heavy, wet snow into the deep south and into the midwest. in some areas they're expecting up to 9 inches. and what does he know? the ex-fiance of a missing florida mom who vanished just hours after the couple appeared on "the people's court" now named the primary suspect. her sister reacts in a live interview today, tuesday, november 29th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning and welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, i'm savannah guthrie in for ann who's on assignment. herman cain has had to defend himself against allegations of sexual harassment and now he's having to address an accusation that he carried out a lengthy affair with a georgia woman. >> that's right. the woman spoke out to a local tv station in atlanta alleging

the affair started back in the late 1990s. while herman cain does acknowledge that he knows her, he's denying her claims. so what impact will this newest allegation have on him and the gop race? we'll have more on that straight ahead. also this is a big day for dr. conrad murray. how is he feeling as he prepares to be sentenced for his role in the death of michael jackson. coming up, his friend and former assistant opens up about her recent jailhouse visit with dr. murray. here's a story i think a lot of people can identify with. imagine being the parent of an obese child and being told by social workers that your kid would be better off living in foster care. basically they say you neglected your own son or daughter by allowing them to get so overweight. it happened to a family in ohio. >> no surprise, a lot of people are outraged by this. others think it's a good decision. so how do today's professionals feel? we'll tackle that topic and a lot more later on. let us begin this tuesday

morning with herman cain facing an allegation of an extramarital affair. lisa myers has the latest on this story. lisa, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. cain's latest accuser says she had an on-and-off affair with him for 13 years and that the physical part of the relationship ended eight months ago, right before cain announced for president. >> i didn't want to come out with this, i did not. >> reporter: with that, atlanta businesswoman ginger white told a local atlanta tv station, waga about what she says was a 13-year affair with herman cain. >> i was aware that he was married. and i was also aware that i was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship. >> reporter: white says she met cain in the late '90s in louisville, kentucky, where he was speaking as ceo of the national restaurant association. she says they had drinks. he invited her to his hotel

room. after that she says for 13 years he flew her to meet him in hotels and lavished her with gifts. >> he made it very intriguing. it was fun. it was something that took me away from my sort of humdrum life at the time. >> reporter: even before white's allegations aired, cain went on tv admitting he knew her bedue but denying the affair. >> i acknowledge that i knew the woman but the accusation that i had a 13-year affair with her, no. >> reporter: after the report the campaign issued a statement. detractors are trying once again to derail the cain train with more event of past events that never happened. >> my wife's reaction was very similar to mine. here we go again. we will basically show when the details come available that i didn't do anything wrong. >> reporter: white said she had planned to keep the relationship secret, until she saw what

happened to the four women who accused cain of sexual harassment. >> these statements are all false. all of these women are all lying? they're all lying? >> did not happen. >> they are all lying? >> yes, they are. >> it bothered me that they were being demonized sort of or they were being treated as if they were automatically lying, you know, and the burden of proof is on them. so i felt very bad for them. >> reporter: as evidence of her relationship with cain, white produced records of 61 phone calls and texts over four months to cain's private cell. cain told waga he was just trying to help white financially. court records reviewed by nbc news show that white has had financial problems, including a bankruptcy filing and eviction notices, a lawsuit by a former business partner also accuses her of slander. the former business partner told nbc news that white told lies about her. we reached out to white's lawyer, but got no response.

one other curious note, matt, as this story was breaking, cain's lawyer issued a statement which stopped short of denying the allegations and instead argued that this was none of our business. he said alleged consensual conduct between adults goes to a candidate's private sex life is not something the media has a right to question and that the public has a right to know. matt. >> lisa myers in washington on this story. lisa, thank you very much. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd is white house correspondent, guys, good morning to both of you. >> hi, matt. >> the first reaction is this is almost anticlimactic after the first drip drip drip of the last month or so. what impact do you think this story has on this race? >> i think some of the impact from the allegations has already started to materialize in cain's poll numbers. he's fallen some, particularly in early states and in the national rankings.

whether it's among women or social conservatives in an early state like iowa, and they are really important in the iowa caucuses. some of that support has started to fall away. herman cain got on the political map because he was talking about tax reform, 9-9-9. now he's had gaffe after gaffe when it comes to foreign policy. i think he's being taken less seriously so there's less conversations about these kinds of personal allegations although their impact will be felt. >> before i turn it over to chuck for a second, the statement from lynwood, the attorney for herman cain saying this is basically none of our business and an alleged consensual sexual relationship between adults falls outside the media's right to know, does that statement raise more harm than good? >> it certainly raises those questions. those other allegations were legitimate things we can deal with and this is a private affair. i don't think that's going to work in this case. it suggests maybe he doesn't

want to get into this. maybe something really happened even though cain denies it. i think it's a way to target the media again, this is another example of coming after herman cain. >> this is not about that lawyer telling the media to back off, this is for the people who don't trust the media in the first place, especially what they consider to be the mainstream liberal media. they're firing up the base with that statement. >> they are, and the first time that did seem to work when the first round of allegations, the sexual harassment stuff, because they were anonymous accusers and so you could rally the base there, the tea party conservatives that are really -- that were really behind herman cain. they got into that and they loved attacking the media. this, though, the accusation is not really coming from the media, it's coming from this woman. and i've already noticed you're not seeing the same rallying around cain that you saw the first time. but just to go to the point that you started with earlier, matt, this was a campaign that was withering on the vine. now we're in sort of the sixth sense mode.

everybody knows this candidacy is basically dead except the campaign. >> so 36 days to go until the iowa caucuses. is herman cain at this point doing damage? i mean he's talking about everything but policy right now. is he doing damage to the rest of the gop field or in some odd way, guys, and david, you could tackle this, is he helping some of the other candidates? >> well, i think to the extent somebody like newt gingrich who has told people i'm not going to attack herman cain for his problems but wait patiently for his supporters to come to the point of view that he can't win as chuck says and get some of that support and look where newt gingrich is in the polls right now. he's on top. i think power begins to consolidate against the one anti-romney candidate. for the moment it's newt gingrich. it gets difficult to come back a second time. >> chuck, your take on that? >> i think that cain is not necessarily hurting the field anymore. he's become a sideshow. it's almost a shiny metal object at this point. the campaigns themselves, the other ones, newt gingrich was

asked about this yesterday and said no, no, no, i'm not talking about it. yeah, it really is a distraction but i don't think it's hurting the field. i think it actually was hurting the entire field during that week of focus on sexual harassment. >> guys, thanks very much. i appreciate it. it's nine after the hour. here's savannah. now to another big political story. after more than three decades in congress, massachusetts representative barney frank has announced his plans to retire at the end of his current term. congressman frank is with us this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> when you talked about why you are retiring, you said your district has been redrawn in a way that would make it more difficult for you to win re-election. my question is are you leaving your fellow democrats in the lurch? it won't be any easier for any other democrat to win this seat, right? >> right, but that's not exactly what i said. i didn't say i wasn't running because i was afraid i couldn't

win. what i said was i had decided over a year ago i was going to retire. i'll be 72 in a couple of months. i didn't think staying until i was almost 75 was ideal. but i then wenhen we took over e house i thought i should be here to fight financial reform and to make sure military spending reductions of an appropriate sort are part of deficit reduction. that's what i planned to do. when i saw the new district, there were two responses. because it's 325,000 new people, it would include full-time campaigning, including raising a couple of million dollars. >> so for those who think this is a signal that you don't think democrats will win back control of the house in 2012, your response would be what? >> that i wish we could talk substance sometimes in the media. i know that's against the rules. i'd like to talk about public policy. i regret that we can't. no, i am making a personal decision here. i was going to retire.

i changed my mind because i felt i could spend this two years most effectively if i was a candidate for re-election fighting to protect financial reform and reduce excessive overseas military spending. now that i would have to spend most of the year in campaigning, fund-raising, et cetera, those reasons are no longer valid. so, no, this doesn't mean that we're not going to take back the house. in fact i think we're likely to win this seat. again, i don't know, did you think i would serve until i was 106? i'm 71 years old. the question is i have decided not to serve until three months before my 75th birthday. i guess i don't understand why that is so hard for people to grasp. >> you've talked about the tone in washington among the media but also members of congress. you have served in this institution for 30 years. during that time i don't have to tell you congress's approval has gone down to the single digits. how does that make you feel about your life's work? >> well, you exemplify what i

think is a change in the tone. you manage to ask all sort of negative questions. i understand that's the media's current role. it didn't used to be that way. that's part of the way for the low approval. it's gotcha this and gotcha that, it's gotcha journalism and gotcha politics an it does lessen our chances to get things done. i may have a big ego but never identified myself as the entire congress. i'm very proud of the financial reform bill and proud of the progress we've made, for example, in protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people against environments. i'm proud of the role in helping impeach bill clinton. the fact that institutions in america today are less popular, the media is less popular, congress is less popular, i don't tack that personally. >> back to the tone, you make a fair point about the media, on the other hand, you certainly are known for your sharp tongue

at times. do you feel any responsibility for your own role in kind of that tone that we do see in washington, whether it be media or members of congress? >> well, congratulations, you're four for four in managing to find a negative approach. no, i will say this. in 1981 when i got to congress, i was very cooperative in a bipartisan way. newt gingrich actually boasted about the extent to which he changed things. he forced out the minority leader and said, no, we have to challenge the democrats as our enemies. look, there was a poll taken a couple of years ago, 2010, i believe, or 2009 and people were asked who was the most partisan member of congress and who was the most bipartisan and they asked the republicans to rate democrats and democrats to rate republicans. i was rated as the most partisan and the most bipartisan. i think that's what's appropriate. where you have areas of disagreement, you ought to articulate those.

where you have areas of agreement, you ought to work together so i think i've been able to do both, be sharp where there were differences, which is appropriate in a democracy, but reach out and be cooperative on those areas where we can work together. >> congressman barney frank, congratulations on your retirement. thanks for being with us this morning. we appreciate it. >> you've welcome. >> how's the rest of your day going? >> i don't think i'll be invited to the retirement party. let's go over to the news desk. natalie is standing by with a check of all the top stories. >> good morning, matt and savannah. good morning, everyone. we've got some breaking business news. american airlines and its parent company had filed for chapter 11 reorganization. the company's ceo is also stepping down. he will be replaced by the company's president, tom horton. retail came to the rescue and cyber monday said sales soaring up 18% from the same time last year and that in turn sent stocks soaring. mandy, what is it looking like there this morning? >> reporter: at this stage we're

looking a little positive but who knows by the end of trade today. as for cyber monday, you're right, it was a booming success for retailers showing americans growing confident using their tablets and smartphones and pcs to shop online. it's also very important that black friday and cyber monday are good for the retailers because some of these retailers make up to 40% of their annual revenue during the annual shopping season. big news from facebook with that report saying it's considering raising about $10 billion in an ipo in april to june next year which would value it at d.$100 billion, which would be twice as high as what it was back in january. back to you. >> that is unbelievable. mandy drury at the new york stock exchange. thank you. the second mile charity that was founded by jerry sandusky is asking its donors to contribute elsewhere, in particular an organization for victims of sexual abuse. prosecutors say the former penn state assistant football coach met many of the young boys he's now charged with sexually abusing through that charity.

this, as the young man known as victim one in the case against sandusky, has hired a legal team known for representing victims of the clergy sex abuse scandal in the philadelphia archdiocese. the chairman. u.s. joint chiefs of staff has refused to apologize for the nato air strikes that killed 24 pakistani soldiers this weekend on the border with afghanistan. general martin dempsey acknowledged that islamabad has the right to be angry but cited the need for an investigation. this morning pakistan pulled out of a conference on afghanistan slated for december. officials say it is a boycott to protest those nato air strikes. and three wealthy money managers from the posh new york suburb of greenwich, connecticut, just got a lot more money to manage. they won more than a quarter of a billion dollars on a single powerball ticket. that's the largest jackpot in that state's history. they took the after tax lump sum of $103 million cash and say they are putting it to good use. they are planning to give a significant portion to charity.

there are some reports that say the trust is a front for an anonymous winner who hired the men so he could keep his own identity secret. it is now 17 minutes past the hour. big mystery, though, because it took almost a month to come forward. they even put billboards up asking them to make themselves known. maybe because they don't need the money? >> a lot of papers say rich get richer, with the whole occupy situation going on not going on well in some quarters. you guess right, you get a buck and a dream, right? >> except for savannah. >> all right, all right. >> who sees the glass half empty rather than half full. >> you're going to gang up on me too? >> try to get that positive attitude back. time for the tree lighting. let's go you what's positi attitude back. tennessee, getting socked with snow, and in places like denmark, tennessee, five inches of snow. schools all over the state

having delayed opening or closing, and tennessee, mississippi, alabama, arkansas, missouri and kentucky. go to the map, and basically we have a storm system getting itself together. you get some of the snowfall totals. and wilson, arkansas, three inches of snow. there you see the wrap around system, and ahead of it, warm air in new york city, and winter storm watches and winter weather advisories in effect throughout parts of the mid planes, and also in the upper great lakes. we're talking from six to nine inches of snow in the next 48 hours. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. rain creeping closer to the metro area and coming in from the south and west. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, and we have sprinkles in northern montgomery county, and then we will get chillier. right now mild throughout much

of the region in upper 50s and low 60s, and 62 at reagan national, and then chillier as rain and that's your latest weather. matt. now to los angeles where the doctor who was found guilty of causing michael jackson's death will be sentenced today. dr. conrad murray faces up to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. nbc's kristen dahlgren has the latest on that. kristen, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. we're all watching to see what happens today, but even if the judge throws the book at conrad murray, a court order to reduce prison overcrowding here in california means he may only serve a fraction of any time. >> find the defendant, conrad robert murray, guilty -- >> reporter: for many of michael jackson's fans, the day a jury convicted dr. conrad murray of involuntary manslaughter marked the end of a long, difficult struggle for justice. but for murray's friends and supporters, the verdict

signalled the beginning of an uncertain new chapter of time he'll spend in state custody. his friend and former medical assistant stacy rug els visited him in jail. >> he was extremely positive. he told us he had read the bible from front to back twice already. >> reporter: according to tmz, murray has been placed on suicide watch while in jail, reportedly telling friends that he's lost the will to live. the sheriff's department refused to comment on murray's physical or mental health, but ruggles says those reports don't sound like the man she's known more than a decade. >> i'm sure anybody that were to go to jail that's never experienced anything like that may at some point feel defeated or may feel that they're at a breaking point. >> reporter: in an interview taped before his trial ended, murray told savannah guthrie that he wasn't mentally preparing for life behind bars. >> have you thought about what it would be like to spend four years in jail? >> that is a chapter that i have not thought about. because i do not have any plans

for any such activity. >> reporter: now murray's future lies in the handle of judge michael pastor. >> dr. murray's reckless conduct in this case poses a demonstrable risk to the safety of the public. >> reporter: legal experts say the judge's decision to hold murray without bail indicates that he may be inclined to hand out the stiffest sentence he can. >> we'll give him the maximum amount of time in jail and i think we will be surprised that he will also order restitution and money to the jackson family and potentially even to the prosecution for the cost of investigating this case. >> reporter: but because of a legal mandate to reduce the prison population in california, even a four-year sentence could mean only a short stint. >> prison overcrowding has changed the game as far as sentencing goes. someone who is receiving a four-year sentence is likely to only do several months in the county jail due to the new laws. >> reporter: now, the court is not saying who, if anyone, from

jackson's family will be giving victim impact statements today. no matter how much time murray gets, it's likely he'll lose his medical license here in california and other states could follow suit. >> all right, kristen dahlgren. kristen, thank you very much. coming up, the ex-fiance of a florida mom missing for more than a week has been named the primary suspect in her disappearance. we'll talk to the missing woman's sister. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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just ahead, new evidence that shows more parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. we'll talk to dr. nancy about the controversial decision that could put others at risk. plus the boy who says he's been to heaven writes a new book for kids. we'll talk to him after your local news and weather. hey babe... oh, hi honey! so i went to the doctor today, then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay downalance faster

to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. chase slate with blueprint helps you save money on life's little surprises. trip...lets... start your path to saving today, call 855-get-slate. good morning. i am joe krebs. it's 7:26 on this soggy tuesday. meteorologist, tom kierein, is looking at the changes going on outside. tom, good morning. as you can see, we have some

clouds above us right now. 62 degrees outside. we had drizzle overnight. tom says later today we will have more rain moving in. 100% chance of rain today. things will be breezy tomorrow, wednesday, as it gets cooler, and lows in the 30s

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7:30 now on a tuesday morning. 29th day of november, 2011. a mild start to the day. those temperatures will hold up for a while but we will have some rain in the area a little later on. the good news is, though, it's expected to clear out before they light the christmas tree in the background there tomorrow night. meanwhile inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside

savannah guthrie who's in while ann is on assignment this morning. just ahead kids and vaccines. new numbers show a growing number of parents in more than half of the states in this country are opting out of school shots for their children, and there are renewed fears that trend could lead to trouble for public health. we're going to get some perspective on that from dr. nancy snyderman. also ahead, charlotte church, who of course rose to fame as a child opera sensation, is opening up to her treatment by the british tabloids. she claims she was once offered a choice, take 100,000 pounds or favorable press coverage, saying that meade -- singing at media mogul rupert murdoch's wedding. and professionals weigh in on cell phone software that can track your whereabouts as you walk through a mall to those three wealthy finance guys from connecticut who just claimed a $254 million lottery jackpot. we're going to begin with new details in the case of

missing florida mother. she vanished following an appearance on "the people's court." they say her former fiance is the primary focus of this investigation. we'll talk to parker's sister in just a moment but lilia is here with the latest. >> reporter: good morning to you, savannah. it was a bombshell in the search of a missing mom that's captivated orlando. after saying for days her ex-fiance is not a suspect, police are now saying he's the only suspect. missing mom michelle parker in happier times with dale smith, the father of her 3-year-old twins. now the chief suspect in her disappearance. >> after numerous tips and investigative leads, we are officially naming dale smith, the ex-fiance, as the primary suspect in the disappearance of michelle parker. >> you could have avoided this, dale, if you had cooperated with the police and took a polygraph test when they asked you, you

know. you could have eliminated a lot of stress, so unfortunately you brought this on yourself. >> reporter: a youtube video and postings on facebook offer an inside look into the life of the man believed to be the last person to see michelle when she dropped off their twins at his house. >> he's suing for $5,000, the value of the ring. >> reporter: hours after the two were seen on national tv arguing over a lost engagement ring on a taped episode of "the people's court." >> he's a mean person, especially when he's been drinking. >> reporter: when michelle told her mom she was humiliated by the experience, smith promoted the episode on his facebook page where he also posted photos showing him dressed up as some of his favorite movie and comic book characters. captain america, gi joe, luke skywalker, costumes he wears to science fiction conventions. but at 11:08 on the night of

michelle's disappearance a darker post on his wall. oh man, oh man, michelle, the mother of my kids is missing. her mother called me and said she never showed up to work after dropping the kids off with me. the police just came by and searched my whole house. this isn't good, my kids need their mother. this was not the last time police searched smith's. on saturday a s.w.a.t. team raided his father's home. >> nothing of significance was found in that location. >> reporter: smith posted on facebook that he prays for michelle's safe return. he also tries to clear his name saying i'm not that time of person. if you know me, then you know the truth. just what michelle's family is seeking. >> we're not going to stop until we find out who did this. we love our michelle so much. >> reporter: we're learning this morning that smith has hired a well-known orlando criminal attorney, but police say they're not looking to arrest smith. we have reached out to him and his family for comment, but they have not responded. savannah. >> all right, thank you.

we're joined by michelle parker's sister, lauren erickson. good morning to you. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> i know these are really difficult days and i just wonder what your reaction is to the police coming out and now saying that your sister's ex-fiance, dale smith, is a primary focus of this investigation. i know early on you and your mom and your family members didn't suspect him. have you changed your mind now? >> i think it's something that's definitely been on the back of my mind ever since the second she went missing just because of the show airing that day as well as that was the last place that she was supposed to go to drop off the kids. i'm honestly not surprised that this has happened, no. >> what have police told you, if anything, about why it is they do now consider him a suspect? >> as to why, i'm really not sure. i mean i have my own theories, just because of their past and everything and he was the last

one to see her and he is now not cooperating. they asked him to take a polygraph test and he said no. there's a couple of other things that he's not doing as well, he's not cooperating and he hasn't let us see the kids. >> lauren, what are your suspicions here? >> my suspicion, i mean i don't know what he knows, i don't know what he did, i just wish that for his children's sake to have their mother that he would say something. he was the last one to see her. he knows something. i don't doubt for a second in my mind that he knows something. >> are you concerned that he still has custody of their twins? >> i don't think he would ever do anything to hurt his own children. he has surprised me in the past of doing things that i thought he would never do, so is it a concern? i mean yeah, kinda. >> you mentioned "the people's court" a few minutes ago. she disappeared the same day that this episode aired. early on michelle's mom said she thought that was just a coincidence. it sounds like you think this

show had something to do with it. do you know what? >> i don't know what it may have had to do with it. i just know that i last saw my sister at 2:30 who said she was dropping her kids off and going home to take a nap. at 6:50 i get a phone call from my oldest nephew asking me where his mom is. the instant i had that phone call, it went straight to my mind, i'm not going to lie. but i was hoping, i was hoping for the best that something like this wouldn't happen. >> very quickly, we saw in the piece that dale has posted several messages on facebook since michelle's disappearance including one that said dear god please keep michelle safe and return her home unharmed and another said i hope they find her and bring her home. what's your reaction to seeing that? >> i didn't even know he had a facebook. as far as i knew he was deleted. he's not a friend of mine or my family's on facebook. he has not tried to contact my family nor has his family tried to contact my family to help hand out a single flier. >> lauren erickson, i know these

are difficult days and we wish you all the best in the search for your sister. >> thank you. >> if you have any information call 1-800-432-tips. now we'll get a check of the weather from al. >> savannah, thanks so much. as we look and show you what's going on as far as your temperatures are concerned for today, we've got 40s, 50s and 60s in the northeast all the way down temperatures are concerned. we are all the way along the eastern seaboard, and 80s in southern california. we expect to see plenty of sunshine tomorrow for the tree lighting. we have a temperature at 55 degrees, and by the time we light the tree, 48 degrees and clear skies. we have the rain creeping closer to the metro area right now across the county. and it's all rain and it's

advancing slowly to the north and east. right now it's mild. temperatures are in the low 60s around the metro area, and will stay mild through the morning but then as the rain picks up in the afternoon, we will get chillier. and and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> thank you, al. still ahead, one boy's story of his trip to heaven. it inspired the best seller "heaven is for real." we'll talk to him about his new book for kids. up next, new evidence that a growing number of parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. why doctors say that decision is putting other children at risk. we'll get into the controversy right after this. how are we going to make this season better than the last? how about making it brighter. more colorful. ♪ and putting all our helpers to work? so we can build on our favorite traditions by adding a few new ones. we've all got garlands and budgets to stretch. and this year, we can keep them both evergreen. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. can you smell those savings?

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trend that's long worried health officials. an analysis by the associated press finds that a growing number of parents are opting out of giving their kids vaccines that are required for school. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good to see you. >> hi, matt. >> if they're required for schools, how are the parents opting out? what's going on? >> pretty darn easy. i spoke with a woman yesterday who is catholic and she used it as a religious opt-out so the bar is really low. for philosophical reasons, religious reasons, but the bar is really low. >> the fact is -- this is an analysis. study after study after study has shown that vaccines are safe. >> right. >> so why are so many parents still convinced it's not right for their children? >> i think this may be one of the cases in public health where vaccines have been so effective in eradicating disease, the new generation of parents in their 30s and 40s have no memory of seeing polio and whooping cough and measles so you look around and see healthy kids and say

kids have better nutrition today, i'm not so worried about it. therefore, i'm not going to vaccinate my children. and therein lies the rub. >> and you're worried about this negatively impacting something that's called herd immunity and that is? >> enough of us need to be vaccinated so that we don't pass on these viruses and bacteria. the threshold is about 90%. right now about 90% of kids in this country are vaccinated. but we're seeing pockets where there are less than that. just this morning on long island, new york, an outbreak of whooping cough. last year 2100 kids, 24 died in california. measles outbreaks last year in minnesota. and these are areas where in fact there aren't enough people vaccinat vaccinated. >> and when you look at the map, the analysis found in eight states more than one in 20 public school kindergarteners are not getting all the vaccines required for attendance. if people at home are thinking this might be in poor communities where there's less access to medical care or information, that's not what the analysis found at all.

>> the profile is white, middle class, educated, college attended and a couple of kids. and it goes to the web savvy bright person who says, you know what, i'm going to outthink my doctor, i'm going to outthink history and frankly i'm going to opt out of this. the problem is even when parents say i'll take two of those shots and not the third or i'll take this one and not that one, you can be underimmunized and still at risk. >> but people don't look at it that way. by the time a child is 6 years old, that child basically has had 25 vaccines. >> let me flip it around on you. >> a lot of parents think that's an excessive number. >> but 14 to 17 illnesses prevented. so i know it's a number of shots. but if you're not thinking about your kids, think about it this way. your mother who might be fighting breast cancer, your sister with rheumatoid arthritis, your other child with as marks an unimmunized child is a walking typhoid mary who can put any of those immune

compromised people in an early grave. i personally think it is selfish not to think about that and we have to think about public health in a whole new way than we have with immunizations. >> dr. naepncy, thanks. coming up next, former child star charlotte church testifies about the british tabloids. what she says she was offered as a 13-year-old to perform at rupert murdoch's wedding. that's right after this. "hey wrinkle face!" that's what people could say if you're still using a liquid foundation that can settle into your lines and wrinkles

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in britain, more testimony is pouring in from celebrities about the torment they say they faced at the hands of tabloids. their stories seem to grow more shocking by the day. nbc's michelle kosinski is in london with the latest. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah. we have seen a parade of celebrities testify at this hearing, and each one of their stories seems to be worse than the last. in the case of singer charlotte church, though, the tabloids were tormenting a child. she says at one point she was given a choice, more than

$100,000 to sing at rupert murdoch's wedding or good press coverage. ♪ >> reporter: charlotte church was 11 when fame found what the press called the voice of an angel. now in her 20s, she is using it -- >> just horrible, you know. >> reporter: -- to describe the hell that tabloids put her through. following her to school, vacations. at her house someone hid a video camera in the hedges. she said she was asked to sing at media mogul rupert murdoch's wedding in new york but told, she claims, she could either accept more than $150,000 or favorable coverage in his newspaper. >> i remember being 13 and thinking why on earth would anybody take a favor over 100,000 pounds but being advised

by management to take the latter option, that he was a very, very powerful man. >> reporter: murdock's company denies this and says charlotte's appearance at the wedding was a surprise to him. yet she says her manager told her murdoch himself insisted that she sing this, even though she had warned it was a funeral song. as she grew older, she said the sun tabloid ran a countdown clock to her 16th birthday with innuendo it was the legal age for sexual consent. they started paying her teenage boyfriends to intimate details, which they printed. police showed charlotte evidence that by 17 her phone had been hacked by "news of the world" and someone paid a private investigator to track her. >> they brought a massive, massive black book which was just full of information. information about me, information about my friends,

family members. >> reporter: and from murdoch's "news of the world" came this cover story. >> superstar charlotte church's mum tried to kill himself because her husband is hooked on campaign. so they knew how vulnerable she was and still printed the story, which was horrific. it had a massive psychological effect on me. >> reporter: nearly everyone has said the same thing, that the press coverage that just was not true hurt their careers and the stories that came from hacking hurt their relationships because they're blaming loved ones for leaking that. in many cases the newspapers were forced to run retractions, even apologies, but the victim said it didn't matter, the damage was already done. >> michelle in monday, thank you. coming up, today's professionals. >> right after your local news. so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody...

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[ growling ] captain, one step at a time.keep going! come on, snowy. look! did you ever see a more beautiful sight? captain! it's just a mirage.

- snowy? what is it, boy? - [ barks ] what do you see? [ yipping ] [ woman announcing ] just like snowy, your dog's one of a kind. overactive imagination and all. [ barking ] lo live your buddy. long live your dog. [ tintin ] snowy! purina dog chow. see the adventures of tintin, only in theaters. good morning. i am joe krebs. the time right now is 7:56 on this tuesday, the 29th of november. we have a weather change on the way. let's go to the forecast with tom kierein. >> good morning, here in storm center 4 looking off to the -- sort of the east-northeast there across the washington skyline. a few breaks in the clouds but further to the west-southwest we have rain falling and that rain is slowly getting closer to the metro area and it's a light to

moderate rain across much of northern virginia, and temperatures are mild. right now in the low to mid-60s. as the day progresses, it will get chillier. sunny but colder.

taking the inner loop of the beltway. still have a multivehicle accident taking up the left side of the road. this is 495 past i-66, you are jammed at robinson terminal. 18 miles per hour, and delays continue as you make your way

towards the dulles 8:00 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 29th day of november, 2011. you know what, we decided to come outside because it's beautiful in terms of temperature, not so nice in terms of sky conditions. mr. roker says the rain will move in later on, but if you take that shot, jimmy, of us with the tree behind it, these

two are going to throw the switch on that tree tomorrow night and the weather will be nice. >> it will be clear and temperatures in the upper 40s. >> good for you guys. we look forward to that every year. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie who's in while ann is on assignment and al roker is here as well. coming up, a story that's generated a lot of emotional response. should a child be accused -- i mean should a parent be accused of neglecting their child if they allow that child's weight to balloon. there is a third grader in ohio who was taken out of his family's home, put in foster care because he weighed over 218 pounds, about four times what his peers weighed. the mother was not happy about it. a lot of people who responded to it were not happy about it. today's professionals will weigh in in a couple of minutes. also ahead, do you believe in heaven? we'll introduce you to a little boy who may make a believer out of you. he emerged from life-saving surgery and told a detailed tale of having been to heaven and

having met relatives. it's an extraordinary story and he has a new book that's for kids. we'll catch up with the family. and the simple act of buying a car can be very intimidating. we'll give you a checklist of how to make it a much less intimidating ordeal in just a little bit. all right, a lot to get to. let's go inside, natalie is standing by at the news desk with the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. herman cain's campaign says people who want to derail his republican presidential bid are behind the latest accusation against him. ginger white told an atlanta tv station that she and cain had a 13-year affair that ended just eight months ago. the georgia businesswoman says she came forward because the other women who accused cain of sexual harassment were treated as liars. last night cain admitted he knew white and helped her financially, but denied any affair. the man accused of killing 77 people in norway in july was insane at the time of the shooting and bombing massacre, according to a psychiatric evaluation. the finding will help determine

if he will be sentenced to prison or receive psychiatric care instead. the prime suspect in the disappearance of robin gardner is being released from prison today in aruba. jeff rossen is there with more. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hey, natalie, good morning to you. here's the plan today. gary giordano will walk out prison around 8:00 tonight. he wants to get right off this island. the problem is if he's released at 8:00, he's going to miss the last commercial flight back to the u.s. tonight so he'll have to spend another night in aruba and leave first thing tomorrow morning. gary giordano's beach side accommodations, aruba's prison about to lose its high-profile inmate. after 115 days behind bars -- >> gary, over here. >> reporter: giordano will walk in just hours. his lawyer, jose baes, who famously defended casey anthony, has arrived in aruba.

>> we've been able to see that there is no case, there is no evidence of a crime and the facts just don't support it. so we're happy to see that gary is finally going to be able to walk out and go home. >> reporter: giordano says the victim, robin gardner, drowned in a snorkeling accident. prosecutors say he's lying and was somehow involved. but nearly four months of investigating and they don't have enough evidence to charge him, so the judge ordered his release. >> after months of investigating, do you have any idea what happened to robin? >> we have theories, but we have no facts in that respect. >> what kind of theories? >> theories that she went missing there, maybe that she was murdered and then was brought to another place and either thrown in the sea or buried. >> reporter: at home in maryland, some of giordano's neighbors are less than thrilled to have him back. >> i mean i understand the system of innocent until proven guilty, but there's just too many unanswered questions. >> reporter: nbc news spoke with robin gardner's family late last

night who told us, and i'm quoting here, no one was prepared for this reality. we are devastated. robin is in our prayers. i should mention even when gary giordano leaves back for the u.s. first thing tomorrow morning and he's released from jail later tonight, he's not fully in the clear. prosecutors are appealing, there's a hearing tomorrow, plus they could also charge him down the line and could file another arrest warrant and contact u.s. authorities to try to accepted him back to aruba, natalie. >> jeff rossen in aruba with us, thank you. and now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight. coming up tonight on "nightly news" we'll take you up in the air with the texas department of public safety along the rio grande. we've been covering the war next door for quite some time but you need to see it from this vantage point. we'll have that for you tonight. natalie, for now back to you. >> thanks. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you looking online. batman 3 star anne hathaway is a

top search after confirming she is engaged. her dark knight is adam shulman. she met him after a disastrous relationship with an italian real estate developer. bieber fever is now a full-blown epidemic. he was the most searched person on bing.com for 2011. he bumped kardashian into second place but kim is the most searched female. and this video of teddy bear, a grumpy north american porcupine is seeing a spike, get it in, youtube hits. teddy just doesn't like to share. >> oh, really? teddy? can you share your corn with me? can i have it? no? let me have it. >> it sounds like he's talking. anyway teddy lives at a traveling wildlife center called zooniversity. they posted online that they should bleach the teeth and get him an agent because he's going

to need one. he's bound for hollywood. 8:06, let's go back out to al with a check of your weather. >> we get the point with that video. sorry. hey, we've got a birthday girl here. what's your name? >> anna. >> and you're 9 years old. where are you from? >> south carolina. >> very nice to see you. is this your brother? >> yes. >> he looks very happy to be here too, right? what's your name? >> jake. >> do you want to wish your sister a happy birthday? >> no. >> all right, jake. oh, man, strong. let's check your weather and see what's going on. denver, colorado, 9 let's check your weather and see what is going on. denver, colorado. 56 degrees. as we show you what is happening, wrap and this low pressure system in the mid-atlantic states, and rain ahead of it, and we're looking at rain in the pacific northwest as well, and heavier rain into the mid-atlantic into the northeast, and we expect five to eight inches of rain in parts of

central and northern michigan. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. we have rain creeping closer to the metro area. the doppler is showing low to moderate rain. and temperatures are mild this morning. we're in the low 60s throughout most of the region, and we will hold steady in the 60s for another few hours and then back in the 50s and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> all right, al, thanks. coming up next, is it time for airlines to adopt dress codes for passengers? today's professionals will weigh in on that and oather hot topic coming up writ after this. indulge all you want.] now there's no need to hold back. ♪ new revolutionary scope with dualblast technology obliterates strong food odors and kills bad breath germs leaving your breath minty fresh.

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[i'm more active, i eat right, as i get older, i'm making changes to support my metabolism. and i switched to one a day women's active metabolism, a complete women's multivitamin, plus more for metabolism support. [ female announcer ] look for great savings on all one a day products in this sunday's newspaper. that's what people could say if you're still using a liquid foundation that can settle into your lines and wrinkles and make you look older. like an apricot... or a prune. and i like both, i just don't want to look like one. covergirl and olay simply ageless foundation has regenerist serum and floats above lines and makes you look younger. you will look so young people will be like "how is that baby driving a minivan?" "who let the baby into the bar?" and so on. can your anti-aging makeup do that? ♪ simply ageless from olay and easy, breezy beautiful, covergirl. hershe

y's bliss. one square inch of incredibly smooth rich chocolate. one square inch of joy... fun... indulgence... one square inch of bliss. hershey's bliss. i think you're really gonna love it.t wait for you to open this. i really think i'm gonna love it to.t to open it. i can not wait. can't wait to open it. my, my hands are shaking. i'm so excited, i'm so excited... my whole body is vibrating with anticipation. open it, please! open it, you should open it, i'll open it. no, no. back now at 8:12 with "today's professionals" here to discuss the headlines and hot topics. folks, good morning, nice to see you. a story we reported here on monday getting a lot of reaction around the country. in cleveland heights, ohio, local department of children and family services went into a mother's home, took away her

8-year-old son because that son had reached a weight of 218 pounds, or about four times the average weight of his classmates for a third grader. her staying basically the mother neglected the son by not doing more to control his weight. did they go too far? >> well, the rules of child abuse are is there an imminent fear that there will be serious harm done to the child, serious, continuous and it requires emergency action. if you've done everything that you're supposed to do ahead of time, if you've tried family counseling, if you've gone into the home, if you've provided the resources and they still are in the same situation, the courts would remove the child. >> a 200-pound 8-year-old who should weigh about 80 pounds is not going to suddenly lose that weight probably within the home with suddenly having a more nutritious dinner. it requires an emergency intervention. what you'd like to avoid is something like gastric band or

gastric bypass but this sort of reminds me of two things. one, is obesity an illness or disease or is it not and in the medical community we are still struggling with that. but i liken this a little bit to a parent who refuses to give a child chemotherapy and does the court have a right to say you're barring that. >> i think we have to distinguisa parent who's neglectful and giving the kid 18 hamburgers at mcdonald's, versus this kid is on the honor roll, he's on a normal kid. what is this is a parent who's trying or a thyroid condition. >> what's the magic number? was it okay to live in the house at 200 and not 218? who decides that number? >> the real problem is that obesity is still the argument. we don't know where it comes from. is it genetics, is it just sedentary. >> but taking a kid away or not taking the kid away -- >> but you're blaming the condition. >> we don't know if this is a condition and you just yank the kid out of the home.

>> and what if the question should be, instead of extricating, doing an intervention in the home where experts can go in. >> let me jump to another topic right now. software has been developed, you go to a shopping mall, they use your cell phone to track your movements within the mall so they know where you are. the goal being they can send you advertisements for the store you're approaching. so donnie, you're walking toward victoria's secret and there you go, you get the ad to lure you into the store. is that too much? >> this is a huge topic. stop. basically this is going to set the tone for the future, and i do believe that any type of tracking, any type of privacy intrusion is going to have to be signed off by the consumer. that's what's going to happen. this is dangerously -- >> so you walk into the mall and they say would you allow us to do this and you say yes, it's okay. >> it should only be opt-in, you should not have to opt out. every single time you get one of those pop-ups do you want to track, do you want notifications, do you want location, you should say no. >> i think the united states is

catching up to the rest of the world. this kind of technology has been around other countries. it happens in japan a lot. i understand the intrusion of one's, you know, privacy. but i think we're fooling ourselves. we are tracked all the time. there are cameras on every street corner. i get it. but you know what, at least -- on my iphone give me a push. >> scary stuff. >> let me move on. should there be dress codes for airlines? a lot of airlines have dress codes, but they leave it up to the flight crews on the individual plane to enforce that. should it be stated and written right on your ticket stub what you can and cannot wear on an airplane? >> well, airplanes -- look, the tsa can't even decide if your laptop should go in or out of a case and if you take your shoes on or off. i think it's such a crazy gray zone and one i think that's too nebulous to define. what i'm stunned by when you

watch people get on airplanes is who thought that thongs and shorts to here or track suits are a good idea any way? >> but that's what i'm talking about. >> here's the answer, guys. this is not run by the government. these are private businesses, just like a restaurant owner has a ability to say i think if i let you into my restaurant, this is bad for my business. >> but should they post it? >> i don't think it's going to be one set of things. >> when it comes to those kinds of things you know it when you see it and that's the problem. >> let's move on because this last one i think will get a lot of reaction. these three wealthy guys from greenwich, connecticut, came forward to claim the $254 million powerball jackpot. people are screaming these guys don't need it, the rich get richer, what's the pobottom lin? >> i don't believe these guys are the real winners. >> there are a lot of people who think they're fronting for someone else. >> a dollar and a dream, it was that person's dollar. that would be nice for them to make a donation, be nice to

tithe some money but they don't have to. their dollar, their dream. >> you know what, who said life is fair. it's not discriminatory. >> i play all the time. >> what's very surprising is that people that wealthy would be playing the lottery. >> wait a second. because people of all economic classes play the lottery, that's why those jack pots grow to the amount that they get to be $254 million. so it might not feel right, but you know what, that's what it is. >> wouldn't it be lovely if this trust or philanthropist really does something great with it but the reality is it's nobody's business. >> don't hate the player, hate the game. up next, a new book for kids from the family. boy who says he's been to heaven. we'll talk to them right after this. [ nadine ] buzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me.

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by kelley blue book's kbb.com. and with amazing deals, now's the time to get the toyota you've been waiting for. others have tried to copy it. but in the end, there's only one...toyotathon. the biggest and best sales event of the year is going on now! well, the story of a little boy's near-death experience and what he described as a trip to heaven quickly turned into a best-selling book. "heaven is for real" has spent the past 52 weeks on the new york times best sellers list, including 44 weeks at number one. and now the family who brought it to us is out with a children's version called "heaven is for real" for kids and todd, sonja and colton burpo are with us this morning. good morning to all of you, it's good to see you again. >> good morning. >> let's recap for those who aren't familiar with the book. when colton was 4 years old he had a burst appendix, had several surgeries. having come through that, he

started telling you guys about having seen heaven. what did he say, todd? >> i think his stories have been incredible. he can see us where we were in the hospital while he was in surgery, so that first grabbed our attention because those facts, we didn't know how he knew them. then he goes on to talk about a sister he met in heaven, my grandfather and of course he tells us what god looks like. the only painting of jesus that he's ever said is right, the information he shares is pretty incredible. >> sonja, colton seemed to know things you had never told him. after all he was only 4 years old. >> he told us about our miscarried daughter and about a great grandfather he had never met and various other things. >> colton, it's been eight years now, it's a long time for anybody. do you still have those vivid memories of heaven? >> yes, i do. >> and what stands out most in your mind? what can you really still see? >> well, the things i remember most are my family members and jesus.

>> do you worry at all that those memories will get fuzzier and fuzzier over time? that happens to everybody. >> no. i think those memories are implanted. >> let's address the skepticism, because i know you're familiar with it. i guess it has two parts. on the one hand some people are just -- they want to believe this, who wouldn't want to believe it, but they wonder could it really be true that someone so young could actually see heaven and live to tell about it. >> well, we questioned our son as first. i think as parents everyone can tell when their 4-year-old is telling the truth. when they're telling you things they cannot make up, we're close enough to verify the story. for people that are farther away, we understand that. but we also see all the people that are finding peace and hope and comfort from colton's story. so for those people that might even be against the story, we just look past them and see all the people that are getting peace and hope. it's incredible to have ideas. what do my loved ones look like, how am i going to meet them, what's it going to be like.

and for them to hear that and have peace, that's what we focus on. >> it's an amazing perspective to start thinking in those terms and i think the other criticism would be, well, you wrote a book about it, now you've got a kids book and i hear a movie might be in the works. so for those saying is this all about getting a profit, what would your response be, sonja? >> it's not about that. we're just going to share the story, god bless the story and a lot of people have found different parts in it that felt their hearts and are touched by it. our intention was to just write and help a few people and it just kind of exploded. the kids book we're superthrilled about. >> colton, i know people that are your age can read it. are you pretty excited about that, about sharing your story? >> actually the book isn't for my age. i'd say the adult version is more their age. but kids 4 through 8, it's a 32-page picture book.

so it works for them pretty good because the wording is easy, pictures describe the story. >> well, it's wonderful to have you here. have you thought about who might play you in the movie? >> i have no clue. i think those two already have a few people that they already have but i don't. >> all right. well, you'll have to pick somebody pretty good to play you. thank you so much. it's great to have you. once again the book is "heaven is for real" have, but i don't. good morning. it's 8:26 on this tuesday, november 29th. let's go to storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein, with a look at the forecast. i just stepped out for one second, tom, and it's nice, nice, nice out there. >> nice to have sun breaking out, but just to the south and

west we have rain falling and it's getting closer to the metro area. a few sprinkles, but to the southwest, culpepper getting moderate rain. right now, it's in the low to mid-60s around the metro area, but it's going to be the warmest temperatures of the day, because as the rain comes in it wil

traveling the inner loop of the beltway past 66, that accident is clear but the damage is done. you are jammed from the interchange. travel speed about 20 miles per hour as you make your way towards the dallas toll road.

♪ 8:30 on a tuesday morning.

you're looking at a sneak peek at the new justin bieber/mariah carey video, "all i want for christmas." if you want to see more of justin bieber, just tune in tomorrow night, wednesday night, right here on nbc as we light the rockefeller center christmas tree. actually we don't, al and savannah do. >> and we'll be debuting justin bieber's video. >> right here on nbc. it is a little funny. not funny at all? >> nice that you said something that's not negative for a change. >> back to that again? >> the tree lighting, 8:00/7:00 central time. >> we'll be in a good mood. hopefully you'll watch us ring in the holidays. also ahead. a lot of folks have brought in their toys and hot chelle rae, a very popular band right now, are collecting them. so come to our plaza, you never know who might pick up your toys or you can donate online.

we're going to hear from hot chelle rae in a couple of minutes. also i think a lot of ladies know it's really intimidating when you're looking to buy a new car, so coming up we're getting expert advice on what you should know about and research that you should do before you get into a lot and get into that car. >> basically i learned that i have done everything wrong. >> a lot of guys don't do too well either. >> i'll pay more, sure. >> i'll buy it today. how many of you like hot pigs in a blanket. >> oh, we love them. >> love them. >> no, no. well, we're going to alsohow you some different appetizers and hors d'oeuvres with one of the hottest chefs in new york. he's got some elegant and easy recipes that will impress your guests. why don't you give us a check of the weather >> give us a check of the weather first. >> all right. with the weather we will show you for today, we have rain moving into the northeast. later today, rain changing over

to snow in the upper midwest. sunny from texas on into the southwest. tomorrow, the rain and snow showers across the plains. morning rain in northern new england. and plenty of sunshine through the southern tier, and cool weather in the lower mississippi river valley. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, in storm center 4. this morning we have rain getting closer to the metro area. right now raining across most of western virginia and maryland. and it's advancing to the north and east. right now in the low 60s throughout the region around the metro area, and chilly air moving in later today with the don't forget, you can get your weather any time of the day or night on the weather channel or weather.com. is that what you do, uncle willie?

>> silver bells, silver bells. it's time in the city for christmas and holiday time and have fun, you can't beat it. come see it. happy birthday, how sweet it is from the smucker's birthday list. we take a look at paul lovell, 102 years old. loves to eat oatmeal every day for breakfast, i'm with him. here we go, phil symmonds, buccaneers fan. and here'sdale mcclintic, 100 years old. has a wonderful mind, great memory, sharp as a tack and loves everybody in the world. likes to do the lord's work on this earth he says. and we have wellford goode of richmond, virginia, 100 years old today. very proud wwii veteran and he

says an attitude of gratitude. that's what he believes in. that's a nice little catchy phrase, attitude of gratitude. inez giles of st. louis, missouri, 10 tleechlt lov3. loves to reminisce and she also loves to sing in her church. people down there love her. and finally we have frances lyons from zt hest. helena, california. 105 years old. she is truly a lovely woman. that's it, that's all, from washington. >> all right, thank you very much. when we come back, avoiding buyer's remorse when you go out to buy a new car. what you should be doing during that all-important test drive. but first this is "today" on nbc.

well, if a new car is on your holiday wish list, you'll want to take a test drive and it calls for a lot more than a simple spin around the block. car reviewer and room growth.com editor in chief tara winegarten gave kristen dahlgren a checklist for test driving. take a look. >> there are not many things in this world that scare me. i am pet prified of going to th car dealership. >> you're going to walk in and take control, you're not going to let the salesperson dictate how your test drive is going to go. i know it sounds silly but getting in and out is a big deal. is it comfortable to get out? go back in. come on out. we're going to go. a test drive should be a workout. now we're inside the car. this is where you live so we are going to touch everything, open

everything, see if your stuff fits. how's the cup holder? >> i need to know this is no girly cup holder. >> that's right. >> got to fit my mega joe. wow, okay. >> the trunk is really important in a test drive, so bring all the stuff with you to the dealership and see if it fits in there. >> you brought me to a parking lot. the whole point of the parking lot thing is to determine how you can see in a tight space. >> this handles pretty well around these tight turns, so that's pretty good. >> how's the visibility in here, is it good? >> yeah, pretty good. >> so now we go into a quiet street. this is where we're going to test out the brakes. you're going to get the car going about 20, 25 miles an hour. you can going to slam on the brakes.

>> they work! >> awesome. the last test is the highway. the point of this is go, hit the fa gas, see how it accelerates, see how you like it. >> you ready? >> i'm ready. >> let's go. >> for today, kristen dahlgren, nbc news, rolling down the highway in los angeles. >> she cut it out before the police sirens. tara, good morning to you. >> hi. >> so is the dealer really going to let you spend that much time with the car and kind of pick at everything like you suggest? >> they don't want to. they want you in and out of there in five minutes. but you know what, it's your money. you dictate how long the defendant dritest drive is going to be so i recommend a half an hour. >> is there a best time to take the test drive? >> during the week. on the weekends the dealerships tend to be busy so you want to go during the week when they're

less crowded. >> and sometimes you can call and make an appointment and say i'm coming in, i want to spend a half hour with x car? >> yes, that's really important. try to call ahead or e-mail them and ask for a half hour or longer and say this is what you're going to need. >> if you've got kids, should you bring them on the test drive and make a adventure out of it? >> not the young ones. 5 and older maybe and see how they like the car. >> one of your suggestions is that you should test drive at night. why do you say that? >> you know, all the cars have different instrumentations and illuminations and the only way you'll see that is at night, so you've got to turn on the lights and see how it looks to you. >> a lot of people may love the orange interior lights, other people it will bother them forever. >> that's right. >> another of your tips is check the trunk. why? >> you know what, a lot of the cars now are not coming with spare tires. and what it does is it reduces the cost of the car so they're able to reduce the price and make themselves more competitive. but if you don't know it's there

and you're out on a highway and you get a flat, you're in big trouble. >> and sometimes you can get it as an option, though, right? >> you can get it as an option. i recommend that you do that. >> everyone is so wired these days, cell phones and that kind of thing. you want to make sure that this car you're thinking about buying is able to be connected to your particular phone. how do you find that out? >> all the phones are compatible with all the cars. what's different is how easy they are to operate. some of the car companies have more difficult telemetrics which is what it's called than others. >> this is a great time to buy a car, right? >> yeah, the model year switchout so there are certain companies bringing in the new models for 2012. the sweet spot is between christmas and new year's. >> perfect time. just in time for the holidays. tara, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> if you want more of those test driving suggestions, head to our website, today.com. coming up next, tasty recipes to serve at your next holiday party. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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we're back at 8:44. this morning on "today's holiday kitchen" easy entertaining. if you want to impress your guests, award-winning chef daniel blaallou is here. >> well, it is a tiny bite of something, either spicy, crunchy, warm, cheesy, something that goes wonderful with cocktail. and so -- and it's something usually that would be able to be grabbed by hands. >> okay. >> and certainly not overfill your mouth. >> you have got a couple of great recipes. >> yes. >> the first is smoked salmon and it sounds very easy. there's a little more to it than that. >> i'm making a roll of smoked

salmon with some cream cheese inside. >> what's in the cream cheese? >> some lemon zest, some chive, a little lemon juice. so i'm putting -- you put the smoked sammlmon on plastic wrap and layer your slices. you layer a layer of cream cheese over. >> how do you roll that? >> just take the plastic on one side, just pinch the beginning and then create a little roll like this. >> you're going to pop that in the freezer? >> then you pop that in the freezer a little bit. >> why? >> just to get it hard so this way you can have like this. and then it can be cut and sliced after that. so that's a little easier to cut and slice and put it on a little piece of pumpernickel. the idea is you can see the layers of cream cheese.

>> and you garnish with that witle mo with a little dill and some more lemon zest. >> a little dill and you can add a little chive or extra herbs there. >> by start to finish, this is not a complicated recipe. >> very simple. everything is made. and this is about having a little crunchy black olive sort of crackers, like a little crustini. >> so you put -- >> i'm putting water into a dough, which you can use puffed pastry or make what we call a cracker dough, like a crescent dough. then i have black olive that's been drained and i put three lines of black olive paste. >> could you buy it store bought? >> of course. this is what you would buy if you get it store bought. >> okay. >> like that.

very easy. then you have the layers on top like that. >> is this just water? >> this is just water. we put that right over like that. mark it slightly. sprinkle a little bit more water over and sprinkle also with a little pepper to give a little hit to it. >> and you're going to slice that? >> yeah. >> so you put that again in the freezer, just to get it hard. until really the dough hardens. then you just cut it in slices like this and you've got this wonderful little -- >> and you put that on a cookie sheet. how long do you bake that? >> about 15 minutes at 350. >> that's fantastic the way you get that shape. that's beautiful. come up front and show me some of the other hors d'oeuvres you've prepared. what's this here? >> here is a cheese puff.

that's what you have as a snack to start. here we have a slice of cucumber with a little uni -- >> can the average person really make that? >> very easy. buy cucumber and fresh uni and here we have our little black olive cracker. >> just tell me about the cocktails because you have great recipes in the book. >> not only do you have recipes of all those, but also of the cocktails. so here we have a french 75, which is basically champagne, a little bit of bitter and orange. >> and that one? >> and this one is a ginger -- it's a ginger whiskey-based cocktail. >> the crew will be gathering shortly. >> absolutely. >> you can have all these cocktails at the bar. >> happy holidays to you. great to have you here. >> thank you, matt. up next, a live performance

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for everyone. the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> back now at 8:51 with one of the hottest acts in music, hot chelle rae just took home the american music award for best

new artist and their new album "whatever" is out today. the band is ryan follese, nash overstreet, ian keaggy. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> this has been an incredible year for you, how does it feel? >> it feels incredible. we said f our speech we owe it to our fans and we feel that way. >> some call it bubbly elasti fupg. >> >> that's the new genre. >> for those who think writing a relentlessly catchy song as you have several times over is easy. with pop music, it's very difficult, isn't it? >> it is. it's complex simplicity. it's very, very tough to write something so hooky but it seems easy. >> i know you guys are very talented musicians. you also are quite fashionable. who took the most time getting ready this morning? >> i don't know. we woke up at like 4:30. i don't think i even remember

the process of getting ready. >> i think today was the most on time we've been. >> you look excellent, you sound even better. what are you going to sing for us today? >> "i like it like that." >> take it away, hot chelle rae. ♪ let's get it on, yeah, y'all can come along snoets everybody drinks on me, bought out the bar snoets just to feel like i'm a star, now i'm thanking the academy ♪ missed my ride home, lost my iphone ♪ i wouldn't have it any other way snoets if you're with me, let me hear you say ♪ ♪ i like it like that, hey, windows down, chillin' with the radio on snoets i like it like that ♪ sun's so hot, make the girls take it all off snoets i like it like that snoets yeah, one more time, i can never get enough of everybody, sing it right back, i like it like that snoets till the break of dawn, yeah, party

on the lawn, whistle as the girls walk by ♪ ♪ if the cops roll up, so what, pour the cops a cup because everybody's here tonight ♪ ♪ call a taxi, pack the back seat snoets i wouldn't have it any other way snoets if you're with me let me hear you say snoets i like it like that, hey, windows down, chillin' with the radio on ♪ ♪ i like it like that, sun's so hot, make the girls take it all off ♪ ♪ i like it like that, yeah, one more time, i can never get enough of everybody ♪ ♪ sing it right back, i like it like that ♪ ♪ oh oh oh oh, like that ♪ oh oh oh, like that oh oh oh, sing it rye back, i like it like that ♪ ♪ oh oh oh, like that ♪ let's get it on, y'all can come along, everybody drinks on

me, ♪ ♪ i like it like that, hey, windows down, chillin' with the radio on ♪ ♪ i like it like that, sun's so hot, make the girls take it all off ♪ i like it like that, yeah, one more time, i can never get enough ♪ ♪ of everybody sing it right back if you like it, like it like that ♪ hey, windows down, chillin' with the radio on ♪ ♪ i lake it like that, sun's so hot, make the girls take it all off ♪ ♪ i like it like that, yeah, one more time, i can never get enough ♪ ♪ of everybody, sing it right back, i like it like that ♪ ♪ oh oh oh oh, like that ♪ oh oh oh like that ♪ oh oh oh, sing it right back, i like it like that ♪ ♪ oh oh oh, oh oh oh like that ♪ like that, sing it right back i like it like that ♪

♪ i can never get enough of everybody ♪ sing it right back, i like it like that ♪ >> hot chelle rae, thank you. the new album is "whatever," it's out today. just ahead, we'll have the new holiday steals and deals.

good morning. it's 8:56 on this tuesday, november 29th. let's go to storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein, with a look at your forecast. >> we have had the rain advancing closer to washington over the last several hours, and now it's raining moderately and in the panhandle of west virginia and northern virginia, and a few sprinkles closer to washington but it will be moving closer to the district in the next hour. we will have the rain increasing. we're in the low 60s throughout much of the region now and later today we will get chillier as the rain continues on and off throughout the

good morning. eastbound west con sin avenue, it's on the median there. and traveling in the inner loop of the

♪ it's my party, dance if i want to, we can get crazy, let it all out, just don't stop, keep the beat bumpin, it's my party dance if i want to, we can get crazy, let it all out ♪

>> we're back now with more of "today" on this tuesday morning. 29th day of november, 2011. savannah treating us to a little extra song there. >> no. i thought you were going to show our dance moves. we were having a dance move here. >> i'm matt lauer along with savannah and mr. al roker. coming up 30 years ago today natalie wood died and there's still questions about what actually happened on that day, the investigation into her death, as you know, has been reopened. this morning we'll have an exclusive interview with the harbor master who organized the search for her off catalina island, the first time he is speaking out. >> and on a completely different note on our diet sos with joy bauer, this is the time of year people tend to get off track with their diets. joy has ideas on what you should fill up on before hitting the

paul d holiday parties. also what to eat to get a boost of energy in the mid-afternoon. if your computer crashed on cyber monday, we have your steals and deals. up to 80% off for "today" show viewers. hair care sets, diamond jewelry and the always popular leather hand bag, that's coming up. lots to get to. natalie is at the news desk with all the headlines. good morning, everyone. gop presidential hopeful herman cain is once again under fire today after a georgia woman alleged that she and cain had an extramarital affair spanning 13 years. ginger white said cain only ended their relationship a few months before beginning his run for office. cain denies the alleged affair and says detractors are just trying to, quote, derail the cain train. prosecutors are seeking the maximum four-year prison term when michael jackson's doctor is sentenced today. he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for his reckless

use of propofol which led to the singer's death. murray's attorneys are asking for probation claiming murray is already facing a life of shame and limited opportunities. 16-term democratic congressman barney frank says he is not running for re-election next year because he'd have to spend too much time campaigning in his newly redrawn massachusetts district. this morning franks told savannah it has nothing to do with democratic prospects for retaking control of the house. authorities are zeroing in on the ex-fiance of missing florida mom michelle parker who vanished after her appearance on "the people's court." >> reporter: missing mom michelle parker in happier times with dale smith, the father of her 3-year-old twins. now the chief suspect in her disappearance. >> after numerous tips and investigative leads, we are officially naming dale smith, the ex-fiance, as the primary suspect in the disappearance of

michelle parker. >> you could have avoided this, dale, if you had cooperated with the police and took a polygraph test when they asked you, you know. you could have eliminated a lot of stress. so unfortunately, you brought this on yourself. >> a youtube video and postings on facebook offer an inside look into the life of the man believed to be the last person to see michelle when she dropped off their twins at his house. >> he's suing for $5,000, the value of the ring. >> reporter: hours after the two were seen on national tv arguing over a lost engagement ring on a taped episode of "the people's court." >> he's a mean person, especially when he's been drinking. >> reporter: while michelle told her mom she was humiliated the experience, smith promoted the episode on his facebook page where he also posted photos showing him dressed up as some of his favorite movie and comic book characters, captain america, gi joe, luke skywalker,

costumes he wears to science fiction conventions. but at 11:08 on the night of michelle's disappearance a darker post. oh man, oh man, michelle, the mother of my kids is missing. her mother called me, said she never showed up to work after dropping the kids off to me. the police just came by and searched my whole house. this isn't good, my kids need their mother. that was not the last time police searched smith's. on saturday a s.w.a.t. team raides his father's home. >> nothing of significance was found in that location. >> reporter: in the days after michelle's disappearance, he posted he prays for her safe return. he also tried to clear his name saying i'm not that time of person. if you know me, then you know the truth. just what michelle's family is seeking. >> we're not going to stop until we find out who did this. we love our michelle so much. >> that was lily luciano reporting. a cargo ship is on its way to pick up three stranded

sailors. they were taking part in a round the world yacht race when their racing yacht broke a mast last week. the crew made it safely to the south atlantic where they have met many of the 262 locals and even played some golf there. not so bad. well, they don't always get along but last night the british royal family and members of the media partied together to quick off the queen's diamond jubilee celebrations. kate, the dutchess of cambridge, was mobbed by women's fashion writers, and stunning as always. her husband, prince william, also answered questions about the helicopter rescue operation he took part in on sunday. you're up to date right now. six minutes past the hour. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> thanks so much, natalie. as we check out what's happening for today, we've got snow to talk b storm totals so far, denmark, tennessee, 5 inches of storm totals so far, denmark, tennessee, five inches of snow. there's more falling as this

system wraps itself around. we are expecting rainfall amounts that are going to be fairly copious among the east coast, and then from flint down to memphis, we are talking advisories and winter storm watches and warnings. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. the rain is creeping closer to washington now. where you see the areas of yellow and orange, that's moderate rain. it's slowly creeping to the north and east and should move into the metro area within the next hour or so. and we're mild in the low 60s and will hold steady in the low 60s and through the early afternoon, and occasional showers. tomorrow, sun returns, but chilly and >> time for joy's diet sos where we tackle diet dilemmas. joy bauer is here with advice on

everything from using butter spray to keeping your diet on track during the holidays. let's get started. we want to go right into skype. we've got jen in framingham, massachusetts. good morning, jen. >> good morning, al. good morning, joy. thanks for taking my question. >> you bet. what's your question. >> so i get teased for using nonfat butter spray. is it really a bad choice? >> not at all. it's not the most natural choice, but if it's going to entice you to eat more vegetables, it's totally fine. you just don't want to get carried away with putting it on anything and everything because the calories add up quick. here's why. the label is able to say zero calories because only a minuscule amount comes out, thanks to that aerated pump. but there are many hundreds of servings per bottle. and one of those eight-ounce bottles has about 900 calories, 90 grams of fat. i once had a client who was mysteriously gaining weight and the culprit was the butter spray because it makes things taste good. he was pouring it on everything. she was going through a bottle

every couple of days, obviously taking in an exorbitant amount of calories. so the bottom line is go for it, flavor your foods with a few spurts here and there but just make sure you don't go overboard. >> thank you. >> now let's head across massachusetts to debbie. she's on the phone from boston, massachuset massachusetts. good morning, debbie. what's your question? >> good morning. i tend to fall into a mid-afternoon slump at work. i start to feel tired, i have trouble focusing. i'm wondering what are the best snacks i can eat to get my energy back up? >> this question is too perfectly timed because just this month we had new research that came out and it shows that protein is actually the best food cure for that afternoon slump that we all tend to fall into. researchers out of the u.k. saw that when protein was given in the lab, it was able to activate brain cells that helped to sort of wake us up and keep us better able to focus. on the other hand, starchy,

carby, sugary snacks like candy and pretzels and chips and crackers make us feel much more shrug sluggish. eat a hard boiled egg, string cheese, celery dipped in humus or peanut butter, a handful of sunflower seeds or nuts. all these contain protein and they'll help to keep us feeling awake. >> thank you, debbie, for the question. now we've got an e-mail from lindsay writing it seems i have success with my diet before the holidays but as the holidays come i start to eat more. how can i stay on course this holiday season? >> first i think it's a great sign that she is looking ahead and wants to strategize. she's not going to get into trouble. i'm going to offer up two guidelines. first she wants to selectively splurge. look at her calendar and pick three holiday gatherings that she's going to allow herself to let loose. the rest of the time keep it together on a healthy plan with her eating and exercise and forego those holiday goodies.

the second piece of the puzzle is when she's at these holiday gatherings that she's going to let loose, follow my rule of one. she's going to eat one of every tempting delicious hors d'oeuvre, one plate of food filled with everything she wants, one alcoholic beverage if she wants an one dessert. this way she gets to enjoy everything but she doesn't overstuff herself. >> and our last viewer e-mail from susan in bluffdale, utah. i've never been one for counting calories. what's the easiest way to start learning how to calculate that tha. >> i strongly suggest taking advantage of some of the terrific websites and apps that are out on the market because all you need to do is plug in your food and they do all the work for you. you get your total calories and your fat and your fiber and your sugar and there are so many good ones on the market. my fitness pal, live strong, calorie count, lose it, and the best part is they have a website and an app so whether you're at the computer or on your smartphone, whatever is more convenient, just plug it right in. >> all right, joy bauer, thanks so much. you've got us covered, thanks. still to come, a "today"

exclusive. one of the men in charge of the search for actress natalie wood is speaking out about what happened that night for the first time in 30 years. up next, we're doing a little holiday shopping on the often duplicated but never equaled jill's steals and deals just for "today" viewers. are you going to spray me? 's new baked pasta romanas. ruffled pasta, layered with creamy fontina and asiago cheeses, and oven-baked just for you. try it with pan seared chicken with toscano tomatoes. or, try it with braised beef.

for a limited time, only at olive garden. [ female announcer ] let betty crocker do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies. ♪ just pour, mix...love.

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[ 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. ♪ this morning on "jill's steals an deals" we are doing a little holiday shopping. jill is back with great deals on everything from sweaters to diamond jewelry exclusively for you, our "today" viewers. good morning. >> good morning. >> so christmas right around the corner, holidays around the corner. is all of this going to get

there in time? >> everything will get there on time. go to today.com right now. there's a lot of limited supply. yesterday i was looking at all the deals for cyber monday and i'm like forget cyber monday, steals and deals tuesday, we have all the deals beat. >> let's talk about these sweaters by calvin klein. we have two different styles, the ones over there and this one here. >> these are calvin klein jeans by that company. the retail is $79.50. two styles. the ribbed cardigan is available in four sweaters, extra small to extra large. the next one on these next two comes in striped colors. retail $79.50, the deal $24. that's 70% off. >> that's huge. that's great. now to this is going to be a popular one. breeze comfort. tell us about this deal. >> we have to watch where we

stand. >> erica from our control room is editing, she's still talking about the last bra so, erica, these are for you. these breeze comfort push-up bras, retail $40.99 to $44.99. let's start with the first one right here. this is the plunge bra so it's padded with underwire and obviously great for those low neck lines for the holiday season and your new year's dresses. this is the first and it comes in black and beige. let's move on to this and i tried three different ways to show you the multi-way convertible bra. it's just whatever the dress or top looks like. there's hooks and bands everywhere. you can really do that. check the sizing chart. >> it's the magic bra. >> it's the magic bra for any dress. the retail $40.99 to $44.99. the deal is $13. that's 71% off. and it will arrive in time for you to wear your fabulous dress for the holidays. >> how, are you ready to rock your hair literally? this is a deal by rock your

hair, hair care products. five-piece package set. tell us about it. >> you certainly can't miss it. the retail is $107. this is an exclusive look at a new collection created by an award-winning stylist. the package includes shampoo, conditioner, powder, and an adjustable hair stray so delivers three strengths. so if you want big hair, you do it on the most powerful. the retail $107. the deal, $32. that's 70% off. and it comes packaged like this. so it's a fun gift if you have a friend -- >> if you really want to rock your hair. you need your hair in three big styles. let's move on over here. we've got some great big ticket items for you today. first is jewelry by edina raider and these are gorgeous diamond necklaces that come in three different designs, the heart, the star and a little bird or robin. >> right, the dove. the retail i$375. if your significant other is at work, buy this and tell him to

write you a check because this is just a great solid gift and it's a classic piece. each piece is sterling silver with pave diamonds and you never have to take it off. celebs include jennifer aniston, cameron diaz. the deal is $75. that's 75% off. >> that's great. let's move on over to our handbag deal because they always fly. here you have handbags by lola bernard. >> these always fly each week and we keep selling out of those. the retail is $325. it comes in all these fun colors, seven total. this oversized hobo is 100% leather -- genuine leather. the retail $325. the deal $65. that's 80% off. i just heard a "wow" from our crew. >> yes, it's a very roomy bag. you can get a lot in there. >> it fits like a small person. >> jill martin, as always, thank

you so much. a reminder the products are sweaters by calvin klein jeans, we have the bras by breeze comfort, a five-piece hair care package by rock your hair, pave diamond necklaces and the bags by lola bernard. remember, they will all get to you by christmas promises jill. pick up this week's edition of "us weekly." jill will take more of your questions on twitter. speaking of tweeting, coming up, getting a handle on college applications. we're going to help parents and students navigate the digital age. i didn't write it, i'm just reading it. first these messages. can you believe it another thanksgiving. oh your turkey was delicious like always sweetheart. ah...thanks mom. bye. drive safely. yes, we will we will love you. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ ♪ toys in every store.

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well, earlier today our crowd showed its holiday spirit by donating toys and books for our 18th annual toy drive here at rockefeller center. we want to thank santa's helpers, the band hot chelle rae, who came out and collected some of those toys a little bit earlier. >> someone else has been contributing generously through the years, the ceo of tupperw e tupperware. guys, good to see you. >> good to be here. >> rick, you guys every year step up to the placement what are you doing this year? >> a quarter of a million dollars worth of shape-os. all those that we sold over the years would extend from new york to paris if you put them end to end. >> nicholas, speaking of the boys and girls club, you guys have been so generous, tell me about how it has changed your life. >> it's just been a huge thing ever since the first time i came. i came from a tough childhood, i was abandoned by my parents, went through a lot of foster

parents. but when i came to the club, i was introduced to lots of mentors, they have done everything for me and it's always that place to go. >> nick, thank you for being here. rick, thank you for your donation every year. we appreciate it. >> $60 million you have raised for the boys and girls club. >> if you want to donate head to our website, today.com. we'll be back in a moment, but first your local news. ♪ have a better day [ male announcer ] only subway has a deal this flat-out delicious -- the $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty flatbread breakfast sandwich and a 16-ounce cup of seattle's best coffee or 21-ounce fountain drink. all for only $3. [ male announcer ] start with a breakfast at subway that can't be beat. like the protein-powerhouse steak, bacon, egg & cheese. mwah!! [ male announcer ] tackle a fresh toasted subway steak melt today. rush in and get your flavor on. subway. where winners eat.

♪ vegetables picked at their peak ♪ ♪ so fresh my knees grow weak [ male announcer ] new hearty bertolli meal soup for two, with crisp vegetables and tender chicken. [ chef ] ♪ fresh tasting restaurant style ♪ ♪ bertolli soup's in the freezer aisle ♪ good morning. it's 9:26 on this tuesday, november 29th. let's go to our storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein. >> we are getting sprinkles in the district of columbia. we are getting moderate rain

into prince william, and into as well parts of southern culpepper and eastern orange county. temperatures are mild, although where it's raining it's in the 50s. it's 64 i washington, and when the rain comes through we will get chillier temperatures into the evening.

good morning. traveling northbound, gw parkway at route 123, an accident taking away the left lane. the outer loop of the beltway in montgomery county, as you pass the american legion bridge, slow delays as you make your way towards the dulles toll road. no accidents to report in the area, just delays. inner loop across the american legion bridge, no

♪ ♪ as long as i can have you here with me ♪ >> that's the boy from brooklyn, neil diamond. he's been writing songs for 50 years. tomorrow on "today" he's bringing his signature style to

the studio and going to help us out with our toy drive. neil diamond, the one and only, tomorrow only on "today." >> can't wait to see him here. coming up in this half hour, it was 30 years ago today that hollywood lost one of its biggest stars, natalie wood. and this morning for the first time since her death, we'll have an exclusive interview with the harbormaster who helped coordinate the search on the night that she drowned. also ahead, you guys remember waiting by the mailbox for those thick, you hoped they would be thick, envelopes from the college admissions office? those days apparently are coming to an end. now universities are moving into the digital age. everything from virtual tours to online applications and essays, so we've got the crib notes or should we say e-mails for parents to help their child stand out from the pack. >> they have been turned down by colleges on line. >> and don't tweet the college admissions essay. holiday party planning with noted chef ed brown.

he's going to be here with some simple seafood dishes that will impress your guests. oh, that looks good. >> i always love when ed brown comes. >> first you've got a check of the weather. >> as we show you what's happening for today, we've got heavy rain moving into the happening for today, we have heaven rain moving into the mid-atlantic and northeast later tonight. and the rain moves into the pacific northwest. sunny and mild through the southwest. tomorrow, rain and snow spreading across the plains. look for morning showers in northern new england. and for the tree lighting tomorrow, 55 and clear. 9:00, 48 and clear. savannah will wear a lovely winter white coat. >> no, i won't be. al already looked at my outfit tomorrow night and rejected it. i will be shopping this afternoon. >> can i go with you? >> no, absolutely not. i need space for you right now. >> savannah, i love you.

>> thank you, nat. >> who needs -- >> get out of here, al. >> good morning. here we have rain approaching the metro area out of northern virginia. that long band of yellow and yoern orange that stretches from maryland into loudoun, prince william, and as well as now just down into eastern culpepper, and parts of orange. it's advancing off to the north and east. we're in the low to mid-60s, and where it's raining it's >> fantastic. thank you, al. we're going to say hello to ramon, the latest contestant to have the scales tip against him on nbc's hit show "the biggest loser." ramon, good morning. good to have you here. >> good morning. i love it, it makes me feel right at the ranch, right? >> you started at 355 pounds.

>> yes, sir. >> and lost more that 86. you look terrific. what's your total loss? >> definitely. right now iem right around 130 pounds. >> you look amazing. >> thank you. >> this show really saved your life. you said when you got to the ranch you were dying and you didn't know it. you had diabetes and you were diagnosed there on the ranch. tell bus that. >> definitely. i didn't go to the doctor for a long time, probably since college, seven, eight years. i found out that i had diabetes on the ranch. amongst sleep appear nnea and o things. i don't have any of it anymore. >> ramon, you lost all the weight. do i have this right, you found a girlfriend on the ranch? >> i definitely did. >> that's pretty good. >> i'm a winner already. me and jess are together and we're having a great life. you know, we're healthy every day. >> you went skydiving together. i think we have video of that. >> crazy enough, we did go skydiving and i did say before that you were going to have to kick me out of a plane, but i jumped and got it done.

>> good for you. you got your life back. >> what's your goal weight? >> right around 190 pounds or so, i think. that's a nice goal weight to live by. >> that's fantastic. ramon, thank you. >> there you are stepping off that plane. >> that's fantastic. >> wow. >> that's amazing. you go, ramon. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. >> ramon, thank you so much. celebrity hairstylist kim and fashion expert jenny help transform the final five contestants in a special makeover episode of "the biggest loser" that airs tonight at 8:00/7:00 central right here on nbc. coming up next, one of the men who searched for natalie wood 30 years ago, tells us what he saw the night she drowned coming up right after this. [ grandma ] ok. ♪ ah. then we will all do it together. treats! teets...teets...teets... yeah, look at this. [ female announcer ] it seems like the best family traditions... always start in the kitchen.

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it has been three decades since the death of natalie wood. now with police reinvestigating her drowning, witnesses are coming forward to talk about what they saw that fateful night. one of those witnesses talked exclusively to nbc's miguel almaguer who's in los angeles. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, good morning to you. it was 30 years ago today that natalie wood's body was found off the shores of catalina island. harbor master doug oden helped coordinate the search that night and he's telling his story for the first time since 1981. >> it's always bothered me that things went the way they did. >> reporter: november 29th, 1981, 2:00 a.m. harbormaster doug oden boards natalie wood's yacht shortly after she is reported missing. also aboard, her husband, robert wagner, actor christopher walken and the captain, dennis davern. >> they had been drinking and it was a little difficult getting information from them initially because they were slurring their words. >> reporter: according to the

three men, after a long night of drinking, an argument broke out and wood went to her cabin at the back of the boat, when wood and the boat's dinghy went missing, wagner told investigators he initially thought his wife had taken the dinghy back to shore. the author of the biography say friends told her wood had a fear of water. >> i certainly don't think that she went into the dinghy. i think she went overboard in a way that was beyond her control. >> reporter: sometime after 10:00 that night, wood went into the water. the first call for help went out at 1:00 in the morning, just after 5:00 a.m., search crews found wood's dinghy, oden broke the news to wagner. >> he was very, very concerned that she was missing. i know he's an actor, but there's some things that you just can't fake. >> reporter: oden was with wagner when the radio call came

in. wood's body had been found floating near the dinghy. neither wagner, walker or davern has ever claimed to know when wood went into the water. they always maintain the death was an accident but the captain now claims wagner delayed getting help for wood when he realized she was missing. >> i think it was a matter of we're not going to look too hard, we're not going to turn on the search light or notify anybody right at the moment. >> reporter: doug oden believes if the search had started soon their night, she might still be alive today. >> it was pretty evident, i think, when they found her that she had been clinging to the dinghy for quite a while. >> neither robert wagner nor christopher walken have talked publicly since the case has reopened, but wagner said in a statement that his family welcomes the investigation. natalie. >> miguel almaguer in los angeles. thanks so much, miguel. coming up next, switching

gears. applying to college in the digital age. what parents and students need to know right after this. [ female announcer ] ornaments are not for decorating. dad. did you know it's 22 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes to christmas? [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. [ female announcer ] they're for building excitement for christmas. 12 days, 18 hours... come on. it's no days! [ female announcer ] the hallmark countdown to christmas ornament. 5 hours and 59 minutes and 41... 40...39... 38...37...36... the best in nutrition... just got better. now with even more of the vitamins your body needs. like vitamin d. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. the better egg. olive garden'se announcer ] eggland's best. new chicken & potato florentine soup made from scratch daily with roasted chicken. it's part of our $6.95 unlimited soup, salad

and breadsticks lunch. and it's only here for a limited time. and this time of year, i send out a lot of gifts. sweater for mom, free shipping from brian. i'm brian andrews. i ship the gifts that last. the holidays are made here at l.l.bean. cigarette? you coming? umm, nah you go ahead. i'm good. alright. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini helps relieve cravings in minutes. so you can quit one cigarette at a time. nicorette mini helps you go from one little win to another. until you reach your goal. nicorette mini. quit one cigarette at a time. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture.

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back now with applying to college in the digital age. from virtual campus tours to youtube application videos, today's college admissions process has changed dramatically in just a few years. so how can parents and students keep up with the times? cat coen is the ceo and founder of ivywise.

it's changed since i did my college admissions back in 1946, so tell me how the digital age has changed the college admissions process. >> students have college information readily available at their finger tips and they can learn a lot about many more colleges today than they used to. you can go online and look at a course catalog, you can participate in an online college fair, you can do virtual tours, and the common application, otherwise known as the common app, is very widely used today. and it's an online application form that can be sent to any of 456 colleges. through the touch of a button you can apply up to 20 colleges and students have unprecedented access to admissions officers, current students, alumni, include college's facebook pages or blogs, twitter, linkedin, youtube, you name it. >> and we'll talk about some of the etiquette issues that raises in a moment, but first on the flip side of things, how are the colleges using this same technology to entice students? >> well, they're attracting students from all over the u.s. and abroad internationally

because they have this open resource of information, so answering students' questions, really creating an online persona. for example johns hopkins has hopkins interactive and it's an aggregate of all their blogs, twitter handles, photos and videos. also schools are using it in the application process itself. for example, tufts university is allowing students to actually submit a youtube video as part of their application. they're also conducting online information sessions and interviews and they're welcoming and socializing, their admitted students through an incoming class facebook page or youtube videos. >> i'm sure folks are wondering is it still worth it to go and visit the campus. can you learn most of what you need to know online. >> well, it is still worth it i'd say. all of this digital media is an enhancement but not a replacement. the certain things that you're not going to get, like just even the feel of the campus when you

get there and understanding what other real students are like or sitting in on a class or even how far away the school is from home. if you get on a plane for five hours, that's different than looking at a school from the  comfort of your living room. >> let's talk about this technology. you talked about it a minute ago. now we live in a day and age where prospective students might have the e-mail of the dean of admissions, perhaps could try to friend the dean of admissions or send that person a tweet. would you advise that kind of contact? >> no. students need to be careful. they're used to expressing themselves in up to 160 characters or 140 tweets and using internet slang like lol or brb. with an admissions officer you want to make sure you're more formal, well written and grammatically correct. while it's great to like a college's facebook page you don't want to friend request the dean of admissions. >> no question about that. you also say students should protect their own online identity. >> colleges are looking at students.

i know someone who hired someone in the admissions office whose sole job is to view applicants' social media. so it's really important to make sure that you are looking at everything you're posting online. i tell students whatever you post needs to pass the grandparents test. if you don't want your grandparents to see it, don't post it. you want to eliminate any questionable photos. you know almost all the photos are questionable. >> party pictures. >> and not reading that book in the library. but there is a way to turn this around for a student and we teach students how to use social media to their favor so they can showcase their skills and talents. post photos of artwork or video of you playing soccer or violin. >> reading quad rattic evasions on friday night. some really good advice. thanks so much. appreciate it. coming up next, super seafood for your next holiday party. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices...

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this morning in "today's holiday kitchen" gourmet seafood recipes made easy. chef ed brown is a collaborator at ed's shoud chowder house. so good to see you, ed. how's it going. >> good to see you. happy holidays to you. >> so we're making crab cakes today. >> i want to start off by mentioning, do you know i've been cooking these on air here for almost 20 years? this same recipe. we're doing the fresh version. >> thank goodness. i know at restaurant associates, they want the fresh stuff. >> they do. >> we're starting with mayonnaise. i actually use prepared. i use hellman's. it has a certain flavor, i really love it. old bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, dump it in. give me an egg yolk. okay. >> a little mustard.

>> a little dijon mustard. >> whisk it together. >> what kind of crab? >> this is blue crab. go ahead and mix that up a little bit. >> but you don't want to bust it up too much? >> we want to see those nice big lumps. >> right. all right. then you've got an ice cream scoop. >> we're not making a sundae. scoop it in there and then pack it in pretty good. and then right out into the crumbs. >> what kind of bread crumbs or crumbs are these? >> these are corn flake crumbs. all we do is gently put them on there. and then lightly pick it up so you hold it together. and just form it a little bit right onto your baking tray. a little tiny pat of butter on top. >> you're baking these, not frying them? >> bake them, not fry them. just bake it until they're hot because everything is cooked except for the egg yolks.

these are fresh scallops. >> i've never seen them before. >> so scallops, you just open them like this and there's your little scallop. all of this is part of the abductor muscle that we're going to scrape away. when they come out of the shell, they look like this. >> okay. >> i've got my scallops cooking. >> and this is a simple dish you can make? >> that's the whole idea, we want to make this as easy as possible. butter, olive oil, sauteing my scallops. a little rosemary flavors the butter, which flavors the scallops. >> and how long on each side? >> about two minutes on each side. here's a little potato puree. i've got roasted garlic puree. the roasted garlic goes into a pan, olive oil, salt and pepper, some rosemary. i just squeeze that garlic out. look at this. bingo. >> oh, yeah. >> nice, fresh garlic. >> you just roast that in the oven? >> i roast that in the oven. when it comes out, i take the pieces, save some like that,

puree the rest to make my puree. i'm going to put a little bit of this puree down on the plate. >> okay. ladies, just in time. >> yeah! >> very good, savannah. >> we've been working on that. >> very nice. wow. you've been really using your muscle, even though those are scallops. >> ed, it goes downhill from here. >> it always does. >> we've got chowder, we've got our loaded chowder from chowder house, we've got our biscuits, some bite-size crab cakes. >> there we go. >> and you're opening up a new restaurant. >> with restaurant associates in philadelphia called wrrittenhou tavern. >> happy holidays. still to come, hoda and kathie lee will share some laughs with betty white. >> first your local news and

weather. >> and al and i make up. state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

good morning. i am barbara harrison. right now smoke is inside a metro tunnel causing delays out there. we will go straight to danella sealock to find out more about this. >> if you are taking the red line trains are single tracking between grovesner. and traveling wisconsin avenue in d.c. at western avenue, all of the lanes are shut down at this intersection. now, tom kierein, what is going on with the weather. >> we have rain moving into the south. temperatures are mild ahead of that, but it will quickly drop back down into the 50s when the rain stops. in tomorrow and into the weekend, sun returns but it will be chilly. coming up, what is true and not t

[ mom ] hey guys. guys...

[ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to the table faster. sunday morning ideas made easy. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents? captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, everybody. it's booze day tuesday, november 29th. yesterday weere in new york broke a record in central park. it was 70 degrees.

>> i can't believe how it feels today, but today may be among the last hurrahs. >> but it's "hot in cleveland." we are so excited. where is betty? hi, ladies! >> this show's hot. they're hot for many reasons. one it's just a hot show on tvland. it is also hot because guess who is going to be on the season premiere tomorrow? >> don rickles. >> not exactly. >> yes, he is. >> and you. this is a behind the scenes shots. we are going to sit with the entire cast of "hot in cleveland." >> they are such unbelievable pros, these ladies. they are fun and made me feel so at home. very generous. >> is there a studio audience? >> yes. it's shot like an old time --

it's anything but old time. it's so current and relevant and so much fun. a lot of the writers are from the "frasier" days. they are sharp. >> betty's here. >> betty's in the house. yes, she is. >> let's see her. >> yes. >> none of them get along at all. >> i heard they hate each other. >> the cat fights. enough about betty. betty was pulling their hair out, grabbing their bra straps. she gets wild. >> i can picture that. she doesn't know we are here. >> i want to ask them why women fake it. >> this is a big question. we talked about this on our program before. women fake it, you know what we are talking about. the question is why? >> they fake being in poughkeepsie. >> yes. i was sure, i was certain and still am certain the reason women fake it is because they are tired and want to go to sleep. >> that's the reason you fake it. so you assume all women fake it for the same reason. anthony is listening intently.

>> according to a study, women fake it for one reason, to boost our man's ego. >> who cares? >> that's why we fake it. they interviewed a ton of women. >> they are so loving and caring and unselfish that they only care about assuaging a man's ego? >> yes. that's the whole reason. >> i think it's your reason. >> you don't think mine's fatigue? >> that's your reason. not ego boosting. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. they say that's the same reason women dress up and keepabs on their guy. >> i disagree with all this stuff. i think dressing up for your man is a loving him and wanting to please him, but keeping tabs on him? that's a little warning sign. that's a little flag. >> that's a red flag.

>> yeah. >> i think women who keep close tabs on their men end up, like what we talked about with sand. if you hold sand too tightly it all falls away. you have to hold it gently and trust it. >> anything you want to keep you have to keep open. >> who's been on planes lately? if you noticed, there is no dress code on flights. you can get on wearing whatever you want, p.j.s and pants hanging down. there is a group that wants to have a dress code for planes. >> it doesn't seem outrageous what they are asking. >> they are tired of seeing people with short, short skirts or their pants hanging down. >> could i have that? there you go. i'm wearing my new soma bra and love it. i showed it this morning. >> i know you did. >> anyway. i'll do that again. we have a lot of you guys in the prisons that like it when we do

that. that was for you guys. happy holidays. >> on a plane, has to do with an issue on a plane. there was a 400 pound man who got on a plane. he got in a seat. then there was the person sitting next to hill. it was a seven-hour flight and the person sitting next to him sat in his seat for take-off and landing and stood for seven hours because the guy was spilling over into his seat. >> the guy apologized about his bulk. he said, i'm your worst nightmare. nonetheless, the man had to stand. he said he literally couldn't breathe. i thought they had to buy two seats if they were so heavy they couldn't fit into one seat and buckle their seat belt. >> then they said there is some discretion there it has to do with whoever the ticket person at the counter can make that determination whether you should have one seat or two seats based on them eyeballing you. >> we were talking about that earlier. this is a man who is 400 pounds.

he knows he's overweight. he knows it's going to be an inconvenience. this man has to go through life like that. >> i feel sorry for him. >> i feel bad for him, too, but the gentleman who doesn't weigh that has rights, as well. >> if you are 400 pounds and get on a plane, everyone is looking at you funny. >> it's sad. >> an overweight person's issue is never the food, it's always something else, we never know what it is. all those joy fit people we meet, it's always something else, it's never about the food. they wear theirs on the outside. everyone has something that is a way to fill up. theirs is visual. >> i get that. i understand compassion for them. at the same time you have to have compassion for the other person who had to stand seven hours to get to anchorage. >> he's got a seven-hour problem and the other guy has a lifetime of issues.

>> would love to know how you feel about it. this is not just an issue about an airplane. we have a pandemic of obesity. americans are now 20 pounds heavier than they were in 1990. i went to my doctor yesterday and it's true. gallup survey says the ideal weight is ten pounds heavier than it used to be. now we say ten pounds less. >> women used to say the ideal weight or the average white was around 135 pounds. >> for a woman -- >> they said average, we are talking about 5'4". now they surveyed a bunch of different women of different sizes and heights and stuff. they all were in the 160 pound range. >> that is too much weight around your heart if you're 5'3" or 5'4". >> if you're 5'4", the average woman should weigh 135 pounds. it's hard because it's after thanksgiving and we all feel crummy. everybody is in the gym now. >> everybody starts out with the best of intentions. you are the kind, you're in there every single morning no

matter what at 5:00 in the morning. >> i know. >> we had a guy on yesterday in our joy fit, tony pashet. we got a whole lot of ladies looking at tony. that was his before. >> he said women did not look at him. people made fun of him. >> there he is now coming out. >> this is the new tony. >> he is looking for a date. he is single. he weighs 230 now. he is on the market. a lot of people wrote in on facebook and said, hey, i want to date tony. >> i think we are going to have him back and we'll play the dating game and let's find tony some true love and maybe one of our viewers out there, as well. who doesn't like to watch tony walk out? >> he said when girls look at him now he looks behind him to see what they are looking at. >> he was a nice guy, too. >> 'tis the season to give back.

the american red cross program, holiday mail for the heroes is cool. these are just little cards. they encourage americans to think about the servicemen and women not with their families these holidays. you send them holiday mail for heroes, p.o. box 5456, capitol heights in maryland. >> we'll put that on the website. >> these are cool. these are celebrity-designed dog bowls. this one is cindy crawford. you can tell, number one, because her name is on it. but because inside you see her mole. >> this is william shatner. he is a big horse guy. i wonder where the betty white one is. nobody loves animals than betty white. >> nobody. >> hoda is on the cover. yes, she is huge. who is bigger than hoda? long island woman. >> and it's free. it's free.

you can get as many as you want. f-r-e-e, free. >> we have a cocktail. it's spring fling. >> i can already feel it. >> they are hot and here. we'll talk with the ladies of the hit show "hot in cleveland." [ male announcer ] from the soups you know and love come soups that you'll love getting to know. new slow kettle style soups from campbell's. extraordinary taste sensations crafted from premium ingredients.

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the emmy-winning sitcom "hot in cleveland starring betty white, valerie bertinellie, jane leaves and wendy malick gets a kick-off this wednesday. starring kath any lee. >> no. don rickles. i hopped on the plane to la la land. >> why is my coffee mug empty. it's tipsy tuesday. why me, people? good. >> i understand that the producers are looking to add a fourth co-host. not to toot my own horn, but beep-beep. i have a wildly popular local show, oh hi, ohio."

i'm the oprah of the middle east. >> i thought ohio was in the midwest. >> you're thinking of a different ohio. >> and they're all here today. i had a ball, thank you, thank you. and congratulations at the premiere of your third season. still getting along. you haven't pulled each other's hair out. >> that's what you think. >> what's the truth, betty? >> betty tells the truth, right? >> yes, always, except to other people. >> when you do sign on for a sitcom, you sign on for five years, used to be seven. now it's five years you sign. that is a long time in your life. first of all you want a hit, but you better darn get along or you would be miserable at your job like wendy. >> what? >> wake up. >> i'm totally awake. i think we are at this point, we are hoping it goes beyond seven years. this is for all of us the sweetest job we ever had.

we go to work and get to laugh and play with each other all day. we all really genuinely like each other. it's one of those gifts that particularly as you get older, you don't expect to be given to you. >> valerie, was the chemistry there among you all from the beginning? >> immediately. our first table raid, we all looked at each other and went, whoa. this is great. every character clicked. everybody was in the right part. i should be playing elka, but i'm over it now. >> writing is so critical. >> you could be the greatest actress in the world, but the writing. >> you can't do it without the writing. no matter how actors always take all the credit, yes, well, i did this, i did that. if it isn't on that paper, you can't do it. >> what people don't realize is, and i memorized my part the night before and got there the next day and it was completely changed. you guys are used to that. as we were doing it, they would go, try this line or this line. >> how much of it is improv?

>> none of it. >> it's all rehearsed. they would change. >> during the show in front of the audience, they'll come and say, you've got a new line here or new paragraph. i hope it's not for me. >> if you come up with something, they'll let you give it a try or say on the second pass, try it. that's one of the amazing things about our writers, they wrote four specific women and found what all of us do well and they write to that strength. >> for people just joining us this season, tell bus your characters and describe them for us. what's yours, wendie? >> i'm a rhodes scholar. >> no. >> he just fell down over there. >> i'm not the brightest bulb on the tree. i am geographically challenged victoria. i play a former soap opera actress whose series was canceled after 27 years and i'm

trying to figure out the rest of my life. than two very dear friends who talk me into going off on a trip and we end up with cleveland with this one, the care taker. >> yes. >> i'm thecynical, former eyebrow queen of hollywood. >> you've all fallen on tough times. >> she had the worst love life. >> yes. i had the worst. >> and elka had the best. >> i'm recently divorced mother of two. empty nester and i just find i'm moving to cleveland because i have nothing left. that didn't come out right. >> no, it didn't. >> i love cleveland. >> she's the sweet one with -- if you take the sparkle out of her eyes, we would be better off. >> and what about elka? >> the pain in the ass. >> wonderfully so.

>> we have these wonderful men on the show. three gorgeous women, we have steve lawrence, john mahoney -- >> these are all yours so far. >> age has its advantages. >> i went on regis' last show and suggested that would be his next. he should become the new morning talk show in cleveland and you sit there with the remote going, i am hot for him. regis needs a job. come on. >> that would be brilliant. on "ohio, ohio" your co-host. >> come on. the man needs work. >> who is your audience? is it women our age, young, old, everybody? >> all of the above. we have a great demographic. >> we knew we had a show women would love, celebrating women of all ages, but the more mature variety. >> the interesting thing is how many young men and women watch this show. it's i quite amazing.

>> a very big part of my male, 12-year-old boys. >> it's because you're hot. >> it's not a joke. "i watch this show with my grandmother." >> oh! >> they say, i'm so and so, i'm 12 years old, my grandmother and i watch this show. it's surprising, it's not just one or two, it's a stack like this of 12-year-old boys. >> i don't get any mail. >> we'll write you. >> when did you know you guys had a hit? the first season was fun and great. was there a point where you said this thing's got legs? >> well, flying home doing our first tour. we landed and all our phones lit up. we had almost 6 million viewers or something like that. it was huge. >> that's what's so smart about tvland. a lot of networks discount that demographic out there they want the young, hot thing.

if you get those people, they stay with you forever, don't they, betty? >> tvland was so smart. they knew their audience. they had been running the classic mary tyler moors and those. they knew their particular audiences didn't want one of the new strange shows. they put us on and we did the pilot and you wait a while to see if the pilot gets picked up. they picked us up in three weeks. >> i think people just like to laugh. >> i think it's short sighted to think young people don't want to watch older people and don't find us interesting. >> that's true. >> betty, can we talk about your book one section. we opened up "usa today." big article about your book on animals. >> she writes them out long hand. >> so do i, what's wrong with

that? >> congratulations on that book. >> you are amazing ladies, wonderful actresses, you were so good to me. it's tomorrow night at 10:00 on tvland. you think you're the only funny women over a certain age? >> way over a certain age. >> thank you. [ male announcer ] on a dull, dull day in a ho hum world... [ sniffing ] ...something wonderful is as near as your nose. ♪ ♪ just pop up pop tarts. sprinkled with joy and frosted with fun... [ laughs ] ...they make ordinary extraordinary. [ cheering ] so you can make any day joylicious!

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let's see what's going on with miss sara. >> fix your bangs. >> they aren't going too well, sorry. a lot of love for betty white. sign me up for a date with tony, seriously, hope i'm not too late. a lot of tony love on here. >> he's the hot ticket. >> still to come, the little boy that says heaven is for real. >> so glad he and his family are back. i've had surgery, and yes, i have occasional constipation.

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we are back with more of "today" on this tuesday. if the name colby doesn't ring a bell, his story does. he had a burst appendix that went undiagnosed for days, colten says he went to heaven. >> he has a new book version for

kids. colton burpo is in the house. did you like coming to see us? >> what did you like the most about it? you don't have to answer that. this book has been an amazing publishing phenomenon. the little book, it was on "the new york times" bestseller list, number one, was on the list for years, still is and 44 weeks at number one, colton. is that a miracle? different kind of miracle? >> yeah. >> what do you think resonated with the story of you telling your mom and dad when you got back from heaven what it was like? >> well, i really don't know how they wanted to write a book. well, god pushed my dad into it. >> god did that? >> yeah. a lot. i just told them my experiences. it ended up healing the hurt

also. >> this is a book where you remember -- this happened eight years ago. you're 12 now. it must be hard to remember, but because you and your dad talked, you remember. what are some of the big things you remember from heaven? >> the big things are my family members and jesus. >> you saw which family members? >> my great grandfather pop and my sister who was miscarriaged. >> dad, when he originally told you about this stuff, did you shake your head and say, are you sure this is what you're saying is true or did you automatically believe what your son is telling you? >> he could explain to us when we were in the hospital what we were doing while he was in surgery. i couldn't explain that away. maybe embarrassingly so we doubted and kept questioning. he kept giving us answers and the right answers. kids can't make up stuff and be right. >> what was he telling you? you were in separate rooms, right? >> he could tell me i was in a

small room praying by myself, she was in a waiting room on the phone asking people to pray. most of the time we were together, but he knew at that moment we were apart and separated. he nailed it. >> do you know how much time you were actually there? did it seem like a certain amount of time? >> i don't know how or why, but for some reason i said three minutes. >> what's interesting, i read the book and talked to you guys not only here but for "dateline" but to put this into a children's book is cool. it's got great illustrations. why did you decide to do that? >> i think from the very beginning, a kid knows what a kid wants to know about heaven. as a child, we go to adults and say the streets are gold. kids don't care about that. what a kid wants to know, colton is going to tell them in that book. >> i love when you were trying to figure out what title the book should be. they asked you and you said?

>> i just want them to know heaven is real. >> that's where it came from. >> you've gotten some criticism. there are a lot of cynical people in the world who think you're doing this for financing gain. how do you feel about the criticism? >> i think there are a lot of people that say thank you. they contact us all the time. we did this so people could have some peace, the peace we found when he talked about his sister, my granddad. a lot of people are finding peace. when people criticize we look past them and we look to all the people being helped and that's what we choose to focus on. >> this is an audio book. we get to hear your voice on it? >> well, it's going to come out very soon. >> okay. >> we are not sure when. it was supposed to come out around thanksgiving. >> you recorded it. >> it's an app. >> look at you fancy with your ipad fancy. you can tap on it and what happens, you're talking? >> you can have me read it because i've already been prerecorded reading the book or you can record up to three other

voices to read it. like a grand parent can read it to their kids. >> more and more people come to your church now? >> we are waiting. it's interesting. when we travel, it's amazing the people that want to hear colton's story. everyone in our town heard about this for a long time. it's old news for them. >> we wish you a merry christmas. >> colton, come see us again. >> i'll try to. >> you will. up next, your nutrition had enough of feeling embarrassed about my skin. [ designer ] enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections,

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a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. it is time for today weighs in when we answer your questions about diet, nutrition and overall health. >> madeline reached into our mail bag. >> maria in newark, delaware. can fruits and veggies rich in

antioxidants help fight sun damaged aging skin? if so, how long will it take to see the difference? >> when you look at this, sometimes food is just food. we can't expect miracles from things we are going to eat. things like the antioxidants in berries and omega-3 fats in salmons are good for overall body health. you can't translate that into saying my skin is going to start to pop from years of sun damage. if you eat it or rub it on your skin. if you've got severe sun damage, you need a dermatologist. the concentration of antioxidant things or vitamin c are going to be stronger in a pharmacological thing. you both have gorgeous skin, what do you do? >> laura and mary. >> a lot of shellacking. here is one from ivy in washington. i had a baby four months ago and i am finding it hard to lose the baby weight.

is there a simple thing i can do to jump-start my weight loss? >> simple thing, get more help with the baby. that's just a joke. the issue is onof us have a lot of time. the new baby extra weight is the number one reason women have weight creep over decades and it become as huge health problem later on. get structure. it's hard with a newborn. the first thing has to do with eating. that is a way to trim calories. grab a fruit, easy sandwich, not too much they have to worry about. it's hard to be more physically active. use the baby. get a carrier, take the baby for a stroll outside. the other thing is don't be too hard on yourself. have slow, steady weight loss. you hear crazy things. lose weight quickly. over a period of six months to a year is when most women can get back down to their shape. be mindful of not to eat more food. >> i did an exercise video after

cassidy was born. i incorporated laying there and using they'll. you spend time with the baby and you tone up. >> you can do it every day. >> made the tape, made a lot of money. just kidding. you're doing it anyway with your child and having fun. >> that makes sense. i'm wondering what are the best yogurts to eat for digestive problems. >> that assumes you don't have digestive problems with dairy products. even people with lactose intolerance contain a dairy a day. you want tang to it. the more tang, the more healthy bacteria. sometimes people will have a yogurt and say it seems too strong in taste. it has more of these helpful bacteria. stay away from the fruited varieties. there are a lot of extra sugars. low fat, nonfat, greek yogurt.

add your own fruit to it. a serving or two a day helps your digestive track. it's flooding your intestines with healthy bacteria. we think bacteria is bad. don't add all these extra sugar. >> i take the flora-restora. >> that works for you and a lot of people. if you don't like yogurt, don't force yourself and those supplements can be help. >> these are interesting bits of information. thank you so much. >> now that you know what's healthy and what's not, we'll make holiday-worthy appetizers. [ male announcer ] xbox 360 with kinect, this season's hottest games and...sweatbands. [ grunting noises ] ahh! this is gold. [ mom ] woo! [ game ] snaps up the ace. i'll never be popular. [ game ] next game decides our winner. [ male announcer ] get low prices on this season's hottest games.

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we are up in "today's snflt

"holiday kitchen learning how to make hors d'oeuvres for a cocktail party. whose, we don't know. >> we don't care. rebecca goldfarb is chef and owner of the social table, a dinner club, right? >> we do some hands-on cooking classes. it's more about getting strangers together and drinking a lot and cooking dinner and not having to do dishes. >> right out of junior high school. >> don't tell my mom. >> what are we cooking? >> we have to start a holiday party the correct way. >> is she old enough? >> cheers. >> what are we making? >> we are going to start with an easy one. we are going to do a spice rub flank steak over crispy pita chips. you're talking about no advance notice, you don't have to marinate. cumin, coriander, white pepper,

salt. >> you can get prerubs. >> i've got to stay classy. we are going to -- you can do this in your home. grill pans are an amazing revolution. >> they are easy to clean up, too. >> exactly. get on there. if you want to be fancy, flip it 45 degrees to get good marks. we are going to do seven minutes total for medium rare. we'll keep moving this way. pita you get in your general grocery store. brush them lightly like this with olive oil. both sides. here comes the fun part. you can buy your pita chips. you can buy them already made. >> i'm thinking of the people out there who want to get it done quickly. >> all you do is this, salt, put them on to a sheet tray, bake them under the broiler two minutes. they come out looking like this, crunchy and delicious. >> move hoda out of the way.

>> this is our nice flank steak. cut across the grain so it doesn't get chewy. people cut it this way and get a big hunk, nobody wants that. >> a little angle. >> so you can see what's on the inside. >> looks good. >> all we do is slice it this way. you get this nice piece, throw them right on here. >> what is this? >> this is our ginger tomato chutney. that spice rub we made is earthy and deep, has this nice winter flavor. >> thank you. >> i'm going to go next door. what you've got is the chutney is a nice kind of sweet vinegar. thanks, sure. good service around here. >> chutney actually is rice vine gar, brown sugar, cinnamon,

ginger. it's got this nice sweet flavor to offset that good, deep are they flavor. >> come on back. >> don't forget your drinks. you've never forgotten those in your life. now move on to another easy one. these are puff pastry. puff pastry is your best friend. you buy frozen in a grocery store. super easy. you can make cheese straws. we'll do caramelized apples and onion. take our apple and great it in here to get nice pieces going. really easy. apples and onions are a classic mix. they go great with pork, really good for a pork roast. hoda, you're going to drop in fresh thyme for me. >> the whole thing? >> why not? >> we've got 30 seconds. i have to move faster. from here all we do is take a little bit of this and go right on top of your puff. just like that.

>> that's it? >> you don't have to brush them. >> ends up tasting like this. >> a little cheese. easy. >> thank you. >> we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc. yeah, i'm married. does it matter?

you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪

our 18th annual holiday gift drive is off to a great start. >> the toy industry foundation is one of the many philanthropic organizations helping to make the holidays brighters for families who can't afford toys for their children. >> we love her and we like her cow. >> this cow lets it all hang out. we are embarrassed. we think she should be covered. >> she is a modern cow. >> good morning. we are so excited to be here.

the toy industry foundation is donating $226,000 worth of toys to the "today" show toy drive. >> what does this guy do? >> this is a squishable moo cow. you hug him. >> i like that. >> may we hug him? >> i love that. >> i could get used to this. nobody hugs me any more. >> this is terrific. you do a lot of philanthropic work. >> we do. the toy industry foundation, we are the philanthropic arm of the american toy industry. we give more than 500,000 toys every year to children in need. that's sick children, improverished children, children in military families and kids entering foster care with nothing of their own. >> it doesn't have to be a lot. one thing. >> one toy makes the difference. >> are you noticing more needier families this time around than

years past? >> absolutely. the demand is so great, but the toy industry has really come through. we have plenty of toys for the kids who need them. >> you do great work. thank you so much. >> thank you for having us. >> we love you. >> we wanted to show your dress. >> we thank everybody. the toy industry foundation and you can donate gifts to children up to age 18 from now until december 21st on the plaza. come here and drop it in at the nbc experience store or amazon.com/today. >> come back tomorrow. >> we are lonely. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

good morning, everybody. welcome to "news4 midday." i am barbara harrison. today the man suspected in the disappearance of a maryland woman in aruba will be released in jail but