at a california university, triggering screams and send being shock waves throughout the occupy movement. new questions surrounding the mysterious death natalie wood 30 years after the tragedy. why is the case reopened now? what does the sister vof the lae actress believe happened? harry says hello to las vegas for a night out on the scrip. what did the royal do? details, sunday, november 20, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. let me get this straight. what happens in vegas stays in vegas, unless you are prince harry. >> unless you are prince harry.

is he wrapping up an eight-week assignment of military exercises. reports coming in on a colorful weekend in vegas. coming up. >> hard not to have a colorful weekend in vegas. especially when you don't have work to do. on a much more serious note. without a trace. a woman disappears the same day she appears on "the people's court" friends and family are desperate to find out what happened to her and why. the penn state sex abuse scandal. ncaa is joining in the investigation. federal authorities taking notice. it all comes as the football team played over the weekend, and the sad news about joe paterno and his bout with cancer. the latest, just ahead. we'll switch gears, thanksgiving, day as way, believe it or not. the inside scoop on the macy's thanksgiving day parade. i went to the studio where the balloons and floats come to life. to say it was a magical visit

and one that definitely brought out the kid in me would be an understatement. did you see that ginormous thing behind me? a try cycle. >> thanksgiving, so many christmas decorations, felt like we were past thanksgiving. but we are talking about turkey day. we asked to you send us your favorite stuffing recipes. we have three of our favorite recipes. we have stuffing muffins, individual servings. fun to say. >> say it again. >> stuffing muffins. we'll taste them and our judges will choose the winners. a lot to get to let's begin with a shocking video from the university of california-davis. a police officer recorded pepper spraying a group of protesters. we are live in los angeles with more. eman, good morning. >> whatever your politics may be about the occupy protest, it is a disturbing video that

generated a lot of reaction and great questions about police tactics being used across the country to break up encampments. it's the viral video that has provoked outrage. uc-davis police pepper spraying a row of students, with their arms locked and peacefully seated on a sidewalk. part of the occupy protest. >> we have the right to be here, this was a peaceful protest. >> the davis faculty is calling on the provost to resign for allowing police action. >> the unfortunate and very bad situation that was created for our students. >> reporter: the protesters were pushing police back. uc-davis police chief says protesters were "cutting the officers off from their support. it's a very volatile situation." that incident capped off a week of police crackdowns, including

this one of an 84-year-old woman seen here in this photo on seattleci.com. the latest crackdowns signaling how authorities begin to deal with nationwide occupy protest encampments. but it may just be the students who by refusing to move are bringing new life to the movement, two months later. even the university's chancellor has described the video chilling and ordered a review of the incident. police say they acted only after protesters refused orders, and only after they was surrounded by students in what could be a volatile situation. much more news to get to. willie geist at the news desk with more. we begin in the middle east. police and protesters clashing for the second day in egypt. richard engel in cairo. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. elections for a new parliament

here are just one week away. yet, once again, violence in the streets of cairo. more clashes in tahir square after more serious clashes between protesters and members of the egyptian security forces two people were killed, 700 injured. the protesters are demanding that the military immediately transfer authority to a civilian government. they accuse the egyptian army of trying to establish itself as a type of permanent custodian of the egyptian political system, not subject to any kind of civilian rule. now, there is still a week to go between now and those key elections, but between now and then, there may be more violence. willie. >> richard engel in cairo, thank you. some of the republican presidential candidates getting emotional on the campaign trail in iowa. mike vick yaer liquera live at house. >> reporter: almost six weeks to

go before the first in the nation iowa caucus. there were many of them. and many of them spoke in very personal terms about the challenges they have faced throughout their lives and the role of faith in their lives. at one point, newt gingrich, now a front-runner, took a swipe at some of the occupy wall street protesters gathered around the nation. >> go get a job right after you take a bath. >> reporter: and, lester, back in washington, all eyes on congress. i'm sorry, willie. all eyes on congress. a looming wednesday deadline for the supercommittee. supposed to come up with $1.2 trillion in savings over the next ten years. it looks like they about to fail and that would trigger deep cuts in medicare and social security. a massive wind-driven wildfire racing through the foothills of reno, nevada.

it has damaged and stored at least 32 homes. 32 car wrecks in just three hours after a couple of inches of snow fell in minnesota on saturday. 25 people hurt. none of them seriously. and finally, a marine corps sergeant returns from afghanistan to a hot day with actress mila kunes. she was his guest friday night at a marine corps ball in greenville, north carolina that is the news. back to lester, jenna, and janice. >> still trying to wipe the grin off his face. thanks, willie. >> hey, janice. nice in new york. >> they are getting slammed on the west coast again. another winter storm moving into california. heavy rain from san francisco down to los angeles. up in the mountains, across the foothills of l.a., above 5,000 feet, 3 to 6 inches of

and a good sunday morning. i'm news 4 meteorologist chuck bell. we are off to a cloudy but mild start around the washington area with temperatures in the 50s. we're 53 at national airport. 48 in leesburg. 41 in frederick, maryland. 51 in hagerstown. there are showers across central west virginia. can't rule out one or two random rain drops during the day today. but the bulk comes after sundown. off to here is lester. janice, thanks. to the latest in the growing of the penn state sex scandal many it continues to take surprising new turns every day. one of the new surprises, joe paterno, the legendary coach forced to step down, has lung cancer. jay gray is live at state college to tell us more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, lester. another tough week on this campus. look, only for a few hours and did nothing to change the allegations here or the scandal,

but last night, many in this place they call happy valley said they finally had a reason to cheer. it's thanksgiving break at penn state, and many of the students are gone. but the controversy here clearly is not. on the road saturday, taking on rival ohio state, the nittany lions got their first victory in more than 45 years without legendary head coach joe paterno, whose family revealed late friday that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer. >> they will keep fighting, you keep fighting, and everything will be great. >> reporter: but even for fans who gathered to watch the fin, the focus is still not entirely on the field. >> certainly what's going on over the past two weeks is always in the front of our minds, with the impact it's going to have on the team and the university, alumni. >> reporter: an impact that won't be fully realized until multiple investigations are complete. this week, the ncaa joins local

police and an independent committee at penn state in the search for answers. federal agents could still learn that list. sources tell us that the fbi and federal prosecutors are moving closer to opening their own case to deal with allegations that jerry sandusky traveled across state lines to penn state bowl games with young boys and repeatedly abused them, and he used the internet to contact or promote potential victims. there are questions about what mike mcqueary saw or said. too many investigations could take the focus away from the victims and the man accused of the horrific crimes. >> i'm not sure the ncaa and the other folks that -- the federal government, everybody else that wants to join in, might not dilute what we're able to find out about this. >> reporter: so that is what many in this community and on this campus worry about the

most. what they may find out next. and let's get back to the football game for just a minute. there were indications that the team, after the big win, planned to bring the game goal to coach paterno's house when they returned from ohio. that did not happen. though there are some who believe it could later today. >> jay gray, thank you very much. here's jenna. the sex scandal at penn state brought to light another disturbing allegation from the area, one that involves the catholic church. nbc national investigative correspondent michael isikoff reports. >> reporter: the same year that jerry sandusky is aalleged to have molested a boy, there was allegations that many assaults happened in a church rectory, which they were horrific.

>> the abuse was the most heinous types of acts. sodomized, subjected to oral sex. acts of this nature occurred routinely. >> reporter: in the end, that victim was awarded $1.8 million. the diocese had to pay another $8 million to other victims. and those who had to live through the sex abuse scandal with the church now are relive it with penn state. >> so many factors, frankly, are what attract predators. >> reporter: what penn state officials knew about the sandusky allegations and what they did about it are the focus of multiple investigations. in the catholic priest scandal, the church fought the lawsuits all the way, transferred one priest, accused of molesting 11 victims from parish to parish. the local bishop said that the

accusations had been handled prudently, confidentiality, and charitably. but the church was found accountable. >> they found the church more culpable than the predator priest, they had knowledge of misconduct and took no action to stop it. >> reporter: now the stakes couldn't be higher for penn state. not just criminal prosecutions, but an expected wave of lawsuits, that some lawyers say could cost the joouchuniversity much, if not more, than the earlier cases cost the catholic chur church. up next on "today," the people's court mystery and the woman who vanished after appearing on the show. right after this. - [spoken in chinese] will you marry me? - [spoken in spanish] will you marry me? - will you marry me? male announcer: before saying those words, there's one word every man should know. - leo. - leo. - leo. announcer: the leo diamond at kay jewelers, a fire, sparkle, and brilliance so intense,

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in florida, police are searching for a missing mom who vanished after appearing on an episode of "the people's court" and some are wondering if her disappearance may be related to

what she said on the show. >> i felt somebody grab me and yank me around. >> reporter: one of the last times michelle parker was seen was in court, "the people's court". she and her ex-fiance fighting over her engagement ring. after this episode aired, the 33-year-old mother of three vanished. >> this is heart wrenching. and i'm very, very, very scared. >> reporter: orlando police say parker last seen by friends at around 2:00 p.m. on thursday. at 4:30, her brother received an uncharacteristically short text message from her cell phone and that was the last time anyone heard from her. >> it is the absolute biggest nightmare of your life that somebody may have your child. they may be hurting her. >> reporter: orlando police say parker and her ex, have a violence history, but they have no suspects. her family believes smith was the last person to see parker when she dropped off their

3-year-old twins at their home late that afternoon. but they say they have no reason to suspect him. nbc news has reached out to smith for comment, but receive nod response. on friday, police found parker's suv in a part of town that she normally doesn't visit. they are still searching for her. >> open that mouth up and search anywhere in a five-mile radius. >> reporter: the question remains, does the heated tv fight have dig knick to do with parker's disappearance, or is it just a coincidence? nbc news, miami. >> joining us live from orlando, where the search for michelle parker continue ere eer continu mother, and father. >> thank you so much for trying to help us. >> yvonne, let me begin with you i know every possibility has gone through your mind. what theories stand out in your mind at this point?

>> i think somebody carjacked her. i think somebody knows information about this hummer. it's so distinctive. they have to be able to remember where they may have seen her. that's the biggest thing we want to get out right now. that hummer, any information, if you have seen her on thursday afternoon between 3:00 and 8:00. >> let me turn to lauren. we know she appeared on "the people's court" the same day. your mom thinks it was a carjacking. do you think it has nothing to do at all with the show? >> i'm sorry. the show? it could just be a coincidence. we really don't know if it has to do anything with "the people's court." we're not ruling anything out. there is nothing that's being ruled out right now. we need to focus on all possible aspects. somebody out there somewhere will know something, even if they don't realize it. something might spark in their mind a -- you know, they saw

something. >> that particular show she was on as we noted with her exfiance, dale smith. the episode was taped months before but aired the same day she disappeared. did she show any anxiety about that particular broadcast coming on the air? >> the only anxiety she showed is, she didn't really tell a lot of people about it because she was going to be on that show, but she wasn't trying to be like, hey, i'm going to be on. she wasn't excited about it she did what she had to do for her circumstances. but, you know, she did it. so -- >> and, brad, you had spoken with your daughter wednesday. the two of had you made plans to go to dinner on friday. she wanted you to meet a new person in her life. how did she sound? anything that left you curious? >> no, nothing at all. she was in good tone, glad to see us, and we were going to go eat some oysters. she didn't even tell me about

the show being aired. she didn't say nothing. we talked the about 235 minutes or some of and i said i'll call you friday morning, we'll meet up and have supper. >> the car was found on the west side of orlando. any reason why she would be in that part of town? >> we have no idea. she don't come on this side town. someone grabbed her, we're not sure actually if they took her and someone else took the car. like lauren said, it's wide open. we have no clues right now. >> hopefully -- >> where her car was found -- where her car was found is right next to the big mall of millennia. the only reason -- her and i love mac makeup. there is a mac makeup store. that is the only connection we could possibly have. she was tired. she wanted to go home and take a nap before she had to go to work at 7:30. no reason she would have done that. >> hopefully this exposure will

create more attention and exposure. a lot of people in the back ready to search. thank you so much, we appreciate your time this morning. ba income a mome back in a moment. first, these messages. and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is. they're for keeping us together. ♪ [ boy ] to dad, love sam. [ mom ] say "merry christmas." [ boy ] merry christmas. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. [ boy ] charlie brown spotted a small, scraggly pine tree.

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still to come on "today "oishg the latest on the natalie woods mystery. >> first, these messages. that's why i'm here. to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there, every step of the way. call or come in for a free portfolio review today.

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good morning. the time now is 8:25 on this sunday, november 20th. i'm jim hanley. this is your news 4 upday. police arrested 11 protesters who tried to occupy the franklin building in northwest d.c. the free franklin movement were calling attention to the lack of housing for the homeless here. the building was once a homeless shelter. those arrested have been charged with unlawful entry, a miss demeanor. this morning fairfax county police are looking for a stolen car after it was car jacked

yesterday afternoon n parking lot of neimann marcus, tie sons corner. fairfax county police tell us a woman was approached by another woman who said she was out of gas, then scar jacked the good samaritan at knife point. police tell us the 2003 silver acura had virginia tags with the license plate number xek-8095. the victim was not seriously hurt. . and we'll be right back with

the big question today, when will the rain end? chuck has your sunday phoerbg. most of the day, cloudy, mild and dry. no more than a quick drop or two. but after the sun goes down, steadier rain showers will be moving in. it could be cloudy and wet for several days to come. enjoy the dry hours we have. temperatures in the mid-50s. we're off to a very child start. thanks to the mild start, highs today in the low to mid-60s for a time. most of the showers in central west virginia are drying up over the mountains. more rain where that came from so rain more likely after sunset today but at least it will be mild one more day. jim? >> sounds good. be sure to back on this sunday morning. november 20, 2011. just four days until

thanksgiving. a great crowd bundled up on the plaza. not so cold today. a lot of people here for the holidays. and here for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. i wanted to mention something real quick. every sunday morning, and you i started to tweet some behind the scenes video. >> you do all the work and i retweet it. >> that's the way it is with the rest of the show. we walk around, had some fun. check us out. >> are you jenna -- >> @jennawolfe. >> and i'm -- >> @lesterholt. >> we have a lot of fun, funny stuff. >> learning. trying to be more active. we're talking more about natalie wood. what happened? >> the official account of what happened, it was an accident. but it remains in the minds of many one of hollywood's biggest mystery. she drowned after spending a night on a yacht with her husband robert wagner.

we'll hear what natalie wood's sister has to say and which actor has hired an attorney all these years later. >> the last time i was in las vegas, i think two people recognized me, and i was like this is the best thinger. prince harry is in las vegas. how many people do you think is recognizing him. what kind. time will he have there? the royal bachelor spent the night at one of the strip's biggest clubs. his love for motorcycles took center stage as he rode across the arizona desert on a harley. a couple phone calls, fraps? >> i think he deserves a time to kick off. he has been doing military training in the u.s. for the last eight weeks. and the winner of our thanksgiving stuffing contest. some people call it dressing. hundreds of viewers sent in their recipes. three were chosen. that coming up. >> fat free, calorie free, none of those things. it will taste amazing.

>> and i'm a big fan of the macy's day thanksgiving kparade. i had a chance to go to the factory where all of the floats and balloons put together. sort of a helium experience for me. a lot of fun, and, of course, i made it funnier than i probably had to, but we'll take a look inside. >> talking funny after inhaling all that helium. >> maybe a little bit, but not much. >> i set up, and you stepped right through it. janice has a check of the weather. >> brother, sister and cousin from connecticut and where? >> pennsylvania. >> having fun? >> yeah. too cute. and give this guy an "a." let's check the weather and see what's happening this morning. across the country, travel forecast, i cannot believe this, it's a tricky travel week for a lot of people. rain and thunderstorms from dallas,

and a good sunday morning to you. i'm storm 4 meteorologist chuck bell. off to a cloudy but mild start this morning. we'll get breaks of sunshine through the rest of the late morning, early afternoon hours. gradually they will lower and thicken as we go through the day. current temperatures in the mid-50s. highs today in the low to mid-60s. 30% chance of a little light rain primarily after the sun goes down today. rain where to get your week started and rain at least through wednesday. tonight, we have sunday night football, right here on nbc. and a big game going on, and it's going to be happening at metlife stadium in new jersey. the new york giants will host the philadelphia eagles, partly cloudy and mild. we're not wearing our coats right now. in the 60s later. 50s by the time of kickoff. now back to jenna. >> janice, thanks, prince harry has been on military training

exercises in california. but his trip to the u.s. is definitely not all work. harry is also having a bit of fun along the way and that was certainly the case over the weekend with the prince hitting the las vegas strip. nbc's duncan galasani has more. >> reporter: he's known as the party prince, as you can see. getting western wiles here in croatia, and yesterday dancing down at this las vegas club. reports say harry arrived at the v.i.p. section of tryst at around midnight. a few of admiring young ladies soon formed. at the end of his week, the prince has been having fun. friday, harry on a harley. roaring off across the arizona desert. the 27-year-old has seen his brother safely at the aisle, but so far no, girl has been able to tame his wild ways. his longest girl, chelsea davey,

on, off, on again and finally off. in california, he met jessica donaldson and she says he was a perfect gentleman. >> like any young guy in his late 20s, he wants to have fun. i think he forgets he's perhaps one of the most photographed bachelors in the world. >> reporter: since then, down to work at the arizona air force base, the prince undergoing eight weeks of advanced training as an apache pilot. this is the image that buckingham palace would prefer us see, from serving in afghanistan to campaigning for charity in africa. but with harry, it seems the motto is work hard, my hard. nbc news, london. >> by the way, captain harry wales here with other members of the british army. is he at the top of his training class. now here is lester. now to the stunning new developments surrounding the death of natalie wood, 30 years

after the actress drowned. authorities have reopened the case and many people are talking, including the sister. >> reporter: from child star to silver screen icon. >> let me entertain you. >> reporter: natalie wood did just that, entertain movie goers, but the three-time oscar nominated actress died at the age of 3 4 3 in a serious accident 30 years ago, aboard a yacht with husband robert wagner and co-star christopher walgin. >> it was an accidental drowning. >> on friday, an announcement by the l.a. county sheriff's office. >> recently we received information that we thought was substantial, enough to make us take another look at the case. >> including information from the boat's captain. >> i made mistakes by not telling the honest truth. >> reporter: what took place that weekend was the subject of speculation for many years. and reopening the case has

triggered some mixed reaction. natalie's sister, lana has told media she welcomed the news. >> in all fairness to natalie, i think all of the facts need to come out. >> reporter: doug bombard, who found natalie's body floating in the water, says reopening the chase be painful. >> well, i think it's bad, just from the standpoint that robert's family and everybody has to deal with it again. >> reporter: christopher walkin has not publicly comment, but hired a lawyer. in 2008, wagner explained how wood died. >> she slipped on the swim step and hit her head and rolled into the water. tragic, tragic night. >> reporter: others speculated it was a lover's triangle that night that ended in tragedy. now 30 years later, the boat captain is pointing a finger at robert wagner.

>> was he responsible for the death? >> yes. >> reporter: he ordered her not to search for her or alert authorities immediately. the sheriff's department is classifying the death as an accident. and says wagner is not a suspect. the accident terrortoactor's up family welcomes the investigation. >> joining us with more is casey jordan, true tv analyst. >> good to be here. >> reporter: this is an interesting story, but it's not necessarily the same one the captain told 30 years ago. do you rely on him a key witness? >> is he the person bringing the new concept. he calls it evidence. is he getting affidavits, sworn statements, and saying things weren't exactly what he said 30 years ago. his credibility is in question. memory does not get better with

age and skeptics will say he's trying to exploit the 30-year anniversary to sell his book. >> investigators seem to suggest they have a lot of new information. he might be one component. that could tend to make it more credible. >> they are not coming forward with what the new evidence is. someone heard a woman screaming, this idea that there was an argument, stopped, there was a thump. but if you piece it all together, there really is a logical explanation for how it could have absolutely been an accident. so it's hatching it up. turning the details. i haven't heard one report of something new other than saying robert wagner told him not to go look for natalie that night and that seems to be something other than the allegation of foul play, no forensic evidence of foul play. really coming down to his word, the captain's word of the other occupants of that yacht. >> have you no physical evidence and you don't have a body to

exhume at this point. if you wanted to go there. >> she was buried, not cream ma. if there was evidence of foul play, cracked skull, knife wounds, strangulation, it would have been discovered at the time of autopsy. the idea she may have gotten into a dinghy to go to shore, slipped, fallen and may have drown, is probable. >> the fact this they do learn new information, there is a possibility that they could. >> absolutely. this isn't a cold case this is a closed case it had a proper investigation. now, whatever evidence has been brought forward by the captain and his co-author, the police have an obligation to look at that. i'm happy they are taking it seriously for all potential unsolved homicides, at the same time, they'll go to hawaii, florida, skeptics say they are enjoying free vacations and

they'll get the exact same outcome 30 years ago. >> they can say they followed it up. >> they are doing due diligence, and all police agencies should do that. >> thank you very much. >> great to be here. >> we're back in a moment. ♪happy birthday to you. ♪happy birthday to you. ♪happy birthday to you. that's relied on to help bring children holiday joy, and while it doesn't travel by sleigh or reindeer, it does get around... in fact, every year duracell sends loads of batteries to the mattel children's hospital, u.c.l.a. of course, children here and everywhere

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[ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] we're just four day as way from the annual tradition, macy's thanksgiving day parade. i had the invite of a lifetime, to go inside the macy's studio, where the floats and balloons are created. since 1924, it's been as big of a part as thanksgiving as turkey and stuffin. >> welcome to the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> where do the characters, like sponge bob, spiderman and snoopy come from? >> who rang that bell?

>> hi. >> hi, jenna. welcome to the brand new macy's da parade studio. >> reporter: this is macy's parade studio, which just opened in september and before any of the parade's 25 floats hit broadway, they are drilled, stapled, sanded and painted right here. every turn of the prize. a sight behind every door. >> in this area -- >> oh! >> if willy wonka did parades this would be his factory. >> come november, the noise and action doesn't stop. willy wonka around these parts is named john piper. is he vice president of macy's studio, and this thanksgiving morning, he'll work his 31st parade. it starts at 9:00. what time do you get up that day? >> we start with a meeting on 7:30 on wednesday morning. >> i said 9:00 a.m. thursday, you start with a meeting at 7:30

and go straight through? >> yes. >> i love it today john and his team finish the last float on which every last little detail, down to the exact paint color is meticulously planned. >> what is the color of that red paint really look like? is it fire engine red or is it a craisin? what do we have on this? seven layers of paint now? >> at least. >> reporter: as for the snow -- >> okay, nice and easy. it's actually carefully crafted sti row foam. >> just a little bit. very good. very good. >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: 100% jenna craftsmanship. where does that piece go? >> reporter: behind the turkey. all eyes will be there. final float complete, what about the high flying start? >> when the balloons first came into the parade in 1927, they would march them down to the

parade route until they got to macy's and let them go. a tag attached to it, if found, call this number for a prize. >> reporter: the 14 giant balloons in the parade live here too. and i got the inside look at mr. square pants, literally. >> oh, my god! this is so cool! look at this. >> welcome to the land of 1,000 or more lines. >> this is like the matrix. look how this thing is all held up here. >> each one of those ropes is attached to various points that help pull the outside of the balloon into shape. come on out. >> reporter: wow. so much more helium than i thought. all kidding aside, the job that john and his team undertake until the big morning is that

all of them, some of whom have worked more than 40 parades, take very seriously. how much work goes into this? i know it's an enormous amount. >> we are already working toward next year. >> reporter: you haven't even had the parade, and you're working toward next year? >> yeah. >> reporter: and as my visit comes to an end, i wasn't about to leave empty handed. so you wanted me to say the signature balloon. wait a minute. that's our new strike balloon. she is bringing that back, isn't she? >> just when you think you have the coolest job, that look as a lot of fun. >> watch thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. guess where? right here on nbc. just ahead, which thanksgiving day stuffing reigns

supreme? the stuffing contest is next. we'll stuff ourselves. first, these messages. ood of ommuni on november 26th you can make a huge impact by shopping small on small business saturday. one purchase. one purchase is all it takes. so, pick your favorite local business... and join the movement. i pledge to shop small at big top candy shop. allen's boots... at juno baby store. make the pledge to shop small. please. shop small on small business saturday.

savory or spicy, we love our own thanks giving stuffing. what makes a recipe award winning? >> we selected the three best recipes from millions and millions of viewer submissions, like billions, brought them together in our studio and judging the best of the best, are sunny anderson, hosting her own thanksgiving special later today and willie geist. good morning to everybody here this morning. >> good morning. >> great to have you. we want to start with v

williams, actually it's venita. you brought a fusion kind of a thing inspired by a trip to puerto rico. >> it has mashed plantains, and section r secret ingredient is all spice. >> you will dish it up, i want to try this and you do a cornbread by the way too. >> the cornbread, it's interesting. i made it a great recipe, but you can buy and and just crumble it right up. >> very good. residen >> sunny, what do you think? >> this feels like a vacation. i love the chorizo. >> a little puerto rican flavor. >> next up, bob yodice. here is what i love about yours. you have the chestnuts. tell me about the inspiration? >> this is a family recipe passed down from my mom, my grandmother. this is my version of it.

it's been changed a few times over the years. >> do you mind if i help myself? go on. >> it has chestnuts. that give it an earthy taste. a little sweetness, the spongeiness of the bread, the italian sausage. spices, sage,tim thyme, celery crunch, and the chicken base gives extra flavor to the whole dish. >> i'm not a sausage eater, i had a little chestnut and the chestnut flavor brings everything together. absolutely delicious. willie, what do you think? >> i love the sausage this tastes like the holidays, comfortable, i love it really good. >> that's called a compliment. that is fantastic. thank you very much. >> then ann lahey here. stuffin muffins. this is a fun idea. >> yes. >> what inspired this? >> several years ago when i was making my thanksgiving dinner, i thought to myself, you know,

everybody wants the crunchy part of the stuffing and there is only that bit of real estate. >> you're right. >> and it's always a fight at the dinner table who gets the crunchy part, so i had this revelation and i thought, well, let's put them in a stuffing muffin tin. >> can i try it? >> see how they came out. >> everyone does like the crunchy part. at least i do. >> the year i did that, everyone ate the stuffing and i had no leftovers for stuffing the next day. >> what do judges think? >> wow. wow. >> nice, huh? >> i like the format too muffin format. >> breakfast, lunch, and dinner. >> does it come outside the turkey in the muffin mold. >> no, i just make it and put it in the muffin tins. >> let the judges confer. do you need a moment? i guess we'll leave our contestants over here. >> why you do that -- >> these are all original

recipes, right, guys? >> yes. >> when you decided to share them with the nation, that a little scary? >> it was more scary getting the phone call. you picked our recipe. >> i think they are all winners. what do i know. >> i have something big and gold here. a nice trophy to give to -- >> yes. >> who and why? >> this is very difficult. >> i think the theme for the day is sausage. all good throughout and this is truly the best of the best. the 2011 stuffing contest, the winner, so seasoned, so stacey. >> are we going to take a commercial break, or will you tell us? >> it's ann. >> yeah! >> congratulations. congratulations. >> oh, my gosh. >> all our contestants as well. they were really terrific. >> anyone want to come on food network later today? >> willie, thank you very much.

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a deal on the deficit remains elusi elusive. joining me, republican senator john kyl and john kerry. and plus our political roundtable. >> thank you, david, very much. >> that will do it for us on sunday morning. janice huff, willie geist, thank you so much. onward and upward as far as digestion goes. this has been a wonderful morning. >> thank you for being part of our stuffing contest. coming up next weekend, the best cities to live in for football fans. i'll be back tonight for "nbc nightly news." have a great day, everyone. so long. good morning. welcome to news 4 today. i'm angie goff.

>> i'm jim hanley. it is sunday, november 20th. off to a cloudy but comfortable start out there, chuck bell. >> very comfortable. yeah. temperatures about 15 degrees warmer this morning than they were yesterday morning. so that's a huge change. and as a result it's going to be a really nice mild sunday. clouds are definitely going to be an issue with us, but we're getting one or two breaks of sunshine. a live view of washington. coming down river there, headed for the runways at reagan national airport. mild, indeed. temperatures in the middle and upper 50s already. and we have had one or two lumps of sprinkles early this morning. we could see one or two more here during the course of the day. but most of the rain we'll get comes after the sun comes down. showers in central west virginia are drying up as they come east. but there's more where that came from in kentucky and tennessee. that's coming our way for overnight tonight. cloudy, mild.