. good morning, betting on newt? donald trump reportedly set to endorse newt gingrich in the presidential race today, as gop front-runner, mitt romney, deals with a backlash to this controversial comment. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there. >> this morning, what he's saying about the criticism. deadly riot -- soccer fans rush the field after a match in egypt, attacking each other with makeshift weapons. at least 74 people are dead, hundreds are injured. and this morning, police and

military are being blamed for failing to stop it. and why wait until sunday? an exclusive first look at the super bowl ads that will have all of america talking today, super bowl ads that will have all of america talking today, february 2nd, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, it is groundhog day, i'm ann curry. >> and i'm matt lauer. donald trump has a talent for popping up in politics and a good knack for self-promotion. >> insiders are saying that trump will throw his support behind newt gingrich in the gop race. on the heels of his sound defeat in florida, would a trump endorsement be a coup for the

former house speaker, heading into saturday's caucuses in nevada. >> and also ahead, listen to this, and unusual legal maneuver that experts say could be a first. a wealthy florida man is facing a very costly wrongful death lawsuit tied to a drunk driving accident. well, apparently to protect his fortune, he's now legally adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend, that set off a firestorm in the legal community. we're going to have more on that coming up. also this morning, some bad news for women who have a love affair with high heels. in one of the first studies of its kind, high-heeled shoes have now been found to permanently change the way we walk, even if you're not wearing them. so we're going to explain even when you're not wearing them. we'll explain what nsa all about. let's begin with the presidential race. what could be a headline-grabbing endorsement for newt gingrich today. peter alexander is out in las vegas with more. peter, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you, it is one cold and windy morning in

las vegas and newt gingrich's is hoping the campaign cycle is changing. he's expected to get the endorsement from donald trump in las vegas at his own hotel. after the drubbing in florida, newt gingrich is hoping the donald can give him the hot hand. he's been the wild card in this republican race. and today, donald trump plays headlines, welcoming the candidates to las vegas. spotlighting his own announcement as the main event. >> this really amazing, whoa! >> for months, trump flirted with a presidential run. >> will you say at this moment it is unlikely that you will run? >> i would rather endorse somebody and have that somebody beat barack obama. because he has been a terrible president. >> and like a self-proclaimed king-maker, trump hosted a parade of candidates in new york. when he welcomed newt gingrich in new york, the two exchanged

compliments. >> it's a great honor to have newt gingrich. it's amazing how well he's doing. >> donald trump is a great showman, a great businessman. if we're trying to figure out how to create jobs, one of the difference between my party and the other party is we actually go to people who know how to create jobs, to figure out how to create jobs. >> back on the trail, front-runner mitt romney stumbled out of the gate of staging his las vegas arrival. >> i'm so happy to be back in nevada. >> romney and his team are back in damage control mode after this comment on wednesday that unleashed a firestorm of criticism. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. if it needs repair, we'll fix it. i'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. >> opponents and detractors pounced with conservative websites lashing out. including one headline that read, what's wrong with this guy. on his flight to vegas, romney tried to explain himself. >> you've got to take the whole comment and change the whole

statement. >> gingrich sure noticed. >> i am fed up with politicians in either party dividing americans against each other. i am running to be the president of all the american people and i am concerned about all of the american people. >> it wasn't romney's only distraction of the day. he was greeted in minnesota by a pair of glitter bombs from gay rights protesters. >> i'm happy for a little celebration. this is confetti. we just won florida! we're going to win the white house next. >> and as for the gaffes, it's not the first time for mitt romney. remember he said corporations are people, when there was a $10,000 bet during the debate. that's part of the problem, one more item that could go onto the president's re-election greatest hits reel against romney. and it has one more thing that has conservatives scratching their heads. >> peter alexander in las vegas.

joe scarborough is host of msnbc's "morning joe," good to see you. you're laughing already. >> they're doing more than scratching their heads. conservatives are wringing their hands. really? you say you like firing people? now you say -- i mean he's playing into the worst stereotypes. >> is in the habit of tripping over his own tongue. >> he does on the worst issue. on whether he can connect with middle class americans. the guy is fabulously wealthy. he's admitted paying about 15% in taxes over the past couple of years. these sort of statements, as rush limbaugh says, plays into the prototypical biases against rich republican candidates. >> what was fascinating to me, in the exit polling coming out of florida, when the voters were asked which candidate best understands the problems of the average person, mitt romney fared best with 34%. so is it just sliding off his back? >> i don't think it's going to slide off his back. you know, in south carolina exit polls showed that people there thought that newt gingrich is the most electable in the general election. so you can throw the exit polls

away. the real problem here is that republicans don't know who to support. they thought romney had the best shot against barack obama. they thought that this was a year that they were going to win big. and now they've got two candidates who are front-runners, who are obviously flops. >> let's talk about the endorsement happening this afternoon in las vegas with donald trump. i've always been a bit baffled about why the gop candidates felt a need to pay courtesy call to donald trump. i never saw him as a king-maker. what does this endorsement do for newt gingrich? >> there may be the beginning of a narrative, that outsiders, republicans are outsiders, are going to start moving away from mitt romney. we were talking about it earlier on our show. this follows if it's followed by a sarah palin endorsement, a rish limbaugh endorsement and others who are wary of mitt romn romney. by itself, i'm sure that newt would rather donald open up the

check book and write a couple million dollars. >> you gave me a laundry list. who is the endorsement that they both really want. >> marco rubio. but mainly jeb bush is the guy that's the king maker. this is what's so frustrating for republicans. waking up on groundhog day, i understand we could be interrupted at any time if news breaks in pennsylvania. here we are, only 5% of the delegates have been awarded. we've got 46 states to go, and yet people are already saying you're stuck with mitt romney. or you're stuck with newt gingrich. and most republicans are saying, really? is that all we've got? here again, when unemployment is over 8%, and barack obama has added $5 trillion to the national debt. is this how it's going to end up? it's very depressing for the republican party. >> you talk about how early it is. if mitt romney were to win every delegate from nevada on, he

couldn't get the total by april 24th. it's nasty. who in the republican party, if this continues to be a blood bath, is powerful enough to step in and say, guys, stop it. we have a general election to worry about? >> nobody. there is no republican establishment any more. there is no democratic establishment any more. we saw that four years ago when barack obama stepped in front of hillary clinton. and bill clinton and got the nomination. so these establishment figures don't exist, they can walk out of the back room and say, guys, sit down, calm down, let's be peaceful. >> you wrote in colorful terms that newt gingrich is a survivor, i won't go into your quote. can he go 46 more states? >> that depends on whether a certain guy in las vegas wants to keep writing checks. it all comes down to whether he keeps the super pacs going. last, last summer, a lot of people quit newt's campaign because he wasn't doing the sort of work you have to do to build a national organization. we're now seeing the effect of that.

he doesn't have the national organization to go 46 more states, unless he's got millionaires that are going to keep writing big, big checks. >> joe scarborough, thanks for your input. 7:09, let's go over to ann. >> now to egypt and the deadliest sports trajgedy in tht country's history. 74 killed, hundreds injured when rival soccer fans rioted after a match. we're in cairo with the latest on the story. >> reporter: good morning, ann, it is the single deadliest day since the end of egypt's revolution. many are questioning the military rulers of this country and security officials, parliament is an emergency session, they've been holding all kinds of emergency meetings in egypt. the governor of the city has resigned and some security officials as well. all of this as the political fallout continues. the moment of victory and celebration for the home team that turned violent. minutes after their team lost to

a bitter rival, their angry fans allegedly began taunting and insulting the home crowd. who then stormed the field. they attacked a visiting team and their supporters with makeshift weapons. security stood by, doing almost nothing to stop the violence. rampaging crowds attacked each other. emergency medical services struggled to treat the injured and the dead. egypt's military was deployed to evacuate players and those wounded back to cairo. the country's defacto ruler vowed to track down those responsible. but many blamed the military and police for once again failing to protect civilians in public spaces. others suggested a more sinister plot, blaming the violence on supporters of the old regime, who are working to destabilize the country and its post-revolution transition to democracy. wednesday's violence is being described as the deadliest sporting tragedy in egypt's history. on thursday, the country's ruling military council ordered three days of national mourning as families grieved and began

burying their dead. now, ann, this cuts to the issue of something that's very important here, crime is soaring across the country and many people have lost confidence in the police and the security forces in being able to keep any kind of law and order. and when they try to do that, it often turns violent and angers and fuels more protests, so it is a very precarious situation. tensions are running high. protests are expected across the country following the deadly incident on wednesday. back to you, ann. >> thank you so much for your reporting on the story. it is now 7:12, here's matt. rising tension not only in egypt, but across the middle east. and the u.s. appears to be caught in the middle of the turmoil. nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel is with us in new york with details on that. richard, good to see you. >> obviously this is a campaign year and a lot of attention is being focused on domestic politics. but there is a very important looming crisis in the middle east that has a lot of u.s. political figures, u.s. military figures deeply concerned. and it's centered in iran.

iran, according to u.s. officials and israeli analysts, could have a testable nuclear weapon in a year and a half. israel, iran's sworn enemy, might not wait that long to act, with an attack. israeli leaders are increasingly vocal in warning that iran with a nuclear weapon is a threat to its existence. >> a nuclear-armed iran is a threat to israel, to the region, to the world. >> u.s. military officials and analysts are increasingly worried about a military conflict with iran, perhaps before this summer. a strike, they say, could set back iran's nuclear program. maybe years. but not necessarily stop it. and oil, according to u.s. military estimates, could shoot to $200 a barrel. iran would likely respond to israeli aggression, with a missile retaliation on israel, u.s. interests in the middle east, or according to u.s. intelligence officials, with

possible attacks inside the united states. >> the growing concerns that israel has, and that the countries in the region have and indeed all of us have, about the continued activities by iran, along a path that could, if the decision is made to pursue the construction of a nuclear device. >> tensions with iran are decades old. but dramatically increased over new year's. the united states imposed tough new sanctions. the sanctions punished nations for trading with iran. iran's customers are already canceling orders for oil. china is demanding reduced prices. for iran, it may be unsustainable. something has to give. and iran is only one of the challenges in the middle east. and they're all intertwined. in syria, iran's ally, the government is fighting for survival. its security forces have killed thousands of demonstrators. u.s. military officials say

syria is also unsustainable. and this year will turn. it's unclear how. in egypt, the muslim brotherhood, the world's oldest islamic group, is dominating the new parliament. so much for jeffersonian democracy, sprouting from the old arab spring. washington is trying not to isolate the new brother rood. >> i think if we see democratic change in the arab world, probably the new democratic governments are going to be more critical of foreign policy in the region. >> an attack on iran is by no means a foregone conclusion. even some israeli officials are divided on the subject. and i've been told that the u.s. military is trying to encourage israel not to do it they want to see if the sanctions can work and there's still some belief that the sabotage efforts that have been taking place inside iran are having an impact. >> especially against their nuclear scientists. >> their nuclear scientists, weapons facilities and i thimplg

we'll see more of them. and there's also this possibility that if the sanctions don't work, the israelis may lose patience with this and decide to act on their own. >> richard, thanks very much for your report. let's check the rest of the morning's top stories from natalie at the news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning, everyone. rescuers are scrambling to find survivors in the sea off papa knew guinea, after a ferry carrying some 350 people sank off the coast of the island. 230 people have been pulled from the waters so far. officials say the ferry capsized in rough seas and was carrying students and teachers in training. an end is in sight for the u.s. combat mission in afghanistan. defense secretary, leon panetta, said american troops will leave afghanistan a full year ahead of schedule. sometime before the end of 2013. and while the withdrawal would be a major milestone in the ten-year war, it does not mean a complete end to u.s. involvement in the region. the pentagon says the u.s. will be open to teaming up with the

afghan army in the ongoing fight against the taliban. now let's head to wall street and cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. >> good morning, natalie. wall street will be focused on washington today. federal reserve chairman, ben bernanke, will testify before congress about the economy. just a week after pledging to keep interest rates low until at least 2014. meantime, facebook files those papers for its initial public offering. social network giant is looking to raise $5 billion when the shares begin trading under the ticker symbol fb, sometime in april or may. very few shares will be available to the general public. most go to pension or mutual funds instead. at least at the initial offering price, natalie. back to you. >> courtney reagan, thanks so much. we'll have more on that coming up later. well first she got jay leno to eat his veggies and she got ellen degeneres to drop and give her 20. first lady michelle obama took her healthy eating crusade to the "ellen" show.

the two faced off in a push-up competition and the first lady took first place, with 28 push-ups. ellen says she let mrs. obama win. the episode airs today. i think she has us all beat, i would say that. it's 7:17 right now back over to matt, ann and al. >> now we know how she gets those beautiful arms. >> yeah. >> uh-huh. >> she's fit, there's no question. >> that's right. >> mr. roker, you look nice today. i don't know why i felt like saying that. >> thank you very much. let's show you what's going on. we've had no winter to talk about, but we're going to get some out west. big storm system getting itself together, but punxsutawney, pennsylvania, getting ready for a little winter as well. there they are, they've got the top hats on, ready to go. and of course, punxsutawney -- look at them dancing, whoa! that's a little frightening, actually. ♪ >> if i were punxsutawney phil, i would stay inside.

anyway, let's show you, got this developing winter storm going on, blizzard watches and warnings in the southern rockies, west-central plains, this will be a system that goes on for the next 48 hours, bringing heavy snow from the rockies on into the plains states, with ahead of it, strong storms. snowfall amounts anywhere from eight to 14 inches from denver to sioux city between now and saturday. and then ahead of the system, we've got a risk of strong storms from big spring, texas up to wichita, with large hail, >> good morning.d isolated a chance for some rain as we start the day today. the best chance for rain will be south of baltimore today appeared temperatures will range

and that's your latest weather. ann? >> thank you. this morning, the entertainment world is mourning the death of "soul train" creator and host, don cornelius. he was found dead in his california home on wednesday, police say he shot himself. nbc's aditi roy is joining us with more. good morning. >> good morning to you, ann. we're standing here at don cornelius's star on the hollywood walk of fame. people are paying tribute to the man who introduced mainstream america to soul. ♪ ♪ >> it was a beloved tv picture of saturday morning. the so-called hippest trip in america. >> for almost 40 years, great music, good feelings and of course, dancing. >> welcome aboard what is guaranteed to be a most magnificent ride on the "soul train." >> it was one man, don

cornelius, who had the inspiration to do for soul music what "american bandstand" had long done for pop. >> on television there was just nothing that was targeted for minorities. >> cornelius was the creator and host of "soul train" which made its debut on one chicago tv station in 1970. and quickly became a weekend staple for americans all over the country. introducing amazing performers, like aretha franklin. ♪ rock steady, baby >> gladys knight and the pips. ♪ i better wonder how i knew >> and marvin gaye. even giving the jackson five one of their first big breaks. ♪ oh, baby, give me one more chance ♪ to show you that i love you ♪ >> he struck a chord that no one could compete with. so even though other people got on the tracks, there was only one "soul train." >> sadly, cornelius was found

shot dead in his home in los angeles early wednesday morning. the l.a. county coroner is calling it a suicide. the final years of his life were touched by sadness. he pleaded no contest to domestic violence in 2008, eventually going through a very nasty divorce and recently, serious health problems. no is your side note has been found. but the physical pain from his health troubles may have been too much to bear. don cornelius always signed off the air wishing his fans love, peace and soul. >> we wish you love, peace, and soul. >> those same fans are now grieving and hoping he is finally at peace. and "soul train" remains the longest-running nationally syndicated show in history. don cornelius was 75. >> aditi roy, thank you so much. what a ground-breaker, guys. >> i used to watch it on saturday mornings, i'll tell you that. >> that show brought all ages,

rac races, everybody together. everybody watched "soul train." >> and think of all the talent that's now mainstream because of his show. >> and think about all the outfits i figured out to train." >> you're still wearing them. >> we're back with more of "today" on nbc.

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just ahead, a wealthy florida man charged in a deadly drunk driving crash adopts his girlfriend, allegedly to protect his family fortune. we'll explain. plus an exclusive preview of this year's much-anticipated super bowl commercials after your local news.

cer ] new vicks nature fusion cold & flu syrup. flavored with real honey. powerful cold medicine that leaves out artificial flavors and dyes and instead uses something more natural, honey. new nature fusion cold & flu from vicks. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. property taxes on their way down for baltimore city homeowners, because property values have

dropped 20%. councilman carl stokes addressed the issue last night at a forum where residents could speak with representatives. anyone wishing to make an appeal must do so within 45 days of receiving their assessment. let's get the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> busy ride from motorists on the north side of the beltway. it down to 17 miles per hour approaching our ford towards the outer loop. they have managed to move this off to the side but the delays remain. down to 21 miles per hour from white marsh down to that scene. middletown road on ramp, another cident. not creating much of a delay. harford, that is the pace of things. we will keep tabs on this and

let you know what happens. >> so far, most of the rain has been south of baltimore. showers coming in around the mountains towards a hagerstown. we will keep a chance for showers and a forecast before lunchtime, and after that, it will clear out. 40 in parkton, 50 at the airport. everybody will settle back in the upper 40's range. clearing out this afternoon. a seven-day protest going into the weekend, sometime tomorrow, thickening clouds on saturday. sunday, a chance for rain, could be a little bit of

as i look at the crowd on gobbler's knob, many shadows do i see. six more weeks of winter it must be! [ cheers and applause ] >> 7:30 now on this thursday morning, february 2nd, 2012, groundhog day, and there you have it, punxsutawney phil predicting after seeing his shadow, six more weeks of winter. but it's the winter we've been having, so that's like spring, anyway. >> or it might mean that winter might actually start. because we haven't really had

it, i don't know. >> we trust punxsutawney phil. i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. >> coming up, new details on what may have led demi moore being rushed to the hospital last week. just ahead, why her friends feared that her life was in danger long before paramedics were called to her home. also ahead the question a lot of people ask at this time of year, do you watch the super bowl for the football or the commercials? probably about a 50/50 split. if your answer is the ads, you're in for a treat. we'll have an exclusive preview of some of the commercials you'll be seeing on sunday. >> and there's a treat for girls, we want to make that point. but we begin this half hour with a highly unusual legal maneuver that is raising eyebrows. a wealthy florida man has adopted had is girlfriend, apparently to shield his assets in a wrongful death lawsuit. nbc's kerry sanders is in wellington, florida, to explain what's going on. hey, kerry, good morning. >> good morning, ann, this is as unusual as it sounds, and legal

scholars say it may be a first. a 48-year-old man, adopting his 42-year-old girlfriend, and calling her his daughter. all in an attempt to shield his personal fortune in a civil fatal drunk driving case. it might sound like the punch line to a bad joke, but it's true. that's 48-year-old john goodman, standing next to his 42-year-old girlfriend, who is also his daughter. goodman is charged in a drunk driving accident that left a 23-year-old dead. he legally adopted his girlfriend, heather hutchins, personal injury lawyers say, in an effort to shelter his family fortune, in an upcoming civil case. >> i was flabbergasted to learn of it. >> christian and scott smith. >> it is definitely unusual. >> represent scott wilson's family. >> this is very difficult. not knowing what happens. not knowing if he could have been saved. >> deputies say the 23-year-old

died when goodman's convertible bentley t-boned wilson's hyundai in 2010 at an intersection in wellington, florida. it was 1:00 a.m., the road was deserted. investigators later snapped this photo of goodman grinning at he sat in his hospital bed, a nurse had just drawn his blood. prosecutors say goodman's alcohol was .177, more than twice the legal limit. in their reports, traffic homicide investigators say goodman walked away from the scene of the collision. and didn't call 911 for 54 minutes. that's been especially painful for scott wilson's family. because the medical examiner says the 23-year-old did not die in the crash. rather, he drowned in the upside-down car. >> there should have been an attempt by mr. goodman to try to save him. >> goodman, whose family earned their wealth in the air conditioning business, is known worldwide for the famed international polo club in wellington that he built.

his net worth is a secret. but his father sold the family company eight years ago, for $1.4 billion. now that goodman's girlfriend is his daughter, she's immediately entitled to a third of his money. the other two thirds belong to his two biological children. >> as weird as it may seem, as odd as it may seem, it does look as though this is perfectly legal. >> goodman has said he is going to fight these drunk driving charges. he's pled not guilty. and will face the criminal charges next month. now we reached out to his attorneys to see if they would comment on this adoption twist. and they did not return our calls. and ann, if you're wondering now, if he were to have sexual relations with his girlfriend, would that be considered incest. under florida law, that is not the case. because in this case, father and daughter are not close blood relatives. and that's the definition in the

florida legal language, they have to be close blood relatives for it to be a crime. >> i actually was wondering, so thanks for answering that question. kerry sanders, it's 7:34, here's matt. we're learning more this morning about what may have led to demi moore's recent hospitalization. nbc's kristen dahlgren is out in los angeles with the latest. kristen, good morning. >> good morning, matt. when reports surfaced of moore going to the hospital last week, her rep said she was being treated for exhaustion. but in a new issue of "people" magazine, sources close to the star say moore may have been in trouble long before her friends called 911 the night she collapsed. >> she's convulsing. >> demi moore's recent collapse may have been even more frightening than it sounds on the 911 calls. >> what did she take? >> she smoked something. i didn't really see. she's been having some issues lately with some other stuff. >> even the emts said that she looked extremely unhealthy. they thought she was a cancer patient who had been smoking something for the pain. >> in an issue of "people"

magazine, sources tell moore tell the magazine friends worried the 49-year-old's life was in danger. her body wasting away in a desperate bid to remain thin and youthful. >> she had become increasingly fixated on her appearance. not just for the purposes of hollywood, but because she was trying to save her marriage to ashton. >> as her split with kutcher played out in public, moore was seen appearing noticeably gaunt. and she was spotted partying and acting erratically, at one point flashing photographers with then-husband kutcher. publicist michael levine represented moore in the '80s. >> she was ragingly ambitious at 19. one of the things that was the gasoline that drove the engine of this great success was the burning drive. >> the actress was once hollywood's highest paid. and was attempting to restore her career, appearing in recent firms, "margin call" and "another happy day."

but when she was hospitalized last week, moore dropped out of a cameo as gloria steinham in "lovelace." in a statement last week, moore's rep said she was seeking treatment. which friends now hope is enough to help her recover. >> let me tell your viewers really clearly, this is no amy winehouse. this young lady will survive and prosper. she will lie down and rest a while, but she will get up again. >> now we did reach out to moore's reps, they had no new comments on the reports. matt? >> kristen dahlgren out in los angeles, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> today's weather is brought to you by daisy brand sour cream. a dollop of daisy makes recipes naturally delicious. and good morning, of course punxsutawney phil seeing his shadow and it's your birthday. >> it is. >> have you seen your shadow? >> no. i refuse to see my shadow. >> there you go. what are you seeing right now? >> you.

>> good. happy birthday, my friend. have you seen that hat you're wearing? >> no. >> okay, good. let's check your weather. see what's happening. these temperatures are crazy. we're talking 21 degrees above normal in st. louis, indy will be 19 degrees above normal. 21 degrees normal in sioux falls, it will be 46 degrees today, 47 in chicago, 67, oklahoma city. the rest of the country we've got chilly air to talk about up in new england with temperatures in the 20s and 30s. 30s out in the plains, we'll be looking for some blizzard-like conditions later. 80s in southern florida, southern texas. slight risk of strong storms, texas into oklahoma. heavy snow in the rockies, morning showers along the southeastern atlantic states. what's your >> good morning. we will see a chance for some rain showers. it should clear up as we move into this afternoon. tough to tell will happen with

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back now at 7:41, this morning on "today," at the super bowl, a preview of the commercials you'll be seeing during the big game. super bowl ads are big business, with an average 30-second spot costing $3.5 million. here with a sneak peek is matt miller, president and ceo of the association of independent commercial producers, matt, good morning to you. $3.5 million, that's a record. and yet, what does it say that all 70 ad spots were sold? >> and quickly. you know, the fact of the matter is, it's not just about the viewing any more, but the hype around, that's amazing. last year, 111 million viewers, the largest tv audience ever. i guarantee this year, music to your ears with the two teams that are playing, we're going to outdo that. all of a sudden here we're looking at you know, it's actually a bargain when you look at the number of eyeballs and

amount of attention. >> let's take a look, the first one i want to show you is actually geared for women. might be surprising. it's for h & m. let's take a look. ♪ ♪ >> matt, how many women do we expect to watch this game. >> the fact of the matter is that the game isn't a sporting event. it's an entire cultural phenomenon. so probably about the same as the demographic of women. so we're looking at half women in the audience and we're looking at the fact that look, in past years, proctor and gamble jumped in and started doing tide commercial and realized, hey, you know what, this isn't just about a male audience. this isn't a normal sporting event. >> a lot of expectations on vw, after last year's "star wars" ad. they felt the pressure. let's see what they did. it involves a dog.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> better than ever. >> no, the dog is funnier than the vader kid. >> cute. a reference to "star wars." >> they had to, didn't they? >> last year, that was one of

the most successful commercials we've ever seen, virally and broadcast. i mean last year, if you remember, here we are, it had just released and it was one of the first spots ever released before the game. it was viewed about 900,000 times online. we played it here on the "today show" and within two hours, we had four million views, it's up of the most successful things. you're not going to follow it up directly with you know, the sequel. so they brought in another humanity piece and gave a little tip of the hat to last year. >> cars are big, there are car wars and cola wars, i know regis philbin is involved in another commercial, this one for pepsi max. how key are celebrities? >> celebrities can be very key. you're in a room watching, watching a lot of people. you see a celebrity, all of a sudden, it brings out an image of who they are. as you put them in the right situation, direct them correctly and bring out the right

emotions, you have something fantastic. this is a great commercial because it's actually, a takeoff on the old pepsi cola wears from 1996. directed also by joe pinken, basically the same story line of the coke guy really wanting pepsi and getting caught. >> another celebrity that's going to turn heads all across america is a supermodel, adriana lima. let's take a look at the commercial she made for kia. ♪ ♪ ♪ mr. sandman ♪ bring me a dream ♪ make him the cutest that i've ever seen ♪ >> she also makes another one that's going to really cause men to, i think stop. this one is going to stop them in their tracks. there's another one that is pretty amazing as well that she does. she's making a mark.

>> well, when you're hot, you're hot, something like that. >> i wish we could run the david beckham ad one more time, actually. but it kind of goes and tells us why we should probably not go to the kitchen during the commercials. >> the commercials keep getting more and more popular. this year so many are released ahead of time. hoping to get this sort of traction and get a lot of people interested. and then, actually be in the know during the game. >> matt miller, thank you so much for giving us this initial preview. thank you so much for joining us this morning. we're going to see you again in indianapolis with more exclusive previews. still ahead, more on the big game, from entertainment to food, everything you know to throw the ultimate super bowl bash. but first, these messages. ing to make you breakfast. what? with magic. you are? see the egg. uh huh. ♪ so, look at the orange. now close your eyes. ♪ alakazaam!

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veil on some of its very private business practices. kate snow is here with more. >> eight years, 100 billion friendships later, facebook is making a lot of money, $400 billion in 2011, double the year before. now they want to raise more cash by going public. it's the company that redefined what the word "friend" means. >> i'm always on it to see ha my friends are doing. >> who got a new baby. >> in a short, eight-year history, facebook has permeated everyday life. >> a judge has ordered a couple that's getting a divorce, to swap passwords to facebook. >> one couple found each other on facebook. >> 846 million people are on facebook. if it were a country, it would be the third most populated country in the world, behind china and india. not surprising that wall street is about to put a huge pricetag on the company, a moment foreshadowed in the movie, "the social network."

>> $1 million would be cool. you no he what's cool? you. >> $1 billion. >> try $75 billion, to $100 billion. that's what analysts think the company could be worth when it starts offering stock to the public. >> the company is work $100 billion. mark zuckerberg, who is under 30 years old, will be worth as much as $28 billion. his co-founder will be worth $6.7 billion. sheryl sandberg, will be worth more than $300 million. >> every day on facebook, 2.7 billion likes and comments are posted. and 250 million photos are uploaded. but ha does facebook going public mean for its users? >> the good news is they're not selling the data to third parties, but they are using the data that you're putting on your page to streamline, to create advertising that matches things that you're interested in. >> in its filing wednesday night, facebook talked about protecting people's private information.

saying any incidents involving unauthorized access to or improper use of the information of our users could damage our reputation and our brand. >> part of what facebook is saying here is, trust us. and really, trust mark zuckerberg. but at the same time, they say if we lose the trust of our users, we're in deep trouble. so they're trying to make the point, this goes both ways. >> it's going to take a few months to go through the regulatory hoops, but people are wondering if the facebook symbol, fb, might appear on the stock ticker in may, which would be just this time for mark zuckerberg's 28th birthday. coming up, the dangers of high heels. what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares

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is the number one jewelry store in america. - [spoken in chinese] yes. - [spoken in spanish] yes. - yes. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i and mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> motorists could use a break on the north side. heavy delays, down to eight miles an hour. at york road, we have an earlier a bertrand vehicle still being worked on. they are blocking some lanes and there.

delay europe departure or take joppa road as your alternate. southbound 95 at a call from mountain road all the way down to the 8 and 5 split. and here accident near moravia road is now clear. still very heavy there. that is creeping back up on the inner loop. 30 miles per hour approaching belair road. the ramp to i-83 southbound is now blocked with the accident. here is what it looks like it belair road. ams in both directions. area of white marsh, we're still holding onto delays. tony has a check on your forecast. >> so far we have missed most of the rain in baltimore city. most of the rain has been south of us this morning. now we are watching rain coming out of the mountains. it is not very heavy but it should move into the baltimore area over the next few hours.

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now on this thursday morning, it's the second day of february, 2012, 43 degrees out here on the plaza, slightly cooler than yesterday. the crowd has been standing out here waiting for us to come outside. we are outside as they wave to their family and friends back home. i'm ann curry, alongside al roker and matt lauer. coming up, we're going it talk about the super bowl. >> what you need to know about the entertainment that will be part of the game.

what you need to know about the halftime show, for example, featuring madonna, and if you go to a super bowl party and you're not a football fan, also food, what things you need to say to make it sound like you know what you're talking about. and what things you need to avoid saying so you don't seem like -- a football idiot. >> i think i need to listen to that part. >> how many home runs did they score? >> really. anyway, what else? >> coming up on valentine's day, groundhog's day, before you know it it's valentine's day, and then july 4th. we want you to be able to get your sweetie to a warm-weather getaway. we've got bargains for you. >> let's go inside to check the morning's top stories with natalie. >> good morning, everyone. mitt romney's rivals are pouncing on a comment the republican front-runner made wednesday in nevada. romney said he's quote, not concerned about the very poor, because they have an ample safety net. challenger newt gingrich then fired back that he's concerned about all americans.

donald trump meanwhile said he's going to make news with a big announcement from las vegas. "the new york times" is reporting that he'll be endorsing gingrich for president. the world's worst soccer riot since 1996 has left more than 70 people dead and hundreds injured. last night's violence triggered new fears of instability. nearly one year after the uprising that swept president hosni mubarak from power. there is major fallout this morning from a clash between two leaders in the women's health field, the susan g. komen foundation and planned parenthood. nbc's senior correspondent lisa myers has more from washington. >> good morning, natalie. this is an increasingly bitter dispute. if komen thought its decision to end its partnership with planned parenthood was quietly defuse the controversial issue, appears to have miscalculated. susan g. cokens race force the cure raised $271 million last

year to advance breast cancer awareness. now many angry women on twitter and the radio, say their komen racing days are over. >> we are really upset by this decision. and we're not going to do the komen race any more. >> komen announced that it's stopping all new grants to planned parenthood because of a new policy that prohibits funding of groups under investigation. planned parenthood is being investigated by a congressional committee controlled by republicans. planned parenthood ceo calls the decision political and disappointing. >> the komen foundation has been the target of a right wing political campaign. bullying them and ununfortunately, the result seems to be that they gave into it. >> not long ago, komen also hired a new vice president. karen handle. a former republican gubernatorial candidate endorsed by sarah palin. who strongly opposed abortion and vowed to defund planned parenthood during her campaign. over the last five years,

officials say komen's grants enabled 175 women to receive breast exams or diagnostic services. planned parenthood said none of the money ever went for abortion. komen said the move was not about politics, but an effort to safeguard donor dollars. planned parenthood said the decision will hurt the most vulnerable low-income women who have nowhere else to turn for breast exams and health care. now for a look at what is trending today, a quick round-up of what has you talking online. the wealthy businessman who legally adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend is a top search on yahoo. john goodman faces a potentially costly civil suit in florida over an alleged drunk driving accident in florida that killed a young man. he made his girlfriend his daughter, which entitles her to draw from a trust fund. a personal email from

supermodel, gisele bundchen is making the internet rounds after it was leaked to a newspaper. bundchen asked friends to pray for her husband. new england patriots quarterback, tom brady, so he can lead his team to victory against the new york giants in sunday's super bowl. and joan rivers is lighting up youtube after a smoky stunt for her reality show. she is seen taking a puff of medical marijuana in a car with her friend. they then have to call joan's daughter, melissa for a lift. and later, she hits the hot taub tub fully clothed and uses a shoe to toast her friends. let's go back outside to al for a check of your weather. today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers, every kiss begins with kay. >> that is so disturbing. joan rivers video. we're going to have to put my head in a door jamb and close it a couple of times. here's the michigan somerset

mall walkers. >> we get up and walk every morning, five guys, it's terrific. >> where is everybody this morning? >> they're all back sleeping. >> all right. smart guys. all right. let's check it out. see what's happening to your day. birmingham, alabama, alabama's 13, morning fog, sunshine, high of 68 degrees and we're looking at some rain off the mid-atlantic coast. we've got a storm system making its way from the rockies. it's going to be heading west. ahead of the system a risk of strong storms, texas into oklahoma, morning showers, and along the mid-atlantic coast. we're talking anywhere from eight to 12, 14 inches of snow in the rockies, including denver. high surf advisories along the southern california coast. some folks from indianapolis here. are you going to be back in town for the big game? >> i'll be there tomorrow. i heard you're going to be there tomorrow, too. >> starting tomorrow through monday. >> i'll see you. >> good morning.ing for you.

a chance for some rain as we start the day today. the best chance for rain will be south of baltimore today appeared temperatures will range that's your latest weather. now back to mr. lauer. thank you very much. when we come back, what's new, what's up, what's in when it comes to the big game. we're going to have a super bowl crash course for you right after this. hey, there's a photo booth. come on! okay, we gotta time this just right. okay. ready... mm-hmm. happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] the charmed memories collection at kay jewelers. each charm is hand-crafted in italy and with hundreds of charms to choose from, the possibilities are endless. and this thursday through sunday,

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>> let's start with the basics, what can you say at a party if you don't know that much about football. our friend, len berman is here to help us. you want to add to the conversation, what are good things to say, if you don't know about football? >> you can say, did you see the house that tom brady and guessle bundchen built. it's not about football, but about pop culture. >> do you know there's never been an overtime in super bowl history. >> that would be good. >> can you say it's a good thing they're playing from a dome, because two years from now they're going to play outdoors in the cold for the first time ever in new jersey. and you could say, if eli manning wins, who could figure he would have twice as many super bowl rings as his superstar brother, peyton? >> and the next one is more complicated. it mixes pop culture and football. >> if giants win and rooney mara

win, it will be the first time that two in the same family will win on oscar. >> you could putting a i know nothing about a t-shirt on. >> first thing don't say, how come the giants and the patriots are in the super bowl every year. how come they're always measuring? you know, it doesn't sound right. the winner gets the stanley cup, right? >> wrong. >> and then last thing you shouldn't say is when the game's over, don't make the loser feel bad by saying, hey, it's only one game, it's the best of seven. that doesn't work. >> the one key to the game whether you're a football fan or not, that you think is going to determine the outcome on sunday? >> if tom brady is standing upright. the patriots have to protect their quarterback. the giants four years ago hit him relentlessly. if the giants can get to brady, giants win. if they can't, patriots win. >> wow, len berman, thanks very much. here's ann. moving on to what's up with the entertainment before and

during the big game, joel levy is the contributing editor at "rolling stone." good morning to you. >> let's forget the game and talk about the entertainment. >> let's get to the main event, the halftime show. >> you want to talk about that? let's talk about madonna. a lot of talk about what she may be doing. they're talking about "vogue"ing, is that true? >> we're pretty sure the set list has leaked, we're sure that "vogue," along with her new single, "give me all your loving" she's going to go spectacular. >> here's the other thing that people are talking about, is this a good choice? a lot of people think madonna is an odd choice. >> why? >> i have to admit, when i think major sporting events, i don't think madonna and cirque du soleil dancers. those don't go together in my mind. >> you're thinking that it's something more women may want to watch? >> that's true, but it is a major sporting event and the things that have worked in the halftime space are these old rock bands like the who and

bruce springsteen that appeal to everyone. when they had the black eyed peas on, people were like, i liked the lights, i don't know if i like the music. she bring as good show. she always does. >> you said never bet against madonna. so we'll see what happens. kelly clarkson is going to be singing the national anthem. and you say people are taking bets now on whether, whether she can remember the words. >> i would never go so far as to put money on a sporting event, that would be wrong. but you can make all of these side bets. all of these things, things that have nothing to do with the game. you can wager on whether or not kelly clarkson will screw up the words the way that christina aguilera did last year. or you can go with the over/under, will she get it done in less than or more than 1:34. >> joel levy, keeping it fun for us. now here's al. and of course it wouldn't be super bowl sunday without terrific food. here with great twists on snacks that represent your favorite

team is bon appetit's adam. new england clam chowder. >> forget the manhattan chowder, forget the tomato nonsense. add some bacon, corn, because that's kind of healthy, a little bit. delicious could not be easier to make. >> bacon the theme here? >> yes. >> as we move -- >> bacon is good. if you've ever been to new haven, you know it's all about the white clam pie. new englanders love it you can make it in an iron skillet, store-bought dough, swiss charred, vaguely healthy. >> honly, rehoney, really, look. >> this is a sausage meatball hero. meatballs made out of italian sausages. why we have never done that before, i don't know, you throw them in the oven, they get crispy, sloppy, gooey. >> and this is our version of a

hoosier sugar cream pie. lots of butter and cream and sugar and egg. made by christina tosi at the milk bar here in manhattan with an oat cookie crumble crust. ridiculously good, addictive. >> get the defibrillator ready. >> todayshow.com for recipes. >> ann and i will have more on the super bowl live from indianapolis tomorrow on "today" and all throughout the weekend. coming up, a new warning for women on the dangers of high heels. how they could be ruining the way you walk, even when you take them off. right after these messages. ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. could've had a v8. how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪

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♪ ♪ back now at 8:20, this morning on today's health, high heels. women love to wear them, but according to a new study, they could cause permanent damage. today national correspondent, amy robach has details. good morning. >> hi, ann, good morning to you. there have been many studies about the dangers of high heels. but now researchers say those stillettos can be a health hazard even after you take them off. celebrities may set the trend, but this is a fashion staple for women of every age. sky-high heels. some pairs, higher than five

inches. from the red carpet to running errands, heels have become an essential. pregnant? no problem for stilletto-lovers like beyonce, victoria beckham and jessica simpson. for many women, the sky's the limit. but it comes at a price. >> my feet hurt at the end of the day. >> carey myers is on her feet all day in heels. now researchers say those high heels could cause permanent damage to women as young as 25. the study in the journal of applied physiology. say women who wear pumps on a regular basis start walking in high-heeled position even when barefoot. >> if you're in a plantar-flexed position -- >> that can lead to shorter calf muscle fibers and a tight achilles tendon. >> you can end up with strain, you can end up with sprain, and in a worst-case scenario, end up with rupture. >> there's a lot of girls like me out there. >> she's not alone. according to another survey by the american podiatry medical

association, 42% of women admit they would wear a shoe they love, even if they know it will hurt their feet all day long. experts say women should consider changing their shoe habits. >> maybe i could start lowering the heel, maybe go from six inches to like three. >> and ann, i have to confess, i think you, too, perhaps, we've worn a few high heels on occasion. right now i think i'm wearing a three and a half, four-inch heel. but i have flip-flops and flats back in my purse. >> all right, amy, thanks for sharing that information. we've got dr. nancy snyderman, the doctor is in, she's nbc's chief medical editor. what's different about the study. we've heard, we've heard this before, that they're not good for us. there's something new in the study. >> most studies have to do with the ball of the foot and the fact that you just pound your feet. you look at older women who have worn high heels their whole life. their toes are overlapping each other, they look terrible, you have bunions, they have surgery.

this is the first study to look at the whole leg. and the idea that the muscles and tendons can get shortened. you like to walk and you're an athlete, i love to hike. it means when we're in our 60s and 70s, our stride may change. you may rupture your tendon and it hurts. >> you may not be able to be the hiker for long distance that you want to be when you're 70 or 80. >> the big thing is, you think oh well, i wore my heels, my feet hurt tonight. now we know long-term in life, the sins of your youth, what you do in your 20s and 30s and 40s to be fashionable can affect how you are when you're 60 and 70. and frankly, still want to be active. >> what do you do about this? the study seems to be about women who use heels 40 hours a week. what if you wear them for not as long? >> see these shoes? >> yes. >> i confess, they are my shoes.

sexy shoes, see the soles? they never see the street. i walk barefoot to the studio, i put them on and take them off. they're a fashion accessory, they're not to go walking down the street with. wear them when you have to, take them off. then go back to your merrills, your clogs, your nikes, your whatever, that frankly, wrap your feet and allow you to walk flat-footed. we are human beings that have evolutionarily, we are supposed to walk on two feet, boom, boom, boom. to be on our tip-toes all day long? we would be that way. sexy, but artificial. >> i will vouch that you do show up in uggs and do put on your heels. is there any kind of like stretching we can do if we do wear them for a couple of hours a day? do we have to worry? >> you can stretch, but the reality is you have those on for two hours every day. the minute you come in you take them off and you have to stand

on the edge of something, like a little ledge, and stretch your calf muscles. hold the bottom of your foot and pull your leg out. do anything like that. but really, get that foot back to where it's supposed to be. men make high heels, you don't see women designing high heels. bonding, bonding, bonding. >> dr. nancy, point taken, thank you so much. still to come, >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check on bel morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> trying to recover from the problems on the north side of the beltway. looking at delays around 9 m.p.h. from belair road towards the accident scene.

if you want to let out on the west side, 32 miles an hour from 795 down to edmondson. if you want to travel in halethorpe, linden ave, apparently some blockages there due to an accident. speeds up around 37 miles an hour from 295 down to 175 down to one in. belair road, these delays are inner loop delays. we will switch over to live view of traffic in the area of greenspring. j.f.x., still delayed there. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> we had rain this morning, not a lot. was to let -- it is south and east of us. movement of this trend is mostly to the east. heaviest batch of rain will pass

to our south. 48 degrees at b.w.i. right now. humidity is up a little bit. cooler air will try to come in today. we don't see much change in temperatures. variably cloudy skies, shower activity in the morning and then diminishing. 45 to 54 the expected high. temperatures are close to the seasonal normal, or above that. we get some precipitation in the we get some precipitation in the forecast by sunday.

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8:30 now on a thursday morning, it's the second day of february, 2012. kind of nice here in new york city, 45 degrees, a little breeze in the air and nice people stopping by our plaza. thanks to them as always.

i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry, al roker and natalie morales, coming up, have you made your plans for valentine's day? >> not too late, there's a lot of getaways and great deals. we'll tell you where you can take your sweetie and have a great time. plus, what are you planning to serve at your super bowl party. our chef says forget about the beer and go for wine and he'll share some affordable selections that go with everything from pizza to pigs in a blanket. >> i had six pigs in a blanket this morning. also some familiar faces stopping by. meredith will be back later on, here with the fourth-hour ladies. >> did you say familiar faces? >> yes. >> how about this familiar face over here, we have lisa kudrow joining us this morning. talking about the third season of "who do you think you are." >> good to see you. >> we've had chance to have you on the show for 20 years now, right? and i've never seen you more

into a project. even through all the "friends" days as you are this show. >> that's right. i'm very proud of this show. i just am. because you know we're bringing, little details of history. into your home. you know, what primetime network show allows you to do that. and you know, they're also such dramatic, compelling stories, too. i'm just really proud of it. >> people lives are changed by finding out where they come from, including martin sheen, who went back to ireland. tell bus what happened. >> he went to ireland, as well as spain. so his mother's side is irish. and you know, we know martin sheen is sort of an activist. not sort of, and he's been in jail a few times. you know over his protests. and in ireland, he finds that his mother's brother also was spent time in jail. but for the civil war in ireland. and then he goes to spain and finds out that his father's brother, he didn't know this,

also spent a lot of time in jail, because he was involved in fighting franco in the very beginning. >> wow. and so you discover something about yourself. >> what celebrity is on your wish list, the one that you want more than anyone? >> really? >> yes. >> i'm always afraid to say that. >> whisper it to me and i'll say it out loud. >> okay. no, i mean, we're thrilled with this season. there's 12 people and they're fantastic. >> going forward, who would you like? >> matt lauer. >> i should say, what are you doing here? >> lisa, your time is up now. we want to remind you that you can catch the premiere of the third season of "who do you think you are" tomorrow night. >> yes. >> 8:00, 7:00 central, where? >> on nbc. >> a quick question -- >> lisa, good luck, thank you.

mr. roke centre. >> let's check your weather quickly. show you what's happening. for tomorrow, a light risk of strong storms, texas into oklahoma, more wet weather making its way into the mid mississippi river valley. heavy snow in the rockies, for saturday, more rain showers and thunderstorms making their way through the rockies. i should say up through the ohio river valley, where we're also looking at sunny and mild conditions out there. and then to watch the super bowl sunday -- sunday! rain along the mid-atlantic coast along the southeast. sunny skies out west. it will be cold. snowshowers along the great lakes and we're expecting a giant super bowl trophy in canada. >> good morning. we will see a chance for some rain showers. it should clear up as we move into this afternoon. tough to tell will happen with

that's your latest weather. we've got the big game coming up this weekend. we've got a big concert to talk about, to benefit children all around. that's a concert by jay-z. the united way of new york city partnering with jay-z and gordon campbell is the group's ceo and president. tell us about it? >> february 6 and 7, a legendary venue, carnegie hall, iconic new yorker, jay-z, coming together to benefit the work to help the young people, sean carter's foundation of new york city, to help young people reach their full potential, graduate on time, go on to reach and be successful. >> the goal is to raise money. how do you split up the proceeds and who benefits? >> i have to tell you, it's been such a great partnership. 50% of the proceeds go to the shawn carter scholarship foundation and 50% to the united

way of new york city. our mission is the same, fighting poverty and giving young people a chance. jay-z talks about i won the lottery, a lot of young people in the city didn't. >> he'll be performing in carnegie hall. you know how he gets to carnegie hall? practice! >> thank you so much. >> if people want to go to the concert? >> carnegiehall.org. there's a few seats available. >> and ann curry is lurking over here. thank you for being here. coming up next, we'll be talking about the romantic valentine's day getaways. but first, this is "today" on nbc. it's such a tough...

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this morning on today's travel, romantic getaways for valentine's day. there are great deals if you're looking for a truly great way to celebrate with your special someone. here with our top picks is kate maxwell, the editor in chief of jetsetter.com. welcome back. good romantic locations, but also at this time of year, even

though we're in high season in some places you get a lot of extras as well? >> you do, hotels throw in all sorts of extras over valentine's day, a free bottle of champagne, rose petal-strewn bed, or extra night in a hotel. >> you've got great variety in these locations. let's start with in hawaii, which just screams romance. what do you like there? >> kauai, it was in "the descendants" george clooney movie. so take your mate to the coconut beech resort. $1 $199 a night. $50 spa credit. >> that's not bad at all. let's move inland from hawaii to the desert. you like the hard rock hotel and casino in las vegas. they've got this motley crue package. >> if you're too rock and roll for traditional valentine's day,

motley crue there for a week in february. the package is $400 for two nights, includes two tickets to the show. plus $100 restaurant credit. they have a new restaurant called 25 martinis, a great one to try. >> if you're a motley crue fan they'll only be there for a couple of nights. let's go to the east coast if you like boats, sailing, you like harbors, you like newport, rhode island. >> it's a classic tony boating destination. 41 degrees is a great contemporary eco-friendly hotel this package is the for the couple that watt to shut the door, flip the do not disturb sign. >> is this a newplace? >> yes. and they're offering a room for $250 a night and throwing in all sorts of aphrodisiacs here. in-room oysters and i'm almost afraid to ask. a jelly bath. >> a jelly bath. an amazing product. you put it in the water, it

keeps, it fluffs up into jelly and it keeps the water warm for four times longer. so you can sit in there all night. >> and they've got a romantic playlist that they have programmed into an ipod for the room. which is good. what were the prices on this again, $189? >> $250 a night. >> great. warmer weather, let's go to the caribbean. you like turks and caicos. >> a fantastic romantic destination. i was there at gray's bay last summer. i walked past five destination weddings. the hotel is offering, the veranda, all inclusive, you pay $2,000 for three nights and you get absolutely everything. all your means, drinks, champagne, breakfast in bed. so you know, there's nothing less sexy than having to take out your credit card every time you have a snack or a drink. >> round-trip airport transfers, complimentary wi-fi, and complimentary international telephone calls, that's the

veranda resort and residence in turks and caicos. you like the windham rio marr beach resort in puerto rico. >> you don't need a passport for puerto rico. >> i'm thinking it's high season in places, i'm surprised you find bargains this time of year. >> people want to ofr added extras this is $414. you stay four nights. they throw in $600 worth of extras including an adventure outing. you can choose between kayaking, zip lining. a picnic on the beach. >> dinner for two with bottle of wine. >> daily breakfast. it's fantastic deal. >> if you're willing to do a little risk and obviously you've done a lot of it for us, you can find a great place to take that significant person and get a good deal. kate maxwell, thanks very much. up next from what to eat to the treats to take, what you can do to improve, i'm sorry, the tests you take, what you can do do to improve your heart health in 2012.

today's healthy heart is brought to you by campbell's address your heart campaign. this morning on today's healthy heart, your 2012 checklist, keeping your ticker in tip-top shape, is a long-term commitment. what are the steps we should all be taking this be taking this year? joy bauer is today's nutritionist and dr. rajini raj is here. you say during the winter we've got checklists for every season of the year. during the winter you say enjoy heart-healthy comfort foods, count your calories, take advantage of mild winter weather and book doctor appointments. give us an example of a heart-healthy comfort food, joy. >> it's the perfect time to enjoy a cozy nutrient-rich bowl of lentil soup and a few

mornings each week to have oatmeal topped with fresh fruit and nuts. the oats have valuable fiber, the nuts have heart-healthy fats and together they declog our arteries. >> be careful about the pigs in a blanket that the boys were talking about. why book your appointment during this time of year, doctor? >> one of the reasons why heart disease spikes during the winter is people ignore their health. they don't go to the doctor when they're supposed to. especially if they have something like chest pain. they don't want to miss the christmas party. keep up with your appointments and prescriptions, refill your medication. a lot of people are traveling, forget their heart medicine. you need to be on the ball. >> remind people, because you're a doctor, that hearts are the most vulnerable for men and for women, the number one killer. >> number one killer. >> moving on to spring then, our spring heart checklist. you say include spring clean your lifestyle, add early bloomer veggies to your diet. sign up for csa. and check your cholesterol. so what is csa? i think that's the one that's going to a cause people to ask

questions. >> it's so awesome to know about this, it's a community-supported agriculture. and everybody has them, we as community members get it pay a fee, which supports local farmers and then every week throughout the months of the spring and summer we get a delectable gorgeous, fresh bed of produce. and there's no better incentive than to eat your veggies when you pay in advance and you're supporting your local business. >> all right. it's really great. >> early bloomer veggies are the ones that are coming up early. we're talking about -- >> asparagus, artichokes. artichoke hearts have 14 grams of fiber per cup. a real heart-smart superfood and spring potatoes have a lot of potassium, greats for managing blood pressure. >> let's move on to summer. your checklist during the summer is add a heart-smart smoothie to breakfast, fill your kitchen with some summer bumper crops, get moving and stay hydrated. why is staying hydrated so important for your heart? >> it's particularly important

for people with heart disease, we want people out, moving, summertime is a great time to start a new sport, get ougt, be active with your family, about make sure you're drinking plenty of water. because it is much more humid and hot and you'll tend to get drier more easily. >> and you say a heart-healthy smoothie. the truth is aren't most smoothies heart-healthy? >> not necessarily. it's as simple as taking half a ban nanna, a cup of frerk or frozen fruit and whip it up in a blender. i also like to satisfy a sweet tooth in the summer, with refreshing frozen grapes and bananas and i hit the freezer aisles in the grocery store and i buy the bags of frozen cherries, berries, mangoes and i eat them straight out of the bag, it's like italian ices without any extra sugar. let's move onto the last season of the year. the fall heart check. you've got stock up on fall super foods, plan fall activities with the family.

get a flu shot and strategize for the holidays. >> fall super foods include what? >> pumpkin and pumpkin seeds are loaded with heart-smart busting ingredien ingredients. and apples, pears and sweet potatoes, they've got the sol yubl finer that drives down cholesterol. it plays double duty, if you go pumpk pumpkin-picking and apple picking, you get activity and a super food. >> when we talk strategize for the holidays, what we walking about? >> in the winter, people tend to eat more and exercise less. in the fall you want to ramp up your exercise routine. make sure you're getting a healthy diet. it will be easy to fall by the wayside if you're not eating healthy early on. >> how does a flu shot affect people with heart disease? >> a flu shot, everyone should be getting it. but people with heart disease are much more susceptible to getting the flu and getting very sick from the flu, even potentially dying from it. it's essential if you have heart disease to get a flu shot. >> here's a great tip, if you

rake your leaves, you burn about 300 calories for an hour, so it's good for your ticker and good for your figure. >> and good for your lawn. >> joy bauer, dr. rajini raj thank you for taking us through the year to keeping us healthy. coming up, affordable wines to add a touch of class tour super bowl bash. but first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back now at 8:51, with today's wine cellar, if you're planning a super bowl party, chances are you'll pick up some beer. but why not add a little selection of wines to your bash. wine maker and restauranteur joe bastianich is here with more. we're not suggesting, you've got five wines here. not drinking five glasses of wine. >> it's a wine-tasting party. we have divided into in four quarters, and a halftime wine. america is the number one consumer of wine right now. italian wine is the number one imported wine in america. people are drinking more wine. >> for the first quarter you want to get things started -- >> with white. we go white and light. we divide and said a little bit of american riesling from new york state. with our interpretation of charcuterie, pigs in a blanket.

light in alcohol, good acidity, good fruit. the pigs are yummy and it works great if you went to france and alsace, you would have riesling. >> you're sticking with white wine for the second quarter, we're just tasting, not suggesting you drink another glass of wine. >> this is patriotic for the giants, we're going to give you big american california chardonnay. >> with american cheddar. this is all american wine pairing. american, this wine is about $16 a bottle, $13 a bottle. wines that are real crowd-pleasers that can be an alternative to beer. >> what are you serving at your super bowl party? >> probably a lot of beer. >> beer stands and -- kegger. >> we have a kegger. >> beer pong. >> you can't play wine pong at your house. >> we'll have to think about halftime. >> madonna, we'll go a little disco wine, make proset prosetto bellinis, this is a

palate cleanser. a pear puree with prosecco. give everything a sip of something fruity, yummy. and thematically we move on, second half, the mood is starting to get more serious. >> you might know who the winner is going to be. so we take pizza margarita. classic italian. the most famous italian food in the world and do it with a pizza version. serving a light italian wine, a valpollicella. all of these are under $20, right? >> yes, this is like 13 to 15. this australian shiraz, a most expensive wine, big chunky monkey. to be served with our chili con carne. this is a whack you in the head with a 2 x 4, a shiraz from australia. it will wake you up in the

morning. >> did doesn't sound like fun. >>s did fun. it's full-flavored. >> do you have a pick for the game? >> i got to go with the giants, i think it's our year. >> most of your places are here in the new york area. isn't that true? >> they are. >> do you want some chunky monkey? >> i'll go with some white. here's to the super bowl. wine tasting party and -- >> may the best team win. >> cheers to you. >> exactly. >> we're going to have much more ahead. by the way, have we mentioned, you can catch the super bowl here on nbc. >> no! really? >> that's true.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning.

i am mindy basara. the teenager had to undergo a eye surgery after getting into a fight with another teenager. the 18-year-old teenager approached a 15-year-old and a

>> we have some clouds this morning. and little weather is system pulling out of the area. temperatures are pretty flat. temperatures would be around 54 the high. winds would be terrible at 10 to 15