good morning. artist blast, a deadly storm system pounds the midwest causing travel problems all around the country, even caving in the metrodome in minneapolis. rocky ride, heavy winds and huge waves caused a royal caribbean cruise ship to list heavily during a storm. we'll hear from an american who's on board. and cheap shot, an jets

coach tripping a player as he ran along the sidelines. he's saying it's unexcusable what he did. "today," monday, december 13, what he did. "today," monday, december 13, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, welcome to today on a monday morning. >> good morning, everybody. >> welcome back from your travels. >> we have got from some really hot weather in haiti, to my gosh, what is this the weather is supposed to look like. here it is this morning because of the snow, it's inflatable roof collapsed. >> it happened on sunday morning. luckily no one was hurt, but the vikings game against the new york giants had to be moved to tonight in detroit. the storm also caused major travel problems closing highways across the midwest, canceling thousands of flights.

critics are supposed to review a performance, but what about a performer's weight? coming up, we're going to tell you what he said, why he's not backing down and we'll also talk to the dancer when she joins us on an exclusive live interview this morning. we're going to reveal the year's most popular viral videos and that one right there ranks very high on the list. we want to begin this morning with a storm that pounded the midwest and caused that minneapolis metrodome to collapse. mike seidel is in cleveland with the latest. mike, good morning to you. >> reporter: as you can see here, it's another day of wind driven lake-effect snow and bitter cold temperatures. this storm was so bad that it took out a major sports arena.

cameras inside the metrodome showed the first signs of trouble. snow leaking through the teflon roof. but at 5:00 a.m., it was an avalanche of snow that collapsed into the unoccupied arena leaving a gaping hole in the dome and the football field covered with snow. in the light of day, the metrodome looked like a crater. officials blame the heavy snow and high winds which caused drifts on the dome ceiling leading to the collapse. >> very high winds, that with the high snow accumulation really impacted us. >> reporter: because of the roof collapse, sunday's schedule game between the jet -- was moved to new york. wintry weather battered the midwest. >> there's a lot of snow on the ground. >> with more than two feet of snow falling in parts of minnesota, residents spet sunday trying to free their cars and

homes from the snowy mess. >> one seems a lot more packed down than the wind blown so the snow is very heavy. >> reporter: the snow also shut down parts of iowa and wisconsin where officials warned some residents to stay off the roads. even major highways were closed across the region. and more than 1,600 flights were canceled in chicago. in the days ahead, residents will be facing bitter cold while back at the metrodome, officials try to figure out what went wrong and when they'll be able to play football there again. you think it's cold where you are this morning, it's 30 below zero in international falls, but no windchill. another freeze for tomorrow afternoon in florida and back in cleveland the windchill is 1, it's 18, this all happening before the first day of winter initially next tuesday. >> just a taste, mike, just a taste.

>> >> al's tracking the storm. >> this storm stretches from indiana all the way into new england. we have lake-effect winter weather advisories, lake-effect storm advisories, always as far south as nashville and what we're looking at, indiana, 12 to 18 inches of snow. plus add to that the cold air, we have got the jet stream dipping way down to the south, 15 in nashville right now, 9 in chicago, pittsburgh 19, afternoon highs today will only get up into the single digits in minneapolis, 31 in minneapolis, you add the windchill, it feels much colder, 5 in atlanta, feels like 3 in pittsburgh, then over the next 24 hours, look at how cold it gets, orlando, 24, jacksonville 18, that stretches on into wednesday. 9 degrees in chicago. we'll have the rest of the forecast in just a bit.

>> al, thank you very much. but for now the debate over your taxes, not just yours, but everyo everyone's. the controversial tax deal faces its first test vote today. kelley o'don jeyell nell -- >> reporter: extending income tax rates and it now appears that some of the opposition from some of the house liberals who don't want to see this deal may not be enough to scuttle it. while the first family enjoyed some christmas cheer in washington sunday night, today the president may get an early gift from senate democrats on his tax cut compromise with republicans. >> i can say that we have good

cross section of the senate democratic caucus from left to right who are prepared to accept this. >> reporter: and there has been a real turn around from some house liberals who say the president's compromise gives too many tax breaks to the rich. last week they vowed to stop it. >> it is not acceptable to the house democratic caucus. it's as simple as that. >> reporter: but by sunday, congressman chris van holland predicted the deal would pass. >> we're not going to hold this thing up at the end of the day. >> reporter: liberals say they will rework the deal to make the wealthy pay higher taxes on. >> i don't think anybody wants to be responsible for taxes going up on january 1 because we couldn't come to a resolution. >> reporter: republicans support this deal, even though it would add about $900 billion to the deficit. >> i think it's worth it.

i think it will create jobs and help our economy. >> reporter: in his 60 minutes profile of the next house speaker, john boehner says the president was disrespectful when he called republicans hostage takes. >> excuse me, mr. president, i thought the election was over. >> reporter: boehner worked as a janitor in public schools. >> making sure that these kids have a shot at the american dream. it's important. >> reporter: and in that profile piece, there were a couple of different times that boehner actually teared up. he says people know that about him, he's comfortable in his own skin. and after today's vote in the senate, it could take a few more days to play out before we know if the house will pass it, so it is a critical time for this package. >> kelly o'donnell on capitol hill this morning. it's now eight minutes after the hour, here's ann.

>> another sad development in the bernie madoff saga, the death of his oldest son mark has now been ruled a suicide by the new york medical familiar never's office. this as his father serves a 156-year sentence in prison. >> reporter: as you mentioned, those official autopsy results are in this morning as expected. mark madoff's official cause of death is suicide by hanging. if he was trying to send a message here, he sure did it, taking his own life on the exact two-year anniversary of his father bernie madoff's arrest. we're getting our first look inside where it happened. with a fishing business and multiple mansions, mark madoff's charmed life came crashing down after the scandal and came to a shocking end on friday morning.

this morning the "new york post" published an exclusive look inside. >> mark madoff was found hanging from a pipe in the living room of the apartment. >> reporter: sources say mark madoff was visibly depressed. just says ago he was sueded yet again, this time even his wife and young kids were named. friday afternoon, he stopped by the parking garage, gave the attendant his car and a $400 tip and said goodbye. though mark has never been criminally charges, there are rumblings he could be soon. in fact "the wall street journal" posted this. i love you, send someone to take care of nick, their son. to his lawyer, no one wants to hear the truth, take care of my

family. >> he was a pariah, his friends had lost their life savings, they turned on him. he was fays a lifetime of misery. >> reporter: mark and his younger brother andrew turned their father in when they confessed to him in 2008, they haven't spoken to their dad or their mother ruth since. bernie madoff was informed of his son's suicide from behind bars. no word on his reaction nor if he asked to attend the funeral. >> the security level that he's in, he has to get approval by the u.s. attorney's office. it's going to be a challenge for him. >> reporter: mark madoff has denied any knowledge or involvement in his father's ponzi scheme, not everyone believes it. but even bernie madoff's angriest victims are sadden i by this twist. >> i'm very, very sorry his for wife and his children and my heart goes out to them. anybody who feels that that's

their only way out, i think it's extremely sad. >> reporter: yesterday a madoff relative identified the body here in manhattan. now the family will start planning the funeral. ruth madoff who reportedly now lives in florida is said to be heart broken by her son's suicide and at least one published story out this morning, she blames her husband bernie for all of it. let us get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. >> good morning, everyone. several suspects have been arrested in southern afghanistan in connection with this month's deadliest attack on coalition troops. six u.s. soldiers were killed sunday when a minibuss packed with explosiveses was detonated at the entrance to a joint nato afghan base. 20 children with their teacher have been safely released after a 17-year-old man yielding two saber swords took

them hostage at their nursery school in france. british police raided a home north of london believed to be linked to the suicide bombing in sweden this weekend. it's the first terror attack in stockholm's history. the suicide blast killed only the bomber but wounded two others. a south korean fishing ship suddenly sank in the antarctic without sending out a distress signal. meanwhile north korea is threatening nuclear war in response to new military exercises the south is conducting this week. the great atlantic and pacific tea company better known as the a & p has filed for bankruptcy amid risings competition. the retail has nearly 400 supermarkets, the food emporium and pass mark. >> trish reagan is at the new york stock exchange. >> investors would certainly like to have another week of

gains, on the economic front, a number of reports due out, including a measurement of inflation, the consumer and the producer price index, we also get housing numbers coming back, retail sales obviously incredibly important right now natalie, because they're the excellent barometer for the health of the economy of the country. com scores has seen a 12% increase in holiday sales over last year. sarah palin is urging americans not to forget haiti after spending the weekend touring the earthquake and cholera ravaged nation with an aid group. and call it a knee jerk reaction, new york jets conditioning coach says he made a mistake when he tripped miami dolphins cornerback nowlan carol on the sideline. carol was briefly on the ground,

but he came back to play later in the game. they're now reviewing the situation and considering the next step. it is now 7:14, back over to matt, ann and al. talk about a dirty trip. >> the appropriate next step is he should be fired. that's really interesting. >> busy morning for you. >> absolutely and it just keeps getting better, we have got more wicked weather to talk about for our friends out in the pacific northwest, they have been getting hammered with a lot of rain along the coast, snow inland and it's just going to keep coming, we have got flood watches and warnings along the coast and the pacific northwest, snow, we're talking one to three inches, some areas as much as a half a foot of snow. the winds will continue through the gulf coast and we'll look at the bru >> there is a little bit of

light snow and snow shower activity. the coaching on the ground in some neighborhoods. temperatures and the low-to-mid- thirties. it is >> pd than's your latest weather. amanda knox teared up in court this weekend as her murder conviction appeal continued in italy. >> reporter: good morning, matt, well the appeal has just stard and already amanda knox wasted no time in declaring her innocence, to a new judge and jury. when she arrived in court on

saturday, surrounded by guards, knox appeared pale and uncertain. prison life, she admitted, has broken her. she was scheduled to be a preliminary session, but knox unexpectedly took over her own defense declaring to the court she did not commit murder. given permission to speak to the court, knox, in fluent italian says she is the victim of an enormous mistake. knox and her former boyfriend rafaele sollecito were convicted of the murder and violent sexual assault in 2007 of her roommate meredith kercher, an exchange student from england. in a 20-minute declaration of innocence, knox expressed her remorse to the kercher family, choking back tears, she said, it does no justice to meredith and her loved ones to take our lives from us.

>> it was extremely emotional and clearly it had an impact on everyone in the room including the jurors. >> knox's defense plans to attack the dna evidence used to convict her, claiming it was flawed. but the prosecution is also appealing, it argues the 26-year prison sentence handed down to knox is not harsh enough for what it called a brutal murder. and is asking for a life sentence. the strain of facing a life sentence clearly taking its toll. today, knox is back in her prison cell, preparing for her fourth christmas behind bars. the trial resumes later this week, but with the wheels of italian justice moving ever so slowly, we don't expect a verdict in this case until sometime in the spring. matt? >> keith, thank you very much. keith miller this morning.

it's now 18 minutes after the hour. a violent storm in the mediterranean is being blamed for the rough ride aboard a royal caribbean cruise liner. huge waves tossed the ship leaving the boat in shambles. >> reporter: she's billed as one of royal caribbean's finest, with glistening glass walls and elevators, but it's a floating mess this morning and the ship sailed headlong into stormy seas. >> it was just violent and we truly thought it was tend for us. >> reporter: for tent terrifyin minutes, passengers say anything not bolted down became a flying weapon. the cruise ship with some 1,600 americans on board left sman for a mediterranean cruise that included a stop in alexandria, egypt's largest port. but severe winds and rain have been battering the middle east.

>> i don't know why he would subject to us to this. i think he really put us in harm's way. >> unlike a carnival cruise ship which had -- the -- in a basement reports of the ship almost tipping over or coming even close to that would be greatly exaggerated a characterization that angers some passengers. >> the boat was completely sideways and everybody thought they were going to die and it was not an exaggeration at all. >> it's like last week's cruise ship being tossed around--but the damage to the ship was enough to shake passengers up and they're still at least a day away from dry land. and coming up, what is elizabeth smart planning to now after jurors convict her

still coming up, prince william and kate middleton release their engagement paragraphs.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell >> a little bit of snow fall caused problems on the roads. this is taking up the right lane.

if the but slow as to go through the area. route 40 past week in way, if passed baltimore national pike, watch for an accident there. west side delay is in place there. slow spots. really heavy their. north and west side of having delays this morning. let's show you what it looks like at old court. but it's going away from us. -- brake lights going away from us. looks like this is moving much better now. >> we have a little bit of light snow to contend with. not a big deal. it could cause a little bit of a problem. light snow above the i-95 corridor here.

a light snow flurries to start the day to day. we are in the-to-mid-thirties. temperatures will fall as we go into the afternoon into the 20s. when the and called his our forecast, with a little bit of light snow and snow flurry activity. same thing tomorrow, windy, cold, high temperature of 32 degrees. a little bit warmer on wednesday. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 7:55.

obviously we have a rapist in macon park. ♪ had the wife had the kid ♪ had the wife >> it's monday morning, the 13th of december 2010. that's the internet song called the intruder song. meanwhile inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer along with ann curry.

>> prince william and kate release their official engagement photographs. and also this morning, did you hear this new york critic who called this ballerina's weight into question? boy, this set off a firestorm on the internet. >> i also feel strange to even say this, but jennifer ring sir that young ballerina, she just walked into our studio and you sit there and you say, huh? she's got a beautiful figure. clearly i don't get this. let's begin this half hour with justice for elizabeth smart after a jury found brian david mitchell guilty of kidnapping the near 14-year-old back in 2002. we're going to talk to ed smart in a moment. kristen welker is in new york city. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: elizabeth smart smiled when that guilty verdict was read. she is calling this moment a victory. and says she is proof there is life after painful past.

>> i am so thrilled to be here, i'm so thrilled with the verdict. >> reporter: it was the verdict elizabeth smart has waited more than eight years to hear, guilty. >> i'm so thrilled to stand before the people of america today and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about what's happened to them. >> reporter: the jury made up of seven men and five women deliberated for about five hours, their ruling means that brian david mitchell will go to prison and not a mental hospital for abducting smart and holding her for nine months when she was just 14 years old, hiding her for most of that time in the foothills of utah. >> this is an exceptionally victorious day for us all, as mothers, as women, as lawyers, that we can go forward and these things don't have to happen to us. >> there's only one hero in this story and that's elizabeth. i want to commend elizabeth for her bravery, her resilience and

her courage. >> reporter: the now 23-year-old took the stand and testified about her terrifying time in captivity. she described a living hell, what it was like to be abducted at knife point, raped almost every day. >> it just made me sick inside because i had heard many things in court that i had not heard from her. >> reporter: at issue for the jurors, whether mitchell was mentally stable enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. the prosecution called him a master manipulator, the defense argued mitchell was delusional. but jurors didn't buy the insanity defense. >> you've got to be pretty callous to be able to walk away without having something tug at your heart. >> reporter: while the verdict was read, mitchell sang hymns, a ritual he carried out every day. mitchell may have stolen elizabeth smart's innocence burks he didn't break her spirit.

>> i hope that not only is this an example that justice can be served in america, but that it is possible to move on after a something terrible has happened. >> reporter: smart will now travel to paris where she will finish her religious mission. she will be back in time for mitchell's sentencing hearing in may, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. matt? >> ed smart is elizabeth smart's father. she was just beaming, how is she doing? >> brian mitchell may not want to take responsibility for what happened. >> that was important to you by the way. >> it was. it was. i mean i remember back origin originally they were working on a plea agreement and he would not accept being a sex offender. and if one thing came out during the course of the trial was that

he absolutely is a sex offender an he could not get away without being labeled such. >> you must be incredibly proud not only of elizabeth and the way she handled herself throughout this trial, but also proud of the jury. the fact that you and your people were at this trial every single day, i think there's two sides of that coin. first i would love your reasons as to why you felt that was important. then i want to talk to you about perhaps the other alternative. >> i think as a family, we wanted those jurors to know and any witness there that the truth needed to come out. brian mitchell was all about lies, deception, manipulation. and, you know, the time that elizabeth got up and walked out, she said, you know, during those nine months, he held me captive, this was a chance where i wasn't going to put up with the lies. >> that time, that was the one time we saw raw emotion from elizabeth during the trial and it came after a defense

psychiatrist told a story and was talk about that elizabeth perhaps had even chosen a name for a baby had she become pregnant by brian mitchell. after all the testimony, so much of it being so graphic and awful. why was that story something elizabeth simply couldn't stand to hear or want to hear? >> it was just another one of mitchell's lies. mitchell, you know, he would tell her, all the time, both wanda and brian would force her to write things, so say things, they were trying to indoctrinate her into their crazy mindset. she said this is it, this is a lie of brian david mitchell. and for the mental health expert, he was saying, well, ms. smart allegedly, and it wasn't allegedly, i mean you had brian mitchell, wanda barzee and elizabeth smart and who had the right mind there? i mean obviously there's some

problem. >> there were times she -- your daughter testified over three days and from what i understand there were things that she had to testified to on the witness stand that you had not heard before? >> absolutely not. >> have you taken the stance that elizabeth will tell you what she wants to tell you when she wants to tell you? >> when she came home, we thought we want her to understand that nobody has the right to do this. and when we talk about helping children and prevention, that's one of the most important things that i believe kids have to know and that's why i'm such a proponent of rad kids because it teaches nobody has the right to hurt you, you know, you don't have the right to hurt anyone else and the most important thing that is it's okay to tell. i mean elizabeth, you know, we felt like if you want to tell us, we heard enough. but if she wants to tell us, that's fine.

and she called us this summer while i was on that bike ride across the country and she said, dad, you know, i'm having to say so much more than i ever thought i would ever have to say to anyone. and the bottom line is the prosecutor came out and said, elizabeth, this is necessary to drive home the point that mitchell is not insane. >> any father would want to be able to remove this episode from his daughter's life. i mean you would love to just make this go away forever, unfortunately, it's part of the fabric of who elizabeth will be from now on, what are your hopes and dreams for her, ed? >> she was so inspired by the prosecuting team. that the last day when we went in to hear the verdict, that morning, she was looking at what her school requirements were going to be to finish up and she said, you know, i really think i'm going to go into law school. i wouldn't mind being a prosecutor, i think having a

voice for those people who don't have a voice is so important. i mean she really got into it. so i think she's going to finish up her mission and finish up school and then i think she's really thinking of going into law school. >> well, we wish you and elizabeth all the best, to your entire family and thank you so much. >> currently the internet crimes is one of the greatest saves out there and right now in the senate there's a bill, the omnibus budget bill that we hope gets passed because they need the money. children like elizabeth that are being held for their lifetime in this horrible situation with child pornography need to be saved and we really need the emphasis and the funding to make the internet crimes the greatest save. >> ed smart, thanks so much. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by chevy, every model is

backed by 100,000 mile, 5-year power train limited warranty. and we have got a celebrity here, it's gladys knight. gladys, how are you. >> we're great, we love it. >> and where are your kids? >> right here. >> can you do midnight change to georgia? ♪ leaving on a midnight train >> all right, let's check your weather. we'll show you right now, years what we have got the week ahead. we have got below normal temperatures and snow around the great lakes, it's warmer than usual around the eastern and western half of the country, as we get into the midweek, we're still keeping that cold air around the eastern half of the country and then the latter part of the week, that cold air will not retreat. we're going to also see some wet weather along the east coast as >> we have light snow and shower

activity to contend with in some areas. areas. according of snow in some spots >> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, the most watched viral videos of the year. that's rite after this.

back now at 7:43. more than 13 hours of video has been uploaded to youtube in 2010. what were the most watched videos of the year? youtube is out with a list. you want to go through them? number 7 on the list, our buddies okay go. their ruth goldberg contraption that lasted for about five minutes. >> that was one shot, one take. >> they had over 20 million hits. >> number 6 was something called double rainbow. have you guys seen this? >> you ought to listen to it. >> oh, my god, it's a double over here all the way. whoa. >> he sounds happy.

>> he sounds like donna nash. at one point he's almost crying with ecstasy about what he's seeing. he appeared on jimmy kimmel and jimmy kimmel asked him the obvious question, were you on drugs? he said not during this video. the old spice guy made the list. a lot of people have seen that. >> now back to me. sadly, if you stopped using scented body wash. >> and he's now got a record contract. >> he put the video on youtube. and he's since launched his recording career. >> 34 million. >> and the bed intruder song.

>> these guys had this interview which was turned into this song. >> yeah, by the gregory grandmother brothers and that one got over 47 million hits. >> and we had the makers of that video on, and it said that they were actually glad for it because they actually got a lot of hits. 700 billion hits in 2010. that's unbelievable. >> a lot of wasted time. >> no, it's fun, i love it. >> we have got a lot more coming up. a look at kate middleton and prince williams's engagement video. >> anyway, more coming up.

back now at 7:48, the big wedding is now 137 days a way. and prince william and kate middleton have released their official engagement photographs. >> reporter: nobody's keeping track, right? this is a couple that used to walk in and out of buildings separately so avoid being photographed together. so these photos are really being viewed as a breath of fresh air. and they may mark the start of a more modern royal age. they're at ease, affect not and in love. the prince of cuddles, one

british headline read. >> they have had time to adjust to each other and that's what carried them through and the reason they look so happy is because they are. >> reporter: always conscious of scrutiny and intense speculation. today even kate's wardrobe is getting credit, affordable and class eye. >> the world absolutely adores her because she's her own person. >> reporter: prince charles and diana appeared distant back in 1981. and in their first photo, queen elizabeth and -- the engagement photographer described the young couple as in their prime and brimming with happiness. the portraits mark a stark contrast to the jarring images of prince charles and camilla

whose car was attacked by protesters last week. anarchist groups are already planning to disrupt the royal wedding just four months away. the future king says he wants a very public celebration. and he and kate may be able to share a little more of their private side too. >> also this weekend, police confirmed that one of those protesters was able to put a stick through the window of that rolls royce, jabbing camilla during that ride. that rolls royce with few built in security modifications will likely be parked for a while. >> peter alexander this morning. and by the way, that incident involving prince charles and camilla made for a few laughs on saturday nightlife when paul mccartney stopped by for a weekend update a. >> i will be the voice of prince charles and you'll be camilla. >> great. >> and can you do an english accent? >> i can try. >> and action.

>> oh, no! >> oh, goodness me j. >> oh, no! >> oh, charles, do something! >> heavens i love you camilla! >> and i love you! >> i love you! >> and scene. >> he has a good sense of humor. he's going to take some heat when he goes home, but that's okay. >> we have got much more coming up too. including the uproar over a review that implies that this ballerina was too heavy. we're going to talk to her exclusively in just a little while. >> that's coming up after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. here's sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> it does not take a lot of snow to create problems. some slick spots out there creating accidents. if you travel in aberdeen, watch for an accident there. the low road and fulton avenue, there is an accident. -- belair road in fulton avenue, there is an accident.

watch for slow spots due to police responding to a crash. you can see 95 at 14 miles per hour out of the northeast. sarasota and j.f.x., and let's look outside and see what is going on with the outcome was. pretty good shape in this portion. we will switch to a live view of traffic in the area of 195. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are picking up a little bit of light snow. this is not heavy snow. there may be a little coating and some neighborhoods. keep in mind, there could be if you slippery spots. we have been falling as we had to the morning. mix with the sunshine will continue as we go through the afternoon. but amoco home from work, it will be in the 20's.

-- by the time you go home from work, it will be in the 20's. light snow or flurries possible. windy and cold, high of 32 degrees. it will get a little bit warmer on wednesday. >> we will be back here at 8:25.

we're back now at 8:00 on a monday morning, it's the 13th day of december, 2010. it drizzled a little bit overnight. it's about 43 depressi 3 degree. it's comfortable, so much so that -- out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with anne curry because meredith viera is off and al roker. there's a little bit of outrage

viewing over a critic's comments about a ballerina. he said this woman, this -- she's in our studios this morning we're going to find out what she had to say about this. this comment set off a firestorm on the internet. >> also ahead, if you've got a book lover on your christmas list this year, and you're worried about what to get that person, coming up, a best selling author is here to share their opinions. >> i like your suggestions. >> and on wednesday, "time" magazine will reveal its personal of the year. right here on "today." just ahead, we're going town veil this year's finalists. >> some interesting names on that list. really, it's diverse. let's go inside, natalie is at the news desk.

good morning, everyone, dangerously cold temperatures are gripping the midwest today after a weekend of heavy snow. at least six deaths were blamed on the storm. major highways were closed in several states and blowing snow forced the cancellation of 1,600 flights in chicago. a buildup of snow even caused part of the roof to collapse at the metrodome in minneapolis. the death of ponzi schemer bernard madoff's son's death has been ruled a suicide. it's the second anniversary of his father's arrest. mark madoff had been named in lawsuits seeking to recover money for his father's victims. the compromise on extending bush era tax cuts faces its first test vote in the senate today, it also extends jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. about 30 cruise ship passengers were treated for minor injuries sunday after their ship was slammed by high winds and huge waves off the coast of egypt.

royal caribbean's brilliance of the seas is en route to the final stop of its 12-night journey. art historians studied magnifies high resolutions of the mona lisa and they found the tiny letters l and v in mona lisa's right eye. and elsewhere the letters cb and the number 72. a mystery just as intriguing as the lady's famous smile. a shoeless running craze hit full stride as a race in india billed as the world's first barefoot half marathon. not once did they have to stop and tie their shoelaces. it is now 8:03. let's go back outside to matt and ann. quite peaceful. >> thanks so much, natalie. >> the wind has picked up and i bet you may be regretting that coatless move right now. >> not at the moment, but maybe in the next half hour.

this young lady shares a birthday with you, matt, december 30th. she's 40, she wants to know how old you are? >> i'm 40 this year, how about you? >> i am 52 this year, i will be 53. thanks for bringing that up. >> any time. bhe who's your buddy, who's your pal? let's show you what's going on in your pick city today. we have got right now, buffalo is your pick city with all that lake-effect snow and that lake-effect snow stretches from chicago, indiana all the way into watertown new york where it's anywhere from nine to 18 inches of snow. snow as far south as beckley, west virginia and parts of the carolinas of the heavy rain and wind. sunshine from the plains down into the southwest. temperatures a little on the cool side, but not bad. this cold air is going to stretch all the way in >> we have a little bit of light

snow and flurry activity. in a put down a little coating on the ground in some neighborhoods. >> and that's your latest weather. it's a little chilly over there. now let's head back to matt. >> all right, al, thank you very much, the nutcracker ballerina called out by critics for her weight speaks out in an exclusive live interview. uh, a little help... oh! you know shipping is a lot easier with priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. plus, you can print and pay for postage online.

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on this story. >> reporter: so many women feel great pressure to be thin and for ballet dancers, it's especially intense. but now a quip about a nutcracker ballet star implying that she's too heavy is causing a huge uproar. it's a beautiful ballet that's a holiday ritual for many families. in the new york city ballet production of the nutcracker, 37-year-old dancer jennifer ringer has a high profile role. >> i am jennifer ringer and i am the sugar plum fairy. >> reporter: but it's not her performance that has everyone talkings, it's the contribute tyke. jennifer ringer looked as if she had eaten one sugar plum too many. ringer has been very open about her past battles with an for

rexa. >> she came out in the past admitting to eating disorders and an for rexa. >> an online fury exploded attacking the critics. we thought the critics were supposed to review the dancing not someone's stomach. this made me hot enough to crack a nut in my fist, one wrote. she has been so open about her body issues and disordered eating and this jerk says something so hateful. >> there was a ton of flack over this. >> reporter: there was such a firestorm, the "new york times" even posted a follow-up by the critic who stood his ground, if you want to make your comments irrelevant to -- ballet dancers have unusually thin frames. >> dancers are under incredible pressure to maintain a low body weight and because of that they're at increased risk of

developing eating disorders. natalee portman who's just 5'3" lost 20 pounds for her role in the current movie black swan to accurately portray the skinny world of the ballet world. a world where you've got to have an thin body and even even thicker skin. >> the aesthetic for ballet is not changing any time soon so it will continue to essential for success for ballet dancers to continue that ideal. >> we reached out to the "new york times" and they said the reviews by their critics peek for themselves. ann? >> natalie, thank you so much. we have got jennifer ringer now joining us exclusively. good morning. >> good morning. >> the first moment you read that review, when you read those words, what was your immediate reaction? >> it made me feel bad, it's embarrassing to see something bad written about yourself in print. so it did make me feel bad about myself.

but, you know, i really had to tell myself that's one person's opinion, you know, out of the 2,000 people that were there that night. so, you know hawhere i am right now, i was able to move forward from it. >> you didn't expect the reaction, the outpouring really from the public. >> i never expected it and i have to say it's made me feel very loved and supported, to tell you the truth, the outpouring of people that leapt to my defense was wonderful. >> especially in light of your eating disorder that you suffered years ago. and you suffered it after you had already joined the company, is that right? >> yes. >> do you believe that there's too much pressure on dancers that dancers are really more likely to suffer eating disorders? >> it is a field where our bodies are important.

and as dancers, we're taught to attempt to try to be perfect, in every way technically and in every way. i think for me, i was in my -- i was 16 when i became a professional and i think i just -- i wasn't prepared to cope with just being an adult performing world and i think that my coping mechanisms kind of turned into eating disorders and body image issues. so for me, i think it was more of just inability to cope, really. >> so when you see, for example, natalee portman coming out in which she's lost 20 pounds for the role, it sounds as though that it is representative of the true pressure that there are on dancers to be exceedingly thin? >> i haven't seen the movie, to tell you the truth. so i don't really know exactly what it says. but, you know, it's a physical

profession, we're dancing all day long, a, a lot of times when you're dancing all day long, i'm sure natalie must have trained like crazy, so there's a natural weight loss for dancing eight hours a day. and that was my problem, when i went through my eating disorders, you know, you're weak, you can't do the job, you can't perform it well. >> so your reaction then to the writer of the "new york times" who basically said that he basically defended that if you are in ballet, that you should sort of understand that your line, your body is also going to be something that may be written about. do you think that it should be? >> i think that that is a really complex question. as a doonser, i do put myself out there to be criticized. and my body is part of my art form.

at the same time, i'm not overweight. i do have, i guess, a more womanly body type than the stereotypical ballerina. but that's one of the things about the new york city ballet, we have every body type you can imagine, we have tall, we have petite, we have athletic, we have womanly, we have waif like and we have ever body type out there, and they can all dance like crazy, they're all gorgeous. i think dance should be more of a celebration of that, seeing these beautiful women with those these different bodies all dancing to this gorgeous music, that's what should be celebrated. >> so do you want an apology? >> no, it's his opinion and his a critic and he's paid to put his opinion into the paper and, you know, i know as a dancer that i'm going to get criticized and i also know that, again, there were 2,000 people probably out there and so he got to put his opinion in the paper, but everybody else had a different

opinion as well. >> this morning you were able to voice yours, jennifer ringer, thank you. you're really lovely and really thank you in appears this morning and helping to start a dialogue. and coming up next, three best selling authors reveal the best book to give this year, but first these messages. gain. [ woman #3 ] i feel these aches and pains. [ woman #4 ] the guilt. [ man ] my sleep just isn't right. [ woman #5 ] i'm so anxious. [ man #2 ] i need to focus. [ female announcer ] depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk.

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♪ the colored lights will shine sincere, ho, ho, ho ♪ ♪ ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ♪ "today's" holiday gift guide is brought to you by target. expect more, pay less. >> back now at 8:19, this morning on "today's" holiday gift guide, book buying 101. how do you choose when there are literally millions of titles to pick from. >> first up tackling fiction and nonfiction is patricia cornwell. congratulations. >> it's great to be here. >> but you're going to talk about other people's books which

is really nice and you're starting off with the latest book by steve martin, why do you like it so much? >> this is a really provocative book, and what i look about it is that it introduces us to art auction. he's embedded photographs of paintings in the text that i never would have thought. >> you call it mixed media fiction? >> it's new and incredibly brilliant of him and when you're reading it, you love looking at these paintings. >> the next book you want to talk about is "the reliable wife" it's about robert goolrick. you said it's about as ugly as there is lovely. >> she's plotting the vicious poisoning the man she chose to marry, but it's remarkably told and written. >> you're going to roll out of your chair laughing and this is a very witty brilliant guy. there's a scene of a burial at sea that goes as wrong as

anything possibly can. >> you've got keith richard' book life. and do you think this is going to be interesting to people who aren't rock 'n roll fans or stones fan. >> absolutely and love his love of music. he's almost teaching you to play the guitar in the book. >> and talk to me about "three cups of tea." >> this is a man who was changing a plan, it was a school he was building in afghanistan but it's a wonderful story and i love his scenes about mountain climbing. >> you've just covered fiction to nonfiction in the midst of 40 seconds. patricia, thank you very much. >> one of the must have cookbooks, warren brown is the found -- his book is united cakes of america. this one is for a real foodie, it's called around my french table. >> that's right, it's beautiful, it just has recipes that any

person who loves to cook would just jump into and love to get started with. beautiful pictures, wonderful recipes. culture. >> what more can you ask for? >> you couldn't really. >> the next one is filled with pictures and stats. >> and for me this is what i really get into. because it's ingredients of every single kind from all around the world. fantastic photos and you want something you can turn to all the time just to know how do i make manager really well and what is this ingredient? >> the food stylist handbook. >> yes, and i'm selecting this because i think it's great for people who love watching food shows to understand a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes. this book is supposed to train food stylists and give an inside look to it. it's interesting to know what goes on and how many different ways you can manipulate foods and make them look good.

>> and the fourth book, you couldn't decide? >> for me it's all about family projects and i have made jams at home and it a great way to be together with the family in the kitchen. but it's kind of hard to do alone. but i like the idea as a family. >> and i know you like the jam. >> i do as much as i can. >> and this is my favorite. lots of different creative recipes you can go crazy with and have your favorite flavors. >> we have been trying to decide whether we should make a bacon cupcake? >> a crumbled bacon on top of a cake. coffee table books are always a great gift. we have got the author of happy chic accessorizing, jonathan, good morning to you. first of american fashion designers at home and this book is from the far end over there. what do you like about it? >> it's so fun to see a glimpse inside the world of fashion designers. you have heard of them and you

get to see how they live and it's always unexpected, a little bit quirky and fun. >> well known names? >> well known names. >> and a lot of free pictures and i love this book because of the ideas you get out of this is pretty surprising. >> the fashion apartment therap how to be a real person in a small space and make it happen. >> and surprising. >> i'm all about surprises in creativity. >> and speaking of surprises. you've got a book selby is in your place. this has a lot of very interesting pictures. it's really an experimeenceable book. >> it shows you how to make your house, glamorous, unexpected and kind of excentric.

>> and being a designer, we can understand why you would pick those first three. >> the fourth book was called untouched by johnny rayside. he's a photographer. it's beautiful photographs. >> it's johnny rosea, no resu resuch -- retouching. there's something addicting about reading this book. >> i'm going to grab the book because i have a few seconds left and you've got susan sarandon who wrote the introduction and she said being with this photographer was always an event and the photos are stunning. >> yeah, the photos are incredible and very creative. >> jonathan, thank you so much. and thanks to all of our guests. and you can get more information about all of these books at todayshow.com. jessica alba after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> the snow is impacting things out there. on tollgate road, abington bridge, watch for delays there. we're looking at possible delays on belair road and fullerton ave. another accident, this one involving a bus, at milton hill in windsor mill to use caution

around those spots. take it slow on the major roadways. developing delays from north towards coldspring. also on the inner loop heading towards the j.f.x., 23 miles per hour. let's show you is going on on the cameras. snow still coming down on the area. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we do indeed have a of the bed of light snow to contend with. it is not heavy. stretching out the i-95 corridor. eastern shore counties as well. this will be with us off and on through the morning hours. it could coat to the ground in a couple of neighborhoods. this is a bigger story here. we will be falling off as we had to the day. 34 at the airport. the time we hit the late afternoon and evening hours,

temperatures will be and the 20's. chance for light snow showers and flurries. falling temperatures as we head into the afternoon. same thing tomorrow. high temperature of only 32. a little bit warmer on wednesday. light snow on thursday. >> we will have another update at 8:55. try cortizone 10 intensive healing. the strongest itch relief medicine now has three vitamins and seven moisturizers. feel the heal.

8:30 now on a monday morning, it's the 13th day of december, 2010. our crowd being generous as always, donating to our annual toy drive and look who's our holiday elf this morning, that is the lovely and talented

jessica alba. you know, look at this, we have people, especially guys right now, somebody gave her his car keys. >> that's awfully nice. >> we have got guys going out and buying gifts right now just to run back here and donate. we're going to talk to jessica in just a couple of minutes. what do we have coming up? >> speaking about the holidays, a lot of people are finding it very difficult, in fact it causes a lot of unhappiness and stress. we have got some experts talking about how to eliminate some of the tension so that we can have a happy, happy holiday. >> also ahead, it's that time of the year or "time" magazine to name it's person of the year, and boy, a lot of story this is year who made headlines from the chilean miners, mark zucker, major year with facebook, stephen jobs introducing the

ipad. we're going to talking to the people from time in just a couple of minutes. a lot of folks have urgent real estate questions like should you sell or stay if your condo is under water and how much do you -- how much should you insure you home for. we'll have that with barbara corcoran. >> ladies, what is your man really thinking? we're going to take an inside look at the male brain. >> it's a very short segment. make sure you go in with a pistol. >> before we get in trouble on that subject, let us say good morning to jessica alba. >> hello. >> how are you? >> you can stand right there. so you're the new kid, the cast of these movies, they have been together for two previous movies, so were there any hazing rituals or anything like that? >> no, thank god. no it was amazing, because first

of all, i love this franchise, i think anyone who's married or has a boyfriend or girlfriend introducing them to the family for the first time, in kind of identify with everyone in the movie. it's like the perfect holiday movie and i get to do comedy. with ben stiller. they never had careers before this. >> i love your name in this, andy garcia. >> andy garcia. she's a pharmaceutical sales rep and she reps in- >> way to scratch your head meredith. >> it's a little bit too early for this. >> ben stiller is the spokesperson for this, he's a male nurse, right? what are your plans for the holidays? >> we actually have like an

84-person sit down dinner at our house? >> why is that? >> i'm related to everyone in southern california. >> do you cook. >> we do like a 22 to 26-pound turkey and i cook one of two of those. i do the sides to greens to mashed potatoes and the whole nine. >> party at jessica's. >> you must have to start cooking now. >> it takes three days. >> good luck with "little fockers." mr. rockier? >> though it to me. let's check your weather and show you what's going on. for the week ahead, we have got much below normal temperatures in the eastern half of the country, above normal out west, we're also looking at above normal temperatures midweek, we have got down through the south, below normal temperatures in the northwest. and in the latter part of the week, it stays chilly for 2/3 of

the eastern part of the country, a lot of wet >> we have light snow and shower activity to contend with in some areas. according of snow in some spots >> and there is wild weather still going on all over the country, make sure you check it out. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. joining us now 1984 heisman trophy winner doug davis. you're making a donation to our toy drive on behalf of capital one? >> $50,000 for the "today" show

toy drive and we'll have a few more smiling faces on christmas morning. >> what about the capital one cup and scholarship? >> it's a new award that's given out to the division one program for cumulative onfield performance. so $200,000 worth of scholarships for both men's and women's sports. >> thanks so much, it's great to have you here. >> al, thanks very much, when we come back, how to retain your sanity during the entire holiday season. is it possible? we'll talk about it. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪electronic santa song

♪electronic santa song become now at 8:38. and this morning on "today's" family, happiness and the holidays. 'tis the season for joy and fun and for many americans stress and unhappiness.

what can we all do to help our holidays be merry and bright. we have the author of the happiness project joining us with katherine burg door of. they are joining us to give us some sense about all of this. i should also mention that you two are friends. what would you say among the man reasons why so many people get stressed out and unhappy, they run happy this particular time of the year? >> one thing i found in my blog, is that for a lot of people the holidays are like a high school or college reunion, you're with a lot of people you haven't seen in a while, they're like, hey, did you get that job? do you have a boyfriend yet? and so one of the things you can do is to really say to yourself, what are the questions i'm going to get from my nosey aunt sally and what's the answer i can give

so that i can handle it the way i want to. >> and what are you learning from your blog, katherine. >> i think that happiness from the holidays is a bit of an oxymoron. i think that happiness and holidays don't always go together. i think stress and sadness and difficulty. it's also a beautiful time of the year, but the expectations that it's going to be great, it's going to be perfect, that you wait all year for this time of year and it doesn't live up to your expectations. it's so disappointing. >> one person wrote us an e-mail. i am not on speaking terms with my mother just brings sadness and frustration. it's a kind of things that you're talking about, the balance between what you really wish it would be and the realities of our lives. >> and if you can know that in advance and be prepared and think that it's probably going to be the same old, same old, even though you want it to be or wish it to be different, you can prepare for it, but like

gretchen said, it's helpful to not feel as sad or disappointed. >> people play an important role because they really do keep those traditions going and that makes everybody happy in the long run because traditions do add to happiness. but if you're that person who says it's not going to be perfect, other people are not going to be dressed the way i want them to be, or behaving the way i want that. that can overshadow the day. it's important to have that sense of celebration of the holiday and let something slide if it turns out. >> and you can make new traditions, some people who are wistful for the past may realize that now is it. and if it didn't work, create new memories. >> that's an interesting point. >> make new things with your family, feel differently. >> i like to tell my kids that perfect is boring. it really is because it sort of makes this kind of limit on what can happen. and with relationships with your family, yes, it's going to be intense, but there's also

opportunity and recognizing what probably is not going to be so much fun, but creating opportunity for something that could be fun. >> sometimes the things that go wrong are the things that make the best memories, so the day the christmas tree falls over er the cat gets the turkey. at the moment you feel devastated because you have this whole big mess and it's not perfect, but in years to come everybody's laughing about it. >> things that are not going to be like how we expect them to be, like they're in storybooks, what do you say to yourself when that happens? what's the message? >> the message i would say is expect conflict. expect it's going to be difficult. expect zafts are going to happen. and have fun with that. >> and also know that conflict is okay, that it's all right if there's conflict, it doesn't mean that you don't love your family and that you're not having a good time. but they may drive your crazy, but conflict is fine. >> i find a lot of joy in the

little things that our family has passed on, the certain things we eat. we wear bells around our necks on christmas eve and that can kind of unify people. >> those little traditions that let you feel connected to the past and give you that connection to your childhood or connection to the way your original family did things can really add on to the holiday. >> thank you so much. some good suggestion this is morning on how to have a happy holiday. >> and coming up next, we're going to be revealing the finalists for time's person of the year. but first this is "today" on nbc.

"today's" time person of the year is brought to you by state farm. find an agent or get a quote at state farm.com. >> since 1927, "time" magazine has selected a man, a woman, a

group even an idea as its person of the year. we're going to reveal this year's pick wednesday on today. today we have a look at the short list of finalists. time's managing editor is back. going through the process, for those who don't remember, how do you come up with even the final list? >> it's the person or thing that's most influenced the culture and the news in the past year. for good or for ill. >> it doesn't have to be a great guy or a great woman. >> it's a person whose influence is overpowering. >> we're going to collect six finalists, the chilean miners, these guys trapped under ground for 70 days, why do they make the list. >> it's a feel-good story of the year, it's a story of human courage and pluck. and the chilean president who said we're going to do this and they did it. >> let's move on to steve jobs. massive year in 2010.

introduced a little things called the ipad. is that why we makes the final list? >> ipad could be a transformational device. it's changing the way we create and consume information. big, big year for steve jobs. >> the person or persons who most affected the news, our lives for good or for ill. question mark about this next guy, he's julian assange, he is the founder of wikileaks, why does he make the final list? >> he's changing the way we deal with diplomacy, the way countries deal with each other. >> embroiled in some personal scandal as well, we should mention. >> indeed. >> is she someone who is on the list. >> -- hamid karzai, why is he important? he's someone that's at the center of something important and dangerous in the world.

he in many ways is a symbol of the things we're reckoning with, terrorism, taliban, the future of our own safety. >> another guy who had a huge year is the ceo of facebook, and this is mark zuckerberg, over 500 million subscribers. if not this year, when i should say. >> they're pressing 600 million, one out of ten people on the planet subscribing to facebook. it's not only a new technology, it's changing the way human beings relate to each other. >> we're talking about a group of people, not a person or individual. and this is the tea party. why do you think they belong on this list. >> it was a huge change election, two years after an original change election. it taps into this feeling of frustration that people have, distrust for authority and distrust for centralized leadership. that's been the theme of the whole here. >> and wednesday we will take the question mark off of that graphic and reveal "time" magazine's person of the year. we'll see you wednesday.

and again, we're going to have much more ahead in just a moment. the person of the year issue comes wednesday. we're back in a moment, this is "today" on nbc.

rich and powerful and has led a storied life.

yet most americans have never heard of him. richard engel recently caught up with the elusive aga cannes. >> he's one of the most fascinating people who i have ever met. he's like a head of state without a country, he's a religious leader. he's also doing some of the most important charitable work in the islamic work. -- world. >> reporter: around the islamic world, you'll see his works, in the restored monuments of old cairo, flanked by a new 74-acre park. in refurbished mosques in africa and even in the afghan army. but you'll almost never meet the man responsible for it all. one of the richest and influential but least known people in the muslim world. he told us this is the first interview he's ever given to an american television network. >> i have always taken the attitude that it's better that the work speak rather than the

individual. >> reporter: i met him in a poor nation in west africa. we sat in a park he had just refurbished, 600 miles south of tim buck tu. his goal is to show die versusity in islam, and show oppression in islam most often known for war, from baghdad to kabul. a region he recognizes many americans find formidable and intimidating. >> the horrible conflicts which are dominating the images of the islamic world and i can say without one it yoota of fear ist that's totally wrong. >> reporter: his personal history is as fascinating as the ancient works he preserves. 73 years old, he is the leader of a shiite muslim faith with an estimated 12 million to 15

million followers. so the faithful, he is like a king and spiritual guide. they believe he's the direct descendant and legitimate heir of the muslim prophet mohammad. they call him an immom leading leader. >> an imom is responsible for the people who refer to him, he's responsible for the interpretation of favorite and he's responsible for their quality of life. so those three areas are areas which are my responsibility. >> broadly they're considered moderate. in fact al qaeda believes they are a bitter enemy. >> i have always referred to it as a conflict of ignorance and i still believe that's the root of the problem. >> reporter: born in switzerland, he grew up in the spotlight. his grandfather was the last aga cahn.

his father was married to the late film legend rita haworth and was said to be one of the richest men of his day. but when he assumed the role at 20 years old was private. skiing was his passion. ensconced among the international elite, he studied at harvard, is fluent in three languages, was on the cover of life magazine in 1958 and met president kennedy at the white house. today he remains very wealthy, the money comes mostly from the contributions of his followers which he then redistributes, liberally. >> i think the first thing is to try to replace that fear of poverty and the pain that goes with it. but some sense of hope in the future. that things don't have to be that way, that they can change. >>. >> reporter: trying to change a region, better known for war,

with development and culture. the charities distribute about $450 million a year. much of it in area where is the united states has interests including pakistan and afghanistan. >> richard engel, that's a really fascinating profile. thank you so much. still ahead, how to lose belly fat without feeling like you're dieting. it is a strange thing. right after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here's a look at one of our top stories. the baltimore man accused of plotting to blow up military recruiting center will appear in court today. antonio martinez is expected to attend the hearing later this morning. prosecutors plan to argue that he is a flight risk. he was arrested last week during an fbi undercover sting operations when a mysterious say he tried to detonate a b

>> now let's look at the forecast with tony pann. >> windy and cold day to day. a chance for snow showers or flurries as we head into the afternoon. temperatures are going to be falling. starting out in the 30's. we will wind up in the 20's late this afternoon and early tonight. high temperature of only 32 tomorrow when you factor in the wind, it will be like the teens and 20s. and there could be a little bit of light snow late thursday and into friday. >> we will have another weather update at 9:25.

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