good morning. bracing for a blizzard. the northeast closely watching a potentially historic storm set to pound the region with up to two feet of snow from new york all the way to boston. dylan is tracking its path and the potential impact. full of hot air? a defiant bill belichick calls a surprise press conference offering a more scientific take on why the patriots ended up playing with under inflated footballs last weekend. >> we all know that air pressure is a function of the atmospheric conditions. >> will the nfl and football fans buy his explanation? we're live in arizona at the site of super bowl xlix. taking potshots. the feud over "american sniper" even uglier this morning. michael moore sending new provocative tweets, sarah palin firing back.

>> and screw the left in hollywood who can't understand what it is that we see in someone like chris kyle and all of our vets. >> as the social media battle shows no signs of letting up. and, the daddy bowl. advertisers aim for your heart strings by way of dear old dad showing tender moments of fatherhood in their super bowl ads. >> what kind of dad do you want to be? >> this kind. >> we've got a sneak peek for you "today" sunday january 25th, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on a as you understand morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm lester holt alongside

sheinelle jones and dylan dreyer. >> talk about keeping dylan busy this week. we know where you're going. >> i have a feeling new england is calling my name. >> it is our top story. that huge storm headed straight for the northeast. blizzard watches in effect in several cities while the ripple effect of air travel woes could extend across the country. this one's coming on the heels of saturday's storm that blanketed millions of people from pennsylvania to massachusetts. so how bad will the next one be? dylan with be here we go. >> well i'm standing for a reason. that means i'm going right over to the weather wall. this is a classic mol yoreeteorological nor'easter. classic pressure from the north wind out of the northeast and an area of low pressure that's going to bomb out right to the southeast of long island. that setup is what will create this possibly historic nor'easter for new england. here is our area of low pressure. just a clipper moving through the great lakes today, down through pennsylvania by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. it should stay just to the northwest of washington, d.c. but here we go monday at 5:00 p.m. is when we'll start to see

some lighter snow showers kick in. then this storm called bombo genesis, when the atmospheric pressure is at its lowest point, that makes it the strongest it is going to be. because of that we could see one to two feet of snow possible. we could see wind gusts up to 50 to 60 miles per hour possible. combined with the wind gusts and the heavy snow that's falling you could see blizzard conditions especially along the coast. we could have white-out conditions and travel throughout the day tuesday will be nearly impossible. keep in mind that there are still several computer models that indicate different snowfall amounts but either way, it's widespread one to two feet with most of our snow falling across eastern new england. that's where we are going to see perhaps as much as 24 maybe even 30 inches of snow. >> wow! >> it is going to be a big one. >> can we go back to bombo genesis. >> every once in a while we can throw out a meteorological term. it is when the area of low

pressure that creates the storm drops to its lowest point so it kind of bombs out and it is -- >> that bomb bombo -- genesis -- >> yes. meantime the super bowl is just one week away. tonight the nfl's all-stars hit the field for the pro bowl. while they may be ready to play the controversy over deflate gate is certainly far from over. on saturday patriots coach bill belichick called a surprise press conference playing the role of science teacher in some ways naming off a number of factors he feels contributed to the teams's deflated footballs. nbc's ron mott is in glendale arizona this morning where both the pro bowl and the super bowl will be played. ron, good, mo. morning. >> reporter: bill belichick held court for about 19 minutes in this hastily aa arranged news conference. he talked a little bit of football and a whole lot of football science.

with another day of deflate gate research behind him, bill belichick says there was no attempt by the patriots to cheat last weekend. >> i have personally and we as an organization have absolutely followed every rule to the letter and i just feel that on behalf of everyone in the organization. >> reporter: often called a football genius saturday he tried his hand at science. >> we all know that air pressure is a function of the atmospheric conditions. >> reporter: hoping to explain how his team wound up playing with football deflated by low nfl standards injectsing a dash of pop culture humor. >> i would not say that i'm mona lisa fido of the football world. >> reporter: a reference to marissa toeme's character. while trying to keep his team focused on the sup reporters chilly air may have been the culprit saying the team simulated

conditions found air pressure dropped 1 1/2 pounds per square inch. softer footballs are considered easier to throw and catch and a "wall street journal" reports highlights the team lowest fumbling rate over the last five seasons. >> either bill belichick thoughs the patriots didn't do anything wrong or break any rules or he believes the nfl knows nothing. >> reporter: meantime quietly by comparison the seattle seahawks continue presence as even sesame street even weighed in on deflate gate reairing an episode from 2013 with a certain word ever the day mean. >> what does the word inflate mean? >> it is when you fill something with air. >> reporter: now the word on the street here is that bill belichick says he is done talking about deflate gate. he will not talk about it this week when this team comes out here. they're due to land here tomorrow. the seahawks remember them? that's who they're playing. they get here today. >> he says he's done talking about it. but give me the sense as you walk around there, ron, what's the feeling on the street? did this help or hurt him, those

latest comments in is. >> reporter: well i listened to a number of national radio shows and local shows here this morning. i think it is mixed. if if you are a patriots fan, you may think this helped belichick's case. but some say he was trying to take that pressure off of tom brady. a lot of folks thought he maybe threw tom brady under the bus the other day. >> we all like to pick it apart. we'll keep doing it too. ron, thanks. of course nbc is your home for the super bowl. we will have live coverage all day long. kicks off next sunday february 1st. reaction from the world is pouring in this morning after the apparent murder of a japanese hostage. sheinelle has that story and some of the other headlines from overnight. good morning. new demands from islamic state terrorists for release of a japanese hostage. japan's prime minister says this morning he's speechless over the apparent killing of one of the japanese hostages. new isis video seems to show one of the hostages after being beheaded. militants are now deplandzing a

prisoner exchange for the freedom of the remaining hostage. president obama called the japanese prime minister to express american condolences. president obama is in india right now where he is working on a series of strategic agreements. nbc chief white house correspondent chris jansing is with the president in new delhi. chris, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. this is seen as a really important moment for the world's two largest democracies who have relationship that's been strained. but now president obama the prime minister have developed this unexpectedly close rapport. in a break with protocol he met president obama at the airport, gave limb a hug. remarkable because for a decade the the, he wasn't even allowed in the u.s. there was a lavish welcome ceremony. the question really whether all of this will translate into to tangible action while the leaders today work for almost four hours talking about climate

change. they came to an agreement on nuclear power. trade discussions are coming up that will include some american ceos. also terror. they share concern over safe havens for terrorists in neighboring pakistan. and they capped it with a news conference where several times they talked about their personal chemistry. tonight the hottest ticket in town is a state dinner. all the speculation in local media is over yes, what will michelle obama wear. >> i can't say i'm surprised. thank you. atlanta hartsfield-jackson airport opens today after a bomb scare shut down runways on saturday. passengers were escorted off two separate flights after "credible threats" were made on twitter. a pair of f-16 fighter jets were scrambled to accompany the planes to atlanta. the threats were made against a delta flight from portland oregon and a southwest plane from milwaukee. the bomb squad checked out both planes and found nothing. a raging fire turned into an overnight battle for firefighters in southern

california. flames broke out at a mulch facility in ontario, california last night. santa ana winds drove the blaze into an inferno. firefighters struggled to get control of the spreading flames as smoke could be seen from 2400 miles away. no major structures have been damaged and no injuries reported. two american women are celebrating gold medal performances today. ashley wagner blew away the competition and record books saturday in taking her third u.s. national figure skating title. of the three titles she says in one tastes the tweetest. at 23 wagner is the oldest woman to win in a decade. but at only 14 snowboarder chloe kim is the youngest ever to win gold at the x-games. she beat the world's best in halfpipe last night. born in the year 2000 kim was too young for the last olympics. but she's here now. >> wow. she's 14. >> 14 years old. i like how at 23 the other girl is the oldest. >> the old maid at there at 23.

congratulations to them both. dylan has another check of the weather for us for the rest of the country. we have a lot of sunglasses and sunshine over there. >> in the southwest, it is fantastic. we have aen a irya of high pressure keeping things pretty warm. those santa anas still in effect. 70s and 80s out that way. hi. i'm first alert meteorologist, brittney shipp. it's a first alert weather day that goes into effect tonight at 10:00 p.m. we expect to see snow moving in. that will affect your monday morning commute. we've extended it until tuesday, we're tracking the possibility of a major snowstorm monday night heading into tuesday. but for sure you're going to wake up to snow as we head into tomorrow morning. seven-day forecast shows temperatures drop to freezing for monday and tuesday, overnight lows into the teens. >> and that's your latest forecast. thanks very much dylan. the race for president getting into full swing this morning. on saturday many of the republican hopefuls spoke to a

crowd of the faithful trying to spur them into action. nbc's kelly o'donnell is in des moines again this morning. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. any of the republican potential contenders are really in high demand right now all over the country. tonight in california the gop billionaire donors the koch brothers are hosting three top potential candidates. and here more than two dozen republicans addressed a huge gathering of conservatives. the first race of it 2016. >> wow. >> reporter: this iowa marathon. >> look each candidate in the eye and say, don't talk show me. >> reporter: nine hours of speeches. a tryout day for potential republican candidates. wisconsin governor scott walker. >> if you're not afraid to go big and go bold you can actually get results. >> >> >> reporter: chris christie had something to prove, that he is

conservative enough for iowa. >> being pro life is not a political liability anywhere in america. >> reporter: one loud surprise disruption. came at a most unexpected topic -- immigration. >> secure the border now. override this president's lawless executive order. >> reporter: protesters shouted at texas governor rick perry. while some of the most direct jabs came not from expected candidates -- >> hey, iowa. can anyone stop hillary? >> reporter: but celebrities. sarah palin and donald trump who sized up the field saying this about two former governors not in iowa this weekend. >> so you can't have romney. he choked. you can't have bush. >> reporter: and donald trump told this crowd here in iowa that he too, is thinking about running. i spoke to the iowa republican governor and the state's gop chairman. both say they do expect jeb bush to be competing here but neither

has heard from mitt romney. lester? >> kelly o'donnell this morning, thanks very much. chuck todd is moderator of "meet the press" and joins us this morning. chuck, good morning. >> well good morning. >> so we can move on from iowa now, it is safe to say, because all eyes are going to be focused on california where the billionaire koch brothers are running their invite-only seminar, sort of known as a koch primary. how does it stack up in terms of importance as we head into 2016? >> you are seeing various jockeying. the republicans field, there are so many people running. it is divided up into sort of a bunch of different categories. you have your establishment parts, the sort of insider guys the traditional republican party, jeb bush and plr. in iowa yesterday we saw a lot of the social conservative type candidates making their case. that's your mike huckabees of the world, your rick santorums. the koch brothers what they have been pushing for is more of sort of like -- they're looking for almost an anti--washington outsider candidate, economic

conservative and so it's not clear who they may support. they seem to like a guy like scott walker the wisconsin governor. but you have others that are going to be at this event in california that are also trying to curry favor with them. these are the sort of different wings, different fields and at some point there will be a candidate from each of them that end up facing off in the middle of the primary season. >> we'll look forward to that. meantime back to washington. house speaker john boehner this week inviting israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to address congress in march. the next day we hear from president that he won't be meeting with the prime minister because he don't want to in his words, influence the election that would happen there later that month. what's the impact of both this invitation and the decision by the president on these already strained relations between the u.s. and israel? >> i think the impact is probably going to be more acute potentially in israel itself. i mean this is about prime minister netanyahu, he's in an election year and one of the criticisms he's gotten is for strained relationships with

president obama. and this isn't helping things at all and now you've got unnamed white house aides or administration officials saying that prime minister netanyahu spat in the face of president obama. now denis mcdonough, the white house chief of staff lo's on "meet the press" later today says that he doesn't know who said that doesn't believe it is anybody in the white house that might have said that. that said it just strains it even more. what's that mean? i think it means that the next time prime minister netanyahu needs a favor from the president he is not going to get it. >> chuck, we'll be watching this morn. we'll tune in to "meet the press" press". you'll also have republican candidate mi>p next today, don't tell the kids with these big storms coming but it turns out some schools may be doing away with sn if you have medicare part d, walgreens gets that you might be at the corner of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i wish i'd looked some more." that's why walgreens makes it

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with the big storm headed here to the northeast, this morning a lot of kids are hoping for a snow day on tuesday. and why shouldn't they? but could that special treat soon be a thing of the past? >> remember how great they were? one school district in illinois though is actually working on doing away with the snow day as the weather channel's dave malkoff explains it could be a trend sweeping the nation. >> reporter: a school snow day. >> that's all you want during winter. >> i remember there was this one time in fifth grade, it was four days in a row, snow day after snow day after snow day. it was just so fun. >> they're going to make a snowman, and everyone must help.

>> reporter: that was then and this is now. whole idea of a snow day is fading away and it has nothing to do with the piles out here. >> if you don't have your ipad for some reason direct your attention to the front of the classroom. >> reporter: it is the pads in here. >> in most classes woo he have our assignments right on the ipads. >> reporter: technology is slowing killing the nostalgic slow day. >> we would go outside and build snowmen and build forts. >> reporter: here at wheeling high school just outside of chicago, this skunttudent and 75% of her school classmates have district issued ipads. >> work work work. >> reporter: snow days in the future will be nothing more than a telecommuting day. kids can turn in their papers just as easily now. already starting to happen in this english class. >> because class is going to continue with or without you being here essentially. okay? when i was in school even just 10 15 years ago, we didn't have

the accessibility. >> i feel like the next generation is missing out. >> reporter: the joy of that snow day has faded as an old educational film. >> i've got a button. >> any questions. >> sure. here's one of many. >> there's some kids that really don't have internet access at home so they would be missing ut. >> yeah. and as a teacher you have to be understanding and reasonable. >> reporter: there's still a digital divide so for the next few fleeting school years, the snow day lives, but -- >> would you rather do some work on a snow day or extend the school year into june when it is beautiful and nice? most kids will take the work now instead of a day out of their summer. >> reporter: it is not just a hard choice to make it is also an idea that's catching on not just here in illinois but other cold states like minnesota. for "today," dave malkoff, in chicago. >> this is a rough one. we called in an expert. also known as weston my son. what do you think, weston?

snow days going away thumbs up thumbs down. one of each? >> he's going to be a politician. >> he's got a future. thanks buddy. i'll make you hot chocolate on your shownow day. still to come on today, "saturday night live" takes on deflate gate. of course they grandpa bode, grandma said you used to be out of control. really... i guess i did take some risks. anncr: bode, bode miller!!! trained a little bit differently. a little too honest sometimes. the media is useless. you were out of control. but not always. [bassist] two late nights in tucson. blew an amp.but good nights. sure,music's why we do this,but it's still our business. we spend days booking gigs

then we've gotta put in the miles to get there. but it's not without its perks. like seeing our album sales go through the roof enough to finally start paying meg's little brother- i mean,our new tour manager-with real,actual money. we run on quickbooks.that's how we own it. leave it to our friends at "saturday night live" to capitalize on the news of the week. >> good morning. so with all this talk about deflated footballs you knew that was going to be on "snl." of course the show took on inflate gate. >> good evening. as you can tell i'm taking this very seriously. that's why i got dressed up. i came here today to tell you that i have absolutely nothing to do with deflating those

footballs and that's all i have to say of the matter. i'm sure you have questions but i'd rather leave those questions to the person who did it tom brady. >> hey, guys. thanks for being here. i just want to address the elephant in the room. this is a vintage hat. pretty cool right? all right, laters. >> now tom -- hey, tom, did you have anything to do with deflating these footballs? >> me? absolutely not! honestly i wasn't even aware that footballs could be inflated or deflated. >> it was pretty funny, guys. we'll send it back to you. it was all over twitter yesterday and still today. >> sheinelle, thanks. we're back after this. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil.

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narrator: gas prices are down helping middle class families. but now, the white house wants to impose title ii regulations on your internet meaning new government taxes and fees. every month: you'd pay more. 11 billion dollars a year in new taxes and fees. internet freedoms can be protected with the white house and congress working together, but imposing new tax increases through public utility style regulations will hurt middle class families let's protect the internet we love without regressive taxes and fees. no to title ii.

it's 8:27. good morning everyone. i'm ted greenberg. we are tracking more snow on the way, starting tonight. get those shovels and snow blowers ready. we're now looking at more scenes like these over the next couple of days. we've got the first alert forecast now from meteorologist brittney shipp. hi, brittney. >> hi that's right. it's a first alert weather day. we're helping to get you prepared as we head in through the rest of tonight and preparing for a messy monday morning commute. you can see a cloudy start, but a dry start to your sunday and as we head into the rest of today, slight know will move in, but it will not be until after 10:00 p.m. we're tracking a messy monday morning commute. we've extended the first alert until tuesday. we could see another major snowstorm late monday night into tuesday. we'll keep you updated on this changing forecast. but right now, just a few clouds moving through. there's the clipper system. that is going to swing into our area as we head into our overnight hours tonight. by 2:00 p.m. 40 degrees and cloudy. by 5:00 p.m., 37. >> and brittney, it's easy to track the snow on the go with

the nbc 10 first alert weather app. you'll receive alerts, radar, and any closings on your smartphone. i'm ted greenberg. see you again in 30 minutes at 9:00 for another 90 minutes of news. more of the "today" show is coming your way next. we hope you have a fantastic sunday. enjoy it before things start getting messy. webuyanycar.com has helped thousands of people let go of all the hassle that comes with selling or trading in. we make selling your car truck or suv fast, safe and fair with three simple steps: one -- get your free online valuation. two -- drive to your local car-buying center. three -- walk out with a check in as little as thirty minutes. buying cars is all we do. all makes and models and no dealership pressure we'll even settle your loan or lease.

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♪ all right! we are back on a sunday morning, january 25th, 2015. it is kinds of the calm before the storm out here on the plaza. we have a great crowd. lots of energy out here which we love. nice work. we have some first-timers right

behind us. as we mentioned, big storm is headed our way which is going to keep dylan very busy telling us about our new favorite meteorological term bombbo genesis. >> sounds like an endangered species. >> we don't want to get you in trouble. >> the weather begins our look at this morning's headlines. near-nasdaq conditions d conditions are expected to slam the northeast as early as tomorrow. forecasters say it could have the potential to drop up to two feet of snow on some areas and could affect big travel delays. plus from sports coach to sign guy? the head of the new england patriots tried to take some of the air out of deflate gate. bill belichick now saying it was is part of the weather that contributed to the underinflated footballs used. that all happened during a press conference on saturday. nfl's investigation continues.

and president obama is offering condolences to japan after an online video claims 1 of 2 japanese hostages murdered this as both nations demand the release of the remaining hostage. one of the best parts of the super bowl is the commercials, of course. this year, advertisers are slowing a softer side. we'll give you a sneak peek of how madison avenue is celebrating the modern dad. plus music and motivation. grammy award winning artist jason mraz is nearly 1 of three dozen celebrity helping inspire struggling students and they learn to march to a different beat. he'll take us inside a new initiative that has educators singing its praises as they bring arts education into more traditional curriculum. and we'll talk to donald trump. his beauties will fight for the crown at the miss universe pageant tonight and we'll talk about whether he is flirting with a run for the white house. the latest round of shots fired in the ongoing war of the controversial blockbuster "american sniper."

this time it is sarah palin who's joining the feud. >> reporter: the country's biggest movie, about a real-life american sniper again has celebrities trading fire. after filmmaker michael moore sent out another series of tweets what would jesus do? oh i know what he had's do. hide on top of a roof and shoot people in the back! his comments came hours after someone posted a photo of form he alaska governor sarah palin posing with a sign directing unkind words toward moore. then she took a broader swipe at hollywood referencing the navy s.e.a.l. the movie is based on. >> america needs a hero again and chris kyle has been that man and screw the left in hollywood who can't understand what it is that we see in someone like chris kyle and all of our vets. >> reporter: that backlash against what some call hollywood elites not extinguished by seth

row rogan's tweet comparing the movie to a nazi propaganda movie. >> somehow a twitter war broke out and now we have to take sides whether the american sniper is a real hero or not. >> reporter: bill maher is making comments too. >> this one is just american hero. he's a psychopath patriot and we love him. >> this film is generating buzz and controversy and that's actually just going to fuel audiences who want to see and find out for themselves. >> reporter: the iraq war movie making headlines prompting a war of words online. now raging for days. for "today," halle jackson, be nbc news los angeles. >> right now it is time for another check of the weather. we got some big snow coming this way. we certainly do. i'm also hearing a lot of giggle over here. i need to know what is so funny over here? you guys are just having a good time. >> yeah. >> where are you from?

>> massachusetts. >> are you ready for a snow day on tuesday? >> yeah. >> oh yeah because the snow days are still happening in massachusetts. but tuesday does look like that's the day we are going to get hit hard by blizzard conditions from boston through rhode island right down into southern connecticut, even long island where we could see wind gusts 50 to 60 miles per hour one to two feet of snow is possible. the time frame will be monday night and throughout the entire day on tuesday. it is starting right now as this little clipper system moving through the midwest where we do have some snow falling across chicago. that will move through pennsylvania overnight. then tomorrow we'll start to see some lighter snow in the mid-atlantic then it will develop into heavier snow by monday night. rest of the country though enjoying really nice we hi. i'm first alert meteorologist brittney shipp. a first alert weather day goes into effect tonight at 10:00 p.m. we expect to see snow moving in. that's going to affect your

monday morning commute. we've extended it until tuesday. we're expecting the possibility after major snowstorm monday night into tuesday. but for sure you'll wake up to snow as we head into tomorrow morning. received seven-day forecast shows temperatures drop to freezing monday and tuesday, overnight lows into the teens. >> and we've got the sadie hawkins dance coming up. you asked nick and what did he say? >> he said yes. >> he already texted her and said yes. fantastic. dylan, thanks very much. with one week to go until the super bowl we are starting to get a sneak peek at some of the commercials that will air during the big game. this year advertisers, a lot of them are going straight for the heart with a few ads that feature dad in a more thoughtful way than we often see. "today" national correspondent craig melvin takes a look. >> daddy. >> reporter: they are the tender moments of fatherhood. every day dads and their children depicted in a touching new super bowl ad by dove. another commercial from toyota will also air during the big

game. >> he always felt like what i was doing was the most important thing. >> reporter: current and former nfl players talking about the influential men in their lives. >> i'm with my dads and how loving and nurturing i am with them. >> the super bowl is watched by millions of impressionable young men and to show that, hey, this is what dads do now. i think it is a nice tip of the hat for the guys who take job seriously. >> reporter: more than 111 million americans watched last year's super bowl making it a costly night for advertisers. the going rate for 30 seconds of air time -- $4.5 million. and now more companies are taking a new approach. using that time to shy away from the stereotypes of the fumbling -- >> give me a little cotton. don't need a package. >> reporter: -- and bumbling dad. >> hey, man. don't just be running your head into stuff. >> reporter: instead portraying a new, more participatory generation of fathers. >> these ads seem to be targeted

at males and females. they show a strong father figure and that's really going to speak to women, whereas men are going to see this and they're going to either think of their own fathers or their own children. >> reporter: a recent study found 9 out of 10 men see their caring side as a strength. yet only 7% say they can relate to the way media depicts mass lynn ty masculinity. >> guys like taking care of their kids. fatherhood's not going anywhere. >> reporter: for "today," craig melvin nbc news, new york. >> i like the message. sometimes's we're portrayed as kind of bumbling. sometimes deservedly. but i like that. >> yeah. i think it is a great message. up next tackling that junk drawer. we'll tell you how you can get

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this morning in "start today," we're getting you ready for week ahead with expert tips on what you can do to get a head start on the week. >> get a head start. >> get a head start "today." >> "today." >> "today." >> "today." >> what are you saving for? it's really important that you know that you have an actual goal whether it's a house, or a vacation or a car. and you put that picture someplace that you're likely to see it again and again and again. you'll be much more likely to be

successful. >> get a head start "today" with motivation. nothing motivates me more than great music. so every sunday night i take a few minutes and i put together a new play list. new songs, old songs, but a new list. so come monday morning i've got brand-new musical motivation to last me through the week. >> well now it's time to organize one of the most disorganized places in our home -- our jung drawer. take your extra chargers and headphones put them in plastic bags. get fun folders. organize all your papers so you know what you are looking at. then your keys and your mints, get little bins at a mass market store. they're under $1 each. when you open your junk drawer you can actually find some of the junk you are being looking for. . save a ton of calories with your breakfast by swapping out dense cereals for light, flaky cereals. when it comes to the sandwich

forget about the regular full-fat mayonnaise. instead tomorrow your sammy with hummus mustard, kampetchup or even light mayo. and switch out the soda for light sparkling water. start "today." >> "today." >> i like the junk drawer thing. jenna, joy, jean and jill will be back next week for final week of our "start today" series. >> good stuff. and now you have something to do today. you really have four junk drawers? >> i have one in each room. >> we'll tackle that next month. >> we'll have an intervention next. students at some failing schools are actually seeing a new tune thanks to stars like grammy winner jason mraz.

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>> that's jason mraz "i'm yours." while the multi-platinum singer/songwriter is busy with his music, he's also finding time to bring a positive message to some classroom. >> he's one of nearly three dozen arts ambassadors. they're helping build an arts-based curriculum which is having an impactful difference. schools are seeing vast improvements in not only their test scores but how these children are learning. i met up with mraz at the school he's helping in san diego. >> reporter: there is a new rhythm to learning at san diego's burbank elementary school. ♪ >> reporter: and a new cheerleader. >> what's up burbank? welcome back to school. ah school. school! school! i'm jason mraz and i'm super pumped up to be your arts

ambassador. >> reporter: the grammy award winning singer/songwriter added arts ambassador to his resume last spring when he signed on to work with with your bank elementary as part of turn around arts. when you are using your imagination and getting creative there is no wrong way to do it. >> reporter: the program combines traditional learning with art as part of an overall plan to boost failing schools. in this math class, this means adding ukeleles and song writing. for mraz the equation clicked immediately. >> we learned our helping verbs, and to this day i can recite all these helping verbs because they were paired up with a melody. i'm not a musicologist. i can't tell you exactly the phenomenon that that is but it works. and it's exciting to see turn around arts embracing that. >> reporter: less than a year ago, burbank was one of california's worst performing schools. nearly half its students were in below their grade level in math. more than 62% below grade level

in english and language arts. attendance was also a major issue. yet, in the four short months since burbank signed on with turn around arts that's all begun to change. >> we've noticed an increase in kids actually wanting to spend more time on task be more motivated to come to school. our daily attendance rates have really improved. >> and you attribute to bringing this arts education to school? >> yeah i think so. . >> reporter: turnaround arts says math scores in its eight pilot schools were up 22% over two years. reading scores saw a boost of more than 12%. perhaps most importantly, the students are the first to say they notice a difference. >> it is like way better and much funner and really made me like math more than how i usually do. >> i love math now because i do songs and math together and that's what makes it fun. >> the arts alone cannot turn around a school but what we are seeing is the arts provide this essential part of the toolkit.

>> we currently have 6 million kids in the united states that don't have arts in their public schools. that's a lot of missed opportunities. >> what do you think the biggest misconception is about arts education today in the united states? >> the biggest misunderstanding about arts is that it serves no purpose. it is that it is just play time. >> reporter: each of the 35 turnaround arts schools has a celebrity ambassador like jason mraz helping to boost the school's profile. >> it changes the way the community sees the school. the school feels special which it hasn't felt in a long time. >> reporter: mraz has made his involvement a priority working in the school garden over the summer offering words of encouragement before a recent holiday concert. >> let me tell you what it means when you're nervous. means you really care. >> reporter: and cheering along at the main event. >> i think they feel the connection right away. he's just a genuine down to earth guy who really wants to make a difference in the world. >> i just want to put a hug around this school. that's the best way to put it. i want them to remember that i'm on their team. >> reporter: a message his team

has received loud and clear. >> so the program is in a number of different schools around the country and they do have some big flames tied to it. they were a little nervous in the beginning if they brought in the celebrity, they'd think it was just a photo-op for the celebrity. forest wlithitaker, sarah jessica parker yo-yo ma they're really xlited committed to their schools. >> i was not a stellar student but music really kept me involved. it was an important part of my schooling. >> they also bring in arts and theater. the schools all do a school musical and it just really unites the community in a great way. >> it gets your brain going. i had band first hour. you leave charged, ready. stimulated. >> like we said he still remembers his helping verbs from english when he was singing them. >> love his music, too. . now let's send it over to dill be in the orange room with

today's "plaza fan of the day." >> caylee is turning 18. bonnie roe from newport, new york. take it away. >> still to come on "today," live from miami, it's donald trump. but first these messages.

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the world's most beautiful women will be together tonight for the miss universe pageant. the man behind it knob other than donald trump joins us from miami where miss universe will be held. nice to have you with us this morning. good morning.

>> hello, erica. >> we know you were talking with some folks in iowa yesterday. we have to ask you off the bat with be can you give it to me in a yes or no? you going to run in 2016? >> well i'm looking at it very seriously. the country is in very serious trouble. we're making so many mistakes and certainly i want to make america great again and i am looking a the it very very seriously. i got a great reception. there are those that say i got, by far, the biggest reception yesterday, the most standing ovations because of what i said. and i am looking at it very seriously. >> you made your way from there to miami for the miss universe pageant. there's been a little bit of controversy in the past several weeks over the selfie miss israel posted on instagram with miss lebanon. miss lebanon got beat up by a tv station there saying she shouldn't have appeared together with miss israel because lebanon and miss israel are enemies. from a pageant side what's transpired since and what's your take on all this donald? >> well, its a he very sad to see this happening.

it is very very sad. it will be interesting to see who are the final 15. wouldn't it be interesting to see miss israel and miss lebanon standing together as the final 15? ? i don't know that that's going to happen but let's see what happens. but i will tell you, it is very sad. we're in miami right now. we're at trump national doral. i'll tell you what the place is so abuzz with what's going on with miss universe. the venue, as you know is totally sold out. you can't get a ticket. it is really lot deal and i think it is going to be a great production tonight for three hours on nbc. >> why are beauty pageants still relevant in 2015 in your opinion? >> well it's the age-old thing. it is never going to die. magnificently beautiful women. these are the most beautiful women in the world. i got to see them yesterday. there are no women as beautiful. the miss universe pageant is known to have the most beautiful women in the world and that's what it is. and i think whether we like it or not, whether it's politically correct or not, who cares? it's a formula, lester that

will never die. and, by the way, your son interviewed me and he may be as good as you, lester. he interviewed me in chicago. >> that's a high compliment. >> he interviewed me -- no. he interviewed me in chicago. he was very very good. >> well trained, lester. you did well. >> thank you, donald for that. >> that's fantastic! so we do want to ask you, too, about "celebrity apprentice." this season is a lot of turn. we really enjoy meeting some of the folks and talking to them here on the "today" show. what do you think sets this season apart? >> well i think a lot of things. i think one of the reasons it's doing so well is we have the one-hour shows which are really better than two-hours with be which are so long. i think cast has been fantastic and so good and is doing so well as you know that nbc is just extended it for another two shows which is not easy. butguess we're going live for a period of time. it's just been a great season and nbc likes me very much. >> there's a lot to like. nice to have you with us thanks

again. just to reminds

right now on nbc 10 news today, round two is heading our way. nbc 10 first alert radar is tracking a second storm that will take aim at our region starting tonight. and you may want to take advantage of the lull today, to get your errands done and prepare for our next go-around with mother nature. here's a live look outside at eighth and market in center city. the first alert forecast is straight ahead. good morning, everybody. welcome to nbc 10 news today. i'm ted greenberg. it is 9:00 on this sunday morning, january 25th. thanks so much for being with us. most of our sunday is looking quiet, but things start to change late tonight. first alert meteorologist