good morning. coward. jerry sandusky blasted by an attorney for one of his accusers for backing out of a hearing tied to his child sex abuse case. was it a sign he's hoping for a plea deal? this morning, jerry sandusky's attorney speaks out in a live interview. total ban. a total federal agency push to go ban all personal electronic devices behind the wheel nationwide. even hands-free phone calls would be off limits. will it make the road safer, or is the government going too far? and who will it be? a lot of people have made their mark on the world in 2011. but only one can be named "time" magazine's person of the year. we'll reveal the answer, live today, wednesday, december 14th,

we'll reveal the answer, live today, wednesday, december 14th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer and ann curry. live, from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. is jerry sandusky's attorney is calling his decision to waive this right to a preliminary hearing a tactical one. >> well, it comes with a lot of other comments. it came as a shock to a lot of people, especially many of sandusky's tuesdayers prepared to share their stories in open court for the very first time. and after the brief court appearance, the former penn state assistant coach's attorney fond the flames even more when he suggested some of the accusers were only out to profit from this case. we'll talk about that with sandusky's attorney, joseph amendola, straight ahead. >> and new developments in this case that we have been following

for weeks now in the search for a missing florida mom named michelle parker. police now say they have found valuable information on her recovered cell phone. we'll get the details in a live report. also haahead, in this difficult economy, some people are struggling to make ends meet. we'll meet a couple who have a home filled with art and beautiful surroundings and they did this with just $20,000 a year. coming up, what you can learn from them on finding happiness with much less. we begin with jerry sandusky's child abuse case, and nbc's michael isikoff is live with more. michael, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. many of jerry sandusky's alleged victims were poised to testify on tuesday, but their moment to speak out never came. instead, everybody went home with both sides vouaing vowing to fight this case to the very end. with wife dottie close by, jerry

sandusky vowed to keep fighting tuesday, moments after his lawyer told a surprised courtroom, sandusky was waiving his right to a preliminary hearing on charges he sexually abused young boys. >> we fully intend to put together the best possible defense. to stay the course. >> reporter: but prosecutors said they were undeterreded and are now ready to go to trial. >> he's giving up rights. we're not giving up anything. >> reporter: prosecutors were prepared to call 11 witnesses, many of them alleged victims, in what promised to be explosive testimony laying out the state's case in detail for the first time. but sandusky's attorney, joe amendola, decided to waive the hearing after he says prosecutors vowed to object if he challenged the credibility of witnesses during cross-examinati cross-examination. like sandusky, amendola resorted to football metaphors. >> this is a fight to the death, this is the fight of jerry sandusky's death. this goes beyond the penn

state-miami game in '86. this is the game of his life. >> reporter: for sandusky's alleged victims, who had been preparing weeks for the hearing, this is painful. >> he's a coward. >> reporter: ken sugs represents victim six. >> they need their chance to confront him in open court. >> reporter: another big witness spared having to testify tuesday was penn state assistant coach mike mcqueary, whose claim to the grand jury that he reported seeing sandusky sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy in the shower in 2002 has been disputed by other grand jury witnesses. >> i don't really have anything to say about it right now. and that will come out in the legal setting. >> reporter: but legal analysts like wesley oliver say the case may never get to trial. >> i think the waiver of his preliminary hearing is a strong signal that a plea bargain is in the works. >> why? >> because there was no strategic advantage to waiving the hearing. >>. >> reporter: and while sandusky insists he is still fighting, his alleged victims say they are

ready to face him another day. >> he's got to understand that victim number four is not going anywhere, and i don't think any of these other witnesses are going anywhere, either. >> reporter: sandusky has also waived his arraignment for january and the pretrial conference will take place in march. meanwhile, two former top penn state officials charged with lying about what mcqueary told them about that 2002 shower incident have their own preliminary hearing scheduled for this friday in harrisburg. ann? >> all right, michael isikoff, thank you so much. joseph amendola is the attorney for jerry sandusky. mr. amendola, good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> is a plea bargain in the works, yes or no? >> no. there's never been any discussions about plea bargains on either side of this case. and i don't anticipate there will be, ann. any sort of plea bargain that might be in the works would involve essentially a life sentence for jerry sandusky, given the nature of the allegations and the fact that

he's 67. jerry sandusky has maintained his innocence from the allegations brought by accuser number one three years ago, and he's maintained his innocence with regard to all of these allegations since then. there would be no reason for jerry to even consider a plea. he hasn't. and i don't anticipate he will. >> all right. then let me ask you a pretty tough question that has been raised by experts in your own profession. in light of your decision to waive the preliminary hearing yesterday, and also your decision to allow your client to speak to the press, not once, but more than once. and the question is pretty tough. it is, mr. amendola, are you competent to defend jerry sandusky against these charges? >> well, i'm competent to defend him. but the fact of the matter is, ann, that he's facing an uphill battle, which i compare to climbing mt. everest from the bottom. i think we have a defense, but as you know, when these charges were first filed in early november, the media and the

public convicted jerry sandusky before he even had a chance to appear in court. and unfortunately, despite our efforts, he is still facing a really tough task. so as far as competency is concerned, i have absolutely no doubt in my mind that we can give jerry the best defense possible. but the fact still remains, he's facing a really, really big challenge in overcoming the allegations. >> why wouldn't you have known that you could not question in the preliminary hearing that you waived the right to yesterday -- you could not have questioned the accusers on credibility. why would you have not known that until the 11th hour? did you do your homework on that, sir? >> oh, my goodness, i've known that for years. that's a basic fundamental principle, ann? >> why did you wait? why did you wait until the 11th hour? >> first of all, let me clarify something. credibility is never an issue at a preliminary hearing. that wasn't something we discovered yesterday or the day

before. we waived for a very simple reason. the night before the commonwealth attorney contacted me to talk about the preliminary hearing details. in that conversation, he indicated that he was going to request following the hearing an increase in bail. and if there were any additional charges filed between yesterday and the time of trial, he would request additional bail. it's very important to me, as jerry's attorney, and very important to jerry, that he remain out on bail, so he can properly assist us and the defense team in the preparation of his defense. the commonwealth attorney said he would not request a bail increase, and the current charges or any additional charges if jerry waived his preliminary hearing. that was a big concession. because it's very vitally important jerry stay out of jail. that conversation took place on the eve of the preliminary hearing at about 7:00. we then had a meeting. we then memorialized that meeting, and based upon that meeting at about 10:00 on monday night, we agreed to waive the

hearing. the commonwealth attorney knew that. i advised him he could call off his witnesses, he was reluctant to do so because it was a fact that jerry could have come into court and decided to have a hearing anyway. so the witnesses came to court, and the fact that one of the attorneys for one of the accusers indicated that jerry was a coward is absolutely false. jerry sandusky has always said he wants to defend these charges. he wants to defend himself in this case. all that would have happened yesterday, ann, is that the media would have had a feeding frenzy. they would have heard the worst of the worst from the commonwealth witnesses. we would not have been able to kris examine them about credibility. everyone in the legal profession that does criminal defense work or prosecution work knows that. so we had very little to gain, a lot of down side. and what we got in return was a guarantee that unless jerry sandusky violates his bail conditions, he's going to be out of jail, helping me prepare his defense until his trial.

>> obviously that's still to come. joseph amendola, thank you so much for joining us this morning and giving us your perspective. of it is now 7:09. now here's matt. thank you very much. to politics now. we talked a lot about newt gingrich's surprising surge in the republican presidential race and a new nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows his lead widening even more. but it's not all good news for the former house speaker. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. good morning, chuck. >> good morning, matt. the two republican candidates have a electability problem. for mitt romney, with conservatives for gingrich, he convinced some his baggage is old news but he still has a way to go with the political middle. mitt romney's political action committee is spending millions of dollars in iowa to send the message that newt gingrich will have a problem getting elected. >> newt has a ton of baggage. >> reporter: the ad may be on to something. according to the latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll, gingrich still has a lot of

negative ratings from his days as speaker of the house. in october, 1998, the last tumultuous month of his speakership, just 27% of the public had a positive view of gingrich, compared to 46% with a negative view. 13 years later, gingrich's rating is barely better. 25% feel positively, 40% negatively. despite that, gingrich has surged to become the strongest republican we have tested since the start of this primary campaign. he sits at 40% to romney's 23%. >> why is this man smiling? because his plan is working. brutally attack mitt romney, and hope newt gingrich is his opponent. >> our polls suggest why. in a hypothetical general election, president obama does best when matched up against gingrich. against romney, it's a real nail-biter at 47-45. and to top it off, gingrich is the only presidential candidate

tested where half the country says they could never vote for him. romney's issue is one of ideology. while 70% of all republican voters call themselves conservative, only 29% believe romney is a conservative. compared to 57% who called gingrich a conservative. overall, it's a volatile electorate. more than half those we polled believe the two-party system has real problems, and 34% believe the country needs a third party. businessman donald trump is most vocal. tuesday he bowed out of moderating the controversial debate which newt gingrich and rick santorum agreed to attend. he now won't close the door as running as an independent candidate if the republicans pick what he calls the wrong person. >> i can't give up that possibility of running. i just feel i owe it to myself, to my family, and perhaps, most importantly, to the country. >> and one other thing we found in our poll is that republicans aren't impressed with the candidate field.

51% call it average. 27% call it strong. 21% call it weak. matt? >> chuck todd, thank you very much. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good to have you here. >> good to be here. >> we look at the rise of the polls and newt gingrich, we have seen other candidates in the past sky rocket, but usually after they announce they're getting into the race. he has been hanging around in this race for a long time, at around 12, 13, 14% and now he's up there around 40. why? >> he's consolidating that tea party support. chuck referenced the fact, 70% of the primary goes -- identify themselves as conservatives. he is getting the lion's share of the vote. the tea party folks who want to see a candidate take on president obama, they like his debate performance, they like how he's taking on the media. that drives the anger in this electorate right now. >> when you look at this idea that he has an electability problem, is that about likability or his policies? 50% of people say they would never vote for him. >> right. i think it's about how erratic

eggs over time. i think a lot of people, including republicans, have forgotten why they dislike gingrich. they just know they dislike him. that it goes to how high his negatives are. why romney can drive those negatives up as we move forward. >> so for mitt romney, if you're looking for a silver lining in these polling numbers, which show him in decline, and newt gingrich rising, it is that he is perhaps more electable in a general election. >> well, i think it's that. >> how do you communicate that? >> you make the argument. but i think there is so much tension this year between what you have to do to win the primary fight and then how you stack up against obama in the general election. there's always that tension. i think it's exacerbated by the tea party here. i think romney not going on the offense against gingrich, driving up those negatives. but that alone is not going to cure his problem with conservatives. that they haven't trusted him and they haven't trusted him for a long while. >> let's talk about ron paul. i know you had him on your show a week ago. and here's a guy, when you talk to his supporters, they say watch out for ron paul, he's going to surprise a lot of people in iowa and new hampshire

for a couple reasons. his supporters don't poll well. in other words, these aren't the land line folks we tend to call at home. these are the cell phone folks. and also, he's got a real organized group of people out there. what are you expecting? >> that he could pull off an upset in iowa. governor of the state says he has the best organization bar none. if you go to the caucus, it's amazing because it's really about organization, getting people there who know how to caucus. he's drawing in the same kind of voters obama did, younger voters, new voters to the process, nonrepublicans, people who are anti-war, who have real problems with the role of government. i think a huge issue in this race is what is the role of government. and paul is not ruling out a third-party run and polls well in a three-way. >> normally i ask what you have on "meet the press" but since it's wednesday, this is for political voters. >> nbc politics.com. if you care about politics, whether you're a junky or a

casual, you're watching the "today" program, "nightly news", "meet the press," if you missed anything, go to nbcpolitics.com. if you missed the interview, want more analysis, want more of our interactive features, this is our digital home for nbc politics. it's going to be a great place. >> look forward to it. david gregory, good to have you in new york. 16 after the hour. here's ann. will it make the road safer? the national transportation system says they want all 50 states to ban all personal electronic devices for drivers. nbc's tom costello has details for us this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. the ntsb does not have any regulatory authority but as the nation's leading safety investigative body, when it talks, people listen, including lawmakers. and the ntsb wants the country to take distracted driving as seriously as it takes drinking while driving.

so many families have been touched by distracted driving. 13-year-old marga skee killed when her school bus was rear-ended by a truck driver. somehow her i.d. survived. >> i don't understand how this little plastic card came off that bus. but marga did not. >> reporter: after this 17-year-old was hit and killed by a distracted driver, utah adopted some of the toughest distracted driver laws in the country. >> i'll never have anybody call me mom again. she was my only child. >> reporter: and then there was reggie shaw. >> when i left that morning, it was definitely not my intention to hurt or harm anyone. >> reporter: in 2006, he crossed the yellow line while texting, killing two men on their way to work. >> i thought it was something that i could do. that i could drive down the road and send a text message and be safe. >> reporter: now, after yet another chain reaction fatal crash in missouri caused by a distracted teenage driver, the

ntsb is making a dramatic recommendation. urging all 50 states and d.c. to ban the use of all portable electronic devices for all drivers. an exception would only be made for emergencies and gps units. but not for hands-free devices. >> we know that this recommendation is going to be very unpopular with some people. but we're not here to win a popularity contest. we're here to do the right thing. >> reporter: currently, 35 states and d.c. ban texting while driving. ten states and d.c. ban handheld devices. with new government stats for 2010 showing, there are 3,092 fatalities as a result of distracted driving last year. meanwhile, roughly 20% of all drivers, and 50% of drivers between 21 and 24 years of age admit to having texted while driving. but a total ban on all devices? >> i think hands-free devices are perfectly okay. >> i think it's really good if it's going to save at least one

life, it's worth it. >> i don't think it will be effective. people will just do whatever they want anyway. >> no e-mail. no text. no updates. no calls. it's worth a human life. >> reporter: the ntsb says it wants to ban both handheld and hands-free devices because studies prove that people on hands-free devices can often be just as distracted. ann, a lot of civil libertarians here think this is going way too far. and while a total ban really may not happen, it could put pressure on corporations and insurance companies to create new rules for their employees and maybe even their policyholders. back to you. >> all right. tom costello. to be continued. thank you so much. let's get a check of the morning's top stories. natalie at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. at syracuse university, men's basketball coach jim boeheim is facing a defamation suit. two former ball boys for the school's team say they were molested by assistant coach bernie fine, a claim initially shot down by boeheim.

fine's accusers have filed suit against syracuse university as well. house republicans extended social security payroll tax cuts through 2012. but the legislation is likely to be dead on arrival in the senate, because of it includes a requirement for the construction of a oil pipeline that the obama administration has already threatened to veto. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's mandy drury is at the stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning, natalie. after two straight days of decline, the market is really looking for reasons to stabilize now. one thing that has been rising is the u.s. dollar, now at an 11-month high against the euro. and investigators are speculating more could be downgraded and also our economy, the world's largest, is comparatively stronger. if we look at the stats as we approach year-end, the s&p 500 index has fallen 2.5%, but still the second-best performer after new zealand of the 24 largest developed markets. that puts it in perspective.

back to you. >> sure does. man degree drury at the new york stock exchange, thanks. if you're married, you may be in the minority. barely half of americans over 18 are married. that is a record low for this country. back in 1960, some 72% of adult americans were married. but by 2010, that number plummeted to just 51%. notably, the marriage rate dropped by 5% between 2009 and 2010 alone. researchers say it could be due to the economy or just a cultural shift. matt, ann and al, people have more options these days, living arrangements have become more socially acceptable. people are also getting married later in life, as well. >> these weren't options available to us when we were younger. i'm not sure how i feel about that. i'm not saying anything. >> you had options, ann. >> no, i'm -- >> her husband is sitting at home going, thanks a lot. >> all right, natalie, thank you very much. big christmas shopping day. good weather out there? >> fantastic. >> okay.

>> did you leave a list? >> i did. >> let's check it out and see what's going on for today. we have a risk of strong storms from austin into southern oklahoma. could see some tornadoes out of this system. and north of there, we're already seeing some heavy rain starting to fall through chicago, wichita. we're looking at anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain in northern chicago. northern illinois, i should say, possible airport delays. dallas, kansas city, st. louis, all the way to minneapolis, fog possible airport delays in dallas all the way to minneapolis for fog and drizzle. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> gorgeous sunrise on this wednesday morning. there are a few breaks in the clouds allowing the beautiful sunrise, but over all we will have a cloudy morning, and most of the region in the mid-and upper 30s to 40 degrees. and we will climb into the low to mid-50s this afternoon. mild tomorrow with rain likely

and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up, new hope in the nearly month-long search for missing florida mom, michelle parker. what police are now learning from a key piece of evidence in the case. but first, this is "today" on nbc. this is an rc robotic claw.

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just ahead, we'll reveal "time"'s person of the year, live. >> and why so many americans are in live with color christmas sweaters. after your local news.

good morning. i am joe krebs. it's the 14th of december. we begin with breaking news out of germantown where a deadly pedestrian accident is causing big problems for drivers on i-270. danella sealock has more on the situation. >> i will talk about that in one second. got to let you know what just happened on new york avenue. this is at montana avenue. looks like you can't get on new york avenue and continue your commute, but you may want

good morning. temperatures are now in the mid and upper 30s, and later today in the low 50s. a chance of a sprinkle and then

♪ 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, december 14th, 2011. and we're looking at an exciting crowd here at rockefeller plaza. and they're waving to some of their loved ones back home, maybe just trying to stay warm because it's cold outside. we'll get outside in a little bit. in the meantime, warm and coasty inside studio 1-a, i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. coming up this half hour, one of the national guessing games every year since 1926, and that is who will be "time" magazine's person of the year? >> a lot of coffee table and water cooler buzz about this. recent winners include mark zuckerberg, president obama and

vladimir putin. but who will grace the coveted cover in 2011? we will reveal "time's" pick live in a few minutes. also coming up, the holidays are a time for tradition. and this year, one seasonal tapel seems much more popular than ever. we're talking about christmas sweaters, the louder the better. savannah guthrie will help us find the best ones all around that apparently we are going to try on ourselves to get into the spirit. also, is living on less the new american dream? we're going to meet a family that get by on just $20,000 a year and wait until you hear their secret. >> okay. we're going to be inspired by that. let's begin this half hour with new developments in the nearly four-week-old search for missing florida mom michelle parker. are police now closer to finding answers? nbc's thuan truong is in orlando at the orlando police department with new developments. thuan, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. just as the family of michelle parker was starting to lose hope and scaling back its search for

her, the head of police here in orlando released new information about her recent recovered cell phone, and the lone suspect in this case. new details given to family by police, michelle still may be found. it's now day 27 in the search for missing mom michelle parker. ♪ this is the defendant. >> reporter: 27 days since she appeared on "the people's court" with her ex-fiance, and the prime suspect, dale smith. it's been nearly a month since she last saw her 3-year-old twins. parker's mother is now back at work at the very salon where michelle was last seen before she vanished. >> michelle just graduated from hair school, and she was going to be here, working right along side with all of us. >> reporter: she prays her daughter is still alive. >> i always have hope. i get sad a lot, because i just miss her so much. and i don't know what she is going through. >> reporter: parker's family reluctantly scaled back its search because of a lack of leads. but then orlando's police chief

revealed new details about parker's iphone, which investigators recovered exactly one week ago at the bottom of a lake. a major breakthrough in a search so massive that officials say it's the largest effort they can remember in the past 30 years. >> we are still following up, relentlessly, on any tips that you would not know about that come in through crime line, that -- phone calls for leads that we may be getting from the cell phone. >> reporter: what leads exactly chief rooney won't say. despite being found under water, police say michelle's iphone is in remarkably good shape. >> i know that the cell phone is definitely -- there's going to be some key things coming out of that. >> reporter: chief rooney also alluded to people responsible for parker's disappearance. >> i think we know who may be involved. >> reporter: a month, ago, parker and smith's problems played out on national television. >> it's been a hell of a roller coaster ride and it's poison and we're done.

>> reporter: while smith denies any involvement in parker's disappearance, police reasserted he is the prime suspect and suggest they have information to back that up. >> there is other evidence we may have that i can't reveal at this time. i'm sorry. i know that's not the answer you're looking for, but i have to be honest. >> reporter: suspicions, but no clear answers as parker's family continues to search. >> it's really hard to not know where your daughter is. and to not know who did it and to not know what they did to her or where she is or if she is not going to be able to raise her family. >> reporter: and we reached out to dale smith's attorney for comments and never got a reply. police here say although there may not be a tight profile search going on, finding michelle parker remains priority number one for this department. ann? >> thuan truong, thank you so much. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every case kiss begins with kay.

>> good morning. wow, you've got a lot of stuff working there. is it somebody's birthday? what's your name? >> malba kester. >> 25 years you put me on the jar. >> all right. it's a date. let's check your weather. and we'll show you for today. we've got the heat -- look at this, duluth, even though the jar. >> it's a date. even though it's only 35 degrees today it's 13 degrees above normal. and chicago, even though it will be raining you will be 51, and oklahoma city, 68, and tuscaloosa, 71, and dallas, a high of 73 degrees today. the rest of the country, the plains awfully cold into the southwest, and 20s and 30s in the northeast, and we're looking at heavy rain in the mid-mississippi river valley, and texas into oklahoma, and

texas up through eastern minnesota. >> dawn on this wednesday morning, and it's a bit milder. that's a live view from the skywatcher camera and temperatures are above freezing. most locations we are in the mid to upper 30s, and we will hold steady for another couple hours, and then low to mid-50s for the afternoon hours and a lot of clouds around. tomorrow could get afternoon and evening showers and mild, and and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you so much. now it's time to reveal "time" magazine's pick for the person of the year. the criteria, someone who for better or worse has done the most to influence and affect our lives. rick standing, good morning. >> good to see you. >> don't give us the name yet. let's take a look at some of the names that made the final list, the people you deliberated about in the final hours. kate middleton, the duchess of cambridge, admiral william

mccrave en, commander of the navy s.e.a.l. team that took out osama bin laden. chinese artist. and you also included a conceptional option, the protester, a nameless, faceless protester. >> admiral mccraven captured bin laden and the duchess of windsor captured our hearts. they represent people who affected us in one way or another who swayed the conversation, captured our imagination. and it kind of represents a gamut from the protester to the duchess, who is a more popular choice, to mccraven who did something extraordinary in changing the destiny of our fight against al qaeda. >> some people might wonder, not in your top five, steve jobs, gabby giffords. >> gabby giffords is in the magazine. we did an e-mail interview. steve jobs is at the beginning of our farewell section where we say goodbye to people who left

us during the course of the year. you know, a lot of discussion about steve jobs. it's not -- it's not a lifetime achievement award, and steve, you know, is someone i venuer ate, but it wasn't a year where he transformed anything. >> when it came down to the final voting, rick, was it a unanimous choice? was there a lot of disagreement? did you have to step in and make the final decision? how did it go? >> you know, there was a lot of consensus among our people, among our correspondents and editors. people felt that this was the best choice, the most serious choice. and so it actually felt right and good. >> all right. so i'm assuming that you are ready. you have a magazine in your lap. >> i do. >> and the criteria is someone who has influenced the past year, also may influence the year ahead? >> right. i like to choose somebody who actually does influence the year ahead. and our person of the year for 2011 is "the protester." the men and women around the world, particularly in the middle east, who toppled governments, who brought democracy and dignity to people who hadn't had it before.

and i think speaking of the year, these are folks who are changing history already, and they will change history in the future. >> and you think about what they did in the arab spring with gadhafi gone, and hosni mubarak put on trial. and you look about how that region literally transformed in a matter of six months. >> right. and you all reported from there. that place was -- there was no movement the there. we thought these dictators are not going to be toppled. and then these people who risked their lives, risked their livelihoods to go out there and brought about change that nobody had expected. it really is a transformational thing and i think it is changing the world for the better. >> are there links between what has happened in the arab springs and what happened two years earlier, actually, in iran with the green movement that was suppressed and also what's happening on wall street and across this country and even over the weekend in russia? i mean, there seems to be a global protest. >> absolutely. there's this contagion of protests. in fact, the story written by curt anderson brings together

all those strands. because iran prefigured what was going to happen in the arab world and what happened in the arab world did influence occupy wall street and occupy oakland and the protests in greece and madrid. all of the protests we talked to and our correspondence fanned out around the world talked about how they had been influenced by other protests and how social media brought all of that closer. and it's really an extraordinary combination of demography and technology that brought about this change. >> so, again, just if you missed it a second ago, "time" magazine's person of the year for 2011 is "the protester." as always, rick stangel, good to have you here. thanks for revealing it here on the show. >> thank you so much. >> we appreciate it. by the way, the issue is available online today. it hits newsstands friday. up next, the surprise hit of the holiday season. those colorful and sometimes gaudy christmas sweaters. right after this. ho, ho, ho! look, honey... it's santa. [ mom ] i thought i heard reindeer. mom... i mean, mrs. nelson,

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back now at 7:44, with a christmas classic that seems to be hotter. i use that word maybe advisedly than ever at the end of the season. savannah guthrie is here to explain. >> good morning. a lot of us like to bring out our christmas finery to celebrate the holidays, perhaps a sparkly pen. something tasteful. that is not what this story is about. >> 3, 2, 1! >> reporter: ah, christmas. chestnuts roasting on an open fire. jack frost nipping at your nose. and folks dressed up like

eskim eskimos. in ugly christmas sweaters! long the stuff of hollywood lore. >> maybe not. >> reporter: the ugly sweater has gone from the small screen -- >> salem ons! >> lemons! >> reporter: to the big-time. americans everywhere are warming up to the trend. ugly christmas sweater parties like this one are hot this holiday season. no wonder everyone is googling the heck out of it. >> we've seen searches for ugly christmas sweaters more than double what they were last year, and more than five times what they were five years ago. we do see that searches for ugly reindeer christmas sweaters are 25% higher than searches for ugly santa christmas sweaters. >> reporter: sites like rustyzipper.com and tipsyhe feels are an homage to the knit.

the rules are simple. jolly santa, check. colorful gifts, check. jolly santa, colorful gifts and flashing ornaments on one sweater? check, check and check. >> 218! >> reporter: sweater trend sweater jimmy fallon rocked it times twelve. >> time to deliver my annual fruit cake gift. >> reporter: in fact, it seems everyone around 30 rock is really getting into the spirit. >> oh, hang on, i'll call you back. >> merry christmas, ryan. >>. >> thank you! >> here's your fruit cake. >> what a beautiful sweater you're wearing! >> thank you. >> i know so many people are looking for something just like that. i just find it makes the holiday so much more joyous. this old thing i've worn for years. >> no, but i think it's really flattering. >> you think so? >> yes! >> thanks. >> especially the way you have that one button. >> well, it's kind of a masculine look, i think. ♪ every girl is crazy about a sharp-dressed man ♪ ♪

>> reporter: plus, with fashion inspiration -- >> hi. do you have any ugly christmas sweaters? >> yes, we do. >> reporter: picking out sweaters for my "today" show co anchors is no sweat. >> this is actually kind of cute. i don't think it's ugly. this has natalie written all over it. that is majestic. this is -- here's one that makes noise. pretty. and ann, this could be for you. this you could sell-year round. two words. matt lauer. press here? music. ♪ al roker, this one is for you. is this uglier than this? ah, so many options. so many sweattastic combinations. just four more reasons to love the holidays. >> so we're -- you are wearing your sweaters.

>> ta-da! >> you look so good. >> mine plays music. >> it does. >> press my button. >> should i take -- >> holiday party tonight. >> and you guys look great. and apparently, you know -- everyone really got into the sweater fever? >> really? >> yeah. in our control room, i think. >> that's right. take a look downstairs. >> whoa! >> everyone except for joe. >> and look what we have over here. >> our crew. >> our crew. >> oh, my. >> one is uglier than the next. >> the sweaters, i mean. >> you guys look so good. >> i'm starting a trend. i want to do a handca sweater. >> well, erica has one on right now. >> jerry is the best. >> yeah, jerry's is very disturbing. >> very nice, erica. >> i haven't felt this good about myself since you guys convinced me to put the snuggy on. >> and you burned that right? >> and you're going to burn this the minute it's over. >> thank you, savannah. >> thanks for being in the

holiday spirit. >> you look so cute, i just want to hug all of you. but i won't. >> yay. >> by the way, if you want to see your own christmas photos with sweaters, take a look at that -- that's mark. mark, you look fantastic. if you have your own christmas sweater photos, share them on our website, todayshow.com and we'll share them. also this morning, matt damon, but first these messages. congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right. i couldn't sleep right.

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good morning. i am joe krebs. it's 7:56 on this wednesday, the 14th of december. let's go to danella for breaking news. >> fire activity shuts down new york avenue, this is between montana avenue and bladenburg road. and heading outbound on new york avenue you are forced on to montana avenue. traveling i-270 southbound, you cannot get on to germantown road due to the fatal pedestrian accident. and you are jammed at father

good morning. eastern skies skraeked with gray clouds. temperatures are mild this morning. right now above freezing most of the region, in the mid-and upper 30s, and then tomorrow cloudy and a bit milder, and might get

back at 8:00 on a wednesday morning, the 14th day of december, 2011. got another nice crowd here on the plaza on a breezy morning. temperature about 38 degrees. we've got sunny skies. this is pretty good for december. we'll take this. >> absolutely. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and mr. al roker. and we're going to be talking about living on less. even in this holiday season. >> that's right. everybody is trying to save money. well, would you believe that there is a family that actually can find happiness living on $20,000 a year in that lovely home? we're going to find out more about how they do it and see if there are some take-away lessons

for all of us. >> all right. also ahead, the one and only matt damon. we like this guy a lot, a very talented actor, has done all kinds of movies from action adventures to comedies, tackling a family movie called "we bought a zoo" and was recently named the sexiest family man alive. >> i would not dispute that. and matt, when they heard your name -- it's true, matt. how much do we love matt damon? [ cheers and applause ] >> exactly. we feel the love, matt. coming into you. >> we're going to go talk to the sexiest family man alive in a little while. >> and both matts sporting the same haircut. >> in a tribute to me. >> very nice. a little bit later on, mark bitman will be here to help us have a great holiday party with some fantastic appetites. >> he's always great. i always learn something listening to him. in the meantime, let's go inside. >> natalie is at the news desk with the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. today, disgraced former penn state assistant football coach

jerry sandusky is preparing to go to trial on child sex abuse charges. tuesday in a surprise decision, sandusky waived his right to a preliminary hearing where some of his accusers were set to testify against him. earlier today, sandusky's attorney says his client does not want to cut a deal with prosecutors. >> there's never been any discussions about plea bargains on either side of this case. and i don't anticipate there will be, ann. any sort of plea bargain that might be in the works would involve essentially a life sentence for jerry sandusky, given the nature of the allegations and the fact that he's 67. >> joe amendola also said jerry sandusky maintains his innocence against all of the charges against him. turning now to politics, donald trump is out as the moderator of an upcoming republican presidential debate in iowa. trump says he pulled out because he wants to be able to run for president as an independent if it he doesn't like the republican nominee. but the debate was already in

jeopardy, because only newt gingrich and rick santorum had agreed to do it. the days of being started startedeled by a loud commercial break will soon be over. the federal communications commission has now passed legislation to make sure that the volume level on commercials is the same as on regular programming. the rules will go into effect december 2012. well, if you like to use your cell phone while you're driving, you may be in for a disappointme disappointment. on tuesday, the national transportation safety board recommended that all states should ban talking while driving, even on hands-free devices. the ntsb wants texting and e-mailing for bidden, nationwide, as well. it's up to the individual states to enact the ban. the buck stops here. the white house announced tuesday it is stopping virtually all production of dollar coins bearing the likeness of dead presidents. there simply wasn't enough demand. the move will save taxpayers $50 million a year. and now for a look at what's trending, a quick round-up of what has you talking online. facebook and twitter are abuzz

with last night's record-breaking option of elizabeth taylor's jewelry. the total reached nearly $116 million, the highest-priced item was a ruby and pearl necklace given to her by richard burton, went for $12 million, northe mo any pearl to go under the gavel. "the biggest loser" the top prize winner lost 220 pounds. john is here, and joining us for a live interview coming up in our next half hour. congratulations, john. and he's definitely smarter than the average bear. youtube watchers can't get enough of this kodiak bear who lives on a farm in washington state. as you see there, he waves to visitors. apparently he has been doing it for years. wonder how he learned that it s is. it is now 8:04. let's go back to al with a check of your weather. >> "today's" weather is brought

to you by keurig. choose, brew, enjoy. >> i what that bear is thinking. come on over here. you're officially a teenager. what's your name? >> max. >> where are you from? >> michigan. >> very nice. we like that. another sister's 60th birthday. what's your name? >> holly. >> and you have your own pr team. >> that's right. let's check your weather for today. we're looking at our pick city, greenville, south carolina, wyff, partly sunny, 66 degrees. a big system making its way up from texas all the way into the upper mississippi river valley where there will be some airport delays, most likely, detroit into chicago. we have a risk of strong storms, texas into oklahoma, air airport delays most likely, and texas into oklahoma, air stagnation conditions still continue in the pacific northwest. on the chilly side here in the

northeast, but nice and warm in the southeast. and we are looking at 69 degrees in atlanta. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. a little past 8:00 on this wednesday morning. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, in storm center 4. temperatures under a cloudy sky, mid-and upper 30s. and then tomorrow, cloudy and mild. afternoon passing showers into the early evening are possible and then on friday, partly sunny and mid-50s. and then over the weekend, saturday and sunday, turning chillier with sun and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thanks very much. coming up, could your family survive on only 20,0$20,000 a y? what you can learn from this family right here. they do it and they like it. we'll talk to them right after this. and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh,

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try any crest pro-health rinse. back now at 8:10. in this economy, a lot of americans are just happy to have a job. but for some, there was a new american dream. and it's not about buying a big house or a fancy sports car. natalie joins us once again to explain. hey, natalie. >> hey, ann. the dream is all about comfortably living on less. and for some, even leaving your things behind to pursue your passion. most never make the leap,

assuming life off the grid is impossible. or is it? ♪ this quaint, maine cottage looks like it's straight from the pages of a "martha stewart" magazine, artfully decorated, treasured pieces. but if martha only knew the source of the designer's inspiration? >> my ultimate shopping spot is the dump. >> we could use this. >> nothing back there. >> yeah, those will work. >> yeah. >> yep. >> this would be good for the kind ling. >> fun to say i got that at the dump and that's from the dump and that's from the dump. >> could be something for the garden, maybe? >> 75 to 85% is actually found. found. >> we could be going down the road, doing of 65 miles per hour. before i could stop the truck, she could see out of the conner of her eye. i install it, beautiful. >> reporter: stay-at-home mother jennifer and her partner artist michael earn only $20,000 a year.

technically, they're hovering just above the poverty line. >> we're poor on paper, but we don't look poor in our lifestyle. we're living a very unique, creative, unusual lifestyle. >> reporter: back to basics. theirs is a life of living without. no heat, savings, life insurance, trips to the mall or cable tv, though they do have three free state provided health insurance. and when things break, michael fixes them. jennifer repurposes everything. >> she could stretch a nickel into a dollar, and that dollar turns into five. >> i'm just like the budget queen. i actually have fun figuring out how little i can spend. but well. what i like about balancing the checkbook is at the end of the month i feel so proud that we have gotten everything paid, we've eaten well, done what needed to be done and it was all covered. >> reporter: any income goes towards rent and healthy food,

though jennifer does admit, they eat a lot of beans. >> jen is a great cook. she can take three ingredients and there's three nights of a different style meal. >> by the end of the month, it's like, okay, what do i have to make soup out of? >> we have to find treasures, buddy. >> reporter: beyond the junkyard, michael combs the beach for driftwood that washes up on shore. he transforms it into furniture and art which they sell and use to decorate their home. >> there is no stress tomorrow about i've got to get to work at 8:30, possibly work a 14-hour day, but i make my schedule. >> it's far from perfect, but it suits us. not being tied down to money allows us to appreciate the very simple things in life which are each other, environment around us, and just doing what we love. money isn't -- isn't everything. >> and the couple says they hope to increase their budget enough to start saving for their son's college and an emergency fund, but they vow to never change

their thrifty ways, ann. >> all right, natalie, thank you so much. how can you learn a few lessons, even if you're not ready to go off the grid? well, jeff jaeger is a self-professed cheapskate and also the author of "the cheapskate next door." good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> in this story, they had heat, but they don't have heat they pay for. and they are actually doing a lot of things that maybe the average american may not want to do, which is to basically cut their own wood. >> you betcha. >> what can the average american do? >> the lesson for me from people like this is the important things in life aren't necessarily things at all. people are choosing to simplify their lives. and i think not everybody needs to go to the extreme that michael and jennifer do, but there are a lot of things that you can begin to go down that path. >> you don't like the word downsize. you say simple size. >> we heard about downsizing, we heard about rightsizing. i say simple size. figure out what's important and skip the rest. these folks are living on $20,000 a year. but it's also a way to really

understand the relationship of happiness and what's important. >> okay. so rethink -- basically change the way they we think about things. number one, avoid debt like the playing. >> it's not what you have, something you don't have. that is debt. these people are living debt-free. if you can't afford to pay for it now you can't afford it. >> also, don't pay for depreciation. what do you mean? >> lots of people like jennifer and michael are buying things used. we all know that a car depreciates 20% when you drive it off a lot. but also, clothing. you can buy it at the thrift store, 10 cents on the dollar. i'm wearing entirely thrift store clothing this morning. it's not matt lauer-ish, but fashionable enough. >> it looks nice, actually. matt would like those cords. >> furniture and household goods, 75 to 80% saving buying used. >> you said do whatever we can ourselves. you also say skip the soda, eat

in and love the leftovers. >> skipping soda. for the average family of four, if they only drank tap water when they went out to eat, they would save $800 a year, believe it or not. the whole idea of eating out less. we spend about 45% of our food budget on meals prepared outside the home. cook in batch, eat at home, save the big money. and finally, usda says we throw away 25% of our food every year, so by being smarter about food preservation storage, eating up leftovers, we could save big. ann, that's a pound of food per person per year, that's like throwing away two of me every year. my wife might like the idea, but -- >> and he brings the humor, as well. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> for helping us rethink what we actually really need in life. >> stay cheap. >> if you want more information, go to today.com and talk about the monthly budget, for example, and the people in the story. coming up next, matt damon

gets wild. oh, and apparently gets a new sweater. we're going to catch up with him. >> pretty sad. >> i love you in it, though. i love you in anything. coming up after this. i take an omega for my heart.

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get out of the office more often, with chili's $6 lunch break combos, featuring texas toast half sandwiches. chili's lunch break combos. [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their family's delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas! 8:20. back now with oscar and golden globe winner matt damon. this past weekend, he received a new honor. "parade" magazine named matt damon the sixiest family man alive. and he takes on a family role in a movie called "we bought a zoo"

where a owner thinks he found a place for a fresh start. take a look. >> this place is perfect. why didn't you mention it earlier? >> well, it's a bit complicated. >> complicated is okay. what's so complicated about this place? >> well, you see -- it's -- [ growling ] >> it's a zoo. >> a zoo. >> yay! >> matt damon, good morning. welcome back. >> thanks, man. >> you're doing a remake of "patton?" >> i just finished the movie and i had a completely shaved head. >> you like it? you like the way you look? >> i love it. it's been like six or seven months i've had it like this. and is it's really liberating and very easy. >> you don't own a brush, dry with a washcloth. >> done. >> you obviously never heard the rule you don't work with kids and animals. you work with both in this movie. why did you decide to do it? >> well, cameron crowe, the director, was really the draw for me. and we talked about that, that famous wc fields, never work with children or animals. but we kind of figured we would

get it all out of the way in one movie. so it's the cutest kids you've ever seen and the most beautiful animals. and that's it. so if it goes horribly for us, we'll learn our lesson. >> is it true you said -- and i don't want this to sound derogatory -- you said i don't want it to turn out like a disney version of this film. nothing wrong with disney movies. >> no, of course, nothing at all. but the over-saccharin version. >> you don't want things too simple and easy. >> yeah. or kind of cheesy, you know, which is the same -- kind of, you know, tv movie version, you know. you know, version of the thing would have been a movie that i just wouldn't want to spend my time doing, because it's not the kind of movie i like to see. >> about the animals part of this, scarlet johansson was here. and she revealed when the snakes came around, because there's

snakes in the movie and you're smiling already. when the snakes came around on the set, you cried like a baby, that you were so afraid of the snakes you cried like a baby. is that an exaggeration? >> yeah, just a slight exaggeration. i was not excited to be working with a snake. i had -- >> you still have a fear of snakes? >> no, i kind of got through it, because there's so many of them. there was one scene where the snakes escaped from their crate and there's like hundreds of them. and so i was really -- i've never been a snake guy. and she was totally cool with it. so the second she sent some, you know, trepidation -- she was like wrapping them around her and putting them on the kids and the kids were laughing at me so i had to kind of man up and pick up the snake. >> we were talking a second ago, and i asked you, do you have any idea how many movies you've made. and you said if you count cameos and things like that, maybe around 50. one of the things i was reading about you, since "goodwill hunting," you have done at least one movie a year for the last 15 years. are you not the type who thinks

maybe it's good to take a year or two off and sit around on your butt? or does that worry you? >> i think for a long time, it would have worried me. just once ben affleck and i got our feet in the door, i think there was this tremendous impulse to keep working. because we could. and because we had been unemployed and we knew what that felt like, and working was better. and now i think i'm starting to get to a place where i'm -- where i'm a little calmer. >> you don't think that the roles would not come your way if you were out of the public eye for a year, for example. >> no. but i did have an interesting experience a few -- about a month and a half ago. i walked into starbucks downtown, and it was right around nyu, and there were all these nyu students who were, you know, working the registers. and the girl i ordered from said, oh, hey, i'm a big -- i'm a big fan. and i said thanks a lot. and she goes, i love "the departed" and i said i love that one too.

and she goes, i know it was a long time ago. >> you're like, have you seen my real stuff, my new stuff. >> i realize if you're 19 years old, the departed came out when you were 12 or 13. but i can remember what i had for lunch every day -- if it i look at that movie, yeah, i had a ham sandwich that day. so there is that thing of needing to kind of keep your foot in the door a little bit. >> you obviously are well-known for the borne movies. they're making a fifth one. i understand jeremy renner is not going to play jason bourne. >> no, another agent in a similar or same program. >> but they kind of reserved that role for you. they put larry byrd's number up in the rafters at boston garden, which is a pretty nice thing. >> yeah, definitely. i think because it -- because those movies travel kind of -- they're not like the bond movies in that you can watch the bond movies out of order, because each is a stand-alone mission. the bourne ones, you have to see

the first one to see the second one to see the third one. >> matt damon, happy holidays. >> thank you. >> great to have you here. >> you too. >> and "we bought a zoo" opens breaking news at 8:26. an accident on i-66 is causing big delays. let's go to danella sealock for more. >> the accident blocked two of the right lanes on sully road. and also traveling in northeast d.c., eastbound new york avenue still closed at montana avenue due to fire activity. and a fatal pedestrian accident has germantown road shut down, and you are jammed at father hurley boulevard and you cannot get on i-270 southbound that exit from father hurley boulevar[ baby coughing ]

[ coughing continues ] [ female announcer ] more pollution from power plants means more childhood asthma attacks. [ labored breathing ] there's technology that makes the air cleaner, but too many plants don't use it. we can't wait. epa must update power plant standards to protect our kids. [ baby coughing ]

good morning. on this wednesday morning, a lot of clouds around. a few breaks in the clouds and a little sun trying to break through and temperatures are above freezing in most of the region.

and low to mid-50s later today and mostly cloudy. cloudy and mild tomorrow and afternoon and evening showers possible. >> thanks, tom. more

8:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 14th day of december, 2011. and guess who? none other than matt damon, the store of the new movie, "we bought a zoo," was kind enough to stick around for a few moments and greet the crowd and take their presents, collecting gifts for the annual holiday toy drive. very sweet of matt damon this

morning. he is a really nice guy. so we thank him for that. and meantime -- wow, that's a big present. we're going to be talking about what to serve for our holiday meals. we're going to be talking about that this morning. >> and maybe less about the actual meal, but when people come over, they drop by unexpectedly. mark bittman is up in the kitchen, he's going to take us through his holiday finger food generator. things you can prepare if you just keep certain items in your pantry. he's got some great selections to make all kinds of cool combinations. >> wearing that sweater. and then it was a thrilling finish last night. john rhode was crowned "the biggest loser." he has flown cross-country overnight to talk about his big win. >> look how happy he is. looks on top of the world. we'll talk to him coming up. >> he looks amazing. also we'll head over to the rockefeller rink with brian bo

boita boitano. we love him. >> and first -- we love you, too. first, we're excited to say hello to robin wright, the star of the new movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo." robin, great to have you here. >> thank you. >> you're also in "money ball." but this movie you say has been a gift. why would you say that? >> we have three jobs in a row, it's called security. to work with a best-selling novel. and we're hoping he comes on for the following two. we'll see. >> you know there is going to be a huge following, because the book was so popular. the swedish films were popular. one thing we should mention, there's a lot of adult themes in this movie, coming out during the holiday season, not normal holiday fare. does that worry you at all? >> i think they put the slant in

the ad campaign, which is the feel bad movie of the year, right? >> you play somewhat of an unconventional character, erica berger. and you're michael blomquist's editor/lover but you're married. was this a difficult role for you to take on, sort of this unconventional person? >> absolutely not. they describe it as the on-off lover of bloomquist. so when is it off? when he's not good-looking? >> and you've had a pretty good year. 2011 "money ball" this movie. and it's all clicked in for you. >> i wrote everyone a really big check. and -- no, it's been a great year. >> well, this role, i know, is -- you're particularly fantastic at playing this nua e nuanced character. it's a complicated character.

the one who has many layers to it. so good for you. and by the way, we both loved this movie. >> yeah, we did. we really, really did. >> loved it. very powerful performance. >> robin, great to see you. happy holidays. >> "the girl with the dragon tattoo." >> and opens december 21st believe. mr. roker, how about a check of the weather. >> for today, sunshine on the east coast. and rain in the midsection of the country up into the upper ohio mississippi river valley. and across the southeast, rain along the northern california and oregon coastline, and windy and snowy in the central great lakes, and, of course, that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> this morning, a lot of clouds over the washington metro area. a live picture from the

skywatcher camera looking towards the south-southwest into virginia, and we have a few breaks in the clouds. a little sun breaking through. overall, mostly cloudy, though. right now in the upper 30s to around 40, and later in the mid-50s. and then maybe afternoon or and that's your latest weather. don't forget to check your weather any time of the day or night, weather channel on cable or weather.com. now let's say hello to uncle willie scott. hello, willow. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like hanukkah and christmas and all the good times ♪ happy birthday, how sweet it is. if you check out the screen, you see your smucker's friends are right there. elizabeth fox, bethlehem, pennsylvania. that's nice. i was there once. 100 years old today and loves to crochet and knit.

and she reads john grisham books, one of the great american treasures. madeline davico of engelwood, new jersey, loves to share recipes with her friends, and a good cook, as you might imagine, as she is. thomas ryan. and he is from whiting, indiana, 100 years old today, and an avid chicago sports fan. i'm sure he likes the cubbies. and he's never been further than two blocks from the house he was born. how about that? here is pricilla morneau of new haven, connecticut. enjoys working on cross word puzzles and bowling. but not at the same time, i might add. i like this, too.

elfie. elfie larkin, oakland, california. worked at the zoo for years, and now likes to teach kids all about the animals. how about that? and we have the lovely and exciting catherine wolfe from naples, florida, enjoys staying up with her friends to talk and laugh and write and keep up with all kinds of political and current events. can't beat the combination. that's it. that's all from washington at this time. >> willard, thank you very much. coming up, we're going to catch up with the winner from last night's "the biggest loser." but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:39 with last night's nail-biting finish on nbc's hit show "the biggest loser," battle of the ages. [ beeping ]

[ cheers and applause ] >> oh, my god. john, congratulations, you've done it. >> look at those biceps. 41-year-old john rhode lost an amazing 220 pounds to take the title in the show's first-ever male-only finale. and he's joining us this morning fresh off his win. also off the plane. because you flew overnight from california to get here. >> i did, ann. >> thank you for doing that. >> my pleasure. thanks for having me. >> of course. what would you attribute to being the single-most important reason that you were successful in losing 220 pounds? >> i would have to say that it was my desire. i had a sincere desire to make this change. but i wanted it to be a true change. i want to keep the weight off. losing the weight wasn't so difficult. keeping the weight off, that will be the true test. >> okay. so have you already started thinking about how you're going to survive that test? i mean, obviously, it's a psychological battle as much as it is a physical one. >> it is very much a

psychological, emotional battle. my plan right now is i'm focused on running the l.a. marathon. that's my focus right now. after that, then i'm going to have to find a new focus. >> i see. so what you're saying what works for you is to be very goal-oriented. >> yes. >> and that is good for our viewers to think about. once you can start to set goals, you require yourself to meet them. and that's actually a smart idea. so you're saying that you think there's going to be something you have to think about for the rest of your life, one goal after another? >> i think so. and in my mind, right now my next goal after the l.a. marathon is a goal of just maintaining my size. i'm wearing pants that are 34/32 and i'm comfortable in them, i like them. if the pants start to become snug, maybe i've got to rework some things. but right now, i don't want to be a slave to the scale anymore. i have comfortable clothes, i enjoy the clothes. if that becomes an issue, then i know i'm doing something i need to fix. >> all right. now what about this prize money you got? what did you get, $250,000? yes, $250,000. >> yeah, $250,000. >> important to your family. >> very important, yes.

i'm a teacher. very important to my family. >> i know. so that's pretty exciting. and in the meantime, you also want to jump out of a plane. i've done that a couple times and it can be kind of fun. but why do you want to? this was part of your goal. you've always wanted to skydive. >> because i was always too heavy. and now i'm not. and also, it kind of freaks me out a little bit. it's a little bit scary, and why not push it, why not live life to its fullest? i've been given a new life. >> actually, you earned that new life. >> okay, i earned -- the door was open, and i walked through, okay, i ran through. but i'm excited. and i want to continue to live an exciting life. i want to just -- i want to live it up. >> congratulations. congratulations. >> thank you. >> and i know you are helping so many people who are listening also try to walk through that door. thank you so much, john rhode. >> thank you. coming up next, tasty finger foods for your next holiday party. they are as easy as 1, 2, 3. mark bittman explains.

thank goodness. >> too many things to choose from. >> this morning on nbc.

we're back now at 8:44 this morning on "how to cook everything," finger foods for your holiday party. whether you're expecting a big crowd or just a few friends, all you need to do is gather some versatile supplies to make some great appetizers. mark bittman, author of the "how to cook everything" cookbook is here with recipes from his "new york times" magazine column. mark, welcome back. happy holidays. this is a great idea and another one of your great ideas. >> absolutely. >> you can leave right now. >> can't go better. >> you stock your pantry with some very basic things. you're ready no matter how many people drop over, basically. >> basically. the things you're looking at here, most of them are things you can keep in your refridge rater for a couple weeks. most of them are things you can buy premade. i mean, obviously a little

pickle, smoked salmon, prosciut prosciutto, cucumbers, crackers. and you have a base layer, something that can support other things. >> let's stop there. of here's the foundation. pumpernickel coast, a baguette toasted, cucumber slices. >> endive leaves. >> and what are these? >> toasted peta chips. >> and then? >> now you want a spreadish kind of thing. and this can be anything from -- ann is doing the tapenade, we have guacamole, bean dip. you can also use -- al, you are being shoved out here. >> that's okay. >> you can use a piece of prosciutto. so any of these things. and then finally, something a little -- a hint of flavor.

so herbs, obviously. we have sliced roasted peppers, salmon eggs, jalapenos chopped up, sun dried tomatoes, pickles. >> and what's great, you can either do meat or vegetarian versions of this. >> and this is obviously -- i mean, we have resources here, so this is obviously -- this is a big spread. but even, you know, three or four of each of these things gives you 50 combinations. >> right. and it's great. you have a limitless combinations, but there are certain things that just aren't going to go well together. so what are the ground rules there? >> you know, i think it's really instin instinctual. if you look at this and say what don't i want to do? there are things you can figure out you won't like. but once you have a piece of toast with prosciutto on it, you're probably not going to put salmon eggs or guacamole on here. but you look around and say, okay, roasted peppers or sun dried tomatoes might be terrific. >> you have some things some people might not think about, not only the garnishes with the

herb, we also have what looks to me like some caviar? >> these are actually radish sprouts. so you have super crunch, and you have, you know, salty, fatty, and then you have very fresh. >> you could do the combos or you can do things individually. >> or leave your guests to do the combos, let them make the combinations. >> right. it becomes sort of a grazing party. >> what i love is it's for people sort of having the party -- this is about putting it out there. of you don't really have to do a lot of work, except to have the stuff in your house, make sure you have the list so you can simply have people come over. you put it out there and you can be cooking. >> mark, real quickly. what are these again? because these are going to change my life. >> you know, in indian restaurants you get these big crackers, lentil wafers. >> so these are healthy. >> you could eat those nonstop for the rest of your life and be in fine shape. >> good to know. mark bittman, thanks very much. up next, skating superstar

[ 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 -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. "today" at the rink is brought to you by smucker's. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. ♪ this morning on "today" at the rink, figure skating great,

brian boitano, the hall of famer three times over, won more professional titles than any other male skater, include the olympic gold back in 1988. seems like it wasn't that long ago. but pleased to welcome brian boitano back to our skating rink. great to have you here. >> great to be back. >> you're here for a reason, because you have an ice skating special this sunday on nbc. >> that's right, brian boitano skating spectacular. it was so much fun, because we got to skate to the live music of chicago, and we did some of their classic hits as well as some of their holiday songs from their new album. and because we filmed on the notre dame campus, we had 500-piece marching band, notre dame marching band come in for a couple songs. so much fun. >> and you rounded up all of your favorite colleagues. who else is performing? >> we have a cast of 12 olympic and world great skaters. and because we filmed on the campus of notre dame, we got to wear the irish's football uniform, so we did a football number. it was really hard getting those uniforms but worth it.

so it was great. >> you doing football. >> i know, right? >> you did a lot of other things, including a cookbook, a show on the cooking channel. >> yeah, i'm doing a cookbook for this coming year so i'm testing all of the recipes, keeping really busy. and then i'm performing in four other of the pandora nbc skating series. so that's really been great. tomorrow i'm going to do a show with styx. >> fantastic. tell me you're never going to retire. >> you better talk to my knees, because they're saying something different. i don't know. >> not allowed. brian boitano, as you get into place, i'm going to let everybody know you're going to be performing to the beautiful music from the broadway musical "rain: let it be." everyone, here is brian boitano. ♪

♪ when i find myself in times of trouble speaking words of wisdom let it be ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ and when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree there will be an answer let it be ♪ ♪ ♪ for though they may be part

partedparte parteded living in the world agree there will be an answer let it be ♪ ♪ let it be let it be let it be let it be there will be an answer let it be ♪ ♪ ♪ let it be let it be let it be let it be whisper words of wisdom let it be ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ let it be let it be let it be let it be there will be an answer let it be ♪ ♪ let it be let it be let it be let it be whisper words of wisdom let it be ♪ ♪ the amazing brian boitano.

be sure to check out brian boitano's skating spectacular, sunday at 4:00 p.m. eastern on nbc. we're back after your local news and weather. thanks, brian! 8:56 is your time now on this wednesday, december 14th, 2011. good morning. i am eun yang. it has been a tough morning commute out there. let's go out to danella sealock with more on that. >> good news, east new york avenue is re-opened at montana avenue. the earlier fire activity is

cleared. also cleared, i-66 at sully road. if you are traveling westbound on i-66, you are starting to see delays at fairfax county fairway. [ baby coughing ]

[ coughing continues ] [ female announcer ] more pollution from power plants means more childhood asthma attacks. [ labored breathing ] there's technology that makes the air cleaner, but too many plants don't use it. we can't wait. epa must update power plant standards to protect our kids. [ baby coughing ]

good morning. as we approach the 9:00 hour, temperatures are near 40 degrees now. we have quite a bit of cloudiness on this wednesday morning. we will have a mostly cloudy afternoon, and highs climbing into the low and mid-50s, and tomorrow cloudy and maybe

♪ we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning. it's the 14th day of december, 2011. let's just stop and take a gander, shall we, at some of the nice people who are waving to their friends back home. even as they enjoy the holiday season here in new york city. >> better a gander than a goose. >> exact right. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker and savannah guthrie. ann has apparently decided to -- there she is. you know what, can i be honest with you? you know what happened? >> i was eating all of mark bittman's food, sorry. >> she ate her body weight in finger food. >> a programming note -- 9:00 open is like 9.

not 9:00ish. >> i apologize. forgive me. >> we have a lot to get to in this half hour. serious story in the last 24 hours. former assistant football coach at penn state, jerry sandusky, waves his right to a preliminary trial in his child sex abuse case. that would have given him the opportunity to hear from some of thinks accusers face-to-face in court. so what happens next? by the way, his attorney then spoke out after court and fanned the flames a little, saying some of the accusers, he feels, are in this just for the money. how do the accusers' attorneys feel about that? we'll hear from one of them in a kip couple minutes. the third leading cause of death, stroke. we'll examine what some of the risk factors are from smoking to high blood pressure to lack of exercise and why there are some symptoms specific to women. we'll get some good information coming up. also this morning, we're going to talk about a dream i think most of us have. and that is to retire early. >> oh, that dream. >> that dream. it's a dream i think for a lot of people they question how.

we'll think about the logistics. but we have some advice this morning on how much you want to be thinking about saving, your pensions, all that good information. you can have that dream and make it come true. >> all right. and a programming note. tomorrow here on "today," the golden globe nomination being announced. and we are going to have that for you. but right now, we've got an exclusive world premier. if you like borat, we think you'll love the new sasha cohen movie, "the dictator". ♪ >> ah, america. >> welcome to new york city. and while you're here, i highly recommend a visit to the empire state building. before you or one of your cousins takes it down. ♪ >> on your mark, get set. [ shotgun ]

[ more shots ] >> sasha cohen. he's going to be here to tell us about it when the movie comes out in a few months. >> is it true that every single role he has taken in a major movie, he has to tape at least one scene in his under pants? >> he does not in "hugo." but he is with the dog. >> there you go. >> and he's in his underwear. >> let's go inside, natalie standing by at the news desk. hi, natalie. >> good morning once again. in the news this morning, former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky is preparing to put his life on the line in a court of law. this morning, sandusky's attorney said his client maintenance he is innocent of child molestation charges and will not accept a plea deal. i spoke to an attorney for one of the alleged victims earlier this morning, and he said he is outraged some people think the accusers are looking for a pay-out. >> you know, if you gave my client the option, you could

have a blank check and throw in as many zeros as you want, or you can take back what happened to you with mr. sandusky, every single time he has gone and requested to take back what happened with mr. sandusky. >> two other penn state officials charged in connection with an alleged cover-up face a pretrial hearing on friday. two former ball boys for the syracuse university basketball team have filed a lawsuit against the school and the team's coach for defamation. the step brothers and another man say they were molested as children by former assistant coach bernie fine who was later fired. but when the allegations first came to light, coach jim boeheim said the accusers were lying and just looking for money. real estate mogul donald trump is pulling out of a gop presidential debate he was set to moderate in iowa. trump says he wants to keep his options open for a presidential bid of his own, but the debate had raised eyebrows, as only newt gingrich and rick santorum agreed to participate. time is ticking away for congress to pass an extension of the payroll tax cut.

a republican bill to do it easily passed in the house, but the senate majority leader, harry reed says it's dead an arrival there. democrats opposed the measure, because it would force work on a big pipeline and cut spending without raising taxes on the wealthy. lawmakers face a january 1st deadline before the payroll tax would jump. if the government has its way, you won't be able to make any phone calls while you're driving, even with those hands-free devices. according to the national transportation safety board, talking while driving is simply too dangerous in any form, and they're urging all states to enact a ban. and here's proof that love can warm your heart, even in the world's coldest place. a photographer in antarctica captured these incredible photos of these two penguins looking like their holding hands. ate fellow showed up, but gave him the cold shoulder, because we all know two is a company, three is a crowd. if you haven't done your christmas cards yet, this might not be the family to give you inspiration. but the johnson family has a

tradition that started cute when michael, valerie and erica were kids. but now that they're grown up, it has gotten ridiculous. for 20 years, mom sue has gotten whatever she wants for the christmas card family photo from toy soldiers to tree ornaments. this year, she roped in the family dog and her new son-in-law as the sheep to her shepard. oh, boy. watch out, she says. this new year's she is going to make a card with everyone in diapers. six minutes past the hour. let's turn it over to al with a check of your weather. al, be grateful you're not born in that family. >> getting a head start on the card. we'll s family. >> actually, i have a head start there. we have a risk of strong storms from austin up to oklahoma where you could see tornadoes. we have active weather from chicago back into st. louis. we could look at one to three inches of rain from kansas city,

chicago, and down to st. louis. that could cause airport delays. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. i am tom kierein in storm center 4. a lot of clouds passing in the metro area, but not producing rain locally. the temperatures are beginning to climb into the low 40s throughout much of the region. reagan national is at 42 and we ought to continue to climb into the low and briefly mid-50s by midafternoon. and might get afternoon or evening showers, and then on friday, partly sunny to mid-50 ♪ >> and time for today's money 911. that's where we answer your financial questions and dole out some expert advice. this morning we've got jean chatzky, the author of money 911. david backe, author of "debt free for life." and sharon epperson, personal

finance correspondent for nbc and cnbc.com. good morning. >> good morning, al. >> we go right to skype with y von skyping from santa barbara, california. good morning, yvonne. >> how are you? >> good. what's your question? >> good morning. i'm 55 years old, and about a year-and-a-half ago, i was able to take advantage of an early retirement offer. i haven't started drawing my pension, but i'm thinking about starting. so i received some estimates, giving me an idea of how much i could expect in terms of a monthly annuity, based on the age at which i begin. but what are the options given is to take my pension benefits as a partial lump sum payment with a diminished monthly annuity. so i have a couple questions. one of which is, are there any consequences to beginning my -- to collect my pension benefits now, as opposed to waiting the ten years until i'm 65? and secondly, what are the advantages or disadvantages of taking that partial lump sum payment? >> okay, jean? >> okay. so the consequences of taking

the money sooner rather than later just the way it works with social security, is that if you wait, you get a larger payment later on. and that's because the calculations figure, if you take it when you're older, you'll live fewer years, the money will last a longer period of time. the lump sum is a different story. if you take a lump sum, the biggest worry is that something will happen with that money. you will not manage it properly. and for that reason, it won't last as long as you live. so if you need some money now and you choose to go the lump sum route, talk to a financial adviser, make a plan, make sure you know how that money is invested and that you're doing it in a way so you can be sure you're not with drawing too much too early. >> thank you, yvonne. now we go to twitter. this one sent in by mark reads, i received a $15,000 a year raise, raised my 401(k) contributions 10%. what's another investment? >> i love it. this is one of those questions, al, where mark, if you take that increase in pay, your raise, and

you don't spend it -- most get a raise and increase their lifestyle. if you don't spend the extra money, live like you never got the raise and save that money, it will change your entire financial future and probably make you a millionaire by the time you retire. here's what i would do, i would take that raise, a third of it, and throw it into the 401(k) plan. you said on twitter you're putting 12% into your 401(k) plan. i would up it to 15% if your 401(k) plan let's you up it more, i would up it to 17%. then i would take what's left, and you're going to have about another $10,000 left. i would put half in into a bucket for emergency purposes. we always talk about that. get your emergency savings up and take the other half -- other $5,000 and put that into a savings account for a down payment for a home, assuming you haven't bought one. so i would start saving to buy a home. those three buckets, don't touch the money and you will have a sound financial future. and most importantly, don't put that money into a checking account. >> all right. now -- >> yeah. let's go to the phones, we have mark from florida.

mark, good morning. >> good morning, al. how are you today? >> good. i like that voice. digging your voice, mark. what's your question? >> well, we are presently current on our mortgage. however, to stay current, we will have to start using our retirement funds. we were told that we now qualify for the hamp program, but need to stop paying our mortgage to be considered. our question is, what will happen to our excellent credit score, which is over 800 ask associated credit rating, which is an a-plus? >> wow. well, you definitely don't want to stop paying your mortgage, because you won't have the excellent credit rating any longer. and, of course, you want to get into this hatch program, the home affordable modification program, but you don't have to be did he lynn equipment on your mortgage to qualify. the requirement is you show financial hardship. and what that generally means, your mortgage payment is 31% or more of your income. if that is, in fact, the case, then you may qualify for this

modification program. now, some lenders have their own modification programs, and they have other requirements, which is why the lender may have told you this. what you want to do, though, think about whether this modification program really works for you. we know that refinancing with mortgage rates now at record lows, that may be a better deal, because if you go to the federal program, you try to modify, and it takes often three, nine months, you get the reduced payment and at the ends of the trial period you don't actually get it, then you have to make those payments to be current on your mortgage. you still may face foreclosure. this is something you really want to be careful about. and one of the reasons why i think a refinancing may be a better deal for you right now than trying to do the modification. >> good advice. jean chatzky, david backe and sharon epperson, thanks so much. coming up next, understanding the risks and warning signs of strokes. what every woman needs to know right now. and later, one of the hottest gifts of the year. pajam pajamas! we're going to show you some of the best looks right after these messages.

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time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag. now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting.

this morning on "today's" health, understanding stroke. they are the third-leading cause of death for women, but often women are unaware of the tell-tale signs or how to prevent one. dr. carrie peterson is a contributor to "health" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's lay it out, what a stroke is, and how common they are with women. >> sure. a stroke is when the blood supply to your brain is compromised. and when that little piece of brain is not getting oxygen or nutrients, it starts to die. and there's really two different types of strokes that can do this. the first is called an ischemic stroke, and that's the most common one. about 90% of strokes are ischemic. this is when the blood vessel is obstructed or blocked from either a clot or argument row clear owesis in contrast to a hemorrhagic stroke, known as a brain bleed and the blood vessel

leaks. >> and then there tias, a mini stroke. >> that's a temporary disruption of the blood supply, so the symptoms usually resolve on their own. >> are men and women equally at risk of getting a stroke? >> well, the statistics for strokes for women are actually quite distressing, savannah. first off, women die twice as often from strokes than breast cancer. as you may have mentioned, it's the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. and women get more strokes than men. and the simple reason is that strokes increase as you age, and women outlive men, so they have more strokes. and they get more disability from strokes. >> let's talk about risk factors. i know some men and women have in common and some risk factors are specific to women. >> sure. the ones they have in common are similar to heart disease, family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes. being overweight and lack of exercise. but women have additional risk factors that are specific to

them. and the first is that if you have a thick waist, greater than 32 inches, your likelihood of stroke goes up six times. >> wow. >> another is high triglycerides, a contributing factor. migraines, women who have migraines are three to six times more likely to have a stroke than women who don't. >> is there a particular age where women are more at risk for a stroke? >> it's really as you age. so once you hit age 55, every decade after that, your risk doubles. >> let's do symptoms. some symptoms men and women have equally, some symptoms are specific to women. >> that's right. so symptoms that both men and women will have, you may be familiar with. weakness or numbness on one side of the body, confusion, trouble with speech or sight, trouble walking, and severe headache. but women may get additional symptoms that they may not identify as being a stroke. for example, hiccups, kind of a surprise. >> really? >> an unusual one. nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath and palpitations all unique symptoms for stroke. >> but you would expect to have

some of these symptoms in conjunction with other symptoms. >> yes. you may have a combination, correct. >> okay. now, talking about preventing a stroke. i mean, what are the -- your best prevent active tips? >> prevention is very similar to your prevention for heart disease. you want to reduce your blood pressure, reduce your cholesterol. don't smoke. control your diabetes. maintain your weight. exercise regularly, and drink in moderation, if at all. >> if you have had a stroke, i know sometimes doctors prescribe a medication to prevent another one. or do they ever give this medication, proef lactically if they think you're at risk for a stroke? >> that's true. they do. it's called primary prevention are. what your doctor will do is assess your factors and if you fall in a high-risk category, you will be placed on an agent with thins the blood. >> okay. so bottom line, what age do you and to really start paying attention to this? >> you should start initiating lifestyle factors that we discussed in your 20s. in your 30s. >> yeah, okay. dr. carrie peterson, good information. thank you so much. >> thank you. and coming up, comfortable,

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the toys collected this morning by robin wright of the much-anticipated movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo" on their way to a lot of kids, and matt damon as well helping out. pretty nice. >> "we bought a zoo". we want to thank everyone who

helped us for bringing toys for underprivileged kids. they have been sent and we will continue to send them through next week. so please be sure to send more. >> joining us now, chris daught daughtry. thanks for being here. >> thank you, sir. >> it's really terrific. >> we're partnered with duracell, we use them all of the time on the road, so we're doing the holiday insurance program, giving to families in need. and they're donating 180,000 packs of batteries for the toy drive. >> great. >> a lot of charities have asked for the batteries. that will go a long way. and you have a concert on facebook. how do we get on? >> 3:00 p.m. today. log on to facebook.com/duracell, and we'll be in your living room or wherever else you facebook. >> thank you so much. we know you just got back from visiting and performing for the troops. >> thank you so much. >> and we want to remind everybody that the toy drive continues to december 21st. you can still donate online,

today.com. and coming up next, colin powell here, will tell us how to make our tables look pretty for the holidays. but first your local weather. what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena naturals. no exclusions. with jcpcash get $10 off when you spend just $25. storewide. unlike other stores, we don't make you come back to save. get $10 off with... ...no exclusions. we make christmas affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. that's why i take doctor recommended colace capsules. [ male announcer ] for certain medical conditions

where straining should be avoided, colace softens the stool for effective relief from occasional constipation. go to colacecapsules.com for savings. 9:26 is your time now on this wednesday, december 14th, 2011. good morning to you. let's check in with storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein. warmer than yesterday, and that's good. >> we will have a mild pattern today, tomorrow and into friday as well. temperatures approaching 9:30 are in the low 40s throughout much of the region, and the cloudiness will be with us throughout the rest of the day. milder tomorrow but we could get afternoon or evening showers, and then partly sunny on friday

good morning. the earlier accident was i-270 at germantown road, and that's now cleared. it's clear from 270 southbound. if you are traveling 395 northbound at the pentagon towards the hov lanes, we have an accident blocking the left shoulder lane but not seeing

delays on 390 northbound. and the american legion bridge, slow for you, and those delays continue as you make your way towards the dulles

what kind of adult is he going to turn into? >> i don't know. that's what i have you for. >> could be one of those guys who falls in love with the very first boss -- owe i mean beautiful -- lady who tells him what to do. >> like write the check? >> how is that for star power? that is sandra bullock with tom hanks in they're new movie "extremely loud and incredibly close" and sandra will be here to tell us about that and more tomorrow on "today." >> i loved that book. it's one of my favorite books. >> powerful, powerful movie. >> heartbreaking but also whimsical. i'm really looking forward to the movie. coming up in this half hour, we are dressing up your holiday table, and, in fact our busy little elves are dressing up,

creating the most spectacular parties around. here with budget-conscious centerpieces that can jazz up any holiday gathering. we had a chocolate mishap over there. >> you would never know it. >> and then as we artfully zoom into our next segment. according to an online source, top trending gifts of the year, you're looking at it, pajamas. so whether they're for you or someone you love, we'll show you the best and most affordable looks for men, women and kids. i think pajamas are the best gift. >> especially with a flap in the back. >> i saw hannah anderson, the candy canes. >> in the meantime, in "today's" cooking school, the three of us get in on the action today. we are going to learn how to make juicy and tender pork chops with three different recipes. >> all right. delicious. >> chris kimball. first a check of the weather.

>> absolutely. today we have sunshine we are going to show you sunshine up and down the east coast, and chance of storms from texas into oklahoma. and air stagnation alerts continue in the pacific northwest. tomorrow rain moves into the coastal sections of the northwest. and then windy conditions with a few snow showers in the great lakes. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> cloudy and chilly now. i am tom kierein in storm senator 4. temperatures are climbing into the 40s and will continue to climb in the cloud cover later this afternoon and into the mid-50s. and then we will be in the upper 30s tomorrow morning and upper 50s tomorrow afternoon. and over the weekend, we that's weather. next, affordable ideas to

make your holiday table the center of attention. coming up right after this. [ female announcer ] ornaments are not for decorating. dad. did you know it's 22 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes to christmas? [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. [ female announcer ] they're for building excitement for christmas. 12 days, 18 hours... come on. it's no days! [ female announcer ] the hallmark countdown to christmas ornament. 5 hours and 59 minutes and 41... 40...39... 38...37...36... it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious.

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thinking about buying appliances somewhere else? think again. sears. "today's" countdown to the holidays is brought to you by sears. this morning on "today's" countdown to the holidays, budget-friendly decor for a festive table. colleen cowie has ideas that will wow your guests. good morning, colin. >> good morning. >> happy holidays. always great to have you here. so you say we can pull together all of these centerpieces in it no time, right? >>. >> the most interesting thing, most comes from the supermarket. they're all edible. >> ooh, even better. okay, so let's get to it. >> for the first one -- when it comes to doing a buffet or bar, you want vertical to give more space. start with a foundation -- these are colors, orange and red. >> beautiful together.

>> this is a top airy and we take a cone, wrap it with aluminum foil to keep it hygenic, put toothpicks in there and secure. >> just the toothpicks is enough? and same with the apricots. and you like to serve it with whip cream? >> absolutely. the dipping sauces and whipped cream. and we have done this with shrimp and cocktail sauce, well. >> great idea. encourages your guests to get involved. >> and you can put this in the bottom of a candlestick holder. i loved the idea. >> put pineapples on, all secure. >> really easy and decorative. he hadable element. >> this is beautiful. i love that. now we love ginger bread houses. these have our theme here. >> this is actually a kit you find at target. really easy. it comes with everything. you can go the traditional route, it's so easy to make these. but then i kind of like the idea of doing something --

>> pepper mints? >> yeah, this is an easy one. we did the rocco one. this is the traditional. >> okay. >> and this is the rocker, where they would be living in their gingerbread house. >> this is metallic candy. >> exact same frame. we put the swarovski elements in the bottom for a foundation. >> beautiful. >> easy to do, glue these on with icing. they stay on. works real well. >> perfect. >> it's mono chromatic. >> exactly. over here for the sugared fruit, this great display here. and this is a little more of the classic look. mpt absolutely. more opulent. >> how do you get the sugar to stay? >> egg white. paint it with egg white and put the sugar on top so everything is edible. and you're talking about a half dozen roses afterwards and something beautiful and elegant, fragrant, a satellite bowl with oranges and cloves inside. >> love the smell of cloves.

>> and i always love candles. they make us look younger, like we have come back from somewhere fabulous. >> mood lighting. festive environment. >> and ambiance. >> and sugar -- this is again the rocker look. you like the edge. >> exactly. this is mixed metals. >> what did you do? >> egg whites on the fruit. and we did sugar and glitter -- mixed glitter with the sugar. >> how did you get gold and silver? >> sprayed them first. >> can i eat those? >> this one you can't eat. and holiday ornaments, a nice foundation with the mixed metal runner. >> runners. >> silver and gold and good to go. and the great thing, all these will last for five days. >> beautiful. they are absolutely stunning centerpieces. colin coulee, always great ideas. coming up next, put on some slippers and comfy pjs, because we are throwing a pajama party. you're invited right after this. jeff. i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix.

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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. to sweet memories. the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal. they steam and bake the actual whole grain while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. but you go in pieces. [ female announcer ] you can't pass mom's inspection with lots of pieces left behind. that's why there's charmin ultra strong. its diamondweave texture is soft and more durable so it holds up better. fewer pieces left behind. charmin ultra strong.

done done done done done done,done,done almost done. done done done done done,done,done,done,done done done done ♪ "today's" holiday gift guide is brought to you by target. this holiday, santa has elves. you have target. this morning on "today's"

holiday gift guide, pjs for the holidays. it is the hottest trending gift of the year, according to aol, so whether you're treating yourself or your family, we have options. we have the editor of "in style" magazine. good morning. i can't be objective. i love pajamas as a gift. >> you can't go wrong with pajamas when you're gifting. there's something that people don't want to gift for themselves but when you get it as a gift from someone, you get excited because know you're going to wear them. >> we want to show off pj accessories. >> yeah, first are sleep mats. those are a great stocking stuffer from mary green, great for travel, cute and fun. >> yeah. >> and next we are going to do slippers. who doesn't love slippers? these are really great. they're a little more of a splurge, because they're really durable from you goes, great patterns and colors. >> you go out for the newspaper in those. >> lace is a really big trend right now, and these are great because you can wear them for day under a blazer.

>> now we know -- you've got to put a blazer over that. now let's bring out our models. our first look is -- we've got the kind of -- what do we call it long jane? >> long johns. >> lang long janes. >> vicki is our first model wearing the long john style pajamas from victoria's secret, $49.50 and they're great, a pastel pink color and pastels are great now. it fits her, they're not frumpy. >> it looks like her slippers match. >> they're from aerie, $19.50, fun prints and cozy. >> thank you so much. now we have paul who is rocking the classic pj look. >> yeah. paul looks really dapper in this classic style men's pajama set from j crew, $59.50, any man would love this as a gift. clean and crisp and wearing them with old navy slippers that are actually only $8.

>> a screaming deal. >> yeah. >> feel good, paul? thumb's up? great. let's get you -- vicki was our first model. marie is the next one. she is really getting into the holiday spirit. marie, come on out. these are so cute. this is josie natori? >> yes for target. limited edition. only 34.$34.99, beautiful print cozy and comfortable. they're sexy without being overly sexy because of the bright pattern. >> very sweet. and you could wear a tank cop. >> you could wear a tank top, the top open, really cute. >> very, very cute. and comes as a set, you don't buy it separate? >> comes as a set, yes. >> thank you very much, marie. now we make it a family affair. come on, family. >> beautiful family. >> how cute are you guys? so should we start with dana? >> dana is wearing american eagle from head to toe. and pajamas don't have to match. it's really modern when you mix it up with plaid bottoms and a solid top. the top is $39.50. the bottoms are $29.99 and we

paired them with moccasin style slippers that are $39.50. >> okay. sandra looks great, too. what is she wearing? >> just the classic plaid pajamas. everyone has owned these at some point in their life, comfortable, not tight-fitting, she can breathe. and paired them with a booty style slipper and they're great, because they go to her ankle so they keep her whole leg warm. >> and we saved the best for last. tyler. hi, cutie. >> tyler is adorable. she is wearing a onesy from j crew. this is what you want to see kids in during the holidays. really fun. kids love them, slip them on, they come in pretty prints and nice colors. >> kind of the union suit. >> the union suit, exactly. >> let's bring all our models out one more time for our pajama party. thank you so much. great idea for the holidays. good tips. >> thank you so much. all right, coming up next, the secret to juicy pork chops in today's cooking school. first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ silent night this morning in today's cooking school, pork chops. we are taught how to grill, bake our way to tender chops. >> still trying to figure out why we're playing "silent night." the illustrator of "cook's illustrated" magazine. good to see you. >> "rock around the clock." i'll take it. >> you said there are three basic approaches to pork chops. >> yeah. three kinds of chops. this is a blade chop, front of the pig, connective tissue, long, slow cooking. rib chop, very thin, we're doing that right now and a boneless center cut loin chop. the problem with pork, it doesn't have a lot of fat. and we like fat. >> it is the other white meat. >> no, in vermont, possum.

>> wow! i'm going back here. >> okay. so we're going to do our week night pork chops, starting with the rib chop. >> salt and pepper on one side. >> okay. >> and bone-in. >> bone-in -- bone has flavor. we're going to have a little bit of a sugar, 1/8 teaspoon. what we're doing is unusual. you don't want to overcook these. high heat is terrible. you start in a cold pan. >> cold pan. >> with a little bit of water. >> water? >> oil. sorry. always oil. >> i was like water, what? >> and salt on the other side. turn this on. this is going to cook five to ten minutes until you get a crust and the sugar helps -- >> caramelize, the brown yumminess. >> seven minutes later, there you go, the chops here. and turn that over. and this is going to get just another three or four minutes, something like that. >> it's always hard to get it just right in terms of the juiciness. what is the secret there? >> the secret is, there's three points when pork is overcooked,

125, 145, 165. 125, we're not eating raw pork. >> right. >> but 145 and over really starts to lose moisture. you want pork out of the oven or pan about 140 or 145. once it comes out, we take them, plate them, add the juices back and now you have the juices. just reduce this down, add salt and pepper. reduce it down by half. you're going to go. >> that's it. and 12 minutes. >> 12 minutes cooking total. >> perfect. let's move over -- we're going to do the breaded chops. now, breaded coating -- you can't do shake and bake. >> i wish i invented shake and bake. we grind this, quarter cup of table salt, quarter water, problem is no bone. >> why do we brine? >> it allows the meat who hold moisture. >> but why use boneless? >> we're going to bake these. if you brine them, you don't

need the bone. shake and bake with a bone -- >> all right. >> shake and bake with a bone. >> show us a preview. >> we have a little bit of flour, egg whites and flour in here. and we also have a little bit of mustard. >> oh, i like that idea. >> and a chick coating, because -- thick coating. >> is that how you get them to stick really well? >> stick really well. the secret also is to do this in the oven 350 degrees, 15 minutes, prebrown the bread crumbs. we have garlic and shall lot, and then put it in here. >> gotcha. >> ooh. cover them up. >> and we'll get a nice, thick crust. >> when does this come in? >> you can add those, too, a little parmesan and parsley. >> sprinkle it? >> sure. >> like that? now i'm getting it on your fingers. >> that's okay. >> i know, but -- >> parmesan on my fingers. >> the other side? >> there we go. okay. >> all right. and how long does that guy go in the oven? >> high heat, 425 for about 20 minutes or so. and this works because we brined them. >> okay. looks good.

>> finally, let me grab this. of this is the blade chop. the problem with a blade chop, a lot of connective tissue. a couple tablespoons of oil, cup of onions, cooked them down five or ten minutes. now we add back garlic. two tablespoons of flour, chicken the sauce. and this is about apple flavor. so we have apple butter, two tablespoons of apple butter. and we also have -- cook that -- i believe you've cooked before. >> once or twice. >> a cup of apple cider. and now we get that going. and put these chops which we have already browned into -- there you go. he just puts his hands right over. >> real cook for you. >> there you go. would you like one of these? >> thank you. >> and then we're going to cook this with the top on for an hour and a half. this goes into an oven. and bracing.

>> should you add liquid? >> you can add liquid. in the oven, hour and a half. what happens, it's nice, even heat. if you put this on top of the stove, the heat comes from the bottom. so that way everything is nicely cooked and you end up with that. at the end, cider vinegar, apple butter. >> thank you so much. >> pleasure. of course, the recipe is on today.com. >> coming up, hoda and kathie lee, mail-order gifts you can eat. have a great day. let me get you a free tank of gas -- how's that sound?

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good morning. it's 9:57 on this wednesday, december 14th, 2011. let's go to storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein, for a look at your forecast today. >> warmer today, and temperatures as we approach 10:00 are now climbing into the 40s throughout most of the region. it's 45 at reagan national and may climb another 10 degrees or so by this afternoon into the

low and mid-50s. a lot of clouds around after morning sun, and then tonight cloudy and down to the upper 30s by down, and tomorrow maybe an afternoon or evening shower, and friday in the mid-50s and a chance for a sprinkle friday night. the weekend looks cooler and will get some sun back. we're still seeing an accident 395 at the pentagon northbound, and we are not seeing delays due to that accident. the 14th street bridge, an easy commute as you make your way into the city. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices...

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captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> well, congratulations to all of you out there who made it to winesday, wednesday. good for you folks. it's december 14th. >> it is. >> we are counting down until actual christmas day. >> i'm excited. looking at that beautiful christmas tree outside of rockefeller center made me think of my beautiful tree. >> these look like ornaments for your beautiful tree. >> how about those? >> how about going to get that tree yesterday, hoda woman. your family is coming in today. >> they're coming in today, on the train as we speak. when you buy trees in new york

they are on street corners as we saw in sara's piece yesterday. they're bound up in, like, wire. >> like twine. >> i went and picked one. i'll pick that one. they said, okay. it was all in its twine. it's like a christmas bush. it's short and square. when it opened up, i was like, what is that? >> here's the thing. >> it should have heels. it should be taller. >> you open it up at the stand where you're buying it to see the shape of it. >> it looked like -- >> then they wrap it up again for you. >> that looked like a lot of trouble. >> you didn't do that in egypt growing up? >> no. >> that's how we do it. >> get it bound up. there it is. we should ask our viewers to send in their trees. i'd like to see what their trees look like. >> better than that. >> go on our facebook page. we want to see your christmas tree. i want to see if it rivals mine. yours is up. >> we put ours up last week. white lights. that's all i did. i went in last night to look at the tree, one of the light

things had -- they all join together. what's that called when you do that? they don't know. >> they join. >> anyway, they link up. so -- jerry, please come over here. >> bring us a little wine with your outfit on. >> our little christmas elf. what would we do without jerry. >> ho ho ho. >> that hat is crazy. it's got little packages on it. >> jerry, by the way, speaking of smoking hot, we met your wife yesterday. >> the other day. >> the elf's doing all right at home. she was here and she's coming back again next week. anyway, christmas elf, nice to see you and thank you. you cannot only have that christmas merlot in your glass, i parentally this christmas merlot moisturizer is like the greatest thing anybody has ever experienced because it's got all the stuff that's good for your -- look at the color of it.

>> purple. does it smell like merlot? >> i don't know. >> that smells good. >> we'll try that out. merlot skin cream. powerful anti-oxidanantioxidant. spf. >> smell that. it smells great. >> makes me want to drink your arm. >> the ntsb is looking to change some things, change the way we drive. how a lot of people drive. >> this would have never been controversial in the past. it seems to be. >> the ntsb is saying they want to ban all cell phones from vehicles. that means hands free. that means blue tooth. what are you doing? >> i had a lot on there. running out of arms. >> it's a really serious deal. there are so many traffic accidents that happen as a result of texting and talking and driving and stuff like that. >> people e-mail. they e-mail, they text. what do you think about this deal? >> i was looking at this big study on the way in while i'm driving on a connecticut highway. >> you're not driving.

>> i'm being driven. of course. i'm reading the newspapers in the back. connecticut leads the nation in fatalities in the year. that year they did the study. listen. it's 163 times more likely to happen. those are bad odds. >> while you're texting. >> we've got some tough roads anyway. i guess -- did you guys find out the number? it's either 43% or 48% more casualties, deaths, from the year before. they think many of them, many of them were due to texting. >> they do have a number. they say 3,092 roadway fatalities have happened because of distracted driving. they have certain states that ban texting, certain states that ban cell phone use and some ban the whole kit and kaboodle. when you drive and you have blue tooth and you can say call mom and it will -- the way it's rigged up in your car you can call your mom, so you're not dialing, if you're going to ban blue tooth and all that stuff, then you should ban anything

that's a distraction, really. drinking coffee. talking to the person here. kids in the backseat where you turn around and go, could you keep it down? >> unbelievable. >> that's a distraction. i think you can ban certain things. i don't know about the hands free and blue tooth thing. i don't know if they have studies on that. that means you can't talk to the person next to you. that's what you're doing. you're talking. hey, what are you doing? hey, what are you doing? that's the same thing. your hands are here. you're looking here. >> maybe if you just don't say "hey." >> hey! >> how did we ever make it to the west in a covered wagon. we didn't need any of this stuff at one time in life. now people can't -- they can't do anything. >> i know. you know what? they feel like -- okay. here's the thing. you're in the car. you're late for work and you want to call them and say, i've hit traffic. okay. you feel less stressed because you've made a phone call and you've unburdened yourself. we didn't used to be able to do that. >> we used to arrive and go sorry, everybody, i'm late, i hit traffic. we all lived through that.

people understood. >> people feel like they're wasting time if they're not doing sometimes while they're sitting there. >> how much time are you going to gain if you're dead? >> there are a lot of fatalities. >> you want to do that to yourself it's one thing. when you take other people, innocent people with you. >> look, this happens. when you're at a stoplight -- this happens me. look around at the people. everybody's doing something. some people are putting on mascara. some people are on -- their head's down because they're texting. o or they're playing with music. >> i think this is probably going to pass. i don't think it's going to be enforced. that's the trouble. we're losing all kinds of federal funds for firemen, for police, for, you know, all of that sort of thing. we're not going to have the man and women power to make it happen. >> the ntsb, obviously they just suggest legislation to congress and congress decides on the issues. >> i'll be curious. anyway, apparently there's a website called -- we'll say stuff girls say. but it's another word that start

with "s" and ends with "t." >> i guess guys think we have a certain way of talking. >> what do they know? >> nothing. >> started by two male friends. that tells you right there. graden shepherd and kyle humphrey. >> who are they? >> we'll find out. one said to the other, pass me the blanket. the other one said, that's such a girl thing to say, dude. so they started listening to all the things girls say. maybe they had a twitter account called -- girls say. >> let's watch. >> hey, are you near a computer. can you read this and see if it makes sense? >> can you look something up for me? >> can you do me a huge favor? >> can you pass me that blanket? >> can you turn it up? >> can you turn it down? >> i had to get up at 6:00 this morning. >> reach in my bag. >> go to my purse. >> did i lock the door? yes. >> listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. >> shut up! do i look like a doily.

>> no, you're not. >> first of all, ew. >> i know, right. >> get it together. >> exactly. >> i'm not even joking right now. [ crunching ] >> actually kind of funny. >> that was juliette lewis. the actress in there was a fan of theirs and did the cameo. i hate to say it but there's some truth in that humor. >> listen, listen, listen. i like that. that was good. >> all righty. this is important. we've been talking a lot about lying and how certain -- you know, certain people have different attitudes about it. >> no. >> apparently there's a body language expert -- >> before we go ahead and broad brush everybody as liars and not liars, there are people when someone will ask me, do i look tired, i will say no. no. you don't look tired. what is that? >> so you're fudging? >> is this a prop? >> yeah. i was going to call it -- you

call it lying. i call it fudging. now they've brought me fudge. i can have it every day the minute you start lying, i'll start eating fudge. >> you don't look tired at all. okay. apparently there's a body language expert, okay, i hope you're going to enjoy it because you're going to have quite -- >> i'm going to gain 200 pounds. >> no, you won't! >> yes, i will. >> no, you won't. this is going to be great. here's the thing. the body language expert -- >> thank you, elf. >> this is how you can tell if someone's lying according to this person. ready, here we go. steady gaze. is it good? >> yeah. >> okay. steady gaze. apparently if someone looks you square in the eye and doesn't blink. >> if i say, hoda, i feel like i've gained a little weight, what do you think? >> no, you haven't. you have not. now you're trying to look at me

like you do and i'm not having it. >> you ask me -- this is what they say is a sign of it. >> okay. look at me. >> keep the fudge here. >> do you like my dress? >> yeah. yeah. it's -- yeah. >> i know you don't. >> that's a lie. >> i know you don't. i know you don't. >> i was trying to do the thing. inconsistent behavior. that's every friend you've got. >> inconsistent behavior. hiding your mouth while talking. i do this a lot. not because i'm lying. tammy does it a lot. she never lies. you know what they say? they used to say when we were doing interviews for "dateline" and things, if someone looks down and left. down and left. that's when -- >> inadvertent. >> no. like this. i talk to you, i'm like this. hey, no, i mean, no. like you just got to glance down but left. not right.

left. >> what does right mean? >> i don't know. >> this stuff is insane. >> this is ridiculous. >> all righty. we've been asking to see some of your crazy christmas cards. well, we've got one for you. the johnson family of minnesota has a tradition that started out very cute when michael, eric and gabby were just kids. now that they're grown up it's gotten to be redicio. for 20 years, mom, sue, has gotten the family in numerous costumes. >> hats off to sue. >> this year she roped in the family dog. look at the presents. where's the family dog? >> i love this. all day long i could watch this. oh, my god. sue rocks. >> look at the whole family. >> all day long. it's a treat. >> what happened? this is now. okay. now they're going to get the dog and the new son-in-law in as a sheep to her shepherd. >> i feel sorry for him.

>> they must have the best time doing that. i think about all the things we've stopped doing as a family because our kids are grown. >> look what's happening. for one second. >> maybe mentally the children haven't grown up as they would have wished. and emotionally a little unstable. no. god bless that family. you can tell they have fun all year round. >> here's a feel-good picture for you. you've heard penguins mate for life. there happens to be a photograph that was taken of a pair of penguins ands they were holding flippers. apparently. >> there they are! look at that. is that real? well, the music isn't. we just added that in. here comes another -- now, see. he wants to have a threesome. but no! look what happens. no! >> later. >> we mate for life. see you back at the igloo. >> are they really holding --

>> they're holding hands. >> is this not photo shopped? i'm just asking. >> you cynical -- >> how were you holding flippers like that for all that time. i wonder if it was photo shopped. >> we'd love to know what you think. >> we want to see pictures of your trees. >> or bushes. up next, are you worried about -- stop it, jerry! you filthy little elf. up next, are you worried about your job, your family, the holidays. >> relax. we'll tell you how to bring common balance to your life.

♪ hershey's chocolate syrup. stir up a smile. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. 8 a.m. saturday. with our lowest prices of the season on select toys, electronics and more... the only stop for last minute gifts is walmart. electronics and more... a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal.

that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. fantastic! [ man ] pro-gresso they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. in hands-free toilet cleaning. scrubbologists have made a remarkable leap forward okay is there a woman i can talk to? introducing the one-step toilet bowl cleaner from scrubbing bubbles. just step on the pedal. the 360 degree sprayer delivers a powerful cleaner to tackle lime scale, hard water and toilet rings. the new one-step toilet bowl cleaner from scrubbing bubbles. it's a remarkable leap forward in hands-free toilet cleaning.

[ female announcer ] s.c. johnson. a family company. now on "today's woman" it's the worried woman's guide to calm. are you a worrier. do you get worked up over a mixed message from your boss or over something that hasn't even happen sentenced. >> diane salvatore, editor in chief of prevention and michelle callahan, psychologist and author of "ms. typed." >> people say i'm just a worrier by nature. so they think that there's nothing they can do about it. is there such thing as a worrier as opposed to something that just lets it go. >> most of us worry. what you want to do is transform worry into analytical thinking and action. the two "a's."

when you worry, you're stuck. when you're thinking, you're problem solving. here's a great exercise. take a piece of paper. three columns. the le on the right three or four things you can do today to help you fix it. you're now a person with more solutions than you are worries. >> they say 90% of what we worry about never happens. even though we know this rationally and it's in our head -- >> it's the 10%. >> your child is going out. it's prom night. you're sitting there, wringing your hands. seems like a natural reaction from mom. >> that is a normal worry. people worry about the fear of things that will happen. you're worried you're going to feel really upset if your daughter goes out and something bad happens during her prom. it's so important for us to be able to sort of get past that there. we believe when we worry that we can control the situation. we can anticipate it. >> we're doing something.

>> we think we're doing something really great. until you move to the action your head without coming up with solutions to the problem. >> it can do real damage to not just your psyche but your body. >> right. >> it's stress. >> that's right. one of the things that really works well is do a positive visualization. let's say you're worried about having a confrontational conversation you have to have. picture yourself sitting in a cozy leather chair. >> in a snuggie. >> picture yourself being calm and persuasive. picture the person being won over. studies have shown ooth leets who visualize a positive outcome like a hole in one perform better than an equally skilled athlete. confidence crushes worry. >> that explains tiger woods. >> what if a lot of people, they gain weight over the holidays. it's something that's on their mind. they worry about it. they think about it. >> they eat while they're worrying about it. >> you get more and more stressed. those kind of things. what's the best way to tackle something like that. >> it's about putting down in

words what you're going to do about the problem. that's the difference between worrying to thinking. when you move from worry to thinking you're moving from thoughts to action. >> what should somebody do? >> talk about your health plan. changing your diet. your plans for the gym. maybe you have a gym buddy. list out things so you feel an immediate sense of relief. a solution. >> the key is you ladies know about sound bites. this is about action bites. it's overwhelming a big problem. so that's what makes people procrastinate. but if you break it down into little pieces, let's say you've got a work room that is crazy overwhelmed. only tackle the corner. >> i have the answer to the whole thing. pray about it. you'll feel so much better. anyway, thanks, ladies. >> thanks, ladies. >> thank you. up next, funny photos that will have you saying "what the what?" right after this. k. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did?

booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents?

natural instincts can prove it. and they did. it's the only hair color that's clinically proven to be less damaging. for a healthy look... look no further than natural instincts. it's all good. how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪ feel the beat? it's amazing what soup can do. 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. 8 a.m. saturday. with our lowest prices of the season on select toys, electronics and more... the only stop for last minute gifts is walmart.

we are back with your side splitting segment called "what the what?" >> sara spent the week poring

through all the photos you sent in. she's here with a few of the favorites. >> i think i lost a couple pounds laughing. our first photo is from mary donovan from los angeles, california. what's the first best? this is a store that's legitimate. they say they axel in mediocrity. >> the second best pickle on the planet. >> and we're never open. i like that. >> i like that they go straight for the kill. they're not trying to be something they're not. next photo by mary lion from prattville, alabama. at least they're strong. a little mistype on the bowls. unfortunate for -- yes. joni hoffman from minerstown, pennsylvania, submitted this photo. >> who let the dogs out? >> they were in a poarking lot t the store. >> there's a third one in the back. >> we have a photo from susan allen from merlin, oregon. my kind of nutrition. house of nutrition. san di's candies & fudgerie.

they did have to move it. from new britain, connecticut. this photo. do they come with cookies? >> girl scouts sold here. >> they sell all their stuff. clearly someone didn't read that sign and think this sounds a little funny. >> you never know. you never know. >> these days, come on. finally, annie crawford from chicago, illinois, sent me this photo. does this happen so often it was necessary to write it in? >> or cell phones? that's just a natural part of modern life. >> i've almost lost my audio in there. >> if you lose your cell phone in the toilet, i'm just saying, you can -- it's either -- it depends on what stage. but if it was first -- if there's nothing going on there if you put it in rice. >> i always have some handy. >> right away. that's how you save your phone. >> i've got rice in my purse. i can save this.

>> at your house. in your house you're fine. why do you take your cell phone in there? nevermind. >> we got to go. we'll be right back, though, after your local news. >> and mary higgins clark is in the house! ♪ [ female announcer ] let betty crocker do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies. ♪ just pour, mix...love. ♪ ♪it's that time of year. ♪give gifts that spread good cheer.♪

♪your friends and family ♪gather all around the tree. ♪no one does christmas ♪like you do christmas. ♪under the mistletoe ♪whether it's beach or snow, ♪you sparkle and you shine ♪because it's christmas time. ♪no one does christmas ♪like kmart does christmas. ♪kmart. smart.

we are back with more of "today." we're ready to play our weekly trivia game we call "who knew?" since the holidays are just around the corner we're testing your knowledge of holiday movie trivia. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc experience store ready to hand out $100 to those who answer the question correctly. to those who don't, they get a cd. senior writer at "newsweek" magazine is we me. are you ready? >> a handsome man from mississippi. all right. in 1983's "a christmas story" all ralphie wants for christmas is what? a toy soldier, bb gun, bicycle or pogo stick. >> a bb gun. >> you got it. good for you, sweetie.

>> all right. a bb gun. >> he really wants a bb gun. he asks his mom, the teacher, santa claus. they all say the same thing. you remember what it is? >> what? >> you'll shoot your eye out. this movie is so popular tbs airs it back to back to back to back nonstop on christmas day. 12 times all day long. a few years ago 50 million americans watched it christmas day. >> it's coming to a theater near you in new form as a musical. they worked on it in seattle. this lovely lady, which actor played kevin mccallister in the 1990 comedy "home alone?" >> kevin mccall. >> say that again. you mean mccally caulken? or haley, his brother?

>> mccally. >> the number one movie of the year. he was 10 when it came out. he became the highest paid child actor of the time. demanding $8 million a movie. >> what did he do right after that? >> "home alone 2." >> after all those? >> "lost in new york." he did a lot of movies. darker movies like "the good son." >> this lovely lady is from new orleans. she sent your book over to sign it for you. finish the lyric to adam sandler's "the chanukah song." ♪ here comes hanukkah ♪ i love hanukkah >> sounded good to me. ♪ so much funukkah ♪ >> such a great try. >> it was recorded in 1994.

adam sandler did it on "saturday night live." it became a sensation, went viral. he made a movie in 2003, "eight crazy nights." it's a little raunchy. >> back across to kath. >> lovely lady. you went to virginia tech or your daughter did? you should come over here, hoda. a lot of friends. which of these actors has not played santa claus in a holiday movie. tim allen, george clooney -- >> george clooney. >> she got it. >> tim allen in the santa claus. tom hanks was motion captured in "the polar express." billy bob thornton was in "bad santa." george clooney is the only one that's not. >> lovely young lady from leaseburg, virginia. what is will ferrell desperately searching for in the movie elf? a reindeer, a red suit, santa or

his real father. >> his real father. >> how cute are you? there you go. >> that's a real fun movie. i loved "elf." >> a great movie. they were going to make a sequel. will ferrell ended up not going to do it. they offered him $29 million to wear the green tights. he said no because he didn't think it would be very good. >> wow. okay. all right. back across to kath. >> my version of "miracle on 34th street" susan tells kris cringele she wants which of the following gifts for christmas? a house, a brother, a dad or all of the above? >> a dad. >> i'm the first one to miss. >> yeah. no, you're not. >> all of the above is the correct answer. >> santa was very good to her that year. this is a remake of the 1947 movie. didn't do that well. it's still good. it's a fun movie to watch. >> she's so cute. you can watch her all day. back across to kath. >> a gentleman from western

massachusetts. what do greg's parents give pam's father, jack, as a christmas hanukkah present in little fockers"? the star of david, a dreidel -- >> i'm going to go with a dreidel. >> wrong. >> the correct answer is? >> it's a yamakuh. it's a funny scene. dustin hoffman and barbra streisand give her father one because they say he's half jewish. >> where you from, honey? >> auburn. >> okay. here we go. which mariah carey jingle plays a pivotal role in the movie "love actually"? >> "a." >> yeah! now you appreciate your mother. >> congrats. a terrific scene from the movie "love actually." if you want to rent one fun

christmas movie this may be the one. >> my favorite. is it yours? >> i love it. ♪ there's just one thing i need, i don't care about the presents underneath the christmas tree ♪ >> all right. so, anyway, it's a great, great movie. >> boojustin bieber and mariah carey just redid that song. >> we heard a lot about that. happy holidays. merry christmas. we deliver the best mail order food of the holidays right after this. and mary higgins clark is in the house with us. we're excited. right after this. then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay downalance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. chase slate with blueprint helps you save money on life's little surprises. trip...lets... start your path to saving today, call 855-get-slate.

♪ it rides in limos. it has a crew. it gets invited to parties with paparazzi. it hangs out poolside. it has millions of drooling fans. it knows the recipe for success. there's nothing like it. the big mac. it doesn't do interviews. and don't miss the mac snack wrap while it's in the house. the simple joy of famous flavor.

♪ dinner with the girls tonight. i really want dessert. i better skip breakfast. yep, this is all i need. [ stomach growls ] [ female announcer ] why skip breakfast when you can start your morning with special k multigrain oats and honey, a wholesome blend of rolled oats and honey kissed multigrain flakes. it's a delicious way to get your whole grains and make your breakfast beautiful. ♪ hellmann's and holiday leftovers become irresistibly creamy turkey casserole. real delicious hellmann's. make it real. make it different. real delicious hellmann's. hershey's air delight. experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate.

hershey's air delight. ♪ buy one pair of shoes, get another pair half off. ♪ [ female announcer ] spectacular savings on the brand names you love. famous footwear. make today famous. that's what people could say if you're still using a liquid foundation that can settle into your lines and wrinkles and make you look older. covergirl and olay floats above lines and makes you look younger. can your anti-aging makeup do that? simply ageless from olay and easy, breezy beautiful, covergirl.

now on "today's countdown to the holidays" it's mail order food. >> from citrus to pecans to lobster, chef and cookbook author kathleen daleman scoured the country for the delicious foods that offer free shipping for the holidays. that adds up, doesn't it? >> it absolutely does. free shipping. all really special deals. >> they can all make it by christmas time. >> and they're all american companies and all american

employees. they send a big heartfelt thank you. >> let's start with the sweets down here. >> this is all butter baking. 22 hand wrapped gift wrapped. 22 homemade cookies. >> hoda and i have been sampling. they're unbelievable. >> 22 cookies, $28. beautiful. all handmade, hand cut. free shipping. $29.95. that's a pie to your door plus a coupon for 10 off your next order. >> every pie i've ever had from michigan has been the most delicious pie i've ever had. >> ingredients locally grown. a celebrity cult following as well. everything here. these chocolates. 350-year-old chocolate company. this is almost better than two for one. you get two boxes for $48. that's to your door. generous, beautiful boxes. >> how about this big chocolate

santa? >> they also sell that. this is really special bravo "top chef" judge favorites. finishing salts. someone a vanilla salt. a paprika salt. look at their gift wrapping. >> $25 door to door. >> beautiful. >> these guys have been grinding their own flour since the 1600s. they're the oldest company in the country. they're in rhode island. it's rhode island maple syrup. then johnny cakes and waffle mixes. and a free cookbook. $40. gra graysgristmill.com. this is ham i am. half or whole ham free shipping. still get it there. $58.95 for the half. the whole is $89.95. a half harm is normally about $90 and a whole $125.

>> i didn't realize they were that much. >> a great deal. >> they're small companies. eau galle cheeses. like o'malley. parmesan, asiago, salami. mom and pop shop in wisconsin. >> keep them in business. so important. >> pecans. this is a favorite of paula deen. she uses these guys a lot. they're colossal. >> they're huge! >> a three-pound bag. this professional grade cracker is part of their deal. or a separate deal, the southern pecan sampler for $29.95. >> citrus. >> countryside citrus. one of the last local growers, harvesters and shippers of their own produce -- of their own citrus in the country. amazing family operation.

outrageously delicious. get a sampler with two jars of jam for about $29. i think it's on your website for sure. >> that is so appreciated in the dead of winter. >> look at this down here. >> lobster gram. the first company to deliver lobsters in the country. from maine. they ship the lobsters live. complete dinner. with shipping. four maine lobsters. they have three deals. go to the website. this is one of them. four lobsters, whoopie pies, chowder, everything, for $155. another deal. ten tails for $200. ten lobster tails. free shipping. >> that's amazing. great job. >> thank you so much. up next -- >> the queen of suspension. our friend mary higgins clark is here, right after these messages. [ br

ian ] free shipping is like my little gift on top of a gift. and this time of year, i send out a lot of gifts. sweater for mom, free shipping from brian. i'm brian andrews. i ship the gifts that last. the holidays are made here at l.l.bean. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. pillsbury toaster strudel. a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal.

that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. 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. 8 a.m. saturday. with our lowest prices of the season on select toys, electronics and more... the only stop for last minute gifts is walmart.

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. ♪ she's been called the queen of suspense. now best-selling author mary higgins clark is capitol hilling

a different kind of audience. children. >> just in time for the holidays is her new book called "the magical christmas horse." >> it's adorable. nice to see you again. >> i love coming here as you well know. it's like coming home. >> you sell a lot of books when you're here, mary higgins clark. >> that, too. >> this is a little bit of a departure for you. we're used to seeing you having the page turners, suspense novels. what made you decide to do this one, mary? >> to do it very quickly, wendell miner, wonderful illustrator, did this one years ago. >> that was your first. >> that wonderful picture helped put it over. we were at a party with our editors a few years ago. they said why don't you do a christmas book together. so we did "ghost ships." then we decided to do another one. the result is "the magical christmas horse." >> it's a sweet little story. it really is. >> it's about love. it's about going home for christmas.

it's about wanting to give the best gift you can to your little brother. so on that level i think it's a sweet story. but i have to tell you quickly. i was reading it to a kindergarten and first grade. and then afterwards we were talking about it. and i said, "don't you believe that wishes come true?" and all the kids put their hands up except one little guy. he said no. i said, "you don't believe wishes come true?" he said no. i said, "didn't ever one wish come?" he said no. i said, you're going to grow up to be a book reviewer. >> that is so funny. >> you've had nothing but good reviews your whole life. >> if people are watching tnt over the holidays, they may tune in and see one of your books that you did with your daughter turned into a movie. >> the very first one. that was "deck the halls." carol plays identical twins in it.

i sit in the bar and drink red wine. >> the other thing people don't know about you, you go to pretty much every home game there is for the new york giants. >> i do, indeed. >> huge fan. >> you sit there in that box, and you guys, you get into it. >> oh, i mean it. i mean it. and frank, of course, i'm sitting often next to him. i'll say, are they going to pass or is it going to be a run. well, i'll tell you, i think it's going to be a pass because -- >> is he usually right. >> of course. >> frank gifford. >> if you want to see her sometime mary's pub on 67th street between 1st and 2nd avenue. she hangs out there a lot. just a little nip. >> he always appears in my book. >> except for this one. >> you can't incorporate a bar into this book. >> it's a restaurant, too. >> thank you, mary. >> so happy to see you. love to carol from us. >> please. all righty.

we are going to be back with more of "today" on nbc. how's it going? good afternoon. don't feed that meter. this meter's on me. with all the hundreds i've saved at progressive, this meter's on me.

thank you. de nada. with all the hundreds i've saved on car insurance this year, this meter's on me. there's a catch? there's no catch. nothing but savings. thank you very much. have a great day. you, too. you're sexy. [ laughs ]

our toy drive is rushing tons of toys to underprivileged children in all 50 states. because so many people have been so generous this year, these kids are going to have a gift to enjoy during the holidays. >> they sure are. we're happy to have two philanthropic companies here with a wonderful donation. robert passen chief wagon officer of the classic toy company radio flier. and david and bianca liseby founders of for life. >> my kids adored these when they were little. look at this. initials on it. that should go straight to hannah. >> tell us about this. >> our new style and ride scoot pe er. girls with personize it with their names and decorate it and make it their own. we're famous for the iconic red

wagon. we've also been making scooters longer than anyone else, too. this is our latest and greatest scoot eres. >> how many are you donating? >> 2,500. >> how about you guys. >> we're so excited to be back this year. our products and gifts represent the foundation for life's desire to keep kids healthy, happy and smart. >> tell us what you've got. what are you giving away? >> well, we've got our little cuddly towel pillow pets to keep kids happy. and why don't you tell them about this. >> we've got 2,500 of these great backpacks full of school supplies. vitamins for their health. some great things. pencils and pens and all sorts of things. notebooks. we're really excited. thank you for all the great work you've done. >> oh, my gosh. we just sit here and get stuff. >> we really do. >> and we're so happy to pass it on to these guys. >> merry christmas. our toy drive continues through december 21st. come down to the plaza and you can donate in person. >> we've got an easy way for you to donate online.

go to "today".com for all the details. tomorrow ak stress elizabeth mcgovern stops by. plus holiday gifts for groups. you know what i'm saying? >> we'll know by tomorrow. >> of course you will. >> have an awesome winesday, everyone. see you for thirst day, just one day away. >> see you. >> bye. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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