not too much rain to deal with by tree lighting time. 56 the high today. 51 tomorrow. look at those sun symbols. maybe showers again later tuesday. >> all right, chris. thank you so much. the "today" show is coming up next. >> that's what's happening today in new york. ^x good morning. breaking overnight. new upheaval in chicago over that deadly police shooting of a teenage suspected. >> the firing of the city's top cop not satisfying protesters. so could mayor rahm emanuel be the next to go? rubio rising. senator marco rubio vaults into second place in the republican presidential race with ted cruz now tied for third as ben carson slip. the major shake-up revealed in a new national poll just out this morning. baby surprise. mark zuckerberg announced the

with a promise, to give away 99% of his facebook fortune. the $45 million going to make the world a better place for his baby and other children. and let there be light. the world's most famous christmas tree just hours away from lighting up rockefeller center today, wednesday, december 2nd, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. big day here in rockefeller center. going to be an even bigger night when about 300,000 people pack the streets behind us. >> they are all counting on one thing. that's al roker's forecast for tonight, hoping there won't be rain when that beautiful tree gets all lit up. al? >> going to be nice. >> we're hoping that it is.

>> you know what happens if that switch gets wet. >> yeah, a lot of disappointed folks. >> we'll check in with al to get the forecast in a little while. let's start with our top story on a wednesday morning. days after the head of chicago's police department said he had the support of the mayor in the wake of that videotaped police killing of a teenage suspect, mayor rahm emanuel has now fired him, and protesters say emanuel should also step down. nbc's stephanie gosk is in chicago. steph, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. well, the attorney general for the state of illinois says that the trust between the chicago police department and the public is broken. she is calling for a federal civil rights investigation into the entire department. among the questions she wants answers, is there a practice here of discriminatory policing? the mayor fired the head of the chicago police, but overnight protesters still stood outside police headquarters not satisfied, wanting more to be done. >> the mayor needs to resign, now.

week after the release of this video. the 2014 killing of 17-year-old laquan mcdonald. the cop who fired the gun is out on bond facing a first-degree murder charge. his lawyer says he fired in self-defense. in a letter to the justice department, the illinois attorney general calls the shooting shocking and says it highlights questions about the historic, systemic use of unlawful and excessive force by chicago police. asking for a civil rights investigation, the letter lists five cases. among them the police shooting of 25-year-old ronald johnson, eight days before laquan mcdonald. police say he was armed with a gun. his family says there is a dashcam video that proves he wasn't and that the officer shot johnson as he ran away. >> they are still seeking to hide this video. they are still denying justice for ronny. >> reporter: on tuesday mayor emanuel announced the creation

>> we're hoping that we add our part to making sure that people have trust and faith in the police department. >> emanuel fired police superintendent garry mccarthy claiming he had become a distraction, but the mayor's fiercest critics are calling on him to resign, too. mr. mccarthy had become a distraction. there are a lot of questions in this room about you and your office. have you become a distraction as well? >> well, you'll make that judgment. i think i'm doing my job, and i try to do it every day and do it in a professional way. >> reporter: mayor, who served as president obama's chief of staff, is scheduled to travel to paris tomorrow for the climate talks. when he was asked about that trip, he said he's still thinking about it. guys, back to you. >> all right, stephanie gosk in chicago, stephanie, thanks very much. big shake-up this morning in the republican presidential race. according to the newest national poll donald trump is still leading, but senators marco rubio and ted cruz are surging. nbc's hallie jackson is in new

hall good morning. >> reporter: hi there, savannah. even as new reports describe establishment republicans as getting more and more worried about donald trump actually winning the nomination on the gop side, those new polls, that new national poll shows that he's not just still in the lead he's actually increasing support, but a couple of other candidates are also picking up momentum. just the latest shift in this republican race. this morning a shake-up of sorts in the standings. still dominating the republican race, donald trump, but the newest national poll shows marco rubio edging out ben carson for the second place spot and carson tying ted cruz, up three point to third. >> can anyone here kick field goals? >> reporter: all smiles in alabama, rubio faced a fired-up crowd, one of his biggest yet coming off his best fund-raising month yet according to a campaign aide who tells nbc news rubio is on track to raise 15

>> i'm the only one running for office that has scored victories against obamacare. >> reporter: promoting health care but his rivals see him vulnerable on a different topic, immigration. donald trump taking target practice. >> you look at rubio very, very weak on illegal immigration, i mean, extremely weak. you look at his stance on amnesty. he wants amnesty for everybody. >> reporter: trump, campaigning in his ninth state in the last two weeks, still hammering home his now widely discredited claim that thousands of new jersey muslims cheered 9/11. >> and things are all of a sudden materializing. >> reporter: and now new fallout after some black religious leaders came out in support of trump. one telling nbc news he's being crucified by african-americans for endorsing the front-runner. now in, that new poll, democratic front-runner hillary clinton would beat donald trump in a head-to-head matchup and every other republican, guys, but it's marco rubio who comes closest.

let's turn to nicolle wallace, msnbc analyst and former white house communications director for president george w. bush. nicole, good morning. >> good morning, guys. >> this is the first national poll we've seen recently where there's a real change. i mean, trump is still at the top so that hasn't changed. >> of course. >> and now we're seeing rubio rising and cruz rising and carson falling. for rubio, this has got to be -- he's got to be thinking this is his moment. >> this means that the republican electorate has internalized the tragedy in paris and the dire importance of selecting someone as our commander in chief who can make those sorts of decisions about not just counterterrorism measures which chris christie talks about a lot but about the intricacies of foreign policy and rubio has that experience and is benefiting from it. >> ben carson was on the show yesterday and saying paris was a commander in chief moment and voters are looking at him saying we're not so difficult with him

these difficult times. do you. >> voters internalizing paris. we won't get other that between now and election day. what we understand now is the nature of isis and the strategy now is to wreak havoc along what they did to the innocent people in paris so we're not going to let go of a feeling of the importance of experience and the importance of strength and dealing with isis. >> you don't think he can rebound on that side of the equation? >> i think as long as his opponents for the republican primary vote, allow us to like him. we want to be able to like ben carson and respect his career as a physician and sort of honor the civility with which he's carried out his race but we don't want to choose him with the nominee. >> the problem with that argument you is still have donald trump at top of the polls and he has the exact same foreign policy experience ben carson has which is to say none. >> almost worse. i mean, he brags about getting all his military advice from sunday shows.

i don't want him to get their foreign policy advice from the show. people are attracted to strength, his attraction to the truth, the straight truth and nothing but the truth, as he sees it is what people love about him. his opponents for the republican nomination don't learn that lesson, that people want to hear it straight, want to hear exactly what's wrong with washington and they will shake it up, trump will continue to thrive in the polls. >> 15 seconds left off topic a little bit. rahm emanuel in a tough time right now out in chicago as mayor there, firing the chief of the police department. can mayor emanuel survive? >> well, listen, we know him as a political figure, somebody that's been on the political scene for decades. there's an editorial in the "new york times" today that basically alleges he's involved in a cover-up, that a cover-up about that tragedy there goes all the way to his office. i don't know how as a political question you recover from that. >> all right. nicolle wallace, thank you very much. >> thank you, guys. in other news this morning, the pentagon says it is

to carry out raids and gather intelligence on isis in iraq and in syria. critics say far more needs to be done to defeat that terror group. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more on that. richard, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. depending on specifically said u.s. troops will be carrying out raids in iraq, but critics say it's just more of the same, and today british lawmakers are expecting to hold what could be marathon debates about that country's role in the war on isis. after the u.s., france and russia have been bombing isis strongholds, today the uk decides if it, too, will bomb isis in syria. this following new tough talk from defense secretary ash carter saying that of a paris more needs to be done to defeat isis. >> we're at war. tens of thousands of u.s. personnel are operating in the broader middle east region and

>> reporter: on their way are u.s. special ops to iraq. >> these special operators over time will be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture isil leaders. >> reporter: but will it change the battlefield? it's not really different from what washington is already doing. special ops were operating in iraq in october. commandos from the top secret delta force joined kurdish fighters to raid an isis prison and freed dozens of hostages. one american was killed. what's new now is that the iraqi government, which complained it wasn't informed, is supposedly on board. >> raids in iraq will be done at invitation of the iraqi government and focused on defending its borders and building the iss and capability. this the force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations in syria. >> reporter: but only a tiny force will be carrying out those raids.

critics say is too slow and underestimates the isis threat. and after downplaying isis as a local group, u.s. intelligence officials now say that isis has international ambitions, yet there remains no coordinated effort to fight the group. matt, savannah? >> all right, richard engel on this story, richard, sorry. thank you very much. >> now to what's become an epidemic across the country, aircraft being targeted by a laser strike. it happened overnight and this time in arizona. nbc's tom costello has been covering this story for us. what can you tell us about the latest incident. >> reporter: hello, savannah, good morning to you. police say it's a constant battle, last night they had a regional jet, a cessna and a helicopter and piper. police went looking but was unable to find whoever is responsible. this morning the faa is investigating a series of laser strikes across phoenix late tuesday.

unauthorized laser, one mile east of phoenix sky harbor. >> reporter: in all four small aircraft were hit. there were no injuries reported. the incidents come a day after a coast guard helicopter on a training mission near port anglos, washington was ground after a bright green laser blazed the aircraft, heading the pilot in the eyes and forcing the crew to immediately change course. >> they were flying over fairchild airport when one of the crew members spotted a laser beam shined at them. >> reporter: as of mid-october faa reported more than 5,300 cases of laser strikes nationwide, from a washington state ferry captain and first mate injured when a laser was shined into their eyes to an nbc news chopper in new york city. >> don't look tat. >> reporter: pilots across the country say they are under attack. >> american 1472. we've got a green laser shooting at us right off of the left wing about a mile out. >> they are literally flying blind in this sort of situation so that's why it's so important

as soon as possible. >> reporter: police and the fbi use the same term over and over to describe the suspects, knuckleheads, usually young men or teenage boys playing around with a laser. they don't know what they are doing, but they face up to 20 years in priss owen, a quarter million dollar fine. it's very serious. guys, back to you. >> yeah, consequences all around. tom costello, thank you. we now know oscar pistorius will learn tomorrow if he'll be sent back to prison for the killing of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. "today" national investigative correspondent jeff rossen has been covering this case from the very beginning and is in pretoria this morning. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you. oscar pistorius is here on house arrest inside of his uncle's mansion behind me, and when he must be thinking right now. in less than 24 hours the appeals court here will deliver the final ruling. was it murder when he shot and killed his girlfriend reeva steenkamp in the lower court said no, involuntary manslaughter, but some legal experts say the case against him

enjoying his final days out of a cell. this morning our first look inside oscar pistorius' prison cell. this is where he spent a year before his early release, and he could end up in the very same cell again if the appeals court convicts him of murder tomorrow. a small cell with a bed, a sink, a cabinet and even drapes on the bars, and this is the bathroom he used. in south africa's appeals court, the prosecutor trying to send him back. he says pistorius should have been convicted of murder all along, that the original judge got it wrong. >> the court misapplied the principles regarding circumstantial evidence. >> reporter: pistorius shot and killed his model girlfriend reva steen camp, steenkamp, it was an accident. he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

>> i don't want him to be thrown in jail. that won't bring reva back in. my heart i don't want revenge towards him. i'm past that. >> reporter: today, pistorius spends most of his time inside his uncle's luxury compound on house arrest. in this rare photo, pistorius is seen smiling when family and friends came over for his 29th birthday party. in this picture he's outside, reporting for a court-mandated community service, but legal experts say his relative freedom may come to an end tomorrow when the appeals court finally rules. >> in my opinion the judges are going to overturn his conviction and convict him of murder? >> reporter: why? >> one look at what the judges said during the appeal hearing. they basically found oscar knew what he was doing when he pulled the trigger and had intent to kill whoever was beyond that door. >> reporter: not necessarily reva, murder here whether it was reva behind the door or an intruder. he intended to kill somebody. >> exactly.

>> reporter: this case is so big that the appeals court ruling will be broadcast live across south africa tomorrow morning. because of the time difference right now between us, this will actually happen overnight tonight your time, so when you wake up tomorrow and flip on the "today" show we will know if pistorius is convicted of murder or not. if he is, guys, he faces at least 15 years back in prison. >> jeff rossen on this story for us, thank you very much. let's turn to the mysterious death of juninho, alaska's newly elected mayor. >> police have not decided whether greg fisk died of natural causes or whether foul play was involved. they have tentatively ruled out gunshots, drugs or suicide. the 70-year-old was found dead with injuries in his home on monday. police have not given any more details. they are hoping that a state medical examiner will have more answers in a couple of days. let's take a turn now. mr. roker joins us at the desk. what's the definition of misting? >> yeah, exactly.

am i going to be happy or sad? >> well, it depends, you know. are you a happy fern? think you'll be happy. if you like showers we've got a big slug of moisture right here that is making it way northeast. we'll continue to watch that as we push through. basically this thinks sem it going to be making its way slowly into the east. rain moves from south to north. we're going to see more airport delays again from atlanta, washington, eventually into new york. low clouds, fog and mist will impact that air travel. as we get into tomorrow that rain will push offshore. it will end up having some accumulating snow for our friends in northern new england and look at rainfall, the heaviest rainfall from down south from alabama to northern virginia. talking anywhere from 2 to 3 inches of rain before it's all over, and there's snow on the other side of the system. we'll look at that coming up in

in the meantime we'll goat your holding steld i in the upper 40s in the city. low to mid-40s north and west of town. it's cloudy, damp, drizzly out there. the heaviest rain sits off to the west. this will push back in later on this afternoon. watch for the showers to be on the increase again. we'll see heavier showers mid to late day. 56 the high. they've tapered this evening. 54 with clouds and sun tomorrow. lots of sunshine, friday, saturday, sunday.

>> and we are looking at showers ending i think just before the tree lighting. >> before the tree lights that we actually flip the switch? >> right. >> or the beginning of the show. >> flipping. switch. >> during the show eh. >> thanks, al. facebook founder mark zuckerberg announces the birth of his daughter max and a stunning announcement and why he's committed to give away his fortune. >> she was stealing holiday deliveries right from under your door. what you can do about it if you're not at home. the new way to protect your

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good morning everyone. 47 degrees out. hooking looking at the helix. >> the rockefeller christmas tree will be lit for the first time tonight. tracie strahan gives us a preview of what to expect. good morning, trace. >> reporter: good morning to you, darlene. the crews are setting up for the crowds to come to the plaza today. there are certain things visitors need to know. when it comes to street closures, 48th between 51st street will be shut down between 5th and 6th avenue. everybody is being warned that umbrellas, backpacks and large bags are prohibited at this point. anyone coming to the tree lighting is urged to use mass transit. for good reason, darlene. >> for sure. you can watch the ceremony live here on nbc 4. our coverage live starts at 7:00 p.m. let's take a look at the morning commute. here's lauren scala. >> thanks, darlene. if you are headed to the outbound george washington bridge, we'll show you an accident on the alexander hamilton bridge causing delays.

really jammed up. because of that. we have 95 a mess. the jack-knifed tractor-trailer clear but now we have a new accident on 95 northbound by exit 15. so delays continue out there. there's also a disabled vehicle northbound on the cross island by bell boulevard. and a dislabeled on the verrazano bridge. we'll be right back with chris' forecast. another gray and damp day. periods of rain. i think the steadier showers mid

showers at the tree lighting. 46 as things dry out. 51 sun and clouds tomorrow. near 50 with sunny days friday, saturday, sunday and that carries on into the start of next week as well. darlene? >> all right, chris. thank you. coming up on the "today" show, a look at the major security breach affecting children's tech toys. another update in a half hour. see you then. my name is 208 ridge road. and i've... seen things. like the sock rampage of 2010. the sleep eating of 2012. and the babysitter makeout of 2014. gross. but now with nest cam, these guys can check in 24/7. so they can see the crazy things i see. hey ya little thief! did he have thumbs? okay, now i've seen it all. nest. welcome to

there she is, the 2nd of december, 2015. the tree is ready for its close-up. it will get lit tonight. the world's most famous christmas tree will be set aglow during a star-studded celebration right here on nbc. >> go ahead. >> make the joke. >> tree gets lit and then we get lit. >> thought we might retire it. >> no, never. that line is going on. >> looking forward to it. >> me, too, fun, and misty. >> yeah. we'll all be misty.

stories making headlines. a new national poll in the presidential race out this morning from quinnipiac, university. now on the republican side donald trump remains in first place, about ten percentage points ahead of marco rubio who has jumped into second. ben carson dropped to third, where he's now tied with ted cruz. as for the democrats, hillary clinton widened her lead over berens. >> more u.s. special operations forces will be sent to iraq to launch raids against isis targets in both iraq and syria. defense secretary ash carter ma wede that announcement while testifying on capitol hill saying we're at war and must act to defeat the terror group at its core. chicago mayor rahm emanuel is facing growing calls to resign a day after he anouned the fire of the head of the city's police department. critics angered over the shooting death of a teenage suspect and the year it took to release video of that incident. they say replacing chicago's top cop doesn't go far enough. let us begin this half hour

zuckerberg making headlines this morning for a couple of big reasons, the birth of his daughter and a pledge to eventually give away 99% of his shares in facebook. now worth an estimated $45 billion. hoda has more on this story? >> what? did you read that and go? is that definitely with a "b." max chan zuckerberg the first child of the facebook founder and his wife only a week old and already having a profound impact. the couple is starting a multi-billion, $45 billion initiative to make strides in the area of educates, medicine and connectivity for a generation that's just getting started. it's a facebook share worth $45 billion. one week after becoming first-time parent mark zuckerberg and his wife dr. priscilla chan are pledging to donate 99% of the stock in the social network during their lifetimes, all towards make the world a better place for their

>> having this child has made us think about all of the things that should be improved in the world for her whole generation. >> reporter: tuesday zuckerberg posted a letter to our daughter announce is the launch of the chan-zuckerberg initiative dedicated to advancing human potential and promoting equality to all the world's children. >> we need to make sure that there are investments in programs that ensure that the future isn't going to be like today. the future is going to be better than today >> reporter: new organization plans to emphasize education, community building and medicine. the parent posting to their daughter we will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you but also because we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation. the two have championed philanthropy before donating $120 million to san francisco area schools and another 100

that endowment came under fire when the results were not immediately evident, criticism chan pledged to work through when she spoke exclusively to savannah. >> is that frustrating for you and for him to watch? >> we've invested in newark's children, the schools and teachers, and those are long-term bets that need a number of years to really pan out. >> reporter: this investment is also for the long haul, the letter says, to fully overcome the challenges it may take over 25, 50 or even 100 years. zuckerberg is taking two month of paternity leave to spend time with max, a week after announcing he would offer four month of parental leave with pay to all facebook employees. >> i'm just so grateful to have the opportunity that i've had to serve so many people, and i really think that the best is yet to come. >> the and this baby, i mean, very open about how difficult it

especially welcome and mike bloomberg said 30 is the new 80s and people in their 70s are donating all their dough and a guy and his wife who are donating a lot. >> what a great couple, no doubt about it. >> now some news from jetblue, the company planning to hire pilots no previous experience. how will this work and what's behind the move? let go back to nbc's tom costello covering this move. good morning again. >> reporter: the airlines want pilots with plenty of experience, military if they can get and a lot of private pilot experience, jetblue is saying they can do a better job of training the next generation of pilots really done the right way from the start. >> this is your captain speaking. >> reporter: in the cockpit on jetblue soon the crew could be you. the airline looking for two dozen highly qualified applicants to eventually put

jet, no experience necessary. >> speed check. >> reporter: instead, taking firsttime flyers through the basics of aviation all the way to high-tech simulators. >> reporter: like this jetblue sim i visited in orlando. how real is it when it's the first time in the sim? >> it's very real. when you're in this device. when you walk out after a stressful experience you're sweating into new pilot candidates would take four years to complete all aspects of training before ever flying a paying passenger. jetblue tells nbc news the first class of gateway 7 pilots is estimated to start their training with jetblue in the third quarter and won't become considered for hire as first officers until 2020. poor training and pilot inexperience were cited in the colgan air crash near buffalo that killed 50. that forced the faa to increase the minimum flight experience required of new commercial pilot

but with very low starting salaries at regional airlines, some carriers have complained the best candidates are not signing up. >> the jetblue proposal can train pilots that will be just as good or even potentially better than the majority of the training programs that are in use today. >> reporter: jetblue believes its training will be superior, but the airlines' own pilots union is opposed saying thousands of pilot with higher qualifications are already available. you know, there's a lot of talk about this looming pilot shortage. it's one reason why the regional airlines want the faa to roll back that requirement of 1,500 hours from the cockpit for new pilots. the regionals are arguing that that's excessive and it's simply not possible to achieve that many hours on a qualified pilot in advance of getting that job. guys, back to you? interesting. tom, thank you very much. let's turn and get a check

>> with the wet weather already seeing delays in the northeast at airport, laguardia, philadelphia, newark and now chicago with the snow at 32 degrees. half mile visibility. expect delays to start at o'hare as well. so this morning we're going to be looking at snow making its way across the midwest. heavy snow early in chicago. we're not looking for major accumulations but enough to cause problems during the morning rush and then during the day the light snow moves across the great lakes. heavier snow by tomorrow morning. look for lake-effect snow into cleveland and western pennsylvania and the rest of the country, wet weather up and down the eastern seaboard. gorgeous weather through the plains and the beginning of a parade of storms moving into the pacific northwest. we're going to look at that in the next half hour. we're talking some places could pick up two feet of rain. that's what we're going to have. that's what's going on around the country, the rain. >> two feet. >> two feet. >> mist? >> no, rain.

when we come to this shot, frank has to actually get on the floor there. >> hi, frank. what are you doing down there? >> like we're doing "the muppet oh, the choreography. upper 40s in the city. low 40s in the hudson valley. 50s central southern new jersey. the milder air creeping towards us. so is the rain. out to the west of us. the steadier showers move back in by this afternoon. you need the umbrella throughout the day. if it's not raining steadily, it will be misting and drizzling. rain winds down tonight. dry tomorrow, 51. a string of nice days friday into the weekend. temperatures near 50. >> and that's your latest weather. >> frank loves you. >> i know. >> all right. we've got something we want you to consider for trending this morning. think about this question. which is more annoying to you, political ads or never-ending christmas music. >> huh.

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your door but could thieves steal them before you get to them? nbc's morgan radford has more on that story. doesn't sound good. >> reporter: that's right, it doesn't, matt. more shopping this cyber monday means more shipping and thanks to so-called porch pirates you may not be the only one waiting for your package. video surveillance shows thieves all across the country snatching boxes right off the front porch. a new survey out this morning shows hundreds of people have had their packages stolen before they even get a chance to open then. the most common targets, people who live in suburban households, especially out west or in the south, so what can you to about it? >> i'm pretty sure she's home here. we went the day with ups driver scott pedrick. >> if she wasn't home i'd probably put this in the backyard. >> reporter: do you want to go knock.

homeowner doesn't leave it, we leave it not a bush box. >> so a potential robber, you really couldn't see it. >> reporter: with 640 million packages shipping this holiday season traditional tricks might not work. >> if you're expecting something, be looking because people are out looking to steal your packages. >> reporter: ups is taking it one step further, rolling out a brand new feature called ups access point. >> you could sign up for access point at ups.com and your packages can be left at a business in a local neighborhood. >> reporter: this way you can choose to have your packages delivered to a secure location. >> reporter: are all of these going to the same house? >> i always put them behind the pillar. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: it doesn't mean you'll miss your package. >> happy holidays. >> reporter: that's cool. >> that's my thing. >> reporter: spread a little cheer and everything. we talked to all the major carriers and we said there are a few tips. first, you can customize your delivery time and secondly if

be home you can download the app and then you can have your package redirected even if it's already on the way. finally, they say you should treat your package like you should your purse so don't leave it unattended than any longer you would leave your bag or wallet. >> good advice. morgue answer, thank you very much. coming up. force to change. what carrie fisher has to do to reprise her role as princess leia. >> and coming up, the

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t. rowe price. invest with confidence. [elf] here's one of our best elves, hard at work... [kid] what's back there? [elf] nothing... [santa] touchdown. come on... [elf] santa, the davidson's are here to see our workshop... [santa] oh... well...hello! uh, this is my sleigh! it's how i deliver all the presents by myself! [team member] santa, you got anything else going to albany? [santa] by myself! [santa](muffled noises) [vo] ship with fedex ground at fedex office.

grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you' re quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas. thanks for making the coffee. well look who' s up. i' m really glad you' re here mom. me too. look who' s here! back at 7:50. dylan is in the original room for carson with something that has everybody talking. >> reporter: this holiday ad by a german supermarket has racked up more than 19 million views on youtube and created quite the buzz online. shows an elderly man finding out

make it home for the holidays and breaks my heart and then sadly he passes away and we see each of the loved ones learn of the heartbreaking news, all gather in their honor to pay their respects and receive even more shocking news. you've been on my mind all the time and i'm missing you the truth is that home means nothing without you >> papa. >> don't forget. this is an ad for a supermarket.

some are calling this -- >> wow. >> all right, grand a. >> right? >> yeah. >> and you're all cut out of the will! >> that is the worst thing i've ever -- >> i love that guy. >> -- seen. >> oh, man. >> wait. >> the dying part was like the high moment and then it's the only way to get you and your ungrateful children here. >> and don't forget, 20% off soup so act now. >> and you didn't like the can-can commercial. >> dylan, take us through the rest of it. >> what's the reaction been? >> well, the reaction is kind of exactly what you guys just said. they can't decide if it's wonderful or morbid. either way it's great. i'm with you on morbid and then we have georgina writing thanks to your commercial i changed my flight so i could spend more time with my family. got you thinking.

>> there's a poll question for you. >> we're back with big news from sandra bullock. let's just end it there. worst commercial ever. >> she's alive. your daughter can have sleepovers. your son can hang out with friends. your kids can play... and drive you crazy. you don't realize how lucky you are that you're children are healthy...until they're not.

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good morning everyone. 7:56. 47 degrees. wet on the roads this morning. it's december 2nd, wednesday

in the news, a search is under way in brooklyn for a man who pointed a gun at police. it happened while officers were investigating reports of gunfire near avenue b and 92nd street in brownsville. police say the officers came across two men and one drew a gun. one officer fired at least one shot. no one was hit. one person is being questioned. and the new york city council will meet to talk about forming a bicycle safety task force. the panel would look at safety issues involving cyclists, including accidents with cars and pedestrians. let's look at the morning commute with lauren scala. >> thanks, darlene. delays out there on 8th avenue bound l trains. on the roads, watch out for an accident northbound on the garden state parkway in the local lanes by exit 123. delays are heavy there. we also have another accident on the bruckner expressway heading east by the bronx river parkway shutting down two lanes. >> lauren, thanks. let's check the weather. rain on and off.

tomorrow, cloudy, breezy, high of 51. friday, 50 degrees lots of sun. saturday more of the same. 49 is the high. on the "today" show, the hassle-free holiday series continues with how to avoid credit card debt. we'll have another local update in a half hour.

it's 8:00 on "today" and coming up a massive hack attack exposed the accounts of more than 6 million americans, most of them children. why some experts say photos and videos posted could be compromised. what every parent needs to know. plus, first on "today," pig news for sandra bullock. in a "people" magazine exclusive the oscar winner reveals she's expanding her family, adopting a little girl. we'll have all the details. and feel the force. the one thing carrie fisher was

play princess leia again in the new "star wars," today, wednesday, december 2nd, 2015. >> i've waited 25 years for today! >> good morning, buffalo! >> aloha from hawaii! >> we came from baltimore, maryland, to see the tree! >> all the way from shelby, north carolina to light up! >> oh, my gosh, wow. >> we're back now 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it is the second day of december, 2015. rain falling here this morning in new york city.

throughout the day, but you know what? it's not going to make a difference. a little later tonight we are going to all help flip the switch on that beautiful tree right there and usher in the holiday season across the country. >> this is the misting. >> that you spoke of. >> a little bit more than misting right now. >> i think that this is rain. >> thank you, dylan, for your candor. >> a meteorologist duel here. >> al is spin. coming up "tom chef" hosts are here with no-brainer recipes year and kind of exciting, too. tom making mussels. >> show them your mussels, tom. >> cute. >> tamron is in the studio in for natalie this morning. she's got the top stories of the morning. tomorrow ron? >> that's right, everyone. good morning. pressure is growing for chicago mayor rahm emanuel to resign one day after he fired the city's police superintendent over his response to the death of a black

officer. video of that 2014 shooting was finally released last week under a court order. emanuel also appointed a task force to look into police abuse, but the illinois attorney general is now asking for a federal civil rights investigation into the police force. black lives matter chicago is among the organizations calling now for rahm emanuel to step down as that city's mayor. and there's been a shake-up in the republican presidential field. accord fog a new national poll out this morning, donald trump is still at the top in a quinnipiac university poll, but florida senator marco rubio has moved into second place. dr. ben carson who was virtually tied with trump a month ago has dropped into a third place tie with texas senator ted cruz. the pentagon is sending more special operations forces to iraq to conduct combat, ground combat raids against isis in both iraq and syria. their mission will be to gather intelligence, free hostages and

already in the region training and conducting joint operations with local forces, but the new american unit will be able to conduct unilateral operations into syria. there's a new reason for women to be concerned when they are getting screened for breast cancer the researchers say a new study found that false-positive results on a mammogram could mean a higher risk for developing breast cancer later in life. nbc news medical contributor dr. natalie azar is with us to explain a lot of women, including myself, got a false-positive and biopsy and fall into this gray area of trying to understand what this means. >> i know. it's an unsettling headline for sure, tamron. a couple of points i would like to make. number one, this isn't the first study of its kind to draw these conclusions, number one. number two, i don't want to get mired in the statistics but it's important when you're interpreting a result like this or a study like this, the relative risk numbers seem to be a little bit more frightening

risk which is your individual risk for a history of cancer if you have a false positive is actually quite modest. this i think is the take home from what i can see experts interpreting the results. there is some data to suggest that false-positive mammograms do confer a higher risk for cancer but this needs to be taken in the bigger context of one's risk factors and what are the risk factors for breast cancer? age over 55, a genetic mutation, personal or family history, dense breasts, and that's not even an exclusive list, so if you have a false positive mammogram result, your doctor in all likelihood is going to recommend further imaging and maybe, you know, more intense surveillance, but you need to take it into big picture when you interpret these results. >> as always, excellent information behind the headlines. thank you so much from dr. natalie azar. the e. coli outbreak originally tied to costco's chicken celery has expanded to more stores.

company has expanded the investigation. it includes foods sold at walmart, safeways, albertson's and starbucks. britain's prince harry has released a collection of personal photos and videos documenting his summer visit to south africa to work on animal conservation projects. the collection highlights challenges faced by workers trying to protect rinos and elephants from poachers. the animals are killed for their tusks and horns. and a battle of green giants had golfers affording the fourth hole. take a look at the south carolina golf course t.pitted goliath, well known into the smaller and lesser known challenger. guy yatd claimed his victory and sent the other one with no name limping away. >> david maybe? >> didn't work out. >> little david would have won, i didn't want to -- okay. >> the and you thought your golf

>> can we see that commercial again of the missing grandfather on the holiday. >> all right, tamron. thank you. let's turn now to what's being called the largest known hack targeting kids. >> a cyber attack on a popular digital toy-maker v-tech and exposed the data, photos and video of millions of children and "today's" erica hill with what parents need to know. really disturbing. >> yeah, it is. when news broke that v-tech toys were falling victim to hackers many were wond earning how safe their children are and also how to protect these personal moments down the line, so we called in the experts to find out. >> learn, create and correct. >> reporter: toys offer a bit of kid friendly technology for what grown-ups do every day, selfies, video, recording, moments captured and now exposed for anyone to see. >> i don't no why v-tech would be storing this data, especially the video and audio recordings of family members communicating with their children.

>> vtech confirming the images of more than 6 million children and close to 5 million parents on its kid connect servers was compromised. in a statement the toy-maker says it is taking this matter very seriously and currently conducting a thorough investigation. the breach first exposed by motherboard reporter who spoke to the alleged hacker saying it, quote, made him sick that he could get that stuff. >> yes, there is underground markets out there that disseminate underage children's photos and information. if the data from vtech were to be released it would a gold mine for pedophiles. >> connecticut and illinois say they will investigate the data breeches as security experts warn hackers are likely to strike again. to protect your family experts say if your child has an online profile, don't use real information.

by -- buy divisive with reputable data protection like apple or android and make sure security settings are activated. >> parents spend time in investing and understanding and implementing child security controls before they hand out devices to their children. safety starts at home. >> vtech says no credit card information was stolen. officials in hong kong where vtech is based said the person who sold data could face up five careers in prison and a fine of $130,000. we're learning more about the hack their brought this to light so a new reporter with that reporter was posted. the hearing went to a reporter specifically because he was afraid the company wouldn't take seriously. he was very clear that he who wants to remain anonymous doesn't want to profit from the information but hacker tells the reporter that he was concerned how this could potentially be misused that that's in fact why they got in touch with them? to shine a light on it. erica, thank you very much. coming up next, which annoyance you the most, campaign

music this time of year? not even trending. >> coming up on trending. and the big news that sandra bullock is revealing to "people" magazine this mosh. she's just adopted again. an exclusive look at what the oscar winner is saying about her growing family, but first the pursuit of healthier. it begins from the second we're born. because, healthier doesn't happen all by itself. it needs to be earned every day. using wellness to keep away illness. and believing a single life can be made better by millions of others. as a health services and innovation company optum powers modern healthcare by connecting every part of it. so while the world keeps searching for healthier we're here to make

proud of you, son. ge! a manufacturer. well that's why i dug this out for you. it's your grandpappy's hammer and he would have wanted you to have it. it meant a lot to him... yes, ge makes powerful machines. but i'll be writing the code that will allow those machines to share information with each other. i'll be changing the way the world works. (interrupting) you can't pick it up, can you? go ahead. he can't lift the hammer. it's okay though!

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for 60 months plus 1,000 dollars holiday bonus cash on select vehicles. see your local ford dealer. give extra. get extra. 8:14 right now. good time to start what's trend. we're starting with a one revolutionary device that, poof, is rapidly disappearing from american homes.

>> no. raise your hand if you still use a land line at home? telephone. >> sometimes. >> no, yes, yes, yes. rarely. this baby is quickly going the way of the cell phone. >> blender? >> what? >> i don't know. >> the crock pot again. >> you're not a kitchen person, are you? do you even know where the kitchen is? new numbers from the cdc show we're reaching a tipping point when the land line gives way to cell phones. right now more than 47% of u.s. households only use cell phones. 8% only have land lines but we're very quickly approaching that time where land lines no, cell phone yes. >> my cable package is usier to have the land line lumped in. >> is that really a land line? >> may not technically be a land line and the problem is if

problems in your area. >> yeah. >> those phones won't work. your cell phone doesn't work. the actual phone system has a little emergency charge in it. >> right. >> that allows it to continue to move. >> and matt has an operator who plugs in. >> hello, test, connect me to savannah. >> give me doc brown. >> 85% of the calls i get on my land line, robo calls, sales calls, terrible. >> guys, you may not be able to relate to this but, girls, last time you were at hair salon, told you it wasn't a story for you. >> either of them. >> so funny. >> anyway, you know when you're at hair salon and you feel like you have to have a big chat and all that have and the hairdresser, how is the family and blah, blah, blah. a salon in the uk has a new solution called the quiet chair. you sit in that chair and you don't have to have -- >> i wish we could get one here. >> could you see that coming?

is, go ahead. >> you know what, i had it coming. anyway, the salon owner says a lot of customers -- why aim the only one talking. do you like it? >> i like it. >> i sometimes run out of things to say. i can only ask how is your thanksgiving so many times? >> your hairdresser like the bartender, the stereotype, you know and you have the relationship and they are in charge -- >> can you not talk? >> yeah. >> at the barber you say a couple of things and pipe down and he cuts your hair. we're in and out of chair in four or five minutes >> you remember your smile in your yearbook photo in high school. >> all braces. >> yeah. >> when we were young, actually i did the serious face. i think most people did -- >> can you do that now? >> researchers at uc berkeley wanted to study the evolution of the smile through year book photos and starting with the

don't say it. >> silent chair. >> you'd be 2 for 2. >> go all the way to present day and here's what they came up with. composite images of what year book photos look like through the decades. researchers say how much the smile broadens through the years. one possible reason, better dentistry urging people to smile more and the other reason all the selfies where people are beaming in their smiles. >> practicing their smiles. >> well, i don't have anything to say about this. the silent chair. anyway, people at "huffington post -- >> weirdest trending ever. >> why is it so weird? mostly because of me. >> no, it continues. >> we'll be talking about this question all morning. which is more annoying, the holiday music all the time that we hear right now or campaign commercials, okay? so it's a battle of have a hole jolly christmas versus i approve this message. what do you think of this? >> campaign commercials.

do you think is more anoise, campaign ads or christmas music? >> 91% said campaign ads are far more annoying. 9% voted christmas music. >> kind of a no-brainer. >> just have your campaign ad on a loop. >> local television stations, cha-ching. now to the most liked instagrams of the year and what carry fisher had to do to return to "star wars." dylan, let's "pop start." >> starting with instagram giving us the first look at most liked photos of the year. mine nowhere on the list. beyonce's beautiful portrait with her doubty blue ivy. that photo got 2.3 million likes finishing ahead of kiley jern's high school graduation photo, not smiling, just saying. next was 2.5 million likes. taylor swift's picture with boyfriend calvin harris and in second place taylor again, this time showing the flowers kanye west sent her after she

the vma's and in first place with 3.2 million likes kendall jenner's hair. users seemed to love the model's heart arrangement and this stands as the most liked photo on instagram ever. >> wow. >> that's a cool picture, but, i don't know. next to carrie fisher. diehard "star wars" fans are looking forward to her return as princess leia but in order to reprise the role she was pressured to lose more than 35 pounds. >> what is. >> she told "good housekeeping" uk, they don't want to hire all of me, only three-quarters. i'm in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and that's so messed up and nothing has changed since she wore the iconic gold bikini in 1983. that's a lot of years to go by and then to be asked to lose 35 pounds. >> doesn't seem right. >> no. >> finally public enemy, music ledge eshds known as the

believe the hype" and the group was abandoned by their taxi driver in england. a fan stepped up and offered to drive them instead. just 45 minutes before a start time kevin wells got them to the show on time. he called the whole experience surreal. and that's a pretty cool selfie at that. that's your "pop start." >> thank you. >> mr. roker, a check of the weather. >> we've got a big storm system and a series of them getting ready to pound the pacific northwest coast as we watch this. it's going to be rather interesting to see what happens from today until saturday. we're waving the first two storms start to make their way in, and then as we move today. heavy rain will cross the coast and snow for the mountains and freezing rain in the lower elevations. through thursday snow as far south as the sierras and another storm coming in over the weekend. dylan will be talking about this one over the weekend and more systems into next week. rainfall amounts, anywhere what we're predicting for the next seven days.

some areas could pick up two feet of snow. the good news, snow levels 5,000 to 6,000 feet. what a difference a year makes. this is the sierra last year, a snow depth of 0 to 12 inches, equivalent of water they need and look at it this year. snow depth 6 to 30 inches and 125% upwards in some area of percentage of water equivalent of average so that's good news, especially with warmer weather coming so the snow won't be quite as plentiful as we head on . . . . up to 48 degrees in the park. seeing 50s lurking off to the south. those 50s will be pushing in this afternoon. so will this area of rain covering most of pennsylvania. creeping closer and closer. look for the showers to pick up in intensity, specially in the tree-lighting time. a mild day at 56. clouds and sun, 51. a string of sunny days, friday,

close to 50. increasing clouds monday. maybe some rain later tuesday. you so much. now to big news about oscar winner sandra bullock, one of our favorites. >> in an exclusive interview with "people" magazine bullock reveals she mom again, finalizing her second adoption, an adorable high-spirited 3 nfl-year-old daughter lila. jess is here with us. good morning. >> good morning. >> congrats on the storey. >> nice news. >> has been in the works for a while. >> she revealed now because? >> revealed now because it's finally done. the adoption is finally done. she adopted lila through the foster care system. she's 3 envelope and a half years old and she kept it very under wraps and it was very difficult for her to do so. >> loved reading the article. she was really open about the whole process and i thought it was so cute how she really involved louie, her older son, a

>> lieuy is 5, adopted him five years ago when he was a tiny baby and it really started one day when she was sitting around with friend and talking about their kids and louie who she said was, you know, had a little towel around his waist and his belly hanging out and put his arms back and said i don't have any daughters, and -- and at that point she started to realize that it was time for a sibling for louie. sandra is very close to her sister and i think she understands that -- that bond between siblings. >> did she take this on with the intention originally of adopting a little girl, or was louise comments what caused that? simply did, she have the intention of adopting a 3 or 3 and a half-year-old pause as you mentioned louie was adopted as a baby. >> she knew she wanted to go through the foster care system and adopt a foster child this time. she did not necessarily think it would be a boy or a girl because she knew either could come their way. in fact, until lila came along

in the adoption process, and of the kids that sort of came into her orbit at that time, lila was the only girl. the only thing that louie said was i want a baby who is brown. i want a sibling who is brown like me. >> it's interesting to hear sandra talk about it because lila was older and she adopted her through the foster care system and she didn't get through the details saying lila had been through a lot and went through the process of making her know that this is your home. it's permanent and you can feel safe her. >> foster children are nearly 10,000 kids are in foster care right now waiting to be adopted, and it is a challenge. they bring a lot of things with them, but, you know, the rewards obviously, especially in sandra's case, are beyond >> you say she doesn't get into details and she does. telling "people" magazine her family looks like nothing she

full of loved and poop jokes congratulations to her. >> and she finally knows all the words to "frozen" as if that was on her bucket list. >> thanks so much. we'll send over to dylan. guys, thanks. a no-brainer meal.

good morning, 8:26. wednesday morning, december 2nd, 48 degrees. i'm darlene rodriguez charges are pending against a man suspected of killing his wife and abducting his daughter. it sparked an amber alert around 4:00 yesterday. she was found safe an hour later. police say her father was with her and arrested without incident. his wife remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition let's take a look at the morning commute. here is lauren scala. >> a couple of accidents out there. one on 684 southbound before golden bridge road. delays go all the way back to 84. heading over to the palisades parkway, just before the freeway, an accident there that blocks the lane. very heavy there. heading over to new jersey on 287 northbound. accident causing delays in both directions. back to you, darlene. >> let's check the weather today, rain on and off.

tonight, leftover showers. 46 degrees. tomorrow, cloudy, breezy, high of 51. friday, lots of sun. 50 degrees. saturday, 49 is the high. sunday, another sunny day, high of 52. coming up on the "today" show, a spotlight on the holle day iday scene.

. 4:30 now. it's wednesday morning. it's the 2nd of december, 2015. it's a beautiful morning out here. the rain and mist stopped for a moment and we hope it stays that way. getting ready to light the christmas tree. we have sir iaen mk

royalty, collecting toys for our toy drive. >> that is a coat, a great looking coat. >> we'll talk to him a little later on. >> by the way, if you want to give, don't have to be on our plaza to do so. go to today.com and it will give you date tails on the website. don't forget the beautiful norway spruce behind us will be all athrow tonight as we take part in the ceremony to light that famous christmas tree. people like sting and james taylor and andre bocelli. >> what a night. >> very cool. >> really nice. coming up, something we all need to worry about this time of year, credit card debt, and we've got some no-fail strategies to conquer it because we're all so tempted to buy all the great gifts for the people we live. >> and want know noh-fail strategy, top chefs tom colicchio and padma lakshmi. they will take some of the stress out of our holiday season with some easy go-to recipes and we'll get to taste them.

>> and it smells garlicky delicious. and the food team is searching for the best cook toe showcase in the holiday cookie swap and head to today.com/holidayfood to vote. >> now a check of the weather. >> what's going on starting with the tree liking ceremony forecast. 6:00, rain likely. about 56 degrees by 9:00. still warm, 15 with some scattered showers hanging around, and as we check out your december outlook, look at how warm it's going to be. above average through the great lakes into the northeast. much of the eastern half of the country below average through the southwest and above average out west, and as far as precip is concerned, looking very wet from the mid-atlantic states, southeast, gulf coast into the plains. more wet weather making its way into the pacific northwest and below average conditions as you make your way into the northern plains. that's what's al, thanks very much.

we have light drile. steadiest rain out towards virginia, moving towards us. we will start to see it later this morning and afternoon. wet weather lasting right on into tonight. 56, the high. 46, the low. 51, with sun and clouds tomorrow. chillier at night. lots of sunshine, friday, saturday, and sunday, highs each day close to the 50-degree mark. # >> that's your latest weather. what's your name? >> i'm meteorologist michael phillips celebrating 25 years of weather boy. >> good for you. >> all right. i wish i could be doing this for 25 years, all right. now let's head back inside. >> go, tigers! al, thanks so much. on today's hassle-free holiday day two of our season savings and tuesday we spoke about bad spending habits and getting ahead of your debt. $891 billion, how much americans

average per household is $7,500 and it's sure to rise with 47% of parents saying they will use the credit cards to pay for holiday spending. today today's "today's" financial editor jean chatzky is here with tips. >> you need to focus and make a few pointed moves to set yourself in the right direction. >> talk about what you like. first, make some of your payments with savings. that goes against what a lot of people think. >> i know, and people feel safe when they have savings in the bank and on your savings you're earning one-half of 1% on interest and on your credit card you're paying 15%. just by taking a few dollars and paying off the credit card, you're putting money your pocket. >> check your interest rates and transfer balances and consolidate. >> the rates are going to go up and lock into the longest term

f zero% cards, go on cardhub, you'll find them. transfer your balances and pay them all off at lowest interest rates. >> we talk about how to do this. you look at highest interest rates first, like avalanche theory. >> starting from the top of the mountain and you're working your way down. take every extra dollar you have and throw it against the card with the highest interest rates and make the minimum payment of the rest. once the next card is cleared move on to the second highest interest rate. >> okay, great. >> so on and so on. >> what do we need to know in the next one. >> pay the balances down under 30% of limits. >> if you try to transfer your balances to one of those great cards and they say no dice, it's because your credit score is not good enough. >> what's a good score? >> for this purpose anything over about 700, 720, 740 is better, but at 700 you'll get good interest rates. if you don't have it, you can move your score in the right

your credit balances are under 30% of your limits on all your cards together and on each card individually. make sure you always pay your bills on time. >> this one sounds counterintuitive don't close cards once you've paid them off. >> those open credit lines actually help you maintain a higher score so while you're working on your score, just leave them alone. eventually you get down, you've got a good score, you can close them. >> once you start to make progress on these things, the last thing you want to have happen is slip up and get back in trouble. >> oops, excuse me. you all right? >> or hit yourself in the tree. >> not nice on our part. use debit or cash. >> psychologically, you are going to spend more with credit than you are with debit and more with debit than you are with cash because credit is not real. you're using somebody else's money and you know it. psychologically also you carry big bills, you don't want to break them. it's like the kid with the silver dollar. you don't -- so put 50s and 100s in your wallet instead of 20s

pull them out. >> get help if you need it. it is available. >> there's a financial counsellor that doesn't get talked about very often. they help people with things like budgeting and credit card debt, an organization called the afscp, and i'll tweet it out. >> and can also help with you christmas gifts that sneak up behind. >> exactly. >> jean, thanks very much. for more way to keep your debt in check head to today.com and tomorrow, super savers will save their secrets. >> rachel mcadam is here along with the reporter she plays in

>> the real sasha and the one we see in the movie. i have to tell you i did something with this movie that i never do. i watched it twice. it is that good. that captivating and we know how it ends. when you read the script, were you like i've got to be a part of it? did you know how special it was? >> yeah. it felt that way initially. it was a story that i kind of knew, you know, my way around it a little bit, but i just didn't know how deep it went and the details and just the work that the team, the spotlight team put into it and the real unsung heros behind it and that was a real eye opener for me and why i wanted to be a part of it. >> i can only imagine your reaction, sasha, when you hear they are going to make a movie about it and when you think about what investigative is. it's about the least hollywood

>> exactly. looking through documents and talking on phone and thought they could never make an interesting movie about our daily lives and once the hollywood machine has a way to fictionalize your life it's not a really good thing but they did a nice job of being true to what the jobs are. >> you didn't say i want rachel mcadams would play me. never seemed possible a move would be made. >> you're playing a real person, a blessing and a curse, here's the source material and also a chalen. did you research and were you calling her up and say, okay, what would you do in this situation? >> yeah. i stalked her kind of. i stalked her online as you and i were talking about. it was great because sasha was doing boston radio at the time and even when i was getting ready and brushing my teeth i could listen to her interview from the day and get her voice in my head and i know that's really creepy for you, but, yeah.

get someone's story right and to, know, be as authentic as possible and -- and as honest as possible, you know, especially when it's based on the truth, so, yeah. there was equal parts excitement and anxiety about it, but -- and then we spoke for about an hour and a half the first time we talked and she was just so gracious. >> and no detail was too small for rachel. >> i mean, it was amazing. the first phone call was an hour and a half and then walks and dinners and constant text messages and e-mails to ask questions, everything from what i wore, to the color of my bag and did i cook dinner with my husband? it was almost like everything physical and everything psychological and it was amazing to watch her do that much research because most people don't get to see how hard they work to be as good as we are and we got to see that. >> was there any trepidation about delving into this really dark and disturbing chapter of the church's history saying oh, my gosh, we're taking on something big here? >> i mean, yeah.

>> in a way it's important to keep the church vigilant, right. the problem -- we don't know if the problem is fully addressed. certainly the church has done things to correct it but it's important for people to be reminded always ask questions, even of authoritative institutions because that sort of keeps them honest in a way. >> michael keaton was here a couple weeks ago talking about the film and i mentioned the producers had done something that i thought was really cool. they submitted all of you for awards season so that there's not any single actor that stands out more than the other, that it's truly this casting and ensemble, and i thought that was pretty unusual and pretty neat. >> right. that was -- i mean, it's very, very nice and lovely of them. i feel very privileged to be part of that ensemble and -- and to get to tell the story of this ensemble of the real reporter. one of my first questions of sasha was how was it being the only woman on the team and the youngest member of the team and you said you never felt -- felt like equals. >> right, exactly.

ensemble team that did this piece of reporting. great to have you both here, thank you. >> and the movie is called "spotlight" in theaters now. >> matt, over to you. >> thank you, i think of creative and crafty i think of you and the tips we're going to share for a christmas tree this career with elizabeth mayhew, but first on a wednesday morning

>> back now at 846 with more our hassle-free holidays, don't need a fresh cut tree or even the fake one to bring the holiday spirit into your home. "today" contributor elizabeth mayhew is here with great alternatives. happy holidays. nice to see you. >> growing you, did you do christmas trees? >> we did have a christmas tree. >> real one or fake one? real. my mom was creative and was thinking about other ways to decorate the house and that's what we did today. >> you've got some great ones.

>> it is. >> but it's a combination, a whimsical version. >> what you do is take an artificial tree and comes in three ports, the two bottom parts and leave the top one off and if you have a mannequin lying around, mannequins usually have clamps so you usually clamp this to the top of the mannequin tree and decorate it and what's great about the artificial tree it's pre-lit so you're almost good to go. >> not sure why you would have a mannequin lining around. >> a great idea with what to do with the scraps of wrapping paper. >> all i did is you know how you get to the ent of a wrapping paper. cut it to the length that you need it an it's basically graduated pieces that i then glue guns, need a clue gun and

>> this one also takes up no space, extra ornament around after you've trim the tree. >> perfect for small spaces. living in the city or have a little studio a way to get a tree. you can use tape and the little sticky glue things or any kind of -- >> we recommend that you not staple that to your door. >> make sure you're near an outlet and plug it on and something festive on a wall or door. >> this is kind of fun and amazing for kids. you've got the 25 days of christmas. what are the boxes? >> get them anywhere, order them online, container stork you name it. you just glue gun them together and use any kind of scrapbooking, any kind of trend you want. number them. today is the 2nd. i think an elf might have left you something in there. >> you leave a little gift. >> a chunky bar. >> some elf told me that was

>> do yo fill them each night because otherwise my kids would open every one them at once. >> one a day, it's an advent calendar. >> maybe for your kids. >> might want to do that nicely. >> and by the time you get to the 25th. green tree stacked, easy to do. >> do it all sglogt why don't you feel well? >> because i wait 25 chunkies, that's why. >> this is a great idea. a felt christmas tree. all the experience you decorate the christmas tree with your little ones. love them to be involved. >> what's the matter? >> oh, you can decorate the tree. >> it's okay. >> let's show her. >> right here. >> this is a felt tree and what's great about that, felt does not break so your kids can be decorating a felt tree and basically you can use cookie cutters to just cut out little shapes. you just trace them on to felt and cut them out and really

just cut out one big tree. this is so that you string the lights so that it goes like this. you can use a piece of string and attach it, and the kids can have fun decorating their tree while you are decorating yours and nothing will get broken. >> that's a great idea. >> all of these are great ideas. you okay? so nice to have you. elizabeth, happy holidays. >> thanks so much. >> and you can find these tips and more holiday decorating ideas at today.com/home. up next, recipes to make your life easier from top chefs padma lakshmi and tom colicchio and, first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right. we're back at 8:51. all week on "today" food we're sharing no-brainer recipes to get you in and out of kitchen quickly so you have more time to enjoy your guests in the holiday season. >> tom colicchio and padma lakshmi are hosts of the hit show "top chef." good morning. i'm a hit of the show. what are you doing? >> it's great. >> going up and down the california coast like a bunch of gypsies in five cities, everywhere. a real jam packed season. >> really great chefs. >> good talent. >> so we're divide and conquering here. >> i'm taking tom. >> padma, come on pack with me.

>> that seems intimidating to me. >> no, no, so simple, flex our muscles. everything on the grid, onion, original, gutter, butter, wine, chorizo, fennel. the first thing we have to do is wash this. >> yes. >> really important, get all the grit off the outside. >> do you have a trick? >> yes, take them to the sink and rub them together. >> get your hands in there and rub them all together and getting the sediment off. >> okay. >> bring them back here now. >> pretend that was a good washing. >> yeah. >> we'll start recipe with a little olive oil in there, garlic and some fennel, and then the chorizo. okay. >> once we get the chorizo. we'll cook this for five to six minute until everything gets really soft, and then after that we're going to add our mussels. >> when you buy the mussels, you store them how? is right in the refrigerator. clean them first and store them in

the great thing about mussels, relatively inexpensive. great source of protein and really flavorful. toss the mussels, add some wine to this and put the lid on it. >> peanut gallery really likes it. >> i'm waiting to eat it. >> and steam them until the mussels open and then we'll add a little bit of butter and parsley and original, and finish that with olive oil. >> gang downstairs is already eating? >> fantastic. >> so much green stuff in my teeth. >> that can happen. don't say we didn't warn you. >> padma and matt. >> i was feeling very confident and i hike that recipe also. >> this is great, really easy and good about it you can get your kids to help. at the holidays we want something easy and pretty and delicious.

pomegranate leaves, mint leaves, serrano chile for heat and mozzarella. cube these, lime and salt and pepper, that is it. you'll mix all these ingredients. >> a little time consuming to get the seed out of the pomegranate. >> i think it's a great way to keep kids busy in the kitchen. like, i have a 5-year-old, so she's doing this. it occupies her for half an hour. have kids wear a shirt that you don't care about or like an old t-shirt because it does stain if it splashes. hard to get off. >> let's say i did a whole bowl. >> and it looked like this, exactly. put the mozzarella in here. i'm going to have you add all these ingredients as i store. two cups of mozzarella and two of pomegranate seeds and half a cup of mint leaves, leave that out, that's for garnishing. >> quarter cup of olive oil. >> sorry about that. >> and two tablespoons of

you can use any vinegar you have. >> just lemon juice. >> a tablespoon of lemon juice and serrano chilies with heat. if you're cooking with kids, leave them out or on the side. >> salt and pape pepper. >> and that is it. >> arrange this on a matter where you just do rings of the red and white and it looks beautiful for holiday, that's it. >> absolutely perfect for the holiday season. let me try that. savannah. you want a bite? >> tom? >> sure. >> i don't want to get your cooties. hand me a fork. >> how is it, guys is. >> amazing. >> phenomenal.

>> make it ahead, . good morning. 8:57. looking at the grand central parkway on a wet morning. police have identified the man wanted for killing his ex-girlfriend in the bronx. they released this picture because he fatally shot a woman inside her home and fled in a gray honda odyssey mini-van. his 6-year-old son was in the son at the time of the shooting. no one was hurt.

56 , high. 46 degrees tonight. tomorrow, cloudy, breezy, high of 51. friday, lots of sun. 50 degrees. coming up on the "today" show, tech the halls with the look at the best holiday gift choices. stay tuned. my name is 208 ridge road. and i've... seen things. like the sock rampage of 2010. the sleep eating of 2012. and the babysitter makeout of 2014. gross. but now with nest cam, these guys can check in 24/7.

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this morning on "today's take," oscar winner sandra bullock is a proud new mom again. this time it's a girl. then, we're counting down to christmas with some of the classics and new holiday movies. and from "lord of the rings" to a real man of mystery, sir ian mckellen joins us. all that and more coming up now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this the "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on a special wednesday morning,

it's special because the tree is just outside your frame, there's the tree, a little sneak peek of the tree. it will be lit tonight. >> so will i. >> yes. >> no, you won't. >> i use it every time. i love that line. >> never gets old. >> willie along with al and tamron instooid side studio 1 ax. my jam this morning. >> love it. >> "hypnotize" by b.i.g. it's the clean version, don't worry, mom. >> i love it when they take the songs and kidmatize them. so cute. >> why did you pick this song today is. >> we've called my son george ever since he was little, he was a baby that he was so big that we called him biggie and sometimes we remind ourselves we're calling our little boy notorious b.i.g.

>> yes, my son is biggie small. >> have to give it to up somebody -- i can not stop looking at al roker for many reasons, his handsome face and goatee and all those things that i could list. this suit -- >> blue corduroy. >> it's ridiculous. >> j. crew. >> blue corduroy. >> when i saw al this morning, and he walked by, and i'm like can i touch it. it was creepy, i know. >> yes, somehow acceptable. >> it is so impeccable. >> yeah. >> but what's your tip for guys? you dress wonderfullly as al, but you take the next level. what tips do you have for the fellows out there is. >> wear something that you feel comfortable in, that you like? >> pajamas. >> pajama jeans. i love them. >> you can take this too far, like joe scarborough. >> with the zipup? he's casual. >> our colleague over on -- >> "morning joe." >> basically wears pajamas. we're a casual show.

>> i expect him to see him in footies. >> wunsies. >> tonight the tree lighting. >> the 13rd annual rockefeller center christmas tree lighting just hours away. it's on nbc at 8:00 tonight. how about this for a lineup? sting. >> yes. >> james taylor. >> boom. >> mary j, mary j blige, andrea bocelli will perform. >> pentatonix, bieber. >> you got everybody. >> braxton sisters. >> can't wait to cuddle up and watch in front of my tv what, time? >> starting at 8:00. >> no matter how long you've done it it never gets old. >> by the way, for a lot of stations across the country it actually starts at 7:00, but here in new york and other stations across our great nbc extravaganza. this? >> it's been going on for years obviously, 83 years, but i started doing it in 1983 on wnbc

three minute of live at 5:00. >> and now it's just kind of grown to this thing. >> wow. >> so much fun. >> i love it every year. by the way, the tree, right outside, the rockefeller christmas tree has its own unofficial twitter account. >> why can't it be official? >> it's not sanctioned by someone. >> the tree kind of went rogue. >> went rogue. >> yesterday the tree tweeted rough day of rehearsals for my tv show. i told them i'm supposed to have more screen time than matt lauer. he gets all morning the it's me time. >> that's why it's unofficial. because it's an agnle ngry tree. >> just attitude. >> a sassy tree, @30rocktree. >> becomes an official account and kinder, gentler, dignified tree. >> no, actually, it gets a little more raunchy. like a biggie tree. >> another biggie. >> there's another tree we've got to tell you about, new guinness record, very, very exciting. most lights on an artificial

it's in australia in the capital there of canberra. you're looking at 518,838 twinkling lights. >> wow. >> it shatters the previous record from osaka japan that had only 374,280 lights so hats off to you, australia. >> the interesting thing, tamron has a tree very much like that. >> oh, al, don't tell this storey. >> what happened? >> she ordered -- was it hot pink? >> my tree this year is magenta, but here's the deal. i ord ed it had. so i ordered the tree last year and it came after christmas so i had to run out and get a real tree and i'm one of the rare people i don't like real trees, because of the needles, i like fake trees because they come in colors. my hot pink tree has been in storage until last night. i pulled the hot pink tree out, supposed to be 6'5", this skinny. >> oh. >> you're tree judging me. >> a hot pink so i had to go and order a second hot pink tree.

>> kind like a scrawny one. >> charlie brown. >> it's so skinny. >> do you do the real tree? >> yes. >> i do a real tree. >> original room, can we -- >> with their fake tree in there. >> survey with our fake original tree, #realtreeyes. >> real tree is going to win. not a competition of that. you can't get a hot pink real tree. you can't even really find them like when i grew up, had white flop ones, they don't really sell those in new york. >> can you put you will a little poll. >> hot pink or no hot pink. >> you got it. >> real tree yes or no. >> get a can of paint at hardware store. >> why haven't we done a diy on how to spray your own tree. >> wow? >> i can think of any number of reasons. >> paint. >> yeah. >> what could possibly could wrong there? >> i'm rolling my tree. >> oh, boy. >> i've had a black tree,

>> you get a lot of takers on that. >> anybody want a black christmas tree? >> do you know how many websites with had a hot pink tree is sold out? sold out. >> mm-hmm. >> i bought them all. >> when they only stock one, not that hard. >> what did i say about his suit? anyway, speaking of christmas decorations that are controversial. >> ah. >> i'm going to show my picture in a second. the holidays are in full swing and one florida homeowner says his town is being dare i say a grinch because i don't know any of those people. check out his over the top annual light display. >> that's someone's yard. >> this is the city of plantation. they filed a lawsuit asking a judge to put an end to t.neighbors are complaining saying it draws a crowd, draws traffic, but i think, you know, it's only -- as long as, you know, if there was an emergency the fire department and police can get in, isn't that a gift to the neighborhood? >> every neighborhood has one of these, you know.

>> but close to it. >> would you be all crumudge about it. >> i wouldn't call the cops. i wouldn't be excited if there's a line cars in front of my house. >> easy to say we don't live next door. >> right now the neighbors are tweeting you don't note half of it. >> christmas picture cards and get those with people from families. this may be best one ever, because we've run out of american cards. let's go back to australia. >> oh, my gosh. >> this is american politician andre who send the cards to the constituents. >> look at the rogue guy? he did not have a good day. >> oh, buddy. >> they tried for 20 minutes and they finally said, you know what, you just sit over here, and there you have it. >> i love those kind of christmas cards. >> an honest moment, that's what we are. >> you cannot wrangle that many people to all -- there's always going to be a blinker, someone who doesn't like their smile. there's always something.

holiday cards, good, bad, ugly. use your #today'stake. >> i've got a good one. a woman her little baby, 5 months old and wrapped the sibling in lights and was holding it. >> oh, boy. >> not plugged in. >> but really cute. >> could have been lows. >> one our viewers sent it to us. >> a baby elephant getting stuck in the mud at krueger national park in south africa. too small to climb out so a little help here. >> come on, come on. >> hurry, mom, hurry up. >> there you go. >> come on. >> yeah. >> it takes a number. >> it takes a little village. >> village of trunks. >> we call that tush push, a little push, tush push. >> needs a little something. >> tush push. >> can you give him a tush push to do the weather.

>> no, that's quite all right. quite all right. >> willie wants his hands all over that sweet blue corduroy. where dylan dreyer go? she's walking out. don't want to be part of the tush push. >> awkward. >> east coast, looking at wet weather. man, it's going to be -- we're going to see wet weather for the tree lighting and all in all not too bad. we're also looking at a real mess getting ready to start in the pacific northwest. beginning of a parade of storms going to be coming in and the rest country looking pretty darn good. speaking of the tree lighting starting tonight, 6:00. well, a lot of people will be gathered. rain likely and 56. scattered showers and misting by nine and by the time the tree another damp day out there, rain on and off throughout the day. probably steadiest mid to late afternoon. tree lighting looks like it will be a little damp. leftover showers, a possibility. can't be ruled out.

it will be staying that way as we go into the weekend. temperatures today, mild, 56. 51 tomorrow. clouds and sun, gusty breeze near 50. friday, saturday, and sunday. a few clouds on monday. 51. maybe some late day rain by tuesday. highs in the upper 40s. >> "today" show original room #realtree, 59% and #fake tree, 46%. >> can we show your tree real quick. >> oh, man. >> get a shot that have guy. >> wow. >> like a rocket ready to launch. >> and you say you were misled on the website. >> showed it all full and plump. >> it lost some weight. >> on a christmas diet. >> up next, it's that wonderful time of the year for jon stewart and rudolph and, hey, let's start with will ferrell's elf.

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sorry. tonight we usher in the unofficial christmas season with the lighting of the 78-foot norway spruce that overlooks >> also the time of year when you and your family will gather around the tv to watch classic holiday movies and a few new ones in theater. >> jessica shaw is here as the xm "entertainment weekly" host. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> start with some of our fave christmas movies, chevy chase, national lampoon's "christmas vacation." >> love this movie, modern christmas classic and he's clark griswold and wants to give his family an old-fashioned christmas for the griswolds

septic tank and electrocuted katnie and bad relatives. very relatable. >> on abc family. >> how did the reindeer. when do we get to see reindeer? >> 51 years old, still great today as it was 51 years old. using it just once a year and see it once a year. on last night and on again december 12th. love rudolph. has a hard time with his nose and his friends and elf who just wants to be a dentist. burt ives narrates it, a classic. >> watch it every day. mariah carey, we love her and she calls herself queen of christmas and that's the holiday album. >> has a movie on the hallmark channel, "christmas melody can the "and it stars lacy shabare who returns home to ohio and run is into her archnemesis played by mariah carey. >> oh. >> do not get too excited because she's not going to sing in this special. she's going to help another girl

>> want to bite christmas album and watch her. >> exactly. >> coming up on nbc at end of the month, "it's a wonderful life." >> one of the great movies all time. frank cap are a's classic. george thinking of ending his life and his guardian angel clarence shows him what life would be like had he not existed. >> uncle billy will remember the money. >> i know, i know. interestingly this movie did not do that well at box office back when it came out, but it was always frank capra's favorite. >> let's get serious now. >> yes. >> "star wars." >> in a galaxy far, far away is what don't we know with this movie? >> don't know where luke skywalker is. absent from the trail, but, yes, this is the late installment, the seventh in the franchise set 30 years after "return of the

and we'll see han solo and princess leia and r2-d2 and a new host of characters and droids will appear and this opens a week before christmas day so maybe by christmas there will be one ticket left. >> you can mott get a ticket at this point. >> alvin! the new alvin movie. >> i didn't see that coming. >> the new alvin movie, the chipmunks are back chasing after and going on a road trip to find their friend who they think is going to ditch them. >> i'm embarrassed. >> i love them. >> in the trailers. >> in texas, they stop in texas in this. >> they sing "baby got back" and "uptown funk" in the squeaky chipmunk voice. who is to say that brings folks holiday cheer >> the chipmunks and a minions, that is a party. i would explode. >> thank you so much. coming up next, it's a girl

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child in louisiana. sandra says it was her son louis who spearheaded the addition to the family saying the house is filled with pink and glitter mixed with legos and batman and bullock hopes to bring attention to the hundreds of thousands of children still in foster care this country. so happy for her, and one our favorite people brooke shields is on the mend this week. brooky, revealed she underwent double wrist surgery to treat her carpal tunnel syndrome which she's suffered from since before the birth of her first daughter rowan in 2013. brooke, if you are watching, please, recover fast. we need you to come back and visit us and willie will baby-sit if you need him to. earlier this morning yahoo! released its top searches for 2015 and the results may surprise you. making the list of the most searched female celebrities. jennifer aniston number four and

kendall daughter and her mom caitlin and bobbi christina brown the late daughter of whitney houston and so many of us hope a that young was able to recover and was not and the sad news it a captured a lot of attention on social media. people wanting to know more about her at that time. and members of the extended kardashian clan stopped the male list, skos disick and lamar odom topped the list and tiger woods, tim tebow and justin bieber rounded out top five. various mix of people that people were searching. coming up, mr. holmes, we'll catch up with the legendary actor and dapper dresser, wow, after your local news and weather. the way i see it, you have two choices; the easy way or the hard way.

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you'd be surprised how easy it is to get a good low-cost health plan! you might even get help paying for it! go to nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777 enrollment ends december 15th . live look at the brooklyn bridge, east river, kind of foggy outside. good morning. i'm michael gargiulo. a trash truck, garbage truck hit a pedestrian there this morning. it happened just after 5:00 a.m. 58 and third. we are told one person was taken to the hospital in serious condition. it appears the truck is owned by a company called classic demolition. investigators still at the scene. east 58th street is closed at third avenue. let's check the weather.

56 for the high. tonight, leftover showers, 46. tomorrow, cloudy, breezy. lots of sun. sunday, another nice day. 52. coming up on the "today" show. mammogram false positives. what you need to know to keep you and the women in your life safe.

taking a look at the headlines, a new study is suggesting that women who get a false-positive on a mammogram may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer later on. about 10% to 15% of mammograms result in a false-positive. the study found women who got false-positives had a 39% greater risk of developing breast cancer within the next ten years compared to those who got a true negative result. experts say those who get a false positive is more aggressively screened.

from costco is expanding to 12 states. an e. coli outbreak was traced back to celery used in the chicken salad the on tuesday the fda add more than 15,000 items to the recall including some prepared foods sold at wall mort, target and seven and the recall includes more than 45,000 holiday turkey sandwiches sold at starbucks. at least 19 people is been secondien by the e. coli outbreak and more than 1.5 million numbers are being -- million drills are being recalled. there's been 25 reports of the switch overheating and six reports of users actually getting burned. this past cyber monday was a record-breaker with shoppers spending more than $3 billion and now warning as those items get delivered. thieves may also be waiting for your packages. the survey for

million americans have had packages stolen right from their front door. experts say the best way to prevent to know when the package is coming and have a neighbor bring it in or have it delivered where you work. and united arab emirates is taking extravagance to a new level with a $27 billion art project, the louvre abu dhabi and the gunk heim abu dhabi are set to open in 2017. i feel a trip coming on. these not branches of the famed louvre, of course, in paris. the names were rented for millions of dollars. the united arab emirates has acquired hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art to fill its exhibit. that's incredibly intriguing. let's get a check of the weather from al roker. well-traveled man. >> thank you very much, and let's travel across the country. take a look at your december outlook, and it's looking fairly warm. will be at the temperature outlook. above average temperatures from minnesota all the way to new england and above average, really the eastern third of the country, below average through

along the west coast, and then as we look at precipitation it's going to stay pretty wet here in the northeast, the mid-atlantic states, gulf coast into the southeast and on into the southwest. however, average to below average for our friends in california, below average in the plains and more wet weather in the pacific northwest. that's what's going on here is another look at the all-important tree lighting forecast. around 3:00, rain is likely. mild at 56. 6:00. still some showers. 55. a couple of leftover lighter showers right before the switch. getting close to 9:00. 54 degrees. for us today, periods of rain and showers and drizzle. high temperature, 56. overnight low tonight, 46 should do it. tomorrow, clouds and sun. 51. lots of sunshine, friday, saturday, sunday, near 50. wet weather late tuesday or tuesday night. >> and that is your latest

>> well, ian mckellen has appeared in more than 100 films and television shows. he's been honored with more than 60 awards during his legendary career. >> he is loved by fans worldwide. of course from the "x men" films and gan golf in "lord of the rings". >> and he's taking on mr. holm playing the famed british detective trying to report case that pushed him into retirement. >> last night i searched for something to jog my memory as the actual case and there it was. a picture. a few years ago i could have told you everything about that woman and suddenly i recalled what had become of her, whether she was victim or culprit, but that night i couldn't remember any of it.

you so much for joining us. >> lucky to be here. >> congratulations on this film. as i understand it one phone call and you were in and we can see from there. >> the director bill condon and i had worked together and "gods and monsters," as you'll remember and we said we wanted to work together again, and i -- every time i went over to middle earth to new zealand to do those movies i would drop in and stay with bill in los angeles and say have you found the movie out and one day he called me up and said i got it and i said when do we start if i agreed to do it and then when i read the script i was thrilled. >> al's been raving about this movie since summer when he saw it. >> good man. >> and out now and how do you approach a story when people feel like they know the character? >> dawn 190 actors have played sherlock holmes on film, tv. this one is different because we assume it wasn't a fictional

actually existed and we see him. 93 years old and hasn't detected here for 30 years and he decides to try to remember why he stopped and it's a case that he solves, the last one which is actually the case that turns out to be himself so you find out a lot more about him and as a real man. >> really fascinating to watch and the young man you work with is so wonderful. >> what a last. laurie linney, you know. i would do a movie if laura i would do a movie if laura linney were in it, wouldn't you? >> absolutely. wonderful cast, and it's done so well. came out in the summer and did very well for an independent movie and that's certainly all over the world and it -- i thought initially it would be a movie that would appeal to people who like sherlock holmes and now it turns out to be a movie that old people like like me and the children of old people like because they see their parent going through stuff

there's a little boy on that end of the market. >> i love everything but and love your friendship with patrick stewart and i search out photos of you together. >> are you good friends with patrick? >> i'll put in a word. >> you'll give up your friend. >> that was an easy trick. >> i'll give you willie if i get patrick stewart. >> lovely. >> never expected this so early in the morning on national tv. >> wow. >> you know, i married him. >> i saw that. >> i'm not married to him. >> i know, i know, i know. >> and i'm -- you two save that for each other. >> amen and hallelujah. and an extra take on the live action of "beauty and the beast." >> i've done, that i'm cogsworth, the clock and bill condon who directed "mr. holmes with the "also directs that so i saw the very first screening ever down in his apartment in tribeca and you're all in for a treat.

>> absolute magic. >> as are most things you're associated with and you and i will be registered at crate & barrel. >> will you wear matching jackets though? >> not necessarily. >> you are the most dapper. >> please, willie, go for t.drape it over. >> ian, thank you so much. "mr. holmes" available now on dvd. >> coming next, we'll get to know the real rob schneider, the former "snl" star writes, produces and stars in a new sitcom. we'll catch up with the schneider family. >> love all around. all: milk! milk! milk! milk! milk! okay! fun's over. aw. aw. thirsty? they said it would make me cool. they don't sound cool to me. guess not. you got to stick up for yourself, like with the name your price tool. people tell us their budget, not the other way around. aren't you lactose intolerant?

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rob schneider created and played a long list of memorable characters during his lock run at "snl" like the richmeister who was making the coffee. >> he went on to a big film career teaming up with adam sandler in 18 movies, including "grown-ups." >> now rob returns in the small screen along with his wife in a new netflix sitcom called "real rob." good morning. good to see both of you. >> good morning. >> we already know you have a wicked sense of humor and this is your first time on tv in the states. >> yes. >> are you nervous? >> yeah. >> good. >> if i get confuse the, just translate from english to more english. >> yes. >> that was patricia's nerves. >> just want to make sure everything is okay.

we've got your image from "snl" and the image from the movies. is this television show, i mean, really, really you, or is it a pretend you? >> it's kind of a -- it's me with the boring parts cut out and more exaggerated. >> actually married in real life and we worked on this show and we wrote it the and we wanted to do something that we could have creative freedom and fun with so we said we'll do it ourselves. >> no hesitation working together as a married couple. >> well, maybe, a little bit. >> as far as writing, couldn't really write together and we had a buddy of ours who was referee and we would write together with him and that worked. >> that worked, otherwise we can't write together. >> why? >> because i -- come on. >> yeah. >> i think we can't. >> honesty. >> what we did good with -- you know, she has a particular way

and it's tough because she's acting not in her own language and she would told me sometimes, look, not my language. >> there are parts of your live as your mine your own lives for the tv show, parts that are off limits where you say, no, that's not going in the show? >> we kind of really went for it. >> we went for it. >> netflix was nice enough to let us do whatever we wanted. it was great, and, you know, the length, it could be a little bit longer, some episodes over 30 minute, some of of it and then arranged and to have that freedom was great. but, yeah, there was stuff, our baby miranda is in the show. >> yes. >> but she had the best hours. 11:00 to 1:00. >> she made her own hours. >> a baby. >> the show is called "real rob." >> you're going to read some facts and we'll find out if they are the real rob schneider or within of our favorite movie characters. >> here we go. >> real rob or fake rob. >> yes.

and was fired for cleaning the tank in the buff. >> definitely. >> that would be real. >> no, fake rob. why the dues big low." >> the not fair you get to play. >> it's like adam sandler. >> rachel mcadams was on earlier, taped, earlier on the show today and i once dressed up as a teenage girl to appear on a late night comedy show. >> absolutely. >> of course you did. >> real rob. >> yes. >> real rob. >> lindsay lohan didn't show up and that was me. >> you are gorgeous. >> one more. >> the last time i was on. >> that's all we have. >> just getting into it. >> a tie. >> we've got 15 other questions. >> i don't want to wait. >> that's on the after show when

thanks, the show is on netflix streaming live 24 hours a day. >> that's what you were about to say. >> but rob said it better. >> all right. >> up next. we are decking the halls with katie who has cool decor and gifts for everyone on your list after this. that's adorable. i love you. love you too. one minute. hi. hi dad. we need to do this, yes. you be good.x alright. letting go... don't say a word. saved for college,

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>> we've got katie who holds the podcast and her guests this week, willie and matt. >> yeah. >> killer. >> good to see you. >> good to see you and good to see the two little minis. >> what a freight way to star. these are our awesome two kids. you get a fill box full of props, costumes and accessories and entire backdrop. choose between a doctor, astronaut and princess and all about, give meet roar. >> roar! >> it's all about the imagination and guess what, there's a free app you can download and make mini movies. >> that's fantastic. >> our kids have this and absolutely love it. put movie titles and music on it and right on the app and share it on social. it's awesome. >> turning art into artwork. >> talk about keeping the imagination going. >> have any drawing from a kid and turn it right into a stuffed animal. >> cool.

is you can also do pets and drawings or also do selfies. how about this. >> they even nailed my hair bow. >> that's pretty awesome. >> and right down to the exact detail. >> wow. >> i like that. >> and willie geist. >> you've got a green hat hat. >> very cool. >> great stocking stuffers and i have to start with the imerry chargers and how about now ten festive lights, $15. kind of love it. my favorite gadget of the season, so much in fact i brought one for every single person on the crew so we'll pass that box around. everybody gets the charger and if you want, this is a power charger, $15, three hours of battery life, candy cane charger, both of these from st. geek.

>> olloclip, cool gadget clips on to your iphone and it goes right over and you level up the instagram shots to get a lot more professional, pretty neat. >> and this thing from j. crew and jimmy fallon. >> actually created this for j.crew, called a pocket dial. you stick it inside here. >> for your phone. >> and it works as a pocket square. >> "star wars" christmas. >> have to end with a little "star wars." "star wars" blue tooth speaker, from barnes & noble. this one is from st. geek, an r-2-d 2 complete with all the sound effect and last but not least on the "star wars" side, have an indoor-outdoor light-up o2 ornament which is you a samb some. weather proof and requires no extra tools. >> katie, thank you. let's go to the original room for the late on the tree controversially. >> what do you prefer real tree or as america the fake tree.

quick tweet. jane says original room, did you say pink tree or pet tree and we love our fake trees.

welcome back. one of our longtime contributors to the "today" toy drive is party light which has donated, get this, more than $4 million in gifts over the years and harry slatd kin is ceo. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> love the horns. >> all about having a surprise at the holidays. >> $1 million more. >> 2 million makes us top $25 million and that's for the kids. makes a big difference. that's where our heart is. >> tell us about this. >> lights a way for the children to give their parents a way to feel good, part about empowering women in the home and this is about empowering children to feel proud at holidays. >> so they can focus on giving and not just receiving.

that's what it's about. >> you're very special and so is the company.

the program was left out of a major funding bill set to past this week in washington. democrats accused the majority leader, mitch mcconnell offer single-handedly blocking it. i want to check our weather, rain on and off. tonight, leftover showers, 46. tomorrow, cloudy, breezy, 51. lots of sun. 50. sunday, another sunny day. we're going to get up to 52 degrees. coming up on the "today" show, kathie lee and hoda. the makeup products that can take you from drab to fab. doppler radar out there tracking