good morning. federal investigation. the fbi and justice department now looking into the deadly shooting in florida of an unarmed teenager by a neighborhood watch volunteer. will it lead to charges in the case? the magic number. voters headed to the polls in illinois today, where mitt romney hopes for a decisive win to clear up his path to the g nomination. but will a strong showing by rick santorum mean the race will go all the way to the convention? and growing pains. kirk cameron responds to the uproar caused by his recent comments that homosexuality is detrimental and ultimately destructive. and he's here to address his critics "today," tuesday, march and he's here to address his critics "today," tuesday, march 20th, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm matt lauer. it was back on february 26th that 17-year-old trayvon martin was shot and killed down in florida. and after weeks of outrage and protests, the feds are now involved. >> that's right. and the justice department says it will now perform an independent review of the evidence tied to the shooting in a gated community, and also take appropriate action. that investigation was announced last night just hours after several rallies to demand the shooter's arrest. we're going to get more on this brewing controversy coming up straight ahead. >> also ahead a story we told you about a couple of months ago. a woman who was lucky to be alive. she was hit by a shopping cart that was thrown from the fourth floor of a parking garage at a mall here in new york city. now, the victim is speaking out about the incident for the first

time, and wait until you hear what she has to say about the two teens behind the prank that nearly killed her. >> that's right. and also, just how much damage was done to the kony 2012 movement when vice-creator's apparent breakdown near his san diego home. and also should a strip club be allowed to donate to a little league team? today's professionals are weighing on those topics and much more this morning. it's a lot to get to. we begin with that federal investigation into the deadly shooting of an unarmed teenager in florida. nbc's lilia luciano has details for us this morning. lilia, good morning to you. >> good morning, ann. late last night the department of justice announced their civil rights division, and the fbi, as well, have opened an investigation into the death of trayvon martin. that's sure to be welcome news to many in this community, and now across the nation. across florida they demanded justice outside the prosecutor's office. >> we want an arrest now.

we won't wait. >> reporter: they want george zimmerman arrested for the deadly shooting of 17-year-old trayvon martin, as the teen walked through this gated community near orlando three weeks ago. zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer called 911 reporting, quote, a suspicious-looking guy. >> this guy looks like he's up to no good or he's on drugs or something. he's got his hand in his waistband. and he's a black male. >> are you following him? >> yeah. >> okay, we don't need you to do that. >> reporter: the two soon got into an altercation. gunshots heard, and a neighbor called 911. >> do you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right what is your -- number? >> there's gunshots. >> reporter: martin was unarmed but zimmerman told police he fired in self-defense. martin's father told msnbc's reverend al sharpton that his son was targeted for his race. >> the police department is trying to make george zimmerman out to be the victim and the

victim is clear, trayvon martin, who is dead in the grave. >> reporter: zimmerman's friends and former watch volunteer frank coffee says martin may have been profiled but zimmerman is neither trigger happy nor a racist. >> we've got eight burglaries in the majority of the cases, the perpetrators were young, black males. so based on that, there was a heightened sense of paranoia in our community. >> reporter: but coffee admits zimmerman may have gone too far. >> he did go above and beyond with the use of deadly force. i myself probably would just carry pepper spray or a taser. >> reporter: police have now released more calls from zimmerman revealing he had a history of reporting suspicious neighborhood activity. >> there was a break-in in my neighborhood recently. and two youths that match the description of the people, they're back in the neighborhood. >> are they white, black, or hispanic? >> two black males in their late teens.

>> reporter: the department of justice says in addition to the civil rights investigation, they are sending their community relations service to sanford to try and relieve tensions among this community. george zimmerman did not respond to requests from nbc news to comment. ann? >> all right, nbc's lilia luciano, thank you so much. it is now 7:05. now here's matt. >> all right, ann, thanks very much. it's primary day in illinois. as vote ert cast their ballots in the gop presidential race, will the results there make it clearer who will face president obama in the general election or send the republicans closer to a convention without a nominee? nbc's peter alexander is in chicago this morning. peter, good morning. >> matt, good morning to you from chicago. this, of course, illinois is barack obama's home state, and it voted democratic in every general election for the last 24 years. but this year, republicans in the state have the rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in presidential politics, and mitt romney is hopeful that a decisive win in this state will put him one step closer to locking up the nomination.

as voters go to the polls in illinois today, rick santorum is trying to tear apart mitt romney's central campaign argument. that romney can fix the american economy. >> i don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. doesn't matter to me. my campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates. we have one nominee who says he wants to run the economy. what kind of conservative says that the president runs the economy. >> reporter: romney quickly pounced. >> one of the people who's running also for the republican nomination today said that he doesn't care about the unemployment rate, that doesn't bother him. i do care about the unemployment rate. it does bother me. >> reporter: and to drive their messages home, both candidates have increasingly been relying on their wives. >> my sweetheart ann romney. >> reporter: to reach out to a coveted constituency. women. >> women are talking about jobs. women are talking about deficit spending. thank you, women, we need you. >> he's a great guy, he's completely supportive of women, he's surrounded by a lot of very strong women. >> reporter: santorum, seated on

the left, is also fending off criticism about a louisiana pastor who introduced him sunday near baton rouge, with these combative words. >> if you don't love america, and you don't like the way we do things, i have one thing to say, get out! we don't worship voodoo, we don't worship mohammed, we don't worship allah, we worship god. we worship god's son jesus christ. >> reporter: on monday santorum pointed out that he did not applaud as he tries to distance himself from the remarks. >> i think i made that pretty clear flout my campaign that we believe very much in freedom of religion. >> reporter: and while this marathon primary season extends into its 28th state, santorum insists the chances of the nomination fight going all the way to the national convention are increasing. a claim romney advisers dismiss as just talk. but romney supporter john mccain, a veteran of two bitter presidential campaigns, says

this extended republican race, that he calls the nastiest he's ever seen, is taking its toll. >> every day it goes by with these attacks on each other is a day that president obama wins. >> reporter: and tonight mitt romney will host his primary night party not far from here outside chicago. rick santorum is leaving the land of lincoln, matt for another lincoln landmark, gettysburg, pennsylvania. santorum's home state and a place where they don't vote until late next month. >> chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. hi, chuck, good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> this idea that the republicans will get to tampa later in the summer without a clear nominee is gaining traction. it's not only some candidates who are talking about it, people in the media are talking about it, as well. is it a reality? or is it just talk? >> well, it is more than just talk. because when you sit here and game out the scenario here for mitt romney. look, it is fantasy that somehow rick santorum can get the magic

number of 1144. that seems impossible, and in the words of that romney adviser, it probably would take an act of god. but the real question is, can mitt romney hit the magic number of 1144? there's a lot of new convoluted rules inside the rnc this year and how they pick their nominee, and we war gamed it out. we have him about 50 short, if santorum and romney do this back and forth. so today it's romney. next week or two weeks from now on april 3rd, santorum wins in places like wisconsin, indiana, oregon and romney keeps winning in the northeast, places like new jersey, new york, et cetera, maybe even california, but santorum wins texas. you do all of this stuff, matt, i have him -- we have him 50 short. now, could he get it in state conventions, and in other ways? he could. but that's the real challenge here for mitt romney. i say it's only a little better than 50/50. >> let me clear something up here, because there's some terminology being used here and i think it's being used almost

interchangeably, yet i understand it to be very different. a brokered convention versus a contested convention. what's the difference? >> contested convention would essentially be, involve only the four candidates we have now. and they would be the only four brought up for nomination. and by the way, a rule clarification, if newt gingrich and ron paul, if they don't win five states each, their name can't basically be on that first ballot in tampa. it would only be romney and santorum. >> all right so contested is -- brokered means we've got some new faces brought in? >> a brokered would be, if you couldn't get that majority, if nobody could get it after a couple of ballots, then you would hear new names brought in, you know, and in that respect then you would start hearing the chatter about a chris christie, or a paul ryan, or even a jeb bush. >> or a mitch daniels. and what is the likelihood that someone in a brokered convention, who comes to this game very late, and who would only have basically two months to take on president obama in a general election could

accomplish it? >> well, in this day and age, and the way that we saw how many different front-runners? you know, i've talked to some republican strategists who say, actually, they might be better off with a brand-new candidate, because of the way, how poorly right now a mitt romney, a santorum, these other guys are wearing with the public, that there is this argument that maybe a new candidate, you know, their words -- the public won't be able to focus on those warts until perhaps after the election itself. >> all right, chuck todd in washington this morning. thanks very much for your perspective. >> all right. time now to get a check of the mornings's other top stories and natalie morales is at her most at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. we begin on this first day of spring with residents in the nation's midsection bracing for floods, after heavy rain, hail, and even a tornado battered the area from southeast texas to western missouri on monday. more rain is on the way. the tornadoes touched down last night about 25 miles from san antonio. no fatalities were reported but

dozens of homes were damaged, and areas of dallas-ft. worth and oklahoma lost power. army staff sergeant robert bales remembers very little about the night he's accused of killing 16 afghan civilians. this is according to his lawyer. bales is expected to be formally charged this week. meantime, there's a new revelation. bales owes $1.5 million from a 2003 court ruling that found him guilty of securities fraud back when he was a trader before joining the service. a trick of bombings in eight cities across iraq this morning has killed more than 46 people, and wounded some 200 others. this uptick in violence comes ahead of next week's arab league summit in baghdad. and security is being tightened at jewish sites in new york city and france today, after that deadly attack on a jewish school in toulouse, france. nbc's jim maceda is there with the very latest. jim, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. well, this morning the people of toulouse, a town known more for its good food and jazz

festivals, were waking up to the cold-blooded reality that a serial killer was in their midst. french police have beefed up their presence at synagogues, and at all schools. france, now on a heightened state of terror alert. this jewish school is where, on monday, a gunman firing a pistol and a .45 caliber automatic weapon mowed down a young teacher and his two sons, as well as the daughter of the school director. today it looks more like a shrine. >> how can you aim at children from a close range and kill them? >> reporter: a massive manhunt is under way, involving hundreds of police, counterterror, and serial killer experts. and police say they believe they've established a direct link to the brutal murders of three french soldiers, all from immigrant families, and also in the toulouse region, last week. the gunman appears to have killed with the same weapon, and used the same motorbike. french police sources say they're looking closely at links through right-wing extremist groups who target minorities.

meanwhile, the shockwaves from monday's attack are being felt as far away as new york city, where police have stepped up security at synagogues and other sites fearing copycats. >> where someone might see the events unfolding in toulouse and take it upon themselves to act out. >> reporter: across schools in france this morning, a minute of silence, and high anxiety about where the gunman might strike next. and, natalie, we're now learning that the gunman may have filmed the whole attack. french authorities today say the shooter was actually wearing a kind of camera on his chest. police now reportedly combing the internet for any video. and of course, for any more clues. natalie? >> just horrific there. jim maceda in toulouse, france. thank you, jim. now to wall street, and cnbc's courtney reagan's at the new york stock exchange. good morning to you, courtney. >> hi, good morning to you natalie. well investors are watching shares of apple today to see if the company can set more records after closing above $600 a share

for the first time on monday. apple announced it will pay a dividend for the first time in 17 years. elsewhere, gas prices on the rise, up four cents a gallon, to a national average of $3.87. up 27 cents in a month to the highest levels recorded for march. natalie, back to you. >> courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange. thank you. first lady michelle obama sat down with david letterman last night to share some laughs and she talked about one of her undercover shopping trips to target. take a listen. >> no one knew that was me, because a woman actually walked up to me, right, i was in the detergent aisle, and she said -- i kid you not, she said, excuse me, i just have to ask you something, and i thought oh, cover is blown, she said, can you reach on that shelf and hand me the detergent? i kid you not. and the only thing she said, i reached up, because she was short. and i reached up, pulled it down, she said well you didn't

have to make it look so easy. >> she also talked about her late-night chats with the president, and said he's always upbeat about the notoriously deadlocked congress. 7:15 right now. you're up to date. turn it back over to matt, ann and al. >> i was grooving on her dress. >> always look at the fashion. meanwhile grooving on the weather. first day of spring. >> yes. >> felt like spring for a long time here. >> depending on where you are you're grooving on the weather. unfortunately we've got friends down in texas, as natalie showed at the beginning of her news cast, it is rough. and it's going to stay this way. we've got a cold core upper level low, this is very intense, big upper level high pressure. a slow moving front. the jet stream way to the north. a lot of warm air and the collision zone, this is where the rough stuff happening. we've got flood warnings, flash flood watches, and flood and flash flood watches from san antonio up to kansas city. look at these storms firing up right now. we have severe thunderstorm watches from corpus christi up into houston. heavy rain falling.

these are rainfall amounts we're expecting over the next 24 hours from houston just to the west of new orleans, and to the east of fort smith. we're talking about anywhere from 4 to 7 inches of rain. some areas locally could pick up 8 inches of rain in the next 48 hours. flooding is going to be a major problem. >> good morning. it will be a warm day today. some fog to start. maybe some hit and miss rain showers. >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> al, thank you. the victim of a dangerous prank at a shopping mall here in new york city is speaking out for the first time. she was nearly killed last year

when two teenagers tossed a shopping cart off a parking garage. the incident was captured on surveillance video. we should warn you these images are graphic. nbc's jeff rossen is in harlem with the story. hey, jeff, good morning. >> hey, ann, good morning to you. by all accounts, this woman shouldn't have survived this attack. i mean, you know, it's amazing she's alive, let alone walking around, out and about, and talking, as well. you're going to hear from her in just a moment. but first i want to tell you exactly what happened. last year she was outside this target store in harlem after buying candy, halloween candy, for needy kids in the area. that's when a couple of teenagers were on the fourth floor parking deck of this shopping center and threw a shopping cart over the side, hitting marianne here on the ground and crushing her. all of it caught on tape. >> i'm going to a doctor's therapy, and i just hope that i feel better and better soon. it's been a long haul. >> reporter: you're watching a miracle in progress.

marion hedges, beating the odds. this surveillance video shows the moment of impact outside a target in harlem. two teenagers pushing that shopping cart off this parking garage, smashing into marion, 50 feet down. she collapsed in a heap, as her 13-year-old son watched. at the time, mere survival seemed unlikely, let alone this sidewalk interview taped monday. >> a little makeup and hair helps. i'm doing one day at a time. i don't have eyesight out of my left eye. no vision. so my optical nerve was damaged. so it affects my walking. i only have one eye that works. so i have to -- it's hard to see close or far. it's a work in progress. >> reporter: marion was here buying candy for needy inner city children when it happened. before the accident, she was a well-known social activist. but on this day, halloween day, 2011, these two teenagers, in the very neighborhood where she

volunteered, dumped a cart as a joke, a prank. >> what about the two young boys who did this? >> i had nothing to do with that. so i am only focusing on recovery and we're focusing on helping other young boys that need help. but i really can't help those young men. >> reporter: the boys have both pled guilty to assault, now serving time in group homes. and if you're impressed by marion's bravery, listen to what she said next about the teenagers who nearly killed her. >> i can't help them but i wish them well. i do. because i feel very sorry for them. >> reporter: marion's father-in-law, not as forgiving. >> you have words for them as all. >> they should be hung by their toenails. >> reporter: there was one teenager there who tried to stop the attack. in the minutes before the tape shows she pushes the cart back inside but something happens off camera, he runs away, and the two boys lift it over, sealing marion's fate. >> a shopping mall is not a place for young children to be

hanging out. >> what an incredible woman. we should tell you at least one of the boys who pled guilty in that attack has said he is sorry for any pain and suffering he has caused. by the way, marion hedges' family is now suing this shopping center claiming a lack of security. we contacted the shopping center late last night. they would not comment because of the pending litigation. but told us in a statement, quote, our prayers for a complete recovery remain with mrs. hedges, and her family. but just an amazing woman, ann. >> all right, jeff rossen, thank you so much. and coming up, a mistrial declare in nicollette sheridan's wrongful termination case against the creators of "desperate housewives." we're going to ask our legal team of star jones and savannah guthrie. first this is "today" on nbc.

still to come, kirk cameron explains his views on homosexuality that has sparked some harsh criticism.

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>> this is a wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. william lori, bishop of bridgeport, connecticut, will take the place of edwin o'brien. his last visit to charm city was last year, when he spoke of religious freedom. most recently he served as chair of the ad hoc committee on religious liberty, pushing to repeal the health-care mandate

on contraception. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> heaviest delays are on 295 the south. a lot of people were trying to avoid 95 and south. 19 miles per hour on average. westbound 10295, watch for an accident. southbound 95 at moravia road, and pulaski highway and chesaco avenue, a crash coming in to us there. arlington, harford county, avoid this in a section as police continue to work on an accident there. 95 is looking a lot better through howard county, although fog is going to be an issue through the morning. it's very heavy at 1753 the capital beltway. tony, over to you.

>> so far, most of the rain, at least the heavier stuff, has been south of us. around baltimore, just low clouds, fog, rain showers and sprinkles. 57 in parkton, 56 in jarrettsville. the clouds should break off and little bit. 30% chance of rain shower this afternoon. same forecast for tomorrow. same forecast for tomorrow. thursday and fri

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wow, how pretty. 7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 20th of march, 2012. spring arrived officially overnight and right on cue the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in washington, d.c. for today's kickoff of the annual festival that's marking its centennial celebration. congratulations to the folks down there. and not to be outdone, we've got some stellar weather here in the northeast in new york city, a big crowd in rockefeller plaza. we're going to get out there and say hi to those people in just a couple minutes. beautiful here over the last month or so. inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. and just ahead, another famous sight. >> that's right. because the queen is reopening kensington palace to the public

after a multimillion dollar revamp. and some of princess diana's most famous dresses are on display. so we're going to give you a peek as we go there live, coming up this morning. >> all right. also ahead, today's professionals are in the house. among the topics we'll discuss, should penn state name its football stadium after late legendary coach joe paterno. and should a little league team in need of money accept a donation from a local strip club? we'll find out what the pros have to say about that. >> all right. also coming up, kirk cameron, the star of "growing pains" has found himself in the middle of a controversy after describing homosexuality as unnatural and detrimental. so what does he have to say to people who feel that his words were hurtful? does he have any regrets? we're going to talk to him coming up this morning. but we begin this half hour with a mistrial declared in nicollette sheridan's "desperate housewives" wrongful termination lawsuit. craig melvin is in los angeles with the latest on this story. >> ann, good morning to you. every single juror told the

judge on monday that even if she gave them more time, they wouldn't be able to reach a verdict. they were hopelessly deadlocked. if there's a retrial, the courtroom drama will outlive the show itself. another housewives cliffhanger. eight jurors believe nicollette sheridan was wrongfully killed off the show. but in california it takes nine to reach a verdict. sheridan's attorney. >> we got the story out. we told the truth. twelve of our fellow citizens made a judgment, we came up one short. we'll do the dance again. >> reporter: the 48-year-old actress had sued for $5.7 million. she claimed her sultry character edie britt was killed off because she claimed the shows acreator mark cherry slapped her during rehearsal. cher hi himself testified what she called a hard hit was a light tap while rehearsing a scene. >> you know someone else with a body like this? >> reporter: witnesses for the show testified the decision to write off her character was made months before she complained.

one juror who sided with sheridan said many jurors simply did not believe the defense witnesses. >> there were a lot of people that some of the jurors found not too credible. >> reporter: beverly crosby also took issue with what happened after the on-set incident. >> i'm not going to say cover-up, that's a very strong word. but i just know that it wasn't handled the way it should have been handled. >> reporter: like a classic housewives episode, a trial with two weeks of surprises, with plot twists. a mystery witness surfaced. >> i received an e-mail soon after nicollette filed suit. >> reporter: during testimony a producer slipped up and leaked fan favorite mike tell fino was being killed off, then the jaw dropper. >> obviously i'm thrilled by the judge's decision. >> reporter: last week the judge threw out the complaint against cherry saying there was not enough evidence. lawyers for abc now say that means the retrial will be

different. >> the case is going to be far more narrow than the previous case. and we're going to refocus our energies on the sole remaining claim. >> reporter: law professor laurie levenson, who's followed the case, isn't so sure there will be another chapter in the courtroom soap opera. >> i think there's a high likelihood that they will settle. it really doesn't make sense to go through this retrial again. that's going to cost a lot of money. and there are no guarantees on either side. >> reporter: but again at least publicly, both sides say they will do this thing all over again. the judge in the case says that she will set a new trial date for april 19th. "desperate housewives"' series finale will happen in may. >> craig melvin. star jones is a former prosecutor and veteran legal commentator and savannah guthrie is "today's" legal correspondent. good morning. so does this really go back now to square one? >> that's what both sides are saying right now. but you have to believe that having gone through this trial, they now have a pretty good idea what the settlement value of the case is. so why wouldn't the two sides

just get together and reach a settlement? clearly that's what the judge wants them to do. she said you guys ought to go talk. so far that hasn't produced any results. i think one of the defense attorneys said we talked, nothing's changed. >> they're digging their heels in, basically saying we're going to do this all over again. >> i'm wondering though, given that we've heard that the jury was split 8-4 in sheridan's position, favor, you know, would you not think that abc may want to decide to, you know -- >> cut their losses? >> yeah, exactly. >> but i think it would also be a precedent for in the future. the last thing that any network wants to do is not be able to creatively get rid of a character when they want to. they don't want to have to worry about coming back and having to pay out contracts. saying we want you to do this, but in reality it just doesn't make financial sense for them. 8-4 in favor of sheridan, though, came down on credibility. the jury did not believe the abc executives. and they made that very, very clear. they thought their story was made up.

>> and to some degree the fact that so many people on the jury were women may have played a part in that. >> well, it may be. you had a jury that was predominantly women. it broke down 8-4 finally in the final vote that did not budge over the course of several days. what may change is how the lawyers look at picking a jury, if we get to a second trial. because, the testimony fundamentally will be unchanged. so the only real difference you can have in the second trial is what kind of jury you get. >> because beverly crosby who is one of the jurors said she believed sheridan was fired after filing a complaint that mark cherry hit her on the set in 2008. she said it didn't matter whether it was a slap or a tap to her it was that a woman had been touched without permission. >> and that -- >> i was going to say -- >> the thing about this though is the jurors didn't even get to consider that claim because the judge threw out that battery claim before it even got to the jury. >> i think it would have ultimately come down to the same kind of split. it probably would have split 8-4 on the issue of battery had they had an opportunity to discuss it. but it's very clear the jurors,

the female jurors, did not appreciate whatever cherry was trying to do. >> so was he a pretty lucky man then? >> i think he's going to have a very nice evening being able to go home to his house and not worry about being a defendant in the next lawsuit. but the issue still will remain the same. it will not change. >> okay. and i guess we'll be here talking about it all over again. >> don't look so happy about it. >> star jones, savannah guthrie, thanks so much. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> thank you. we have a lovely musicalible ter lewd here. and this is a group, carnegie hall, the mark -- what's the school? >> mariner high school. >> from everett, washington. very nice. ♪ all right. all right. very nice. good finish. let's show you what we've got going on for today. look at these temperatures.

out west, anywhere from 5 to 20 degrees below normal from phoenix to el paso. to the east of the front, you can see, look at these temperatures, marquette, michigan, almost 40 degrees above normal. 21 degrees above normal in raleigh. boston will be almost 30 degrees above normal with a high of 74. chicago today, 84 degrees while it's only going to be 48 in salt lake. 61 in las vegas. we got strong storms going on right now texas, louisiana, into the mid-mississippi river valley. record highs in the east. more rain and wind in the pacific northwest. including everett, washington. look for sunshine through the southwest. plenty of sunshine up into the plains. >> good morning. a mixture of sun and clouds. about a 30% chance for a shower or thundershower.

don't forget, get that weather any time of the day or night. go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> all right, al, thank you. coming up next, one mother's crusade to put an end to binge drinking after her daughter's tragic spring break death. and later kirk cameron is here to respond to criticism about his views on homosexuality. that's coming up right after this. [ male announcer ] the game of life with the prius c!

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and it can also have deadly consequences. nbc's janet shamlian is in panama city beach, florida, with one mother's heartbreaking story. janet, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. this may be the first day of spring, but this is the season college students know as spring break. and here in panama city the beautiful beaches attract more u.s. students than any other destination in this country. but it can be very dangerous this time of year. just last week, here a missouri man died after a night of heavy drinking, and sadly it's not an isolated case. the bikini brigade in panama city beach. when 450 women paraded along the beach earlier this month, it shattered an old guinness world record and kicked off a new season. spring break. this year, more than a quarter million students will descend on the florida city. across the country, millions of teens and twentysomethings will

hit other hot spots. an alcohol fueled blur of sun and surf. one year ago, molly amman started her spring break. no far away destination for the university of florida freshman, just an overnight at a beach front condo not far from her parents' home. >> she left at 9:00 at night to go to the beach with friends. >> and were you concerned at that point? >> no. >> and why would her mother be? a star student, the 19-year-old was always considered the responsible one. but on this night molly's friends say she drank too much. at 2:00 in the morning they put her to bed to sleep it off. she would never wake up. molly's blood alcohol content was 0.4. the equivalent of 13 shots of alcohol, and five times the legal limit. >> i was really worried about, you know, date rape at a party. i mean that's the kind of stuff i used to preach on. never did i think she would drink so much, in such a short period of time, that it would

cost her her life. >> reporter: molly's death has shattered her family. her older sister katie transferred schools to be closer to home. her parents are emotionally broken. >> i know she's not coming home, but it's still the way she left it. >> reporter: one year after it happened angie can't bear to pack up molly's bedroom. but she is tackling something equally challenging. speaking out, and sharing molly's story on facebook. >> the message has to be, you are your brother's keeper. look out and don't be afraid to call for help. >> reporter: out-of-control drinking is on the rise. more than 90% of the alcohol consumed by youths under the age of 21 is chugged in the form of binge drinking. and a whopping 42% of full-time college students are binge drinkers. experts say the carefree culture of spring break can be a breeding ground for bingeing. liquoring up and passing out is sometimes part of the plan. it wasn't for molly. >> i may have been really mad if they had called me and said oh, molly's drunk and she's

incoherent. you would so much rather be that mad at your child than face a lifetime without her. >> reporter: a daughter's death, a mother's heartbreak. and hope that molly's story just might save a life. and with binge drinking on the rise, spring break can be a toxic environment. alcohol is easy to get. and among young people, it often becomes a game, who can drink the most. matt, back to you. >> janet shamlian in florida for us this morning with a cautionary tale. janet, thank you very much. on a lighter note, coming up next, a look inside the newly restored kensington palace and the famous dresses of princess diana that are now on displace there, right after this. as a chef we are always committed to our suppliers...

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kosinski is there. hey, michelle, good morning. >> hi, ann. you know, usually we're in front of buckingham palace where the queen lives. but kensington is even older and full of stories, happy and sad, that span four centuries. very soon it will open to the public. displayed as it's never been before. what is it like to live inside a beautiful old palace? a sea of opulence. vaulted, soaring ceilings with history. now we all can step inside, walk these long hallways. princess diana raised her two little princes here. a happy place for them. and here we now find her iconic gowns, living on within these walls. >> this is the dress that diana wore as a young 19-year-old for her first public engagement. >> reporter: and a dress diana reportedly fretted over, worried it was too small, too low.

it was criticized. daring, sexy. flash forward 30 years when her son's new wife, the duchess of cambridge wore an almost identical gown, but was only hailed as elegant. diana fared better with her later choices. this one by catrine walker. this one made for a trip to thailand. and of course diana was a big fan of the little black dress, simple or sparkly, she shined in them. but just around the corner is another special place. >> this is where princess victoria first met the love of her life, prince albert. >> reporter: that's right. one of the greatest royal love stories of all time. born here. and queen victoria herself was born at kensington. a lonely, tormented childhood. that is until she became queen at 18. and could do as she pleased. >> ail hail the queen. >> she loved to party. she stayed up late dancing until 4:00 in the morning.

she said shocking things. >> reporter: here her most personal mementos. never before displayed. her dolls. sketches victoria and albert drew of each other. and the books she read him on his death bed. all now brought to life here, inside and out. where royalty walked and played, lived and died. happy and tragic. since the 1600s. all under this roof. some even believe it's haunted. the renovation cost $20 million. money that doesn't come from the government, but from donors. the larger apartment where william and catherine will live will not be open to the public. ann? >> all right, michelle kosinski, thank you so much. i'd like to go there. >> beautiful place. >> coming up next we've got kirk cameron on his new movie and his views on homosexuality. >> and today's professionals tackle hot topics of the day. gotta get that bacon!

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> it ought to update you on. delays around the area, especially heavy 295 south all the way to the capital beltway. southbound 95 heading down the throat howard county to the capital beltway. westbound 100 at 295, accident taking up the left lane. mountain road and pasadena, a crash. out of the one at pulaski highway and chesaco ave.

joppa road, watch for an accident. southbound 95 heavy from harford county to the beltway northeast. on the beltway, north and west side, very slow go. darlington, 136, that one has been there for awhile but it is serious. avoid that intersection if you can. here is the northwest corner of the beltway off of the rams of 795 trade stalled from 795 all the way down to edmondson. going away from us, southbound traffic, tapping the brakes from this point to the capital beltway. tony, over to you. >> the heaviest rain has missed baltimore to the south. at home, low clouds, fog, scattered light rain showers. that is all we should see for the rest of the drive time. 57 in parkton, 50 degrees in

rising sun. a 30% chance for rain shower earlier this afternoon. we should get a little sunshine to break through the clouds. same exact forecast for tomorrow.

8:00 now on this tuesday morning, the 20th of march, 2012. a little hazy out here in new york city. but, we're going to get a check from the top of the rock. it's actually quite beautiful, even despite the haze. and we have a huge crowd down below, with a case of spring fever gathered here in rockefeller plaza, because this is, of course, the first day of spring. i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. and also al roker, and we've got a lot to ask of "today's professionals," matt. >> a really interesting topic. for example, how much has the creator of the kony 2012 campaign, jason russell, hurt that campaign by what happened last week, where he was caught

naked on the streets of san diego? screaming obscenities. we'll talk about that. also, should penn state university name their football stadium after the late legendary coach, joe paterno? obviously in the wake of the sexual scandal that rocked that university, a lot of questions about that. we'll talk to the pros about it. >> you could even ask if you have time, questions about kirk cameron's recent comments about homosexuality. it's caused a lot of flail and people are kuwait concerned about what he has to say. this morning he'll answer his critics and also he's going to talk about a new movie that he has coming out. >> all right. and then later on celebrity homes. some on the market. we're going to take a tour, including a home that judy garland lived in when she was filming "the wizard of oz." you know what she said about it? >> no, tell me, al. >> there's no place like home! there's no place -- >> and then she clicked her heels. >> yeah. and she pitched off into the studio where natalie morales is

waiting. >> i'll save you guys. in the news this morning, mitt romney is hoping for a strong showing in illinois as voters head to the polls in that state's primary. romney is trying to ride the momentum of this weekend win in puerto rico to tighten his grip on the republican nomination. meantime, rival rick santorum will be campaigning in pennsylvania. the state he once represented as senator. federal authorities are now investigating the deadly shooting of an unarmed florida teenager by a neighborhood watch volunteer. last night the justice department announced it will perform an independent review of the evidence tied to last month's shooting of 17-year-old trayvon martin in a gated community near orlando. earlier monday, law students from across florida protested outside the prosecutor's office, demanding the arrest of the shooter. gab rele giffords' longtime aide says he will now run for a full congressional term in the november election. ron barber had previously announced he was running to fill giffords' vacated seat in a special election.

giffords resigned from congress in january to focus on her recovery after she and barber were shot and wounded in the tucson massacre that left six people dead. more shake-ups today for the oprah winfrey network, own, as the struggling cable operation lays off some 30 people. that's about 20% of its workforce. it's also restructuring operations in new york and los angeles. winfrey called the moves business decisions that were difficult and tough. and now for a look at what is trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. a little jail time hasn't dampened george clooney's sense of humor. twitter is buzzing after his arrest friday during protests wrought side the sudanese embassy in washington. clooney's cell mate said he tried to pin the whole thing on his pal, telling police his name was brad pitt. well, we knew the latest ipad was a hot commodity but now tech blogs are posting reports of customers complaining that the tablet is becoming too warm to hold after prolonged use. and other tech sites are

alerting users to watch what they say since the ipad's new dictation feature sends all your information directly to apple for processing. a feature apple has been up front about. and will the real mitt romney please stand up? this video parody of eminem's famous rap is going viral and being shared across facebook. >> real romney please stand up. we're going to have a problem here. >> like you haven't seen a mormon before george i'm not concerned about -- got it wrong. sorry that's not what i want. >> every american -- >> if only political ads could be that entertaining. it is now 8:04 right now. let's go back outside to matt and ann. you've got to watch everything you say. because they dice it up. >> what you can do with a home computer. no question. natalie, thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the weather with al. he's out here somewhere. where are you, al? >> i'm over here. your first trip to new york? >> yes, it's my first trip to new york. >> where you from? >> i'm from the university of dayton. >> very nice.

you grew up there? >> no, i'm from columbus, ohio. >> all right. in the back -- the -- the -- buckeyes are not in the sweet 16, but matt is taking -- quite painfully aware of that. let's show you what's happening as far as your weather is concerned. fort myers florida, nbc 2, isolated thundershowers. 87 degrees today. but hey, it's going to be 84 in chicago. not so nice in the pacific northwest, where we've got more rain, more snow coming in to the mountains, rain along the coast. rainfall amounts generally about an inch or so. the mountains, cascades, also looking at maybe one to two inches -- one to two feet of snow. rest of the country we've got a gorgeous day here in the east with record highs. back into the ohio river valley. risk of very strong weather making its way down through texas. airport delays, dallas on into houston, the rain and the wind continues in the pacific northwest. >> good morning.

it will be a warm day today. some fog to start. maybe some hit and miss rain showers. and back to the latest weather. ann? >> al, thank you. coming up "today's" professionals are in the house to give their take on a number of topics, including the breakdown of the man behind kony 2012. and much more after this. i've worked hard to build my family. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night.

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let's start this week with one we started with last week. kony 2012 campaign. the maker of the video that's now been seen by something like 85 million people online, jason russell, got into some problems last week. he was seen running around naked on the streets of san diego, spouting obscenities. how much has he hurt the campaign he helped to create? >> he hasn't. i mean, i think this looks like a psychiatric meltdown, and as evidenced by the fact that the police took him to a hospital for evaluation, perhaps this man who's not used to the public eye, who knows what's in his background. but i don't think you take someone like this who has -- who's seen as being in despair, and does it hurt the hunt for a master criminal? no. >> you know what? social media helped to make him and make this an issue. social media will also destroy him. because social media has turned this into the biggest joke ever. >> i don't know. >> i don't necessarily agree. the theory of oh, wow, the light's going to shine too bright and i'm going to stay

away from bringing the next important issue. i think this is just my guess, a very isolated case of a sick man. but i don't think it's going to -- >> you think on april 20th, a day this campaign hopes will be a day of action, where people go around and make sure people understand about joseph kony that those same people who will signed up will show up? >> no, not one change. >> i can't wait to have this conversation. >> i think young people are very, very smart. and i think they can delineate the difference between someone who is sick -- >> i think the hunt for evil will trump here. >> let's move on. trayvon martin a 17-year-old man in florida was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch commander. he was walking on the street of a community. he was unarmed, and some of the altercation that occurred between these two men before the fatal shot was fired was captured on a 911 call. listen. >> so you think he's helling help? >> yes. >> 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. >> trayvon martin's family says he was shot because he was black. the man who did the shooting was hispanic, a man from a multiracial family. where do you see this going? the justice department is now investigating. >> i'm glad that the justice department has walked in. he was a 16-year-old who turned 17 about a month before this incident occurred. and every african-american mother i know has not had a really good night's sleep since this occurred. when you have a 17-year-old black child and you send him out to the store, you now worry, is he going to come home, and what scares me more than anything is that my colleague and friend nancy here has a 17-year-old and we both shared she doesn't have those same concerns. and i think that's fundamentally wrong in america. >> the police in that community have not brought any charges. they've turned it over to the state. but social media and local protests have now caused the justice department to get involved. i want to ask you about that

aspect. is that healthy? social media driving the justice system? >> yes and no. the good news is obviously now we are a very democratic society, vis-a-vis social media. the concerning thing, i'm not saying it applies to this case, although maybe it does, is we're reducing things to simple visuals and simple snapshots that people can get, hear me out. >> i am. >> that people can too quickly get behind and once again drive the system. i think there's an underbelly to this. whereas not everything can be reduced to -- >> but i like the fact that social media is driving the investigation because i think this would have just fallen off the face of the earth. you can hear police say okay, don't proceed any further. he did. one person's armed. one person isn't. is there race involved? probably. i think it's a very -- >> you're going to see a scenario -- >> vigilante justice is wrong. >> leading up to this we saw from mitt romney where they're putting clips together. in the ipod age where everybody can edit and cut and tape --

>> let me wrap it up by saying it's okay if maybe social media drives the justice department to get involved as long as the investigation is fair. >> exactly right. >> it's not about a reckless or an accident. the justice department is going to look for intentional act. >> let me move on to the next topic. a new quinnipiac university poll, people were asked would it be appropriate for penn state university to name its football stadium after the school's late legendary football coach joe paterno? who, of course, was fired over the last year before he died, because of the fallout of the sexual scandal that rocked that university. before i give you the results of the poll, weigh in. >> i -- i have an issue with it. i think with this man, he died at 85, let's let his legacy live on in a wonderful way, talk wonderful about him. but to lionize him, no pun intended, and name, somehow there is an incredible sensitivity to the families affected. he made a mistake. i don't think we have to destroy his reputation. but i don't think we have to elevate it. >> i'd like to hear the judge's

investigation. i don't think you move forward in naming a stadium until the investigation -- >> and the university has said that's exactly what they're going to do, wait until the facts come out. >> i think they're going to do it. >> i don't think they will. i don't think they can. i just don't think you can put neon lights, and once again, i'll give it, he's an 85-year-old. he made a very bad judgment call but i don't think we put that in an asterisk in the corner. >> 46% were in favor, 40% against. a lot of people weren't sure. >> wow. >> there will be enough time and distance and they'll probably do it. >> let me end on this one, a little bit lighter. a little league in southern california, just outside los angeles looking for donations from the community to help, you know, with their costs of conducting business. and they got a lot of donations. one of the donations they got was a check from a local strip club for $1200. >> a lot of money for a little league. >> actually i think it came in single dollar bills. but should they keep the money? i'll tell you what they decided later. >> matt's going to start with

me. absolutely. >> keep the money? >> if they're saying come to the cheetah club on the back of the uniforms. but that aside it's money for the kids and it's not illegal and i would like the match to the donation right now i feel so strongly about it. >> i will not match the donation but i do think it should be bad news bears and they should keep the money. >> there's no reason for them not to keep the money. the kids don't know anything about it -- >> you said -- >> little league in the neighborhood. we need kids out there exercising doing physical education and playing games. >> for this segment, donny and the broads. >> i'm very surprised at you. >> what would you do? >> well you want to know what the team did? >> they sent it back. >> congratulations the bada bings are now 8-0. no, no. they gave the money back. >> yeah. >> they gave it back. >> but what's the point? i mean, these kids play on a dime, on a shoestring.

>> if they don't want the name on the back, why would they care? >> i think it seems to have a happy ending. >> no pun intended. >> the jersey can donny and the broads on the back. >> star, donny, nancy, thank you very much. up next kirk cameron on his new movie and the controversy on his views on homosexuality. kirk is going to sit down with ann curry right after this. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta.

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the topic of gay marriage when you talked to cnn's piers morgan who asked you if you think homosexuality is a sin and you said, quote, i think that it's unnatural. i think that detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization. i've got to get your response. many people are suggesting that this is hate speech. are you encouraging people to feel hate towards gay people? >> absolutely not. of course not. no. i love all people. i hate no one. and, you know, when you take a subject and you reduce it to something like a four-second sound bite, and a check mark on a ballot, i think that that's inappropriate and insensitive. the truth is, these are issues that are very personal. these are things that need to be discussed in the context. i believe best in a personal friendship with someone who's asking you the question. and so when things get edited down to that i think it doesn't reflect, certainly didn't reflect my full heart on the matter. >> do you feel any

responsibility saying words like that, that might encourage people to feel that it's okay to treat -- misstreet gay people? >> nobody should mistreat anybody. homosexuals should not be mistreated. heterosexuals should not be mistreated. bisexuals should not be mistreated. so, you know, what i think this reveals is that, the interview that asked me these questions you even used the words with me, i think your views are destructive. so what that shows me is that all of us who really think deeply about social issues, like gay marriage, and abortion, and homosexuality, have convictions on issues. and we all have our convictions formed by different things, and mine are informed by my faith, they're informed by the word of god, and i found that to be an anchor for me, a compass and a guide for me. when people start bullying one another and calling each other names for those different convictions, then i think you get into problems. i've also been on the receiving end of that.

>> why do you say things like this that you know are going to cause people to push back? why do you even talk about it, then, because this is not the first time you've been asked about it. it's not the first time you've made comments that have caused people a lot of alarm. >> well, that's a good question. i was surprised, frankly, that people were surprised by the things that i said, because i have been consistent for 15 years as a christian, i'm a bible believing christian. what i would have thought was more newsworthy is if i had said something that contradicted the word of god. if i had contradicted my faith. >> meantime, all of the attention, this firestorm is occurring as you're promoting this new movie that you co-produced, i understand, yes, that's right, and star in. it's called "monumental." >> yes. >> and you're very passionate about it. tell me about the movie. >> well, i spent the last year and a half on a personal journey traveling through europe and the united states in search of what i'm calling the real national treasure of america.

i've got six kids and as a dad, i'm wanting my kids to have a great future. and i look at what's going on around, turn on the news and economically we're struggling greatly as a nation, we're 15, 16 trillion dollars in debt. families falling apart, divorce, teenage pregnancy, suicide, crime, drugs, alcohol, so many things, i'm thinking, how can you turn things around culturally? and with so many people playing the blame game, with the right blaming the left and the left blaming the right, i'm thinking maybe there's a simple solution. if only we could get in a time machine and go back and talk to the men and women who built this country, these courageous moms and dads who went against all odds and started a brand-new idea maybe they could tell us what we're doing right and wrong and what to do to get on the right track. >> people watching you this morning might want to know how you're doing since your -- how have the years -- where are you now, after playing mike seaver? how happy are you? you've got six kids, you just mentioned that. >> yes.

i -- i couldn't feel more thankful, and blessed. my wife and i have six children and they're growing up, and they're doing great and i'm table to travel around with some of my kids, able to be -- like we talked earlier before this interview that we're doing things that we love to do. and you think, how is it that some people get to do things that they love to do with their life and others just are struggling to find their way. and i feel that way. i'm able to help people with things that are important to me. do projects on marriage and family. these are the things that i kind of look back on and say, thank you. i -- i'm really blessed. >> well, thank you for giving us a little bit of your time, kirk cameron. thank you. nice to meet you. >> thank you, very nice. >> and "monumental" opens up in select theaters on march 27th. and just ahead an inside look at celebrity homes that are hitting the market. but first your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> goomorning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> pick a road -- they all have delays. southbound 95, 18 miles per hour from 100 and to the capital beltway. southbound 95 easing up just a bit from howard county. we're dealing with an accident at philadelphia road and joppa road. delays in place from harford county to the 895 split. once you get on to the ball way, 11 miles per hour, heaviest spot

for reisterstown road to edmondson. mcdonnell road, dealing with the crash. j.f.x. selling them quickly from the beltway to 28th street. of the ramps from southbound 795, that is the pace of things on the northwest corner of the beltway. live view of traffic at 295 and 32, southbound traffic going away from us. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony, over to you. >> the heaviest rain has stayed south of baltimore in the dc area and into southern maryland. we have fog and light rain showers in some neighborhoods. 61 in westminster. it is a warm start, and it is a little bit mond -- muggy. this afternoon, 30% chance for a rain shower. high temperatures between 70 and

75. tomorrow, low seventies, maybe rainshowers. better on thursday and friday with lots of sunshine did over the weekend, a better chance for rain on saturday and sunday. >> another update at 8:55.

8:30 on a tuesday morning. 20th of march, 2012. our plaza is filled with rolling spring breakers from all around the country. including some friends behind us here from the thundering herd of marshall up in huntington, west virginia. nice to have you people here. >> out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, mr. roker, and natalie morales. and coming up we're going to

take you inside the celebrity homes that have just been put up for sale. including an apartment owned by alicia keys, an apartment owned by rosie o'donnell and a home that is owned by britney spears. should be fun to look around that and see the price tag. >> we're also going to go into the kitchen. mark bittman says it's time to learn how to do some basics, including vegetables. he's going to kick off three days of lessons. the best day to pare vegetables will be today. vegetables so good your children will ask for seconds. >> really? >> exactly. that would be a great day. >> considering my won't even ask for firsts that would be great. first let's bring in 16-year-old shannon mcgreen the most recent contested voted off "american idol." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> only 16 years old. had to be a little bit of a shock to you. the judges all loved your performance. >> yeah. >> everybody was raving about you. what do you think happened? >> i'm only 16 and it's really

hard to find a song for myself that's not only going to fit myself and appeal to everybody else in the audience. you know, it was really hard with that. but i feel like i picked the right song in my heart, and it was a song that me and my grandpa had chemistry with before he passed away. so it was the whole situation and that's what i felt. >> just about the only criticism i heard was jimmy said basically when she pushes she shows her weaknesses. do you understand what he meant by that? >> yes. i mean -- yes and know. i mean it's definitely -- it's heard but as a singer people don't understand, it's actually a sport. i consider it a sport. you have to vocalize every single morning to get yourself stronger. you have to be there. so when you're onstage, it's just natural, and it comes easier to you. and i think that i overshot it when i was with jimmy and it's really hard, because -- you have to just practice every single day to make sure it's there. >> did you have trouble breathing through the songs,

right? >> yes. they give me this trick that when you lay down on the floor and you push against your stomach and use your diaphragm it helps your breathing. >> you mentioned it was like a sport. you're not afraid to say your father was a pitcher. how have the fans in sports and some of these hometowns been supportive of you. >> you know it's really kind of similar in the sports and in the music world in a way. my dad gives me the best feedback, and advice and my mom, they give me things that can intertwine both with athletics and with sports. and i have to keep both of those sides in my head, and all the fans are just as supportive, in the sports world as in the music world for me. i think that is probably one of my most favorite things about our fans. >> too bad you don't have a bubbly personality. you're going to do great. great to meet you. >> thank you.

>> thank you so much. >> thank you. it was nice to meet you. >> now for a check of the weather from you. >> all right. thank you. and we've got a heavy rain and wind in the pacific northwest. record highs in the east. looking at a risk of strong storms eastern texas in to louisiana. and arkansas. on into missouri. for tomorrow, that system moves slowly to the east. so the mississippi river valley will continue getting heavy rain. the record highs will be back here in the eastern seaboard. more rain and mountain snows in the pacific northwest. sunny and warm through the southwest. >> good morning. a mixture of sun and clouds. about a 30% chance for a shower or thundershower.

>> and don't forget you can get your weather any time of the day or night. check out the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now let's check out uncle willie. >> hey, i got to thank the uconn cheerleading squad for their lovely birthday salute on the "today" show. and all the other people. thank you for my birthday. pretty soon i'll wish myself a happy 100th birthday. take a look. this is pearl, a real swell girl. and pearl krampe is from piqua, ohio. 105 years old. she loves fishing and loves sewing. but not at the same time. and crazy about her family. oh, take a look we've got james, a great name, newcomer, fort worth, texas, 100 years old. and he is a proud world war ii veteran, and enjoys writing poetry. that's another big thing. big poet festival for older folks. and if you look at maggie, love

maggie, maggie simmons, new orleans, louisiana, 106 years old today. a little crayfish. oh. and she's very active in her church, and has always trusted in the good lord. me, too. can't beat it. i'm still working on it. something's happening. elizabeth miller, from davidsville, pennsylvania, is 100 years old today. and she likes to play golf. or certainly plays golf in her younger days and she loves to travel. and take a look, if you will, francis smith, naples, florida, right down the road from fort myers where we are this morning. 104. a former and very avid sailor. now he likes to keep doing exercise at all times, and that's why he looks so good. and we have this morning, lillian wilson of tucson, arizona, 103.

keeps busy by baking all sorts of good things for her kid dis. i wish i was one of her kiddies. now back to the little kiddie on the hudson. >> all right, willard, thank you so much. coming up next, a peek inside the homes of celebrities. but 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 8:39. this morning on "today's real estate," celebrity homes for sale. barbara corcoran is here with what's moving and shaking in the high end market of the rich and famous. barbara, good morning. we're going to go through i think we have five homes that are on the market right now. currently owned by celebrities. do buyers pay a premium when a home has been owned by someone who is famous? >> they always do. they just can't resist. it depends on who the celebrity is as to how much of a premium they'll pay. let's talk about alicia keys and her husband. they've put their apartment here

in new york city on the market. i'll tell you the price in a second. what are the selling points? >> they're great. number one they bought it from lenny kravitz which made it worth more already. they bought it in 2010 for $14.5 million and just two short years later are going to put it on the market for $17,950,000. your question is it worth another $3 million more? we're going to find out. it's a 6,000 square foot penthouse. it includes the top floor roof terrace that gives the home an additional 3,000 square foot of outdoor space. enough to plop another apartment. it has a glass enclosed exterior terrace that leads to the terrace. the living room has a fireplace with floor to ceiling windows and a terrace that spans the full width of the penthouse. the living room accommodates the grand piano and all this for $18 million and $11,500 a month main tennance. >> you're not done once you plunk down the 18 million. let's go outside los angeles,

this one is owned by britney spears in a gated community. >> one of the most prestigious in l.a. and people lock themselves in and lock their fans out. it's worth actually $2.995 million according to recent sales and it's a mediterranean style villa with over 7,000 square feet. >> you think this is a pretty good price. >> it's the best neighborhood in l.a. i'm actually surprised by the rice. i thought it would be at least a million dollars more. >> the next one is owned by dick clark. this is not for everyone. this is a home above malibu on a lot of acreage overlooking the pacific. but it's a home that's designed like fred flintstone's house. >> exactly. and it's only a one bedroom, two bath. who the heck can take this large property and live there? it's wacky. open dining room, high ceilings, a master bedroom that is other worldly. look at the dining room. >> let's be honest. it's on 23 acres, if you don't like the house you could tear it down and put what you want up there. >> you can't be sure about that. it might be grandfathered.

it's only one bedroom, two bath and the owners around it always like to see things stay the way they are. this one is pricey. it's a total of $3.5 million for a one bedroom home. >> yabba-dabba-doo. let's go to actress renee zellweger. a connecticut getaway on the market. this one is 3 1/2 hours from new york city but it's on 39 acres. >> with mature trees. that alone is worth a lot of money. the house was built in 1770. looking at the inside you're not going to think so because it's in meticulous condition. it has a gorgeous free form pool that feels like a lake. it's got a great kitchen with block island, glass front cabinets and all the yada yada. the master bedroom, when you see it in a second or who knows what, there it goes, you know you're in the farm house. it's the feeling carried through the other funky downtown cafes. it's the attic. the mood switches in the formal dining room and it's worth $1.5 million. so they say. we're going to see what they get. >> time for one more quickly.

rosie o'donnell's apartment just outside chicago, it's on the market, i believe for $2.5 million. a lot of people think this has all the bells and whistles. >> it's got all the bells and whistles. she never moved into it. she bought it only two months ago, priced it 2.5, exactly what she paid for it. the chicago tribune is saying she sold it in one day. 6,000 square feet. it's a townhouse. it's big enough for a brood of kids like she has and has all the bells and whistles. the kitchen is huge, custom cabinets and everyone in show business has that screen room that we saw just a moment ago. >> barbara corcoran, you sold me on knopf them. but that's okay. >> i want that checkbook out. >> up next how to make the spring's hot trends of bright colors work for your lips. but first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:45.

this morning on "today's beauty," lipstick for spring. the change in the seasons is ushering changes in style, including in your makeup, so bright, bold colors are not only dominating fashion trends, but also lips as well. mali macall is a makeup artist. it's such a pleasure to see you. >> love you. >> i love you, as well. >> so listen i can understand wearing bright colors in our clothing. but man, it's going to be hard to pull off these bright colors on our lips. yes, no? >> no, i love it. again it's a great pop of color. it's going to make you look alive, fresh and awake. really there's just four little tips that you need to know to wear a bright red lip or a bright colored lip. it's all about scrubbing. make sure your lips look nice and healthy and smooth. no crusty -- >> you mean exfoliation? >> yes, a little scrubbing. exfoliation is great for that. then prime the lips. make sure they're nice and smooth. >> like you would a car? >> exactly. you got it.

fill it with a lip liner that is close to your lip tone. instead of that bright lip so you don't look like mr. potato head where you slap it on there. nice, nude lip and fill in the color. and then grab your color, which is very important. >> okay. >> we're talking about many different colors. >> exactly. >> and one of the big colors is coral. >> yes. >> and we are going to take a look at a lot of coral, including one being worn by brady. >> gorgeous little brady. and again, guys, coral is a great color to wear if you're not sure which one. because it's a perfect balance between cool and warm. so there's like -- it's a little bit orangey but there's a tint to it. so you get that great sort of even balance, and you know it's going to look great on you no matter what. and this is a really good color, too, if you don't know exactly what your tone is. cool tone, warm tone, this one's going to work on everybody. >> really? that's a very interesting -- well i like it. do you like it? >> yes. >> not just for special occasions. >> everyday. exactly.

that's what we're saying. >> it's about doing it for every day. it's about training your eye to know that you can say, you know what? this used to be just for night time. this is for every single day as long as the rest of the face is nice and soft and balanced. >> not everybody knows whether true red is good for everybody. let's take a look at true red and our model for that is michelle. >> good morning. >> gorgeous miss michelle. this is a bright, true red but again it's very, very easy to wear. again, remember the rest of the face needs to look nice and soft. okay. really make that lip the star. and another big thing i want to say always is everyone always says redheads should definitely not wear red. no way, honey. you own it you get that beautiful, beautiful face. make sure the skin looks beautiful and fresh, that's important. because when you're looking at that beautiful mouth you want to make sure the rest of your face is beautiful. >> i can tell you from experience, always make sure you wipe your teeth when you use true red. >> we were all kind of doing that. >> you're fine, however.

>> don't you worry. >> with our next color which is fuchsia and we have as our model crystal. good morning. >> gorgeous miss crystal. and again, fuchsia is great, i've got to tell you the best thing about fuchsia, make sure your teeth are bright white. and again remember this, it's all about that beautiful soft color, make sure your lips look nice and smooth. and if your skin is a little bit cooler, obviously she's warm, go for a bit of a bluer fuchsia. not scary blue, obviously. but just a little bit more blue to it. this is a warmer fuchsia, but the really does give her a beautiful, soft color. >> you mentioned scary because fuchsia is something that's harder -- a color that's harder to wear. that's where this lip liner is very important. >> exactly. >> matches your lip tone. >> so you can pull it off. >> all right. and finally, our color is red/orange. >> yes. >> and give us a look at that we've got angela. >> yes. >> angela with a gorgeous red/orange again.

keep the rest of the face soft. when you're wearing something this sort of a pop of color, make it the star. a little bit of eye liner is fine. a little mascara, make sure you do your brows. but really look at that beautiful lip. >> gorgeous. >> thank you so much. malley you made us all feel like we can be bold. >> that's it. and again, it's about training your eye. it's about just saying you know what? i can do this. have the confidence and go out and do it. >> okay, okay. >> do it i'm ready for you. before we do that, coming up next we're going to be talking about improving your cooking skills by bringing back the basics. a lesson on veggies from mark bittman. but first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "how to cook everything today" we're getting back to basics. mark bittman's best-selling cookbook has become a kitchen staple. but if you're still unsure of your culinary skills he boiled things down to the essentials for his latest book called "how to cook everything: the basics." good morning >> good morning, matt. >> it pains me to compliment you. >> i noticed that over the years. >> i was looking through this book. it's so right on because once you understand these simple lessons and you break them down to the basics, you have more confidence going forward in the kitchen. >> well, the thing is that many foods can be treated the same. and when people look at a big

book like that, they can be intimidated and here what we've tried to do is break it down to basic lessons with tons of photographs. >> so the first basic lesson we're going to get to today is how to boil greens and the kinds of greens we're talking about. >> you have tough greens, you have tender greens. we're talking about greens in general. they can -- the lesson is really they can all be treated pretty much the same, and the basic, the basic lesson, the basic technique is boiling them. >> you're using chard here? >> using chard. and if you want, you can just chop it up, and throw it in. but if you want a little bit of variation in texture you can chop the stems and put them in first. and then put the greens in afterwards, shred them or chop them, too. so that the stems go in first. a minute or two later the greens go in. and then the stems become tender and silky and the greens become soft. >> you bring the greens out, you

use a colandercolander, press t little and then you're prepared to cook with those? >> you can reheat them, toss them with butter or oil, you can do any number of things with these. >> let's move on to tender vegetables. we're going to use onions and you're going to talk about caramelizing. why is that so important to cooking? >> well, any time you brown something, you bring out flavor. so with onions, caramelizing is a big word these days. but it just means browning. so, it's not just onions, you can do this with any vegetable that is not a really hard vegetables. leaks are good, asparagus we have. anything that's pliable when it's raw you can cook in a pan like this. >> you're going to cut them up, showing off your nice skills. >> notice that they're not that good. >> people should have good knife skills. >> people should have sharp knives and they should cut things in ways that work for them. >> but nothing in the pan there? >> onions i like to cook dry with the cover on them because

all the liquid comes out. and then transfer them -- not transfer them, then add some oil to the pan and just cook them until they're brown as you like. these are really, really jammy. very sweet. >> all right. perfect. the next thing we're going to show people how to do, what could be simpler than peeling a potato and using potatoes with rosemary? >> well, this is a technique you'd use for any root vegetable. potatoes, turnips, beats and so on down the line. and it's the simplest thing in the world. it's roasting. i like to use the u-shaped peelers. you peel, as you would. and then you cut them into chunks, like this. >> of varying sizes. doesn't really matter. to your preference? >> right. you want them consistent so they cook at an even rate. some olive oil. some pepper, and then toss them -- >> you don't put the rosemary in now? >> you cook them halfway. i think we have some in the oven. >> you going to swap out? >> i'm going to swap out.

you cook them halfway, thank you. >> and then look at that. toss them with the rosemary. you know why there aren't that many potatoes? >> because you ate some this morning because you didn't realize this was actually a prop for the segment. you're going to be back tomorrow we're going to talk about cooking meat. the day after we're going to make some desserts that will impress everyone. again the basic's what mark spe. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here's a look at one of our top stories. and on all county schools are weighing in on the pink slime debate. they are given the option to include the food additive in the beef, but the coordinator says they will not use the treatment

>> the weather has not changed much in the last 24 hours. low clouds, fog, a drizzle this morning. we will get a little bit of sunshine. 30% chance of a rain shower. >> we will have another weather update at 9:25.