good morning. long lines, longer odds. people all across the country buying tickets for tonight's mega millions drawing. and this morning the jackpot has ballooned to $540 million, an all-time world record. is there a trick to improving your chances? we're going to tell you. controversial request. andrea yates, the texas mother who drowned her five young children in the bathtub, asks for permission to leave a mental hospital to attend church. will it, and should it, be allowed? and they would not let him go. a man protesting his arrest breaks into queen's bohemian rhapsody in the back of a police car. ♪ easy come easy go ♪ ♪ will you let me go no ♪ ♪ we will not let you go

>> and for the record, they didn't. so he kept on singing the entire song. but his next performance will be in court "today," friday, march but his next performance will be in court "today," friday, march 30th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome today on this friday morning. i'm ann curry. look who is in for mr. matt. are we sure that's actually coffee in your cup? >> let me explain something. i thought it was in my contract that i had a little pinot, if you can peek in there, that is just iced tea. look at this guy. >> i know. >> i find all drug-happy people make great tv. explains kathie lee and me completely, doesn't it? there are a lot of things people are talking about out there.

that $540 million jackpot. almost half a billion. is that right? >> that's right. >> it's getting people dreaming this morning, isn't it? >> okay. that's exactly right. we don't want to burst anyone's bubble but the odds of picking the winning combination are around 176 million to 1. your chance of getting struck by lightning are 1 in 3,000. but is there a secret, actually, to picking the winning numbers? we found a man who thinks that there is. we're going to talk about his strategy coming up. >> did you get any tickets? >> of course we did. you did, everyone did. >> i did. i got the quick pick. also george zimmerman's brother is speaking out about the trayvon martin case for the first time. coming up, why he says they have proof that his brother was injured in a struggle with the florida teen. >> and also we have some encouraging news this morning for the young woman who was paralyzed at her bachelorette party. two years after that accident, rachelle chapman is making remarkable strides. ear going to catch up with her and her husband this morning. >> you're right. that's going to be a great one.

also a little later the friday whip. what's new, what's hot, what's not. we're going to get you all set up. >> but let's begin this friday morning with the frenzy that's surrounding tonight's mega million jackpot. nbc's stephanie gosk is in new jersey with more on this. hey, stephanie, good morning. >> hey, ann, good morning. mega millions is played in 42 states, including here in new jersey. later on today, the lines are going to snake out the door of this little shop. for just a dollar they are selling a chance at winning $540 million. and although that chance is very, very small, few people could resist the temptation. the bigger the jackpot gets, the more tickets people buy. the more tickets people buy -- >> only takes a dollar and a dream. >> reporter: -- the bigger the jackpot gets. >> i have my ticket here. spread the wealth around. >> reporter: with one day left to go the mega millions is now $540 million.

the biggest lottery prize ever. anywhere. >> mega millions fever is at its critical stages. everywhere you look you're going to see lines. this is a world record lottery. >> reporter: tonight when the numbers are drawn, every ticket has a chance to win. an infinitesimal small chance. one in nearly 176 million. put another way, to guarantee a winner and cover every combination, you'd have to buy 50 different tickets a week for 68,000 years. but hope does spring eternal. >> i think i'll take a cruise around the world, buy a maserati. >> i'm going to give money to everybody. i don't want none of it. i just want a little bit. >> put some in the bank, and quit my job. >> reporter: some believe there are strategies. there's a book on beating the odds. he has won the lottery seven times and is worth millions.

his trick for the mega millions draw -- research the numbers. >> if seven numbers have come up before you don't want to play it again. >> reporter: but before getting too excited we asked some statistics professors. the truth is every set of numbers has the same odds of being drawn each time. >> it's still random. anything could happen. any number could come up again. >> reporter: which leads to more sage advice. >> the more tickets you buy the better your chances are of winning. but don't buy more than you can afford. >> reporter: because the truth is, just like you, i'm going to lose. you don't think my chances are that good, do you? >> you want to be honest? >> reporter: you can be honest with me. >> no, i don't think your chances are very good at all. >> reporter: but at least we'll have plenty of company. there are some tips from lottery officials for the winner. here they are. sign the back of the ticket. get a lawyer, and keep a low profile. so definitely don't update your facebook page. >> good point. stephanie gosk, thanks so much this morning. it is now 7:05.

now here's hoda. >> all right, ann, thank you. now to the trayvon martin case. george zimmerman's brother spoke out for the first time last night, defending his brother's actions in the killing of the unarmed florida teenager. nbc's ron allen is in sanford. >> robber zimmerman had a lot to say about the police surveillance tapes that have added a new, emotional edge to this case. trayvon martin's family insists there's now visual proof that george zimmerman did not act in self-defense that night. but zimmerman's family is pushing back hard, claiming that he was in a battle for his life. this is how george zimmerman appeared on police surveillance tape 34 minutes after he fired the gun that killed trayvon martin. as officers brought him in for questioning. six minutes of tape have now been released from various angles. the martin family's attorney says he sees no evidence of the injuries zimmerman's attorney says zimmerman sustained, justifying his shooting of martin in self-defense. >> there's no evidence of a

broken nose anywhere in that video. and if his head was knocked against concrete over and over again, wouldn't we see blood? >> zimmerman's brother robert appeared publicly for the first time, on cnn thursday night, discussing the video. >> to me his nose looks swollen in that video. >> reporter: he said there's proof of his brother's injuries. >> we're confident the medical records are going to explain all of george's medical history. >> reporter: he said his brother's nose is still broken. and he has severe emotional injuries, and despite what's seen in the video, zimmerman said his brother told him he was injured so badly he was barely conscious, and that martin almost got a hold of his gun. martin's family has insisted the unarmed teenager was trying to get away from zimmerman. >> he killed trayvon martin in cold blood. his vigilante killed trayvon martin in cold blood when he only had a bag of skittles. he had a 9 millimeter gun and he

had to concoct the story. >> reporter: what about trayvon martin? medical examiners have not released a report but the mortician who prepared the teenager's body for burial has this assessment. >> i saw the evidence of the gun shot wound to his chest. i did not see any signs like he's been in a struggle or fist fight. >> reporter: meanwhile, innocent bystanders like david and elaine mclane of sanford have gotten caught up in the national outrage. the mclanes have a son named william george zimmerman. director spike lee has apologized for retweeting the mclane's address as the home of the george zimmerman who killed trayvon martin. some of lee's 250,000 followers have posted hostile mostages. the mclanes have moved out. >> i don't even know if i have enough words. it's past devastating. it's scary. it's really scary. because we're afraid for our lives. >> reporter: lee's apology said the retweet was a mistake. please leave the maclaines in

peace. as another celebrity, comedian roseanne barr has had criticism from her twitter followers after she tweeted the actual address of george zimmerman's parents. at first she said it's important to let people know that no one can hide. she then deleted the message saying ving tanlyism killed trayvon and i don't support that. the zimmerman family remains in hiding. >> all right, ron allen in sanford, florida, thanks so much. >> and we have a lot of other top stories to get to this morning. and on that note chicks rule because we've got savannah guthrie in for natalie this morning. >> it's ladies night at the "today" show. politics, republican presidential candidate mitt romney is hoping another high profile endorsement today helps give him the momentum to clinch his party's nomination. nbc news has learned that house budget committee chairman paul ryan will give romney his endorsement today. on thursday former president george h.w. bush gave romney his endorsement as well. and in an unusual development for the campaign trail romney

acknowledged that he has been in regular communication with his opponent newt gingrich, and that they even meet from time to time. house republicans are weighing a new law that allows terror suspects to be detained indefinitely without a trial. under the law, even u.s. citizens suspected of terrorism could be seized within u.s. borders. the republican majority on the house armed services committee is now working to revive that indefinite detention provision to provide more oversight. the electronic retail giant best buy is slashing 800 million in costs, closing 50 of its big box stores here in the u.s., and cutting 400 corporate jobs. the company plans to open 100 smaller stores nationwide. and when the royal canadian mounted police picked up 29-year-old robert wilkinson on suspicion of drunk driving, he decided the best defense was to rock out. singing queen's "bohemian rhapsody" in its entirety. ♪

♪ can't do this to me baby you just got to get out just got to get out of here ♪ >> oh, they could do that to him, baby, and he isn't getting out of here any time soon. his criminal case is still pending. it is now 7:11. back to ann, hoda -- i actually watched the whole thing this morning. >> i was so afraid when you said in its entirety. >> it is not a short song. >> savannah, why did you watch the entire thing? >> because i'm reporting the news, hoda. >> oh. >> the stories of the day. >> it's important stuff. >> savannah, thank you so much. meantime our friday girls run continues. we've got maria larosa in for al. you look beautiful this morning. tell us the weather is going to look beautiful. >> thank you. okay so let's show you what the weather is going to be for a lot of us.

in some cases a snowmaker. showers moving from chicago. you've got snow on the north side. that's eventually going to push to the east. that's important because if you're in the catskills, adirondacks, berkshires, that may mean some accumulating snow late tonight into tomorrow. the highest elevation snows will be the highest totals. >> ann, back to you. >> all right, maria, thank you. a new government report is highlighting a shocking surge in the number of childhood autism cases in the united states. according to the cdc, 1 in 88

children are now coping with autism and related disorders. that is a 23% increase in 2006, and a 78% higher increase from just a decade ago. we have geraldine dawson the chief science officer for the advocacy group autism speaks and dr. nancy synderman, nbc's chief medical editor. >> good morning. >> first of all, nancy, let me ask you, what is behind this really stunning rise in numbers? >> the big honest answer is we don't know. certainly there are increasing scenes looking at genetics of autism, and to really look at your family tree, you can start to see some elements of it. sometimes other family members. but there's a big environmental curtain hanging out there. and to try to figure what environmental triggers there might be, i think that's where a lot of the research really needs to go. i think we know what doesn't cause it but we really don't know what the triggers might be. >> we talk about this, the increased possibility that

reporting, better reporting is adding to the numbers. is there a way to measure how much of it might actually be an increase? >> well, i think that is, you know, when you ask about the cause, the answer is we don't know. when you ask about why the numbers are growing so much, certainly this whole idea of an autism spectrum, asperger's, autism, and autism-like disorders, they've been lumped together so that's made the numbers bigger. could that be part in the 1 in 54 boys and the 23% increase? absolutely. and it is one warning sign because as we talk about how we changed the categorization of this, in the future there's a push to make the lines cleaner. to separate autism and asperger's from each other and to really make the delineation cleaner. and that's going to be important as geraldine will really, i think, underscore because how we intercede with our kids and how we can make a difference by early intervention, that's going to make the world a difference. >> exactly. so geraldine on that point, what will the impact of these numbers be, and what is your message to

parents who are hearing these numbers this morning? >> well, first of all, it's important to keep in mind that the broadening of the diagnosis only accounts for a portion of the increase that we're seeing. we now have an epidemic of autism in the united states. and it's very important that we now have a national plan that can begin to address what we view now as a public health crisis. and three things are very important. one is we need more research that can help us understand the causes and develop better treatments. secondly, as you were just mentioning, we need better diagnosis earlier. in the cdc report the children were diagnosed between 4 and 6 years of age. and yet we know we can diagnose autism at 18 to 24 months. and access to early intervention is critical. because this makes a huge impact on outcome. and then finally we have a growing population of adults,

and we are not prepared to take care of them. and more importantly, the help them and support them to become productive members of society. so we have a huge crisis and we need a national plan. >> that also includes teaching our parents to know what the early signs are. because the earlier a child gets in the more likely that that child will get the help that he or she needs. there is a list there of some of the early signs that people can take a quick look at, including for example by 12 months, no babbling or pointing or by 16 months a child is not speaking or by 24 months that no two-word -- no meaningful phrases are being uttered. geraldine dawson -- >> ann, those are very critical. because parents are the first line of defense. if your baby isn't making eye contact or pulling away from you or not babbling parents really, talk to your pediatrician, because those warning signs can be the precursor to everything else. >> dr. nancy synderman, geraldine dawson, thank you so much for your very important work. especially now. it is now 7:16. now here's hoda.

>> all right, ann, thank you so much. there is a new wrinkle in the growing controversy over a common ground beef filler dubbed pink slime. we are now seeing how this stuff is made. but would it ease consumer concerns about its safety? nbc's john yang is at a beef processing plant in south sioux city, nebraska. john, good morning to you. >> good morning, hoda. this is one of the plants where they make this product. about 600,000 pounds of it on an average day. it's been around since the 1990s, but only recently has it become controversial. an example of the power of social media. the beef industry calls it lean finely textured beef. critics call it pink slime. it's become a punch line for tv talk show hosts. >> have you heard the story about the pink slime in your meat? >> i'm finely textured. >> you're a jerk and a liar. >> reporter: governors in beef-producing states aren't laughing. >> this is a safe and reliable product, and this company mass

gone out of its way to protect the safety of the consumer. >> let's call this product what it is. and let let pink slime become a term of the past. >> reporter: they're fighting back. showing news cameras how the product is made from what's left over after butchering roasts and steaks. it treated with citric acid or common ammonia solution to kill bacteria. for nearly two decades it's been in ground beef with little notice. about 850 million pounds a year. then on network tv, celebrity chef jamie oliver launched a crusade. >> that's been processed, we're going to give it to you. >> reporter: earlier this month a blogger started a petition drive to get it out of school lunches. >> people are very upset that this is in 70% of our ground beef, up to 15%, and it's not

labeled. >> reporter: the public outcry was heard. now schools can choose not to serve beef with the product and big grocery chains, including krieger, safeway and food lion have stopped selling it. as a result, three processing plants in texas, kansas and iowa have stopped work, idling more than 650 employees. defenders say the product is 100% meat and actually makes ground beef leaner, because the fat's been removed. food experts say it's posed no health threat. >> americans have probably been eating it for a long time. it appears to be safe. >> reporter: here in the heart of beef country, diners have no plans to give it up. >> i prefer to have this meat versus the regular meat with the fat in it. >> reporter: at mcdonald's and other fast food restaurants stopped serving this product earlier this year, even before the latest petition arise, and the beef industry says if consumers continue to reject this product, it could make beef supplies tight, and that could raise prices.

hoda? >> all right, john yang, thanks for that. it is now almost 7:20. here's ann. >> all right, hoda, thanks. tonight's mega millions jackpot may stand at $540 million, but that's nothing compared to what the top hedge fund managers took home in 2011. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers has a look at the annual rich list. lisa, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. hedge fund managers are the biggest, most sophisticated players on wall street. experts say that by their standards, last year was only a pretty good year. so a new report out today says the top guy managed to rake in almost $4 billion. that's right. $4 billion. in the year of occupy wall street, when the overall stock market was basically flat, top hedge funds handling investments for the super rich, still found ways to make big money. >> it was a pretty good year for hedge funds. although in the top market but nothing like some of the years previously.

>> reporter: a.r. magazine reports that the top 25 managers combined took home $14.4 billion last year. a staggering amount of money, but less than the previous two years. topping the rich list, ray dalio who earned $3.9 billion. mostly by betting on u.s. treasuries. >> my customers are pension funds, teachers, and i did well when others didn't and i'm going to say that they are very grateful. >> reporter: two years in a row, dalio's firm earned more than google, yahoo! amazon and ebay combined. >> for a billionaire, he is a fairly regular guy. it's not about spending the billions he's made, it's actually about making more money. >> reporter: number two, shareholder activist carl icahn. $2.5 billion. three, jim simons, $2.1 billion. and four, ken griffin, $700 million. griffin has a reputation for living large. he had his wedding reception at the pal has of versailles, and

last year bought this $17 million home at an exclusive resort in hawaii. to go with at least three other homes around the country. griffin donated this art institute in chicago, which bears his name. and at number five, steve cohen, who earned $585 million. also known for conspicuous consumption, cohen has a 35,000 square foot mansion, with a separate garage for his zamboni. owns a piece of the mets, and is say world-class art collector. >> his art collection, i imagine is worth in the billions of dollars. >> reporter: some stars from previous years actually lost money last year. perhaps the biggest loser, john paulson, believed to have personally lost about $3 billion. all of these billionaires either declined comment or did not respond to our calls. now the managers argue that unlike some corporate ceos, they only do well if their investors

do well. dalio has pledged to give away at least half of his wealth to charity. ann? >> all right, lisa myers, thank you so much. coming up, talk about andrea yates. should the texas mother who drowned her five young children in a bathtub be allowed to leave a mental hospital to attend church? we're going to tell you about her new request. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

and still ahead, the new expo that caters to all of your divorce needs. we'll talk to the women behind that. >> and also do you want to walk in the footsteps of katniss and peta?

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. here's a look at one of our top stories for you. hundreds of maryland soldiers are headed to afghanistan. members of the air national guard have been shipping out all week. family members tell us it is tough to say goodbye, but they are proud of their loved ones and are confident they will return home safely. time for a check on your morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> getting busy in terms of

incidents. radeckehat to expect in avenue and padonia avenue. seminary road in york road, another accident clearing. we have a spell out hillen road and brighton larchdale road that could create slick spots for your morning commute. 26 miles per hour on the outer loop west side. it is closed on eastbound i-70 -- a bit of a slow spot on eastbound i-70. bw parkway, so far so good there. ruxton road, from the beltway, smooth ride all the way into town. taney, over to. > -- tony, over to you. >> chilly start, but no rain. that will come tonight. there's not much of a wind.

in the northwest suburbs, temperatures drop off even further. 32 in frederick, 33 in taneytown. warmer near the water. increasing clouds, chance for rain showers this evening and overnight and come -- overnight. . showers possible to start the day on saturday. it should taper off in the afternoon. sunday it look

7:30 now on this friday morning. it's the 30th of march, 2012. we have a large crowd visiting the plaza this morning. i'm sure many of them are hoping to hit it big in tonight's mega million drawing for a record $540 million jackpot. who wouldn't be looking forward to that? meantime inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside hoda kotb who is in for matt. >> hi. i decided i'm going to take the $19 million annual payments instead of the lump sum. i've been thinking about it. i'll just take it every year. how about that? >> i like it. meantime, we're going to have an exclusive coming up at nbc news exclusive on a very serious topic. it's about the father of phoebe prince, the massachusetts

teenager who took her own life after being bullied in school. he's speaking out in his first interview on united states television. we're going to be hearing from him coming up about that tragedy. >> will be very interesting. also ahead an unusual showcase will make its debut right here in new york city this morning. it's called a divorce expo. it caters to the needs of people who are ending their marriages. the creators say it's not depressing but uplifting and has everything from botox to life coaches to everything. everything is there. sounds interesting. >> life coaches seems like something that could be really helpful. also coming up the hottest movie, everybody knows, at the box office. but now fans of "the hunger games" are flocking to a small town to experience a thrilling sensation of the action seen firsthand. so we're going to take you there coming up this morning. i'm reading the book myself. i saw the movie. i thought it was terrific so i can see why they would want to go there. >> we're going to begin this half hour with a new request there the texas mother who drowned her five children in a bathtub back in 2001. nbc's kerry sanders has details on this story. kerry, good morning.

>> well, good morning, hoda. andrea yates' attorneys say they plan to file a petition in court here next week. the goal, to allow her time away from a state mental facility so she can attend a nearby church. that church is where she wants to go is significant, because she claimed it was god who told her to kill her children in the first place. eleven years ago, andrea yates, the mother of five -- >> we have a new addition -- >> reporter: -- waited for her husband to leave their houston home for work. then she told court psychiatrists she followed through on a plan she'd repeatedly rehearsed in her mind. one by one she began to drown her children in the bathtub. the youngest only 6 months old. the oldest, 7. after they were all dead, andrea yates dialed 911. >> what is your name? >> andrea yates. >> what's the problem? >> i just need them to come.

>> reporter: now, andrea yates' lawyer says he will petition the court to grant a weekly therapeutic pass so she can atend church. >> andrea has a very deep, spiritual side to her, and i am certain that this would be the most appropriate of baby steps, if you will, in to a life as normal as possible some way down the road. >> reporter: in her first trial, a jury found yates guilty. and sentenced her to 40 years in prison. but that decision was overturned on appeal, and yates was found not guilty in her sond trial, by reason of insanity. >> if you're sick from a mental illness, you're sick from a mental illness. and going to church isn't going to make it worse or better. you're still going to have it. >> reporter: author suzanne o'malley spent five years covering both of yates' trials for her book, "the unspeakable crime of andrea yates." she believes the elected judge

in texas will feel pressure to grant yates' request. >> it's going to be really a hard sell in texas to not let somebody go to church. and once you've got that and once that works out, then you take the next baby step. >> reporter: while andrea has been undergoing treatment, her ex-husband rusty has remarried, and together they started a new family. with their 4-year-old son. andrea's attorney says his client has changed, too. >> for me to sit here and describe to you the andrea yates that i know now, it is a far cry from the andrea yates that the public knows, who committed these acts in june of 2001. >> reporter: if andrea yates is granted permission to go to church, her lawyer says that church has already been selected, but he will not reveal which church it is. but, he does say it is a far cry from the fire and brimstone

church that she used to attend when her children were drowned. hoda? >> all right, kerry sanders, thanks for that report. and now here's ann. >> all right, hoda, thank you. now to new details in the suicide of a young girl in massachusetts, that helped bring national attention to the issue of bullying. nbc's kate snow is joining us now with the latest on this story. good morning. >> good morning, ann. this is a story we all remember. a tragic story we've been recording on for two years now. phoebe prince was a beautiful young girl from ireland who moved to massachusetts for her freshman year of high school. she was just looking to fit in. instead, she stood out. and that may have cost her everything. in his first sit-down interview on american television, phoebe prince's grieving father jeremy remembers that fateful month, january 2010. >> phoebe was trying on her dress for the school dance. >> reporter: she was looking forward to the big high school dance in south hadley, massachusetts, where she was living with her mother and younger sister.

>> because it's every girl's dream. it's what we've grown up on. being the belle of the ball, wearing a lovely dress. >> reporter: and then he got the call. but not the one he expected. his daughter, phoebe, was dead. her sister had found her hanging in the stairwell of their house. >> she told me that she had tried to undo the knots around phoebe's neck and couldn't. >> reporter: what does it do, as a father, to hear that to you? what races through your mind immediately? >> i think naturally defense mechanisms in the mind let me take it slowly bit by bit and realize the full level of it. >> reporter: and there was so much horror to absorb. especially when he learned phoebe's school had gone ahead with that dance she was so looking forward to. >> incredibly, the school went ahead with that dance a few days after she died.

and phoebe was wearing a lovely dress when they were dancing there that night. but the accessories were the flowers in the coffin with her. >> reporter: even more distressing was what came next. news that phoebe may have been hounded to death by classmates she'd angered. then the local prosecutor shocked the nation when she announced criminal charges in the case. >> the grand jury returned felony indictments against the following individuals -- >> reporter: more than two months after phoebe's death, six students were facing possible jail time, including this girl, sharon shannon velasquez, who told ann curry she and phoebe were arguing over a boy. >> and you said what to her, that you wish you hadn't said. >> a whore, a slut, and that's when we started arguing, and i go, you don't know me, and -- >> reporter: she insists she

never bullied phoebe. and others began to question the charges when disturbing details from phoebe's past surfaced. >> this is still a very sad story. it's just not the sad story that we were originally told. >> reporter: in the end, sharon and four of the students pleaded to misdemeanor charges in the case, no jail time, limited probation. a charge against the sixth student was dropped. now sharon just wishes she could take back everything she said to phoebe. >> that i'm sorry, and i didn't know everything that she was going through, and i would have tried to help. because she didn't deserve any of the things that happened to her. >> reporter: important to remember that this case not only rocked that town, but it shocked the nation, especially when criminal charges were filed again those students. it caused a real debate about where culpability lies. >> and a debate that is still ongoing. kate snow thank you so much this morning. and you can see more on sunday

night on "dateline" at 7:00, 6:00 central time, right here on nbc. and now let's get a check of the weather from maria larosa who is in for al this morning. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by the alzheimer's association. >> it is a cold start here in the northeast. >> ann, back to you. >> all right, maria, thank you. still ahead, a friday, we'll find what's new, up this

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super people eat super grains. energy. fiber. heart health. [ growling ] captain, one step at a time.keep going! come on, snowy. look! did you ever see a more beautiful sight? captain! it's just a mirage. - snowy? what is it, boy? - [ barks ] what do you see? [ yipping ] [ woman announcing ] just like snowy, your dog's one of a kind. overactive imagination and all. [ barking ] long live your buddy. long live your dog. [ tintin ] snowy! purina dog chow. the adventures of tintin, on dvd and blu-ray today. back now at 7:43. it is expected to be another big weekend at the box office for "the hunger games," after it raked in more than $150 million last weekend. and it appears its fans are starving for anything tied to this blockbuster. nbc's janet shamlian is live in north carolina's transylvania county to explain. hey, janet.

>> hoda, good morning. you know it didn't take long for the fans who can't get enough of "the hunger games," are flocking to sites where the movie was filmed in search of a little adventure themselves. all of them are here in north carolina. many are idyllic settings like this. a few are off the beaten path. but that has not stopped the search. with its heartracing adventure scene, "the hunger games" is a box office blockbuster. >> i volunteer as tribute. >> reporter: and fans are now in hot pursuit of the post-apocalyptic world. they're finding it, about as far from hollywood as you can get. >> we heard they were filming "the hunger games," in this area, and i come by here a lot going to work. and we just wanted to come up and see it. >> reporter: tiny headley river village is a page from the past and off the beaten path. but tourists are beating a path to it. because the old mill town serves as the movie's district 12. and home of hero inkatniss everdeen.

>> happy hunger games. >> reporter: 83-year-old wade shepherd owns the land and the buildings on it. including this one, transformed for the movie. the property now for sale for $1.4 million has suddenly become a major must-see. >> it's saturday morning, 7:00, they started. at dark they were still here. unreal. >> reporter: but the biggest draw is what no movie set could ever recreate. the water falls and wilderness where the fight to the death games plays out. for the most part they're welcoming the tourists and the millions of dollars they'll inevitably spend. there is concern, however, that some adventure seekers may try to create some of the scenes from the movie right out here in the middle of the forest. du pont state forest which is already seeing a surge. >> so katniss is down by the river looking for peeta. some coming for the newly created hunger games fan tour. >> yesterday i had three phones going, my cell phone and two office phones going just to

handle the calls. >> reporter: straight from fans like sarah green, who snagged a job as an extra and sat in this charlotte theater for hours during the interview scene. did you get tired? >> i did. not as much as i paid my baby-sitter. >> reporter: but they're capitalizing on the crowd, and with "the hunger games" being a trilogy, hoping the cast and crew will return again. >> the odds are ever in our favor in north carolina. >> even if they get the film, the second time, fans may not know about it because the first time they filmed in secret for six months under a code name. what's this? could this be a sponsor gift like katniss receives in the movie with a message that could possibly save my life? okay. ladies, it may save my job. i think this is my cue to toss back to you. hoda. >> that's cute, janet. >> people who see the movie will understand what that means. i'm reading the book and i've

got to say it's fascinating and -- and the movie was fun. >> i enjoyed the movie. i thought the premise at first was disturbing. you're talking about 24 murders, really. >> yeah. >> but when you go deeper into it, you see about a woman's strength and how more than fighting for each other and stuff. it -- >> it's got a woman as a protagonist and she's taking it on. i mean it's time for us to have this. i like that. anyway, a lot more coming up, including -- >> we have a special celebrity edition of a new, what's up, what's in. the hottest gossip, the coolest movie. >> we're going to be in the know. >> right after this.

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on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. still ahead the young bride who was paralyzed at her bachelorette party. she's going to be along to share some encouraging news about her recovery. >> plus we're going to check out the hottest shoes for spring and a lot more on tonight's record mega millions jackpot. you get your tickets yet? they've got everybody scooping them up all across the country.

$540 million -- probably more by the time the whole thing is over. first your local news and weather.

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>> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. 7:56. let's look at your morning commute. if you are heading out in the next few minutes, radecke avenue, padonia avenue, we have an accident. we still have a building being worked on at highland road. biggest delays on the north and west side. we are around 27 miles per hour at i-70. i-70 eastbound towards 29. tapping the brakes a little bit. there is your no. cited delay towards dulaney valley. live view of traffic in the area

of 95 at beltway southwest, or rather, northeast. once you get to the tunnel, you are tapping the brakes just a bit at the fort mchenry. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are off to a quiet start this morning, weather-wise. it is cold, though. 39 degrees at the airport. no wind. we don't have to calculate wind chills. northwest suburbs, temperatures dip into the low 30's. if you are watching from northern baltimore county back into carroll and frederick county, you have to scrape a little frost off of your windshield. 046 downtown, 40 degrees in rock hall. it will state dry during the day. chance for rain showers this evening and overnight. high-temperature around 59 degrees. showers possible to start the

weekend, but that is mostly in the morning. 62 got back into the 70'

it is friday morning, tgif, the 30th day of march, 2012. here in the plaza, we are warmed by a huge crowd. they are spending some time with us. a part of -- coming up in a little bit, meantime i'm ann curry, alongside hoda hotby, who is in for matt. >> and wine free. >> no wine. >> 10:00 we're starting. >> meantime we've got a friday whip going on this morning. >> if you're wondering what

you're going to do this weekend, the hottest movies or what trends are out there, we're going to let you know everything you need to know for the weekend and that's going to come up. also we're going to talk about, and this is a great, great story. there's a breakthrough for a young, paralyzed bride, who we've done a lot of stories on. you guys remember rachelle. we're going to talk about some advances she's made. if you look at her here in this video she actually learns how to stand up with assistance and take a couple of steps. >> she's so terrific. it's always a joy when she's here with us. >> and her cute husband, too. >> there they are. also we're going to take a look at some of the hottest shoes for spring. so we'll be paying a lot of attention to that. >> can i say thank you? this is ann curry's jacket. i'm wearing it. this is what i learned about ann by putting this jacket on, it doesn't button. and i'm fine with it. i'm fine with my big girl status. >> you can borrow my clothes any time. meantime let's go inside, savannah is in for natalie this morning. >> good morning, guys. in the news today, mega millions

fever is at an all-time high as the jackpot reaches a world record $540 million today. but before you scramble to buy up more tickets one mathematician is warning that the odds are not in our favor. you are about 50 times more likely to get hit by lightning than to win this jackpot. prosecutors in the trayvon martin case say they will try to block the release of any more tapes or documents until their investigation is complete. six minutes of police surveillance tape has been made public after nbc and other news organizations filed a freedom of information request. the video shows george zimmerman arriving at police headquarters shortly after he shot and killed martin, an unarmed teenager. the martin family's attorney says there's no visible evidence of the injuries that zimmerman's attorney said prove his client acted in self-defense. but last night zimmerman's brother said the tape does appear to show a swollen nose. governors from three beef producing states defended the ground beef filler known as pink

slime during a tour of the last plant in the u.s. that's still making the ammonia-treated product. supermarket chains have been dropping the finely textured lean beef because of an online consumer backlash. federal health officials say a sharp increase in the number of autism cases in the u.s. is due in part to wider screening and better diagnosis. the cdc reported thursday that about 1 in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder. that is a 23% increase from 2006. the report also says autism was five times more common in boys than in girls. and that the biggest jump was among hispanic children. honda is recalling more than a half million sport utility vehicles in the united states to check for faulty wiring that could cause low beam head lights to malfunction. the recall covers cr-v suvs from the years 2002 to 2004. and pilot suvs from 2003. honda says it has no reports of crashes or injuries related to this recall.

let's get the rest of the economic news. we'll head to wall street and cnbc's mary thompson is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. mary, good morning. >> good morning to you, savannah. following complaints about long hours and low wages, apple supplier foxconn is going to be improving the living and working condition of chinese employees who assemble iphones and ipads. here at home an fda advisory panel recommending additional testing for obesity drugs. they want to make sure they don't cause heart attacks. this could lead to higher costs for drugs treating the roughly 33% of americans who are obese. today is the last trading day of the first quarter on track to be the dow's best quarter since 1998. >> mary thompson on wall street this morning. thank you. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. well just days after joining an online scrapbook president obama is catching some good-natured heat. he posted a family recipe for chili, always a topic of culinary debate.

and some users cannot believe the president adds red wine vinegar to his mix. others contend he does not throw in enough spice. bruce springsteen shows he's no germophobe in this youtube video. he waded into the crowd while singing raise your hands. and when bruce sat down a fan handed him a half empty beer, which the boss proceeded to chug down before resuming the song and the rest of the nearly three-hour show. and after we reported this story on thursday, police in maryland released the dash cam video of batman being pulled over because he had a bat symbol for his license plate on that lamborghi lamborghini. >> talking about batman. >> black lamborghini and a guy dressed as batman. >> you can send me robin if you wish. >> guess they don't get that call every day. the caped crusader is a businessman. he dresses up as batman to visit sick children in area hospitals. it is now 8:06.

back to ann and hoda. >> that is unusual. >> i like it. >> unusual. maria larosa is in for al this morning. >> good morning, guys. i have a young lady here, a little brave for wearing the hat. i know it's still technically off-season. where are you from? >> i'm from michigan. but i'm a boston fan. >> okay. let's take a look at one of our pick cities and head to west virginia. huntington, west virginia, afternoon showers and thunderstorms. all the way up to 76 degrees. we do have a storm system that comes through chicago, eventually producing snow in parts of the northeast and also today in parts of the ohio valley including a tornado risk. so watch that. also in parts of oklahoma and texas, could see some very strong thunderstorms. drying out again across parts of central and southern california.

>> as the sign says. holler at hoda. >> thanks, maria. all right coming up we're going to tell you what's in, what's up, what the best things are in fashion, music and movies, all coming up, right after this. spring only shows up once a year. what are we going to do about it? here's to more saturdays in the sun, and budgets better spent. here's to black friday prices that turn more shoppers into savers. 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's the power of the home depot. black friday is back. now through wednesday save on these top brand project starters, just $8 each. [ chuckles ] isn't easter fun, red? [ grunts ] not from my perspective! ♪

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common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. now back with a special hollywood edition of what's new, what's in and what's up. we have three experts ready to give us the scoop on what's hot when it comes to celebrity fashion, gossip and a lot more. >> that's right, hoda. but first up we've got celebrity news. the editor of the journal joining us this morning. lola, good morning. >> good morning. >> first up you want to talk about something she's posted on twitter. >> she's tweeted a photo of her and her fiance. people thought it was her official engagement photo. it's not. she's high on life right now. she's excited about everything. she's tweeted a photo of her

cleavage and said i got swagger with my pregnant self. so tmi, she's sharing it all. i never thought i'd say this, snooki is having a good moment. her career is booming, she's pregnant and she's engaged. so snooki is having a good moment. >> meantime another big name, kristen stewart. i'm still reading "the hunger games." but there's another book that's being made into a movie, and it will be surprised for people to think that kristen stewart would be connected to it. >> 50 shades of grey, the raciest book on shelves right now. it's at the top of all the best-sellers list and when i say it's juicy, it is juicy. it will be hard for them to get an "r" rating for this film as it is right now. kristen stewart expressed interest and they're also batting around robert pattinson's name. you know the two of them are a couple in real life, a couple on twilight. people are saying maybe they'll be a couple for this movie "fifty shades of grey." i'm thinking they should go ryan gosling and starlet johansson. or maybe even jennifer lawrence.

>> okay. so let's talk about hilary duff who is also tweeting. she's just had a baby. >> just had a baby last week. but she's not letting motherhood slow her down at all. she is up and about. she was at a hair salon the other day getting dolled up and ready to go. she's clearly committed to being a yummy mummy. >> all right. okay. and there's also some possibility that this may finally be a new beginning for lindsay lohan? >> she's finally off of official probation. she no longer has to work at the morgue, no longer court-ordered therapy. she's free. she's on unofficial probation for the next two and a half years she has to be on her best behavio behavior. one of the things the judge said was stop night clubbing and focus on your work. if she follows that could be the beginning of a new career. >> lola, thank you so much. for catching us up on all the information. i'm not sure we really need to

know. >> it's fun. >> it is. now here's hoda. >> all right, thank you. what is up in the world of movies and music, the editor of billboard magazine, looking very nice, joe. >> thank you, you too. >> let's get to the movies. the wrath of the titans. this is one of the big 3-d epic movies. >> "wrath of the titans" opens this weekend. two years ago we had "clash of the titans." this one they shot in 3-d. this is for the boys. this is say monster movie. it's the greek myth come to life. and it could make as much as $50 million this weekend. but, the i'm max ticket costs a lot more. so that number gets inflated. >> another movie is "bully" and it's a documentary. >> that's right. >> it's not rated i understand. >> it's not rated. the mpaa -- this is say documentary film chronicling kids who have a tough time in school. it's a real-life story, out of the news. and it's incredibly moving. because it has the "f" word in

it a couple of times it was going to get an "r" rating. they released it without a rating because they want kids to be able to see this movie. but it's a movie parents should take their kids to. >> i heard a kid if you're in school you hear much more stuff. >> they're so worried about kids seeing this movie and kids live this movie. this is language they've heard, these are things that happen to them. >> "the hunger games," i just saw it yesterday. we kind of get why it's such a blockbuster. is it going to be number one? >> oh, god yes. you cannot stop this movie. third biggest opening in movie history. this weekend it will probably take in another $50 million to $70 million. this is the kind of movie that people love so much they're going to go see it a second time. >> got it. let's talk music. nicki minaj has a new album out on tuesday. there's a single that we're going to play called starship. take a listen. ♪ i could do this, okay. talk to us about this song. >> this is her pop side. she wants the katy perry reryana

audience. it's about half hard core rap in the front and gets to the dance stuff further in. the dance stuff is really fun, really silly, really light. >> rascal flatts has another studio album out as well. that's going to be a winner. and that's just for one second, listen. ♪ beautiful. and can i just give my own plug for tuskegee by lionel richie. >> yes. >> that's the best cd ever. >> that is him dueting with country stars you really love. and he's got everybody on there. it's his songs done in a new way. >> love it. all right, joe, thanks so much for coming to see us. all right we're going to head it down to savannah. >> hoda, thanks. finally what's in when it comes to celebrity style. liliana vasquez is a style expert. good morning it's good to see you. >> good morning. >> okay, a lot of stars are pregnant right now. >> yes. massive baby bumps. so i'm calling this the baby

bjorn. yesterday you saw pictures of beyonce sporting the baby bjorn in what looked to be like fur or faux fur. a lot of the mom bloggers are saying it was a baby bjorn covered with a fur infinity scarf. orlando bloom, even celebrity dads. >> and alicia silverstone >> yes. >> both of us are into the next trend florals are everywhere. >> you're wearing it in your shoes. i've got it on my dress. my favorite floor piece for the spring is the glorl blazer here. this one is from rebecca minkoff. updated for spring and floral. this is the budget buy from zara. you can get in for under $100. >> both adorable. >> fanny jo. hottest celebrity designer right now. oprah winfrey is a fan. jane krakowski is a fan, beyonce, kim kardashian. these are kind of her signature pieces. this is say little pricey at about $500. this is only $48.

>> and retro sunglasses. >> rihanna is a huge fan of these. these are from karen walker, start at $180. go up to $280. >> we all love the mad men look. how does this work? celebrity bun maker? >> celebrities are loving the top knot. i'm sporting it right now. this is from conair. it's the bun maker. pull your ponytail through it then you waterfall the hair around it kind of like i have here and you use the pins to secure it and you create this big, giant bouffant. >> and voila. >> liliana is rocking the bun. >> thank you so much. >> coming up next, the young bride who was paralyzed at her bachelorette party. encouraging news on her recovery.

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battle speech right? may i? capital one is issuing a venture double miles challenge. show us how much you spent last year and we'll give you 2 miles for every dollar spent on your travel reward card. up to 100,000 miles! hawaii, here we come. claim your miles at capitalone.com today! what's in your wallet? can you play games on that? not on the runway. no.

♪ my heart skips a beat ♪ my heart is playing tricks on me ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing new special k granola bars. ♪ i can't break through with 4 grams of protein. and 4 grams of fiber. finally, a granola bar that makes your heart skip a beat. a snack that loves you back. what will you gain when you lose? ♪ ...skips a beat back at 8:20 on this friday morning, on "today's" update, the young woman who was barrelized in an accident at her bachelorette party.

we're going to talk to rachelle chapman and her husband in a moment. but first we caught up with rachelle at project walk, a rehab facility in san diego, dedicated to helping people with spinal cord injuries. this is another milestone for rachelle chapman, standing and walking with the help of specialized machines. >> i feel a big difference. i'm obviously not walking, but i mean my upper body is infinitely stronger. my core is getting stronger, which helps me so much in my daily life. >> reporter: this is rachelle's second visit here. she's already seeing signs of progress. >> it certainly doesn't feel like it used to feel. but it brings it back, makes your mind remember when it felt like to stand up. >> reporter: it's been nearly two years since rachelle's life was changed forever. it happened at her bachelorette party when one of her friends playfully pushed her into a swimming pool. she ended up with a c-6 spinal cord injury, paralyzed from the collar bone down. since then she's gotten married to her longtime sweetheart.

honeymooned in fiji and had her house remodeled to be more wheelchair accessible. but there's still a lot left to accomplish and therapist kimberly davis says rachelle's positive outlook is helping her succeed. >> her laugh is infectious. her attitude is second to none. if she's not able to perform an exercise she never gets frustrated. she only works, what do we need to work on for me to be successful. >> reporter: davis says while being able to walk is again the ultimate goal, it's not the only one. >> you think, okay, you're paralyzed when will you be able to walk again. what about when will you be able to brush your teeth again? when will you be able to get out of the chair on her own and get into bed on her own? >> reporter: and just like a lot of young wives, rachelle says she and chris are hoping to add to their family. her therapist and friend says that's what she's working toward, as well. >> to be able to start a family would be one of my biggest goals for rachelle. not only because i know how important it is for her, but i believe that she deserves that. and i know that she and chris would be wonderful parents.

>> rachelle and chris chapman, good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> last time we talked to you you were just back from fiji. so you sort of experienced your first year of marriage together. more or less challenging than you thought? >> i mean, we've been together for six years. i kind of have the hang of him. so we're good. >> how about for you? >> it's been wonderful. we had the opportunity to do so many things. we just keep working. >> i've got to tell you the part that struck me the most in that tape was you standing upright, with the help again of assistance, being able to sort of put one foot in front of the other. what did that feel like for you? >> it's so hard to explain. but i mean, it feels amazing. i would have never even had the opportunity to go there without walking with anthony, which is an organization that sent me there. and i mean, to have the opportunity to be able to go to a place like that, and stand, i mean, it's so good for your body. >> you talk about baby steps. what sorts of changes have you seen in terms of improvement for

you and how you get your mobility and how you get around things like that? >> oh, gosh. i mean, i'm pushing up ramps so much better. just my upper body is a lot better. i don't look weak, i look strong and i'm able to sit up better and do things on my own a lot more. >> and driving a car. i mean -- >> yes. >> that was surprising. i said wow, this girl is behind the wheel. tell us about how that came about. >> well, it is scary at first because you have to drive with your hands, not with your feet. but i mean, i was right out on the road, and i'm excited to drive my new van that i got. i'm so excited. >> how is she at driving? >> i'm a little nervous. i'm a little nervous. but i think it's wonderful. this is a big step towards independence. i've gotten very protective of her, obviously, since the accident but i think it's really exciting. it will be great. >> you don't waste a second, rachelle. i can point out. you're always busy. you're talking about writing a book. i love the working title. >> with a possible title, i like

the idea of calling it hot, sexy and rolling on 24s. it's not just the story of my life, it's my, you know, my injury and us but also a story about you can be sexy and you can pretty in a wheelchair. you can have confidence, you know. we're just normal people, and no matter what -- no matter who you are or what situation you're in you can have confidence. >> one of the other things you're doing, you have a children's book basically to show kids, we only have a couple of seconds, but it helps children understand spinal cord injuries and it's called "new opportunities." we want to thank both of you for coming. we're so happy that you're feeling better. >> thank you.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> i am sarah caldwell. let's look at your morning commute. a few accidents we are tracking. walther ave in catonsville, that want involves a pedestrian. 18 miles per hour on the north side. inner loop traffic from greenspring towards the j.f.x., running slow. outer loop from security down to edmondson, 21 miles per hour. another one is coming in at waterloo road and washington boulevard. coca-cola drive and park circle drive, watch for an accident.

delays on 95 and 395 inbound towards conaway. baltimore national pike, you can see there are delays on the west side. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we have sun this morning, clouds to the west. a few showers and sprinkles. rain chance this will be increasing later on today. temperatures started out frosty this morning. 39 degrees. weather system out west. rain chance this will be going up. we will see a mixture of sunshine and clouds. winds will devour all at about 10 miles per hour -- winds will be variable at 10 miles per hour. is chances in the mountains to the west. plenty of sunshine until we hit the evening hours. 59 today to near 60. close to that on saturday as well. rain chance in the morning

hours, sunshine tries to break through by the end of the day. sunday it looks good and monday as well. >> another update at 8:56. 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.

it's 8:30 now on a friday morning. the 30th day of march, 2012. everyone is getting a jump-start on their weekend plans at our little corner here in rockefeller plaza. we're excited to have everyone here. a lot of them part of our whirlwind spring break. i'm ann curry along side hoda kotb and savannah guthrie. and also natalie, as well. coming up in this half hour we want to mention that -- natalie

and al have the morning off. natalie is on is aassignment. we'll be talking about the keys to a better marriage. we've got some experts telling us about some interesting results of a "today."com survey of men and women on everything from communication to intimacy and we're going to talk about how to deal with those issues so that people can have better relationships. >> remember that meltdown that the jetblue pilot had. you wonder what impact it's going to have on the company itself or what impact, let's say, charles barkley dressing up in drag will have an dishwashers. it's all about brand name. once again, donny deutsch. is going to take us through all these different -- >> okay. >> and then just ahead, what is hot in shoes this season. flats, wedges, it's flowers, it's leopard print. we will get all the latest on what you should be wearing this spring. >> but first a check of the weather from maria larosa who is in for al this morning. hey, maria.

>> good morning, guys. it's a little chilly here in the northeast. spring break i'm guessing? >> yes. >> and you're from san diego. >> san diego state university. >> how's it been there so far this year? >> it's been a lot of fun. >> welcome to new york. let's get you in to the weekend. of course a lot going on weatherwise. we could potentially see some snow from the catskills and berkshires in the northeast, maybe a little bit of rain, as well. showers and thunderstorms continue across the southeast. once again, record highs through the central and northern plains. that continues even on into sunday. of course still keeping an eye on the pacific northwest, with continue rain and mountain snown

>> you can get a look at your local forecast any time at the weather channel and weather.com. let's check in with willard. >> the beautiful sunshine state. that's why they call it that. how nice to have the sun beating down on your head. smucker's is alive and well and we have birthday buddies for you this morning. sam norton, new rochelle, new york. 100 years old today. my kind of guy. two scoops of butter pecan ice cream every night before he goes to bed. and every morning before i get up, i have two scoops. i love that. we have frances cardillo from oakdale, pennsylvania. always very excited to go shopping and hit the slots at the casino. that's good. i like that one.

i'm not a big gambler but i like it. proctor green, monroe, louisiana, is 101 years old today. loves to recite poetry, and is a very caring person with a very caring heart. nice thing to say about somebody. albert and elizabeth newton of east providence, rhode island. they've been married 75 years. they say they've always been able to look out for each other. isn't that a nice sentiment? how many people can say they've been married 75 years? how many people have been married 35 years? marry altman of hancock, michigan is 105. and she absolutely is proud of her world war ii service, and she was a nurse for many, many years. that's good news, too. appreciate that. and, frank sechlt mola of williamstown, new jersey. is 107 years old. and he is a very talented

musician and can play many songs on the ukulele. yes, sir. wish i could play it. now back to new york city. >> all right, willard, thank you so much. coming up next. but first this is "today" on nbc.

sfoet love and marriage love and marriage ♪ that's they go together like a horse and carriage ♪ >> don't we wish. back at 8:37. this morning on "today's" marriage council, avoiding pitfalls between managing children, running household and career, many couples find little time to work on the seeds of their marriage. here to help us is a clinical psychologist and the author of the self-centered marriage. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> so our staff at today.com conducted a survey, not a

scientific study but it's interesting to take a look at the findings and they have a graphic to show us, when an issue arises in your marriage, how do you communicate? 60% of women said they address the problem head-on and get the issues into the open. 31% said they drop sult hints and 8% say they ignore it and hope it goes away. if you look at how men responded. just 44% said they address the problem head-on. in fact, 36% said that they ignore it, and hope the problem goes away and 20% said they drop subtle hints. judith, this -- try to explain this discrepancy. >> one person said it's a relationship tinder in the marriage. what they're not saying is does addressing your problem head-on mean i complain to you about what's wrong with you and i tell you how you better shape up? because although that's a kind of communication, it's not what we're looking for to build a relationship. >> mm-hmm.

it -- >> let me tell you what you need to do. >> got the finger pointing. >> because i tell you, we can't do that, right? you don't even like the word communication. you say this creates -- >> certainly people don't have a communication problem. we're always communicate iing. my wife sighs. i say what. nothing. you just wrote a novel with that sigh. you're communicating something. what we're really talking about is connections. and so like you said, pointing -- did you see your reaction when you pointed. >> and we verbally point a lot. so the point for us is how can i raise my concerns, my issues, and build the connection between us? >> well, what's the answer to that? because i think what we're hearing is a very different response to the same thing. >> there's one answer to this. i need to learn to represent myself without expecting or needing a particular response from you. so look, i'm not sure how you're going to respond to this. i want you to respond a certain way but i don't need that. but i am going to let you know

how i feel. how your behavior affects me. >> let me see if i can translate that a little bit. i want to say to you, i was disappointed last night. >> right. >> when you didn't do mary's homework and i don't want to hear back from you defensively, i always do her homework, i did it last night. i want to know from you, i see i let you down. that's a nondefensive communication. >> no, it's not because you're telling him exactly what you want him to say, judith. you're telling him i want you to say this. that's not fair. >> i'm telling how. i'm telling how. >> how do you think she should have asked that question? >> i'm not sure how you're going to respond to this but i do need to let you know this. i'm not going to go any longer in our marriage holding back things that are really true to me and how i feel. because at the very least i want you to know me. all right? >> but what she wants is she wants you to help mary with her homework. >> no, not quite. what i want, i think what you'd like to hear back if i got it right, what you'd like to hear back is, you disappointed i didn't help mary with her homework let me at least think

that over. i can say why it's disappointing. that's all. >> but wanting a particular response is from needing one. like with sex, if i approach her in a very vulnerable state and say i've been thinking about you all day, and i want you. now, that doesn't guarantee she's going to say yes. >> it definitely increases the odds. >> it increases the odds. >> you said it in a very great way. men take note, that's the way to say it. >> that will be a little voyeuristic for everybody. >> i think that might have been. >> in terms of intimacy, there are differences, it does seem, between how men and women approach it and what they define as intimacy. sometimes i think you were talking about this earlier, that there's a sliding scale of intimacy. that women have one definition versus the men. >> i think men tend to be shall we say goal oriented when it comes to intimacy. and a man who approaches a woman the way hal just suggested,

which is, i've been thinking about you all day, it started with my brain, that man has a lot better opportunity, that's intimacy as the big umbrella. >> but he does it with a kiss. >> i appreciate that. but it starts with a fabulous kiss. >> this is to be continued. we're not solving the problems. but certainly got that conversation started. judith and hal, thank you so much. great kmpgss. i hope mary gets help with her homework. coming up next from a bald barbie to charles barkley in drag. donny deutsch breaks down the newest ad campaigns that have people talking. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:44 with behind the brand with our friend donny deutsch. which ads and promotional campaigns are making the grade? which ones need some

improvement. donny deutsch is the chairman of the advertising giant deutscheincorporated. >> i'm confused. i thought we were answering relationship questions. >> no, that's going to be later. you're always right. let's talk jetblue. a lot of press when the jetblue pilot went a little bit crazy and jetblue had to quickly jump in and see how they would trouble-shoot. how do you think they handled it? >> from the ceo point of view, he got out in front of it, said i've known this pilot for years, didn't throw him under the bus. he didn't do that, though. jetblew had the flight attendant that went off the rails. the average consumer is smart, they know anything can happen to any airline. but this one airline with their personnel kind of going off the rails, i think it's going to give people enough of a pause to go whoa, if there are two airlines going to the same place, i don't need these headaches. one more person comes unhinged on jetblue that's going to affect them. i give an "a" to the pilot to the ceo who got out in front of

it. but they get an incomplete. this is not over for them. >> do you think they're going to have to make it really clear they screen very well -- >> they all have the same thing. but once again, once okay, twice, three times. think about yourself as a consumer. if you're looking at the flight schedules, you go oh, i don't need it. i'd be a little concerned. >> next up let's talk skittles. skittles obviously has become really kind of a symbol in the whole trayvon martin case. a symbol of racial injustice. you see people holding up the bags of skittles in their hands and it early means something. now let's take frite skittles' point of view. how do you look at this? >> you put your head down and you wait for it to go away. the worst thing that they could do is some people go oh, they should get involved and donate to charity and become -- you don't want to do it for two reasons. number one you keep getting associated with this horrific incident. number two, you could look exploitive. this happens to brands but i promise you they will do nothing. just let it pass. >> let me ask you this, let's pretend a story comes up tomorrow that says skittles

profits have gone up 10% because of this trayvon martin case. what thud shea do? >> the same thing. put your head down, let it pass. what does that say -- what are you going to do with that, start marketing to potential killers? what are you going to do, there's nothing to do with it. >> does it look like you're banking on this kind of thing and should you take that 10% and say we're going to give all the profits we got? >> even then i think that looks exploitive. that's going to pass. in a situation like this where you're a brand and there's something so terrible associated with you, you don't touch it, you wait for it. >> grade, what do you give them? >> as far as what they've done i've got to give them a "b plus." we'll see what happens. >> weight watchers, this one we're going to differ on. charles barkley is dressed in drag, and this is his way of selling weight watchers. i think to men. is that the goal? >> well, i couldn't be objective. this is a brilliant campaign. obviously any man on a weight loss program, it seems a little

feminine. of course a guy is on weight watchers. you take an oaf of a guy who you want to have say beer with, he's walking into it and saying hey, i'm not afraid to do what is traditionally a woman's thing, lose like a man. they will get a spike in sales. >> i know he'll get a lot of buzz. honestly, do you think a joe blow guy who is thinking about dropping weight looks at that ad and says hey -- >> you give people permission to act. for a man, i necessarily wouldn't want to do it. barkley's doing it and taking it to the next level. personally i was worked up so i can't be objective. i'm a deeply troubled man. which is why i come on television, it's more therapeutic, i air things out. >> this is your own personal therapy session. lastly, iconic brand barbie. there was a big facebook campaign that asked that there be a bald barbie so that you could kind of give selections to patients of cancer. barbie ended up making a bald barbie and giving it away at

hospitals. >> fantastic. obviously you've got a sick child. nothing worse in the world. all of a sudden that little sick child that's going through treatment can say, wow, i'm normal. there's barbies like me. they got a little slack that a didn't put them in the stores. they did the right thing. it's called direct marketing, target marketing, right where they could be used. you go mattel. >> donny, thanks. up next the must-have shoes for the spring. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ >> this morning on "today's style," the hottest shoe trends. we already know that neon is in when it comes to your wardrobe, so of course you need the right shoes to complete the look. and kathy post is the lifestyle editor for gilt.com. she joins us this morning looking quite fine. >> very nice. very nice. >> it is a crazy time for shoes. >> yes, yes. we are seeing so many amazing styles. everything we've seen on the runway and in the stars we're going to see in shoes. >> flats are in. flats are back. >> better than ever. women's feet out there are rejoicing. but the great news is you don't have to be -- to be comfy you don't have to be frumpy. we've got some amazing styles. plus we've got patterns.

major pattern in flats. starting with this little cute one. we've seen lots of leopard. here's a leopard applique. this is from urban outfitters just $34. and the great geometrics. this is tommy hilfiger just $59 from piperlime. and news flash, big trend alert, it's all about the loafer this season for a flat. >> really? >> these are by g.h. bass and co. >> i love these little things you can put on your shoes. >> you just snap them on, snap them off. >> oh, my gosh, they're cute. >> it's 11 shoes in one. >> i'd wear them on my ears. >> the problem with flats for me, i have a big foot like a size 9 1/2 or 10 and flats seem to make your feet look huge. >> well, this wonderful trend may be great for you. here you can see there's this pointy shoe. so we're seeing a flat that is

not so elongating and super comfortable. these are from made well. >> wouldn't you think the shorter front would be less elongating? >> it is funny. it's all about the eye. it draws your eye to the leg when you have a pointy flat. >> okay. let's move on because i've got to talk about these. >> the sandals. sort of think about the '70s. we're seeing a wonderful block heel. a stacked heel coming back. so much easier to walk on. and sort of a return to the single sole meaning no platform. so a four-inch heel is going to feel like a four-inch heel. these two great examples are from dara, under $100. if you can't give up your platforms these are also fantastic. >> those are great. >> we love the t-strap. these are from target, $24. but we're seeing a more futuristic t-strap. from boutique nine and zara. easy to wear. >> you know what never goes out, espadrilles. >> i know. and don't we love them.

these down here, every color of the rainbow, love them. they are actually made by a family business what's been making them since the 1800s in a small town in spain. espadrillestore.com. and they're only $25. >> look how cute. >> those are adorable. and they're inexpensive. >> and then if you want something a little sexier we've got an espadrille wedge from target. love the patent leather, $29. a grosgrain wrap up the leg from gap. and fantastic nude so that's very flattering. and then you've also got bold patterns in espadrilles. and these are from gee yeah. >> and the final trend, the best shoe to walk in on the planet, wedges. >> don't you love a wedge? we've got, you know, two trends. color blocking first. these from steve madden are a tone-on-tone. and they give you an extra several inches. >> mm-hmm. >> who doesn't like that. and then these -- >> okay. this is a family show.

>> oh, goodness. and these are from jessica simpson love these. and these wild shoes are by jeffrey campbell. little fashionistas running all over town in these. >> is that an easy heel to walk in? >> believe it or not it is. this looks like wood but it's actually rubber so it's quite comfortable. and jeffrey campbell. >> i love the cork. >> work is fantastic. it's actually naturally water proof so great for the rain. and it's neutral, looks great with everything. these are nautical stripes to a full-on cork shoe. >> you know a lot about corks, don't you? >> the wine jokes have stopped, okay? >> thank you for having me. >> all right. still just ahead the frenzy surrounding tonight's $550 million mega millions drawing. >> all of that is after your local news. grab that ticket.

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>> frosty this morning, near 64 the high.