good morning. super soaker. a big east coast storm hits south florida with violent thunderstorms overnight and threatens to dump nearly a foot of snow and heavy soaking rains in parts of the northeast. we're live with the latest. vanished. a massive search under way this morning for a 6-year-old girl who disappeared from her bedroom in tucson, arizona. did she wander off or was s snatched from her bed? and is it the worst song ever? "hot problems" is about two girls who say they're misunderstood because they're so good looking. but if they thought they had problems before, the internet reaction is giving them plenty more today, sunday, april 22nd, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe, and i've been getting used to all this beautiful weather every time we come in on the weekend. >> everybody's talking about how warm, early spring. >> yeah. >> there was no winter and now we're talking about snow in the forecast up in parts of new england. so say good-bye to beautiful weather. it's about to get cold and wet, at least on the east coast. people in the southern part of the country have already been hit with some pretty nasty storms overnight, thunder and lightning, and now all that stuff is moving north. >> and some areas, like you mentioned, even seeing some heavy snow and damaging winds. janice huff will be here in a moment with details on what we can expect. then, we're going to talk about john edwards. he gets his day in court starting tomorrow. the one-time presidential candidate is accused of using money, campaign money, to hide an extramarital affair. it's the latest chapter in his stunning fall from grace. we'll preview the trial. and then, take a look at

this. two massive explosions rocked japan this morning. a chemical plant went up in flames. one employee said it felt like an earthquake. we'll have details on what happened in just a few minutes. >> that's amazing video. then a bit later on, we're going to switch gears and head to broadway shoyt i start doing the pottery right now? "ghost" was a popular movie in 1990, the patrick swayze/demi moore hit showed that making pottery could be sexy. tomorrow, "ghost" the musical opens on broadway. we're going to take you behind the scenes. >> i was so tempted to -- it's not -- one person can't ever do pottery, it's got to be both, but we do a show and it would be awkward. >> it would be weird. >> on many levels. we're going to start this morning with that big east coast storm. janice huff is here with what we can expect. janice, good morning. >> good morning, jenna. we're seeing a break across much of the east from the storms last night. that was the first wave, but the second wave is moving up the eastern seaboard and you've been seeing quite a bit of rain across the carolinas overnight

and even in florida, south florida, there were tornado watches this morning, but those have now expired. so, as the rain moves up the coast, a coastal low will develop and intensity to bring even more moisture. so, we're talking about anywhere from one to as much as five inches of rain in areas, including new york city, that are under a moderate to severe drought situation from the lack of rain and snowfall over this past winter. check out snowfall amounts. yes, it will be cold enough for that across western new york state from buffalo down towards erie and pittsburgh and into the central appalachians. maybe as much as a foot or more of snow in spots. and remember, we've seen an early spring in most areas. the leaves are on the trees. there could be excessive power outages because of branches and leaves and trees coming down from the heavy, wet snow, very similar to that october storm we saw here in the northeast that brought so many power outages as well. so, big storm coming our way. we'll have more on that coming up in just a few minutes. jenna, back to you. >> the unpredictable season continues. janice, thanks. we're going to have the forecast

for the rest of the nation in just a moment, but first, here's lester. all right, jenna, thanks. this morning, searchers in and around tucson, arizona, are desperately searching for a missing 6-year-old girl. isabel celis disappeared from her home early saturday morning. nbc's mara schiavocampo is here now with more. mara, good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning. investigators are trying to determine if isabel wandered off or if she was kidnapped. and as family and friends and neighbors work to find her, the little girl's family has been devastated by her disappearance. >> translator: it's still something i can't believe. i can't believe it. i wish it was a dream. >> reporter: 6-year-old isabel celis disappeared from her house overnight friday. her parents say they checked on her and saw her in bed around 11:00 p.m., but by 8:00 the next morning, she was gone. family members joined as many as 100 officers, including fbi and u.s. marshals, fanning out over the tucson neighborhood saturday, talking to neighbors,

searching cars, looking for any sign of the first grader. police say they are working every possible angle in this case. >> we're treating it as if it could potentially be as bad, as horrific as a child abduction. obviously, we don't have definitive information that that is the case at this point. >> reporter: isabel lives with both her parents and two brothers, but police are still checking into any possible custody issues as well as the possibility that the little girl simply wandered off. an amber alert has not been issued for isabel. police say her disappearance doesn't meet arizona's criteria for issuing one. isabel is 6 years old. she has brown hair and hazel eyes. she's just under 4 feet tall and weighs 44 pounds. >> she's a very loving girl, you know, doesn't really listen to strangers or anything like that, really kind of stays away from people. so, we're all really surprised and shocked that anything like this could even happen to our family. >> police teams are using street patrols, police dogs and even a helicopter as they look to find

this little girl. lester? >> all right, nbc's mara schiavocampo, thanks. here again is jenna. >> lester, thank you. now to the latest on that secret service sex scandal as the investigation winds, one prominent senator wants to know if anyone from the white house was involved. nbc's kristen welker has the story. good morning, kristen. >> reporter: good morning to you, jenna. officials with the secret service are continuing their internal investigation this weekend, this as the number of agents under scrutiny has increased. a week after one of the biggest scandals to hit the secret service in decades, six employees are in the process of being separated from the agency, inclu including david chaney, a supervisor who retired under pressure, and greg stokes, a canine unit supervisor recommended for approval. the secret service also said it cleared one employee of serious misconduct, but he still faces appropriate administrative action. and now another agent is under the microscope, leaving five on

administrative leave. 11 military personnel are also implicated. republican senator chuck grassley posted a video on his facebook page, lashing out at the secret service. >> i've always said that if heads don't roll, then the culture of a federal agency will never change and reforms won't take hold. >> reporter: and in a letter to the director, grassley asked if investigators had obtained all the records for white house advance staff on the trip. "did the secret service reserve rooms at the hotel caribe or other hotels in cartagena, colombia, for representatives of the white house communications agency or the white house advance team?" a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation said there is nothing to indicate that white house staff was involved at this point. senior administration officials bristled at grassley's letter, calling it pure politics. on friday, the white house press secretary also addressed the issue. >> i have no reason to believe, i do not know otherwise that

this does not involve anything but the agents and the military personnel. >> reporter: nbc news has learned investigators confirmed the identities of the women in question with the help of surveillance video taken from that hotel in cartagena. lester? >> kristen welker, thanks. david gregwory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning to you. >> good morning, lester. >> what are you hearing of other heads that are going to roll in this scandal? could this extend to others who weren't directly involved? >> i think there is a desire to keep this moving, get to the bottom of it and get everybody somehow involved to be dealt with in some fashion. i think that's where a lot of the congressional inquiry is going here. and there are still questions about director sullivan as well, whether he can survive this. the president has expressed some anger about it, but also expressed confidence in the secret service. so this is where the issue stands. one of the issues that i've talked to people inside the government this week is there really aren't a lot of remedies

beyond administrative issues, firing people in the secret service. the military has other opportunities to use because of legal means they have to bring charges against each other. even though prostitution is legal in colombia, because of their code of conduct, they can be treated differently. >> right. and the white house is concerned that this may be politicized. it's an election year. it's bound -- >> sure. >> -- there's bound to be some linkage or attempt to make a linkage. is it something the white house should worry about? >> i think the question is about government and faith in government. whether it's this or the gsa scandal with government bureaucrats spending taxpayers' money on big parties out in vegas, it's the kind of thing that people get outraged about because they suspect that government tends to run amuck. they don't have much faith that government can actually fix things. and the whole issue of the role of government, particularly in this economy, is certainly part of the election. beyond that, i think it's just an overall question of the president, who runs the government and has to be accountable at some level. i think those questions will still be asked. >> and let's turn to the presidential election now. it looks, obviously, like a romney/obama matchup. the president has raised a lot

of money. i think in march something like $46 million to $12 million by romney. do those numbers, though, reflect the romney now who is slowly being embraced by his own party? >> well, perhaps not fully, but he had a tough primary to contend with, even though it's not officially over. it's basically over. so, he's got to catch up. there are outside groups that will be spending a lot of money on romney's behalf, in effect, by going after president obama, but romney's going to have to ramp up his fund-raising, at the same time that he's got to refocus his message and deal with weaknesses he faces as a general election candidate because of the primary fight. >> and what about a santorum endorsement? a lot of folks are waiting for that. is there some deal that he's perhaps waiting for before he comes out? >> well, i think rick santorum wants to extract a certain price, not only in terms of his profile, but in terms of the issues that he cares about. this is a hard-fought campaign in the primary. there's probably no love lost between these two candidates. and rick santorum recognizes he has a moment here, not just to endorse him, get it out of the way, but to try to put some of the issues that he talks so much

about on the agenda in a bigger way, both in terms of how he talks about it at the convention and how he can get mitt romney to talk about it, and ultimately, if he becomes president romney, what he'll do about it as president. >> david gregory, thanks. all right, let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top news stories from msnbc's richard lui at the news desk. hey, richard, good morning. >> good morning to you, jenna, as well as to you, lester. good morning, everyone. new york investigators say they have found something that could help in their search. a stain of interest was found in the basement of a soho pawlt. this is 36 years after etan disappeared while walking alone to his school bus stop. the media is staking out a jail in florida after a judge agreed to release george zimmerman on $150,000. attorney mark o'mara says izim zimmerm zimmerman's family is trying to collect collateral for bail. o'mara also fears for zimmerman and his family's safety once released. the neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with the death of

trayvon martin. the man known as the evil genius of the nixon administration has died. charles colson served seven months in prison for his role in the watergate scandal. he later started a prison ministry. the father of three died in a virginia hospital, complications from a brain hemorrhage. charles colson was 80. the bee geez' robin gibb has reportedly come out of a coma and is able to communicate with his family. the 58-year-old singer fell into a coma more than a week ago after contracting pneumonia in his fight with colon and liver cancer. explosions at a chemical plant in japan today killed one worker and injured 17 other people, including nearby residents who say the blast felt like an earthquake. just look at this. it broke windows of about 270 homes and buildings. it's not known what caused those explosions. imagine a 20-pound ball of sharpened sticks heading straight toward you or tripping on potentially deadly spikes coming out of the ground. two men are under arrest for allegedly rigging these booby traps just off the popular big

springs trail in provo canyon. the traps were found saturday by an officer who, luckily, had been in the military and trained to find devices like these. the winner of today's london marathon received a royal reception at the finish line. prince harry handed out trophies to the first three finishers in the men's and women's races, and those in the wheelchair events. harry became patron of the london marathon charitable trust this year. and pitcher phil umber, who had a potentially career-ending elbow injury even before it began has had a remarkable turn-around. after bouncing around for four years, trying to break into the major leagues, he's now going to be remembered forever. umber tossed a perfect game in seattle saturday, leading the chicago white sox to a 4-0 win over the mariners it was the first perfect game in two years and the 21st in major league history. all right, that's the news right now. janice is with us right now, i guess, and a good day to you and all the rest of the news with lester and jenna. >> thank you very much.

there is so much weather to talk about. we all know the saying april showers bring may flowers, but too much rain too quickly will cause flooding, and that's a possibility with some of this rain that's headed up the east coast. a coastal low will be re-energized just off the carolinas in the next 24 hours. watches and warnings are in effect for rain around the new york city area, boston, portland, but for snow, buffalo, pittsburgh and elkins, west virginia, and that snow, heavy wet snow on the leaves may cause power outages as those branches are likely to break. in the meantime, out west, it's hot. 102 in phoenix today, 79 in los angeles, 99 in las vegas. you'd think it was the middle of summer on the west coast and almost winter on the east coast. it's crazy. that's what's happening >> good morning, the rain has started and it will strengthen into the afternoon and temperatures are in those low 50's,

now here's lester. >> janice, thanks. up next on "today," "hot problems" or a hot mess? see why a song about the troubles of being pretty is hitting all the wrong notes all around the world, right after this. ♪ dave, i've downloaded a virus. yeah. ♪ dave, where are we on the new laptop? it's so slow! i'm calling dave. [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] in a small business, technology is all you. that's why you've got us. at the staples pc savings event, for a limited time get up to $200 off select computers. staples. that was easy.

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and got this one free. really? wow, you can buy one 6" sub and get another one free? any 6" sub, before 9am... [ cyclist ] what? wait, you can get one 6" sub and get one free? before 9am... [ tires screech ] buy one 6" sub and get one free? before 9am. [ tires screech ] buy one 6" sub? ...and get another one free? before 9am. all april long. [ male announcer ] subway. eat fresh. and now to the music video that's gone viral for all the wrong reasons. last week, two teenage girls released a song called "hot problems," but after it was viewed by millions of people, problems and criticism is exactly what they got. nbc's miguel almaguer explains. ♪ look at me and tell me the truth ♪ >> reporter: their video has been called many things. ♪ people see my blond hair, blue

eyes ♪ >> reporter: but most of the reviews haven't been kind. >> it's really bad it was tacky it was tasteless -- >> you've got to watch how you expose yourself online. >> reporter: the teenagers behind "hot problems," drew garrett and lauren willey, say the video was made in the name of fun. ♪ don't get me wrong, i know that i'm hot ♪ >> reporter: within days it went viral. millions watched. the girls spoke to "mtv news." >> first day it was kind of a joke around the school with our friends and everything. and then the next day, we had friends of friends, like, contacting them, saying that they've heard it in different states. >> reporter: there is no doubt, "hot problems" is an internet smash. ♪ hot girls, we have problems too ♪ >> reporter: but it's not exactly a hit. more than 100,000 dislikes. most of the comments online can't be read on the air. it's been called the worst song of 2012. seems the last time there was this much viral vitriol --

♪ on friday, got to get down on friday ♪ >> reporter: rebecca black won the most watched 2011 video with "friday." it was so hated, she received death threats. she spoke to savannah on "today." >> i can understand not liking the video because everyone has their own opinions, but some people have gone to such crazy extremes, which i don't understand. >> reporter: and it's not just teenagers getting harassed online. samantha brick -- >> and i've been absolutely mortified by these attacks i've received. >> reporter: the british columnist was attacked on the web when she said women hated her for her lovely looks. >> the internet can be a very mean place. i really feel like people are overreacting about this video. these girls were just trying to have fun. >> reporter: love it or hate it -- ♪ but perfection really takes a lot ♪ >> reporter: the girls who call themselves double take may not have a lot of fans, but they now have plenty of notoriety. ♪ hot girls, we have problems,

too, we're just like you, except we're hot, hot, hot, hot ♪ >> reporter: for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> go ahead. >> oh, no, i was waiting for you to comment first. we have 30 seconds to comment. begin. go ahead, say it. >> but i always do snark. >> no, honestly, i usually do, but i kind of feel bad a little bit. i think they did it as a joke and it turned into -- >> okay, hot girls have a problem with staying on key. >> oh! >> there. >> snark! >> now we go back to mr. nice guy. >> i suggest we put the words in the teleprompter and perhaps we did a little karaoke to see who was actually off key. still to come on a sunday edition of "today," we're going to switch gears and talk about john erdodwards. he faces a jury tomorrow. we'll have a preview of the trial. [ male announcer ] it's happening right now at your local walgreens.

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still to come on "today," think your teenager would never text while driving or get in a car with a drunk driver? we have a hidden report. plus, "ghost," the hit movie, now coming to broadway as a musical. we're behind the scenes. as pla. [ director ] cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job, no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries.

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>> live, local, lay breaking, this is wbal tv 11 news today. >> it is time to update you on the morning's top stories -- after 25,000 miles, at the 31- year-old is backer sure. the arnold resident doctor that annapolis harbour yesterday. rutherford did it all to raise a quarter of a million dollars for a nonprofit selling program. >> the hardest part was the northwest bapassage with a combination of ice and currents. by spurge for coming out of the

fog at the last second. >> he says he plans to write a book. the warmer weather helped stephanie rowling supply kickoff the annual spring cleanup. power in dirt addresses the vacant lots. volunteers from the community gathered in five different sides yesterday where they converted vacant lots into usable community gardens. the mayors quinnett started 12 years ago and collected>> good y

but you may want to hold off on planting a tree. a coastal storm is moving up the coast and it is in south carolina but it will drop most of the rain in baltimore. this will happen from now until midnight and after that it will taper off and then we get the cold front on the backside of the storm changing to snow tonight. garrett county should have about 6 inches of snow tonight. as for baltimore, we will have rain today that will be heavy in the afternoon and evening hours and it will be breezy at 10-20 miles per hour and temperatures will hold steady into the low 50's. we will have a couple of showers on monday and we may see a mix of snow by wednesday morning >> thank you for joining yes.

hi! >> we're back on a sunday morning, april 22nd. it's 2012. happy ready day, everybody! we're bracing for a very wet, rainy day, not yet, though. we're glad to be joined by a great crowd here on the plaza. alongside lester holt, i'm jenna wolfe. it's not only earth day -- >> i've been replaced. >> -- it's a birthday. this is max, my nephew. i promised when he turned 2, i would put him on tv. can you say hi? >> hi! >> can you say cheese? say cheese! say it's my birthday! >> it's my birthday. >> aww. >> then say one more thing, say "today" show! >> "today" show. >> oh! so, a year and a half of practicing that. >> can you see yourself on the tv over there? >> do you see yourself on tv? >> that's you. well, somewhere. >> oh, there you go!

>> you're over there. >> anyway, was that fun for you? i'm going to put you down now. you weigh more than i thought. and we have a big show coming up. you can stay here and watch. we're talking about john edwards, finaling getting his day in court. >> the trial begins in thyt kryt. this is a man who once had it it all, at least politically. he was rich, powerful, had dreams of living in the white house. now the two-time presidential candidate facing the possibility of time behind bars, accused of using campaign money to cover up an extramarital affair. we'll get a preview of his trial, coming up. then, i know you have older children. they're not teenagers anymore, but how would you feel if a teenager got in the car with someone who had been drinking? and do you trust that your kids wouldn't do it? >> you like to think they'd make the right choice and we'll see some parents who thought the same. >> wait until you see natalie morales's hidden camera report on what teens do about making crucial decisions when you're not there. and 22 years ago, hard to believe, patrick swayze and demi moore lit up the screen with

"ghost." now it's heading to the great white way as a musical. we're going to take you behind the scenes. then, attention twitter followers. we do this neat thing where some of the "today" show hosts take over the twitter handle and we sort of show you behind the scenes of things that are happening and how we get ready for a show. i've got your hand, buddy. so, next week we'll do just that. we'll get a better picture. we'll tell you how we plan and prepare for the show, how lester picks out his outfit every morning. i'm just saying. i will also answer all of your questions, so follow "today" show and lester holt and jenna wolfe and we will go completely behind the scenes. >> and we are shared a few behind-the-scenes this morning. >> we do a tester thing where i have a blast making fun of that guy. say bye, max! >> great to have you here, pal. he had a great job. >> yes, great job. >> one more check of the weather from janice now. >> i love your new co-host. i need a weather sidekick down here. my home state of south carolina!

you guys having fun? >> oh, yeah! >> excellent, excellent. and then there's some really adorable little ones here. hi, girls! >> hi! >> how are you? where are you guys from? where are you from? >> from florida. >> from west palm beach, and the girls are adorable. are you having fun, girls? yeah, i'll bet you are. all right, let's check the weather and see what's happening this morning. well, of course, that big storm on the east coast. we're all talking about that. you're getting some heavy rain over the mid-atlantic coast, a bit of a break here in the northeast. right now, the sun is out, but that will all change by midday into tonight. wind and rain will move across the northeast and snow on the back side. western new york, the great lakes and into the central appalachians, as much as a foot of snow tomorrow. sunshine, though, from the middle portion of the country all the way to the west coast, and it's hot from phoenix all the way up to pocatello, idaho. temperatures in the 90s to above 100 degrees. that's what's goingat >> good morning, the rain has

started and it will strengthen into the afternoon and temperatures are in those low 50's, >> that's your weather. and now here's jenna. all right, janice, thank you. four years after his run for president ended in scandal, former democratic presidential candidate john edwards goes on trial tomorrow. he's charged with misusing campaign funds in an attempt to hide his extramarital affair. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers explained why the saga of edwards' downfall is not over yet. >> reporter: this man, once a promising candidate for president, once regarded as a brilliant trial lawyer, now finds himself facing a judge and a jury.

prosecutors have charged john edwards with receiving almost $1 million in illegal campaign contributions, money used to hide his mistress, rielle hunter, from the press while he was running for president. kieron shanahan is a former federal prosecutor. did that smell like something was going on? >> it does, and i think the one problem for the defense is, the average person, when you talk about $1 million, is real money and a lot of it. >> reporter: edwards says the evidence will prove he did not know about the money. >> i finally get my day in court and people get to hear my side of this and what actually happened. >> reporter: edwards says the money was not a contribution but a gift from two wealthy friends who provided funds to protect his wife, elizabeth, from the humiliation of his affair. law school professor katherine dunham says there has never been a case like this. >> this particular section of the federal election law and the

definition of what a contribution is has never been challenged in this way. >> reporter: there's no question, john edwards has credibility issues. he lied about his affair. to counter that, the defense will attack the truthfulness of the government's star witness. former aide andrew young admits he has lied, falsely claiming paternity of the child edwards had with hunter. while young is expected to testify edwards directed the money, edwards says in a court document that young actually pocketed a lot of the money. young was not available for comment. >> i think a central theme in this case is going to be one admitted liar against another admitted liar. >> reporter: the pivotal question, which man should the jury believe? for "today," lisa myers, nbc news, washington. and now, here's lester. parents have spent a lot of time warning their teens about the dangers of drinking and driving, but when's the last time you talked to your kids about the dangers of drugs and driving? natalie morales is here with an

eye-opening hidden camera report. natalie, good morning. >> good morning to you, lester. well, in a recent study by sadd, students against destructive decisions, more teens admitted they had driven while high on pot than drunk, and more than 30% of teens in that study didn't think pot impaired their driving ability. we wanted to see if teens would agree to get in a car with a driver who said he was high. their parents secretly watched to see what they would do. >> seriously, are you legit? >> reporter: will these girls, sarah and sydney, get into a car with a driver who just told them he was smoking pot. >> you're high right now? >> yes, i just smoked about five minutes ago. >> reporter: the girls won't know he's just acting. their moms, watching on monitors, predicted they will not get in the car. they hold their breath, waiting to see. are they right? >> so, you're going to drive, so hunter has the keys. he's been instructed to do the driving. how are you feeling about this,

lisa? a little uncomfortable now. >> reporter: the group gets up and leaves the cafeteria. there's still plenty of time for the girls to say no. >> i would love to get in her head. >> reporter: as the group walks down the hallway, the moms stare at the screen, still hopeful their daughters will turn back. they leave the school and walk straight towards the suv. what will they do now? >> oh, my god, they're going to get in. there they go. >> are they seriously, like, trusting you with their van? >> yes. i'm very trustworthy. >> are you sure you're okay to drive? >> wait, they're asking, are you okay to drive. >> reporter: will the girls stop him before he drives away? >> i'm an excellent stoned driver.

>> oh, my god, she's still letting him go. i don't know. i'm a little scared about that. >> reporter: it's an eye-opener, right? >> absolutely. >> very frightening, actually. i have goose bumps. >> where are you going? >> you forgot the exit. >> that's the exit. >> reporter: we called the group back to the school. >> hi, girls! >> reporter: where we are waiting to speak to them. >> hi. >> hi. >> how's hunter's driving? >> great. >> good. >> and he's been smoking pot? i'm natalie morales with "dateline nbc." did you ever question if he was okay to drive? >> i did. i didn't say it out loud, but -- >> reporter: it becomes clear, like with so many teens, these girls are not gotten the message when it comes to drugs and driving. >> when i think about, oh, you're not okay to get on the road, i kind of think about it more as drunk driving. >> lesson learned? >> yes. >> yes. >> and parenting experts tell us it's more important to talk repeatedly to your teens about

how drugs greatly limit their driving ability and each show them pictures of accidents that were caused by drugged drivers. and we have much more great parenting advice and more on texting and driving, drinking and driving, all tonight on "dateline." >> hard to believe one day we were all so eager to get our licenses. now we know why our parents were so worried back then. >> frightened to death, and for good reason. >> natalie, thanks. you can see more tonight on "dateline" at 7:00/6:00 central time right here on nbc. we'll be right back. the capital one cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and who doesn't want 50% more cash? ugh, the baby. huh! and then the baby bear said, "i want 50% more cash in my bed!" phhht! 50% more cash is good ri... what's that. ♪ you can spell. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? ha ha. ♪

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over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. tomorrow night, the bright lights of broadway will shine on the debut of a new musical that may have you reliving an old romance. nbc's joelle garguilo is here with the scoop. joelle, good morning. >> good morning, jenna.

well, following in the footsteps of "newsies," "hairspray" and "legally blonde," "ghost" is the latest movie to be reborn on the great white way, and now the broadway stars are hoping to capture some of that same magic that captured the hearts of audiences some 22 years ago. ♪ oh, my love, my darling >> reporter: it was the 1990 classic that made pottery sexy. the blockbuster hit "ghost" stars demi moore and patrick swayze as star-crossed lovers sam and molly. >> i really love you. >> ditto. >> reporter: now the haunting drama is getting a new lease on life as a broadway musical. ♪ >> reporter: for caissie levy and richard fleeshman, they were just kids when the movie was released. >> i had a birthday party and had all my girlfriends over and we watched "ghost," and we were obsessed with it, of course. so romantic, so sad.

♪ ♪ i'll follow, i can feel you >> reporter: for fleeshman, taking on swayze's role is especially pointant. >> i want to make him proud and his memory proud. >> reporter: and it turns out, if there were no swayze, there would be no "ghost." >> harrison ford kept saying i've read it three times, i still don't get it. and we were pretty close to being told the studio wasn't going to make the movie without a star. and patrick is the last one that came through. he walked in and did a reading for us that had everybody crying. >> it's amazing, the love inside. take it with you. >> reporter: since being cast, their broadway counterparts have avoided the film, intent on making the roles their own. ♪ >> reporter: the hardest part about staging "ghost" was recreating the movie's special effects -- objects floating on their own, sam walking through doors. illusionist paul keet, who's worked on "harry potter" and

"hugo" said they spent three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on the effects. >> i wanted it to look just as in the movie. and i do think when people see it live, they cannot quite believe what they are seeing. >> reporter: but "ghost" is also part comedy. whoopi goldberg took home the oscar for her turn as everyone's favorite storefront psychic, oda mae brown. >> molly, you in danger, girl. ♪ i'm outta here, i'm headed for aruba, i'm outta here ♪ >> reporter: yale drama grad da'vine joy has always admired goldberg and says her version of oda mae is a little bit of whoopi's and a whole lot of da'vine. >> molly, you in danger, girl. that's the line. that's the line. and i have to deliver it that way. you have to, because you know everyone is expecting it. >> reporter: the cast is hoping the "unchained melody" of their new musical will have the audience falling in love with the story of "ghost" all over

again. ♪ >> no doubt, the cast has got some pretty big academy award-winning shoes to fill, but after months of rehearsals, they say now they can only hope the original cast would be proud of their rendition. jenna, what'd you think? >> wow. i want to go take a pottery class is exactly what i thought. joelle, thank you so much! brings back so many memories. next, the call of the wild, and really the wild. we're going to show you how to create a wildlife-friendly garden in your own yard. first, these messages. ♪ laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] get the mileage card with special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪

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in catching sight of some interesting critters, you don't have to travel far to do it. you can create a wildlife-friendly garden right in your own yard. >> dave misejewski, did i get that right? >> you got it. >> from the natural wildlife foundation is here with tips on just how to do it. he's brought along some of the animals that might visit your garden when you do. david, good morning. >> good morning. >> so, it's national wildlife gardening month. >> that's right. may is garden and national wildlife month. the national wildlife program has a program to teach people how to restore habitats right where you live. and so, next month is garden for wildlife month. we're trying to get as many people as possible to do this to help out the animals. >> are they beneficial to gardens? you've got a salamander there. >> yeah, i do, and i have a bunch of backyard wildlife. this is a spotted salamander, a species that lives in the east. this is the kind of animal that probably lives in your backyards and maybe you have never seen before because they like to hide out. but it's an a.m. fibbon, related

to frogs and toads. we're going to let him go this way. >> does it bite? >> it doesn't bite, but they're on the decline worldwide, a.m. fibons. the reasons why is people put a lot of chemicals on their gardens. if you don't put chemicals, you're likely to attract this kind of animal. >> will they eat the insects? >> they're predators, so they eat all kinds of insects, and as a baby, they're in the water and they're eating mosquito larva. >> so just the kind of thing you need in your garden. everybody except for me. what's next? >> one of my favorites. this is an eastern screech owl. >> wow. >> this is the kind of animal that lives all across america. anywhere where there's a wooded area, you might find this animal. they're eating insects and rodents. what's really cool is this is the kind of owl that will use a bird house. i've got a bird house over here, as an example. when you create a wildlife garden, it's about the plants, and we'll get to the plants in a second, but you can also supplement the plants with feedeers and bird houses. >> will they lay snegz.

>> they will lay eggs. this is not the kind of box a owl will use, but if you put up the nesting box, they will build a nest in your yards. >> do they screech? >> they don't. they make a noise that sounds like a horse, kind of like this -- whoo. >> will he do it on cue? >> he won't, unfortunately. >> did you ask? i mean, working with a screech owl. >> let's move on to the next guy. the next guy is an amphibeon, and he will be wet and jumping around here, so we'll try to do a handoff. >> oh, look at this. >> this is a green -- >> whoa! >> i got it, i got him. so, this is a green frog. this is, again, an amphibion that may live in your backyard. if you have a pond, you can attract these guys. again, great pest predators. they eat insects. >> insects. >> you want these guys around. >> i used to catch them as a kid and feed them. >> so lester, this next animal is just for you. >> these i didn't catch as a

kid. >> so -- >> this is why i'm standing between you and lester. >> you got him? >> wow. >> now, this is a corn snake. you want to pet him? >> no, but looks great. >> are you sure? >> this can't hurt anybody. >> completely harmless to people, a non venomous species. you want them around. they're eating the rodents, keeping the prey under control. again, you don't have to freak out if you see a snake in your garden. >> slow down and say that again. you're in the garden, lester, enjoying a spring day with your wife and you see this. don't freak out! just walk around it no problem! >> sure. >> don't get close to it, like any wild animal. but before we go, i want to mention these beautiful plants. native plants are what you want to put in your yard to attract wildlife. there's a plant that the wildlife rely on. we've got blueberries, we've got flocks. the national wildlife federation actually has a line of plants called american beauties, and you know if you plant the american beauties in your yard, you'll attract birds and butterflies and create a great habitat for all these other animals. >> lester wants to hold this as

we say good-bye. >> i'm all for snakes, just not near me. >> nice. >> david, thanks very much. >> you're welcome. >> you can enjoy the snake. i knew it'd be tough on our retirement savings, especially in this economy. but with three kids, being home more really helped. man: so we went to fidelity. we talked about where we were and what we could do. we changed our plan and did something about our economy. now we know where to go for help if things change again. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get free one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. but does bringing a floor back to life really make us heroes? [ chuckles ] yes. yes, it does. ♪ call 1-800-steemer with rent2buy from hertz car sales, you skip the lots... and pushy sales people...

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♪ what a great job you did in philadelphia. >> it was fun. >> you were down there for comcast care yesterday. >> and we have fun around the city. you know me, i don't go anywhere and not bring gifts, so i have one for you and one for amy. granted, you can buy this at any supermarket in new york, but i lugged this back from philly just for you. >> 90 miles from philly. thank you. >> you can put this on -- >> on the cheesesteak, right? >> yes, but the cheesesteak isn't for you. i'm all about getting amy fashion things, so i brought

this from the super bowl and i brought this for amy, but she's not here. >> i've got to wear this. like a cheesehead, but it's a cheesesteakhead. >> it's becoming, only kind of becoming. but my favorite part of what happened in philadelphia -- i don't know why you're taking it off. >> it's amy. >> take a look at this. >> can you name one of the other four men who were on the committee to write the drarsi declaration of independence? >> i assume this is a trick question, because is it lester? because he's the hardest working man in television. is it? >> i just want you kno know, even when i'm on a live shot in a completely different city, you're always on my brain. >> but i see you signed it. >> but i didn't ask until afterwards whether or not that was the real declaration. >> just in case. it was a lot of fun. hey, everybody in philadelphia. time now to find out what's coming up on "meet the press." david gregory joins us again from washington. david, good morning. >> hey, lester, good morning. coming up, who will be held accountable as new details emerge in the colombian prostitute scandal involving the

secret service and the u.s. military. also, that gsa spending controversy as well. congressman darrell issa and peter king join us to discuss it. los, one on one with the president's senior campaign adviser, david axelrod. it's all coming up this morning on "meet the press." >> all right, david. thanks very much. and you put this -- you don't have to heat this up, right? >> no, it is just classy food right there. open it up and spread it on anything in front of you, lester. >> appreciate it. >> only lester would need directions on what to do with cheese whiz. >> well, they used to have the kind in the can. >> that you spray. >> on the crackers. >> i wanted to make it harder on you. >> thank you. i don't get out much. >> clearly. we'll leave you with "today's life illustrated," a look at the photos that chronicle your lives. this week, baseball season is here. >> you sent us your favorite memories of our favorite past time. keep submitting on our website, today.com, or facebook or twitter. you just might see your pictures on the show in the near future. >> that's going to do it for us tod

today. i'll see you again tonight on "nbc nightly news." have a great day. ♪ our ball club may be minor league, but at least it's triple a ♪ ♪ we sit below the marlboro man above the right field walls ♪ ♪ we do the wave all my ourselves ♪ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com