good morning. sad news. eunice kennedy shriver, president kennedy's sister, and the founder of the special olympics, has died overnight at a hospital on cape cod. this morning we will look back on her remarkable life, and the difference she made for thousands of kids. lost in transation. hillary clinton lashes out at a college student in africa. >> wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? my husband is not the secretary of state. i am. >> did a simple misunderstanding expose a raw nerve with the secretary of state?

crazy crime. the women who attacked a man with krazy glue, after finding out he was cheating on all of them, get their day in court. this morning the accused ringleader of the group talks to us in an exclusive live interview "today," tuesday, us in an exclusive live interview "today," tuesday, august 11th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning, i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. and it is a sad morning for the country's most famous family. the shriver family released a statement saying that their matriarch, 88-year-old eunice kennedy shriver died overnight around 2:00 a.m. eastern time. >> we are told that she was surrounded by her family, including her husband sergeant shriver, her five children, including the first lady of california, and former nbc news correspondent maria shriver, as

well as all 19 of her grandchildren. eunice kennedy shriver was president john f. kennedy's younger sister and the founder and honorary chairperson of the special olympics. nbc's andrea mitchell is in washington, d.c. with the latest. andrea, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. it is a sad day, indeed. the shriver family has issued a statement saying she was the light of our lives, a mother, wife, grandmother, sister, and aunt, who taught us by example and with fashion what it means to live a life of love and service to others. she was a living prayer, a living advocate, a living center of power, she set out to change the world and to change us and she did that and more. her work transformed the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the globe, and they, in turn, are her living legacy. she of course, as you say, was surrounded by her husband sargent shriver, her five children, her 19 grandchildren, their spouses. our hearts, of course, go out to our colleague and friend maria shriver and all the rest of

them. she was an amazing force around the world and a friend to many. meredith? >> all right, andrea mitchell, thank you very much. >> maria has been a longtime colleague and a longtime friend of ours here. so maria, our sympathies with you and your family. brady lowe, the current president of the special olympics, said their founder's death is an enormous loss. here is more on her life and legacy. the fifth of joseph and rose kennedy's nine children, she was known as her brother jfk's favorite, because she was the one who could always speak to him bluntly and make him laugh. a champion of the disabled, she was the first to reveal the kennedy family secret, that her older sister rosemary was mentally disabled. later she helped create the special olympics. >> let me win, but if i cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. >> reporter: what began in 1962 as a camp for mentally disabled athletes in her backyard she involved into the world's largest sports program, reaching over 2 million people in over

150 countries. her husband, sargent shriver, now suffering from alzheimer's, was the first director of the peace corps. he ran for vice president in 1972. her five children were raised and flourished as washingtonians, and were greatly inspired by her call to service. as daughter maria, a former correspondent for nbc news, now married to california governor arnold schwarzenegger, once put it, i think my mother put the fear of god in most people. she is a perfectionist. family biography doris kearns goodwin says shriver was tough-minded and compassionate. >> mrs. shriver came from a well-to-do family with all the privileges and the celebrity that that allowed her to have. and yet she used that celebrity, she used those privileges to benefit people who were at a difficult moment in their lives. >> eunice kennedy shriver has labored on behalf of america's least powerful people, the mentally retarded. >> reporter: in 1984 she

received the presidential medal of freedom, america's highest civilian honor. she was a devout roman catholic, and a believer in the power of the possible. >> i think that everywhere there are handicapped people. all over the world. now, where do we stop? and can i find them? i will find them. i will keep going until i find them. >> reporter: despite her pedigree in wealth, she retained a down-to-earth style. her brother bobby's high opinion of her place in the family dynasty was clear. he said she should have been president. if you ask most of my brothers, sister and cousins, they say they'd like to be like her. we mention the shriver family issued a statement, just one other line i want to read to you. they say that she set out to change the world and to change us, and she did that and more. she was a force. >> for thousands of people, as well. >> let us get a check of the rest of the top stories. ann curry is standing by at the news desk. ann, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt and meredith. also in the news today, a

massive rescue operation is under way in taiwan where hundreds of people are missing after a typhoon. this morning taiwan's military of alifted more than 200 people from a village buried by a mudslide. at least one person was killed in an earthquake today in japan. it was a magnitude 6.5 earthquake, and more than 80 people were hurt. house democrats on monday draw up drofrs schull plans to buy four new passenger jets to transport lawmakers and other senior government officials. money for the planes had been added to the air force budget, even though the pentagon had not asked for it. in that collision over the hudson river, crews will try to lift the wreckage of the plane today. this as 911 tapes are being made public. nbc's tom costello is in hoboken, new jersey, with more on the story. he joins us now from near the crash scene. >> reporter: hi, ann, good morning to you. in fact, inside the wreckage they have found one body. but they haven't been able to extricate that body. meantime, critics say the airspace over the hudson river has become at times like the wild west.

for the first time, police have now released a 911 call from eyewitnesses to saturday's midair crash. >> i just saw an airplane hit a helicopter in the hudson river here. >> a helicopter in the water? >> yeah, it crashed. it disintegrated. it sunk. >> reporter: disbelief at seeing a midair collision on a perfect blue sky day. investigators are now looking into whether the helicopter was in the plane's blind spot, below its wings as the plane's pilot turned down the hudson river. and whether the pilot was on the correct radio frequency used by pilots flying over the hudson river, who fly under a whole different set of rules. it's really a matter of see and being seen. over the hudson river, and below 1100 feet, no flight plan required, no air traffic control. planes and helicopters must communicate with each other. northbound flights towards manhattan, southbound flights, new jersey. in the eight days before the

accident, there were 225 flight operations on average each day, in just this three-mile air space. >> this accident is not a fluke. a fluke accident is an accident that cannot be prevented. this accident could have easily been prevented by the faa. >> reporter: now, some new york lawmakers are calling for the faa to change the rules. >> the hudson river flight corridor must not continue to be the wild west. the faa must act immediately before further lives are lost. >> reporter: but new york's mayor argues that if pilots pay attention the air space is not dangerous. >> if you don't listen carefully and speak very quickly, this is not the place for you to fly. but if you have a lot of training, and you can handle it, there's no reason to think that you're not safe. >> reporter: meanwhile, the national transportation safety board says for 37 years it's been calling on the faa to impose tougher regulations on helicopter tour operators, and to require collision avoidance technology. yet the faa has failed to act on many of those suggestions.

>> we believe that if those recommendations were to be implemented, aviation safety would be improved. >> reporter: but many aviation experts say the faa doesn't have the manpower or the equipment to in fact, manage the air traffic all the way down to the water or just above it. ann, back to you. >> tom costello. thank you for reporting. nobel peace prize winner aung san suu kyi was found guilty today of violating house arrest in myanmar by harboring an american in her home and she was ordered to serve another 18 months house arrest. the american on trial with her was sentenced to seven years in prison. and rescue crews had to pull 24 people to safety on monday after a roller coaster got stuck at the great america theme park in santa clara, california. some riders were stuck 80 feet high for four hours. it is now 7:09. let's turn back to meredith, matt and

>> we are definitely starting to enter the peak of hurricane

season late august into september. partly cloudy, 90 to a 93 degrees. showers and storms this afternoon as a cold front approaches the area. that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. president obama comes face-to-face today with both supporters and opponents of his plan to revamp the nation's health care system. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd is in portsmouth, new hampshire, where the president is holding a town hall forum. good morning to you, chuck. >> good morning, meredith. well, as you know, new englanders take the town hall meeting very seriously, and here in new hampshire, they're almost professionals at dealing with town halls.

now it's rage. all the rage at town hall meeting's, president obama's health care forum today could be one interesting spectacle. the often rancorous debate over the health care debate followed the president all the way to guadalajara, mexico, where mr. obama tried to stay above the fray. >> we are having a vigorous debate in the united states, and i think that's a healthy thing. >> reporter: vigorous may be an understatement. many members of congress have seen their local town hall meetings turn into shouting matches. >> this is not health reform. this is control. control over our lives. >> reporter: at his town hall georgia democrat david scott shot back. >> not a single one of you had the decency to call my office and set up for a meeting. okay? then do that. >> reporter: new york democrat scott murphy took the high road. >> this is what's great about our community is that we have different opinions. >> reporter: while south carolina republican bob english placed the blame on cable news,

specifically fox news personality glenn beck. >> i'm afraid of obama. >> why are you afraid? >> he's a socialist. >> a good suggestion up here. turn that television off when he comes on. >> reporter: and as the president prepares for his own town hall today there is at least one local new hampshire republican group putting out a facebook invitation to a protest against what they call president obama's, quote, plan for a government takeover of your healthcare decisions. the white house is pushing back offering a quote, reality check on its own whebite whitehouse.gov. and the president on monday joked about one of the myths he's been fighting, turning american health care into something like canada's single-payer system. >> i don't find canadians particularly scary, but i guess some of the opponents of reform think that they make a good boogeyman. >> reporter: meanwhile congressional democrats have set up their own town hall war room in steny hoyer's office. his monday "usa today" op-ed, written with speaker nancy

pelosi, has drawn fire for calling come of these protests un-american. now, matt, the president today is going to tailor his remarks, and you're going to hear the phrase health insurance reform a lot. and he's going to emphasize how his plan is designed to prevent insurance companies from dropping folks with pre-existing conditions. also, don't be surprised if the president reaches out and tries to -- to deal with this rage that we've been seeing today at today's town hall. >> all right, chuck todd in new hampshire for us this morning. robert gibbs is the white house press secretary. robert, good to see you. >> matt, how are you? >> i'm doing well. thanks very much. let me start with a blunt question. is this a good idea? i mean, are you going to send the president out there in a town hall forum and two more later in the week. this will, in some ways, become the super bowl for these shouters. they're going to get a chance to shout down the president of the united states. they've got nothing to lose. but the president certainly does. doesn't he? >> oh, i think we all have something to lose, matt, if we let cable television come to town hall meetings and kill health care reform for another year, and put the special

interests back in charge. understand, matt, i've been to probably 500 town hall meetings with barack obama dating back five years. i've never been to one where everybody agreed with everything he said. he's happy to engage the people that don't support this, and try to convince them of what he's trying to do. but more importantly, to give everybody the information they need to understand that health care reform can work for them. specifically, as chuck mentioned today, he'll be introduced by somebody what's been discriminated against in trying to buy insurance. >> right. >> because they had a pre-existing condition. 12 million americans over the past three years have been discriminated against on that pre-existing condition alone. >> but i want to go back -- >> that's got to stop. >> a second ago you said you can't allow cable television to come into these things. isn't that underestimating what you're hearing? there are some people who say, yeah, these people are getting up and shouting do not represent any grassroots movement. they all them astroturf. but don't they give voice, and maybe even an inappropriate way, to some real concerns out there?

>> oh, look, matt dissent is part of the american tradition. what is unproductive is somebody tries to come to a town hall meeting and you can't ask your question or your mother can't ask her question because somebody else is yelling. that's what cable tv and the food fight brings to this. i think what people want to hear are solutions for how we're going to improve health care reform. that's what barack obama wants to do. how do we cut costs for families? how do we save small businesses from the crushing cost of health care? and how do we ensure that if you go to buy insurance today, you're not discriminated against by an insurance company based on a pre-existing condition. those are questions that people want answers to. they don't want to see people yell. we can discuss these issues like civilized people. at least that's what i tell my 6-year-old. >> if you take the shouting out of it, the president still has some problems on health care reform within his own party. there are a lot of democrats who think this plan is too big, and too costly. is he going to -- he's already

had to put off the vote. is he going to have to make so many concessions over the coming weeks and months perhaps that we're going to get something akin to health care reform lite? >> no, what we're going to get, what the president has said time and time again is, we have certain principles that have to be met. we're not interested in signing something and then hoping that people call it reform. we have to cut costs for people, for families. cut costs for small businesses. institute these commonsense insurance reforms, and ensure that millions of people can have access to affordable insurance so that we're not burdening the system with millions of people that don't have care but are going to the emergency rooms, and, matt, you and i and everybody pay for that. >> before i let you go, ask you about swine flu. schools are going to reopen in the next couple of weeks all across the country. millions of kids are going to congregate. there are a lot of fears that swine flu will be very much back in the headlines. i know they're test being some vaccines right now. is the president confident that by the fall there can be a fully tested, effective vaccine for swine flu? >> well, matt, that's what we're

working on each and every day. as you mentioned, the guidance that we put out to give schools some decisionmaking capability on how they want to make those decisions as we see the fall come. we know that the swine flu is going to be back. the administration is back all the necessary precautions, and we're going governed, as we always are, by science. >> all right, robert gibbs at the white house this morning. robert, thanks so much for your time. >> thanks, matt. >> it's 7:18. once again, here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. now to secretary of state hillary clinton, making it clear she is not her husband. take a look at what happened during a news conference in kinshasa, congo, when secretary clinton was asked a question by a local college student with the help of a translator, who may have gotten things mixed up. >> what does mr. clinton think through the mouth of mrs. clinton, and what does mr. mutomo think on this situation? thank you very much.

>> wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? my husband is not the secretary of state. i am. so you ask my opinion, i will tell you my opinion. i'm not going to be channeling my husband. >> an official said the student approached clinton afterward and told her he had meant to ask what president obama, not bill clinton thought. i'm going to bring back in andrea mitchell, who just got back from africa, after traveling there with secretary clinton. andrea, you know, this was definitely an uncharacteristic response by the secretary of state, leading some to think she is either jet-lacked or jealous of her husband and the huge shadow that he costs, most notably last week in north korea where he negotiateds release of those two american journalists. what are insiders saying about

this this morning? >> insiders would tell you probably a little bit of both. a lot of jet lag, clearly. by then she was at the half point in the 12-day trip. seven countries. very difficult travels. she'd done 22 speeches and five interviews and she was exhausted and clearly some would say having a bad hair day. not an easy day for hillary clinton. also dealing with a really serious subject. the moment she landed, i can attest to this on tuesday, in kenya, she was being peppered with questions about her husband, in reference to pyongyang. not about her mission. and here she is in congo today off on a u.n. plane, too dicey to even get her own military jet into this region where she's going, into the war zone, where she's going to be meeting with displaced persons and military and with rape victims. women who are being used as weapons of war by these tribal rivalries. so she's doing really serious stuff. and here she thought she was being asked about her husband. and she clearly snapped. and not a good moment, at all, meredith. >> not at all.

a big bump in the road. andrea mitchell, thank you so much. >> you bet. and still to come, the alleged ringleader of those women who attacked a man with krazy glue speaks out. a live exclusive interview. ( dryer blowing, music )

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still ahead, which of these partial corporate logos can you identify?

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. let's look up one of the top stories. hundreds of people for and against the president's health care reform plan to get at towson university last night for a health care town hall. maryland senator ben carter listen to concerns and answered lots of questions, but he was interrupted many times as he tried to clear up rumors about

the proposal. another town hall meeting will be held in hagerstown and the senator is considering holding another one in central maryland after last night's big turnout. let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> it is rare to have good news to report. in the area of 32, we had an accident all morning, and that is now clear. from 175 downed to 32, dealing with slow spots, looking a lot better. another accident is clear on the outer loop of pulaski highway on the east side. we get excited when accidents are clear, that is why the exclamation point is there. the delayed developing in the area of east joppa road. on the west side outer loop, 10 minutes. live view a couple of spots.

switch over to a live view of traffic on a 295. just as 175 due to the earlier accident. >> already std start for us today. 77 in the metric -- already a steamy start for us today. 77 in the metropolitan area. 90 to 93 is the temperature range. clouds thickening by the afternoon. 40% jessup scattered showers and storms -- 40% chance of scattered showers and storms. >> our next live update

7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 11th day of august, 2009. you are looking at some very happy people. we assume that to be true, gathered out on rockefeller plaza. another hot day here in the northeast. but they still seem to be much worse for wear and tear. waving to friends and family members back home. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside meredith vieira. coming up in this half hour, the accused ringleader of those scorned women who allegedly attacked a man with krazy glue, after finding out he was

cheating on all of them. she will speak out, and she says she's completely innocent. we'll have an exclusive interview with her in just a couple of minutes. >> ahead, alana stewart remembers her best friend farrah fawcett in her first television interview since farrah's death. >> and a programming note, thursday on "today," an exclusive interview with brad pitt. the actor is coming out with a new movie. he's part of the hollywood power couple and some even want this guy to run for mayor of new orleans, where he has a house and he spent a lot of great work. brad pitt opens up to ann about it all in an exclusive interview thursday morning right here on "today." >> oh, sure, ann. let's begin with some new developments in the michael jackson case. the cause and manner of death have now been determined but not released. nbc's jeff rossen is in los angeles with the latest on this. jeff, what can you tell us? >> matt, good morning to you. it is official now the coroner's investigation is over. they're done. they know what killed michael jackson, and they have also answered a key question in this

case, was it a homicide? but they won't release the results. turns out the lapd has asked them to hold back, saying they need more time to build the criminal case. after an aggressive run of search warrants and interviews with dozens of people, police aren't ready to make an arrest. experts say that may speak volumes about the autopsy results they want withheld. are they more complicated than first thought? >> this could be like pulling a thread on a cheap suit and it all unravels. so they want to keep their cards very close to the vest. >> reporter: the leaks are starting. a source tells the ap jackson was on multiple sedatives at the time of his death, making it tough to pinpoint what killed him. law enforcement sources tell nbc news police want to speak with jackson's personal physician, dr. conrad murray, again. but have been unable to schedule a meeting. court documents show he's the focus of a manslaughter investigation. but his lawyer maintains dr. murray didn't prescribe jackson anything that should have killed him. >> i think they probably have

some idea of what doctors have prescribed what medications to michael jackson. and now, some or all of those drugs are coming up in the autopsy. >> reporter: in court monday, michael's mother katherine went on the offensive, again, trying to get more power over the business deals of her son's estate. at one point, lawyers for concert promoter aeg said her demands are unreasonable. it got so tense, the judge decided it's actually michael's three kids who need protection. he appointed a special financial guardian to represent them. >> at some point this morning the court believed that it was possible there was a conflict between mrs. jackson's interests and the children's interests. >> reporter: and then, there was the circus outside the courtroom. >> declaring myself as the sole biological mother of all three jackson children. that's why i am here today. >> reporter: she has no proof, but came to court anyway.

so did another woman, billy jean jackson who stood up out of nowhere and told the judge, i'm blanket's mother. over the weekend, this man, mark lester, told a british tabloid he may be paris' father. and there are tabloid reports that jackson's dermatologist, arnie klein, is the biological father. >> thank you for giving me this opportunity to claim my children. >> reporter: told you it was a circus. can't make this stuff up. also reports out this morning that michael jackson has been laid to rest at forest lawn cemetery right here in los angeles. but, matt, the family still has not confirmed that. interesting day here. >> lot to chew on. jeff rossen in los angeles. jeff, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> well, thank you very much, mr. lauer. got some nice folks. what happened? >> surgery. >> everything going to be okay? >> yes, i'm going to heal in new york. >> wow. you guys -- nice outfits. oh, the renaissance fair in new york. good to see you.

let's take a look, show you -- it's a chicken hat. we've got a risk of strong storms down around arkansas, tennessee.e. >> as we take a look at our forecast, and looks like we will hit a high of 93 in central maryland. 40% chance of scattered showers and storms this afternoon, thanks to a cold front that will change our weather pattern. what is the change the old? 86 tomorrow, 85 on thursday.

>> mikael. >> now to that bizarre case in wisconsin that could disturb some of you. a group of women accused of attacking a man with krazy glue after finding out he was cheating on all of them. we're going to talk exclusively with the alleged ringleader of that group in just a moment. but first nbc's rehema ellis is in chilton, wisconsin, with the latest. good morning to you, rehema. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. the women involved in this strange assault had a day in this courthouse on monday and they were reminded that if convicted they could spend up to six years in prison. they showed up together, but faced the judge separately. all on procedural matters. >> you understand also that you have the right to be represented by an attorney? >> yes. >> it's a potentially serious case. any felony. >> reporter: the women along with the victim's estranged wife, who was not in court, face false imprisonment charges of a man who was allegedly cheating

on three of them. michelle belliveau claims she was merely supporting her sister. the women told authorities they acted out of anger at this man, 36-year-old donessa davis. according to the criminal plant, therese ziemann met davis in this motel room, tied him to the bed and blindfolded him on the pretense of giving him a massage. then the other women, including davis' estranged wife, entered the room and confronted him. they taunted him. which one do you love? who do you want to grow old with? davis told police the confrontation ended with his private parts glued to his leg. >> i have to take the humiliation and i'll try to just carry on. >> reporter: wendy sewell says she didn't touch davis and just spoke to him. >> when i found out that he was dating other women, i wanted him to see that i was hurt.

and that's all i wanted out of this. >> reporter: in yet another twist to the story, davis' estranged wife filed charges which landed him in jail. the charges include child abuse, and stealing the ashes of his wife's dead father. davis' estranged wife is due back in court next week, while the other three women are due back in court later this month. donessa davis, the alleged victim, hasn't been able to make the $5,000 cash bond, so he remains in jail. meredith? >> rehema ellis, thank you very much. the accused ringleader of those scorned women, therese ziemann, is with us exclusively. therese, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> therese, you have heard the accusations that have been leveled against you. you say you are completely innocent in all of this. that you are not a ringleader, that you did not assault mr. davis, tie him up, do anything to him. can you please explain, then, what happened that night?

>> well, i can tell you this, because i'm without representation right now, so i have to be careful. i would love to tell everybody the truth, but for right now, there was no ringleader. i knew the girls for about two minutes, so there was no collaboration. nothing was done against his will. and we're the victims in this case. he's a predator. and we're his prey. >> if you didn't know these ladies till two minutes before this, how was it that you all ended up at this hotel together? >> well, we had a conversation on the phone. everybody -- everybody has -- all the three girls have their own interests in this. i can only speak for myself. and mine had nothing to do with being a scorned woman. nothing. >> so what was the purpose, then, of going to the hotel,

therese? help me out here. what were you trying to accomplish? >> it was just going to be first to see his face. to let him see that we all knew about each other, and the gig was up. but things transpired that changed the events that happened that night. and without an attorney, i can't tell you. but all of it will come out in court, and -- and i just again want to say, you know, i am -- i guess i'm embarrassed or, embarrassed might not even be the word. but i fell in love with him. and i'm ashamed of that. because it was just an act. or an actor i fell in love with. it wasn't who he is. >> how did you meet mr. davis? and how long have you been seeing him? and did you know that he was married? >> i knew he was separated. and i have been seeing him for a

little over three months, and i met him off of craigslist. first mistake. >> and was it his wife that alerted you, as we've been told, that she is the one that contacted the other lady? >> again, i don't want to talk about anybody else on here. i just want to stick to, you know, myself. >> how did this get out of hand? you said at some point it got out of hand. what happened that allowed it to get out of hand? if you were just trying to let this man know, well we're on to you, we're wise to you, how did it turn into allegedly assaulted with him being tied up and basically, i don't want to get graphic, but you know what we're talking about, being assaulted? >> well, the tying up was done -- tying up was personal between him and i.

has nothing to do with any of it. and as far as i'm concerned, i didn't say it got out of hand. but, for myself and my actions, i was just trying to protect my children. and possibly other children. >> from what? >> i can't disclose that right now. >> so this had nothing to do with a personal vendetta, your feelings about him having cheated on you, so to speak, but rather that you were worried about the safety of your children? >> exactly. nothing to do with it. i'm a big girl. i've been heartbroken before. and it has nothing to do with that. >> well, to say the least -- >> for me, anyway. >> to say the least, this is extremely confusing and i look forward to when you are represented and you can be a little bit more specific, therese. thank you so much. >> okay.

thank you, too, meredith. >> therese ziemann. and up next the spending power of 'tweens. wait until you see just how brand savvy our little ones have become. right after this.

this morning we're kicking off a special tuesday series "kids inc." today's brand savvy 'tweens. if you've got a child between the age of 8 and 12 you know they have a big influence on

what we spent our money on. in fact they account for more than $40 billion in spending power. with the help of marketing expert mark melonstrom we met up a 'tween focus group to see just how brand savvy they are. meet our 'tween focus group, kayla, carlos, patrick, rubin, carolina, gabriela, olivia, and elise. the 'tweens' first task is to listen to a short sound clip. >> are you ready? >> and then name that brand. ♪ here's the next one. ♪ that's right. >> oh. >> three, two, one. ♪ >> wii. >> wii, you knew that? here comes the next one. ♪ >> you know? >> nbc. >> next is the smell test. all of the kids are blindfolded and can only smell the product.

>> oh, i know it. >> don't say anything. >> oh. >> on one you're going to say what grand it is. three, two, one. >> play-doh. >> you're pretty good. >> are you ready for the second test now? >> oh, i know what it is. >> oh, i know it. >> three, two, one -- >> crayons. >> superman, you couldn't recognize it? this is the last one. >> i've had that before. >> i know what it is. >> three, two, one -- >> baby powder. >> next is the brand college board. but only parts of the logo or symbol are visible. still the kids are able to identify many of the brands. >> kellogg's. >> and this? >> pepsi. >> and this mtv. >> and this? nike. >> a few of them even recognized some very adult brands. >> who knew this was gucci?

you know this? how can you see that? >> the "g." >> oh, the "g." okay. >> who knew this one? >> tiffany. >> is this expensive or cheap? >> expensive. >> it is? >> and with no logo or written words, just a scantly clad model, these kids know exactly what brand this is. >> abercrombie and fitch. >> that's her logo. no name. >> when you walk in, they have that picture. >> next the kids were allowed to choose any item they want from this table. some of the items are from high-end designers or popular department stores. but a few of the items are generic from street vendors. >> i chose abercrombie jeans. i've never actually owned a pair. >> why this one? >> i thought the belt was really cool. >> do you like this? >> i've never heard of it. but i like it. >> do you know this brand? >> chanel. >> why did you choose that? >> i thought we were going to keep them so i thought i would get something that was really expensive. >> with the focus group almost

over the 'tweens talk openly about brands and what they mean. >> there's this girl that's mean that everybody doesn't like. and so she tries to get back at them by saying, hey, where did you get that shirt, the 99 cent store? >> let's say you come to school and there is a person always wearing only walmart, kmart clothes. what does it say about that person? >> it might say that they don't have as much money as they would be able to pay for another store. >> but let's say you have a person with always wear abercrombie and fitch? tell me about that person. >> well, i think that person is kind of snotty. >> just like walking around like oh, my god i got the most expensive clothes. >> at 9, 10 and 11 years old, these 'tweens already know a lot about brands. but what they don't know is that their parents have been watching them the entire time. martin, good to see you. >> good to see you.

>> by the time they're 14 years old they're bombarded by hundreds of thousands of images, some subtle. is that a good thing. the fact that they're so savvy is that a good thing? >> the good news here is, if there's any good news, they are very savvy and they're very critical, too. and a lot of people right now are struggling getting hold of them because they're actually better than they are in order to promote brands. >> marketers use some real distinct strategies to get to that group right there. and one of the most important and popular strategies is peer pressure. how does it work? >> well, it's scary. because i think when you were a kid and when i was a kid we were not really affected by it. >> a little bit. converse sneakers, everybody wanted converse sneakers. >> but this generation, 67% of all kids wear the right labels in school because they're afraid of being teased if they're not wearing them. more than one-third are teased every day in school. and what the companies are doing, again, is putting peer pressure on kids. so if you take the gaming manufacturers, what they do is to recruit between 1,000, 2,000

kids. and then ask those kids to keep a secret with them. and they're considered very cool. kids who are really unique in the school. to pay them money to talk about the games. and guess what? it goes to show when it comes to revenue. >> the other things the companies do, they create something, and they make it scarce. they make a limited edition, and of course if something is scarce, kids want it even more. >> yeah. and normally we do say you're not affected by that. but we actually are, all of us, including kids. it's a little bit the same if you're going to a museum, and it says on the sign, do not touch. i want to touch. that's the same case here. what happens is when you can't get hold of things you want to get hold of, and a lot of companies are doing that. think about apple, the iphone and ipod. think about elmo. >> yeah, sure. >> it sold a quarter of a million elmos just in one day. >> i think the one that gets me the most, the bill board for abercrombie and fitch, they don't show a product. they just show some buff body, as if to say, if you want to be

like this person, you'll go shop at amr cropby. it's a very powerful campaign. >> it is. and it's what they call indirect communication. because there are no logos. some aren't aware of it or affected by it at all. but really at the end of the day. >> martin, thanks very much. appreciate it. coming up tomorrow, how the parents reacted to that focus group you saw a little earlier. and just ahead this morning, the booming baby business. why more couples are choosing to have big families.

still ahead, farrah fawcett's best friend alana stewart speaks out.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> not too bad out there. dealing with a volume-related delays. this accident is in dundalk. checking our speed sensors, you can see a slow spot on the outer

loop. no problems on the harrisburg expressway. we have delays on the eastbound i-70 towards marriottsville and 29. 11 minutes on the outer loop northeast side, five minutes on southbound 95 from the 895 split to the fort mchenry told. we have delays in place on the outer loop at par ford. that is to providence. here is a live view of the bw parkway at the beltway. looking pretty good southbound towards west nursery road. >> have temperatures in the 70's 371 at the airport. 77 downtown. heat index is going to up there. temperature still in the 90s today. slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. 40% coverage of that as the front advances from the northwest and slides south throughout maryland. it will be completely through by

tomorrow. 30% chance of scattered storms. 85 on thursday and 85 on friday. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update in 25 minutes.

8:00 now on this tuesday morning, the 11th day of august, 2009. we have got another wonderful crowd packing into rockefeller plaza, and we're glad, as always, to have them stop by and say hi. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer and al roker. >> welcome. >> roker. >> just ahead we are going to be speaking to farrah fawcett's best friend, alana stewart. the relationship goes back 30 years. two gals from texas who ended up in hollywood. she is here for her first

television interview since farrah's death. we're going to talk with her in just a moment. >> also ahead, is it possible that having a baby is addictive? seems to be a trend, bigger and bigger families. in fact, statistics of about a million babies in 2007 were born to women who were having their third or fourth child. >> wow. >> that's starting. we're going to talk about that trend coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> and then speaking of babies, if man's best friend or man and woman's best friend smarter than a human baby? >> oh. >> we're going to tell you some interesting new findings, and about which dog breeds are the smartest. although, last i checked i never saw my 2-year-old drink out of the toilet. >> first we're going to get a check of the top headlines with ann curry over at the news desk. >> hey, thanks a lot, meredith. good morning once again, everybody. in the news this morning the family of eunice kennedy shriver is remembering her for setting out to change the world, and in so doing, changing the lives of millions of people.

eunice kennedy shriver died early this morning, surrounded by family at cape cod hospital in hyannis. her greatest legacy, championing the rights of the mentally disabled by founding the special olympics. senator edward kennedy says he's remembering her for her quote, great humor, sharp wit and aboundless passion as a young girl. she'd been in poor health, suffering a series of strokes in recent years. eunice kennedy shriver was 88 years old. president obama heads to new hampshire today to make another pitch for health care reform at a town hall meeting in new hampshire. the president is refocusing his message to address some of the concerns of people who already have insurance, and this in the wake of some angry, some say orchestrated reactions to his health care plans. more than 200 people are missing in taiwan, after a powerful typhoon slammed into coastal villages. the storm triggered mudslides, and the worst flooding in taiwan in 50 years. hundreds of people were rescued today. a suspected u.s. missile strike killed at least 14 people

today in northwest pakistan. it happened in the same area where a taliban leader was believed killed last week. a wildfire burning in santa barbara, county, has grown to about 15,000 acres. fire officials say that it's burning in dense brush in the has paid race national porest and is not a threat to any homes but a dozen campgrounds have been evacuated. and you don't see this every day, a baby elephant stuck in a manhole in thailand. it took rescuers three hours to free the struggling animal using a bulldozer to widen the hole. the elephant is unharmed. it is now 8:06. back outside to matt and meredith. >> ann, thank you. >> it's so muggy. >> it is muggy out. >> it's sticky. you have baby powder on, i know that.

>> it is another dog day here,

for sure. 90 to 93, and clouds will be thickening this afternoon. a chance of scattered showers and storms. in advance of a front, it will and that's your latest weather. mr. lauer? >> all right, mr. roker, thanks very much. when we come back an exclusive interview with farrah fawcett's best friend, alana stewart. interview with farrah fawcett's best friend, alana stewart. we'll talk to her. hey mom. i just got your package. great. yea, mom you're the best. i thought you would like it. so, how are your classes, are you enjoying them? (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. we can't wait to get you home.

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new febreze flameless luminaries part of the new febreze home collection back now at 8:09 with farrah fawcett's best friend alana stewart. for 30 years they turned to each other in good times and bad, including the greatest struggle of farrah fawcett's life, her battle with cancer. stewart spent two years documenting that fight, turning it into the touching documentary "farrah's story." she's with us for her first television interview since farrah's death and she's written a new book "my journey with farrah: a story of life, love and friendship."

alana, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> good to see you. >> really good to see you, as well. this book is a tribute to farrah. it is about her experience in the last few years of her life, what she went through, and you went through it with her. but it also is about a 30-year friendship. friendship that the two of you had. how did you guys meet? and what was it that drew you so close to each other? was it the fact you were two texas girls from hollywood? >> i think that was it. we first met when we were both out in california doing commercials. but we didn't become good friends then. i tell the story briefly it was years later that we met. i was pregnant with my daughter kimberly. she was with ryan and i was with rod. and we kind of struck it off. you know, immediately. and but we certainly became friends. she was working. i was having babies. but we continued to see each other, and our friendship grew over the years. >> in 2006, farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer. you were there for her and you

stuck by her side from that point on until her death. but this book, you say, this was farrah's idea. >> well, yes, because we were in germany. i had been keeping journals since i was 9 years old and someone gave me a little journal with a little key, a little diary for a day with a key on it. so i've always just kept journals, get my feelings out, and we were in germany and i went to a gift shop and i bought this gift, this book for farrah, and it was in german. but it was about friendship. and it was about two women friends and their kind of journey through life together. there were a lot of pictures and i brought it back to the clinic and she looked at it and she said, you should do a book like this about us. and i didn't think about it again at the time. and i was actually at some point going to do a memoir that i had been thinking about doing for years. i used to read farrah some of my diaries at the clinic, and she would just love to -- she'd say oh, you have to do it. you have to do something with these. because it's just beautiful. and actually, she started wri

writing in her journal and one day she read me some of her writing and i said this is beautiful. this needs to be the narration -- >> for farrah's story. >> the documentary. because it's really beautiful. >> was the documentary, a lot of what's in this book is relatively raw. there are a section where you describe her vomiting 75 times in a 12-hour period. why was it important for you to keep those kind of details in this book? >> well, i kept all the details in the book. and some of them i didn't write. i didn't print in the book. but, you know, when farrah did the documentary, it was her decision to do it. in the beginning it wasn't going to be a documentary. she handed me the camera and said, here, will you take the -- shoot this while i'm meeting with the doctors. >> she just wanted to remember after the fact. >> so she'd remember because it was so complicated. and we started showing everything, the surgeries and everything, and it wasn't until about nine months into it, that

she realized she could do something with it. you know, that she really had a message to give to the world. and that's about the time she decided to do it as a documentary. and she decided she was going to do it, she wasn't going to sugar coat it. she was going to do the real thing. and i think we talked once before, there were times when i didn't want to film her. because it felt so invasive. you know, when she was really sick, and she'd say, no, film it. because this is what cancer is like. and i want people to see this. you know, it was about that time she decided to do a foundation and she created a foundation, and a large part of her estate is going to that foundation for cancer research. >> and some proceeds from this book, as well. you write, i sure couldn't do what she has done, nor would i want to. is that because you witnessed how much pain she endured? >> i saw her go through such suffering, meredith. and i think anyone who goes through a struggle with a disease like that is a hero in

my book. but i saw it up close and personal with her. i was there. and i never had more respect and admiration for anyone, for her courage, and her spirit, and that's what i really wanted to do. i wanted the book to be an extension of the documentary and that. but i also wanted it to be a tribute to friendship. to our friendship, and to everyone's friendship. >> and that friendship, even up to the end, included a lot of humor. even in the darkest days. >> always. she would always -- i think that's one of the things that kept her going was her humor. she would find something funny in every situation. and so would i. we had a very similar humor. so we would laugh about the craziest things. you know, we'd find some nurse that made us laugh, or a doctor, or something that had happened. we always found something to laugh about. >> you know, it isn't almost until the end of this book, page 200, where it actually hits you

that she might die. so all that time before did you believe she was going to beat the disease or were you putting on your best face for her? >> no, we believed it. we both believed it. i guess maybe we were in denial but we just refused. we were like these two little tough texas girls that woo just not going to give up. you know, she was incredibly resilient, and very determined, and so was i. and we just refused to believe there was going to be any outcome except a good one. we talked about it once. and that was how we both felt, and you know, toward the end, i -- i mean, just up to the very end i still had faith. i still kept believing that some miracle was going to come along and that she was going to rally again. because she had so many times before. >> you know, when the doctor said it was imminent now, that it was a matter of days. you wrote something in the book that i personally found very moving. you wrote do you talk to a person about dying? do you tell them not to be afraid or do you just pretend everything is fine? what did you done include about

your role as a friend at a time like that? >> i just concluded that i just needed to be there. because i really didn't know what to say. you know, i didn't really want to -- i could tell sometimes she was frightened, and i didn't know whether to address it and say, no, come on, you're going to make it. or just step back and let her make her decision if she wanted to keep fighting or not. i was very confused at that point. and i stopped writing then. and i say so in the book. i didn't want to write up until the end. i did not want to describe her dying. >> you were with her at the end. did you have a chance to say your good-byes to farrah? >> i did. i did. i told her how much i loved her. and that she was like a sister to me, and she looked up and me and she said, more than a sister? >> you discover your soul sister, actually, in the book.

>> yeah, i really believe that. i believe that we came into this life to go on this journey together because it's radically changed my life. >> you told me the last time that we sat and talked about how one of your favorite things to do with farrah at holidays, you mention in the book is, you guys would stay put in the kitchen and make pies and she was the crust lady, because your crusts were really bad. >> hers were really good. >> the holidays, before you know it, they're going to be upon us. is that something that you almost dread, or -- >> i try not to think about it too much. but i don't know how i'll be able to face making those pies alone. i'm sure they'll have lousy crusts, that's for sure. >> and i do have to add that during all of this, when she was getting treatments in germany, you had a cancer scare of your own. i just want to make sure you're doing okay? >> i am. i am doing fine now. >> and you referred to it as

cancer for the day in >> because by the time i found i had it, it was gone. that's another thing we joked about. you only had cancer for a day. i've still got cancer. so you have to take care of me. >> she's found a dear friend in you. the book called "my journey with farrah: a story of life, love and friendship." the dedication, to my beautiful friend and soul sister farrah who has so deeply affected my life and will live in my heart forever. alana stewart, such pleasure. >> thank you. >> sorry for your loss. >> thank you. >> we should mention once again that a portion of the proceeds go to the farrah fousate foundation to support cancer research. we'll be back in our next half hour with alana, because we have a lot more to talk about. we'll be right back. riendships, my family, while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup

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it gives you a 50 mile per gallon rating. the 3rd generation prius. it's harmony between man, nature and machine. this morning on "today's family," are some women in love with being pregnant? in 2007 more than 4.3 million babies were born in the united states. that's the highest number ever. and more than 25% of them were to mothers of their third or fourth child. the phenomenon is the focus of the august issue of "women's health" magazine. and michelle is the editor in chief. she's also joined by dr. sharon luskin, the director of reproductive psychiatry at the university of new york medical center.

your magazine looked into these numbers. what did you find in terms of explaining why so many babies are being born now? >> it's really, families are having a moment right now. so we decided to look at some of the factors that caused women to reproduce in such quick succession. >> you talked to psychologists? >> psychologists, anthropologists. >> and what was your finding? >> that there is sort of an addictive quite to being pregnant. a lot of great things happen, both physiologically and psychologically, that would drive a woman to keep doing this. >> drive a woman to keep doing this. the thing about it is a part of it is maybe i wanted five kids that mothers may just want to have big families and fathers as well and there's a whole history in america of big, big families. but at what point are we concerned about this? >> i think we're concerned about it when women are doing it to the exclusion of the other factors in their life. in other words that drive to become pregnant just supersedes everything else. almost like species, you know that movie. so if a woman thinks that having a baby is going to cure all her

problems, that's a problem. >> so what kind of problem did you find from your investigation that women were trying to cure? >> culturally, it's like we very much put the spotlight on pregnant women. if you're trying to recapture that adoration, obviously you're not expanding your flame for the right reasons. >> so you think that people are becoming pregnant because they feel lonely and don't have enough adoration? >> absolutely. they are literally filling a void in their life. >> also hormonal reason that might explain why women love being pregnant? >> they're not going to say i love being pregnant. it was enjoyable. i loved being able to eat everything i wanted to. i loved the baby, you know, having the baby within me. all that. >> you hit on something very specific there which is some of the women that women's health approached said they were liberated for the first time from diets. they could embrace their curves and feel sexy. >> i think in the best of circumstances pregnancy is an incredible experience. you're supposed to feel good. >> yeah. >> parents in contrast, though, if you don't feel good, it's that much more awful. and what happens to some women, in contrast to the bumpaholics

is that they feel terrible during the pregnancy and when everybody else around them is excited and thrilled and they don't feel that way, they feel guilty. and they hate being pregnant. >> right. >> now sometimes these women go on to have a postpartum depression. and then they think that getting pregnant might actually cure the postpartum depression which is a real mistake. if you're depressed before you get pregnant you're going to be depressed during the pregnancy. >> there are hormonal reasons that we enjoy while we are pregnant that we may want again and you use the phrase kind of dericively, the bumpaholics, you're talking about when someone has to come in for some care. think about why they're becoming pregnant. >> right. there's absolutely an addictive quality to it and a withdrawal quality to it. so in that way, it is sort of like a drug. a baby love drug. one of our experts said. >> it's got to be a very rare thing. i can't imagine it's a pervasive issue. >> i don't think it's that rare. i don't want to medicalize everybody that wants to have another child. there are many reasons to have more children and it's not for

us to say what the right number of kids is for a particular family. i do want to emfashionize that hormones aside, because oxytocin and estrogen definitely make you feel good, usually, but hormones aside, you know, it's a family decision how many >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. a pair of brothers arrested by police commissioner fred bealefeld will not serve any jail time. the commissioner took 18-year- old devon rogers and his 26- year-old brother into custody after he poured a lease of the pair firing gunshots into the air. the entered a plea on the charge to fire handgun and receive probation. the von's sentence was suspended except for time already served.

>> we have a new accident report if you are heading out in howard county. still dealing with a crash at the dock at merritt boulevard and peninsula expressway. biggest ally on the northeast corner -- biggest to lay on the northeast corner from belair road towards providence. no problems to report on j.f.x.. bit of a delay on eastbound 70 from 40. 15 minutes is the outer loop drive time on the northeast corner. in the area of harford road, that is where things are moving -- are not moving very well. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> upper 70's -- 80, actually. plenty of humidity. much like yesterday, but today,

and looks like 90 to 93. this afternoon, a good chance, better chance of more widely scattered thunderstorm activity. that means that we will be about 86 for the day tomorrow. 85 on thursday and friday. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

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tuesday morning. you're looking at fiona and her friends. cast of the broadway musical "shrek" performing out on our plaza this morning. we're going to have a full performance from them coming up in this half hour. >> that's broadway for you these days. >> anyway, we'll check in with them in a little while. right now, some other friends, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, ann curry and al roker. and we've got some gorgeous little dogs here. >> there's a reason for this. >> ah. >> which breed -- oh. >> a face only a puppy could love. look at that. >> that's not nice. >> so sweet. but actually, these are all cute doggies, but only one breed is the smartest. we'll tell you which breed that is. >> research that's been done that basically shows that dogs are a lot smarter than you might guess. >> yes. >> what they can and cannot do. so that's part of a segment

coming up. i don't think they're showing their smarts right now. >> anyway, what else is coming up? >> also you think of -- >> listen, are you okay? >> no, no, i'm fine. >> she's gone to the dogs. >> are you all right? >> everybody okay? >> all right. it's all right. >> getting a little frisky here. >> okay, okay. >> go ahead. >> also ahead, one of new york's great chefs, marcus samuelson is here. he's going to do a little grilling. going to grill some bass. and we're going to have some

>> we are looking at a nice, hot start. 74 at b.w.i. marshall. your forecast shows a cool down as the front moves through later on this up and, bringing a chance of showers and thunderstorms. 86 tomorrow.

and that's your latest weather. now let's head down to washington, d.c., and say hello to mr. willard scott. how are you, sir? >> hiya! you've always been one of my favorite partners. but my real favorite partner, eddie walker. >> yes. i just read in the paper he's being inducted into the broadcasting hall of fame. >> isn't that so wonderful and so exciting? we're going to have a good time on november 7th. >> please wish him the best. >> happy birthday from snuckers. i'll give eddie a whole case of smucker's. agnes roach, take a look at agnes. 107. and attributes her longevity to

always thinking positively, and never talking badly about anyone. i'll tell you, that's one of the great, great pieces of advice. anne cherman of encino, california. 100. retired from the los angeles city hall. i bet she could tell some tales. we love her very much and wish her happy birthday. and take a look at frankie boy. frank murphy, oklahoma city, oklahoma. 100 years old. likes to play golf. he's beaten his kids a couple of times and he loves to make a difference in people's lives, and he has for 100 years. we have frances reeves. johnstown, pennsylvania. 106. never misses an episode of "judge brown" and keeps up with current events and loves chatting on the phone. all my old friends used to love the telephone. ruth greenstein of delray beach, florida. 101 years old. she sewed uniforms back in world

war ii for our men in the service. and makes dolls for kids in hospitals. and finally take a look at walter. walter meet me to the altar and thelma shroyer, cincinnati, ohio. 75 years they've been married. both are 94. secret to longevity, never go to bed with an argument. listen, speaking of very sweet people. eunice shriver, i've got to tell you, i loved her so much. i got to work with special olympics and work with the peace corps with her husband. known the family for years. we loved her very much. now back to meredith. >> thank you, willard. i agree. well, listen, coming up, a gourmet cheap alternative to burgers and dogs -- not dogs. ♪ the art of getting dirty. the art of getting clean. new powerfully formulated wisk®... is better on tough mud stains than tide total care.

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this morning in "today's kitchen," we're back to basics. a refreshing new summer recipe. instead of the usual burgers or steak, why not try tasty grilled bass with tomato and watermelon salad. marcus samuelson is the executive chefs of ringo here in new york. good to have you back. >> thank you for having me. >> how you been? >> good. and i'm happy i'm cooking with you. last time i cooked with your friend al. he threw the knife at me. >> did he really? >> no worse for the wear here. you're okay. keep it very simple here. striped bass, very seasonal. should we mention we can use this recipe for other fish, as well? >> any fish you like. i would say snapper, cod would be fantastic. and even if you like mackerel would be fantastic. >> but straped bass, great fillets, nice white meat fish. >> you said something too earlier. right now when you go out fishing bass, if it's about this size you actually throw it back. >> i throw this back. this is not a keeper for me out

on long island where i live. >> so we really, it's very simple recipe. all about just, you're going to grill it on high heat like you see here. great some like grill marks on it, and some salt and pepper. i'm going to glaze it with a little bit of soy. just give it a little bit of soy glaze here. we get that nice, nice salt flavor. >> this doesn't cook very long. this is a pretty quick-looking fish. >> about three minutes reach side. you want to go for this, so you want to turn it over like this. and then keep basting it with a little bit of olive oil. i have some pieces already started over here. >> then let me ask you, you've also grilled onions, garlic and some lime, why? >> summertime i think is about simply eating right. why wouldn't you just have some great lime, some onions you can either eat them or you can put them in the salad. >> okay. and also makes beautiful preparation. >> beautiful preparation. >> come around here. now we're going to make something a lot of people do not

think about putting to the. that's watermelon and tomatoes. >> it's really all about celebrating the season. right now you have fantastic heirlooms, great tomatoes. wonderful watermelon. just put these two guys together. and we're going to dress them with fresh arugula. i'm just going to rip some like this and put some in. and if you put in about half of that balsamic vinegar. >> in here? >> yep. >> that's enough. and then you put almost all that olive oil in there. >> great. i want to talk about these flavors. you've got balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a little sesame oil. sesame seeds and lime. why do you like those flavors together? >> it gives both things here -- >> squeeze some lime in there? >> yes, squeeze it in. >> gives great texture and great flavors together. >> they don't compete with one another? they complement one another? >> a little bit of sweet from the balsamic dinner. see it's going to toss, a light, light salad. then we're going to whisk this together. this is something you can do,

and just a simple recipe you can toss together. half of the vinaigrette in. >> the interesting thing about this recipe, except for the fact we had a couple of those stripped bass fillets cooking for a minute before we came on the air, this is the entire length it takes to make this recipe >> >> five minutes. >> can i try a little bit of this. >> i'm going to plate one dish for you. are we eating by ourselves today or inviting people in? >> i don't know. >> it's just us. even better. >> you've got the bass right here. i'm going to dress a little bit of some of that nice vinaigrette. so both the vinaigrette for the fish and for the salad. and guess what? just going to put your fresh watermelon arugula, this is really celebrating the season. you know. >> try some of the fish, do you mind? >> try some of the fish. >> i do this. >> that's your lunch, that's your dinner. >> are you kidding? this is my lunch. talk to me a little bit about what you've got over here. >> at the restaurant right now, middle of celebrating summer season, crayfish is in season, we have that all week.

and you know, just eating the crayfish, you know, you just want to go really -- oh. you have a nice suit on. >> i had a dog on it. >> a lot of people look at these crawfish and say it's a lot of work for a little beat. >> it's good. >> they're very sweet. >> and how do you cook those, steam those? >> cook in beer and sugar. a little bit of dill weed and that's it. >> this is a really simple summer meal. >> yes. >> tomato and watermelon salad, some arugalach and the striped bass fillet cooked on the drill. marcus, thank you so much. >> easy summer recipe. anybody can do it. >> come back and see us soon. >> thank you, matt. >> when we come back, by the way, if you didn't catch all of that, head to todayshow.com you get the complete recipe. up next a live performance from the cast of the musical shrek. but first, this is "today" on nbc. how does jell-o sugar free pudding fit all that rich, chocolatey taste in 60 calories? ♪ ♪ oh, so delicious who cares? jell-o sugar free pudding. every diet needs a little wiggle room.

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on today," brought to you by toyota. toyota, moving forward. "shrek: the musical" is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed shows on broadway, receiving eight tony award nominations, including best musical. princess fiona, a role that earned her a best lead actress nomination. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you are having a terrific summer. third week in a row over a million in ticket sales. despite the economy, or maybe because of it, it seems that people really want to be entertained. >> i think so. i mean, i think when times are tough, it's a great escape to go and laugh. our show certainly provides that. >> for kids and adults, as well. >> absolutely. people of all ages. >> you're out there every night, performing, every single -- or almost every single day out there live. >> well, there's something that's very magical that happ s happens, especially performing in front of a live audience. there's nothing like it.

i also feel like this is what i was born to do. i feel really lucky to be able to do it. >> the hardest thing or the biggest goof since you've been on this? >> probably the hardest thing is doing it eight times a week. the physical demands. because, you know, we're like on our 274th performance tonight. and so after doing something over 200 times, you know, that becomes a challenge. but it's also part of the reason why i love it. you get an opportunity to improve upon every night. >> having seen it, you truly are fiona. you're wonderful. all the cast members. what are you going to perform for us? >> we're going to be doing morning person which is the opening of act two. >> for "today." >> here we go. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ good morning birds good morning trees ♪ ♪ oh, what a lovely day

the sun's so big ♪ ♪ it hurts my eyes but really that's okay ♪ ♪ a brand-new day with things to do ♪ ♪ so many plans to make ♪ ♪ pass a cup of coffee so i'm really wide awake ♪ ♪ i've always been a morning person a morning girl ♪ ♪ good morning al say have you heard today's my wedding day ♪ ♪ i haven't met my husband yet ♪ ♪ but i'm hopeful anyway ♪ ♪ i'll wear a gown we'll have a ball ♪ ♪ it's forever more he'll take me in his massive arms ♪ ♪ and spin me around the floor ♪ i've always been a morning person a morning girl ♪

today ♪ like this morning -- >> what's so good about it? >> i can't get any rats to follow me. >> i think you may need to change your tune. >> hey. look here, lady. ♪ >> hey! ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ a brand-new start last night i was a monster ♪ ♪ but this morning this morning ♪

♪ this morning i'm okay ♪ ♪ this morning ♪ >> come back, guys. come on back. the cast of "shrek." come on back, guys. a special appearance by al roker. >> yay! >> oh, no, no, no. >> great job, guys. thank you so much. >> i smell a rat. >> no. >> we'll be back. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back now at 8:53. this morning on "today's" pets, smart canines logon to youtube. you'll find all kinds of videos of dogs doing everything from singing and now there is new research that shows our four-legged friends have the iq of a human 2-year-old. this one here -- >> that's like my kids when they were 2, actually.

>> they can sense fear and happiness. >> and 250 words. >> well the smartest ones. the average dog is like 180. >> yeah, exactly. >> what they do is they put up cards with the words on them, and they could actually see? >> they could see longer word versus shorter word. i'm not sure that they could actually read, ann. >> no, but they could tell. >> let's try that with this. >> sit. >> no, no, this one. >> sit. >> oh, good girl. >> there you go. >> oh, good dog. >> that's the smartest one. >> they ranked daupgs through intelligence ranking from one to five. number five was the doberman. >> okay. >> that is good. >> number four, golden retrievers. >> i'm glad because they get this rap of not being very smart. >> i've never spoken ill of a golden retriever. >> number three, another surprise to me, german shepherd. used for the police force a lot. >> and number two, poodle. >> and number one. >> smartest dog. >> ever.

the border collie. >> this guy right here is the smartest dogs ever. not maybe them but their breed. they seem very smart. >> these guys actually got 1300 on their s.a.t.s. unbelievable. >> exactly, exactly. >> so that's a cool little fact. >> it is very cool. and you expect a little bit more, the same mind as a 2-year-old, right? >> you expect your 2-year-old. >> i want them to rank us. >> oh, yeah, right. >> number five -- >> that's right. >> coming up, some common diet myths. plus, giving you room for your home a brand-new look. >> live, local, latebreaking.

this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the first trials working towards developing a safe and effective the swine flu vaccine has begun in maryland. 60 volunteers and 60 senior volunteers lined up at the university of maryland school of medicine to receive their first dose of vaccine. three weeks and now, they will receive a second shot. if the trials here and across the nation prove effective, it will pave the way to providing the vaccine to the general public. >> we will come away from this in each age group understanding how much vaccine, how many doses, and how quickly they can develop. >> if it saves hundreds of thousands of lives, i can say i was part of that. >> it is hoped that the vaccine can be rolled out by the fall.

when morning comes in the middle of the night... rooster crow. ...it affects your entire day. to get a good night's sleep, try 2-layer ambien cr. the first layer dissolves quickly to help you fall asleep. and unlike other sleep aids, a second dissolves slowly to help you stay asleep. when taking ambien cr, don't drive or operate machinery. sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake with memory loss for the event as well as abnormal behaviors such as being more outgoing or aggressive than normal, confusion, agitation and halluciations may occur. don't take it with alcohol as it may increase these behaviors. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath, swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and in rare cases may be fatal. side effects may include next-day drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. in patients with depression, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide may occur. if you experience any of these behaviors or reactions contact your doctor immediately.

wake up ready for your day-ask your healthcare provider for 2-layer ambien cr. >> now let's take a look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> we will see a high of 93 degrees around the central maryland area. clouds thickening this afternoon, with a good chance of scattered showers and storms. the cold front will change our weather pattern. mid-90s today. yesterday, they hit the upper 90s. 86 by tomorrow, thanks to the events of the front. slight chance on thursday as well. >> we will have another update at 9:25.