good morning. breaking news. mitt romney releases his tax returns revealing he paid a 14% rate on nearly $22 million in income in 2010. this just hours after the gop presidential hopeful turned in his most aggressive debate performance to date. >> confession. a convicted sex offender admits to killing a young dancer he met at a new york club. he'll serve 23 years and the victim's family is outraged. oscar time. the academy award nominations are being announced this morning. we'll have them for you live,

morning. we'll have them for you live, today, january 24, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "nbc nightly news" on this tuesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm matt lauer. >> for weeks now mitt romney has faced increased pressure to release the tax returns. >> advanced copies were received for 2010 and an estimate for 2011 overnight. they showed he draws most of his income from investments and made a total of $42.6 million in two years. in that time he gave away $7 million to charity, more than half of it to the mormon church. does this give his opponents more ammunition or end the issue all together? we'll get into it this morning and we'll get a preview of tonight's key election year

state of the union address from president obama from his senior adviser. >> also ahead, funeral plans and public remoimemorials to honor legendary penn state football coach joe paterno. his son jay speaks out about his dad's final days and how the scandal at penn state will impact his legacy. >> on a much lighter note we'll have the all important oscar nominations out of beverly hills. also, kate middleton and her family embark on a vacation to the posh caribbean island of mystique. we're hearing prince william is going to join them. we'll have details on that coming up. >> all right. let us begin this morning with breaking political news. the overnight release of mitt romney's tax returns. nbc's peter alexander is in tampa. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. as you noted this morning governor romney has been facing increasing pressure to release his tax returns. he put out his 2010 tax returns

and an estimate of the 2011 returns. we'll put that information now up on your screen. they reveal that he made a combined income in two years of nearly $43 million. he paid more to charity than he did to the irs paying out $6.2 million in taxes over two years. his charitable giving was $7 million. finally that adds up to a tax rate of 14%. the debate last night was a role reversal with mitt romney on the offensive against newt gingrich referring to him often as an influence peddler. >> i think this is going to come down to a question of leadership. >> reporter: with new aggressiveness mitt romney wasted little time attacking newt gingrich. the speaker was given an opportunity to be the leader of our party in 1994. at the end of four years he had

to resign in disgrace. >> i'm not going to spend time chasing down governor romney. >> i'm not going to get attacked day in day out without returning fire. >> reporter: early monday romney rolled out his first negative ad of the campaign taking aim of gingrich's relationship with freddie mac. >> gingrich was paid over $1.6 million by the group that created the crisis. >> i was a historian. >> reporter: gingrich released his before the debate. >> mr. speaker, you were on this stage at a prior debate. you said you were paid $300,000 by freddie mac as an historian. they don't pay people $25,000 a month for six years as historians. we have congressmen who say you lobbied them in favor -- >> i didn't lobby them.

>> they say you lobbied them with regard to medicare part d. >> whoa, whoa. you just jumped a long way over here, friend. i understand your technique which you used on mccain, huckabee. you have used it consistently. it's unfortunate and it won't work well because the american people see through it. >> rick santorum stayed above the fray saying he draws the clearest contrast with president obama. >> if you have learned anything about this election that any ty of prediction is going to be wrong. the idea that this was a two-person race has been an idea that has been in fashion now for eight months and it's been wrong about eight times. >> reporter: also trailing the front-runners here, ron paul said he has no plans to run as a third party candidate but gave a back-handed compliment to his surging rival. >> would you support a newt gingrich for the gop? >> he hints about attacking the fed, talks about gold. if i could change him on foreign

policy we might be able to talk business. >> reporter: a couple miglight moments on stage. tonight we'll hear the state of the union. today mitt romney is expected to speak about jobs and the economy right here in what was a factory where they produced drywall. this place has been shuttered for years. >> peter, thank you very much. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. good morning to you. after weeks of questions we finally get a look at the 2010 tax report or return from mitt romney. do you see any surprises in here, anything that will give his rivals more ammunition? >> well, i think there is certainly fodder for some of his democratic opponents. things like having a swiss bank account. that's not something a lot of ordinary americans have. but it's the timing of the release that's probably the most difficult thing for the romney

campaign to handle. the theme of the state of the union is fairness, income i inequality and here is the potential republican nominee who we noted that it's $40 million plus in income over two years but he wasn't working. he was running for president. this was all interest and dividend income. it certainly paints a picture of something that a lot of americans cannot connect to. >> let's go to the debate last night. mike murphy on "meet the press" on sunday said mitt romney was wounded after south carolina. he was now in a corner with a broken bottle and he had to decide whether he was going to fight with it. it appears he decided to fight with it. >> he did all day yesterday. it started with the ad peter mentioned in his report. his strategy seemed to be to go after gingrich and hope gingrich would respond. that was the odd thing last night. gingrich decided to be above the fray and act like the front-runner. i want to put a smile on my face

a blis. you could tell romney was trying. spent 30 minutes trying to draw him out. didn't successfully do it. then he backed off a little bit. i think he realized he didn't want to look shrill. >> chuck todd in washington this morning. thank you very much. it's eight after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thank you. david pluff is a senior adviser to president obama. >> good morning. >> the state of the union will dwarf the audiences watching any of the debates so far. what is the core of the president's message tonight? >> well, ann, the president's going to lay out tonight at this make or break moment for the middle class in america how to build an economy that's built to last. we saw an economy built on bubbles, fraud, phoney financial instruments. we need an economy built on american manufacturing, developing the skills for american work rs and a renewal

of american values. we have had a terrible recession. only rivalled by the great depression. we have had over 3 million jobs over the last 22 months. manufacturing sector creating jobs for the first time since the 1990s. auto industry coming back. there is good news out there but the economy is weak. the hole is very deep. we have to figure out what economy and america we want. we want an economy based on everyone doing their fair share, getting a fair shake and playing by the same rules. >> i want to get to mitt romney's tax returns. he made a lot of money over the past two years. what's wrong with that? is that not the american dream? isn't making a lot of hay over how much money he's earned and paid in taxes really not fanning the flames of the idea of politics of envy? >> well, listen, there will be 47 more republican prime ris and caucuses and voters in those contests who will offer their opinion which is more important than mine in a primary.

it's a good example of the tax reform we need. warren buffett said he should not pay less tax as a rate than his secretary. the president is going to lay out specifics on the buffett rule. we want to know. we want to reward wealth, prosperity and success. but if we are to move forward as a country, reduce deficit, invest in manufacturing education, how are we going to pay for it? there is no question we have a tax code that's too complicated, too complex. when the average middle class worker pace more in taxes than people making $50 million, $60 million a year we have to change it. >> i want to ask you about newt gingrich labeling president obama as the food stamp president calling him the greatest food stamp president in history. according to factcheck.org there are half a million more people on food stamps during george w. bush's time in office of eight years compared to president obama's three years.

with 14.2 million people being added to the food stamp rolls in just three years under president obama why shouldn't president obama be called the food stamp president. >> well, it's a cheap applause line for the republican base. the reason there are more people on food stamps now, and there were more under bush we had something that almost rivalled the great depression. you have more people out of work needing temporary assistance. do you want to go back to the policies that caused those people to get on food stamps? those are the policies newt gingrich and mitt romney are offering. the president will offer a blueprint to build an america that will be lasting, that rewards work, that makes sure everybody does their fair share, holds everyone accountable. or do we want an economy that says wall street should write its own rules and give tax breaks to the hugely wealthy and it will trickle down. that doesn't work. that's why we lost the jobs, why some people had to go on food stamps. that's the question facing the country. >> thanks for joining us this

morning, david plouffe. >> thanks, ann. >> the state of the union address airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 p.m. pacific time here on nbc. now here's matt. >> ann, thank you. now to italy where work at the site of the cruise ship disaster is entering a new phase today. nbc's michelle kosinski is on giglio island with details on that. good morning. >> reporter: hey, matt. as we speak they are preparing to pump out all the fuel even as the latest count now shows 23 people still missing inside. the questions come up. why don't we see hundreds of searchers swarming every inch of the ship? they have been through almost all of it. they say the problem is the dark cluttered spaces under water. even from high above you see something unusual in the water. there, a table, furniture pulled out by divers who have been going in through holes they have blasted.

just as dangerous. they wrangle heavy items with hooks, pull out endless lengths of water logged rope. inside find rooms jammed full of chairs this is what they feel their way through looking for a sign of the missing. other areas are completely submerged with debris everywhere. this is why it takes so long. divers say at times they can't see their hands in front of them, get bumped by objects floating by and must now bear a nearly overpowering stench of tons of food rotting in the ship's kitchen. air described as unbreathable. working late into the night. >> translator: you have to watch for objects falling on you. we have the same situation in the kitchen area where there are lots of appliances. >> reporter: but they make progress. yesterday recovered the bodies of two women near the internet cafe. one italian on her honeymoon who was wearing a life jacket but

couldn't swim. it's been a problem knowing how many are missing. only around half of those found have been identified. it now appears one was a stowaway, which is unfounded. now while the grim work goes on for those believed still inside their families always waiting, it is time to try to prevent another disaster of an oil spill. >> we are ready to go. we are ready to start working. >> reporter: another daunting task, pumping out half a million gallons from enormous tanks finally begins today. it will take a month and a half. they think on saturday they will finally be able to drill into each tank, pump out the fuel and pump in seawater so the ship which now appears to be stable will stay that way. matt? >> michelle kosinski in italy this morning. thank you very much.

coming up in our next half hour we're going to look at how little recourse cruise passengers have when something goes wrong. >> now let's get a check of the top stories from natalie morales at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. we begin now with utter destruction in parts of alabama a where residents are picking up the pieces this morning after at least two confirmed tornadoes touched down monday. at least two people were killed. some 100 others injured. the twisters destroyed more than 200 homes and damaged 200 more. that same area was devastated by tornadoes just last april. it was an icy situation in utah. a snowstorm over the weekend caused cars to spin out of control and slam into each other. drivers barely had time to get out of the way before more vehicles began sliding down the slick hill. a wave of car bombings across the iraqi capital this morning left at least 14 people dead and more than 70 wounded. violence has surged since the u.s. military withdrawal last

month with more than 170 people killed since the beginning of the year. illinois senator mark kirk is recovering after undergoing brain surgery to alleviate swelling caused by a stroke on saturday. kirk's doctor says his chances for a full mental recovery are good but he may have a difficult time regaining full movement on his left side. meantime congresswoman gabrielle giffords will be in washington for the state of the union after meeting with victims of the shooting spree in tucson on monday. giffords was shot in the head and is resigning from congress this week to recover. now let's head to mary thompson at the new york stock exchange this morning. what's on tap today? >> finance ministers in the eurozone rejected restructuring greece's dead. they have a deadline to come to an agreement with creditors before it defaults on bonds that matured. macy's is suing martha stewart

to block a licensing agreement she signed with jc penney saying it violates an exclusive agreement stewart's company has with macy's to sell its products at its stores. >> this could have ended badly for snowmobilers in washington state sunday. an avalanche buried one alive and immediately the group of friends rushed to get him out. they were able to dig out his head and grabbed shovels to dig him out completely. luckily, everyone is doing okay. that's a frightening situation. 7:17 now. back to matt, ann and al. >> i don't think i have seen a picture -- >> it happened so quickly. natalie, thank you very much. mr. e weather going on. first of all, we will start down in texas where we have the risk of strong storms from corpus christi to san angelo. storms will bring a lot of wind, damaging winds, rain, and possibility of tornadoes and anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of

rain from san antonio to dallas. could be flooding as far north of oklahoma city and another big storm comes into the pacific northwest bringing rain along the coast and mountain snows as you move inland and rainfall amounts anywhere from one to three inches of rain and one to two feet of snow in the mountains there in the pacific northwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. tom kierein in storm center 4 this tuesday morning. we have some patchy, dense fog in the rural areas. damp and chilly start to this day under low clouds, low to mid 40s around the metro area. later today, clouds should break up and some sunshine breaking out. fog should be dissipating by mid morning and get temperatures climbing to the mid 50s by later this afternoon. we will have lots of sun and clear night tonight. then some sunshine tomorrow, few clouds in the afternoon and cooler and maybe rain d and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al. thank you. a public viewing will be held this afternoon for joe paterno ahead of a private funeral on

wednesday. the legendary penn state football coach died at the age of 85 on sunday, less than three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. we are joined now by his son jay paterno. good morning. let me start by expressing my condolences to you and your family. >> thank you, matt. good morning to you, too. >> how's everybody doing? >> well, it's been a little bit of an up and down ride since sunday -- really since friday when it looked like joe was going to pass. i think our family is very, very strong. we have leaned on each other and had support from so many people, students, alums, notes and cards from everywhere. it helped sustain us. >> i want to ask about the stress and strain your dad was under during the last couple of months. obviously he was let go as the head coach of penn state in the wake of the jerry sandusky scandal. a lot of critics felt your dad should have done much more when he learned information about mr. sandusky. what toll did it take on him and

what toll has it taken on your family? >> well, i think the big thing with my dad is through the last couple months you really got to see his true character in terms of even with all the things that were happening to him there was never a situation where he sat around and felt bad for himself. he was very positive with us about the direction he wanted the rest of his life to go and how he wanted to continue to build penn state and also to make sure justice was done for the victims involved. so that really didn't take much of a toll on him. he's a strong individual and he's passed that on to us. we try to live the same way we he did. >> i read a quote of his and i wonder if this shed light on the last couple of months. one of his great quotes is losing a game is heartbreaking, losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy. do you think in the wake of what happened over the last couple of months he lost a little of his

sense of excellence? >> absolutely not. one of the things joe has always told us is there is a difference between success and excellence. success is how others perceive you. excellence is something very personal. it is a standard you uphold. throughout his life he's done what he believed was right given the facts he had in front of him at the time. he did what he thought was right. i don't think there is a question in his mind he didn't lose a sense of excellence. obviously that's something he held very dear. >> people now debate his legacy. your dad had 17 grandchildren. i think the youngest is a young girl, just about 2 1/2 years old. >> yeah. >> when she starts to learn about your dad, about joe paterno what do you want her to know about him? >> one of the great things about

my dad has been his integrity, loyalty, honesty and his fairness. i hope in his life when the youngest grandchild gets old enough to understand his career as a coach or mentor, so much more than winning games. i hope she understands that. i hope my children get to understand that he was -- this was an incomparable life, a life that he really lived up to the values he espoused. >> jay paterno, my condolences to you and your family. thanks for joining me this morning. >> thanks, matt. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead a surprise confession from a man accused of killing an aspiring dancer could lead to a sentence of less than 25 years. we'll get reaction from the victim's family. >> and we are also going to be live with this morning's oscar nominations after your local news.

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♪ vegetables picked at their peak ♪ ♪ so fresh my knees grow weak [ male announcer ] new hearty bertolli meal soup for two, with crisp vegetables and tender chicken. [ chef ] ♪ fresh tasting restaurant style ♪ ♪ bertolli soup's in the freezer aisle ♪ good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. 7:26 this tuesday, 24th day of january. we have fog out there. 42 degrees is our temperature. things will be getting even warmer today. here's meteorologist tom kierein with more on our changes. >> yes. there's the live view of our city camera showing some light fog around the metro area. fog is denser in some of the rural areas. temperatures are generally in low and mid 40s. we will climb into the 50s later today. sunshine coming back. then tomorrow increasing clouds will be into the 40s. looks like rain moves in on thursday and into thursday night. that may linger into friday but dry out over the weekend. joe? >> thanks very much, tom. we are going to take a break and come back.

good morning. traveling i-95 in virginia north past the occoquan, three-vehicle

crash. it is in the right shoulder lane and police are also on the scene. delays are on i-95 from prince william parkway to the beltway, 37 miles per hour. back to you, joe. >> thanks very much. we have another new

and we are back with more of "today" on a tuesday morning, the 24th day of january, 2012. we have checked out some of the people hanging out on the plaza this morning. a mild week in the northeast. we're not complaining about that at all. we'll go outside and say hi to them in a while. meanwhile inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. just ahead in the wake of the disaster in italy you may be surprised to learn about the rights you don't have when you board a cruise ship. coming up, what you need to know before booking a trip on the high seas. >> also this morning, kate middleton, the duchess of cambridge, is on vacation with her family on a posh caribbean island and some tourists say

their own trip has been ruined. also, "today" professionals are here to weigh in on the most talked about headlines and studies. >> they look ready to go. >> as always. >> we begin with a guilty plea in the case of a dancer. good morning. >> good morning, matt. laura garza's family was in court as the man who killed her described how he did it. he' he's behind bars and will be for decades but the family said justice hasn't been served. laura garza came to new york city from texas. her dream was to become a dancer. a dream that ended december 3, 2008, the night she visited this trendy manhattan nightclub and met handsome michael mele. unbeknownst to her a convicted sex offender. >> can you say anything about laura? >> no comment. >> reporter: three years ago

mele didn't have much to say. on monday he confessed in detail to killing laura garza as part of a controversial plea bargain. according to court transcripts mele told the judge he brought laura home from the nightclub to his apartment. that's when he said she saw a picture of a girl and female-related items that were my girlfriend's at the time and she was upset by being there. mele said laura started to get loud so he stopped her. he said, i put my hands over her mouth and partially her nose. she stopped yelling, she stopped moving and i realized something very bad had happened. mele admitted he panicked and got rid of the body hiding it in a remote wooded area in pennsylvania. laura's remains would stay hidden for 16 months. her family's long search finally ended in grief when some atv riders came across her bones. >> for me, it's not justice. >> reporter: garza's family made it clear they were not happy with the court.

the judge agreed to sentence mele to just under 25 years in exchange for the confession. >> essentially he engaged in a risk versus reward analysis. this affords him the opportunity not to have a life sentence. he'll be out in a little under 20 years. >> reporter: that worries garza's family. they say mele will be in his 40s and still capable to prey on other women like laura. >> in three years more my daughter is the same age with my sister. in this time this guy is outside in the streets. >> the garza family will get the chance to let mele know how they feel. one of laura's family members will have the opportunity to speak on her behalf at sentencing. matt? >> tom, thank you very much. let us now get a check on the weather from al. >> today's weather is brought to you by turbotax. get step by step guidance to the

maximum refund you deserve. >> good morning, everybody. we've got friends here. hi, young lady. what's your name? >> holland. >> i like your hat. it's very nice. where are you from? >> maryland. >> is that hot chocolate? >> mm-hmm. >> tasty? mm. all right. let's see what's going on for your day today. afternoon temperatures not bad here. we're already up to 44 year in new york city. going up into the mid 50s but it's still cold back, back through the western great lakes. 40s in the pacific northwest. 80s down to the gulf coast. you can see we have a risk of strong storms down through texas, rain into louisiana and heavy rain continues into the pacific northwest. with icy, snowy conditions inland sections. sunny, windy, southern california. santa ana winds, getting ready to set up and lake effect snow in the eastern great lakes, 1 to 3 inches before it is all over. that's what's going on around the country. >> good morning. tom kierein in storm center 4. it is damp and chilly on this tuesday morning. we are in the 40s throughout the metro area.

little bit chillier farther west and north. south and east in the upper 40s near 50 and later today, the morning patchy dense fog willing breaking up. temperatures should climb into the low and mid 50s. tomorrow increasing clouds, highs in the 40s. looks like rain moving in on thursday and thursday night. perhaps lingering into midday friday. dry for the weekend. don't forget. get your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> al, thank you. now to the harsh reality facing survivors of the cruise ship disaster in italy. many are now beginning to realize the legal road ahead of them will be long and complicated. an important lesson for anyone planning a cruise. nbc's kerry sanders is in key west, florida, to explain this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. it's the last thing anyone getting on a cruise could imagine -- that the ship would sink but we now know it did happen. for passengers on the costa

concord ia or any ship there ar complex legal documents with protections that personal injury attorneys say are designed to protect a cruise line's liability. as this michigan family made their way to the paradise cruise ship monday melinda said she had no idea her ticket was a legal contract releasing the cruise line from certain liabilities. >> it was probably in the fine print when you bought the ticket that you just say i accept and continue. >> reporter: you didn't read it? >> no. >> reporter: who reads it? >> nobody reads it. >> reporter: legal experts say american survivors returning home from the costa concordia ship wreck are slamming head on into a reality. legal claims are limited because passengers signed away rights. >> nobody's going to become a millionaire over the costa

crash. the jurisdiction will be absolutely 100% in italy. there is a form selection clause in every passenger ticket that b obligates them to go to italy to try or make a claim. that means an italian lawyer. that means a noncontingency fee lawyer. you have to pay a lawyer in italy to bring a claim. >> reporter: teams of u.s. lawyers are now in miami where tomorrow they will file arguments that this case is so unusual it should be heard in a u.s. courtroom. >> the conduct of this ship is so outrageous that they are not entitled to tell anybody where they can litigate. >> reporter: in an e-mail sent to survivors monday costa concordia offered a full refund, travel expenses, reimbursement for any on-board expenses and credit card charges, full payment for documented medical expens expenses. not addressed, compensation for long-term mental anguish.

>> my sister says i'm talking in my sleep and grasping, just anxiety in waking up. just thinking about it. >> reporter: connecticut residents maria papa. >> they owe us our sanity. >> reporter: and her daughter melissa say they are having nightmares. >> this is something i'm going to remember for the rest of my life. i didn't trip and fall and sprain my ankle. this is something that will be burned into my memory. >> what they are about to find, the passengers on the ship, is that instead of the regular damages that we have come to expect like pain and suffering, passengers have signed away their rights to recover for those things. >> reporter: the cruise line would not comment on the specific language in those tickets. what most passengers are discovering this morning is when they left the ship a legal clock began ticking and they have as of this morning 19 days to file notice that they want to make

claims on their personal property. according to the lawyers, that will have to eventually go through the italian courts, as we heard. ann? >> kerry sanders, a lot of information people didn't know. thank you for uncovering it. up next, kate middleton takes a caribbean vacation and is about to be joined by her prince. details on this coming up right after this. means i don't have any margin for error. one wrong turn and i could end up unloaded a puddle of water. woman's voice: turn right ahead. so i make sure i have the right guidance to get me exactly where i need to be. it's the same with taxes. turbo tax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step, so i know it's done right. they even offer representation in case of an audit, and calculations are guaranteed accurate, which helps me reach my maximum refund--guaranteed. man: try turbo tax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied.

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have you wanting to get away? kate middleton and her family are enjoying the warmth of an island paradise. stephanie gosk has details from london on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. britain in january is rough. it's cold, dark, kind of like living in a cave. for those that don't like it, this gives one choice -- escape. that's what the royal couple has decided to do. winter in wales. william and kate's blustery home. you can't blame them for exchanging that island for this one. privately owned mustique combines raw beauty, both the island's website with elegant accommodation. elegant and expensive. the aurora villa where princess kate and her family are staying costs more than $23,000 a week. prince william wrapping up his royal air force duties is expected to arrive any day now. mustique is a middleton family favorite.

prince william joined them there before. >> it's somewhere they can get away from the limelight and have no one spying on them. >> reporter: the allure of exclusive privacy has attracted the rich and famous for decades. princess margaret in the '70s. mick jagger in the '80s. the island is used to celebrity and fending off the paparazzi that want a peak and a picture. but even for mustique, a visit from the duke and duchess of cambridge requires special consideration. >> the fact that pictures of them together will generate huge amounts of interest globally draws with it that huge cash ticket. >> reporter: a snap of pippa middleton may get just as much attention. these were grabbed in 2004 after her big splash at the wedding the younger sister is now constantly hounded by cameras. island management has added new restrictions, even for its other guests. they won't be able to roam

freely. the normally rented golf carts have to stay in the garage. if the extra security holds, the royal couple will have their first real chance at a vacation since the honeymoon last spring at another island getaway in the seychelles. >> they will have a chance to relax. that's what the whole holiday is about. being on lounges by the pool and not having the press looking on. >> reporter: when they get back the royal duties are piling up. prince william heads to the falkland islands with the royal air force. the queen's jubilee begins in the spring and the olympics are six months away. they better rest up, matt. >> stephanie gosk in london, thank you very much. still ahead, today's professionals tackle the hottest stories of the day like only they can. but first, these messages. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved

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i don't think you understand how the silent treatment works. hello? [ male announcer ] buy unlimited messaging and get free unlimited calling to any mobile phone on any network. at&t. we all got sad news on monday. a longtime friend of "today" has died and natalie has the details. >> charla krupp was a popular editor on fashion and beauty. monday the 58-year-old lost her battle with breast cancer. >> good morning. >> over the years charla appeared on "today" more than is 00 times. >> this morning on today's style have you tried on outfit after outfit and thought you still looked fat. charla says no more. good morning. >> great to be here with you again. >> a force in fashion and an inspiration to real women everywhere she was the author of "how not to look old" and "how

to never look fat again." she was an editor at glamour magazine and people's style watch as well as a writer for time magazine, usa today and town & country. she had a knack for spotting trends that appealed to the average woman. >> you can look thinner by dinner. now we have clothes. >> doing it for us. >> that make you look thinner. >> her family said she was first diagnosed in december 2006. she underwent a lumpectomy and was treated with radiation. three years later in 2009 the cancer had me tast sized to stage four. her husband richard issued this statement. she battled the disease quietly and bravely for two more years, completing and promoting her second book. the disease barely slowed her down or dimmed her vibrant spirit. it is still impossible for me to imagine that she is gone. i'm truly heartbroken.

>> and we want to just extend our condolences to charla's family. she's survived by her husband and her mother esther krupp. >> she was always -- she had such a brave face. most of us didn't know she was ill. >> surprise. >> she was so vibrant. you can be thinner by dinner. that's so charla. she always came up with coinages to make you smile. >> her family has set up the charla krupp scholarship at the college where she majored in journalism. >> we're back after your local news. brian hayes. i'm a master roaster at starbucks coffee. sitting right here we have 40 years of roast experience. how can we use that and do more with it? new starbucks blonde roast was created to increase the offerings that we can give to our customers. [ anderson ] we decided that we would take our experience

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good morning. i'm joe krebs. 7:56. a look outside. there is fog around the area. this is a live look at fairfax county right now. here's storm 4's meteorologist tom kierein. >> those are common scenes across much of virginia and maryland this morning. patchy, dense fog. right around the metro area, points south and east there is not as much fog and it is dam and chilly. just in the low to mid 40s around the metro area. chillier farther west and north. and later today, sunshine breaking out. highs climbing into the 50s. then tomorrow, increasing clouds, highs in the 40s. could get rain midday thursday and into thursday evening. perhaps lingering showers friday morning.

[ cherie ] i always had a job, ever since i was fourteen. i could not make working and going to school work.

it was not until the university of phoenix that i was able to work full-time, be a mom, and go to school. the opportunities that i had at the university of phoenix, dealing with professionals teaching things that they were doing every day, got me to where i am today. i'm mayor cherie wood, i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu.

good morning. traveling the inner loop of the beltway, as you approach braddock report, a report of an accidents. not seeing anything on camera but am seeing big delays as you make your way from braddock road and head towards i-66, travel speed for you right now 17 miles per hour. delays start at the interchange and continue. joe, back to you. >> rough out there. thanks. another news update in

8:00 now on a tuesday morning, the 24th of january, 2012. we have a lot of nice people lining up in the plaza this morning. we're glad to have them. it's a nice warm 44 degrees out here. not too bad. we're glad everyone stopped by. i'm ann curry along with matt lauer and al roker. >> we have people over here with a go pats sign. no, no. don't show them. don't encourage them. >> we'll keep it to ourselves. coming up we have interesting topics to talk about with the today professionals. >> donny, star and dr. nancy including the couple in the uk

who wouldn't reveal the gender of their child for five years. they have revealed it's a boy. what did they accomplish? we'll talk about that and other topics with the professionals. >> also this morning we'll get a listen to the nominees as they happen for the academy awards. it's always very exciting. of course you are looking at an image from "the artist," "the descendants." george clooney won for best actor in the golden globes. we have great movies to choose from and we'll hear who's nominated. >> later on we'll head to the kitchen with lydia, one of our favorites. she has the secret for a fantastic -- smells so good up there. a fantastic braised pork shoulder. we cannot wait. >> we're talking comfort foods with with a capital c. >> before that let's go inside. natalie is standing by with a check of the headlines. >> good morning, matt, ann and al. we are getting a first look at the tax returns of republican presidential candidate mitt

romney which show he paid about $3 million in federal income tax in 2010. the tax rate of about 14%. meantime the four remaining candidates debated last night in tampa and will face off a again on thursday. president obama will focus on restoring the middle class in tonight's state of the union address. a spokesman said the president will outline a vision for the future based on manufacturing, energy, skills and values. you can watch nbc's live coverage of the president's state of the union speech tonight at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific time. the supreme court has ruled police cannot put a tracking device secretly on a car. pete williams has the details. >> reporter: a california college student found one on his car. >> right over here. >> reporter: after he blogged about it, fbi agents came to take it back. in washington, d.c., police investigating a nightclub owner in a drug case, antoine jones, secretly put one on his car.

it transmitted data about everywhere he drove for a month. his case went to the supreme court and the justices ruled unanimously the police were trespassing, violating the constitution when they put the gps tracker on his car. >> this is an important decision that points toward greater privacy. exactly how much privacy and how the court wills figure this out we don't know. this is a very important decision. >> reporter: a majority of the justices sent a message that they are worried about police tracking that does not involve trespassing by using cell phones or technology built in to cars like on-star and gps. even records of trips through toll booths using ez-passes. >> there are at least five justices of the supreme court who believe you have privacy interests in where you are driving, what you are doing, even out in the public. >> reporter: the ruling demonstrated that the justices are tuned in to how new technology works and on alert for how it may affect technology in the digital age. pete williams at the supreme

court. >> now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online the twitter sphere is showing the ugly side to the 49ers kyle williams. he's been getting death tweets since fumbling and mus ff'ing punt. coaches had to call for baltimore ravens billy condiff six times before he missed a field goal. he said a score board malfunction had him thinking it was only third down. celebrity blogs are trying to make sense of the shocking split between seal and supermodel heidi klum. she's still wearing his wedding ring and is speaking on "ellen" today. >> just because we have decided to separate doesn't necessarily mean, you know, you take off your ring and you are no longer connected to that person. we will be connected in many ways for the rest of our lives.

>> seal said he doesn't know if he'll keep the ring on forever. he said for now it feels comfortable. this video we brought you earlier of drivers losing control on an icy utah hill has gone viral on youtube racking up nearly 1 million hits in two days. as one person commented it's like a driver's ed video coming to life. 8:0 8:05. now back to ann, matt and al. never want to be in that situation. >> no. to you, mister. >> to me! we have friends from your alma mater. >> everybody from oregon is related to me. that's right. >> i see the resemblance. >> they're college students. >> very nice. let's check out your weather and show you what's going on for oregon and everywhere in between. astoria, oregon is the pick city. how good is our meteorologist? windy, 49 degrees.

another big storm moving into the pacific northwest with heavy rain, mountain snows, going to be a real mess in the northern california. we have a little lake-effect snow today around the great lakes. three inches. no big deal. we are looking, though, for a risk of strong storms making their way down to texas into the gulf coast. lots of sunshine along the eastern seaboard. heavy rain and icy weather conditions in the pacific north west. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. get off that. >> good morning. here we have a damp and chilly morning under way. quite a bit of fog lingers across parts of virginia and maryland this morning. watch out for that. should be dissipating by 10:00. and temperatures right now low to mid fourth. it is dam and chilly throughout much of the region. p above freezing most locations. later today into the low and mid 50s, sunshine breaks out. tomorrow sunny in the morning and few clouds in the afternoon, highs mid 40s. rain doesn't look like it will be moving in thursday, may linger i

and that's your latest weather, ann. >> thanks, al. we have two moms here putting on blue wigs to make sure we know about their kids. they're from texas. coming up, today's professionals. first, these messages. [ male announcer ] introducing a smart phone that knows the meaning of life.

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and dr. nancy snyderman. we have lots of topics. let's get to it. after weeks of answering questions or facing questions about his tax returns, why he wouldn't release them and what was in them mitt romney did it this morning. we have now seen his 2010 tax return and an estimate from 2011. does this matter what's in a candidate's tax return as long as it's not something illegal? >> honestly, he's a successful guy. guess what. he plays within the rules. that's the tax rate for a guy at that level. if you don't like the law that's one thing. we have to stop punishing this guy because he's successful. politics aside. >> i don't think that it should impact on whether or not you like him or not. i think it's a good way to highlight wealth, taxation and i inequality in the united states. i think it's going to impact more in the general election than a republican primary. >> i thought the big stumble was not owning it early on and talking about this is a

self-made man. i agree. neither he nor newt gingrich is poor. >> none of them are. >> these are wealthy men. it give use a chance to see the legality of the tax structure. they should have done it earlier. i have no issue with it. >> we have had wealthy and not wealthy presidents in the past. does it make a difference in terms of solving problems for the average citizen? >> jfk was the most populist president of our time. his family was the fifth wealthiest in the country when he was elected. >> if there is an opportunity to say i am a person of privilege -- >> did you empathize with jimmy carter because he was the son of a peanut farmer? >> it's not about him being poor or romney being wealthy. it's the ability to understand that other people suffer. you need to go into a grocery store now and then. >> he's been a successful guy. give him a round of applause for that. >> i think the swiss bank account. that's what i want to know about. >> to each his own. remember the couple in the uk who had a baby.

they refused to tell the baby's gender for five years. they revealed this week sasha is a little boy. they were raising him gender neutral. they released a video of the little boy saying it's silly to differentiate between boys and girls. >> when i heard about the story i thought it would be a baby born with ambiguous genitalia where you can't tell if it's a boy or a girl. doctors say raise the child neutral and the child will determine his or her own sexuality. then i found out the people knew what the kid's sex was and tried to play it down the middle. you can't fiddle with nature versus nurture that much. children will determine themselves. i think it's a silly experiment. >> one of my daughters would go, ew. >> i like that. >> this is a little boy. he talks about he likes to wear tutus. god bless. i have confided to you my tutu years but not to say what the kid is to the world is deviant.

>> this is about the parents and their angt project. this is not about the kid. in the best interest of the child let the child go out and be the boy he is. if he wants to hang with the girls, that's cool. but don't try to turn him into -- >> you can't. kids play as we talked about before. the boys blow things up and shoot guns. >> let the boy do what he wants. don't not acknowledge that he's a boy. >> joe paterno died at the age of 85. his son jay was on this morning talking about his dad's legacy. in light of what happened at penn state over the last couple of months with the jerry sandusky scandal and criticisms of joe paterno for perhaps not doing enough to put an end to it when he first heard about it, how do you think this will affect his legacy? >> matt, i believe that coach paterno when he said it was almost an -- factor to him.

he couldn't fathom a man having raped another man. i believe in his spirit and his background that may have occurred. i don't think a person's legacy is decided by one action or inaction. i think you look at a man's total life. >> people are harsh when they judge, donny. what do you think will happen? >> this was a great man by many standards. you talk to the people. he obviously made a very bad judgment call. it doesn't define his life. we have to be careful to separate a bad decision by any standard -- i don't care what age he is versus you can talk to thousands of people that played for him and said he molded me as a human being. so we can separate. >> yes. >> i think we are intelligent and broad enough to separate the two. >> one of the things that hit me is how quickly he became ill and died. when they said he had lung cancer i thought, is everyone

buying playing for time? then he went downhill fast. the idea that he lost the job he loved, the fact that he had cancer. >> the mind-body connection? >> i have no doubt that the stress of this may have pushed everything faster. >> bear bryant, legendary coach for alabama football died four weeks after he gave up the job. >> broken heart syndrome and turning on cancer faster. >> there is a lesson for an extreme case. so many people stop working and everything else falls apart. >> especially when it's taken from you. >> when the stanley cup champion boston bruins were at the white house yesterday for the photo op with the president so many championship teams get. their goalie, tim thomas decided not to attend. he released on facebook why. he said today i exercised my right as a free citizen, did not visit the white house. this was not about politics or party as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. this was about a choice i had to make as an individual. he opted out.

did he make a fair choice? >> well, first of all it's a free country. having said that it's the white house, the office of the president. i think what's so silly about what he did regardless of where you stand on politics, this is the greatest country in the world and i think you're going like this at this amazing institution. >> john boehner didn't go to an official dinner and i had the same reaction. this is not about the person who's there for four or eight years. this is the office of the presidency. it's just rude not to go. >> how about if you really feel there are situations going on in this country you want to talk about you have the ear of the president. use it as an opportunity -- >> well -- >> just a quick photo op here. >> i have to tell you. you get a minute, i get to chat with you for 30 seconds i'm going to do it. >> it's a team sport not individual. >> what an honor to go to the white house.

>> i wouldn't give him another invitation. >> i agree. >> let me end on this one. i love steven tyler. there is a disclaimer right off the bat. i like him. he's a good guy. i have had a lot of fun with him over the years. he was invited to sing the national anthem before the ravens/patriots game over the weekend. here's a clip. ♪ o'er the land of the free [ cheers and applause ] ♪ and the home -- >> i loved it. i loved it. >> you're also still wearing a cocktail dress. >> you loved it? >> i did. it was tyler. >> the reaction is mixed. >> i mean, he's not pavarotti but i love it. >> only eric clapton is an old rocker that should be singing the national anthem.

>> why is madonna playing the super bowl, nbc? >> stick to the subject. >> it is the subject. >> stick to the subject. >> do we get to see tyler back? >> steven tyler does not need to be screaming the national anthem. >> it's still the national anthem. it's his artistic interpretation. nancy liked it, so i like it. why can't we tal about madonna? >> we're out of time. star jones, donny deutsch, dr. nancy snyderman, thank you. up next, the oscar nominations and a delicious meal your family will love right after this. ♪ time don't wait ♪ the road is calling you, my friend ♪ [ male announcer ] this is big. new chicken mcbites from mcdonald's. juicy, poppable, premium chicken breast with homestyle seasoning. ♪ but they're only here for a limited time. ♪ new chicken mcbites. the simple joy of really big fun.

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kraft macaroni & cheese. you know you love it. today's kitchen is brought to you by kraft macaroni & cheese. you know you love it. >> back now at 8:21. this morning on today's kitchen, what's for dinner? a tasty winter meal. lydia bostionich has the recipe for roast pork shanks with barley risotto and for dessert, cheesecake. you're always so great. you're making us comfort foods and number three helping us work with a cheaper cut of meat to save money. >> absolutely. this is pork shank. veal shank and all kinds of shank. it is a great piece of meat. it's economical. the only thing i ask is when you go to the store they usually cut

them in half. so call and tell them to save you the whole shank. this is the whole shank with the bone. it's muscle meat, so just a little bit of salt and just a little bit of flower. shake off the excess flower and we'll brown it on this side just like this. you see all of the vegetables here. >> on the left here, carrots, garlic, onions over here on this side. >> right. the sage and rosemary. all of that goes in the roasting pan. it's wilted like that. we'll put the nice brown pork shank right in there. some wine. >> ooh. even more good news. does it matter? i know you use white here. >> good wine. whatever you would drink. don't use cooking wine, please. good stock and you put a little bit of foil paper over it, cover it and put it in the oven. it cooks for an hour and a half. you know, nice and roasted. >> i want to note that the water

level here is a good three-quarters of an inch from the bottom. >> you can always add on. you don't want it soupy or it would steam. you want it to roast. then you add liquid as you turn them. that's an important point. >> while that's in the oven you have a barley risotto. is that easier than regular risotto? >> see the ingredients? the barley, celery, onion, squash, cranberries and bay leaf. water and cook it well. at the end, just like a risotto, a little bit of butter and a little cheese. you just whip it up like that. >> looks beautiful. normally it takes a long time. this is not the problem. it's easy. >> put it in, let it simmer. in half an hour it's cooked. here are the roasted shanks. take out all of the vegetables. squeeze the juice right through

them. >> you're mashing. >> i actually want to collect a little bit of the vegetables themselves. this is the sauce. you put it back in just like that, coat the shanks and now you're ready for service. you put it back in the oven so it caramelizes. turn the shanks nice. this is how they look. come around here. >> oh, look at that. oh, boy. >> this is how the shank turns out. when the bone sticks out you know the meat is loosening up. it's easy. if it's hot take a towel and hold it. you just slice it like that. >> it's really beautiful. iplated it up. you layered that on top of the risotto. >> you can just put it on top of the barley risotto like that. >> beautiful. >> and a little bit of -- this

is the same juice that was on it? >> the same juice. you pull it separately. if you want it family style just put the barley underneath. slice the shank. you see how easy it is. the bone comes right out. >> it falls out. >> this is a delicious piece of meat. it's economical and fun. >> not only wine in the food, there's wine in the glass and cheesecake as well. >> absolutely. a little bit of ricotta cheesecake. very easy. eggs, sugar and ricotta, a little bit of cream. it's all set. and red wine. >> much more coming up including the oscar nominations after your local news.

8:26 is your time on this tuesday, january 24, 2012. good morning. i'm eun yang. let's check in with tom kierein to look at your forecast for the day. it is still a little bit foggy this morning. some heavy clouds, want to know if any rain is heading our way. tom is in the storm center. >> good morning. little sun is breaking through there in the live view from our sky watcher camera. city camera showing a little sun now just about to break through and still quite a bit of fog, though. across parts of northern virginia and maryland. fifth with shine. chillier

good morning. traveling on i-270, it is very foggy and i'm looking and i can definitely see delays. i want to warn you about this very slow. your delays start out of fred rick and continue slow trip as you head southbound towards the

spur. no accidents at this time. i-66 as well. delays continue to the beltway. your travel speed eastbound is 24 miles per hour. >> hard to see with all that fog. thank you. thank[ male announcer ] this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours...

everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ she might be green but she's certainly trained. >> she's a star. >> "smash" the monday after the super bowl on nbc. we're back now with more of "today" on a tuesday morning, 24th day of january in the year 2012. love is in the air. >> wow! he didn't even know her! >> they just met. that's okay. anyway, on a mild morning here in new york city it's beautiful. you know when it comes to the winter we have not had that much to complain about. >> no, we have not. >> not much snow so far. >> nothing. >> mr. roker joining us without

a coat. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and natalie morales. do you know what it is? it's a big morning for movie lovers. >> it is. >> in hollywood we'll hear the oscar nominations this morning. there have been so many great movies. that's from "the help." looking at the movie about marilyn. >> "my week with marilyn." >> "the descendants." >> "war horse". >> who's seen a great movie? >> no, i have kids. >> you have kids? did you see "hugo"? >> "red tails". >> not nominated but great. did you see "hugo"? how about "tin-tin"? >> what's going on? >> "star wars"? >> have you seen it? >> bits and pieces. >> the question is how many people have seen "the artist." a lot of people haven't seen it and certainly after it won the golden globes a lot of people, i think, wanting to see it. we'll see if it's nominated this

morning. >> one of my favorite actors in it, ed loufer. >> we have jill's steals & deals this morning. up to 80% off jewelry and vacation packages, plus important advice for women from a guy's perspective. jill could probably help with that. >> i don't think so. >> that's a colorful outfit. >> i like it. >> do you know what factors in to affecting your credit score? we'll tell you what's more important and how to help the ones that matter the most. >> lots to get to. star were don't you start by giving us a check of this mild weather? >> that's a good idea, stanley. all right. let's show you what's going on. we have some heavy rain making its way into the pacific northwest. and with icy conditions as well. risk of strong storms, texas, right on into louisiana.

plenty of sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard. some light snow showers around the great lakes. tomorrow that risk area moves to the east, bordering texas and louisiana. wet weather in the pacific northwest. continues with mountain snows and cascades and bitter root. we are looking at sunny skies. but going to be chilly tomorrow with plenty of sunshine. that cold air will stretch right across the great lakes and looking for a nice warm place to go. head down to florida and southeastern atlantic coast. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. it is cloudy, damp, chilly. there are a few breaks in the clouds. sunshine trying to break out. just to the south and east of the metro area. and southwest as well. we will have the temperatures that are now in the low and mid 40s with the patchy fog. beginning to climb to 40-degree temperatures. hit near 50 by noontime. then into the low and mid 50s this afternoon. fog should break up in another hour or so. after today, we will get chillier weather moving in tomorrow. maybe some rain on thursday and into

don't forget. you can get your weather any time day or night. go to weather channel. that's w-e-a-t-h-e-r channel. >> wow. >> thank you, al. coming up, this morning's oscar nominations. that's right after this. >> t-h-i-s.

we have our cheat sheets ready. it's an early morning in hollywood as nominations for the 84th academy awards are announced. in just a moment we'll go live to beverly hills. >> let's begin with the editorial director for the hollywood reporter. she joins us now. janice, good morning. >> good morning. >> first of all, remind us why the golden globes don't sway what we're going to hear from the academy even though it's been less than ten days. >> exactly. the balloting for oscar

nominations closes a week before the golden globes happen. so decisions were already made. they don't want any other award show influencing the academy too much in advance. >> remind our viewers who gets to vote for the academy awards. >> okay. so it's this big group of random people in hollywood. people have won an oscar are in the academy. people who have had distinguished careers in film can be in the academy. anyone they feel deserves it. it's a diverse group. i will make the point most of them are older. think the average age is over 60. it's a conservative group. you will see that probably influence some of the choices today. >> so they are people who love movies. love the history of the movies. would you be surprised though the golden globes don't have sway over the academy if "the artist" doesn't get a nomination or two? >> it would be a bombshell if "the artist" got snubbed. it will come down to "the

artist" versus martin scorcese's "hugo." they are love letters to hollywood. hollywood loves movies about hollywood obviously. that's movies pay respect to the legacy. >> last couple of years there have been ten nominees for best picture. we'll have between five and ten this year. >> what's that about? >> it's very confusing. basically the academy felt like some not worthy movies snuck in just to fill the quota. >> they are not letting that happen again, not on their watch. >> there is a crazy mathematical formula where to be on the list you have to be ranked number one by at least 5% of the academy. >> let's go out to the academy samuel goldwyn theater for the 84th academy award nominations. ♪ >> hello, everybody. good morning. welcome to the academy of motion

picture arts & sciences. i'm the president of the academy. this morning we will share the news we have all been waiting for. i'm very happy to be joined by one of last year's best actress nominees jennifer lawrence. [ applause ] >> thank you, tom. good morning, everyone. >> the 2011 nominees for best performance by an actress in a supporting role are -- berniece bejo from "the artist," jessica chastain in "the help," melissa mccarthy in "bridesmaids"er, janet mcteer and octavia spencer in "the help." >> the nominees for best actor in a supporting role are kenneth brannagh, "my week with

marilyn," jonah hill in "moneyball," chris f",," christ plummer, nick nolte and maux von sydow in "extremely loud & incredibly close." >> for leading actress. glenn close, viola davis, "the help," rooney mara in kwoez "the girl with the dragon tattoo, meryl streep and michelle williams in "my week with marilyn marilyn.". >> demian bechir, george clooney, jean dujardin, gary oldman and brad pitt. >> for best achievement in directing, "the artist,"

alexander payne, martin scorcese for "hugo," woody allen for "midnight in paris" and "the tree of life," terrence malick. >> best original screen play, michelle hazanavicius for "the artist," "bridesmaids," "margin call, woody allen, "midnight in paris" and a a sghar "a separation." >> "the descendants." john logan for "hugo," george clooney, grant hezlov and beau willimon for "the ides of march," "moneyball" and bridget o'connor and peter strong for

"tinker, tailor, soldier, spy". >> for best foreign language film, "bullhead," "footnote," in darkness," "monsiur lazhar" and "a separation". >> for best nominated films, "a cat in paris," "chico & rito," "kung fu panda 2," "puss in boots," and "rango." [ applause ] >> and finally, i'm pleased to announce that the film selected as best picture nominees for 2011 are "war horse," steven spielberg and kathleen kennedy, producers. "the artist," thomas langman,

producer. "moneyball," michael deluca and brad pitt, producers. "the descendants," jim burke, alexander payne and jim taylor, producers. "the tree of life," nominees to be determined. "midnight in paris," steven tennenbaum, "the help," chris columbus and michael barnathan, producers. "hugo," graham king and martin scorcese, producers. and "extremely loud & incredibly close." [ cheers ] >> scott rudin, producer. >> please join us february 26th when we celebrate the magic of the movies. thank you. thank you, jennifer. >> thank you. >> there you have it. starting off with best picture there were nine nominations. we said five to textbon. i counted nine. >> i believe i got nine as well. >> any surprises there?

>> i think a e pleasant surprise for steven spielberg whose "war horse" hasn't had as much awards action as he would have liked. "the tree of life" which is a small independent movie that did well, but a lot of people thought it was confusing, bizarre. the academy loved it. terrence malick did well. brad pitt is the big winner. he produced "the tree of life" and "moneyball." that's a testament to his power as an actor and producer. i think one of the big surprises in this is melissa mccarthy in "bridesmaids" for best supporting actress. i think we saw at the golden globes rick jy server vase said her character had diarrhea in a sink. it's not an academy film movie. >> another surprise might be gary oldman. he wasn't predicted. >> he was considered a long shot.

leonardo dicaprio for j. edgar didn't get a nomination neither did michael fasbender for "shame." that's an upset. >> we have a good looking best actor cat toir with brad pitt, george clooney, gary oldman, demian bechir. >> it won't be hard to watch the show. >> might be one of the best looking best actor categories ever. >> in history, yes. >> we talked about "the artist." big nominations. >> did they not get -- they were nominated for everything they were up for, i believe. it was a clean sweep. this is an incredible accomplishment for a silent movie. one where there are no named stars and a no-name actor. it captured the imagination of the academy in a big way. >> i think you did well with the cheat sheet. we appreciate that. nice job. again, we are now going to be joined by the cast from "the artist." they just had a big morning. with us from paris the film's

oscar nominated stars ber nas bejo and jean dujardin and the director and producer. >> i hope we didn't mess up the names too much. congratulations. what a day. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> what was the reaction in the room as you started to hear one nomination after another come through? [ cheers ] >> we were happy. very happy. >> michel, we didn't do a great job with your name. when you took the risk of making a black and white silent film did you ever expect you would be sitting on a sofa this morning and celebrating an oscar nomination? not in one category but for yourself in two. >> yeah. i did not expect something like

that. we made this film with passion and with our heart. we never thought it was possible to go so high with an oscar nomination. it's unexpected. it really was a small film. it's unbelievable. i think i'm the happiest director in the world today. it's a big surprise. >> jean and berenice, were there friends that thought you were crazy for taking on this role? >> crazy? i don't think so. but lucky. you know, most of the people said, wow, that's so unique, so special. you're so lucky to be able to do something like that, really. >> jean -- >> that's the way i feel now. very lucky. >> jean, do you want to weigh in?

[speaking french]. >> oh, yes. me, too. i'm crazy also. >> do you all think that based on the -- >> we're all happy to be here. >> do you think based on the chances that were taken in the making of the movie that it will cause some other producers and directors down the road to be a little bit more creative and take more chances in the movies they choose to do? >> well, i'm not sure. we don't have to say what should do the other ones. we took a chance because we believed in that movie. that's the movie we really want to make and to see if it can help other directors i would be very glad but it's not my mission. i just want to make movies. i don't know. i'm so happy today. >> congratulations again to all of you. you're all stars, but maybe one of the biggest stars of the movie joins us this morning.

we have uggy the dog also from "the artist." i want to know how you feel about all the attention. >> oh! >> after all, it is a silent movie. okay? >> how do you feel about the attention? what are your feelings? [ barking ] >> woof! woof! >> if i understand my dog he's also congratulating you on your many nominations. folks, the cast and producer and director of "the artist." congratulations again. >> congratulations. >> up next, we're going to talk to oscar nominee brad pitt. what a day he's having. first, this is "today" on nbc. here's a friendly reminder.

it's your last chance to get verizon's reliable high speed internet and phone for small business for only $84.99 a month. call 1.866.solutions now or visit verizon.com/solutions. only $84.99 for high-speed internet and phone. plus your choice of either no annual contract or a two year price guarantee. call 1.866.solutions or visit verizon.com/solutions today. hurry -- this offer won't last long. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006 back now with more of this morning's oscar nominations. brad pitt picked up a best actor

nod for his performance in "moneyball" and he now joins us by telephone from los angeles. good morning and congratulations. >> good morning. thank you very much. we're ecstatic over here. >> i imagine you are being nominated as a producer as well as an a actor for "moneyball." how much does this mean? how vested were you in this movie and maybe that could be an indicator of how much these nominations mean to you. >> it means so much considering this film was just dead on the rocks two years ago. it took a lot of people, a lot of artisans and craftsmen to get it to the screen. it's a great honor and a real tribute to billy bean and the oakland a's organization. we're happy. i'm so happy for jonah hill, i can't tell you. >> nominated as best supporting actor. we have spoken in oakland a while back, brad. you talked about this is not a conventional movie. it's about economics and saber metrics and batting averages. you believe a good story would sell.

boy, have you been prove en rig. >> at the heart of it is the story of value. what are we worth? what's our personal worth to each other? i'm so happy that's resonated. i have to tell you. i'm doubly happy "the tree of life" made it in there. we thought we were all but forgotten. just excited for terry malick. >> you must be excited for george clooney. i was wondering if he called yet to congratulate you. >> not yet. i'm sure we'll be exchanging good words later. >> this is obviously a dear friend of yours. will it be strange to sit there in the theater wondering if one of your names will be read? >> >> absolutely not. it's more fun to have a friend there. no one does it better than george. give him all the trophies. when you run out, make new ones and give him those, too. >> if you had to pick would you rather win as actor or producer?

>> i could not pick. i'm so happy both films were recognized. "the tree of life" was just as difficult to get made. it will be pancakes for everyone this morning. >> the nominations say a lot about your power as an actor and producer and a force in hollywood. congratulations on a great day, brad. >> thank you so much. nice talking to you. >> nice talking to you, too. thanks for joining us. by the way, the 84th academy awards will be handed out on sunday, february 26th. we'll be watching. back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, does checking your credit score really lower it? we'll separate fact from fiction. >> also this morning, jill martin is here with a new batch of steals & deals, discounts on everything from jewelry to a vacation? >> did you burn yourself? >> right after your local news. 8:56 is your time now on this tuesday, january 24, 2012. is the sun peeking out yet? >> yes. the sky beginning to brighten. few shafts of sun line pouring down on washington. still lingering fog across parts of virginia.

and into maryland this morning. temperatures are dam and chilly. just in the upper 30s and low and mid 40s, much of the region now and later today, though, sun breaks out, climb into the 50s. and then tomorrow, increasing clouds and in the fours 40s, rain thursday into friday. >> thanks so much, tom. a quick break now i just had it with cable. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best.

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good morning. big problems. outer loop of the beltway. let's start on prince george's county. had an accident at bw parkway. not out of the roadway but you are still jammed at 214 central avenue. those delays continue as you head to bw parkway. now into montgomery county, slow and hitting the brakes even at new hampshire avenue and these delays continue to georgia avenue. right now your travel speed is 22 miles per hour. very slow. >> danella, thank you. more news, weather and traffic for you in just 25 minutes. for now, back to the "today" show after this short break.

the 2011 nominees for best performance by an actress in a supporting role are -- berenice bejo in "the artist," jessica chastain in "the help," melissa mccarthy in "bridesmaids," janet mcteer and octavia spencer in "the help." >> we're back with more of "today" on january 24, 2012. those were the oscar nominees for best supporting actress. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and savannah guthrie. we'll update you on all the nominees in a moment. first to shriek one out in the studio when the names went out

because janet mcteer is here with us in studio. congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> this is your second nomination. does it get old? >> it really doesn't. very exciting. i'm downplaying it because otherwise i would be shrieking. jumping up and down. >> what was the emotion when you heard your name? this was a labor of love for glenn close. it's a role that's outside the box. to hear your name -- >> that was delightful. to hear glenn's was incredible. she has championed this for a long time. i'm just so excited for her. it's wonderful. >> is it goes without saying this was such a challenge. you obviously had to transform yourself into another gender for this role. i imagine it was intimidating to take on. >> yes. it was mostly intimidating because i was trying to play an irish fellow in front of a bunch of irish men. i found it really scary. i kept my hands in my pockets. >> the movie is about women who

dress up as men at a time when women were not able to work in the working world as men were. so they created opportunity for themselves by dressing up as men to work. >> yes. >> there is more to it than that obviously. >> there is a little bit of a back story, especially with glenn's character in this. >> yes. >> a movie like this is going to get attention because of these nominations. is that something that's the silver lining in this? >> yes, the silver lining, the gold lining, everything. it's fantastic. you know, somebody once said that if you make something vaguely artistic it's to find the sorriness in the grandeur and the grandeur in the sorriness. it's about little people with big hearts. >> it's thrilling to have you in the studio as it all unfolds. >> thank you very much. >> you can go squeal any time.

>> can i? >> we should mention that your fellow nominee glenn close will be with us tomorrow morning. >> yes. >> here on "today." let's go to natalie at the news desk for a check on the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. we begin this morning with another body found in the cruise ship that ran aground off italy raising the death toll there to 16. nbc's michelle kosinski is on giglio island where work at the crash site is entering a new phase. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. as we speak they are getting ready to remove the fuel even as divers just recovered another victim and the number of missing keeps rising. now at 23. so why don't we see hundreds of searchers all over every inch of the ship? they say really they have been through most of it. the problem is the dark cluttered spaces under water. even from high above you see something unusual in the water. there, a table, furniture pulled

out by divers who have been going in through holes they have blasted. a system of caves just as dangerous. they wrangle heavy items with hooks, pull out endless lengths of waterlogged rope. inside find rooms jammed full of chairs. this is what they must feel their way through looking for a sign of the missing. other areas are completely submerged with debris scattered everywhere. this is why it takes so long. divers say at times they can't see their hands in front of them, get bumped by objects floating by and must now bear a nearly overpowering stench of tons of food rotting in the ship's kitchen. air described as unbreathable. working late into the night. [ speaking italian ] >> translator: you have to watch for objects falling on you. we have the same situation in the kitchen area where there are lots of appliances. >> reporter: but they make

progress. yesterday recovered the bodies of two women near the internet cafe. one italian on her honeymoon who was wearing a life jacket but couldn't swim. it's been a problem knowing how many are missing. only around half of those found have been identified. it now appears claims which said at least one was a stowaway were unfounded. now while the grim work goes on for those believed still inside their families always waiting,  it is time to try to prevent another disaster of an oil spill. >> we are ready to go. we are ready to start working. >> reporter: another daunting task, pumping out half a million gallons from enormous tanks finally begins today. it will take a month and a half. they hope on saturday to actually drill into the fuel tanks, pump it out and then pump in sea water so the ship which

for now appears stable will stay that way. natalie? >> michelle kosinski on giglio island this morning. thank you. at least four separate car bombings across the iraqi capital this morning left 14 dead and dozens wounded. violence surged since the u.s. military withdrawal last month with more than 170 people killed since the beginning of the year. the red cross is helping survivors of at least two tornadoes that touched down monday in the heart of alabama. two people were killed. more than 1 i00 injured and hom damaged or destroyed. volunteers are trying to help 39 whales stranded on a beach. the whales got confused in a stretch of ocean where the water suddenly turned shallow. and martin scorcese's "hugo" leads the list of nominees for the oscars. it's up for best picture along with "the descendants,"

"moneyball," artist, "extremely loud & incredibly close" and "the help." best actor are george clooney, jean dujardin band brad pitt. the best actor are glenn close, michelle williams, meryl streep, rooney mara and viola davis. time to catch up on the movies you didn't see. >> we have to see the ones on the list. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? >> i'm all caught up. >> every one? >> pretty much. i have a lot of time on my hands hands. we show you what's happening. we have two areas of rough weather to auction about. down south, texas, we are looking at isolated tornado. damaging winds. large hail. and a lot of rain. could be flooding from dallas up to oklahoma city. and anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain. outs to the pacific northwest, another storm comes in and bringing strong winds and flash flood watches in effect. it is going to be a mess along the coast. anywhere from 1 to 3 inches from

eureka to parts of seattle. and inland sections are going to be looking at anywhere from 1 to 2 feet of snow in the mountains there. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> tom kierein in storm center 4. past 9:00. now and the cloud cover beginning to break up a little bit around the region, sun trying to break through. still patchy lingering dense fog north and west of washington. and that's going to stay with us for another hour or so. temperatures right now are still holding steady in the mid 40s around the metro area. and the -- going to be climbing into the mid 50s by later this afternoon with more sun breaking out. then increasing clouds tomorrow and cooler. could get rain on thursday. mainly afternoon and evening through midday friday, and dry and turning colder for the ates weather. savannah? ♪ today's money is brought to you by bank of america. >> al, thank you. this morning on today's money, credit score myths. a bad score could mean anything from higher interest rates to a denial of a loan.

personal finance expert and host of financially fit on yahoo recently wrote about credit score confusion. good morning to you, farnoush. >> good morning. >> everyone thinks they know what a credit score is but what goes into it? >> it's a number between 300 and 850. it's what lenders look at to determine how good of a borrower you are. right now with interest rates so low i think a lot of people should be looking at their scores and figuring out how to raise this to qualify for the best interest rates out there. >> there are a lot of myths. you hear folk tales about what raises or lowers the credit score. let's take them one by one. first you say there is a myth that closing the card after you pay off a big debt is a good thing to do. >> it feels good to close the account. but the fact is when you close a credit card account you effectively eliminate the credit limit on that card.

effectively that raises what's known as your credit utilization equal to all of the balances on all cards divide bid the total limits on your cards. fica, the grand daddy of scoring likes to see a low utilization. i would recommend when you get rid of the debt keep the accounts open, especially if they have large limits and use the cards lightly. they say people with the best credit scores in this country have low utilization of 10% or less. >> bottom line, lenders want to see that you have a lot of credit available to you but you don't use it much. >> exactly. >> the next myth is that your employment history impacts your score. >> yeah. this gets confusing. we hear about employers potentially looking at your credit and keep in mind they are only looking at the credit report, not your score. your employment history, in fact, has no impact on your credit score. that said, if you're applying for a mortgage or car loan or

any credit card, having a job helps. the lender likes to see you have steady income. as far as your score, not affected. >> our next myth financing a big purchase like a new home or car is bad for your score. >> you would think because you are taking on debt it could lower your score. if you're taking on more debt whether it's another credit card or a car loan as long as you're managing it responsibly and well that's good for your score. in fact, fico likes to see you are able to manage responsibly a variety of credit. >> people suspect the older you are the better your score is or maybe it's because older folks have better scores. >> that's because the length of your credit history does matter. but your age in and of itself does not. the advice is to establish credit early so in the next 10, 15 years you would have good credit. >> if you check your score a lot, that actually lowers the score? where does this come from. >> when credit card companies check our score and if they do a lot of checking in a short

period of time that's a hard inquiry and could potentially lower your score. if you check your score, no impact. in fact, i encourage people to check regularly, especially if you are in the market for a loan. >> if you were going to buy a house and you were trying to get competing lending that doesn't count as multiple checks, correct? >> as long as you have all the lenders checking within a short period of time it's about 45 days. it's considered one hard inquiry as opposed to five or six. it does little to damage your score. >> let's leave everybody with tips. the first comes out of the last question. you should check your credit report. >> your score is based on information on your credit report. get this. one in four credit reports has a mistake. a mistake serious enough to prevent you from qualifying for a loan. check your report. you can do it annually for free at annualcreditreport.com. if you find a mistake tell the lender and the credit reporting

agency. >> you say to fus on new debt first, not the old debt that's gone to collections. >> right. if you have an old debt in collections, the damage is done. fico likes to see you managing the new debt responsibly and actively. if you have new bills address them first. the old bills last. >> the last tip is my favorite. ask your credit card company to raise your limit. >> yes. this is a sure and fast way to raise your score if you have been managing your debt responsibly and you have good credit. call your company to raise your limit. that, again, will lower your credit utilization and boost your score. >> raise the limit but don't spend up to the limit. that defeat it is purpose. >> this is not to get into debt. just for credit score purposes. thank you. still to come, movies have the oscars. dave z david zinczenko is here for the food awards. up next, jill martin has another edition of steals & deals. deep discounts on everything

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this morning more of our very popular series jill's steals and deals. companies with everything from jewelry to vacations at deeply discounted prices. up to 80% off exclusively for you, our "today" viewers. jill martin is here to take us through the amazing offers. good morning. >> good morning. >> will these ship quickly? >> yeah. all of these ship within two to three weeks. check the shipping. we have been getting questions. we link you to the retailer website and today up to 80% off. there is a ski trip at the end. >> fantastic. there are good ones today. as always. let's start first with jewelry, always a hit. we have a line by nichelle offering three designs in different colors here. lots of options. tell us about it.

>> the retail is $225. the circle pendant, the oval pendant and the teardrop pendant. different variations of each. all come in a 14 carat gold filled cable chain. fans include jessica simpson, miley cyrus and sheryl crow. check on the website. the deal is $45. that's 80% off. >> wow. fantastic. >> a great statement necklace. >> you could get it around valentine's day. excellent timing. over here to the yo gis out here we have a great yoga mat with bag by cataland. >> this is fabulous. $144 is the retail. it include it is carry-all. you can pick the different variations. and the yofoam mat which is perfect for travel. >> it folds.

>> if you look on the floor you see it full size. it folds up into a book size that can fit into gym bags, backpacks. let me show you what it folds into. folds into this. comes in a carry-all case and comes with this bag. >> when you're on the road you can get the workout in, the yoga in. >> namaste. real simple magazine featured it and said it's "oh-mazing." the deal is $43. that's 7700% off. >> our "today" viewers love beauty products. you have delivered. this is five products by nip & fab deal. i guess this will fix anything. right? >> fix everything in less than five minutes. the retail is $74.75. it includes the frown fix, the brand's number one best seller, a night cream, dry leg fix which

softens and adds shine, the cellulite fix -- a gel that helps sculpt the body and the tummy fix. jessica alba, mila kunis. the retail is $74.75. the deal is $22.50 or 70% off. >> the celebrities don't need to fix anything but it's working. >> they are big fans. >> over to a towel collection. this is by pure fiber. they are so soft. great color. >> they're like velvet. three-piece towel set retails for $52. made from bamboo yarn. >> the bamboo makes it soft. >> one bath towel, hand towel, wash cloth. available in 12 colors. they are odor resistant. retail is $52. the deal is $15.50. that's 70% off. again, we feel them. very soft. >> nice. >> finally, we are so excited to go on vacation together.

we're going to crested butte, colorado, for a vacation package at the elevation hotel and spa in crested butte. >> i put my hat on here. retail is $1,366. let's start with winter here. we'll show you a little bit. ski in, ski out resort. three nights in a king mountain valley room. two two-day lift tickets and two tickets to the adventure park and a $30 spa credit. that's you going down the slopes there, natalie. >> i wish. >> if you want to go in summer that's an option. there are three nights, two two-day all day hike and bike lift tickets, two two-day adventure park tickets, food and beverage credit, a $30 spa credit. retail for both is $1,356. the deal -- here's the deal. $659. that's 51% off. i'm sure -- >> i wish i were there now.

looks great. >> great being here with you. >> amazing steals & deals as always. thank you. the products are jewelry, the yoga package, the beauty collection, pure fiber three-piece towel set and the vacation package at the elevation hotel in crested butte, colorado from icoupononline.com. if you have questions about the products tweet jill@today show with the hash tag steals & deals. do you answer them? >> as many as i can. >> pick up this week's edition of "us weekly." up next a royal island escape. we'll look at the exclusive caribbean resort where prince william is expected to meet up with the duchess of cambridge and his in-laws after this. ♪ ♪

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coming up, the supermarket food awards. >> david zinczenko is here with his nominees for best nechoicest the supermarket. bringing a rich, warm tenderness to your peas. ohhh! it's i can't believe it's not butter! fresh butter taste with 70% less saturated fat than butter go ahead. cheat on butter. you naughty thing. i've discovered gold. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol... the gold standard in anti-aging. clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. nothing's better than gold. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. the best in nutrition... just got better. now with even more of the vitamins your body needs.

like vitamin d. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. the better egg. 9:26 is your time on this tuesday, january 24, 2012. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. let's go to storm 4 meat meet tom kierein for a look at your forecast. it looks like the sun is back out, tom. >> yeah. lot of the cloud cover beginning to break up around the region. we still have some patchy dense fog. just to the southwest and west and northwest of washington, temperatures are hovering near 40 degrees. elsewhere with the sun breaking up or hitting the mid and upper 40s and it will continue to climb into the 50s later today with increasing sunshine. clear tonight and down to 30 by dawn tomorrow. then on wednesday, increasing clouds. highs mid 40s. looks like rain possible thursday into thursday night. perhaps through friday and dry for the weekend and colder. >> all right, tom. thanks so much.

we will take a quick break and a check of traffic when we come back.

good morning.

two-car crash takes up the left side of the roadway. traveling 395 northbound, across the 14th street bridge. two right lanes are a able to get by. you are very slow. 22 miles per hour. delays start at the

i was wondering if you would care to come out for a walk. >> pardon me? >> i'm off duty at three tomorrow and if you're not engaged -- >> engaged? >> will the sixth time be the charm? that's glenn close playing a woman whose passing for a man to worg and survive in 19th century ireland. it's netted her a best actress nomination, her sixth oscar nod and she hasn't won yet. >> wow. >> hard to believe. >> "fatal attraction" really, she didn't? >> we'll talk to her tomorrow.

>> she's way overdue. that's for sure. coming up, where does a royal go for a getaway? we'll tell you about the exclusive resort kate middleton jetted off to with her sister pippa and parents in tow. prince william eected any day now. not everyone on the island is necessarily happy about it. >> we knew prince albert was in a can. >> all right. also ahead, when you're dating don't you wish you could get inside a guy's head, find out what he's really thinking? not just dating. when you're married. >> just for any purpose. we'll get dating advice from jake, the author of glamour magazine's long-running dating advice column written from the male perspective. jake is anonymous. we'll get inside his head today. >> will we see him? >> no. but we'll hear from him. >> how's that for a tease? >> it is awards season. eat this not that author david zinczenko is here with the leading nominees for the best for your diet supermarket

choices. what are you calling them, dave? what's the name? >> "eat this not that" awards. >> that's catchy. nice. >> how about the supermarketies. >> the superies. >> he'll have something catchy. >> it will be hard to top gluten-free willy. >> there were other doozies. >> i'm sure he has a million one-liners as always. >> and you have a check of the weather for >> you have a check of the weather. >> absolutely. we have heavy rain in the pacific north west. windy conditions, mountain snows. risk of strong storms. central and southern texas. and sunny skies here in the northeast with temperatures getting warmer than usual. for tomorrow, we are looking at a strong storm. from texas on into louisiana. wet weather into the mid mississippi river valley. more rain in the pacific northwest. shine returns. it is going to be cold in new england. colder than usual. and mild conditions through the southwestern parts of the country on into southern california. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your

neck of the woods. >> good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. some sunshine now beginning to break out. and we still have a little bit of lingering fog southwest and northwest of washington where it is still hovering around 40 degree where the fog remains. that fog should break up and the sunshine continuing to break out around the region this morning. sunny afternoon. highs climbing into the 50s. then tomorrow increasing clouds, highs 40s. could get rain on thursday and mainly afternoon and evening perhaps into friday midday. then drying out after that into the weekend. turning colder sunday into weather. we want to say hello to lauren lee, the latest contestant to get booted off the ranch on nbc's hit show "the biggest loser." good morning. >> good morning. >> you started at 246 pounds and lost 16 on the ranch? >> yes, i did. >> obviously you kept going. >> i have. >> you look terrific. how much? >> i have lost 56 pounds. >> congratulations. >> good for you. >> it was a shocker when you got voted off. >> it was. >> your weight loss wasn't the

least of everybody. what happened there? you seemed genuinely surprised. >> i was surprised. i guess my team decided i could do it at home. they believed in me more than i could believe in myself. >> turns out they were right. >> they were right. >> in fact, you just completed a half marathon. >> i did a couple weeks ago. >> you're an athlete at heart. when you put on the weight was it hard to see yourself go that way? >> yeah. it was hard to see myself as big as i was. i always knew myself as an athlete. >> you're getting it back. >> i am. >> how have you been staying fit since you left the ranch besides running marathons? >> i love running. every chance i'm out there on the streets just running. i hit the gym a couple hours a day. going strong. >> that's great. >> your life changed. >> it's a whirlwind. i have a different view on life now. it's more positive and happy. >> that's terrific.

congratulations. >> good luck with the at-home prize. >> we want to let folks know "the biggest loser" airs tonight at 8:00/7:00 central on nbc. >> coming up next, even royals need a winter break. a look at the island paradise where kate awaits the arrival of her prince william and they are going on a caribbean getaway. >> why was that so hard to get through? unclear. after these messages. as a researcher, i refer to her as "that woman with the great gums." because great gums are a foundation of a healthy smile. so she uses crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most. crest pro-health clinical gum protection. because healthy smiles are built on healthy gums. life opens up when you do.

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break? the former kate middleton and her family are now enjoying the warmth of an island paradise. prince william is expected any day now. nbc's stephanie gosk is in london with details. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. you know, britain in january is rough. it's cold, dark. it's kind of like living in a cave. for those that don't like it there's just one choice -- escape. that's exactly what the royal couple has decided to do. winter in wales. william and kate's blustery home in anglesy. you can't blame them for exchanging that island for this one. privately owned mustique combines raw beauty, both the island's website with elegant accommodation. elegant and expensive. the aurora villa where princess kate and her family are staying costs more than $23,000 a week. prince william wrapping up his royal air force duties is expected to arrive any day now.

mustique is a middleton family favorite. prince william joined them there before. >> it's somewhere they can get away from the limelight and have no one spying on them. >> reporter: the allure of exclusive privacy has attracted the rich and famous for decades. princess margaret in the '70s. mick jagger in the '80s. the island is used to celebrity and fending off the paparazzi that want a peek and a picture. but even for mustique, a visit from the duke and duchess of cambridge requires special consideration. >> the fact that pictures of them together will generate huge amounts of interest globally draws with it that huge cash ticket. >> reporter: a snap of pippa middleton may get just as much attention. these were grabbed in 2006 after her big splash at the wedding the younger sister is now constantly hounded by cameras. island management has added new restrictions, even for its other guests.

they won't be able to roam freely. the normally rented golf carts have to stay in the garage. if the extra security holds, the royal couple will have their first real chance at a vacation since the honeymoon last spring at another island getaway in the seychelles. >> they will have a chance to relax. that's what the whole holiday is about. being on lounges by the pool and not having the press looking on. >> reporter: when they get back the royal duties are piling up. prince william heads to the falkland islands with the royal air force. the queen's jubilee begins in the spring and the olympics are six months away. they better rest up, natalie. >> need lots of relaxation. stephanie gosk, thank you so much. up next from the pages of glamour magazine dating advice for women from the man's perspective. still ahead, "eat this not that"'s david zinczenko is here with his version of the oscar awards for supermarket foods

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♪ on today's relationships, the male perspective. jake is the longest running dating advice column in america. the authors have changed but the advice is timeless. there is a new book from jake called "always hit on the wingman" and nine secret rules for getting the love life you want. cindy, good morning. >> good morning. >> we have to put him in silhouette if jake were here. >> he's fully anonymous. always has been. >> p this this is a long-runnin column. does the advice stand the test

of time? >> the column started in 1956. some things are clearly outdated like references to white gloves but the basic advice men have been giving women is be yourself. be a little bit more confident in a relationship than you would naturally be. >> before we get to jake's advice let's find out more about jake. what's the profile? he's got to be single. >> he's got to be single. once he's serious with a woman, sorry, we have to fire him. he should be writing about what's going on in the mind of a man who's out there dating. >> we have a new jake that writes for glamour. the jake that wrote the book is married now to -- >> orange blossom, a reader of the column. while he was writing he fell in love, dated and broke up with, much to the dismay of readers orange blossom who he nicknamed because of her perfume. they are now happily married. >> i love that. jake says to get your flirt on

even in a relationship. be flirting all around. >> yeah. listen, within reason. if you have a partner who will have a problem with it, maybe hold back a little bit. his advice is essentially always hit on the wingman. you're in a situation where there is a guy you want to talk to. that can be intimidating. flirt with the guy he's with with. it's the same principle of you have the best job interview for the job you really don't want. this is a dream job interview with the recruiter for the job you do want standing over your shoulder watching. be more relaxed. >> it also exudes confidence which moves into the next tip which is love your body. >> this is a message that's come up decade after decade from jakes. men love women's bodies, period. they like big ones, small ones, doesn't matter. every time you complain about how you look or point out a flaw you're telling him he's wrong to enjoy you. don't do that. >> he's saying to be confident in yourself.

don't be constantly reminding your significant other of our imperfections. >> no reason to do it. >> save it for your girlfriends. and embrace your feminine side. >> there is a trend of women feeling like i have to be one of the guys, completely up on sports, know about the inside fly rule. do all the things guys do. great if you are into it, go for it. don't feel you have to understand or know all about a man's interests. he wants to talk to you about it and have you interested. you don't have to know the details. the message from jake is to yourself. men like women who like sports, women who don't like sports. they just like women. >> jake says to keep your options open. if you ever dating don't rush into being exclusive. >> he says women should start dating other people longer than they think they should. out sounds counterintuitive. you find the one you're so relieved to settle down. he says unless you are 100% sure

this guy is giving you everything you want and need in a long term relationship why close yourself off to every other guy out there? if you prioritize your needs a guy respects them as well. >> and he said to beware of the buddy trap mixing romance and friendship. >> friendship is the basis for a good long term marriage but you have to keep some things private; some things to yourself. keep your own interests. be your own person. >> keep the mystery alive. cindy leive from glamour, thank you. up next from ice cream to energy bars, "eat this, not that!" supermarket award winners. dave, stand right there. where is he running? we don't know. we'll find out. this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "eat this, not that!" the envelope please! supermarket food award winners, the excitement is building. author david zinczenko, author

of the all new "eat this, not that supermarket survival guide" has the best items on your store shelves. good to see you. >> you, too. >> you have three nominees in each category, all good. >> all deserving performances. >> there can only be one winner. breakfast cereals. >> you have shredded wheat. fiber one and kashi go lean. all good. all good. >> but -- >> the oscar is going to go lean. >> you can't call it the oscar. they will sue us. >> the eating, the a-lister, the show-stopper. here's why. this 140 calorie breakfast has the protein of two eggs and the fiber of two and a half bowls of oatmeal. >> wow. >> that's what you need. you need high fiber, low sugar. but if you can get protein of a hamburger. >> very impressive.

>> that's a winner. >> that's the money baller. >> all right. dessert. >> okay. so we have the turkey hill banana split, edy's french silk and oreo cookies & cream blast from breyers. >> why does this win? >> this is "the help" of decadent desserts. >> as long as it's not the pie. >> 130 calories, five grams of fat. a bunch of ice creams have over 300 calories and 75% saturated fat. this has 15%. this is why it wins. >> all righty. now yogurt used to have the easy names. now they're hard to pronounce. >> all you need to pronounce is greek. if you can get greek yogurt, greece is the word. greek, greek. you don't need a waistline bailout. >> i set you up for it. >> you like oikos and chobani.

>> but the fage. this has high protein, low calories, calcium and potassium. >> oh. now protein bars, snack, energy bars, very popular. i have had all three and they're terrific. >> you love the kind bar. >> i do. >> you're right. this is the ryan gosling of energy bars. >> this bar will lift me up. >> yes. i saw it. that was quite a moment. that was a showstopper. >> yeah. >> it's a perfect portion size. it's only got 210 calories, ten grams of protein. who needs a steak. >> the cliff and lara bar also good. >> i'm going with kind. if you want to get through the third hour of thank yous. >> or the fourth hour of "today." >> and go up on stage and kiss

halle berry. >> sorry. >> sorry to disappoint. and beverages, iced teas. >> yeah. >> you lost david completely. threw him off. >> honest. this thing is 34 calories, zero grams of famit, ten grams of sugar. >> david zinczenko, it's an honor being nominated. >> thank you. >> coming up, kathie lee and hoda talk to kathryn higeigl abt her "plum" of a role after your local news and weather.

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good morning. 9:57. tuesday, january 24. i'm barbara harrison. looks like we are getting sun peeking out there. let's talk to tom kierein about our forecast. tom, good morning. >> good morning. lot of the fog is beginning to break up now across virginia and maryland. and there are still a few low clouds over washington but breaks in the clouds. shine. live view from the city camera. later today increasing and unhighs reaching the 50s. tomorrow increasing clouds.

highs in the 40s. could get rain on thursday, mainly during the afternoon and evening. then linger through midday friday and then drying out and getting colder for the weekend. danella, how is traffic? >> 395 northbound, had an accident at the 14th street bridge, was taking up the left side of the roadway. it is clear but you are still seeing delays now, 19 miles per hour. and if you are traveling on i-270 much better view. you have been battling fog and congestion all morning. i can say the fog is lifting some. we still see it but no delays as you head to the spur. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, danella. coming up on "news4 midday," packing the family up for trips can be tough. the one item that will make sure the one item that will make sure your trip is a

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, everybody. so glad you're with us for booze day tuesday. >> january 24th. >> big day. >> especially out in hollywood and all things the movies. >> yes. everything kind of stops around 8:35, 8:36 when they make the big announcement for oscars. i can only imagine if you're somebody who either made a movie or was in a movie, how agonizing that must be watching those names pop up.

>> you hear people say i was asleep, my phone rang -- >> no. >> liar! >> that is not true. one of the big shockers to everybody on this deal, we'll go through all the names but how about melissa mccarthy for "bridesmaids." >> best supporting actress nomination. >> do you remember what she did in that movie? >> yes, i do. >> all kinds of wacky things. do you remember there was a scene of her on the sink? there it is. >> she was having a rough night. >> she's very, very funny. everybody loves her who meets her. everyone. >> it's hard ply meryl streep a "the iron lady" but they're not in the same category so she may win. everybody agrees comedy is more difficult to do than the drama. >> it seemed like a surprise, jonah hill getting best supporting actor. >> he's good. if he goals up there to make a speech he will look nothing like the character in that movie.

he's lost half his bodwy di weight. >> brad pitt did a phone interview with matt and ann, and the first thing he said was i'm so happy for jonah hill, after all the accolades brad pitt got. >> he's been in the rodeo before. jonah's first trip. >> he's a sweetheart. always thinking about everybody else. best actor nominees are -- >> go ahead, hoda. >> i'm waiting to see them. demian bichi, "a better life," george clooney, "the descendants," jean dujardin, "the artist," gary oldman, "tinker tailor soldier spy" story, and brad pitt for "moneyball." >> yeah. best actress is glenn close in "albert nobbs." haven't seen that yet. viola davis and "the help." rooney mara, "the girl with the dragon tattoo." i think the mara family is having an excellent week. >> i would have to say you're right. >> except for mrs. mara, who fell the other day and hurt her shoulder. our prayers for her. meryl streep, "the iron lady," which you've seen several times,

hoda woman. michelle williams, i'm dying to see this, "my week with marilyn." >> i've seen most of those movies. meryl streep as margaret thatcher, i don't know how anyone can even touch her because, one, you look at her and -- look. >> i know. >> she is margaret thatcher in this movie. this is i think the only nomination for that movie, but -- >> all it needed. >> yeah. she is great. >> best supporting actor, kenneth branagh, "my week with marilyn," nick nolte, "warrior." >> what is that? >> i don't know. >> christopher plummer in "beginners, "excellent in that. >> and max von sydow in "extremely loud & incredibly close." he did not say a word at all in that movie. a lot of silent movie stuff. >> brilliant in it, though. excellent. supporting actress, berenic berenice bejo in "the artist." jessica which is a chain in "the help." melissa. >> remember that image.

>> and janet mcteer in "albert nobbs" and octavia spencer in "the help." the one that got the most is "hugo." >> oh, my gosh. >> "hugo" had 11 nominations. and "the artist" got ten. >> wow. >> so, yeah, people will be looking at these movies again. i tried to watch "hugo," but i had -- it's meant to be seen in 3d -- >> yeah. >> i couldn't watch it on regular tv. >> best picture, the nominees, "the artist," the silent film everybody's talking about, "the descendants," "extremely loud & incredibly close" -- when that name was announced everybody gasped. >> i know. nobody -- yeah. nobody expected that at all. >> "the help" and there's "hugo." if you haven't seen the movies -- oh, "midnight in paris." i forgot. >> enjoyed that. "the tree of life," which i didn't care for. it lost me. and war hor""war horse", "-- evh

my mom is 82, there's a huge amount of people in this world who -- hollywood doesn't automatically think about let's make a movie for those folks, you know? she's been to see that film three times already and also went to the broadway show and loved it so much. there's an awful lot of people who long for those epic sweeping beautifully david lee kind of movies that spielberg does so well. >> sort of what you expect at the oscars, something bigger than life, something like that. >> these movies are all over the place in terms of their tone and subject matter. that's kind of why i like the golden globes in the sense that, you know, you get the comedy, the musical -- >> yep. >> because there's no way you can compare "bridesmaids" with "the artist." >> right. >> you know? just not happening. >> what is this? >> oscar sweet treats. >> what's this? >> oh a couple -- >> is this a drink? >> i don't know why we have that.

accepted it on behalf of my party. >> is it beer or wine? [ inaudible ]. >> we don't drink beer. >> we don't want to discriminate against beer. >> that doesn't look like beer. this isn't beer. look at these cool -- >> look at that cute little -- oh, and a beer mug an homage to beer that's really wine. we should have longer production meetings in the morning. we should actually maybe talk about what we're going to do on the show. that would be good. maybe once. you all right? >> mm-hmm. >> you're fine. hoda's fine. don't worry. >> by the way, we'll -- okay. so these are the oscar -- take a peek and see if you can see them all. someone has made -- it's oscar cookies. >> again, we should have had a longer production movie. eleny's oscar cookies. you know who's missing on that? >> who? >> three and they got completely

snuffed. clint eastwood is missing on that for directing "j. edgar." leonardo dicaprio and -- >> "j. edgar" got left out. why? >> i don't know. i enjoyed the movie very, very much. i found it to be fascinating. but, you know, and leonardo, i'm stunned he didn't get one. >> i am, too. i thought he was terrific. here's what's interesting. we talked yesterday about heidi klum and seal splitting up, and we'll hear from seal in just a second. but there was an interesting article in "usa today" about seal and heidi but more about couples that show a lot of public displays of affection. they usually -- that looks like a great thing, you look over and say, oh. >> on the red carpet mostly. >> renewing their vows. a lot of public love. >> they had an interesting take on that. >> they think it's a red flag. if there's too much public affection you're trying to show everybody at home -- >> like doth protest too much kind of thing.

>> yeah. maybe that's a red flag. >> i don't know. i fell for it hook, line, and sinker. >> i love them. >> i thought they were truly in love. here's the thing, though. i know everybody carefully puts together these announcements afterwards, after careful consideration and much soul searching and much all those things, we have decided that we have grown apart. yeah. that's what life is. you do grow apart. that's why when those kinds of things happen you circle the wagons. >> correct. >> you find out what you loved about the person to begin with. you go to counseling. especially when you have four children. six children. two like i had. you have to get your eyes off -- >> yeah. >> and on to the people that matter the most. >> right. >> and i'm not saying -- i'm not judging their choices. just saying year after year after year we see the same thing happening, all these golden people. and relationships breaking up all the time. i think there are some completely unworkable

relationships and situations, totally. i was in one myself. so were you. but i think -- i would venture to say more than half of marriages that break apart could be saved. >> seal actually spoke about -- no one has heard from either of them, you know. i think a written statement but nothing out loud until yesterday. let's listen to what seal had to say. >> yes, i am still wearing my ring, but i think that is just pretty much a token of how i feel about this woman. you know, she -- we have -- we have eight years. >> mm-hmm. >> eight wonderful years together. >> mm-hmm. >> and just because we have decided to separate doesn't necessarily mean that, you know, you take off your ring and you're no longer connected to that person. we will be connected in many ways through the rest of our lives. you know, through our children and also through the tremendous kind of admiration and respect and love that we have for each other.

we will wear the ring for the rest of our lives? who knows? but right now, you know, it feels really comfortable on my hand. i have no intentions of taking it off anytime soon. >> wow. >> being very gentlemanly about it. >> true. >> it doesn't make sense to me. if you have eight wonderful years together, then what happened? >> what happened? >> all of a sudden it's not wonderful anymore? >> right. >> you know, they seem to genuinely have enormous affection for one another. >> and respect. >> and respect. two of the most important ingredients for a relationship. >> you got it. all right, kids. well, to forget all our troubles we're going to the bahamas in 17 days. >> yeah. >> we want you to come. we're going to atlantis. we'll be there february 9th and 10th but doing both of our shows on february 9th. there's room in the audience. slather on the sunscreen. >> yes, hoadie. >> that's what i was going to say. >> and come join us. >> it will be a lot of fun. >> is that all the business we have today? >> we have a lucky lady with us. >> the lovely katherine high sl is here. she's learned something from the

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fugitive and bring in another. take aok. >> what? >> who are you beeping at? >> oh, crap. crap, crap, crap. >> you stole my car. >> this is my -- damn it! oh, my god. is that guy naked? he better be wearing pants. you better be wearing pants, pal. >> lighten up, son. fresh air is good for the boys. >> oh! >> well, katherine did a whole lot of acting in that scene. >> i know. >> reacting. >> which is what acting really is. >> it's great to see you. >> good to see you guys. this is so fun. >> a woman with brand-new movie and a brand-new baby girl. >> yes, you do. >> life is good for you, huh? >> life is really good. kind of trailing around with me all day yesterday and i thought, you know what, i should stop using her for publicity. let her stay home today.

>> talk about the movie for a second. have you read a lot of janet's books? >> i was approached about the project a couple years ago and didn't know anything about it. i read the first book thinking i would become familiar and luckily there were 16 more at the time that i could read and i obsessively -- >> one after another after another. >> i'll be 110 by the time -- >> that's all right. >> i like how janet ivanvitch was hoping for you. a lot of names br being bantered about and she was thrill pd. >> i'm so grateful because i became such a big fan of her through the books and this character. it was so important to me that we really stayed true to what she had done and created. her support has been a blessing. >> we also had debbie reynolds with us here yesterday. >> that was frightening. >> i fondled her. tell us about being on the set with debbie. >> that doesn't surprise me.

i love her so much. >> is she crazy in a good way? >> she's totally sort of irreverent and raunchy. >> she's earned it. >> and making jokes about shooting the gun that you can't say on television and you know -- >> yeah. >> she didn't give a hoot. >> your baby daughter, just saw pictures online of her. >> she is delicious. >> adorable, the most beautiful thing. >> she is. >> talk about her name. i like how you chose it. >> rife with significance. >> i named her after my mother and sister, my mother is nancy and my sister's middle name is lee, so nalee is sort of the combo of the two. >> this is a music video. your husband wrote it about her, right? >> yes. >> oh. and you were the director behind this. has your life just completely transformed? >> it has. i can't even remember before kids. it's a weird thing. it's only been 2 1/2 years i've been a mother, but i don't remember who i was before her in

a way. >> you don't remember what was important or what you talked about, what filled up your day. >> right. >> mostly we talk about ourselves. now being a mom and being a wife you suddenly have to refocus and that feels really good. >> has it changed your perspective professionally at snaul. >> yeah, because i think my career was everything. you know, it was my primary focus always, it had been for over 20 years. so it was such a relief in way to broaden the perspective and it put it in its place, you know? it can't be the most important thing in my life anymore. it shouldn't be. >> we know recently we have been reading you said if you were inrighted back to "gray's anatomy" it would be something you would love to -- >> oh, yeah. can you imagine the story lines for her? i want her to get back with alex because i do not like watching him with other actresses on the show. it upsettles me, makes me jealous. she should go back and claim her

man and her career and rise again like a phoenix. >> wow. i like it. >> i see it in your future. >> you have something else you're working on, something with animals. animal lover. >> yes. my i hate bald campaign. it's a neutering thing. >> you can go online and check it out. >> animals. >> meant forren t animals to br awareness in a funny, charming way we hope, bring awareness to a cause that is very dear to my mother's heart. >> wish your mom was here. she sounds like a lot of fun. >> she's back there. she's probably really mad she's not up here. >> tell them to make her a drink. thank you. >> this is fantastic. >> another round! >> catch katherine in "one for the money" starting friday, january the 27th. >> up next, our guy panels here putting the romance back in the relationship. and other answers to your questions.

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live light and fit. it is time for our "guys tell all" panel where we gather some of the most level-headed men to answer your questions. >> who says? >> inside the male mine. chuck every thursday the host of hgtv's "price's place" and saturday mornings the host of "hot ten" on centric.

he's been married for 14 years. has two kids. next up ricky unger, on every commercial on tv. david good is single and the author of "the man code: a woman's guide to cracking the tough guy," and last but not least, my good friend and actor ed watts. played two roles in my "saving amy." i would have given him eight. >> he could go shirtless. >> exactly. our first viewer from the msnbc.com digital cafe. >> i'm with ashley from alabama. she has a question about being a student and dating. >> hi. my question is i am someone who's about to graduate from college and have applied to medical school. do you think that guys find this intimidating, and where can a busy girl like me meet a guy? >> okay. that's awesome. congratulations. >> yeah. >> that is hot. >> girl's education, awesome. >> okay. >> great. >> sexy. >> well, you know, medical school, you are probably going

to be very busy. most of your dates are going to be with other medical school students for now. just enjoy yourself. >> find yourself a nice doctor, right. >> exactly. >> all right. let's go to a facebook post from rachel. a guy friend told me not to ask a guy out even if i am almost positive he's into me because it ruins the chase and he'll say no. if this is true, what can i do so that he makes the move and asks me? >> first of all, this guy friend might be trying to sabotage her. it's like -- >> he's in love with her? >> yeah. >> it's unfortunately true. guys do like the chase. >> unless he's a different kind of guy. if you lay it up on a platter, i'm going to eat it. >> i think that, you know, a good thing to do is if you don't want to seem like you're asking him is just wear something low cut and allow something to pop out, you know what i mean? guys like that. a wardrobe malfunction. >> david and al -- >> no, no.

don't listen to that. >> all right. go on. >> speaking of low cut, amanda has a question about first impressions. >> my question was how much does the way a girl dresses really matter in first impressions or is it more about, like, the personality? >> it matters a lot. >> first impression is what you see. yeah. it's got to be -- >> it's a lot. it's definitely important. >> it depends on what you want. do you want a first impression or do you want a lasting impression? because i got to tell you, there is a whore uniform. i'm just saying. if you wearing that, we're interested because you look like a whore. >> we're not interested. >> or not. or not. >> i think it's a matter of the interest of the guy. some guys like something a little modern. >> i don't know. i mean -- >> you two are the ones that are single. what are you looking for? >> we're looking for love,

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we are back on this booze day tuesday with our guys. you met them all. the one you may not remember is our new guy, ed watts down there, our single ed. you know the gang. here we go. a question from facebook. i really want to know why the romance fizzles after the first year of marriage. i really miss the feeling of sparks and butterflies. i know kids and house payments can get in the way but how do you get it back? we're going on nine years in may. >> it's a matter of realizing that it's work, you know, that sometimes you have to do what will excite the feeling even when you don't have the feeling yet and just make decisions that, look, we're going to have

date nights. we're going to have time where we send the kids somewhere or do stuff without them, but you have to work at it. >> chuck? >> give those kids $10, tell them to get out of the house for at least two hours, and then you turn to your wife and say we are going to do it in every room in this house! until we have that feeling back! >> or if we're too tired to care. >> you want the kids to come home and find you both passed out naked on the floor. >> oh, please. >> nothing says love like that. >> you're married. when you married, sets a good example for the kids. >> awesome. >> you like that? >> that's the thing. like everybody, the happily ever after, and they never tell you what happened after the person marries prince charming -- >> we keep falling for it. >> you know, it's choices and decisions that you make. and, like, you will be happy and have enjoyable times but it's not going to be happy all the

time. >> these two are having their own private conversation. what are you saying? >> well, do you want to die alone? >> no. i don't want to see my parents naked. it would be traumatizing for a little kid to walk in and see that. >> you're not a little kid. >> i don't live with my parents e either. >> are both of you unmarried because you just haven't found the right woman yet? >> yes. >> that simple. >> a question from across the street. sarah? >> tammy from alabama has a question about boys being gross. >> my husband, he thinks it's funny and cute to pass gas and wave it around and hilarious. why do men have such horrible, disgusting habits? >> there's at least six guys laughing in the background. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> not all guys are like that, thank god. and i apologize. it is gross. >> we're not like that because we're single.

>> these two. >> listen, i try my best not to do that stuff around my wife. but i do it around my kids and they love it. they love it! i got a 5-year-old son, man, if any noise comes out of my body, he cracks up like crazy. >> it's like, men, we're like -- we're big little boys. >> that's right. >> we always going to love poop and farts. >> we're the next generation. >> we have contact! >> la, la, la, la. >> back to sarah and get another one. hey, sarah. >> i don't even know how to follow up on that. here we go. another question for the guys. >> i'm cat and also from alabama. my question is about maturity. i'm about to graduate from college at age 22, and i found a lot of guys may age just aren't the same with respect to their goals on family and maybe career. what can i do about this maturity gap? do i have to date older --

>> ten years at least. >> can i redeem myself from last week when i said i don't date -- girls mature faster than guys, i personally think. that's why i like to date younger girls because i'm immature. i date girls that are immature as i am. >> when is that relationship happening? >> thanks so much, guys. have a great day. >> up next, joy bauer raises the bar. what she wants you to do for her next weight loss challenge. over time, my lashes thinned. after 40, i didn't have enough lashes. my doctor said...latisse® is the only fda approved prescription treatment...for inadequate or not enough lashes. now with latisse®...my lashes are longer...darker, with more than double the fullness in 16 weeks. if you are using or have used, prescription products for eye pressure problems, use latisse® under close doctor care. latisse® use may cause increased brown pigmentation of

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remember when joy announced her 10,000-pound weight loss challenge? you guys did so well she is upping the ante. >> welcome to joy's 25,000-pound weight loss challenge. aren't we wards great? since you passed the initial goal, we'll keep on going. our resident nutritionist is here to announce the new total of all the pounds dropped. >> the new total is 17,308 pounds. >> amazing. >> amazing. >> we have one week left. >> we have to get it. >> so many tris. if everybody just loses one pound this week we will way surpass it. i'm going to be reminding everybody on facebook and twitter on today.com to sign in your weight loss because we need to tally up the total. >> and tell the truth.

>> now i'm going to test your skinny supermarket smarts. each of you get a basket. >> skinny supermarket smart. >> i'm going to ask you a question and you're going to run over each of you to that first shelf. walk fast. >> first shelf. >> the first shelf goes with the first question. you'll pop what you think is the answer in your cart and bring it back and i'll let you know who won. >> do it. >> the first question is which item on the first shelf is the skinniest nut, the nut with the least amount of calories. >> who cares. >> let's see what you did. we have almonds. and -- the winner is pistachios! >> how did you know that? >> i don't know. because i like them. i don't know. >> i like them all. >> you can have 30 for 100

calories. second question. which vegetable, second shelf -- >> move over, joy. >> -- offers the most amount of fiber per cup? >> fiber. >> fiber. >> most amount of fiber. >> most amount of fiber in a one-cup serving. >> i don't know. it's in a can. >> what is this? what is that? >> spinach. >> spinach. all right. >> what? >> we just stand over there. >> what? what's the answer? >> oh my gosh! you're going to guess the next one, i'm telling you. >> better than me. >> check this out. artichoke hearts 14 grams of fiber. >> this is your lucky day, hoda. >> the third shelf. >> go. >> which fruit has the most amount of fiber? >> most amount of fiber. >> fiber helps to fill us up. >> most amount of fiber.

>> what did she grab? what is that? >> it's a mango! >> oh. >> don't help the competition. >> hmm. >> i don't know. let me see. i guess i'll go with the -- >> we have a minute! >> we have two more questions! okay. >> the answer is nobody wins. it's the raspberry. >> i think it's blackberries. what's the next question. >> eight grams of fiber per serving. the next one is which full-fat cheese offers up the greatest calorie bargain? >> all right. no. i know. >> what's the answer? >> kathie, you did it! >> parmesan! >> tiebreaker coming up.

>> which topping can take an everyday fruit and turn it into a decadent dessert with minimal calories? which topping? you're exactly right! because of the air, a big squirt is only about 15 calories of whipped cream. >> it's worth it. >> joy, thank you. >> thank you, joy. >> go to today.com. tell us how many pounds you've lost. help joy and all of us meet the goal. >> coming up next, it's "tuesday's trends" with bobbie thomas. she'll tell us about tights and pantyhose. as a va doctor, i get more time to focus on my patients. and as you can imagine, the rewards are considerable. so are the benefits. plus, i only need one active state license to practice in any va facility. you know, it's bigger than giving back to my country.

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it's time for bobbie thomas and "tuesday's trends." how many times have you gotten

dressed and pulled out a plethora of pantyhose leaving you in a conundrum. which is right for this outfit? >> wonder no more. bobbie thomas has everything you need to know from that to over the top leg wear. >> look at you. >> just for you i wanted to push the envelope again. these are american apparel, a couple dollars. i had so much fun. last week when you were loving my polka dot pantyhose, miss jennifer hudson was wearing the same pair. >> do you have proof of that anywhere? >> i do. but they are a hot trend. celebrities like jennifer and even kate middleton, who's been wearing more of the sheer -- >> she was wearing them. >> she was. kate middleton wearing the sheer, and a lot of people are talking about whether they like them or not. >> what do they say? >> they don't like them. >> it's going backwards. why would somebody wear them? just to smooth out their skin tone or -- >> it could be an insecurity

thing where you want to look physically better, but you could also use cream or self-tanner. i don't know. >> fantastic legs. >> she may wear them for more conservative reasons, protocol. >> sometimes you don't know the shade to wear. sometimes like i wear a light black and you think should i have gone darker or -- >> we have a picture that's the best example of when you're trying to figure out if you should wear sheer or opaque. meryl streep wore the sheer on the right, and she looks fantastic but when you see it photo shopped darker you see it is a little more flattering to her frame. it cuts her up a little bit. i also have two models to show you another way to kind of decide whether you should go to sheer black or opaque black. >> let's bring out an opaque look. >> and we have julie coming out as well. and, you know, when you're thinking about whether or not you should wear sheer or black, look at the hem line. the shorter dress, you want something that's a little

heavier and more covering. but if julie had put those heavy blackstockings on it would have looked too heavy and made her calves look too thick. >> plus the belt with the black -- >> it ties it in, but, again, hem line. short ter the dress the thicker the tights. the longer the hem line, a little bit lighter to give you a more elongated frame. >> thanks, ladies. >> let's bring out irene. sometimes patterns, you're not sure what they go with and that kind of thing. >> patterns have a lot to do with your body type and your frame. >> right. >> sometimes you can put a pair of pattern hose on and you're sort of afraid. we have irene, which is stephanie's mom. i just love her. she has broader shoulders and fantastic legs, so she can really pull off a horizontal pattern. you see that sort of argyle pattern that's stretched across. that's playing the illusion to balance out her top half. then we see on kiesha a more fashion-forward approach. she does what kathie says is all over, pattern with pattern. this is what's on the runway,

pattern on pattern. this is a very vertical pattern because kiesha wanted to add a little more length on the bottom. when you look at the pattern on the tight, make sure you consider is it running horizontal or vertical. these are both great options, you know, from -- >> let's bring out andrea quickly. thanks, ladies. andrea, who can really -- and rhea can wear anything. >> anything. >> makes me crazy. >> i love these. tell us about these. >> pretty poly. i want everyone to know about this company. we have a bunch of their type on the pedestal. and rhea is wearing a statement type called the suspender type. they have lace, faux bows on the back and they have a new pair that's an illusion slimming tight where they shaded the middle down to make it look like your legs are longer. >> you know what the guys said when they saw andrea before in that, they said that's the outfit they like to meet a woman in. it says i'm cool, i'm classy, but i can be naughty if you need me me to be.

>> wear wit a little black dress that's conservative. don't go for a dress that's plunging neckline or shiny color. >> up next, sarah's got quite the racket going.

♪ taking it to the streets >> time for "sara in the city" when our girl, sara, tries new adventures. >> she headed straight to grand central terminal. she could have gotten on the train and head todd greener grass, but instead she chose to stop at the squash court. >> it wasn't just any squash court. take a look. i'm here in new york city's grand central terminal for the world's largest squash spectator event, the jpmorgan tournament of champions, which attracts the world's top players and thousands of fans. i've never actually played

squash before. so i'm here for a lesson. the matches take place in a four-walled black cube weighing 20,000 pounds surrounded by stadium seating and there are 750,000 commuters who come through this train administration every day. squash players are regarded as some of the fastest and fittest. first, a warm-up with adrian grant. i want you to walk me through kind of a warm-up, because this is new to me. >> now we're doing dynamic stretching so you're kind of ready from the get-go to get ready and go 100 miles an hour, basical basically. ♪ this is called the spider-man. >> now that i'm stretched out, i'm going to learn the basics from one of the best. nick matthew is ranked number

two in the world. where does the name -- like where does squash come from? i only think of it as a vegetable. >> yeah. it's funny, actually. we used to play with a really hardball and the word squash comes from the squashy nature of the ball. >> right now i'm all ready for squash. i've got my hot glasses, a racquet, a squash ball, which is an official term. i'm just waiting for my opponent to get warmed up enough to handle this. >> basically the swing, high, low, high. the yellow at the top is hot. it has to go in the box and blue line. do you want to serve? >> are you okay? >> you're supposed to be my fearless teacher not display my weakness. >> oh, good one!

>> thank you so much. >> time for a real match. they found a player who's the perfect opponent for my skill. 12-year-old richard. richard is a member of street squash, a harlem-based youth enrichment program that combines academic tutoring and squash instruction. richard has the first serve. and i'm eager to score my first point. >> nice shot, nice shot. you got to move your feet. all right? >> i'm trying to bust a move. instead, i'm just a bust. >> it was too hard. >> richard is the winner. richard, you are an amazing opponent. can we do our little secret handshake? >> yeah. >> you know i'm better on the front, so you take the back. ready? let me just say nbc universal is one of the sponsors of the jpmorgan tournament of

champions. the tournament runs this thursday, january 26th, at grand central terminal. >> put on your short shorts. richard simmons stops by. >> and monica potter. here's a friendly reminder. it's your last chance to get verizon's reliable high speed internet and phone for small business for only $84.99 a month. call 1.866.solutions now or visit verizon.com/solutions. only $84.99 for high-speed internet and phone. plus your choice of either no annual contract or a two year price guarantee. call 1.866.solutions or visit verizon.com/solutions today. hurry -- this offer won't last long. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006