good morning. deadly massacre. police release the mug shot of the alleged gunman who went on a shooting spree at a california salon. eight people have died. another woman fighting for her life and this morning new cell phone video is revealing the panic at the scene. the front runner. the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows herman cain taking the lead in the gop presidential race. what's driving his popularity and can he win the party nomination? birthday bash. hillary swank slammed for attending a party for the controversial president of chechnya a man accused of atrocious human rights

violations. >> this is a great honor to learn more about you and your country and what you're building. and happy birthday, mr. president. >> and now the actress is expressing deep regrets for attending today thursday, expressing deep regrets for attending today thursday, october 13th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm matt lauer. the suspect in that massacre in california is now being identified as 42-year-old scott dekraaj. friends claim his ex-wife worked at that salon where the shooting took place. so far police are not really talking about a motive. >> surprisingly, at least one neighbor described the gunman as, quote, the nicest guy who seemed very happy.

obviously something must have snapped. witnesses say he walked into the crowded salon wearing protective body armor and simply opened fire. we'll have the latest coming up straight ahead. on another subject a doctor walks jurors step by step through the mistakes he claims conrad murray made while caring for michael jackson. this is murray's defense team prepares to issue a new theory on how michael jackson died. we'll have details on the case coming up. also, matt, on a different note, he is one of the most famous rockers in the world who has famously battled drug and alcohol addiction so it might surprise you to learn that ozzy osbourne is now dispensing advice on life, love, and health. jenna bush hagar caught up with him recently and is here to share her interview. we begin with the deadly shooting rampage at a salon in seal beach, california. nbc's kristen dahlgren has the latest on this story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this morning we are hearing stories about people running and hiding from the gunman inside the salon. police are releasing more

information this morning about that alleged gunman and while they haven't released names of the eight victims killed, many in this close knit beach town knew him personally. outside the upscale salon a small community, shaken to its core. >> i think i've lost some friends in there, three of them, i think. >> reporter: cell phone video cap churpd ttured the panicked just moments after the bloody massacre as victims were wheeled out. for most victims though there was nothing rescue crews could do. >> when the woman came by, i know she was in the salon, it looked like she had gotten her hair colored red. i'm assuming that was blood. >> reporter: it was the middle of the day in the crowded salon when authorities say the gunman, in full body armor, carrying multiple weapons, opened fire. >> the only thing i saw was the police arriving and fire crews arriving and that's when we knew it was serious and to go back inside. >> reporter: police describe bodies scattered throughout the

salon and another victim was found outside. >> there were nine reported injured, six of whom were deceased inside of the salon. three were transported to a local hospital. of those three, two of those three have seccumbed to their injuries at the hospital. >> on the way back to his car, he saw the gentleman who witnessed it so he shot him through the side window. >> police say a white truck seen leaving the scene led them to a suspect a half mile away. home video shows the suspect surrendering. police say they found multiple weapons in the truck. neighbors who recognized him are in shock. >> i looked online and i said, i know that guy and i looked at the truck and i said i know the truck. and my husband said, no that's not him. he said, he's talked to the man many times and he was saying how

loving he is. >> reporter: overnight police identified the suspect as 42-year-old scott dekrai. workers and friends of the salon owner said his ex-wife was a stylist there. >> in the past i knew there was a lot of strife between the two of them. >> he has a little boy so now the little boy is without a mom or a dad. >> reporter: so many in this small town now without someone left trying to understand how the unthinkable could happen here. >> seal beach is a small, safe community. we don't experience these things ever. >> reporter: now, there was one female shooting victim still in critical condition. as for those killed there were six women and two men including the salon's owner. in a statement this morning his family said they are still trying to understand their overwhelming loss, ann. >> nbc's kristen dahlgren, no kidding. understandable. thank you so much. for the latest on the investigation we're now joined

by sergeant steve bowles of the seal beach police department. sergeant bowl, good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> your department has released the name of the suspect as we just heard scott evans dekrei and also a photograph. what can you tell us? we understand he is 42 years old. >> that is correct. he's a resident of huntington beach a city just south of seal beach. >> what more can you tell us about who he is and how long he has been in the community? >> unfortunately i don't have all of that information at this point. the case is still under investigation. our detectives are still out at this hour of actually the late night/early morning still continuing their investigation and interviewing witnesses. so i don't have any of that information at this time. >> can you confirm the report we just aired that friends and co-workers of the salon owner say the gunman was the

ex-husband of a stylist who worked at the salon? >> you know, i can't confirm any relationships right now. as the investigation is unfolding that is being determined based on interviews. we also don't truly understand the motive for the shooting at this point. because there were so many victims inside the salon we're just still unclear as to exactly what his motivation was. >> there were so many victims. about the woman who has been wounded and is still alive can you tell us the status of her condition? >> she is in critical condition. she seems to be doing better and we're definitely hoping for a recovery for her but she is in critical condition at one of our local hospitals. >> it's amazing so quickly after this shooting how many people have come forward to say that they remember this man as being such a good man, a nice man. there are some reports that they remember him being fit and

endearing, would fish at the local water front and work the port docks. what can you tell us about what he might have said when he was arrested? >> you know, at the time he was seen leaving the area in a vehicle and the seal beach police officer stopped his car, ordered him out of the vehicle, and he was compliant and did not resist and did not provide any problems for our officers. he was taken into custody without incident. for our community in seal beach, this is absolutely one of the greatest tragedies that's ever happened here if not the greatest. and, you know, he does have friends it appears in our community. he has family in our community and our community certainly is reeling from the loss. >> meantime, we've been hearing this report from ap's reporting that dekraai and his ex-wife are battling for custody of their son who is i understand about 7 or 8 years old. do you know that boy, that son

is in safe hands this morning? have you been monitoring that? >> i can tell you that without a doubt that all the children involved either of the victims or our suspect are being properly cared for this evening. again, i can't comment as to his motivation or relationship at this time based on trying to preserve the integrity of the case as it is currently unfolding. >> and obviously this is still in development and you certainly have been working very hard. sergeant steve bowles, thank you so much for taking a moment and talking to us this morning. >> thank you, ann. >> all right. it is now 7:09 and now here is matt. now to politics. new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows president obama facing tough political headwinds heading into the next presidential election. as gop candidate herman cain takes the lead in the republican race. chuck todd, nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent is here with some numbers. chuck, good morning to you. before we get to mr. cain let's

talk about the president, his approval rating at 44%. 51% disapproving of the job he's doing and a whopping 74% of the american people not happy with the direction that the country is headed in, so what other than the economy might be driving these numbers? >> look, this is very bad stability for the president, that 44%. a couple things to keep an eye on. in a re-election year your job approval rating and your actual number on election day converge and it's no accident. the 44% he gets there is the exact same 44% we show on whether he should be re-elected against a generic republican. this is the second month in a row where the wrong direction number, we were able to say this is the highest of his presidency. august that 73% was and this one. 82% by the way, matt, say the entire federal government is unhealthy and needs major reform. so it's a pessimism about not just the economy but about all

of washington. guess who the head of washington is? fnchts there is good news for the white house this morning it is that 63% of the people in this poll approve of his jobs plan. there is a very interesting number associated with that, chuck, on where people think the burden of taxes should fall. >> right. and also just about the same amount of folks, 64%, believe it should be among the wealthy and corporations that should be paying more money for government services and how we do this and whether it's to pay for the president's jobs plan. sophilosophically, the president has the public on his side. he's just not able to somehow convince congress, not just republicans, but all of democrats to take his position on this and so like you said the white house will take that as good news and say, okay. that's a message we can run on for the re-election. but the problem is right now he can't get it done. >> but why is there not more

momentum or energy behind this? warren buffet as you know on wednesday released his financial statement for the previous year. he made about $62 million, paid about $7 million in taxes. he released a statement saying if you could get other ultra rich americans to publish their returns along with mine that would be very useful to the tax dialogue. i hope you succeed in getting the ultra rich to share in the sacrifice many millions of other americans will soon be asked to do. why isn't there more momentum for this? >> to be totally politically cynical it's because the republicans and the president are talking to two sets of different swing voters. republicans believe if they upset the tea party base and show any sort of expansion of government, which that's what a tax increase is viewed as by the tea party, they will get punished in primaries. they're not talking to the same set of voters. back in the mid '90s when gingrich and clinton finally sat down it's because they both cared about the same set of

swing voters. that's not the case right now. >> let me get to the republican field for 2012. the big headline here is that herman cain has now taken the lead with 27% of the people in our poll saying they favor him. mitt romney second. rick perry is fading at 16%. when you ask people in this poll how much they know about herman cain, what answers do you get? >> well, first of all, they claim to really like him and a lot of people say he has the highest favorable rating of any of the candidates but our polls went back and rephoned and reinterviewed folks who said they were for cain over romney. a man in wisconsin told us he is not a member of the political establishment. a man in indiana told us he is probably the best candidate at the moment, which by the way, at the moment is a key phrase there. another one said to us, in washington state, he gives direct answers. he isn't a politician. you see the theme, matt. that he is the unpolitician in this field. he's the guy that hasn't had elective office. that's why he is resonating.

the question is whether he can have this hold for somehow more than a month. rick perry didn't have it, michele bachmann didn't, and of course the first political flavor of the month about four months ago with donald trump. >> chuck todd in washington this morning with the results of our new poll, chuck, thank you very much. here is ann. >> thank you so much. now to alleged iranian backed plot to kill a saudi official in washington d.c. secretary of state hillary clinton is calling it a, quote, dangerous escalation in iran's support for terrorism and sat down for an exclusive interview with savannah guthrie. good morning. >> good morning to you, ann. even top u.s. officials say this plot to assassinate a diplomat at a washington restaurant sounds like something that came right out of an international spy novel. but investigators say this was very real and antagonistic relationship that much worse.

do we know top members of the iranian governor were aware of this plot? >> we think this was conceived and directed from tehran. we know it goes to a certain level within the force which is part of the revolutionary guard which is the military wing of the iranian government. and we know that this was in the making and there was a lot of communication between the defendant and others in tehran. so we're going to let the evidence unfold but the important point to make is that this just is in violation of international norms. it is a state sponsored act of terror and the world needs to speak out strongly against it. >> it's very brazen, as you mentioned. >> yes. >> which suggests the iranians didn't particularly fear retaliation by the u.s. >> i think it's a little hard to tell what was really going on, why this was given a seal of approval, why there was a go ahead from tehran, whether

within their military and their government the kinds of debates and divisions that we are now watching unfold because it's difficult to know who is actually making the decisions. was this for political purposes? was this just a crazy idea that got out of hand? >> do you think the ayatolla ordered it? >> we don't know. i'm not going to speculate. >> well, tehran of course denies all of this, insists america fabricated the entire plot, in part as a way to distract from those occupy wall street protests. >> she also talked about her future. you asked her about that. what did she have to say? >> she did. she made it no secret of course she plans to leave her current role as secretary of state at the end of this term and we talked about all the talk in washington that she could be added to the obama ticket as vice president. do you ever google yourself? >> i don't. i'm a little worried about that. >> if you googled yourself today you would find suggestion that perhaps you would be vice president, that you could do -- there would be a switcharoo and you might possibly be the vice

president and biden would come over here as secretary of state. is there any chance you would be vice president in the second term? >> no, there is not. >> is it in the realm of possibility? >> i do not think it is even in the realm of possibility and in large measure because i think vice president biden has done an amazingly good job. he has taken on the burden of selling the economic plan, of traveling the country, of answering people's questions. >> has anyone ever raised it? >> no, no. >> the possibility with you? >> no. i think it's maybe a subject for speculation on google but it's not a serious issue in the administration. >> all right. so what is in her future? we'll talk about whether she'll ever run for office again and whether she thinks her daughter chelsea ever would. our full interview airs monday on "today" ann. >> thanks so much. looking forward to it. let's head to the news desk and natalie morales who has the other top stories of the morning. good morning, everyone. after entering a surprise guilty plea on the second day of his trial umar will now await

sentencing in january. the 24-year-old nigerian man said he tried to blow up an airliner on christmas day in 2009 using a bomb hidden in his underwear and said it was in retaliation for the killing of muslims around the globe. after a four-year stalemate congress has approved free trade agreements with colombia, panama, and south korea in a move the president called a major win for american workers and businesses. the agreement with south korea marks this country's biggest trade expansion in nearly two decades as south korean's president is officially welcomed to the white house this morning. president obama will also host a state dinner for president lee tonight. a terrifying jolt for two passenger trains in oakland, california overnight when a pair of amtrak trains collided head on, injuring about 18 people. luckily, none of the injuries was serious. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange this morning. >> good morning. earnings reports from jp morgan and google book end the trading

day today as the stock market attempts to extend this week's rally. markets are optimistic europe could be closer to expanding its bail out funds though there is some concern european banks may need to shrink in order to meet new capital requirements. investors will also be watching for any news out of china as worries that china's economy may be slowing begin to resurface. natalie, back to you. >> all right. courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange, thank you. about 70 million blackberry users may see some relief finally today after the biggest worldwide outage of their service in years. the mobile company says it is making progress after days of network outages that spread worldwide and hit the u.s. on wednesday. the crisis comes at a risky moment for blackberry as the latest iphone the 4 s model launches friday. 7:19 right now. back over to matt and ann. very frustrating for us blackberry users around here. >> i was shaking, having withdrawals.

trauma might be too serious a word but it was close. traumatic. >> with an iphone i didn't have that problem. just saying. just saying. >> come on. >> i hate to jinx myself but i have a blackberry and i have not had one problem. >> nobody e-mails you. >> that's probably the reason. will you please send me an e-mail today? let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> poor matt. poor matt. let's see what's happening. we'll show you for today here in the northeast we got a lot of rain to talk about. nothing too heavy. this low pressure system makes its way up the coast but we are looking at some heavier showers up toward northern new england anywhere from about 0.5 to 1 inch of rain. out west yesterday it got up to 102 in long beach, 101 today. 98 degrees at the civic center in los angeles. 92 in santa barbara. 24 more hours of heat out there out west.re

>> things should improve this afternoon. the high temperature will weather. just ahead why would hillary swank attend a birthday party for a man accused of horrific human rights abuses? what she is now saying about the controversy but first this is "today" on nbc. >> happy birthday, mr. president.

coming up was something other than propofol to blame for michael jackson's death? the surprising theory the defense is preparing to present

in court. also the latest on the state of ashton and demi's marriage after your local news.

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♪ [ female announcer ] mini™ meets berries. kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats cereal with a touch of fruit in the middle. helloooooo fruit in the middle. >> good morning the time is 7:26. baltimore county prosecutors begin their second murder trial today in which nobody has been found. opening statements are expected in the shot -- trial of jason gross. he is accused of murder. the jury convicted another

defendant and her body has not been found. here's a check on the morning commute. >> good morning, we are dealing with a little rain and fog this morning and it is showing up on the roadways. we have incidents around the area. eastbound on pulaski highway is shut down. 95 is pretty heavy all the way down from mountain road to the 895 split. watch for an accident on the jkx near guilford road. watch for a crash at elkridge and 175 in anne arundel county. a lot of activity out there. let's look at traffic light in the area of pulaski highway at white marsh boulevard. the accident is that allender.

>> good morning, we have light rain, fog, and drizzle around baltimore but nothing have a. you can see some thunder storms around d.c. which are moving north. they might arrive around baltimore within 45 minutes or so. keep that in mind. for today, rain showers are likely this morning and maybe a thunderstorm and it will get better this afternoon. the high temperature will be around 72 degrees. on the weekend, showers again tomorrow as the cold front goes by and a 50% chance for rain on friday. friday. drive over the weekend and

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. 7:30 now on thursday morning. 13th of october, 2011. you're looking at some people who have been dodging a couple rain drops here in the northeast overnight and through the morning. they're getting a jump-start on some sight seeing today. all bundled up. don't know it's quite that cold but we'll get out and say hi to people in a couple minutes. >> the good news is the umbrellas are down for the moment. >> inside studio 1-a i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry and just ahead oscar winner hillary swank taking some heat for attending a birthday celebration for chechnya's president. >> this is a man accused of

being a ruthless leader and committing horrible human rights abuses, so what is swank's explanation? we'll find out coming up this morning. also ahead a man attacked by a 500-pound bull shark off the coast of florida. his friend jumped into the water to save him. coming up they'll share a dramatic story. and also this morning ashton kutcher and demi moore have been spotted on the camping trip over the weekend. rumors have been swirling of course about the state of their marriage so we'll get you up on that. we'll begin now with the latest on the trial of michael jackson's doctor. nbc's jeff rossen is covering this case in los angeles. hey, jeff. good morning. >> reporter: hey, ann. good morning to you. powerful day here in court yesterday. prosecutors are trying to make this real easy for the jury. they put two doctors on the stand who literally went through it point by point by point about why dr. conrad murray in their opinion is guilty. and basically said choose one. but this morning sources close to the case tell nbc news murray's defense lawyers are about to fight back with a new

theory about why michael died. >> i can't get over him being dead. >> reporter: with michael jackson's family in court tuesday perhaps the most compelling testimony yet. that's dr. steinberg who reviewed the case for the california medical board and told the jury dr. conrad murray was grossly negligent. giving michael jackson propofol in his own bedroom, leading to his ultimate death. dr. steinberg listed six what he calls deviations from standard care. number one -- >> is the use of propofol as part of a doctor's medical practice to treat insomnia gross negligence? >> yes. >> reporter: reason two? >> giving someone propofol in someone's home was also an extreme deviation. >> reporter: reason three. >> you want to have an alarm saying, help, there's a problem. dr. murray's machine did not

have an alarm. >> reporter: reason four. dr. murray, he says, left jackson alone. >> it's like leaving a baby that's sleeping on your kitchen counter top. >> reporter: reason five? he says dr. murray didn't call 911 fast enough. >> so instead of that huge 20-minute delay, he could have gotten help that he needed within four minutes. >> reporter: and reason six. >> dr. murray did not document a single thing. if these deviations had not happened mr. jackson would be alive. >> reporter: prosecutors even called a second doctor to back him up. >> kind of beyond a departure of standard of care. >> reporter: sources close to the case tell nbc news murray's defense won't focus on propofol or how it was given. instead -- they'll claim michael jackson took eight pills of lorazepam, an anti-anxiety drug,

just hours before his death, and never told dr. murray. that, the defense will argue, killed michael, not the propofol. the official cause of death is propofol so is this a tough argument for the defense? >> it's not as hard as one would think because the defense doesn't have to prove anything. they don't need to prove that he actually took the pills. all they need to do is raise the questions to cause reasonable doubt. >> reporter: murray's defense team still says that michael injected himself with a final dose of propofol and pushed it into his blood stream too fast. they will continue to argue that in court, they tell us. however, they say without the lorazepam, ann, michael jackson would still be alive today so we're going to see how it all shakes out here in court. prosecution could rest their case as early as today. >> all right. jeff rossen this morning. thanks. savannah guthrie today's legal correspondent and star jones a former prosecutor and veteran legal commentator. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> you say, star, five of the six so-called deviations from standard care as laid out by this doctor are enough for a conviction in this case?

>> oh, absolutely. >> each one alone? >> the prosecution wants to stack the deck, and this doctor laid out six deviations. five of them, the argument is, if you take them individually, that's enough of a deviation from the standard of care to get you to gross negligence. it's called boxing the defense into a corner. you can't get yourself out. >> even if the defense is able to be successful at arguing that this drug lorazepam was taken by mr. jackson, was hidden by mr. jackson from dr. murray, and that that ultimately was key in causing his death? >> according to this doctor even if you buy every defense theory we've heard, the new ones and the old ones it still won't matter. it still adds up to gross negligence. one of the doctors said, look, even if he, this michael jackson the addict took these drugs he should never have been left alone in the room with these drugs with that opportunity. one doctor said it's like leaving a baby on the counter top and walking away. >> don't you need to make sure? don't you need the proof of what actually killed him to prove

involuntary manslaughter? >> yes, and these doctors actually were effective because, number one, to me it was like a mini closing argument. they pulled together all the evidence the jurors have heard so far, added it up, laid out the six different deviations of care and most importantly said there was a causal link. but for this negligence, they said, michael jackson might have been alive today. >> and they used conrad murray's statement. i think probably the defense is sitting now thinking the worst thing and the best thing. best thing is i put him in front of the cops so now he doesn't have to testify. worst thing? i put him in front of the cops. now he can't testify. i really think he was trying to manage a pr nightmare and he may have managed himself right into the poke. >> this 911 call, that it took so long for it to be made, could that alone, if none of the other five or six, this alone, the idea it took so long, is that enough to convict dr. murray of involuntary manslaughter? >> absolutely. you don't have to be a doctor to

think -- >> where is the defense against that? >> they're saying he was administering help and that's why he didn't call 911. but if the jurors believe the prosecution experts they'll find gross negligence was committed. they're saying because of conrad murray's own words that michael jackson was in a position where he was saveable and the failure to call for 20 minutes was what ultimately caused his death. >> to hear a doctor say the victim was saveable is a devastating piece of evidence. the defense needs to counter that. they need to counter no matter what michael jackson would be dead. >> do they, are they now more likely to need to counter that with dr. murray on the stand? >> he will not testify. ann, you never have heard me in the 20 years we've worked together say he will never do it. >> how do you know? >> there is not a defense attorney that would put conrad murray on the stand right now. and if he did, it would be malpractice. it would be reason for an appeal. i cannot imagine putting conrad murray on. >> the cross examination would be ferocious. >> okay. you heard it here, savannah guthrie and star jones.

thank you so much this morning for weighing in. now let's get a check of the weather from al. today's weather is brought to you by starbucks via ready brew. never be without great coffee. and a little misty out here but not a bad morning. who's this young man we have here? >> this is parker. >> parker, and you've got a big bag of cheerios for parker. >> sure do. >> keep him quiet. all right. good to see you guys. where you from? >> lexington, kentucky. >> nice to see everybody from lexington. love lexington. let's check your weather. afternoon temperatures going to be a little on the cool side here in the northeast. in the 60s. 80s as you get down into florida and the gulf coast. 90s in the southwest. southern california another toasty one. and as we look at your sky conditions today, partly sunny in the pacific northwest. we expect to see lots of rain from the great lakes back on into the central plains into the mid-atlantic states and some rain working its way into the northeast on into northern new englan

>> ran showers are likely to start the day. it should clear up this afternoon. the high temperature will that's your latest weather. check it any time of the day or night at weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> thank you so much. coming up next, why did hillary swank and other stars attend a birthday party for a leader accused of horrific human rights abuses? we'll ask that question and get the answer right after this. starbucks via® is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. ♪ it only makes sense it would taste the same.

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announcing shipped for free, guaranteed to last. ♪ no minimum order. no end date. from l.l. bean. we're back at 7:42. oscar winner hillary swank is facing intense criticism this morning after she attended a birthday party for a controversial leader accused of human rights violations.

nbc's in london with details on this. michelle, good morning. >> hi, matt. most star-studded parties don't end with human rights watch involved. basically blasting hillary swank and others because the birthday party was for the chechnyan president long aaccused by multiple groups of things like torture and killings. what a birthday it was. in tiny, war-scarred chechnya. music, battles, acrobats, fired up president. whom some have labeled a torturer sparing no expense for his birthday with some special guests, oscar winning actress hillary swank. >> i love to travel. i love to see the world. i love to see different cultures so really, truly, for me this is a great honor to learn more about you and your country and

what you're building. and happy birthday, mr. president. >> and action star jean claude van damme. >> i love you mr. kadyrov. i love you all. you're in my heart. >> reporter: a not so in love human rights group had urged performers not to go there. and now human rights watch, which for years has accused ramzan kadyrov and associates of torture, repression, making people disappear, is stunned they did. >> for the past eight years his rise to power and through his leadership of the republic he has had a terrible human rights record. >> reporter: one group called kadyrov a war criminal. the former separatist rebel turned friend of russia who owns big cats, a gold-plated hand gun, likes to dance, and was appointed president of the chechnyan republic by vladimir putin at age 30 and told a

russian newspaper a woman should know her place. she would be man's property. another quoted him defending honor killings. so why would celebrities want to party with someone like him? the answer is often money. recently superstars mariah carey, beyonce, lionel ritchie, all performed at events in the gadhafi family earning up to $2 million each. some later gave the huge cash to charity. now it's unknown if this two-time oscar winning million dollar baby and fellow stars were paid any millions to appear for ramzan kadyrov and his swanky event sure was that. kadyrov has denied all these allegations and hillary swank just put out a statement saying she did not know about them and didn't even know at first that it was his birthday. she said this was presented to her as a party for the city that

would bring hope to the chechnyan people. she says, i deeply regret attending this event which has thrown into question my long and deeply-held commitment to the protection of human rights. if i had a full understanding of what this event was apparently intended to be i would never have gone. she did not mention whether she was paid and no word from jean claude van damme. matt? >> all right. michelle, thanks very much. up next, the prince charming of the himalayas ties the knot. we'll take you inside the lavish royal wedding held overnight. that's right after this. [ male announcer ] a soup opera from bertolli.

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bhutan, the prince charming of the himalayas married his new queen. it was a fairy tale setting, a 17th century fortress, bhutan's most sacred. forms and symbols heralded the arrival of the dragon king, 31-year-old jigmi khesar is the world's youngest reigning monarch and a pinup for female admirers across asia but the man they call prince charming is settling down. he has found a queen whose beauty is the talk of this tiny nation. she arrived in procession over a carved wooden foot bridge. jestun pema is a student and the daughter of an airline pilot. she is ten years younger than the king who she followed into the fortress for an ancient buddhist ceremony. the couple met 14 years ago when age 17 and 7 respectively at a family picnic. the king came down from his golden throne in front of a huge buddhist statue to place the

fabled raven crown on the head of his bride. monks chanted in the background as she sat on the throne beside him, the new queen of bhutan. from dawn there had been a steady stream of well wishers, many of whom had traveled from remote villages across bhutan hoping for a glimpse of the royal couple. this 63-year-old woman traveled six hours on foot. i had to be here, she told me. i wouldn't have missed this for the world. the king is known for his common touch and he wanted this ceremony to be low key, simple, and traditional. but that's easier said than done in a nation where he is so revered. the celebrations were soon under way among the growing crowd. the king said he didn't want an extravagant marriage like the british royal wedding, no foreign royalty or heads of state were invited. he said he wanted it to be a wedding for the people. >> we are very excited and have to express our happiness. that's why we came to witness

the royal wedding. >> reporter: the new king studied international relations in london. the king was educated at oxford and is a fan of elvis presley to whom he has more than a passing resemblance. he is overseeing the tiesation of the country while trying to maintain its traditions. it remains one of the most isolated places on the planet. it had no roads until the 1960s. television was only introduced 12 years ago. the celebrations, now well under way, will last for three days across the country, during which the royal couple intend to meet as many people as possible. it was of course bhutan which came up with that index of gross national happiness as a measure of progress and from the evidence of today, that index has just taken quite a leap, ann. >> a delightful glimpse of a world rarely seen, ian. thank you so much. you've been there. >> i was there for where in the world. it is one of the most magical places i have ever been. it is a harrowing trip in but

once you get there worth the trip. coming up ozzy osbourne. after your local news. with jenna bush hagar. now ♪ ♪ crispy flakes calling my name ♪ ♪ i'm hungry now. ♪ ♪ who can resist those honey kissed bunches. ♪ ♪ gotta get a bowl, get me some of that yaaaaay! ♪ ♪ everybody's... ♪ imagine nutrition in perfect harmony with great taste. that's honey bunches of oats. four healthy grains come together in crispy flakes and crunchy granola bunches. honey bunches of oats.

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depression hurts. cymbalta can help. >> good morning, i am mindy basara at 7:56. >> good morning, it will take a lot of extra time to get around this morning. in white marsh, that is a spot where you will find big time delays. pulaski highway is shut down in both directions between allender road and dave cove road. alternates will be delayed.

on the inner loop on the topside, a -- an accident at the harrisburg expressway. we're looking at inner loop delay as part to that from 795 to the jfx. inner loop of the key bridge toll plaza has an accident at elkridge and further south and burns crossing. there is a live in view of traffic on the topside at your road. -- and york road. in white marsh, that is what you will contend with this morning. >> good morning, light rain, fog and drizzle to start the day but we can see some heavier rain around d.c. with thundershowers and they are moving north. it may become heavier around baltimore at the tail end of the drive time. rain showers likely this morning and may be a rumble of thunder. the rate may taper off in the

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8:00 now on a thursday morning, the 13th day of october, 2011. we've come outside for a little bonding time with these fine folks who with stood all of this rain. it's not that much but kind of sprinkling. anyway, it's wet. so we're so glad you've come. say hi to your families and friends back home. meantime, i'm ann curry along with matt lauer and al roker. it is definitely going to be a bad hair day for some of us. >> not good. >> we're going to be talking about something coming up which is what is really going on between demi moore and also ashton kutcher. rumors have been suggesting that their marriage is in trouble,

but guess what? the two went on a camping trip together over the weekend so hopefully that's good news. >> or we could just leave them alone and let them figure it out. >> wouldn't that be good? hey now. >> just an idea. >> what about that idea? >> all right. we'll ponder that. while you do, here is a question for you. would you take medical advice from ozzy osbourne? it's a different dr. oz. ozzy osbourne dispensing his unique brand of wisdom in a new book. jenna bush hagar caught up with him to talk about sobriety, his relationship with his wife, sharon, and that famous bat bite. she is going to fill us in. >> boy. can't wait. >> jenna tells us about that. also ahead, you know what was happening one year ago today? >> yes. >> that's right. those 33 miners in chile were rescued from that mine after 70 agonizing days, one of the most emotional stories we've covered in a long time.

natalie morales was there a year ago today. her reporting is something that we will not soon forget, so that was one year ago today and it's amazing. we have to kind of figure out what's been happening with those miners since. >> not a lot of great stories. meantime, the aforementioned natalie is at the news desk. good morning. i still get chills when i see that video. good morning, everyone. neighbors say the suspect in wednesday's beauty salon massacre in southern california was in a custody dispute with his ex-wife who worked at the salon. 42-year-old scott evans derkaai surrendered to police about a half mile from the shooting scene in seal beach. officials say derkaai wore body armor as he opened fire, killing at least eight people, six of them women, and critically wounding another victim. detectives are still hoping for a break in the case of lisa irwin, the missouri baby missing for more than a week. nbc's peter ail ebs alexander rn kansas city with the very latest. this is certainly a puzzling

case, and still no suspects. now nbc news has spoken to a chicago attorney who reveals new details about her conversations with baby lisa's distraught parents just days after they say their daughter disappeared. ten days into this mystery and authorities acknowledge lisa's disappearance is as baffling as it is heart breaking. with no solid leads, police say their latest search also provided no new clues. lisa's parents, jeremy irwin, and deborah bradley remained in seclusion wednesday. the new york-based security consultant brought in by the irwins met again with reporters. >> i'll ask everyone else to understand the pressure the family is under. >> reporter: bill stanton says he is lining up a team of his own investigators and says he is being paid by a wealthy, unnamed benefactor who is close to the irwin family. surveillance tape first obtained by nbc news that appeared promising at first may in fact be another dead end. an irwin family member says the unidentified man seen with lisa's mother buying boxed wine and baby wipes the day lisa

vanished is deborah bradley's 20-year-old brother who drove bradley to the store because according to the relative she doesn't have a driver's license. police confirmed the tape provided no new leads. meanwhile, detectives continued canvasing the area, asking about a man neighbors say investigators described as a handyman who has not been seen since lisa disappeared. a chicago based attorney who spoke with lisa's parents last week is now speaking publicly about the case. >> this child was probably kidnapped and opportunities to retrieve her are quickly slipping away. >> reporter: while kathleen zoellner is not representing lisa's parents, their conversation offers a rare glimpse into the irwin family nightmare. >> they're very distraught. i found them, though, to want so badly to try to assist in finding their daughter to do whatever they could. i mean, they're in the most vulnerable position that a parent would ever be in.

>> reporter: for now the irwin family home remains empty and now it is unclear if the family will ever move back in. >> all right. peter ail ebs analexander in ka missouri. thank you. brian? good morning. coming up tonight on "nightly news" everybody remembers the brownie, flash cube, because kodak was part of our lives for so many years in this country now the company is on the brink of bankruptcy. can they bounce back? we'll take a look tonight on "nightly news." natalie, for now, back to you. >> thank you. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. ellen degeneres a hot search after she surprised those youtube princesses who went viral with their version of "super base." ♪

>> adorable. nicky said the first time she saw the british cousins' video she e-mailed all her friends so they could enjoy it too. the daughters of presidential hopeful jon huntsman a former ambassador to china are tweeting about one of dad's republican rivals. one daughter tweeted how does romney know anything about china? he was only there once and that was for the olympics. panda express doesn't count. another tweet to the son of fellow mormon mitt romney reads, want to tailgate for the next debate? vegas wild. we'll bring the god fathers. you bring the diet coke. and the video is out for betty white's remix of "i'm still hot." check out her moves. ♪ >> we can only wonder if the moves really belong to 89-year-old betty or a body double. take a look there on the dance floor. either way, she is hotter than ever. it is 8:06 right now. let's go back to al with a check of your weather. hey, al.

al's pick stiff the day is brought to you by the capital one venture card. what's in your wallet? our pick city today happens to be detroit, michigan. a fabulous place. detroit has the most registered bowlers in the united states. who knew? now you know. and for the pick city, afternoon showers, 67. they're playing game five of the acls championship. so there you go. very big. if you get out of the bowling alley you'll get to watch the game. i like this guy. turn your sign around, pal. look at this. i wear my hair like matt lauer. oh, yeah. >> but the difference is he could wear it another way. >> what's your name? >> cameron. >> all right, cameron. very nice. let's check your weather to see what's happening for today.

you've got rain in the northeast. a frontal system making its way from the great lakes all the way down into the gulf coast. that's bringing some showers, fog along the southeastern atlantic coast. the heat continues down through southern california with temperatures in the 90s to over 100 degrees in some inland sections. >> things should improve this afternoon. the high temperature will mr. lauer pointing out cameron had a real sign on the other side. mommy and zach. you love them huh?

>> yes. >> very nice. >> he lured you in. he got you. >> just when i thought i was out. >> he pulls you back in. mr. roker, thank you very much. when we come back, ashton and demi. what's going on there? we'll talk about it right after this. capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] that's awesome. you can read that? ♪ [ female announcer ] the accufit digital system, exclusively at lenscrafters... is about 5 times more precise than manual measurement techniques. lenscrafters.

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back now at 8:11 with the latest on the state of ashton kutcher and demi moore's marriage. hey, janet, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. media speculation that a potential split between ashton kutcher and demi moore has not calmed down and now new fuel has been added to the fire. the woman claiming to have had a one night affair with kutcher is sharing her story while the couple themselves have remained mostly silent on the situation. >> reporter: demi moore and ashton kutcher spotted over the weekend camping near santa barbara, california. the couple together, kutcher wearing his wedding ring. a silent response to speculation that the couple's relationship is on the rocks.

>> ashton and demi absolutely took at least one camping trip and what they were doing was trying to kind of have mediation and talk out the issues and try to use this as the basis for a reconciliation. >> reporter: moore and kutcher's marriage has been gossip fodder for years, and now claims of an affair from a woman who says kutcher cheated on his wife in san diego on the night of kutcher and moore's six-year wedding anniversary. >> i was very surprised to see ashton there. >> sarah leal is the woman who said she had a one-night affair with the star. she tells her story in this week's "us weekly." >> at one point in the night he told a group of us that he was separated and shortly after that we all got in the hot tub and one thing led to another and i ended up staying the night. >> reporter: nbc news has been unable to independently verify the claims but the magazine says it has multiple sources that

confirm her story. and says they did not pay her for the interview. >> this is a girl who really has nothing to prove. she has nothing to gain from this so she told "us" everything and totally opened up about that night. >> the romance garnered attention from the start, ashton just 25 when the two met, demi 42, challenged hollywood stereotypes but the relationship seemed to work. >> i think the media and the public have been rooting for them from the very beginning. they were such an unlikely couple but they seemed so happy, so madly in love, so committed to each other. >> reporter: followers of the twitter superstars became accustomed to affectionate messages between the two but recently the tenor of the couple's tweets changed. moore posting a photo with her eyes closed captioned "i see through you." kutcher, who has over 7 million followers tweeted "when you assume to know that which you know nothing of you make an ass out of u and me."

his most recent message to his wife, good luck tonight. you should be proud. went unanswered. we have a source on the set of "two and a half men" and what's very interesting is that ashton has been referring to my wife, i was just hanging out with my wife. he is clearly wanting everybody to know on the set that he is still involved with demi. that she is still his wife. >> we reached out to both demi and ashton's representatives and neither responded to a request for a statement. ann? >> all right. we're still rooting for them, a lot of us. thank you so much. coming up next, an unexpected source of parenting and medical advice. jenna bush hagar gets up close and personal with ozzy osbourne right after this. dad, why are you getting that? is there a prize in there?

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comes in diet, too. it's refreshing, tasty -- the whole family will love it. you want one? i'll wait a bit. all right. mmm. refreshing. real juice. real bubbly. find it in the juice aisle. we are back now at 8:18 with life lessons from rock music's ultimate survivor. today contributing correspondent jenna bush hagar recently caught up with the one and only ozzy osbourne. >> that's right. somebody has to do it. we all know him as a legendary heavy metal star who pushes things to the limit. but when i sat down with ozzy i got to see another side of him that just may surprise you. he's the prince of darkness, a family man. and now ozzy osbourne has taken on the role of doctor. he's written aew book "trust

me, i'm dr. ozzy" a collection of letters from his weekly newspaper and magazine column where the 62-year-old rocker gives tongue-in-cheek advice on everything from parenting to drug and alcohol abuse. tell me about how your new book came about. >> it started as kind of a joke at first. but i've survived rock 'n roll lifestyle and the drinking and the drugs and, you know, what goes on in rock 'n roll and i've lived to tell the tale. and so people along the way would say, what's this pill, what's that pill? is this any good for that? and i'd go, well, i've sampled quite a variety and so i thought it would be funny to do a spoof on that. >> reporter: so in some ways this is a perfect job for you. >> you know, ignorance is the biggest killer. go see your doctor. you know. that's what they're there for. >> reporter: but in some ways,

who better to give that advice than ozzy? a man who has survived 40 years of drug use and that infamous run-in with the bat. your advice for somebody that is going to bite a bat? >> don't even try it. you see, every action has a reaction. okay? you bite the head off something and you're going to have some shots. that ain't cool. when i took the rabies shots it was like somebody shoving a golf ball in my [ bleep ]. >> reporter: and he has seen his fair share of doctors. >> incomplete' a hypochondriac. if i wasn't there is a good chance sharon wouldn't be -- i'm always going for these new tests. i went. sharon went and they found the cancer. >> reporter: in 2002 his crazy life was on display when "the osbournes" premiered on mtv. during the show's run, audiences watched as ozzy and his wife sharon battled her colon cancer. >> to see the woman that you're married through go through these

chemotherapy stuff -- a kick in the pants you know. she went through hell. >> reporter: throughout the entire run of the show, ozzy was admittedly high on drugs. so you're sober now. >>ish. >> reporter: soberish. >> i'm sober but i'm still crazy. >> reporter: how do you feel now that you've got control over drugs and alcohol? >> well, i have to take a bunch of medication because of this thing called hereditary parkinsonnian tremor which is a tremor that i have. and for many years i was getting diagnosed -- i've spent fortunes because i thought it was the dts from coming off the alcohol. >> reporter: he credits much of his sobriety to sharon's tough love. >> sharon! >> reporter: what has she done to help you get where you are? >> she wouldn't take any crap. i remember one occasion when we were in new york and i'm having a bad time with it and i said to sharon, i wanted her to cuddle

me and tell me it's going to be all right. and i go, i think i'm dying. sharon goes, die quietly. i've got an appointment at 9:00. i'm like, what sympathy do i get? >> reporter: at home, ozzy enjoys spending time with his 11 dogs. >> shut the [ bleep ] up. >> reporter: and his brand new ferrari. >> well, this is a direct result of being sober. my first car. >> reporter: this is your first car because you just got your driver's license? >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> reporter: that's crazy. >> i know. i am. rock 'n roll. >> reporter: with the rock 'n roll career that spanned more than 40 years, ozzy shows no sign of slowing down. >> so we're here in your man cave. >> yeah. >> reporter: your recording studio, right? do you spend a lot of time down here? >> recently i have. when i'm writing songs i spend a lot of time here.

>> reporter: sharon seems to always be looking at you, right? >> that's right. don't you dare think about taking drugs. >> reporter: is that why you hang that up there? >> i didn't hang it up there. >> reporter: who hung it up there? >> who do you think? >> reporter: sharon put it up there, right? ozzy says another key to staying sober is he has traded alcohol for exercise. and his son jack is expecting his first child so ozzy will have another grand baby. he is a grandfather. >> a lot of roles for ozzy osbourne. i like how, you know, was it easy for you to read the supers as he was talking so you could understand what he was saying? >> i actually could understand every word out of his mouth. i don't know what that says about me but i loved him. i think he's a great guy and he puts family first and, well, rock 'n roll first and family quite second. >> jenna bush hagar, thank you so much. now let's swing to the

nation's capital and say hi to willard scott. hey, willard. everybody, i mean everybody loves a birthday and when it's yours, i say celebrate for a week. smucker's says hello to all of you and here we have good looking mattie campbell from vinton, virginia. love that name mattie. 106 and has a wonderful, wonderful smile and she loves to tell jokes. i'll bet she's a good joke teller. here's carl. hello, carl. carl wheeler, warrenton, missouri. how about that? 100 years old today. former pilot when he was with u.s. army air corps. anyway, we wish him a very happy birthday. one of his buddies was mr. charles weinberg. how about that? okay. catherlean smith of steubenville, ohio. 100 years old and loves,

absolutely adores taking care of her community activities and still reads her newspaper without glasses. how about that? henry willming and he is from manchester, missouri. and he's 100 years old today. loves to garden and has a shot of apricot every morning. i never cared for brandy. nobody cares about that. pearl lewis. niagara falls, new york. 100 years old today. and loves to take care of her garden and her yard and also does a lot of work around her church. good church lady. and we have carlton finethy, nice man, 100 years old today, he is from rumford, maine. best people in the world come from maine. and he had his driver's license renewed last year. went out and bought two cars.

two. that's it. that's all. back to new york. >> all right, willard. thank you so much. hair y harry belefonte stop next after your local news. >> live, local, late-breaking - this wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. the time is 8:263 let's get a final check in the morning commute. >> it has been a mess out there. we are dealing with heavy delays out of the white marsh area. there is an accident along pulaski highway that is shut down in both directions between allender road and dave cove road. we have an overturned vehicles on the harrisburg expressway and there is heavy traffic on the inner and outer loop. south on the jfx.

southbound to 95 is the slope down to 32. southbound 95 is jammed up. this is a live look at york road. we're looking at a slow go towards the beltway. >> good morning, we have drizzle and fog around the area. the more significant rain this to the south. you might hear a rumble of thunder at some point during the morning. let's take a look at the current temperatures, 63 degrees with light shower activity and humidity is all the way up. we have an east wind that about 10 miles per hour. that is dragging in all the moisture of the atlantic ocean and that will be the case today.

10-15 miles per hour winds, morning fog and may take a break in the afternoon and maybe the temperature will get to the low 70's. rain still in the forecast for friday but this weekend looks dry and cool. >> thanks for joining us. we will have another update at 8:55. man: my employer had been putting together a program for executive education, grooming the leadership abilities of their top 5%. a requirement to be accepted in the program was an undergraduate degree, which i did not have. that was the wake-up call i needed. ♪ don't want to miss a thing strayer university has afforded me the opportunity to progress to the level that i am now, which is chief information officer at the largest teaching hospital in southern new jersey. i'm michael sinno, and i earned my bachelor of science degree from strayer university.

. we're beak now. 8:30 on a thursday morning. the 13th day of october, 2011. still threatening here in new york city. foggy. conditions a little drizzle but really nice people. thanks for stopping by, folks. we appreciate it. i'm matt lauer with ann curry, al roker and natalie morales.

the question for the group this morning is what would you do if you witnessed a shark attack? >> well, i would probably try to save the person if it's possible. it's pretty tough to imagine. >> that is exactly what a guy did. he watched as a friend was bitten by a 500-pound bull shark. that doesn't look good. he saved him by jumping in. their story coming up in their own words. also coming up, i'm very excited because in our studio this morning, harry belafonte, the man who gave us "deo." who does not remember that iconic song? great actor. also a close friend of martin luther king. he was a major leader in the civil rights movement so he's got a lot to say in a new book that's just come out. >> all right. look forward to that. then later on in today's professionals they'll be back again today to offer all of their very unique perspectives, not that opinionated right? but anyway, they'll talk about the hot stories of the day including a plan being considered at some major colleges. get this. to actually let young men and

young women share the same bedroom together. >> no, no, no. not acceptable. >> coed takes a whole new meaning. >> we don't like that do we? next they'll say share the same bed not just the same bedroom. we got to stop this now. right? >> you know, that could happen. >> okey-dokey. and then what happens when two sisters who happen to be among the most successful ceos in the world, what can they teach you about success? >> probably a lot. >> i think so. let's check on the weather first. >> all righty. let's see what's happening first of all for today. we have rain in the northeast. also great lakes, all the way down to the mid-atlantic states and the southeast. the heat continues down through southern california. sunshine through texas and the central plains. tomorrow we've got heavy rain into new england. rain around the great lakes with windy conditions. the heat continues through the southwest. warm and sunny through the gulf coast. and we've got nice, mild conditions from the central plains. take a look at the fall foliage. going to see a lot of color

around the great lakes and new england. also through the central rockies looking pretty nice if you're going to do a little leaf >> ran showers are likely to start the day. it should clear up this afternoon. the high temperature will and don't forget you can check that weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. here's ann. thank you. now to new details on a terrifying shark attack off the coast of florida. the victim and the friends who saved him are speaking out now. nbc's kerry sanders is in anna maria with more.

kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the shark that attacked this young man is among the most aggressive predators out here, a bull shark, and this one was a monster. nine feet long, 400 to 500 pounds with jaws and teeth just like this, extremely sharp. this is from a similarly sized shark. in this case the victim was bobbing in the water near his boat. on florida's gulf coast seven friends headed out on the water for a day of fun, a routine they often document, filming dolphins as they ride the bow wave, catching moments of each other. as they free dived some of the most prolific spear fishing grounds in the gulf of mexico. that's a three-foot long kobia and that is c.j. dangling his fins in the water. the day this 21-year-old florida native was attacked by the bull shark he had already caught a dozen hog fish.

c.j. was bobbing at the surface, the thrashing fish he caught already onboard the boat. about ten feet away two girls out for the trip were on floating chairs when this shark bit down on his leg with its razor-sharp teeth. >> i looked down and saw a shark on my leg. >> reporter: and you said? >> i let go of my gun and hit it off with both my hands. i can't remember how hard i punched. must have punched pretty hard because it let go fast. >> reporter: c.j. says he yelled "shark" as a nine-foot bull like this one released its grip on his left leg. the girls who were in the water scrambled from the floating chairs swimming to join the others still on the boat. max and conner watched it all unfold. >> as soon as the shark had grabbed c.j., he kind of flailed once, got pulled under for just a couple seconds, and we looked at each other and kind of like, you know, made eye contact, wow. this is really happening. >> reporter: and that's when the next unexpected twist happened. conner, who has grown up around sharks, jumped in to save his friend. >> i think what's going through my mind is you're a little crazy in that moment because you weren't thinking about jumping

in. you just jumped in. >> right. there wasn't no thinking about oh, man there is a shark in there looking to bite you. there wasn't time to think about it. it was just, got bit get in the water, get him back, stop the bleeding. get him in. >> reporter: conner and max used a rope as turniquet as kiera dialed 911. >> the whole back of the boat, we were all just blood. i thought for sure he wasn't going to make it. >> reporter: it took more than five minutes to get to shore to paramedics. c.j. had lost half his blood. but somehow he remained conscious and talkative. >> conner and i tried to calm him down and tell him it was just a minor wound but he said, no. i felt my femur. i know it's bad. >> reporter: this doctor has studied sharks for more than three decades. >> quite often when you have a bite and release like this on a leg the shark gets the femoral artery and the people bleed out before they can get medical help. this guy was really lucky. >> reporter: lucky to have friends who didn't panic and lucky conner was there thinking only of the friend he's had

since kindergarten. >> my friends saved my life. >> reporter: when c.j. made it to the emergency room, he was lucky because the doctor who was on call had just returned from afghanistan and not only knew how to save his life but also his leg. and if you're wondering about these shark type teeth, how many stitches that c.j. wound up with? well, the doctors say they lost count after the first hundred. >> oh, my. kerry sanders, great story. well told. we wish that boy every luck. still coming up this morning, the secrets of success from two sisters who are running two of the biggest companies in the world. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ female announcer ] have you ever seen a glacier while sunbathing? why not? have you ever climbed a rock wall in the middle of the ocean? or tried something really wild? why not? it's all possible in the nation of why not. royal caribbean's floating nation.

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back now with the secrets to success from two of the most powerful women in business. and they just happen to be sisters. maggie is chairman and ceo of

frontier communications. denise morrison is president and ceo of campbell's soup. this year they're both on "fortune's" list of the top 50 most powerful women in business. ladies, good morning. congratulations. >> good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> something tells me, by the way of a little background here, not only were the odds long of this happening but you've got a couple sisters at home, one in corporate america, the other with her own business. >> that's right. >> as you sat around the dinner table as kids there wasn't much talk of a glass ceiling was there? >> absolutely not. my dad when he would come home from work, we would all sit down with him for dinner and he would talk about his day. he would actually teach us. >> that's right. >> the things he was doing at work. >> we learned marketing at the dinner table. >> your family, they basically said you have to have a business plan for everything. >> even getting your ears pierced. >> you'd go in and say, look. we want to go away here or get our ears pierced and they would make you present it. >> that's right. >> much in the same way that today you have to present new ideas at a business. >> right. >> exactly. and it was great training for us because it really had us think

through why we wanted to do certain things, why we felt it was important for us to have it, and the presentation was as important as the plan. >> i think it was your mom who also taught you. i love this comment. ambition is part of being feminine. >> that's right. >> what did that mean to you at the time? >> i think what it meant is we could be who we are and we could take the capabilities that we have as being women and parlay those into success. it really didn't matter what we did. it just mattered that we had the confidence to be who we were and to project that. >> we could aim high and set very high goals and would never feel discouraged by doing that. >> did your parents though when they talked about setting these high goals and this ambition being very feminine, did they also talk about the difference between doing something simply for success reasons versus doing something you really loved? >> they talked a lot about following your passion. they felt that education was the most important thing so one of the life lessons is get a great education.

it gives you freedom and flexibility. and then follow your passion. our parents never dictated to us what we should do with our lives. they just gave us the foundation to go do. >> but i would say there was a high expectation for success and passion at the same time. >> did you feel pressure from those expectations? i mean, because pressure -- different children and young adults react to pressure differently. >> well, it was a motivator for me. i think that i performed better because there was a higher expectation and then it became a self-motivation. >> and actually, denise bore most of the brunt because she was the oldest one. >> right. >> so by the time they got to me it was a little bit easier. >> you bring something up i was going to ask you about. was there much competition that was inspired between siblings? >> well, i think at times there was healthy competition. but i'll tell you what. my sisters are a support network for me, and i hope that they feel the same way about me. >> and denise and i are very close. we're 13 months apart. so we spent all of our time together.

we shared a bedroom. we went to school together. we shared clothes. and she was my best friend as well as my sister. >> we challenged each other. >> exactly. >> i think we grew up to go into different circles so we could be noncompetitive. >> so just a piece of advice for the women you now manage because you're heads of these corporations and you've got a lot of women, men also, but women working for you. so if you could offer them one piece of advice that will help them deal in the corporate world and perhaps achieve the same things you've achieved, what would it be? >> i think that women need to be empowered and very strategic about their career. sometimes they feel that if they just get good results that's all it takes. but it takes strategy as well and women feeling like they own their career. >> maggie? >> i also think that women have to look to take risks. to really change the paradigm. you know, when you get into a job or you get into a career mode, you have to think about what are my next couple steps? what should i be doing differently? how do i mold my job to be

different so i can get to the next level? and sometimes you got to go lateral to go ahead. >> i also think declaring your end game goal is really important. >> it's clearly worked for both of you. congratulations. what a pleasure to talk to you. great to talk to you both. thanks a lot. >> thanks, matt. >> i appreciate it. we're back right after this. in one day, i could have three auditions. and, it's really important that you go in looking like the role. i go straight to t.j.maxx. i find what i'm looking for. done. it's amazing to find so many gorgeous designer clothes. i'm like dut, dut, dut... yes, yes, yes. and, it also works with my somewhat unpredictable paycheck. fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. this fashionista... is a one-to-watch maxxinista. t.j.maxx. let us make a maxxinista out of you.

♪ back now at 8:46, harry belafonte is an american legend and not just because of his good looks, his acting talents, or his beautiful singing voice. always a crowd pleaser. harry belafonte has been making beautiful music for more than half a century. the child who grew up in new york and jamaica wound up

bringing the sounds of the islands to a worldwide audience, churning out hit after hit after hit. he was a movie heart throb as well, breaking color barriers along the way. ♪ >> but harry belafonte was much more than an entertainer. he wanted to help change the world. a close friend of dr. martin luther king's he was a key leader in the civil rights movement and also the man who helped bring together the stars for famine relief with "we are the world." ♪ we are the ones who make a better day so let's start giving ♪ >> but he ruffled a lot of feathers along the way as well with his choice of friends and foes. once calling president george w. bush, quote, the greatest terrorist in the world. now in a new hbo documentary about his tumultuous life called "sing your song" harry belafonte

remembers when his hero the late singer and controversial activist paul robeson came to see him on stage. >> at the end of my performance he came back stage and simply said, get them to sing your song and they'll want to know who you are. >> and now at the age of 84 harry belafonte is out with a new memoir called appropriately enough "my song." harry belafonte, what a pleasure. >> it is a delight to be here. >> oh, my lord. now after all of these years of resisting it what made you finally sit down and write your memoirs? >> actually it was the passing of a friend, marlon brando and i were very close. we had gone to school together as young -- as a matter of fact adult teenagers and through the years we developed this synergy and this way of life and he had done a great deal with his life working with indigenous people in the black community and all of the things, the problems we

faced. and when he passed away, i not only lost a great friend but america lost a great icon, not only a great actor but somebody who was deeply committed to helping those who were in need. and when he passed, i realized he left without ever telling his story. i thought that i should make a film to try to capture the time in which we lived and then automatically go to the book and that's how it all emerged. >> so in telling your story you just mentioned marlon brando. i could tick off a lot of very famous names connected to your story. in fact, i will. you're on the cover of "life" magazine with sammy davis and also sidney portier. you've mingled with duke ellington, paul robeson, muhammad ali, alina horn, eleanor roosevelt, president john and bobby kennedy and dr. martin luther king. what is your favorite memory of the good doctor king? >> beyond being deeply moved by his intellectual capacity, it

was his humility and the kind of humanity he revealed whenever he walked into a campaign and was deeply concerned about whether or not he was doing the right thing. not morally but tactically because always there was the threat that people might get hurt, somebody might be taken out, and he felt a great sense of responsibility and burden for making decisions that would put people in harm's way. those of us who sat in his circle had to continually reinforce the sense that what he was doing was not only morally correct but socially necessary. and he took some comfort in the fact that we encouraged him. >> you encouraged him in becoming a civil rights leader yourself. and you write in your book why had i jeopardized in some ways damaged a career trajectory that had made me at 30 the world's first so-called black matinee idol? how do you answer your own

question? >> i would say a lot of it is good fortune, the coincidences. i cannot ever remember sitting down and charting the course of my life. i was lucky enough to be able to see opportunity and seize it every time it knocked at my door. that led me to meet some remarkable people who sought my services especially when i began to profile as an artist eleanor roosevelt, john kennedy, nelson mandela, and others. each time they sought me out and i listened to their requests, i found that the journey they asked me to be on was really quite worthy. >> your mother said something to you when you were very young that was powerful. she said something about when you grow up never go to bed at night knowing that there was something you could have done during the day to strike a blow against injustice and you didn't do it. >> that was my compass. her dignity, moral sensitivity, and sense of social purpose.

she was an immigrant woman here in america. came here for the american dream and found that the dream was quite elusive. and she struggled and she was a single parent for all intents and purposes. i admire the struggle that she made and i saw in her the things that i should be and especially with her guidance and counsel. >> but you do say in this book there were times when you asked yourself if it was worth it, whether risking so much for yourself, risking all of the adulation you had at that difficult time for african-americans in this country, to do this work, to try to create freedoms for people who did not have it, you did ask yourself, you have asked yourself since, was it worth it? >> yes. the answer is that i truly have no choice. it's beyond -- it's beyond my own capacity to accept or reject. it is a thing i just must do. each time injustice passes by my purview, i get engaged whether

it's here or africa or somewhere else in the world. it's just the nature of the way things are. >> in fact, you've spent some time criticizing some people. we just talked about that in the piece. you've criticized president bush, the second one, colin powell, condoleezza rice, and most recently herman cain. and you've gotten into a lot of trouble for some of the things you've said. do you ever wish, i mean, with all due respect, that you keep your mouth shut? >> nah. >> no? >> how best to capture the press than to do something they've never heard before? there it was. i got the platform and opportunity to articulate a point of view that many americans shared and people in the world and i think i handled it with dignity and a certain kind of preciseness that i've not regretted. >> well, you certainly do that in this book and what's really sweet at the end is you do talk about our best times still lying ahead and from all you've been through that is such a hopeful thing to hear from your perspective. harry belafonte, thank you for

your life. thank you for your book. thank you for being here this morning. what a great honor. thank you very much. >> my pleasure. >> the book is called "my song." the hbo documentary called "sing your song" premieres on monday night. still ahead this morning the health habits that could actually do you more harm than good. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ love it.

just ahead today's professionals. these stories of the day including one that touched a nerve with ann. >> no kidding. but first these messages and your local news. >> live, local, late-breaking - this wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning, the time is 8:56. here is a look at one of our top stories. maryland state police have issued an amber alert for a 11- year-old boy from montgomery

county. he was last seen near briarcliff road in germantown for it in a riding -- he may be riding in riding -- he may be riding in mayblack honda crv, ca complete this merger, and present to the board, sink your teeth into some big n' toasty if you understand. good. you've got spunk.

a big day calls for the big n' toasty. wrap your hands around fried eggs, cherrywood smoked bacon, and cheese on texas toast. america runs on dunkin'. >> good morning, some showers and fog in the area this morning. we may get a few bricks of some later on the weather from out west and then tomorrow. morning showers and foggy drizzle and near 70.