back with more of "today" on this monday morning the 18th day of june, 2012. there is another beautiful day here in the northeast after really gorgeous weekend. a nice crowd. i'm ann curry alongside david gregory in for matt this morning. al roker and tamron hall with us. coming up this half hour, talk about a growing epidemic of teenager obesity. >> it is an epidemic. a lot of doctors who touted diet and exercise are talking about whether they should be choosing weight loss surgery. is it the best option? we'll talk to one teen who shares her experience.

>> we have the scoop on what's hot and what's not, summer style. what you're wearing obviously hot. >> i'm not sure. >> i'm going to find out, from printed denim to high heeled sneakers. yes, sneakers. we'll show you the editor's hottest pick for fashion. >> high heeled sneakers. >> some cute, great to travel in. >> weren't they hot a few years ago. i remember. family vacation, always fun. getting there always not the best time. so we're going to tell you how to avoid all the problems when you're traveling with your younger ones, get from point a to point b. >> expert on that. >> a lot of vacations coming up. meantime natalie is apparently traveling. she's not here today. savannah standing by at the news desk. hey, savannah, good morning. >> good morning. defense will start its side at the child sexual abuse trial of

penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky. he was examined by a state psychiatrist after defense revealed they plan to unveil a rare psychiatric disorder which explain some of the belaffer. he's charged with molesting ten boys. elections in greece calmed immediate fears of a greek financial collapse that could have catastrophic affects on the global economy. voters gave a narrow victory to the conservative party that supports austerity measures in exchange for international bailout for greece. that winning party must now form a coalition government. president obama is in los cabo, new mexico. back home republican mitt romney is accusing the president of being motivated by politics for his executive order halting

deportation of young people brought to the u.s. illegally as children. an autopsy formed on rodney king whose videotaped beating in los angeles being beaten by police caused riots. he was found in the swimming pool of his home. rodney king was 47 years old. reality tv star jack osbourne revealed he's battling multiple sclerosis. he's the 26-year-old son of rocker ozzy osbourne and "america's got talent" judge sharon osbourne. jack osbourne says he got that diagnosis two weeks after the birth of his daughter pearl. e! personality giuliana rancic unveiled they are having a girl, blue or pink, what do you think? europe's most wanted taking the top stop for the second

week. sci-fi at venture ""prometheus"" and "rock of ages" debuted in third place. call it puppy love. after rolling up her sleeves to help out with a camping children for inner city children she rushed across to catch her husband's polo match. the royals were upstaged but the cocker spaniel. scooped up for a smooch. they have created a faux twitter page for him. i'm a happy much after an amazing day at the polo. got lots of attention from daddy. first matt lauer tweets and now the dog. >> where will it end? where will it end? some nice folks hanging out. the nape of the town is called cutoff. >> cutoff, louisiana. >> wow, i like that name. all right.

let's check your weather for cutoff and everywhere else. we've got some strong storms making their way through the great lakes. another round coming up tonight. we're talking anywhere from one to five inches of rain in central wisconsin. then afternoon temperatures really building. look at these temperatures. over 100 degrees in yuma, las vegas, 90s in chicago. tomorrow 90s in ohio, upstate new york. by wednesday we're looking at 90s into new england, upstate new york, mid-atlantic states and the southeast and stretch at

>> and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> all right, al, thanks. this morning on today's health, the soaring rate of teenager obesity. now there's a growing belief among many doctors that weight loss surgery may be the best long-term option. here is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: 10:00 a.m. at nationwide children's hospital in columbus. the doctor is performing bariatric surgery on a teenager. >> all this part of the stomach is going to be removed and you're going to be left with basically a long tube. >> reporter: we first met him in april after he authored a study offering gastric bypass study is effective and safe for morbidly obese teens.

that got our attention. is this the right approach to take a teenager and have bariatric surgery? >> well, i think the short answer is yes. >> reporter: already he's performed 120 operations with 75 to 100 more teens preparing for the procedure. >> research currently shows there really is no other successful method of obtaining what we call durable weight loss. >> kids like 17-year-old megan huffman, who at 300 pounds was undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, already prediabetic, she told us the surgery was all about reclaiming her life. >> i was getting teased a lot. so made me decide to do something about it. >> teased in school? >> yeah. >> and that can be hard? >> yeah. >> on any patient removing a portion of the stomach is not without risk. but doctors say the risks associated with living a life of obesity and the diseases that go with it are far higher. with a third of the population

now overweight or obese, doctors say this is about giving overweight teenagers a longer life expectancy and a better quality of life. now a bigger national study has found that in 11 to 19 years old, the surgery results in a loss of at least 50 pounds and can greatly reduce high blood pressure, diabes, heart disease, even depression. >> it's pretty clear, i think, from these results that the surgery can have a very strong impact on various quality of life issues for these patients. >> amanda rodriguez was 16 and weighed nearly 300 pounds when she had the operation. three years later she's down to 186. >> i'm able to walk around the campus. i'm able to go on school field trips and interact with really cute guys. >> back in columbus before her operation megan told us she had a very personal goal in mind. >> to fit in my prom dress my senior year.

>> that's important. >> yeah. >> in the three months since her operation, megan has already lost 50 pounds. but she and the other teens who undergo the surgery must also commit to changing their lifestyles and eating habits. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> and amanda rodriguez is here along with chief medical editor nancy snyderman. >> good morning. >> we know it works because look how great you look. how do you feel? >> amazing. >> how much did you lose? >> over 100 pounds, 115 pounds. >> how has this changed your life? tell us about how life was before you lost the weight. >> i wasn't able to walk very far. i needed an elevator key to walk up the stairs in my high school. i was barely able to breathe after walking. >> how much did you weigh at your heaviest. >> almost 300 pounds. >> nancy, we know from watching others in this situation that this surgery works. i think there has been this open

question about whether it was safe for teenagers. what does the study tell us. >> there's been the safe question and there's also been is it the only option question. certainly we don't want to tell every child and every adolescent this is the first thing to do. this is really when your back is against the wall and you're facing diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and the inability to walk because arthritis is a huge problem. but the results from the university of miami show that not only does this work, that these big life threatening illness can be pushed off. one caveat, the kind of surgery we're talking about cannot be turned around. it's irreversible. this isn't the gastric band. this really is altering how the stomach and intestines work. >> how did you feel about doing surgery? you said you struggled with your weight your whole life. you said you never had a skinny day in your life. to do a big surgery like that is a big deal. >> i didn't think it was such a big deal. both my parents had it.

they really got me through everything. i was actually really, really excited to have the surgery. like i said, i never thought it was a big deal. it was fairly easy for me. >> tell me how your life has changed in terms of what you used to eat, how you eat now, how you feel. what's it like to life with this surgery? >> before on a night out when my parents ordered a pizza, i would need an entire pie. i could eat an entire pie by myself. now i can eat a slice, maybe two. >> if a person watching at home thinks i may be a candidate for this. can you walk into the doctor and ask for it? >> there's strict criteria, a mental health evaluation, nurses involved, social workers. family support and learning to embrace food differently for the rest of your life is a huge part of this. this isn't go in, have surgery and drink milkshakes the rest of your life. you have to embrace health and wellness in a way a lot of adolescents have never had to

think about it before. my other caution is, a lot of kids, the only way 260 pounds is going to come off is if i get to 280. they will eat the other 20 pounds on to qualify. not great. this is a surgery of last resort. this is a surgery that saves life, not a quick fix for obesity. >> i wanted to ask you about that, amanda. some people might be thinking, gosh, this is not like a magic bullet. you don't want to diet or exercise, you get the surgery instead. this isn't an easy lifestyle, is it? >> no, i've gotten that comment a lot of times, even on facebook after he went on tv for the local news. my doctor says that it's a tool given to you. you still need to do the mental preparation and you still need to figure out what you're going to do in your diet. you still need to exercise. so it definitely is not an easy way out. like the doctor says, it is a last resort. i tried dieting and exercise. i lost some weight but i gained

it back double. >> we also know, savannah, even in the immediate postoperative period blood sugar and cortisol levels, all these crazy enzymes and hormones very high in prediabetic patients, they start to come down to normal afterwards. there's no doubt it's a success but it really is when your back is up against the wall. >> real quickly amanda, we know it changed how you look. did it change how you feel inside. >> definitely. i used to see a therapist. i don't see a therapist anymore. i'm dating. >> that's another segment for another day. we'll find out all the scoop on that. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. you look wonderful and wonderful to see your eyes smiling. nancy, thank you. coming up, from jessica beale's banks to drew barry more's color blocking. what's hot and what's not on in style, the editor's pick right after this. you can never have too much of a good thing.

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this morning on today's style, the inside school on what's hot and what's not in summer fashion. anna roberts rossi, fashion editor for "marie claire" magazine here with editor. how are you? >> good. >> is there one overwhelming trend in all categories. >> a lady like theme running all through. last season more masculine, now lady-like and elegant. >> start off with handbag. >> this is a great example of the lady like look. the bigger bags, top handle is prevalent. something you can wear a day bag

but smaller evening bag with handle. >> can you rock this with jeans and dress or are you limited to girlie look. >> nice with jeans, nice to juxtapose it with something rock and roll. >> eva longoria with her bag and jeans on. eyewear, what's hot this summer. >> the end of the big round glasses and going for the cat eye. it's a '50s look on the runways from prada to louis vuitton, it's a perfect face-lift. it lifts the eye. >> perfect little face-lift. >> for a skinny face. >> any shaped face. there's nicole ritchie. >> take it to the edge, never go with something too small because it will have the opposite effect. >> move onto the color schemes. have you lipstick. >> now it's about a nude face and super pop of lip, which i see you have here. >> bright is right.

>> bright is absolutely right, go to a map color as opposed to a shine. >> not a shine. why? >> it's more relevant to the season. >> we've seen rihanna and blake lively. they keep it simple. >> everything is simple. eyes simple, all about the loudmouth. >> keep everything else simple, pop the lips. >> now we move on to close with my favorite thing in the world. what's in? >> we have pastel. both of us rocking it as well. it's a very sweet look you see on the runway louis vuitton and prada. easy way to keep it from going too girlie, modern silhouettes, cool pant, jackets. it's good to mix colors together. never more than two at once, because a little too sugar almondy. >> cameron diaz spotted with a lovely pastel outfit on. there she is. two colors, no more. >> you can rock it with a nice fresh white or black leather if you want to be more evening like and not too sweet and girlie.

>> moving onto footwear. jennifer aniston recently some open toed shoes. >> almost the extreme with the big platform. we went so far in one direction and now straight back. >> platforms all that. >> less of that and more of the single sole with the double strap. >> double strap. can it shorten or make it look skinnier. >> it can. we have an alternative option. >> high heeled sneaker. >> everyone is talking about this. >> you know what the fun thing is about this? it's an alternative to a heel. the trick is to style it as you would a high heel. wear it with a cute dress. >> lindsay lohan was seen sporting this with her, i guess, socks, short skirt. yes or no way to do it. >> a little school girl. cute with a cute skirt or fun dress. >> i love these.

they are good to travel in and still look help and cool. >> move on to denim. you have flowered look. >> all about bold bottoms. the thing is, every silhouette, wide pants, almost like pajamas. then we have the skinnier jeans. >> jessica alba seen in the skinny version. wide leg, rachel bilson had it on as well. >> there's a pant for every size. >> key to the top. solid obviously. >> absolutely keep it neutral, solid to juxtapose against the busy bottom. >> very nice. now we know how to stay in style. thank you very much. a pleasure having you on. coming up, avoiding a meltdown. traveling with cute little toddlers in your life but first these messages. hi. that looks good.

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party with island flavor. caribbean jerk kitchen. >> why did you say jerk and look at me? first local news. hi. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. two flavors. in harmony. honey bunches of oats. make your day bunches better. the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks lunching. at olive garden just $6.95. fresh, crisp salad made when you order it, four soups made fresh daily,

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>> good morning, everyone. after a beautiful weekend and a nice stretch of whether we will throw a little rain into the picture. variable clouds and often on the rainshowers and even a slight chance of thunderstorms. high temperatures in the mid 70's. summer heat coming up -- 87 tomorrow and go to midnight's

♪ you loved the movie, now get ready for "bring it on" the broadway musical, the tamron hall story. cheerleaders on the great white way. we're going to have a live performance tomorrow on "today." >> is that why tamron is seeing this is not a cheerocracy.

>> we fit the class, black girl, white. >> bring it on. >> cheerocr, acy. >> i'm a team nerd. i'm al roker with savannah guthrie, tamron hall. just ahead, are we there yet? traveling with toddlers and infants can definitely test your patience as parents. long-term successful for the child as well. up ahead, make your vacation tantrum-free. >> actually may be attempted to throw tantrum over bad hair. not you, al. some of us may have a bad hair day. the hottest look celebrities are sporting from bangs to bold blond. >> bold blond. i'll consider it. >> bring it on. >> bring it on. we're all about bold flavors in today's kitchen with caribbean-style jerk chicken for your next backyard barbecue. should i do it? yeah mon. first al has a check of the

weather. >> thanks so much, tamron. starting with today, we are looking at some strong storms up into the great lakes, also wet weather in the pacific northwest. sunny and sizzling in the southwest and gulf coast. cool and sunny in the northeast. tomorrow that heat makes its way into the upper ohio river valley. risk of strong storms in central minnesota. more wet weather in the pacific northwest. sizzling weather continues. southern california into the southwest. bad news for friends fighting those firefighters in new mexico and colorado as well. in fact, we've got fire watches and red flag warnings from california all the way to nebraska. that's what going on aro

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this morning on today's beauty, summer hair friends. if you're thinking about going blond or getting bangs. how we can all pull this off. good morning. >> good morning. >> summer is a great time to make a change. >> summer is a great time to make the change. this summer is the summer.

i've never seen more bold changes ever. >> wow. >> usually it's about going a little lighter, brighter, looking like you've been at the beach. guess what, people are making bolder steps than ever. >> go big or go home. first bangs. a lot of celebrities rocking this. we have a picture of jessica beale. she did it. >> she did it, did the bang and it looks great on her. >> sky blue, our model rocking this particular look. tell us about it. >> first of all this is an eyebrow skimming bang. any time you put shape around the face it flatters the face. it's good on all looks. if you have curly hair -- >> if you have a cow lick. >> in the summer, a little movement, take it off, why not put a relaxer on the bangs. the rest can be straight. do a little and it will look great. >> the next look, the all over

blond. not blond highlights we're talking about. january jones, the celebrity. >> gwyneth paltrow. the list is limited. at one time people highlighted themselves. the look this year is blonder, bolder. >> kathleen rocking this look. >> what we did, this an overall single process color. this works best, by the way, on people with light brown hair and lighter, because you really want to be bold, not brassy. if you go darker, could be orangey, which you don't want. >> want to show our little surprise here. this is a faux bob, really chic. katherine has another side. >> all of a sudden she can be chic at night for a cocktail party or by day be her more casual self. >> i love it. >> what more could you ask for two hair styles in one. >> talk about fashion, hanot ha

necessarily. drew barry more with this look. >> this is when you have two different colors on your hair. on lauren, this beautiful dark hair, looks beautiful on her. she wanted some excitement. what i did, i left the entire top dark. i did add one or two highlights. if you look, complete underneath -- can you turn a little bit. a completely different color. when it falls, it looks a little beachy. >> i think you have to have long hair to do this. >> long hair, works great with curly hair because it lifts it. with lauren this is unusual, a dark color on her face and light color in the back. most people do it in reverse. >> usually the blond piece in the front. >> let's switch it up. >> is that ombre? >> no, that's color on the tips. this is a complete triangle of

colors, a completely different color than your natural color. >> let's do our last look. blue-black hair. kristen stewart from "twilight," she's done it. >> kristen stewart made her hair this dark look and it looks great. today we have leigh, actually we work together quite a bit. she loves to wear her hair dark. her hair is actually much lighter. she tries to be darker. i have to, in fact, keep her lighter. she has this whole whimsical side, crazy, i should say. what i did was i put in this blue hair. leigh as you can show, it's just -- >> you can remove it. >> you don't have to fully commit to the blue hair. >> you don't have to fully commit. she wants to fully commit. she told me if i don't put the blue streak in when we go back to the salon she's going to break my arm. next time you see leigh she'll

have the blue hair. >> or you'll have a broken arm. >> so many people embracing it, kim kardashian. black hair, just short of black, so still nuances of color. >> very bold, very beautiful. thank you so much. up next, toddler tantrums, how to avoid bumps in the road when you're dealing with the little ones. that's coming up after this. ...is to create it. [ female announcer ] now create a new future for your skin. only aveeno positively radiant has total soy, for a whole new level of radiance. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce blotchiness, brown spots, and other past damage, while broad spectrum spf 30 helps prevent future damage. healthier, more radiant skin. it's in your future now. [ female announcer ] positively radiant. and for brighter skin, try skin brightening daily scrub. only from aveeno.

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this morning on parenting "today," traveling with toddlers. no need to dread your summer vacation, all you need to do is plan ahead. strategies with dr. korp who has this book. good to see you. >> good to see. >> what is it about traveling with kids that can strike fear in a parent's heart. >> you know what you're going to do, they have no idea. toddlers wake up and could be in a jungle as compared to their cozy bedroom. it's hard on toddlers. parents can stack the deck for success by doing several things. >> first is get ready before you leave. >> get ready before. one thing i like people to do is make a book that has pictures of what it's going to look like at the hotel, what they will see. practice with the book a week ahead so they get used to it. >> they are fine. >> they know what's going to

happen before it happens. get a better sleep routine. one of the best things to use is white noise, a city of white noise all night long. when they get used to that sound, no matter where they are they won't get distracted by sounds. almost like a teddy bear of sounds they are familiar with when traveling. >> you mentioned stack the deck for success. there's certain things can you do to get ready for this. >> when you're on your trip, number one, you want a lot of distractions. thank god for dvds, right? >> ipad. >> ipad, absolutely. >> you don't have to carry all the dvds. >> also, have little treats and toys and books but put them in different pockets. don't put them in one bag or else they will be reaching for all those. also benadryl, a sleep medicine some doctors recommend. you better check it out ahead of time. >> i have to tell, "i have a horror story. my son nicky is one of the kids that gets revved up on benadryl. we gave it to him on a flight to

l.a. >> you don't want to discover that 35,000 feet above the atlantic. >> ever see ricochet rabbit? exactly. for a lot of kids the time change can be difficult. >> you want to do some things when you get there. number one, good for adults, get morning sun. that resets your internal clock. then for the evening time, use white noise and dim the lights. start it an hour before bedtime. that primes the child's brain sleep is coming. >> you need to make sure you get as a parent enough sleep. >> of course. >> if you're not well rested. >> you're going to be cranky, too. two toddlers. >> also say avoid trauma. make allowances for stuff happens. >> it will happen. can you prevent a lot of it. of course bring a first aid kit. also bring things that can help you childproof the room like duct tape and cotton balls to put on sharp corners. be careful about sunburns on the first day of the trip and bugs.

everybody has to check for bedbugs because it's an epidemic now. >> another thing, i talk to these parents. they have these unbelievably ambitious plans. i think, are you insane? keep it simple. >> you have to keep it simple. have you to understand a two-year-old is not half of a four-year-old. they are not reasonable and logical especially when they get upset. make sure you have lots of child friendly things you're going to be doing. find out where the parks are. give them their opinions, ask their opinions whof what they want. toddlerese, let them know you understand how upset they are. that helps them with their feelings. still ahead, kicking up the summer barbecue with some island inspiration,mon. first this is "today" on nbc

this morning in today's kitchen, spicing up things with barbecue jerk chicken. here is celebrity chef and party expert. she's already dancing. chef tamika. you look beautiful and festive as always. >> dressed up for some island-style grilling. >> let's get to it. the key is the marinade, i understand it. >> exactly. you're going to get a little heat. maybe a little more than a little. you're going to have a nice pairing of flavors. you can see in jerk spice, sugar, salt, ginger. a nice mix of spices there, great balance. >> this is more than 3 tablespoons. >> yes. >> you're going to leave it to me. >> can you cook. >> i like leaving the skin on. as it grills, it adds flavor and moisture, all that good stuff.

>> back to spiciness, if you have multiple guests or kids, how do you take down the spice level. >> one thing, i'm going to add vinegar. this is my trick. a lot of people boil or steam chicken. i like to do a little brian. the vinegar balances the flavor so you get a nice rounding it it. here is the heat. the pepper. >> she's so scared. she's looking nervous. >> when i first went to jamaica i tried and survived. >> trust me, i will not blow your head off. four hours would be good, 24 hours would be great. >> perfect. >> heat balance, vinegar. anybody afraid of jerk, this is a nice introduction. place it on our grill. you see with the spices you get a nice charot outside. nice caramelization. we're doing indoor in the studio. i suggest outdoor, ambiance of

the smoke, under the circumstances the guests involved. >> either way. they smell it and think something really, really good is coming, which it is. >> okay. >> the trick with barbecue as your meat is done, brush the barbecue. >> meat. >> i put two tablespoons into the sauce so i get a nice kick at the end. just before the meat is done. >> you're just putting it on one side. >> you can do it on both sides. it will burn into it and have that nice flavor. >> i like to use it on ribs, burgers, a nice dry rub on anything. see what we have here. >> that looks buff. >> carry pieces, walk and eat. >> it's great for your guests. another thing with jerk spice. people say they can make it at home -- i mean buy it in a store. i like to make it at home, put it in a bottle. they can keep it and take it home. >> cole slaw. >> i'm a southern girl at heart,

even though my family is jamaican. i like to do cole slaw with a twist. help me out. red bell pepper. that's going to add color and texture. some fresh pineapple. >> i love that part of it. >> the pineapple is going to do sweetness. that's your tropical flair. if you don't want pineapple, you can also do mango. then fresh cilantro as well. >> hi, guys. welcome to my barbecue. >> they smell the food. >> this is vinegar and sugar. al loves vinegar cole slaw. it's a lot lighter than heavy mayonnaise-based dressing. pour that on. >>ics it in. >> salt. >> tell us about our drink while i mix things. >> a little salt and pepper on that. the last thing is, it's going to be hot outside, you want something cool and refreshing. ginger lemonade. it's a caribbean drink. you see a lot of fresh ginger. it kicks it up a little bit. ginger is an energy boost ter.

>> take a shot of that. that is going to get your party going. >> you are fantastic. good stuff. >> jerk chicken, sweet pineapple cole slaw and your drink. >> have a great day. guys, i'm home!

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