good morning. breaking news. overnight, north korea conducts its most powerful underground nuclear test yet. the white house calling it highly provocative on the day the president delivers his state of the union address. vatican intrigue, is there more to pope benedict's sudden decision to step down? and who might replace him? is there any chance the next pope could be an american? we're live in vatican city with new details. and nightmare, passengers on a cruise chip stranded in the gulf of mexico say conditions are getting worse and there's word this morning that their journey will be even longer "today," tuesday, february 12th,

2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. important news breaking overnight. u.n. security council is going to hold an emergency meeting this morning to address north korea's overnight nuclear test. >> this is north korea's third nuclear test, but the first under its new leader, kim jong un. we'll have a live report from the pentagon straight ahead. a big development in the story we've been following, two men now charged in connection with the murder of a 15-year-old chicago girl who performed at the president's inauguration. we'll get reaction to that news from her parents who, by the way, will attend tonight's state of the union address with the first lady. we'll also talk to a senior white house adviser about the pre's address. then we'll take a turn. you may have heard of snap chat.

it lets you send a picture and control how long people view it. we told you some parents are raising concerns about its safety. coming up, what its young founder has to say about that. sports illustrated is out with its swimsuit issue today. the woman on the cover? same woman on the cover last year. ho-hum. kate upton. that is an amazing shoot in antarctica. kate will join us live to talk about that. and then why is al weathering the elements in this new psa? he will explain. nuclear test overnight from a defiant north korea. nbc's jim miklaszewski is at the pentagon this morning. mick, what can you tell us? >> nobody was surprised by the test itself. they knew it was coming. no one knew the exact timing. this one, in fact, has set off alarm bells. early readings are that this nuclear device that was tested may be three to six times more

powerful than any previous nuclear test by the north koreans. the north koreans also claim that they did it with a much smaller device, perhaps meaning that they have made progress in miniaturizing nuclear weapons that could be put on the top of ballistic missiles that could ultimately threaten the united states. nobody is confirming that yet but it's got everybody's attention. now today's test drew a rapid and strong response from the white house. the president condemned the blast, saying it threatens u.s. security and that the danger posed by north korea's threatening activities warrants further, swift and credible action by the international community. the united states will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies. now, the u.n. security council in new york has called an emergency session to discuss ratcheting up sanctions against north korea, but the reality is that north korea is pretty much sanctioned out already. unless china steps up and agrees

to impose strict sanctions against north korea, it appears that they will continue on this course to develop nuclear weapons. and this test today, following the test of a ballistic missile last december should put to rest any claims or hopes that the current 29-year-old north korean leader kim jong un is any different from his father, kim jong il. there's a difference in styles but kim jong un seems just as intent on creating a nuclear weapon that will put north korea in a powerful position as a nuclear threat in that region. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon for us this morning. jim, thanks. now here's matt. we're learning more this morning about the vatican's plans to elect a new pope in the wake of pope benedict's surprise decision to resign at the end of this month. richard engel is in vatican city. richard, good morning.

>> reporter: good morning, matt. the reaction here in st. peter's square to what the pope has done has been overwhelming positive, with people calling it an act of humility and courage, to make way for a younger man. 24 hours later, there's still shock in the vatican city. >> shock, disappointed, sad. >> reporter: this morning, roman catholics, tourists and even some church officials wondered if this can be a moment to revitalize the church, after pope benedict xvi's unexpected decision to step down. >> personally, i didn't agree with a lot of the things that he believed and preached. >> i hope this will bring change to the church. >> reporter: in making his announcement, the 85-year-old pontiff, who has been looking frail, asked for forgiveness. i have to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me, he told a gathering of cardinals in

latin, saying his advanced age forced the decision. moments later these pictures circulated the web. more than 700 years ago when a pope abdicated the throne. they are reluctant to leave so they don't send mixed messages or contradict the new pope. the pope's brother spoke in the last few hours. >> perhaps the new pope will ask for his advice but you notice the aging process impacts body and soul. the younger person is needed to deal with today's problems. >> although there's no evidence to suggest a motive, other than old age, the pope's unusual departure has left some wonderin wondering. >> only know what we've been told at the moment. >> reporter: pope benedict will eventually move to a monastery, praying and reflecting.

his age and the weight of scandals, especially revelations of sexual abuse by priests may have gotten to the scholarly pontiff. bets are already being placed on who will lead the more than 1 billion roman catholics when the pope steps down at the end of the month. the pope will not take place in the conclave to choose his successor. vatican officials hope a new pope will be in place by easter, matt. >> richard engel in vatican city. thank you very much. father robert barron is director of the monline in chicago. good morning. >> good to see you. >> let's talk about the criteria. what will the cardinals be looking for in a candidate when they head into the conclave? >> especially now they're looking for an evangelist.

that jesus has risen from the dead, and under that you look at theological acumin, knowledge of language. after john paul ii it's now taken for granted that the pope shubd a master of many language s. you also look for skill and organization. the pope manages a large bureaucracy. there's a great need for reform of that. but i go back primarily, someone who is an effective evangelizer in today's society. >> first off, cardinal francis arinze. >> i would be surprised if he is elected pope just given his age. pope benedict was 78 when he was elected now is resigning because of old age. cardinal arinze is already 80. he is a bit of a television personality, especially in the english speaking world, he has become well known. very articulate. charming, funny man.

he is also involved in the interreligious dialogue for many years, which would make him an attractive figure. >> cardinal peter terkurkson is getting a lot of attention. age 64, so not a problem there. >> yeah. he speaks perfect english, has a sense of the international church. he is also the head of the council for peace and justice. very involved in economic and political issues, but leans a bit left in terms of the mainstray voomai mainstream view of economics and politics. why not a pope from the third world? he would, indeed, be a very strong contender if that's the focus. >> one name i'm hearing is from canada, marc ouellet. does that put him in any kind of position of advantage, heading

the congregation of bishops? >> i happened to be with him five weeks ago. there was a conference in rome and he chaired it. i watched him go effortlessly from french to italian to portuguese to german. he has an extraordinary command of language. head of the congregation of bishops, he would know most of the bishops around the world, have a real sense of the international church. he was also a seminary rector in columbia. >> what about cardinal timothy dolan here from new york who joined us on the set yesterday morning? what are the chances an american could be named pope? >> i would say they're slim. i'm a huge fan of cardinal dolan. someone who leads with a joyful announcement of the gospel. he is also the president of the united states conference of catholic bishops, a man widely respected. who knows what the holy spirit is going to do. i think it's a slim possibility

that an american would be elected simply because we're the lone superpower in the world and they're probably reluctant to give the leadership of the church to an american. having said that, he is a massively impressive figure. my first criteria is right, evangelization, he's the man. >> a lot to come in the coming weeks. thank you so much. >> all right. savannah? >> state of the union address as the president prepares to lay out the agenda for his second term tonight. chuck todd, nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director is live at the white house. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. history indicates that second terms actually have a shelf life that are a lot less than four years. what does that mean? it means that the president's first state of the union of his second term may actually be his last best chance to motivate congress to do big things. since president obama's second term began, he has spent much of his time in public simply

selling his immigration plan and pushing for new gun control law s. leaving the issue that's dogged him for four years, jump-starting the nation's economy, on the sideline. advisers say that will change in tonight's speech. >> an outline for him to grow jobs and the middle class. >> reporter: echoing familiar themes from last year's campaign. >> gold and manufacturing, education, national security and the deficit. real achievable plans that will lead to new jobs. >> reporter: tonight's state of the union comes two weeks before a new round of budget showdowns between the president and republicans. draconian spending cuts march 1st that both sides say they want to avoid but will kick in if nothing is done and then march 31st, the government runs out of fund iing. the president, pushing for tax hikes on the wealthy. republicans insisting on major spending cuts. >> the president will actually have to move beyond the gimmicks and the taxes and propose real

spending reductions. >> reporter: despite the economic focus, the issue of guns, especially the memory of newtown, will loom over the house chamber with lawmakers inviting guests from both sides of the gun debate, from ted nugent on one side, to several victims on the other, including gabriel giffords, who stars in this new ad. >> take it from me. congress must act. let's get this done. >> tonight, there will be a lot of acting cabinet secretaries in attendance, savannah. part of that reason, of course, is there are numbers of cabinet nominees who haven't gotten confirmed yet. one of those could take a large step toward confirmation. chuck hagel should get committee approval today, which means he could be confirmed by thursday. >> valerie jarrett is senior adviser to president obama. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. how are you? >> very well, thank you.

i do want to talk about the state of the union. let's start with north korea, which conducted its third and most powerful nuclear test overnight. convening an emergency meeting of the security council, the u.n. is, but what is left in the sanctions of one of the countries that is the most sanctioned and still defies? >> it violates multiple u.n. security resolutions. it is threatening to the united states, it is destabilizing and not necessarily in the best interest of north korea. it doesn't strengthen north korea. it makes it more vulnerable, isolates it and increases the impoverishment of the country. let's not get ahead that have meeting and see what happens. >> the president addressing the nation tonight, i want to start by reading you a quote from the

president. now is the time to jump-start job creation, restart lending and invest in areas like energy, health care and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. that is from the president's very first address to congress in 2009. americans have heard these refrains over and over again. what can you guarantee to the american people that will turn these words into actual actions? >> savannah, those words have already turned into actions. the last three years, we've stated over 6 million jobs in our country. last 35 months alone, we've made a great deal of progress. that will be a central theme of tonight's remarks. the president has always believed that our country is strongest when we build from the middle class out not from the top down. that was the theme of the 2008 election and certainly this last election. and those words have already turned into action and he will continue that. he will demonstrate concretely how he has to invest in manufacturing, making the united states a magnet for job growth, preparing our workforce, making

sure that if you work hard that you can earn a good living. and he will lay out very specifically how we want to accomplish that. >> let me turn to a more immediate crisis. in a few weeks, these automatic spending cuts known as the sequester will go into effect. this is something that both sides have said will be massively destructive to our economy. my question to you is whet when is the last time the president sat down with congressional leaders to try to work out some kind of compromise to avoid this? >> well, as you saw the end of last year, we made a great deal of progress. we were so close, savannah. the president and speaker boehner were just moments apart in reach iing a deal. unfortunately, the republicans were unwilling to do the deal we proposed. the president proposed a balanced approach, one that includes both spending cuts as well as rate increases. >> have there been any recent meetings along those lines? >> there haven't. the issue of the end of the last year and over the last few weeks

we've been preparing and gearing up. the president has made it clear numerous times to sit down with the republicans in congress and work out a deal. he has presented a range of options for how we can get our fiscal house in order. he is looking for a big deal. if we can't get a big deal let's at least try to come to terms on a smaller deal that avoids sequestration from kicking in. >> valerie jarrett, have to leave it there. thank you very much for your time. >> thank you, savannah. live coverage of state of the union address starts at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific time right here on nbc. >> i apologize. and tomorrow house speaker john boehner joins us exclusively. it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about the issues that the president will be speaking about tonight. natalie morales is here now with a look at all the headlines. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt and savannah. good morning, everyone. chicago police have arrested two men in connection with the murder of teen hadiya pendleton

days after first lady michelle obama attended the girl's funeral. kevin tibbles has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. two men will appear in court in chicago this morning for the murder of hadiya pendleton, whose death so tragically highlight highlights the problem of guns and gangs in this city. chicago police say they have charged two men, 18-year-old michael ward and kenneth williams, 20, with hadiya pendleton's murder. >> sadly hadiya's life was cut far too short by the unksconscis actions of two criminals who have been charged this evening. >> reporter: 15-year-old pendleton was shot to death not far from president obama's chicago home two weeks ago. an innocent, police say, murdered by gang members seeking retaliation, adding that michael ward has confessed to pulling the trigger. >> they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. instead, it was a group of upstanding, determined kids. >> reporter: pendleton's family

in washington to attend this evening's state of the union address, expressed relief and gratitude. >> i'm happy that the murderer of hadiya is now off the street. i look forward and hope they are convicted and i'm going to be in court every day. >> hadiya's death moved the city of chicago to mourning. her funeral, attended by first lady michelle obama and hundreds of friends and classmates. >> we have to stop the violence. >> ward and williams have been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of battery with a firearm. >> kudos to chicago pd. you all did a great job and kept us, you know, involved and, you know -- thank you. >> reporter: and on friday, president obama plans to travel to chicago for a series of meetings on gun violence and a series of other issues. natalie? >> kevin tibbles in chicago. thanks so much, kevin. in los angeles, an urgent

manhunt for a cop killer is coming up empty. detectives work around the clock to try to track down leads. accused of killing three people, christopher dorner has a million dollar reward on his head. warnings have been posted along major roads in the area. hackers broke into the emergency alert system in a local station and this is what unsuspecting viewers heard. >> authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. follow the messages on screen that will be updated as information becomes available. do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous. >> the network is investigating the hack and denies that there is any emergency or zombie apocalypse in case you had any doubt. still terrifying, as you can imagine. >> not funny. >> i know.

unbelievable. >> especially if you're a werewolf or vampire. it can't be good. >> mr. roker is here now with a check of the weather. al? good morning, everybody. we've got a couple different sides of a storm. ahead of it, strong storms from new orleans to tallahassee already on the radar. the risk of flash flooding and a lot of wet weather. back behind the system, as you can see, we've got two to four inches of rain. and then we've got snow, winter weather advisories, winter storm watches. we're expecting between elk city, amarillo and oklahoma city six to nine inches of snow. we'll get your latest forecast. but first this message. to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello. mother. mother! traveling is easy with the venture card because you can fly any airline anytime. two words. double miles! this guy can act. wanna play dodge rock? oh, you guys! and with double miles you can actually use,

you never miss the fun. beard growing contest and go! ♪ i win! what's in your wallet? >> good morning. it will be a dry start to the day today. we will see a mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thank you very much. coming up, what are conditions like this morning on that stricken cruise ship in the gulf of mexico? we'll hear from passengers for the first time. and kate upton on the cover of sports illustrated swimsuit issue for the second year in a row. she's here in our studio. we'll chat with her.

first this is "today" on nbc.od

coming up, why al's psa will blow you away. >> because it's windy. after your local news and weather.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. police in prince george's county said that two university students are dead and another is injured after an overnight shooting in college park. the suspect said a small fire in the basement of the home. when he and two male roommates began to evacuate and started arguing outside, the suspect reportedly started shooting his roommates.

he reportedly went into the hall and shot himself to death. one of the victims died from a gunshot wound, the other room and suffered non-life- threatening injuries. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> getting word of an accident that is creating additional delays on southbound 95 out of the northeast. you can see it southbound just past the 895 split. watch for traffic to back up and flee out of the white marsh area. benfield boulevard, be careful there. 18 on the west side outer loop, those delays in place. traffic is all from this point with the accidents in. 83 in good shape prior to the beltway. if you are going to travel from middletown to mount carmel, expect this abedin is falling in pastes -- expect southbound delays falling into place. over to you, tony.

>> better start than yesterday. we will see some sunshine during the day. 43 at the airport, 48 and westminster. near as precipitation, lake effect snow in new york. we will wind up with a few scattered clouds. the low bid on a breezy side. -- a little bit on the breezy side. we will see a mixture of rain and snow in the afternoon.

we're back now at 7:30 on a tuesday morning. that is kate upton doing the modeling. that could not have been easy. the results landed her on the cover of the coveted sports illustrated swimsuit issue. this now for a second year in a row. we'll talk to kate about that honor. she's in our studio. >> we'll talk about the historical significance. i think that's what -- >> reading the article. >> exactly. also ahead, the story behind the sudden success of snap chat. have you heard of this? the app let's you send pictures

and decide how long people can view them. we'll meet its young founders. also ahead, tom brokaw will join us with a closer look at an issue that we'll hear more about during this evening's state of the union, gun violence in america. carnival cruise liner stranded in the gulf of mexico after a weekend engine fire. a decision was made overnight to tow the ship back to the u.s. as frustration mounts for thousands of passengers. nbc's janet shamlian is in galveston, texas, where the cruise originated. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. that trip was supposed to arrive right back here at the port of galveston yesterday. yet today it remains crippled in the gulf with conditions that are said to be worsening by the hour. now there's more bad news. for the thousands of passengers who are on board. late last night carnival cruiseline said this ship will be stuck at sea an additional 24 hours, not arriving back wednesday as they originally had said, but now coming back on thursday. that news comes as we're hearing

from passengers who are on board, describing the conditions for the very first time. more than 4,200 passengers and crew are spending their third day on the the hobbled vessel. port of progreso in mexico and fly passengers back to the united states. but strong currents pulled that ship north. it's as close to mobile as it was to progreso so they're going to be towed into mobile. 90-degree heat, no air conditioning and few working toilets. >> they've done everything that they can to keep the situation down and make everyone happy. >> on a girlfriends' cruise with about 200 women, she was able to

call our affiliate and describe what it's like. >> the rooms are very hot unless you have a balancony room but i you have an interior room like mine it's pretty dark in there and it's very stuffy. especially if someone used your bathroom, because you can't flush it. >> donna says the shift has been listing. >> we were at a pretty good tilt. to walk, you literally walk sideways. >> this man's wife and three children are among the passengers. >> they staked out deck chairs and had a makeshift tent over it and were going to sleep on it overnight. >> carnival is the fun line. i don't know if it's the fun line now. >> reporter: in a statement carnival says we're terribly sorry for the inconvenience, discomfort and frustration our guests are feeling. we know they expected a fantastic vacation and clearly that is not what they received. still, some passengers are trying to keep a sense of humor about the ordeal. one tweeting bucket list item accomplished, marooned at sea. i wouldn't recommend it.

carnival says docking the ship back here in the united states will make it easier for those traveling without a passport than the original plan, which was to take the ship to mexico. the fact remains that it keeps these people on board an additional 24 hours in conditions people are describing as two and three-hour waits for limited hot and cold food and with few working toilets, really awful sanitary conditions. back to you. >> what a miserable time for those passengers. thanks for the story. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by sar gechlt gechltgento. taste the real difference. >> lot of friends here celebrating fat tuesday. you brought the king cake. >> there you go. >> very nice. thank you so much. unfortunately it will be raining on our friends down in new orleans for mardi gras. let's show you what else we've got going on for today. snow. how about snow surplus?

we went from not enough snow in boston. now they're 8 inches above where they should be, hartford almost 19 inches, new york city three inches above normal. buffalo still 23 inches below where they should be, less than a foot of what they should have in cleveland and chicago is more than 13 inches below normal. as we said, heavy rain, showers, thunderstorms down through the gulf, problems down in new orleans, wet weather in the pacific northwest. air stagnation alerts there. 69 and sunshine in l.a. plenty of sunny skies and a high of 34h >> good morning. it will turn out to be a nice day today. temperatures will be slightly above average. up

from leukemia, lymph tls om society. go to their website and check it out. gun violence in america, something we expect to hear a lot about during tonight's state of the union address. special correspondent tom brokaw is in los angeles with more on this. good morning, tom. >> good morning, matt. in tone and in content, this gun control debate is hard ly unifom across the country. here in the american west, gun owners are organized and they're really speaking out, matt. gun control is a particularly tough issue for democratic senators in western states. however much they may want to vote for new restrictions, the gun owners back home, who have passed down guns generation to generation and for whom hunting is a way of life, they're pushing back, hard.

>> senator michael bennett's office. i'll be sure to let the senator know. >> i can definitely let the senator know your comments about this. >> reporter: take a look at this map. each of these states has one or more democratic senators, lots of guns and lots of fear that any controls will lead to a government con physicfconfiscat private firearms. senator john tester. >> it's part of growing up, it's part of our culture. >> reporter: he says it's issue one for his constituents. they worry more about big government than too many guns. they just don't trust the government? >> i think there's a fair number like that. i don't think all by any stretch of the imagination, but there's a fair number of folks out

there, when it comes to guns, that are concerned that any sort of ban is the first step to a bigger ban. >> reporter: in montana, five local sheriffs say they will not enforce a ban on assault weapons if passed by the federal government. in new mexico, there's a heated debate in the state legislature about whether there should be background checks for private gun sales and in south dakota, democratic senator tim johnson says the state should have their own local gun control laws. one size, he says, does not fit all. >> how may i help you? i definitely will see if i can get a response. >> i will share that with senator bennett. >> reporter: in michael benne bennett's office, the phone rings nonstop. some of the most dramatic changes in gun laws are being proposed in bennett's state of colorado, where two of the worst mass shootings took place, columbine and aurora. colorado democratic lawmakers want to hold manufacturers of

assault weapons liable for deaths or injuries caused by those kinds of guns. matt, almost everyone has something to say about guns, obviously, in this country. in the gun-bearing states it does seem, at the moment at least, that those who own guns are the best organized and they have the most to say at the moment. and they're putting a lot of political pressure, especially on their democratic representatives, matt. >> tom, i want to remind people, they can see more of our network wide coverage "flash point: guns in america" all this week. congratulations, grandpa. sarah had a little boy yesterday. >> that's right. we broke the gender barrier in our family, three daughters, four granddaughters and yesterday archer thomas merritt broke the barrier. it's the two of us and the alpha females in the family will probably still prevail. >> our best to sarah.

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headquarters in venice, california. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. how many of us have had a photo end up on facebook, instagram or any other social media site and we weren't thrilled with it? what if i told you that it could just disappear? that is the concept behind snap chat. it's a hot new app. we'll show you how it works but first how it all got started. >> no, no, delete! >> if you want to know why snap chat is so hot -- >> i love that you don't have to care that much about what you're sending. >> reporter: what they love even more -- >> and it's gone. >> reporter: that it disappeas s after a few seconds. >> it's much better than facebook. once you put it on facebook, everyone sees it. i'll take a picture and a few weeks later i'll be like why did i post it. >> reporter: that drove evan siegel and his best friend to

decr create snap chat. >> we really built the product for sboursz our friends and we kept hearing i have these awkward photos posted that i wish would disappear and we thought wow, i think we can build something that does that. from december 2011 to like 30,000 in january 2012. >> reporter: that success propelled spiegle and company out of his father's dining room. now 16 million photos are exchanged on snap chat every day, enough to have facebook create poke. isn't that a form of flattery? >> i think so. >> snap chat is perfect for sexting. it's easier to sext with it and

it's more in real time and it has that illusion of safety. >> on snap chat any image that you send can be saved forever whether by someone taking a photo with another camera or by taking a screen shot. it's not a great place to send photos you want to be secure. >> reporter: made believers out of several long-term investors. >> to change the way people communicate for the better. >> reporter: to live in the moment. >> that is a goofy picture. >> reporter: the way we used to. now he has it? >> for nine seconds. >> that is a crazy picture. >> reporter: all right. so i let you know that we were going to tell you how it works. i sent you a little surprise, savannah. i would like you to open it up live on air. >> okay. that's not terrifying. here i am. oh, that's cute. it says good morning, sav annah >> take care of that little picture for just a little longer, because it's not going to last. >> it just disappeared.

i'm sorry to see that one go. i'm glad it wasn't a more horrifying picture. diana, thank you. >> we have the memories. >> exactly. we'll always have the snap chat. thanks, diana. al's wet and wild psa. but up next, two in a row for kate upton. we'll catch up with the super model's latest swimsuit issue after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker. today is going to be epic. quaker up.

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[ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. ♪ ♪ "love" a collection by prabal gurung, exclusively at target. for a limited time. i've got to get breakfast ready for my two leading ladies. while managing their schedule with my producing partner. i set up kid's corner so they can learn and play games without deleting my stuff. "working mom" is sometimes a tough role to play, but it's definitely the one i was born for. [ clattering, children laughing ] and...action.

that's me. and this is my windows phone. [ male announcer ] now buy one nokia lumia 920 for just $99.99 and get a second one free at at&t. ♪ made with milk, cream... a touch of sugar... and pure, natural flavors. ♪ who knew being natural could be so delicious? coffee-mate natural bliss, from nestle. now try new delicious low fat chocolate. sports illustrated swimsuit issue is always one of the year's most anticipated magazines. it hits the newsstands today. for the second year in a row, kate upton is featured on the cover. kate joins us live in the studio. kate, good morning.

how are you? >> great. >> you shot this in apart arctica? >> yes. i was very surprised by the news that that was where my shoot was going to be located. >> they were good enough to give you a parka to wear, and nothing else. >> there's a reason they don't shoot men's swimsuit issues in the antarctica. >> oh, for crying out loud! >> really? >> give you a lot of credit for doing that. >> geez. >> only because you guys couldn't handle it. >> what was it like? >> it was freeze iing. i'm from florida. so, it wasn't great for me. obviously, the pictures now, it's incredible. i can't believe we were all able to accomplish that. >> here you are, back to back, covered, joining company like tyra banks, elle mcpherson, who also had more than one cover. does that mean a lot to you? >> it does, especially with "sports illustrated." they're able to bring girls to all seven continents. >> did they have to air brush

out the goosebumps? >> i was thinking warm thoughts. >> you tweeted you had frostbite for months after, right? >> it was quite the -- when i came back, i was like losing hearing and eyesight because my body was shutting down, it was working so hard to keep me warm. >> when that's happening, do you think maybe this wasn't such a great idea? >> especially when my mom's in my ear saying, i told you not to go there. it's a bad idea. >> after you were on the cover last year, did you notice a major difference in the kind of attention you were getting, the kind of jobs you were being offered? >> "sports illustrated" really launched my career and i have a lot to thank them for. >> super bowl ad for mercedes most recently. what's next for you? >> well, i mean, i feel like i'm on the top right now. i'm really excited. just want to enjoy this moment. >> what are the penguins like? >> they kept me going.

they're adorable. any time i was like, i can't do it anymore, i can't. i would look at them and be like, okay, for them. >> do it for the penguins. >> i'm doing it for the penguins. >> with back-to-back covers maybe now you have the clout to have a shoot somewhere other than antarctica for next year. >> they promised somewhere warm. >> hold them to it, kate. >> 62 million people will read this issue. >> sure. >> of "sports illustrated." congratulations again. >> thank you so much. >> she'll stick around. we're back after your local news. see life in the best light. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> keeping tabs on an accident at 95. down to 18 miles per hour towards that seemed. in terms of traffic on white marsh, white marsh to the 895 split. for ford and angelton, getting word of an accident there. -- for in hamilton, getting word of an accident there. west side outer loop, all of this is the volume. benfield boulevard, accident in

anne arundel. southbound 83 from mount carmel, middletown to mount carmel is delayed. this is what inner loop traffic looks like it greenspring. j.f.x. out on from 28 street is filling up quickly. >> better start for us today than yesterday. 43 at the airport, 43 and a westminster. the wind chill is running at the low 30's. the closest this edition is lake effect snow in new york state. -- closest precipitation is lake effect snow in new york state. temperature is not bad. forties and low 50s, but it will feel cooler because of the wind. rain will change over to should not wednesday night and thursday morning. there could be minor

accumulation of snow as that system goes by. next weekend as well, high temperatures in the low to mid 30s.

morning. it is the 12th of february, 2013. we've got a sunny, pretty morning here on rockefeller plaza. we say hello to the nice folks who decided to stop by and say hello to us. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie, alongside matt lauer and al roker. kate upton, fellow model from the s.i. swimsuit issue will be here. they're having a good time in our green room, apparently. and they're going to model some swimwear coming up, get you in the mood for spring or whatever. >> you guys are like -- >> all i heard was good morning. >> blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

>> the mouth that was the talk of the grammy awards. faith hill showed up sporting braces. a lot of people thought that was very, very cool. we should say it's not the only option for adults looking to straighten their teeth. we'll have more of that as well. more of our special series "today" takes action. matt debuted his ad council announcement on fatherhood involvement. this morning our psa aims to blow you away. >> very timely psa, by the way. >> it is. let's go in now to natalie morales with a look at the day's top headlines. u.n. security council is holding an emergency meeting today to deal with north korea's bold and defiant act. it confirms it conducted a third nuclear test today. president obama called it a threat to u.s. security and international peace. nato said the test, along with a december missile launch, is a

flagrant violation of u.n. security sanctions. pope benedict xvi will not intervene in any way in the choice of his successor. his brother says he plans to keep a low profile after he steps down later this month. the vatican had a pacemaker installed before he became pope in 2005. in a surprise move, leaders of the international olympic community have decided to drop wrestling for the 2020 olympics. the move includes both freestyle and greccan roman events. wrestling will now join seven other sports, including softball and squash to apply for a single opening in 2020. any excuse to show that video, i guess. now for a look at what is trending today. quick roundup of what has you talking online.

westminster kennel club dog show was the number two google search overnight. best in show will be chosen this evening. performance-enhanced dogs with features like tattooed noses to make them darker, braces for straightening their teeth and canine cosmetic surgery will not be tolerated. we'll have our all-natural winner live in our studio tomorrow. drinkers of maker's mark will be getting bourbon and water even if they order their drink neat. they'll be diluting it to meet a surge in demand, which also lowers the alcohol content by 3%. player lockout couldn't have come too soon for dave, the cat. >> hey, dave, do you like the ducks? >> of course, the cat would be a fan of the anaheim ducks.

it doesn't look like dave is really up to chasing any. it is now 8:04. you're up-to-date. let's go back outside to al with a check of your weather. hey, al. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by ihop. everything you love about breakfast. >> let's check out our pick city of the day. it happens to be one of our fabulous nbc affiliates, wxia atlanta live. a lot of wet weather through the south, including new orleans where fat tuesday, a lot of folks are going to get rained on. lake-effect snow, western new york. look for snow, amarillo, texas. three to six inches of snow today. snow showers in the pacific northwest with rain along the coast. >> good morning. stretching in it will be a dry start to the day today. we will see a mixture of sunshine and a few clouds.

>> that's your latest weather. now back to mr. lauer. >> thank you, mr. roker. faith hill opens up about her braces. they were kind of the talk of the grammy awards. then al's ad council gets you ready for the next big storm. we'll talk about his psa. and then the hottest trends from "sports illustrated" swim suit models but first these messages. ♪ made with milk, cream... a touch of sugar... and pure, natural flavors. ♪ who knew being natural could be so delicious?

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yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. you got yourself mcdonald's new fish mcbites.

hit it! ♪ fish-ay! fish-ay! [ male announcer ] you can catch a lot with a dollar. like the snack size of mcdonald's new fish mcbites. ♪ ba da ba ba ba so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites, served with soup or salad, and fries. starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. we're back at 8:09 with the buzz about a certain accessory worn at the grammys. faith hill is the talk of the grammys. not for her singing, her dress or her date, husband tim mcgraw, but for her braces. >> here are the nominees for song of the year. >> twitter lit up with support of her dental wear. one fan writing, if faith hill

can rock braces at the grammys, so can i. in fact, the 45-year-old hill has had braces for several months, first showing them off at the country music awards in november. she explained why she's wearing braces as an adult to country station knix. >> how are you doing with braces? >> oh, well, i'm getting used to them. i just had to -- i didn't wear my retainer. kids, wear your retainer. i had braces when i was a kid. it's not too bad. >> if anybody can pull off braces and look good doing it, faith hill. >> which you do, by the way. >> oh, thank you. >> she looks great and is also inspiring to others who may be reluctant to take the plunge and get their teeth fixed. faith hill, international pop star whose image is based on her being beautiful and perfect is willing to do this, then the rest of us mere mortals can do it, too. >> dr. jennifer joblo, good

morning. >> good morning. >> good news for you. >> she's a brave woman for doing that. >> is this something you see a lot where adults are having to go back and get braces again? >> yes. teeth shift because of our hormonal changes, architecture and even grinding at night, that can happen. when you don't wear your reta retainer as a kid, and a lot of adults. five to ten years an enormous shift to adult orthodoesn'tist. >> you can do the fixed braces which are more traditional, that's what faith hill has, or you can do invisalign, which are removable. >> it's clear. it's basically invisible. you can take it out when you're eating or drinking. food doesn't get caught in it. not everybody is a candidate for it. most adults, if they are candidates for invisalign, will move toward that. they stain, sometimes your breath can change and your speech can change as well. >> is one more expensive than

the other? >> they kind of run about the same, to tell you the truth. most adults -- you didn't see braces about 20 years ago, because invisalign wasn't an option. faith hill is gorgeous and can get away with it. most of us probably aren't confident to wear fixed brackets. >> how do you know you're in a category when you need to think about braces as opposed to basic teeth shifting that can happen? >> basic teeth shifting, especially with women in their late 30s, 40s, 50s, it's usually on the lower teeth. they start to cross over. that's actually going to affect your health. because plaque and everything is going to get stuck in there. it's very hard to clean. so that can cause gum disease. it's very important to talk to your dentist about it. >> call the dentist. do they still hurt? >> no, they don't. >> really? >> you can take them in and out, go to a party, speech or anything. >> dr. jennifer jablow, thank you very much. up next, al goes all out for his psa after this. vious.

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the battle of bataan, 1942. [ all ] fort benning, georgia, in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto-insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. we're back now at 8:16 with "today" takes action where each of us teamed up with the ad council to produce a public service announcement. >> through the years, the ad council has created such memorable campaigns, smoky the bear to the crash test dummies. monday, matt debuted his psa. it was for fatherhood involvement. this morning, it's al's turn.

>> i still can't get enough of that. that was terrific. for me, the choice was easy. i spent the majority of my life reporting from some of the worst natural disasters in the country. i simply wanted viewers to be able to get themselves ready before the next storm hits. >> it is unbelievable. boom. there it is, fire has now started coming out of that, burning embers coming all the way up to here. we expect this to continue like this for at least another eight, ten hours. as the weatherman, i'm the guy who has seen firsthand when mother nature twists our world upside down. you can see how devastation like this can hurt on so many levels. the destruction, the waste, the lives lost or torn apart. i've covered countless hurricanes, tornadoes, natural disasters. when you talk to the people who have survived them, they're all amazed at the power of nature. they weren't expecting it to be that bad. because unless you've been

through it, you have no idea what it's like. and by the time that happens, it's too late. so we decided to produce a public service announcement to convince people to think ahead about those unthinkable events. a dangerous storm, 440 miles south -- and then it got personal. hurricane sandy, striking us here at home. though we had a few days to get ready, it wasn't enough. i met with paula aniscot, fema's director of readiness. as americans how prepared are we for natural disasters? >> i hate to say it but the majority of americans have not taken enough steps to be prepared for disaster. >> what do you mean? >> do you know first aid? do you know what to do during a disaster? do you know what types of disasters are going to impact your own community? have you made a plan? any of those are steps towards being really prepared. >> reporter: paula suggested i

team up with a group of fema experts to see if the average american family would be ready for the next emergency. >> here he comes, mr. rescue. >> wrap it around the water heater several times. >> reporter: this makeover won't include a fresh coat of paint or new shag rug but once we're done the house will be in better shape and the family who lives here better prepared for anything. so, who's my lucky friend? >> more than 500 million gallons of water flooded -- >> natalie reported on the very storm that ripped through her hoboken, new jersey, community. she was one of the lucky ones. they only lost power. she admits the family still has a lot to learn about emergency preparedness. >> i want you to find me everything you would need in the event of a storm. storm is raging. >> lesson one, make a kit. >> go, go. >> go, go, go, go! >> yes, you need some string. chair. don't know that that's what we need for the emergency but we're going to keep moving. >> sparklers. >> why do we need sparklers is

this. >> the goal is to have a go-to bag with whatever you might need to survive for a week without power. >> water, you got some water jugs, all right. good job! >> one thing the boys helped illustrate. >> chapstick. >> you don't want to go through an emergency with dry lips. >> if you're in a rush you may not make the best choices. how did they do? >> okay. now the power cord for the nintendo if we don't have any power we're not going to be able to use it. marshmallows? mm. >> no. >> definitely no. >> look at that. that's enough batteries to last a lifetime. good. >> check your alarms every six months. and practice how to respond if they do go off. >> i think you have to let go. >> you have to leave the train. in a fire we have to leave the train. >> we have to leave the train in a fire. >> what? >> hands and knees. >> we have to leave the train in a fire? >> if this were a real emergency, last thing you want

is an argument over toys. >> hands and knees. >> hands and knees. >> so where are you going to go? what are you going to do? >> lesson three, from flooding to earthquakes, know the disasters that might strike your area. >> called drop, cover and hold. >> at the end of the day, a good secure table is your best defense. with natalie and her family on their way it's time to get the message out for the rest of america with my public service announcement. i leave fema behind and meet with a different group of experts. >> hello. >> hi, there. >> hi. >> these executives from the advertising agency leo burnett have come up with a compelling concept to motivate people to protect themselves. >> i've never seen this. i've always heard about the advertising -- this is the first time. >> this is al roker with today's forecast. as you can see it does not get better than this. >> a beautiful day turns violent in seconds, leaving no time to react. >> the weather is literally changing around you. >> authorities advise that you

stay indoors! and then you do this. >> jazz hands. >> to talk about it is one thing. to make it work, quite another. >> and three, two, one. >> forecast, beautiful day out here. >> a few weeks later, i head into the studio to see if we can control the elements for at least an afternoon. where's my director? this is al roker, blah, blah, blah. >> then you start your walk forward. starting to ramp up and ramp up. a little more rain, little more wind. i wouldn't worry about it. >> this really smells like a setup. here is the tip-off. there's a lot of plastic. um, yeah. i've been in blizzards. i've been in hurricanes. the only bad weather i've covno covered are locusts, plagues.

i think i can handle it. >> a lot of studying. i've seen what he's capable of. center of gravity is good. he leans into the wind, which is great. i think he's going to do really well. >> let's roll please. and action. >> this is al roker with the forecast. the biggest challenge, to make our storm look believable. in hollywood, they have a huge special effects team but for our psa we're a bit more low key. stage hands bring on the sun. >> i've got control of the rain, thanks to my good buddy, alex. in the role of the wind, the fan man, joe! and, of course, no storm would be complete without debris. frazier? and then the matter of my location. using the magic of a green screen, i can be anywhere i want. hurricane-force winds.

>> my work here is done. the rest is up to the editors to work their magic and, as they say, fix it in post. >> ladies and gentlemen, let's thank mr. al roker for his service. >> thank you. you're all wizards. you're wizards. >> they really have worked some magic. i've not seen this yet. >> this is your first time? >> it is. we were able to pull it all together. did they get the storm of the century right? here is our psa. >> it's a beautiful day out here. sunny today with light breezes. giving way to clouds in the afternoon. we could see some light precipitation to moderate precipitation later on followed by powerful storm-like conditions, 70-mile-per-hour winds are expected. stay indoors!

>> looked good to me. >> great job, they really did. >> that's fantastic. >> the most important thing, get an emergency kit, get a plan. if you want to find out, really, a list of items to get your emergency kit together go to today.com. we've got that posted. >> just remember, toy trains not on that list. >> yeah. >> by the way, my son said he wanted the chair to get to hi higher ground. >> that's a good thought. >> luke put in the box -- we didn't show, natalie's running magazine. >> oh, good. the precious family artifact, yes. >> timely with all the storms we've seen. great, great idea. well done, mr. roker. tomorrow on "today," we'll find out what natalie has planned for her psa. and we're back after your local news.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> recovering from an earlier accident on southbound 95 to 19 miles per hour towards the 895 split. accident off to the side. you can see what looks like at the white marsh area. in the city, we have an accident. slow go on the north and west side. heaviest spot is approaching greenspring ports edmondson. here is what it looks like it greenspring.

coming towards us is outer loop traffic, heavy on the west side. once you get on to the southbound j.f.x. from the beltway to 28th street, you will be sitting in traffic. >> at least we don't have to deal with the rain like yesterday. temperatures are not bad, either. 37 in westminster, 38 in parkton. the nearest precipitation, lake effect snow going across the state. high pressure will briefly take control of the weather today. today, not bad. high temperatures will range between 47 and 52 degrees. seven-day forecast is a battle on the active the side. a mixture of rain and snow will develop in the afternoon. minor accumulation is likely. over the weekend, we will put in a 40% chance of snow.

>> back with another update at 8:56.

8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 12th day of february, 2013. after some days of weird weather, it's beautiful here in the northeast. we have moderate temperatures, bright blue skies and a great crowd on rockefeller plaza. we are happy to have them here. these people stick around for a little while, we're going to get them ready -- even though we're in the middle of winter, we're going to get them ready for beach season as some of the

"sports illustrated" swimsuit models are joining us live in our studio to show off the great looks for the coming months. >> latest in robes wear. >> best-selling author jackie collins is here. best-selling author of many, many books. we'll find out what inspires her each and every time. we want to bring you up-to-date on a story we covered yesterday about couples who get together and decide to co-parent a child even though they have no romantic relationship. we asked you to weigh in on our website and tell us what you think of this idea. the results are in. 35% said it was a good idea. 65% said no. >> that surprise you at all? >> not particularly. >> not really. >> i think a lot of people are traditionalists. >> that's right. we all know about the blizzard from last week. unfortunately, one of the smaller side effects, we had to cancel our field trip, friday field trip last week to chicago. but matt and savannah are going to be hitting the road this week

for a fun adventure in another city, affected by the blizzard. >> they got dumped on, what, three feet of snow? boston, we're talking about. one of the great cities in this country. we'll be broadcasting live from boston friday morning right here on "today." we're looking for the trip up there. >> we are. we're going to post our schedule coming up. >> absolutely. let's bring in josh duhamel, co-star of "safe haven." great to see you. >> josh. >> the latest movie version of the nicholas sparks' novel. this is not a chick flick, right? >> uh, well, i don't really know what that means, you know. i don't think we give guys enough credit. >> you know who cried a lot? i did. >> you say you are a touchy, feely kind of guy, right?

>> julianne was here yesterday, julianne hough. she says there's parts where you're crying, she's crying. >> i'm crying? well, sure. >> yeah? >> sure. >> an emotional scene. >> you know, a lot of it has to do with my -- i'm raising two kids. we're still dealing with the grief of losing my wife a couple of years earlier and then julianne comes to town. so it's mostly, you know -- a lot of this movie has to do with these kids and how my relationship with them is going until she comes. so, it's a beautiful movie, shot in north carolina. and it's very much a thriller. >> you have a makeout scene, couple of makeout scenes with julianne. >> i do. >> to be comfortable, you had a face-to-face with ryan seacrest? >> yeah. i wish i never would have brought that up. >> what happened? >> well, you know, it was out of respect for him and his

relationship with her mostly because, you know, these movies are very intimate and i just wanted to -- listen, you don't have to worry about anything, you know. >> cool with that, right? >> ryan was more cool with it than i was. so, it was -- yeah, it was an awkward conversation. >> created some awkwardness. >> i created something i didn't need to. >> that opens on valentine's day. but what will you be doing on valentine's day? >> i'll be dressing up as horny cupid. >> a what? >> he said corny cupid. >> that's what he said. >> i thought he said cornucopia. >> that's thanksgiving. >> wrong holiday. >> always good to have you here. and it's a chick flick/thriller. >> there you go. >> with tears and making out. so, there's something for everybody. josh, thank you. >> throw in a car crash and it's perfect. >> wish you lots of success. >> mr. roker?

let's see what we've got for your we >> good morning. it will turn out to be a nice day today. temperatures will be slightly above average. up >> that's your latest weather. now let's check in with big willie scott. >> if you like gorgeous sunshine, beautiful beaches, you have to be with us here in flchlt i feel sorry for people who are freezing to death. come see us if you can. happy birthday from smucker's. how sweet it is. elvina knepper from milford,

indiana. irving howell, flint, michigan. loves to sing. what a pair of cords. god bless him. take a look at inell reams from alton, illinois. 100 years old today. president of the church choir for so many years. they love to hear her sing. another good singer on the show today. and this is adam weslowski from warwick, new york. 100 years old today. in 2008 he was the senior citizen of the year to orange county. how about that? loureather hill, loves to grow flowers and vegetables. she's the best in the business. jim brock of redding, california, 100 years old today. world war ii veteran. we salute you, sir. barbara mann, one of the most

beautiful women here in florida. she has done so much for the center of the arts. we salute you on your 100th birthday. back to you. >> willard, thank you so much. now a sneak peek to the hottest trends in beach wear courtesy of some "sports illustrated" swimsuit models. first this is "today" on nbc.

did you know that more than 18 million readers of the sports illustrated swimsuit issue are women? with that in mind they put together a style guide with top trends you'll need to know once the weather heats up. swimsuit editor, brought along four of the models featured in this swimsuit issue. we had kate upton. now we have more swimsuit models. these are trends in swimsuits. any big themes this year? >> definitely lots of trends this year. we have them all in our

magazine. >> let's start with what you're calling a serial asian. >> this is a nod to our location where we shot in china. wanted something special to represent it. it's a subtle and muted palate. a ruched top and shaped cup that enhances and gives you a little help. >> let me walk over and talk to jess. you are half chinese but had never been to china before. how was going there for the shoot? was it cool? >> it's incredible. my mom is from hong congress. i had been to shanghai before but to see the way the people live was amazing and to be able to climb toes incredible rice patti fields, insane. >> life -- opportunity of a lifetime. >> boho chic is one of the most wearable trends out there right now. it exudes a casual coolness.

this is by american eagle that nina is wearing. it's a corseted bender top that gives more coverage on top than your standard two piece but also really enhances, shapes and lifts. >> i have to ask nina about her shoot. did i hear you had a little fall before the shoot? >> i had a small accident. it turned out to be a fupny story now but wasn't fun back then. >> you had a little gash in your chin? >> i have a scar somewhere. i had a tiny little fall in australia. >> you can't tell at all. the pictures look great. thank you for showing us this trend, miss nina. let's talk about jewel trends, which is our next trend. >> my goodness. jewel tones, beautiful, rich, luxurious color that is sophisticated but also very wearable trend. you can go for color. it can be very vibrant, but it also is -- it's a comfortable thing. it's your black. it's your black for the summer.

>> a lot of people feel like color is more flattering. >> i think it is. it's very rich. it's very flattering. the great thing about this suit, it has a skirt. if you don't like your thighs, try a skirt. it's really liberating. >> our thighs might look a little different than adora's. where was your shoot? >> i was in nibia. i i wasn't expecting it to be so cooled koeld. >> what did you do, run in between takes and put a blanket around you? >> oh, yeah. >> it's a beautiful picture. thank you. we appreciate it. last, but not least, we have a trend you're calling sexy spanish. >> julie is wearing a suit by american apparel. it's a one piece, but more like a fun piece. laces everywhere. it's on everything, so why not a swim suit? this is definitely a more modest piece but with a high-cut leg. you don't feel matronly at all

in it. >> you went to spain for this? i think we have a shot of you and a matador. >> oh, yeah. >> did you get some good shots while you were there? >> a true artist of how he performs. >> thank you so much. let's have all of our models come out one more time. take a look. >> about 18 million female readers. they took it up. they like to see what we're shooting, how the girls look and i think they get inspired by it. >> at least it will get us to the gym. thank you so much. thanks to all of our models, too. appreciate it. jackie collins opens up about her steamy new novel. first this is "today" on nbc.

8:45. jackie collins is one of the

best-selling authors of all time. 500 million books and counting. her latest is called "the power trip." jackie collins is back with us. good morning. how are you? >> good morning, matt. how are you? >> i'm good. 29 books, is that possible? >> it's a lot of work. >> i bet it is. >> not too bad. >> you got a lot of drama. you got a lot of sex. five high-powered couples on a yacht trip. this is based on an experience you had. >> you know, i was aon a yacht with friends of mine, crossing from the south of france to sardinia. in the middle of the night i got very uneasy and i spoke to the captain and said where are we? he said we're on five hours of clear water, there's no land. i suddenly thought, what if we were pirated. >> is that what happens to these people? >> they get pirated by somali pirates, yeah. >> does it have a nice ending? >> you have to read the book to find that out. >> you usually don't write

things that will make us cry at the end. >> no, but this is interesting because it's a completely different book for me. it's all these different couples. there's a cheating politician, surprise, surprise. >> right zl a 50-something movie star and his 20-something girlfriend. >> let me stop you there. once again you have done this where people immediate speculate that the characters in the book are based on real people. 50-something actor, sexiest guy around, commitment phobe. does this guy, in real life, does his name rhyme with florge fooney? >> i don't think so. >> gay latin singing star. >> i love him. he's great. >> british soccer player married to a well-known interior designer. >> but he's african-american. that changes everything, doesn't it? >> little wrinkle in the seams.

>> did "fifty shades of grey" up the ante for you? do you have to work harder to make those scenes in your book more titillating? >> my women kick butt. they don't get their butt kicked. i write sex because people's imagination takes over at a certain point and they like erotic sex and strong women, but i don't want my women to get, you know, beaten up, tied up and all of that. that's not for my character. although i think she did a great job. >> you mentioned strong women. it's funny because we're about to have the academy awards. hollywood seems to be celebrating strong women. >> at last. at last. >> with "zero dark thirty" and "lincoln" and we just saw "girls" is that something you're proud of? >> i'm proud women are doing so well. i've always written strong women. that's one of the secrets of my success. women love my characters, you know. they love the male characters,

too. i have flynn in the book, who reminds me a little of you. kind of like a navy s.e.a.l. guy. >> oh, please. you already put me in one of your books. >> i always do. i love the idea of a talk show host. i've written two talk show hosts both slightly based on you but not exactly. >> you're also changing the subject. >> quickly. >> real quickly you're writing an autobiography? >> i am. reform school or hollywood, which is what my parents said to me when i was thrown out of school. >> you made the right choice, by the way. >> number 29, that's amazing. >> thank you, matt. always. up next, the mom and the very tiny kitchen. behind the internet's most popular cooking blogs. first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:51 with an award-winning cooking blog that's developed something of a cult-like following. we found nbc's erica hill here in her kitchen. >> yes. >> she recently paid a visit to the smitten kitchen. >> this is a lot more space than you will find in the smitten kitchen. the first person to tell you she's not a chef. but by the looks of her website and new cookbook, both known as the smitten kitchen, you would never know it. >> do you want to make a cake with mommy? >> reporter: 3-year-old jacob has no idea how lucky he is. >> show me you know how to crack an egg.

good. >> good job. >> good. >> but for the thousands who follow his mom's blog, cooking with the creator of the wildly popular smitten kitchen would be heaven. the ingredients for her success, a combination of step-by-step photos and recipes and a very relatable approach to food. >> i don't think it should be hard for people to cook food that they love. >> a philosophy regularly put to the test in her tiny new york city kitchen. >> there's a big fascination with the size of your kitchen. new york city for a lot of people, it's normal, except they store stuff in their stove and you actually cook in yours. >> exactly. >> do you want to move eventually somewhere with a bigger kitchen? >> i would be crazy to say i don't want a bigger kitchen yet at the same time, i make it work. >> at just over 40 square feet, we couldn't fit in our crew but mounted cameras around the kitchen. >> i thiching it's good for my recipe development to have such a small kitchen. it forces me to reign in ideas.

i won't make a dish on a weekday night that has four bowls. how can we do this in three? >> not shy about the fact that she has no formal training. she just loves to cook. >> a lot of recipes are me challenge i challenging myself to make something that i thought i didn't like to make in a way that i love. >> like meatloaf. a comfort food staple she's never cared for, until she realized it was just a meatball in disguise. >> a reader said you know the difference between meatballs and meatloaf is almost nothing. >> it's the size essentially? >> exactly. >> there's a clear sense of community on the site and plenty of sharing. >> i love to be able to just chat with people. >> deb personally answers all of her e-mail and regularly responds to comments on her blog. >> somebody will say, oh, i made this with ground turkey. it works really well. i was like, great, i didn't even realize that. >> perhaps the best comment she ever received was from her husband, alex, long before they

said i do. >> do you remember what you were commenting on? >> she posted a recipe for a red pepper hummus dip or something like that. i said that sounds really good. maybe i'll make this for this party i'm going to next week. >> red pepper hummus was just the beginning. what was the first meal you cooked for him? >> first meal i cooked for him was -- i was like, you don't like my cooking? >> she has a selective memory. i loved it. and, you know, that was pretty much it. >> reporter: nearly ten years later, he's still smitten and a proud member of his wife's fan club. >> looks great. >> reporter: in many ways she's achieved the ultimate balance. though a little improvement on her office space wouldn't hurt. >> i want a fridge that doesn't freeze the things in the back of the fridge. >> not asking very much. >> no. >> maybe just a little bit

bigger that you could fit something more. she has made a great use of the space they have there. >> teeny, tiny kitchen as you can see. >> it is. >> she can have a dinner party. >> she can. i said how many people are the most you've ever cooked for? >> she said eight is kind of our limit. they store their dishes in another room. it's very much the convertible new york city apartment where they move things around so her sons toys can get in. >> necessity is the mother of invention. >> absolutely. >> very impressive. thank you very much, miss erica. >> you're welcome. >> i'm not a detective but i think in the 9:00 hour we're doing some kind of mardi gras themed recipe. >> i think so. >> nothing gets past her, nothing. >> inspector clouseau. kate upton will be back to help us out with "today's" take three and last-minute creative gift ideas for your valentine. we'll see natalie's psa tomorrow, an issue near and dear to her. >> i'll have my little friend along with me to help me out. first a check of your local news and weather.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. two university of maryland student son dead and another injured after an overnight murder-suicide in college park. the suspect lit a small fire in the basement and shot the

victims as they evacuate the home and reportedly went into a can of del monte green beans? ♪ ♪ ♪

grown in america. picked and packed at the peak of ripeness. the same essential nutrients as fresh. del monte. bursting with life. >> should turn out to be a nice day today. partly to mostly sunny side -- skies expected in little on the breezy aside. mixture of rain and snow in the afternoon on wednesday. afternoon on wednesday.