good morning. remembering whitney houston. the music world comes together for the grammys and honors the legendary singer. ♪ and i will always love you >> an emotional tribute to a remarkable and troubled talent this morning the investigation into houston's death, her behavior in her final days and her lasting impact on music. athens on fire. violence breaks out in greece overnight after lawmakers approved far-reaching spending cuts to stave off bankruptcy.

more than 120 people injured. several historic buildings damaged. we're there live. and rolling in the awards. adele returns to the stage for the first time since undergoing throat surgery and walks away with six grammys, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in one night. the achievement that brought her to tears today rs monday, february 13, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. you're right. emotionin is were running high the grammy awards with the show just a day after houston's death. >> l.l. cool j started by

talking about a death in the family and then led a prayer. >> houston was found dead on saturday in her hotel room. an autopsy has been performed. the latest straight ahead. >> her life was marked by personal struggle. she went to rehab three times, but one of her close family friends believes she was on the verge of a comeback. we'll talk to her, darlene love, about houston's highs and lows coming up. >> let us begin with the investigation into houston's death. jeff rosen is in los angeles with the latest. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. here at the coroner's office in los angeles. we have news about the autopsy. it is now complete on whitney houston's body, but they will not release the official cause of death yet. they are waiting for toxicology reports to come back which could take weeks. it all comes down to that. did houston have krdrugs in her system at the time of death and, if so, what were they?

♪ and i >> reporter: the grammys sunday night weren't supposed to sound like this. a powerful tribute to whitney houston, care of jennifer hudson. ♪ love you [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: who knew it would end this way? inside a bathtub at the luxurious beverly hilton, whitney houston was reportly in the bathroom for a while. tmz reports members of her entourage were hanging out on the other side of the door in her fourth floor suite. one of them finally went in and the coroner said discovered the singer's body in the bathtub. tmz reports she was under water and unresponsive. >> when officers arrived in the hotel room on the 4th floor, fire department and security were already attempting

resuscitation measures. >> reporter: authorities found prescription pill bottles in her room including the powerful anti-anxiety drug xanax. it was too late for cpr. "the voice" was gone. >> no visible signs of trauma. foul play is not suspects at this time. >> reporter: whitney's ex-husband bobby brown got word while performing in mississippi and reacted on stage. >> i just want to say, i love you whitney. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: sunday the couple's only daughter bobbi kristina was rushed to the hospital for stress but was released hours later. some say the warning signs of whitney's deterioration were there, just 48 hours before her death. thursday night, her final performance. sounding like a shell of her former self and outside the club many say she looked like a shell

of her former self. mismatched clothes with visible scratches and blood running down her leg. >> in my opinion she seemed like she was under the influence of something -- be it drugs or alcohol, i don't know. but she certainly seemed not to be all there. >> reporter: kelly carter is a journalist who spent time with the star. you interviewed whitney houston four months ago. how did she look? >> great. she was polished, witty, engaging and funny. the narrative she had was clear -- i'm back, i'm better than ever. >> reporter: you saw her this past thursday. how did she look? >> clothing was dishevelled. she spoke in rapid fire succession which was odd and threw me off a little bit. just wasn't the whitney i had just talked to a few months before. >> reporter: whitney had been to rehabhree times. so was this the end of a long battle with addiction or was it

something else? so now we are all waiting for the toxicology report to come back. that could take six to eight weeks. meanwhile the case is what's in the security hold. they often do it in high profile cases so information is not released as police interview all of the members of houston's entourage. remember, there were plenty of people in the suite that day. all cooperating with police as they try to put together what happened in those critical, final hours. >> jeff rossen, thank you. investigator kennedy is a music writer for the los angeles times who saw houston days before she die and "access hollywood"'s shawn robinson had the last interview with houston. >> good morning. >> take me back. you're at the hotel for a press event. you ran into houston. describe her behavior for me. >> you know, she was very -- almost kind of frantic. there was a bit of erraticness

in her behavior, you know, when i had the first time to interact with her outside in the lobby. she was wandering around aimlessly, almost like a child. she seemed lost. she asked me if rehearsals were done. i said, yes. she walked right back in. that was the first interaction i had. but as the day went on, you know, you got more p glimpses of her and you got another taste of the fact that something was off that day. >> i was reading something you said over the last day. she came up and asked you about rehearsal. you said immediately you could smell sig ises acigarettes and >> it was the second time i saw her actually. she walked by after rehearsals were done. the girls were interviewing with clive. she walked by me and other reporters. that was the moment you could smell she'd obviously been smoking a lot and had a couple of drinks obviously in her system. >> grammy organizers were reacting to this how? >> there was a little bit of

worry, concern that the reporters that were there, they would be, you know, kind of jumping onto reporting on this. none of us did. we respected the fact that she was there, very low key. yet she probably was under the influence, but she was not there for attention. she was there to help brandy and monica. so we left it at that. it was a conversation a lot of us had. i think some of the on-camera footage you can see because she was disruptive to some of the interviews. >> shawn, over the years, especially the last two or three years it seemed on several occasions we got word that she was cleaning up her act a. >> right. >> that she was getting it together, making a comeback. i know you interviewed her back in november. actually you thought this could be true. there could be truth in advertising. >> absolutely, matt. i had the last one-on-one interview with whitney houston.

it was set up by my friend who was whitney houston's long-time producing partner. all of the other interviews whitney was paired with other people because they wanted to respect her privacy and deflect questions about her personal life. >> what was her behavior like during your interview? >> you could not tell me that this was a woman who was going to be dead in some 13 weeks. she looked healthy. she sounded fantastic. she came into the room, my parents were there, she chatted with them, complimented me on my shoes that i had on. she seemed very happy and in a really good place. she was coming to work every day on the set of "sparkle." everyone on the set looked at her as a mentor. she gave advice to jordin sparks and some of the other actors on set. she was in tip-top form. matt, when i looked in her eyes i said, this is the time that whitney houston is going to come back. this is it.

we have all seen stories about this is whitney's comeback and she never looked as put together as she did when i interviewed her in november. to think i was looking at a woman who just in a few months was going to no longer be here, i am still in shock about it. >> shawn, you were at the grammys last night. your reaction to the feeling in the room? >> it was somber but a celebratory room. as l.l. cool j. and alicia keys said this is the time to celebrate her life and what she meant to us because she wrote the soundtrack for many of our lives. we have lost someone obviously close to our hearts. >> shawn robinson and investigator kennedy, thank you very much. i appreciate it. ten minutes after the hour. here's ann. matt, thank you. we are joined now by darlene love. she knew houston since she was 8 years old. she was a close family friend. good morning. our deepest condolences. so sorry.

>> thank you. >> what do you want to say about whitney houston, this little girl you knew? >> i have to go back to when she was a little girl, 8 yeefars ol my memories of her and how much i cared for her. i was pregnant at the time and i was working with dion, cissy. i said where am i going to sleep and nippy said, you sleep in my room. >> that was her nickname? >> yes. she would run to a store on the corner. she would run to get me fruit. >> you say it was like having somebody punch you in the gut. >> yeah. it was amazing. i worked a club in new jersey saturday. we were just talking and the people at the next table we had been laughing with all night because they were carrying on. we said, what's going on with

you all? they were celebrating birthdays, three ladies. we overheard them talking about whitney. so my girlfriend went, oh, now you're talking about whitney. they said, no, no, no, we heard she died. it was like -- what? what did you say? no, no, no. there must be a mistake. after that we really found out and i did have to excuse myself from the table because i didn't want -- the people at the next table didn't know who i was. we were just another group of people having dinner. but the people i was having dinner with know my relationship with the whole family, dionne, cissy and nippy. i excused myself and my husband took me back to the hotel. >> you haven't been able to reach her mother or dionne. >> i know dionne is in london. >> what about bobbi kristina.

>> i don't know her that well. my kids grew up with whitney. >> what information might you know to explain why whitney houston has died so young at 48 years old? >> that's a tough one for me. because i never thought i would be sitting somewhere talking about her not being here. because she had so much life. even going through all the things she was going through, she loved life. one of her favorite songs. she could be introducing her mother for an award and she would start singing a cappella, "yes, jesus loves me." she wanted to be here. she wanted to be a light. now that the light has been taken out -- >> if you find out drugs played a part in her death, will that add to the devastation for you

and for cissy, her mother? >> yes. cissy and i pray for nippy all the time and hope for the best. because we know when you go down that trail, that's a trail that you don't really want to take. sometimes you can't come back from it. >> you know, it looks as though from her last television interview that whitney was looking better. she was sounding better. what do you know about this comeback she was trying to make? >> every time i would talk to cissy and say, how is nip? she'd say, she's coming along. her voice is coming back. she loved life too much. >> yeah. >> she really did. i never thought i would be sitting here talking about my baby. i really think about her. the fun i had with her when she was a kid. just growing up. long before she became whitney

houston, the superstar. even if i didn't have this relationship with her and her family, because i know great singers, but she's the greatest voice i have ever heard in my life. >> a lot of people agree with you. darlene love, i'm sorry that we're sitting here talking about this this morning. >> thank you. >> good luck. give her family all our hugs as well. thank you. now a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from natalie morales at the news desk. hey, natalie. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. violent protests are sweeping across greece as that country's parliament passed an austerity bill needed to keep the country in the eurozone and out of bankruptcy. stephanie gosk is in athens this morning with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. the greek prime minister says this country is a breath away from ground zero, bankruptcy as early as next month if they don't get this $170 billion

rescue package from the e.u. and the imf. to get it they had to pass another round of painful budget cuts. the response on the streets of athens was dramatic and destructive. while a majority of parliament approved the measure the center of town went up in flames. tens of thousands protested. the most violent taking on riot police with rocks and fire bombs. officers drove them back with stun guns and an endless barrage of teargas. dozens of buildings were torched including two historic theaters and businesses were looted. after five years of recession, higher taxes and more than 21% unemployment, the newest austerity measures are a bitter pill. minimum wage will drop by a fifth and 150,000 government jobs will be cut by 2015. without these steps the country will default on loans and likely

pull out of the eurozone. >> i believe the only stability for greece is for us to remain within the euro area. this means we have to make a lot of sacrifices. >> reporter: in the after math of last night's riot, a sense of hopelessness seems to be creeping in. >> if you are angry inside, what can you do. >> reporter: with no end in sight to the economic pain, the anger is growing. >> the eurozone finance ministers meet wednesday to approve this rescue package. this is only a short-term solution. at some point this country has to figure out how to grow its economy again. natalie? >> stephanie gosk in athens, thank you. president obama is sending a new budget to congress in a bid to reduce the deficit by some $4 trillion over the next decade. the spending blueprint outlines plans to cut spending and raise taxes on wealthy americans.

pakistan's prime minister is on trial for contempt. the supreme court in islamabad charged him with defying an order to open a corruption case against the president. galani pleaded not guilty. political turmoil complicated relations with the u.s. as you know, gas prices are on the rise again jumping by nearly 12 cents in the past three weeks according to the latest survey. now to wall street and mary thompson at the new york stock exchange for us. good morning. >> good morning. after a down week on wall street last week investors looking at this week's economic and earnings reports to provide direction to trading. the numbers will include figures on retail sales and consumer prices as well as earnings from general motors and avon products. this year love and money is in the area on valentine's day. the national retail federation saying on average americans will

spend $126.03 each, the most they have spent on valentine's day in a decade. back to you. >> thanks for the reminder. the grammys began on a somber note in memory of whitney houston but it was a night of recognition for british soul singer adele who spent the show. she was nominated for six grammys and won every one of them including album of the year. the evening was her first live performance since undergoing vocal surgery. other performances included katy perry, nicki minaj and three members of the beach boys reuniting to perform with maroon 5. good performances all around last night. now back to matt, ann and al. >> and the boss kicked off the show last night. that was good. >> very good. >> he did. i liked bruno mars and rihanna. they were fun. >> it was a good night. >> a good night for the young

people! >> not so young people, too. mr. roker, what's going on? >> we have a big system in the mid section of the country causing a mix of precipitation from snow to the north. an izcy mix in the mid-mississippi river valley. you can see the system pushing through today into tomorrow bringing with it snow from chicago to detroit on into the western great lakes. you can see rain down to the south. we are looking generally at snowfall from one to three inches. some local areas may pick up up to six between minneapolis and chicago. >> good morning. things are settling down today. still a little chilly this morning but the weather should be quiet.

and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you. just ahead, much more on the life and legacy of whitney houston. first, more of jennifer hudson's touching tribute to her idol during last night's grammy awards. ♪ and i will always love you >> this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, how much will the new mortgage deal really help if you're under water on your home? we'll have answers. >> plus this morning more of academy award winner reese witherspoon. she's trying something different in her new movie.

it's an action-adventure. she tells us all about it after your local news. ♪ the wind is blowin' ♪ but i can weather the storm ♪ what do i care how much it may storm? ♪ ♪ ♪ i've got my love to keep me warm ♪ it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am at stan stovall. the murder trial of george huguely will continue later this morning. he is accused of murdering cockeysville native yeardley love at her off-campus apartment near the university of virginia campus two years ago.

he went over to her apartment to talk things over and says that when he arrived, love got offensive and started hitting her own head against the wall. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> we are looking at heavy delays on southbound 83 approaching not carmel. delays stretch right back to around york road. you may want to take york road as your alternate. there is a brush fire coming in to us. eastbound and the to and telegraph road, watch for a crash. overturned vehicle just past 50. live view of traffic. delays also on the west side.

83 and york road, just a mess. tony come over to you. >> we have a lot of sunshine. not as windy as it was yesterday. 23 in westminster, 21 in jarrettsville. it might turn a little breezy this afternoon. winds won't be as strong as yesterday. 30% chance for a couple of rain showers tomorrow evening. for valentine's day, not a big deal

7:30 now on this monday morning. it's the 13th of february, 2012. lots of hats and scarves in the crowd this morning. it's cold but sunny in rockefeller plaza. that's the good news. around 30 degrees, i understand. we're going to get outside soon. inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. coming up, more about whitney houston. what a talent. >> immense talent. incredible voice. she told more than 170 million albums worldwide. i think she was fourth on the all-time list of biggest female recording artists. as we know she also balted

addiction. coming up, a closer look at houston's life off stage. >> we'll have a live interview with the woman who sang with her just last week in what would have been -- what would be her last public appearance. >> later on we'll lighten up with academy award winner reese witherspoon here to tell us about her new movie. this one's called "this means war." we begin with more on whitney houston's troubled final year. miguel almaguer is in beverly hills. good morning. >> reporter: we still don't know what caused houston's life to come to an end here at the beverly hilton hotel. like so many superstars she had troubles in her life. she may have looked and sung like one but as far back as 1993 whitney houston was quoted saying "i'm nobody's angel." her image changed when she

married bad boy bobby brown in 1992. >> you started seeing the scandal and drama. you would in somewhat distant horror watch and say, please let this stop, let this recover. >> reporter: houston became fodder for the tabloids. there were missed shows, drugs in her luggage, public meltdowns. in 1996 after the release of "the preacher's wife" houston admitted to using drugs every day for a year or two. in 2002 told abc's diane sawyer she had limits. >> first of all, let's get one thing straight. crack is cheap. i make too much money to ever smoke crack. crack is whack. >> reporter: the next year houston had bruises and a cut lip after a fight with her husband. she later called the incident a misunderstanding. then came the reality show "being bobby brown," an up front

raw look into the couple's chaotic life. >> [ bleep ] you started it. >> reporter: brown addressed his wife's troubles in this interview with matt. >> it's a struggle. we are addictive personalities. >> reporter: they divorced in 2007 after 15 years of marriage. in 2009 houston appeared on oprah, again admitting to drug use. >> what was your drug of choice? >> cocaine. marijuana. that's it. >> reporter: also claiming to be finally drug-free, poised to launch a comeback album. her "nothing but love" tour didn't go well. houston's legendary voice no longer up to the challenge of performing live. a comeback that fell short. a star who had shown brightly on stage but stumbled so often in life. >> reporter: houston has been dubbed the queen of pain because of her struggles in her life.

despite mistakes she always owned up to them and will be remembered as one of the most legendary performers that ever lived. ann? >> miguel almaguer, thank you so much. kate coin is people's managing editor and gail saltz joins us. good morning to you both. what has been happening with whitney houston's life in recent years? we all heard so much about the difficulties she was going through in the early years of 2000. 2002. what has been happening since her divorce from her husband? >> it's been an ongoing struggle for her. the comeback everyone hoped for with whitney, the return to the mid '80s, early '90s whitney houston never materialized, even after the divorce to bobby brown. there was a hope that now that she was free from that troubled marriage she would somehow return to fine form.

it never happened. >> her voice, there was a sense, had been damaged. >> her voice was not what it once was. it never fully returned to where it had been. in the interview she gave in 2002 and in 2010 it wasn't there. she couldn't hit notes she used to hit. even "million dollar bill" you could tell the notes were brought down to a lower register to accommodate what she was capable of. >> was there a sense that she was cleaning up her act, not using the drugs and alcohol she inferred in previous interviewed she had used. >> it was never completely clear. if you look at whitney's 2002 interview, most notably, she would never declare herself completely free of everything. it was, i like to party, but i'm going to be all right. there was never a full embracing of complete and total sobriety. >> let's talk about it in terms of the psychological part. gail, on top of everything else

she was trying to apparently achieve some degree of sobriety while under the public eye. is there a complicating factor there? >> there isn't some degree of sobriety. if you have had an addiction it's a lifelong illness. you need to be sober. so if you have had a serious drug problem, the idea that you are going to be drinking is not a good idea. it makes you susceptible to returning to drugs. if you were using any drugs including prescription medications which frankly are the most commonly abused medications at this point, that's the same thing. just because it's not illicit, crack, meth doesn't mean it's not substantial dangerous drug use. >> we'll talk about the possibility of what may have happened in the final hours. she's a 48-year-old woman. >> right. >> way too young. >> not that 48-year-old women don't have strokes or heart attacks, but it is unusual. if you had a long history of drug abuse, even if you weren't

using much at the time it makes your body more susceptible to other things and something else could have happened. however, if you're drinking, using something like xanax which is a benzodiazapime, it is a sedative. it stops your breathing. if you combine it with alcohol that's an additive effect. we have seen it. sadly i have sad here for the heath ledger situation, for anna nicole smith. people aren't understanding that a combination of drugs like something a doctor may have gave you, and alcohol combined have an additive effect and can stop your breathing. >> let's talk about the legacy. in your role at people magazine you have a sense of what whitney houston has meant to music. how would you put it? >> there would be no christina,

no jennifer hudson. there would be a number of stars that would not be there if not for the trail whitney houston blazed. she brought a gospel sound with the masses, blended it with pop in a way no one had ever seen. she was a living legend, long before this tragedy happened. she meant something to music that cannot be replaced. >> which is why so many people are mourning her today. kate coin and gail saltz, thanks for joining us. now for a check of the weather from al. >> we have legends back here, smoky the bear and mcgruff the crime dog. what's going on? >> it's ad council's 70th anniversary. we have mcgruff and smoky the bear. >> you can visit us on our facebook page. >> that's disturbing. >> matt lauer.

>> that one, not so much. that one's disturbing. let's look at the week ahead. below normal temperatures in the southeast. snow in the ohio river valley. above normal in the plains. by the mid-week warmer weather moves east. below normal temperatures out west with wet weather by thursday. the latter part of the week, snow in the northeast and new england. wet weather on the gulf. much of the country normal >> good morning.ormal in the the weather will stay nice and quiet going into the afternoon. it could be little breezy today.

don't forget. get your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> thank you, al. just ahead, if you're struggling to afford your home, how much help will you get from the new mortgage settlement deal? we'll have some answers right after this. three. wo. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. -it's as easy as...1. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. new chicken mcbites from mcdonald's. juicy, poppable, premium chicken breast with homestyle seasoning. but they're only here for a limited time. the simple joy of really big fun. ♪

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back now at 7:43 with positivable relief if you're struggling to pay your mortgage. five of the biggest banks agreed to a landmark deal with 49 states to help homeowners hit hard by the burst of the housing bubble. what does it mean for you? jean chatzky is here with answers. good morning. >> good morning. >> before we get to who might be helped by the deal, what's behind it? >> this is a year-long investigation into foreclosure practices, fraudulent practices. the states attorneys general, the federal government and all of the states got together. this is the result. >> $25 billion? >> yes.

$25 billion for the customers of five banks. citi, allied, bank of america, chase and wells fargo. you have to have a mortgage owned by one of those banks. >> who will get to take advantage of this? >> there are three groups of people. $17 billion there for people who are under water and at risk of foreclosure which generally means you are not paying on your mortgage. $3 billion for people who are current on loans but are under water to help them refinance their mortgages and there is $1.5 billion for people who have been foreclosed upon already. those people are looking at settlements of about $1,500 to $2,000 each. >> that doesn't seem like a lot. that's all you get? >> well, you have the ability to go ahead and sue. it stakes resources. >> how do people take advantage of the programs? >> what the banks are saying is six to nine months down the road, and it will take them a

while to put all the pieces into place, we'll contact you. if that's not good enough for you, if you go to nationalmortgagesettlement.com which is a website set up for the program, you will find links to the individual banks and toll-free numbers. >> that's terrific to do just to get smart -- >> just to figure out who ounce your loan. the down side of this is people who have loans with fannie mae and freddie mac which is 60% to 70% of all loans won't see relief. >> you say the option to them is a short sell. >> the banks are not only allowing more short sales now, but they are providing incentives to get you out of your home. we are hearing about incentives of $30,000, $35,000 to move. >> what we are talking about is selling your house for basically less than it's worth. >> less than you owe on the loan and the bank will, in some cases, write you a check to move for a fresh start.

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ask me what it's like to get a massage anytime you want. goes down. [ male announcer ] tempurpedic brand owners are more satisfied than owners of any traditional mattress brand. ergonomics. [ male announcer ] tempurpedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. it's the perfect time to save up to $200 on your own ergo. find out more at tempurpedic.com. during her career, whitney houston sold over 170 million albums worldwide. it's not surprising that her untimely death left her many fans shocked and saddened. mike taibbi has more on the world's reaction to this loss. mike, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. for the most part those commenting publically aren't fixated on whitney houston's long decline or speculation about how exactly she died. they're talking about her legacy, the once in a lifetime voice that's now been silenced. ♪ i will always love you

>> reporter: it's the one song even the most casual whitney houston fan can sing along to. "i will always love you," written by dolly parton and the center piece of houston's sound track for her debut movie "the bodyguard kwchlts bodyguard." in dubai, the fountains were synch ro niezed to the song. and one fan was moved to tears before singing his rendition of the song. actress viola davis said she has every one of houston's songs on her ipod. >> they all mean something special to me. even the star-spangled banner. >> reporter: not the words but by whitney houston's voice. that voice made a pop version of her anthem sung before the super bowl. the voice of such range and purity she could hold an emotion

and make you believe it. ♪ if tomorrow is judgment day >> there was no one before her and no one that came after. she had a unique sound, a true gift. >> reporter: a gift and gifted woman mourned in the social network universe. from rihanna, no words, just tears. queen latifah, oh, dear lord, hurting so bad. my sister whitney. from barbra streisand, how sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us. whitney was tormented for years by the demons of addiction. but she left behind a gift that was timeless, even if she was not. oprah's reaction, to me, whitney was the voice. we got to hear a part of god every time she sang. ♪ learning to love yourself ♪ is the greatest love of all >> amazing voice. clive davis who discovered

whitney in 1983 said at the release of the last of her seven albums in 2009 her goal was to perform in such a way that others would sing them ten years, 50 years from today or more. well, that's exactly what she did. matt? >> all right. mike taibbi in los angeles this morning, thank you very much. years ago i got to watch her sing, do a concert for returning troops from the first gulf war. it was a packed airplane hangar basically. she got up on stage and i have never seen anyone with that kind of vocal power and so much charisma on stage. she completely wowed the audience. >> i had a similar experience at a charity event. the hair on my neck stood up. she's so wonderful. we have a lot more coming up. we're back after your local news. losing weight clicked for us when we realized

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11.

>> i think we are having some mic issues. traffic was busy, but the weather is quiet. 21 degrees in jarrettsville. mostly sunny skies. it is going to be chilly, but not as cold as it was over the weekend. winds were gusting over 40 miles per hour on sunday. nothing like on sunday. average high is 44. slightly below average. seven-day forecast taking us into next weekend. there is a 30% chance we will run into rainshowers update and a day and tomorrow evening. we will see a better chance for rain thursday in the afternoon.

a lot of the computer models are developing a coastal storm on sunda. the weather will stay fairly quiet the next couple of days. it will turn more

we're back now. 8:00 on a monday morning. it's the 13th day of february 2012. you know what it feels like? 31 degrees. probably feels like a lot colder than that. we have a nice crowd of people on the plaza. thanks to them for stopping by. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. do you know what? we have an oscar winner in the house. >> we have reese witherspoon here in a new movie called "this means war." get this, it's a blend of an action, are manslaughter --

romance and comedy. we're excited to have her in the house and talking to us about the new movie. >> on a different note, more on the death of whitney houston. she gave what would be her final performance on thursday night taking the stage with singer kelly clark. we'll talk to kelly about the night, get the thoughts of tommy matola as well. >> before we go further, natalie is at the news desk. she has the other headlines of the morning. natalie, good morning. >> good morning again. the shock over singer whitney houston's sudden death has given way to the investigation into what killed her. an autopsy has been completed but results won't be released until toxicology results are in. the six-time grammy award winner was found saturday afternoon in a bathtub at the beverly hilton hotel. there were no obvious signs of trauma or foul play. whitney houston was 48 years old. israel's foreign ministry

said the foreign diplomats in georgia were targeted by car bombs this morning. at least two people were wounded in an attack near the israeli embassy in new delhi. a similar attack against a vehicle in georgia's capitol was thwarted. now to presidential politics and a big weekend for mitt romney. he won both the maine caucuses and a key straw poll of conservative leaders. peter alexander is in washington, d.c. with more. good morning. >> good morning to you. mitt romney regained momentum this weekend, but rick santorum is now on the attack suggesting the romney campaign filled the room of the conservative straw poll event with supporters and calling romney's criticisms desperate. more than two weeks before the next show downs in arizona and michigan. rick santorum insists the battle for the republican nomination is now between him and mitt romney. >> i feel very good that this is a two-person race right now. >> reporter: santorum who lost a straw poll of conservative

activists at the cpac event this weekend on sunday suggested romney's staff rigged the vote by buying tickets for supporters. >> well, you have to talk to the romney campaign and how many tickets they buy. we have heard things. >> reporter: a romney spokesperson said, rick santorum has a history of making statements that aren't grounded in the truth. for his part, romney who took sunday off at his home in southern california is playing up his first place finish in the straw poll and his narrow victory in the maine caucuses, drawing a sharp contrast with his opponents. >> i didn't spend my life in washington. i have never had a job in washington. i look forward to going there and fixing washington and then when i'm done, i will come home. >> reporter: meanwhile, sarah palin is back. >> hope and change? yeah. you've got to hope things change. >> reporter: after firing up the party's base at cpac, on sunday palin called romney a great candidate but questioned his

conservative credentials. >> i don't think the majority of gop and independent voters are convinced. that's why you don't see romney get over that hump. >> reporter: strategists for both romney and santorum tell me it will be a bat of over contrast. romney's advisers touting him as a washington outsider versus santorum, a former senator. santorum's team hoping to capitalize on his blue collar background versus romney's years at bain capitol. >> now a look at what's trending. the isolated vocal track from whitney houston's "how will i know" is going viral as fans recall her perfect voice. ♪ how will i know ♪ how will i know >> well, that single reached number one 26 years ago this

week. british singer adele is buzzing across the blogs after sweeping six grammy categories including album of the year for "21" shh she said in her acceptance speech was born out of a rubbish relationship. she also took to the stage to belt out "rolling in the deep." it was her first live performance since vocal surgery last year. sounds amazing. and entries in ellen's dance challenge are hitting youtube. ellen dared people to dance behind complete strangers and they responded only as ellen fans can. got to love it. it's great. poor guy on the phone. what's going on? let's go outside to al. >> not going to see me doing that. this poor young lady. where are you from? >> north dakota. >> and you're cold? >> yes! >> exp expecting things to warm up here? >> uh-huh! >> it will warm up later today.

let's see what we've got for you. our pick city today, shovel off to buffalo. nbc 2 news on your side. partly cloudy, breezy and cold. kevin o'connell there, our weather guy. we love kevin o.c. icy conditions in the mid mississippi river valley. snow to the north. wet weather along the coast in california with windy conditions. light snow through the central great lakes and also the eastern great lakes. plenty of sunshine along the coast. westminster dog show coming up at madison square garden. very nice. ranger! >> good morning. things are settling down today. still a little chilly this morning but the weather should be quiet.

>> that's your latest weather. it's your anniversary? >> my seventh anniversary. >> where is your husband? >> over there. >> that's how they stay happily married. congratulations. happy anniversary. ann? >> coming up next, more of the tributes to whitney houston at the grammy awards last night. also we'll talk to the last person to sing with her coming up after this. you are? see the egg. uh huh. ♪ 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!

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you squashed my willpower like a fly. you looked so innocent and so sweet. convinced my lips that we should meet. you were a relentless flirt. oh no we had indecent dessert. twinkle twinkle hope appears. a stevia leaf erased my fears. it made my willpower a super hero. as for calories, it has zero. twinkle twinkle truvia® star natural sweetness, i love just what you are. truvia. honestly sweet. back now at 8:10 with the biggest names in music paying tribute to whitney houston during last night's grammy awards. her death cast a shadow over the event. kristin dahlgren joining us from los angeles. >> reporter: the grammys are why

whitney houston was in los angeles and many shill stil in shock paid tribute. ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: from the start there was no ignoring the magnitude of the loss. >> we have had a death in our family. >> reporter: the audience, full of music royalty bowed their heads and joined in prayer. >> although she is gone too soon we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit. >> reporter: on a stage houston graced many times throughout the years as she picked up six grammys of her own -- ♪ i will always love you ♪ >> reporter: the stars honored houston. >> i just want to say to whitney up in heaven, we all love you, whitney houston. [ applause ] >> reporter: the highlight, a moving rendition from jennifer hudson who was awarded her first grammy by whitney houston and considered the star her longtime idol.

♪ please don't cry >> jennifer delivered a really controlled performance. it was personal and yet it was big and we see who jennifer is. we also see who whitney houston was. >> reporter: tears weren't far from the surface, but from the moment the stars arrived there seemed to be an effort to celebrate houston's life instead of mourning her death. there were still reasons to celebrate. ♪ we could have had it all ♪ rolling in the deep >> reporter: adele returned to the stage after vocal chord surgery. but there was no denying the night was about whitney. the 48-year-old music legend who will never take the grammy stage again. >> tonight we celebrate music! tonight we celebrate the beautiful ms. whitney houston. >> reporter: but can never be

far from the countless musicians she inspired. ♪ [ applause ] >> reporter: friends say grammy weekend was always whitney houston's favorite and that the artist would have wanted the show to go on. >> kristen, thank you. tommy matola is a top music industry executive. singer kelly price performed on thursday night when whitney houston jumped on stage to sing with her. it was houston's final performance. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> kelly, darlene love said "yes, jesus loves me" was one of whitney's favorite songs. when she started to sing it on stage with you, it must have been an emotional moment. >> it was one of her favorite songs. everyone remembers that she sang it in "the bodyguard," but it was one of her personal favorite

songs. it was a song that took her back to childhood and her beginnings in church. >> you spent so much time watching her talent and watching her star rise over the years. as you watched her that night, kelly, and the condition she was in -- and i don't mean it in a derogatory fashion -- what were your impressions? >> well, my impression was she was there. she was happy. she was celebrating. it was a pre-grammy celebration and a party themed for r & b music. i saw nothing other than someone who was happy, moving forward, having a good time. her daughter was there with her. she was dancing, smiling, singing, talking about the new movie coming out. there was no condition i noticed other than one of celebration and one of ready to have a good time. we were supposed to meet up again at clive davis's party on saturday and she would have been here for the grammys yesterday. >> tommy, obviously there has

been so much talk over the years of a comeback, getting her act together, getting it all back together. how much pressure do you think it put on her? >> it's incredible pressure. physically, emotionally, in every respect. really reconditioning her instrument, her voice, getting it into topnotch form. the pressure of wanting to sound as good as she always did. it's just an overwhelming amount of pressure. >> as someone with an ear who obviously knows these types of things, could she have gotten the music, the instrument back to where it needed to be? >> the instrument -- the voice is a very delicate instrument. you need to protect it and take care of it at all times. but you can look at people like an 87-year-old man, tony bennett whose instrument is as good as it was when he was 20 years old. obviously he's taken care of himself for a long time. >> who would you compare her to

in terms of level of talent over the years? >> there are some people who achieve stratosphere success. basharbra streisand with "peopl celine dion with "titanic," but "i will always love you" broke all barriers. >> we lost michael jackson, amy winehouse and now whitney houston. different people, different stories. is there a common thread? >> only that some people can with stand all of the pressure and media blitz that comes with it. some people have an adverse effect in their lives and how it really allows them to perform or not perform. >> kelly, let me come back to you. as you try to sum up what she meant to you as a performer, what you took away from her career, how would you describe

it? >> i took away a lot of lessons. in our personal time together whitney spent a lot of time talking to me about the rough side of the business and how it can adversely affect you if you are not someone with a really good strong foundation. she advised that i always maintain a strong sense of family because when the day was done, when the lights went out i would need to go home and depend on my family to keep me sane and functioning in a world where there is just a lot of make believe. if you fall into it and believe the hype and that's all you have, it will be all you have. when that goes away, everything is gone. >> kelly price, thank you. tommy, always good to see you as well. we thank you for your thoughts. up next, academy award winner reese witherspoon opens up about her new movie right after this. [ male announcer ] why do we grow quaker oats? because there are mountains to climb. ♪

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she's starring in her very first action film, if you can believe it. it's called "this means war." she has not one but two men vying for her attention. what she does not know is that they are cia agents who can watch her every move as she talks about them with her best friend played by chelsea handler. take a look. >> is there anything bad about them? >> let me think. flaws. fdr has tiny girl hands. like little t-rex hands. [ laughter ] >> and tuck is british. >> ew. >> what's that supposed to mean? >> so they're even. i need you to get into decision-making mode. >> i'm giving myself a finite amount of time to make the decision. one week i have. >> one week. >> talk about a love triangle. reese witherspoon, good morning. it's great to have you here. when they offered you a role to be the romantic interest for

chris hines and thomas hardy, how long did it take you to say yes? >> about maybe a minute. maybe a minute. i read the script. i thought it was so charming and joyful. it's a comedy, too. it has great action elements but the idea of this woman stuck between two secret agents and she has no idea that they are best friends and secret agents, it was a fun premise. >> she's also incredibly powerful and secure as a career woman. yet she's completely indecisive in matters of love. >> i think a lot of women can relate to the idea of having your life together but your romantic life is a mess. we played on that. the idea that she's a consumer tester and she's super decisive in her business, but she just cannot decide between the two guys. >> so that's the reason we see chelsea handler. that's where she comes in. she comes in with crazy advice. i get the impression you had a lot of fun behind the scenes, the two of you working together. >> chelsea and i laughed all the

time. i'm a big fan of her show. i read her books and i thought they were funny. it's not anything like my personality. so that's why it's funny. we're this unlikely match. but we got along. she makes up everything off the top of her head. >> so a lot of it is ad libbed. >> she said it herself. i don't read the script. we'd tell her the scene and she would make up stuff. every man, woman in the whole room was dying laughing. >> i heard they cut a lot out, but what they kept was hilarious. >> she says so much crazy stuff. it will be an insane dvd. >> oh, hey now! >> yeah. >> on top of everything else the action part is that both tom and chris's characters are trying to stay alive on top of everything else. >> right. >> they are being chased by a crazy guy trying to kill them. this is your first action film. you're running. you've got a gun.

things are exploding around you. >> yeah. it was crazy. the comedy elements are there so i felt safe in that part of it. sometimes it was like the bad guys would be chasing us and i was like, this is ridiculous! >> would you do it again? >> do you like action films? >> i had so much fun. the director was a joy to be around. we had so much fun running around and pretending we were action stars. >> you said this is your first action. interesting to hear what tom said. both said nice things about working with you. but they actually said -- tom said working with you was like taking a master class in the comedy genre. >> oh, that's very sweet. i have learned from many people throughout the years. you know, from vince vaughn to owen wilson and paul rudd. i have had a lot of experience working with comedians. hopefully i can pass along with they teach me. oh, and chelsea handler as well.

i learned things i will try to forget. >> what was it like working with them? >> chris pine is just wonderful. smart and charming and tom hardy is rough and tumble. there's something for every girl in this movie. >> the director of the movie said about you, it's a new look at reese witherspoon. she's occupying a more overtly sexual space. the intelligent, empowered bombshell. how do you feel about that, reese? >> well, you know. embarrassed. but it's a sexier part for me. it's exciting to grow up a little bit. >> you definitely do. it's just in time for valentine's day. we love you, reese. good luck. the movie is called "this means war" and it opens friday. we're back after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> still dealing with delays, but improvement on southbound 83. delays filtering out through the area were we had an accident approaching mount carmel. that is now clear. greene wrote in baldwin, we have an accident coming in. old fallston road, avoid a crash at there. you can see the delays around area. 14 miles per hour on the west

side. further south and west on 100 and ritchie highway, another accident. filtering out on northbound 97 after an earlier accident bit gone, all lanes are open. let's give you a quick live look at traffic. delays on the west side. sun glare contributing to that. york road, 83, looking a lot better. still some delays close to mount carmel. tony has a check on your forecast. >> we had active stuff over the weekend. lot of sunshine out there right now. 25 at the airport, 26 in catonsville. forecast for today, mostly sunny skies. high temperatures range between 40 and 45. we might turn breezy later on this afternoon.

30% chance for rain tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. if you are going out for valentines, it does not look like a big deal there. >> we will have another update at 8:55. hi. welcome to carmax.

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8:30 now on this monday morning, the 13th of february 2012. the start of another work week. these folks look like they have stretched out another day to their weekend. congratulations and good morning to them. we are excited to be outside with them. even though it's warming up a little bit, the gang's all here and we have a very remarkable

couple. their names are kim and -- carpenter. years ago they were in a car accident and she lost her short-term memory. she forgot who her husband was. this became a real challenge for him because he realized when the woman he had fallen in love with didn't know who he was. there is a new movie out about their love called "the vow." it was a number one box office hit this weekend. we'll talk to them about the real story about what happened to them. >> we'll look forward to that. and katharine mcphee is here. most people realize she burst on the scene on "american idol." now she's one of the stars of the new nbc show "smash." it tells the story of a broadway musical in the making. she will be here talking about that role. >> she's so talented and beautiful. >> absolutely. coming up, how to be a better

cook. >> our teacher, none other than noted new orleans chef john besh. he'll share some of his favorite mardi gras recipes. upstairs smells like one big vat of fried chicken. it is so good! >> he also has a chicken that's a little bit not fried, too. >> an oven fried chicken. >> what's the point? it's fried chicken! >> that would make a lovely valentine's perfume. eua de fried chicken. >> ew! >> coming up, a check of the weather. >> i have a lovely bacon k cologne, too. wet weather in the pacific northwest. snow in the rockies. icy mid mississippi river valley with snow in the northern parts. lake effect snow as well. tomorrow, wet along the southeastern atlantic coast. light snow around the central great lakes. rain by the afternoon along the pacific northwest coast. snowshowers in the southwest. >> good morning.

the weather will stay nice and quiet going into the afternoon. it could be little breezy today. that's your latest weather. we want to remind you. you can get your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable, weather.com online. >> when we come back, the real life couple that inspired "the vow." they will tell us their story. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:35 with the

real life story behind "the vow," this weekend's number one movie at the box office. it's based on the lives of kim and cricket carpenter who were newlyweds when a car accident left cricket without her short-term memory. we'll talk to them in a moment. first their story from nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> i promise to provide for and protect you through times of challenge and need. >> reporter: vows meant to last a lifetime. for kim and cricket carpenter, pushed to the limit. just two months after their wedding while driving to see cricket's parents for thanksgiving, a gruesome accident changed everything. >> i heard "watch out" and the most blood curdling scream. i heard cricket just gasp. i thought it was the last breath of air she could get. the doctors told me she was way beyond medical help. >> reporter: cricket survived but had a serious brain injury. >> they asked who her husband was. she said, i'm not married. >> reporter: she had no

recollection of even meeting kim. >> i wanted my wife back. i became obsessed with putting pictures before we were married, our engagement picture up everywhere. she couldn't even sit down in the bathroom without seeing a picture. >> reporter: nothing worked. then a therapist suggested they fall in love again. ann talked to the couple in 1997. >> you dated? movies? >> yeah. go to the show, eat pizza. >> flowers? >> yep. >> he gave you flowers? >> she fell in love with me, not once but twice. >> reporter: kim and cricket remarried. >> i need you, kimmer and i love you. >> reporter: two kids, four dogs and 18 years have now passed since cricket's injury. she still hasn't regained her memory. but that doesn't seem to matter. for so long it was that accident that defined their lives. these days the carpenters say this is what life is about -- family. now hollywood has handed them a

new role. ♪ >> reporter: last week the carpenters were honored at the premiere of their life story, hollywood-style. "the vow," a movie i spired by the lives of kim and cricket starring channing tatum and rachel mcadam. >> it's like a new wedding for us. >> reporter: as excited as they are about the movie they say they are more excited about what got them there. >> that's what we want to be known for, doing what we said we were going to do. >> reporter: do you love her more today? >> more than ever. we have really won the battle. >> reporter: from storybook beginning to a hollywood ending. >> i promise never to forget that this is a once in a life tile love. >> reporter: a vow unbroken. >> only one thing can surpass forever the painful events that we have felt and that is the love i have for you.

i'm truly honored to be your husband. >> reporter: for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, farmington, new mexico. >> the carpenters are now joining us. they share their story in a book called "the vow." good to see you. >> great to see you again. >> the movie is number one at the box office. >> amen, yeah! >> you just got the news on your blackberry. >> we have been talking to producers and presidents of studios. they have been so excited to call us. we have been having a great time over the weekend. watched friday, saturday and last night. >> the you believe the greatest adversity in your life, where it's taken you? >> it's amazing. we are truly blessed. going from where i was given less than half a percent chance to survive and if i did i would be a vegetable. you know, the lord is a great physician. >> channing tatum is your -- >> yeah.

channing's the man. >> he said something about you. >> you know what? he told the editor of the paper -- and i was honored and touched. he said, you know, kim is one of the greatest guys i have ever known. i love the guy, what he stands for. quite an honor for a box office hero to be saying that. we had a great relationship with him. we did. spent good time with rachel and channing. just the chemistry they portrayed and the way they studied us was a really neat thing. >> you know, the real story, i think -- i saw the movie and it's fantastic. the real story is even better. not only did you not remember him, and he didn't give up you, he took you out again. he asked you out. why didn't you give up? >> you know, we live in a society where vows are constantly broken.

40 years ago "'til death do us part" meant the death of a soul mate. today it's the death of marriage is accepted. there are so many things we can talk about and such a long conversation we could have. the real thing is that two very faithful sets of parents that took great care of us over a hundred anniversaries between our parents together. accompany that with our faith. you know, that's what you do. you do the right thing. >> you loved her so much. >> oh, yeah. >> you couldn't bear not being with her even though she had no idea who you were. you made her fall in love with you again. this is where it gets really good. you actually proposed to her. >> i did. >> you had another wedding. >> we did. >> you had the first wedding and there is videotape of a second wedding you had and the doctors were there, the nurses were there. >> yes. >> what was it uh like? >> it was exciting that i had a memory to hold onto. it wasn't the second time around

that i fell in love with him again. it was a choice. i chose to love kim based on obedience to god. not based on feelings because my feelings were wiped out. i chose to love him. my love obviously grew for him. he's a wonderful individual. you have to stay committed. you know? you have trials in your life and you have to keep persevering. >> as proof that love can be reborn you've got a couple of kids here. hailey ann and danny, come on in. >> this is the real blessing of our vow right here. >> when you think about the legacy, have you thought about how this is going to inform their lives? >> you know, it's the greatest compliment for a parent to let the kids see the glitz and attention for doing the right thing. to have a movie made about your life has been sensational. but to write the book for the world to see is awesome.

for these kids to get to see what mom and dad did and the right thing and all the attention you're getting, it's the greatest life lesson you could have for the kids to carry on the legacy. parents often preach to kids to do the right thing. now they're seeing it all. hopefully this will be a real memory for them to carry on. >> how can you forget? you've got the biggest smile on your face. your parents, their story is in a movie, for goodness sake. i just want to tell you, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> we're very blessed. >> congratulations on the success. it's great to know you. and i'm glad to know your kids. >> it's been fun. we look forward to continuing to get to know you more through the years and you have been a blessing. they were excited to meet you. i don't know. we have to tell everybody in america this girl is named after you. >> thank you so much. >> it's an honor for me.

i'm so excited. >> what do you think america would have done? the movie is asking the question, what would i do. that's the challenge in this. we hope we're able to inspire lives. >> thank you so much. >> you keep smiling. you can read an excerpt from their book at today.com. "the vow" is in theaters nationwide. up next, the star of "smash." we'll catch up with katharine mcphee. first, this is "today" on nbc.n

we're back at 8:46 with the star of nbc's new drama "smash." katharine mcphee first got attention competing on "american idol" in 2006. now she's showcasing her singing, dancing and acting abilities on "smash" playing karen, one of two actresses vying for a role in a musical

about marilyn monroe. tonight she tries to transform herself into the icon. ♪ >> you're still doing the routine here in the studio. good to see you. welcome back. >> thank you for having me. >> are you happy the advanced hype is over and you can get down to delivering the show now? >> thank you for saying that. we shot the pilot almost a year ago, the show that aired last week. it's been a long time coming. we have been a little bubble of just working on the show. it is exciting that it's finally out for people to see. >> good news/bad news. hype brings an audience. bad news is it's hard to live up

to expectations. >> right. >> how do you feel about what you have put on screen so far? >> just the other day i watched the first four episodes. i have been holding out. i think it's hard to watch yourself on tv but i feel proud of just the entire show and all of our amazing cast. it really is a special show. it's one of the things i'm most proud of that i have done in my professional career. >> here you are playing karen, an actress, but you're playing an actress trying to become another actress. so it's a little schizophrenic. >> right. >> how do you go about that? >> well, i thought, how am i going to approach playing marilyn, but karen playing marilyn. you just take it one scene at a time. beyond that i think the most challenging thing for me was the dancing. i hadn't danced -- i grew up dancing and things like that, in

and out of classes, but i was never a professional dancer. the first big number you just saw took me a while to learn the steps. >> you were saying in the commercial break that the schedule on this is demanding because as opposed to other shows where actors and actresses go into a room, learn lines and deliver them, you've got that and the whole rehearsal -- dancing rehearsal part. >> it's funny when we are shooting scenes the choreographer will come in between takes and work on steps with us because two days later we're doing a big dance number. he'll be in between takes teaching us dance routines. so it's a hectic schedule. >> i don't have to tell you what nbc has riding on the show. what about you personally? is this a vehicle for you to show people that it's more than just a beautiful voice? >> you know, it's so many things for me. since i have come off "idol" and before i have been plugging away -- pounding away, i should

say, as an actress, trying to get people to see you in a different light. "idol" was a great place for me to get exposure. with that comes certain challenges. every actor has, you know. for me, it's just an amazing opportunity to be able to do what i love. and i never would have imagined that i would be -- being able to act which is what i really wanted to achieve but being able to do everything. i get to sing and dance and act. if someone told me that five years ago i never would have thought it would be possible. >> i think people will view you as a triple threat after this. >> oh, thank you. >> katharine mcphee, good luck with "smash." we all counting on you. you can catch a new episode tonight at 10:00/9:00 central time. up next, mardi gras favorites in the kitchen including fried chicken with john besh right after this.

>> announcer: today's kitchen is brought to you by crystal light. stay light. this morning on today's kitchen, how to be a better home cook. celebrity chef john besh is here with some of the mardi gras favorites he makes for his own family. the latest cookbook he's written is called "my family table: a

passionate plea for home cooking." john, welcome. >> thanks for having me back. >> why a passionate plea? >> you know, for years -- >> for home cooking. >> we have gotten away from the family table. we spend so many meals eating out. i'm a chef. i'm saying stay at home and eat, but at the same time when we were growing up, going out was a special occasion. i think people need to get back to the family table and eat things like fried chicken and jambalaya and things if you take time to cook them. >> you're outspoken about this. in an interview you said, listen, i worry the more cooking becomes entertainment and spectator sport instead of a family activity and the more we fetishize celebrity chef it is more we discourage people from getting in the kitchen. >> we turned into a spectacle. i watched chefs on television actually cook. now they want us out of the

kitchen and it's a spectator sport. here we are cooking again. >> we are making fried chicken, your grandmother's recipe. >> take good chicken and toss it in seasoned flour. seasoned with a touch of salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. >> flour first, then milk and back to the flour. >> and then look, drop it in there -- >> into? >> canola oil, 350 degrees. put a lid on it. 15 minutes, this is it. >> this is what you serve on mardi gras. >> it's mardi gras season. it comes down to mardi gras is a time when people don't realize it's family time in new orleans. you come out to the parade routes and bring fried chicken and jambalaya and things like this. this is what i started doing recently at home. our no fryer fried chicken. >> healthier. >> now we're talking.

what's that? mayonnaise? >> fat-free mayonnaise. you're laughing -- >> he's choking on the idea of healthy. >> is that cajun mustard? >> i'm not a healthy chef per se, but cooking for the family at the house, there is nothing healthier. >> you have mayonnaise, mustard. >> a little creole mustard and hot sauce. salt and pepper. take boneless, skinless thighs. this is fat-free mayo, so don't freak out, matt. >> no, no. is that panko? >> right into the panko bread crumbs. form it back into the shape of the fried chicken into a 375 degree oven. >> i want a bite of that. >> i'm having a bite of this one. >> no, no, no. here's the deal. matt was complaining earlier about the king cake. >> there is something about it that screams overpowering to me.

>> it's mardi gras! >> exactly. >> everything here is about bigger, better and more. so jambalaya. perfect place to your festivities. we have the jambalaya. fried chicken. don't feel too guilty. throw on not fried chicken. >> what happens when you have a baby? >> you get the baby, throw the next party. it's all about having fun. keeping it simple. >> the book is "my family table." we're back after your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. i hit and run a suspect receives a three-year suspended sentence and mandatory alcohol treatment for a an incident that

injured johns hopkins students in may. he was driving under the influence wh

>> we are off to a chilly start this monday. mostly sunny skies. high-temperature this afternoon between 40 and 45. chance for a few rainshowers on valentine's day. >> we will