>> thanks for watching. have a great day. "today" show starts right now. good morning. farewell to a princess. tributes to carrie fisher pour in from around the world as costars, family and friends remember the woman born into hollywood royalty who will be forever known as "star wars" iconic princess leia. we'll look back at the life and career of the actress, author and comedian. back to business. president-elect trump returning to full-time work on his inauguration and filling his cabinet today. this after a security scare forces an evacuation at trump tower. >> let's go, out. out! alexa, who did it? police in arkansas demanding access to a murder suspect's amazon echo. the online giant refusing. so could the popular device that listens to everything you say be

the key to cracking the case? and drifting away. >> it's doing it! whoo! >> we'll take you behind the scenes and behind the wheel of the new technology designed to keep you and your family safe like never before. today, wednesday, december 28, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm tamron hall alongside carson daly. matt has the morning off and savannah of course is on maternity leave. we've been talking before the show started about carrie fisher and some memories of her being here just last month. >> 2016 seems to be a year we're getting robbed of people we've lost too soon. >> we begin with the loss of a true force in hollywood. actress and best-selling author

carrie fisher. her career took off with her role in "star wars" but her legacy stretches well beyond that legendary franchise. stephanie gosk has the latest. >> good morning, tamron. many of us of a certain age, like mine, knew princess leia long before knowing carrie fisher. as people in hollywood and across the country reflect on her life, it's how much of the fearlessness, wit and toughness of princess leia came straight from the actress herself. leia wasn't just a princess, she was a hero in one of the most popular movie series ever made. so when news came that actress care a carrie fisher had died four days after suffering a heart attack on a flight, a number of fans felt princess leia and their childhoods died with her. george lucas said she was our

great and powerful princess, fiesty, wise and full of hope, in a role that was more difficult than most people might think. leia snuck out the plans to the death star, deflected hans solo. >> you stuck-up, half-witted stuffy looking -- >> on facebook markhamill wrote a touching tribute. fisher couldn't have known then at the age of 19 that the role would follow her for life. >> nobody recognizes you? >> just one guy who had seen it 12 times. >> her appeal spent nearly four decades. her iconic role becoming a pop culture staple. from friends to 30 rock. the daughter of famous parents, eddie fisher and debbie reynolds, who wrote on her facebook page, thank you to everyone who has embraced the

gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. making her big-screen debut in 1975, fisher appeared alongside warren beatty in "shampoo." after a brief marriage in the early '80s she moved beyond acting and became a prolific writer, especially good at doctoring scripts. she helped rewright "made in america," "sister act" and many more. her most recent memoir "the princess diarist" where she admits to having a three-month affair with harrison ford on the said of the first "star wars." just last month fisher told hoda and kathie lee, no one had any idea. >> and that's what shocks me. i think maybe because it was improbable, i don't know. certainly it wasn't like we were holding hands on the set or anything. >> i love you. >> i know. >> in a statement harrison ford writes carrie was one of a kind,

brilliant, original, funny and emotionally fareless. she lived her life bravely. she often wrote and talked about her demons, depression, substance abuse, her strength in battling them as a parent as the strength of the famous character she played. a character she returned to in last year's "the force awakens" appearing on screen with her daughter, billy lorde, returning to the role that made her famous. >> may the force be with you. >> for fans of "star wars" it seems there will be one more chance to see carrie fisher reprise the now 40-year-old role. she wrapped up shooting her scenes in the next movie due out next year. guys. >> stephanie, thank you so much. >> an editor of "people" magazine, we've got to stop meeting like this. as you read some of the remembrances from her "star wars" family and her fans

globally, what strikes you about those things? >> just how big of a loss this is for everyone, her fans, but really the people who knew her so well. you saw harrison ford, george lucas all speaking out about losing a friend and someone who was so real and down to earth and was brave at the same time. she never really let hollywood change who she was on the inside, and that's a vocal, talented, brave woman. >> as stephanie pointed out, the role of princess leia changed her life of she was only 19. when you look at the totality of her career from writing to other roles, how do you think she would want to be remembered? is it truly just about leia? >> it's not just about leia. she came around to loving that role and loving what it did for her, but she had such a prolific career in hollywood, as you said, screen writing, movies people would never know she was ever behind, "the wedding

singer," "sister act," just so many credits behind her. it superseded a lot of her work on screen. if you look at the totality of what she did, she just had a really prolific career in hollywood. >> i was watching the coverage last night and one of the quotes that stuck out most was one of her books. george lucas talking about getting the role at princess leia, ruined my life. sometimes she loved the character, sometimes she loathed it. in the past few years how did she feel about leia. >> in hollywood, the worst thing is to be pigeon holed. that was really hard when you have a character adds big as princess leia was so beloved, but she kind of came around to the idea that this was a piece of the american fabric, and she embraced that. she knew the role would change her life even back as a teenager. she wrote "the princess diarist" most recently from diaries and

notes that she had while filming. she really understood that this was so important to so many people and really important to her. >> harrison ford said she was emotionally fearless. she talked about mental healthish uds, she talked about drugs, she really decided to expose that part of her life. what was the motivation? >> i think that's how she would want to be remembered actually, as someone who spoke about all of the trappings of hollywood. she was a child of hollywood, famous parents, had grown up seeing so many things and falling victim to so many things. and she was very, very open and brave about it. she even took up the cause of mental health, having dealt with bipolar disorder herself. and just putting her truth out there. i really think that's what she would want to be known as. >> well said. janine, thanks so much. now to politics, a security scare at trump tower led to some nervous moments tuesday. while down in florida, the president-elect is getting back

to business, working on his inauguration and his cabinet. nbc's hallie jackson has the latest for us. hallie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. a senior transition official tells nbc news that today the president-elect will meet with, among others, ike perlmutter, the marvel ceo and long-time trump backer and dr. simarotto. the president-elect clearly today getting back to work after the holiday as back in midtown manhattan, a security scare at trump tower created a few frightening moments. >> out! >> reporter: running and yelling -- >> everything is fine. >> reporter: terrified people rushing out of trump tower. inside, a suspicious package triggering an evacuation. outside, chaos. turns out, false alarm. that package, just a bag of children's toys, a senior law

enforcement source tells nbc news. through it all, donald trump, thousands of miles away in south florida, surrounded by his national security team. the president-elect announcing a new advisor on homeland security, thomas bossert, a cyber security specialist, who served in a similar role under george w. bush. while trump has made no public appearances since saturday, he's publicly going back after president obama for a second day for a row for saying if he ran again, he could have won. trump tweeting president obama campaigned hard and personally in the very important swing states and lost. the voters wanted to make america great again. president obama in hawaii making history with japan's leader at the pearl harbor memorial. without mentioning trump, seeming to take a subtle dig. >> it is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal,

we must resist the urge to turn inward. >> reporter: prime minister shinzo abe joining president obama, the first japanese leader to ever visit the site. but it's a different prime minister, israel's benjamin netanyahu at the center of a u.n. security council resolution. that will be the topic of a big speech by john kerry today, a senior official telling nbc the secretary of state will candidly respond to accusations the u.s. orchestrated that resolution. claims the obama administration denies. away from the world stage, this stage now getting set for january 20th when donald trump will take office. inaugural planners insisting it's all about unity, not razzle dazzle. >> it's not summer jam or coachella here, we're planning an inauguration. >> reporter: rather than a bunch of inaugural balls, just three. some performers facing backlash

for participating. >> the higher you are on the a-list scale, the bigger the risk. >> reporter: and for the inauguration, 23 requests for protest permits have been applied for. the trump team seeming unfazed point out those protesters have a prerogative to be in d.c. on january 20th too. >> all right, thank you very much. breaking overnight, two powerful earthquakes robbing parts of nevada and california. a 5.7 magnitude hit just after midnight southwest of hawthorne, nevada. a few minutes later another one in the same area. the rumbling was felt in reno, carson city and parts of california. the quakes were followed boy a series of aftershocks. there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. there's word that turkey and russia have reached an agreement on a cease-fire plan for syria. it could start as early as tonight. russia has carried out an intense air campaign in support of dictator bashar al assad

while turkey backed the 5-year-old rebellion against the regime. the cease-fire would apparently exclude so-called terror organizations which could include rebel groups backed by the united states. more than 400,000 syrians have been killed in the conflict. and in michigan, an already massive sinkhole that's triggered a state of emergency is getting even bigger this morning. the mayor describes it as a triage situation but residents are using another word, disaster. ron maott is there. norng. >> reporter: good morning to you. we all like to think our houses are on solid ground. now officials fear this giant hole will cave in completely. this morning a grim prospect for residents threatened by this massive sinkhole. it's now nearly the size of a football field and growing. >> the ground is unstable. it is going to collapse. >> reporter: nearly two dozen families forced out of their homes, facing an unhappy new year, evicted for weeks, maybe

longer. authorities working on a plan to allow residents to remove items from their homes but for now it's too dangerous. >> a lot of moving parts and they're going to continue moving. >> reporter: it's an uphill battle for officials frantically trying to contain the damage. authorities believe it started when an 11-foot wide sewer line burst, spilling raw sewage under the neighborhood and triggering the sinkhole. residents at a nearby senior complex were in the dark for a second time tuesday when an emergency crew hit a gas line and power had to be cut off to the entire area. >> everybody is sitting inside here trying to keep warm and talk to each other with flashlights. >> reporter: authorities have stopped dumping raw sewage into the clinton river to keep it from backing up into basements. they're now faced with the foul task of cleaning it up but optimistic. >> every day is going to be progress. >> reporter: this isn't the first time there was a problem with the sewer line. there was a break in 1978 and again in 2004.

the repair bill was estimated at $55 million. this time the hole is much bigger and officials say the cost will be much bigger too. the line was built in the late '60s and last inspected seven years ago. not often enough say some officials. >> we've had two breaks already. why would we not inspect it more often? >> reporter: crews are back at it today, finishing up the repairs on the gas line. 15 mile road which is a major thorough fare through this neighborhood could be closed for months. back to you guys. new developments this morning in a story we've been following for several months. russian officials for the first time have admitted to mass doping in the country's sports system. now, that's according to a report in "the new york times." the director of russia's national anti-doping agency called it an institutional conspiracy. but said the government's top officials were not involved. an independent report found that more than 1,000 russian competitors were involved in a

conspiracy to conceal positive drug tests over a period of five years. and an update on a story we told you about last week. korean airlines says it will allow crew members to use stun guns to manage in-flight disturbances. it comes after richard marx helped subdue an unruly passenger. afterward he was critical of the airlines for its handling of the incident. korean air says it will increase taser training and look at putting male flight attendants on all flights. now to dramatic dash cam video. an idaho state trooper was walking on the side of a snowy highway when an out of control car narrowly misses him. then the car crashes into a patrol car that was parked on the shoulder. thankfully no one was hurt in that crash. shanna mendiola from knbc in for al. >> we are seeing more snow for the northeast so right ahead of

that storm we have watches and warnings in place for the northeast. that is your winter storm watched and warnings the next couple of days. we'll watch for the development of a nor'easter which will impact the east coast tomorrow through friday. here's the tracking of the storm today. we'll see some rain down to the south. possible hail for memphis, knoxville, jacksonville also looking a little wet there as the front moves through for your thursday. we'll see some snow for the interior northeast. also looking at the low forming for the boston area. new york city getting brushed by a little rain but it's not going to be too heavy. it is snow for the interior northeast and we'll track that snow as the storm moves in for friday. so thursday into friday is that bullet point of where we'll see the snow. how much will you get? 15 to 18 inches by the time this is all over through friday so the interior regions of the northeast looking at the most snow by the time this is all over. but for today it's another beautiful day out there. we're looking at the northeast, another mild day outside,

looking at more of that. we'll have your local weather in just a second. unseasonably mild for the northwest. looking for fog in the gulf. we're seeing thunderstorm activity through the tennessee, mississippi and ohio valleys. out west it's dry conditions. that's a look at your fo good morning. chemp temperatures are going not

going to be as warm as they were yesterday. right now 40s for the suburbs and parts of the lehigh valley. 44 degrees in center city, 42 for lansdale, 40 for allentown. a mix of clouds and sun with clouds farther north. atlantic city 45 and 44 in smyrna. >> and that's what's that's wha your neighborhood. >> all right, shawna, thank you very much. coming up, an alexa, who done it. the popular amazon echo lands at the center of a murder investigation. why police are hoping the device could actually be a star witness. also ahead, a wild ride. an exclusive look behind the scenes as new car safety technology is put to the test. first, this is "today" on nbc. about bassett. you really can custom make your furniture exactly how you want. it's all about customization. the possibilities are endless.

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good wednesday morning. 7:26. i'm tracy davidson. let's get to your first alert neighborhood forecast with krystal klei. >> things are looking chillier than they were just yesterday when we had 50 moving into the 60s in the afternoon. instead right now, some of us are below freezing. we're sitting at 27 in millville and 30 for atlantic city. mount pocono at 29 and 37 in philadelphia. i do expect us to get into the mid-40s across the map but that's it. here's a look over the next fou years, 9:00 a.m. 38 degrees and 4 the by lunchtime. let's check the roads with jessica boyington.

>> another easy drive this morning. an easy week this week as well. vine street expressway moving through center city looks great. no delays either if you're headed toward 95. there's a crash on forge spring way and east valley road. philadelphia fire officials are looking for the cause of a house fire in fishtown that left a man dead. two firefighters were hurt. the american red cross is helping families forced out of their home by this fire. sky force 10 was over the liberty tower apartments on november 63rd street last night. no one was hurt. we'll have an update in 25 minutes. you can stay updated with news and weather while you're on the go with the nbc 10 app. it's a free download. the "today" show continues. have a good day.

7:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 28th of december, 2016, as we inch closer to another holiday weekend. look at the big crowd there. it's our corner of rockefeller plaza where it's been unseasonably warm the last couple of days. it's yielded a great crowd. we'll join them in about half an hour. inside studio 1a here's a look at today's headlines. the world is saying good-bye to yet another legendary figure this morning. carrie fisher died tuesday, four days after suffering a heart attack on a plane. of course she will always be remembered for her iconic role as princess leia in the "star wars" franchise. fisher was also a best-selling author and was in the middle of a tour promoting her new

autobiography. we'll have much more on her passing and the tributes to her life coming up. and a security scare at trump tower right here in new york led to an emergency evacuation on tuesday. a suspicious bag triggered the panic, but officials say it turned out to be filled with toys. president-elect trump was not there at the time. and russia's defense ministry says search teams have now recovered a second flight recorder from the military plane that crashed in the black sea. it was found overnight, one day after the first device was discovered. experts are analyzing the data to hopefully figure out what caused the plane to go down, killing all 92 people aboard. now to an unusual murder investigation in arkansas raising new questions about privacy and technology. police want amazon to turn over data from the suspect's echo virtual assistant, but the online giant is refusing. nbc's gabe gutierrez has that story. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: carson, good morning. many of you may have gotten the amazon echo for christmas, but police here now want to tap into

one of those devices to potentially help solve a crime. the suspect's attorney, though, says her client has nothing to hide, but that investigators are overreaching. this morning a murder case is testing the limits of privacy inside your home. >> alexa, turn off the light. >> reporter: the amazon echo, better known as alexa was a best seller this christmas, but now police in bentonville, arkansas, have filed a warrant for electronic data from the virtual assistant to help solve a murder. >> we know amazon has a copy because consumers can actually listen to all of their alexa requests and they can delete them. >> reporter: what's not clear is how much relevant data is on the device or an amazon servers. prosecutors say 32-year-old james bates murdered his co-worker, victor collins, who was found strangled in bates' hot tub. bates who called 911 when he found collins has pleaded not guilty. >> did anybody think when this was being created that information that you gave to

alexa or you gave to the amazon echo would be used outside your home? and then to be used to have you arrested for a crime you didn't commit? >> reporter: but investigators say this new technology is just another piece of the puzzle. >> we have established probable cause and obtained a warrant from a judge to search this device, the same way we would search a person's cell phone, we would search a person's home. >> reporter: amazon tells nbc news it will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us. amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a ma matter tter of course. >> how would it be used today or combined with other data in the future and then be used against us? >> reporter: amazon has turned over some account data but not the electronic data -- some account details but not electronic data from the echo. it's important to note, tamron and carson, that while the echo is always listening, it's not

always recording until someone says the trigger word. this is all raising new questions about police work and technology and this murder case is set to go to trial next year. >> gabe, thanks for that and what are those trigger words where it would start recording? >> i have one and i told you the other morning, it came on, it played a song. i did not say alexa, i didn't say the name of the artist or the song and it was one of those creepy moments. i don't know. let's get another check of the weather. shanna mendiola is here in for al. >> good morning. still another mild day here across the east. we've got another day of still warm weather east of the rockies. you can see all the warm air moving in from the south. we'll see another day of that where temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees above average. chicago will be about 14 degrees warmer, 43 degrees here. raleigh at 59. 42 for you in boston, just about 7 degrees warmer. then we'll get a little cooler into thursday. the development of the nor'easter will help to cool things down just slightly. you can see the temperatures all still in the orange and red.

we've got a 10-degree warmup in minneapolis with 30 degrees. tallahassee, florida, in the 70s. we'll be even cooler friday. again, new york city about 5 degrees warmer. 42 degrees where yesterday was in the 60s. this will be cooler and you'll notice a distance. nationwide we're looking at unseasonably mild temperatures for everyone in the midwest. some snow towards the pacific northwest and for texas, you've got some fog to start off in the morning along the gulf. that should last through 9:00, clearing up to afternoon good morning. i'm fist alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's a look at the forecast neighborhood by neighborhood. temperature is not going to be as warm as they were yesterday. mostly around the mid-40s. philadelphia and south right now 40s for the suburbs and parts of the lehigh valley. 44 degrees in center city, 42 for lansdale, right at 40 for allentown. a nice mix of clouds and sun with more clouds farther north.

atlantic city 45 and 44 smyrna. and that's your latest weather. >> shawna, thank you so much. coming up, why a lot of parents are saying that the hatchimals, the popular gift, they are having some trouble. it's not living up to the hype. but first, we're hitting the test track for a rare glimpse at the newest advances in car safety. we'll have more on that right after this. (man) my dad and i have the same eyes. same nose. same toughness. and since he's had moderate alzheimer's disease, the same never quit attitude. that's why i asked his doctor about once-a-day namzaric. (avo) namzaric is approved for moderate to severe alzheimer's disease in patients who are taking donepezil. it may improve cognition and overall function, and may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. namzaric does not change the underlying disease progression. don't take if allergic to memantine, donepezil, piperidine or any of the ingredients in namzaric. tell the doctor about any conditions including heart, lung, bladder, kidney or liver problems, seizures, stomach ulcers,

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but when you look at the technology of this era and compare it to what we get today, there really is no comparison. automotive engineers spend so much of their time in the lab, working on all of those safety technologies, but every once in a while they get a chance to take what they have done in the lab and actually put it to the real world test, and the engineers at ford motor invited us along for a test run. if you're a commuter bouncing on roads that look like wash boards, a farmer where this is part of the routine, dirt roads that are never flat or just zipping from point a to point b, this is where automotive engineers go before their creations roll off the assembly line. a playground, where they ask but one question. what if the way hollywood stunt drivers drifted in the movie "fast and the furious" could be achieved offroad on a closed track by anyone? >> wow.

oh, my god, i've lost track of where we are. >> reporter: what if an onboard computer allowed you those exact skills. >> what makes it easier for the novice to do drifting. >> i feel a little bit like speed racer here. >> reporter: today by inner 17-year-old lives. >> i'm doing it, whoo! >> reporter: fun? yeah. but why engineer something we should not and do not do on an open road? take the technology that you have developed with that computer, how does it apply on the highway, on the side roads? >> when i'm going along and a dog runs out in front of me and i have to turn the car really quick, we can overpower the wheel to help the car turn. >> reporter: so all the technology actually has application in real life. >> that's exactly it. >> reporter: what if you had to drive down a steep mountain but didn't have the confidence? >> i can't even see where we're going. >> that's all right. >> you say that.

>> reporter: an algorithm computers it. >> this is like a roller coaster ride. >> reporter: a semi autonomous driving mode takes control. >> not bad, huh? >> reporter: as for durability, some engineers on the case are literally rocket scientists. >> if you take a look back, you can see how the box is moving in this. >> i can't see much. my head is bouncing around. >> reporter: and what was once man's world no longer. >> you look for shake. >> reporter: engineer chrissie rodriguez' focus, prevent car sickness. >> everything is about minimizing the input to the driver. >> reporter: what if a standard production car were as fast as a race car? yes, that's a six-speed ford mustang gt 350-r. 155, 160. how does topping out at 164 miles per hour apply to everyday

driving? >> slam on the brakes right now. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: no swerve, no skid, in four seconds full stop. so we did nine laps on that five-mile track and then had to quit, guys. any guesses as to why? >> i don't know. what? tell us. >> you got pulled over? >> reporter: ran out of gas. >> all that data and you didn't know you were running low on fuel? >> you didn't see the little -- >> reporter: trust me, i was not looking at that. >> we decided you looked like danny zuco hanging out in that ride there. you looked pretty cool, guy. >> good looking car. we've got to get him a greasers car. >> we love you, kerry, thank you. go back in the car and gas up. coming up on popstart, music's -- >> this is all you right here. >> this is unbelievable.

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we are back with more of the tributes we're seeing to actress, author and comedian carrie fisher. lets head over to the orange room and ronan farrow. >> i know a lot of us are feeling like a punch in the gut. carrie fisher passed away tuesday morning. a funny, candid writer, an actor and mental health advocate who gave all of us so much through her work. as you might expect, tributes pouring in. peter mayhew saying there are no words for this loss. carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. that was chewbacca from "star

wars" and george takei saying may her soul rest in eternal peace as we return her to a galaxy far, far away. she traveled everywhere with her bulldog, gary. a lot of people are thinking of gary today as well. in a sign of the capitalist signs, cinnabon tweeted rip carrie fisher. you'll always have the best buns in the galaxy because apparently everything is a branding opportunity these days. they did apologize but not before occurring internet wrath. one reaction, off you must log from yoda. my mom actually worked with carrie and just like everyone who did said the best things about her. she was razz close as we had to a modern dorothy parker. she was a razor wit, a role model for young women and a role model for all of us. she once said about dying, if i was going to do it, i'd want someone like me around and her

legacy will be around for a long, long time. parents today tweeting pictures of their daughters as princess leia. >> the pictures, i was scrolling, of all of the its girls dressed like leia, it was very, very touching. >> she's going to leave a long-lasting legacy. roane ronan, thank you very, very much. we've got one thing that you can do to live longer and it's not nothing to do with eating right or exercising. then hoda's unforgettable day undercover as a meter maid. hoda's mission to hand out tickets. these drivers were not expecting. and staying in for new year's? year's? we've got some befi was active.gia, i was energetic. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. he also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves.

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just a few minutes before 8:00. good morning. i'm tracy davidson. let's get right to your first alert forecast with krystal klei. temperatures more in line with december. >> that's right. no longer talking 50s. we're at 37 degrees in philadelphia and right now 40 reporting in parts of the suburbs. some areas are in the mid-30s. new jersey the same, some areas up to 40 degrees, some in the 34 30. and in the lehigh valley, upper 30s. a little warmer there because of the clouds. we've cooled down, 33 degrees in delaware. here's the forecast highs, most of us around the low to mid-40s. now check the roads nbc 10 first alert traffic reporter jessica boyington has you covered. >> an easy drive in terms of drive times. we're not seeing the delays that

we usually see. but watching a discabled vehicle on the schuylkill. looks like one of the penn d.o.t. crews is towing him out of the way. the water plain break on cluck bus boulevard, it's under control but there's a lane blocked there. expect to see more police patrolling the philadelphia mills mall today. the mall is increasing security after a large crowd of teenagers tried to start a fight in the building. pris arrested three boys after more than 200 teenagers tried to get in the mall. 30 managed to get inside. local police are warning if you've got a big ticket item for the holidays, be careful how you throw out the box that it came in. the boxes can attract thieves looking to steal the gifts. cherry hill police see a spike in crime around the holidays and urge you to be extra careful. you can stay updated throughout the day with news and

weather with the nbc 10 app. thanks for watching.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, the passing of a princess. tributes from costars, family and friends pour in for carrie fisher as we look back at the life and career of the actress born into hollywood royalty. plus that's the ticket. >> scoot up, scoot up. >> hoda goes undercover as a meter maid to hand out fake parking tickets and spread a little kidness while she's at it. >> you've got two tickets to see the next knicks. >> so it's not a parking ticket? >> no, sir. have a good day. >> and good boy. >> it's time to meet our puppy. >> our puppy with a purpose turns six months old and we're celebrating charlie in a big way, today, wednesday, december 28, 2016.

celebrate our birthday on "today." >> i'm from louisiana, be brave! >> girls fun day in new york city. >> happy birthday, daddy! >> happy anniversary! >> i'm 10 on "today"! >> charlie's birthday. today on this wednesday, matt and savannah, al off. >> hi, charlie! charlie's half birthday. >> we're going to celebrate charlie's half-year birthday coming up in a little bit. >> that's coming up! a great crowd.

also ahead, we've got some last-minute ideas if you're doing a little new year's eve celebration at home. we've got some very, very easy ideas. we'll help you out isnn just a little bit. >> you break it, you buy it. >> keep it as a souvenir. >> carson is the only thing holding us together. let's get a check of today's headlines. here is your news at 8:00. we begin with the stunning loss of carrie fisher. i'm stephanie gosk. in interviews, fisher said she never thought she would be an actress but she always knew she would be a writer. fisher turned out to be prolific at both. >> what are you doing? >> reporter: carrie fisher, a force both on and off screen. >> i don't know who you are -- >> reporter: at 19 years old the actress drew on her own fear itsness and wit to give life to the legendary "star wars" character, princess leia. >> will somebody get this big

walking carpet out of my way. >> reporter: a symbol of childhood for fans across the world, now in mourning over the sudden death of their hero. before fisher traveled to a galaxy far, far away to achieve superstardom as the rebel princess, she was already considered hollywood royalty. the daughter of pop singer eddie fisher and debbie reynolds. fisher entered the family business at age 15, appearing alongside her mother in the 1973 broadway revival of "irene." she went on to appear in a long list of tv shows and movies, including "when harry met sally." >> he's never going to leave her. >> that was incredibly brave what you did. >> reporter: and more recently she reprised her iconic role in the latest installments of the "star wars" franchise, directed by j.j. abrams. >> i'm trying to be helpful. >> when did that ever help? >> abrams remembered fisher saying, quote, you didn't need to meet carrie fisher to understand her power.

and that power stretched far beyond the stage or screen. a prolific writer, fisher wrote several books, including her most recent memoir "the princess diarist" where she admits having a three-month affair with harrison ford on the set of "star wars." fisher joked with savannah on "today" just last month. >> one thing you're not going to get is a big bunch of steamy sex scenes or anything. >> thank god. >> well, i don't know if i feel that way. >> well, look at you. you've had a steamy sex scene, obviously. >> she often wrote about her own personal dark side, her battles with depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse and her tumultuous relationship with her mother. >> she took us on every journey that she went through, all through her life, all of the ups and downs. that's one of the reasons in addition to playing princess leia that she has got such a special place in the world's hearts. >> fisher eventually reconciled with reynolds and they are both appearing in an upcoming mother-daughter documentary on

hbo. >> mommy, mommy, i'm home. >> this morning reynolds and fisher's daughter saddened by their loss and fisher's bulldog gary, tweeted out i was always by your side, but best of all, you were always by mine. after spending the last day looking at her interviews and appearances over the years, one of the things that really pops out is just how funny carrie fisher was, you saw a little bit of that with savannah. just laugh out loud funny. just one of this woman's many, many talents. carson. now to tuesday's security scare at trump tower in manhattan. video shows people in the build's lobby running for the exits after a suspicious bag triggered an evacuation order. it was a false alarm, it was just a bag of children's toys. the president-elect was not home. meantime for a second day before trump pushing back against president obama saying if he ran again he could have won.

trump tweeting president obama campaigned hard and personally in the very important swing states and lost. the voters want to make america great again. russian officials say today they recovered the second flight data recorder from a military jet that crashed into the black sea on christmas day. it was found about a mile off the coast of sochi. the first flight recorder was retrieved tuesday. today a russian news agency said the so-called black box revealed the plane's wing flaps were not working properly. all 92 people onboard were killed, including many members of the famed army choir. and tesla's electric cars are being celebrated for their innovative design. it turns out they can apparently predict the future today. this dash cam video shows that tes tesla's auto pilot sensing something bad on the head before the human in the driver's seat does. the car beeps to alert the driver of a problem and then immediately hits the brakes before the high-speed crash. fortunately the two drivers involved in the accident escaped

serious injuries. >> that's incredible. up next, the lure of the live animal cam. we're on bald eagle hatching watch for you this morning. the real hatchimals. then the growing complaints from parents and kids that their toy hatchimals aren't actually hatching. and hoda dressing up as a meter maid to spread some unexpected cheer. but first, these messages.

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>> i love this. >> remember that? >> yeah. >> well, now there's a new pair to watch. we go down to ft. myers, florida. the parents, harriet and m-15 are in their second season of mating and with to become parents to two baby eagles. the eggs were laid on november 22nd and november 25th. they're expected to hatch sometime between right this second and new year's. the anticipation is causing thousands of people to watch the live stream, which you can go to youtube and watch it. it doesn't look like a whole lot is happening right now so we can move on. as we go through trending today, we'll go back. the idea of this hatchimals -- >> something is happening, we just can't see it because it's underneath her. >> eventually they're going to be feeding a cat to one of those babies. lots of morning tv mishaps. >> ronan, speaking of hatchimals, what was supposed to

be the hottest toy of the holiday season is now in some hot water. the interactive toy that hatches from an egg is upsetting a lot of kids and angering parents. many have taken to twitter claiming the toy never hatches or once it does, the battery dies immediately after. one dad took to social media and said hatchimal did not hatch after 14 hours and now all lights have gone off. my 4-year-old is gutted. others wrote that they were struggling to get in touch with customer service. the toy company, spin master, said spin master is committed to responding to customer questions and conferees as quickly as possible. in anticipation of the busy holiday season, we've increased capacity with our consumer care team and are working tibsly to respond. we'd like to thank you for your patience. spin master did not immediately respond to cnbc's request for comment. we had a hatchimal at our house. it went well. >> how did you get the

hatchimal. >> i work at the "today" show. >> she pulled strings. >> what do you do to make it hatch? >> you hold it. we hatched one, dylan was here before she actually had her baby, and held on to it with harry connick, ours hatched here. >> shall we go back to florida? >> let's see harriet. has she had her -- i said again eglets and matt said it's eaglets. >> and no dead cats. that's good news. i just did that for the reaction. well, they say kindness can go a long way, but can it help you live longer? that's what a new study is suggesting. it found a correlation amongst people who helped care for others versus people who didn't. the results found that those who looked after and cared for family members were more likely to live their life a lot longer. researchers say this pattern suggests that there is a link not only between helping and beneficial health effects but also between helping and mortality. so long story short, it pays to

be kind, everybody. you're going to live a lot longer. >> doesn't it feel good when you do something for a loved one but even a stranger? it just seems like from the inside out. >> it's just insignice to know there's some science behind that. >> let's go back and check out the eagle cam. what's happening? anything, anything? >> no births yet. >> let's keep going. we all know these brand names, gatorade, gap, panera and asos. we're going to test your knowledge to see if you know the meaning behind some of these big brands. gatorade, where did that come from? >> gatorade came from the university of florida, was it, the gators? no, the football players were having hydration. >> florida's football team. gap, this is for you. this one is for you. >> there was a market gap between the lower end stuff and the higher end stuff and they're in between. >> i like that.

>> it's a generational gap. yeah, yeah, adults and kids. >> give me half points. >> panera. >> well, that's pan is bread, so the era of bread? >> yeah, yeah. that's why you're a genius, like a rhodes scholar. >> and asos, what does it mean? >> no idea. >> as seen on screen. that's what it's an abbreviation for, as seen on screen. before we go to popstart, let's check in one more time at the eagles' nests. >> there's motion there. >> what's that? >> when did everybody become so fascinated by watching these hatch? >> i think it still represents birth and it's an eagle. anything happening? >> nothing is happening. popstart is happening and a lot to get to. it is not quite the new year, but there is, ladies and gentlemen, a new hollywood power couple in our midst. rumors that artist drake, 30, and jennifer lopez, 47, were a new item. those rumors started when drake posted this picture with the

famous superstar. however, j. lo said drake was just checking out her show and many people have been wondering maybe they're just working on new music together. while there's been no official word from either party that they are officially dating, perhaps this picture speaks for itself. it is the talk of town, as they say. j. lo and drake posting this photo early this morning. tamron, jump in here. which seems to indicate the two might just be more than friends. if you look at the picture, they look very, very cozy. he's -- tamron, are they a new couple? what are your thoughts? >> i've been trying to process -- can we put it back up. why is he looking at the camera with that one eye. if you're into someone, wouldn't you look at them? >> that indicates a publicity stunt to you? >> j. lo is reasonably private. would she go public with her relationship like that? >> rihanna apparently unfollowed

j. lo over the weekend. >> where's jeff rossen, i need to know. >> and dra-lo is the hash tag. we've got to get to katy perry and orlando bloom. the two recently visited a children's hospital dressed as santa and mrs. claus. but in some videos they shared, the pair dressed down and were playing a little game of pie face. first katy went up against her sister, angela. let's have a look at pie face. >> ready, set, go! >> i love this. i love this. >> love that. >> that's a fun game. katy did not win her round. let's see what happened when orlando went up against katy's brother, david. have a look.

doesn't look like that was a fair part of that game but orlando having some fun there. >> we need one of those for the set. >> no, we do not. >> there's your popstart, guys. let's get another check of the weather. shanna mendiola is in for al this morning. >> good morning. i played that game. i have no problem with that. bring it on in. we'll take a look at your national maps. we do have some snow lingering in the northeast. also through the upper plains where we're seeing lingering showers, really not looking at much accumulation at all. otherwise looking very quiet across the country. you're seeing some dry conditions throughout southern california. you're looking at 76 today. unseasonably mild temperatures for the midwest as well with lingering snow. again in the pacific northwest causing things to be a little chillier in the 30s for you. down south we have a chance of thunderstorms through the tennessee, mississippi and ohio river valleys. then we've got some fog to start off with in the gu good morning, i'm first alert meteorologist krystal

klei. here's a look at your forecast neighborhood by neighborhood today. temperatures not nearly as warm as they were yesterday. mostly around the mid-40s and south. right year 40s for the suburbs and parts of the lehigh valley. right at 40 for allentown. nice mix of clouds and sun as well with more clouds farther north. trenton 42, atlantic city 45. and that's your latest weather. now to more of the best of "today," revisitingrevisiting s favorite stories of the year. >> near the top of the list, hoda's day in disguise for our shared kindness campaign. have a look. >> south orange, new jersey, a quaint manhattan suburb, is about to get hit with a dose of undercover kindness. >> let's start this thing. >> lengthens the tip a little bit.

>> i'm opting for the unibrow. >> my look is so convincing, no one will recognize me all day. >> scoot up, scoot up, scoot up. >> the ploy is that i'm impersonating a meter maid handing out tickets for ridiculous parking violations. the catch, attached to the phony tickets are much better tickets to the hottest events around. to catch the action we've outfitted the block with hidden cameras, and i'm even wearing a strategic button cam. >> this will transmit to your ear. >> you're 6 inches from the curb. i'm sorry, you get a ticket. >> are you going to talk in your regular voice? no. talk to the judge! >> with that settled, i am officially on duty. >> they are expired, by the way. >> i soon forget -- >> this guy has one minute left on his meter. >> that this is not my day job. >> you've got no time. you've got to put some money in there. >> yes, i'm helping citizens left and right, but that's

nothing compared to the joy i'm about to spread. >> i'm sorry, guys. sorry. >> i just parked my car. >> you're too far from the curb and your meter is not fed. >> read your ticket. >> and we're off. >> ma'am, you've got to open your ticket. >> what? >> you've got to open your ticket. >> what? is this a joke? why are you doing this? you're giving away free mariah carey tickets? >> just for you. >> i feel so bad, i just yelled at you. >> it's okay. have a good day. >> wow,th to the curb. you have to be more than that. >> away from or -- what you

mean? >> just take it to the judge, okay? >> too close from the curb. >> too close. >> too close to the curb? >> oh, god, this is turning into a nightmare. >> she finally opens it to find -- >> did you open it? >> what is this? >> it's a random act of kindness. enjoy yourself. >> thank you. >> enjoy yourself. good-bye. >> i was really going off like how are you supposed to be too close to the curb. thank you! >> oh, god, i'm exhausted. i think people might want to kill me. >> some folks have no idea what to make of the situation. >> you read your ticket, right, sir? >> i'm trying to understand it really. >> looks to me like you've got two tickets to see the knicks. >> oh, yeah. >> looks like you're in seconds 112, row 22, seat 6. you've got two tickets. >> oh. >> to see the knicks. >> so it's not a parking ticket.

>> no, sir. have a good day. >> thank you very much. thank you. >> some get it right away. >> what? what? >> oh, wow. >> i just put money in -- >> i just have to give you that ticket. that's a ticket for you. >> this lucky lady scores orchestra seats to the radio city christmas spectacular. she seems pretty cool with that. luckily after they figure it out, all is forgiven. >> you're going to see "hamilton." >> thank you. >> thank you whoever this is from. >> hello? why are you ticketing me? >> the best exchange is with a guy who was already having a really bad day. >> hello? i'm talking to you. >> please read the ticket, sir. >> can i have your badge number. >> please read -- okay. okay, okay.

>> open me. oh, my god. oh, my god. i'm so sorry. i apologize. oh, my god. >> it's all right. >> he even comes back to find me, vowing to pay it forward. >> i am so upset. >> don't be upset. >> i'm going to give them to somebody. i am. >> a little mischievous, maybe. but in the end i hope it's a reminder that it pays to be kind and feed the meter. >> that was the sweetest thing done in a long time. >> you got it. >> thank you. >> oh, so cute. >> i would watch that as a show all night long. that's a great show to watch. they're all so angry to get a ticket and then they're just like -- that guy with the giants

tickets are so happy. >> it shows you sometimes you've got an edge up and something happens that just melts it away. >> and hoda was so perfect. we want to thank ticketmaster, live nation and madison square garden for providing most of those tickets. coming up, diy ideas for throwing a new year's eve bash at your home. and a milestone in charlie's life. he's six months old now. can you believe it? we'll have more after your local news and weather.

its it's 8:6. i'm tracy davidson. meteorologist krystal klei has what you can expect in your forecast today. >> good morning, everyone. here's a look at temperatures. obviously we have cooled back to more typical conditions. no more talking 50s headed to the 60s. most of us sit in the 30s. few still holding on to 20s, mt. pocono and atlantic city at 29 degrees. philadelphia sitting at 40 degrees. as we go through your morning a mix of sun and clouds, winds on the lighter side and temperatures will start to climb with highs expected in the mid-40s later today. there's a vehicle fire in

lansdale. jessica boyington is following that. >> the latest update out in lansdale on the p.a. turnpike northeast extension on the northbound side. they just closed part of the road right there in between lansdale and quakertown. in between 31 and 44, that strip of red here. delays 309 is a good alternate. today is the third day of kwanzaa, collective work and responsibility opinion the mayor marked the holiday at philadelphia city hall. this is the 50th anniversary of the celebration. and tonight jews in our air will light the fifth candle for hanukkah. they have lit it up with a happy hanukkah message. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. you can always stay updated with the app. thanks for watching.

and we are back, 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, december 28th, 2016. a good-looking crowd here in the plaza. t-minus three days and counting to new year's eve. the gang is all here. >> you know, you mentioned new year's eve. there's a girl over here with a sign, she said she's looking for new year's plans. you're hosting the big thing. >> on nbc for sure. >> and look who's a good dog, charlie is as always. it's his birthday of sorts. our puppy with a purpose turns six months old and we're celebrating his many milestones. >> six months, that's a big one. and then if you think the

best way to spend new year's eve is at home, we've got fun ideas to make things a little more festive. >> speaking of 2017, we've got the new list of must-visit vacation destinations in the new year. >> and jenna catches up with one of the hottest fashion designers in the world right now, and she'll reveal the funny way he found out that the first lady chose his dress to wear for a very big speech. shawna, let's get a check of the weather. >> it's a little cooler here in new york city today but everyone is excited to be here on the plaza, right? it is going to be a beautiful day today before a storm heads northeast, so do enjoy this cool weather. we are going to see it cool down through new year's eve here, so the northeast will possibly be seeing some snow, some heavy rain down in the southeast and then as you head out west, some possible rain friday into saturday. new year's day, though, looking dry out west, a little bit of snow in the pacific northwest on the way, but temperatures cooling into the 20s and 30s. unseasonably mild temperatures for your christmas day through the midwest.

a little rain continuing through the southeast portion of our country. florida beautiful at 80 degrees. in the northeast, looking drier there, temperatures cooling down into the 40s where we were in the 60s yesterday, so it's a little cooler out he.re good morning, i'm first alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's a look at your forecast neighborhood by neighborhood today. temperatures not nearly as warm as they were yesterday. mostly around the mid-40s philadelphia and the south. right near 40s for the suburbs and parts of the lehigh valley. right at 40 for allentown. nice mix of clouds and sun as well with more clouds farther north. trentton 42 today, atlantic city 45, and 44 in smyrna. >> you can get your forecast any time on the weather channel on cable. back to you, carson. >> thanks very much. if you're looking for a place to vacation in the new year, consider your search over. somebody has done all the hard work for you.

travel and leisure has just released their 50 most highly anticipated best and, yes, buzziest destinations for the new year. jackie gifford joins now, the magazine's special projects editor. good morning. >> good morning, carson. >> what was the criteria to find all these cool spots. >> we talked to our writers and contributors around the world and said what places have something exciting going on, maybe a big new cultural attraction, tons of new hotels opening and we compiled this master list. consider it your cheat sheet for where to go in the new year. >> let's start with a great spot here in the u.s., nashville. >> nashville has really been getting more and more popular over the past few years. honestly there's so much to do there. in 2017 there's a couple of big anniversaries. the country music hall of fame is turning 50. the food, there's so many great restaurants, bastion which has 24 seats, pinewood social, an amazing bowling alley is open

all hours of the night and hotels. 21 hotels opening in the spring. the public can come in and see incredible art. >> i feel like people feel like you have to be an aspiring musician to move to nashville. the food is excellent. you can find affordable housing and there's a lot going on there culturally. >> it's totally hot. everybody needs to go this year. >> the next spot is not on the mainland but what you're calling the next big cultural hub. >> honolulu. you want to go to the beach, take a surfing lesson, sit on the sands, all of that is there. for march 8th to may 8th they're bringing in local artists from all over the pacific rim and really it's going to be amazing because they'll have panel discussions, installations and a specific area will have all these incredible murals done by this company that are beautiful, really colorful, going on on warehouses, construction sites. then the surf jack hotel is also

about local art. so they have things like custom bird of paradise wallpaper. the pool has appear incredible graphic mural at the bottom that says wish you were here. just a really cool place to stay and that's right in the heart of waikiki. >> people just assume beach but there's a lot more happening there. >> that's important too but the cultural attractions are big too. >> if you're on the east coast, i've been there and i don't know if people think about it but it's bermuda. >> exactly. it's so easy to get to, especially from the east coast. >> it's a quick flight from here. >> a 90-minute flight from new york city. for 2017 they have a lot of big things going on. they'll be host to the 35's america's cup, the famous international sailing regatta. teams from all around the world will be there so the island is really excited about that. there have been a lot of hotel openings in anticipation. the hamilton princess is a beautiful hotel that went through a $100 million renovation. they added a marina, a pool and a new restaurant from celebrity chef marcus samuelson.

>> if you want some international travel, montreal is one of my favorite cities. you say that you can do it without breaking your bank. >> the exchange rate is actually in our favor. this year they're celebrating their 375th birthday. >> another quick flight from the east coast, less than an hour. >> you have french culture but then there's a festival, one of the winter's biggest festival, you've got igloofest, symphony performance, there's a brand new hotel called the william gray, contemporary rooms in two historic buildings and they also -- their museum of fine arts, they just added a whole new wing called the pavilion for peace that has 750 works by cup temporary and old masters. >> the restaurants there turn into -- they play music at night. it's a fun, fun town. >> and easy to get to. >> another international city is in northern ireland. >> belfast.

there's been a lot of new things that have opened over the past few years. things like titanic belfast which has nine interactive galleries. there's the bullet hotel inspired by the steve mcqueen film. rooms are about $200 a night. they're really sleek and contemporary. of course there's the muddler m pub. >> how do you remember all of this? i have a teleprompter and you don't. up next, christian sorano opens up about what it's been like to become the designer of the year. first, this is "today" on nbc.

there's no question 2016 has been an eventful year and it was very good for a certain fashion

designer. >> we're talking about christian siriano. jenna bush hager caught up with him. >> in the past year he's dressed celebrities, first ladies, set a red carpet record and got married. christian siriano just might call 2016 one of the best years of his life. oprah, jennifer lopez, gwyneth paltrow, kerry washington, all have one thing in common. christian siriano. siriano first caught our eye on "project runway" in 2007. >> i'm kind of fierce and i'm kind of celebrity in my own head. >> at just 21 years old his amazing designs charmed the judges in the audience. he became a star, winning the competition. >> it's been a lot of fun. >> it's very, very exciting. >> yeah, it's been great. >> while reality tv wins don't always guarantee real-life success, siriano's instant fame skyrocketed him into the world of high fashion. >> was it overwhelming at the

time? >> it was, yeah. i kind of launched in this kind of pop culture craziness. my biggest goal was to make sure that the clothes were fabulous and always amazing. >> siriano sets his brand apart by designing clothes for all shapes and sizes. >> you in some ways have stepped up as a designer that dresses all women, all body shapes, all type of women. >> yeah. it's way more fun. >> it's way more fun? >> way more fun. >> it's so funny because it is a simple thing, dressing all women. >> yeah. >> yet it's something that not everybody is doing. >> i like to embrace all women because i think that's what the business is. we're here to sell clothes, make women feel great and beautiful and why not do that in every size. >> fashion for everyone, inspired by his own family. >> my mom was a size 16, shauopd at lane bryant. that was her world. my sister was a ballet dancer and me and her were tiny. my mom loved fashion, loved

clothes so i was really in the full spectrum of the world. >> at this summer's democratic national convention, when first lady michelle obama wore a christian siriano dress, it was his mom who shared the news. >> i heard that you actually founding out that she was wearing your dress via text from your mom? >> yeah. my mom was like i'm pretty sure that's yours. she looks good. >> thanks, mom. >> you must have been proud. >> the dress was simple but it was a great moment internally. something that people will remember forever, i think. >> and when "ghost busters" star leslie jones lamented that no designer would dress her for the premiere, siriano came to the rescue. >> we wanted to give her her pretty woman, cinderella moment. who doesn't want to look beautiful in a dress. >> designing for jones was just one highlight in a busy 2016. siriano also got married, created a collection for lane bryant and even set a red carpet record when nine actresses donned his designs at the emmys.

>> who would you love to dress? >> there's a lot of people. we've dressed so many amazing, iconic fabulous women. i'm a big fan of julianne moore and cate blanchett. i try not to think about it too much. >> when you think back on this year, what was the high for you? >> the bigger message is the best part. the whole idea of just celebrating women in this world, wherever they live, wherever they're from, whatever it is, that's like the best part. >> and it was a crazy year for sure, but christian is definitely a designer in demand, so expect 2017 to be just as busy and exciting. >> thank you, jenna. >> pretty cool. mom texts you. first lady is in your dress. >> a huge fan of his designs. thanks, jenna. up next, we'll add you to some pizzazz to the list. stay at home and add some fun to

your new year's eve bash. this is "today" on nbc.

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welcome back this morning on "today." stress-free holiday, new year's eve party ideas. >> if you're staying home, maybe having a few friends over, we've got some do-it-yourself tips to add a little sparkle to your celebration. we've got j.j. here with some creative ideas. you're a lifestyle expert. this first setup is just awesome. >> do you feel comfortable? i'm so glad. look, it's going to be saturday night so there's no excuse. we plbrought you so many great ideas. so let's start. say you have a store bought cake you pick up, you don't have to bake it yourself, these are just craft store numbers, just plop them in, bling it in and with a ribbon down here. >> what are the stickers in front? >> these are just craft store

stickers. you have your champagne glasses and you can make them festive for the occasion, 2017. drop the ball cupcakes, silver cupcakes. use a little edible silver glitter, draw the lines and you have your own disco balls. >> gorgeous. >> i'm so honored we made the hats. what's cool is that this is just black felt paper from a craft store. you can cut out a party hat temp pl -- template. left over boas and tinsel. these are craft store numbers that you can put on. look, you have your own customized party hat. >> i love that we have leftover boas at the house. >> we can't forget our kisses because who's getting kissed at midnight, right? so here's our midnight kisses. >> that's a good idea. >> hershey kisses in a clear craft store box. >> so this is like the elegant, sweet type of party. >> there's plenty of activity

still. >> if they have eaten over and come over for the ball drop. >> now, what about the bar party. >> our favorite, right, the bar party. so we can't forget about our champagne this evening. so this is a do-it-yourself champagne bar. >> soechlt, this is so cute. >> it's like a sundae for adults. >> what do you put in the champagne? >> gold gummies, sugar flowers, lemon zest, pomegranate seeds and you can fill that up. it's like a customized diy champagne bar. these glasses are from world market. these are the champagne glasses. i love this. >> these are great. >> cookie dough shots. how much fun is that? >> what is that? >> it's bailey's in there. you just take it down. you can just take it down. take off the cherry here. >> is there liquid in there? >> it's bailey's. >> really?

>> it's like santa's best shot. >> that's delicious. >> and french toast skewars. >> that looks good now but even better at 1:00 a.m. >> chip and dip guacamole. i love so you're not all sitting around the bowl. no double dipping if you do individual -- >> i love this idea. he's still drinking. >> i feel like gene wilder and willie wonka. >> it smells good too. >> okay, guys. and if we're doing the bar party, a little party favor, these are glittered doughnuts. edible glitter on that. >> how do do these? >> buy a store bought doughnut, sprinkle edible glitter, put it in a box and send it home. >> what a classy move, give them a favor to go out the door. >> this is the more fancy dinner. >> formal fancy new year's eve.

>> sitdown. >> this is a kissing ball. these are justburg andy carnations. >> is this difficult to make? >> no. this is a floral foam sphere. buy burgandy carnations and stick them in. if you want a cake. again, a store bought cake, dress it up. chocolate sauce, chocolate covered strawberries and put it on top. and so this is for the napkin. this is just a white dinner napkin and we made it a tuxedo and all the instructions will be on today.com. and then the clock plate, if we can look. see the clock plate, i want to show you guys, this is just a -- >> it's cool. >> it's just a silver charger and then this was a -- i downloaded this, cut it out and clear plates are so fantastic because, boom, and that's so easy. you can change that out. say you want to write something a little saucy for your

valentine or someone's birthday, so it's just a printable. >> these are fantastic ideas. >> yeah, well happy new year, guys, because here we go on saturday night. >> can you believe it's already saturday. one more, what were you going to say? >> and one more idea that's really easy, a black napkin. you can make this into a bow tie and jut pst put it through the napkin ring. >> you can also watch our show right here on nbc, mel b. will be there, blake shelton, jennifer lopez. it starts at 11:30 eastern and pacific. i have to work in a little plug for us there. j.j., thank you so much and happy new year. those are great ideas. thank you. >> great ideas. next a big moment in charlie's life in honor of our puppy's six-month birthday. first, this is "today" on nbc. you're popped out from partying?

all right. we are back celebrating a very special birthday. charlie, our puppy with a purpose, turned six months old on christmas day and marked the occasion with a big event, his very first plane ride. he traveled home with his america's vet dogs puppy raiser olivia and that milestone got us thinking in honor of charlie's six-month birthday, let's run through our top six charlie moments and milestones. we'll start at number six, playing with matt. this is a new morning ritual, matt and charlie snuggling and it's awesome to watch.

making new friends. there you go. that's charlie visiting a lot of the celebrities that come by the show here. charlie's halloween costume. it was a '90s theme, there was a beanie baby there. number three, we thought this was cool when charlie visited the u.s. navy academy. number two was charlie's first steps on the -- when we first met charlie right here in studio 1a and of course number one is all of the great training and the mile stones that charlie has been doing. let me bring in olivia here. what have you been working on with charlie? hows wa the flight home? >> it was awesome. he was a total pro. what he's been doing is working on one of the foundation service dogs tasks. so he's learning how to push things with his nose. eventually that will be handicapped plates and light switches. things like that. >> how do you train him to do that? >> we started with the palm mief hand and transferred to little buttons like this. charlie, stand. >> no pressure, birthday boy. >> all right. push.

>> oh, that's great. right on it. >> yep. he's got it. >> how has his training been overall? >> he's such a pleasure to work with. we have such a great team of people behind us. it makes it a wonderful experience. >> happy birthday. but we have a little something for charlie. oh, yeah, there we go. a little doggy cupcake. so happy birthday to charlie. tamron, back over to you. >> what a good dog. >> absolutely. and i think it's that time, guys. we're going to do our smuckers birthdays. happy birthday 103rd birthday to angina lien constantine. she enjoys traveling and spending time on the beach. alma kid, 100 years old. rumor has it she makes the best pound cake you will ever taste. happy birthday 100th birthday to ann jacobson. she was a competitive bowler until she was 98. joseph scarozo is celebrating 100 years. he was a muralist right here in new york city.

and warren stoddard of nashville, michigan, is also 100 years old. he volunteered as a boy scout leader for 30 years. and take a look at these love birds, happy birthday 75th an verse to harold and marian, high school skeweethearts. they say the secret to happy marriage is learning to good morning, i'm rosemary connors. it's just a few minutes before 9:00 on this wednesday. it's a chilly start out there. more on the neighborhood folks from meteorologist krystal klei. >> good morning, everyone. temperatures out there chilly but starting to climb just a tad. move to 41 degrees officially in philadelphia. some areas are in the 30s still. right around 40 in the suburbs, same deal through new jersey, some spots in the upper 30s and

the lehigh valley at delaware 39 degrees. notice from the camera shots most clouds except as you go into new jersey because the clouds break around that philly to new jersey line. temperatures later today only going to arrive to about the mid-40s. jessica boyington is watching the traffic this morning. >> we're starting off the new castle delaware for an accident 295 southbound between the delaware memorial bridge and 95 so we're seeing delays there because of that. checking in out in lanz dale for that vehicle fire, earlier the p.a. turnpike northeast extension was closed down on the northbound side. now we're back open. there's lanes getting by. take 309 as an alternate. this morning philadelphia fire investigators will be looking for the cause of this rogue home fire here in stitchtown that left one man dead. the flames broke out around 3:00 this morning on the third floor of the building. two firefighters were injured but suffered minor injuries.

a 41-year-old man is in critical condition after he was stabbed during a fight inside of a bar in wronghurst. the fight xwan just before 1:00 a.m. on the hookah bar. there's no word on what started the fight. i'm rosemary connors, we'll have another update in just about 25 minutes. now back to the "today" show.

this morning on "today's take" why leo's lucky number was 6 and other notable numbers as we highlight 2016. plus a new year's bash challenge. two designers plan a big party on a small budget. and nfl star quarterback cam newton spreads holiday cheer by making a wish come true. all of that and more coming up no >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take." live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. december 28th, 2016, a lovely crowd of people out here hanging out with us. i'm tamron hall along with craig melvin. good to see you back today. >> thanks for having me back. >> absolutely. you know, it's funny looking at that crowd this morning, the tree is still up. >> yes. >> new year's right around the

corner. i anchored "nightly news" last night and i'm rarely here late on a weekday because we start so early. i walk out of the studio at 6:30 and i've never seen so many people in my life, just packed. if you ever get a chance and are fortunate enough to visit new york, try to come around christmas. the scene is chaotic but it was exhilarating. >> i said the same thing yesterday and it makes perfect sense. folks are off this week. >> school is out. >> they come to the city, they get some after christmas shopping done and they stop and everyone does the same thing at the tree. they stop, they get their pictures, they line up for their selfies, so that creates the backup. >> i'm sure i photo bombed at least four people because i was trying to meander through the crowd. you walk through photos by accident. but it's so beautiful if you get a chance to come by. we've been remembering all morning long and last night carrie fisher. she died four days after suffering that heart attack. she was flying from london to l.a. just reflecting on really what

she meant not only for that franchise of "star wars" and her fantastic career, but women empowerment. princess leia as stephanie gosk, one of our nbc reporters who's been covering this, she was one of the original bad as of women characters out there. >> she was, she was. even beyond that, in addition to being one of the first feminists to a certain extent on the big screen, she did more for mental health advocacy in this country than a lot of folks realize, talking about her battles with addiction, talking about having bipolar disorder and bouts with depression as well. she spent a fair amount of time not just talking about it but writing about that as well. we've been going through a lot of the tweets and the remembrances. one from her dog. you know, she had this -- she had this 4-year-old dog. >> she was with her -- so she was here last month. savannah interviewed her. and gary was right at her side. he's been on television shows, late night shows, but he was in studio. this was not like a prop dog,

this was her companion. this was her -- you know, they called them dog children. that's the person who was with her all the time. >> gary looks like he's got as much personality as he does. someone set up an account for gary and dpaer tweeted saddest tweets to tweet. mommy is gone. i love you carrie fisher. reportedly her daughter is going to be looking after gary. >> yeah. they had a photo of gary and he's looking out in the distance. i have to say quite naturally you think of her mother, debbie reynolds and her family, her sister and children but i did think about this pet that's been with her at her side. also harrison ford released a statement. this was so interesting. he says carrie was one of a kind brilliant, original, funny and emotionally fearless. she lived her life bravely. that goes to what you were saying about her being so open. you know, when you're in tv, you of course want to be connected to the people at home, the

people who support your career and you want to have a level of honesty. you also want to protect your privacy. but when something has happened in your life that you feel can empower and help other people. >> yes. >> when i first started talking about what happened to my sister, i was so on the fence about how open should i be about domestic violence, but there was just this call that i could not ignore in my head. and with carrie fisher, as you said, craig, dealing with bipolar disorder, fame and the pressures, even being estranged at some point from her mother, debbie reynolds, and telling people i have this issue with my own parents. >> and she was doing it before a lot of actors and entertainers decided to become advocates for anything. she will certainly be greatly missed. >> we love her so much. >> there's a guy in iowa, i believe it's iowa, he runs a cabinet company. he might be the best boss in america. >> okay. this is a story. gary birch is his name. and we've read mr. birch is

taking all 800 employees, all of them, on a five-day caribbean cruise. yes. gary has chartered planes. she's going to take them up to miami and put them up one night before they board a carnival cruise ship. he challenged employees a year ago to meet certain goals and he offered this cruise incentive. what's been the best thing from a job, any job, not just this one, what's the best thing you've received from a boss? >> we got those nice blankets this year. >> i didn't get a blanket. >> at the holiday party. we got those blankets. >> i didn't get a blanket. did you guys get a blanket? >> did you guys get a blanket? >> i got a -- you may have left early. >> no one got a blanket. >> there were blankets. there were blankets. they were very nice. silver blankets. >> christine got -- so three out of the 15 people in here got a blanket? >> they may have run out of blankets but we'll certainly get you a blanket.

biet bottles of wine occasionally, but i've never had a boss take me on a trip. >> no. i know in the past we've done some raffles and things. i think at toys r us -- >> you worked at toys r us? >> that was my very first job. toys r us in texas, ike i got like a plush animal or something. but i figured i'm not working hard enough. >> tamron hall at toys r us. >> this is like a moment of pride for me. i started out in the plush section, which is stuffed animals. then i worked my way up to cashier and it was the most incredible -- and i remember getting my very first paycheck. and then you see like all of these acronyms for things that you've never -- >> fica. >> who is fica. then i went on to work at sears. i probably had some 46 -- i think i have at this point -- i've been a journalist for nearly 30 years, but prior to that i sold jewelry, toys r us, sears, i worked at an office where basically i just licked

the stamps and sealed stuff. i had seven or eight jobs and none of them provided a cruise ship, so congratulations to them. 800 people. have fun, don't drink too much on the cruise. >> he said that the last time they did something like this, they ran out of booze. >> you've got to be careful on a cruise. so thumb print thief. an arkansas mom discovered that she's been charged $250 for pokemon gifts on amazon. she initially assumed that somebody took her credit card. turns out her 6-year-old daughter ashlynn, had used her thumb print while she was asleep to unlock her mom's phone. so the picture that you're sleeping -- >> that's sleeping hard. >> when i go out, i go out. so she sneaks in and takes her mom's thumb. imagine, puts your finger on the phone. ashlynn told her mom she had been shopping and everything

that was ordered was coming straight to the house. she had to return four out of the 13 items. the rest were used as christmas gifts. that was the culprit. >> that's pretty creative. >> creative? >> yeah, pretty decrcreative. >> there's a certain amount of diabolical. >> is it petty larceny? probably. but my son, he's only 2 1/2. he's be watching something and the screen will lock and he'll be over and he'll touch you and want you to put your thumb on. >> when is he going to up his theft game and bring the credit card in? >> probably 4. >> i am impress wed how -- i feel like i'm 90 when i say this, the technology with kids. i see like 2-year-olds and they're like i know how to do it. i don't need you. they can just go parentless. it's the new "home alone." home with the computer. coming up, nfl superstar cam newton -- are you a fan of cam? >> huge fan. >> i'm a fan of his wardrobe. he has interesting taste. but beyond what you see on the outside, this guy apparently has

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just one reason more of us are surviving cancer than dying from it. give now to the american cancer society. back with more of "today's take." we're still investigating at how the christmas party for the "today" show, craig melvin is the only one who got a blanket. >> sal got a blanket. >> there have been people been here 20, 30 years who didn't get a blanket. >> we have colleagues behind the camera who are like this. >> there's a story that's really gotten under -- >> it's not gotten under my

skin. so i woke up this morning. i didn't see this news. carson daly slides his phone over and says did you see this? there's this picture of j. lo, who i adore, and drake. they both put this picture out on their social media account. >> they're canoodling. >> last week drake popped up at j. lo's concert. i don't know, they were at a concert. and now this picture, and there's a report that rihanna unfollowed j. lo. now, it was just earlier this year drake was on stage presenting an award to rihanna saying that she's been the love of his life for 20 something years, the only one she's ever loved. and i get it, you move on. j. lo was with casper. >> i thought she was still with him. >> look at the picture one more time. do you think it's real? >> new york city it's not real. they're going to put out a song together. >> what's the giveaway that it's not real? >> that it's drake and j. l

j. lo canoodling? >> she's 46, he's 28. the age thing doesn't bother me at all. what makes you think that it's not real? >> i think those are two people in the past who have demonstrated a capacity to manipulate social media to get folks to talk about them. i think they probably have a song at some point coming out. >> they're both, i guess, single. >> i do not think they're dating. you think they are? it seems like you think this is a genuine love. i don't think drake was around for "living color," by the way. >> when she was a fly girl? >> right. >> she is still a fly girl. i don't know what to think anymore about social media. i just don't think they would both put the picture out there if it was a real relationship. i mean -- and this is the other thing, ladies, take a look closer. why is he looking at that camera and not her with the one eye? look. he should be -- like her eyes are closed, she's in the moment.

he's got the one -- he's making out with the picture. >> who's taking the picture? >> you know what, he's looking out for rihanna. keep one eye open. >> and this is a great story out of north carolina. >> it's amazing. >> a 10-year-old boy named austin has advanced pulmonary hypertension. he had one christmas wish. he wanted to meet carolina panthers quarterback cam newton. it was last week that austin's teener shared this message on facebook asking for people to spread the word, hoping that newton would hear about it. yesterday, wouldn't you know it, cam newton shows up. surprises austin at the henrietta egg elston hospital in atlanta. >> look at this and watch for the hug. look at this. look at that hug. you could feel it. >> cam newton said that he thought that his phone number was unlisted, but he had gotten roughly 100 calls from people saying, hey, you've got to get

to atlanta to meet this kid. >> they found his actual phone number. >> i guess people who knew him said, cam, you've got to get down to atlanta. and he's got a fantastic teacher too that put that out there. >> that hug, though, you can just feel it in your soul there. congratulations to cam for just being a good guy with that one. amazon had its best holiday season ever. they shipped 1 billion items. 200,000 of those to my house. and coming up shortly, we're going to have a new year's eve party decorating challenge. all items purchased on amazon prime for just $250. here's the deal, the segment is created with our sponsor, amazon. we have two designers that are going to go head to head and show their stuff. best of all, we can steal some of the ideas. >> can we just steal the items? >> you already stole a blanket from the christmas party. >> all right. here we go. >> but we're going to have that challenge coming up with great decorating ideas. meanwhile, it is time for a

good morning, i'm first alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's a look at your forecast neighborhood by neighborhood today. temperatures not nearly as warm as they were yesterday. mostly around the mid-40s philadelphia and the south. right near 40s for the suburbs and parts of the lehigh valley. 44 degrees in centre city, 42 for lanz dale. right at 40 for allentown. nice mix of clouds and sun as well with more clouds farther north. trenton today at 42 today, atlanta city atlantic city at 45 and 44 in smyrna. ike who's taking that picture, do you think rihanna was there? >> i'm very curious about who was taking the picture. >> probably one of j. lo's employees. that was your latest weather. up next, is it okay to leave a party without saying good-bye? >> you do it all the time. >> i do. hoda causes the houdini.

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party on new year's eve. there are so many social questions like when someone is annoying, what do you do? how long do you stand around, what's okay to post online. it's enough to make you go mad and stay home. >> so the etiquette expert and author of "social skills for success" is going to help solve all of your party predicaments. a little game called the dos and don'ts of new year's eve party etiquette. >> if i were at a party i'd say that is a beautiful top and that's a smokin' hot top. that's how you break the ice, if it's true. >> here's how it works. i'm going to give you guys a do or a don't scenario. when you know the answer, be the first to chime in with your squawker and place your guess. >> ohs are that's the squawker.

>> do they work? >> mine works, i just tested it. >> blow your squawker, place your guess. if you get it right, you get a point. the first -- the most prize -- the person who gets the most, you're the winner, you get a prize. wait till you see the prize. >> oh, there is a prize. >> do or don't. come empty-handed to a party if you know you're going -- >> craig. >> you never show up empty to a party. >> your mama taught you well. >> i'm from south carolina. >> my mama taught me well and i was waiting for the question to be done. >> she said you show up at a party empty-handed. >> that's right. never, ever show up empty-handed. all the work someone put into this party. bring something. it doesn't matter. it could be something as small as a token gift, it doesn't matter. thoughtfulness. oh, attach something that says your name on it so your gift doesn't know unnoticed. >> that's the key because a lot of people forget to put their names on it, so you've got to

make sure. >> are you guys ready? here we go. do or don't. you're at a big party. can you leave without saying good-bye if you don't have -- >> you should probably wait to hear the end of that one. >> this is getting aggressive here. >> tamron. >> i'm going to tell you what i do and you tell me -- i often sneak out especially if the person is talking, i don't want to distract them from other guests. i think you can walk out. >> tamron, you won a point. >> you got so lucky. >> it's all about numbers. if the party has more than 50 guests, don't worry about it. your departure is likely going to go unnoticed. however, if you're talking 20 or less guests, you're going to go noticed, so give your good-byes. >> you were validating her rudeness right now. >> so leave early. leave when there's a high number of guests. >> these are called the irish good-byes and the french exit, i think. here we go. question number three, do or don't. bring kids to a party where there won't be any other kids.

okay, craig. >> please don't do that. >> i don't mind it. >> with no other kids? >> my house is not the most kid friendly, but i don't mind it. >> craig is the winner here. if i showed up with my 1 and 4-year-old, let me tell you the whole dynamic of the party would change. >> yes. >> but here's my deal. if you tell me in advance, i've had friends say can i bring over -- >> what do you tell them? >> i say it's okay but i say my house is not the most kid friendly. >> don't have them touch anything. >> i don't mind it. >> but if you're the party goer -- that's from the host perspective. if you're the party goer, don't bring your kids no matter what. just send a text, can't make it. >> we're out of time. >> oh, my goodness, but i think craig won. all right, craig. so your prize, a new year hat. >> your wife is going to love you in that one. >> you are going to be very special this holiday season.

>> there at times square, bulledy. >> that's good information, thank you. next up, two top designers go head to head. >> we'll go head to head to create the best new year's eve bash on a budget. this is ok, let me explain. this is your tax return. ok. now, there are many right ways to fill out this tax return. and the irs will accept them all. one of them gets you the most money back. isn't that the one you want? that's the one i want. that's the one you want. mmm... you touched all these. don't just get your taxes done, amy. get your taxes won.

sky 4 10 over wreaking news, southbound 295 near new castle county at least seven cars involved in an accident here. traffic is just getting by on the shoulder. good morning i'm rosemary connors. more from jessica boyington, watching this accident out of new castle. >> we're seeing delays headed into tell del on the southbound side, getting over the delaware memorial bridge is where that strip of red is, one lane getting by on the southbound side between the delaware memorial bridge and 95. trying to make it into delaware, take the commodore over to barry. krystal klei is watching some more seasonable weather for us this morning.

crystal? >> that's right. yesterday we had 50s, today 40s. 39 for reading and lancaster, 39 in atlantic city, earlier this morning we dropped to below freezing temperatures. the next several hours in philadelphia, we're having that sun/cloud mix. winds on the lighter side 10 to 15 miles per hour, and temperatures pick up into the 40s later today. the philadelphia mills mall is stepping up today after a large crowd of teenagers tried to start a fight inside the building. more than 200 teens tried to get inside the mall, more than two dozen did get inside and police ended up chasing them through the food court. i'm rosemary connors. we'll have another update in&xd minutes just before 10:00. get the latest news and weather at the nbc 10 app.

have a good one. we just moved into this house and didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to tie all that space together. with an open floor plan, you need to separate it with furniture. bassett had everything that we needed. fabric combinations marry the rooms together. having someone with bassett has been invaluable. we could've never dreamed up this room without bassett.

one holiday weekend down but another one right around the corner so we put two interior designers to a new year's eve party challenge with only $250 each to spend. >> i love this. everything they ordered came from amazon, which is sponsoring this segment, and it all took just two days to arrive so we can't wait to see what they have done with it. betsy and francesco, good morning, guys. we're going to send you over to your room. >> this is nice, it's okay. >> this is a competition. >> i'm a sucker for black and white. >> good. welcome to my black and white

ball. i looked up trends for 2017 and black and white is huge in home fashion and regular clothing fashion so i decided to really live it up. >> so me what you did. at first i chose a statement piece, something that will continue around the party. so i've got my feather garlands, my feather photo op wall and feathers on the consults. >> this is your photo op wall. >> so take your selfies right here. you have this amazing background where it really pops. >> okay. >> and another budget friendly tip is reusing your current couch cushions but recovering them. i got $7 covers, used the pillows already here and tied them with a bow. >> will this take some time to recover? >> two seconds. >> just put it over what i have? >> that's right. >> i love it. what else do you have in your room? >> one of my favorite tips is buying in bulk. so rather than buying a lot of stuff, just by three items but get tons of them. i got 120 fefrtathers, 30 yards

fabric and 30 yards of ribbon and i have so much left over. >> what did you do with the fabric? >> it's in the drape, the pompons. >> tell me about the table. >> decals are not just for your wall. i love them on coffee tables, even your windows. apply it with a credit card and it comes right off. >> you stayed around $250. >> i was at $247. >> this is very creative. i don't know, you've got your work cut out for you. >> so let's start about these fancy little side tables. >> here's the thing. when you have a dining room, think about moving the chairs outside of your table and put them up against the wall. i founding a pack of stools, i can use them afterwards but they also double as a table. under 50 for a set of them and it gives you these little vignettes. >> the color is nice too. >> this is very colorful and

cheerful, quite opposite than -- that's before midnight, this is after midnight. so think about your table in a different way. so i double duty my centerpiece as also what i'm going to be serving. for champagne party favors, it makes a beautiful centerpiece, it's easy and you'll save money on floral. those plastic table cloths, easy, it protects the table. cover it up and then do these beautiful mylar shiny raindrop curtains and you've got to have clocks for each time zone. >> how much were these? >> couple of bucks each and they play as well. and then take it a step further and use some buckets for your foods and your balloons and just make it festive. it's supposed to be cheerful but it was inexpensive to do as well. >> and all for under $250. that does not include the foods and the booze. >> no. >> okay. just the deck races.

what are these things? >> these are ribbons. these are something you can reuse again. a lot of the things i found you can actually reuse again and again and again and it takes no time either. this time of the holiday season, i'm done. and it's okay to use plastic too, by the way. throw everything on the table. when you're done literally, take this plastic thing up and you're done. clean and sicmple. >> if it's been a great new year's eve party, come new year's day, that's what you want. >> you know what's interesting, i do feel like betsy's creation fits my style and craig and the kids, this is more in line with your style. >> absolutely. >> i do. i think you're both winners because i really would transition yours to my home. that's fantastic. >> happy 2017, everybody. >> francesco had too many already. >> thank you, everybody. >> this was super awesome. i love it. so it was the year of

beyonce and i guess some other things did happen. we'll look back at the biggest stories of 2016, starting with the unforgettable super bowl performance. that was a moment, right? >> a surprise moment go, go! [ rock music playing ] have fun with your replaced windows. run away! [ grunts ] leave him! leave him! [ music continues ] brick and mortar, what?! [ music continues ] [ tires screech ] [ laughs ] [ doorbell rings ] when you bundle home and auto insurance with progressive, you get more than a big discount. that's what you get for bundling home and auto! jamie! you get sneaky-good coverage. thanks. we're gonna live forever!

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nominations throughout the course of his career, leonardo dicaprio finally took home an oscar win this february. it was a huge moment on twitter. over 440,000 tweets per minute. the most tweeted moment ever in oscar telecast history, right behind ellen degeneres and that tweeted selfie. that was 225,000 tweets per minute. >> i never would have guessed that. >> leonardo dicaprio really threw himself into this role. it's been a long time in the making. he's gotten nominations and some of his work is at tphenomenal. >> number 5 for 2016. >> number 5 is michael phelps. michael phelps won five gold medals this olympics, his fifth olympics. he's now the most decorated olympian of all time. 28 gold medals -- 28 medals, 23 of those are gold. he also had a huge year this year in his personal life. he had a baby, a beautiful kid named boomer. to me he was like the star. each time michael phelps was in

the star, you saw his wife, nicole, holding boomer looking so cute. boomer has his own instagram account. over 700,000 followers. >> when we were in rio, boomer comes into a room, he and his mom come in, all eyes on boomer. >> the photos are just adorable. >> they posted photos of their wedding recently. >> they got married a month after she had a kid and she looked amazing. >> coming in at number 4. >> the chicago cubs. now, the cubs fourth win against the cleveland indians is what locked in the world series. it was a huge game, everyone was watching. even folks that aren't sports fans, this is the biggest sports story of 2016. 108 years in the making. what doesn't want to watch that and see that happen. i'm from cleveland, i shouldn't even admit this, but i was at home cheering for the cubs. >> you were not! >> i wanted to see history happen. i wanted to see history happen. look, vince vaughn and bill murray were always at this game. i think my little happy ending is to see them do a film, maybe

a hollywood movie of this historic moment because it was just so big. >> i loved that. coming in at number 3 in our sweet 16. >> this is pretty sad. i was telling you we've lost a lot of celebrities this year. david bowie, george michael, prince, bowie was 69, prince 57 and george michael 53 passed away christmas day. reaction to fans on social media has been really swift and it's all heartfelt emotional reactions. you can go to prince's home in paisley park and it is now a museum. bottom line, no more deaths of selects. we've had way too many. >> what's at number two? >> queen b., beyonce. she slayed at the super bowl halftime show. her second time performing at the halftime show. absolutely amazing. a huge surprise. this has been a year full of surprises for beyonce. she came out, no one knew what was going to happen. she released her digital album

in april and racked up nine grammy nominations this year, the most nominations she's ever garnered for one album so this is going to be a huge year for her. >> i've forgotten how much of a super bowl performance that was. >> this was huge. >> she was not the headliner. it was cold play. it was not her year. >> i was at home screaming, jumping up and down. >> and now number 1. >> number 1 we have a new president that's number one. we have one new president in 2016. he's really become a pop culture phenomen phenomenon. "saturday night live" 8 million viewers tuned in. >> to hear him tell it, no one is watching. >> alec baldwin delivered an amazing performance as donald trump and kate mckinnon really had a star is born moment this year as hillary clinton. she just now was honored with the usa today's entertainer of the year. so we can see a trend throughout big surprises in 2016.

i think even more surprises next year. >> when you look back at some of these, i still think the cubs win, they'll talk about that for generations. >> is that your vote? i think mine is -- well, it's this super bowl performance, but i'm surprised at lemonade because that was 2016. my whole life stopped with lemonade. >> i'm still not quite breathing yet. >> thank you, chris. chris is of course with our sister company fandango and now it good morning, i'm first alert meteorologist krystal klei. here's a look at your forecast neighborhood by neighborhood today. temperatures not nearly as warm as they were yesterday. mostly around the mid-40s philadelphia and the south. right near 40s for the suburbs and parts of the lehigh valley. 44 degrees in centre city, 42 for lansdale. right at 40 for allentown. nice mix of clouds and sun as well with more clouds farther north. trenton today at 42 today, atlantic city at 45 and 44 in smyrna.

>> and that's your latest -- al roker will be back tomorrow. i can't do that neck of the woods stuff. up next, though, i can do this. we're going to go walking in a winter wonderland with some holiday heroes after this. we'll be right back. how is this possible? it's a light soup and yet it's real food? carrots, celery, and now 100% antibotic and hormone free white breast meat chicken? it boggles the mind! ah. i need to sit down.

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"today" is proudly presented to you by citi. >> we are so happy this morning to be joined by one of our favorite organizations, the uso. they are known for their unwavering support of our country's military personnel all over the world. this morning we've got the shoe troupe in our studio for a

special a cappella performance. paul is senior vice president with the uso. welcome, paul. you've got the show troupe with you. tell me a little about holiday for heros. >> so we're on this mission to connect service members back to their families, their home and their country all year long. at no point is that more important than during the holidays. so we partnered with fedex and came up with an idea to get packages out to people who are far from home. we get holiday in a box to make sure they're here with us in spirit. >> i see some antlers and elf hats. what's in the packages? >> everything from your basic toil toiletry kits, decorations, games, movies. the raw materials you need to have a great holiday experience. >> my dad was in the army for 30 years. you think about the families and the military, men and women away from their loved ones. what's your message for them? >> we are here, we are with you, we are always with you. that is the goal of the uso.

for any american who wants to help, come to uso.org and we'll hook you up to show them you're there for them, and support them. >> i can't wait for this performance. are you ready to take it away? >> sure. >> here we go. ♪ sleigh bells ring are you listening ♪ ♪ in the lane snow is glistening ♪ ♪ a beautiful sight ♪ we're happy tonight ♪ walking in a winter wonderland ♪ ♪ gone away is the blue bird ♪ here to stay is a new bird ♪ he sings a love song as we go along ♪ ♪ walkin' in a winter wonderland ♪ ♪ in the meadow we can build a snowman ♪ ♪ and pretend that he is parson brown ♪ ♪ he'll say are you married,

we'll say ♪ ♪ no man but you can do the job when you're in town ♪ ♪ later on we'll conspire as we dream, dream by the fire ♪ ♪ to face unafraid the plans that we made ♪ ♪ walkin' in a winter wonderland ♪ ♪ walkin' in a winter wonderland ♪ ♪ walkin' in a winter wonderland ♪ >> oh, my gosh. that is wonderful. thank you so much. paul, uso, thank you so much. shoe troupe, congratulations on everything and happy holidays. what a blessing to have you here. we'll be back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. and thank you to all the men and won servingme t

thank you for my buddy, craig melvin. he's headed over to msnbc. >> i'm monica. hi to my family and happy

holidays to all service members. >> i'm kimberly. hello to my family and happy holidays. >> hi, i'm amanda and hello to my husband, shawn. >> and i'm skyler. >> we already know paul. congratulations again. you guys are phenomenal. kathie lee and hoda are up next.

sky 4 is over breaking news in bethlehem. crews are on a sink hole and gas leak. american red cross volunteers are helping 13 people, some residents have taken shelter at a nearby middle school. we'll stay on top of this. good morning i'm rosemary connors, a few minutes before 10:00 on this wednesday. let's get a check of our forecast with meteorologist krystal klei. >> we're looking at your current

temperatures out there. we've got clouds through much of our area still. we'll see a mix of clouds and sun, thicker clouds north, thinner clouds farther south. temperature wise 42 degrees in philadelphia, 43 in delaware and low 40s in the suburbs. about the mid-40s today for highs. jessica boyington continues to watch a crash in new castle county. >> that's right, rosemary. this crash is creating quite a bit of a backup headed over the delaware memorial bridge on our map system here on 295 southbound between the bridge and 95, trying to get over to delaware, take the commodore barry and get over to new castle. skull sill expressway montgomery drive no problems. watch for construction in the right shoulder. in philadelphia the mummer also give fans a peek at the parade as mummersfest kicks off.

the mummers will start at broad street january 1st. another update in just about 25 minutes. have a good one.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> we love our wines day wednesday. >> yes, we do. >> december 28th. >> who is that? >> kenny chesney. taking a trip around the sun. loves to do that. >> bare foot. playing mind games with two of the stars of the netflix series "white rabbit project" claiming they can control your every movement and you'll have to see it to believe it. >> what does that mean? >> getting hooked up to something and they're going to give you orders and you're not going not be able to not do what they say. i heard they