this wednesday morning, the 6th day of february, 2013. that is mt. rockefeller. some of the olympic hopefuls, looking like natalie morales on skis. you're a big skier. >> that will be happening. >> we'll try it a little later. >> you, too. are you going to take the jump or not? >> i'll take the jump. you first. >> all right. >> jenna elfman is with us this morning, one of the stars of the nbc show "1600 penn." there's a new episode tomorrow night, 9:30, 8:30 central. and we broadcast live.

>> i'm so ready. >> this is your ski attire? >> well, yeah. that's how i roll. >> she skis that way, too. >> i have to be careful or i will be skiing on these pumps, jimmy choos, aka, skis. >> i didn't know they made skis. 1600 penn. >> you're a regular on our show. >> i did make a cameo appearance, proud moment for me. it's really cool because one of the creators and executive producers comes from the white house, john levitt was a speech writer for the president. >> our executive producer of the white house and our other executive producer who is from "everybody loves raymond." the amazing thing about our show, it's about the family, the first family. what happens when you put a normal family, like a crazy family with a 24-hour news

cycle. >> right. >> and as we rogo, craziness ensues. i'm a political consultant, lawyer. i put my husband into the presidency, but now i'm also desperate to get support as a stepmother from the children. i run the young son's -- his class president campaign and i get a little carried away. >> uh-oh. >> by your character i'm not surprised by that. i heard you say your character, your first lady is a combination of a bunch of different ones. is it hard not to make it about the one who is in the white house now, michelle obama? >> i certainly -- she is her own beautiful individual person and i'm playing like, you know, in a comedy. but i was inspired by her arms and her grace and her awareness of fitness and health. and i really admire her for that. and i think all of her own personal first lady programs are founded in common sense. i really appreciate common sense because i feel like it's rare.

>> that's true. >> unfortunately. >> a little too rare in washington. that segues well into our first topic in take three, talking about the first lady and more broadly about women in the public eye. there's a piece in this week in the washington post that focused on our ladifirst lady's, shall call it, derriere. >> what? i would like to see the derrieres of the people who are criticizing her. >> well said. >> she looks pretty healthy to me. she's a 5'11" woman. >> she is. she's a tall woman. >> statuesque. >> natalie, you deal with this, too. being in the public eye, someone who is always in view of the world, especially for the first lady of the united states, is there too much focus on wrong thing? >> i don't think you ever go below the belt on that and they certainly did. >> literally. >> literally, yeah. i mean, come on.

seriously? >> judge the quality of the people's character. that's the important thing in life. are you making things better or are you taking it down and making it worse? that's how you judge people. not by the size of their tush. >> eleanor roosevelt was really a transformative figure as first lady. >> also not -- >> exactly. >> we all have the human declaration of human rights. we have it written down on paper because of eleanor roosevelt and the united nations. let's judge the quality of the character, please. >> now breaking news this morning. united states postal service effective in august, we're hearing, is going to stop saturday delivery of the mail. >> has anyone really noticed? >> you will now. >> they say it will save about $2 billion a year. you can still go into a post office on saturday and get -- packages will still be delivered. >> packages, right? >> some will say this will be

one of the final death nails for snail mail. >> taking post hold to a whole new level. >> e-mail and twitter and all this, there's still -- there's something special about getting a handwritten card or note. >> true. >> you hope that never goes away. >> it won't if we don't let it. >> i think the post office, everybody appreciates the postal service. granted, it doesn't make any money. that's the problem, but i do feel bad for the workers. >> of course. >> maybe losing their jobs who do the saturday delivery. >> huge budget shortfalls. that's what it is about primarily. take three is a terrifying moment. right here on mt. rockefeller but in austria yesterday, lindsey vonn, superstar of american skiing, took an ugly spill. tore up her knee. >> it hurts watching that. >> broke a bone in her leg. she was air lifted off the mountain. she says -- and u.s. olympics

say -- she will be back and ready for sochi that starts one year from today. but, boy, she really tore up that leg. by the time she rehabs it and gets her form back, it's going to be right up to sochi. >> luckily she's in good physical condition already. that will help her recover faster. >> she is such a fierce competitor. we saw this before in torino. she had a massive fall and injury. >> right. >> she got up and competed two days later. so, she's come back from injury many times before, as most olympic athletes have faced injury at some point in their careers. she'll be back. she released a statement this morning saying thanks to all her fans but also for their support. count on her because she'll be out there in sochi. >> she had a shin injury in vancouver and still won the gold medal. >> you can be done being injured now. you've had plenty. >> are you an olympic fan? >> we want her there. >> winter or summer? >> i love both. i think it's -- the way it brings the whole planet, everybody, every country together and it just bonds us in

a way that is very high spirited and always rejuvenating. >> what would it take to get you up in a tube with the jimmy choos on? >> give me a pair of pants. >> we'll start with the pants. >> it may be nice to go to sochi and then send postcards. >> hey! >> so people are using the mail. >> there you go. he brings it all right back. jenna, it's great to have you here. >> thanks for having me. >> new episode of "1600 penn" tomorrow night, 9:30, 8:30 central here on nbc. thank you, jenna. we want to send it inside now to tamron for a look at the rest of today's stories. good morning, everyone. powerful magnitude 8.0 earthquake overnight released a deadly tsunami. at least five people were killed when the tsunami struck a remote part of the solomon islands. president obama is nominating sally jewell, replacing ken salazar.

today the president huddles with senate democrats in annapolis, maryland, hoping for a united front as he tackles immigration, gun control and his proposal to avert sweeping cuts due to go into effect march 1st. meantime the administration is facing criticism over the justice department document saying drone strikes are lawful against terrorists even if they are americans. aclu calls the document, quote, chilling. rescue of a young boy from an underground bunker in alabama. today the child turns 6 years old. officials say the man who held him rigged that bunker with explosives, described as crude pipe bombs. officials saw the man holding a bomb, they threw a stun grenade inside and stormed the bunker. they shot and killed the gunman and rescued that little boy. the boys mother said she can't describe how incredible it is to hold her son again.

the pentagon is expected to announce soon that it will begin extending some benefits to same-sex couples who previously have been denied. it's not clear how extensive the list of additional benefits will be. the move comes about a year and a half after the official end of don't ask, don't tell. some students from sandy hook elementary will be part of the preshow for this sunday's grammy awards. children recently recorded "over the rainbow" to help newtown, connecticut, heal from the december tragedy at that school. a different group of newtown children performed at the super bowl with jennifer hudson. and it's not exactly nemo, but an orange and white gold fish has found a human friend. the disabled fish now sports, take a look closely, special sling to help it get around the tank. its owner says the fish may look silly but he adds it's better than lying at the bottom of the tank all day. i add it's better than floating at the top.

it is now nine minutes after the hour. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> and then you finish like that? >> i said it's better -- no. you missed the point. it's better than floating at the top. >> we got that. >> i know! >> why did you bring that up? >> it's the truth. i'm just giving the lessons of life. circle of life, brother. circle of life. >> circle of life and when an animal comes out -- we don't talk about it. >> how about brighten things up with a look at the weather? >> i don't think i can go on. hey, do you know what burns my -- firepit a little high. >> whoo! >> any way, this storm system, a developing clipper over the plains. lot of -- tons of moisture over the gulf. those two storms are going to form friday morning. the american model brings it offshore and quicker so we don't get quite as much snow out of this thing. we're talking about heaviest snow in northern new england.

however, the european model friday to saturday keeps it closer to shore, slows it up and make it is much more intense. and we all like european models. all love european models. anyway, from just new york city into boston, portland, we're talking extreme amounts of snow. some areas could be picking up, we're talking, two feet of snow by saturday afternoon. still a little early to get you all worked up about this, but we >> good morning.know so that you it should be a quiet day weather-wise. there is a slight chance for some sprinkles or flurries.

and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. >> coming up next, olympic figure skating champion evan lysacek on our rockefeller rink. also scott hamilton will be joining us and talking about olympic hopefuls on the ice. right after these messages. ♪ there's a place where the sky is always blue and the kids always eat their vegetables. because the salad there is always served with the original hidden valley ranch. it's the way ranch is supposed to taste. and try italians and vinaigrettes from hidden valley.

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has to be good. >> this morning on "today" at the rink, we are honored to have two of our all-time favorite olympians with us today. scott hamilton, you remember him, won the gold in 1984. and was our lovely judge earlier today. now announces figure skating for nbc and evan lysacek, happy to be representing the u.s. again in sochi. let's talk, first, scott, about the ladies and what we can expect. 2010 in vancouver, the ladies did not get on the medals stand. >> for the first time. >> for the first time since 1964. ashley wagner is a name we're going to hear a lot. >> the first woman to defend the u.s. title since michelle kwan. michelle left competitive figure skating. she carries herself like a champion, beautiful skater, very

mature. it's a competitive sport. right now there's a couple young ladies coming up that are just incredible. you have gracie gold. >> god last name. >> great last name, very marketable. she's terrific. she has great techniques. an emerging artist. still looking for that maturity but she has all the goods. everything is there. and she's poised to kind of make a move to be the next great lady skating champion for the united states. ashley and gracie are going to be -- coming back next year, won the nationals two times. in the ladies department, the united states is looking pretty good. >> all right. evan, let's talk about your chances. you haven't competed since vancouver. you, of course, won gold back then. you hope to defend the title. what do you think it will take to get back out there? a lot of skeptics are saying i don't think he can do it. >> i hope to follow in the footsteps of our good friend, dick button. hoping to carry on that

tradition, back in full training. this is my goal for the next year. i'm going to live this goal. >> another name in the men, max aaron. >> love that name, max. >> it's a good one. >> max did something -- it's kind of like the next wave of what's going on in figure skating and that's the quad is everything. opened with two beautiful quads. an incredible jumper. could use a little work on the artistic side. he's an amazing jumper and just threw it down at nationals. >> we'll let evan get a chance to perform now, too, see if he can throw down on our rockefeller rink. evan lysacek, as you get into place, i'm going to say thank you, as always, to the lovely scott hamilton. come on over. ♪

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start simple, start right. still to come, tech gifts for seniors. >> out of the box valentine's day presents. >> more from mt. rockefeller as we prepare to head to sochi. i love kiwis. i've always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. super poligrip free -- it creates a seal of the dentures in my mouth. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. super poligrip free made the kiwi an enjoyable experience. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip.

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>> this is a wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. temperatures are warmer this afternoon. we should be able to sneak into the lower end of the 40's. if mixture of clouds and a little sunshine. chance for a sprinkle or snow flurry. coastal strohman fretted that

. back now with more of "today" on a wednesday, february 6th, 2013. i'm al roker, along with willie geist, natalie morales and tamron hall. >> how are you doing, tamron? >> that's right. >> willie set me up. he said take this one, tamron. >> getting the bulk of the jet fumes here. >> you think? >> okay, welcome back to mt. whiner here on the plaza. >> good times. >> to get you excited for the skiing competition at the 2014 winter games in sochi, exactly one year from today. >> all right. but a little bit closer, right around the corner, actually, valentine's day is next week.

>> yes. >> coming up, we've got some great out-of-the-box ideas for gifts for your loved ones. starting off with today, we've got a lot of heavy rain down in the gulf coast. we've got a clipper coming across the plains. you put the two of those together and we're going to be talking about a big storm friday afternoon along the east coast, wet weather in the pacific northwest. tomorrow you can see all of that moisture making its way to the east all the way to the north. wet weather in the pacific >> good morning. we're starting out with some cloud cover. the clouds should break up this afternoon.

and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks a lot. let's say hello to our good friend, yvette nicole brown, without jacket, i should point out. >> i'm from ohio, cleveland. this is our polar bear club. >> you're good. >> we won't make you dive into water. >> no water. this is enough. >> you are tough, much tougher than the rest of us. new season of "community," the fourth season begins tomorrow night. >> yes. >> 8:00, 7:00 central. a lot of people champing at the bit for this one. we thought we would get you in october. we had to wait for this one. >> we had to switch it out. we keep you on your toes. so october 19th has become february 17th. you never know when october 19th is going to fall. >> you did a whole halloween episode. >> we went out and did every

holiday. we put little easter eggs in there. we'll make a reference to valentine's day and christmas. whenever it airs, it will be fine. >> shirley, is she finally going to get that sandwich shop? >> she may get a sandwich shop, you guys. this might be the year for shirley. it's looking good for her. >> meanwhile, joel mchale. >> we love you, joel mchale. >> yes. >> he makes references about the show that they're graduating. does this mean the end of "community." >> some people may be graduating. >> okay. >> it's a big episode. it's in may. >> and other students maybe coming in. >> maybe coming in. leonard, one of the characters has been on there for about 100 years. >> he never graduates. >> he never graduates. >> this show, it -- the fans love this show. they would not let it go away. >> we would not still be on the air for the fourth season if it were not for the fans. we see them as part of the family, too. the writers, producers, cast and

crew and the fans. >> we are so glad to see you back with millions of other americans. >> thank you. >> tomorrow night 8:00, 7:00 central here on nbc, the fourth season of "community." >> good to see you, but stay warm. >> you stay warm. you have to be out here. >> i heard you say something about something in your -- back there, too. you were whining, too, mt. whiner. >> i could say something about mt. whine. >> coming up next, a modern clip on valentine's day gifts. you can hang out. you can hang out. right after this. [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits.

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>> announcer: "today" celebrates valentine's day is brought to you by m & ms. chocolate's better with m. this morning on "today" celebrates valentine's day, gifts that are outside the box, chocolate and roses are always good ideas. but this year, want to go beyond the traditional? amy e. goodman is senior contributor at the blush.com. good to see you. >> glad to be here.

>> roses and chocolates are nice. what's the alternative? >> give her a flower that will last forever, such as these rings by liz palazzio. 60% of the things i'm featuring are from artisans and small vendors. it has enamel and an adjustable ring band. you doesn't need to know her exact ring size in order to pull this off. little bit of sparkle with the swarovski crystals. a flower that will last the test of time. >> i love that. sending chocolates to sending something yummy in the shape of a heart. >> heart-shaped whoopie pies. this is the southern red velvet flavor. they're also available in vanilla. order by today, end of day in order to get it time fin time f valentine's day. skipping the champagne glasses, going for something more personalized. >> personalized barware from uncommon goods.com.

send in your initials of you and your loved one and an important date, maybe the first date, first time you kissed. get two wine glasses, two pilsners or one of each. >> you can get them in time for valentine's day? >> if you order by end of day today. >> substituting a bottle of wine for -- >> this is from laura angler, wine-inspired cosmetics, using grapeseed oil and wine extract, a very powerful antioxidant. to note for the foundation, it is available in five different skin shades. >> very nice. i love that they use -- people talk about the benefits of having wine products with extracts in. >> some of them kind of smell a little bit like wine as well. >> that's nice. >> alternative for a guy. >> complete shaving kit, from your preshave to aftershave. sandalwood, as a scent, is an aphrodisiac. you get two in one here. >> nice. >> and instead of jewelry?

>> jewelry mirror box. they start at $24. you can buy more than one, stack them up and really make a statement. >> and making a statement instead of a locket, you have something called the lock bag? >> that's right. at blush we're all about the latest in fashion and beauty. one thing that is trending right now is tripped out little wallets and accessories that have gromets and things like pave hearts. this is kind of sexy cool, which we absolutely love. date night. >> adorable. instead of champagne, champagne-colored iphone case? >> drink the champagne, too, but this is from p & j design. she's never going to misplace her iphone again. >> pillows are a replacement for what? >> making a connection not ohm on the phone but connecting your heart strings. heart strings map pillow from the felix street studio. send in your zip code. she connects you forever this way. >> super cool. >> monogrammed con verse for guys and gals.

don't say i love you just once. say i want to run away with you forever. >> you can get these monogrammed in time? >> yes. order by the end of the day today. all set for your gift giving. >> beautiful. happy valentine's day. >> oh, thank you. tech gadgets for seniors, up next, when we come back. [ female announcer ] switch to swiffer 360 dusters extender, and you'll dump your old duster. 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 ] swiffer 360 dusters extender cleans high and low, with thick all around fibers that attract and lock up to two times more dust than a feather duster. swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. and now swiffer dusters refills are available with the fresh scent of gain. with just a few ingredients. simple, wholesome goodness. kellogg's. start simple, start right.

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this morning on "today's" tech, new products for seniors to make their lives easier. jim miller is the editor of the syndicated column. good to see you. >> you, too, al. >> we've all seen the commercials, i've fallen and i can't get up. we all joke about it, but it's a serious issue. >> it is. >> you have a loved one who is older, living at home alone. >> exactly. >> you don't know what to do. so we've seen these. how have they improved over the years? >> amazingly. the technology is really amazing to help seniors stay home longer. the first device is a medical alert device, lifeline. the senior wears the pend ant around their neck. they can push the button to call for help if they need it. this has an extra feature where there are fall detection sensors built into the pendant button. >> so the senior doesn't have to press it? >> that's right. if they fall and become dis

disoriented, which is very common, this summons help for you. >> what does this go for? >> about $40 a month. >> you have it, want peace of mind but spend a little less. >> two big-button senior-friendly phones. and the pend ant button that the senior wears around their neck. you can make and receive calls right from the pendant or backside of the pendant. it has two emergency contacts you can program in if you fall and you're in a jam. >> what is this one? >> mobile alert twice for anywhere you happen to be. if you are out taking a walk, you press one button. the operator comes on the line to find out what's wrong. it has gps technology so they know your exact location to send help. >> wow! these more home based, this one, anywhere. >> anywhere you want to be, yeah. >> we come to something more sophisticated. >> this is the grand care system. comprehensive home monitoring system that has a lot of different technology products include i

including this sensor here that goes in your loved one's home t tracks and learns the routines and behavior. so if something out of the ordinary happens, like a fall or they didn't get out of bed at their usual time, the system would recognize that and then call for help. it also has a social component, al, that allows you to reach out to your loved one. this goes in your house. it's a senior friendly computer, has video chat capabilities. you can send them messages, pictures, all kind of stuff. >> i always worry about my mom taking her medication. >> very important. this is the med minder, computerized pill box that flashes like you see here and beeps to remind you to take your medication. if you don't take it, it will call you on your phone to remind you. if you still don't take it, it will call your loved one to let them know you haven't taken it. >> what do we have here? >> it dispenses the medication in these cups, uses verbal reminders. >> how does something like that go for? >> $75 a month. >> that's not bad. >> gps, to take care of your loved ones, especially that have dementia, gps in the heel.

track your loved one. >> little unsteady on their feet? >> the hurry cane. it has a pivoting head for extra stability. stands up on its own real convenient. >> i think i'm really close to needing that. jim miller, thank you very much. >> thank you, al. skiers to keep an eye on as we countdown to the winter games in sochi, russia, live from mt. rockefeller. first this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: countdown to "today" in sochi is brought to you by kellogg's. from great starts come great thing things. >> spending the whole morning looking ahead to the sochi winter games one year from today. natalie and i are high above mt. rockefeller.

good to see you. >> hi, guys. >> let's talk about lindsey vonn. terrible spill. >> terrible. >> tore up the knee. what are the odds that she'll be back for sochi and back to lindsey vonn strength? >> think back to 1998. tore up her knee, 14 months, 13 months in almost the same way. that was almost dinosaur years back then, when they didn't know as much as they do now. nfl's mvp tore up his knee. if you know lindsey vonn and her fighting spirit you have to think that the odds are really, really good that, in fact, she will come back. >> acl, mcl and the tibiaa bone, that's going to be a long recovery, six months or so. >> for sure six months before she's back on skis. mcl, not a big deal, broken bone, not a big deal. acl, yes, that is a problem. americans are not so good at slalom skiing.

think about two people tearing it up on the world cup, mikaela shiffrin has two world cup victories under her belt. that's unheard of for an american. she really is a gold medal threat in sochi. >> we heard ted ligety, a name we got to know very much so in vancouver. he actually scored today, did well, won the super g. >> ted won the super g. he is more of a giant slalom specialist but came out and won the super g today in austria. he is -- bode miller is the guy most people think of when they think of an american skier, but ted is really -- he has got to be considered one of the strongest american skiers next year. >> speaking of bode, how about his chances? >> the enigma. he did a smart thing taking this year off. he told everybody he wants to come back and come back strong

next year. for all of us who love alpine racing there is nothing more exciting than watching bode miller ski. he is like -- there's nothing like watching bode ski. >> you can't talk about the american olympic team without talking about shaun white. does he go back in sochi? >> half-pipe for sure you have to think he is the medal favorite. there are some people in that discipline who are real competitors. shaun will have to step it up in the other event to be a gold medalist. >> what do you do after that? >> there's a famous song that says time doesn't wait for anyone and shaun is not 19 years old anymore. >> that's true. >> you've been to sochi three times. >> three times. >> what's the progress report over there? >> a work in progress. still very much a heavy construction site. they will get it done. absolute absolutely. this is not like any place you've ever been. they will get it done. >> take a run with us here down

mt. rockefeller? >> absolutely. >> okay. let's go, boys. >> ladies first. >> nice. good form. whoo-hoo. we all made it alive. no injuries to report this time. >> look forward to talking to you a lot more over the next year leading up to sochi. >> kathie lee and hoda, they're drinking again. after your local news and weather.