the obama administration drawing up tough, new sanctions against iran if its leaders do not come clean about their nuclear program, but this morning, iranian officials are also talking tough just days before a key diplomatic showdown. should he be freed? roman polanski's legal team files a motion overnight seeking the director's release from a swiss prison. this morning his longtime agent speaks out. and head case. conan o'brien shows off video of the nasty spill that forced him to cancel last friday's show. the cringe-worthy moment that had the comedian seeing stars and saying some funny things today, tuesday, september 39th, 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 this

morning, president obama will meet with his national security team. they're planning on talking about the war in afghanistan, but you can bet the subject of iran will also come up. >> that is right. iran's newly uncovered nuclear facility and war games are fresh on the administration's mind, and both the u.s. and iran are hinting of what they plan to discuss during thursday's rare diplomatic meeting in geneva. another subject that could be on the agenda, the fate of those three u.s. hikers detained in iran for nearly two months now. we will talk with their relatives in just a moment. also ahead, you've heard the expression no good deed goes unpunished? well, how about this story? a stay-at-home mom in michigan tries to help her working friends by watching their kids free of charge for just a few minutes each morning as they wait for the school bus. now she's being told to stop or face possible fines, even jail time. she'll share her story in an exclusive, live interview, coming up. plus, a truly bizarre scene recorded in a florida jail. why is this man laughing,

joking, even dancing with his daughter and sister-in-law just a couple of days after he was accused of murdering his wife? we're going to have much more on that ahead. but let's begin with this morning's top stories and head to the news desk and say hello to ann. >> good morning, everyone. also in news today, what to do in afghanistan is the focus at the white house where the president meets his national security team and nato secretary-general. the top general in afghanistan has warned the war could end in failure without thousands of additional u.s. troops. the president is now weighing all the options. two u.s. soldiers were killed this morning by a land mine in the southern philippines. officials say the attack was carried out by suspected al qaeda-linked militants. today the man said to be at the center of the most serious terror plot in the united states since 9/11 will be arraigned. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams has more now. pete, good morning. >> reporter: ann, this will be najibullah zazi's first appearance before a judge in new york. he'll be in a courtroom near where authorities say he began

taking the steps that led to serious charges of terrorism. though he said earlier this month that he was no terrorist, this will be najibullah zazi's first opportunity to enter a formal plea in court. he was flown from denver late last week by heavily armed federal marshals. prosecutors say zazi and at least three others now under investigation were shopping at denver area beauty shop suppliers in july and august, buying gallons of chemicals that could be combined to make a powerful explosive. in late august and early september, federal agents say zazi got a room at this suburban denver hotel and used the stove inside it to heat the chemicals and concentrate them. investigators say though he apparently never successfully made any explosive, he was earnestly trying. >> he was looking for accomplices. the next step was to get a safe house, build a very simple lab and construct a bomb, and he was within weeks, perhaps, of launching his operation. >> reporter: though president obama has said nothing publicly

about the case, administration officials say he's continually briefed on what's widely considered the most serious terrorism cell to be discovered since 9/11. >> as far as this being an al qaeda plot, that this is as far along as we've seen in the united states since september 11th. >> reporter: while the focus on zazi now shifts to federal court, officials say investigators are questioning others they believe were helping him, hoping to build cases against them, too. ann? >> all right, pete williams this morning. pete, thanks. the death toll has risen to at least 240 people killed from the massive flooding in the philippines. overwhelmed, relief officials are calling for international help. the same storm killed more than 20 people today in vietnam. the pilot who landed his plane on the hudson river back in january will be back in the cockpit. us airways says that captain chesley sullenberger will pilot regular flights and be part of the airline's flight safety

team. and conan o'brien was back on "the tonight show" for the first time since suffering a concussion during a taping of the show on friday. he showed a clip of the incident in which he fell during a stunt with actress teri hatcher. he joked that he hit his haead o hard, for a second he understood the plot of loss. back to you three. >> he's -- >> you look at that video there and he's kind of faking it -- >> he wasn't, though. >> i don't think he's faking it. >> they said he was actually slurring his words and was little disoriented. they brought in a nurse and then decided to stop the taping. >> oh! >> he really slams his head there. that makes your ice skating rink thing seem -- >> now, don't take away from mine because of his. >> oh, you're saying yours is

>> we are going to be seeing beautiful sky conditions today, partly cloudy, but only up to a chilly 67-degree high. wendy, winds westerly at 15 to 20 mi.

>> that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. now to tough talk from both the u.s. and iran ahead of thursday's diplomatic talks in geneva. will the increased tension hurt the chances for the release of three u.s. hingers detained in tehran? we'll talk with their relatives in just a moment, but first, nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell has the latest. andrea, good morning. >> good morning, meredith. the u.s. is criticizing iran's decision to go ahead with the missile tests. a show of military might and defiance that could set back efforts to improve relations. and unfortunately, that could also hurt efforts to get tehran to release the hikers any time soon. for the second time this week, iran test-fired missiles, including medium-range missiles that can reach israel, a move the white house called provocative. >> they can, as i just said, agree to immediate, unfettered

access. i think that would be the least that they can do. >> although previously scheduled, the war games indicate iran is likely to take a hard line in geneva. >> coming after the discovery of the nuclear clandestine facility, iran's act of defiance and confrontation and the rhetoric that accompany the test reflects the fact that it is not prone to compromise. >> reporter: iran says the suspect plant is for peaceful purposes, but u.s. and allied intelligence say it is config e configured to produce fuel for nuclear weapons, a finding the white house hopes will solidify international opposition to iran's plans. >> it is critically important that we persuade not just britain and france, but russia and china, to be part of an international effort to deal effectively with iran. >> reporter: but as the president tries to get the allies to punish iran, critics are baffled. >> i'm still very skeptical that the russians and the chinese are going to come on board. if they were really serious about making sure that iran did not acquire a nuclear weapon,

they would have come on board a long time ago. >> reporter: the escalating tensions with iran could affect other issues, including the fate of the three american hikers who strayed too close to the border between iran and kurdistan. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad told ann curry two weeks ago -- >> translator: well, i'm not happy that they have been arrested, but these individuals had violated our borders, and in accordance with the laws, they need to be punished. >> reporter: he later said he would like to see leniency for the three, but that could depend on whether he sees them as leverage in a diplomatic game of chess. >> i doubt that ahmadinejad is trying to turn this into a hostage situation. i think what he is trying to do is to figure out what the best move for iran is in terms of dealing with the external pressure that iran is under. >> reporter: today, iranian legislators warned the u.s. not

to repeat "past mistakes" by pressuring iran at those geneva talks, suggesting that iran might stop offering any cooperation to the u.n. nuclear watchdog agency. the u.s. is insisting on focusing on the nuclear issue, but officials say that other subjects may come up, including the fate of the three american hikers. meredith? >> andrea mitchell, thank you. we are joined now by shane bauer's mother, cindy hickey and his sister, nicole lind skrom and sarah shourd's cousin patrick sandies. good morning to you all. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> cindy, if i could ask you first, as you heard from andrea, tensions between the u.s. and iran have escalated. how concerned does that make you about your son being brought back home along with the other two hikers? >> i really feel like their situation is a humanitarian issue, and we've also been very heartened and been given hope by the iranian president stating that seek or try to push for

maximum leniency. >> let me ask you about that heightened hope that you have. i'll ask you, nicole. this is a man -- ahmadinejad is a man who has proven himself untrustworthy, at least in the political and diplomatic arena, so why do you have confidence that when he says that he will push for leniency for the three hikers that he means ñoit? >> i think that because he's a father, he understands what we're going through. >> and that will be enough, you think, for him to try to get the three home? >> absolutely. we've appealed to him as a father, and he said that he's going to seek the maximum leniency, so we believe that he'll come through his word. >> i know you pleaded your case with him in a letter prior to him coming to the u.n. you ask that he bring the three hikers home with him, your family members home with him to the u.s. he did not do so. how disappointed were you? >> you know, we really want our kids back. we really miss them, but again, we're hopeful because of what we've heard through, you know, like interviews with ann curry

and we're hopeful and we've heard some positive things. >> do you feel that the u.s. government, patrick, is doing everything that it can do? i mean, obviously, anything that's being done is back-channeled. >> of course. the state department has been very helpful in keeping us informed of their diplomatic processes, and we're very happy with what they're doing and then we take our own steps on the humanitarian front, and we think that's going well as well. >> and finally, at the end of the day, cindy, you are a mom. i know that sarah's mom says she constantly listens to an internet video that sarah made with shane just to hear the voice again. at the end of the day, it's a primal feeling that you get. how do you get through the day? >> i always end my day with "i love you, shane." you go onto the website, freethehikers.org and looking at petitions and comments is heartening for me. i also, you know, the phones are

always close to me waiting for that call. >> and believing that it will come. >> believing that it will come, yes. >> thank you all so much for joining us. there will be candlelight vigils tomorrow -- >> yes. >> marking the two-month mark since they have been held in detention. >> yes. >> i appreciate you being here. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> it's 7:13. now to matt. ar polanski 32 years after he was charged in a sex crime involving a 13-year-old girl. overnight, his lawyer filed a motion to have polanski freed. we'll have polanski's longtime agent with us in just a moment, but first, nbc's dawna friesen is in zurich, switzerland, with the latest. dawna, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. roman polanski seems ready to defy american justice. his lawyers say he was dumbfounded by his arrest and today they filed a motion in federal court here to have him released from swiss custody. he spent 31 years as a fugitive from american justice. now, film director roman polanski behind bars in

switzerland, is preparing to fight extradition to california. "he's a fighter," his lawyer says, "he's gone through a lot of hardships in his life." supporters are lining up to defend him. the french foreign minister described polanski's arrest as a bit sinister. and listen to the culture minister. "in the same way as there is a generous america we love," he says, "there is a certain kind of american that is frightening, and this is the america which has shown us its face." the foreign ministers of france and poland say they will appeal to secretary of state hillary clinton to interview. actress deborah winger, head of the jury of the film festival, say they hope the case is dropped. >> it is based on a three decade-old case that is all but dead except for a minor technicali technicality. >> reporter: polanski fled the u.s. in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl and since launched a legal battle to have the case thrown out. his victim has forgiven him and

he's hardly spent his life in hiding. he's traveled widely in europe, had a holiday home in switzerland, and many in the film world where he's widely respected can't understand why the u.s. is going after him now. >> there's a sense of humanity that just gone wacko. i mean, this is 32 years ago. everybody involved in the incident says basta, finished. let us move on. and to, you know, to bring this thing up again is just absurd. >> reporter: but some u.s. legal experts say polanski is simply being treated like any other fugitive from justice. >> i think the d.a. is probably trying to demonstrate that just because the case is old doesn't mean it's over, and just because you run away doesn't mean we'll forget about you. >> reporter: most legal experts say it's shaping up to be a long and complex legal battle. and polanski's lawyers want him released immediately, arguing that his arrest was illegal, but the matter's now in the hands of the swiss justice system. we're told that it could take up to ten days for a decision, and

frankly, no one knows how this is all going to play out. matt? >> dawna friesen, thank you very much. jeff berg is roman polanski's agent and creator of international management. how are you? >> good, how are you, matt? >> i'm fine. i know you haven't spoken to him since his arrest, but you have spoken to his wife and legal team. what's the indication as to how he's doing? >> well, the reports i have from his defense counsel in zurich and his wife, emanuel, is he is strong, he's confident, he's looking forward to getting this resolved, and he's generally in a good frame of mind. i hope to speak with him directly within the next day or so. >> we're getting reports, jeff, that there are plans perhaps to fight extradition to the united states. a, can you confirm that, and what would it mean in terms of his legal standing in switzerland? >> well, i want to be clear that i look after his commercial interests, not his legal ones.

>> i understand. >> my understanding is that they are going to contest extradition. i think the first order of business is to try to have him released and get on bail so he could get out of custody. >> how hard an action would that be? i mean, how does a defense lawyer go to a court and say, for example, that he's not a flight risk, when you consider his history 30 years ago? >> well, first of all, roman has had a house in switzerland for over 12 years. he travels there openly and freely and transparently. but my understanding is the defense counsel in zurich right now will be making their arguments against extradition. roman is going to contest this. >> there's a lot of questions as to why this happened now, jeff. and is it possible that in some ways, roman's defense team brought this on themselves? i know they filed appeal papers over the summer in his case, saying there was misconduct during the trial process and also saying that, hey, there's really no attempt to extradite

this guy, so why not just let it go away? is it possible that that raised the anger level on the other side? >> well, first of all, roman has the right as do his attorneys to raise appellate issues, which in fact they've done in the state of california. as to the prior behavior, roman's lawyers were advised by the district attorney's office that extradition was not being sought in the past, so it's unclear to us why this has presented itself today. that's -- >> i was just going to say, as you know, prosecutors on monday did release a rather detailed list of events over the course of the last several years where they say they did try to apprehend, or at least make the planning or plan apprehending roman polanski, including as recently as 2007 in israel. do you think that they're not being completely honest about that release? >> i think that's disingenuous. roman's travels throughout europe and actually throughout the world are very open, very

transparent. he's a highly recognizable figure as well as a world-class director. it's inconceivable to me that anyone would have trouble finding roman. you could just go on the internet, go on romanpolanski.com. >> there's roman polanski's agent and chairman of icm, jeff berg. mr. berg, thanks for being with us. >> thanks, matt. >> once again, here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. now to the anticipated memoir of sarah palin. she's finished it earlier than expected that her publisher has now expected to move up its release date. nbc's norah o'donnell is in washington with more on that. norah, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. sarah palin's memoir will be in book stores by thanksgiving to capitalize on the holiday book-buying season. she finished her book just four months after the deal was announced and sources tell nbc news she did it so quickly by writing furiously, full-time for months, something she could not have done if she were still governor of alaska, and she's

chosen one intriguing title for the book, "going rogue," appropriating a term that was used to mock her during the campaign. it was just two months ago that sarah palin stepped down as governor. >> we are facing tough challenges in america with some seeming to just be hell bent, maybe, on tearing down our nation. >> reporter: since then, she's been out of the spotlight, only seen last week in hong kong after a paid speech. she's still not saying if she wants to run for president. >> oh, you know, i wish i could predict the future. cannot, so can't answer that question right now, but look forward to more opportunities to send good messages from the u.s. >> reporter: now she's sending a message about her life and her future with her new book, and perhaps most surprising is palin's choice for the title, "going rogue," a phrase that was used in the campaign to mock palin and her apparent

disagreements with john mccain. >> okay, listen up, everybody, i'm going rogue right now, so keep your voices down. available now, we've got a bunch of these palin in 2010 t-shirts. >> reporter: still, in an interview with matt just days after the election, palin denied she had been going rogue. >> have you listened to some of the leaks that have come out since the election, where they're saying that the mccain people leaked anonymously, are saying we couldn't control her, she was a rogue, she didn't want our consultants around her and it became tense. where do stories like that come from? >> i honestly do not know, because it's not true, matt. >> reporter: well, now palin likes the phrase enough for the title of her own book, and sources say she got this book done by writing around the clock. in fact, she moved her whole family to san diego for the entire month of august so she could work with her collaborator, the author, lynn vincent, who's the editor of an evangelical magazine, and harper collins, the editor, has ordered

a print of 1.5 million books. that's a lot, as many as were ordered for ted kennedy's posthumous memoirs. meredith? >> norah o'donnell, thank you very much. just ahead, a michigan mother in trouble with the law. her alleged crime? watching her friends' children as they wait for the school bus. she'll speak out in an exclusive, live interview.

still ahead, a florida man accused of murdering his wife hams it up behind bars.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning.

i am stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. baltimore city police are investigating a double shooting inside a gentleman's club in southeast baltimore. officers were called to the club at lombard street at 2:00 this morning, and found a man shot in the back and a woman shot in the wrist. they have not identified a suspect or possible motive. let's check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> let's update you on the latest incident. traffic is getting by ok. much worse problem -- this is on the outer loop west side. it is causing very heavy delays, all the way back to approaching 795. let's see what else is going on. an accident clearing from the left lane. five-vehicle crash at o'donnell street. all off to the side, but definitely causing delays there.

you are looking at pretty hefty volume-related delays on southbound 95 out of white marsh and the northeast outer loop there. dulaney valley, watch for an accident at towson. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are pretty quiet, but it is cool out there. 50 at the airport right now. 55 downtown baltimore. 55 across the state line in york. we are only going to struggle to make it to the upper 60s today. specific high at the airport of 67 degrees. you had the blustery winds, 15 to 20 miles per hour, and it is really going to feel like autumn. friday, and on the 60's, all week long. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news traffic information. our next live update at 7:55.

7:30 now on a tuesday morning. it is the 29th day of september 2009. a "today" show related birthday today. >> who? >> it is bryant gumbel's birthday today. >> oh. >> former longtime host of the "today" show. pal, happy birthday, we love you. >> happy birthday. >> many happy returns. meanwhile, fall has arrived. it's chilly out there. >> it has, it's cold. >> i'm matt lauer in studio 1a, alongside meredith vieira. still ahead, a stay-at-home mom told she's breaking the law because she watches her friends' children every morning for just a few minutes until the school bus arrives. we're going to hear from her exclusively. hopefully, she can explain that in just a couple minutes. also ahead, strange behavior from a man who days earlier was arrested and accused of murdering his wife. why would he laugh and even dance during a jailhouse visit with his daughter and sister-in-law? we'll have a lot more on that. plus, a rare interview with the one and only barbra streisand, who is out with a new

album today. it is, wow, her 63rd album. >> that is right. she sat down with us following a special concert at the place in new york city where her career started. we're going to hear from her coming up. but let's begin with the unusual performance by a florida man suspected of killing his own wife. nbc's kerry sanders is in orlando with details. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning, meredith. this community here is one of the most exclusive communities in orlando. it's where the millionaires and the billionaires live. among those who have homes here, tiger woods, shaquille o'neal. so, when a woman was killed and her husband was charged in the murder, the expectation here was tears and sorrow and a stone wall of silence. it's been anything but. 61-year-old james bob ward was arrested the night his wife died. investigators say the wealthy land developer dialed 911 to report his 55-year-old wife

diane had been shot. according to the arrest affidavit, ward said "i just shot my wife. she's dead." >> it's a very simple case. he pretty much in the call said he had shot his wife and left her -- and she could be found in the bedroom, and pretty much, that's what we found when we got on the scene. >> reporter: in this ritzy neighborhood that some say is orlando's real fantasy land, in a house once owned by baseball grant worrell hirsch hizer and before that, golfing legend arnold palmer, a mother dead, one gunshot to the head. >> it's surreal. it's, you know, a fairy tale place, you know? and for something like that to happen is just -- it's like cinderella being shot. >> reporter: but then clues began to emerge. bob ward, the successful developer, had taken his $190 million business into bankruptcy. his mansion was in foreclosure. >> in this neighborhood, there's a lot of pressure to keep up your wealth, to be rich and stuff like that.

>> mallory, would you speak at all on behalf of your family? >> reporter: then, the unexpected. the victim's own sister and the couple's daughter mallory, a student at georgetown, went to visit him in jail. >> hello. >> hey, handsome. >> reporter: their 45-minute-long conversation was surprisingly upbeat. >> what do you think the plan's going to be for thanksgiving? >> reporter: while experts say victims respond to trauma in different ways, how to explain the playful antics, father and daughter goofing around. >> believe me, i'm right here in the ritz. >> reporter: dancing, talking about pajamas. >> i also want to let you know how good you look. i've been trying to get you to wear pajamas for years now. >> good morning, how are you? >> good morning, your honor. >> reporter: ward's lawyer says the 911 confession may not be what it seems. >> the arrest affidavit i think is very, very thin on probable cause as to whether or not this was a homicide or a suicide.

it could be read either way. >> reporter: in that same arrest affidavit, there's this observation by a detective at the scene. ward was talking to an unknown person on the phone and told this unknown person diane killed herself. which raises more questions. did diane ward perhaps have a terminal disease, and is this an assisted suicide or did she kill herself? was it a suicide despite what her husband told the 911 operators? but for the moment, bob ward remains in jail charged with murder. meredith? >> totally bizarre. kerry sanders, thank you. let us get another check -- >> excuse me! i'm sorry. >> i'm sorry about that. >> did you see what i did, though? i did that. >> you did exactly right. kathleen sebelius would be very happy for you. >> i think she's on the phone right

>> you saw that we are in the cool spot on the map. high forecast of 67 degrees. winds, 15 to 20 per hour out of the west.

>> and don't forget, whenever you want your weather, day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weathe online. >> al, thank you very much. now to the michigan mother who could be punished for her good deed. what did she do wrong? she watched her friends' children as they waited for the school bus. we'll talk exclusively with that mom and some friends in a moment, but first, "today" national correspondent natalie morales has her story. natalie, good morning. >> good morning, matt. the school bus comes after lisa snyder's friends need to leave for work, and with before-school programs disappearing and choices being limited, they all thought they were doing the safest thing by having snyder keep an eye on things in the mornings. >> hi!

>> reporter: lisa snyder is the friend all working moms wish they had. for less than an hour every morning, the michigan mother of two watches her neighbors' kids before they get on the school bus so their moms can get to work on time. >> to me, this is just a friend helping a friend, plain and simple. >> reporter: but this friendly gesture has landed her in trouble with the law. >> it was working wonderfully until we got the letter from the state. >> reporter: the letter from the michigan department of human services notified snyder that if she has cared for unrelated children for more than four weeks, she's running an unlicensed daycare and could face jailtime and fines. >> in the interest of protecting children, we will investigate all allegations or complaints of unlicensed childcare. >> reporter: but snyder's friends are stunned. >> i'm kind of outraged that the state can override my decision on who can watch my child for an hour. >> nobody's paying anything. >> it's not a daycare, it's a bus stop. >> reporter: state representative brian cower is working on legislation to

protect people like snyder who are simply helping out their friends as long as no money is changing hands. >> it takes a village, but in michigan, i guess we're saying it takes a licensed village. >> the spokesperson for michigan's department of human services stressed to us that it was someone in snyder's community who raised concern about possible unlicensed care, and when that happens, the state then is obligated to follow up. matt? >> natalie, thank you very much. lisa snyder now joins us exclusively along with michigan state representative brian capitally and three of the friends that lisa baby sits for, francine, mindy and laurie. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> lisa, no good deed goes unpunished. you think you're doing something good for your friends. you get this letter from the state. what did you do first when you got the letter? >> called my husband. i was a little bit freaked out. so, yeah. he was the first person i called and then i called all of the other mothers and my mom.

>> had anyone complained to you, lisa, over the course of time that you had been watching these children? did you have people express concerns about this? >> no, never, nope. >> and so, when you -- >> not at all. >> when you called the department of human services after you received this letter and said -- walk me through this, why is this happening to me -- what was the reason they actually gave you? >> at first, they said that they have to follow up, and i started asking questions and told them i thought it was ridiculous. and then the question -- some of the answers that they gave me, i just started getting angry and i said i don't agree with this. i said that the children should be able to come into my house if it's raining or there's a snowstorm, and the lady said to me plain and simple that, tell the parents to buy them an umbrella. and i'm like, are you serious? you want these children -- >> you basically thought about this idea, so what if my daughter had a friend of hers just come over to play for a

little while each day, would that also be against the law? and what did they say to that? >> if their parents are at home, it's not, but if they decide to run to the store or go out to eat, it is considered daycare. >> what's the situation right now? is it cease and desist? have you stopped this? >> with one child i have, but the other two still come. >> all right. so, you're actually doing something in violation of the order at the moment. representative cally, let me bring you into this. what was your reaction when you heard this? i know a friend of lisa's brought this to your attention, this good deed gone wrong. what was your reaction? >> i found it very difficult to believe when i read the letter and the account of what happened. i thought, surely, i must be missing something here. i called the department personally, and they did confirm that the letter and everything in it was true and that was the

position of the department, that a daycare license was necessary for the kids to wait for the bus in this house. >> you say you might be missing something. let me play devil's advocate for a second, if you all don't mind. and i hate hypotheticals, but what would happen if this group of children is in lisa's house one morning and an accident occurs, a fire breaks out, or if one of the children has an accident, eats something and has a bad health reaction? wouldn't lisa then be exposed to real legal jeopardy? for example, there are no exit signs in her house like you'll find at a licensed daycare center. wouldn't that be part of the problem? >> well, and i understand the idea of regulating a business in that way, but when friends are helping friends, i think parents are in a much better position to determine what's safe for their kids than the department of human services. there is no amount of testing or interviews or applications that somebody could fill out and send

into the department of human services that would make them more capable of determining a safe environment for their kids than the parents themselves. >> and you're trying to pass legislation now, i understand, mr. calley, to kind of get around this or do away with that law? >> that's right. the law itself is taken way out of context. it's meant to regulate businesses, the business of providing daycare services. it's not meant to apply to friends helping friends in this way. and so, what i'd like to do is clarify the law and take away the ability of the department to apply in this way. >> lisa, i guess the final question is, apparently, someone ratted you out, someone called the state about you. do you have any idea who that was? >> no. >> none whatsoever. all right. well, hopefully, hopefully we can -- >> it has to be someone -- i'm sorry, it has to be someone close by that can see what's going on. >> well, and i know the ladies around you certainly hope this

gets sorted out real soon so that you continue to do them a good deed. and lisa, thanks for joining us. ladies, thanks for you being with us as well, and representative calley, it's nice to see you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you, matt. >> all right. up next, could that first-time home buyer's tax credit be extended past its fast-approaching deadline? we're going to talk about that with barbara corcoran, but first, these messages.

♪ our house in the middle of our street ♪ back at 7:46. this morning on "today's real estate," the federal tax credit for first-time home buyers. the december 1st deadline fast approaching, but should you race out to take advantage of it? "today's" real estate contributor barbara corcoran is here with the answer. barbara, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> first, remind us what the federal tax credit is and who qualifies for it. >> it's a $8,000 tax credit intended for first-time home buyers. it really covers anyone who

hasn't owned a home in the last three years, but it's an actual credit, money you get back at the year end when you file your taxes. >> and it was designed to boost the housing market to encourage first-time homeowners to buy their first home and those who already had a house to sell it and purchase something even more expensive. has it been successful and is the housing market coming back? >> well, there's a lot of questions rolled into one there. yes to the first part in that it has kick-started the housing market, because last month -- or i should say, the month of july, the latest numbers, one-third of all home buyers were first-time buyers. so, it's done its job there. where it's did nbeen disappoints people expected a domino effect on the housing market. it has not. the reason being is the housing market is just like a triangle with the greatest number of houses at the base, and they had hoped with the buyers at the bottom of the wrung being able to sell their houses, they'd move up and buy another house. but what happened instead is they bought foreclosures and short sales and desperate owners and all of those homeowners have simply moved into the rental market. so it's laid low at the bottom.

>> so, now we're talking about a deadline of december 1st. is there enough time for new homeowners to still go out and get a house? >> well, if you believe in miracles and you can find a really good foreclosure where the bank has sweaty palms, yes, it's not too late, but for the most part, it's impractical. most homes today take 60 to 0i9 days to close, the banks don't loan the money so readily, so the process has slowed down. if you found a house this weekend, the chances are very good that you wouldn't get the tax credit. >> although there is talk about it being extended like the cash for clunkers program was extended. how likely is that to happen? >> well, no one knows the answer, but i myself, i definitely believe in good old politics, and right now, there are 12 bills on the floor to extend the deadline. i think it will happen because every congress guy out there or gal wants to tie their name onto this very popular bill. so, i fully expect that this is going to be extended. >> okay, so, if you are a first-time buyer, it's all right to continue looking, because probably you're going to get the extension. >> yeah. and more importantly, it's ridiculous to try to rush it

because you end up being a bad negotiator and don't find the right house. find the right house first. >> once this program ends, and at some point it will, what do you expect will happen to the housing market, because it has provided some boost. >> it's created the first big kick in the butt, and that's great, but the horse is already out of that barn. that guy is galloping away. even though we're going to have some bumps in the road, the housing market has turned the corner and people expect it to maintain the momentum even without this bill. >> is it likely, people are talking about standing the credit line from $8,000 to $15,000 and to all home buyers, not just first-time. >> there's lots of talk out there, do this and that and the other thing. truth is, anything that's going to stir up the housing market is going to be popular and probably passed by congress. >> all right, barbara corcoran. >> my pleasure. >> thank you so much. still to come, kerry fisher's eventful life in hollywood. she's going to join us, talk about the highs and the lows.

still ahead, what did michael jackson see in the myrrhor? we'll hear his answer in his own words. plus, barbra streisand.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. the three men accused of brutally beating an elderly fishermen have pleaded not guilty. tom lockner, emanuel miller, and exactly what some or all arraigned yesterday morning, on

the crimes in the attack of james privott. if convicted, they could spend 85 years in prison. >> looking at a rough ride again this morning. we have an accident on southbound i-95 approaching eastern boulevard. two left lanes are blocked. fareed jammed approaching white marsh. 14 -- very jammed approaching white marsh. this is still blocking the left lane. this one involves a tractor trailer. southbound i-795, from franklin to the ultimate -- franklin to the beltway. on a house but it was like, down to 10 miles per hour. -- on the harrisburg expressway, down to 10 miles per hour.

we will switch to a lot of two of frederick. -- a live view of frederick. >> looking nice outside with sunshine out there. mid-50's on the eastern shore. it will remain below normal today. calling for a high between 64 and 69. adding the other variable of the wind. 15-to-20-mile-per-hour wind sustained today. we will stay in the 60's until friday. another front moves through by the weekend. >> thank you for joining us. be sure to join us for the next live update at 8:25.

♪ don't tell me not to live

it's 8:00 on this tuesday morning, september 29th, 2009. a cool morning here in midtown manhattan. as we say hello to everyone in rockefeller plaza, i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer and al roker. just ahead, iconic singer, actress, director, barbra streisand sat down with us over the weekend following an intimate performance in new york. we're going to have our conversation in just a minute. >> look forward to that. >> i've been mispronouncing her name, it's barbra streisand, the sand, not barbra streisand. i don't want to do that. >> it's actually barbara. >> no, it's barbra. everybody knows it's barbra. >> and he's here with us to share things about his sister. this is part of an exhibit traveling around the world and it's back here in the united states and we'll talk to charles spencer in just a little while.

>> would you get me that dress? >> i think it's part of the traveling exhibit. >> oh, never mind. >> i don't think it's for your own personal use. >> but it's here now. >> okay, and then carrie fisher is stopping by. always colorful, always fun. she's going talking more about her remarkable life in hollywood. >> but first, let's go inside to ann curry at the news desk. good morning, ann. >> good morning, meredith. good morning, everybody. a bus hit a roadside bomb today in afghanistan, killing 30 and wounding about 80 others. president obama holds a strategy session today on whether to send tens of thousands more u.s. troops to afghanistan as requested by the top military commander on the ground. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd is in washington now with more on this. chuck, how soon do we expect the president's decision? >> reporter: well, we're still probably weeks away from a presidential decision or even receiving a request for more troops, because first they want to do an entire strategic

overview. in fact, half of the presidents' day is going to be focused on afghanistan. he meets with the nato secretary-general. the topic of that conversation is going to be afghanistan and the training of the afghans to build a bigger civilian force. then he's going to have a private meeting with the vice president, who actually is skeptic about sending more troops, and the defense secretary robert gates. and then there is that big meeting with gates, biden, secretary clinton, joint chiefs of staff mullen. you're going to see general petraeus there, and they're going to be having a serious debate about what should the strategy be going forward. what's not clear is whether there is actually going to be a troop request today for the president. that's unlikely, ann. >> still a lot rests on this meeting. all right, chuck todd this morning. chuck, thanks. also this morning, iran's parliament warned the u.s. and other world powers against repeating past mistakes in forcing iran to scrap its nuclear program. this as negotiators from iran and five member nations of the security council and germany

gear up for a key meeting thursday in geneva. health officials say the predicted second wave of swine flu is now hitting the united states. according to the centers for disease control, at least 26 states are now reporting widespread flu activity with 99 % of the cases confirmed as swine flu. officials hope to vaccinate more than half the u.s. population in just a few months. a woman just released from jail after serving time for robbing banks is behind bars this morning after allegedly robbing six banks in six days. nbc's mike taibbi is outside one of those banks in windsor, connecticut. hey, mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. you know, there are people who see heather brown of connecticut as an emerging folk hero, but one man who knows her well and also knows her long drug history is guessing she just couldn't handle life outside the walls. heather brown covered her head after her arrest in hartford yesterday, but last week she allegedly robbed six banks in six days in three states -- connecticut, rhode island, massachusetts -- without so much

as a pair of sunglasses, let alone a disguise. claiming she had a bomb or a gun, she allegedly demanded modest amounts of cash, $1,000 in several of the robberies, in which she was ultimately arrested, had neither a weapon nor any of the cash. >> do you have nothing to say, heather? >> she was taken into custody without incident. wasn't any problem. >> reporter: lawyer and family friend larry bates says the smart, sweet girl who used to baby sit his young children was destroyed by drug addiction to pot and then crack-cocaine that pointed her toward jail as a teenager. >> everything that's happened to her happened really after she hit 16, i think. >> reporter: in the blogosphere, some have been cheering her on. "you go girl!" "good luck and have fun," "keep going," "wow!" seeing her as an icon in the tradition of bonnie and clyde collide. >> we rob banks. >> or babyface nelson. >> three banks in two hours! >> reporter: but brown herself had lamented in prison, the only place since childhood where she had long stretches of sobriety,

that "whenever i pick up crack, i pick up handcuffs." and thus made sure she'd be caught, her ex-lawyer says. >> that's the biggest cry for help you can have, i think. >> reporter: brown's arraignment today is only on charges stemming from the first of last week's six bank robberies. police say charges in the other five will soon follow. she remains in jail on $250,000 bail. ann? >> all right, mike taibbi this morning, thanks. it is now 8:05.

>> we are gonna see partly cloudy skies today. high of 67 degrees. a little bit cooler than normal. gusting up to about 30 miles an hour. chilly all week. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. still to come, you know who's stopping by? mariah carey is stopping by, and that lady right there will sit down with meredith for an interview.

that's the one and only barbra streisand. talk to her after these messages. what about the strength of the steel, the integrity of it's design? or how it responds in extreme situations. the deeper you look, the more you see the real differences. and the more you understand what it means to own a mercedes-benz. the c-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for special offers through mercedes-benz financial. the lotion with a unique formula - effective 24 hours a day lightweight and fast absorbing. turn dry skin into skin that feels great all day. with smoothing essentials. only from eucerin. we break it, then we fix it. so you can start your day sunny side up. that's what we're made of. ♪ ♪

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icon, superstar, or self-styled show business goddess. as one "the new york times" critic describes her. he perhaps captures her best in his review of her classic tv specials broadcast between 1965 and 1973. he writes, "miss streisand wields her star power with a concentrated intensity that is magnetic, intimidating and ahead of its time," turning her famous bump in the nose profile to the camera, she challenges you to say she isn't beautiful and dares you to look away, and we never give." ♪ >> in 1961, the brooklyn-born 18-year-old streisand auditions at the village vanguard to open for jazz legend miles davis. she didn't get the job. only a small bump in an

otherwise dazzling career. ♪ don't tell me not to live ♪ wow, wow, wow >> what's up, doc? ♪ ♪ >> 48 years later, she finally played the village vanguard here in new york on saturday. it was an emotional night for some lucky die-hard fans, and afterwards, she sat down with us. ♪ but if you stay, i'll make you a day like no day has been ♪ >> you said something to me right before this interview started. i thought it was so interesting. i was talking about, you know,

having this experience. you said, yeah, what was it like? as if you hadn't been there. >> yeah, well, i don't know what it's -- you know, the perception of it is different than doing it. ♪ ♪ leave me just enough to hold in my hand ♪ >> it's like, i could hear when i was doing it people sniffling, but i don't know what really gets them. >> it was very emotional. did it bring back memories? >> i wasn't scared then. i didn't have stage fright. i never felt quite seen as a child, so, it was my way of wanting to have some attention, i guess. but tonight -- i mean, can you imagine, that stage was literally about six feet wide. i couldn't move. i could barely move. >> you said how can you get stage fright when there's no stage?

>> right. ♪ no complaints and no regrets, i still believe in chasing dreams and placing bets ♪ >> did you know when you were auditioning and not getting the gig at the vanguard, i can do this, i am going to make it? >> yeah, yeah. i remember my first broadway play was "the diary of ann frank." sat in the top of the balcony. the seats were dull , and the illusion is different. i remember thinking she's a 14-year-old, i'm 14 years old, i could do that. ♪ here's to life and dreamers and their dreams ♪ >> but you know, nobody gave me the chance right away, but that's why singing really got me a chance to be an actress.

>> you know, you tell that story tonight about singing in front of some friends, you had to literally turn and face the wall? >> face the wall, mm-hmm. >> why? >> i just was shy, you know, embarrassed. i could never get up and sing in a living room. >> so, you had to overcome a lot of fear then. >> one day i was -- we were skiing and we were at donna karan's house, my friend, and liza minnelli got up to sing. and i thought, how could she do that, get up in the living room and sing? really. this was very conscious and very challenging. i thought, why can't i do that? and so, i really set about not trying to sing in the living room, because that i don't think i ever could do, but it started me thinking that i should go back to performing on the stage again in concert. >> what did it mean to have those fans there tonight, barbra? >> you know, i'm there hoping i don't disappoint. >> yeah.

you still feel that way. >> yes, i do. i haven't sung since last january, and i never vocalize. it's just, i find it just so boring. so, i kind of pray a lot that my voice will still be there. so, this is something i kind of take for granted and i appreciate the gift, you know. it's wonderful. i thank her every day. >> first line of your bio -- this is your official bio -- it reads, "actress, singer, director, writer, composer, producer, designer, activist." so, fill in the blank -- first and foremost, i am -- >> oh, gosh. i'm trying, i'm trying. i'm a work in progress. i mean, i'm trying to be a better person all the time, to be kinder. it's hard sometimes because i do -- i have flaws, you know? like most of us.

so, i'm not finished. >> you said tonight you came full circle, this was full circle. >> uh huh, yeah. where i was and where i am, back to the beginning. but second time around. >> see, i noticed you all responded to her saying she doesn't vocalize, but she doesn't. she doesn't -- >> that's amazing. >> tony bennett once sent her a tape with some vocal exercises on it and i think she said she listened to it once. no formal training at all and she cannot read music at all. >> i thought it was that story about liza minnelli was fascinating, that she was stunned that liza minnelli could stand up in lafg room and sing and she can't. >> she can't do that. even this was a stretch for her to come back and perform, but really coming back full circle because greenwich village is where she got her start. >> that's cool. i get a kick out of that, huh? it's fun to sit down -- >> oh, my gosh, and that concert.

>> the concert was unbelievable itself. >> it was unbelievable. i don't think i had ever been in the village van guard. i was trying to think that many years ago. not that i have blackouts or anything. but people in the front row, there was sarah jessica parker, but most of the fans got the tickets from a lottery. thousands applied and less than 100 got in that room. so it was pretty cool. okay, again, barbra streisand's "love is the answer" is out today and it really is a fabulous album. up next, princess diana's brother shares some of his sister's most treasured items. introducing blueprint. blueprint is free and only for chase customers. it lets you choose what purchases you want to pay and those you split... interest...with full pay. you decide how to pay over time. if having a plan matters. chase what matters. eate your own blueprint at chase.com/blueprint.

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it has been more than 12 years now since the tragic death of princess dina. her life and humanitarian work is being honored in an international traveling exhibit called "diana: a celebration," and it's about to make its east coast debut. her brother charles spencer is here to tell us all about that. charles, good to see you. >> thank you. >> welcome back. >> thank you. >> i was thinking last night, in the immediate time following diana's death, there was so much fascination about the glamorous part of her life and her fashion and romances and things like that. do you think the public's interest has evolved in some ways over the last several years to a more well-rounded picture? >> well, i think that that's definitely the case, but also, what's so sobering to me is when this exhibit's open in england in our ancestral house, there are so many people who don't even have a memory of her,

people who were too young then. so there's a whole generation to whom she's really a historical figure, but i think the idea behind this exhibit was to celebrate diana's life, not to deal with any so-called scandal or whatever, but to celebrate what she did in a very short time. >> and there are different galleries within the exhibit that focus on different aspects of her life, and i know one of them is dedicated to her childhood, so let's talk about that -- >> yes. >> because it was your childhood as well. >> absolutely. >> how would you describe her as a child? >> well, we grew up very close. we were the closest of the four children, and she was a busy little girl, and my mother left home when we were very young and she sort of took on a mothering role to me as her little brother, and so, i remember her very, very clearly as a sort of warm and reassuring presence, and she used to look out for me, you know? my first day of school, she had been there a couple years and the head myth recess told me a time later that diana couldn't settle all day and the head mistress said just go and see how he is, and she went, charles

is all right, and she was good like that. >> there's a letter here that diana wrote to dad. >> yes. >> it says "dear daddy." that's when she was 7 years old? >> yes. she was always a great letter writer. actually, it was quite formal. she always had a phrase, i hope you're well and we're having great weather. i hear from all sorts of people, she was always thanking people for anything they did throughout their life. >> it always makes a difference when someone writes a note, much more than the e-mail generation we live in now. she loved dance and that's in the exhibit as well. >> absolutely. that was her real childhood passion that was her aim was to become a ballet dancer, but she grew to just over 5'9", and it was made clear to her that ballet was out. but one of my abiding memories of our childhood was we had this sort of marble hallway, and just hearing her practicing her tap dancing the whole time. she was very, very keen on it. >> i'm curious if here we are 13 12 years after her death, and

are you even surprised -- we've talked many times over the years, charles, and at each passage of time, are you still surprised by just how much interest there is in your sister? >> yes. i mean, to me, i've had to a long time ago divide her into two people. one is the sister i knew and grew up with and loved and the other was the international celebrity, and that's something i've tried to bring into this exhibit is the fact that she was very much a person. you know, one of the things people remember is the childhood footage from this exhibit, which my father shot, and people can identify with that. that could be anyone's childhood. >> we're going to put information as to where the exhibit is traveling on our website. it's always good to see you, though. >> thank you very much. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore.

>> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check of the morning call m -- morning commue with sarah caldwell. >> southbound 95 at easton, accident off to the side but creating very heavy delays. greenmount and the city, an accident with a pedestrian involved there. heavy traffic from the beltway to 28th street vicinity. 18 miles per hour at frederick, accident still clear from the shoulder. on the northeast corner and the northwest corner, heavy delays. 30-minute ride from westminster pike. gen from shawan road down to the beltway, and prior to that from middletown to mount carmel. in the area of the outer loop from 83 towards 795, it will take 34 minutes to get through that stretch.

the 15-minute ride on the inner loop between 795 and 83's. the pace from just past mountain road all the way to the past the beltway, that is what looks like on the west side. >> temperatures pretty crisp outside. 53 at b.w.i. marshall. 57 on the eastern shore. going to see a good dose of sunshine today. it will warm us up into the upper 60s for the daytime high. winds will also be somewhat of an issue. keeping the breeze around tomorrow. coolest day thursday, grudge will warm up by the weekend. >> another update at 8:55.

♪ ♪ boy, why you so obsessed with me ♪ 8:30 now on a tuesday morning, 29th day of september 2009. right now people on our plaza getting a thrill, because they're hanging out with the one and only mariah carey. she's out with a new album today. we're going to talk about that with mariah herself in just a couple of minutes and find out from mariah what we can expect this coming friday morning when she performs live in concert right here on the plaza. >> that will be terrific. >> that's going to be fun. that really is. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, ann curry and al roker. and what's coming up? >> another superstar, michael jackson, his friend and confidante is sharing more of his intimate conversations with

the late singer, including a portion in which michael talks about getting sick when he saw a picture of himself. we'll hear about that in just a moment. carrie fisher is joining us as well. she's got a new one-woman show on broadway. she's back on broadway after a couple of decades. she is hilarious and her life has been nothing short of very interesting. we're going to talk to carrie about that in just a couple of minutes. don't look at me that way. >> you're in trouble, matt. but first, we've got a special guest. >> yes, we do. >> let's bring mariah carey in, who happens to be on our studio this morning for -- >> group hug. >> hello. we'll give you an hour to stop that. 12 studeth studio album out tod. >> congratulations. >> "perfect angel." and you're coming back friday. >> i will be back friday, yes, and i believe we're going to do a little concert thing. >> just a little concert thing? >> a little concert thing.

>> yes. >> let me ask you about the album. do you like the process, the recording process, the behind-the-scenes work or would you rather go to the performing part? >> no, they call me a studio rat. i live in the studio. i've been writing songs since i was 12 years old, writing preeyt since i was 6. >> it's home. >> a lot of people still don't know i write and produce my own stuff. i collaborate a lot, but i'm like, how many years do i have to do this until they realize? >> what's your inspiration? what makes you inspired when you write these things? >> you know what, it comes from all different places. for me, it's a spiritual thing and something that we get as a gift and that's how i look at it. i have a lot of faith. my mom actually said to me, don't say if i make it, say when i make it. so i felt like those were words to live by. >> they are. >> and this album is about the different stages of love, from the first-time love to maybe the love that you lose and finally getting it back. what stage of love are you in right now? >> i'm in the best stage of love

there ever could be, except that my husband had to go do something in l.a. today, so -- >> nick cannon?

>> we are going to see a high of 67 degrees, partly cloudy skies but winds picking up a little bit as well. gusting to about 30 miles per hour.

we are going to stay cool all week. >> and for your weather any time of the day or night, check out the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. meredith? >> all right, al, thank you very much. coming up next, the always colorful carrie fisher. but firsrs

for the first time in 26 years, carrie fisher is returning to broadway. she, of course, is best known for her role as princess leia in the "star wars" films, and she

recounts that experience in her one-woman show called "wishful drinking," based on her life as the daughter of singer fisher and actress debbie reynolds. a paperback by that title has just been released as well. carrie, you're one of our favorite people. welcome back. >> oh, thank you so much. >> how does it feel to be back on broadway? >> well, back on broadway -- i was here in the chorus of my mother's show "irene" when i was 15 or 16 years old, so, in high school that's what i did. >> so this seems like all new again to you. >> sure. and then i played in "agnus," so it's going to be different from that, too. >> you talk about the fact that you try in this show to take situations that most people in their lives will say aren't funny, there's nothing funny about this, and you try to mine a little comic gold in it. do most people understand that right off the bat or does it make them uncomfortable? >> i don't know if most people do, but my feeling is, if you can claim something, you have more power over it, you know?

the more -- you're only as sick as your secrets, i've heard someone say once, but i say my weak things in a strong voice. >> yeah. i just want to say before we go any further, last time you were here, you sat like you're sitting right now -- >> and i looked like i had no legs. >> we had all kinds of people write and say did she have her legs amputated -- >> but it's bad enough that i'm overweight -- >> no, you start the show with a little primmer about your parents. >> right. >> you call it hollywood inbreeding 101. let's take a look at the clip. >> oh, don't make me. >> all right, welcome, class, to hollywood 101. thank you so much for enrolling. all right, so, over here we have debbie and eddie. in the '50s, they were known as america's sweethearts. for those of you that are younger, all three of you, and you know, you can't relate to any of this, try to think of it this way. think of eddie as brad pitt, debbie as jennifer aniston and

elizabeth as angelina jolie. does that help? >> what was up with the fact you couldn't even look at yourself on the monitor? that's strange. it's your show. >> here's my thing. i invite people to my show not to look at my house, but to listen to my furniture, because i'm a little on the mansion side right now and struggling with it. >> are you insecure about that? i mean -- >> but you know, that's a minor thing in a way. if that's my biggest problem, it's a nose bleed high-class problem, but it makes you vulnerable. >> you talk about everything in this show and in the book, obviously. and i mean, marriages and paul simon and brian, and who the latter, obviously, famously left you for another man. it's something that you do that's very funny about that subject. you talk about how he blamed your drug use for him -- >> told me i turned him gay by taking codeine again, and i said i never read that warning on the label. i thought it said heavy machinery, not homosexuality. i could have been driving those tractors. >> you talk about your parents,

and there's great warmth and great sarcasm at the same time. were you always amused by them or were you horrified by them for much of your life? >> i was a teenager. when you're a teenager, you're horrified by everyone, i mean, everyone seems ridiculous but you. no, i -- my parents -- look, everything that's in the show, i went to everyone i talk about and said here's what i'm going to say. if you don't like it, take it out, but i really -- >> did you really give people that editing license? >> of course. i don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. it's a show about me, but as it happens, i interact with people in my life, so some of the stories -- >> your parents have seen it. >> oh, yeah. >> and they like the show? they're comfortable with it? >> absolutely. i don't know that anyone in our family's comfortable -- >> that's just not a state of being? >> i wouldn't claim that, yeah. >> you talk about mental illness and you talk about dealing with bipolar disorder. and i think one of the things you say there, and it's very empowering, actually, is you shouldn't be criticized for having a mental illness. it's hard. it's a tough act. it makes you pretty tough.

>> well, yes, and actually, i think you can only show real courage or strength once it's tested, and boy, do you get tested being bipolar. so, you know, we have to develop character to combat it. >> and i'm also reading where you talk about the fact that there was a stage in your life where you just wanted to win an award. you wanted to get an award for anything. >> no -- >> for acting, and it turns out -- >> i now get awards for being mentally ill. i think it's because there's no swimsuit portion of the competition. well, it's better than being bad at being mentally ill, right? >> to be runner-up? >> i'm great at it. i am fant stick at being mentally ill. >> want to be runner-up in the competition? >> i don't want to be that. wouldn't that be sad? >> you bring an audience member up on stage during your show. i hope i'm not giving anything away. >> no, no, no. >> that's okay. >> you seem, from what i've heard, and i haven't seen the show, but people have told me, you're very comfortable with the people. there's a real connection between you and the people who

come to see your show. >> well, they're my scene partners. you know, i mean, if i don't connect with them -- you do it to sort of establish a kind of comradery. it's one of the thousands of reasons you might do it. and i love the audiences. they're very vocal. i ask them questions, you know, we interact a lot. otherwise, i'm all alone. >> you know, actually, i mentioned the subject of mental illness, and you think there are some people who come to see your show who are struggling with many of the same issues -- >> well, i ask people. i say, it's an exclusive -- you know, i say i was invited to a mental hospital, you know, and you don't want to be rude, right? so you go. and then you say, it's -- well, you know, it's a very exclusive invitation, obviously. >> right. >> i say, how many of you have been invited to a mental hospital? well, one night we had nine. that was awesome. most of the time you'll see this happen and then it will go away. >> you've hit your target audience? >> that's my target audience, gay, mentally ill, sci-fi

alcoholics, if -- you know, that's a big crew. >> how long can a show survive with that target audience? >> a long time. >> changing subjects, did you -- >> spilled that -- >> -- spill that in your cleavage? >> there's so much cleavage. i'd like to get something off my chest. go ahead. >> i want to ask you about -- i guess it's kind of a serious subject in addition to what we've been talking about, michael jackson. you were close friends with michael jackson. >> i wasn't that close, but to not be close friends with michael in his sort of context or world is to be close, you know, with michael. michael mostly, i think, was close with children. i mean, because you could trust them. he could trust me in a way because i was not -- celebrity really affects the people around you, especially his kind. it's radioactive. and so, really, he couldn't -- everybody looked at him with like an extra, you know, brightness in their eyes, and it wasn't, you know -- >> so you never sat down, not like we're doing in front of

millions of people -- >> oh, yeah, on the phone -- >> did you sit down and have heart-to-heart talks with him and learn about him? >> mostly on the phone. and i don't have to learn a lot. you know, i come from a show business family. i was famous, not as young as he was, but young. so i'm imperterbible about celebrity, so he could relax with that. but he was most comfortable with children because they don't understand the distraction of celebrity. they don't get pulled up in it. they just want to play. >> did you identify with him and what he was going through, being a star at such a young age? >> well, being a star at any age. but i also grew up around it, so i knew celebrity was just obscurity biding its time. >> right. >> i mean, you know, it's all going to run into a wall. so, i never had any illusions about it. >> were you shocked by his death or did you think -- >> yes, i was. >> you were? >> yeah. i mean, but he's not even -- a proper drug addict, not that i would know, takes drugs to feel

altered. he was just wanted out of the game. that's not a drug addict in my, you know, definition, my encyclopedia of terms. >> carrie fisher, always fun to have you here. always interesting. >> nice to be here. >> "wishful drinking" officially opens on broadway sunday night. and you can read an excerpt from carrie's book on todayshow.com. come back and see us soon. >> i will. i'll be right back. >> we'll be back in a moment.

♪ ♪ the man in the mirror back at 8:48 with more never-before-heard recordings of michael jackson, made with the late singer's permission during more than 30 hours of conversation with his friend, rabbi shmuley boteach. now it's in "the michael jackson

tapes." rabbi shmuley, welcome back. >> thank you, meredith. >> you were on the show friday with us and we had a "dateline" special that night talking about your book and those 30 hours of tape. some of the recordings were played both during our piece and "dateline." we want to play more this morning, but before that, address the criticism by some viewers about the timing of this book. those recordings were made in 2000-2001, when you said you were michael's friend and spiritual adviser, but they're just coming out now. why? a lot of people saying why not before the man died? why not after the fact? >> you know, all these famous people on the show today all know what it's like to have an image portrayed to the public, but their real soul is not known. michael wanted to be known to the public because they were very suspicious of him. and the book was supposed to come out in three-2004. he was arrested on child molestation allegations, although he was exonerated in 2005. it was impossible for his voice to be taken seriously, and really, the book was dead. it was going to just be shelved. when he died, there was such an outpouring of sympathy. i think for the first time

people said maybe we judged him too harshly. maybe there's more that come out. this book has created sympathy for people because now they understand the pain he lived with. >> but after 2004, which obviously at that point he'd want to regain his reputation even more so. why didn't he push them offensive this book published? >> think about it, he was arrested for the second time on child molestation. he was so eloquent, especially on the subject of children, i thought this would be seen as an attempt to rationalize child molestation. i think it would have made his image far worse. it was a dead project. michael's death changed everything, because it really opened up the heart of the public to him, and i think he's being seen in a totally different light, and i wish he could have seen the reaction to the book because i received thousands of e-mails of people saying i never knew how broken he felt. he's honest in this book. >> and you get a sense of a man who was broken, a man who says he sought attention because he equated it with the love he didn't get as a child, but he also is defined in some of the

tapes, particularly when he talks about the way the press vilified him and why he believes they did. let's listen to a portion of the tape where he talks about that. >> i was the first one to break the ice, break the mold, where white girls, scottish girls, irish girls screaming, "i'm in love with you! i want to --" and that gave a lot of the white press, they didn't like that. and that's why they started the story, he's weird, he's gay, he sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber. he wants to buy the elephant man bones. anything to turn people against me, they tried their hardest. and i took -- anybody else would probably be dead by now or a junkie or something with what i've been through, shmuley. >> "anybody else would probably be dead by now or a junkie or something with what i've been through." >> imagine how painful those words are in light of his tragic death, but i would always say to michael, all the king's men can't put humpty back together again, but you can put yourself back together. ultimately, you can't find scapegoats for your issues. there may indeed have been elements of racism in his

attacks, but michael gave his enemies the worst weapons -- because he thought some of the rules that applied to you and me didn't apply to him, especially when it came to sharing a bed with children. i personally don't think michael did anything that bordered on child molestation, but when you admit that you secluded yourself with someone else's child, not only do you open yourself to the charges that were later brought against him, but you ultimately think this guy is just very different and you lose sympathy for him. >> he talks to you in the tape recordings about the way he sees himself as a man. now, this is a man who had a lot of plastic surgery, who was repulsed by himself. let's listen to that excerpt. >> i don't want to be seen now, shmuley. like i said, when my picture came up, i went, "uckk." when i saw it on the computer, it made me sick when i saw it. >> why? >> i look like a lizard. i look like, it's horrible. i don't like it. i never like. it that's why i wish i could never be photographed or seen. i push myself to go to the things that we go to, i really do.

>> so, why did he keep doing all of that to himself if he couldn't stand the way he looked? he was contributing to it with plastic surgery after surgery after surgery. >> i think as a culture we want to visit so much of our self loathing onto michael. michael just took our self hatred to an extreme. who in america likes what they look like? every magazine says you should be looking like this and we undergo many procedures. he just had the money to have a crazy number, but i actually believe that michael is a tragic american icon for that same reason. he sort of exhibited an extreme form of american disfunction, but are we really surprised with the fact that he didn't like how he looked given that we experience the same thing? >> rabbi shmuley, thank you for your insight. again, the book is called "the michael jackson tapes." we'll be right back.

still to come, how to make new friends a little later in life. >> plus, a healthier lifestyle courtesy of "the biggest loser." >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here's a look at one of our top stories. a pair of teenagers accused of shooting an off-duty baltimore city police detectives are being held without bail.

they attended a bail hearing yesterday. police said that both teenagers shot detective harris at least three times while trying to rob him outside his northwest baltimore home. harris was able to fire back and strike one in the leg. the teenagers face numerous charges. back in a minute with a check on today's forecast.

>> now let's take a look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> a mix of sunshine and clouds, i of 67 degrees. seven degrees cooler than normal. we will have some wind out of the west, 15 to 20 miles per hour. a little blustery out there. the costs could be higher. in baltimore, the 60's all week long.

we have a good chance of showers throughout the day. >> we will have another update at 9:25. by putting an end to paper medical records, we have ushered health into the digital age. saving lives, sometimes when seconds count. managing chronic conditions.

making amazing new discoveries. and, oh yes, saving a lot of trees. kaiser permanente. thrive.