good morning. winner take all. mitt romney hopes to take florida's vote in the florida primary while newt gingrich criss-crosses the state to pick up last-minute votes. is it too little too late? we'll ask herman cain. as the new york giants arrive in indianapolis for the super bowl their much anticipated rematch with the patriots experts say it could be the most watched television event in history. and prince harry opens up in a new interview about his grandparents and their 64-year marriage. his touching and candid words today, tuesday, january 31, his touching and candid words today, tuesday, january 31, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm matt lauer. already down in florida this morning voters are casting their ballots in the biggest contest to date in this primary season. >> with a double digit lead in the polls mitt romney is acting and sounding confident. he even broke out in song on monday. and win or lose, newt gingrich is vowing to keep on fighting. we'll talk about where this race is headed with gingrich supporter, herman cain. >> and one woman's unimaginable ordeal that started in middle school. for 19 years, tracy lundin has been stalked and harassed by the same man. he's now been sentenced to prison. coming up, tracy will share her story in a live interview. >> we have shown people over the years, lots of emotional

reunions between soldiers and children. we found one that was particularly touching. we'll show you coming up in a little bit. very dear. we begin now with today's key presidential primary in florida. nbc's peter alexander is in tampa with more. good morning to you. >> reporter: ann, good morning. this campaign has gotten so nasty lately. by some accounts more than 90% of the ads that have run in this state have been negative. the gingrich campaign says their challenge going forward is to tell the truth about romney faster than he can lie about us. mitt romney and his team say gingrich is desperate. >> i love that song. do you know b that song? ♪ o beautiful for spacious skies ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ >> reporter: enjoying a wide lead in the polls, mitt romney seems to have found his voice. ♪ above the fruited plains >> reporter: heading into the

vote, romney is riding high, speaking at a community for seniors and notably not once mentioning newt gingrich. >> i believe in american greatness. i believe in america's exceptionalism. >> reporter: on his plane, romney seems relaxed, again singing -- >> ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: this time to celebrate a reporter birthday and showing confidence. >> it feels good. in south carolina the crowds were good. we get the sense it wasn't going our way. here the crowds are good and it's going our way. >> reporter: gingrich's crowds have been getting smaller. 200 at this stop in orlando late monday but the house speaker isn't backing down. >> we are going all the way to the convention and we are going to win in tampa and we are going to be the nominee with your help of the republican party. >> reporter: still, gingrich is being pummelled on the air waves. with at least $20 million already spent on largely

negative ads, romney and his supporters outpaced gingrich and his super pac 4 to 1. gingrich calls the ads false, repeatedly slamming romney as dishonest and continuing to hammer away at the media. >> as your nominee, i will not accept debates in the fall in which the reporters are the moderators. you don't need a second obama person in the debate. >> reporter: following a google event with the white house monday night republicans are jumping on the president's choice of words. mr. obama offered to help an unemployed engineer get work. the president telling the man's wife shhe finds it interesting e man is out of work. >> if you send me your husband's rez may i would be interested in finding out what's happening there. the word we are getting is somebody in that kind of high tech field, that kind of engineer should be able to find something right away. >> reporter: in a campaign that many think when the to the dogs

long ago the president's re-election team is weighing in on how romney treated his former pets. he was hounded for putting his dog on the roof of his car. >> this is an airtight kennel mounted on the roof of the car. he climbed up there regularly, enjoyed himself. >> reporter: david axelrod tweeted this picture of the president with his dog inside the car. the caption, how loving owners transport their dogs. >> reporter: back to the other candidates in the race, ron paul and rick santorum are trying to campaign out west. they are in colorado and nevada. santorum said there is good news about his daughter suffering pneumonia. she's in intensive care but he said she's improving. >> that's terrific news. thank uh you so much.

herman cain who bowed out of the race in december endorsed mr. gingrich over the weekend. good to have you here. >> delighted to be here. >> earlier this month you stopped short of endorsing candidate. you said you endorse the people. >> yes. >> what made you change your mind to endorse newt gingrich now? >> when i endorsed we the people i was trying to send a message to the people, don't be distracted by the negativity and the attacks. you've got to stay engaged and inspired all the way through the process even though it's gotten ugly and bitter. then as i talked with speaker gingrich, compared where he stood on many of the issues, he believes we should replace the tax code, so do i. he believes in energy independence with a better regulatory environment. so do i. he believes in sound money. when i saw how close his tax plan came to my 9-9-9 plan we talked and i decided to endorse

it. >> he didn't promise you anything. did he lobby you. >> no. >> he offered you a job. he said he'd make you chair on jobs, economic growth and taxes. >> he offered me that. i call it a job when you get paid. he asked me to be a voice. >> would you take that? >> i would. the reason is his tax proposal. remember, my number one issue was this economy which is why i put the bold 9-9-9 plan on the table. his comes closer than any other candidate. he just doesn't have the third component. he said he would seriously consider moving more toward mine. >> endorsing one candidate, you are not endorsing another. so the question is why don't you want mitt romney to be president? >> well, that's not completely accurate. i have said whoever gets the nomination i will support. the process is what it is. yes, there's going to be competition amongst the

candidates all the way up. i am committed to support whoever gets the nomination. >> are you comfortable with mitt romney securing the nomination? >> i could be very comfortable with mitt romney. if uh you look at mitt romney and newt gingrich both, one has negatives that will be attacked. the other has negatives. the difference is what negatives will be attacked by the obama administration. >> in terms of the negatives in the gop race, you have criticized gingrich for attacking romney's bain years calling them irrelevant and poor strategy. as a former ceo, as a man who understands business, why support a candidate who has really taken on free enterprise by attacking romney in this way? >> you have to make a decision. if you take both candidates, you've got things you may not like. i didn't get involved with speaker gingrich's tack tickets and i haven't been involved in governor romney's tactics. you have to say what do i agree with the candidate on versus how much i disagree with the tactic

or political strategy. >> did you feel this was all political strategy or did gingrich betray the business world? >> i don't believe he betrayed the business world. i have known him since the 19 # 0s. i know from my own personal experience with speaker gingrich when i worked on the economic growth and tax reform commission with jack kemp, we were appointed to the commission. i know he is business friendly. i know he's pro growth and i do believe he will be bold in making the necessary tax changes in order to boost this economy. >> do you have any regrets about running for president of the united states? >> no, i do not. >> not a single one? >> here's why. one of the things that has come out of me rupnning is elevating the discourse and keeping the public's attention on the most critical -- >> what about the personal cost to you? >> yes. there were things i i expected but there were things i dn't expect. i didn't expect the gutter

politics would get as bad as it did. i made a decision -- family first. that's why i bowed out, but i will still stay involved in helping make the major changes. >> do you think you will run again? >> i don't think so. my biological clock is ticking. i don't want to spend more of my biological clock being beat up. >> maybe it is like giving birth. biological clock and all that entails. >> absolutely. >> thank you. >> my pleasure. >> here's matt. >> we are now hearing 911 calls from a deadly pile-up on a florida highway triggered by fog and smoke from a brush fire. this morning there are questions about why the road was open at all. mark potter has details. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. among the ten people killed in the horrible accidents were five members of a church in georgia including the pastor, his wife and one of their daughters.

authorities say heavy smoke from a wildfire mixed with fog led to the horrific string of accidents in which 20 cars and trucks slammed into each other, some catching fire. the pile-ups occurred in the dark on 4:00 a.m. sunday. terrified callers to 91 11 describe one crash after the other. >> oh, my god, oh. [ crash ] >> oh, my god. what's going on? >> we are getting help out there. >> how many vehicles have been involved that you have seen so far? >> we cannot see, ma'am. this is the third one already. >> reporter: a few minutes later the same car described many more crashes as cars trucks piled up on the highway. >> how many vehicles? was that another one? >> yes, ma'am. >> how many vehicles now? >> 16. >> okay. do you see any fire? do you see anything like that? >> no fire. we can't see. >> okay. >> you can hardly even see your

hazards. >> reporter: in the mess, workers cut many victims from the wreckage. steven camp survived being hit twice and said he saw another driver get killed. >> it looked like a terrorist attack. you could see the pain, uncertainty and despair on their face. >> reporter: it's like impossible to see. the haze is, a, the smoke, it's very thick. >> reporter: as firefighters worked to extinguish hot spots from the fire, the florida highway patrol face questions about why the foggy and smoky highway was open after being closed because of poor conditions earlier that day. >> the supervisor determined the conditions were improving and continued to monitor the roadway. based on that they made the decision to open the roadway. >> reporter: officials are also trying to determine what caused the wildfire and whether it was arson. in addition to that, rick scott,

the florida governor, is calling for an investigation into why the florida highway patrol re-opened i-75 which services about 62,000 drivers per day in the area of the crash. matt? >> mark potter on the story for us. thank you very much. >> now let's get a check of the top stories from natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with new violence in syria. a human rights group says government forces backed by tanks and armored vehicles are pushing into damascus suburbs and troops are going after civilians supporting the opposition. this as hillary clinton heads to the united nations today pressing the council to support a peace plan for syria. russia is warning that the plan could lead to civil war. the u.n. estimates some 5,400 people have died in the opposition uprising since march. more than 200 have been killed in the past week.

occupy d.c. protesters are hunkering down in the nation's capital spending the nights in tents defying an order to be gone by monday. officers are warning protesters to pack their belongings or face arrest. the senate is considering a bill to outline clearcut rules to ban insider trading by members of congress. it is expected to clear the senate as the house works on a more expansive bill. now for a check on wall street, courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. what are we watching? >> with the last trading day of january shaping uh up to be a busy one for investors, a slew of reports from exxon mobile, pfizer, u.p.s. and amazon, coupled with economic reports on labor costs, housing, manufacturing and consumer confidence to likely guide the direction of trade today. we have a day left but the dow is up 3.6% for the month. back to you. >> thanks. the bet is on between the

mayors of new york and boston. if their team wins the super bowl, each wagered a trip to their respective cities complete with dinner at the finest restaurants, tickets for shows and a tour of the major attractions. it is media day in indianapolis now that both teams have arrived, the giants led by eli manning were greeted on monday looking for sharp. 154 skiers glide their way one nautical mile across the waters of australia trying to set a world record for the highest number of people to be pulled by one single boat. despite nine people falling it beat the previous record of 114. guinness will make an official determination within a few months. i say give it to them! it's amazing. now back to matt, ann and al. that's wild. >> it would be bad to go to all that trouble and not make the record. >> imagine you're the guy who falls and knocks down people

next to you. >> domino effect. >> they got a bigger boat. >> what's happening? >> things are quiet around the country. we're talking about record warmth. cold air is locked up north in alaska and canada. fairbanks had 40 degree below readings for days. st. paul, minnesota, 22 degrees above normal. 28 degrees above normal in des moines. 13 degrees above normal in jackson. >> good morning.is.n the temperature will be about 20 degrees above average into the afternoon. we should make it up close to 60 later today. a mixture of sun and clouds.

that's your latest weather, ann? >> now to growing anger in the wake of the arrests of four police officers. they're accused of targeting latino negligence the communi community -- latinos in the community and now the mayor is under fire for a controversial comment about tacos. craig, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. this all started with the federal investigation into reports of corruption inside the east haven police department. prosecutors say they uncovered blatant discrimination. uh now the police chief is stepping down. the mayor announcing the latest shake up for east haven. >> the chief notified me of his intent to retire as chief of the east haven police department. >> reporter: the news comes days

after word of a major corruption investigation by the fbi. four east haven police officers are under arrest, accused of waging a campaign of terror against latino residents. >> four east haven police officers charged today were a cancerous cadre who deprived residents, particularly members of the latino community of their civil rights. >> reporter: prosecutors say the officers would use excessive force, perform illegal searches and make false reports to place latinos in custody, allegedly beating some while still in handcuffs. the officers pled not guilty. part of the investigation this video taken by a local priest who says owners and patrons of a hispanic grocery store were beg harassed by police officers. >> we don't have customers for a long time because they are afraid to come to the store. >> reporter: investigators say more arrests could come soon. a possible target, chief gallo.

he's named as a coconspirator but hasn't been charged. >> chief gallo has never engaged in or condoned racial profiling of any nature whatsoever. >> reporter: the whole scandal has drawn national interest after the mayor's comments to a reporter when the indictments were announced last week. >> what are you doing for the latino community today? >> i might have tacos when i go home. i'm not sure yet. >> reporter: i asked what you're doing for the latino community. >> i said maybe have a latino meal whether it's tacos or another meal. >> reporter: the mayor's comments went viral on the web prompting calls for him to resign. >> we all say stupid things at stupid times. i did that. i apologize. >> reporter: in protest the group reform immigration america delivered 500 tacos to town hall. an editorial cartoon along with

this, "the mayor is an idiot". >> i don't think i ever called anyone an idiot in 40 years of journalism. people in east haven have to be embarrassed by this. go home and eat tacos? good lord. >> reporter: tonight there is a town meeting here in east haven. that's where members of the police commission say they will ask the mayor to fire chief gallo instead of allowing him to retire. meanwhile as for mayor maturo, he insists he will not step down. >> craig melvin, thank you. on a very different note we are going to talk about the best birthday present you have received. >> a 6-year-old utah girl got a gift she'll never forget on monday and natalie's back to explain. >> we love a good homecoming story. this one takes the prize. the girl's dad is a sergeant in the army, has been serving in afghanistan. she thought he wouldn't be home for months until she got an emotional surprise at school.

it was 6-year-old bailey page's birthday and she thought she was telling her class about her favorite things from chocolate sundaes to her father in the army. >> who's this? >> that's daddy! >> do you love your daddy? guess what, bailey? turn around. >> dad! >> reporter: after serving in afghanistan sergeant adam page made it back home to utah. father and daughter couldn't let go of one another. >> i missed you! >> i missed you, too, munchkin. >> reporter: sergeant page could barely hold back the tears. >> how did you ever make it, dad? how did you ever make it? >> reporte >> i had to. >> reporter: bailey got exactly what she wanted for her birthday. >> i'm happy! >> happy birthday.

>> aw. >> that's my only birthday present i wanted, that's you. >> reporter: completely adorable, bailey wiped away her tears and held onto her dad. >> i really missed you. >> i missed you, too. >> i love you, daddy. >> i love you, too, munchkin. >> oh, my goodness. that's the cutest. sergeant page served for seven years and is expected to be deployed back. i brought you tissues. >> look for that little girl in commercials. >> she's adorable. >> she's so expressive. so many kids are unable to express all that emotion. >> just the way she was rubbing his head was so cute. >> coming uh up, a 19-year-old -- much different subject. a 19-year stalking nightmare for

a woman who's been harass bid the same man since middle school. the victim speaks oh o ss

coming up, prince harry opens up about his grandmother, the queen, her official duties and why she needs prince philip. we'll have details. >> and a sneak peek at the new super bowl ad that's causing a lot of buzz. that's coming up after your local news.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. gov. martin o'malley is pushing for a price hike at the pump. the governor is proposing adding a sales tax to the gas tax already in effect, raising the price of gas by as much as 21 cents a gallon over three years. it would generate an estimated $613 million, which would go to fixing roads and bridges and expanding mass transit. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> looking like the morning commute, with a normal delays around big area break 28 miles

per hour on average on the outer loop. if you want to ride out on the j.f.x., not bad. 19 on the north side. getting heavy from bel air road towards dulaney valley. watch for closers on east joppa it to harford due to downed wires. just ask 100 all the way down at 32, slow boat there. 95 looking a lot better in contrast. no problems to report on 97. a little slow to and from 97 on 100 there. we will update you on our cameras. we will start in the area of york road coming off the parkton area. those delays are not too bad here. once you get closer to middletown, you are going to slow up. live view of traffic, that is in the area of all corporat -- in the area of old court. >> we are off to a chilly start,

but it will wind up being a warm day. we will see plenty of sunshine. 31 at the airport, 32 in parkton. you will need the winter gear to start. we will make it all the way into the upper 50's and low 60's. average high is 42. still warm tomorrow. high-temperature near 60 degrees. chance

7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the last day of january, 2012. last day of january, al says we'll be in the mid 50s and it will be warmer tomorrow. we'll get his forecast in a little while. inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. coming up, a rare interview with prince harry as he opens up about his grandmother, the queen and her 64-year marriage to prince philip. we'll go to buckingham palace for more on that. >> and ferris beuller's day off is one of the most beloved movies of all time. now matthew brodrick is paying homage to his beloved character in a new super bowl ad. we'll get a sneak peek coming up. >> in this era of social networking you can defriend someone with the click of a mouse. how do you do it in real life?

we'll talk about it with today's professionals. how do you end a friendship? >> that's rough stuff. >> down has a lnny has experien. >> we have a quick programming note we are all excited about. brad pitt will be here tomorrow morning on "today" to make his first ever visit to studio 1a for a live interview. he'll be here along with his "moneyball" costar and oscar nominee jonah hill to talk about their plans for oscar night. brad pitt live in studio tomorrow here on "today." >> we begin with justice for a woman who was harassed and stalked by a man for 19 years. we'll talk to her in a moment. first, adidi roy has the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the stalker was sentenced last week at the king county court. what makes the case unusual is

according to the prosecutor the stalking lasted nearly two decades. he was an 8th grade misfit, awkward and troubled. # 13-year-old tracy lundeen, then student body vice president felt sorry for him. one day in the library she offered to help with his homework. >> casual conversation. nothing seemed out of the ordinary. when class was over for that period, left and went about my way. >> reporter: for mohl, the encounter was anything but casual. he followed tracy around school and kept it up the next year when they both went to high school. she asked him to stop but that led to phone calls and disturbing letters. in one he writes, my blood will stain your hands forever. tracy suffered through his harassment throughout high school, even after mowl was expell expelled. she and police went to police for a restraining order but he found ways around it. >> he was going to my previous employer, trying to find hi

sister at her employer. >> reporter: in 2001 he was sentenced to eight years in prison for stalking but even that didn't stop him. >> at first it was writing to tracy, calling the house and then it was trying to get magazine subscriptions in her name and then it was trying to get other innamates to write. >> upon getting out went back to trying to track tracy down and found her through her sister jennifer on an old -- i believe it was my life or classmates.com account. >> reporter: prosecutors say he was determined and obsessive about tracy and her family. >> he wrote me a letter saying when he got out he had nowhere else to go and he wanted to come live with us and it would be better if tracy didn't have a boyfriend. that scared me. >> reporter: he kept after tracy even after his release. he was convicted and sentenced again, this time for 26 1/2 years. >> he absolutely tore the

lundeen family's life apart. >> i would never have thought it would go on for as long as it has. just the fact that it has, it's not going to end. >> reporter: one of the unusual aspects of the case is that tracy barely knew sean before he became obsessed with her. ironically, if she had gone on a single date with him she would have had more legal ammunition with which to protect herself. matt? >> aditi, thank you. tracy is with us exclusively. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i want to start by picking up on what aditi said. you barely knew this guy. had you gone on a date with him you would have had more legal ammuniti ammunition. why is that? >> they say it would have been around a domestic violence protection order. a stronger, tougher protection. i could have had if i would have gone on a date. >> ironic twist. 26 1/2 years, that's what he was sentenced to.

how does it feel to know that? >> it feels really good. unfortunately i don't think it's over. he still writes letters from prison. >> even now during this time in prison he continues to try to contact you and your family. >> correct. >> it seems it's mostly been through letters that he's harassed you over the 19 years. did he ever do anything toward you or toward your family members that you would say was violent? >> the only the things he did, there was two instances, one where he let my sister know he was on his way to her employer and then there was another instance where he said he was on his way to her house. >> can you describe what it was like to live all those years knowing you had this man who was clearly obsessed with you and not fully understanding how far he would be willing to go? >> very frustrating. i never knew and i still don't know. >> how did you change your life? how did you change your daily routine because of this? >> my address is confidential. so that's hidden and private.

my employer as well, any contact, any social media networks out there, everything is very private. >> you spent your time looking over your shoulder basically. >> yes. >> the amazing thing to me about the story. he went to prison the first time for more than eight years, got out. you said he was okay for about six months. and then knowing the consequence and the price he had already paid, he went back and did it again. >> he went toward my sister. he thought it was a different avenue a he could take without it being against the order i have against him. >> how has this affected your family? you talk about him contacting your sister. how do they react to this? >> horrible. she has young ones. the kids have to know about it. they have to be aware as well. just a sense of we can't really be open. everything for me is hidden. >> according to the prosecutors -- and this is frustrating -- you and your family for 19 years have done

everything right. yet you still weren't able to stop this man from doing what he did to your family. how does that make you feel? >> frustrated. he just won't stop. >> there are probably people watching who are in a situation where they are uncomfortable with a relationship with someone. not sure how that person will react whether there is a borderline case of stalking occurring. what advice would you give to those people? >> don't give up. just stick to your guns. say no. keep saying no. keep going to any support you can -- family. in my case it was advocates through the city of -- through our cities. therefore, i just kept at it. i kept pushing and didn't stop. >> tracy lundeen, thanks for sharing your story. 36 after the hour. now a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by turbotax. get step by step guidance to the

maximum refund you deserve. >> good morning, everybody. i like this. what's your name? >> giuseppe. >> where are you from? >> from virginia. >> this is a hat, right? >> yeah. >> just wanted to make sure. i like it. very nice. let's see what's happening for you. look at the temperatures for february. much above normal through the southeast, midatlantic states. below normal in the pacific northwest. above normal through much of the country. we're looking at snow around the great lakes. rain in the mid ohio river valley. drier than normal into the southeast. for today, plenty of sunshine up and down the east coast. snow northern new england, interior new york. messy snow mixed in and we have wet weather in the lower and mid mississippi river valley. >> good morning. it will warm up very quickly today. we will not break any records.

temperatures will make it into the low 60's. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you very much. coming up, catching up with the royals. what prince harry is saying about his grandparents in a candid interview. and the duke and duchess of cambridge enjoying the pitter patter of tiny feet in their home. we'll explain right after this. i want the person who's never used tax software to look at the screen and say, "yeah, i can do this." as a software designer, i try to take the complexity out of doing your taxes.

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news of a new addition to kate and william's family. we have stephanie gosk with details on both developments from buckingham palace. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. we know the queen is 86 years old. she's the second longest ruling monarch in britain's history behind queen victoria. she keeps a blistering pace of engagements in the uk and around the world. many wonder how she can do it. in an interview with the bbc prince harry reveals what he thinks is his grandmother's secret. her husband of 64 years, prince philip. harry says, regardless of whether my grandfather seems to be doing his own thing, the fact that he's there, personally, i don't think she could do it without him. especially when they are both at this age. >> having prince philip by her side has been key to her reign. she's acknowledged it her sense that it's her strength all these years. >> prince philip is 90 and

considered to be in wonderful shape for his age. but two days before christmas he was rushed to the hospital with chest pains. doctors treated him for a clogged artery and the duke was released four days later. harry's interview was given before the health scare but it shows a recognition of his grandparents' years and an awareness that they are doing much more than most. he says these are the things that at the queen's age she shouldn't be doing. yet she's carrying on and doing them. philip is always there, dutifully a few steps behind, but always there. >> the duke of edinborough made an invaluable contribution to my life. >> reporter: in the last year the royal couple made an historic trip to ireland. the first time the british monarch has visited the country in over 100 years. they also went on a ten-day junket halfway around the world to australia. back home there was a ceremonial welcome for the obamas at

buckingham palace. and the weddings of two of their grandchildren, prince william and zara phillips. this year will be busier with the summer olympics and the queen's diamond jubilee, a celebration of her 60-year reign. should philip not be there, is prince harry really suggesting the queen could not go on? >> i don't think prince harry is literally suggesting the queen can't go on without the duke of edinborough. i think she would find it difficult. she's a woman that would always do her duty, come what may. >> reporter: the palace said harry's words were not a comment on how the queen would fare should the duke die before her but rather the level of support he's provided over the years. we have breaking news today. they confirmed the duke and duchess of cambridge have adopted a dog. not a labrador like some suspected but instead a cocker spaniel which is a middleton

family favorite. ann? >> thus the patter of little feet. stephanie, thank you so much this morning. up next, ferris beuller's new day off. the super bowl ad that's already generating a lot of buzz online. . ♪ so, look at the orange. now close your eyes. ♪ alakazaam! you're good. and now i'm going to make this flower bloom. presto. "love you lots." do you want to see it again? yes, i want to see it again! [ female announcer ] hallmark blooming expressions delivers your love again and again.

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millions of americans watch the super bowl for the commercials and one ad is already getting a lot of buzz. nbc's savannah guthrie is here to explain it. which one? >> the ferris beuller commercial. remember the '80s? hair was big, shoulder pads were bigger and kwo"fers beuller's d off was a big hit." >> how could i possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this? ♪ >> reporter: it may have been the most famous day of hooky ever conceived. ♪ danke schein

>> ferris! get off the float! >> reporter: the hit had all of america fantasizing about what they do with just one day off. >> hey, batter, batter, swing, batter. >> reporter: the instant classic. we have hungered for more. >> i'm abe froeman. >> the sausage king of chicago? >> reporter: and you the sequel as arrived. >> just get some rest. >> he bought it! how could i handle work on a day like today? one of the worst performances of my career, and he never doubted it for a second. >> reporter: a car company brought us ferris beuller, 2.0. still played by matthew brodrick. now a father of three. there are tributes to the original. >> beuller? beuller? >> brodrick? brodrick? >> reporter: but 25 years later our hero has matured.

instead of dodging dad -- he's avoiding the boss. gone are famous pals cameron -- >> i'll go, i'll go, i'll go. >> reporter: and girlfriend sloan. >> what are we going to do? >> the question isn't what are we going to do. the question is what aren't we going to do. >> reporter: brodrick manages to make new buddies. >> calm yourself, woman. >> reporter: and still ends up the life of the party. ♪ [ singing in chinese ] >> reporter: there is even an homage to cameron's museum trip reimagined with a walrus. and just like the original. >> my father spent three years restoring this car. it is his love. it is his passion. >> it is his fault he didn't lock the garage.

>> reporter: the car is a star, but that priceless vintage ferrari was replaced by the commercial's somewhat less glamorous sponsor. unlike the original -- [ crashing ] >> reporter: with honda paying the bill, this vehicle gets a happy ending. >> announcer: get going in the all new crv from honda. >> what do we think? >> huge hit! >> can i just out matt lauer. >> what? >> you have never seen "ferris beuller's day off". >> it's on my to-do list. >> and "star wars." >> he hasn't seen "star wars." i think you're more machine than man. >> i'm more of a "fresh air" guy. nice long walk on the beach. just ahead, today's professionals. >> he's reading tolstoy. [ male announcer ] at p.f. chang's

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check on your morning commute. >> good morning, everyone. still dealing with delays around the area. it will take a while for those to filter out. 15 miles per hour on average from reisterstown road to edmondson on the outer loop. south of the beltway, is to make way to j.f.x., 15 miles per hour on the north side outer loop. eastbound joppa road at old harford road, continued closures due to downed wires. 20 miles per hour is what we're down to on southbound 95. also looking at delays southbound bw parkway.

175 just past 32 this morning. here is a live view of traffic. we will update you on the northeast corner. all volume-related. we will switch to a life of traffic on the northwest corner. barely moving. it is going to take some time for that to filter through. in backing traffic on southbound 795. tony has a check on the forecast. >> we are off to a chilly start but it will be a warm day. no precipitation. 34 at the airport, 32 in parkton. still only 20 degrees in frederick. over the next few hours, temperatures will more quickly. this afternoon we will make it into the upper 50s and 60s. average high of 42. a mixture of sunshine and clouds. mostly sunny. seven-day forecast, a chance for rain showers back and the picture on wednesday and thursday. thursday.

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8:00 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 31st of january 2012. a lot of nice people out on the plaza with their signs at the ready. they have been with their families and friends back home. we're happy to give them all a little bit of camera time. meantime also on the plaza i'm ann curry along with matt lauer and al roker. coming up we'll hear from today's professionals. >> we have interesting topics for them this morning. for example, should all of the 911 calls placed after demi moore collapsed in her home be released to the public? portions have been redacted. also what's the best way to end a friendship? i'm not talking about defriending someone on facebook. real life, face to face, person to person. >> i don't know how to do it. it's off the thing. >> that's harsh. >> sometimes you have to do it.

>> before you defriend these people, have a moment in your house for the big super bowl game. maybe you want a new tv for the big game. well, we have hints for you. there are great bargains out there. we'll make sure you find the tv of your dreams for the right price. >> coming up we'll help if you're a parent of a teenager and you're worried about your teenager texting and driving. it's a big issue. serious, serious issue. we have great advice. how to help your kids get the message to not do that. >> all right. let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk with a look at the headlines. >> good morning, matt, ann and al. good morning, everyone. newt gingrich isn't giving up on florida despite the poll numbers. voters are headed to the polls throughout the sunshine state this hour as gingrich makes a last-minute push with a full slate of campaign stops and interviews. mitt romney appears so confident he didn't even mention gingrich

in a speech last night before 1,000 florida seniors. next time you head to the doctor's office you may want to have them take your blood pressure in both arms. a new study found having a different reading in each arm could signal a greater risk of heart disease or death. researchers say it is an existing guideline that's widely ignored. federal regulators approved the first drug to treat advanced cases of skin cancer. the pill is taken once a day but the label warns of serious possible side effects including birth defects in pregnant women. and watch what you tweet. two british tourists were denied entry into the u.s. when they arrived at l.a.x. for a california vacation. one of their twitter accounts was flagged by homeland security after one said he was coming to, quote, destroy america. he said he meant he was coming to party. another brush fire burning

in florida. this one in miami-dade county, but no homes are threatened now. however, witnesses say the flames are burning close to dozens of homes sh businesses and a church. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. paula abdul on "the x factor" is the talk of the twitter sphere. steve jones tweeted he was leaving. then fox said nicole sherzinger also got the ax and now paula abdul despite her friendship with simon cowell. and mick jagger's daughter georgia is on the cover. her mom says one of the best things about her is the gap in her front teeth. this video is taken off youtube with more than 6,000 hits now. human-shaped remote controlled airplanes were flown over new

york city landmarks as part of the viral campaign for chronicles, the movie about teenagers who developed super powers. 8:04. now back to matt, ann and al. >> hopefully they got a permit. that would have given me heart failure. >> uh you would have thought it was real? >> yeah. you know, you wonder. >> you do wonder sometimes. let's go to mr. roker. >> i'm invisible. you can't see me. really, i am. you want to blow a kiss to your grandparents. go ahead. big kiss. what about you? aren't you blowing a kiss? >> i'm okay. >> come on! there you go. grandpa and grandma appreciate it. let's show you what's going on. pick city today, bay city, michigan. nbc 25. wasn't that the site of one of the nbc soap operas? bay city? partly sunny and and mild. 49 degrees. "another world."

thank you. joe michaels, our director, is old enough to remember it. clouds in the pacific northwest. not a bad day. plenty of sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard. 57 degrees in cleveland today. it's going to be 60 in indianapolis. that's just nuts. we're looking at rain in the pacific northwest. we have showers down through the lower gulf coast. >> good morning. the temperature will be about 20 degrees above average into the afternoon. we should make it up close to 60 later today. a mixture of sun and clouds. that's your latest weather. now you can't see me. >> okay, al.

thank you for that information. we are going to see today's professionals. they are inside, standing by to tell us what they think. of course they will. that's coming up right after this. the wait is over. stock up for less during the petsmart stock up and save sale. save up to 25% on thousands of items, right now. at petsmart. whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice.

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negative campaign ad against newt gingrich. it features none other than our own tom brokaw from a broadcast in 1997 talking about then speaker gingrich's ethics problems in the house. is it a fair ad? is it a good ad? >> it's very unfair. political advertising isn't vetted the way real advertising is. say brokaw said, walmart is breaking sales records. you could never run it in an ad. this is an implied endorsement by using his likeness. it's wrong. if i'm brokaw i have a problem. >> nbc news asked the romney campaign to withdraw the ad. >> multiple times. >> is that smart on romney's part? what's his name? gingrich has been saying he's a liar about the issues that were brought up. to tie yourself to one of the most respected broadcasters in the world that's exactly why they did it. >> representing, i guess, from the three of us nbc news and the

news standards and what we try to do every night on "nightly news" and this program to tie it makes us all as journalists uncomfortable. i have to support tom on this. >> he released a statement, i'm extremely uncomfortable with the extended use of my personal image in this political ad. i do not want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign. >> like donny said when it comes to political advertising there is wiggle room. >> there are no rules. >> in new york city a prominent local news anchor man and also the son of the police commissioner in new york city has been accused of rape by a woman he met several months ago. her identity has been protected because she's either the victim of rape or the victim of an alleged rape. but his identity, he's been put on the newspapers, his picture, his name with the word "rape" next to it. is this a fair way to handle it? >> when i was a prosecutor that was a big issue for me. we would do the normal perp walk

and walk those accused of crimes past the media. what did donovan say all those years ago? where do i go to get my reputation back? that's what we have with this guy. he's the accused but in this country you are innocent until proven guilty. i don't think we should pierce the rape shield laws. >> it's time for some strong woman to pierce the rape shield laws. we have an issue where a public figure has been accused. he's now becoming almost a societal victim. i don't know who the woman is. it sounds like she did approach him. there was sexual activity. >> there were text messages. >> and they were texting. it comes down to he said, she said. i say this with great respect for the women who need to be protected. i was attacked in 1970 as a college girl. i did everything wrong. i didn't come forward. i waited too long. by the time i would have come

forward a prosecutor could have skewered me with questions. so i have great sensitive if i for young women who are raped. if you are an adult and you want to take the shame off of rape one of the bravest things you can do as a woman is to come forward and say, i accuse you and i'm going to do it publically. he's not working now. it bothers me to some extent. >> he has been victimized here if it was a consensual relationship between adults. >> if what appears to be happening in the court is that it was consensual, it's a bizarre statement but he'll be elevated. people will feel bad for him and he'll be a bigger star. >> you're never going to be elevated. >> all of the sudden people feel empathy. >> i wish he would come back to work. i don't know if he was asked to step -- >> no matter what occurred, the intimate act or the violent act

is unseamly. >> it's not unseemly if it was consensual -- >> no, no, donny. if it's sex in her boss's office, he's tarnished. >> it's inappropriate but not against the law. it's different. >> as we move on, thank you for putting your personal perspective on that. i appreciate that, nancy. ending a friendship. in this day and age with social media, you click on a mouse to defriend someone on facebook and it's done. in reality, what's the best way to end a friendship? how hard is it? >> you phase it out. >> neglect? >> you don't say, i don't want to be your friend anymore. they want to make plans, don't make the plans. phase it out. >> i think occasionally you meet someone who is so truly toxic that you have to say to them, you know what, i think you're behavior is egregious.

>> what about if you have outgrown the friendship? >> that's when i become a wimp and i don't do conflict resolution well and i phase it out. >> you don't return phone calls. that's a chicken way out. we all do it. >> the bigger way to do it is say, my needs have changed and our relationship has changed. >> that's almost bizarre to say to a friend. >> friendships are intimate. sometimes people cross the line. >> let's move on to the last one i have here. actress demi moore recently rushed to the hospital after collapsing in her home. a 911 call made by a friend from her home. portions of the recording of the 911 call have been released to the public. portions have been redacted. is that the right move? >> i don't know why any of this has been released to the public. as far as i'm concerned this is almost a doctor-patient issue. remember the paramedic who took a photo on his phone of michael jackson's vital signs?

i would have fired that guy the next day. >> it's no one's business. >> this is also someone who chose pregnant, nude on the cover of "vanity fair." you have celebrities who exploit the press. >> but this is medical -- >> it doesn't matter. my point is when you take advantage of the press it comes back to bite you. >> public information does not mean you are allowed to know every aspect of a person's life. the law has been enacted to say your private medical information belongs to you. it doesn't belong to the public. >> nude and pregnant on the cover of "vanity fair". >> donny, it's different. it came back to bite her but the reality is there is no reason the public needs to know more. >> the group is suing to have the information released under freedom of information. >> i wish the information was not out there. >> do you think it should be? >> i think it's hard to draw the line. >> do you think what she smoked

or took should be part of the public the domain? >> in a strange way, unfortunately that's the world we live in. >> do you think it's right? >> i think it's okay if you're a celebrity. you have sign add a contract. >> donny, i will say i don't want to be your friend anymore. >> happy birthday to my dad. 83. >> star jones, donny deutsch and dr. snyderman. up next, dangers of texting and driving right after this. what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares

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back now at 8:20. this morning on parenting today, preventing your teen from texting and driving. janice lieberman is here with what some are doing to save lives. good morning. >> good morning. this is really important information. eight teenage drives are killed each day because they are not focusing on the road. some advocates are sending the message to teens and parents that texting and driving don't mix. just moments before this car accident driver jamie nash was doing what she commonly did while driving. she was texting. >> i don't know who or what i was texting but we know that was the cause. >> reporter: although much of the accident is blurry, jamie now recalls what happened a split second later after looking up from her phone. >> i know i lost control of the vehicle and it flipped a couple of times and landed against a small tree.

i was pinned inside. >> reporter: over the course of 17 months, jamie sustained 29 operations at parkland hospital in dallas, texas, and continues to recover from burns that covered 80% of her body. >> reporter: i was burned everywhere, pretty much. third and fourth degree. >> reporter: learning a very hard lesson. jamie's mission is to warn teens not to make the same mistake. >> this is a reminder on your thumb that says "text later." if you're distracted it will happen. it's not worth your life or somebody else's. >> reporter: like jamie other advocates like michelin tires are trying to drive the message home. >> this is a way to reach out to young drivers and teach them about what it means to drive safe and not text and drive. >> reporter: i attended a street survival program for teens sponsored by michelin at their tire testing track.

>> lol can kill a person. nobody is laughing when you get into a wreck because you were texting while you were driving or you were distracted. >> reporter: professional test driver and instructor sarah robinson invited three teens to take me along. >> tell me the truth. do you ever text and drive? >> sometimes. i try not to as much as possible. but it happens. >> i try not to. every once in a while it will happen though. >> reporter: they breezed through the course without distractions. >> this one's tight, don't you think? >> reporter: then the students were instructed to text while maneuvering the car. >> text your mom and tell her you love her. >> oh! >> boo. >> how far are we in the text message? >> not at all. >> what's going on? okay. i think we have a cone with us. >> reporter: it was an eye-opening experience for the

teens. >> you're not focusing on the road like you should be. if you're looking down and texting. >> definitely less control of the car, for sure. >> reporter: a lesson every parent hopes their teen will hear loud and clear. >> it's the difference between graduating high school and not. it's that dramatic. >> the cones represent the teen going off the road, hitting a structure or running over a pedestrian. tragically one of the student's friends in the class actually died very soon after that class in a texting accident. >> what can parents do? it bears repeating what you said earlier. 18 kids a day die. >> first of all talk to your children and tell them there will be consequences if they have been texting. but there are actual devices and aids that a parent can engage to make sure this doesn't happen to their child. >> tell us. because there are apps that can work. >> you program the app and if the car is in motion you cannot receive a text and you cannot

receive a phone call. it will say, i am driving. i cannot return your text at this time. >> does it stop you from texting? >> stops you. if a child tries to disable it a parent gets an e-mail saying that. izup is one of the big ones. textblocker and phoneguard. you pay $t20 per year and you'r done. for hardware under the steering wheel, you can get cell control. $25 hardware fee. $8 a month. it's peace of mind for you, but you have to tell them, i'm not doing it, you don't do it. and you have to not do it. >> don't set a bad example. janice, thank you. good information this morning. coming up, we're talking about the super bowl after this.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> 8:26. let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> new delays on eastbound 100 from meadowridge into 95 and 2 to accident on the eastbound side just past waterloo road. there are several lanes closed there. inner loop at security boulevard, watch for an accident. delays are on the outer loop. 17 miles per hour on average. it is creeping back up on 795 out of owings mills. 14 miles per hour on average from the j.f.x. to 28th street. backing up traffic from the inner loop to greenspring with the j.f.x. out of the delays on the

topside, outer loop around belair road towards the harrisburg expressway. 14 miles per hour on average. on joppa road, they are eastbound and westbound on old harford road due to downed wires. definitely at area to avoid. delays are expected there. we will give you a quick live look at traffic around big area. what is one of the beltway at belair road. i feel traffic on the northwest corner. that is the backup continues down to the west side. >> we are starting out with a little bit on the chilly side, but it will warm up fast during the day. maybe a light jacket at least to start things out. 35 in parkton. 32 degrees in frederick. forecast for today, a mixture of sunshine and clouds. i debitors in the upper 50s and 60s. way above average. there will be a chance for a couple of rainshowers on wednesday.

40s on thursday. >> another update at 8:55.

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8:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 31st day of january 2012. 40 degrees already in new york city. going up into the mid 50s for the last day of january. what's up with that? >> we like it. >> dogs and cats living together. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and natalie morales. coming up, big game sunday. >> oh, yeah. >> really? >> a lot of people, you know, several hundred million people watching at home. if you didn't pull the trigger and buy a tv set at christmas,

great deals to be found now. we'll tell you which ones are the best deals for your money. >> you mentioned that al and i will be in indianapolis. we want to mention we'll preview madonna doing the halftime show. also we got a glimpse this morning at one of the super bowl commercials. well, there are a lot of them. i watch the game for the commercials. we'll get a major preview on friday. >> and friday we've got a special concert live downtown indianapolis from gym class heroes and maroon 5 frontman adam levine. we'll be there all weekend long leading up to a special edition of "today" right before the super bowl. we'll do nine hours. >> really? >> we start at 7:00 a.m. and go right up to kickoff. >> cool. >> i don't think that's right. >> all right. also coming up in this half hour we have some great italian

classics with a little bit of a twist in our kitchen now. your family will love these recipes. >> courtesy of coleman anders. >> welcome back, coleman. >> welcome back, kotter, too. >> exactly. >> let's check your weather. for today, sunshine in the east and snow in new england. rain in the pacific northwest with mountain snows. wet weather to the lower mississippi river valley. for tomorrow, heavier rain through the gulf coast. showers in the midatlantic states. wet in the pacific north we. northern california, snow in new england and super bowl sunday, cloudy, cold, the morning low of 34. the afternoon high, 43. they have a roof on the stadium and it has its own environment. so it could rain inside lucas oil stadium. i just made that up. >> good morning. it will warm up very quickly today. we will not break any records.

temperatures will make it into the low 60's. don't forget. you can check your weather any time of the day or night, 24/7. weather channel on cable, weather.com online. >> coming up next, we'll be talking about buying your tv monitors for the big super bowl game. a lot of people are doing it last minute and there are deals to be had. >> especially ones with ann curry on them. >> my goodness. look at that. we have much more. first, this is "today" on nbc.

i'm drinkin' dunkin'. definitely dunkin'. you know, i need to get that jolt in the morning, but i want something good to do that. you can't mistake the flavor. i run on dunkin'. tell us what you're drinkin' for a chance to be famous. america runs on dunkin' coffee.

back now at 8:35. on today's tech, big tvs for the big game. if you're in the market for a

television, no better time to treat the family than before sunday's super bowl. if you shop smart you can find great deals. mario armstrong is the "today" digital contributor. welcome. >> good to see you, matt. >> before we get to the individual sets you have tips for all shoppers. >> people will be seeing a lot of ads. i want to make sure they have basic tips to think about before shopping at all. number one, we need to not look just at price alone. you will see deals, different prices but make sure you have the right features. >> sound is critical. shop around. do your homework. pick one that can handle your needs. >> make sure it has all the ports for the devices in your house and the refresh rate. for fast action games you want 120 hertz at least to reduce motion blur on screen. >> this is a 47-inch smart tv by lg. why do you like it? >> it's a great special. number one, 3-d with web

connectivity. also ten pair of 3-d glasses comes with it. it's a great deal if you want to invest in a future television. >> on sale now? >> it's a great price. $600 or $800 off now. >> this one's bigger. made by sony. 55 inches. what's special about it? >> you will notice the screen's different. it has a matte finish on the screen. that's important if you're home and you have a tv in a bright room or an area where you can't control the light you want a matte finish, not a gloss. >> you like that it's energy efficient. >> they can consume a lot and you want to make sure you're buying tvs that won't break the electricity bank and also won't burn out over time. >> about $1600 p by the way. another 55-inch set. the thing that strikes me most is how thin it is. >> yes, very thin. only one and one-quarter inch

thick. if you notice from the angle you can see the screen relatively well from back at that angle. >> a weird blurring angle can make it blurry. >> that's important for sports. if you have a lot of people around the television you want to make sure you see it dead center and from the wide angle. >> internet capability? >> absolutely and 3-d glasses as well. >> we're stepping it up a notch. this is a 70-inch set by sharpe. other than the size why do you like it? >> it's a movie theater. it's huge. lots of great reviews. 4.7 out of 55 by best buy buyers on this. it's around $2,000 for this unit. >> this also features a music player? >> it has a usb port on the back of the televisiotelevision. you can do photos, video or music. >> let's move on. this one is 42 inches.

also by lg. you like the price on it? >> i like it. >> you told us don't buy on price alone. >> the picture is quality on this unit. look. 47 inches is a great screen size for just about any room. $529 is a great price for a lot of budgets. >> a lot of families have kids and they are gamers. how do you know if a set is good for gamers? >> there are a couple of things you can look for. this goes back to making sure you have enough ports. you want the best quality connection. hdmi from the game system to the tv. number two, making sure you have the higher refresh rate. >> one of the early tips is sound is critical. how expensive are they and how much do the sound bars improve the quality? >> z-vox audio is a wood cabinet. many are plastic. this is great quality sound. they go up to larger systems as well. i will play a track for you so

you can hear the difference. ♪ >> that should strike you. >> much bigger sound. >> i'll play something with a heavier bass to it. you will see the difference here. ♪ >> i'm always trying to get him to dance. >> we'll pause there. let's go to remote controls before you get me in trouble. what's the most important thing to know? >> controlling multiple devices. uh you don't want to be scrambling like tom brady will be all over the field. >> you saved it for the end. >> i had to hold it for the end. this logitech can control up to six devices and the clicker can do up to eight with a special feature. you can pop the beer. >> bottle opener. >> i will have a beer with you, but i won't dance. and budget for cables. >> great cables like audio quest. $29 and up. if you're on a budget go to

monoprice.com. >> mario armstrong, everybody. up ne, we'll meet the sports illustrated guru compared to mcguire. he's back after this. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

back now at 8:43 with a 17-year-old making a big impression on the sports world but he's not an athlete. nbc "today" national correspondent jenna wolf is here to explain. >> his name is alex klein. he's a new jersey high school senior who, believe it or not, is also a college basketball recruiter. i spent time with alex to see what a typical day is like for him and i soon found out it's far from typical. it's friday afternoon at the

pennington school in new jersey. senior alex klein is in irish literature class reading a poem he wrote. >> only the strong survive. you've got to be slick. >> reporter: it's praised by his teacher which, for most of us, would mean job well done. so why is alex still anxious? he hasn't checked his blackberry since class started which means alex hasn't tweeted. >> most of you guys tweet. how many of you have 500 followers? 5,000? 15,000? more than 15,000 followers? >> i have more followers than you. [ laughter ] >> reporter: that's not important. why, you ask, does a 17-year-old high school student have so many followers? you see, alex is a college basketball recruiter. but not just any recruiter. a recent sports illustrated profiler called alex the world's first teenage recruiting guru. >> reporter: you're a conduit between the high school players and the college coaches? >> i'm the third wheel.

it's a triangle. you have the players, the coaches and i connect them. >> reporter: school's out. the weekend is here. while his classmates are ready to start relaxing, alex can't. his work never stops. not at night. not over the weekend. >> basically i tweet new scholarship offers, new interests. >> reporter: where do you get the information? >> college coaches, high school coaches, sources, high school players. >> reporter: they're e-mailing you. >> e-mailing, texting. >> reporter: they trust you. >> they trust me with the information whether they want it out there or they want it out but don't want their name attached to it. >> reporter: he tweets up to 100 times a day in contact with players, coaches and other recruiters across the country. he's not just online. with notebook in hand alex off hits the pavement scouting talents. >> what are your strengths? what colleges are you hearing from? >> i'll give you the scoop. what do you want to know? >> reporter: and getting the attention of college coaches. >> he's everywhere.

any event, he's out there. >> reporter: alex grew up an only child. his parents encouraged him to pursue anything he wanted. you were an athlete. >> i was. 6th grade basketball team. >> reporter: 6th grade basketball team? >> yeah, i hit a three in my career. >> reporter: that's fantastic! knowing playing professional sports wasn't in his future alex turned to life behind the proverbial scene. by age 14 he was managing the men's basketball team at his school. by 15 he had started his own website, the recruit scoop.com. by 16 he started a basketball tournament. the mary kline classic, in honor of his mother who died from a brain tumor when alex was just 10. >> i think she'd be proud. she's one of the reasons i have gone so far. she's pushed me in the right direction. she's up there now, but she'd be really proud. >> make sure you study for exams. >> i know. >> we can put the tweeting on hold.

>> i know, dad. >> reporter: now at age 17, alex is looking to the future. in the fall he'll attend syracuse university. though he hasn't figured out exactly what career he wants to pursue yet. >> college coach, on-air reporter, maybe even an agent. >> reporter: what about all the comparisons to jerry mcguire? have you asked someone to show you the money? >> show me the money! >> i have only seen half the movie. i need to see it. >> reporter: how could you only see half? >> i'm a busy guy. >> alex doesn't get paid for his recruiting work, at least not yet. and if you wonder how he does in school? he's basically a straight a student. his only knock against him, he has more twitter followers than i do. if that's the only knock, he's going to be okay. >> he's a great kid. his mom is definitely proud. what a great career he has ahead of him. >> great a head on his

shoulders. it was great to hang out with him. >> up next, a twist on classic italian comfort foods. first, this is "today" on nbc. so, this is delicious

okay... is this where we're at now, we just eat whatever tastes good? like these sweet honey clusters... actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. hey, i love your cereal there-- it's got that sweet honey taste. but no way it's 80 calories, right? no way. lady, i just drive the truck. right, there's no way right, right? have a nice day. [ male announcer ] 80 delicious calories. fiber one. this morning in today's kitchen we're going back to basics with a twist on classic italian dishes. from a warm and hearty

potatoless gnocchi, we are enriching their flavors. coleman andrews is author of the country cooking of italy. great to see you. >> good to be here. >> your parents were french-canadian, scottish and. how do you write an italian book cook? >> my mother was a terrible cook. i was 15 before i knew beef wasn't gray inside. >> i don't want to get in trouble. >> don't stand too close. it took me 40 years to research the book, i like to say. 40 years of going back and forth to italy and eating great italian food. >> we'll do the twist. no potatoes in the gnocchi. it's made with squash? >> winter squash. this is butter nut squash, banana squash. any winter squash. potatoes are a fairly recent addition to gnocchi. you can make it with all kinds of stuff.

bake it, scoop it out. add flour. >> that holds it together. >> add plenty of salt, two eggs and a cup of flour. you can do it with a fork or a potato masher. we have to work in the flour. >> you end up with -- >> something that looks like this. then take a spoon. these aren't neat little rounded gnocchi. they are supposeded to be rustic. >> you're going to pop them in boiling water? >> boiling, salted water. we have nice ones made up here. they are supposed to be irregular like this. >> do they cook quickly? >> one to two minutes. as soon as they rise to the top, they are cooked. >> if you overcook them, do they dry out? >> they'll fall apart. when they bob to the top, take them out. meantime you start with the sauce. >> this is sausage? >> ground veal and ground pork with onion.

the secret ingredient for italian meat sauces. >> what is it? >> chicken liver. >> if i hadn't told uh you, you wouldn't know and you would love it. we have home made tomato sauce if possible. cook it down until it looks like this. >> you won't taste the chicken liver in there, right? >> don't worry. you're safe. >> don't toss it or the gnocchi will fall apart. spoon it on top. cheese if you like. >> perfect. >> this is orechiette with broccoli rabe and it is not broccoli. >> it's a relative of the tu turnip. it means little eerars and they look like ears if you have weird, round little ears.

cook them right in the same pot. it's very efficient, environmentally correct. >> what's simmering here? >> olive oil and anchovies. >> i can smell it. >> you don't like them? >> i'm not crazy about it but they get lost in there. >> you want plenty of nice oil. instead of grated cheese, bread crumbs. the people of the part of italy where this comes from were so poor they often couldn't afford cheese. they would have dried out bread. they would grate it, use it instead of cheese. >> for dessert, olive oil cake. >> beautiful. every part of italy that grows olives makes olive oil cake. >> good to have you here. the book is "the country cooking of italy." here's ann. >> thank you. in honor of black history month thegrio.com has a list of 100 african-americans making a difference around the country.

david wilson is the executive editor of the website. you were up all night putting together the list and publishing it. >> 4:00 in the morning, the team was making sure it works. yes. >> you have a great list of artists, teachers, athletes. they push bound ris and they are about the future including a man we profiled here on "today" show named tyrone curry. >> if i had won $3 million i wouldn't be here. i would be in hawaii. this is a janitor who won the lottery and decided to donate some of the money, $40,000 to the high school's track field. stayed on the job. just an amazing story. >> as a janitor. he became a symbol of altruism to the students. >> these are the stories americans need to hear. we decided we needed to put them

on a list. >> the list includes a lot of woman including ibta muhammed. >> she's a black muslim. she decided she wanted to wear her hijab and play sports. she had to find a sport that was accommodating so she chose fencing. she excelled so well at it that she ended up and is now being considered for the 2012 olympics. >> she could be a contender. it was by happenstance in adherence to her faith and beliefs that got her there. >> she would be the first muslim-american to represent us in fencing. >> how do people access the list? >> go to thegrio.com and look in the black history section. we'll profile them all month on website and on nbc and msnbc. pretty exciting. >> a lot of great stories. david wilson, thank you for joining us. go get some sleep. coming up tomorrow on "today" we'll meet another member of the grio 100.

a musician who combined his love for the cello and also beat boxing. we'll be right back after your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. investigators are still looking into a deadly crash involving a tractor-trailer in hagerstown. authorities say the truck crossed the median at 3:00 monday afternoon, collided head- on with a car, and went over the indictment of interstate 81. the driver of the car was killed in the crash, and a truck

>> it is is going to turn out to be a beautiful day. its little cloud cover is hanging around, with the temperatures will make up the difference in there. average height is 42. it will statement tomorrow. we will throw a chance for rain and the forecast on wednesday. >> another weather ♪it's the way you bring out the sun♪ my mom makes any day sunny. sunnyd does, too. with 40% fewer calories than most regular soda brands. ♪