more of "today," this tuesday morning, 29th day of january, 2013. that crowd assembled on the plaza, the weather begins to warm up a little bit here in new york city. i'm willie geist along with natalie morales, al roker and tamron hall. the man behind the music of michael jackson, celine dion, mariah carey and many others, tommy mottola, he was here in our last hour talking about his new book "hitmaker" and we asked him to stick around for our take three. we want to get your take on this. tiger woods won the delayed

farmers insurance open at torrey pines for the seventh time yesterday. came back, won a big tournament, had a big final round monday. it's his 75th career title. looks like now he's starting to come back post injury, post whatever you want to call it. >> scandal. >> we'll call it a scandal. and on the other hand in the music world, chris brown is back in the papers again, singer frank ocean, alleges that he was punched. sent out a tweet saying he was punched by chris brown and a group of people outside a recording studio in west hollywood. so, tommy, recovering from flaws in your private life to go on to success in public. when it happened to tiger woods a lot of people said he's finished, he's done, he will never break jack nicklaus' record. we've seen it in the world of entertainment. is there a point where you're so talented that it overcomes anything that you've done in dwrour private life?

>> i think you get to a point sometimes where everything becomes so under a microscope and then, unfortunately in the case of both of the two people you just mentioned, the situations were extremely difficult. you cannot deny the talent of chris brown or tiger woods. on the other hand. it becomes a difficult situation. >> does that hurt chris brown's popularity? he seems to turn out the hits. >> chris has been getting back there at this point in time. until this incident, who knows what the fallout will be. chris' talent is undeniable. and he has been recovering from what had happened in the former incident. >> oprah said staying amplified to what you are, she told lance armstrong, if you're a jerk, it's amplified. oprah said it. if you're a philanthropist, it's amplified with fame. do you think what we're seeing with tiger woods, chris brown

and many artists you've worked with, it's just an amplifia cation of what they would be without fame? >> no question. fame is a treacherous situation. you always have to be aware of the fact that, nowadays especially with social media, instantly everyone knows what happened to you, no matter what you did. >> i think the public is generally forgiving and can give second chances. i think most everyone here believes in second chances. the question is, what about third chances, fourth chances? chris brown we've seen quite a lot of chances. >> right. >> so, how much do you think they can hold up under that? >> well, it's hard to tell. it's unfortunate. >> yeah. >> and, you know, i always like to see people rise above adversity and everything else that happens to them. >> look at ray lewis. shining example. baltimore ravens, everybody is cheering him on. difficult past. >> ray lewis being celebrated this week at the super bowl. those are good examples.

our take two, the question being asked by at least one writer, too young for an oscar? age 9, quvenzhane wallis is the youngest actress being nominated for an oscar. she was 6 when she starred in "beasts of the southern wild." the argument goes other deserving actresses were overlooked. what do we think about that? >> they've all won pneumoniaaripneumoninumerous academy awards. >> didn't have a lot of lines. >> no, she didn't have a lot of lines. it's the emotion. >> quality not quantity. >> right. >> look at tatum o'neill. >> how about michael jackson, the jackson 5? talent is talent no matter what the age is. >> this is an example where one voice gets amplified in the case of social media and twitter, this is one voice.

we know her name and she'll be at the oscars. sometimes i call it bitter bear syndrome. >> by the way, i would guarantee that meryl streep and rachel weiss would all be in favor of paving the way for new talent. >> absolutely. they're not complaining. >> it's a subjective award. so, obviously, enough people thought enough of her performance to nominate her. >> and she was phenomenal. she was on the show with us. >> we loved her. >> talked about not knowing she was auditioning for this big role, kind of stroling in, and chilling it. if you've seen this movie, that kid -- she leaps from that screen. >> brand new, innate talent, discovery of that. >> good news is that she's going to be around for a long time and hopefully, this critic won't be. >> tatum o'neill, by the way, was 10 years old when she won for best actress. there is precedence. take three, this has confounded me and apparently some other people now. is it time for an insta diet? there's a fad where people go to a restaurant and instagram their

meal. >> you do that? >> i do it. >> natalie, okay. >> what's your problem? >> what am i supposed to do with that tweet? congratulate you? >> here's an idea. don't look. what's the big deal? has your life been ruined by this? >> wow! >> what's the point? what are you trying to achieve by taking the photograph? >> i just had a nice moment. you might like to try this. or just look at t it's beautiful. >> i'm learning to cook. i've been on the journey about a year. i take pictures of my food and send it to my friends. one's a chef. what's up, lish? and my mom who says eww. i get feedback. i'll start tonight around 3:00 am start tweeting -- >> my beautiful wife, talia, comes from the latin culture. they appreciate food so much, they celebrate food. she's constantly tweeting. >> what do you think about that, geist? >> it was a question. >> you are annoyed by it.

>> my friend has been whining about this. >> what was the response? overwhelming what's wrong with you, willie? >> no, a lot of people wondered the same thing. >> you're getting a little offensive, backing off of it now? it's not me. it's my friends. >> i want you to tell me if it looks delicious or not. if it's something i created, i want to know what you think about it. >> if you created it, tamron, yes. >> ooh. >> a chef in new york city doesn't want people taking photographs of his meals because he wants to control the way it looks. >> guess what, once i bought it, it's mine. shut up! >> i hate controlling people. >> yes, of course. >> what the heck! i've already paid for the food. what are you going to do, come take it out of my mouth? i'm taking a picture. >> chris christie. >> hey, chef, i got your picture right here. >> this guy is inviting people into the kitchen where he has

staged the meal and you may take a picture in the kitchen and then you're allowed to tweet it out. >> i get the point that he wants control because of the lighting. >> it's not a cookbook. it's a picture. >> but if you capture a photograph and it doesn't look delicious -- >> then you should have sent it out looking nicer. >> i don't know what got into you today. >> they're going to complain about somebody -- somebody thinks enough of your food to take a picture of it, why are you whining? >> because he's a control freak. >> then get over yourself, chef. >> you are a man that has controlled careers. thumbs up or thumbs down. >> gu duh stop people from taking pictures of your artist? >> no. you want it. it's great. >> yeah. >> tommy mottola, thanks for sticking around. his new book is called "hitmaker." go check it out. natalie has a look at the headlines. >> roads near brisbane have turned into rivers, thousands have been evacuated, many homes

completely submerged. forecasters say the flooding should not worsen. president obama unveiled his immigration reform today in las vegas, just a day after bipartisan group of senators laid out their own comprehensive plan. among the proposals in that senate plan, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already living in the u.s. and an increased security presence on our nation's borders. a major policy change could be on the way for the boy scouts of america. the organization's board of directors may reverse a ban on gay scouts and scout leaders, leaving it up to the local troops to decide. if approved, the national policy change could go into effect next week. billions of dollars of aid are heading to victims of superstorm sandy. monday, the senate approved the $50 billion to provide help to hard-hit homes and businesses three months after the storm slammed the northeast. president obama says he will sign it as soon as it hits his desk. a programming note, special

report tonight on "dateline," the story of abducted college student mickey shoonic and the hunt for her assailant. "missing mickey." a woman used her remote car key to pop the trunk, apparently igniting vapors coming from plumbing equipment she stowed inside. debris went flying across the parking lot, but fortunately no one was hurt. the song of the summer is back. except this time it is taking on an inventive instrumental song. sorry, carly rae jepsen but these instrumental versions of "call me maybe" are pretty good, too. take a look. ♪

>> guess you can play that song with just about anything. those videos going viral on youtube. they have a long way to go to catch up with the original, that has some 393 million hits. makes it hard to do the dance, though, with the instrument. >> i'm still partial to the jimmy fallon one. >> what would michael jackson or any artists early on if the internet had existed then, how much bigger might they have been? >> well, you know, it would have been no limit. it's, you know, the whole universe. so, i mean, it would be -- it would be hard to tell but certainly it just would have been much more incredible success. >> would they have taken pictures of their food and posted them online? >> i'm sure they would. >> definitely. >> twitter is on fire. people are supporting al overwhelmingly. >> i haven't seen your stuff. i haven't seen it. >> let's check the weather.

>> that's what's going on around the country. >> good morning.em w temperatures will be about 10 degrees above average. we will make it into the 50's. >> and that's your latest weather we really struck a cord here, didn't we, with al? food photographer. tommy, thank you again. >> this is fun. i might come back. >> any time. any time. up next, your credit score and dating. are they compatible? that's right after this. [ doorb] donuts? ♪ you're cute. [ door closes ]

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credit scores are used in lots of cases, when you buy a house, a car and even by employers. >> romance, increasingly singles are using credit scores to size up their dates. that's right, that little number long used by banks has now made its way on to the social scene. chicago flight attendant jessica la shawn was flying high recently, enjoying a great first date. >> i was extremely excited about this guy. >> reporter: but she quickly came down to earth when her potential mr. right asked for her credit score. she didn't know it, which he took as a sign of financial irresponsibility. >> he took me home. he really didn't want to have anything more to do with me. he was very disappointed and he did not hide that. >> reporter: call it a sign of these financial times. more and more, cupid is looking

at credit. an increasing number of people seem to be directly asking dates about their credit score, using it as a way to evaluate a possible future together with shared finances. >> credit scores really matter. in fact, they're the only grade that matters after you leave the schooling system. you're going to have to spend more money to borrow. it could cost you a lot of money. >> reporter: meet 27-year-old john mcdaniel. credit score, 720. he says he always asks about the magic number on the first or second date and his perfect 10 better be above 600. >> credit score, fiscally responsible, how can you move on with having house, kids, anything at that point? >> reporter: it's a trend even showing up online with sites like creditscoredating.com and datemycreditscore.com, to the financially finicky. most list their credit score right upfront. >> our membership is increasing

dramatically because people are becoming more aware for the need for financial responsibility in relationships. >> reporter: that's certainly the case with jessica la shawn. >> i learned to take advantage of opportunities that allow you to review your credit score and how to actually become financially responsible. >> reporter: a financial lesson from a love lost. what may be more important than credit score is finding a partner you're financially compatible with. partners who fight about money are 30% more likely to get divorced. tamron? >> mara, thank you. jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. hi, jean. >> hi. >> we've gone from asking what's your sign to what's your score? >> it is really, really scary. it is important. i don't know that i would go as far as to ask on the first or second date. before you get married you want to know what do you earn, what do you own and what do you owe? >> for people curious about their credit score, how do you get it?

>> you're entitled to three free copies of your credit report a year, through annual credit report.com, one from each of the credit bureaus. if you go to credit karma.com you can pull a copy of your credit score and they'll monitor your credit score for free. >> you can get it for free. that's a good thing. >> that's a good thing. >> it seems obvious to tell people to pay your bills on time. put that into context. how important is it to make sure you don't have late fees -- not le late fees but -- >> a great score is anything over 760 on the fico scale. this is the one that learneds look at. late payments are really bad news. they represent about 30% of your score. set up automatic payments so you're never late. >> what's credit utilization? >> that's credit available to you that you're actually using. on your credit cards you only want to be using 10% to 30%. you want to see your score go up, you have to pay down your

credit card debt. >> makes sense. applying for new credit cards, you go to any store they'll offer them to you. >> just say no. you also don't want to close cards that you have. >> why? >> it goes back to the credit utilization. if you close cards you reduce the amount of credit you have outstanding. that takes your credit score down. and credit utilization represents about a third of your score as well. >> useful information. i don't know about finding love with it. but when you look at the numbers of people who divorce because of finances, it's part of the conversation. >> and the thing that they fight about most is debt. >> all right, jean. good to see you. >> you, too. >> thank you so much. coming up, the three finalists in "today's" quest for the best jingle. but first these messages. but don't worry, he'll find someone else. ♪ who's that lady? ♪ who's that lady? ♪ sexy lady ♪ who's that lady? [ female announcer ] used mops can grow bacteria.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. off to a better start than yesterday. mixture of sunshine and clouds into the afternoon. mild, with high temperatures in the low-to-mid-fifties. just a slight chance for rain shower. much better chance for rain tomorrow, especially in the afternoon. it will

back now with more of "today" on this tuesday morning, 29th of january, 2013. nice day for all the tourists here in new york city. with willie geist, al roker and tamron hall. crown a winner with a very special guest judge. >> little diddy. like p. diddy? >> yeah, with a d. longest serving monarchs

steps aside for her son. so will this trend perhaps catch on in britain? no, it won't. but we'll take a look. what do you think? >> that hat -- >> she had a nest. >> was that a hat. >> or was she happy to see you? >> wow! >> she's a queen. >> that's right. and then no guts, no glory, stars of the cable cult hit "spartacus" are on hand for a little sword play. they'll teach us our moves. >> we each get a move and we're supposed to do it. >> are we fighting those guys? i want no part of those guys. >> fight each other. >> okay, good. first, thoerks yugh, have y a check of the weather for us? >> a risk of very severe storms, possibility of tornadoes from arkansas through the gulf and mississippi river valley. wet weather in the pacific northwest. sunny and mild down through florida. as we move into tomorrow, that risk of strong storms moves into the eastern gulf, into the

midatlantic states. look for wet weather in the pacific northwest, reinforcing shot of arctic air comes into the plains. rain makes its way into the eastern great lakes, on into the northern new england area. by thursday we're looking at more lake-effect snow firing up around the great lakes. that's what's going on aat >> good morning. we're starting out with some fog in some neighborhoods. a mixture of sun and clouds. 30% chance for a rain shower >> so we're talking about "the spartacus" cast and natalie was mentioning how disturbingly good looking these australians are. >> i didn't say that. >> and you said goose bumply.

>> spartacus is looking at you. >> please don't. >> look at this. your goosebumps have goosebumps. >> willie has a bromance, too. >> i didn't say anybody was goosebu goosebumpily. i said look at those pecs. >> but we digress. >> no, we don't. >> thank you, al, for exposing my goosebumps. this will give you goosebumps, right after this. ta. it's back for just $12.95. ta. featuring 5 delicious new entrees to choose from. go creamy and dig into rich new penne di mare with shrimp. or maybe go crunchy with new parmesan potato crusted chicken. served with unlimited fresh salad and warm breadsticks. finish with a decadent dessert. 3 courses, just $12.95! go tonight! go olive garden! and try our unlimited homemade soup, crisp salad,

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this morning on "today's" quest for the best, your "today" show jingles. we asked you to send us an original tune, and our three finalists are here to compete for the title of "today's" best. they are john michaels from lexington, south carolina, kayly walker and andrew walker, no relation, from denton, texas, and brent morgan and joe radcliff from georgia. 16-time grammy award winning producer david foster, here to judge today. good to see you. >> glad to be here. >> no pressure, 16 grammys. >> the "today" show is iconic. we want something hooky, we want something we can remember, get in, get out and remember it. >> our director, joe michaels, that's in my head right now.

you're playing for your daughter, jenna, 5-year-old jenna. >> my sweet little girl. >> let's listen to what you've got. ♪ where do you go when you need to know just who you can trust and who do you turn to for all the news you can turn to us ♪ ♪ savannah matt and natalie willie too hoda al and kathie lee ♪ ♪ we're neighbors we're friends we're family together we've weathered history ♪ ♪ yeah there's lots that we have done and the best is yet to come ♪ ♪ the good times the bad times we've laughed and cried we've shared with you the times of our lives after more than 60 years we're still here ♪ ♪ today

today on nbc ♪ >> all right. john michaels. what did you think? >> if you worked my name in there, you might have had a better shot. you had everybody else's in there. it was great. it was a good story. i would have preferred a hook to come in a little earlier. it was really good. good job, man. >> you made jennings proud there. let's move on to our second contestant, kaykaylie and andre walker. >> i jumped on some cords, thought up some lyrics. >> i came over, finished it up and recorded it that night. >> what did you think of john's? >> it was catchy. >> he raised the bar a little. >> yeah. >> let's hear it, guys. take it away. >> five, six, seven, eight. ♪ get up

see the sun rise it's a new day let's start it right turn on the tv to our favorite show matt and savannah all you know ♪ ♪ good old al has the weather now come on natalie willie hoda and kathie lee today is the day to be who you want to be say what you want to say ♪ ♪ start again don't you know it's not too late life's a gift you've got to open it up today ♪ >> all right. little harmonica, very nice. >> what did you hear there, david? >> it was nice. it was maybe not quite as punchy as the first one we heard. nevertheless, very good. so far, we're batting two for two. this is going to be hard for me. >> cool.

i'll let you guys think about that one for a minute. we'll move on to our third contestant, from madison, alabama. >> that's clearly cheating, the whole keyboard, orchestra. >> it better be good. i'm a keyboard player. so get on it. >> how long have you been playing together? >> we don't. >> first time for everything. >> this is first time. >> cool. let's hear it. take it away, guys. >> one, two, three, four. ♪ today today hey good morning a little fun before the day gets boring ♪ ♪ today where it's all good hearing what's happening in your neck of the woods ♪ ♪ today hey it's easy catching up with the world on tv today is all you need waking up today with nbc ♪

>> all right. very nice. >> very good. >> definitely something a little different. more acoustic. what do you think? >> love the little nbc logo at the end, the same way john did. joe. john. you'll be joe if you win. look, i'll tell you what, i was really impressed with all three of you. i think that from a producer's point of view, if i was producing the "today" show theme, if i had to go with one of you and make it into a hot 30-second spot, i would go with john. >> wow, all right. >> awesome. >> i want to say i also co-wrote that with diana bryan out in seattle. >> so you cheated, too? that's awesome. that's great. >> holding that trophy. >> i've had fun. everybody has been great here. i want to say thanks to the "today" show for this opportunity. >> well done to all of you. congratulations, john. thank you all for the effort. great to have you with us.

we're looking for the savviest saver in america. go to today.com to share your one of a kind penny pinching secrets. if you send along pictures to show how it's all done that's even better. three finalists will have a chance to compete in studio for the title of "today's" best. up next, a royal abdicates her throne. that's up next. dear chex cereal, i just had to write. you can't imagine how long i've been searching for something like this for my family. i'm amazed you make so many great flavors that are gluten free. my guys are crazy for chocolate chex and honey nut chex. for me, it's cinnamon. it means a lot to be able to give them something that's good for them, that also puts smiles on their faces. 'cause i really love those smiles. we're the harris family. and we love chex. [ male announcer ] love chex? connect with us on facebook. [ male announcer ] love chex? when you color a lot, you need a color that cares a lot. only excellence crème from l'oreal has triple protection.

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it's a decision that took many people in netherlands by surprise, queen beatrix is passing the crown to her eldest son. michelle kosinski has the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the last abdication was king edward in the 1930s, who gave up his throne to marry an american. this still surprised people for this much-loved monarch. queen beatrix and the dutch royal family for generations have been known and beloved as friendly, down to earth, normal. after 30 years on the throne, three days from her 75th birthday, queen bea, as she is called, addressed her country. >> the responsibility must now lie in the hands of a new generation. >> reporter: that would be her son, william alexander, once

known as something of a party boy, and whose father was not invited to their wedding, because of ties to a military regime. cried at her wedding, she became part of the family ever since. beatrix second son gave up his claim to the throne when he married a woman who once had a relationship with a drug lord. skiing accident, avalanche last year left him in a coma. queen beatrix has been flying to london almost every weekend to see him, another emotional upheaval after the death of her husband. both her mother and grandmother gave up their crown. abdi abdications, voluntary or not, have happened throughout the

years. to become a catholic, a big scandal. and king edward, to marry a twice-divorced american. one who will not abdicate, it is often said, queen elizabeth, two years away from becoming the longest reigning monarch in british history. >> my whole life, whether it shall be long or short, shall be devoted to your service. >> things do change. people who say things will never happen, i would say to them never say never. >> reporter: prince charles now is the longest waiting heir to the british throne and could be waiting a long time more. for queen beatrix, it was just the thing to do at the right time. this abdication raised questions about queen elizabeth's future. and can someone still be head of state, say, when they're 100 years old? prince charles recently described himself as an impatient person and says he hopes he lives long enough to do everything he wants to do. back to you guys. >> all right. mi

michelle kosinski in london, thank you. coming up next, we will channel our inner gladiators with the stars of "spartacus." first this is "today" on nbc.

intense battles, steamy sex scenes, hot bodies. but enough about the fourth hour. in the gladiator saga "spartacus" on the starz network, there is plenty of actio action. >> his mind, not seeing you attack in the night as thieves. >> a mistake you shall not make agai again. >> name terms of surrender. let us be done with this. >> there are none that would trust a roman to honor. >> liam mcintyre plays spartacus and the head gladiater trainer,

t tyler bell. people love this show. >> i hope so. and you learn stuff, too. >> what do you learn? >> you learn how to disembowel -- no. >> history. >> julius caesar here, you might have heard of him. >> you're a hot julius caesar, a sexy julius caesar. >> thank you, i appreciate that. >> so i've been told. >> i'm going to agree with you. >> you're dressing up, fighting with swords and stuff. it's going to to be kind of cool. >> it is fun, like a 10-year-old's dream, running around on a set. >> you train these guys. how hard is it to train them? >> it's pretty hard. i make sure that nutrition and training is always on. that's all season long. >> nutrition and training. >> oh, yeah. >> you've got a little routine you can show us? >> yes. >> give our gladiators in training a little workout.

>> oh, yeah. >> oh, it's on. >> let's do that. >> hold this. >> okay. >> anything can happen. anything can happen. >> oh, all right. it's a draw. very nice. >> hurt you? >> no, never. >> on that note, why don't you guys pair up with natalie, tamron and willie? >> no, no, no. >> we're going to do a strike.

>> you want to go -- two-handed? all right. it's sort of like swinging a golf club. swinging a golf club. >> to the leg? >> just like that. >> you really are good at this. >> i told you, she's very dangerous. >> do they have women do this? >> yes. >> women gladiators? >> yes. >> you fit in. >> okay. well, thank you for that. wow! >> your turn, tamron. >> this is sort of a mid slice. >> a mid slice? >> mid slice. >> lie, why don't ywillie, why >> okay. >> you have this. >> i don't have this, but i'll try it. >> come on, tamron. wield that sword. >> it's not slow motion. "spartacus" airs friday night at 9:00 on the starz