good mororning. breaking news. a new video surfaces with a retired fbi agent who vanishes in iran nearly five years ago. the first signees alive since his disappearance. the question this morning, who is holding his prisoner? shocked and dismayed job jerry sandusky's wife opens up for the first time since her husband is charged with month lefting young boys and she takes on the victims, saying their claims are made up. and encouraging signs of a young model after she walks into a plane's propeller. you might be surprised by what she said when she saw her favorite for the first time since the accident. today is friday, december 9th,

since the accident. today is friday, december 9th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome today on this fri morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm david gregory. this hostage video was just 54 seconds long and along with some photographs, it was sent to the family of robert levinson about a year ago now. >> but it was not released until this morning because authorities feared if made public it would hurt their efforts to bring levinson home. sad news for the dugger family. after announcing they were expecting their 20th child, michelle dugger has now suffered a miscarriage. we'll talk about the decision do have another child, given that michelle is 45 years old and has already given birth 19 times.

>> and a little later on a lighter note, something you carry about is your holiday shopping. we're going to tell you where you can find the "it" gifts for men, women and kids. and charlize theron is in the house. >> i'm very excited about that and the holiday tips. i'm focused on the holidays, not her. >> of course you are. let's begin with the top story this morning. natalie, good morning. >> good morning, ann. good morning, david. more on that newly released video. it showed robert levinson who was taken hottage in iraq more than a year ago. the video raises more questions than answers, transforming what had long been a mysterious disappearance into a strange hostage standoff where the canters are unknown and clues in the photos and the video indicate that levin son may now be held in pakistan and even afghanistan. u.s. officials say they don't

know exactly who is holding levinson and that they received a list of prisoners to free in exchange for him, but none of the names on the list match any currently held prisoners. investigators are trying to determine why a man shot and killed a virginia tech campus police officer thursday setting off a chain of events at a university already familiar with deadly gun violence. chief justice correspondent pete williams is in blacksburg, virginia, with more. pete, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, police are still trying to figure out why the shooting that so alarmed this community happened here in the first place. and university leaders say they responded immediately at the first sign of trouble. >> we lost a fellow officer who has dedicated his life -- >> reporter: it was just after noon when a virginia tech police officer was pulling a car over on a traffic spot stop in a campus traffic stop. police say another man walked up and shot the officer who died a

short time later. >> our hearts are broken again for the family of our police officer. >> virginia tech authorities identified the officer as 39-year-old derek crowd, a married father of five who had been on the authority for four years. after shooting courthouse, the gunman ran off. there officers hurrying to the scene found a second body. they now believe it was the gunman. law enforcement officials say they believe the man stole a car in nearby radford, virginia, took a bus to the campus and shot the police officer for reasons they don't understand. word of the deaths alarmed a campus all too familiar with gun violence. in 2007, a student killed 32 people, then himself inside university buildings. during that attack, four years ago, the university was criticized for waiting more than two hours to alert the campus.

this time this alert went out within minutes. the university stresses no students were involved in the shootling. as for why officer courthouse was chosen as the victim, investigators say at this point it appears to be rand yumm. >> thank you, pete. a hospital fire in calcutta, india, overnight has claimed more than 73 lives as government officials there accuse hospital staff of abandoning patients as flames ripped through the buildings. emergency workers made desperate attempts to rescue the patients after staff allegedly fled after relatives sobbed on the streets below. now to wall street, cnbc's mary thompson is at the new york stock exchange. >> among investors, a tepid response this morning to news out of the eu where leaders dpraed to add funds to the region's bailout fund, but they failed to come to agreement on

fiscal unity. britain as well as four other countries deciding to opt out of a propositival on stricter budgetary rules because that would mean that the eu would have greater fiscal oversight over the uk and the uk doesn't want to given up that fiscal sovereignty. >> thanks, mary thompson. and nothing can stop this u.s. soldier and his military working dog white sox ax. the soldier lost both his feet in an explosion while on duty with ax earlier this year. just five months later, he was back to work and back to the sky for a training mission. but he couldn't just leave ax on the ground. the two jumped together. as the soldier posted on this video, i am stick rocking. boy, you can say that again. the soldier is currently working in the u.s. special forces, so his identity is not revealed. dave and ann, i walked the whole video. ax is a special dog. he looked very happy to be strapped on while jumping. >> and that's a special soldier. >> absolutely.

you got it. >> thanks so much, natalie. now let's get a check on the weather. al is not here. he's in los angeles. let's find out what's going on here. >> hey, guys. thanks so much. we're talking about lake-effect snow, some of those folks haven't seen the snow. they're starting to get some. they're seeing less snow there that they have down in the south. we're looking at that cold front coming across, bringing in northwesterly winds across the great lakes, picking up that warm, moist air. as it comes over the land, it cools off. we're talking locally some areas >> good morning.o pulaski, new it should be a typical december day. a mixture of sun and clouds. the average high temperature is in the upper 40's.

>> and that's your latest weather. ann. >> al, thank you so much. former penn state coach jerry sandusky is out of jail but under house arrest after posting bail following his arrest on new sex abuse charges. now sandusky's wife is opening up about the case for the first time. jay gray is in state college, pennsylvania, with more on this. jay, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. yeah. and the message from dotty s ty sandusky is one that we haven't heard from anyone but his lawyers. strong defense of the former penn state assistant football coach who now faces at least 50 charges in this child sexual assault case. >> jerry sandusky back at home where he will stay. >> jerry, anything you'd like to stay? >> reporter: ordered by a judge to home confinement after at

least a dozen new charges of sexual assault, an electronic monitor strapped to his ankle to make sure he doesn't stray. another condition of his release, a full $250,000 bail. $200,000 was secured by mortgage holdings. the only $50,000 secured with a certified check. while sandusky remains silent, for the first time we're hearing from his wife, dottie who said, quote, i've been shocked and dismayed by the allegations made against jerry. she stridently denies testimony from one of the victims who said he was held against his will in the basement of their home and that dottie ignored their cries for help. she wrote, i am angry about these false accusations that such a terrible incident ever occurred in my home. no child who ever visited my home was ever forced to stay in our basement. next she aggressively defends

her husband quoting, we don't know why these young men have made these false accusations, but we know everyone is untrue. i continue to believe in jerry's innocence and all the good things he has done. but the two new accusers alleged years of abuse by sandusky, adults that came forward almost two months after the scandal and adds to eight other victims in the initial grand jury report. >> he thought he was the only one that this had ever happened to. and there's a certain amount of shame and negativity feeling to go along with it. >> reporter: sandusky has not responded to the latest accusations, but has said several times, including during this "new york times" interview last week, that he's never abused any child. >> these allegations are false. i didn't do those things. >> reporter: still, the questions -- >> how many more children do you expect to come forward, jerry? >> reporter: the concern and controversy linger here.

now, attorneys for several of the alleged victims identified in the initial grand jury report plan to testify at jerry sandusky's first hearing in this case. that is set for next tuesday. ann. >> jay gray, thank you so much. at 7:11, here is david. now to presidential politics. we're just 3 1/2 weeks away from the iowa caucuses and the battle for the republican nomination appears to be shaping up into a two-man race between mitt romney and newt gingerich. chuck todd, chief white house correspondent, good morning. >> good morning, david. >> we've been talking about gingerich and romney and this two-man dynamic now. you see romney starting to respond to that. not just going after obama, now taking on gingerich. how is he doing it? >> he's doing it twofold right now. the first thing is to get surrogates the. one thing that is out there is there is a ton of republicans who have worked with newt gingerich who want to do whatever it takes to stop newt

gingerich. on one hand, that's good news for mitt romney. he has plenty of resources to tap into. the other thing he's using is the so-called super pac and money. you're going to see millions of dollars, in fact, it might be the largest ad ever placed in the state of iowa by his super pac, which, of course, they technically don't coordinate, but we know they're previewing a potential gingerich spot. what's unclear is whether this could work in a year where money hasn't mattered the way it's mattered in the past. >> and step back for a second and let's talk about gingerich. we look at all the polling this week seeing him shooting ahead. what's driving that if you look inside the polls? >> everything is about the fact that he's winning the tea party conservative, the anti-washington, anti-establishment feeling that dominated the republican party in the 2010 election. it's still there. it's about half of the electricat. and that's helping him inversely what's hurting romney is that conservatives don't believe he's a conservative. so gingerich is viewed as the

lone alternative there. and one thing gingerich has going for him that i think the establishment underestimates with newt -- and yes, he's had different positions and different issues over the years. he is seen as being there at the seminole moment of the conservative movement, and that was winning back congress, something that at the time in 1994 hadn't been done in over -- almost two generation peps. >> let met talk about president obama. he's not talking about the republican field. he's letting surrogates do that. but this was an exception. he's been attacked this week by republicans for practicing an apology of appeasement in foreign affairs. he had a pretty briefing yestery in the briefing room. this is what he said. >> ask osama bin laden and the 22 out of 30 top al qaeda leaders who have been taken off the field whether i engage in appeasement. or whoever is left out there, ask them about that. >> that sounded like a president that said, if you want to have

this fight, let's have this fight. >> i think he would love to have a foreign policy conversation. that's why you're not going to hear this much. look, the republicans were at a republican jewish coalition meeting this -- so, you know, they were talking a lot about iran and israel, but i can promise you this, david, whoever the nominee is, they're not going to have a foreign policy conversation. they want to have an economic one. they're going to hear the president say three words, osama bin laden. >> chuck todd this morning, thank you very much. ron paul will be one of our exclusive guests this sunday on "meet the press." also going to talk to dick durbin and republican senator lindsay graham as they debate the fight for the middle class that president obama talked about. 7:14 now. once again, here is ann. >> david, thanks. now for the first time we're seeing video surveillance footage from the hotel where former imf chief dominique strauss-kahn was accused of assaulting a maid. that tape is now lead to go new

questions about this case. michael isakoff is joining us with details. >> reporter: good morning, ann. newly surfaced video from inside a hotel is adding mystery to a sex scandal that brought down one of the world's most influential figures. at 1:29 p.m. on may 14th, a call to the police from this upscale hotel. >> toipt report a domestic -- i'm sorry, a sexual assault. >> reporter: nbc news has obtained hotel video taken at the french owned hotel calls 911. >> one of our room attendants, apparently she was assaulted by one of the guests. >> the defendant is charged with -- >> reporter: the guest, dominique strauss-kahn. at the time the managing director of the international monetary fund and a man who could be the next president of france. and just two minutes after that phone call, a surprising reaction inside the hotel.

t two officials do what looks like a victory dance. >> it looks like they are celebrating a 911 call that is going to set in motion a -- a change in the entire political system of france. >> reporter: lawyers for strauss-kahn and his political supporters have now seized on this video to argue that the sex charge against him may have been a political dirty the trick, facilitated by hotel security officials at the possible direction of associates of french president nicolas sarkozy. it's a major story in france. but is being adamantly denied by sarkozy's office and a u.s. legal adviser to the a.c.o.r.n. group, the french company that owns sofitel. >> the notion that this is involved in some conspiracy is utter nonsense. >> reporter: why were they

celebrating? >> they don't remember specifically why, but they just heard that this housekeeper finally decided to allow the hotel to call 911 and they were relieved. >> reporter: the housekeeper who first made the allegation is pursuing a civil lawsuit against strauss-kahn. wednesday, her lawyers denounced the conspiracy claims. >> nasi dialo had nothing to do with any type of dancing, any gestures that suggest she's not telling the truth. >> reporter: but after first indicting strauss-kahn for sexual assault, prosecutors later dropped all charges against him, saying diallo had repeatedly lied to him. strauss-kahn admitted there was a sexual encounter, but said he was enticed. he gave his version of events to michelle taudman for a new book. >> at the moment he was coming out of the shower, he met mrs. diallo. she was in his bedroom. she looked at him and she

proposed him to have sexual relation. and mr. strauss-kahn, who is a womanizer, he's a man who never refuse these kind of relations. >> reporter: sources tell nbc news that strauss-kahn's lawyers are hoping to use the new video to argue in the civil suit that did i allo was part of a honey trap designed to destroy his political career. for their part, diallo's lawyers hope to prove her claims are true by showing strauss-kahn has a history of being a sexual predator. ann. >> thank you so much. there are new details this morning in the search for michelle parker. police found the florida woman's cell phone earlier this week. now, parker's mother is speaking out. nbc's mark potter is in orlando this morning. good morning to you, mark. >> reporter: good morning to you, david. police sources tell the orlando tv station that that cell phone

was found in the water beneath that bridge. throughout their investigation, police have said finding that cell phone could be a major break in this case. police sources tell wesh reporter bob keeling divers found mishg partialer's cell phone submerged between the neila avenue bridge in orlando's belle aisle area. police released this photograph of the phone which they say is still in remarkably good shape. >> it's very encouraging for us to have that piece of information, that piece of evidence. >> reporter: they also released photos of parker using the phone. family members said it was hers, later confirmed by the serial number. forensics experts are now examining it for any physical evidence. parker's sister, lauren, hopes the phone technology can help reveal her sister'ses whereabouts. >> we don't know what they're going to feel in that. but i'm fully confident there's

something that's going to be found that's going to help lead us to her. >> reporter: but parker's mother appears less hopeful now and became distraught over the news that only the cell phone has been found. >> it's becoming a lot more real to me now that somebody has done something horrible to my child and to the mother of my grandchildren. and i cannot even begin to tell you how much pain my heart is in today. >> reporter: the area where the phone was recovered sits between several other sights revealed in the investigation. it's about seven miles from the home of parker's ex fiancee, dale smith, who police sa is their own suspect in the case. parker dropped off her children there at 3:18 p.m., november 17th, the day she was last seen alive. ten miles from there is the home of smith's father, where dale smith, according to his lawyer, then took the kids about an hour later. he denies any involvement in parker's disappearance. at about the same time, parker's

brother said he got a text from her cell phone indicating she might be in the waterford lakes area. at 8:00 p.m. that night, a ping from her cell phone was detected close to where the phone would later be recovered in the water. the next day, her hummer was found in a parking lot some distance away. now, michelle parker's mother says she just hates whoever might have harmed her daughter as others hope that something, just something inside that cell phone will tell them who that is. david. >> very tough story to here. mark potter, thank you very much. just ahead, the road to recovery for a model seriously injured after she walked into a small plane's spinning propeller. what she told her family when she saw her face for the first time since the accident. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, weeks after announcing she was expecting her

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>> good-looking morning out there. here is a look at one of our top stories. i'm stan stovall. and anne arundel county teacher is behind bars facing child sex abuse charges. investigators a 29-year-old jeffrey sears, jr., had numerous encounters with two female students both on and off campus. he had been an english teacher and basketball coach at glen burnie high-school in 2006. he is being held with 3 billion -- $3 million bail.

>> good morning to you. 95, heading to or from cecil county, major delays, northbound tydings memorial bridge, blocking all lanes. watch for delays leading up to that. it really starts around aberdeen. 152 and i-95 in the joppa region, an accident but not affecting traffic much. northbound 95 at the tydings memorial bridge, major delays leading up to that and southbound delays as well. 94 remains close back vale road at bel air. closures was down on philadelphia road and ebenezer due to a crash and one involving a motorcycle at martin boulevard and pulaski highway, and marysville road, overturned vehicle. >> good morning, everyone did

nothing going on weather-wise. it should be fairly quiet. cold start. a little bit of frost. give yourself a couple extra minutes to scrip frost off the windshield. 29 in taneytown and only 21 in frederick. today, a mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. partly to mostly sunny. time the chair should be right around where they should be this time of year. -- temperatures should be right around where they should be. a seven-day forecast, quiet and chile.

7:30 now on this friday morning. it's the 9th day of december, 2011, as we check out the view from our camera at the top of the rock on what is the first clear morning here in new york city in several days. and that's putting a big smile on the face of everyone gathered in rockefeller plaza down below as they greet their families and friends back home. we'll bet be getting out there soon. inside studio 1a, by the way, i'm ann curry in for matt this morning. >> and smiling because of the weather. >> and we're also cozy inside. in the meantime, let's get to a story we've been talking about. it's been two years since utah

mom susan powell disappeared. her husband remains the only known suspicious person in the case. we'll get the latest on where this investigation is. >> t. also, michelle duggar has suffered a miscarriage just weeks after announcing she was expecting her 20th child. more on that coming up, as well. and later on, we're going to catch up with oscar winner charlize theron. she's going to be here to talk about her new movie. i just saw it yesterday. it's very, very powerful. but first, good news on the recovery of a young model. she had walked into the spinning propeller of a plane. janet shamblian is here with more on this. >> reporter: ann, good morning. it's been less than a week since this accident. despite critical injuries,

lawrence scruggs is walking, talking, and yesterday she looked in the mirror for the first time. and what she said afterwards gives us a glimpse of who this young woman is, and that her beauty isn't just skin deep. dirty. that was the word lawrence scruggs spoke after she took her first steps after that propeller accident. we're thinking, what does that mean? she said win walked 30 steps. >> reporter: 30 steps on what could be a long road to recovery. in a news conference thursday, scruggs parents say their daughter doesn't remember the accident. >> she doesn't know -- she can't remember any detail of it at all. >> reporter: it was last saturday night, scruggs boarded a private plane in the dallas area to look at christmas lights in the air. the 23-year-old had just climbed out of the single engine plane when she walked directly into the propeller. >> it was dark and we were thinking that lauren came back

to thank the pilot and she didn't see that the propeller was winding down. >> lauren's family says it was an accident and they don't plane the pilot who has yet to comment on the accident. a part-time model and fashion blogger, lauren suffers a number of critical injuries, including a severed hand, trauma to her face, head and shoulder and the possibility she may still lose her left eye. >> she is excelling in the physical and occupational therapies. they're not concerned about that but it's nor the cognitive therapy she'll need after this. >> reporter: her parents say she is showing signs of her old self. >> she has hurry spunk back, her permit. >> reporter: and her positive attitude. >> she looked and she said, well, it's not that bad. >> yeah. >> so that was really encouraging. and she still has her beautiful smile. >> lauren's parents say they don't know the extent of any brain damage she may have at this point, but with her

progress so far, they are very encouraged. and clearly, ann, this young woman is a fighter. back to you. >> all right. that is very clear. janet shamblian, thank you. ann, thanks. this week marks two years since the disappearance of utah mother susan powell. the story has made national headlines ever since. to this day, there's been no resolution to the case. keith, good morning to you. >> good morning, david. thank you. there has been a lot of activity this week, but no development. the police announced that they had found some results, forensic results on bits of charred wood which had been found in the desert by cadaver dogs about 30 miles away from the place where josh powell said he took his two sons camping on a frigid december night, the very night that his wife, susan, went missing. but there's no word yet on whether or not those results are related to susan's

disappearance. salt lake city, december 2009. the impending christmas holiday was the last thing on the minds of susan powell's friends and family. gifts, carols, normal things fell away. all they could think of was finding her. but despite their best efforts and extensive multi state search operations, the mystery lives on. >> people who know me know that i would not hurt susan. >> reporter: susan's husband, josh, remains the only named person of interest in the case. but he's never been arrested. >> it really hurts that people would try to say that i don't love susan. >> i'm not sure that anybody said you didn't love susan, but they were saying you killed susan. sometimes you kill the one you love. >> well, i never hurt susan. >> reporter: but josh's owner sister, jennifer graves, has her doubts. >> i do still believe that my brother must be responsible in some manner. his actions have told me all along that there's something wrong there. >> reporter: after all, josh

powell is the last person to have seen her alive. he says he left to go camping with their two very young boys around midnight. with a serious winter storm on the way. susan's parents, among others, have questioned the story. >> smeld not leave the children. and for her to leave the house without her purse or her cell phone or anything, it's just -- she would not do that. >> reporter: so what did happen? >> it's a puzzle. until you can fit the pieces of that puzzle into what the picture is, we cannot make improper assumptions. >> susan and josh seemed to have a fine marriage as far as anybody could tell, at least. >> they were kind of still in the newlywed stage even though they had been married for three years already. they were always cuddling and hugging each other. >> reporter: so josh's husband, steven powell, interpreted susan's nature in a very different way. >> susan was very open and very aggressive in male/female

relationships. and she called the shots. >> reporter: but behind steven powell's public theories about susan and sexuality was evidence of private activities that have landed him in jail. he's now awaiting trial on charges of voyeurism and child pornography while in family court, susan's parents fight for custody of josh and susan's little boys. >> i am a fit and qualified father. i am the natural father. i love my sons. >> reporter: the case has been in the public eye since it began. but so much remains hidden. wild allegations of abuse, religious conspiracies, sexual deviance. >> i feel like the more things come out, the more things that are -- establishes the fact that we're getting closer to whether the police can complete their investigation. >> reporter: josh powell and susan's parents are continuing to struggle over custody of those little boys. one hearing scheduled for today was canceled. josh has filed a declaration claiming that the coxs are

trying to turn those boys against him. the coxs say they're trying to protect the boys from some of the strange developments in some very strange case, which -- of which those boys are the innocent victims. >> keith morrison, thank you very much. for more on the story, including josh powell's most exclusive interview to date catch a special tonight at 10:00 central here on nbc. now let's get a check of the weather with al from los angeles. >> today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. >> all week we've been reporting just to our north there are air stagnation advisories. here is what's going on. you can see from medford to spokane, we're talking about air stagnation. why? big area of high pressure dominating. we've got calm winds. the jet stream is off to the east and so we're not getting any mixing of all the pollutants that are collecting in the valleys. so that's why they're having those air stagnation alerts

there. you can see we've got sunshine up and down the east coast. frigid conditions in the plains, lake-effect snow around the great lakes. we've got plenty of sunshine up and down the west coast. >> good morning. it is chilly but quiet. a mixture of sun and clouds. seasonally chilly. >> and, of course, that's the your latest weather. we've got one heck of sunday night football night in america game for you. that's right, eli manning brings the all hail the new york giants into cowboys stadium. where it's going to be cloudy

and cold but, of course, they have a dome. they're not worried. what will tony romo think? temperatures low to mid 40s. that's on sunday night football night in america. it's a good one. david. >> al, thank you very much. that's going to be a great game. just ahead here, a holiday shopping guide. we're going to tell you about the hottest gifts of the year for men, women and kids. but up next, sad news from the dag y duggar family. mis-duggar suffers a miscarriage. we'll vet latest on that right after this. tommy? - i helped dad pick it out. - it's beautiful. - behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open heart collection at kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. there are millions of reasons to give one, but the message is always the same: keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in. - i love you. - i love you too.

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children came to tell us they were expecting their 20th child. on thursday, michelle announced that she had had a miscarriage. >> good morning, ann. while the duggar family was deciding on baby names the night before they discovered the terrible news during a routine doctor's appointment. >> good morning, everybody. >> good morning. >> just one month ago, michelle and jim bob duggar, their 19 children and two grandchildren appeared on "today" to share their news. >> i understand you have a big announcement this morning? >> yes, we do. we really are excited. we are expecting our 20th child. >> reporter: thursday was supposed to be a good day. michelle, in her second tri midwe trimester headed to a routine checkup. instead, the doctor was unable to find a heartbeat and told the couple the bad news, that michelle the miscarried. in an interview, michelle spoke

about returning home to tell her children. she said, quote, we had just been talking about baby names last night and were getting excited about naming a boy or a girl. it has been a real sad disappointment. she went on to say, i feel like my heart broke telling my children. they have all been so excited about this baby and having a new little one in our arms. that was the most difficult. thursday night, jim bob released a statement thanking fans for their support. he wrote, quote, we would like to thank everyone for their prayers, e-mails and outpouring of love as our whole family is grieving, we also know that god promises to work all things for good in our lives. this is the second miscarriage for the 45-year-old mother of 19. she also suffered from preee clamps ya during her last pregnancy in 2009. their most recent announcement sparked a passionate response on the internet among those questioning and defending the

decision. >> why isn't 19 enough for you? >> well, we have the motto around our house that there's always room for one more. and they are such a gift. >> a gist they don't take for granted. >> the pressure life we see here is not a coincidence. i just know it is a miracle. so i don't take that for granted. i know that god is the one who gives life and i'm just so grateful and thankful and we would welcome another if he saw fit. but we'll wait and see. >> reporter: the duggars say they will select a name for the lost baby after they find out whether it was a boy or a girl and they do plan to hold a funeral service. >> thank you. rebecca brightman is a ob/gyn and clinical instructor. good morning. >> good morning. >> they're planning to name the child, hold a funeral. a lot of people don't realize how emotional it is to go through a miscarriage. and the numbers are about 20% to 30% of women will experience miscarriage at some point.

was michelle even more vulnerable just simply for the fact that she has already had 19 children? >> absolutely. you know, women are at risk of having a miscarriage with any pregnancy. that number tends to increase as women get older. so by virtue of the fact that she's in her 40s -- >> but the fact that she had 19 previously, did that increase her risk or not? >> no, no, she's fortunate that she has had so few to date. >> so few miscarriages to date. >> absolutely. >> and when a miscarriage happens in the early stages, as has happened for michelle, what does it tell us? >> it tells us the majority of the time when someone miscarriages like this, usually there was something chromosomally wrong with that fetus. >> and chat is an increased risk when you were at the age of 45 or even older. >> yes, yes. >> so with so many relatively easy pregnancies, than to have these last two pregnancies be a problem, what would you advise her as a doctor? would you advise any woman in

this circumstance? >> well, one thing, women as they get older are at increased risks of having complications during pregnancy. clearly, her last pregnancy was complicated by something we called pre-eclampsia which is the situation with high blood pressure. once a woman has a pregnancy complicated by that, her subsequent pregnancies are at risk of the same complication. >> although i had it with my first pregnancy and not the second one. >> younger women and older women, women on other side of the age spectrum. but having one pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia does put a woman at greater risks. >> so are you saying that this indicates something that -- that this should probably indicate something to her about her ability to continue having babies? >> i think it's something to think about. clearly, increased pregnancies are at risk and she wants to be there for her kids at home and

not to put herself at risk to be there for her other children. >> hopefully her other children will help comfort her. we wish her the best. thank you so much for this perspective this morning, rebecca brightman. we've got much more coming up here on a friday morning, but first, these message aess. and bean boots. hingsr ♪ and that's what makes them such a good gift. that and the fact that everybody wants warm feet for christmas. my name is jason valero, and i cut leather for bean boots. and the holidays are made here, right here. at l.l.bean, where your order ships for free.

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. so coming up, we're going to talk to charlize theron. but, anyway, that got us to talking in the makeup room because we wear makeup on the show about the movies that we've been seeing. and you got all excited about george clooney and -- >> well, we're talking gingerich, romney and we're talking clooney, clooney/pitt. it's a two-man race. >> there are going to be other people nominated, but those two guys are phenomenal this year. >> i think it's clooney, i think different kind of role, the emotion. >> have you seen it yet? >> i have not seen those movies yet. but i'm looking forward to war

horse, which opens christmas day. "war horse" and "the adventures of tin tin." >> i think brad pitt does such an amazing job -- >> i love him. >> and i wouldn't be the one to make the decision. "desendants" it's a whole new role. what do you think? >> i think george clooney stepped outside of him. we're going to talk holiday gifts, as well, after your local news. >> we're going to keep arguing during the commercial break. in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open.

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>> welcome back. time now for a check on your morning commute. here is sarah caldwell. >> still a lot going on. you will need extra time in many areas. we will start with bel air, 924 closed at vale with an accident. harford and 152. and right at the harvard baltimore county line, black ice. martin boulevard at pulaski, and acts and wrapping up. he's down 40 at the beltway.

another one at security boulevard and the beltway. crriottsville at ward's hapel. taneytown, a crash still clearing. harford, the north side delays in the outer loop, stretching back to belair road. here is the security boulevard, delays developing in both directions. tony has a check on your forecast. >> at least there is nothing going on weather-wise. a little bit cold but other than that nothing to talk about. obviously a good thing. it is still only 21 degrees in frederick. you will have to scrape a little frost off your windshield. a mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. the average high temperature this time of year is 47. we will be right in that neighborhood this afternoon. sun said at 43 minutes after 4:00. going into the weekend, turning colder but it will be dry. high-temperature only 43

saturday. sunshine on sunday. 45, if you are going to the ravens game looks like good football weather. the next chance for precipitation on wednesdat

8:00 now on a friday morning. tgif, everybody. it's the 9th day of december, 2011. 37 degrees and we've got a big crowd saying hi to all their families and friends back home and we've got a shot of the christmas tree. i'm ann curry along with david gregory who is in for matt. >> i just want to say, i've got this lsu hat. but, you know, our executive producer is a louisiana girl, so i thought i would bring this back for her. i'm not going to put it on my

head, though. >> why not? >> oh, here you go, this is for you. it's a little rivalry. we'll talk football later. we're going to be talking about holiday gifts, great ideas for men, women and children. we have some on the hottest gift ideas. >> i know we're going to try to save some money, give people good ideas this morning. also this morning, we have some star power in the house because none other than academy award winner charlize theron is in the house. she's basically giving some oscar buzz once again for a new movie called "young adults." we're going to catch up with her coming up this morning. >> you know what's great? we're talking about movies and now we get to talk about liquor. we're going to talk about wine, whether you want to drink it for the holidays or drink it for the holidays or give it as a gift to somebody for the holidays, give some good advice as the kind of wine to bring as a gift to someone's home. how about a check of the news? natalie is at the news desk for us. >> good morning once again, ann

and david. good morning, everyone. police are searching for a motive in a deadly shooting at virginia tech university that brought back memories of the 2007 massacre there. officials says campus police officer dariat crouse was ambushed and shot to death thursday in a school parking lot. the campus was locked down until the alleged gunman was shot down in an apparent sooud. suicide. for the first time since her husband's arrest, the wife of former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky is defending him publicly. dottie sandusky says her husband's accusers made up their claims of sexual abuse, including one who suggested she was home when she screamed for help. sandusky, who was re-arrested on wednesday on additional charges was freed thursday on $250,000 bail. u.s. officials confirmed that a video broadcast by iranian state tv does, in fact,

show the rq-170 sentinel drone that was lost over iran earlier this week. iran claims it brought down the top secret aircraft, but u.s. officials outright deny that iran's military took the drone down. meantime, the obama administration is planning to ease sanctions against iran's central bank, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are fighting the proposal. hurricane-force winds have brought parts of northern england and scotland to a stand still. wind gusts reaching 165 miles per hour made it difficult for planes to land. the winds damaged homes, flipped trucks on to their sides and destroyed wind turbines. one resident caught a trampoline rolling by you see there on video. a package bomb exploded this motion at a tax collection agency in rome. the person opening the package suffered eye and hand injuries. >> foor a look at what is trending today, sad news has made michelle duggar a top on

google. the reality star has suffered a miscarriage just weeks after announcing on this program that she was expecting her 20th child. husband bob duggar said his would he have is resting comfortably at home. techkies are searching for one of apple's biggest stores opening today. commuters can order gifts by cell phone and pick them up after they get off the train. and texas governor rick perry's new campaign ad knocking gays in the military is fast becoming one of the most disliked videos in youtube history. in just two days, it surpassed rebecca black's much ridicule d video. it is 8:04 right now. you're up to date right now. let's go to al with a check off your weather in los angeles. we miss you here, al. i haven't seen you in ages. >> i know, i know, i can't wait to see you on monday.

let's check out what's going on. our pick city of the day just happens to be beautiful, flint, michigan. nbc 25, mid michigan's finest. cold 28 degrees. as we go to the radar, you'll see we've got lake-effect snow setting up especially on the leeward side of the eastern great lakes. we're looking at anywhere from 6 to 12 everyone else of snow there. we've got clear skies, the pacific northwest air stagnation alerts continue. windy around the great lakes. sunny skies up and down the east coast. showers down in southern texas. hit or miss showers and thunderstorms in southern florida. plenty of sunshine to the southwest with temperatures into the mid 60s. >> good morning. it should be a typical december day. a mixture of sun and clouds. the average high temperature is in the upper 40's.

>> and that's your latest weather. david. >> al, thanks very much. coming up, we've got a great holiday gift guide, best ideas for men, women and children. also, she's right over there. charlize theron is here in the studio. she's coming up right after these messages. [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are choosing advil®. here's one story. pain doesn't have much of a place in my life. i checked the schedule and it's not on it. [ laughs ] you never know when advil® is needed. well most people only know one side of my life. they see me on stage and they think that that is who i am. there's many layers to everybody everywhere. singer, songwriter, philanthropist, father, life's a juggling act. when i have to get through the pain, i know where to go. [ male announcer ] take action. take advil®.

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we're back now for our holiday gift guide. and we're on the plaza, but that's not really me. here i am, yeah. we're talking about hot holiday gifts, ann. >> that's right. we've acceptabled four experts to walk us through the best of the best. we have first up, gifts for women. alicia corals is a global editor for "the associated press." what is key people should be thinking about when they're buying for women? >> chic, shiny, all the things women love. >> we're starting with rose gold. you're saying that's very hot this year. >> very hot. it is the color for jewelry and accessories. we have an array here from piper line.com. ranging from $28 to 108.

shoes, jewelry, everything. very pretty, right? >> as for chic, this is making a lot of -- a lot of people are talking about this in the fagz fashion world. >> these are together bags. they don't have thousands like victoria beckham to spend on a bag. these are couture bags painted on. so $65, you've got a good bag. >> speaking of more shine -- >> we see, this is a card began from ann taylor. $128. you go ah-ha, but that's a lot of money. you see people like rihanna wearing this. you can always catch a sale. don't freak out at $128. look for the sale. >> these are in the foe fur category. these are fun because they're in different colors. >> juicy couture. $88. you see designers like rachel zoe putting this in their collection. comes in an array of colors.

and they have coziness on the inside. if you don't want to wear the real fur, you can do that. >> this is a throw from restoration hardware. $78. feel it. so soft and lovely. >> and lastly, super cute and green or maybe pink. >> very pink, yeah. you see people like katy perry riding around on the city in their bikes. doesn't this remind you of childhood? >> it does. i like everything on the table here. thank you so much. now let's talk about what men want with david. >> all right. hot gifts for men because riding a bike is so hard. chuck nice, talk to us here. start with the hats. >> let's start with the hats. so far, we're talking about mad bomber hats from l.l. bean. $39 for the nylon, $69 for the leather. >> a timeless fashion. >> these are pretty cool. >> al wears them. matt wears them. >> and they look best if you have a plastic head. what about the puffy jacket?

>> this is in, it has a twist because it's a shell from banana republic, $198 and you don't have to look like the mischelin man. >> and guys like toys. let's talk about what we've got. >> an ipad, an ipad with a keyboard. brookstone.com. $59 for the roll-up silicone keyboard. and the great thing is it's wireless so you can bang through e-mails. i'm alec baldwin. what did you say? put it away? i'm already done. >> now i -- >> i know you like these. java wireless headset, allows you to take calls and talk at the same time. that's the cool thing about that. $99. >> these things are cool. i love the college days. >> hottest head sets on the market. beats by dr. drey. put them on your whole life is a

video. >> are they really that good, though? >> they really are great ppdz 299. best buy. >> because i do a lot of mixing and scratching and i want to make sure they're the right device. >> and these are things you love. they are working stiff, power stays, collar stay wes a magnet. it's like viagra for your shirt. it's awesome. >> these are great ideas. savannah, over to you. top that. >> oh, we're going to natalie. >> i'll take it, i'll take it, david. he's mixing and scratching too much. thank you so much. next up is goodies for the kids. lori is style editor of "lucky." hard to know what's hot and what's not because there's so much out there. >> these next five are on david can mix and scratch with elmo. let's rock elmo, very hot. fijit friends, natalie, every little girl wants one of these. >> what does it do? >> they're interactive toys.

air swimmers, remote control. they're all over the house. they're balloons, so much fun. all of these things are under $50. get them at target, toys are us, walmart. >> now angry birds is now a game. >> and i love this because it's under $20. you can get this at k-mart. it's the reverse, a sign of the times. now the board game is based on the app. it's just like the video game. i am t-pain mic, how fun is this? you can record your own voice. >> now for the creative side. >> these are the creative things. if you don't want to do the hot list, this is where you go. this is a design your own super cape. $39.99. this is for the musician in your life at target. cute and it meows, let's you record, as well. $20. it's great gift. now, gaming, this is youdraw.

so if you have an artist in your house, they can draw pictures. it's under $50 at gamestop. you can save them so you don't have a lot of paper around the house. >> great. >> this is the big ticket item. $169.99. nintendo 3ds. gaming and 3d. >> lori did my shopping for me. thanks so much. now, last but not least, here is savannah. >> thanks, natalie. now for everyone else on your list, the leftovers, good morning. >> good morning. >> what do we have, the wine? everyone loves this. >> and this takes the guest work out of having the right wine. between $27.99 and $32.99. the perfect way to give your friends wine that they love. >> and you can include a gift certificate. >> absolutely. they can pick their favorite. >> is this a camera lens or a mug? >> who knows. these are designed to look like

popular cannon lenses. one is a mug you can use at your home and another is for traveling. get these at photodojo.com. >> you don't want to mistake it for your real lens. >> that's right. >> this would be a great hostess gift. >> right. this looks vintage and it makes popcorn the old fashioned way so you're popping it with air instead of oil. it also makes a tasty, healthy snack. >> and speaking of snacks, these cake pots are everywhere. >> they are all the rage. you can make them at home with this amazing device. put some cake patter in there and then you have 12 delicious and fresh cake pots. >> you put the stick in? >> you pick the stick in when it's all ready. and you can design these with your family, too. >> kids would love to help with that. >> and finally, this is so retro. >> atari. basically, you put your ipod in here and download your games and

then you can use the actual joy stick. totally fun, $59.99 from target. >> very kool cute. coming up, we've got charlize theron after these messages. babe... oh, hi honey! so i went to the doctor today, then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay downalance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. chase slate with blueprint helps you save money on life's little surprises. trip...lets... start your path to saving today, call 855-get-slate. [ pneumatic wrench buzzing ] [ slap! slap! slap! ]

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[ female announcer ] it's for bringing stories to life in a whole new way. jingle, stay. and jingle did. [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. when you read key words, jingle responds. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some people just know how to build things well. give you and your loved ones an expertly engineered mercedes-benz... ho ho ho! ...at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends january 3rd. we all remember that pretty popular girl from high school, the one everyone thought had it all. charlize theron plays that girl in the new movie "young adult. "ow now at 30 something, her character decides to go back to the hometown where she grew up

and rekindle an old flame. but she quickly finds out there might be some problems with her plan. let's take a look. >> buddy slade and i are meant to be together. and i'm here to get him back. >> i'm pretty sure he's married with a kid on the way. >> no. the kid is here. i'm cool with it. i've got baggage, too. i would keep all of this to yourself. i would find a therapist. >> that's not the old flame. that's matt who you became friends with. >> yes. >> but this is, i think, a dark, complicated role in which mavis gary seems to not understand reality. how would would you describe it? >> i think you did a really good job. i really like the idea, the film is really kind of dressed up as it looks like a very simple story. and what i liked about it is what you just said. it's a film that deals with some really complicated human issues. it really is a study on human behavior and it really is the story of a girl who kind of had

a -- development and writes these young adult novels and has never grown up and has no tool set. so there was something interesting about watching a woman in her mid 30s dealing with things that we all know, but dealing with them like a 16-year-old. >> exactly. and she's not just trying to rekindle an old flame. she actually is going after her old boyfriend after he has just had a child with his wife who he's happily married to. >> yeah. >> so she's actually a character who you have ever reason watching this movie that you want to hate her. >> yeah. >> and yet in the way you play her, it's impossible to hate her. and why is that? >> because i fool you. i thought i -- when i read it, i think, like you said, the things that she does are despicable. but there was something about her that felt very human to me. and i think jason wrightman, who directed this film so brilliantly, said something really so very true.

when we watch movies, it is in a way like holding up a mirror. and we see these things that most of the time it's the attributes that we aspire to. most movies are about people doing good things and this is a character that i think holds a mirror to the things that i think maybe are not so attractive about us, that are very human. >> in a rare way, in a way that we don't often see women portrayed on film, you know? and i'm interested in that because i wonder, do you go after the sort of dark, complicated bob de niro type characters or do they come seeking you? >> i don't know exactly how it works. i mean, i think those are -- that's definitely the career i wanted for myself. i grew up on 70s film and i looked at what gene hackman and dustin hoffman did and those are the characters that i just relished. it was very rare. i think women in the 70s got to do them, too, like meryl streep and susan suranden. but i think we're waking up to the feeling that women are not just the two extremities.

we are really -- there's a massive gray zone when it comes to us and we're, i think, sometimes more complex and layered than men are. and i think slowly film is kind of coming around and showing those women. >> and you're playing some of those roles and to the point where you have won an oscar, you've been nominated for another and now there's buzz about this particular movie? so when you are in that category of actresses who is sort of expected or sort of perceived as being oscar worthy, what's the sort of -- i mean, is there a comfort kind of a zone? what does that mean? i mean, few of us have that experience. >> i sometimes feel like i never -- i mean, it's so bizarre. i feel incredibly blessed that i have gone through that experience and this is like this little film. i haven't worked for three years. and to come back in this film with this kind of material with someone like jason wrightman directing me, that feels like a gift and i can't even think -- i can't think beyond that. it's such a compliment, but it's

so -- >> well, we're cheering for you. the movie is called "young adult" it opens in select cities today and nationwide on december 16th. i think you're fantastic in it. i'm rooting >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. let's get a final check on that morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> still tracking problems. ny of them left over from much earlier. 924 remains closed in bel air at vale road. 24 is a much better bet. harford wrote closed at the harford county line. black ice. marriottsville road at ward chapel, a crash. you can see delaney valley, not

bad on the north. a live view, at security, delays on the west side outer loop. >> good morning. not a whole lot happening weather-wise. a few spots of black ice in the suburbs, but tend to climbing above freezing in most areas. over the next few hours we will warm up quickly. a mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. by later this afternoon, high temperature in the upper 40's. the average high is 47. chilly tomorrow but dry, temperatures in the upper 30 and low 40's. if you are going to the ravens game and staying out of the wind, it should be ok. monday and tuesday, a mixture of sun and clouds with temperatures around 50 and the next chance of precipitation will hold off until the middle of next week. >> thank you for joining us. an u u 8:55.

8:30 now on a friday morning. it's the ninth day of december, 2011. look at who we've got, oscar winner charlize theron sticking around to check toys for the 18th annual holiday toy drive. we thank her and also everyone who is contributing a lot of these toys. we need more help this year with so many struggling and a lot of our beneficiaries are newly

homeless. we're so grateful for everything you're doing. log on to our website, today.com. and just ahead, a lot of people are heading to holiday parties. and, you know, a lolot of us ar carrying a bottle of wine. >> that's right. and joe is here to tell us what bottle of wine to bring if you want to give it as a gift for them to keep or to actually drink. and there's a big distinction there. we're going to have that conversation. it could get as heated as the whole clooney/brad pitt debate we had earlier. >> because i have strong feelings about that. >> i know you do. >> and you consider yourself a connoisseur. >> i don't know about that. >> you said that in the makeup room. i'm busting you. >> and also coming up, we talk to the members of the five browns on thursday. this morning, the family of classical music star res going to be here to perform a special holiday concert. >> they're really, really good. five siblings and all five got

into juliard, which is remarkable. meantime, let's go out to legislation. we're missing you, al, and we want to get your weather forecast and tell you we love you. >> thank you, ann. we miss you. let's take a look at what's happening as far as your weekend is concerned. saturday, sunshine in the east coast and some cold conditions in new england. lake-effect snow showers across the great lakes. showers moving in the pacific northwest. sunny and cool throughout much of texas. sunday, sunday, we're looking at more cold air in new england. windy around the great lakes. showers move their way down into the central california coast, showers in texas and wet weather along with >> good morning. it is chilly but quiet. a mixture of sun and clouds. seasonally chilly.

>> and that's your latest weather. don't forget, coming up to the weekend, check that weather. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now let's head out to washington, d.c. and say hello to uncle willie scott. >> i get up in the morning and get some biscuits and get some of that smuckers jam. happy birthday from smuckers. this is chester smith, 102, went through the navy training in bainbridge, maryland, not that you care. but he loves to play golf. his longevity secret is eating

ice cream every day. and we have our own earl white of prescott, kansas, 100 years old. what a blessing to have your mind, longevity secret is hard work. happy birthday, if you will, please. this is luella haley, washington, d.c. that's where we are now. 104. ann is a wonderfully remarkable storyteller. everybody loves to her her tell stories. some people are gifted with that. we have robert steward of indianapolis, indiana, finally hit the big one. 100 years old today. loves to play all sorts of games. likes checkers. that's a nice game. good for the mind and loves to watch sports on tv. and we have the lovely leo lautmann of riverdale, new york. 101 years old today.

and a proud wwii veteran who loves to stay up late and check things out every single day around his house. he's a good man. oh, sweet marie collet of upper sandusky, ohio, 105 years old today. former postmaster in her neighborhood and she still loves to play crochet and she loves to play cards with her friends. so there, that's all. now back to you guys. >> thank you very much. coming next, how to pick the right bottle of wine to bring to a holiday party. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:37 with today's countdown to the holidays. this morning, how to xhoos the right bottle of wine for your next holiday party. >> it's like i'm here to -- >> i know. i'll come down, we'll both come down and bill be a little bit more -- okay. but we've got joe bosianich here with some affordable selections and maybe some that are not so affordable. joe, it's great to have you. >> thank you. >> the big issue is when you go to a party, sometimes when you take a bottle of wine that costs a lot of money, it makes you crazy that they just kind of open it, they didn't really enjoy it. so what do you do? everyone is going to go to a party this week, next week and you want to bring wine. do you bring a wine that you expect to drink that night or do you bring a wine that's a gift for a host? >> usually a gift for the host. >> but really, people are serving wine, they may be into it and want to make that choice. how do you know? i think you should tell them. >> how do you know about so many things in life. >> i think the issue is you have

to size up your guest. you have to do some profiling here. if the guests are the kind of people who are going to curate the event and pick the whines, then you probably bring a host gift. if you're going to your more bohemian friends and it's more of like a pot luck and you're thinking, should i bring, you know, a thing of cabbage stew or a bottle of wine, you're probably bring ago bottle of wine that you want to drink. >> as you tell us about the wine, there are some whines that are ready to drink and some are not. you can bring a knights nice bottle of wine and they're not really ready to drink it. >> so when you're bringing wines, bring a wine that says something about your good taste and says something about the host you're bringing it to. >> i really would like to stop talking and start drinking. >> he this is proseco. this is great. this is a wine you bring because it's full of holiday cheer, easy, breezy. >> and that can be done right

away. >> this is flavorble, not too sweet. >> open it, drink it, open the next one. >> he's not called for the white wine yet. >> next would be -- >> reisling. >> this says you're wine savvy. >> it's dry, it's not sweet. >> this is dry and not sweet, it goes with food, it goes with everything. >> i think a little something something there. >> it's yummy. this is a tempernio from spain. it's fruty, easy to drink. >> can i say something about the spanish whines? it's affordable and something different for people. >> 10 bucks retail. so this is affordable. now we move to the category of whines that you can bring as a gift. when you bring wine as a gift,

you say it's silly about your hosts. champagne. >> nick his, we opted to the $30 bottle of champagne. champagne is the drink of life. when you say something about your own good taste when you bring champagne and you say something about your host's good taste because you bring champagne. >> a lot of people will recognize that and this is for paying a little bit more. it's something that you don't want to -- and it comes in a box and you can wrap it. it's swanky. it says you're a cool, hip, generous person. >> and just back to the pricing, this is generally a lot less expensive. >> how much? >> 15 bucks, 30 bucks. >> then we're going to jump to bordeaux. this is chateau marcarda. >> i'm feeling really happy. >> this is one of the great whines of the year. this is a mix. it says something about your good tastes for them. and, again win just want to keep coming back to the pricing. a lot of people think, french wine, i can't afford that.

most of the deals are actually in french wine. >> these days, french is at a second seating to italy. and france, i think, is feeling the pressure. so they're pricing more aggressively and you can buy a $20 bottle of bordeaux, which is great. >> tell me if i'm wrong, for a lot of people that don't know french wine, that was be motor of the cabernet and -- >> you have to stop. >> we want to point something out, that you're in great shape and you just competed in an ironman. >> yeah. i competed in the ironman world championship and it will air tomorrow on nbc sports at 4:30. >> awesome. you've got to be kidding. and we have master chef season three coming up. >> i can't believe you did the ironman. >> and this is for last. you bring a dessert wine. >> to you and cona. well done. >> happy holidays. maybe we'll have a headache in the morning. >> i know. you're going to give me a headache in the morning. still coming up this

morning, we have affordable homes for sale all around the country. but first, a toast to you "today" on nbc.

back now another 8:45 this morning, turning success on the field into a game changer for kids in need. nbc's kristin dahlgren is here with one man's touching story. good morning. >> good morning, david. fans know jason whitman as a pro bowl tight end. but for the famous football player, the road to the nfl was a bumpy one. now he's made it his mission to help kids who suffer domestic abuse. he found glory on the gridiron. but for dallas cowboys tight end jason whitney, the sunday night lights are a small way from the tennessee town where he escaped what he called a sometimes

dirveth life. >> it wasn't a situation where a kid needed to be in that environment. thank goodness my mom realized that and said, we're getting out of this situation. >> whitman's grant grandparents took him in. and his father, who happened to be the high school football coach -- >> this is where it all started. sglended up showing whitman just as many things off the football field as on. >> i taught him things like you're supposed to stand up when women come into the house. >> reporter: he also taught a young boy with a dream of the nfl that everything is possible. >> even though you have adversity that goes on, there's people that believe in you and don't allow you to think anything other than if that's what you want to do, let's put everything we have into making that happen. >> reporter: with all this success, it would be easy for number 82 to try to forget where he came from. and witten started the score foundation. >> now, because of what i felt, i can only imagine what these

kids are going through and these women. >> reporter: on a recent night, he brought in a group from a dallas domestic violence shelter. they got present s and quarterback tony romo read the story. >> it was the night before christmas when all through the house -- >> but witten gave them more than a holiday. >> i cried. i did. >> it's still a journey for us. and to come here is the support. this is support for us. >> the score foundation offers support all year, sending mentors to the shelters. >> a lot of times they're in a situation and unfortunately their parents don't show a lot of -- so they need someone to tell them that everything is going to be all right. >> reporter: it turns out witten got one more thing out of that move to tennessee. his high school sweetheart, now wife, michelle. she's his partner in the

foundation and is today as proud of jason as the person as the player. >> it's not just the situation that jason was put in, but the path that he took. and to encourage the kids, you don't have to go back into that cycle. >> and so know all this, that has to make you feel great. >> i leave here feeling more fortunate and -- >> reporter: but you can't ignore the change in the children. after caddie harris unwrapped a karaoke machine, the aspiring singer told me -- >> i have to practice hard and i can make it. >> reporter: it's what his grandfather once told witten, a living legend in overcoming the odds. >> man, i was there 15 years ago and now you can be in this situation, so can you, trust me, so can you. >> now, witten may be one of the best tight ends in history, but ask him about his legacy, he says the most important thing is the mark he leaves outside the

game. learn more about witten's score foundation on our website, today.com. >> great story. thanks so much. appreciate it. you can see jason witten and his cowboys when they take on the new york giants in a key game this sunday night on nbc. coverage begins on football night in america. up next, a special holiday performance from the five ground. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

the piano playing fielding the five browns have been making beautiful music together for more than two decades. graduates of the julieard school, they've released four albums. we've got ryan, desiree, melody, gregory and dionne brown this morning. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> what explains how five siblings could all be so talented at one particular instrument? ryan. >> i don't know. we all just chose the same thing. the piano seemed like it was a good starting point and desiree being the oldest, i guess she

started first and it went down the line. we all wanted to do the same thing. >> they wanted to copy you. a lot of you will just talk about how music is a way of communicating. and is sort of another language. what is it to you to be able to communicate in this way to your siblings? >> oh, my goodness. it's an incredible experience on stage. we almost feel like we have telepathy with each other. it's a little look in the eye, a smacking of the mouth, you can read volumes about each other. >> and i would imagine you push each other quite a lot. i can do that better than you can. is the sibling rivalry playing out while you're playing the piano? >> it's not really rivalry. it's more like a mutual respect. when i watch these guys on stage, i have so much respect for how good they are and i'm so honored to be a part of that. >> what are we playing today? >> "sleigh ride" by leroy anderson. >> ladies and gentlemen, the five browns.

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>> lovely. the five browns, thank you so much. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. here is a look at one of our top stories. leslie johnson, wife of former prince george's county executive jack johnson will be sentenced in her role in a corruption scandal. federal agents said she flushed bribe money down the toilet and

tried to smuggle more in her underwear. she pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and now faces up to a year and a half behind to a year and a half behind on my journey across america, i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak...

...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. >> good morning, everyone. it will be a quiet but chilly day. the average temperature for this time of year is about 47 and we will be in that neighborhood with a mixture of sun and clouds. boulder tomorrow, and a high of boulder tomorrow, and a high of only 43 on