from nbc news, this is "today", with kathy ie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everyone, hope you had a lovely weekend. that is kelly clarkson. >> love her! we have some of the big moments from the american music awards last night.

shelton and gwen stefani. >> and the inspiring story of a woman who turned her idea into a business. and susie welch has her story. i like having susie with us. she's such a class act, and she's so smart. >> and you'll hear about mothers and daughters or fathers and sons, today we have a mother and son singing duo, madison ward and the mama bear. i can't wait to hear that. >> their first album hit number one on the alternative new artist chart. >> isn't that exciting? how was your weekend? >> my kids are home for the holidays, so it was filled with that. but on friday, every year i go, for the last six or so years with my friend dr. pat wexler, my dermatologist, and she's a great woman. i love her to pieces. and she always has a table there. we hosted this last year. there's pat with a bunch of

bernadette there, and meredith, oh, thank you, thank you. mamie. it was great to be sitting at a table with them. i brought my stuff with me. >> i know your stuff. >> because i did it last year and everybody enjoyed it, so i brought a rose and a chardonnay, and the stuff. i won't say the name. all of a sudden we're in the middle of lunch, and meryl streep goes like this to me. pointing, and i go what? the rose? and i said, what, the red? she's going, i said, listen, you speak 15 languages, just talk to me in one of them. she goes -- >> chocolate!

she wanted the chocolate. i thought it was hysterical. but then again, maybe i'm losing it. here's world's greatest actress pointing to me. >> chocolate. >> she already had the stuff. but it was a lovely, lovely, and that's an amazing organization, they raised $1.2 million and provides like 1 87,000 nutritious meals to elderly people. so gail green, who was the food editor, i believe, for the "new york times" years ago started it with another great chef beard. i'm trying to remember. >> it's been a busy weekend. >> anyway, they're national. >> that's great. i want to wish a happy birthday to my brother who turned 50, 50 years old. thefy's a crazy steelers fan.

there was a big surprise party at his house, and everyone was there, my mom's hear. you can see the back of her head. everybody was thrilled. my brother's a huge steelers fan. on the back it said old man. but he said it was oldman, not old man. but as a surprise i had franco harris, who is such a huge, huge football player for the steelers. i set up a secret call. and i said you have a caller on the line. and my brother's like, hello? and franco harris of the pittsburgh steelers started singing happy birthday to you. and my brother goes, oh, my god, i know your voice. and i conferenced in my brother's best friend, malcolm. and malcolm who never stops talking couldn't say one word. harris?

>> and then? >> and then i was off to miami. i did something for the ymca in miami, but it was also nascar. it was the big, it was jeff gordon's very last raise ce. and i hadn't been to a big nascar thing like that. >> very noisy. >> it's crazy. >> if you're not prepared for it, it's shocking. >> and it was also pouring rain, which i didn't know. but you know what they do at nascar when it rains? >> they put their poncho things on. >> and they dance! they crank up music, they crank up music, and they dance. and i got to tell you, it was so -- it ended up being so much fun, you know me, i hate a wet day. >> you knew were you going to get on a plane to go home. >> i was getting into it. and then i got to do the, what do they say? "drivers start --." so here it is. we have to watch it so the

>> they didn't make enough money on that movie. >> drivers! start your engines! >> okay. so that was it. anyway, that was it. and there was one other -- oh, you got to ride around the track. i had no idea. the track is like sideways when you're riding up. jeff came in sixth. but it was kind of nice for him to have his last raise. and i want to give a shout out to this other guy. tim mcfwrau happened to be at this thing, look behind the picture. that's master sergeant greg barker, okay? i promised him we would say his name on tv. anyway, kyle busch did win his first sprint cup series, so congrats to him. >> it's just one of those kinds of days. my dear friend lisa kit ridge and her daughters and friends are visiting. >> hi, kiddos. >> i wonder if they were up late

>> i watch add hour of it. >> jennifer lopez started the show with a bang. keep in mind she's 46. >> yeah. >> oh, my gosh! okay. first of all, an awesome song. i love that she went to all the medley of super songs. >> she did? to me. and we have more of the ama coming up on our buzz. >> so adele was on snl. >> she disappears for four years adele. album, 25. so she did this, she has this song "hello", that everybody loves. there was this snl sketch where a family's having these kind of family arguments that people have over thanksgiving dinner. >> yeah, there are certain things you should never discuss because it never goes well. >> politics.

this is how they cleared it up. take a look. >> and i am ready to vote for ben carson. >> you are such a -- hello from the outside at least i can can you doesn't break you apart >> ooh >> you have to watch the beginning. it's really funny. it's when everything gets tense "hello." >> but nobody's talking about matthew. adele. >> i know, but it was good. >> that big special of hers airs soon on nbc. city. kate middleton, every time she shows up, she looks better.

she's such a beautiful girl. >> she was spotted wearing a different type of outfit, not the type she usually wears, and look at her. oh, my gosh, don't you want to be her? >> i want to be her age. >> she is gram russly rock climbing. >> she seems to have an authentic, genuine relationship. >> are those leggings? red jacket. >> kelly clarkson has released a new video of her song "piece by piece". and she has her own little adorable river road. >> she makes a cameo at the end. take a look to never break her heart piece by piece in the soul a man can be kind and a father should be

>> oh. >> oh. oh, my god. just keep showing it. >> she's beautiful. and now she's having her second child, right? >> that's a boy. >> great, great, great. we are going to talk about our favorite things. you know our beautiful jill martin. every time jill tells me -- why am i reaching for that? our beautiful jill martin showed me this product a while ago and she said kathy, it's one of the best, best things i've ever tried. it's called pure argan milk by josie maran. >> oh, yeah. i like josie. >> we don't know -- >> what do you do with it? >> didn't she give you some too? >> it looks like milk. and you put it on your bare skin. >> you put it on before your makeup and stuff? is it like a lotion? >> but it's not greasy at all. and it makes a difference. it's lovely. >> ooh, it's very velvety. if you want a good book, please

go get their book. it's by mitch albom. this book is amazing. if you love music and beautiful writing, it's for you. it's written from the perspective as music as a character and music talks about how he infused different singers. it's got a beautiful plot. i can't put it down. it's mitch albom's the magic springs of frankie presto. >> that's an unusual book. great, great. from a star-studded wedding to a special birthday for a leading lady and a brand-new baby on the way. >> we have all the scoop coming

in you were busy this weekend making a mad dash for last-minute thanksgiving ingredients, you may have missed out on all the celebrity scoop. >> but don't worry, we have all the highlights in today's buzz. >> we have dave carger. >> a big wedding in palm beach. >> what is that about? >> sophia ver fia vergara, they got married at the breakers. fantastic guest list, channing tatum, reese witherspoon. >> wow, look at that. >> what's interesting is sofia instagramed the entire wedding. >> that's great for her fans.

>> but it kind of like she was the friend from work who you asked to show a couple wedding pictures, and after a half hour, you're like, okay. but they were gorgeous. i did love the whole vibe of the party. it had this festive atmosphere. >> it was raining there, right? >> it was an indoor wedding, right? >> and the night before they had this great rehearsal party where joe serenaded her with "sweet child of mine", guns and roses, interesting choice. there it is. it's a quick instagram video that one of the guests put up. i can't get a handle on whether he's singing well or not, but i don't care. it's the gesture. great couple. >> let's talk about amas. one direction did really well. >> it's the first time any artist has won this award two years in a row. it's good for them because their album debuted only to number two because justin bieber beat them. >> that was a close one.

did promoting that. >> they all worked hard. >> there's been a lot of talk about nicki minaj's reaction as j. lo was up. a lot of people think she was giving the stink eye. >> people were re-watching the face. there's nikki. jennifer's dancing to nikki's song anaconda. the question is, is she not happy with it? she put a tweet out. she said she was watching herself in the monitor and looking over at the performance, and there was nothing to be taken out of it. >> actually, when i look at it now, it doesn't look like she was giving the stink eye at all. >> if nicki minaj has a problem with you, she's going to tell you. the performance. >> people wanted it to be the whole battle of the booty.

>> gwen had on an interesting outfit. >> people are calling it pantsless. >> there are so many cutouts. it's not interesting anymore. it used to be when somebody did something risque, now everybody has less on. >> go back to classy. >> so gwen stefani did sing her song "used to love you", and blake shelton tweeted his support. he wasn't actually there. it kind of makes you think, this new relationship, and she's singing about this old relationship. when you're in a new relationship, you don't want your lover to be talking about their ex all the time. >> can you talk about celine dion?

>> yeah, beautiful images of paris in the back. >> and jared leto introduced her, because his band played at the bataclan theater a few months ago and talked about an experience for him. >> i'd never heard of the theater there. i guess it's quite famous, though. >> a lot of rock bands play there. picking up that ringing phone? it could be us on the other end, but maybe not. we meet our fan of the week. then a thanksgiving table that looks like you're inviting, it looks as inviting as the feast itself. right after the messages. gels are new. mucinex fast max. it's the same difference. these are multi-symptom. this one is max strength and fights mucus. that one doesn't. uh...think fast! you dropped something. on the shelf... new from mucinex fast max. the only cold and flu liquid gel that's max-strength

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it's time to surprise our

>> drum roll please while we spin the globe, and today it has landed in laurel, mississippi. that's where our fan stephanie harris watches us on channel 7. she's joining us now voe ia skype. i hope we can hear you. >> who's with you? [ inaudible ] >> we're going to tell everybody why you were chosen. they are best friends, they met 14 years ago at their kids' school. two teenagers and a great husband, and their favorite show happens to be ours. >> so they're geniuses too. in between volunteering and carting their kids around, they find time to watch our show, even if they have to dvr it. and stephanie joked because she likes taupe nail polish and billy graham. >> and the other one is more like me and likes hip-hop.

last year they gave each other our books as presents. >> it's time to put your fandom to the test. you have 15 seconds and one guess, you need to answer correctly, are you ready? ask >> i'm ready. >> after we give it away after the show on tuesday, what does kathie lee like to do to hoda? braid her hair? give her a massage? or play spanky tuesday? >> let's show her. >> look at them. they're doing it. you do it! you do it! you do it! >> never mind. >> why do i kill myself? >> guess what, gang, you won a fabulous vacation, you and a guest. it has to be melanie. to costa rica. >> you're going to stay for four days, three nights. you'll receive a spa treatment,

canopy tour, round trip airfare included. >> it's all thanks to a thermal resort. >> wow, how much fun. are you excited? >> yay! >> i like that. we love it. all right, you guys, thank you so much. >> happy thanksgiving, guys! all righty. impress your thanksgiving guests with an elegant dinner table. hoda, i want you to bring out the china. >> a small business entrepreneur who puts the cos in cosmetics.

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, stolen or destroyed. x [doorbell] uh, excuse me. delivery. hey. lo mein, szechwan chicken, chopsticks, soy sauce and you got some fortune cookies. have a good one. ah, these small new york apartments... protect your belongings. let geico help you

shop small on today is sponsored by american express. this small business saturday, november 28th, show off and shop small. >> and it is monday, and this upcoming weekend marks small business saturday. the annual vent sponsored by american express encourages consumers to show a little love to their mom and pop shops in their area. >> we speak to a young entrepreneur who's working to make a difference. >> i got to go out and spend a few hours with krista who's created a line of cosmetics with a cause. >> seattle, the city of good will and small business success stories. that's where we caught up with chrissa. >> two years ago you woke up in the middle of the night and wrote a business plan on your iphone.

night. >> i started as a makeup artist when i was 16 years old, but i always knew i wanted to develop products. my friend caitlyn's dad worked for mac. bathroom. and i thought oh, my gosh i have to do this. >> she even offered to do my makeup. and she tells me it was during those early days as an entrepreneur where she got creative. >> the original formulas started in my kitchen. our adhesive, the base of our eyeliner formulation and brow liner as well originated in my blender. the thing is, in order to develop products that are truly effective, you have to start from scratch. >> and start from scratch, she did. >> they've been flying off the shelves. >> from mixing up makeup in the kitchen to wiping out her savings account. >> i don't come from a lot of money, that's why i used my savings.

>> how much was it? >> $50,000. >> pair that with a strong social media presence and she had her first sale. she turned it into a way of giving back. >> i was inspired to give something back to the cancer community. from the very ginning, i knew that for every product purchased, one would be given to a woman who was going through cancer treatment. >> it came after her best friend was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma at 23 years old. sadly she lost her battle a year after finding out she was ill. >> she this rived through the experience. every woman, every person deserves to thrive and wants to thrive. >> galen knows what it is to thrive. at age 19, she was diagnosed with the same cancer that took christie's life. like many battling the disease,

herself. >> it is really rough. i didn't expect whosing e losing my hair to have that much of an impact. it had such an impact on how i viewed myself. so to get her lashes was a real gifl. >> they work even without the presence of real eye lashes. >> it was one of the few times i felt beautiful again. >> during the nine months that she was sick, galen lived in the ronald mcdonald house, now she returns regularly to help bring comfort to the young people who remain there. it's been less than a year since she officially launched thrive. and while the majority of the sales have been online, she's got big plans. >> we want to expand our product line and launch in department

>> becoming an entrepreneur isn't easy, but when asked what she would say to someone thinking about starting their own business -- >> people are so willing to help if you just ask them. it doesn't matter if they're the ceo of l'oreal or a chemist in a lab. if you ask them for help, nine yes. >> and when you know you are working toward a greater good, that makes it all worth it. >> what do you think she would say to you if she could? yeah. >> wow. >> she named her products after thrivers who have inspired her, including an eyeliner after you, hoda. >> oh! be that that was a beautiful story. >> these are awesome. that was great, suzy, thanks. >> don't forget to shop small businesses this saturday. >> have a thanksgiving table that's a feast for the eyes. speaking of eyes, let's get kleenexs.

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in just three days, we'll be digging into a big juicy turkey with all the trimmings. >> and while your menu may be set, it's your table that makes the first impression. >> here is editor in chief of house beautiful, sophie donaldson. >> you look beautiful, and you match your table. >> i'm an autumn. >> we can tell. >> what should we get started with when we're working on the table. >> a big eye dhee makes it fancy and grand is height. that's the number one thing most people leave out. so you don't have to buy things to get it. you can use a few things in your cupboard already. >> but you don't want to block

>> no, so you can also dismantle. you can take the decoration off and put food on there and you have a beautiful variance. cake stands are a total win, and not everyone has them. so what i have is a great idea for stacking, as you can see. these are simple ramekins from crate and barrel. this is a teacup. stack right on top. there's no tabletop accidents, but you're just building height and making different levels, and of course greenery, which makes everything fabulous. >> and you didn't use your traditional flowers and such. this is all herbs. >> you don't need another thing to do. this idea is that you already have to get fresh herbs for your recipes. just double, triple, quintuple the herbs that you buy, you can use them at the table and put

them back in the refrigerator and use them later. and it smells amazing. >> what about the runner? >> this is two runners. i bought them in the same color. the idea is to feel on lens and renaissance abundance idea. you can take it out of the drier and keep that crinkle going or this one i twisted and bunched and snaked around. >> it's burlap. >> you can use starch to scrunch it up and make body, and the idea is to tuck moments of light and greenery throughout. >> how about the napkins? i love the napkins. >> another thing, instead of buying napkins that you're only going to use once a year, i was suggesting dishtowels. they're from world market, not even a couple bucks each. >> great stemware. it's only $4 each you said at crate and barrel. so cute. >> they're really pretty.

napkin, final product. you want to try to fold a napkin? >> good try, hoda! >> oh, lord. >> in half like this. >> okay. >> the long way. and you're going to make an envelope top. so one corner down. other corner down, catch up, hoda. >> this is so simple. >> you're doing great. perfect. and then fold up. and over. okay. almost. >> take us to the kids table. >> the kids table. the whole idea here, make it feel special for the kids. they have their own goblets, which is so easy. and markers, you can create with this gel marker, a place setting for them to learn how to set their own table and cute little letters, if they're older kids,

>> thank you. very cute. >> from dinner to family to family music.

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>> the citi concert series on "today", is proudly presented to you by citi. >> it's not often you find a mom who shares her son's taste in music, but ruth and madison ward are no ordinary mother and son. >> they blend folk and they are known as madison ward and the mama bear. they are out with "skeleton crew", which debuted at number one on the new artist chart. is that a surprise? >> it's all been a surprise. >> the two of you touring together must be fun. >> we have a good time. >> do you?

>> what are you going to play for us? >> a song called "yellow taxi." >> all righty. here they are. >> take it away. i've got a couple songs i play them on the corner at dawn and tell the people i just need a place to go so i don't sleep on the lawn but last night i slept in a big yellow taxi my imagination

that was a story i told even though i froze got a couple of nickels a couple licks i can play and now you're fixin' to pay everybody's cheapin' now i'm sleepin' in my taxi today last night i slept in a big yellow taxi my imagination told me i was in the back seat of gold that was the story i showed even though my pants and clothes are froze, even my jacket was cold

ooh-wah oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, ooh, ooh-wah even though my pants and clothes are froze even my jacket was cold maybe i should call it a night a night yes, but now my money is tight in the city lights i don't want to go last night i slept in a big yellow taxi my imagination told me i was in the back seat of gold

even though my pants and clothes are froze even my jacket was cold last night i slept in a big yellow taxi my imagination told me i was in the back seat of gold that was the story i told oh, oh, even though my pants and clothes are froze even my jacket was cold >> yes! yes! yes! madison ward and mama bear. >> so much fun. >> thank you so much. >> and happy anniversary to you and your husband. 36 years.

bonus, go to today.com/food where we share a favorite recipe. >> and she is a good cook. and we are going to make some kids' holiday a little brighter, but it first, this is "today", on nbc. n nb asthma... ...one of many pieces 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 hours. 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,

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it is known as the merriest team of the year, but there are a lot of families and children who could use a lot of help. >> so we are kicking off our toy drive with one of our generous donors, american girl.

>> this is wade oppeln. >> which one are you carrying? >> i have grace thomas. she's about being joyful, being sharing and being together. and today we're here to talk about the toy drive with you. and we're donating over $500 million, books and dolls to you to girls avenue where. everywhere. >> we have a nice bunch of kids, back? >> it's important to our company. make sure we build girls with strong community. that's why it's important to give back. >> thank you, ladies and happy thanksgiving. >> if you'd like to donate, stop by the plaza monday. and the details are at klg and

hoda.com.