today, thursday, december 8th, 2011. today, thursday, december 8th, captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to today. >> jerry sandusky's attorney says his client hopes to post a $250,000 cash bond today following the arrest on new charges of child sexual abuse. >> that's right, matt. the newest alleged victims to come forward, two young men who claim they were abused starting when they were just 10 and 12 years old. one of them says his alleged molestation began in 2005. that is two years after an initial grand jury investigation into sandusky. we'll get the latest in a live report coming up straight ahead. >> the first votes are set to be cast in the republican primary season a couple weeks from now and the race is heating up with

former vice president dan quayle's endorsement of mitt romney. this morning vice president quayle is in our studio. he is going to tell us why he made that decision. >> nice to have him in our studio. also coming up this morning we have very important information for women in the fight against breast cancer. this morning there is a report that two drugs tested in patients with advanced breast cancer may show some promise and there is also another study just released that is highlighting environmental factors that increase a woman's chance of getting breast cancer. we'll get the low down from dr. nancy snyderman. >> all right. also we begin with the arrest of former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky on charges based on the claims of two new accusers. nbc's national investigative correspondent mikchael isikoff has the latest on this story. >> reporter: good morning, ann. for the first time jerry sandusky spent the night in jail. his attorney hopes to post a $250,000 cash bail and get him out later this morning but if he

does he'll have to wear an electronic monitor under house arrest as the case proceeds to court. without warning, state police arrested jerry sandusky at his house on new charges of child sexual abuse. wearing handcuffs under a penn state track suit sandusky is now accused of abusing two more boys both between the ages of 10 and 12 at the time of the assaults. prosecutors say one series of assaults started 14 years ago. all total ten boys have now alleged abuse by sandusky. the latest charges involved an accuser identified as victim 9 and may be the most shocking yet. in a grand jury report victim 9 claims after meeting sandusky at his second mile charity summer camp the former penn state defensive coach gave the boy gifts and money and invited him for sleepovers at the sandusky house. sandusky started out with hugging, rubbing, cuddling and ticking he says and then escalated to sexual assaults. many of the alleged sexual

assault, at least 16 according to the grand jury, took place in the basement of sandusky's home when the boy would come over he said sandusky would tell him to stay in the basement unless otherwise directed. he ate meals there and sandusky would bring the food. the victim claims during one assault he screamed for help knowing that sandusky's wife was upstairs but no one ever came to help him. sandusky is accused of abusing victim 9 from 2005 to 2008 which means the abuse started three years after the grand jury says penn state officials were told about sandusky allegedly assaulting another boy in a campus locker room shower. sandusky is now charged with sexual abuse occurring as early as 1997. victim 10 also says he met sandusky through the second mile and was invited to penn state football games. he says sandusky wrestled with him in his basement and sexually assaulted him. victim 10 says sandusky grabbed his privates while swimming in the outdoor pool on campus.

the victim says sandusky gave him gifts and frequently told the boy that he loved him. for his part, san did you say can i has insisted he never sexually assaulted anyone. his lawyer, objecting to the unannounced arrest at sandusky's home. >> certainly would have turned himself in today, so the question begs to be asked why would the attorney general's office decide not to tell me? they knew i was his attorney. and why go to his house and take him out in handcuffs? >> reporter: the prosecutors say both of these new victims came forward after the original charges were filed last month. now, sandusky is due to appear in court next tuesday and, prosecutors say, the investigation is still under way. ann? >> michael isikoff this morning, tough new details this morning. it is now 7:05. here's matt. now to presidential politics and the countdown to the first primaries in the republican race. in a moment we'll talk to former vice president dan quayle, who endorsed mitt romney on tuesday. but first nbc's political

director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd has the latest on the gop field. chuck, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. with 26 days to go until iowa team romney has decided now is the time to start aggressively taking on the person who has become their chief rival and the conservative alternative newt gingrich. with mitt romney falling behind newt gingrich his campaign is ramping up efforts to make the case against gingrich. this new tv ad uses the parts of romney's biography that his advisers believe are key strengths compared to gingrich's main weaknesses. the multiple marriages and his often volatile tenure as speaker. >> i think people understand i am aan of steadiness and constancy. i don't think you'll find somebody who has more of those attributes than i do. i've been married to the same woman for 25 -- excuse me -- i'll get in trouble -- for 42 years. >> reporter: both candidates address the jewish coalition in washington wednesday all playing to the audience and hitting president obama. >> i will travel to israel on my

first foreign trip. >> we stand with israel. >> it is the oldest democracy and it is our strongest ally in the middle east. >> this one sided, continuing pressure that says it's always israel's fault no matter how bad the other side is, has to stop. >> reporter: increasingly, because of his new front-runner status gingrich is finding himself asked about his negatives even from potential supporters. on the threat from nancy pelosi to go public with what she knows about gingrich's ethics investigation -- >> if she was in the middle of it how nonpartisan and just do you think the process was? >> reporter: meanwhile, rick perry, desperate to catch up in iowa, is making a direct appeal to evangelical christians with this new ad. >> i'm not ashamed to admit that i'm christian. but you don't need to be in the pew every sunday to know there is something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate christmas and pray in school. as president, i'll end obama's war on religion. >> the romney campaign has

enlisted a handful of surrogates who worked closely with gingrich back in the day to do the dirty work of making the case against him most notely former white house chief of staff and new hampshire governor john sununu who had high profile run-ins over policy back in the days of the bush-quayle years. >> thank you very much. in washington this morning as we mentioned former vice president dan quayle has endorsed mitt romney for the republican nomination. mr. quayle, it's good to see you. how you doing? >> great. good to see you. >> you served with newt gingrich in congress. >> correct. >> you know him very well. why not him? why mitt romney? >> i know them both. i've known newt since 1978. i've known mitt since i think the late 1980s. comes down to one thing -- leadership. mitt romney would be a much better leader. we need a strong leader today. matt, you know and everybody knows washington is a mess. it's dysfunctional. starts at the top. a lot of blame to go around. but somebody from inside washington, a washington politician, somebody that has

been there for the long time in washington, d.c. is not the one to go to have the top job to try to clean up the mess. >> republicans have been taking a good, long look at mitt romney for years now. basically he's been running for president for about five years. you've seen the polls. he's always between 20% and 25%. conservatives have tried to find anybody to pass him. first it was rick perry, then herman cain, now newt gingrich. why doesn't he -- why is he the rodney dangerfield of the race, mitt romney, why doesn't he get any respect? >> that's a fair question, but look. two-thirds of the republican primary voters have not made up their minds. a lot of people that they hoped would run, governor christie, governor daniels, jeb bush from florida, did not run. they're taking their time. mitt romney is a well known quantity. he is a leader. he's got good character. he's got the discipline, the temperament. he's conservative. he's as conservative as anybody

of the other major contenders and they will come around to him. they will come around to him. >> the fact you're endorsing him now is a sign that the republican establishment does like mitt romney but aren't we living in an anti-establishment world right now? >> i think that the establishment likes mitt romney. the tea party, a lot of the tea party party people are for mitt romney. conservatives like mitt romney. mitt romney is the one that can bring the party together. he can go into the general election against president obama. he can expand the base to moderates, disenchanted democrats, to get -- hispanics, african-americans, asian americans, and have a coalition that will win. >> i want to ask you about a major decision he would have made in 2008. you worked for global investments right? >> right. >> back in 2008 you owned chrysler and that company was in deep trouble and mitt romney said let chrysler fail. he wrote an op-ed in the "new york times" that said let detroit go bankrupt. if he had gotten his way you guys would have lost billions. there would have been thousands of jobs lost. did he get it wrong? did president obama get it right by bailing out the auto

industry? >> mitt romney talked about a prepackage bankruptcy which is in essence what the obama administration somewhat did. you know, we ended up in court with the thing. there was a lawsuit. as a matter of fact the state of indiana was the plaintiff in this case on the priority of the bond holders. the supreme court decided they didn't have standing to hear that. but president obama and mitt romney both talked about in essence a prepackage bankruptcy and that's what happened. >> you talked a second ago about washington being a place where obviously the mood has changed. you've been out of public office for 20 years. what is the biggest change? what's the biggest difference that you have seen in the way washington works today or some would say doesn't work today? what's the biggest change? >> the partisan divide. i had a lot of good friends on the other side of the aisle. dick gephardt and i as a matter of fact shared car rides down to capitol hill periodically when we had events because we lived close to each other. i don't know if that happens today. i remember doing a thing with

tip o'neill when i first came to congress. danny rostankowski was a good friend and very helpful to me as a freshman republican. the question is why. there are a number of things. one, the cable news and 24/7 news, how do you get on there -- >> it's not all the media. >> i'm not -- i said part -- let me finish. it's not all the media but i'm putting everyone trying to get on television and the way you get on television is to be the most strident, the most partisan, the most outrageous. the other thing, in the name of ethics, and we want clean government, is that nobody can, in washington today, whether it's an establishment figure, or a lobbyist or anything like that, get republicans and democrats together and have lunch or dinner or coffee because they can't pay for anything anymore. and it's gone to such an extreme. another thing is, most of the members today don't live in

washington. you know, they don't see each other. they come. they work. they work hard. and then they go home. >> you make it sound like social dysfunction. >> well, there is no socialability. there is no interaction outside the votes, outside the committees, outside the debate which is always very partisan. it's very complicated. there is no one answer. >> in the ten seconds i have left, if your guy doesn't get the nomination, if newt gingrich gets it, can he beat barack obama? >> yes. >> that was less than the ten seconds i had left but it works. dan quayle, vice president quayle, it's good to see you. >> thank you very much. 13 minutes after the hour. here's ann. there is important health news this morning for women when it comes to the fight against breast cancer. we have nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy snyder here with some answers. >> hi, annie. >> overnight two new drugs significantly lengthen the time before breast cancer tumors -- we need to mention this research

was paid for drug companies. >> i want to caution people that doesn't mean it's bad because outside people are looking at it. this is aggressive tumors that affect 80% of women. one group has a protein called herd 2 women have heard about and another one fueled by estrogen. these are new kinds of drugs added to traditional therapy. what they found in one group, they could decrease the time that tumors came back by six months and another group by four months. so that on its surface is pretty darned good. the question that's looming, though, is if your tumor doesn't come back for six months does that mean i can save your life longer? and we haven't equated the two yet. but, nonetheless, scientists are very excited about this. >> the drugs are still not available. >> clinical trials only but a big step forward. i think this is the trend we'll see in more breast cancer research. >> in another report sponsored by the susan b. komen foundation it talks about the environmental factors that increase a woman's

risk for breast cancer. we have a graphic. >> this is from the institute of medicine funded by komen and trying to figure out what happens to the 92% of women who don't have the genetic links? you look at this stuff. second-hand smoke, night time shift work. we know if you inhale cigarette smoke there is probably going to be a link to cancer. the world health organization has already put overnight shifts as a real carcinogen. the other kinds of chemicals that a lot of people find in exhaust fumes or in the work place, it's, you know, they've associated with it but there is really no cause and effect. >> i know over many years of research there are other factors that have been alleged to be linked. >> right. >> this report did not find linkage for example with the next graph. >> people are going to have pushback with this. the idea of hair dyes. we're going to say that's fine. but for the women in the work place using those, it's a real question. nonionizing radiation not an issue, like your phones and

kitchen appliances. but bpa, there will be pushback on bpa and pesticides because a lot of people will say wait a minute. you can't tell me there is not a cause because it just hasn't been studied. that is where the squishiness comes in. >> lastly, what is the most important thing that women can do then? >> this is where women are going to go, duh, really? because these are the take homes. quit smoking, watch your weight. obesity really is increasingly becoming a bigger risk factor. women who get breast cancer do worse if they are fat. you have to exercise. avoid radiation. that's the kind that gets full body radiation when you go in for those unnecessary ct scans, hormone replacement therapy, and alcohol. this is the take home list of anything from this report. >> just a few seconds left. the government stepping in and not allowing the release of the morning after pill for kids under a certain age. >> the first ever time the secretary of hhs stepped in on the fda saying that the morning after pill cannot be given without prescription to women

under the age of 17. i see this not as a science move but a political move and there is going to be a big brouhaha between scientists and politicians in washington. >> all right. throwing down the gauntlet. >> yes. >> there we go. we leave it there. >> move to the right. >> okay. now let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from savannah guthrie at the news desk while natalie is on assignment. good morning, ann. in the news today investigative teams are heading to the site of a deadly helicopter crash in nevada. the helicopter was on a sight-seeing tour of the las vegas strip and hoover dam when it crashed. all five people onboard were killed. former illinois governor rod blagojevich has few days of freedom left. despite a final plea for mercy a federal judge sentenced blagojevich to 14 years in prison. he's been ordered to surrender to police on february 16th but he can still appeal. blagojevich's sentence is the longest ever given to a former governor in illinois state history. former senator and new jersey governor jon corzine

returns to congress today, this time not called by popular vote but by subpoena. corzine is the star witness in the probe of the mf global collapse, the eighth largest bankruptcy in u.s. history that has left some $1.2 billion in client money missing. he was the ceo and chairman of the company until its collapse. it's the first time in more than a century that congress has subpoenaed a former senator to testify. the remains of some 274 u.s. troops have been dumped in a virginia landfill according to a new report using data base information from the dover air base mortuary. air force officials told "the washington post" that they hid the landfill disposeals from the families of the dead and there are reportedly no plans to inform the families. the remains of most of this country's war dead come through dover. some 6300 troops since 2001. now let's get to wall street. cnbc's mary thompson is at the stock exchange this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. the rating agency standard &

poors is causing a stir again this time warning it could cut the triple-a rating of the 27-nation european union. a downgrade could make it more expensive for the eu to fund programs aimed at helping the region's troubled economies. the warning comes on the heels of one earlier this week when s&p said it could cut the ratings of 15 individual eurozone countries if leaders don't come to some kind of firm agreement on how to deal with the region's debt crisis at a two-day meeting that begins today. savannah, back to you. >> all right. thank you. finally, is there an app for that? pope benedict xvi put a high tech spin on holiday tradition by lighting a massive christmas tree about 140 miles away from his seat in the vatican. he was using, yes, you see it there, a tablet computer. this is not the 84-year-old's first foray into the digital world. earlier this year he became the first pope ever to tweet. it's now 7:19. back to matt and ann. he just friended me. >> yeah, right. >> i don't know about that app. he pushed that button and my garage door started to open and close.

weird. >> that's funny. thanks, savannah. >> he has a laser beam that goes through a crystal cat. >> you know we love cats. >> we've had a miserable couple days of weather. >> wow. >> that's right. had a miserable couple days of weather. >> we have more coming. the good news is it's not going to be all that bad. we are looking at snowfall amounts from two to ten inches throughout parts of the northeast and mid-atlantic stat states. and the good news is, that system now moving out of new england and leaving with it some snow. it gets the heck out of here. we will see lake-effect snow in the next half hour, and air stagnation warnings continue, and that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> we set a december record for rainfall in washington yesterday. 3.1 inches at reagan national. now the sky is clear. the air is clean. we have a yellow sunrise.

that's a live picture from our skywatcher camera. under that clear sky it's cold this morning, near freezing throughout much of the region, and we have a wind gusting around 25 miles per hour, so windchills are in the 20s. bright and sunny, and and that's your latest weather, ann. >> thank you. just ahead, could it be the break police have been hoping for? the family of a missing florida mom, michelle parker, says her cell phone has now been found three weeks after her mysterious disappearance. we're live with details. but first, this is "today" on nbc. this is an rc robotic claw.

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coming up what led to alec baldwin being kicked off a flight in los angeles and what led to the actor deactivating his twitter account. and matt in his

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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. it's 7:26 on this thursday, the 8th of december. i am joe krebs. heavy rain and some snow is to blame for school delays around the region this morning. the school system in maryland is opening two hours late, and shenandoah county in virginia and pendleton county are also opening up late. we cleared out and it has gotten colder overnight. a live picture from the skywatcher camera and the sun is up and down in the 30s now, near

freezing for much of the area. we have a wind gusting around 20 to 25 miles per hour, so the windchills are in the 20s. layer up. a cold winter day. we w[ baby coughing ]

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good morning. traveling i-270 southbound, slow at shady grove. those delays continue as you

7:30 on a thursday morning, the 8th of december, 2011. the nor'easter that hit our area was no fun but now that it's out of here we've got drier weather but colder temperatures for these people on the plaza. just 36 right now. not people. degrees. bundled up against the cold. we'll get out and say hi in a couple minutes. >> we also saw some people in uniform out there. savannah and i are going to get out there. >> al will have a forecast as well. meanwhile, inside the studio i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. coming up, alec baldwin issues an apology to his fellow

passengers after getting kicked off that flight in los angeles. he says it was because he was using his ipad. now american airlines is out with its version of what they say really led to baldwin's bouncing. we'll have details on that coming up. also this morning you might have heard about this really renowned family piano group called the five browns. five kids who all got into julliard. they're incredibly talented and play classical music. coming up they'll be talking about a very deeply personal family secret in an exclusive live interview. on a much lighter note, on "where in the world" we had a little fun doing our version of the old spice commercials. apparently the old spice guy was watching and this morning he will share his response. >> i cannot wait for that. let's begin this half hour with a major new development in the disappearance of florida mom michelle parker. her family says that a key piece of evidence in the case has now turned up. we'll go to orlando for the

details this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. as police continue to interview the loved ones of the prime suspect, there is word this morning of a new break in the case. michelle's family says her cell phone has been found which had been missing since the day she disappeared. from day one authorities have called it a top priority in their search for michelle parker -- finding michelle's cell phone. the phone, seen in this photo, is a black iphone with a pink and black case. in this video michelle carries the phone while amusing her toddlers. on wednesday police asked michelle's mother and sister to identify a picture of the phone. >> just pull a piece of paper out of the file and said, can you -- do you know what this is? we're like, it's her phone. >> what goes through your mind when you see that phone? >> any emotion possible. i am sad that her phone was out somewhere where it was not supposed to be. >> reporter: lauren says police did not tell how or when or where they found the phone but michelle's family hopes it will

provide answers. >> i'm hoping maybe there is a fingerprint that shouldn't be on there meaning like not my sister's or the twins. i hope it is in a condition where they can retrieve something from it. >> reporter: the last signal from the cell phone came three weeks ago on november 17th the day michelle went missing. that same day she appeared on a taped episode of "the people's court" fighting with her ex-fiance dale smith over a lost engagement ring. >> any other problems we've ever had it's always been alcohol related. >> reporter: police have since named smith their only suspect. he has denied any involvement in michelle's disappearance. one by one smith's relatives have been called into the state attorney's office to answer questions. first, dale's mother. and then on wednesday his father dale smith sr. >> what do you want people to know about your son? you think they're being -- >> reporter: meanwhile, the search goes on. michelle's family hoping every clue will bring them one step closer to michelle. >> she loved christmas and i didn't even realize until i'm walking down the street right

now that all these lights are up and everything and i just -- there is only one christmas present that i want this year and i hope i get it. >> reporter: orlando police will not provide any information of the phone. but now the question remains just how much can it tell us about michelle's whereabouts? >> all right. thank you so much. and now let's get a check of the weather from al. all right. thanks so much. a little on the chilly side out here. got some folks from washington huskies. all right. >> go huskies! >> let's show you what's happening in memphis. they got some snow. i mean, we're talking -- memphis has got more snow than chicago this winter. that's crazy! nutty. and as we show you on the map, we will see lake-effect snow. lake water temperatures in the mid-40s and should be in the upper 30s, so the winds come across and dump the snow, and locally nine inches or more

around watertown and buffalo. and we have a morning anchor from wichita falls. >> want to say hey to greg and brian, they had to work so i am having a great time, guys. >> and she's rubbing it in. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. in the wake of a rain and quick snow we had last night, it has cleared out. there is a shot from the skywatcher camera. we had a wet wednesday yesterday. set a record at reagan national airport. 3.1 inches of rain. a december record there. temperatures right now below the mid-30s throughout much of the region, and later today in the mid-40s but sunshine. dry and cold into the weekend. don't forget you can check your weather any time of the day or night. go to your weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> thank you very much. alec baldwin has now shut down

his twitter account in the wake of getting booted off an american airlines flight on tuesday and now we're learning new details about what allegedly happened that led to his removal. nbc's jeff rossen is here with the latest on that. jeff, good morning. >> it just won't end. alec baldwin won't let it go but the real headline here is alec baldwin is apologizing sort of. he says sorry to his fellow passengers but just couldn't hold back. going on a new tirade against the flight attendant who kicked him off. this morning american airlines is fighting back, for the first time telling its side of the story. >> mr. baldwin? >> reporter: alec baldwin wouldn't say "sorry" in person when the cameras caught him in new york, but now a change of heart. a farewell to common sense, style, and service on american airlines. that's the title of his open apology letter sent to nbc news and other outlets. first off, i would like to apologize to the other passengers onboard. and that's it for the sorry part. speaking of the flight attendant who had him removed, the lesson

i've learned is to keep my phone off when the 1950s gym teacher is on duty. and calling american airlines a greyhound bus experience. >> what happened with the flight attendant on american airlines, man? want to give your side of the story? >> reporter: there he was, alec baldwin, sitting in first class playing words with friends on his ipad. baldwin and the airline agree on that. in alec's story the flight attendant singled him out, demanding he shut the ipad off even though the plane was still at the gate and not moving. baldwin said, no. and that was it. he was kicked off the flight. but now here's american airlines' story. baldwin they say not only refused to turn off his ipad but then took it into the lavatory, slamming the door so hard the cockpit crew heard it. baldwin they claim used offensive language with the crew, calling them inappropriate names. and that's why he was removed. >> became a little irate and had to remove him from the flight. cost us about 45 minutes. >> reporter: baldwin, himself, first fanned the flames of the

story, sending out instant twitter reaction from the plane. flight attendant on american reamed me out. hash tag, no wonder american air is bankrupt. but in a bizarre move wednesday baldwin suddenly deactivated his twitter account, writing to his 600,000 followers, let's play a game called mass unfollowing. i want to crash this account and start again. now baldwin is taking his lumps on facebook, too. people are posting on american airlines page. finally a hollywood celebrity learns the rules the rest of us have to follow apply to them. wow, what a concept. >> celebrities are offered and often extended preferential treatment on flights and sometimes it manifests itself in poor behavior because at times when they don't get it they have that same sense of entitlement. >> baldwin's spokesman says the comedian canceled his twitter account to focus on shooting 30 rock here on nbc. he points out other passengers were tweeting about the scuffle which means they had their phones out, too, proving the

point, he says, matt, that he was singled out by this flight attendant. >> is that it on this now you think? okay. jeff rossen, thank you very much. coming up, minors sneak alcohol into one family's house party. now expectant father and college professor is facing up to a year behind bars. is that fair? he'll speak up in a live interview. up next the unusual target of an international robbery ring hitting museums and auction houses around the world. we'll show you and tell you more right after this. i love the holidays.

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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. egg nog? ♪ the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door ♪ back at 7:42 with a wave of unusual robberies on two continents has taken police by surprise and left a trail of victims in its wake. nbc's jim maceda connects the dots in a caper that's far from

being solved. jim, good morning. >> reporter: that's right, ann. go morning to you. and the daring thieves struck again this week, this time in paris knocking out security guards with, get this, stun gas to get to their prize. while back here at a very blustery england, friends and strangers are saying that they just can't believe such evil could happen to so many innocent and often very elderly victims. take a look at this. the unlikely crime scene, a dusty victorian museum, small town england. after midnight, robbers break into a back door, ignore a priceless egyptian death mask, and bolt right for the target. a rhino horn. snapped off this stuffed rhino nick named rosie, a beloved resident since 1907 and who survived two world wars intact. minutes laters the robbers have fled. >> people feel quite a strong, personal feeling about why would

anybody want to come in and wrench a 20-inch horn off something like this? >> reporter: rosie is not alone. in museums across europe rhino horns are in the cross hairs, at least 30 heists so far this year. >> the scale of the offenses has taken us by surprise and the fact that they're still continuing today. >> here's why. rhino horns make big money. >> they're going for something like $99,000 a kilo, which is more right now than the cost of gold or diamonds or heroin or cocaine. >> reporter: driving this? a superstition many would argue of chinese a world away where exotic animal parts are believed to be cure-alls for disease. rhino horn powder for fever, cancer, and more. >> they believe it creates sexual potency of chinese men. >> reporter: a crackdown on the sale of rhino horn has dried up

the international market. the result? rhino poaching has skyrocketed in southern africa. horns hacked and sawed off by the hundreds. the wild rhinos left to bleed to death. animal rights groups are desperate to get the medical truth out about rhino horn. >> it's exactly the same protein as found in our hair and in our fingernails so you might as well chew your own or somebody else's. >> reporter: but the myth lives on. >> sold for 40,000 pounds. >> reporter: rhino horn crime has even hit provincial english auction houses. >> they forced their way in. >> reporter: robbers broke into this one and stole a rhino head and its two horns right off the wall. >> you can still see the marks where it was. >> reporter: despite a sophisticated alarm linked to police. >> it was definitely a wakeup call. i had no idea that thieves were targeting these. >> reporter: many museums are replacing real horns now with fake ones made of resin. recently thieves smashed into this world museum making off with worthless copies. but rosie was not so lucky. >> not a good thing is it?

>> no. i think not. >> reporter: now a condolence book fills up with messages of shock and sadness and hope that rosie gets a prosthetic horn and her dignity back soon. well, at least her story has a happy ending and rosie has gotten her artificial horn and that old museum got an upgrade. >> all right. apparently we've lost our signal to london but the bottom line is when a myth can cause so much damage to an animal like the rhino it's really a travesty. jim maceda, thank you so much. coming up next, the old spice guy has something to say about matt's take off on his commercials during "where in the world." we'll hear what he's got to say coming up right after this. two medium cappuccinos! let's show 'em what a breakfast with wholegrain fiber can do. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte. medium macchiato, light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos, make one a double. she's full and focused!

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how could any one of us forget matt's funny take on the old spice commercials to open day five of his where in the world adventure? just in case you did forget here is a clip to jog your memory. >> look at roker. now look back at me. now back at roker. >> okay. >> sadly, he is not me. but if he were me, he might be a lumber jack somewhere in the canadian rockies. but al roker is not me. look down. look back up. >> whoa. >> where are you? >> you're on a yacht in monte carlo with the man your man could be if he were on "where in the world?" >> enough already. >> i was waiting for that water. >> the best part when the mustache came off the tape was still there. >> still there. >> it turns out the old spice guy himself was so touched by the classy homage that matt had

that he's got a response. check it out. >> this gift is for my friend matt lauer. we have shared so many amazing travel adventures together. from shark riding in san jose to ride sharking in jose san lucas. in fact, i just ran into those half woman half crow creatures we met off the coast of mikanos in 2002 and they were calling about the time we -- well, perhaps i should just leave that at that. to commemorate these years of loyal brotherhood, i have painted you this noble friendship portrait, which will make a priceless addition to your home and will certainly not irritate your wife with its presence. happy holidays, matt. i look forward to joining you on yet another one of our famous chugging charity fun runs in the new year. >> love it. >> and, ladies and gentlemen. >> look. oh, air here! oh, my god! >> get out. >> that is crazy. >> how are you? >> you are so funny. >> nice to see you. >> this is for you. >> i can have this? >> this is yours.

>> look at. this is remarkable, too. >> i like it. very nice. >> but all i'm looking at is the bare chest actually, isaiah. >> i can't believe the trouble you guys went through. you painted this yourself didn't you? >> yes, i did. bob ross helped me out. >> i'm a little disappoint ted's not on velvet. >> you know, isaiah, i was going to wear the towel. and then i looked at you again when i was looking at those commercials and said, there is no way i'm wearing a towel. >> is this going to replace the one you have of yourself already in your dressing room? >> the lava chugging -- what was that exactly? >> it is one of several things me and matt do together. yes. >> on a more serious note, were you prepared for the response these commercials were going to get? i mean, you really hit a home run with these things. >> it's been so tremendous. you know, we're actually doing a thing right now where if you go to youtube old spice's youtube channel the old spice guy is gifting 7 billion people this holiday. >> awesome. we love you. >> this is the best gift i'll get all holiday season.

what a pleasure. thank you. >> we're back right after your local news. when my asthma symptoms returned, my doctor prescribed dulera to help prevent them. [ male announcer ] dulera is for patients 12 and older whose asthma is not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. dulera will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. dulera helps significantly improve lung function. this was shown over a 6 month clinical study. dulera contains formoterol, which increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. dulera is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled your doctor will decide if you can stop dulera and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take dulera more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if dulera can help you breathe easier.

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good morning. the air isfresh and clean in the wake of yesterday's rain and snow. we're in the low to mid-30s today, and the wind will settle down this afternoon and then dry and cold weather for friday, saturday and sunday. how is traffic? >> taking the inner loop of the beltway, the accident at kenmore avenue. delays start at i-95. we will have more on the school bus fire in manassas. now back to the "today" show after we take

here you go. 8:00 now on a thursday morning the 8th day of december, 2011. it has been a cold, wet start to the day here in the northeast. it is now 36 degrees outside. if you want all of the fine people here, gold stars for hanging out with us here. >> the sun is out now, baby. >> i'm going to keep babbling on. i want that camera to go around all this morning so everybody gets on tv. meantime, i'm with matt lauer. this is a windy day. and al roker. coming up a very difficult topic regarding any parent with a teenager. >> teens and drinking. it's a major, controversial

topic. what if your child wants to have a party. that child is under the age of drinking consent. you say okay. we'll have it at our house but no alcohol allowed. one father did that. however, someone snuck alcohol into the party. now the father has been arrest, charged with 44 counts of child endangerment, faces a year in jail. we'll talk to that couple in just a couple minutes. it's a cautionary tale. >> okay. >> a little bit later on we'll try to lighten things up a bit. we have great last-minute deals for holiday vacations that the whole family can enjoy. >> all right. but first let's get inside. >> natalie is on assignment. savannah is standing by at the news desk. good morning guys. in the news today former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky woke up in jail this morning after his arrest wednesday on new child sexual abuse charges. sandusky was charged with molesting two boys in addition to the eight who were named in the original indictment. according to the grand jury report, one boy said sandusky abused him in a basement bedroom

and that he screamed for help knowing sandusky's wife was upstairs. but the boy says no one came to help. the judge ordered sandusky held on $250,000 cash bail. with just 26 days to go until the iowa caucuses republican rivals are sharpening their attacks on the front-runner newt gingrich. in his new tv ad mitt romney notes that he's been married to the same woman for 42 years, an apparent jab at gingrich's three marriages. texas governor rick perry competing with gingrich for evangelical christian support emphasizes his own christianity in an ad running in iowa. the obama administration has blocked a move by the fda to make the plan b morning after pill available to girls under 17 without a prescription. health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius said she overruled fda scientists because there is not enough evidence that younger girls can understand the label instructions. meantime, there is encouraging news in the fight against breast

cancer. two different drugs tested on women with advanced breast cancer appeared to significantly lengthen the time before tumors got worse. german police confirm that a suspicious envelope sent to the head of deutsche bank wednesday in frankfurt, germany did contain a letter bomb capable of exploding. police have stepped up security at deutsche bank locations in the u.s. here is brian williams with what is coming up tonight on nbc nightly news. savannah, good morning. coming up tonight for those who need work and are willing to travel we'll take you inside the world of mobile job hunting. a lot of folks roaming the country in their rvs in search of a good job and a paycheck. we'll have that interesting story for you tonight. savannah, for now, back to you. >> thank you. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. lindsay lohan's nearly topless playboy cover is the top search on yahoo and google. it was leaked online one week ahead of the official release date. lohan was reportedly paid close to a million dollars for the nude photos inside, which her

spokesman describes as, quote, tasteful. tv buffs are googling actor harry morgan who won an emmy award playing colonel sherman potter on "mash." he died from pneumonia on wednesday at the age of 96. older fans also remember morgan as officer bill gannon on "dragnet." and the youtube all star teddy the porcupine gained viral status for being stingy with his corn. turns out he is not much better with this left over pumpkin. what? teddy's corn on the cob adventure already has nearly 1 million hits on youtube. the pumpkin can't be far behind. back to matt and ann. >> i'll make a prediction. i know it will be a trending topic in the coming days, that old spice commercial. >> the guy, isaiah mus tava. >> that he made for you. my mind is blown. >> awfully nice. let's check the weather. mr. roker, it's chilly out here

today. it is. this might warm your heart. what is your name, young man? >> joe. >> and your mom thinks you look like matt. >> that's what she says. i think he looks like me. >> ah, well, there you go. okay. very nice. there is a resemblance. turn to the side. let's get your profile. yeah. there you go. let's check your weather and see what's going on. our pick city going on. our pick city of the day, rogers, arkansas. we're looking at knwa northwest arkansas news. sunny and cold. got arkansas folks over there? memphis. all right. and there is the storm system, and cold air is coming in from the plains. it will trigger lake-effect snow. the air stagnation alerts in pacific northwest. and then sunny but windy here in the northeast. and chilly. 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 tom kierein in storm center 4. it's breezy and cold but sunny on this thursday, and the air is fresh and clean in the wake of the snow that fell last evening. it's cold, down in the low and mid-30s now. the wind gusting to 20 miles per hour bringing the windchills down in the 20s. later the highs will reach the 40s and mostly sunny. tomorrow another cold start. afternoon highs mid-40s. that's your latest weather. >> thanks so much. coming up the case that may have you asking did the police go too far? a father and respected college professor facing now up to a year in prison after someone snuck alcohol into his teenage son's party. we'll hear from him and his wife son's party. we'll hear from him and his wife coming up right after this. hi, can you help me? ♪ barnes & noble nook sellers at your service ♪ ♪ friendly folks with just one purpose ♪ ♪ to help you fall in love with nook ♪ ♪ for movies, music, apps, and books ♪

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and peppermint hot chocolate from mccafe. ornyou're a miracle workerful sabrina soto.. [sfx: doorbell rings] and you can mix your seasonal pieces with your everyday china. [sfx: knocking on door] and now you need to hide. oh, i love the mercury glass pieces on the mantel, we could put some evergreen pieces... you know a simple touch like adding. oh, i think we should quickly decorate the hallway, wouldn't that be fun? maybe just put some...oh thank you so much, i'm going to bring you a snack later. wait, i still need to talk to you about led candles. happy holiday's. hey! hi! please come in. you know ornaments, they make a great centerpiece. back at 8:09 with a dilemma facing the parents of teenagers how to deal with the dangers of underage drinking. one california couple thought

they came up with a way to handle it but ended up in trouble with the law. we'll talk to them in a moment but first nbc's mike tybee has their story. >> reporter: it was the friday night after thanksgiving and stanford university professor bill burnett and his wife cynthia decided to hope their house for a party so their son and his friends, 16 and 17-year-olds, could celebrate a big football win. their instructions, they say, no alcohol. >> serving alcohol, certainly, we'd buy chips and sodas and things for the kids. and i had gone down twice and had not seen any drinking. >> reporter: but at 11:00 while bill says he was baking brownies, a knock at the door. a police officer said an anonymous caller had phoned in a complaint. >> we think there are kids drinking here. and i said, there's nobody drinking that i know of. we have no -- there is no alcohol. >> reporter: but the police did find alcohol, they say, was snuck in by some of the kids. >> they found evidence the alcohol had come from that house. photos were taken, recorded

statements were taken. >> reporter: bill burnett a college professor with a spotless record was charged with 44 counts, one for each teen at the party, of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. >> they put me in handcuffs and then put me in a cruiser and took me to the police station where they arrested me. >> reporter: because they know the consequences of under age drinking so many kids make the same choice. if the kids want a party let's have it over our own roof where we can set the ground rules and insist they be followed. but insisting doesn't make it so. when the rules are broken tragedy sometimes follow. six years ago the deaths of two teens in a car accident following a booze-fueled house party led the town of pacifica to pass a so-called social host ordinance imposing stiff fines if parents fail to take all reasonable steps to prevent the possession and/or consumption of alcohol by any minor. bill and cynthia burnett said they tried to do just that. >> my wife and i set really

clear limits. >> reporter: limits ignored the police charged. >> they need to be aware of who their kids' friends are, what their kids are bringing to the room. >> reporter: a reasonable thought some parents would say is a practical impossibility. for today, mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> bill and singt ya are with us now along with star jones. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> bill, this sounds like one of those situations, you tried what you could to prevent a situation, but when you gather 44 high school students knowing drinking is often a part of gatherings like these even though you tried to prevent it were you asking for trouble? >> you know, i don't think so. our son is a great kid. these were all seniors. you know, in six months they're all off to college. we put really clear rules in place and we were patrolling the party. my wife and i were both at the house. we were upstairs. the kids were downstairs in the basement. so we were there the whole time.

i went through the party a couple times. i brought chocolate chip cookies. i was about to bring them brownies when the police came. >> reporter: so, cynthia, short of hiring a security guard to sit down where these high school students were, the entire time, do you think, have you thought in hindsight, was there anything you could have done differently to make sure that this didn't happen? >> you know, it's a tough question. you don't want to be sitting downstairs in the middle of your kids' party. that's not reasonable. you talk with your kids about how to be safe, how to make good choices, how to take care of each other. you let them know that you're there. both supervising and in case they get -- they do make bad choices. and, you know, i don't think there is anything else we could have done short of sitting there in the middle of the party. >> so do you think, both of you, that the police over reacted here? i mean, this is one of those what if situations? what if a child at that party had gone off, had a few drinks, gotten in a car and been killed?

do you think the police did the right thing by the letter of the law and the wrong thing, perhaps, in judgment? >> well, you know, i can't comment too much on what the police did. there is a case pending. but for us the big issue is how to keep our kids safe. we were certain that everybody at the party would have checked out with us before they left and i'm absolutely certain that nobody at the party could have left and driven if they had been drinking. i think the police have the opportunity to exercise judgment in situations like this. the menlo park police do a hard job and do it pretty well. in this case, you know, i think arresting a parent isn't going to prevent kids from drinking. if anything, now the other parents in town -- sorry. >> real quickly, cynthia, if you could tell me, this is embarrassing i know. you could just go off and not talk about this. why do you want to talk about this? >> well, you know, i think the

answer is in dialogue among different communities. the adults in the community, parents, law enforcement officials, city officials, and the teens themselves need to have a dialogue about how to create a safe environment for kids to be, for teens to be teens. >> right. >> you know, we need to learn to apply the law, apply common sense, and apply real caring for these young people as they're learning to come into the world and not create an environment of fear and uncertainty for them. >> i think it's important that you two are speaking out about this. bill and cynthia burnett, i appreciate your time this morning. thank you very much. and, star, let me turn to you. by the letter of the law they were wrong. >> they were absolutely wrong. >> is it the correct application of that law? >> the law says when you commit an act or fail to perform a duty as it relates to a minor that could lead them down the wrong path that's contributing to the delinquency of a minor. >> so you think the police acted appropriately in this case. >> the police may not have used the best sort of community-based

policing judgment but in terms of the law they did. your job as a parent is to supervise and exercise control and protection and when you don't, the police have to step in. especially when there's alcohol involved. >> i do give them credit for speaking out about it. star, thank you very much. i already thanked the burnetts. coming up next a "today" exclusive. two sisters from the musical family known as the five browns open up about suffering abuse at the hands of their own father, right after this. ars ago, our goal was simple. build the best vehicles and once a year offer them with special savings. today, it's an american tradition. toyotathon is back with great deals on the toyotas you've been waiting for. right now, get a low 0% apr financing on select new tundras and drive with peace of mind, thanks to toyota care, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. 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! ready, go! biggest and best sales event of the year sears super saturday is on! all treadmills are on sale,

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♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their family's delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas! the five browns, a utah family of classical musicians, are known for their chart-topping music and critically acclaimed performances. but earlier this year they made headlines when their father pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three of his daughters in the group. well, in a moment we'll speak exclusively to two of those women and their brother but first nbc's miguel almaguer has their story. >> reporter: five brothers and sisters, a single stage, an

amazing sound. the utah quintet known simply as the 5 browns have toppedvenues the world but offstage three of the five browns were living a nightmare. >> it is one of those things you not only don't want to talk about but i think a certain part of you just shoves it away in the back closet somewhere. >> reporter: for years, desiree, diondre, and melody were sexually abused by their father, keith brown, who was also their manager. the browns started playing the piano when they were just 3. by 9, each performed with a major orchestra. the abuse began for each girl a few years later. >> i think abusers make you feel like you shouldn't tell anyone. they make you embarrassed. >> reporter: the browns always seemed destined for greatness. each went to julliard. there were critically acclaimed performances. through it all the sexual abuse was always a secret even from each other until 2007. >> we were discussing other

things and it just kind of came up and we just shared that with each other and realized oh, it happened to you. oh, it happened to you, too. >> reporter: the browns had not only been known as child proteges but as a wholesome, church-going mormon family. the girls wanted discretion. >> we approached my father and my parents and we thought that we could deal with this within the family. you just expect somebody to take full accountability. that there would be, you know, extreme remorse. that was lacking in our situation. >> reporter: when the five browns learned their father wanted to manage other children, they went to police. >> it boiled down to if he doesn't go to prison there is a chance he may do this to somebody else. >> reporter: in february, keith brown pled guilty to sexually abusing his three daughters. his sentence? ten years to life in prison. >> the five of us are closer than ever. >> reporter: for the five browns, life goes on and so does the music. the piano has always been their salvation, while on and off

stage they remain by each other's side. for "today" miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> diondre, desiree, and gregory brown are joining us. their sister melody decided not to speak out today. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> what was it that has made you now be willing to sit here and speak publicly about what was once really a terrible secret for you? >> i think we want to reach out. we want to change the laws, change the statute of limitations so there are none for victims of childhood sexual abuse. we also want -- it is so rampant, this sexual abuse within families. we want to speak out so people can feel not ashamed anymore. and the more people are aware, i think the less it will happen. >> the courage for you to say this this morning, to reveal your story at all, what has given you -- i mean, i can see your motivation, which is beautiful. you want to help other people. but what has given you the

courage? >> i think we get courage from several different places, from each other. we have wonderful spouses who have stood by us 100%. we just feel like we've been really blessed to be able to have the support that we need to get through and to be able to come out and speak about these horrible things that happened to children. >> i know you've said your brothers have been amazing. you say they've stood by us 100%. this guy, your father, was your -- as i understand it -- your little league coach. i mean, sons look at their fathers in a certain light. how has this been for you? what has allowed you to be so behind your sisters even in this fight? >> well, i think what a lot of people don't realize is that this sort of abuse affects a lot of people other than the actual survivors. for me, i think one of the most important things has been to just really be there for them, because if it's really cut and dry, there is no wrong answer to -- i mean, there is no

right -- there is only right and wrong. there is only supporting the victims or supporting the perpetrator and no one should ever be doing that. >> you know, clearly, that's been a road that you've traveled, a very difficult road you've traveled. but speaking for a moment, because there are children today, who are enduring what you have endured, and speaking for that 11-year-old who is not being heard, describe the -- what that child has gone through based on -- is going through based on your own experience? >> there will be life-long scars from the abuse that you suffer and, hopefully, a child of that age of 11 like you're speaking of will be able to find that support, whether it's within the home or a good friend foundation or something where they can kind of reach toward and be able to hopefully find what they need elsewhere from that. >> that support you've had because with five of you

siblings together, you know, very close in age, it's been really terrific. you've actually founded a foundation to do the things you want to do. >> yes. it's the foundation for survivors of abuse and it's at surviving abuse.org. we're really determined. we are getting senators onboard to try to get rid of, abolish the statute of limitation. so the 11-year-old doesn't feel that pressure to come forward when they're in the household of the abuser. this way she can heal in her own time and come forward when she is ready and put the perpetrators away so it doesn't happen to more victims. >> before we started this interview we were all kind of talking and comfortably laughing and it's clear that you three in your family have found happiness and success even in this. i know everyone listening applauds you. tomorrow we'll hear some music from you. thank you so much all three of you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. and we're back right after

your local news and weather. breaking news at 8:26. police are on the scene of a school bus fire in manassas, along butterfield street. the children got off the bus safely and nobody was

good morning. we're cold this morning under a clear sky. a bit of a blustery wind. the windchills are down in the 20s. temperatures reaching the 30. 36 at reagan national. later today in the mid-40s with a blustery wind. and partly cloudy and cold tomorrow. sunny and cold over the weekend. as we get into next week, a bit of a warming trend on monday, tuesday and wednesday, but dry. traveling the inner loop of the beltway, the accident in the

shoulder lane and you are slow. traveling on the inner loop from i-270 to i-95, your speed is 21 miles per hour, and that trip will take you almost half an hour.

8:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 8th day of december, 2011. our 18th annual holiday toy drive in full swing now. >> thank you. >> check out our guests. we have jessica biel and scott meyers from the new movie "new year's eve" which opens friday and they are nice enough to

spend some time with us this morning collecting gifts for children in need all across the country. we'll chat with them in just a couple minutes. >> he is not even buttoning his coat and it is 37 degrees out here. >> meanwhile out at the plaza i'm matt lauer with ann curry. al roker and savannah guthrie are joining us. if you'd still like to travel over the holiday season and haven't made plans yet, we have great last-minute travel ideas including some packages that will actually save you a lot of money which you don't think of in the holidays. >> okay. that sounds really good. by the way, let's take a little look inside studio 1-a and see what awaits us because we have a large number of exotic and also we should mention endangered animals. i think this is something called a kinkajoo. i never saw that little guy before when he's gone into hiding but we'll find out more about these animals and what's being done to try to save them. >> in a little bit we'll head over to the rockefeller center rink where evan is on the ice

for a performance. >> we love him. remember him at the olympics? what a talent. he has such a great family, too. >> also ahead today's professionals are in the house and they are going to talk about the alec baldwin situation as well as the key to happiness later in life in marriage. any guesses? >> i guess i would say humor. >> intimacy. >> like that. >> before we make any more guesses can we bring in jessica biel and seth meyers please two of the stars of the new movie called "new year's eve". hi. how are you? so lots of different story lines in this movie. >> yes. >> you guys play a married couple. >> we do. >> i haven't seen the movie yet. one of you is pregnant. which one? it is important to have this baby on new year's eve? >> yes, because we want to win some money having the first -- >> the first child born on the new year, 25 grand. and we play craven very well.

we do that very well. >> oh, my gosh. so you're in this kind of competition. first of all i just have to mention, seth meyers, being in a role where you're married to jessica biel. >> i know. >> i mean, hello. hello. >> i like -- >> i'm mayor toyed seth meyers. >> no, really. >> only through the magic of cinema. >> stop it. >> if you thought "avatar" was impressive wait until you see seth meyers married to jessica biel. i get it. >> i mean, she is so beautiful. that was, you know, anyway. >> i kept saying after each day to jessica, let's walk around with your fake pregnant belly and walk around town and get sighted together. >> yeah, yeah. >> jessica, this is your second movie with gary marshall, seth, your first. what is that like working for this comedy genius? >> he's first of all the nicest man in hollywood. >> ever. >> and he's great. he just, like, has fun doing movies and it's really fun to be onset and he just takes care of his actors. >> makes it fun for everyone. he really helps you to understand what's funny, how to be funny, how to be charming and

funny. which is really hard. it's difficult. >> he lets you really be yourself. >> very comfortable. >> are you guys pro new year's eve going out or do you think it's like forced fun? >> i think you kind of have to go out because it's depressing if people say what did you do for new year's eve and you're like just played it cool. stayed in. >> spaghettios and whatever. >> had some soup. >> i don't think it's depressing. i always stay in and play drunken board games. >> just like a real married couple. >> yeah. >> i didn't know that you got up early in the morning. >> i barely do. >> i'm impressed that you're here. thank you. >> very nice. are you referencing last time i was supposed to be here i over slept? >> any time. >> the movie is called "new year's eve" and opens friday. jessica is the one who is pr is called "new year's eve." >> how about a check of the weather. >> afterwards, it's family game night with jessica. let's check it out and see what

is happening for your weekend. saturday, sunshine up and down the east coast. wet weather in the pacific northwest. sunny and mild through the southwest. sunday, sunday, cold and sunny in the northeast. we're looking at showers in and along the southeastern florida coast. we have snow showers in the pacific northwest. and 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 tom kierein in storm center 4. we have a few clouds out on the western horizon, and we will have this sun with us today, just a few high clouds in and out, and it's cold and a bit blustery. we have winds gusting to around 20 miles per hour. windchills down in the 20s. and temperatures in the low to mid-30s. and the winds will diminish and we will have lots of sun, and cold into the weekend, too, but we will have sunshine with cold nights and don't forget you can get your weather any time of day or night. go to the weather channel on cable, weather.com online.

ann? >> so sorry. i'm telling everybody, get inside. it's too cold out here. 37 degrees. coming up next great deals on last-minute holiday vacations hopefully in a warm climate. first, this is "today" on nbc. help!

back now at 8:38. this morning on today's travel we're talking about last-minute holiday vacations. kate maxwell is editor-in-chief of jet setter.com and is here with great deals that are still available if you're looking to get away in the coming weeks. always nice to have you here. good morning. >> thanks for having me. >> before we get to some of the deals you've got and the packages you want to tell people let's talk about some tips. people are going to be heading to the airports. a lot of people bringing presents, wrapped gifts to give to other people. >> exactly. >> what is the big advice on that? >> the rules have been relaxed this year. you can take wrapped gifts with you. however, if they don't like the look of them, look a bit

suspicious, they are going to insist on you unwrapping them. >> not only carry on but also checked bags. >> my advice is take them unwrapped and wrap them when you get there. alternatively ship or mail them in advance. >> snow globes? it sounds so dumb. don't bring snow globes. why? >> they contain an undetermined amount of liquid. no snow globes. >> all right. you're traveling with your family. you're at the airport. crowds are going to be big. >> right. >> take advantage of what is set aside for families. >> a lot of people don't know there are family lines at every single airport and they tend to share these lines with airline personnel. if you can't find one, ask. the rules again have been relaxed for children under 12 which is great this year. they don't have to take their shoes off. so that's a great relief for parents. >> if you want to get to your destination on time you might want to think ahead as you're booking your flight. always book the first flight. >> the first flight out. the ticket this time of the year, because the first flight of the day is less susceptible to delays. and again, if you haven't booked your flights yet think about flying on christmas eve or christmas day for much better deals. >> when they make that announcement that we're willing to pay people to get to bump

them off over crowded flights, what are they paying these days? >> if your flight is full then definitely volunteer to be bumped. if you aren't in a hurry to get there. don't take the first offer they might suggest of $200 credit first but they're likely to go up to 400 so hold out for that $400 or a free flight. >> be a good negotiator. let's talk about the packages you have for people who still want to travel during the holiday season. you like the afinia manhattan's miracle on 31st street. >> yes. it's a great hotel in midtown, near macy's and madison square park and it is $179 a night at the moment which is great for any time of year in new york particularly this time of year and they throw in a really great ice skating package on bryant park. beautiful setting. you get to cut the line. you get your free ice skates. you get a hot chocolate afterwards. the kind of classic new york christmas experience. >> so that's a cold weather christmas experience. if you want to get to where it's warm and you're active and like golf you like doral golfer's spa.

>> 20 minutes outside miami set on 650 acres, five golf courses, and this works out $149 a night until the 22nd of december and goes up a bit after that. that includes three meals a day for children so it's a real bargain. >> you say for the ultimate christmas experience you should try the great wolf lodge. actually, there's 11 of them. >> there are 11 in north america. america's largest family of water parks. and they're permanently heated to 84 degrees. so a great place to escape the chill of winter. and they have really fun things for the holidays this year. they're building gingerbread houses and every one of them, you can have your meals there with your family and they will donate the proceeds to big brothers, big sisters, which is a great charity. >> let's say we want to go skiing. what do you like in that area? >> i love vail in colorado and the sebastian, i've been there about a year ago, a really high end resort. >> name drop. >> it costs $250 per person per night. >> and didn't mrs. obama -- >> mrs. obama took the girls there, lucky girls, last season.

and the $250, yes, sounds expensive but they throw in a hundred dollar ski pass every day. >> and lift tickets can be expensive. >> they can. and spa treatments and a drink at the bar which is very real hot spot of the moment so that's a very good deal for vail. >> let's go back and end on another warm weather location. this is in turks and caicos. >> yes. turks and caicos. i was there in the summer. it's a three and a half-hour flight from new york so it's really close. a beautiful beach. the sands is offering a rate of $238 a night, which is really a good deal for high season in the caribbean. >> so right now no problem getting on the phone and booking these things? >> absolutely. book away. >> kate maxwell of jet setter.com, nice to see you. happy holidays. >> you too. and it's 8:42. up next we'll get up close and personal with some exotic and endangered animals, but first this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:44 with today's "call of the wild." this morning endangered animals from all around the world. rich is the ambassador for the san diego zoo. rick, good morning. >> good morning. thank you so much for having us, guys. >> well, we're having a lot of stuff going on here with these animals. but you're not here just to show us some cute animals. you're also here to really show us and sound the alarm about the endangered species. >> you better believe it. one thing we want to let people know, too, zoos across america work together very hard for conservation purposes. you go to a zoo and learn about animals and conservation but millions of dollars go from zoos to conservation out in the world every day whether for land purchases, antipoaching work, or even work rehabilitating penguins from oil spills. >> these are african penguins. why are they endangered? >> because they're from south africa their nests and eggs are right on the beach where everyone can harvest them easily. they are considered a delicacy. over harvesting of the eggs has

create ad situation where they had a hard time reproducing. thankfully those zoos like the maryland zoo where these two are visiting from have great breeding programs which increase the numbers which allows us to learn a lot more about them and apply the knowledge to the wild habitats too. >> so sweet. >> very soft. >> cute. >> it allows them to go through the water very quickly. sometimes when we see them swimming we tnhink it's incredibly fast but it is usually 5 to 8 miles an hour. but because they're so small and very good at getting away from the seals -- now it would occur to me we have to move them to bring our next guest out? >> we do. we'll hand off here. >> come here. >> cute and cuddly, boys. >> that was wini? okay. >> next you'll show us a chinese alligator. >> back up. al, al. yeah, you were actually going to take him. >> i thought he was handing him to me. somebody is giving me something free i grab it. >> how endangered are these? >> this is incredibly

endangered. though it looks very similar to our american alligator species keep in mind there are 200 of these left in the wild. >> that's it. >> they are found in a small area in eastern china and this is the only other alligator species in the world. you know, zoos again across america are doing what is called a head start program where zoos are basically breeding, hatching, and raising for the first couple years so they have the head start and then sending them to china for release into the reserve. >> how are they different from the american -- tlnchts >> there is a subtle difference. even as a large adult they won't get as large as our american alligator and this species will eat mullosks so they have a duller tooth. we'll see if we have a chance to see the tooth here. this one loves a good tooth massage. >> i happen to be talking to one of the animal handlers earlier and this one has had gingevitis so everyone is clear about all the details. moving on right? >> yes. we can move on. hand off. we've got something that is rare, called a kinkajoo right? a female?

>> we are going to let her have the stage. >> okay. >> because she the nocturnal. she was up late, her first night in new york last night so she was up late. >> like the rest of us. >> we'll let her take her time but they look like a small bear. they're the only other prehensile-tailed carnivore in the world. >> not in danger? >> not at this time. where they live is usually densely forested and they are still going okay. we don't want people to get the wrong idea that because they are not endangered there are no worries. everything is a delicate balance. >> sometimes called a honey bear. >> looks a little bear like in the face. >> she's got like a prehensile tail. >> hopefully if she comes all the way out you can see. that helps her climbing in the trees. >> bye-bye. >> you know what? i don't -- you know, act on cue. >> although a corarnivore they love to eat their fruit. >> this is our next animal,

candy crane. >> hi. >> does that hurt? >> not bad. >> what do you mean not bad? >> there you go. perfect. hold it like an ice cream cone. this is candy, an african crane. >> okay. african crane. is she endangered? >> this is one of those not endangered at this time. >> good. >> we have the issue of delicate balance of any habitat that we need to maintain and work on. >> would you like to feed her? >> no. i want my fingers. >> come here, sweetheart. there you go. >> what a head dress. it's obviously for mating? >> and actually they do great, intricate dances for the mating process with their mates. and what's interesting, each couple, though made for life, they have their own unique dance moves. >> and where in africa does she live normally? >> this is the west african crown crane from across africa. >> thank you so much. >> happy holidays. up next olympic gold medalist evan lisecek

at the rink is brought to you by smucker's. with a name like smucker's it has to be good. ♪ >> and on "today at the rink" we welcome one of our favorites, evan lysacek who we all remember from vancouver, winning olympic gold, something that hadn't been done since what, 1988? >> it's ban while.

>> it's good to have you back. tell us how you are keeping up in skating shape. >> well, i am about six months back to training now and i made the difficult decision after my life had changed so much, after vancouver, to return to training. and i'm going to try one more time and i'm a ways away as all the focus is on london now but it will be here before i know it. >> now, you are multi talented to say the least. not only are you the u.s. champion, an olympic gold champion, you were on "dancing with the stars." is there anything you can't do? >> there are many things i can't do but i'm looking forward to my next goal beyond skating and i'm in the process of applying to some universities across america and wanting to get an education and make sure i set myself up for whatever my next chapter is following skating. >> what would you want to study? >> i really don't know at this point. i spent so much time focusing on one task and one goal that now i'm going to explore. >> we'll let you skate. we've got to see that. we'll let you get set and as you do we'll let everybody know evan

is going to skate today to "the nutcracker." this is evan lysacek. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> an amazing performance. olympic gold medalist evan lysacek. we hope to see you in shoichi.

coming up next today's professionals. good morning. it's 8:56, this thursday, the eighth day of december. we have cold temperatures around the region. let's go to tom kierein to look at the forecast. >> there's a view looking to the

west from the skywatcher camera. we have sun in the metro area, and temperatures are still just hovering in the mid and upper 30s in a few locations. we will have it climb into the low 40s today with bright sunshine and then tomorrow partly cloudy and another cold day. and saturday and sunday, morning lows 20s and the afternoon highs in the 40s. >> [ baby coughing ] [ coughing continues ] [ female announcer ] more pollution from power plants means more childhood asthma attacks. [ labored breathing ] there's technology that makes the air cleaner, but too many plants don't use it. we can't wait. epa must update power plant standards to protect our kids. [ baby coughing ]

good morning. if you are taking the red line we are seeing delays due to unresponsive passenger. this is at union station and delays are in both directions on the red line. on the roadways, 395 north, we have an accident on the

we're back with more of "today" on the 8th day of december, 2011. i like this song. puts us in the mood. so does the chilly weather out here on the plaza and all of these nice people who have gathered as always to wave to the people back home. happy holidays to all of them. >> when somebody waves, does that mean i love you? >> i think, yeah. >> we've got one of those. >> i'm matt lauer with ann curry. willie geist joins us. mr. roker joins us as well. we've got a lot to get to in this hour including a really serious story. jerry sandusky the former penn

state university football coach is in jail this morning waking up after two new alleged victims have come forward claiming that they were sexually abused by him between the ages of 10 and 12. we'll have much more on what is the story that continues to develop. >> and then in a later note, today's professionals are here. >> oh, boy. >> they will be weighing in on everything from the alec baldwin airline incident to, you know, kicked off a plane for allegedly playing his ipad. the attendant told him to turn it off. what's the correct airplane etiquette? and, donny and nancy and star want to know, are you a bathroom talker? >> what? >> is it ever okay to make or take calls in the stall? wow. >> okay. you guys, okay. have you ever done it? >> no. >> no. >> oh, come on. never? >> i guess you have. >> you've never taken -- your phone has gone off, your child is calling, you're in the stall, you don't answer the phone? >> i've skyped in there.

>> also coming up -- >> wow. the mind boggles. also coming up we'll talk about some of the trickiest fashion trends of the season. i know you guys are concerned about this. how to wear winter shorts or horizontal stripes. >> yes. >> ann said that matt was wearing the cutest coat. >> yeah right. >> so cute. i love it. >> right now willie is saying why did i leave morning -- >> talking to the guys about sibling rivalry for the holidays not just the kids over the presents but the grownups getting all the brothers and sisters under one roof for the holidays can be taxing. we'll have advice to help you get through it. >> that's timely. >> savannah is standing by at the news desk with all the headlines. in the news today jerry sandusky is waking up in jail this morning after the former penn state assistant coach was unable to post his $250,000 bail in cash. sandusky was taken to a pennsylvania county jail on wednesday as he faces fresh charges based on the testimony of two new accusers.

one of the new accusers told the grand jury that he was repeatedly assaulted in sandusky's basement while his wife dorothy sandusky was just upstairs. the accuser says that he would scream for her to come help but he claims she never did. former illinois governor rob blagojevich has few days of freedom left despite a final plea for mercy. a federal judge sentenced blagojevich to 14 years in prison. he has been ordered to surrender to police on february 16th but he can still appeal. blagojevich's sentence is the longest ever given to a former governor in illinois state history. with just 26 days until the iowa caucuses, republican rivals are sharpening their attacks on front-runner newt gingrich. in his new tv ad mitt romney notes he has been married to the same woman for 42 years, an apparent jab at gingrich's three marriages. and texas governor rick perry, competing with gingrich for evangelical support, is emphasizing his own christianity in a new ad running in iowa. the obama administration has blocked a move by the fda to

make the plan b morning after pill available to girls under 17 without a prescription. health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius said she overruled fda scientists because there is not enough evidence that younger girls can understand the label instructions. meantime, there is some encouraging news in the fight against breast cancer. two different drugs tested on women with advanced breast cancer appeared to significantly lengthen time. the time before the tumors got worse. well, those playfully irreverent guys from the jewish organization eish are out with their official hannukah youtube video, a montage spoofing classic rock songs and some pop favorites all with an orthodox spin. ♪ he like to spin and spin it they like to spin and spin it we like to spin and spin it ♪ ♪ dreidel >> what better way to celebrate the festival of lights? it's now 9:04. back to matt and willie. >> thank you very much, savannah. look who's over here. >> that's right.

look who is right over here. what a cutie. >> this is charlotte. >> oh, my. >> how old is charlotte? >> 7 months. >> she is beautiful. where are you from? >> let's check it out. see what is happening weather-wise for you. we have got air stagnation alerts third day in a row in the pacific northwest, sunshine from the west coast to the gulf. freezing fog in the central mississippi river valley, and early morning snow gets out of new england. a little chilly and breezy. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. bright sun and a blue sky. live picture from the skywatcher camera looking towards the west. a few clouds drifting in from that direction, and temperatures are cold. in the low and mid-20s, and all around the region near 30s and near 40 by the chesapeake bay. today climb into the low to mid-40s for highs and the wind

we have now should diminish, and tomorrow partly cloudy and still cold. a cold weekend to follow, too. a bit milder next week. ladies and gentlemen i'm sorry you had to see this. one of our camera men, jim corrigan, has usurped his power and is saying he is the number one weatherman. can you believe it? >> no. >> like a palace coup. unbelievable. savannah? ♪ taking care of business all right. thanks. now to today's professionals our panel of power players weighing in on the hot topics that are important to you. star jones is an attorney and author. donny deutsch is chairman of advertising giant deutsch, incorporated. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> can you describe what went on 30 seconds ago? >> no we can't. no. >> okay. i'm just not going to be able to focus but go on. >> no we can't. just ignore that everybody. let's get to our hot topic. alec baldwin, airplane etiquette. what do you guys think about

this? everyone probably knows he was kicked off an american airlines flight because he wouldn't turn off his ipad. he was playing a scrabble game basically before the flight took off. did he behave badly, star? >> well, yes and no. no because we've all done it, not turned our stuff off when we're supposed to. yes, when you are abusive and rude to people who are working and just simply doing their jobs. none of us like the rules but then get on your own damn plane. the point is, these people are doing their job and you cannot be rude to working people because i'm one of these working people. >> i have to tell you my dad taught me this. the way i judge a person, everybody -- it's easy to treat the president nice. okay? how do you treat the guy that runs the elevator, that waits a table? obviously it was frustrating. he felt he was being singled out. maybe you're seeing the downside of being a celebrity. maybe they single you out for good and bad reasons. but there is no excuse when you're at the level of alec baldwin to go after what i'll call the little guy. it's wrong. i like alec but if he made a mistake i think he would probably admit it also. >> i think a lot of people can

relate to being irritated by those rules sometimes. >> i'm not sure they even make sense. i've had such conflicting reports. i'm not sure the science makes sense but the reality is whether we like the science or not there are rules. and i think to be a flight attendant right now is not such a glamorous job. so if someone says, please turn it off, even if you're going to cheat, pretend to turn it off. >> the airline stated he was calling some of the flight attendants names. >> and just respect other people's space. that's their job. you don't -- they don't come to your job and do it. >> in a post 9/11 world you need order and decorum. >> and it stirred up things for people around him too. >> i'm curious what you think about american airlines' reactions because initially someone tweeted from the american airlines account oh, alec, give us a private message and we'll try to address your concern. then regular customers were like really? oh, you get special treatment? and american is now seeming to be more defending its employees. >> they need to fight back and i think they actually come out

smelling like a rose in this one. if i were alec i'd say okay. i screwed up. let's move on. >> don't be nasty. >> why isn't he flying on a private plane? >> i don't know. >> let's move on. our next topic, sex is key to a happy marriage. well, okay. that's not so surprising. but according to research amongst couples 65 years old and older, they say as the frequency of sexual activity goes up so does the happiness. doctor? >> donny cannot speak to this since donny has sex all the time and is not married. >> i thought you were going to say because i've been married twice. >> you just have nothing to offer in this segment i assume. >> i will listen. >> if you do speak to older people they will talk about sex and intimacy and they go together. >> the fact that we're even talking about it suggests that people still believe once you get past a certain age you're not having sex. >> not true. >> what i say to young people when i give my advice is, you know, you got to start with the great passion and it evolves to something else and i think when

people have what they see as a great sex life when they're older, they still feel young and vital. it's such a line to vitality. >> i like the whole thought of the intimacy as nancy says. my grandfather died at 93. he died holding my grandmother's hand after she kissed him on the forehead. >> we're not talking about -- we're talking about pump. >> no. my grandparents! >> oh, donny. >> by the way, i think a couple, the oldest age they have that, it's not only one where they stay connected but one where they still can feel alive. >> we make sex too complicated. it is a vital part of every relationship. >> i think we've gotten to the age where we hope that we get there. you see it on the horizon. >> speak for yourself. would you like to see some pushups right now? >> go ahead, baby. >> i love this one. holiday parties or cash bonuses? it turns out this is the season, time for holiday parties at work but a lot of employees said they'd rather frankly just have cash or even a day off. which makes a lot of sense. but do you think holiday parties

are good for morale? >> how many holiday parties have you been invited to corporate or office and etcetera over the last week? >> quite a few. >> five, six, seven, eight. >> but this is the one area i can be an expert. i've managed thousands of people. >> we were waiting for that. >> as a good, what is it, a multi billion dollar -- >> yes. >> as somebody, your job is to give people what they want. if at the end of the day most people really want -- if it's an either/or you want to give them the money. having said that, though, there are so many ways to create this kind of bonding experience. it doesn't have to be an expensive party in a place that costs a lot of money. you can take the whole company bowling. you can put that into the company without money but if it is a choice between somebody would you like extra money to buy your kids holiday presents or a party you go with the money. >> maybe a party is cheaper to put on if you have a big company. >> a party is definitely cheaper. >> than if you give everyone ten bucks and deduct it. >> as the owner of a multi billion dollar corporation couldn't have you done both? >> that's what i'm saying. that is my whole point.

you find a way to do both but at the end of the day if the people need the money you have to listen to your people. >> i like the company and i don't remember which one it is who shared the wealth. the company made a bunch of money over this past year and they divied it up. >> you're not going to be in business if you don't do that. you have to do that. >> i thought that was the smart way. >> most people prefer cash to the cash bar. in any event my favorite topic of the day. do you people pick up the phone if it rings while you are on -- in the bathroom? >> what are the two words we can't say? >> no don't. we won't get into that. we're in polite company. >> can't say -- in front of sa van i. >> what did you just say? >> you cannot say pee and poop in front of savannah. i would think you could say pee but poop -- >> oh, mercy. >> here is the problem. the answer is no. >> donny? >> i take my bathroom time very seriously. it's religious and i just kind of want to leave it. >> i'm disgusted with the topic. >> by the way, everyone is

assuming that you definitely take your phone into the bathroom. >> most people talk while on the bathroom. >> on the phone or to each other? >> to each other? >> have you ever walked in with a colleague and people are chatting and the chat keeps on continuing? that happens. it happens. >> i don't want anybody talking to me in a public bathroom. i'm there for business. >> i put them in the same place. i don't take calls during sex or going to the bathroom. >> for all the segments we've done together i must say i don't know how we degenerated as qu k quickly as you did. >> matt does this on tuesdays. you are so much cuter than matt. >> stop, donny. >> on every label. >> what is her christmas bonus? >> exactly. >> okay. >> suspend fred school for calling his teacher cute. so you stop with the cute. >> we got to wrap it, guys. star, donny, nancy, thank you. still to come from pattern sweaters to fur collars how to make the trickiest trends work for you. up next, can't we all just get along? really, professionals. some advice for handling sibling rivalry if you're home for the holidays coming up right after this. ever since that ol' broom dumped me here...

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this morning on today's relationships managing sibling rivalry during the holidays. brothers and sisters know how to push each other's buttons at any time of the year but it is especially true when the whole family gets together. here with advice for getting along the author of "side by side." good morning, dr. sophy. >> thank you. >> really worse during the holidays, sibling rivalry? >> it's worse because the children are not in school all day. parents have their kids more time. kids are excited, not sleeping regularly. they're off their schedules. you have a lot of variables that are going to ramp it up and make it tighter. >> let's define sibling rivalry. i was interested to see that you said it starts the minute that second child goes into the womb, basically before the baby is even born that older child senses something. >> yes. absolutely. i mean, it's very important to realize as you're carrying that second child how that first child is feeling. are they jealous? are you giving a lot of attention to this person that they don't even know who they are, what they look like, what they sound like? are they going to like them themselves? there's a lot of anticipation, a

lot of anxiety around all of that. so it starts right then and there. >> i was surprised to hear you say there is actually a good side or there can be a good side to sibling rivalry. what is that? >> absolutely. because if you handle that properly, you're teaching your children how to handle and navigate life in general. skills to resolve conflicts, not to bully, not to use bad words but also being able to role model after you. so how you do it is how they're going to do it and you're giving them life skills forever. >> let's talk about how we handle it around the holidays. any parent has seen it. kids come rushing down, if it's christmas morning they see and enjoy the gifts for a minute then start looking and saying wait a minute. he got more than i did. how do you handle it? >> handle it before christmas morning. you handle it by sitting down, telling everybody, santa or whoever is bringing these gifts is going to bring gifts that you like. not how much they cost. it is not about value because the value is really in what you enjoy because it meets your needs and you enjoy it, not about how much it costs. have that discussion before the holidays so that during the

holidays that kid and that child is connected to that toy that they love. >> i've got a 4-year-old. that's a tough message to get across to a 4-year-old. >> yes. but you also have to have all the disciplinary tools in place so that child knows that everyone gets whatever they want. but at 4 they're really not going to necessarily want that other toy, that other child has. they just want to see what the other child has. it's all how you navigate it as a parent. >> you've actually developed a method to help navigate through the holidays called sweep. >> yes. >> explain it. >> sweep like a broom. it is an acronym for five key areas of your life. as we go through the holidays and look at these areas, keep everybody in balance. sleep, looking at quality and the quantity of sleep. making sure your children do get to sleep because cranky kids make cranky days. work. even though they're not in school or not school age there is nothing wrong with doing a little bit of reading, drawing, a little bit of down time where they're using their brain and they stay connected to go back to school. eating, we've got to eat regularly. we've got to eat good food. we have to eat regularly. keep the blood sugar up. and then the emotional

expression of everything. really defuse these places. talk about things. give your kids the tools and then play. what are they doing for fun? if you have those five areas in balance for you, your children, and your house in general you should be fine. >> good advice. let's talk about the adults because it is not just about the kids. you get all the brothers and sister under one roof whether thanksgiving or christmas and it can make for interesting meals. how do you handle adult sibling rivalry? >> you got to realize that your children are really mirroring what you do. if they see you starting to have tension with your sister or brother or whoever they're going to say, well. that's free rein for me. i can do that to my sibling. you have to get it in check, realize before you get into that situation that you're either going to be spending more time together or be in each other's home. what are the hot buttons she used to say to you about your hair or your eyes or your weight or whatever? get ready. so you have those statements to be able to really go back with and handle it. i always tell people to unhook and take a look. step back if you feel the temperature rising. >> mixing egg nog things get

real interesting. so sweep the adults and sweep the kids. >> sweep the house. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. coming up how to pull off some of the style trends. but first these messages. ♪ [ horse neighs ] you're leaving. it is my destiny. ♪ take this. it is a piece of me. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. seriously, what is it? 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.

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coming up hot style trends that can be hard to pull off. we'll show you how to make them work. >> narrarator: today's holiday kitchen, pork chops from the famed chef charlie baumer. >> first your local news and weather. i've had surgery, and yes, i have occasional constipation. that's why i take doctor recommended colace capsules. [ male announcer ] for certain medical conditions where straining should be avoided, colace softens the stool for effective relief from occasional constipation. go to colacecapsules.com for savings.

good morning. it's 9:26 on this thursday, the 8th day of december. let's go to storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein, for a look at our forecast. >> we have wind going along with the cold weather, and bright sun pouring down. the camera looking towards the northwest. right now temperatures as we approach 9:30 are in the mid-and upper 30s in most locations. and later today, highs reaching low to mid-40s, and the wind should diminish. we will have sun and a cold weekend to follow after friday. we will take a break and

come

good morning. traveling the outer loop of the beltway at university boulevard, a disabled vehicle on the left shoulder.

a little under the speed limit at 48 miles per hour, and traveling 395, still seeing delays at the pentagon. you are very slow was make your way across the 14th street bridge.date in 25 minutes.

here's that book for your niece. >> oh, yeah. thanks for remembering. i'll send it to her. >> there is a character in that one that's based on you. >> what? >> in the book. i mean, i named him ashby but it is so blatantly you. when you read it, it'll be obvious. >> that's academy award winner charlize theron in her new comedy who goes back to her hometown hoping to rekindle her romance with her high school sweetheart who is happily married with a baby. we'll chat with charlize tomorrow on "today." >> meanwhile coming up if you

thought wearing pink and red together was only for valentine's day which you were just telling me, you feel like it's valentine's day only? >> yeah. >> no, no. these are tricky trends. we'll show you how to pull off some of the tricky trends. pink and red. that fur collar. also remember the cosby show and the sweaters? >> yes. >> they're in again. >> get out. >> they're back and we'll show you how to wear them. >> al has a fake fur collar that is to die for. i can't wait to see it. we'll also beef up your holidays with tip pepper steak and balsamic marinaded pork chops all courtesy of famed chef charlie palmer. >> but first hello to mr. joe rogan, back, host of "fear factor." good to see you. >> good to see you as well. >> ten years since "fear factor" premiered so this new edition, what is the difference? >> well, high definition television is one of the big differences. and stunt technology has evolved. it's bigger and crazier. way more involved, way grander than the old shows were.

>> give us an example of something that you couldn't do all those years ago and you can do now. >> well, the technology has made things safer so they can draw people from higher distances, get away with things they couldn't before. >> things are weirder? >> that and they just wanted to take the show. >> ooh. >> they wanted to take it further. they can't just bring the old show back so they kicked it up not just one notch but several. as shocking as the show was, in 2001 -- >> still eating bugs? >> yeah. still eating bugs. >> explain the appeal. a lot of people watch that and turn the channel immediately but it was a huge show during its run. >> i don't know. it's exciting and fun. i am not a psychologist. i don't understand. but i would watch it if i wasn't hosting it. >> would you take part in the stunts? >> if i was broke for sure. i would definitely do it. >> has there been any stunt where you think no way in a million years. i wouldn't do it for all the money in the world? >> i don't know about for all the money in the world but we made people ride bulls in the old series. i don't think i'd be interested

in riding a bull. >> watching these promos people are getting pulled out of office building windows, getting yanked out on helicopters. i mean, how do you -- how do you make sure this is safe? >> well, the stunt guys are the best stunt guys in the world. they do huge hollywood movies and go way out of their way to make sure it looks crazy and it is pretty wild but ultimately it's fairly -- as safe as doing one of those things -- >> we should do this. we should go out and do -- can we go out and do fear factor? >> i guess you could if we made the insurance policy high enough. >> come on. >> one tease, joe. give us one stunt that we think is going to be thon non this ne. >> they are so involved.

central time right here on nbc. >> it's a fake thing. >> let's check your weather and see what is going on right now. >> tomorrow, sunny skies in the mid-atlantic states. and air stagnation continues in the pacific north west. saturday we have showers in the pacific northwest, and lake-effect snow in the great lakes, and sunday, sunday, plenty of sunshine and cold in new england. sunny and mild in the southwest. >> good morning. it's sunny and cold around the metro area. a few clouds to the west. those may drift over from time to time in the afternoon. right now in the mid and upper 30s. and the wind should diminish

later today, and highs climbing in the mid-40s. a cold night tonight. and partly cloudy on friday and into the mid-40s. sunny but cold over the weekend. that's your latest weather. >> thank you very much. we want to start by thanking everybody for remembering to bring the gifts and toys for under privileged children for our 18th annual holiday toy drive. jessica biel, seth meyers, our celebrity elves this morning. more than 19 million dollars worth of toys and other great gifts now on their way to needy children. >> and a little bit of a different twist with our toy drive this morning. we are going to have gifts that kids can give to the adults in their lives. michael norris from party light is here. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> tell us about this donation and how it works. we're very excited. party lights have been working with the toy drive now for six years and we've now contributed over $16 million worth of products and we're very pleased and honored to be here again

donating this year. and the products aren't for the kids. we get many letters back from kids and the organization saying how wonderful it is that the kids can actually gift their moms with a present. >> it makes them feel good to be able to give as well as receive. >> exactly. and the moms, you know, they sacrifice so much and the kids know that. they have the opportunity then to get rewarded and feel that something is coming back. >> why is work like this important to you? you're head of a company. cow be doing other things with your time. why is this so important to you? >> well, we have a large number of our independent consultants in the u.s. and canada and these are moms and dads that are in the community working with the family and they all want to share and participate so they expect the company to do that. we help with the american cancer society and with children's network in canada so we do a lot of work in the community and it's something that is just part of who we are. >> thank you. >> thank you so much.

merry christmas to everybody at party light. literally, millions of children who would love to receive gifts from our toy drive this year, you'd like to help, go to "today.com" and find many ways you can help as well. coming up next how to wear the trickiest trends of the season. >> cosby sweaters. that. >> and more coming up. what's this? it's progresso's new loaded potato with bacon. it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato.

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[ toy robot sounds ] appready, go!or at a bank of america near you. sears super saturday is on! 60% off coats, sweaters and fleece for the whole family. 50% off all heated blankets, throws and flannel sheets. come shop the early preview. real deals. real savings. sears this morning on "today's style" pulling off tricky trends. whether you're trying to wear winter shorts or a fur collar some of the latest styles can are hard to get right so our style expert is here to help us out. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we see all these trends. are you saying anyone can wear any trend really? >> i really do believe anyone can wear any trend. the main thing is to keep it simple. i know for myself if i over think it and you think too much about what you saw on the runway you end up wearing the same thing every day. but things are really easy. the looks we have today, simple to put together. >> these models will definitely inspire everybody.

let's bring the fur collar. this is seema rocking the fur collar. come on out. >> love the fur collar. a chic accessory. this is from beholden which is a website you usually find special occasion wedding stuff on. vintage inspired finds like this fur collar. throw it over a black dress. the same one maybe you've worn for every holiday party every year. all of a sudden it looks like a brand new outfit. >> you say wear it with a v-neck. i would have thought crew but what do i know? >> i think with the v-neck it is sexier but subtle. you see a little skin but not too much and it takes the place of a big statement necklace. >> thank you. our next trend is red and pink together. i love this trend but you have to get it right. let's bring out sandra. tell us about this. >> sandra looks gorgeous with the red and pink together. almost like black and brown. you couldn't do it. now you can completely do it. just make sure the colors are really bold. we have this bold blouse from talbot's. the color is rich. then the pants, these are from bcbg generation at amazon clothing shop. rich red.

bold and bold. you can't go with one muted one bold. they have to play nice together. >> you have different textures. shiny, silky top but the pants aren't that silky. >> it's more about the color than the texture. >> okay. >> worry more about the bold jewel tones than the textures. i happen to like a flowing blouse. it's easy and comfortable to wear. and the silk makes the pink completely pop. it looks so beautiful on her. accessories? minim minimum. >> you look great. let's bring out our winter shorts model. this is michelle. i love this idea but, man. you have to have the legs. of course she does. >> she has the legs. if you don't have the legs you can fake having the legs by putting on a really good pair of dark black tights. >> okay. >> if you have like these are from haines, the silk reflections line blackout tights. we've got the shorts from kohl's. 48 bucks. want something that has the fit almost of a skirt. nothing that is too close to the leg. this is, it could be a skirt but it's shorts. a cozy sweater makes it wintry. >> you want something wintry on the top. >> you need to play it real wintry on the top and on the bottom like these boots are from

aerosol's. love them because of the faux fur on top. makes them really wintry. you've got a heel but still a flexible foot so you can walk -- >> this is a nice length actually, not too hoochy mama. some of the models rock the short shorts. >> if you're a model you can pull it off, all the power to you. >> but for the rest of us. >> i wouldn't want anyone to have to see me wearing that. >> you look awesome. thank you so much. our next one horizontal stripes. a lot of people love this but isn't the rule never wear the horizontal stripes? >> horizontal stripes can be scary but not if they're thin. think more like a little french girl in paris than mod twiggy style. much more wearable. this tunic is from boden, $118. the sweater is easy to wear and comfy. the thin stripes and also the way that the stripes are sort of separated differently throughout. create a really slimming optical illusion, throw a little faux fur jacket over it and the nude accessories, the stripes become the pattern of the outfit and everything else becomes really simple. >> should you do it real tight and fitted? >> fitted for sure.

don't go with the over sized big mod '60s stripe. it's great on the runway and a super tall model but the rest of us i think a thin stripe is easier. i love the shoes. great wedge boots. simple. she still gets the height. with stripes you want to create height in other ways. these are from crocs. $80. i'm obsessed with them. >> so comfy. last but not least we have to thz for ourselves. the cosby sweater is back. tell me. gina, come on out. >> it is scary but this is back. i have to be honest. i don't know if i'll ever be able to play this off but who would have ever thought bill cosby would come back in vogue as a fashion icon? cosby sweaters. you may think at first to wear them with jeans. i think it's harder to wear them with jeans because the look doesn't look as put together. wear it with a pencil skirt, black tights, black booties. >> wait a minute. here is cosby's sweater. >> doesn't she look better? >> yeah. this is not your bill cosby sweater. it's got a little more form to it. >> it's not the crazy patterns, wacky colors. then keep it streamlined

everywhere else. so the pencil skirt, the black tights, black booty shoes. >> let's bring the models out quickly before we go. these are great ideas. hopefully people are inspired. cosby sweater. there it is. nice and cozy too. thanks so much. coming up next pork chops and steak from acclaimed chef charlie palmer right after this. beauty, huh? it's dependable. long-lasting, too. yeah, i could really use this silverado. i'm a big hunter. oh, what do you hunt? deer. fish. fantastic. ♪ this holiday, chevy's giving more. now qualified buyers can get 0% apr for 72 months on a 2011 chevy silverado. or 0% apr financing for 60 months plus no monthly payments until spring. ♪ yi mean you've got like five chundred dollars worth of nuts here, you do the math.

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this morning in today's holiday kitchen denver dinners. chef charlie palmer is known for his award winning restaurants from new york to california. recently opened a new property in denver called "district meats." >> district meets. >> all right. denver, they like their steak. >> they like meat. >> okay. so we're going to make a tri tip. >> the whole idea of the restaurant and what we'll talk about today is like the secondary cuts. so we have, this is a terrace major steak. this is -- coulette steak. like pants. but you're starting to see this a little more because they are much better value and fwraet tasfwraet -- great tasting. we'll pepper crust one so we'll take our little tri tip steak and put it right in there. >> what is the tri tip? >> tri tip is a cut from the top of the sirloin. you see a lot on the west coast. you don't see it talked about much on the east coast yet. >> it's coming. >> it's coming, baby. >> yeah. but they're really tasty cuts

and they're economical. a lot less expensive than a filet minion steak. you seer this on either side for three or four minutes and then finish it in the oven if you want more medium. >> right. >> we go from there. this is the pepper sauce. there is a little brandy for you to put in there. >> right in here? >> yep. right in there. don't be cheap on the brandy. >> go with the brandy. >> then we got shallots and garlic caramelized and dripgs from t drippings from the steak we did before. then a little chicken stock, heavy cream. not too much. justoing to reduce that down. >> okay. >> we let that reduce down and we make a nice flavorful sauce. a little bit of sea salt to finish in there. okay. >> right. >> here's one of our steaks we have already cooked. you see the pepper here on the outside. >> oh, yeah. so you have to like pepper for this. >> yeah. you can go as, you know, strong or weak with the pepper as you want. you don't have to go crazy if

you're not a big pepper fan but you get a nice, almost like a crust on the outside with the pepper corns. >> that's just slicing right through. >> you see the brandy smell. you get a nice, juicy inside, crusty outside. of course here we've got a sauce that's already finished. >> right. >> we'll pour that over our sliced steak. don't be cheap with the sauce as they say. >> spent the time making it might as well use it. >> then a little root vegetables roasted in the winter time. great little burgundy here that's another great value wine. >> we got something else going back here. >> in the back we'll do a little pork. >> ooh ya. >> we've marinaded a pork blade steak cut from the shoulder. so again, very economical but also very tasty. >> what do you mayrinade this i? >> balsamic vinegar, red onion. a little thyme. we go on the grill fan. you can do this outside on the grill or even in the winter time i like to grill outside. >> sure. >> get a nice seer on that. this is, you know, marinading in

this overnight like four or five hours is enough but overnight is even better. you know, it takes on the flavor and also starts to tenderize the meat a little bit. >> how long on each side do you want to do this? >> three minutes on a side. then turn the temperature down and let it finish slowly. >> right. when you take it off, let it rest? >> let it rest a little bit. then here we have one that's already cooked and seared, you know. a little knife and fork there. >> tell us about the vegetables. >> these are roasted chestnuts and brussel sprouts for the season. goes with either of the dishes. i like bitter broccolirab. there is a nice recipe on the website for this also. >> i have to turn this down. >> we'll turn it down and try the beef over there. >> yes. bring it back with me. very nice. >> a little meat? this is an interesting wine. this is made, you know, it's a really good value wine, about $40 retail.

it's amazing. >> fantastic. >> so celebrate with that. >> charlie? >> cheers, sir. >> always great to see you. >> great to see you. >> district meats. >> there you go. >> denver, colorado. come see us. coming up, are we there yet? we have the must have items if you're traveling with the kids. not this. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices...

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coming up with hoda and kathie lee actress melissa gilbert. >> plus everything you need to pack to make life easy traveling with the kids for the holidays. >> and we'll make party foods with a punch or kick. all after your local news and weather. >> yes! have a great day.

gorgeous morningbut cold. 9:57 is the time. it's december 8th, 2011. tom? >> we had a cold start in the wake of the rain and snow yesterday. the sky has cleared out and the air is fresh and clean and just a few clouds floating through. and the camera looking towards

the west. temperatures as we approach 10:00 in the morning are approaching 40 degrees throughout much of the region. later today, highs only the mid-40s and a blustery wind that will diminish this afternoon. flooding causing problem on some of the roadways. let's start with massachusetts avenue, closed in some parts. and as you can see on the roadway crossing the 14th street bridge looks much better, was jammed a minute ago but now nice and clear as you make your way to the 60. back to

[ screaming ] [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television nice landing. it was. hello, everybody. it's thirsty thursday, dember 8th. we are so glad you're here with us today. >> it's starting to feel like december finally. in the 30s, people have hats and coats on in new york. >> we had a big day yesterday. stayed in the city last night. we have apartments in the same building. i'm on the 37th floor.

i did not literally sleep one minute all night long because the wind was howling like trazy. >> it's crazy windy in our building. it's chalet-like. i get nervous. >> oh, what a day, you might ask, did we have. >> we had a great day. >> first of all we'll talk about alec. >> he issued what was said to be an apology. he apologized after the all the antics yesterday. you know the story about him on a plane, how he was playing a game. he didn't turn it off. he got into an altercation and was kicked off the plane. he apologized to the passengers, but this is how he apologized to the airline, i guess. here is his quote. "the lesson i've learned is to keep my phone off when the 1950s gym teacher is on duty. that was my fault there even though this trip was different from others, in this case when

other people were still manipulating their own phones, this one employee singled me out to put my phone away." with the "post" a witness heard him saying, i want your blanking name right now. >> i don't know, who do you believe? knowing our alec the way we do. >> i think they are both right. >> he also said he was going to shut down his twitter account. let's play a game called mass on following. i want to crash this account and start again. here is the thing about twitter. you can hit that send button and then it's out there. that's it. it's out there and you got troubles. >> there should be a button that asks you a question first, think this through, are you sure? really? take a moment to think about this. that's life in general, you know? >> i think when you see someone

who is in power knocking someone who has none, it's terrible to listen to and watch. >> here is the thing that bothers me the most about it. ultimately, and we are all selfish people. we have to tonight our natural state is selfishness. a baby comes out crying. they want attention, give me, down, mine, out. you spend the rest of your life trying to deal with those kinds of natural urges, right? ultimately, what it was is just very selfish. it means there is no concern for every other passenger on that plane. they were delayed. i hope he feels it. was it worth it? someone is having a heart attack and you wait for somebody to come on and help the person, a doctor to come, everybody understands there is a really good reason for a delay like that. when it's something as silly and insignificant as that. first of all, he's sitting in first class. a lot of people in the back are

scrunched. i think he'll learn it from. alec is not an all bad guy. >> he's very charming, can be funny and great to talk with. >> we had so much fun yesterday. i woke up thinking about the broadway show we saw yesterday. i fell asleep smiling because of what we saw. >> i bet you did. >> i woke up thinking about it. it was huge acting. it was hugh jackman back on broadway. >> where do we begin? >> it was such a great show. >> he accomplishes absolutely everything without practically even breaking a sweat. he's with these darling girls, four of them were making their broadway debuts. he just makes it look effortless and it's not. he loses three pounds a day doing this show. >> look how natural he is. >> he not only sings, he tells

stories about his life. he talked about how you get a phone call in your life and it can change your life. you get thousands of calls and it can change your life. he got a call saying he is going to carnegie hall. he called his dad to say you've got to see me at carnegie hall. his dad was a tight attorney. i'm taking three days off, one day to get there, one day to see the show, one day to get back. he says it's a black tie event. i want to pick you up at your hotel, walk you to carnegie hall. hugh said you can do that. knock, knock, and there is his father wearing the black tie. he said i told you it's not black tie. he said my son is performing at carnegie hall. i am wearing black tie. you were laughing and crying and singing. >> he could have had a self-indulgent show. he's the cover of sexiest man

alive on "people." it was so self-deprecating and so with a wink. it was the absolute perfect, perfect tone. i always thought he's the nicest guy in this business. now i really do think he is the nicest guy on the planet, too. he is beloved by everybody he works with. he treats everyone with so much respect. >> we went backstage. there is a special reason we went backstage. not everybody got to go backstage. sunny came with us. >> i wasn't planning on going backstage, you can see that. i've been studying painting. you wear one of those painting things. none of us look very good, but who does standing next to hugh jackman? >> he was auctioning off at the end of the show he had a sweaty, smelly -- >> i doubt it smelly. >> t-shirt. >> for equity fights aids, the actors' fund. i started bidding thinking i'm going to get the price up. we bid, we bid. it starts to take on a life of

its own. >> it got huge. >> between this other woman on the other side. >> you go, i want to see her. >> i go, i want to see her. you, you, bring it on. she stands up and she makes her big bid and i go, you win. thinking, yes, i got it up to a lot of money! >> and then -- >> and then he says, i have two t-shirts you can both make that. i'm not telling you the amount because frank is probably watching at home. but look what i got for it. i want to smell it first. there is a new research, there is research out that says -- what's it say? >> you can tell a person's personality from their b.o. your body odor. >> that is a nasty way to say it. from their personal scent. >> get in. >> oh. >> he smells good. he smells good. >> oh.

>> i want some. >> you give me a check for half the amount. >> i don't want it that bad. >> take it out. it is damp. >> it's sweaty. >> it's got a little make-up on it. and there it is. hugh jackman. oh, my gosh. what should i do with it? i'm thinking about what we should do. if somebody wants to make an equal gift to equity fights aids, i would be happy to give this up for them. otherwise it's going in my studio at home framed. >> you also hit another broadway show. >> yes. i was staying in town because friends of mine are involved with a terrific new show called "bonnie and clyde." there's a lot to like about this show. first of all these stars, jeremy jordan and laura osnis play bonnie and clyde respectively. if you want to see the future of

broadway, see these two young people. they are 27 and 26. they are brilliantly talented. the critics were not that nice, unfortunately, to the show. i didn't think they deserved some of the knocks they got. my friend john mcdaniel did amazing orchestration. here is the thing about it. i want to say nice things about it because it's harder and harder to bring a new story and a new show to broadway. if we don't start supporting them, you're going to have revital after revival after revival. they are great. i know how tough it is to bring a new show to broadway. i want to support my friend. it's hard work, blood, sweat, tears and dreams. go see "bonnie and clyde." it's really, really worthy. >> we have, you guys, a special guest here. he smells like heaven and his name is isaiah mustafa.

>> the old spice guy. >> you want to smell hugh jackman? >> no, no, i have enough going on here. i'm good. >> are you secure in your manhood? >> i'm very good in my manhood. >> you're traveling the country giving gifts away. you brought matt a gift, we saw earlier. >> did you actually paint that? >> i had a little help. because bob russ has passed on. >> he has a lovely selection of books you can learn from. i wanted to celebrate your beauty by giving you a couple of gifts that i have here. >> where are they? >> they, jerry. >> hello today show ladies, on my quest to give every single person in the world a gift i gave you this oversized novelty check for the familiar rah person, the man who bringts beveraged high jinks to the world every morning. he does have the enviable

pleasure seeing your beautiful face parts through the machine, his predawn attitude are wordy of something extra this year. happy holidays, everyone. >> what the hell did you say? >> i tend to talk in a roller coaster way. i would like to give you both something here. >> what have you been drinking this morning. >> same thing as in your cup. >> isaiah, we love you. >> i love coming on. >> i like the tie thing happening here. >> this is varbados. >> excuse us, excuse us very much. >> if you want to see more of this, go to old spice's youtube catalog. >> isaiah, thank you. >> thanks so much. >> just what you want when you're 58, a mirror. but thank you. >> we have quick time for ihoda play list. this is big. this is mellow and calm. it's called "a thousand years."

♪ every hour has closed ♪ one step closer >> here it goes. ♪ i have died every day waiting for you ♪ ♪ darling don't be afraid ♪ i have loved you for a thousand years ♪ ♪ i love you for a thousand more ♪ >> this song, by the way, is like one of the number one songs. not just because it's a great song and katy perry is talented, it's also one of the themes of "twilight." >> vampires live that long. not crazy about it. sorry. >> how are you not crazy about it? >> i'm not. it's a little draghi for me,

okay? unless you're watching, sucking their blood. what what's the point? i think she is a lovely singer, but i don't think it's a great song. >> listen to it all the way through. >> no thanks. >> is it okay to move on too soon after a break-up? >> i answered this at the time with the j. lo situation, the marc anthony thing had come out. >> you said if you've been married, wait until the ink drys. >> hoda said sometimes divorce proceedings can take years so it's okay to date. we are getting a lot of this. we can take our time, but we'll be right back.

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it's the role she'll never look down. melissa gilbert captured our hearts as laura engells in "little house on the prairie." >> she has a project playing a domineering stage director in the tv movie called "the christmas pageant." take a look. >> listen, beverly, it's obvious you don't want me here, but i am here and i am the director. and in my job as the director, i will make whatever decisions i have to make regardless of whether you like them or not. got it? >> whoa. >> i like this movie because it starts right off the bat -- by

the way, hi. >> hi. >> with you on broadway directing. she has a fight with the writer who take umbrage. >> you know the word. >> you're not allowed to do that. you have to pass everything through the writer. >> well, apparently not this character. she feels she is the end all, be all and gets fired for it and can only get a job directing a christmas pageant in some little town in upstate new york. >> the transition must have been tough for this character. >> it was. it's definitely a lot of lessons learned. it turns out the reason she's been hires is because her former fiance has been following her not so good career and pays her and brings her in. it's a romantic comedy. i've seen it. i'm really pleased with it. >> hallmark does good stuff. >> they do. >> how come everybody has to get out of the big city to find out what matters in life and find

the love of their life? >> i don't know, but apparently you have to take a cake in the chest. a big old vanilla cake covered in chocolate icing. i don't know what it is. >> yes. >> is that the girl that played suzy in the lemonade commercials? i love her. >> yes. this little girl has such a future ahead of her. she is so brilliantly talented. and she is very grounded and she's very, i'm a little critical when it comes to child actors. i think i have a right to be. this girl is all instinct and she is funny. >> how old is she? >> 9. same age when i was in "house." >> when is the last thing you did something comedic like this? >> you mean aside from at home where i generally trip going upstairs? i tripped going to the ladies' room here. >> there is a lot of alcohol

here early in the morning. >> not for me. >> you've been sober for how long? >> seven years. >> how is your life? >> it's complicated. not to use the tight until an alec baldwin movie, but it is. >> that was a great movie. >> there are days it's rough and our family is working through. the first holiday with the family split is weird. >> it was your first thanksgiving and now will be your first christmas. >> but for new year's -- there's my family. i am doing something i've never done in my whole life. i'm going by myself to paris for a week where i rented an apartment. i don't have an agenda. i'm going to go to museums. i'm going to eat a lot of brie cheese and just try to enjoy being on my own. >> it's going to be another hallmark movie. >> then there will be the maitre

d turns out to be the son of a shipping magnate. have a great holidays. >> you, too. >> you can catch "a christmas pageant" sunday night on the hallmark channel. >> webtastic is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. [ 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! ♪ 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 ♪

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♪ have a holly jolly christmas >> we are back with sara's series called webtastic. >> that's when sara searches for the next big internet hit. >> this will get you into the holiday spirit. members of the royal navy made this video after learning they would make it home for christmas after spending 7 1/2 months away.

♪ i hear those sleigh bells ringing ♪ ♪ would you please come over to me ♪ ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas ♪ ♪ this is all i'm asking for ♪ i just want to see my baby ♪ standing outside my door ♪ i just want you for my own ♪ all that you could ever know ♪ make my wish come true ♪ baby all i want for christmas ♪ ♪ is you >> they were supposed to only be deployed for 7 1/2 weeks. >> are you kidding? >> they got stuck for 7 1/2 months. they did this as a guess what, we are coming home. mariah carey saw it and tweeted, this is the best thing i've ever seen, you made my christmas. 720,000 trips. >> it's one of the top-selling

billboard songs. >> make your own menorah and other decorations. >> and keeping the kids happy. >> southern hospitality comes to our kitchen. is to dig right in. but his dentist knows that to do that he needs to use the brush more dentists use. oral-b. trust the brush more dentists and hygienists use. oral-b. life opens up when you do.

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[ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state.

♪ on the road again >> we are back on this thirsty thursday with "today's moms" and essentials if you're hitting the roads with kids this month. >> she is filled with stuff that will make everybody happy when you're trying to get from here to there with kids in tow. >> how are you? >> good. >> snacks. everyone needs snacks. >> they are really important when traveling. this is a clever stackable container. it's from yaba, it's from

pottery barn kids. it holds formula if you're formula feed yurg baby. >> you know jerry doesn't want you to steal this. >> i want it. >> this will hook to the diaper bag. >> you like these things that do more than one task. >> this is a serious multitasker. it's a bassinet, changing table and folds into a diaper bag. >> that is great wish i had that when i was a young mom. >> it's super clever. >> we had many children who were going to occupy this seat. they are right over there and they are so cute. >> we'll meet them later. >> you will meet them in a second. this is a polar gear infant seat if you're going to visit your mother-in-law or in a restaurant. it has a five-point harness like a car seat. it's super secure and safe. >> and hooks on to the back of a chair. >> that's $40.

>> the next category is they think of everything. you lose kids' socks in airports. you fixed that. >> these are sock-ones, $8 each invented by a mother of five. she knew a thing or two about lost socks. you put them over the sock and they are snuggier. these are potty protectors. they cover the toilet seat if you're in an airport bathroom, gas station, things like that. you can get a pack of 10 for $10. they are extra large size because you know how children grab the edge. this is the potette. it is a disposable liner, collapsable seat. inside, i'm not sure you can see it, but there is an absorbant liner like diaper material that

catches whatever comes. you throw it away and you can use it again. really smart. >> screen yus. >> this is the travel tot. it's $25 and everything you need to childproof in a house or a hotel room. for kids who get car sick or air sick, these are the sea bands for children. they help with morning sickness or boat travel. they are available in a child size. >> look how signee they are. >> it works by accupressure. >> we have two beautiful children. >> uncooperative children. >> hi, you guys. happy holidays. >> and they have these adorable zoobies animals. it's an animal and a blanket. it folds up. >> and it's freezing here. >> it comes off for washing.

it's $35. it's useful and fun. >> adorable. what about this little pink one here? >> i don't know if she is going to give it up. >> don't even try. grab those kids. we've got something for them to do. >> how to upcycle. ( upbeat rock music playing ) ( men vocalizing ) there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. hidden valley ranch makes vegetables delectable. [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu.

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they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, guaranteed. oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪ ♪ buy one pair of shoes, get another pair half off. ♪ [ female announcer ] spectacular savings

on the brand names you love. famous footwear. make today famous. ♪ 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 ♪

now for our favorite and one and only upcycler. >> we only know one upcycler. you take that stuff sitting around your house and turn it into fine holiday decor. danny is the author of "the upcycler." >> i love you, too. >> insincerity. >> let's begin with ornaments. >> let's start with your balls. >> okay. >> these are danny's balls.

stop it. >> so festive. these are upcycled plastic shopping bags. we have plastic bags in different colors. it's easy to make your own ornaments. you take the plastic bags and make strips like this and roll them around and around. >> i bet that's therapeutic, too. >> until you get a beautiful upcycled holiday ball. it's easy, it's scissors and tying knots and you're done. >> and they are beautiful. >> beautiful balls. >> you know michael's storing, but they are nice. >> if you needed a school project for kids. >> now you're talking. >> this would be perfect for them. this is a gingerbread cookie ornament. a great kid-friendly project. i have one for you. one for you. you can tell the difference. this isn't gingerbread. this is cardboard. >> thank you, danny. >> we were confused for a minute. >> we wanted to eat it.

>> oh, god. okay. >> we already started off badly. you said you almost gagged when you saw us smell hugh jackman's t-shirt. how is that possible? >> it's in a zip-lock. it was firmating the whole time. >> it was one day. you're just jealous because we love hugh jackman. >> we are going to frost these gingerbread cookies. in lieu of using actual frosting, you use this t-shirt puffy paint. then it dries and you have something permanent as an ornament for your tree. >> i made his hair. i love doing stuff like this. >> she could do it all day. >> we could auction these off for your favorite charities. it's something where kids can take cardboard and do stars,

gingerbread cookies, a moose and you have a frosted ornament. >> do you like mine? >> it's beautiful. >> look at mine. >> who wants it? who wants it? >> i'm gumby-dammit. look at the difference, hoda. just look at that. >> here is kathie lee's. >> mine looks like betty crocker. yours looks like gumby. >> they're beautiful. >> oh. >> who wants to buy this on ebay? >> i don't do crafts. >> here is an upcycled menorah. flea markets are a great place to find vintage bottles. what you can do to decorate the inside is take a funnel, take the paint color of your choice. pour it on the inside like this. it's going to go inside the bottle and you swirl it around

and coat the inside. let it dry completely and you've got yourself a beautiful menorah. take old containers you have. sugar shakers, fill on the inside with little figurines from the craft store. take styrofoam in the blender and you have instant snow globe. >> what do you do with that? >> it's a decorative thing. >> you look at that. >> you add glitter to it. you pour it on the inside. glue these reindeer on the inside. >> do you live alone? >> oh, my gosh. >> come on. >> do the tie wreath. we are dying for that one. >> casual friday now. it seems like the whole week is casual. take a collection of old neckties, pin them into place. >> that is quite nice. >> you have a festive wreath. go to goodwill if you don't have

enough ties. i love this one. take a crafts store tray unfinished and your hotel key cards. >> you've been in a few, hoda woman. >> you grout them into place. perfect gift to give someone. how cute is this? this is a little glass bottle, something that had soda in it. i put scupty clay on the front. bake it in the oven. personality vases. kid-friendly project. >> danny, you're a sweetheart. >> i love you guys. >> you take enormous abuse from us, but we love you. >> holiday food with a southern kick. great prices. i just wish you could guarantee me they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! i'd be like, yes, i do rule! ohh! that rules!

oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. yeah. ring dinga-ding, ring dinga-ding, ring, ring, ring me up. [ male announcer ] no need to wait with our christmas price guarantee. we're so confident in our prices if you do find a lower one between now and christmas, we'll give you the difference on a walmart gift card. save money. live better. walmart. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. you could spend as much as $200. olay says challenge that with an instrument that cleanses as effectively as what's sold by skin professionals for a whole lot less. new olay pro x advanced cleaning system.

how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪ feel the beat? it's amazing what soup can do. [ female announcer ] let betty crocker do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies. ♪ just pour, mix...love.

time for today's holiday kitchen. we are heading into the deep south for home down, down home holiday. >> former top chef hopeful tiffany fazon grew up with a mother who knew the southern classics. tiffany is heading up north to boston where she owns a new barbecue restaurant called sweet cheeks. what a great name. >> thank you. >> it's fun. i can't believe you have anything left to cook with because we've all been eating. >> that's absolutely the point. we've taken a couple of things you might take home leftovers you might have from sweet cheeks or anywhere else and things you might have from dinner before. make lunches for our kids every morning. what about repurposing things like. >> upcycling. >> exactly. start with cream cheese. everyone has cream cheese, a little bit of olive oil.

if you would dump that broccoli. last night's dinner. there is a little bit left. instead of watching the kids roll their eyes, hide it. throw it in your sandwich. this is a little bit of salt. these are toasted pine nuts and this is a little bit of spanish pinantona. >> this is what we are falling in love with. >> this is actually brought from sweet cheeks in boston. it's our brisket, it is completely no antibiotics. if you have that brisket or pot roast at home, you take your schmear here. >> i had a doctor named dr. schmear and i loved him. >> he is the best proctologist

in the business. >> take this and scmear it from our leftover garlic bread from the evening before. brisket on top. >> how do you get the crispy thing on the end? >> smoke it low and slow. >> oh, my gosh, i'm eating it. >> put a little greens, olive oil. >> come here to the chicken. come here. >> chicken's calling. the idea with this is everyone has toaster waffles in their freezers, especially if you have kids. grab these out. nice and warm. this is mayo with cranberry sauce. just a little bit of cranberry sauce, little orange zest, a little bit of thyme. slap some chicken on it. >> it's almost like cooking.

>> can you say whole foods? >> careful. >> you've got this beautiful sandwich made from things you have. >> how do you get your chicken to taste like that? >> i smoke it at sweet cheeks. >> you this can inhale. >> absolutely. >> this is a little special cocktail. we call it root beer. it's root, which is a beautiful herbal liqueur. we top it with beer. >> she doesn't like it. >> i like beer. i like everything else you made today. it was magnificent. >> awesome. >> good luck. >> sweet cheeks. >> thanks. >> we'll be back with a special guest. >> first this is "today" on nbc. 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.

for too many children in this country a new pair of shoes

or winter boots is a luxury they cannot afford. today's toy drive is not about toys but books and clothing. >> we are happy to receive a wonderful donation of new shoes for needy children thanks to the generosity of stride right. look at the beautiful mother and daughter. >> we are glad to be here, thank you. >> we had a lot of toys and stuffed animals and things like that. you're giving something practical. >> shoes are so important for children. clearly, they are an absolute need. we also make shoes that are fun for the kids, as well. in some ways they think of them as a tow for their feet, in a way. >> look at the two of you. >> we have lots of fashion flats for little girls. animal prints are in this year as my daughter is displaying. >> we don't leave out the boys. we always have terrific spiderman and light-up shoes with "star wars" as well as our

cars. lots of fun for the kids. >> and little booties. >> these are our prewalker shoes with leather bottoms. this year we also have our sesame license. there is a wide variety of shoes. >> you're giving away 6,000 extra pairs because of -- >> we gave away 6,000 extra pairs last year when you were so kind to have us on with a facebook drive. that kicked off a facebook program that got us to over 100,000 friends. it was terrific. thank you for that. this year we are actually, in celebration of our partnership with the "today" show and $4 million worth of shoes, we are having a stride right.com drive with a buy one give one opportunity. >> that is awesome. >> so for every shoe we sell on the stride right.com through december 16th, we'll be giving away robby's prewalker for little babies. >> thanks for coming. glad you came. >> thank you so much. a lot coming up tomorrow.

we have our ambush makeover team and special performance. >> by robin thicke. have a great thirsty thursday. tomorrow is try day friday. >> we are going to party it up with the "today" show crowd. >> we are going to party it up with the "today" show crowd. see you -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com later. bye-bye.

good morning, everybody. welcome to "news4 midday." i amber brau harrison, it's thursday, december 8th, 2011. we begin with breaking news. a coach has been charged with sexual assaulting female students. police say three girls between the age of 15 and 16 were identified as victims, and all students at glenn bernie high school.