>> fantastic. gianna happy birthday! >> we have frank, sydnie, cake downstairs. >> we'll be right down in 10 seconds! [ laughter ] thanks elizabeth. and thank you for watching cbs 5 "early edition." see you tomorrow. caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. fighting back. as pro-gadhafi forces have a brutal attack against the force. president obama meets today to outline a military response. we will talk with hillary clinton about the role the u.s. may reply in stopping gadhafi. a father's outrage as the man convicted of murdering his young son is set to be released early from prison. a rhode island father vows to seek revenge more than three decades after the brutal crime. >> all i think is about trying to find a way to get to this man to kill him. that is my every thought. >> reporter: you'll hear more from father and we will look

what authorities are doing to deal with this unusual case. troubled web. reports out this morning broadway spider-man has hit yet another snag. opening night perhaps being pushed back for the sixth time. we will take you inside the drama surrounding the musical "early" this wednesday morning, march 9th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good wednesday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm chris wragge. looking forward to hearing from the secretary this morning. >> nice to be back. we are will be hearing from secretary of state hillary clinton ahead in the broadcast. because, of course, we begin with the ongoing violence in libya. she will be weighing in. first, tell you what is happening today. when it comes to the white house, the response so far has been lots of tough talk but little action. all of that could change today. president obama security advisers are set to meet and

they will be examining all of the military options available and they will, of course, be looking what is actually happening on the ground. that is where we find cbs news correspondent mark phillips who joins us from tripoli this morning with the very latest. mark, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. if anything, moammar gadhafi has been getting more confident and belligerent as his troops make headway against rebel strongholds across the country. he has made two appearances the past couple of days and each of them he insisted he will rush this revolt. moammar gadhafi's troops have been on the offensive and so has he. parading through the gathered international press to again blame the uprising on the foreign influences that he says come from afghanistan, pakistan, and palestine. his code for al qaeda. the occasion was an interview with the turkish tv channel in which the libyan leader seemed unhappy with the chair he was provided. he, again, though, gave no

indication he was willing to relinquish the seat of power he holds in tripoli. his troops continue to pound the rebels holed out in zawiyah and squeezed back to the central square of the town and taken high number of casualties in a battle now in its sixth day. the rebels weapons warehouse, the government says, is now in its hands. and the rebel advance has been stalled in the east where government air strikes have pinned them in around the port town of ras lanuf. the rebels say they need reinforcements and heavy weapons to counter the government's spearhead and they have little of either. in a speech on libyan tv, broadcast overnight, gadhafi appealed to tribal leaders to join in quashing the rebellion. they are likely to back whoever looks like the winner. a twist of moammar gadhafi says he welcome the imposition of a

no-fly zone by the u.s. and it's allies as is being discussed, because that way, gadhafi says libya would know who its enemies are and they would strike back. >> mark phillips, thank you. with pressure mounting over an appropriate international response, i sat down on tuesday at the state department with stcket hillary clinton to discuss u.s. options. when we see everything that is happening, are there plans sometime soon for a coordinated effort there and what would it look like if so? >> there is an international effort going op. the british and french nations are going to the united nations with a draft resolution that would authorize international action. we think it's very important that there be a u.n. decision on whatever might be done. the gulf countries put out a statement yesterday saying that they would support a no-fly zone, and, yesterday, too, the arab league, through its secretary-general, said that

they would not object to that. so we believe it's important that this not be an american or a nato or a european evident. it needs to be an international one. and there is still a lot of opposition, as you probably know, within the security council, but we're working to try to come up with a good solid international package. >> do you hear any opposition from u.s. allies in the region when it comes to u.s. involvement? i mean, as you stated, it sounds like it needs to not be a u.s.-led movement. >> that's exactly right, because this was about the libyan people. just like egypt was about the egyptian people, tunisia was about the tunisian people. and we don't want there to be any room for anyone, including colonel gadhafi, to say that this is not about my people, this is about outsiders. because that would be doing a grave disservice to the sacrifice of the people in

libya. so we think it's important that there be international support and that there be a broad acceptance by the international community, particularly the arab world that something needs to be done on behalf of the opposition in libya. >> we will have more of that interview with secretary clinton coming up in our next hour. new york congressman peter king who heads the house homeland security committee begins a series of controversial hearings this week on whether american muslims are increasingly expose to do a radical form of islam. supporters say king is asking questions that need to be addressed. cbs news congress correspondent nancy cordes has the latest from capitol hill for us this morning. >> reporter: these hearings haven't even happened yet and, already, foes are calling them a witch hunt and discriminatory. the man behind it says they are a matter of homeland security. congressman peter king is a

republican from long island who lost dozens of constituents on 9/11. >> home-grown radicalication is a growing threat and one we cannot ignore. >> reporter: tomorrow, he'll lead a congressional hearing examining that threat but even the name of the hearing has critics fuming. radicalization in the american muslim community. >> if you want to talk about terrorism or extremism it should be about everyone. >> reporter: but king, who chairs the homeland security committee, tends that radical american muslims are to blame for most of the terrorist attempts and attacks in this country since 9/11. and, he says, the muslim community hasn't done enough to prevent radicalization from taking hold. >> unfortunately, representative king has a past history of anti-muslim rhetoric. he has a past history of promoting anti-muslim sentiment, and that doesn't lend itself to objective hearings on the subjected. >> reporter: congressman king, who once asserted that 80% of

all american mosques were radicalized, did not invite any experts or law enforcement officers to testify tomorrow. prompting this letter from a group of 50 liberal organizations calling it, quote, a political show trial king argues there is more to learn from the family members of two radicalized muslims who will share their stories at a hearing that has sparked protests on both sides. >> congressman king is taking action on this. for people to call him islam phobe or a bigot is ridiculous. >> reporter: republican leaders are treading lightly here, saying as little as possible about the hearing, aside from acknowledging that king has the right to hold it. chris? >> cbs' nancy cordes, thank you. joining us from capitol hill are peter king and keith ellison. the first muslim elected to congress and he will be present

at the hearing. in a study conduct by duke university and the university of north carolina, since 9/11 in 120 terror plots the public knows of 48 have been thwarted by the muslim community. you say the community is not doing enough but the numbers show they are not doing badly. why do you say they are not doing enough? >> actually, i don't spep those numbers. the percentage is made much higher because they left out a number of cases involving terrorism sfning they do not including in those and involve family members coming forward which i agree have been family members coming forward and many times the leadership does it and they include cases in there, for instance such as a case in new york subway bombing plot when actually in that case imam tipped off and defended police coming after him. the imam almost disrupted that case. they give credit for the muslim vendor in times square who saw a car on fire and reported it to the police. why see a car on fire would

indicate a muslim attack or a terrorist attack is beyond me. i think that report was skewed and, in fact, in that report they also say the terror threat in the united states is going down and eric holder says it's going up and napolitano says it's going up and dennis mcdonough says it's going up. i think it's a biased report. we will have family members testifying tomorrow at the hearings to show how they did cooperate but they did not receive support from the leadership in the community. >> congressman elson, many of the recent attacks and attempted attacks have come within the muslim community. what is wrong with questioning muslim leaders as to what is actually going on inside their communities? >> because what we want to do is build cooperation and trust and open lines of communication so that we can have a very, very fertile and good exchange between law enforcement and the community. i mean, if you take a hearing like this and use it an

congressional investigative hearing to investigate a community, with the allegation -- before we've even had any testimony, the allegation that there is no cooperation, i think what you're doing is you're setting a tone of blame and collective guilty and thwarting the very thing you say you want to achieve which is greater public safety. so i think that the hearings are ill-placed. one of the interesting things about this hear is there is only one law enforcement official. only lee bacca who is a l.a. county sheriff is testifying. i'll be testifying but i'm not a law enforcement official. this is basically a group of witnesses who are designed to offer their views, but in terms of expert opinion, this hearing is sort of lacking. so i think that is another real fatal flaw in what is going to be taking place on thursday. >> congressman king, i have to ask you this. . on the front page of "the new york times" an article details your support to the nra in the '80s. regardless of where the acts took place, saints terrorism terrorism and just morally wrong?

>> first of all, the story in "the new york times" is entirely distorted. i will tell you in the last week, british prime minister tony blair defended my actions in northern ireland and been very responsible for bringing about the irish peace process and president clinton has stood by me and president obama offered me the position of bread to ireland. if they thought any of my actions were wrong i doubt the president of united states would offer me a position to be ambassador of ireland. i saw the elements of the i.r.a. who wanted to go to the peace table and he worked with bill clinton to bring them to the peace table and essential in bringing that peace process maybe hundreds of thousands alive today in northern ireland because of my efforts. so "the new york times" story -- daes two months ago "the new york times" did an editorial and praised me for my efforts in northern ireland when they were trying to prove another point. terrorism is terrorism and i would be happy to debate this issue at any time. i would compare the people in the i.r.a. -- who by the way,

now are sitting in government in northern ireland alongside leaders and work on a regular basis with the british government are the people i said during the 1980s and 1990s would bring peace, they did. i've been proven right. the times is doing this as a last-minute attempt to take a shot at me. if i could say one other point. the reason the hearings are focusing on the muslim community the president's own national security adviser said al qaeda is attempting to radicalize the muslim american community. i have said over and over again 99%, more than that maybe muslims in this country are outstanding americans but their community is being targeted and why the investigation is there. if another community was being targeted by al qaeda we would, obviously, investigate that also. >> congressman peter king, thank you very much for taking the time. congressman elson, thank you as much as well. >> thank you. we will have plenty more to report on those hearings as they take place. >> much to say from a lot of people on that. first we want to check in with jeff glor who is standing by with the rest of the day's

headlines. good morning, everyone. a new storm for the plains and great lakes region today. before dawn coming down hard in madison at the state capital there in wisconsin. doesn't seem like spring starts in just a week and a half there. rain forecast for later today. could cause more flooding in the northeast. some of the worst floods are in patterson and other towns in new jersey. in connecticut, repairs under way on railway tracks left dangling when floodwaters washed away their supports. north texas cleanup continues after severe storms and at least two tornadoes there. there is tragedy in pennsylvania. this morning, a fire at a farmhouse has killed seven children. all from the same family. that fire broke out last night about 20 miles north of harrisburg, pennsylvania. the children's mother was near the house in a barn apparently milking cows. another child 3 years old, the only sibling to survive, saw the smoke and told the mother. the children's father we are told was sleeping in his milk

delivery truck at the time. the children ranged in age from 11 months to 11 years old. on this ash wednesday, roman catholics in philadelphia are watching new developments in their church. 21 priests put on leave for what a church leader calls a great and evil crime. cbs news correspondent elaine quijano is in philadelphia this morning with more on that. good morning to you, elaine. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. well, the philadelphia archdiocese has placed 21 priests on administrative leave unnamed priests pending internal reviews of their cases. this comes just weeks after a scathing grand jury report. the report details disturbing allegations of child sex abuse by a clergy and accuses top church officials of covering up the crimes and failing to keep abusive priests away from children. >> the cardinal has stated he takes those concerns very seriously. >> reporter: yet, last month, in his initial response to the grand jury report, the cardinal denied there were any priests with a history of abuse in

active ministry. >> the archdiocese is doing too little, too late. taking begrudging minimal steps instead of putting the protection of children first. >> reporter: at ash wednesday's services today, parishioners at the churches where these various priests worked, will be notified of their suspensions. jeff? >> elaine, thank you. in south carolina, a gunman who couldn't handle his ski mask. surveillance video shows the attempted robber trying to put his ski mask on multiple times. he just can't do it! he finally got the ski mask on. he walked back in but then he couldn't open the cash register! so he left without getting anything. smart guy! >> yeah. 16 minutes past the hour. back over to erica and chris. >> i say it's better to go with the stocking. not speaking from experience or anything. >> of course. i have to say there is always something slightly satisfying

about the stupid criminal video. it never gets old. thank you, jeffrey. a lot of weather to get to. jeff led with it in the news. busy on this wednesday morning. >> i wil

thanks so much. that is your latest weather. now over to erica and chris. >> thanks. ahead this morning outraged father threatening to track down and kill the man who brutally murder the his son. that man is set to be' released from prison for good behavior. we will hear from the father and hear if he is making those threats. everything from the gas station to the grocery store, prices are soaring. we will show you ways to beat the crease when we come back. [ male announcer ] it's 2011.

wonder where the durango's been for the last two years? well, it toured around europe, getting handling and steering lessons on those sporty european roads. it went back to school, got an advanced degree in technology. it's been working out -- more muscle and less fat. it's only been two years, but it's done more in two years than most cars do in a lifetime. ♪ [ male announcer ] what are you gonna miss when you have an allergy attack? benadryl® is more effective than claritin® at relieving your worst symptoms

and works when you need it most. benadryl®. you can't pause life.

just ahead this morning, the father of a murdered child vows to avenge his son's death decades after it happened. why? he said if the killer is released from prison, he will go

after him. >> we're going to hear from the father and tell you how authorities are responding to the threat es when we come back. >> this morgs of "the early show" sponsored by dodge. dodge, never neutral. for the last two years? rango's ben well, it toured around europe, getting handling and steering lessons on those sporty european roads. it went back to school, got an advanced degree in technology. it's been working out -- more muscle and less fat. it's only been two years, but it's done more in two years than most cars do in a lifetime. with chili's new $6 lunch break combos. choose from a house salad or hot, tasty soup.

then pair it with a massive texas toast half sandwich, like our delicious classic turkey or our gigantic new southwestern blt, smothered in cilantro lime mayo and jam-packed with three glorious slices of applewood smoked bacon. served with fries, that's big flavor for just 6 bucks! the $6 break for bold, weekdays at chili's. ♪ new hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in a little drop of chocolate. pure hershey's. ♪ i was diagnosed with copd. i could not take a deep breath i noticed i was having trouble. climbing the stairs, working in the garden, painting. my doctor suggested spiriva right then. announcer: spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for copd, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. i love what it does. it opens up the airways.

announcer: spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, have vision changes or eye pain, or have problems passing urine. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine, or an enlarged prostate, as these may worsen with spiriva. also, discuss the medicines you take, even eye drops. side effects include dry mouth, constipation, and trouble passing urine. it makes me breathe easier. i can't do everything i used to do. but there's a lot i can do that i was struggling with. announcer: ask your doctor if once-daily spiriva is right for you.

san francisco prosecutors are expected to drop more than forty cases today because of the misconduct investigati hi, everybody. :25 your7:25. i'm frank mallicoat. san francisco prosecutors are expected to drop 40 cases because of misconduct involving eight police officers in addition to 13 cases that have already been thrown out. video of raids in a residential hotel in san francisco appear to show the police reports on those raids were false. and san jose police released video in hopes that somebody can identify the man on the right wearing a bulletproof vest. he is wanted for shooting the owner of the mexicali club over

a drug debt. three people were killed. at least thieves are putting -- thieves are putting glue on atm key pads, the customers go into the bank and the thieves steal the money. we have traffic and weather in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,, california should be proud. we were the first to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives.

we've done a good job. but even if you were born today, you'd still grow up in a world where tobacco kills more people... than aids,, alcohol, murder and car crashes... combined. we have a lot more work to do. plus our endless salad and dessert bar for just $10.99. sizzler. thinking fresh. everyday.

good morning. we're seeing some congestion now across the bay area but still no major accidents. no big hot spots out there so far for your morning commute. here's a live look at 880 through oakland. this is passing the coliseum. still looks great in the commute direction. northbound 880, 238 to the maze, 15 minutes. westbound 237 slow since 7 a.m. leaving milpitas in those westbound lanes towards san jose. at the bay bridge toll plaza, not bad. we typically see this, just jammed beyond the west grand overcrossing. metering lights are on. here's lawrence with the forecast. >> weather looking good. got a few clouds out there right now but things going to be clearing up nicely overlook the bay bridge, sun trying to peek through. as we head toward the middle of the day and the afternoon, we'll see more of the sunshine. and it's looking like a spectacular day. temperatures heating up today in the 60s, maybe even some low 70s. about 70 in the napa valley. 68 degrees in san jose. and 69 in fremont. enjoy the sunshine.

yup, rain could return tomorrow. dry friday, more rain for the weekend. ,,,,,,,,

half past the hour here on "the early show." as the price of oil goes up, i'm sure you're noticing, the prices of nearly everything else seems to be increasing, as well. >> you can already feel the pain at the pump with a gallon of gas averaging $3.52. but you're about to feel it at the grocery store. the candy store. even the toy store. >> the toy store. >> you believe this? candy and toys. is nothing safe? >> nothing is sacred. >> have no fear. rebecca jarvis is here with quick and simple ways to save you money and get around all these rising costs. everything seems to cost more money these days. >> that it does.

>> jeff glor, though, does not cost us any more. that's because we signed him at a great rate. >> got him cheap. >> not the news. you get that for free. >> we do. and you're happy to deliver it. >> good morning, everyone. moammar gadhafi said today that his people would fight back if a no-fly zone is imposed over libya. secretary of state hillary clinton said any decision about military action in libya must be made by the united nations. this morning, a high-ranking libyan official flew to cairo, egypt, with a message from gadhafi, and this morning rebel troops are fighting libyan forces for control of zawiyah, the city closest to tripoli. wisconsin governor scott walker appears ready to compromise in the state's budget standover. yesterday his office released e-mails sent to democrats who left the state to avoid voting. the e-mails show walker's office is willing to agree to some changes regarding collective bargaining issues. bill gates is no longer the richest person in the world. when "forbes" magazine releases its annual list today, gates is expected to be in second place.

that's because gates has donated $28 billion to his gates an outraged father is lashing out at the man who brutally murdered his son back

in 1975. michael woodmansee could walk out of prison 12 years early and hat has john foreman threatening to track him down and kill him. cbs news correspondent joining us from cranston, owed ride, this morning with more on the story that is causing a stir across the nation this morning. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. michael woodmansee was transferred to this correctional facility from a massachusetts prison one week ago. it's here that he'll undergo a psychological evaluation to determine if he's fit for early release this summer. state law allowed him to earn time off for good behavior for a crime he committed when he was just 16 years old. >> through death there can come new life. >> reporter: more than three decades after 5-year-old jason foreman was brutally murdered, michael woodmansee, the man convicted of killing and dismembering him, could be released from prison 12 years early for good behavior.

enraged by the news, the boy's father called in to a radio talk show on monday to publicly threaten his son's killer. >> i do intend, if this man is released anywhere in my vicinity, or if i can find him after the fact, i do intend to kill this man. >> reporter: it was 1975, when young jason went missing, just 30 feet from his suburban, providence, home. >> bring him back to me. because we miss him very much. and we have to have him. >> reporter: for the next seven years jason's parents agonized over what happened to their beloved son. police searches came up empty. finally, in 1982, a neighborhood teenager, michael woodmansee, confessed to stabbing jason in the chest. the lead detective is still haunted by what happened. >> we found a box, a shoe box, that had bones in it. they were all cleaned and shiny. they'd been shellacked. >> reporter: prosecutors set a plea deal to spare the family from having to hear the gruesome

details of the case. a decision john foreman says he now regrets. >> it was a shame he only got 40 years to begin with. he should have got life sentence. >> reporter: but now after serving only 28 years of a 40-year sentence, woodmansee could go free in august. >> i'm beside myself. i can't think. i can't sleep. all i think about is trying to find a way to get to this man to kill him. that's my every thought. >> reporter: and there is outrage in this community. there's even a facebook page urging authorities to keep woodmansee in custody. but officials told cbs news that won't happen unless doctors here determine that he is psychologically unfit. and commit him to a mental hospital. erica? >> michelle miller in cranston, rhode island this morning, thanks. joining us here in the studio is cbs news legal analyst jack ford. this is a story that makes your stomach turn. and part of you can understand the rage and the frustration in the father's voice as he says, and i'm quoting here, all i

think about is trying to find a way to get to this man to kill him. that's in my every thought. what does that do, though, for this father? could this set him up for legal trouble? >> sure. i mean, you can understand his words. you can understand why he'd say that. we're parents. i have said i could handle anything in life except somebody taking one of my children away. and you can be prosecuted for just words. threats. if, if they are genuine, if they're imminent. if you have a real capacity to carry them out. i don't see him being prosecuted for those comments. i do see the police probably paying him a visit saying, you know what? we understand, but you have to understand what our role is here. so, certainly a concern, but if it's nothing more than that -- now if he starts stalking this guy, that's a different situation. i think just for what he said on the radio show, probably not. >> then does that mean if michael woodmansee is released in august, as we hear is a possibility, would he have the extra protection because of these words, or no? >> wouldn't that be a bizarre irony? perhaps. i think law enforcement people, wherever he goes, are going to

have to, at least for a period of time, keep an eye on him. because there's such concern and turmoil out there emotionally. if i'm the police chief of wherever he's living, i'm saying we've got to keep an eye out. we might not like this guy, he's still entitled to our protection. >> one of the reasons he got this deal, they wanted to keep the family from having to live through some of these details. there's a journal he wrote which is described as absolutely terrible with the details of this crime. could that evidence, though, now be brought back to keep him behind bars? >> it's done. double jeopardy. he has pled guilty to something. he has been sentenced to something. you might hate the fact that he's getting out early and that's a whole different issue. but they can't come back after him. that case is over with, as compelling as this evidence might be, they had it back then. and part of the decision-making process here, i was a prosecutor. you sit down with victims here and say, here's our deal. we can get certainty here if he pleads to this, if we give him that, you swroent to go through a trial. we won't run the risk of getting a conviction, having it overturned. there are issues. he was only 16 at the time.

all of that was part of the reason why they worked out this deal in the first place. so it can't come back now. that case is over and done with. >> oh, what a terrible story. jack, thank you. >> all right. >> just ahead this morning, the ripple effects from higher energy prices. chances are you are feeling them all the way from the grocery store to, yes, the toy store. we'll tell you all those little things that are really going to start to add up as they get more expensive, and what you can do about it. this is the "early" show on cbs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing purina one beyond, a new food for your cat or dog. [ female announcer ] introducing purina one beyond, ♪ new hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in a little drop of chocolate. pure hershey's. missing something? now you get a cleanser with scope freshness. new fixodent plus scope ingredients. cleans and kills germs that cause odors to your dentures. new fixodent cleanser plus scope ingredients.

special k protein shakes -- ♪ a truly great-tasting breakfast shake. with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, it's the creamy, delicious way to satisfy... your hunger to help you lose weight. ♪ so you can kick the tin can habit. try special k protein shakes today.

in this morning's "moneywatch," the ripple effect of higher energy prices. you know you're paying more when you fill up your gas tank or buy some home heating oil, but costs are also rising on everything from pizza to package deliveries. and cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis is here to help us cope. a lot of people are feeling the pain out there. >> yeah. >> the spike in oil prices is affecting everything out there. including food. how much more money are people actually going to now be spending on groceries? >> the usda projects that food prices are going to go up this year anywhere between 3% and 4%. that's before you factor in oil. so we could see prices increase even more significantly there. and you have to think about food that comes from a farther

distance is probably going to be more expensive because of those fuel costs and the cost of transporting it to your home. >> okay. so that's our problem. give me a solution. >> okay. you have a couple of websites out there that are going to help you save money on food. couponsuzy. always a good idea to use coupons when you're buying. this will take the price down, as well as candy.com. because candy prices are going to go up, as well. candy.com is a cheaper alternative. >> you can't raise the prices on candy. let's talk about food delivery and how this is now going to be spiking, as well. >> well, food delivery, of course, involves transportation, as well. when you look at a pizza parlor, you might not see the prices go up on the pizza itself. but you might see an additional added delivery fee. so make sure that you're checking for those delivery fees, because if you don't know about them, and you don't see them, you won't know you're paying more, but you are. >> what would you recommend to combat that? >> you have to call and ask ahead. ask before you order. are there additional fees? because you might not see it reflected on the menu, and they'll only tack it on once

it's delivered to your house. >> people take umbrage with candy prices going up. there'sed possibility of toys also becoming more expensive? >> yes. well a lot of toys come from china and those toy costs, and the ability to bring them to this country end up costing money. a lot of toy companies spend about 5% of their costs on oil, from hasbro to mattel, so those costs are also set to rise. >> what's the solution on that? >> the solution is to swap your toys with kids. there's a website called threadup.com and ebay.com is a great place to go where you get them for a less expensive price. >> rebecca, thank you very much. coming up next the "spider-man" saga continues. its opening night is reportedly being pushed back yet again. the latest from broadway, when we come back. this is "the early show" here on cbs.

if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. it outperforms in the world's toughest industry tests. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. it's more than just oil. when you're a stunt woman, work can be pretty unpredictable. from knowing when my next job will be to what i'll actually be doing. so in the rest of my life i like control. especially in my finances. that's why i have slate with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off everyday things and avoid interest, or pay down my balance faster on the big stuff. that saves money. with slate from chase, i have everything under control... ♪ ...financially. announcer: debit card control and credit card flexibility. get both with slate. today we're going to surprise people with the taste of activia. there you go. strawberry and vanilla. thank you. that's good. wow. this is really good. great flavor. it's really creamy. it's really tasty. oh, wow! jamie lee curtis! it's activia! it's delicious. really? were you surprised that that's activia yogurt?

i am shocked. i thought it would have like a little bit of an aftertaste. it's really yummy. it's delicious. it's hard to believe it's that good for you. it's so good. try the fabulous taste of activia today. taste it, love it, or it's free. ♪ activia wonder where the durango's been for the last two years? well, it toured around europe, getting handling and steering lessons on those sporty european roads. it went back to school, got an advanced degree in technology. it's been working out -- more muscle and less fat. it's only been two years, but it's done more in two years than most cars do in a lifetime. it appears the already troubled broadway musical "spider-man: turn off the dark" has been hit with yet another setback. opening night, which was set for

next week, reportedly delayed again. and now the director may have been shown the door. cbs news correspondent seth doane is in times square this morning with the very latest. seth, good morning. >> good morning, erica. that's right. opening night has changed so many times for "spider-man," that even the show's representatives are referring to it as hopening night. and the show's critics are calling it nopening night. it's a spectacle unlike anything broadway has seen before. "spider-man: turn off the dark," with its high-flying acrobatics and its record $65 million budget, is now posing a very expensive question. when will it open? the management insists that's still march 15th. >> the critics have not received their invites yet, meaning something is up. the show is not opening on march 15th. >> reporter: frank reports on broadway and his sources back up a story in "the new york times" that says the opening will be dlied by three months.

>> it's going to open in june. and also, there's been talk about possibly closing the show for a little bit to tweak the show. >> reporter: on "the early show" last week, even lead actor reed carney seemed uncertain about opening night. >> we usually read in the newspaper when there's a delay, so we don't know any more than anyone else. >> reporter: it would be the sixth time that "spider-man's" opening would be delayed. one of its most notable problems occurred in december, when a stunt performer plummeted 30 feet from a platform. even last night, as theatergoers exited the 99th preview -- most shows have about 30 -- audience members told us there was a glitch, and that the production was paused. have you followed the controversy that delayed opening? >> a little bit. yeah. we heard about it, yeah. >> reporter: did it affect your decision to come to the show or your enjoyment of it? >> made me come nor more to see what it was all about. >> reporter: proving there may be no such thing as bad press. in fact the show raked in more than $1.2 million last week.

but bad reviews have led to speculation. the co-creator and director julie taymor may be replaced. >> and she's an incredible talent, and, you know, to have someone of her caliber fail. i mean, that's pretty big. >> reporter: now the word we're receiving this morning is that julie taymor is, indeed, out. that is not official. but that announcement is expected. erica, just so you understand the difference between a show that's in previews and one that's open, once a show opens, it's in essence paused or frozen. you can't make the types of changes or tweaks that are expected with "spider-man." erica? >> i guess that's one of the reasons for so many previews. a lot of tweaking to be done. seth doane, thanks. it's been exhausting for these performers. they're in previews, but they have to reverse, too. >> they say it's making a lot of money. there's also tremendous overhead. even the time we went there was a problem. >> there was a glitch the day we saw it. spidey got stuck. >> we'll be right back. this is "the early show" on cbs.

parentheses have a place. but not on your face. juvéderm® xc is the gel filler your doctor uses to instantly smooth out lines right here. temporary side effects include redness, pain, firmness, swelling, bumps, or risk of infection. ask your doctor about juvéderm® xc.

just ahead you're going to hear more from my interview yesterday with secretary of state hillary clinton who was honoring a number of women for their courage yesterday. >> stay with us. we'll be right back. this is "the early show" on cbs. [ sneezing ] ♪ [ male announcer ] what are you gonna miss when you have an allergy attack? benadryl® is more effective than claritin® at relieving your worst symptoms and works when you need it most. benadryl®. you can't pause life.

today is the sixth month an bruno it is 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. today is a six-month anniversary of the san bruno pipeline explosion. tonight at 6:11 p.m., a moment of the blast, survivors will gather to remember the eight people who died. they will also look at the progress they made to rebuild the devastated neighborhood. dog owners in the south bay are on the alert. police say someone is putting boxes of raft poison around las palmas dog park in sunnyvale for those dogs to eat. residents are advised to be aware of their surroundings and report anything suspicious. and today the oakland school board is expected to decide how many employees will get layoff notices. next tuesday is the deadline to

warn teachers and other school workers that they might lose their jobs. more than 500 notices are expected to go out in oakland. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,

[ thinking ] oh, gourmet deliciousness... i want you tonight! [ female announcer ] wish granted. lean cuisine has a fresh new bag. lean cuisine market creations steam meals. like new chicken poblano with tender white meat chicken, crisp veggies, in a savory cheddar sauce. new from lean cuisine. delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. all right. northbound 280 around farm hill road an injury crash. no slowing yet on the sensors but seems like 280 is a better bet than 101 where we are seeing slowing. to the south bay out of downtown san jose, we are starting to see our first bit of backup there as you approach

the 880 interchange. 17 minutes is your drive time as you make your way past that interchange and towards cupertino. at the bay bridge, gosh, great commute today. not sure what's going on. backed up to the maze briefly and then things quickly recover. so only slight delays right now heading into san francisco. and the san mateo bridge looks great here as well in either direction across the span. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with a check of your forecast. >> got a good day coming our way. we are going to see a lot of sunshine around the bay area, still a couple of clouds out toward ocean beach. sun trying to poke through there as well and by the afternoon, going to see a lot of sunshine around the bay area and just about some spring-like temperatures. a few high clouds likely to continue through the skies. plan on 70 degrees in the napa valley, 68 san jose, 69 in livermore and 67 degrees in oakland. as we look out over the next couple of days, enjoy the day today after highs in the 60s and 70s. big drop in temperatures for with some showers showing up around the bay area. looks like a dry day friday but

storms on saturday and sunday. ,,,,,,,,

top othe top of the hour, and top of the morning to you here on "the early show". welcome back. i'm erica hill along with chris wragge. >> coming up, guess what, yesterday you had the honor of meeting with one of the most powerful women in the world. a number of powerful women. >> a number of very powerful women. i sat down with secretary of state hillary clinton and a inform women who she was honoring the international women of courage day. it happened, of course, on the 100th anniversary of international women's day. the message there, all about the hope that is being heard in the voices of these women who are often risking their lives so that other women may have a voice. we're going to get a closer look

at some of the work that they've done and some of the work that still needs to be done around the globe to help women and to help the effort for equality. >> a number of remarkable stories from a number of remarkable women. we have an mazing story here. a man who was walking on air not just because he lost 180 pounds. we sent jeff glor to meet a guy who always wanted to sky dive, but he couldn't because he was so overweight. we'll see his remarkable year-long quest to jump out of his plane on his 33rd birthday coming up in just a moment. we thought we would drop jeff out of an airplane as well. >> it dent work. he is still here. jeff, i kid)because i love you. >> great deal of disappointment i survived. >> i'm happy that you're here. >> we didn't mean that. >> happy that jeff glor is with us at the news desk this morning and every morning. >> good morning, guys. good morning, everyone. we begin here with serious news overnight in pennsylvania. seven children from the same family died overnight in a terrible fire. it happened at their farmhouse in blaine, west of harrisburg. when the house caught on fire,

one of the children, a 3-year-old, ran to a nearby barn to alert her mother who was milking the cows, apparently. a state trooper says that's when they got the emergency call. >> the mother left the barn, came out, and saw that the house was on fire. she called 911. >> the mother then got her husband, who was asleep in his milk delivery truck. the seven children who died ranged in age from 11 months old to 11 years old. president obama meets with his senior advisors again today regarding the situation in libya. one possible response is a no fly zone over libya, but secretary of state hillary clinton says that would have to be a united nations decision. a high ranking libyan official flew to cairo today with an unknown message from qadhafi, and the u.n. is investigating allegations of torture by libyan forces. the death of millions of fish in southern california remains a big mystery this morning. cbs news correspondent tara mccarthy has more on that.

>> reporter: the fish were so thick in the water it almost looked like you could walk on them. more than a million sardines cloud the harbor, and all of them were dead. how they died is somewhat of a mystery. >> you just have to see it. just to look at it is incredible. >> reporter: local officials say there is no trace of an oil or chemical spill. instead, they think the fish were washed into the harbor by rough weather and high winds and quickly used up all the oxygen in the water. >> all that current and all that water comes rushing up from the deep ocean and pushes the fish around, and they literally got lost. >> reporter: the authorities did rule out foul play. with local temperatures around 70 degrees, nobody could do anything about the foul smell. terry mccarthy, cbs news, los angeles. marine biologist advisory a theory that the sardines were chased by a large predator like a whale or shark. a 44-year-old man broke into

a house, and he was in the bathroom when the homeowner returned, and police say that timothy chapek was so scared that he would be shot that he called 911, sounding confused. >> 911. >> i just broke into a house, and the owner came home. >> you broke into a house? >> yeah. >> where at? >> i don't know. >> okay. so are you still there? >> yeah. >> smart guy. moments later the homeowner dialed 911 as well. >> he was in the bathroom. >> okay. hold on a second. >> and the door shut, and he says he is in there, and i said who the hell are you? >> okay. arraignment yesterday on a parole violation charge. and at this house in a paris suburb police found $25 million in stolen jewels. 19 rings and three sets of

earrings in a plastic container were discovered in a sewer drain. they were part of the loot stolen from the paris branch of the jeweller harry winston in 2008. nine people were charged in the robbery back in 2009. that house belonged to one of them. it is coming up here on five minutes past the hour. katie couric has a preview of tonight's cbs evening news. >> good morning. 40% of college students never graduate, so what's being done to stop them from dropping out? we'll find out tonight only on the cbs evening news. now back to "the early show". >> and now we head back over to chris, erica, and marysol. >> that jewelry heist, that's a nice find. >> i wondered where -- >> what's amazing is $25 million, and there were less than 25 pieces. that's some serious bling. sfoo big rings. how are you doing? >> i'm great. >> marysol castro with our weather this morning. >> and a lot of it. i'll show you again. the national picture, some

precipitation. it's much nicer in the southwest. we're talking about right now snow in the northern plains. it's sort of like the further away you get from the great lakes, but there you can see green bay picking up four to six inches of snow behin

thanks. that's your latest weather. now back to you guys. it's windy, windy, windy. >> mary, thanks. a century after the first international women's day, yesterday around the globe people celebrated that day, and as part of the celebration in washington, there were ten women honored for their courage and pushing forward for women's rights. a beautiful ceremony which reminded us that while so much has been achieved when it comes to women's rights, there is still much work to be done. the standing ovations came early and often tuesday. >> her excellency madam president. >> it is impossible not to find inspiration of the lives of the ten international women of

courage award honores. . >> their courage, their passion, their commitment, their quiet moral authority have come from putting the well being of others before their own. >> among the 2011 recipients cameroon's -- >> today is a great day for us. >> as a journalist she's endured death threats, torture, and arrest all because she dared to speak about the injustice she saw in her country. while she is thoroughly focused on cameron's future, she has found new hope in the uprising across the middle east. >> what would you say to those women if you could talk to them today? >> i would tell them to stand firm and to continue their struggle. >> on the 100th anniversary of international women's day tuesday, women once again poured into tahrir square. a reminder in their place in egypt's revolution and their future. >> women across the middle east in recent weeks, they have

insisted that their voices be heard. >> in afghanistan that means death threats and arson for prosecutor maria bashir who makes sure women know their legal rights. in pakistan gulam was forced into marriage at 12 years old. >> she has lived a life -- >> a divorce made her an outcast. yet, she became the first woman in her village to graduate high school and is now a tireless advocate for education. marsialla risks her life every day going after the drug cartel in mexico. violence which has leaked across into the u.s. >> they are activists. they are truth-tellers. their fearlessly inspires others to overcome their own fears, and so soon citizen networks emerge eager for change. soon it's possible to rewrite laws, to topple regimes, to transform people's lives. >> as you look at all the women

that were honored today and you hear their stories, what gives you hope? >> i think times are different today social media. the technology that now connects people, connects both men and women. many of the young women that were in tahrir square were there because they were organizing on the internet. i don't think that that clock can be turned back? >> i hope now they will not harass you anymore, and i think that surprised people, and so this is a beginning. >> two women were not allowed to attend. one woman from belarus and one

woman from cuba. the woman from cuba is a blogger and she's basically passing her blogs off to people. people outside cuba are helping to post them to keep that communication going, to keep that voice alive. >> still a long way to go internationally, but the bravy on behalf of these women, too, is something to be admired. >> the woman from jordan said it took courage just to accept the award because you have to be careful that you are not seen as being too close to certain people or that could be harmful. >> very impressive, though. very impressive. >> up next, he calls himself the flying fat guy. >> yes. how about that for a moniker? >> that's not an accurate description. the inspiring story of a man who lost 180 pounds in order to jump out of a perfectly good plane. this is "the early show" on cbs. um judge p ojump out of a perfy good plane. us moisturize. active naturals wheat formulas target and help repair damage in just 3 washes. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life. [ female announcer ] visit aveeno.com to save on nourish plus. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. to come and try coffee-mate's new cafe collection flavors. then we asked them to show us how the taste inspired them. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] introducing new rich caramel macchiato. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] indulgent white chocolate caramel latte. ♪ oh, do it [ female announcer ] and creamy cafe latte. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] add your flavor... with coffee-mate, from nestle.

[ male announcer ] here they come. all the new tech products you need. and they're all looking for the same thing. ♪ the one place that makes technology easy. staples. with highly-trained tech experts and expanded tech centers, staples makes finding the right technology just the way you want it. easy. easy to buy. easy to fix. easy to save. staples. that was easy.

with similar safety features as the chrysler town & country. the difference between theirs and ours is that all our safety-tech features come standard and most of theirs are optional. we don't think safety or technology should be optional. ♪ now well-qualified lessees can lease the 2011 town & country touring for just $319 a month. ♪ welcome back. in this morning's "healthwatch," welcome back. in this morning's health watch on, hundreds of millions

of americans, are overweight and find it very tough to lose those extra pounds. but jeff glor has one very unique success story for us this morning. >> unique, indeed, chris. you you mention how so many people struggle with their weight. this was an extreme case, and gary holm came up with an extreme situation. >> i've been a big guy most of my life. >> for as long as he can remember, 33-year-old gary holm has been severely overweight. >> currently i weigh about 380. >> reporter: to the point where friends began worrying about his future. >> he was going to be dead by 40 from a heart attack or something. honestly. >> reporter: but it wasn't just gary's health that was in jeopardy, so was his life long dream, skydiving. for safety reasons the extreme sport comes with a weight limit which gary far exceeded. so one year ago he took on an extreme challenge. >> a year from this moment i really hope to be jumping out of

a plane. >> reporter: that meant losing 145 pounds in 12 months. >> if that's what motivates me to get healthy and lose weight, then i'll jump out of an airplane. >> reporter: to keep himself in check, gary began a blog. >> 17 followers on the blog? >> reporter: allowing friends and family to follow his journey. you wanted him to be healthy. >> absolutely. we want him around. he's a great guy. >> i'm officially down 23 pounds. >> reporter: by eating choices and exercising three to four times a week, gary was shedding pounds quickly. >> so tomorrow morning when i do my official weigh in i think i'll be down 65 pounds. >> reporter: and in one year his new lifestyle yielded remarkable results. gary dropped more than 180 pounds. >> oh, my god! where's the rest of you? >> reporter: as promised, on his 33rd birthday, gary traveled to las vegas to celebrate with his

friends. >> i'm fatter than you. >> reporter: and prepared to jump out of an airplane. are you surprised at how much you lost? >> it's insane to me, but it's just -- my body was just done. like, let's get rid of this fat, because we don't need this. >> 219.4 pounds. >> reporter: now well below the weight limit, gary was finally ready to skydive. >> i'm so ready for this. >> reporter: and we joined him. ♪ >> it's happening, right now! >> reporter: at jump altitude, 15,000 feet, the temperature was a bone chilling 25 degrees below zero. but there was no time for second thoughts now. ♪ before we knew it, we were plunging from a plane, descending at 120 miles an hour. in less than a minute, the free fall was over. the parachute deployed.

gary was overjoyed. everyone was. >> reporter: unreal. oh, that was amazing. >> that was awesome. >> you feel like you can't breathe, but you can, and you're just falling outen an airplane. >> reporter: gary's year of healthy living finally paid off, by leaving out all the bad stuff, he was able to fit in something far more important, his long-term health, and on this day, a life-long dream. >> oh, my goodness. >> exhilarating. >> such an inspiring guy. such a nice, sweet, compassionate guy, and he had such great friends. it was just cool to be there and get to know him over the course of a couple days. one thing, when you look theat actual skydive, from the camera it looks like you're almost floating. when there's another camera at

the same level as you, you are dropping like a rock. you are dropping like a rock. and when that first blast of air hits you, it is stunning, it's exhilarating, it's just this visceral thrill. >> i think it's amazing he was able to lose the weight as quickly as he did in one year's time. to do that the way he did it with working out and a change in diet is pretty miraculous to begin with. >> there's no fad or crash diet here. i watched him. it's every meal, making smarter choices. one by one, and that means when you make a sandwich, instead of mayo, he put onvinaigrette. he still goes out to eat, but when he eats, he doesn't eat things soaked in butter and cheese. it's making those decisions every day over a long-term. >> and then slowly it does become habit, which makes it a little easier, but it's a lifetime struggle that you just have to one day say i'm ready for it. not only how different he looks, he looks fantastic, his joyvoic

changed. >> a couple friends said that, his voice definitely sounds different from before. >> that's one heck of a standup. >> the cold was the thing that maybe shocked me the most. >> you were talking to us about your fingertips if are weeks. >> yeah, losing feeling. 25 degrees below, and a windchill, it was awesome. >> gary, you're an inspiration. >> good stuff. all right. stay with us. you're watching "the early show" here on cbs. >> "cbs thwa cbs health watch, sponsored by advil. make the switch to advil now. every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol® to advil. here's one story. my name is jose. i'm from california and i'm a messenger and deliver all over the place. so there's times i'm just climbing in and out of the van, feel your hands hurting, you feel your back hurting. i used to take tylenol. i switched to advil. been using it ever since.

and when the pain is gone and you feel good and you feel healthy... work or pleasure, i can go on with my life. [ male announcer ] make the switch. take action. take advil®. those of us who know grass doesn't turn green just because the calendar says to. and that a big difference can grow from a small budget. for those of us with grass on our sneakers... dirt on our jeans... and a lawn that's as healthy as our savings... the days are about to get a whole lot greener. ♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of crowd control on those weeds with this ryobi trimmer, just 89 bucks.

we're lowering the cost of crowd control on those weeds just ahead, more inspirational stories of weight loss. you may know the actress sara rue. got a lot of attention. she dropped a lot of weight. she looked fantastic. now she's hosting a new reality

show called "shedding for the wedding." overweight couples who are competing as part of -- losing weight, and as part of that competing for all the different elements of their dream wedding. that's their inspiration. some people jump out of a plane. ot i love america, i love my pet bald eagle brock, my bison sara, i love my pick-up with the custom constitution paint job... i celebrate jury duty... i love america so much, i'm making an all american jack combo two jumbo patties, with melting cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles, plus fries and a drink for only $4.99. i've celebrated every american tradition...except one... spring break cancun yo!!!!!!!! try the all american jack and enter to win

frank malicoat thieves are using glue to ttons on a-t-ms in good morning, it's 8:25. time for news headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. thieves are using glue to disable buttons on atms in san francisco's richmond district. then they gain access to accounts after customers leave the damaged machines midway through a transaction to go into the bank. police advise people to fully complete their transactions using touch screens. a manhunt under way for a sex offender who skipped during thinks trial. tajinder bedi left after the first day of trial over a week ago. this is absence, he was convicted of two counts of child molestation and faces 8

years in prison. and oakland mayor jean quan scored a 71% approval rating in a citywide poll. the mayor commissioned the poll in part to gauge support for a proposed parcel tax. as of now, 66% of voters support the proposal. we have your weather and traffic coming up right after this. compare themselves to toyota? maybe it's because toyota has more hybrids on the road than all othutomakers combined. like the 50-mpg-rated prius, the best selling hybrid in america. and prius was also named a best overall value of the year. plus, every new toyota comes with toyotacare, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. we're #1 for a reason. come see for yourself. hurry in for the best selection.

good morning. that earlier accident in woodside northbound 280 right

before farm hill boulevard is now cleared. actually 280 looks good along this stretch as opposed to 101, where we are seeing brake lights up and down the peninsula. bay bridge stacked up a little in the middle lanes. overall not too bad heading into san francisco. a little sluggish now past the coliseum up and down the nimitz freeway but your drive time is still in the green. so not too bad there, as well. 19 minutes now between 238 and the macarthur maze. mass transit is off to a great start for a morning commute, everything is on time including bart, at least 50 trains all on time. here's lawrence with the forecast. >> elizabeth, you're going to love this weather today. you have some sunshine coming your way starting out with a few clouds early on this morning, patchy fog down below, some of that thick in some of the valleys and some high clouds up above. but this afternoon parting, and we'll squeeze in some sunshine. going to be spring-like toward the latter part of the day. 70 in napa, 67 in oakland, 68 san jose. enjoy it though. storm clouds could return as

early as tomorrow staying unsettled wet on the weekend.

welcome back to "the early show." half past the hour here wednesday morning. hopefully your day is off to a good start. welcome back, chris wragge, erica hill, jeff glor. coming up, losing weight and getting married can be two very, very stressful things.

>> understated. >> now add a couple of cameras and more than double the stress, but people are actually taping it. that's the premise for a new reality show, "shedding for the wedding." follows nine overweight couples as they compete to lose the most weight, and is hosted by a very svelte sara rue who lost 50 pounds. we're going to speak with her in just a couple of moments. >> she's become an inspiration for people, as well. also ahead this morning, it's starting to feel some days a little more springlike outside. we're counting down, what is it eleven, ten days now? but your wardrobe may not feel so springlike. everything's getting more expensiv expensive. you can't go out and buy a new wardrobe. what you can do, rework some of those winter items. give them a little spring zhuszh and you're good to go. katrina szish will zhuszh with us. she's going to prove winter staples in your closet, everything from cardigans to even a leather jack, when compared with the correct accessories, harbingers of spring. >> got to love the zhuszh.

>> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to erica. >> losing weight is stressful enough. and then add to that getting married. doing them both at once, as so many people across this country do, and then add in some tv cameras and a little competition just to round it out. and there you would have the story behind the cw network's new reality show "shedding for the wedding." it's hosted by sara rue, who lost 50 pounds while planning her own wedding. so she knows a thing or two about the challenge facing nine

couples as they try to slim down and win the wedding of their dreams. >> as a couple you will be harnessed together to a pulley system rigged with a tension wire. the further you walk, the more the tension will increase. the first couple to release the trigger on their flower cannon will be the winner. >> okay. >> but it's not going to be easy. >> sara rue joins us in the studio. good morning. >> good morning. >> it's not going to be easy. but losing weight never is easy. >> it really isn't. it really isn't. >> so now you're hosting -- we know you as an actress. >> mm-hmm. >> now you're hosting a reality show. you love watching reality tv i understand. but you never thought you'd end up in this role. >> no. not at all. not at all. i am totally a sicker for any reality television ever. but when they called and asked me to host it, i was sort of like, oh, i don't know. it sounds really great. but there were so many similarities between the show and what was going on with me in real life that i felt like it was kind of a pay it forward opportunity for me. just being the spokesperson for jenny craig for the last year

and a half has been such a gift. and like has totally changed my life. and so, the thought of being involved in someone else's journey and being able to like maybe be a little part of like their growth, i don't know, it just seemed too good to pass up. >> so many people have come to you over the past year and a half because you've done all of this very publicly. >> yeah. >> and yet it's a very personal thing. >> yeah. >> and it's really stuff to get to that point, too, where you say, okay, i'm making a commitment now, i'm going to lose this weight. >> yeah. >> and so people come to you for inspiration. >> i know. it's so cool. and weird. because it's such a -- it's a struggle, you know. and i think that maybe one of the reasons people do sort of trust me, or ask me for advice, because i've always been really up front about the fact that it's really hard. you know, there's no magic tone. i think it's funny that people always think like, you're on television. there's some like secret that everyone on tv knows about, and like the real people don't know about. and it's so not true. it's like, calories in, calories out, and it's basic science when you break it down.

>> it's basic science. and it's every day for the rest of your life. >> oh, god. >> isn't that the worst part? >> it's the worst. >> one day off would be nice. >> but you know, you can have, not a full day off. but it's really about not to sound like, oh, but it's a lifestyle change. if you look at it as changing your life and changing the way your mind works. because, for me, and i think for so many people, it's an emotional battle. more than a physical one. >> yeah. >> and when you talk about an emotional battle and you throw in, like we're going to see on this show, dealing with planning a wedding at the same time, which is stressful enough. you're getting married a little bit later this spring. >> yes. >> so you know all about that. i mean, that particular challenge, these couples are up against something rough. when you met them, were they really feeling down and out? >> yeah, i mean, i think that they all, you know, they all really want to be there. and so it's compelling to watch. because they're all truly fighting for these elements of their wedding that they care so like in our first episode, which aired a couple weeks ago, they were competing for their wedding

dress. and their tuxedo. and like, these women, the men too, but the women, they wanted those dresses. you know, and it was -- it was intense. and so every week, they're competing for a different part of their wedding. so tonight's episode, they're competing to win their flowers. and there are some people who want thosent flowers. and they were not getting around. >> you will not get in their way. >> yeah. >> did you find, for both yourself personally, and then for these couples on the show, having some sort of a goal, does that make it easier for you, beyond the goal of, i just want to fit into those pants? >> mm-hmm. yeah. i mean, i think ultimately, look, these people, the couples all want to look a certain way on their wedding day. and all of us, i mean i'm getting married. we all have these ideals of what we want to look like on that special day. but i always tried to remind them that it's not just about that day, but it's about that day signifying the start of the rest of your life. and so you can go into a relationship at your happiest, healthiest point, then you're truly giving your partner a gift. and i would try to sort of make them remember that. so even if, you know, they

didn't win their flowers, they were there for a great reason. >> it's a great message and you're a great inspiration to so many people. >> thank you so much. >> sara rue joining us this morning. you can watch "shedding for the wedding" on the cw, wednesday nights at 9:00. >> erica, thank you. got some great foods for "the erica hill experiment." there are lots of misconceptions about vegetarian cuisine out there. pay attention here for your carnivores out there. "early" show contributor katie lee is here with delicious, totally meat free dishes that will have you coming back for seconds. like i said to you a few seconds ago, i'm not a total believer in vegetarian food. >> i'm going to make you a believer. well you know, there's many reasons for going vegetarian, even just one day a week. first up, your health. >> yes. >> by cutting out meat one day a week you're going to cut your saturated fat intake by 15% overall. >> okay. >> the environment, if everybody does veggie for just one day a week would be the equivalent of taking half a million cars off

the road. >> just not having chicken one day a week? >> one day a week. and economical. by switching from ground beef to tofu once a week you're going to save $270 a year. >> when i said i'm not a believer, i think i'm like most people, when they hear vegetarian sometimes think, okay, we're sacrificing flavor. >> association no way. i never sacrifice flavor. >> make me a believer. >> it's all about making it taste good. meatless monday, that's my day. so just designate a time for something you'll be more conscious all week long. >> okay. >> so we're having black bean and vegetable enchiladas with pumpkin sauce. now what doesn't sound good about that. >> pumpkin sauce does sound good. >> black beans, lots of antioxidants here and fiber and protein. corn, i'm going to ask you to stir this, chris. corn. spinach. i just use the frozen kind. this is a great weeknight meal, super quick. some chili powder. >> convenience. >> jalapeno. >> and it tastes good. >> i like a little kick. you could leave it out. green onions.

garlic powder. cumin. and i'm actually using, this is a dairy free cheese. >> okay. >> so anybody who is lactose intolerant, this is call eed daynachlt and made with tapioca. more and more markets are carrying it now. you could use soy cheese. a lot of grocery stores have that. mix it together. roll it in the corn tortilla. put it in your pan like this. it is very similar in taste. and it melts just like regular cheese. now to make our sauce, you see how easy the filling was. >> got it. >> for the sauce, it's canned pumpkin. that goes in the blender. and that's full of lycopene, beta-carotene, chili powder, jalapenos. garlic. and water. and you just blend that up. pinch of salt. yes, please. and that just goes in the blender. give that a good little blend. all right. make sure that lid is on. and that's it.

that's how you make the sauce. so pour it on top. comes out of the oven. here, put it on there. i'm going to get it out of the oven, you can see what the finished product looks like. >> pour it right on top? >> that's it. that's how easy it is. then you top it with some more of that cheese and it comes out of the oven looking so deliciously yummy. >> i'll get out of the way. >> doesn't that look great? so good. i want you to try this, chris. >> how long was it in the oven? >> 20 minutes. that's it. and this freezes great. this freezes really nicely, too, so you can put knit the freezer. i made it for a dinner party the other night. nobody said, where's the beef? everybody loved it. >> okay. >> what do you think? good? great, right? and you're getting all your protein, your veggies. your fiber. it's delicious, right? >> tastes like nachos. >> i like nachos. okay, good. next up, sloppy joes. who doesn't love sloppy joes? okay. i made these the other night for two of my most meat-eating guy

friends. >> okay. >> and they loved them. >> they're still your friends? >> they were coming back for more. so we've got red pepper and onion going in here. give that a stir for me. and i'm going to add tempe to this. >> what is that? >> fermented soybeans. this has 40% of your daily value of protein in it. really good for you. so just put that in. it's been in the indonesian diet for 2,000 years. >> break it up a little? >> and soy can help lower your cholesterol. and i'm putting in cooked lentil. again more protein, more fiber. green chilies. >> wow. >> ketchup. and barbecue sauce. >> this is going to be pretty thick, huh? >> you've got to let it cook. chili powder, worcestershire. and some vinegar. and then you want to kind of taste your barbecue sauce and see how sweet it is. but if it's not too sweet you can add a little bit of brown sugar. now we're just going to let that simmer. >> this is for how long? >> for about 15 minutes. and it comes out looking like this.

>> oh. >> doesn't that look great? >> it does look good. >> and you put it on a bun. serve one up here, chris. i put sliced avocado on mine just for more health benefits. avocado gives it that nice, creamy thing. >> sloppy joe, you do have to try it. >> you didn't make me one. >> okay. >> you only made one. >> you want one, too? >> i want one, too. >> take a bite. let me know what you think. >> i would say -- >> delicious, right? >> it's good. >> it's so good. okay, great. next up is portobello rush moom lasagna. what doesn't sound good about that. portobellos are really high in antioxidants and also a meatier mushroom so you get that great flavor. and i made a low-fat cream sauce out of low-fat milk so it's not fattening. and i used brown rice pasta. brown rice pasta is my new favorite thing. it's high fiber and it tastes like sliced noodles. sow want a little bite of this? >> sure. >> let me just --

>> there's a fork right in there. >> go for it, chris. take a bite. >> and this is great in the freezer, too. you can make this and put it in your freezer. in fact when i made this on sunday i put it in my freezer so i'd stop eating. >> i like that. >> so good, right? >> way to go. i apologize for not making you a sloppy joe. i owe you. >> well, we have a commercial break. >> katie thank you so much. for these recipe goes to our website, earlyshow.cbsnews.com. i'm now a believer. >> excellent. >> well done. >> yay! >> now here's erica. >> do not get rid of that food. save me a taste chris wragge. just ahead, or right now i should say, if you feel like you're going to bust your budget by trying to incorporate some new spring wardrobe items, you don't have to. take a look in that closet before you hit the mall. we have a few tips on how you can rework somerk of these piec. "early" show still contributor katrina szish is here in the studio. i love it whenn you come in and help us rework what's in our closet. it makes it feel new again.

>> it does. you can shop your closeate and you don't have to spend money to do it. it's about changing the way you think, getting excited about the new season and incorporating a few, inexpensive pieces. >> we're going to start off with a staple that many women have. and it's kind of seasonless. >> yes. >> the cardigan. >> the cardigan sweater, in the winter we love to cozy up in our black cardigan sweater. we layer it over pretty much everything. as we see martina doing here. but you don't to put it away when the weather warms up. we're going to show you how to change that look. what we did is we added this very simple dress from zara. underneath it has a subtle animal print. it's $90. and then we went crazy with the accessories. touches of brown to sort of give that safari feel. >> and it lightens it up, a little bit. the honey black color. >> exactly. you're not focusing on, again, that dark, black color but you're looking at those lighter, neutral colors which are so important. all the accessories at zappos. the dress from zara for 90 bucks. smart shopping all the way. >> and there we go. and it works through all the seasons. okay. there's one item down.

next up, your trousers, your pants. >> yes. >> however you'd like to call those. >> yes. >> the black pants. i mean, you know, we've worn these about a gazillion times by the time spring rolls around. and you want to put them away but you don't have to do it yet. you can reinvent them. what we did for blair was we added this really pretty cream top. it's $35. >> beautiful. >> really? >> $35. i'm a bargain shopper. >> i love it. >> and it still is work appropriate but it lightens everything up. we added a gold belt to spur a little bit of flair and made things pop with a bright-colored bag. >> and we've got a fun, open-toed shoe. >> exactly. we got rid of the regular pump, a little bit of spring and incorporated that cream color. so you're still elegant for work. you're not going crazy in summer colors. but it's the perfect transitional. >> also not going crazy, this is another staple for year-round, the lbd. the little black dress. the beauty is it can be seasonless. >> exactly.

but sometimes we look at the lbd in our closet, like, again? >> it feels so dark. >> this is really a great way to livan it up, because bright colors are one of the hottest trends and you can take a few accessories to change up that look. >> like this bracelet which i'm in love with. >> i love what we did here. the little black dress is still basic. but it is the accessories like you pointed out. that bracelet, a kenneth day lane bracelet. we added this hand bag which is $70. so we're not spending a lot of money here and these bright orange shoes which you love from zappos.com, again, just about $100. so these are items you'll wear all season long but still incorporate that core piece from your closet. >> the shoes definitely spring into summer. so much brightness there. >> i love that. >> that's what we need this time of year. >> okay, thanks. up next, the bootie. >> yes. >> this is such a staple for so many women this winter, these cute little ankle booties because you could wear them with tights, wear them under your pants. now it's time to bare your legs.

>> it is and we think winter is over so the first thing you want to shove way back in your closet is anything with the word boot in it. keep the ankle boots out. they're stale appropriate for spring. bare legs, you can incorporate those. get rid of the tights. lesson number one, with erin. stripes are one of the hottest trends of the spring and summer season. so we got a long-sleeved t-shirt dress from french connection. and you know, we didn't go sleeveless. we didn't do something that was too summer. we still kept the balance with the ankle boot. but then added a bright, white clutch just to give a little bit of that feel. and it is okay to wear white before memorial day. >> thank you for clarifying. and it is amazing what that pop of white or the pop of color can do for your mood, too. >> it really does. feels like you have a brand-new look. >> we love that. lastly, leather. we saw a lot of leather this year. leather seems like something that is not exactly a warm-weather item. >> not exactly. and you know, i think all the fashionable ladies out there love to layer with leather in the winter.

and it's definitely the thing to do. now you can actually show off the great leather jacket or in this case a faux leather jacket that you can still get at kohl's. less than 100 bucks. we got rid of the turtleneck sweater, we added this bright, subtly patterned blouse from loft. and again, it's $70. so keeping the price points down. add a little bit of flair with a brightly colored clutch. and then, the flair, wider leg jean. you're going to see a lot of that this season. that is inspired by the '70s trend that we're seeing. but again, it's about exposing that leather jacket, and bringing out. >> it looks so light and fresh. >> exactly. >> don't hide it under those heavy layers anymore. >> it's time to break out, ladies. >> bear it all. >> well, just enough. we don't want you getting arrested. always good to have you with us. always such great tips. for more on these looks logon to our website at earlyshow.cbsnews.com. we will be right back. you're,,

[ female announcer ] why watch regular tv when you can experience the next generation of television service? at&t u-verse tv. tv like you've never seen before at a really great price. switch to at&t now to get u-verse tv starting at just $29 a month for six months, dvr included. or get up to $300 in promotion cards with a qualifying u-verse bundle. u-verse tv lets you record and play back your favorite shows in any room. and you can record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. maybe that's why u-verse tv is ranked "highest in residential television service satisfaction in the west" by j.d. power and associates three years in a row. switch to at&t now to get u-verse tv starting at just $29 a month for six months, plus dvr included. or get up to $300 in promotion cards

with a qualifying u-verse bundle. at&t u-verse tv. tv like you've never seen before. at&t.

>> there he is. >> wow. >> our champion sky diver, jeff glor. there you are, big fella. >> i loved it. and you can't see this right now but in a second we'll show you jeff's face. his face was nearly the same as one -- it doesn't change. >> every time you see that jump you did, you would light up and you'd get this smile like the wind is blowing your cheeks back. >> it was such a blast. >> it was such an intense, great experience. i'll remember it forever. and also remember the guy did a story on gary holm who lost all that weight. in such an inspiring way. and he's been able to keep it off now, and we hope he does in the future. but just a great guy. >> just seems like an incredible person. >> advice to people at home, don't jump out of a perfectly good plane. >> don't do it any time soon ever again. >> have a great day everyone. your local news is next. ,,,,,,

when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast,

i could use all the help i can get. like nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that's perfect on multigrain toast, even whole-wheat waffles, for a breakfast that my kids love and i feel good about serving. and nutella is made with simple, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa. it's quick, easy and something everyone can agree on. ♪ nutella. breakfast never tasted this good.

good morning. south bay new accident in san jose northbound 280 before saratoga, backups extending to downtown san jose. 17 minutes between bay bridge and cupertino. bay bridge, metering lights are on but delay-free as you approach the pay gates. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with your forecast. >> we are hoping to be cloud- free. this afternoon, partly sunny. spring-like outside. as we look toward the next couple of days, we return to wet weather for tomorrow, dry on friday. more storms expected over the weekend. we'll check news headlines when we come back.

kohara, with your c-b-s five headlines... the space shuttle di there you see it live. >> the end of a historic journey and to a ship that has led the way time and time again, we say farewell, discovery. >> and there you see it,

discovery landing at the kennedy space center in florida. that aircraft now ready for retirement as the space shuttle program begins to come to an end. discovery has flown more missions than any other spacecraft, 39 missions over 27 years. 150million miles. nasa has two more shuttle missions planned for this year. endeavour will be launching on its final flight in mid-april, atlantis will fly the last mission in the shuttle program in late june. but again, this is discovery's last mission. >> discovery, houston, pinto, great job, you and your crew. that was a great landing in tough conditions. and it was an awesome docking mission that y'all had. over 500 teachers and staff members in the oakland school district could be getting pink slips this month. the move will save the district some $12 million. special education and bilingual

teachers would be spared. and that's it for us. we'll have another update at 9:57. ,,,, [ female announcer ] we asked coffee lovers to come and try coffee-mate's new cafe collection flavors. then we asked them to show us how the taste inspired them. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] introducing new rich caramel macchiato. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] indulgent white chocolate caramel latte. ♪ oh, do it [ female announcer ] and creamy cafe latte.