hour-by-hour forecasts for you there. sign up for that. >> all of those hard working crews out there, chris, vianey and bob, we'll check back with them in the next half hour. >> have a great day. good morning. nbc news exclusive. new intelligence directly linking vladimir putin to that russian campaign to interfere with the u.s. presidential election. officials telling nbc news it all began as a vendetta against hillary clinton. question this morning -- how will the u.s. respond? kids' table. three of president-elect trump's children and his son-in-law sit on in a meeting with giants of the tech world, but no room for twitter. why they were denied a seat. and former governor arnold schwarzenegger weighs in on the political landscape when he joins us live in our studio. "today" exclusive. the father of the nevada teenager shot by an officer after he lunged at classmates with knives speaks out for the

first time. >> they say, oh, he got lucky, he tried to shoot the -- no, he didn't. he shot my son in the chest. >> and shares the first image of his son fighting for his life in the hospital. and cold snap. bone-chilling arctic winds sweeping across the entire country. 50 million people coping with temperatures up to 30 degrees below normal. adding to the misery, a new winter storm. >> look out! look out! >> just beginning its cross-country trek "today," thursday, december 15th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. we talked about the approaching cold here in the east. it hasn't arrived here yet but it is on the way. >> i had the puffer coat on early but i know it is coming. it is definitely on the way. >> we'll get al's forecast in just a second.

our top story this morning is that bombshell tied to the presidential election. as nbc news first reported, u.s. intelligence officials now believe with a high level of confidence that russian president vladimir putin was personally involved in a covert campaign to interfere with the presidential race. nbc's senior investigative correspondent cynthia mcfadden has the latest on all this. cynthia, good morning. >> good morning. senior intelligence sources tell nbc news that what started as a feud with hillary clinton quickly became an effort to damage the political process in the united states. at the center of it all, the russian president himself. >> reporter: this morning, nbc news has learned from senior intelligence officials that russian president vladimir putin was personally involved in the campaign to undermine the u.s. election. officials tell us that new information derived from diplomatic sources and spies working for u.s. allies points

directly to the russian president. with one high-level official saying that putin's role was to direct how the hacked material from democrats was used. his objectives, multi-faceted. it began, one official says, as a vendetta against hillary clinton after the former secretary of state criticized russia's parliamentary elections back in 2011. >> we do have serious concerns about the conduct of the election. >> reporter: but trying to hurt clinton's presidential chances soon morphed into an effort to show corruption in american politics, attempting to split off key american allies, hoping to prove the u.s. is not a credible global leader. this stunning revelation comes after the cia's recent assessment that the russian government wanted to elect donald trump, a view that the fbi and other intelligence agencies don't fully endorse. and neither does the president-elect.

>> there's great confusion. nobody really knows. >> reporter: trump calling the cia's assessment ridiculous. >> they have no idea if it is russia or china or some body. it could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. >> reporter: this morning, the russians seem to agree, telling nbc's richard engel "western media have gone beyond the reach of reason." now with evidence against the russians mounting, the question is will president obama respond before he leaves office. president obama has already ordered a full intelligence community review of foreign efforts to influence the recent presidential election. once the review is complete, intelligence officials will be ready to brief the congressional leadership. but the material is highly classified and what, if anything, will be shared with the public is unclear. also unclear, what, if any, effect the russian plan had on mr. trump's win. that intelligence assessment has yet to be made. >> going to be fascinating to

see how it plays out over the coming days and weeks. cynthia, thank you. yahoo! has exposed a massive breach of more than 1 billion user accounts. the largest theft of data at an e-mail provider ever. it actually happened in august of 2013. hackers made hoff with names, phone numbers, birth dates, e-mail's dresses, security questions and answers. yahoo! believes that clear text passwords, bank account information and debt and credit card data were not stolen. the company is still trying to identify the perpetrators of the breach. yahoo! is notifying potentially affected users and encouraging them to change their passwords. this comes on the heels of a second breach revealed just three months ago where 500 million users had their account data stolen. there is a lot of talk this morning about president-elect trump's meeting with top executives from the tech world. three of mr. trump's adult children, and his son-in-law,

were also there. that is raising more questions about their potential roles in his administration. nbc national correspondent peter alexander is over at trump tower. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you. this is the day that donald trump had promised he'd announce how he'll separate himself from his business interests. that announcement is now put on hold until next year but he is already raising red flags for the attendees in the room for his face-first major summit where 20% of those at the meeting were members of trump's own family. with donald trump welcoming titans of technology from amazon to apple wednesday -- >> i'm here to help you folks do well. >> reporter: -- it is the other trumps at the table now raising eyebrows. the president-elect's adult children, don jr., eric and ivanka, along with her husband, all now involved in their father's transition. their attendance is raising new questions about potential

conflicts of interest. just days after trump said his sons will take over the family business before he moves into the oval office. trump aides insist lines will be drawn between trump's public actions and his family's private interests. >> they are going to announce that. but aren't we happy that you have the transparency and openness of seeing them in the meeting. >> reporter: sons and ivanka already proving to be power players, vetting candidates, an unprecedented role for children of a president-elect. this morning sources familiar with ivanka trump's thinking say a seat is reserved in the west wing, usually reserved for the first lady. as for that tech summit -- >> we're going to be there for you and you'll call my people. you'll call me. it doesn't make any difference. we have no formal chain command around here. >> reporter: trump met with industry icons, many who were fiercely critical of him as a candidate. last year amazon ceo jeff bezos joked about sending trump into space. >> i have a rocket company. the capability is there. >> reporter: but bezos now

calling wednesday's meeting very productive. noticeably absent -- a representative from donald trump's favorite mega phone -- twitter. the social media giant clashed with trump's team during the campaign over its refusal to create an emoji for the hashtag crooked hillary. one more stunning stat about that summit right now. companies in that room had a combined market value of more than $3 trillion. that's bigger than the gdp of most country, including the uk, france, and india. and if that conference table was its own country, it would be the fifth wealthiest in the world. matt and hoda, back to you. >> peter alexander down the road at trump tower. peter, thanks. >> wow. now to that brutal cold we've been talking about all week. it's expanding. temperatures are now dangerously low across much of the country. there is a new winter storm to worry about. nbc's ron mott is in chicago where it feels well below zero

out there. hey, ron. >> reporter: hey, hoda, good morning to you. to say it is bitterly cold out here seems like a giant understatement. it is raw, it is absolutely awful and this misery is about to get a whole lot more company. a wintry pounding from coast to coast. in oregon, this school bus lost control on a hill with slick ice. >> look out! look out! >> reporter: crashing into other vehicles with students on board. no one was seriously injured. in buffalo, and in between, michigan bluster. bone-rattling cold this morning in the windy city. >> brutal. it is brutal. >> i have likes six layers on so i'm good. >> reporter: not so good -- chicago's dangerous windchills, dipping overnight between 15 and 30 degrees below zero in places, ramping up frostbite fears throughout the cold zone, making outside work an ordeal. >> just dressed warm.

insulated gloves. just keep moving. >> reporter: in upstate new york, an unspeakable tragedy. a 12-year-old boy died after becoming trapped while playing in the snow with a friend. >> i watched grown men when they unearthed these two boys cry tonight. >> reporter: as the super cold air flows northeast in new england, safety and survival are topic one in new york city. >> it is a dangerous time of year. it is a time to step back and ensure that your home is fire safe. >> reporter: tans with tickets to sunday's bears/packers game here at soldier field may want to sit in front of a fire instead of the sands. game time temperatures is forecast to be 1 degree below zero. it will be the coldest game that played here since 1963 when the bears began tracking those temperatures. >> ron, thanks so much. freezing but not cold here yet. but it is on the way. >> it is coming. we've got two rounds of this cold air. one to reinforce the other. 55 million people under some

sort of windchill advisory or warning today. going in to the weekend. in fact, right now 8 degrees, windchill, in worcester. roanoke, 10 degrees. feels like 17 below right now in chicago. here's the first round. second one comes right from. as we look into friday, windchills are going to be really rough. then as we go into saturday, and sunday, it will feel like 21 below in chicago. minneapolis will feel like 40 below. then by monday, new york city's windchill, 18. cleveland, 5 below. davenport, iowa, 28 degrees below. then here we go. another storm system coming in. flood risk for california. but as it makes its way east, look for rush hour snow on friday for chicago and minneapolis. saturday, early morning snow into the northeast. it will change over from snow to race, d.c. to boston. look at the snowfall amounts. looking for minneapolis, six to nine inches. chicago, three to six inches. by the time we get on into saturday, in the areas around the tughill plateau of western new york, we'll look at this a

little more in detail, they could have two feet of snow before it is all over. >> wow. >> we -- you're going to be a very busy guy over the next couple of days. al, thanks very much. now to the ongoing crisis in aleppo and the collapse of the deal to end the brutal assaults there. nbc's chief global correspondent bill neely has more on that. bill, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. there are reports of a new cease-fire in aleppo to evacuate some of the wounded. but fears are still growing for the lives of at least 50,000 civilians still trapped there. they had hoped to leave but there is no real sign of a lasting truce. and for one group of children, there is just terror and a desperate appeal to the >> translator: i'm jasmine and i'm 10, she says. "we're scared." she says, "we can't believe because of the bombing. please get us out here."

it is a heartbreaking appeal filmed at their orphanage and posted by an arab human rights group. "we want to live like anyone else," jasmine says. "maybe this is the last time you'll hear my voice and see me." they are just some of the 50,000 civilians trapped in what's left of rebel-held aleppo and have posted desperate pleas. bombs exploding nearby. caught live on camera. some seem resigned to their fate. >> death will be a peace for us. >> reporter: there is talk of another cease-fire, but no sign of a lasting one. and no mercy. with no help from outside, aleppo's civilians fear executions, a massacre. it's something they are powerless to stop. a really pitiful scene there. all war, of course, is cruel.

but this one in aleppo, a terrible siege, now a final onslaught, is pricking the conscience of the world. it is a battle in its final days but you really do fear for the lives of so many civilians, so many children. back to you guys. >> bill neely covering what is a tragic story for us, bill, thank you very much. >> hard to get those images of those kids out of your head. closing arguments are being held today at the trial of the admitted gunman in that deadly shooting at an historic african-american church in south carolina. this after the jury heard a chilling 911 call from a survivor of the massacre. nbc's gabe gutierrez is at the courthouse. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. we've covered many trials but this was among the most disturbing 911 calls we've ever heard. 1 of 3 survivors of that church massacre showing remarkable strength on the witness stand as she recounted the rampage. >> he shot the pastor. he shot all the men in the church. please come right away.

>> reporter: this morning the clearest account yet of the horror inside the charleston church where polly shepherd saw nine of her fellow worshippers and friends massacred. >> he's still in here. i'm afraid. he's still in here. >> reporter: her 911 call just released after being played in court. >> oh, god, please help me. please help us, lord. >> reporter: shepherd told the jury how church members had welcomed dylann roof into their bible study, but he opened fire while they were praying. >> he's a young 21-year-old white dude. please, i mean we got some people very hurt. please. >> reporter: she testified that she dove under a table when roof asked, did i shoot you. no, she responded. he said, "i'm going to leave you here to tell the story." the 911 dispatcher urged her to stay quiet. >> are you able to get yourself to safety? >> no, i'm staying under the table. >> reporter: then came more gunshots and moaning. >> what's going on? >> reporter: before the phone

call abruptly ends. among those killed, cynthia hurd, who was shot seven times. her brother was in the courtroom during the gut-wrenching testimony. >> how difficult was it to listen to that 911 call? >> it was chilling. it's heartbreaking. it was necessary pain because i think we have a moral obligation to put racism and discrimination and hatred on trial. >> reporter: instead of cross examining her, roof's attorney simply walked up to the witness stand and said, "i'm so sorry." meanwhile, roof says that he will not testify and the jury's expected to get the case later today. matt and hoda? >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thanks so much. we are hearing now from the florida woman accused of hiring a hit man to kill her own husband after a judge declared a mistrial in the case against her. here's nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: dalia dippolito walks out of court with new hope. >> at this time i am now declaring this case mistried.

>> reporter: in the second day of deliberations, the jury deadlocked forcing the judge to declare a mistrial. the defendant caught on camera with an undercover police officer making a deal to kill her husband in 2009. also played at trial, dalia dippolito becoming hysterical after informed her husband was dead. she spoke with "dateline nbc." >> it is always going to be he said/she said and it shouldn't be that way. >> reporter: she says she never intended to go through with it. her lawyers argued police misconduct, saying they broke the rules to get sensational video for the show "cops." >> just manufacturing all of these things and creating all of these scenarios and putting me in these situations that look horrible. >> reporter: this was her second trial. >> we find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: in 2011 she was found guilty of solicitation to

commit first degree murder and sentenced to 20 years. but that conviction was overturned on appeal. this time around jurors were split with three votes for guilty, three for not guilty. prosecutors say they'll try this case for a third time. boynton beach police stand behind their investigation. as for dalia's alleged target, her now-ex-husband, mike dippolito -- >> i wish them all well. i don't have any ill feelings towards these people. i'm trying to move past this. >> reporter: for "today," kerry sanders with be nbc news, west palm beach. >> "dateline" will have much more on that mistrial tomorrow night at 9:00, 8:00 central on nbc. al roker is back again for the third time talking cold, baby. >> that's a warm suit, man. >> thank you very much. it is. okay. we have some lake-effect snow to talk about. heavy snow up through the cascades. plenty of sunshine through the gulf coast and on into the

mid-atlantic states with temperatures that are actually fairly mild. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're in a microclimate weather alert as we tracking the next storm system moving in with heavy rain. starting to see it moving into the north bay. it will be closing into the bay area through late morning and early afternoon. winds will also increase. we're expecting gusts 40 to 50 miles an hour today and

potential of street flooding during the morning and most of the bay area during the evening commute. we are seeing the heavy rain moving into santa rosa and san francisco. >> all right, al. thanks so much. > coming up, in the alan thicke's fatal heart att k attack, dr. oz will be here with five things you into ed to do if someone you know shows signs of having one. former california governor arnold schwarzenegger joins us live in our studio. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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save ten when you spend fifty on toys at target. you guys rock! yeah!... whoaaa! a very good thursday morning to you. 7:26 right now. you're dry inside? let's take a peek outside. here is a live look from the drive of 101 southbound up in santa rosa this morning. our news van live driving through the area there. you see that rain, wet roads all morning long in the north bay. our traffic camera on highway 101 in san rafael, this is all before the brunt of the big storm arrives. let's get the latest from meteorologist kari hall. you're tracking it for us. >> yes. you showed the camera in san rafael. already gotten close to .50 inch of rain. this is before the heavy downpours have arrived. we're approaching close to an inch in spots like cloverdale. as this rain continues to move from north to south, more rain

on top of what we have and it will be pouring for several hours. the winds will be picking up as the brunt of the storm moves in later this morning and early afternoon, having a high impact on the commute for not only this morning, but definitely this evening for most of us as we start to see this rain moving into the south bay as well. this is what it looks like now, seeing some pockets of heavy rain now moving closer to san francisco. we'll be keeping an eye on this as we go through the day with potential of flooding as we go into this evening. i'll talk more about this and more updates coming up through out the morning as we head over to mike tracking the impact on the commute. >> the rain hasn't hit the bulk of this map. so we're okay so far, light slowing, recovery from northbound 101 at tully, cleared about 25 minutes ago. northbound is your commute, but light through silicon valley. north and south away from that san mateo bridge south on 880, north on 101, either side of the peninsula looking really good right now. the north bay, really soupy

conditions, that will be a factor and slow across the richmond bridge. back to you. thank you very much. another update in half an hour. (my hero zero by lemonheads)

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together, we're building a better california. 7:30 now on a thursday morning. 15th day of december, 2016. chilly out there, only getting colder. when we came in, it was like 32, 33 degrees. 27 now. dropping. winds picking up. we'll go outside and say hi to those brave people in just a while. if the cold wasn't enough, a new storm is causing major problems. that's what's tops our today's headlines. snow brought portland, oregon to a standstill last night. it took some drivers baltimore than three hours just to travel a few miles. number of crashes were caught on camera. al will have the latest on that sto storm.

intelligence officials now tell nbc news they believe with a high level of confidence that vladimir putin was directly and personally involved in a russian campaign to interfere in the u.s. presidential election. they say new intelligence shows putin personally directed how hacked material from democrats was leaked and used. in a move we told you to expect, the federal reserve is raising a key interest rate. the .25% increase to the federal fund rate is just the second in the past ten years. it will mean borrowing for things like cars and credit cards will become modestly more expensive. for the first time we are hearing from the father of a nevada teenager who was shot by a campus police officer after he plunked at his fell co-students with knives. the boy in a medically induced coma right now and the officer on leave as the incident is being investigated. natalie morales talk to the boy's father exclusively. >> good morning. this is it a tough one, a tragic story. no matter how you look at it, with so many unanswered

questions. justin clark does not claim his son is perfect but he says the high school freshman was a vic trim of severe bullying by fellow students. he believes police used unnecessary force by shooting his son as a first line of defense. we want to mention that justin gave us permission to show his son's face in this story. >> my son wasn't just some knife-wielding psychopath. he wanted to make sure that he wasn't beat up and robbed. >> he was being bullied. >> absolutely. >> reporter: cell phone video posted online shows the troubling scene as it unfolded last week at the high school in reno. students scattered as 14-year-old logan clark wielding two knives lunged at classmates. another video shows a campus police officer arriving and firing a single shot. the boy drops to the ground, writhing in pain. >> you've got to remember that he just got hit two or three times in the face by a kid that's three years older than

him and quite a bit bigger. >> reporter: according to logan's father, his son was a victim of bullying saying logan was punched by a student right before the incident. his bloody mouth visible in the video. >> he just doesn't want to be attacked anymore and that's what happened. do i think that the officer -- i think the officer could have evaluated that if he would have just paid attention a little bit. >> so you can understand how looking at it at different angles, that perhaps he could have been perceived as a threat and that the police officer had to make a split-second decision? >> it is easy to see on the video. he's like this. that's a defensive posture. that's not an attacking posture. he's bleeding from the mouth. obviously something's happened before this -- before the video. none of that was taken into account. >> reporter: clark says his son had been previously suspended for fighting, a result he says of a previous bullying incident he reported to the school. so far, school and police officials have not commented on

clark's claims or the investigation. but on the day of the shooting, the school superintendent praised the officer's actions, and authorities say the officer's use of force was appropriate. >> the officer gave verbal commands for the student to drop the knife ultimately firing his service weapon to stop the threat. >> they say, he got lucky. he tried to shoot to wound. no, he didn't. he shot my son in the chest. you know? he didn't shoot to wound. >> reporter: this is the first image released of logan in the hospital where he remains in a medically induced coma. what would you like to say to the school district and to the police officers about how they handled this incident? >> i'm upset that he didn't have another alternative or he didn't spend more time trying to talk my son down or any of that. for me it would have been hard to shoot somebody's 14-year-old son so easily. >> justin says his son will never shall the same again. again, logan remains in a coma in extremely critical condition.

doctors removed part of his lung and he suffered a stroke on friday. now other parents in the community are also questioning police procedure and the decision to shoot logan instead of perhaps using pepper spray or even a taser, matt. >> natalie, thank you very much. let's move on to mr. roker. you have a check of the weather. >> that's right. folks around the great lakes looking at some lake-effect snow. not just some. a lot. we already have blizzard warnings from western new york, lake-effect snow warnings and lake-effect snow advisories. before all is said and done by late tomorrow, we are talking about anywhere from 6 to 12 to 15 inches of snow locally, could even be up to two feet in parts of upstate new york. we've also got the cold, hard facts. minneapolis, your forecast, sunday's low -- 19 below, the coldest day since january 14. chicago, monday, 8 below, the coldest day since february 2015.

in oklahoma city, sunday's forecast, 9 above. coldest since december 2013. dallas, 22 degrees on sunday. that's the coldest day since marc good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're under a microclimate weather alert as heavy rain moves down from the north bay and ap etch proing san francisco and into oakland. we'll start to see the rain getting more intense as we go through the late morning, early afternoon hours and more widespread. we will see the winds picking up as we go into the day. it starts out with heavy rain into the north bay and spreading southward during the evening commute. standing water on the roadways and wind gusts close to 50 miles an hour. >> you can always get that weather when you need it. go to the weather channel on cable. >> all right, al, thank you so much. just ahead, amazon's very first drone delivery. are you not going to believe how fast it went from order to arrival. >> when you need your popcorn,

you need your popcorn. and another all-new "rossen reports." >> i'm jeff rossen. coming up, we're trying out products for your bedroom. oops, i spilled wine all over my carpet. there is a product that now says it can get that right out. what about that classic mattress commercial that says you can literally jump on this mattress and that wine g when a cold calls...

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products that promise to improve your life. >> been loving this series. jeff rossen is "today's" national investigative correspondent. jeff? >> we are talking about sleep. we are talking about a good night's sleep, something we all need more of. it's all we want. but we have been there, the person we're sleeping next to, they're moving around, twisting and turning keeping you awake. what about those mattresses claiming you can't feel your partner move next to you? you know the commercials where you can jump up and down on the mattress and a glass of wine won't spill? is that really true. >> hoda is worried about the wine! >> hey. >> hoda's like -- protect the wine! you're going to see what we do in a second. what about all the guests coming over, they stain everything? a new stain remover now promises to get rid of those stains from your holiday guests. no problem. does it all work? hoda, watch this. we're trying it out. >> i'm watching. >> reporter: just in time for the holidays. tempur-pedic making bold, new promises. just watch this ad on their

youtube channel. can you backflip, body slam, do yoga, even take a sledge hammer to their mattress. and this glass of wine won't spill a drop. this can't possibly work, can it? okay. we're going to try this out doing all the same things they do in the commercial. it all starts with, as you know, a glass of red wine. unfortunately, this is not for drinking. this is for our test. i'm going to put the red wine right down on the bed just like in the commercial. start with the sledgehammer. shall we? the old sledgehammer test. oh, boy. it's not moving. it is shaking a little. i'm really putting some muscle into it. no? okay. sledgehammer test -- pass. let me jump um hep here. jumping on the bed. oh, my god, the glass isn't really moving. this is insane! doesn't come over here at all. nope, nothing. in the commercial they show falling on to the bed. let me try that.

here we go. it doesn't move! hold on. lindsey, come over here. on the commercial, they have a second person. go for it, lindsey, jump. >> not moving! >> this is nuts! it works! >> as that perfect night of sleep won't come cheap. mattresses cost thousands of dollars. so you want to protect it. this mattress protector from sky bedding says it can shield your pricey purchase from all kinds of spills. just watch the ad. >> here to help me find out is a bottle of glue juice. the cotton absorbs the spill to help from getting flu the mattress. >> and when he pulls the mattress cover back? >> no damage. >> let's try it out. i have blue juice. we'll see if it soaks through the mattress or not. here goes nothing. pouring it out. there is our blue juice. take the mattress cover up.

that's incredible. look at this. it is completely dry. completely dry. that's incredible. still not coming through. nothing. it corks. >> but let's be honest, you can't always avoid a spill. holiday parties, guests staying over. there's bound to be a mess. >> this is whip it. >> reporter: this stain remover called whip it claims it can blast away new stains, old stains. >> all you do is spray and watch whip-it blast the stain away. >> i'm going to bring the wine back and pour this wine on this carpet. then it says to blot it. you blot it first. get as much of it up as you can. okay. done that. then, i'm going to spray this stain remover on it. okay. now, i'm going to rub.

this is incredible. it is actually coming up. look at this. the red wine is completely out! the stain remover works. it got it out. and it is red wine. it doesn't get worse than red wine on your carpet. >> reporter: they all work. so you can rest easy. >> and something surprising if you plan on purchasing a mattress. in many cases, if you return them, the return policy is actually opposite than what you are used to. you actually have to test the mattress out in most places for 30 days. you can return it for at least 30 days because they want you to sleep on it and give it a shot. >> that was just shocking. you wasted a lot of red wine which i'm a little concerned about. but everything else was amazing. >> the mattress doesn't move when someone else -- was it comfortable? >> it is a little firm for me. but a lot of people like that mattress and it is comfortable. if your partner is keeping you up at night, i'll sleep on a hard mattress if you don't wake me up. >> all right, jeff. thanks a lot. still ahead, we'll try out something else. people are curious about this thing -- a new meatless burger.

will you be able to tell the difference between that and the real thing? and carson, back in the orange room with the year's most popular memes. >> got a lot of them. >> what you got? liberty mutual stood with me when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. liberty did what? yeah, with liberty mutual all i needed to do to get an estimate was snap a photo of the damage and voila! voila! (sigh) i wish my insurance company had that... wait! hold it... hold it boys... there's supposed to be three of you... where's your brother? where's your brother? hey, where's charlie? charlie?! you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you. liberty stands with you™ liberty mutual insurance

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7:51. this voice is getting on my nerves because it keeps carson away from us. >> oh -- the show "the voice." >> me, too! do something about that, matt lauer. >> great to have you back. >> great to be back. ""new york" magazine put together a list of some of the more memorable memes. the start of the year, you remember this? if a dog wore pants, how would he wear them? on the hind legs? president obama settled this debate by choosing just the hind legs.

saying covering all four would be too conservative. remember this? this vessel. this is the internet's favorite way of name offing anything basically. to the rio olympics, lots of memes. the greased-up flag bearer. usain bolt mugging for the camera as he was racing to gold. 2016 a big political year. didn't get much bigger than this guy. ken bone, the man who became a social media sensation during that third presidential debate. i'm sure we'll see many more memes on these, the final days of 2016. >> thank you, carson. coming up, dr. oz will show you what to do when someone near you suffers a heart attack. and arnold schwarzenegger stops by studio

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good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're under a microclimate weather alert wednesday we strack the system moving into the bay area. heavy rain moving into san francisco and oakland. the raen becomes more widespread as we go through the day. here is a look at the timeline. still showers by 11:00 this morning. heavy downpours near santa rosa and extending toward napa that heavy rain will continue its slow progression to the south. with that rain for several hours, we have concern of flooding and very heavy downpours for the santa cruz mountains over toward morgan hill. we will see the evening commute very sloppy withstanding water very likely. it won't be until later tonight before the raen tapers off and dry, also cold air moving again. winds will pick up with sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. we may have gusts up to 50 miles an hour. we'll continue to watch the

storm as we go through the rest o of the day. let's head over to mike for a look at the commute so far. >> so far the south bay has escaped with drier roadways. as the raen comes in, the earli earli earlier crash 101 at tully presenting slowing. 101 from sfo into the city starting to slow. in general we have rain and the wet weather in parts of the east bay and the eastshore freeway as well. jam counter commute eastbound 80. it will affect the car keen naj bridge and san rafael. very wet for the commute. visibility may be a factor as well. >> that's not the only spot. happening now, live look at interstate 580 in richmond this morning. at the bridge where drivers right now are dealing with wet roads as well. head to nbcbayarea.com to see what people are doing to brace for the storm. our nbc bay area app, you can

sign up for weather alerts. it's free --

♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, how to save a life. in the wake of alan thicke's unexpected death, dr. oz joins us to explain how to recognize and respond to someone having a heart attack. plus, winter blast. as the brutal cold blankets much of the country, bitter temperatures and dangerous winds threaten millions. so where is the storm headed? and when will it let up? al has your forecast. and -- he's hired. >> i'm the new boss, and i plan to be tough, but fair. >> arnold schwarzenegger stops by studio 1a to talk politics, the president-elect, and becoming the new face on "celebrity apprentice," "today,"

thursday, december 15th, 2016. ♪ from south carolina! merry christmas! >> good morning, huntsville, alabama! >> merry christmas, arkansas! woo! >> all the way from portland, oregon. birthday bucket list! merry christmas! >> today is my high school sweetheart's 55th birthday! we're back now, 8:00 on a thursday morning. it's the 15th of december. you know, you can start to feel that wind picking up. temperatures starting to go down. we dropped a degree in the last few minutes, and it is getting chilly out here. >> yes. it is time to cozy up. it is that time of year.

>> come on, carson, get in. >> i got a question for you. when you aren't with us, do you miss us, do you think about us? >> you have no idea. >> you think about us? >> i don't miss this chill because in california -- >> you can't even speak of this! >> it is a little chilly here but it is going a great morning, always is in studio 1a. ina garten has a mouthwatering recipe for a delicious lemon chicken. we'll all be watching that. >> we've got a lot to get to. let's start with the top stories, "the news at 8." i'm getting a hat. >> reporter: we begin this morning with this bitterly cold air sweeping across the northern united states from coast to coast. i'm ron mott here in chicago where temperatures this morning are hovering around three or four degrees. we expect to climb up to about 10 with windchill values well below zero. the silver lining today here in chicago -- clear skies. so no snow today. a different story come tomorrow because the same snow system that dumped on oregon yesterday -- we saw that scary

scene with the school bus sliding down the road. kids on that bus, crashing into cars. fortunately, no one was hurt. that same system makes its way here tomorrow. we also saw snow in buffalo yesterday. a quick burst of lake-effect snow. that city and those folks are obviously used to that. here in chicago that snow will start to fall tomorrow afternoon. and then on sunday, back here at soldier field in chicago, the bears hosting the green bay packers, game time temperature expected no more than 1 degree about he low zero. if that holds, that will be the coldest game at soldier field since the bears started keeping track in 1963. back to you. >> stay bundled up, ron. thank you very much. in other news, nbc news learned from senior intelligence officials have learned that russian president vladimir putin was personally involved in covert efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. it began, one official says, as a vendetta against hillary clinton, but quickly became an effort to expose corruption in u.s. politics and undermine america's international

credibility. the stunning revelation comes after the cia's recent assessment that the russian government wanted to elect donald trump, a view not wholly shared by the fbi and other agencies. president-elect trump has called the cia assessment ridiculous. california's dmv has ordered uber to stop picking up san francisco passengers in its new self-driving cars. the state calls the program just launched wednesday illegal. california has issued permits to 20 companies to test autonomous cars on public roads, but uber is not one of them. still, the company says its cars will keep rolling. uber maintains the vehicles are not really autonomous because there's a human sitting in the driver seat ready to take control if there happens to be a problem. just ahead, in the wake of alan thicke's death, important information from dr. oz. how you can recognize, then respond, to signs of a heart attack. and then, better than the real thing? on "trending," we're going to bite into the new meatless

burger. we'll see if we can tell the difference. and arnold schwarzenegger is with us. he will talk about the new "celebrity apprentice," president-elect trump and more. lilly. she pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. but once a week

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important information following the sudden death of actor alan thicke. >> someone in the united states suffers a heart attack every 43 seconds. here is a question -- would you know what to do if you or someone near you was experiencing one? dr. mehmet oz is the host of "the dr. oz show." he's here to fill us in on all of this stuff. how are you? >> good morning. >> there are a lot of things that people don't know difference between. i didn't know the difference. we are talking about the difference initially between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest. two different things. right? >> heart attack is when the big blood vessels are supplied nourishing oxygen to the heart shut off. the heart feels like there is a punch on it, it has a big bruise after a heart attack oftentimes. sudden cardiac death is because the heart stops beating because it short-circuited out. they are related. you could have a heart attack with that damaged tissue, that broken wiring on the surface of the heart and it can short-circuit the heart and lead to this defibrillation which is when the heart turns to a bag of worms. but that sudden dysfunction is what leaves people lying in the street.

>> so much we don't know about the situation with alan thicke but we do know it followed hockey, so there was exertion. we know he was conscious and alert and even talking to his son before he passed away. of all the things you want to tell people, the first thing you tell them -- call 911. >> 911 is important because they have things you don't have by your side. they have high-dose oxygen, medications, and tools and devices and know how to use them. but you have to tell 911 sometimes where to take you as soon as you are conscious. everyone right now, as soon as this segment is over find out the closest heart and stroke center to your home. if you collapse at home, tell people take me to this place because they can help me. not every emergency room can open your blood vessels and save your life. you're still better off there than at home but you ideally want to be taken to a place that has interventional ability to open up a closed blood vessel. >> you call 911, you're there on the scene with someone. what's the second thing you should do? >> you can do tons of things. besides calling 911, i always have an aspirin by my side.

make sure you are on the ground. if you're standing and you collapse, you hurt yourself. plus, you want to take stress off the heart. if you're lying down, the heart doesn't have to pump so much against gravity, the body is not consuming energy. sit the patient up a tiny bit so they can beat more readily. if you do that they will be able to stay more stable. put a pillow behind them. >> let's get to the aspirin now. you want somebody to be given a full dose of aspirin and not the way we normally take aspirin. >> no. we swallow aspirin. you want 325 milligrams. adult dose of aspirin. chew it. i know it doesn't taste good but chew the darn thing because you can absorb the pieces, the crumbs in your saliva, in your mouth. you don't to have to your stomach function. remember, if you're having a heart attack your stomach doesn't work so well. you need that stuff in your blood stream immediately. within seconds of chewing aspirin the beneficial benefits of aspirin are in your blood stream. that's all you need to keep you alive until docs can get to you. >> you take one aspirin a day. >> i personally take an aspirin every day. a baby aspirin.

i think it makes sense for a lot of folks. but i can't give it as an official recommendation because people do have some side effects but always carry it with you. remember, this is really important. the person whose life you save will probably be someone you know. we drop dead in front of our relatives. carry the aspirin in a pouch. pop it in your mouth or someone else's if they're having an issue. >> we should all be trained in cpr. it would be nice if we know where those electronic defibrillators are located. >> we did a study comparing 6 year olds to adults and they can use the cpr devices as readily as you can. it's so easy. find out where they are. you'll save a life. it will be someone you know most likely. >> dr. oz, thank you so much. see more of dr. oz weekdays on "the dr. oz show." check your local listings for that. al has a quick check of the weather. >> all right, guys. we've got a lot going on. this storm is coming into california now. we've got flood watches and warnings up. the reason for that, we could see anywhere from one to three inches of rain in the foothills, some areas could pick up to eight inches of rain before it

is all over. this system will make its way across the country. the flood risk for california, snow moves into the rockies. rush hour snow saturday for chicago and minneapolis. early morning snow in the northeast with anywhere from 3 to 12 inches of snow making its way across the country. good morning. i'm kari hall. the rain is closing in on the bay area with heavy rain making its way across the north bay. we're seeing rain move into the santa cruz mpts. this becomes more widespread and heavy rain as well as some strong winds through the next couple of hours here's a look at the timeline as we see the radar filling in. heavy rain in the north bay. for at least the next several hours. and then reaching the south bay in time for the evening commute. >> check us out on our sirius xm channel, 108. al, thank you very much. let's talk about what's trending today at 8:13.

scrambling to get your christmas gifts delivered on time? next year your presents could quickly and easily be delivered by drone. that's after amazon completed its first ever customer delivery by drone. ceo of that company, jeff bezos, announced the news himself on twitter. it happened in the uk. the customer ordered a streaming device and, of course, a bag of popcorn. guess how long it took for him to get his delivery? had two miles away -- 13 minutes. dropped in his yard. it helps if you have a wide-open yard like that. >> not manhattan. you guys want to see the sweetest video you're going to see all day? it shows a pair of 2-year-old twins who until last week were conjoined at the sternum. the risky surgery took the medical staff of 50 people. it lasted 17 hours. but things are looking very good. the girls have been recovering from separate beds but on monday they were reunited placed in the same about ed you know what?

they couldn't take their eyes off each other. their mom called the moment a real thrill. this happened at lucille packard children's hospital in stanford, california. >> our best to that family. one thing everyone at this table wants to remember today. what happens at the office christmas party -- which ours is today -- does not always stay at the office christmas party. here's the problem. lot of times things go down at the party and they can create real problems. here are some tips from the "new york times" how to keep your office holiday party from going off the rails. pretty straightforward. watch your alcohol intake. >> never thought of that! >> wraatch it go down your thro. >> what's the limit? three drinks? >> one? >> three? >> i think you can do one an hour. >> the other thing, make sure there are adults in place. in other words, meaning -- not necessarily age wise but people

who act like adults. i always think you shouldn't stay too long. >> i leave early. >> i always like to find out where the bosses are, then i go on the other side of the room. just keep an eye on them. >> had now to the reason why we have burgers in front of us, you guys. people have been talking about these. they're called beyond burger. al, you'll love this one. one is a meatless patty that used a mix of plant protein. supposed to taste like the real thing. we're going to taste each of these. >> one's real and one's not. >> who doesn't do ketchup on yourbu your burger? >> it will mask the taste. >> that's close but you can tell it is not. >> i have the answer key right here. >> what do you think, carson? which one is beef, which one isn't? >> this is the non-beef. >> i go the same way.

>> described as non-beef? i put too much ketchup on it. >> they're getting very, very close to be able to pull this off. >> by the way, it is delicious. >> you've had these? >> i have. >> is this does not taste like a vegan burger. >> usually they crumble. they're not great. nice. >> this has a little bit of a salty aftertaste though. they need to work on that. carson? "popstart!"? >> first we'll get to leonardo dicaprio offering his own touching tribute to alan thick. in the final season he played a homeless teen, he was just 18 years old. he writes on facebook, i will be forever grateful for the opportunity i had to work with alan early in my career. i've seen him a number of times over the years. when alan thicke walked in the room, quite frankly, no one was cooler. i miss him already. finally, steve harvey, just

added yet another gig to his already busy schedule besides hosting a talk show, radio show and daytime and prime time version of family feud. steve will be back to host the miss universe competition next month. sound familiar? yep. well, last year steve mistakenly gave the crown to miss colombia instead of miss philippines. he took on full responsibility for the viral moment. a lot of people will be watching to see who he gives the crown to this year. steve, you're the best. that's your quick "popstart!" today. >> carson, thanks so much. everyone is enjoying the burgers. time to go over to mr. matt lauer. >> thank you, hoda. when the "celebrity apprentice" returns next month, there is going to be a new leader in the boardroom. former california governor arnold schwarzenegger. he's taking over for president-elect donald trump who is an executive producer on the show. by the way, it is a program owned and produced by mgm. that airs on nbc. governor, good to see you. >> good to see you.

>> could you have ever imagined there would be so much attention around extra drama around this show? >> no, not at all. a year ago i didn't even think -- more than a year ago i didn't even think i watched apprentice that i thought trump would ever leave that show. i used to think, darn it, why don't i have a show like that. that's the kind of thing i would like to do, reality tv. i've never done it before. all of a sudden, bang, he announced for presidency, off the show. i immediately called mark burnett and said, hey, what about me? i would like to replace him. >> you seem like a great pick. he's announced he'll retain his executive producer credit. after january 20th he's going to be president of the united states and executive producer of the "celebrity apprentice." does that sound right to you? >> what was great about it was that he was part of the negotiation. so i mean i get millions of dollars for hosting the show but nbc doesn't have to pay for it. trump makes mexico pay for it. isn't that great? it was the best deal -- >> i set you up for that.

that's my fault. he said he would spend zero time on the show, focusing on the presidency. would you be surprised if you got a call mid season and said, look, arnold, i have a couple of tips for you? >> i always like to get advice but i don't think that he will have time. i think it is perfectly time that he is executive producer credit because he created the show with mark burnett together, so why should his credit go. he made it very clear he has no interest in being involved. it is now my show. i am the host. i am the new boss and i am going to run this show. any time he is advisor -- or any one is advisor, if you could add so and so as a celebrity, i would take your advice. >> what's your relationship with him like? famously during the campaign you said you could not support him. after that now-infamous ""access hollywood"" tape surfaces, you tweeted, "for the first time since i became a citizen in 1983 i will not vote for the republican candidate for president," and you encouraged other republicans to put country over party. have you changed your mind based

on anything you've seen during the transition? >> well, what changed was that now he is elected. now it is very important that we all support the president. that we all come together and we stop whining and it becomes one nation. because it is -- as obama said many years ago, it is now blue states and red states, it is the united states of america. that's a great letter that i just dug up the other day that president bush, the first, wrote to president-elect clinton. he said, i just want you to know that i respect this office and i respect that you won and you are my president. and i want you to be very successful because if you are successful, then the country is successful." this is exactly what i feel about trump. that's what i felt about obama or anybody. when someone is elected, then you go 1 00% behind them and you help them and to help them -- >> that's not how washington works.

>> no, but it doesn't always work like that and it is very hard for people to do that. but that's the effort that we all have to make. i am 100% behind him and i want to do everything that i can to help. but, as you also know, i am an environmentalist. to me it is very important that at the same time -- and it was one of the reasons why i couldn't go with trump is i want to make sure that we are going into a clean virlenvironment, ia clean future because that's what we did in california and we proved in california that rolling back our greenhouse gases 25% and going green we still have a better gdp growth than the whole united states. >> you still speak like a politics. during the campaign you said, were you eligible, you might have run. do you think you could have won at least in the primaries? >> you never know. i mean you saw what happened this last year. everything that people predicted didn't happen. it turns everything upside down. look, i ran in california and i won easily.

because i was an outsider at the time and they looked for an outsider. the same happened with trump. they looked for an outsider. people are very upset at what's going on in this country, that both of the parties cannot come together. and they hope and pray that this guy, this trump, can bring both of the parties together and hopefully does not run it as a republican administration but run it as democrats and republicans coming together. because it is the only way -- >> you think he's a true republican? >> it doesn't matter. you have to be the public's servant. i hope he sees himself serving democrats and republicans. that's important thing. and important thing also is that every press conference he holds, very important here, matt -- that he talks about the "celebrity apprentice" and what arnold schwarzenegger, the new host, he is a stud. he is fantastic on the show. that is what is important thing. >> he may actually say that.

>> better call him and remind him. >> you know what it is like to make the transition from business and entertainment to politics. so offer him a piece of advice. you talked about advice in the other direction. what's the most important thing he needs to know about the world of politics that he might not know? >> i think the most important, as i said, is to keep working with the other party to bring democrats and republicans and independents, all the people together, because in the end you do not want to just take from the pool of republicans. you only get 50% of the brain power of the united states. if you take people from both parties, then you get 100% of the brain power. let me tell you something, there is so much brain power in united states. this is, by far, the smartest country in the world and the best country in the world. now the trick of it is to go and make it even better. >> what an optimistic take on things. he had a famous line at the end of the "apprentice" every night, "you're fired."

kind of made a living off of that. have you thought what your famous line is in the boardroom? >> it could be, "you're term nart inated, or hasta la vista, baby. or consider this a divorce. >> what do you do when he looks you in the eye, says "i'll be back." "celebrity apprentice" premiers monday night, january 1n 2nd, right here on nbc. we've got girl power. first, your local news. hello, ladies!

a very good thursday morning to you. 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a look from the traffic camera. that's highway 101 at san rafael. all morning, we saw drivers in the north bay dealing with that rain and really wet roads. this is before the brunt of the storm even arrives. let's check in with kari hall with the latest. >> we are starting to see the radar filling in especially for the north bay. so the rain copies to get heavier as we are starting to also track some of the winds picking up. we will see this rain pretty widespread for several hours and once again, we'll fill in with the widespread heavy rain for most of us as we see raining moving to san francisco.

concord, mostly in the south bay by around noon. let's see how the roads are impacted. >> as the rain comes in, more issues. more folks are hitting the road. a light gentle build. south of the san mateo bridge we're:00. let me pull in in your radar. that's the problem why there's slowing through san francisco. the earlier crash has cleared quickly from eastbound 80 at highway 4. we have recovery toward the car tin nas bridge. chp is working very hard to keep these roads clear. >> busy morning. another update half an hour.

thundershowe morning, 8:30 now, december the 15th. look who we have collecting toys as part of our annual toy drive? he of course is doing the honors. you don't have to come down here to donate. you can go to our website,

today.com and find out how you can contribute. >> he's not wearing a coat! also, we are very, very excited. guess who's going to be here singing for us? a great song called "shout out to my ex." >> we'll talk to the ladies in just a little bit. elle fan somethining is ope about her role in ben affleck's new movie. and ina garten is here cooking up her new favorite meal. before he freezes, the aforementioned nick krull. did you not watch al's forecast? >> i didn't. but now i will. i feel like i look great. >> you look fantastic! >> thank you. you sound great in the movie "sing." getting a lot of buzz, that show. >> yes. it's really beautiful. it is a beautiful, funny movie. we're having a great time doing

it. >> also, "you're loving." that movie is getting a lot of oscar buzz as well. it is an important project. >> it is. it is a really beautiful movie, the story of an interracial couple that was married and brought their case to the supreme court to overturn the ban on interracial marriage. it is a really beautiful story. >> is that very rewarding, getting a chance to show a different side of you on film? >> yeah, it really is. i feel really lucky right now being in a movie like "sing" that i think is so funny and sweet, and then a movie like "loving" telling a really important story of civil rights in our history. >> what else do you love about being in new york at christmas time? >> broadway! >> i bet you do. >> it is a great lold giholiday. >> it is the best holiday gift. >> nick, thank you so much. >> we should point out "sing" is

by our sister company, universal. by the way, your "weekend outlook" looks like this -- heavy snow coming across the plains, into the northeast on friday. sunshine in the pacific northwest. then on saturday, snow changes to rain in the northeast but central plains, into the great lakes we've got more snow and bitter cold back through the plains. sunday -- sunday -- rain i loal the eastern seaboard. dangerous windchills back through plains and midsection of the country. rain and snow moves back good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're under a microclimate weather alert as heavy rain closes in on the bay area, covering all of the north bay at this point and moving into san francisco over toward oakland and concord. we're also seeing heavy rain moving into the santa cruz mountains. a closer view you have san francisco, we can see the

downpours moving in. winds pick up as we go through the rest of the late morning hours into early afternoon. we'll see this rain continuing through late tonight with 1 to 2 inches expected. >> and of course, we got football tonight, the weekend starts early on thursday night, "football night in america." the rams coming in to play the seahawks at centurylink field. seattle, washington. cloudy, cold, 33 degrees. on thursday night football. rams versus seahawks. it all starts tonight at 7:30 here on nbc. hoda. >> all right, al, thanks so much. i am very excited. at just 18 years old, el fanning has already worked with some of the biggest names in hollywood. in her new movie, "live by night," she stars alongside ben affleck playing a young preacher

whose difficult past is uncovered by affleck's character. take a look. >> why do they hate you so much? >> i'm a crook. you're the chief of police. >> no. you like to. you said you were the mayor. >> is that what i said? what did you say? >> we had two autographotograph. >> i showed them to him? >> i showed him two. >> elle fanning, welcome. i'm looking at that clip and this movie and i have trouble believing that you're just 18 years old playing this role. >> yes. >> when you read this script, did you say to yourself, i have to do this? >> i did. at first i thought the script was also written by ben, i knew he was going to star in it and direct in it. he can really do everything. but after i read the script,

she's sprinkled throughout the movie but i just really -- it is a very intense part. i knew it would be really challenging. >> she's a preacher. she turns into a preacher. there is a scene in there, elle, where you have to give a sermon. it is not like a quick little thing. how daunting was that during that scene? >> i was nervous because i wanted to just learn my lines pretty much the night before and look over it so it is fresh. but for this one, the sermon when it was written out, it was three pages long. >> hello. >> and i was like -- oh, like immediately when i got the part, i can't do this, i don't know, i'm stressing out. i had to learn it like a couple weeks in advance. it is not like theater when -- i've never done a play before but when we had that sermon scene it felt like it was very theatrical like a monologue or something which i've never done. >> ben is the writer, the director, he's in it.

what is it like starring opposite the director? there must be a lot there. >> i was nervous about it because i've never obviously had a scene with the director before. most of my scenes are with ben. but honestly, when you're in a scene with him, it doesn't feel like he's judging or critiquing you as a director. he did it, he did it as a character, joe, that he's playing. he had his actor hat on. he'll say cut, then go to the monitor, and like -- >> you star opposite a lot off big-shots. in another little movie called "20th century women" opposite annette benning. >> she is the coolest lady in the world. >> let me brag on you for a second. just look at your resume. starred with ryan reynold. matt damon. angelina jolie.

naomi watts. is there anyone who you still want to work with? you look at it and say, wow, i would love to work with that person? >> whoa. well, i want to work with my sister in a movie because we've never actually -- >> dakota fanning? >> yeah. definitely, yeah. i think that that would be a dream. >> what's in the water at your house, by the way? >> man. i mean i guess our parents are still -- i still live at home. i just graduated high school. yes. >> i just followed you. i don't know if we have it, but there was a funny little bit of you roller skating that you posted. it got like 8,000 hits. >> my friends happened to be filming me but i think that i fell because you get self-conscious, then you go

down. >> it's worth checking, follow elle fanning on instagram. i know your two films are competing against one another. may the best one win. it opens in select theaters on christmas day, nationwide january 13th. our taste buds are in for a street because ina garten is here. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: "today" food is brought to you by walmart. find gifts, groceries and more this season. 8:41. we're back with "today food." christmas has come early around here because the barefoot contessa herself is back. her new cookbook, "cooking for jeffrey," is already a best seller filled with her husband's favorite recipes. today we are making one of the ones at the top of his list. can i say something -- i mean it -- we have tasters downstairs

already. we love all the chefs that come on the show. but you make us live pavlov's dog. we hear your name, we start salivating. >> thank you. i'm always looking for remembered flavors but they taste better than these things. i think they are familiar. not like octopus eyeballs with chili sauce or something. >> why does jeffrey like this dish so much? >> it is chicken but with a great flavor, lemon and onion. it's just a very simple dish and it is so easy to make at home. >> what kind of herbs? >> fennel, thyme, lemon, onion, garlic. that's it. first thing i want to do is make an he shall oil. fresh thyme is in here, fennel seeds. little salt and pepper. lots of salt and pepper actually. then just grind them together and put them into here. blend them together. just put them into this oil.

we'll season the chicken with it. >> you're infusing the oil. >> yeah. with great flavor. that goes on to the chicken. >> are we marinating this chicken? >> no. cooking in it. next thing, i have a skillet, black skillskillet, cast iron. i'm going to cut up a lemon and put it right in the bottom. >> you're going to cook the chicken on top of the lemon? >> on top of this. it's already done. we have the lemon. next thing is onion right on top. this is like so easy. garlic. you let your fingers smell like garlic the rest of the day. >> then i'll just put the whole chicken on top. i had the butcher butterfly it. it is very easy to cook when it is like this. >> are you going to be able to get some kind of a crust on this chicken? >> yes. >> because this is going to create steam, isn't it? >> what's going to happen, it creates the sauce with the juices from the chicken.

then it is going to cook at a high temperatures. >> guys? >> extra special. >> and the broccoli rabe. >> can't wait until you get to that. >> i'll take this herb oil and just brush it on the chicken. >> butterfly side up. >> yeah. brat tomorr bottom side up. then turn it over. just right on top of the onions and garlic. >> do you need more of this? >> i do. pat dry because that's the way you get it battlegrounrowned. if it is wet, it just gets steamed. i'm going to after 30 minutes pour wine around the pan, back in the oven for 15 minutes. voila. >> it smells fantastic! >> is it's like so easy to do. the lemon and onions become the

sauce. >> except for the little blender here, we've done everything in one pan. >> in one pan. exactly. >> al mentioned the broccolini. i love to roast vegetables. it is so simple. olive oil, salt and pepper, into the oven, high temperature. just like that. pepper. i do squash like this. i do tomatoes like this. everything. >> how long? >> i hear schmacking. licking their lips. >> for how long? >> 20 minutes, 30 minutes. this is the way it comes out. chicken comes out like that and the broccolini comes out like that. >> hoda, just in case i end up with a mouthful here, will you read the tease? >> i will. by this broccolini tastes like potato chips. crunchy, delicious. >> it is tender.

that's a whole meal right there. >> delicious. so simple and delicious. so good. ina garten. >> ina's going to be with kathie lee and myself a little bit later. we can't wait for that. >> wait until you see what i'm going to make for you. >> what is it? >> fresh figure preserve bruschetta. >> get out. >> i'm going to be stopping by. >> find all of our recipes on the website, today.com/food. up next, guess who's

>> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to ow by citi. we're back, everybody, with the big success, they're called little mix. they sold more than 23 million records all around the world. hello. >> they got a brand-new record called "glory days."

the single from it has been viewed over 100 million times. >> jade, perry, jesse and leeann. hello! >> congratulations, ladies. >> thank you. >> welcome to the states. >> thank you for having us again. >> congrats on the record. >> you miz must be feeling really good. >> we can't believe the success. we're so happy to be back in the states. be back again next year. >> shout out to my exes is such a great single. >> whose ex is this about? >> or what is the selective message to exes in general? >> we just wanted to write a song that could relate to everyone in the world, everyone who's got a bit of a crappy ex. this song empowers people. >> don't feel sorry for yourself. >> congrats on your tour. you guys are hitting the road with ariana grande. very excited about that? >> yeah. i think we are just excited to be in america for three months

straight. >> you're going to sing "shout out to my ex." little mix, take it away. ♪ shout out to my ex ♪ heard he in love with some other chick yeah yeah that hurt me i'll admit ♪ forget that boy i'm over it ♪ i hope she gettin' better sex hope she ain't fakin' it like i did babe ♪ took four long years to call it quits forget that boy i'm over it ♪ ♪ guess i should say thank you for the hate yous and the tattoos oh baby ♪ i'm cool by the way ain't sure i loved you anyway ♪ go ahead babe i'm live my life my life yeah ♪ ♪ shout out to my ex you're

really quite the man ♪ you made my heart break and that made me who i am ♪ here's to my ex hey look at me now ♪ well i'm all the way up i swear you'll never bring me down ♪ shout out to my ex you're really quite the man ♪ you made my heart break and that made me who i am ♪ here's to my ex hey look at me now well i'm all the way up i swear you'll never ♪ you'll never bring me down ♪ oh i deleted all your pics then blocked your number from my phone ♪ ♪ yeah yeah you took all you could get but you ain't getting this love no more ♪ cause now i'm livin' so le gidget even though you broke my heart in two baby ♪ but i snapped right back i'm so brand-new baby ♪ boy read my lips i'm over you over you uh ♪

♪ guess i should say thank you for the hate yous and the tattoos oh baby ♪ ♪ i'm cool by the way ain't sure i loved you anyway ♪ go ahead babe i'm live my life my life yeah ♪ shout out to my ex you're really quite the man ♪ you made my heart break and that made me who i am ♪ here's to my ex hey look at me now ♪ well i'm i'm all the way up i swear you'll never bring me down ♪ shout out to my ex you're really quite the man ♪ you made my heart break and that made me who i am ♪ here's to my ex hey look at me now ♪ well i'm i'm all the way up i swear you'll never you'll never bring me down ♪ ♪ whoa whoa oh oh ♪ whoa whoa oh oh

♪ oh oh oh oh oh you'll never bring me down ♪ >> woo! that is how you do it! congrats, ladies. little mix. we're back in a moment. but first -- you know what? this is "today" on nbc. >> take that. y'all killed it. nice job, ladies.>> (my hero zero by lemonheads) zero really can be a hero. get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select

volkswagen models. right now at the volkswagen sign then drive event. celebrate a few birthdays. >> that's a fine idea.

fire up the smuckers jars. we have amazing folks to tell you about. first up, happy 100th birthday to doris horngoll. secret to her longevity, dark chocolate. world war ii veteran is from spokane, valley, washington. happy 101st birth difficult to mildr mildred. has 12 great grandkids. we would like to say hello to lue ella smith of south carolina. celebrating 100 years. amen and hallelujah. james hughes is 100 years old. diehard red sox fan from houston, texas, served in world war ii and the korean war as a chief petty officer. we salute you, sir. happy 100th birthday of merrill, plays golf twice a week. going to play with carson and matt. hit his first hole in one when he was 93. tell us about somebody in your life celebrating a milestone

birthday or anniversary. >> merrill is going to give v. to give us two shots a side. >> has he ever seen us play? >> thank you very much. we got jane lynch co-hosting, erik mccormack, will smith is stopping by. it is huge. it's going to be fantastic. huge. you're going to love it. >> we're back after your local news. >> bye-bye. 8:56. i'm sam brock. a quick live look outside right now. this is our "today in the bay" news van with the wipers going. heading through santa rosa on 101 southbound. you see a lot of rain out there on the roadways. it's starting to make its way throughout more of the bay area, not just the north bay. the latest from kari hall. >> we're starting to see the radar filling in. under a microclimate weather

alert. we track this heavy rain starting to move from the north bay into the rest of the bay area. also around the santa cruz mountains where we have a flash flood watch in effect. heavy rain starting to move in there, as well. closing in on san jose. rain moving into the east bay within the next hour as we see more of the radar bookkeeping active with heavy downpours make sure you watch out for standing water on the roads and winds pick up throughout the day. how is it impacting the morning commute, mike? it does look like we're having trouble right now getting hold of mike. we'll check back with him. we have crews tracking the storm this morning. we can keep you prepared and we'll have more updates coming up.

this morning on "today's take," hollywood mega star will smith getting personal, eopenin up about his new movie, "collateral beauty." and co-host jane lynch. and last-minute christmas gifts that will arrive just i time. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. it is thursday, december 15th, 2016. we've got -- we're so thrilled. our co-host is golden globe and emmy winning star, jane lynch. let's play a little music. >> oh. >> a little christmas music,

maestro. ♪ christmas time >> new don't recognize that -- >> that's the voice of an angel. >> swingin' little christmas by our fabulous co-host, jane lynch, from her new christmas album from the same title. we have downloaded it as part of the roker holiday rotation. it is prolific! >> i love it. >> what made you go retro? >> i've been touring with this band, the tony guerrero quintet. they're very retro. they do big band stuff. we've been together two years. we do those really nice tight harmonies. we have a blast doing it. >> that's terrific. it is a lot of fun. >> thank you. >> it is throwback thursday. we found a little clip of jane. >> let's look, everybody. >> i'm steve, this is kathy. >> we just love kellogg's frosted flakes. >> we come here every day just hoping he'll make an appearance

of some sort. excuse me, could you send out tony when you see him? >> tony, who? >> oh, come on. frosted are about so much more than great taste. there's that, then there's tony. then there is the frosting. then there's tony. >> got it. he looks different. >> i think -- i think that's a woman. >> you're right. >> they're grreat! >> directed by christopher guest. that's where i met chris. i did like a year later "best in show." >> what year was this? >> '98. '99. >> you know that's my favorite cereal. >> oh, really. >> you brought up christopher guest. "best in show." now you are part of that ensemble. what's that like? because those movies are so amazing. >> thank you. >> just seems so terrific. >> well, i was very nervous the first time because i loved "waiting for duffman." i thought it was the best movie ever made. when i was invited to join "best

in show," it was quite an honor. we continued to do them. we just did something on netflix with the same group of people. we're all friends. we all love each other. >> you have a dog. >> i do! she'll be 17 on the 17th. >> what's her name? >> olivia. >> "best in show" -- >> yes. as soon as i wrapped "best in show," we were in vancouver. i went back home to my home in venice, california. i went to a pet shore. shame on me, i guess. but i think that dogs need to be rescued from pet stores as well. i picked up olivia. she was in this big window on venice boulevard. tiny little thing. she's going to be 17th on the 17th. >> are you prepared for the cold here, jane? >> i'm from chicago. i live in l.a. now but i'm from chicago. so i know my way around cold. i've got all the accoutrement.

>> what's your number one tip? i lived in chicago for ten years. i still can't take it. >> we underestimate how cold our bottom half gets. so that's something that i always know. >> you like how we say -- hmm. >> i've been working with him too long. >> i believe when it is cold you go cold. i brought in -- do you like -- >> i do love coffee, i love iced coffee. i love cold brew. they say you're supposed to drink cold stuff when you're cold. i don't understand. >> is that science? jane, this has become our gift for our co-hosts. >> oh, wonderful! >> you can't buy this anywhere. >> is this your special blend? >> this is my special blend. >> it's gone viral. >> it is so sweet and delicious. is there any sugar in this? >> yes. >> but i was going to say was that cold brew coffee is sometimes a little sweeter. >> this is a fresh batch.

i've actually tried a -- i put some cocoa mix in it. >> what's that? >> from cocoa beans, along with some chicory. >> is that all in this? >> that's all in this. do you sell this stuff? >> no, i don't sell this. i'll make you some more. >> do you know what the hatchimal is? like the number one toy in the country? it is an egg. >> no. >> do we have anymore? it hatches out. the hardest thing in the world to greet? this is the adult match hall. >> i'm glad you enjoy. talking about hot google searches. out with their list of things that we were all googling obsessively. since you are the game show queen here -- >> yes, i know my way around cards. >> that's why you'll fit in here. >> at home, play with us. like a this or that kind of thing. number one, powerball or pokemon go. >> i would say pokemon go. >> pokemon go. >> i go powerball because you

need money to buy pokemon go. the robinson family were 1 of 3 winners. their agent contacted the show and said we have the winners. no one believed it. they showed up. >> they came here first. then went to the lottery. >> how much? >> $1.6 billion. >> oh, my gosh! >> they don't even call us anymore. they used to call. >> they bought their own country. >> most searched movie. "finding dory" or "suicide squat." >> "finding dory." >> i'm going "suicide squad" because there was so much controversy. remember people were complaining about it. so i think people often go for negative. >> a lot of haters. >> jane, this is al's favorite. most searched musician. kanye, your buddy, or beyonce. >> i'd have to say kanye.

>> yeah. because he's nuts. >> and the answer is -- beyonce! >> thank you, america! thank you! thank you! >> beyonce. >> atta girl, beyonce. >> i find this one interesting. marion cottilard. >> meghan markle is prince harry's girlfriend. and marion cottilard with brad pitt. >> the announcement of their divorce -- >> i'm going with meghan markle. >> let's see who it is. >> meghan markle. >> we reference both of these women to the men they're with. >> the reality of it -- it is not fair. i'll stand up for it. i did. because -- >> i didn't.

>> marion cottilard is a wonderful actress. she was wonderful, a remarkable talent. why they were googled. it is because of the guys they are associated with. just saying, they are wonderful women in their own right. >> most searched recipe. >> green bean casserole or guacamole. >> green bean casserole. >> i'm going green bean casserole. >> is it because there's no such thing as a good one? >> i love green bean casserole. >> girl! surely you're not a girl from the south! how could you be a southern girl and not like a good green bean casserole? >> i'm not even southern. you're not into it. what do you put on the top? >> french fried onions. durkee french fried onions. >> and guacamole's been done. is there a more creative way to make guacamole? >> frosted flakes on them?

>> oh, wow. >> will there be a "will and grace" reboot? >> i hope so! >> feind out if those rumors ar true. our buddy, eric mccormick. he's enjoying himself! throw your head back and laugh. >> what's he laughing at? chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound.

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pronamel is all about your enamel. helping to protect your enamel. "today's take" and jane lynch did not leave. she's still here. despite the green bean casserole controversy that almost separated us. earlier today, governor arnold schwarzenegger was in the studio. he's going to be the new celebrity a "celebrity apprentice" host. he was on jimmy fallon. >> they get fired. you could easily say, asta la vee vista, baby.

that's too obvious. how about this one? you won't be back. okay. i think i got the last one here. ready? you're fired. get to the chopper! >> which one do you think? >> i'm not sure. you've been term nafinated. >> i like, "you won't be back." >> can i say this on nbc? >> when you're jane lynch, you can do anything. >> i was in a movie with arnold schwarzenegger called "collateral damage." many years ago. it was numb-- i was number 66 oe call sheet. i played like an fbi person and i got my neck broken in the bathroom. >> by arnold schwarzenegger's character? >> no. by the girl he was protecting. who was like this tall. i was about 150 pounds more than

her and she supposed by jumped on my back and broke my neck. >> but you sold it. >> of course i did! i'm an actor. >> when you do that kind of thing, kind of -- because you are not a stunt stunt person doing it. >> it's changed now. now you have a stunt person, it wasn't you? >> exactly. i will say about arnold -- i just saw him out in the hall. he doesn't like it when women are taller than him. i think it throws him off and it also makes him giggle a little bit. he looked at me and went like that. >> how tall are you? >> i'm 6'0". >> let's go back to arnold giggling. >> he giggled a little bit. >> it because your taller than him? >> yes. exactly like that, al. >> do you find that men are intimidated by your height? i think you are the perfect height. >> well, thank you so much. >> there is a certain kind of reaction i get sometimes from guys, which is -- and then they have to like -- man up a little bit or something.

other times guys don't even notice it. like mr. roker never notices. >> no. >> i tower over him. >> truth be told, i will say, there was a point when i first saw you on camera, i had a little crush on you. >> you did! well, do tell. >> all right. speaking of the perfect body types, what about the rest of the body? you've got the perfect height. >> you have the perfect body. you saw you in your pajamas today. you even look cute in your pajamas. >> tamron walks around in a onesie. >> in her pajamas. >> it has button flap in the back. >> i have a huge collection of onesies that i wear. >> i wouldn't say you have a huge -- >> you watch the back of her a lot. you have a lot to say about the back of her. >> that's true. she had a dress on yesterday. >> okay. so this british company pro water helped us survey to create the perfect body using features from various celebrities. like a franken face. for women, gigi hadid,

her eyebrows. blake lively's teeth, jennifer aniston's hair. rihanna's arms. >> oh, yeah. >> ellen's personality. let's see what the person looks like. i don't know how you would shape personality. >> okay. >> i want a close-up. >> i can't see. >> and i want to see the face. it's kind of crooked. >> let's go to the guys. >> chris pine eyes. chris pratt nose. duane johnson's chest. >> with the moving? >> the whole body. george clooney's teeth. zac efron's jaw line. david beckham's hair? you want his hair? his whole face is beautiful. ryanry nod's personality. how do you shape personality? >> the guy is jack. >> jack. here's the results, ladies and gentlemen. >> that's just freakish. >> that's hideous. >> that's freakish. >> that's like an experiment gone wrong. you know in five minutes that's going to explode. >> exactly. >> where is ryan reynolds' personality?

>> wow. >> that's just not right. >> yeah. >> all right. again, here's a pallette cleanser for you, the weather. that's just weird. let's show you what's going on. 55 million people under some sort of windchill advisory or windchill warning stretching from the dakotas all the way into new england. you look at that. single digits to well below zero. . d then we got coming into that cold air, big storm system, flooding possible for much of central and southern and northern california. also snow is making its way on friday from minneapolis, green way, chicago. by the weekend it makes its way here into the northeast. you see the rockies over a foot and a half to two feet of snow. upper great lakes, talking about nine inches. as we get into western new york, we look for anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of snow. that's what's going on around the country. here's w widespread rain and heavy winds as they start to move in the bay area, we'll continue to see the radar filling in.

as we are seeing the winds picking up around santa rosa and some heavy downpours there. we are tracking some rain moving through the santa cruz mountains and into the south bay. it won't be closing in the east bay as well. wet roads along with some winds and sustained to about to 20 to 30 miles per hour, we'll continue to see it pouring throughout the day. hat's your latest weather. >> coming up, jingles with jane. our co-host is going to get us into the holiday spirit with a little trivia game we call "how the lynch stole christmas." later, will smith and the all-star cast of "collateral beauty." after these messages. "look! famous people!" we catch flo, the progressive girl, at the supermarket buying cheese. scandal alert! flo likes dairy?! woman: busted! [ laughter ] right afterwards we caught her riding shotgun with a mystery man. oh, yeah! [ indistinct shouting ] is this your chauffeur? what?! no, i was just showing him how easy it is to save with snapshot from progressive.

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roomba navigates your entire home. cleaning up pet hair and debris for up to 2 hours. which means your floors are always clean. you and roomba, from irobot. better. together. we're back with our amazing co-host. spin around, jane. she has a new christmas album out called "a swinging little christmas." we're going to play something called "how the lynch stole christmas." >> the joke is over. >> jane is going to sing a christmas carol but she's purposely add a grumpy twist to

the last line and we have to ring in to say the real line. kelly is from atlanta, georgia. and on tamron's team, emily from portland, oregon. love the wines there. >> i'm going to sing this. then you have to finish it for me. ♪ jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ oh what fun it is to ride so you better get out of my way ♪ al roker. ♪ on a one horse open sleigh. >> i'm going to pick knnits wit you. it is "in." but i'm going to give it to you. moving on. ♪ silent night holy snnight alls hot all is not ♪ ♪ all is calm all is bright

♪ just hear those sleigh bells ringling jing jing jingling too ♪ >> ♪ on a sleigh ride together with you ♪ ♪ when you're dry and ready a bagel we will slay ♪ ♪ ♪ han hanukah ♪ >> no. >> i will play. ♪ and dradle i will play i'm going to give it to you. >> 3-1. >> it is a competition. >> i'm going to be much cleaner about my scoring. ♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ ♪ yuletide carols being sung by a choir ♪ and this next line that no one

knows ♪ >> i can't concentrate with you two. oh. >> she got it. 3-2. ♪ i have no gift to bring pa-rum-pa-pum ♪ ♪ then why did you even come yes, tamron. >> no, it's a line. it rhymes with "i have no gift to bring." >> to you. ♪ to give a king >> that is it. three points, al roker. not the cleanest. but look what you get? >> you're getting some gifts. . up next, eric mccormack with

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oh yeah. crest whitestrips are the way to whiten. good thursday morning, it is 9:26, i am sam brock, lets take a live look outside from the bay. right now going through the north bay, we are seeing a lot of precipitation up there. the whole system is moving through the larger swath of the bay area. san rafael, there is plenty of rain drops and fog as well. lets find out the time line here. we are seeing the south bay getting some more right now. >> we are seeing the rain closing in on the bay area. we'll continue to have downpours moving in as we get a view of the radar. we'll see this moving in much more of the east bay as we with gotten a bit of a break throughout the morning.

you can see heavy rain coming down around petaluma. we are tracking showers moving at 680 and near fremont close to dublin, that rain is also creating the concerns of some flash flooding in the santa cruz mountains. the winds will be picking up so we'll have some debris flows and down power lines as well as some trees. a small stream flood advisory in effect for the north bay with a potential of a couple of inches of rain. we'll keep you update on that and lets head over to mike for a look of the road ways. >> he's watching traffic pattern in the south bay right now with mike, we'll be back in two-minutes.

the road ways around the

bay. we have a concern here. look at this, it is hitting the south bay. the traffic is pretty light roigt n right now. t more slowing in san mateo and as you head out the bay bridge, we have a slow drive as well. you are going to get hit with the winds that's hitting our camera. soupy condition here. >> thanks, mike, we'll keep you updated every half hour, we'll see you at 10:00.

for eight years we all watched eric mccormack in his emmy winning role as will, the gay lawyer, that gained life in new york state with his roommate, grace. it won a whoppingemmys. >> now eric is back on the small screen playing a time traveler who ventures back to the 21st century to save humanity. >> as eric and the rest of the team soon find out, making the leap back to 2016 doesn't always go so smoothly. >> i thought this was going to be a simple handoff. >> probably didn't know about the pills. >> what pills? >> probably a failsafe. >> cause of death, gunshot to

the head. >> there wasn't anyone from his team there to meet him? >> no. we looked around. >> eric is with us. when you started off, "what pills," you know you're in trouble? you know it is going to be a rough ride? >> big trouble. there's always trouble in the 21st century. >> tell us about your character. it is kind of a character within a character. >> hard to talk about a show like this and not give too much away. basically the future of america -- i know this is hard to buy -- is leaked. we have very little but we have technology to come back not as ourselves but our consciousness and inhabit the bodies of people living now. you, al roker, could be a time traveler. it is like a spy show, espionage deep undercover show more than anything. >> how much do you go back and

forth -- the guy you inhabited is dead. i don't want to give too much away. >> he would have been. he would have died. we know this because we're 300 years in the future and we know from gps and social media -- literally we know the where, longitude and latitude of people before they die. then we live their lives. it is a one-way ticket. we're not going back to the future. we live their lives -- >> you're note going back. >> -- supposedly for eight or nine seasons. >> not being too specific. but giving some guidance. >> it is going to be on netflix. >> it drops next week. all 12 episodes. i am so excited about it. >> i'm going to binge that baby. >> i like the sound of that. i'm going to binge that baby. >> anything with eric's face on it, i'm going to binge that baby. >> this is more like a gritty --

>> a sci-fi premise. some of the missions we are here to take care of -- some of what we have to do, we don't even know why it is going to better the future. we are just following orders, meantime we're also living the lives of these people whose bodies we've inherited. sometimes the job is kind of dull. but in the meantime we're taking care of their children and -- >> right. >> i find myself in a marriage. >> you have a hot wife, too. >> that works out. he also is clearly having an affair with somebody. >> you said you didn't want to give too much away! >> binge that baby! >> we have something from your past. can we show you? >> great segue. i'm learning so much from you. >> will and grace. >> i just wanted to say hello to my former co-star, eric mccormack. he and i were married in a secret ceremony in vancouver, canada yesterday. hi, darling. >> i said i wouldn't cry. >> see you tonight.

>> which begs the question, could see see -- after we saw the mini episode during this political season which was really funny, could we see a reboot of "will and grace"? >> we're talking about it. >> he didn't give us eye contact. >> we -- the four of us are game. it's a matter of everybody else. >> who is everybody else? >> i don't know. write letters to the network. >> jane? >> start the letter writing campaign. >> absolutely. i'll be binge that baby and then start that letter campaign. >> are you a binge watcher? do you like o binge watch? >> netflix. december 23rd. >> are we done? coming up, will smith opens up about his new role in "collateral beauty" after this. "collateral beauty" after this. but you can stay, eric. say hi to xiidra, lifitegrast ophthalmic solution. the first eye drop approved for the signs and symptoms of dry eye.

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will smith, helen mirren, keira knightley. why couldn't they get a fun cast? >> "collateral beauty" is about finding dark even in tlight eve darkest places. will smith plays a successful executive who is overcome by grief after his young daughter passes away from cancer. he writes letters to the universe, love, time and death and gets an unexpected response. >> who did you write the letter to? >> i wrote the letter to death. >> only helen mirren could make death seem approachable and charming. >> makes you sort of long for death. >> could i die and have helen mirren in my arms? what was it like for you, helen? >> i was insulted, to be honest.

people write letters to the universe all the time. most don't get a personal response. >> it made me think about it. absolutely. and it's something that we all have to confront, either with our friends and family or, eventually, with ourselves. it is absolutely as much a part of our lives as anything else. >> reporter: will had to confront mortality recently when his father got sick. he passed away just last month. did it make you think about time, the time you've had with him? >> this has been the most impactful film on me as a human being that i've ever worked on. the people you love are the only thing that are going to matter when you're about to say good-bye to this existence. >> did you watch it with your family members? >> i watched it with willow. we make a specific date to watch the movie. she falls completely apart over movies like this. >> i fell completely apart, too. i'm like willow.

i actually could have been a kleenex commercial. it was disgusting. from sloppy tears to laughter on s set, the one challenge for the cast, how to shoot on the streets of new york city with will smith. >> there's like 100 people behind us. it was like we're doing street theater. as soon as we cut they start clapping. that was incredible! >> were there parts where you had to clap because people would go will smith -- >> yeah. all of the fight scenes. >> even when it is just a scene with me and keira. that's sort of annoying because he's not even here. >> be sure to notice the collateral beauty. >> what does collateral beauty mean to each of you? >> for me it just means finding that light at the end of the tunnel. like total darkness doesn't really exist. >> it is a very eternal idea to achieve balance day to day instead of pushing it all off until later. >> to me it is finding my

mascara first thing in the morning. >> it sounds like a brand of mascara. >> collateral beauty. >> you don't understand. no one understands time. >> you have to spend your time wisely because any moment can be the moment that you no longer have something. you can sit and stop right now in this moment. i have everything i need. i don't have anywhere near everything i want but i have everything i need. so to be grateful because there will be a time when i don't have everything i need. >> can we please do a series called "motivational speaking with will smith"? was it like this every day? like i'm good enough! >> he hasn't had a coffee this morning. right now he's at about half speed. >> all i know is i feel fab. >> i do, they're so great. watch "collateral beauty," it is in theaters tomorrow. it is so sweet! watch it. it is really good.

it is sort of like "a wonderful life." >> that's what's going good morning, i am meteorologist kari hall, we are under a micro climate weather alert. still some heavy rain in the north bay. we are also seeing this moving into the south bay into the east bay as well. we'll see the rain streaming into the bay area for several hours. still some pockets of heavy rain just to the east of petaluma and santa rosa. you are seeing this spotty light rain and this will get heavier for flash flood warning the mountains. are ready? >> we have so the graeat gifts for you to chew over. this is not a trick. these things will be at your when you have a cold, pain from a headache can make this...

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male order food gifts are mail order food gifts are very popular this time of year, whether you're giving them as a gift or bringing a basket to someone's house or you need premade goodies. we have all kinds of delicious items that will arrive on time, which is important. we're going to start off with something sweet. good morning to see you. hanukkah. >> for the sweet tooth, even a little weird on our list this year. starting with hanukkah, this is from mouth.com. they curate really high-end chocolates. there's something for each night of hanukkah. you can open one each night. this year hanukkah and christmas eve fall at the same time. >> this will run you 78.50, a sweet for each night. i'm obsessed with this because i love ice cream sandwiches. >> the chef here does an amazing job with flavors like blackberry cobbler, chocolate coconut. there's 12 days of christmas ice

cream sandwiches. something really fun. also, for the sweet tooth, some delicious maple syrups. i love the flavors here. one of my favorites is the lime. this is the hibiscus. i'll put a little of this here for you. beautiful packaging. beautiful bottles. you can buy an individual bottle or the gift set. >> that's delicious. surprisingly good. >> and real quick, the savannah bee company. for the honey lover on your list. >> let's head to jane. she has something savory. >> it's so nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you too. >> we're ready to eat. >> yes, absolutely. we have a tenderloin here that's beautiful. >> this comes already precooked. this is for the person on your list who is a foodie who wants something very high quality and delicious. it's a mesquite smoked. it's got a nice black pepper crust. you basically just defrost it. >> perfectly medium rare. >> you look like you're a professional. >> indeed, beautiful. now my favorite combination is

pasta and truffle. >> get in there. this is all truffle. this is the truffle pasta packaged from sfogilini. they make beautiful hand cut pastas. there's truffles. foodies love truffles. and nothing beats a nice warm bowl of soup. this is spoonful of love. it comes in these adorable packages. it comes with everything. the rolls, the chicken noodle soup, and also something sweet. so we've got some chocolate chip cookies. get right in there. >> i'm going to let you know. i think it's gingerbread. >> and now i'm going to leave you for some stocking stufrs. >> please. i'm going to continue eating. >> al, we saved the best for last. >> i love this idea. >> almost lost it. >> that could have been ugly, but you recovered. chilly granola? >> this is perfectly weird. it's spicy.

it's got spice. for foodie, we wanted to find some different, unique gifts. $12 a jar. >> oh, wow. that's a little bite. specialty almond butter. >> i love the packaging here. it's so beautiful. this is solstice canyon. all organic. it's almond butter made with coconut. it's really good, even in smoothies. last but not least, great things come from the south. this is a southern roaster. the peace and joe holiday gift back. there's three bags in there. comes with this adorable burlap sack and tags. >> very nice. maureen, thank you so much. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> we're back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

we wan t we want to thank everybodys who's donated to our toy drive. s drive. bebe, nice to see you. this is such a great donation you are doing for us. >> we are the leading provider of laundry home care and beauty products. this year we are proud to be donating every day essentials like persill laundry detergent, all free and clear. we are donating 12,000 snuggle bears to help spread cheer. >> something for the parents and something for the kids. thank you so much. you can donate on the plaza every morning until december 23rd or online at amazon.com/today. check the website for details.

>> you are my heroin out there with the people and the snow. >> because you warmed our hearts. >> again, your album -- >> "swingin' little christmas." >> we love it. download it. coming up, kathie lee and hoda will be here after local news and weather.

good morning, i am meteorologist kari hall, we are under a micro climate weather alert. special in the north bay where we see it raining for several hours at this point and it will continue as we see rainfall

totals close to 2 inches around clover dale, we are seeing mo mostly an inch to san rafael. some wet grounds and more rain streaming in. it is becoming more widespread. we'll see the rain for most of the bay area continuing throughout the rest of the morning. and even the evening commute for the south bay. we'll keep an eye on that. mike is keeping us an update on the road ways. >> we cannot see the road, lets clear the radar. that's what wet road is registering on our road weather index. the green for the speed center, it is not as bad as far as commute goes. right around saratoga, kind of slow things down. use caution there because you have time to get through the area and flowing through san mateo as well. all the way towards san francisco 101 for those speeds. a live look out there, it is still wet on the day bridge. a live look at interstate 5 and

80 richmond, drives are dealing with wet road ways. you can see our cameras getting some of it, too. go to nbcbayarea.com to see how people are doing across the area and how they are bracing up for the storms and sign up for our alerts, we'll alert you everyday.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody, welcome. we're s happy you're spending a snowy thirsty thursday with us. >> look at it, it's really coming down. >> that's called "crave" by pharrell williams because he's craving a little bahamas right now. >> wow, by the way, it's biting cold outside. it's going to get colder as the day goes on. >> we're going to go to our holiday party today. all the nbc "today" show group. >> we do it at noon. >> because we've all