good morning. triple whammy. subtropical storm beryl picks up speed as she heads on a collision course with the southeast coast, as big wildfires rage out west. then there's that big heat wave gripping the nation's midsection. did the butler do it? new fallout thisorning in a vatican scandal straight out of the movies. leaked secrets, charges of corruption, the pope's right-hand man under arrest. and this morning, the scandal could grow even wider. and near-death experience. it's the viral video that shocked the nation. an 80-year-old woman nearly falling out of her harness during a tandem sky diving adventure. we've tracked her down and she'll tell us about her harrowing ordeal and why she has

no hard feelings, today, sunday, may 27th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe. you can see that video a thousand times, and each time it will just terrify you. >> there is a reason they put landing gears on airplanes, so you don't have to jump out of the airplane. >> and i get it. you would never jump out of a plane. i would. and after seeing this, i, i -- it just absolutely blows my mind. >> but the first part of the video, i think we'll show it later on, is she doesn't want to get out of the airplane. it looks like she's kind of pushed. her knees kind of locked up. but yeah, it all turns out safely, but my goodness. >> oh, it's hard to watch it . >> but we'll show you more of that. >> in case you haven't seen it enough. >> and we're going to hear from

her about this adventure, what she wants to do next. >> we should mention she is okay, thankfully. >> it is memorial day. going to be a washout in parts of the country, some news you probably didn't want to hear. subtropical storm beryl is expected to hit the east coast later today, already bringing high surf and brenching rains on beaches from florida to south carolina. we've got it all covered and we'll get an update in just a moment. and it's said that april showers bring may flowers, but all this warm weather we've seen is bringing something else we've seen a lot of, bugs. the number of insects expected to explode this summer, thanks to the high temps. we'll tell you why you need to watch out for all those flying visitors. then, a new look at the disappearance of missing utah mom susan powell. a documentary looks at the case from the beginning and uncovers several instances that might have saved the lives of her two sons who were killed by their father earlier this year. and later on, we'll take a big turn and take a look at your favorite viral videos. from fighting ballerinas to a very musical marriage proposal. we'll have a roundup of all the

best clips that have people talking. >> that marriage proposal is the sweetest thing i've seen in a long time, and i don't use the word sweet a lot. >> but everyone's trying to top everybody else. >> this one does it. >> let's take ten minutes and tell me how you proposed to your wife. >> no. >> oh, okay. we're going to talk about the wild weather ruining plans from coast to coast this memorial weekend. the southeast storm that's barreling down on the coast. let's get the latest from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: from jacksonville to south carolina, beryl has whipped up the surf, creating dangerous rip currents. in georgia, lifeguards have scudamorescued more than 20 peo caught in the powerful action. officials in some communities have now closed the beaches to swimming. coastal residents will experience up to 50-mile-per-hour winds as early as tonight. while beryl will ruin some barbecues and rooftop parties, there is also a silver lining. its rains will soak one of the worst drought-stricken regions in our nation. it's the lack of rain that's

making the battle against wildfires tougher in many states, including new mexico, arizona and michigan. in michigan's upper peninsula, holiday campers evacuated. so far, 21,000 acres have burned. in arizona, 25-mile-per-hour winds are fueling the so-called gladiator fire. it's burned more than 16,000 acres so far. in orlando, a wildfire that had sent clouds of smoke towards theme parks has now been contained. a refrigerator is all that's left standing on what was once a home in rush county, kansas. as many as 30 tornadoes struck the area saturday. temperatures this weekend continue to be unusually hot, in the 90s in cities used to seeing 60s this time of year. in indianapolis, band members in wool uniforms used ice cubes to stay cool during a parade. and in pittsburgh, children and those acting like children are finding relief at water parks. in miami shores, the heat drove

ali williams' high school graduation party into the air conditioning. how was the graduation? >> it was really nice. it was indoors, so it was cool for everyone. >> reporter: memorial day weekend, the unofficial start of summer with some memorable weather. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, miami. >> and as subtropical storm beryl heads towards the southeast coast, the weather channel's jim cantore is in its path. he's in st. simons island on georgia's atlantic coast. jim, what's happening there? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, jenna. it's a packed, packed st. simons island, too. it's hard to even get a place to walk around, especially during the afternoon. but this morning, not too bad. people are out taking a jog. it's low tide here. the wave action isn't too bad, but kerry mentioned in his package how many people had to be rescued yesterday. if you add up georgia, florida and south carolina, over 100 people had to be pulled from the waters. south carolina beaches remain closed. we expect the weather, obviously, to change from where it is right through here. the center about 180 miles offshore. but being the fact that it's subtropical means we will have

an extended period of rain and wind beginning around midnight tonight and lasting all day memorial day. unfortunately, keeping a lot of these beach-goers inside. back to you. >> all right, jim cantore. jim, thank you very much. >> all right, let's turn now to the weather channel's crystal egger, who is tracking the heat wave, and subtropical storm beryl as well. crystal, good morning. >> good morning. well, there's so much weather to talk about, obviously, for the holiday weekend. we want to start with the heat. a full-blown heat wave making it feel more like the fourth of july in so many cities from the south through the ohio valley. look at these temperatures. this is 20 to 25 degrees above average for this time of year in so many spots. indianapolis 96 today, 94 tomorrow. of course, with the indy 500 under way, expecting one of the hottest races ever. tracking subtropical storm beryl, still off the southeast coast, and that's where most of the rain bands are right now. eventually, moving onshore as we head into the evening hours tonight. the track continues to take it

in that westerly direction. notice all of those warnings and watches out across the beaches of northern florida, up into the southeast coast of georgia. wind, rain and an elevated risk of rip currents, surf as well, so it's going to be dangerous out in these waters. lester and jenna, if there's one bright spot to this storm, it is the beneficial rain for this region. >> they could use it. all right, crystal egger, thanks. we'll get back to you for the national forecast in just a moment. but first, we're going to get a check of this morning's top stories from tom llamas at the news desk. tom, good morning. >> good morning, jenna, and good morning, everyone. there is world outrage over one of the deadliest attacks in syria's 14-month uprising. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has our report. and we want to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are disturbing. >> reporter: the scale of the atrocity is only hinted at by this long trench, a mass grave after a massacre that included dozens of children in the syrian town of hula. u.n. blue helmet observers went

to hula. they were shown a room full of bodies lined up in rows. the u.n. counted 32 dead children and 60 adults but stopped short of specifically blaming the syrian government. >> the violence is unacceptable and it's unforgivable. the death of 32 young children, the future of syria. >> reporter: this video appears to show the moments right before the hula massacre, during a friday afternoon antigovernment protest. then, smoke in the distance as syrian troops allegedly start shelling the town. after that, witnesses say, government-backed militias called the shabihah swept in and started stabbing and shooting and killing children at close range. richard engel, nbc news, cairo. and back here in the states, the sisters of the man charged in the 1979 disappearance of etan patz now acknowledge their

brother had said things years ago about hurting a child in new york. pedro hernandez has confessed to luring the 6-year-old into the basement of a convenience store where he worked and strangling him. neighbors in manhattan's soho district are putting up a memorial in front of the building where hernandez says he killed patz. vice president joe biden says the united states can now focus on a new global challenge after a long decade of war. speaking saturday at west point, biden said ending the long wars in iraq and afghanistan will allow the u.s. to replace and rebalance its foreign policy. biden delivered the commencement address to 972 jubilant graduates. and finally, michelle obama was with the single ladies this weekend, joining 5,000 fans at a beyonce concert in atlantic city. the first lady was with daughters sasha and maliyah saturday night at the brand-new rebel resort where beyonce's performing her first concert since giving birth to blue ivy in january. the first lady told "people" magazine that if she could be

anyone else in the world, she would be beyonce. that's the latest news. back to jenna, lester and crystal. and chris christie was reportedly also at the casino. no reports on him doing the single ladies dance. >> there are reports, however, that lester uttered those same exact words, if i could be anyone else, i would be beyonce. >> i would be beyonce, yeah. >> that's so weird how that happens. >> can't remember that, but apparently i did. crystal is back with the national forecast now. that's right, and boy, we have a triple threat as we head into the weekend. let's get right to it. we're talking about beryl, of course, the threat of severe weather and dangerous heat. this is our risk area today for damaging winds, large hail and even isolated tornadoes. north texas all the way up into the western lakes, that could certainly impact your plans if you're going to be doing any grilling outdoors. of course, that heat wave across the south into the ohio valley. did i mention we even have snow falling across the northern >> good morning, steamy weather as we head through this hold day

weekend. 89 dn orees for the high temperatures around maryland. 70's near ocean city. and back to you, lester. >> crystal, thanks. it's yet another black eye for the vatican, the arrest of pope benedict's butler, accused of leaking the pontiff's own confidential documents. the pope is said to be pained that one of his closest confidantes is accused of betraying him. nbc's duncan golestani is covering the story from our london newsroom. duncan, good morning. >> good morning, lester. these leaks started in january, rocking the vatican with allegations of corruption and cover-up. immediately, the hunt started for the source, and finally,

last week police say they found hundreds of documents at the home of one of the pope's most trusted aides. it's like something from a hollywood movie. >> open the doors and tell the world the truth. >> reporter: a mystery at the vatican complete with the accusation that the butler did it. pope benedict has been searching for whoever betrayed his secrets. all along, it might have been the man closest to him. yesterday, paolo gabriele, the pope's personal butler, was charged. he was always there with the pontiff, up front in the popemobile or by him at dinner. but what was he doing behind his boss's back? >> everyone who has known this young man, paolo gabriele, paolito, as he's known, including me, is stunned by this. this is a pius, quiet young man who's worked in the holy sea for

50 years. >> the scandal took a twist last week by the publication in a book. in it, confidential letters and memos to and from pope benedict, as well as allegations of financial corruption at the vatican. many leaks seemed to aim at undermining its secretary of state. cardin the cardinal is number two. some believe it's the power struggle at the center of the church, perhaps wider than just one butler. >> it's clear that there is not only one man, but a group of monsignors and employees of the vatican who are following a line of underground opposition to the secretary of state cardinal bertone. >> reporter: as the plot thickens in this real-life catholic conspiracy theory, the church and those who serve it hope this case is quickly and quietly cracked. the investigation is continuing

into whether other people were involved. as for paolo gabriele, the butler, depending on the charges and if he's found guilty, he could face up to 30 years in prison. lester? >> duncan golestani this morning, thank you. now here's jenna. >> lester, thanks. there are new clues this morning in the disappearance of a young college student at the university of louisiana. 22-year-old michaela shoonick was last seen a week ago. veronica de la cruz has the latest. >> she was last seen leaving a house on may 19th around 2:00 a.m. and now surveillance video may offer new clues into what happened to her. >> we just want her home. we just want to know something. somebody out there knows something and we, we just want them to come forward. >> reporter: these grainy surveillance pictures just released by police are now the best hope for findle michaela shunick, mickey to her friends, a student at the university of louisiana. they show her riding her bike home from a friend's house late last saturday. mickey never made it home.

family and friends are mobilizing in hopes of finding her. >> we're sending people to texas, we're sending people west, we're sending people to the border, we're sending people to new orleans, we're sending people north. >> reporter: last night, police released more surveillance pictures of three vehicles traveling on the same roads at the same time as mickey. they want to talk to the drivers or passengers about what, if anything, they saw, and they urge anyone who knows or finds anything to come forward. >> there could be potential evidence in and around that particular item that they found that we can use to hopefully point the investigation in the right direction. >> reporter: in the weeks since she's been gone, mickey turned 22 and her brother graduated high school. her family says it's not likely she would have willingly missed that. they're asking for anyone's help to bring mickey home. >> baton rouge and new orleans, shreveport, lake charles. everyone's been helping us out. they're starting to form search parties there. maybe mississippi, alabama, florida, all the states along

the border of mexico. just, if you know anyone in south texas, new mexico, arizona, california, just let them know what's going on. >> shunick's cell phone was last used just after 1:00 a.m. on may 19th. since then, there's been no activity on her phone, and because of the phone's model, police are not able to track a signal to determine a more specific location. jenna? >> veronica de la cruz, veronica, thank you very much. up next on "today," an insect invasion. why all the warm weather we've had over the winter and into the spring -- okay, that's just disturbing -- means you'll have to watch out for some very unwelcomed guests at your next picnic. alice the cat is about to explore. the world of new friskies plus. which is friskies plus more. more of the things alice desires. with all the nutrition alice requires. it's a world of shiny furs. of sparkly eyes and happy purrs. it's a world unlike any alice has ever seen before.

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a lot of you will want to spend time outdoors this weekend. you've got three days off in some cases and summer's officially here, unofficially here. but as nbc's thanh truong discovered, all that warm weather over the past months means you're going to be dealing with a lot of uninvited guests, the flying, creepy-crawly kind. >> reporter: cockroaches. >> this is a major infestation of german cockroaches. >> reporter: argentinean ants. >> you will be overwhelmed. >> reporter: mosquitos. you name it and the bug experts are seeing it, lots of it. >> we're having almost perfect conditions for insect invasions right now. >> reporter: an unusually mild winter and an exceptionally warm spring kick-started the insect season. the bug control business is booming. >> the phone really has been ringing off the hook since early february. >> reporter: at this home in loganville, georgia -- >> this is what they do. >> reporter: -- termites are attacking. >> a few weeks ago, loganville had some swarms come in to the

area, and we got our share of it. >> reporter: it's a high-tech hunt. >> we are getting a small amount of movement. >> reporter: darryl kunia is using infrared and motion sensors to pinpoint the termites, which cause billions of dollars in damages each year. pest control treatments can require heavy-duty work and leave you with a hefty bill. those creepy-crawlers are not just a nasty nuisance, they're also a public health risk. in the southeast, they're already spraying for mosquitos. the biggest concern, west nile virus. no outbreaks have been reported, but the early activity doesn't bode well. >> so, if things get started earlier, that generally will fuel a west nile virus epidemic. >> reporter: in the northeast, the tick population is growing, and so is the potential for lyme disease. tick bites usually cause circular, red rashes. >> we think that the summer of 2012 is going to be the worst year yet for lyme disease, at least in the northeastern and

mid-atlantic u.s. >> reporter: emily miller says to protect her two young boys from swarming insects, she may cut back on the time they spend outdoors. >> one thing that we did today, although it's probably not what you normally would do on a hot day, is i put pants on my newborn. so, i wanted to cover up some of the exposed skin. >> reporter: miller isn't alone, and unfortunately, neither are these bugs. their numbers could explode this summer, but entomologists say that all depends on the weather. for "today," thanh truong, nbc news, atlanta. and as we continue here on a sunday morning on "today," disturbing, new information in the case of missing utah mom susan powell. were warning signs missed when it came to her husband? and could those signs have saved her kids? but first, these messages. aspirin, really?

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just in case you are wondering how we prepare and get ready for this show in the mornings, and i know some people like to take a peek into what happens at the "today" show behind the scenes, why don't we take a look? this is how we get our energy out. this was completely real and natural. there was no cheating involved whatsoever. lester, if you'd like to comment at any point here, go right ahe ahead. >> what you're about to see is me being chivalrous. >> oh, my arm. >> don't say i hurt your arm! i didn't even try that hard. >> you did hurt my arm. >> scoliosis, that's in my back right there. >> and my arm was wrong -- >> 15 excuses here. >> and the chair on my back -- >> go ahead. still ahead on "today," that may not have gone viral, but this did. brawling ballerinas, a marriage proposal that put others to shame. . see, airline credit cards promise flights for 25,000 miles, but... [ man ] there's never any seats for 25,000 miles. frustrating, isn't it?

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>> good morning, evexpone. i'm lisa ronbnson. it is 8:26. heres -- here's a look at our top stories this morning. police and corrections officials are searching for a missing inmate this monering who did no show up for his work assignment. jermaine jeter left a baltimore detention center and did not report to his work release job at a checkers restaurant. authorities say jeter was nearing the end of a pnewp sentene murder. if you see jeetis m- jeter, you are asked to call the baltimore city police. >> a time to remsenber a young victch.. sean johnson was shot to death while sitting on his front porch on t.

friends and family gathered for aice. balloons followed, and stuffed animals were put on the front potalh, and family msenbeeeke sd memories. >> when i went to his football b me and i seen hch. smayle and win, oh, my gosh, there was joy in my heak o. >> three men were arrested in the shooting and have an arrairrement in july. >> the j.f.x. ris id clohis wre done. the mayor announced mernlsy repafor has haveis m- emergency repairs have been completed ahead of schedule. ãand wlohis wres have been on a since mid april. the crews are rkingairing

>> warm and humid weather t% s as we go through the holiday weekend. maybe even s yae unset3 ted weather up to our north. showers and thunderstorms near phiassdelphia earlier on mmer. off shore. now comes a thin band of showeee . mer. ing thro pennsylvania heading through northern parts of carroll county, northern baltimore county as well. look at the sprinkles out there. . ost of these . if you had to pick which jares are most likely to seeis m- are are most likely to see storms today, it is north and west of the city. mid 80's in the mountains. mountains could see thundeeeketoend.s in the aftern ocean city mostly sunny. 76 for the high tsenperature. watch out for r% currents in ocean city for the next couple days. tend.eratures in baltimore drop by the end of the week. we'll see another chance for stoend.s tuesday into wednesday. >> thanks, ava. thank you for joining us.

"11 news sunday morning" continues in 25 minutes.xt ♪ ♪ ♪ we're back on a sunday morning, may 27th, 2012. we've got a lot of fun out here on the plaza. the united states navy band is gracing us with theirs presence

and their music, led by scott miceon. they're playing john philip sousa's "stars and stripes forever." our many thanks to them and you joining us this morning on a memorial day weekend. outside on the plaza, i'm jenna wolfe alongside lester holt. >> we always love gleam week in new york. we have the sailors, marines, they bring their families here, and we get to listen to great music. thank you so much. >> they are so much more pressed and ironed. they look great. thank you, guys. >> thank you. great job. nice to have your here. coming up in this half hour, we're talking viral videos, some of the best out there right now. >> a lot of the ones people are talking about. one we showed you earlier, this 80-year-old woman who decided to go sky diving. she was going to do a tandem jump and it was tandem, but she's barely hanging on for dear life, because somehow, she slips out of her strap. there's a happy ending to this. we're going to hear what she has to say about all of this. you look at that, why would you want to ever jump out of an airplane? >> or why would you want to do it again? she says she doesn't regret doing that. we'll have to figure out why.

that's not the only viral video we're talking about. there's some really cute ones and interesting ones out there circulating, from the cute little brawling ballerinas to the musical marriage proposals to a great father-daughter bar mitzvah dance. we're going to look at all of them coming up. very well choreographed. and memorial day weekend kind of kicks off the movie season, the blockbuster movie season. a couple big ones, "men in black 3," there's "the dark knight," "rises," two of the ones hitting the screen this we'll. look take a look at the movies hitting a theater near you. and it was raining here earlier, but it's cleared up and we're looking forward to a nice day. let's get a check of the weather with the weather channel's crystal egger. >> comfortable out here right now. you mentioned fleet week. there are so many men and women in uniform around new york city. let's not forget what this weekend is all about. i have a special guest, admiral shalanski. admiral, nice to see you on the plaza. tell us about fleet week and the tons of people, obviously, around new york city for this

week. >> well, thanks. first, of course, we're, you know, we're remembering all those that sacrificed all for our freedom and our country. and really, fleet week is about who you see here, our sailors, our coast guardsmen and our marines, and the great job and the sacrifices they make and their families make every day in defense of our nation. you'll see our coalition worships are here, the op sale is here. it's a great celebration of the war of 1812, where we as a naval service started our traditions of winning and our fine traditions that we carry on today throughout the world. >> admiral, thank you. and thank y >> good morning, steamy weather as we head through this hold day weekend. 89 dn orees for the high temperatures around maryland. 70's near ocean city.

>> and back over to you, jenna. >> all right, crystal, thank you very much. it's one of the latest videos to go viral and it's enough to want to make you cringe. an 80-year-old's attempt at sky diving that goes terribly wrong. at times, she's actually seen hanging upside down while falling out of a harness. and it seemed watching this uncertain how things will end. nbc's kristen dahlgren caught up with the dangling daredevil. >> reporter: it started as a lifelong dream. >> is this something you always wanted to do? >> for years. >> reporter: laverne everett wanted to go sky diving. >> whose idea was all this? >> mine. >> what's the reason? >> i just turned 80. >> reporter: but what happened next could have made that birthday her last. as she fell through the air in a tandem skydive, everett somehow slipped from her harness. >> i think i knew something was

kind of not right, but i didn't know it was as bad as it was, so to speak. >> reporter: as she dangled from the straps, the 80-year-old couldn't see a thing. >> because my clothes was up over my face. >> reporter: the videographer tries to get close enough to help the instructor, but as the pair tumbled, there is nothing anyone else can do. everett is still hanging as they finally touch down. >> hold on. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: one year after the fall, the video has gone viral, but the now 81-year-old everett says she has no hard feelings. >> i'm not sorry i did it. >> reporter: as for questions if the video appears to show her changing her mind about the jump and being pushed out of the plane, she says her knees went out right before she jumped. >> he helped me. he gave me a little boost with his feet. i needed that. he knew how bad i wanted to do it. >> reporter: the faa is now

looking into the incident and confirms it has proposed over $900,000 in unrelated fines for the northern california par chus center in the last two years. those cases are still pending. nbc news reached out to parachute center owner bill dowd, who would only say about everett's jump, no one got injured and the landing was fine. as for the daring senior, she says she has no plans to sue. >> i signed a waiver and i respect that. >> reporter: besides, she's too busy planning her next adventure. >> probably go in a race car. i think maybe that's my next thing. >> reporter: hopefully, buckled up a little tighter this time. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> so, i'm wondering the whole time, is the instructor telling her, this is perfectly normal! this is how a tandem jump works. >> this is how it always goes! >> is it strange, i think i knew exactly what to get my

80-year-old grandmother for her birthday. >> can i guess what it's not going to be? >> no, she wants to make 81. we want to talk about the interesting viral videos out there right now. have you seen the one, the ballerina, you think of it being graceful -- >> beautiful. >> this one's not. >> exactly not that at all. this is a dance recital only don king could appreciate. you have 2-year-olds in their tutus. the crowd thought they would see something like "swan lake." it turns into something like "rocky 4" with the taller one playing ivan dragon and then rocky balboa comes in. it gets nasty right about now. we're talking about a rapid fire slap hand. here we go, but she responds with the left hook and the little one comes around and gets her right there. the amazing thing is the crowd kept watching, looking at this laughing. finally, the dance instructors came in and broke them up. >> this is future "housewives of beverly hills." >> that's how it all started. >> should get andy cohen. >> they're 3 years old, so when something annoys them, they do a

little bit of this. they have yet to discuss and talk it through. >> and at 3, already wanting the spotlight. she says you're in my way. i want to get up front. >> why can't they arm wrestle to settle the difference like everybody else? and have you seen the proposal one? everybody likes the overtime proposal. this one, i got a little misty. >> yeah, really amazing. this is in portland. isaac lamb is an actor. we'll see him in the end. she got 60 friends and family together to basically do what he calls the first ever live lipped-up proposal. they did it to bruno mars' song "marry you" and the bride was in the back of a honda with earphones on. and ivsaac comes over and proposes. bruno mars tweeted and says that's the best video, says congrats to the couple. >> all right, so the whole thing happens and then he gets there and asks her and here's how the whole thing turned out. >> you have already given me a lifetime of happiness. will you let me spend the rest of my life trying to give you the same? will you marry me?

>> she said yes, of course! and if you don't have little goose pimples, well -- >> i think she said can i think about it? >> i think she said, can you put a little more into the proposal and then i'll get back to you? >> finally, the father-daughter dance-off. >> this one a lot of people are talking about. more than a million hits on youtube. this is out of rhode island. a father and daughter at her bar mitzvah. this is mike and jessica handley. jessica says she choreographed 70% of this dance, but look at mike go. he's a comedian, but he's really into it. the bar mitzvah's a coming of ages for people of the jewish faith. this was a dance of the ages, doing the solda boy there, a little l fnks mao action. >> if you're going to do this, you don't go 50%. if you're diving in to jamming at the bar mitzvah, you've got to go all the way. >> and guess who's on the plaza? >> i hope mike and yes ka. >> hi, guys, how are you? >> want me to come over to you?

>> whose idea was this? >> mine, i guess. >> who's the person not in the dance. >> how did you come up with the routine? >> it was all her idea, i'll give her all the credit. >> where did it come from and how long did it take you to learn it all? >> it took about three months to learn it and we picked out all the songs ourselves. >> yeah. >> we're going to kick up the band and let you guys dance away. >> you don't have to do it, but if you can just do the dancing, we would be really happy. >> that's good. >> here you go. ♪ ♪

>> mike and jessica, great job. congratulations. >> thank you. >> thank you. it's great to have you. we'll be back with more "today" after this. ♪ maybe it's time to recharge the human battery. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system from beautyrest... it's you, fully charged. right now, receive two free recharge pillows with the purchase of select beautyrest mattresses.

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it's memorial day weekend, which means we are kicking off the summer movie season. e-news correspondent and critic jackson murphy, aka lights camera jackson are here to preview some of the summer's biggest blockbuster. alicia and jackson, good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> alicia, i'll get to you in a second. first i have to brag on this kid a bit. jackson, you are the youngest member of the broadcast film critics association. >> yes. >> how's that going for you? >> it's great to be a part of that and thanks for having me back on. you know, it's great to be a part of the broadcast home critics association. i'm now the youngest member and it's wonderful. i got to go on "jay leno" again in february with meredith

vieira, who's the nicest person in the world. >> how old are you? >> 13. >> at 13, who says that sentence? all right, let's get to the movies. alicia, "men in black 3" premiered this weekend. you have both seen the movie. >> yes. >> strong box office numbers? >> okay, it came in less than expected. it's supposed to make $9 million this weekend, supposed to make $75 million. but it's in 3d, first time we've seen will smith and tommy lee jones and it is fantastic. >> he's fantastic as a younger tommy lee jones, just perfect with the delivery and timing, just great. i enjoyed it as well. >> i actually enjoyed. he plays a 29-year-old, believe it or not. >> yes. >> so, we should go see this. >> yes, see it. >> next up "dark knight rises," the final in the batman series? >> it's supposed to be, but you never know. i hope it's going to be really good. it comes out july 20th in theaters and imax, and it looks great. i mean, i don't know if it's going to beat "the avengers," because that was huge, right out

of the gate for the summer movie season. i don't know if it will beat "the avengers" at the box office, but i'm really looking forward it it. >> you saw the others. >> this was supposed to be the trilogy. anne hathaway is in this one as cat woman. pictures were leaked early. this is the one i want to see, my husband wants to see it. everybody is dying for this movie. >> next up, the animated summer movie. you both picked this one. >> it's a pixar movie and they have done so well at the box office. a lot of people didn't like "cars 2," last summer. i really enjoyed "cars 2." i'm looking forward to this, although it looks like another disney princess movie. >> it's the first time as a female heroine, and it's about girl power. >> remember "the hunger games." it's also the third pg-rated pixar film. that could be interesting to see if families will go to that still. >> next up, whitney houston's final movie, and this is "sparkle." >> "sparkle." >> is this going to draw

attention because this is her last movie? >> she bought rights to this and it stars jordin sparks, but all of her fans will go to the box office. this movie's going to be huge. >> for that kind of film, it will do really well. >> and you may not know him because you're a little younger, but there's a guy named, i think it's pronounced tom cruise? he's in a movie called "rock of ages"? >> yes. >> what are we thinking of this, all-star cast? >> yes, i'm looking forward to it. alec baldwin, russell brand, julianne hough and catherine zeta-jones, so many. i'm looking forward to it. watching the trailer, i really enjoyed the music, but for me, the story's going to have to do it if this is going to do really well. >> this was a big show on broadway. and tom cruise singing? enough said. they said he's been practicing for hours a day, got his body in shape. supposed to be really, really good. >> people will go just for tom cruise. >> we only have a few seconds left. you're graduating from eighth grade this year. if you could pick any gift in the world, what would it be? >> going to the movies and being here on the "today" show. i love being here. >> happy graduation. >> happy graduation!

>> whoo! alicia, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> we'll take a break. this is my dad's car., look at the car! my dad's gonna kill me dude... [ male announcer ] the security of a 2012 iihs top safety pick. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 passat for $209 a month. and then treats day after day... well, shoot, that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

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glad you made it. start by choosing from over 30,000 used cars and trucks. carmax. start here. now to a case we've been following for years. missing utah mom susan powell. back in february, the entire nation watched these images in horror. inside this burning home, josh powell had just murdered his two young sons and took his own life. powell had long been considered a person of interest in his wife, susan's, 2009 disappearance. now, "e!" strocorrespondent lau

ling examines this. >> good morning, lester. i sat down with susan powell's family and friends to examine the red flags that were overlooked and conducted an interview with dr. james manley, the psychologist who evaluated d josh powell for the court. by 2011, susan powell had been missing nearly two years. >> we're just asking the public to remember her. >> reporter: that september, susan's husband josh squared off in court with susan's parents over custody of sons charlie and braden. the judge awarded temporary custody to susan's parents. josh retained visitation rights two times per week. in an effort to regain custody of the boys, josh underwent a court-ordered mental health and parenting evaluation. forensic psychologist dr. james manly performed the review. he's never spoken publicly about the case until now. dr. manly, you were one of the few people allowed to look at these images. can you describe to me what you thought? >> there was about 15 images

that i found the most disturbing, and they were very lifelike, computerized drawings of adults and children having sex in various ways. whoever built these files had a clear interest in incest themes, which within a parenting evaluation did not bode well with me. >> did you ever get the sense that josh might have been exposing his sons to those cartoon images of incest? >> i didn't get the sense of that, but it isn't outside of the bounds of possibility. >> what was your recommendation? >> that we needed to know a lot more about mr. powell. and that's why i referred him to a psychosexual evaluation. there were a lot of missing pieces about josh powell. so, it is my opinion that he shouldn't have reunification with his kids. >> lester, even though a judge ordered josh powell to get that evaluation, he was still allowed

to see his children in supervised home visits. >> and laura, with all these red flags, were you surprised that josh was never charged? >> well, it's hard not to question why josh was never charged. an unfilled search warrant from the case indicated that susan powell's blood was found in the home. traces of the blood were found in the home the night she was reported missing. susan had apparently left a handwritten will in a safety deposit box, saying that if she died, it might not be an accident, even if it looked like one. so there were a lot of red flags, and sadly, two innocent lives were lost because, it seemed, the system failed here. >> laura ling in los angeles. laura, thank you very much. you can see the full story "e investigates: a family tragedy, the powell story" this tuesday at 8:00 p.m. on "e!." and we'll be right back after these messages. [ male announcer ] what's in your energy drink?

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let's go to washington and check with david gregory to find out what's coming up on "meet the press." david, good morning. >> good morning, lester. coming up, the economy is front and center this morning. i'll have a debate between former republican presidential candidate newt gingrich and maryland's democratic governor martin o'malley. plus, maria shriver and author michael lewis had some advice for the class of 2012. it's all coming up this morning on "meet the press." >> all right, david, we'll see you then. thanks. >> so, we had some special guests on the plaza today who will like to give a special shout-out to their friends and family back home. go for it, guys. >> i want to wish my daughter jasmine in jacksonville, florida, a happy 17th birthday. >> i want to say hi to my family and friends in lake city, florida, my wife and son in boston. you make my heart smile. love you. >> i just want to say to my friends, see you all at christmas. >> i want to say hi jacoby and

happy birthday ray. we love you. >> i want to say hi to my mom and my sister back in saranac lake, new york. >> shout out from south carolina, charleston, south carolina, that is. hey, mom, how are you doing? greenville, south carolina. we love you all. >> i want to thank all of america for supporting us, especially my family back at home in houston, texas. >> sergeant coast guard seneca, boston, massachusetts. give a shout-out to my wife, megan. >> we thank all of you for your service. thanks so much for being here. >> thanks so much, you guys. we want to say good-bye to you this morning with "today's life illustrated," our weekly look through your camera lens. in observance of memorial day, you sent your most patriotic pictures. many pay tribute beautifully it our servicemen and women, some of whom are standing right here. >> and next, a little pomp and circumstance. it's graduation season, so send us some shots of the grads in your life. >> submit them to todayshow.com. >> have a great sunday, everybody. i'll see you on "nightly news."

♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ i thank my lucky stars to be living here today ♪ ♪ 'cause the flag still stands for freedom and you can't take that away ♪ ♪ and i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free ♪ ♪ and i won't forget the men who died and who gave that right to me ♪ ♪ i'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today ♪ ♪ 'cause there ain't no doubt i love this land, god bless the

usa ♪ up next, answering your quest 8ns about smak o meters. >> plus, reinvent your traditional cookout. apri? >> and if you passn to cook out we will tell you about the