good morning. was it murder? homicide detectives reopen the investigation into the mysterious death of actress natalie wood. did she accidentally drown during a boating trip three decades ago, or was is something more sinister. this morning, the man who was capta captaining that ship joins us for an exclusive live interview. new school, new scandal. an assistant basketball coach at syracuse administrator placed on administrative leave after being accused of molesting two former ball boys for years. as more men come forward in the penn state case. we'll talk to the attorney representing two of the victims. and it's over.

demi moore says she is ending her six year marriage to ashton kutcher, which could be worth more than $200 million. today, november 18th, 2011. from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer, and from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer, and ann curry. captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to "today," i'm ann curry. >> i'm david gregory here on a very busy morning. natalie wood's death remains one of hollywood's mysteries. >> that's right, she was boating on catalina island with christopher walken, officially ruled an accidental drowning. but now 30 years later, the los angeles county sheriff's department is going to take another look at this case. they say it's based on new information from people who have contacted police, david.

>> yeah, some of that new information is believed to be coming from the yacht captain who was on board that night. we are going to talk to him exclusively in just a moment. but we begin on all of this with nbc's george lewis. he is in los angeles with details this morning. george, good morning to you. >> good morning, david. natalie wood's death has been filled with speculation that her drowning was no accident. ♪ i feel pretty oh so pretty ♪ >> reporter: pretty and talented and at the top of her career, as maria in "west side story." natalie wood's death at age 43 in november of 1981 from drowning shocked the world. a who's who of hollywood among the mourners at her funeral. to some friends, the tragedy didn't quite add up, because natalie wood said she had always been afraid of water. >> i've always been terrified, still am, of water, dark water, sea water. >> reporter: she had been

boating with her husband, actor robert wagner, and with christopher walken, the co star of her last film. they were anchored off catalina island in wagner's boat, "the splendor." wagner, three years ago. >> we came to the conclusion that she had slipped on the swim step on the aft end of the boat and hit her head and rolled into the water. tragic, tragic night. >> reporter: the coroner said she had been drinking several glasses of wine and may have lost her balance. >> cause of death will be certified as accidental drowning. >> reporter: right after her death, her lawyer tried to dampen speculation there had been some sort of foul play. >> the facts are clear, they're uncontradicted. the important facts, and the rest, is just ghoulish nonsense. >> reporter: but there were hints of a possible love triangle. a possible argument on-board the boat between the two men. and in a tell-all book published last year, the captain "the

splendor," dennis davern said he saw wagner arguing with natalie wood on the deck of the boat. now the los angeles county sheriff's office says it is reopening the investigation. releasing a statement saying, "recently, sheriffs homicide investigators were contacted by persons who stated they had additional information about the natalie wood/wagner drowning." a statement from robert wagner's publicist says the wagner family fully supports the sheriff's investigation. the family added they hope this isn't a case of someone trying to make a profit off the 30th anniversary of natalie wood's drowning. there has been no reaction from christopher walken. david? >> george lewis in los angeles for us. thank you very much. dennis davern is with us, along with marti ruli who worked on the book "goodbye natalie, goodbye splendisplendor." why now after 30 years? what is the new information that investigators are zeroing in on?

>> well, you say why now? why now is because i've been trying to tell information about this for many, many years. and there wasn't really anyone listening until now. >> okay. well, what is the information you're relaying now? >> the information i'm relaying now is, i just want a thorough investigation. and that information will be brought out by the investigators. >> well, again, the question stands, why now? what is information? what has changed? what has come to light that you have brought to light some 30 years later that would lead the sheriff's office to reopen an investigation? >> i think right now this point in time, someone has actually listened. i've been trying to get somebody to listen for a long time. and now somebody is listening, and they're going to carry on with this investigation. >> i'd like to try one more time.

what is it that they're listening to? what is it that you are saying now that's different than what has been brought to light before? >> i'm not saying anything different. all the information that i reveal in the past, it's all in that book. and now it's just something for the investigators to do an investigation. >> well, you've talked to investigators. what's the bottom line here? you write in the book about an argument between natalie wood and her husband, robert wagner. do you think that was the pivotal moment? that after that argument is what led to her death? >> all i can say is, i made some terrible decisions, mistakes. and it's just going to have to be left up to the investigators. >> sir, my question is, what happened? that led to her death that we

didn't know before? >> i can't answer that question right now. >> and why not? you're referring to mistakes you made. have you changed your story from when you spoke to investigators years ago? >> i did lie on a report years ago. >> and what did you lie about then? >> it was just -- i made mistakes by not telling the honest truth in a police report. >> well, just be specific. i mean, we've talked about the broad outlines of the story. what is it that you were untruthful about? >> just everything that took place that weekend. >> was the fight between natalie wood and her husband, robert wagner, what ultimately led to her death? >> yes. >> how so?

>> like i said, that's going to be up to the investigators to decide. >> the point you're making is that it's because of information in the book, information that you're bringing to them, that they would be reopening this investigation. is it your charge that, in fact, robert wagner essentially tried to make this a low-profile investigation, did not do everything he could to try to find her once she went missing after their argument? >> yes, it was. it was to be kept a low-profile investigation. >> so you're saying that wagner did not do everything he should have done to look for her after she went missing. >> exactly. >> was he responsible for her death in some way? >> well, like i said, i think we all made mistakes that night. and -- >> mr. davern, that wasn't my question. was he responsible for her death? i'm not asking about your story.

>> yes, i would say so. yes. >> how so? >> i really don't want to get involved -- >> well how can you come on national television, sir, and accuse him of something like that but not back it up? >> well, that's up to the investigators. i don't want to speak for -- >> well, you're speaking to investigators. are they not reopening this investigation, based on information that you've provided them? >> yes, they are. >> okay. so what is that information that backs up your charge? >> that will be up to the investigators to say. >> this is a statement from robert wagner that george lewis referred to. although no one in the wagner family has heard from the l.a. county sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the l.a. county sheriff's department and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of natalie wagner is valid and that it comes from a credible source other than those sources trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death. sir, the implication here is that you may be an tunist trying

to do just that. you're saying robert wagner is responsible for her death but not saying how. not shedding light on why it is after 30 years they would reopen an investigation when that's a very unusual step for any investigative body to do. >> i'm not really an investigator here. and i'm far away from even thinking about profiting over a 30-year anniversary. i have known this information for many, many years. and my book has been out for two years. i'm not in it for any kind of profit. i'm in it for the justice of the whole situation. >> marti ruli, you helped mr. davern with this book. >> yes. >> i'll ask you the direct question. what happened, and what do we know now that we didn't know then? >> well, there was a fight aboard "the splendor" the night natalie died, a terrible argument. that was never relayed to the original investigators. and none of the survivors,

walken, wagner or dennis, were forthcoming with the investigators. and it was probably in 1983 when the information about the bottle smashing came out. >> this was in an argument between wagner and wood. >> yes. now, everyone was present for the bottle-smashing. that was after the party of four left doug's harbor reef for dinner. they returned to "the splendor," were in the main salon. robert wagner, after natalie and christopher were chatting, picked up a wine bottle and smashed it hard down on the coffee table. and it shattered. everyone protected themselves from the glass flying everywhere. walken went to his cabin, never came out for the rest of the night. >> right. he goes to sleep. so then what -- what happens? i mean, i've just heard mr. davern say he thinks wagner is

responsible for his wife's death. what happened? >> natalie was mortified, went to her state room. wagner followed. a terrible argument transpired that broke out to the back deck. dennis overheard the arguing, he did make an attempt to stop it, was told to go away by robert wagner. and then minutes later, natalie was missing. dennis was asked to search the boat. he did, he couldn't find natalie. he met up with wagner in the wheel house. dennis wanted to do everything. make a phone call, turn on the search light. his instincts told him something was terribly wrong. and robert wagner asked him not to. >> i want to stop at that point. mr. davern, wagner said not to. not to take direct steps that could help identify where natalie wood was. had she fallen off the boat.

that's what you're saying. >> yes. we didn't take any steps to see if we could locate her. >> do you have any evidence, any information to say that there was foul play, that this was murder, that he was responsible for her being pushed off the boat? or was it a matter of him simply saying, "we're not going to look too hard." >> i think it was a matter of we're not going to look too hard. we're not going to turn on the search light, we're not going to notify anybody right at the moment. >> you never told the police that at the time, did you? >> no. >> why not? >> well, because we all had -- we all had our story to tell the homicide detectives at the time. and that's the story i told. >> so you agreed with robert wagner to tell a story he wanted you to tell, and not the truth.

>> yes. >> why should anyone believe you now, when you didn't tell the truth then? >> well, at that time, my life was just totally, totally crazy at that time. and you know, i don't think there was a time where i was even able to even think straight. >> any message you have for robert wagner this morning? >> no. >> we're going to leave it there. dennis davern, thank you very much. marti ruli, thank you. >> thank you. here's ann. >> thanks. another prestigious college sports program is being hit with allegations of abuse by one of its long-time coaches. this while more victims are coming forward claiming they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a former penn state assistant coach named jerry sandusky. nbc's peter alexander is in state college with the latest on this story. peter, good morning.

>> reporter: ann, good morning to you. police in syracuse, new york are investigating whether the men's assistant basketball coach there molested a boy, beginning in the mid 1980s, for more than 12 years. we'll have more details on that in just a moment. but here at penn state university, the man initially named acting president has now officially taken over that title. his name is rodney erickson. and today we're learning new details about the case here, and about a federal investigation, as well. several lawyers tell nbc news that more young men are coming forward to say they're victims of jerry sandusky. many of them empowered the lawyers, say, to begin sharing their stories of abuse in the face of sandusky's denials. with bob costas on monday night. >> i say that i am innocent of those charges. >> there's comfort in numbers. and i think that they now understand that we're not alone. >> reporter: ben and riazi represents at least two alleged victims, one of them not included among the eight listed in the grand jury report. and riazi says that man was told by authorities he is victim

number 11. and he's claiming there was yet another sexual assault on campus. >> my client was sexually assaulted by mr. sandusky in the early '90s. and he was sexually assaulted on the grounds of penn state university. >> reporter: and federal investigators are now examining the sandusky case. nbc news' national investigative kpobl correspondent michael isikoff. >> reporter: federal prosecutors and fbi agents are looking hard at whether to open up their own investigation because of allegations that jerry sandusky crossed state lines to commit child abuse. one of the pennsylvania state charges against sandusky alleges that he flew one boy, victim number four, to the outback bowl in tampa in 1998. and then again to the alamo bowl in san antonio in 1999. starting when the boy was about 13 years old, sandusky is charged with repeatedly abusing him, including at the bowl games. the feds are also trying to determine whether sandusky used the internet to recruit alleged

victims, also grounds for the fbi to become involved. and the new york-based charity, the fresh air fund, confirmed this week that it sent a half dozen children across state lines to live with sandusky. one high-level official said it would be inconceivable that we couldn't find grounds to make this a federal case. >> reporter: penn state's board of trustees has hired a large pittsburgh-based law firm to advise it during this sex abuse scandal. two penn state administrators already face charges they lied to a grand jury, and didn't alert authorities when given a report of suspected abuse. they deny the charges. and with a new wave of heightened awareness on college campuses late thursday, syracuse university announced it had placed assistant men's basketball coach, bernie fine, on administrative leave. after a former ball boy told the media fine molested him, beginning in the 1980s. fine denies the allegations, and the university says it investigated the complaint in

2005 and immediately alerted police, who found no evidence to support the claims and no charges were ever filed. and back here at penn state, obviously, this entire community has been affected by the allegations here. the allegations that jerry sandusky molested and abused, assaulting as many as eight if not more boys. so students and alumni have launched a fund-raising effort here, ann, trying to show their support for the victims of child abuse, already raising more than $420,000. >> well, that at least is a little bit of good news in what is really i tragic story. peter alexander, thank you so much. ben riazi is an attorney representing two of sandusky's alleged victims. good morning to you. >> good morning, ann. >> to what degree did the interview with bob costas play a role in now in new client for you, the second client, coming forward for the first time, ben? >> i think it played a major role in the second client coming forward.

i think that the client had buried some of these thoughts deep down inside himself, and decided he needed to make a stance and support the other young men who had come forward. >> what can you tell us about this young man and the case he is making against jerry sandusky? >> the only thing i can tell you at this point in time, ann, is that he was not identified in the grand jury presentment. i can tell you that he was sexually assaulted in the early '90s. i can tell you the assault happened on the grounds at penn state university. and i can tell you that he believes there are at least 11 victims who have been identified. i don't want to get into the specifics about what happened to him and the specific abuse allegations, so as not to step on the toes of the prosecutors. >> but you use the word "assault." does that mean one assault, or can you tell us whether he's talking about multiple assaults? >> i'll be in a position to release more information to the public after the prosecutors have released more information, and identified some of the

allegations, so i'll punt on that question for the time being, until we're able to let the prosecutors discuss the new people who have come forward in this case. >> as we just heard in peter's report, he is not alone. this new client for you is not the only one who has come forward over and above those who have been indicated in the indictment. so the question i need to ask you, as the attorney talking to these young people, how do you determine -- specifically how do you determine whether a claim is legitimate or if it's coming from someone who is actually looking for a payday? >> that's a good question, ann. through the course of the last several years, i've had the opportunity to meet with several assault victims in a multitude of different cases. and through the course of experience, i think i've really got my finger on the pulse of sexual assault victims. and i can tell, you know, when there's somebody who i believe has a credible claim. and i think it's important to note, ann, that not every victim that comes forward in this case has a -- has a civil claim. there is a statute of

limitations in the state of pennsylvania. right now, only victims who are below the age of 30 are able to bring civil cases in the state of pennsylvania. so i don't think that this case is about money. i think it's about coming forward and doing what's right. >> ben, thank you so much for talking to us this morning. we look forward to speaking to you more again as obviously this story has a long way still to go. it is now 7:12. let's get a check of the weather. >> good idea. mr. roker, good to see you. >> good to see you. unfortunately our friends in the pacific northwest don't to see the weather we have to talk about. strong upper level disturbance, low pressure building in from canada, bringing in the cold air. so we're talking the cascades, anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow, rain along the coast. and that snow extends down into the sierra and will be moving into the rockies over the next 24 hours. that's what's going on around >> good morning.

a cold start on this friday. we will see a lot of sunshine as we head into this afternoon. and that's your latest weather. david? >> al, thank you. just ahead, demi moore and ashton kutcher calling it kwitsz. what they are saying about the end of their six-year marriage. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, did bullying cause a 10-year-old honor student to take her life? her mother speaks out this morning. plus, a frantic 911 call. three girls trapped in an elevator shaft as the elevator

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here's a look at one of our top stories this morning. life behind bars for a man convicted of stabbing to death and active duty marine at a birthday party in january. after being asked to leave the party, 28-year-old michael wiggins returned with two knives and attacked private darius ray.

two others were convicted of assault charges. time for the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> we have a couple of accidents coming in to us, one at the bel- air bypass ramp to 24. watch for possible delays and lane closures. southbound 795 just prior to the beltway we are getting reports of an accident and there as well. o'donnell street and newkirk street, watch for a crash. delays on 95 out of the northeast. four miles per hour on average. that is filling up quickly. we will let you know once things change on 795. reported accident southbound approaching the beltway. problem on a 322 at eastern, shut down in the area everly brooke road due to an overturned vehicle. here is what it looks like on 795. not showing any delays year.

you may see them prior to the beltway. harford road, back up on the outer loop. tony, over to you. >> chilly start, but quiet. 29 in taneytown. i don't think you have to scrape any frost off of your windshield. lots of sunshine in the forecast. even with the sunshine, we will only make it to about 48. it will warm up over the weekend. 57 on saturday. 61 on sunday. 61 on sunday.

7:30 now on this friday morning, the 18th of november, 2011. and it's one of the coldest mornings of the season here in the northeast so far this year. meantime, inside studio 1-a, i'm ann curry alongside david gregory who is filling in for matt this morning. >> good to be here. >> just ahead, a heartbreaking story. a fifth grade honor student just 10 years old who took her own life last week and her family believes teasing and bullying by classmates drove her to kill herself. so this mortganing, the girl's

mother speaks out in an exclusive live interview about what happened. plus, we're going to catch up with a family that we have been following for two years now. carolyn and sean savage gave birth to another woman's baby, you remember, after a fertility clinic mix-up. well now happy to say they are proud parents of twins and they are there. we're going to meet them in a couple moments. a reason to smile this morning. >> i know. and i've got another reason to smile, because guess what, on monday on "today," meredith is returning to study joe 1-a, back here with an exclusive first look at charla nash's new face, the connecticut woman mauled by a chimpanzee and who received a ground breaking face transplant earlier this year. it's a story meredith has been following from the beginning. so she'll share the latest with us monday here on "today." we're excited that she'll be coming back to hang out with us. we may have to keep her. we're going to begin this half hour, however, with the end of ashton kutcher and memoey moore's marriage. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann.

the split wasn't a surprise to many here in hollywood. it's played out in the tabloids and on twitter. but now demi moore is confirming the end of their marriage and the beginning of what is likely to be a high-dollar divorce. after all the widespread speculation about ashton kutcher and demi moore's marriage, moore's statement was short. it is with great sadness and a heavy heart that i have decided to end my six-year marriage to ashton. as a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that i hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that i have chosen to move forward with my life. moore then asked for privacy, something the celebrity pair may have trouble finding. for months, kutcher and moore have been front and center in the tabloids. the couple who once captured imaginations with their stunning looks and 16-year age difference instead faced allegations that kutcher had a one-night stand with this woman, sarah leal, on the eve of his sixth wedding anniversary. >> a woman came out, seemed pretty credible, gave very specific details.

the timing, i'm sure, is no coincidence that this was sort of the final straw. >> reporter: after the alleged affair, moore and cukutcher wer seen camping together. but the couple who were well-known for tweeting love notes and pictures began using social media to offer clues about their split. >> i don't think you're going to see a lot of interviews happening with these two. i think you'll probably see them more using their twitter accounts, facebook, to say what they would like to say. >> reporter: on thursday, the "two and a half men" star tweeted, i will forever cherish the time i spent with demi. marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world, and unfortunately, sometimes they fail. and in this case, failure could mean a mega buck split. their combined worth is estimated at more than $200 million. >> this is going to be a disillusion of marriage that is more a function of mathematics than an opportunity for retribution, and i think the parties will be able to move on fairly quickly and precisely. >> but divorce proceedings

unlikely to end the fascination with these two. we did reach out to reps for both, and they had no further comment, ann. >> all right, kristen dahlgren, thank you so much. it is now 7:33. now here's david. ann, thanks. imagine being trapped in an elevator shaft as the elevator started coming down on you. that's exactly what happened to three students, three young women, at an oklahoma city school. and now officials have released the girls' frantic calls to 911. nbc's thuan truong is in oklahoma city this morning with this amazing story. good morning. >> reporter: david, good morning to you. the three girls thought they were stepping into the elevator at school, but that's not what happened. instead, they found themselves inside the elevator shaft, and the elevator quickly coming down on top of them, with nowhere to run. they managed to call 911, and now they're able to talk about the frightening ordeal. >> it's when the elevator was coming down, i thought i was really going to die. >> reporter: ambry tygard and her two friends still can't

believe what happened at school on friday. >> it was terrifying. >> reporter: the girls, ages 12 and 13, say they were at lunch when a classmate said there was something interesting to see near the elevator. so the girls went to check it out. they stepped inside the elevator and soon realized they were in trouble. >> i looked up, and realized it wasn't the elevator, that the elevator was actually way above us. we looked at the door, and we tried to open it and it was locked. >> it was locked. >> so we were locked in. >> reporter: then the actual elevator started coming down, right on top of them. the terrified students got down on the ground. >> i was laying flat on my back and still trying to push up when it was coming down on me. and then, like, it squished me like down. >> right when it was coming down, i knew that after we tried to push it back up and it didn't stop automatically that i should just call 911. >> please lift it up! lift it up! oh, my god! >> hello? >> we're trapped under an elevator at classen sas high school. >> at the what?

>> at the sas high school. >> okay. >> we're trapped under an elevator. >> okay. >> please help us now! >> reporter: the girls waited 40 minutes for help to it arrive. one of the things that may have saved them, savannah gable's boot. it was lodged between the elevator and the wall. >> the elevator was pressing down on this, and my foot was like this. and so my toes are really kind of crushed. >> reporter: as rescuers worked frantically to get them out, the girls tried to keep each other calm. >> savannah kept saying, "we're going to live, liz, we're going to be okay." >> reporter: when it was all over, the three best friends were taken to the hospital. now investigators are trying to figure out why the elevator door, which was normally locked, was open. as for the girls, they're shaking it off as best they can. >> i still ride them. i'm not afraid to be inside them. i'm just afraid to be underneath them. >> reporter: and all three girls are now out of the hospital. ambry got it the worst with

injuries to her leg, hip and back. records show that the elevator hasn't been inspected since 2009. the district is looking into that, and also, david, why that door was open. >> yeah. thuan truong, thanks very much. glad they're okay this morning. now let's get a check of the weather from al. today's weather is brought to you by chico's. live for the present at chicos.com. >> good morning. we have twice as much, twice as nice. twins, what's your name? >> jenna and ally. >> and you're turning 20 today. no, you're each 10. happy birthday. very polite young ladies. we'll show you we have some lake-effect snow firing up across the tughill plateau. would say we'llo county, 6 to 8 inches. the rest of the country we expect to see sunshine along the eastern seaboard. chilly side, only 53 in atlanta

today. a real mess out west. high surf advisories, pacific northwest. rain, snow in the cascades in the sierra. sunshine in the southern gulf coast on into texas and the southwest. and we've got our friends from bloomingdales here. they've got all kinds of stuff going on, including an ornament that i designed for the child mind institute. how do you find out more about this? >> you go to bloomingdales.com or visit bloomingdales at 59th street. and 100% of the proceeds will benefit the child mind institute. >> thanks so much. got to get it done. little brown bear. ar >> good morning. a chilly start on this friday. we will see plenty of sunshine.

and as we head into the weekend, of course, you know that means it's the best night of the week. because it's sunday night, football night, in america. it's the second week in a row we're going to be at giant stadium. the eagles will fly in. will the giants swat them away? at metlife stadium, we'll have to find out, because it's going to be partly cloudy, mild, 51 to 55. will michael vick play? will we find out on sunday night football night in america? you bet we will. david. >> bring it, al. the wild nfc east. al, thank you. still ahead, the ohio couple involved in a bizarre embryo mix-up show off their newest bundles of joy. there they are. but first, these messages.

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illinois. a young girl just 10 years old took her own life. and her family believes that bullying in had school is to blame. we're going to talk to that girl's mother in just a moment. but first, here's nbc's janet shamlian. she is in ridge farm, illinois. she has got details this morning. janet, good morning to you. >> reporter: david, good morning. you know we have seen so many of these bullying cases lately. but they tend to be teenagers in high school, kids 14, 15, 16 years old. and occasionally it happens younger. in middle school. but what happened here in rural illinois, a small town of just 900 people s almost beyond belief. a 10-year-old girl, a fifth grader here in this elementary school has take her own life. and her family believes it is because of bullying. a colorful tribute amid blue skies, one that can only be described as a gray day. as balloons are launched from the grave site of 10-year-old ash lynn conner. a fifth grade honor student

described as an all-american girl, who loved cheerleading, and her dreams of being a veterinarian. her untimely death, her family says, was a result of bullying in an elementary school. >> her last words to me were -- "mommy, i love you." and she hugged me. i told her i loved her too. >> reporter: her family is grief-stricken. so too is this small town among the corn fields. 300 of its 900 residents turned out to say goodbye. >> no one should have to feel like they have to take their own life because of bullying. it needs to stop, now. >> reporter: according to her mom, ashlynn has complained of being tore meblted by classmates since the third grade. >> some girls at school called her a slut, and she is like i don't know what that is. i didn't explain it to her, because 10 years old, she is too young to know that stuff. >> reporter: but what would have driven a 10-year-old girl to

take her own life? conner says her daughter was in tears last thursday after school, saying she had been harassed on the playground, and asking that she start being home schooled. the next evening, the unimaginable. ashlynn's 14-year-old sister found ashlynn hanging from a scarf in her bedroom closet. conner says ashlynn tried to talk to her teachers about being bullied. >> she went to three different teachers, and they told her, "ashlynn, you need to go sit down and stop tattling." >> reporter: school officials would not comment but the district released this statement. we know there is a great deal of discussion about what role bullying may have played in this tragedy. we are confident that the police will shed light on this matter. authorities say they're treating the case as a suicide and are investigating the bullying reports. at ashlynn's funeral, friends, children who had seemed to be too young to be dealing with the suicide of a classmate, struggled with what had happened. >> i think it's sad.

and i don't know. >> it's a lesson to other kids that death is forever. and you can't just die and come back. >> reporter: ashlynn's death has devastated this community, and here at her elementary school, the fact that she is not coming back is a concept many of these children are too young to even understand. such a tragic story. david? >> janet shamlian in illinois for us this morning. thank you. stacy conner is with us exclusively this morning, along with ashlynn's aunt, kim wright. gail saltz is also here, a psychiatrist, and "today" contributor. ladies, good morning to all of you. stacy, i don't think i've got the right words as a dad of young kids how sorry i am we're having this conversation. i just hope that talking about it publicly does some good. and i know that's why you're here. did you have any impression that your daughter was so hurt, was in such a horrible place, that she would actually take her own

life? >> no. sorry. >> don't be sorry. i don't think anybody expects you to get through this without -- without crying. you knew she was hurting. you knew it was bad. but ever to this extent? >> not to this extent. she never talked about killing herself. or hurting herself. >> that part of it was just a surprise to you. >> it was. >> she wanted to live. she was talking that day about how she was in the thanksgiving mood. and how she asked her mom if -- how much snow we would get this winter, and she thought it would be a lot. >> so what was it? what happened that would make her snap like that? >> i really don't know for sure. i just know that that night before it happened she had gotten a phone call from a friend. i overheard her phone call. she was explaining to this

friend that she had talked to me, and she was telling me about the three girls that had been picking on her at school that day. and she told this friend -- i asked my mom if i could be homeschooled and my mom said no. and after that, i quit listening in on the conversation, but she sounded like she was almost fine with it. >> right. >> because she wasn't upset when she was talking to this friend. >> you did go and talk to the principal. you talked to principals at school. did you do that right away? >> before, in the past? not right away. i would give her advice and guidance as to how i thought she should be able -- as to how i thought she would be able to handle bullying. >> right. as we all tell our kids. tell the person, you know, that you don't like it. maybe tell an adult. do you feel like the school did an adequate job dealing with it? >> in the past, yes.

because if i had any problems after talking to her, anymore problems after talking to her about it before, she would come and tell me. and then i would go and talk to the principal. and you know, it was taken care. >> but more recently? >> no. >> kim, you're shaking your head, too. you don't think it was dealt with right? >> we have to back up a little bit, though, because, you know, the last couple weeks how things have happened, it's kind of sporadic. and she would come to stacy. stacy would talk to her. and then thursday was when she come home said and she wanted to be home schooled and stacy said no, we'll go to the principal on monday. and we'll get this worked out. and, of course, monday didn't come. and they didn't have school friday. so -- but the school has a policy where they say that they -- three things are to happen. the first thing is that the child is to tell the kids no. stop. tell a bully no. second one, they are to walk away. the third one is that they're to

tell the teacher. ashlynn did all three of those things. >> gail, very quickly. what's the cautionary tale here? what do parents take away, in just a few seconds? >> if your child is extremely upset, it's okay to ask them if they're having thoughts about killing themselves. parents are often afraid to do that. they don't want to bring it up. they don't want to think about it. and they think they might suggest something to a child who hasn't thought of it already. but that's really a myth. and if your child expresses thoughts of hurting themselves, you need to get them, you know, immediate help, immediate evaluation. because children, unlike adults, can look depressed one moment and happy and okay the next. so it's hard to detect when they are actually depressed and they can be impulsive and act on something too soon. >> our deepest sympathies. we'll pray for you and pray for ashlynn. thank you for being here. thank you for talking about it. it can do a lot of good, i think, to parents listening to this. thank you all very much. we'll be right back. i'd race down that hill without a helmet.

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>> this is a wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check on the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell. >> tracking several accidents, a lot of them and acting major roadways. if you are putting out of owings mills, delays southbound -- heading out owings mills, delays southbound job or ro. down to northern parkway, 26 miles per hour. topside approaching harford, reports of an accident.

we do have delays any way. inner loop prior to 95, you are backing down. 95 out of white marsh, looking at delays. he was a quick live looked outside. -- or is a quick live look outside. belair road, we are still looking at outer loop delays. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> it is a quiet and cold start. lots of sunshine. temperatures started out in the upper 20's and low 30's. we are warming up a little bit. 30 in parkton. 35 degrees in annapolis. sunshine through the afternoon. it will be chilly. average high temperatures is 56. we will only make it to the upper 40's. going into the rest of the weekend and holiday week, 57 tomorrow.

it will be cold started 20s on saturday -- it will be a cold start. 20s on saturday. 20% chance if you are going to the ravens

♪ baby baby baby oh ♪ 8:00 now on this friday morning. it's november 18th, 2011. of course, that is justin bieber, one of the biggest stars on our planet. he will be here next wednesday performing live on our plaza. >> can i just say i love that song. and to watch my kids do the whole -- it's great. and you probably join them. >> i do. >> we also have rascal flats and special guest natasha

beddenfield and carol king will also be here. so it's going to be a great big week. a great big morning, as well. because joining us on our plaza, ann curry, david gregory and al roker. >> sorry to interrupt, get in the way of the full complement of entertainment. but i got excited when i heard that song. >> we'll survive. what else is coming up? >> we're talking about that weird story of the mix-up with the fertility clinic that affected that couple. they have worked through all of this, and now have a new brood of their own, and they're going to show them off to us this week. a really happy story to talk about this morning, which we're happy to have. then we're going to meet five women who each dropped between 100 and 200 pounds. >> wow. that's amazing. >> bless them. >> and how do you dress after such an incredible weight loss? well, we're going to give them and you some pointers. >> okay. that sounds good. before we get to that, let's get a check of the news and we have savannah guthrie in this

morning. good morning. a bombshell this morning from the captain of the yacht involved in the 1981 drowning of actress natalie wood. dennis davern whose tell-all book was published last year told david gregory he feels wood's husband, actor robert wagner, was responsible for her death. he also said there had been a loud argument aboard the yacht where actor christopher walken was also present. when pressed, however, captain davern did not elaborate. on thursday, the los angeles sheriffs department said investigators were reopening the case after they were contacted by people who said they had information. a statement from robert wagner's family says they fully welcome the investigation but hope this is not the case of somebody trying to profit off the 30th anniversary of wood's death. fallout from the child sex abuse scandal at penn state where a front window at the home of jerry sandusky was smashed this morning. he is, of course, the former assistant coach at the center of those accusations.

meantime, two weeks after the scandal rocked penn state, police are now investigating child sex abuse allegations at syracuse university. two men told espn that long-time assistant basketball coach bernie fine molested them for years, saying -- when -- it started when they were teen ball boys. the school placed him on leave thursday and says it conducted its own investigation years ago, but could not find witnesses to back up the men's claims. the coach denied the allegations. occupy wall street protesters marked the two-month point of their movement with a day of action across the country. mara schiavocampo is in lower manhattan where police arrested hundreds of demonstrators. mara, good morning to you. savannah, good morning. yesterday the occupy wall street movement did just that, with hundreds marching to wall street in an effort to disrupt business at the new york stock exchange. protests continued here in new york throughout the day, ending with a massive show of force in the evening. thousands of protesters joined by labor unions marching across the brooklyn bridge. throughout the day, there were

several heated clashes with police, resulting in about 250 arrests. those demonstrations took place in cities all across the country as part of this national day of action. and today after that two-month anniversary, questions about where the movement goes from here, especially given the fact that over the course of this week and the last few weeks, several of those makeshift occupy camps have been dismantled and taken down, including here in new york, where earlier this week, police evicted protesters and tore down camps in a surprise midnight raid here at zu catty park, the birthplace of this movement. now protesters are trying to answer questions of what they do next and where they go from here. savannah? >> all right, mara schiavocampo in lower manhattan, thank you. hillary clinton is in bali, indonesia this morning, and chuck todd spoke to her about, among other things, the race for the 2012 white house. >> any of these republican presidential candidates ready to answer the 3:00 a.m. phone call? >> i'm out of politics, happy to

be out of politics. but i am very proud of the leadership that president obama has shown. he's demonstrated unequivocally that he's ready, willing and able to do whatever is necessary for our country. >> reporter: i've got to ask about my new colleague. >> yes. >> reporter: what did you think when she said i want to become a member of the fourth estate, this side of the line here? >> well, i was a little surprised. but, you know, she -- she decided to go for it, and i'm very excited for her. >> just moments before talking to nbc, president obama announced that secretary clinton will make a historic visit to myanmar, the first trip of its kind in 50 years. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. veteran tweeters, demi moore and ashton kutcher are the talk of twitter this morning, after demi moira announced thursday she is ending her six-year marriage to ashton kutcher. moore will no doubt have to rethink her twitter name, which is mrs. kutcher.

complaints about "people" magazine's choice of bradley cooper as the sexiest man alive are building online and on the streets, too. ryan gosling supporters organized this tongue in cheek occupy people protest outside new york offices. and this is going viral on youtube. [ laughter ] >> no wonder the clip is called "my daughter chooses the dark side." today she destroys a toy car. tomorrow, who knows? it's 8:06. now back to al with the check of the weather. i like that cackle. >> we've got our friends here. i can't spell. what does it say? >> long wood, kansas! >> all right. let's check your weather and see what's happening. columbia, south carolina. wis news, 10. sunny, cool, 54 degrees, yaw.

and we've got a big system coming into the pacific northwest. it is looking a little on the brisk side there. we're going to be expecting to see some rain, some snow in the mountains. we've got lake effect snow showers, the tug hill plateau. upstate new york, also northern minnesota. sunny and cool through the gulf coast. frigid weather continues throughout alaska. temperatures way below zero in the interior sections of that state. and we've got sweet 16s. what's your name? >> maddy. >> all right. and? >> erin mcdonald. >> happy birthday. and it's your 9th birthday. very nice. and another sweet 16! all right. >> good morning.ing on around a cold start on this friday. we will see a lot of sunshine as we head into this afternoon.

and that's your latest weather. david? >> al, thank you very much. and coming up, a new beginning for a family involved in a tragic embryo mix-up. we're going to catch up with them and their happy story, right after this. ♪happy birthday to you. ♪happy birthday to you. ♪happy birthday to you. the brand-new nook tablet. ♪ by barnes & noble it's their fastest, lightest tablet,

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[ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. ♪ i've found a new love ♪ that comes from a leaf sweet surprise ♪rue love ♪ ♪ it's natural, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ it won't land on my hips or my thighs ♪ [ announcer ] truvia. honestly sweet. back now at 8:12 with today's update. carolyn savage gave birth to another woman's baby after an embryo implant mistake. but she and her husband never gave up on their dream of having more children. in a moment, we'll meet the newest members of the savage

family. one, of course, is very nervous here. but first, their remarkable journey. from the moment they got married, carolyn and sean savage had big dreams of little bundles. >> we knew that we would start our family right away, after we got married. because we wanted kids and lots of them. that was our plan. >> although blessed with two sons, growing their family of four proved difficult, and the savages looked to in vitro fertilization for help. in 2008, their daughter mary kate was born. >> and it was just such a miracle. a huge accomplishment for us. >> a miracle they hoped to repeat in february, 2009. carolyn returned to the same clinic to have some of other remaining embryos implanted. the procedure successful, the news devastating. carolyn was pregnant with another couple's child. >> they transferred the wrong embryos. >> it was just a stunning, stunning moment. >> despite their heartbreak and confusion, the savages were certain about one thing. >> we knew that we had somebody's very, very wanted

child. we can't terminate this pregnancy. >> even with risks to her own health, carolyn gave birth to a healthy baby boy named logan that september. the parents forever grateful. >> there is no way we could possibly repay them for what they have done for us. >> how do you do that? >> you can't. because you can't put a price on a human life. it's priceless. >> but the savages' journey was not yet complete. they looked to modern medicine once again for help in fulfilling their long-held dream. this time through surrogacy using their embryos. after years of pain and struggle, a pregnancy success beyond their wildest imagination. the savages and their surrogate announced their exciting news on "today" last spring. >> we hit the jackpot. >> and i want you to break the news to the audience. you really did hit the jackpot. >> we did. we are expecting twins. >> on august 11th, isabella and

reagan savage were born. their big family dream finally come true. the savage family is with us now, exclusively. we've got carolyn, sean, drew, ryan, mary kate and the newest additions, bella and reagan. their surrogate jennifer o nash, as well. good morning to all of you. welcome and congratulations. >> thank you. >> you want to introduce us to your girls? >> sure. this is reagan. >> and this is isabella. >> and clearly, this is their first moment on live television. what does it mean to you after having given up a child, that you thought was yours to now be a mother again? >> you know, i can't even really find the right words to express our gratitude for what jennifer has done for our family. i think every time we look at them, even in moments like this where we're a little cranky, i think we have tremendous perspective, in some of the more

chaotic moments of our lives. and we're just overwhelmed with gratitude. >> are there moments in these chaotic moments you're thinking, be careful what you wish for? twins, really? >> it can be a little overwhelming, but, i mean, at the same time, we feel like our journey has come to this point, which we're -- we never gave up on. it's a dream come true. >> no kidding. but jennifer, for that dream to come true, you actually had to go through a lot of ivf attempts. also i understand a miscarriage. what made you decide to help this family? >> after hearing their story, i knew, my heart just went out to them. i knew i had to do it. >> really? and you were found online. had you ever been a sewer got mother before? >> yes, i have. >> you knew what it would take. >> yes. >> is this the first time you have met the girls? >> since i left indiana. >> how do you feel this morning? >> it's great to see how big they are. >> what about you boys? what about you, mary kate? are you good at changing diapers?

is. >> yes! >> have you gten good? >> yeah. >> are you good at changing diapers? i is. >> yes. >> i don't know, what about you, drew? you're the oldest. >> yeah, it's been an adjustment. but i mean, i've gotten used to it, and they're great. >> so, you know, really what you are is -- are a family, a family that's grown. because you didn't give up. >> right. >> right? >> right. i think everybody faces challenges in life, right? and i think we held on to our faith, but we also put our faith into action. and we knew what we needed to do to make our dreams come true. and in the same way that we're grateful to jennifer for what she has done for our family, we're also very grateful to the more relies, because we've gotten to be -- gotten to see logan quite a bit over the last six months. and every time we see him, and how loved and adored he is by his mom and dad and his big sisters, that's equally as

rewarding. and so i think we were here two years ago, and i remember giving the interview and thinking our biggest fear is that we just didn't know how this was going to turn out. and if someone had -- if we could have had a little glimpse into where we were going to be now, we're just so lucky. and we realize it. and we aren't going to take one second for granted. >> wow. it has been a great pleasure for us to hear this story. after listening to your wife, i can see there are tears in your eyes. and thank you so much. and good luck to your family and to your little precious new bundles of joy. >> thank you. >> you can find more of the savages' story in their book, "inconceivable." and we're back after this. two medium cappuccinos!

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their own spaces and then they're completely in charge of decorating, stocking and guying them out. the man cave. it dates back to the cave man. whose only r & r at the end of a very hectic day involved retreating to his own sanctuary. >> it's about a guy being able to have his own space in his house, where he can really relax and be himself. >> but with the advent of technology and creativity, that sanctuary has in many cases turned from male serenity to fantasy land. from books to tv commercials. to the big screen. >> this is the man cave! >> there's even a tv series on the diy network called "man caves." >> we brought it to another level, where it's now more recognizable and it's more in the mainstream. >> the concept of the show is a simple one. find a man in need of some solace and help him make a dream

come true. >> oh -- my -- i can't even breathe. >> it's a cave, but not like any cave i've ever seen in my life. >> in this house, the bar, mirrored tvs, a working fireplace, a poker table and a wine cellar. this guy wanted a space ship cave. the man cave mantra is simple. if you can think it, you can build it. but don't let the name fool you. these days, man caves are open to others, as well. >> we have a lot of nonman parties here, where there are boys and girls together. >> mixers. >> if you will, yes. >> doug ack brose, his wife kelly and their two children live in a small town in connecticut. >> there have been nights where a couple people knocked on the door and they're like rooftop open and they come. it's fun. >> it's hard to argue there. just look around this place. >> this is a table shuffle board. we've got the racks, the tv, some shots.

>> whoa! there's got to be 46,000 remote controls in here. >> this is the wine closet. >> you can fit in here, right? can i get you something? >> this is the theater. >> we put something -- i don't know, kind of fun on tv. something that makes us feel like oh, we're just in the middle of it! in the middle of all this fun testosterone. you tell 'em, judy! i love when she gets like that. so i only got through about ten minutes of "judge judy" before 25 of doug's closest friends showed up. or, in other words, a regular night he at the ambrose man cave. and yes, that's a keg. whether the space is used as a think tank or a playroom, an escape or a party, it's quickly becoming the most coveted room in the home. but at the end of the day, they may act like men in caves. but in reality -- >> amateurs. >> they're still just a bunch of boys. >> unfortunately, we ran out of

time to show you that we actually stopped by david gregory's house and he took his little basement and turned it into -- a shameless "meet the press" man cave. >> yeah, exactly. >> so embarrassing. >> jenna, thank you. i think. just >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on your morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> this is one of those morning commutes you want to forget, especially on the j.f.x. 12 miles per hour southbound, just past northern parkway good that stretches back to the beltway. joppa road and falls road, a crash. we had an accident on the outer loop at harford but that is now gone. still holding onto delays from harford to the. -- to the harrisburg expressway

did belair bypass, ramp to 24, that accident is now gone. we have one on southbound 795 approaching the beltway that has been cleared. delays are lingering in that area. here is the j.f.x., just south of pimlico road. you can see it is at a standstill, the entire j.f.x. all the way down towards northern parkway. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> as you saw on the traffic cameras, there is plenty of sunshine did not a cloud in the sky. lake effect is no activity in new york state. -- like a fact snow activity in new york state. 34 at b.w.i. barometer has gone away, way up. big area of high pressure keeps the air dry. storms way out to the west. our forecast but today, next couple of days -- sunny,

shelley, 45 to 50. west and northwest winds at 10 to 15 miles per hour. seven-day forecast, dry for most of the weekend. >> we will have another update at 8:56. hey, what are you drinkin'? dunkin' iced.

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♪ 8:30 now on a friday morning. it's the 18th of november, 2011. the holiday season is upon us. and in case you haven't heard, we have some early presents for you in the form of some music. because on monday, we've got rascal flatts along with a special guest, natasha bedingfield. and carole king tuesday. and wednesday, justin bieber

live on our plaza. i think a few people might arrive for that. if you've lost weight, we've got some inspiration for you this morning. >> yeah, it's really amazing, five women each who lost between 100 and 200 pounds, what an incredible accomplishment. the before and after pictures are tremendous. and we'll show off their new looks. >> they look fantastic. and two-time oscar winner jeremy renner is here, talking about ghost protocol. >> we love this man. good. >> and i love being book ended by land of the giants. >> i'm only a giant because i have heels. i am down here with you, actually. >> there you go. we missed that whole visual joke. okay. oscar drums are beating for the artist of black and white silent film. i've got to tell you, we'll be meeting two of the stars coming up. >> that's right. i saw it. the movie is called "the artist," a silent film, you can only sort of hear music and once

in a while a natural sound. but this movie is riveting. >> it's the writing. >> it's one of the best movies i have seen in years. in fact, i would go so far as to say i would be surprised if it doesn't get a nomination. >> wow. >> ann curry. i'm going to tweet that out right now. >> i'm throwing it down. anyway, let's get to your weather. >> that's right. we want to thank everybody who came by our book-signing yesterday. >> yes. >> yesterday, "today," 60 years in the making. >> we're still here. >> we're still here. there we are having a great time at barnes and noble. >> look at the line. there are like five people. >> anyway, there we are. >> our weather. let's show you what's happening as far as your weekend is concerned for today. saturday. >> we're looking at snow through the great lakes. plenty of sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard. some snow showers in the pacific northwest. rain in northern california. sunday, sunday! we've got more rain through the mississippi river valley. some showers in the pacific

northwest. look for sunny skies up and down the eastern seaboard. and it turns a little milder, as well. that's what's goinwe >> good morning. a chilly start on this friday. we will see plenty of sunshine. and that's your latest weather. now let's head on down to washington, d.c. and say hello to uncle willard scott. >> okay, boys and girls, it's birthday time in the music hall. check if you will and see -- and anniversary time. okay. emory ross of teague, texas, 102.

loves to watch, guess what, the texas rangers on television. and if he can, loves to go to a game. how about that? mary wigent, i knew i would do it right, of niles, michigan. 104. and all sorts of activities, including competing in bridge contests. that's a lot of brain power, playing bridge. miriam brower of arnold, nebraska, 105. active player in all sorts of scrabble games. loves to eat. has her french fries with vanilla ice cream. that i must say i've never heard. but why not? everything new. estelle olsen, yeah, you betcha from millsboro, nevada, 105, attributes her longevity to drinking two glasses of red wine every day. how about that? sure enough. elmer breedlove.

of stuart, florida. what a nice town. 100 years old today. happily married to his wife of 77 years. they should be on the marriage list. well, they are. and they love each other very, very much. how about that? always good to hear that. that's sweet. and we have earl and artys rouel. and they're from tempe, arizona. 75 years they've been married. truly some of the best mexican food in the world in tempe. and they live independently, and they love each other very, very much. that's always good to hear. isn't it? that's it. that's all. now back to that wonderful city on the hudson. >> all right, willard, thank you so much. coming up next, we've got style makeovers for women who have lost more than 100 pounds. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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this morning on today's woman, five women who each lost at least 100 pounds. so what do you wear when your closet is filled with clothes 20 sizes too big? that's a good problem to have. "o" magazine contributor penny is here to help them show off their new looks. >> good morning. you're going to love these women. >> all right. let's get to our first gal. this is brenna. we want to show her before. she was a size 28. tell us about her new look as you walk on out here. hi, brenna? >> brenna is celebrating ten years of having lost 170 pounds. and can you believe this is a woman who once shopped in the men's department at the gap? >> i cannot. >> so we wanted to put her in a slimming black number. it's great because it's black. we also love the v-neck, shows off her great neckline. and she wouldn't be caught dead in a skirt before. >> hey, brenna, how did you do it? for ten years you've kept it off. >> just hard work. hard work. >> no secret about that. thank you so much. it's great to see you. you look fantastic. >> thank you. >> our next model is dareese,

269 pounds before. let's show her. boy, you're not going to recognize her now. you are hot. come on out. >> dareese is now at half her weight. you would see her at the airport in her security officer uniform. so we wanted to give her a glam upgrade with this nicole miller dress. makes her look longer and leaner. >> and i know you had weight loss surgery, but you say it is not an easy option. >> it is not an easy option. a lot of people think it's an easy way out. and it's a lot of hard work. >> it is. but it has paid off for you. thank you so much. let's get to susan. she before was 266 pounds. she's a publicist out in the public eye all of the time. and she wanted to wear, what, a specific look. come on out. >> susan, she is wearing her red carpet look. this is a sexy vantage dress, working in the right ways on

susan. she celebrated her birthday this weekend and we glammed it up with michael kors pumps. >> and you say it's small steps. >> yes, anybody can do this. >> there is no place to hide in that dress. >> no, there is not. >> thank you so much. you look fantastic. we have item tammy next, 287 pounds, and she lost 110 pounds. we're showing before tammy. come out and show off your great look. >> here is tammy, rocking the tuxedo look. it's so hot right now for the holidays. it's all over the current issue of "o" magazine and we paired the jacket with a cobalt dress, the it color of the season. >> tammy, i know you had lap band surgery. how do you keep the weight off? >> like they said. it's all about hard work and you just have to keep working at it. that's all. >> okay. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> and our last gal, ashley, a recent college grad, 290 pounds. and come on out here, ashley. wait until you see her now, looking fantastically red. >> she is so young and darling. we wanted to give her a darling

look. this is a mod '60s inspired dress we found at ann taylor. and we love it because at "o" magazine, we tell women to play one asset and here we're playing her long legs. >> ashley, what's your secret? >> hard work, perseverance and is support. >> i think i'm detecting a theme here. why don't you all come out so we can get one look at you. what an amazing accomplishment. they all look fantastic. thank you so much. and penny, we can read about the story in "o" magazine. >> absolutely. thank you. coming up next, we're going to catch up with oscar nominated actor jeremy renner. but first,

it has been a busy couple of years for actor jeremy renner. in had 2009, he portrayed a american staff sergeant in iraq in the film "the hurt locker." and played a bank robber in the 2010 film called "the town" earning oscar nominations for

both roles. now he has chosen to accept the mission of starring alongside tom cruise in "mission impossible: ghost protocol." take a look. >> so you're sure about this suit, right? >> pretty sure. >> pretty sure? >> jump. >> o god. >> jump. jump! >> oh. come here, renner. good morning to you. pretty sure? >> yeah. exactly. >> what is it about you? this is a crazy thing. you've done a lot of crazy things for this movie. >> yes. >> what is it about you that kind of seeks this impossible physical challenges that kind of death defying stuff? >> i don't know -- i don't know if i enjoy it, but come on, it's a big fun action movie. you get the opportunity to do those sorts of things, hang out with tom and stuff. that's amazing. >> yeah, let's take a look at

that. that clip is getting a lot of play, the one with tom cruise, hanging off the world's tallest building. it is insane. i mean, you actually -- this is not made with graphics. this really happened. >> yeah, yeah. >> and i mean, you had to be frightened. you had to be scared. because you were actually hanging by, what, a wire? >> yeah, yeah. tom was on a couple wires. a rigging and is doing this sort of thing is crazy. >> yeah. >> but all i was, i had a little teeny little thing on my belt. >> no redundancy, just one wire? >> yeah, it was strong. they keep me safe. but it just didn't feel safe when you just have this wire hanging off your belt loop, essentially and you're hanging out and about a mile and something in the air. and i almost vomited. >> okay. thanks a lot for that, having our breakfast. no, but that's how scared you were. >> i did -- i said, tom, i might throw something down on you. i'm going to grab on to anything i can, so be prepared. >> but you know what, at any point, how long did that last? was there any point where you actually could enjoy the movie?

>> yeah, 30 seconds, after i felt like i wasn't going to -- my pants weren't going to come off or anything or fall out. >> yeah, that's another reason -- >> i felt good. it was like, all right, this is quite beautiful. everything looked like little lego land down below. and i figured if i fell, i could at least make a few phone calls on the way down and say hey, mom, not making it home. pop, what's up? >> no, because it's that far down. i know. you play agent william brandt, and i'm not really quite sure we know very much about this character. of course, ethan hunt is running away, because he's now having to -- he's being blamed for a terrorist bombing and so now he has been disavowed so now has to reinstate himself. and somehow you're involved, your character. >> i can't tell you a whole lot, except we're a band of, you know, rogue -- either agents, or i was an analyst for the secretary. that's actually revealed for the first time in this film. and things go awry. we all have to come together and

overcome great obstacles. and the allegiance is -- we're not sure where things are. >> you've got a bunch of other movies "hansel and gretel" "the avenger". i know you've got your notes in your pocket. you once survived on 20 -- what, two for 29-cent burgers from mcdonalds. you once waited tables. >> of course. >> think about that. that was not so long ago, five-something years ago, maybe? >> yeah, ten years ago. >> ten years ago? and looking where you are -- people sometimes forget to pinch themselves. do you? >> oh, no, about every five minutes. every five minutes, absolutely. yeah. >> well, we are lucky to see your work. thank you so much. >> o come on. >> no, come on! oscar nominee. jeremy renner, thank you so much. the movie is called "mission impossible:ghost protocol". coming up next, jenna bush hager

with a story of a cancer survivor who battled his way to the nfl. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's" extra yard, the inspirational story of new york giants' rookie mark herzlich. correspondent -- people are

pushing me around here. jenna bush hager is here with more on this on the football beat. jenna, good morning. >> morning, guys. yeah, he's young, only 24 years old, but herzlich has lived a lifetime over the last two years battling cancer on the way to the nfl. a journey that's changed his perspective on life. >> my dream as a little kid was to play in the nfl. >> he liked the jacksonville jaguars. >> football became something i really fell in love with in high school. >> he started getting interested in colleges. >> reporter: it's no secret that making the nfl is tough. only about one out of every two,000 children who ever play the game will take the field as a pro. mark herzlich wanted to be that one. a high school standout, he played at boston college, and as a junior was named acc defensive player of the year. with that became buzz he would be a first-round pick in the nfl draft. and then, an unexpected detour nearly robbed him of his dream. >> i couldn't sleep at night, because there was sharp pain going through my leg, through my lower back.

i would wake up in the middle of the night screaming. i said to myself, if the doctors can't find anything wrong with it, then it must be in my head. >> reporter: unfortunately, it wasn't. it was cancer in herzlich's bones. doctors diagnosed the then 21-year-old with ewing sarcomaa and told him he would never run again. >> you walk out of that appointment, life is never the same. never the same after that one moment. >> i was sad. i was upset. i was angry. and something in me said, if you sit here and feel sorry for yourself, this cancer is going to beat you. and i made up my mind, i'm going to be fine. and i'm going to play football again. >> reporter: herzlich pushed through six months of chemo and 50 rounds of radiation, never losing sight of his goal, running on to the field with his boston college teammates. >> we didn't know whether he was going to play or what. and i went to practice friday night and said they've got him

running with the ones. i think he's starting. >> it was emotional. i realized the fact that i was told i was never going to play. i'm running out on the field. i'm going to do this. >> reporter: once a top pick, nfl teams passed over herzlich in the draft. but eventually the giants, his dad's favorite team, invited him to training camp. >> he got his chance back. >> reporter: maybe one or two undrafted players make the nfl each season. herzlich was one of them, earning a spot on big blue's roster. in some ways, is it nice just to be one of the rookies? >> yeah. it's nice to be, you know, one of the guys. >> reporter: for halloween, herzlich and the other giants' rookies dressed in costume and visited the children's cancer wing of hackensack university medical center, drinking treats and a distraction to children battling the disease. what's it like being back? >> this is the silver lining, the point where i can give back and help and see the smiles on the kids' faces and that makes everything worth it. >> reporter: herzlich sat with

justin cortez, a 17-year-old high school senior, a football player recently diagnosed with t-cell lymphoma. >> what position do you play? >> i play d-nose and right guard. >> don't ever be ashamed of or feel bad that you are sick. because you're fighting and you're a survivor. and you need to be proud of that fact. >> reporter: so in some ways this battle with cancer has broadened your life. it's definitely broadened my life. i was very, you know, blinded. and if i can do anything now, to go to a hospital and talk to a guy who plays football, who has cancer, and just put a smile on his face, a little glint of hope in his eye, that might be more important than, you know, a lot of touchdowns. >> reporter: the odds of herzlich's cancer returning are low. >> some people ask me whether i

want the cancer survivor crossed out next to my name and just have football player. and that is never something i want. you know, as long as wikipedia is around, i want it to say "mark herzlich, cancer survivor, nfl football player." >> and you really can't help but be inspired by him. you can tele appreciates the opportunity to be with kids who go through this battle. he even wore this bracelet that justin gave him during his game with the patriots a few weeks ago. a shottout to the battle he's sadly all too familiar with. but he's an awesome guy which i guess leads us to -- >> that's right, we want to toast him. >> let's toast him. >> it's a really wonderful story. let's mention, you can see mark and the new york giants take on the philadelphia eagles this sunday night here on nbc. the coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern on, what, al? >> on saturday night football. i'm thinking about the wine already. saturday night football night in america.

>> that's right. okay. but speaking of that glass, walmart apparently is going to copy, i guess, what happened -- >> check by check. >> or trader joe's -- >> we have a tasting. >> this is $2 -- >> this is a merlot. >> under $3. >> should we swirl it? >> yeah, swirl it -- >> sip it. >> it's a little strange to drink wine this early. >> oh, you've never been with kathie lee and hoda. >> a little sweet for me. >> i find this to be fruit forward, chocolate -- owe. >> do you want to spit it out -- >> a little bit of earth in it. and also pizza. >> this is sort of vanilla. >> can i just say, do you know what goes great with wine and football? >> what would that be, david? >> a little birthday cake. >> yay! >> ann curry's birthday is tomorrow and here is hoda. >> are we going to sing? >> yeah! >> we can't sing -- >> we have to pay for the happy birthday -- >> okay, but you know what, he

has a dance. he has a dance! you said you had a dance for her birthday. dance! dance dance dance! >> i need more walmart wine. >> yeah! >> happy birthday, ann. i toast you with walmart wine. >> so nice. >> you think that smells good, why don't you smell that cake? >> hey, al, this isn't my first rodeo. >> honestly, i was surprised by this. thank you so much. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here's a look at one of our top stories. prosecutors expected to retry the twin brothers accused of setting up a ball of fire. a mistrial was declared in february in the trial of the

tremaine and travers johnson. one juror held out because she believed the surveillance video believed the surveillance video was too bge's instant discounts got our homeowner to switch to energy star® cfl bulbs. 3-way cfls really click with my style. learn to speak the language of energy efficiency at

bgesmartenergy.com. >> nice start for the day. plenty of sunshine. temperatures down around freezing. we will be mostly in the 40's for high-speed plenty of sunshine. a few clouds in the mountains. i will have another weather update at 9:25.