good morning. alarming abduction. a mother shot and killed outside her doctor's office. her 3-day-old baby taken. this morning investigators have found that child alive, and have a person of interest in custody. was that family targeted or was it a random attack? scrch him. mitt romney distancing himself from rocker ted nugent after he made some very harsh comments about president obama and his cabinet. >> our president, attorney general, our vice president, hillary clinton, they're criminals. they're criminals. >> an angry speech, and we'll tell you which part of it is even getting the attention of the secret service. and 100 days to go. olympic fever catching on in

london, with the opening ceremony now just over three months away. are the venues ready? how will the city handle the crowds? we're throwing an olympic-sized party on the plaza with many of the athletes who are hoping to shine "today," wednesday, april the athletes who are hoping to shine "today," wednesday, april 18th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie. the olympics today. but we'll start with the news, that newborn in houston you talked about, not even a week old. witnesses say they could hear his mother yelling for her baby as she lay dying. >> this morning that child is in state custody as investigators are trying to find a possible motive in this case. we're going to have the latest

on the investigation in just a couple of minutes. >> also ahead the search is intensifying for a missing ft. bragg soldier. the 23-year-old woman was last seen on saturday morning and officials fear she may be in danger. we'll hear from the woman's sister. and a rare wednesday edition of "today's professionals." just wait until you see who is joining our panel this morning. then an exclusive interview with madonna. this morning the material girl opens up about trying to stay on top of the music world at the age of 53. and the madonna we don't see when she's at home. plus how she reacted to a photo of her 15-year-old daughter lourdes smoking a cigarette. >> but we want to check with the top morning -- top stories of the morning. natalie morales over at the news desk. >> good morning, savannah and matt. good morning, everyone. as you heard a newborn baby has been found safe and alive after his mother was brutally gunned down outside a houston pediatrician's office. baby keegan is less than a week old but he's already been through so much.

keegan's mother, 28-year-old kayla golden took the newborn for a routine checkup tuesday in a houston suburb. police say the mother and baby were leaving the office when kayla got into a verbal altercation in the parking lot with a woman sitting in a lexus that was next to kayla's pickup truck. >> i seen the lady get out and struggling. >> reporter: during the scuffle the woman pulled out a pistol and shot kayla several times in the chest police say. she then grabbed baby keegan, put him in her car and sped off with a male companion. witnesses say kayla screamed, my baby, my baby, as she lay dying. after a manhunt of more than five hours, police found little keegan safe and sound, but they aren't saying where and who had him. earlier, officers stormed a nearby housing complex, forcing their way into one apartment. outside they recovered the lexus. family and friends are now left to mourn little keegan's mother,

who died trying to protect her baby. >> keegan's only 3 days old. he needs to know his mom. he can't do that now. >> police have detained one person of interest but haven't released a motive for the shooting and kidnapping. they also say they want to complete background checks on baby keegan's family before he's returned to them. u.s. and nato are preparing to enter the final stages of the war in afghanistan. military and diplomatic officials meet this week to finalize an end game for international troops on the front combat lines in afghanistan. democratic-led senate committees get their chance today to grill the general services administration officials at the center of a spending scandal. earlier this week, gop lawmakers questioned the agency's use of taxpayers money to fund conferences and parties in lavish resorts. well this next video might be disturbing to some of our viewers. havoc at a florida grocery store last weekend, when a car careened through the glass doors, injuring ten people.

the youngest of the injured was a 3-month-old who was hospitalized. the driver was a 76-year-old woman who has been charged with careless driving. police say alcohol was not involved in the crash. luck may have run out for a michigan lottery winner. 25-year-old amanda clayton has been charged with fraud for collecting $5,000 worth of public assistance, even though she took home a $735,000 lump sum of a $1 million jackpot. clayton has pleaded not guilty, and vows to fight the charges. a heart-pounding moment on a track as drag racer matt hagan's car became a wild fire ball at 260 miles per hour. though he should have felt lucky to be alive, explosions are par for the course in this sport. hagan angrily threw a piece of the smoking wreck, and stormed off, disappointed at leaving the four wide nationals qualifying race. and jamie moyer proved that age is just a number last night as the 49-year-old became the oldest pitcher ever to win a

major league game, leading the colorado rockies to a 5-3 win over the san diego padres. and now cooperstown has come calling. the baseball hall of fame has asked moyer for some sort of memorabilia to commemorate his record-setting night. congratulations to him. that is a great feat. back over to matt, savannah and al. >> he was on the show not long ago. >> proud of him. >> mr. roker with a check of the weather. >> -- came in for peyton manning and threw at least two touchdowns. >> mr. roker with a check of the weather. >> let's see what's going on for you for today. things quieting down rather nicely. we do have some heavy rain through the southeast. good news for texas and louisiana, all that rain in march, the drought is now over. we're looking at wet weather moving into the pacific northwest as another system makes its way in there with showers along the coast. beautiful day through the southwest. 94 in phoenix today. look for sunshine in the northeast. temperature a little cooler than they've been over the last couple of days. and we've got some hit or miss

showers and thunderstorms through the central great lakes. >> good morning. temperatures will turn much cooler on this wednesday. we will be in the upper 50's and low 60's. we have a >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. the white house is defending the director of the secret service in the wake of that prostitution scandal involving his agents, and members of the u.s. military. this, as new details emerge about just how many people may have been involved. nbc's mark potter is in cartagena, colombia. mark, good morning to you. >> and good morning, matt. the scandal unfolded at this posh cartagena hotel but

officials say it actually began several miles from here at a strip club. in a working-class neighborhood. u.s. officials tell nbc news this strip club, known as the pley club located in an industrial section of cartagena is where members of president obama's advanced security detail went last week and hired prostitutes. residents say the pley club at night is crowded with international tourists. its website shows scantily clad women and promises to turn fantasy in reality. a u.s. source says 11 u.s. secret service agents took prostitutes from the pley club to the hoe till caribe where they were staying. the source also told nbc news national investigative correspondent michael isikoff at one of the prostitutes was shared by two agents. who afterwards got in a heated dispute with her over the fee she demanded. less than $60. >> she wanted to be paid for both of the agents. they wanted to split her price. she complained to local police.

the local police went up to the agents' room, banged on the door, and when they weren't saturday fayed called the u.s. embassy. >> reporter: officials say other agents in the group then were also discovered because they had paid a hotel guest fee. and the women with them had to sign in and leave i.d. residents say the legal sex trade in cartagena is a booming business. with women and customers out on the streets long into the night. this woman says she works as a prostitute in the area near the pley club. she says while she didn't see the secret service men, americans are frequent visitors. seeking sex, drugs, and alcohol. meantime, on tuesday, the scandal widened to include ten american servicemen now under investigation. u.s. military officials tell nbc news they include five from the army. two from the navy. two marines, and one from the air force. all of them connected to the secret service advance team. on capitol hill tuesday, the secret service director, mark

sullivan, met with lawmakers. as the white house expressed confidence in his quick response to the scandal. now, in public accounts, employees at the pley club denied the agents were there hiring prostitutes. meantime officials say investigators of the secret service and the military are in cartagena trying to unravel the scandal. among those they hope to question are prostitutes allegedly hired by members of the president's advance team. savannah? >> mark potter in cartagena, colombia, thank you. now to presidential politics. mitt romney's campaign is dealing with fallout over controversial statements made by one of his high profile supporters, rock musician ted nugent. nbc's andrea mitchell has the details on that. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. once again the political world is buzzing about controversial comments by one of a presidential candidate's supporters. this time, threatening and obscene comments about president obama by a romney supporter that were disavowed by the republican campaign. but it may not be that easy to ignore the outrageous words of

hard rocker ted nugent. ♪ rocker ted nugent, the self-proclaimed motor city madman makes no secret of his language-standing contempt for barack obama. here is nugent in 2007. >> obama, he's a piece of [ bleep ] and i told him -- >> reporter: mitt romney welcomed nugent's endorsement last month when asked about it on a st. louis radio station. >> ted nugent, he said he had a great conversation with you, and if ted says okay, he endorsed you, i'm pretty tempted to do the same thing. >> that's good to hear. it's been fun getting to know him, ted nugent. >> reporter: nugent delivered his endorsement on twitter on march 2nd, tweeting after a long heart and soul conversation with mitt romney today, i concluded this good man will properly represent we the people, and i endorse him. romney's son tweeted less than two hours later, ted nugent endorsed my dad today. ted nugent? how cool is that?

he joins kid rock as great detroit musicians on team mitt. on saturday, at the national rifle association convention, which romney also attended the day before -- >> i will protect the second amendment rights of american people. >> reporter: nugent urged the crowd to support the likely gop nominee, and delivered a violent rant against the president, the cabinet, and liberal members of the supreme court. >> we got a president, an attorney general who doesn't even like the constitution. we got four supreme court justices who don't believe in the constitution. if you can't galvanize and promote and recruit people to vote for mitt romney, we're done. we'll be a subof indonesia next year. our president, attorney general, vice president, hillary clinton, they're criminals. they're criminals. we are braveheart. we need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads

off in november. >> reporter: that raised questions for the white house. >> i think the president has said, and i and others have said, that, you know, we canton policing the statements of supporters across the board. >> reporter: the romney campaign issued a statement saying divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from. mitt romney believes everyone needs to be civil. but they did not mention ted nugent by name. and last night, the romney campaign told nbc news that contrary to nugent's claims, they never solicited his endorsement. although clearly they were pleased about it at the time. the secret service said it is following up on nugent's violent speech. but they've not launched a formal investigation. matt? >> all right, andrea mitchell on this story. andrea, thank you very much. ted koppel is a special correspondent for nbc anticipates "rock center with brian williams." welcome back. >> thank you, matt. nice to be here. >> let me start with these comments from ted nugent and i'd like your comment less on the specific comments, more on the preview they probably give us as to the level of discourse we're going to be seeing in this

campaign over the coming months. what's your take on it? >> look, we live in the age of twitter. and anything that can be reduced to 140 characters is going to have resonance. it's going to explode, you know, across the blogosphere, and that's what's been happening. and the sillier the issue is, the greater resonance it seems to have. i don't know how candidates can disassociate themselves from it. but they're going to have to. >> but in terms of the ability to get some level of civility back in to the political process in this country, when you've already heard the kinds of comments coming out of the republican primary race so far. we know the democrats are capable of the same kinds of things. are you cynical that we can see an improvement? >> i'm almost without hope that we can see improvement, because the nature of media today is such that it thrives on that kind of fueling. >> series of gotcha moments? >> the more you can put gasoline on it the better it is for the

blogosphere. >> let me ask you about another story that's been in the headlines over the last couple of days. this secret service scandal down in colombia. you're laughing already -- >> no. >> but the accusations are extraordinary. >> they are very serious. there is no greater responsibility that either the u.s. military or the secret service can have than securing the physical well-being of the president. anything they do that in any way undermines that is bad. >> so should we view this as an unfortunate isolated incident? or might it sound a larger alarm? >> i think we should view it for what it is. and that is an unproven allegation at the moment. and let's see how it turns out. and i guarantee you that congress, which is probably licking its lips already at the prospect of a good investigation here, will get to the bottom of it. >> back to presidential politics. we know the match-up pretty much now, and we're talking about sums of money, ted, that will be spent in the upcoming campaign that are mind boggling. >> unbelievable. >> some say a billion dollars on

the part of obama campaign. i heard a figure this morning that perhaps mitt romney may raise $800 million. what role is money going to play in who we choose as a leader? >> we're talking about super pac money here for the most part when you talk about those $800 million numbers and that billion dollar number. i just came back from france, as you know, doing a piece for "rock center" and on the french elections. let me just put it this way, matt. the leading french candidate in the course of their entire campaign are not going to be spending more than a barely adequate morning show host earns in one year in this country. >> and so what do we learn -- good dig. so what do we learn from them? and what can they learn from us? what's the major distance in the system? by the way, their campaign is four months long? >> their campaign, it starts in the first -- on the 1st of january, and at that time anybody can run. and a guy who runs around in a bumblebee costume is running and a lady in a see thru blouse who is a stripper, she is running.

the actual campaign is only about six weeks long. and during the course of their campaign, no political advertising. zero. which i think is a good thing. but the crazy thing about the french campaign is they have to be absolute equal time. not just equal time. for these last two weeks of the campaign, and there are ten candidates, every one of them has to have equal time, every one of them has to be on at exactly the same time of day. and because that is a physical impossibility the way the french found equal time is to keep everybody off the air for those two weeks. >> i know you spent a lot of time in paris. >> wouldn't be a bad idea. >> no, it's true. you spent a lot of time in paris covering this story. you said that was an assignment? ted koppel. you can see more of ted's report on "rock center with brian williams" tonight at 9:00, 8:00 central time. always good to have you here. >> i'm glad to be here. >> turning now to the olympics. as we mentioned today marks 100 days until the opening ceremony in london. we've got our countdown clock up

and running and there's a live look at olympic stadium where the host country is gearing up to welcome the world's best athletes. in london this morning, they're saying it with flowers, only 100 days to go before the games finally come to town. >> london will be ready. on time. and on budget. ready to welcome the greatest sporting events on the planet. >> reporter: more than 200 countries will compete. 15,000 athletes. 9 million tickets, largely sold. the main olympic stadium in more than 30 venues throughout the united kingdom are all but ready. among them, iconic new and venerable old buildings. still to come, some temporary structures like the beach volleyball arena. just a stone's throw from buckingham palace. and 10 downing street. >> i think it will be quite amazing. the atmosphere, like a bit you don't normally get in london.

>> even stoic londoners are getting a little excited. >> it's going to be absolute chaos. it's going to be fun. >> the covers are coming off and things ready, taking shape now. so it's good. >> reporter: there are final tests to be done, and final qualifying rounds to be won. final touches to the huge bell that will ring in the opening ceremony. and some 8,000 torch bearers to rehearse. britain's royal olympic ambassadors, william, kate and harry, will cheer them on as they run through the grounds of buckingham palace. and the sporting royals will do their bit to help inspire a new generation of britons to go for medal glory. >> we'll help out as much as we can. >> reporter: british police and defense forces are coordinating the biggest-ever peacetime security operation. on the streets, in the air, and on the water. but you'll still be able to ask a london bobby the way. >> i'm very confident that we'll be able to make sure that it's not just a safe prelolympics, b

fantastically fun as well. >> reporter: if the new cable car over the thames is ready on time, visitors and athletes can avoid potential traffic snarls and get a bird's-eye view of what many call the greatest show on earth. london is a great city at any time of the year. >> sure. >> or in any year. but given the olympics coming, i think it's going to be a blast and we're all going to be there. >> it's very exciting. i know you've dry cleaned your spandex. you're going to be ready to go. >> we've got a whole new suit. >> we haven't actually discussed what our event will be this time around. >> ball room dancing i think comes to mind. >> maybe olympic snuggies for you guys. >> we're going to have much more on the countdown to the olympics when we catch up with some of the u.s. athletes who are hoping to dazzle the world in london. again, 100 days away. first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, madonna on her music, motherhood and her

15-year-old daughter smoking a cigarette. >> we'll hear what she says about that. plus new problems for pippa. we're live in paris with the fallout over these racy photos of her at a racy costume party. but first your local news. [ sniffles ] you gonna be ok, hon? yeah. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] jim's allergies are becoming an issue. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] what can he do? he can get answers at walgreens with the guidance and information he needs to help manage his allergies. like claritin. only claritin is proven to keep you

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fresh and fruity toothpaste gently cleans their teeth with natural calcium and fights cavities with fluoride. try new aquafresh kids fresh and fruity toothpaste. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. a man is out on bail this morning in connection with a hit and run that sent an end one of county police of a certain shock trauma. officers charged leo carroll in the accident. corporal kevin mont has been

treated for non-life-threatening injuries. time for the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> getting busier by the minute. accidents and heavy delays on the j.f.x.. 95 past white marsh, accidents coming in. if you want to travel in towson, what raven boulevard, we have a spill that could be creating the conditions in that area. another crash is being cleared on eastbound i-70 just passed would bind road. telegraph road, all lanes are shutdown beginning at 32. that is due to a serious accident, school bus involved. no children on board. medevac situation nonetheless. we will update you on the j.f.x. first. no accident within that. just delays. big backup due to the accident.

tony has a check on the forecast. >> dry but will start around baltimore. temperatures in the low 50s in southern baltimore. only 49 in taneytown. a few showers get and light sprinkles out of this. chance for a couple of light rain showers. highs are only in the 50's and 60's. it will get warmer tomorrow.

across the line! >> wow! >> stunning. >> well deserved. >> those are some of the stars from olympics past. question is, who will be the heroes of team usa in 2012? you're looking live at olympic stadium in london where the opening ceremony will be held in 100 days. and coming up in our next hour, we're going to introduce you to some americans who are hoping to be there, and compete and even strike gold in london. 7:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 18th day of april, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie who is in while ann is on vacation. >> and have a lot of great, world-class athletes on the plaza this morning.

maybe one of the worst as i attempt to learn to hurdle. >> you're going to jump over an olympic height hurdle? >> i didn't say an olympic height hurdle. but a hurdle will be there. i will attempt to jump over it. also ahead, madonna getting set to go on tour. she's had a hard time selling her new album. recently a picture emerged of her 15-year-old doubter lourdes smoking a cigarette. what does she have to say about that? we'll find out. >> it's wednesday but "today's professionals" are in the house and we should have a lively discussion this morning because look who's joining the group. that's star and donny. but we have kathie lee and hoda joining us for professionals this morning. one of the topics they'll discuss, why your marriage could be doomed to fail if you lived with your spouse before tying the knot. we'll find out their take on that. but we begin this half hour with the search for a young ft. bragg soldier who was last seen on saturday morning. today national correspondent amy robach is here with the latest on that.

amy, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. kelly bordeaux had just recently joined the army, something she was eager and excited to do. and it's only adding to the mystery of what exactly happened to her. this is 23-year-old kelly bordeaux. an army private first class stationed at ft. bragg. young and promising, her future full of possibility. but now kelly has gone missing, and detectives believe she may be in danger. last seen leaving this local bar, froggy bottoms, around 1:30 saturday morning, officials at ft. bragg reported kelly missing on monday, when she failed to show up for duty. >> being a soldier to kelly was something she wouldn't jeopardize for anything. missing is not something that is in character for kelly. >> reporter: speaking outside fayetteville police headquarters, kelly's sister said she had no theory as to why kelly went missing. >> sorry, i'm trying to hold it together the best that i can.

my sister is missing. she is -- she's the most amazing person i know. >> reporter: kelly has been married for two years. on her facebook page in june of 2010, kelly posted, today is the first day of the rest of my life. i can't wait to be kelli bordeaux. i love you, mike. a u.s. military official says kelli was estranged from her husband. asked how he is doing -- >> mike is holding up the best he can with his wife missing. >> reporter: the two sisters were just in touch on friday. >> i texted her and we laughed and joked and everything was happy. and everything was on the up and up and that's why this is so out of character. it's not something that was anticipated. it's not something anyone expected. it's not -- it's not kelli. >> reporter: the military official also tells nbc news that an employee from the bar drove kelly home that night. he is not considered a suspect. and the military says that kelli used her cell phone afterwards

but so far there are no clues as to what happened to kelli. >> i just want kelli bordeaux to be brought back to us safe and sound. i just want my sister. >> reporter: so much still unknown, the heartbreak is clear. >> please bring her back. i just want her to come home. >> reporter: now investigators are not commenting on who bordeaux called and texted once she left that bar. but they say so far, there just appears to be nothing unusual about her cell phone use. >> amy robach. thank you very much. by the way, if you have any information on this case you are asked to call crime stoppers, the number is 910-483-tips. 910-483-tips. and now here's savannah. >> all right, matt, thanks. pippa middleton is facing new scrutiny this morning over her weekend in paris. now it's the party she attended the night before that incident involving what appears to be a fake gun that's getting all the attention. nbc's michelle kosinski is in

paris again this morning. michelle, good morning to you. >> hi, savannah. that gun incident caused such a stir that now the viscount who was in the car at the time is explaining to his spokesman what was really going on the morning after his possibly more over-the-top, to say the least, 30th birthday bash at which pippa and friends partied like a viscount. the gun looks real. it was pointed. the others laughed. but the reaction was deadly serious. so much so that pippa middleton's friends, young aristocrat the viscount soultrait is explaining that the group was playing with the paparazzi. it was a game. saying the gun was a toy, and the photographers following pippa knew it. which at least one paparazzo, anonymously, admitted. well now comes more wondering about what pippa was doing. the night before there was a risque bash for the rich and

connected. the theme, the tragic french queen marie antoinette. the entertainment, a stripper, and little people. pippa behaved herself, chatting politely, modestly, in somewhat period dress. unlike many of the other high society partiers. it's a little bit of a decadent life, said the viscount. like the movie marie antoinette, young, wealthy aristocrats at play. in the 18th century, they were face the guillotine. but no worries today. here's pippa posing with the viscount on gilded throne, dog collar and chain included. this makes two times in 24 hours the public asks what was the sister of the future queen thinking? >> personally it does seem inappropriate for pippa to be hanging out at parties where people are flashing the cash, you've got little people serving champagne. it seems a little decadent in

what are very strained financial times for people. >> she may be a party planner by trade. hopefully not this one. she now has her sister and extended family to think about. the party slogan was long live the viscount. the king is dead. one day plus fake gun later, mortified, the viscount reportedly said they were feeling. today the tabloids are all excited that pippa was allegedly seen kissing the viscount's brother. you know it's really interesting, when the paparazzi sold all of these mysterious gun photos for piles of money around the world they never let on that they might have been in on the laugh, laughing along with this prank, all the way to the bank. savannah? >> michelle kosinski in paris, france, thank you. now let's get a check of the weather from viscount al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by the make ares of centrum. >> arise, sirloin of beef.

friends here from the host country for the olympics, great britain. good to see you guys. happy to be here. >> hi, very happy. >> 100 days. >> 100 days to go, very ready. >> very nice, all right. and like the hats, too. let's check it out, see what we've got. man is it chilly here in the northeast. on monday, temperatures in the upper 80s to the 90s. then a front moves through yesterday, temperatures dropped a little bit more. highs only 78, 84 in boston, 51 buffalo, 77 d.c. today, woo-hoo, 65 in new york with a stiff breeze. 55 watertown. caribou, 63. d.c. 61. chilly conditions around the great lakes, 40s and 50s. 80s and 90s in the southwest. 80s down through florida. look for those chilly 50s to continue in the pacific northwest which is going to be a little on the damp side.th >> we could use some rain. maybe some light rain showers or

sprinkle. 30% chance. mostly cloudy skies. >> don't forget, you get that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. savannah? >> all right, al, thanks. coming up next, how did madonna react to her 15-year-old daughter lourdes being photographed smoking a cigarette? the pop star opens up about that and more in an exclusive interview coming up right after this. ?tl aren't you getting a little industrial? okay, there's enough energy right here in america. yeah, over 100 years worth. okay, so you mean you just ignore the environment. actually, it's cleaner. and, it provides jobs. and it helps our economy. okay, i'm listening. [announcer] at conoco phillips we're helping power america's economy with cleaner affordable natural gas...

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try some. mmm! two flavors. in harmony. yummy. four nutritious grains and two big fruit flavors to make your day bunches better. we're back now at 7:42. madonna is one of the biggest pop stars of all time, and no stranger to making headlines. but recently it was her daughter, 15-year-old lourdes, who got some attention when she was photographed smoking a cigarette. nbc's harry smith sat down with madonna for an exclusive interview and talked about the challenges of parenting in the spotlight, and her future in music. and harry joins us this morning. harry, how are you? >> good to be here, matt. the last time most of us saw madonna was at the super bowl. in fact, more people watched her

extravaganza during the halftime show than actually watched the game itself. proving that, like her or not, america still can't turn away. for 30 years now, madonna has been seeking and getting our attention. like her, or not, the super bowl proved we cannot ignore her. nor, apparently, do we want to. so when her new album was released last month, once again, she got our attention. it debuted at number one. >> it's hard to be number one. it's hard to sell records. you know, there's a lot of competition, and i was -- extremely elated. yes. >> but in the second week, it plunged down the charts. leaving some to wonder if the mistress of reinvention had lost her touch. turns out, it's not so easy maintaining her place at the center of the pop universe, and being a single mom with four kids. is it hard being you? >> i imagine it must be. yes. it is.

it must be hard, because i complain all the time. >> i'm serious. >> that's a strange question to ask someone. is it hard being you? >> only on certain days. >> yeah, i mean i think it's hard. we all have our challenges. to be a single mother of four, and to work as much as i do, with my life in a kind of metaphorical fishbowl, it's pretty challenging. yeah. but, so far i've survived with sanity and humor intact. >> are there two madonnas? >> i struggle to be about 25. but to my children, there's mostly the one that comes home and says, have you done your homework? and why are you wearing that? and why did you say that? and what are you eating that for? >> her oldest daughter lourdes is now 15. the two of them have their own clothing line. and she sang backup on one of the songs on the new album. but at this moment, lourdes is

in the doghouse. there's a picture of her the other day in the paper with a cigarette. >> yes. >> and i thought how did madonna react to that? >> she wasn't very happy. >> are you a tough mom? >> yeah, i think i am. but honestly i don't think i'm as tough as i should be. i think i need to be maybe tougher. it's hard, though. it's hard. every day is a negotiation. but cigarette smoking i'm not very fond of. for anyone. >> yeah. >> i don't approve of anyone smoking cigarettes. most of all my daughter. >> but there's a video of you with a cigarette in your mouth. >> i don't smoke. that's just an accessory, harry. it's different. she smoked that cigarette before i did that video. so she didn't get that from me. okay? >> unless you wonder if she's about to morph into the material mom. fear not. madonna is not done. do you have stuff left to prove?

>> i don't know about prove, but i certainly have stuff left to say. and i think that's really why i'm doing it. i still feel like expressing myself that way, and i'll keep doing it as long as i do. >> this is the madonna you don't see all that often. very relaxed. comfortable. funny, even. >> and by the way, just want to mention, you told me you shot that very late at night, so perhaps her guard down even further than it normally would be. >> she'd been rehearsing all day. so that's probably the perfect time. >> good tactic, mr. smith. harry, thank you very much. you can see more of harry's conversation with madonna, that's tonight on "rock center with brian williams" 9:00, 8:00 central time right here on nbc. up next the names included in a new list of the most influential people in the world. that courtesy of "time" magazine. plus we'll meet some of the american athletes hoping to strike gold in london when the olympics kick off in 100 days. but first these messages. the capital one cash rewards card

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back now at 7:49. "time" magazine is out with its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. and here to reveal this year's movers and shakers is "time's" managing editor. rick, good morning. >> good morning, nice to be here. >> we've got five categories. breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders and icons. it's most influential. not necessarily most liked. >> right. it's not most liked. it's not a power list. it's about the power of influence, people who through

their acts, through their accomplishments are influencing others. >> you've got people like the president of syria, the supreme leader of iran, american politics, including mitt romney, president obama, ron paul, hillary clinton there. marco rubio is also on the list. i'm just curious why. >> well, the hispanic, latino voter in america now has become a dominant class voter coming up. he is the leader of latinos in america. the crossover artist, as it were. he could be mitt romney's vice presidential nominee. >> one of the interesting things about the issue is you always get big names to write about the other big names. >> right. >> you have president obama writing about warren buffett. i know what he wrote surprised you a little bit. >> a little bit. he talked about warren buffett as a value investor and obviously what he's using now with the buffett rule, he's trying to piggyback on warren's kind of integrity to pass some other things he thinks are really important. >> so warren buffett, another mogul in the world of business is sarah blakeley, remind people why sarah blakeley is famous. not you.

she invented spanx. >> she invented spanx, yes. >> why do you include her on the list? >> well it's influential, many women, when we talked about it everybody said well, you know, we you go to a party every woman is going to be wearing spanx. it's kind of a secret. i didn't know about it. and people really like her, and it's about the way we live now. and, matt, don't deny that you don't know her. >> i know what they are. i've never tried them on. i will tell you that. >> you're missing out, let me tell you. you also have the middleton sisters on it. you've got both pippa and kate. you left william out this year. >> well the sisters, we put them on because they're the un-dianas right. the middle class middletons are teaching the royals how to actually have some class. they're keeping their mouths shut, they're no drama princesses. >> did you choose these before pippa was photographed in that car with the gun? >> she can have a good time. >> oh, okay. >> e.l. james. someone we had on the show just in the last day or so is also on your list. she's the author of "fifty shades of grey." she said in the interview she

did with us she doesn't think there's anything remarkable about the book. why did you include her? >> well, she's not a great writer by her own admission. but what she's tapping into is something apparently working women are interested in. the kind of ripping off the surface of things about modern life, about the way we live. she gives insight to that. >> tim tebow is in here but perhaps more importantly the man who insists we call him an icon, matt lauer. why is he on this list? >> well, he influences me a lot. matt is like the walter cronkite of the morning. you know, he takes serious things and treats them like a sort of lightness -- >> oh. the peanut gallery is over there. >> we are out of time. thank you so much. >> thank you for being included. big event next, a lot of these people get together and it's always a wonderful time. thank you. >> thank you so much. >> just ahead another influential group, "today's professionals," and we got a couple of ringers in the house this morning. we've got them after your local news.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. time for a check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> in lot going on out there. let's get you up-to-date on the northeast corner of the beltway. belair road, we have an accident. eight miles per hour on average. this is impacting traffic on southbound 95. in the red approaching white marsh towards the 895 split. disclosure remains in effect, both directions of telegraph road shutdown between 32 and 175.

west side delays are in place beginning at reisterstown road. southbound 795 prior to owings mills, an accident reported. westbound of the road and sykesville, and one more note on eastbound i-70 just passed would find road. live view of northern parkway, southbound traffic looks good until you get around coldspring. let's switch over to a live view of traffic in the white marsh area. heavier than usual because of an accident on the north side. tony has a check on your forecast. >> so far the weather has held out as far as the rain goes. 52 and in westminster, 42 in taneytown. take a light jacket with you. it looks impressive on the radar. a lot of that is not reaching

the ground. we will see a chance for a couple of light rain showers. high temperatures in the

8:00 now on a wednesday morning, it's the 18th day of april, 2012. and have you heard, the opening ceremonies for the summer olympic games in london now just 100 days away. and a number of team usa athletes or hopefuls are taking a break from their training, and are joining us out on the plaza this morning, welcoming in what else, a double decker bus. and we're going to have a chance to talk to some of these wonderful and elite athletes coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> and when we said road to london we meant it with the double decker bus. we've got quite an array of

athletes including missy, the 15-year-old swimming sensation hoping to make her first olympic team. her fellow swimmer rebecca who won three medals in beijing and individual gold and from track and field three-time medalist allison, they are joined with beach volleyball, equestrian riders, you name it. we will introduce you to many of them in our next half hour. >> pretty cool. >> looks like the opening ceremony itself. a lot of countries. over 200 countries competing in london. so it's going to be an amazing time. >> we're looking forward to it. >> what else do we have coming up? >> we've got a lot of great stuff including the one, the only, jewelry andrews. >> right. >> is goes to be here? she's got a new book she's going to be telling us about that. >> also "today's professionals" are here for a rare wednesday edition. and two additions this morning. we've got kathie lee and hoda joining the professionals.

it takes two people to fill in for dr. nancy when she's not here. we're going to talk about some things, including that photo of hillary clinton, drinking a beer. some people have said it's inappropriate. we'll get their take on that. and is it appropriate for a teacher to text a student individually? some people not fond of that, as well. >> all right, hoda and kathie lee stressing the name, the professionals. but we think they fit the bill. >> threw them under the bus, the double decker. >> all right let's get to natalie morales over at the news desk with a check of the top stories. >> good morning, everyone. the u.s. is condemning the behavior of u.s. troops in newly released photos today from the "los angeles times." nbc pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has more on the fallout from the graphic pictures that date back to 2010. good morning, mik. >> good morning, natalie. the first reaction here from the pentagon is, not again. this time it involves soldiers from the 82nd air born who were first dispatched to gather up forensic evidence from bodies of taliban suicide bombers.

but instead they ended up taking personal photos. in this photo, which is blurred because it's so graphic, it shows afghan and american soldiers holding up the severed legs of those taliban suicide bombers. in another photo it shows a couple of soldiers posing with a dead body. now, these photos were taken two years ago. but they follow the release just recently of pictures of u.s. marines urinating on the bodies of some dead taliban fighters. now the concern here, of course, is that these photos could incite some kind of retaliatory strikes against americans there in afghanistan. in the past they proved more embarrassing than inciteful. nevertheless, the u.s. military and secretary of defense panetta condemned these photos. they say that those responsible will be held accountable. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon for us this morning. thank you, jim. the prosecution scandal involving the secret service and u.s. military personnel is

growing. officials now say at least 20 women may have accompanied 11 secret service agents and 10 service members to a hotel in colombia, where they were part of president obama's advance security team last week. on tuesday, the white house expressed confidence in the secret service director's response to the scandal. president obama's traveling to ohio and michigan today to promote his economic policies. he'll try to draw distingzs between his views and the built tightening proposals of house republicans and mitt romney. billionaire investor and philanthropist warren buffett revealed on tuesday that he's been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. the 81-year-old head of berkshire hathaway says he feels great and will begin radiation treatment in july. buffett gave no indication what he's planning to retire. now for a look at what's trending today our quick roundup of what has you talking online. a tale of two haircuts has 2004 presidential candidate john edwards trending on today.com. edwards facing a corruption trial now sporting a thrifty $13

coif from supercuts. but people are saying online it looks just like the one he sported on the campaign trail that cost more than $1200, including travel costs for his beverly hills stylist. it was a hairstyle that exposed a pentagon prank now trending big online. this portrait said to be of a 19th century officer lost at sea hung in the pentagon for nearly a year, but someone noticed the blow-dried hair and investigated, and it turns out it's actually a 30-year-old picture of a now-retired captain that's been passed around in military circles for years as a running gag. and political ambition has kim kardashian trending on yahoo! kim says she wants to run for mayor of suburban glendale, california, in five years. unfortunately, glendale doesn't elect its mayor, it's the city's five council members choose one of their own each year to serve in the post.

imagine calling her mayor kim? let's go out to al with a check of your weather. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by k-9 advantix 2. help prevent fleas and ticks from bugging your dog. >> and we've got our olympic athletes here. team usa. this is very, very exciting. are you guys pumped? oh, yeah. they've been drinking coffee on the bus. they're ready. all right let's see what we've got as far as your forecast. our pick city of the day, lima, ohio, wlio, o-hi-o. we like it. 66 degrees as we check the forecast for you. we've got a lot of rain making its way from the gulf up along the eastern seaboard. this is going to be sticking around through monday. some areas picking up 2 to 4 inches of rain from parts of northern florida, in to the northeast. rain in the pacific northwest. snow showers in the inner mountain region. look for plenty of sunshine from texas on into the southwest. >> good morning.

temperatures will turn much cooler on this wednesday. we will be in the upper 50's and low 60's. we have a >> that's your latest weather. what's your name? >> katherine. >> where are you goes from? >> massachusetts. >> all right. now say it with pride and conviction. >> boston! >> yeah, all right. savannah? >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up next, hoda and kathie lee join the professionals and one of the hot topics, are couples who live together before they get married more likely to get divorced? we'll be back right after these messages. k9 advantix ii.

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we're back now at 8:10 with "today's professionals." here to tackle the hottest stories of the day, star jones, donny deutsch and heaven help us, kathie lee and hoda are filling in, two for one dr. nancy. good morning to all of you. >> yeah, right. >> see your expression when you walked out -- >> the end of the world as we know it. let's start with a survey, i think it will help our viewers put the comments into perspective. raise your hands if you've been divorced. more than once? okay, good. according to an article in "the new york times" -- >> not yet. >> nice. according to an article in "the new york times." according to a survey, you are more likely to get divorced if you cohabitated with your eventual spouse before actually tying the knot. why is this the case? >> why? >> i think having daughters now, what i say to them, my oldest daughter, is i think you can

live together without living to the. in other words you can spend five, six, nights a week. i think there's something wrong. you take away the excitement and the newness of marriage. not to be an old fuddy-duddy, i think when people live together and then go get married it takes away the sanctimony of marriage. >> the problem with living together is, it happens gradually. like first it's a weekend, then it's three days, then it's five days, you never made a real decision to be together. sometimes it just happens that way. when you decide to get married, you make a choice. right? and i think that's why they fall apart. >> so it's less special? you're less satisfied with your marriage? >> i think so. >> it's not getting a distinction. >> i think younger people tend to live together. older people like right now i'm not sure that i'd want to. i kind of like my own personal space. as you get older you do want your own personal space. unless you're getting married. >> it's easier to walk away when you've made no commitment. >> absolutely. >> the minute there's a problem, you know what? we have such a disposable society. instant coffee. we have instant careers now on

reality television. nobody works for anything. >> living together is involvement, marriage is commitment and there's a difference. >> a picture making news over the last couple of days, says secretary of state hillary clinton on this trip to colombia. >> yeah. >> over the weekend having a beer with some colleagues. it appears she's blowing off a little steam. some people got on twitter and were really rough on this. keeping in mind, only need opposable thumbs to send out a tweet but still they were rough on her. is there anything wrong with what you see in that picture? >> no. nothing whatsoever. >> i think there's something wrong with somebody taking the picture and sending it all around the world, isolating one moment in a person's life. and it was complicated further by all the allegations coming out about the secret service at the same time. >> i liked her more after seeing those pictures. >> she unbuttoned her top. >> i would imagine that in the past times, the secretary of state, the males, have taken their staff out and had a good time. and no one had a problem with it. wasn't like she was dropping it

like it was hot. >> let me bring that up, according to a columnist for the telegraph in the uk, donny i'll let you weigh in in a second, it's hard to imagine condoleezza rice, colin powell, or henry kissinger, living la vida loca on the world stage. hillary clinton's colombian antics are an embarrassment for a high level cabinet member on official duty and lowered the office of the secretary of state. >> to hoda's point, makes her more likable. this is a woman who has earned her sometimes as far as her gravitas goes. when you look back at the old pictures of jfk, you look at the pictures of him sailing and being a human being. i think it's wonderful. >> and her husband actually played the saxophone, and it's cool. he can do anything. >> i'm going to skip ahead here. let's take a look at this one. after some scandals recently involving teachers and their students, where teachers were caught sending sexually explicit messages to students, some school districts and states are

considering a ban, where they will no longer allow a teacher to text or e-mail an individual student. is that a good idea? >> they can call them on the phone and say something lewd. are you going to ban telephones? it's not the technology that's the problem, it's the personalities that are doing the -- that are using the technology. >> there should be no contact outside of the school. >> what? >> what? >> do you think -- did a teacher ever call you at home when you were growing up? there would be something strange about that. i think outside the school unless it's a school event there is no reason for a teacher and student to be speaking. i think as somebody who is once again raising daughters i don't want any teachers interacting with my kids outside of school. >> you don't mind if they interact as a group, a text about a homework assignment. >> as long as it's about the schoolwork. >> but individual comments over electronic communication should not occur? >> an individual comment for any kind of technology should not occur. why do you need to talk to my kid? talk to me if my kid is not doing what he's supposed to do. >> i think technically they can

lead to trouble and you guys know it. one text has some innuendo, you don't know tone. another one comes back and pretty soon it gets to be -- >> it isn't the technology. >> just being that much more casual opens the door. >> let's end on this one. career cast conducted a recent survey and they asked people to list the worst jobs or professions in the country. television broadcasters and reporters made the top ten worst list at number ten. >> yes. >> does that surprise anybody? >> why are so many people trying to get into this business? >> this is not work. i mean -- >> speak for yourself. >> oh, stop it. you get to work every morning -- >> wait a minute. that is not true. >> i come here and i think it's an honorable profession when you do it ethically. yes it is it's an honorable profession when you do it ethically. >> you know what came in as the number one worst profession? lumber jack. oddly enough, hoda, you were a

lumber jack. anything you care to discuss? what would make your top list? top worst list. >> bus driver. >> really? >> yes, i think that would be a really hard job. and a traffic reporter. i think that would be terrible. because i don't have any sense of direction. >> your worst jobs ever? >> traffic director. okay. that would -- >> producer. >> this is a little elite view of things. there are a lot of people with really bad, tough, tough jobs. >> well, the worst job is not having one, to be honest with you. that's really the worst job. >> "today's professionals," plus two. not that you weren't professional but you handled yourself in a very professional manner. >> we tried. we didn't want to embarrass you further. >> thank you for filling in. >> when is the good doctor coming back? >> two weeks. >> actually 12 days, 13 hours -- still ahead, the legendary julie andrews on her new book. that's right after this. twinkle twinkle little pie

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♪ and the cravings begin... again. for nights like these there's special k chocolatey delight cereal. an unguilty pleasure. what will you gain when you lose? back now at 8:21. julie andrews has been entertaining audiences for more than 50 years. she's not only an award-winning actress and singer, she's also a best-selling author and she's teamed up with her daughter emma walton hamilton once again for their newest book, "the very fairy princess: here comes the flower girl." it is such an honor to meet you and be in your presence. and you're used to it emma, but for us, you have had every accolade, every award, movies, music, now books. do you ever just think, how did i do that? >> i just am amazed that all of it happened. and i'm thrilled and grateful.

and i love to be busy and i love working with emma. >> we mention that you have had your hand in nearly every aspect of the entertainment industry. is it even possible to say, this is my favorite thing to do, i love the books or the singing? >> i love the books. and it means that i can spend some quality time with em, and her family and my family, and we can be sometimes coast to coast, by i-chat or whatever. and then sometimes we get to work together, which we love. but we're always working together. but, sometimes not in the same room. >> i wanted to ask you about that. because you were quite the collaborators. you have more than 20 books now. >> we do. >> but not everybody thinks, oh, i want to work with my mom, that's a great idea. how do you make this partnership work? >> well, it actually works really well, happily. we weren't sure that it would to begin with. but we generally know when to defer. whichever one has the best idea wins essentially. >> enormous respect. and we have very different strengths. >> strengths, yes.

complementary strengths, i think. >> who is the better writer? who is the idea person? >> she is. >> not at all. she's the big idea person. i'm the describe, and the nuts and bolts person. >> we do the arts and the characters. >> i love -- and i actually read, you just mentioned a couple of minutes ago is you get on i-chat because you don't live in the same place -- >> sometimes i get up extremely early in the morning, and she's already, you know, 6:00 or 7:00 for her. >> i love that. and emma you said that your mom always looks fabulous, even on the i-chat. >> she does. and she always has a little protein. >> i feel better. >> you know that it's flowing fantastic even if emma can't smell it. >> i caught myself doing it. i thought, whatever. >> i know these books are based on your daughter hope. >> yes. >> and you have said that it's about obviously a princess. but you're not exactly the princessy type. >> no.

i'm very much the jeans and t-shirt type. there's my daughter hope. she's 8. but she is very, very feminine. and very fashion savvy and she's my fashion coordinator all the time. but i'm a jeans and t-shirts kind of gal. and actually the books are more about inner sparkle than outer sparkle. they are, of course, you know, lots of princess fun with tiaras and wings and glitter and so forth. but our character often has her socks around her ankles. >> that's a good example. >> it's more about letting out your inner sparkle. >> in this particular book, she gets to be a flower girl. >> well, she thinks it's going to be so grand and glorious and she's going to be in the cathedral, and everybody will be smiling, and, in fact, it's the wedding in the garden at home and she has to adapt. >> and it rains. >> and it rains. and everything goes wrong. but the thing about the books is that nobody is a fairy princess but by the end of the book she's pulled off some seemingly

magical thing that everybody says, well, she may be. >> she believes it. it's been ten years, speaking of princesses, of "the princess diaries." i know and there's a wonderful now dvd out where the two are packaged together. this third book of ours in a series is fitting in to the most wonderful national princess week, this week. at target stores everywhere. and disney has collaborated with it, so this dvd is now packaged with blu-ray and all kinds of things. >> you are wonderful. it's so great to hear about the book. just ahead olympic athletes on the plaza.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. still dealing with closure in odenton. telegraph road shut down between 32 and 175. that closure is in both directions. accident is wrapping up there. lombard street, dealing with the crash. the days leading up to it. you on the j.f.x. in a moment. 12th miles per hour on average from 95 towards the harrisburg expressway.

back up in place on the west side. westminster accident on a 140. here is a live view of traffic. update on the j.f.x. in the area of northern parkway. southbound traffic going away from us. looks pretty good. once you get to coldspring and south of that, we still have the left lane over construction. 95 and white marsh, southbound traffic is starting to move a little bit better than last check. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning, everyone. rain has held off. showers will move in over the next few hours. 52 in westminster. a lot cooler this morning that the last couple of days. this radar is looking more impressive than it actually is. only a 30% or 40% chance of rain

shower in the forecast. highs in the upper 50s and 60s. thanks for joining us. enjoy the rest of this wednesday.

8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 18th day of april, 2012. turned our plaza into a training ground. right now jason richardson doing his thing on the hurdles, as we get set to mark 100 days until the opening ceremony of the 2012 summer games in london. we've got athletes out on the plaza, signi ining autographs, waving the flag.

we've got savannah guthrie out on the plaza, ready to do here part. >> work it, work it. >> look at the form. >> are you -- >> i'm sorry, i'm so excited. >> not saying this sarcastically, but are you athletic? >> i guess. >> oh, no. >> we've all seen -- >> let's put it this way, i am an athlete the way i'm also a chef in the kitchen. >> okay. this is going to be interesting. >> might want to put the padding out all over. >> more bruising expected. we have a lot of real athletes on the plaza and we'll get to meet them coming up. >> also some new faces so we're getting to know all the athletes here today. and we're going to make sure that you guys get to know a little bit of the team. >> and we've got a little music for you. we've got the great group neon freeze they're going to be performing live in our studio. >> all right. but first we want to mention that the usa, team usa is launching a new way for the public to support our wonderful athletes. and in london, three-time

olympic medalist allison felix is here to tell us about something called raise our flag. it's great to see you. >> good to see you guys. >> what's the idea behind this? >> it's a great campaign. we're just everyday americans, so help out and donate. we're a team that doesn't have government funding, so they can buy a tip that will be a part of our flag that we take to london. we can take the flag, it's only $12 and we can see the support. for us it's big to see something physical and see how much support we have at home. >> how do the donations then go to supporting the olympic team? >> it's great. they go to our everyday expenses like massage therapists and our insurance and all that good stuff that we need for the training. >> this is going to be i have to imagine, a huge emotional boost to see that flag at the opening ceremonies. >> definitely. i mean you know what a big deal the opening ceremonies is. and to see this flag and to know, families donating, these great people out here it's going to be a tear jerker. >> looking forward to your own

competition are you getting ready? >> i'm getting ready. so excited. i just can't wait. >> it's going to be here before we realize it. >> it is. >> very fast. get ready. >> it's great to have you here. again, to learn more about raise our flag, you can go to our website, at today.com. all right. mr. roker, let's have a check of the weather. >> starting off with today we've got wet weather from northern california into the pacific northwest alone the coast. wet weather stretching from northern florida in to the mid-atlantic states today. showers and thunderstorms in the central great lakes. tomorrow, sunny and mild, new england in to the northeast, some wet weather along the mid-atlantic coast. her very rain in the upper mississippi river valley. rain along the pacific northwest coast. sunny and warm from the gulf. texas on into the southwest. >> we could use some rain. maybe some light rain showers or

sprinkle. 30% chance. mostly cloudy skies. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, mr. roker, thank you. we're joined now by emily blunt, the lovely and talented who stars opposite jason siegel in the new movie "five year engagement" about a couple that keeps getting tripped up on their way to the altar. emily, it's nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> i think people are going to identify this because very few trips to the altar are without some detours and hurdles. >> yeah, i mean, they are a really great couple together, but life sort of keeps getting in the way. there are a couple waiting for the perfect moment. it's very hilarious the situations they find themselves in. >> i know you and jason siegel are good friends and pals.

>> yeah, yeah. >> but you take it to the next level in this movie. >> i know, how awkward. >> was it awkward? >> it was, actually. for me. he's -- he's really good friends with my husband, you know. so it was quite strange. you know, it was the good thing was that the scenes were never really romantic. they were either awkward or rather sad so in that way we had a laugh. i think it helped that we were friends because i think that moved the rapport we had off of it makes it onto the screen in some ways. >> -- be romantic in freezing conditions and snow? >> in ann arbor, michigan. >> harder for the guy than the woman, but that's all right. >> meanwhile you're realizing -- >> wow. >> it's a bit awkward, memory. thanks for stopping by. >> all right. >> note to agent, never do the

"today" show. >> i would say watching trailers for the movie it looks very, very funny. >> it's really fun. i'm surrounded by the funniest people i've ever met. and so every day there were tears of laughter. which is good. >> well, the movie is called "miff year engagement." great to have you here. >> thank you. >> you're on the olympic team. >> yes. >> all right we're going to have much more on the plaza with all of our olympic hopefuls and athletes. ç]!?

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"today's" countdown to london is brought to you by kellogg's. proud sponsor of the 2012 u.s. olympic team. >> and this morning on "today's" countdown to london we are just 100 days away from the opening

ceremony for the summer games. we're going to meet some young olympic hopefuls in a moment. but first, some veterans who are hoping to add to their legacies in london. >> world record in olympic gold. >> usain bolt sprinting ahead, winning. >> michael phelps' astounding eight golds in beijing brought his career total to 16 olympic medals. he wins three more in london he'll become the most decorated olympian ever. >> i want to be able to look back at my career and say i've done everything i wanted to do. then i could say my career has been a success. >> watch him coming home strong. >> his teammate ryan is now his top rival. lochte won five golds at last year's world championships, beating phelps twice. >> it's your time to shine. pretty much prove to the world who's best.

>> misty may, kerry walsh repeat. >> the teams of beach volleyball are vying for a third straight olympic title. >> i want to have that moment of spazzing out in london so bad. the feeling will never leave you because it's that special. >> wow! stunning. >> the golden girls of american gymnastics, shawn johnson and all-around champ nastia liukin are hoping to be back. >> to be able to experience it once is a dream come true. to be able to experience for a second time >> breakout jamaican sprinter usain bolt dazzled the world in beijing, shattering world records and bringing home three golds. he says that's just the beginning. >> people say sit back and think about what has happened. >> american sprinter alison felix who won silver in the 200s in the last two games is hoping

for her first individual gold. namtly coughlin has won a medal in all 11 races she's competed in at the olympics and plans to continue that incredible streak. >> in the prelims of the olympics, the semifinals, the finals, i'll be on the top of my game when i need to be. >> speaking of the pool, 16-year-old swimming sensation missy franklin from centennial, colorado, is hoping to make her first olympic team. >> it's so good to see you. >> it's cold out here isn't it? >> it's freezing. >> last time getting ready for beijing you were 13 years old. >> i was. >> swimming along sooird legends from the pool. what was that experience like for you? >> it was unbelievable. i had probably swam in front of a few hundred people at most before and i walked in to omaha and swimming in front of 7,000, 8,000 in prelims and it was just absolutely incredible. >> it's a big difference this time around. at the world championships last year you won a whole host of medals.

what did that do for your confidence level going in to these games and these trials? >> i think it was huge. i really exceeded my expectations on worlds. it was such an incredible meet. i had so much fun and i learned so much. so getting all that experience under my belt, i think it's going to be really great for this summer. >> and you know what i'm going to say here. you're going to shake your head. all of the experts and all of the analysts who know swimming backwards and forwards are saying you are going to be the breakout star of these games. they're predicting multiple medals for you. do you ever want them to just stop talking? >> you know what? for me, i just don't even pay attention to it. i love what they're saying. >> doesn't that put extra pressure on you? >> no, because i love what i do and i have fun with it. that's the most important part. to be able to represent my country at the olympics would be the most incredible honor. >> so what expectations have you placed on yourself? forget what the experts are saying what do you want to achieve? >> honestly the one thing i want to do is make my country proud. >> no medal count? >> it's not about winning for

me. it's just going out there and again learning, taking this experience. i'm only 16, i'll be 17 this summer. >> tell me about balancing your life right now. because you're a junior in high school. right? >> yeah. >> so you've got american history, you've got all the math courses. you're taking ap courses. you're a very good student. >> thank you. >> how do you find time to balance that with trying to be the very best in the world in a particular sport? >> it's superhard. but i go there, they are absolutely incredible. my teachers work with he. my friends always get my work when i'm away. my family is so supportive of me. always taking time to help me remember. >> you have no agents. >> no. >> your mom handles that. >> yep. >> you have turned down sponsorship deals which would have meant a lot of money for you, why? >> swimming in college is something i've always dreamed about and just hearing about the college experience and seeing what it's done for athletes it's something that i always wanted to do and something i'm so looking forward to and i want to be able to enjoy that experience. >> that's a wonderful way to look at it. you skrust got your driver's license.

are you ready to drive on the other side of the road? >> i'm not sure. that might take a little more practice. >> make sure you're prepared before i get on the road with you. we're going to spend a lot more time with you. >> thank you. >> let's go over to savannah. >> i'm about to learn how to hurdle. my instructor is 26-year-old jason richardson from cedar hill, texas. he's the world champion in the 110 meter hurdles. he's going to show us how it's done. jason, good morning. >> good morning. >> that looked pretty hard, actually. you're the world champion, hoping to be a first time olympian. >> i'm just honored to feel like that. but everybody's a competitor. in the olympics, everybody brings their best to the track. >> i know you're say that you're allergic to stress. >> i am. how do you handle all that pressure? >> you know, a lot of prayers. a lot of deep breaths. a lot of good music. and just, you know, camaraderie

with my teammates. you know, team usa is the best team in the world. so i'm just happy to be part. >> you're kind of a renaissance man. you have a lot of different talents. what made you choose hurdles. >> i chose hurdles because it came naturally. and i felt like it was a gift. you know, god gives you a gift. >> i know you said hurdling is kind of like a metaphor for life. >> it is. >> that's deep, jason. what do you mean? >> funmi you should say. no. just like in life, you know, when you hurdle you can't be afraid to fall, you can't be afraid to fail. you have to stay on your feet. when you kind of get banged up and knocked around you got to keep going straight. >> that's a good segue for me trying to hurdle. what do i need to know real quick? you hold that. >> okay. >> this is my hurdle. >> okay. first of all three things i can teach you how to walk over the hurdle, jump over the hurdle. >> we don't have 30 seconds. okay technically i just hurdled. >> this one, just hop as high as you can and get over it. >> oh, my goodness.

>> i'll catch you. >> you said no one ever died from hurdling, right? ah! that was so embarrassing. let me try that again. what did i do wrong. got to get both electrics up. >> oh, the other leg -- have you ever tried this way? oh, my gosh, yes! new olympic sport potentially? >> absolutely. absolutely. >> all right. that was so embarrassing. i need to practice a little bit more. jason richardson, we'll see you in london we hope. and a reminder, opening ceremonies 100 days from now. bob costas and matt lauer, meredith vieira hosting. we'll be back in a minute. this is "today" on nbc. guys, i'm home!

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music scene with their hit song animal. it was named the top alternative song of 2011 at the billboard musical awards. now they're out with a new album, "picture show" and they're here to perform for us this morning. ladies and gentlemen, neon trees. ♪ yeah baby won't you look my way ♪ ♪ i can be your new addiction ♪ hey baby what you got to say all you're giving me is frict n friction ♪ ♪ i found out that everybody talks everybody talks everybody talks ♪ ♪ it started with a whisper ♪

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it started with a whisper ♪ ♪ and that was when i kissed her everybody talks everybody talks back ♪ >> neon trees, thank you very much. once again the album is called "picture show." we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

quarterfinals wrapped up on "the voice" last night with coaches christina aguilera and blake shelton eliminating two of the youngest singers in the competition, ashley de la rosa and ray lynn. good morning. >> good morning. >> ashley, i understand you had a birthday yesterday, and so happy delighted birthday. >> thank you very much. >> what was this like? you had a lot to be proud of especially just at this young age, just turning 18, achieving all this. >> yeah. you know for both of us being really young in the competition, it was just a really great learning experience. we got to work with really experienced artists, and really thankful for it. >> ray lynn it seemed like blake eliminated you for your choice of song. any regrets for that? >> you know, i don't regret anything i've done on this show. you know, they gave me that song

as my second song and i'm so happy to see erin go through. she's been amazing person. the show's been nothing but good to me. so i can't be upset about it. >> because you really achieved so much. and ashley -- >> thank you. >> you admitted after your audition that second choice for you was really christina. do you wish you had maybe gone with adam levine as your coach? >> no, i don't think so. i think i made, you know, i was happy with my choice with being on christina's team because she really believed in me and she pushed me. and she gave me so much confidence. you know, it took me awhile to sort of convince adam of my talent or ability. and christina has always been in my corner. so it's really nice to have her. >> ray lynn what do you see going forward? what do you hope for to get out of this? >> you know, i just hope to one thing i've gotten out of this show is i've gotten fans. i mean i wouldn't have 300 followers to 40,000 poll lores and that is just amazing like, little things that just, you know, the show has done amazing

things for the both of us, and i would have never been able to e be -- >> there's so much more coming ahead for both of you. thanks so much. catch more of "the voice" next monday at 8:00, here on nbc. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. city police are searching for clues in a dead the overnight shooting. just after a 11:00 tuesday night, officers responded to north spring street. they found a man suffering

multiple gunshot wounds to the head. he was taken to johns hopkins and pronounced dead later.

>> we could use a good soaking rain, but that will not happen today. 30, 40% chance. otherwise, cloudy. warm-up tomorrow. >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you for joining us.