good morning. breaking news. a tense standoff going on at a home in toulouse, france, right now. at least two police officers wounded as shots were fired by a man suspected in a trick of deadly shootings there, including one at a jewish school. the suspect holed up inside a home, claiming he has al qaeda connections. we'll go live to the scene as events unfold. what did he say? new controversy in the case of trayvon martin, did the man who shot and killed an unarmed teenager use a racial slur during a call to 911. this morning you'll hear the tape and we'll talk to the 17-year-old victim's parents. and viral sensation. what is it about this 2-year-old

that has more than 3 million people logging on to youtube to watch her? we'll show you "today," watch her? we'll show you "today," wednesday, march 21st, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. we want to get right to this breaking news this morning. you're looking at the scene in toulouse, france, where at this moment some 300 police officers have surrounded an apartment, and they're still trying to negotiate the surrender of a suspected gunman in three deadly attacks there. >> that's right. those shootings, including monday's killing of three children and a rabbi at a school set off a nationwide manhunt. the suspect is being identified as a 24-year-old. he's believed to be heavily armed. and as we mentioned, he says he belonged to al qaeda and has

spent time in afghanistan and pakistan. let's get right to nbc's jim maceda. he's on the scene in toulouse. jim, good morning to you. what can you tell us? >> hi there, matt. well, that's right. the french special police launched a raid very early this morning around 3:00 a.m. here in the northern part of toulouse. the house where they believe the main suspect for those murders was hiding. again, the four killed mostly children at that jewish school on monday, and also three french soldiers who were killed four days before that. the gunfire broke out almost immediately. two policemen were wounded, then early negotiations began. they even brought in the gunman's mother to try to help but that failed. she has no, she said, control over her son. then another policeman was wounded in another round of gunfire. but for the past six hours or so, negotiations have intensified. there's been a lot of talking.

this man's name is mohammed marei, he's 24 years old, as you say, he's from toulouse, trained, as you said, by al qaeda. been to the tribal territories between pakistan and afghanistan a number of times. returning to france to commit jihad. he has admitted to carrying out all of the recent killings here in toulouse. he said he killed a french soldier to protest western intervention in afghanistan and killed the jewish children and the one adult to avenge children, he said, killed in palestine. so matt and ann, this is a hard-core, home-grown islamist, who is saying he'll turn himself in in a few hours. we'll see if that's true or not. but a great sigh of relief among the people in toulouse, who are feeling safer for the first time in about a week. >> jim, can you tell us how police tracked this suspect to this particular home? >> right. well, he's been on the police radar for some time because he's

been traveling back and forth to pakistan. but the real breakthrough is that, after the killings of the three french soldiers, he went to a motor bike shop. and remember he fled all scenes of the crime by motor bike. asking how he could neutralize his gps system and change the color of his bike from black to white. that triggered unease, questions on the part of the salesman at the bike shop, who called the police, and then the police honed in on him and on an address they picked up on a brother's laptop and then traced the house, as well. it all unfolded like a hollywood movie. >> all right, jim maceda in toulouse, france, for us this morning. thank you very much. it's now four minutes after the hour. here's ann. >> all right, matt, thank you. here at home, mitt romney scored a sizable victory in the gop presidential contest in illinois. he won 47% of the vote to 35% for rick santorum, 9% for ron paul, and 8% for newt gingrich.

so where does the race go from here? we've got david gregory, the moderator of "meet the press," joining us this morning. hey, david, good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> so a sizable win. a decisive win for mitt romney. so the question of the morning is, was it big enough for mitt romney to finally now be called the presumptive nominee? >> well, the only asterisk here is that he's not uniting the party. he's not breaking in to the demographic that rick santorum still has, and that is the heart and soul of the party. more religious voters, working-class voters. aspects of the republican base that has continued to stay away from mitt romney. but romney, you got to give it to him, he's won everywhere that he's had to win. just in the industrial midwest here of late. in michigan, in ohio, now in illinois. rick santorum has not won some place that he actually had to win. he just continues to be a strong enough number two. so the advantage is still clearly with romney. it's just a question of time. >> meantime the other part of this on the other hand, three

fourths of those who were -- at the exit polls, the republicans, illinois republicans, said that winning november is their top priority. so that's a major factor here in romney's victory. >> you know, it has been, ann, in every contest that we've seen so far. electability. who is in the best position to beat president obama? and romney always wins that. so you have a party that doesn't love their standard-bearer but they think he's really got the best shot to win the nomination. so you do have a split within the party where there are those who are more conservative who don't think romney is the real deal, who like santorum, who want to see something of this split. but, the final leg of this has to be those voters saying, look, we don't love romney, but we think he's going to win and we're going to fall in behind him. but we haven't seen a contest yet where that's actually happened. you know, in illinois, more educated, wealthier primary voters, more moderate, that's why you see romney's total getting larger as compared to say, ohio, or, of course, in the south like mississippi or

alabama, where those numbers were lower. >> right. it should be noted that rick santorum did say after all of this it is still a two-person race. david gregory, thank you so much this morning. >> thank you. >> it is now 7:06. once again here's matt. >> all right, thanks. now to florida where a grand jury will investigate the controversial shooting of 17-year-old trayvon martin. this as the teenager's cell phone call to his girlfriend sheds some new light on the moments leading up to that deadly confrontation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. we're going to talk to trayvon martin's mother and father in a moment. but first, nbc's lilia luciano has the latest. lilia, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. as new details are emerging this morning, revealing more about the final moments of trayvon martin's short life, questions are being raised about the florida law that might protect the shooter, george zimmerman, from ever being charged with a crime. >> no justice, no peace. >> reporter: hundreds gathered at the sanford chapel tuesday

night, brought to the by trayvon martin and the way he died. >> and we as people of color are going to stand our ground. >> reporter: martin was shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer last month in this gated community, as the 17-year-old made his way back from a 7-eleven. george zimmerman called 911, reporting the teen looked suspicious. he then told police martin was approaching him. >> now he's coming towards me. >> okay. >> he's got his hand in his waistband. and he's a black male. >> reporter: but trayvon's family says there's a new witness to their son's final moments. >> trayvon, run for it. >> reporter: trayvon's family says that according to cell phone records the teen was on the phone with his girlfriend when he encountered zimmerman that night. she says it was trayvon who felt threatened. >> so she says run. he says i'm not going to run, i'm just going to walk fast and at that point she says trayvon -- she hears trayvon say why are you following me? and that's when she said she hears the other voice say, what are you doing around here?

>> reporter: moments later she said it sounds like trayvon gets pushed and then the phone call drops out. when zimmerman fired the fatal shots he told police he acted in self-defense. legal experts say that claim, backed by florida's controversial stand your ground law, could prevent zimmerman's arrest. >> the stand your ground law is a license to kill. >> reporter: the law gives people in florida the right to protect themselves with deadly force, and not just in their homes. data from the florida department of law enforcement shows the number of justifiable homicides tripled after the law went into effect in 2005. >> he's clearly claiming self-defense and relying on the stand your ground law. however, there is circumstantial evidence suggesting that he had no business gunning down somebody who was armed only with skittles and a can of iced tea. >> reporter: and now zimmerman's already controversial 911 call is fueling speculation online that zimmerman may have used a racial epithet. though some news outlets believe he muttered the word punk. >> he's down towards the other entrance of the neighborhood. >> okay. which entrance is that that he's

heading towards. >> the back entrance. [ bleep ] >> reporter: the state attorney is taking over the case from local police and now is announcing that he's called for a grand jury to weigh the evidence, and determine zimmerman's fate. for now zimmerman is having no comment. matt? >> lilia luciano. thank you very much. trayvon martin's father tracy and mother sabrina fulton are with us now exclusively, along with their attorney ben crump. good morning to all of you naup for joining us. i appreciate it. this phone call that was carried on between trayvon and this young lady, just before he was shot, the young lady says that she heard him saying why are you following me. says perhaps he then put his hoodie up on his sweatshirt and heard someone else saying what are you doing in this neighborhood, and then the phone went dead. what do you think this phone call proves? >> to me it proves that he wasn't walking around the neighborhood, doing anything

suspicious. he was on his way home. he had every right to have on his hoodie. it was raining. why not put on his hoodie to prevent getting wet? >> this is not a recorded phone call, mrs. fulton. the young lady -- the police in sanford asked anyone with information to come forward if they had that. this young lady, according to our reporting, had not come forward. and we're now getting her version of this phone call. can it be trusted? >> yes, it can. she was distraught because of the situation that happened with trayvon. and the fact that she was on the phone with him when he -- when the incident occurred right before the incident occurred. so she was very distraught. she had to go to the hospital. she was hospitalized. she also mentioned to us that she had feelings for trayvon. so it hurts her dearly to know that he has passed away. >> mr. crump, though, as an attorney, does it worry you that

really what this is is hearsay evidence? >> it really doesn't. because she is a 16-year-old teenager who just lost a person very special to her. her parents are very concerned. they did not want her to get involved. and it wasn't until mr. martin saw the phone records and saw that she called him at 7:12. the police got on the scene 7:17. he was shot and dead on the ground. five minutes -- >> just before this happened. >> she talked to him. >> briefly i want to ask you about this our controversy now with this 911 call. some people who have heard the entire tape believe that mr. zimmerman, the man who shot your son, uttered a racial slur. some people think he head blanking punks. other people think he said blanking and then a racial slur. have you heard the entire tape? and do you think you've heard the original tape? what's your opinion. >> i never heard the entire tape but the part that i did hear zimmerman did go on saying, i

think he said words that were not -- were not comforting to my ears. like these people. and who are these people? he was suspicious because he was young, black, with a hoodie. >> let me read you something that lawyers for the department of justice have said on the condition of anonymity. that while the investigation of the shooting of 17-year-old trayvon martin will go forward, it would be difficult to prosecute the case under federal law. civil rights law protects against hate crimes or actions by police officer. but martin's shooting may not have either of those elements. >> matt, it's rare to be arrested, prosecuted and convicted. now the state needs to do it. it's crazy that this family has to wait for grand juries and stuff when if it was the other way around, they would have arrested their son on the spot. >> mr. fulton, as we put the picture of trayvon up on the screen it is very easy to look at this young man and want to support you, and to comfort you,

and offer our condolences. but do we also have to remember that with all the public outcry here, that there is, perhaps, potential for a rush to judgment against mr. zimmerman, who has not been charged with a crime, and even if he had been charged with a crime, would have to be viewed as innocent in the eyes of the law. are you worried about that? would you urge people to be patient? >> i would urge people to be patient. let the courts decide. but, i strongly feel that he needs to be arrested, because a crime was committed. my son is murdered. my son is not with us no more. nothing can bring him back. >> only two people know what happened that night. and your son, unfortunately, cannot tell his side of the story. miss fulton, are you worried that in a court of law, it will be tough to convince a jury of this -- of the guilt of mr. zimmerman beyond a reasonable doubt? >> well, there are some witnesses. there are witnesses, and i just

want them to take a look at the evidence that they have. i just hurt, in my heart hurt because this guy has not been arrested. and i just feel like the sanford police department decided to decide if he -- if they decided on the scene to be the judge and jury. and i just want this guy arrested so he can be brought to justice. >> mr. and mrs. fulton thank you for your time this morning. i truly appreciate it. mr. crump, thank you very much, as well. now 15 minutes after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thanks. millions of americans take a daily dose of aspirin to decrease the risk of heart attacks. now a series of new studies suggest a -- the dprug may also have surprising benefits in the fight against cancer. nbc's nancy synderman is nbc's chief medical editor. hey, nancy, good morning. you call this a game changer. >> i think it is. look for three pennies a pill, you can prevent cancer, decrease the spread of it, in effect, decrease your chance of dying, ann. we've known for a long time

about the decrease of heart disease and stroke. but three articles, looking at hundreds of thousands of people in the journal "lancet" really talk now about the fact that the benefits far outweigh the risks for use of low-dose daily aspirin. either baby aspirin or one single aspirin. >> what kind of cancer specifically? >> we've known about colorectal cancer for a long time. now they're also saying cancer of the esophagus, stomach, breast and lungs. so if you look at those, the chance of dying from those, is 15% less than the average population, and it nearly downsize stomach upset and some bleeding. and frankly, after three years, those risks go away. i think increasingly doctors are going to sit with their patients and do what doctors have been doing and consider a daily aspirin. >> a stunning development for a pill -- >> at least talk to your physician about it. >> dr. nancy synderman thank you so much this morning. now let's get a check of the mornings's other top stories from natalie morales at the news desk. hey, natalie. >> good morning to you, ann. good morning, everyone. new details this morning about the u.s. soldier accused of

gunning down 16 afghan civilians. a 2002 police report shows that robert bales was arrested at a tacoma, washington, casino for drunkenly assaulting a security guard. his attorney had previously said bales was arrested for an incident involving one of his ex-girlfriends. hundreds of homes in mexico have been reduced to rubble after a strong 7.4 magnitude quake struck the country on tuesday. about a dozen people were injured in the tremor but amazingly no deaths have been reported. first daughter malia obama is in the quake region on a class service trip. the first lady's office reports that she is safe. extremely dangerous flash floods this morning in louisiana, eastern texas, after widespread heavy rain and more downpours are on the way. flash flood warnings are also in effect for parts of arkansas, missouri, mississippi, and eastern oklahoma. a jeep fighting for a spot at the pump lost control at a miami gas station. the driver slammed into a pump, bursting into flames. no one was injured, and the

jeep's driver does not face criminal charges at this time. prince william returns to the uk this morning after completing his royal air force duties in the falkland islands. he's expected to take a short leave reporting back to duty. and 500 years after leonardo da vinci dreamed of man taking to the sky, take a look, a dutch engineer strapped bird-like wings to his arms and there he is. he lifted off. it took him eight months to design the contraption but it all paid off, describing his minute in the air, he said you're running, and then suddenly, you're free. i am so willing to try that. 7:18 right now. back over to matt and ann. let me do it. >> i know. don't say, ann, i don't know. >> that is cool. >> let's go, ann. >> let's get to mr. roker. he's on the road this morning in clearwater, florida, with a check of the weather. hi, al. >> hey, matt and ann. we're at the u.s. coast guard station clearwater, air station

clearwater. we'll tell you about that in a little bit. let's get right to it. we've got a lot more heavy rain where natalie just showed you at the top of her newscast. parts of louisiana, big, big upper level low, a cold front. we've got tornado watches in effect now, stretching throughout a good portion of new orleans. all that rain coming down. we're talking basically about anywhere from 3 to 5 more inches of rain, and that's going to cause more massive flooding.

>> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. we'll see you in a couple of minutes. it's one of the great mysteries, what happened to amelia earhart. now 75 years after her disappearance, secretary of state hillary clinton is lending her support to a new investigation into the mystery surrounding the famed aviator. here's nbc's chris jansing. >> amelia earhart -- >> reporter: in 1937 amelia earhart was one of the most famous women alive. a daredevil aviator. about to attempt an unprecedented around the world flight. joking about leaving her husband behind. >> how about taking me along? >> 180 pounds of gasoline on the flight, that might be a little more valuable. >> reporter: now one of the most famous women of this generation, hillary clinton, has put the state department support behind a new expedition, to find out what really happened when earhart's plane disappeared over the south pacific. >> we, too, could use some of amelia's spirit.

>> reporter: the new search, touched off by a new analysis of this photo, taken just three months after earhart went missing. >> the elements in this photograph are the same shape, size, dimensions, to the landing gear of a lockheed electricra aircraft. >> reporter: earhart's plain. in july the international group for historic aircraft recovery will launch a deepwater search. the culmination is simply that the plane ran out of gas and crashed. but expedition leaders believe that earhart may have survived that crash, a castaway on an island between hawaii and australia. rick gillespie has been there before, and a 2007 search famously found a woman's compact, a button, and a zipper from a flight jacket. this time, they're looking for the plane. >> that will be the conclusive evidence everyone has been searching for. >> reporter: the long elusive answer to a cliffhanger so tantalizing, hollywood made a movie about it starring hilary

swank. while that other famous hillary, clinton, says whatever the outcome, earhart's legacy endures. >> we can be defined not by the limits that hold us down, but by the opportunities that are ahead. >> reporter: for scientists, an opportunity to solve one of our most enduring mysteries. for "today," chris jansing, nbc news, new york. and just ahead, another mystery, the search intensifies for a 15-year-old cheerleader who vanished five days ago. her cell phone has now been found, as police interview registered sex offenders. we're going to hear from her heartbroken mother. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead a 14-year-old girl dies after drinking two cans of energy drinks in less than 24 hours. today, we stand against the tyranny of meager travel cards.

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[ chuckles ] isn't easter fun, red? [ grunts ] not from my perspective! ♪ >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. baltimore city mayor stephanie rawlings-blake's budget proposal would mean a little good, a little bad for city employees. it does not raise taxes or impose new fees, but would permanently close three fire companies and merge 311 and 911 call centers. employees have to pay higher out-of-pocket costs for medical

and prescription drug coverage. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> a few new problems to add to the list. howard county at 175, you might start to see delays. the local fire at there. highway,d pulaski hir accident. only the shoulder is squeezing by. west side, a slowdown in there. route 97 and jennings chapel road in howard county, watch for crash. chemist around the beltway, starting at security, outer loop traffic is backing up around 795. that delay continues through edmondson. here is what it looks like on the north side with the back of developing. over to you, tony. >> same set up as yesterday, the low level in northeast winds going. we have the clouds, fog,

drizzle. 60 degrees at the airport. 58 in rising sun. we have sunshine breaking through this afternoon. high temperatures in the low 70's. there is a chance we will see a passing rainshowers. in the next couple of days, it gets warmer. perhaps near 80. it looks

7:35 now on this wednesday morning. the 21st of march, 2012. spring has just been sprung here in the northeast. we're headed into the 70s today. and tomorrow, we're told we could see 80 degrees outside. our fans on the plaza are loving the warm temperatures. as you can see many aren't wearing coats. meantime i'm ann curry with matt lauer. just ahead this new concern over these energy drinks. >> they're loaded with caffeine as you know and they're very popular with teenagers and young adults. now doctors are raising questions and concerns after a 14-year-old girl died after she drank two cans in less than a day. we're going to have details coming up. >> and also coming up, in

celebrity news we're going to be talking about jennie garth. she's speaking out for the first time since announcing the end of her eleven-year marriage. we're going to hear from her. and then a little bit later are ghost writers really behind the recipes in your favorite cookbooks? we're going to tell you about "the new york times" article that has some celebrity chefs crying foul. >> let's begin with the search for a 15-year-old girl in california, who has been missing now since last friday. nbc's kristen dahlgren has details on this. kristen, good morning. >> good morning, matt. we're here at the church where sierra lamar's family and community gathered last night to pray for her return. the sheriff's department says they have found the teen's cell phone, but have no other sign of the girl. ♪ amazing grace >> reporter: at a vigil for 15-year-old sierra lamar, her mother broke down. >> i love you so much. >> reporter: it's been five days since she last saw her daughter. >> she goes, mom, i love you,

too, you have a good day at work. that was the routine every morning. >> reporter: but all the tears and pleas -- >> i want my daughter back. >> reporter: have brought few clues about where the petite sophomore could be. on friday morning before leaving for school her mother says sierra took this picture of herself, smiling. it's how her friends always knew her. >> anyone that meets her, like you can't not be friends with her. all right but lamar never showed up at school that day, never got on the bus. her phone was found saturday, less than a mile from her mom's house. >> we're doing some forensics on that cell phone, trying to get any information that we can off of that cell phone, as well as her laptop. >> reporter: there's been no activity on the teen's facebook or twitter. >> she always had her phone. she was always on her phone. twitter, facebook. >> reporter: mark clause whose daughter polly was abducted in 1939 runs a unit for victims and their families.

>> the scenario that more easily plays out is that she was put into a car, and that at some point somebody took that phone and they threw it off of the side of the road. >> reporter: police have combed nearby fields, from the ground and the air. tuesday they interviewed classmates at her current high school and the one she moved from last year. and they're talking to registered sex offenders in the area. police say sierra's father is a registered sex offender but they insist he's not a person of interest. at the vigil he cheered up as he talked to his missing daughter. >> we can't wait to hear you sing again. >> reporter: a family and friends desperate for a safe return. holding on to the only thing they can right now, hope. >> sierra, if you're out there, please hang in there. be strong. because i know you have it in you to be strong. >> reporter: now police say they're canvassing the mother's home, the neighborhood where she was last seen. they're also following any other tips that are called in.

but matt, i asked her mother last night, is there any way sierra could have just run away? her mom said no. >> all right, kristen dahlgren out in california for us on this story this morning. thank you, kristen. we appreciate it. it's 7:33. here's ann. >> all right, matt, thanks. the defense in the dui manslaughter trial of a florida millionaire appears close to resting its case. but one question remains, will the accused take the stand? nbc's kerry sanders is in west palm beach, florida, for the latest on this story. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. it's expected the accused john goodman will tell the judge this morning whether he will take the stand in his own defense. his lawyers are telling the jury that he was not drunk the night of that accident, but rather got drunk afterwards, downing shots because he was so shaken by the events of that evening. and they're explaining now why they say he left the scene of the accident. they say that he suffered a concussion and couldn't think straight.

with computer animation to help, prosecutors argued 48-year-old john goodman, in his $200,000 bentley, blew through a stop sign and t-boned 23-year-old scott wilson's hyundai. the car, they say, was pushed across the street and flipped into a canal. among the heartbreaking testimony in the case, claims from the medical examiner that wilson was still alive when his car began to sink into the water. >> would scott wilson have survived this crash? >> yes, if he hadn't drowned. >> reporter: goodman, worth several hundred million dollars, adopted his girlfriend to shield part of his fortune. she's testified in the case. >> do you remember him telling you that he had had a few drinks? >> no. >> reporter: as did the deputy who supervised goodman's blood alcohol test. the state says it was twice the legal limit. three hours after the accident. >> i did smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person. >> reporter: testifying for the defense, famed polo player

ignacio seguera. he was among the celebrity bartenders where goodman was partying the night of the accident. >> you're sure that you did not serve mr. goodman a drink? >> i am sure, yes. >> reporter: goodman, with his wealth, built the international polo club in palm beach county. the night of the accident, it took goodman 54 minutes before he dialed 911. time his defense team says he used to calm his nerves by drinking, alone, in the back of a barn, a short distance from the accident scene. >> i ran down the road to the -- to a barn. >> reporter: and while goodman denied that night he ran the stop sign -- >> i stopped and pulled out in front and i didn't see a car. >> reporter: even his own defense experts say he did. but they say the car malfunctioned. accelerating on its own. the defense's accident reconstructionist told jurors deputies made significant errors

in the investigation, beginning with the calculation of how fast both cars were traveling. legal expert. >> if john goodman was merely going 10 miles an hour over the speed limit, versus 30, the state may not be able to prove their case of vehicular homicide, because recklessness is one of the factors they have to prove. >> reporter: and for jurors, this may be an all or nothing case. the judge, when he charges the jury, could tell them either find john goodman guilty, or innocent. but not -- don't come back with any lesser charges. and that would hold true not only for vehicular homicide, but also for the dui charge. ann? >> all right, kerry sanders this morning. kerry, thank you. now let's get a check of the weather from al, who is this morning is in clearwater, florida. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by the makers of zantac, a new look for heartburn relief.

>> and good morning, everybody. as you see, the sunrise here in clearwater, florida. what a beautiful morning we've got. we are here at the u.s. coast guard air station clearwater. it is the largest and busiest air station in the coast guard's system. 550 active members here. we're in front of one of their c-130s. this is a search plane. they take this thing out and it can stay out up to -- on average ten hours searching for folks. record has been 14 hours. we're here because we're going to be doing a series with the coast guard, coast guard, florida, follow-up to our successful series coast guard alaska on the weather channel. let's show you the unbelievable temperatures that are going on through the midwest. they're more like florida temperatures than what we would see in the midwest this time. cleveland a high of 80. probably break a record there. another record high for chicago, 85. st. louis, 80. lexington, kentucky looking at a high of 84 degrees. charlotte 84. look for a high in albany,

georgia, 84. birmingham, we'll see a high of 85 degrees, and those warm temperatures stretch all the way up into new england. bangor, maine, 82 degrees today. >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up next, the serious health concerns being raised by -- about popular health -- high energy drinks in the wake of a tragic death of a 14-year-old girl. all right, let's decide what to

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jolt. but could they also pose a serious risk? nbc's tom costello has more on that. tom, good morning. >> hi, matt. the jolt comes from the caffeine, which, of course, is a stimulant. the fda regulates how much caffeine is allowed in soda, but it doesn't regulate the caffeine in energy drinks because they're considered a dietary supplement, rather than a food. it appears it was all too much for a 14-year-old who drank two of these in less than 24 hours. no one who knew her ever thought this is where 14-year-old anais fournier would be today. the victim of too much caffeine? >> i lost my girlfriend who i cared about with all my heart. >> reporter: at the cemetery in hagerstown, maryland, her boyfriend ethan comes nearly every day. >> she was just beautiful. in personality, in mind, in just physical features she was amazing. >> reporter: it was last september when anais suddenly went into cardiac arrest while at home.

paramedics, then doctors, worked for a week to save her as she slipped into a coma. her family at her bedside. >> we stayed up all night. i laid in bed next to her all night long and we talked to her. and stayed with her. >> reporter: six days later, anais died, leaving behind a twin brother and sister. the official cause of death, cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity. anais and her family knew she had a common heart defect known as a microvalve prolapse but her doctor felt it posed little risk to her life. in the 23 hours before she went into cardiac arrest, anais had consumed two, 24-ounce high caffeine monster energy drinks. each monster can contained 240 milligrams of caffeine. enough for three servings. and two cans is equal to 14, 12-ounce sodas. that's 480 milligrams of caffeine. nearly five times what's

recommended in a recent pediatric study for teens and younger. monster tells nbc news, we vehemently deny that drinking two cans of monster energy by itself can cause a death from caffeine toxicity. and monster insists its drinks contain less caffeine than some coffee. dr. allen taylor is the chief of cardiology at georgetown university hospital. >> between the caffeine, the sugar, its effects on blood pressure, potential adverse effects, i think it's really difficult to justify a case for children, young adults, to be using these substances right now. >> reporter: and e.r.s across the country have seen a dramatic increase in caffeine overdoses. from 1100 e.r. visits in 2005 linked to high energy drinks, to 16,000 in 2008, and more than 13,000 in 2009. high energy drinks have become big business, marketed to teens with names like monster, full throttle and rock star. clearly this food is designed for a particular audience.

>> yes. high schoolers, college students. >> reporter: university of maryland researcher amelia aria has studied the effects of the drinks on teens and young adults. >> individuals don't really know how much caffeine they're consuming because the label does not require disclosure of caffeine content. that's part of the problem. >> reporter: despite years of studies calling for the fda to regulate the drinks, that hasn't happened. the american beverage association tells nbc news it has adopted voluntary policies for change to energy drink labels and marketing to children. some offer warnings, some don't. but doctors have their own warning. >> is your child the one who has a predisposing condition where these could be truly dangerous? is this worth the call to the emergency room? >> reporter: for anais' mom there is only heartbreak. >> she never, ever regained consciousness. and we never got to tell her good-bye. >> reporter: while the fda

doesn't regulate the drinks, virginia has banned their use by high school athletes, australia already regulates them, and canada is about to implement some of the tightest restrictions in the world. meanwhile, as a result of anais' organ donation, two people regained their sight with her eyes, a man was saved with her liver and left kidney and another woman was saved with her right kidney and pancreas. so this 14-year-old girl helped a lot of people. matt, back to you. >> tom costello. thank you very much. still ahead, who really writes your favorite cookbooks? why some famous cooks like rachael ray and oscar winner gwyneth paltrow are so upset about a new claim in a "new york times" article. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] get the mileage card with special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪

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. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> not an ideal start to your morning commute. several accidents. this one on the inner loop. at stevenson road, towards the j.f.x., inner loop, you will find additional delays. liberty road and route 27, watch for a crash. another one at frederick road in ellicott city. all of frederick road in marriottsville, an accident. in aberdeen, lanes closed on eastbound pulaski highway at

route 7. only the shoulder the squeezing of by. update you on some of our cameras, starting with the j.f.x. would've a delay from ruxton towards the area of 28th street. live view of traffic at par for -- at half court. -- at harford. over to you, tony. >> we are starting out like yesterday, with cloud cover and result in a couple spots. -- and drizzle in a couple of spots. getting better in the last hour. temperatures generally in the 50's. 68 in parkton 358 degrees in jarrettsville. you get sunshine to break through the cloud deck later this morning and afternoon. 20% chance for rain shower in the forecast. high temperatures around 70. over the next couple of days, this shifts to the south.

is in the upper seventies to around 80. good chance for rain with highs in the 60's.

we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning, the 21st day of march, 2012. we've got some rain in the new york area. not too bad, though. certainly hasn't kept our crowd down outside studio 1a. a lot of these people in town for some spring sightseeing. we're happy they've joined us. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry. coming up we're going to be talking about a real kind of uproar in the world of celebrity chefs. >> that's right. there was an article in "the new york times" recently that claimed that a lot of celebrity chefs actually don't come up with their own recipes and the article named gwyneth paltrow. so she was not very happy about that. we're going to find out what she's got to say. and also, on the topic of

celebrities, we're also going to talk about jennie garth because she's now talking for the first time about her breakup with her husband, peter facinelli so we're going to find out what she's got to stay about that. >> also in our studio, ayoung lady named alita. she suffers from a rare disease that requires her to be connected to external oxygen all the time. of course that oxygen is in a very heavy tank. but you're also going to meet that little guy right there, that's mr. gibbs, her new best friend. he is helping her with that problem. we'll meet alita, mr. gibbs, and her family in just a little while. >> it's a very sweet family. >> all right. >> meantime let's get a check of the news first. natalie is at the "n" this morning. >> good morning, ann and matt. good morning. >> we begin with an overnight gun battle where the suspect wanted for a deadly shooting last week. police say the 24-year-old gunman claims to have trained with al qaeda in pakistan and

afghanistan. he told negotiators he targeted jewish students to avenge the deaths of palestinian children. in the murders of the paratroopers he said were to protest western military intervention overseas. the family of an unarmed florida teen who was shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer says there is a new account of the confrontation. the family says 17-year-old trayvon martin was on the phone with his girlfriend when he noticed george zimmerman following him. the girlfriend reportedly said trayvon felt threatened but police in sanford, florida, say zimmerman shot trayvon in self-defense. a grand jury will now investigate. mitt romney strengthened his front-runner position in the republican presidential race, winning tuesday's illinois primary by a comfortable margin. in a post-victory e-mail he urged republicans to unite behind him. but rick santorum, who has shown strength in the south, is pushing ahead to saturday's louisiana primaries. a series of new studies suggest that aspirin may have surprising benefits in both preventing and treating cancer.

researchers found that a daily both of aspirin can reduce cancer risk along with deaths and the spread of cancer, especially in patients with colon cancer. the research is published in the medical journal "the lancet." now for a look at what is trending today. quarterback peyton manning and tim tebow and the denver broncos all topped google and yahoo! searches. manning was introduced tuesday as the broncos' newest star quarterback and fan favorite tebow who led denver to the playoffs last year for the first time since 2005 but now football fans are wondering where he may end up next. maybe the jets. a story we told you about earlier, a planned deep water search for amelia earhart's airplane is also a hot google topic. hillary clinton has put the state department's support behind this latest effort. it was spurred by new analysis of a photo taken just months after earhart vanished over the south pacific in 1937. experts say it shows parts of a plane's landing gear.

and rehab? despite reports that he has entered rehab, jersey store shore mike "the situation" sorrentino tweets don't believe everything you read or hear. tmz says he's at an undisclosed location for rest and recuperation. let's go back to al with a check of the weather from clearwater, florida. hey, al. >> hey, natalie. thanks so much. and if -- if amelia earhart was lost today the coast guard would certainly be involved in that search and probably using this plane, the c-130, it's got a range of staying in the air of ten hours, and we're really excited to be here because we're doing a new show for the weather channel "coast guard florida" following up on our hit show "coast guard: alaska." let's show you what we've got as far as our weather is concerned for today. our pick city of the day, tampa,

florida. music channel 8 3. 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. temperature about 86 degrees. as far as temperatures for today, you can see we got a lot of wet weather now streaming up. there's a slow-moving system, already a lot of flooding in eastern texas, parts of southern louisiana, it's going to continue today as that moisture just continues to drop anywhere from another 3 to 8 inches of rain. record highs in the eastern third of the country. more rain moves in to the pacific northwest.

>> that's your latest weather. matt, i'm thinking about hotlining this bad boy and swinging it up to new york. >> all right, al, be careful. thank you very much. when we come back, gwyneth paltrow and some famous chefs are up in arms about an article that claims they used ghost writers for their recipes. we'll talk about that and jennie garth will open up for the first time about the end of her eleven-year marriage. right after these messages. when it comes to paint... ...there's one brand that always tops the charts. so let's grab a few of those gallons- at a price that's now even lower. 'cause when we mix behr ultra paint and primer in one... ...with a few hours... ...we get more than just color... ...we get top-rated coverage. the kind wakes up walls, and reinvents rooms. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. behr ultra paint and primer in one now starts at just $29.38, it's lowest price ever. in absolute perfect physical condition

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back now at 8:08. with new details on the celebrity breakup that caught some people by surprise. a week after jennie garth and peter facinelli announced plans of divorce, jennie garth is talking about it for the first time. >> jennie garth and peter facinelli have been married for more than a decade. they have three children together. both actors are in the middle of upswings in their careers. just weeks before her new show, garth is now talking about the end of her marriage. >> i know it's the right thing for us right now. i feel it. in my heart. >> reporter: actress jennie garth is going public about her recent split from husband peter fach themly. >> some of the things in my life have been transitioning. >> reporter: on tuesday garth told "access hollywood" she's living with her three young daughters on a farm in california, taping her new show. >> my life is a little hectic right now. and my personal life is kind of crazy. so, this is what i need, and what the girls need right now. and so it's perfect.

>> how are the girls handling this, and how are they? >> we're doing great. thank you. >> so it's just you guys up on the farm, peter won't be part of the show, will he? >> no. >> reporter: garth was spotted without her wedding ring on monday, after lunch at a los angeles restaurant. last week, facinelli showed his bare finger while riding his motorcycle. public proof that the 11-year marriage is coming to an end. >> so we make a great couple. >> reporter: garth and facinelli are teenage pop culture icons, but from two different generations. 39-year-old garth played kelly taylor in the original "beverly hills,90210" which first aired over 20 years ago. her character became one of the most beloved in the cast. >> i think you'll be just fine. >> reporter: 38-year-old peter facinelli is the father vampire in the wildly popular "twilight" saga. he cheered for his wife as she competed on "dancing with the stars" in 2007. stunned fans took to the web

saying, thought they'd stay married forever. >> it definitely makes people think, if they can't make it work in hollywood, nobody can. we don't know what was going on behind the scenes. but they do seem to be great parents and are always with their children. >> our getaway home. >> reporter: since the announcement of their split last week websites have been buzzing with gossip about infidelity. in a joint statement the couple said there are rumors out there which are completely untrue, and hurtful to our family. we just want to make it very clear, there are no third parties involved. >> being out here on my own with the girls is not going to be easy. >> reporter: the divorce comes as garth gets ready to launch a new show called "jennie garth little bit country" a reality show about the escape of the chaos of hollywood. and garth's new show premieres next month. the company tells nbc they remain dedicated to raising their three daughters together even as the marriage comes to an

end. >> and boy, what three beautiful children they have. thanks a lot, natalie. and from a celebrity breakup to the brewing controversy over celebrity cookbooks, and who is actually writing them, nbc's mara schiavocampo has this story. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this one is a case of hot meals and hot tempers, all flaring up online after a story suggesting that some celebrity chefs with cookbooks are hands-off in the kitchen. now one famous star is boiling mad, and fighting back. it's a recipe for success. celebrity cookbooks are big business. and these days famous chefs are everywhere. from jamie oliver to martha stewart to mario batali. >> olive oil, salt and pepper. >> reporter: but are the big guns hiring writers for their cookbooks? that's the claim in a "new york times" piece, i was a cookbook ghostwriter. it set off a firestorm with food reporter julia moskin writing recipes are products, and today's successful cookbook authors are demons at providing it, usually with the assistance

of an army of writer-cooks. >> most use ghost writers. they're not writers. they need someone to help them put their imagination and their creativity on the pages. >> reporter: the "times" piece doesn't hold back, saying chefs routinely employ writers and recipe developers. suggesting star cook rachael ray doesn't come up with her own recipes. and even claiming gwyneth paltrow hired a writer on her cookbook "my father's daughter." here she is wriping up fried zucchini pasta on ray's show. >> excuse me, everyone. >> reporter: and as for a ghostwriter, absolutely not, says paltrow. who tweeted, love @nytimes dining section but this weeks facts need checking. no ghost writer on my cookbook. i wrote every word myself. ray's steamed up, too. tweetding that the newspaper got it all wrong. >> for a chef to do it all themselves and then there are chefs who do all the recipe work and have someone else help them with the writing part of it.

>> reporter: all the uproar spawned a follow-up from "the new york times" explaining that ghost writing doesn't necessarily mean the recipes are somebody else's, just that there's sometimes help getting food from the plate to the page. still, not enough for ray, who fired back on twitter. @nytimes diner's journal gets it wrong again. i celebrate and value stylists, photographers, editors, i also write my recipes alone. experts say the feud has left many with a bitter taste. >> finding out that there is a person or entire team behind the process takes a little bit of the magic out of the moment. >> now, no matter what, sales are thriving with cookbooks raking in $1 billion each year. ann? >> all right. mara schiavocampo, thank you so much. coming up next, the 3-year-old with a rare condition and the dog who's giving her a new lease on life. we're going to meet them both right after this. ♪

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we're back now with the touching story of one young girl and her best friend, a dog giving her a chance to really be a kid. "today" national correspondent amy robach has more on this very special friendship. amy, good morning. >> matt, good morning to you. from the moment she was born, 3-year-old alita hasn't been able to crawl, walk or run very far due to a short cord connecting her to some very heavy oxygen tanks. but now her life line runs right beside her, giving this toddler a new lease on life. by all accounts, mr. gibbs looks like any other golden doodle puppy, loving some scrunches, and some naps. but mr. gibbs is here to work. >> good job. make sure you're turned on. all right, let's go. >> let's go. >> we're going to go play? let's go play. >> reporter: his boss, 3-year-old alita knoblauch. >> what do you got to do with

mr. gibbs? >> down. down. >> good boy. >> reporter: this special little girl suffers from neurohyperplasia in infancy. nehi is an extremely rare lung disease requiring alita to breathe with the aid of an oxygen tank. only 500 children in the united states have ever been diagnosed with it. alita was born premature and had breathing issues from the start. but as months went by, her parents, debbie and aaron, had an instinct something was ver wrong. >> debbie was able to look up what all the tests were that they were doing, you know. the first one, you know, she would have made it to four months. and so you go through two weeks of just not being able to help. >> reporter: once the nehi diagnosis was made, doctors told the knoblauchs two things, they

needed to live utah and live in a lower elevation, and alita would need an oxygen tank at all times to continue breathing. >> she was already falling behind on her milestones, and she didn't sit up until she was eight months old. as soon as she got on the oxygen she started catching up quickly. >> reporter: but catching up presented a new problem for a toddler attached to ten-pound oxygen tanks. >> you know, when she crawled it wasn't a big deal because she couldn't get that far away. when she started walking we had to come up with something different. we saw a show on tv about service dogs, and that's when it clicked. i, you know, i don't need a cart for her, i need a bottle that's going to follow her. >> grab her leash. what do you tell him? >> come let's go. >> reporter: enter mr. gibbs. the knoblauchs found dog trainer ashley kensly and proposed the idea of training a service dog to carry the oxygen tanks. >> he's trained to do everything he needs to do. but for a service animal that he's at with a 3-year-old,

that's kind of the difficult part. >> reporter: but so far mr. gibbs has passed the test and alita has a newfound freedom. what's your favorite thing to do outside? >> swing! >> reporter: you have mr. gibbs by you when you're swinging? >> he gets kicked in the head. >> he gets kicked in the head sometimes. >> reporter: but lucky for mr. gibbs he's resilient and has a whole lot of patience. what do you say to mr. gibbs? >> down. >> reporter: down. do you have other things you say to him? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: like what? >> at ease. >> reporter: at ease? and now the knoblauchs can be at ease, knowing their daughter is in good hands because of a new friend with four paws. who is your best friend? >> he is. >> so cute. mr. gibbs and alita hope to go to kindergarten together in a new years given alita the kind of independent childhood her parents had always hoped for. matt? >> all right, amy, thank you very much. alita and mr. gibbs are here along with her parents aaron and

debbie. good morning to everyone. we don't even have to do an interview. let's just watch this. i mean this is so cute to watch them together. >> whoa! >> and it must be such a change of life for all of you. >> whoa. look. >> it really has been. he's been a great addition to the family. and just awesome help for her. >> when you first received this diagnosis, you had to immediately think, what kind of quality of life is my little girl going to have. and what were your hopes and fears? >> well, i was scared she would be limited by the length of her oxygen tube. so we immediately started looking at ways to help her get around the house. and just like it said in the episode, when she started walking we had to adjust the way we did things. >> reporter: aaron, i understand you came up with a lot of devices over the years. >> yeah. >> you were kind of a handyman and you create things she'd be able to drag around with her. >> yeah. >> but it was your idea to work with the service dog. >> well, once i realized that the cart just wasn't going to work forever, we had to come up

with something. and when we saw the service dog that was the click, that was the trigger. i was like i need a bottle that will follow her. >> and talk to me about the learning curve here. i mean, you know, mr. gibbs trained as a service dog. but this is an unusual function to perform. >> most service dog agencies won't talk to you until your child is older, 5 or 7. so it hasn't been done with a child this young. so the challenge is for him to listen to alita. he does really well with debbie and i but it's tough for him to listen to a 3-year-old. >> was it hard to train -- or to teach alita to be able to give those commands we heard? >> actually. she knows them really well. she actually gets frustrated when he doesn't listen. that's part of the process that we're working on right now is, you know, helping him understand that that is the command, and you know. she doesn't speak real clearly sometimes. >> what about when kindergarten comes, i mean, will mr. gibbs be allowed to go to kindergarten giving her some semblance of

normalcy? >> that's -- that's why we're doing all this so early is we're hoping that by the time she is in kindergarten it's all figured out and there's no more training left to be done and he just goes to school. >> alita mr. gibbs is a little goofy, isn't he? >> yeah. >> does he like -- i think he likes to tickle you like this, doesn't he? sometimes does he take naps with you? >> yeah. >> is it fun? >> yeah. >> it is? but at night, mr. gibbs gets the night off, and you hook her up to a more stable -- >> yes, a concentrator that works all night so he's down. >> i know you want to give people more information, or if they have -- first of all there's only 500 cases, as amy mentioned, of young people in this country with this particular disorder. but what should people know. how can they get more information? >> they can go to the child foundation website at

www.child-foundation.com, and there's information about all the different -- a list of doctors that specialize in that kind of treatment. >> i think we should mention you have another daughter who's 4 months old. a little baby here in the studio. >> the reality is, they don't know yet. they don't even know enough to know what causes it yet. so that's why we're trying to do the research to figure that out. >> well, alita, you seem like you're having a really good time with your friend mr. gibbs. thank you for being here. did you enjoy watching yourself on tv? >> yeah. >> you did? >> good. mr. gibbs, thank you. folks, thanks for being here. we're back right after these messages and your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. final check on your morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> if you new problems to add to the list. inner loop past park heights, in dealing with an accident. accidentling with an at liberty road and route 27. another one clearing at ellicott city and frederick road. if you want to travel at jarrettsville pike and schuster road, there is an accident coming in to us. east of pulaski highway, what foreclosures related to a

multi-vehicle crash in aberdeen. here is what looks like any greenspring. inner loop delays towards the j.f.x. live view of traffic in the area of 95 and white marsh. past white marsh towards the beltway northeast, looking at delays in there. tony, over to you. >> same set up as yesterday. cloud cover to start the day, maybe some drizzle. that is starting to dissipate. humidity is 94%. elsewhere, temperatures in the upper 50s. 57 in emmitsburg. 59 degrees in annapolis. mixture of clouds and sunshine barrett kind of like white, the sun or break through the cloud deck. high temperatures in the low seventies. in a couple of days, the winds shift to the south. 77 on thursday. the upper 70's 2 around 80 on friday.

pretty good chance for rain on saturday and sunday. >> another update at 8:55.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning. it's the 21st of march, 2012. 60 degrees out here in the heart of midtown manhattan as we give these people a chance to say hi to their families and friends back home. a huge contingency here from -- from guam. i'm ann curry along with matt lauer and also natalie morales

and also al is in clearwater, florida. what have you got coming up? >> well, we're going to be -- do you know what temple run is? >> my son plays it. my 3-year-old. >> m-83? >> i don't know that. >> you better know what these things are if you have a teenager in the house and you want to connect to that teen. coming up we have a crash course in all the hottest apps, music and pop culture that your teens may be addicted to. >> all right. plus jenna bush hager has gone broadway along with sara haines, by the way, and they've come back with some incredible costumes and some great hats from some of the best musicals of all time. what's that one from, matt? >> that is from "la cage aux folles." >> we're going to get to try some of those things, as well. >> also coming up, we've got mark bittman in the house. we want to pay attention to him. he's cooking up some really yumny things. and also, a great recipe for

pork roast. when he's here, everyone in our studio is salivating. >> eli manning -- >> yeah. >> yeah. go down to florida check in once again with mr. roker, al? >> and matt, i -- we got you this hat from the coast guard. i thought you'd really like this one. this one -- >> what does it say? >> it's really you. >> oh, that's nice of you. thank you very much. i appreciate that. i will wear that on the golf course. >> yes. >> i can see that. >> i'll trade you al, take your hat, you can have that hat. >> okay. there you go. i'm not giving up this hat. i'll tell you what, we're here at the u.s. coast guard station -- air station clearwater. and this is one of the -- the h-60s, jayhawks and i love it. it's got the slogan here, for the air station, any time, anywhere. they use this thing for search and rescue. it's -- it's pretty cool. let's show you what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. for today, we are looking at a

picture perfect summer day along the east coast, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s all the way back into the great lakes. but we are looking at more heavy rain, risk of strong storms down through the lower gulf. more rain in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, we're expecting again record highs, of -- up and down the eastern seaboard. the heavy rain shifts into mississippi, and alabama, southern mississippi and alabama. more rain in the pacific northwest. sunny and warm through the southwest.

>> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, great, thanks so much this morning. coming up we're going to have a chance to learn about apps and music and other types of hot trends coming up.

"today's" parenting is brought to you by quaker oatmeal. >> we're back now at 8:36 and this morning on parenting "today," what parents need to know about today's teens. we have three experts to educate us on what's hot and of course what's not when it comes to music, gossip and social media. >> that's right, matt. we begin with what teens are listening to these days. and billy is an 18-year-old high school senior from connecticut. he's joining us this morning. good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> talk music trends for teens. >> well, lately talk to a few friends at universities and throughout high school and even

my little brother, a lot of people are looking to a song you heard before called levels. that's kind of like that fast-paced dance music. then there's also songs like m-83 has a song midnight city which is a slower electrosound but still got that electronic feel. and then i saw younger giant, a rock 'n' roll band at terminal 5 earlier this week who just put out an album. if you're more into the rock 'n' roll scenes. >> i have no idea what you just said. but -- but there's something called dub step as well? >> dub step is kind of sounds like transformers are fighting. it's like you can dance to it. and a lot of parents like my parents hate it. they're kind of turned off to like a bass drop. so it's very odd music, but it comes from distorted like volkswagen stereos. >> the theme seems to be a very technokind of sound. >> a lot of people are just talking on their computers and making music. >> meantime so the top then

artists that are maybe you just listed some and i didn't understand what you were saying. what are the, who are the top artists? >> you can listen to -- and you heard nicki minaj. you can find them at itunes top ten on their home page and for newer dub step kind of things there are web sites like fresh on campus and camelback music. >> meantime justin bieber seems to have discovered a canadian pop star. saying carly ray -- >> her song is call me maybe and that's one of the catchiest songs around right now. i mean it's justin bieber endorses something then you know, call me maybe. >> that's exactly right. all right well listen you've given us a sense about what's happening with music. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> always a pleasure to meet you. and i'm going to decipher what he said a little bit later. >> all right, ann, thank you. if you want to stay on top of the latest celebrity gossip you can ask a teen. lucy is a 19-year-old sophomore at johns hopkins university.

lucy was also just dancing to some of that music. good morning. >> thanks. >> it doesn't take a lot of effort on the part of a parent to connect with a teen. and it can have a big impact. >> yes, definitely. >> let's talk about things every parent needs to know. a lot of friends and you are talking about ben and courtney. who are they and why do i need to know about them? >> the bachelor's been on tv for about ten years right now. ben was the bachelor, and courtney, stole his heart, there was a lot of courtney drama going on in the hearts of teens and parents alike. i know my parents watched "the bachelor" this season and courtney was just very scandalous. she brought ben skinny dipping in puerto rico when there were ten other -- >> lucy, stop it. >> she made snide comments to the girls. she rubbed the rose all over her face. >> so if a parent wants to connect with a teen, do ben and courtney talk. >> yeah. >> what about a magazine? if there's one magazine a parent should read, what would it be? >> i would say teen vogue is

probably the best. it has the latest styles, latest fashions and there's a bunch of celeb witty gossip in there, too. teens like to learn about younger teen celebrities like miley cyrus, taylor swift, that's definitely the magazine to look at for that. >> what should i be looking at on the internet? >> tmz, there's perezhilton for classic celebrity gossip. >> and an app that you think really would help a parent of a teenager? >> i would say e news has the best app. but tmz also has an app. i found my person favorite apps are the ones under the radar. one called pop eater which not many people know about. it's great, it's free, i can share foet voes and videos, it's very interactive. >> lucy, good information. thank you. >> thank you, matt for having me. nice to meet you. >> let's go to natalie. >> all right, thank you, matt. speaking of apps, what apps should you be downloading if you want to impress your kids?

ricky randall has a few ideas. he's a senior at loyola marymount university. >> good morning. >> this case is an app that has really caught on fire, one of the top downloaded recently called boxer. >> it's a great app that you can download with the iphone or android. go to it, scroll down, find a friend and it's like a modern-day walkie talkie. it's more fun than a phone call and less competition than a text. >> instant messaging but you hear the person's voice? >> yes, you actually see the voice message. the first one i go to, dozenle, check me out on the "today" show. get that message and can play it back. >> check me out on the "today" show. >> and he'll send me a message back and respond to it. a great app. kind of more fun than a phone call and less complicated than a text. great to have. >> also another, now speaking of games, in the gaming world, this one is free, also one of the top downloads as well and it's

temple run. i know because my 3-year-old is hooked to our crew members are hooked and i'm going to play right here, see if i can -- tell me about this game, what's so fun about it, why are people so hooked? >> people love this game because you have the main character called die danger and he's running away -- >> clearly i'm no good at it. >> it's one of those games that gets so addicted. i have a friend that got 6 million, that wasn't enough. so once you start you got to keep going. >> ricky randall, great. i need to work on this. thanks so much. coming up next, jenna bush hager lives out her broadway dream. first this is "today" on nbc.

hi. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. two flavors. in harmony. honey bunches of oats. make your day bunches better. it's oysternomics 101. you start with a u.s. senator named ben. by helping restore thousands of acres of oyster beds, he kept hundreds of oystermen on the job... which keeps wholesalers in business... and that means more delivery companies... making deliveries to more restaurants... which hire more workers. and that means more oystermen. it's like he's out here with us. he's my friend, ben.

i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message. we're back now 8:44 with a treat for fans of broadway. contributing correspondent jenna bush hager recently got a tour of the original wardrobe for some of the great white way's most famous musicals. jenna, good morning. >> good morning, matt. this is very fun. marilyn witt began her costume business with five santa suits

that she made nearly 40 years ago. now she has the biggest collection of original broadway costumes worth millions. and where they retired might just surprise you. the great american musical. the lights of the great white way. the music of rodgers and hammerstein. and the elaborate wardrobes. in florida? >> we bought this incredible wardrobe in new york city. >> these costumes are kind of like many people who come to florida, in their older years. they retire here, is that right? >> they retire here. >> reporter: a collection of over half a million original broadway costumes reside in pompano beach, florida, thanks to marilyn wick, the owner of costume world. when i walked in i kind of gasped because it seems like some of these costumes really come alive. >> and they do. the music, the lines are woven right into the clothes. >> your ticket to broadway is

about to begin. ♪ >> hi! >> reporter: marilyn's daughter kimberly gives daily tours on their great white way, costume world's broadway collection. >> this unique wardrobe is truly a special part of the magic that is broadway. >> reporter: since we both dreamed of making our broadway debut, i brought my friend, aka body double, sara haines, along. >> fiddler on the roof, the most successful production ever produced. ♪ matchmaker matchmaker make me a match ♪ >> i actually performed that song in third grade. >> in third grade? wow. ♪ 76 trombones >> the music man! reversible band jacket. >> how fun is that? >> just my size! >> hold onto the sleeves. got to be fast. >> oh.

>> that's only going to cost you about $1,000. >> that's okay. oh, my gosh i just got fired. >> how fun is that? >> well, does everybody know these kids? the sound of music. >> yes! >> can we join in? >> yes, let's. ♪ when we remember our favorite things and then i don't feel ♪ >> these are the fabulous designs for the producer girls. ♪ >> sara and i were having so much fun belting out show tunes, you might say we got a little carried away. >> people tell me all the time that i look like jenna's body double. >> today i will be directing sara haines, oui, oui. >> she wanted to be the boss today. i.e. the director and she brought me to be the actress. meow meow meow. ♪ memory all alone in the moonlight ♪

>> remember your line! >> cut! ♪ i'm in a castle >> it's there is a castle on the cloud. >> i need to show you how it's done. ♪ there is a castle on a cloud ♪ i like to go there in my sleep ♪ thank you. >> jenna -- >> i'm not used to being the man. ♪ shall we dance on a bright cloud of music ♪ ♪ shall we dance shall we dance ♪ >> with the curtain closed on our broadway debut, we're reminded that for these women, the memories of the broadway shows they know and love teach us the true meaning of the magic of broadway. ♪

>> all right. we thought you guys should join the fun, so cost assume world -- >> two things, first you can't put the humiliation aside. that's going to stay there. >> i know. but -- >> these are your hats. >> right. >> this is the hat from kiss me kate. >> yes. >> we have the hat carol channing wore in hello dolly. apparently it won a tony for design. >> it works here. >> matches perfectly. >> perfect. >> natalie? >> i don't have any straps to hold my hat. i have to balance. i think it's from guys and dolls. i'm not really sure. >> wear it for thanksgiving. >> it's a center piece. >> thanksgiving dinner. >> savannah -- >> from the king and i. >> medusaesque.

>> i was going to -- >> i didn't think -- >> you put that on -- >> no you put that -- >> to be aired later. >> all right. >> up next -- simple ways to prepare meat.

this morning on "how to cook everything today," more basics

from mark bittman. on tuesday mark bittman taught us some simple ways to cook vegetables. this morning he's focusing on meat, from his new book called "how to cook everything the basics." >> good morning, ann. >> this morning you're going to teach us to make a stir fry as well as a roast meat. so let's talk about what kind of meat you're looking at. >> well for stir fries you can really stir fry anything. it doesn't have to be beef here but it could be pork, tofu, tlimp, chicken, anything can be stir fried. and really any cut works. we have here what is a london broil or shoulder cut. a strip and a flank steak. and any of them will work, but the best thing to do is to freeze it a little bit first so that you can slice it really thinly. >> isn't that interesting? >> if it's frozen, it's firmer, obviously and you can slice it nice and thin. you need a sharp knife, clearly. and so you do that.

and -- >> that is a good tip. >> it defrosts as you're cooking it. >> often times when we're cooking stir fry we need very hot oil. >> really hot and you want the oil smoking. peanut oil is really great for stir fries. but you can use any oil you like. so you get the meat in there. preferably quickly and preferably -- >> without burning yourself. >> don't worry. >> okay. >> theoretically i know what i'm doing. >> you're doing very well. okay. and then once we get the meat in, do you need to put in some spice -- oh, talk about a fast cook. look at that. >> i mean, as soon as it's in it starts to brown. and then, we add our garlic. >> lots of garlic. >> and our chilies. >> mm-hmm. >> you can put the basil in. >> okay. all this? >> yep. >> all of it? >> all of it. >> unbelievable. >> lime juice and joy sauce and we're practically done. a minute later, and really, literally a minute later, it

will look like that. >> wonderful. >> and we've garnished it with a little bit more basil. and some chopped nuts. >> i'm going to come over this way. i think i'm having a facial. >> it seems up. >> and if you want -- >> at the last minute some vegetables. >> on top of rice. good asian flavor. >> you know what i did this once before. turned it up instead of down. >> okay. >> okay. >> let's talk about roast pork and you can also talk about roast beef or roast other types -- >> well any big piece of beef can be roasted obviously. meat, beef, chicken, pork, and you want a piece with some fat on it. shoulder or loin. and what we're going to do here is rub this with some herbs. we got sage, thyme and rosemary. >> these are fresh. can you do this with dried herbs but fresh is better. >> fresh is definitely better. some garlic. salt, and a little bit of sugar, which really helps in browning. >> hmm. >> and here i'll show you how nicely this browns. you want a hot oven.

i have to go over here for a second. >> oh, yes, because otherwise, the entire studio is going to have a facial. >> sorry. >> thank you. no, that's probably my fault. i should have turned it off. >> so here -- >> you can see how nicely brown that is. and to keep it from overbrowning, we put a little bit of wine in here. and now every few minutes, i would baste that with some of the wine. >> all right. this is fantastic. you're going to be back tomorrow with more tips. >> we're going to finish this. >> right now we're going to go downstairs to matt and natalie and savannah. >> all right, ann. mark, thanks very much. and with a little bit of smile you can find a lot of covers of adele on youtube. one particular star, a 2-year-old girl is getting a lot of attention. take a listen. take a listen. ♪

>> her name is makena from alberta, canada. >> she's two years old. they've already had more than 3.5 million hits on youtube. matt you were saying you thought she was a little pitchy? >> no, i did not. pitchy, that's good. no, anyway. lots of fun on youtube. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. city mayor stephanie rawlings- blake's budget proposal could mean a little good and bad for city employees. the plan does not raise taxes but would permanently close three fire companies and merge

311 and 911 call centers.

>> today is going to be very much like yesterday. we will start out with low clouds and fog. by the time we get into the afternoon, clouds will break up. warmer on thursday and friday. >> we will have