good morning. accidental drowning. that's the official cause of whitney houston's death. and the coroner says cocaine and other drugs used shortly before the tragedy, played a role. this morning, houston's family reacts. enough is enough. thousands of people fill a florida park at the largest rally yet over theeath of trayvon martin. this, as the police chief who was overseeing the case temporarily stepped down. but where is the shooter, george zimmerman? and kim kardashian walking the red carpet one moment. then this -- her assailant detained at the scene and the reality star is laughing the whole thing off, "today," reality star is laughing the whole thing off, "today," friday, march 23rd, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning today on this friday morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm willie geist in this morning for matt. good to be with you, ann. happy spring day for you. after nearly six weeks of speculation we now know how whitney houston died in a hotel bathtub in beverly hills on the eve of the grammy awards. >> that's right. the los angeles coroner's office has ruled it a drowning. citing cocaine use as contributing factors, and the coroner said the death should serve as a warning. we'll talk about that and the findings with dr. nancy synderman. >> also new details in the search for california teen sierra lamar who disappeared one week ago. a team from the fbi searched her family's home last night. so what were they looking for? and did they find anything that

can help them locate the 15-year-old. sierra lamar's parents speak out in a live interview. plus, at the start of republican presidential race, of course, we all know michelle bachman was an early front-runner. her campaign eventually lost steam. she's yet to endorse a candidate but that's not stopping her from calling on her party to unify quickly. she is in the house. we'll ask her about that coming up. >> and let the games begin. "the hunger games" officially hit theaters overnight. excited fans coast to coast waiting in line and packing theaters. so, was it worth the wait? we will have some early reviews. >> we're going to find out. i'm interested in that because i have a teenager in the house who i think wants to see that movie tonight. let's now begin with this serious news. the official cause of whitney houston's death. nbc's craig melvin is in beverly hills with this update. craig, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. the beverly hills hilton, where whitney houston drowned in her bathtub on february 11th, thursday the coroner's office told houston's family what killed her.

the coroner also released this one-page preliminary report. the report confirms what many suspected and feared. drugs helped kill the superstar. toxicology reports show whitney houston used cocaine before she collapsed and drowned in her hotel bathtub. >> it appears that the cocaine had been used in the time period just probably immediately prior to her collapse in the bathtub at the hotel. we know that when she slipped under the water she was stale live. >> reporter: although the official cause of houston's death is accidental drowning, a spokesman for l.a. county's korcoroner says cocaine combine with a heart condition played a key role. >> chances are had she not had the pre-existing heart disease and cocaine use, she may not have drowned. >> reporter: other drugs were found in houston's body including marijuana, xanax, benadryl, and a muscle relaxer. but these are not believed to have played a role in her death. the coroner's office did not say how much cocaine was found in

the 48-year-old's body, but said there was evidence of quote, chronic usage. >> you don't have to take a certain amount or a minimum amount of cocaine to actually die from an arrhythmia, cardiac irregularity. >> reporter: the doctor is the chief of autopsy at ucla medical center. >> i think what's unusual and what complicated this case was that whitney houston happened to die in a bathtub. but she might have died, you know, even if she weren't in a bathtub. >> reporter: houston's soaring mezzo-soprano propelled her from church choir to international superstar. but her admitted drug use had long been cause for concern. her family released a short statement saying we are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure. in 2010, during her comeback tour houston struggled to hit those notes that she used to nail with ease. ♪

houston's daughter bobbi kristina talked about her mother's legacy in a recent interview with oprah winfrey. >> everything that people are saying about her, you know, all that, all that negativity, it -- that's not my mother. that's not who she is. >> reporter: now investigators here in beverly hills did not find any traces of illegal drugs in houston's hotel room. there was a report swirling yesterday that someone had removed the cocaine from the hotel room, and that that same person was the one supplying the cocaine to whitney houston. i asked the spokesperson with the beverly hills police department about that report. he told me that he could not confirm or deny the report. but said that the investigation remains open. willie? >> all right, craig melvin, thank you. dr. nancy synderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning. >> good morning. >> okay so the coroner tells us the official explanation, accidental drowning. >> right. >> when you combine that with

all the drugs we know were in her system, what does it mean? >> it means they found water in her lungs, so she slipped under the water and her respiratory rate was so depressed that she wasn't able to overcome it. i think if you peel away the layers of the artichoke you have underlying heart disease, probably from years of cigarette smoking and maybe family history and on top of that cocaine. so that puts the heart in distress. then there's this sort of laundry list of stuff, everything from over-the-counters like benadryl, prescription xanax, maybe sleeping pills, alcohol, marijuana, those are all depressants. and those really sort of allow you to get sort of sleepy. and so everything started fighting with each other, but they allow you to not be able to rescue yourself when you fall under the water. >> you mention that cocktail of drugs. the medical examiner said they didn't directly contribute to her dress, xanax, marijuana, as you said benadryl. >> i love how they start hedging their words, they're saying it didn't cause her death. but if you or i slipped under the water of our bathtub we

would have this natural need because our body would tell us to get above the water. she had enough medication that there was this drug interaction. and i think it's a real cry to remind ourselves. you can have an overdose of medication and die of something else and it doesn't have to be one drug in a whopping amount. it can be a lot of little things, and when you compound that, it can be enough to cause death. look, we saw it with heath ledger. he suffocated but it was on drug-drug interaction and his head being in a pillow that allowed minimum to dry. this was drug-drug interaction and a bathtub. >> she's been battling cocaine for so long. >> right. >> she's been very honest about that. it's been a public fight. what reminder does this serve to us? how difficult it is, "a," to get clean, but "b," to stay clean. >> it's hard to get clean. it's really hard to get clean. but obviously she was able to get access to the medication. a drug addict will try to find it. surrounded by doctors to prescribe. family and friends who enabled on some level.

it is a phenomenal reminder that if you have an addict in the family, there has to be a zero tolerance. and any medication, even a prescription sleeping pill, combined with alcohol, can mean that you're at risk for an early death. >> yet in her final moments she was surrounded by all those drugs. dr. nancy synderman, thank you so much. >> you bet. >> now here's ann. >> willie, thank you. a new prosecutor is now overseeing the investigation into the shooting death of trayvon martin. that news coming after the embattled police chief who was handling the case temporarily stepped down. and thousands gathered for a massive rally. we've got nbc's ron allen now with the latest on this story. ron, good morning. >> good morning to you, ann. the anger and outrage about the death of trayvon martin reached a huge, emotional crescendo here last night. thousands protested and demanded justice here at a park on the edge of town. and organizers said all this is just the beginning until george zimmerman is arrested, charged, and brought to justice.

>> i am trayvon martin. >> reporter: the crowd stretched as far as the eye could see. in a park on the edge of this city that's become the epicenter for what they call a new movement. for justice for trayvon martin and his family. >> we will not rest until they can sleep at night knowing that the murderer of heir son is in jail. >> reporter: it was a who's who of african-american leaders from across the country. elected officials, activists, relatives of civil rights icons like martin luther king. >> trayvon martin -- >> reporter: all with a single, unifying demand, the arrest of george zimmerman. the crime watch volunteer who police say shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old teenager in self-defense. >> zimmerman should have been arrested that night. you cannot defend yourself against a pack of skittles and

iced tea. we love our children like you love yours. lock him up. >> reporter: many said it was inconsequence kwul that police chief bill lee, under enormous pressure, stepped down temporarily earlier in the day. >> i do this in the hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to the city, which has been in turmoil for several weeks. >> reporter: he's been on the job less than a year, brought in after a scandal involving the beating of a homeless black man by a police officer's son, caught on videotape. lee said he stands by the department's conclusion that zimmerman acted in self-defense under florida law. based in part on zimmerman's claims that martin approached him as he was headed back to his truck. zimmerman remains in hiding. he's been told by neighbors in his community, and administrators at the community college where he's a student, to stay away because of the controversy. all of it continues to overwhelm martin's parents, who could

barely speak when they finally addressed thousands of supporters, there for them. >> i stand before you today not knowing how i'm walking right now. because my heart hurts for my son. >> i pledge i will not let my son die in vain. >> reporter: and there are new developments in the investigation. florida's governor has appointed a special task force and he's also appointed a new state prosecutor that convene aid grand jury and lawmakers here said they will demand hearings at the florida state house and at the u.s. congress next week into the death of trayvon martin. ann? >> all right, ron allen, thank you so much. we'll turn now to politics and the gop presidential race. minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann has kept a low profile since she dropped out of the iowa caucuses. now she's calling for party unity. congresswoman bachmann, good morning and welcome. >> good morning. nice to be here with you. >> you have said, in fact, earlier this week, you put it this way that the party needs to unify quickly around the candidate.

okay, you can help by saying, which candidate, how quickly? >> well, it's not up to me to say which one. that's up to the people. and the people are making their choice. and we don't yet know who that candidate will be. but i think that it's very important that we do unify and we come around one candidate quickly, because the point is, we need to face -- we need to win in november. because there's so much at stake. and we need to unify. >> do you think that if this goes to a contested convention, that the republicans -- party can defeat barack obama in november? >> i think that the math is going to dictate which way we go and i think that we will have a decision sooner rather than later. i don't think we'll have a brokered convention. that's something that people talk about. but i think that people want to make the decision. as i go all over the country, people are telling me they want us to make the choice. they want us to choose and have our nominee. >> you know, you've looked at the math, and according to political experts who looked at the math, they say it's

virtually impossible for anyone but mitt romney to win enough delegates to get the nomination at this point. so by saying we need to unify quickly, we need to get this show on the road, are you not inferring that maybe we need to rally around mitt romney? >> no. what i'm saying is that there are more elections coming up yet in the primaries. and it could be that the voters will go to another candidate. if they do, we need to get behind that. but that's what i want my voice to be. i want to unify the party because i want to bring together the tea party, the evangelical, the mainstream and reach out to independents and disaffected democrats. that's what we have to do to be victorious. >> are you on the phone with any of these candidates, discussing, encouraging, discouraging, trying to get this party to coalesce? >> well, i like the candidates. i've known them. we were in 15 debates to the and i do talk to them. and i have not gone in any of the camps. i really think the people need to have their say.

and so what i want people to know is i'm the only presidential candidate who hasn't endorsed yet. but i will get behind whoever the people choose. >> meantime, you know a lot of people had a lot to say about this etch asketch controversy when a person who works for mitt romney came out and talked about how there is a possibility of setting a reset button once the general election begins. this seems to be in line with some of the things that you've said during the time that you were running when you questioned whether romney was a consistent conservative. what's your reaction to this etch-a-sketch controversy? is this an indication that's he's not changed in his way in your view? >> well, what i see is that yesterday i just got a ticket to be a part of the supreme court, to be in the audience, to hear the supreme court decision. today is the two-year anniversary that obama care was signed into law. it is the signature piece of legislation in president obama's term. our nominee, whoever that will be, this will be the piece of legislation that they'll have to go on offense, and they'll have

to -- and president obama will have to answer this legislation. this is going to be the story. and i think that's what our nominee will be focusing on. >> so you don't want to comment on the etch-a-sketch controversy. >> well, i think, again, this will be the core. whichever of our candidates comes forward, this will be the issue that they take forward. next week that's all we'll be talking about is the obama care legislation. because, unfortunately, now health care costs have spiked through the roof. we were told that our health care costs would go down. instead, just the opposite is happening. and so the american people want us to come up with a positive solution so people can have access to health care, but they don't want to go broke in the meantime. that would be the story. >> clearly you want to make sure a republican wins in november. >> sure. of course. >> are we talking about months, two months before you give an endorsement? how many months do you think the party has until a decision has to be made? >> well, i think there's going to be a natural progression. i just -- all i'm saying, ann, is that i feel that there's kind of a fatigue among our party.

there's a fatigue with the inner party fighting, and people tell me they want to come to a resolution. obviously some are in one candidate's camp, and some are in other candidate's camp and i'm not coming out now and saying which camp i think that we should go in. but we've got to unify. it's got to come together. because there's so much at stake. especially with obama care. >> all right. we'll find out your endorsement i think at another time. michele bachmann, a real measure. >> thank you, ann. >> and you can get much more on the presidential race this sunday on "meet the press" when david gregory's guests will include president obama's senior adviser david plouffe. now let's get a check of the other top stories of the morning and for that we go to natalie morales who's at the news desk. >> good morning, ann. good morning, everyone. army staff sergeant robert bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder today for allegedly gunning down afghan civilians in their homes. nbc's pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has the latest. mik, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. u.s. military officials say that

stop sergeant robert bales has indeed been charged with 17 counts of murder. and also, six counts of attempted murder in connection with that massacre in the afghan village there in afghanistan earlier this month. now, in addition to that, we're told that bales will be presented the charges where he's being held, in the prison there at fort leavenworth, kansas. at the same time there are new reports that while on leave in 2008, bales allegedly assaulted a man after molesting the man's girlfriend, and that same year faced charges of a hit and run driving case in florida, and in 2002, allegedly assaulted a casino security guard. and in all three cases, witnesses reported that at the time, bales appeared to be extremely drunk. now according to u.s. military officials, on the night of that massacre there in afghanistan, bales had been drinking with other soldiers. natalie? >> all right, jim miklaszewski

at the pentagon. thank you. the gunman suspected of killing seven people in southwestern france had been on the u.s. no-fly list since 2010. u.s. counterterrorism officials reportedly had 23-year-old mohammed merah's name on the no-fly list because in 2010 he had been in u.s. custody in afghanistan, then sent back to france. french officials say he had also uploaded a video to the internet, allegedly showing him executing an 8-year-old girl at a jewish school on monday. merah was killed yesterday after a 32-hour standoff with french special forces. bank of america is testing a new program that gives homeowners facing foreclosure a new option. the mortgage-to-lease program would allow customers to stay in their homes by becoming renters, transferring their home's title to the bank. the program will only be available to about 1,000 customers while in its early testing phase. a florida man will plead guilty to hacking into the e-mail accounts of scarlett johansson, milla cup its,

christina aguilera and other celebrities. he could face up to 60 years in prison. he gained access to private information and naked photos, some of which were leaked to the internet. and some fourth graders at bozeman montana and elementary school in bozeman, manta have snapped dozens of pictures of the moon. including this stunning shot of the far side of a lunar surface with earth way off there in the distance, as you see. that is remarkable. kim kardashian got a nasty surprise on the red carpet as we showed you. last night when a woman threw white powder on the starlet. paramedics were called to the hotel but kardashian refused treatment. instead she took the incident in stride, dusting herself off, getting cleaned up and returning to the event. the woman who allegedly threw the 0 so-called flour bomb was detained but eventually released. kardashian said she did not want to press charges. joking about the incident, she said i told my makeup artist i

needed more powder. it's 7:19 now. back over to ann, willie and al. still very scary. >> because you don't know what it is at first. you don't know if someone let her know it was flour. >> easy to laugh after the fact. but in the moment that's kind of scary. >> exactly. anyway -- >> good work on the weather this week. >> well, thank you very much, sir. i appreciate it. thank you very much. unfortunately our friends in the gulf coast on into the mississippi river valley are getting dumped on again. we've got the risk of strong storms from mobile all the way up into peoria, illinois. chance of some tornadoes east central gulf. it's going to be a mess. look at this. we've got a big low pressure system, upper levels of the atmosphere, it's not going anywhere. it's bringing rain from minneapolis all the way down to new orleans. some of the rain not quite as heavy as it's been. but still, down in parts of the panhandle of florida, we're talking one to two inches of rain. generally though about a half an inch to an inch between there and senatety. >> not as much fog as yesterday.

we have an advisory until 10:00 a.m. for these shaded areas >> and that's your latest weather. willie? >> all right, al, thank you very much. coming up here, disturbing new clues emerge as authorities search for missing 15-year-old sierra lamar. we will talk to her family in a live interview. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, more on the celebrity cookbook controversy. >> and "the hunger games" craze hits theaters. c! three, four... [ guy 1 ] oh man.

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>> wouldn't you like to be down at the ocean right now? live feet from ocean city. stan stovall, the time is 7:26. a school fight goes viral after a man comes on campus and attacks a a student at this high school. looks like he has knocked out as

the male student, a football player, punches him. the school does not plan to take action against the student because the student was merely defending himself. >> fog warnings that area bridges. we have reports of an accident near the north side of our ford. -- of harford. this fuel spill is near dulaney valley. another one is being cleared near mcdonough road. delays in place on the west side. this is what it looks like at dulaney valley. prior to that, outer loop but the top side, here is what it looks like a car ford. barely moving from belair road towards dulaney valley.

john, over to you. >> foggy sunshine is the best way to put it. this will hold off until tonight and into the weekend. 54 degrees at b.w.i. marshall. humidity is up as we have the pettifog around de area. areas of morning fog, at 80 to 83 for the high.

well take a look at that. the long lines that have been forming at movie theaters all across the country. these lines from last night as fans for this movie called "the hunger games." camped out to be the first to see the most-anticipated movie of the year. apparently some of them dressed up for the movie. my teenager want please to go tonight so i know all about this craze. so we'll get to that coming up. meantime, inside studio 1a at 7:30 on this friday morning it is march 23rd, 2012. and as you can notice, i'm sitting alongside willie geist who is in for matt this morning. he's taking a day off. and maybe he wanted to go see "the hunger games." >> he wouldn't be alone. was he in one of those lines?

you're right, though, my wife has read the books. she's excited about these mov movies. it's no exaggeration to call this a phenomenon. but does it live up to the book the fans first fell in love with. >> did your wife love the book? >> loved the book and can't wait to see the movies. >> also we're going to be talking about prince william. he's now back with the duchess of cambridge after being away on a tour of duty for six weeks. we're going to be live at buckingham palace, of course, with how they're spending their newfound time together. i don't know how we'll get all the details about that but darn it we're going to have them. >> we're also going to let two famous chefs, including bobby flay, weigh in on claims that some well-known cooks used ghost writers on their cookbooks. >> a controversy. we want to begin this half hour with a disturbing new finding -- found in the search for a missing california teenager named sierra lamar. we're going to talk to sierra lamar's family in just a moment. first nbc's kristen dahlgren has the latest. kristen, good morning. what can you tell us? >> good morning, ann.

well, it was exactly now one week ago, 7:15 pacific time last friday, when sierra lamar left from here for school. she hasn't been seen since. and now that troubling discovery. investigators say about two miles from here they found the teen's bag with her clothes inside. >> the fact that her family and friends love her, and they miss her -- >> reporter: her mother has prayed for any sign of 15-year-old sierra lamar. but when word came searchers found sierra's bag -- >> my gut sank. it was terrifying. it really was. and i don't know what to think. >> reporter: -- the teen's t-shirt, pants and undergarments were neatly folded in the bag. investigators say it may be the same shirt sierra was wearing in this photo she posted online the morning she disappeared. >> it was things that she would have kept with her. and it was her schoolbooks. we believe she was on her way to school. it definitely el gates our concern. >> reporter: on thursday night a

huge team from the fbi combed sierra's house. while dogs and volunteers spent the day scouring the region. but this is san area that presents a lot of challenges for searchers. all of these wide open fields, and dozens of abandoned buildings. they have already found sierra's cell phone, apparently tossed on the side of the road less than a mile from her mom's house. the bag was found about another mile away. both in the opposite direction she would have taken to the school bus. investigators are interviewing registered sex offenders in the area, and while sierra's father is also a registered sex offender, authorities have emphasized he is not a person of interest. >> she had a very good relationship with her mom, the mom's boyfriend and her biological father. we have no information that would lead us to believe otherwise that there was any problems at home. >> reporter: at a vigil this week, sierra's family was joined by mitzi sanchez. back in 2000 when sanchez was just 8 she escaped and returned

to her family after being kidnapped. >> a lot of kids do get to come back home. and it could be her. and, you know, it's not too often. but who's to say that she can't do it. >> reporter: a small flicker of hope for a family that's now gone one week with no sign of sierra. >> i just want to be able to hug her again and tell her i love her. i just want her back. >> now last night investigators say they went through every single house on sierra's block here. they've also expanded their search to area waterways and reservoirs, and, ann, another vigil for sierra is planned tonight. >> all right, kristen dahlgren. thank you so much. sierra lamar's parents marlene and steve, and her sister danielle, are now joining us, along with lori smith, the santa claire are county sheriff. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> i know that as hard as it is

to be on our television this morning, you are here because you want to do everything possible to help find sierra. so, marlene, you know, knowing your daughter, knowing what these new details that the police are now releasing, what does your gut tell you about what happened to sierra? >> well, as every -- each day goes on i just have this gut feeling that she's not willfully choosing to be away. she loved her family. and she loved her friends. and i just know that she wouldn't -- wouldn't intentionally be away as the day goes on, my heart aches for her. i know she's out there. you know, i keep praying and i have faith that she's going to find her way back to us. and we're all going to embrace her.

we loved her so much. we're praying for you, honey, we just want you back. we want you coming back. i can't wait to see you again. >> i know a lot of people listening are hoping you get that wish come true, marlene. i -- can either of you or steve explain why she was carrying a bag of clothing to school? have you ruled out in your minds that she might have been thinking about running away? >> no. but i haven't thought of that. but i know that frequently she would borrow clothes from her friends, and they would -- she would bring things to her friends to, you know, wear, and she would borrow -- and borrow things that she really liked that they were wearing. you know, she's done that in the past quite a few times. >> steve, you also -- go ahead, steve. >> i was just going to say, there's no reason why we would

think she would have a bag -- pack a bag of clothes like that. it's just -- >> you released a statement, steve, on wednesday to address the fact that you are a registered sex offender, and you were trying to remind people, you said, that police say that, you know, that you are not a person of interest in this case. yet, you leave concerns about whether or not your history could shape public opinion about sierra. could distract people from the case. what do you want to say about that this morning? >> yeah. the only thing i'm going to say, as i stated, you know, i wanted the focus to be on sierra. we've got to find sierra. i'm not a suspect or a person of interest so i just want that, you know, removed. we've been cooperating, you know, with authorities, and i -- they've stated that also, and i just want that out of the way so

that we can focus on sierra, finding sierra. >> sheriff, last night you brought in the fbi brought in actually search dogs and equipment into the house where sierra lived. why did that happen? do you know what they were looking for? >> what we know is that sierra probably -- >> go ahead. >> probably didn't leave -- what we know is sierra probably didn't leave the court. no one sees her that morning. she did actually consensual searches on all the houses in the cul-de-sac. we wanted to rule out that any of the people here had anything to do with her disappearance. >> i see. and how -- so what will the focus then be on today, and in the coming days, as the clock as you know well is ticking? >> we're going to be continuing our investigation. we're doing hundreds of interviews. we're continuing to talk to kids. today, since it is the one-week

anniversary, we're going to be doing roadblocks this morning, actually talking with all the cars that go past, see if that's their normal place to be on friday. but we have a tremendous number of people assigned to it doing many different things today. >> marlene, since you said at the beginning of this interview that you are increasingly concerned that sierra's being held against her will, what -- do you have a message this morning to anyone who may be preventing her from coming home? >> please, please find it in your heart to release her. we love her so much. and we ache for her and we're anxious to see her again. please find it in your heart to let her go. if you could see, the public is concerned about her, and we all are, as each day -- as each day comes, it just gets more difficult. sierra, if you're out there, please, be strong.

i know you could survive this. i know you can. you're a strong individual and you're going to -- you're going to make it back to us. >> i know a lot of people are praying for your family. marlene, steve and danielle, i know you're there to support your parents. thank you so much, all of you. and also sheriff smith, thank you. we wish you every luck in finding sierra. and if you have any information on sierra's disappearance you should call the santa clara county sheriff's office. the number is 408-299-2311. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> ann, thank you so much. and as we look at these afternoon temperatures for today, again, fairly warm. i mean it's going to be chilly up in northern new england. otherwise, 70s all the way up into the plains where we'll see some more records today. 80 down through the gulf coast. 80s and 90s through southern texas. risk of strong storms from the gulf coast up into the mid and upper mississippi river valleys.

>> good morning. we have a dense fog advisory council 10:00 a.m. this morning. the fog is not as widespread as >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you. coming up we're going to switch gears and talk about the wait being finally over for this movie called "the hunger games." it is hitting theaters, or hit it overnight, and so the question is, is it living up to the hype? we're going to find out. i'm here at walmart with tiffany who drives around town looking for low prices. that burns a lot of gas. yep. want to see if this walmart low price guarantee can help you out with that? ok! every week they lower thousands of prices and check over 30,000 competitor prices. check out that low price.

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back now at 7:44 with the highly anticipated movie that could very well set a box office record this weekend. "the hunger games" opened at midnight to big crowds. nbc's gabe gutierrez is at a theater here in new york city. gabe, good morning. >> good morning, willie. to have any idea of how big this movie is, at one point customers were buying ten tickets a second. overnight their hunger was finally satisfied. >> it was awesome. i'm so excited i'm going to see it again tomorrow. >> the movie was great. it was awesome. i really enjoyed it. >> reporter: fans across the country have lined up for hours to see the midnight premiere of "the hunger games." >> happy "the hunger games." >> reporter: the most anticipated movie of 2012. fandango reports it's the third highest selling film in the company's history. accounting for 96% of daily ticket sales.

more than the first twilight movie. "the hunger games" is a science fiction drama based on the first of the three-book series published in,000 eight, it tells the story of a post apocalyptic world, and 24 teenagers compete in a televised battle to the death. >> listen to me. you're stronger than they are. >> reporter: it's a tale of romance and revolution. attracting not just teenagers, but many of their parents. >> it's our mothers and our dads into saying you have to read this. i don't know that we thought it would be the phenomenon that it's become. but we knew we had something great on our hands. >> reporter: but some critics worry the film is too violent for its intended audience. after all, the plot involves teens trying to kill each other. >> the biggest challenge of turning this book into a movie was dealing with the violence. i mean you're talking about a lot of kids being killed. there's nothing gratuitous or gory about the violence. and i think that's how they got

around the "r" rating and got a "pg-13." >> "the hunger games"! >> reporter: fans say the story is much more complicated. and intriguing. >> i volunteer. >> reporter: jen irlawrence plays the movie's young heroine. co-star new found heart throb josh hutcherson are drawing huge crowds. >> we waited for 15 hours. >> reporter: with sales for "the hunger games" expected to top $100 million during its first box office weekend, the sequel is already in the works for next year. leaving fans hungry for more. >> so excited. november 2013. >> i'm ready. i'm ready. >> counting down the days already. >> yes. >> reporter: the movie just opened at more than 10,000 screens across the country. next showing here is at 10:00. we expect a big crowd. willie? >> a full house. gabe gutierrez in new york. thanks so much.

up next here, how william and kate are spending their first weekend together after a long time apart. [ female announcer ] it's 9 pm... and the chocolate cravings begin... again. ♪

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ocean spray cranberry juice versus vegetable juice. first the cranberry. mm! tasty. now, the vegetable juice, with more than 10 times the sodium of cranberry juice. we have a winner! are made with sweet cherries and the crisp, clean taste of our cranberries. i cannot tell a lie. 'tis tasty. okay, george washington, did you take my truck out last night? 'tis tasty. prince william is taking some time to catch up with his bride now that he's just returned from a six-week tour of duty in the falkland islands. nbc's michelle kosinski is in buckingham palace with more on this story. hey, michelle, good morning. >> hi, ann. we haven't seen any photos yet of william with kate. which is great for them now that they finally have some time

together believed to be at their cottage at kensington palace. we did, though, get an early glimpse of kate's parenting skills with her new puppy. while william was away, kate could play. in the park behind kensington palace, with a cute little cocker spaniel puppy. kate appeared to be instructing her fluffy friend. he, as puppies are, seemed to be thoroughly preoccupied with a lovely piece of garbage. an empty bag of chips. no indication that kate had eaten them. but what a whirlwind six weeks she's had. while her husband was on helicopter duty 8,000 miles away. for kate it was appearance after appearance. letting the public see her personality and humor shine on her own. getting rave reviews. with natural poise. her very personal approach to charity. and, of course, her style.

sect the bar for elegance, whether she was accepting valentine's, getting to know her grandmother in law the queen a little better traveling at her side, or on a solo mission, wearing a dress she bought secondhand. she celebrated a very chic st. patrick's day, played some olympic field hockey, helped prince charles learn some chores and here in a dress borrowed from her mother made her first shy, public speech. >>ers of all i'd like to say thank you. >> but couldn't help adding this. >> i'm really sorry that william can't be here today. he would love it here. >> reporter: when a tiny girl gave her a special flag she made decorated with photos of kate, she told her -- >> i'm going to save it. >> reporter: i'll give it to william. and when her prince arrived back in england wednesday morning, catherine reportedly drove herself at 4:00 a.m. to meet him. no doubt they both have lots of stories to catch up on from their long time apart. and they haven't been seen since.

this is the queen's here. her diamond jubilee. though william and catherine have done this enormous job of generating worldwide excitement surrounding the monarchy here and they'll play a suppose role in the queen's procession in june and once again get to ride in a fancy carriage. ann? >> all right, michelle, thank you so much. coming up, we're going to get into the controversy over cooking with bobby flay and anne borel weighing in. you know, those farmers, those foragers, those fishermen... for me, it's really about building this extraordinary community. american express is passionate about the same thing. they're one of those partners that i would really rely on whether it's finding new customers, or, a new location for my next restaurant. when we all come together, my restaurants, my partners, and the community amazing things happen. to me, that's the membership effect. the dryer goes, then the washer breaks. so tomorrow we're gonna check out some deals at the warehouse stores. (phone ring)

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>> live look from our skycam. john says it will end up being a beautiful day. good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> still dealing with fog in many areas, and also an accident. 12 miles per hour on average beginning past 95 towards dulaney valley. north avenue and druid hill avenue, there is an accident. another one pedestrian-involve at park heights. 19 miles per hour on the west

side outer loop. this is what it looks like at providence approaching the accident and fuel spill scene. meantime, a look at belair road. coming towards us is the outer loop delay. it stretches just past 95. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. john, over to you. >> fog is not nearly as intense as it was yesterday. it will be burning off soon. rain in kentucky and tennessee and points west will move in tonight and tomorrow. 55 degrees at b.w.i. marshall. sunshine putting through the fog. 96% humidity. clouds coming in to its evening. high temperature of 78 to 83 degrees. dense fog advisory in the gray-

shaded areas. seven-day forecast, cooling us

8:00 now on this friday morning. the 23rd of march, 2012. we're very excited about that. the temperature is going to be hot. >> it's so. >> we're going to find out in just a moment. meantime, i'm ann curry, and this is willie geist in for matt this morning. also al roker. coming up we're going to get to this food fight. >> for a big crowd here. big day, gwyneth paltrow, rachael ray firing back at claims that they used ghost writers on their cookbook.

on rachael's show today they'll be doing that. plus are all the recipes you read really from the chefs them 168s? what exactly is the role of a ghost writer when it comes to cookbooks? we'll ask a couple people who know, bob by play and anne borel. >> now when you go shopping do you pay attention when you're buying your groceries, do you pay attention to the serving size? >> never. >> and probably you don't really have a good idea what the real serving size is. well, dave says if you're not careful you could be consuming far more calories than you want to consume. he'll be here to clear it up and he will obviously have large numbers of tacos and things like that to explain. >> that's why i'm here today. >> exactly. it's taco day. >> i love tacos. i always eat too much. meantime, also, everything from the asking price to insurance and repairs. we're going to give you that list coming up this morning. but first let's get a check of the mornings' top stories and

natalie is at the news desk. >> good morning, ann, willie and al. good morning, everyone. accidental drowning has been ruled the official cause of whitney houston's death. but her toxicology report has revealed that cocaine was involved. the coroner spokesman in beverly hills said recent and chronic cocaine use along with heart disease contributed to the singer's accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub. the report also revealed that marijuana and prescription drugs were found in her system, but did not play a role in her death. florida's governor has appointed a new prosecutor to investigate the trayvon martin shooting case. last night, thousands rallied in sanford, florida, demanding the arrest of george zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain who shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old. embattled sanford police chief bill lee stepped down temporarily on thursday but said he stands by the department's conclusion that zimmerman acted in self-defense. the unemployment rate for veterans who served in iraq and afghanistan dropped significantly last month to 7.6%, which is below the overall

national rate of 8.3%. that would reverse a long-standing trend. however, experts say it's too early to tell if it's real progress or just a statistical blip. two more supermarket chains said thursday they will stop selling beef products containing the ammonia-treated filler known as pink slime. kroger the nation's largest traditional grocer reversed itself after saying it would offer a choice and stop and shop said it would stop selling the beef because of customer concerns. now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. "the hunger games" a hot google choice. and the names of the movie's main characters all trending topics on twitter. midnight screenings have fans lining up for the highly anticipated sci-fi release. fandango sold ten tickets per second on thursday. it's based on the best-selling books about a futuristic world where young people are forced to fight to the death on live television.

and mystery solved. sort of. there may be an explanation for those booming noises that made a small wisconsin town generating conspiracy theories online. government geologists say a small magnitude 1.5 earthquake this week could have caused the loud rumbling sounds. however at least one scientist is openly skeptical. so i guess the mystery lives on. and a video spiking now on youtube shows how a military father became a real superhero when he returned home to greet his son, dressed as captain america. >> dad. >> where your daddy is. is your daddy here? >> where is daddy? >> in afghanistan. >> well it took awhile before the boy realized the masked man was not just any superhero, but their hero. >> is that your daddy >> daddy! >> oh, yeah. >> daddy! >> very cute. well thousands of u.s. troops are expected to leave afghanistan by this fall, which

should mean hopefully many, many more happy reunions. it's 8:05 right now. back outside to ann and willie. >> also, natalie, they're having a baby. and their family just found out this morning. >> congratulations. >> in the meantime, al knows all about that, having babies. >> well, i do. not for awhile. we have a huge crowd from enterprise, alabama. they had a big tornado back in 2007. enterprise also the home of the first commercially developed radar, doppler radar. has is used in tv. a big group of kids here. and there's more enterprise folks over there. let's check it out, show you -- show you -- greenville, south carolina, wyff, showers and thunderstorms, 78 degrees. big low pressure system spinning

over missouri. that's bringing rain from louisiana all the way up into minnesota. we've got another big storm coming onshore in the next 24 hours in the pacific northwest. record highs continue in the plains. cooler in new england with plenty of sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard. >> not as much fog as yesterday. we have an advisory until 10:00 a.m. for these shaded areas and that's your latest weather. willie? >> al, thank you very much. there is say growing food fight going on right now over who's really writing celebrity cookbooks. we'll talk about it with noted chefs bobby flay and anne borel.

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gossip or anything, but, you know, this is my professional life, and i am writing more cookbooks. >> reporter: on a pretaped segment of the rachael ratio airing today, actress gwyneth paltrow skyped in to the program, responding to a "new york times" article claiming she used a ghost writer on her cookbook "my father's daughter." >> i feel like it's important for people who have responded so positively and interact with me about my book that they know that this is my book and i wrote my book and it's all mine. >> reporter: ray was also named in the article and said the "times" got it wrong. she writes all of her own cookbooks. >> this is how i spend a lot of my time at home, the little bit of time i have with my family i spend in front of these little notebooks in front of the computer. >> excuse me, everyone. >> reporter: so what got them steaming mad? this "new york times" article, i was a cookbook ghost writer, claiming many of today's top chefs don't write a word of their own recipes. >> by and large a food personality will either have recipes that need to be scaled down and adapted for home use or they'll have recipe ideas that

other people will help realize and put on the page. >> reporter: "the new york times" ran a follow-up article on the topic and tells nbc news our story was accurate and fair. it did not say that someone else wrote rachael ray's, jamie oliver's or gwyneth paltrow's cookbooks. it said that they, like many other chef #authors had help. insiders say when it comes to creating a book there are often many cooks in the kitchen. a team of writers, recipe developers and taste testers. >> i think the only question is where the chef or personality ends and where the rest of the team begins. >> i think it is really important you taste your food. >> reporter: still these celebrities say while they do have help, the writing is all theirs. >> it doesn't mean you don't value the people that write the glossary or that help organize the pantry or work on a project, but a writer is still a writer. >> reporter: stirring the pot in a simmering feud. for "today," mara schiavocampo, nbc news, new york. and we're now joined by two celebrity chefs, they are bobby flay, the author of "bobby

flay's bar american cook wook". and anne borel who is the author of "cook like a rock star." bobby, i know you're champing at the bit. you want to put this thing to rest. you've written 11 cookbooks? >> yes. >> two of them with the writer of this "new york times" article that's caused all of this. >> right. julia moss kin was my collaborator and i think that's a really important word. i think ghost writer is sort of the issue in terms of the terminology. we have collaborators. they help us reduce the book. but i want to get the gossip out of the way first. i know for a fact that rachael ray writes her own recipes. i've seen her do it in between her shows, in the segments in the corner writing her recipes away. and also on the other side of it, i don't think that julia moskin who is the writer of "the new york times" story started this article in sort of the gotcha form. she wasn't looking to un, you know, to unveil the chef cookbook. i think she was trying to write a story about her prior career before she started writing about "the new york times." and lots of names got thrown in

there and some people got their feelings hurt. >> let's understand, though, what she's talking about. >> sure. >> this is a dilemma. this has raised big questions about the credibility of these cookbooks. whether these are really representing you. so, so when we talk about the word ghost writer, which is what she's talking about, what is actually really happening? >> i really think that ghost writer is the wrong term. i think most chefs have writers with their books. i mean, my writer is credited right on the title of my book. >> and so is yours. exactly it says bobby flay with stephanie bennett and salary jackson. they're collaborators >> and suzanne munger helped me write my book. i wrote my recipes, she helped me clean them up and helped me write the stories or cleaned up or put the framework around my recipes to tell the story about my recipes. >> so you're saying that they're more like an editor? >> they're collaborators. a cookbook is like is -- is say huge production. it's not like somebody is writing their memoirs, and they're a ghost writer meaning they're invisible. there's lots of things that go

into writing a cookbook. i think the most important thing that the consumer needs to know is that for the most part, and there are exceptions to every rule, that the cookbook that you want to be buying from chefs like anne and the like, you are getting those chef's recipes. they're just being produced in a cookbook. because, look, when you do a deal with a publisher there are rules about how to write cookbooks and the manuscript gets handed in and somebody known as a copy editor goes through it with a fine tooth comb. most professional chefs are watching their sauces reduced in their kitchen, they're not taking the manuscript and going over every punctuation, every proper use of grammar, and proper prose. it's not what we do. >> and it goes back and forth many times. it's a huge production to write a book. it's not to say here's my recipes, put them in a book and bind them and send them out. >> the public needs to know in terms about how the process works, in terms of writing a book, are you concerned, however, about this leaving a block eye on the cookbook industry, giving the -- the

industry a sense of -- raising questions about the credibility of these books? >> that's why i wanted to come on. i want the consumer to make sure that they understand that they are getting the chef's recipes. it's just we have collaborators who make it look really nice and pretty in terms of what it looks like on the page. they get the food, they get the recipes from the pan to the page and that's the most important thing they should understand. >> i feel like sweeping comments were made and a blanket statement and that is incorrect. most chefs, you know, i would like to believe that most chefs do write their own recipes. and it's their voice and it's their story being told. with the help of someone else. >> all right. anne borel, bobby flay. i'm not sure this is going to put an end to this. >> no. we just want to talk about spring menus. >> coming up next, the out-of-control serving sizes of some of your favorite supermarket favorites. we're going to find out what you need to know before digging in. living with the pain of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ...could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you...

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here's to turning rookies into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots and a lot more spring per dollar. more saving. more doing. that the power of the home depot. break out the gardening gloves. miracle-gro garden soil is now 3 bags for 10 bucks. we are back at 8:19. this morning on "eat this, not that" serving size. over the last 20 years the diameter of the typical bagel has doubled. the size of a cheeseburger has increased by 77%, if you can believe it. and sodas have ballooned by more than 200%. as a result americans are spending more money, eating more food, and packing on the pounds. david zinczenko is the author of "eat this, not that," supermarket survival guide. david, good morning. >> great to see you, willie. >> let's be very clear what we're talking about here. serving sizes, which can often

be very deceptive on packaging. >> right. we have been trained to basically see gee gantic servings as individual portions. like if you look in an nba locker room, after awhile seven footers would look perfectly average to you. this is what's happening to our food. food companies are trying to find a new normal and get you to believe that this is a typical serving, when it's not. and you need to know the score, because otherwise, you're going to, you know, pack on a lot of pounds without knowing it. >> all right. let's start with pop tarts. a lot of people probably this morning sent their kids out the door with a package like this. what should they know? >> apparently this has to be a tag-team effort because you open the package and there are two pop tarts in there. so -- and 40% of the calories that children get are empty calories. so, they -- you've got to be careful. if you eat both of those you think it's 200 calories because that's what the label says so it's two servings. so you're actually getting 400 calories. >> oh, i'm worried about this. >> you do at every week it's

becoming ten packages of starburst candies over the course of a week. you've got to know to eat one, share the other one with a friend, or let it go stale. >> or throw the other one out. >> this one we're looking at right here is boston market chicken pot pie. i think pot pie, i'm eating the whole thing. >> well, and look, we never negotiate a pie, the word pie, with a slimming food choice. but in this case, you know, this is half a serving, so what are you going to do say oh, i'm just going to heat up the left side of a pot pie? i mean, if you -- you're going to eat the whole pot pie and be getting 1,080 calories. so over the course of a week, you do this a couple times a week and even twice a week and it ends up being the equivalent of these 11 krispy kreme doughnuts. so, you've got to, again, be very careful. understand what you're eating. because it's often two, three times more than you think. in which case you've got to look at the label and double the number of calories, double the

sodium, double the fat. and -- >> eat half the pot pie. uno chicago grill classic deep dish pizza. they bill this as an individual pizza which seems to me eat the whole thing. >> and then you go and check out on the website the listed calories and it says it's three servings. you think you're getting 770 calories but you're getting 2300. where does their accountant come from lehman brothers? >> oh, boom! >> it doesn't make any sense. you do that. even twice a week, you go there and you eat lunch, and it's the equivalent of 26 taco bell tacos. >> so what they want you to do is to eat a third of that? >> they want you to eat a pound and a half of this, rather than the half pound slice that's right here. that's 770 calories. >> i'm going for the 26 tacos. this is the campbell's new england clam chowder microwavable soup cup. it comes in a small serving size. >> again, are you supposed to heat up one size of the cup? it's 400 calories.

that's what you're getting. the cup runneth over. if you eat this, five times a week, really, willie, this is what the equivalent is. this is the calorie equivalent. >> a little bowl of popcorn. >> wait, there's more. let's head back to the picture. so this is what you're doing to your body over the course of a week. but they're going to say oh, no, that's two servings. i mean, look, it's an election year we're used to being lied to. but this is say little bit over the top. >> all right quickly before we go, this is the sobi beverage. a lot of people pick this up, little pick me up. >> right. you grab one of these. it looks like one serving. you're supposed to invite five guys over and then split this because this, they say is 2 1/2 servings. so, -- >> that sounds like an awful party. invite five guys over and drink one bottle of this. david zinczenko, let's see real quick what you have. >> over the course of a week. right here. all those calories. >> dave zinczenko, thanks so much. i'm not hungry anymore.

thank you anyway. now here's ann. >> i could eat those in two minutes. thank you so much. now let's head down to florida and say hello to mr. willard scott. hey, willard? >> i'm in fort myers, florida, at the shell point retirement community. one of the nicest retirement communities in the whole country. and that's the truth. and we're having a birthday party. take a look. suberla bradley is 109. longevity is surrounding herself with people who love to laugh. hang out with people that can laugh. nora, that's a lovely old name, nora turner, brookfield wisconsin is 105. worked as a nurse for many, many years, and she loves to cook. i like to eat. we'd make a good team. and i'm available. and naomi dennard, 107 years old today. enjoys staying active and she likes to go out with her friends and she loves nursery rhymes. itsy bitsy spider.

she can do better than that. willie miller, hazelhurst, mississippi, is 100 years old today and loves being outdoors. and spending time, of course, with his good family. and we have another smucker's birthday guest, take a look, helen fisher, new york, new york, a wonderful town, 108 years old today. she's a huge dog lover. i bet she watches the westminster dog show. i do. one of my favorites. every year look forward to it. dorothy, little dorothy poppen, you know, the one that flies with the umbrella, orange city, iowa is 105. and enjoys taking long walks and getting her hair done. and so from the shell point retirement community in fort myers, florida -- >> back to new york! >> all right, willard, thank you so much. just ahead, how you can copy kate middleton's sense of style.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> still dealing with the north side delays. unfortunately, due to the accident past providence, if you'll still being cleaned up as well. 11 miles per hour on the north side. park heights, glen avenue, accident. delays on the west side. eastbound i-78 towards 29, looking at a slow-ago. westbound 50 and ritchie highway, accident just in. perhaps this is easing up and

off to the shoulder now. 95 and white marsh, not too bad towards the beltway. john, over to you. >> sunshine in some areas felt it might fog. 59 degrees. barometer is rising. big storm out to the rest of us. today, the rain states westbound foust. rain chance will stay with us most of the weekend. we will see a lot of sunshine and a few clouds at the end of the day. temperatures around 84 the high this afternoon. dense fog advisory in effect. north of baltimore into pennsylvania. howard and montgomery county included as well. not quite as warm-up tomorrow.

rain chance continues into sunday. temperatures in the 60's. >> we will have another update at 8:56.

8:00 now on this friday morning, the 23rd of march, 2012. and we have a large crowd. on our plaza this morning to start their weekend plans, and to stop here on rockefeller plaza. meantime, i'm ann curry along with willie geist, who is in for matt this morning. and al and natalie morales. coming up just ahead, we've been talking about kate middleton's

style influence. so many of us are affected by it, want to look like her and -- and all of that. we'll be talk about that. how you can get some of her signature looks. >> al and i will be very -- >> absolutely. >> i know. >> and the matching la ining has well. another thing, ann, they're going to try to squeeze me into some of these cars down here. getting the most car for your buck. a new look at the least expensive cars to own, everything from price to gas mileage, repairs. >> where are the hamsters? >> all right. also coming up, i think it's a rather unusual way that couples are staying together by actually living apart. how does it work? and can a relationship really thrive when you don't live under the same roof? we're going to take a closer look at that. >> there's a real trend these days. >> if you're thinking about getting a new roof you're in luck. barbara corcoran is here to give us a tour of some fantastic

homes all for under $300,000. >> we'll tell you all about them. you have a check of the weather. is it really going to rain this weekend here? >> yes, it is. okay there you go, i'm done. let's show you what we've got for your weekend. no matter where you are. risk of strong storms along the mid-atlantic and southeastern atlantic coast. rain in the northeast. some more rain moving into the pacific northwest, northern california. record highs in the plains. sunday, sunday, more rain along the mid-atlantic and northeast coast. heavy rain moving into southern california. all the way up to oregon's coastline. we're looking at plenty of sunshine. warm, mild conditions all the way up into the plains. a little cooler as you get into the northern plains. >> good morning. we have a dense fog advisory council 10:00 a.m. this morning. the fog is not as widespread as

>> and you want to keep track of your weather all weekend long, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com. >> meantime let's say hello to lindsey vonn, she just won her fourth overall world class title. the most points in the season. lindsey, good morning. how does that feel? >> thank you. yeah, it was an amazing season. i'm so excited. a little bit -- the men's. 20 points. next year i'm going to be after the men's record. >> ah. okay. well watch out, guys. >> 1980 points just off the men's record. any thoughts about ditching the ladies and competing against the men? >> there you go.

>> i'm not going to hang with the guys all the time. you know, what the penalty going to be if i beat them and i had some guys cleaning dishes for awhile. >> well, taking a little bit of a turn professionally, personally, also you got divorced, filed for divorce from your husband, thomas vonn who is also your coach so you did have to adjust to a new coach. did that present any additional challenges for you? >> yeah, it was definitely tough. i mean, personally whenever you get divorced it's tough. but having it be your coach, and having it right at the beginning of the season. i had a lot of support from my u.s. coaches, from my teammates. everyone stood behind me and i had a lot of friends and family coming to help me out. i made it through, and you know, i think that being on the slopes was great therapy, you know. clear your mind, and enjoy it. >> looking ahead 2014, kosochi,

russia, what are your goals? >> i'm excited. we had the first world cup on the olympic track this year. it's an amazing track. i love it. i'm really excited about it. and yes, i'm looking forward to the olympics. >> lindsey vonn, congratulations. >> thank you. >> you've got the guys. >> great to see you. >> you can hang out with us in london. >> i will. i'm coming. >> yeah. we'll come watch you in sochi. lindsey, thanks. coming up next, dressing like the duchess. how to adopt kate middleton's sense of style. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

and we're back at 8:37. the duchess of cambridge has quickly become a fashion icon. when she wears a certain dress or shirt, sales of that particular item tend to skyrocket. it's called the kate middleton

effect. and we should see more of it tomorrow when one of her favorite places to shop, which is called lk bennett opens a flagship store here in new york. suzannah is a "today" fashion contributor. good morning to you. >> hi. >> first of all, can you tell us how kate's style and influence has changed over the years? >> it's evolved slightly in the fact she's wearing a lot more designers now. when she first hit the scene she was wearing a lot more just regular jeans, nameless blazers. now she's wearing a lot more bigger brands but she's still relatable, but she's still the achievable and relatable princess. >> the point is she almost never misses a beat. just like diana's tone, as well. is it fair to say that people in the royal family, that the women get stylists, get people who shop for them? >> they reportedly, kate does have a personal shopper, at various stores, however she doesn't have a stylist per se. >> she is her own stylist.

>> she is her own stylist. >> nevertheless, being a duchess, i would think that you're -- the pressure is to look very lady-like. like there's a certain pressure to look a certain way. so can we credit her with this new wave, this lady-like look that's happening all across the country today? >> it's funny. there was a trend on the runway this spring, much lady-like looks. chanel, dior, was that inspired by kate or is kate inspired by the runway. certainly, the amazing lk bennett teal dress which is kind of like a '40s feel to it. she swapped the belt out, put a leather belt with it. >> you mentioned that department store, is that some place that she frequents a great deal? >> lk bennett she shops like 50% of her closet is from there. she definitely is a big fan of the shoes. the nude shoes we have here. >> these are the shoes that i'm touching here. these are the shoes that she's purchased herself? not the very shoes, but she wears this type of shoes?

>> yes. this is the style. and she definitely put the nude shoe back on the map. before she came on, she wore this shoe, i think it was six times out of nine days. >> hmm. >> so she's definitely very comfortable shoe. >> so for women then who are interested in sort of getting some of this look, classy, lady-like look, what would be the best advice you would give as a senior editor of a fashion magazine? >> i think keep it very polished. keep it buttoned up. keep it very nipped at the waist. keep length appropriate. and just extremely chic and effortless at the same time. >> giving how much fashion changes, and the dramatic shifts are sometimes, you know, how long do you think kate middleton, the pressure that she's under to look lady-like can maintain her influence on the industry? >> i think she can maintain it throughout. just like diana. >> all right. well thank you so much. >> my pleasure. >> it's really a pleasure to get to see you again. and coming up next, in the market for a new car?

we're going to reveal a new list of the least expensive cars to own. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's consumer," the cheapest cars to own. the sticker price not the only thing to consider. we're talking about insurance, repairs, and, of course, the rising cost of gas. so, how do you decide on a vehicle that is right for you? the folks at kiplinger's personal finance have created a new list of the best, least expensive cars to own. jessica anderson is kiplinger.com's associate editor. jessica, good morning. >> good morning. >> let's look at the criteria, first. safety factors, gas mileage, service and repair costs, insurance costs, and depreciation rate of vehicle. which one or two should we focus on? >> i think the very first one should be always safety. thanks to federal mandates for 2012, every vehicle now has

standards. you're going to want to look for number of air bags, six is pretty standard. anything above that is great. and of course gas mileage. >> let's go car shopping. we've got the nissan versa, four door, sticker price under $20,000. >> the best thing about this vehicle is in addition to a very low sticker price it's got very high resale values. sorry about that. and so when you go to sell the car, after three or five years you're going to be getting a lot of your initial investment back. and also point out about this vehicle, it has great rear leg room. >> let's take a look at that. you say there's leg room even for a guy like me. i'm 6'4". >> i think you can get in this one. >> let's see if i can do it. yeah, that's pretty good. >> you could. your knows don't even such the back of the seat. got a little bit of head room. >> plenty of head room. let's move on to the ford fee east to. the sticker price about $14,000. >> yes. >> what do you like about the fiesta?

>> well, the fiesta is really big on safety. so it is a top safety pick by the insurance institute for high way safety. and it has a standard driver's knee air bag, which is one of the only vehicles in this class to have that feature. >> not all the cars have the knee air bag which is important. >> right. >> also something i love about this you've got an iphone or telephone you can sync it up in the car with voice commands. >> yes. that's another good safety feature. you can say something like call mom, or play artist adele and it will do that for you without you having to take your eyes off the road. which is one of the number one things for safety now with all the driver distractions available in your vehicle. >> pay a little extra for it but probably worth it. the next one if we go over this way, the kia soul, which my children call the hamster car because of that great commercial with the dancing hamsters. >> they were so fun. >> what do you like about the kia soul? >> one of the best things, if we come around to the back is the cargo area. we've had them put some stuff in this vehicle.

look how much stuff we managed to fit in the back of here. and it's got 19 cubic feet of cargo space. most hatchbacks don't have this much so that's really awesome. >> this could be a family car. >> totally. $14,650 is the sticker price on this one. okay. now this one, you're going to try to convince me that we can get four people in to this car. how on earth are you going to do that? >> the car is only 10 feet long bumper to bumper which makes it only a foot longer than a smart car. but it has a 3 plus one configuration. you've got the driver seat. the passenger sits a little bit in front of the driver to allow for full adult leg room. you can feet three adults and behind the driver you can fit a child or other cargo. >> this one a little more expensive at $15,995. you say safety say big selling point on this. some people might be concerned about a small car like this keeping the family safe. >> absolutely. going back to the air bag thing. we talked about the six standard

one. this has two knee air bags for both front passengers and also seat cushion air bags and the world's very first rear window air bag. it has 11. that is more air bags than any vehicle i've ever seen. >> before you went on the air here you said i would even be able to fit in the back seat of this car. >> we're going to call. >> i'm not iraverage size man. in the scion hq. move it up. it's close. >> oh, boy. >> let's see. i'm in. >> and there's still room. >> i may never get out. but at least i'm in. we'll have to call the new york fair department to get me out of here. it's a great look at these cars. yes, you can, it turns out, get a family in some of these. jessica from kiplinger.com, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> great to see you. >> coming up next, will it work for you? this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:49. this morning on "today's relationships" an unexpected way some couples are staying together. instead of sharing a home, there are some who choose to live apart. here is one couple's story. simon friedman and judy hess have been together for nearly 14 years. >> it was just a good match. he matched up to all the things that i was looking for.

♪ so happy together >> reporter: their in love and happy. but after all of these years simon and judy say they don't want to get married. in fact they choose to live in separate homes just a block apart. >> what worked for us just because of our own personalities. >> it meets both of our needs. i think we'd be in each other's hair. it's kind of like if it's not broken, don't fix it. >> hi, sweetie. >> hi! >> reporter: it may seem odd to some, but more committed couples are choosing what's going called a stayover relationship. a recent study shows adult couples ages 18 to 29 spend three or four nights a week staying at the home of their partner. rather than moving in together. >> okay. if you insist. >> we're both very fussy about how we like things to be. once i started to live alone i thought oh, my god, this is fabulous. i can't believe it. i have control over everything.

>> it would just drive each other crazy living together, and being in each other's spaces all the time. we're just not really well-suited for that. >> reporter: living apart works for celebrity couple tim burton and helena bonham carter. they live next door to one another in london. and with so many marriages ending badly, some couples believe living apart is the key to staying together. >> one advantage of not living to the is that we get to miss each other, you know. absence makes the heart grow fonder. >> so kate is say contributing editor for "the atlantic." good morning to you. >> hi. >> help us understand. what are the social and economic factors that are redefining these kinds of committed relationships today? >> first of all, marriage is changing before our eyes. we're getting married later than ever before. we're marrying less. and meanwhile women are making more money than they ever have

and are better educated than ever. because of these factors, we are changing our romantic and domestic arrangements. we're not doing things according to the social norms that we always have. >> so you sometimes use the words, describing this as a new kind of monogamy? >> oh, yes, exactly. yes. >> what is that? >> so, it's a term that sociologists use, lifting apart together, l.a.t. for short. and it applies to married or long-term committed couples who choose to live in separate houses because that's what suits them as a couple. >> even as a married couple? >> yeah. >> because the couple we just saw, i don't think, had gotten married. even as a married couple this happens. now it doesn't seem that this would make a lot of economic sense. >> well, that depends. you know, i think we live in a day and age when people are living in huge houses and beyond their means. and who's to say that two small studio apartments aren't, you know, even more economically viable than one huge place. >> the numbers of people actually doing this are still

relatively small. so how do you know if this is actually a trend. >> well, some studies have been done. and so it looks like there are 6% to 7% of people in america are doing this. in europe it's higher. where 10% in europe. also in canada more people are doing it. >> hmm. i wonder why in canada. >> i don't know. >> uh-huh, that's a good question. something more for you to write about. so i guess the question is -- every time something is new, there's always going to be sort of a pushback. and i think one argument might be, how can this possibly be good for a relationship, when you really want the kind of daily intimacy in a marriage that we've all come to expect. >> exactly. well, it also, you know, what comes with intimacy, the drudgery, your life together becomes being about chores, being exhausted after work, running a tiny, nonprofit business that is a family unit. what these people are finding is that they have more time to themselves. they can, you know, come back together at their best selves

more than just, you know, all the craziness of life. >> yeah, but something about crankiness is also kind of what we start to learn from. >> yes. >> and it sort of helps us become better people, and more connected because we're honest about the hard stuff, as well as the easy stuff. >> exactly. i don't think that's avoided. people who do it are still spending three, four, five nights together a week. it's not that they're never seeing each other. they're just seeing each other differently. >> mm-hmm. and so, in terms of who can do this. how would you define the person who's got the kind of personality traits that would be able to succeed at something like this and so the sort of fall victims to the risks that must be inherent? >> you certainly have to be independent minded and very confident in your relationship. and i'm saying independent minded because you get a lot of flak. a lot of people i've talked to who are in these kind of relationships say that they're always having to explain themselves to other people who are saying oh, your guy's just not committed to you. you guys have to move in. and explaining, no, this is what

works for us. this is what we want. >> you have to be very strong. >> yeah. >> kate, thank you so much. it's interesting. something new. all right. just ahead, unique getaways for movie lovers.

>> 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. last summer's earthquake could cost the baltimore archdiocese millions of dollars. it is estimated the tremor did $5 million of damage. cracks that were minor and

august have grown. no apparent structural damage, no apparent structural damage, 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. >> rain-free this morning, and we will be all day long. the storm will catch up with us tonight, tomorrow, and sunday. high temperatures around 80 degrees. degrees. dense

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