good morning. remembering a legend. tributes pouring in this morning for dick clark, the music and television icon. we danced with him on "american bandstand." >> would you agree? the jackson 5. >> and we rang in the new year with him for more than 50 years. >>two, one. happy new year! >> we'll remember the man who changed the face of pop culture for generation after generation today, thursday, april 19th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

just the music brings back so many memories. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie in for ann this morning. dick clark, one of those people that everyone felt they knew. legions of fans are fondly remembering him this morning. he died of a heart attack on wednesday at the age of 82. >> it's probably hard to overstate his place in the history of pop culture or music. he broke color barriers on "american bandstand" and introduced the world to some of the most famous performers of all time. listen to the names, buddy holly, james brown, michael jackson, madonna, and countless others. >> and, of course, it would not be new year's eve without dick clark right in the middle of the action in times square year after year after year after year. a stroke in 2004 forced him to hand over the primary hosting duties to ryan seacrest, but clark bravely remained on the air despite its effects.

and seacrest paid tribute to his friend and mentor on "american idol" last night. >> we'll hear from ryan and clark's longtime friend tony orlando in a moment. we begin with more on the life and legacy of the man known as the oldest teenager. chris jansing is a few blocks away from us in times square. chris, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. standing here in times square, it's hard to imagine new year's eve without dick clark. who among us didn't count down and celebrate with him. he influenced our music and the shows we watched. and today america is remembering a pop culture icon. from flowers laid on his star on the hollywood walk of fame to a tribute to his hand-picked successor, ryan seacrest. >> we can't begin tonight's show without acknowledging a television pioneer and my dear friend, dick clark. >> reporter: to others whose careers he helped make. >> i think when he put me on tv, that did it. we knew that if we got on

television, that's all they had to do, just give me a chance to go on tv with the twist and the rest would be history. >> reporter: generations of fans are remembering dick clark, an american original. >> live from philadelphia -- >> reporter: we welcomed him into our homes for more than five decades. >> this one's called "rock around the clock," bill haley. ♪ one two 3:three o'clock ♪ >> reporter: hosting "american bandstand" for more than 30 years. it started as a teen dance show. that quickly turned into a national sensation, launching the careers of hundreds of artists from the supremes -- ♪ stop in the name of love >> reporter: -- to the beach boys -- ♪ even a young michael jackson. ♪ oh baby give me one more chance ♪

>> this guy stood toe to toe with elvis presley and madonna and gave both of them crucial national exposure. that's just crazy. >> reporter: dick clark was born richard wagstaff clark in 1929 in mt. vernon, new york. his first job after syracuse university was in radio, and music was his passion. he talked about it with matt on "today" in 1997. >> music underscores everything that happens to you. the good stuff and the bad stuff. >> reporter: a prolific entrepreneur, clark created the american music awards, produced the golden globes, game shows, and in 1972, launched this new year's eve tradition. >> eight, seven, six, five. >> reporter: then in 2004, his life took a dramatic turn. >> clark is recovering tonight from a stroke. >> reporter: he was hospitalized for seven weeks after that stroke. but a year later made a brave return to "rockin' new year's eve." >> it was a long, hard fight. my speech is not perfect, but i'm getting there.

>> reporter: after that, clark didn't miss a new year's in new york, cohosting with ryan seacrest. >> he taught me how to do television. i studied him as a kid, and i had the fortune and opportunity to work with him for several years on new year's eve. and so i'm sad and i'm grateful for what he's given all of us and certainly what he's given me. >> reporter: this year seacrest was there as clark counted down for the you in year. >> dick, you've done this for the last 40 years. >> all right. and now the big moment we've been waiting for. five, four, three, two, one, happy new year! >> reporter: welcoming in 2012, clark said good-bye to his loyal audience one last time. >> you're such a great friend to me and to the nation watching. thank you for everything. >> thank you very much. happy new year. >> happy new year. dick clark. come on. come on.

>> reporter: dick clark liked to say his greatest asset was that he had his finger on the pulse of everyday people, but this morning he's being remembered by everyone from the president to speaker of the house and music ledge e legends. one of the many tweets are from janet jackson. "dick clark changed the face of musical television." from diana ross. "i will always appreciate what he did for me and for popular music." and from gloria estefan. "not 2 many people actually deserve the term legend. dick clark embodied it and never lost his humility or humanity. we will miss him." and i think smokey robinson spoke for millions when he said simp simply, "i loved dick clark." >> chris jansing in times square, thank you very much. tony orlando met dick clark when he was 16 years old and appeared on "american bandstand." tv producer larry kline has been a friend and colleague of clark's for the last 40 years. gentlemen, good morning to both of you and my condolences. >> good morning, matt. >> good morning.

thank you very much. >> tony, let me start with you. 16 years old. i looked back, it was 1961 when you appeared on "american bandstand." the biggest break any musician, young musician, could hope for, how nervous were you? >> well, i was scared to death. and he always made you feel very comfortable, matt, as you do in an interview. it's interesting how the similarities are because dick cared about every word that he ever asked an interviewer. when he came on the air, you felt like he cared about you and only you. you know, this is a great loss to this country, a great slice of the american pie is now gone. and really, i'm 68 years old now, matt. and to think that i've known this man 51 years, and he was responsible for the very first time i ever performed. i mean, the first time i ever sang to an audience was on "american bandstand." march 21st, 1961. >> he obviously felt very close to you on the 25th anniversary

of that show, he gave you an incredible honor. you guest hosted that show. >> he did. i did. he asked me to cohost the show with him, which as you can well imagine, you heard ryan talk about how he idolized dick. to be able to stand on the stage with limb and do the show with him was pretty intimidating because he knew every facet. he was a director, a producer and a genius. so when he asked you to do something like that, you felt the awesome pressure of coming through for him. and all you really cared about wasn't how you looked, it was how you performed for him. >> tony, he always seemed to smooth and unflappable, and yet i know you and marie osmond and barry manilow paid tribute to him recently at the daytime emmy awards. and you got to see a very different and emotional side of dick clark. >> well, one of the things that happened there, too, is that marie and i both looked at each other when dick broke down and cried. and we saw carrie clark who, by

the way, my heart goes out and my sympathies go to carrie, his wife, who is the most supportive wife i know. she's been amazing for dick through all of this crisis of the stroke, all of this. she's probably in a lot of pain right now. my heart goes out to her. when marie and i saw dick break down, we both looked at each other, we've both known him all our lives, and marie said, "i've never seen dick cry." if he cried, it was in private. he was one of those guys that just didn't do it in public. he saw that whole audience stand up for him, and he just broke. he let go. i think larry will agree with me on that because dick was a very unbelievable, strong man. >> larry, i want to bring you in on this. >> i miss him. >> and you said, larry, working with him was a little bit like going to the university of dick clark. what do you mean by that? >> i've been with dick clark productions for 38 years. and to this day when i look at any television show, i can pick out names at the end credits. and i can point to them and say,

they were at dick clark productions. they were at dick clark productions. to me, it was a college that we all got to go to. i happened to be fortunate enough to be a student for the last 38 years at the same college. >> even as we remember him and pay tribute, i think it's fair that we say that over the course of his career, he did face some criticism. and there were people who say that he brought blandness to music or sanitized rock 'n' roll. did that wrangle him when he heard that? >> i don't believe it did at all. dick was, as he used to say, a traffic cop. dick listened to the people, dick talked to people, he knew what people were buying in the way of music. dick presented that to the public. i think he was very current on every single level. >> you know, after the stroke in 2004, a lot of people doubted whether he would return to the new year's eve show, and yet he did, even though he still had some difficulty with his speech.

did he have an ego? was he at all dane about that, larry? >> no. well, matt, everybody in this business has an ego somehow, some way. dick -- i always knew dick would come back -- not me, we all knew he was going to come back. dick was a fighter. dick would never if i have up. he loved it, new year's eve, he loved being in front of that camera. he loved being in times square. no. it was just a natural thing. it was just when are you going to come back is what it really was. >> and tony, let me end with you. what do you think dick would want his legacy to be? >> i think only god is responsible for creating more stars than dick clark. and i think dick clark has been responsible for changing the lives of just about everybody there is out there. he has been part -- he is an american icon. but you know, also a slice for all of us. six generations have grown up with him, matt. six generations. you're talking about from the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s,

2000. this is a part of our country that is literally part of all of us. that's why you're seeing such an outpouring. this is not just the passing of someone who is in show business, this is a passing -- a family member has passed on in this country in the name of dick clark. and he will be sorely, sorely missed. >> tony orlando and larry klein, my condolences to the two of you. i know how much he meant to you and the rest of us, and i thank you for sharing your memories with us this morning. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, matt. >> we'll have more on dick clark's influence on music and pop culture coming up. but right now, it's 12 after the hour. here's savannah. >> matt, thank you. the texas woman arrested on charges of killing a young mother and snatching that woman's three-day-old baby makes her initial court appearance today. and disturbing new details are emerging in the case. nbc's jeff rossen is in spring, texas, this morning. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, savannah, good morning. understatement indeed to say this is disturbing.

we're learning new details about what happened in this parking lot, and every new detail that comes out, and there are plenty of them, gets more disturbing. this was a new mother with her three-day-old son, walked out of a routine doctor's appointment, happiest moment of a mom's life. she walked out, and police say little did she know, there was a stranger, another woman in this parking lot who shot her, killed her and then stole her baby, a planned abduction, it appears. >> it's a brutal murder, and it's horrible is what it is. >> reporter: for this family, it was supposed to be bliss. a young mother, kala golden, and her newborn baby boy, keegan. but leaving a doctor's appointment tuesday, police say another woman was waiting in the pediatrici pediatrician's parking lot, about to commit a terrible crime. shooting this new mom multiple times, killing her and snatching her newborn son. >> my daughter was a good person. she wouldn't fight and argue with anybody, but she fought to

protect her baby, and she took her life for it. >> reporter: it was broad daylight in the houston suburbs. the woman didn't seem to care who saw her. >> i just saw her hold on to the truck and then kind of stumble to the front of the truck. she fell to the ground. >> reporter: in the arrest warrant obtained by nbc news, police say verna mcclain confessed, picking out the new mother at random. the motive, they say, she just wanted the baby. >> the suspect shot kala several times, then took the child from the pickup, put him in her car, knocking kala on the ground as she left the scene. >> reporter: we're learning more. verna mcclain is a registered nurse with three children of her own. police say she recently had a miscarriage but never told her fiance. >> she was pregnant and had given birth to a child. >> reporter: investigators say that may have been her reason to steal baby keegan. but in that arrest report, mcclain also told her sister she

would be adopting a child soon. >> this behavior was so illogical, the plan so didn't make sense that i think we are going to be left to wonder whether this woman was mentally intact at the time. >> reporter: in this small texas town, the neighbors are rattled. >> it's just really scary that the fact that, you know, something so -- it's just unbelievably horrific what happened. >> reporter: baby keegan's father is devastated. >> i love you. >> reporter: and friends just don't know why. >> she never did anything wrong. she's just a mom doing her best to take care of her kids. i miss her. >> reporter: the only good news here, and there is very little good news, is that little baby keegan is safe and healthy. police found him hours later. and you can see this memorial that's been set up in the parking lot with flowers, sympathy cards. here's a blankie that says "thank heaven for little boys."

we should mention the suspect, that alleged female shooter, will be in court for her first appearance later this morning. and savannah, she is charged now with capital murder. >> all right. jeff rossen in spring, texas, for us. thank you. it is 7:16 now. once again here's matt. >> thanks. new fallout this morning tied to the prostitution scandal involving members of the secret service. three employees including a supervisor are leaving the agency as the investigation now moves forward. nbc's mark potter is in cartagena, colombia, with more. mark, good morning to you. >> reporter: and good morning to you, matt. that fallout stems from the scandal which erupted at this hotel as investigators continue to pore through all the accounts, sometimes bevarying accounts, of what happened here. the first to fall in the prostitution scandal that officials say began in the nighttime clubs and streets here in cartagena, colombia, are three members of the u.s. secret service who are part of president obama's advanced

security detail last week for the summit of the americas. the secret service says one supervisor will retire. another supervisor has been fired, removed for cause, and a third nonsupervisor has resigned. eight other secret service agents remain on administrative leave. new york congressman peter king says the unidentified supervisor who was fired plans to sue. a capitol hill source says polygraph tests are being administered and that the investigators are also looking into reports of drug use by the agents but so far have found no evidence of that. at cart lane that's famed hotel carleibe where u.s. officials say they took prostitutes to their rooms, investigators are trying to unravel different accounts of what happened there. u.s. officials tell nbc news the scandal exploded after a prostitute who claims she was shared by two agents got in a heated dispute over how much she should be paid, an amount less than $60. but in "the new york times," there is a much different version of the argument.

in "the times" story, an unidentified woman claims she spent the night with a man she later learned was an agent after agreeing to an $800 escort fee. but the next morning he only offered her $30. after they argued and she complained to a police officer "the times" story says, the agent and several others kicked in to pay her $225. ♪ in cartagena where prostitution is legal, many say they are growing weary of all these stories. the area governor says it is unfortunate that so many people have chosen to focus on the american scandal, predicting that in the long run, cartagena and its positive image worldwide will not be harmed. also investigating here are two u.s. military officers looking into whether ten american service personnel were also involved in that scandal which a spokesman said is being taken very seriously. matt?

>> all right, mark potter in colombia for us this morning. mark, thank you very much. time to get a check of the day's other top stories. natalie morales is over at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. the graphic photos at the center of the latest embarrassment for u.s. troops in afghanistan were leaked by a soldier from the 82nd airborne division who felt they indicated a lapse in leadership and discipline. the paper that published the photographs, the paper's editor said they have a duty to report on all aspects of the american mission in afghanistan. the photos show the troops posing with bodies of dead insurgents. an investigation is now under way. rocker ted nugent meets today with the secret service to explain comments he made recently about the president, but some have called threatening. nugent had told a gun rights group that he'd be, quote, dead or in jail if president obama were re-elected. a new judge will preside over the trayvon martin shooting

case. the original judge removed herself from the case due to a possible conflict of interest. american airlines looking to cut costs by laying off an additional 1,200 nonunion jobs. the airline is under bankruptcy protection. in february, american had already announced it would cut 13,000 jobs. a dangerous stunt caught on tape in new york city in a subway. take a look there, those are teenagers down on those tracks, apparently playing chicken with an oncoming subway car in brooklyn. transportation officials are outraged over the incident. 47 people were killed when struck by subway trains last year. none of these teens has been identified. and the rude awakening for a family in brazil after an out-of-control car went flying and smashed into the side of their home just a few feet from a baby's bed. the driver now faces charges, but amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. that projectile of that car, that's pretty unbelievable to

see it hanging there. it's 7:20. let's go back over to matt and savannah. >> the subway story here in new york, the stupidity of that, if you're on a subway train and the driver of that train sees those kids and has to jam on the brakes, he could injure all kinds of people in the train. >> in the train. >> not even to mention what could happen to them with the third rail and all that stuff down there. it's amazing. anyway, i go on and on. let's get a check of the weather. mr. roker is on the road this morning in new orleans. al, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, good morning, guys. just really scary to see that kind of video. but we've also got the possibility of some scary weather. some severe weather to talk about today down through the midsection of the country, down into the southern plains. we're looking at a risk of strong storms, heavier thunderstorms starting to fire up all the way from wichita falls up to des moines. isolated tornadoes, could see some supercells, hail and damaging winds. rain already starting to fire up from denver all the way to minneapolis. we're talking generally anywhere from about an inch to an inch and a half, maybe three inches of rain. also, northern minnesota looking

at a couple of inches of snow. that's what's going on around >> good morning. the further we go into the day, the better the forecast will get. it will become mostly sunny and pleasant and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you. still ahead, the surprising fact that dick clark revealed about himself here on "today." and we'll talk to his very first musical guest on "american bandstand." but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, the search intensifies for a young woman, a soldier at ft. bragg missing for five days now. and the woman charged with stalking alec baldwin breaks her silence. why she says the accusations have ruined her life after your local news. ♪ hey, dad, you think i could drive? i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪

[ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. [ male announcer ] jetta tdi clean diesel. the turbo that gets 42 miles per gallon. that's the power of german engineering. ♪ >> interesting shot we thought we would share with you. it looks like clouds, but it was taken from our to our camera on tv hill. we are above the fog. it will burn off later and we will see plenty of sunshine. good morning. i am stan stovall. here is one of our top stories. after two hours of heated testimony, the proposal to increase the bottle tax, officials said they were not ready to send the measure to a full council voted under the

proposal, the tax would jump from 2 cents to 5 cents. opponents say that the bottle tax could hurt small business and encourage spending outside baltimore city. let's check the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> all it takes is one accident on the construction zone. you can see that we're down to 15 miles per hour. those delays stretch to the beltway. we have an accident clearing from southbound j.f.x. to no. 3 we will take a look at the ramp in a moment. 13 miles per hour on the west side. southbound 795 backed up prior to the beltway. another one has come in and north point followed -- coming in at north point boulevard. northern parkway, delays are

southbound from that point. cannot see the ramp to much but we are definitely seeing accident. >> we are off to a fairly quiet start. fog in some neighborhoods but that will burn off. you can see that humidity is 100% at b.w.i. low clouds and fog will burn off this morning and will be mostly sunny this afternoon and nice. high-temperature near 68. tomorrow, could checkç]!?

i have a question i didn't get to ask you during an interview. >> fire away. >> i would always ask as you'd introduce these disco songs and rock shows and then they'd widen out. did you ever dance on the show? >> no. >> never? >> i don't dance. >> that was dick clark when he was here back in 1997. and who would have guessed that the man who showed the country how to dance could not dance himself? 7:30 now on a thursday morning, april 19th, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie in for ann while ann takes some vacation time. and we'll have more on dick clark's remarkable career including, we're going to talk about a rather poignant and unique moment that dick clark and al roker shared some years ago. that's coming up. >> and i know dick clark said

that he never danced to "american bandstand," but i hear that's where you learned all your excellent dancing. >> exactly right. i watched all those. >> it really showed. also some serious news, the woman charged with stalking alec baldwin breaks her silence. what she's saying about her arrest and why she's concerned for her own safety. and later, a deeper meaning for makeup. you'll meet a 19-year-old who has endured years of bullying because of her acne, but she's learned how to cover her blemishes. >> this is a situation so many teens will be able to identify with, their skin and how it's affected their self-image. her techniques and openness and honesty has led to millions of hits she posted on youtube. we'll witness her transformation throughout the morning and talk to her about the attitude she's taken later on. >> we'll see beauty that is more than skin deep. we begin with new details in the search for a young woman stationed at ft. bragg who vanished mysteriously over the

weekend. nbc's mike viqueira has the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: morning, savannah. local police with an assist from the military spent much of wednesday searching for clues and talking to anyone who may have seen army private kelli bordeaux in the hours before she disappeared last weekend, but still no answers as this case now enters its sixth day. more than 100 police and fellow soldiers fanned out wednesday, searching the woods not far from where 23-year-old kelli bordeaux, an army private at ft. bragg, was last seen last weekend. acting on a lead, police dive teams searched a nearby pond for several hours but turned up nothing. >> this is an active investigation. we've got folks working 24 hours. we've got a lot of manpower. >> reporter: police say bordeaux left this fayetteville bar where she had gone to sing karaoke in the early morning hours saturday. a military official tells nbc news that bordeaux made phone calls and sent texts from her cell phone after she left the

bar but gave no indication that she was in trouble. military official also says bordeaux was driven home by an employee of the bar. police say they have questioned the 25-year-old bar employee but do not consider him a person of interest at this time. >> he is one of the last people that had seen miss bordeaux. so anybody that last seen her on the early morning of saturday is someone we want to talk to. >> reporter: kelli's husband, mike, tells nbc news that he was in their home state of florida the night his wife disappeared. when questioned by a reporter from nbc's raleigh station, he denied reports that he and kelli were estranged, describing their marriage as happy and adding, "i would never lay a hand on her." police say they have no reason to doubt what mike bordeaux is telling them. >> a husband, a boyfriend, a significant other, this is the person that law enforcement always turns to initially. and if they can, in fact, account for her husband's presence someplace else, then they have to consider other

suspects. >> i just want kelli bordeaux to be brought back to us safe and sound. i just want my sister. >> reporter: tuesday, bordeaux's sister issued an emotional plea for kelli's safe return. as the search intensifies, family members, friends and others in this tight-knit military community are holding out hope. >> because if it was my sister or daughter or friend, i would want someone to help out, so i volunteered. >> reporter: and savannah, police say even though the initial search around that pond area didn't turn up anything, they're going to go back today for a longer second look. savannah? >> mike viqueira in fayetteville, north carolina, thank you. it is 7:34 now, matt. >> thank you. we're now hearing for the first time from the whom who's charged with stalking alec baldwin. she broke her silence in a new enter vie and on twitter. marra, good morning to you. >> good morning. she met alec baldwin on a movie

set in 2002. according to court documents, baldwin said over the last few weeks, sabourin repeatedly showed up at his house and cyber stalked him. now she said since the allegations were made public, her life has been miserable and she's worried about her safety. >> reporter: this canadian actress had no comment last week when leaving a manhattan court after being arraigned for allegedly stalking actor alec baldwin. now the actress is speaking out for the first time since her arrest. in a phone interview with the canadian wire service qmi agency, sabourin says she's hiding from the press, comparing herself to princess diana, saying, quote, i feel like a fugitive, like a hunted animal. >> she sounds scared, very overwhelmed about how big the story was in the media. >> reporter: last week, the 40-year-old was thrown into the spotlight after baldwin told police sabourin tried to see him three times in two weeks,

showing up unannounced at his weekend home in new york's exclusive hamptons and at his manhattan apartment building. according to court documents, baldwin also says she e-mailed him 12 times in 5 days, even after he told her to leave him alone, referring to herself as, quote, genevieve baldwin, and writing, "say i do to me." sabourin says once released from police custody, she drove to a hotel about 45 minutes north of new york city. quote, i was paralyzed the first days, she said, when fatigue took over, the tears came, tears of despair. >> she hid in that room. she barely went out only to go to the gas station. >> reporter: sabourin goes on to say, i don't see the light of day. i eat at drive-thrus and put on a hat and glasses when i go out. >> i think right now she's really trying to find a way to go back to canada, to be surrounded by her family and then to shop, if i can say for a french-speaking attorney that will really tell her what to do.

>> reporter: in the meantime, sabourin has set up a twitter account, posting several photos of herself and her dog and tweeting links to some of her press coverage. sabourin writes that she doesn't want to comment on baldwin or the stalking case and is, quote, simply but truly introducing myself. one woman's introduction after a very public first impression. >> sabourin has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in court on may 14th. we reached out to her attorney, but she did not respond. we also contacted her agent who declined to comment. matt? >> all right, mara, thank you very much. let's head down to new orleans now. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> reporter: all right, thanks so much, matt. and, of course, we've had a lot of wet weather here in louisiana. so their drought has been alleviated a little bit, as has texas. but as you look throughout much of the southeast, we've got extreme to exceptional drought. also in west texas as well. but that drought makes its way all the way up into the northeast. and we've got a fair amount of drought out in the west as well.

will we see some relief from this over the next several days? in the east we will. but in the meantime, we've got a risk of strong storms from north texas on into central iowa, some afternoon showers move into the pacific northwest with another front coming in. look for some sunshine in the northeast. clouds along the mid-atlantic coast. that's what's goas >> good morning. the storm that give us the rain yesterday will take the clouds with it off the coast. decreasing clouds and becoming mo >> reporter: and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. still ahead, the 19-year-old who inspires others to feel comfortable with their looks

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back with more of the death on music and tv pioneer dick clark. >> al, we understand when you heard the news of dick clark's passing, it brought back some unusual memories for you. >> reporter: yeah, it really did, matt. because first of all, it can't be stressed enough, dick clark's role in helping to integrate popular music back in the '60s. but beyond that, we talked about that. we also talked about a place we were both at at a moment in american history back when he was on the show in 1997. when you look the show out on the road, there were threats and things. >> you and i have talked about

it, al. i've spent some of the most dynamic times in my life in a bus. we had a thing called a caravan of stars. we had 17 acts on a bus. 60% to 70% of the people were black. we traveled in the southeast in the days when we weren't to be together. you saw the poster in my office. big poster that says, "don't buy negro records." it's a blatant racist thing. these are the sorts of things we run into. people sitting on one side of the audience and the other. it was hairy. there's a dark side in all of this. >> did it stop the caravan? >> no. and we never had any riots. where's the wood? i wish -- you and i spent an interesting morning. >> yes, we did. we were in your office when they read the o.j. verdict. >> we had never met. we were sitting there. >> why? >> we were just chatting. >> we were talking about business and stuff. and we couldn't. it was 10:00 in the morning. and that was the decision. there was a black guy and a white guy sitting there while the decision comes down. i didn't know how to react, and i didn't know -- you know, we

just -- >> yeah. >> life is more complicated than records, folks. >> al, what were your memories of that morning? >> reporter: yeah, i remember sitting there. and we were just kind of stunned and watching the reactions. dick clark started reminiscing about how far we had come and yet how far we had to go when we talk about race relations in this country. but he really helped lead the movement in his way for civil rights. it was an interesting moment. >> i think it comes across in that interview and anybody who had the honor of getting to meet dick clark over the years, even though he had iconic status, he was an incredibly humble man. he was the kind of guy who would walk across the studio when he came in and shake hands with everybody on the crew. there was a real gentle quality to him that i think was something a lot of people should aspire to. >> yeah. he seemed to have that kindness and joy. he just seemed to be having such a great time. >> and the ability to bring

everybody together. i think as the president said yesterday, he was just so positive and vibrant and optimistic, and that really came through. >> natalie actually grew up -- >> reporter: he was a figurehead. >> go ahead. i was going to say, natalie grew up watching "bandstand" or some of those shows in spanish. >> or in portuguese, but the music was always the same. >> you got into it. >> it was like a little piece of home. a little bit of america in my life. >> listen, al, thank you very much for sharing that piece of tape with us. and we're going to be back with you in just a couple of minutes. but thanks so much. >> reporter: okay. coming up next, the retired grandparents who just stepped forward to claim their piece of that record mega millions jackpot. what they plan to do with their winnings coming up right after this. [ mocking tone ] i'm ms. brown. i'm soooo chocolatey.

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it's freed me to enjoy. it tastes really great. it helps me balance out what i've got on my plate. now i can indulge in the things i adore. i don't have to wrestle with sweetness anymore. truvia. honestly sweet. back now at 7:49. a retired couple there a small town in illinois has know claimed the third and final winning ticket from last month's $656 million mega millions jackpot. nbc's janet shamlian has their story. janet, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. this was a record-breaking jackpot. and unlike the winners in maryland and kansas who collected their cash anonymously, here in illinois, you have to come forward publicly. something this couple may have preferred not to do for about 11 million reasons. a mega mystery solved. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> reporter: a retired vietnam veteran and his wife of four decades claimed the huge

jackpot. 65-year-old merle butler checked the ticket the night of the drawing, then shared the unbelievable news with pat. >> she kind of looked at me funny. and i said, "no, we won." and then she started giggling. and she giggled for about four hours, i think. >> reporter: merle bought just one $3 quick pick ticket at this motomart. it was suddenly priceless. and the next morning they were first in line at the bank to get it under lock and key. >> one of the people i know in the bank, as i was walking in the door to put this in a lockbox said, oh, i guess you come over to put your ticket away. i said, "yeah, i won this thing and i've got to get this thing put away." just laughed it off. >> reporter: before coming forward, the butlers privately met with financial planners on how to handle the windfall. for weeks, it was all anyone could talk about here in tiny red bud, who had that winning ticket. and if they had it, how were

they able to keep it such a secret? >> i was shocked because he came out to visit me this week. came out and sat in the sun room. we talked for an hour. didn't let on anything. >> are you going to frame it? >> reporter: with word out that the winner was a lifelong resident, red bud threw a party. >> this is the most excitement red bud's had since we got a new avon lady. it really is. >> reporter: now friends and neighbors are speculating on what the couple will do with all that cash. to hear the former computer programmer tell it, it's a little bit like coming out of retirement, a little. >> this is a full-time job, it looks like. you'd be surprised what all it involved. >> we're not going to feel sorry for you. >> no, no, i'm not looking for sympathy. >> reporter: merle says for now they're planning to just invest the money as they have children and grandchildren. they are open, savannah, to the possibility of spendsing a little bit on themselves, maybe a vacation or possibly a new car. back to you. >> all right, janet shamlian, thanks so much. how many times do you think they checked that ticket? >> i love the fact that she

giggled for four hours. >> she's probably still giggling right now. just ahead, the 19-year-old who's become an internet sensation for the way she deals with her acne with makeup and honesty. >> we'll meet her after your local news. ♪ [ instrumental ]

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>> doesn't this look like the view out of the window of an airplane? it is actually the towercam. good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. is the fog a problem? >> it is, and there is a major delay on the j.f.x. two accidents cleared. adding to construction delays. 16 miles per hour. inner loop approaching belair road, we have a crash and delays prior to it. on the alberta, belair road is

where the blaze began. -- where delays begin. 17 miles per hour towards the 895 split. once you get down to eastern ave, there is an accident. right lane is closed with an accident clearing. not one on howard county with the crash of eastbound 32 -- another one on our county with a crash on eastbound 32. there is a live view of the j.f.x. of coldspring. you can see how have the it is leading up to construction. tony has more on the forecast. >> we are off to a fairly quiet start. this is pushing off the coast. temperatures are on the chilly side. there still is a little bit of fog out there. it will be mostly sunny this

afternoon. high temperatures will climb into the upper 60s. low 70's tomorrow. good chance for rain saturday night into sunday.

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8:00 now on a thursday morning. it's the 19th day of april, 2012. i don't know if spring break has actually ended because we have another huge crowd here in rockefeller plaza. kind of a cloudy, overcast, chilly day at 53 degrees. we're happy to have all these folks here. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. savannah's here while ann is taking some time for vacation. she'll be back on monday. coming up in this half hour, savannah, we're going to have more on the life and career of the legendary dick clark. his shows and that new year's eve special that he did every year really thrilled millions of people in this country for generations.

coming up, we're going to share what he told us about his beginning on "american bandstand" and how it all got started and how it moved on from there. >> wonderful to see him. of course, they always say dick clark never aged. he said he credited his good genes and he said that's why it's very important to pick your parents carefully. >> exactly. also, we've been showing you this morning how a 19-year-old who struggles with severe acne was bullied because of it has really transformed her look. and she's become something of a youtube ensayisensation. we'll talk to her about her message to others. >> her self-confidence, i think, is really inspiring. also, eva longoria is here. she's going to join us in a little while. we'll talk to her about the wrap-up of "desperate housewives" and a new show she is executive producing. and we have a performance in our studio from the grammy-winning band train coming up. the top stories of the top morning from natalie morales at

the news desk. natalie, good morning. >> good importanting, everyone. baby boomers may feel like they've lost a member of their television family with the death broadcasting legend dick clark. he died from a heart attack wednesday in santa monica at 82. he's being remembered today as a pop culture ambassador whose "american bandstand" brought rock music to the masses. each december 31st in times square, he counted us down to the promise of a new year. the texas nurse charged with murdering a woman to kidnap her newborn makes her first court appearance today. officials say 30-year-old verna mcclain ambushed kala golden outside a houston pediatrician's office tuesday and shot her several times before taking her three-day-old son. mcclain was later arrested and the baby found unharmed. officials say mcclain wanted a baby because she had recently suffered a miscarriage. new fallout this morning from the secret service prostitution scandal. the agency says one supervisor

has been fired. another will retire. and a third nonsupervisor has resigned. eight other secret service agents are on administrative leave for allegedly bringing prostitutes to their hotel in colombia where they were part of the advanced security team for presidential visit. ten military service members have also been implicated. a washington state dispatcher is being reprimanded for letting nearly seven minutes elapse before sending help to the house of josh powell back in february. a social worker had called 911 before powell killed his children and himself. by the time police arrived, the house was up in flames. powell was a suspect in his wife, susan's, 2009 disappearance. now for a look at what's trending today, on you quick roundup of what has you talking online. this video of a legally blind contestant who had to be carefully escorted on stage is caught online after she blew away coaches on the australian version of "the voice." ♪

the singer says the irony of the show's trademark blind audition was not lost on her. and twitter is giggling over this picture of the air traveler who apparently had nothing to hide through security at portland international airport. the 49-year-old said he was protesting what he calls harassment by security screeners. he was arrested and missed his flight. and blogs are buzzing about a possible cure for the common comb-over. japanese scientists say they were able to successfully grow hair on bald mice by implanting follicles created from stem cells. they say the follicles even generated new hairs when the old ones fell out. so hope for all the follow ical challenged.

>> can you buy those stem cells over-the-counter? can you get those? >> i think yours will work. >> al's down in new orleans. he's taking notes, too. >> okay. sounds good. mr. roker, what do you think about that news? >> reporter: well, you know, it's good news because mickey mouse's toupee has been looking really rough. good news for him. anyway, let's see what we've got going on as far as our weather's concerned. our pick city of the day, mice comb-overs. what will they think of next? new orleans, nbc 6, sunny, warm, 79 degrees. got a great day here. as we look around the rest of the country, afternoon highs, 50s, 60s and 70s into the northeast and new england. 40s around the great lakes where we could see some snow in northern minnesota. 50s in the pacific northwest as another system brings some showers there by the afternoon. risk of some strong storms from northern texas on into iowa. look for rain along the

southeastern atlantic coast on down into florida. sunny and warm through the southwest. phoenix today getting up to a high of 94. windy in los angeles. >> good morning.degr the further we go into the day, the better the forecast will get. it will become mostly sunny and pleasant. and don't forget, you can get your weather anytime you need it. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. coming up, a 19-year-old girl who's making a lot of people feel more comfortable about their looks thanks to her incredible attitude. and by the way, her great skill

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and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's -- it's amazing what soup can do. and can help you keep a healthy weight. [ beso, agents, why did i make you wear these costumes? because the new avengers movie is coming out. and what does that have to do with us? we're the superheroes of insurance. [ makes whooshing sound ] whoa! how did you-- shh. [ all gasping ] [ announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ [ metal clanging ] back now at 8:09 with the power of makeup. foundation and lipstick may seem like vanity products, but for some women, they are the tools of transformation. natalie joins us with more. natalie, good morning again. >> good morning, savannah. with the explosion of social media, women who want makeup tips, they're learning they not only cover flaws, they can also launch unexpected careers.

>> reporter: when user munner83 posted this before and after makeup photo on the social news website, the reaction sparked a discussion about the importance of makeup in women's lives. >> here i am with no makeup. >> reporter: the photo inspired another user to post a link to this video which shows a woman's routine of applying makeup to cover her severe acne. >> you can have flawless skin, too 37. >> reporter: the video features cassandra bankson and has generated more than 6 million views. for cassandra, makeup changed her look and her life. she says she learned so much about cosmetics that she was able to become a model and made it her mission to help others who have acne and skin conditions with their makeup and with their confidence. >> i try to kind of dot it on. and i love using my fingers for foundation. >> makeup is so important to women because it's a part of their identity, and it's part of their personality. i think when women put makeup on or had they first start using makeup, it's a way to declare to

the world who they are. ♪ >> reporter: celebrities declare who they are when they step onto the red carpet. but had they decide to bare all and take off their makeup, it also makes news. lady gaga, snooki, lisa rinna and demi lovato have also posted photos on twitter of their bare faces. beyonce posted these photos of herself on tumblr. and kathie lee and hoda have had a little fun without their makeup, too. >> so here it is. this is us. >> i think some people may choose to be makeup free as a method of being revealing. i'm showing you the real me, and they want feedback. >> reporter: for model cassandra, the courage to reveal herself makeup free has made her an internet sensation. >> i think it's incredibly brave for someone to put their entire makeup process out there and thanks to all the huge number of social media, you're definitely seeing an uptick in the amount

of information out there about makeup. >> and savannah, as we said, it takes a lot of courage to do it. cassandra did, and she's proving beauty is much more than skin deep. >> she is, natalie, thank you. and teenage model and youtube makeup sensation cassandra bankson is with us now. cassandra, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> well, first things first. we have watched your transformation this morning. you did this live for us as well. >> of course. >> i know a lot of people are wondering, first of all, how did you learn to do this? you're like a professional makeup artist. >> well, thank you. i had a lot of time because of the social situation. i wasn't talking to friends or family. i would do homework, play with my cats and essentially learn how to put on makeup. and a lot of trial and error really got me there. >> well, you mentioned that you really struggled with acne and that you kind of isolated yourself. that kids at school bullied you. can you just kind of talk about those hard days? >> well, it was essentially i was my worst critic. but having that feedback from other peers and students at my school was just really kind of

self-traumatizing and put me into kind of a recluse, isolated state. you know, i switched schools to get away from them. and yes, i did graduate two years early, but i was completely antisocial at that time. makeup is kind of what helped me break out of that shell for a period. >> that's what makes this all the more remarkable because here you were, so ashamed that you basically were hiding in your house. >> yes. >> and then you decided, you know what? i'm going to show the world my face. how scary was that when you posted that video? >> it was traumatizing. i was crying before i filmed the video, and it didn't go up for months until after i filmed it. i've always wanted to help people, but it wasn't until my boyfriend actually told me, you've always wanted to help people. this is how you can do it. it's your duty. >> i know you posted it and then you were kind of afraid to look at what the response would be. >> yeah. >> for another four or five months, i didn't even check youtube because honestly, i thought that people would be just as cruel as they were in school. i thought if it helped one girl or one guy, it would be worth

it, but i didn't want to see the negativity. i came back and was overwhelmed. >> i want to read a couple of the comments there. someone wrote, you do realize even without a smidgen of makeup, you're still beautiful, right? have you been surprised at the resonance of this? you have more than 6 million hits. >> it's unbelievable. i mean, i think that definitely makeup and just skin care in general is so important. and education is really the foundation for understanding your skin. and beauty of confidence. people need to know that. >> but your message is more than skin deep. it's not just about cosmetics. you really feel that makeup helps bring out the more confident side of people. >> well, confidence is beauty essentially. you can't have one without the other. and i think that makeup is that gateway for a woman to feel confident until they overcome whatever insecurities they have so that they can feel beautiful with or without. >> and you now have a modeling career. i mean, there's a certain irony that you came from this moment where you were so afraid, and now you're saying hey, world, look at me. >> it's still unreal. >> yeah.

cassandra bankson, it's such a pleasure to meet you. i know a lot of people who watched your video learned all your great techniques. really appreciate it. >> the pleasure is all mine. >> good to see you. coming up next, dick clark in his own words on the power of music. and two of his friends reflect on the life of the man nicknamed america's oldest teenager coming up right after this. so, you guys grew up together. yes, since third grade...

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life. music really is one of the three most important things in our lives. >> so take me back, july 9th, 1956, a year, by the way, before i was born. >> you had to get it on there. that's it, i'm out of here. >> you walk into the radio station -- >> you do this, katie says, i grew up with you. i've got a lot of miles left. give me a break. >> you walk into this radio station where you're working. and your life changes like that. you get offered the job to host "american bandstand." what do you remember about that day? >> it truly changed my life because it was a big, big show. and it was founded by bob horn and was a big hit in philadelphia. i got the honor of doing it when they had a fight with the radio station. bob had been let go. i knew if i could make it work, it would be a big part of my life. and as it turned out to be, it was. >> you write in the book you weren't the all nervous that first day. why? >> i had been working nine years before i got that job. everybody says, you know, you're the luckiest human that ever walked. i grant you that, but i had worked real hard to be in the right time at the right place.

>> talk about those kids dancing on the show in the 1950s. they were clean-cut, well dressed, they were allwhite. was it your decision to integrate that show? >> yeah, it was mine and a fellow named tony memorella. philadelphia was still segregated. we didn't socialize together. we said, we've got to get some negros involved in the show, so we began to bring them in gradually. the lovely thing about it, nothing happened. >> no reaction? >> nobody got hurt. by the time we moved to california, we had blacks, browns, yellows, reds, everybody which was probably the most significant thing that "bandstand" ever did. it brought people together as human beings. >> the show went away in 1989, is that right? >> i wish i had kept it on three more months. then it would have hit the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s. >> it was an amazing time in all of our lives and we appreciate the book. dick clark. >> it will be a trip for you.

>> that was back in 1997. jack mcdade was dick clark's first musical guest when he took over "american bandstand." they went on to become longtime friends. congressman david dreier of california was dick clark's neighbor and saw him just a couple of weeks ago. good morning to you both and our condolences to you. >> thank you. >> good morning, matt. >> jack, you stayed friends. you wrote letters back and forth over the years. tell me about the personal side of the guy you knew. >> old-school correspondence. we wrote letters. we talked about his life, you know, his health, how he was doing, all through the years. he was a very supportive guy. by all the people who made those testimonials, we'll see, he was the type of person who took an interest in you. you know, when somebody's alive, they say things about them that aren't always true. they say wonderful things about you when you die. obviously. but this guy is someone you could say good things about him when he was living and when he passed away. >> you asked him advice on a lot of things. >> yes, i did. >> key moments in your life. what kinds of advice? >> a hit record "without love"

back in '57, '56. and he had a show. it was almost like the "idol," "star search," that type of thing. but it was amateurs. i called him up and said, dick, can i come on your show? he said, jack, that's not really what you want to do. that's not the best thing for yourlistened to him. >> and he was correct. he was a guy who had a keen interest in things, and he had a sense of people, how hollywood would react to things. he was instrumental in getting acceptance with rock 'n' roll of the parents of teenagers you see dancing on the show. >> congressman, let me get you in on this. you're a neighbor of dick's, you saw him a few weeks ago. how was he doing well? >> extremely well. he had easter with his wonderful family, his wife, carrie, with whom i spoke with last night and his three kids who were in the

industry. i will say that he had this fighting spirit. and everybody said all these wonderful things. but i want to tell you a couple of things about the fact that, you know, in your interview with him, he said he had a lot of miles left in him. i'll tell you, he's been going strong and working hard. sure, he suffered a stroke in 2004, but he was a fighter. yesterday morning he had breakfast with carrie in the hospital after very minor surgery. and he was scheduled this morning to have cataract surgery. he had one cataract i operated on last week, and it worked out really well. let me tell you a couple things. he loved dogs. guess what he named them, matt. he named them henry, a weimaraner, two pugs, one of whom is named jonesy for me and mrs. jones, one of them who is called leroy for "bad, bad leroy brown." so he really -- he was someone who had a great zest for life. and i'm getting ready to leave the congress.

and he provided me with great advice and counsel. after my 32 years here in the congress. he had lots and lots of friends. and all these great things have been said about him. but as i said on the house floor yesterday, he was an amazing businessman. and i always listened to everything that dick said because he always was extraordinarily fresh and one of the smartest men i've ever known. >> was he interested at all in politics? >> yeah, but i'm not going to talk about our discussions on politics. yeah, he was very freshent. he had a great depth of understanding of things. and he was not too crazy about washington because of what he went through. >> right. >> in 1960 here. >> and jack, just to wrap it up in the 10, 15 seconds i have left, what did it mean to an artist to get dick clark's stamp of approval? >> well, dick gave me an opening for all my shows. he prerecorded it. to me that was amazing. it set the tone. no matter what the generation was or the audience, people

accepted you. >> matt? >> real quick, congressman, five seconds. >> can i tell you, matt, his favorite music was boss that novemb bossa nova and he loved steve terrell. those were some of his favorites. >> congressman david dreier and jack mcdade, thanks so much. again, our condolences. we've got a live concert from train coming up in our next half hour. that's after your local news.

>> you are looking at a live view ofrom our towercam. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute. fog is causing problems? >> it is for some motorists. in anne arundel county, we are seeing it more. j.f.x., northern parkway, there is a new accident coming in. still some delays in place to the construction zone. reisterstown at the beltway, a pikesville, we have an accident.

southbound 95, holding on to delays. 21 miles per hour perching mountain road. pulaski highway, gatewood drive, edgewood, watch for an accident. 140, delays in the outer loop all the way down. traffic at the j.f.x. at northern parkway, flashing lights off to the right. just past there is where the delays began. john collins joins us with a forecast. >> low stuff is going away, but there are high clouds as well. all the rain is off shore. west, we are dry. current temperature outside, partly cloudy skies, 50 degrees. humidity is way out there. winds at the moment are calm. around 70 or so in the area.

a mixture of clouds and sunshine. have a good day. >> thanks, john. we will have another update at we will have another update at 8:56. your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com.

back on a thursday morning. it's the 19th day of april, 2012. and we've got a big crowd out on the plaza.listening to the musif the grammy-winning group train. that's a way of reminding you that train will be performing for us in the next half hour live in our studio. they have a new album out. they're going to play one of the songs from that album. we're looking forward to that. i'm matt lauer along with

savannah guthrie and natalie morales. al is down in new orleans and ann is taking some time off. also ahead, eva longoria is sheer. she'll tell us about the end of "desperate housewives" and how can you get involved in the new matchmaking show she's doing for nbc. we want to hear about that. and later in "today's professionals," they'll be here. and joining them today is tamron hall because nancy continues on vacation. a new member to the initiated. we're going to get their thoughts on everything from dick clark's passing and also talk about the problem of going online and self-diagnosed medical problems, something a lot of us do and so much more. lots to get to. let's get a check of the weather right now from mr. roker who's down in new orleans. al, good morning again. >> reporter: hey, good morning. we're actually down here, they're just setting up just off to my right the hbo critically acclaimed series treme. i'll be playing myself as one of the characters whew a chef who

will be cooking for the first time on a national show. it will be fun playing myself. for at least 30 seconds i'll be playing denzel washington and then a steep drop. let me show you what's going on as far as our weather is concerned. we are looking at plenty of sunshine in the northeast. a few clouds right along the coast. showers and thunderstorms down through the southeast. a risk of strong storms northern texas into louisiana. make that iowa. no comparison there. look for some afternoon showers moving into the pacific northwest. and as we move into tomorrow, we expect to see sunny and mild conditions to warm conditions. mid-atlantic into the southeast, rain from texas where it could be heavy all the way up into the great lakes. look for more showers moving into the pacific northwest. sunny and hot in the southwest on into southern california. that's what's going on around the >> good morning. the storm that give us the rain yesterday will take the clouds with it off the coast. decreasing clouds and becoming mo

>> reporter: and that's your latest weather. everybody? >> all right, al, thank you very much. how about if we now say hello to mr. zac efron who is starring in a show based on a nicholas sparks novel. that plays a marine returning from iraq who's searching for a woman in a picture that you believe was a lucky charm during the war. before i talk to you about the movie, i was wondering why all these women back here were taking pictures of the back of my head. and then i realized they were actually shooting you over here. it's good to have you here. i like this choice in a role. it's different for you, isn't it? >> thanks. yeah, it is. it's a much more mature role than i've ever done before.

and it was a great experience. >> you played a marine. i know you've done some research. you actually spent some times with some marines. what did you learn? >> i did. i started at camp pendleton. i can only imagine what they were thinking. who's this kid? i really made an effort to show them how much we cared and wanted to pay homage to marines and do them justice and portray them with honor. so they opened up and told me a lot of stories. i did a lot of physical training. i became a marine. >> you had to bulk up about 20 pounds. so what was that training regiment like? >> it was pretty intense. pretty intense. i had to eat a ton of food. >> you make it sound like that's a problem. >> a high amount of calories. a lot of training. and training like navy s.e.a.l.s, actually. logan hood. he was awesome but definitely tough. >> a romantic part. this is a love story, is it not? any steamy romance scenes? >> yeah. what do you want to hear?

>> what can you tell us? was it hard to get in the shower with taylor schilling? >> it was one of the easier days. it wasn't bad. it wasn't bad. >> i like that interview you gave to a magazine that said i've never been a natural at anything, but i've always been able to outwork everyone else. >> that's the truth. >> that's kind of a nice message for young actors coming up in hollywood. >> i think in anything you want to do in life, you know? i was never -- you know, i was just taught to work very hard. and that's always been what's got me through. this movie has a lot to do with fate. you know, these people end up together against all odds. i think fate can open a lot of doors for you in life as it has for me. but it's up to you to work hard and walk through those doors. >> great message. zac efron, thank you so much. the movie is called "the lucky one" and it opens in theaters tomorrow. good to see you. and coming up next, eva longoria is here. she'll tell us about a new show on nbc about matchmaking. first, this is "today" on nbc.

matchmaker matchmaker find me a match ♪ back now at 8:37. eva longoria knows all about steamy romance from her role on "desperate housewives," which, by the way, wraps up next month after eight seasons. yes! now she's putting her expertise to use as a real-life matchmaker. she's the executive producer of the new nbc show "ready for love." it's good to have you back. how have you been? >> i've been good. >> i'm happy you're coming to nbc. that's fantastic. >> i'm joining the family. >> we will talk about that in a second. are you happy about wrapping up "desperate housewives"? >> it's bittersweet. it's bittersweet. eight years of my life. and coming to an end. it's just been crazy. it's kind of surreal. i feel like we've been at our funeral and we haven't died yet, ever since we announced the show is over. >> have you shot the finale yet? >> we're shooting it now. >> how does it end? >> what happens -- >> because then nears no reason for people to watch it. >> i'll just tell them now. the thing is, i am a big tv fan.

so i hate when shows end and you're not satisfied. you're, like, no! every fan will be very satisfied with this ending. >> so much drama on that show. and in the last several months, so much drama connected to that show with the trial of nicollette sheridan against the producers and abc. how was it to be in the middle of that or be watching that as you were still shooting and things like that? >> yeah. it was funny because we weren't in the middle of it. it was so far removed from set. >> but you had to be watching it. i mean, it concerns this period of your life. >> well, no, none of us were there. none of us were there when the incident happened, so we weren't called for witnesses. we were deposed years ago. you know, it's taken a while. >> right. >> for us, it was kind of not in our present consciousness. and we hadn't seen marc because he was writing a new pilot anyway. so he was not around for a lot of it. so it wasn't as, you know, as people thought, like, oh, my god, on set it's crazy. we were just working every day. >> have you by chance spoken to nicollette since? >> i have not.

i haven't spoken to her since she left the show. yeah. >> obviously, you are divorced, all right? and as a result, in the dating world. does that have anything to do with the inspiration for this show that you're now executive producing? >> you know, i am in love with love. i love matchmaking, and i love, you know, romance and courtship and things like that. and so i've always liked the dating relationship format on television. i just think it was never modernized and contemporary as how people date today, whether it's using the internet or social media or matchmakers. there's so many different ways that people reach out. >> you're not using those things to date today, are you? >> no, no, no. >> i was going to say, let's talk more about that, actually. dating easy -- >> but my girlfriend did use the internet, and she has this amazing guy. >> without going into details, have you found the dating scene easy or difficult to get back into? >> you know, i'm not a dater. i'm a relationship person. so the dating scene for me is

really scary. but i'm happy. i'm fine. >> all right. the new show for nbc is called "ready for love." give me the cliff notes on it. what should we expect? >> well, it's a relationship show where we have three guys who we found. we searched america and found these three handsome, gorgeous, intelligent, successful, charismatic. >> we're going to introduce them in a second. >> they're here, yeah, who are ready for love. and so the great thing about the show is anybody who meets these guys can go to facebook and say, oh, my god, ben is for me. tim is for me. but they have to get through our three matchmakers. >> but when you say i'm ready for love, and why don't we bring them up now as we're talking about them, these guys are really at a stage in their lives where they do want that relationship. >> yes. >> this isn't just a fling they're looking for. >> well, no, it's not. they have my stamp of approval. >> tim in the middle, ben ander nesto. >> morning. >> good morning. nice to see you. are you excited about this? >> absolutely. >> we're still trying to get over her calling us handsome.

>> aww. >> you'll get used to it, i'm sure. >> ben, 31, dallas, texas. how much did you have to think about this before you agreed to do it? >> you know, this is a really exciting opportunity. it sounded very different. you know, this is one where we'll get a chance to kind of know ahead of time that there's chemistry there. it's not just going in blind. i was sold, pretty much. >> tim, a singer and songwriter. >> he won songwriter of the year. >> for the plain white tees. >> that's right. >> a lot of people might say, why do you need help dating? >> i don't need help dating, really. you know. you know, it's being on tour all the time. it doesn't really make it that easy to connect with someone, you know. we travel city to city, change cities every single night. the amount of time that you might get to spend with someone might be an hour or two, you know. so because a lot of my time is spent on tour, it's difficult, you know? and i think this show's unique with the matchmaker element that, you know.

>> it's a professional helping you. >> exactly. >>er necessa ernesto, give it t nutshell. >> basically, social entrepreneur, i like to call it. i like to create adventures that are helping other people along the way and that i'm enjoying and having fun. and life is short. >> eva, all of these guys, and now the women enter the picture. >> i've interviewed 100 guys. i interviewed them. they can even tell you. i knew right away the minute they walked in the room, i knew these were the guys. they were pretty awesome. but yeah, women can go -- if they go to facebook, nbc "ready for love," they'll find their profiles, their stories, get to know them. and then you can submit yourself if you want to find love. >> a new show on nbc from executive producer eva longoria. we like the sound of that. guys, thanks. good luck. good luck to you. nice to see you, as always. we're back with a live performance from train. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

"today's weather" is brought to you by the makers of zyrtec. love the air. >> back now at 8:46, it's "today's woman" from corporate boardrooms to politics, women are still fighting for a place at the table. so what makes some women succeed and stand out? well, bonnie st. john and her daughter, darcy, collaborated on the new book "how great women lead." good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> first, we talk about greatness. can i reel this off, you came from modest means to harvard, a rhodes scholarship, you were at the clinton white house in a top economic position. excuse me, i'm not done. a skier despite being born with a defect with your leg. i think you kind of interviewed yourself for this. >> thank you. i had to have a lot of strength to be the first african-american woman in skiing and to come from

san diego with no snow. and i really wanted to give that strength to my daughter and to the next generation of women leaders. >> so you both set about to interview some women that you thought were inspiring. darcy, one of the things that's unusual about the book is that you're young. you were part of this process. you're a person who might be using that advice. >> oh, that's right. when we first started writing this project, i really didn't have much of a concept of leadership. i thought it of as being really corporate, political, just business suits and ties. and this has totally opened me up to realizing that leadership is in every shape and form. >> was there a common thread you saw in talking to these women? >> i think when people say how do great women lead, it's every way, every shape and form. and the women have such unique personalities. and they bring that personality and that passion to leading. so it isn't just one way. women are creative. >> let's talk about some of the women that you got to meet and interview. you had secretary of state hillary clinton and former secretary of state dr. condoleezza right. i know you were really impressed. and you said it first scared you

to meet dr. rice. tell me about that. >> it was. she really made me believe that my passions and talents could help me become a leader. we asked the women, what does the leader of the future look like? she said that languages and cultures are really important to surviving in a global world which made me realize because my passion is linguistics, that i can become a leader with my passion. >> and from politics to business, i know you interviewed the head of a fortune 500 firm, sharon allen. what did she have to say? >> she talked about how important it is to protect your brand and to careful be about what you say and who you talk to. so we were glad that we got an interview with her, too, in this world where your reputation can change in an instant. it's so important to be careful about that. >> you also went to the entertainment world. this was a fun one for you, darcy. >> yeah. >> the co-chairman of sony pictures, amy pascal. >> we got to go to a movie premiere of "salt" with brad and angelina on the red carpet. >> to rise from secretary to the

head of a movie studio in such a tough industry. and she talked about staying inside your triple axel, knowing what you're good at. >> as we know, behind every man there's a great woman. and behind mark zuckerberg, there's sheryl sandberg at facebook. she's somebody that a lot of people have really looked up to and have been inspired by. >> and it was so great. one of the things about the book is not only did we get the great advice from all the women leaders but having such an adventure. >> yeah, the headquarters. >> and going to nicaragua and rock climbing and all the different things we did. sheryl sandberg was so brave recently to come out and say that she leaves work at 5:30 to be with her kids and have dinner. >> and we've talked about some of the rock stars in the corporate world, the political world. but i know you also talked to quote, unquote, regular folks including a high school junior and a mother of five. >> rashika and cathry, a stay-at-home mom of five. >> that was important because we're talking about how women lead. we lead in every place, not only in the boardrooms but in our communities and in our homes and

really making a difference. and stay-at-home moms are an important kind of leadership. i wanted to show my daughter that, too. >> the book inspires. thank you so much for bringing it to us. >> we really wanted to step up and make a difference for other women leaders. we're partnering to raise money for those women so they can see that on the website, too. >> excellent. thanks for coming and sharing these wonderful stories. the book is "how great women lead." coming up next, a live performance from the grammy winners train. first, this is "today" on nbc. "

the "toyota concert series on today" brought to you by toyota. >> train is no stranger to success. with hits like "drops of jupiter" and hey soul sister," now they're out with a new album called "california 37" and a new single climbing the charts. guys, good morning. welcome back. good to see you. >> morning. thank you. >> every album you do says something about where you guys are at that stage in your lives. so what does this one tell us? >> "california 37" is a highway in northern california. we are a san francisco band. and that road connected us to each other's homes but also to the rest of, you know, kind of the world, really. and we've had a lot of breakdowns and everything else on that road. so we wanted to write about it. >> but you guys are flying now. you just mentioned something

about the album, first time? >> yeah, yesterday we were number one on itunes, we've never had that kind of success before. so it was great that it comes this late in our career. we're very appreciative. >> you deserve it. what are you going to sing? >> it's called "drive-by." >> ladies and gentlemen, train. ♪ on the other side of a street i knew ♪ ♪ stood a girl that looked like you ♪ ♪ i guess that's deja vu ♪ i thought this can't be true ♪ you moved to west l.a. or new york or santa fe ♪ ♪ or wherever to get away from me snoet ♪ oh but that one night ♪ was more than just right ♪ i didn't leave you 'cause i was all through ♪ ♪ oh i was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell ♪ ♪ because i really fell for you ♪ ♪ oh i swear to you ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ this is not a drive by

♪ just a shy guy looking for a two ply ♪ ♪ hefty bag to hold my love ♪ when you move me everything is groovy ♪ ♪ they don't like it sue me ♪ mmm the way you do me ♪ oh i swear to you ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ this is not a drive by ♪ on the upside of a downward spiral ♪ ♪ my love for you went viral ♪ and i loved you every mile you drove away ♪ ♪ but now here you are again ♪ so let's skip the how you been and ♪ ♪ get down to the more than friends at last ♪ ♪ oh but that one night ♪ is still the highlight ♪ i didn't need you until i came to ♪ ♪ and i was overwhelmed ♪ in fact as scared as hell ♪ because i really fell for you ♪ ♪ oh i swear to you

♪ i'll be there for you ♪ this is not a drive by ♪ just a shy guy looking for a two ply ♪ ♪ hefty bag to hold my love ♪ when you move me everything is groovy ♪ ♪ they don't like it sue me ♪ mmm the way you do me ♪ oh i swear to you ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ this is not a drive by ♪ please believe that when i leave ♪ ♪ there's nothing up my sleeve but love for you ♪ ♪ and a little time to get my head together too ♪ ♪ on the other side of a street i knew ♪ ♪ stood a girl that looked like you ♪ ♪ i guess that's deja vu ♪ but i thought this can't be true ♪ ♪ cause oh i swear to you ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ this is not a drive by

♪ just a shy guy looking for a two ply ♪ ♪ hefty bag to hold my love ♪ when you move me everything is groovy ♪ ♪ they don't like it sue me ♪ mmm the way you do me ♪ oh i swear to you ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ this is not a drive by >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. after two hours of heated testimony about a proposed increase in the bottle tax, commissioners were not ready to send the measure to a full council vote. under the proposal, it would jump from 2 cents to 5 cents to

collect money to improve the schools. opponents say could

>> the clouds are breaking up a little bit. we will see a mixture of clouds and sunshine during the day. close to 74 the high . .