just going to get worse. >> we have live team coverage, stephanie chuang is live in san francisco. bob redell up and down the peninsula in the south bay covering the storm from there, but let's start with christina loren. christina, what's going on right now? >> oh, my goodness.