>> thank you. super. that's "news 4 today." thanks for joining us. the "today" show is next. we'll be back in 25 minutes with a local news update. be sure to join us at 9:00, too. a have a great day. good morning. breaking news. a stunning arrest this morning. oscar winning director roman polanski who fled the u.s. 31 years ago after pleading guilty to sex with an underage girl is taken into custody. what happens now? a show of force. iran test fires two missiles overnight amid gwing international condemnation of that secret nuclear facility. a close call.

a florida woman survives an alligator attack with quick thinking and quick reflexes. we'll tell you exactly how she got away, "today," sunday, september 27th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. a short time ago word came that swiss police arrested oscar winnin director roman polanski. >> remember that polanski fled the country back in 1978, a year after pleading guilty to sex with a 13-year-old girl. he's been living in france ever since and while considered a fugitive from justice, her career flourished during that time. we'll tell you what could happen next to the academy award winning director. after that heartbreaking

case of the fertility clinic error that led to a woman carrying another woman's baby, another mix-up. the clinic is speaking out. we'll switch gears. i had a chance to sit down with a former "saturday night live" star amy poehler. we'll go behind the scene of her new sitcom "parks and recreation." what may be some of the most adorable visitors we have had in the studio for a long time. >> gothe diaper on. >> one of our many monkey friends here today. >> do your joke from earlier. it's a given. they were so funny. >> it made an impression on me. >> i thought it was funny. we'll get to news. we go live to the white house for the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: iran says overnight that it launched two missiles

including a first-time launch of a multiple missile launcher. this comes just two days after president obama appeared with close allies, great britain and france, at that g-20 summit in pittsburgh and revealed to the world the existence of that secret nuclear facility. it also comes four days before iran is set to sit down for the first time with major world powers including america, china, russia, germany, france and britain to talk about its nuclear program. the united states has insisted that iran must match its words with actions. it says nothing short of full transparency will do after iran yesterday said that they would admit international nuclear inspectors onsite to see this facility. officials here may look at this several different ways. no official reaction yesterday but they could see this as a provocation or a domestic show of force because it's known that the current iraqi regime led by

mahmoud ahmadinejad is in weak shape politically. one thing that could happen is it could backfire on iran as the international community is united as never before in facing down the nuclear threat. jenna? >> mike, thanks. >> now here's lester. >> we're joined by david gregory from "meet the press." iran has launched this missile. this is ahead of this meeting between the security council and iran coming up this week. how does this raise the stakes in terms of the west and what it can demand and what it can do to iran? >> this is the be kind of irrational behavior that iran has demonstrated for a long time now. you've got a level of frustration now within the obama administration that has boiled over and i think these talks will come at a time when the administration is in a position to say, look, we have you on this. we have the information. it's either time to deal in good

faith, to negotiate for real, or we're going to make a move on you with sanctions or perhaps worse. this is the kind of leverage that the administration has sought for some time going back to the previous administration and has not had. so this is a real time for decision. i think including our interview with former president bill clinton, this is an opportunity to both be tough and also pursue the engagement that the white house has talked about since president obama came into office. >> you could argue that this is president obama's first major national security challenge. i know you talked to president clinton about this. what exactly did h say? >> he talked about the very difficult choices and balancing act that this president has to carry off now including the upside of making good on the promise to engage. i think we have some of that sound. >> i always think it's a good idea, if possible, to look somebody in the eye and have a chance to have a conversation

before there's a total breach. i think this is actually healthy that this has broken. >> healthy because the administration is in a position to say we want to get inspectors into this facility in a set period of time and we get resolution on some of these issues by a set period of time, a certain deadline, or we have the force behind us to take action against you. that's assuming there's been positive signs coming from russia. can the administration get china behind this? the game has changed a bit with this new information being brought to a head this week. >> i want to talk about that unity. if they get china on board, does it become a unique opportunity for the u.s.? >> it it does both to pursue economic sanctions which have not been tried before at a time when the regime is more politically vulnerable and economically vulnerable. that's an option. it also gives a little bit more momentum to the idea that israel

will take matters into its own hands. whether the united states wants that or not, israel will claim vindication because it has been saying for some time that iran was farther along than americans believed they were and it will not abide by a threat at its doorstep. >> all right. david, thanks very much. >> thank you, lester. more on the arrest of roman ponski. tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. roman polanski was arrested in switzerland saturday evening at the request of the united states. the 76-year-old film director was traveling to zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award. film festival organizers in zurich said they were shocked and dismayed by the news. polanski fled the u.s. to live in france in 1978, a year after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. the girl's mother complained to police that polanski had given her daughter drugs and alcohol

before having sex with her at jack nicholson's house in los angeles. polanski directed the film classics "china town" and "rose ma's" his career continued to flourish in france and he received an oscar. he recently sought dismissal of his american case on grounds of misconduct by the now deceased judge who polanski said had arranged a plea bargain and then reneged on the deal. >> any word on whether polanski will be extradited to the u.s.? >> well, all we know at this point is that he's in detention presumably near zurich airport. the swiss are thorough in extradition matters. relations with the united states are good right now thanks to a change in attitude over swiss banking secrecy so we may well see this case fast tracked and polanski back in the u.s. to

face original charges brought against him 31 years ago. jenna? >> all right. tom aspell, thank you. now here's lester. >> in california saturday a gathering of friends and family of yale graduate student annie le. two weeks ago they were supposed to gather for her wedding. now they came to say good-bye. >> reporter: surrounded by family, annie le's casket made its way into the church she attended as a child. this would be the final good-bye. >> may she now share with him eternal glory. >> reporter: it was a service to celebrate her life but one also filled with immeasurable sorrow. le's mother read a poem to had her daughter translated by her son. >> my deepest sorrow like a knife through my soul. >> reporter: than she spoke to

the man annie loved. >> even now annie is gone but i still have you and love you very much. you are my son. >> reporter: annie le grew up in california and later enrolled at yale. on september 13th, her body was found inside a university research building where she worked. missing for five days, she was discovered on the day le was to be married. lab technician raymond clark is charged with her murder. investigators have said nothing about a motive while le's family is left with unanswered questions and overwhelming grief. annie le was 24 years old and in many ways her life was just beginning. a promising student, a young woman in love, the victim of a senseless murder. she's gone but her memory remains. >> i miss you. i will always love you.

>> it's now teninutes past the hour. time for a check of the other top stories of the morning. >> for that we'll turn to cnbc's melissa francis at the news desk. >> good morning. we begin with newly released security video of the aftermath from the 1995 oklahoma city bombing. in the footage you see people running from the scene after the bomb went off at the building. some of the images were used in the trial of timothy mcveigh. the last defense witness testified in italy in the murder trial of american college student amanda knox. the 22 year old is on trial with her italian boyfriend for the murder of her roommate. an expert testified that dna levels from knox found on a kitchen knife alleged to be the murder weapon were too low to be considered as evidence. closing arguments are expected late next month. cleanup has begun in parts of georgia ravaged by severe flooding last week. people in northwest georgia were

taking what was left from their flood damaged homes. on friday vice president joe biden pledged the federal government would help georgia recover from the ordeal. at least 11 deaths in georgia, alabama and tennessee were blamed on the storms. judge sotomayor's first pitch was right down the middle. sotomayor is credited with saving baseball when she issued the order that helped end the major league baseball strike of 1994 and '95. a florida woman walking her dog by a lake was attacked by a seven-foot alligator. it happened at sawgrass lake. the gator sunk its teeth into diane blackwood's calf. she tried to pry the gator's jaw open with her finger. that didn't work. she eventually used her thumb and dug into the gator's eye. i hope you're into the eating bre

breakfast. when they caught up with him, he said next time i'm going to wear goggles. painful. >> i'll help you out. >> i'm trying. i'm trying. >> the story should have been the next time she said something like i think i'll walk my dog on the street. that's a crazy story. >> janice huff is taking time off this morning so the weather channel's jim cantore is helping us out this morning. >> we're talking about wind coming over the great lakes with a storm and ahead of that a good chance of severe weather. let's look at it here comes the next front which will make even the south feel like fall is around. you get a chance t dry out in atlanta. maybe wind and hail pushing through chicago. tomorrow the big wind moves in for you. there you can see the wind visories. many states across the upper midwest dominated by those wind warnings and watches, wind

advisories. all shuffling east over the next couple of days. big low forms and drives over the northern great lakes this afternoon. in the meantime, it will be soggy for the patriots and falcons today. good old foxborough, massachusetts, look for a wet game.s ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç## the. meteorologist, chuck bell. it's a low deck of overcast hanging outside this morning. here is a check of ray daush. a few lonely right rain showers. drizzle around washington. temperatures are in the mid-60s in town right now. it will be a mix of clouds and sunshine today. another shower is ssible, but warmer. highs today back in the 70s. >> for more weather information, you know where to go. weather.com. we have it all for you.

guys? >> jim, thanks very much. up next on "today," a new fertility clinic scandal affecting about 100 patients. how could this happen again? much more after this. lots of guys everywhereo dot have already done-- go see your doctor, because those could be urinary symptoms due to bph, an enlarged prostate. and for many men, prescription flomax reduces their urinary symptoms due to bph in one week. one week. only your doctor can tell if you have bph, not a more serious condition like prostate cancer. avoid driving or hazardous tasks for 12 hours after your first dose or increase in dose, as a sudden drop in blood pressure may occur, rarely resulting in fainting. if considering cataract surgery, tell your eye surgeon you've taken flomax. common side effects are runny nose, dizziness and decrease in semen. millions of men have been prescribed flomax. maybe it's time to see your doctor and ask if flomax is right for you. and call 877-4-flomax to see if you qualify for up to $40 off new or refill prescriptions. for many men,

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all week we've been riveted by the story of a woman mistakingly implanted by another couple's embryo. now there's another story affecting dozens of families. >> reporter: in new orleans officials at this in vitro

fertilization clinic suspended operations indefinitely friday. >> we are deeply sorry for the concerns, anxiety and fear we know this causes our patients. >> reporter: the facility's ceo said that no embryo was ever implanted in the wrong woman as was the case for this ohio couple. >> i have really bad news. kind of sat up. he said you're pregnant but they transferred the wrong embryos. >> she gave birth to a baby boy but agreed to return him to his biological parents. >> we'll wonder about this child every day for the rest of our lives. >> reporter: the biological parents called her guardian angel. mixups like these are raising the dependability of expensive procedures which are legal and available in every state often used as a last resort to

conceive. more than 130,000 such procedures are performed every year in the u.s. resulting in about 50,000 births. one prominent fertility special in no way connected,0 eed to th mishaps says mistakes are rare. >> there have been over 3 million babies born and there are three our fr four cases whe this has occurred. >> reporter: back in new orleans challenges appear to be mounting for the oxnard clinic. an attorney is seeking a class action lawsuit against the hospital claiming errors affected not only her clients but dozens of others. >> they didn't know which embryos were my clients and which were someone else's. that causes a lot of anger and upset and humiliation and a lot of feelings. >> reporter: a lot of feelings some argue simply too painful to bare. still to come on this sunday edition of "today," time to head

back to school as i take a trip back in time. that's not an attractive picture. i take a trip back in time to college. first, these messages.

pope benedict xvi was upstaged on saturday by a spider. it happened as the pope gave a speech in the czech republic. the black spider started crawling all over the pope's robe first on one shoulder and then disappearing and then showing up again. >> glad we highlighted that. some people in the audience appeared to hold their breath as the spider made its way to the pope's ear. at one point the pope swatted

the spider. it did survive and was later seen hanging from its web as the pope made its exist. all is well in the end. >> still to come on "today" she, left "saturday night live" for a new life in prime time. a sneak peek at amy poehler's new sitcom. husband: or start a business? advisor: yep. wife: or take some classes? sure. or find the best cheeseburger? the line isn't for everything. whatever your destination, fidelity has the people, guidance and investments to help you find your way. ...all over again. (announcer) maybelline new york redefines red. (whisper) the color opassion. (announcer) new color sensational from maybelline new york rich luscious lipcolor like you've never seen. (whisper) the difference? (announcer) now, pure pigments create our richest, crispest color. nourishing honey nectar creates our most luscious feel.

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8:26 is your time now. 65 degrees. a wet washington this morng. when will the rain end? we will have your forecast after the news. here is a look at what is making news this morning appear small community in mourning today after a mother and two children were killed. investigators say charlesam1q=9

sr killed his two children and his wife before killing himself, and they have not said why. and then a young person from the baltimore area is the latest victim of swine flu, and it's the first swine death involving a child for the state. and then metro has touted its effort to move older 1,000 series cars to the front of trains, but the washington post uncovered documents in which it was called a means to help public perception. the road to richmond heads right through northern virginia

today. candidates creigh deeds and mcdonnell will be campaigning in the area tonight. mcdonnell will be in manassas is afternoon for the

let's cheng check the weather now. >> everything outside is soaking wet right now, even though most of the rain is already behind us. take a check of radar. more light rain moving into portions of northern southern maryland. and there are more showers now across portions of central west virginia. those will come over the mountains and towards us later

in the afternoon. most will fall apart. we are nowhere near the amoun of rain as yesterday. mid-60s right now. mid-70s for highs today after morning sunshine we will have afternoon clouds back tomorrow and another chance of rain on monday afternoon. and most of your sunday is soggy, but dry, if that makes sense. >> hello. i'm here today to apologize for my speech on wednesday. it was so long and so rambling and it didn't make any sense. i watched a tape of it and i was, like, who is that guy? >> yes. we're back on this sunday morning, september 27th, 2009. that was a look at the season

premiere of "saturday night live." the talented cast back on the air last night after a summer break featuring some big names including megan fox and a very special musical performance by u2. it is being dvr'd for me. >> that's bono. >> nothing like making an entrance. member when you did that one time coming into the studio that way and i was, like, who is that guy? i'm jenna wolfe along with the guy that came in that way one time. lester holt. still to come, michael jackson fans are showing their devotion. >> jackson fans lining up for days for an event that doesn't happen for wes. coming up, we'll tell you what they've been waiting for and why they hope to be a part of history. this is a story that does not end. our back to school series continues. lester remembered those days of

junior high. i remembered my college days. i got a second chance to anchor a college newscast. it made me realize how much better i came. i had such a good time going back. great school. great people. that was a lot of fun. >> we look forward to that. actress amy poehler left "saturday night live" to star in a new sitcom by creators of "the office." i got a chance to go behind the scenes of "parks and recreation" and see how she's liking prime time. is it fun to be on the set with them? >> they have that sketch comedy background. they do the scene several times. it's never the same. >> we'll get chance to meet that cast. first, another check of your forecast from weather channel's jim cantore. >> soupy out there. that will head off. >> are you having a bad hair

day? >> i don't know if it was as bad of yours in those early days. >> you score. >> bring that one in. let's check out the radar. you can see what's going on across the northeast. this is where most of the rain will be today by the way. if you're going to enjoy the game in foxborough, mass, it will be wet. maybe severe thunderstorms in chicago. get ready for big wind. that low pressures ç#ç#ç#ç#ç#ç## it's soaking wet outside, even though most of the rain has come to an end. here is a check of doppler. rain showers down in southern maryland. and also showers in the central mountains of west virginia. and also towards winchester front royal and most of the day it will be partly sunny

>> it is "sunday night football" in the west. thank goodness for a cover on the dome in phoenix. this is tremendous. 107 degrees today outside. a retractableoof so you're golden inside. retractable field so they bring in fresh grass and have it nice in time for the game. it will be great. temperatures 103 to 107 at the start of the game outside. the air conditioned dome. enjoy. lester. >> jim, thanks. three months after michael jackson's death, loyal fans line up i los angeles for days to score tickets to the film of the rehearsals of that comeback concert. jeff rossen is here with more. >> the movie premiere is one month from today. with that same dramatic flare that michael jackson was always famous for, the studio released tickets overnight to mark that

one-month countdown. at 12:01 a.m. pacific, the moment arrived. fans camd out for days. >> i'm so excited you have no idea! >> reporter: there's loving michael jackson and there's loving michael jackson. they lined up near the staples center in l.a. and slept here since thursday just to be one of the first to buy tickets to the michael jackson movie. this is it. >> i love you. i really do. >> i love his music and performing but i like his person better. i'm here because i'm supporting hip. he's more of a dad to me than anyone. >> reporter: no one can say they loved jackson more than this family. number one in line and they figured dressing up their son couldn't hurt. >> this is it. like the movie says. this is it. the final one. it was for my kids actually. as you can tell they love michael jackson. they'll be very appreciative when they get older.

something they'll always remember. >> reporter: the first 500 in line will get into the star studded premie a month from today. the movie is an all-access pass to jackson's final days and final hersarehearsals for the comeback tour. >> everyone will see these will be the greatest concerts ever. greatest comeback ever. the one thing michael insisted on is if it's not going to be the best, don't do it. >> this is the moment. this is it. >> this is very unusual. very rarely do you have someone's work being presented after they passed away. we saw it with heath ledger with the "dark knight." >> reporter: it was the jackson family that hired a production company to film michael's funeral. he was the ultimate performer. and it this will be the ultimate finish.

>> i feel so blessed that i can give the world that. the movie will debut in los angeles on october 27th, a month from today, with a red carpet premiere and it goes national to a theater near you as they say the very next day for a two-week run. get your tent ready at your local theater. >> thanks very much. for more on that and latest michael jackson headlines, we're joined by an nbc news contributor. i want to talk about these tapes that his close friend recorded and made public. we get into the depth of pain and the whole personality of michael jackson. i know there's nothingo repair for fans but for people on the sideline or critical of michael jackson, will this change their views? >> i don't think it will. there's not a lot that's really new here. he was scared of his father.

he had trouble creating relationships with women. mistrustful of almost everybody he needs except children. these are all things that we've known about michael for a long time. >> he wanted to be loved. i guess we all want to be loved but from standpoint of being a performer or superstar for him it was the end of the means of being loved. don't want to play psychologist but it's fascinating. >> everybody who chases fame does it either to be loved and to be told you're so great or to be showing off a talent that they have mastered. michael is doing both things. great singer, dancer, showman, showing off that. getting love he said he didn't get as a child. he's getting all of that. this is very common among performers. again, the rabbi isn't giving us anything new. when he said he took michael to a musical synagogue and that's interesting and madonna being jealous of him is interesting and new but for hardcore jackson

fans, this is, like, okay, we knew that. >> let's talk about the film which is the rehearsal footage for this comeback tour. is part of this going to fill the same need that we had from the original concert, this need to find out does he still have it and in this case did he still have it? >> for jackson fans who have had jackson in their mind for 40 years will do a lot. it will give them one last breath of being able to be around him and see himnd how he was and i know there are many people out there who feel jacksonned out and are saying the media is keeping this going. i think that they should be patient with the rest of us who are still there who said for 40 years this guy has been like a brother in our lives. we're not ready to let him go yet. elvis has been gone for 40 years and people are still talking about him all of the time. michael has been gone for a couple of months. let us still have the time to deal and process this loss. >> all right.

thanks very much for stopping by. always good to have you here. here's jenna. thanks. time to go back to school again. on saturday lester relived his middle school years but i decided to take a second pass at college. that last stop before grown-up responsibility. yes. higher learning. college. the means by which we bridge the gap from high school to adult and nestle atop a hill in western new york is the state university of new york. with only about 5,000 students, it's one of the most selective public colleges in the country. the average s.a.t. score of the incoming freshman, 1340. which makes it all the more puzzling why i got in way back when. so today my own personal reunion tour. school just started up again. >> we're in our third week of

classes actually. >> is that studying? studying going on? i didn't crack a book until i was here for a month. i headed straight for the gym. this year's volleyball team competitive, just like a certain someone back in the day. just ask the coach. >> you look good. you do. as long as you look good, we play well. >> i love that. that's what i'll tell lester when we get back. i was ready to call it a day. common sense intruded and it was off to class. >> we are a bit late miss jenna. >> a chance to reunit with my toughest professor but most influential and reassure her i did lesharn a thing or two.

i can say a day doesn't go by that i don't go back to some of the fundamentals of writing and being creative and thinking outside of the box and thinking of different approaches to write things. i can't tell you how many nights i spent here at the library studying late at night, reading, memorizing or -- a the sun went down, the lights were firing up at gs tv. my college tv station where i was invited to guest anchor the evening news 13 years after my last crack. >> she's back and she's damaged goods. no comments and no hesitation when offered a second cnce to do this again. good evening. welcome to the first broadcast of this semester. i'm jenna wolfe. with my confidence back and comfort of knowing that the program was still alive and well, i sought out the dormitories. just so i'm clear, i'm actually not staying in a hotel tonight.

>> since your old room is taken we prepared a new room just for you. >> thank you very much. i'm exhausted. who knew college was this tough. thanks. good night. for you, it's a wrap. yeah! it was so nice to go back. >> it's like grad school. >> yeah. exactly. no. we had a great time. it was so much fun. al roker talks about the best sub shops where he went to. you have to go for the sandwich. and also the education. i'm sorry. education. best school ever. okay. up next, check out these faces. you're about to see them and they are adorable. we'll get to know those little furry friends in just a bit. stay with us. the one thing about smoking -

is it dominates your life, and it dominated mine. and the sad thing about it is that you can always use an excuse if cigarettes don't kill me, oh well - something else will. but, you can't use that as an excuse. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. chantigave me that extra help that i needed to get through a tough time. (announcer) chantix is a nonicotine pill. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it is proven to reduce the urge to smoke. i did have an unopen pack of cigarettes in my purse and then i think i opened my purse and realized it was still there. and i said, "what the heck, i don't need these..." ...i said, you know, "bye, i don't need you anymore, you're not my crutch, i don't need a crutch." (announcer) talk to your doctor about chantix and a support plan that's right for you.

some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taki chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions to chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away. tell your doctor which medicines you are taking as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. the most comn side effect is nausea. patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit smoking products.

as a non-smoker it's wonderful. the best thing that evr happened. the best thing i have ever done besides my husband, and dogs, and family. with the chantix and with the support system, it worked. it worked for me. (announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you. time to meet our newest friends visiting our studio this morning. >> we have some of the favorite primate babies. i like this one i have in my hand here. this is -- >> it has several different names. we named this guy with two different names.

he's pedro pete. >> your microphone is in there somewhere. >> you don't have to worry about it going to the bathroom on you, lester, because that was done on the commercial break on me. >> i wasn't going mention that. >> this is the smallest one? >> yes. smallest monkeys. they are the smallest monkeys. even though they are small, they have quite the attitude and quite the personality. right now he's thinking your finger is probably a piece of bark. that's what they eat is sap. they chew on the park. >> he just took a card out of your pocket. i understand they are adapt at taking things. you are getting a hike phone. keep talking. >> this one is from south america. a new world monkey obviously. these guys really are adept at doing a lot of things with their hands as you can tell. one of the main jobs is helping people who otherwise can't help

themselves like people in wheelchairs. they can flush a toilet. push an elevator button. >> do we have baboons? >> i thought that was a stuffed animal. >> are they monkeys are apes really? >> they are monkeys. one way you can tell is all apes have no tail. monkeys have tails. >> why do they like to hug so much? >> they're very social. they're still very young. it's a source of security. if i gave this guy his teddy bear here, he's probably going to get on it. he'll make a liar out of me. that's what they do. they hug. it keeps them safe. they are warm. plus it's really cute and they know that. >> i want to see the liamer that we have here. look at that. >> this is a real treat. they are extremely rare. he come only from the island of

madagascar and they come from only small portions of mad g madagascar. >> thank you. we'll be right back. first, these messages. for joint pain. for joint pain. proclaims "gq" magazine. did you see that? the interior "positively oozes class," raves "car magazine." "slick and sensuous," boasts "the washington times." "the most striking vw in recent memory," declares-- okay, i get it already.

i think we were in a car commercial. ♪ yeah ♪ yeah.

our monk ye friends decided to hang out with us. if you love actress amy poehler on "saturday night live," you can get a dose of her on thursday nights in "parks and recreation." i got a chance to go behind the scenes of her show and see her in action. take a look. >> it's time for a woman to make it to the white house!

>> it's supposed to be mine. >> reporter: for years she kept us laughing on "saturday night live." >> when my husband wants to get sexy, i say look at a picture of angelina jolie. >> reporter: and on the big screen. >> what is this? >> water. >> it's horrible. >> reporter: amy poehler is taking on city hall with a straight face. >> here's the situation -- >> your parents went away on a week's vacation. he will left the keys to the brand new porshe. >> reporter: from the creators of "the office" is starting the first full season. >> i guess that's why i didn't notice that police car. >> reporter: poehler plays a well meaning clueless but ambitious mid level manager at a small town parks department. >> no need to argues. parents just don't understand. what's up? >> someone is on fire in the park. they need you to get down there

right away. >> leslie has a long-term goal. it's to slowly but steadily move up until some day she's the first female president of the united states. want to hear something awful? he didn't know who madeleine albright was. >> reporter: you get to play the same person every week. how challenging is that? >> it's a relief. it's been really fun to think about how this person lives in their world. >> reporter: "parks and recreation" cast include a member of the parks department staff. >> it was a learn learning experience. >> i was learning disabled and my mom cast a long shadow.

we'll fix that later. >> reporter: the awkward scenes, a challenge to jones and paul jones who plays the city planner. >> is it hard to maintain composure when the scenes are going on? >> we're the common sense characters in the show. we're deflecting relickoidiculo behavior from other characters. i find it difficult. >> reporter: as are lines and looks directed straight into the came. >> to be clear that was a friend punch. there was no meaning behind that punch i gave your arm. >> you made it clear there's no romantic element to our relationship in any way. >> reporter: something actors are not supposed to do in most shows. >> my thought is i made a massive mistake and we'll have to go again. >> reporter: the show hopes to fully develop its cast of quirky characters like the bored intern

who was once an intern. >> a big part of being an intern for me was going on the internet and wasting time. >> reporter: and the boss. an anti-government bureaucrat. >> you show zero initiative. not a team player. he's never one to go that extra mile. tom is exactly what i'm looking for in a government employee. i think we all had administrators in our lives who abused what little power they had. i feel like ron pulls from those guys. >> reporter: how does being born somewhat out of the"office" legacy hurt or help you? >> we had to let people know at we weren't a spin-off and we are in our own world and now this season really looking forward to showing everybody what we are. >> action. >> reporter: "parks and recreation" is shot in los angeles but amy poehler still calls new york and in particular 30 rockefeller plaza home.

>> every once in a while i yell live from new york saturday night to no one just in the hallway. >> we miss amy around here. >> cast looks like they're having a blast. >> we have monkeys running around the set. >> they all disappeared. >> there they go. >> we'll be right back. it lets you choose what purchases you want to pay in full to avoid interest...with full pay. and those you split... you decide how to pay over time. if having a plan matters. chase wh matters. create your own blueprint at chase.com/blueprint.

time for a check of what's coming up this morning on "meet the press." moderator david gregory joins us for that. >> we'll have the way forward on iran and afghanistan. exclusive interview with former president bill clinton and debates with senators kyle and webb and an exclusive interview with governor paterson. will he run after the white house tried to get him not to

run for re-election. >> thanks very much. >> that will do it for us on this sunday morning. melissa francis, sally, and jim cantore. thank you so much for being with us. i'll see you tonight for "nightly news." so long. have a great day. a mou moral for a family murdered. a 7-year-old girl and her brother and mother all dead, and the father is the killer. and roman polanski was arrested this morning. iran fires missiles as the world watches. good