good morning. breaking news. dramatic new video of that string of tornadoes touching down in texas. funnel clouds tossing tractor trailers into the air like toys. more than 600 homes destroyed, and the threat is not over yet. al's there live. locked up. mitt romney wins all three primaries in wisconsin, maryland, anwashington, d.c. making it virtually impossible for any of his challengers to take the gop nomination. as president obama levels his first direct criticism at his likely challenger. is the general election on? and seacrest. between "american idol" and his entertainment empire he's one of the busiest men in hollywood. but does ryan seacrest have his eye on something else?

we'll ask him when he joins us live "today," wednesday, april we'll ask him when he joins us live "today," wednesday, april 4th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. a lot to get to this morning. first, take a look at the widespread damage in north texas this morning caused by more than a dozen tornadoes described as large and extremely dangerous. and when you see the destruction you've got to wonder how is it possible that no one was actually killed or even seriously hurt. >> that's right. the sheer power of the storms was captured live on television as one hit a trucking company. huge tractor trailers were lifted hundreds of feet into the air. coming up we'll get the very latest in some live reports from al roker and lester holt and we'll talk to a family, they found shelter in their bathroom

as the tornado hit their house. >> that's right. they were lucky. and also lucky was a woman who, after a car plowed into a star, she was narrowly missed by that car, as she stood at the checkout counter. you can see the pictures are dramatic. we're going to have -- oh, my goodness and it backs out and she barely gets out of the way. we'll have more about that coming up. >> plus what made him change his mind? donald trump has now reversed a decision by his miss universe organization, and they will allow a transgender contestant to compete for the crown. we're going to be hearing from both sides, and as you might imagine that one is making some headlines. as we mentioned, much to discuss with ryan seacrest. he's here for a live interview. he'll even be answering some of the questions that you have been tweeting us. so we'll get to that in just a little while. >> let's begin with those tornadoes, however, in texas. ear going to check in with al in hard-hit arlington in just a moment. first let's start with nbc's lester holt who is in lancaster, texas. lester, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. this picture of a car, two cars into a house tells you all you

need to know about the power of the tornadoes. there were at least a dozen that swept through the dallas region yesterday. here in lancaster, at least 300 homes destroyed. there were a number of people hurt. a few quite seriously. it's remarkable there weren't more. it's probably because people knew they were coming. and so did people around the country, who watched a lot of the drama of this, including those flying tractor trailers, play out on live tv. dramatic amateur video provides this rare, up-close look at the strength of the violent tornadoes that ripped through the dallas area. >> look at it! >> i can't believe this. >> reporter: the scene on tuesday unfolded on live television as the massive funnel cloud moved through. those objects being thrown in the air -- big rig trucks. >> it's throwing 18 wheelers. >> it's not unusual to get tornadic storms in the southern plains in april, what's unusual is that these storms found that tiny little spot of land where 6

million people live. >> reporter: the tornadoes missed the city of dallas but cut a destructive path across the metropolitan area. the fourth largest in the country. more than a dozen people were injured, including two residents of this arlington nursing home, after swirling winds clipped the building. >> sounded like a train. >> reporter: no fatalities have been reported but this aerial pictures show the extent of the damage. debris as far as the eye can see. and residents left to pick up the pieces. >> our whole house is gone. >> my son could have been upstairs in his room. that room is gone. i don't know how you go on. i'm sure you will. but, i mean, look at this. there's not a wall. >> reporter: the strong, fast-moving storm blasted the schneider national trucking operating center in an industrial section of dallas. littering its parking lot with overturned tractor trailers. air traffic at dallas-ft. worth international airport was

grounded. over 600 flights canceled. more than 110 planes were damaged by severe hail, the size of softballs. >> right over here behind us is the cedar valley christian center. there were a couple of dozen kids inside of this place. >> reporter: the storm struck at lunch time, sending area schools into lockdown mode. and anxious parents in search of their frightened children. donny walker lived in this house in hard-hit lancaster, texas, for his entire adult life. he rode the storm out in his bathroom. >> in the bathtub, underneath this ironing board. so that if anything fell, the iron board will cushion it. >> reporter: his house was destroyed by the storm. though still in disbelief, he feels blessed that he's okay. >> forgive me if i'm trying to read these messages from my family members. >> reporter: during live coverage on msnbc, anchor tamron hall was messaging her family in

the dallas area, in the line of the storm. >> my brother's bank of employment, as well, on lockdown. >> reporter: and mike napoli, the catcher for the texas rangers, tweeted this video taken from the rangers dugout, as heavy winds and rain blew the tarp across the field. a state of emergency was issued in arlington, where this amateur video captured the ominous scene from the ground. wes stevens was on his way to a meeting when he saw the first sign of the storm coming. >> pulled over. i thought well, gosh, i better film this. >> reporter: the fact that people survived damage like what you're about to see here in lancaster can be credited much to the reverse 911 system here, and across the region, in which the police and emergency actually called people and texted people on their cell phones, alerting them of the approaching bad weather, and telling them to take cover. and ann this morning, lots of power still out. power crews busy at work trying to get everything turned back on. >> all right, lester, i'll take it. thank you very much.

lester holt in lancaster, texas. al roker is about 30 miles to the west in arlington, where 150 homes were damaged. al, good morning to you. >> well, good morning, matt. including this home. we're in the martins high school area in south arlington. this home was actually being renovated back here. you can see the blue tarp on it. and the family was living in this mobile home. as you can see, the mobile home now destroyed. so the home all damaged, not being renovated, and the home they were living in completely wiped out. and the problem with this, this was a big storm system that really blew up very quickly. in fact, as you take a look, at least 19 storms, 19 tornadoes touched down around this region. in fact, at 8:00, the national weather service spotters will be going out from the national weather service office in fort worth to look at these storms. here's what happened yesterday. we had a big, deep upper level low, a lot of moisture. this is really moist air, dew

points at 60 -- in the 60 degree range, and cold core upper low, combining to bring in all that energy. well guess what? we have that same setup, not quite as bad today, but still, very potent, making its way a little further to the east all along the gulf coast, down into florida. that cold core low causing problems. we're looking for the possibility of severe storms stretching from new orleans all the way up to lexington, kentucky. in fact, we've had very heavy rain falling in louisiana, southern louisiana, flash floods going on. so we're going to be explaining that and telling you about that a little bit later on. but again the good news is here for the folks in the dallas-ft. worth area, the worst is certainly over. ann? >> all right, al, that's good news. thanks so much. one of the tornadoes went right through the home of lisa and ben, just south of fort worth. they're now joining us along with their two young daughters, abigail and alana. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> lisa, i understand you were at home with your two girls

when -- when you heard the warning. how did you hear the warning, and how much time, how much time -- time it it give you to prepare? >> well, i had saw the news that something was coming. and i had about three minutes to get inside. i went into the bathroom with the girls. i had already prepared a kit in there, and i knew what i was going to do so i grabbed the girls, and i grabbed some pots and pans to put over our heads. we got in there. about three minutes later it hit our house. >> describe riding out this storm with your two little gi s girls, lisa, in that bathroom. >> it was the most terrifying thing i have ever been through. i grabbed on to both kids, i mean so hard. i had no idea what was going on. when it hit our house, i heard a loud thud, a crash, and all of a sudden wind was coming through my house, i couldn't see anything, because i was inside

the middle of the house in the bathroom. but, i held onto the girls, put a pan over their heads, blankets, and just prayed. just prayed. >> you mention survival kit that you had in the bathroom. you actually put it in just the week before. did it come in handy? >> yes. i had baby bottles, i had diapers, i had snacks. flashlights. i mean, everything i needed to last me a day if i needed to. and we used a lot of the stuff in that kit. thank god i had a plan and thank god we got in there in the time we did. >> ben, you have a very smart wife, first of all. she knew where to run. she knew to be prepared. right, with having a survival kit already in the bathroom. how did you first hear about this? because you weren't home at the time. >> right. no, we were -- i was in a meeting in a large office building, and we had started our meeting about 10:00 in the morning. and even to the point that we had lunch brought in and

everything, and we never left the room. there was no window access, no tvs, anything, so we didn't learn about the storms until about 1:00, which was after it came and hit the house. and i'm from texas, grew up here, so we're kind of used to these storms blowing in and stuff. lisa is from massachusetts and i knew she's not, you know -- she's only been here for a few years. and she's been through one or two but nothing like what we had yesterday. so i ran and got my phone and got a hold of her after a few minutes of pretty bad cell service coming through yesterday. but, got a hold of her, and you know, she remembered from some of the stuff that we've talked about on a couple other storms that have come through and very happy she put the plan in action, and followed it through and kept everybody very safe. >> ben and lisa, you've got your hands full but i know you're feeling very lucky this morning. thank you so much for joining us. good luck to you. >> thank you. thank you. >> it is now 7:11. once again here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you very much. let's turn to politics and the gop presidential race. mitt romney scored a clean sweep

in tuesday's primaries in wisconsin, maryland, and the district of columbia. he now has 573 delegates. that's more than half of the total needed to secure the republican nomination. nbc's peter alexander is in milwaukee with details. peter, good morning. >> matt, good morning to you. that strong performance in the eyes of most observers cemented mitt romney's position as the likely republican nominee. last night he captured three more states, and perhaps as importantly, the attention of president obama. >> thank you, guys. thanks for the victory in wisconsin, and maryland, and district of columbia. >> reporter: celebrating a decisive primary day sweep that extended his lead in the delegate race, mitt romney is already looking ahead to the next set of primary contests later this month. >> i'm asking the good people of pennsylvania, new york, rhode island, delaware, and connecticut to join me. join me in the next step toward that destination of november

6th. >> it is great to be home. >> reporter: for his part, rick santorum is already in pennsylvania. the state's former senator defiantly insisting the republican race has just reached halftime. >> the clock starts tonight. we've got three weeks to go out here in pennsylvania. and win this state, and after winning this state, the field looks a little different in may. >> reporter: romney ignored santorum entirely, focusing his attention on the president, trying to turn the tables, claiming mr. obama's the one who is out of touch with average americans. >> it's enough to make you think that years of flying around in air force one, surrounded by an adoring staff of true believers, telling you that you're great and you're doing a great job, it's enough to make you think that you might become a little out of touch with that. >> one of my potential opponents, governor romney -- >> reporter: but previewing his re-election argument in a speech to the associated press, the president for the first time directly addressed his likely republican challenger, criticizing romney for his

support of republican congressman paul ryan's budget plan. >> it is really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country, thinly veiled social darwinism. an think threat cal to our entire history. >> reporter: the president even referred to romney with sarcasm to drive his point home. >> he even called it marvelous which is a word you don't often here when it comes to describing a budget. a word you don't often hear generally. >> reporter: but bloggers quickly pointed out that the president has used that word, too. >> it is right for us to celebrate dr. king's marvelous or ratory. >> reporter: neither newt gingrich nor rick santorum has indicated any new plans to get out of this race. even after mitt romney's speech last night, his advisers continued to go after the president. one strategist telling us that mr. obama's re-election team is more obsessed with mitt romney than creating new jobs.

>> peter alexander in milwaukee, wisconsin, this morning. peter, thanks a lot. >> a lot of other top stories to get to. savannah guthrie is in for natalie this morning. good morning. >> good morning to you. topping our news, at least three nato service members have been killed this morning in a bombing in northern afghanistan. nearly 100 nato service members have been killed so far this year in afghanistan. more than half of them americans. back here, a frienting accident in mid town manhattan. a massive crane snapped and crashed to the ground killing one construction worker and injuring four others tuesday night. investigators are looking for what caused the 170-foot crane to crash into two pieces. several workers had to be rescued from the construction site 60 feet below ground. five students in california were sent to the hospital tuesday night after campus police at santa monica college used pepper spray on protesters there. some 200 students were demanding to be let into a board meeting to protest tuition hikes. students call it excessive

force. campus police are investigating the incident but say that controlling the crowd become an issue of safety. the fda is investigating a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 90 people across 19 states and the district of columbia. no deaths have been reported, but at least seven people have been hospitalized due to the outbreak, which may be linked to sushi. investigators are focusing on six groups of restaurants in texas, wisconsin, maryland, rhode island, and connecticut. let's get to wall street now. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. courtney, good morning. >> good morning to you, savannah. moody's has downgraded credit rating on general electric by one notch to double-a-3. moody says this new rating better reflects the risk profile of ge. ge, however says that its capital and liquidity have never been better and it's simply a change in methodology. general electric is a part owner of nbc universal. elsewhere the fda has found versions of the breast cancer drug avastin and is warning

hospitals and doctors to only use approved products. savannah? >> courtney reagan in washington. thank you so much. the baylor lady bears finished a perfect season last night, beating notre dame 80-61 to take home the ncaa title. that victory makes baylor the first college team, men or women, to complete a 40-0 perfect season. and a close call in connecticut caught on tape. a suspected drunk driver came barreling through the door of a convenience store monday night. that is janiah peterson at the register there with some very quick reflexes. she jumped out of the way as the suv reversed, and then backed out of the store. the driver is now facing charges. it's 7:18. back to matt and ann. she was actually buying a lottery ticket at the time. >> i hope she wins. >> but she's lucky to be alive. >> she takes one step back at the wrong time there, that ends completely differently. what a terrible story. >> meantime, go baylor. >> that's good. 40-0, huh? the lady bears. good for them.

let's go back right now to arlington, texas. al has been down there covering these tornadoes. we've got the rest of the forecast now. what parts of the south under the gun today, al? >> well, matt, the area we just showed you, the lower mississippi river valley, really getting hammered right now. in fact, as we go to the radar, you can see heavy rain now making its way from eastern texas along southern louisiana, including new orleans, we're talking about on ramp to i-10 shut down. a lot of big airport delays coming in and out of new orleans. we're talking anywhere from two to three inches of rain. and there's another batch of rain that's expected in the next few hours, as well. as we look at the rest of the country, you can see that risk of strong storms in the southern and central mississippi river valley. we're looking at some flurries in northern new england. showers make their way into the pacific northwest. windy conditions southern california. plenty of warm sunshine making its way from west texas into the southwest. >> good morning.

we're waking up to a mild conditions. clouds are increasing. we will see clouds into the afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. we've been talking about these tornadoes, and if it seems like this year we've been talking about them a lot, you're right. we're at just the beginning of a very unusual year. an act of nature with horrific effects. 18 wheelers blown around like leaves. >> this is something i have never seen before. >> homes lived in for years, flattened in an instant.

>> my roots, and my family's roots, and it means something to me. >> reporter: in a typical year the united states sees about 800 tornadoes. this spring has been hardly typical. >> so far this year it has been pretty busy. we're running about 50% above average for the number of tornadoes thus far this year. >> reporter: the power of a tornado develops when the energy of a thunderstorm gets stacked into an upward spiral. as the column of air stretches between ground and sky, wind speed can reach up to 250 miles per hour. >> oh, my god! >> we've had record heat, so often, so that warmth is a big ingredient that provides the instability for the storm. >> reporter: in their path, tornadoes have been taking a devastating toll this year. from texas to illinois. dozens of fatalities, millions of dollars in damage, and still months left in the tornado season. as total as the devastation these storms may seem, what they lay bare in their survivors is

just as powerful. when henryville, indiana, was blasted in march, one courageous mom protected her kids with her body. it cost her parts of both legs. a price stephanie decker was willing to pay. >> i love you. the biggest reason i fought for is for my children. and i'm just so thankful that they lived and they didn't have a scratch on them. >> and, matt and ann, last april you'll remember we had a record month for -- for tornadoes in april. 758 tornadoes last april. hopefully we're not on track for that this year. back to you. >> exactly, al. thank you so much for that. and just ahead we want to mention that it's been a pretty doctoring morning around here on tuesday as you may remember with sarah palin as our guest host. some reaction, in fact a lot of it in fact has been mixed. we're going to tell you all about that.

>> also ryan seacrest. he's already got a couple of dream jobs. does he want something else? we'll talk to him about his future plans, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, u.s. olympic swimming great amanda beard opens up in a live interview about her battles with drug abuse, body image, and depression. >> and also coming up, donald trump's change of heart in weather a transgender beauty queen can compete in the miss universe pageant. [ man ] get the 20 piece mcnuggets. what? that lovely girl, caught your eye? 20 piece mcnuggets are only $4.99. you offer to share them. a conversation begins. that's pretty smart. i been around. [ male announcer ] 20 piece chicken mcnuggets only $4.99, just one of the awesome tastes available only on mcdonald's new extra value menu. the simple joy of being extra smart. i knew it'd be tough on our retirement savings,

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. aside from mitt romney's victory in maryland, there isn't another wind in the maryland primary. senator ben cardin took home a victory. with 100% of the precincts reporting.

chris garner took a 3% of the votes for the u.s. senate race. time for the morning commute. >> it is springbrook for many schools so we're not seeing the volume we normally see. you may tapping the brakes there. what in seven and brunswick street, looks for an accident on this side of the city. quick live look at traffic. baltimore national pike, normally a very heavy spot this hour. not the case at the moment. easing up from i-70 to this point. live view of traffic in the area of 95. southbound traffic looks a little heavier. the left lane is closed southbound. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are starting off the day mainly in the 50's.

54 in westminster. 48 in gaithersburg. we are starting off with a mild start and we are even warmer in the afternoon. low seventies in baltimore. southern maryland getting up to 77. that is where we have a threat of thunderstorms. likely to be scattered. we will be keeping an eye on that. those states south of baltimore, we clear out tonight. 614 the high

morning. the 4th day of april, 2012. that was the scene on tuesday when sarah palin was here. as you can see, she made herself really comfortable, even taping over his name, over matt's name in matt's dressing room. so what is going on in there this morning? >> i don't know. obviously i decided not to -- >> oh, wait a minute. >> ryan seacrest in the house. who apparently has his sights set on that same dressing room. we'll find out if that's a temporary or a permanent situation. when we -- don't look in the drawers. don't do that. >> he's looking in your briefcase. that is a bigger problem. >> that is a misdemeanor in most states right there. anyway we're going to talk to

ryan seacrest a little later on about a lot of things happening in his life, in his career. also ahead, a surprising new tell-all from a u.s. swimming great, amanda beard. she's been on this show a lot of times. the four-time olympian competed in her first olympics when she was only 14 years old. now she is talking about her struggles with eating disorders, cutting and drug abuse. we're going to talk to her about that. >> and nadya suleman is going to be here tomorrow. and you may remember her. she's the mother of 14, including octuplets. she's been having a hard time supporting her family, and now she's taking some dramatic steps, including going on welfare to pay her bills. we'll be talking about that, and also what her life is like now. tomorrow here on "today." but first now let's turn to something else. another story. it's not often that donald trump backs down. but following an outcry, he's decided to lift the ban on a transgender woman from entering his miss universe competition. well, nbc's mike taibbi has the latest. mike, good morning.

>> good morning, ann. well this dust-up over whether a transgender beauty queen can compete for one of the pageant world's top prizes is generating lots of publicity. no problem for donald trump, of course. but for jenna talackova's west coast lawyer. she is 6'1", statuesque and striking and until recently competed in transgender beauty pageants. 23-year-old jenna talackova, a canadian, told a reporter for the pageant that she knew from the time she could think that she was not the male she was at birth. >> i always knew since i was about like 4. >> really? >> and i started my therapy and hormone therapy when i was 14. and then i went through with the surgery when i was 19. >> reporter: it was sex reassignment surgery and her passport lists her sex as female. but talackova was disqualified from the upcoming miss universe canada pageant because she was not a natural-born female despite having stated otherwise on her entry form.

an online petition drive by her supporters garnered 20,000 signatures and yesterday donald trump's miss universe organization said she can compete provided she meet the legal gender recognition requirements of canada and the standards of other international competitions. >> we need a clear answer. not a wimpy, wish washy type of answer. >> reporter: later to tmz trump said it clearly. >> we go by the law and based on the laws she's able to compete if she wants to. >> reporter: trump has been center stage in other pageant controversies. >> she made some very, very bad choices. >> reporter: giving a second chance to 2006 miss usa tara conner, after she became embroiled in a cocaine and underage drinking scandal. and that created trump's epic battle with rosie o'donnell. on "the view." >> there he is with the hair going, rosie -- >> reporter: and trump on "access hollywood." >> rosie's been a loser for a long time. >> reporter: and trump harshly criticized 2009 miss usa

runner-up. now it's jenna talackova, the first transgender to go for the miss universe crown. >> letting people know that she is proud of being transgendered, and certainly, i think, makes her a pioneer. >> reporter: as for jenna -- >> i have never asked for any special consideration. i only want to compete. >> reporter: we should note that the misuniverse pageant is a joint venture between donald trump and nbc universal. the canadian miss universe entry will be chosen at a pageant in may. trump says all this publicity has ramped up demand for tickets and his words know, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. big surprise there. >> that's right. all right mike taibbi. that's exactly what we expect to hear from him. meantime let's go back to texas for a check of the weather from al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by new coffee-mate natural blend. add your flavor naturally.

>> and we're talking about severe weather, springlike storms, we also have to talk about some winterlike weather. and that's in the pacific northwest. we've got winter storm watches and winter weather advisories, northern california, washington, oregon, idaho, all the way into montana, we're talking about rain and snow moving onshore today. again, it's not widespread, but it is scattered. and it will leave anywhere from 6 to 8 inches of snow in the cascades and the sierra. we're talking about a quarter of an inch to half an inch of rain along the pacific northwest coast. plenty of sunshine, mild conditions along the northern tier of states into the great lakes. we've got some clouds in the pacific northwest. i should say in new england, with a few snow flurries there. the risk of strong storms along the mid-atlantic coast, also back through the mid-mississippi and lower mississippi river valleys. windy conditions continue in southern california. >> good morning we're waking up

to a warmer conditions. there have been some isolated showers. we dry out into the afternoon. >> we still have a lot of severe weather going on around the country. so you might want to check in with the weather channel. either weather channel on cable or weather.com online. guys, back to you. >> all right, al, thank you so much for that. so governor sarah palin was here on tuesday as our special guest host. and there has been a lot of reaction. >> mm-hmm, there has been. >> some of it coming from our friends on other television programs. for example, mr. jon stewart spent some time discussing it. take a look. >> it's sarah palin co-hosting the "today" show!

and she was there performing a medley of her greatest hits from, i don't read newspapers, to i write on my hand. to that old chestnut i passive aggressively hate matt lauer with every ounce of my being. >> how's it going so far, governor? >> it's great. thanks for letting me crash your dressing room and now that i have your hair products. >> technically i didn't give you permission to be in there. >> thanks, mr. stewart. for the cross promotion there. we really appreciate it. >> i think the twitter verse has blown up, al. it's been insane. there was some negative responses, on twitter, i can't believe that the "today" show had sarah palin on as a guest host today. i've watched the show for 20 years. i am disappointed. >> we also got some positive tweets, one that says go sarah, you're doing good and kicking butt. and then i love the name of these tweets, from a mama gator to a mama grizzly, i love you

sarah palin. >> al, i thought that was your title, pond lizard. >> no. >> but -- >> have you -- >> i thought she did a good job. >> i did, too. it was fun to have her here. >> the thing about it is that, you know, she came ready to play and she was really, you know, she was really easy to work with. >> pretty self-deprecating character. >> totally. i know she wanted to move -- >> the only problem was -- the only problem is she tried to track jim bell our executive producer, she thought he was a bear. >> mr. roker, we'll see you in a little while. >> all right. okay. anyway, coming up next we're going to be talking about a controversial recommendation, why a growing number of doctors want overweight teens to undergo weight loss surgery. we also have, of course, a live interview with ryan seacrest. [ female announcer ] introducing coffee-mate natural bliss. ♪ made with only milk...

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ohhhhh! steve was delicious. [ male announcer ] if you like peanut butter and chocolate, you'll love peanut butter and snickers. try snickers peanut butter squared. we're back now at 7:41. this morning on "today's health," the newest attempt to address the soaring rate of obesity among teenagers. while some doctors preach healthy diets and exercise, a growing number of doctors are recommending weight loss surgery. nbc's tom costello has details on that. tom, good morning. >> matt, good morning. this is a bit controversial, because while a third of the population is overweight or obese, the attitude until now has been kids need to cut the junk food and exercise more. but some doctors now say weight loss surgery is the best way to save obese kids from a life of potentially deadly diseases. early morning at nationwide children's hospital in columbus, ohio, and 17-year-old megan huffman is preparing for surgery. >> it will take about 20 minutes

to get to sleep. >> reporter: gastric sleeve surgery. since she was a little girl, megan has been overweight or obese. her weight peaking at 300 pounds. now, prediabetic, a very nervous megan says the surgery is about reclaiming her life. >> i get teased a lot. so made me decide to do something about it. >> teased in school? >> yeah. >> reporter: that can be hard. >> yeah. >> reporter: but this is major surgery. on any patient, removing a portion of the stomach is not without risk. so is it appropriate for a teenager? >> they're not only not going to lose it on their own, they're not going to keep it off for a long term. >> reporter: pediatric surgeon dr. mark mikulski says for patients 100 pounds overweight there are no other realistic options. the obesity related health risks can be just as great in teenagers as they are in adults. diabetes, high cholesterol, blood pressure, even liver, kidney and heart disease. doctor mikulski just authored a new research study that

concludes bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment option for morbidly obese adolescents. >> at the end of the day that boils down to a shortened life span somewhere in the neighborhood of about 10 to 15-year shorter life. >> reporter: with diabetes in the family, megan's parents felt surgery was the right choice. >> i love her no matter how she looks or weighs or whatever. but for the health reasons, i think she's making the right decision. >> all of this part of the stomach is going to be removed and you're going to be left with basically a very long tube. >> reporter: removing 80% of the stomach takes two hours. while weight loss surgery has become common for adults, performing it on teenagers is relatively new. here in columbus they weren't doing any bariatric surgeries on teenagers ten years ago. five years ago they did five. this year they expect to do 25 to 30. >> just because of kids that were there. >> reporter: another megan, megan muncie, was just 14 and

weighs 345 pounds when she had the surgery two years ago. now 16, she's lost 150 pounds, and says her life has changed for the better. >> i have more energy, i'm a lot happier. i have a lot more of a social life than i used to. >> reporter: minutes before megan huffman's surgery, her mom said she hoped the surgery would give megan a better future. >> i hope that she goes to college. gets a good job. finds the right guy. has kids. >> reporter: but for megan, there is a much more immediate goal. >> to fit in my prom dress my senior year. >> reporter: that's important? >> yeah. >> reporter: the teenagers who are chosen for the surgery must convince doctors that they are determined to change their eating habits and their lifestyles. and very often that means big changes at home for the entire family. and they admit it's not easy for anyone, especially teens, who face constant temptations from junk food. matt, back to you.

>> all right, tom costello thank you very much. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. >> hey, matt. >> how do you respond to someone who says wait a second, at 16 or 17 years of age, isn't it too early for these kids to reach an option of last resort? >> well, that's just the problem. they've run out of all options. diet and exercise don't work, their hormone levels have changed so they're in a state of perpetual disease. and obesity, it's linked to heart disease and liver disease and their cancer rates go up, you're talking about young adults. who really only have surgery as an option. >> tom mentioned in his piece that the risks are the same for teens and adults who suffer from obesity. what about the risks of surgery? are they the same, as well? >> they are the same, except that once you stop absorbing nutrients and vitamins and minerals that happen from the surgery, and you're still growing, you have to really think about supplements. we talked to carnie wilson yesterday about the fact that she had gone through surgery before. and it didn't work well for her. the first time around. and now she's having a second run.

and i think one of the things for teenagers, these kids have to approach this with an adult brain. this is the beginning of a new future. so, diet, exercise, the whole family being involved, this isn't just a one-off and then you can go back to eating pop and mac and cheese. >> and are doctors becoming better at handling both ends of the equation? >> absolutely. >> we're not just going to fix you physically we're going to also make sure you get the counseling you need emotionally? >> and it starts right, being able to say to somebody you're not ready for this. or there are other options for you. and then it's psychological training. it's social work. it's getting the family in. it's diet. it's exercise. it's everything. surgery is a component of the rest of the life being changed. and then the kids have a chance at a real life and frankly not dying young. this is the disease that is going to cripple this country if we don't get our arms around it. and this is one cool. >> all right, nancy, thanks. appreciate it very much. nice to see you. it's 47 after the hour. still to come, ryan seacrest live in our studio. he'll talk about everything under the sun. but first, these messages. [ male announcer ] scott naturals hybrid paper products

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look who finally made it to our studio. ryan seacrest. welcome. >> good to be here. good morning. >> how you been? you were supposed to be here yesterday. you had some medical issues. >> yes. i had surgery on my elbow. so i didn't realize that i shook so many hands in a day. since the surgery it's a little painful. so i'll be all right. but heavy lifting, matt, at the gym. >> you got to have -- >> you got to have girth to host the show. >> how did you -- >> i tore a tendon by overtraining and i didn't slow down. so i had it operated on. i can still hold the results card on "idol." should be okay. >> does that interfere with your other part time job, scooping ice cream?

>> it's a yogurt machine. >> you mention "idol." you have to get back? >> i do. i spoke to the producers last night, and they said, you're where? i said, new york. we have a two-hour live show this evening in los angeles. >> but a rehearsal -- >> the rehearsal at lunch time. >> you don't need to rehearse at this point. >> somebody can cover if i get there a few minutes late. randy would be great up there onstage. >> i know you're used to life on a plane, aren't you? >> yeah. i travel a lot. but i'm also used to juggling a bunch of different things. i find that exciting. >> funny you bring that up. because we're going to be talking about your plans for juggling. >> have you heard about any of my plans? >> i've read some headlines. we'll be talking about that -- >> what are you talking about? >> what are you guys talking about? >> much more with ryan. by the way, if you have a question for him, and i've got a couple, you can tweet us @todayshow/seacresttoday. >> sounds like a lot of time for this interview.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. time for a check on your morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> we will start in bel air. route 22, thomas brunn road, accident in harford county. another went in the city at edmondson ave. down to 20 miles per hour on the outer loop. starting to see delays fall into place on the west side as well. here is a quick live look at

traffic. providence, going away from us, outer loop traffic. that is where things open up. we will switch over to a live view of traffic at 295. moving on from 175 down to 32. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> looks like the radar is showing dry conditions on the major roads right now. showers are moving through northern virginia. we are threat of thunderstorms in southern maryland. high of 72 bit mid-to-upper-70's in southern maryland. watch out for some gusty winds in any of the storms. cooler tomorrow. only up to 61. but with sunshine.

50 on friday, opening day for the orioles. dry on saturday. easter sunday. most of the day is dry.

8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 4th day of april, 2012. there is one of the busiest men in show business. you know him from "idol." he's got an empire going. he happens to be a terrifically nice man. that's ryan seacrest and he is in new york today before getting back to los angeles for "idol" this evening. we're going to talk to ryan about a lot of subjects. his future plans, even that incident on the red carpet with the dictator. coming up in just a couple of minutes. he handled it so well at the time. what do you think he was really feeling about that? >> that's a good question. a lot of people speculated about

that. i guess we'll get the real answer in a few moments. >> out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry. and a huge spring crowd behind us. and what -- sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. and what else do we have coming up? >> also coming up we're going to be hearing from amanda beard. of course she's the olympic swimmer who has really been amazing medal winner. she's written a book called "in the water they can't see you cry." which of course is intimating how much the pool has been a rescue for her. against all kinds of difficulties, including depression, bulimia and drawing abuse. this morning she openly shares her story. >> all right. also i want to mention, al is not here because he's down in arlington, texas. also coming up, 13 years after the blockbuster hit "american pie," the kids are all back this time at their high school reunion. we'll catch up with the cast a little later in the show. >> sounds like fun.

>> let's head inside. savannah guthrie filling in at the news desk while natalie is off. good morning. >> good morning. at least 19 tornadoes touched down tuesday, causing extensive damage in the dallas-ft. worth area. hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. the storms so powerful, big rig tractor trailers were lifted high in the air. however there were no reports of any deaths or serious injuries. mitt romney is adding to a convincing lead in the republican presidential nomination, sweeping the wisconsin, maryland, and district of columbia primaries on tuesday. with that commanding delegate lead, romney is now in general election mode, trading jabs with president obama. lagging in the delegate count, former pennsylvania senator rick santorum insisted the republican race has only reached halftime, hoping to win big time in his home state of pennsylvania three weeks from now. a terrorist attack in mogadishu this morning has left at least ten people dead, including the president of somal somalia's olympic committee. a suicide bomber debt natured

explosives just as somalia's prime minister was about to make a speech at the country's new national theater. the prime minister was unharmed. the al qaeda linked group al shabaat has claimed responsibility. emergency officials in colorado acknowledged tuesday that people who called 911 last week about smoke from what started as a controlled burn were told the fire posed no threat, and were not given evacuation orders. sheriff's officials now say they didn't realize the fire had blazed out of control. one of the 911 calls came from an elderly man who was later found dead on his property, along with his wife. a surfer in hawaii says he used his board to fight off a ten foot shark that bit him on the foot. 28-year-old joshua hole li was paddling off oahu's north shore when officials say a ten foot shark, bit his left foot, left go and bit him again. hole li is scheduled for surgery today and shark warnings have been posted in that area. now let's look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has

you talking online. his acrimonious firing friday by current tv has keith olbermann trending on google. last night david letterman asked olbermann if he blames current's co-founder former vice president al gore. >> is former vice president al gore, does he know what he's doing on tv? >> i screwed up. >> if you buy a $10 million chandelier, you should have a house to put it in. >> you're the chandelier? >> i'm the chandelier. >> olbermann has said he plans to take legal action against current tv. a provocative article by british journalist samantha brit has set off an explosion of resentment online. the 41-year-old wrote in the daily mail about the benefits and burdens of being beautiful, and says she can't wait for wrinkles and gray her to help her blend in. brick even posted photos of herself so readers could judge her beauty for themselves. and sarah palin is hot on

twitter and has the blogs talking for her guest hosting stint right here on "today" on tuesday. palin made herself at home, taking advantage of our ample supply of newspapers, and even crashing matt's dressing room. and taking advantage of his ample supply of hair products. it's now 8:05. back to matt and ann. >> this is getting a workout. >> savannah, thank you very much. let us get a check of the weather now. al is down in arlington, texas, where that area got hit hard by those storms yesterday. al, good morning again. >> that's right, matt. thanks so much. 13 tornadoes estimated to have touched down here in about a two-hour period. there's a home right here. they were renovating it. they were living in a mobile home. that got destroyed. there are actually people as you're looking from aerial shots just in to us, you're looking at homes along here, there are cars parked along the street, there are actually people sleeping in

their cars, to try to, you know, at least keep some semblance of their property around and keep an eye on it. but, it really is kind of devastating. on the other side of the street, almost no damage. so it's -- it really shows you the randomness of these tornadoes. let's show you what's going on for today. we do have a risk of strong storms again, today. our pick city of the day, indianapolis, indiana. nbc 13, showers, mild, temperatures in the mid 60s. and here's what we're looking at for today. afternoon temperatures, getting up into the 40s and 50s around the great lakes. 40s in new england. 40s and 50s in the pacific northwest. where we'll be looking at some snow in some of the mountains. the sierra, and the cascade. risk of strong storms, lower mississippi river valley up into the mid-mississippi, and tennessee river valleys. that's what's going on around the country. >> good morning. we're waking up to a mild conditions. clouds are increasing.

we will see clouds into the afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. matt, ann? >> all right, thanks a lot, al. hey by the way, you're going to be talking to ryan seacrest. looks like he's in your chair, matt. >> i can't catch a break. >> coming up right after this. i'm good about washing my face.

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we're back now at 8:09 with ryan seacrest. between "american idol," his production company and his radio show, he is building an entertainment empire. he's managed to find time to make his way to studio 1a this morning. we appreciate that. ryan, good to see you as always. >> well, thanks for having me. it's been fun roaming around here for the last hour or so. >> what do you want to start with? there's a lot going on about you. let's start with first of all just how you're finding time to mix all this stuff together. >> i love it. i think the key is that every morning when the alarm goes off, i'm excited about what i get to do. and i've got an incredible team of people that i work with at the company. and i've worked with for years. so the people make it happen. the people around you. >> with all you've got going on right now where do you see yourself in five years? >> same height.

but hopefully balancing everything that i've been able to build, and doing a good job at it. you know, i may not be the fastest person on earth, but i like to be pretty good at hosting. you know, i'm not a great actor i try to be a good conduit to pop culture. >> you've made some headlines recently. and my name has been involved in some of them, as well. a lot of those stories deal with this idea that you could eventually take this job. so i'm going to deal with this the way i would deal with anybody i'm interviewing. i'll ask direct questions. what kind of conversations have you had with nbc about joining the "today" show? >> oh, they didn't tell you? >> that's why you're here. >> i've worked with the e! network for years. and nbc universal and e! are the same family. and so the plan is for me to join the nbc family, and continue to have a role at the e! network. the first assignment will be to join the prime-time team for the olympics on nbc.

>> you didn't answer the question. so the question was, what conversations have you had with nbc officials about joining this program? >> just conversations -- >> and i want names and dates. >> the conversations with four people to your right, who are on the floor. but they were mostly about filling in to do weather. >> so al should be doing this interview? can you see yourself doing a job like this? >> you know, i -- i don't know. i see you doing this for as long as you want to. so, you know, maybe the question is, how long will you be on the "today" show? >> well -- funny you mention that -- >> because fans and myself included think you should be here for years to come. >> can i say something i think is important to just say real quickly? first of all, i think you'd be great at this job. >> and secondly. we have discussed -- ryan and i are friendly. we have talked about this. we've joked about this. there is no tension here. >> there's no tension.

matter of fact, when the story came out, you and i spoke and had dinner right after that. >> yeah. >> there's nobody better than you. >> and by the way, i bought dinner. which i thought was completely inappropriate. "american idol," what is this 11th season? >> yes, this is the 11th season of that show. >> what's your future there? >> i plan to stay there. i think i'll have an official announcement very, very soon. but i expect to be on the show. it's a great, great program. it's a circus to run and i enjoy it. >> you don't want to make that announcement here? >> i tried. we're not quite there. >> not quite there. >> but we're almost there. >> i was reading in the "hollywood reporter" and it said when it comes to reality television you are the most powerful man in hollywood. which is great. it's a huge compliment. you've got the kardashians and the spinoff from that show and all the spinoffs. where do you see reality tv going, ryan? >> you know, it's all about great stories. great story lines. these families, as you've seen, are very interesting.

there's never a dull moment with the shows that we produce. i don't think it's going away. it's also, it's less expensive to produce. >> right. >> so there's clearly an appetite for it. and it makes a lot of financial sense, as well. >> do you, though, get an alarm in you that goes off when a particular story line, maybe even the kardashians, comes close to jumping the shark as the expression goes? >> i don't know that i obsess about that. you know, the power of young girls, and the power, as you know, of women, they latch onto this. the sisterhood of those girls, and have for so many years. but we're always trying to take look at what's next. we have a new show coming out on cmt with melissa and ty. we've got sunset. we've got the kardashian franchise. and we're still looking for the next thing. >> you've got a knack for show biz, no question. you have a knack for getting some publicity. you got some on the red carpet not long ago when "the dictator" spilled an urn of ashes on you. outwardly you were a great sport. inwardly -- >> i actually heard what you said the next day, and i think

you commented that he -- he took it in stride but he was probably a little upset in the moment. i did not know that was coming. i was completely caught off guard. but -- you roll with it. you know. it's not the end of the world that my lapel had a little dust on it. >> will you treat him differently the next time you see him or do you think he will avoid you down the road? >> i don't know that he will avoid me. i think i'll be -- i'll certainly have a second jacket. i'll be aware. i always have two jackets, and it came -- it came in handy at the oscars. >> a boy scout, be prepared. >> that's right. i like it. >> you're joining the nbc family. we'll see you in london, which is great. >> yeah, i have to tell you, it's been something that i've been very much looking forward to. and we're doing a lot of fun things at nbc, and this is a fresh start at the olympics. thank you for having me. >> it's good to see you. and in terms of other announcements, watch this stage -- not this stage, but watch this stage. >> all right, matt, thank you very much.

coming up next, olympic swimmer amanda beard opens up about her struggles away from the pool and her quest to make it to london. that's right after this. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barks ] [ announcer ] all work and no play... will make allie miss her favorite part of the day. [ laughing ] that's why there's new beneful baked delights. from crispy crackers to shortbread cookie dog snacks,

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back now at 8:19 with u.s. swimming great amanda beard. she's competed in four straight olympics, winning seven medals and breaking several world records along the way. and she's ready to come back for more. but the road hasn't always been easy. we're going to talk to her in just a moment. but first, a look back at amanda's incredible journey. >> amanda beard wins her fourth olympic medal. >> period does it! olympic record time. >> at the tender age of 14, amanda beard made her olympic debut in 1996. >> i honestly didn't think of it as much more than just a normal swim meet that i'd been going to my whole life. >> reporter: she left atlanta with an impressive collection of

hardware, a gold, and two silvers. but it was her traveling companion that stole the show. >> it was hilarious that it was just this big bear from my sisters, who take a teddy bear with me and it blew up. >> if this was in the hands of the russians it could ruin our chances. >> amanda beard slips in there for the bronze. >> going in to the 2000 sydney olympics i had zero expectations on myself. honestly, i was shocked and surprised i even made that team. >> reporter: but beard managed to take home a medal. >> it is to this day my favorite medal because it really was out of nowhere. >> reporter: four years later in athens, expectations were once again high and beard delivered. >> after i won my gold medal in athens, it really is this kind of relief, and overwhelming excitement that all this training has kind of paid off in that little short moment. >> reporter: the olympics made amanda a star. sexy magazine covers made her an icon. the media blitz took its toll.

>> i was trying to be successful so much outside of the water that i started to lose myself in the water. >> reporter: the 2008 beijing olympics marked her fourth consecutive games but it ended quickly in disappointment. >> i didn't even get a second swim. it was a very unsuccessful olympics for me. >> reporter: now 30, married, and a mom, to 2-year-old son blaze, she's got her sights set on london. >> i do have very specific goals for the london games. but i keep everything pretty secretive as far as that goes. >> despite her success, amanda beard was not the same person in private as we just saw in public. she writes about her personal struggles in her new book, it's called "in the water they can't see you cry." amanda beard. what a pleasure. good morning. >> good morning. >> the title itself, in the water they can't see you cry, seems that the refuge that the pool was for you. and it's interesting to note that you write about the beginning of your parents divorce you say, even though i

was only 12 years old, and my mother had left, i wasn't the kind of person to start falling. it's not the beard way. so you cried in the water? >> yeah. i mean, it was one of those moments where i had a difficulty showing any sort of emotions outside of the pool. as soon as i jumped into the water, put my goggles on, i felt like i could let everything go and cry my eyes out, have those emotional moments. and it was my way of kind of meditating and dealing with them. >> and because of your talent, you were thrust into circumstances that a lot of young people aren't, for example at 14, you were at the olympics, and -- and there isn't a real chaperone system for kids at the olympics. and so you're -- you're really by yourself. and you had too much time on your hands and you started alcohol for the first time you tried it. >> yeah. unfortunately, i was 14, and that was my first taste of alcohol after the olympics. and yeah, it kind of just started something, i guess. >> you became bulimic in

college. and you write that even if my purging had hurt my swimming i wouldn't have stopped. i wanted to be a great and fast swimmer but more than that i wanted to be pretty. you ultimately beat that addiction. but what was it that drove it? >> oh, man. a lot of things. just trying to constantly feel worth something, i guess. >> but you were an olympian. how could you not know that you were worth something? >> and that's the thing. it was one of those things where i felt like an idiot, i guess, saying that i was struggling so much on the inside, because i was an olympic athlete, i was having a great career. i had my own home. i -- you know, there are all these great things going on in my life. on the inside i was hating everything about me. i would show up and feel ugly and stupid and just awful, and i struggled with it, because i felt like i couldn't let that out for people to see because they'd be like, well, you have all this success, how could you possibly feel that way? >> and there was depression, there was drugs, there was as i

mentioned, purging, and then it became hard. and a young man you were having a relationship with said you need to go get some help. and that man became your husband. >> yes. >> he became your knight, really? >> we joke that he's my knight in shining armor. but he really was. he's my best friend. he's the person that i could totally lean on. and expose everything about myself. and he still stood by me. and that really impressed me and knew that this person loves me no matter what. >> so, what motivated the girl who could not cry, because it was not the beard way, to write this book that says all of this, and to be here this morning, and speak honestly about your struggles? >> well, honestly, i talked to a lot of young athletes and a lot of females, and i want them to know that my life hasn't been rainbows and butterflies. i've had this crazy, hectic, roller coaster of a life.

and i have found a point in my life where i'm happy, i'm healthy, i'm having fun, i'm really just enjoying myself. so to all get to that point, and so many people are going through the same things that i've been through, and i just want them to know, you're not alone. we all experience all these kind of dark demons, and it's not something to be embarrassed by. go so another reason to cheer amanda beard. you're going after your fifth olympics in london. good luck in that. >> thank you. >> and you even said you're going to try to go after a sixth and make a big breakthrough record. amanda beard. such a pleasure to talk to up. can't to wait to see you in the olympics. the book is called "in the water they can't see you cry." coming up.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning to you. i am sarah caldwell. let's look at your morning commute. a few accidents still in place. route 22, thomas irwin road, accident in place. also, not wholey and edmondson avenue, be extra careful. 54 on the west side. up to speed after the delays we had earlier. it has not been all that bad this week because many folks are still on a spring break. leiter volume is what you can expect as you head out on the roads.

everything is running smoothly at the harbor tunnel. we start in security boulevard, a very light in comparison to what we normally see on the outer loop. live view of traffic at 295, southbound traffic going away from us. moving well from 32 and beyond. >> radar is showing a couple of sprinkles right now across the eastern shore. some wore down into southern maryland. not more than a couple of raindrops. a couple of showers in montgomery county. we have clouds in place. peaks of sunshine into the afternoon. baltimore is expected to state mostly dry. 77 in southern maryland. southern parts of the state at the thought of thunderstorms today. likely to be scattered, but thunderstorms could be on the

strong side. we are cooler into the end of the week.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning. it's the fourth day of april, 2012. a huge and wonderful crowd we're really glad to have here saying hi to their friends and family back home. they're out on rockefeller plaza. camera time. allow me to talk really slowly. meantime, i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer, savannah guthrie. by the way, they are back! >> that's right. 13 years after the original

"american pie" movie, the cast has gotten back together for the latest installment in that very funny franchise. this time, they are going back to a high school reunion. we've got four members of the cast sitting in our studio right now. we'll talk to them in just a couple of minutes. >> all right, as you know about this, guys, but there is a trend now for people for mothers to vent online about the frustrations of parenting. people saying, all kinds of things. and sometimes they're saying things that really raise some eyebrows. this morning we'll be talking to a woman who started a blog that turned into a website where people are venting and also some perspective on whether it's a good idea, bad idea, maybe people go too far. >> all right. also easter is this sunday. a lot of us are content to go to the drugstore, buy the stuff, dip the egg in the dye and call it a day. martha stewart is not one of those people. she is here. she has easter eggs, i don't know, on steroids. glitter eggs, confetti eggs. she's going to show us how to do it.

>> can i tell you something? those are actually covered in gold leaf. >> wow. real gold leaf? are they valuable? >> yes. don't sit on them. >> grab some eggs and run. >> that's what we're going to do at my house, too. let's get a check of the weather. mr. roker is in arlington, texas, covering a pretty story down there. al, good morning again. >> hey, good morning, guys. we had a little bit of a technical issue so we're on the phone right now. but you can see, it's like -- it's like marconi. in any event, we've -- we've got a -- a beautiful sky today. that's the good news. and the good news for folks who are finally going to -- oh, we've got our microphone back, who are going to be doing a lot of cleanup today. let's show you right now we're looking at a risk of strong storms making their way from the gulf coast into the mid-atlantic states and we've got some pretty decent weather out to the west. showers in the pacific northwest. sunny skies through the plains. >> good morning we're waking up

to a warmer conditions. there have been some isolated showers. we dry out into the afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. batten down the hatches. the original cast of "american pie" is back for a reunion for "american pie reunites." we're going to catch up with them. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back now at 8:35. it was nearly 13 years ago when we first meet the teenagers from

smalltown michigan in the raunchy comedy "american pie." it earned $100 million, millions of fans and spawned seven more movies. apparently raunchy sells. now "american ee runyon" is about to hit theaters. chris klein, alyson hannigan, and eugene levy. welcome back. who had to be convinced, who ran to come back to this reunion. >> i came sprinting. >> did you? >> wait for me. >> i had to be talked into it. >> really, why? >> because i was hesitant. you know, i'm on a show, and i was like, i'm happy. i've got my family. then i met the directors who also wrote it and they had fantastic ideas, and once i read the script i was like, okay, sign me up. >> how about you tara? >> i wanted it and i was so excited. >> yeah. with me it was sex, sex, sex. and i thought you know what, i'm just -- i'm tired of it. i'm tired of being a sex symbol.

you know, i want to do something else. >> you're only one man. >> i'm only one man. that's all i can do. i'm doing my best. >> it's been 13 years. who's changed the most? >> i feel like i have, because i have -- well, a kid and one on the way, and i just feel old. >> i feel like that, not because she's old but because she has a family. >> yeah, you know. i'm very happy. >> when you get back together on set, and now it's a high school reunion, that's the whole premise of this -- of this movie, do the guys on the cast immediately regress to high school days? >> absolutely. >> do they? >> they need to all wear cups when they're together. >> guilty. guilty. he's our ringleader. >> yes, i love a good high jinks. you know, the thing is, everybody -- here's the thing with me, you know, on the first

"american pie" the one thing i noticed about this group of extremely talented young actors was how professional they were on the set, and of course, 13 years later, they're still the most professional people to work with. on the set. so i haven't seen any high jinks. >> personally? >> i think people straighten up when eugene is around. we want to impress him. >> yes. yes. >> what is it about these characters, do you think, tara, that had people coming back for seven movies and now eight? >> i think they're so available. this is a movie where if you watch the movie, there's some character for someone. everyone can relate to the characters from eugene and his relationship and her relationship to her husband's relationship. i think there's a little bit for everything. there's something there that makes you understand each other. >> i think it's the characters, that have been created by these people. and of course the original writer adam herz that created the characters but it's what

these guys brought to the characters i think the audience has a great deal of affection for these characters and that's why we're here. >> one of the great goals of the writer directors of this "american reunion" is they wanted to bring back what resonated from that first film. that nostalgia for the late '90s. and remembering why we fell in love with these characters in the first place. and i really think that they did a phenomenal job. >> without giving anything away in the story here. you're supposed to be the adult here. which is weird in the first place. and yet you in this one end up needing some life advice from one of the younger characters. >> yes. >> what have you gotten yourself into here? >> well, you know, my -- my -- my son right now, without giving too much away, but i am -- i am now a kind of a -- a widower, and it's my -- which was a great kind of a story point that they

introduced into this movie because it opened up a lot of potentially very funny avenues here. and one of them is the kind of the role reversal where my son now actually has to give me advice and give me a pep talk on how it's okay to get out and start dating. again. so that was kind of an interesting relationship twist that i had. >> and we got to a part where he sort of is acting as his wing man which is hysterical. >> do you not also, and i could get in trouble for this, don't you also get stoned with stiffler's mom in this one? >> well, you know, we used to refer to it as getting high. from what i read, back in the '60s, yeah, there are, you know, the introduction of two characters with no name, jim and stiffler's mom. it was like an unbelievable

teaming of these two characters, and i did get to have a lot of fun working with jennifer coolidge, who plays stifler's mom. so yeah, we got to party a little bit. >> we're happy to have you guys back together and on the big screen. alyson i know you're going to be watching a segment later in this half hour with great interest because you revealed to martha stewart a second ago that you were building a crash room at home. >> i just -- yes. i want to just take her home with me. >> you may have to hang out for this segment. >> thank you. >> guys, congratulations. good to have you back. >> thank you. >> it's 8:41. "american reunion" from our sister company universal opens on friday. up next the good and bad of pare parenting, real moms share their confessions.

back now at 8:43. this morning on "today's moms" confessions of a scary mommy.

being a parent is fulfilling but can also be frustrating. sometimes you have to laugh at yourself. we spoke with three moms who have plenty to say anonymously about the ups and downs of raising children. >> it's a really, really much harder job than i ever thought it was going to be. >> don't come near me the kids are walking out t door going to school. because if you haven't done everything i asked you to do 16 times -- >> sometimes by the time i drop off at 8:15 i feel like my day is done. i have nothing left to give anybody else, because they've sucked the life out of me. >> am i cool? yes. my kids, very fair. but there's a fine line, it's called parenting. >> some of the things that drive me crazy as a mother, is the word no absolutely means nothing. no means, i'm going to nag you and whine and torture you until

you change and say yes. >> i'm the cook. and i get this wind to cook on a sunday night and then i just don't. i just want to read like "us magazine." >> i love to kiss my kids good night and open up my bottle of pinot grigio. and sometimes i don't close it. >> i think i feel guilty all the time. it's a saturday and i just want to go get my nails done rather than running to the park with them. i don't think i'm ever doing enough. >> motherhood is being a militant person who knows her schedule, who knows that it is exactly one minute till the kids get up, so get the coffee down quick because after that there's no turning back. >> i go away twice a year with my husband. i don't feel bad. as soon as that plane door closes, i have a cocktail. guilt free. i've earned it. >> jill smokeler is a mom of three and the author of "confessions of a scary mommy an

honest and irreverent look at motherhood, the good, the bad and the scary." and mother of two lisa bell kin is a senior columnist of life, worth and family. good morning to both of you. this blog you started four years ago inviting women to confess their emotions about parenting. has ballooned into this website called scarymommy.com and gets 1.5 million hits a month. what does it say, then, about the need for women to really express their frustrations? >> well, i think it just says that moms, you know, we're not perfect. and we want to put on this front of being able to do it all effortlessly and glide through motherhood beautifully and it's not. it's dirty and it's frustrating and it's hard, and i think it just says we're ready to admit that and get some help, and support from other mothers. >> admitting it is clearly part of the trend. is parenting tougher today than it used to be? or are we more willing to vent our feelings about it? >> i think it is tougher. every trend from the perception that kids are in more danger to

the competition to cross the finish line, to college, to the fact that many more mothers are working and have the dual pressures. yes, i think parenting is harder. but i also think that mothers, fathers have always had frustrations, and this is a place to them. this didn't used to exist. the frustrations did. but this safe place didn't. >> you write that you do have a favorite child. you do write that your husband has turned into one of your children. are you still married? >> unbelievably, yes. and my favorite child differs by the day. i mean it's whoever is annoying me least at that moment in time. so it can be any one of my three children throughout the day. >> you know, the interview allows us to say to a large number of people, even what we don't know, what we used to want to say to our small circle of girlfriends. the question sort of arises, in this desperate need to express our emotions and be healthy about our emotions are we potentially crossing any kind of line where there could be

repercussions? is there a danger here? lisa? >> there is a danger. and are we crossing lines? i think we've already crossed a lot of them. the question is when this becomes the new normal, when people have lived lives where everything is public, will saying these things in public have the same consequences? and i don't know. that's going to be interesting. but yeah -- >> i was -- i'm proud of the type of mother i am. and i feel like it's healthy for my kids to see me as this imperfect, flawed parent who, you know, really has no idea what i'm doing but i love them and i do my best. and there's no reason for them to see anything but that. >> i wonder if sometimes if we allow ourselves to be imperfect it might take away some of that struggle that they -- >> and i looked at my parents as perfect. it made it harder. so my kids will never think of me as perfect. >> don't say it. >> that's good parenting. >> well the book is called "confessions of a scary mommy"

and i'm certain there will be more confessions to come. thank you so much for your perspective. coming up, make sure you stick around because we're going to be decorating eggs for easter. talk about perfection. martha stewart is here with help from "american reunion" alyson hannigan. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] style is long lasting when hair is nourished dove challenged women to go the day without looking at themselves in the mirror after styling with new dove style plus care in the morning. we covered every reflection they could look in.

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the martha stewart collection is now available only at macy's and on macy's.com. ♪ happy easter happy easter ♪ >> this morning on "martha on today" easter eggs the martha way. martha stewart is here to share some creative ideas with alyson hannigan and the rest of us. straight from the pages of "martha stewart living" magazine. good morning. happy almost easter. from 15 years of working with me you know i was born without the crafty chromosome. >> i know. >> alyson is going to take my part. >> alyson is having her second child and she's a crafter. >> i know. first you have to blow out the egg. >> it helps if you're going to do things like glitter because you don't want kids eating a glittered egg. and they're so pretty. >> show alyson. >> do you have one of these? >> of course. so you have one of these and this blows out the egg. watch this. see the egg comes right out. and you can use the egg for scrambled eggs. >> wow.

once you blow out the egg then you can color them and here they are all colored. >> lovely. >> and then you glitter them. you can do this. paint the shell and glitter them with one color of the glitter. >> just regular? >> regular elmer's glue. just white glue. and then we have these eggs, too, which are colored eggs that are wrapped with string, and just a little dot of glue. this is a beautiful glitter twine. i love how that looks, too. and that's on the cover of our magazine. i love how that looks. >> that's a neon color. >> aren't they great? >> oh, hello. >> glittering. now they're not gold leaf. >> come on alyson. because this is something to learn. >> how did you do this? >> well, you can spray paint the eggs by putting little dots on them. these are the little craft dots. and you can just put those on your colored eggs. >> right. >> and then spray paint in a box like this, in a well -- do this in a well ventilated spot. i won't spray here. then when you pull off the dots, look at that. you have a golden egg with really cut little polka dots all

over it. >> you do like the little stickers with letters? >> oh, sure, names, everything. and they're very cute. they really work very nicely. >> you could have a sign there that says how i met my mother on it. that would be good, right? >> well, if you want to gold leaf you can buy an inexpensive gold leaf. it's like a foil. and you can cover the eggs with that. it's very easy. >> and are they really expensive? the real gold? >> the real gold leaf is like $70 for a pack. >> very heavy, i imagine? >> oh, no, no, no. now these are very cute. because just with colored eggs, and a little bit of issue paper and a pen and a little dot you can make these cute little bunny. >> this looks like a high degree of difficulty. >> oh, no, no, no. it's so easy. take your little egg. a little bit of glue. the glue right here. and you're going to place the egg somewhere on the head. you know, you figure out where you want the -- >> like a crown here? >> no, that's to set it in.

>> oh. >> if you want to put crowns on your bunnies you can do that, too. but look how cute. they stick right on. these are just crepe paper ears. >> oh. >> and then you draw a little face. we have a little pen. >> little eyes. >> and a little puffy tail. >> a little cotton tail and a little cotton nose. >> where do you get these little pieces of crepe? >> you cut them out. you just do that. >> i need to know every step, martha. >> see how cute? and then this is the -- you have to wait for it to dry, of course. >> oh, yeah. my ears keep falling off. >> talk on the phone for a little while holding this like this. >> mine keep falling off. >> we've got this -- >> then quickly put the little tail on the back. >> yeah. >> and you have the cutest little bunny rabbit. >> they're adorable. >> and you can make carrots like this. >> i love the carrots. >> daffodils! >> we could give some of these to alyson as sort of a shower gift? >> that is so cute. >> and one more. >> who wants to --

>> you like confetti. >> i love confetti. >> put your hand out. oh -- >> so easy. just make a big hole in the egg, and fill it with all this confetti. and then to cover up the hole i filled this one already, use a little bit of your glue, and just put a piece of tissue paper the same color as your egg. >> oh. >> that's fantastic. >> kids would love that. >> cover this offer. >> you do it. >> okay. >> don't you even get near me with that. >> here -- >> whoa! >> oh! that went right for the face. >> you break it -- >> alyson, what are you going to be doing? >> i have all of martha's stuff, and i'll be doing easter eggs. >> good. >> and the stuff like band camp,

right? >> congratulations, by the way, on the baby. meantime, much more coming up still ahead with martha and alyson. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. maryland election officials say only about 10% of registered voters turned out to the polls for the republican primary. light turnout was expected because a democratic president is up for reelection in a state

where democrats outnumber republicans 2-1. early voting failed to attract large crowds. only about 2% of voters coming

>> we are waking up to a lot of the clouds in the sky. if you peaks of sunshine as we head into the afternoon. mid-70's in the southern maryland. maryland. is this right? right here, like this? ♪ turn that off!

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