good morning. extreme weather. more severe storms and record-breaking heat in the east today, after a weekend tornado outbreak in the midwest. more than 130 reported twisters, five people killed. al will tell us what to expect. i'll be angry. president obama on his feelings should an investigation into a sex scandal involving members of his secret service team prove to be true. is it an isolated incident, or are there bigger problems within the agency tasked with protecting the president? and pippa and the pistol. disturbing new images of kate middleton's sister in a car as the driver waves what appears to be a gun, and aims at a photographer. could it land her in serious

trouble "today," monday, april could it land her in serious trouble "today," monday, april 16th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie in for ann this morning. it is going to be a long day of cleanup for people in cities hit by those devastating tornadoes over the weekend. including right there in woodward, oklahoma, where more than 100 homes and businesses were destroyed. and al says there's a risk of even more severe weather coming today. >> and there's another part to the whole weather story, from virginia to massachusetts, the bigger story might not actually be storms, but the heat. it could reach into the 90s in some spots, that's about 20 or 30 degrees above what would be normal temperatures for this time of the year. al's going to have his forecast

on that straight ahead. >> also ahead, new details on what may have contributed to the unexpected death of the so-called painter of light, thomas kinkade. his artwork hangs in the homes of 1 in 20 americans. coming up, what the emergency calls from the night of his death, and the artist's own brother, are revealing about how he died. and it is the big news out of hollywood. brad pitt and angelina jolie's engagement. this morning we're going to have more on why they finally decided to get married. and we'll talk about the ring that brad personally designed. >> pretty big. okay. we'll get into that. but we're going to start with the weather. and of course those deadly tornadoes over the weekend. the record-breaking heat expected in the east today. let's get to al roker upstairs, keeping an eye on all of it. >> good morning, savannah. here's that outbreak as it came across the plains states on saturday, wreaking havoc. 130 tornadoes. but the good news is, the forecasts were out early for this.

as you look into oklahoma, woodward oklahoma, five deaths, all deaths out of this tornado outbreak happened in woodward. rural community about 140 miles from oklahoma city. three children among the dead. 30 others were injured. and in kansas, where they had incredible amount of tornadoes, as well. in fact national weather service saying a month's worth of tornadoes spotted sunday in kansas. 100 homes damaged in wichita. no serious injuries or fatalities. 97 tornadoes swept through kansas, leaving a dozen people injured. thankfully, though, no deaths. of course the other big story, we're looking, again, we've got a risk of strong storms today from charleston all the way up into upstate new york. but we're not expecting any sort of widespread outbreak of tornadoes. some strong storms and maybe some hail. you can see already we've got a heavy line of thunderstorms making their way through texas. earlier we had tornado warnings out. those have since been called off. now, the heat, that is going to be a big story. we've got a big area of high pressure off the east coast. stronger than normal upper level

ridge, so from florida all the way to new england, we're talking about the potential of record-setting temperatures. burlton, probably will break its record of 86 bang in 2002. albany looking for a record. new york city, coming close to a record. boston, where they're running the marathon, the record is 84. well, look at these temperatures. 9:00 a.m. temperature 71. by 12:00 noon, 82. 3:00 p.m., an 87 degree temperature. that could cause major health problems for people running the marathon. we'll have more on that a little bit later on. >> all right, al, thanks very much. we'll get the rest of your forecast in a couple of minutes. president obama, meanwhile, is back at the white house this morning following a trip to colombia. a visit that was overshadowed by a prostitution scandal involving members of the secret service, and apparently the u.s. military, as well. nbc's kristen welker traveled with the president. she's at the white house this morning with the latest. kristen, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. well, the secret service has launched a full-scale, internal investigation into this scandal,

which has proven highly embarrassing for the agency, the u.s. military, and this administration. president obama returning to washington late sunday, after a weekend summit in colombia. facing an evolving prostitution scandal within the agency that is supposed to protect him, the u.s. secret service. >> it if turns out that some of the allegations that have been made in the press are confirmed, then of course i'll be angry. >> reporter: the alleged incident happened on wednesday night at this cartagena hotel, just days before the president was set to arrive. staying in a different hotel. according to u.s. officials who had been briefed on the matter, 11 special agents and uniformed officers, including two supervisors, allegedly brought prostitutes back to the el caribe. guests at the hotel have to leave their i.d.s at the front desk. thursday morning hotel managers realized within woman hadn't picked up her i.d. by checkout time and found her in a room,

fighting with an agent after he failed to pay her. the hotel called local police, who alerted the u.s. embassy. ultimately, it went all the way to the white house. >> we're representing the people of the united states. and when we travel to another country, i expect us to observe the highest standards. >> reporter: the secret service members were sent home before the president's arrival. five military service members assigned to protect the president were confined to their quarters in cartagena and are now under investigation. prostitution is legal in parts of colombia. but it is a violation of the secret service rules of conduct. in a statement, the agency said, the secret service demands more from its employees, and these expectations are met and exceeded every day by the vast majority of our workforce. members of congress say they will launch their own investigation. >> in my committee we're going to look into all the details of what happened here and see whether we should be changing procedures. >> reporter: critics worry this could point to a larger problem

within the agency. brought to light in 2009 when the salahis, two reality tv stars, entered a state dinner without an invitation. still others are urging restraint. >> this is an unfortunate set of circumstances that needs to be dealt with, but it should not be overdramatized as a scandal. >> reporter: now, all 11 secret service personnel have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that investigation. those five u.s. military members could also be facing the possibility of disciplinary actions. president obama had hoped to focus on his domestic agenda and the campaign this week, but now that is going to be a lot more difficult. matt? >> kristen welker at the white house. kristen, thank you very much. ronald kessler is the author of "in the president's secret service: behind the scenes with agents in the line of fire and the presidents they protect." mr. kessler, good morning to you. >> good to be with you. >> what was your first reaction when you heard these allegations that these members of an advanced team, if you will, were perhaps involved with prostitutes before the president

arrived in colombia? what was your first reaction? >> well, this is just another example of what i've been writing about in my book, "in the president's secret service" and since then. the sal la his was another example. in my book i reveal dodens of examples of corner cutting by the secret service, laxness by the secret service, ranging from letting people into events without metal detection, under pressure from campaign staff, to not keeping up to date with the latest firearms, to even letting agents ignore requirements for physical fitness. >> when you talk about dozens of examples, though, would you not agree with secret service spokesmen, or officials who say, 99% of the time, these folks get it right, they do their job exceedingly well. they meet or exceed expectations? >> well, the agents themselves are generally brave and dedicated and they don't go around partying all the time. that's not the issue. the issue is the corner-cutting

which can -- which does represent security breaches. you know the standard is not, gee, there was no assassination, therefore we're doing fine. the standard should be, there should never be a scandal like this, this is the worst scandal in the history of the secret service. >> since you know -- since you know this organization well, and the role they play, what, exactly, would these men have been doing on the ground? what was their job prior to the arrival of the president? >> there were a number of different functions. some of them were on the countersniper team, some were on the counterassault team. others just would have been involved in advance. so it was a mix of people. and the fact that they had -- did place extra stress on the people who are already there. but the larger picture is the secret service, under mark sullivan, has gone from one debacle to another, and all we see from president obama is, well, i will be angry if the allegations in the press are true. not allegations in the press.

this is what the secret service determined. they issued a statement after i broke this story in "the washington post," saying that misconduct occurred, and that's why they're bringing the agents back. >> right. >> there's nothing to wait for. and the action that's needed is replacement of the secret service director. because it's really president obama's life that is at stake. -- >> you just answered my next question, how high up the food chain does this thing go in terms of someone losing their job? you think it's the director himself? >> oh, absolutely. and there's talk about, well the congress is going do do investigations. that has nothing do could with reforming the agency. the only way to reform this agency is with a new director from the outside such as bob muller at the fbi, he's done a wonderful job. you have to bring in someone who is not beholden to interests within the agency. >> ronald kessler, thanks for your input this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you, matt. ten minutes after the hour. here's savannah. >> all right, matt, thank you. now to a strange incident involving the duchess of

cambridge's sister pippa middleton. what appears to be a gun and tabloid photographers in paris. nbc's michelle kosinski with the pictures and the story. michelle, good morning to you. >> hi, savannah. yeah, it was an april in paris weekend full of parties for pippa. costumes, aristocrats, some of the most eligible bachelors around. but now some not so pretty pictures on the front page of "the sun" newspaper, including what may or may not be a real gun. as pippa middleton enjoyed a sunny ride through paris with three male friends, take a close look at the driver. here in traffic, pointing what looks like a gun at a photographer. >> he was perhaps so angry, perhaps they were just showing off, but it certainly doesn't look good. >> reporter: even if the gun is fake, it could be more serious than in very bad taste. only weeks after firearm attacks in france on a school and some soldiers, left seven people dead. four of them children.

pippa's paris weekend was a fine one, indeed. until now. spending time with three very lovely, very wealthy, bachelors. escorted by a television mogul she dressed up in period costume. kind of. at least from the waist up. while other guests went all-out. this for the birthday party of old friend, entrepreneur and owner of a popular fashion label, who, pippa also spent time with, and his handsome brother. it's not really clear who the three men in the convertible are with her. but at least one of them may have some serious explaining to do. to police. well "the sun" has this exclusively with the headline, the smirking gun and claims that the photographer involved, at whom this gun was allegedly painted, was thinking about filing a complaint with police. although we talked to police and prosecutors in paris, and they say they don't know anything about it. savannah? >> all right. so we will hear more about it. michelle kosinski in london for

us, thank you. it is now 7:13. meares matt. >> thanks. a congressional hearing is set to get under way in the general services administration spending practices. this stems from a lavish conference in las vegas and the official at the center of the scandal plans to assert his right to remain silent. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers is in washington with the latest. lisa, good morning. >> good morning, matt. a government official taking the fifth is not the kind of imagery any white house would hope for. what's more, top tsa officials appointed by president obama will have to explain why, after they learned of a lavish conference in las vegas, they nevertheless gave the official in charge a bonus. ♪ >> reporter: the fun-filled las vegas conference that investigators say cost taxpayers almost $1 million, included rap videos. a mind reader. and $1200 for shuttles to take

gsa staffers to party on the vegas strip. the gsa official in charge was jeff nealy. >> i think i pretty much promised to deliver an over-the-top, unforgettable, team-building experience. how'd we do on that one? >> reporter: but nealy has told congressional investigators he'll take the fifth today, rather than answer questions. >> taxpayers need to know that what they see in those videos is, in fact, to a great extent, the tip of the iceberg. there's a culture of waste that when people misbehave, they're seldom punished for it. >> reporter: e-mails show that even after senior gsa officials were alerted to excessive spending in vegas, administer martha johnson personally approved a $9,000 bonus for neely and vegas was only part of the story. an even longer conference was held in 2010 in palm springs, california. for gsa interns. the awards dinner cost taxpayers

as much as $100 a head. it was held at this resort, where the lounge had been named one of "playboy" magazine's 20 greatest bars. >> it's a wasteful abuse of taxpayer dollars. >> reporter: investigators also found other outrageous costs. five gsa officials went to hawaii for a week for a one-hour ribbon cutting. $330,000 to move one official from denver to hawaii. and gsa invented awards. because if there were awards at an event, they could stick taxpayers with the tab for food. they called one, the jackass award. >> americans across the country have been tightening their belts, and when they see that the people who are being paid with their taxpayer dollars are squandering it and wasting it, it just increases people's contempt for government. >> reporter: we reached out to neely's lawyer, who did not return our calls. the white house has called the spending spree a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars, and said

decisive action has been taken. so far, three gsa officials, including the administrator, have been filed or resigned and five more are on administrative leave. >> all right, lisa myers in washington this morning. lisa, as always, thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the day's other top stories. natalie morales is over at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. procrastinators rejoice, if you didn't yet file your taxes this weekend there is still time. this year you get two extra days to submit your federal income tax returns for 2011. the deadline is tomorrow, april 17th. the extra time is thanks to april 15th landing on a sunday, and today's emancipation day, which is observed in washington, d.c. a violent 18-hour assault in kabul, afghanistan, has ended this morning after a joint u.s./afghan -- widespread attack it was. a suspected militant captured after the assault confessed the operation was carried out by the haqqani network, a group with ties to the taliban and al

qaeda. three civilians and eight policemen were killed in the attack. in norway, the man who admits to killing 77 people last july is in court today. the right wing radical has pleaded not guilty to terror and murder charges. he claims he acted in self-defense. he has previously claimed responsibility for the bombing in oslo and the shooting massacre on an island outside the capital. syria's newly minuted cease-fire is coming apart this morning as the first u.n. observers arrive in damascus to news that government troops are once again showing neighborhoods in the rebel stronghold of homs. the violent attacks -- president bashar assad's willingness to adhere to the peace plan. the coast guard is calling off the search for four missing yacht crew members. the racers went missing in the waters off san francisco this weekend when powerful rough seas caused their sailboat to run aground. one crew member was found dead. three others survived. well, even secretary of

state hillary clinton has to lose the scrunchy and let her hair down every once in awhile. the 64-year-old former first lady rocked out a respectable rumba in a colombian night club and was even photographed throwing back a beer. clinton was in cartagena for a diplomatic summit, for a diplomatic summit and these pictures already setting twitter on fire. 7:18 right now. let's turn it back over to matt, savannah and al. >> the secretary. >> turned out to be quite the party. meanwhile, what is it? patriots day, right? patriots day so they're running the boston marathon. >> noon start time. >> 84 degrees? >> that's right. it could be even hotter than that. so that's dangerous. >> natalie, you've run how many marathons? >> five. >> what's the hottest temperature? >> probably 60. so this is not good for them. i hope they're getting lots of water and hydrating, hydrating. >> i've run oh, gosh, one. no. it was okay. wouldn't have mattered what the temperature was. anyway let's see what we've got

for today. record highs in the northeast. risk of strong storms in the northeast. and in to the western new york and parts of california, the west virginias. we've got some wet weather in the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine through the southwest. >> good morning. we will jump ahead a couple of months temperature-wise. highs will jump into the upper 80's. scattered thunderstorms are >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you. we're learning more about what may have contributed to the sudden death of renowned painter thomas kinkade. his brother says the artist battled alcoholism, and suffered a relapse right before his death.

nbc's mike taibbi is in los angeles with the story this morning. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this isn't a gallery around me. it's the home of a private kinkade dealer. 2,000 to 3,000 reproductions here. that's been nonstop work for the past ten days. the painter's death not hurting sales at all. >> i paint the world the way we all kind of daydream it would be and try to paint a world full of light and life. >> reporter: for the artist who delivered those daydreams to more than 10 million american homes, and whose fame won him vast riches and audiences with popes and presidents, this is how it ended. >> 54-year-old male unconscious, not breathing, apparently he's been drinking all night and not moving. we'll get los gattos pd rolling. >> reporter: it was his current girlfriend who called it in. his death ended years of struggle with booze and bankruptcy, the final binge for relapse his brother said. >> you can be doing really,

really well and suddenly the bottle calls you and you fall off. >> reporter: and there were other troubles. his high school sweetheart wife nannette had left him. and there was the constant pummeling by the serious art world, which dismissed his prodigious output of sentimental and christian themed americana as the work of a commercial hack. >> it hurt him over time again and again and again to have that sort of talk about him. all he did was try to make people happy. >> reporter: how many pieces altogether? >> 2,000. >> reporter: in the meantime sellers of his work like private dealer karen, have brought on extra staff to deal with the surge in demand for kincaid's work. here a half million dollars in ebay orders in the seven days after the artist's death. and half again as much through the weekend. the worst of the stories that have emerged in lawsuits by former associates. about kinkade's drinking and strip club visits and crude behavior haven't dented the ardor of his regions of fans. >> people forgive artists.

they go hollywood. do you think people stopped buying elvis presley's cds when he was like an elephant on drugs? >> reporter: you're asking how much more now for this? >> trouble. >> reporter: encouraging a fresh look for why the artist meant so much to so many, whatever the critics say. >> he wants to take hope and peace and joy and if that is a problem ultimately for the critical community, so be it. >> reporter: it will be a private funeral for kinkade tomorrow near his los gattos home. the continued marketing of his artwork and brand and his brother pat involved with the company says is more valuable now than ever. >> mike taibbi in los angeles, thank you. just ahead, why now? and what about that ring? we're going to have new details on brad pitt and angelina jolie's engagement, but first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, why more americans are getting chin

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tapas puck chinese takeout taco truck free range chicken pancake stack baked alaska 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at restaurants. it pays to discover. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here's a look at ourop story this morning, the backups on the j.f.x. officials are urging drivers to take alternate routes this morning. accidents are expected in some way, shape, or form during the shot in rush hour. 29th street and northern parkway will be shut down for repairs. you can find a list of alternate

routes on our website, wbaltv.com. now for another word about the situation on the j.f.x., here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> accident in the construction zone on southbound j.f.x. two right lanes are getting by, but it is adding to the ingestion. those delays begin around no. n parkway. we will monitor for this year. as we have been saying, utilize the alternates. we will give you a live view at ruxton, where things are not backing up yet, but closer to northern parkway, very heavy delays. down to 14 mi. per hour heading towards the accident and construction zone. west side delays, 20 miles per hour on average. another alternate closed between rolling road and marriottsville lane.

warren road, watch for crash. another one at tufton ave out of reisterstown. tony has a check of the forecast. >> at least there was nothing going on with a bang-wise. -- thing going on weather-wise. at the airport, light southwest winds at 3. forecasts for the day, mostly sunny. high temperatures will climb into the mid-80's this id

move over will and kate. there is a new wedding of the century to plan. after seven years, six kids, brad pitt, and angelina jolie are finally going to tie the knot. why did they make the move now? why did brad want to personally design angelina's pretty large engagement ring? we'll get some answers coming up. maybe a few cameras at that wedding. >> you think? >> or at least in the near area. 7:30 now on this monday morning. april 16th, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie who is in while ann is off this week. >> we all know angelina will shine on her wedding day. what about some other brides who want to look their best. turns out some are turning to a pretty controversial procedure. eating through a feeding tube to

lose weight. we're going to hear from a doctor who performs that procedure and talk about the risks as well. then are web cams to blame? the surprising activity that's helped make chin implants the fastest growing cosmetic procedure in the united states. we're going to get some perspective from dr. oz. i got to say anyone who's looked at themselves on a web cam it can be pretty shocking. >> piece people didn't have mirrors before web cams was invented? >> there's something uniquely unflattering about that shot, i guess. >> whatever, okay. also ahead, "today's professionals" are with us this morning. star and donny being joined by bobby flay this morning. one of the topics they'll be discussing, company moles and leakers. how far businesses should go to expose them. >> wire going to begin this half hour with the big news out of hollywood. brad pitt and angelina jolie's engagement. natalie is back with the story on that. >> that's right. this is a long time in coming. and now we're learning more about why. brad spent the last year working

with a jeweler to design the perfect engagement ring. brad pitt and angelina jolie have been dodging the question of marriage since they first got together seven years ago. here's brad with ann back in 2008. >> you were asked recently by a reporter whether or not you guys are ever going to get married. she said you have to ask brad. >> well -- >> here i am. >> listen, if we feel it's important to our kids, we will do so. >> reporter: their kids must have spoken up, because now it's official. hollywood's most glamorous couple is engaged. >> i asked her to marry me. >> what? >> i'm getting married. >> a lot of people give them a year or two to stay together, and they've been together for about seven years now. so they defied all odds. >> reporter: with an odd-defying ring that brad helped design, a year in the making, more than six carats. >> if it weren't for will and

kate it would be the wedding of the century. but it's definitely the biggest wedding since the royal wedding. >> reporter: this isn't the first wedding for either member of brangelina. jolie's been married twice before. once to actor billy bob thornton. and pitt famously divorced jennifer aniston before dating jolie. as for the wedding. so many questions still remain. when and where will they get married? who will design the wedding dress? and what roles will their six kids play in the ceremony? >> they're certainly not going to have any shortage of flower girls or ring bearers. so it's certainly, i would imagine, the kids will definitely be part of the ceremony. >> reporter: so what started out as marriage made for the movie screen, now set to finally become official. >> she's with me. >> reporter: and according to reports, aniston is at peace with her ex-husband's decision to remarry. a source close to the actress says she is happy for brad and angelina. savannah? >> all right, natalie, thanks. kate coyne is the assistant managing editor of "people"

magazine. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> this is full deployment for "people" magazine until they tie the knot. >> this is a pretty big deal. it was about one year ago today i was sitting here talking about the royal wedding. now here we go with a hollywood royal wedding. >> do you think interest will be that high? >> absolutely. i think interest will be that high. i don't know if ultimately the sort of coverage that we'll be able to get of the actual event will be quite what the royal wedding provided. i don't know if you'll see angelina emerging from a carriage waving to the crowd. one can only hope. >> they've been together seven years. a lot of people are wondering why now. >> this is actually one of the most normal, traditional, old-fashioned things that brad and angelina have ever done as a couple. they've been together for seven years. they have six kids already. a lot of people actually, when i told them that they were engaged said to me, aren't they already married? >> yeah. >> and they themselves have said that the commitment that they have in raising their children, in having a family together, to them outweighs any sort of

wedding or marriage that they could ever have. but it's become pretty clear that their six kids have really been putting on the pressure. >> they could definitely put the pressure on. let's talk about the ring, who knew brad is such a sensitive guy, working on it for a year. >> working on it for a year. which means this was not a spontaneous, spur of the moment, will you marry me? this was many months in the making. and brad fancies himself to be quite the designer. he's an amateur architect. he is very, very interested in design and has been for quite some time. of course he came up with a ring that is completely one of a kind. absolutely unique. the cut of the stone itself was a custom cut. so it's not even emerald cut, ascher cut. it's a brad and angie cut. >> could you even venture a guess as to how much it would cost? >> some jewelers are putting the cost at well over $1 million. and the stone size is over 10 carats. so it's a pretty significant stone. >> knowing this couple as you do, you cover them a lot, of course, do you think there will be a big wedding and a ton of

fanfare, or might they just try to do it privately, elope, and tell everybody about it later? >> to be completely honest, the brad and angelina that we've covered for all of these years to me would indicate that there wouldn't be a huge wedding, it will be something very quiet, very under the radar that we would only hear about after the fact. then again i'm not sure a lot of people ever expected there to be a proper, official engagement with a dazzling ring on her left hand. this is more traditional and old-fashioned than we would have expected already from the couple. so, it's possible that there could be a big, lavish ceremony in their future. >> let's get serious a little bit. we have a sad story to report. ryan o'neal has revealed that he has stage four prostate cancer. we remember him right by farrah fawcett's side in the documentary as she was battling her own cancer. what can you tell us? >> it's cancer touching his life yet again. obviously he lost farrah to cancer. he battled leukemia himself.

now he's dealing with stage four cancer. he does say he feels grateful it was caught early. i'm not sure you can classify stage four cancer as early. but his words seem to indicate at the very least it's contained, and that his doctors feel that it's treatable. >> he seems to have a positive attitude about it. >> absolutely does. >> all right. kate coyne from "people" magazine. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. and now let's head outside to al for a check of the weather. >> all right. thanks so much, savannah. we got kids in the frame. where are you guys from? >> rhode island. >> very nice. good to see you. who is your friend holder? >> our dad. >> had to check. i like that. let's see what we've got for you for today. again we're talking about the record-breaking heat here in the early part of the week. a lot of rain through the gulf coast. rain in the pacific northwest as we get to the midweek period. we are looking for more above normal temperatures through the plains, on into the southwest. cooler than normal temperatures in the upper plains and latter

part of the week right along the east. great lakes and gulf coast, wet weather and showers in the pacific northwest. and twins celebrating your sweet 16. what's your name? >> claire. >> christine. >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> that's what's going on around th's >> good morning. temperature this afternoon will soar into the mid 80's. that is 20 degrees above average. >> and somebody's double digits today. what's your name? >> murphy. >> happy 10th birthday. can you get your weather any time of the day or night from the weather channel on cable and weather.com online. savannah? >> hey, al, thanks. coming up next, one surprising

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plastic surgery, chin augmentation. believe it or not it appears to be sparked, in part, by the increased use of video chatting. although i'm not so sure about this. we're going to talk to dr. oz and find out what he thinks in a moment. but first, why some people are changing their chins. when 39-year-old lizzette stevens, a project manager for a software company, looked at her image during web cam video conferences with clients and colleagues, she didn't like what she saw. >> i was not happy with the profile of my face and the way that it's projected in those pictures. so i thought i'd do something about it. >> reporter: stevens decided to get a chin implant, a 45-minute, minimally invasive surgery. designed to give her a stronger chin. >> the incision is right under my chin. it actually looks like, you know, most kids when they're a kid they fall and hit their chin. today you can't even see it. >> reporter: patients can typically expect to be back to work in three days. the cost ranges between $3500

and $7500. and the requests for the procedure are on the rise. up to 71% in the last year alone. >> we'll do chin implant surgery as many as three or four times a day. >> doctor derek antell is the spokesman for the american society of plastic surgeons. he says the popularity of web cams has made people more aware of their appearance. >> i think that today, with digital cameras, people are seeing their photo and profile more often than ever before. >> dr. antell says the surgery is ideal for people like lizzette, who feel they want to improve their image in the workplace. >> we made her chin a little bit stronger, and cleaned up her neck. just makes her look better overall. this is the kind of operation that whispers. it doesn't shout. but it makes people look better. >> dr. mehmet oz is the host of "the dr. oz show." doc, good to see you. good morning. do you buy that this is a result of people seeing themselves on

web cams? i mean, we've had mirrors for generations, why would a web cam suddenly make me go out and change my chin. >> i think it reinforces the reality. you may not be happy with your chin or yourself. but there's another factor, matt and it's a big one. we always think that people with strong chins have stronger personalities, will be more effective in the workplace. and this is one of those plastic surgery trends that is not predominantly in women, it is in men as well. it turns out less than 10% of ceos of fort rn 500 companies have weak chins. >> so there's some perception issue here. if you want a stronger children, this is surgery, after all, any other options before you get to this step? >> there's a small little muscle people can exercise it. it's not that effective. can you do this. not very attractive either to do that. >> do that in the comfort of your own home. >> that's right. good posture help and weight loss is probably the most effective technique. something called ultrasound therapy is being done a lot.

a half hour office procedure, no cutting. and we've featured it on the show, it's very effective. >> you showed me something, but if you want to know just how big a chin or more prominent chin you can get you can show yourself. >> this will show who it works for and who it won't work for. the most important test to do at home stick your chin out as far as you can. that's as far forward as your chin will look if you implant a little -- >> isn't that more about your jaw bone than your chin? >> you're just mimicking how far the chin can go. if you implant a device that's larger than that in an attempt to get more augmentation you're much more likely to have erosion which is a destruction of the skin, also increases the chance of infection. that's a major complication of the operation, that you get an infection. about 5% to 7% chance. >> what questions should people be asking themselves before they say, okay i'm going under the knife, just so that i can have a more prominent chin? >> this abig issue for any

surgery. first off are they board certified. make sure they can actually put this product in and in a hospital. if they're going to do it in their office, i know that, but if a hospital lets them do it, that means they're really good at it. secondly, how many they've done. should be dozens of them. find out who their patients are. actually talk to those patients. get references from your surgeon as well. and ask the soul searching question, am i happy and doing this because i'm going to be happier, or am i doing this to make me happy? >> a lot of plastic surgeons are good about talking to people and saying this will give you a more prominent chin, this will not make you happier, will not make you funnier at parties, socially more active, things like that. >> i think that's the big take away message. if you want to get the procedure done, if in your heart of hearts make sure you're doing it for a compelling reason. i don't want to discount the value of a strong chin in the workplace. people with strong chins are perceived, in fact the heads of major companies who don't have strong chins often started those

companies. no one had to hire them. >> two other proceed seed yours apparently lip augmentation and cheek bone operations. >> those have increased maybe 50%. 70% increase. and this procedure has been around since you and i were born. in the last year there's been a massive shift in perception. >> dr. mehmet oz. thanks very much. still ahead, going on a feeding tube just to lose weight. some brides are taking the quest to look their best to extremes. are they going too far? we'll talk about it. these are our ocean spray 100% juice blends with no added sugar. just one glass equals two servings of fruit. very "fruit-ritious." or try ocean spray light 50, with just 50 calories, a full serving of fruit, and no added sugar. with tasty flavors like cranberry pomegranate and cranberry concord grape, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. [ splashing ] just, you know, demonstrating how we blend the fruits. ahem. try all our tasty ocean spray 100% and light 50 juices.

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just ahead, scarlett johansson opens up about her divorce from ryan reynolds. and now the new love in her life. >> and he knows his way around the kitchen, but can bobby flay handle "today's professionals"? doubtful. they're going to weigh in on the best and worst jobs in america, how to deal with company moles, and leakers, and much more. first your local news and weather. ♪ [ female announcer ] with depression, simple pleasures can simply hurt. the sadness, anxiety, the loss of interest. the aches and pains and fatigue. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens,

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check of your morning commute. >> the j.f.x. has been a problem spot all morning. as we see from captain wright and sky team 11, the accident is gone at 29th street. still, the left lane closure, but it has eased traffic with the accident out of there. we're still looking at delays from 28 to northern parkway. northern parkway is pretty crowded here. southbound traffic is going away from us and those delays will be in place for a while.

let's look at speeds through the area. average speeds around 11 miles per hour. coldspring lane tanyard road, one accident location. this is off to the side toward causing some delays. one is at liberty and baltimore drive. if you want had saw out at 83 in warren road, we have an accident off to the side. busy ride this morning. one more accident in church filled. 155 and route 22. tony, over to you. >> police to the weather is nice and quiet. a few high, thin clouds. temperatures in the upper 50's and low 60's. the gazette in frederick. 69 degrees downtown. humidity is not all that bad for this time of year. temperatures will soar into the mid-80's this afternoon.

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8:00 now on a monday morning. it's the 16th day of april, 2012. and you know what? here we are in the early stages of spring. we are already 70 degrees on the plaza here in new york city. al says going up into the 80 degree range. >> 90. >> 90. boston could go to 90 today. >> going to be rough for the marathon. >> that's going to be very tough. i'm matt lauer out on the plaza along with savannah guthrie who is here while ann is taking some time off this week. and mr. roker joins us, as well. and coming up a familiar face in our studio right now taking part in "today's professionals." we're talking about chef bobby flay. he is a guy who knows his way around the kitchen. how is he going to do when he

mixes it up with the other pros? donny has already been marking his territory this morning. >> oh -- >> anyway, star is waiting, as well. some of the subjects we're going to talk about, this has some comments on the trayvon martin case over the weekend. we'll hear what he had to say and let them talk about it. and then company moles and leakers. the people who leak stories to the press and tell stories in secret. how should they be dealt with? we'll talk about that. >> string them up. >> we'll see if bobby flay can stir the pot a little bit more. been planning that one all morning. also ahead the disturbing way some brides are trying to lose wet before their big days. it's a feeding tube. >> enjoy your cheerios. >> in their noses and then just getting 800 calories a day. well, it works, but should they be doing it? we'll talk to a doctor who performed the procedure. >> i just had 00 calories between coffee and now. >> but we're going to meet the so-called queen of the mommy bloggers.

some 200,000 folks read heather armstrong's blog every day. they were recently stunned to find out about the end of her marriage. we're going to talk to her when she joins us in just a little bit. >> all right. a lot to get to. natalie is standing by at the news desk. natalie, good morning again. >> good morning, again. a massive cleanup is under way after at least 130 reported tornadoes ravaged the plains states this weekend. at least six people were killed in woodward, oklahoma. kansas was hit by 97 tornadoes, but officials said there were no fatalities there thanks to an extensive early warning system. president obama is defending what he calls the extraordinary work of the secret service. but says he will, quote, be angry if reports of scandalous behavior by some agents involving prostitutes turns out to be true. officials say 11 members of the secret service were sent home from colombia where the president was attending a major diplomatic summit this weekend. the senate votes today on president obama's buffett rule.

a minimum tax on the wealthiest americans. republican critics say the plan would hurt the job market. dole is recalling 756 cases of bagged salad sold in at least 15 states. dole says a random sample of its seven lettuces salad tested positive -- tested by new york state came back positive for salmonella. the bags are stamped with a use by date of april 11th. dole says no illnesses have been reported. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. good morning, courtney. how are we going to start off the week? >> good morning to you. investors are going to continue to keep an eye on europe's debt crisis, specifically spain. yields on spanish bonds are now spiking to levels that are going to make it difficult for the country to refinance its debt. elsewhere the earnings parade continues on, as well as a slew of economic reports. seagram's just reported its earnings, beating the street by 11 cents. >> courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange. thank you. now for a look at what's

trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking. sports blogs are heating up after jets quarterback tim tebow was te-booed by many in the new hometown crowd last night. he was in the stands at a yankees game and got the rough welcome when his face was shown on the scoreboard. and a story we brought you earlier has made jennifer aniston a top yahoo! search item. twitter is buzzing over one report claiming that aniston is so happy for her ex, brad pitt, that it wouldn't be surprising if she attends his upcoming wedding to angelina jolie. and the latest "snl" digital brought out the big guns. steven spielberg making a cameo in a new video. executive producer lorne michaels seems unimpressed. >> blast him with lasers. >> did you see my cameo? >> hitchcock. >> hitchcockian. >> and with the election season heating up, "the new york times" columnist reports that "snl" has

offered mitt romney a guest spot on the show. we'd all like to see that. 8:05 right now. let's go back outside to matt and savannah. >> ready? >> i'm sorry about that. i didn't know we were on. >> that's right. shall we get to the weather from al? >> a little do-si-do there. want to see it again? >> ♪ . very nice. hey, we've got three generations of ladies here. so who do we have here? >> right here. >> wow, grandma? >> grandma mother and two daughters. >> that's fantastic. you look -- 81, terrific. god bless. all right let's find out what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. and the boston marathon. man it is going to be rough. we're talking temperatures climbing from the 70s into the upper 80s. please be very, very careful. especially if this is your first time running. look at these temperatures. 70s and 80s up and down the east coast. some pockets of 90s, as well.

30s in the northern great lakes. we're looking at 80s down to the southwest. rain in the pacific northwest. slight risk of strong storms western new york, western p.a., into parts of ohio and west virginia. some snow showers still longing around in northern minnesota. some places picked up seven inches of snowev >> good morning. we will jump ahead a couple of months temperature-wise. highs will jump into the upper 80's. scattered thunderstorms are >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> mr. roker, thank you. when we come back, extreme dieting. the length some brides-to-be are willing to go to to look great

on their big day. we'll talk about that right after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] not everything powerful has to guzzle fuel. the 2012 e-class bluetec from mercedes-benz. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services.

start out softer and more vulnerable? new aquafresh kids fresh and fruity toothpaste gently cleans their teeth with natural calcium and fights cavities with fluoride. try new aquafresh kids fresh and fruity toothpaste. it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions.

tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. back now at 8:09 with what some women are now doing to look their best on their wedding day. "today" national correspondent amy robach has the details on this. amy, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning. all eyes are on the bride when she makes that special trip down the aisle, and some women are taking it to the extreme when it comes to reaching their goal wedding day weight. the invitations have been sent, the gown has been chosen.

but for some brides-to-be, there's still one thing left to check off their wedding to do list. shed those unwanted pounds. studies show that 70% of engaged women want to be about 20 pounds lighter for their big day and now some are going to extreme measures to reach that goal. >> people want to be perfect in this country. i'm allowing them to do it. >> reporter: at his clinic in bay harbor island, florida, dr. oliver dipietro has been offering brides what he calls the k-e diet, a weight loss procedure in which patients eat through a feeding tube. >> it's done by inserting a small feeding tube through the nose into the stomach under localen es theesh yeah. it's slightly uncomfortable. it's not terrible. and then we hook the patient up to a feeding pump that they carry 24/7. >> reporter: dr. dipietro demonstrated for us how the tube is inserted. for ten days his patients, and they're not just brides, eat nothing. they get all their fourishment from the feeding tube dripping 800 calories a day into their

stomach. the combination of protein, fat, and no carbs helps to curb hunger and shed weight rapidly. >> it's an extreme form of an sin ens. it's not for everybody. some people can't stand the thought of having a tube in their nose. >> reporter: the diet recently highlighted in this "new york times" article called for patients to use the feeding tube 24/7. >> we had one patient that she made a t-shirt that said, i'm on a diet. >> reporter: what it takes away in pounds it adds to that already bloated wedding budget, $1500 for the ten-day drip. and not everyone thinks it's a good idea. >> getting 800 calories would be too low for anyone, but getting them from lean protein, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats is very different than getting them through a feed tube. >> reporter: the diet has also started a firestorm on twitter where actress ashley jude recently in the spotlight for speaking out against criticism of her looks tweeted -- insane, abusive, sad. there is a company now offering

brides pre-wedding crash diet feeding tubes to appear more culturally acceptable. now, dr. dipietro says the procedure is perfectly safe. adding that on average his patients lose 20 pounds in those ten days. but they'll have to maintain the weight loss on their own once that feeding tube is removed. savannah. >> all right, amy robach, thank you. dr. louis aronne is from new york presbyterian we'll cornell medical center and dr. roshini raj is a "today" contributor. where does this feeding tube diet range in terms of unusual fad diets? >> this is nowhere. this has a very high yuck factor. this is much too severe for people to consider, in my opinion. really, this is not something that should be done. >> dr. raj, you agree this is something that's just off limits? >> i totally agree. we use feeding tubes in the hospital for very ill patients,

post surgical patients. even then we think twice about it. there are risks of having a feeding tube in your nose, in your stomach. it can cause ee ocean and bleeding. knowing that people would do this, knowing it's so temporary, there's no long-term benefit. you have to think of the psych cloj logical factors going into this decision. >> in your mind, doctor, what is the worst case scenario of something that could go wrong with this? >> you could have side effects. and they're minimized in the doctor's mind. but people can get dehydrated, have severe constipation. and what is lost is mainly water and muscle. so when you first start losing weight you don't lose fat you're actually losing water and muscle. >> some doctors who have done this procedure, they monitor the patient closely for ten days. they are getting calories, 800, enough to subsist. it appears to provide some results, so what's the harm if it's just for the ten days? >> first of all, they're saying they're monitoring the patient. the patient is not in a hospital

being monitored. so i was reading their website. they check in maybe every three days. 800 calories is very low. to say that that's sort of enough to subsist. you are going to start to break down parts of your body that you need. and when you get 800 calories through food you absorb it much better than through a liquid form going into your stomach. there are a lot of potential side effects. kidney stones. gout, all these things can happen with this kind of diet. >> dr. raj kind of touched on this, do you think this says something about the mind-set of somebody who's willing to go to these lengths of walking around for ten days with a feeding tube up her nose? >> if someone wants to lose weight before their wedding, they just need to start a little bit earlier. you're not really going to get anything useful doing this for ten days. >> all right, thank you so much. interesting information, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and coming up next, "today's professionals" weigh in on a spouse's role in the presidential race. the best and worst professions out there. and more. bobby flay joins the group. i was living with this all-over pain.

a deep, throbbing, persistent ache. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain.

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back now at 8:17 with a special monday edition of "today's professionals." star jones, donny deutsch, they're here as usual but we've got famed chef and restaurateur bobby flay filling in for dr. nancy snyderman. good morning. good to see you, bobby. welcome to the group. >> thank you. >> let's start off with this subject we talked about earlier in the show. the secret service scandal or alleged scandal. you've heard some members of the team that went to colombia in advance of president obama may have used the services of some prostitutes. and that obviously has got tongues wagging. raise your hand if you're shocked by this story. raise your hand if you think this probably goes on more often than we thought. >> i'm kind of shocked. >> shocked. >> not shocked? >> shocked. >> go ahead. >> i can't believe that they would use such poor judgment. i mean, obviously the secret service is tasked with the duty of the protecting the president. but more importantly, you're going to argue with a hooker

over $47 and put yourself in this situation? that's lack of judgment shock. >> how much did they -- >> the arguing over the money? >> come on. >> how much did they compromise the mission here? the mission, protecting the president of the united states. >> that's really the question. because once that hotel door closes and it's just the secret service guy, with the prostitute, he has to trust her to not tell of his secrets. what is he giving up to her? and then that becomes a problem -- >> possible black mail situation. >> definitely. >> really is a security breach. i worked on the clinton campaign and traveled with the secret service guys. these guys are so impressive. i was actually surprised. look, any human being is capable of anything. we've learned that if nothing else. having said that, though, these are such an elite force that it is a security breach. and obama's got to act swiftly. >> how high up the food chain does someone get fired if the allegations are proven true? >> well, desiree rogers lost her job and she was a social secretary. >> the crew chief has to go, too. >> absolutely.

>> she lost her job then they need to do the exact same thing. >> let's move on to the trayvon martin story. bill cosby weighed in with some comments in an interview over the weekend. it was interesting to hear mr. cosby talk. one of the things he said is we need to start this discussion on guns as opposed to race. has the media focused too much on race, star, in this issue, because it's explosive, when guns are the real problem? >> i just -- >> by the way, this was a legal handgun. >> absolutely. i just attended my 26th anniversary of the district attorneys over in brooklyn. almost to a person, we had this discussion. they all said it was gun related. that it was not about race per se. in that the negation and the lack thereof was about race. but the issue is about guns. >> i was so happy to hear cosby say that. he says a lot of things that ruffle people. but in reality there are going to be racist. when a journalist comes out and says every 17-year-old black man should know that could happen to them. i don't think that helps. >> but it's true.

you need to live in the truth. >> is that really, really, really true? >> it's absolutely really true. >> if this goes to trial it's going to be about race for sure. the guns are going to go out the business. >> if a guy runs a business, if you're going after guns you're solving problems. by highlighting race here -- by the way, i don't agree with that. i know it's a white guy talking, so some white guy stuff. i don't believe that. >> it's not some white guy at all. you know what? i've spent a lot of time over the past few weeks talking to families that have lots and lots of money, live in trailer parks and everything in between, and to a one, you have a 17-year-old black kid, you know your son might not come home. >> let me go back to guns for a second. by the way, bill cosby revealed in that interview that at one point he had a permit to carry a handgun. what percentage of people in this country do you think own a gun? not a handgun, any kind of a gun. >> 25%. >> i was going to say 20%. >> i'd say about 30%. >> 47%. >> really? >> according to a recent poll. let's move on. so media news in the last week, fox news apparently had a mole

in their midst, a guy who was leaking stories about the way fox news did business. that person has since been identified and fired. what drives a mole? what drives a leaker? >> attention. i mean, i think it's just he wanted to become famous within his own community. this guy was working at the 2004, if he didn't like the way fox was running their business he should have come over here and applied at nbc. nobody is holding the guy down for a job. >> it's not anger? it's attention? >> it's self-loathing. i was in a situation, somebody sent out a silly picture of me while they're working for me, it was from my personal files and i fired them. >> absolutely. >> this is somebody who's working and i'm paying a paycheck and it's a violation. >> anybody that undermines your business has to go. >> how far should companies, then, be allowed to go or how far should they go in rooting out moles? should they go through company e-mails? >> absolutely. >> should they go through company cell phones to find out who is calling who? >> the word was companies.

it's company e-mails. it's company cell phones. it's company video. you work for the company. >> if you moan about the company that they choose to work for, that pays their paycheck, your point, bobby, go work for another company. >> fox probably should not try the sue. the last thing you want to do is open a door to having to show whatever your financial hurt has been in this. you don't want that out there. >> has everyone here ever been involved in a leak regarding knee? >> no, sir. >> just to make sure. >> ann romney the wife of mitt rom think been in the headlines. someone took issue with her. a democratic strategist came out and made a comment saying basically mitt romney should not look for advice on working women and their plight from his wife because she's never worked a day in her life. that got a lot of stay at home moms very angry. they came to the support of ann romney. ann romney tweeted on the matter, i made the choice to stay at home and raise five boys. believe me, it was hard work. so her popularity seems to have gone up as a result of this.

which begs this question, is there such a thing as a spouse bump in a political election? can a candidate get a bump from popular spouse? >> 100%. and she is incredible woman. anybody's who's met her says this is a special, special woman. having said that. most of my partners are women, coming to work on a monday morning, versus staying at home, i think we need to distinguish affluent stay at home moms who might have housekeepers, nannies. it would be interesting to see in her case, doesn't mean they're not involved with their children. but it is a different job at home when you don't have support. nobody's written about that. >> anybody who raises five children successfully should get a lifetime achievement award. >> do you vote for a candidate based on their spouse? that you really like their spouse? >> well, she's not running for president. if i like her husband, and i think that she's going to be a great support system, in lots of different ways, including at home, absolutely. >> i would not vote for a president based on the spouse. but i also want to point out that the majority of working

women either in the home or outside of the home don't have the resources, and so they're not the exact same. >> would you not vote for a candidate because you really didn't like their spouse? >> i actually think this says something about who that person is. their children, their spouse. so i'm not -- it goes into the pot. >> i wasn't a big fan of newt gingrich partially because of his third wife. that's the truth. >> they need the support, as well. >> how did bobby flay do? >> sucked. >> welcome, beenby. just ahead, cameron diaz on turning 40 and some other news. but first, your local news and weather.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. that's get a check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> j.f.x. has been the story all morning. we have had several accidents adding to those delays. they are all clear. down to nine miles per hour as you approach coldspring and the construction zone. coldspring lane and york road, we have an accident with delays on 95 on the west side. northbound 95 approaching russell street, tapping the brakes due to an accident. another one and 175 and 295. let's give you a live view of

traffic. southbound traffic is easing up in this area. northern parkway, not bad at all. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> major weather had line, temperatures. we will soar into the mid-80's this afternoon. right now it is fairly comfortable. 57 degrees in frederick, 61 in taneytown. 62 in a rising sun. almost 70 downtown. at least the humidity is not that bad. light southwest winds at 3. temperatures will cool off over the next couple of days. today we will make it to 86. scattered thunderstorms this evening. tomorrow, it will cool off just a touch. it will fall into the mid-60s during the middle of the week. scattered thunderstorms will

develop by later this week. best chance for rain will be this weekend. >> another update at 8: 56.

8:30 now on a monday morning, april 16th, 2012. just a beautiful day here in new york. unless, of course, you haven't done your tax returns yet. because that deadline day is tomorrow. extended a little bit because the 15th fell on a sunday and because of a holiday in washington. so, how many people here are done their taxes? >> one hoar day.

>> you're just blowing it off? >> no, irs, i'm not blowing it it off, thank you. >> the ultimate under the bus. >> your social security number is -- >> come on! >> i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. she's here while ann is enjoying time off. we've got mr. roker and natalie morales, as well. coming up, the big stories of the covers of magazines before they actually hit the covers. there's scarlett johansson. she's on the cover of a magazine talking about her split from ryan reynolds. also nicole kidman and cameron diaz. come ran by the way, about to turn 40. she talks about that. >> 40 is not too bad. also we'll meet the queen of mommy bloggers as she's known. heather armstrong. she has really made a wonderful business out of her mommy blog. but her readers were shocked to learn that she has recently split from her longtime husband. she'll be here to talk about that as well as her new book. >> all right. and making a lot of headlines

overseas, across the pond in particular is a picture of pippa middleton on the cover of a paper and in it she appears the driver of the car that she was in appears to be pointing what looks like a gun. it could, in fact, land her maybe in some hot water. we're going to have much more on this story, as well. >> and we'll be looking at sustainable cooking. the lowdown on that. how you make the freshest, most wonderful ingredients with available now. we'll find out about that. >> you ladies look great. the best outfit of the day belongs to rashid today jones who is over there. one of the stars of nbc's hit "parks & recreation." fourth season. >> yeah. >> why do you think this show has resonated when, to be quite blunt, some shows on nbc have not? >> wow. >> i can't speak to that. >> nor should you. >> but i think that -- i think that the government undertones, and with an election year, and i

think also our show is very noncynical. it's a show about people who love each other and love their town, and want to do the best for their towns and cities. >> and you play ann who is leslie, amy fuller's best friend. this next episode has something in a crisis in the relationship when she fires you? >> yeah. well, you know, i'm not good at everything. i can't be a best friend and a great employee. but you know, we make it through. we make it through. >> she just give the whole episode away? >> spoiler alert. spoiler alert. >> and besides this you're having a pretty big year. not only are you co-starring in an upcoming movie but you co-wrote it. >> i did. i did. i co-wrote it with my writing partner and my husband and it comes out this summer. >> yeah. >> -- top ten screen writer? >> what? >> vanity fair called you one of

the top ten screen writers to watch. >> it did? >> yes. >> meanwhile some of the other work you're doing is so important. you're spokesperson for the international rescue committee. you went to thailand recently. >> yes. >> what was it like seeing the refugees and how did that open your eyes? >> it was really inspiring. i went to the border of murre ma and got to meet with a lot of doctors and people who live there and then i got to go to san diego and see where a lot of the refugees are resettled. it's a great organization, been around for eight years and they're kind of like first in emergency services and recovery. it's a great nrgs. they have a website, rescue.org. >> you're doing it all. >> and wearing those kicky shorts. >> yeah. >> look, you guys. >> reminder you can catch her on "parks&recreation" on thursday night, 9:30, 8:30 central time. >> but i already told you what's

going to happen. >> yeah. >> you do need to watch it. >> absolutely. >> she was wrong. >> that's right, she's wrong. >> mr. roker, a check of the weather. >> you do need to watch this, as well, week ahead, above normal temperatures along the east coast. showers in the pacific northwest. heavy rain through the gulf. midweek period above normal temperatures from new england all the way back into the central plains. above normal temperatures in the southwest. cooler than normal in the upper mississippi river valley. wet weather from the great lakes down in the gulf. a little cooler the latter part of the week. above normal temperatures alone the northeast and mid-atlantic coast. warmer in the western third of the country with showers hanging around the pacific northwest. >> good morning. temperature this afternoon will soar into the mid 80's. that is 20 degrees above average.

>> and that's your latest weather. don't forget you can get your weather any time you need, go to the weather channel on cable and weather.com. those are neat earrings. >> thank you very much. coming up next, we'll talk about scarlett johansson. she opens up about her divorce. but also finding love again. first this is "today" on nbc. guys, i'm home!

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sara lee. so good, it's gone. we're back now at 8:38 with the cover story where we give you first looks at a few of the big celebrity interviews before they hit the newsstands. e news correspondent alicia squares is here with all the details. let's start with scarlett johansson. beautiful woman, great actress.

also a pretty private person. so she's in "vogue" this month and opening up to their writers. >> this is a wonderful interview. she finally talks about her divorce from actor ryan reynolds. she talks about the phone hacking scandal where naked pictures of her were leaked. and just like any of us, she says going through the divorce is devastating. >> does she talk about the reasons for the split? this was one of those hollywood it couples for awhile. >> she just says she's devastated, she's not over it yet and it's hard because he was her best frid and now he's not there anymore. >> knows photos of her, they were revealing photos and they were illegally obtained and then distributed over the internet. did she learn a lesson from that? >> she learned a lesson and she's a fighter. when this happened she said i'm going to approach this person, i'm going to press charges and she says she knows people have seen her in the buff but she wasn't going to take it lying down, no pun intended. >> nice one. >> thank you.

>> okay, speaking of revealing nicole kidman on w magazine and she's also someone who is generally pretty private. we hear more about her relationship with her husband. >> keith urban had vocal surgery. he couldn't speak for six weeks. she talks about how that brought them closer and hearing him speak for the first time after that, she said if you weren't touched by that you're not human. >> she talks about her relationship with her mom and even with all her success, still tries to please her mother. >> she says she picked roles to please her mother until she won the academy award. then she felt validated, like didn't have to please mom anymore. look, mom, i made it. >> there they are. >> and the fun and funny cameron diaz on the cover of instyle magazine. she's got a big birthday coming up. >> just interviewed her at the academy awards. she makes 40 look fabulous. she talks about dating and the pressures much being 40 and people saying do you want children? she said if it's right, and how it's right.

her approach to different to aging and i like it. >> good. >> and penelope cruz on the cover of harp ar's bazaar looking glamorous and revealing a low key side and talk about how the birth of her son changed her life. >> of course she's married to javier bardem and she said she's basically living in two worlds. she's a very famous celebrity but she's a mom. she wants to talk about her child all day. she's always worried and always trying to live in the moment. it's really interesting. >> robert downey jr. is someone who is, by the way, i think one of the finest actors we are out there today. unfortunately he gives an interview to esquire magazine, he's on the cover, i think a lot of people when they hear his name they immediately go back and think about the trouble he has been in as opposed to his pure talent. >> it's pure talent. and lindsay lohans, all the people who have gone through it take note. this is someone that came out on the other side. he's now married to susan, a producer, they've just had a baby. and he talks about the two worst moments of his life are the ones that he learned the most from. >> i was going to say, does he

think that that's going to help him in fatherhood? >> absolutely. he talked about his own father. his dad said oh, well i'm not helping you, get it together. it builds character. he wants to show his child that he's not perfect, but daddy's flawed. learn from my msz takes. >> alicia quarrels with the stories that we will be reading about in the coming months. thanks very much. >> thanks, guys. >> up next one of the most influential women on the web. we'll meet the so-called queen of the mommy bloggers. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

mm, these artisan bagels are so tasty. hey, what do you think "artisan" means? it's latin. for what? really, really good bagels. dunkin's new artisan bagels are as authentic as it gets. soft, chewy, and delicious. grab one today. you by p&g future friendly. see the big in the little things you do. back now at 8:44. and this morning on "today's moms" the queen of the mommy bloggers. heather armstrong started writing about her personal life back in 2001, touching on everything from her marriage, to the birth of her children. well, now her blog, juice.com,

attracts some 200,000 readers a day. she's known as the queen of mommy bloggers. and has been named one of "forbes" magazine's 30 most influential women in media. her blog was also included in "time" magazine's best blogs list of 2011. it is heather's candor and honesty that attracts her followers as the mother of two chronicles the joys and heartaches of her family. including the stunning announcement of her recent split from her husband, after almost a decade of marriage. i'm sad and devastated but i'm not sure i've ever been more stable than i am right now. >> there you go. >> reporter: she credits her loyal followers with helping her to get through the tough times. i'm so incredibly touched by your words of encouragement and sympathy. yes, i am a stranger. i don't know you. but that's the amazing 24i7k about this medium. and heather armstrong is with us now. she's out with a new book called "dear daughters" a compilation of letters she wrote to her

oldest daughter who is now 8 starting when she was just weeks old. heather armstrong, good morning. it's good to be you. >> thank you, so good to be here. >> i guess blogging too, is for better or worse, and you've gone through this trial of separation from your husband. and you've had to do so publicly. was that difficult writing about this experience? >> absolutely. it's probably the most difficult thing i've ever written about. i was really scared. a lot of people bring their own perspective and experience to something like this. and i didn't know if talking about it was going to, you know, destroy everything. i thought i had to talk about it, because i felt, it's not revealing what was going on. because i've been so open about my life for almost 11 years. >> and at the same time, it's so personal. it must be like putting your heart right out there. >> you know, i write about the day-to-day bond of my life and this was pretty much consuming me. and it was hard to sort of write about anything else without revealing it. >> and what has the response been from your viewers, your

readers? >> my readers are the most incredible group of women. mostly women. there are men. they have reached out to me, and given me the support that i've needed. i really credit them with sending my life when i had postpartum depression with my first child. this medium, mommy bloggers, mommy bloggers have sort of created, rebuilt our village, and these are the women who sit around -- >> what have this last couple months been like? i imagine it's quite difficult. >> it's extraordinarily difficult. i wouldn't wish this on anyone. it's probably the hardest thing i've ever been through. >> let's talk about your blog. it's enormously successful. this is a self-sustaining business. anybody who thinks bloggers are in their pjs sitting around all day, that's not you. why do you think it's caught on the way it has? >> i think people realize we have this huge community, we

have huge connections. the women that i have friend. with online. these are the women i turn to for recommendations for, you know, bottles and food, and back packs, and these are the women who give me the recommendations, and i think people realize that we have these voices that are unfiltered and raw and honest. and that what people are tapping on to. >> let's talk about your book "dear daughters." you actually write letters every months starting when lita was a few weeks old. i'm amazed at the discipline when you're trying to raise a little one. >> it's incredibly difficult. it's hard to come up with something new every month to say. but i knew that one day she would get to, you know, read all of these things about her childhood and, you know, the small memories that were taking her first step. and you know, her first words. and i have a readership who is expecting it every month, which is great motivation to continue writing about it. and she actually read the book. she did. >> tough audience. what did she say? >> i saw her look at the book

and i thought oh, my gosh, what's going to happen? and she took it over to a corner and started laughing. so, i breathed and took a huge breath and thought, okay. >> is it a practice that you would recommend for other parents? >> it is. you know, i don't scrapbook, and i was in the scrapbooking capital of the world and thought what can i do to give to my children one day, and i can write. and i can tell the stories of their childhood. i would recommend it to everyone. >> what's the best piece of advice you've received from your readers? i know it's very interactive? >> i think the best advice i've been given is to, you know, let go of a lot of guilt. moms have a lot of guilt. this is just let go of a lot of that and experience everything without that horrible feeling. >> well, heather armstrong, thank you so much for sharing the joys and the sorrows of life. i know a lot of people really enjoy reading your black. >> thank you. >> again the book is called "dear daughter." coming up next in today's kitchen, a hip new way to get dinner on the table. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:51. and "today's kitchen" goes green with us is continuable cuisine. you heard the term, seems trendy. chef nathan lion is the author of great food starts fresh. fresh, seasonal ingredients. good to see you. >> it's such a pleasure to be

here. >> we hear so much about sustainable cooking. what are we talking about? >> well, sustainable cooking is talking about things that don't deplete the natural resources. so, for example, you wouldn't want to keep farming in one same place. you want to rotate different type of crops. and also probably the best thing we can do is cook in season, buy from local farmer's markets and then just, you know, buy fresh, sustainable ingredients. >> for exam halibut. why do you like halibut? >> i love the flavor of it. there are two different types of halibut we use for this dish. one is a pacific halibut and the other is an alaskan. this particular recipe works fabulous on different types of white fish. >> halibut. you could use other kind of fish? >> you could, absolutely. >> all right. so how do you make this? >> we're making some green sauce. we're starting with a little bit of flat leaf italian parsley. and then we'll do some cilantro, as well. and as far as different flavorings, fresh garlic. how do you feel about garlic? >> i love garlic. >> me, too. >> and freshly squeezed lemon. that goes in there, as well.

a little bit of acid to brighten this whole thing up. we'll use a touch red wine vinegar. >> i love anchovies. >> you're the man. isn't that nice? that goes well, and then capers. fresh capers is nice. here we are. and a touch of olive oil to get the whole thing started. there we are. >> we'll blend it up. done. and we'll pulse that up, and then once that's blended or once that's blended then we add some diced shallots, that gives it a crunch and a touch of heat. we'll do that now. stir that in. and so next up would be the halibut. one thing to do is actually have the halibut out at room temperature for about 20 minutes to a half an hour. and the reason for that is because you're not going to put a cold halibut in a very hot pan. letting it rest to warm temperature, it cooks more evenly and won't overcook. >> we don't want that.

>> once we get a nice sear on the halibut on one side, we would just flip it over. >> nice. >> that's what we're looking for. >> now we're adding asparagus. >> exactly. once -- and also you can actually free up this by moving this to the oven and it cooks pretty quickly. three minutes. and asparagus. spring says asparagus. this is what we're looking for. fresh asparagus. a touch of olive oil and butter and then fresh garlic. >> and you just saute it? >> just saute it. finish it with a little bit of lemon. >> brighten it up a little? >> brighten it up a little bit. the thing about this sort of cooking is actually what i'm doing going all around the country on this new show "good food america" on living the fantastic network, wellness, health. this is it. we're ready to plate up. >> what did you bring for dessert? >> cherry, like an ungious

cherry tart. can i grab the salsa verde, al? >> there you are. >> this is great. >> the gang's all here. >> here we are. we'll plate this up. fresh halibut. >> love halibut. >> and of course, how do you all feel about some garlic asparagus? >> we love it. >> right off to the side. >> i'm going to pass this down. >> nathan lyon, thank you so much. >> you can find all about the new show on goodfoodamerica.com. >> all right. >> there you are, guys. >> if you don't like your kids' friends? what do you do?

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. an anne arundel county police officer is recovering in short, after being struck by a car at a traffic stop overnight. he was struck on eastbound route 50 near 665.

three people were inside the car.

>> it will feel like a summer on this monday but temperatures will soar into the mid-80's this afternoon. mostly sunny. chance for a couple of scattered thunderstorms this evening. cooler tomorrow, but still in