good morning. remembering patrick swayze. the 57-year-old actor who danced into the hearts of millions of fans in "dirty dancing" has died following a 20-month battle with cancer. this morning a look back at his most memorable roles. arrest imminent? police identify a potential suspect in that brutal murder. a campus worker who has reportedly failed a lie detector test and has scratch marks on his body. now investigators are trying to figure out a motive. and speechless. on the debut of his new primetime show, jay leno asked kanye west about what his late mother would have thought about that awkward disruption at the "vmas." >> what do you think she would have said about this? >> how that question nearly

brought the rapper to tears today, tuesday, september 15th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and in for meredith, i'm ann curry. this patrick swayze news hit a lot of people really hard because he touched so many of us with his heart and his work and his fight with pancreatic cancer. >> a prolific actor, even with treatments he continued to work but unfortunately his fight ended on monday when he died with his family at his side. swayze's performance in 1987's "dirty dancing" made him an instant superstar. this morning his co-star, jennifer grey, is remembering

him. much more on his life and career in just a couple minutes. also ahead, today is an important day for prince harry. he turns 25 today and receiving one very generous gift left to his by his late mother. this is also a day that dan brown fans have waited for for six years, the release of his new book, this one's called "the lost symbol." a rare and exclusive interview with one of the best-selling authors of his generation. let's begin with the death of actor patrick swayze. here's nbc's george lewis. ♪ and i owe it all to you >> reporter: swayze leapt into hollywood stardom in 1987 with "dirty dancing," a role of a lifetime that he had been preparing for since he was a kid in houston. his mother, patsy, is a famous dance choreographer who trained patrick for ballet at an early age. he met his wife of 33 years, lisa, when at age 15 she began

taking lessons at his mother's studio. after his dancing ability led to broadway, swayze landed tv and movie roles, playing young, tough guys in "the outsiders" and "red dawn." on the tv series "m.a.s.h.," he had a brief role as a dying soldier. >> i don't know much about leukemia, but i know there's no cure. >> reporter: then came his big break. in "dirty dancing," swayze got to show off the moves he learned as a teenager and his acting chops as well. >> nobody puts baby in a corner. >> "dirty dancing" is a movie that really is a touchstone for a generation, so he's always be remembered for that. >> reporter: it catapulted swayze onto hollywood's "a" list and the title of sexiest man alive in 1991. >> it's absolutely flattering to me. it makes me feel great and opens doors in my life and makes people keep coming to my movies. >> reporter: he could still play the tough guy in movies like "road house."

but he was able to show his sensitive side in romantic roles like "ghost." ♪ wait for me >> reporter: and he wasn't afraid to make fun of himself. swayze's chippendales skit with chris farley still ranks as one of the all-time funniest moments on "saturday night live." a self-described seeker, swayze was always looking for spiritual direction from catholicism to scientology and finally buddhism. as his star power faded in the '90s, swayze turned to his other fashion, training show horses. throughout his life he struggled with bouts of binge drinking and a heavy smoking habit. >> and now please welcome patrick swayze. >> reporter: in january of 2008, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and received a standing ovation on the stand-up to cancer live television special. >> tonight i stand here, another individual living with cancer. if i leave this earth, i want to

leave this earth just knowing i've tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself. and that keeps me going. >> reporter: after months of radiation and chemotherapy, swayze rallied through a grueling five-month shoot in chicago to play the lead in an a&e television series called "the beast." >> you can trust your damn case file, and you can trust me. my work is my work. my work is what i do. it's my legacy. >> reporter: it would be his last major role. >> i'd love, by the time i die, to have a career like geep kelly, dustin rofman, robert deniro wrapped into one. ♪ i had the time of my life >> reporter: and as patrick swayze was having the time of his life on the screen, he managed to light up the lives of his many fans. for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> yeah, he was a good guy. and speaking of lighting up the lives of his many fans, he did that for a young lady on this

program not long ago. we're going to show you a clip of that a little later in the show. >> i think that the reaction really crosses generations, even my daughter was just -- when we heard last night the news -- oh, you know, because he was really great and such a sweet man. we've got other stories to get to including new developments in the murder of that graduate student on the campus of yale university. investigators have reportedly identified a suspect, a man who worked in the building where annie le's body was found behind a wall on sunday. nbc's jeff rossen is at police headquarters in new haven, connecticut. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. here's what we know at this hour and the story is still developing. law enforcement sources now tell nbc news the suspect is a lab worker, a yale employee who worked in the very same research lab as the victim here, annie le. and we're told this morning an arrest could come at any moment. investigators worked overnight as a suspect emerged in the case. law enforcement sources tell nbc news it's a yale lab worker who failed the lie detector test and

has defensive wounds. police sources say the lab tech has scratches on his chest. he works at the same research lab as annie le. her body was discovered stuffed in a wall in the building's basement. >> she would have yelled and screamed for help. and i am not surprised that this person has scratches on his body. the way he harmed, you know, annie, where he placed annie, it's just absolutely mind boggling and just gruesome. >> reporter: le was last seen in this surveillance photo walking into the lab one week ago today. she never walked out. police sources tell nbc news they still don't have a motive why the lab tech or anyone else would kill this medical student, a bride-to-be, just days before her wedding. >> he felt comfortable that he had, number one, enough time to assault the victim and kill her, and number two, to hide her body and get away and still not be seen by anyone else.

>> reporter: at a candlelight vigil on campus last night, thousands of worried students showed up. and so did yale's president who tried to reassure them. >> our commitment to truth, openness, trust and collaboration. is making the world a better place. we will endure. >> reporter: for the first time annie le's roommate spoke publicly. >> that this horrible tragedy happened at all is incomprehensib incomprehensible, but that it happened to her, i think, is infinitely more so. >> reporter: they were here for annie but could not ignore their own fear. on campus that nervous feeling that the suspect is one of them, a member of the yale university community. >> i could just go to work one day, and i'm not even aware that someone has something against me? how can i proceed like that every day? >> it makes us all feel powerless that we couldn't be

there to help her and be there for her. >> reporter: police have interviewed more than 100 people during the course of this investigation. and according to published reports, they've actually interviewed the suspect several times. and matt, they really focused on him, according to those reports, because he could not explain those fresh scratch marks on his chest. once again to recap, we're expecting an arrest, according to police, later this morning. >> jeff ross known new haven, connecticut, jeff, thanks very much. let's bring in criminal profiler pat brown. pat, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> if you look at the facts we've just learned from jeff, if these are all true, we've got a guy with scratch marks on his body, defensive wounds. he perhaps has failed a polygraph. he had access to that secure lab where the murder allegedly took place, and yet he's not in custody. they must have this guy under complete 24-hour surveillance. >> absolutely. they don't have to bring him in as long as they know exactly where he is, and they're keeping an eye on him. they want to make sure they have those ducks in a row before they

actually go ahead with the arrest because they want to make sure their probable cause is good enough. >> where the murder allegedly took place, if we stick with this potential suspect for a second and this is someone who worked in that lab, he had to know it would have been discovered sooner or later where he works which pretty much ties him to the crime. what does it tell you about the planning or the lack thereof? >> i'd say the lake thereof. i'd never believe this is a premeditated crime. one thing about a serial killer, they want to pick locations where they can grab the victim, do her in, run off and nobody has a clue who it is. in other words, if it's a serial killer, you know, he doesn't have to go for her. he can go and grab some girl on the street and throw her in the bushes and look at all of new haven and say who could it be? this location just says to me not premeditated. this guy had an obsession with her, one of those psychopathic stalkers. >> so crime of passion? >> there's no such thing as a crime of passion. the sky is a psychopath who

thinks this girl should be mine. she didn't pick me. she picked this other guy. how could that be? what an insult. she's getting married sunday and it's my last chance and i have to make my move on her. it takes a psychopath. >> police are analyzing a large amount of physical evidence. it seems to me if you have a suspect with scratches on his body, i mean, just sounds logical, you go to the victim's body and look under the fingernails. and if there's matching skin or dna, you've got your person. >> right. i don't think -- there's not a question in my mind they're going to put this guy away. we're not looking at a stranger homicide, you figure out who it is three years later and he's had time to get rid of his clothing and scratch marks have vanished and there's nothing matching him. in this case we have evidence right there. that's why i say it's not premeditated and they'll put him away unquestionably. it's a shame that annie had no clue this guy obsessed with her and her own fault was that she was very sweet and didn't recognize the signs this guy was

really stalking her. >> pat brown, appreciate your insight. >> thanks, matt. now to tough talk from president obama. this time not about health care but the economy. the president traveled to new york's financial district on monday and lectured wall street on its home turf. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd has more on this. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: the president taking a break from pitching health care, has been turning his focus this week to the issue that propelled him into office, in part, the economy. >> i want everybody here to hear my words. >> reporter: one year after the near meltdown of the nation's financial system, the president says the storms are beginning to break and the system is returning to normal. but he had a stern warning for wall street. >> those on wall street cannot resume taking risks without regard for consequences and expect that next time american taxpayers will be there to break their fall. >> reporter: in an interview with cnbc's john harwood, the president said lessons from the past year have not been lost. regulations must be stronger. >> if washington does not

provide the kind of regulatory oversight that's needed, then ironically, what you may end up with is the government being even more mettlesome in the markets than it otherwise would have been. >> reporter: while the white house has allowed congress to take the lead on health care, a decision many observers have since questions, the administration has gone another direction on this front, crafting the detailed financial reforms themselves. >> the country is headed in the wrong direction. >> reporter: over the weekend tens of thousands of protesters descended on washington to voice their opposition to a number of obama's initiatives including his health care reform proposal. >> you lie! >> reporter: today south carolina republican joe wilson faces the possibility of a resolution of disapproval in the house for his outburst during the president's speech last week. but wilson has been getting nearly unanimous support from congressional republicans and despite calls that he apologize on the house floor, he pointedly did not do that when he spoke there monday. >> in conclusion, god bless our

troops, we'll never forget september the 11th and the global war on terrorism. >> reporter: could be a wild day on the hill. and meanwhile, the president hits the road again today, pitching mostly the economy. he's visiting a gm plant for the first time since he led the government into that intervention into general motors and the essential takeover of that. by the way, the president will be making his first appearance as president on "meet the press" this sunday. ann? >> chuck todd this morning. hey, chuck, thanks. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from natalie who's over at the news desk while ann is next to me here. natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt and ann and good morning to you. the iraqi reporter who threw a shoe at then president george w. bush is free today. he was released this morning after spending nine months in a baghdad jail. he says he was beaten and tortured with electric shocks during his first days in custody. he's considered a hero in the arab world after flinging his shoe at the former president during a news conference last december.

u.s. envoy george mitchell is in the mideast today meeting with israeli and arab leaders. he urged benjamin netanyahu to stop building israeli settlements in the west bank. officials say there was no threat to new york city after an fbi terror raid on three residences in queens on monday. at least one person was arrested. investors watching retail sales this morning. trish regan is at the new york stock exchange. trish, wall street is hoping consumers are back to spending especially with back to school. >> they sure are, natalie. that's an important part of this economic recovery. so traders are watching this number. they're watching all of this economic data really because they need data that's going to support a bullish market. don't forget, we've seen a significant rally in the last six months. well, at some point the economy needs to catch up to that. so for that reason, they're going to keep an eye on that. the health of the consumer is obviously critical to any kind of economic recovery. also chairman -- fed chairman ben bernanke is speaking today, so that will be another

highlight as well, natalie. >> trish regan at the new york stock exchange, thank you. a dramatic landing in germany monday when a plane with landing gear problems skidded across the runway with flame s shooting from underneath. fortunately no one on board was seriously injured. and one of the greatest upsets ever at the u.s. open. in a four-hour, five-set match, argentina's juan martin del potro defeated five-time defending champion roger federer who at one point even lost his cool during the match and began swearing at an official. it is del potro's first grand slam title, and he'll be stopping by a little bit later on to celebrate with us. we're looking forward to that. 7:16. back over to matt, ann and al. he collapsed on the court, couldn't quite believe it himself. >> sobbing. >> we've got work cut

>> another warm day on tap. 80 to 85 today. partly cloudy skies in baltimore. things starting to change a light to moderate cooler and a good shot of showers by late in the day.

and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you very much. jay leno kicked off in primetime last night here on nbc, and as promised, jay had the audience laughing as he poked fun at current events. but the moment that's getting the most attention this morning was one that brought no laughter at all, just silence. here's nbc's lee cowan. >> your host, jay leno! >> reporter: after three months of buildup, the stage was jay leno's again. >> this is not another annoying promo. this is the actual show. >> reporter: he said he wanted his primetime experiment to be topical, and it was. >> it's been a busy week for president obama. i understand he's having kanye west and taylor swift to the white house for a root beer summit. >> reporter: he didn't waste any time getting to the pop culture headline of the day, kanye west's outburst at the "video music awards." >> taylor, i'm really happy for you. i'm going to let you finish. but beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. >> reporter: after that outburst, kanye's scheduled appearance on leno's show made

opening night even more timely. >> it was rude, very, you know. i would like to apologize to her in person. >> reporter: while the apology wasn't necessarily a surprise, jay leno's next question about kanye's recently deceased mother was. >> let me ask you something. i was fortunate enough to meet your mom and talk with your mom a number of years ago. what do you think she would have said about this? >> reporter: the studio fell silent. >> that was priceless stuff. that was the kind of hugh grant moment that we'll remember for a long time. >> reporter: especially for the live studio audience. >> it was very awkward. but i thought that jay asked a fantastic question. >> reporter: up until that moment, jay's new show had spent the hour poking fun at itself. >> i mean, is your staff aware that i have not been on television for 11 years? >> reporter: first guest, jerry

seinfeld, hinted jay could have done better on the celebrity front. and then there was oprah, sort of. >> i'm on that new jay leno show. >> really? >> yes. >> what time is that on? >> reporter: in the end, it wasn't a new jay, it was just the jay most remember. >> and while we're off the government started this program to give people money for their old cars, i made $5 billion. >> reporter: beyond laughter, it was the silence from his opening night that his fans might remember most. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> wow. jay made us laugh as well as cry. i mean, really, that's pretty intense moment for kanye west, don't you think? >> no question. and great timing to have someone like that on your first show. so well done on all fronts. >> that's right. >> and i guess you have to compliment kanye for keeping the appointment. he could have easily said no, i'm not going to be there tonight. exactly right. still ahead, much more on the life and career of patrick swayze including some touching words from his "dirty dancing"

co-star. but first, on a tuesday morning, this is "todod

still ahead this morning, could that murder on the yale campus help solve a nearly 11-year-old killing of another yale student? plus, today is prince harry's birthday. wait till you hear what he's getting for just turning 25 after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here's a look of one of our top stories. a universal pass for young people to use of city services is under consideration at city hall this morning. the idea, modeled after the d.c. metro debit card, would provide kids with one piece of plastic that they could decide on the bus and rex centers and libraries. some or that it could be used by law enforcement as a tracking system of sorts. let's check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell.

>> delays in incidents. harford road and not cliff road, we have an accident report, another one at philadelphia road and rosedale. on the west side, 34 miles per hour. if you are going to be heading out on southbound 95 at 100 and howard county, we have an accident reported there. a couple of live cameras for you -- bw parkway, sought by delays heading towards west nursery road. south -- down delays heading towards must restrict -- southbound delays heading towards west nursery road. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> plenty of sunshine out there. mostly sunny started a few more cuts by the afternoon. warmer than normal highs. light winds at the west at 5

miles per hour. seven-day forecast shows change. cooler with a chance of showers saturday morning. >> we will see you in 25 minutes.

it is 7:30 now on a tuesday morning. it is the 15th day of september, 2009. nice people out there enjoying what's probably the last warm day for a while here in the northeast. the temperature's going to drop, probably only a high of about 60 or so tomorrow morning. but look at them, they're having a good time. we'll get outside and say hi to them in just a couple of minutes. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside natalie morales. ann had to leave early for an assignment. meredith is back tomorrow. thanks for pitching in. >> made a little substitution there. an eerie echo of the tragic murder of a yale university student named annie le. >> back in 1998 there was another murder near the prestigious campus, a student brutally stabbed to death and it

still remains unsolved. more on that case in a moment. also, britain's prince harry is celebrating his 25th birthday today. happy birthday to him. he's inheriting a fortune today. we'll tell you why that is obviously bittersweet for him. and a quick programming note, this friday we'll have a special edition of "today" live from cowboys stadium. a $1 billion price tag on this building. it is the largest, most expensive nfl stadium ever built. and the building's first regular season game is this sunday night right here on nbc. we're going to take you on a tour and get a unique of the crowning achievement, the world's largest high-definition tv. 72 feet tall, 160 feet wide. >> if only we had that in our living rooms. plus, we'll introduce you to our newest correspondent and native texan general ra bujenna bush h up on friday. we look forward to welcoming jenna bush to the family. >> we certainly do. we begin with more on the

tragic death of actor patrick swayze and his two roles that will be forever tied to american pop culture. ♪ had the time of my life ♪ and i owe it all to you ♪ ♪ i've been waiting for so long ♪ ♪ now i've finally found someone ♪ ♪ >> swayze's "dirty dancing" co-star jennifer grey released this statement, patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace. when i think of him, i think of being in his arms when we were

kids, dancing, practicing the lift in the freezing lake having a blast doing this tiny little movie we thought no one would ever see. my heart goes out to his wife and childhood sweetheart, lisa niemi, to his mom, patsy, and to the rest of her family. for more on the life and career of patrick swayze, let's bring in larry hackett, "people's" managing editor. good morning to you. >> morning, matt. >> we've been following this story on and off for the last 20 months. i would imagine you folks at "people" have been following the events of the last several weeks. what have you been hearing? >> as some people may know, he was planning on having an autobiography coming out. and in the last week or so there was an abrupt change in those plans. the reporting last night is that his condition had worsened, he had been taking new chemo treatments. some of the folks on "the beast" had seen him at one of his ranches and said clearly the chemo was taking an effect. he remained vital and forward

thinking and positive but things were really starting to turn. >> let's talk about his career for a second. if he had only done "dirty dancing" and "ghost," it would have cemented his place in hollywood history. what was it about his performance that made such an impact? >> he's like gene kelly, an incredible mixture of grace and amazing athleticism. the people we've been speaking to said he could have been a professional kickboxing from the work they saw him doing on "road house." he was the son of a champion rodeo man and also the son of a dancing coach. i mean, he had an amazing neatly american mix of virility and grace. he seemed authentic in these roles. there was never embarrassment. in someone's hands, they may have been self-conscious. >> "people's" sexiest man alive in 1991. >> there was something about him that was completely real at all times.

>> what i liked is he had a sense of humor, playfulness, a self-depp indicarecating sense . we saw him playing the chippendales dancer on "saturday night live." there aren't a lot of actors that allow themselves to have fun poked at. >> he had that great sense of tone at all times to be authentic in those pictures and then to be able to make fun of himself. you know, people love that. they love that accepts of who he -- that says more about who he was than anything else. >> he had some troubles. >> yep. >> let's not brush over them, some drinking problems. he was a heavy smoker. >> right. >> i think he attributed some of it to fame at an early age. >> right. and, again, he had a struggle with it his whole life. there was an issue of when he was flying the plane, alcohol and things like that. so he had some tough times. but he was also very candid about it and talked about the challenges that he had. and i think the third part about his life was his marriage. you talk to anybody in hollywood, it was a 30-plus-year

marriage. they met as teens at his mom's dance studio. they were legendary in hollywood, a couple that were there for each other. >> what will we learn about the memoir? will that be released? >> they're planning to. it's going to be a lot about his treatment and remaining positive and things like that. we'll see whether or not any of that changes. but i think what you'll get from him is a spirit of who this guy was and how optimistic he was and how he lived a full a life as he could. >> did he manage to also raise some awareness over these last 20 months? >> i think so. he was very reluctant, stage 4 pancreatic cancer. 75% of the people who get it die in the first year. he was reluctant to take the treatments because like a lot of celebrities, it's your individual choice. but i think in terms of struggling with what pancreatic cancer is and how devastating it can be and the work that needs to be, it goes without saying. >> he'll be on the cover of "people" this week. >> yes. 36 after the hour. let's get a check of the day's weather from

>> you were not going to need the umbrella until late in the day tomorrow. beautiful day. partly cloudy skies. we are in the 60's, from 62 in the airport to 67 downtown.

high in the mid-80s today. and your 35th wedding anniversary. what are your names? >> nancy and brian. >> man, you guys must have got married when you were 12. you look fantastic. let's go back in to natalie. >> al, thank you. and now to "today's" 25th birthday of prince harry. he's grown into a popular soldier prince who today stands to inherit a big chunk of his late mother's estate. nbc's donna friesen is in london. donna, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. yes, being a prince-made him quite a catch, but now as he turns 25, prince harry inherits part of his mother's fortune. there's no big party planned, no

lavish spending, but there are rumors he may be rekindling an old romance. prince harry, like his brother, learned early that being a prince can be both a blessing to his every false move whether it was stumbling out of a nightclub, smoking pot or guzzling beer, harry has grown up in the spotlight. but with time, he's matured. being on the front line in afghanistan and now turning 25 seems to have found his feet. >> i think the experience on the front line and doing actual royal engagements abroad has benefited him. >> reporter: he showed his serious side recently in new york, his first solo trip abroad where he paid tribute to the victims of 9/11 and spoke to matt lauer. >> very, very, very moving in the couple of hours i spent. >> reporter: while in new york he raised $400,000 in a charity polo match. money that would go to orphaned children in africa. >> he's very, very good with

people, very good with children. the so-called common touch that diana had has been passed on to him. >> reporter: as for romance, harry is officially after splitting with chelsy davy earlier this year, but there are rumors he's trying to win her back, that the two were spotted dancing in a london nightclub on saturday night. >> he's always been a rather passionate man when talking about chelsy, and they seem to be passionate together. >> reporter: now that he's 25, he inherits part of his mother's fortune, but for now money and romance seem to have taken a back seat to what he and his brother are doing, learning how to fly helicopters. in fact, prince harry is supposed to be so wrapped up in that course training to be a helicopter pilot that not only is he expected not to have a party today, he probably won't even be allowed to have a drink. natalie? >> donna friesen, thanks so much. and we wish him a happy

birthday. still to come, a rare exclusive interview with dan brown on his new book, "the lost symbol." up next, another grisly murder that's rocked the yale campus, and it's remained unsolved for more than a decade now. we'll have the details right after this.

we're back now at 7:44. as we reported, police in new haven, connecticut, have a suspect in the murder of university graduate student annie le. but this is not the first time a murder has shocked that prestigious campus. >> just a little more than a decade ago another promising young student was brutally murdered. and after all these years her killer is still on the loose. >> reporter: at yale university, after the murder of annie le, many are terrified. >> there's no words to describe how nervous i think everyone is. >> reporter: it's eerily reminiscent of 1998 when another murder just as horrifying and bizarre left the very same community ripped apart.

>> the ivy-covered walls of yale university have been rattled by fear and anxiety. >> reporter: like annie le, suzanne jovin, a popular and beautiful 21-year-old senior, had such a bright future. >> we're looking for anybody that saw her in that area walking or getting in a car. >> reporter: the nightmare began when jovin's body was discovered on a street corner late one december evening. >> people were shocked when suzanne jovin's body turned up in a neighborhood of wealthy yale professors. >> reporter: jovin had been stabbed from behind 17 times. in her head, neck and her back. a haunted community searched in desperation. and then many thought the case would be solved when police named a person of interest. jovin's adviser, james vand veld, a yale lecturer, at the time. >> did you kill her? >> one day you're going to come back and apologize even for asking me such a question. >> reporter: he was never charged and aggressively maintains his innocence to this day. >> they could never prove that

he had anything to do with the murder. >> reporter: years later, hopeful dna evidence also fell flat. >> it cannot be known whether the dna evidence found in ms. jovin's fingernail scrapings is that of the murderer. >> reporter: but the community did not give up hope. in fact, at this year's ten-year reunion for yale's class of 1999, the administration asked jovin's former classmates for leads in the cold case. now perhaps yale's most recent tragedy will help solve an old one. >> with this horrific case of annie le, it might revitalize an old case like jovin's. perhaps someone will come forward with information on that case now. >> and we reach out both to investigators of the connecticut state's attorney's office and james vand veld's attorney, they both declined to talk with us at this time. in light of the murder of annie le, it's a cold case now, will get more attention. in fact, the state attorney's office recently launched this cold case unit to try to solve the murder.

>> we'll keep posted on that. still ahead, we're going to have a rare exclusive interview with author dan brown. his new book comes out today. but first, these messages.

back now at 7:50. of course, we're remembering patrick swayze this morning. the 57-year-old actor lost his battle with cancer on monday. >> we've talked a lot about his movies and his gift for acting and dancing, also just a good guy. >> that's right. back in 2005, he made a surprise appearance right here on our show when we made a dream come

true for a woman who was a big fan of the film that made him famous, "dirty dancing." take take look. >> we have someone else here. who wanted to give you a spin out here on the plaza. >> no, no, no! >> we thought you might recognize this guy from "dirty dancing." >> hi. how are you? >> patrick swayze. >> oh, my goodness! >> how are you? >> i'm great! i'm excited! oh, this is terrific! >> don't you want to say the famous line, patrick? >> i think so. absolutely nobody puts donna in a corner. so hit it, guys. ♪ >> you are good!

woo! >> that was a nice moment. >> such a great moment. >> really cool, especially for donna. >> absolutely. >> again, our condolences go to patrick's family. we're back with much more on a tuesday morning right after your local news and weather. ♪ ♪

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. let's check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> handful of accidents and heavy delays around the area, with some clear may be contributing to that. southbound on the harrisburg expressway, 10 miles per hour beginning at padonia road. reisterstown, greenspring and ridge road, accident and heavy delays on the west side outer loop with 19 miles per hour at 795. eastbound i-70, delays towards 29. southbound 29 was 32, an accident coming in there. it is credited to about 22

minutes to get to the west side delay. seeing some new delays developing southbound on the j.f.x. greenspring, a volume heading towards j.f.x., not too bad there. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> warm, sunny day in store for us. clouts not entering the scene until later on this afternoon. 67 downtown, 62 at the airport. across the board we are looking at 80s today. above the normal high, which is 79. enjoy one of the last few days of summer if you can. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update coming your way in 25 minutes.

we're back now, 8:00 on a tuesday morning. the 15th day of september, 2009. it is a really pretty day here in the northeast. we're getting some warm temperatures going up to, what, about 80 degrees? >> yeah. >> then what happens, mr. roquer? >> then things cool down. >> fall's here tomorrow, right? >> that's right. look out. it's coming. get ready for it. >> we're happy about that. we don't mind. nice people gathered on the plaza this morning. thanks to them for showing up early. i'm matt lauer along with al roker. meredith was here, had to leave a little bit early. she's a busy lady. you know what i think? meredith and ann are curling up with dan brown's newest novel. "the lost symbol" hits bookstores today. of course, this is the guy who

wrote "angels and demons" and "the da vinci code." he sat down with us for an exclusive interview in his home, and he calls it the fortress of gratitude. kind of cool. we'll have that interview coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> he likes the hidden doors. >> he does, passageways, no question. now, jack may be a little young, i don't know about you, but leila has been asking, she's in fifth grade, wants to walk to school. >> yeah, i know. >> and i'm really nervous about that. it's a big question. you want your kids to be independent, but you want them to be safe as well. well, coming up, we'll have expert advice for families struggling with this decision. >> so she's 10? >> she's going to be 11 in november. >> 11. >> it's not that long a walk, but i'm still nervous. >> good luck, pal. >> yeah, thanks. >> good luck to you with that. she sings, dances, produces, not leila, we're talking about barbra streisand, and now she's getting into the auction business as well. she's auctioning off some iconic items from her fabulous career. we'll have some of those right in our studio.

we already do. but first, let's go to the news desk. ann is off on assignment. natalie's got the headlines of the morning. hi, natalie. >> good morning. as we've been reporting, hollywood is remembering patrick swayze who lost his 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. the actor died monday in los angeles with his family by his side. flowers and candles have been placed at his star on the walk of fame. swayze danced his way into the hearts of moviegoers in the film "dirty dancing" and sealed his superstar status with the movie "ghost." he was 57 years old. new haven police are focusing on a lab tech nation as they investigate the murder of yale graduate student annie le. the technician worked in the same secure building where le's building was found hidden behind a wall. last night students gathered at the university for a candlelight vigil in memory of the 24-year-old medical student. it is all about the economy again today for president obama as he meets with workers at a gm plant in ohio. meanwhile on wall street monday,

the president called on congress to impose stricter regulations over financial institutions and called the economic crisis a failure of responsibility. senate finance committee chairman max baucus says he plans to introduce one bipartisan version of a health care reform bill by tomorrow. meantime, house democrats are planning to vote on a resolution of disapproval for republican joe wilson who yelled "you lie!" during president obama's health care address last week. and now here's brian williams with a look at what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." >> hey, natalie, thanks. this new mystery novel by dan brown, as you know, turns on some key symbols in washington, d.c. it's just fiction, yes, but could "the lost symbol" change our view of american history? that story tonight on "nightly news" and much more. natalie, for now, back to you. >> thanks, brian. it's 8:03. let's go back outside once again to matt. >> what can you say about this day but beautiful, mr. roquer? roker? >> bottle it and cherish it and

keep it. what's your name? >> victoria. zblur headed off to iraq? >> y y >> it is going to be gorgeous here as well. partly cloudy skies, warm, 80 to 85 degrees. winds not too significant. not significant enough to cool us down. tomorrow, things change.

and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. when we come back, a rare exclusive interview with dan brown about his new novel, "the lost symbol," but first, these messages. to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness.

that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. find out more about slowing the buildup of plaque at crestor.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. football and farm rich cheese sticks. well, try to share at least. announcer: with unbeatable prices on farm rich cheese sticks-- game time costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. new pencils, new books... new backpack... looks good. just trying to look our best. eh, gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh, we had a good breakfast so we're ready. gonna be another great year, huh guys?!

you bet your 8 layers! yeah! long-distance high 5! oh, careful! hey, watch it. start the school year with an excellent source of fiber. a clinical study showed kids who had a filling breakfast... of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal... had 11% better attentiveness... compared to kids who missed out on breakfast. ( shouts ) keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. 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 hallucinations 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 to our exclusive interview with dan brown. his new book "the lost symbol" hit bookstores at 12:01 this morning. recently i had the rare opportunity to sit down with him at his home where he showed me what he calls the fortress of gratitude, a room that holds copies of all foreign editions of his books along with props from the movies like "the crypt ex" from "the da vinci code" and anti matter from "the da vinci code" with secret passageways.

now it's ready to showcase his latest book, "the lost symbol." even he admits he's feeling the pressure. >> there's plenty of pressure. you're following up "the da vinci code." you want to make sure that you hit it out of the park. >> reporter: 5 million copies of "the lost symbol" hit stores today, along with huge expectations this book will be the year's best-seller. is that why you waited six years? was it that you just had to make sure you got it exactly right? because that's one of the things people are speculating about. >> sure. i mean, of course that's part of it. and the other thing is that this book is -- the topic is so interesting and so mind boggling and so complex that i needed a lot of extra time to research it and understand it to the point that i could work it into the story. >> reporter: the story is an action-packed, 600-page thriller that takes place over 12 hours. harvard symbologist robert la langdon is back, introducing readers to free mason science and cracking codes along the

way. it all takes place in our own backyard. why the nation's capital? >> washington, d.c., has everything that rome, paris and london have in the way of great architecture, great power bases. washington has obolisques and pyramids and underground art and a whole shadow world that we really don't see. >> when you talk about the shadow world that we don't see, how did you discover it? >> one of the great luxuries of having written "the da vinci code," it gave me access to all kinds of things i never had access to before. >> explain this, because you're an author you can pick up the phone and say i'd like to come in and poke around and get that access where you didn't get it 15 years ago? >> i guess it really is that simple. not in every case, but sure. >> reporter: one of the main groups in this book are free masons. >> sure. >> reporter: give me free masonry for dummies. give me the 101 on it. why is this group fascinating? >> they are fascinating because

we live in a world where different cultures are killing each other over whose version of god is accurate. and here you have an organization, a global organization, that is spiritual and yet will bring muslims, jews, christians and even people confused about the religion, bring them together and say look, we all agree that there's some good big thing out there, but we're not going to put a label on it. let's worship together. >> reporter: so basically all free masons agree there is a supreme being. >> yes. >> reporter: they agree that we are all created equal and are all equals. they live by a strict code of morals and ethics. why are they fascinating? where's the mystery in the free masons? >> the mystery is in their origins and in the fact that they have managed to remain pretty secret. their rituals are arcane. you know, you sort of catch snippets of what their rituals are like. you can really see a lot of what happens within the organization. >> reporter: you said a lot of people wondered what took so long with this book. some people speculated it was

about the plagiarism law which was dismissed by the courts in the uk. >> right. >> reporter: what impact did it have on you, though? >> you know, it was terrible. it's like, you know, as j.k. rowling says, it's like somebody showing up at your door and pointing at your child and saying, "that's mine." it's not a pleasant thing to go through, to have all of your work called into question. i think everybody on the outside had a pretty good idea what that was about, and we just got through it. >> reporter: given the controversy that was generated by "the da vinci code" and some in the catholic church called for a boycott of the book and movie and i know you've received threats. so when you pick up the phone and you called the free masons, i'm surprised they even took your call. i mean, why would they say wait a second. look what happened with the catholic church. why do we want to let this guy in to poke around? >> it is a double-edged sword. you have access and simultaneously you often need to do your research in other ways under other names or through other routes because there certainly -- >> reporter: you use an alias and you do research under an

alias? >> i've gone to d.c. many times and taken tours, just regular tours, with a baseball cap on and just let that sort of be my first experience. and then i may decide, you know, i can set a scene here. let's go back and take more notes. >> we are under attack from an old enemy. >> reporter: "angels and demons" first gave brown the idea for "the lost symbol." >> they've come for revenge. >> reporter: he spent five years doing research, taking notes. this book began as a 200-page outline, an outline he shared with no one, not even his longtime editor, jason kaufman. >> that's for your own benefit. >> yes. i'm proprietary and don't let people see things until i feel they're in great shapes. >> reporter: when you're writing chapters now, do you send one at a time to him? >> no, you send blocks of chapters because that's the way stories are read. 50 pages at a time. >> reporter: do you skip around in the book? could you write chapter 112 before chapter 58? >> yes. >> reporter: how do you keep

your san snit. >> you can talk to my wife. there may be some debate on that topic. >> reporter: best time for you to write is? >> 4:00 a.m. >> reporter: do you have a cup of coffee? do you sit down? do you get dressed? do you sit in your pajamas? >> it depends. my writing is not in the house. i have to walk to it. it's funny, i often get into trouble because i'm so eager to get to work that i'll walk over in pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt because it's pitch black and nobody's around. >> reporter: then there's the great dan brown legend that if you have any kind of block and you say you don't have real writer's block, but if you come to a stop sign, you jump in the grafity boots like richard gere in "the gigolo." >> i wish i looked like him. the writer's boots are trisk because not only do they increase circulation in your head, but you think differently upside down. >> reporter: you're pulling my leg here. do you think you think differently upside down? >> of course. when you were a kid, you hung off the furniture, off jungle

gyms. >> reporter: i get dizzy and throw up. >> that's not going to happen. >> reporter: you're telling me some of your best books have written after stints in the gravity boots? >> i say i know i'm going to find a way out of this. then if you don't, you hang upside and think about it from a different point of view and sometimes it works. >> reporter: you've been involved as a producer in both "the da vinci code" and "angels and demons." what is it like to watch as huge portions of your book are left out of the movie. >> if they have left nothing out of "the da vinci code," it would have been a 20-week mini-series. the important thing to me is that the core feel and core message of the book remain intact. i had enormous faith in ron howard and this whole team. >> reporter: your writing seems in chapters for langdon, it just seems impossible for me to imagine that you're not picturing tom hanks as you're writing. >> it didn't. you have to remember that, you know, i spent a few months on a movie set, and i've spent years in my head with this other character that i created.

i think tom did a great job. he's a great robert langdon. >> reporter: many suggest robert langdon is dan brown himself although brown denies it. instead brown says langdon is the guy he wishes he could be. brown's imagination took root early, writing music by kindergarten. your first book, 5 years old. "the giraffe, pig and the pants on fire." it's a thriller? >> you know what? i thought so. my mom was thrilled. >> reporter: my 5-year-old wrote a book? >> right. i dictated it to my mom. and i did all the illustrations. >> reporter: were you a precocious kid? >> i think i was a shy kid. i grew up without television. >> reporter: right. >> i had a dog. and we lived up in the white mountains in the summer. and i had no friends up there. and i'd go play hide and seek with my dog and probably had some imaginary friends. but it worked. >> reporter: they have since left the building? they don't pop up on your shoelder? >> no, no, not those kind, but i spend my life now with a lot of

imaginary friends, if you want to put it that way. >> reporter: is it ever mind boggling to you that based solely on your past performance, they're going to print 5 million copies of this book. >> i try not to think about it. >> reporter: i mean, that's not because they've read it and they have decided it deserves 5 million copies, they're doing it based on the fact that you have delivered in the past. >> well, that's -- you talk about pressure, there's some pressure. and i have delivered again, i believe -- i'm thrilled with this book. this is a book that i would love to read. >> reporter: that's the best review ever. the author would read this book. >> that's right. >> reporter: there you go. so when's the next book and what will that be about? brown joked about that, saying since "the lost symbol" took him six years to write, his wife, blythe, might seek a different husband if he were to go ahead and start the next one right now. and starting tomorrow, we'll reveal the answers for our "search for the lost symbol" clues. and up next, a difficult question for parents. when are your kids old enough to walk to school alone?

we'll get into that right after this. vegetables are naturally low in calories. v8 juice gives you 3 of your 5 daily servings. it's a tasty, nutritious way to make this number go up... and help this one go down. v8. what's your number?

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back at 8:21. this morning on "today's family," when are kids the right age to walk to school by themselves? it's a question millions of parents wrestle with a compelling story in "the new york times." our janet shanley has more. >> reporter: it's long been a badge of being a kid. when mom or dad finally let you walk alone to the bus stop or to school. the recent discovery of jaycee dugard has some parents thinking twice about this slice of independence. dugard was 11 when she was abducted from a school bus stop within sight of her california home. >> my daughter's only 6. so i feel safer just picking her up and taking her home, making sure she's home safely. >> reporter: rain or shine, sonja silva picks up her daughter every day from ft. worth's middlebrook elementary. and she's not alone.

>> i think probably for safety reasons, that's the only reason that it's best just to have the parents pick them up and take them home. >> reporter: in fact, when the bell rings, this school is surrounded by cautious parents. >> it's a lot of trouble in the street. >> reporter: those fears are not unfounded. the national center for missing and exploited children found that almost 40% of all abductions not involving a relative happen when walking to or from school. >> most of the people attempting to abduct children preying upon children are white males who target children before or after school in cars. and it's really important that children do whatever possible to stay out of those cars. >> reporter: the majority of children are between 12 and 15 years old, and two-thirds are girls. >> it's really important that parents not be terrified or paralyzed by fear, but you need to teach your kids how to stay safe. >> reporter: ellen says

statistics say whose kids screamed, yelled and ran away, those who fought for their life, were most likely to save it. for "today," janet schenley and nbc news, houston. >> dr. janet taylor is scientist and contributor to momlogic.com and cliff is an nbc news analyst and former fbi profiler. good morning to both of you. >> morning. >> good morning. >> doctor, let me start with you. statistics show a lot of these fears are kind of irrational. because out of 60 million kids in the u.s., under of age of 15, only 115 have been taken. and when we hear a statistic like 40% -- almost 40% of kids have been -- they've been taken, do you say that's an alarming and actually maybe a misleading statement. >> well, we know that parents, the number one concern of parents is the safety of their children. and so when we have a case like the dugard case, is certainly increases our fears. but the reality is most of our children are safe. and the independence of a child asking to walk to school -- and you have to make that decision

with them -- is an important milestone because developing independence without fear is key for your child's overall psychological development. >> so you're saying once they start to ask, that's when you really need to start thinking about it? >> you think about it, you listen, you set up rules. you look and see how they've taken other responsibilities. and you can make it really gradual, but you don't want to squash your child's need for independence because, again, they need that. we want our children to trust us and to trust the world. >> you know, we've got poll results. and people are obviously conflicted about this. my daughter who is almost 11 wants to walk to school. and we talk about this almost every day. take a look at these poll results. 33% say they would let their child walk to school. 35 -- almost 36% say no, and 31% say i'm not sure. so it's fairly well divided. >> it is well divided, but as parents we have to temper our own fears and not project them onto our children because what we know is anxious parents develop anxious children. >> let me bring cliff van zant

in. and cliff, as parents, should we be afraid to let our children bach to school? and what are the parameters we should be looking at? >> no, i don't think we should be afraid at all, al. you know, as an fbi agent, i investigated cases of child kidnapping and child molestation. i was 7 years old when i was walking a block from my house, and i was taken by a child predator myself. i escaped. many children don't. in my case, i took the lessons i learned as a victim, the lessons i learned as an fbi agent. we put together a free dvd, protecting children from predators," that i give away at livesecure.org. i give it away, al, because i know what it is to be a victim. but what i think we need to do is empower our children. they need to have -- just like they go to school and learn lessons, they need to learn from their parents, their caretakers. >> and we'll try to make sure they get those lessons. dr. janet taylor, cliff van zant, thank you so much. still ahead, the new king of the u.s. open tennis courts. we'll meet him after your local news and weather.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. baltimore police are investigating an early-morning intrusion from johns hopkins university medical student killed the suspect with a samurai sword. police said that the student was telling the mentally and a man accosted him and that is when the student caught off the man's head with a sword and caused severe laceration to the body. let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. a less >> to accident on southbound a j.f. -- >> a late accident on southbound j.f.x. you are also looking at heavy delays on southbound harrisburg expressway. that extends all the way down to shawan from the beltway.

philadelphia road, watch for an accident there. >> west side, looking at heavy delays from 795 to edmondson. drive times on the northeast side. 13 minutes on into the from 795 to 83's. sitting in traffic on the west side at the pretty. >> there is plenty of sunshine out there this morning. we will see a sunny start to the day. clouds rolling in later on this evening. partly cloudy skies throughout tuesday. 65 at the airport. currently in the mid-60's as well. we are heading anywhere between 80 and 85 degrees. yesterday be popped out at 81. good chance of showers.

>> we will have another update at 8:55.

♪ spread a little love my way ♪ ♪ spread a little somethin' to remember ♪ ♪ ♪ spread a little joy and see ♪ ♪ need a little happiness to be living the life with me ♪ ♪ spread a little joy and see ♪ ♪ need a little happiness to be living the life with me ♪ ♪

♪ don't tell me not to live 8:30 now on a tuesday morning, september 15th, 2009. no raining on our parade this morning. that, of course, is the unmistakable music and voice of barbra streisand. as we found here on the plaza, i ask the question, natalie, why are we playing the music of barbra streisand this morning? >> well, because she has an auction coming up. she's putting some of her signature items from her biggest movies and concerts up for

auction. we're going to run down them and tell you what your money can buy you perhaps if you're in the market. >> all right. >> all right. good to know. >> did you happen to check out the men's finals of the u.s. open? >> saw the highlights. >> i saw the beginning and then i had to go to sleep. >> roger federer was just two points from his sixth straight title, and guess what, did not win. the man who won, can you say that name for me, natalie? >> juan martin del potro. >> guess what? he's here. and we're going to be talking with him. >> last time he said he couldn't find the words to describe the emotions. we'll see if he's come up with them this morning. you know the hit weight-loss show "biggest loser" premieres tomorrow. 15 contestants are going for a second chance. allison sweeney is the host of that show. >> hi, allison. >> good morning. good to see you. >> so it's all about second chances. and daniel. >> and daniel. well, he's been the poster boy for the idea of second chances from last season to finish what he started.

>> and he's lost a lot of weight. but also he's going to be helping out shea now who has replaced him as the heaviest contestant. >> that's right. last season he weighed in at 454 pounds. he's lost over 100. he's still on that journey. shea who weighs in at 476 pounds.

>> we are going to see nice conditions today, partly cloudy skies, at 80 to 85. lentz westerly and light at about five to 10 miles per hour. the main chance to put us and for your latest weather 24/7 go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com. >> that was an award-winning forecast. so i would like you to hold this. >> thank you so much. >> the u.s. open trophy. >> unbelievable. >> the first time that a u.s. open tennis champion has not been named roger federer since 2003 in a stunning five-set

match last night. juan martin del potro of argentina stunned the defending champion, 20 years old, first victory over federer. first grand slam final and title. juan martin del potro is live on the plaza with us this morning. >> congratulations. >> nice to meet you. >> so last night you were honest and you said, "i don't have the words to describe what this feels like." you've had about ten hours. can you describe it now? >> no. it was the best moment of my life. i cannot believe it. i cherish this moment. >> you broke federer's winning streak. i mean, he was going for his sixth consecutive title there at the u.s. open. he started to crumble a bit. do you think the pressure got to him toward the end? >> maybe, a few moments of the match, it was so difficult to

win. i was nervous in the beginning of the match. >> you had wind and rain and rain delays at the open. do you think that had an effect on the outcome of the match? >> oh, i don't think so. we had good accommodations. in new york playing at the u.s. open, you should be happy every time. >> did you sense a moment during the match -- i think a lot of the people, let's be honest, came to that stadium last night hoping to see history made. six consecutive u.s. open championships for federer. did you sense a moment in the match, though, where the emotion started to move to you? they were all of a sudden looking for a cinderella story? >> yes, when i was close to the victory i was. i started saying maybe i can win this tournament. it was a good sensation to play.

i played great tennis. >> and they started chancing "ole!" right? there you go. >> how are you going to top this? >> i don't know. i just want to go home to be with my fans. >> congratulations. what a stunning victory. well deserved. juan martin del potro of argentina, the u.s. open champion. >> you'd better hang on to that. he was trying to take it. >> thank you very much. we'll have much more of "today" on a tuesday morning. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ memory back now at 8:40. now to one of the biggest names in entertainment, barbra

streisand. she's worn many hats throughout her career. singer, actor, director, composer. well, now some of her personal items are being auctioned off, everything from furniture to jewelry to clothing. darin julian and martin nolan are from julian's auctions and here with a few of the items hitting the auction block next month. good to have you back. last month, michael jackson, this month, barbara streisand. she's still very much active still out there working. so why is she selling so much of her stuff now, darren? >> she wanted to raise money for her foundation. a lot of things were in storage in her houses and apartments. it was a good way -- 100% of the proceeds go to the streisand foundation. >> she's still working with her new album coming out "love is the answer" in a few weeks. >> so the timing is right, absolutely. do you expect -- obviously with michael jackson we saw some of the items go for a lot more because of his death. >> yes. >> but barbara streisand's stil alive, still very much working

and involved. do you expect that that dilutes sort of the importance of some of these stomachs or not? >> not really. >> because she is barbra streisa streisand, she is who she is. >> she's won academy awards, emmys, tonys, every award you could win. her fan place is global. >> huge. >> she's got a huge collector base. we've received catalog orders and people wanting to participate from all over the world. >> she's a huge collector, a designer, too. >> she's a very sophisticated collector. >> very much so. not just clothing, by the way. there are items, furniture, too. >> furniture, a painting that's attributed to van dagen, art deco. >> crafts, everything. >> let's get to some of the auction items first. first up, what looks like a bathrobe. that's a bathrobe? it's actually "the way we were," one of my favorite movies of all time, a classic barbra streisand. >> with robert redford, '73. >> best romance story ever. >> we estimate $2,000 to $3,000. it's an iconic piece she wore. >> so it could go for more.

next up is this dress from "funny lady"? is that right? >> yes, barbra bore it in 1975. and it's a style today. >> it is classic, yeah. >> she created her own costumes and stuff. this is a great piece. we estimate $1,000 to $1,500. >> you could actually wear this out today and look very stylish, too. >> that's right. >> this is an interesting, you know, grouping here. these are various items from her movie "yentl." which earned her an academy award? >> she was nominated for an academy award. this is a film she directed, produced, wrote and star in. she's the first woman ever to have done that. this is two lots here. we estimate them around $600 to $800. >> this point was a turning point for her. >> major. >> absolutely. these items could be of interesting. now, over here -- not my favorite of the items. >> getting rid of this. >> this shocking pink

bridesmaid's dress from "the mirror has two faces." >> that's right. we estimate it at $600 to $800. >> you're hiding behind the dress. >> she played -- in the film she played her sister's bridesmaid, so this is the dress that she wore. $600 to $800, again, it's a piece of barbra streisand. >> all right. hopefully not a lot of bridesmaids would be wearing this. okay, now over here, and help us out here, martin. >> absolutely. >> this is a very interesting eclectic look from "meet the fockers." a lot of fun stuff. >> she was a fun character, hugely successful movie. we estimate is at $600 to $800 because of the fush ra, the vibrancy, the handbag, the ring. >> very 1970s, very hippie. >> $600 to $800. that was a hugely successful movie, grossed over $500 million. >> wow! i love that movie. >> she wore this outfit. >> i remember that. okay. now, over here. this beautiful black and white gown. >> yeah, beautiful black silk with ivory insert. >> donna karan design.

>> actually, barbra. >> okay. >> comes with a copy of the sketch that barbra drew for this particular outfit. 1993, 1994, the concert series tour. she started in vegas. highest grossing ever performance. >> so maybe the highest grossing auction item? >> hopefully. >> that's what you're hoping? >> we estimate $3,000 to $5,000. one of the highest price items. of course, some of her furniture is priced much higher and the painting. >> there are more affordable pieces, too, right? >> there's something for everyone from the "a" barbra took out of her name when she began her career. >> why did she do that? just because. >> because she's barbra and she can. >> she can take an "a" out of her name. over here -- this is the limill concert dress. >> she wore this on the cover of the album. it's a taffeta outfit. she wore this on the cover of the album. >> with that green shawl there.

>> in fact, we hope to sell that as well but barbra wanted to keep that. it's something she is keeping, but a lot of the items she's getting rid of -- >> she didn't want to part. >> the auction is in beverly hills. at the beverly hilton hotel october 17 and 18. we're going to do an amazing exhibition recreated in barbra's home with the design team, rjw design team. >> what are you expecting overall there? how big an auction will this be for you all? >> we estimate $600,000 to $800,000. it benefits the barbra streisand foundation she started in 1996. >> so a great cause. thanks so much. appreciate it. >> thanks. >> we should mention also that meredith will have a rare interview with barbra herself two weeks from today. coming up next, authors tiki and ronde barber face some of their biggest cred

we're back now on the plaza. we're seeing double today because the barbara brothers, tiki and ronde are with us. they've written another book, their third, called "wild card," and it's based on their own tween years. ronde, tiki, good morning. nice to see you guys. >> good to see you, matt. >> right off the bat, the cover says "wild card." why does it list you like that? >> that's because i'm better looking. it's a point of consternation. >> it generally has a better ring. i'm not going to lie. >> we are surrounded by young people between 8 and 12. this is the target audience for this book. do you find when you sit down to write these things that it's hard to get these kids to focus? they have the internet. they've got youtube. they twitter, some of them. how do you focus them on a book like this? >> we've got a pretty strong base because of who we are, what we used to do -- or what he used to do, what i still do.

kids are football fans. their parents are. they are. and they gravitate towards -- it's kind of a lack of material for boys specifically this age. and if we can derive them because of our popularity in sports, that's a good thing. >> and a good story. >> it is. it's simple. there's nothing complex in these stories. it's things we went through as children. obviously, we took some creative liberties as a writer. but it's interesting for kids to read. and i think boys, in particular, they see themselves being in the same situation. >> it's about the hidden valley eagles. it's a good team, good for seven years in a row. they're having a little bit of a different season. what's up with the team? >> you know, this book is interesting because we tackled something that happens a lot. i think in middle schools and high schools where kids start focusing on sports too much and not on the academic part of the game. which is something that's always been important to us. our mother stressed it. the fact if we didn't do our homework and didn't do well in school, we couldn't play sports. one of our kids, kicker, gets kicked off the team because he's not doing well in class.

>> it's about supporting teammates. it's about understanding how to support someone. it's easy when things are going as well. >> absolutely. it's not coincidence we named him kicker because kickers are essential. we know that -- i never did it myself. tiki was always there to help me. i was always there to help tiki. we translate that outside of our family in helping in the story. and we know that there's a lot more things involved in life than football and playing sports and whatever else. and that's another thing that we wanted to get across. i think it comes across strongly in this book. >> let's ask some of the young people to ask you. caroline, you with a want to start off? >> sure. >> okay. what's your question for the barber brothers? >> in the story your mom told you to play proud. when you were younger, is there anything else your mom might have told you that was inspirational? >> yeah. do your homework. my mom is special because she always had the right thing to say. she did a lot of it by herself, caroline, but at the end of the day, she understood that we were

going to self-motivate. and all she needed to do was be there and give us a little bit of direction, and we were going to take it. and i appreciate her for that now. >> james, you want to ask a question? >> how did you feel about playing on separate nfl teams? >> you know what? we played together for so long. we lived together, actually, until we were 21, and he went to tampa and i went to new york. it was hard for the first few years. but after a while it became a job, you know. we played each other. it was my job to run over him. it was his job to try to tackle me. but after the game we were still just brothers again. but for those first couple years it was really tough. >> logan. logan, what's your question? >> what does it mean to you to be a teammate? >> i think being a teammate means supporting everyone around you. we all have highs and lows as athletes and as individuals. for instance, i'll give you a case in point. in the nfl, we had a kicker one year who missed two or three field goals. in one game -- we ended up losing that game.

it would have been easy to not talk to him anymore. but lifting him back up allowed him to get his confidence back and be the kid we knew he could be later on and when we really needed him. being a good teammate means supporting you whether you're high or low. >> you and your brother faced a lot of challenges in and out of your book. is there any challenge that you wish you could something back and do again? >> a do-over. >> oh, wow. i would have loved to have taken a couple of my classes over again. you're supposed to fail sometimes. and the things that you fail at, i think you really can dedicate yourself to working back towards. are there any that i'd rather go back and do? i don't know. i think it's better to learn from your mistakes. >> i agree. >> and find a way to move forward afterwards. >> i agree with that. >> you know, just real quickly, i've only got 20 seconds left. are you worried that winning is becoming too important for kids in sports? >> when i first started, we did a story on overpraising kids. sometimes i think we don't let

our kids fail enough to realize the lessons in falling down and getting back up. >> is another book in the works? >> maybe. >> what's the title? >> it's going to be called "matt lauer's lesson." >> but ronde and tiki barber. ronky and tiki, good to see you guys. thanks very much. we'll be back with more on a tuesday morning. this ( piano music playing ) by putting an end to paper medical records, we have ushered health into the digital age.

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i was greeting the barber brothers so i didn't get to hear the bottom line. bottom line, is leila getting to walk to school or not? >> she's not. >> when? >> maybe in the next couple of years. >> here we have her now on the upper east side. leila. still to come, we're going to take you behind the scenes of new york's fashion week. plus how to raise healthier kids and much more on the passing of patrick swayze.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is a look at one of our top stories but a baltimore city police officer is on administrative leave this morning after firing his weapon during an incident at his northeast baltimore home. the off-duty officer was attempting to enter the home on wight avenue the suspect but a gun to his back in an attempt to force him inside. the set the -- police said they found for showcasing said it applied to the officer's gun, meaning that the suspect may have a fire before he was wounded. back in a minute with a check on

>> now let's take a look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> more, than normal, a high of

about 85 degrees. partly cloudy skies. a little cooler with the ocean things changing tomorrow. cooler with the chance of showers, especially late in the day. bling rid of it into saturday morning. >> we will have another update at 9:25.