back now with more of "today" on this friday, january 11th, 2013. we've got a pretty nice crowd outside on the plaza, kicking off their day with us here. i'm willie geist alongside tamron hall. matt, al and natalie on their way to join savannah in los angeles. michelle beedle, jason kennedy is joivening us this morning. savannah has been reporting from out there all morning. >> it's getting exciting around here. you're starting to feel the energy build. in a couple of moments we'll see how all of our picks compared to your picks at home when we're talking about the big races.

will "lincoln" get the expected big haul or will "silver linings playbook" pull it off? >> just what they wear to the awards show will influence fashion. we all love fashion. offspring influence baby names to the offbeat fashion. celebrity baby names, blu ivy i think is a hit. that's still in style. the big question, what should the royals name their baby? >> frank. >> frank? >> very good ring to it. >> you have to say it like michelle. frank. could you see kate middleton, frank. >> kathy, bill and frank. >> perfect. like it. little later on, the name is the easy part. as they get older, there are other big decisions to be made, such as when they start dating. we'll have a panel of moms chew

over some of the tough questions. on "today's" take three, savannah is in los angeles and the great michelle beedle is back and the great jason kennedy. >> awkward. >> interestingly enough, michelle will do a skating performance for us. >> i am. >> right after this. >> i really am. i have some glitter. >> which i should be really fun. categories of the golden globes, give you our picks and see who you chose. best motion picture drama and best motion picture comedy or musical. best motion picture drama. let's take a look. savannah says "zero dark thirty." jason, you and i agree "argo." >> thank you. >> and the ladies, tamron and michelle, say "lincoln." viewers with the ladies on this one. 56% say it's "lincoln." savannah guthrie, defend your choice. >> i'm not really making predictions. that's why we have the experts, michelle and jason here.

i just picked my favorites. there are so many good movies this year. if you have three or four hours to sit in the theater and watch them. they're long but i thought "zero dark thirty" was very good. a very stark look at the ten-year hunt for osama bin laden. i know there's been a lot of controversy setting all of that aside, it's just a very riveting film, i thought. >> jason, we were surprised when ben affleck wasn't nominated for "argo." >> but it won best picture at the critic's choice award and literally gave an acceptance speech and said i want to thank the academy. he was so on point with it. i was surprised. everybody, like you said, was also surprised. i think it got a shot, though. the picture has a shot. obviously he won't win because he wasn't nominated for best director but we'll see. >> what did you think about "lincoln"? >> i didn't see it. >> i like what we're doing now. >> you asked for predictions. i only went by the incredible

buzz and everyone that i respect seems to like it. i apologize. >> did you just throw things at a dart board last night? >> i did. i'm going to go out on a limb and be completely honest not because i have children, because i don't. and not because i'm busy, because i'm not. i just have not seen any of these movies. >> none of them? >> i'm going to hook you up from some screeners. >> thank you. my opinions are soly based on -- i do read a lot and all of the reviews. >> we're so glad you're with us here for the segment. go have some brunch over there. >> bye. >> did you see lincoln at least? >> i actually did not see "lincoln." >> an entertainment guru. >> exactly. i would have picked "django" because it's one of my favorite films of the year. i just don't see that happening. what daniel day lewis did in transforming himself and how beautiful the film is, just to look at, it's got a pretty good shot. >> academy loves movies like that. >> big fancy. >> and the whole package. >> the hollywood dream. >> and it was an election year.

>> wow! let's move on and hope that some of the panel has seen some of these next movies. best motion picture comedy or musical. savannah, jason and michelle all say "les mis" maybe the favorite. tamron, you and i like "silver linings playbook." >> i like the movie because i like the cast. again, i haven't seen the movie. but the reviews are incredible. >> yes, savannah? >> why are you hiding your talent for french by calling it "les mis"? >> no, i don't like to. >> please. >> on monday you talked about girard depardieu. >> are you talking about "les miserables." >> there it is. >> 60% of the viewers think it will be "les miserables." >> in full disclosure, i did not like this movie at all. >> either she didn't see it or didn't like it? >> no, it was three hours long.

it's all singing instead of speaking. a person that gives out awards is in love with this kind of movie and i get that. >> you have to have an incredible cast. anne hathaway, hugh jackman, russell crowe, they nailed it. i think the viewers agree. >> russell crowe did -- he was in that movie. not all great singing. >> adam lambert. >> i don't think you're going to get that exclusive interview with russell you have been looking for. >> he will be thrilled to see you. >> best actress in a tv drama. here are our picks. savannah says it's a tie between claire danes and dockery. i love connie britton. she has been good her whole care

career. i think she gets it. tamron and jason like claire danes. >> we actually watch homeland. now you're talking. i know michelle is disappointed with this season. >> i didn't love season two. the finale got me back interested. i'm going dark horse, juliana margoulise. >> you know who agrees? our viewers. >> really? nice. >> should we do one more of these? let's do actor in a comedy or musical. if we call those up, savannah, son, we all say alec baldwin. >> got to go alec. >> it's the last season. >> i know but lewis c.k. is ridiculous in a good way. the best. >> and michelle is going off the board a little bit. >> i went historically, parsons kicks hiney when it comes to these award shows. >> he does. >> sheldon is a great character from "binge bang theory." i don't think they're going to care that it's alec's last

season. i don't think they'll be romantic. >> hollywood loves baldwin, though. >> the oldest, youngest nominee but with the golden globes, they -- >> viewers attend to agree with you, by the way. >> let's talk about the hosts that you're going to see out there, tina fey, amy poehler. the moment it was announced everybody said, yes, of course. finally. they first started hosting "weekend update" together more than eight years ago in october 2004. ben affleck and nelly were the musical guests. tina fey was co-anchor to jimmy fallon. is it okay if i play the clip mom jeans? >> mom jeans fit mom just the way she likes it. she'll love the nine-inch zipper and casual front pleats. cut generously to fit a mom's

butt. she'll want to wear them to everything, from soccer game to night on the town. >> i have to say, half the excitement, or more than half the excitement, about the golden globes are the two women hosting the show. >> i think we can all boldly predict and agree they'll be fabulous. i have to go. i have two days of intense beautification. >> oh, my gosh. wow! >> i took a page from willie. he gets the facial, exfoliation, spray tan. >> do i look like a get a spray tan? >> the spray tan has faded. >> i don't even know you any more, willie. >> i'm flying back tonight. save some bronzer for me. >> i will. >> see you monday. >> see you soon. >> jason, michelle, good to see you. stay tuned for your skating performance. >> will do. with more than 40 states

reporting cases of the flu, in a severe flu season that could last as many as four months. visits are up 120% to emergency rooms with health officials declaring a flu epidemic. it's not too late to get a shot. cdc says there is a spot shortage of vaccine in some places. keep that in mind. and the suspect in last year's movie theater massacre in aurora, colorado, has been ordered to stand trial. defense attorneys for james holmes say they are not ready to enter a plea. holmes is accused of killing 12 people after allegedly opening fire during the opening night of a batman movie back in july. vice president joe biden meets today with members of the video game industry after talks thursday with gun rights groups and the entertainment industry. in the wake of the newtown school shooting, biden, leading a task force on gun violence and will present recommendations to the president on tuesday. after thursday's meeting the nra accused the obama administration

of attacking the second amendment. too bad samuel l. jackson wasn't on board. snake on the plane drama. a real snake. a ten-foot python was spotted by passengers flapping on the wing mid air. it apparently crawled up through the landing bay and found its way into a crevice in the wing. the plane landed safely, all the passengers okay. the snake has not been seen since. >> ahh. >> ahh? kate, the duchess of cambridge is as pretty as a picture. now there's a picture as pretty as kate. first official portrait of the duchess was unveiled today in london, painted by scottish artist paul emsley after just two sittings. the expected mom, who isn't showing yet, asked to be portrayed naturally as opposed to a royal. some people believe naturally means she looks ten years older. potty training has entered the 21st century with the ipotty

for ipad. take a look. brightly colored trainer was a hit at the consumer electronics show in las vegas, sells for about 20 bucks, features a holder designed to grip an ipad that you need to supply yourself and, yes, it also has convenient splash guard for the little boys out there. >> what does it do, though? how does that potty train? watch the ipad when you're -- >> when boys say i'm not ready yet and they're being entertained. >> splash guard is key. they think of everything. >> okay. i've got one more story. >> there's more? >> thanks, jason. >> i'll be here. i'll be here for the next interview. still working on potty training, apparently. >> can i finish the newscast? i'm a legitimate news woman. you can't trust anyone these days, including these guys. this girl gets confused as to what she's supposed to do in a trust fall. take a look. >> trust fall. ready, set, go. >> no! >> not quite the way it's supposed to work. no one got hurt.

you can officially laugh. one more time. look. i'm ready, i'm ready. >> look at her sister's reaction. >> it is now 12 minutes past the hour. and you're up-to-date. ready? >> yeah. >> tamron, thanks. al had to leave a little early to get out to the golden globes. we've gone to the bull pen weekend "today's" dillon drier has the weather. >> you won a trip to new york city? >> yes. >> are you having fun? >> yes. >> what do you like best so far? >> everything, the lights. >> shopping, the food. the people, too. that's wonderful. we are actually going to see some really nice weather in the northeast. it's the place to be as we head into the weekend. out west, we are talking about a major snow storm from billings, montana, right down into salt lake city. we have winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories, freezing rain advisories across eastern minnesota, which is

actually where this storm is headed. we are looking at perhaps up to a foot of snow across the northern plains and into minnesota as well. >> good morning. the we have some clouds and a warm front coming in at this morning. the forecast is calling for >> and that is your latest forecast. now back to you guys inside. >> best and worst celebrity baby names. [ woman ] this is me. this is my tea.

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cambridge to kim kardashian, checking out the latest baby bumps seem to be the latest trend. baby center's global editor in chief. linda, good to see you this morning. >> good to see you, too. katherine heigl, baby adalaide. people love this one. >> this is an old world name. it has granny chic. >> i like that. >> yes. >> how about gisele bundchen and tom brady, vivian? >> two of the most beautiful people in the world pick one of the most beautiful names in the world. apparently you have to be super hot to use this. >> little different spelling, vivienne for them. drew barrymore and will kopelman. >> olive. drew could have been lindsay lohan, but she turned it around. it's a cute, quirky name. >> i guess she had that name

picked out when she was three months pregnant, something like that. least favorite baby name, reese witherspoon and her husband name their baby tennessee. >> what a disappointment. america's sweetheart. moms love her and they hate this name. it's too southern, too offbeat. people expected more from her. >> she's a southern girl. she comes from nashville. it's a nod to her heritage. i don't think it's that bad. alyson hanniga sbchlt and her husband had keeva. what's with that? >> you think you heard it wrong. >> suri grows on you, though. i'll throw that out there. >> jessica simpson has been in the headlines for the pregnancy of 2012. she's pregnant again. let's talk about her first child, maxwell. i guess naming a girl maxwell is the problem? >> that's the problem with maxwell. in the '80s, unisex names were in. they're totally out. this is a girl. don't give her a boy's name.

>> kim car dash kardashian. >> don't do the kimye. resist the urge to put them together. >> i don't think they will. >> duchess of cambridge and william. >> we did a survey at baby center. american moms want diana, in honor of the princess. u.k. moms want charlotte. got to go with something clsk and royal. >> i'm not going to judge the baby names. i think they did okay. >> hard not to. >> appreciate it. still to come, your daughter wants to date, your son wants to quit his sport. when is that okay? a panel of moms weighs in. first these messages. it's no ordinary nonfat yogurt. it has twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt. and at 80 calories, it's the lightest greek yogurt with fruit. its creamy, thick texture helps satisfy you. so you won't feel like you're running low on satisfaction.

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from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. i can have the best of both worlds with pronamel. designers usually use sequins and feathers but what about a gown made out of office supplies? >> sounds interesting. >> yes. brooklyn designer has created one of a kind dresses, get this, made of only rubber bands. our very own dylan drier is modeling it. you have to do it gracefully. >> there is kind of no graceful. >> weighs up to 14 pounds. does it feel heavy? >> oh, my gosh. i would not weigh myself. >> after your local news and weather. we'll be right back. ♪

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> temperatures will be climbing out of the 30's. high-pressure giving way to cloudiness and rain shower activity. most of that is expected to be this afternoon and evening. 45 to 50, the high.

rooting for this hemingway guy to survive the war. >> it's 4:00 in the morning, pat. >> and he does. he does. he survives the war after getting blown up. he survives it -- >> that is bradley cooper and a great scene from "silver linings playbook," one of the best actor nominees among the movies vying for best picture at the 70th annual golden globe awards on sunday. matt, savannah, al, natalie will be there for all the festivities, before, during and after. i'm willie geist along with tamron hall. coming up, tough call for parents. what if your son comes to you and says i want to quit little league or your daughter wants to go on a date. >> are they in the same

ballpark, the 12-year-old wanting to date and the boy who wants to stop playing sports? >> they're both difficult. the 12-year-old dating is a league of its own. forget little league. it moves on to the big leagues at that point. >> major question. also ahead, taking the chill off those cold winter nights with a recipe. ooh, shepherd's pie. >> favorite. >> it is delicious. chef charlie palmer. speaking of recipes, we're looking for the best finger-licking homemade chicken wing recipe in the nation for our first-ever chicken wing cook-off. >> yes. >> submit your favorite on the website today.com by next wednesday. we'll select a few finalists to come on and share their recipes. i like extra spicy. >> me, too. >> spicy. >> i'm middle of the road. >> really? >> yeah. i can do barbecue on any wings. >> bleu cheese, ranch? >> i like them wet. i don't like dry wings. >> i agree with that. you have to commit totally to making a mess of yourself.

>> it's not a date food. >> no. >> not a date food. let's get a check quick of the weather from dylan. hey, dylan. >> good morning. we are actually looking at pretty nice weather moving into the eastern half of the country for the weekend. we are looking at perhaps record high temperatures through the ohio river valley on saturday. the flip side of that is the heavy rain that's going to fall through tennessee and arkansas and also back into texas. that rain doesn't really go anywhere fast. it stretches from the eastern great lakes down into texas, but we could see some record highs down through the carolinas. it does look really nice all up and down the eastern seaboard with some sunshine and well e >> good morning. we are picking up some clouds this boarding. we have some rain showers in the forecast.

>> and that is your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks a lot. up next, when is it okay to cry in front of your kids? our mom panel will weigh in on that question and more after the break. shampoo? i'll give you five. l'oreal paris creates new total repair 5. our most advanced level of haircare. it fights five of the top hair problems. total repair 5 with ceramide targets weak, limp, lifeless, dull, and straw-like hair. my hair is transformed, full. feels stronger with a healthy shine. total repair from root to core to tip. five problems, one solution. change the life of your hair. with new total repair 5. l'oreal's most advanced haircare. because you are totally worth it. that's why i got them pillsbury toaster strudel. warm flaky pastry with delicious sweet filling my kids will love.

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series, tackling tough questions parents face, when is it okay to -- we've assembled a group of moms ready to share their personal experiences. tv personality and popular blogger. kelly wallace is chief correspondent for ivillage and dr. lisa thornton is a pediatrician. good morning, ladies. full disclosure, i don't have children but i have four nieces and nephews to believe i'm their mother. when maya didn't make the cheering squad, i cried for a week. the emotional attachment is there. >> we can help you through that. >> exactly. >> we'll deal with this. >> we asked people to submit some of these things. is it okay to? i love what people came up with. when is it okay to allow your teenager to date? my stomach just turned. >> my sympttomach turns, too. i have a 13-year-old. >> do you know your child's age? >> i'm allowed to get names

wrong, dates wrong. she has personally asked me. >> how did she ask you? >> literally asked me, when can i date? i think we're pushing kids -- of course, the question is what is dating, but i think we're pushing especially our girls too quickly out of girlhood. i know her. she's a middle schooler. she's not ready to date. >> you flat out said no? >> i've seen -- >> you have to be careful. >> you know she's not ready. in our family we have just a number. and the number is 16. and the reason we -- we want them to date in high school, if they're going to do that, just so they can explore the emotional things that happen when you date. >> is that your professional number or as a doctor or as a mom? >> each parent has to make their own decision. >> you ultimately have to decide what dating is. >> versus holding hands or -- >> no, no, dating at 14 is not the same at 19. at 14, they can't drive. they're sort of hostage to the place where you are.

your home. which means you can also supervise and should. >> okay. >> i have a number in my household. >> what? >> 30. i feel i'm safe who have other women around who have been through it. >> what are you really worried about with the dating? it's not the location, whether they're driving. it's whether it might turn into -- >> you want to prepare them for what can come up in dating. at 13, even if you give them -- you think you're giving them the skills, can they really execute those skills? i think 16, you can talk a little more frankly and they can handle a difficult situation. >> you have to lay out some parameters. is your 13-year-old daughter going to be comfortable with a 17-year-old boy? >> you just opened up a whole other -- >> that's the point. you have to label things out ahead of time. >> would you allow your kid to quit a sport or activity? >> this is interesting. i had the pleasure of interviewing michelle obama last

summer. she was talking about this and it really stayed with me. she said malia wanted to quit tennis, but she was just getting good at it so she didn't want to let her quit until she was good enough at this about made that decision. now she loves it, trying out for the high school team. my girls are still young, but i think you have to watch your kids but there are times when you might want to keep pushing them a little bit so they can make that decision later on. >> i want to transition because this is in the news. expose your child to violent video games. when is it okay? >> a lot of research has been done in pediatrics. it actually leads to aggressive behaviors and aggressive thoughts and we don't want our children walking around with a lot of aggression inside them. the video game industry has a ratings system and parents should pay attention to that. the video games look very realistic. children may not realize that what they're playing isn't really real. there's that weird thing when you're very young. we recommend to the american academy of pediatrics you follow the video game manufacturer's

rating system and don't. >> my response is heck no. demands of these violent games that are desensitizing, as you say, would go down. >> i'm with you 100%. violent video games and my nephews who are older. they put a game that is inappropriate on their wish list. >> you need to monitor what's going on online. games that you go and actually buy -- >> that's right. >> -- if you saw the news recently, those games are not selling as well. what's happening now is that people are moving to online platforms. that's changing everything. you have to be aware. >> plenty more to discuss in "is it okay" questions after this. the pull-ups team told the krumme family, a! we were filming a potty training video. oh! what was that? but what they didn't know... go, go, go! was that we wanted to help little eli celebrate his first flush -

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♪ jumpin' into something new ♪ you really see all you can do ♪ ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup we are back with more from our panel of moms, renee silas, dr. lisa thornton, kelly wallace. when is it okay to cry in front of your kids? i didn't know that this was -- >> when is it not okay? >> i don't understand when it's not okay to cry. when is it not okay to show emotion in front of your kids? i think the issue is that you need to make understand that their world is not falling apart. >> yes. >> because they can take that and figure, what's happening? what's wrong with mommy? but when your kids are older, there's no problem with showing

them that, you know what? i hurt a little bit. i'm going to be okay. but this is how i'm feeling. you don't want them to have a weird thing about emotions. >> exactly. also you want kids to know that you can cry in good things and bad. i was sick in december it and couldn't travel with my family to israel. i'm saying good by ining good- i'm crying and my 6 is it-year-old is saying why are you crying? i said i'm sad i'm not with you but i'm so excited for you. >> i think it depends. if it's a big marital spat, that's scary for a kid. you can draw them into conversations that they're not ready for. i remember walking into a bathroom and my expensive night cream was being smeared all over. i burst into tears and she said why are you crying? i just said, mom my's tired. >> and you just wasted $300 of that cream. >> i'm with parents in very heavy moments. it is very frightening when parents cry at the moment you

deliver very serious news because then the child goes, whoa, this must be really, really bad. parents, what usually happens in my practice, parents take a private moment and they cry without the child there. and we can remove the child, separate them. because then the children get very frightened when that happens. >> last up on our list, ladies, when is it okay to share intimate details of your relationship? ie, marriage with your child. >> do you want the right answer or -- the right answer is never. intimate details? i don't think you mean that kind of intimate, but problems you're having. >> is it ever appropriate to talk about? >> no. >> no. >> i don't think so. >> i'm an adult child and sometimes my mom has overshared. and i don't want to -- you know, we want to be our parents' child not their marriage counselor. >> right. >> maybe the kids don't want to hear it. >> i can't imagine but there's part of me that wondered if i'm

sharing a little bit more, is that going to encourage my girls to share more of their intimate life? >> no, they're just going to be grossed out. >> i agree. >> i don't think so. >> no. >> no one wants to hear from their mom. i still think dad's hot. >> no. >> not appropriate. >> my own son gets freaked out when we go out and i'll get a cat call every now and then and he's like, oh, that's so gross. >> embarrassing. >> excellent topic. i love all of you guys. thank you so much. hearty midwinter meal the family will love. those are details i can listen to. first this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: "today's" kitchen is brought to you by folgers. the best part of waking up is folgers in your cup. this morning in "today's" kitchen, we're excited about this one. shepherd's pie for dinner.

want to easily make a hearty meal, this is probably the perfect choice. charlie palmer is chef and owner of the charlie palmer restaurant. nice to see you. >> great to be here. >> i can't aye love this dish. >> it's like a winter classic. >> exactly. some people do lamb but you do beef. >> shepherd's pie, obviously, la lamb, shepherd in the field. it was originally called cottage pie. we're going to do it with beef today. it's very versatile. today we'll use a little beef chuck to start with here. we're searing it in a pan, almost making like a stew. throw those in there. we'll get it started. get all those veggies in there. we'll cook that down just like a stew. onions, carrots, what else? >> celery, little bit of garlic, red wine in there. >> we say a little. >> yeah, but throw it all in. >> that's what i thought. >> how long does this part of the process last? >> about an hour and a half to

cook down. cover it, throw it in the oven. it's simple once you've grouned your beef. >> smells very good. >> you have your braised beef, all your vegetables are cooked down. you kind of tear that apart. nice, tender beef like that. >> falls off. now you're okay with using frozen corn and peas? >> there's not a lot of great stuff out there this time of year, root vegetables, stuff like this. but for a little color and ode to springtime, peas and corn. we have broken up our meat and have it in a pan like this. a roast that's leftover, chicken. it could be any kind of meat. >> that's sort of half the deal? >> right. then you take your mashed potatoes, yukon gold, incorporated butter and egg yolks in there. we're going to take that, spoon it over top, right on top of our meat picks tur. and then it goes right into an

oven. i always tell people, this is something that you could really put together, cool it down. put it in the fridge and on sunday night, whenever you're going to eat it, pop it in the oven 45 minutes, brown it all up on top. >> tell me about the egg yolks in the mashed potatoes. >> egg yolks just to make it a little bit richer. cream is added to it, too. again, you don't need that. you don't have to do that. it's just making it nice and rich. parmesan cheese on top. >> that's beautiful. >> mmm. >> what we have, of course -- >> how long are we putting this in? >> 45 minutes in an oven, 350. >> what we have here is shepherd's pie. >> tamron, get in there. >> weapon of choice. >> get in there. >> i will. you don't have to ask me twice. >> we go with a really nice rich, spicy red wine. we have this eberle from

california. >> you eat, i'll drink. how about that? >> i love that deal. >> hearty dish. >> very simple to put together. anybody can do it. >> so good for the winter. >> warms you up from the inside out. >> i like this year round. i know you say winter. >> you can eat it year round, absolutely. >> charlie, thanks so much. >> cheers. >> we'll take a look back at the week we had. >> flu shot. let's get it done. it hurt but i'm very strong. >> you go, betty white. nice to see you. welcome back. how are you doing? >> just great. >> hair and makeup room, my friends. >> i thought we were giving up alcohol. >> whoo! >> good job. >> bring the action. >> eli is all over everybody. >> natalie, could you get your dog away from my dog, please? >> half ski mask effect. put it on.

>> here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. oh! >> the cast of "girls" will join us right after this. >> jeff bridges is here. the dude is in the house. you never know who is going to come by our window. it is laura dern. do you want to come inside for a little bit? >> meagan, welcome to the nbc family. >> thank you. >> thank you for having me. >> quick hello. ♪ those summer nights wella wella ♪ >> that's what's going on around the country. i can't take this anymore. >> i know. i do interior decorating

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