good morning. breaking news. a man opened fire at a school in france killing at least four people, including three children. this morning that gunman is on the loose, after fleeing the scene on a scooter. and it's that clue that has police wondering if there's a connection to two other deadly shootings. we're live with the latest. wild weather. two tornadoes ripped through a nebraska town overnight, trapping one person in a damaged home, and derailing 15 train cars while record high temperatures are set in the east, and a major snowstorm hits the southwest. al has it all covered. and the duchesse speaks. kate middleton delivering her first address as a member of the royal family this morning. we'll hear from her "today,"

royal family this morning. we'll hear from her "today," monday, march 19th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie in for ann today. ear going to start with some breaking news this morning. a shooting at a school just a few hours ago in toulouse, france. witnesses say a gunman opened fire on a crowd before the start of classes, then drove away on a black scooter. >> this is extremely tragic on its own, but it was just last week when a man riding a similar scooter opened fire on uniformed paratroopers, killing three men in two separate attacks. we'll get the latest on the investigation in a live report straight ahead. also, a case that has sparked outrage here at home, in florida, a neighborhood watch

volunteer shot and killed an unarmed teenager as he walked to his family's home in a gated community. the shooter claims he acted in self-defense. but the family of the 17-year-old who died believes the 911 calls tell a much different story. they believe race may have played a role. coming up the victim's mother speaks out in a live interview. also the bizarre breakdown of the man behind that very popular online video coney 2012. he was detained over the weekend after appearing on the streets of san diego naked and shouting obscenities. we're going to have more on what may have caused that very unusual behavior. >> and on a lighter note, some of us have been waiting 17 months for this, the emmy winning show "mad men" is coming back for a fifth season after that long hiatus that had fans wondering if it would return. this morning we will catch up with six members of the cast and the show's creator all here live. >> we begin this morning with that breaking news out of france. a deadly shooting at a school there.

nbc's michelle kosinski has details. michelle, what can you tell us? >> good morning, matt. this gunman may have struck three times now, and is still loose. in this latest case early this morning, it happened just as school was starting at this jewish school in toulouse. a gunman rode up on a motor bike, opened fire with what might have been a small machine gun, killing at least three children and one adult with more wounded, and then sped away. and stranger still, just about the last week in this same area there were two similar shootings, in which three paratroopers were killed. might have been also a murder by possibly the same caliber weapon. and in one of those shootings the gunman approached two of the soldiers while they were using an atm, killed them at close range, and then sped away on that motor bike. so now authorities have called in anti-terror investigators. they're tightening security around jewish schools in the area, and telling soldiers not to wear their uniforms while they're off base. they're still searching for this

gunman, who is out there, possibly still on that motor bike, possibly still armed, somewhere in this area. matt? >> but, michelle, other than the motor bike, and if you've been to france, people know a lot of people ride around on motor bikes, are there any other similarities in the crime? i mean, on the one hand you've got soldiers, on the other hand you have students. >> yeah, officials have been saying that in the two shootings involving the paratroopers, three were killed in both of those shootings, that the caliber of the weapon was the same. they think the caliber may have been the same in this shooting today involving the schoolchildren. so they know that's a possible similarity. in addition to the nature of the crime. there's been some speculation by journalists in the area that the gunman may be targeting ethnic minorities. that the paratroopers in question were minorities. but there's also been a question of whether the gunman may have targeted the somers because they may have served in afghanistan. and then he targets jewish children. is this all related? is it the same gunman?

they're not sure yet. but they're looking at possible extremists. that's why they've called in the anti-terror investigators. and they're also apparently calling in people who've had training in hunting serial killers. so, the president is headed to this area now. other officials are headed there and they're trying to sort this out, because this person is still out there, matt. >> all right, michelle kosinski covering this story for us. thank you very much. it's 5 minutes after the hour. here's savannah. >> matt, thanks. here at home we're experiencing some unusual weather on this last day of winter. depending on where you live you could be dealing with record heat, or snowstorms. and over the night, powerful tornadoes tore through parts of nebraska. al roker is upstairs to help us understand what is going on. al, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. the jet stream, the big reason. and look at these. these are scenes we're seeing from chicago. yesterday, fifth day in a row of 80-plus readings. today, they will hit 80 again. that will make it six days in a row. and the reason for this, the jet stream. it is way up to the north. and back out to the west, cooler

than normal. but record highs stretching from the plains down to the gulf, into the northeast. over 50 cities hitting records yesterday. and here's what we're looking at. record highs continuing thursday, but then we're going to see a little bit of a dip and an upper low developing, that's going to cut off some of those really warm conditions. but look at this, march heat continues. a record in chicago -- buffalo, 70 degrees. albany, 76. burlington, 73. providence tying a record of 69 degrees. now on the other hand, we're talking about the cleveland, look at that tying a record. chicago breaking a record. st. louis, more of the same. 81 breaking a record. minneapolis, 79 degrees today. it's going to be 20 degrees warmer in minneapolis than it is in los angeles with a high of 59. now we've also got snow to talk about on the backside of this system. we've also got a risk of very severe storms. look at this, back through flagstaff, arizona, almost 20 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. snarling highways, causing big

problems with the roads. a real mess. we also had two tornadoes touch down in nebraska, we're looking at some of the damage throughout central nebraska, causing big problems. thankfully, no deaths occurring. and for today, we've got the risk of strong storms in the plains again. stretching all the way from texas on up into omaha, nebraska. the strongest risk from austin into dallas, where we're going to be watching this. we could see some very strong storms, and isolated tornadoes in some very populated areas. you can see heavy rain moving into lubbock, up into oklahoma city, and as that system pushes through, we're talking about from dallas up to little rock, up to five to six inches of rain, causing flooding, as well. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. we'll get the rest of your forecast in just a couple of minutes. let's turn now to this story, the army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 civilians in afghanistan is expected to meet with his attorney face-to-face for the first time today. this, as we're learning more about the accused soldier's life

and family. nbc's john yang is at fort leavenworth in kansas. john, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. since he arrived here at fort leavenworth, staff sergeant robert bales has been spending most of his time alone in his cell. today, as you say, he is expected to meet with his attorney for the first time as he awaits formal charges in that deadly rampage in afghanistan. while 38-year-old staff sergeant robert bales is in solitary confinement -- >> mr. brown? >> reporter: -- a crush of reporters greeted his attorney as he arrived to prepare his defense. >> i couldn't imagine what a difficult case, i don't think. the ramifications, legal ramifications, social ramifications. >> reporter: those who know bales are shocked at the accusations. in his neighborhood outside seattle -- >> super nice family. nice people. nice parents. i mean, nice friends. i just -- i am completely blown away. >> reporter: in the cincinnati suburb where he played high

school football and was sophomore class president -- >> this is not our bobby. i swear this is a major mistake. got the wrong name. >> reporter: bales enlisted in the army after 9/11, giving up a job as a stockbroker. since 2003 he's been sent overseas four times. three times to iraq, where he was wounded twice, though he did not receive the purple heart. while serving in iraq two years ago, bales' frustration was evident in a message received by a friend. overseas is boring this trip, pretty dumb. giving money to expletive instead of bullets just don't seem right. in a blog his wife detailed the strain at home, writing about bad dreams when he left from one deployment. last year, when her husband was passed over for promotion, she wrote she was disappointed after all of the work bob has done, and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country, family, and friends. he lives in a seattle suburb with his wife and their two small children.

they've all been moved to a military base for their own protection. >> i remember the two little kids. everything was a sir at the end of it. i knew he was military. >> reporter: just two days after the shooting rampage in afghanistan, the bales put their house up for sale. their realtor saying they would need tens of thousands of dollars, just one part of the picture of bales being pieced to the by prosecutors and his defense team. those formal charges could come as soon as later this week. and his attorney says that bales' wife is expected to come here to visit him. but he can't say just when yet. matt? >> all right, john yang covering this story in kansas for us. john, thank you very much. all right let's get a check of the day's other top stories now. and natalie is over at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. mitt romney is hot on the campaign trail after an overwhelming win in puerto rico's primary. he's now looking ahead to this week's contests in illinois and louisiana. nbc's peter alexander is in chicago with the latest. peter, good morning.

>> natalie, good morning to you. most importantly for the romney campaign, by winning a majority of the votes there in puerto rico, he also gets all 20 of the delegates there. and here in illinois, romney over the last several days has been appealing to middle-class women. those folks us from traited by rising gas prices. romney's been focusing specifically on more moderate republicans in and around the chicago area that represents about three quarters of the republican electorate here. his rival rick santorum focusing his attention on social conservatives in the southern part of the state. he was in louisiana over the weekend, framing his campaign in religious terms. he said one of the great blessings i've had in every political campaign is people underestimate me. he said, people underestimate what god can do. and this marathon campaign has also increased talk that the nomination fight for the first time in 36 years could go all the way to the national convention this august. both newt gingrich and rick santorum are trying to extend this race. but the romney campaign insists they will get all 1144 delegates needed to secure the nomination.

natalie, as one campaign top aide told me overnight, she said, this campaign will render that conversation irrelevant. >> long couple of months ahead. peter alexander in chicago this morning. thanks so much. an american released this weekend after being held captive in iraq was working there alone, and was not a government contractor, u.s. officials say. randy michael holtz had been held by an anti-u.s. militia for nine months. and in yemen militants say they killed an american teacher this weekend for trying to preach christianity. a claim his employer denies. a new study finds a modest improvement in the nation's high school graduation rate. it was up 3.5% from 2001 to 2009, according to america's promise alliance, a group founded by former secretary of state colin powell. however the four-year graduation rate is still just 25%. and a former mr. universe turns 100 this weekend. that's him flexing for the camera still looking strong six

decades after winning the mr. universe competition for india back in 1952. still hits the gym every day. the 4'11" body builder known as pocket hercules says the secret to a long life is not taking things too seriously. his only regret, he says, that he never met fellow mr. universe winner arnold schwarzenegger. it is now 13 minutes past the hour. back over to matt, savannah and al. got to get to the gym and work out every day. >> thanks, natalie. thank you very much. busy morning for you. what else is going on? >> we've got, again, a lot of sunshine along the eastern seaboard. that's good news. we're also looking at some more cool weather in los angeles and san francisco. >> good morning. we have some fog this morning. we will see some sunshine this afternoon and

>> that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al. the release of 911 calls from the shooting death of a florida deanager by a neighborhood watch volunteer is sparking new outrage. the victim's family is demanding justice, but so far no charges have been filed in that case. we'll talk to the young man's mother in a moment. but first, nbc's lilia luciano has the latest on this. lilia, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. three weeks after trayvon martin's death, local police have released the 911 calls from neighbors and from the shooter himself. calls that some might find disturbing, and calls that may hold the answers to a crucial question in this case, did george zimmerman, in fact, fire in self-defense? or was it something else? >> oh, oh, my gosh. someone has been shot.

>> reporter: in newly released 911 tapes you hear the panic from a neighbor just moments after the shooting last month. 17-year-old trayvon martin was visiting family in this upscale gated community near orlando. george zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, called 911, saying the teenager looked suspicious. >> this guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. >> reporter: zimmerman told the operator martin was wearing a hoodie and approaching him slowly. >> he's got his hand in his waistband and he's a black male. something is wrong with him. he's coming to check me out. >> reporter: the operator told zimmerman to stay put. >> are you following him? >> yeah. >> okay, we don't need you to do that. >> reporter: but zimmerman ignored the operator. soon the two were engaged in some sort of altercation. several neighbors called 911. >> they're wrestling right in the back of my porch. the guy is yelling help, and i'm not going outside. >> reporter: in the background a voice is heard crying for help. >> help! >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right, what is your -- >> there's gunshots.

>> there's someone screaming and i just heard gunshots. >> there's a black guy down. it looks like he's been shot and he's dead. >> reporter: trayvon was dead, found lying face down, unarmed, carrying a bag of skittles and a can of iced tea. zimmerman, who holds a concealed weapons permit was questioned but not arrested. he told police it was him crying for help and that he shot martin in self-defense. but in an interview on "today" over the weekend, martin's mother said the voice on the call was clearly trayvon. >> that was my baby. and he was pleading for his life. and i just don't understand how that's self-defense. you can clearly hear him yelling for help. >> reporter: the family believes trayvon was targeted because of his race. but in a letter to a local paper zimmerman's father said his son would never discriminate. community leaders are outraged, holding rallies, demanding an arrest. >> we need answers and we need justice. not only are we looking for an

arrest, we're looking for a conviction. >> reporter: now martin's family is calling on federal authorities to investigate. sanford police say they have no evidence to charge zimmerman with a crime. they've turned the case over to the state attorney's office. matt? >> lilia luciano, thank you very much. trayvon's mother sabrina fulton is with us along with the family's attorney. miss fulton, our condolences. >> good morning. thank you. >> i know you've asked yourself this question a thousand times, what could have happened that night between these two men, your son and mr. zimmerman, that resulted in this tragedy. when you think of any possible scenario, is there one you can come up with in your mind where your son actually tried to harm that neighborhood volunteer? >> no, i cannot. i just can say that i'm pretty sure my son tried to get away. he didn't know who this guy was. he seen him as a stranger. so he was trying to just get

away from the situation. >> anything in your son's past, miss fulton, any run-ins with the law, anything going on his life at the time of the shooting that might have had him in a different state of mind, an agitated state? >> no. he was never agitated. he had never had a run-in with the law. he was mild-mannered. he was a nice kid. >> when you -- and i know you didn't want to listen to the tape this morning. you have heard it. but you asked us not to play it for you this morning, but you heard mr. zimmerman at one point on that tape saying about your son, he's up to no good. there's something wrong with this guy. what do you think he was reacting to? >> he was reacting to the color of his skin. he committed no crime. my son wasn't doing anything but walking on the sidewalk. and i just don't understand why this situation got out of control. >> the father of mr. zimmerman says that his son is not now and never has been a racist.

that he is being portrayed incorrectly in the media. he also said at no time did his son george follow or confront your son. what's your reaction to that? >> i just don't think his dad knows all the facts, and the situation that happened. if he -- him being a parent, if something happened to his son, he would want to know more information, and not just jump to conclusions. >> what would be the question you'd want to ask george zimmerman? >> i would just want to ask him, was it a different way he could have handled the situation? >> mr. crump let me bring in quickly, florida is one in 15 states that has something called a stand your ground law, makes it easier to claim self-defense, if you feel threatened near your home, do you think that's exactly what is going to happen here? do you think you have any legal recourse here? >> i think zimmerman has no

legal recourse. he was not at his home. he was on a sidewalk, a common area, trayvon martin was 70 feet away from the back door. he was almost home. zimmerman got out of his car, did not listen to the police, and chased this kid. you can't chase somebody and then claim self-defense. he had a 9 millimeter gun, he was almost 80 pounds more weight than trayvon martin. and it is a situation where, where you look at these parents, and you listen to those 911 tapes, and the three witnesses, everybody in america is asking when are they going to arrest zimmerman for killing this kid in cold blood? >> we will be following this story, mr. crump, miss fulton. again our condolences. and i thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you.

>> now 20 minutes after the hour. here's savannah. >> matt, thanks. now to a very public breakdown for the man behind the wildly popular kony 2012 video. jason russell was briefly detained by police following a strange incident near his san diego home. nbc's craig melvin is there with the latest this morning. craig, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning to you, as well. this is the neighborhood where jason russell lives. this is also the area where folks saw, as you mentioned, that very public and mysterious meltdown. this morning for russell, his family, his friends, and that charity, it's a bizarre and troubling turn of events. this is not the internet video jason russell thought people would be talking about. this footage from tmz shows a man reported to be russell naked, ranting, and behaving indecently in broad daylight, along this san diego street. he was detained, but not arrested. >> during the evaluation with him we did learn that we

probably needed to take care of him, so the officers detained him and transported him to a local medical facility for further evaluation. >> reporter: russell's wife danica, who he called his best friend for more than 23 years, and with whom he says he wants to have mine more children, has not commented on the video, but said in a statement, jason has never had a substance abuse or drinking problem, and this episode wasn't caused by either of those things. but yes, he did some irrational things brought on by extreme exhaustion and dehydration. on our end, the focus remains only on his health, and protecting our family. his colleagues at his charity, invisible children, also declined to comment on the video. it's been an unusual month for russell, an evangelical christian whose video criticizing the ugandan warlord joseph kony has become a surprise internet sensation. >> what do you think we should do about it? >> we should stop it. >> reporter: so far, more than 82 million have watched the serious discussion of african war on youtube.

with that popularity came increased scrutiny. he talked to ann about accusations his charity gives away too little of its money to children. >> our motto is three-fold. the movie, the movement and the mission. and the mission is to end the war and rehabilitate these child soldiers. >> reporter: so what could have caused the sort of breakdown? "today" contributor dr. gail saltz says russell's newfound fame may have played a role. >> someone who is under tremendous scrutiny who has never been so before, that is a lot of pressure. >> reporter: this morning, we do not know whether jason russell is still in the hospital. savannah? >> all right, krig melvin, thanks so much. coming up, the defense set to begin making its case as the dui manslaughter trial of a florida millionaire after a week of emotional testimony by the prosecution. we'll get the latest. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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gives her first speech as a royal this morning. we'll be there live. also grab a martini and your fedora, "mad men" is coming back to tbs after 17 months.er >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. a 35-year-old construction worker is recovering at shock trauma after being struck by a car along i-95. 35-year-old ricardo jobes got a shattered leg after a car veered into the construction zone and then ran off.

on the morningck commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> definitely seeing signs that the fog is impacting things in certain areas. this accident at lexington and pulaski street, and other problems coming in to us. also looking at a slow down, pretty heavy, approaching white marsh ports the 895 split. average speeds around 25 miles per hour there. we're looking at a round of 15- minute drive time on the northeast outer loop. 19, rather, 20, on the outer loop west side. here is an live view outside. r. ford, you can see the fog is definitely a there on the outer loop. delays in place from harford towards dulaney valley. parkton region, southbound 83, no sign of delays on padonia. you will slow down ports the

belt light. -- the way. >> the fog is mostly down along the eastern shore, and least for the next couple of hours. it should dissipate and we will see sunshine in ocean city. if you heads of sunshine, then more clouds by the afternoon. the threat of a thunderstorm. that will continue throughout the day. in the mountains, mild and 72. 68 today, 72 tomorrow.

7:30 now on a monday morning, march 19th, 2012. if you woke up this morning and said hey, wonder what's going on in ipswich, england this morning. well here's your answer. all eyes on kate middleton as she delivers her first speech as the duchesse of cambridge. it happens in that town at the opening of a children's hospice in ipswich. we're going to take you there, live. actually that's a live image right there. >> and that dress is probably selling out as we speak. >> everybody watches every move that young lady makes. wondering how she feels about that. meanwhile we'll have more on that story. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie who is in while ann is off today. also ahead, if you're a fan of

"mad men" you've been waiting for its return for 17 months now. >> let's just say, it is going to be raining men here in a few minutes in our studio. the show that's won the emmy for best drama four years in a row returns this sunday night, and this morning we have the cast and creator here to talk about the new season, and how close it all came to not happening. we didn't want to hear that. >> tumultuous time the last 17 months. we'll find out more about that. and a show that struggled to find success, it's one and done for rosie o'donnell's talk show on oprah's network. so why did oprah suddenly cancel rosie after just five short months? we're going to have the details on that. >> all right. but we're going to begin this half hour with the dui manslaughter trial of a polo tycoon in florida. the defense could begin presenting its case as early as today after a week of emotional testimony on the prosecution side. >> reporter: mangled metal. it's all that remains of the collision that killed 23-year-old scott wilson. his distraught mother walked silently around her son's

crushed car, just after jury members took a look. moments later, john goodman, the polo club millionaire charged with dui manslaughter peeked into the window of his destroyed bentley. on thursday, prosecutors used a 3-d recreation to show what happened that night in february 2010. they say a drunk goodman sped through a stop sign, slimming his almost three-ton bentley into the side of wilson's car, flipping it upside down into a canal. >> scott wilson didn't die from blunt trauma. he drowned. and what did the defendant do? he walked away. >> reporter: a toxicologist testified that in the hours before the fatal crash, goodman's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. equivalent to having downed 16 to 18 drinks. >> i also detetted hydrocodone. >> reporter: but the defense says goodman only began drinking after the crash to dull the pain. and that the crash happened when

his bentley malfunctioned. >> all of a sudden the car surges forward. >> reporter: goodman's lawyers say he didn't immediately call 911 because his cell phone was dead. instead goodman walked to this woman's trailer and used her phone to call his girlfriend, who made headlines last month when goodman adopted her to protect his wealth. >> did he tell you anything about the crash? >> no. >> reporter: she then told goodman to call authorities. >> oh, yeah, i just had a wreck, and i -- my phone was dead and i'm on -- where am i? sorry. i'm in big trouble, aren't i? >> reporter: trouble that could mean up to 30 years in prison. for "today," thanh truong, nbc news. star jones is a former prosecutor and veteran legal commentator. jeanine pirro is a former district attorney. good morning to both of you. let's start with the prosecution case that's now in. what do you think, eve of you, is the strongest piece of

evidence from the prosecution? >> well, i think the fact that this guy leaves the scene of a fatality where his bentley pushes a car into a canal, and the 23-year-old ends up drowning as a result of what happened. >> big time. but the 911 tape for me is also devastating. there is nothing better than when a defendant conveys to you what his intent is with his own voice. i'm in big trouble, aren't i? he's only caring about himself after he has done what a horrific -- callsed a horrific accident. >> a devastating piece of evidence. there was another piece of evidence that came in that's a little bit controversial. it's the recreation by a prosecution expert of what the prosecutors think the accident looked like. why was this so controversial? >> well, because not that many states have allowed the use of computer animation. and if you look at that animation, it is powerful stuff. now, for the first time, the jury is going to get a sense of how horrific the accident was. it's not just testimony. this is a visual that is anchored in facts, and expert

testimony, and it is the wave of the future. >> and the defense attorney, roy black, really fought tooth and nail to keep it out. because, in the csi aspect of the way jurors now approach cases, to be able to see, in their es tellation, what actually occurred, you don't get much better than that. >> let's talk about the defense. roy black has offered an argument. jurors have to believe a lot to believe the defense theory. number one they have to believe that the bentley malfunctioned. that the defendant here only drank after the accident. that he had a concussion and he's so dazed he didn't realized he had hit a car that landed in the canal. and that he didn't have a phone that he could call 911. is there a point at which the defense becomes too elaborate to be believable? >> you know, the guy has twice the legal limit of alcohol, and so what roy black says, and he is genius, he is brilliant, but he says, look, my guy went and drank a bottle of liquor after the accident he was so stressed. or in such pain. and the car didn't work. it malfunctioned. by the way, he didn't call 911,

he called his girlfriend. >> don't you buy a $250,000 bentley because you don't want to have to worry about malfunctions? that makes no sense. >> will he have to put on an expert? >> he absolutely must put on an expert. and he has to show service records. did he ever complain about the bentley malfunctioning. did it ever not stop at a stop sign before. >> whether it malfunctioned this night or before. before is not relevant. that expert has to say this night it malfunctioned. and his own 911 contradicts it when he says i hit another car. >> 20 seconds, ladies. do you put the defendant on the stand in this case? yes, no? >> i think he's going to be in trouble if he does not take the stand. i really do. >> i don't know if he can take the stand, given the statements he's already made. he's got to call himself a liar or really strain that credulity even more. >> jeanine pirro, star jones, great to have you here. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by some ma intimates.

your new bra destination. >> and good morning, everybody. a beautiful morning here in the northeast. got some friends from laredo, texas. how you all doing? >> good. >> good time? any particular anniversary, anything happening? >> we're -- >> nice. all right. and finishing up here in new york. lovely. let's find out your weather for today. we've got record highs from the northeast into the plains, down into the southeast. strong risk of storms stretching from texas into southeastern oklahoma. wet weather continues along the pacific northwest coast. northern plains looking at some light snow. tomorrow, heavy rain from the lower mississippi river valley into the mid-mississippi river valley. eastern half of the country, more record highs. more wet weather and windy conditions in the pacific northwest. >> good morning. we will see some clouds in the sky. thunderstorms are possible.

and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> all right, al, thanks. still ahead, why oprah just gave rosie o'donnell's talk show the boot. but up next we'll go live to england where kate middleton just wrapped up her first speech as a royal. -one. -two.

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back now at 7:42 and you are looking live at kate middleton, who just wrapped up her first speech as a royal in ipswich, england. as usual people are talking as much about what she said as what she was wearing. the palace is calling this an electric blue dress from fashion house reitz. how did the speech go over? >> hey, savannah, good morning. i'll tell you, sif she is nervos she isn't looking it at all. she arrived wearing that blue dress, borrowed from her mother, i'm told. perhaps a little bit of good

luck from her mother there. the speech, she went up to chat to some of the children from the hospice for which she is a patron. i understand is that she wrote the speech herself. it wasn't very long. just about four minutes. but here's some of what she had to say. >> i feel honored to be here to see this wonderful center. i'm only sorry that william can't be here today. he would love it here. a view of his that i share is that through teamwork, so much can be achieved. what you've all achieved here is extraordinary. you, as a community, have built the treehouse, a group of people who have made every effort to support and help each other. >> saying again there that she misses william. a sentiment she's expressed

before. we expect him back at some point this week. but in terms of the speech, speaking slowly and professionally. savannah, quite some contrast to diana's first speech some 30 years ago. back then diana looked nervous, talking quickly. of course, two very different women, and kate probably has had some training for this speech. one point, though, diana, back 30 years ago, and kate today, both wearing blue for their first speech. >> and i think diana had to speak in welsh. so a little more difficult for her here. >> she did. >> is this something we expect to see more often? do we expect to see more from kate? >> oh, yeah, i think now that she's got this out of the way you'll see her speaking more. you know, this was just sort of putting the toe in the water if you like. it was a very simple speech, just saying thank you for the charity for which she's patron. i think she'll start to express more views as the weeks and months go on. >> we look at that live picture from ipswich, england this morning, we say well done to

kate. thanks so much. coming up next, rosie o'donnell and oprah part ways. we're going to have the details on that right after this. hush little bunny don't say a word. we used to be enemies, but that's absurd. a nibble on your ear used to keep me up all night. now our relationship can be nice and bright. yes, my chocolate friend, our struggle's thru. when i bite your head off, i'll still love you. now i have truvia and i've been set free. natural sweetness from a leaf with zero calories. it's freed me to enjoy. it tastes really great. it helps me balance out what i've got on my plate. now i can indulge in the things i adore. i don't have to wrestle with sweetness anymore. truvia. honestly sweet. whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪

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and as for oprah winfrey's own network, rosie was supposed to deliver badly needed viewers. well it simply hasn't panned out and "o" has now pulled the plug on ro. >> wow. look at us. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a second chance for the former queen of daytime. >> very few people get a second shot at something like this. >> reporter: after a tumultuous end to her last tv stint at "the view" where rosie publicly feuded with her co-host elisabeth hasselbeck -- >> why don't you take this opportunity, like i'm 6 -- >> reporter: and the show's creator barbara walters. >> but i resent it. >> reporter: this rosie show was supposed to be a return to her roots. >> she likes kids, music, playing. >> reporter: rosie off the cuff. >> not like the baby's breach, it's just a game. >> reporter: it sounded a lot like this rosie o'donnell show which made the host a household

name and brought in 5 million viewers a day, something the struggling own network desperately needs. but despite the old recipe, a band, a live audience and games, even prime real estate in oprah's old studio, it wasn't enough. to make matters worse, the 7:00 p.m. time slot meant o'donnell's core audience, stay at home moms, weren't watching. >> you had rosie doing this big, expensive talk showvery night, and she was getting like 150,000 viewers. which didn't justify her contract or the staff that was needed to put on such a big talk show every day. >> reporter: that's when executives and o'donnell started making cuts. no more band or studio audience. a smaller studio. and eventually a single guest format that couldn't lure big name stars. >> this was supposed to be a show that would put own back on the map, and revitalize the network that was in a lot of trouble. and that never happened. >> reporter: as ratings got worse, rosie reportedly began feuding with staffers.

and after weeks of speculation, the own network made it official, saying the rosie show was canceled. and although she wasn't heavily involved throughout the show, it was oprah herself who canceled rosie. so who's really at fault? industry insiders believe there is plenty of blame to go around. >> own kind of took the rosie out of "the rosie show" and they made her very, you know, boring. >> reporter: two tv titans and supercharged expectations unfortunately simply weren't the right recipe. rosie will be taping her final shows right here in chicago this week. matt? >> all right, kevin tibbles in chicago. kevin, thank you very much. appreciate it. just ahead, fans of "mad men," time to rejoice. the award winning drama's hiatus is finally over, after 17 long months. take a look at our green room. we've got the cast of the show down there along with the show's creator. >> going to be a good one. and then also ahead, if whitney houston's daughter bobbi kristina engaged to the young

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check on the morning commute. >> still adding problems to the list. york road, accident coming in to us. further south in the city, lexington and pulaski street, accident clearing. southbound 95, 22 miles per hour approaching white marsh to the 895 split. aberdeen, bush chapel road

closed due to fire activity. belair road, you can see going away from us, that is where your delay starts. let's see what is going on as we switch over to the northwest corner of the beltway. delays in place from 795 all right through to edmondson. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava as a check on the forecast. >> one last check before you head out today. 68 in baltimore. this should bring a little bit of sunshine this afternoon and a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms. ocean city, plenty of sunshine. only up to 63. 72 in the mountains. mountains saw a couple of showers. here is the seven-day forecast. tomorrow is officially the first day of spring. 72 degrees for the high

temperature there. most of the day is dry. a little bit of clearing mid- week. temperatures are warming up. 80 degrees on thursday. 75 on friday

we're back now at 8:00 on a monday morning. it's the 19th day of march, 2012. and if you live in a part of the country that's had bad weather you must be sick of hearing it from us already, but we have had a gorgeous couple of weeks. and it just continues. got a beautiful day here today. 58 degrees already in new york city. going up to about 70. >> 70, yes. >> so springlike conditions continue on this last day of winter, right? >> that's right. >> last full day of winter. >> ends tomorrow morning. >> i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. savannah's here while ann is taking a little time off and we're joined by mr. roker, as well. raise your hand if you like the show "mad men" on tbs. big, big show.

it's won the emmy for best drama on tv four years running. but it's been off the air for 17 months. new episodes are returning. and for the first time, we've got the cast and the creator of that show in our studio right now. we're going to sit down and talk to them in just a couple of minutes. >> we are so excited for that. are you feeling well enough to do that inner view? >> i'm all right. >> you look a little peaked. also ahead there's some news that perhaps bobbi kristina, whitney houston's daughter, is now dating and perhaps engaged to the 22-year-old man who was raised as her brother. we'll have details on that story coming up. >> and we're going to put your favorite laundry detergents to the test. we've got some stubborn stains. find out if the pricier options actually work any better. >> a lot to get to. let's go inside, natalie is standing by at the news desk with all the headlines. >> good morning again, matt, savannah and al. good morning, everyone. deadly violence this morning in southwest france where a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in

front of a jewish school in toulouse. officials say at least four people were killed including a father, his two young sons and one other child. french president nicolas sarkozy who is on his way to toulouse says there are strike being similarities between today's attacks and a pair of shootings in the area that killed three soldiers last week. at least two tornadoes touched down in central nebraska last night. the high winds damaged houses, uprooted trees, and ripped down power lines. but officials said there were no reports of serious injury. meantime, record temperatures are heating up the eastern half of the country, with chicago expected to reach 80 degrees for a sixth straight day. the american soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in afghanistan is expected to heat with his attorney for the first time today. 38-year-old staff sergeant robert bales is being held in the military prison at fort leavenworth, kansas. meantime the soldier's family has released a statement saying they are stunned by the killing spree. but that they stand by bales. mitt romney has new momentum

heading into tomorrow's illinois primary. romney easily beat rick santorum sunday to win the puerto rico primary. afterwards romney's wife urged republican rivals to unite behind her husband so he can focus on defeating president obama. however, rick santorum and newt gingrich say they are in it for the long haul. now for a look at what is trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. the internet is buzzing about kate, the duchess of cambridge. as you just heard here, she made her first public speech as a member of the royal family this morning at the treehouse hospice for children with life-threatening illnesses. >> you've all made me feel so welcome. i feel honored to be here to see this wonderful center. i'm only sorry that william can't be here today. he would love it here. >> prince william is away on military duty in the falkland islands as a search and rescue pilot. kate reportedly wrote the speech herself. tech blogs are excited about

a "new york times" report that the faa will test digital reading devices and reconsider its ban on using them during taxi, takeoffs and landings. the last time the faa tested such gadgets was in 2006 before ipads and most ereaders existed. and college basketball's sweet 16 is a trending topic on twitter. all but two of the teams in the regional semifinals will be from major college conferences. the exceptions, xavier and and ohio university. go bobcats. as i turn around and toss it back to matt and savannah. >> did matt write that story? >> sweet 16 for the bobcats. they must be going raise zi in athens, ohio. they take on that little school called north carolina on thursday. that's right. natalie, thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the weather from al roker. >> good year to be a buckeye. i like it. all right. let's see what's happening, as far as your weather is concerned for today. pick city of the day, flint, michigan. nbc 25.

nbc mid michigan's best early -- >> bobcats. >> i mean buckeyes, the state. the state of ohio. for goodness sake. i'm trying to say something nice about your state! and you come over and give me a hard time! what's with that? anyway, let's go back to the map. mr. ingratitude. you can see a strong storm now making their way, texas on into oklahoma. that's where we've got the risk of strong storms today. making its way all the way up into southern minnesota. more rain in the pacific northwest. lots of record highs, great lakes, northeast on into the southeast. >> good morning. we have some fog this morning. we will see some sunshine this afternoon and

all right mr. gumpy pants, back to you. >> thank you, al. >> i'm trying to help the whole state. >> thank you, al. >> when we come back, is bobbi kristina, whitney houston's daughter, actually engaged to her adopted brother? we're going to talk more about that. and in our studio right now, the cast and creator of "mad men" as they get set to bring us new episodes, after 17 months. we'll talk to them after these messages. r a day. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize. improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] daily moisturizing lotion. and for healthy hair every day, try new pure renewal hair care, with balancing seaweed extract.

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together in her hometown of atlanta, holding hands and embracing, appearing to be a happy couple. this just days after the two went out in public together for the first time, surprising the world with this kiss. while they are not technically blood relatives, bobbi and nick grew up together after whitney took him in at the age of 12 when his parents were unable to take care of him. the pair has reportedly been living to the in whitney houston's atlanta home since her death. >> we're hearing that nick and bobbi kristina are engaged, that they went from being friends and brother/sister, to being lovers, they're romantically involved and they seem like they're really in love and they're very into one another. and nick has made no secret of the fact that they are definitely more than friends these days. >> reporter: in fact, he took to twitter to confirm how close he and bobbi kristina have been. saying, yeah, we got a little closer. some people have no lives, so they gotta be in ours. he's since closed his twitter account. over the weekend nick did not

want to talk about rumors of a possible engagement. >> no comment. >> reporter: when asked how bobbi kristina was doing, he had this to say. >> she's doing very well. staying strong. >> reporter: there's some speculation that the ring bobbi kristina is sporting actually belonged to her late mother, seen here in this photo. >> this was a ring that belonged to her mother whitney. and neil lane has said that this ring is valued at about $250,000. the fact that she's wearing it on her left hand, where your engagement ring goes, definitely raises a few eyebrows. >> bobbi kristina's family, including whitney houston's mother cissy are reportedly outraged by the idea that the two could be together 379 we reached out to the family but got no response. >> tamron hall, thanks so much. coming up next, the cast and creator of "mad men" open up about the hit show's much-anticipated return. spring has sprung but so have my allergies. nighttime is the worst. i can't breathe and forget sleeping. good mornings? not likely! i've tried the pills

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after being off the air for 17 months it's coming back on sunday with a two-hour premiere. this morning for the very first time on tv we have the cast with us to talk to them and we're going to do that in a moment. but first a look at the show that's made america nostalgic all over again. it's a mad, mad world, about so much more than advertising. >> well, i just looked him in the eye and convinced him i was some kind of idealistic businessman. >> reporter: "mad men" provides a window into america in the '60s. >> the setting makes it glamorous. it's about advertising in manhattan. you see a lot of social themes playing out there that engage audiences. it's about sexism in the workplace, racism. you see things about modernization. >> reporter: "mad men" centers around a new york ad agency run by creator director don draper. it's a role that made actor jon hamm a household name. his partners include roger sterling, the company cad with the funny lines. >> we can solve this problem with a flask. >> reporter: pete campbell, the young and ambitious executive with big plans.

lane pryce who handles the firm's finances. and not well. so he relies on the agency's secret weapon, sultry, sexy joan, the office manager who actually runs the place. peggy olson has emerged as the show's feminist icon. the female copywriter in a man's world. and there's betty. don draper's unhappy wife. who became his ex-wife, but stayed unhappy. she's at home with three kids. now 17 months later, "mad men" is back. so, will the fans be back, too? i'm glad you thought that was funny, january. we're joined now by jon hamm, john slattery, january jones, matthew weiner, vincent kartheiser and jared harris. where have you been? what was going on here? >> we were hiding. we decided to take some time off and solve some issues, but now we're back.

>> how bad were the issues? be honest? how close did this show come to going down the tubes? >> several of us had genter reassignment surgery, so -- >> we were -- >> we were not out of work as long as -- we've not been away from the show as long as the public has. there was a decision made by the network in 2010 that the show would be hon in 2012. >> right. >> and so we went back to -- i went back to mark in may and they came back in august. it was three or four months longer than normal. >> have you been hearing it from fans who've been saying what's going on here and when are you guys coming back? >> yeah, they were excited that -- it's an unfortunately long hiatus. but i think now you can -- you know, you can different shows, you can actually find the show in ways you couldn't before. so i mean, we're actually hoping that, you know, it whetted people's appetites. >> gave people a chance to catch up. >> obviously we have to remember that although the show's been on the air for a long time, there are people, believe it or not, who don't know about "mad men"

and haven't watched it. so who wants to take a shot at completing the sentence, okay? "mad men" is really a show about -- >> go. >> don draper's life. >> yeah? >> okay. >> how about completing this sentence. it has connected with audiences because -- >> drinking. >> drinking and smoking? >> i think that it differentiated itself for the audience because the show had very, sort of realistic -- the characters have realistic problems. there's not a lot of explosions. there's not a lot of like car chases and things like that. but the problems that they have are very closely related to what people live with. >> it's about the dialogue what it comes right dunn to. it's brilliantly written -- >> that's what i was going to say. >> took the words right out of your mouth. it's also uncomfortable. there are times when you're made uncomfortable watching this show

because of the things you're doing that are inappropriate and it's weird that you're all so good at them. >> i think also it's that far enough in the past that it does feel different. and yet it's not too far in the past to where it feels old time and you're unfamiliar or foreign in any way. and i think people can -- people can get a sense of feeling, of part away from that so they can have a vicarious thrill of that behavior and acting out -- >> it's also not judgmental. i mean there's something about it that sort of embraces on some level that we are flawed people. and there's not really this -- it is a moral universe, you know. it's not like it's immoral. but people behave badly. it's why the ten commandments are there. it's like these are the things that we do and the show sort of treats them in a way that's very realistic, and you watch the show, and you can feel superior to the characters on some level, but you also recognize a lot of the bad behavior. you know. it's mothering, and being a child, and being --

>> you bring up mothering. just to get a sense of how long the show has actually been off the air, january, you actually had a baby during the hiatus, that child is now in college. i believe. zander is six months old now. how are you doing? >> i'm doing really well. he's awesome. >> is it true, sometimes you can't believe everything you read, some fans of the show take it seriously. you're not a good mom on the show. >> that's not true. >> oh, yeah. >> come on, you're not a great mom. >> she's not a great mom. >> a typical mom. >> i'm going to go with your -- have you had fans who've actually kind of worried about what kind of a mom you're going to be? >> yeah, i think so. i can only -- i can only, i don't know -- i can only surprise people with my mothering. but i don't know how can i say this politely. >> it's just a show. >> it's just a show. >> even better draper likes

babies. i mean, that's not -- >> january and i were on the same flight up here, too. he was incredibly well behaved the entire flight. >> who's the practical joker on the cast? >> jon. >> jon? >> i the practical joker? >> vinnie. >> practical jokes here. >> some of those. i have a feeling we can't put those up there, right? >> probably not. >> what's it like for you? how old are you? >> 12. >> and you're on this show with all these adults although there's some other kids, as well. you're dealing with very adult themes. do you ever think i could be on nickelodeon or on disney doing something? >> i do. but i'm really happy where i am right now. it's a great show to be on. and i'm so thankful for it. >> you don't get to drink in public much on nickelodeon. >> jon, you made some headlines recently. okay. you were talking, you were doing an interview and you were discussing reality television.

and you said this, quote, whether it's paris hilton or kim kardashian or whoever, stupidity is certainly celebrated, being a blanking idiot ises a valuable commodity in this culture because you're rewarded significantly. now kim kardashian had some comments about that and said your remarks were careless. do you want to explain? do you want to expand? do you want to do anything? >> no, i don't think they were careless. i think they were accurate. but it's a part of our culture that i certainly don't identify with and i don't really understand the -- the appeal of it, other than in a court of car crash sensibility. and it's not something that i partake in or enjoy. but it is what it is. and here we are. >> anybody else want to jump into the pool? the water's beautiful. >> you'll enjoy it. >> i agree. >> go ahead. >> yes, that was it? you supporting your friend or you agree with the whole

concept? >> no, i agree with everything he said. i think our society enjoys to turn on the television and see someone who is, maybe awful, and they can say, well at least i'm not as terrible as that person. >> is there room for both things, though? i mean you have a wonderfully written, beautifully acted show here. and that's a great luxury. and it's a nice position to be in. but do you understand that there is an audience for all things out there? >> there's a lot of channels on the dial. and those channels need to be filled up with things. and, listen, it's different strokes for different folks, i suppose. >> matthew, have you started to think about how this show comes to an end? is this seventh season going to be the last season? >> this is the fifth season. >> oh, i'm sorry. >> we're talking about doing seven seasons. >> you're going to do seven? >> that's the plan for right now. >> have you started to think about how you're going to kill -- i mean -- how you're going to end all these story lines? >> you know what? people keep asking me that. so i better get on it. no, i have like -- i have a vague idea of what it is. i just think it's interesting that people keep asking about

it. and, for me, it's -- it's -- you know what i mean, about how is it going to end or do i know? really when we get to the end of the show they're going to have to take my word for it. i can say oh, yeah i thought about that when i was in high school or something. for me, i think that they want the tension alleviated, that there is a plan or something. but, for me, i really don't even want to think about it ending yet. >> it's not like some fiery crash, you know, all on the same plain type thing. i'm looking in your eyes, i'm starting to think maybe. >> no, no, we can't afford that. >> do you have an idea of how the -- the budget -- >> there will be the reflection of a fiery crash in a window. >> have you guys thought about what it would be like to put this behind you? i mean you almost have to think about that over the last 17 months. >> i just like to be in the end. make it to the end. >> make it to the final episode. >> and i don't think -- i mean, i think, i can probably safely

speak for all of us and we all feel very lucky to have this job. and -- and i think it occurred to us early on that this isn't like a lot of television experiences, and we're lucky to have it. and it isn't going to go on forever. but we're enjoying it while we're here. >> based on the number of people in the studio this morning, a lot of people are happy you're back. congratulations on season five. sorry about that. you can catch the two-hour premiere this sunday night on amc. just ahead charlize theron.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. final check on the money morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> dealing with problems as we try to wrap up rush hour. eastbound 70 at marriottsville road, we have an accident backing up traffic at 32. also looking at a crash at park heights ave. another problem at par for road. accident coming in to us there. 24 miles per hour on the west side. route 30 and old hanover road,

watch for an accident. if you want to travel in aberdeen, bush chapel road closed due to fire activity. still looking at fog on the northeast corner of belair road. that is where delays begin all the way to the harrisburg expressway. over to a life of traffic at the northwest corner of the beltway. not too bad until you get past 795 towards liberty great these delays continue towards at area. >> fog is still in place from baltimore towards the eastern shore. we should start to clear in the next couple of hours. a little bit of sunshine later today. there is the threat of thunderstorms. most likely after 12:00. 72 in the mountains. seventies in our forecast. isolated thundershowers. mostly dry midweek.

no temperatures dropping down. >> we will have another update at 8:55. your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com.

we're back now "today," 8:30 on a monday morning, the 19th day of march, 2012. nice crowd out on the plaza this morning. it's spring break rolls along here in new york city. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, who's here while ann is taking some time off. we're joined by al roker and natalie morales, as well. and coming up, we're going to catch up with charlize theron

and kristen stewart. they are two of the stars of the new "snow white" movie that is coming to theaters. "snow white and the huntsman" this is not your typical snow white movie. ear going to be talking about them in just a little while. >> also we're going to talk about laundry detergent. are all laundry detergents created equal? no. good housekeeping did some tests. we're going to find out if the high-priced brands are really better when it comes to getting your clothes clean. >> how does this sound? a faster way to get dinner to your table. simple recipes anybody can do. all you need are a couple of ingredients and a baking sheet according to adam rapport. >> and an apron and a tie. >> and then you're done. >> and we're going to show you how to turn your old electronics into cash. >> lots to get to. how about a check of the weather? >> all righty. starting with the week ahead, much above normal conditionses for the eastern two-thirds of the country with heavy rain along the mississippi river valley. below normal out west.

wet weather in the pacific northwest. midweek period, look at that the warm temperatures expand out but the heavy rain continues down into the mississippi river valley causing some flooding. wet weather, cooler in the pacific northwest. latter part of the week, the warm weather stays. the rain stays where it is but temperatures normal out out west into texas. >> good morning. we will see some clouds in the sky. thunderstorms are possible. >> i'd just like to remind you, savannah, you can get your weather any time of the day or night, weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> al, thank you so much.

coming up charlize their and and kristen stewart will be here to preview their new movie about snow white. firs first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back now at 8:35 with the stars of the new movie "snow white & the huntsman." it puts quite a new twist on the classic fairy tale with oscar winner charlize theron as the evil queen, and kristen stewart in the role of snow white. take a look. >> my queen. another kingdom for your power. will another victim surpass you. you shall rule forever. >> find me someone to hunt her down. >> you're the one hunting me.

>> you have eyes, huntsman, but you do not see. she is destined to end the darkness. >> hair black as night, bring me your heart, dear, dear snow white. let them come. >> charlize theron and kristen stewart. ladies, good morning to both much you. >> good morning. >> note to self, don't take my 5-year-old to see this, i have a feeling. >> or do. >> cautionary tale on what you -- yes, you want your 5-year-old daughter to turn out like snow white and not like the evil queen. >> it's a dark, dark twist on this classic, though, isn't it? >> dark is a dangerous word, maybe. i mean i think it's just a -- it's a retelling that feels a

little bit more grounded in reality. and yes, it has darker tones to it. but i think more than that just like a great adventure, big, epic scale film. >> you play snow white, kristen. when you first heard about the project did you ever envision snow white as an action movie? because, that's really what this is. >> it is, yeah. i -- i mean, it's how the description is written, so yes. but it had a reason it never felt like it was a movie where you were trying to have a strong girl character be sort of bad ass. i mean, you know -- >> when i read it i kind of felt like, why didn't i think of this. it's one of those ideas like, of course, this is the perfect story to put in that setting. >> you want to like join the cause. like any good script that you read, i believed in it so much. and considering it's a teary tale and based in a very unreal

world, that says something about the characters. >> i think we can tell by the clips you play the evil queen. is she evil like some reality stars? or is she evil like the exorcist where the head spins around, things like that? what's your take on her? >> who is the reality star? >> i don't know, i just got done with the jon hamm thing so i've got that on my brain. >> she -- well, yeah, she -- i mean i think there was a, i think, in broad strokes we were all interested in wanting to be a part of this film because it was taking something that's iconic that everybody has, and how do you turn that upside down? and that's how i felt about the character. i felt like everybody has such a clear opinion or idea of what they think this fairy tale character is. and so how, for me as an actor, i was really interested in kind of taking that and messing a little bit with that. >> there is another snow white movie coming out, not to bring up other subjects, but why is snow white hot again right now? >> kind of like coca-cola.

pepsi. >> i -- >> you know, i think -- i think these stories thematically bleed into a lot of stuff that's very relevant. and so i'm not shocked that we're kind of having an outbreak of a lot of these kind of classic fairy tales being retold. i also think that you can really throw -- there's a way to do them, and -- in different worlds, and i think that's what the case is with this. i don't think universal would have backed this film the way they have if they thought that we were playing to the same audience as the other one. they're definitely made for very, very specific audiences and very different audiences. >> kristen, i was reading about you last night and i thought i would ask you this, you know what it's like to be the center of a white-hot publicity storm, because of the twilight movies. another movie coming out right now that seems to be gathering that kind of attention, "hunger games." and i'm curious if you think the

actors in that movie, or what will become those movies, are going to experience something similar? >> -- >> shake your glass ball, tell us. >> i don't know. i mean, i hope so just on some level, you know, that i -- yes, it gets very crazy and the question is, are you going to be able to handle it? you look at those actors and kind of can tell why they're doing what they're doing. it's so obvious that no one signed on to that project to do the next big thing and i think that's the way to see something get big. hopefully, you know, they'll be happy doing what they're doing. i can't wait to see the movie. so yeah. >> a lot of anticipation for it. just on a completely different subject. congratulations. >> on what? >> the new baby boy at home. how's it going? >> it's going amazing. yes. he's scrumptious and delicious and yeah, it's incredible.

>> it's nice to see your face because you're smiling, almost an unavoidable smile. >> we call it a grin. >> a grin. well it's nice to have you both here, charlize theron and kristen stewart. pleasure. >> thank you. >> good luck we want to tell people "snow white & the huntsman" from our sister company universal pictures opens on june 1st. and you can see the full trailer on xfinitytv.com and during "the voice" right other humanitarian nbc. up next, some of your favorite laundry detergents to the test. the clean test. first this is "today" on nbc.

girl: i want to tell you about my friend. his name is ben. ben learned about a homeless boy who had an infected tooth, and the boy died. that made ben really sad. he wrote a law so every kid can see a dentist. we have special dental van that goes from school to school. he even helps make sure we learn how to brush our teeth. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message.

back now at 8:43. this morning on "today's consumer," laundry deturningent. a lot of us just grab whatever is on sale. which deturningents really work the best? consumer correspondent janice lieberman has the dirt on that. >> definitely going to get this

thing clean. we spend $7 billion on detergents last year and we thought it was time to ask the lab experts at good housekeeping magazine to air their dirty laundry and show us which brands actually come clean. ♪ because there's been a great new change in cheer ♪ >> reporter: let's face it, it's not glamorous, and it's not fun but someone has to do the dirty work. everyday products are promising something new, but do they work? >> detergents are improving in terms of performance overall. >> reporter: the choice in detergents can be dazzling. dozens line store shelves. how much do you really need to spend per cycle? a buck or just a few cents. we asked good housekeeping director carolyn forte. >> we calculated our price for large or heavily soiled clothes. >> reporter: we got access to the good housekeeping labs as they conducted their dirty business. testing different soaps' performance. >> we tested 74 detergents,

liquids, powders and the new single dose tabs in hot and cold ter. >> reporter: this mess is purely scientific at their lab. what do you have here? >> a cotton swatch that we blocked off into 20 different stains. when we're doing our actual test we let them sit overnight and then we wash them. >> reporter: forte wasn't easy on these competitors. >> lipstick. mustard. spaghetti sauce. and grass. back at the lab the deterngents tested were some of their best performers. tide powder with bleach. ecover zero detergent and target's up and up liquid detergent. >> to simulate actual home use we ternlgents. >> reporter: after a full wash cycle we dot the results. first ecover's laundry powder zero, somewhat pricier than the others. >> this is one of our plant-based picks. what we would normally do is allow this to air dry and then we would give it a grade. it did well. you know, struggled with

spaghetti sauce. >> reporter: a lot. >> mustard is hard but that's not bad. >> reporter: next target's up and up. a bargain brand, there was still some light staining. >> this didn't get the blood out. >> no, it didn't. if you don't have heavy stains, you pretreat your stains, this is certainly a very viable option. >> reporter: and last, one of the top picks, tide powder with bleach. >> there's no detergent that's going to get out every single stain. the mud is gone. mascara looks good. blood is good. ink is good. i can't say it enough, you definitely have to pretreat stains. >> reporter: good housekeeping says there were no bad performers. and do realize that we do 400 loads of laundry a year. so this is important. >> i was going to say, don't say that. so depressing. what was the biggest surprise to come out of this? >> that they all did pretty well. even the cheaper brands were pretty good. there were no real losers in the bunch. and they 2k7 4. >> even in cold water. >> and in cold water. if you want to save energy, why not try a load or two and see if

it does okay for you. >> we have the laundry hall of fame. this was the best laundry detergent powder form. >> tide tied with itself. >> good one. >> the bleach and the powders, they won. but gain was a good runner-up. >> okay. >> then for liquids, powders really are the cheapest. but liquid is a little bit more convenient. also tide did very well. but era came in. so that's a little less. if you want to go green, they like ecover and caldria. tide was about 30 to 40 cents a load. this is a little bit higher. >> some people have the perception that maybe they don't clean as well. >> and good housekeeping said they did pretty well. that is an option but it is a little pricier. >> this is special detergent for cold water. i got to tell you i didn't know you needed special detergent. >> you probably could get away with it. these did very well. and this is gain, another runner-up to tide. because it's not a tide commercial but they did do well. >> okay.

>> but for eleven cents a load they like target and they also like this from walmart. so you can definitely do it for a lot cheaper than 50, 60 cents a load if that is a concern. >> and finally i love this idea. pods. just throw them in there. >> this is awesome. they were very surprised that they work and also they really run you about the same as the liquid. so they're not crazy priced. >> take us to laundry clinic. tips, the first one is immediately remove fresh stains. >> if you're in a restaurant and wine gets on you, lift it as much as you can with a towel and try to lift as much as you can. don't blot it out with water and mush it in. >> you lift it with a dry towel. >> yes. >> pretreat stains. >> very important. if you see wine or lipstick or something, let it soak for awhile, you know, preferably overnight if you can. >> you keep thinking my stains are from wine. >> because mine are! >> i'm really guilty of the next one. overloading the washer. >> if you just want to stuff it in to get it done, you really have to be careful, because it's not going to get clean. >> right. >> so use the right amount of

detergent. >> yes. follow the directions. sometimes people do a little bit less. or sometimes they overdo it. >> doing more is actually not good. >> it's not good because it's just going to get full of soap and it won't come out. you really want to clean. you don't want a film on it. you want to use what they say. they do scientific research. >> follow the directions. and then you say air dry stains. >> this i thought was very interesting. if you find a stain, you put it in the wash and you're not sure it came out, air dry it. don't put it in your dryer. that's just going to set it. if you have to redo it at least you have another shot. once you put it in the dryer you're finished. >> why wouldn't you put it right back into the washer. >> well you want to see if it came out. how much laundry do you do? >> obviously not a lot. coming up next a no-mess, no-fuss way to get dinner on the table.

this morning on "today's kitchen," easy as 1-2-3, simple dinners. after a long day at work the last thing you want to do is spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen. you don't have to if you have a baking sheet and a few recipes from adam rappaport. he's the editor in chief of "bon appetit" magazine. good morning, welcome back. >> good morning. if you have matt lauer as your sous chef. >> prepared to do anything you want. we're talking about one-sheet dinners. be careful about that. >> yes. >> one-sheet dinners. why are we only using one sheet?

>> two reasons. one, if you're like me and you cook dinner, all of a sudden you've got six fry pans, a pot and grease everywhere. so it's less mess. also roasting is a great way to bring out a lot of flavor, a lot of caramelization, crispiness in the vegetables. put it all in one pan, whether it's pork or fish, et cetera. >> we're going to make a plastic recipe, veal saltimbocca but we're making pork. there's the twist. you start by marinating it in white wine. >> we're going to pierce the pork, get a little flavor going on. you can pour the wine over there. >> how long do you marinate it? >> 10, 20 minutes. it's not exact science. we're going to add a little oil to the potatoes and onions. salt and pepper, of course. and then, a little fresh sage. you could use dried sage if you want. fresh is always better on the potatoes. i'm going to toss them. what you're going to do is dump these onions and potatoes on the sheet tray. this is an aluminum street tray. you can use nonstick if you want. i've always found if you want

something to get crispy and brown, regular aluminum is better. throw that in the oven at 450 for about 20 minutes. >> by the way, once you put this and start roasting it, you're not going to stir it? >> you don't want to mess with it. like i said you want to let it get nice and crispy. >> okay. >> you don't need to toss and turn it. dry the pork a little bit on a paper towel. more salt and pepper, comme ca. that's a little french there. i don't know how to say it in italian. we're going to take this over here. take about 20 minutes. this only takes about ten minutes to cook to medium, 135 internal temperature. kind of nestle that on in between the potatoes and onions because you want it against the pan where it can get nice and hot. >> back in the oven? >> no. hold on don't forget the prosciutto. >> okay, fine. not a party -- >> if you want pork to taste good put more pork on top of it. >> perfect. >> this comes out of the oven nice and crispy on top, brown

caramelized onions and potatoes. boom, boom, delicious. we'll take this over here. >> let's do a fish dish using the same principle. this is wasabi salmon. >> all right. what we have here, shredded cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms. what you're first going to do make a little condiment on the side. this is was abby paste, mayonnaise, ginger and garlic. that's going to be mixed together as our little condiment on the side. next we're going to take some more ginger and garlic. put it in the vegetables. in the cabbage. we're going to oil it up. we're going to throw the bok choy in there. tell you what, because this bowl is not ginormous we're going to put this in like that. little salt and pepper if you will. toss it. throw it on the sheet tray. >> on one side? >> on one side. this does not need to cook that long. it's just cabbage. you're going to put that with the salmon, salt and pepper on top in the oven. 10 minutes. 12 to 15 minutes total. that's it. the salmon is ready. the bok choy is ready. you're good to go. it's healthy.

it's tasty. the gals are here and mr. roker, of course. and you have dinner. 12 to 15 minutes. >> and you used one sheet, one bowl -- >> two bowls. >> that's it. >> that's it. >> that meets my threshold requirement. no cleanup. >> thank you. >> say it real quickly. one-sheet dinners. >> ooh. >> one-sheet dinner. >> okay, adam, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> just ahead, how to turn your old electronics into cold, hard cash. first your local news and weather.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. a 35-year-old construction worker is recovering at shock trauma this morning after being hit by a car along i-95. police say that ricardo jobes suffered a shattered leg when a

driver veered into the construction zone, hit him, and then took off. the driver may have

>> it looks like there are still a couple of areas of a fog along ocean city but sunshine it should break out along the eastern shore into the afternoon. there is a slight chance for thunderstorms as we head into the afternoon.

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