good morning. disaster at daytona. at least 33 fans this morning recovering from injuries after a massive crash sent debris raining into the stands. despite the carnage, the daytona 500 will go on hours from now. the long farewell. pope benedict delivering his final sunday this morning. thousands flocking to st. peter's square as the vatican deals with another claim of inappropriate behavior, this time by a cardinal. and the winner is? the excitement building this morning. the oscars just hours away. we'll take a look at which movies and stars could take home that coveted golden statue

today. sunday, february 24, 2013. very festive music on this sunday morning. >> wish you were walking awe with a statue right now. >> i think we should. i'm erica hill. >> and i'm lester holt. we'll have more on oscar buzz coming up. but we have serious news, including the scary crash at daytona. a crowd went flying into the wall during the final lap. 33 people hurt. crews working throughout the night to get the track ready for today's daytona 500. a live report in just a moment. also this morning, yet another round of gridlock. we're just five days away from

sweeping spending cuts that could impact everything from your food to your paycheck, and they could be just the beginning. coming up, why lawmakers can't reach a deal. former notre dame linebacker manti te'o speaks out for the first time since the scandal over his fake girlfriend. he hopes to close the door as he looks forward to a future in pro football. we did a little digging in the family photo albums to find some favorite childhood photos. >> that's erica. right there. d dylan. there is lester. >> we're recreating the pictures. >> the pictures i was looking for, unfortunately, i didn't have my bonnett on. you did get a dress out of the

deal. >> i did get a new dress out of the deal. and the whole thing was a lesson of turning something very cute into something horrifying. let's begin with the massive crash a daytona that injured dozens of fans. the race will go on today in just hours, janet shuar janet ss us. >> reporter: we were here when it happened. a horrifying crash, a car literally sheared in half. it soon became evident it was worse than that. the most serious injuries weren't the drivers in the cars, but the fans in the stands. >> and contact! >> reporter: a violent crash that started on the track and ended in the grandstand. the wreckage of a race car, large chunks of metal and a tire, flying into the air and hitting fans as high as 45 rows up. it was the final lap. drivers jockeying for a

position, when a bump between cars turned terrifying. >> tony stewart is going to win the race. >> drive kyle larsen's car cut in half and tore through the fence designed to protect fans. one spectator posted this stunning video on youtube. a tire in the stands. people scrambling and waving to get help for the injured. mike wilkinson had a clear view from his seat but couldn't bear to watch. >> i was stunned. my hand was over my mouth. i -- when i saw the car fly up and hit the fence and a fireball erupt, i turned away, i didn't want to see what happened. >> reporter: others say it was a scene of complete chaos. nascar reports more than 30 hurt. 14 taken to daytona hospitals. among the most serious, a child in critical, but stable condition. >> fans want to be close to the action at daytona. if you were to walk by the fence

here, you will feel it. your hair will literally be sucked sideways because are you so close to the action. that's what fans want. >> reporter: amazingly, kyle larsen walked away from the accident and no other drivers seriously hurt. they moved quickly to repair damage to the fence and retaining wall ahead of today's daytona 500, its signature race. as nascar said, it would take a close look at what happened. >> we need to take the type to study it, see what we can improve on and if we can, certainly the safety of our fans is first and foremost and we'll make that happen. >> it can be risky business navigating the heavily horsepowers cars. as one driver said after the accident, we assume the risk. it shouldn't be the fans. and the speedway worked overnight to repair and replace the retaining wall and the fence that was damaged in the accident. daytona is ready for the signature race that starts at 1:00 eastern today. fans will be seated in the same

stands where so many were hurt on saturday. lester. >> all right, janet shamlian, thanks. kevin meister had a bird's eye view. what did you see? >> all the action really started as soon as drivers came around turn four and the checkered flag started waving. and the racers jumped on the gas and right before they hit the checkered finish, everybody started getting loose and made a block and all of a sudden there was a huge crash right into the gate and there was a car completely vertical, and all of a sudden you saw fiberglass just everywhere like confetti as a party. >> tell me what was going on in the stands? you went down to the ledge to shoot what was below you. what did you see in terms of the people in the impact area? >> right. as soon as i ran down to the ledge to, you know, see what had

happened, see what exactly was going on, people were, you know, panicking, and police and ushers were trying to escort people out of area so that the medical teams to get to injured folks. there were a lot of people around trying to comfort those who were clearly injured. and i even saw a man take off his shirt and wrap it around a couple -- you know, lacerations that another man had. i saw another guy passing out water. but you really saw human compassion right after that happened. people were kind of in a state of shell shock. >> kevin, you are a big nascar fan, seen a lot of crashes. and we've seen the fences to protect the crowd from flying debris from crashes. how shocking to see it go above that fence and into the area where the crowd was? >> right, you see the fence and you feel pretty safe as a spectator, but until something like that actually happens and, you know, the engine actually

broke through the fence. that was surreal, to think that something like that actually had a possibility of happening and did yesterday, i mean, was just devastati devastating. >> you will attend the race today with no reservations? >> no reservations at all. i'm an avid nascar fan. and thankfully we were out of the debris zone, but 15 feet in front of me, sort of right down below, it looked like a shock absorber, a metal rod of some type, came all the way up into my section in the upper deck. >> very frightening fi ining pi. thank you for spending time with us this morning. >> you're welcome. >> now here is erica. huge crowds filled st. peter's square for pope benedict xvi's final sunday blessing. the vatican is slamming some media reports about why the pope chose to resign now.

anne thompson outside vatican city with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. a mixture of joy and intrigue here in vatican city. catholics and the curious jammed st. peter's square to hear pope benedict's final sunday blessing. the 100,000 people who attended on got not only a blessing but heard the pope shed light on why he resigned. he said that god called him to the mountain to live a life of more prayer and meditation. he wasn't going to abandon the church. the pontiff said god asked him to live this life with the same kind of dedication, but to do so in a way that was more appropriate to his age and strength. now, this very joyous event took place against a background of scandal. there are new headlines in britain this morning, three priests and a former priest, accused the scottish cardinal keith o'brien of inappropriate behavior going back some 30 years. they want cardinal o'brien to

resign immediately before he comes to rome to vote for the new pope. i asked the papal spokesperson about this today. he told me that the pope will be informed of this matter this afternoon and that tomorrow the vatican will issue a statement. erica. >> and, anne, we're hearing plenty about the scandal at home in the u.s. the former archbishop of los angeles. and also facing problems with a priest sexual abuse scandal there. >> reporter: he is. that's cardinal roger mahony. he was depossessed yesterday for almost four hours. asked by lawyers what he knew about a visiting mexican priest who was accused of abusing some 26 children in the 1980s. court documents released earlier this year show that cardinal mahony did play a role in shielding abusive priests. some u.s. catholics called on mahony not to come to rome to vote on the new pope, but he says he will participate.

erica. >> anne thompson, thank you. in washington, time is ticking for congress and the president to reach a deal. otherwise, massive spending cuts you keep hearing about, the sequester that could have a major effect on you. david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." boy, i feel like we say this a lot, with good reason. broken record yet again. give us a quick sense of what this could do to people? cuts go into effect on friday. >> one of the things, what does it mean for air travelers? the ability of air controllers or the prospect i should say of flight controllers being furloughed. a number of them losing their jobs. airport towers being closed in certain parts of the country could mean very real delays. that's what the transportation secretary is warning of. republicans say that's overblown. the reality, federal workers will be cut. the defense is going to be cut. by 50% of this.

and the meat cleaver approach, which both sides agree is a terrible idea, is how the cuts will be made. and that's got so many people worried. >> both sides agree it's a terrible idea, but it seems like a foregone conclusion. why can't, david, lawmakers find some sort of agreement here? >> because they just philosophically on opposite ends of this. the president wants a mix of spending cuts and new tax revenues through some kind of tax reform, closing loopholes and whatnot. blaming congress for not giving in on that. republicans say he just got new revenue to avert the fiscal cliff here at the end of the year. there ought to be more pronounced spending cuts. they can't see eye to eye. they aren't really even talking to each other, which is so absurd. both sides working the public relations aspect. the public is fed up and will only get more fed up. >> the pr campaigns not exactly

winning over the people that put them in washington. david, we'll check in with you later for a preview of "meet the press." and this morning's other top stories. police in las vegas have identified the person responsible for a deadly shooting on the strip. they found the vehicle believed to be involved in the shooting and subsequent crash that killed three people on thursday. also, they've identified 26-year-old amare harris as the suspect. they haven't found him, but his vehicle found blocks away from the shooting scene. oscar pistorius remains hold up in his uncle's home, there are legal troubles for his brother. facing a culpable homicide charge from a 2008 road death. probation officers visited pistorius at his uncle's home. he is not able to go back to his home because it's considered a

crime scene. 20 teenagers arrested after police say they were running around causing a chaotic scene at a mall in chicago. the boy band mindless behavior was there signing autographs, but the mall said that had nothing to do with the chaos, just coincidence. fireworks good. fireworks going off without anyone setting them off is bad. started shooting out of a building in the middle of night when a fire happened inside that started in a candle production area and spread to a fireworks warehouse. let me see if i get this. candles and fireworks being made in the same building. okay. tonight, hollywood will recognize the best of the best. but last night, the worst of the worst took center stage at the razz razzies. the big winner or loser "twilight: breaking dawn part two." kristen stewart, worst actress,

and taylor lautner, worst actor. who cares? because they made a bazillion dollars making the movie. i will half all the way to the bank. thank you very much. >> jenna, thanks. dylan with the first check of the weather. >> storms in the plain states. it's in the rockies and we'll pick up another 6 to 10 inches of snow in denver through the day today. blizzard warnings posted through the plains. kansas, looks like we'll see our second blizzard in just a week. what we're facing through the plains. a rough go through kansas into nebraska, into northern parts of oklahoma and the panhandle of texas as well. we'll keep an eye on that for tomorrow. today, about denver. 6 to 10 inches of snow possible. ew england, with 2 to 3 inches >> we started the day with fog

and clearing skies as we go into the afternoon. the winds become a little gusty later today. as we go through the seven-d and that is your latest forecast. erica. >> dylan, thanks. up next, manti te'o tackles new questions about the embarrassing hoax involving a fake girlfriend. back after this. , i got it made♪ ♪ i got it made ♪ fresh at subway ♪ breakfast made the way i say ♪ i got it made ♪ i got it made, i got it made, i got it made ♪ ♪ fresh at subway ♪ breakfast made the way i say [ male announcer ] get breakfast made the way you say. like your very own sizzlin' steak, egg white & cheese.

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te'o is trying to prove himself, both on and off the field. >> reporter: manti te'o faced a crush of media and questions at the nfl scouting combine in indianapolis. >> i've been in front of a few cameras, but not as many as this. >> reporter: the first press conference since the woman he was date never existed. >> i cared for somebody, and, unfortunately, it didn't end up the way i thought it would. >> reporter: it ended up with te'o believing his girlfriend died from cancer. it played out online. ta >> i hurt every day. >> reporter: te'o was asked why he never saw the girl. >> i did try. it just never worked out. >> reporter: it showcases the next wave of nfl talent.

but it also gave te'o the chance to tackle the criticism he didn't come forward sooner after finding out he had been duped. >> it was a whirlwind of stuff. me, a 22-year-old, 21 years old at this time, just trying to get your thoughts right. >> reporter: teams are taking a hard look at this top defensive player to see how he handles the pressure. but the real test, sports writers say, is yet to come. >> nothing compares to when you step into a locker room and have to face that macho testosterone-filled environment and more so when you have to get on a field. and teams are testing you physically, but also mentally. >> reporter: former pro players say controversy is not new to sports and teammates and the public will give te'o a chance to prove himself. >> winning cures all. come in as a rookie, top 15 pick, become a starter, lead your defense to a better season than they had the year before, that cures it. >> reporter: for today, michelle franzen, nbc news.

still ahead, the oscars are tonight and some studios spending a lot of green hoping their film will bring home a gold statuette. that after these messages. orldl. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪

still to come on "today," the sound of music for those who need it most. top musicians who are donating their time and talent to help others. >> i love that story. plus, we're taking you back in time, sort of. recreating some of our favorite childhood photos. first, these messages. [ dog ] you know, i just don't think i should have to wait for it! who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, we won't make you wait for it.

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>> good morning, everyone, i'm lisa robinson, it's 8:26. here are some of our top stories. going, going, gone. if you heard a loud noise around coal spring lane, this is what it was. bg&e imploded the gas holder near west cold spring lane. we're told the structure has been idol since 1997. the 79-year-old container has been made obsolete by the upgrade in the system. >> and county police say councilman todd huff was pulled over 3:00 a.m. saturday morning when officers saw him driving without his highlights. he represents the third

district and was in his county-owned jeep at the time. he was cited with a d.u.i. and released. >> the medical examiner confirmed the two bodies found inside a burning car friday morning were homicide victims. just before 5:00 a.m. friday neighbors reported hearing an explosion. crews found a burning car with bodies inside. officials now say each victim suffered one gone shot wound. the medical examiner is still working to determine the identities of the victims but they say one is a man and the other a woman

>> we started off the day with a lot of clouds and fog and drizzle. looks like this is all pushing off to the east. that's where the storm system is going. so try drying and warmer conditions but our next storm system coming in on tuesday. it will produce snow in the plains and be a rainmaker as it moves towards us. but first sunshine later today. upper 40's to lower 50's. wind could add chill to the air then into monday, full sunshine with high pressure. 48 degrees. by tuesday a rain event. maybe a little snow and sleet. maybe a flurry on thursday. overall once we get past this, drying conditions into next weekend. >> thank you for joining us 11 news sunday morning starts in 25 minutes. see you then.

we are back on sunday morning. sunday, february 24, 2013. last sunday of the month. nice, but cool day in midtown, man hat appear. tha manhattan. thanks to folks joining us here. i'm lester holt here with erica hill, jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. tonight is the academy awards. >> tonight there is a new host. seth macfarlane is taking on the duties. but that's not the only change. they are not saving the best for last as the awards go.

awe lot of music, dancing, we'll see how it plays out. we'll do a preview this morning. >> and we've been previewing this all morning. the four of us decided to go back to the future. what does that mean? we picked out a picture that we loved of ourselves when we were wee little. same outfits, same attitudes, same fish. and dylan had to wear patent leather shoes. i didn't have to wear shoes. >> i went online, a lot of folks are doing this. recreating pictures. kind of a fun project. >> i am skeptical. it is fun. music is the best medicine. we make the round with musicians on call. a great program that puts musicians, including big celebrity musicians, giving one-on-one performances, in this

case young patients at a children's hospital. >> i love that story. but, first, a final check of the weather. >> cleared out nice until new york city. but new england is still dealing with snow, although more of a wintry mix right now. we will see more or less the snowfall overnight. 2 to 3 inches of snow possible. all about denver. 3 to 6 inches of snow in denver and it is moving into the plains states. we also have the potential for some stronger storms today down into texas ahead of the cold front and more blizzard weather in kansas. that's the second time in just a week. and we are looking at several inches of snow. perhaps another foot of snow through kansas and into northern missouri, then down through the gulf coast states. severe weather possible, we could see heavy downpours, strong thunderstorms and that will start to move to the southeast as we go into tomorrow and affect most of the middle and southeast of the country as we go into early next week. so that is another big storm.

meanwhile, in the northeast, looks like temperatures will be more seasonable as we start to finish off february and begin march. it looks like temperatures should get back into the mid 40s for most of early next week at least and we'll start to see hanges by the end of the e >> we started the day with fog and clearing skies as we go into the afternoon. the winds become a little gusty later today. as we go through the seven-d and i'm excited to just say happy birthday to a set of triplets. the first set of triplets i am ever meeting and an extra here to. when is your birthday? >> march 1st.

>> how old are you turning? >> six. >> when is your birthday. >> february 27th. >> speak up. >> and how old are you turning? >> nine. >> a lot of birthday celebrations here on the plaza. erica and lester. ♪ there is plenty of oscar buzz this morning. the show's organizers are promising it will be a night filled with surprises. >> movie studios and promoters spending a lot of money up until the last minute in the push to bring home oscar gold, we'll see how they do. here is diana alvear. >> reporter: the race for oscar gold has been in high gear for weeks, a race that revolves around green. >> when your quest is to land the highest prize in hollywood, no price too high for a studio to pay. >> reporter: industry analysts say spending connected to this year's awards is higher than ever. especially when it comes to best

picture. >> like how james is now. >> reporter: the "lauos angeles times" say studios backing "argo" and "lincoln" have at least subpoena $10 million. why so much spending? it it's a tight race. hollywood studios are going all out, but no one has done more than the time behind "lincoln." a private screening for the senate. created a coffee table book for the press and sent thank you notes to voters signed by director steven spielberg. >> the "lincoln" marketing campaign brilliant. innovative, strategic and tugged on the american heartstrings. >> reporter: you may wonder, is all of this work and money really worth it? consider the king's speech. helped by a massive promotional campaign by miramax pictures and

director harvey winestein. it swept most of the major awards at the 2011 oscars. it added to the already respectable 1$114 million is mae before the awards. will history repeat itself with "silver linings playbook? " ". >> reporter: so secret that harvey weinstein spends a significant amount of time deciding how to best market films. >> reporter: when the winners reach the stage, they may want to think their film's promotional campaign, clearly worth its weight in gold. diana alvear, nbc, los angeles. >> we know that tonight's show will be different from the new host to the star-studded musical tribute. >> here to break it down, our guests. some of the changes we've been hearing a lot about. the most obvious one is seth

macfarlane as host this year. two chuthumbs up from chuck. >> i don't know about that, chuck. the good news, never as bad as james franco and anne hathaway. >> never say never. who knows? >> he's an interesting choice. only hosted "snl" and two comedy central roasts. doesn't have that much experience and his had you more, pretty racy. >> yes. >> and that audience -- that audience -- >> awesome! >> a fellow comedian. >> -- thin skinned. so it could be an issue. >> you are right, they are thin skinned. but seth, if you ever watched any of his productions, has a reverence for hollywood, and movies. he is a filmmaker himself. he made the movie "ted." should have been nominated. >> robbed! robbed! >> that poor teddy bear. >> and on top of that, he can sing, he's funny, and i think he's going to do a good job.

i think we'll be surprised. >> he's more known for his voices than his face. so he will have to grab the viewer at hello. because they may turn the channel because they doan know who the guy is. >> all he has to do is stuey griffin coming out of the box and it would say wouldn't it be marvelous if i turned out to be a homosexual. boom! boom! >> lola, the word is that the show will be song and dance heavy. a big dance number planned for after best picture award announced. why would they go in that direction? for a show about movies? >> they want to retain viewers and viewers love a good song and dance. i don't know why they need a big old production at the end of the show. the show will be three hours long. barbra streisand, adele and jennifer hudson during the show. i think that's enough fireworks. >> that's a little crazy. one thing if you have barbra

streisand come out after everything. that's like me standing outside of a concert after chris rock and eddie murphy going want to hear a joke? that's ridiculous. >> i would come out and see you. you would have at least three people there. hollywood always takes a little bit of creative license when it comes to any story. but there is a little more criticism in the creative license in "lincoln," "zero dark thirty," and "argo." >> i say never get the facts get in the way of a good story. chuck? >> i say, unfortunately, we live in a history where people get the history from movies. how do you have "lincoln" and no black people in the movie i? i'm joking. you should have seen the look on

your face. you're like what? >> that is egregious. >> getting the votes from connecticut wrong, that's kind of a big thing. you know. >> canadians are up in arms about "argo." they were instrumental about getting prisoners freed, why are we relegated to a footnote at the end of the film? >> because you're canada. i'm just kidding. >> picks for best picture? >> "argo." >> me too. think everybody feels bad for ben affleck. >> it's worked out pretty well for him. >> sympathy award for best picture. tomorrow, al roker and meredith vieira will be live with a complete wrap up of the winners, parties, and fashions. coming up, we go back in time to recreate some of our

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you may be seeing a little more of the past these days, to trends like throwback thursday. people find a picture from the past and recreate the entire scene in the present day, doing the best to match the scene, outfits and the facial expressi expression. >> the only thing different all these years later is you. we picked a childhood photo, and recreated a memory. the result? a look back to the future. ♪ these are the days you remember ♪ >> the photo i picked, my first day of nursery school, where we took all of our first day of school photos, right on the little sidewalk in front of the house. >> i would try to get an animated picture, i would ask them to turn around and give me a little wave. a little song and dance. >> i could smell the leaves on

the front yard, feel the sunshine coming through the trees, and a warm comforting, nostalgic feeling. >> when i first saw dylan today in this recreated dress. it was hilarious. she looked like something that stepped out of the "wizard of oz." >> my mom's reaction was priceless. she made the dress when she was little. to see it almost perfectly created for my size now with the shoes and socks. it's hilarious. >> i used to love making dresses. it would always be a roughly, because being the only girl, i would like to invoke a little bit of girliness, frilliness. she always had to catch up to her brothers. she was kind of a little tomboy. >> i have nothing but good memories about my childhood, and i am so excited to go back to the house i grew up in. >> the won word i would use to describe the photo would be darling. it was a precious time. dylan was a precious baby. everything i could hope for.

♪ forever young forever young >> i shows that picture because it represented some of the happiest times of my childhood. going fishing with my dad. my dad caught that fish and let me pose with it a big thrill many. >> i got my little boy back. >> being back in sacramento, i remember playing in some of the creeks around on my own. trying to catch poliwogs and frogs. it's home. >> he was an exuberant, typical 7-year-old, full of enthusiasm, a joy to be around. >> father/son time. the fishing secondary. we would go out on a boat together, enjoy each other's company. those are moments that you cherish forever. >> to be back in the area where it was taken, being with my youngest son, my friend and my buddy, it's great to see him

growing into the man he is. >> where is the hair? that's what was going through my mind. looking at the picture, body is still pretty much there. where is the hair? to be in that position more than five minutes now hurts. when are you something years old. >> at my age, you have to bring some of the past into the present and give me hope for the future. ♪ we are family >> i picked a picture of my mom and my older sister whitney and myself at white's park. i have since learned its white park in cocker, new hampshire. we would come ice skating here when we would visit my grandparents. >> i cracked up. i have that exact photo in my office. it's been there 20 years. i always loved the picture of the three of us, and erica's cheeks and dimples. that was her. definitely always smiling and laughing. >> it wasn't just a part of my

childho childhood, part of my sister's, my mom's, even my grandfather's. >> i brought an old photo of white park when i was a child. i'm guessing probably 3 years old. in concord, it has a special place in my heart. >> a wonderful surprise to come back, and it's -- i mean, basically it brings back a lot of childhood memories. >> looking at the picture, it made me smile in the way a certain smell or something that you recognize from your childhood makes you smile. it was funny to stand on the ice, get all dressed up. >> i remember mom's hat and her scarf. i don't know if i blocked it out, but i don't remember having this jacket as a child. >> i didn't feel like i was 5. once we felt on the ice and none of us fell i much better. >> the best part for me was getting spend time with my mom and my sister. ♪ one love one heart >> this has always been my favorite picture. to me this was the

quintessential picture of my upbringing. how i remember jamaica. sun beating down on me, in the middle of the afternoon, lush garden, it's quiet. >> that day, we were really fooling around in the garden and having fun. when she got up and climbed onto the table, i thought it was a great picture. she always loved to dress up if somebody had something on, she wanted it. i would wear a scarf, she wanted to wear a scarf. >> like a little baby. >> mom. >> that's exactly the same. >> the garden has been amazing in letting us recreate this fantastic scene. >> i think that was one of her favorites. she did like to wear it a lot. she got a kick of sitting on the table and having me take those pictures. she thought it was fun. she was a very happy little girl. loved to play, loved to get attention. >> there is nothing better than being able to bring your mom into your world.

my mom thinks i wear to a bonnett to all of my shoots and i have to correct her, but besides that, i want her to be proud of the work i do. so this was sweet to spend the day with her. >> wow. >> they were great. we have to give a big thanks to our wardrobe department who put all of those together. >> made dylan's dress. >> amazing. >> i'm keeping my high tops, by the way. >> you're keeping your head scarf. >> i'm wearing it next weekend. look for it right there. >> not easy. first i thought we'll just do the same pose, but your body changes. >> and you are so much taller, the background doesn't fit in. two. three. my credit card rewards are easy to remember with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2% back on groceries. [ all ] 3% on gas.

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listening to music can help you feel better. a group with some high-profile members tapping into that healing power by bringing music to people who need it most. ♪ but i got nothing >> darius rucker has toured the country many timesory orver ast man for hooty and the blow fish and now a country solo artist. playing many big venues, but on this concert tour, is he playing to audiences as few as two. his arena? hospital rooms. ♪ let her cry if it eases all her pain ♪ >> my daughter says, mom, don't cry. but we're happy she is getting better and this has made the day so much better. ♪ let her be >> to see the looks on their faces when you play a song they

know and they are so happy, there's nothing better. >> reporter: they don't wear scrubs, but musicians like darius rucker and randy hauser are dispensing musical medicine at vanderbilt children's hospital. >> i think it's great they take their time to come and meet the kids. >> peace out. >> the two superstars are volunteers with musicians on call. a nonprofit organization that enlists local musicians and celebrity performers to play at hospitals across the country. >> we know it helps with pain control, lowers blood pressure, and certainly emotionally it takes them out of the experience of being in a medical setting for that three or five minutes that the song is played for them. >> reporter: 17-year-old courtney butcher battles a chronic stomach ailment and longs for home. one of randy's songs briefly takes her there. ♪ let your hair down, hair down ♪ >> it reminds me of my dad.

we live in a small town. and it reminds me of happier days. ♪ country feels >> a new dad with a new chart-topping song, things weren't always good for randy hauser who understands music's healing power. >> when things weren't so great in my home, music was that thing i turned toto distract me or ease the stress out of my life. >> reporter: musicians get back as much as they give. ♪ like a wagon wheel rock me, momma, any way you feel hey mama rock me ♪ >> god has gifted me with a voice. i knew that as a kid. why do you always help? i think that's why i was put here, to help people, to give back. >> reporter: darius rucker finds his new single in high demand here and discovers something more rewarding. you're there to cheer you up. sometimes they have the affect of cheering you up?

>> absolutely. you never feel bad when you are there. you see a kid who is sick and their hole family is in there, and you walk in and you know you are helping them a little bit. >> thank you, man. >> musicians on call operates in six major cities. they have hundreds of volunteer performers and guides where they screen, train and schedule for these bedside performances. back after these messages. clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? that's just my speed. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®.

let's check in once again with david gregory for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." >> secretary of transportation ray lahood here to discuss the looming sequester, plus, the nation's governors in washington. bobby jindal of louisiana and deval patrick of massachusetts. and political roundtable coming up, all on "meet the press." >> thank you, david. that will do it for us. thank you for watching. >> i'll see you back here tonight for "nbc nightly news." have a great day, everyone.

>> up next on 11 news, our q&a guest and the legendary soul sirning marven gay brought to the stage. >> and the skies are clearing out, which means the temperatures are warming up.