good morning. paralyzing storm. a massive weather system moving up the east coast, and by the time it ends, some areas could see as much as two feet of snow. sell-off. the dow suffers its worst day since last april, dropping briefly below the 10,000 mark for the first time in three months. will new unemployment numbers out this morning only make things worse? and how did it happen? new details on the kiteboarder attacked and killed by a swarm of sharks off the coast of florida. an exclusive live interview with the lifeguard who tried to save him today, friday, february 5th, 2010.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. and this morning it is raining and a little icy in blowing rock, north carolina. that is about 90 miles north of charlotte. and that weather you're looking at there will be moving up the east coast today. >> as it moves little bit to the north, all that's going to turn into snow and lots of snow. places like washington, d.c., philadelphia, over a foot of snow expected in those cities. we're going to get al's forecast for today and the weekend coming up in just a couple minutes. also ahead, a new twist in the murder of aspiring model paula sladewski. earlier this week, police released a sketch of this man she was seen leaving a miami nightclub with on the night she died. paula's boyfriend, kevin klym, had been thrown out of that nightclub earlier that night. this morning he is with us for an exclusive live interview. also ahead, we're going to

introduce you to a 15-year-old girl who suffers from a rare disorder that causes her to fall asleep sometimes for days at a time. there is no known cause or cure. her remarkable story is coming up. but we are going to begin with that powerful winter storm that is making its way up the east coast. al roker is upstairs with the very latest on what we can expect. good morning, al. >> good morning, meredith. good morning, matt. we are talking about 30 million people affected by this storm. we've got winter storm warnings, winter storm watches, and even blizzard warnings. as we look at this system, the winter storm warnings stretch from indiana all the way to the east coast, blizzard warnings along the new jersey shoreline. here's what's happening. this low pressure getting itself together. you can see heavy rain down in atlanta, but snow's starting to fall in parts of the carolinas, making its way to the north. track of this system brings it up and along the coast later tonight and that snow spreads into washington, d.c., west virginia, maryland, parts of new jersey, south of new york, then moves offshore.

now, here's what we look for accumulationswise by saturday evening, anywhere from 9 to 12 inches of snow from central indiana on into ohio, but the bull's eye of the big storm accumulations, we're talking anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow from west virginia to southern new jersey, up to 2 feet or more in the mountains of west virginia and parts of the carolinas. and we are looking at this snow stretching up into central new jersey. again, the big problem -- in fact, we're going to have winds of over 40 miles per hour, blizzard conditions in parts of that area in the mid-atlantic. so, this is going to be a crippling storm. they have already -- amtrak's canceled trains south of washington. airports in the tri-state area have also canceled flights. so, this is going to be a big, big storm. we'll continue to track it for you. meredith? >> quite a mess. al, thank you very much. now to the economy and the new worries on wall street that led to the market's worst disaster day since last april. new unemployment numbers that come out later this morning not likely to ease the minds of

investors. jim cramer is the host of "mad money" on cnbc. jim, good morning you. >> good morning, meredith. >> dow dipped below the 10,000 mark yesterday. what happened? >> well, we are in a chain-reaction mode. other countries, much smaller than ours -- greece, portugal, spain -- doing terribly. people worried they will default, and that selling has been imported here. >> so, it's what's happening overseas -- >> yes. >> -- that's causing what's happening here in the market? >> i don't think things are that bad. i've been known to say not to sell. i'm not saying that. there are figures coming out that could be up import to our market. >> which numbers are you tack talking about? >> the unemployment number. >> due out today. >> yes, people are antsy. we've got to see progress on this number. >> we're hearing it will be worse, from 10% to 10.1%, a tick up. >> let's not panic, because there is a lot of stimulus coming. a lot of the companies are doing so well that it's just a matter of time before they have to start bringing people on. >> well, you know, the democrats in the senate are set to roll

out this $81 billion jobs package next week. >> right. >> how closely will wall street be looking at those numbers? >> every inch now, because if we don't start seeing employment turn, we're either going to have to raise taxes more -- you know, you need to grow your way out of a recession. right now, that is not happening. any uptick in jobs is going to take the pressure off politicians. >> there is buzz on wall street now that we may be headed toward a serious correction in the stock market. is it possible the market has been overvalued to this point? >> let's remember, we had gigantic gains from a year ago, 30%, 40%. it would be perfectly realistic to see a 7% to 10% correction, maybe revisit the lows of october, no more than that. this is not a time to sell. it's a time to think, not sell. >> so, i want to go back to unemployment for a second. how long do you think it will continue to rise? >> i think that we are going to be in very good shape in the second half of this year. we have a big -- 1 million people added to be taking census. we have many companies at the limit of how much they can continue to make without bringing on new employees.

i am optimistic about the second half of this year. >> and if you're an investor in wall street, how do you read the tea leaves? >> i think you accept the fact that you may have to take another 3%, 4% punishment. not more than that. >> jim cramer, thank you very much. and "mad money" airs week nights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. eastern time on cnbc. matt? >> meredith, thank you very much. toyota is now investigating possible brake problems on lexus hybrids after thursday's admission that there were problems on its 2010 prius models. this as toyota's chief executive addresses the media for the first time. cnbc's phil lebeau covers the car industry and has certainly been covering this story for us. phil, good morning, again. >> reporter: good morning, matt. and as we speak right now, okio toyota, the chairman and ceo of toyota, is holding a press conference in japan, talking about the recalls that are taking place, this on a morning when an official with the japanese government says toyota has a mistaken view of the prius brake problem. he says the company does not see it as a major issue, even as toyota says repeatedly it is

moving quickly to deal with prius brakes that are slow to work. toyota's latest problem, the prius, its best-selling gas-electric hybrid. the prius is considered toyota's gold standard and a badge of conspicuous conservation for its proud owners. >> there's a lot of consumers out there that are really nervous about driving their toyota products. >> reporter: last november, less than a month after buying her 2010 prius, "today" west coast contributor maria menounos told police her brakes failed after an accident. >> i just felt like the brakes didn't work. >> reporter: federal investigators are looking into more than 100 consumer complaints about the brakes in the 2010 prius. >> it's going to really hurt toyota, definitely in the short term. >> reporter: toyota says it's looking into what may cause the brakes to pause before slowing down, adding, "we're making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible." yet another setback for the world's number one automaker,

already under the microscope for two massive recalls to address unintended acceleration. but as dealers around the country began the monumental task of fixing potentially faulty gas pedals -- >> basically is this area right here. >> reporter: -- they're also faced with repairing relationships with millions of loyal customers. >> i just want it fixed. i want to go on driving my car and be happy and safe. >> reporter: as toyota looks into the issue of what's wrong with prius brakes, the big fix begins at dealerships across the country. toyota dealers are going to have to take weeks to fix millions of sticky gas pedals. remember, there's 2.3 million vehicles that have been recalled. matt? >> all right, phil lebeau on this story for us in illinois this morning. phil, thanks very much. and now let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. ann curry back at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everybody. ten american missionaries remain behind bars this morning in haiti, now facing serious child abduction charges.

nbc's michelle kosinski is in port-au-prince this morning with more on this story. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. these missionaries were so ho hopeful, their attorney so confident they would be let go that they had a chartered plane waiting, but instead, a court hearing ended them right back here in jail, now going on their seventh day behind bars. the americans could barely move anywhere for the brief time they were out of their cell. police tried to cover their faces with jackets, but journalists tore them away. "if it's a haitian, you let them suffer before the strangers? you protect them?" this local woman screamed at officers, and it soon became clear the americans weren't going anywhere. >> bbc, tell me how do you feel? >> what's the outcome? >> i feel good. i'm trusting god. >> reporter: indicted on serious charges -- child abduction and criminal association.

what they call a rescue of 33 haitian kids the haitian government calls an illegal attempt to move children out of the country. so, it was straight back to jail, time to wait calmly some more while everything grinds around them for the government to conduct an investigation that could take three months. that will determine whether there's enough evidence to go to trial. in the meantime, the missionaries' attorney wants them released. the u.s. ambassador says there have been some talks between u.s. counselor officials here and the haitian government about the possibility, at least, of moving this to the u.s. to take some of the pressure off of this devastated government, ann. >> michelle kosinski, thank you. north korea says it will free an american missionary held there since christmas. robert park was arrested after crossing into north korea from china. north korea says it's releasing him after he showed what it called sincere repentance.

for the third time in a week, a bombing today in iraq targeted shiite pilgrims, killing at least 27 near karbala. and a bombing in pakistan killed at least 12 people today. it is the first full day on the job for the newest senator from massachusetts. scott brown was sworn in on thursday. some fellow republicans have nicknamed him 41, since they now have 41 votes, enough to end the democrats' supermajority. and a tricky rescue thursday in oregon after a driver lost control of his car, went down an embankment and came to rest vertically lodged against some trees. rescuers were able to get the man out. his injuries are said to be not life-threatening. lucky guy. it is now 7:11. let's now turn back to matt, meredith and al this morning. >> al, who's the busiest man in the room today because you've got this huge storm. by the way, we should mention we're all wearing red and ann is wearing red as well because it is the heart

>> good morning, everyone. it looks like snow will begin force later this morning into this afternoon, 1 inch to 3 inches on the ground, and sleet could mix and at times as well. high

and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. and now to new developments in the michael jackson case. a spokesperson for the singer's doctor, conrad murray, says he will surrender to police at a los angeles courthouse this afternoon. that is more than seven months after the pop star's tragic death. nbc's josh mack wits is in l.a. with the latest. josh, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. is today the day? no one seems able to say for sure. it's been more than seven months since michael jackson died. after a lengthy investigation by the lapd, prosecutors are poised to charge his personal physical, dr. conrad murray, with involuntary manslaughter, and murray's attorneys say they're ready to hand him over. >> fire/paramedic 33. what is your address for your emergency? >> yes, sir, i need an ambulance as soon as possible, sir. >> reporter: june 25th, 2009. michael jackson lay dead or dying in his l.a. mansion.

>> did anybody see him? >> yes, we have a personal doctor here with him, sir. >> reporter: his name, conrad murray, a well-regarded cardiologist from las vegas. two days after jackson died, police sources say murray supplied a timeline of what he did to and for michael jackson that night. according to court documents, murray said that between 1:30 to 7:30 a.m., he gave jackson sedatives and anxiety drugs to help him sleep. and then jackson asked for propofol, a powerful anesthetic normally used only in hospital settings. murray told police he wanted to wean jackson off of propofol, but ultimately gave him 25 milligrams of the drug. but "dateline" has learned the l.a. county coroner's office found concentrations of propofol in jackson's blood that suggests murray gave jackson a lot more propofol than he's admitted. dr. murray's attorney says murray never gave jackson anything that should have killed him and also disputes the timeline investigators

assembled, calling it police theory. court documents quote murray as saying that after he gave jackson propofol, he briefly stepped away, returning to find jackson not breathing and started cpr. the lapd says that murray's cell phone records show him on and off the phone for 47 minutes while he was supposed to be monitoring his patient. one call was to bob russell, who received this message, obtained only by "dateline." >> this is dr. murray for bob. hi, how are you? sorry i missed you. >> reporter: the voice mail was left at the exact time dr. murray says he was trying to save jackson's life. >> just wanted to talk to you about your results of your ecp. you did quite well on the study. >> reporter: that timeline could be a huge issue if this case ever goes to a trial, but at the moment, charges haven't been filed. dr. murray's attorneys are essentially saying we're ready, we're tired of waiting, please arrest our client. both sides suggest they're

ready, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen today. meredith? >> josh mankiewicz, thank you very much. for more, watch a special "dateline," "the secret life of michael jackson," tonight at 9:00 p.m. on nbc. now here's matt. thank you. we're learning more this morning about the circumstances surrounding g a deadly shark attack on a kiteboarder. the lifeguard who risked his life to try to save that man will share his story in an exclusive live interview in a moment. first, nbc's kristen dahlgren has the details. kristen, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. this is the first fatal shark attack here in martin county since 1882 and 1 of just 14 on record in florida's history. so, people here know that there are sharks off the coast, but they never expected anything like this, especially for such an experienced sportsman. these are the waters stephen schafer grew up in, surfing and kite boarding. he spent hours on the waves.

it's where friends say he was always at home. but wednesday afternoon, lifeguard dan lunde spotted him in the water and in trouble. >> normally, they get the kite and get back up and go, but this time he wasn't, and he was laying across the kite itself. >> so, nde grabbed his surf board and paddled a quarter mile through rough seas to get to schafer, who said he had been bitten by sharks. >> there was a lot of blood in the water. >> reporter: blood and maybe two or three sharks. he knew firsthand the danger they were in. he was attacked by a shark almost 25 years ago. >> what sharks do in my own experience, they tend to bite first, to wound whatever prey they're going after, and then they come back to, you know, continue. >> reporter: so, battling four to six-foot seas, he pulled the surfer to shore, talking to him along the way, but by the time they reached land, schafer had

lost too much blood, leaving friends to remember the son of a marine artist as a calm, quiet man, raised to love and respect the water. earlier this week, friends say schafer had seen these pictures of hundreds of sharks schooling just off the coast. now shark expert dr. george burgess has been brought in to try to figure out what happened to schafer. >> to where the shark makes a quick grab and let's go and isn't seen again. we call them run attacks. that's the norm for florida. this was not that. this was the real thing. this was a thing where the shark bit at a human being with some intention to do damage and probably a feeding event. >> reporter: burgess will try to determine what type of sharks killed schafer while his friends only know he died doing what he loved. >> steve was just so passionate about being in the outdoors and about being around the water that he couldn't just surf and then put away the surf board when there are no waves.

he had to stay out there in one form or the other. >> reporter: so, while sadly, it does happen, that shark expert says the chances of being bit by a shark are infantecimal, so the beaches remain open. friends hope to some day build a monument for him along the way. they say he would hate for people to stay away. >> kristen dahlgren, thank you so much. we're joined now by the lifeguard who tried to save stephen's life, dan lunde. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i want to talk about -- you're paddling out on your long board. at the moment you got in to head out to stephen schafer, did you have any idea this was shark-related? >> no, i did not. we had noticed he had gone down and he wasn't able to get the kite back up. he was kind of draped over it, and it could have been anything

from equipment malfunction to maybe he had some sort of, you know, injury as far as maybe a leg or arm or something of that nature. it wasn't until i finally got to him that, you know, realized, you know, with the amount of blood in the water, and he told me that he had been, you know, bitten, that this is what's going on, so -- >> i know, dan, that you're under some legal constraints. you can't talk specifically about the nature of his injuries, but would it be fair to say that when you did see him and you did get to him and cradle him on that kite, you understood these were life-threatening injuries? >> yes, sir. i noticed the extent of it and i knew it was a pretty serious situation, yes. >> and then it's hard to imagine the rough seas, he's on the kite, you're on your board. what was it like to try to paddle back to shore? we're talking a quarter of a

mile. >> well, that day there was a strong northeast wind with a drift that was moving from north to south, so it kind of utilized the wind and the drift and some of the waves to kind of push us along with the kite, him in the kite, and basically, i cradled his head in my arm, and using one arm to paddle. so, i had to use, you know, as much help as we could get to kind of move in, and then as we got near shore to, you know, to use some of the surf itself to try to get us closer and closer to the beach. >> but here you've got a guy who's badly injured. there's a lot of blood in the water, and you yourself saw these sharks swimming underneath. were you worried at all that those sharks could go into a frenzy and attack the two of you? >> yes. that's kind of the reason why i kind of kept him in the kite itself, kind of cradled in the

kite. it kind of offered at least somewhat protection, because it made us much bigger in the water than if i had tried to just, you know, tried to get him out of the kite. i figured this was the best way to kind of at least offer us some protection. i had the board butted up against the kite and i knew that, yeah, there is a possibility this could turn into a frenzy because of the amount of blood that was in the water. >> and as we mentioned before, you yourself someone who had been bitten by a shark some 20 years or so ago. so, that has to be in your mind at the time. i know, dan, that this did not end the way you had hoped it would end. unfortunately, mr. schafer did pass away from those bites. does it give you any consolation to know that at least in his final minutes he knew he was not alone out there? >> yes. again, every time we, you know, our guys, we go on a rescue, we

do hope, we do strive to make the best possible outcome, and i was, you know, i'm just glad i was able to at least be there with him, you know, and just to talk to him. >> i know it's a hard thing for you, but you did an amazing job and we thank you for joining us this morning, dan lund. >> thank you. just ahead, the latest in an unsolved murder of an aspiring model, paula sladewski, as investigators try to track down this man, now wanted for questioning. coming up, sladewski's boyfriend, who was with her the night of the murder, speaks out for the first time in an exclusive live interview.

just ahead, a preview of the ads that you're going to see during sunday's super bowl. and a rare disorder that causes this 15-year-old to fall asleep for days.

>> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. take advantage of those roadways well they are here this morning. they could change tonight. >> absolutely right. an easy ride up until now. a few problems coming up, paradise road at bellaire avenue, an accident there. 75 not bad, but a problem at southbound charles, inner loop, blocked there.

construction will cause some delays heading south on charles. meanwhile, an accident at 198 reported. we still have left to confirm it, but there may be lane closures. delayed-wise, not that bad this morning. on the west side, pretty empty going away from us, comparatively speaking. a pretty nice ride in the white marsh area. that is the latest on traffic. now we have a check on the snowy forecast. >> things have been quiet and will stay that way for the next few hours, at least. radar looks like something is happening, but most of it is not reaching the ground. the precipitation reaching the ground is on the southern part of virginia. we have a couple of hours. snow will develop later this morning into this afternoon and mix in with some sleet this evening, as well. a couple inches will be on the

ground by the time we get to the evening commute, but temperatures will be above freezing, which will help a little bit. snow will end sometime saturday evening. how much? 12 inches to 20 inches is what we expect for most of you. most of you will be under that mark. 10 inches to 15 inches in southern pennsylvania and maybe up to two feet in the mountains with the help of the lift of the mountainous terrain out there. that is how we see it right now. >> thank you very much. check the bottom of your screen for updates.

♪ 7:30 now on this friday morning, february 5th, 2010. take a look out on the plaza. our crowd is actually going wild for that woman. she looks like a big movie star, but in fact, she's not. she's a great gal, but she's just one of our producers, not the movie star they think they might be seeing. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer, lure -- >> roker, lure, doesn't matter. >> yesterday i did call you al roker, didn't i? >> yeah, you did. >> i'm overwhelmed by her. >> well, the story about krista is really on the power of image and marketing.

we'll tell you about that in a couple of minutes. also ahead, the case of a real-life sleeping beauty. this 15-year-old has a rare condition that causes her to sleep on days on end. on one occasion, she slept for 13 days straight. her incredible story, just ahead. got a programming note for you as well. on monday, an exclusive interview with former sports analyst and mets general manager steve phillips. his world, as you might remember, came crashing down last year after an affair with a co-worker came to an end. the jilted lover allegedly showed up at his house and terrified his wife and family. now phillips is fresh out of a treatment center for sex addiction. by the way, it's the same one where tiger woods has reportedly been. we're going to talk to steve phillips exclusively monday right here on "today." but we are going to begin with the latest in the unsolved murder of aspiring model paula sladewski. her boyfriend speaks out for the first time in an exclusive live interview in just a moment, but first, here's nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: for all the glamour shots paula sladewski had taken

of her throughout her short life, police say there's not a single clear image of her final moments anywhere. iphone video of the aspiring model at a lady gaga concert in miami just days before she was killed is grainy at best. images from a security camera at a club the night she disappeared are even worse. near the dumpster where her body was found, burned beyond recognition last month, her family was hoping for a little better luck, but those cameras weren't rolling either. >> it wasn't recording. >> reporter: so, imagine her family's surprise to see this extremely detailed sketch of a man police want to question in the case. >> this composite's about as close to a photograph as you're probably going to get. >> reporter: police say out of the blue, a new witness has come forward describing in detail a man the witness says was seen leaving the club with paula that

night. >> the thing that really haunts me is that this is who kevin described coming up on the dance floor in club space when he got kicked -- as he was getting kicked out. >> reporter: kevin is paula's boyfriend. they had gone to miami on vacation, but police say kevin was escorted out of the club that night after he and paula got in an argument. he told investigators he went back to the couple's hotel alone and never saw paula again. >> everything that he has relayed to the detectives seems to be checking out. >> reporter: but he's still officially a person of interest, investigators say, the only one so far beyond that mystery man that someone, it seemed, saw very clearly. lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> paula's boyfriend, kevin klym, is with us exclusively along with paula's sister and kevin's attorney. good morning to all of you.

>> good morning. >> good morning. >> kevin and kelly, first of all, our condolences at the loss of paula, but let me ask you, kevin, beginning with you, i'm sure this is even more difficult because of the fact that the police at first considered you a suspect. and although now they believe that you are telling the truth, that your story is truthful, you're still a person of interest. how have you been dealing with all of this? >> i've been fortunate. i have good family and friends that have been supporting me through this whole matter, and kelly has been, you know, on my side the whole time, and you know, she's been speaking out on my behalf, so. >> kelly, let me ask you, why have you stuck by kevin through all of this? >> because i know he didn't kill my sister. >> without a doubt, you're convinced of that? >> yeah, definitely. >> there is a new witness that came forward, kevin, and based on the description that that witness gave the police, they do have this composite picture right now. when you look at that picture,

that is supposedly the last man who was seen with her at the club, outside the club, does it ring a bell for you? does that face look familiar? >> yes, it does. >> can you tell me who you think that is? >> it looks like one of the bouncers that escorted me out of the club. it looks very, very much like one of the bouncers that escorted me out of the club. >> have you seen or heard any evidence pointed to the bouncers being involved in paula's murder? >> the police have not shared any information with either kelly, myself or the private detective, david. >> but it is a familiar face to you? >> as a matter of fact, when i walked in the club, this is the gentleman that double i.d.'d paula. we were i.d.'d by one bouncer and this gentleman seemed to be in some position of authority, asked to see her i.d. a second time when we were walking in. i just don't think paula on her best day looked under 21, so i don't know why he would ever do

that, and he was one of the guys that escorted me out of the club, and we had no argument in the club, by the way, meredith. >> talk to me about that. what happened in the club? because the story we had was that you did have an argument, you were brought out and then they went back, supposedly, and said to paula, you know, do you want him back in, and she said no. >> well, basically, you know, there was -- you know, paula was gorgeous. she was a stunner and she attracted a lot of attention. and there were several gentlemen approaching her on the dance floor, and it got to be 7:00 in the morning and it was time to go, and i kind of took her by the waist and was escorting her out of the club, doing the boyfriend shuffle, so to speak, and she said, "wait, i don't want to go," and the bouncers were on me immediately within five seconds and were taking me outside of the club. but we had no words. there was no argument. >> well, from what we heard,

they then went back into the club, after you were outside, and then returned to you and said -- >> well, i tried -- >> go ahead. >> well, i tried to get back in the club. i said i'm not leaving without my girlfriend. >> well, when they came back to you -- >> and they said no. they said -- >> when they came back to you, kevin, and said she doesn't want to come out, did that seem strange to you? >> i mean, i knew she was intoxicated, i knew she was having fun, but i also, before i left, she asked me, because i used to hold a lot of her stuff when we'd go out because she would carry very small purses, and she said, you know, kevin -- when i was leaving, when the bouncers were escorting me out, she said, wait, i need my debit card, and i gave her my debit card, so i felt that maybe she was a little intoxicated, but you know, she was not, you know, incoherent or incapacitated. she knew what she was doing. and you know, i figured she was just, you know, i don't know,

playing games with me and she'd be back at the hotel in a couple hours. >> her brother, thomas, was on this broadcast recently, kevin, and i have to tell you what he said. i'm sure you're aware of this. he said you were guilty of being a coward, that you shouldn't have left her. when you look at that surveillance tape, any part of you feel like i wish that i had stayed? this was a terrible mistake, why did i leave her? >> every day, every minute, every time i close my eyes. absolutely. but you have to understand, at the time, what i was thinking, it was after 7:00 in the morning, it was broad daylight out, there was people coming and going from the club. there was a line that taxis out front. there were 20 people milling out in front. it didn't feel like i was leaving her in danger. she asked for the debit card before i left, so i knew she had money, had her i.d. but do i regret that decision?

every day of my life, yes. >> i'm sure you do. chris, if kevin has nothing to do with paula's murder, why is he still considered a person of interest? >> well, i think that in any police investigation, it's reasonable, it's common sense that the last person seen with them, especially if they've had some issues in michigan and california, it's only reasonable to start the investigation there. and until there's actually an arrest warrant or an indictment, i don't see kevin being completely cleared. they need to have an arrest before that move is made. >> and we certainly hope that that happens very soon. kevin klym, kelly ferris, chris kokanaucus, thank you very much. >> we have a website, justiceforpaula.com. we're asking anybody with tips to come forward. we're looking for donations. we're raising money for a reward. kelly has put up $15,000 of her own money. she stopped working completely, dedicated herself to this, as have i. and anybody who can come forward

and help us or donate to our website, i really appreciate it. >> kevin, thank you for adding that. greatly appreciate it. and thank you all once again. >> thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> thank you. and now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: "today's weather" is brought to you by kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. >> and good morning. latest weather for you. of course, we've been talking about this big storm along the mid-atlantic for the weekend. it's still snowing along the mid-atlantic states. rain in much of california into the pacific northwest, snow showers through the plains. on sunday we've got windy conditions and snow sh >> good morning. it looks like things will be ok early this morning. by the afternoon, light snow and sleet

and that's your latest weather. meredith? al, thank you. and up next, a real-life sleeping beauty. the rare condition that makes this girl sleep for almost two weeks at a time. her story, right after this.

we're back now at 7:44. imagine sleeping through an entire family vacation or days of work or school. it's actually what happened to a 15-year-old girl who suffers from an extremely rare disorder that causes her to doze off for days on end. here's nbc's stephanie gosk.

>> reporter: teenagers need a lot of sleep, but for 15-year-old louisa ball, sleeping has become a curse. what has been the longest period of time that you've been asleep? >> 13 days. >> reporter: unlike the fairy tale, this sleeping beauty has no prince charming coming to wake her up. she has klein levin syndrome, a rare condition with only 1,000 known cases around the world. >> this kind of state lasts for about one to two weeks, generally, and then it disappears suddenly. so, people feel this is over, but unfortunately, comes back, and in a very unpredictable way. >> reporter: louisa's sleeping episode started just over a year ago. >> we couldn't wake her up, and it was constant, please, will you get up, please have something to eat, and she just couldn't eat and didn't even have the energy to open her eyelids. >> reporter: a pediatrician in ireland made the diagnosis for the young lady, a frightening syndrome with no cure, only a

chance louisa would grow out of it. since then, every four to five weeks, her family and school friends pick up the signs that sleep is setting in. >> i'm vague, i don't talk much. and then louisa's going into an episode. and i'm like, yeah. and then i realize i will need to go home. >> reporter: while asleep, life passes her by. dancing is louisa's passion, but this year she keeps missing recitals. school work and her social life suffer. ♪ i'm dreaming my life away >> just catch up and i'm right back to normal. >> reporter: do you wake up and go, what's the gossip? >> yeah. yeah. like, obviously, everyone just tells me, i'm just bombarded with everything. >> reporter: her parents have a harder time staying upbeat. they almost have to force feed her to keep her alive. you lose your daughter, in a way. >> i do. she doesn't talk to you. >> reporter: and they also have to defend their daughter from the skeptics who say she's just another teenager with an attitude problem. >> this is somebody who's losing a third of their life to sleep,

you know, for no reason of their own. >> reporter: it's a real-life fairy tale that this family hopes will have a happy ending. for "today," stephanie gosk, nbc news, worthing, england. >> dr. emanuel minot is a psychiatry professor and director of the center for narcolepsy at stanford university. doctor, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> is this a virus that causes this? is that what a lot of people believe? >> we're not so sure. however, we think that some people are genetically predisposed to having an infection that then doesn't clear up and seems to relax regularly, and that gives the symptoms of sleeping all the time for ten days at a time. >> so, if it lasts ten days at a time and then the person wakes up and can function at some normal level, generally speaking, what's the time between episodes? >> that's a big problem. we never know. sometimes it can be two weeks, sometimes it can be months.

occasionally, people say that's it, i've grown out of it because i haven't had an episode for a year, then it restarts. >> and even during the episodes, they do wake up for short periods of time, and what are they like during those periods of times? how do they behave? >> that's the important thing. they are not normal. they are in kind of a dream-like state, sounds are muffled. they don't feel normal. >> confused. >> exactly. >> irrelevantal, slow-thinking. >> yeah. >> and it is that dream-like state. >> exactly. >> and then they dip back into sleep until the end of that 10 or 12-day period. >> yes. >> what's amazing to me here is that they actually, most people do grow out of this. it lasts for about 8 or 12 years and then they grow out. is that the end of the term where the virus can impact you? does the brain accommodate it? what happens? >> we don't know. that's why we have to do a lot more research in this relatively rare disease. there are only probably a few thousand people with a disorder.

they are often not diagnosed and there is very little research being done. but i believe that probably the infectious process gets, you know, less active with time, and you outgrow it. >> and real quickly, the major difference between this and narcolepsy, which more people have heard of would be what? >> oh, it's completely different. narcolepsy patients just sleep all the time and they have difficulties staying awake. that's their major problem. and it's a lifelong disorder. once you start narcolepsy, you have it for life. whereas here it's episodic, it's on, off, on, off, and that's what's really dramatic. >> life-altering for the people who have it. >> absolutely. >> dr. mignot, thank you for your input. we appreciate it very much. >> thank you. it's 49 minutes after the hour. just ahead, a sneak peek at the super bowl commercials everybody will be talking about monday morning.

just ahead, we're going to talk to the man behind these images of marilyn monroe.

>> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> 7:56. let's start with the traffic situation. >> a few problems out there, but nothing weather-related yet. it will be worse off later this afternoon into this evening. in the sparks vicinity, and york road, report of a vehicle fire there. aberdeen, look for an accident at paradise road and bel air. inner loop delays in charles. the left turn lane is blocked

there. you want to avoid that. southbound 95 at 190 in howard county, an accident is just coming in for us. we are not dealing with any significant delays at the moment. we will keep alive the first in the area of 95 and white marsh, not as bad as we usually see it. tap the brakes on little going into the beltway. flowing without delay in both directions from the bay bridge to the eastern shore. >> good morning. the store is on the way, and moisture is streaming north bound towards earth carolina. the atmosphere will saturate and we will see a little storm activity. 31 at the airport, 35 downtown at the maryland science center. this is the way today, a snow developing this afternoon could mix in with sleet, 1 inch to 3 inches on the ground by the evening commute, high temperatures in the mid-30's.

that should help a little on the roadways. >> thank you very much. check your screen for early school dismissals to

8:00 now on a friday morning. it's the 5th day of february 2010. got a nice crowd of people out on the plaza this morning. they're going to get snowed on. we don't know how much we're going to get here. could be right on the kind of hairy edge of a major snowstorm. >> that's right, the northern fringe. >> but the people down south could get over a foot of snow, places like washington. >> one to two feet. >> wow. wow. this is a big, big storm, dangerous. so, we're going to keep paying attention to this. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira. are you wanted by somebody or

something? i thought you were ducking. anyway, and al roker joins us as well. you guys have big super bowl plans? >> i'm going to watch it with my family. >> yeah, pretty much it. >> okay, good. >> some people are predicting this game could top the finale of "m.a.s.h." in terms of history. so, coming up, everything you need to know about the super bowl from the food to the television to the spirit to the drinks to make your super bowl bash one to remember. plus, we'll get a sneak peek of the commercials coming up in the super bowl. plus, who's that girl? this girl i'm talking about didn't seem to matter to the people on the streets. they saw her and thought, wow, there's a lot of attention being paid to her, she's got an entourage, she must be famous. they wanted their picture taken with her, wanted her autograph. turns out, she was just a producer from the "today" show -- >> not just a producer. >> just? just? >> but this is a real marketing experiment, and it tells us an awful lot about the power of image. we're going to tell you how that

can impact your ability to find a job. >> okay. >> all right, and then a little later on, a photographer is going to share some never-before-seen pictures of marilyn monroe taken just months before her death. >> okay. before we go any further, let's go inside. ann's standing by with a look at the headlines. >> thanks a lot, matt. everybody, good morning once again. today an apology from the chief executive at toyota for multiple safety problems affecting millions of cars and customers. he said he will personally oversee a new committee to increase quality control. the company said this week it is considering a new recall of 270,000 prius hybrid cars to fix antilock brakes. last month, toyota recalled 4.5 million cars to repair gas pedals. the u.s. ambassador to haiti says talks are in the works to let ten american missionaries stand trial in the u.s. for allegedly abducting haitian children. the americans were indicted by a haitian judge on thursday. their defense attorney said nine of the missionaries naively followed their leader when they

ride to take 33 haitian children out of the earthquake-ravaged country. north korea said today it will free an american missionary who entered the country illegally on christmas day. it said 28-year-old robert park of tucson, arizona, admitted his wrongdoing and has repented. overseas markets are down sharply this morning after the dow's 268-point drop on thursday. cnbc's melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange with more on this. melissa, today the focus is on jobs. >> that's right, ann. the dow is coming off its worst one-day drop in eight months, and as a result, asian markets getting crushed overnight. hong kong's hang seng down more than 3%. south korea's kospi down 3%, india's sensex down 2.6%. today markets taking their cues from the jobs report, and one thing is for sure, companies have figured out how to do more with less, they're more productive, their profits are higher. that's good news for your 401(k). it's bad news for people looking for work. ann, back to you. >> sounds like today's a day to buckle up. thanks a lot, melissa francis. two american-born pandas

arrived in china this morning, a day after leaving atlanta and washington, d.c., where they had millions of fans. and two members of the coast guard auxiliary walked away unhurt on wednesday after the plane made an emergency landing in florida. the front landing gear wouldn't lock in place and collapsed shortly after touching down. it is now four minutes after the hour. let's get another check of the weather from al. thanks, ann. these young ladies are from baltimore, and you came here -- what's your school? >> prep. >> they're making you stay another day because of the storm? oh, that's too bad! boo-hoo. bet you're having a good time. thanks and hopefully you get home safe. >> thank you. >> moms and dads, they're all okay. let's check your weather, see what's happening. and look, here it comes. this is a big storm. this is why these kids aren't going home. the snow has already started in parts of the virginias, also down through north carolina. they're seeing some icy mix.

a big system. here's the low pressure area getting itself together, pushing its way off the coast. as it does, it's spreading that snow. washington, d.c., southern new jersey, where they've got blizzard warnings already. the snow spreads back into indiana. look at some of these snowfall totals. we are talking about anywhere three to six inches back through the dakotas, but as you get through the ohio river valley, 9 to 12 inches of snow. and then baltimore, washington, philadelphia, atlantic city, anywhere from a foot to two feet of snow in some of the mountains west of washington. >> good morning. we should see some snow developing earlier this morning and lasting through the afternoon. there could be a little sleep, and a couple inches could be on the ground bu

and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, mr. roker, thank you very much. when we come back, "the friday whip." it's your survival guide for super bowl sunday, everything you need to make a party a hit. . give a book with your voice on every page. and when it seems impossible to love you more... i do. good night, evan. - i love you. - awww, i love you too. a cuddly bear that answers when you talk... or a card with a dvd that celebrates your love story. gifts that will mean something long after the day is done. ♪ i love you only at your hallmark gold crown store.

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>> announcer: "today's friday whip" is brought to you by mcdonald's. back at 8:09 with "today's super bowl whip," everything you need for this weekend's game between the indianapolis colts and the new orleans saints. >> we have lined up everybody to help us out from televisions to snacks. first, football 101. betsy burns is author of "the female fan guide to pro football." betsy, good morning. >> good morning. >> so, there isn't a lot you need to know. you need to know it's super bowl xliv, the names of the teams, the colts and the saints. >> and even if you're just there for the commercials and the halftime show, at least know the colts are blue and white and the saints are black and gold so you can recognize them on the field. >> and when it comes to the players, good to know the quarterbacks. walk us through those two guys. >> okay. peyton manning is the quarterback for the colts.

he's 33 years old. he grew up in new orleans. his father archie used to play for the saints. >> which is an interesting little connection. >> which is an interesting mix, exactly. and drew brees is the quarterback for the saints and this is his first time in a super bowl. >> what about each team's record in the super bowl? that's always a good thing to pull out. >> right. well, the colts won three years ago. they beat the chicago bears, and this is the first time the saints have ever been to the super bowl. it's been 43 years. >> and the colts are predicted to win by five points, is that right? >> that's about right, yes. so, if somebody talks about the point spread, just say, yeah, the colts are expected to win. >> what about football lingo that would make you look good? >> it's good to have something in your back pocket to look impressive. maybe if your team is on offense and you want to see a trick play, say, oh, play action might be good right now. that's just a trick play where the quarterback fakes a running play and actually throws the ball. >> any other lingo? >> what about a blitz? if your team is on defense, you could say, oh, blitz would be great right now. so, there's some fun things that you could throw out. a point spread is good to kn,

if you actually can understand it. but the main thing is just to have fun when you're watching the game. >> exactly. betsy, thank you so much. now let's go over to matt. >> thank you. if you're hosting a party, you want your television to score a touchdown with your friends. our tech expert is a professor at columbia journalism school. sri, nice to see you. >> good to be here. >> if you're going out to buy a tv right now for the big game or for anything for that matter, is it all hd? >> it's hd, and the manufacturers are presenting their new lineup last month at a big show in vegas, so they need to clear the space in the stores. so you don't need to wait. if you want a new tv, this is the time to go shop around. >> but the prices vary wildly. if you look at a 42-inch screen, prices could differ by hundreds and hundreds of dollars. >> it can, so that's why you have to do your research and go and see what feels good. also depends on the size of your apartment, where you're going to be sitting or house, et cetera. >> right. this is 42 inches. you like this. this is insignia. why do you like this model? >> this is best buy's brand.

a smaller tv than this three years ago that i bought was $3,000. this is $799. this gives you a sense of how much the prices have fallen. it also has a great feature, reduces the volume from going up when the commercials come on. >> we like that. >> a lot of people love that. >> let's go up in size. this is a samsung, 46 inches. why do you like this? >> several things. the first is that it's incredibly thin. so, i'm just going to show you, if we can right here, look at how thin that is. >> that's unbelievable. that really is. it's right against the wall. >> right. >> what's a price on something like this? >> so, this can range from $1,600 to $2,000, but the other part of this is it's 40% more energy-efficient because it uses l.e.d.s as part of the -- >> in the 15 seconds left, this is a bigger one. this is 54 inches. and why do you like this? >> and this is a panasonic plasma, available at j&r. what is nice about this, it's a bigger screen, also you can see from a wider area. so, sometimes with the lcds, that's a problem. and just look at the size of this. >> yeah. that's a good picture.

enjoy the game, sree. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. appreciate the information. let's go upstairs now to al. >> thanks, matt. wouldn't be a super bowl party without the food, and here with the dishes that will definitely win your family and friends over, katie brown, host of "katie brown's workshop" on public tv. nice to see you. >> nice to see you! >> we're starting with snacks, popcorn. >> you think popcorn, super bowl, eat as you watch. >> yes. >> but how about spicing them up a little bit? >> okay. >> this particular one right here has a little bit of cinnamon, a little bit of sugar and a little bit of kayan pepper. this one has a little pepper chopped up, lemon squeezed with butter and then you mix it up. this is one of my favorites, butter, truffle oil, little parmesan cheese and a tad bit of parsley. very good, right? >> ribs! >> this one's always a crowd-pleaser. >> hard to cook ribs outside, so this is indoor. >> first poach them. then you go right to your cupboard. you get out your ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, mustard. the thing that you want to do

that's a secret here is you always think sweet and sour. but how about a little lemon? thank you! i'm putting al to work here. >> and you put them on the thing. how long do you keep them in the oven? >> only a good 15, 20 minutes, because you've already cooked them. >> and look at this. >> look at that. >> off the bone. >> who's the winner? it's a touchdown! no pun intended. >> i'm going to pass it over to ann. >> all right, i caught the ball. thanks, al. beer won't be the only drink on sunday for a go-to beverage. the super bowl ranks among one of the top ten wine consumption events of the year. here with suggestions is gary vaynercek. gary, good morning. >> how are you? >> thanks for telling us it's okay to drink wine on super bowl. listen to that, my husband. how often do people have to drink wine? >> as often as possible, hopefully. >> no, on the super bowl. >> wine has exploded, especially the past five years. wine is actually passing beer in a lot of markets as the top beverage during the super bowl. >> okay. now, when you're having buffalo

wings, what's a good pairing? what's a good wine pairing? >> white wine from spain, very crisp, goes really well with spicy or plain chicken wings. >> okay. now, moving into pizza, very big during the super bowl. >> huge. >> what will you drink with that? >> i want to go with the tariga nationale. i know that scared everybody. it's norwegian wine and it's only $7. >> $7, there you go! and when the saints win, we are going to want champagne. >> yes. >> and you suggested maybe a b caba. i heard that snare over there. >> you don't have to spend a lot of bones on champagne. $8 to $12. great value. >> all right. gary, thank you very much. >> thanks for having me. >> that's terrific. now, all we have left is the commercials. we'll have a preview of the commercials for the super bowl, but coming up next, how to turn yourself into a celebrity in just two hours and how it could land you your next job. that's coming up.

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back now with more of our special series "build your own brand today: how to stand out in a crowd." on thursday, we showed you how to build a personal brand to hopefully improve your chances of landing a new job. this morning, how with a few smoke and mirrors, we made one of our "today" show producers stand out in the crowd. [ ringing ] >> "today" show, krista? >> reporter: as a "today" show producer, krista brunson is used

to juggling a number of assignments. >> okay, well, how about if we reschedule? >> reporter: but branding and marketing expert brandon lynn strom has come up with what could be her most challenging experiment yet. with help from jill martin. >> we have to create a celebrity in two hours. >> i love this task. all right, but we don't want her to look like lady gaga, right? >> no. you want to go 15% down the track of lady gaga, but not the full. >> we'll just do the lady, leave out the gaga. are you ready for a new krista? >> i'm ready. >> okay, let's go. >> krista's transformation was under way with hair, makeup and wardrobe, just like a real celebrity. meanwhile, with the help of some willing nbc staffers, krista's entourage was assembled -- a manager, stylist, bodyguard, even fake paparazzi, and of course, the requisite blinged-out pooch. this is zach. >> you look unbelievable. ♪ when i grow up, i wanna be

famous, i wanna be a star ♪ >> reporter: in order for this to work, krista had to stay in character the whole time, and boy, did she. >> if we do lunch, i'd like to have a ma moccia and i'd like to bring marguerite, so, can you put it on the schedule? >> krista, look over here! krista, look over here. how are you doing today? >> i'm just doing a little shopping, folks, okay? >> look over here. >> what are you doing for the super bowl, krista? >> please look this way one second. thank you. >> she's had enough, guys. >> reporter: it didn't take long for people to approach krista. >> hi, absolutely! lovely hat. >> thank you. >> oh, absolutely. >> thanks. thanks. >> but that doesn't mean they actually knew her. >> she kind of looks like somebody important. >> so why did you approach her? >> well, because this is new york and you always seen fun people on the street and why not? >> she looks really familiar, so i figured if i could get her autograph, i'd be able to read it but i still can't read it. >> you can't read it! >> i heard that her name is

krista, but everybody was asking for an autograph, so i figured i'd get one for my daughter as well. >> who is that? >> you took a photo. >> it looks like jessica simpson. is it her? >> while not everyone was buying it. >> do you know krista? >> no, i don't know krista. >> reporter: others just wanted information. >> could you give me a name? >> krista. >> krista who? >> like madonna, you have krista. >> i'm on a show that hasn't premiered yet, but it's an up and coming. >> what name should i be looking for? >> krista, that's the name. >> reporter: but in the end, she took the photo anyway, just in case. >> three, two, one. >> martin lindstrom is chairman of biology incorporated, a marketing and neuroscience company. his best-selling books "buy-ology" and brand sense." good morning. >> good morning. is this what you try every day when you walk down the street? >> i don't walk around with an entourage. but why were people attracted to

her, bottom line? >> people were not attracted to krista, sorry, krista. they're attracted to the attention around her. it's the same as a pawn in the air. people start to look in the air. >> so, you're basic laegly saying we're lemmings and we're only interested in things other people are interested in. >> we're very insecure. basically, what happens is the more we're under pressure, the more we want a leader, and the leader of the 21st century is celebrities. >> we didn't just do this to have fun. we did this to prove a point. and basically, we created an aura of interest around this person. now, bring that into daily life. why should we think that's important, especially when we're looking for a job? >> you know what, at the end of the day, it comes down to trading attention around you and having a presence in the room. now, if i give you a limp handshake, i'm pretty sure you would think, who's that person? so, the first impression is really what counts. that's the reason why if you walk into a supermarket aisle, for example, and you talk to a person sitting at the counter and the person is not having a

presence, you would forget her. but suddenly, if she has a strong presence, you will never forget her and she will increase her profile. >> so if you're going in for an interview that 50 other people have interviewed for, if you walk in there thinking or exuding that you own the room and you are by far the best qualified person for that job, in some ways, the person interviewing you might buy it. >> absolutely. it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. you become what you actually want to be. >> we can't give everyone an entourage. we can't give everyone a stylist who touches their hair constantly. so, what's the best way, in small ways, for someone to do it in a job search? >> plan your first five or ten seconds of presence when you walk in a room so you feel people are attracted to you. because when you do that, guess what? your presence will be so much stronger that people actually will be attracted to you and believe in you. >> martin, great experiment. the only problem is, krista is still in character. she has not broken that. >> i agree. >> that's going to be tough to live with her. just ahead, some never-before-seen photos of

marilyn monroe. >> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> let's get a look at the commute. fine right now. >> exactly. we are not dealing with anything weather-related at the moment, but things will change, of course. you will be traveling of lake drive and grande valley road in westminster, an accident possibly involving a pedestrian. another problem on the inner loop right at white marsh, debris on the road. southbound charles, left turn lane is blocked by sup on construction, and an accident

still being worked on at 198 in howard county. a live you in a couple of spots. 50, coming from the eastern shore, moving very well eastbound and westbound on the bay bridge this morning. white marsh is not too bad. we are moving well. now let's get a check on the snowy forecast. >> good morning, everyone. the storm is now just beginning to move into our neighborhood and will catch up to us later this morning and into the afternoon. light snow showers and fleurs could developments lunchtime. let's take a look at the forecast. 1 inch to 3 inches on the ground most likely by the evening commute. temperatures will be above freezing, so that will help a bit of the roadways. and tonight, snow intensifies. i would not be surprised if you heard thunder and saw light and

over that stretch. then everything will taper off by 6:00 or 7:00 this evening. 12 inches to 20 inches of snow will be on the ground for most of you before all is said and done. maybe more snow next week. >> think for joining us. -- thank you for joining us

8:30 now on this friday morning, february 5th, 2010. this time next week we will be in vancouver for the opening ceremony of the olympic games. these folks are getting their waves in on the plaza while they can, unless they're going to come with us to vancouver. of course, this weekend's big sporting event is the super bowl. >> yes. >> on sunday. >> that's right, sunday night, colts versus the saints.

100 million people expected to tune in in this country. you know, about half of those people don't care who wins the game, they just want to see the commercials. >> yes. >> a lot of people tune in for those commercials. so, coming up in this half hour, we're going to have a sneak peek at some of the ones that you will be talking about on monday morning. >> that's something i really noticed during the super bowl, it's hard to take a bathroom break. >> you want to watch the commercials. >> exactly. also ahead this half hour, never-before-seen photographs of the legendary marilyn monroe that were taken eight months before she died. we'll show you more and also talk to the photographer who took them in a moment. also coming up this morning, take a look at these beautiful dogs. they're called pyrenees, right? and they're on a quest with their owner to walk 2,000 miles across the country. we'll tell you why, coming up. >> wow. first, we want to remind you about our wizarding world of harry potter at universal orlando resort contest. it opens this spring, and we're

giving classrooms across the country a chance to be there for the opening. we just need to know why your class is extraordinary. logon to our website, todayshow.com, and we'll give you all the details. >> when is that, do you know? >> april. >> april, a couple months from now. >> do you have a check of the weather? absolutely. let's show you what's going on. you know about the storm for the eastern seaboard. well, saturday, southern new jersey looking for one to two feet of snow in parts of the mid-atlantic. rain in california. then sunday, rain showers in new england, snow through the northern plains, wet weather in the pacific northwest, showers in southern >> good morning. it looks like things will be ok early this morning. by the afternoon, light snow and sleet

and that's your latest weather. don't forget, any time of the day or night, weather channel on cable, weather.com online. >> all right. if you're watching the game on sunday, it always helps to watch with a football in your hand. >> yeah! >> sit there and pretend during the game. >> that's what i do. >> we want to thank the folks at wilson. every year they do something nice for us. first of all, they make all the footballs, at their factory in ohio, they make all the game balls, and every year for us they make us a ball with our signature on it. >> that's really cool. >> it's really nice. a great keepsake. >> you know how many balls a year? 700,000. >> that's a lot of balls. >> that's a lot of balls. >> it really is. >> now, you know, it's best if we not get involved in this. >> in fact, i'm going to walk away. >> hey, mark, catch!

>> she can't stop! >> and i'm going to -- let's see. >> all right! >> all right, okay. >> that's so nice. >> we're going to be back with much more ahead on a friday morning. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:36. 50 years ago, marilyn monroe was the reigning queen of hollywood, and to this day, she is considered one of the greatest female stars of all time. but back in december of 1961, an unexpected meeting between monroe and the accomplished photographer len stekler led to some remarkable photographs that are just being revealed for the first time. len steckler, good morning.

this is an amazing story. take us back to 1961. you're visited by your good friend nicole sandberg. >> who is sitting in my place, and carl, we were talking, and carl casually says to me, len, i'm expecting somebody over in a little while, and i keep talking. it was like him. >> doesn't say anything about who it is. >> nothing. four hours later, the doorbell rings, i go to the door, i open the door, i'm face to face with marilyn monroe, and she looked -- she really looked gorgeous. she says to me immediately, "i'm sorry i'm late, but i was having my hair done to match carl's," and it looked amazing. so, she's in the back, carl is inside. she sees carl and she runs toward him and embraces him, and they kiss and they start to talk and they're talking and

involved. i'm watching this, i grab my nikon. >> you know there's a moment here that needs to be captured. >> well, it's like an instinct, and i've done it all my life. so, i grab it and i start to move toward them gently, like a cat. you're like a mouse and a cat. and i'm going and i'm closer and i'm starting to shoot and i'm noticing that they don't even know that i'm there. >> they're so engrossed in each other. >> they're oblivious to the camera. but that -- i was feeling amazed, and i put my camera, i focused on marilyn's face and she was wearing sunglasses, but i saw her eyes and i focused on her eyes and there wasn't a bad angle on her, literally. i had done a lot of beautiful women, but -- and then i panned down and there was carl's gnarled hand, his old hand in her hand, and i thought to myself, carl was 83 and marilyn was 35.

>> right. >> that's pretty -- >> that's pretty good, actually. >> yes. >> now, you say that there was little bit of flirtation between the two of them. did you suspect something was going on, or -- >> well, well, i can't make that -- she -- i think she liked older men. i think she was very vulnerable and she liked older men, and as such, carl really fit that bill because he was very parental. i would say more of that than the other. >> and you sort of squirreled these photographs away. you never really thought about them, right? your son discovered them. >> very true. very true. actually, all of that -- i went back -- my assistant brought me the contacts and i looked at the contacts, i said they're beautiful. i said file them away as "the visit," which i called it. but here's a point, meredith,

marilyn monroe, as i remember, died eight months later. >> that's exactly right. >> and i thought to myself at that moment how empathetic i felt photographing those two icons when they were in their moment and i was there with my camera, and i went on doing what i was doing, and as you do. i had all my assignments and things that i did. and i put joe namath in pantyhose and i did all of that. and then, that's 50 years later, 50 years later, which was about three months ago, i was having my work appraised, and my son morgan was there, you know, leafing through my files and found an envelope, and it said "the visit" on it. he looked on them and said, "dad, these are wonderful." >> well, i'm glad he came upon them, because now the public will get a chance to purchase them. len, they're fantastic.

>> thank you. >> thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you very much. >> and for sharing them with the rest of the world. >> thank you, meredith. thank you. up next, a sneak peek at this year's super bowl commercials. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:43 with a preview of this year's super bowl, not the matchup between the colts and the saints, but the commercials. here with a sneak peek is matt miller, president and ceo of the association of independent commercial producers. hey, matt, welcome back. >> hey. >> good to see you. >> you, too. >> it's that time of year again. $2.5 million is what advertisers are paying for a minute during the super bowl. are they getting a good bang for their buck? >> in many ways they are. it has been a vehicle to not only show the health of your company, but tell wall street you're vibrant but also speak your brand in a different way,

in a fun way and really to connect. but you know, prices have held. prices truly have held. they thought it would dip a little bit this year, but it was strong and it came right back. >> that's a lot of jack. let's get to some of the commercials you think people will be talking about. this one is for snickers, and this is kind of a humorous one. let's take a look, okay? >> we love betty white. it's always great to take someone and place them outside their normal environment. >> and it's great, and the super bowl does that well and creatively year in and year out. you know, any time -- you know, the super bowl's about a good laugh. you're watching in a big crowd. you want a good laugh, something memorable. put betty white with young guys playing football and there's a little surprise in there with

abe via goedgodavigoda. >> dockers, first time in the super bowl, i believe. we can't play this whole thing, but this is weird. >> yeah, it's kind of fun. this is a great sound check here, and the idea, you know, both dockers and dove. it's a little bit about growing up and it's a little bit about that "hangover" mentality from the films and all that, men coming of age. it's time to grow up and wear pants. and it's a little bit monty python-esque, and what's interesting here is it's all a sound check and it's kind of a funny song. and they co-branded this thing with sam, so you can download the song and do these things online. >> and there's a good thing that comes at the end of that. dove did real well with the real woman campaign and now they're kind of taking that and moving it over to men. >> they are, demand a humorous way. they've thrown out some statistics like, you know, over the years the number of man grooming products have grown 25%.

so, this is another way of saying men grow up. you know, it's put on pants here and start grooming yourself. >> by the way, for car enthusiasts, we're not going to show any commercials, but there are five foreign car companies that have purchased ads in the super bowl. only one american car company. that's pretty telling. >> that is pretty telling. it's telling of what's going on. i actually think some of the ways that the foreign car companies are connecting are in very humorous ways and very interesting ways. vw, especially, is doing some really interesting things. >> career builder and budweiser have both done these things where they've allowed viewers prior to the game to in some ways determine what they'll see during the game. is that a good strategy? >> well, it's huge. i think right now it's part of the strategy. last year, i think 90% of the advertisers played their spots either prior to or afterwards on some sort of other platform, and in fact, while you have 100 million viewers, you also have about 100 million hits within the days after the super bowl to give it another life. and those two actually allowed

the consumers to help pick the ads that were going to be in the super bowl, engage them beforehand. >> we often talk about the go daddy commercials for good reason. they've got danica patrick. let's take a look and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> every time i search for a domain name at godaddy.com, a girl talks to me. >> a girl? >> watch. smokinghotdreamgirl.com. >> oh. that's danica patrick! >> so, do you little maniacs want another domain name? >> yes, please. how about smokinghotdance.com? >> see what happens next at godaddy.com. >> i don't know what to say about that. so, let's just run it again. >> it's "flash dance" meets "weird science," a little nostalgia and just out there and it will make you go look at it again. they always have the strategy of putting things out that they know will be rejected to get the buzz going. >> they've had one banned. >> every year they have one

banned. >> coca-cola, big year for coca-cola, why? >> well, pepsi hasn't been in now. this is the first time in 23 years pepsi's not there. they vacated it and left the door open for coke to own it, so, here you have it. they've been battling it out for a couple of years, both of them in the game, and now coke's there with three spots this year and they're going to own it. >> and controversy, i think if there is some, you can talk about this focus on families organizations, pro-life ad that features tim tebow, the football star. and it's created a lot of talk. i think if the idea is to message in front of a lot of eye balls, they've done it in a big way. >> it is, and it is a gutsy move. i think the thing that's out there politically is that in the past, cbs specifically and other networks have rejected advocacy ads. they've rejected ads that are more liberal in their stance, and this year this is on the conservative side so the liberals are up in arms. they did reject a gay dating

site ad. so, you have a little political undercurrent going on here. >> but we're talking about it, and that's half the battle of these organizations. >> that's right. >> matt miller, as always, thanks very much. >> great to be here, matt. >> and which do you like better, the commercials or the game? weigh in at our website, todayshow.com. up next, one man and his dogs' remarkable cross-country

this morning on "today's pets," an incredible journey to raise awareness for a deadly disease. our resident animal lover jill rappaport is here with the heartwarming story. hey, jill, good morning. >> hi, meredith. it's a true, wonderful walk for life, and this is a man on a mission with his dogs by his side. and they are hoping with every step they take it will get them closer to an answer for animal cancer. when luke robinson adopted his great pyrenees malcolm in 1999, he really understood the true meaning of the phrase man's best friend. >> he changed everything in my life. very quickly, i golfed, so he became my caddie. he would ride shotgun in my golf cart. he would go everywhere with me. >> reporter: tragedy, at the age of 6, malcolm was diagnosed with bone cancer, sadly losing his fight after a grueling two-year battle. >> it torpedoed my world.

he was so much a part of my life that i wanted to know why he got cancer. >> reporter: so, in 2008, luke went looking for an answer. he sold his truck, put his belongings in storage and hit the open road with his two other great pyrenees pooches, murphy and hudson. his goal -- two dogs 2,000 miles, walking from austin to boston to raise awareness about canine cancer. the journey in itself for a human is daunting. yet, you're taking these beautiful dogs on this trip with you. the first thing that comes to my mind is the risks for them. >> if something does happen, i mean, these are my boys, i'm responsible. i had to get over that emotional hurdle and realize that, you know, i can plan and prepare and do everything i could and just have faith that we'll get from point a to point b safely, and we have. we've had angels walking with us. >> reporter: since they began their journey almost two years ago, the threesome averaged 10 to 12 miles a day, and that's the easy part. so, here you've got almost 100

pounds of weight on your back, and yet, you can completely survive for almost a week at a time with what you're carrying on you? >> that's right. enough dog food, treats -- >> reporter: water. >> -- emergency supplies, water, exactly. >> where are you staying? where do you stop over? >> we've stayed at churches, pitched a tent in people's lawns. we do sleep on the side of the road about 50% of the time. >> reporter: obviously, we're not doing a big trek today, but normally, you would have boots on all their paws. >> that's right. it's imperative to protect their pads in cold weather, hot weather, walking through the city, there's so many hazards. >> reporter: now the physical challenges of their endeavor are obvious, and the focus of this mission is clear. are we getting any closer to answers for this horrific cancer? >> the bad news is, we have a lot more questions than we do answers, but the good news is, is that there are a lot of wonderful people out there that are devoting their lives to the very same thing. when malcolm was diagnosed, i knew right then and there that the rest of my life was going to be committed to cancer. didn't know how, didn't know what capacity. i still have that commitment.

i still am going to devote the rest of my days to try to figure out what took him from me. >> answers we hope he gets, having lost my own beloved dog jack to the same deadly disease. >> and this is murphy right here, and hudson on the couch along with luke. luke, almost two years you've been on this journey. the response you get from people along the road? >> well, i have some people that just absolutely can't believe that i'm walking across the country because i lost a dog to cancer. and then i get people who drive five hours just to shake my hand and just to let us know that they're with us all the way. you know, people have been so gracious and generous and giving. they invite us into their homes. i mean, we've had people that we just -- complete strangers, and they just see me and the boys out there on the road walking and they just pull over and say i've got a spare bedroom. come stay with us tonight. >> and as you mentioned, jill, the dogs sometimes have booties on to protect their feet. what else do you do to ensure their safety? because it's dangerous out on

the road. >> well, it is. there is a lot of truth to happy, healthy, well-behaved dog is a well-exercised dog. so, you know, we encounter a lot of risk, but these guys get the best food, best treats. we have a lot of products that we use to help protect them from some of the risks. and then just, my day really is all about planning and anticipating. and this is probably one of the most risk-averse adventures, because these are my boys and i don't want anything to happen to them. >> but the first day when you told them you were going for a walk, you didn't realize two years later -- do you get any attitude from either one of them, like excuse me -- >> well, be careful, because i hope they're not listening. there have been some times, i think, that they look at me and just say, you know, poppy, i think we'll just meet you in boston. have a good walk. enjoy yourself. >> so you'll end up in boston and then what? >> boston really is the next thing. we're going to have a big celebration, do a full weekend worth of events, and then after that, we're launching phase two of this, which is 2 million dogs.

>> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> a winter storm warning is in effect for most of the viewing area. the race is on to stock up on food and necessities as people prepare for a snowstorm. parking is scarce and supplies are limited as long lines phil convenience stores and supermarkets. local officials are preparing roads. officials ask that you stay off of the road as much as possible

>> we have a look at what we can expect from the storm. >> as we head into this afternoon, or will be developing -- snow will be developing. 1 inch to 3 inches on the ground this evening, so the evening

commute will be a slippery, but temperatures will be above freezing, so that will help a touch. snow will intensify overnight tonight. the worst will be late tonight into early saturday, when real blizzard conditions are taking place. before it is said and done, we will wind up with 12 inches to 20 inches. still an impressive storm and sometime early saturday evening. super bowl sunday looks ok. >> thank you for joining us.