good morning. a taste of winter. a strong storm system is moving through the northern part of the country. heavy, wet snow from iowa to michigan into new england. we're live in the center of it all. case dismissed, a man on trial for murdering his wife during a honeymoon ding trip suddenly acquitted by the judge. did the prosecutors push a case that wasn't there? this morning we'll talk to the former attorney general who fought for the trial. and the academy on edge. will sasha baron cohen be banned if he shows up as the character

from his new movie? we'll ask the supreme leader himself in a live interview today, friday, february 24, himself in a live interview today, friday, february 24, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this friday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm carl quintanilla. matt will be back on monday. in the meantime, we're looking at a snowy scene in chicago this morning. >> hundreds of flights have already been cancelled at o'hare and around the region. they are impacting travellers nationwide. we'll get the latest on the forecast ahead. >> and a case that made national headlines in part because of the bizarre jailhouse takes. a florida millionaire sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted in the shooting death of his wife but the sister

and daughter believe they got it wrong. >> and how well can you trust what you see online? jeff rossen investigates how criminals are selling fake goods through very real ads placed on your favorite websites. wait until you see how hard it is to tell the real thing from the fakes. they are getting good at this. >> we begin with a snowstorm making a mess of things from iowa to the northeast. mike seidel is in chicago this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carl. it's been one of the warmest winters on record in the midwest. here in chicago before yesterday only 16 inches of snow. last time at this year it was 54. that changed overnight as the third storm of the season blew into town. heavy, wet snow made driving a mess throughout much of the chicago area. traveling by plane was a real pain, too, with hundreds of flights cancelled. perhaps because it's been one of

the least snowy winters on record, some people seemed happy to see it. >> it's been a pretty easy winter. this is a nice breath of fresh air. >> i wish there was more snow. >> reporter: others, however, were not so happy. >> it's really slippery. >> i don't like it. it's the worst. >> reporter: police in colorado reported dozens of accidents with parts of i-70 temporarily closed due to slick conditions. in georgia authorities are assessing the damage left by a tornado and severe midweek storms. at least 100 homes were hit, hundreds of trees and several power poles were knocked down. all of it a contrast to balmy chu temperatures on the east coast thursday. instead of weather gone wild it's winter gone mild. in central park it was warm enough to play in the sand box or ride in a horse drawn carriage. in virginia they are asking what happened to winter? >> this winter has really been

quite nice for bicyclists, joggers. >> it's ice cream weather. it's beautiful out today. >> reporter: with spring less than a month away a lot of folks are hoping for more ice cream, not more icy mess. this snowy mess this morning has already cancelled at least 130 flights in and out of chicago's o'hare international. the number will climb as the snow continues to taper off this morning. back east following records yesterday it's been snowing in connecticut as much as four inches. a good ski weekend setting up and colder weather for you folks back a in new york city. >> good news for the resorts. thank you very much. we'll get to al's forecast in a moment. >> i feel bad for mike. he's always out eating the snow. let's check on the top stories with natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. international pressure is mounting on bashar asad as diplomats from 80 nations gather

in tunisia to discuss the crisis. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more from the border with syria. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. representatives from those countries are meeting to call on syria to immediately implement a cease-fire and allow in humanitarian aid. there is, however, a major problem with the call in that russia, the country that arguably has the most influence over syria is boycotting the meeting meeti meeting in tunisia and any corridor would need the cooperation of the syrian government. kofi ananne has been appointed as a special envoy to the crisis. it's unclear how much authority he has. on the ground in syria, the situation is not changing. the government is continuing the offensive. at least five people have been killed already today.

but in homs the protesters came onto the streets and held a defiant march. natalie? >> richard engel with the latest on the turkish/syrian border there. gop presidential hopefuls mitt romney and rick santorum are facing off ahead of decisive primaries in michigan and arizona next week. romney's in detroit today detailing his economic plan and santorum drummed up support and funds in texas and arizona on thursday. for more on the race for the white house, republican candidate rick santorum will be stopping by "meet the press" with david gregory this sunday, so check it out. now mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange for us. good morning. how is the week expected to close out? >> the market has been approaching highs not seen since before the 2008 collapse of lehman brothers. but it has been finding it difficult to convincingly break higher. one thing going for the market though natalie, this week we have seen increasing signs of

improvement in the economy on many fronts. that's jobs and housing. i want to tell you about a chinese firm that's been launching legal battles against the ipad. now it's taken it to home turf and is launching a legal battle in california. we'll watch that as well. back to you. >> thank you. a feature in "the atlantic" is giving a new look at japan's immense cleanup effort after last year's devastating tsunami. look at these images that shows the same spot a year ago and now. the comparison is remarkable as japan is weeks away from the one-year anniversary of the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that killed at least 15,800 people. 3,300 are still missing today. a rescue helicopter for a brazilian fire department needed help of its own. just seconds after landing the chopper disintegrated and fell

apart. investigators are blaming ground resonance that can happen when the helicopter keeps turning after landing. amazingly all four people on board were able to walk away from the aircraft. wild stuff there. you're up to date. now back to ann and carl. >> that was scary to look at. meantime, we have mr. roker on the road this morning in miami, al. i understand it's 72 degrees there in miami. >> yeah, it is. i feel badly for all of our friends in the northeast and the midwest. hi, mike. how are you? mike seidel, i have a nice warm day for you, a beautiful beach chair for you. come on down, mike. >> poor mike. 32 degrees in chicago. poor mike. >> can someone say "drawing the short straw"? >> oh! >> wow.

i know mike seidel, guys. he would much rather be there than here at the food network's food festival here in miami beach. why would he want to be here when he can be there? absolutely. so let's check your weather. again, it's going to be a mess not only in chicago into new england along the eastern seaboard we have rough weather. we're looking at a lot of rain ahead of the system. snow behind it. we have a risk of strong storms. look at the snowfall amounts. three to six inches. some areas with up to a foot of snow. we have winds in the northeast. we have high wind watches, warnings and wind advisories. that will cause problems as far as air travel is concerned. and we have a risk of strong storms stretching all the way from tallahassee up into the del marva peninsula. we have a 40% chance of tornadoes in that area. >> good morning.

it will be a little bumpy today. the wind will be gusting 40 miles pe and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al. thank you. now to a surprising development at the trial of a man accused of drowning his own wife during a honeymoon diving trip in australia. the judge abruptly dismissed the case. mark potter has details from birmingham, alabama. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it was increasingly clear the judge was uncomfortable with the prosecution's case.

when the case ended he threw it out of court. for nearly two weeks the prosecution struggled to prove that gabe watson plotted in alabama to murder his wife tina, then drowned her on the honeymoon dive trip to australia in order to cash in on her insurance policies. the defense argued the death was a tragic accident. an important piece of evidence was a photo of tina lying on the ocean floor taken by another diver showing a rescue diver headed toward her and a third diver, not gabe, headed up, away from the body. the state's final witness was tina's father tommy thomas who said the last time he saw her alive was at her wedding to gabe in 2003. >> reached in and grabbed her. and i told her that i loved her and i wanted them to have a great time. then i turned to gabe and said, take care of my baby girl. and that was the last time i saw

her. >> reporter: after the prosecution rested its case the defense argued the state failed to prove its allegations. >> we believe the evidence and testimony presented by the attorney general's office is insufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. >> reporter: judge tommy nail agreed and said the allegation that watson was seeking insurance money was never proved. >> he is not a beneficiary of the life insurance policy. the state's own evidence is contradictory on that point. >> reporter: he then ruled the case was too weak to give to the jury. >> there is no evidence to suggest that he intended to kill her and he hatched it here and carried it out there. i'm going to grant the motion to dismiss the case. >> reporter: the ruling means gabe watson is now a free man. in the courtroom he celebrated with his family and his new wife, kim. his father said he was relieved. >> i'm thrilled for gabe.

i hope everybody can begin to heal, put their lives together. >> reporter: tina's father said he was disappointed. >> there seems to be a lot more protection for the accused then there is consideration for the victim which in this case was tina. >> reporter: the prosecution said it was stunned by the decision to end the trial early. >> we presented enough evidence in our opinion that this case should have gone to the jury. >> reporter: also upset was tina's best friend amanda phillips. >> if you could say something to gabe watson face to face, what would it be? >> may god have mercy on your soul. >> reporter: gabe watson served 18 months in australia for failing to protect his wife on the failed dive. here in alabama, prosecutors say their criminal case is over, finished because they cannot appeal the jundge's ruling. ann? >> troy king is a former attorney general of alabama. mr. king, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. >> i understand you spoke to the family of tina watson last night.

what more can you tell us about how they are reacting in dealing with what the judge decided? >> well, of course they feel betrayed for a second time. they have been through two criminal justice systems now, neither of which delivered them their day in court. i talked to cindy thomas after the judge dismissed the charged. i talked to cindy and tommy last night. they're heart broken. they were fighting for their daughter's memory. they were fighting for justice for their daughter and they didn't get it in australia and sadly they department get it in alabama either. i have apologized to them for the work left undone when i left the office of the attorney general that i wasn't there to see it through to its completion. >> you push for gabe watson to be tried for murder in alabama. the question has to be asked of you. were you wrong about the evidence or did the prosecution fail to present its case

adequately? >> i'm not going to second-guess what the prosecution did, ann. i have been out of office for over a year. so i wasn't involved in the strategic, tactical decisions made. if i was wrong, so was the coroner's inquest. so was the grand jury that heard the evidence. we'll never know what the jury that was hearing the evidence thinks because this judge decided to assert his opinion in place of the jury's. the alabama jury empanelled and charged with hearing this case didn't have the opportunity. >> i need to give you a chance to answer a charge made by gabe's father yesterday after court. he said my bitterness is directed towards our first attorney general. that's where this started. i think politics was involved. on troy king's part -- that's you, of course -- i think he used the thomas family, the watson family for his own political purposes. you were running for re-election. did you use this case for your own political purposes, mr.

king? >> ann, one of the most sacred responsibilities an attorney general has is that which he owes to victims. that's not to win a popularity contest. it is to go to court and see justice dopne in every case possible. they came to me and said we have been betrayed in australia. surely our home state of alabama will vindicate and honor her memory by giving her a day in court. will you do that for our family? career investigators and prosecutors worked the case, came back and made the recommendation that we go to a grand jury, which we did. there is no politics involved in a grand jury. they don't run for election. the grand jury agreed with us that capital murder charges should be returned and they were. the australian authorities continued to play politics with this. i wasn't the one playing politics. i was the one doing my job. but there were plenty of politics to go around.

and i'm proud of what we did. i believe we honored tina's memory. i believe we pursued justice and i'm sad this morning that judge nail decided his opinion mattered more than the jurors' opinion sp opinions. >> mr. troy king, thanks for joining us this morning. >> thank uyou. >> now here's carl. >> hollywood is gearing up for the biggest night of the year. the academy awards is sunday. miguel almaguer is in los angeles with a preview. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. some years the oscars are all about the big block buster movie like "titanic" or "avatar." that won't stop the red carpet from being one of the hottest places to be in a little over 48 hours. the biggest stars, the brightest stage, the movies' most glamorous night. it's oscar weekend which for actors and actresses can mean hours of hair and makeup,

designer jewels, looking for the perfect red carpet look. at the ceremony the spotlight will be on "the artist" to see whether the homage to hollywood's silent era can pull off the improbable run to glory. ♪ >> the academy -- movie makers all -- have fallen in love with the film. >> reporter: other best picture contenders include "the help," "the descendants" and "hugo." >> some young people don't know who martin scorcese is, but people in the industry love martin scorcese. they love this homage to hollywood. >> reporter: in the best actor catery most believe it is a race between "the artist's" jean dujardin and george clooney for his work in "the descendants." >> mom is cheating on you. that's what we thought about. >> reporter: the favorites among the women, meryl streep as margaret thatcher in "the iron

lady" and viola davis in "the help." >> it's time for me to retire. you're my last little girl. >> no! >> reporter: oscar producers are counting on the return of billy crystal as host to keep viewers entertained but another comedian's plan to spice up the red carpet hasn't been embraced by the academy. sasha baron cohen hopes to show up in character from "dictator" but the academy said, come as yourself or not at all. in response and in character, cohen released this statement. >> i am outraged by being banned from the oscars by the academy of motion picture arts & sciences. while i applaud the academy for taking away friday right to free speech i warn them if you don't give me tickets by 12:00 a.m. on sunday you will face consequences. >> reporter: the dispute is going on. we'll see if borat crash it is red carpet.

it promises to be an exciting day on sunday. some of the most beautiful stars will be arriving here shortly. carl? >> miguel almaguer in los angeles. thank you very much. interestingly we have admiral general shabaz al adin with us now by phone. general, good morning. thank you for taking time, running your busy dictatorship to join us on "today." >> good morning! i have been very busy today. i delayed 30 executions to do this. >> well, that's probably good you delayed them. the big question now, general, is will you or will you not be walking the red carpet at the academy awards on sunday? >> well, those gongsters banned me. normally i would be impressed by an act of cowardice by a faceless regime.

but they have until midday on sunday to give me my tickets back. if not they will face unforeseen consequences. >> you mentioned those consequences. >> by the way, how is your family? [ laughter ] >> not so good now. what kind of unimaginable consequences, general? >> well, let's just say oil prices might be raised. >> that's unimaginable. by the way, how is your eunuch al roker? >> oh, dear. i don't know if you watch a lot of movies but there is a movie nominated named "hugo" and there is an actor that looks like you. i wonder if you have seen the movie and what you think of the performance of sacha baron cohen. >> i have not heard of the movie but i assume it is about chavez.

the only movies in my country are those written and starring me. i remade "the king's speech" but my character had no stutter and sided with hitler. >> so it was a short subject. we don't know a lot about the republic of wadiya here but there is a movie coming out called "dictator" which documents your impressive style. can you tell us about the film? >> yes. it is the story of a great and benevolent leader who fights to stop democracy from ruining the lives of his people. >> finally, before we go, all the medals on your shirt, general, what did you win those for? >> those are won from great acts of bravery and also for impregnating over 13,000 women. >> all right. i think we better stop you there.

>> say hello to matt lauer! he came over to play golf at my palace last year. only for $1 million. that's a cheap bargain. thank you. >> thank you. >> matt's grateful he missed this one. >> that was fun though. we have much more including more on our complete coverage of the oscars monday on "today." al and i will be live in los angeles. we'll find out if sacha baron cohen or the dictator shows up at the red carpet. we'll break down the looks and the winners as well. >> and a criminal link, how counterfeiters are selling fake goods through popular websites. first, this is "today" on nbc.

hi. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. two flavors. in harmony. honey bunches of oats. make your day bunches better. just ahead, the florida millionaire convicted in the shooting death of his wife. his family speaks out for the first time. >> that's after your local news. can't wait 'til morning. wait. ♪ it's morning in the himalayas...

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the celebration may be cut short. opponents have vowed to take the ball to referendum in november. let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> in the past few minutes, getting word of an accident. sheppard lane, be extra careful. crash being worked on by police. hanover st. ann reynolds street in the city, accident still clearing. further north at hillen road and northern parkway, another spot you want to be careful. 23 miles per hour on the inside out loop, that begins at the harrisburg expressway. i-70, tapping the brakes as you approach marriottsville towards 29. we will update you on 795 and franklin boulevard, coming towards us is southbound traffic. looking good way to get to owings mills and on the beltway, getting heavier there.

coming towards us, southlawn traffic is moving well towards the tunnel. no problems to report at the harbor tunnel either. tony, over to you. >> so far, the weather has not been too bad. temperatures right now are in the upper 40's and low 50s. it will warm up quickly as we go through the day. cecil county is getting a little bit of light rain right now. there could be stronger under storms developing later this afternoon. windy and mild, a chance for a shower or thunderstorm. high-temperature around 70. much colder over the weekend. much colder over the weekend.

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back now at 7:30 on this friday morning, the 24th of february 2012. a rainy start in new york city as we check out everyone who's outside. lots of signs this morning outside our window on the world. we'll find out what those signs are about coming up. carl quintanilla is in for matt this morning. it's been a nice week having you here. >> it's been fun. >> we'll talk about troubling videos online like am i cute and

am i ugly? the goal seems to be to have others rate their appearances and the response to the videos have been nasty, some of them and damaging to the girls' self-esteem, one might guess. we'll talk about the trend with a psychologist coming up. >> it is troubling. >> also, can you trust your web search? jeff rossen investigates a criminal enterprise buying ad space on popular websites to send unsuspecting consumers to sites that sell fake goods. jeff will have that. >> that sounds serious. on a lighter note, more on the academy awards in a special edition of our friday whip. we'll tell you what's new, what's up and what's in when it comes to favorites on the red carpet. that's very exciting. i'm excited about it. >> i love oscar week. we start with the latest on the conviction of a florida millionaire in the shooting death of his wife. we'll talk to his daughter and sister-in-law in a moment. first nbc's dennis murphy has the latest. >> reporter: bob ward is appealing the conviction.

he's a millionaire developer no more. an orlando jury found him guilty of shooting his wife to death in their mansion in 2009. now we are hearing from a his family. people we were introduced to by an unusual jailhouse video. >> we the jury find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: it took a jury 13 hours to decide bob ward shot his wife diane. not the accident his defense team claimed was fuelled by a sloppy night of mixing alcohol and prescription meds. ward, a high flying property developer had been slammed by the recession when on september 21, 2009, he called 911 and made what sounded like a confession. >> i just shot my wife. >> you just what? >> i just shot my wife. >> reporter: downtown in a sheriff's office interview room ward was composed and gracious. >> do you need anything? >> i'm perfect. thank you very much. >> reporter: odd demeanor but not as odd as what was captured four days later on surveillance

cam. bob ward was seeing his daughter mollry and his sister-in-law paula for the first time since his wife's death. >> hello. >> mallory with a brassy personality said she opted to keep the visit light. her father, the family jokester picked up on it. soon he seemed to be doing a strip tease in the cell. >> no. i wouldn't do that. >> reporter: in short order the tapes would go viral. millions of strangers left to wonder what kind of people the wards were. a daughter who'd stick her tongue out at her father. >> you're flirtatious. like i'm sticking my tongue out being goofy, like look at me, i'm here. >> reporter: the family said ward's lawyer gave them instructions not to discuss the case and the goofy moments were only a small portion of the visit. >> it had nothing to do with the way they portrayed it. >> did the media pick everything

they wanted to show? they took five minutes out of a 45-minute video. >> reporter: there were unseen moments like this. >> i'm going to say i love you now in case it runs out. >> i love you, too. thank you so much. >> reporter: none of them believed diane's death was anything but a horrible accident. not the dead wife's sister. >> i know he could never do this. he loved her. he adored her. >> reporter: not bob's younger daughter sara. >> couldn't be true. i knew it wasn't. >> reporter: not mallory. >> i may not know what happened but i know what didn't happen. my dad didn't pull that trigger. >> ward was sentenced to 30 years in his prison. failing a successful appeal that's a life prison term for a 60-year-old man. >> jim fellman is the attorney handling the appeal. good morning. paula, before we start let's get the discussion of the videotape out of the way.

you were there. explain what was going on. >> people have to understand what happened prior to that. four days earlier. to process the information of my sister's death, my nice ece is coming to hi home, going to orlando. we meet with bob's lawyer and the instructions are, whatever you do, do not talk about what happened. talk about anything else. we have 45 minutes to talk about what? we wanted bob to know the most important thing is that we knew he was innocent. we knew it was a tragic -- an accident. >> sara, how is your dad doing? >> he's not well. he's 64 years old. he's sick. he's in jail when he shouldn't be. he's an innocent man and he's having a difficult time processing this. losing his wife and now his family because he hasn't been able to see us. >> meanwhile you're in college, considering becoming a lawyer.

how has this affected you? >> it's changed my life, like you can imagine it has. it made me go in a new direction. it made me want to bring people's attention to how many innocent people are behind bars. >> some jurors didn't believe your mom was depressed to do this. they said she was up beat on the phone, in conversations earlier in the day. did you get that impress of her? >> i talked to her that day. she sounded upbeat but she was on a lot of anti-depressants and she was having a hard time with the company and the economy going down. yeah, there were times she wouldn't talk to me for weeks. >> viewers might be saying i can see how someone's daughter may want to protect her father, but you are his sister-in-law and you still don't believe he did it. >> not at all. i know bob is innocent. they had a marriage that was like a fairy tale. they loved each other deeply. they respected each other. he would do anything for her as she would for him. >> jim, you're working on the

appeal. you have talked about what happened, the mechanics of the case. what you call rampant misconduct by the prosecution. what do you think went wrong? >> most prosecutors in this country are dedicated public servants doing the right thing, trying to keep us safe. in my judgment these prosecutors were not that. this was a case in which i believe they were willing to do whatever they could to convict. what's particularly telling and unusual about the case is that the prosecutors have not, will not because they cannot articulate any theory of what happened that would be consistent with both the physical evidence and mr. ward's guilt. when an objective view of the physical evidence is taken it points strictly in the direction of innocence. i believe the reason the jury convicted notwithstanding that is because they were misled by a persistent pattern of prosecutorial misconduct.

improper questions about subjects that were prohibited and improper. >> these things don't happen in a bubble. this happened in the same place as the casey anthony trial where she was found innocent a few months earlier. you think it may have impacted this jury's decision? >> i think so, definitely. people in florida were rapid over that case. i don't care what happened next. there was not going to be a fair trial. >> you think this jury didn't want to be seen the way that jury was seen. >> i think it had an impact, definitely. >> that's an interesting case. we'll see where the appeal goes. thanks for being here. you can see much more of the case on "dateline" here on nbc. now another check of the weather from al in south beach. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by the so slimming jean by chico's. >> we are live in south beach.

the miami beach hotel for the 11th annual food network fantastic south beach wine and food festival. unfortunately there is no festival going on around the midwest and out west. let's look live at i-90 outside of chicago in des plaines, illinois. the snow is coming down at a rate of one to two inches per hour. as we move further west, i-70 got closed in several spots in denver and just outside of denver massive pile ups reported. problems with heavy snow there. so winter is not quite over yet. but you can see temperatures down through the south as we look at our temperature map. you can see the temperatures are really warm. 80s and 70s and 60s along the southeastern atlantic coast. 70s in southern california. as the system makes its way into the northeast, it's dragging in colder air. teens and 20s through the

central plains. we have a risk of strong storms along the southeastern atlantic coast to the del marva peninsula. rain in the north west with sunshine through the southwest. morning showers in southern texas. >> good morning. it will be 8 windy and mild day today. this afternoon, the wind make gust o that's your latest weather. hey, carl, in the next half hour, we are talking about stone crabs. >> nice. i think i hear the word joe's in our future.

thanks, al. up next, our investigation into a criminal enterprise using popular websites we know and trust to sell fake goods, right after this. [ male announcer ] 20,000 btus produce a delicate sear. double-oven range makes dinner and dessert -- at the same time. turbo-charged advantium oven cooks more than twice as fast, in this culinary powerhouse. dan. yes? molé sauce.

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back now at 7:43. this morning on rossen reports, the world of counterfeiting. it's scamming americans out of billions of dollars and now there is a new twist. "today's" investigative correspondent jeff rossen is here with the details. good morning. >> good morning. we have heard about counterfeit products. it's been going on for years. now the criminals are so sophisticated they are buying real ad space and getting to you on popular and trusted websites we all visit every day. some say the websites are profiting from it. we are on the hunt with u.s. customs and border protection, searching incoming cargo to stop

a criminal epidemic before it reaches your home. expertly designed counterfeit products sold as real. and where are unsuspecting americans finding them? on sites like ebay and google where criminals pay big bucks for prime placement. >> it doesn't make them as trustworthy as we hold them to be. >> reporter: high school senior lauren macmillan wanted to learn spanish so her dad spent $200 on what he thought was a never opened rosetta stone software kit. >> the ad said it was brand new and shh ripg wrrink wrapped. >> reporter: it arrived and looked authentic down the instruction manual, stickers and inscriptions on the disk. >> we tried to install it and it had an error message every time. >> reporter: it didn't work because it's a fake. authorities say some even install a virus on your computer to steal your personal information.

here's a real kit next to the fake one. can you tell the difference? >> it's not just some college kid in their basement putting this together. this is a real business going on. somebody's making a lot of money off of it. >> reporter: some say it's not just the criminals cashing in. it's the popular sites that allow them to advertise. >> looking at this, make you angry? >> disgusted. it's costing us millions. >> reporter: tom adams is ceo of rosetta stone. they have caught google selling coveted top of the page ad space to over 1600 rogue websites with fake products. you go to google, type rosetta stone in and get a list of websites. on this day the real website and the company says all these fakes offering discounts. click on them and they look like the real thing. >> they are essentially picking whatever media we have, photographs. >> reporter: even your picture.

>> yeah, even me. >> reporter: that's your picture. if i was an average consumer and i saw your picture, you're the ceo, must be legit. >> i think that's what happens. >> reporter: he says google isn't doing enough to stop them. >> when you complain to google, what's the response? >> they are back up shortly thereafter. google takes them down but it's a game of what cck-a-mole. the pirates have many accounts. >> reporter: and google does business with them again. >> yes. >> reporter: in fact, google has been caught doing business with criminals before. last summer the company paid $500 million to avoid prosecution for knowingly selling ads to illegal online pharmacies. google declined our request for on-camera interview but told us, we take responsibility for our actions and google does not allow ads for any counterfeit goods. we use a combination of manual and automated processes to enforce this policy.

in 2011 we shut down approximately 95,000 advertisers for counterfeit goods. but rosetta stone said it is not working. >> this is the fake product sent to us by consumers. >> reporter: they keep hearing from angry customers and had to hire their own investigators to scan for counterfeits. >> here's a fake product on ebay. it has 28 bids up to $242. >> it looks real. >> reporter: also frustrating for law enforcement who admit they can't keep up with the flood of fakes. >> it's increasing every year. we have had a 24% increase from last year. >> it's a cat and mouse game. >> yes. >> reporter: part of the problem, many of the criminals are based in china, out of reach for u.s. authorities. that's where lauren's kit came from. after complaining, ebay gave her a refund. >> something needs to be done about this. people need to be aware this is going on on the internet. there needs to be a stop to it.

>> reporter:? in a statement, ebay said counterfeits are not welcome. it said it is a leader in working in combatting counterfeits. as for the fake rosetta stone lauren bought they took the ad down just the day after it was posted. here's the takeaway. if you see new products at steep discounts that's a red flag. just because the site has prime placement on a site like google doesn't mean it's real. >> if you have a counterfeit good what do you do? >> if you bought it on a site like ebay where you buy it from them, tell ebay. you can get a refund hopefully like lauren did. if you find the fake website on google, for example. it's just a search engine. you probably won't get a refund. that money is probably gone. >> maybe your report will change things. >> i hope so. >> still ahead, young girls opening themselves up to bullies and negativity by having strangers rate their looks online. first, these messages.

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just ahead, al talks to paula deen over the fallout over her diabetes announcement. >> and also they will be cooking after your local news. and becka's science fair is on the 8th. she's presenting the solar system. hey i've got just the whole grain fiber to help keep her full so she can stay focused. um...you rock. she'll be ready to rock. right here! [ female announcer ] make your kids big days, mini-wheats days. packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full and focused. now available in cinnamon roll flavor. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused. but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena® healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics.

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getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> heavy in spots. we have an accident ellicott city and sheppard lane. boston street and clinton street, accident wrapping up. brown mount carmel, still slow. j.f.x. filling up quickly.

southbound at the beltway, down towards 28 street. 21 miles per hour out of the white marsh area. both side and was cited delays. we would give you a live view. just past the ramp we are looking good and around liberty is where things start to back up. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony has a check on your forecast. >> it astin scattered light rain showers for the morning commute and that will be the case for the next few hours at least. later this morning and afternoon, we could see strong thunderstorms develop, even a chance for severe weather. temperature-wise, upper 40's and low 50s right now. it is going to warm up quickly today. winds are going to shift to the south. it is going to be a windy afternoon. 40 to 50 mi. brower, outside of

the thunderstorms. it is going to be bobby this afternoon. high temperatures near 70. things are going to change tomorrow. we will take off about the 25 or 30 degrees. there could be a few snow flurries.

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8:00 now on this friday morning, the 24th of february, 2012. around 39 degrees at the moment. oh, look. it dropped to 37 here in new york city. we'll have a big friday crowd now assembled here in rockefeller plaza. we're glad to have everybody here. they are all carrying photographs because they will be talking about how children are sent home from the hospital without diagnosis. they want to say how young people need to be better cared for by hospitals.

thanks for being here. i'm ann curry along with carl quintanilla. al is off in the sun. we'll talk to him. >> seems like he's on vacation, but he's working. >> coming up, a trend that many parents will find disturbing. it's about impressionable young girls aged 11, is 12, 13 posting videos online asking strangers to rate their looks. this is causing a lot of flurry. apparently it's a trend. we'll talk about it with a psychologist ahead. >> the oscars are sunday. i assume you will watch. >> i'll be there covering it actually. >> the big questions are who are the front-runners, what's everybody going to wear and how do you throw a fun affordable party to watch the ceremony? we'll have that in the whip. >> also ahead, paula deen is down with al in florida. she'll be talking about her diabetes announcement and also she'll be doing some cooking with al. i understand her son bobby is

there somewhere. that will be exciting as well. >> first to the news desk to check the top headlines from natalie morales. >> good morning, everybody. the man accused of drowning his wife during a honeymoon diving trip to australia has been acquitted of murder. an alabama judge cited a lack of evidence for the abrupt end to the trial. gabe watson already served 18 months in an australian prison on a manslaughter conviction for his wife's 2003 death. gop presidential hopefuls mitt romney and rick santorum are facing off ahead of decisive primaries in michigan and arizona next week. nbc's peter alexander is in detroit, michigan, with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. a wet, messy one here. rick santorum returns to the campaign trail in michigan this afternoon. mitt romney earlier in the day will be giving a speech here at ford field. as mitt romney prepares to deliver what he's touting as a major speech in detroit's ford

field today detailing his economic plan for cutting taxes and spending he's hammering away at rival rick santorum for admitting he made a mistake backing president bush on no child left behind. >> people go to washington and they vote for things they don't believe in. he said, you've got to take it for the team now and then. my people is the united states of america. >> reporter: while santorum raised money in texas thursday, his campaign released this new ad quoting headlines and romney's own words, trying to label romney as a hypocrite. >> i'm rick santorum. >> reporter: today romney's supporters roll out this ad. >> he said, i don't care how long it takes, we're going to find her. >> reporter: retelling the dramatic account of romney's efforts years ago to safely bring home a former business partner's missing daughter. the super pac ad by restore our future is nearly identical to one aired by the romney campaign four years ago. >> he said, i don't care how long it takes. we're going to find her.

>> reporter: restore our future tells nbc news it bought the footage from the old media team and while they followed the law it blurs the line between campaigns and super pacs. also while romney is delivering the speech today, democrats and members of the united auto workers will protest outside where they are expected to spell out the words "let detroit go bankrupt" in american cars to voice their opposition to romney's opposition to the auto bailout. >> lots of cars will be lined up there. peter alexander, thank you. now here's brian williams with a look at what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news". >> tonight, danica patrick on the eve of the daytona 500. she's gone from open wheel to stock cars. it will be one of the races of her life. we'll have that and more for you. for now, back to you. >> thank you, brian. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick round up of what has you talking online.

act actor sacha baron cohen has people buzzing over his plans to go to the oscars dressed in character for "the dictator." he chatted with us earlier on the show and joked that he had to delay 30 executions just to speak to us. we're glad he could squeeze us in. grown up harry potter fans are tweeting excitement over news that j.k. rowling is writing a new book. this one is for adults. no details have been announced yet and the title and plot are a closely guarded secret. searches for a 27-pound lobster are through the roof this morning on yahoo as users hunt for a picture of the monster. the crustacean named rocky was caught thursday off the coast of maine. don't start melting the butter yet. after an aquarium declared him too big for tanks he was released back into the wild. that's a beast all right.

now to al with a check of the weather in south beach. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now. >> we don't have a 27-pound lobster, but we have big stone crabs here to talk about. we are with steve of joe's stone crab in miami beach. next year you celebrate the 100th anniversary. >> yes. 100 years. >> it's amazing. you serve good stone crabs. you say this is one of the best stone crab seasons you have had. >> we have had excellent weather, thank you. great winds so we have had a lot of crab. >> this is the range you talk about. >> yes. there are five different claws here. we have the medium size, select size is a little bit bigger. large is the dominant size. jup yor jumbo and jumbo. >> how do you make sure you don't run out? you have to make sure everything is taken care of, right? >> absolutely. there are conservation laws. we take the claws off the crab,

throw them back in the ocean and they regenerate a claw. >> show me how you do this. >> there are three parts of the claw. you have the knuckle. crack it right here. not too hard, not too soft. oh, sorry about that. >> that's okay. >> good for eating. >> you bet it is. 20 pounds of these bad boys. steve, thank you so much. >> good morning. it will be a little bumpy today. the wind will be gusting 40 miles pe

carl, key lime pie! >> al, thanks very much. when we come back, a disturbing new trend. young girls posting videos so complete strangers can comment on their looks. first, these messages. ugh, my sinus congestion, and it's your fault. instead of blaming me, try advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. advil congestion relief.

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back now at 8:11 with a troubling trend among young girls. teens and tweens posting videos of themselves online asking viewers to rate their looks. in many cases the responses only serve to further damage their fragile sense of self-esteem. we have kristen dahlgren reporting. >> do you guys think i'm pretty? >> i want to know if i'm pretty or not. >> am i pretty, ugh sfli. >> am i ugly or pretty? tell me the truth. >> the question is nothing new for teens and tweens. >> leave a comment. you can be honest. >> reporter: but the internet is now taking it to new levels. young teens asking viewers, complete strangers, to leave comments about their looks. some videos have nearly 4 million hits. 13-year-old faye posted hers last month. >> there was a couple of people at school that constantly call me ugly.

i thought asking other people could make me feel better about myself. >> reporter: those other people responded. some left comments that were positive. but many posts were nasty, calling faye pretty ugly and an idiot. negative comments that left a much deeper impression on the 8th grader. >> it's easier to hear bad things like your flaws than it is to hear the good things. >> reporter: experts say a girl's self-image peaks at age 9 and then perceived physical attractiveness plays a big role in a teen's self image. >> the focus on determining what your peers think of you is not something new. the technology has provided a new avenue for doing this. they are taking advantage of it in ways that sometimes might be positive, but certainly has risk. >> reporter: faye's mother is concerned about the risks, not only about damage to her daughter's self-esteem but also

about who's watching her daughter's video. >> i was afraid they would really say something that was really just not right for a 13-year-old to hear or see. >> reporter: youtube responded to the concern. youtube is for people 13 years or older only. our community guidelines prohibit videos or comments containing harassment, threats or hate speech. therapists say parents need to remind their children that their value is based on more than looks. >> your personality, your talent. even though they roll their eyes at you, they are always listening. >> reporter: if it seems unlikely that a tween or teen will hear the message coming from mom or dad, point them right back to youtube. >> please delete those videos. >> reporter: other adolescents now responding to the postings by helping send some self-esteem. >> confident girls are beautiful! >> reporter: for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los

angeles. >> donna rice hughes is the executive producer of internet safety 101 and gail saltz is a "today" contributor. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> why would tweens ask strangers over the internet whether or not they are pretty? >> ann, this is a massochistic defense mechanism teenagers are using to quell anxiety about appearance. this is a self-destructive yet unconsciously a coping mechanism that they are trying to feel better but it's not working. the risks when they hear back, the hate speech that we heard. >> quite significant. this is an open forum essentially for bullying. the same ramifications we see from bullying which is tearing down self-esteem, feeling attacked and frankly because this is masochistic they will

take it, internalize it. we have seen it all the way up to suicide. >> donna, does doing it make the girls more vulnerable to predators online? >> it absolutely does. predators are already seeking vulnerable children who are looking for affirmation, who are looking to find love in the wrong places. they are there to affirm them, to build relationships and to start that grooming process and, like gail said, this sets kids up for risky behavior as well. we have to realize, parents especially that kids are not immune. they are good smart kids trying on new identities online. they are seeking to get love and affirmation online. it puts them at great risk. >> what can a parent do? >> well, parents can do a lot. the first thing is to get proactive. know what your kids are doing. have an ongoing dialogue and communication with them. supervise what they are posting. their pictures and videos.

and -- >> i think this is an opportunity. >> it is. >> any parent watching this now should use the opportunity to sit down with their daughter tonight and say, it's a normal time to feel insecure. but this is something that girls are doing and it's a very bad idea. i want to talk to you if you are feeling insecure and if you are feeling very insecure, let's get you some help. >> dr. gail saltz and donna rice hughes, we are out of time. certainly this is going to start a conversation. >> thank you. >> up next, a friday whip to get you ready for the oscars and to throw your own watch party right after this. of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ...could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you... ...with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra,... ...humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage.

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record, for playing british prime minister margaret thatcher and then viola davis in "the help." i think she'll win and be emotional. last time an african-american woman won was halle berry in 2002. viola davis will be the second. >> best actor, jean dujardin and george clooney? >> i think jean, star of "the artist," the george clooney of france, will win. >> speaking of "the artist," that's almost a shoe-in for best picture. >> nine nominees for best picture. "the artist" will win. last time a silent film won was "wings" in 1929. >> if there is another shoe-in, octavia spencer? >> and christopher plummer for "the beginners." >> billy crystal hosts as well for the ninth time.

now here's ann. >> nowambrose. what will the stars be wearing? first, a flashback to last year. michelle williams created a lot of buzz. >> she was very mute. i hope she'll be more siren. she played marilyn monroe. i hope for more raciness if we are lucky. >> mila kunis. >> she's edgy. she's a style maverick. she'll give us a little bit to guess about. >> that was a beautiful lavender dress last year. and halle berry. >> she never does it wrong. she's wearing a cast, hopefully it's gone. hopefully she'll glamouflage it right. that's how you camouflage with glamour. >> this year, stars to watch. >> octavia, definitely and viola davis. this will be their night. they did it so well at the

golden globes. i love viola in her wine merlot color. i hope octavia stays in the beautiful lavender, structured look as well. it shows off her shape. >> you say kate winslet is one to watch and rooney mara, of course. >> to me that's the young angelina jolie. she did something dark and edgy last time. i think she'll be that girl. she's our style maverick. >> she's the one to watch for a lot of reasons. now here's natalie. >> finally, what to do if you are throwing your own oscar bash. elizabeth may hue, good morning. >> good morning. >> we'll do it inexpensively starting with the red carpet. >> as the guests come in lay down a red carpet. you can get yards for $6. invite your own paparazzi. it's just a plastic sheet you put up. again, about $6. and your own "velvet" paper

rope. >> you can't have a party without cocktails. >> moet is the official oscars champagne. they have created a cocktail. i love the garnish of a rose petal. >> i like how you serve it. >> i just got these tins. they are film tins. you can use them as a serving tray. get them at hollywood mega store.com. >> and black and white is a big theme this year so we have black and white decor. >> i took my inspiration from that. a lot of table goods from z gallery. and then i got the film tape at party city. i wrapped it around a simple vase. $5 for 50 yards. carnations, inexpensive flowers. they really look great. for food i took inspiration from "the help." that's one of the main characters in it. takeout fried chicken, minnie's

pie. >> without the secret ingredient. >> of course. eiffel tower from pier 1 and then i have an oscar glue gunned onto a stick and dressed up the cup cake. >> ann and al will be in los angeles for a >> the 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. >> new instance, just some delays to get to. 48 and southbound 83, down from padonia. improvement to report there. north side of dealing with slow going from the exit towards the harrisburg expressway.

on the out of it, if you will back up towards 795. 12 miles per hour on the west side. 20 miles per hour in the white marsh region. 83 looks good in this region towards the beltway. live view of traffic the beltway of york road. still dealing with delays on the outer loop. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> you notice the wet paste it on the traffic jam pictures. this is the baltimore area in yellow. thunderstorms could eventually crop up here later in the day. by now it is light, scattered rain shower or activity. the winds will be picking up during the day. windy and well, showers and thunderstorms towards temperatures in the mid-60's a

lower 70's. high wind warning. everybody else is under a wind advisory. that takes in about 3:00 this afternoon. there might be severe storms. >> we will have another update at 8:5

back now at 8:30 on this friday morning. it's the 24th of february 2012. we have had a few showers this morning here in the big apple. it looks like it's clearing up just a little bit. it didn't stop these fine people from joining us here in rockefeller plaza. a lot of them carrying

photographs to remind us about something called histiocytosis which is often not diagnosed and can cause children to get very sick and die. if you have a child with an ear infection, lots of fevers over and over again ask about histiocytosis. i'm ann curry here with carl quintanilla and natalie morales. al is on assignment in california. we're happy about that. al, what do you have coming up from there? >> actually, i'm in florida, ann. >> that's right. florida. >> in south beach. sorry! >> it looks like california. eastern california. >> i knew it was florida. i was dreaming of california. >> she was thinking about the oscars. >> that's right. we're going to the oscars in california. >> that's right. right now we are in south beach at the lowe's miami beach hotel for the food and wine festival.

paula deen is here. we'll talk to her. as you may imagine there was a backlash about her announcement about diabetes. we'll touch on that and -- look at the camera, paula! with her son bobby dean. paula will make a fun sunday brunch with bobby there. we'll talk with paula in a moment. back to newark. >> thank you, al. >> thanks, al. >> touche. >> you would think you would find them in a museum, but what are princess diana's dresses doing at a local mall in the united states? >>. >> good question. >> they are on display. we'll tell you where to see them. we'll explain coming up. >> and three things they say could be ruining your marriage. naggi nagging, arguing and how you communicate with your spouse. nagging and arguing could be one. we'll talk about how to remedy those things. >> we'll get to that. first let's say hello to the fabulously talented and handsome

blair underwood. he's on tonight's new episode of "who do you think you are" and he'll be tracing his roots. we have been curious about your ancestry. >> i have been. >> what did you find out as a part of this? >> do you know carrie underwood? >> yes. >> every time we see each other we tease each other that we're cousins. i found out we are actually third -- i can't keep a straight face. >> it's possible. there are a lot of people -- >> your people probably owned my people actually. >> you did find out good information. >> we found a whole line -- lon my mother's side that were land owners. and my grandfather actually owned slaves. how that happened is a twist i don't want to give away. >> you were able to meet people through dna matching.

>> absolutely. i found a cousin of mine. ten generations ago, 300, 400 years ago we shared ancestry. cameroon. went back to africa with my dad. my dad has always wanted to go to africa. he's 80. to take him to see the distant relatives was incredible. >> very cool. congratulations. we look forward to seeing you. we want to tell everyone to catch blair's episode of "who do you think you are" tonight at 8:00 on nbc. >> and on broadway. >> another thing. man, you have a great voice. listening to you -- >> i want your job, ann. i'm working on it. >> you could take it. >> al's not here. he's in florida. >> can you do the weather? >> i can. i can make it up. >> al? >> feel the heat, al. >> some competition. >> blair said he makes it up.

well, so do i. except at the end of the day he's a great actor and i'm not. >> but you can tell us the weather. >> okay. here we go. let's look at the weekend ahead. here's what we've got for you starting with tomorrow. we are looking at a lot of wet weather in the pacific northwest. windy conditions in the northeast. showers in southern texas. beautiful warm weather in the southwest. sunday, we expect sunshine but frigid conditions in new england. we've got cloudy skies and mild conditions through florida. plenty of sunshine texas into the southwest and central california where it rools off. showers back in the pacific northwest. >> good morning. it will be 8 windy and mild day today. this afternoon, the wind make gust o

>> don't forget. you can get your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable, weather.com online. and don't forget coming up in the next ten minutes paula deen and her son bobby, a beautiful brunch, all that and more. back to you, ann. >> thanks, al, live in florida. thank you so much. up next, how to eliminate the arguments that can be a real problem for your marriage. we'll get to that. this is "today" on nbc. it's such a tough...

yeah. the spectrum is from lg. and the r2 unit is from... from naboo. naboo. yeah. the spectrum's got a 4.5" screen, fits nicely in your hand. r2-d2 needs a starfighter. starfighter ? that's like a million dollars in gas. yeah, it's pricey. it's got verizon's 4g lte for lightspeed downloads and a true hd screen to watch movies. i'm going to go with the... it's a good choice. ... phone. the lg spectrum powered by verizon 4g lte, for true hd mobile entertainment. back at 8:38 on today's

relationships. it is not easy navigating the speed bumps that come with married life. we put together an expert team to talk about relationships. hal runkel is author of "the self-centered marriage." good morning to you both. we'll start with nagging. i swear i'm quoting research, doctor, that says women nag more than men. >> really? i'm shocked. >> is it true? >> it's true. because there is more of a burden on a woman to get things done and he is more likely to be passive and resistant. nagging is pushing the rock uphill. it's just that there are ways to do it. >> exactly. they feel more of the burden, especially around house work. >> the commander in chief of the household. >> and the men can't complain about them nagging without recognizing they helped hire her into that position. they helped do that by their

passive behavior. the yes, dear. making promises and not doing it. that encouraging nagging more. >> nagging has a bad reputation. there is the whining offensive nag and the creative, if you make that call to the plumber there will be something in it for you later nag. some are better than others. >> i love you. i'll love you more if you do the dishes. >> whatever is the trade. >> we asked one couple to weigh in on nagging. here's what they said. >> yes, i'm a nag. i whole heartedly admit i am a nag. >> she has a tendency to nag. kate is a tendency. >> did you do it? when are you going to do it? do it. why isn't it done? do it. >> if i feel it's important i do it right away. if not i can finish doing this, watching this or not do it at all. >> so people can relate to that. we asked female viewers if they considered themselves a nag like that woman does. 68% of women say no.

32% say yes. we asked the men do you think your wife is a nag, 53% yes, 47% no. why the difference? >> sometimes what the wife is doing she doesn't think is nagging but he's receiving it that way. sometimes you receive a nag because you know you haven't done what you said you were going to do. but how you do it is so different. don't tell your man what to do because you're not his mother. >> right. >> my wife will represent herself to me and say, when you leave the dishes in the sink even though the dishwasher is empty it makes me wonder if you think i'm a maid or a wife. this marked for identification doesn't have sex with her employer. >> that's a piece of the secret. how to help him see that household chores are foreplay. how to help her see she can be straightforward and not whining. the problem is the same but the solution is more positive. >> one more pulled number on nagging. does nagging help you get what you want?

69% of women say no. # 31% yes. if your wife nags you, do you do what she wants? 20% say right away, 60% get to it when they can and 20% ignore her. couples bicker 2,054 times a year. that's seven times a day. >> for some couples constant harping is the key. do you know what's important? for couples to know it's not how often you are doing it. it's having the ratio. five positives to every negative. every time you say, i can't believe there is no gas a in the tank. five times you have to say, you look great, you are so attractive. i love the lasagna. >> here's what a couple said about arguing. >> it would be a quick argument like, get the kids to bed. but i did it last night. clean up the dishes, but i did

it last night. >> i didn't put clothes in the laundry room or make my bed in the morning. that can set her off for days. >> dinner's done and i'm on the phone and the kids need baths and i'm chit-chatting he'll shout, are you going to get involved here? that will just -- that's an argument right there. >> asking women what do you argue about the most? household chores is number one at 36%. money, sex, child rearing. for men, household chores, money, sex and child rearing but in different ratios. surprising? >> no. this is what we see in our practices all the time. again, how they are doing it is creating a problem. does nagging get the thing done? does arguing solve the problems? not usually. the arguments are you did this, you didn't do this. i tell folks there is a four letter word that stops most arguments. it doesn't get said often enough. ouch. you said that.

that hurt me. i don't know if you were trying to hurt me, but you did. >> that's good. ouch. you hurt me. when we are reactive like the woman in the video, i say what i feel and i'm not thinking that i'm wounding you. maybe if i knew i were wounding you i would take a breath and talk about the content. >> the other person may say, well, you have heard me. okay. you're right. i have. i don't want to do that. that's not how i want to be in our marriage. >> i will try that next time. thank uh you so much. up next, the fabulous clothes and jewels of princess diana now on display in america. we'll show you where. first, this is "today" on nbc.

the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal.

they steam and bake the actual whole grain while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. back now at 8:46 with a celebration of princess diana's life at what some would consider an unlikely place. many of her personal belongings are on display at the mall of

america. janet shamlian is in minnesota with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. royalty has come to the mall. it's hard to imagine some of the most famous photographed dresses worn by princess diana here steps from foot locker and cinnadon, bcinn cinnabon. this is the first time they are in a mall and they say princess diana would appreciate it is somewhere none can come because she considered herself the people's princess. as malls go it's among the nation's largest and perhaps most famous for the indoor amusement park. but starting this month, minnesota's ji enormous mall of america has another claim, not just to fame but to royalty. the treasures of a world treasure, princess diana, are all right here. worry not. this may be a shopping mecca, but nothing is for sale. the gowns and jewels have been

on display before. but usually it's some place like a museum. this is the first time the royal belongings of princess diana have been shown at a mall. graham morton is one of the two curators entrusted with the exhibit and secrets. on the day princess diana walked down the aisle, every detail was attended to including some the public never saw like the bottom of her shoe inscribed c heart d for charles loves diana, covered in a special fabric. >> it was made so that princess diana would not slip going up the aisle which would be a good camera moment but would have been a disaster on the day. >> no disaster. in the days and years after, rarely a fashion faux pas. many of the dresses she was most photographed in are here. nick grossmark is charged with their care and handling. >> after the divorce she was able to be her own person in

terms of style. >> reporter: and then there is the bling. the crown jewels stay with the royal family. these are diana's family diamonds. no less impressive. a walk through the nine galleries are a trip down memory lane. there are the earrings di wore on her wedding day, a prayer book given to her by mother theresa and, yes, the dress. 30 years after she wore it that 25-foot train spilling out from behind still commands attention and is what everyone wants to see. when thousands tour the exhibit over the next few months there is one question that will get asked the most. >> what size is she? >> she didn't have a size. >> please. >> it was couture. ladies pay thousands of pounds so they don't have to have a size put in their dresses. >> reporter: call it size beautiful. the personal items of a public princess. the fascination continues.

>> so what size was she really? there are no size tags in any of the dresses. i checked. but when pressed the exhibitors say she was a british 10 to 12 which roughly is an american 6 to 8. but standing next to this gorgeous turn all heads in the room gown it looks like a size 4. this was one of the gowns she wore after she was divorced. she wore her clothes more tailored and sexy. it is stunning. the exhibit is here through june 10. back to you. >> janet shamlian getting down to business on what every woman wants to know. thank you for that. up next, al does some cooking in south beach with paula deen and her son bobby. first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back to "today." we are here in south beach, miami, for the 11th annual food network wine & food festival here in south beach. joining us now, paula deen, her son bobby. good to see you. >> always good to see you. >> bobby, good to see you. >> a manly handshake will suffice. when we last saw you, you revealed on the program exclusively that you have diabetes. >> yes! >> were you surprised at the backlash, the negativity people

were throwing your way? >> well, you know, al, i guess i was lucky. i think it was from a few people that were kind of mean about it and wanting to hold it against me. but you know what? the people that care for me, al, they came out like you wouldn't believe. they are the people that i care about. i want to thank y'all. >> how hard was it to see your mother hurt like that? >> it was tough. i think when someone comes out and announces they have an illness and if people pile on it says something about maybe who's doing the talking. it was a little tough but i love my mom and i'm here to support her. >> i have broad shoulders, al. the good news is that bobby and i are working on recipes that will help a lot of -- >> i'm not eating as much. >> i'm proud of you.

you're exercising, doing the right things. >> you changed your lifestyle. >> i want to tell you this, honey. i feel like god has give me a blessing. because my mother and daddy died very young. i'm so proud that i lived long enough to be a member of the baby boomers and to have to deal with something like this. >> what are we making this morning? >> we're making an artichoke fritatta. we have lightened it uh up a little bit by using a lighter cheese. we changed it up. >> you could do egg whites. >> absolutely. we have four beaten eggs here. you could do two and two or add egg whites to it if you like. we are using low fat shredded cheddar cheese. >> just dump it all in there. >> we start by sauteing onions. >> we drained -- i'm sorry, baby. >> it's the artichoke marinade. there is a little bit of garlic -- >> i will talk over him, y'all!

>> we are using boneless, skinless chicken breast. >> what's it good for? >> it's rich in manganese, good for thyroid function. >> dump, al. baby, we only got three minutes. >> i'm waiting on y'all. >> whoa! bread crumbs! >> bread crumbs. >> hold on. y'all want me to take over? when we get finished with this we are going to make a great visit to a children's hospital. want to talk about it? >> yes. we're going to the children's hospital here. >> it's a children's cancer ward. >> i do -- wait, wait, wait, no. >> you guys -- >> great time of day. >> the train has left the tracks. >> and then in here? >> in here. into the oven, y'all. 350, 30 minutes. >> fantastic.

>> you know, al, i do a lot of make a wishes for these precious angel children out there. >> and you've got a sunday brunch coming up. >> tomorrow. >> all right. >> bobby, paula, always great to see you guys. >> great dishes and love to you all out there. thank you for your love and support. >> coming up today, barbara corcoran with some of the best homes out there for under $400,000. >> i love bashara. >> we do, two. that's coming up. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. old man winter may have given us

a break but he has not done the same for the state budget. the highway industry did spend $30 million of its $36 million allotted it for snow removal. crews have plowed at least seven

>> called front comes in today. we will be rather windy and mild. as warm as it may get, 67 to 72, warmest of the temperatures likely to the south. we have a high wind warning to our west.