face charges at this point. more on "news4 today" at 9:00 a.m. make sure you join us then for your news, weather and sports. we'll see you at 9:00. we're back on this sunday morning, september 20th, 2009. nice group outside on the plaza this last sunday morning of summer. inside studio 1-a i'm jenna wolfe along with lester holt. still to come, they maintained a close relationship for 45 years

even though they only met one time. >> they're meeting in pern for only the second time in all those years and we'll meet with them in only a few minutes. if you're a fan of "the da vinci code" there's a good chance you have had your nose buried in the sequel this week. it came out on tuesday selling more than 1 million copies in one day. comingup, we'll have a rare chance to sit down with author dan brown. if you think the rituals in his books are puzzling, wait until you find out what he does every morning before writing it. >> then we'll check in with the young man who just finished working 50 jobs in all 50 states in 50 weeks. he's been everything from a fashion model to a meat packer. stilt walker to surf instructor. what has he learned from it all and where does he go from here? maybe get a job. we'll get answers coming up. speaking of interesting jobs, brian is a professional card stacker and world record holder for building the tallest

house of cards. brian, welcome. you're sitting on something that you have built for us. >> this is an unusual house of cards for me for a couple reasons. one is that it is made out of key cards and the second one is that it is a permanent structure and also part of my largest structure i've ever built which is currently down here in new york city at the seaport. we call i the hollywood in key card hotel. >> we should point out this one is on a wooden frame so you can sit on it. if we walked over here, can i draw everyone's attention to -- >> this is everyone's favorite piece at the seaport. everyone wants to play with the toilet and sit on the toilet or flush the toilet. >> there's not enough public bathrooms. i want to draw everyone's attention to whatou've been working on over here. this is free standing. >> there are about 40 decks of cards in here.

they are turning the haair on a off an it's been a challee. >> people have been walking by this all morning and cameras whizzing by. how fragile is it? >> not as fragile as you would think. that's part of why the project at the seaport is cool because people can interact with it and sit on the beds. the chair. and not be afraid of it. >> you mentioned earlier you're a clumsy guy. how does someone who is a self-proclaimed clumsy guy get to something like this? >> my grandfather introduced me to card stacking when i was very young and i sort of self-taught myself how to do all of this and through the years i captured the guinness record for the world's tallest house of cards. the first one was 14 feet. years later it went on and got craze yier and now it's up to 2 feet. you can teach young kids to do it easily. i have a book called "stacking

the deck" which is a tutorial. >> there's not a formal technique. once you learn it, a second grader can do it. >> you build boxes. >> do you ever get the urge to knock it down? >> can i do it? a fun way. >> however you want. >> got more to do. >> you do that every time, right? >> hi to do it. >> it's the easiest part of my job. >> by the way i was just kidding. >> do you feel better? >> i'm going take the day off and give myself a raise. >> it's all in the cards. >> mike bettis is hees is here. >> we're celebrating the last weekend of summer and doing it in fashion. celebrating the 8th and 80th birthdays. what's the funnest thing you have done this weekend?

>> going to american girl doll. >> was that your favorite? >> no. >> let's get a look at your forecast. for a lot of us, the same old same old into the south and ohio valley. more rain. beautiful sunshine in new york. after a crisp morning nice this afternoon. sunshine through the center of the country across the west. 86 in l.a. again tomorrow. hot conditions. mamay increaseç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç# a bright and beautiful sunday morning it is for you in the washington area. the washington monument standing tall in downtown washington. temperures are primarily in the 50s now. 58 here in town. and 54 degrees in falls church this morning. and 54 in manassas. and highs today, mid to of course we talking

football tonight. it is football night in america. opening the $1 billion cowboy stadium. giants coming to town. forecast partly cloudy and warm with temperatures in the mid 80s. i'm just a weatherman but i would keep the roof open but when you pay $1 billion for the stadium, it's your call, jerry. when your away from your tv, get your weather forecast 24/7 at weather.com. lester and jenna, back to you. >> mike, thanks very much. now to a remarkable life-long friendship sparked in 1965 when two little girls became pen pals and now after many years and many letters, the little girls from new york and australia are getting together. >> this is only the second time in 44 years they have seen each other face to face and they're here to tell us their story. thanks for being with us. nice to see you. is it similar to the first time you met? any different the second time around? >> it was different the second

time around because i felt really comfortable. the first time i was really nervous. >> first time you got together you had been writing for how many years at that point? >> it was over 20 years. >> you gnaw eaknew each other's but the face to face thing was like a blind date. >> i traveled to sidney and the night before i broke out in this big rash. i was all nerves. >> i had migraines. i was really nervous. >> how quickly when you met did it all melt away, all of the nerves? >> it took a while actually because we were both so nervous i think. but we embraced and it was just fant a fantastic to see her. >> writing now is a foreign concept. a lost art form. how did you grow such a tight bond just from writing letters over 44 years?

>> i know just the nature of writing you have to be much more descriptive in what you say. it's just, you know, basically being more descriptive and your feelings come out. >> this goes back to the world's fair. there was a display where you could get a pen pal. both of your sisters started this. it kind of got passed town to the two of you. they got bored with it? is that what happened? >> yes. they passed it to us. thank goodness they did. >> let's go back. 20 arizoyears ago you met for t first time going australia. did meeting in person translate from the person you knew in all of these letters? was it all it was cracked up to be really? >> after the initial shock, yes. it was everything it was cracked up to be. i knew as soon as i saw them at the airport, i knew who everyone was by her descriptions.

>> at what point did the two of you decide it was time to start e-mailing? was that a mutual decision? >> that was probably my decision because of septeer 11th. i couldn't get in contact with jill and i was really worried about her so luckily my daughter and son-in-law have the internet on and i got them to e-mail jill to make sure her and her family were okay and after that we started e-mailing. >> there was that immediacy of e-mail. thanks very much. i'm sure you'll keep it up. we won't knock this house of cards down. this is very special. i'll keep her away from it i promise. coming up, with his "the da vinci code" sequel in the hands of more than 100 reads, dan brown tells the secrets of keeping the pages turning. awkward! with unbeatable prices on neutrogena deep wrinkle anti-wrinkle moisture, beauty costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart.

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it's been a little less than a week since "the lost symbol" hit bookstores. there's no doubt you know the man behind the book, author dan brown. good morning. thank you for being with us. i'm going to start by throwing out numbers. this isuite astounding. "the da vinci code" 81 million copies in print. have you really been able to fully process that? >> of course not. everyone hoped for success. obviously the books and movies are a great success. you just hope that people enjoy

the stories you tell. it seems they do. >> do you take the time to ever sit back and kick your feet up and say, i'm going just relax in my success for a second. >> i don't think that's in my nature. i'm planning the next book and looking ahead. >> it was released four or five days ago and you're planning the next book. >> my wife warned me not to start soon or i'll need a new wife. >> "the da vinci code" was written after you wrote a couple other books. i want to ask you first about this. why do you think people had such a fascination with that book? why do people latch onto "the da vinci code" the way they did? >> their big ideas. there's a sense that we all sort of sense that the history as we know it may not be totally accurate. and whether you buy into the story of this novel or not, it's very exciting for all of us to think that maybe the had history

we learned in school isn't quite what really happened. >> is there also a sense that people just have this fascination with conspiracies although you seem to say conspiracy writing is not really your thing. i would love to know what your thing is if it isn't. why do we love conspiracy so much? >> we're interested in the concept of shadow power that things happen for a reason that we have no control of and that we can't see. i think it makes us feel better about our lives. >> in the wake of all your success from "the da vinci code" and other books you have written, you talk about a certain sense of self-awareness that you get when you think about millions of people out there just reading your words. have you felt the pressure or expectations for this book coming out now based on all of the success the last couple have had? >> of course. this is follow-up to a veryig book. and there was a short period of time, maybe a couple months after "the da vinci code" came out and was a big hit, that i was working on this book and i

was sort of temporarily very self-aware that every word i was typing would be read by millions and millions of people. it was -- i wouldn't say it was crippling but it wasn't helpful. i worked through that short period and realize i'm a guy telling a story and nothing changed. average joe telling the story. >> the truth is at this point with your success you can write a book about a pair of pants and you would have incredible following. >> you could do that only once and then the following would be gone. >> it woulbe a heck of a book about those pants. i would ask about your writing style. put the plot aside. your writing style is interesting. you get up at 4:00 in the morning. i can't find the light switch at 4:00. you do push-ups and stretches and you hang from gravity boots upside down when you have writer's block. i feel like i'm reading someone else's note. do you do those things? >> i do. i feel that there's a real

connection between the body and the mind. you can't write an action sequence if you're tired. you can't write a tense sequence and there are a bunch in this book without being pretty worked up about it. >> being upside down hanging from the ceiling gets you worked up? >> it works for me. it sounds strange but it's not really all that strange. >> congratulations on all of your success. dan brown, thanks for being with us. now, here's lester. if you still haven't gotten over the fact that the "seinfeld" show went off the air 11 years ago, take heart. jerry, elaine, george and cramer are getting back together again. >> that is one magic loogie. >> reporter: in 1998, it all came to an end. >> i'm out. >> reporter: "seinfeld's" run lasted nearly a decade. >> just forget it. >> reporter: for the last decade

many have wondered -- >> i'm going it to ask you the same question, when will we get a "seinfeld" reunion? >> reporter: larry is larry david, co-creator of "seinfeld" and the answer to that question is soon. >> i got this really good idea. george has gotten married. and divorced and now he's trying to get his ex-wife back. that cou be funny. >> that's not bad. >> no shortage of ideas. >> why would we do something like this? >> reporter: when they do it, it won't be on "seinfeld." the cast of the old show comes together for the first time on a different show. larry's sitcom "curb your enthusiasm." >> i enjoy performing with larry. he was with us but we never did a scene together. >> reporter: the thought of the cast coming together on a set is generating a lot of buzz. >> when you're a show like

"seinfeld," you reached iconic status. it's been more than a decade since we have seen them all together it will have a lot of interest. >> reporter: a show within a show. one that promises to bring classic characters, familiar faces and two geniuses together again. >> what's not quite clear to me is how you have seemed to have shifted your whole attitude about these shows. shifted. you've shifted. >> there's no shift. >> get out! >> hello, newman. >> i love that line. >> i cannot wait. i always wanted to do that to you. i thought it would be funny but never thought it was appropriate. get out! i've always had -- now come back. i have nothing to say. >> i can do the tease. i have one man's quest to work 50 jobs in 50 weeks in 50 states. find out what he does now.

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like a lot of college gra these days, daniel had a tough time finding work. instead of being discouraged, he was inspired and instead of one job he decided to try for 50 and set out on an ambitious journey to work 50 jobs in 50 states in 50 weeks. ♪ hit the road jack >> i'm hear in ames, iowa. i'm here in medford, oregon. i'm on number 47 in maine. >> it's quite a resume.

baseball scout. fashion model. cheese maker. radio announcer. >> you can't get better than this. green grass. the really bright sun and the rocky mountains! >> daniel uses his big personality to get jobs crisscrossing the country in his jeep. he stopped by our show earlier this year just after a stint at a wedding chapel in las vegas. how did the wedding coordinating go for you? i was curious if the bride was comfortable with you as part of your wedding? >> they liked it. he looks more nervous than us. >> the journey had its highs and sometimes got sticky but in the end it was all about the ride. ♪ i've been everywhere >> daniel joins us now from san francisco. fresh from his final job, number 50, as wine maker.

welcome back to "today." congratulations. >> thanks a lot. appreciate it. >> let me first ask you, when you started this, what were you hoping to accomplish? >> i mean, first of all, i couldn't find a job when i graduated from college. i felt like, you know, this is a land of opportunities. where are the opportunities? i had to seek for them instead of waiting for them to fall into my laugh. this is the land of opportunity and hi to find one in every case and showcase different careers and cultures along the way. >> you couldn't find a job so you decide ed to do all of the jobs. of the 50, which was your favorite one? >> a dietitian in mississippi. we have an obese problem in the u.s. and i think it would be really fulfilling to educate people how to eat right, be active, and i was very health conscious because hi track and field in college, i think that would be rlly fulfilling and fitting career for me.

>> perhaps something you may do when this is said and done? >> maybe. i thought of a better plan. i'm going to create a semester program for college students to try out five jobs, two weeks each, and it will help them choose what career path to follow rather than wasting time and money. >> youefinitely have the experience and background in that. let me ask you, what was the worst job out of all 50? >> the worst -- i don't want to say worst but something that's not for me would be lobster fishing. i got sea sick the whole week. i was scared to go to work every morning. i couldn't even fulfill my duties. i had to get off the boat and build lobster traps instead. >> all about compromise. you say one of the most interesting jobs you had was making furniture in pennsylvania. tell us about that. >> i lived with an amish family in pennsylvania. it was really eye opening.

it cleared up a lot of stereotypes that are out there. i drove them to rk. we didn't take the horse and buggy to work or anything lying that. i drove them. many have their own chauffeurs and everything. it's just a great experience. eye opening. >> you're from california but it's ieresting you say that this wasn't just about the jobs you were doing but the places that you were seeing. are you going to head back and try to live in california now that you have seen the whole country? >> no. i actually now don't like california. >> don't tell california you said that. >> i most likely will move to chicago when i'm done. i think that was my favorite city out of all of the places i've been. >> overall are you happy you did it all? >> absolutely. a lot of people dream about doing something like this. i experienced a country like no other person has. this is the best way to see it. living with families and doing a stereotypical job. absolutely. >> good luck with your new project. we wish you the best.

congratulations on finishing this one. thank you very much for being with us. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back after this.

want to check in one more time with david gregory to find out what's coming up on "meet the press" this morning. >> an interview with the president of the united states. barack obama on the tough issues dividing the country, health care reform, the role of government and the way forward in afghanistan. then, from the other side of the aisle, republican leader of the house, john boehner and senator lindsey graham will also have our political round table with eugene robinson and robert simon. that's all ahead this morning. >> see you then. >> real quick a shout-out to your son at ft. bragg.

i told you i would do it. john. there you go. that's going to do it for us on this sunday morning. tamron hall, thank you so much. mike bettes, appreciate you being here. coming up next week, what do yo got? >> we'll go back to school to the places that made us for better or worse. i'm off to my junior high. >> i'm off to college. maybe i'll learn something. >> they'll make me pay the library fees. we'll be bac here for nightly news. until then, so long. thanks for watching. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

fire up the grills, it's game day. many fans finding out there are new tailgating rules. and then a qumurder. and then the flood damage from a water main break. good morning. welcto