will get accumulating snow later today. >> we'll be ready. >> all right, good job. happy thanksgivin the "today" show's up next. good morning. foul weather. a nasty nor'easter sets across major delays for tens of thanksgiving travelers from the deep south all the way to new england, hundreds of flights already canceled. rage. for the second straight night, angry protests over that grand jury decn in the michael brown case in cities coast to coast. but police say things were much better in ferguson overnight. while the officer who fatally shot the 18-year-old breaks his silence. >> the reason i have a clean conscious, i know i did my job right. >> this morning, reaction from michael brown's parents. six american survivors of ebola come together for the first time live in our studio. they'll open up about the bond

they now share and the unique reason they have to give thanks. and winging it. a plane stuck on a frozen runway for hours. its passengers, determined to get home, brave extreme cold to push it on to the taxiway, making for one unusual takeoff "today," wednesday, november 26th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. good to see you all as we get ready for thanksgiving. we like to talk about what we have to be thankful for, right? >> yeah. >> take a look at this shot right now. i want to show you some people in our green room. these are people who have a unique reason to give thanks. >> they also have a unique bond. all of them are ebola survivors and to see them together and the

bond that they share is really touching. they've got a unique reflection on this thanksgiving season. >> many had not met each other before this morning. we'll be talking to them all during our 7:30 hour. something not to be thankful for, this bad weather. it's already caused major disruptions for millions of holiday travelers here in the east, heavy rain and snow. storms in the northwest and pacific northwest as well. we have got it all covered this morning from the roads to the airports. but we will begin with the man of the hour, mr. roker and the all-important travel forecast. >> we've got a lot going on to tell you about. let's show you what's happening. winter storm watches and winter storm warnings stretching from the mountains of the carolinas all the way on up into new england and everywhere in between. you can see it now. here is the snow, starting to fire up in parts of west virginia and western virginia. heavier showers and thunderstorms along the coast, it's warmer. this is where we'll see the heavier snow accumulations. basically back through the mountains of west virginia, pennsylvania, three to six inches of snow by late tonight.

as you move up to the north, we are looking for heavier amounts. here in new york city, the big metropolitan centers, one to three inches. you get inland, we're talking upwards of a foot and a half or more as you get into new england. airports, we start things off and we'll show you the airport delays, boston, rain and wind. new york, d.c., rain. minneapolis, light snow. a clipper in the midwest will bring rain to st. louis, seattle. flight aware saying there are 460 flight cancellations, almost 2,000 delays and the northeast roads along i-90, look for snow. i-80, icy mix. i-95, mostly a wet ride. as you head down south, it's rain along the coast. i-81, look for a mix of rain and snow. then we've got this clipper to talk about, light snow along i-70. look for a mess along 55. i-90 will be snowy as well, guys. the good news is that this will be a very -- two fast-moving

systems. by tomorrow morning, everything is pretty much high and dry. >> good new. >> al, thanks very much. 41 million americans are expected to drive to their thanksgiving destinations. how are those roads looking this morning? dylan dreyer is driving on a stretch of highway in virginia right now. dylan, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. yep, it's just me and 41 million of my closest friends traveling this weekend. aaa says that's the highest volume of travelers since 2007. it certainly helps that gas prices are at their lowest they've been on thanksgiving for the last five years. now, we are traveling on i-81 right now. and rain or snow, it's going to make things very slow. we're just south of winchester, virginia. we started off with heavy rain. we've started to turn over to snow. we will see conditions deteriorate. now if you don't deal with snow today, you need to head toward the coast. as al mentioned, i-95 is mostly

rain. you go -- just a little bit up toward new england, that's where we'll see our snowier conditions, massachusetts turnpike through i-90, i-80, i-84, those will all be snowy, especially later on today. now there is an app that is my travel tip for the day. it's called inrix, it shows you exactly where the traffic is slowing down and also the routes that are green and wide open. it could help you plan your travel. it also has a bunch of live cameras that can give you a live look at what the roads look like, whether you want to see the conditions of the weather or the conditions of the traffic. so that's my tip. either way, prepare for a pretty slow go on the roads today. matt and savannah? >> dylan, keeping her hands at 10:00 and 2:00, eyes on the road. >> multitasking. we are impressed. those storms have led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights nationwide. we could see more as the snow begins to intensify. tom costello is at reagan international for us. tom, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good

morning to you. rain event here at the moment. that will be turning into snow as we move further north, as you know. flight aware's misery map. let's go there right now. can you see what airports are doing at the moment and how their delays are mounting. boston logan is problematic. washington's airports, new york's airports. also chicago o'hare and atlanta, these will be the critical airports to watch today. hundreds of cancellations likely. even, as we know, delays mounting through the day. also of importance, the pentagon is releasing restricted air space along the coast in the gulf of mexico, getting that up to commercial aircraft. that's going to help speed things along as well. and one other important note here, the washington, d.c. area has now gone to satellite approach. it's called next gen. washington, d.c. is joining houston, dallas, seattle and a few other airports to speed up these flights coming into the airports, based on satellite navigation, not radar, allowing

for a much smoother and orderly descent. you'll feel more like you're sliding down to the airport rather than stepping down. everybody we talked to says that's going to make a huge difference as it rolls out across the country. one of my favorite travel tips, websites i checked out as well, fly.faa.gov. you can look at what's happening at every individual airport. you can see, for example, a wind delay at o'hare or snow delay at boston, whatever. it will tell you the exact number of minutes we're seeing delays or cancellations and when they expect to see things get back up to normal. i would try that website as well. >> tom costello, thank you. second straight night, protesters have taken to the streets across the country lashing out against the grand jury decision in the michael brown case. this morning for the first time publicly, we're hearing directly from the officer who shot and killed that 18-year-old. "today" national correspondent craig melvin has the latest on

this. craig, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. things here in front of the ferguson police department actually got off to a relatively calm start last night. within hours, the situation had deteriorated. in fact, about half a mile from here, in front of ferguson town hall, folks tried to topple a police car and set it on fire. they were not successful. 45 arrests in and around ferguson last night. it wasn't just this area, as you mentioned, as protests, sometimes violent, continue around the country. protesters return to the streets of ferguson for the second night in a row, some sending a message. >> hands up! don't shoot. hands up! >> reporter: others trying to find common ground with police. >> we're here for peace. >> reporter: a few resulting to violence. >> the majority of those arrests were misdemeanors. four felony arrests, unlawful use of a wep sben assaults against police officers. >> we have a generation of

people who have been hurt and nobody has attempted to reach them. that's what you have. broken people break things. >> reporter: thousands protested, mostly peacefully in dozens of cities across the country, shutting down major highways in new york city and looting businesses in oakland. tensions flaring in minneapolis as a car ran over a female protester. as business owners in ferguson cleaned up from monday night's chaos -- >> i'm so sorry. >> reporter: -- some wondered why it had to happen. >> where were the police? where were people who said they had this under control? >> reporter: missouri's governor increased the number of national guard troops in the region to 700. >> this community deserves to have peace. >> reporter: in an interview with abc news, police officer darren wilson talked publicly for the first time about his struggle with michael brown.

saying the teenager threw the first punches, hitting the officer in the face. then he said brown turned and started moving toward him. >> i gave myself another mental check, can i shoot this guy? legally can i? the question i answered myself was, i have to. if i don't, he will kill me if he gets to me. >> i'm ready for it to end. >> reporter: back in ferguson, brianna ogilvy says her family sympathizes with the protesters but does not want to live in fear. >> seek justice the right way. do not tear down our community. >> reporter: that is a sentiment that's been expressed over and over again here in ferguson. the woman we showed in minneapolis who was hit by the car, she's expected to be okay. overnight, two fbi agents, less than five miles from here, were shot while trying to execute a search warrant. at this point, officials say they do not believe it's connected to the unrest here in ferguson, but they are checking it out. savannah? >> craig melvin, thank you very

much. michael brown's parents, leslie mcfadden and michael brown sr. are here with us now, along with their attorney, ben c ruchlt mp. what's the last 36 hours been like for you? >> sleepless. very hard. heartbreaking and unbelievable. >> i remember you said once, leslie, you felt there would only be justice if there was an arrest and a conviction and, michael, you said you believed justice would prevail. do you feel now that justice has been lost to you? >> no. we're just going to keep fight ing and pray for a better outcome. >> what do you hope happens? >> a conviction. >> you're hoping he's pursued in federal court? >> yes. >> you really made a point, as

this was about to be released, this grand jury news, to call for peaceful protests. >> uh-huh. >> unfortunately, that hasn't always happened. and there was a video that circulated about monday night, leslie. i want to show it to you. in the video we see your husband, what appears to be, stirring up the crowd. take a look at it. i want to ask you about it on the other side. [ indistinct shouting ] >> i know you were there, in the crowd. this is just after the news came out. what do you have to say about that? >> that he was just emotional. i don't feel that he stirred the crowd. the crowd was already stirred. it's been stirring since august 9th. i hold -- i wouldn't hold him accountable for that. that comes from a higher power, elected official and it's called

the governor. >> can you explain what you mean by that? >> they stirred the pot. they had everyone on edge. they had everyone in an uproar and had the city on edge, basically, since august 9th. >> you don't feel that that made a bad situation even more volatile? >> it was just raw emotion and nobody is condoning violence. >> no. >> you lose your child in this manner and somebody put video camera on you in the raw emotion, who knows what you would do if this is your child laying on the ground for four hours and you find out that the killer isn't going to be brought to trial. >> mr. brown, did you watch the interview with officer wilson? >> no. >> would you want to watch it? >> yeah. i'll get a chance to watch it. >> he is claiming that your son was the instigator, that he punched him, reached for his

gun, came back charging toward him. does that seem possible to you? >> no. >> why not? >> for one, my son wasn't -- he respected the law enforcement. two, who in their right mind would rush or charge at a police officer that has his gun drawn? it sounds crazy. >> he used some very descriptive words, saying that your son's facial expression was angry that he looked like a, quote, demon, that the officer felt like a 5-year-old holding on to hulk hogan, that he had never seen anybody look as crazy as your son. leslie, what do you think when you hear those words? >> it's unbelievable. you know, everybody should read his statements, read the description. and when you have young people of color be killed, they try to

demonize and play on the stereotypes and they try to put the police officer who killed our children on a pedestal. it's just not right. and we have to fix this system. that's why you see everything going on in ferguson and around the country. >> insult after injury, really. so disrespectful. >> and what do you do now? are you considering a civil lawsuit? what's the next step? >> well, we plan on exhausting every legal avenue possible to get them some sense of justice. obviously, the prosecutor didn't do what we really felt should have been done by indicting the police officer. and so we plan on having civil, federal charges to get justice. and, remember, what we're asking supporters here to do is not just make noise. let's make a difference. let's pass the proposal for mike brown law, video body cameras

for all police officers in every american city so we won't have to see this play out over and over again all across this country. >> benjamin crump, leslie mcfadden and michael brown sr., thank you for being here and spending your time with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you for having us. >> savannah, thank you very much. natalie is here now with developments abroad in the fight against isis. >> militants were killed in pakistan this morning. missiles were fired from a u.s. drone. meantime, two minnesota men are facing federal terror charges after allegedly trying to travel to syria to join isis. but only one man is in custody following his arrest at the minneapolis airport in may. the other man slipped out of the country and hasn't been seen since. a high-speed chase comes to a screeching halt when a driver hits a dead end. this happened tuesday in oklahoma city. after 20 minutes of eluding

police, the driver ran out of road. he backed up, got a running start and tried to plow through it. that didn't work. the driver then took off on foot. after a short chase, he was tackled by a national guardsman and police. the suspect faces a list of charges. when a car gets stuck in the snow or ice, the right thing to do? get out and help give it a push, right? when it happens to a huge airplane, apparently, i guess if you're in siberia, the same rule applies. passengers did that on tuesday, with temperatures dipping 52 below zero. dozens of passengers pushed on the plane's wings and, hey, it worked. eventually the plane took off for what was an otherwise uneventful flight. >> in siberia, that's called the boarding process. >> yeah. give that a try here at home. >> that's not going to work through this weather. >> it starts rolling and they go running up the stairs to get

back on the plane. >> that's the hard part, getting back on the plane. >> natalie, thank you. it will be some rough travel weather. >> it certainly is. rain along the coast. mountain snows to the east of there. beautiful weather in southern california. sunny and 85 degrees in southern los angeles. look for that snow with that good morning. i'm meeting bill henley. tracking a storm that will stay with us through the day. rain changes to snow.

the heaviest accumulations north and west, but as the temperatures drop, philadelphia will see accumulation as well. by tomorrow morning, below freezing. what's on the ground will stay on the ground, unless somebody moves it. temperatures into the 40s just barely thursday afternoon. colder friday. and saturday morning it will be cold. but by sunday afternoon, a warming trend. 58 degrees on sunday. back in the 50s monday and tuesday. have a great day. >> that's your latest weather. one of our own already affected by the weather. >> yeah. >> you had a flight canceled? >> yeah, it canceled. th they booted me back to an evening flight which, according to your forecast, put me in a dicey situation. it's a party at laguardia. holla. >> tomorrow thanksgiving is going to be great. >> rush toward laguardia, now we know why. >> tamron's party. we're all invited. >> talking about an unusual news conference. >> yes. there was a rush to the internet overnight. two players are trending. richard sherman and doug

baldwin. marshawn lynch was fined $100,000 for, get this, being too brief at a post game interview sunday. marshawn is known for not wanting to talk to the media. he has made it clear. nfl policy says players need to be available to the media after a game. in the press conference tuesday, sherman and baldwin call that rule hypocritical. even providing his own cutout. >> if he had spoken, do you think they would have paid $100,000? >> no, they sure wouldn't. >> do you know who pays me a lot of money? beats by dre, the wonderful headphones i wear. the league doesn't let me say anything about them. >> so no response from the nfl yet but sherman and baldwin were the talk online. mike hill tweets loved what sherman and baldwin did. smart and clever. players should realize they have

to speak but they control the message. if you're wondering where mr. baldwin got his cutout, because everyone should have, it's a promotional campaign at subway sandwich shop. these are pictures of people taken before the press conference. imagine how many people will show up at the subway in seattle now that this has happened. >> interesting conversation. >> 100 grand for being too brief. >> richard sherman has a way of getting attention. >> he sure does. a school in crisis, emergency meeting held at the university of virginia to address what some say is, quote, a culture of sexual assault on campus. plus an emotional gathering right here in studio 1a, six americans who survived ebola meet as a group for the first time. but first this is "today" on nbc.

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and select kitchen electrics - just $4.99 after rebate. kohl's black friday starts 6pm thursday! find your yes. kohl's. good morning. i'm vai sikahema. just peeked at a monitor, looks like the snow's coming down hard at camelback in the poconos. let's get our first alert forecast from meteorologist bill henley. bill? >> vai, it's a great day for the ski resorts. they're going to get significant snowfall, and it has started. look. it's really coming down! there's a lot of moisture with this storm system, but the rest of the area, for now, it is rain, though, and rainfall is heavy and bad in portions of upper montgomery and bucks county, in central bucks heading into new jersey, that is heavy rainfall. the temperatures have been coming down. 43 degrees in philadelphia, down a degree in the last hour. look at pottstown north and west at 39 degrees. those colder temperatures north and west is where we will see the first snowfall in the philadelphia area. 35 degrees.

a snow-rain mix at noontime and into this afternoon. >> thank you, bill. let's get a check on traffic and jillian's got a delay on septa. jill? >> that's right, delays we're dealing with now. the sent were lansdale/doylestown regional line has a delay of 20 minutes due to a disabled train out near lansdale. systemwide cross-honoring is in effect and 422 eastbound is slow near trooper. normal volume on 76 westbound and eastbound 95 southbound is jammed into center city. vai. >> jillian, thank you. it's already shaping up to be a busy day at philadelphia international airport, and today's storm could throw a curveball to thousands of travelers flying in or out of town. so far, no delays, but that could change later when the snow moves in. and if you're flying today or picking somebody up, be sure to call this number on your cell phone. check their status at 1-800-phl-gate. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. see you then. >> announcer: this portion of nbc 10 news is sponsored by

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7:30 now on this wednesday morni morning, the 26th of november, 2014. you are looking at conditions in virginia on a busy travel day. there's a car's eye view of the situation. as we know now, a strong nor'easter is already causing havoc on the roads, in the air and it's bearing down on us as we speak. >> actually, that is the story making headlines today. rain falling from the deep south to new england. heavy snow expected in some areas. airline cancellations are expected to mount throughout the day. check with your local airport. demonstrations again overnight in ferguson, missouri, and cities across the country against the grand jury decision not to indict the officer who shot and killed michael brown.

windows were broke in city hall and at least one police car set on fire there. window washer from san francisco who fell 11 stories on to a moving car, they say the 58-year-old is now opening his eyes when they speak to him. he is still, though, fighting for his life. a group that has a unique reason to give thanks this year. this morning we are bringing together six of the doctors, nurses and aid workers who beat ebola for an exclusive live interview. they all look great. big smiles on their face. >> journalist in that group as well. >> that's right. talk about something to be thankful for. forget about what you know about preparing turkey. we are putting a new spin on your feast. it is going to blow your mind, from three of the hottest chefs in the country. boom! >> we look forward to that. we're going to begin this half hour on a serious note. the turmoil on the campus of the university of virginia over the handling of a sexual assault case there. the board just held a meeting

addressing concerns. peter alexander is there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the campus is largely cleared out for the thanksgiving holiday but the faculty and school officials are addressing the situation. sexual assault is a serious problem on campuses. it's hard to admit. your story is not unique. >> it's not. i've heard from a lot of women like me. >> reporter: as a freshman she said she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house on campus. her attacker, she says, never punished, because he transferred schools. now employed by the university, she counsels other sexual assault survivors, including jackie, whose detailed account of a vicious gang rape, published in "rolling stone," has drawn attention to this.

>> reporter: every student needs to look in the mirror. >> support survivors and stops this from happening. >> reporter: uva's board addressed the firestorm at an emergency meeting tuesday. >> i would like to say to jackie and her parents that i am sorry. >> reporter: weeks after charlottesville police investigated the disappearance and murder of freshman hannah graham, the university president has now asked chief tim longo to investigate jackie's case. >> there were bystanders. there were people in that room who saw and heard what is being called shocking and horrifying. and i hope that there's bystanders who have the moral courage, the moral courage to come forward and help us with that investigation. >> reporter: even as protesters silently condemned the school's policies, one sign of uva's founder reading sexual

misconduct, a jeffersonian tradition. >> if we can't deliver on this fundamental duty, then we, all of us, we will have failed. >> reporter: urgent calls for change as this campus community undergoes a painful reexamination. >> we are facing a deeply kind of terrible thing that's happened within our community and that fundamentally undermines your understanding of trust here. >> reporter: at the end of that meeting, the board of visitors here at uva committed itself to a zero tolerance policy on sexual assault at uva. this time, matt and savannah, it's unclear exactly what that means and how it will be enforced. >> peter alexander, thank you very much. in other news, a lot of people keeping their eye on the weather for the holiday weekend. let's get al's forecast. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by verizon, today's connection day. enjoy digital giveaways like movies, music and apps to stay

connected. go to verizon.com/connection day. >> a lot of folks connected to the macy's thanksgiving day parade. the 88th annual. let's find out what the forecast is. it's going to be mostly cloudy. temperatures are going to be about 35. it's going to feel about 30 out there. the good news is the winds are going to be out of the northwest at 10 miles per hour. so well within the range to keep those balloons flying. we do have that nor'easter tomorrow. that's out.per coming across th lakes. rain in the pacific northwest. southern tier states looking good. and on friday as you head out, doing travel, shopping. snow along the northern tier. pacific northwest looking at rain. east coast looking good. a little on the chilly side. gulf coast also sunshine and clear good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. tracking a storm that will stay with us through the day. rain changes to snow. the heaviest accumulations north and west, but as temperatures

drop, philadelphia will see accumulation as well. and by tomorrow morning, below freezing. what's on the ground will stay on the ground, unless somebody moves it. temperatures into the 40s, just barely, thursday afternoon. colder friday. and saturday morning it will be cold. but by sunday afternoon, a warming trend. 58 degrees on sunday. back into the 50s monday and tuesday. have a great day. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. coming up next, six people who faced down ebola here in america giving them a unique reason to be thankful this holiday season. we'll talk to them exclusively. and a bit later on, in trending, this is science. why it's apparently okay to have arguments in front of your kids. >>

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"you'll lift me up, for we are free, v/o: "wherever life takes you, take it with you." pandora: unforgettable moments. we're back now at 7:41. thanksgiving, of course, a time for people to count their blessings. this morning we're joined by a group that truly has reason to be thankful. six american survivors of ebola. amber vincent, nina pham, dr. kent brantley, nancy writebol, ashuka mupo. you're members of a club that you didn't want to join. and i know some of you were reluctant to do this interview but you wanted to come here to

meet each other. what's it like? >> amazing, surreal to have one another in the same room. >> do you compare notes? >> i told ashoka, this is a horrible experience for everybody that goes through it. >> nancy? >> it's been great to get to meet everyone that has experienced the same thing and who have been through what you've been through. >> some of you knew each other before. others are meeting for the first time. you all have a couple of things in common. you've all survived this deadly virus. four of you, rick, ashoka, amber and nina have something else in common. you know what that is? >> what's that? >> what's that? >> you all got plasma donations. >> yes. >> from this guy here. when he was declared virus free, he then donated his plasma to help you guys survive. anybody want to say what that means? >> just want to say thank you.

good opportunity to express my appreciation for what you did. it's so mazing that you gave so much to all of us. >> selfless man. he's like our angel and gave us a second chance at life. that's how i feel. >> want to mention, nancy, you also donated plasma to dr. spencer, who is not here today. >> yes. >> because you were a match in blood type. >> uh-huh. >> kent, i have spent some time with you. i know you are a deeply religious man, as many of you are. do you feel that it was god's plan for you to get ebola and be cured so that you could help others? >> i think god saved my life and i have a responsibility to use my life in a way that's glorifying to him and a way that's helpful to other people. and so it was an honor and a privilege but also just kind of a natural thing to do, to help others with what i've been given myself. >> nancy and kent were the first two in this country. the rest of you followed. how important emotionally was it

for you to know that they had survived? >> i felt like it gave me hope. i knew that it was a struggle, but being treated at emery along with them, they gave me stories and told me that it would be rough days but, you know, there are others that have made it through. >> president obama called you guys heroes. are you being treated like heroes, or is there a stigma attached to being a former ebola patient? >> there's been a mix, right? >> uh-huh. >> there's been a lot of scrutiny. i think that's the thing that comes to my mind as to what we have in common, as we've all been under a magnifying glass or microscope for the last couple of months and some of it is positive. but there's a lot of -- you know, lot of criticism on social media and stuff that you see. >> if these six people were to

jump on the same airplane leaving here, what do you think the reaction would be on the part of the -- what's that? >> we would get really good seats. >> you think the other passengers would still have an issue? >> some of them, yeah. >> probably, yeah. there's always going to be those haters out there, but -- for lack of better word. >> a lot of people have been very kind and have been nothing but just -- wish us well. >> right. >> so we found a lot of that also. >> i think it's also important to recognize how lucky we are for getting the kind of treatment that we got when so many survivors who also have these dramatic stories to tell are in west africa, who didn't have the benefit of what we had. >> i want to also mention that, obviously, you were covering the story as a journalist in west africa. the rest of you were either in west africa, treating ebola patients or in united states treating ebola patients.

any second thoughts about the choices you made in being involved? >> none. >> none? it would be okay to say yes. nobody? >> i weshish i had used a littl bit more chlorine. >> amber, you said something that jumped out at me. you said all of me is a nurse. >> yeah. >> if you were given a chance to treat another ebola patient at a hospital in this country, you would still do it? >> i would still do it. >> nursing is a calling. and i think such a rewarding career. and it's just in our personalities and in our nature to help whoever needs help. >> so on thanksgiving, we like to stop and say what we're thankful for. what are you thankful for? >> i'm thankful to be here. thankful to be with my family. and thankful for the opportunity to speak out for people who are still suffering in west africa. >> thankful for my health. second chance at life. for support of friends and family.

>> amber, you said it's the little things you're thankful for. >> yeah. >> like what? >> the little things. like when i'm cooking, smelling the food as i cook and doing laundry, just feeling the warmth and the smell of laundry right out of the dryer. little things. >> i've never heard anybody be thankful for the smell of laundry before. ashoka? >> i'm thankful for my family and all the brave men and women in liberia, guinea and sierra leone who put their lives at risk. they're the real heroes. >> i'm grateful for god's grace and a second chance and the opportunity to continue to serve and possibly back in liberia. >> you would go back? >> possibly, yes. >> rick, would you go back? >> i would. and i'm thankful for the opportunity to go back and also really thankful to get to hang out with my kids, my sons and just see what happens next. really thankful for a second

chance at life. >> i would be remiss if i didn't end the segment by saying, how is bentley? how's the dog? >> he's great. he gets more questions from the people than people ask about me. he's doing good. he just celebrated his 2nd birthday. >> happy thanksgiving. >> thank you. >> it's great to have you all here. remember those who cared for you so well while you were ill. it's great again. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. coming up, jennifer aniston makes a reporter squirm. wait till you see the prank she pulled. first on a wednesday morning, these messages.

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good morning. i'm vai sikahema. we have just learned that philadelphia international airport is experiencing delays of 1 hour and 45 minutes due to low visibility. let's get the first alert forecast from bill henley. what's going on? >> not a lot of improvement there, no. rain is coming down. snow in the pocono mountains, though, and it is accumulating. and look at the slopes. you can see the manmade snow just to the left side of the screen, but that is pure mother nature closer to the camera and rain for the rest of the area with one exception. just got a report of some sleet in williamstown, new jersey. heavy rainfall off to the north and west with sleet mixing in. that's an indication that temperatures are coming down. in fact, they just dropped to 41 degrees in philadelphia. north and west now 30s for reading, pottstown and allentown. those will be the first areas to see snow in the immediate philadelphia area.

let's get a check on traffic with the roads and mass transit from jillian mele. >> i have a few camera ts to sh you the conditions. mt. pocono, interstate 380, you can see the snow coming down. but allentown, 78 at 32, you can see the roads are wet there. pt roads are wet and we have some delays in philadelphia. this is 95 southbound right near the betsy ross bridge. heavy volume on the southbound side and we have delays still on the septa lansdale/doylestown line of up to 20 minutes. vai? >> thank you, jillian. if you're taking the train, you could run into delays. amtrak expects a record number of riders to leave and come into town for thanksgiving and plans to have extra trains running up and down the northeast corridor. and peco has added extra workers to deal with any power outages out there. wet, heavy snow can weigh down tree limbs and bring them down on electrical lines. peco and other power companies told us they had crews on standby right now ready to respond. i'm vai sikahema. we'll have another update in about 25 minutes, and of course, you can always get the latest at nbc10.com.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, two stars for one fight. michael j. fox and ryan reynolds team up for a cause that has united the stars and their families. >> for us, it's -- in a strange way it's really brought us all together. put down your devices and step away from the screens. we'll show you how to live in the moment with a digital diet and never miss a thing. talking turkey, three chefs each with ways to give your bird crow ative flavor, "today,"

wednesday, november 26th, 2014. >> new york! >> see you at the parade. >> happy thanksgiving from alabama. go eagles! >> happy thanksgiving, grandma and grandpa, back in indiana. >> we wobbled all the way from chicago. we're back now 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it is the 26th day of november, 2014, and it is, as predicted by mr. roker, not the nicest day in the world here in new york city. got that nor'easter with rain and winds. as you can see the scaffolding coming down on the christmas tree. >> look at it this way. the christmas tree is getting a great watering right now. that's wonderful. the tree will be lit december 3rd, right? >> yes. >> wednesday, december 3rd. right now, john o'hurley, host of the thanksgiving day national dog show, some of his furry

friends. who do we have here? >> my little boy, who is not in the show right here. i have one in my hand right here, a beautiful -- wonderful little dog from madagascar. if you look over here on the far end we have the wirehaired. therapy work for tornado victims all across the country. three wonderful dogs and we have a great day on tv tomorrow at the national dog show presented by purina. >> we've had the pleasure of having you here, year after year. you've been hosting this. you have this other career as a great actor. we all know you from seinfeld. when people see you on street now, do they know you more from the dog show or those shows? >> it's funny. it's always the punctuation

point. we love your work on seinfeld and love your dog show. >> this is the wire haired bishla. if you notice a wet dog smell, it's me. >> john, always good to see you. >> you can catch the national dog show following our coverage of the macy's thanksgiving day parade right here on nbc. let's get a check of the headlines with natalie. >> good morning, everybody. millions of people driving or flying this thanksgiving will have to battle the elements on the east coast. nor'easter now storming up the i-95 corridor, threatening to deliver heavy rain and slick snow. new england could be heaviest hit, up to a foot of snow in some areas. hundreds of flights nationwide have already been canceled. for a second straight night protesters, police and national guard troops were out in force in ferguson, missouri, following

monday's grand jury decision in the michael brown case. dozens of people were arrested. craig melvin is in ferguson. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, natalie. we are in front of the ferguson police department where, as you mentioned, there were a number of arrests last night. although nothing like what we saw the night before last night. 45 people were arrested, versus roughly 85 in and around ferguson the night before. half a mile up the road, a group of demonstrators tried to flip a police car and set it on fire. they were unsuccessful. not just here in ferguson, though, as we've been talking about it. the protests, sometimes violent, continued across the country last night, in minneapolis, in seattle, in oakland as well. here in ferguson today, they are expecting more protests. again, nothing like what we saw here last night. >> all right. craig melvin in ferguson for us again. thank you, craig. earlier on "today," michael brown's parents accused the

justice system of failing their son. but they say they are not giving up. >> we're just going to keep fighting. and pray for a better outcome. >> michael brown sr. and leslie mcfadden said they are hoping officer darren wilson faces federal civil rights charges. ac/dc drummer phil rudd showed up late for a court appearance in new zealand this morning. the 60-year-old is charged with threatening to kill as well as drug charges. during his court appearance, rudd made the lips my sealed gesture. did he not enter a plea. as he left the courthouse he even hopped on to the back of a security guard for a quick ride to his car. he is scheduled to appear in court again next week. english novelist goes to great heights to promote his new book. a lamb chop from a sfwraurestau

attached it to a weather balloon and sent it off into space t traveled 82,000 feet into the air. the men didn't even know that, because they then lost contact with the balloon at some point. then more than a month later, a farmer discovered the wreckage and returned it back to the owners. the camera captured more than 100 minutes of footage, of the lamb chop's journey to space. sounds like a good movie. it's 8:06 right now. let's get another check of the weather with al. >> literally saved in space. that's fantastic. we asked you folks to send us your travel pictures at #turkey travel. let's take a look at a couple of these. first of all, i love this one. german shepherd can't wait to see snow for the first time. and then we've got a family trip making their way. this is from brianna felix on hour 34 from our trip from

california to dallas, texas. you can see a lot of wet weather in the east. big storm system making its way up. snow starting to filter in now. afternoon temperatures. we are going to be watching 30s and 40s. teens in the plains. temperatures in the 80s through the southwest. it will be a mess along the eastern seaboard. airport delays a big problem. windy and wet in the pacific northwest. a clipper across the midwest causin . >> good morning. tracking a storm that will stay with us through the day. rain changes to snow. the heaviest accumulation in the west. temperatures throughout philadelphia will see accumulation, as well. by tomorrow morning, below freezing. what's on the ground will stay on the ground. temperatures into the 40s barely thursday afternoon. colder friday and saturday morning it will be cold. but by sunday afternoon, a warming trend. 58 degrees on sunday. back in the 50s monday and tuesday. have a great day.

>> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. coming up next on trending, how jennifer aniston trick aid reporter in thinking he is asking the most inappropriate questions ever. can't miss jill's holiday steals and deals, one item for more than $300 off. willie sits down with michael j. fox and ryan reynolds to talk about a very special bond they all

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we are back now at 8:12 on a wednesday morning. here is what's trending today. we will start with some good w news and some bad news about your thanksgiving dinner, all right? the bad news? an argument or two probably will break out at the dinner table. but here is the good news. that could actually be good for your kids to see. >> what? >> get this. a new study says children who witness heated debates are better off later in life. apparently, according to this research, it makes them better communicators and teaches them how to handle conflict. i don't know what to say about this. it's sort of like, oh, you get used to a lot of strife and tension, you'll really know how to deal with it later in life. >> are we talking about parents fighting or discussions of top he cans that get a little heated at the dinner table? >> that's a key question, what the difference is. i thought the impression was more about debate and talking. >> if it's a fair fight, i think, then that's fine. >> those are always --

>> if there's a lot of words that should not be repeated -- >> but when you're wrong, al -- >> exactly. >> is that why people hate the holidays, for that very reason, because you anticipate a fight? >> good news is you're with your family. the bad news is -- >> you're with your family. >> exactly. arianna grande is responding to bette midler's putdown. in an interview recently she called her sexy image ridiculous. she said some other things we're not going to go into. she tweeted this vintage photo of bette in her famous mechrmai costume, and says she misses the old bette and always a fan, my love, which would fall into the category of kill them with kindness. >> or passive aggressive. >> i was going to say. >> a little dig there. >> it was a little bit. love ya. >> it makes me sad, though, you

know. i'm sure she's a fan of bette midler. and i'm would hope she would explain it more. >> can't we argue in healthy ways? >> fighting fair frnchts the awkward files, we've all had introduce that had awkward moments, right? bb c-1, interviewing jennifer aniston fromb "horrible bosses 2" and apparently she was not happy with some of his questions but lucky for him, this was all a prank. >> trying to match julia and go out raving and -- >> i don't rave. >> it's not really a saturday night thing? >> not really. >> fair enough. >> yeah. well, i mean, it's something -- first of all, i don't think that's an extremely appropriate question. >> oh. >> we told jennifer to make the interview awkward.

>> i'm so sorry. >> this is my actual nightmare right now. >> it is? >> poor guy. apparently his co-worker asked her to go along, as you saw there, and was tolg oblige, and quite convincing in the role. >> the guy reminds me of a young hugh grant. it is cringe worthy. we've all been there. >> exactly. and that is what's trending today. with family and friends getting together for thanksgiving, argument also break out. you can bet a lot of videos and selfies will be taken. has our love of using our phones to document every single thing gone a little bit too far? "today's" jenna wolfe is here with that. good morning. >> good morning. let me say whatever jennifer aniston, i have done a thousand things worse than that, and you guys know me. that was nothing. we are all guilty of hitting record on the iphone or ipad,

right? we're all guilty of this, in instead of living in the moment. i have 50,000 videos of my daughter so, believe me, i know. viewing through a smart phone seems to be the norm these days. remember the good old days when phones were only used for talking? a plate of food was for eating not filtering and these were our only windows to the world. yeah, me neither. like it or not, this is how a lot of us process life these days, squished into a little box to be photo shopped, uploaded, tweeted, posted, liked and commented on. as if that, in and of itself, was its main purpose. did your kids do something today? anything at all? did you get it on video? hi! neil diamond on the plaza? got to have that. brand new pope an yee i hvrnlgsz

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. >> reporter: have any of you taken pictures or video today? >> yes. >> reporter: of what? >> 19, 20, 21. >> reporter: if that's not a sign of the times, elsewhere here in new york city, some restaurants have fought back by outright banning food pictures. in ohio, wedding photographer corey ann took to her blog, begging couples to have unplugged camera-free ceremonies after getting too many photos like these. how did it all come to this? >> i really think it's a fundamental need for people to say, hey, i exist. i matter. it's sort of like a need to have meaning. but then you throw in technology and it's like on steroids. >> is this more commentary about us than it is technology that's coming out now? >> yeah. people just really feel like they have to video caption and document anything.

it's almost as if it could never happen and that bothers me, i must say. >> reporter: which begs the question, is there anything we won't record? let's find out with "today's" hottest new quiz game "live it or record it." a beautiful sunset. the most unbelievable lasagna you have ever seen. >> i have so many lasagna pictures. >> reporter: you're in new york city and somebody from the "today" show is asking your mom a bunch of questions. >> videotape it. >> reporter: victoria secret photo shoot. and such is the reality of our phone-filled world where living in the moment means missing out on the glory. or in other words, if you don't record it, it may as well have never happened. you are not going to believe this. i ran into beyonce and jay-z on the street and they asked me to hold blue iev.

>> i where is the video? >> no video. i was in the moment. i was in the moment! >> cleared the room. >> it happens here. we do it here. we record everything. we're already on tv but yet somehow we have to record ourselves being recorded of the recording of us. >> but we don't download anything. >> no. it's safe until the memory is full. >> we all do it. >> thank you, jenna. let us send it over to savannah. >> announcer: shop small "today" is brought to you by american express, founding partner of small business saturday. shop small november 29th. all right. now to a holiday edition of steals and deals. here with gifts for everyone on your list, "today" contributor jill martin. this is a special steals and deals. >> today is the perfect day to shop with your feet up, coffee mug in hand. we are supporting small businesses in honor of small business saturday. >> we'll have more on that in a minute. we have a pj set. >> how cute is this? >> adorable.

>> start with your kids. too adorable. too adorable is the name. matching kids and favorite doll or bear set. the kids' sizes are 3 through 12 and the doll or bear is any 18" doll or bear. the retail for the set is $68. deal $18. that's 74% off. >> super cute christmas gift. >> super cute. >> these always do well. you can choose an initial, like you put real thought into something. leather pouches. retail $89. genuine leather made in the u.s. you can add your initials. choice of four vibrant colors. $24, 73% off. i have n here for nancy. >> oh, my mom. >> who is in town. >> in the studio. >> now she knows what i got her for christmas. >> super great gift. we all love this. stationary studio, personalized stationary. the retail, $155. they're calling this their preppy stationary. it comes in a variety of styles

and colors. 50 custom cards and blank envelopes and it comes in this box. throw a bow on and you're ready to go. heavy weight stock and fully designed on the front and the back. so, you see -- >> really cute and different shapes, too, not just a square card. >> really a great gift. retail $155. the deal $46.50, 70% off. >> what a cute gift. very thoughtful. >> i gave them last year. everyone loves it. i love gifts that you can use. >> absolutely. we have beautiful -- would you call these a pashmina? >> alpaca. i never said that word. luks oarious alpaca fabric. available at barney's, neimann marcus and other specialty stores worldwide. they retail $398. >> alpaca is an animal. >> alpaca is a fabric. >> we're getting an amen.

yes. tell us about these jewels. >> i love being corrected always. you're right. >> steals and deals not wild kingdom, but, yeah. >> i mean, come on. what do you want from me? jennifer miller bracelets, retail $195. always great to get jewelry for the holidays. sterling silver with choice of 24 karat yellow or wide gold plating. i want to show it on me. it's great to layer. >> beautiful. take the shot there. >> also great by itself. it's an awesome, awesome gift. jennifer lopez, mariah carey, heidi klum. the deal $48.75. that's 75% off. >> that is a great deal. screaming deal we might say. finally something the men of the "today" show need so badly. it's no-shave november. >> i didn't even plan that. luxury shaving kit exclusive to "today," this set. it's six months worth of product called, i love this, all a man

needs for the best shave ever. >> whoa! big promises. >> you get the oil, shave cream, after shave, after shave soother, brush and brush stand. >> man not included. >> man not -- well, you could wish. the retail $158. the deal $47.50. 70% off. and luckily my boyfriend is not watching as i say that. >> we've been asking viewers to share a selfie of them with their favorite small business. selfie of me and my sister in action, whose also the owner/hardworking mom of two with one on the way at the blue hen in tampa, florida. lauren, thank you so much. and tara sent monster art and clothing supports over 50 local artists in the seattle area. get some handmade gifts for the holidays and support our artists. #shop small. keep them coming. selfies in front of your favorite small business so we can spread the love. savannah, back over to you.

>> tamron, thank you. jill, thanks to you as well. pajama sets from two adorable, jesse & company purses, stationary studio, throws, bracelets from jennifer miller and shave sets. head to today.com for more information. matt over to you. >> savannah, hurry. there will be no leftovers. three cooking stars with fresh takes on fixing the star of your thanksgiving table. three great ways to make turke

good morning. breaking news, the storm is moving in. let's get an update with first alert meteorologist bill henley. >> snowfall in the north and west in the higher elevations to start with. that snow is coming down as the temperatures are falling down. they are falling in the area. this is the view of interstate 81 near shennendoah. it shows the snow falling in the shennendoah area at the 1300 foot level. farther to the south, at lower elevations, it's still rain for philadelphia. that is going to be changing, especially north and west. we should see that change in the next couple of hours. the temperatures are getting colder north and west. 30s now in allentown, plus 42 in

northeast philadelphia. >> one of the busiest travel days of the year. let's see what the conditions are doing to the road. >> we saw that live picture in shennendoah. this is a little bit southeast in hamburg, interstate 78. the roads are wet here, as you can see. same situation on the roads in the philadelphia area. delaware and new jersey. up to 20 minutes on the lancedale/doylesdale line. >> thanks. you may already be seeing some delays if you're flying in or out of philadelphia international airport. airport officials tweeted the faa has issued a ground delay, which means some travelers could see delays up to two hours. be sure to check your flight status before you go to the airport if you're leaving or picking somebody up right now. we'll have another local update in 25 minutes. you can always get the latest on this storm on nbc10.com. now back to the "today" show.

♪ hark! the herald angels sing hark the herald hark the herald hark the herald hark! the herald angels sing ♪ ♪ hark! the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king ♪ ♪ peace on earth and mercy mild >> 8:30 now on this wednesday

morning, the day before thanksgiving. we've been listening to great tunes, pentatonix, the acapella group that a lot of us know. we'll be hearing more from them in a few minutes. >> isn't that cool? by the way, favorite dish on thanksgiving day, stuffing or turkey? >> stuffing. >> turkey. >> turkey. i love turkey. if you're sick of the same old bird, not this year. three chefs are standing by to jazz up your thanksgiving turkey. >> all right. plus michael j. fox and ryan reynoldss sit down for a very personal situation with willie about parkinson's disease that they're all fighting for. we're following you. you can find us on sirius xm channel. sadly people may be stuck in the car for a while but we will warm your hearts.

>> we will try our very best. >> al, let's get to that forecast, by the way. >> after you've gotten all your turkey, gotten to where you're going. if you're traveling on saturday, travel problems in the pacific northwest. east coast looks pretty good. northern plains looking a little snowy. and then sunday, sunday, a lot of people start heading home, we've got another arctic express out there, coming into the plains. wet weather through the great lakes and the mississippi river valley. the rain and snow in the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine around the gulf coast. good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. tracking a storm that will stay with us through the day. rain changes to snow. heaviest accumulations north and west. as temperature drop, philadelphia will see accumulation, as well. by tomorrow morning, below freezing. what's on the ground will stay on the ground unless somebody moves it. temperatures into the 40s, just barely thursday afternoon. colder friday. saturday morning, it will be cold, but by sunday afternoon, a warming trend. 58 degrees on sunday. back in the 50s monday and tuesday. have a great day.

>> and that's your latest weather. wow, february 2007 i talked to you -- >> you talked to to me about my son's impending liver transplant. he received his liver transplant this summer. >> in july. >> from his dad. >> that's wonderful. how are you doing? >> i'm doing good. it happened july 2nd. i'm a couple of months post-op and i'm thankful for all the doctors. >> that's something for your family to be thankful for. >> absolutely. >> happy thanksgiving, guys. >> very nice. thank you. >> let's head back inside. >> all right. al, thank you so much. now to the voice on "today," two contestants were eliminated. carson is taking a break from his duties to show us the real competition between the coaches backstage. ♪ i don't want to hurt ♪ come together >> reporter: as the voice contestants battle each other on stage, vying for america's

votes. ♪ i'm so fancy >> reporter: the competition behind the scenes between the coach sincere just as fierce. >> i'm trying, man. [ bleep ] ♪ because you're mine >> your team is not as good as his team? >> you're exactly right. that's a statement, not a question, right? that's a statement? >> i mean, i have a team. that's the difference. >> reporter: blake shelton is trying to get his team through to the next round has some encouraging words. >> wear panties. >> reporter: showing him how it's done. ♪ when you feel so tired that you can't sleep ♪ ♪ >> reporter: first time coaches pharrell williams and gwen stefani have proven to be tough

competitors, doing whatever it takes to win. coach pharrell called on motown legend diana ross to mentor his team. gwen stefani called on past coach to help. superstar adviser during the knockout rounds this season, taylor swift returned to "the voice" stage to perform her second hit this year "blank stage." ♪ and you love the game >> reporter: but all the superstar advice wasn't enough to save anita antoinette or reagan james. america sent them both home tuesday night. >> i feel really good, to be honest. >> working with taylor swift, who is one of the most successful of her time, is amazing. ♪ i've got a blank space baby and i'll write your name ♪ >> reporter: for "today," carson daly, nbc news, los angeles.

>> heating up. >> getting good. >> don't forget, you can catch "the voice" monday and tuesday nights here on nbc. we miss you, carson. >> we do. get back here. happy thanksgiving. change is good. we'll show you three creative ways to fix a thanksgiving turkey. next, willie sits down with michael j. fox and ryan reynolds for a very personal conversation. first this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:38 with a very personal goal shared by actors michael j. fox and ryan reynolds, finding a cure for parkinson's. willie has more on that. good morning. >> good to see you, matt. ryan's dad has had parkinson's and my dad has had pd for 22 years. we all spent a little time together before the foundation's annual gala right here in new york city. when you heard you had parkinson's, could you even process that at that point?

did you know what that meant? >> no, no. i -- i thought it was a mistake. i really thought it was a mistake and i went -- i got a couple second and third opinions. >> reporter: michael j. fox has come a long way in the 23 years since that diagnosis. his name has become nearly as synonymous with parkinson's as it is with "back to the future." >> hey, doc, we've got to back up. we don't have enough road to get up to 88. >> roads? where we're going, we don't need roads. >> do you ever get exhausted by being the face of parkinson's? >> i really don't. i -- it's been, from the onset -- once i made my diagnosis known, it's been a tremendous opportunity, tremendous privilege. >> reporter: at the age of 30 and at the height of his career, with a growing family, fox chose at first to fight his battle privately. >> it's a degenerative, progressive disease so you can't

say, you can expect this from being associated with and henceforth, there's just shame in illness. >> after keeping his diagnosis hidden from outside his family, fox went public in 1998, forming the michael j. fox foundation, finding a cure for the disease. a year later actor ryan reynolds joined the fight and the foundation in the name of his father, jim, who has been battling parkinson's since 1995. do you remember when your dad told and you your brothers, i have parkinson's disease? is that a day, a moment? >> my father hasn't really ever said he has parkinson's disease. >> i'm laughing because it sounds familiar. my dad is the same. >> he's in his 70s, comes from a pretty prideful generation. he doesn't really talk about it too much. but, yeah. he maybe said it once or twice

out loud. >> reporter: even if dad didn't want to talk about parkinson's, jim's diagnosis rallied the reynolds family. >> it galvannized everybody else to sort of seek resources and for us, it's in a strange way it's kind of brought us together. >> if there's any upside to it it has rallied an awful lot of people? >> on a family level, it's really -- i mean, my house, i s it's -- >> do you fall? >> it's a gag. >> michael j. fox foundation bracelet. i wear it everywhere and that one person goes what's that? >> amazing people that have done amazing work and really brought this foundation to a place where

we're key players in the quest for a cure. >> reporter: apparently ryan is fighting for that cure all the way down to his skivvies. >> i'm wearing the rubberized galvanized michael j. fox underwear. >> i didn't know they were available. >> how committed are you, willie? >> it's just for the reynolds guy, right? they made one pair. if turns out, because i looked, there is no vulcanized underwear. >> what's heartbreak something when you heard michael j. fox say there's shame in illness. >> some people shrink from it. i have a picture to show you how he's doing. he hopped on stage at his event after that interview with none other than paul simon and shredded on the guitar like he was playing "johnny be good" from "back to the future." >> good for him. and thank you, willie, for

bringing awareness. we're cooking up turkey three different ways. first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back now at 8:45 with our countdown to thanksgiving. this morning, turkey three different ways. you want to try something new this year? we have tasty options for turkey and stuffing from three very talented chefs. billy deck, owner of sundra restaurant in chicago. welcome back. >> good to be here. >> this is with asian flavors. >> we're going to make a marinade. you might recognize this. six stocks of lemongrass, half cups of garlic, ginger, brown sugar. got three tablespoons of black pepper. you can throw in some of the liquids there. >> all right. can you experiment, mix and match a little bit, if you don't

have some of those ingroedien ? debrideie ingredients? >> you totally can. you don't have to do an apple cider vinegar. you marinade it, trub outside and inside. >> inside as well? >> absolutely. leave it in the fridge six hours minimum. leave it overnight, threat soak up. i rubbed it down with oil. season it with salt and pepper lightly. i'll explain the stuffing, which is fantastic. basically a hawaiian bread stuffing with green papaya. it's a filipino stuffing. my mom is from the philippines. one last tip, though -- >> cover the breast? >> always cover the breast. keep it is nice and cooked evenly. take that off about two hours. otherwise, three hours at 350 degrees. >> look what it comes out looking like. >> it does. chipotle, very popular in mexican food and food from the islands of the philippines.

>> i've been nibbling away, truth be told. thank you very much. >> absolutely. >> happy thanksgiving. >> get in there. >> let's go to al. >> thanks so much, al. we'll go deep south, melt-in-your-mouth combo. suzanne, happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. >> we're doing a turkey breast. we're going to deep fry this thing but you have to brine first? >> yes. sweet tea. >> sweet tea? >> that's a way we reuse the tea at the restaurant. into the brine is sugar, salt, sea sweet tea. lemons, parsley, bay leaf, garlic and black pepper. i can help you do this. >> how long will it stay in there? you put a script in just for good measure. >> you want to make sure it is immersed, six to 12 hours is ideal.

>> in the refrigerator? >> in the refrigerator, absolutely. when you pull it out, two things you want to remember out of the brine. you want it to be completely dry. pat it dry. you want it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes. >> now we put this in? >> put it into the oil, 300 degree oil. oh, okay. right in there. and it's going to go for about 30 minutes. >> that's it? >> then you will raise it to 350 and finish cooking. it will give it a really nice crust like this over here. this is the finished product. >> oh, look at skin. >> and fried herbs to garnish. >> what's the cheese? >> this is actually seracha butter, hot sauce. >> suzanne, thank you so much. >> very nice to meet you. thank you. >> savannah, what have you got? >> something great. forget everything you know about the traditional roasted turkey. anthony scotto is here to change the way we think about cooking that bird. what are we doing? >> we have butter here.

we're going to baste that butter with some of the seasonings, sage, oregano, thyme. our little secret, use a little bread crumb. >> why? >> it will keep the moisture into the butter, which i'm then going to stuff in the turkey. >> all right. you'll probably do a better job than i will. >> i'll continue stuffing this into the turkey. it's about 15 pounds. we're going to cook this about two and a half hours, basting every hour, 350. here is the secret with this. most people will take that turkey and cover it. we won't. we're going to use vegetables, onions, celery, carrots, add moisture to this. i should have taken my glove off. i apologize. chicken stock or water. that can take care of that. >> you don't cover it? >> you do not cover it. 3 1/2, 2 1/2 to three hours, you're going to be looking at it. that's what it's going to look like. >> looks beautiful. >> once we've done that, we've talked about this a thousand times now, right? >> yeah. >> the best thing about thanksgiving is my mom's stuffing. >> at your house, it's definitely the stuffing.

>> here it is. it's sausage, cheese, rice. it's unbelievable. >> it's absolutely delicious. fresco by scotto, thank you so much. happy thanksgiving to your whole family. >> happy thanksgiving. >> music from pentatonix, but firs my one word to describe ac would be laid back.

relaxing getaway fun unique beautiful serenity shenanigans refreshing shopping surprising happy place you know what i mean? i want to say friendly. exhilarating adventure the boardwalk #nosleep it's a great weekend. there is so much to do here. it's so great to have it so close. it's just a great location, a great place to be. we love atlantic city.

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. from the top of the billboard holiday charts to right here in studio 1a, pentatonix is here with us before their big performance in tomorrow's macy's thanksgiving day parade. their new album is called "that's christmas to me." nice to see all of you. >> good to see you. >> you've got the number one christmas album right now. was it hard to make these songs acapella? was that a challenge? >> it's always a challenge. we wanted to make this album a unique christmas album. that's the biggest challenge. >> what are you going to sing for us this morning? >> santa claus is coming to town. >> i certainly hope so. pentatonix, take it away.

♪ ♪ santa is coming to town santa is coming to town santa is coming ♪ ♪ you better watch out you better not cry better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa is coming to town ♪ he's making a list and checking it twice gonna find out who's naughty and nice ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa is coming to town ♪ he sees you when you're sleeping he knows when you're awake ♪ ♪ he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake ♪ ♪ oh, you better watch out you better not cry better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa is coming to town santa is coming to town santa is coming to town santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ oh, you better watch out

you better not cry better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ oh, santa claus is coming santa claus is coming santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa is coming to town santa is coming to town ♪ ♪ ♪ santa is coming to town santa is coming to town santa is coming to town santa is coming ♪ ♪ you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪

♪ santa claus is coming to town santa is coming to town ♪ ♪ he's make a list he's checking it twice he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming santa claus is coming oh, oh, oh, santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa is coming to town santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> yeah. >> pentatonix, great job. >> good job. >> are you guys excited about doing the parade tomorrow? >> yeah. >> look forward to seeing you guy. >> thank you so much. >> can you sing that good when it's a little bit cold outside? >> we hope so. >> awesome. i know you guys will be back with kathie lee and hoda a little bit later on, as i mentioned, with the thanksgiving day parade, we'll see you tomorrow. and one week from today, we'll really get to know you. we have the tree lighting at rockefeller center. >> give us a little more of that -- >> you try it, matt. beat box.

♪ >> just like you, matt. >> happy good morning. today's storm is having a big impact on this very busy travel day. first, let's get you updated on the weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> tracy, it was just training when we went on the air at 4:00 a.m. this morning. now we're seeing snow into the lehigh valley. the snowfall has started in the last couple of hours.

this is a time lapse. you can see the slopes getting covered with snow this morning and it is coming down. lehigh valley, route 22, the snow is falling. roads are wet this morning, accumulating snowfall will be hal happening through the morning and into the afternoon. we're watching the radar screen. the snow making progress while the rest of the area from philadelphia, delaware and south jersey right now only getting rain. now check the roads. jillian has a look at all three states. >> this is interstate 78 at route 222 in the allentown area. you can see snowy conditions out there, very slick roads this morning. take your time. 76 right near center city, wet roads there and dealing with some volume. in new jersey, 295 is stacked up right near route 168. finally for drivers in delaware, no accident on the majors, but as you can see here on 495, the conditions are wet. at philadelphia international airport, the faa has issued a ground delay because of low visibility and

delays are averaging about an hour and 45 minutes. if you're flying today and maybe you're picking everybody up, check the flight status. for those taking the train, amtrak expects record number of rider for thanksgiving. they will have extra trains running up and down the northeast corridor. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. get the latest news and weather on nbc10.com. download our weather app. take it with you to keep track of all the snow.

>> right now, from washington to the north, we are talking about

rain. and as you move inland, it's colder now. we're watching the radar. as you look at reagan national airport, airports now starting to report more and more delays. there are at least 500 cancel agencies, over 2,000 delays. and it's just going to build as the day wears on. you touch on any given airport and it shows the delays coming in and just how miserable you are going to be. >> they actually call it the misery. >> here is your misery. >> just so you can actually -- and the problem is, it's just going to get worse as it goes on. and there's a clipper that right now is moving to the midwest. that's adding to it. st. louis is probably going to be affected. and not just the airports. people driving right now -- >> yeah. >> -- are going to be experiencing rain along i-95. inland, north/south, east/west

interstates will start to see wind and rain. take a look at the radar. you'll see we are starting to see snow developing now back through roanoke, just west of washington, in between pittsburgh and scranton and north and west of new york city, we're starting to see that snow develop. >> it's coming. >> it's coming our way. >> it's going to be coming. right along the coast, major metropolitan hubs will see one to three inches. inland it's going to be a mess. >> they really could not have picked the worst day, wednesday before thanksgiving. >> we call this the busiest travel day and somebody from the tsa is actually saying sunday is the busiest travel day. >> why would that be? wouldn't it be equal? the same number of people leaving come back? >> people stagger outbound but everybody is coming back inbound just about the same day, sunday. >> it's worse, you could be stuck on a runway in siberia.

>> this young lady has had to change her flight. >> this is my flight. no, i wish we could do this. >> this is on a commercial flight, passengers get out and push this off after the plane gets stuck. >> hearty group. >> it worked. they took off. >> american airlines are going to -- america -- not american airlines but airlines based in america will say, hey, that's the way to save some money. >> exactly. get out and push. that's our motto. >> who needs ground crews when we've got -- get out and push, you know? maybe may even help us take off. flintstones kind of thing. everybody in okay, come on, let's go. go, go, go, go! >> i like that idea. >> your traveling. >> i do all things that al roker tells me and recommends. >> is that a good idea?

>> i don't know. it wasn't something he suggested. no, jill martin changed her flight. but i was thinking, too, this misery map, what did we do before apps and the ability to go online and call and get updated real time? we waited in the airport in mass numbers. >> just sat there and waited it out. >> and we would call people on pay phones. >> yeah, exactly. remember those things? it's dangerous because like laguardia, they have a five guys hamburger place there. i'm just -- i'm in that food court like burger, fries. >> cheeseburger. >> yes, ma'am. >> the new delta terminal at jfk, they have a shake shack. and a blue smoke. >> is there an app that tells you the best places to eat? >> boston logan. >> lobster place. >> they've upped their game. >> #favorite place to eat in an airport if you're stuck. >> that's right. >> speaking of eating -- >> burrito.

>> not the kind that i was craving yesterday. >> but it has plenty of fiber. >> garment burrito, they're calling it. revolutionary way of packing. you bundle everything into this burrito style. this is a video showing how you do it. you've got the jacket. then he's layering his shirt. i'm going to have to say, i believe this is for men. >> i was going to say, there's no heels in here, dresses. >> no multiple shirts, no maxi dress and mini dress. >> shirts, pants. >> it's a layering of sorts. i worked at sears before in retailing. i'm pretty decent at folding but i don't know about this i do think it's geared toward men. so our wonderful behind-the-scenes team got us a standard size suitcase, which i think this is -- i never pack this had light in my life. >> one of al's blazers from liz claiborne. >> he's giving it up. >> here we go.

>> shirt on top. >> shirt on top. >> you layer -- there you go. >> sleeves matching. >> sleeves have to match? >> no, like that. >> this isn't going that well. >> here we go. we need to see the video while we're doing it. can we put like a picture in picture? >> you alternate. >> the pants come out side ways. >> along the sleeves. >> we get the idea here. >> okay. there it is. jacket first. see, there's your shirt. >> sleeves match sleeves. sleeve to sleeve. >> okay. >> they're doing it much faster. >> he's marking the spot. there's your x. >> over by our other production area we've got some paint drying. >> you alternate, guys. >> give me the pants over here. jeans you can just fold up. >> i feel like you could, too. they're pretty wrinkle free anyway. >> while you're doing that. >> okay. >> this is not going to work out so well here. >> be confident. >> okay. here we go. you're looking good, guys. all right, looking good.

>> and burrito. >> this shirt should have been folded. >> you're really doing good. >> stuff had an bag. >> packing burrito. you got room on the side for that, including your obligatory "today" t-shirt. >> no wrinkles. >> i'm going to say, that's not what he did. >> very close. >> it's clever. >> it's all packed. >> but first this. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by progresso light soups, so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100 calories per serving, progresso light soups. >> here we go. at this point about 40 million people under winter storm warnings or advisories from new england all the way to the carolinas. look, here is what we were talking about. you can see this right now forming, the snow is starting to get itself together. upper elevations, mountains

here. you can see how it's filling in to upstate new york into parts of pennsylvania, west virginia and virginia as well. snowfall totals generally one to three to maybe three to six inches. you move a little further inland, you'll see up to a foot to a foot and a half of snow. airport delays, here you go. there's going to be problems. boston, new york, d.c., minneapolis, st. louis and seattle. so we've got activity in the northwest. if you are driving in the northeast, i-90, i-80, 87, 90, 95 up into new england, going to be problematic. you get into the midatlantic states, icy commute along i-81, rain on i-95 as you head south. into the midwest, i-80 clear through illinois. you get into iowa on up into minnesota, st. louis as well, i-70 is going to be very, very messy. of course, make sure you check the weather channel and weather.com for your latest

driving informatio >> good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. tracking a storm that will stay with us through the day. rain changes to snow. the heaviest accumulations north and west. as temperatures drop, philadelphia will see accumulation, as well. by tomorrow morning, below freezing. what's on the ground will stay on the ground unless somebody moves it. temperatures into the 40s just barely thursday afternoon. colder friday. saturday morning, it will be cold. but by sunday afternoon, a warming trend. 58 degrees on sunday. back in the 50s monday and tuesday. have a gate day. >> that's your latest weather. >> thanks, al. >> where did thee cookies come from? >> we're going to do a cookie contest. this is unfair. they're so beautiful and almost professional. >> ridiculous. >> "today's" holiday cookie contest. share it with us and you may be featured on this very show. the official rules, head to

today.com. the winner gets hands-on cooking classes at sur la table. >> you mean sur la table. >> you want to go? >> wow, happy thanksgiving. >> what do you mean, do i want to go? over a pronunciation? >> that's how this is. >> that's where we are? okay. coming up next -- >> real meaning of thanksgiving. >> absolutely. absolutely. coming up next on thanks and giving, an inspiring story of one little boy's fight to get back on his feet, showing just one little boy's fight to get back on his feet, showing just how tough he really ring ring!... progresso! it's ok that your soup tastes like my homemade. it's our slow simmered vegetables and tender white meat chicken. apology accepted. i'm watching you soup people. make it progresso or make it yourself think the tree we carved our names in is still here? probably dead... how much fun is this? what? what a beautiful sunset... if you like sunsets. whether you're sweet or salty...

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the possibilities are delicious. thanks and giving, highlighting the work of st. jude's research hospital. >> i visited a young patient only years old, diagnosed with a brain tumor, and his parents feared he might never walk again. after years of treatment and rehabilitation at st. jude, he

is now back on his own two feet. colin hayward toland was practically born on skis. >> part of our culture. we put him on them in the backyard to get him used to the idea that he didn't have a choice about this. >> reporter: around his 2nd birthday, emergency room visit, doctors found a brain tumor called pandemoma. >> we knew nothing about brain tumors or what was going to happen. very scary. >> just a freefall of despair. >> after two brain surgeries, colin's nervous system was devastated and he lost his motor skills. he couldn't walk and doctors had to feed him through a tube. colin's parents were even deprived of their baby boy's voice. how hard was that for to you see your son regress? >> it was devastating. there were times i just wanted him to be able to do the most basic functions, breathe the air, fresh air. you know, get out of the

hospital. that seemed like something so impossible. the cancer had just kind of taken all of this away. you hit a point where i just felt -- i just felt like there's no way he's ever going to come back from this. >> the family turned to st. jude. >> we found, at st. jude, them thinking outside the box, create ing a new standard of care for colin, meant the difference between life and death. >> one, two, three. >> at st. jude, colin underwent one final surgery to remove the brain tumor once and for all. >> very difficult in colin's case, because the tumor was wrapping around important blood vessels and nerves. we've got to be extremely careful that we don't damage the brain stem. >> colin and his doctors fought hard with radiation and chemotherapy and he is now cancer free. >> left, right, left, right. >> reporter: physical therapists helped him to rewalk. after half a year of silence, colin spoke his first word. >> tell me what was happening

here. >> mama. >> mama. >> in this video, it was actually the first time that colin spoke after that second surgery. >> can you roar like a tiger, colin? [ roaring noise ] >> i didn't think he would ever talk again. >> you have children and you experience milestones and they're really awesome. having the same milestone repeated is at some other cosmic level of experience. >> they got their little boy back. colin, now in second grade, only uses a wheelchair for long distances. the cancer battle took away his hearing in one ear, but he gets to be a kid again. >> he loves to tell joke. >> loves joke. >> colin is the best anti-depressant not on the market. >> knock knock. >> who's there? >> europe. >> europe who? >> no, you're a poo! >> as for that sport he had to leave behind, colin met me at

hunt hunter mountain in new york, happy and healthy, standing tall on his own two feet. as you see, colin is here with us, along with his brother, aiden, his parents and, of course, marlo thomas, st. jude's outreach director. colin's story is just another example of the incredible work, the miracles that are performed at st. jude. >> it's not a miracle, though. it's science. this is what we do at st. jude that is so fantastic. colin really was -- anybody else would have called it a lost cause. we brought him back layer by layer by layer. we created a clinical trial, the largest in the world for this brain tumor. it's being used all over the world. we opened it everywhere. all the data is coming back to st. jude so we can study it. it's the epicenter for infant brain tumors. this is what we do at st. jude. this is such an exciting story

because this is a little boy who got his life back. he couldn't move. he couldn't walk. he couldn't talk. he's now talking, going to school, up to his grade level. is he skiing. he is exactly what st. jude does. >> i'm watching you watch the piece, and it's so difficult, i can imagine, for you to see those pictures of your young son lie nth hospital bed, not knowing what his future looked like, as you said, not knowing if i'm ever going to hear him speak again. did you ever think you would see the day when your son would be here, looking so great and skiing and doing all the things you wanted him to be able to do? >> honestly, no. when we got to st. jude i started to get the feeling that's what everybody was thinking. they were never giving up on him, pt, ot, speech, audiology worked aggressively to get him restored to the boy he was. and that's not to mention all the other practitioners that were doing all the other clinical work to get colin restored to health.

>> it's now been five years. is he considered cancer free? what's left in his recovery? >> he is considered in remission. there's always a chance with the pande movemen pandemoma it could come back. we live every day. what's left is his childhood which, fortunately, st. jude has given back to him and our whole family. >> he's cancer free now at this moment. >> at this moment. >> he's cancer free. and we expect him to stay cancer free. >> you killed with the knock knock joke in the piece. i understand there's more where that came from. you have another joke for us? >> are you ready? >> this is your moment. >> knock knock. >> who's there? >> cow's bell. >> cow's bell who? >> no, silly. cow's go moo. >> you got me. >> you rocked it. great to see you again. thank you so much. have a happy thanksgiving.

>> thank you. >> it's always a great thanksgiving when you have healthy children. >> thank you. >> marlo, as always, great work. marlo will be sticking around for a live chat on her facebook page in our orange room. coming up next, i'll get you caught up on all the news you need before you leave your house this morning. plus we'll preview the macy's thanksgiving day parade, balloons, broadway shows and a so here's the new living room... tv, couch, pillows. nice! see, we've completely remodeled the kitchen. cozy. ♪ let's go check out the pantry! ♪ it's our dunkin' dream room! amazing! wish i had a room like this. let's make some dunkin'. one taste and you'll understand. great remodel. delicious dunkin' donuts coffee. pick some up where you buy groceries. try new french roast and colombian today. america runs on dunkin'.

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it's easy to track customer shopping habits online. what happens when people abandon their online basket and go shopping the old-fashioned way? more and more retailers are using technology that then tracks your shopping cart's every move and provides them with information, how long custom customers spent in each store. here is something to chew on this thanksgiving. the average cost of a classic thanksgiving dinner for ten this year with all of the fixings cost, on average, $49.41. that is up 37 cents from 2013. rising cost of grains to feed the turkeys get most of the blame for the cost hike. sweet potatoes, dairy products and pumpkin pie mix costs are also up. pretty incredible, professional wake boarder has taken the sport to a new

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you can do this. this! betty crocker sugar cookie mix. your head start to homemade. get your betty on! good morning. it's 9:26. we're tracking today's storm. in fact, we just got word that west township in montgomery county is declaring a snow emergency starting at noon today. let's go to meteorologist bill henley now. >> we're seeing the heaviest snowfall to the north and west where it started in the colder air that is slowly moving across the rest of the area. this is the view from the mt. pocono area. interstate 80 by long pond road overpass. you can see the snow starting to stick to the roadways. look at the snow over the last hour, making quite a bit of progress. it spread into chester, bucksly and montgomery countys north and

west of the i-95 corridor. but the temperatures are falling, so you expect it to fall in philadelphia and wilmington. right now, it's 40 degrees in both of thises lowe locations. the numbers will be falling as the day goes on, producing snow and along with gusty winds, 30 miles per hour. >> and on this very busy travel day, let's get a check with the roads with jillian. >> good morning to you. different conditions across different parts of the area. sth a live look at route 309. we have that snow coming down. slippery wet conditions there. heading to chester county. the roads are wet along the route 35 pass, same thing on 100 and 202. keep in mind, if you plan to travel with new jersey transit today, it's in effect. you can always have weather information at your fingertips as you travel on this thanksgiving holiday or anywhere. take the nbc10 first alert weather app with you wherever

you go. it's free download at nbc10.com. we'll have another update for you in about 25 minutes. get the latest at nbc10.com.

welcome back to "today," wednesday, november 26th, 2014. a little bit of precipitation on this day before thanksgiving. i'm willie along with natalie, al and tamron, sitting behind a drum of food. turkey in a bucket. >> what is it exactly? >> this is our would you wednesday? would you eat an entire holiday meal in one dish? buzz feed's solution to thanksgiving dinner taking up the space on your plate is thanksgiving in a bucket. take all the things you like, put it in one place and put their feed bag on. >> that's their solution? why? >> it takes up too much room. apparently it takes up too much room on the table. >> eating and dining is part

visual as well. >> eedi ineating with a ladle. ♪ ladle ladle ladle >> i've got hop and john, ham, stuffing and brussel sprouts. here is the problem. they want us to dive in. it's ice cold. >> it is. >> what's in yours, natalie? >> mashed potatoes, gravy, some stuffing, sweet potato, brussel sprouts, turkey, cranberry. >> get in there. get in there, nat. >> natalie. >> oh, oh. >> willie, what's in yours? >> well, natalie just -- >> it's cold. >> oh! >> what's wrong with you? >> it's good. it's a little cold. >> that's an entire meal on your spoon right there. mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, stuffing and -- >> turkey? >> -- some unidentified object

and turkey. >> what do you have? >> okay. mine is fried turkey, hush puppies from virgil's, pecan pie, key lime pie and homemade cheesecake. >> there's key lime pie? >> double chocolate cake. i didn't read the e-mail. i just heard them say what would you love to have for thanksgiving? >> oh, you didn't realize it was all going to be in one bucket? >> i didn't realize it would be all in one bucket. >> it might be tastier if we warmed it up, but that's just me. anyway, hey, we've got a lot going on. east coast. we've asked you to hash tag us, spend us your pictures, #turkey travel. all right. here we go. made it to the blue ridge mountains from florida. traveling with their dogs. and then this, from beth kravitz. heading to i-80, wet snow from new york city to central p.a. #turkey travel. send us your pictures, show us what's going on.

here is what's going on as you can look and see we are looking at a lot of wet weather making its way along the eastern seaboard. for tomorrow, the snow is over here in the east. but you've got leftover snow, great lakes, also an icy mix >> good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. tracking a storm that will stay with us through the day. rain changes to snow. the heaviest accumulation in the north and west. as temperatures drop, philadelphia will see accumulation, as well. by tomorrow morning,bly freezing. what's on the ground will stay on the ground unless somebody moves it. durs into the 40s barely thursday afternoon. colder friday and saturday morning will be cold. but by sunday afternoon, a warming trend. 358 degrees on sunday. back in the 50s monday and tuesday. have a great day. that bucket made an impression on you, didn't it? >> it left a scar. what won't leave a scar, we're less than 24 hours away from the kickoff of the holiday season and the 88th annual macy's

thanksgiving day parade. >> we have a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how this world-famous parade comes together. whether watching from the tv in your home or somewhere along the parade route, this is a magical march worth believing in come thanksgiving morning. the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade promises a cornucopia of dancers, cheerleaders and so much more. none of this happens without a lot of work and preparation. in fact, several parade participants took to that familiar star centered herald square for rehearsals starting monday night. >> today we've got 600 cheerleaders, 600 dancers, all the broadway shows that are coming to perform on thanksgiving. it's a really big night for us. >> stand by. >> these high school students from across the country couldn't agree more. >> it's amazing. like you get to perform it on

national television. it's always like been a dream, i think, of all of ours, to be able to do that. >> let's go macy's! >> happy thanksgiving! >> even veteran actor tony danza, here with the cast of broadw broadway's honeymoon in vegas, is humbled by the overall meaning of the day. >> healthy children. i live in the greatest city in the world and i'm in the greatest broadway show. >> here we are, on the macy's thanksgiving day parade. for a new york guy, this is about all there is. this is the best. >> also known as maria on sesame street, enjoys entertaining her young fans so much, she's lost track of how many appearances she's made alongside her cast. >> the parade is so special at the holiday season. >> singer nick jonas whose song

"jealous" is climbing the billboard charts, also stopped by. we can't forget the show's other stars. this afternoon, 16 giant balloons come to life and crowds get a sneak peek of the inflation process. it's a major event this time of year. routinely drawing about 1 million people. plenty of familiar faces return. snoopy is flown in the macy's parade more than any other character. but six of them will make their debut, paddington bear, pillsbury doughboy and the beloved engine, thomas, seen here on a test flight, set to fly high. you can also expect to be amused by the 27 animated floats with five brand new ones inspired by any and every thing from american past time, adventure cartoon characters and the folks who say argh! we all know the biggest joy

arrives on his sleigh at the end, none other than the big man, santa claus himself. >> this is the moment everybody has been waiting for. >> and you can catch the 88th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade with matt, savannah and yours truly tomorrow live at 9:00 am here on nbc. >> up next, the holiday shopping season is upon us. we'll

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♪ last year after the turkey was eaten and the dishes were done, 140 million people shopped over thanksgiving weekend. >> if you're planning to be one of them this year, we've got some strategies to stay safe as you're searching for black friday specials. a security expert, former secret service agent here with great advice. i read this overnight. i think every person should here this information, evie, men and women. >> absolutely. this is for everybody. >> let's launch into it. first off, while we are shopping, you're going to break

it down into three sections here. >> yes. >> our first section? >> okay. our first section is, for those of you who are going out to shop and going early, waiting on those long lines, take care of yourself, have hand warmers, bring a bottle of water. you'll be there for a while. take a flashlight. it's usually dark at night. if you're carrying a purse, have the essentials, water, keys, a pen. you can use these a little bit for a weapon if you need them. people are always worried about leaving the store. going into the store, you need to think about yourself as well. because the bad guys, too, or those looking to take money, they know you've got your credit cards and cash on you. >> speaking of cash? >> i was going to say, you say keep the money out of your purse? >> if you can help it, don't take anything with you other than two credit cards and your cash. even your atm card if you don't need it. that way there's nothing for them to take off of you. if you're going to carry your wallet, if you're a man, the best place is inside your jacket or on your front pocket. never on your exterior.

if you're a woman, you can use one of these. belly sacks that you attach here. these are great. the less you have with you, the better it is. >> you also remind us, try not to look distracted as well. if you're searching through your bags for your keys or money, people are watching who want to prey on you. >> the way they identify who they're going to take from is based off your body posture, how you're carrying yourself. do you have situational awareness? you're looking to pick the perfect victim. if you look like you've got it together they're not going to pick you. one more thing, ladies, if you're going to have a purse, put your things at the bottom of your purse and on top put a shawl or scarf. make them work for it. make them dig. >> now we're checking out. >> okay. >> when you see a line of people what are the things that make you go crazy and say don't do that? >> don't let anybody come near you or touch you. everyone waits on this beautiful perfect linear line. if people are close to you, people don't want to be rude, that's fine. step to the side. have your foot in that line.

there's no need for people to be on you. when you're checking out -- this drives me crazy. everybody displays their credit cards, i.d., address. hold that stuff. flip it over. hide it. when you're punching in your code, the way you go to an atm, that's what you should be doing. hide it. the cashier doesn't need to see it. the people online don't need to see it. protect your identity. >> and don't plop your bag down on the counter like some of us do? >> no, don't. be ready to go. >> we're walking to our car. >> throw the stuff in the cart, go. look if something happens to you as you're walking to your car, at least you can let go and have both your hands. have your wallet here. have keys. you can always use keys for a weapon if somebody comes at you. if you're in a dark place, like those parking lots, you don't feel comfortable -- you don't like them, tamron. i don't either. take your phone out say i am at this plaza, this mall. walking to my car.

there is nobody with me. just stay on the phone with me. >> that's a good idea. what if you have kids with you? i see a lot of parents pull up to the car, put the babies in -- >> do i do the bags or kids first? honestly, just be quick. throw the bags in. you have your hands free. put the kids in the car, strap them in. speed, efficiency. if you're going to get -- something is going to happen to you, it's going to be in a parking lot. that's where you're the most vulnerable. be quick, fast, efficient. get out of there. >> thank you so much, evie. we appreciate it. >> thank you. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving as well. movie role for taylor swift? we'll have your pop fix coming up i'm j-a-n-e and i have copd. i'm d-a-v-e and i have copd. i'm k-a-t-e and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs

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it's pop fix. >> get your mugs ready. >> let's start with legendary rock star joni mitchell's apparently dis for taylor swift. uk sunday times she does not want the pop star to play her in a potential bio pic. she said i squech squelched tha. all you have is a girl with high cheek bones. it's just gossip. she also had a problem with source material for the film, which may have caused the holdup for the film. 20-year-old taylor swift said in 2012 she wished she could confirm the role but could not

talk about it at the time. nbc reached out to joni mitchell and taylor swift. this comes on the heels of bette midler going after arianna grande. >> i think she didn't like the movie and was saying all you have with a girl of high cheek bones. >> and then you've got nothing else. >> i think it's more she's probably talking about the content. >> i'm hoping so. on my list of women i love and adore, joni mitchell is at the top. let's see if this was subject to interpretation. did jordan sparks just slam her ex in a song? it sounds like it. may be throwing shade, as we say, in her new remix of how about now? the lyrics seem to be very telling that this split has not been good. "remember when you broke your neck and i had to wash your back for ya, huh? well i'm up for you and you suck right now."

who else could she be talking about? >> it could be somebody else maybe. >> 2012? oscar winner nicole kidman and reese witherspoon, limited series based on the book "big little lies." david kelly is set to produce. the murder mystery revolves around three moms to preschoolers in an upper middle class suburban town. both kidman and witherspoon got the rights to the book in august. no word on when the series will begin. natalie? >> i just picked up the books. i think that's exciting. >> i love ending on a positive. >> eggnog season started with thanksgiving in the roker household. >> raise your mug after natalie

pulled a joni - ( helicopter whirring ) - ( roars ) ( siren wails ) ( pop music playing ) ♪ when you're ready ♪ ready, ready, ready ♪ come and get it ♪ get it, get it ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na ♪ na na na na na na na ♪ ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na... female announcer: it's a great big world and it can all be yours. here and only here. ♪ come and get it.

as you know, we are kicking off our annual toy drive to benefit kids in need. >> to tell us exactly how you can participate from home, craig, good to see you. we're grateful for your partnership on this, our online partner. >> amazon's 20th holiday season. this is the 14th year that the "today" show and amazon have partnered up on this. our customers love it. this is probably one of the easiest ways during the giving season to give back. we've got 100 products that we worked with you and your team on where customers can just go to the "today" show on amazon, click it, put it in their basket, pay for it. we take care of the rest and send it on. in addition, we're donating 50

of these kindle -- fire hd editions, come with a worry-free two-year guarantee. kids break things. one of the hottest toys on the list this year is the "frozen" elsa doll. >> of course. >> this is $15, $14.99 on the site right now. and it's definitely in demand on the "today" show toy list. >> you would be tackled with that in your hand right now. >> plenty of portable stuff that people can get. >> elsa doll is only $14. we've got construction toys and puzzles and games that are very affordable. >> thank you very much. >> happy thanksgiving. >> thank you for your partnership to all the folks at amazon.com. thanks for being our online partner through the years. go online and send a gift to a needy child at amazon.com/today show. for more inf

good morning. the snow continues to push itself into the region. let's go to meteorologist bill henley now for a look at where and how heavily it's falling. it's quickly moving into areas north and west. you can see the pocono mountains. it is now covered. lionville, chester county, that's the view this morning. the snow is really coming down and is sticking. you can see on the side of the screen, it is sticking to the

grassy areas. but we expected to start sticking to the surfaces, as well. the radar shows how quickly the snow moving towards the i-95 corridor. snow accumulating north and west. we're expecting to see the heaviest snow totals. now 38 and the temperature continues to fall in philadelphia. wilmington, northeast philadelphia, 38 and right at the freezing mark, it's sticking there and into the lehigh valley. the pocono mountains just below freezing at 31 degrees. and on this very busy travel day, let's see if people are driving in spite of the snow. jillian has a look at the cameras there. >> center city, philadelphia, the vine street expressway. a couple drivers out there. the roads there are pretty much wet. out to 202. we have snow coming down. same situation along route 422 and upper providence township. we're starting to see the snowy continues. in the lehigh valley, allentown, this is route 309 and tillman street. blustery conditions in that area. near this area, we have a report of an accident as you proef the

lehigh valley tunnel. chris. >> you can always get realtime weather information through our nbc10 first alert weather app. nbc10.com. have a great morning. ♪ [instrumental music] ♪ exactly the way you want it... until boom, it's bedtime! your mattress is a battleground of thwarted desire.

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>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, absolutely everybody. it's wines day wednesday. we're thrilled you're with us today because it's the start of the busiest travel weekend of the year. hopefully, you're not going to be stuck in traffic along this i-95 corridor all the way -- >> well, you're right, because a lot of people have been. lucky for me, my family who's here came in late last night -- not late. last night. my mom, my brother, colleen, my sister-in-l sister-in-law. elle and hannah! >> they're my elves, too.

>> what are they going to do. >> they're going to go over to the nbc experience with me and be my helpers. >> we're very excited. >> yes. >> we have a friend of ours on the show. >> an old pal, justin long, is in the house. he's co-hosted with us. he stars as star-crossed lovers in "comet." it's hard to explain, so we'll wait until he comes out and tells us about it. >> all right, so, if you are sitting down to dinner, we have some great advice on who should sit where and how and how to make your table calm for the holidays. >> which is fascinating, because he doesn't even know your family. >> exactly. >> and john o'hurley's here today, talking to us in a few moments about the dog show. >> and our favorite a capella group, pent tonics. you can't believe there are no instruments when they go, but anyway. >> their voice is the instruments. so, they're great. it's time -- >> yes? >> for "hoda's words of wisdom." >> all right, these are awesome. really? here we go. the first to apologize is the

bravest. the first to forgive is the strongest. and the first to forget is the happiest. from kathie lee's favorite author, anon. >> my mom's favorite. i agree with every single one of those. say it again, because i can't remember. >> please, don't make me repeat it. so, i was at that tennis tournament -- >> yeah, but you didn't have pictures at the time. >> i didn't have any pictures. but remember, it was me and martina navratilova versus -- >> poor martina. >> well, i felt bad for everybody because i was the worst in the bunch. here's picture proof of how bad it was. at one point, i sat down and martina and chrissy were volleying at the net. >> look how great she looks! >> who cares? >> that usually expression of what am i doing. at the very end -- i don't know if they have a couple more, but -- yeah, it was bad. i was like the charity case, but we did have a blast. martina laughed through most of it -- >> when she wasn't yelling at you, she was laughing. >> congratulations to chris

everett and congrats. >> i have a friend producing -- linda is producing one of the new shows for tlc called "ballroom blitz." >> okay. >> she discovered dancing late gler life. she's not an older woman by any means, but started tangoing and it's really been a life force for her. so, it starts today. each episode pairs amateur dancers with professional ballroom dancers. >> sounds fun. >> and they compete. six episodes starts as a mar than today. >> so, ellen has a way of making us laugh. so, there is a trailer out for "fifty shades of grey." so, ellen has a thing where she inserts herself into movie trailers. in this trailer, she's playing the lead in the film. all right, so, take a look. >> mr. grey will see you now. >> i have a natural instinct for what makes a person tick. i like to see your face. [ laughter ] >> i'd like you to see my face.

♪ [ clearing throat ] ♪ whoa, here she comes, watch out, boy, she'll chew you up ♪ ♪ oh, here she comes, she's a man-eater ♪ >> oh, my god! ♪ >> oh, hell no! >> we would see that one! >> yes, that i would go see. absolutely. now, this is something that -- who in the world would ever have thought of this? this apparently is the beginning of a brand-new trend, not if we have anything to say about it. >> the "l.a. times" is reporting about this. it's a trend called dyed armpit hair. roxy hunt is a stylist in seattle, and she wrote about it in her blog. so, they want to celebrate armpit hair, so she recently dyed a woman's pits --

>> why would one want to celebrate it? >> i don't know. why waste time dyeing it? >> i have the same birthday as you, right, your own armpit hair? >> i think you should just shave it. can you imagine the maintenance, dyeing, coloring? >> what do you think about that? she says she marvelled at the beauty of her blue armpit hair. >> that's really kind of freaky. okay. people are posting pictures of their own armpit hair. >> i guess the question is where's it going to end? >> okay. >> okay. >> all right, so, you guys, you know it's turkey day coming up tomorrow. and so, for more than 30 years, the folks at butterball have been answering all kinds of questions. >> right. >> they talked to 3 million people on their hotline. so, we decided to give you a little advice early on. >> yes. we have marty van neff back with us again. >> hi, marty! >> she's the butterball turkey top line supervisor. happy thanksgiving to you! >> happy thanksgiving to you, kathie and hoda. >> all right, we have a couple of questions. one is, some people's turkey is

not all the way thawed out. >> thawed out. >> at this point. is it too late or what should you do? >> it's never too late. if it's not thawed out, you need to get it in the oven, use a meat thermometer and make sure it's not stuffed and cook it until it reaches 180 in the thigh and 170 in the breast. it will be perfect. >> so, you'd put it in even if it's not thawed out all the way, just stick it in the oven? >> if you need to cook it today or tomorrow, the day of thanksgiving, make sure that it's got, you know, a meat thermometer and cook it until it's done. you're going to cook it a littte longer and you have to be selectful when you're serving the turkey. we get a lot of calls. that's the number one call. and right now, we're telling people if they need additional information, butterball it. our butterball.com has more information. >> okay. >> gee, i hope our audience heard you better than we did because we had -- but okay. >> i think we heard enough. what about basting? is it a thumbs up or a thumbs down, marty? >> we recommend no basting. >> no basting.

>> it's a little bit better to just leave it in the oven, don't keep opening the oven door. and basting really doesn't do anything but make -- a little bit better. the turkey needs to cook as much time as possible. >> it would spoil thanksgiving for me if i couldn't baste and taste. >> right, from the cook. >> taste that fluffiness in there. you know, it's a little thing. >> thank you so, so much. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> well, thanks. you have a great thanksgiving. >> you, too. >> phones are open, 1-800-butterball. >> there he is. bring it over here, big guy. >> we have a great guest with us. john o'hurley's here. >> very few people accessorize like i do, but i have my -- >> thank you, sal. my leading man. >> white, fluffy dog, a glass of sparkling muscatell. it's just another day with john o'hurley. >> we'll talk about that later. chardonnay. tell us who this guy is! >> this is a thanksgiving day tradition -- >> 13 years now. this is our 13th show.

the thanksgiving day -- right after the thanksgiving day parade, the national dog show presented by purina. number 13, yes, indeed. this is a new breed we'll be introducing. the cota du tulia. >> what is that? >> it is the dog from madagascar. but i have fallen in love with this breed. let me tell you why. >> why? >> these are the perfect dogs. it doesn't shed. >> doesn't shed. hypoallergenic? >> hypoallen jenik, don't shed and sweetest position. we have the wild-haired new breed coming up. and we also brought another two dogs. >> who are these? >> these are two wonderful therapy dogs. this is an american staffordshire terrier. there he is. >> that's a therapy dog? >> that's a therapy dog, wonderful. and this is wayland, who is a belgian sheepdog. and they do wonderful work. they visit the children's hospitals and set up there and

the kids that are so sick and don't have any smiles or reason to smile, and it's so wonderful to have a dog hop up on the bed, and all of a sudden, it creates a different environment. >> well, the national dog show is so much fun. it's at noon right here on nbc. we love the way you host it. >> so much fun. such a fun time. >> how's will's career coming along? >> well, he clings to my pocket any time we do a show. i'm surprised we were able to keep him off the set today. >> he's after your wallet. >> oh! >> all children are. >> thanks. you have the experience, the wisdom. >> have fun. >> all right, if you're thinking of opening that business you've always dreamed about, we have good advice. >> and you could say he's from another universe. justin long explains right after this. ♪

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all right, you may have first fallen in love with him and his hoodie in those mac and pc commercials. who could forget those? >> but since then, justin long has starred in films like "galaxy quest," "the breakup" and "live free or die hard." >> his latest role is in "comet," where justin plays a guy involved in a six-year relationship. take a look. >> kimberly, i was wondering if i could have your number. >> what? >> your phone number. >> dude, she's with me. >> no. >> uh, yeah, she is. >> no, she's not. not yet, anyway. at best, this is a first date, and i'm shocked that that even happened. i have nothing against you. you might not be a bad guy. most likely you are, but probably not. while you're incredibly handsome and probably were as a kid, too, and i think that explains your lack of substance and personality. >> so, you liked the script right off the bat. >> that was very scripted.

so, while i can't take any credit for that stuff. >> what is it, a parallel universe? what's going on with you? >> it's -- god, it's two people. it's about their six-year relationship told over the course of six different scenes throughout the course of the relationship -- >> but it's a parallel universe thing. >> well, he had a dream about it and he's reflecting on the relationship after six years. >> okay. >> and when you think about certain moments in a relationship, the good and the bad, and it's sort of -- it's sold in a very surrealistic -- >> i almost didn't recognize emily rossum, right? >> with the red hat, that's emmy with the short hair and the red hat. no, that's me, sorry. >> what? >> well, she -- well, we both had different -- you know, because it's over six years, so we had different looks. you know, at one point, she had a long kind of mustache, like a pablo escobar mustache, and yeah. >> and there was a reason for that? >> well, just to mix it up a little bit. >> of course. >> parallel universes. >> so, who wrote this?

>> her -- actually, her boyfriend, emma's boyfriend, sam ishmael, who is an incredible writer, directed his first movie and it's done beautifully. >> you're happy with this? >> oh, yeah. >> what's the biggest sinker you've ever had? let's talk about that. >> that's a really good question. i guess it depends who you ask. sometimes the ones that are the worst critically i really enjoyed. i did "strange wilderness" that got a zero on rotten tomatoes. it with a astoner movie and i don't think it even got a good review in "high times." just demolished, but i loved doing it and watching the movie. and everyone that comes up to me and says, hey, man, "strange wilderness," i immediately like them a little bit. but it's a long list, kath. >> at this point, yes, kath. >> we can shorten your name to kath. i have to be on many more times to shorten your name -- >> to ho. >> everybody, nice to meet you, all right? >> right. >> so, how's it going with you

and your cute girlfriend. >> great segue! speaking of hos. >> she's anything but. >> you have had a long relationship. how many years has it been. >> it's been almost a year and a half. and in actor terms, that's -- >> that's, wow. >> yeah. we're in it. we're in it the long haul. that was at a knicks game. we went to a knicks game the other night and the seats -- we were right on the floor. it was incredible. i've never seen a game like that. and i thought -- >> the sweat comes flying at you. >> oh, my god, they inbounded the ball, and his ass was like this, right, i wanted to take a picture. and she made a joke about, you know, it felt like if we were in the first tier now, it would feel like the nose bleed seats. you get spoiled going to a game like that. so, she made a joke, like, oh, i feel like i never have to come back, meaning like -- >> you've been to the mountaintop. >> yes, exactly. and they took it out of context. now i'm afraid that -- >> she never wants to come back. >> the quote is i don't need to come back to a knicks game. >> oh, no! >> we'll play one round. one round of spin the bottle.

i'm just going to pull this one because it's closest to me. >> i think my mike fell into my -- fell into me. i think it's inside of me. >> all right, help in the kitchen or watch football? >> what is this? oh, i have to pick one? >> yeah. >> oh -- >> if you cook, signature dish. >> i'm going to say help in the kitchen and wink, and people who know me know i'm lying because i can't wait for the game tomorrow. >> where will you be for thanksgiving? >> i'll be home in connecticut, if i can get out of here. look at them all! my family's already here. >> his dad is a professor at fairfield university. >> fairfield university. >> he speaks five languages? >> he does. >> how many do you speak? >> i speak nearly one. >> nearly would you know. >> i'm working on one. >> and he's proud of his actor kids. >> he is, yeah. there's a real divide intellectually, but i love him and i love that he tries with me. >> want to say hello to your grandmother, 97. >> grandma jody who's working in lakeworth. she had a problem with her firealarm it was beeping, but she couldn't do anything. she said i wanted to take a sledgehammer and demolish it.

>> oh, good. >> sweet. >> thank you so much. >> the movie, "comet," opens in theaters and video on demand friday, december 5th. all right, dinner's ready, but how you seat everyone could determine how the meal and evening goes. >> mr. manners with some advice coming up right after this. ♪ they're going to love you. at famous footwear we're not just selling the hottest shoes of the holiday season. we're selling "here comes your future daughter-in-law" confidence this year give exclusive carlos santana boots. only from famous footwear. victory is yours. yoplait light is now better than ever. it still melts in your mouth. with 90 calories. and is now aspartame free. yoplait light. it is so good; it's better than ever.

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and get the credit you deserve to get all kinds of great stuff. [ doorbell rings ] oh, i hope it's the microfiber recliner! [ laughs ] ahhh. ♪ ♪ it is almost thanksgiving, which means families and friends are about to gather around the table, but not everyone is ms. congeniality. so, how you seat your guests could make or break your dinner. >> manners in lifestyle expert thomas farley is the founder of whatmannersmost.com. and he's here with our own little dinner party and tips and tricks that will have every one of us playing nice! and this is a motley crew, isn't it? >> i don't want to ever be at this table. that's a bad crew. >> one i don't want to go to. >> this is a genius idea. you've tagged everyone with a label, and we'll introduce each of our guests. first, we have the annoying aunt. >> when are we going to sit

down? is the food ready yet or? seems like it's been baking for a long time. >> annoying aunt, everybody! all right. >> then we have jared, who is the criticizer. >> criticizer! >> i just hope she doesn't burn the turkey again this year. >> oh! >> and kristen is the grumpy teen. >> like, omg: i just go hang out with my friends already? >> all right, how about john with the big ego? >> this is going to be so boring. let's just get this over with, really. come on, let's move on. >> you're so much better than this. >> yeah, you are. >> all right. and sal is our big drinker. >> big drinker. >> can you tell them to pour me another drink, please? >> all right. sandy is our chatty cathy. >> you know, my mom always said i'm chatty, but my uncle said i'm really not, but i guess i am, but you know, really, i don't think i'm that bad, am i? am i really chatty? do you think i'm chatty? you've been drinking a lot. oh, sorry. >> and amanda is our next door neighbor. >> i can't wait to meet everyone. >> we've met. >> okay. >> so, here are your cast of

characters. so, what is the specific seating chart you should have for this crazy group? >> sure. and this is really important. so, you've worked all day in the kitchen. you don't want to leave this to chance. so, we're going to have place cards out for everyone. >> okay. >> then we're going to give some thought, just like at a wedding, to where the personalities mix the best. >> can i say one thing? look behind you. can someone zoom in? justin long -- >> justin long. >> i couldn't even focus. [ laughter ] >> i'm sorry. okay. >> he wants to have dinner with us, i think. >> yeah. >> okay. >> so, what we're going to do with the really difficult personalities, we're going to group them together because misery loves company and we're not going to poison the rest of the table. we'll take the criticizer and put him on the end here where he can't bother anybody. >> although that's probably not good enough for you. >> okay. >> we're going to match him up with the big ego, because -- >> they deserve each other! enjoy your meal. >> nothing's going to deflate his ego, so he can be criticized

without a problem. then the annoying aunt. >> britney. >> this is the bermuda triangle over here, all right? next, our grumpy teen is going to be right here. >> really? >> okay, absolutely. next we're going to have our chatty cathy here next to the grumpy teen to keep the conversation going. >> what are you into? >> okay, here, the neighbor is the ace in the hole. >> yes. >> the neighbor is one who's going to keep everyone relatively on their best behavior. she's happy to be here and everybody's going to be nicer because she's here. so, neighbor, if you would not mind, sit here. the big drinker we'll sit over here farthest from the bar, okay? and where the host can keep an eye on him or her. >> okay. >> that makes -- >> that was genius! >> you guys, i have to say, our staff were a bunch of great actors and some of them will even be in your musical -- >> they will be in our musical a week from friday. >> tell me about the musical. i didn't hear about the musical. >> chatty cathy. >> kathie lee is getting ready to head across the street to

play "who knew?" and guess who's helping her? >> ella. >> and hannah! >> all right. and music to this bottle of clorox bleach disinfects 33% more bathtubs than store-brand bleach. so what does 33% more look like? that looks like a lot of bathtubs. clorox. always a better value. that looks like a lot of bathtubs. thursday at 6pm with the 1-hour guarantee.ay actually starts get top gifts at low prices guaranteed

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storm. >> it started off as rain and changed to snow, first in the pocono mountains. three hours ago in the pocono mountains, look at the weather computer. that's how it looks now. three hours ago, it was a different scene. this is the time lapse of the video from the pocono mountains from camelback. now the slopes are covered. mother nature is doing the trick. it's not just the poconos. the western suburbs are seeing snow. this is morgantown. snow is accumulating to grass and the roadways. expect more of that as the day goes on. radar shows the snow line is hovering very close to the i-95 corridor. it's going back and forth a little bit. there's warm air being dragged in. it's keeping philadelphia and wilmington in the upper 30s. to the north, trenton, 33. 32 in pottstown. it's sticking. temperatures will fall as the

day goes on, even in the city. >> saw pictures there of the roads. let's check in on roadways. >> the snow is sticking on the roads in the lehigh valley. that's 67, cedarcrest boulevard. same thing along 101, all see the snow. bucks county, snowy conditions across the area. in center city, 76, still wet there. >> a full hour of news in 30 minutes. you can always get the latest news and weather at nbc10.com. we will see you in a half hour.

we're back with more of "today" on this wines day wednesday playing our weekly trivia game "who knew?" and we're gearing up for turkey day with some thanksgiving day trivia. kathie lee's across the street at the experience getting ready to hand out things to those who get things right. and those who don't get her wonderful cd with elves to help her out. amy brightfield is health and features editor for "better homes and gardens." great to have you! >> great to be here. >> are you doing all right? >> i'm doing great! >> all right, let's play, kath. >> well, identify got a real turkey from cleveland. which famous comedian sang the lyrics "gobble, gobble goo and gobble gobble giggle, i wish

turkey only cost a nickel." >> steve martin? >> no! give him -- >> i get the cd! whoo! [ cheers and applause ] >> look how happy everyone is. okay, so, the correct answer adam sandler. >> he's known for his wacky holiday songs. this one debuted on "weekend update" on "saturday night live" in 1992. >> wow. all right! back across to kath. >> all right, lovely lady from pennsylvania. according to foodsafety.gov, you should allow at least 24 hours of thawing for every how many pounds of turkey? 1 to 2, 4 to 5, 6 to 8? >> 6 to 8. >> ooh, good day for me. good day for me and a good day for hannah. okay, so, the correct answer, 4 to 5. >> yes, and this is really important when you're planning your day because you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. if you haven't taken the turkey out, take it out now! >> now is the time. >> and you can cook a partially frozen turkey, but it will add lots of time on. you have to cook it for much,

much longer. much longer. >> okay, all right. go ahead. >> this turkey's from phoenix. all righty. which macy's thanksgiving day parade balloon character holds the record for the most parade appearances? is it popeye, snoopy or bullwinkle? >> bullwinkle. >> oh! >> thank you! >> hannah's trying -- >> she wants to give away the money so badly. >> come on, make it ella's turn. >> somebody get it right! >> snoopy? >> snoopy! there have been seven versions of the snoopy. >> wow. >> and originally, they used live animals from the zoo on the float. >> oh, they did? >> they borrowed them from the central park zoo. >> wow, didn't know. >> yeah. >> all right, back to you, kath. >> from portland. the recommended temperature of the turkey stuffing is at least 165 degrees fahrenheit, 190 or 210? >> a, 165. yay! >> yes! >> the money. [ laughter ] >> yes. she got it right!

>> excellent. >> you want to get that one right because you always want to use a meat thermometer to test the temperature to be safe and make sure that it's all fully cooked. >> good advice. last one, i think. >> where are you from? >> chicagoland area. >> okay. according to the national turkey federation, the average weight of a turkey purchased for thanksgiving is 12, 16 or 20 pounds? oh, the answer's right on there! did you see it? >> um -- >> you saw it. >> "b." >> i've got to ask another one. this 1987 film allows two strangers whose flight has been diverted by a snowstorm and their journey to get home in time for thanksgiving. "home for the holidays," "throw mama from the train" or "planes, trains and automobiles"? >> "planes, trains and automobiles." >> yes! >> all right, good one. by the way, the turkey weight was -- >> the turkey weight was 16 pounds. and 88% of americans eat turkey. i thought it would be 100%! but it's only 88%. >> all right, there's some vegetarians out there in the world. >> yes, definitely. >> all right, amy, thank you

very much. appreciate it. have a great thanksgiving. >> good to be here. you, too. thinking of starting your own business one day? two women who did just that just months ago are going to share their story right afte with my android from tracfone, i can... order more shaving cream. pay the electric bill. keep towels piping hot. get kids to sit still. play beard styling tunes. learn new razor tricks. hire a pro waxer. post before and after pics. i can do all that with my android from tracfone. 90-day plans start as low as $20. unbeatable nationwide coverage. no contract. for a limited time save $30 on the new lg optimus fuel. now just $49.99. tracfone. do everything for less. why do i cook for the to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when we're apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, swanson® makes holiday dishes delicious!

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like these bhuh? headphones. what? cornbread stuffing! i love football! get these beats wireless headphones for just $149 this thursday. don't take a chance with christmas. get the 1-hour guarantee. walmart. ♪ >> announcer: "shop small today" is brought to you by american express. founding partner of shop business saturday. shop small, november 29th. we've all heard of black friday and cyber monday, but did you know this weekend marks the fifth anniversary of small business saturday? >> no, i didn't know that! >> american express is celebrating small business owners all over the country. >> and in honor of the occasion, hoda and i are spot looinlt looigting local businesses we love. first up, two women who started a family farm and now own a full-blown country store in our community. >> i'm leslie. >> and i'm katrina bischoff. we're owners of the back 40 mercantile in old greenwich, connecticut. >> we always loved the idea of

having a general store in a small town. >> back 40 sells everything from housewares to toys, clothing, jewelry as well as food. >> we're not just putting something on the shelf. everything here has a story with a person behind every product. we opened three months ago. >> we only decided on doing the whole project in february. >> basically, what ended up happening was is we found the space and we felt like the house was on fire. hired the architects, and then all of us in the meantime were busy getting products lined up. >> we already knew a lot of the artisans in the area and we started with that list, then we made a list of products that we felt the community wanted to purchase locally. >> it really was a collective, family effort to open the store. >> we worked day in and day out. >> neither one of us have ever owned a business, so it really was a trial-and-error -- >> trial by fire. >> yeah. >> every day is a new day in retail. we always have new issues that come in, new situation that we haven't faced before. it's hard work to have a small business, and you have to be really passionate about what

you're doing and know that you're in it for the long run. >> the idea of going into a venture like this after 40 may have seemed a little scary, but it was exciting. we were ready for a new chapter in our lives. >> the cutest, cutest place. >> wow! >> here with more are back 40 mercantile owners leslie and katrina with cnbc's personal finance correspondent sharon epperson with advice for everybody at home. i love this store from the first moment i walked in. >> wow! >> it just enchants you. it really is like an old-time general store with sweet people to greet you, but you're doing a great service to our community by using all these different artisans, aren't you? >> mm-hmm. >> it feels like a community center, too. people come in there, they want to talk, they want to learn about the products that they're seeing, and they're excited to hear about the artists behind it. >> well, it seems daunting. i would think you guys just threw it up in several months and now you've got a store that's up and running. what did you find were the biggest hurdles that you didn't anticipate for folks at home who are saying, i want to start a business, but i don't know what i need to do?

>> well, you really need a good support system. we found it was more role, whose role is what. so, we really had to establish roles and respect each other's roles, because you really need to know what you're responsible for from the beginning. >> so, you need a great partnership. that's critical. >> what about funding? how did you guys start that? >> you have to make sure you have enough capital to keep going, because when you start, you have to pay for all that inventory. >> right. >> so, it was a long-term planning process, and that's where the four of us, you know, both of our husbands are involved in it, and the four of us really had to talk through a lot of our plans. >> right. and sharon, what do you think? if people are watching this and nodding their head and saying, please, can i do that, what are things they need to keep in mind? >> well, first thing they need to think about is the location of this business. if they're going to open a store, they have to make sure it will have the traffic to support the customers that they want and make sure that it's the right audience that they're trying to hit there. and that's really key. you don't want to open a jewelry store in a place where people won't be shopping for that type of merchandise. that's the first step. and funding is really key.

they did a lot of preplanning before february, before opening in july, and a lot of folks don't. sometimes they think i have this idea, it's going to work. necessary don they don't think about the inventory, fiwtures, the staff, all that stuff that they have to put together. and also, some of the things that can happen that can set you back -- the foot traffic's great right now, the location's perfect, but then there's the zoning change. so, you haven't done your homework to figure out what is happening in that area, and that support system that you all have it so critical. >> and it's seasonal. i mean, i can only imagine in the wintertime there's less foot traffic, obviously, so you have to rely on hitting it big during the months that matter, i guess, too. >> well, and it's on a road that leads to the beach, and the beach, of course -- >> there's always traffic. >> so happy you did it, by the way. >> oh, we're so happy. >> it's definitely beyond our wildest dreams. first day when we set everything up and people came in and bought stuff, we thought, oh, no, what now? we have to restock! >> wow. >> it's so great. >> we're so happy for you. >> they needed that. >> congrats. >> thank you, sharon.

>> a lot of people will be coming to their stores and stores like them this saturday, too. >> putting that money back in the community, back at home. >> on friday, we'll meet hoda's jewelry pick. store owner and friend jennifer miller. and find out how easy it is to set up your small business online. >> coming up, a capella group pentatonic sing the title track off their new holiday album, after this. off their new holiday album, after this. >> they're amazing so we're a part of the community. this business means everything in that it's how i care for my family. what you spend in the community stays in the community. we're all independent folks but, you know, one store on a block can't make it without other stores. you can't swim alone. one store on a block can't make it without other stores. ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress

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♪ >> announcer: "the toyota concerts series" on "today" brought you by toyota. ♪ it's the most wonderful time pentatonics has more than 650 million views on its youtube channel and currently hold the number one spot on billboard's holiday charts. great! with its new album called "that's christmas to me." >> it's perfect timing, because we just looked outside the window and you know what? >> it's beginning to look a lot -- >> it's snowing! it's the first snow here in new york city of the season.

anyway, now that pentatonics is here, i'm definitely ready for the holidays. the group is ave, kirstie, scott, mitch and kevin! >> great to see you all. >> i turned on the tv. there was a commercial about you guys talking about having the number one album. hi! >> yay! >> hello! >> so, basically, you owe all your success to us. >> we'd like to say, you're welcome. no, this has got -- >> we're happy for you guys. what are you going to sing for us today? >> an original from our christmas album. it's called "that's christmas to me." >> "that's christmas to me." >> all right, take it away. ♪ the fireplace is burning bright, shining all on me ♪ ♪ i see the presents underneath the good old christmas tree ♪ ♪ and i wait all night until santa comes to wake me from my dreams ♪

♪ oh, that's christmas to me ♪ i see the children play outside like angels in the snow ♪ ♪ well, mom and daddy share a kiss under the mistletoe ♪ ♪ and we'll cherish all these simple things wherever we may be, oh, that's christmas to me ♪ ♪ i've got this christmas song in my heart, song in my heart ♪ ♪ i've got this candle glowing in the dark, oh, oh, ah ♪ ♪ i'm hanging all the stockings by the christmas tree, oh, why, because that's christmas to me ♪ ♪ oh, i, 'cause that's christmas to me ♪ ♪ listen for the sound of

reindeer over the roof as i fall asleep to lullabies and know he's coming soon ♪ ♪ and the only gifts i'll ever need is the joy of family, oh, why, 'cause that's christmas to me ♪ ♪ ooh, ah, ah, christmas song in my heart, song in my heart ♪ ♪ i've got the candles glowing in the dark, oh, oh, i ♪ ♪ i'm hanging all the stockings by the christmas tree, oh, why, 'cause that's christmas to me ♪ ♪ oh, why, 'cause that's christmas to me ♪ ♪ ooh, dum, dum, ooh ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh, dum, dum, oh,

the joy that fills our hearts and makes us sing ♪ ♪ oh, why, 'cause that's christmas to me ♪ ♪ i've got this christmas song in my heart, i've got the candles glowing in the dark ♪ ♪ and wait for you to come, that's the love that christmas can bring ♪ oh, why, 'cause that's christmas to me ♪ >> beautiful! >> whoo! [ applause ] >> pentatonic! >> we get why you're the number one album. >> congratulations, guys, that was awesome! >> have a wonderful holiday. we're back with a special guest who's spreading cheer to those less fortunate. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> wow!

♪ - ( helicopter whirring ) - ( roars ) ( siren wails ) ( pop music playing ) ♪ when you're ready ♪ ready, ready, ready ♪ come and get it ♪ get it, get it ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na ♪ na na na na na na na ♪ ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na... female announcer: it's a great big world and it can all be yours. here and only here. ♪ come and get it. revealed through the work of its scholars and graduates. it has inspired strength and purpose. an enduring symbol of passion and excellence that is not static, but moves among us.

a feeling...a shared experience, a reminder that we are connected for life. we are penn state, making our mark on the world.

we are very excited about our 21st annual holiday toy drive! >> one of our generous donors is joseph mariano, president of the direct selling association. we are delighted to welcome you. >> oh, so generous, joe. >> it's great to be here. we've been doing this as the direct selling association for more than ten years now, part of the "today" toy drive. >> thank you for the continuing gift to us. >> some beautiful books i know you're giving away that my nieces are reading. tell us about this. >> absolutely. we have some great gifts from mary kay cosmetics, the southwestern company, candles from party lights, some skin care items, stamps from stamping up. it's amazing, our companies are so enthused about giving gifts to the toy drive, i was getting calls last night on behalf of the 17 million people that the companies represent who sell for them, saying we need to give, we want to give. >> oh, that's awesome! oh, gosh. >> do you feel like there's more need? i feel like every year we talk about how there seems to be more and more need. >> things are not getting better

for people out there. >> they're not, but direct selling offers people the opportunity to better their family, improve the communities. >> we appreciate everything you do. thank you so much. >> bring a toy to the plaza starting on money to donate. >> or donate from home. go to klgandhoda.com for the details. >> we hope you all

right now at 11:00, conditions are changing throughout much of our area. right now this is a live look at chester county where within the last couple of hours the rain changed over to snow. and this is a live look at the poconos. hard to see through our lens there. the rain turned to snow here just before 7:00 this morning. the area will get a significant amount of snow by the end of the day. a live look at the conditions in the lehigh valley. you can see this is route 22 at cedarcrest boulevard in allentown. it's accumulated there on the sides of the road. look at this live picture of i-95 in south philadelphia. this is one major highway in our