good morning. halloween nightmare, more than 2 million people still without power this morning, after that freak october snowstorm slammed the east coast. at least 11 people are dead, schools closed, roads blocked, and officials say it could be more than a week before power is fully restored. the madoff speak, bernie madoff's massive ponzi schemed rocked the financial world and ripped his family apart. this morning his wife, ruth, and son, andrew, are here for an exclusive live interview.

and play dressup, our crowd is decked out for a big halloween bash on the plaza and we've got lots of surprises in store for them, including our big costume reveal today, monday, october 31st, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: "today" celebrates halloween with matt lauer and ann curry, live from studio1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everyone, welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. boy a lot of great costumes outside. >> looks pretty good. >> it may say halloween on the calendar. look at what's happening to hartford, connecticut. it looks a lot more there like christmas, just one of the cities dealing with the damage from the weekend nor'easter that dumped a blanket of heavy, wet snow over the weekend.

>> it's the weight of all of that snow, started falling saturday, quickly built up in trees still covered with leaves that caused a lot of branches to snap, power lines came down. we'll have the latest on the storm just ahead. also this morning there's a new report out in politico that games gop presidential hopeful herman cain was twice accused of sexual harassment back in the 1990s. cain already has a response. we'll tell you what he's saying coming up. also the latest in the search for that kansas city baby lisa irwin. it now looks like the family will let the police interview lisa's two half brothers. we'll have an exclusive and candid conversation with the family of bernie madoff, their first live interview since madoff's ponzi scheme was exposed about three years ago. we'll talk to them a little later on. we begin with the cleanup from that unusual and record-setting snowstorm in october. nbc's ron allen is in hartford, connecticut. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. you can find this incredible

scene in so many communities here in connecticut, the same thing happened, about a foot of snow fell on these trees, still covered with leaves, dragging down the power lines. you can see them dangling across the roadway. this sign says caution, electricity, because the line might be alive and therefore very dangerous. across the state, about 750,000 people are without power and it's very easy to see why it could take a long time to fix all those problems. they're calling the destruction in connecticut unprecedented, even worse than hurricane irene, all because of that disastrous mix of heavy, wet snow and fall foliage, snapping utility lines, knocking out power, and in some places, even sparking fires. >> i drove up into town and it looked like a war zone with all the trees that were down. >> reporter: a record-breaking halloween weekend storm that dumped more than 31 inches of snow in northern new england,

and the earliest snow in over 100 years in new york's central park. >> i was just thinking maybe it was just a halloween trick that we got a winter storm, you know, but it's actually real. it's real and uncanny and scary. >> reporter: and destructive. a huge limb crashed into this house in new york. >> the tree fell on my house, and it went through the roof and went into the family room. >> reporter: not far away another narrow escape. >> if i was staying in the car two more seconds i would be dead today. >> reporter: traveling has been treacherous and tedious, especially by air. passengers aboard this jetblue flight, one snapped these pictures, still have not forgiven the airline for leaving them on a plane for seven hours on the ground with no food, water, or bathrooms available. >> it almost came to fisticuffs on the plane. there were children who, children under the age of 3 for eight hours on a plane isn't pleasant. >> reporter: the storm saturday had forced the flight bound for

new jersey to land in connecticut. jetblue apologized, a statement said in part, "the airport experienced intermittent power outages, which made refueling and jetbridge deplaning difficult." full refunds were promised. from new jersey to massachusetts, trying to clean up the mess is what many folks are still doing today across the northeast. many businesses and schools are closed, as streets are clogged with downed trees and power lines. the first halloween that's brought a snow day in a very long time. >> she's handling it fine. she wants to build a snowman all day. >> reporter: maybe a very pleasant day for her and thousands of other kids who don't have school today but a lot of headaches in connecticut and across new england because of the storm. we've seen people in line for groceries and outside gas stations to get gas, so few are open in some communities and the essence of the problem is trying

to fix the power lines, get rid of the trees and repair the damage and it's going to take a while, several days, perhaps a week for some people before the lights are on and before they have power again. >> ron allen in hartford this morning, thanks very much. stay warm. we get a check of the rest of the news from natalie morales. >> a report of allegations against republican presidential candidate herman cain that he was accused by at least two women of sexual harassment. nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd is in washington with that and the campaign's reaction. chuck, good morning. >> nbc news has not independently confirmed these allegations. here's the politico report, though, that the two women, while herman cain was president and head of the national restaurant association, a lobbying group trade association in washington, d.c., these two women complained of what they call sexually suggestive behavior and in exchange for departing, they got some sort of

financial settlement, after they decided that they were angry and they could not work for him anymore. now, the campaign is not addressing the specific allegation about whether there was a financial settlement and whether mr. cain had ever been accused of sexual harassment. "dredging up thinly sourced allegations stemming from mr. cain's tenure as the chief executive officer at the national restaurant association in the 1990s, politico trade press are casting aspersions on his character and spreading rumors that never stood up to the facts, since washington establishment critics haven't had much luck in attacking mr. cain's ideas to fix a bad economy and create jobs, they're trying to attack him in any way they can." natalie, i emphasize the campaign has had three or four chances over the last 12 hours to specifically deny the allegation of the sexual harassment or the sealed financial statements -- settlements. they will not address that allegation specifically. natalie? >> all right, we'll be watching and waiting to see how this develops. chuck todd, thank you. a major milestone today.

countries around the globe are marking the world's population reaching 7 billion. demme graphers aren't exactly sure when the event will be bed. qantas is resuming air flights again after a labor dispute prompted the airline to ground its entire flight. the australian carrier is expected to return to normal operations within a few days but tens of thousands of flyers should expect delays. we head to wall street and cnbc's mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange. >> even if it is halloween today there is nothing spooky about this past october for stocks. even if today is negative we've had an incredible run with the stock market giving you and other investors double-digit gains. this is one of the most crucial months of the year, a crush of economic reports and also earnings reports and at this stage we've been seeing some pretty resilient numbers coming

oumt out of the economy this week and the payroll numbers which tell us how many jobs created by the u.s. economy. let's hope things continue to be better than expected. back to you. >> we are hoping. mandy drury at the new york stock exchange, thanks. israeli arch kolgzs made a discovery of a tiny box made of bone with a cross etched on the lid, dates back to the sixth century a.d. inside, two portraits of a man and a woman fwh gold, possibly jesus and mary. experts believe a christian likely carried it and lost it on an ancient jerusalem street. this is just two doggone cute, a howloween parade in california sunday. 500 pups donned their best costumes, there was also a bulldog kissing booth or maybe a slobbering booth. all proets go to an annual charity. very cute. :09, we turn it to matt, ann and al. those will not be our costumes.

>> mr. roker outside with our trick-or-treaters. first ek ch of the weather. >> we've got a costume channeling the number within movie this weekend, puss and boots, very nice. what is your name? >> kayla. >> where are you from? >> indiana. >> you don't seem too happy about it. okay, let's check your weather, see what's going on. we'll snow you snowfall totalless, millbrook, new york, 21 inches, hazelton 16 inches, 31 in jaffrey, new hampshire, unbelievable stuff. daily record snoeflz for yesterday and the day before, newark picking up more than five inches, almost three in new york city, 13 in concord. for today the good news is not quite so scary, spook hill will have sunny and clear skies today, mummy pass looking for mild weather, pumpkin center, california, will have sunshine as well, some showers in ghost >> good morning and happy

halloween. temperatures will stay below normal. mid 40's in the mountains. mid 40's in the mountains. >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> al, thanks. new details in the search for lisa irwin, the kansas city baby who vanished from her crib four weeks ago today and coming from the security consultant working on behalf of the family. nbc's john yang is in kansas city. john, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this morning, lisa irwin's parents, deborah bradley and jeremy irwin, are behind closed

doors in seclusion but the former new york city police cop -- new york city cop hired to investigate the case has taken his first look inside this house, and he took us along with him. for the first time, bill stanton took a look inside the scene of the baffling mystery he's been hired to investigate. >> i think it was someone outside and either got through that window or walked right through this front door. >> reporter: no cameras allowed on this visit, though the family has invited nbc news in before. stanton walked us through what deborah bradley and jeremy irwin told them about that night's events how jeremy, up for neither 20 hours arrived home 3:45 the morning of october 4th, how he found the front door unlocked and because they were behind on their bills he was annoyed the lights were on and how he discovered his then 10-month-old baby's crib was empty. stanton dismissed apparently

inconsistencies in deborah's evolving public accounts of what happened that night. you're saying deborah changing her time line of when the last time she saw lisa and other details of that evening are irrelevant. >> it may conflict, but that doesn't make a person guilty. >> reporter: with deborah and jeremy under increasing scrutiny, stanton points to report of a man carrying a baby wearing only a diaper in the neighborhood around 12:30 that morning. >> to me, that's imperative that is glaring. this needs to be followed up by everyone. >> we haven't at all eliminated the possibility of an outside intruder, nor have we eliminated the possibility of some terrible accident or other incident that happened to that child within that house. >> reporter: investigators continue to press for unrestricted interviews with deborah and jeremy. sources close to the family tell nbc news that interviews with the couple's two young boys, aged 5 and 8, that were postponed last week, could happen soon. sunday afternoon only a handful of volunteers turned out for a

search through the woods, organized by local residents. >> she touched my heart. >> reporter: others used flyers, bumper sticker, even the hood of a car to get the word out. meanwhile, lisa's parents are in seclusion. how are deborah and jeremy holding up? >> i look in their eyes and i see pain. you know, how many tears can you shed 24/7? >> reporter: there has been a shakeup in the legal team representing deborah and jeremy. the local attorney who had been representing them is out. sources close to the family say she was fired. she says she'll continue to look for baby lisa, as a private citizen. ann? >> john yang, thank you so much. it is now 7:14, once again here's matt. >> ann, thank you. now to our exclusive live interview with the family of bernie madoff. his massive ponzi scheme destroyed thousands of lives and tore his own family apart. in a moment, we'll talk to madoff's wife ruth, his son andrew and his fiance katherine hooper.

first how that multibillion-dollar scam finally came to life. it was the scandal heard round the financial world. >> it has been shock and awe over the bernie madoff scandal, the size and scope incredible. >> reporter: in december, 2008, bernard madoff, a wall street titan and member of the financial industry for decades, confessed to his wife and sons that his investment business was a giant ponzi scheme. it was a $65 billion fraud with thousands of victims around the globe, from mom and pop investors to sophisticated financ financers. the scam collapsed because he had run out of money during the financial meltdown. after his confession his sons immediately turned him in. bernie confessed to prosecutors and sentenced to 150 years in prison, but that wasn't the end of the story. his wife, ruth, and his sons, andrew and mark, would become pariahs and tabloid prey.

many say they knew about the scam and benefitted from it, seeing the vacation homes, trips and boats as signs of complicity. >> neither mark, andrew nor ruth have ever been the target or the subject of a criminal investigation. he says they didn't know and they say they didn't know and at some point in the absence of any proof to the contrary, i think you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. >> but the guilt by association may have been too much for his son, mark. last december on the two-year anniversary of his father's arrest, mark hanged himself while his 2-year-old son slept in the other room. one of his last e-mails read, "no one wants to hear the truth." now madoff's wife, ruth, son andrew, and his fiance katherine hooper are speaking out and trying to answer some of the many questions left in the aftermath of this massive financial scandal. in this new book "truth and consequences: life inside the madoff family." we are joined now elusively by

ruth and andrew madoff and andrew's fiance katherine hooper. good morning, thank you for being here. >> good morning. >> one story that jumped out of the headlines the story you tell, ruth, about christmas eve 2008 and an attempted suicide, you and bernie deciding this was simply too terrible, decided to take your own lives and you write that you took a bunch of pills, whatever it was around, you think you took ambien and other things and went to bed. how long did you plan it? was it spur of the moment? did you talk about it for five minutes, five hours, five days, what? >> more like 15 minutes i'd say. we didn't plan it really far in advance. >> do you remember whose idea it was. did you say to bernie we should kill ourselves or did bernie say it to you? >> i think it was my idea more than his. i was in agony over the losses of all my friends. everyone i know and love was a victim of bernie's, and i just

was getting phone calls and you know, letters and it was agonizing, absolutely agonizing and i couldn't do anything to help. >> all of these people had been hurt and all family members and yet you two did not leave a note behind. >> it just was very spur of the moment, and i just wanted to get it over with. >> how do you say good-bye on that night? you take the pills, you're expecting not to wake up in the morning, you can't just get in a bed and roll over like a normal night. did you say good-bye to bernie? >> i don't remember. i think we just did it and fell asleep and maybe we said good-bye, maybe we didn't. i don't remember >> there's been some speculation as to whether your husband agrees with this version of the story because he told "new york" magazine not long ago on the subject of suicide, "it's just not the way i am." your husband called me several times last night after the interview on "60 minutes" aired

and he agrees completely with the way you told the story and said yes, in fact that is what happened. he went further and said he took ambien, aspirin and blood pressure medication and tell me if any of this is right or wrong. the two of you got into bed that night fully dressed, because you suspected that your bodies would be found. >> i don't remember that. >> the next morning. >> it could be true. i don't remember that. >> he apparently didn't want to be found in some way that was inappropriate. he woke up the next day to the sounds of you saying, "i'm alive, i'm alive." >> he remembers a lot more than i do. i don't remember that but i remember feeling glad that i was. >> he then stumbled into the bathroom and threw up because he was very sick and the two of you decided the next morning after you were alive not to try it again. >> yeah. >> why did you not decide to try it again? you're in a penthouse apartment. there are other ways to commit suicide. >> it wasn't that high up. i'd never jump off that roof.

>> never thought about it in. >> no, no, it was much easier to take pills. >> the pain and the shame and the guilt that you were feeling on that night that caused to you make that rash decision, has it subsided? >> no, not one bit. theres' not a day that goes by that, well, of course with mark, it's just unbearable, but the victims go on and on, and my life is, you know, just always full of shame, walking down the street, anything i do is difficult. >> andrew n some ways the headlines of this scandal have moved off the front pages. for the victims, it's still check in their mind but the daily headlines have disappeared for the most part. and here comes this book, you guys write this book and you do the interviews that go along with promoting and selling the book, and here come the headlines again. why would you go through this again? >> well, from the beginning, we have not really been able to

speak and tell the story in our own words and this project provided an opportunity to do that, and i'd been eager to speak really from day one and just tell the world the story as it really happened, not the way it was portrayed by the media. we were so vilified by the tabloids, and it was just, it was painful to go through and this was a chance to let people hear it again in our own words. >> you say you were eager to speak from day one. i think on the intervie last night you said you were desperate to speak in some ways. i try to put myself in the position of one of bernie's victims. i say wait a minute he wanted to talk from the beginning but he waited until this book is coming out, to promote this book, and speak now. and i'm wondering if i could contain my anger at hearing that. how do you respond to that? >> well, i think that i completely understand the way people feel.

you know as my mother said these are not nameless anonymous people. these are friends and family and people who i love and care about and have known my entire life, and i know their struggles intimately and feel them deeply every single day, and it's awful, and you know, i speak to many of them on a regular basis, and this book is an opportunity for me to speak to the thousands of victims who i don't know and hopefully give them a better understanding of what happened. >> how do you deal with the hatred? the headlines that have come out in the wake of the book, one in the new york paper had the pictures and stories and said "meet the worst family on earth." how do you deal with that? >> it's horrible. my father, what he did was awful, and affected the lives of so many people, stole people's dreams and futures, and us among

them, and i'll never forgive him for that. this is just a continuation of that same thing. >> you're going to stick around. we'll spend much more time talking to you, ruth, andrew and katherine in our next half hour. we're glad you're here. we'll be back right after this. this is "today" on nbc.

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♪ nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. just ahead, several california beaches closed as a surfer was attacked by a shark, possibly a great white. plus our halloween contest and we'll get into our outfits, after your local news. actually we do -- the kids would just be like, "no way, awesome!" we -- we do! all that! layaway baby! [ male announcer ] layaway's back for christmas in our toys, electronics, and jewelry departments. to help get omega-3 dha into your kid's diet. flintstones gummies plus omega-3 dha

is an excellent source of this key nutrient. ♪ we are flintstones kids, 10 million strong and growing ♪ >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. fire crews remained on the scene of a fire in northwest baltimore at the mount washington tavern. crews arrived at 4:30 this

morning to find the restaurant heavily engulfed in flames. fire crews were forced to fight the flames from the outside. the extent of the damage is unknown and the causes under investigation. now for a check of your morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> we are still dealing with closures in the mount washington area due to that fire department activity. when closure is on newbury street. if you are heading to the light rail stop, watch for delays in getting there. looking at delays all the way down the west side. backing of traffic on southbound 795. as you make your approach to belair road, there is an accident with three right lanes taken up. this is a multi-vehicle crash to watch for. honeygo and white marsh, getting word of an accident. another one to watch for on 29 blocking the ramp to eastbound

100. we have an accident and a truck fire southbound 97 at new cut road. you can see the delays, pretty much at a standstill. that is where we have a truck fire. on the northeast corner, that is another really heavy spot with an accident just passed bill road on the inner loop. >> watch out for some fog this morning. in a bit of a spooky start to this halloween morning. highs in the upper 50s for ocean city. how will the kids be dealing with the weather for trick-or- treating time? as we head

♪ this is halloween, this is halloween, halloween, halloween ♪ 7:30 on this halloween morning, monday, october 31st, 2011. we've got a big crowd outside in rockefeller plaza, sporting some very creative costumes and our eyes are peeled for the very best of the bunch, because we have a lot of great prizes to give away, including not only our justin bieber concert tickets next month but guess what? one lucky person will get to

meet the superstar himself, one of the winnings. ann curry along with matt lauer and we'll all be getting dressed up. >> a short time from now. >> we'll get a move on and you may not want to miss our reveal coming up. more with our exclusive live interview with bern bern's family, what's their life like more? we'll talk with madoff's son ruth, their son andrew and andrew's fiance katherine just ahead. >> first let's get a check of the weather with al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by massage envy, from stress relieve to healthier skin, massage envy is here for you. you can find nationwide locations at massageenvy.com. >> wow, you are a dead ringer for gene wilder's willy wonka. impressive. >> you're a good egg yourself, too. >> what is your name? >> randy buckwalter.

>> we love the popcorn mom. are you okay in there? >> yes. just a lot of popcorn fumes. >> very nice. let's check your weather. two good ones, see what's happening. below normal temperatures in the east, rain along the mid-atlantic states, above normal in the plains, back to the southwest. from the week ahead warms up in new england, some of the snow showers in the mississippi river valley, mountain snows in the pacific northwest, it will be below normal and the latter part of the week, western half of the country down into texas and the western gulf on the chilly side and southeastern coast. above normal from the great lakes into the northeast with rain through the mississippi river valleys >> it is a chilly start for the day. we're expecting increasing clouds. a chance for showers this evening.

>> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. it's been nearly three years since the massive ponzi scheme run by bernie madoff imploded. for the first time his family is speaking out, in the new book "truth and consequences: life inside the ma madoff family." we're joined exclusively life by ruth, andrew madoff and his fiance katherine again. the question that's been asked more than any other question in three years, did ruth know, and of course the second one would be did andrew know. you were his constant companion, married for more than 50 years, you lived the lifestyle he lived. for a short time you had an office at his business, a very short time. did you see nothing, ruth?

>> nothing. >> nothing? >> absolutely nothing. when he called to say he was coming home with the boys, he had something to tell us, i thought, well, the market was crashing. everything seemed, the world seemed to be coming to an end so i was worried because i didn't know what to expect but what he ended up something was something in a million years you never would expect. >> you had no knowledge of his business, never really cared to ask questions? >> well i sort of knew he invested money for people. it was clear a lot of our friends, people we knew and loved had money and seemed as if everybody had money there, but he had a huge trading business. he had been in the industry for a long time, he had done humanity are huge advances in automated trading and over the counter order flow that traded new york stock exchange companies. he was known for all of those

things. never occurred to me. >> andrew, you and your brother were smart guys, you worked in the same business although different sides of the business. you know what it takes, the financial industry, what it's made up of. when you would go to your dad and say dad,ell me about your side of the base he would say basically it's none of your business and keep that floor of the building very much off limits, didn't that throw up a red flag? didn't you suspect something? >> i didn't. i didn't. i had grown up my entire life attending functions where he was being honored and hearing about the legend of bernie madoff from the time where i was a young boy, people i would meet in the street or once i graduated college and started working for the business at industry functions would say oh, you're bernie madoff's son, the man is incredible and you know, if there's some way that i could get in, please put in a good word for me, and just people had this incredible vision of him as

spectacularly skillful trader taken just never occurred to me that it was all fake. >> when he broke the news at this family meeting in the apartment over on the east side, you and your brother immediately turned him in, and that's basically the last time you spoke to him. you cut off all contact with your dad. a lot of people can understand that. but you also cut off contact with your mother, and as an outsider looking in, ruth, do you no he what i thought? i thought it made you look guilty. >> it did. i thought so, too. >> did you not think about that? >> we never for a moment suspected that she was aware of any of this before we were when my father -- >> as an outsider if you won't talk to your mom, i think he knows she knew something. >> we hadn't planned not to spoke to her. the two of us discussed taking her into our homes. we assumed she'd call us and say look i'm leaving and can you take me in. we had that discussion and

figured out the logistics of how that would work. a day or two later we got the phone call asking him to sign on to his bail bond and recognized that was not going to be the case >> house arrest for three months, bernie was in house arrest in the penthouse on the east side. you were there with him and boy, the media focused on that building. >> they sure did. >> an effort of full disclosure i know because i live in that building, and like so many other people, ruth, i was wondering what are they doing up there? what's going on in that penthouse? what was the relationship like with bernie during those three months? >> we had just a kind of everybody happening, the lawyers will come, the paperworks, watched television, ate meals. nothing was going on. >> you were speaking to him? weren't you screaming at him? were there fights? >> you know, it took some time for me to realize that the person whom i lived with for 50

years and loved for all that time, practically my entire life, was the same person that destroyed all those people, relatives, friends, everybody. i couldn't -- there was a part of him that was warm and loving. he was wonderful father. we -- and i had, you know, a very close family life, the four of us. i couldn't figure it out. >> what you couldn't have known during those three months that this khan zal would take another very personal toll, that your son, mark, would commit suicide on the second anniversary of your husband's arrest. how do you handle a call like that, when you got that news? >> i -- you know, the last time i ever saw mark was when he left that room, when bernie told us. i never saw him after that

confession, and i, i just, i'll never get over that, no matter what happens, and i blame bernie and i -- it's the worst thing that can happen, just the worst. >> you blame bernie as well, you blame your dad, andrew? >> absolutely. >> katherine? >> no question about it. >> do you think in some ways that mark killed himself not only because he couldn't handle the burden of the headlines but in some ways to punish your dad, to give your father something to think about every day for the rest of his life? >> i think there was an element of that to it. after his first suicide attempt, when i visited him in the hospital, he and i talked about that, how it had come to this, and trying to get at what he was feeling and exactly where he was, and he talked about that specifically, and i tried to explain to him that that was not going to be effective, and it was just to take his own life,

to try and send a message was horrible, and something he couldn't do, his four beautiful children, and to leave them without a dad is just unbearable. >> ruth, it seems to me you have lost an awful lot. you lost your husband. you lost your son. you lost your wealth. you lost your good name, and now in an effort to reconcile with andrew and the grandchildren, you have cut off all contact with bernie. >> yes. >> do you miss him? do you ever lie in bed at night and wish you could speak to him? >> i'd like to speak to him and tell him a few things, but it's not because i miss him anymore. i -- you know, the villain of all this tragedy is behind bars. the rest of us are just trying to get back to our lives and make peace with whatever we have

left, and the victims, sort of figure out their lives, and the family figuring out our lives, and that's what we do. >> i asked the question because this was a man you were willing to die with, after 50 years of marriage, you were willing to take your life at the same time he took his life. how do you go from that to not speaking to him at all? >> well there was a long time in between, and that very first moment, i felt so helpless, and then i started to get a little bit stronger, and i had -- i did have an extensive e-mail relationship with mark and stephanie. our attorneys didn't want us to speak, and i think if we had been able to talk to each other, it would have been helpful, helpful to mark, and to all of us, but that was verboten so we never did. >> andrew as was mentioned in

our piece, no criminal charges have ever been filed against you or your mom or your brother. do you still live in fear that you'll get that phone call and would you like the prosecutors to stand up in front of microphones one day and say, "they did nothing wrong. they were not involved"? >> one of the reasons i've wanted to speak publicly from the beginning is because i have nothing to hide and i just want to have a chance for people to see me, see who i am. we've been cooperating with the authorities from the beginning, and i'm hopeful that i will be able to put this all behind me sometime soon. >> i mentioned that your dad, your husband, called me several times last night and one of the things he said to me that still haunts him is that he never had the chance to explain to you and your brother what really happened and how he got into that position. he's written you letters, i know, and he said all he wants is the chance to explain it. aren't you curious what he has to say? >> not at all. there's no way to explain what

he did, the damage that he has caused to so many people, so many lives that he's destroyed, what possible explanation could there be? the few things that i've read about him from his interviews and the audio interview that he gave, i'm not hearing sincerity and remorse in there, and you know, i try to find it in my heart to be able to forgive him but i'm got there. >> andrew madoff, ruth madoff, katherine hooper thank you for joining us this morning. i appreciate it. and the book is out today i believe. we're back right after this.

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>> this is fantastic, isn't it? this is, well, allow me to say modestly, where we'll address the nation every night. this is "nbc nightly news," and then over here, "rock center." you've probably heard a lot about it. >> i've heard a promo or two. >> they're calling it the future. i don't know if that's an overstatement but. >> well, a conversation pit? >> a conversation pit, please. everything's the most modern lucite, a faux -- >> is this naugahyde? >> it's from the nauga family. >> is this is a news penthouse. is this like a casino? look at that. >> all this real estate. it actually makes me nervous. >> my first network appearance was in this studio -- the mid section of the country not quite as fabulous. >> this was the old "today" show studio. >> most of the maintenance staff are still talking about that day. >> the weather wall was right here. >> how much of this is going to be about you and how much by percentage will be about our

news broadcast? >> i think we'll start now. >> okay, because we're here. >> talking about "rock center." >> i think this show is going to be something a little bit different. i think this show will have a voice and a feeling of its own. i want viewers to come away from "rock center" and say oh, so that's where the best people in television news are working. >> you're going to be live. >> we're going to be live. only because if you're live, there's some endorphin that flows through the human brain that keeps you sharper. you know it's real. i think we're more creative when we're on live television. monday nights, 10:00 eastern, 9:00 central, beginning halloween night, even that, even that is part of our design. >> i don't know about that. >> we're hoping people are crashing from a kind of post starburst, post peanut butter cup high and join us for an hour-long newsmagazine and subsequent mondays, just eat a

lot. >> i love this over here. >> this is my favorite corner, we found this sign that says "apple sauce" this was up in the rafters. >> i think "the doctors" the soap opera this was from there. >> kathleen turner, alec baldwin, first big acting job. >> that diary got me in a lot of trouble. >> this was matt lauer's television at home, sadly making the family watch this. friend of mine is a former new york city fire captain, 23 engine in new york. >> this is nice. >> this is not part of my, that's disturbing, this is not part of my collection. >> what happens upstairs? can i -- >> i'd love you to. good to see you. >> brian? brian? catch the series premiere of "rock center with brian williams" including a special

live appearance by fake newsman jon stewart tonight at 10:00, 9:00 central right here on nbc. just ahead our halloween bash live on the plaza, we'll be revealing our costumes but first these messages. okay, so you mean you just ignore the environment. actually, it's cleaner. and, it provides jobs. and it helps our economy. okay, i'm listening. [announcer] at conoco phillips we're helping power america's economy with cleaner affordable natural gas... more jobs, less emissions, a good answer for everyone. so, by reducing the impact of production... and protecting our land and water... i might get a job once we graduate. wait a second... with olay challenge that. new regenerist wrinkle revolution...

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just ahead we've got some great prizes to give away to the folks out in the crowd, who got dressed up on this halloween morning including tickets to our justin bieber concert. >> as well as our big reveal, after your local news. a healthy space for baby starts before you're pregnant. that's why i take one a day women's prenatal,

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giving you 80% cleaner, purer breath. for all the confidence of pure breath try new extreme clean pure breath action from aquafresh. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> dealing with many delays out there and. a.q. travel in and not washington, trying to get to the light rail stop, we have clotures that remain an effective due to fire department activity.

10 miles per hour on the outer loop west side. inner loop delays on the harrisburg expressway towards 95. we had a multi-vehicle crash. most vehicles are often the site, but we still have a right lane closure. southbound 95 approaching white marsh, a minor accident off to the side. once you get on to the beltway on the outer loop from harford towards the harrisburg expressway. southbound 97, another problem spot. talk of fire, nine miles per hour -- truck fire, nine spare hour. 97 at 100 going away from us, you can see the pace of things even at 100 down to a new cut road. live view of traffic at dulaney valley. coming towards us is inner loop traffic.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava has a track on the forecast. a little scary. >> i am giddy morning because i am wearing the weather map. we just completely disappeared. temperatures are cool, only in the 30's. the 30's.

we will are back now on this monday morning, the 31st day of october, 2011, that make it it halloween morning and the people outside dressed up and ready to celebrate. i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry and al roker. we've already seen some great costumes. i think these folks started planning a while ago >> like last year. >> we'll pick the finalists for our costume contest and by the

way we have some wonderful prizes lined up for them including those vip passes to our big justin bieber concert. >> in just a moment we'll get dressed up and join the fun. get in your final guesses because our big reveal is just ahead. >> yes, the big reveal. plus still time to get your house detected out before the trick-or-treaters arife. just ahead some last-minute do-it-yourself decorating ideas to make your home the spookiest on the block. first a quick check of the morning's top stories. natalie is off to get her costume on so tom ran hall is at the news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning, everyone. millions of people from virginia to vermont are spending halloween in the dark after a record-breaking weekend storm knocked out power. many roads are blocked by fallen trees. officials say it could take a week to clean up, repair all the damage and get everyone's electricity restored. jetblue is apologizing to

hundreds of passengers trapped for more than seven hours after three flights were stranded on the tarmac in connecticut. the airline could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. herman cain's cain is pushing back against a report of allegations of sexual harassment, according to politico, cain was accused of sexually harassing two women who worked for him in the 1990s. cain's campaign callings the allegations unsubstantiated. nbc news has not inpendley confirmed the report. a california man is recovering after being attacked by what is believed to be a great white shark. nbc's miguel almaguer has the story. >> are in california beachgoers have been warned to stay out of the water, where it's believed a great white shark attacked a surfer. friends helped pull aaron tarantino out of the water. the surfer air lifted to the hospital in stable condition with wite wounds to his neck, shoulder and arm. >> i think he's going to be

okay. when we got him to the beach he was coherent and we stopped the bleeding immediately. >> he said it was incredibly strong and he doesn't know why it let go, whether it was because he kicked it or not but it did let go. >> reporter: friends say around tarantino paddled into the ocean the great white was spotted but the surfer couldn't get out of the water fast enough. though shark attacks are rare, just four years ago, todd endris, tarantino's friend was also attacked by a great white >> shakes me up. i started sweating this morning at like 7:50 when somebody called me about it. >> reporter: today tarantino is lucky to be alive. friends and family say he will surf again. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> miguel, thank you. now for a look at "what's trending today" the blogosphere is buzzing with steve jobs last word, according to the eulogy

delivered by his biological simpler mona simpson the apple founder gazed at his wife and children and said "oh wow, oh, wow, oh, wow" bfrgs passing abay. the family of bernie madoff is already a hot topic on twitter, wife ruth and son andrew said they knewing in nothing about the scheme and the family was completely destroyed. ruth madoff told matt her life is always full of shame. thousands are flocking to google's home page, putting the happy in halloween. shows people carving pumpkins that light up to say google. >> thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> it's a little spooky out there boys and girls. for today we've got plenty of sunshine here in the northeast. you can see all the ghouls and goblins moving around in the

day. a few spooky showers in the plains, and for tonight, look out, it's going to be cool and showery in the upper ohio river valley, a few mountain snow showers in the northern plains, we got nice mild conditions for trick-or-treaters through the south, a few showers along the mid-atlantic states and in the upper ohio river valley. >> good morning and happy halloween. temperatures will stay below normal. mid 40's in the mountains. >> and that is your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you very much. gather the kids, alert the neighbors, our big halloween costume reveal is right after this.

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"happy halloween today" is brought to you by hershey's drops. a lot of happiness in a little drop of chocolate. ♪ >> good morning. you are cordially invited to the wedding of the century, equal parts fairytale, royal pageant, and love story. >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is a special edition of "today at the royal wedding" live from westminster abbey in london, england. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to a special edition of "today" at the royal wedding. we are outside buckingham palace. you've listen looking forward to this day. congratulations. >> finally here. you are seeing now the bentley leaving clarence house with prince william and prince harry aboard heading to westminster abbey. >> there are the brothers in their military uniforms. go ahead, ann. >> matt, the prince is arriving, waving to the crowd. you can see people very excited. i'm going to let you hear their roar.

>> well, looks like the girls are late again. >> we're seeing a live shot of the bridesmaids preparing to go to westminster abbey. they look just beautiful, with flowers innier hair. >> i don't know if you saw in between the two little ones there was pippa the maid of honor. >> i noticed meredith had her hair down. >> there's pippa. >> hello, harry. call me.

>> i believe this is charles and camilla. >> yes, it will be. they are the next most senior to leave buckingham palace and arrive here at westminster abbey. >> look at the prince of wales dressed in full regalia. >> hello, dad. >> hello, sons. who is your daddy? >> nice to see you. s where' camilla. >> she's right here. >> somebody said off with her head. >> this is now the senior royal family leaving buckingham palace, the duke of york andby stress eugene. >> two daughters in magnificent he headdresses.

>> we have no excuse actually. >> except of course the british royal family does have a long history of insanity. >> how many people are going to get out of that car? >> hello. >> there she is. >> leaving the hotel and leaving behind her old life. >> she's really enjoying this. >> it's holding a bouquet in one hand and waving in the other. this is a relaxed young lady. >> she's a dmanatural and class act. >> let's go back to westminster abbey. >> the sun has just come out in theify moments before kate middleton arrived. >> lovey!

>> jolly good. lovely, isn't she? she's actually lovely. i don't care for her, but she's lovely. >> i never did care for her. i suppose it's all right. >> shwing! >> can we still change our minds? >> how are you? >> doing okay. >> so what do you think? we covered it for 730 day this is year, and look, here we go again. >> wow. >> just a little obsessed. >> they pulled us back in. you look beautiful. >> thank you so much. >> although i think it's bad luck for me to see you quite this early before the ceremony. >> let's pretend it's the, i was going to say deed but i'll say

the job is already done. something about you makes me think does he or doesn't he? >> i might look -- >> you'll find out later. >> it's a great group we've assembled. the shame is we don't have the queen, which would be -- oh, what? they're telling me wait. that the queen has decided to join us. >> hello! hello! hello! >> meredith, oh my god! >> hello! >> meredith! >> hello! mwah! my darling, mwah! >> oh, my hair fell off. oh my god! >> i love you. >> i can't believe how my life has been reduced.

>> meredith. >> you look lovely and you look exactly like him. >> thank you. >> hi. oh yes, hello, hello. i shouldn't be standing here. >> what a way you decided to rejoin us. >> look at my boobs, they're so royal. hello. i can't see my feet. it's unbelievable. look at the crowd you've got. >> i know. >> does it bring back memories of that day? >> it does. >> it does. >> it was such a great day. you look gorgeous. >> you know i can't get over, al, you look like elton john.

>> that's me, rocket man. >> and your ears -- >> i never felt sexier. >> hold on. you're right. >> those hats incredible. who knew they would move. >> a lot of hangers had to die for this hat. >> this was the toilet seat. >> yes, yes. >> by the way nice to see you. >> it's nice, too. >> very nice. >> oh, yes, i couldn't stay away. >> we thought your first visit would be "rock center." >> we have much more ahead. >> oh, no, i'm leaving. >> stick around. >> we're going to be selecting our finalists for our halloween costume contest come to the plaza all dressed up, we'll get to that and many more surprises as we continue on halloween morning after these messages. >> oh, geez. f daisy so creamy and delicious? care and dedication.

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hello! >> we're back now on halloween morning here on "today," all dressed up in our royal finest, as we relive the royal wedding, but enough about us. >> yes. >> let's talk about some of the people who have come down to our plaza this morning, wearing their finest halloween costumes. we've got some really creative ones this morning. we've chosen five finalists. >> yes. >> lots of great prizes to give out but first let us recognize the people who are our finalests. melanie amaroso, she's 9 years old from freehold, new jersey, and she is here as an oral bb toothbrush. melanie how are you? >> good. >> where'd you come up with this idea? >> i have an oral-b toothbrush, so i came up with, since i use it every night i came up with the idea to make a costume out of it. >> does your dad work for oral-b? just checking. >> no. >> congratulations. you're one of our finalists.

okay. >> then next we have in this costume believe it or not i think three, four people, we have alison, the mom, sloan the niece, and julia is the daughter and steven. >> yes, i'm the mom. >> you're the mom, alison. how long did it take you to put this together? >> embarrassingly long, about 200 hours. not a lot of sleep. >> keeps you warm. >> i know. >> what did it take to get the costume here? >> we were fortunate. i work for sun dock productions, with he rent a property from ted brit ford and they hooked us up with a car at the last minute when we were mapanicked, couldn fit into the car. >> further down the list peter compon, 37 years old from binghamton, new york, legman and kids are lego fans. what gave you this idea, peter?

>> i'm a libig lego fans and my kids brenda and abby are big fans. >> are you supposed to put the mike there? that where you are? yes, that's where you are. >> yes, this is me in here. well done. how long did it take you to put this together? >> about 60 hours. >> this looks like it's really made out of wood. >> lindsay nicholas, she's 16 from ewing, new jersey, her costume, justin bieber's perfume sunday. do you like the scent of the per tomb? >> yes, i love it. >> are you wearing it now? >> no, i'm not. >> more importantly, how much do you want that justin bieber concert ticket? >> yeah. >> our lasts could sume, sean gautier, 38, here is his birthday. you were' the f-train headed to brooklyn and you brought the rat as well. how long did it take to you do this? >> working on it for about a month. it's my birthday so i like to

put a lot into halloween. >> you were inspired by a long commute? >> i thought of it on the subway, yes. >> happy birthday to you, by the way. >> hang out, guys, we're going to be selecting our winners, giving out great prizes, we have much more ahead live from the plaza on halloween morning, but first, these messages and a look at your local news and weather. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> dealing with delays around big area. one on the northeast corner has been the biggest problem. delays stretch all the way back to around 795 on the inner loop all the way to 95.

prior to 95, we have an accident taking up the right lane. watch for that this morning. newbury street is closed in mount washington. watch for delays as you make your way to the light rail station. you may need extra time at there. j.f.x. back to the beltway, 9 miles per hour on the west side outer loop. 18 on the northeast side. further south, this one is now clear. southbound 97 at new cut. you accident and was down 100. as you look at the slow traffic on 97, we switch over to ava marie for a look at the forecast. >> happy halloween. we have seen the clouds build in across the area. low-to-mid-50's at best. for trick-or-treaters, a bit below what they are used to this

time of year. dressed in layers, not to ruin costumes, but they may be grateful for the warmer gear. showers later on, after the kids are done trick-or-treating. jasper rainshowers lingering tomorrow morning. dry whether midweek. 62 greece on thursday. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

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koppel. >> williams. >> welcome aboard. >> kate snow. >> brian. >> seth myers, fake news anchor. not one of ours. ♪ you are looking at the crowd, the masses making their way now, some on shoulders to buckingham palace, where they will witness the first kiss of prince william and princess

catherine. >> this is the best of british at a phony british occasion. >> we have peter alexander of nbc news apparently in that crowd sbr. peter? >> meredith and matt good to see you. a couple of football fields down with several, perhaps tens of thousands of our favorite british-americans and friends from around the world. how is it, guys? >> great! >> extraordinary scene. that was the scene then. this is the scene now, as we have come to the balcony here at buckingham palace and -- >> uh-oh. >> kiss, kiss, kiss! >> let's show as much emotion as they showed on the day. >> wow! yeah! >> there you go. >> that's better. >> there you go. >> all out this morning, not only with the kiss but look what

we've done, we've got the royal fly-over all the way from the uk, take a look. >> aircraft flying over. >> wow! >> did you see that? you caught a glimpse? >> i think those are pigeons. >> what do we have coming up in the half hour? >> hi. great seeing you guys. >> mommy sends her love. >> keep moving. keep moving. good to see you guys. we'll have prizes for you down there. >> so nice of you. coming up, geana de laurentiis will talk about some of the things you can do to make your halloween party and dinner more special. >> we knew that with you two

here. >> she'll be drumming up halloween treats and do you still need to get your house ready for tonight? some last-minute decorations that you can do and party ideas to dress up your whole neighborhood. also ahead, how did we all come to look like this? we're going to take you behind the scenes and tell you how these transformations -- what is she doing -- coming up. >> ah, yes, just like the real royal wedding. >> before we go any further, mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? >> all right, let's show you what we're looking for, for the week ahead, the royal week ahead, below normal temperatures along the eastern seaboard, also in the pacific northwest, west coast looking above normal, midweek we've got some more showers making their way into the mid mississippi river valley, chilly in the pacific northwest, above normal moving into new england, down into the gulf and the warm weather spreads from the plains across the great lakes, with wet weather through the mid mississippi and ohio river valleys. more wet weather in the paci

>> it is a chilly start for the day. we're expecting increasing clouds. a chance for showers this evening. >> and that's your latest weather. >> did you just ask her if she's pregnant? >> maybe she's pregnant. >> in the tabloids again. >> just want a little one. >> she's talking to charles. >> you are so typecast it's incredible. we are going to have much more ahead on halloween morning but first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ california girls, we're unforgettable ♪ back now on halloween morning, doing some gooking with all of our favorite california girls, miss giada de laurentiis. >> your daughter, jade, 3-year-old daughter, jade, katy perry is one of her favorites, she loves the song "california girls" so you decided to indulge here. >> indulge her in katy perry from head to toe. >> how did you get this today? >> a lovely guy in l.a. named nathan cardenne made this with guidance from katy's people and a sprinkle of nails a girl in new york did. >> you went all out. >> i did, i detectcked out. >> since we are the royals you cooked for the royals when they came to the united states. >> i did, i did and you know what? you guys are in luck, you have never tasted my food and you get a second chance.

>> all right first thing you're make something a tea perfect for halloween. >> it's high business cuss tea because the royals always have a little tea time. after a cold night of trick-or-treating' a hot tea. i usually make it iced tea. if you want an extra kick there's a little bit of vodka. they're high business discuss flowers and you seep them and add sugar. >> it's red. >> it's red because once you release the high business cuss flowers into the water it turns red. >> pumpkin and beef stew? >> it's good any time during the fall, quite frankly. we start with onions and garlic. you want to do that and i add a little thyme and rosemary in there for flavoring and then two tablespoons of flour. >> you know the royals never cook for themselves. >> that is true but you harry are not going to be king so it doesn't matter. >> rub it in, katy. >> prince william likes to cook. >> does he really? they cook up in scotland in

wales? >> that's what he says. >> oh, because you've talked to him. because you two are like this. >> pals. >> i forgot, sorry. don't be hatin'. >> all right so then -- >> wow, she's a professional. yeah. >> i'm katy perry today. i don't actually have to know all of this stuff. so you brown the meat. there we go. and then this is sir loin aloin little bit of marsala and add sun dried tomatoes and pumpkin. >> it is raw pumpkin? >> it is raw. beans, so it's the colors of halloween. what i do is cook with this beef broth for about an hour and i cook the pumpkin. >> and you serve it in a pumpkin? >> i serve it in a pumpkin. hallow out the pumpkin, put it in a 350 degree oven for an hour and cook this in the oven turned off for a half hour. >> it's your version of soup in a bread bowl. >> that's right. appropriate >> what's next? >> [ sighs ].

>> i'm curious, i want to get to it, what's next? >> this is black rice, already cooked and then what i add is some shrimp that i sauteed, with peaches and snap peas, top with rice vinegar, soy sauce and dressing. >> you serve this cold? >> at room temperature. it looks like little bugs and it's vermin rice because in china only the royals were able to eat it. and then my macaroon lollipops, orange, and chocolate in the center. >> what is jade going as? >> i wanted her to be black swan, she wouldn't have it so she is arial. >> a little dark for the 3-year-old. could we be ariel or a homicidal

ballerina. >> i thought it was a good idea. >> she's 3. >> are you putting anything away for her therapy later? >> i have a dark side, there you go. >> hey, good of you to dress up and join us. thanks for the yummies to are halloween. >> you're welcome. >> good to see you. back with much more from the plaza, we'll announce the winners of our costume contest. first this is "today" on nbc. >> black swan! when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast,

i could use all the help i can get. like nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that's perfect on multigrain toast, even whole-wheat waffles, for a breakfast that my kids love and i feel good about serving. and nutella is made with simple, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa. it's quick, easy and something everyone can agree on. ♪ nutella. breakfast never tasted this good.

♪ welcome back, everybody. you may have the perfect costume, but do have you lined up the perfect decorations for your home? well kimberly schleigel-whitman editor at large for "southern living" magazine is here with some good ideas. >> good morning. >> dpoorpg. it is the last minute all of the

things we need for this are probably lying around the house. >> that's right, and not only that, you'll get a high-end look for a very, very little cost with these projects. >> you've got a special welcoming kind of wreath for our front doors. >> the doors are important on halloween. >> we're looking at the finished product there, and you're using branches and of course there are a lot of branches here in the northeast because of the last storm. >> that's right. >> how do you put this together? >> we collect up the branches from the yard, spray paint them black, also paint a wreath foam here. i have a glue gun for you ann and some i've already painted and cut. >> we use the glue gun all the time. >> place them on this absolutely and threw it down. it's a good idea to place bigger ones all around maybe like a clock, marking the hours to give you the shape, and then you're going to add -- >> maybe i'll put that one right there. >> whatever you like. >> okay. >> then you can add insects to it to give it a halloween look.

>> hopefully those are orange, they look perfect. >> the great thing about this, you can spray paint it silver or gold, remove the insects and use it for the holidays. >> anything you can use? >> any round shape, anything. >> anything you want. >> let's talk about these, a creatively named item, called jar-o'-lanterns. >> at "southern living" we're looking for new uses to are mason jars so any jar you have around your home will work, you can recycle them. we painted the inside orange and then this one is for to you decorate. we cut electrical tape up and you can have a little face on it like these are. you cut it right up, pre-cut it for you and you can use a sharpie and draw it on instead. >> sure, on the outside, okay. >> we have the tap lights that are adhesive and you add it to the top of the jar, and click it like this, and it turns on and then it will glow from the inside. >> i get it.

okay. i can't even make them scary. that's a happy face. i can't help from trying to do that. plrt, movi all right, moving on. >> a last-minute dessert idea, taking the cookies a lot of us have. >> it's a no bake project. a high-end cookie look. add the hershey's kiss to the top. >> i think the icing is frozen. >> uh-oh. i know it is chilly. add the hershey's kiss. >> and do a little bow. >> more orange around to make a bow. >> perfect. >> for the adults, you've got an idea for our boo-ze. >> you don't want to leave a regular label, these are mailing labels, we made them ourselves and you peel the back off and cover up any label. if you don't want to take real wine and want to make decor you

can use any old bottle you have and stick new labels on there and we put colored water to give it a creepy look. >> a great idea. >> kimberly, a couple of good ideas if you don't feel like carving jack-o'-lanterns, these are panty hose? >> i was going to ask you to do that. >> i'll take the gloves off. >> old panty hose, cut a hole in the toe. >> you got the textured kind. >> stick your finger through the hole i cut in there and try to grab the stem and wrap it around. >> i see, that's cute. >> very fashionable pumpkins. >> clean, no mess with these. >> what have you done with the buttons? >> with these pins we spelled out the word "boo." you can do anything you want, put your house number on there, someone's name, whatever you'd like to put, and we just kind of by freehand spelled this out. it takes a lot of pins but the

matt pins are available anywhere >> and no mess from the pumpkins. thank you so much. >> all right, kimberly scheigel-whitman thank you for saving the day with the last-minute tips. much more including handing out our winners, their awards for their best costumes, but first this is "today" on nbc. were you eating smoked sausage in here? no! could have gotten me one. i did. try the unmistakable flavor of dunkin's new smokehouse sausage breakfast sandwich with sausage from hillshire farm.

♪ cause this is thriller, thriller night ♪

all right, we are back and it's time to pick our winner and runners up in our annual halloween costume contest. first of all, congratulations to all of you. the costumes are creative and elaborate and you can tell you put a lot of effort into it, but as with the academy awards, and all other things, there can only be one winner. >> that's right. >> so we have pooled our minds and come up with about half a mind and we have decided that the winner of this year's halloween costume contest, the winner of a pumpkin trophy. >> yes. >> $200 in cash, a cash card, the nintendo wii, with the new kirby's return to dreamland. >> woo. >> and a pair of vip tickets to justin bieber in concert, and a chance to meet him. >> to meet justin bieber, okay, to meet justin bieber, the winner is -- >> mr. potato head and group! alison, julia and steven, from

fairfax, virginia. congratulations. >> all right! >> thank you very much. >> how do you feel, winning? >> we feel a little warm in here. >> so you're kind of a baked potato. >> baked potato exactly. >> are you guys looking forward to come back to see justin be bieber? >> yes, the runners up get a $50 cash card, nintendo 3ds, a pair of vip tickets to the justin bieber concert on november 23rd. >> you still are coming to the justin bieber concert. are you cool about that? yes? okay, good, awesome. >> congratulations to everybody. every year we go through this massive extravaganza to get ready. here comes victoria beckham. >> looking good. >> any minute now, she's going to blow. >> you're barely showing it off. >> i may be showing more than she was. >> at least you're a girl.

>> oh, that's true. we always like to do, this is time for our "behind the scenes" right? >> yes. >> we love getting into this every year so we'll give you a little glance of what goes on behind the scenes. ♪ on the road to royalty -- >> hello, hello! >> reporter: it's sometimes smooth. >> also fun as a whole team. >> occasionally bumpy. >> please take this off. i hate it. >> this is probably a career ender. >> at "today" you're always guaranteed a few twists and turns. >> i get a tiara? >> reporter: it takes a small army to plan the extravaganza and it all begins months in advance with the concept and casting. >> we've done weddings on the plaza, we've done halloween on the plaza and now doing both at once. >> yes, that i can wear. >> reporter: costume designer brian hemiseth transforms the "today" team. >> today's challenge was to take a very real event and heighten it to halloween. >> reporter: some outfits like

matt and al's prince costumes were available at costume shops. >> the gift that keeps giving. >> reporter: and the duchess and pippa dress off the rack. >> instant costume. >> reporter: hoda and kathie lee's frokz were made from scratch, painstakingly designed to look exactly like the originals. >> what i want to make is a perfect garment. >> reporter: naturally, wigs are a critical component, too, for most of the characters, so heads are measured and molded. >> you've never had this done, right? >> no. look at my peanut head. >> reporter: each wig can take up to 40 hours to make using half a pound of hair. >> here goes hoda in the dryer. >> reporter: gender transformation is a whole different story. >> bye, world. >> reporter: to turn savannah into prince charles a special face mask was molded. >> that is hilarious. look at my face. you can see all of the makeup i have on. >> reporter: it's not just costumes, though. it's customs, too. >> hello. it's the queen.

>> reporter: and channeling your inner royal. >> i think it's just like that, isn't it? >> i don't know how to do it, so i'm going to did g hi! >> reporter: a few sips help get into character. >> i a little before one goes outside to greet the peasants. >> reporter: giant sets are also designed and constructed. >> we're doing 14 by 28-foot backdrops. >> reporter: the final stretch is the most intense. >> 5:30 rehearsal, we'll start free taping at 6:15. >> reporter: overnight the plaza was turned into a set, an early morning run-through helps establish the routine. everyone scrambles up against the clock to change from work to wedding. they're styling, gluing, quaffing, final live the big moment. all in all, a one-of-a-kind "today" halloween fit for royalty. >> oh -- >> sorry, i am in character right now. i want to know where my husband is. where is my husband?

>> where is he? >> i don't know. >> we need a david beckham. >> i'm your daddy. >> where did our happy couple go, that's the big question. where did they take off to? i think the duke and duchess of york have left, making a dramatic exit. look, that way, that way. >> is there a kissing scene? >> okay. >> on cue as they make their exit. >> very nice. >> bye-bye. >> oh, good-bye. >> hey, i'm drivin' here! >> how royal of him. very nice. >> and the attitude. there's much more ahead on "today." >> let's go around the block, shall we? >> we want to make sure, every year this doesn't just happen. they're a talented team of folks, brian hemeseth, donna richards, betty in wigs, louie with more makeup and entire "today" show. >> the whole team right behind you. it takes a village >> it takes a village! here we go. >> all of these folks put this together and they're all wearing disguises.

none of them look like this. >> well done, guys. >> it's unbelievable. we also thank manhattan motor cars, auto sports design for all of this. it was quite an extravaganza. thank you so much, guys. you did a wonderful job. >> and a huge thank you to meredith vieira, guest appearance as the queen! >> that's right. and our pal, cecelia, and rene, where did rene go? with the car. rene is in the cecelia. >> we got a lot more coming up, all that but first we've got your local news and weather. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. we should find out today that

state senator ulysses currie will take the stand in his own defense. he is charged with taking bribes in exchange for political favors on behalf of the shoppers food warehouse. the jurors are

>> now let's look at the forecast with ava marie. >> clouds increasing across the area. for trick-or-treaters, it will be dropping down into the 40's for the later half. make sure kids wear layers as make sure kids wear layers as much