good morning. breaking news. deadly terror bombings hit two hotels in indonesia, carried out within minutes of each other. at least eight dead, and several americans among the dozens injured. what happened? the fire chief backstage when michael jackson's hair caught fire during that pepsi commercial shoot speaks for the first time. this as jackson's children appear in public for the first time since the funeral, and a previously unreleased song by the king of pop surfaces. ♪ ♪ the place without no pain ♪ >> we'll take a listen. and ay, carumba, a chihuahua spiked in the head by a barbecue fork, and amazingly smoky

survived. he's here with us "today," survived. he's here with us "today," friday, july 17th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, everyone. welcome to today on a friday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm erin burnett. meredith vieira on assignment today. she'll be back on monday. this morning investigators are quickly piecing together the first terror strike in indonesia in nearly four years. >> here's what we know. it happened in jakarta's business district in the early morning hours. twin explosions just minutes apart, at the marriott and the neighboring ritz-carlton. hotels popular among foreign visitors. police now say the suspects had purchased a room at the marriott and pretended to be normal guests. the very latest is just ahead. >> and also this morning, a story that will have parents keeping a close eye on their children's cell phones. this one's disturbing. kids receiving life threatening,

anonymous text messages. supposedly this is a growing trend. we're going to hear from some of the victims and two of them are as young as 10 years old. we'll also talk about what parents can do to prevent this. >> also ahead on a much lighter note, do you own a pair of crocs? >> i actually do. i do own a pair of crocs. >> you know they were all the rage, clearly you bought them. well, sadly for some, and happily for others, looks like one of the biggest fashion trends in recent years could be coming to an end. >> do you own a pair? >> i do not have a pair of crocs. we have them here, though. those are the ones. apparently that company is in serious trouble after making that shoe. some would say there's a reason for that. anyway, we'll get to that and a lot more. first the breaking news. deadly terror attacks on two western hotels in jakarta. nbc's ian williams has the latest on this. ian, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. well the death toll has now risen to nine, and u.s. officials have confirmed that several americans are among the dozens injured.

indonesia sources had defeated terrorism. it's been nearly four years since the last big attack. but this morning, terror returned to jakarta. the two blasts were just minutes apart. ripping through the j.w. marriott and ritz-carlton owe tells in the city's upscale business district. the injured spilled into streets littered with glass, as emergency services and anti-terror police rushed to the scene. witnesses described the horror of the marriott blast. >> it sounded like the earthquake that we had about a year or two ago. . >> a blast, you know, and a lot of smoke, and i woke up very quickly and everything was quite crazy. >> reporter: the hotels were popular with foreigners and indonesians. police said the ritz-carlton bomb went off in a hotel restaurant, as breakfast was being served. the marriott bomb appeared to have been planted in the basement. most major hotels in jakarta now

have tight security procedures. and the police say the bombers may have been guests who smuggled the devices in. indonesian thought it had turned its back on scenes like these. the j.w. marriott was previously badly damaged by a car bomb attack in 2003. that killed 12 people. it came a year after the bali bomb that killed more than 200 people. those attacks were blamed on jamma islamiyah, a regional terror group linked with al qaeda. but a massive crackdown by anti-terror police captured or killed most of its leaders. and the country's been praised for its apparent success against terrorism. indonesia's president said today that it's too early to know who's responsible for the latest attacks. but he vowed to track them down, matt. >> all right, ian, thank you very much. nbc's ian williams reporting from thailand this morning. now let's get a check of the other top stories this morning. with ann on assignment, natalie morales is over at the news desk. >> good morning, erin and matt.

good morning to you. today, pope benedict broke his right wrist after slipping and falling in northern italy. the 82-year-old 30e7 has been vacationing at a shall lay near the french border since monday. despite the accident, the pope celebrated mass and had breakfast before going to the hospital, according to the vatican. during the night, the house weighs and means committee voted to increase taxes on higher income earners as part of a health care reform bill. president obama is ramping up his campaign to get a reform bill done. nbc's white house correspondent savannah guthrie joins us with more. good morning, savannah. >> reporter: hi, natalie. the health care battle is getting very intense. as you said the president is ratcheting up his involvement and his rhetoric. listen to him at a fund-raiser for new jersey's governor yesterday. he sounded a lot like the old candidate. >> we have talked and talked and talked about fixing health care for decades, and we have finally reached a point where inaction is no longer an option. where the choice to defer reform is nothing more than a decision

to defend the status quo, and i will not defend the status quo. we are going to change health care reform prp >> reporter: but reform efforts got a setback on the hill yesterday when the congressional budget office said that the health care proposals on the hill right now will not control health care costs and may actually increase them. aides here say it's too early to make that assessment, because the legislation isn't complete. and house democrats picked up a big endorsement from the american medical association, which represents many of the nation's doctors. the president wants a version of health care to pass both houses of congress before the august recess. it's a tight deadline. some on the hill openly doubt they can meet. >> savannah guthrie at the white house. thank you. the military says three u.s. soldiers were killed thursday in iraq in an attack on their base outside of basra. overseas markets are higher this morning. as for u.s. markets, cnbc's melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange watching it for us. what are we looking for there today? >> good morning, natalie. we have three major earnings reports out today, ge, bank of america and citigroup. the markets riding high after

great reports yesterday out of jpmorgan, also ibm saying that the rest of the year looks even better than they expected. so we'll see if this sentiment continues through the day. we're also watching larry summers, who is the assistant to the president on economic policy. he is out later today with a report on how the administration is propping up the economy. we'll be listening for cues as to when the economy may be getting better. natalie, back to you. >> melissa francis at the new york stock exchange, thank you. tragedy in france, where the roof of a stage being built for a madonna concert collapsed. killing two people, and injuring eight others, including an american. madonna, who was in italy at the time, said she was devastated by the news, and offered her prayers to the families. and 17-year-old sailor jack sunderland arrived in southern california thursday, completing a grueling 13-month solo voyage around the world. he became the youngest person ever to do that. congratulations to him. 7:07 right now. let's go back to matt, aaron and

al. sure he's glad to be home. >> all those other boats go with him the whole way. >> solo. all by himself. >> at 17 i got lost in macy's. >> there's a big difference. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> all right. i was looking for sales. >> oh. >> you think the all-american rejects are popular? look at this crowd. unbelievable. >> nobody rejected them. >> let's show you what's going on. out west, huge amounts of heat. i mean we're talking record-setting heat. >> we saw some extreme heat yesterday with the hottest day of the year at 94 at the

airport. today, more clouds rolling in, and that will keep temperatures in the mid-to-upper-80's. showers and storms by this evening. it began, high-pressu that's your ratest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. now to washington and what's been a very eventful week from the sometimes testy senate confirmation hearings for sonia sotomayor to president obama's full-court press to overhaul health care. david gregory is the moderator of nbc's "meet the press." david, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> let's start with health care. and the president's talking about it everywhere. he is really on the stuv, as savannah said, sounds like a candidate again saying i will not accept the status quo. break down quickly for me, if you will, where republicans seem

to stand on it right now and where democrats seem to stand. >> well, the very latest news, remember the central claim of this health care reform is by spending all this money for a massive overhaul, you contain these exploding health care costs for the government years down the road. when you have the umpire of the budget on the hill, a bipartisan figure who says not so fast. this cost is going to only go up under these bills that are being proposed. so it's a major setback for this legislation at a time when republicans, and even some of the moderate democrats are saying this is simply too expensive, we don't have a way to pay for a trillion dollar-plus plan. >> well, david, though, how does the administration handle that news coming from that umpire, the way you just described it? >> well, twofold. one, they take issue with that saying there will be cost savings down the road. it's too early to make that kind of final determination. and secondly, they are trying to come up with alternative ways to produce this revenue to pay for this plan. >> without watering down the plan? >> without watering down the

plan. and that's a big point. because there's a lot of people on the left who say wait a minute, the central promise of this president was to come up with a big government plan to compete with private insurance to keep those overall costs down. if he retreats from that a lot of people on the house side, who are democrats, who are already out there on a limb, they don't want to see the white house retreat. >> this august deadline is looming and it's a tough one to meet but you think there could be what i think you called the ted kennedy factor here. what's that going to be? >> well, look, ted kennedy is the driving force behind this legislation. he's worked at the white house. he's talking to all sides in this debate. all sides in the debate say if he were here, perhaps it would be a better bill. we'd get it a little bit faster. so he's involved. and i think there is a factor here. he wants this. the president wants it. i think there's going to be certainly a sentimental favorite in terms of getting this legislation done. this is going to go down to the wire in terms of whether there are democratic votes. right now, the republicans are squarely against it. maybe some of that opposition falls. it all depends on how close they get to making it look like it's inevitable. and this is really do or die

time. the president understands it. >> you used the word inevidentable. inevitable that we're going to see a yes vote on sonia sotomayor in the senate? the hearings went on this week. there were some tough questions asked of the candidate, but seems like nothing really stuck. >> right. all but certain that she gets confirmed. the top republican on the panel saying it doesn't look like anybody would amount to serious plow test to her. they wouldn't launch a filibuster. so these hearings, which were largely boring, and that's how the white house is wanted it, didn't produce any major revelation that people aren't already been debating. it looks very difficult to see that she would not be confirmed. and then there's the question of how big the margin is in >> what do you got for sunday? >> we're going to stay on the health care debate. we've got the secretary of health and human services, kathleen sebelius and the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell, to debate where we're going. >> have a good weekend. it is now 12 after the hour. >> matt, funeral services are being held today for byrd and melanie billings. those are the florida parents of 17 children. the parents were murdered during

a deadly home invasion. this comes as investigators say they have recovered at least one of the guns that were used in the murders. nbc's mark potter has the very latest. good morning, mark. >> reporter: good morning to you, erin. that funeral service is being held here at liberty church in pensacola. as many as 1200 members much the publ public, the family, and their many adopted children will be here. this, as the murder investigation winds down. eight days after byrd and melanie billings were killed in their home, officials say all the primary suspects are now in jail. >> we believe that this concludes the major part of our investigation. >> reporter: authorities also say they have settled on a motive for the attack on the billings house. >> in our opinion, this was a home invasion rather where the people stole a safe. >> reporter: that safe, officials say, was recovered wednesday night. but they will not say what was

in it or if the robbers themselves opened it. investigators also found what they say was the second vehicle used in the robbery, along with the red van recovered earlier in the week. and there was another important discovery. >> we have located several guns in various locations, one of which we believe is the murder weapon. >> reporter: seven men have been arrested on murder charges and an eighth person, a realtor, is charged with accessory after the fact. authorities say other suspects claim her van was used to transport weapons and the safe. investigators also say those suspects knew each other from past dealings. >> either the combination of friendships, casual business relationships, that brought this group together. >> reporter: still to be answered is why the security cameras at the billings' home were not disabled by the alleged robberses, despite careful planning of the crime. >> we have some people of interest that we are continuing to look at. >> reporter: the still unsolved mystery is why the billings were

killed if this was just a robbery. and today, local reports say the safe was found buried in the realtor's backyard. as prosecutors prepare their case for the grand jury to formalize the charges. erin? >> mark potter, thank you very much. it's 7:15. now once again, here's matt. >> all right, erin, thank you. now to the latest on michael jackson's death. new images of his children have surfaced along with a previously unreleased song. this as the los angeles fire department captain speaks out about what really happened during jackson's pepsi commercial accident back in 1984. nbc's jeff rossen has the latest on all of this. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. lots to get to this morning. we'll begin with michael jackson's kids. they are old enough now to know exactly what's going on here. all the talk of who will get them, who wants them, and who doesn't want them. we're just days away from monday's custody hearing and now we have exclusive details about what michael jackson really wanted for his children.

this is our first look at the kids in more than a week. 11-year-old paris, 12-year-old prince, and 7-year-old blanket, all out and about in los angeles. they're at a jehovah's witness church. paris is holding a book called "sing praises to jehovah." the kids' former nancy grace is with the children, too. she was reportedly fired by michael jackson back in april. but since michael's death, the jackson family has brought her back to help. >> he loved his children and his children loved him. >> reporter: june gatlin was michael jackson's spiritual adviser. in an exclusive interview she told us just months before his death, michael was taking stock of his life. did he ever say to you, if something happens to me, i want my kids to go with -- >> april 13th we discussed it, if anything happens, he would want his mother to have his children. his mother, who he loves dearly. he cherishes his mother. and if anything happened with his mother, then he wanted janet to have his children. >> reporter: why janet?

>> michael loves his sister. he trusts his sister. he trusts janet explicitly. >> reporter: in fact, it was janet jackson who comforted paris at the memorial service. also spotted with the kids this week, michael's oldest sister reas rebbie. sources close to the news say he's also being considered for partial custody. >> they're three kids who have to be kept together. whoever is taking paris and prince has to take blanket, also. >> reporter: katherine jackson and debbie rowe, biological moms of the two oldest kids, have been negotiating custody all week with the hearing set for monday, time is running out to reach a deal, and now there's another controversy brewing. ♪ around michael jackson's infamous accident, in video just obtained by "us weekly" you can see his hair catch fire while filming a pepsi commercial in 1984. now that the video is out, this los angeles fire captain, who was backstage, is breaking his

silence for the first time since the accident. >> the tape where he got his hair burned was a deviation from the other takes, because he stood under the shower of sparks. >> reporter: he says jackson was told to stand on a platform for a better shot. >> i was backstage, and i overheard a conversation for michael to stay there longer, he would look more majestic. when i got him off the floor, he was a little dazed, disoriented. as we walked him back, he was worried, he wanted to know how severe the burn was, and he also asked about his face. he said, did any of the sparks hit my face, or is my face burned? i told him, michael, no your face is fine. >> reporter: many say it was this accident that sparked an addiction to painkillers. an addiction that may have ultimately taken jackson's life. as police haul pill bottles from jackson's home, and medical records from his doctor's offices, nbc news has now confirmed investigators are meeting with prosecutors, gearing up for possible criminal charges. robin sacks is a former l.a.

prosecutor, and worked with the same people handling this case. >> you would want to have prosecutors involved at the very beginning so that they -- because they're going to have an eye for what's going to be provable in court. >> reporter: overnight the l.a. county coroner's office confirmed for nbc news the toxicology report that everyone has been waiting for has been delayed. it could be, in fact, another two weeks before we learn what was in michael jackson's system, and what killed him. matt? >> all right, jeff rossen in los angeles this morning. jeff, thank you very much. and now to that previously unreleased song by michael jackson that's been leaked online. the song is called "a place with no name." take a listen. ♪ take my hand i'll take it there ♪ ♪ oh, to a place without no pain ♪ ♪ take me to a place without no pain ♪

>> it's a place by no name. obviously it sounds like a horse with no name that was recorded by america back in 1971, and apparently that group gave michael permission to record the song so there was no conflict, as a matter of fact, manager for america today says they hope it's actually released so -- >> they're honored he picked their song, right? >> exactly right. >> we don't know exactly who owns the rights and when we'll hear the whole thing. >> we don't know when he recorded it either. >> lots of questions. everyone wants to know are there more songs even out there? but now to something matt mentioned at the top of the show that you either love, or you hate. i think you're in the hate camp. >> that's a strong word. >> that's a strong word, okay. >> weird dislike. >> it's not my favorite? >> right. >> we're talking about crocs. it was a sensation. but it looks like the crocs could be on their last legs. nbc's janet shamlian has that story.

>> reporter: they look like the accidental mating of cutoff galishes and a block of swiss cheese, rubber full of holes and the color of crayons, cushy crocs became an unlikely worldwide hit. >> they're the only shoe my kids are wearing now. >> we're big fans of the crocs. >> reporter: comfortable at about 30 bucks a pair, they were on everyone's feet from great grandmas to little kids. but it's never been a universal love affair. from the get-go, you either loved them or you hated them. >> we have a couple pairs. i don't love the way they look. >> reporter: despite the critics, crocs became a wall street darling, and sales soared. but the shoemaker, born during the boom, has tripped in recession. over-expanding and maybe a victim of its own success. the shoes so indestructible, who really needs a second pair? >> ultimately, are they over as the must-have product of the moment? yeah. i don't see that returning.

do i see crocs staying around? maybe as a comfort shoe. >> reporter: in new york this week, the store was busy. and the company insists it won't become a one-hit wonder. >> i don't think it's the end of crocs. i think it's a new beginning for crocs. we're selling now into more stylish models. where we had that ugly shoe mentality out there in the world and now we have a stylish shoe and we want people to discover that. >> reporter: high heels, wedges and flip-flops. those are among the newest croc offerings. but will customers buy in? fashion is fickle. and the marshmallow-like footwear could end up yet another phase. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. >> crocs with heels. >> they have evolved. there's no question about it. and the affordability of them i think is a great thing. but the style of this particular type -- >> maybe make a lower quality so people need to replace them? still ahead, terrifying texts. the growing trend of kids using

cell phones to send other kids life-threatening, anonymous messages. the things every parent needs to know.

still to come, what's in a name? certain names for boys could land them in jail. >> all right. and the chihuahua impaled by a >> all right. and the chihuahua impaled by a fork resting comfortably. - ( ac blowing ) - ...to help keep us cool? ( women vocalizing ) solar-powered ventilation... to help cool you, available on the third-generation prius. it's harmony between man, nature and machine.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. let's look at one of the top stories this morning. a man is dead after what appears to be a liquor store robbery. that happened after 9:00 last night at the 7900 block of belair road in the nottingham. . and adult male was shot to death inside putty hill liquors. it is unclear if the victim was a store employee. the name has not been released. no arrests have been made. time for a check of the morning commute sarah caldwell. >> still dealing with one

accident of note. liberty at milford mill. otherwise, just a minor delays on the west side. 58 miles per hour according to the speed sensor. artscape closures remain in effect on mount royal, preston, oliver cathedral. all those through the weekend for artscape. lombard is still down to two lanes. 13 minutes is the drive time on the outer loop west side. 10 minutes and southbound 95. 895 looking good as you approach the harbor tunnel. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the forecast is looking pretty good today. we had 94 yesterday. as a consequence, a very warm start. 73 at the airport. area of low pressure will ride up along the storefront on it shore this afternoon. chance of showers and storms this evening. 84 to 88.

more cloud cover by the middle part of today. by tomorrow, i pressure builds in. that will keep temperatures and below is the partly cloudy skies to rot the weekend. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. and next live update at 7:55.

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♪ didn't i tell you >> we are back now at 7:30 on a friday morning. it's the 17th day of july, 2009. rockefeller plaza, full of rejects this morning. hold on, that is reject fans, actually. the all-american rejects will take our summer concert series about one hour from now. they have attracted a huge crowd. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside erin burnett, who is filling in while meredith vieira is on assignment. good to have you here for the past couple of days. >> good to be here. >> why don't we tell people a little bit about meredith's assignment? in a worldwide exclusive meredith sits down with susan boyle, the sensation from "britain's got talent" to talk about her unlikely rise to

stardom, the toll its taken, and what is next. and, wow, susan -- >> she looks great. >> isn't she? looks like, clearly not the same appearance that she had the first time we interviewed her here on the show. so you can see susan boyle, daring to dream, part of a special edition of "america's got talent," that's next wednesday at 9:00, 8:00 central time. we'll have a preview of that interview next wednesday on "today." if you can't wait that long don't worry about it. you can head to our website, todayshow.com for an exclusive clip. >> she really did look nice. >> really good. >> meanwhile, this half hour, can bill gates control the weather? he sort of can do a lot of things so maybe that's not beyond his capability. just ahead how he plans to stop hurricanes. and we're going to meet the lucky dog. matt has been waiting for. smoky the chihuahua who beat the odds in a bizarre accident. >> that picture is real, folks. that is not some sort of, you know, photo shop thing. that is a fork sticking in that dog's head. >> and the dog is here. alive. >> he has lived to tell the

story. >> a little pooped, but alive. exactly. we're going to get to that in a second. first to a very troubling story for parents. frightening text messages that are being sent to the cell phones of children. today's national correspondent amy robach has the details on that. amy, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. when a child receives a text they're told to forward it along, and if they don't, they'll be killed. the message, of course, is meant to scare kids, and it's working. >> he was petrified. petrified. >> reporter: for christian reel of suburban philadelphia, a single text message to her 10-year-old son's cell phone was enough to scare him. >> he hasn't slept by himself since -- for a few days now. he won't leave my side walking through the house. >> reporter: it's all because of what the text message side. >> it was a very graphic, violent message about a girl whose father had murdered her, and that if he didn't help this girl locate her father, she would be waiting at his bedside

to slice him in his neck and his parents would find him floating in his bathtub, overflowing with blood and water. >> reporter: christian's son isn't alone. 10-year-old alera received a similar message on her cell phone. >> it said hi, my name is jenny. i am a 7-year-old girl. if you don't text this to 15 people, then i'll come with a knife and kill you tonight. i told my grandmother, who was taking care of me that day. she said, oh, those are just silly things to scare people. >> reporter: the parents of these children told their story to the nbc station in philadelphia, wcau. but experts say it's happening to children across the country. yet another example of the dangers, especially for kids, of living in an increasingly digital world, and once again it raises the question for parents, how safe are cell phones for your kids? >> parents need to be parents. and so whether your child has a cell phone or they have access to the internet, they still need to be monitoring their children. we are moving in an unsafe

direction because we are giving children things that they don't know what to do with. they are having too much access, too much power, too much openness to things that they don't know how to handle. >> reporter: and experts agree that even if you do allow your child to have a cell phone, you should be careful about the plan you pick. and you should think twice before giving them access to text messaging. matt? >> all right, amy robach, thank you very much. perry aftab is an internet safety expert. good to have you back. >> good morning, matt. >> makes you shake your head. this is someone's idea of a joke. >> it is. it's the old e-mail chain letters that we used to get. we used to get them in envelopes. >> but they didn't threaten to kill you back then. it seemed like send this or you lose a fortune or something like this. this is a much darker twist to that. >> it takes a lot to get the kids' attention these days. and it's everywhere. it is thirtd, fourth, fifth grade issue. >> one of the questions i have is how are they sending these without it being traceable? >> you can go onto the internet. and most of the cell phone

providers will allow you to send a text message right from their website. so although you could possibly track it back, it comes from the internet, not from another cell phone. >> so the question again, are we giving children at too young an age these tools, and that's a debate we can have for hours and hours, but, does this shed new light on it? >> it does. and you and i have had this debate. i think that we're putting a lot of technology into the hands of kids who aren't prepared for it. if you want your kids to have a cell phone because it's going to make them safer that's great. but then park it when they get home. you already know they're safe at home. >> and tell your kids to send only appropriate text and pictures. sign up for a call blocking program. that's easy, right? >> absolutely. >> don't give out your text or personal information to people you don't know or if others can hear you, and don't respond to a text from someone you don't know. >> but most of these are from people you do know. kids they're in class with who think it's a hoot. but when you get these and the first case i saw was 1997, matt, and it was by e-mail. it terrifies the kids. so parents need to know what to do when it happens to their

children. let them know that this is a prank, not real. there are no ghosts and people out to kill them. >> except you want to say to your kids, this is a prank, and yet you want to take it seriously, as well. >> and you have to do them both. that's the balance we do as parents. so don't worry about it, this isn't going to hurt you, i love you, let's go do something else. at the same time, if there's a threat involved you call the police. it's their job to see if it's real and to find out who's behind it. >> and just don't let your kids respond to these. >> they can't. it only fuels the fire. >> all right, thanks very much. always good information. and now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> thank you very

>> sunday we are going to be looking at highs in the low 80s. in the meantime, we will surge to the upper 80s. a batch of showers and storms to our west. evening showers and storms today. clouds rolling in by the middle part of the dead. that's your latest weather. any time you need to check your weather day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt, erin? >> thank you, al. all right, parents listen up. we talked about this a little bit before. now we are going to deliver the

names for boys that supposedly are linked to increased delinquency. or likelihood of eventually going to jail. >> yeah, that's right. a study says that boys who have very unusual names, or overly feminine-sounding names have a better chance of winding up behind bars. so why don't you give us the names on the list. >> the number one name is alec. a-l-e-c would be the spelling on this one. ernest and garland. though we couldn't find anyone with the name of garland. obviously ernest hemingway and alec baldwin, so there were a few people. >> alec baldwin is not in jail the last time i checked. >> no. >> kareem, luke and malcolm, also made the list. >> that's right, mm-hmm. walter, preston and tyrell are on the list, as well. matthew is not on the list. >> no, thank goodness. shippingsburg university professor david callus, the man behind the study explains while

unpopular names are likely not to cause a crime, the factors associated with the names can increase the tendency toward juvenile delinquency. >> right. and they said i guess basically if you're being teased mercilessly your entire childhood you become an angry, bitter person. and you lash out in a way that could be negative. quick quiz by the way, what was the most popular name in america last year. >> jack. >> close, it was jacob. which surprised me. but luke by the way, was on the list of potential delinquents and luke is a very popular name. so watch out. >> still to come, the chihuahua who survived a terrible accident, a barbecue. up next, can bill gates control the weather? don't laugh. we're serious about this. we'll explain right after this. (announcer) we speak car. we speak rpms so you can zip by other cars. but we also speak mpgs so you can fly by gas stations. in fact, we speak mpgs so fluently, we can say one more thing. the new ford fusion is the most-fuel-efficient

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back now at 7:43 with what might seem like a ridiculous question, can microsoft founder bill gates control the weather? well according to a patent application recently released to the public, gates and several other coinventors seem to think that they can, at least when it comes to hurricanes. nbc's kerry sanders is in miami beach with the details. good morning, kerry. >> reporter: well, good morning, erin. residents who live here and across the hurricane zone have to deal with high insurance rates, chaotic evacuations, catastrophic damage, sometimes even death. so, while the idea of controlling the weather might sound like science fiction,

because billionaire bill gates is involved, it's a category 5 idea that some can only hope comes true. just about any hurricane that makes landfall these days is at least a billion dollar storm. because of the damage, the heartache, and perhaps just because of the sheer challenge, scientists have long tried to figure out a way to kill a hurricane. in the 1960s, one hopeful idea seemed promising. tow an iceberg into the hurricane's path. the ice would melt, cooling the ocean waters at the surface. it's those warm 80-degree-plus waters that fuel a hurricane's strength. now comes bill gates. like the comicbook character the weather wizard, gates and a team of scientists have an ingenious plan. hundreds of banchs almost like big bathtubs positioned in the path of an oncoming hurricane. as the warm water slashes over, it feeds down a pipe at least 700 feet to where ocean temperatures can be 40 degrees colder, up the other pipe that cold water is pumped to the

surface, sapping the hurricane's strength. the director of noaa's hurricane research is skeptical. >> it's plausible, yes. it's possible, maybe. is it realistic? i can't answer that. i mean that's not my job. that's their job to demonstrate the attribution, the proof. >> reporter: with a few simple items, dr. steven leatherman -- >> go ahead and turn it on. >> reporter: filled an aquarium with water as if it were the ocean and then with a bucket and a tube demonstrated the physics involved. when the red water in the bucket is higher than sea level, even without a pump, gravity forces it down, just as would happen in those floating barges. >> the physics is right. and it would work, if we can deal with the scale factor. that's the big thing. and it's going to take an enormous amount of cold water brought up, many thousands of pumps, perhaps, to have any effect on hurricanes. remember how big hurricane systems are. >> reporter: still even those

who have been through hurricanes have questions. what would you think if that existed, if we could kill a hurricane? >> that we're playing god. you can't do that. >> reporter: now scientists say if this works, it would actually disrupt the ocean currents, and so it would impact weather in other parts of the country. how to pay for all of this? we contacted bill gates. his spokesman said he had no comment. but there's one theory out there that ultimately insurance companies would pay for a project like this, so erin, i guess the policy holders in the end who will fund it if it ever goes forward. >> i guess that means you and me and people like that. kerry sanders, thank you very much. no matter what you think about it, at least we're lucky to have someone like bill gates trying things out and inventing things. up next, the chihuahua who survived for two days with a barbecue fork stuck in his head. it was then removed. he's here. he's a bit sleepy. but we're going to meet smoky right after this. this is a typical snack bar.

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survived. that picture is just pretty amazing. he is here along with his owner and his vet. good to have both of you with us. so what happened, huey? >> well, she was licking off a plate and smoky he came out of the house and was out there, and the big dogs were trying to eat and she was scaring the big dogs off. she'll often -- sheed the fork in her hand and it popped out of the handle and she looked around and it hit smoky in the head and he ran off. >> he actually ran in the woods for two days, right? >> yeah, he stayed gone for two days. >> you must have thought he was dead. >> yeah, they thought he was dead. and so we were out to look for smoke ki and just so happened we walked on the porch and smoky come across the hill up the driveway. >> coming back with the fork

still stuck in his head. >> yeah. and i got him and took him in the house, and they didn't know what to do with him, so i thought i'd take him to the animal hospital. so dr. smith -- >> so doctor, what happened when you saw smoky? >> well, when he came in, i about passed out. i was like, this is not real. you know, they come in a panic, as you can imagine, and we were closing down for the day, it was right at the close, and when they told me there was a dog with a fork in its head -- >> you almost euthanized the dog, right? >> we considered that, yeah. we didn't really know. but i said you know, he survived two days, take some x-rays anyway. we started there. >> and you really literally just gave him -- just pulled the fork out and he's not totally okay, though. but he's almost. >> well, he's not totally okay. and i don't believe that he'll be, you know, completely out of the woods with this for at least another month. but he is doing tremendous.

i was very nervous for him the first 24 hours. he did wake up weird. >> well, again, right now he's got a little paralysis in one eye. >> he does. >> and sleeping now, probably a little effects of the surgery and the trauma. >> he is a precious little guy. >> he is a great-looking little dog. >> and he's also a puppy, and he is definitely a lap potato. >> a lap potato. >> call it like it is. >> take good care of smoky, all right? you've got a miracle dog on your hands. doctor, job well done. >> thank you. >> nice to meet you, smoky. >> still ahead the all-american rejects in concert. for a second course, choose two entrees from over 15 chili's favorites, like our big mouth bites -- the mini burgers with giant layers of flavor. or a half-rack of our triple-basted baby back ribs. then save some room to share a decadent dessert. a lot of bold flavors, for a limited time only. chili's --

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>> good morning, everybody. i'm stan stovall. it is 7:56 and time two check the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> not pretty for motorists southbound i-95. we have two left lanes closed at 100 due to an accident. a very busy scene approaching this accident. heavy delays both southbound and northbound through howard county. watch that. fortunately looking better at the harbor tunnel. 895 smooth. no problems on 95 toward fort mchenry out of white marsh, not that bad. but we have the artscape

closur closur closures. mount royal cultural district through the weekend. pretty nice ride other than that. drive time southbound 95 through the accident scene 15 minutes from the beltway southwest to 32. that is the latest on "traffic pulse 11." sandra shaw. >> there are showers to the north and west right now but nothing right now over baltimore. we are seeing partly sunny, clouds this afternoon and can't resume out passing showers and storms. high about 85 to 88 with the cloud cover. yesterday we surged to 94 making it the hottest day of the year. 82 forecast high for today in the ocean city area. so pretty decent beach weekend. here this weekend low 80's. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic. the next live update is in 25 minutes. #ú

8:00 now on a friday morning, the 17th day of july, 2009. we have an enormous crowd out on the plaza today. getting ready for a concert from the popular group the all-american rejects. that's coming up in just about a half an hour. on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with erin burnett who is nice enough to fill in while meredith is on assignment. and we're joined by al roker, as well. >> huge crowd. no one rejecting this crowd. >> also coming up in this half hour we're going to have the latest on what's been a heart-wrenching drama. a new jersey father's attempt to win back custody of his son, who has been in brazil for about five years now. david goldman is going to join us with the latest on his

efforts to get his son sean back in this country. including a trip to washington yesterday, where he actually testified in front of congress. we'll be talking to david about that. >> plus we're getting ready for the friday whip, which i know -- >> what is that? >> it's all about lazy summer days this time around. we've got a few angles on that. >> and a little bit later on, how to predict how much you will weigh in the coming years, and how to make changes if you don't like the results. >> okay. before we get to all that let's go in to the news desk. ann continues on assignment. natalie is there with the headlines. hi, natalie. >> good morning again, matt, erin and al. good morning to you. at least eight people are dead and 50 wounded after powerful explosions today rocked indonesia's capital city. nbc's ian williams is covering the story for us from bangkok. ian the bombs targeted luxury hotels? >> that's right, natalie. the marriott and the ritz-carlton. they went off shortly before 8:00. police think they went off in the coffee shops of the hotels. those guests were enjoying

breakfast. now, they're also specific lating that both bombs were the work of suicide bombers. and that these bombers were staying as guests in the hotel. the reason for this is because in the marriott they found what looks like an unexploded bomb. also, there was incredibly tight security at all western hotels in jakarta. so this may have been the only way they could gain access. there's been a four-year lull in this sort of attack in jakarta. so this has come as a very big blow. suspicion is falling on jemaah islamiyah, a regional terror group linked to al qaeda. the president of indonesia said today he couldn't say who was responsible at this point, but he has vowed to track them down, natalie. >> nbc's ian williams reporting from bangkok. thank you, ian. pope benedict underwent surgery today after falling at a chalet where he's been vacationing in the italian alps. doctors say he fractured his right wrist, but aides say there is no cause for concern about the pontiff's health. a los angeles man goes to

court today accused of murdering his wife on a luxury cruise to mexico. nbc's george lewis has more on the cruise ship turned crime scene. >> reporter: when the carnival cruise line ship "elation" docked in san diego, the passengers had quite a story to tell. >> someone was stabbed in their shower. >> reporter: on tuesday night as the ship was about three hours out of cabo san lucas, mexico, returning to san diego from a five-day cruise, a passenger alerted security officers about a disturbance in one of the lower cabins. >> i saw a security guard posted opposite the room, looking straight at the door. there was a sign on the door that this is a secure area. >> reporter: inside, security personnel found the body of 55-year-old shirley mcgill. her husband robert mcgill had left the cabin. >> after mrs. mcgill's body was discovered, mr. mcgill was basically arrested on board the ship, and was kept in the brig, the jail of the ship.

>> reporter: the couple lived here in the northwest part of los angeles. a neighbor says he can't believe bob mcgill is a suspected murderer. >> i don't think he did it. i think there has to be something else. some other explanation. i mean, this is -- it's wrong. >> reporter: mcgill, who was taken away from the ship in this suv, is in federal custody, awaiting his first court appearance. as other passengers try to come to terms with what happened on the high seas. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. president obama was among those honoring the naacp during its 100th anniversary convention in new york city. last night, the nation's first african-american president paid tribute to the civil rights leaders who helped pave the way for his election. but he said there was still more to do on civil rights. it's 8:04 right now. you're up to date. let's go back outside again to matt and erin. a huge crowd. >> a noisy crowd, natalie. al has gone to the cheap seats. >> that's right. >> these are the seats that i

normally gege >> we are looking at basically partly sunny skies more clouds this afternoon with a chance of

showers and storms. 80 to upper 80's the forecast high. lower 80's tomorrow and sunday not only are these people fans of the all-american rejects, bought they're also fans of the friday whip. erin. >> it's almost time for that whip. al's only ten feet away but i can barely hear him with all the shouting. up next the new jersey father who's been locked in a custody battle to get his son back. he's heading to capitol hill. but first he'll be here for an exclusive interview with matt. [ alarm buzzes ]

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back now at ten after 8:00 with the new jersey father's long-running battle to win back his son. on thursday david goldman went to capitol hill to lobby for legislation that would require more u.s. help to resolve international custody cases. we'll talk exclusively with him in just a couple of minutes. but first, here's's nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: having traveled thousands of miles to get his son sean back from brazil, david goldman is now fighting for his rights closer to home. in the nation's capital. >> we are in a crisis with our children, our american children, being taken abroad, and not being returned. >> reporter: his cause, parents' rights in international child custody cases like his. the proposed legislation, to punish countries that violate an international treaty on custody rights. and create an

ambassador-at-large for international child abductions. >> no one can really know what it's like to walk in the shoes of a parent who's had their child abducted. >> reporter: goldman's struggle began five years ago when his wife took their son to her family home in brazil for a holiday. she then divorced david, married a brazilian, got pregnant, and died during childbirth. her brazilian husband, a lawyer, and his politically connected family, has been fighting david ever since. >> i want him to come home. >> reporter: there have been endless legal motions and appeals. in june there was a decision in david's favor, but the brazilian family appealed, putting the reunion on hold. last month, sean, now 9, appeared in a video prepared by the brazilian family, saying repeatedly he wants to stay in brazil. coached, david says, by the brazilian husband and his family. new jersey congressman chris smith has been helping david.

>> a 9-year-old does not come up with the idea of doing a 40-minute video repeating over and over again how he wants to stay in brazil. that's all the earmarks and markings of a hostage situation. >> reporter: just another detour on a path david still hopes will lead to his being reunited with his son. for "today," andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >> and david goldman and his attorney patricia appey are with us exclusively. david and patricia, nice to see you again. >> good morning, matt. >> did you make yourself feel better yesterday by going to congress and going to washington? or you think you accomplished something? >> i think we accomplished something. >> yeah? you got in front of the right people? >> well, we did. and we had an opportunity to talk about this legislation, which is so important to remind everyone in the middle of the huge partisan fights that are going on that this is a bipartisan issue that everyone can get behind, and will affect countless american children around the world. >> and you weren't just talking about your particular case. you were really talking about so many other cases out there. i just want to see if i can bring everybody up to date here,

because while you live with the minutia of this it's a little confusing for us. the last time we all talked the brazilian courts had ruled that you could have six days a week of custody of sean, but that you could only do it if you were in brazil for those six days. >> go live in brazil, right. >> exactly. you said that clearly was not acceptable, and then, the brazilian family appealed that, correct? >> right. >> so where does it stand right now? >> well, it's exactly that. it's in an appeal, and it will be in the second level federal court, which is a tribunal of three judges, to rule on the final decision. if they're going to uphold the first order, that returns my son, or accept their appeal. >> do you have some kind of timetable for that? have they given you a timetable? because this just drags on and on. >> understand there have been 19 motions that have been filed since the return order was entered. >> since the return order of sean this family has filed 19, habeas corpus, everything under the sun, hoping -- >> do you think they're hoping that you just simply give up and

go away? >> i would think by now they know that's never going to happen. ever. so, i don't know what their goal is now, but just to keep it from probably a final order. because they know they must return sean. >> there is another development in the case and actually this one was stopped by you. sean was interviewed. >> right. >> by cnn. >> correct. >> and when you got wind of that, before that interview aired, you said wait a minute. >> right. >> that will not air. i believe brazilian courts and new jersey courts have said he should not be interviewed. so where does that stand now? that tape ever have the chance of seeing the light of day? >> well, cnn and their counsel are still reviewing the legal issues, and we gave them the opportunity to have the full file, and to look at those issues. they chose not to show the tape this week. which we were delighted with. because what it does is it emboldens -- whenever the case of sean is shown it emboldens the family to continue to ask him this question, which

psychologists said is harmful in and of itself, just asking the question. now imagine he's on camera. imagine there are other pressures. children already feel pressure in divorce cases. imagine the sort of pressure on this child. >> i just have a couple of seconds left. do you continue -- you have a very brave face about all this. do you continue to have the confidence, given the fact that everyone and up to the secretary of state and president are talking about this, that you'll prevail here? >> well, i hope the secretary of state and the president continues to push for progress in this case. i really do. i mean, he was in my backyard yesterday campaigning for our governor. but, i do hope, and i mean this is a case of right and wrong. and it's unequivocal that my son needs to be home. and that's justice and that's truth and that's human rights. >> we will continue to follow it. david, good luck. and patricia, thank you very much. good to have you back here. >> thanks, matt. >> pleasure. >> let's go outside to natalie. >> all right, huge crowd out here excited about the all-american rejects.

let's see how big a fan you really are. all four all-american rejects have the same tattoo. so the question is, what is it? is it a bunny? the all-american rejects logo? or the state of oklahoma? you know the answer. >> it's the all-american rejects logo. duh! >> we're going to see if you're right. this is america. we help each other out. and when you open a checking account, bank of america helps you with $100 when you use your new debit card and online bill pay. plus you get free services and products you can only get from bank of america. this offer's for a limited time so visit a banking center or log on soon. we'll give you a hand -- and $100. it all starts with a checking account at bank of america. real steamed milk, and decadent chocolate... in mcdonald's mccafé mochas. now come to mcdonald's any monday through august 3rd... and get a sample size free!

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on fridays, i have hockey before school, so i take two eggo homestyle waffles and put peanut butter inside. i add a couple chocolate chips when dad's starting the car. there's only one way to eat an eggo -- your way. l'eggo my eggo. announcer: it gives the world fewer smog-forming emissions.

it gives you a 50 mile per gallon rating. the 3rd generation prius. it's harmony between man, nature and machine. we're back gearing up for this morning's huge concert by the all-american rejects. and before the break, we asked what tattoo all four members of the band have. the question was, was it a bunny, the band's logo or the state of oklahoma? so i brought the band members up to ask them. and you're going to reveal. tyson? >> it is actually our logo, and it's in the chest area.

>> there you go. there you have it. it is the logo and they all have it on the right chest. tyson ritter, mike kennerty, nick wheeler, chris gaylor, all-american rejects. the concert coming up just ahead. but for now back inside to matt. >> "today's" friday whip is brought to you by mcdonald's. >> and this morning on "today's friday whip" we're keeping summer simple. if you feel like your summer's flying by and you haven't found a minute to enjoy it, we're here to help. >> from gardens, fashion and food our four experts know just how to do it right. we're going to start in the garden. the host of diy network's yard crafters, good morning to you. halfway through the summer your plants start to lk a little faded, a he will leggy. >> they're looking kind of tired. the cool thing about summer is summertime is not the time to do a lot of work. time to chill and relax. all you want to do is go in there and remove dead or spent

flowers which we call deadheading. and also removing anything or brown. if it's yellow, it's not going to turn green. let your plants grow until the hard pruning the beginning of the springtime. >> what about when you want to use chemicals? you want to do something to make them better? you've got tea bags but on the inside is not tea, it's worm poop. >> it's worm castings. the worm has processed the come post through its body and we get to collect the worm castings. that's a whole other story and take these tea bags, put that in water, let it sit overnight. >> i was thinking that was tea. >> don't confuse that with your sun tea, okay? take that, put it into your pitcher and you can pour this worm casting juice, this tea solution, right over your plants. that's going to water your plants and give it the fertilizer. you're also going to get beneficial microorganisms in this water. if you put it in the leaves, it will help pests and stuff like that. >> thank you very much. a little bit of a sense of what's going on. matt, from worm tea to you. >> all right. thank you very much, erin. now to easy and inexpensive

summer entertaining ideas. amy goodman is from all you magazine. good to see you. >> yes, good morning. >> you want to invite people over to your house, this is just a scam and actually to have them do some work. >> this is called the do it yourself party. it's all the rage. because it's like painting the baby room for helping your friends clean out the closet and then you feed them well as a reward. >> some other ideas, you've got this paint and you can redo upholstery? >> it's amazing stuff. you can do an instant update. whether you want to update the existing color or totally change the color altogether. >> you put them to work. now you've got to feed them. you have to reward them. >> bite size food that's easy to grab and go. you want them to keep working. then you have the frozen watermelon with the delicious fruits. keep things low key with a burlap tablecloth which we bought for eleven bucks. and the takeaway for your guests, stocks of photos you've been meaning to give to them. also for the really dirty job you make yourself homemade scrub with three ingredients.

this is a wonderful scrub for them to take home. >> a little parting gift as well. you like theme nights. one of your favorites is movie night. isn't it expensive to rent a projector? >> you can rent one for 50 bucks. you do this outdoors. water proof blanket from j.j. cole. you create a popcorn bar so everyone can add their favorite seasonings. >> and you keep the insects away. >> this is from thermocell, an amazing insect repellent. 225 feet of protected, bug-free entertaining. >> let's go out side to natalie with other summer style tips. >> all right, thank you, matt. that's right. isabelle gonzalez whitaker from in style magazine knows how to stay stylishly cool all season long. good morning. >> good morning. >> one of the ways to stay stylish is to take your look from the pool to the party. >> exactly. it's super simple. just make sure that you use a tote bag like this one that has a little bit of structure. this is from ann taylor, only $25. >> great deal. >> you want to look for something that's got some interesting beading, some interesting accents. basically it will elevate your

look. >> and even the nice shoes there that really you can walk off the pool. >> that's right. don't even consider your plastic flip-flops. there are so many beautiful sandals out there inexpensive, that have embellishments that can elevate what you're wearing. >> lighten up the makeup. good time to get rid of that dpoundation you wear year around? >> you want to do a foundation but look for a minimum cal based foundation like predescriptives. you want to use a blush instead of powder or cream that's liquid, stays on all day. also works as a lip tint. >> other things is things that go double duty. >> we've got great scarves that basically when you're traveling in the summer, it's cold on the airplane so you need a scarf. but this has enough material you can also use it as a sarong. >> and you have this other piece here. >> this is a great dress from american apparel that is only $41, and you can wear it 12, at least 12 different ways. so you can do halter top. >> and you can become a

pterodactyl. thank you so much. into the kitchen with al. >> nice airplane reference. annie cox is the food editor for yankee magazine. she's got three ways to help us spend less time in the kitchen, more time with your guest. >> good morning. >> you've got a marinade you say works with chicken, fish. >> absolutely. you want to buy a protein chicken thighs, steak tips, lamb, stew meat, inexpensive, pop it into a bag. >> right. >> like so. put some teriyaki sauce in there. >> okay. >> a little bit of garlic. a little bit of -- flying all over the place. ginger, some cilantro. some onion. >> and then how long will that stay? >> pop it in the freezer. label it. pop it in the freezer, and then when you're ready to grill, roast, grill, you're ready to go. >> i love this idea. >> the salad on a stick? >> that's right. your kids will eat it. it's nutritious. it's fun. >> and of course you've got melon balls. >> yes, exactly. grown-up pops. >> annie cox, thank you so

soon-t >> good morning, i'm mindy basara. it is 8:26. here is a look at one of our top stories. harford county is putting the brakes on rising property taxes. david craig sign add bill which caps the bill at 5%. some property owners and representatives from the tea party movement were invited to attend the ceremony. let's get a final check of the commute with sarah caldwell. >> unfortunately we are looking at a pretty tricky ride in howard county. southbound 95 at 100 three left lanes closed due it an accident. they continue to work to clear it but not making much progress right now. heavy delays all the way back to the beltway southwest and northbound delays on 95. another problem northbound j.f.x. the ramp to the inner loop an accident there and a delay as a result of that.

if you are heading out in the city, artscape closures in the mount royal district. other problem spot eastern at simmers run at essex. southbound 95 from the beltway southwest to 100 will take you 27 minutes to get through that. that is the latest on "traffic pulse 11." sandra? >> the weather is certainly going to cooperate for artscape. a really comfortable weekend ahead of us. right now pretty uncomfortable. 81 downtown, 79 at the airport. partly sunny conditions now but more clouds roll in by midday and they will be around this afternoon. we have a chance of scattered showers and storms. mid to upper 80's the forecast high. best shot of that evening hours then tomorrow and sunday high pressure keeps us partly cloudy and low 80's. >> thank you for joining us. we will have another update at 8:55. p$pa

♪ 8:30 now on a friday morning, july 17th, 2009. our crowd is very pumped up, and with good reason, because in just a couple of minutes they're going to be hearing from the all-american rejects. the boys from oklahoma set to take the stage in about 10, 15 minutes. and then -- one of the bigger crowds i can remember in the last couple of months. i'm matt lauer along with erin burnett, who is filling in for meredith. al roker is here, natalie morales joining us, as well.

coming up is a question of fat and weight. >> we want to know how much we're going to weigh in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, and is there anything you can do to change your fat fate. we're going to find out that in just a couple of moments. >> way more than him. >> we already met one amazing animal this morning, a chihuahua that survived a fork in his head. but coming up, readers digest will introduce you to five amazing animals in the august issue, pets that literally have saved people's lives, two dogs, a cat and a horse. >> and you'll be able to read about them on our website at todayshow.com. while you're there, vote for your favorite, and we're going to have the winning hero pet right here on the plaza. >> but first can we bring in some very special people? saturday will mark the very first global celebration of mandela day, honoring nelson mandela.

tim and josh groben are here to tell us more about that. till, you're the director of 46664. tell me about it. i know it's nelson mandela's, or was, prison number. >> exactly. it was his prison number when he was incourse rated on robben island. and he gave this number for the campaign. and he wanted people like josh and musicians from all over the world to basically take this message out to the world. >> and you're going to be singing, performing to raise money this weekend? >> it's saturday night. and i'm thrilled to be part of it. it was a birthday celebration, major turnout. new york is not going to let us down. i'm singing with aretha franklin that i'm excited about. >> and you actually met nelson mandela a few years ago and he brought you in to become an ambassador. >> one of the most inspiring moments of my life was meeting the man in person. seeing the work that he's done

and inspiring me to start my own foundation. one thing that he's brought us, one person can make a difference and i think we're all here to show by his example that that can happen. >> how did he get involved with the effort? >> well, basically we saw this wonderful concert josh did. and we got a volunteer program going. and mr. mandela, who spent 67 years of his life fighting for social justice, basically the campaign is making a difference, is asking individuals to give 67 minutes of their time to doing good. we're getting over 4,000 volunteers signing a day. it's fantastic. >> it is. the first global celebration of mandela. tim, good luck with you. josh, good to see you again. >> thank you. >> let us now get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> "today's uv index" is brought to you by the american cancer society. the official sponsor of birthdays.

quote we're in the risk for showers and storms today. partly sunny today and more clouds by this afternoon and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks very

much. when we come back, how to change your weight fate, and the all-american rejects in concert. but first on a friday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:37. this morning on "take it off "today,"" your weight fate. how will your lifestyle today affect your weight down the road. the editor in chief of self magazine and madeline is a contributor to ivillage dotcom. some key questions here. we're going to go through the entire day. let's start first with the self-quiz where you can find out whether you have a weight problem or not. the body mass index. >> body mass index is a standardized way, instead of just weight, it's a weight-to-height ratio. are you healthy, do you need to

lose a few pounds for health reasons? so it's a starting point. but it doesn't mean that you can't make a lot of progress no matter what your starting weight is going to be. >> does your family history come into play? is there something there you can't do anything about? >> yes, in fact you really want to have the crystal ball, 14 easy questions. you can look at your mom and say, okay, maybe he's a little overweight, my chance of being overweight goes up 40%. but you can change that with a simple strategy. >> okay. >> let's see the strategy. can we start with this breakfast, because i tried to steal some of matt's cereal yesterday because i don't always have breakfast. but you're saying that's the most important meal. >> eating breakfast is important for a couple of reasons. one it sets you in a good mind-set saying i have structure for the day. it also helps you not overeat later in the day. we often think i'll skip breakfast and just eat lunch. and you're going to overeat because you get over hungry. it also doesn't mean you have to be bleary eyed making an omelette at 6:00 in the morning. you can cereal and milk or a breakfast bar on the run or even

a skim milk latte. anything with some lean protein is great. what self found is the more calories you eat in the morning, the less likely you are to gain weight over time. >> yes. what is this? >> that's a great little nutrition bar. >> people like peanut butter and chocolate. no bad food, just bad portions. about 200 or 300 calories is going to work for you. >> now my mouth is full. i don't usually talk while that is happening. >> we tell women, if you get less than six hours, your chance of gaining weight goes up 35%. >> how many people really sleep more than six hours? that's the issue. >> you've got to try. it can be as much as eleven pounds in six years. that's a lot. >> the main thing is people don't sleep for two reasons. one is, they're just multitasking. not enough time to do things. probably like you and most of us. the other is stress. >> we wake up and start thinking about your to-do list or whatever it is. >> if you're multitasking try to

simplify and allow some down time for sleep or take a power nap. >> naps are good? >> naps are going to be good for most people. if you're not sleeping from stress you've got to identify that and not pretend it's going to go away. you're also going to eat more. when you don't sleep you eat for energy. you eat for comfort. you eat to soothe yourself. >> you eat the wrong things. >> you don't want to fall asleep with the television blaring. you want to have a nice, calm environment. if you need one of these sound machines. we have this set on the ocean. i don't know if we can hear this but it's something that can give you some background noise. ear plugs if you need them. because you've got to get yourself settled, not energized before you're going to go to sleep. >> also don't try to watch tv while you're going to sleep because that might rev you up. and a harvard study found out for every two hours of extra tv you're watching, your obesity chances go up 23%. >> that's amazing. >> so let's turn off that tv watching. >> turn off that tv. and now snacks, we all like to snack.

is snacking in the afternoon a bad thing? >> you don't want to not snack at all but you don't want to eat all day. you often hear you have to fuel yourself. we're not farmers. we're not out in the field. we don't have to eat every two hours. but you have to be a smart snacker. there are times, the late afternoon or the evening when you're thinking i need something. 100 or 200 calories, an apple. fruit, smart carbohydrates of nuts in a limited amount. yogurt. you can mix and match and do these things because that's a good thing. >> before we go, beverages. basically go to diet and that saves calories? >> turns out women also are taking in almost 500 calories a day they don't even register because they're drinking those calories. if you were to cut that out you could lose 20 pounds in the next few years. >> when it comes to liquids stick with water, seltzer, low calorie sings, diet soda. no calories in your liquids. >> these simple strategies you can change your weight fate. we want people to feel empowered. you can make a difference with these little tweaks. >> they seem manageable.

and that thing actually tasted good. >> you can take that in your car. so it's great. >> thank you so much. appreciate it. and for the full change your weight fate quiz that i mentioned at the beginning of the segment, head to todayshow.com. and when we come back, the all-american rejects you've been waiting to embrace live on the plaza.

the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. toyota, moving forward. >> so you've waited patiently all morning long. are you ready for some music? here they are performing one of their hit singles off their third album, when the world comes down. ladies and gentlemen, the all-american rejects. ♪

♪ i wake up every evenin' with a big smile on my face and it never ♪ ♪ feels out of place you're still probably workin' at a nine to five pace ♪ ♪ i wonder how bad that tastes when you see my face ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell when you walk my way ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell now where's your ♪ ♪ picket fence love and where's that shiny car did it ever get you far ♪ ♪ you never seemed so tense love i've never seen ♪ ♪ you fall so hard do you know where you are truth be told i miss you ♪ ♪ truth be told

i miss you truth be told ♪ ♪ i'm lying when you see my face ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell when you walk my way ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell if you find a man ♪ ♪ that's worth a damn and treats you well then he's a fool ♪ ♪ you're just as well hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell ♪ ♪ ♪ tomorrow you'll be thinking to yourself ooh where did i go wrong ♪ but the list goes on and on and on ♪ ♪ truth be told i miss you truth be told ♪ i'm lying ♪ when you see my face hope it gives you hell ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell when you walk my way hope it gives you hell ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell

if you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well ♪ ♪ then he's a fool you're just as well hope it gives you hell ♪ ♪ now you'll never see what you've done to me you can take your memories ♪ ♪ they're no good to me ♪ your lies ooh you can't look me in the eyes ooh ♪ ♪ with that sad sad look that you wear so well sing it ♪ ooh when you see my face ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell when you walk my way ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell i can't hear y'all if you find a man ♪ ♪ that's worth a damn and treats you well then he's a fool ♪ ♪ you're just as well hope it gives you hell when you see my face ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell ♪ ♪ when you walk my way hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell

when you hear this song and you sing along ♪ ♪ you'll never tell you'll never tell ♪ ♪ then you're the fool ♪ i'm just as well hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell ♪ ♪ when you hear this song i hope that it will give you hell ♪ ♪ hope it gives you hell you can sing along i hope that it would shoot you well ♪ >> the all-american rejects will be back with more music on a friday morning. but first, this is "today" on nbc. america, whattaya say to big cheesy-steaky-ness! - subway. eat fresh! - eat fresh! when you wanna kick it up with zesty chipotle sauce. - eat fresh! - eat fresh! the flavor-fullest sub only subway can offer. - eat fresh! - eat fresh! try the new subway big chipotle cheesesteak. an updated all-time favorite: juicy steak layered with zesty chipotle sauce... and melted cheese, piled high with only...

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success has come very quickly to these guys from oklahoma since they first formed their band back in 2001. in the eight years since they've got three hit albums. the latest one is called "when the world comes down." tyson ritter, nick wheeler, mike kennerty and chris gaylor, welcome back. great to have you here. i want to take you back several months. you guys were here before this latest album came out and it was my impression you were a little nervous about how it would be received. >> yeah. i mean, when you start of put two years of your life into 13 things you sort of lose perspective. if it's not good, when we got in the studio with them it was magic. we're still riding on the magic. >> when you think about it, one

of the songs "give you hell" has been on the charts for 40 weeks. you can take a deep breath now, right? >> there's nothing to complain about right now. >> so -- >> now we've got a new single. we got to worry about that. a new baby out there. >> the way it's always portrayed is you two guys lock yourselves in a room sometimes and do the writing. that either works out very creatively or there's one man standing at the end of that. why does it work for you? >> you know, we sort of get lost in the moment. we go to a cabin in the woods and sort of made ourselves insane on coffee and bottles of wine and magic happened. >> natalie talked about the tattoos. whose idea was that? >> it was mine. the week our first record came out and debuted on the billboard chart. we never thought we'd be there. >> we called it the job killer. now we can't work a normal job because we have these breast tattoos. >> can i get one? >> yeah, please. >> after the show. >> what are you going to sing now?

>> now we're going to sing our new song called i want it. about being locked away from someone you love. ♪ ♪ i never thought that i was so blind ♪ ♪ i can finally see the truth ♪ it's me for new ♪ tonight you can't imagine that i'm by your side ♪ ♪ cause it's never gonna be the truth too far for you ♪ ♪ but can you hear me say don't throw me away ♪ ♪ and there's no way out i gotta hold you somehow ♪

♪ i wanna i wanna i wanna touch you ♪ you wanna touch me too ♪ every day >> but all i have is time ♪ ♪ our love's the perfect crime ♪ i wanna i wanna i wanna touch you ♪ ♪ you wanna touch me too ♪ every way and when they set me free just put your hands on me ♪ ♪ take everything that i know you'll break ♪ ♪ and i give my life away so far for you ♪ ♪ but don't throw me away there's no way out ♪ ♪ i gotta hold you somehow ♪ i wanna i wanna i wanna touch you ♪ ♪ you wanna touch me too ♪ everyday but all i have is

time our love's the perfect crime ♪ ♪ i wanna i wanna i wanna touch you ♪ ♪ you wanna touch me too ♪ ♪ every way and when they set me free ♪ ♪ just put your hands on me ♪ ♪ tonight i'm weak it's just another day without you ♪ ♪ that i can't sleep i gave away the world for you too ♪ ♪ hear me say don't throw me away ♪ ♪ there's no way out i gotta hold you somehow ♪ ♪ all i wanna do is touch you ♪ i wanna i wanna touch you ♪ you wanna touch me too ♪ every day but all i have is time our love's the perfect crime ♪

♪ i wanna i wanna i wanna touch you you wanna touch me too ♪ ♪ every way and when they set me free ♪ ♪ just put your hands on me ♪ i wanna i wanna i wanna touch you ♪ ♪ you wanna touch me too ♪ every day but all i have is time our love's the perfect crime ♪ ♪ i wanna i wanna i wanna i wanna ♪ ♪ i wanna >> good morning, i'm mind. here is a look at some of the top stories. one man is seriously wounded after a shooting overnight in southwest baltimore. police say the unidentified victim was shot around 1:30 this

morning in the 2400 block of maisel court. he was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the chest, throat and head. no word on his condition or a suspect. a u.s. capitol police officer and two others were wounded after an altercation between a military police officer and roommate. prince george's county police say it was shortly after 7:00 last night across from nasa's goddard space flight center. the officer and suspect were shot and a stray bullet grazed a 12-year-old girl in the apartment. all injuries are

>> let's look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> the hottest day of the year yesterday when we went to 94. today more clouds by midday. we will think mid 80's to upper

80's with a chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly to the evening hours. 82 in ocean city today, low 80's inland tomorrow as high pressure builds in. partly cloudy. ocean city upper 70's and partly cloudy over the weekends. >> thank you for joining us. we will have another update at 9:25.