end of an era. north korea says its longtime supreme leader, kim jong-il, is dead. southwest whiteout. five western states prepare for the onslaught of a major winter storm. and harry's heroics. the english prince launches his own london dragnet for a friend in need. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we begin this morning with the death of a dictator. north korea's longtime leader, kim jong-il, has died at the age

of 69 after suffering a heart attack, ending 17 years of rule over the isolated country. kim's likely heir is his youngest son, kim jong-un, who state media is now calling the great successor. nbc's ian williams takes a look back on the life of kim jong-il. >> reporter: they called him the dear leader, the iron-willed commander, his birth heralded by rain bows and a new star lighting the sky, but kim jong-il has turned out to be marital after all. kim's north korea was isolated and unpredictable and often seemed more like a cult than a country, at times bizarre but also dangerous, impoverishing and enslaving his own people while arming himself with nuclear weapons and threatening to aannihilate his neighbors. it was easy to poke fun at the paltry dictator with his buffon hairstyle, dark glasses and high heels. he was rumored to be a fan of hollywood, fast cars and fine

foods. easily flourished when so little is easily known. >> i think some of the eccentricity was simply insecurity. he had a profound feeling of insecurity, and this is the fate of lone dictators. if you're alone on top of a dictatorship, you have power in your hands, you feel insecure, you feel that you might lose your power any day. >> reporter: diplomats who dealt with him describe kim as shrewd and calculating, well practiced at the use of threats and force to win concessions and aid, successfully fending off u.s.-led efforts to rein in his nuclear weapons program. >> i think he had to be a very cunning person and a very smart person to be able to steer north korea through a period of great change in the world and great turbulence in the world. >> reporter: his people, some

flowers of loyalty, he called them, suffered terribly. hundreds of thousands dying of starvation, a network of brutal prison camps housing those who questioned his rule or tried to escape from it. he inherited the job in 1994 from his father, kim ul song, the founder of north korea, who although dead remains eternal president. as kim's health deteriorated, his features ravaged by at least one stroke, he groomed his youngest son to take over. the young kim's rise was accompanied by a spate of provocations against the south, torpedoing a patrol boat and shedding an island near the boarder. the north also revealed the previously unknown uranium enrichment facility, gifts to a son, perhaps, who would appear to have few obvious leadership qualities from a father often dismissed as mad but likely to be remembered as a master manipulator. ian williams, nbc news, bangkok.

elsewhere this weekend, the leader of a very different kind of revolution. the czech republic's vaclav halve died. he led czechoslovakia's velvet revolution in november of 1989 that ended soviet-backed rule. just over a month later, havel became president and later leader of the newly created czech republic. sweden called him one of the greatest europeans of our age. now to washington, where the fate of the payroll tax cut is once again up in the air. this after the senate and white house agreed on a two-month extension, but house republicans are now saying they're not on board. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on this. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. house republicans, led by speaker john boehner, say they don't want a two-month extension, they want a full year

extension and they'll vote down that temporary extension later today. this after 89 senate democrats and republicans compromised, voted on the two-month extension, and then left town. even senate republicans are urging their fellow republicans in the house to do so today, but it looks like that measure may be rejected. bottom line, your payroll tax cut as of january 1st still very much up in the air. what happens from now? a couple of things. first of all, if they vote on something different, the senate may have to come back and approve or disapprove that, or they might be able to work this out in conference. what the senate passed also includes that controversial keystone excel oil pipeline. democrats gave in at the last minute to get this extension done, but the white house says it doesn't force them to approve the pipeline. lynn? >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thank you. here's your first look at some of the other news going on

around america today. new york police have arrested a man for the brutal murder of a 73-year-old woman. now, a security camera captured the man dousing the woman with a flammable liquid inside an elevator, then igniting a deadly blaze with a molotov cocktail, just disturbing there. after turning himself in, the suspect told police he was angry with the elderly victim because she owed him money for work he had done. a texas high school championship game celebration came to a painful ending at cowboys stadium. the winning coach was among seven people mowed down by a runaway electric cart after the title game. all the injuries were minor, and still unclear how the unmanned vehicle began moving under its own power. and finally, santa had an unforgettable gift for one young boy in kansas. moments after he told st. nick he wanted his dad home for christmas, there you go. the 3-year-old's father popped out of a nearby box. dad is home on leave after

serving two tours in iraq and redeploys in january. how's that for a good christmas gift. now for a look at your national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> good morning. one of the only times santa takes a back seat. >> absolutely right. he's got shotgun, though. >> yes, he does. good morning, everyone. major winter storm rolling through the southwest. new mexico's going to get hit, and eventually, this will be a snowstorm in areas of colorado, kansas and texas. the good news for anyone doing traveling or, you know, most of the snow is going to be in rural areas. a lot of the big cities are going to be missed. denver, maybe only get a little bit of snow out of this. pueblo and santa fe will be hit pretty good, but oklahoma city, dallas, kansas city and witch tarks a near miss for you. just a little too warm. you'll mostly be on the rainy side of the storm. blizzard warnings in effect until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow out here, this area of this magenta color here. so, that's a good, good section here of kansas, all the way north texas, panhandle of

oklahoma. we also have winter storm warnings in areas like pueblo. as i mentioned, it's mostly going to be a rain event across much of central texas, where we'll deal with thunderstorms. as far as snowfall totals go, this area could see a foot. again, up in denver, maybe an inch or two, that's about it. most of the southwest of town will be hit. and kansas city, just to your north is where we'll see some of the snow, but kansas city itself, it doesn't look like a lot for you. amarillo, you're also on the edge also, probably three to six inches. the warm side of the storm is where we're going to see thunderstorms. it's going to be your classic winter storm. the front side's going to be warm, a lot of energy. that's where we'll see thunderstorms. if you're in dallas later today into tonight especially and traveling out of the ft. worth area, san antonio or houston, all those major airports could see possible delays as that line of thunderstorms could have gusty winds with it, hail, and the possibility of even isolated tornadoes. as far as the forecast for the rest of the country, it was a very, very cold weekend in new england. it really reminded you that the season has finally arrived.

i'm sure they were making a ton of snow, which is good for the ski areas, but it's another cold morning outside of the big city. the warm air, though, is on the way. we're already into the 40s in chicago, and that warm air ahead of that big winter storm is going to move right through the east, so it's going to be a nice warm-up for many areas all the way until tuesday or wednesday. so, today's forecast, we're going to get up into the mid-40s today in new england. that's a lot warmer than it had been. rain will eventually move its way into areas like missouri, st. louis. chicago, you're dry during the daylight hours, but later on tonight, chicago and detroit, that rain will begin to move your way. i guess the big headline out there, our first december winter storm has formed, but it's mostly in rural areas. >> that's good news. bill, thanks so much. well, the death of north korea's ruler shakes world markets, the price of gas keeps falling and sputters. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. tim tebow looks for another miracle, the packers' run at history comes to an end, and will the colts ever get a victory? you're watching "first look" on

msnbc. [ female announcer ] instantly smooth wrinkles with a shot? wait a second... with olay challenge that. new regenerist wrinkle revolution... relaxes the look of wrinkles instantly, and the look of deep wrinkles in 14 days. ready, set, smooth... regenerist. from olay. when you pour chunky beef with country vegetables soup over it... you can do dinner. four minutes, around four bucks. campbell's chunky. it's amazing what soup can do.

four minutes, around four bucks. i joined the navy when i was nineteen. i was a commissioned officer at twenty-three. i was an avionics... tactical telecommunications... squad leader. i think the hardest transition as you get further into the military is... you know it's going to end one day. chase hired me to be a personal banker. i'm a business analyst... manager. i'm very proud to work for chase. when you hire a veteran, you get... great leadership... decisiveness... focus. chase knows, when you hire a veteran, you're hiring america's best. chase is proud to help 100,000 veterans find jobs at home.

welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry and here's some of the top stories this morning. reuters is reporting the u.s. is considering the transfer of an unspecified number of taliban prisoners from guantanamo bay into afghan government custody as part of a confidence-building measure with secret talks with the taliban. u.s. officials tell reuters the talks have reached a critical juncture. in pakistan, more than 30,000 protesters rallied against the u.s. in the eastern city of lahore, demanding islamabad cut off ties with washington. the protest was in response to last month's nato air strike that killed 24 pakistani soldiers at two army posts along the afghan border. egyptian security forces and protesters demanding an end to military rule clashed on the streets of cairo for a fourth straight day today. officials say at least ten protesters have been killed and

441 others wounded. and he saves the day. england's prince harry reportedly leapt into action after hearing a friend be mugged over the phone. the prince searched the streets of south london before catching up with the victim at a police station. now here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,866 after losing two points on friday. the s&p eased up three. the nasdaq gained 14. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 105 points, while at hong kong, the hang seng fell 215. well, today's death of north korea leader kim jong-il threw an unexpected curveball at jittery world markets, raising fears of asian pacific instability. his passing sent asian markets lower with u.s. futures pointing downward for today. otherwise, wall street will watch europe this week, where officials are scrambling to show they're dealing with the debt crisis while trying to prevent

the crumble of the euro. today, europe's central bank president disappointed markets, saying the bank won't consider large bond purchases. hammering out italy's crucial austerity budget enters its final phase this week, battling union opposition. back here at home, according to comscore, consumers spent 15% more in online holiday buying than last year. the average regular gas is $3.24 a gallon. that's down 24 cents over the past six weeks. in deal news, canada's el dorado gold agreed to buy european gold fields for about $2.4 billion. housing data dominates the week. december homebuilder sentiment is out today. november housing starts come tuesday, followed by wednesday's previously owned home sales. new home sales are out friday. watch zynga this week. its highly anticipated ipo stumbled friday, losing 5% in its debut. finally pay attention. you're going to want to avoid

this term in your next job interview. nearly four in ten adults named "whatever" the most annoying phrase used in conversation for the third year in a row. i'd have to agree with that. well, elsewhere, aaa estimates over 5 million people will travel by air during the year-end holiday season. and if you are one of them, there are steps you can take beforehand to make sure your trip is as stress-free as possible. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: even though you may be towing along some extra baggage or even some extra people over the holidays, it pays to do as the experts do and travel smart. >> the earlier you do anything along the way, the better equipped you are to deal with situations as they come up. >> reporter: arrive early, because security lines are sure to be long. >> nothing in your pockets? >> reporter: make sure your pockets are empty so you can move quickly through the new scanning machines. get your seats in advance, because the airlines first bump those without assigned seats. weather conditions can change

quickly this time of year, and full flights mean any changes can lead to a domino effect that could alter your plans. frequent travelers learn to take it in stride. >> be prepared for wrenches being thrown in your plans. >> reporter: there are some basic tricks that the savvy have up their sleeve, or in their pocket, just in case they have to make adjustments on the fly. >> make sure that you know and have your airline's 1-800 number programmed and on speed dial in your phone. >> reporter: because only the fortunate few have their own aircraft available this time of year. the rest of us have to make the best of the crowded skies. brian mooar, nbc news. well, brady is too much for tebow, the colts play big, and the giants play small. plus, halftime entertainment like this? who needs madonna? we love this vooyt we're going to play it as many times as we can. your first look at sports is straight ahead.

you're watching "first look" on msnbc. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. i'd like a decaf 360 calories please. i'll have a triple iced 410 calories please. you know what... i'll have this instead. [ female announcer ] swap one thing a day for a yoplait light at around 100 calories. it will add up to amazing.

o0 c1 you want to save money on car insurance? no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance.

♪ when the things that you need come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups that's logistics. ♪ welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. the denver broncos set out sunday to show they're contenders. instead, the patriots confirmed claims by critics that they're just a curiosity. here's mario solis. >> good morning. tim tebow's created some incredible last-minute magic this season, but he would need a miracle to beat the patriots. broncos and pats in denver. first quarter, tebow taking off, breaks a tackle, weaves his way

into the end zone, a remarkable run and great start for the broncos, but tom brady answers right back. chad ochocinco's first touchdown of the season gives new england a 7-6 lead, and they never looked back. patriots up big in the final minutes. tebow trying to create a little more magic, but on fourth and 17, he's running backwards, keeps going and going, trying to find a miracle, not this time. pats win 41-23 to clinch the afc east. broncos' six-game win streak is history. also history, the packers' perfect season. aaron rodgers and company fall victim to the lowly chiefs in kansas city. jackie battles scores the fate and romeo crennel gets the gatorade bath in his first win as interim coach. green bay still tops in the league at 13-1. colts get their first victory after hosting the titans. donald brown reversing course, finding daylight and going 80 yards for 6. colts win 27-13. they are now 1-13.

in san diego, chargers surprising ravens. third quarter, philip rivers finding malcolm floyd for the score. chargers win 34-14 to hold on to their playoff hopes. to jersey, giants hosting redskins. eli manning picked off three times and the giants fall to 7-7. finally, back to denver for the best play of the day. a monkey riding a dog around the field at halftime. it was actually a whole team of cowboy monkeys called the ghost riders. if tebow if one of those guys, the broncos would have beaten new england. and that's your first look at sports. i'm mario solis. now for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. >> i thought you were going to say our own little cute monkey. >> i'm going to spare you that embarrassment. i try not to knock you down too many times. >> not on monday morning, at least. >> i'll wait until the end of the week. >> thanks, lynn. hope you had a enjoyable weekend. we were talking about the snowstorm in new mexico heading

for the plains. in the northeast, it's a clear start though cold with clear skies in new england. little snow to deal with. we saw a little snow over the weekend near the lakes, chicago had an inch, syracuse picked up an inch of snow, so it felt like winter finally, many areas of the country. now what we're going to deal with out there is a warming trend. notice we're already in the 30s from pittsburgh to d.c. the really cold air is just up here in new england, and eventually, you'll warm up with a good deal of sunshine this afternoon. we'll call it partly cloudy skies, temperatures getting into the 40s, so it won't be quite as cold out there. still jacket, but not quite as bad. late in the day, showers could head towards buffalo and pittsburgh. we'll see the storm in the middle of the country coming east, but temperatures will be warmer even in boston wednesday and looks like just some rain. thursday and friday, kind of quiet in the eastern u.s., but we have to watch out. on saturday we could see a storm coming. that's christmas eve, and it could even be cold enough in new england for some snow. so, if you're watching in new england and you're still praying

and hoping for a white christmas, you've got a chance. >> i like that. all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up next, "sherlock holmes" both wins and loses at the box office, while this was the only film to shine in an otherwise disastrous weekend at the movie theaters. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪

welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry and let's get a little entertainment news. it was another devastating weekend at the theaters, as not even "sherlock holmes" could battle box office apathy. "sherlock holmes: a game of shadows" debuted on top with $40 million. that's some 20 million bucks

less than many estimates. yeah, way to do some math there, though. this year's movies attendance has dipped to its lowest level in 16 years. "alvin and the chipmunks" "chip-wrecked," gets points for a creative name, but did even worse, opening in second with about $23 million, about half the business the first two chipmunk movies did when they debuted. the bright spot was, who knew, tom cruise's action sequel "mission impossible: ghost protocol," playing in a handful of imax and speciality cinemas. it finished third with a whopping $13 million. it's sad when that's something that will get you third place, but i guess that happens the week before christmas. >> i guess, but there's usually a lot of releases on christmas, go the week after, kids are off of school, so i think next week will be the big week. >> everybody's shopping, doing the last-minute grab. >> way too many things filling

up, holiday parties. >> i'm lynn berry and this is "first look" on msnbc. but stay tuned, "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. [ speaking foreign language ] that was the news this morning on north korean state television, a weeping anchorwoman announcing the death of north korean dictator kim jong-il, who passed away on saturday after 17 years in power. now, a huge test for the reclusive nation, where the country's few resources are diverted from a starving population toward a nuclear weapons program. security concerns are enormous. president obama already reaching out to our ally in the region, south korea. president lee putting his nation on high alert this morning. just ahead, we'll get a live report from the region.