good morning. face to face. former penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky headed to court this morning to hear his accusers lay out their claims of sexual abuse. what will they say? how will he react? and could sandusky himself take the stand? we're live at the courthouse. on the attack. gop front-runners newt gingrich and mitt romney take the gloves off with the iowa caucuses exactly three weeks away, while gingrich agrees to a pledge vowing fidelity to his third wife. and fountain of youth. would you like to live for hundreds, even thousands of years? remarkable, new breakthrough that could be on the horizon today, tuesday, december 13th, 2011.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome today on this tuesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm matt lauer. a lot of eyes are going to be on that pennsylvania courtroom today. we're expecting testimony that is emotional and very graphic. >> that's right. this is going to be the first time the public and jerry sandusky will hear direct testimony from the alleged victims themselves. ten, as we all know, have now come forward, many who saw sandusky as a father figure, so you can begin to imagine just how tough it's going to be for them. it's also going to be wrenching for sandusky and his family. we'll get the latest and get perspective from our legal team of savannah guthrie and star jones, straight ahead. another story we've been covering, lauren scruggs was nearly killed when she walked into a plane's spinning propeller. ten days later, the model's

recovery has taken yet another encouraging turn. we're going to hear from her father in a little while. also coming up, a wealth of topics with today's professionals, everything from denver broncos quarterback tim tebow, wearing his religion on his sleeve, to a new survey on what people are willing to do without to lose weight, and you might be surprised by what most of us would not give up to lose weight, matt. all right, but we begin on a tuesday morning with a big day in court for jerry sandusky. nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff is at the courthouse in bellefonte, pennsylvania. michael, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. a little more than a month after prosecutors first charged jerry sandusky with repeatedly abusing young boys, they're planning to lay out new details of their case today in what is expected to be a grueling, all-day hearing in this local courtroom. it's a classic courtroom confrontation, jerry sandusky

faces his accusers for the first time since being charged. prosecutors need to show they have enough evidence to bring sandusky to trial. and nbc news has learned they plan to start out today with one of their strongest witnesses, a man identified in a grand jury report as victim 4, who says sandusky repeatedly forced him in to sexual encounters, including a penn state visit to the alamo bowl in san antonio, texas. >> priority number one for my client, and i presume for the other victims in this case, is to do what's right, and that's to put mr. sandusky in bars and to make sure that he's in jail for the rest of his life. >> reporter: victim 4 is also prepared to testify when he tried to distance himself from sandusky, the football coach tried to maintain the relationship by giving him money for marijuana and letting him smoke it in his car. sandusky's defense attorney, who says his client is innocent, plans to challenge aggressively the alleged victim's accounts, but he says what unfolds in court will be painful for

sandusky and his wife. >> it's going to be very traumatic, it's going to be very heart wrenching for them, because again, you have to remember that at least in the case of several of these kids, that dottie and jerry treated them like members of their family. >> reporter: it's still unclear whether prosecutors will call assistant coach mike mcqueary, who's reportedly shifting accounts of what he saw in the penn state showers could make him a problematic witness. legal experts say the defense will hold back some of its cards but that the testimony could prove explosive. >> any time you're dealing with rape victims, there is a high likelihood of fireworks just because of the nature of the testimony. >> reporter: under pennsylvania law, prosecutors have a relatively low threshold to meet here today. they only have to show they have probable cause to bring the charges against sandusky to trial, but that should reveal a lot about just how strong their evidence is. matt?

>> i'll take it, michael. thank you so much for your reporting. savannah guthrie is "today's" legal correspondent. we've got star jones, former prosecutor and veteran legal commentator. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> we heard michael talk about a low threshold. what does that mean? what is the minimum they've got to reach? >> it's a prima fascia case. this is basically the first look at what the prosecution has that a crime was committed and the person before you committed the crime. pennsylvania's a little bit different. it requires a preliminary hearing. that means that there must be direct evidence. this is a time for sandusky to face his accusers. either a victim has to testify or an eyewitness to the victim abuse for every -- >> for every charge. >> for every charge. >> in other words, this could take a couple of days. >> it could take more time than most preliminary hearings take. first of all, it is a lower threshold. most people are used to trials, in those trials, prosecutors have to put on proof of beyond a reasonable doubt. that's the highest legal

threshold we have. this is much lower, just probable cause. secondly, most preliminary hearings in most states is just a matter of a police officer coming on the stand, he's allowed to give hearsay testimony in this setting, and say, okay, the alleged victim told me this or that. pennsylvania is different. it requires direct evidence of each element of each crime charged, which is why we may hear from some or all of the accusers. >> what about mike mcqueary, the assistant coach, do we have to hear from him? >> because he wasn't an alleged eyewitness, at least preliminarily, as we've been told from the grand jury summary, then it would suggest that he would testify, but a lot of people have been questioning him because there have been some conflicting stories. this is interesting. another thing that's in pennsylvania law, that credibility does not matter in this case. it's enough for someone to get on the stand and say i saw it, this person was under age, this is a crime, and those elements will be established. >> couldn't the defense have waived having the preliminary hearing? and what does it say to us that the defense has not waived?

>> it's an incredible discovery opportunity for the defense. this is a huge day for the defense. they get to size up these accusers, hear their testimony, determine whether they're credible. and secondly, lock those accu accusers into a story. so, now they've told the story to the grand jury. they'll tell it today at the preliminary hearing. so, if this case gets to trial, and all expectations are that it will, then the defense can seize on any inconsistencies between the accusers' different accounts. and we're all humans. humans tell a story, something that happened to them, there will be little differences. if there are significant differences, that's a big opportunity. >> could sandusky take the stand? >> in theory, he could, but i don't think -- well, normally, a defense attorney would not do it, but this is this defense attorney. he has allowed him to do two major, major interviews, tell the story in ways that i've never heard a defendant do prior to even having been bound over at trial. >> defense attorneys would never put their client on the stand at this juncture. >> right. >> however, when asked, the defense attorney told reporters maybe i will.

>> yeah. who knows? >> he's unorthodox. >> you never know what's going to happen. >> he's supposed to sit, listen and learn. this is the opportunity of a lifetime to know what the prosecution has against them. sit, get the information, discovery, and keep it in your back pocket. >> given that this is such a great opportunity for the defense, are there risks then that are inherent for the prosecution? and what kind of risks? >> the main risk is that they don't make out an element of one or more of the charges. but unlike a trial, that doesn't mean it's dismissed with prejudice. it just means you go back in and you get some additional evidence to bring forth. >> all right. thank you so much, both of you, for your perspective. obviously, we're going to see how this plays out today. it is 7:08. here's matt. >> ann, thanks. now to presidential politics. the iowa caucuses will be held three weeks from today, and the gop front-runners are stepping up their attacks on each other. chuck todd is nbc's political director, and of course, chief white house correspondent. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. well, mitt romney is retooling his strategy for the republican nomination now that he's the

underdog. he's focusing a lot of attacks on front-runner newt gingrich, but it was a semi-throwaway line romney gave on staying positive that has newt gingrich fired up this morning. >> how are you today? good. thanks for coming by to see me. >> reporter: when mitt romney was the front-runner, his strategy was to stay above the fray, but no longer. now romney is dialing up one attack after another against the current front-runner, newt gingrich, starting with the candidate's tone. >> i know that among some folks, just saying outrageous or incendiary things will get you a lot of kudos and deprive your numbers up, but it's not going to win us the white house. >> reporter: he also hit gingrich for not supporting paul ryan's medicare reform plan. >> gingrich said that the ryan plan, which was an entitlement reform plan, was right-wing social engineering. i was astonished. >> reporter: and for private sector ties to freddie mac. >> i think a fair question is asked, why did he profit as freddie mac failed? >> reporter: it was that attack which compelled gingrich, whose consulting firm made over $1.5

million in freddie mac fees, to give it right back to romney. >> if governor romney would like to give back all the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years, then i would be glad to then listen to him. i'll bet you $10, not $10,000, that he won't take the offer. >> reporter: that was a dig at romney's infamous debate bet. >> i'll tell you what, 10,000 bucks? >> reporter: the romney campaign shot back by circulating this gingrich clip from last year, praising romney as a businessman. >> governor romney in his business career created more jobs than the entire obama cabinet combined, so he could actually profit from it. >> reporter: despite the attacks, romney did pledge not to get too tough on gingrich. >> so, i'm not going to say outrageous things that could be used to hang him down the road. >> reporter: gingrich, under assault, picked up on the sentiment. >> and i appreciate governor romney taking that position, and i agree with him. >> reporter: meanwhile, gingrich, who is on his third marriage, agreed to a social conservative group's pledge asking candidates to uphold the

institution of marriage through my personal fidelity to my spouse and affirming marriage as only between one man and one woman. romney reiterated his stance against gay marriage in a terse exchange with a vietnam veteran. >> you do not believe that everyone is entitled to their constitutional rights? >> no, actually, i think at the time the constitution was written, it was pretty clear that marriage is between a man and a woman, and i don't believe the supreme court has changed that. >> reporter: well, in this gingrich pledge on staying positive, he also says he'll ask any superpac that supports his candidacy to take down any negative ads. the motivation for that, romney's super pac is up with over $2 million in negative ads on gingrich already in iowa. bottom line, matt, this kumbaya idea, it's not going to last. >> chuck todd in washington. chuck, thank you very much. all right, let's get a check of the morning's other top stories with natalie morales at the news desk. hey, natalie. >> good morning, ann and matt, and good morning, everyone. a training exercise turned deadly overnight in washington state after two army helicopters

at joint base lewis mcchord crashed, killing four aviators. local authorities are looking into what caused the two observation choppers to crash. occupy demonstrations heated up overnight again out west, where protesters forced shipping terminals to halt operations in oakland and portland. and in seattle, police dispersed protesters blocking a port entrance using stun grenades. in russia, vladimir putin is facing a new challenger in his run for president. nbc's stephanie gosk is in moscow with the latest on the billionaire giving putin a run for his money. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. well, the political landscape in this country has changed dramatically in the last week. the opposition is suddenly energized, and it could pose a threat to vladimir putin's run for the presidency. and now, he faces a surprising new candidate. he is a multibillionaire tycoon. the majority owner of the nba's

new jersey nets and a jet-setting playboy. now the 46-year-old says he also wants to be russia's president. >> translator: it is probably the most important decision in my life. i'm going to run for president. >> reporter: he made billions when he took over a state-owned metal company in the '90s. unlike other russian oligarchs, he had maintained a relatively good relationship with vladimir putin, until now. putin's government is facing a sudden, new wave of public defiance. his political party lost seats in parliamentary elections and is accused of trying to rig the vote. a nationwide opposition protest on saturday was the biggest this country has seen since the early '90s. two days later, a pro-government rally was considerably smaller, but in the shadow of the kremlin it was a reminder of who is in power. putin's political party did lose seats in the parliamentary election, but it is still the most powerful party in the country, and when putin runs for

the presidency again in march, he's expected to win. progorov says the past week shows that the russian people care about their country. now he just has to convince him that he's the guy to improve it. there's an intrigue in this. this is after all russian. conspiracy theories believe prokhorov is running because the kremlin wants to split the opposition vote, so the political not thickens here. natalie? >> interesting conspiracy theory. stephanie gosk in moscow, thank you. yet another request for iran to return a top-secret drone to the u.s. is going ignored. the obama administration has formally requested that iran return the downed surveillance aircraft but admits there's little hope that tehran will comply. u.s. officials say it is tough to gauge just how much intelligence iran can obtain from the lost drone, but state tv there in iran is reporting that iranian experts are in the final stages of recovering data from that drone.

now let's head to wall street. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange. bad day yesterday, courtney. what's it looking like today? >> yeah, that's right, natalie. we've said it before and will say it again, headlines out of europe continue to steer trading here in the united states, and investors remain concerned that the solution that the european leaders came up with to solve the region's debt crisis may not be the best solution. meantime, a survey by manpower shows that hiring prospects are the best since we've seen before the financial meltdown of 2008. however, uncertainty about those staffing levels are also elevated at the highest level since 2005. natalie, back to you. >> all right, courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange. we'll be watching what happens there today. and verizon had central new jersey cell phone users in a panic on monday after the company sent a text message to customers warning of a "extraordinary threat to life and property," telling people to "take shelter now." the messages were signed "u.s.

govern," leading many people to believe they were official. 911 call centers in the area were swamped with terrified residents, prompting homeland security to then announce there was no emergency. verizon later apologized, saying it was just a test message that was inadvertently sent out. that is a big whoopsy! 7:16 now. let's turn it back to matt, ann and al. >> that's exactly what the bottom of the text message said, whoopsy! >> didn't mean that. just a test. >> yeah, you think the message would have said dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria. >> mr. roker, what's happening? well, we've got a lot of snow to talk about out in the southwest, unbelievable where you're seeing the southwest getting more snow than traditional areas in our country. durango to taos, talking anywhere from 9 to 12 inches of snow. some places, flagstaff in the mountains could see 18 inches of snow. and then you can also see we've got some activity working its way through the midwest. icy conditions going to be the problem. freeze advisories in effect.

icy travel from duluth to marquette, back to goodland. we're looking for about a tenth of an inch of frozen precipitation, not enough to bring down power lines and tree limbs, but enough to inch of frozen precipitation, and enough to make for hazardous travel. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods.. >> good morning. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, in storm center 4. sunrise on the frosty cold tuesday morning. a live view from the skywatcher camera. calm winds and cold temperatures down into the low to mid-20s throughout most of the region now. it's frosty cold. you will be scraping frost off the windshield. and later today, low 50s with the and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you. retail giant lowe's is facing a growing backlash this morning after pulling its advertising from a reality show featuring an all-muslim cast.

nbc's kevin tibbles is in chicago with this story. hey, kevin, good morning. >> reporter: ann, lowe's says it dropped the ads because the show had become a lightning rod for complaint, but the home improvement giant had also been targeted by a florida group whose leader claims -- and i quote him here -- "the show was spreading muslim propaganda." it's a reality show that looks like many other reality shows on tv. a slice of life in america, five people from dearborn, michigan and all of the ups and downs of life along the way. it's called "all-american muslim" on tlc, a window into the world of america's islamic community. one of the stars is a 32-year-old judicial aid for the dearborn judicial court, sueheila.

>> dispelling the thoughts of muslims in this country. >> reporter: but one group accuses them of undermining american values. >> islam is a progressive ideology that wants to dominate the world. >> reporter: the florida family association launched an online campaign encouraging followers to petition the show's sponsors to pull their ads. >> we're concerned that americans are being fed propaganda that's not complete as it relates to islam. >> reporter: home improvement giant lowe's is the latest in what the group claims is a list of some 65 advertisers who have left. >> it's just sad that people feel that they need to respond to bigots. >> reporter: in a statement, lowe's says "all-american muslim has become a lightning rod for people to voice complaints." but adds, "we have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, and we're proud of that longstanding commitment. if we have made anyone question that commitment, we apologize." is dearborn where 30% of the population is of arab descent

hurt and anger. >> i think it's wrong of them to think that muslims are terrorists. >> reporter: and trending on twitter -- "i see that lowe's has caved to those promoting ignorance and intolerance." also -- "last time i checked, this was still the united states of america, where businesses are free to advertise where and how they want." hip-hop artist and successful businessman russell simmons tweeted -- "just purchased remaining spots for all-american muslim for next week. the show is now sold out! keep your money, lowe's, and we will keep ours." now, lowe's says it's not going to go back on its decision on this. interestingly enough, a number of the other companies involved say they didn't drop their ads, they just didn't have any ads purchased in the first place. ann? >> all right, kevin tibbles. thank you so much for that story. and just ahead, are political in michelle parker's family losing hope they'll ever find her again? what are they also telling her

3-year-old twins? you're going to hear from parker's sister coming up after this, "today" on nbc. ♪ [ man ] we've been in the business over the course of four centuries. [ woman ] it was a family business back then, and it still feels like a family business now.

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7:26 is your time now on this tuesday, december 13th. it's a cold start to your morning. let's see how things are shaping up. meteorologist, tom kierein is in the storm center. >> temperatures are down in the low to mid-20s. we have a clear sky at dawn on this tuesday, and it's cold, down into the 20s throughout much of the region and will stay this way for a couple hours and get above freezing by 9:00 or so. during the rest of the day, lots of sun in the low 50s and not much wind. blustery late this afternoon and

evening, and then rain possible on thursday and mild. we have a look at your morning commute when we come

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reconditioned and backed with a five-day money back guarantee so come find the one for you today, at carmax. way to go, neil. ♪ well, that's pretty. 7:30 now on a tuesday morning 13th day of december, 2011. it's a beautiful morning here in new york city. we're taking a look at the view from the top of the rock here in rockefeller center, as we look southward past the empire state building. that is 1 world trade center being built in the distant background there. 12 shopping days left until christmas. let's see what kind of a crowd we have down on the plaza. lots of people in town these days doing a little shopping and sight-seeing. we appreciate that. we'll go outside and say hi to them in just a couple of minutes. >> want to thank davie for the little music. that's kind of uplifting this morning. >> puts us in the mood. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. just ahead this half hour,

the texas model who suffered life-threatening injuries ten days ago when she walked into a plane's spinning propeller. now she's walking on her own. we'll have the latest on her recovery, coming up. okay, also this morning, we'll be talking about the toughest bans on junk food in the country. we're talking about seattle. but the schools there are now considering putting sugary snacks back into the vending machines, and that's causing a lot of people to be up in arms. so, we'll get into that controversy coming up. of course, everybody's concerned about making sure we don't put foods in these machines because we don't want our kids to be overweight. so, we're tackling that problem. >> that's right. when you speak of weight, a lot of people want to lose weight, but what would you be willing to give up to shed 10 pounds? how about your cell phone for a day? how about sex for a month? >> ooh! >> we'll tell you what americans have to say in a new survey and we'll talk about that with "today's" professional star donnie and nancy. but first, kerry sanders.

>> reporter: good morning, matt. up until now, the search for michelle parker has involved hundreds of volunteers out searching the underbrush, raising money for reward money and providing any snippet of information they could to the orlando police detectives who are looking for the 33-year-old woman. but now, all of that has changed. the make-shift command post where michelle parker's family was camped almost around the clock is now empty. a sign to some family and friends close to the investigation that this near 1-month-old search has now shifted from an expectation that michelle or her body would be located quickly to what could be turning into a long-term mystery. michelle's family tells nbc news they're now focused on her 3-year-old twin son and daughter. >> i'm doing what i have to do. i'm waking up every day and making sure that i'm doing everything i can, as well as the rest of my family, to help the kids and find their mother. >> reporter: michelle's sister, lauren, tells nbc's "dateline,"

the family has now liberal visitation rights, and all are now spending as much time as they can with the twins. >> they're doing okay. they ask, you know, about mom every now and again. >> reporter: if the children asked "where is mommy?" everybody's been told to say mommy's at work or mommy's on vacation. >> when they do ask, you know, she'll be home soon. she's just not here right now. but that's as far as, you know, we take it with them. >> reporter: michelle's mother says the family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends and strangers. >> and i can't thank you guys enough for everything. >> reporter: she says it's been a few highs and many lows. one promising lead, when michelle's iphone was found tossed in an orange county lake. >> it broke my heart. that was my hope is that they would never find that phone and that she still had it, at some point, she could get to it, you know? that's when i really started to think this isn't going to end

well. >> reporter: orlando police say remarkably, the phone was in good shape, but it's now been six days and a police spokesman says forensics experts are still trying to extract data that could be useful to the investigation. michelle's ex-fiance, dale wayne smith, the only suspect identified by the orlando police, has custody of the children. smith is not charged, remains free and denies any involvement. the last time smith was seen with michelle was just hours after an episode of "the people's court" aired. the two were there arguing over a lost engagement ring. >> i took it off and i threw it at him. >> reporter: now, smith himself is on facebook seeking $5,000 in donations to help support the twins. he's raised only $240. meanwhile, this past weekend, michelle's friends, anxious for answers, did what they could. a truck pull to raise a different source of money for the children, funds that will be

used to buy them christmas presents. the twins, a boy and a girl, taylor and tre, have indicated to family members that what they would like for christmas is a little tinker bell toy and a lightning mcqueen toy. there is another child, an 11-year-old that michelle had with another man, that is 11-year-old austin. he's indicated he wants an atv, but the family says what they really want is michelle home alive and safe. matt? >> all right, kerry sanders for us in florida this morning. kerry, thank you very much. it's 7:35. here's ann. matt, thanks. now to the miraculous recovery of a texas woman who accidentally walked into a plane's still spinning propeller. natalie's here with the latest on this story. hey, natalie. >> good morning, ann. it's been a little over a week after that accident and it is still touch-and-go for the 23-year-old model, but new details are emerging that suggest lauren scruggs is well on the road to recovery. >> wanted to let you know that we are starting a pumpkin carving contest on "lolo"

magazine. >> reporter: just ten days after the propeller accident that left her critically injured, aspiring model and fashionista lauren scruggs is showing remarkable signs of recovery. on monday, her family posted a new blog entry online with hopeful news, saying "praise the lord, lauren's pain is much more manageable today!" "she has been eating some of her favorite foods today, sweet potatoes and hard boiled eggs!" and probably the most encouraging news yet, her deeply religious parents write, "lauren was able to walk on her own today, such a miracle!" >> i am lauren scruggs with "lolo" mag. >> reporter: the 23-year-old fashion blogger has a passion for flying. a week ago saturday, she flew over dallas in a single-engine plane with a friend to see christmas lights around the city. but as she exited the plane, she accidentally walked into the still spinning propeller. lauren suffered a number of critical injuries. her left hand was severed. she has a skull fracture, a

brain injury, a broken collar bone, and she may still lose her left eye. >> she's got her spunk back, her personality. >> yeah, her personality. >> she's smiling. her face, you know, she's able to raise both eyebrows. >> yeah. >> that doesn't sound like a big deal, but they were worried about the nerve on one side. >> reporter: friends and neighbors have rallied around lauren. over the weekend, they raised nearly $15,000 to help pay her extensive medical bills. >> most are just our regular customers, would come in and they have thrown money in the bucket. >> reporter: lauren's facebook page and blog are full of well wishes from friends and strangers around the world, praying for her recovery. >> we're just seeing an outpouring from across the country and also across the world. we're getting e-mails from everywhere, and we just really appreciate all that everyone's doing for us, from prayers and donations. >> and while lauren is making progress, she still has a long way to go. she's working with a physical therapist now to improve her strength, and doctors are still not sure if she'll regain the use of her left eye, ann.

>> all right, natalie. thank you so much. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. good morning, everybody. we've got the testa twins here. how are you guys doing? what's your name? >> i'm zane. >> and? >> michael. >> michael. good to see you guys! where are you from? >> rhode island. >> well, nice to see you. i like the matching hats. very festive. let's find out what's going on as far as your day is concerned. afternoon temperatures. we've got 30s and 40s here in new england, 60s and 70s down into southern florida. we also are looking at some freezing rain making its way through theng at freezing rain making its way through the midsection of the country, and we're looking at icy conditions from northern minnesota, and there are air stagnation alerts continue in the northwest, and who got engaged?

oh, there you are. >> nicole. >> where is your fiance? >> back in dallas. >> there's the ring. very nice. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. clear and frosty cold on this tuesday morning. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, in storm center 4. there is a live picture from the skywatcher camera, and bouncing around and a bit of a breeze picking up. and temperatures are cold down into the low to mid-20s throughout most of the region this morning and we will climb in the low 50s later today with lots of sun. low 50s and lots of clouds > an check your weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> all right. you look adorable, by the way, in that hat, al. thank you so much. coming up next, fight the bulge or boost the budget? why schools in one major city are now reconsidering their vending machine ban on junk

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we're back at 7:42 with a dilemma facing schools in seattle, washington. should a long-standing ban on junk food in campus vending machines be changed to help the schools make a little more money? nbc's george lewis is in seattle with details on this. george, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. behind me you see a row of typical vending machines with the usual soft drinks and snacks. we had the chips ahoy for breakfast. at schools here in seattle, however, you won't find that sort of stuff in machines because of a junk food ban that went into effect seven years ago. now, that could change. in the seattle schools, vending machines can dispense only healthy stuff, no soft drinks, no candy bars. it's one of the toughest junk food bans in the nation. so, what do you have in your vending machine? >> um, baked chips, water,

juice, yeah, not much. >> reporter: so, by and large, students ignore the machines and buy their junk food off campus. >> if we can go five minutes and get candy and stuff, it's not like they're preventing us from having it. they're just making it slightly harder to obtain. >> reporter: before the junk food ban, the machines generated more than $200,000 for student activities every year. this year, they've only made $17,000. so, the financially strapped school system is thinking of rewriting the rules. >> we're still sitting with the same policy we had seven years ago, so it's time to take a look. >> reporter: parents we talked to seem divided on the idea of relaxing the junk food ban. >> i'm really not a fan. i think kids should, any chance they get, should get something halfway healthy, any chance. >> as a parent, i mean, you know, if you have -- i'm always worried that one of my kids is at school and feeling low and needs energy, you know, before they're taking a test or something, i'd rather have them

have a snicker bar than nothing. >> reporter: but any talk about relaxing the rules has some dieticians up in arms. >> i don't think it can be an option to go backwards and now create revenue from unhealthy food items for children. we know that there is an obesity epidemic in our country. >> reporter: students who have been lobbying for the rule change say their efforts have been somewhat misrepresented. >> we are not bringing back junk food, the cokes, the chips, the bad stuff. we're not bringing that back. what we're trying to do is modify the current policy in order to bring other nutritious foods back that students will buy. >> reporter: this debate is giving students and parents in seattle plenty of food for thought. students tell me they're willing to forego the candy bars and the sugary sodas if they could just get items like vitamin water or hummus or maybe some granola bars with a little chocolate in it. matt? >> george, thank you. you never impressed me as a chips ahoy kind of guy. i saw you as a cap'n crunch kind

of guy. thank you, we appreciate it. is it possible to live forever? hear what some scientists are saying after. . if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most.

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book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. back now at 7:48 with the latest discovery that has some scientists asking if it is possible to live forever. nbc's michelle kosinski's here with details. hey, michelle, good morning. >> hi, good morning, ann. you know, you talk to some top researchers, microbiologists, molecular geneticists, and it's hard to believe what they're saying is real and not science fiction. there's a growing group of scientists that sees aging not necessarily as an inevitability, but a problem that they believe can be fixed. in science labs around the world, right now the race is heating up to reverse human aging. you heard right. not slow it down or fix it up, but turn it around, by things like regenerating tissues and organs, using stem cells,

computers. there's a printer that makes blood vessels, mice that regrow intestines. >> what would excite me is that i'm working on the world's biggest, oldest problem. >> reporter: there's someone alive today who could live for thousands of years? >> i don't think there is any limit. there is nothing that would stop people intrinsically from people living thousands of years. >> reporter: at 1,000-year-old cambridge university, where back then people hardly lived past their 20s, they're spearheading research, gathering experts to end aging. they see it not at all as a necessity, but a problem, a build-up of damage and gunk in ourselves. he just isolated an enzyme in bacteria that fixes that and might work in human cells, too. >> when we get these therapies, the world is going to be very different. >> reporter: there are all kinds of ideas out there -- implanted computer chips to operate mechanical body parts -- >> here, why don't you take these? >> reporter: and a supplement created by american geneticist

bill andrews, that he says shortens our tell meres, which is a main reason why we age. >> the main reason i want to live forever, it's fun to be alive. >> yes. >> reporter: inspired by his dad, who challenged him as a child to become a doctor and cure aging. >> the literature tells us that i would say 95% certain or better that if we can find ways to lengthen the telomeres, we will reverse aging. >> reporter: there are doubters, but some believe real breakthrough in lifespan are possible, soon. there is a book on why society believes we could live to 100 or 1,000. if there's reason to live, you might eat more potato chips on the couch. >> you might. the idea of a longer lifespan gives you more opportunity to try new things and be more adventurous. >> reporter: these scientists pushing their mortal minds to the limit. >> would you hurry up? >> yeah. >> i promised that i would reach

150. >> reporter: to, as they put it, cure aging or die trying. and it's not just about extending lifespan, it's about extending health. and it's funny to hear them talk about this as if it was a car, that if you keep replacing the parts, theoretically, it could last forever. but you know, this research is in the very early stages. there's not a lot of funding and no human has ever lived past 125. >> 125 is pretty good, but boy, wouldn't it be something, matt, to live further? what would we do with our time? >> what's your definition of soon that they're going to come up with this stuff? is this going to help me? >> 10 years, 20 years? >> yeah, you're going to live forever as a 70-year-old, how about that? >> thanks, michelle. just ahead, tim tebow. [ female announcer ] why shop at walgreens for your stocking stuffers?

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7:55 is your time on this tuesday, december 13th, 2011. good morning to you. i am eun yang. let's check in with tom kierein in the storm center. >> it's frosty, and temperatures are in the low to mid-20s, and a lot of frost this morning. we will finally get above freezing but it will take another hour and a half or so and then it should quickly climb into the 40s by noontime and low 50s by the afternoon, and mid-and upper 50s on thursday, and cloudy and get a midday or afternoon shower. partly sunny and maybe a shower [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices...

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good morning. inner loop of the beltway in maryland. your delays continue as you head towards the greenbelt. the inner loop in virginia, slow. you are at 27 miles per hour from the i-95 interchange to the dulles toll road and that trip takes 28

8:00 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 13th of december 2011, and our crowd is trying to enjoy the warm glow of that big norway spruce across the street, even though it's a very cold morning this morning, now down to 33 degrees here on the plaza. so, obviously, winter is here. i'm ann curry on the plaza along with matt lauer and al roker. let's give ourselves a big hug because it's one of those mornings. >> let's also ask al to say -- >> you rascally rabbit, you! >> i was trying to avoid that, but you do look like elmer fudd.

it is a cozy and cute hat. speaking of cozy and cute, we're talking about "today's professionals." >> they are in the studio right now. we have an interesting set of topics for them to discuss this morning, including the tim tebow phenomenon, also a new survey that asked americans what they'd be willing to give up to lose 10 pounds. so, how about this? would you turn your cell phone off for a day to lose 10 pounds? >> sure. >> how about giving up sex for a month? >> no. >> i'm happy heavier. >> we're going to be asking donnie, star and nancy about that survey and other things. >> okay, what else? >> oh, we've got "jill's steals and deals" coming up. she is going to be bringing us some really nifty stuff for up to 80% off just in time for the holidays. >> you must be exhausted. she just keeps doing all this shopping, finding all these deals. >> and up in the kitchen, we've got sandra lee. >> that's right. doing some cooking. >> on her cell phone. >> i'm not giving up my cell phone. not happening. no way. >> what she's going to do up in

the kitchen is help us save time in the kitchen because so many of us are running around for these holidays. >> right. >> a time -- you know, we don't have time. >> true. >> going to help us out. >> we don't have time out here. let's go inside to natalie. >> good morning, everyone. former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky is getting his day in court this morning. he left his home early this morning and arrived at the courthouse. at least one of the young men who's accused sandusky of sexual abuse is testifying against him today in a preliminary hearing. today's hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence to put sandusky on trial. the government has released a disturbing report about safety violations at head start centers around the country. according to the report, many of them had broken-down playground equipment, dangerous chemicals within reach and improper background checks for workers. head start is the federal program that provides early education to low-income students. meantime, the obama administration says that

homelessness now among the nation's veterans fell by about 12% over a recent 12-month period. according to administration officials, more veterans are taking part in a voucher program that helps subsidize their housing costs. texas investigators are trying to figure out today how two middle school students in texas were shot while they were playing on the school's outdoor basketball court. authorities are questioning three deer hunters to see if they may have accidentally shot the children while hunting in a nearby pasture. one child is in critical condition. the other is stable. troubling news from syria. one top united nations official says the government has killed more than 5,000 civilians since the uprising began there nine months ago. among the dead, at least 300 children. and now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. reality bites for former alaska governor, sarah palin. according to "the hollywood reporter," she's pitching a new reality show about her husband,

todd's adventures as a snowmobile racer, but so far, no takers because the price is too high. then, you've seen the denver broncos quarterback tim tebow take a knee in prayer, people calling it tebowing. and now, it is an official word, according to the global language monitor. tim tebow has even inspired a website called tebowing.com, showing everyone from goofy to a surgeon to an underwater snor l snorkeler all striking a pose. and sorry, charlie, didn't you learn anything from anthony weiner? he tried to send a cell phone number to justin bieber with a direct message on twitter. well, he accidentally tweeted his number to millions of followers instead. no surprise, he was inundated with calls and text messages and even answered some of the calls saying "ray's pizza" or "winning!" the number has now been disconnected. it's 8:04 right now. let's go out to al for a check of your weather. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by citibank.

what's your story? citi can help you write it. and we've got a little guy here. who's this? >> this is ryan. >> aww, how old? >> 3 months. >> he is beautiful. >> first time to new york. >> oh, that's fantastic. hi, ryan. merry christmas. and whoa, you're scaring the baby! wow. you're retired now? >> yes. >> you need a job as a car alarm! fantastic! weather and see weather, see what is happening. green bay, wisconsin. nbc 26. cloudy, cool, temperatures in the 30s. as we look, we will show you we have a lot of snowy conditions in the southwest. it's snowy wur in the southwest than in the northeast. go figure. icy conditions in the upper plains into the midwest. sunny skies on the eastern

seaboard. rip currents and showers along the eastern coast, and we're looking at air stagnation alerts in the pacific northwest. and we have miami-dade teachers. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> the sun is up and a clear sky. frosty cold on this tuesday morning. i am tom kierein in storm center 4. and the camera is bouncing around a bit, and windchills are down in the upper teens to mid-teens, and temperatures in the low to mid-20s. over the next hour, we should approach the freezing mark and hit low 50s by early afternoon. lots of sun, and milder on thursday w turning 10 there. happy birthday. i dare you to talk to me. i can't do that. i don't take dares. good to see you, though. what's your name? >> um, wait, what? >> what's your name? >> oh, my name is matt.

>> see, you dared me to talk to you, i did and look what happened. okay! ann? >> you know what? that happened with me the first time i was on television, too, matt, so don't worry about that. coming up next, what would you be willing to give up to lose 10 pounds? we're going to find out from "today's" professionals. but first, these messages. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, it'snow you do it... ♪

you squashed my willpower like a fly. you looked so innocent and so sweet. convinced my lips that we should meet. you were a relentless flirt. oh no we had indecent dessert. twinkle twinkle hope appears. a stevia leaf erased my fears. it made my willpower a super hero. as for calories, it has zero. twinkle twinkle truvia® star, natural sweetness, i love just what you are. truvia®. honestly sweet. i've been so looking forward to this. 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

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can help you breathe easier. yi mean you've got like five chundred dollars worth of nuts here, you do the math. be five percent more merry with the target red card, by getting an extra 5% off, our already low prices. plus free shipping at target.com ♪ i'll be taking care of business every day ♪ we're back at 8:10 with "today's professionals," ready to tackle the day's hot topics. we're joined as always by star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman. good morning, all. >> hey, matt. >> good morning. >> nice to see you. let's talk about the topic in the headlines the last few days. mitt romney during a debate offers rick perry a $10,000 bet. did the media make too much of that story? how do you think it played in the heartland? >> i watched it live, and it was one of those moments where i immediately went -- [ gasp ] and even in your own living

room, everything came to a halt it was a disastrous move. >> look, the main things the candidates are saying in the scheme of things, it's not a big deal. you have little kids who will say i'll bet you a million dollars. >> but he's not a little kid. >> by the way, people say oh, because he's wealthy. jack kennedy's family was the fifth wealthiest family in the country when he was elected. this is not a problem. it's irrelevant. >> the problem is, no one resents when you're rich. we resent when you don't take into account that other people are not -- >> but that's -- >> and using a $10,000 bet -- >> it's out of touch. >> but donny gets to the point, it doesn't matter how much money you have, it matters whether you have solutions to fix the problems of middle class and poor people. >> but there were no solutions offered up in that debate. >> let's move on, tim tebow. a lot of people talking about this quarterback for the denver broncos right now. he's immensely talented and charismatic and is also deeply religious, and he wears his religion on his sleeve. i'll go further on this, but i want your first impressions. is it a problem? >> boy, if that's our biggest

problem, we have a wonderful athlete who's religious. and opposed to carrying on in the end zone and acting like an idiot, shows his faith to god. god bless him. it's a wonderful thing. >> i think he wears his religion in his heart and i really like that. i find him completely sincere -- >> you know what, it makes me a little uncomfortable every time i see anyone, i don't care what your religion is, sort of put it out there. however, there is something about him that is phenomenally authentic, and i didn't love the super bowl ad they did last year, but there is something about him. he really sort of seems to live it. so, the fact that he's now being mimicked and the fact that he's not being a jerk in the end zone -- >> i think it's ridiculous. i think it's ridiculous that there's even a minute controversy over this. >> but you made a good point yesterday, and that is everyone keeps saying, well, he can't be that good. he's 7-1! >> also, this is a guy, we don't seem to mind where in another sport, a guy wins an event and they say how did you do? and he says i want to thank my

federal express, viagra, snickers team, but we mind when they thank jesus christ some. >> listen, he didn't shoot anybody in the leg, he's not with underaged kids -- >> would we be discussing this if it was a black athlete? we wouldn't be discussing it. >> i agree with you on that. >> let's stick with religion and culture here. lowe's, as we all know, pulled its advertising from a show on tlc called "all-american muslim," which follows the lives of muslim americans living in the michigan area. donny, an advertising guy, were you surprised by the move? >> well, no, sadly, no. look, the reality is, 99.999% of muslims are wonderful in this country, and what they're reacting to, unfortunately, is tens of thousands of letters they're probably getting from audiences saying we don't like the show. and if the ceo has one responsibility to the shareholders, he's probably saying i just don't need this headache. the same way if he got letters from angry italian americans

about "jersey shore" and he goes, i just don't need it i don't think it's a moral judgment, i think it's a business decision and they have a right to do that. >> in northern indiana, there's a large muslim population. i think this is a chance for a ceo to say i hear the 1%, but guess what? these are muslim americans representing the heartland. we get it, we're going to listen to you, but we're going forward. that would have been a very courageous move. >> and i like the opposite thing. i like the fact that other people said, oh, you're going to pull your advertising? then we're not going to support you. that's the american way. >> which is great, but the american way is also capitalism. i don't agree with the ceo, but he has a right to make a decision, what he thinks is right for his business. >> by the way, the florida family association, which kind of prompted all this, says the show is propaganda that "riskily hides the agenda's liberties and values." >> and that bothers me. >> when you run a controversial show, it gets this discussion up and we get to hear innane,

stupid things like that. >> let's lighten things up, no pun intended. according to a survey by lifetime fitness, they asked people what they'd be willing to give up to lose 10 pounds. how about these results? 64% of respondents would not turn off their cell phone for even one day. >> wow. >> what does that say about our -- the health-consciousness of america? >> wow! >> 10 pounds? i don't have to take any calls? i won't be taking calls. >> sad. sad. we are such an over, over, over technolized society, they wouldn't give that up for 10 pounds, but they would give up sex? >> 10% would give up sex for a year or more. >> you know, you can never be too skinny or too rich, so people think, but you -- >> or have too much sex! >> no, but you know what? to give up sex and your sexuality and communication, i think that's a phenomenally

disturbing stat. >> human communication. i like that. >> you like that? >> matt, she's touching me again, matt. >> it's all about connecting. >> it's all about dieting. >> here's the kicker for you. this is -- i mean nothing by this. it's purely lighthearted. according to a new survey by menshealth.com, which is my bible, jennifer aniston is the sexiest woman of all time, not the sexiest woman of sitcoms of the last ten years. >> no, so cleopatra doesn't even rank. >> of all time. how do you think about this? >> she is the definition of not sexy. she's cute, but with sophia loren and raquel welch -- i want to know which men answered that survey. >> i can't believe halle berry is 35 and jen aniston is 1. she's cute and beautiful, but i've got to tell you, i saw halle working out in the morning with no lashes, no makeup -- >> i thought you were going to say with nothing on. >> think about this. just by comparison, you mentioned halle berry is at 35.

you know where elizabeth taylor ranks on this? >> 60s? >> 69. >> shas unbelievable. >> she is gorgeous. >> bo derek, 56. >> marilyn monroe, top ten, i think. >> she was 3, followed by britney spears, madonna, ursula andrus, pamela anderson, eight, angelina jolie at ten. >> and i've got to say madonna is one of the least sexy women walking t earth. >> can i nominate natalie morales? seriously, for her not to be in the top ten, it's atrocious. but jennifer aniston, to speak on behalf of men, she is -- men do not find her sexy. she's cute. i'm sorry, jennifer. i know we had a bad night, it has nothing to do with that. >> the hair, but whatever. >> raquel welch. >> sexy is in the eye of the beholder. it's different than good looking. >> star, donny and dr. nancy. sandra lee saves some money and time-saving meals for the busy holidays, right after this. [ female announcer ] ornaments are not for decorating.

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back now at 8:20. and this morning on "today's kitchen step-by-step," a hardy feast your family will love. during the hectic holiday season, it's hard to find time to deliver a homemade meal, but sandra lee has some solutions for us. her new book is called "money saving meals & round 2 recipes." hello, sandra, good morning to you. >> hello. i love being with you! >> i love being with you, too. happy holidays. now listen, we want to save time in the kitchen because we're busy running around. you're saving us time and money. what are the best tips for that in general? >> when you look at money-saving meals, one of the first things i do in that book is itemize how you're going to save money. my favorite thing is joining a club store, and that is your sam's, costco, bjs, whatever your club is. $50 membership, you'll save that on the first receipt and they'll last a year. you'll save a ton of money. next thing, when you go to the grocery store, know when the sales are. if you have a name-brand products, they're normally on sale the first of the month. we all get our paychecks then

and the store private labels go on sale at the end of the month, so watch your sales. and next, clip coupons. some people like to do it, some not so much, but the 50, 25-cent off coupons, sometimes it's double down days. you can save up to $15. and on the back side of your receipt, i was at my a&p, i got a receipt, the back side said 15% off your next purchase. >> wow. >> so save those coupons. >> give me five. a lot of great advice there. okay, now, let's talk about what you've brought today, which is not an expensive cut of meat. tell us about it. >> absolutely. in "round 2 recipes and money-saving meals," you're not going to waste anything and you can buy beautiful, beautiful produce and meats. now, these are shortbreads. i'm putting them in the slow cooker. the slow cooker is a great way to save money because you can take what is normally a tough piece of meat and you can really make it a beautiful, beautiful -- >> you're browning it first. we all know how to do that. >> yes, brown that. >> and put it in the slow cooker. >> in the slow cooker, i have

turnip, onions diced up and carrots. >> can we put that in a pot? >> i do it in the oven on 250 for six hours and they are melt in your mouth fabulous. >> okay, all right. >> now, here's the trick, too -- >> i'm going to put some of this stuff in? >> yes, we're going to put in our rosemary and thyme and parsley. >> okay, there you go. there we go. and our? >> lots of root vegetables. parsnip. here -- >> nicely done! >> you've got to simmer -- >> i know, now we're talking, now we're talking. >> dark beer. >> only dark beer? >> richer. >> richer, okay, bring it. >> more bold flavor. >> okay, we've got mustard. >> brown mustard. >> inside this? mix it all together, and a fancy blouse because you know it will splatter on you, because that's what i'm doing. >> i'm going to do that because i want to break up that mustard. >> okay, you do it. break it up. >> the reason we're combining the liquids together, we're combining the flavor. >> yes. >> and you always have to have a liquid in the slow cooker. that way you don't get a big douse of mustard on one side,

right? >> good point. let's move on. >> cover it, six hours on low. >> six hours and it's going to show up like this. your entire family, make a salad and you're done. >> four people. that's about $4, $5 a serving. >> so, the only part of the time it's saving is -- $4.59. oh, hey, nicely done. but it saves time because you've stuck it in this thing and don't have to worry about it, so there you go. let's move back here. >> and it's a fraction of the electricity costs as the oven, the slow cooker. >> okay, all right. >> great christmas. >> this doesn't sound like it's going to save me any time at all. a savory tart with mushrooms. >> mushroom walnut tart. okay, onions. a little canola oil and saute them up. here are your mushrooms. a lot of people think you're going to buy whole mushrooms and slice them yourself, exact same price if you buy them sliced, so save yourself some time. >> and you don't have troins th rinse them off or anything? because they're going to get soggy. >> normally, you brush them off. >> brush them still when they're sliced? >> no, they clean them for you. i don't.

>> okay, there you go. that saves time. garlic and? >> and thyme. >> okay. we all want thyme. >> we all want thyme. >> this is going to take me what, 15 minutes? >> yeah, 10 -- >> 10, 15 minutes. now, but i don't want to make this dough. >> you're going to buy premade -- >> premade. >> this is premade pie shell dough. however, you can also get the rollout ones. if you already have stuff in your pantry -- and that's the most important thing with "money saving meals." throughout this book, we are buying things to go in the pantry that are common, everyday items. you use them over and over again. that's how you save money. if you have the rollout shells, just use -- i know, convecti convection -- >> it buzzes. reminds you you're alive! >> take the biscuit cutter and cut them out, or the dough, just squish this down in here. it's a fun little idea for kids. >> oh, that's good. you get them to do that. that's saving you some time. then you put that inside there -- >> and then into your food processor, you're going to put mushrooms and onions. >> i see that. put that in the food processor first and then put it inside the

tart. >> then the walnut mushroom tart. then beef stock. want to put that in here? >> we're out of time. once we put that all together, we blend that is news4 news break. >> good morning. it's 8:26 on this tuesday, december 13th. let's go straight to storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein, with a look at the forecast. >> good morning. still below freezing throughout most of the region. we have plenty of sunshine. our camera bouncing around. the winds are picking up. windchills are around 20 degrees, and winds are up around ten miles per hour, and they may gust to up to 15 miles per hour later today. and we could get rain thursday turns to winter

and brings in the cold. because of our economy, millions more will feel that chill than ever before. they're the forgotten ones. the big boys have abused the system to enrich only themselves, while workers are still hurting. it could be a layoff after 22 years of working for the same company. or choosing between food and heat for a sick child. or after working your whole life, you don't have what you need to stay warm.

you played by the rules, but who changed them? even though oil prices are soaring to record levels, in washington, fuel aid for the poor was cut in half. citizens energy asked big oil companies and oil producing nations to help. they all said 'no,' expect for citgo and the people of venezuela. for the last 7 years, citgo has helped struggling families in the united states in good times and in bad. so if you need help staying warm this winter, give me a call. because no one should be left out in the cold. good morning. traveling route 50 westbound, you are slow as you get on to the beltway. a couple problems area on the beltway. the outer loop, travel speed is 23 miles per hour. the inner loop in virginia,

still very slow at robinson terminal. making your way from the interchange, that's where your delays start and you are at 26 miles per hour. angie, back to you. >> thank you. more news,

♪ 8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 13th day of december 2011. you know it's a beautiful day here in new york city, not a cloud in the sky, a little chilly, 33 degrees, but that makes it holiday weather, and we've got the group pennetpenta collecting toys for the toy drive. they're winners of nbc's "the

sing-off," a capella group. they're going to perform for us later on. >> they're very cute. they make nice elves. >> out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and natalie morales. what else is coming up? well, also coming up this morning, we'll be talking about how to add a special touch to your gift-giving for the holiday. you know, is it too late to give things monogrammed? >> monogrammed. >> i don't know why that came out so funny. are you laughing at me? >> not at all. >> anyway, it's not too late to get a monogram. >> not laughing at you. >> we'll find out where you can order them. >> not to be confused with candygrams. and our good pal jane pauly is here. she'll be telling us about a man who took a long and painful road to find his life calling. all right, and then surviving the holidays without wrecking your diet. we're going to share some ideas from some tasty, low-calorie meals that your family is sure to enjoy. all right, every once in a while, you realize what a fun job this is. >> yes, just every once in a while.

>> this is one of those times because i get to introduce christopher plummer, one of the stars of the highly anticipated movie, "the girl with the dragon tattoo." >> how are you? >> mr. plummer, what an honor. good to see you. >> i'm coming in, baby, because you know, you know. i've had a crush on christopher plummer for many, many years. >> we all have. >> lots of movies. >> you are sensational in this movie. the movie is quite a ride. the good news is, so many people love the book. the bad news is, so many people love the book that they are going to hold you to every detail. >> that's right. >> do you think it holds up? >> oh, yes. it's very faithful to the book, extremely faithful, except maybe at the end where she rides off into the future, because they're going to film the next two. by the way, this coat i wear as henry in the movie, i stole it. >> you stole the props from wardrobe. >> you need to be in roles to have nice coats. by the way, here's a warmer for you, in case you're cold, not that you need that. but you're also starring with daniel craig.

don't eat it for goodness sake! and this new young woman named rooney morrow. >> she's extraordinary. it's a most courageous performance. >> someone who's been in as many films as you, what's it like to see someone breaking out at that stage of her career? >> oh, it's unbelievable. it's unearthly, it's so exciting, because she's very young. and because she's very young, the character is more spooky and more scary than ever. >> and speaking of young, you're celebrating your 82nd birthday today. happy birthday. >> yes. >> yay! happy birthday! >> oh, my god. >> we've got cupcakes, one for each one of us. >> oh. one, two, three -- >> happy birthday. >> but you're hotter than ever at this point. >> thank you. >> you're hotter than ever right now. >> al said you're hotter than ever. >> there's been oscar buzz? >> my mother said wait until you're 80 and it's going to all work out. >> what al is referring to is

you're actually -- there's oscar buzz for another movie you're in called "the beginner." >> yes, it's a charming film. >> yeah? >> as opposed to this one. >> well, you are charming. we have loved you. and in this movie, you're fantastic. >> thank you. >> so, thank you. >> good to have you here. really nice to see >> thank you. >> good to see you. >> take your pick. go ahead. you pick which one you want. >> mr. roker? >> we will show you what is going on. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> another frosty cold start on this tuesday morning. good morning, i am tom kierein in storm center 4. temperatures still below freezing in much of the region, and the wind is picking up a little bit so the windchills are down 20 degrees. and more clouds around tomorrow, and highs low 50s again, and then on thursday, a bit milder and cloudy and could get midday afternoon evening and showers, and then the weekend, the sun and that's your latest weather. well, guess what?

it's now down to three on nbc's "the biggest loser." john, antone and ramone. it's anybody's guess who will be crowned winner during tonight's live season finale. host alison sweeney is out live in los angeles. alison, good morning. >> good morning, al! >> these guys are really closely matched. this could be anybody's game today. >> oh, absolutely. it's a really exciting finale, because all three guys are so close. they have both worked -- they have all worked so hard for it. but you know, ramone is really young and maybe that energy that youthful enthusiasm will push him over the edge. and john has wanted it from day one. i mean, he has literally wanted to win from the moment he set foot on campus. and antone's an athlete. he's a former nfl player, so, he's certainly got game, too. >> and antone, there's a 26-pound suppressent between antone and john. do you think he can close that gap? >> oh, i think if anyone can, antone can. he definitely knows what he's

doing, he knows how to compete, he knows how to aim for the finish line. so, he's got it in him, you know? it's going to be a great show tonight, al. we have train performing. we have a lot of fun stuff, some good surprises, too. >> all righty. alison sweeney, thanks so much. don't forget, you can catch the live season finale of "the biggest loser" -- they're going to be looting the studio! taking things, ripping them off. "the biggest loser: battle of the ages," featuring a special performance by train, that's all tonight at 9:00/8:00 central right here on the network of looters, nbc! just take whatever you see! strip the whole place bare! >> no, no, don't do that. >> i'm just kidding. up next, we're going to have some personalized ideas for your holiday gift-giving list. but first, this is "today" on nbc. >> just steal them! >> more on

♪ >> announcer: "countdown to

christmas" is brought to you by sears. back now at 8:38, and this morning on "today's countdown to the holidays," personalized presents for everyone in your family. why give a generic gift when there is still time, we're told, to order something custom? liz is the publisher and editor in chief of coolmompicks.com. liz, good morning to you. >> good morning! >> i'm surprised to know there's still time. you're going to keep us honest as you go down the list as to what you have to order immediately. we have just a few days left. >> absolutely. the longer your wait, the more you'll pay in shipping, so get on it now. >> for women, jewelry, or girls, right? >> yes, coolmompicks loves supporting small designers. this is custom embroidered monogram necklaces. they're phenomenal and in the $30 range. >> and what is this, a notebook with your favorite photo? >> yeah, personalized notebooks. minted.com tends to be known for photo cards, but they have great

gift ideas. these are lovely, just $16. >> and you get these online? >> yes, minted.com. >> minted.com. who doesn't need a yoga mat? hello, this time of year, we all need a little yoga. these are personalized, which is cool. >> oddly from a place called mycustomyogamat.com. they actually sell custom yoga mats. you can pick your color, embroidery, your name. great for a fitness buff. >> okay. and you can get this today? >> in the next couple days. i think probably thursday. on coolmompicks, we actually have all of the drop dates for everything. >> okay. >> but definitely in the next two days. >> all right. a little tote. >> everybody loves totes now that we're moving away from paper and plastic. co clava.com tells these. they fit right into your bag. >> i love these serving trays. they're wonderful. the lauers, for matt's family. >> and these are jonathan adler, and we love them. >> they're beautiful. >> you can get them personalized, but you have to order them today from

thestationarystudio.com. they've dropped the price, i think starting around $71. >> beautiful, beautiful colors. now, this is interesting. is this for your birthday? >> well, actually, men, who are so hard to shop for, if you've got a sports buff in your life, redenvelope.com always a good source for personalized gifts. they've got these incredible "the new york times" history sports books, where you pick your favorite team and they'll put together 6,200 pages of top sports headlines for that team. >> that would be great for your son. >> also women love sports, too. >> and these are notebooks you could personalize? >> these are great for a writer or artist or an ocd person that takes a lot of notes. they're about 16 bucks. double that and you can get them personalized. >> do they make them small? >> yes, small and large. these are the books picasso used that hemingway used. there's a great history to them and men love them. >> i use them. anyway, let's move to this, even though i'm not hemingway or picasso. we have a minute left. let's see what we can get

through. these are for young people. >> yes, m edge makes these great cases you can monogram or have them for the teams for the nooks and ereaders people will be getting this holiday. and then tons of great stuff for kids. freckle box, this is one of our favorites because everything is so inexpensive, less than 7 bucks and you can get your kid's name on every single page of a coloring book. >> that's a delight for kids when they see their name. >> they love it my daughter, e happy with this one. >> also, we've got place mats, which are fun. >> yes, at sarahabraham.com, they're $18. you can customize not only your kid's name, but how they look. >> and you can turn your children into super people. >> everybody loves to be a superhero. plainjane is a lovely site. you can get the whole kit and not only get the cape, but use it as a craft project on the holidays. >> so just a couple days. liz, thank you so much for your great ideas this morning. >> thank you. >> getting us ready for christmas. coming up next, jill martin sharing her newest batch of

steals and deals. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ back at 8:44. for years, steve worked his ranks up in the music industry, teaming up with superstars like mary j. blige. now he uses his talents in advertising, and he's combined the two worlds for his new book called "the tanning of america: how hip-hop created a culture that changed the rules of the new economy." steve, good to see you. welcome back. so. i'll be honest with you, the book was put on my desk a couple weeks ago. it said "the tanning of america." i thought it,k÷j was a skin tan book. so explain it to me. >> the tanning of america is a simple concept. as times change, you have a generation of kids who have a blended mental complexion, where they are pulling information from the asian community, the hispanic community, the african-american community, the caucasian community, and this

blend mental complexity. >> so, despite the fact that we have varying skin complexions, we're starting to think more and more alike, and you think music really helped to drive this phenomenon? >> yes. music -- actually, music played a very important role in the whole thing, because it was a way for people to express. the music videos were like tutorials. so, all the things you didn't understand about another culture you got a chance to understand through these videos. and now with social networking and everything, people are visiting each other's cultures on a daily basis. >> you say music taught you how to rock your pants, wear your hat, rock your car. music videos became tutorials on dances. it brought a lifestyle with it, one that allowed seemingly different groups to see things through a similar lens." >> yeah. how about that? >> and you think some seminole moments in the tanning of america, run dmc teaming up with aerosmith for "walk this way," and eminem, you give him a lot of credit. >> eminem did something very important, because he, unlike elvis, when he got the platform and became the most prolific,

prominent artist in the world, he actually gave credit to where it came from. he actually paid homage to the source, and that was a very important thing, where elvis borrowed his art form and didn't necessarily pay homage. >> you talk about the music and the music videos, and you refer to them as a litmus test and a trojan horse. so, in other words, this music came in to suburban households, and once it got in there, it changed the cultures within those households? >> yeah, because the music videos got in. then all of a sudden, inside the music videos were pants, ebonics, how to dress, your lifestyle, entirely packaged within the music video form, and people didn't know how it got into the households. >> why was it different in my parents' day and my day, when i was listening to my parents' music, sinatra and tony bennett and nat king cole? didn't i want to emulate those people the same way kids today want to emulate the music stars they're listening to? >> the difference is the power media had at the time. nat king cole, i mean, they

would do a christmas special one time a year and then you wouldn't necessarily get a chance to see them on a daily basis, how they dressed, how they spoke. >> now you have combined -- you've taken -- you saw this coming. >> yes. >> you got out of music somewhat and you went into advertising. how is corporate america reacting to this? how's it going over in boardrooms of major corporations? >> good question. when i first started in 2004 it was an uphill battle it was a lot of headwinds. i think since the census data came out in 2010, it's definitely made life a lot easier. just yesterday, i announced that i won bud light, i work for state farm, for mcdonald's, bing, for microsoft. these are all companies that have all changed their point of view based off of the census data and everything that's come out of it. >> i would think that it makes it easier for these corporations because they can target their message to a more general audience. they don't have to go to the fringes. >> no more boxes. no more african-american, hispanic. if you're under the age of 25, you see the world in a colorless

way. you have shared values, so people are segmented through values but no longer through color. >> is this here to stay or is it a cycle? will we go away from the tanning of america in the next decade or so? >> no, we're going to be fully tan, matt. >> where your sunscreen when you're in the tanning booth. >> wear your sunscreen. >> steve stoute, good to have you here. >> thank you very much. >> pleasure. the book is called "the tanning of america." up next, jane pauley on one man who found his calling by turning his

♪ back now at 8:50 with more live calling today. "today" show contributor jane pauley is working with aarp, which has produced and sponsored our special series of reports, and this morning, jane has a story of a man offering hope to many who are experiencing these hard times. jane, good morning. >> thank you, ann. orlando ward is starting a big, new job. he's a man in his prime at 51. but it was a long road to reinvention. ♪ >> reporter: orlando ward is a familiar face on the streets of skid row in los angeles. >> i consider myself somebody that's in the hope business. how are y'all doing? >> reporter: he knows the business from both sides. he used to be one of the

homeless. it wasn't supposed to be that way. >> not even a little bit. >> reporter: you were a star. a high school basketball star recruited by hundreds of colleges. he picked stanford. what the heck happened? >> i thought a lot about that over the years. i landed a job. i had some success. >> reporter: when did you actually fall off the rails? >> happy hour became happy couple of hours, happy night, happy couple of days. somewhere during that period, i crossed that invisible line. >> reporter: there were many years of drugs and denial and as many attempts at rehab, but ten times. >> i had been coached all my life. i know how to take coaching. but i didn't feel it and i didn't live it. >> reporter: finally, at the age of 38, he walked away. you just let go?

>> i let go of everything. >> reporter: for two years, he was homeless. the people who loved you, did they finally cut you off? >> yes. i remember i called my mom one day, some story about needing money again. and it was, orlando, i don't know what you're doing. i didn't raise you that way, but i can't help. and she hung up. >> reporter: in the spring of '99, he began the slow walk back. >> i'm sitting in my little cardboard box, and i just started to talk to god. i am an addict, i am an alcoholic, i'm here on skid row and i'll probably die here. my fight was gone. i had given up. >> reporter: that's when he found his way to l.a.'s midnight mission. he got a job in the kitchen and started working his way toward recovery. >> i spent over a decade of my

life with the midnight mission as a client, as an employee, as a supervisor, as a manager, as an executive. >> reporter: the highest ranking executive at the midnight mission ever to come off the street, vice president of operations. but everyone knows he started at the bottom. >> absolutely. i don't hide it. i have a responsibility to demonstrate to people that are where i was that there's no limits. there's none. put it right into that basket. >> okay. >> all right? shoot. that's what i'm talking about. >> reporter: did you ever get back to your mom? >> oh, man, in a big way. my dad had a mild stroke. i was the first person they called. they rely upon me to be their

son, and it does more for me than it does for them. >> reporter: and today, he has a family of his own. >> you know, god's not done with me. there's more to do, and i'm up for it. i'm game. >> with 12 years of sobriety behind him, orlando is looking forward to a new appointment as director of community affairs at volunteers of america in l.a. the reality check. one of the keys to staying in recovery is that giving support is as therapeutic as getting it, which is why orlando has chosen to keep his work and talents in the community that saved him. and i hope you'll join me today at 12:00 eastern time for my live internet radio call-in show at aarp.org/jane. >> beautiful story, jane. >> thank you. >> it reminds us that god works in every one of us. thank you very much. coming up, we've got much more, including stocking stuffers with jill martin, after

your local news. your local news. good morning, everybody. it's 8:56 on this tuesday, december 13th. let's go straight on our storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein, with a look at the chilly forecast. >> quite a chill this morning. the winds are picking up a little bit. that's not good news because temperatures are around the

freezing mark and purchases are down in the low 20s and winds are around 10 miles per hour. and later today we should climb into the low 50s and lots of sun and clouds tomorrow during the low 50s tomorrow afternoon, and then milder on thursday, and over the weekend, dry and cold again, angie.

good morning. we have been watching the accident on the beltway at landover road. emergency responders are on the way. i will show you right now, if you are traveling pass route 1, the delays are starting. again, a very slow trip. stick to the left of the roadway to get by the accident. angie, back to you. >> thank you, danella. more, news weather and traffic in

♪ rockin' around the christmas tree at the christmas party hop ♪ we're back now with more of "today" on a tuesday morning. it's the 13th day of december 2011. a little christmas music to get us in the mood. the rockefeller center christmas tree in the background and nice, chilly shopping weather. this is as good as it gets during the holiday season. i'm matt lauer, as we do some sort of a musical weird dance here. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker -- universe! >> and savannah guthrie as well. hello, folks. good to have you here. what do we have coming up in this half hour? oh, we have big news, actually. we had expected this morning we'd be talking about that preliminary hearing involving

jerry sandusky, the former assistant football coach at penn state. he was expected to actually get to face his accusers in a courtroom, but right before the hearing began, he waived his right to that preliminary hearing. we're going to get the latest on that coming up. >> it really begs the question why wait until this morning to make that announcement, because he could have done this, obviously, earlier. and certainly, for all those young kids who are now grown men who are now accusing him, you know, a very emotional morning for them as well as for sandusky and his family. >> we'll learn more. >> we'll get to that. also, there's another story we'll be talking about which we've been telling you all about, this beautiful, young woman, a blogger, an aspiring model, who walked accidentally into the propeller of a plane and she was hurt. the news about her recovery keeps getting better and better, and her father is here to talk about that this morning. >> okay, then a little bit later on, how do you survive the holidays with your diet, your waistline intact? >> i don't know! >> it's something we all worry

about. >> i've failed repeatedly. >> well, joy bauer is here, have no fear. "diet s.o.s." is covering that. >> and how do you survive the holidays and keep your budget intact? jill martin is here with "steals and deals." great deals for our "today" show viewers. dressy ties. [ everyone talking at once ] >> that's for fun. i don't think that's for sale. the backpack -- >> she's been showing up -- >> difference places, exactly. let's go inside. natalie's at the news desk. hi, natalie. >> good morning once again. good morning, everyone. we begin with the breaking news they just mentioned. former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. it now clears the way for him to go to trial on charges of him sexually abusing young boys. sandusky spoke briefly outside of the courthouse after the decision. >> to stay the course to fight. we await the opportunity to present our side, and we couldn't do that today. >> for more on this story, i

want to turn to nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff, who was in the courtroom. michael, this is a surprise decision, wasn't it? >> reporter: quite a surprise, natalie. you know, as recently as last night, joe amendola, sandusky's defense lawyer, was assuring reporters he was going to go ahead with this hearing. he had been giving every indication in recent days he was preparing for his defense, preparing to question these witnesses who were going to testify, try and poke holes in their story, and then no sooner did the proceeding begin this morning, judge robert scott asks if anybody has anything to say. joe amendola pops up, there's a sidebar, and the next thing we know, there's a continuous, he's waived his right to the preliminary hearing. now, first thing that should be pointed out is, for the prosecution, this is a good thing. they get to preserve their case. they don't have to lay any of their]m;xñ cards on the table. they had 11 witnesses prepared to testify today. now none of themqó have to do and the prosecution says they're ready to go.

what it means is hard to say. there's already talk this could be the precursor to a plea bargain, although certainly, jerry sandusky's comments there that we played at the start don't seem to indicate that. it could mean that just in the court of public opinion, to have all these victims tell their stories in what promised to be a very emotional hearing was not something jerry sandusky wanted to have happen today. >> all right. very interesting developments there. ìáhp &h& pennsylvania. much. so military investigators are accident at a base in washington state. two u.s. army helicopters crashed last night, killing four soldiers. it's not clear whether the+9 choppers collided or crashed separately. a warning for parents now. a new study out today from the government reports that many safety violations were found at head start centers around the country. according to that report, some instructors also never underwent a criminal background check. head start provides early

education to nearly 1 million low-income kids nationwide. and now, to an update on lauren scruggs, the 23-year-old texas woman who walked into the spinning propeller of an airplane. well, a little over a week after that accident, it's still touch-and-go for the aspiring model's recovery, but new details are emerging that suggest lauren is on the road to recovery.éngz >> wanted to let you know that we are starting a pumpkin carving contest on "lolo" magazine. >> reporter: just ten days after the propeller accident that left her critically injured, aspiring model and fashionista lauren scruggs is showing remarkable signs of recovery. on monday, her family posted a new blog entry online with hopeful news, saying "praise the lord, lauren's pain is much more manageable today. she has been eating some of her favorite foods today, sweet potatoes and hard boiled eggs." and probably the most encouraging news yet, her deeply religious parents write, "lauren was able to walk on her own today, such a miracle!" >> i am lauren scruggs with

"lolo" mag, and -- >> reporter: the 23-year-old fashion blogger has a passion for flying. a week ago saturday, she flew over dallas in a single-engine plane with a friend to see christmas lights around the city, but as she exited the plane, she accidentally walked into the still spiihízg lauren suffered a number of critical injuries. her left hand was severed. she has a skull fracture, a brain injury, a broken collar bone, and she may still lose her left eye. >> she's got her spunk back, her personality. >> yeah, her personality. >> she's smiling. her face, you know, she's able to raise both eyebrows. that doesn't sound likeí5ue a b deal, but they were worried about the nerve on one side. >> reporter: friends and neighbors have rallied around lauren. over the weekend, they raised nearly $15,000 to help pay her extensive medical bills. >> most are just our regular customers, would come in and they have thrown money in the bucket. >> reporter: lauren's facebook page and blog are full of well wishes from friends and strangers around the world,

praying for her recovery. >> we're just seeing an outpouring from across the country and also across the world. we're getting e-mails from everywhere, and we just really appreciate all that everyone's doing for us, from prayers and donations. >> reporter: and while lauren is making progress, she has a long road ahead. she continues to work with a physical therapist to improve her strength and doctors are still not sure if she will regain the use of her left eye. but still, she is recovering. it is now seven minutes past the hour. let's go upstairs to al for a check of your weather. >> that is the good news, snews. she is recovering. let's check it out and see what is happening. we have snow where we are normally not seeing it, from flagstaff, arizona, into albuquerque and durango. 3 to 6 inches of snow and in some of the upper elevations as much as a foot and a half. we have icy conditions stretching from parts of oklahoma and texas, all the way

up into parts of the midwest, grand island, duluth, marquette, and winter weather advisories or freeze advisories happening because we are talking about freezing rain. not enough to bring down trees or power lines but enough to make for hazardous driving conditions. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, in storm center 4. our temperatures throughout much of the region getting above freezing. reagan national is at 39 degre s degrees. and shenandoah valley and the panhandle of west virginia later today will climb near 50 and more of the same tomorrow but m. milder on thursday and could get ♪ sending out an s.o.s. time now for "joy's diet o. daily diet dilemmas.

"today" nutritionist joy bauer is here to discuss everything holiday, from low-calorie desserts to the best natural sweeteners to use in your holiday baking. joy, good to see you. >> good morning, al! >> all right, we're going to get right to it. missy is on the phone. hello, missy! little missy, what's your question from waynesboro, virginia? >> caller: my question is, i'm a mother of four and i have a very busy schedule, and many times, i find myself running errands or doing holiday shopping around mealtime. what's better, skip the meal and go hungry for a few hours or pick up a quick meal at a fast food place? and if i go to fast food, i'm not going to order a salad, because really, who does? >> i appreciate your honesty,53 and if you're going to wind up ordering a burger and fries or a slice or two of pepperoni pizza, i say skip the food court. you definitely don't want to get caught up in one of the fast food chains if you're not going to be ordering something clean. but i also don't want you to be ravenous, so i think a perfect solution is to keep an emergency snack stash, either in your purse or in the glove compartment of your car. this way, you can have something

to eat and it's going to tie you over until you get home and you have access to a full, healthy meal. and in fact, i always have in my bag either some nuts or roasted edamame or a granola bar, so this way you're not left high and dry when you're starving. and continually check the stash, because as you eat things, you want to replace [úfhñthem. happy holidays. >> all right. >> caller: thank you! that's perfect. >> we've got another e-mail question, this one is from gail in plantation, florida. "which is the best natural sweetener for holiday baking and stirring in our oatmeal maple syrup, honey or agave? are there specific health benefits to either one of them?" >> no, there's not. when it comes to the natural sweeteners she mentioned, they're about 20 calories per teaspoon and they're all basically refined sugar. now, i have to say that when you use agave, because it's sweeter, you could get away with a little less. but for me, personally, i say go after the sweetener that you like the taste of the best and that works best for a particular recipe.

and i think the biggest health impact is going to come when you minimize the amount of that sweetener. that's the bottom line. >> now, we're going to go to skype. this is a great question. i know this weekend we're getting ready to make holiday cookies. kayla from cookeville, tennessee, good morning. what's your question? >> good morning. i'm looking for assorted cookies and box-sized desserts for christmas and i was wondering if you have any tasty or lower calorie and possibly nutritious recipes for this? >> i love this question. and please put al and i on your gift recipient list. so, there are four simple things that you can do to pretty much any recipe to give your cookies a health twist. the first thing is make them smaller. when you shrink the size, you're going to automatically cut back on the calories. but make sure that you then lessen the bake time to adjust for the smaller size. the next thing is take a look at how much sugar the recipe calls for and then pull it back by a quarter. you are not going to miss the difference. and when it comes to the flour,

you're going to swap whole wheat flour or whole wheat pasy flour for 50% of the total flour that it calls for. so in other words, if it says to put in two cups of all-purpose flour, make one cup whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour. >> does that change the texture? >> no, it's not going to change the texture. and this tip particularly works well for chocolate and for gingerbread cookies because they have strong flavors that beautifully mask the wheat flavor. and the last thing i would tell you to do is add in healthy mix. fruits, nuts, seeds, even dark 5h!ecause then you deliver a shot of nutritious along with the sugar, so it's a perfect compromise. >> thank you, kayla. >> i love that question. and put us on that list! i like those cookies. >> thanks, al. still coming up, we've got "jill's steals and deals," holiday gift ideas up to 80% off. everything from moisturizers and more. and don't watch anybody else's, because they have inferior products. and later, the more

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♪ back now with a special holiday edition of "jill's steals and deals." this morning, we have great gift ideas at deeply discounted prices from stocking stuffers to jewelry and much more. "today" and "us weekly" contributor jill martin is here once again to walk us through

these great offers. jill, good morning. >> good morning. >> you know the instructions, get on the computers now. a lot of questions people will have is are these going to be delivered by christmas? >> all of these by 12/23, but you have to get on today.com right now. we have so much inventory on this, but we've been selling?,xñ out. so if you want it, get it now. >> let's get right to it. for guys, boxer briefs bya/q nautica. >> okay, i'm going to be direct with this because i know director joe michaels is going to try toc!t get me in troublel here we go -- >> he'd never do that! >> nautica boxer briefs, retail cotton knit boxer "ybriefs, co in white. nautica sells to top retailers like macy's andvm,ñ lord & tayl will arrive by 12/23. the deal is $10. that's 70% off. >> that's amazing! okay, excellent. okay. q offering"2ñ/ñ these beautiful macrome bracelet collection. you're showing us how to stack them together. >> layer them. ten colors, all with  íwhite,

black or hand-dyed -4freshwate9 st bead. /f(& the retail $50, the deal is $13.50. that's 73% off. >> that's for one? >> that's for one. y>d a couple, you'll have to layer them up, right? okay, now, let's move on over these come as a collection, a set. you get 15 pieces in a set, right? >> retail $175. f1 o can take a set and break them in two and give them as two gifts so, it's a 15-piece antique gold-plated beninglbangle set, colors available. retail is $175. that's 75% off. >> that's great. amazing. you said break them intoede% tw gifts. even better! okay. next, this is great for those of you with little ones, a set of nine dvds by my talking toddler,

and the company describes it as a learning system to teach your child speech, language ßi reading. >> right, and retail for the nine dvdp>jk, $189.99. and teaches children from 6 months to 3 years. and the system was built along academy of pediatrics. and you see a little video right here. >> teaches sign language. age-appropriate speech and language concepts, sign language and sounds. you see right here. á$189.99. the deal is $49 -- love the sound effects. the deal is $49. that's 74% off. >> you need that horn every time you announce your deal price. okay, next over here, gear bags and backpacks by urban packs. kids. >> these are great. retail $118 to $138. the brand is big with the to name-drop a few. lightweight, quilted fabric and water-resistant, so good for snowy or rainy weather. >> great. >> four styles, six colors.

ipad. the slicng pack for all your gear, and the backpacks, small and large. retail is $118 to $138, the deal is $37 for whatever style, up to 73% off. >> very hip and cool. okay, next, these great ties by peter blair. >> aren't these great? the retail is $80. these are conservative with a twist. all are 100% silk and hand-sewn in the u.s. known for novelty designs and geometric prints. 170 designs to choose from on the website. >> very cool. >> retail $80. the deal $16. that's 80% off. >> that's amazing. >> it's a great gift. >> i love with a twist, literally. there's a little olive on the tie. >> very literal. >> okay, over here, we've got something by the body shop, which is fantastic! >> yeah, this is a great deal. retail $126. body care collection featuring companies fave three best-selling body butter flavors, shower gel, body

lotion, body polish, hand wash, all in a beautiful tin. retail $126. that's [v72% off. here. >> that is amazing. and you're not going to find that price at their body shop store, so -- >> just for "today" show+é viewers. >> logon. great steals and [ódejt(sáy jill, you did it once again. let's remind our viewers of the products. they are the men's boxer briefs by nautica, the pearl macrome bracelets by anthony dreyer, bangles by amrita singh, yu>3 peter-blair and the body shop products. if you have any questions about these products, tweet jill @todayshow and look for "steals and deals." thank you, jill. >> thank you. coming up, from the royal wedding to the kardashian biggest conversation starters of the year.

but first, these messages lief of occasional constipation. go to senokot-s.com for savings. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. starting 8 a.m. saturday. with great deals on toys,

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preparation h totables. the anywhere preparation h. we want to take a moment to thank all of the nice people who have been helping us in this year's toy drive, our 18th annual one. we've received a batch of new donations this morning collected by the a capella group pentatonics, winner of nbc's "the sing-off." they'll be performing for us later on.

>> already we've raised $25,000 in gifts for needy children around the country. here to talk about avon's gift is hazel mcintyre, an avon lady herself. good morning, hazel. >> good morning to you. >> tell us about your donations. >> avon is proud to be donating and representing our avon representatives, over $180,000 in products. >> wow. >> and you're not only an avon lady, but you're finishing up a masters in social work. >> that's correct. >> what does something like this mean? >> in terms of donating? this is something i love about avon is that they have a long-standing history of philanthropics, so it means a lot for me to be here to represent that. >> thank you so much. everybody loves the avon products and something for kids to be able to give to mom. >> absolutely. >> hazel mcintire, thank you so much and to everybody at avon. >> thank you. >> we would like to remind you, if you would like to donate and you can't be here in person, you can go to our website, today.com. and just ahead, we have a look at some of the classic toys and games at affordable prices

that will brighten your kids' holiday season. that's all ahead. but first, your local news and weather. hey, you made your own lunch. yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day. look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. ♪ [ female announcer ] just for these hectic holidays, mcdonald's introduces new peppermint mocha and peppermint hot chocolate from mccafe. the simple joy of unwinding. mmm... pillsbury crescent wrapped brie just unroll, wrap the brie and bake. it's so easy. now this might even impress aunt martha.

pillsbury crescent wrapped brie. holiday ideas made easy. good morning. let's check in with meteorologist, tom kierein. tom, tell us a warming trend is on the way. >> a little bit, anyway. it's a clear sky and temperatures are climbing into the 30s. reagan national at 39 degrees, and the winds picking up a little bit. we will have them out of the northwest, around 5 to 15 miles per hour, and we should warm into the low 50s by early to mid-afternoon, and another cold night tonight. tomorrow clouds in the low 50s, and rain and milder on thursday.

good morning. traveling on the beltway. had an accident. this time on the inner loop at landover road. traffic is flowing quite nicely, but i am seeing problems on the outer loop of the beltway, starting at new hampshire avenue, those are your delays. here is a look at university boulevard, and i will give atravel speed. from i-95 to i-270, that trip will take you 29 minutes. excuse me, it's 29 miles per

hour, as you travel in 19 minutes. inner loop, no problems at all. and remember, to connect with us for your ♪ making your way in the world today ♪ ♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪

this place is perfect! why didn't you mention it earlier? >> well, it's a bit complicated. >> complicated's okay. what's so complicated about this place? >> well, you see, it's a -- [ growling ] >> it's a zoo. >> a zoo? >> yay! [ laughter ] >> oh, matt damon -- >> can't wait to see that. >> i know. talking to his kids about starting a new life in the new family drama "we bought a zoo." we'll talk to him about his new movie tomorrow on "today." >> there's a lot of buzz about this movie. a lot of buzz already. >> everybody says it's good. meanwhile, coming up, what did americans talk about the most in 2011? the royal wedding, casey anthony's trial and acquittal,

the economy? just ahead, the new list of the top conversation-starters of the year. all right, plus, do you still need to find gifts for the kids on your holiday list? maybe you should consider just going back to the basics. coming up, the old-school toys that are reasonably priced that your kids are sure to love, and some older kids, too, very older kids. >> extra emphasis on old school there. >> emphasis on old. >> exactly. >> and we'll talk to famous author al roker about his latest novel. >> first, you have a check of the weather for us. >> i do, indeedy. let's show you what's happening for today. sunshine up and down the east sunshine up and down the east coast, and flurries in the eastern great lakes. wet weather making its way through the mississippi river valley. and raining tomorrow in the pacific northwest with heavier rain making its way in the upper mississippi river valley. texas on into parts of arkansas, a risk of storms. cooler conditions along the eastern seaboard.

that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> the frost is melting. we have a blue sky with bright sunshine. a live view looking towards the northwest into virginia. temperatures around the region. later today, up around 50. we will have quite a bit of sun and then clouds increase, highs in the low 50s. and then and that's your latest weather. >> all right, thank you, al. coming up next, the stories that had all of us talking in 2011, from the kardashians to the royals. the new list of the top conversation-starters of the year, right after this 's new baked pasta romanas. these warm hearty creations are only here for a limited time. ruffled lasagnette pasta, layered with creamy fontina and asiago cheeses with roasted garlic and oven baked just for you. try it topped with pan-seared chicken and toscano tomatoes. or with slow-cooked beef braised in a chianti wine sauce.

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hop from one holiday party to the next. you may find it challenging to keep the conversation interesting. well, the editors at ivillage.com are here to help you. >> sure are. >> they conducted an online poll to find the top conversation-starters. kelly wallace is chief correspondent at ivillage. kelly, good morning. >> good morning. >> so, you polled your readers to find out what everyone's talking about. >> we put out a ton of stories, ton of conversations and said what were the top conversations, what were you talking most about with your friends? and we have the list here. >> number eight -- we'll go up to number one -- number eight, the kardashians. >> i don't get it, but women were talking about it. they were talking about the wedding, and yes, right, the 72-day marriage, savannah. but this i'm comforted by -- 84% of the women in our poll said this is a story the media covered too much, so maybe it won't be on the list next year. >> and yet, they were talking about it. >> i know. >> so, whose fault is it? number seven on the list, we have the high-profile infidelity, so whether it's congressman wiener or arnold schwarzenegger or herman cain's accusations, a lot of people were talking about that. >> exactly.

sadly, cheating in the news, for sure. herman cain, the most recent occasion. interestingly, a lot of women in the community were talking about herman cain and were critical of him, but also critical of the woman coming forward, saying she shouldn't be portrayed as a victim. then in the case of arnold schwarzenegg schwarzenegger, a lot of conversations, women saying what would you do if you were in maria's shoes? and wienergate, a whole new word was created. it created the question is sexting cheating? what would you do? >> that's a great conversation going into a party. next up, the royal wedding. this is a happy one. >> this is a happy one, right? we all got up early, had tea and crumpets, i guess some people had champagne. the dress, the double kiss on buckingham palace. and we're all about girl power, right? girl power. but we all enjoy this modern-day fairy tale, 30 years after princess diana. pretty much everyone was saying lady di would have been so proud of kate. >> there were a lot of high-profile court cases this year. i am not surprised to see the

amanda knox case being one that people talked about and debated. >> they did, and they talked about it for years, right was this a sex game gone bad or an innocent girl found guilty based on circumstantial evidence? then when the verdict came out, the debate continued, right? and a majority of the commenters in the poll still suspicious, thinking she might have had something to do with it. >> now, the death of steve jobs really resonated with a lot of people, unless you think it's only the men who were techies and were interested. this was huge. >> 65% of the women said they were talking about this with their friends, and guess what? they were talking about it on their ipads, iphones, ipads. one person in the ivillage community saying this is the albert einstein of our generation is gone. so, he really affected women's lives, mothers' lives. >> we've got about a minute to do our last three. casey anthony, not a shocker that this is on the list. >> not a shocker, right? not a shocker. women were there and their jaws dropped, right, when the innocent verdict was read. 55% of the women in ivillage community pretty much felt that

the jury got it wrong. >> and as for the penn state abuse scandal, i'm actually surprised to see that was higher on your list than the casey verdict. >> i know, and you think of this as sort of a football story, but no. women and moms especially, these are people that they think you should be trusting, trusting them with your children. what more do you need to do? so, they had a lot of questions about the institution, how to keep our kids safe. a lot of outrage about this story. >> and you might be asking what's left? well, of course, the number one kitchen table issue for so many families, the economy. >> the economy. so sad that it's number one on the list. high unemployment, dismal jobs market. so many people talking in the community about losing jobs, not having jobs. so, hope, right? savannah, we kick it into high gear and we're not talking about this on the list in 2012. >> or we're talking about how great it is or how it's turned all. i'd love that. kelly wallace, thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up next, we'll chat with al about his new book. plus, can't decide what to get the kids on your holiday list? we'll check out the hottest classic toys of the year, and they're all under 100 bucks. but first, these messages. hi, cutie! feeling this radiating ache everywhere.

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well, we all know that al is a born storyteller. the stories he tells and tells and tells! but over the last two years, he's released two murder mysteries turned chef turned talk show host billy breasting. >> and now he's out with "the talk show murders." al, congratulations again. >> well, thank you. >> can we just get one thing off the table? when do you have time to write novels? >> we can't figure this out. >> you're making us feel like losers. we're slackers. >> what you really want to know is why aren't you in the book? >> where's the co-anchor? >> yeah. where's the savvy, smart, female? >> i know. maybe the next one. but in this one, he happens to be bald, african-american, a little stocky. >> hmm. a little eddie murphy-like. what's the show, called "wake up america" on from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning. something tells me this has no resemblance to your personal life. >> no resemblance whatsoever. exactly. he's got a bit of a shady past.

>> oh, you, huh? >> he does. >> it's the character. >> he's in chicago and somebody from his past turns up toes up, and he has to help solve the crime. >> and he's the suspect, isn't he? >> yeah. >> yeah, yeah. somebody always turns up toes up wherever billy blessing is. >> well, they are called murder mysteries. >> why did you want to write murder mysteries? >> well, my mom was a big murder mystery fan. rex stout. i kind of grew up reading those, whenever she finished, i would read. so i always thought it would be fun to write a murder mystery. and i didn't think about it until i got teamed up with dick lotke, who is a fantastic mystery writer. and i came up with these ideas, but he hept me get the characters from point a to point b. again, he's not to be confused with potato lotke. >> and you actually wrote this on your ipad. >> i did, i did. because i try to find time -- you know, you're trying to find

time to squeeze it in, so i always have it with me, so i literally wrote this book on planes, trains and automobiles. >> that's awesome. and this is in chicago, this one. so i'm guessing there's going to be more. the hot co-anchor. >> the sassy, savvy, smart -- >> i'm seeing a trend here. >> you can kill us off. >> i was going to say, which one wants to die? >> we don't care. >> well -- >> put me in the book, i'll just be happy to be there. >> oh, there's a bus to be thrown over! very nice. >> you turned to look. >> but anyway, it's a lot of fun. the idea is these aren't gruesome murders. they're gentle, fun murders. but you know, it's kind of like, almost like "murder she wrote," you know. there's nothing gruesome, nothing grim, just kind of fun. >> can i say, your peers, huge reviews. janet ivanovic said full of adventure. and if you like crackling dialogue, a dash of celebrity and plenty of suspense, then "the morning show murders" is an

absolute must-read. roker rocks! >> and natalie morales and savannah guthrie said -- >> where are we? >> are we in the next book? yes. >> the great thing is, it's not about you guys and i love that you completely forget about yourselves and concentrate on me. >> we're very proud of you. >> thank you. >> have you always wanted to be a writer, you always loved writing? >> i have. reading has always been a part of my life so it's just an honor to be on the same book shelves as some of these other writers. >> a best-seller. you're multitalented. >> roker rocks. >> again, the book is called "the talk show murders." coming up next, classic toys at affordable prices that your kids would love to find under the tree. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

i like helping people save.

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>> this morning on "today's holiday gift guide," classic toys for kids of any age. stephanie from trendportfolio.com is here with some great suggestions at affordable prices. and as you can see, we've got a lot of exciting kids here with us this morning. >> hello, natalie. >> come on over here! >> they love to play with it. >> this is like playing with our studio. >> there you go. >> it's the classic toy. okay, nothing, i think when it comes to babies, nothing beats the balls, right? >> yes, because balls is something that's going to grow with them as they develop. so, a crawling baby that you can encourage them to crawl with these balls. they're from sassy. three sets, under $10. and that's the other good news. people spend so much money on toys this time of year, but they don't have to spend a lot. >> yeah. >> especially for older toddlers, this is a softer ball from kids preferred. it's $16, great for roly-poly, peek-a-boo, and it's not going to hurt them. >> right. with all these little things hanging, kids love to play with the tags and textures. >> textures.

so much to explore together. and we have ella tasting one right now. people always ask for 2-year-olds and -- >> toddlers. >> hard-to-find toys for toddlers. ball runs are always a safe bet. this is from early years. the pieces are just fun. and you know toddlers love to play things over and over again. it's a toy they'll go back to for a long time. >> exactly. now, blocks are something all preschoolers enjoy. it's a retro toy, but this really goes back. >> basic toy for preschoolers. >> basic. >> you talk about educational toys, this is it, because they're learning about spatial relations, problem-solving, creativity. it will be a building one day, a rocket ship the next. this is a lovely set from pbs kids, the exploration series. but if you're going old-school, we have uniblocks, and this is the one time i would say more is more. start with a basic set for $40, but during the course of the year, you can add interesting shapes. you can also bring home some of these wonderful props. >> these are adorable. >> this is a new line called a i

animalz, sets as well. >> blocks are great -- i mean, part of my son's curriculum is block-building, so -- >> that's because it is so educational. it becomes part of their writing program and building is great. >> now, a classic toy that never goes out of style. this one is huge in my house, trains. >> trains. and now we have chuggington from learning conserve giving tom the tanker a run for his money. you can get trains for about $30. our tip, don't glue it down. it's an open-ended puzzle. boys and girls should be playing with it. they can lift it with the blocks. >> create whatever they want, exactly. now, art supplies. can never have enough of them. >> make a basket. it doesn't matter how old your kids are, finger paints. girls are working with a textured paint set with interesting pieces. but for older kids, there's water colors from ebu. a great set from crayola, 150.

>> great to see the colors out like that. >> they can make holiday decorations, write thank-you notes all year long. >> something to go back to. dolls offer so much in terms of variety out there, especially with the accessories and the way we love to dress them up. >> this is a classic baby doll. this is for under $40. we love the fact that it's a multicultural collection, very sweet and they have lovely accessories. they're not very expensive as well. but i have to show you this. this is from toys "r" us. these are the journey dolls. they're $29.99 each. >> wow! >> what's really notable about this collection and what we love, they're on our special needs toy list this year because it comes with the wheelchair set. >> that's great. >> because kids with special needs should be able to play with the same toys as their neighbors and siblings and should be represented in doll land as well. >> exactly. okay, we love that. now, let's do the reverse cher aides, right? >> are you ready to play? >> let's play. >> you're not going to look. you guys are going to play. reverse chir aides is great for families.

can you see it? >> go ahead. we can't see it. >> what do you think they're doing? >> sleeping. >> ding, ding, ding. >> next? >> jumping jacks, exercising, jumping jacks. okay. taking it very seriously. >> very seriously. >> i was like -- >> looking at the clue. >> great family. >> the camera can't see -- >> amazing what your 5-year-old can do. let's get another 5-year-old in here. nice. >> challenging. >> excellent. >> stephanie oppenheim, thank you so much. still ahead, kathie lee and hoda are going to help you save on holiday meals and find out what to wear for your next holiday party. >> we're goingg% >> have a wonderful day. first, your local news and weather. >> coughing!

good morning. it's 9:57 on this december 13th. we're going straight on storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein. >> temperatures are beginning to warm up with the sun and a blue sky. we're well above freezing throughout most of the area. reagan national is at 43 degrees

as we approach the 10:00 hour. and during the afternoon, we should continue to climb into the upper 40s to low 50s with the sunshine. more clouds tomorrow, but again in the low 50s during the afternoon. milder on thursday, and could get rain in the early afternoon and evening, and then friday dry and cold. and traveling north at duke street. you are in the clear as you head towards the 14th street bridge. but you are seeing volume as you head into the city, and no major delays or accidents to report at this time. i-270, no issues in either [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple --

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captions paid for by nbc-universal television ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ >> take a little moment to listen to that on this booze day tuesday this december 13th. >> who is this? >> that is our good friend 68-year-old, i can't believe it, barry manilow. he's recovering from hip surgery. it's to repair torn muscles because he has been shaking it up a long time. >> he has performed 1,000 shows in vegas. sunday will be his 1,000th.

>> last sunday was. we love him to pieces. it used to be you were a closet barry manilow fan. now everybody is out of the closet and everybody loves him. >> what's your favorite? >> my favorite barry manilow song and i hope he is recovering and watching us now. i believe it's johnny mercer who passed away. his widow allowed barry to go through his attic and a whole bunch of lyrics. he wrote the music to a lyric johnny had written called "when october goes." ♪ when october goes ♪ the same old dream appears >> i love that one.le thing is . >> and this one is going to get your -- >> is that "copacabana ♪

>> no i can't smile without you ♪ >> look at the crew. >> we are in a small little studio, but everybody is doing it. barry makes you happy. i have to say, and i say it every time because you can never stop thanking the people that have been good in your life. barry manilow and dolly parton are the people in the industry who encouraged me most with my writing. i would send stuff to barry and he would write back. he's been awesome to me. >> by the way, i saw a trailer for a movie with dolly parton and queen latifa called "joyful noise." >> we need to see barry at radio city. he'll be back here february 10th through the 14th. i think we are in the bahamas. >> we are very busy. here is good news, you guys. there is a 2-year-old british rapper. he's a huge hit on youtube. he's in a onesy, his dad is in a

hip-hop artist. this has more than a half million hips. if you haven't seen it, you're about to see him now. ♪ >> who knows what he's talking about? you know what? it sounds like regular rap. >> i don't understand regular rap anyway. sounds the same to me. >> look how he is so focused. he's got the beat. >> look at him looking at his daddy. he's precious. >> speaking of music, you guys. if you are a fan of "the sing-off" and i know a lot of you are. the winners of season three, penatonix is downstairs. >> i heard them singing and i

said, shut up, you guys are geniuses. >> these guys are incredible. three were friends and they picked a couple from youtube. ♪ video killed the radio star >> there is no instrumental background going on there. that is what's so unbelievable. they are all doing it a capella. they are great. we'll hear them at the end of the show today. please stick around. >> there is a new phenomenon sweeping america. >> i've been doing it for a long time. >> it is called tebowing. >> there is a famous quarter. >> tim tebow plays for the broncos. he is a religious man. >> i think he would say he is spiritual. he is a devout christian guy. >> he is a spiritual guy. he leans down before games and he prays.

he's a phenom. his team has been winning like crazy. he's not supposedly the most gifted quarterback. what he is doing that a lot of others aren't doing is winning games. people decided it's a great pose. around the country people are tebowing. taking a knee. is that under water? >> yep. >> he's got his flippers on. >> all he is doing is thanking god and referencing the fact every good and perfect gift comes from him. i don't know why there is any controversy about it. >> you know what's funny? i wonder how much controversy there is. you hear there is controversy, but nobody seems to think there is controversy. >> mike lupica wrote in the news, with the sandusky thing, look at all that's happening in the world of sports that is truly horrible. we find a guy like this who is not perfect, but seems to live way says he believes, we should honor people like that, support them and applaud them.

not tear them down. we need more young heroes. >> he's obviously a great football player. he made it to the pros. when you see people who have been given more physical gifts and this guy has the heart and the soul and he just -- and they believe. >> he is a great leader, apparently. >> there are a lot of good deeds happening around this time. >> you're a good deed, hodi. >> exactly. there were a couple of stories about how people are buying things on lay-away. >> i didn't know was back. it's a good thing. it teaches you patience. >> it's back. people are hoping they can get their christmas gifts by christmas time. they are going in to pay their lay-away bill and come to find oua stranger has paid it for them. it's been happening around the country at k-mart, in california, someone paid $5,000 of lay-away tab. >> i felt i should. i was happy to do it. whoever is doing it, thank you. they're paying it forward, like

a person in a toll booth. you get up to pay your toll and they go the guy ahead did. >> i think those random acts of kindness are such great things. >> we don't have enough of them, but apparently we have too many cobblestones in rome. tell them. >> there are a lot of women tottering around in heels. the mayor was saying sometimes walking along these ancient cobblestone streets, especially for woman in heels can be dangerous. so they decided originally that they were going to try to fix it. you know what i mean? they wanted to fix it. so what happened? >> people are upset because people want to preserve the natural antiquity of this incredible place. it happened in nantucket where we used to have a home. we love the island so much. it's part of the charm of nantucket. one time they paved over the cobblestones, tourism dropped. part of the joy of being there

is knowing these stones came over on the whaling ships and all that good stuff, so they are back. they dug up all the asphalt. >> can i tell you i have so much energy these days? >> hodi is taking a wonderful drug. >> it is so good. i can't believe no one told me about it. b-12. have you ever tried it? >> don't get all ants in your pants. >> eye dropper under my tongue. i usually want to crash out in the middle of the day. ever since i started taking b-1, which is just two days ago, but i feel so good. it's weird. i have weird stamina. >> are you having trouble calming down at night? >> by the end of the day it is game over. how about this guy? this guy is ridiculous. there is a man who wanted to get time off work, a 45-year-old man from pennsylvania. >> he's going to get some. >> he decided to fake an obituary of his mother. >> he didn't tell his mother

though, unfortunately. he left that detail out. >> so he wanted paid mourning time. he was fired. he's got time now. charged with disorderly conduct. i wonder what he is going to do on mother's day. >> can we just say something we have got to get to today? >> we've been trying to get to it for weeks. >> there is an amazing thing called portraits of love. it is a terrific project. this company donates all its resources to take beautiful family portraits for people who have been in iraq, baghdad, with their families when when they are home or separately. they are beautiful family portraits. this man came home for the holidays and this great group snapped some beautiful pictures. they give them. isn't that great? it's called portraits of love.

it will be on our website. >> how about these freaky things? >> as if you can't get enough? >> there we go. >> those cake pops by starbucks, okay? >> who doesn't want to slobber over that? i want to slobber over the cast, we brought three here. >> one is especially cute. >> sara will branch out as a christmas tree seller on the streets in new york. [ gasp ] [ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter. bounty can clean the mess with less. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo, 1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface as clean as 2 sheets of the bargain brand. ♪ dance cooking? bring it.

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in the new movie "we bought a zoo" matt damon plays a widowed father who moves in with his new children to a zoo. >> his brother doesn't think it's such a great idea. >> dump the animals, keep kelly. that's true joy. >> it's about rosy, man. she's happy here. >> rosy is 7. make her a nice zoo screen saver and she'll be just as happy. >> i'm trying to give them an authentic american experience. >> and it ends with you authentically living on my velour couch with your two children. >> thomas, colin and maggie are with us today. >> we are a little in love. >> hi, guys.

thomas, you didn't think -- if this wasn't a real story, i don't know how you could have invented it. i was surprised to learn it was a true story. >> i think that's part of the magic that is there. you could make it up, but it wouldn't have the emotional authenticity that cameron and alene found. and there you go. >> look at maggie. >> maggie, have you always wa wanted to be an actress? >> almost. my sister started acting and that's when i wanted to start doing it. >> i heard a rumor about you, on your bed, how many stuffed animals do you keep on your bed? >> 72 and i'm about to win 75 back. >> with christmas around the corner, you may get more. is there room for you to get in it and sleep? >> yes. >> colin, your character is terrific. you play this brooding

13-year-old. you're so believable. >> thank you. >> how did you get your start? >> in acting? i was living in atlanta at the time. i was about 5 years old. it's something i always told my harn parents i wanted to do. there was an open casting call in alabama and i went for it. >> what's interesting is in this movie, you did not want the zoo. maggie, you wanted the zoo. we have a clip of the two of you with matt damon played by your dad. >> this is what you want. it's not what i want. >> what? >> it's a zoo. i'm moving to a zoo. >> we bought a zoo! >> i love it. >> it's a beautiful family fill. it does have a lot to it deeper than a g-rating would suggest. >> is it g or pg?

>> breaking news, the miami dolphins just this morning announced they fired their head coach, maggie is the new head coach of the miami dolphins. you wouldn't think she is qualified at 8, but apparently the dolphins think differently. >> was it fun working with the animals? how was that? >> especially the monkey. >> it was so much fun. crystal the monkey. >> you bonded with her. >> we both did. we all did. she was always with somebody. she was always having a great time. >> she'll groom you. >> monkeys will do that. >> that's how you know she likes you. >> she is not gentle, is she? i saw her getting aggressive a few times. >> she is gentle. sometimes she likes to tie your head though. >> were you ever scared of any of the animals? >> no. i was never scared of any of them. >> really, the tiger?

thomas was. >> did you know maggie is also the republican front-runner. you guys know that? maggie, maggie, maggie! >> what projects do the three of you have next? what is next, thomas? >> i have this big movie "john carter" coming out. a big science fiction at disney and another thing with matthew. >> i just finished a film here >> jason bateman. >> that's right. >> and maggie? >> i don't have anything after this except i get to go home for christmas. >> maggie! >> i've got a feeling we are going to see an awful lot of you in movies in the future. thanks for stopping by. >> it is a great movie. it hits theaters december 23rd. up next, knock on wood, sara

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time for another installment of "sara in the city" when our lovely sara takes on some of the odd jobs the city has to offer. >> this year she took off a seasonal job. >> starting thanksgiving through christmas eve, christmas tree sellers invade the city, setting up on corners, rain or shine, i decided to see what it takes to be one of the tree people. >> i'm at the rock family christmas tree stand at james street and 8th avenue. i'm going to try my hand at selling christmas trees. i think i might need a little more holiday cheer. let's try this. i was ready to meet the man behind the stand. >> welcome. >> and you are? >> billy rock. welcome to romp family christmas trees. >> how long have you been doing?

>> this is our 24th season. once we did it one year, we were hooked. >> it was time to learn the tree trade. i met billy's second in command, his son henry. how old are you and how long have you been coming here? >> i'm 20 years old and the first year i came here i was 5 months old. i've been coming here all 20 years of my life. >> i heard i'm going to be an elf at the stand today. i might have taken that invite literally. i set to wrapping my first tree. >> lift the tree and stomp it down on the sidewalk. my tree might have bed head. henry walked me through the three different types of trees. >> important things to remember. frasier fir are the best tree. balsam is a bargain, douglas fir has a citrusy cent. >> then put me to the test. hi, welcome to our tree stand. >> what kind of tree is this here? >> this is our frasier fir. >> what other varieties do you

have? >> the douglas fir and the bchb irsom. >> balsam. >> the douglas smells good. it's got, tastes like lemonade. you don't eat it, you smell it. frasiers are our go-to. all the cool kids are getting the frasiers this year. deal. after making my sale, it was time to get the tree wrapped and ready for its new home. >> coming through. >> right hand? >> well, i don't saw often. whoa! >> i mastered a few other elf tasks like decorating. stand assembly. >> my flanges are loose, i think. of course, cleanup. >> don't you think the leaves and pine needles are part of the ambiance? >> i got to help with my first delive delivery. >> wait for me! before heading to the corner to

try to bring in new customers. >> merry christmas. >> welcome to the romp's family christmas tree lot. the weather outside is frightful. i think they are scared of me right now, but they are warming up. merry christmas. >> thank you very much. >> then the moment of truth. >> something five feet. henry! the frasiers are the best. >> why? >> because they are full, the needles don't fall. this is a frasier. that's a douglas down there. not quite a sale, but it's really all about connecting with the clientele. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> wait a minute. you never made a sale? >> i almost did. the guy swore he was coming back. i'm still waiting on the corner of james and 8th >> good thing you didn't quit your day job.

still to come, the right clothes for the holidays. >> sandra lee shows quick and easy, yet decadent desserts for your party. >> winners of "the sing-off" are here. [ 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? hellmann's and holiday leftovers become irresistibly creamy turkey casserole. real delicious hellmann's. make it real. make it different. it's a great hd tv... shhh. don't speak.

i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. starting 8 a.m. saturday. with great deals on toys, electronics and more... the only place to go for last minute gifts is walmart. you spend all day cooking it. so why spend even a moment considering any broth but swanson? the broth cooks trust most to make the meal folks spend all year waiting for. in stuffing and more, the secret is swanson. pillsbury holiday star cookies start with pillsbury cookie dough easy. then add my own favorite frosting and sprinkles. just three ingredients to sweet memories. holiday ideas made easy. [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne.

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mmm... pillsbury crescent wrapped brie just unroll, wrap the brie and bake. it's so easy. now this might even impress aunt martha. pillsbury crescent wrapped brie. holiday ideas made easy. in 15 minutes, [ female announcer ] you call that bread? you can serve some warmth with your bread. and some flavor with your bread. and some layers with your bread. if you're serving bread honey, then serve it. grands! dinner ideas made easy.

the halls and get decked out. >> look for something to wear to that family dinner or christmas eve party? "elle's" creative director is with us. it's not easy to figure out what the right thing to wearing. >> the holiday season is taxing. you want to get gifts, holiday functions, you have family affairs. at some point you want to dress nice, look good and not break the bank. >> let's start with the holiday dinner, shall we? let's bring out jennifer and see what she is sporting. >> i love jennifer.

this is crystal frazier for lane bryant. it's a color block dress. it flatters every silhouette and every body type. >> i like it. you said the price point is? >> $89. she is one the designers i worked with on "all on the line." >> thanks, jennifer. that looks great. let's pretend we are going to, not a holiday dinner, but a holiday party. we have victoria. >> that's beautiful. >> a little michael by michael cors dress and sequin you can wear. >> i see that in the window. i love that dress. >> what's the jacket? >> it's a men's inspired vest from h&m. this is a great look for day and night if you have an office party. >> myself cors is affordable? >> that is $120 at lord&taylor. >> that is fantastic. >> how about the boots and little splash of color. >> little bag from banana republic.

you want a little color when you wear head to toe black. >> isn't that adorable? >> this is very flattering. >> just beautiful. >> love it. >> let's say we want to glam up more. let's pretend it's new year's eve. come on, kay. >> first of all, kay can go anywhere she wants on new year's eve. who is going to stop kai. >> his own dresses would cost $2,000 and up, this is $99. >> look at that fabric. it's beautiful. >> do you have to be as thin as kai? >> no. this dress as macy's goes all the way up through the sizes. it looks great. >> you rarely see an animal print with color. >> this is what's nice about it. >> very festive. >> how about the bag and shoes? >> we wanted to do a booty because of new year's eve. wanted to be more comfortable,

have sturdiness, but still have fun and look glamorous. >> that purse is cute. >> you want a statement bag. make a splash. >> she is a statement. happy holiday. >> so now we finished up with new year's. it's time for the brunch that comes following new year's. we have grace. >> i love it. >> her best hangover accessory, dark glasses. >> you want a little bit of glamour to start the new year. you've got jeans and shirt but throw in the cardigan with the faux fur. >> who does that? >> it's michael by michael cors again. >> i love his stuff. he's fantastic. >> the entire look under $200. >> who does that bag? >> henry bendel. >> it's got a plastic cover thing. >> so it doesn't rub off on to you. >> the boots? >> aldo. >> you know what? you nailed it, okay? >> great stuff. >> terrific. thank you, hon.

let's bring all our models out unless they can't hear us. everyone looked great. >> thank you, joe. >> we wish you a great holiday. guess who is here? sandra lee with easy entertaining tips. [ male announcer ] what's the beat that moves your heart? 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?

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we are back with today's holiday kitchen with sweet and affordable treats for easy entertaining. creating elegant parties doesn't take a lot of time and money. >> sandra lee with the new book "easy entertaining." she has a new book each and every week. has delicious and stunning ideas. nice to see you. >> yes. >> what are we making today? >> in this book, one of the things i wanted to show how you can entertain or gather with friends and family, save money and enjoy yourself. a lot of people sit home and stress out about entertaining. >> go to a restaurant if you're

going to do that. >> yeah. just pay. we've got appetizers and sweets. i'm going to make a beautiful tiarma tiarmasu cream with espresso. then a beautiful iced chocolate. then white chocolate egg nog. >> look at you teasing us. >> in here is whipped cream. use the stuff from the store or make your own. heavy cream with sugar with it. this is marscapone. two seconds, lock it down. let that spin. powdered sugar, cocoa and espresso. in there, marsala and vanilla. fork that together. mix everything till it blends. >> fork it? >> it's a professional term. >> put this in here? >> yes. wet into the dry, mix that up. you've got to go harder than that.

i'll protect you. >> it doesn't matter. >> it's borrowed, no problem. >> dump it in here. there you go. give that a wiz. >> it smells great. >> there we go. there's your cream. this is what it looks like when it's done. >> it looks like maggie's. >> what do you do with these guys? >> i'm sorry, hoda. you would love this. >> premade ladies fingers, or stick it in. a little bit of cocoa powder on the top. >> i'm sorry, this might be one of the best things i've ever tasted. it's not too sweet. >> frozen hot chocolate. >> we are moving on. >> three cups of milk.

we'll put in -- what do you think this is? >> water. >> vodka. >> is that what it is? s. >> yes. >> vanilla, vodka. no ice yet. pulse this. that way the actual chocolate milk, that's hot chocolate package blends together. then you put in your ice. there's no chunky dry chunks. >> are you still talking? >> they told me you better get through this whole dang segment. >> did they use the word "dang?" >> we're drinking this. >> hoda can have this. >> i can't. >> i am begging you. >> it has milk in it. >> she'll pay later. >> it's not supposed to be that icy. >> i'm having a good time today. >> come to the back. >> more for me. >> white chocolate egg nog.

>> that's delicious, too. >> egg nog from scratch. nobody makes it from scratch. >> you get it from the carton in the grocery store. >> white rum. >> of course because you're sandra lee. what do you think this is? >> i don't know. >> not butter milk. >> oh. >> gadiva white chunk. >> everybody makes this this at the holiday season. >> hoda, you can't have anything. >> everyone enjoy. i love those glasses. >> wow! >> just a little baby sip. >> are you trying to kill me? >> a christmas gift to santa lee? >> angel cake for you. >> we have to get involved with that cake. >> i'm dying for this. >> angel food cake. you get the box mix. instead of putting in water, we are going to put in coconut water. which is what's in the middle of the round of the coconut.

>> it's supposed to be great for you, too. >> now is the icing. icing is egg whites like a merengue. you have corn syrup in there. marshmallow fluff. she doesn't care. you pick it up. >> you eat it like a donut? you are crazy. >> get in. >> i'm full. >> she deserves it. >> cheers. >> you are so right. up next we have the winners of the "sing-off." they are fantastic. >> pentatoix. a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did?

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ranch spinach dip. the money i save with progressive lets me do some pretty cool things. buy people gas. come on around, we'll fill up your tank for you. pay their baggage fees. you're so kind! thank you. even pick up their parking. i'm just saving it forward. this parking's on me. tell 'em the messenger sent you. so i'll be out there sharing my savings with the people i meet. hmm. been looking for this since albuquerque. saving it forward. now, that's progressive.

they can sing, dance, harmonize and put together a respectable arrangement in minutes. pentatonix is from texas. >> they took home the gold microphone in season three of nbc's "the sing-off." they are featured on the album "the sing-off of the season." >> scott, kirstie, kevin, avie. >> what do you sing, soprano? >> you three are the original members of the group. how did you track down these two? >> we found kevin on youtube. he has a viral video of him playing cello and v-boxing. >> and avie? >> i met through a mutual friend in an a capella group in college. >> you guys are so terrific. what are you going to sing for us? >> a medley of songs. a justin bieber song and "silent

night." >> here they are the pentatonix! ♪ silent night ♪ holy night ♪ all is calm ♪ and all is bright ♪ round yon virgin mother and child ♪ ♪ holy infant so tender and mild ♪ ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ oh oh oh yeah ♪ it's the most beautiful time

of the year ♪ ♪ lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer ♪ ♪ i should be playing in the winter snow ♪ ♪ i'm going to be under the mistletoe ♪ ♪ i don't want to miss out on the holiday ♪ ♪ but i can't stop from staring at your face ♪ ♪ i should be playing in the winter snow ♪ ♪ i'm going to be under the mistletoe ♪ ♪ you ♪ shining with you ♪ under the mistletoe ♪ everyone is gathering around the fire ♪ ♪ chestnuts roasting like a hot july ♪ i should be he chilling with my folks ♪ ♪ oh no ♪ i'm going to be under the mistletoe ♪ ♪ reindeers flying through the skies so high ♪ ♪ i should be making a list i know ♪ ♪ i'm going to be under the mistletoe ♪ ♪ shining with you

♪ with you ♪ shining with you ♪ under the mistletoe ♪ hey low ♪ wise men follow the stars ♪ the way i followed my heart ♪ and led me to a miracle ♪ hey low ♪ don't you buy me much ♪ i am feeling wise ♪ on my lips ♪ that's a merry merry christmas ♪ ♪ shining with you ♪ where you ♪ under the mistletoe ♪ bring it down now ♪ it's the most beautiful time of the year ♪ ♪ lights fill the streets ♪ spreading so much cheer ♪ i should be playing in the winter snow ♪ ♪ i'm going to be under the mistletoe ♪ ♪ i don't want to miss out on the holiday ♪ ♪ but i can't stop staring at

your face ♪ ♪ i should be playing in the winter snow ♪ ♪ but i'm going to be under the mistletoe ♪ >> oh, my gosh, you guys! what musicianship. that was spectacular. >> sensational. >> i can't wait to see what you all do next. cute choreography there. we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

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there are so many children living in difficult situations this year. some from families who have fallen on hard times, others abused and neglected. >> we feel so privileged and blessed to work on this show and reach so many wonderful viewers who help make the holiday brighter for these children through our annual toy drive. >> karen from hasbro has greater gifts for older kids and teens.

>> she has the best job in the world because she is head of the philanthropy division of hasbro. >> what are you going to give away? >> creo, our new building block product. the first time kids can build their own transformers. >> kids are going to love that. >> we are giving my beautiful friend here, my little pony, celestial and simon flash and other products. >> so many favorites. >> how many will you guys be giving? >> $150,000 worth of toys, but overall we are helping about 400,000 kids this christmas season. >> that is amazing. >> that is incredible. >> you sleep well at night, don't you? >> i do. we have great employees who care deeply about giving back. obviously, our customers. they buy hasbro brands. we are able to do what we do.

>> thank you and many blessings. >> our toy drive continues through december 21st. come down to the plaza and donate in person or go to the website. >> tomorrow, the worried woman's guide to calm. >> the best mail order food for the holidays. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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