breaking news. new evacuations ordered in colorado overnight as high winds fuel a dangerous wildfire. home after home destroyed. 32,000 people forced to flee. part of the air force academy campus shut down. we're there live. outf jail, the suburban mother accused of running a high-end escort service free on bond this morning. nbc news cameras were with her exclusively as she returned home for the first time in four months. and remembering norah ephron, the writer and filmmaker behind some of hollywood's biggest hits has died after a lengthy battle with leukemia. we'll look back at her career and unforgettable movies today

we'll look back at her career and unforgettable movies today wednesday, june 27th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and ann curry, live from studio 1, a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, welcome to "today" on wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. the colorado springs fire chief is describing that wildfire as a firestorm of epic proportions. it could become one of the biggest disasters in colorado history, matt. >> here is the problem, driven by 60-mile-an-hour wind gusts, flames flew through containment lines wednesday. it's one of a dozen fires raging in that state now. we'll get the latest on that report. meanwhile parts of florida are dealing with the worst flooding since 1964. that in the wake of tropical depression debby.

we'll go there live in a couple minutes. also good news. gas prices are plummeting nationwide down $0.11 in the past week. ironically we have the sluggish economy to thank for that. we'll explain how that works. yesterday on the show we showed you this video of a dad getting a huge scare on an amusement park ride. his facial expressions, screams, all this happening as his 10-year-old daughter gig he would next to them. this morning we're going to meet them both when they join us live that video makes me laugh. >> nice to see them both smiling this morning. we begin with new dangers from the massive wildfire in colorado that forced 32,000 people to evacuate. miguel almaguer is at the command center in colorado springs. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning. this fire has always been driven by bone dry conditions and erratic winds and tuesday it was that combination that led to this blaze, making a huge run.

at this hour we still don't know how many homes were lost. the flames moved so quickly the inferno so explosive it took only minutes for sprawling home after sprawling home to be completely destroyed. firefighters simply overwhelmed by the blaze. >> this is a firestorm of epic proporti proportions. >> reporter: with winds whipping at 65 miles an hour, the colorado springs waldo canyon fire jumped bridges, tearing past fire breaks meant to stop the blaze. >> this was such a fast acting firestorm literally. >> reporter: planes, helicopters and ground crews couldn't beat back the flames. the inferno raged on overnight. at least 32,000 evacuations have been ordered. >> this has been a very bad day. >> the air force academy cleared thousands from their campus, some vac weeks seeking shelter in hotels were forced to pick up and leave again. entire subdivisions headed for

safer ground. >> we packed up two houses. my sister's house and our house and escaped with our children and animals. >> scott gathered priceless photos before he and his family fled the flames. >> we've waited as long as we can and it looks like it's about time to go. >> reporter: tuesday colorado springs wasn't the only major city in the state engulfed in fire. the hills above boulder ignited, the blaze doubled in size, evacuation orders. >> winds picked up. the fire is burning in several directions at once. >> reporter: what's how being called the worst fire season in colorado history comes at a time when the state is being scorched by record heat. today more than 3,000 firefighters are battling at least a dozen blazes in colorado alone. many working in stifling triple digit heat. a recipe for more destruction in the days ahead.

an historic fire season claiming more and more homes while the damage has yet to be tallied. >> we're not out of this. it's not even close to being over. >> reporter: the governor said neither the army nor national guard could stop the fire under these conditions. nobody was prepared for 65-mile-an-hour winds. later today crews hope to get a better idea of how many homes were lost. many fear entire neighborhoods were wiped out. ann. >> well, the pictures are certainly dramatic. miguel almaguer, thank you. it is 7:05. here is matt. >> thanks. in florida, debby is a tropical depression but wreaking havoc. parts of the state have been drenched by more than 2 feet of rain leading to some of the worst flooding in 50 years. the weather channel's jim cantore in flood ravaged live oak. jim, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. this is our second tropical storm of the month. we've gone from drought to deluge here. unfortunately the soil cannot hold water. there are businesses, homes

under water in through here. this is just from the 20 inches of rain that fell in less than 24 hours. this is the major way into live oak right here, and you can see behind me it is flooding. the water as high as 3 to 4 foot deep. yesterday when we were here we can see the top of the car. it's not going down. it's not going down on interstate 10, the main fare east of us all the way to jacksonville, closed for 24 hours in both directions. until this freshwater recedes, neither area is going to be open for business and people aren't going to be able to get back in and assess the damage to homes. that is something to keep an eye on along with rivers. all the water will go into them, they will rise and that will flood another set of homes as well. florida obviously getting back into the sunshine they are used to. unfortunately they will deal with more flooding as the rivers rise. back to you matt. >> the damage has been done. jim cantore in live oak, florida

this morning. we'll get al's forecast in a moment. >> besides the fire and rain there's a lot of other stories to get to. natalie at the news desk with that. good morning, natalie. >> good morning matt and ann, everyone. the birth mother of the adopted son of jerry sandusky raised issues decades ago. she fought the court system when her child was placed in the sandusky home. they legally adopted him when he turned 18. debra long said her concerns were ignored because of his standing in the community. matt told authorities last week jerry sandusky began abusing him when he was just 8 years old. let's head to wall street. kaley tausche there. how is it looking, kaley? >> investors have looked past worries in europe, possibly because of positive data. data for durable goods and

pending home sales. watching shares of facebook to rise today on the host of positive research notes from the banks. >> kayla tausche, thanks. say good-bye to the old championship series, college will have four game playoffs. starting 2014 a selection committee will pick the top four teams to face off in the semifinals with the winners advancing to a national championship game. big ben is going to be more like big beth as the landmark has been renamed elizabeth tower in honor of the queen's jubilee. the 153 tower was only nicknamed big ben. its official name has been the clock tower until now. although i think we will all think of it as big ben. hard to get over that. >> wouldn't you call that a sex change? >> yes, technical it would be. that's an interesting way to look at it. natalie, thank you very much.

mr. roker. >> anyway, nice. we've got tropical depression debby, 25 southeast of st. augustine, moving 35-mile-an-hour winds, north northeast at 10. a little leftover shower activity, one to two inches of rain. most of that offshore. out west the big problem the wildfire scattered afternoon thunderstorms which could spark more wildfire. wind gust storms, 45 miles per hour. temperatures getting up into the upper 90s to low 100s. so there is no relief in sight for those fighting those wildfires out there. as we look at those temperatures, we are going to see really unbelievably warm temperatures into the upper midwest with minneapolis getting up to about 98 degrees today. >> good morning. it will be another beautiful day today. we're starting at what comfortable conditions this morning. it will be a little on the breezy side.

and that's your latest weather. matt. >> al, thanks very much. now to presidential politics, nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows president obama and mitt romney remain locked in a very close race, this after a difficult month for both candidates. chuck todd is nbc's political director and of course our chief white house correspondent. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, matt. you know, the calendar may say its june but the pace of this campaign makes it feel like october. as our latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows a tight race between president obama and mitt romney with both candidates actually losing ground in key areas. as if it's the fall, both the

president and mitt romney spent tuesday in battleground states. mr. obama in florida. >> we're going to finish what we started in 2008. >> reporter: and romney in virginia. >> we're going to win in november. >> reporter: while a lot has happened in the last month, on the surface it appears little has changed. the president narrowly leads romney 47-44, nearly identical to where the race was last month. when you dig deeper you find key shifts. in the swing states with it will be decided mr. obama's lead is actually larger, 50 to 42. one reason for that edge may be the president's $25 million anti-romney ad campaign in those states. >> does virginia really want an outsorcerer and chief in the white house. the negative ads appear to have taken a toll on romney's personal ratings. after three months of improving numbers, his negative rating is back to its all-time high of 39%. but our poll also shows the president struggling as well. his job rating is down to 47%

with 48% disapproving. that's his first upside down rating in six months. his rating is even worse on the economy. 42% approve, 53% disapprove. to get a better sense of what's sticking with voters, we ask them to name the first words that come to mind about each candidate. romney's strength include good businessman, change, conservative. his neck tigatives, wealthy, ou touch. the president's -- meanwhile both holding breath on health care. our polls show 35% think the president's plan is a good idea. 41% calling it a bad one. whatever the decision, romney already has his response. >> if obama care is not deemed constitutional, the first three and a half years of this president's term is wasted on something that has not helped the american people. if it is deemed to stand, then i'll tell you one thing, we're going to have to have a

president, and i'm not one, that's going to get rid of obama care. we'll stop it on day one. >> by the way, matt, early this week we were talking a lot about immigration. there's some evidence that the president's decision on immigration, to deal with those undocumented workers, children of them coming into the country and having them not deported, he saw his support among hispanics jump five points in our poll, matt. >> chuck, thank you very much. it's now 13 after the hour. here is ann. >> newly released police documents shedding more light on shooting death of florida teenager trayvon martin. early in the investigation the lead detective believed the tragedy could have been avoided. kerry sanders in sanford, florida again for us this morning. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. in those released documents, the lead detective concludes george zimmerman failed on two opportunities to tell trayvon

martin who he was. that would have diffused the situation, instead it escalated leading to the 17-year-old's death. that's the detective's voice. he led the sanford police team investigating the shooting death of trayvon martin. there's detective in sunglasses as they retraced the steps zimmerman said they took that fatal night. in police documents, the detective writes, zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain had two opportunities to defuse the circumstances surrounding their encounter, a point the detective made in his recorded police interrogation of zimmerman. >> hu told this child that you were neighborhood watch and you just wonder what the hell he was doing when he came to your car, we probably wouldn't be here right now. >> reporter: from the out set detective serrino was skeptical,

at odds with higher ups in the department. >> we don't have the grounds to arrest him. >> reporter: one day after then police chief bill lee announced there would be no charges, serrino recommended zimmerman be charged with manslaughter in his report, saying zimmerman had come to a faulty conclusion about martin being in the neighborhood and had injuries only marginally consistent with a life threatening violent episode as described by him during which neither a deadly weapon nor deadly force was deployed by trayvon martin. >> the detective found zimmerman didn't act like and wasn't injured like a man who could justify the fatal shooting of trayvon martin. if the jury agrees, that means zimmerman could be headed for a murder conviction. >> reporter: the detective is a 15-year veteran. his personnel file includes no complaints, only letters of accommodation and certificates of hundreds of hours of police training, including advanced homicide investigative

techniques. but tuesday the sanford police department announced he voluntarily requested a reassignment to patrol division. ser ino will be back in uniform on the overnight shift. also released tuesday this confidential report with an x next to the box that saidstantie truth during this voice stress test. now, it's unclear if that voice stress test could everen admissible in court because the science is somewhat questionable. george zimmerman, who is in jail here, will be on court friday again, of course asking for a bond. zimmerman pled not guilty saying he shot trayvon martin in self-defense. ann. >> all right. kerry sanders this morning. kerry, thank you. it is 7:16. here is matt. thank you. we've got some good news for drivers this morning. gas prices have hit a five-month low ahead of the busy fourth of july holiday. nbc's gabe gutierrez in

greenville with more on this good news. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. take a good look behind me. right here unleaded is at $2.69. drivers in south carolina haven't seen gas this low in almost a year and a half. prices are falling all over the country. from atlanta -- >> thank got it's $3.18. >> to dallas to los angeles. >> i think it's great. >> drivers want to know how lo can they go. >> in the summer prices usually go up, now they are going down. i don't understand. >> reporter: aaa says the national average dropped to $3.38 a gallon. prices plummeted $0.11 in one week and $0.26 over the last month. fred used to spend over $80. >> $61 for 12 gallons.

>> reporter: now the self-employed contractor is saving $20 each time. >> we hopefully will see additional drops. but again, gas prices are so volatile, it's really hard to say. >> reporter: in south carolina the biggest surprise of all, gas below $3. the last time that happened was february 11 as mass protesting libya drove up prices nationwide. now more states are approaching the $3 a gallon mark including alabama, mississippi and tennessee. >> i would say my summer definitely changed because the gas prices have been lower. it will prompt me to go on vacation, spend more money. >> reporter: so why the drop? analysts say part of it has to do with the sluggish u.s. economy. >> demand is down. fuel production is actually up. the refineries in california are actually exporting excess fuel to south america and overseas in a lot of cases. >> reporter: also worries about global markets are keeping oil near eight-month lows. >> i want to see them go down

even more. that would be great. >> reporter: wishful thinking right before the fourth of july. >> in this economy everything helps, every penny. >> reporter: overall the average price of gas in this country is down about $0.72 since its all-time high in july of 2008. matt. >> gabe gutierrez on this story. gabe, thank you very much. now here is ann. >> matt, thanks. tributes are pouring in this morning for acclaimed author and filmmaker norah ephron. the 71-year-old behind hits like sleepless in seattle and "when harry met sally" died tuesday night after battling leukemia. kristen dahlgren with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: few new ephron was sick causing confusion when news broke, even premature reports of her death. some say she would find it funny like so many things in life.

she was the voice of generations of american women saying what so many wanted to but few dared. as an author and screen writer of films like "when harry met sally" ephron gave us classic moments. >> i don't want the ice cream on top, i want it on the side. i like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it. >> unforgettable characters. >> men and women can't be friends because the sex parts always gets in the way. >> when he learned of ephron's death, billy crystal said he was lucky to be able to say her words. tom hanks who starred in "you've got mail" and "sleepless in seattle." her first job in the mail room at newsweek, but she rose quickly through the ranks. her rye columns eventually became comedies. >> that's what i'm trying to tell you, what women are looking for.

>> reporter: directed "when harry met sally." >> she had a great ear for how we sounded when we talked to each other. people would watch her films and watch the work she did and they would connect because they saw themselves. >> reporter: ephron was nominated for three academy awards. it was her ability to find humor even in life's most challenging moments that made her such an american icon. >> i had two small kids and then, of course, husband. >> reporter: her bitter divorce became fodder for "heartburn." for the last 25 years she was married to screen writer nicholas paleggi. while she still made films like "julia and julia". >> the big thing that amaze 60 the new 50 and 50 new 40, not living through better chemistry not exercise but hair dye.

>> from hair to carbs. >> i don't want to be there at the end, there was this piece of bread i didn't eat. >> reporter: ephron told it like it was. >> there's a lot written about getting older that you look at and go, are you crazy? oh, the best time of your life. >> reporter: in the end told few that she was ill. writer sally quinn was one of ephron's best friends. >> i gather from one or two of my friends who were in the hospital with her in the last few weeks that she was still really funny, even though she was sad. she was making cracks until the very end. >> reporter: classic norah ephron, frank and fearless with that incredible ability to somehow make us laugh through the tears. >> norah ephron was 71, survived by her husband and two sons and legions of fans, ann. >> kristen dahlgren, thank you very much. a woman ahead of her time. she not only gave women a voice,

she gave us a funny voice. >> she wrote an essay what i will miss, my kids, nick, waffles, reading in bed, pie. a lot of food there. >> absolutely. i think a lot of women feel like they lost a good friend. >> my condolences to her family. >> we're back in just a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

. just ahead, exclusive video of the so-called manhattan madam on bail, returning home. >> the dad and daughter who had different experiences on the amusement park ride after your local news. build your better breakfast. give it an avocado kick. [ male announcer ] kick up your morning. try a fresh toasted bacon, egg & cheese with the rich, smooth superfood, avocado. subway. build your better breakfast. and the chefs at lean cuisine are loving tangy lemon,

peppery poblano, sweet butternut. we're roasting, and grilling to create must-have meals with no preservatives. >> good morning, everybody. i'm stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. a multimillion-dollar judgment level begins johns hopkins hospital is considered the state's largest medical malpractice payout ever. monday is city jury awarded $55 million of a family of a take- year-old who suffers from brain damage answerable calls it. attorneys for the families say hopkins doctors caused the injuries by waiting nearly two hours to perform the emergency section of the hospital insists

perfect care was the proper care was provided. let us check the morning commute. >> a lot going on out there. let's get right to a. traveling northbound 895 for the construction zone, p and accidents atotee street of to the side, another a at st. another at eager, and -- between stockton and carollton, fire department activity. take qwest lexington street as your alternate. . west lexington street is your alternate. now very, route 27 and watersville road and columbia, eastbound side of little patuxent parkway. you see the usual stuff, southbound 95 back up approaching white marsh to the bout with ne but very clear on the 83 in parked in a region at york road which continues all the way down to the beltway.

them a beautiful start for us again this wednesday morning. a little breeze coming of the northwest. dew point in the four deposit. 59 in parkton. qwest win at seven will pick up later this afternoon. -- west wind at seven will pick up litter this afternoon. sunny skies. warmer than yesterday but the committee still very comfortable. seven-day forecast

you are looking at the famed tower bridge in london where the olympic rings were just put into place for the summer olympic games. with one month to go now the opening ceremony, many of the athletes will compete but team usa just being determined, ryan lochte and michael phelps who secured their spots monday were back at it in the swimming trials in omaha. they finished one-two, separated by 2/100 of a second. a showdown in the finals tonight. >> going to be fun on nbc. i watched a lot of it last night. it really was fun.

big names made the team, a couple have not made the teams. we'll follow that. tomorrow the u.s. gymnastic trials get under way. natalie recently spent some time with some of the young women hoping to represent the u.s. in london. she even did some training herself as you can see right there. we'll have more on natalie's piece coming up in a few minutes. >> looked like she had fun there. coming up, the struggle of identical twins to find their own identities. we're going to meet two sisters who have a very close bond. it's actually becoming an issue for one in her marriage. we'll talk about that. >> can we call him the father of the year? the dad who screamed his lungs out when he took his daughter on the amusement park ride. if he was that scared the first time, why degree to do it again. to find out, he's here with his daughter to tell us all about that experience. we begin this half hour with alleged soccer mom free on bond anna grist inna released last

night after four months behind bars at reicher's island in new york. jeff rossen has details on this. jeff, good morning. >> matt, ann, good morning to you. long night for anna gristina. prosecutors say she was running a high-end prostitution ring in a high-end district on manhattan's upper east side. she density saying it's a dating service. this morning she's out of jail. how does she spend her first minutes of freedom? we have exclusive video of her home coming. holding a dozen red roses, greeted by her husband and son, anna gristina walked out a free woman, sort of. tuesday night she posted $250,000 bond but must wear an electronic ankle bracelet until trial. >> thank you, everybody. i just want to be with my family tonight please. >> reporter: with a media crush following her, gristina was whisked away, headed back to her house in the new york suburbs. you're watching her first moments at home post release

taped exclusively by nbc news. >> i feel like i'm in a deja vu or dream or something. it's all so shocking, because us so programmed to a certain routine, being in a cell. you know, it's almost like the outside world is vanishing. >> reporter: gristina seemed relieved after spending four months behind bars. and her pet pig was there, too. >> it's too good to be true. i'm almost scared to go to sleep, because i'm scared i'm going to wake up and not be here. >> reporter: prosecutors say this suburban mom was running a multi-million dollar escort service out of this manhattan apartment and got wealthy providing sex for rich, influential clients, who she's never named. gristina pled not guilty and spoke with matt from jail just two weeks ago. >> i watched a show called "the

millionaire matchmaker." a friend of mine suggested, you'd be really good at it. i looked into opening up something called the same thing, except instead of single and seeking, married and seeking. >> married men looking for someone to have dinner with? >> very much like match.com. >> friends say she's a suburban soccer mom, not a millionaire madam. 44 years old, married twice with four kids. a wife, anna gristina just got back, as prosecutors build their case trying to send her back to jail. >> i'm just going to walk around the garden and feel grass under my feet, smell the fresh air and, you know, watch the sun coming up, see what it's like to be back home again and let it really settle in that this is home again. i'm back. it's real.

>> now there are some bond conditions. i mentioned the ankle bracelet. gristina also had to surrender her passport and matt and ann she's not allowed to leave the metropolitan area pending her trial. >> 34 past the hour. here is ann. >> rielle hunter, john edwards former mistress revealed she and the one-time presidential candidate have broken up. mara schiavocampo joining us with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. hunter made the admission during a round of interviews promoting the book. she said weeks after edwards criminal trial ended, so has their relationship. they look like a happy family, john edwards at a vacation home in north carolina last week with rielle hunter and their 4-year-old daughter quinn, playing in the sand, hanging out on the deck, even sharing a kiss. but those sun-filled days are over. in an interview on "the view" tuesday edwards former mistress said they are no longer a couple. >> you've broken up.

>> yes. >> why did he want it over? now you can settle down. >> you have to ask him that. i can tell you my reasons, because i don't want to speak for him. for my reasons, i'm not a mistress, i'm a mom, and i don't want to hide. because we have such media scrutiny and because of the children our relationship is hard. >> hunter is making the media rounds to promote her tell-all business, "what really happened, john edwards, our daughter and me." in it she details how she fell in love with the senator in 2006, a story she later recounted on "the oprah winfrey show." >> i turned to him and said you're so hot. he practically jumped into my arms. >> reporter: in the book she had scathing words for edwards wife elizabeth. hunter writes, elizabeth was,

quote, a witch on wheels who would go on a venomous attack with complete disregard to the people she was hurting. but during her appearance on "the view," it was hunter who faced attacks. >> truth be told you were a mistress. >> in your book you trash a dead lady, whose husband you had an affair and baby with. it makes you look bad. it makes you look schemey and kind of heartless. >> reporter: news of the breakup comes weeks after the end of edwards campaign finance trial. he had been accused of illegally using contributions to support hunter and their child. when the trial ended with no convictions, edwards emotionally proclaimed his love for his daughter with hunter. >> finally my precious quinn, who i love more than any of you could ever imagine. >> reporter: hunter never took the stand at the trial, a move some believe helped edwards

defense. >> it could have been beneficial for john edwards to keep the relationship going through the trial, if only to keep rielle hunter off the stand. i don't know if john edwards wanted to take the chance of what she might say. >> reporter: now, hunter also said that despite the breakup she still loves johnny as she calls him. we reached out to edwards about the story and he had no comment. ann. >> mara schiavocampo. thanks so much. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by new coffee mate natural bliss. add your flavor naturally. i don't think we've had this before, dueling choirs. the one world choir festival. a choir from the university of new castle in australia. over here we've got this choir from trinidad and tobago. they are singing over here. wow! i love it. that's what's -- let's do the

weather first. i got so excited by it, i almost forgot to do the weather. man, they sound good. check it out and see what they have got for you. heat wave sliding east, minneapolis, 90s to nearly 100 degrees. it's going to be toasty. as you can see on the satellite, a lot of wet weather hanging around central florida. that's getting out. remnants of debby, strong storms in mississippi river valley. plenty of record highs in the central rockies under the southwest. gulf coast looking pretty good as well. >> good morning. it will be a nice afternoon. we expect mostly sunny skies.

trinidad and tobago, australia, there you go, dueling choirs. ann. >> all right, al. thank you so much. coming up next, one family's warning on the dangers of an activity that's become very popular, riding atvs. the dad who screamed in terror on an amusement park ride. his young daughter not so much. but first these messages. eat good fats. avoid bad. don't go over 2000... 1200 calories a day. carbs are bad. carbs are good. the story keeps changing. so i'm not listening... to anyone but myself. i know better nutrition when i see it: great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. for multi grain flakes that are an excellent source of fiber

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it's your teenager's first varsity game. it isn't just your annual exam. it's your daughter's wedding. did you know with your health insurance you may now have some preventive benefits with no co-pays or out-of-pocket costs? it isn't just your cholesterol screening. it's all the tomorrows you're looking forward to. learn more at healthcare.gov. back at 7:43 with safety concerns surrounding a popular family activity, riding all terrain vehicles. june and july are peak months for injuries and deaths associated with atv use. tom costello has more on that. tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a lot of people love their atvs,

love spending time on them with families. atvs are sources of injury and death. it gets very risky when kids are involved. carolyn anderson and her husband missed the first emergency phone call about their 14-year-old son james. when they found the voice message, they learned he had been in an atv accident, on the way to the hospital. >> i screamed this primal scream. intuitively i knew something wasn't good. >> reporter: the andersons didn't even know james was riding an atv. he was with a friend's family on a trip to new hampshire when he lost control of a 700 pound machine and crashed it into a tree. >> i asked, is my son still alive? he said, no, i'm sorry. we did everything we could. he's not alive. >> the kid who loved fishing,

playing baseball and saxophone died before his parents could get to the hospital. he's not alone. jeremy bryant died after breaking his neck in an atv accident. in 2010, 55 kids younger than 16 were killed on atvs, more than 28,000 seriously injured, leading the american academy of pediatrics to warn, simply put, atvs are dangerous to children. they are not developmentally capable of operating these heavy machines. the risk is not limited to kids. >> atvs are the fifth deadliest product we ever see at the u.s. product safety commission. every year 700 people die and 136,000 go to the emergency room because of atv-related injuries. >> a lot of that has to do with bad behavior with plenty of examples on youtube. it's why the atv industry has put great emphasis on safety. holding classes around the country, teaching the golden

rules of atv riding, like always wear a helmet. never ride on a public road. never ride with a passenger. importantly, one sized atv does not fit all. that's especially important with kids. this yellow atv is not supposed to be ridden by anybody under the age of 14. this bigger blue one over here not supposed to be ridden by anybody under the age of 16. >> they need to be on one designed for their ability, engine size, speed size and the size of the atv. >> reporter: atvs have never been more popular. 11 million in years cared to 2,000. >> my son has had one. he's seven. he rides now. >> reporter: a growing family sport but with risks. it is not illegal for kids to ride atvs. but remember, a 10-year-old, 12, 14-year-old, of course, they don't have driver's licenses, all the more reasons, say the experts, to watch kids very

closely when they are on atvs. back to you. >> important advice for parents, tom. thank you very much. up next the dad who screamed his way through an amusement park ride all for the love of his daughter. right after this. ♪ no muscle bound man could take my hand from my guy ♪ ♪ my guy ♪ no handsome face could ever take the place of my guy ♪ ♪ my guy, my guy, my guy ♪ he may not be a movie star ♪ but when it comes to being happy, we are ♪ ♪ there's not a man today who could take me away from my guy ♪ ♪ but not for your eyes. they're still so tired looking. with olay challenge that, with regenerist anti-aging eye roller. its hydrating formula with caffeine conditioning complex, perks up the look of eyes. it works in the blink of an eye. so ditch the brown bag for something better.

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and no added hormones. what makes hershey's pure chocolate goodness that brings people together. hershey's makes it a s'more... you make it special. pure hershey's. it's about time we made our homes work for us. so let's make our dryers do the ironing. have our fridges cater our parties. and tell our ranges to whip up dinner. let's plug in to summer savings before they're gone... ...without wasting an ounce of energy with smart machines that turn housework into house play. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, save $600 on this maytag french door refrigerator, just $1,598. focus lolo, focust sanya let's do this i am from baltimore south carolina... bloomington, california... austin, texas... we are all here to represent the country we love

this is for everyone back home it's go time. across america, we're all committed to team usa. back now at 7:50 with the dad and daughter we first showed you on tuesday. steve thought he was being a supportive father when he took his daughter on an amusement park ride called the screamin' swing, and it certainly lived up to its name. >> never again grace elizabeth. oh, my gosh. >> steve and his daughter grace, good morning to both of you. i'm glad to see both of you smiling. first of all, what is a

screamin' swing, exactly. >> it's just a giant pendulum that swings back and forth until it gets perpendicular and swings back through. the pressure was enormous. my biggest fear is heights, so that didn't help a whole lot. >> we mention, this happened last summer. has your stomach settled yet? >> yes, it did. it took several hours but i felt better later in the evening. >> how did you agree to get on this with your daughter? >> well, there's actually four people on the ride, a couple we were with, a father with his daughter. she wanted to ride on it and my wife was not there to go and wouldn't let her ride without me. i thought, how bad can it be. so we hopped on and that's what happened? >> grace, do you know how much your dad loves you? >> you not only did this ride once, you went on it again. >> yeah. they stopped it to let me off?

>> yeah. i was yelling to stop and let me off. they let me off. she's like oh, can we go again. do it one more time. take me up again. >> did you survive that one? >> yeah. yeah. >> grace, you're giggling like crazy. are you giggling because you love the ride or because your dad was so uncomfortable. >> probably both. >> both. yeah. >> when he said grace elizabeth, you knew something was up. did you hear him say grace elizabeth. >> yeah. >> you knew he was scared. >> have you ever seen him like that? >> no, not really. >> grace elizabeth, i have two words for you for this summer. all right? bungee jumping. you think you can do that? dad, are you up for that? we'll sponsor it. >> if you sponsor it, i'll try it maybe. >> really? >> wow. >> deal. deal. >> you're on. excellent. i was worried about 'em, you know?

i mean for instance my mom went to bed tonight before making my dinner. which is fine, i mean i, i know how to make dinner. it just starts to make you wonder. is this what happens when you age? my friends used to say i was the lucky one. i had the fun parents. where's the fun now? night guys! [ sighs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] venza. from toyota. a digital scanning system five times more precise. helping you see perfectly. that's precision. ♪ lenscrafters. ♪ yeah.... this is awesome! whoa. woohoo. nice mask.

target. nice backpack. target. so much spider-man stuff, it's amazing. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever,

bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

>> good morning. i'm mindy basara. time for a check on the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell. >> a lot to get you up-to-date on. southbound 95 at 895, the side of the split, you can see a substantial belays back to the harford, in line. in the city, baltimore street shut down between stockton and carollton, take qwest lexington. -- west lexington. approaching reisterstown road down the west side, backing up 795 and eastbound 70 toward bob

witt. crash in westminster -- eastbound little patuxent parkway in colombia watch for an accident and lights are out. southbound 29 past patuxent parkway, an axe in the coming into was. white marsh, southbound traffic inching along toward the 895 split. that is where the accident is off to the side but all lanes are open but still have a. a live view of the northwest corner of about one where we are dealing with the westbound delays approaching 140. >> another beautiful start for us this wednesday morning. a nice breeze coming out of the northwest and humidity certainly in the comfortable range. 62 in columbia. we just jumped up to 70 at the airport. but the dew point in the 40's, again, it feels very comfortable. west wind and nine. mostly sunny and breezy, warm and comfortable today with high

temperatures expected in the mid 80's. seven-day forecast, it will warm up, 92 tomorrow and 97 samaras and 90's over the weekend

xx xxxx. it is 8:00 now on wednesday morning, the 27th day of june, 2011. kind of a nice view, moderate day. temperatures in the 60s. nice weather for people all around the country stopping by rockefeller plaza. joining them out here morning, i'm matt lauer with ann curry and al roker. coming up, talking about the bond of identical twins. >> a closeness many of us are unable to understand. these twins you're looking at are so close, it's become a

problem. one has been living in with one that's married and has been living with them for three years now and that's become a problem for the husband. how does that happen, what does it mean and how can we better understand the bond of twins. >> a lot of women talking about magic mike, one of the stars, chan channing tatum will be here. >> a lot of people in our audience are very excited about this. nothing but channing, that's what a sign said. we're very excited. >> olympic opening ceremony 30 days from today in london. natalie getting a little jump-start on the games going out to the olympic training center for gymnastics trying some of the apparatus work. we'll find out who are about that and how she did. i think she did pretty well. >> imagine getting to work with him. >> a dream. >> let's get inside with natalie who actually has the headlines.

>> thanks to you guys again. new evacuations ordered overnight in colorado as 65-mile-per-hour winds fuel a dangerous wildfire. more than 30,000 people were forced to flee after flames blew through containment lines tuesday and consumed dozens of homes. norah ephron is being remembered as one of the most influential writers and filmmakers in a generation. she died late toous in manhattan after battling leukemia. she was 71 years old. the lead attorney for casey anthony claimed the florida mom had serious mental issues and the police should have known she built a fantasy world out of lies. a book that comes out takes aim at reporters and so-called groupies who followed the case. anthony was acquitted in the murder of her daughter caylee. now to a story we brought you tuesday of a michigan man arrested for allegedly conspiring to take out a hit on an alleged hitman. nbc's michelle franzen in

detroit. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. bob bashara in jail behind me, scheduled to be arraigned this morning, accused of plotting to kill the alleged hitman suspected of killing his wife. prosecutors are also expected to make a major announcement in the latest twist to this already twisted murder case. from behind bars in detroit, bob bashara wipes steam in the glass. the gross point businessman was arrested monday, his attorney said, for conspiring to make a jailhouse hit on the alleged hitman charged with murdering basha bashara's wife jane in january. >> it's bob's believe it was a set up from the get go. >> reporter: set up by bashara's reported handyman who reportedly confessed in march he was hired by bashara to kill jane. prosecutors have evidence saying bashara tried to put a hit on the client. >> this prosecutor's office

would not make the charge unless they had something to back it up. >> he has never been charged in the murder of his wife but early on was a person of interest. she was found murdered and strangled inside an suv on the gritty side. bashara had a secret life that included reports of an alleged mistress and sex parties. in may bashara talked to "dateline" and said he was innocent and loved his wife. >> i have no idea. lou at my life, really look at my life, and you can see all the good i've done. why on earth would i want to change all that? why on earth would i want to kill my wife? >> reporter: bashara faces possible life in prison if convicted on the charges. meanwhile the alleged hitman is waiting results of a second competency exam before he enters his plea. natalie. >> michelle franzen in detroit for us. thank you, michelle. now here is brian williams with what's coming up tonight on

"nbc nightly news." good morning. >> natalie, good morning. when we see you tonight on "nbc nightly news," we're going to tell you about a special group of americans, a bunch of marines receiving congressional gold medal, nation's highest civilian honor. we'll tell you their story and more when we see you tonight. for now, natalie, back to you. >> thanks, brian. a look at what's trending. a quick roundup of what has you talking online. targeted marketing, online travel agency orbitz noticed macusers are bigger spendeneders, like better hotels, usually have higher income than pc users. if you're a mac you may be shown a more expensive use of hotels than on your pc. the site is not charging more for the same room. a hot search is hunger games heroine jennifer lawrence living up to her status after she ran to the rescue of a young woman who collapsed outside her apartment in santa monica.

while awaiting the paramedics she tried to arouse the woman who was later given the all clear. the future of l.a., hair-raising movies, kentucky basketball star anthony davis all the talk on twitter after he trade marked his infamous unibrow along with phrases fear the brow and raise the brow. he's expected to be the number one draft pick tomorrow, brow and all. let's go back outside to al with the weather. if you have it, own it. >> i ought to trademark this, see how i do with that. we've got some girl scouts here. where are you guys from? >> california. >> where in california? >> orange county. >> where in orange county? all right. there you go. let's see what we've got for you, pick city of the day happens to be savannah, georgia. sunny, hot, 90 degrees. we do have tropical depression

debby 25 miles southeast of st. augustine, florida, 35-mile-an-hour winds east northeast at 10. it moves offshore. no big problems there. we've got some rain hanging around. nothing like we've seen the last 24 hours. record highs in the mississippi river valley, showers in northern new england. >> good morning. it will be another beautiful day today. we're starting at what comfortable conditions this morning. it will be a little on the breezy side. weather. matt. >> thanks so much.

when we come back, identical twins open up about their super tight bond and also their struggles to find their own identity. that is right after these messages. also, get a free flight. you know that comes with a private island? really? no. it comes with a hat. 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? but that won't happen with the capital one venture card. you can book any airline, anytime. hey, i just said that. after all, isn't traveling hard enough? ow! [ male announcer ] to get the flights you want, sign up for a venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? uh, it's ok. i've played a pilot before. and the chefs at lean cuisine are loving tangy lemon, peppery poblano, sweet butternut. we're roasting, and grilling to create must-have meals with no preservatives. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. [ female announcer ] new lipton tea & honey. sweetened with honey, made from real tea leaves and real fruit flavors. ♪ it's never felt so real

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back now at 8:11 with the special and often powerful bond shared by identical twins as explored in the new tlc special twintvention which follows the lives of three twins.

danielle, single, has been living with the couple for three years. todd has decided it's time for danielle to start thinking about moving out. >> living with my sister and brother-in-law just gives me a feeling of security, of contentment. i'm going to probably prolong it as long as i can. honestly, i know i definitely have to eventually make a move, and that's going to be difficult. >> i finally feel like i got up the muster to go look at some condos. you have not one positive thing to say about any place we looked at. >> seriously if you are so ready to move out, it should come within you. >> nicole, i'm asking for you, moral support. >> you have my support, danielle, in everything. >> nicole and danielle joining us along with psychiatrist and contributor gail saltz. good morning to all of you. it's a pleasure to have you

here. first of all, you're very con r comfortable in front of the cameras talking about all this. why in the first place did you move in? >> nicole and i had a business together. we closed the business. when we closed the business, i sold my condo to pay off the debt so we could start fresh. but i did that with the intent that i would move in with nicole until i figured out what i was going to do next. >> so why have you not then moved out for three years, do you think? >> i've gotten very comfortable there. i love it. >> and you're smiling. >> yes. >> but your husband is not smiling. >> he smiles once in a while. >> that's good. >> it's the best of both worlds. my best friend, danielle, and my husband. honestly, i couldn't ask for anything better. i know it can't be that way forever, because i think todd

will kill me. but for the time being, i think i'm pretty lucky. it's pretty great. >> how has it impacted your marriage negatively? >> i mean, that's a very good question. i'd like to say no, it hasn't, but i think there are times it has worn on our marriage. arguments that never would have arisen have arisen over it, when todd has gotten frustrated maybe with does dan actually have a plan? really, this is one year, we're going on three. do you not think it's a good idea she gets a plan into action and just start thinking about it. i'll be like oh, my god, you can't just throw that on somebody right away. you need time to figure it out. he was like, i would never do that, nicole. i'm just saying start thinking and put a plan into place. >> are you in this thinking because you really enjoy having your sister in the house, or are

you thinking because you're concerned about what will happen to her? in other words, is there something about the bond you share that is fueling your wish to keep her in the house? >> well, again, it's the best of both worlds. living with my twin, my best friend, and my husband i think is pretty fabulous. yeah, if danielle moves out, i want to know she's moving somewhere safe, that she's secure, and that things are good, because i am the worry wart between the two of us. i worry about her constantly. >> gail, i wonder what you can tell us about the bond between twins and when that bond might be potentially unhealthy. >> our biggest fear for most people in life is at the end of the day you are alone, you are your own individual. what's amazing about being a twin, you can avoid that feeling somewhat, the feeling that someone else is almost you,

feels like you, looks like you, thinks like you in many ways. that is a great comfort. that's what you're talking about, and that's wonderful, except when it prevents you from really being an individual, which is so important, and all the things that being an individual brings you, like a marriage. have you to be your own person. three people can't be in a marriage. so when it interrupts your functioning in that way, then it is a problem and you need help figuring out how to have enough of your own identity while still enjoying the special bond that being a twin brings. >> we're going to find out what happens in this series. >> you've got to love that name twintvention. tonight at 9:00, 8:00 eastern. >> there you go. dr. gail, thank you very much. coming up next natalie introduces us to some of the young women competing to be on the u.s. olympics gymnastic team

and also tries a few events coming up right after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] not everything powerful has to guzzle fuel. the 2012 e-class bluetec from mercedes-benz. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. for exceptional offers what makes hershey's pure chocolate goodness that brings people together. hershey's makes it a s'more... you make it special. pure hershey's.

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compete for five spots on team usa. natalie spent time at the u.s. olympic training center. good morning. >> good morning. run by bella, the gregarious bear hugging cheerleader and his wife marta, the certain other half. the secret to their success, in texas. i decided to check it out. we start our journey on a dirt road 60 miles from houston. no gymnast in sight. bella karolyi greets me with a famous bear hug and whisks me away to explore the 2,000 acres he and marta call home. it seems an unlikely place to gather the world's best gymnasts from deer, peacocks and lady gaga. >> come on, gaga.

>> what made you decide to make this headquarters of usa traini training. >> strong and powerful facility they feel like they are in their own home. >> reporter: bella may have the run of the ranch. but inside the gym it's very clear who is in charge. the other half of duo, national coordinator marta. every few weeks the national women's team comes here to train. the emphasis here is on team building, right? >> it's absolute ly the number one goal since we have this training center, to build the team strong. in 1996 in atlanta, bella and marta led the women's team to the olympic gold medal, the only team gold the u.s. women have

ever won in gymnastics, something marta hopes to change in london. the first order of business, picking that winning team, a job that falls primarily on her shoulders. with a high caliber of talent at this camp, there are enough girls to send multiple teams to london. >> it's an embarrassment of riches the field you can choose from. >> yeah. this is a good thing to worry about that we have too man choices. >> only five girls will make the cut. the 16-year-old champ, right on her tail, the flying squirrel because of her outstanding bar routine. fresh off the junior team sarah finnegan is proofing to be a competitor, former olympians looking to make a comeback after

following short of the gold medal in beijing. >> might as well give it one more go and see what you can do. >> the competition at camp is stiff and training with gymnastics most famous duo can be intimidating. >> gabby, do you remember the first time you came here to the ranch. >> i was so nervous. i started crying because i was all alone. i was talking to my mom owned pay phone. i was like, mom, i'm so alone. >> the camp has become a second home for the girls and a place for them to bond. >> being at these camps helps us a lot. we get a lot closer. we learn a lot more about each other so when we come to competitions we're more comfortable. >> before we go i wanted to show off my gymnastic skills. >> up on the beam. >> that's a problem. >> you've got it. >> smile. >> smile. >> point your toe. >> point the toe. >> then the bars. >> very good. all right. you've got it.

good job. >> oh, that hurt. >> the most intimidating, the vault. >> and jump. very good. >> and the grand finale. >> i'm ready for the floor, floor exercise. all right. maybe i was getting a little too confident. >> watch out rio 2016, here i come. from elite to amateurs, they make everyone feel like a champion. >> how about a gold medal for this. >> a gold. >> that's right. >> this is a dream come true. a lot of pressure on these girls at the trials this weekend. some of the names you're going to be hearing, jordan weaver,allie douglas, also nastia liukin, got gold in beijing. one of the names you won't be hearing clearly, natalie morales. >> has the bruise healed?

>> the ego is still bruised. >> what did you fall into? >> there was this weird thing on the side. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check of your morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> good morning very still problem is trying to wrap up rush-hour. outer loop accident past 70. causing additional west side in the . of the move on ramp to westbound 795, reported accident. delays in ne 95 harford county line to beltway. north side out of the beginning in the area of belair road to delaney valley experiencing delays, baltimore street shut down and the city between

stockton and carollton, so take west lexington as your alternate, and fire activity gunpowder road close between, but run and george is great. eastbound little patuxent parkway and the columbia area, accident and lights out at the intersection and southbound 29 approaching the howard county line. the view of the delay that 95, have a down to the ball away from a harford county line and live view northwest corner not adhere but once you get to 795 things are pretty back up. >> good morning. another beautiful start for us this wednesday morning. lots of sunshine. temperatures very comfortable. 66 at the airport. dew point running in the upper 40's below 50's so the relative lack humidity is below average. 70 at the airport. the breeze will pick up this afternoon. mostly sunny, warmer but still comfortable is the forecast with highs in the mid 80's.

weimer the next couple of days -- 97 on friday and chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon. >> thank you for joining us. another update at 8:55.

morning, the 27th of june, 2012. a beautiful day in our neighborhood. we have a fantastic crowd at rockefeller plaza this morning. i'm ann curry alongside al roker, matt lauer and natalie morales. coming up, the world of male

strippers, in fact. are you ready for this? looking forward to taking off your shirts. channing tatum stars in a new movie called magic mike. he's here to tell us all about it. a lot of people have signs directly devoted to him being here today. >> with good reason. al wearing a tearaway suit. also ahead we're going to take you to a live stage spectacular based on the hit ""how to train your dragon."" we'll catch up with director, cast members, and, yes, some of the dragons on the stage. it's starting a u.s. tour very soon. >> then we'll take you to what could be only described as a star gazers paradise. it is awe inspiring. wait until you see it. unbelievable. >> also, just showed you a preview of the gymnastic trials. it begins tomorrow in san jose. you can catch all our coverage

on the networks of nbc and nbc universal. starts again tomorrow into the weekend. plus coming up, would you be brave enough to show off your post baby body? a group of moms from connecticut decided to do just that, to remind people it takes time to get back into shape. >> all right. okay. before we get to all of that, let's say hello to reese, one of the stars of "the amazing spider-man." >> hi, how are you? >> the marvel comic co-founder says about your portrayal in the movie, reese will do for lizzards what bella lagosi did for vampires. that's high praise. >> that's high praise. >> what made you want to take on this role. >> you can never say no to a spider-man movie, particularly a sony one.

but dr. conners, more than all the other villains is, i guess, extra complicated because of his relationship with peter parker. he knows his father really well. he's really a good man, you know. he has one arm and wants to heal himself. consequently heal the rest of the world, do a good thing for mankind. he just goes about doing it with offense. >> you like the way you say he has one arm. shooting this you had to wear. >> i had to wear a green sock known as kermit. >> so they can fix it. >> usually with cpr you mount things on but they took it away. kermit didn't make the movie. his agent is furious. >> the makeup job, your transformation from man to lizard, how long did it take to do that makeup?

>> at its worst, it was seven to eight hours in a makeup chair with five or six really skilled makeup artists pli s applying reptilian appendages. >> i hear you managed to really scare emma stone. there's a scene where the lizard breaks into the lab. you used a dark, filthy voice. >> it's too early in the morning to give you any detail. >> we've loved you in "notting hill" and "pirate radio." congratulations on the movie. "the amazing spider-man" hits theaters. >> thank you so much. >> good morning. it will be a nice afternoon. we expect mostly sunny skies.

>> and that's your latest weather. now let's check in with our uncle willie, see how he's doing. >> your nation's capital, the national gallery of art sculpture garden. how beautiful. you must come see the national gallery next time you're here. happy birthday from smucker's, how sweet it is. from beautiful charlotte north carolina, kathryn harris, 100 years old, breast cancer survivor. she loves being with her family. you can't beat that. take a look, if you will, as the wheel spins, joseph sullivan of goffstown, new hampshire is 100 years old today.

an avid yankees fan and always enjoys a little shot of whiskey before his dinner. good for you, old boy. and margaret hendrickson, from terre haute, indiana, a nice town. she's a retired school teacher who loves going to church on the sabbath. i go when i can, and i love my church, too. henry bryant, he's from columbia, north carolina. 105 years old today. worked hard on his garden. i mean, he loves to stay active that way. more people have gardens stay young that way. margery engel from, new york, is 100 years old today. always says family is everything to her. the best in the business. can't beat it. and we have elsie thompson, clearwater, florida, 113, good lord have mercy. her secret to longevity is

always thinking of others first. that's it, again to the national gallery, how pretty it is today. come see us. back to you. >> okay, willard, thank you very much. up next magic mike channing tatum is going to be here to talk about his movie about male strippers, much to the delight of some people in our audience. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now with the star of a new movie, women especially are very much looking forward to. the movie is called "magic mike," channing tatum plays title role as a stripper. as you can listen to the crowd listening, they are thrilled about it. the help with matthew mcconaughey. they hope to take their male

review from tampa to big-time in miami. >> miami is looking good. got a couple of loopholes to get through, real estate attorneys down there. after that, it's going to be all green light, brother. >> what do you need from me? >> keep doing what you're doing. >> yeah? >> focus, a big brother to this team. keep that up, you'll make a lot more than door money. >> once again, that word, equity. say it. >> channing tatum, good morning. >> good morning to you. >> you're a producer on this movie. it comes from your experience. when you were 18 in alabama, you were a male stripper. >> it was a crazy time in my life. i'm not ashamed of it, but i don't know if i'm proud of it. it's a crazy part of my life.

i survived it. i was 18 and living in tampa. >> living on a couch, paying the bills. >> when you're 18, you don't want to live in your mom and dad's house. >> what did your mom and dad think, hey, i'm working as a stripper. >> ne never knew. i never told them. i'm just working at this other job over here, over there. my dad ended up finding out when i did "ellen." i gave "ellen" a lap dance. >> wow. >> in fact, the moves you show in this movie are very impressive i think to say the least. i understand there's some gymnastics that might have been involved. >> quite possible. >> how did you pull some of this stuff off. i mean your clothes off but clothes. >> cgi. >> especially effects. >> green screen. >> i'm impressed your wife with some of these moves. is she thrilled you worked on this movie? >> yeah, she married a stripper

kind of. she knew what she was getting into. it was kind of a prerequisite that i would give her dances if she wanted one. >> hey now. you might have revealed too much of yourself. but then again revealed too much of yourself in the movie. those outfits involved, chaps. >> yeah, some leather chaps. there's some -- might be a fireman or two, policeman outfit. you know, the staples. >> was there any moment when you said, maybe i shouldn't be doing this during the movie? >> every single day. when i was actually doing it and every day when i was shooting it. before i went on stage i remind myself, why did i want to do this again? >> you're the producer. >> this is a bad idea. >> you're a big box office draw. this is after so much success at the box office. this is talk about becoming a production on broadway. >> we hope so. it's kind of perfect for a big crazy musical. a lot different from the movie. all about fun. >> would you star in broadway.

>> i might do a little piece. i don't sing that well. so if it's a musical, i'm not sure anybody would want to see me in it. >> after this, what's next? >> i'm going to do a movie with billy. >> get on the other side here. >> come on. wow. >> oh, my god. >> oh, my. >> i'm going to move over here. >> let's hear it, come on. ♪

>> "magic mike" opens nationwide friday. channing tatum, thank you so much, and all dancers as well. >> a reminder of the dates. got a little behind doing that. >> okay. meantime we want to say matthew mcconaughey is going to be here tomorrow. lots more coming up. keep your shirt on. first, this is "today."

back at 8:46 with a place that is a star gazer's dream, english channel island of sark has received a big honor for sky view. nbc correspondent ben fogel got to check it out. >> good morning. you can see behind me the english channel with fascinating stories. although it's not governed as britain, it's part of the british isles and until recently a futile state. more excitingly it was awarded dark status coveted u.n. classification it shares with few other places in the world. crossing the sea to sark can be rough. once you set on this tiny quiet

island, it's the quiet you notice first. listen very carefully, no cars. >> people get around most often on carriage but most prefer pedal power. of course, it's not just me that has to use a bicycle. behind me is our film crew. with all of their equipment. photographer sue davy was drawn to sark but its natural beauty. >> wild flowers in the summer. very good for sea birds as well. on the west coast of the island, we've got some amazing caves you can dive through. even better later. >> tell me more. >> no, have to wait. >> see you later. bye. >> bye. >> hmm, mysterious. just three miles long by half a mile wide, the tiny island of sark has for centuries been ruled by an overlord. although the island retainedence

from britain, still pace rent set by first queen elizabeth 400 years ago. >> approximately $2 and rents the whole island. >> looking after the interest of 600 inhabitants meets here in the old school house. george, whose family came here with the first settlers knows the island better than anyone. >> do you think the island has to progress a little bit or do you think it's about keeping it as it is. >> the longer we can keep it as it is, the better for everybody. >> and as the sun goes down, i remember i have an appointment to keep. sue, i'm intrigued as to what you're going to show me. >> come in here. this is what i wanted you to see. >> wow, it's incredible. that is unbelievable.

i don't think i've ever seen so many stars. so this the real secret of sark, recently nominated the first dark sky island. it's one of the best spots on the planet to see the night sky. >> we have -- >> the astronomer explains to me why it is. >> we don't have any lights. no cars, no streetlights, traffic lights. >> the stars over the tower and through the arch over there. >> it's like living in a huge planetarium. >> i know few other places that are as enchanting as sark after dark. >> it's wonderful isn't it. >> magical. >> it is. >> well, if you want to make your own way to sark to see those skies, you'll have to come down to the english channel. matt. >> ben, that is spectacular. just a quick question. how many bars on your blackberry, none? >> none there.

no mobile reception. >> that's all right. well worth the trip. ben fogle, thank you very much. up next, another spectacular show, this one featuring fire breathing flying dragons but first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:52 at the

north american debut at dream works fiery show ""how to train your dragon."" six off following a successful tour of australia and new zealand. based on the popular animated film, it promises to be the most technically animated show of its kind. the director with us with some of the show's stars. nigel, good morning. good to see you. >> hi. >> you've got your hands full, we'll get right to this. what a massive undertaking, 23 dragons, cast and crew of 85. it takes 30 eighteen-wheelers to take this show on the road. what's it like to direct this thing? >> generally pretty straightforward as long as these guys are well fed and have their breakfast. yeah, it's an amazing team. they are -- most mornings they are pretty well behaved. >> talk to me about this guy next to you, this dragon. what technically or

technologically is going on that can allow him to do that. >> he's like a lunar space landing module. thousands of points and rams in him. he's operated remotely by a team of four people. he can fire out of his mouth, huge wings, great wing spans, about 20 ton. he has a little bit of a temper. >> nigel, something tells me before you became a director, you were an actor. the story is based on a boy named hiccup and his dragon toothless. riley miner i think is there as well. i know you got the job, riley after a massive casting call. what's it like for you to be in the show opposite these creatures? >> it's absolutely incredible. it's like having a pet dog 40 times the size and you can get on and fly. it's amazing. i love them. >> you're going to get on this

thing and fly in just a second. why don't you get prepared to do that. nigel, let me continue to talk to you for a second. talk to me about the wing span of one of these creatures. >> the wing span is about 60 -- about 120 foot across, yes. so they are large. they are absolutely massive. they go from this kind of spectacular creatures to grump y, slightly overweight characters. this is a splendid, lovely guy, a bit of a wind problem as you can see. we go through 2,000 of these just for his breakfast. there we government he has his own special way of getting through the packaging here. >> that's great. thank you for that on morning television. nice. >> i think riley is probably ready to show you flying now. >> take a look at the flight. go ahead. only a few seconds left. riley, take off.

>> okay, guys. here i go. come on, buddy. here is goes. bye, guys. >> riley, that is fantastic. again, the show debuts in pennsylvania. it starts a u.s. tour. riley, thank you. nigel, thank you. i'm taking my kids to see this. we're back right after these messages. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. here is a look at one of our top stories. the city tags on one more homicide -- a man was discovered on the 46 under block of norfolk avenue suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and torso, and he was taken to sinai [ male announcer ] millions of dollars for new schools and teachers...

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and tell your delegate and state senator to vote "yes" on national harbor... one of the biggest new job projects in the country. >> good morning, everyone. another beautiful star. a little breeze out of the northwest. it will be warmer than yesterday but dew point still in the upper 40's to look 50's. high temperatures expected in the mid 80's a mostly sunny skies. 92 samaras, 97 friday. 30% chance of thunderstorms over