[ applause ] >> i love you guys! thank you so much! >> you're looking at one of the biggest names in pop music, mariah carey, who has just thrilled the crowd here in rockefeller plaza with great music. and if you're just tuning in on this friday morning, the good news is, more great music from mariah. i had a little bit too much of the fridays here. our friend mariah, coming up. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker and amy roba robach. amy's here because natalie is on assignment in copenhagen. and coming up in this half hour, more on this international custody story we've been talking about. an american father has ended up in a japanese jail all because he went to japan to get his children back from his ex-wife who took them there. well, now he's speaking out from prison. his current wife will join us to fill us in on this story in just a second. >> and then more on that david

letterman show shocker. i mean, a cbs producer was arrested yesterday for allegedly trying to blackmail the "late show" host, causing letterman to admit on his program last night to having sex with female staffers. it is a bizarre story and we are going to have all of the details coming up. also a little bit later on, we're going to be talking about safety and your kids. we're going to have some very important information for parents about dangerous products that have been recalled, which you may not even know about, from dvd players to bassinets. important information every parent needs to know. >> okay, we've got a lot to get to. ann's got the headlines of the morning. take it away. >> i am. in fact, there's a lot to get to. good morning once again, everybody. today the international olympic committee announces which city will host the 2016 summer games after a big push from president obama, who traveled to copenhagen in a last-minute bid for chicago. officials from rio de janeiro, madrid and tokyo made pitches of their own. before leaving copenhagen, the president summoned his top military commander for

afghanistan to join him aboard a parked air force one, and they talked about the war as general stanley mcchrystal has recommended sending more u.s. troops to afghanistan. stories of survival are still emerging from the rubble of indonesia's earthquake on monday. today rescuers found a teenage girl alive and conscious and other people were pulled alive from a martial arts school. officials say another 3,000 victims may be buried under the debr debris. the u.n. says at least 1,000 people have been killed. meantime, the first shipments of foreign aid have arrived on american samoa, one of several south pacific islands devastated tuesday by tsunamis. the death toll in the region is now nearing 200. new figures show the u.s. unemployment rate is increasing to 9.8% in september, a jump of 0.1%. for the month, the economy lost 263,000 jobs. last night, "late show" host david letterman said that there was an attempt to blackmail him for having affairs with several

women on his staff. letterman acknowledged he had several relationships, sexual relationships, with an unspecified number of female staff members and said his blackmailer demanded $2 million to keep the matters secret. a fellow cbs employee, who's been identified as a "48 hours" producer, is now under arrest. we'll have more on this, coming up. and in kenya, an elephant is now roaming free after getting stuck in the mud on thursday. rescuers pulled the animal out after tranquilizing him, but when he woke up, he charged toward dozens of spectators who then took off running, but no one was hurt. those elephants. big problems. it is now three minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to al. >> hey, ann. nobody is leaving after mariah's concert because she is still here. she's talking with some of her fans, signing autographs. big fan, eddie may, our security guy. look at him there. in fact, they both have the same sunglasses on.

look at that. that's interesting. anyway, it's very sweet. anyway, let's check your weather, see what's going on, show you for today, we're looking at a big storm system, low pressure in minnesota and a cold front trailing, and that's bringing, pushing rain in through the upper ohio river valley, down into the gulf coast we've got a risk of strong storms, texas on into louisiana, mobile, alabama, >> mostly cloudy skies today at a high temperature up to 74 degrees. rainfall developing tonight and into tomorrow morning and after

>> all right, mariah carey has left, but good news, security man eddie may is still here signing autographs. so, that's really good. let's go back in to meredith. >> al, thank you. and now to the latest on that international custody battle that has landed a tennessee father behind bars in japan. he is now speaking out from jail. christopher savoie is facing charges of kidnapping his two young children, isaac and rebecca, from their mother, his japanese ex-wife, noriko. a tennessee court awarded christopher full custody in august after new yorkie suddenly and illegally took the children 7,000 miles from her home in franklin, tennessee, to japan. on monday, christopher reportedly grabbed his children on their way to school. local police arrested christopher as they headed into the u.s. consulate. in a jailhouse interview, savoie is said to have told a reporter, "japanese people think she's the

victim here. in the states, my ex-wife is the one who's in the wrong." "i want americans to know what's happening to me. i didn't do anything wrong. i'm so scared." earlier this week, christopher's current wife, amy, told me they feared noriko would take the children. >> she had always seemed to find christopher's love for them and their love for him to be very threatening, very annoying. >> but friends of noriko say the newly divorced single mom felt alone and trapped in tennessee. now in japan, noriko is the children's recognized guardian. japan does not honor a 1980 international agreement that would give christopher more standing. congressman chris smith says there are 125 similar custody cases in japan with no child ever returned. >> our government raises the issue but has very few tools in its tool box in order to effectuate their release.

>> and for now, christopher savoie remains behind bars, facing up to five years in jail and perhaps longer without his children. christopher savoie's wife amy is with us exclusively along with his lawyer, jeremy morley. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> amy, if i could start with you. we talked on wednesday. you were still in tennessee at the time. i asked you how you were doing, and you said "not good." you've had a few more days to process all of this, to try to make sense of it. how are you now? >> i'm walking a tightrope. i'm okay, but on the slightest bit of good news or bad news, just, i'm just, i'm not even thinking clearly. i haven't slept i don't think since monday. >> what is your greatest worry right now, your greatest concern? i want christopher to get out of jail. i want christopher to get out of jail. i'm worried about him and i need to see him. >> what is christopher up against, mr. morley? at this point, he is in jail. the prosecutor in japan has ten days to make a decision whether

to press charges and then an additional ten days, if he so decides. >> he's up against an environment where there's no family court system that will protect him over there. he's up against an environment where there's no understanding that a dad is entitled to participate in the life of a child just as a mother is. and he's in an environment where the story is being twisted and where the mother who stole the children is being portrayed as an innocent victim of an unfair husband. >> well, in this country, he was declared the sole custodian. in japan, is his ex-wife the sole custodian of those children at this point? or because they're not -- it's not a divorce yet in japan, under japan law, are they both parents still of the child there? >> they are both parents, but she is the one in possession of the child. and in japan, since there is no functioning and effective system, possession is 99.9% of the law. she stole the children, had them in her possession, and when he tried to see them, the police intervened because they were now

hers because they were simply in her possession. and that's the way it works there. >> so, how can you build any case to get either these kids back for him or get him out of jail at this point? >> well to get him out of jail, we have to work with the prosecutor, and we're looking for world opinion to influence that because the prosecutor has a discretion, and it's outrageous that a man who is trying to speak to kids who were abducted from him should be thrown in jail without asking the government to get japan to change its system. this is just the tip of the iceberg. there are so many of these cases where these kids are taken from the united states and they're basically, the fathers are deprived of access to them for the rest of the children's lives. >> and neither of you have talked to christopher at all. >> we can't speak to him. >> can't speak to him at all. amy, he did give an interview on monday and it almostnd out early because he blurted out in english "i love you," presumably a message to you. and he also said in japanese to his kids, i love you, isaac, rebecca. your daddy loves you forever. what could possibly be going

through his mind right now? you know him better than most people. >> yeah, well, i don't know what he's thinking and feeling under this situation of extreme duress that he's in in jail. i don't know how he's being treated, and i know he's very sensitive, and it depends on his situation. i'm sure he's despondent. i'm sure he's -- i know he's worried about me. i know he's really worried about me and he's worried about his future and whether he's going to see isaac and rebecca ever again. >> all right, amy. thank you so much for joining us. i can see how difficult this is for you and jeremy morley as well. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> and we will be back right after this. ♪

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as you probably know, david letterman did something a little out of the ordinary last night. he made a stunning confession to his audience. >> i had to go downtown to testify before the grand jury, yeah. and i had to tell them how i was disturbed by this, i was worried for myself, i was worried for my family. i felt menaced by this. and i had to tell them all of the creepy things that i have done. and the creepy stuff was that i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. >> dan abrams is the chief legal analyst for nbc. bonnie fuller is the editor in chief of hollywoodlife.com and glennis mcnichol is with mediaite.com which dan is the founder and publisher of. good morning, all of you. >> good morning. >> bonnie, glennis, let me start

with you. he told us in the monologue, if you watch the whole thing, the audience starts off laughing nervously and by the end they're kind of laughing full-heartedly. should he have prefaced this by saying this is not a joke? >> i think he should have because i don't think the audience was aware at first. clearly, they were only aware at the end that it wavenz a joke. >> but did he do the right thing getting out there and telling the story? >> absolutely. i think he's gotten ahead of the media curve. if they had discovered it before he announced it, he would have been in a great deal of trouble, so yes. >> i think full disclosure, we've all learned, because we've seen the people who have not fully disclosed. i mean, look at the politicians. so, i think it's best to get it right out on the table. >> and remember, that's what's inherent in what the alleged crime was here, right? which is, the threat was, i'm going to talk about this. i'm going to embarrass you. i'm going to shame you publicly. and so, what letterman is doing is saying, okay, first of all, i'm going to report it to the police. and second of all, you know what, i'm not even going to let

you hold this over my head. here it is. here's everything. now there's nothing to shame me about. >> but, okay, there's nothing to shame him about, but are there any other legal ramifications from this? >> well, there could be. there certainly could be. >> like what? >> there could be civil lawsuits. there certainly could be -- again, we don't know, but there's always the possibility of sexual harassment lawsuits, et cetera. but i would make this point, which is that this is not news to the women, right? it's news to the rest of us -- >> right. >> but -- it may be news to the women that there was more than one. >> yeah. >> it may be news to some of the women that this was not something he only did once. so, i think that there's, you know, cbs is certainly going to want to know exactly what happened here. >> right. >> who was involved, to protect themselves. >> sure. now, looking out at this, i mean, letterman makes jokes about bill clinton or any other politician who had this sort of problem. does this hurt him at all, do you think? >> i think that if what comes out was that these were

long-term relationships, and this particular relationship, i believe, that he was being extorted about happened several years ago. i think that if it turns out that these were consensual relationships that he doesn't have a lot -- anything, really, to fear. and i would like to point out that he did meet his wife on the show. she used to work on the show. and his former girlfriend, meryl marco also worked with him for many years on the show. >> in this, dan, you know, this suspect, robert halderman, how difficult is it going to be a case for the d.a.'s office to prove something against him? >> look, i think it's one of the reasons they wanted to make sure they actually got this check. it was a phony $2 million check that this guy received. why is that so important? because in these cases, you tend to see a defense which says, i didn't mean anything. i wasn't really asking for the money. and now they've actually got it in hand. so, what will his defense be? unclear. you know, could be something like they misinterpreted it, misunderstood. i didn't mean it as a threat, et cetera. but it sounds like the d.a.'s

office really went through this pretty methodically, was able to join forces with letterman to get this guy, and that's going to certainly help their case. >> you know, looking at -- you know, when david letterman had that flap with sarah palin, there was a pretty vocal group of people calling for his ouster, for his firing. do you think that chorus starts up again now that this has come out? >> i think he's taken the audience along with him on this trip. when he announced it last night, he seemed to have the audience on his side by the end of it. i think he blingz the audience along with him, so it's not a david letterman against them sort of thing. and his humor is traditionally self dep rate kaiting, so i see him almost working this incident into future jokes. >> the other thing, too, that we have to understand is that when he was joking about sarah palin's daughter, he was talking about a girl who was underage, and this is a very different situation. >> and in going forward, dan, i mean, some people say there's no such thing as bad publicity.

does this help him, do you think, ratings-wise, going forward? >> sure, little bit. the question's going to be what happens with these women, right? do any of these women now come forward and say, i have a problem here, i have a problem with david letterman? if that doesn't happen, i think that you're right, i think this could end up helping him as a matter of pr, recognition, the fact that he's controversial, et cetera. and it will be interesting to see, as glynnis points out, he ends up making jokes about himself. >> but let's not forget he's a victim of extortion. >> crazy case. bonnie, glynnis and dan, thank you very much. >> thank you. still to come, the recalled products all parents should know about. destroy them with lysol neutra air. it eliminates odor-causing bacteria in the air... and kills 99.9 percent of bacteria at the source. oust air sanitizer is not approved to kill bacteria at the source. enjoy nothing but freshness. with lysol neutra air-- the ultimate odor eliminator.

and try lysol neutra air freshmatic for clean, fresh air automatically. really bad. then we learned that a flu shot can reduce the risk of getting the flu by up to 70%. we got our flu shots at cvs pharmacy. best thing we ever did. yes, indeed. [ laughs ] come in to get a flu shot today and get a $100 coupon book just for stopping by. go to cvs.com to find a flu shot location near you. cvs pharmacy. i've got good news. you need more fiber. huh? don't worry, it tastes great. froot loops now with 3 grams of fiber. it makes your tummy happy so it can absorb the good stuff you need, which your mom is gonna love. it does taste great. fiber is a great way to keep ya healthy.

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bring attention to this very important cause. >> tanya snyder is the wife of redskins owner dan snyder, named the nfl spokesperson for breast cancer awareness. good morning, tanya. >> good morning. >> and we said we'll be seeing a lot of pink on the football field. >> yes. >> got a lot of items, from shoes to hats. >> yes. >> what you're saying is the football players themselves -- >> oh, this has touched -- >> -- are going to be wearing pink. how did you talk them into this? >> absolutely. actually, it was one of the player's ideas to do the cleats, so it's exciting. but we're so excited to bring it throughout and be able to have the sea of pink through the nfl. and it will be millions of people, between ribbons and having the sideline -- the players will have the cleats on. we'll have wristbands, the gloves. >> the gloves. >> it will just be throughout. it's exciting as well as the officials. >> for you and your husband, dan snyder, the redskins owner, cancer is very personal to you. it's affected your life. >> certainly. >> what does it mean to you? >> well, i, you know, this has

been a personal cause for many years since we own the team, in 1999, for over 11 years. so, it's, as far as me personally, i did all the right things. i did the screenings, was a little diligent in following up on something that wasn't normal, and that's the main message, is you know, get the screenings, because even i had the screenings and right after a mammogram, i kept following up on something that i really didn't feel good about, and it turned out to be not by mammogram, but a sonogram, breast cancer. >> and you're turning this into something that's going to try to bring greater awareness. october is breast cancer awareness month. and so what you're doing with all this pink is not just create a fashion statement. >> no. >> but to say, listen, breast cancer is survivable. >> yes. >> just get it caught early. >> absolutely. early screening is critical. thanks so much for having me today. >> okay. we'll have more coming up.

oh... rollerblading. you poor thing. skiing accident? um, mountain biking. mmm. snowboarding? um... hand gliding! respect. hard water stains, huh? (announcer) cleaning hard water stains with the wrong product can be painful. lime-a-way is scientifically proven to eliminate limescale. the leading all-purpose cleaner doesn't. for lime, calcium and rust, lime-a-way is a must. check your weekend newspaper for a money saving coupon on lime-a-way products. breaking. this is tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> it is 9 -- it is 9:46.

baltimore city police are searching for the men who forced his way into it, the west baltimore neighborhood. he held a woman at knifepoint and raped her and attacked her with a baseball bat. the alleged rape happened on franklin street on september 23. police say the victim does not know her attacker. and one with information should call 410-396-2076. there is a discovery of a body. the woman was seen last leaving her job. there is no sign of the woman until saturday when a pair of hunters found her body in the woods along bridgeville road. there is a history of domestic violence between her and her

boyfriend. >> we did not hear anything from them. nothing that gave us bad bob's that something was going on. -- bad vibes. let's take a look at your forecast. >> we are tracking a major storm system that is borrowing to west, descending from the great lakes to the ohio valley and extending to the deep south. it will bring us some showers. that will be mainly after midnight tonight and into tomorrow morning. we could see rain earlier on this evening. we will remain milder in the 70's with cloudy skies. tomorrow, by mid day we will clear and partly cloudy by the afternoon tomorrow. >> peggy for joining us. we'll have another update at 9:55.

some people don't notice the difference between meat and mystery when they enter... ...the frozen zone is it real chicken? or something else? some chicken nuggets and tenders look like they have mystery meat. with my perdue frozen nuggets, there is no mystery. just real all-white meat, made with 100% natural ingredients, no fillers, no preservatives, and a delicious taste your family will love. perdue frozen chicken. all-white meat. no mystery. thanks, matt. good morning from the "today" show. i'm isabella o'connor filling in

for meredith vieira while she's away on assignment. >> i'm owen, and i'm going to show you how video games can help us communicate by using technology. >> and those are just a couple of the very talented kids hoping to be "today's kid reporter." if you know a child full of personality who would be a great addition to the "today" family, there's still time. >> because if you send us a tape showcasing their on-camera charisma, we want to review them all. the deadline is next wednesday, and the video should be no longer than a minute and it should be mailed to "today's kid reporter," 30 rockefeller plaza, new york, new york, 10112. the official rules are posted on todayshow.com. this is actually pretty exciting. i think we're going to have a really fun time with it. >> they're all so impressive. >> yeah. >> we ought to watch out. all right. >> it's how we all first got started. >> bring it on! talking about kids, we have a serious warning for parents. companies recall products for safety concerns all the time, but sometimes us parents miss those recalls. so, we're going to show you what could be being a danger to your children right now.

what you need to know. plus, how to get the flavor of the great city of new orleans, a city -- >> new orleans. >> new orleans. >> where it's cooking in your own kitchen. my good buddy john besch is here. a little chicken and dumplings. i guarantee that is good. >> he is great. >> and we've got one more song from superstar mariah carey. i'll tell you, when she hits some of those notes -- >> glass shatters. really, it's that high. >> i'm telling you. first, amy and jenna are going to tell us what's coming up this weekend. >> yeah, you guys. >> that's right. call it swine flu or h1n1, we're going to answer all your questions about the flu. and i believe i was warned i'm getting the flu shot. >> are you, on air? >> which is great, because i need it anyway. >> where are you getting the shot? >> in the arm, thank you. >> are you saying that the swine flu shot is available this weekend? >> i'm getting the regular flu shot. >> oh, the regular flu shot. >> and then they are starting the other shots for those most in need. >> in fact, if you don't have any reaction, i'm getting it on tuesday. >> good, i'll be the guinea pig. happy to do that. >> also -- also coming up, my adventures in speed dating.

mm-hmm. how much can you really get to know about someone in three minutes or less? that's all the time you get at some of these speed dating events now. you may be surprised how much you can actually look for someone. >> good job with the cameras there. also a taste test of frozen meals. they've come a long way since the tv days. we'll take the test on "today." >> well, we're hoping they taste good -- >> i hope so. >> after you get that flu shot. frozen dinner. >> good to have something -- >> going to be a party on the weekend. anyway, also coming up, tonight we have got a programming note, because tonight on "dateline," we're talking about this really heartbreaking case about an 18-year kidnapping nightmare, really, for this little girl, jaycee dugard, and basically, we're going to be taking a look at why it took so long for her to be found. what were the conditions that allowed a convicted rapist to be released from jail so that this little girl was vulnerable and could be kidnapped? so we'll be taking a look at that in a special edition of

"dateline," "in plain sight: a >> we are tracking a major storm system. will get our best chance of rain tonight after midnight. it will start to cle >> and that's your latest weather. >> rainy weekend here. thanks a lot, al. coming up next, recalled products that still may be posing a danger to your children, right after this. breakfast doesn't really start until the grands

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[ air whooshes ] ♪ ♪ i promise to think of myself as a beautiful person. [ applause ] ♪

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now to important information for parents. in the past fiscal year, the consumer products safety commission announced 563 product recalls, but experts are concerned you may still have many of these products in your home posing a danger to your children. don mayes is senior director of product safety for "consumer reports," and he joins us this morning. don, good morning. >> good morning. >> you say tens of millions of children each year are needlessly exposed to unsafe products. that's a pretty strong statement that's going to alarm a lot of parents. you've formed a partnership, though, to try and educate parents about this. tell us about it. >> that's right. "consumer reports" formed a partnership with the national pta, parent teacher association, and the national school boards association to help disseminate important safety information to the parents of school-aged children. and what we're trying to do is push our message out through newsletters, electronic newsletters, through our

website, to try to make sure that people learn of the recall information that could be essentially important to the children in their home. >> yeah, because we talk about these products being defective. we've said it in the news. then it just kind of disappears, and if people didn't catch that news program, they may have never heard about it. >> that's exactly right, and that's why the consumer response rate to recall notice seas dismally poor, at best 30%. for even major toy recalls on the front page of the paper, there's about a 10% response -- >> so, we need a better system in this country. >> absolutely. we need a better way to reach parents and that's why we've teamed up to disseminate the recall information, get them into the homes of all parents. that's our objective. >> okay. you've brought along some products so people can be aware. this first one is a bassinet, and this serves as a lot of different products out there that could be lurking in your bedroom. you may not know it's defective or it's been recalled. tell us about this bassinet, originally issued by cpsc back in september of 2007? >> that's correct. this is a particularly dangerous product. this is a bassinet that can be converted into a bedside

sleeper, so set up against a bed. >> right. >> the problem is that it can expose a dangerous gap by which a child can slip through, get their head hung up and strangled. >> wow. >> there have been four fatalities associated with the product. now, the company, simplicity, is no longer in business. so if people own one of these, stop using it immediately and go back to the retailers who have sold this product for their money back or a store credit. >> so the company is no longer a business. you go back to the store, you'll get a refund, you can get something new. obviously, you want to make sure this is not in your home. >> or passed down. >> good point. people give away these bassinets to their friends when this get pregnant and have children. some other products. you brought this children's mask. what's concerning about this? >> sure. just in time for halloween, this mask has come through with lead paint on it. now, that violates the federal lead standard. lead paint has been banned for 30 years. there's no reason to see it on a product like this. when the consumer products safety commission discover it, they decided to get it recalled immediately. >> okay, and this pendant also something of concern? >> yeah. this has been a real concern. we've seen a lot of this come through within the past few years. this is cheap children's metal

jewelry. >> okay. >> that is comprised of a lot of lead in the metal. >> oh, wow. >> and if a child mouths it or worse, swallows it. >> my kids always put their jewelry in their mouth. that's just what they do. >> that's a serious problem. we advise parents not even buy metal jewelry for their children. >> what's wrong with these shoes? >> this is a precautionary recall. these are shoes where the tips on the soles can break off and become a choking hazard. >> oh, wow. >> now, we found no incidents in the united states associated with these. however, in the uk there have been several incidents in which the pieces have broken off and the child put the piece in their mouth. >> clark's company that makes the shoes makes the point that no one's been injured in the united states. the uk, six reports of the rubber pieces detaching. >> that's correct. >> but still an example of something to look out for. >> exactly. >> let's move on to this dvd player sold by walmart. what's the problem with this? >> this is a portable dvd player that was overheating and in some cases catching fire. there have been 14 reports of problems with this dvd player, several fires, including some causing property damage.

now, 4.2 million of these have been recalled. if you own one of these, take it back to walmart, get your money back. >> okay. also, we want to talk about blinds, and this is something all parents need to be worried about. i've got this issue in my house, too. i'm always trying to loop up the cords. what's wrong with these blinds? >> blinds can be a serious problem. recently there have been 5.5 million blinds recalled because they can cause a strangulation hazard. these particular ones, there have been more than 4 million of these recalled because if the cord is pulled off, it can form this dangerous loop by which a child can get their head entrapped and strangle. there has been at least one fatality associated with these blinds, so it's very important to heed the recall. go back to the manufacturer, make sure they have a safety kit installed that can release the cord. >> thank you so much for all this important advice, don mays. we mention, we reached out to all the companies involved in the recalls and those we were able to contact all supported the program you are now cooperative with, so we appreciate your time. >> our website is

consumerreports.org/schoolsafety will give all the information about the recalls as they are announced. >> fantastic. important, life-saving information. coming up next, down-home cooking from the big easy, right after this. uh hum. no. - which means, someday, - ( dings ) - this camry could be his. - ( car wash whirring ) toyota has more hybrids on the road than all other automakers combined. pheeew! so we can all breathe a little easier. so we can all breathe discover a light yogurt like no other. activia light! delicious, fat free, and above all... the only one that has bifidus regularis and is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. activia light. ♪ activiaaa! to create a technologically advanced clog buster and pipe wall cleaner...

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recommends only one high performance detergent. finish, the new name for electrasol. this morning in "today's kitchen," hot chef john besch is celebrating his hometown cuisine. >> hot chef. keep talking, keep talking. >> he's not only sharing the food he loved as a young man, but is taking you on a pictorial journey of the city's iconic food in "my new orleans: the cookbook." nice to see you. >> how's it going? >> we're keeping sanitary here. >> i thought we'd do this late summer, early fall feast. for us, it's late summer. for you, it's early fall. >> and in the book, the dedication is to the people of new orleans and to those who hold the city close to their hearts. >> that's right. there's like new orleanians all across the country, and for people in new york or people on the west coast, new orleans

wouldn't be in the shape it is in today. and we're doing great and -- >> we're glad. >> we're celebrating that. >> so, what are we making? >> chicken and dumplings. ever heard of those? >> i have. >> these chicken thighs are seasoned with a little bit of salt, little bit of pepper, lots of crushed red pepper flakes. love those. it's going to be a little spiys, but that's good. >> that's new orleans. >> then you want to stir that up for me? >> okay. how long do you cook this? >> let's cook this just for a few minutes before adding lots of garlic. >> some of that pepper kind of vaporized and i'm getting -- >> what are you doing, al? >> little onion? >> turn this down. a little onion. a little shallot. a touch of ginger. there you go. >> nice. >> so the big thing here is, let's just brown this up here. >> brown it up. >> you want to stir, stir, stir, cook it, nice and brown. >> yes. >> and then. >> yes? >> you will add some tomato. >> tomato. >> you say tomato. >> some peas. little mushroom. >> and some mushrooms.

you know what? whatever you've got in your backyard. basically, look at the farmer's markets around you, use what you have. butt mushrooms, anything works. a little bit of sage. >> uh huh. >> and could you pick some fresh thyme? >> okay. >> now, for the dumpling part, we're going to go with these little ricotta dumplings. >> butter? >> no, we've get to slow down, al. we've got to take our time. >> no, we don't. we've only got about a minute and a half left. >> let's get this thing on the road. >> okay! >> we'll make this dumpling dough out of ricotta cheese, egg yolks, little bit of flour and right into some boiling water. then check this out. you know what these are called in italian? >> what? >> nudeies. >> nudeies! >> and-of-got to be careful that the nudies don't stick to each other. >> that's always the case. isn't it, though? >> we'll take these nudies, come over here, al.

barely cover that with stock. >> barely cover it. >> add your nudies. >> let that cook up. >> then we cover it, reduce the heat. >> right. >> medium-low flame, and voila. >> whoa! that's what i'm talking about. come on in here, ann curry! >> i tell you, do you know what's emanating from this kitchen? >> unbelievable. >> hi, john. >> what have we got here? >> oh, that's fried okra, baby. >> taste thoe nudies and tell me they're not the best you've ever had. >> nudies? >> your fall greens, pumpkin seed oil vinaigrette, some blue cheese. >> what is this here? >> pumpkin seed brittle. taste that. >> you know, it's brittle. >> taste it again. >> john besh, thank you so much. >> and a brown butter bear tart. >> amy, you're too late. >> you're all too skinny. >> one more song from mariah

"today" means plaza ambush makeovers and we have the lucky women. plus, the six secrets your body is telling you. >> that's right, shh! shh! but first, she's got 18 number one hits and is out with a brand new album. ladies and gentlemen, one more song from the incomparable mariah carey. >> go, mariah. ♪ ♪ ♪ ha, ha, ha ♪ once upon a time this world said good-bye, something got a hold of us and we changed ♪ ♪ when you said hello in pride and i said hello and cried, never thought it'd end up this

way ♪ ♪ we went round for round and we knocked love down, we believed in the rain, not making a sound ♪ ♪ and if that's a metaphor for you and i, why is it so hard to say good-bye ♪ ♪ i can't wait to hate you, still can't shake you ♪ ♪ ♪ break through, emotional changes, seems like such a lost cause ♪ ♪ i can't wait to hate you, break you down so low there's nowhere left to go ♪ ♪ i can't wait to hate

♪ gonna change my number today, as a matter of fact, i think i'm moving away, oh, wait ♪ ♪ sorry the frustration's got me feeling awake and i keep just having one last thing to say, hey, hey ♪ ♪ and i just wanna hold you, hurt you, feel you, i miss you, baby, baby ♪ ♪ trying to break through, but interests nothing left i can do, but i can't wait to hate you ♪ ♪ i can't wait to hate you make you pain like i do still can't shake you off, still can't shake you off ♪ ♪ i can't wait to break through these emotional changes, seems like such a lost cause ♪ ♪ i can't wait to face you,

break you down so low there's no place left to go ♪ ♪ i can't wait to hate you, baby ♪ ♪ i can't wait to hate you, because right now i need you, i can't wait to make you go ♪ ♪ i can't wait, because right now i need you ♪ ♪ >> i love you guys! thank you so much!

>> live, local, and late breaking. this is tv 11 news today. >> good morning. it is not a clutch 54. experts say the first dose of the h1n1 flow -- swine flu vaccine will be available tuesday. it will be a nasal spray and will likely go to health care workers who care for children and the elderly first. as supplies become available, it will be supplied to pharmacies reported to doing coverage of the virus, go to our website wbaltv.com.

>> let's take a look at your forecast with sandra shaw. >> we'll see an increase in class this afternoon and mild today in the 70's. some late day showers are possible and a better chance of rain fall after midnight tonight into tomorrow morning. 75 degrees in clearing by the afternoon tomorrow >> thank you for joining us.

announcer: it's "live with regis and kelly." today, from the disney series "the wizard of waverly place," selena gomez. and it's time to play. we'l