the year then it's mild on saturday as well. next week different story. >> then watch out for the cold. >> for all of us here at nbc 10, i'm jim rosenfield. the news continues now with nbc nightly news. on the broadcast tonight, now playing. cyber threats aside, crowds across the country lining up tonight for the big opening that almost didn't happen. some moviegoers calling it their patriotic duty, as north korea responds. in the hospital. the latest on the condition of former president george h.w. bush spending christmas under the close watch of doctors. crowded skies. drones everywhere. one of the hottest holiday gifts this the year. so popular that flying schools can barely keep up with demand. the celebration across the country and around the world. the pope's message at the vatican. here at home we ask you what makes this the most wonderful time of the year. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening and merry christmas. i'm cameron hall in for brian. the crowds gathering at hundreds of movie theaters across the country for a big christmas day opening that almost didn't happen thanks to a cyber attack that exposed some of the biggest secrets of a powerful hollywood studio and cyber threats that nearly derailed the release of "the interview." sony pictures reversed course. the controversial movie is now out and reaction is pouring in from across the country and from north korea. halle jackson starts us off tonight from los angeles, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, cam rin. "the interview" is out on its originally plan the release date, the 25th. not at big thoughters which worried about threats. today no security problems have been reported at smaller cinemas like this one where some folks say they're not just here to see this movie, they're here to send a message.

this christmas day opening did not involve traditional presents. >> it's a gift. know what i mean? to get to see what all the hoopla was about. >> it wasn't the most christmas thing we did but it was the most american thing we did. >> reporter: l.a. to new york audiences lined up at more than 200 independent theaters for "the interview." >> free speech! >> reporter: at one sold-out screening a midnight surprise. the movie's co-director and costar seth rogen with an adult beverage and adult language. for theaters like this and without you guys this literally would not be [ muted ] happening right now. >> reporter: sony pulled the movie after a threat insurgency large theaters which screened the interview, which features a plot to kill kim jong-un. president obama appeared pleased. >> i'm glad it's being released. >> reporter: north korea is not. a diplomat said north korea calls the release an unpardonable mockery to the dignity of our supreme leader.

on the streets of pyongyang outrage after the u.s. pinned a cyber attack on north korea. unfounded rumors according to this woman. russia is sympathizing with north korea, calling their anger quite understandable. here at home those who watched the movie are unapologetic. sorry, north korea, but not sorry, says one of hundreds of instagram posts from people who streamed "the interview" online. >> it sort of transcended what it is and it's become something of an event. i don't think it's going to help sony make its money back by any means but it will certainly be widely seen. >> we got "the interview! >> it was hilarious in a stupid way. >> reporter: a film that can't stop making headlines. the movie industry is watching to see if "the interview" will be a game changer since it's available both in theaters and online at the same time. that almost never happens. it's too early to tell whether this is a one-time thing or whether it could set a new standard for hollywood. >> halle jackson, thank you so

much. one more quick note on some new trouble tonight for sony. a different hacking group is claiming responsibility for service disruption involving sony's playstation and microsoft x-box today which was inaccessible to a lot of frustrated users unable to connect. ac. across the country and around the world people celebrated christmas. it's a halliday and feeling that transcends boundaries and brings people together. as we saw today this christmas was no exception. ron mott is at rockefeller center among the crowds. >> reporter: good evening. christmas of course is a holiday for gathering and that's exactly what thousands upon thousands of people are doing around our iconic christmas tree at rockefeller plaza. it's a holiday about giving and that was in ample supply as well. around america and abroad even outer space, christmas is celebrated. nasa astronauts barry willmore and terry verts.

>> we want to take the opportunity to wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year. >> reporter: from church services to service in the community. to afghanistan, sacrifice and commitment were themes of the day. >> i love you and i miss you and i hope you enjoy your christmas with family. >> reporter: in new york volunteers delivered meals to elderly people at home. >> lonely. to be by yourself particularly on a holiday, it's really heartwarming and i think brightens their day. >> reporter: in los angeles -- >> toys. >> reporter: toys for homeless boys and girls, something good to eat. overseas a christmas mass in bethlehem. the royal family headed off to church en masse. the week spoke of reconciliation. >> peace and goodwill have lasting power in the hearts of men and women. >> reporter: and at the vatican, pope francis offered blessings of hope for the suffering, rebukes for acts that cause it, thanks to those who the front lines of the ebola fight where

despite sickness and death they tried keeping spirits high in sierra leone. ♪ ♪ and a happy new year ♪ >> reporter: there was christmas whimsy too. a frosty dip in germany. sun and sand in australia. elephants bearing gifts in thailand. back here at home special deliveries were bundled with care in pittsburgh. volunteers struck a chord at a d.c. shelter. ♪ jingle all the way ♪ >> merry christmas! >> reporter: and the world's busiest man recruited a little fire power in tucson arizona, bringing cheer to kids who are spending christmas in the hospital. >> any kind of aversion to their normal medical activity helps so much. seeing the firefighters is really important. >> reporter: a lot of folks were dreaming of a white christmas. a few places around the country got just that. not so in new york city. a balmy 54 degrees.

>> ron mott thank you so much. investigators are trying to determine what started a huge fire that tore through several homes in san francisco this morning. it took hours for crews to get it under control. fire officials say three homes suffered significant damage but thankfully there are no reports of any injuries. former president george h.w. bush spent this christmas day in the hospital where he's been now for three days. and it's the same hospital where he was two years ago on this very day. nbc's jacob rosscone is at houston methodist hospital with the latest on his general. jacob, good evening. >> reporter: cameron, good evening. the former president spent christmas day with his wife son, and other family means and is in "good spirits" and had a terrific day. we've just learned he will spent yet another night at houston medical. on tuesday he suffered what is being described as shortness of breath and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. although parkinson's disease makes it difficult for him to speak and walk he has been

active in recent years, 68 diving on his 90th birthday. two years ago he was also at houston methodist, suffering from bronchitis and persistent cough. we're told this time around his health scare is less serious. tensions remain high in and around the city of st. louis after another deadly police-involved shooting. police say the suspect who was shot was armed and pointed a gun at officers. there are calls for calm in the community amid more protests. we'll get the latest from nbc's john yang in berkeley, missouri. ♪ >> reporter: on the predominantly black west side of st. louis, a christmas sermon for a troubled time. >> i stopped by this tell you this morning it doesn't look good in st. louis, it doesn't look good in new york. >> reporter: pastor ronald believes he knows the cause of this area's anger. >> there are people who really need someone to hear their voice

and not ignore them. >> reporter: anger on display last night as dozens of protesters gathered at the berkeley missouri gas station where 18-year-old antonio martin was killed tuesday night. the crowd smaller and calmer than the previous night later shut down a nearby interstate highway and some tried to break into a store. berkeley officials are adamant the shooting here was very different from the shooting of michael brown five miles from here in ferguson missouri. to try to convince a skeptical community, they released security video which they said showed martin pointing a gun at the officer. >> this is not ferguson just because it was two black teenagers and two white policemen does not make it the same. >> reporter: it all seeds the mistrust of police. today as new yorkers mourn two policemen cut down earlier this week officials there announced the arrest of a man for threatening to kill more officers. these weapons found in his home.

at a church in st. louis marcia reflected on the turmoil. >> there are going to be some bad things that happen. but we need to learn to heal from those things. >> reporter: a christmas message not just for this area but for the entire country. john yang, nbc news, berkeley, missouri. christmas 2004 a decade ago, is remembered in part for an epic natural disaster. a massive 9.1 earthquake off the coast of western indonesia triggering the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, a wave of destruction. among the communities hardest hit, banda after aceh. katy tur went to see what's changed and what hasn't. >> reporter: december 20 over 4, ten years ago the world woke up to mother nature at her worst. a tsunami like no one had ever imagined that killed more than 250,000. and left entire cities

flattened. but nothing compared to what we saw in bon deaceh on indonesia's northern tip. >> it's said over 1,000 bodies clogged the waters net this bridge and they're still pulling bodies out today nine days later. >> reporter: ten years later, on this very same bridge it's almost unrecognizable. business as usual on the streets. the town is rebuilt. the acehanese say they have recovered. after a decade the scars are healing. the economy rebounding. and life is going on. everything is now back in its place. almost. this man was fishing when the wave came in. on shore, he found his home and 26 members of his family including his son, daughter, and wife, gone. >> it was love. >> first love. only love. >> reporter: his oldest away in bali was the only one left. >> the first thing that i said

or asked him -- was, where's my mother? where's my brother and sister? and then he said suchi, let it go. >> reporter: now it's in her 1-year-old son sean that she sees the face of her lost brother. then there's asari. in the daze after he described how he ran with his 5-day-old daughter under his arm. today, nami nicknamed for tsunami, is 10. across aceh the memory of that day is strong. then again, who is its future. katiey tur nbc news indonesia. still ahead, some of the hottest gifts this christmas. so many drones filling the skies, so many amateur pilots

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we are back now as promised with one of the hottest gifts this the christmas. drones being unwrapped today all across the country. so many in fact that this week the faa launched a new drone safety campaign. they're increasingly popular for personal use. a lot of companies, amazon and domino's among them are talking

about someday using drones to transform how they do business. the faa still has not given the go ahead for widespread use. but already thousands of would-be pilots are lining up and some leading aviation schools are stepping up to train them. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: from movie chase scenes to aerial farmland surveys, wildfires wildlife law enforcement, package delivery you name it the real drone invasion is still waiting on the faa to set the rules. >> i've got the ability to sit and hover and look at something for a while to make sure is this the person we're looking for? >> reporter: but the nation's leading aviation schools are not waiting. >> nice and stable. >> reporter: already training a new generation how to fly an unmanned aerial system or uas. when you're first learning how to fly this thing what's the biggest challenge? >> i would say the biggest challenge is the positional awareness of the aircraft. so whether it's flying toward you, whether it's fly away from

you, you have some different controls. >> reporter: it's not just small models. >> we're about two miles south. >> reporter: bigger military-sized drones as well. class enrollments up more than 1,000%. >> the hardest part for us in coping with it is how quickly the technology changes. >> reporter: it's a generational shift here at emory riddle which has taught traditional piloting since 1926. now its unmanned aviation major has grown from 11 students to more than 200. 100 colleges and universities offer similar programs among estimates of 100,000 jobs over the next ten years. junior alexa roman hopes she lands one of them. >> it seems to be the wave of the future. and especially with the military. >> reporter: at the university of north dakota -- >> a point of interest is turning right on looks like 18th street. >> reporter: student hot already have a special pilot's license are hoping to be among the first certified drone pilots. >> the benefits that this industry will provide i think is just going to be exponential. >> reporter: it could start in

just a few months when the faa announces the rules on who's allowed to fly and where. after that the sky could be the limit. tom costello nbc news daytona beach. we're back in a moment with a happy family reunion just in time for christmas. suffering from the flu is a really big deal. with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures

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we are back with one of the wildest finishes ever on the college football field. western kentucky versus central michigan in the bahamas bowl. at one point western kentucky led by 35 points. but central michigan nearly came all the way back scoring the final five touchdowns of the game including an amazing final play in which four receivers touched the ball going 75 yards down the field all the way to the end zone for the score. unfortunately for central michigan they went for the win with a two-point conversion and western kentucky hanging on to victory by a point. we have an update on a story we first told you about last night. a family reunion for bow bow,

the giant panda who refused to come out of her tree for much of a day after stepping on a hot wire used to keep her at the panda house in the national zoo. today we're happy to report she finally came down in plenty of time to chow down on a christmas bamboo lunch with her mom. president obama has a rule when it comes to photo opes -- don't put stuff on your head if you're president. posing last year with the navy football team he passed on putting on a helmet. but sometimes rules have to be broken. white house photographer pete suts intra posted a photo showing something you don't see every day, the president wearing a tiara. the girl scouts who posed with him apparently talked him into it. that rule about presidential head gear probably dates back to this famous image of president coolidge in a native american headdress in 1927. when we come back this christmas night the sights and sounds of the season.

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♪♪ people with type 2 diabetes come from all walks of life. if you have high blood sugar ask your doctor about farxiga. it's a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. along with diet and exercise farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. with one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. and, although it's not a weight-loss or blood-pressure drug farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower blood pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling or difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you have any of these symptoms, stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems are on dialysis or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you

have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including dehydration genital yeast infections in women and men low blood sugar, kidney problems, and increased bad cholesterol. common side effects include urinary tract infections changes in urination and runny nose. ♪ do the walk of life ♪ ♪ yeah,you do the walk of life ♪♪ need to lower your blood sugar? ask your doctor about farxiga. and visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. finally on this special night, a question. what does christmas mean to you? maybe it's the presents the

lights the music, or getting together with loved ones. we put the question to people around the country and discovered once again that christmas means something a little different to everyone. >> we are looking for the perfect christmas tree. our first christmas tree in our brand-new house. >> christmas is redemption love joy, happy nessiness. we've got our christmas tree for this season. according to my wife it's fat. according to me it's tall. ♪ a very special christmas from me yeah yeah ♪ >> christmas is awesome. >> time to spend with my family. >> the holiday season is hoping for peace on earth. right, lucy? ♪

>> christmas means having great food good drinks lots of friends, and red velvet cake. >> now that he's 1 year old, it's all about creating new traditions for our family. >> opening my presents. >> a little eggnog never hurt. >> look at that smile. >> i hereby declare on earth -- >> i hereby declare on oath -- >> this is the biggest gift. i finally decided to become a citizen. i'm very grateful to this country. >> merry christmas, everyone. ♪ >> every one-tenth of a second i have to tell all of these lights what to do. 120,000 lights in all. we give 100% of all the donations that people give to this display to the local food banks. the show is going to start.

>> christmas is spending time with your family. >> amazing gifts. >> santa brings me toys. >> you don't need presents to have a great christmas, you just need your family. >> i'm on the nice list. usually on christmas eve i'm the one that vacuums the house. >> ask santa for a puppy brother. >> happy hanukkah! >> merry christmas to you and your dogs. >> merry christmas and a happy new year. >> merry christmas! >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas and god bless you. >> merry christmas and a happy new year. >> that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being with us. i'm tamron hall in for brian. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

. grandma oprah. her plans for the new year revealed. >> merry christmas now on "extra." oprah surprise next move revealed. >> i'm not ready to be a real grandmother, but i'm ready to be

that grandmother. >> who she's getting set to play and why 2014 was one of her best years ever. >> it's really exciting. angelina on her uphill battle breaking career news to "extra." >> it's your future, isn't it? >> i hope so. then -- >> mario meets his match. >> my bff eva longoria putting me on the hot seat. from my looks to my deepest secrets. are stars really just like us? >> i've never done laundry. matthew perry on his new "odd couple" sitcom. >> beyonce is beyond. now from "extra" in universal studios hollywood the entertainment capital of l.a. hey a everyone. welcome to "extra." merry christmas. meryl streep and emily blunt playing enemie