still concerned about what they are going to be doing next year. we just wanted to make sure that the hardship provision that was already existing in the law would also potentially apply to somebody who had problems during this transition period. so that's the specifics of this latest change. >> you're making the broader point that i think is fair and that is that in a big project like this, that what we are constantly doing is looking is this working the way it's supposed to and if there are adjustments that can be made to smooth out the transition, we should make them. but they don't go to the core of the law. first of all, the core of the law is that for 85% of the population, all they've been getting is free preventive care, better consumer protections, the ability to keep their kids on

their insurance plan until they are 26, $500 -- for prescription drugs for seniors on medicare. 85% of the population have benefit by the provisions of the law. by the way, if it were to be repealed, you would be taking away -- from folks who already are enjoying them. 15% who either don't have health insurance or buying it on the individual market. and that's still millions of people. and what we're doing is creating a marketplace where they can buy insurance and we can provide them some tax credits to help them afford it. the basic structure of that law is working. despite all of the problems, despite the website problems and messaging problems and despite

all of that, it's working. you don't have to take my word for it. we have a couple million people who have health insurance in first three months, despite the fact that for the first month and a half was lost because of problems with the website and about as bad a bunch of p publicity as you can imagine and yet you still got 2 million people who signed up or more. and so what that means then is, that the demand is there and as i said before the product is good. now, in putting something like this together, there are going to be all kinds of problems that crop up, some of which may have been unanticipated, we've been trying to respond to them in a common sense way. and we're going to continue to try to do that.

but that doesn't negate the fact that, you know, a year from now or two years from now when we look back we're going to be able to say even more people have health insurance who didn't have it before. that's not a bad thing. that's a good thing. that's part of the reason why i pushed so hard to get this law done in the first place. and i've said before, this is a messy process. sometimes when i say that people say, well, a, yeah, it's real messy, and b, you know, isn't the fact it's been so messy some indication that there are more fundamental problems with the law? i guess what i would say to that, chuck, is, when you try to do something this big affecting this many people, it's going to be hard. every instance, whether it's social security, medicare, the

prescription drug plan under president bush, there hasn't been an instance where you tried to really have an impact on the american people's lives and well being particularly in the health care arena where you don't end up having some of these challenges. the question is going to be ultimately do we make good decisions trying to help as many people as possible in as efficient a way as possible. and i think that's what we're doing. >> 72 hours ago you make this change where people are buying a junk type policy that you were trying to get people away from. >> keep in mind, chuck, first of all, that the majority of folks will have different options. this is essentially another net in case folks may have slipped through the case. we don't have precision on the numbers but we expect it's going

to be a relatively small number. these are folks who want insurance and vast majority have good options. in a state like north carolina, for example, the overwhelming majority have kept their own plans. so the ones they had previously. but we thought and continue to think it makes sense that as we are transitioning to a system in which insurance standards are higher and people don't have unpleasant surprises because they thought they had insurance until they hit a limit and next thing you know they still owe 100,000 or $300,000 for a hospital visit. that as we transition to higher standards and better insurance, that we also address folks who get caught in that transition and unintended consequences. that was the origin tent of the grandfather clause in the law. the problem was it didn't catch enough people.

and you know, we learn from that and we're trying not to repeat those mistakes. >> absolutely, yeah. let's see, phil. >> thank you, mr. president. what was the message you were trying to sends with not only your decision not to attend the sochi games but with the people you named to the delegation to represent the united states at those games? >> first of all i haven't attended olympics in the past and i suspect that me attending the olympics particularly at a time when we have the other stuff that people have been talking about is going to be tough, although i would love to do it. i'll go to a lot of olympic games post presidency. the delegation speaks for itself. you have outstanding americans and outstanding athletes and people who will represent us extraordinarily well. and you know, the fact that

we've got folks like billy jean king or brian boitano, that every acknowledges for excellence but also for their character, who also happen to be americans the lgbt community, you should take that for what it's worth, that when it comes to olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation, we judge people on how they perform and both on the court and off the court. on the field and off the field. that's a value that i think is the heart of not just america but american sports. i'm going to just roll down these last few real quickly.

shapiro, last day of the white house, he deserves a question. >> thank you. senator max baucus was seen as a last hope for the tax code. what about the hopes for tax code -- >> it is said he's going to be an outstanding ambassador to china and i'd like a swift confirmation and my expectation and hope is that if both senate democrats or if democrats and republicans in the house and senate are serious about tax reform, it's not going to depend on one guy but all of us working together. my office is ready, willing and eager to engage both parties in having conversation about how we can simplify the tax code and make it fair and work and create more jobs and do right by middle class americans.

jackie? >> thank you, mr. president. how do you say it in hawaii. >> mal lick macka. >> i would like to ask your reaction to the nonpartisan truth telling group the lie of the year, if you like the health care, you can keep it. related to the health care problems, the fallout seems to make them a little rambunctious and independent of you, the debate over the iran sanctions, harry reid has expedited consideration of an iran sanctions bill for january, even as your administration and you have been trying to get them to layoff sanctions while you're -- >> jackie, you're stringing a bunch of things along here. let's see if we can hone in on a

question. >> a lot less than ed henry has. >> wow. >> now i can see -- how about i separate out the iran question from the health care question. on the health care question, i think i've answered several times this is a new it race of it, but bottom line is that we are going to continue to work every single day to make sure that implementation in health care law and the website and all elements of it, including the product laws work better every single day. and as i said in previous press conferences, we're going to make mistakes and we're going to have problems but my intentions have

been clear throughout, which is i want to help as many people as possible feel secure and make sure they don't get broke when they get sick. we'll keep on doing that. on iran, there is the possibility of a resolution to a problem that has been a challenge for american national security for over a decade now. and that is getting iran to in a ver fibl fashion, not pursue a nuclear weapon. already even with the interim deal that we struck in geneva, we had the first halt and in some cases some rollback of iran's nuclear capabilities. the first time that we've seen

that in almost a decade. and we now have a structure -- a very serious conversation to see, is it possible for iran to get right to the international community in a ver fibl fashion to give us all confidence that any peaceful nuclear program that they have is not going to be weaponized in a way that threatens us or allies in the region, including israel. and i've said before and i will repeat. it's very important to test whether that's possible. not because it's guaranteed but because the alternative is possibly us having to engage in some sort of conflict to resolve the problem with all kinds of

unintended consequences. i've been very clear from the start. i mean what i say. it is my goal to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon but i sure would rather do it diplomatically. i'm keeping all options on the table. if i can do it dip flomat ingal, that's how we should do it. i would think that would be the preference of everybody on capitol hill because that is the preference of the american people. we lose nothing during this negotiation period. precisely because there are verification provisions in place, we will have more insight into iran's nuclear program over the next six months than we have previously. we'll know if they are violating the terms of the agreement. they are not allowed to accelerate their stockpile of enriched uranium. they have to reduce their stockpile of highly enriched

uranium. ironically, if we did not have this six-month period in which we're testing whether we can get a comprehensive solution to this problem, they would be advancing even further on their nuclear program. in light of all of that, what i've said to members of congress, democrats and republicans, there is no need for new sanctions legislation. not yet. now, if iran comes back and says, we can't give you assurances that we're not going to weaponize, if they are not willing to address some of their capabilities that we know could end up resulting in them having break-up capacity, it's not going to be hard for us to turn the dials back, strengthen the sanctions even further. i'll work with members of congress to put even more

pressure on iran. but there's no reason to do it right now. so i'm not surprised there's been talk from members of congress about new sanctions. i think the politics of trying to look tough on iran are often good when you're running for office or if you're in office. as president of the united states right now, who's been responsible over the last fou years with the help of congress in putting together a comprehensive sanctions regime that was specifically designed to put pressure on them and bring them to the table to negotiate, what i'm saying to them, what i've said to the international community and what i've said to the american people is, let's test it. now is the time to try to see if we can get this thing done.

and i've heard some logic that says, well, mr. president, we're supportive of the negotiations but we think it's really useful to have this club having over iran's head. first of all, we still have the existing sanctions already in place that are resulting in iran losing billions of dollars every month in lost oil sales. we already have banking and financial sanctions that are still being applied even as the negotiations are taking place, it's not as if we're letting up on that. i've heard arguments, well, this way we can be assured and the iranians will know if negotiations fail, even new and harsher sanctions will be put into place. listen, i don't think the iranians have any doubt that congress would be more than happy to pass more sanctions legislation. we can do that in a day on a

dime. but if we're serious about negotiations, we've got to create an atmosphere in which iran is willing to move in ways that are uncomfortable to them in ways that are contrary to their rhetoric and suspicions of us, we don't help get them to a position where we can actually resolve this by engaging in this kind of action. all right? okay. i'll take one question, colleen mckay nelson and that is it. >> some of the advisers are leaving the white house and others are coming in and taking on new roles in the west wing. as you reshape your team how does it change the dynamic and impact what you think you can accomplish going forward? >> i just had launch with pete

rouse who is leaving me and that's trouble. he says so not right now at least. you know, i love that guy. and that will be a significant loss, although he'll still in town and hopefully i'll be able to consult with him on an ongoing basis. the fact that john podesta is coming in will be terrific. i asked when he was running the transition office if he would be willing to join us and at that time he was still feeling he wanted to develop cap and other organizations. but john is a great strategist as good as anybody on domestic policy and i think he'll be a huge boost to us and give us more bandwidth to deal with more issues. i suspect we may have additional announcements in the new year.

there's a natural turnover that takes place. people get tired. people get worn out. sometimes you need fresh legs. but, what i can tell you is that the team i have now is tireless and shares my values and believes the thing that i think i've repeated probably four or five times in this press conference, which is, we get this incredible privilege for a pretty short period of time to do as much as we can for as many people as we can to help them live better lives. and that's what drives them and that's the sacrifice they make being away from families and soccer games and birthdays and some of them will end up working over christmas on issues like iran and the fact they make those kind of sacrifices i'm

always grateful for. if they then say to me after making sacrifices for three or four or five years, i need a break, then i completely understand. all right? have a great holiday, everybody. appreciate you. >> merry christmas. >> that was the president's final news conference of the year. tonight he and the first family head to hawaii. we heard his position on issues that will dominate the start of the new year an new proposed guidelines to the controversial surveillance program. >> the independent panel that i put together came back with series of recommendations, 46 in total. what we're doing now is evaluating all of the recommendations that have been made. over the next several weeks, i'm going to assess based on conversations not just with the intelligence community but others in government and outside

of government, how we might apply and incorporate their recommendations. and i'm going to make a pretty definitive statement about all of this in january where i'll be able to say here are the recommendations we think make sense. here are ones that we think are promising and still need to be refined further. here's how it relates to the work we're doing, not just internally but in partnership with other countries. i'm taking this very seriously because i think as i've said before, thgs a debate that needed to be had. the question we'll have to ask, can we accomplish the same goals that this program is intended to accomplish in ways that give the public more confidence -- >> it's been pretty much all about the nsa let's start there with kristen welker at the white house. the president started off saying, this was the most

wonderful press conference of the year. doesn't quite seem it worked out like that? >> well, certainly fielded a number of tough questions, tour'e and i would argue one of the headlines that came out of this press conference relates to the nsa, president obama signaling he's seriously considering making changes to the way the government collects information and data to its surveillance program. just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. there's more than one way to skin a cat. the president essentially arguing that the public concern has become so great that his administration needs to address those concerns. of course, as we have been reporting earlier this week, a task force issued 46 recommendations on how to change the government surveillance program. president obama while in hawaii will be reviewing the 46 recommendations and come up with his own changes that we expect him to announce in january. he also continued to defend at

least his use of the program saying that he does not believe they've broken any laws and does believe it has protected the country essentially. but the public outcry has become so great over this issue. that was one point. you heard him try to turn the page on health care. he announced at the start of the press conference, more than a million people have enrolled in healthcare.gov and heard him answer the question from chuck todd, essentially wiped away the mandate and press the back hard on that part, they have made revisions to allow more people to get coverage at reasonable prices. but there's a lot of confusion right now about the health care law. there's no doubt about that. of course, president's poll numbers continue to be at their lowest point. he was asked by jonathan carl, what is your biggest mistake? and the president acknowledged as we have heard him in the past say the health care rollout has been rocky. as part of that answer he

signaled there might be more staff changes on the horizon. then you heard of what we anticipated, he's not going to negotiate over the debt limit and continued to urge congress not to pass new sanctions. i do think the headline out of this press conference, tour'e, he seems to be signaling some changes on the horizon for the nsa. >> kristen, welker, thanks so much. nbc news political director chuck todd is in the briefing room. what was it like inside? >> he didn't say it but you could just tell sort of by the president's demeanor he couldn't wait to end this year in many ways. all of the little fun little barbs he had, whether at the press corps or even talking about this is the most wonderful press conference of the year, look at how many times, 2014 is going to be a breakthrough year. i think he said it twice, maybe three times. when you look at the economic numbers that's not surprising.

i agree with kristen that the nsa answer he basically seemed to say i'm going to reform how we gather that metadata. i know they are not doing things everybody thinks they are doing but we have to restore the public trust. the reform was recommends by this panel has to do with having the phone and internet companies themselves housing this data, which will cost the government more money and pay the companies to do that because it's not something they had been doing before. then there was health care, he wanted -- this has always been the back and forth and the white house largely believes 95% of the health care political problems are because of the implementation of the website. and that once the website starts working people will start being satisfied with their coverage. with this continued rules change, with trying to deal with a small portion but portion that does get a lot of attention, that's where i think you see

some of the confusion. he seemed to acknowledge it but still believes ultimately is rooted in the website issue. >> chuck, you had a strong back and forth with the president about the recent changes with the health care law. i want your reaction to that. let's listen to what the president had to say. >> and in the federal website, tens and thousands are enrolling every single day. since october 1st, more than one million americans selected new health insurance plans through the federal and state marketplaces. all tolled, millions of americans, despite the problems with the website are now poitzed to be covered by quality affordable health insurance come in year's day. this holiday season there are mothers and fathers and entrepreneurs and workers who have something new to celebrate, the security of knowing when misfortune strikes, hardship no longer has to. >> chuck, you asked a question, i think many people are asking right now, how do you really

build certainlity and confidence around a law that continues to change. do you feel the president answered your question? >> well, it depends i guess on your point of view. he intended to answer it by saying, you're focusing on a small part of this issue and he brought up 85% do have certainty in the law and to having a safety net of health insurance. he continued to describe this all as kinks. we won't know for sure whether this is going to create more -- the insurance companies are concerned about that. and frankly, a year from now, how are the insurance companies going to respond. remember when they made this change allowing for people to buy this new catastrophic policy only limited to people under 30 who have hardship, by doing that, had they done it? had they said they were going to have this policy in august, what

would the insurance companies have set premiums at? then the question is, how do the insurance companies respond next year? a big question and i talked to some health care folks about this, the big concern is that next year the health insurance industry is going to respond by jacking up premiums more so than maybe folks realize to respond to what they believe are all of these various loopholes that they have to abide by. >> chuck todd, thanks very much. >> you got it. we turn to glenn, a senior writer for politico magazine. the president also touched on what he said is a priority for the new year, extending jobless benefits. let's take a listen to what he had to say. >> restoring the temporary insurance that helps folks make ends meet when they are looking for a job. because congress didn't act, more than one million constituents will lose a vital economic lifeline at christmas

time. leaving a lot of job seekers without any source of income at all. when congress comes back to work the first order of business should be making this right. i know a bipartisan group is working on a three-month extension of this insurance. they should pass it and i'll sign it right away. >> glenn, this was a point the president wanted to make in the press conference it seems and seems to indicate he is going to put a lot of pressure on congress to get this done in the new year. >> i have to say, i was listening to chuck talk, he is a wonderful professional, in so far as he was able to stay awake for the entire press conference. i thought this was a moment for the president to really cap a terrible year, to make his argument about these questions that he had been asked and put pressure on congress like you were talking about. i just thought the energy level of this thing was so tryptophan, that he had eaten his turkey

dinner this afternoon. i was flabbergasted to the extent this guy wants to get out of town and didn't take the opportunity to put an imprint on the date coming up. >> i must have been watching something different because it look the like he was fully engaged and looked more energized than he did in the press conference that he gave right after the healthcare.gov stuff hit the fan and he had to fall on his sword several times saying, mea culpa, i'm sorry. >> but the difference between that one and that one, in that one he was very much on defensive and had to answer specific questions. we had a whole bevvy of good news, we got the third quarter gdp up to 4.1 and pretty solid numbers in terms of medicaid enrollment coming out. this was a moment for him to put his foot down and show energy and he didn't in my estimation. >> so, glenn, i want to ask you

about a question the president was asked about the debt ceiling and reaction to something paul ryan said on the sunday shows. let's hear what the president had to say. >> will you negotiate with house republicans on the debt ceiling? >> oh, you know the answer to this question. no, we're not going to negotiate for congress to pay bills that it has accrued. >> so, glenn, he also said, i've got to assume people aren't crazy enough to do that again. how likely is it that we're going to in february, going to have a repeat of what we went through in october? >> look, on the surface, and i think his answer is pretty dead on. on the surface it would seem insane for him to do it. but then, again, his incoming counselor john podesta told me a while back he thought the house republicans were a cult worthy of jonestown. i don't think there's a tremendous amount of confidence

in the west wing that the republicans are going to comply. boehner's recent challenge of the wing of the party could have a different result. i think all bets are off once they start negotiating. >> let's bring in former missouri state senator jeff smith, now assistant professor of politics and advocacy in the new school. interesting first question from julie from the ap. was this the worst year of your presidency ever? >> has this been the worst year of your presidency? >> i've got to tell you, julie, that's not how i think about it. what i've been focused on each and every day, are we moving the ball in helping the american people, families have more opportunity and have little more security, to feel as if they work hard they can get ahead? there are areas where there

obviously have been frustrated and i wish congress have moved more aggressively. even when congress doesn't move on things they should move on, there are things we're still doing. you measure this by polls, my polls have gone up and down a lot through the course of my career. i mean, if i was interested in polling, i wouldn't have run for president. >> interesting tweet after that question was, mr. president, don't you owe it to the american people to burst into tears? some people thought this was kind of -- it has been a rough year between the nsa and oba obamacare rollout and failure to get anything on gun control. this took me back to the president in 2008, when he talked about the silly season in washington and take a long view of things and not be sort of controlled by polling all the time. what did you see out of that answer? >> i agree. if you take the long view, there are scandals in the last year

and things that didn't go as well as the president would have hoped they would have gone. but unemployment has gone down steadily for the last year and deficit has been cut in half. gdp we just saw a number over 4% and housing prices have stabilized, if that's the worst year of someone's presidency, i wish there would have been a lot more years like that. >> indeed. you can add to that list and we have the small budget deal coming together at the end between patty murray and paul ryan. some people are saying this gives us hope for the new year and president touched on this in the news conference too. hope for the new year that maybe there is a model of some sort of bipartisan cooperation going forward. what do you think about that? >>. >> it would really be something if the republicans tried a repeated of what they did months and and tried another debt level standoff. what is interesting to know is

something jonathan capehart said on "hard ball". >> he's a smart guy, that jonathan -- >> he noted that the president hasn't done a great job of being a cheer leader for his own message because it's difficult for him to do that. you need third party validators doing that. we saw during the campaign that bill clinton was able to articulate a stronger message than the president himself. with respect to economic growth in particular, when you have elements of the president's base, african-americans still unemployment rates that are about twice white unemployment rates and latinos as well, it's difficult for the president to make the case on how strong the economy is when so many members of his base support continue to be hurting. >> and the problem is we can all say the rollout has been a disaster and the pr has not been a success at all. the president didn't say a whole lot in my opinion in terms of learning anything new. he said problems will be covered

by new year's day when it comes to health care. but when you hear that, jeff, i get the sense, i'm going to have to wait until new year's day to see if that happens. if things aren't fixed by new year's day, how big are the implications. >> without a doubt he lost a lot of credibility on this issue. by giving a firm deadline of november 30th and then having the problems not all be completely fixed by then, you know, he's in a difficult position and things have to go well. i agree, it is sort of crunch time on health care reform and the delay that was announced last night isn't particularly good news. >> well, yeah, i guess the silver lining is the bar was so so low that we're getting better from there. jeff smith, thank you so much. >> thank you. up next, the president now flies off to hawaii with the first family. what can you expect if you're traveling for the holiday but don't have a private ride on air force one? that's next.

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just pour, mix...love. ♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> this friday afternoon the holiday rush is already on and looking at the travel forecast for the week ahead, many americans may be getting a white christmas. pretty but potentially problematic considering aaa predicts a record 94.5 million people will follow 50 miles or more. more than 90% will be in their cars and 5.5 will take to the skies. you know what that means? crowds and traffic and delays. that is before the travel hubs get blasted with storms this weekend. with that moderately alarming news, let's bring in courtney scott. it's always great to have you here as people are beginning to think about planning their travel, some are wondering how

they are going to stuff presents in bags and home made pies. what are the best tips you have tore any situation? >> don't bring gifts in your bag. ship them ahead of time. >> little late for that courtney. >> fedex and ups offer flat rate shipping cheaper than checking a bag. you can ship them today and get them within three days to your destination. don't check bags at all. i'm a firm believer in carry-on all the way. if you missed your connection due to bad weather or if your flight gets rerouted, you will not be stuck without your bag as long as you keep it -- >> jonathan is making a face, you can't bag? never check. always carry-on. >> it's the 3-ounce rule that gets me. you can't carry -- >> jonathan's wardrobe needs cannot be satisfied. >> the 3-ounce rule, you hear me dhs, do away with the 3-ounce rule. i'm serious.

>> we were talking about the potential weather problems and flight delays. if you do end up in the worst case scenario where you're stranded. what do you need to do? >> you should check online at your carrier site to see the travel delay and when is the next flight you can get. without dealing with cancellation fees. they should offer a refund or free change. you sheb on your mobile app and booking in a hotel. travelocity has a great app to download and book into a hotel right then and there in the airport. it's also important to leave lots of extra time if you're getting to the airport in time for a flight. it could be a matter of minutes between you missing your flight and catching it. two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. >> if you're traveling domestic, you don't need to leave two hours if you're in the tsa pre-check program which i am in. it's a beautiful thing, not hard

to get into. it's such a better experience and better feeling when you go through tsa without getting groped and feel respected by your government. it's a beautiful thing. >> it is a beautiful thing. you may already be opted in through your frequent flyer program. check your boarding pass for that tsa pre-check. if you're not, it's an $85 enrollment fee and you can pre-enroll online. you may not get it in time for christmas holiday but definitely something to look into for 2014. liquids don't have to come out of the bag. >> leave your shoes off and belt on. >> it's fantastic. >> sounds dangerous to me. i don't know if i want to travel with tour'e. >> what are you talking about? >> you don't want to listen to me on the plane or travel with me? who are you? >> i'm me. courtney, what about folks who are like me who aren't really good at planning? are there any last minute deals that people can take advantage of if they want to jet off on christmas eve or christmas day? >> a couple of things to think about.

there are last minute deals but be flexible. you won't find a deal flying out this weekend. fly out on christmas morning and extends your flight past the 29th and 30th. looking at mobile apps again, moebl exclusive deals offered all the time. last minute hotels is a great app for those looking for a last minute hotel deal. they are out there. looking into 2014, the deals for cruises are all be launched in wave season. stay tuned for more on that. >> twitter is also incredibly helpful when you're traveling. courtney scott, thanks you so much. >> we'll take a trip along the yellow brick road when "the cycle" comes back. ♪ follow the yellow brick road and ah, so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service,

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you'll enjoy the companion guide put together, the book includes original artwork from the personal collection and rare photographs and costume illustrations and test frames from the original evolution of technicolor and few behind the scenes, how they got the monkeys to fly. joining us, jay scarphone, jay, i'm going to start with you. you're huge collectors of the wizard of oz. why this movie and not some other movie? >> well, it's something that started very early in my life. when i was a child the wizard of oz was already being shown on television every year. that's how i got my first exposure to it. i can't tell you the first time i saw the movie, was always there. when you're exposed to something that young, and are so kapt

captivated with it, it stays with you. >> i totally agree. william, talk to us about the things that were done specifically because of technology during that time, like example of that would be the ruby slippers themselves. in the original book written by l. frank balm, dorothy's shoes are actually silver. but to take advantage of the technicolor photography, they change the color of the shoes to ruby red so there would be this really striking contrast against the yellow brick road. and the sequins that were used to construct the actually shoes were of a burgundy or a very dark wine color, because of the three-strip technicolor process. the intense amount of light that was required would have altered the color of anything, unless it was different than how it would

appear on film. so that went for all of the costumes, all of the paint used on the backdrops, props, you name it. >> no ruby slippers. >> isn't that funny? >> i don't know what to think about that. that is big news. >> hard to imagine. >> guys, i have to say, i've been thinking about if they were to do a new wizard of oz who we could possibly cast, maybe some folks from "the cycle." i don't know. >> oh! okay. >> toure the cowardly lion. >> of course, i'm the good witch. anyway, jay, one of the things that strikes me is sometimes you watch a movie from even the '90s and you can barely even take watching it, because the special effects seem so clunky and outdated. but this movie has stood the test of time, and special effects, the tornado, the flying monkeys, all of these things seem to have been way ahead of their time. and the magic is still preserved even all these years later.

>> absolutely. i mean, the wizard of oz was undoubtedly ahead of its time back in 1938, '39, when they were filming, and ultimately released the film. there was a lot of experimentation that went on. there were accidents. there were things that were done through trial and error. but amazingly, through all that, this wonderful film came out of it, and nobody at the time thought that it would go on and on as it has, let alone 75 years later we would still be talking about it and watching it and loving it, you know, as you say. and i think a lot of that, too, is the universal appeal of it. i think when you watch it as a child and through a child's eyes, you know, you believe everything that's happening in front of you. and that just stays with you. and it's passed on from generation to generation. >> william, it's certainly a timeless film, but it only did so-so at the oscars, anybody

under 18, we don't do that anymore. very special. but beyond that only best score and best song for "somewhere over the rainbow," doesn't do that well in terms of the award we call best picture. that goes to "gone with the wind." mr. washington also in the film that year. what does this say about how it was received the year it came out and how it did at the oscars and how it did at the box office. >> you have to understand that 1939 was considered hollywood's greatest year ever. i think there was the single-greatest output of films that have gone on to become all-time classics in that one year. >> that's amazing. >> so it was up against some very stiff competition. i think being a fantasy film, it wasn't necessarily a serious contender for best picture. but absolutely, it was at the very top of the top ten list for the best films of the year by any number of film critic groups. it was received all sorts of

critics' awards. so it was well-received. you have to understand that in those days, it -- the cost to put it together was about $3 million. and the average ticket was 25 cents. >> wow. >> and most of the audience were children who were paying a dime to get in. so it was intended to be a prestige picture, to really show off the capabilities and the resources and the opulence of metro gold win mayer who produced this beautiful entertainment we're still enjoying today. >> so jay or william -- but jay, i'll direct this thank you. so -- and i think crystal got to this in her first question. but if there was a remake today of the wizard of oz -- >> and not "the cycle" cast. >> for real. because i know you've thought about this. who would play dorothy? >> anne hathaway, duh. >> i'm sorry, that was for james. >> you took two seconds to think

about it. >> i would be happy to play that role. >> what do you guys think? >> i think it would have to be unknowns. >> unknowns, yeah. >> oh, someone new. >> there you go. >> you're not an unknown. you're a star, on "the cycle" baby. >> how do we keep this fantasy alive? william, i'll ask you this. for the generations to come, how do we keep this movie that we continue to want to show our kids and grandkids and great grandkids? >> it's a great question, and i think jay touched upon it. >> buy the book, right? >> there you go. >> i think it's the kind of thing that you have to be totally enchanted by as a child. and i think that there are so many of us who yu grew up watching once a year on television and anticipating that event, because if you missed it, you missed t. >> right. >> and you have to wait an entire year. and we all grew up loving it. and i think that by today's standards, we are just deluged with all kinds of stuff. and it really falls to parents

and grandparents to pass it along. >> indeed. >> and watch it as a family event. >> jay and william, thank you so much. good luck with the book. we want to let you know, warner bros. is partnering with habitat for humanity, no place like home, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the whizard of o. log on to our website, thecycle.msnbc.com. we'll be back with the final word after this. before using her new bank of america credit card, which rewards her for responsibly managing her card balance. before receiving $25 toward her balance each quarter for making more than her minimum payment on time each month. tracey got the bankamericard

better balance rewards credit card, which fits nicely with everything else in life she has to balance. that's the benefit of responsibility. apply online or visit a bank of america near you. hands for holding. feet, kicking. better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start taking xeljanz if you have any kind of infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests,

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all right. that does it for "the cycle he". the ari melber experience begins now. >> love when you talk in unison.

good afternoon, i'm ari melber, this is "the experience," it is friday december 20th. the president just turned the page on 2014 and told the white house press corps, big things are popping. >> it's the most wonderful press conference of the year. 2014 can be a breakthrough year for america. both parties in both houses of congress came together to pass a budget. it's probably too early to declare an outbreak of bipartisanship. >> has it been the worst year of your presidency? . there are areas where there have been some frustration. a lot of our legislative initiatives in congress have not moved forward as rapidly as i would like. if i was interested in polling, i wouldn't have run for president. it's not that i don't engage in a lot of self reflection here. i'm sure that i will have even better ideas after a couple days of sleep and sun.