from nbc news, this is "today", with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. it's monday, november 16th. usually we call it fun day upon, but we're all heartsick today as we remember the victims of friday's horrific terror attacks in paris. >> we wanted to bring you a story to put a smile on your face.

there's a woman encouraging everyone to perform a random act of kindness through dance. it's like a flash mob. they learned this dance. it was one of those things if you do something kind for someone and somebody sees it, they do something kind. it's sort of a boomerang effect. >> it's like an endorphin. name. but something is released in your spirit, and you're flooded with joy. >> you know how you always say the thing that touches you the most is kindness. when someone says a kind thing or does a kind thing. >> i lose it over kindness. >> then you're going to meet our two new joy fit club mens of it's what they gained that's going to inspire you. >> also to get your celebrity buzz. >> all of that seems a little silly in light of what happened. but life does go on for those of us who still have life. >> a lot of us are completely

paris, a lot of people going about their daily lives here, joel and i were sitting on the couch, and we said oh, there was something about paris. and all of a sudden you can't stop watching the non-stop coverage, the horrible attacks. but one thing at that the world does do, is that it shows that when there's a tragedy, it unites. so many of the sites were red. that's research io. >> it was beautiful to see that. >> a lot of people were looking things. karen had a friend who was in the soccer stadium. my friend karen at the time. happened. she was in the bathroom, heard an explosion, wasn't sure what it was. and people were learning stuff on their phones.

geraldo rivera's daughter was in the stadium. you can only imagine as a parent. >> at a stadium, and you're thinking, wait a minute, that's where my daughter simone said she was going to go. the panic was understandable. he got emotional speaking about it on fox news. and it gave you an idea of what thousands were experiencing. >> we were very concerned. we won't rest until she is in her apartment. we don't want her to travel. i'd like to lock her down until they sort this out. it is my gorgeous daughter. it's very upsetting. she just turned 21 years old of she's a straight-a student, a wonderful, wonderful person and very gentle soul, and we're obviously very concerned. i think show e's on the phone now. are you there, sweetheart? >> caller: yes, i am.

about you, honey, do you want to come home in. >> >>. >> i do want to come home. >> i want to come get you tomorrow. >> i don't know if i can come home. the borders are shut. >> don't go outside. don't talk to any training strangers. make sure the phone is charged. you've got to make sure the phone is charged. >> caller: i'm not planning on leaving. >> wow. >> and he did make it to paris and posted this picture on twitter. >> wow. >> she's a beautiful girl. >> there were so many moments that brought the country, the world together. >> jerry? >> thank you. >> and one was this guy named davide martello. he drove his piano 400 miles from germany, put it right there and played "imagine" outside the concert venue.

just listen for a second. he said he was so moved, he couldn't stay there in germany. he had to show up. >> you know, the most evil human beings can be. but it brings out the best of human beings as well. and the thing is, it's not over. >> no. >> and we say we're so surprised when these things happen. they have declared what they're going to do. we should take them at their word and be prepared. >> and i think in a place like paris, which always seems carefree, to have an attack like that, and "charlie hebdo." >> did i speak properly or hear right that more tourism dollars go do paris than any other place in the world? the impact, we don't care financially, but it's the people. but i think people are going to rethink certain parts of the world when they see this happening. i would.

wherever you are. snl did something. a cast member, cecily strong had something to say. >> paris is the city of light. and here in new york city we foe that light will never go out. everyone there tonight. we stand with you. [ speaking in french ] >> hearts always with you. >> that's beautiful. >> french is one of the most beautifully spoken languages. i love french italian. >> you're right. >> it's that accent. okay. random acts of flowers is a program that's just been instituted.

>> on friday we officially launched our season of kindness, and we want everyone to perform a random act of kindness if they can. there's this organization that's already been doing that. you always wonder what happens to the flowers at the end of a wedding or a party. >> you want to give them away. you don't want them to just die. >> random acts of flowers repurposes, recycles those flowers and deliver them to people in senior care facilities and hospices. look at the joy. >> their 100th bouquet of flowers, god bless them. 100 thousandth. and it's growing. it's lovely. we want to hear about the kindest people you foe. share a brief story and a photo. use the #sharekindness. >> you have been busy.

>> i went down to our place in the keys weave been going to. and we had a duck dinner. yes, their daughter christine, i don't know if she's in that picture. but there's louis on the right hand. that's where chef scott from "the source", in washington, d.c. did a whole pig and a bunch of ducks. it was a duck and wine party, so my stuff was featured prominently, although you won't see it featured prominently here. it was a benefit for all the local charities that are supported by our home down there, where we live. and that was emily, my friend emily whose birthday is today. this is not my favorite thing, but it's certainry one ry ly one of them. you know the organization named samaritan's purse? they're the ones with the doctors in the ebola crisis.

since 1993, operation christmas child has delivered gift boxes to 113 million children in more than 130 countries, pow now i think it's 150 countries. for many of these children, it's received. million this year. it's part of the billy graham organization, run by franklin, his son. and go to samaritan'spurse.org for more information. if you want to teach your children about giving, go get shoe boxes, let them pack their own and send them off. this is the week to send them off so they arrive in time. >> by the way, i have been nursemaid to joel. >> through thick and thin and secness and health in. >> he got his shoulder replaced. and i can't move it around. he's a tough guy.

>> i've seep the stitches. it's like a zipper. it's weird the things you can't do. but he likes to do things himself. you know what's hard to find in painkillers. we had a prescription for a painkiller. we went to the drugstore, they don't have it. they're going to have it next tuesday. you can't find a painkiller! >> the one that's been prescribed for him? >> yes. because they sell them on the streets. >> go on the street! i'm only kidding. that's wrong on every level that you can go downstairs and go out your door and get it, but you can't get it properly from the pharmacy. >> with the prescription we couldn't get it, so we had to get a different one. >> but you said he wasn't even taking it. >> he didn't! i was thinking maybe later we might feed them. >> oh, gosh. you know you're going to the

i've already promised geoffery zakarian, but billboard has, it's based on the time it's spent. >> number three is "thriller", by michael jackson. >> "the sound of music", the sound track, is number two. >> and you know what the number one is? adele. she spent 24 weeks on the billboard top charts. top that. >> is this "hello"? >> no. i just know i love her voice so much. everything she does isah wesome awesome. >> if you leaf ve now, you'll miss our favorite things.

last week we launched a new series called the season of kindness, encouraging everyone to practice one small act of kindness every day.

>> and it's not too hard. and given the events in paris, it's more important than ever to be kind to one another. >> i met a woman who's formed a non-profit organization dedicated to doing just that. take a look. it was an extraordinary day. why is being kind important? >> because, if you don't give back to people, it would be bad. and if you would give to people it would be really good. >> more than 10,000 people. >> the smallest act of kindness can help the world so much. >> including a super hero. would you tell me what kind of a super hero you are in. >> a bat mobile. >> for a flash mob dance in celebration of kindness. why did you come here in. >> because it inspires other people to be kinder. >> send a message through

dancing, not just speaking. >> showing, not telling, right in. >> it is exactly what the organizer of dance pour kindness and life vest inside had in mind when she launched her organization four years ago with the video "kindness boomerang". it has been viewed by an astonishing 80 million people and shows when you're kind it really does have an effect and spread. >> the small moments leave the biggest impact. >> her positive movement came out of one of the darkest moments of her life. when she was 15, a fire destroyed her home, sending her in a deep depression, unable to go to cool. >> what hurt me most was being home those couple months, not one person called, not one person came to visit. >> but she turned her misery into a mission, hoping no one would feel the way she did. >> what i realized, the more i gave the more i healed.

whole idea of giving. >> most americans we asked agreed. nearly nine in ten americans say they are happier when they help someone. today orly helps and spreads kindness and she gets the world to dance. >> the purpose is to show people that regardless of the differences in raise ce, ethnicity, kindness unites us all, and kindness, being so universal, dance is also very much a universal language. >> so this year i had the honor of gathering in new york city's times square along with thousands of others around the world to spread that message. >> each one of you today have put out more light into the world. oh, yes! woo! >> oh, so sweet. >> that was -- >> good for her. >> that is her job. she lives with her parents,

that job without that. years old. if you'd like to join the fuss. >> i was thinking of a song that nancy lamont recorded. maybe we can get it done on the show in the next month, it's called "we can be kind", and the late great nancy lamont sang it. "we can be kind." ever. so we're moments away from surprising our fan of the week.

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look at this. >> the star is about to be hoisted up to be put on the rockefeller tree. >> it's happening live right now. very rarery do things happen live on our program. it's going to be great. it is time to surprise our fan of the week. >> drum roll please. and today it's landed in new jersey. that's where our fan, kathleen beilegow watches us. she's joining us via skype and has someone with her. who is with you? >> hi. >> is that your daughter? >> oh, my gosh! >> i'm so excited. should we tell everybody why she was chosen? >> yes, because she is a hospice nurse who spends all day on the road making house calls to see her patients.

>> and then show's try e's trying to get her bachelor's, she says her kids are her biggest supporters of. >> she never misses our show. she listens on sirius radio. they're always sharing their favorite segments together. >> we love you kathleen. >> oh, my god! >> you have to get this question right. are you ready in. >> we like to give each day of the week a nickname, you know that. which one of these is not one of our nicknames? >> manic monday, booze day tuesday. >> the monday one. >> yes! yes. >> guess what, you and a guest will head to dallas, texas where you'll day for four days, three

nights at the adolphus. >> you'll be treated to tickets to the reunion tower which offers 360 degree views of dallas. and this is all thanks to the adolphus. look how beautiful. who are you going to take? >> that's wonderful. >> don't you love kathleen. >> i love you guys so much. i watch every day. love you. >> we're reading your lips. we can't really hear you. but thank you for your kindness, kathleen. >> god bless, sweetheart. why blake shelton is being hailed in the celebrity headlines. >> and chris young, but first,

it is monday, and that means it's time to bring you up to news. >> so we've got you covered in in today's buzz. >> joining us is host of "incoming". on spotify. >> that's a regular new music show on spotify. i'm there with all your new music leads. >> joe levy. >> so madonna was giving a concert in sweden. she spoke to the crowd. let's listen first and then tell

>> in many ways, i feel torn, like, why am i up here dancing and having fun when people are crying over the loss of their loved ones? [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] however, that is exactly what these people want to do. they want to shut us up. they want to silence us. and we won't let them. [cheers and applause] >> so emotional. >> stockholm in sweden, that's on saturday night, the night after the attacks in paris. and of course the biggest loss of life was at a concert, at a theater. so many in the music community upset, so many had personal

connections, but madonna said, and it goes on and includes a moving performance of "like a prayer", which she dedicated to the victims. she struggled with the question of whether or not to cancel the show. and, as you see there, which she says, that's exactly what they want, they want us to be quiet. we're not going to be quiet. many in the music community affected. paris asked all concerts be concert, that include add d a u2 concert. they paid their respects. bono said this is a direct hit on the music community. there were so many who felt that way. coldplay was in los angeles. they were scheduled to give a show on friday that was going to

they rescheduled there. few foo fighters, so many expressions of support from taylor swift, beyonce, demi lovato because so many feel it was an attack on music fans. >> and sports fans and -- >> yeah, but. >> soccer. >> absolutely, but what i'm saying is the most brutal part of that massacre took place there, and there are many people who feel that connection in the music community. and all of us in the human community feel it. >> on a much, much, much lighter note. >> blake shelton. >> is he our hero again? >> act of heroism. he rescued a guy. his truck wouldn't do it, so he pulled some kids out of a mudhole with his tractor. and this is the second time that's come -- young guys.

than to get stuck in the mud. there was tropical storm dale, there was a guy whose truck got stuck and that guy asked him for a ride home. this time, got flagged down. he and his dog were out driving. >> betty. >> his dog betty. the truck wouldn't do it. went back, got his tractor. they snapped a few pictures. >> he needs a dog named hoda. >> that would be a doggie playdate i'd like to see. >> they are posting photos. >> fergie and brittany. this is axle all fired up for his dad josh's 43rd birthday. there they are, josh and fergie. >> so much for the rumors that they were breaking up. >> and brittany's son shawn preston won the best encourager at his school.

>> that means he's nice and cheers them on. >> he's the best he can be. >> in the encouragement community. >> i like it. >> she's posted videos of them skateboarding back stage at her show. if you want to see her kids. >> thanks. >> i would get crucified for showing my kids. >> not now, it's the greatest thing in the world! how the world has changed. >> you're going to pete people who overcame their emotional eating. >> wait till you see what they look like now. >> not wearing that anymore, i take it. >> no, wow! >> joy is back there. ieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24

breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for

now, to the two newest members of the joy fit club who battled their way physically and emotionally to get where they are today. >> combined they lost an incredible 445 pounds. and here with us is joy bauer! >> wow! thank you for that. and i'm so happy to show an inspiring story today. this will truly inspire people. first up, we have 51-year-old jennifer butters from lebanon, pennsylvania. and like so many women, she started gaining weight with her pregnancies. she had three beautiful children and with each pregnancy she gained weight and didn't knock it off. >> it accumulates. >> absolutely. then what happened was she moved to a new community and her way to make friends is through food. she is a fabulous, fabulous cook, but she was making things like decadent, rich desserts and starchy comfort foods. the more she cooked, the more

they loved her and embraced her. and the more her weight declined. her highest was 410 pounds. her husband took the family out to a restaurant to just have a celebratory evening out. and the wait staff had to find a chair that fit her. this like rocked her world. she cried through the entire dinner, but it was her turning point. >> that was her ah ah moment. >> the woman who is about to walk out has lost 275 pounds. >> no, she hasn't. >> yes, she has. >> come on out! >> the joy fit club. >> oh, my gosh! >> john enny butters! >> wait, wait. >> no, we don't think we believe you. we're not 100%. let's see some i.d.

>> oh, my gosh, looks like bambino. >> this was a belt, this was, her waist was 60 inches. >> goes around twice, i bet. >> what are you doing? >> she's at it 27 inches now. >> oh, my gosh. you must feel happy. >> i feel awesome, yeah. yeah. >> can you believe? you sleep better? >> i sleep better. >> probably off medication. >> my most important thing i glory. >> oh. >> you are so -- >> we are so happy for you, sweetheart. >> look at her. >> all things are possible. >> yes, all things. >> amen. >> who's the next one? >> actually, she's pretty awesome, too. her name is michelle ferraro from cape may courthouse, new jersey.

through all of her ed case ucation and degrees, she knows everything there is to know about calories and health and nutrition. it just goes to show you that until you wrap your head around it and you're in a good psychological place, losing weight is really hard. in her before, she is 315 pounds at her highest. she's about to walk out 180 pounds lighter. >> where's michelle? come on out, girl! >> oh, my gosh! wow! >> woo! >> you look awesome. >> congratulations. >> wow. >> how do you feel? >> fabulous. do you recognize that girl? who is she? >> she's a different person. >> and she's kept the weight off for well over a year. so this is off for good. >> four years. >> did you incorporate exercise as well? >> oh, yeah. i now live at the gym. >> she does half marathons.

>> i just did a couple triathlons. >> that's amazing. congratulations to both our ladies. >> you always bring us the best, best stories. >> all righty. >> he is a nashville star sitting at the top of the charts. chris young sings one of his

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the citi concert series on "today", is proudly presented to you by citi. >> grammy-nominated artist just got good news. he topped the charts. >> he's no stranger to hits. he's already had six number one singles. and was the break through artist of the year back in 2011. >> he's set to go on tour, but first, he has a song just for

>> here's chris young with ah, nah. i think i'm going to leave i just had that one drink and we've all got to be up early boys, we all should shut it down just take it to the house before anybody starts getting crazy i'm tired of walking across the board before i got to the door ah, nah, hang on oh, no i should be halfway home

there's a girl i saw come in with all of her girlfriends i got my boys and me we're just blowin' off steam not lookin' for nobody you turned around and we locked eyes oh, no i heard that song when it came on what you tryin' to do ah, nah it would be so wrong oh, no, no, no oh, no i didn't mean to be weird

but i tried to leave it ain't my fault i didn't mean to be holdin' you but tell me, what was i supposed to do oh, no something i just thought of hang on we been here all fight night long oh, no should we do one more song oh, no yeah, oh, no i've been playing all night long oh, no >> chris young! >> we're very happy for him.

so we're happy for us. >> but first, this is "today", on nbc. nbc. americans. we try to live healthy. but many of us don't know there are nutrients that can help support our metabolism. take new one a day healthy metabolism support multivitamin with chromium to help use carbs from food and b-vitamins to help convert food to fuel. one a day. i absolutely love my new york apartment, but the rent is outrageous. good thing geico offers affordable renters insurance. with great coverage it protects my personal belongings should they get damaged,

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all right. >> it's time for our favorite things. mine is little and easy for anybody. if you have to speak for a long time and your throat gets scratchy? i thought take a rick cola. put it in the water. put two of them in. plop, plop, and plop. let it seep, steep, whatever it's called. >> for how long in. >> just for a little bit. it coats your throat in a way

that just sucking it in doesn't. because it's a warm water. i got through the big chunk of there you go. >> i've been waiting to tell you about this. i've told you about my friend ann kneelson who's one of the finest artists. i can never have enough of her paintings. but now she's come out with a brand-new candle. is it eight different scents, and this one's for you, hodi woman. smell that. >> oh, that's gardenia? >> i don't know, what does it say? yes, gardenia. >> go to ann neilson home.com. it's part of my christmas gift this year. i want them to be surrounded by joy. >> christmas came early. >> we want to hear about the

people you