good morning, tension on the tarmac -- president obama and arizona governor, jan brewer, have a testy exchange at an airport. what were they talking about and why is she now calling the president thin-skinned? we'll hear from her. the demi's crisis, new details on what may have led to demi moore's sudden hospalization is something far more serious than exhaustion as her publicist is claiming. and close call -- a youth hockey team on the ice as the rink's roof begins to collapse. seconds later it comes crashing down. thankfully, no one was hurt, but they won't be skating there today, thursday, january 26th, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, i'm ann curry. >> and i'm matt lauer. let's go back to this picture of arizona governor, jan brewer, and president obama on the tarmac in arizona. not exactly the kind of picture you would expect to see when a governor greets a president. we'll have more on what happened between the two of them, coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> intriguing there, right? and meanwhile, speaking of tension, we get the latest on what seems to be an ongoing feud between newt gingrich and democratic house leader, nancy pelosi. on wednesday, pelosi backed down after claiming she knows something that would keep gingrich from becoming president. why did pelosi say that in the first place? we'll talk about it with tom

brokaw. and the national institutes of health getting involved in the medical mystery at a school in upstate new york where a dozen girls are suffering symptoms that mimic tourette's. this after another student comes forward saying she's also experiencing severe tics. and also coming up, 10% of people are left-handed in america. that includes the two of us. and we'd like to think that those numbers make us special but apparently being a southpaw also comes with increased health risks. some interesting new research that we'll all be paying attention to around here. but let us begin with a tense day on the campaign trail, nbc's peter alexander is in miami this morning. peter, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. you can expect another round in the heated back and forth between mitt romney and newt gingrich again today. gingrich will be meeting with tea party activists and veterans in the state of florida. romney will meet with small business owners. and for his part, the president facing one of his critics at a pretty tense exchange of his own.

immigration policy as -- the campaign battle shifted to immigration policy as front-runners mitt romney and newt gingrich courted florida's hispanic population. gingrich mocked romney's position. >> for romney to believe that somebody's grandmother is going to be so cut off that she is going to self-deport? i mean, this verges, this is an obama-level fantasy. >> i want to see more legal immigration in this country and to protect legal immigration, i think it's important for people to recognize that illegal immigration has to stop. >> at a candidates' forum in

miami, gingrich faced blunt questions about his sharp rebuke of president obama during the monica lewinsky scandal. >> you criticized president clinton. >> i criticized president clinton for lying under oath. >> however, at the same time you were doing the exact same thing. >> no, i wasn't. >> and after days of focus on his tax returns, romney was asked point-blank about his personal wealth. >> it's about $150 million and $200 million. i think that's what the estimates are. and by the way, i didn't inherit that. >> a feud is brewing between gingrich and another former house speaker, nancy pelosi. who was cryptic this week when she insisted she's confident that gingrich won't become president. >> let me make my prediction and stand by it, it isn't going to happen. >> why are you so sure? >> there's something i know. >> on wednesday, gingrich fired back. >> i have no idea what's in nancy pelosi's head, if she knows something, i have a simple

challenge, spit it out. >> pelosi declined nbc news's request for an interview, citing scheduling conflicts. providing a statement, there's something that leader pelosi knows is that newt gingrich will not be president of the united states. the current president is also campaigning. in the battleground state of iowa wednesday, he defended his proposal for a 30% minimum tax. on those making more than $1 million. >> i hear folks running around calling this class warfare. this is not class warfare let me tell you something. asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary -- that's just common sense. >> wednesday afternoon when he touched down outside phoenix, the president had a tense exchange with governor jan brewer about her book, which characterized mr. obama has lecturing her during a 2009 meeting over immigration. later, brewer called the president, thin-skinned and said the encounter left her breathless. >> i felt a little bit threatened, if you will.

and the attitude he had. because i was there to welcome him. >> and back here on the campaign trail. newt gingrich also vowed that by his second term as president, if he is to be elected, he will build an american moon base. there is more campaigning ahead of tonight's televised debate. all four candidates, including rick santorum and ron paul in their final debate ahead of florida's vote. >> peter alexander in miami, peter, thank you very much. tom brokaw is here with his take on the state of the presidential race. tom, good to see you, some state, isn't it? >> a win in south carolina to building a moon base in the second term. >> let me talk to you about nancy pelosi and newt gingrich. she makes this comment saying newt gingrich will not be president, there's something i know. now that in itself sounds -- pretty alarming. but if you go back and add to that something she said in an interview in december, she said one of these days, to an interviewer, one of these days we'll have a conversation about newt gingrich. i know a lot about him. i served on the investigative

committee that investigated him. four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. 1,000 pages of his stuff. clearly, she's hinting that she learned something that will make, will disqualify him as president. does she have the right to back out now and back off of that? >> i think that she should come clean with the public. if she found out something in the course of that investigation that she is holding and it appears for political purposes, that's outrageous. i think that the speaker has to be very unhappy about that. on the other hand -- >> speaker gingrich. >> right. if she doesn't know something, i think she has to say, look, i didn't learn anything in there that the public didn't learn. i'm just talking about what the evidence was and we think that is enough to disqualify him for the presidency. i think she has to go a lot farther than she has so far in terms of her ole in that investigation which me xi may have learned in the meetings in going through those files. >> we've asked speaker pelosi to join us here this morning. she said she had a scheduling

conflict. we'll keep our schedule open whenever she can clear hers. let's move on to newt gingrich in the race. after his win in florida, a lot -- i mean in south carolina. a lot of pundits were still saying this was mitt romney's race to lose. if newt gingrich wins in florida, will that change that thinking? >> it's going to be a big blow to mitt romney if he loses florida. florida is not south carolina. south carolina was safe in the republican district, almost custom-built for newt gingrich. florida is larger state, cosmopolitan. their old friend tim russert used to say florida, florida, florida. it's a play in play. it's a swing state. this is a big deal for mitt romney if newt gingrich loses in florida, my guess is he'll go on and i think he'll go on under any circumstances. >> during the state of the union address, the president said that anyone who tells you that america is in decline doesn't know what they're talking about. yet we look at polling a lot. some of our own polls. you ask people, do you think the country is on the right track. and i've seen numbers as high as

64%, tom, saying no, we're on the wrong track. does the president need to be more realistic with that subject? >> well i think what he's talking about are the fundamentals. it is still the underlying economy is stronger than any other in the world. china is coming up fast, but we're still the number one economy. we have rule of law. we've got a great education system, even though it's troubled. so on the state of the union speech you're kind of engaged in some hyperbole. this election is going to be all about the economy, probably in the fall. there's some unforeseen things that will occur. but people really are responding to the fact that they don't feel secure about their economic future and that is a big piece of national security. most of all, as i said here before, matt. i for the first time in my journalistic career, parents are coming to me and saying, i don't think my kids going to have the life i've had. that's been an essential part of the american dream. >> for an example, you were out in california talking to people out there, a state that is

struggling mightily. >> jerry brown was saying california is on the mend. they have reduced the deficit by 60%, they've got good news on unemployment in california, it's down to 11% at this point. he's going to ask the state to raise taxes on themselves, especially the wealthy, come november. this is a very, very big play for him. but there is, if not a light at the end of the tunnel, there's a faint glow on the horizon on the economy. and that's giving people some hope. the federal reserve says it won't be until 2014 that we have a full recovery. that's a long slog ahead. >> tom brokaw, tom, good to see you. great to see you. here's ann. we're learning more about the navy s.e.a.l.s daring rescue of two people held in somalia. nbc news correspondent jim miklaszewski has more. >> this mission was carried out by s.e.a.l. team 6 that took out osama bin laden last may. in this case, the lives of two

hostages at stake, there was zero room for error. and in the end, the operation was flawless. the two hostages, seen in this video held at gun-point bier that kidnappers are free after three months in captivity. the navy s.e.a.l.s flew to the area by plane and took to the kidnappers by surprise, parachuted to the ground two miles from their target. in full combat gear they ran toward the encampment and encountered the heavily-armed somali. and in an exchange of gunfire, the s.e.a.l.s killed all nine of the kidnappers. the hostages were rescued and flown off in helicopters to a u.s. military base in nearby gentlemdjibout djibouti. there were signs that jessica buchanan's health had taken a turn for the worse. and that it was even life-threatening. monday night, with no time to lose, the president ordered the u.s. military to launch the rescue operation.

>> good job tonight. >> only a day later as president obama delivered his state of the union address, the hostages were already on their flight to freedom. at 32 years old, buchanan had already devoted her life to the african people. teaching school and doing relief work for somali refugees. at the valley forge christian college in pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in teaching, college president dr. don meyer said africa was in her blood. >> when she came back, she couldn't, she literally could not talk about africa without tears in her eyes. because of her burden to make a difference and help. >> edward zoomy, a name, said her father, john, had been worried about jessica for months. >> you could tell it was always on his mind. of course it was, it was his daughter. and you don't know what to say. you can't do anything, you can't help him. it was rough. >> jessica has told her family she'll be fine. but you can only imagine how

traumatic this was. her father and family members aren't going to wait for her to come home, they're flying to europe for a long-awaited and joyous reunion. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon, thank you. it is now 7:12. once again, here's matt. now to gabrielle giffords emotional farewell to congress. the arizona congresswoman formally resigned her seat in the house of representatives on wednesday, a little more after a year that she was shot and nearly killed. our correspondent kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill with more. >> for the first time in years, today giffords is a private citizen again. when the time game, gabby giffords inspired something we don't see a lot of -- unity between the parties and friendship bursting with emotion. the sound of admiration. a stirring sendoff. >> gabby, we love you. we have missed you.

>> a genuine and moving connection. >> gabby, america thanks you. god bless you. and god speed. [ applause ] >> that evoked the joy seen in her smile, the comfort of friends who held her hand. and the tears that could not be held back. >> and it will always be one of the great treasures of my life to have met gabby giffords and to have served with her. in this body. >> in one extraordinary year since that horrific shooting, gabrielle giffords fought to live, learn to walk again and now chose to walk away from congress. with the respect of both parties. >> gabby's courage, her strength and her downright fortitude are an inspiration to all of us and

all americans. >> i'm getting better. >> giffords still struggles to speak. so her friend, congresswoman debby wasserman schultz read the resignation letter for her. >> my district deserves to elect a u.s. representative who can give 100% to the job now. >> giffords' mother gloria and husband, mark kelly, looked on from the gallery above. giffords' words looked to the future. >> i will recover and will return. and we will work together again for arizona and for all americans. >> giffords pushed herself to follow tradition and to deliver her letter to the speaker of the house, who reached foreher when she faltered. this time, john boehner's tears needed no explanation. and it was the embrace of a capitol hill staffer, that so moved giffords and made the good-bye so real.

>> i'm so proud of you. are you going to miss me? >> i miss you. >> and as personal as this all was, gabby giffords has been liked and respected for the work she did here. so house leaders moved things around so she could cast her last vote on a bill she had been working on for a long time. having to do with arizona's border. every fellow democrat and every republican voted for it. matt? >> kelly o'donnell this morning, thank you for that report, we appreciate it. it's 16 minutes after the hour. here's ann. >> authorities have now identified the bodies of three german passengers recovered from the ill-fated cruise ship off the coast of italy. this as the children of a missing american couple release a new statement online. nbc's michelle kosinski has the latest on the story. michelle, good morning. >> good morning, ann, searchers are now saying they may not be able to recover everyone trapped inside. and they may be underneath. and all the debris in there has been slowing them down.

but the investigation continues with more allegations coming out. and just think, this island with a winter population of around 300 people, will now forever be linked to what they're calling this modern "titanic." he's been vilified by his country, essentially abandoned by his company. but the veteran captain, shettino said his higher-ups had pressured him to buzz the island. we need to be visible, do some publicity. so let's wave at the island. i said, okay. costo cruises insists that his course so close to the rocks was unauthorized. prosecutors say he could have been going too fast. his response, there isn't a speed limit. as for accusations he abandoned the ship, shettino claimed it was an accident while he was helping lower a lifeboat. it isn't as if i had boarded it he said, look, i fell on its roof. a newspaper reports prosecutors are also looking into whether

wealthy russians may have tried to pay crew for first access to lifeboats that night. reminiscent of some ungentlemenly behavior by gentlemen aboard the "titanic." >> your money can't save you. >> some rescuers said they were surprised by the first people they saw arrive were crew. this person now feeding searchers was one of the first to help survivors. i didn't see any children in the first few boats. the ones i saw were well-dressed. evening wear, high heels, ball gowns. there was a chef in uniform. >> for divers, the focus is still to navigate the mess inside the ship. family of missing americans, barbara and jerry heil, write on their website, patience. >> i speak for the united states, we're very grateful for the, all the effort that's being

made to try to recover or find our lost ones. >> difficult here to make sense of it all, nino tarravella made a painting for his church. not the waterfront view anyone could get used to. there is now a transcript of a phone conversation reportedly that shettino had after his arrest in which he allegedly said he left the ship willingly when it started tilting and today, costa cruises is talking to a consumer group about how exactly to compensate all of the people on board. ann? >> the story to be continued, michelle kosinski, thank you. let's check the morning's top stories with natalie at the news desk with those, natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning, everyone. parts of texas are drying out this morning, after heavy downpours caused flash flooding across much of the eastern half of the state. drenching rain forced drivers to abandon cars object flooded roads. the national weather service confirms tornadoes touching down near austin, san antonio and

houston. damaging homes and businesses. a multi-story building collapsed last night in rio de janeiro, brazil and another nearby building partially collapsed. several people were rescued from the rubble. and witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion just before the clam collapse. there are injuries and unconfirmed reports of fatalities. some frightening moments in australia, the prime minister had to be rushed out of an event by riot police. she was taken to her car after rowdy protesters surrounded the restaurant and began banging on windows at a ceremony marking australia's national day. the manhattan district attorney's office is investigating an allegation that greg kelly, the son of new york police commissioner raymond kelly and a local news anchor, raped a young woman in new york last october. kelly's lawyer released a statement saying mr. kelly strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind and is cooperating fully with the district attorney's investigation. we know the district attorney's investigation will prove mr. kelly's innocence.

timothy geithner says he doesn't expect to serve a second term as treasury secretary, if president obama gets re-elected. on wednesday, geithner said he is pretty confident the president would ask him to stay on. for a check on wall street, cnbc mary thompson of the new york stock exchange. >> the fed decision came out yesterday, it's having an impact in europe this morning. the federal reserve deciding to keep interest rates, saying it expects to keep interest rates near zero through late 2014. concerns about the slow pace of the u.s. economic recovery prompting central bankers to extend this low rate forecast another 18 months. and while this is good news for businesses and consumers looking to take out loans, it's a tough policy for investors trying to plan their retirement around interest-bearing products like bonds. back to you. >> mary thompson at the new york stock exchange, thank you. a close call caught on tape in a newly-built hockey rink in

slovakia. the roof came crashing down onto the ice under the weight of reportedly heavy snow as former nhl player, richard zednick and a youth hockey team scramble to run for cover, no one fortunately was hurt. and an important undercover mission for an army captain who just finished serving in afghanistan. he showed up at his daughter's kindergarten classroom in north carolina and you see the surprising and emotional homecoming for his little girl who hadn't seen her dad since last may. when asked what she wanted to do with her dad, she said, go to mcdonald's. he is home. it is 7:22 right now, back over to matt, ann and al. >> we always love those homecomings. >> we can't get enough of them. mr. roker is here with a check of the weather. >> we've got lot of rough stuff, natalie showed you the stuff in natalishowed you the stuff in texas. now moved to the east and so we have a risk of strong storms from mississippi on into georgia, down to tallahassee.

as you look on the radar we have a tornado watch now in effect from louisiana and into georgia and parts of the panhandle of florida until noon today. and anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain. next half hour we will show you the northern side of the system. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. we had a few scattered sprinkles overnight. tom kierein in storm center 4, radar now showing a few scattered sprinkles just north of washington, northern prince george's county and anne arundel and montgomery. farther north and west. temperatures hold steady now in the upper 30s and low 40s for the next hour or two. then mid 40s by mid morning near 50 by noontime. mid 50s during the afternoon. sprinkle this morning. passing rain showers this afternoon and this evening. lingering perhaps into ann? >> al, thank you, just ahead, demi moore's daughter visits her in the hospital as new details emerge about what may have been, what may have led to moore's health crisis. the latest on that.

but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, a new case of mystery illness good morning. i'm joe krebs. 7:26 this thursday, 26th day of january. we have an accident on the i-95 in maryland causing some problems for the commute. here is danella. >> good morning, joe. earlier i-95 was shut down completely at powder mill road. a few minutes ago right now looks like two of the left lanes are able to get by the accident. it is taking up the right side of the roadway. you are jammed from route 216. in fact p. very slow travel speed of about 12 miles per hour in the area. and on the red line expect delays. we have a situation single tracking between friendship heights and van ness. >> thanks very much. a break now and c

good morning. tom kierein in storm center 4. near 40 degrees. scattered sprinkles. later today passing showers, mainly this afternoon and overnight tonight through midday on friday. highs today mid 50s.

maybe up near 60 midday friday. getting colder friday night as we clear out with a blustery wind. chilly weekend to follow. joe? >> tom, thanks very much. another news update in 25 minutes. now back to the "toda

7:30 on a thursday morning, january 26th, 2012. we have a little mix of snow and rain overnight here in manhattan. al says we may expect a little more rain later in the day. but not too bad out there right now. we'll have his forecast in just a little while. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. new details on a medical mystery at a high school in upstate new york. another student has come forward saying she's experiencing severe involuntary tics. stand by for cute, we'll meet a lovable baby otter,

orphaned in california, being hand-raised by humans in chicago. take a look at that guy. we're both left-handed and we're in good company. and now a possible link between left-handedness and some serious medical conditions has been discovered. we'll be telling you more about that as well. and also, michelle williams says her role as marilyn monroe in this new movie called "my week with marilyn" was the challenge and the privilege of a loi lifetime and now it's earned her an oscar nomination on the heels of a globes nomination. we begin this half hour with new details on demi moore's health scare. her publicist is claiming she sought treatment for exhaustion. but this morning there are indications that may not be the whole story. nbc's mike taibbi is outside sherman oaks hospital in california with more. hey, mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. well it's certainly been a rough patch for the 49-year-old actress. and that number, her age, 49,

appears to be a key element in this phase of her story. if she was celebrated by many for her marriage to ashton kutcher, an unlikely marriage, an actor 16 years her junior, this appears to be the flip side. what can happen when it all goes wrong. in october, after the break-up, demi moore looked beyond thin. emaciated, unhealthy, some friends said. of her hospitalization, her publicist said because of the stresses in her life right now, demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treatment her exhaustion and improve her overall health. she looks forward to getting well. but "people" magazine is saying it's more than exhaustion. >> there are reports that she had a seizure and she was shaking. one thing that is clear is that prescription drugs seem to have played a role in her being brought here. >> reporter: moore had sought treatment for substance abuse in the early '80s and in the '90s her career soared with starring roles in films like "ghost" and

"a few good men." and her marriage to megastar, bruce willis and their eventual divorce provided fodder for the tabloids. on tuesday, their daughter, rumor willis, spent time at sherman oaks hospital where her mother was rushed for treatment. the ending of moore's marriage to kutcher, supposed by a breaking point. >> her life seemed to be spiraling a bit and it wasn't something she could take control of herself. >> reporter: and she couldn't control the march of time, either. the woman who relied on her physical talents to work a dancer's pole in "striptease" to outmacho the men in "g.i. jane" a and to not them dead in her mid 40s. recently told harper's "bazaar" i have a love-hate relationship with my body. >> we've seen ashton kutcher at a concert.

he's certainly not rushing back to be in los angeles. >> reporter: not rushing back to a woman now struggling, a famous woman, soon to be 50, who said in that same recent interview, that what scares her is she might find out that i'm really not lovable. that i'm not worthy of being loved. that there's something fundamentally wrong with me. moore's publicist also says the actress is pulling out of a planned biopic of the porn star, linda lovelace, she was to have played the feminist, gloria steinham. alisha quarrels, is the global editor for and the author of "weekends at bellevue." dr. holland, walk us through what exactly getting professional assistance to treat exhaustion and improve overall health would entail? >> well the first thing is a physical exam, how much do you weigh, how much are you eating, what is your blood sugar, kidneys working, and just a

psychiatric examination, to see if somebody is psychotic or depressed or suicidal. a global examination for starters. >> how long would that take in the hospital? >> i could do it in 15 minutes. but -- it can take days. >> so the tests, for the tests to come back, it could take hours, if not days. >> would the patient necessarily stay in the hospital for days? >> psychiatric, it's going to take days to figure out what's going on. bellevue, you have 72 hours to make an assessment of what's going on. >> alisha, how defensible is the reporting that the problem here may also be prescription drugs? >> you know, those are unsubstantiated reports and we're not inside of her life, we don't know that we've seen it happen with hollywood actresses time and time again. so when people hear exhaustion, the red flags go up. when you think about it, she's going through this very public divorce. they have three children, she's a director, actress. and can you imagine going through all that and being a famous actress, i'm exhausted.

>> so that's defensible, the idea of exhaustion. >> but doctor, you're saying the idea that one out of every four women take some form of prescription drugs. when used correctly, that's probably not an issue. how can they be used incorrectly? >> one of the problems is mixing medicines with alcohol. you know, certainly sedatives like sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medicines, if you're mixing them with alcohol, you're getting them in trouble. taking them not as prescribed, taking too much, mixing pills. >> are they have these drugs in this category, drugs that can use to sort of limit your appetite, to cause you to -- or have the effect of causing you to lose a lot of weight? >> on some of the antidepressants, wellbutrin can cause you to lose your appetite. and cocaine cuts your appetite. heroin doesn't cut your appetite, but it can make you not feel hunger pains. >> is it abused in that way?

do some women abuse his drugs for that purpose? >> definitely, i think you can do stimulants that will also cut your appetite. women abuse pills to lose weight, no question. >> we don't know what the situation is in this particular case. we do know that demi has now had to back out of a movie in which she was going to play gloria steinham. how much of an impact might this have on her career, given the circumstances? >> i don't think it will have a major impact. i've been interviewing her for years, i was there in 2003 when she did the big comeback in "charlie's angels." she left hollywood to raise her children and was brought back after all of those years. i think people understand she was going through a hard time. a public break-up. she said in an interview she feels betrayed by her body. we're forgiving people, understanding people. everyone has been affected by divorce in one way or another. i think people wish her well. >> i think a lot of women empathize with some of these issues. thank you so much, alisha and doctor, thank you so much. now a check of the weather

from al. ann, thanks so much. when we were in vancouver for the olympics, they had a great hotdog stand, japadog, you're here in new york city? >> those are good hotdogs. let's show you what's happening. you can you can see we have flood watches, kentucky into ohio. we have winter weather advisories into the northeast. winter storm warnings and watches as you look on the radar you can see all of that moisture making its way up the pink. those areas, that's where we are looking for some icy conditions. eventually changing over to some snow as it gets into new england. we are talking some areas three to six inches in new england. rainfall from pittsburgh to cincinnati. cleveland, tall way to knoxville, anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of rain. >> happy anniversary, mom and dad. we love you. >> here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> sprinkles of light rain on this thursday morning. good morning, tom kierein in stormstenter 4. there's the radar showing the

move in color. scattered light rain across northern virginia into frederick county. sleet mixing in there. and we have temperatures in the mid 30s. close to the washington it is near 40 degrees. we will hold steady here with these temperatures for another hour or so and get into the 50s during the afternoon. more showers on the way. today, tonight and into n through midday friday. chilly for the that's your latest weather. ann? . coming up next, a new student now dealing with mysterious symptoms at a school where 12 girls have developed tourette's-like tics, we'll hear from her after this. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. -it's as easy as...1. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card.

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high school in upstate new york. amy robach has been following the story and is back with more. >> health officials insist there's nothing wrong with the school where the strange symptoms have occurred. but new questions are being raised in the wake of yet another reported case. chelsea dumars is the latest teenaged girl from leroy high school to come forward to report she suffers from severe tics. >> i was doing things, going places, a lot before this happened. now i don't feel like going to stores. because i feel like people look at me and judge me. >> she says her company is so bad, she has to be home-schooled. like many parents in the area, chelsea's father is test terre haute. >> you know, to see her sit there and be broken to tears because she just can't hand it will any more -- yeah, it rips your heart out. >> leroy student sarah sanchez once loved cheerleading and art class. now she does neither. >> well i used to cheer.

every day. i would go to art class, i used to, i used to go to two art classes every day. now i'm not in school. >> sarah's friend, katie, says her symptoms vary. >> some days i'll just start twitching and it won't stop for ten, 15, 20 minutes. and then other days, i'll be fine. >> the girls and their parents told ann they're angry. >> i'm very frustrated. no one's giving answers. >> the new york state health department has been looking into the case for three months and says the leroy high school building has been cleared as the cause. they say it's not environmental or an infection. leroy's central school district conducted their own investigation with the same conclusion. dr. laz lo mechtler has treated many of the girls and tells nbc news that more teens have recently come forward with the same symptoms. he says the students may have a rare form of conversion

disorder, formerly known as miss hysteria. a psychological problem that can happen in groups like female teenagers. >> this is a subconscious effect that occurs in patients who may be prone to anxiety or mood disorders. but this is definitely real symptoms. >> now the national institutes of health is asking questions about the case. they've contacted dr. mechtler and offer odd to see some of the girls who have the illness. for chelsea, answers can't come soon enough. she and her dad are not convinced the condition is conversion disorder. >> i don't see any of these girls getting any better with the medicine. not to the point where they were before. they're still struggling. >> and the leroy central school did not want to comment on our report. but last week they did issue a statement saying once again that the school is safe. matt? >> still, no real answers. thank you very much. up next, ate doshl orphaned baby otter, now being raised by

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back now at 7:48 with a touching rescue story. an infant sea otter was found stranded in california last month. she was saved and was quickly taken to chicago's shedd aquarium. where nbc's kevin tibbles picks things up. welcome to a nursery unlike any other. where it's time for this baby to have her bottle. >> it's me, uncle kevin. >> this is a 10-week-old, 13-pound bouncy baby southern sea otter. the orphaned pup was found on a california beach last month. >> you know the first few days that she lost her mom were probably very scary times. >> the southern or california sea otter is a threatened species. with fewer than 3,000 animals

left in the wild. but luckily for kaiukos, she was rescued and brought to chicago's shedd aquarium. one of the top marine mammal facilities in the world and she seems to be adjusting just fine. >> she is a baby. they like to play. they like to explore, they like to get into mischief. >> but baby otters like baby humans, also need round-the-clock care. so the shedd has a dozen surrogate moms to feed her and begin to teach her how to be an otter. the shedd first started caring for otters in 1989 in the wake of the exxon valdez disaster. that's when kenai was rescued, she's now the matriarch. >> she's 23 now and she has a nice, retired life right now. >> but before kaiukos can hang with the grown-ups, she's got a lot to learn. >> you want some more?

good. >> like eating solid food while floating on her back. >> i heard that. >> look at you. >> watch out, those teeth are sharp. she also has to learn how to groom, and an otter's thick coat has to be maintained for their very survival. and like most kids, when she doesn't get her way, she lets you know. she is the ninth pup raised here. while she'll never be returned to the wild, she will teach scientists more about her species. and soon be delighting visitors, because like most babies, she's irresistibly cute. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. ♪ why are we so happy seeing that? my whole brain lit up. i'm such a sucker for those

stories. >> i love those aquariums. shedd aquarium is great. a great place to take kids. what great work they're doing. >> connecticut has a great one. >> georgia. >> orlando. >> we could go on. we want to talk about coming up, we've got michelle williams in the house. she'll be talking about her oscar-nominated role as marilyn monroe. >> look, she's swimming! >> and shaking it like an otter. capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money.

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good morning. i'm joe krebs. 7:56. we have had a difficult commute this morning. this time underground. >> if you are taking the red line expect delays in both directions. a situation of traffic ram inbound on the red line, outside of tinley town. causing much of a single track between friendship heights and van ness. if you are taking the train at farrugut north every other train will head back to silver spring. if this is your stop get off and wait important the next train. again, expect delays in both directions on the red line. joe, back to you. >> thanks very much. we are going to take a break and

good morning. some scattered light rain across virginia, west virginia, maryland this morning. moving sthwest to northeast. that will be with us off and on through the morning hours. right now we are in the upper 30s and low 40s much of the region. right now reagan national is at 42. later today into the low and mid 50s with occasional showers through the afternoon and overnight tonight through midday friday. and mild friday, early afternoon. then getting cold friday night as we clear out. chilly weekend to follow. >> thank you, tom. another news update in 25 minutes, now back

8:00 now on a thursday morning, the 26th of january, 2012. it's a pretty good morning. a little gray outside. 35 degrees, and we've got a warm, wonderful crowd on the plaza to brighten our day. i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer and al roker. coming up this morning, we've got a star in our studios, we've got michelle williams, starring in this movie, "my week with marilyn." i saw it in its entirety last night. she disappears into this role. it's stunning, it was a tough role for her to take on. but she's been nominated for an oscar, so we're excited to talk to her about that. and raise your hand if you're a lefty?

lefty? you have to leave, it's no lefties day. >> i guess i got to go, too. >> we've got a couple of co-hosts who are lefties and we'll take a look at new research on lefties that might not make us feel as special. savannah guthrie, who is also a lefty will fill us in on that. and president obama is a lefty. >> yeah. >> and -- >> you're not making a statement? >> not at all. by the way, coming up on february, that's when the flu season peaks, we've been lucky so far, but we see the peak in february. we'll give you some tips you need to keep your family healthy as we get into the teeth of that season. >> teeth of the season. that sounds ominous. all right, thanks a lot, al. let's go inside, natalie is standing by with a look at all the headlines, natalie, good morning again. >> good morning, everyone. just days after rejecting a cross-country oil pipeline, president obama will talk about energy security in nevada today. an announce the sale of oil and gas drilling leases in the gulf

coast. on wednesday, the president campaigned in iowa and arizona, promoting tax credits to lure investments in manufacturing. meantime, the republican presidential candidates are getting ready for tonight's debate in jacksonville, florida. newt gingrich will be meeting today with tea party members, while mitt romney is meeting with small business owners. more than 12,000 people will pack an arena to pay tribute to legendary penn state football coach, joe paterno. thousands lined the streets of state college, pennsylvania, to view paterno's funeral procession wednesday. paterno died sunday from lung cancer at the age of 85. two new studies this morning suggest a cancer drug avistan might help women with early-stage breast cancer. researchers say the drug plus chemotherapy made tumors disappear in some women. recently, avastin lost government approval for treating advanced breast cancer. family members are flying to europe today for a reunion with jessica buchanan, the american aid worker rescued by navy

s.e.a.l.s in somalia. buchanan and a danish colleague were health for three months by armed kidnappers. navy s.e.a.l.s freed them tuesday in a dairy rescue after officials learned her health had taken a turn for the worse. ralph knell nadal will head sunday's final at the australian open. he beat his long-time rival, roger federer in a semifinal match-up this morning. and now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. arizona governor, jan brewer, is a top search on google, after the tension on the tarmac we told you about earlier. when brewer greeted the president wednesday, she said he critiqued her book, which she said the president lectured her on two previous meetings. afterward, brewer said she felt threatened by the president's attitude. rihanna is hot on twitter after tweeting this picture of the new skin art, the slogan "thug life" is tattooed across her knuckles. and give this guy an a for

sincerity 678 one listen and you'll know why he's trending on youtube as the worst church singer ever. ♪ ♪ ♪ never say good-bye >> he might say bless his heart for trying, at least. it is 8:04 right now. let's go back outside to matt and ann. ow. >> that's hard to listen to. >> didn't he used to sing the theme song to "green acres"? >> one of my favorite songs! >> mr. roker? >> it sound like he sucked back a tank of helium. we've got a new teenager here. what's your name? >> christopher parmaly. >> when's your birthday? >> january 26th. >> happy birthday. 13 years old. >> thank you. >> very nice. let's check it out, dad's a little nervous, but that's all right. little nervous but

that's all right. and atlanta city, new jersey, afternoon rain. bet it. wmgm tv, nbc 40, you can see all of that wet weather making its way into the east and north. as it moves into colder air lifts up over that colder air, we going to see icy conditions. morning showers in the pacific northwest. not quite as bad as it has been. we have a ricks of strong storms, though, into the lower and mid mississippi river valley. breezy and chilly as you get into the northern plains. we have a happy 50th. >> yes. >> mary. >> happy birthday. >> thank you very much. >> 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. showers north and west of washington. pulling away from the metro area. there are showers farther south and west heading towards the metro area across northern virginia into prince william and fauquier, cull peopleculpeper. temperatures right now are near 40 degrees. much of the region. reagan national is at 4 had 2. later today into the 50s with occasional showers that may be

continuing tonight through midday friday. getting chilly friday night and in a chilly weekend that's your latest weather. now -- >> mr. roker, thank you very much. i'll do the same thing, and take a look. we've got michelle williams, live in our studios. oscar nominated for her portrayal of hollywood icon, marilyn monroe, we'll talk to michelle right after these messages. i'm giving you the silent treatment. so you're calling to tell me you're giving me the silent treatment? ummm, yeah. jen, this is like the eighth time you've called... no, it's fine, my family has free unlimited mobile-to-any-mobile minutes. i can call all i want. 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. chili's lunch break combos are full of delicious choices, starting at just 6 bucks. choose from savory favorites

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and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena naturals. back now at 8:09, and michelle williams took home a golden globe for her portrayal of marilyn monroe, in "my week with marilyn." this week, the role landed michelle her third oscar nomination. michelle williams, good morning and congratulations. i mean the thing about it is when they listed all the names, yours was the last one they read. so they really made you sweat it out. >> alphabetical -- yeah. my whole life, i'm always the last to be called for any sports in school. always last to be called. >> when you heard your name, that very moment, even though it was your third nomination, what was your emotion? because it was for this role. >> oh, boy -- >> what did you do? did you jump up and down? >> i was with friends. and i had, it had slipped my mind. which is something so great about having a kid, you get

really absorbed, in your especially mornings, you've got to get out the door, make breakfast, get the snowsuit on, get everybody in the car. i stopped at a friend's house to have om breakfast. i was outside, examining something in nature. and she opened up the door with her baby on her hip and said, michelle, they just called your name on tv. it slipped my mind. i was in a rush, in the routine of the day. it was very sweet way to hear it. >> it's also sweet thaw describe it in that way. because when you got up there at the golden globes, you thanked your daughter, matilda. i was wondering. because you've also described this role as really the hardest for you so far, so how does your daughter get credit for your being in this position now, being so lauded for this role in how you portrayed it? >> she gives me balance. she gives me balance. and i know that any risks that i take in my work are actually in a way, they're safe. because nothing really bad can happen there. and my success as a parent is

what matters the most to me. >> oh boy. boy, do you have your perspective right. you know, you correct me if i'm wrong, but as i watched you in this movie, i saw not just one role, i saw at least two roles, you know you play marilyn, the real woman. and you played the character she sort of had to create. how did you, what did you learn about her that helped you understand that difference? this psychological dynamic that is so evident in this movie? >> that was a sort of big discovery i made. there was a sort of split personality there in a sense. there was the girl underneath all of this glamour and intrigue and fame and glitz. there was just a very normal, regular and -- wounded girl underneath it all. >> her mother. >> her mother, her mother was in and out of mental institutions her entire life. i think she only lived with her mom for about four months. and her father -- no man would

claim her as their child. and so she spent a lifetime looking for the love that she didn't get. that she deserved and didn't get as a child. >> it's almost that she would do anything to be loved and how she moved for people. seemed to be a part of that. >> everything was for people. everything was to get a reaction out of people. to get love, to get attention. to get appreciation. everything she did was designed for that purpose. and to give people pleasure so they would give her something in return. >> which may be a reason why we are all still today, so riveted by this character that she created, we're hearing you sing in this role. you are doing the singing. >> yes. >> which is something. >> and also, there are moments in the movie where you move just like her. how much research, how much study? how did you do that? >> it felt endless. in some way i feel like i'm still doing it. so much information comes out about marilyn. more information every day it seems like. the books that are revealed and personal belongings that are

revealed. it never stops, i must have spent ten months, ten months prepared for it and two months shooting it. i was sort of seeping in information. there's no end to it. you could, i could still be researching her. >> is there a part of her, given her sort of ability in the past to grab on to people, you know, that's clearly portrayed in this movie. is there a part of her that has still grabbed on to you, that you cannot let go fully? >> in some ways, the things that i love about acting is that you never really have to say good-bye. and as long as it's not destructive or harmful to your personal daily waking life, there's a way to keep people, characters, situations, events, close in your heart and i kind of feel like that with her, maybe more than anybody i've ever played. because she was real. and in some way i feel like, to let go of her is, is an abandonment that i don't want her to suffer again. >> you are nominated along with the man who plays lawrence

olivier in the movie. what do you want to say about his nomination? he was terrific as well. >> he's incredible, i knew the first scene we did together when we locked eyes, i thought -- oh, this, it's like a lion, like i'm staring into a face of great danger, power. this is, i'm in the ring. >> i want to read something to you from "time" magazine about you and your work. williams, about your work as marilyn. williams locates a central truth, the contradictory allure of this utterly impossible woman. the mercurial rain, foolish, but also intelligent in some primal way and achingly vulnerable. how do you respond to these kinds of reviews? you know -- >> it's exciting, if you win the oscar, because you haven't won one yet, right? but to have these kind of pages of reviews. people are so stunned by how lost you became in this movie. >> i really don't know what to say to it. that is, that is overwhelming to

me. you know, every time somebody congratulates me or says -- well done on this, i sort of feel like a sense of shock. i'm like, they're saying it for the first time. really? because it was, it was such a challenge and there was so many days that i just didn't know, didn't know what i was doing. and but i feel like i never really know. i feel like that's sort of, it happens with every job. this one felt like oh, the stakes are so much higher. every time i hear something like that. i'm told something like that, it's -- it really, it touches me. i don't know how to respond to it. >> maybe that's the reason why you're so good at it. because in many ways she also didn't know what she was doing, in a much more deeper way. she was so insecure. >> she was so insecure. i think some of it is essentially mysterious. that's what i sort of learned to live with. it should be like that. there should be ways that it still has a hold of you and you don't quite know what's going on. it's better to not feel like you're smarter than it. that you still have something to learn from it. >> we learned from you about one of the greatest icons of our

time. we also learned you're a great talent. michelle williams, congratulations and good luck. >> thank you so much. thank you. "my week with marilyn" is in theaters now. go see it. coming up, the science of being left-handed, coming up right after this. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in.

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we're back at 8:20 with the science of being left-handed. i just happen to be a lefty. researchers have now discovered what they think is a link, though, between left-handedness and some serious medical conditions. fellow lefty. savannah guthrie is here with the story. hi, savannah. >> hi, guys, i'm being completely objective about this. the list of great left-handers is long when you consider only 10% of the population is left-handed. research he shows there may be more to left-handedness than just finding the right pair of scissors. ♪ what's left to say about levies? everyone knows some of the greatest thinkers, entertainers and athletes in history were southpaws. but scientists have been studying why approximately 10% of the population favors the lefthand over the right. and it turns out being

left-handed isn't always a sign of greatness. the latest research is showing a variety of brain conditions are more common in lefties. >> especially those related to language. dyslexia, stuttering, autism. as well as mood disorders, such as depression and schizophrenia. the research results are debated, but it seals to be more than a coincidence. >> some studies have shown left-handed people earn salaries on average 10% lower than righties. and though it's partly due to genetics, scientists now believe left-handedness may be caused by mothers who were stressed or depressed while pregnant. >> some scientists consider left-handedness to be a mild birth defect or a mild syndrome created by fetal distress. >> lefties have had it hard over history. once thought to be a sign of the devil, lefty schoolchildren sometimes were forced to use their right hands. on the other hand, all this talk

about the problems with lefties just doesn't seem right. when you write with your left. after all, five of our last seven presidents were lefties. >> i'm a lefty. get used to it. >> so were four of the five designers of the mac computer. one in four apollo astronauts used their left, that's far above the earthly average. and 100% of "today show" co-hosts are left-handed. but in a world that still seems built for righties, what if there were a place just for lefties? a place called lefty's? here, you'll find lefty scissors, lefty mugs, lefty garden tools, lefty playing cards, lefty bottle openers, even lefty tape dispensers and lefty appreciation. >> lefties are more artistic generally than right-handed people and we've been told that lefties make better lovers.

>> anyway, back our story. are lefties really special? don't bother hitting the street to find out. it's full of righties. as a righty, are you jealous of lefties? >> no. >> why do you think lefties are greater than righties? >> i don't think lefties -- >> are you asking or telling me? >> do you think lefties are special? >> yes. >> finally, someone talking some sense. >> are you proud you're a lefty? >> absolutely. every day i wake up and say, thank god i'm lefty. >> me, too. you know i'm curious that the research shows that if being lefty is wrong, i don't want to be right. and because lefties have to stick together, our friends at lefty's in san francisco bought us some gifts. sorry, righty, nothing for you here. >> it's a funny mug, right? >> if a righty uses it, it says -- lefties only. >> what's with the left-handed deck of cards, how they different? >> i don't know. >> i think the lefty --

>> wait a minute! >> don't you think there's something about being a lefty, matt? >> i never thought it was special. i just thought it was different. as a kid, it actually made it difficult because you know, there were certain pieces of sports equipment, i couldn't find a lefty catcher's mitt, lefty golf clubs. >> they didn't give the manager a bat. >> it's hard to find a lefty bat. >> pitchers have a hard time -- >> yeah, finding a lefty baseball, that's hard. >> soft lefties have a certain attitude? yes. a sign of the devil. but ann, there's a certain greatness about lefties, right? we have lefty presidents, artists. >> co-hosts. >> you know what, that was a very nice story. >> by the way, aren't most people slightly am by dexterous? >> i think that's why lefties are so brilliant. i can write with my left hand or right hand. >> we're back after your local news.

8:126 is your time on this thursday, january 26. bill delays on the metro. let's go to danella sealock. >> good morning. slowing things down on ted red line, cracked rail. tausing metro to single track between friendship heights and van ness. also every other train at the farrugut metro station will have to turn sxripd head back towards silver spring. you will have to get off and take the next train to continue toward bethesda. in d.c., northbound 20th street all your lanes are blocked in northwest at k street. >> danella, thank you. >> danella, thank you. a quick break and

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good morning. right now getting light rain in northern virginia. just about to move into the metro area. little sprinkle activity now in northeast and southeast washington. and points south. and as well in northern west of the metro area getting light

rain in washington, frederick county. temperatures in the mid 30s. closer to washington low 40s. later today into the 50s with occasional showers that will continue tonight through midday friday. frida[ 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? ♪

8:30 on a thursday morning, it's the 26th of january, 2012. kind of overcast here in the new york area, but mild, also, about 36 degrees. and take a look at the people out on our plaza. i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry. natalie morales and mr. al roker. you know, we are in the middle now of flu season. but although it's been a little milder so far this year in terms

of the outbreaks of the flu, february, that's when the peak season really hits. so dr. nancy snyderman is going to be here this morning, and she's going to be talking about some of the things we need to know about the flu. >> also, coming up we'll be talking about so many people are now looking for work. and they're filling out these resumés, we've got five ways to prevent your resumé from being one of the first ones to be tossed into the garbage. because you know, you really want in a prospective employer to look at that resumé. i think the steps coming up will help you. talking about stress, mom stress, dad stress. in fact a new study shows that 96% of moms say they feel more stressed out than they think their own mothers felt. coming up we'll tell you what can you do to give you advice on how you can perhaps destress and also cope better so that you're a better parent for your kids. >> really important. >> one way to destress is to watch today's professionals. >> yes. >> they stress themselves out and you feel bet anywhere

comparison. they'll be weighing in on everything from demi moore's health to the new rules of texting when it comes to dating. even weighing in on starbucks starting to serve alcohol. >> what? really? >> some locations? >> i don't think it's going to be a national -- >> no, a few spots. >> because there's one right down the street over here. >> we could get there if we hurry. let's gate check of the weather, mr. roker. >> that's right. let's show you what's happening. for today we're looking at a r strong storms, lower mississippi to mid mississippi river valley with inclep emt icy weather from interior ohio into new york state. morning showers in the pacific northwest with windy conditions. let's move on to tomorrow and you will see more morning rain here in the northeast. mix of ice and sleet changing over to rain. snow in northern new england. santa ana winds picking up southern california tomorrow. sunny and cold into the pacific northwest. northern plains. some snow showers through the

central rockies. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> grab the umbrella before you head you on. you will need it later today. we have a few scattered sprinkles in fairfax county, the district, prince william, and fauquier. panhandle of west virginia. and those showers moving southwest to northeast. it is chilly. we are in the upper 30s and low 40s. 42 at reagan nation april. low and mid 50s with occasional showers. they should end friday by >> don't forget, you can get that weather any time you need it, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. we know the weather is nice in captiva, that's where we go where uncle willie scott. >> who could ask for more. the fabulous marina at south seas islands resort in captiva. we're here with a lady chadwick, and captain tom, it's seaman

scott reporting for duty. happy birthday from smucker's, how sweet it is. i wish you were all down here. vera piccetti, 109. good heavens to betsy. and she loves to knit and play bingo. katherine bennett, somerset, ohio, is 105. famous for her lemon meringue pie. and harry thompson, marshall, michigan, 105 years old today. and is an avid reader. and he loves to play golf. look at harry. and mary tidline, from galax, virginia. 104, loves to bake. she attributes her longevity to laughing. happy birthday to you. and here's the lovely and

beautiful misako shigekawa, from orange, california, 103 years old today. and she loves to make all sorts of crafts and things like that. and eat fruit and vegetables. that probably helps her to be that old. betty yee from phoenix, arizona, they have the nicest children's hospital there. anyway, 100, loves to eat pine nuts. i like pine nuts. she also watches television and likes it. and we have finally, william beautiful bill and exciting catherine gallasch, from richmond, virginia. they've been married for 75 years. and they're happily married, and they love one another. very nice, just like i feel about the crew there. back to new york city. >> all right, willard, thank you so much. coming up next, how to keep your family one step ahead of the flu. but first, this is "today" on

nbc.

and we're back now at 8:38 this morning on today's health. staying one step ahead of the flu. cases traditionally peak in february, so what can you do to keep your family healthy in the coming weeks? nbc's chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman and pediatrician dr. lisa thornton are here with advice. doctors, ladies, good morning to both of you. good news, bad news. good news, it has been a milder-than-normal flu season. but february is the peak? >> we had a pretty good idea that this might be a mild flu sees be by watching what was happening in latin america. south america obviously gets their winters before us. mild down there, we thought it would be mild. the big bug was the h1n1 virus

which surprised everyone. that virus popped up in the spring has been incorporated into this year's flu shot. but nevertheless it is a mild season. >> you bring up the flu shot. i've been told it takes about two weeks after you get it to be fully effective. would you recommend even at this late date, people still get it? >> absolutely. we haven't hit the peak of the flu yet. so get your flu shot, it will take about two weeks for your immunity to be good. but you still got time. and pregnant moms, absolutely pregnant moms and kids. anybody over six months should get the flu shot. because the flu can be particularly bad in very young children. >> and the elderly as well. >> i have elderly parents, so if i take influenza home to then, it's a possible death sentence if you're around elderly people, get your shot. >> if you have a baby and the baby is younger than six months old, the baby cannot get the flu shot, so what do you do there? >> we do something called cocooning. if everybody in the family is immunized, the chances of them

bringing home the virus, is very small. so immunize the people around the most vulnerable. >> people with chronic illnesses, with compromised immune systems, can or cannot get the flu shot? >> can, in some cases, hiv, aids, diabetes, some heart disease, some cancers, you have to talk individually, but these are the people who specifically need to be protected. which is why the healthy, even though you think you can't get it, you should get your shot. >> how many times have you ladies heard this -- a reason for someone who doesn't want to get a flu shot, because the last time i got it i got the flu from the shot. >> 30 seconds ago. how do you respond to that? >> impossible. >> i called my dad this morning and he told me, i got the flu shot monday and now i'm sick. i said dad, you can't get sick from the flu shot. the flu shot is a dead virus, it does not give you the flu. >> all right. >> usually people just get a cold an feel lousy. >> they were probably going to get sick before they got the flu shot. other things to keep in mind,

you've got to wash your hands. >> we make fun of you, because your purell your hands 80 times a day. but washing your hands and ha you do is the best defense other than getting a shot. people cough and spit and sneeze into their hands, they wipe their hands off and then they shake someone else's. that's how you get the flu. you are a good hand-washer. you don't get sick. >> i haven't got the flu in ten years, it may be the bubble i walk around in, i'm not sure. the difference between a cold and the flu? >> with the flu you have a fever, body aches, runny nose, cough. you may even have some diarrhea or vomiting. but the flu is more severe than a cold. >> when you get the flu, you are knocked down, you know you have it. >> and if you feel the symptoms of the flu coming on, what can you do? >> well if you've, if you're quick enough you can get one, you can get tamiflu or relenza, within the first 24 to 48 hours. it minimizes the symptoms and shortens the time.

i'm a big believer in the flu shot. we all know that. you can keep your immune system boosted with some of the things you see in front of us. >> talk about the things on the table. >> they're all good, healthy foods. some of the, i think old wives tales is that if you eat or drink any of these, it will prevent the flu, not true. these things just make your immune system healthier. and stress and sleep and all of those things go together. but the only two things that really prevent influenza? are an immunization and hand-washing. everything else just takes care of the symptoms once you have it. >> and once you get it, about a week? >> two. three. and i'm telling you -- so sick you will never not get your shot again. had it, i was stunned at how sick i was. >> stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone so you're not giving it to anybody else. >> remember, 50,000 people die every year because of this, it's the real deal. >> nancy, lisa, thank you both very much. up next, looking for a job?

five ways to keep your resumé out of the rejection pile. but 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 ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose --

to make the world a safer place. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. with millions of americans looking for work, the competition is fierce. and even though you may be the perfect candidate for a job, your resumé could ruin your chances of even getting the foot, your foot in the door for an interview. well katherine cohen, the ceo and founder of ivy wise is here with five reasons your resumé can end up in the trash. cat, good morning. >> good morning. >> we want to tell people how not to have them end up in the trash. it's not a shock to say that people, most people, sort of exaggerate on their resumés. but you say a prospective employers are a lot smarter than you think. >> yes. the most egregious offenders are people put companies they didn't

work for or colleges they didn't graduate from. and obviously employers can find this information out online and a lot more about you online. or someone might say they're proficient in a language or computer skill. they're going to be expected to perform those things. and what they also see is people might not be honest about their past experience. so do they singlehandedly release the revenue of the company by $1 million? if you work with a team, you want to say that that's okay, because people are looking for people who collaborate with their team. >> they're also looking for people who tell the truth. so a lie is disaster on a resumé. say you're a woman and you took time off to raise your kids, or in this economy you lost your job, not because of any lack of value in yourself. you've been unable to get a job immediately. so there's a gap on your resumé. how do you handle that? >> you want to be accurate about the dates. it's hard to hide the gaps. if you've been out of school for a while, in the workforce and let's say you switched jobs a lot of times, you took the maternity leave. make sure you explain it in your

cover letter. obviously employers are going to be a a lot more forgiving to recent grads, if they only worked in the summers. >> if you lost your job and it wasn't your fault, or whatever because of the economy, can you use that as an excuse? >> you can, frankly, absolutely. put it in the cover letter. i think employers are understanding, especially in today's economy. >> now let's talk about when to include your gpa, should you? >> if you just graduated in the last two years, it's okay to put your gpa if it's a 3.5 or higher. but you don't want to give an employer a yardstick by which to measure you if you can't measure up. >> if somebody does not include their gpa that may be an indicator. let's talk about inconsistencies in your resumé. because that is another red flag. >> yes, sometimes employees will get a resumé from someone who is clearly under or overly qualified. or let's say they're asking for a much higher salary or they're currently making a much higher salary than the position warrants. that's a red flag, you don't want to waste people's time. it's not the right position for

you. >> if you want to switch careers, your resumé says one thing, yet you want to switch careers. how do you make that known to your employer in a way that's useful. >> if you might not look serious if you just send the resumé. it's important to say in your cover letter why you're switching careers and how your old skills might translate to the new position. >> some people have put head shots, mug shots -- [ laughter ] photos of themselves in -- definitely, don't do that. you say that's only if you're an actor 0or a model. >> i've seen some recent college grads who might put a picture of themselves or might use a hot pink font or weird fonts on their resumé. don't use gimmicks, it's important to be professional. >> what about this idea of putting your objective, your job objective? i always found that to be difficult, you know. are you required, when should you absolutely? >> we actually say don't put it on.

because it's going to limit you. and also, sometimes people are sending off the resumés so quickly, they might have an old objective on that doesn't match the job that they're applying for and they're sending out their resumé to hundreds of places. >> you talked about sending out your resumé to hundreds of places. shouldn't you tailor to some degree, your resumé. not that you tell an untruth. but include the things that the company you're applying to wants to know about. should you tailor your resumé? should you know a lot about the company before you put it together? >> you should, actually and this is the most important piece of advice. as soon as you read the job ad, you want to do your research on the company. do your due diligence. go online, read about it, learn about the role. look at the company's competitors. then you can tailor your resumé. and some of the things you've done. as well as your cover letter, to that. and that can get you noticed. that's going to get you the interview. >> and the information that you have just done the research on is going to come in handy during the interview. >> exactly. >> and lastly, you say follow directions when you submit your resumé. thank you so much. very important advice and timely

as well. hopefully it's helped someone this morning. coming up, we'll go spanning the world with none other than len berman, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:51 with our good friend, len berman, here to take us on a wild ride through the wonderfully whacky world of sports.

lenny, good morning. >> hi, guys, how are you. january featured the nfl playoffs and alabama winning the championship in college football. but what we're truly the top sports stories? let's go spanning the world. ♪ >> unbelievable! >> all right. on your mark, get set -- and whoa! >> did you get that on camera? oh. play ball, our shot of the month this is goalie tim howard in the american played goal for everton in england and the goalie scores the goal. amazing. but the catch of the month in new zealand. it's the best cricket catch of all time. >> wow! >> you know, we think it's the best. how would we possibly know? the best move of the month. this is braves infielder, jack

wilson with the kick. and the worst moves of the month is spain, the goalie sets up for his free kick. hey! where did that guy come from? in hong kong, the bicycle kick unbelievable? unfortunately, he kicked it into his own goal. then there's marco baghdatis in australia. that's a broken racket. and -- that's two. and -- that's three. so why not make it four? you know, that's why they call it the grand slam. oh! >> our fan of the month, brenda hewlitt in new york, this is the only time in her life that she ever touched a hockey puck. 0or a hockey stick. and -- she wins a truck! she did it! here's the -- yeah. here's the worst punch of the month, rangers catcher torrealba in venezuela, a 66-game suspension. our tebowing of the month. everyone is doing itin hockey,

jack johnson of the l.a. kings scores a goal and he tebows on the ice. in denver, the mascot rockies several tries but he keeps missing. his patented halfcourt backwards shot. so he rips off his outer jersey, he unveils his tim tebow jersey and he tebows at half-court. does that help him? well, there he goes, and it's good! yeah! plus the shot of the month in kentucky, lindsay wilson college and the announcer kind of likes this. >> full-court shot oh, my god! oh my god! it's the most unbelievable shot i've ever seen in my life! ♪ >> you know what? he reached high c, that's a sportscasting record. good job, yeah. >> have you ever hit that high? >> no.

>> nobody got hurt in that month. >> nobody got hurt. the bowler may have gotten hurt. >> the word tebow, it's a verb now. >> actually, the tennis rackets got hurt. >> and since we have you here, would you like to make a prediction for the big game? >> i hate making predictions, but the giants are playing better. not that we're in new york or anything. but you know, the quarterback and the coach, i'm happy for them, their defensive line is playing great. they're playing better. but who knows, the ball bounces off a knee like it did in san francisco, and you never know. >> lenny b., thank you very much. meantime, coming up. is it a good idea for starbucks to add alcohol to the menu? hmm, today's professionals talk about it after your local news.

8:56 is your time now on this thursday, january 26, 2012. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. big delays on metro. let's go to danella sealock with more on that. good morning. >> good morning. damaged rail is causing problems on the red line. metro single tracking right now between friendship heights and van ness. if you are traveling on the metro at farrugut north every other train will stop.

turn around and head back to silver spring and you will have to get off at farrugut north and take the next train to con to head towards bethesda. on the roads still seeing delays on 395. delays start around edsall. slow across the 14th street bridge. >> we will take a quick break

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

good morning. getting scattered sprinkles. moving color on radar in the district of lump wra and prince george's, fairfax, montgomery counties. farther north and west as well. scattered sprinkles. we are in the upper 30s and low 40s. a chilly, damp start to the day. later today, climbing into the low to mid 50s with more rain off and on. heavier at times this afternoon overnight to midday provide. turning colder friday night and chilly weekend to follow. >> all right, tom. thanks s

we're back with more of today's on a thursday morning, january 26th, 2012. nice to get back out. to say hi to these nice people, i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry, al roker and savannah guthrie. >> coming around the horn. >> making the rounds. >> coming up, we're going to have an update on the cruise ship disaster off the island in italy. rescuers now say hope has pretty much faded of finding any other survivors of the disaster. a lot of debris blocking many of the cabins, we'll have an update coming up in a little while. we're also going to have an update on demi moore, she was rushed to hospital, suffering

health concerns and is being treated for exhaustion and to improve her overall health. we'll get some information about that. also, we have today's professionals in the house. we've got star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman ready to weigh in on all the topics. and we'll talk about mommy stress. why do moms feel like they reach the boiling point? we have seven strategy force how to cope, including getting more exercise and how to reach out to family and friends for support. >> hopefully it will work for dads, too. >> absolutely. and also, timeless style. that's right. women of a certain age are just as beautiful and they can also be just as fashionable. we're going to look at betty white, debbie reynolds, we've got a fashion show with a twist, our models are all 80-plus. look at the style and as confident as anyone. >> i'm sorry, i said 80-plus, i

didn't give specifics. >> yeah -- >> she gave awe look like -- >> she's going to get you. let's go inside -- >> a lady who is over 50. >> and now natalie has a look at the headlines. >> good morning to you guys once again and good morning, everyone. parts of texas are drying out this morning after heavy downpours caused flash flooding across much of the eastern half of the state. drenching rain forced drivers to abandon cars on flooded roads. the national weather service confirms that tornadoes touching down near austin, san antonio and houston, damaging homes and businesses. authorities have identified the bodies of three german passengers recovered from the ill-fated cruise ship off the coast of italy. this as rescuers say there is little hope of finding any more victims. nbc's michelle co-zins ski is on giglio island with more. michelle, good morning. >> hi, natalie. searchers say they may not be able to recover everyone who is trapped inside, because some areas are inaccessible. and also today, the port authority told an italian

hearing, the captain, francesco schettino, wasted a precious hour when passengers could have been boarding lifeboats. we know from court documents that schettino claims his superiors were the ones who pressured him to come so close to the island. as a sort of common publicity stunt, which the company denies, saying it was unauthorized, prosecutors think schettino may have been going too fast. and as for accusations he abandoned ship. he said in court it was an accident that happened while he was helping lower a lifeboat. saying he fell on to its roof. now there is a transcript of a phone conversation that allegedly has him telling someone that he willingly left the ship when it started tilting. also today, costa cruises is meeting with consumer groups to determine how best to compensate everyone who was on board. natalie? >> michelle kosinski in giglio, italy, thank you. president obama outlined his energy policy today, in nevada and colorado on his second day of a five-state tour.

meantime, in arizona on wednesday, there was a tense exchange between the president and governor jan brewer. brewer said the president took issue with her book," scorpions for breakfast" where she said he lectured her at a previous meeting. timothy geithner said he doesn't expect to serve a second term as treasury secretary. he said he's pretty confident the president would not ask him to stay on after making it clear back in august he would only remain in his position until the election. frightening moments this morning in australia where the prime minister had to be rushed out of an event by riot police there. she was quickly taken to her car after riot protesters surrounded a restaurant and began banging on windows at a ceremony marking australia's national day. some major airlines are not pleased with new rules that go into effect today. they will now be required to post full fares that include all taxes and mandatory government fees. u.s. officials say the army plans to slash the number of

combat brigades from 45 to 32 as a part of cost-cutting and restructuring. the service aims to reduce the number of soldiers by 80,000. defense secretary leon panetta insists the cuts will not hurt the army's effectiveness. and beating the buzzer even better when you do it with a full-court shot. the third quarter was ending during a game in nebraska, joseph christian let fly with an 80-footer that caught nothing but net as you see in the replay there. unfortunately, bad break, because his team ended up losing the game by three points. but at least he gets that on his highlight reel. now five minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to matt and ann. >> can you believe it? sign him up. give that kid a contract. >> mr. roker has a check of the weather? >> we're going to alert len berman, next month. we have friends from canada. all right, very good, how are they doing this year? okay, we haven't gotten off the

runway. there you go. let's check it out all the pilotss check it out. the pilot ejected. severe storms, chance from new orleans to birmingham, out as far east as atlanta and tallahassee. could see tornadoes out of this thing. tornado watch in fact until noon. central standard time for much of louisiana on into alabama and coastal florida. look at the rainfall amounts. anywhere from 2 to 3 inches from tampa to nashville. north side of the storm, we have flood watches, winter storm warnings and winter storm watches as well. you can see the moisture streaming north. next 24 hours we are talking about 3 to 6 inches of snow. but heavier rain from st. louis, cincinnati, and cleveland, pittsburgh, all the way up to buffalo. that's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> sprinkles of rain around the metro area. good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. right now getting sprinkles in fairfax and district. and in montgomery counties. points north and west. these are moving south, west to northeast. temperatures are chilly. we are just low to mid 40s throughout much of the region.

42 another reagan national. 30s farther west and north. above freezing. later today in the low and mid 50s. occasional showers. and as well as overnight tonight and through midday friday. mild start to the afternoon on friday. then colder we have the world's youngest bank robber right here. what's your name, young lady? >> nadia. >> hi, nadia. savannah? ♪ thanks, al. now to today's professionals, our panel of power players, weighing in on the hot topics of today. star jones is an attorney and author. and donny deutsch head of advertising giant, deutsche incorporated and dr. nancy snyderman, nbc's chief medical editor. >> power players? >> i've been asking myself that question for approximately six months now in the segment. we'll start with testimonyi moore, she's been hospitalized, her rep says for exhaustion and to take care of her overall health. there's been reports of a seizures and reports of

prescription drug use. knowing as little about it as we do officially, nancy, what's your take? >> what we know is what we've seen, she's become very thin and distraught. i think it's hard for these people to live a very public life in a microcosm. i feel, i think it's a profoundly sad story. probably prescription drugs. the seizure could easily make sense if there were electrolyte abnormalities, or drug interactions. the words they've tossed out are hollywood code for real problems. and psychiatric issues. >> it's got to be challenging for somebody like her. i'm going to generalize. you take a meryl streep, actresses who built their craft, reputation on their beauty. and they stay strong. how many -- >> like demi, beautiful, gorgeous. and as they hit a certain age, unfortunately, it's not fair, hollywood turns their back to some degree.

and this is just a sad, harsh fact. and i wonder if you trace -- how many young, beautiful actresses that in some way, they kind of crash and burn. >> it happens in life. it happens in life, when you are a 40-something woman, we're the exact same age and you have to imagine that her marriage is breaking up. all of her friends are looking at her, do you need anything? do you want anything? she's feeling a little down. and depressed. or a lot down and depressed. her man's over in brazil doing the samba with somebody else, so she's upset. i can understand. >> a young guy that was into it, he moves on, he's supposed to be a real jerk. i've never met him. >> his problem is this love-hate relationship that women have with their bodies. when you market yourself as being sort of the physical dependency of how you are perceived. and then guess what, i don't care how old you are, gravity sets in and the aging phenomena comes. >> i hear you all on this on hollywood and age, but demi

moore is an example of somebody who looks fantastic for any age. >> correct. >> when is the last time she had a serious role in a movie? i think that the two are linked. if you're a woman and your man leaves you or vice-versa -- >> but what she said is really important. we perceive her as beautiful. she may not see herself as beautiful. >> her point in a recent article was, i'm not sure if i'm someone that can be loved. that's a real deep serious stuff that she's dealing with on her own. that has to do with i'm getting older, this young guy that i was in love with doesn't love me that way any more. reality is setting in on me. that's ha she's saying. >> let's move on. i think we're all sympathetic. >> we wish her the best. >> we'll take a turn, starbucks, the famed coffee chain is starting to test out alcohol. it did this in a pilot program and now it's going to do it in 25 locations. do we think this is good idea? >> savannah, i'm the consumer

they're targeting, because i've never gone to starbucks. i don't drink coffee. i think i've gone in to use the internet for a couple of seconds. i'm the consumer they're marketing to. i don't drink coffee. i think it's stupid to pay that much money for a cup of coffee. i would meet my girlfriend for a glass of wine at the end of the day. >> i and howard schultz who runs starbucks is a brilliant guy. i have a question as to what it does for the brand. for me it's a place for people of all ages. if you start to serve alcohol earlier in the day, you don't go into places in this country at 10:00 a.m. where they serve alcohol. so if they're doing it, i would advise them do it after 4:00 p.m. >> i think that's the plan, yes. >> but the other big issue, i think it changes the brand. and i think he's a brilliant marketer, schultz, but i think it's a mistake. >> i like him a lot, he provides health care to all of his employees, the problem is starbucks once upon a time stopped smelling like coffee beans when you walked in. at that point, stopped being a

coffee house and became something else. my concern is that people will pick up some booze and pick up some coffee and think they can get hammered and think the coffee can make them hammered. >> i can't be all things to all people. they have a great place, stay with it. >> and you go to starbucks to write their screenplay, you can't did that when you're drunk or it won't be any good at all. >> actually, you could. >> let's move on. you'll love this one, donny. is sexting attractive? a dating expert has gone on the record saying sexting can be a good thing. the best seduction technique for a guy is to get the girl thinking about him in a sexy way before they see each other. and "the huffington post" thought it was a good idea. >> i would like to wage a complaint with nbc, whenever there's a salacious topic, you start with me. my pants are vibrating. bad statement. i think sexting is a fun,

seductive thing. i think it is using this device in a fun way. the problem i think for young people they often will do things that they wouldn't ordinarily do with actual words. and they tend to be more open or more overt than -- >> donny, are you out of your mind? kwame kill patrick, the former mayor of detroit, went to prison because of sexting. >> there's a difference -- >> it wasn't illegal. >> anthony weiner. >> there's a difference between a guy showing his weiner and a guy who is -- >> you're lying. >> this is the one thing that makes me crazy. i'm a lawyer. be smart. don't put that stuff on paper. that lives therefore ever. >> you're missing the point. nobody said, there's no legalities, the issue is, is it inappropriate, is it seductive, is it fun? >> so you're saying is when women sex you, you find it a turn-on. >> it's never happened to me, but -- >> you're lying now!

>> i think -- >> my telephone number -- no, no. >> an issuing like kwame kilpatrick who got in trouble for it, the larger issue, if it's a playful sexting -- >> of course it's sexting, because there is a barrier and it allows you to sort of be a little more flirtatious than if you were face to face. >> may i give you the other side, please? i think -- the other side is, it takes away some of the intimacy of having the person right there care enough to say to you -- >> excuse me, i'm not wrong. it can be your opinion or my opinion, but i'm not wrong, all right? >> you're wrong. >> i'm not wrong. i would like to have a conversation rather than a text message. if you want me, say i'd like to have you, say something like that to my face.

>> that's sexting. >> no, it's talking. >> let's move on to another sex topic for donny. cuddle or sleep, okay? a recent study by psychologists found that people whose partners fell asleep immediately after sex were more likely to want to cuddle and chit-cat. if your partner was likely to fall asleep you were the person who wanted to cuddle more. and it gets rid of the stereotype that it's not more common for men than women to fall asleep immediately after sex. >> i don't understand the question. >> if your partner is more likely to fall asleep first, then apparently you are wanting to cuddle. which kind of makes sense. >> i have a question to ask you, right after sex, do you think normally people -- kind of do their thing, clean themselves up and come back or is there the old-school -- >> shut up! >> the problem is, you got to stop all of that -- >> or do you hang right after sex. they come back -- >> yeah, they do, they do. >> they kind of just hang.

>> geez, oh man. >> if you have sex other than with someone you have to pay, you hang. if you have to pay, you leave. >> star jones, donny deutsch, dr. nancy snyderman -- >> i think we're drifting. >> thanks, guys, see you again. coming up next, is mommy stress hurting your family and your health? how to recognize the signs that you need a mommy time-out. and women of a certain age are certainly beautiful, confident and sexy. 90-year-old betty white is certainly an example of that. coming up, for everyday women, their age-defying style, coming up. [ female announcer ] there's surprising news about whole grain

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moms, coping with mommy stress, if you're feeling tense around your kids, you're not alone. what can you do to recognize when you're close to the edge and destress? educational psychologist and "today" contributor, misht chel borba has more. i was surprised to hear that 96% of moms today feel like they're more stressed out than even our mothers were. and all mothers will admit that we are. >> so what are the triggering factors? >> a number of them. but look, first of all, financial insecurity is the no-brainer. but we're also looking at intensive parenting where we figure we have to do more and more. a time warp? we are lacking support systems for ourselves, we're trying to put our relationships in balance. it makes no difference what the cause is, the key is, we have got to manage it. because it's seeping down into our own health and our kids. >> we're on demand 24/7, not just at home, but at work, too. that adds stress. you say there are important things because it can affect

your health and it can affect the well-being of you and your family. important ways to figure out if you're at the edge. what are they? >> well first little one is this is the reality check, i dare you to do it. go home tonight and ask your kids, how would you typically describe our home climate? tense or is it, feel like we're walking on eggshells, or is it a place to decompress, and the next one is real fun, ask them to describe you 0en a typical day. and if you're the one she's always wiped out, irritable and a little tense, it may be time to tune up the stress management. >> we'll get to some of the things you can be doing at home. let's talk first about knowing your stress signs. common strens signs. >> the common stress signs, if you can figure out yours, your blood pressure starts to elevate, you may get a little dizzy. you start talking a little louder, you're more irritable, you grad grab your head because it starts to hurt. it makes no difference what it is, but key into which one is your stress sign. once you know diit, the first b

tip is take a mommy time-out asap, the nanosecond that stress comes in. the single greatest way to relax and manage your stress is a slow, slow deep breath. if you can practice it. like elevator breathing and breathe it owl, it really can relax you and teach it to your kids, it's wonderful. get yourself and your family a family stress box. a koosh ball to work it off. and everybody in your family has permission to go for a minute, work it off and family harmony can be restored. >> and to create solutions for your hot times. ha do you mean by that in. >> generally a few times that you know are predictable nightmare moments, for moms, it's first thing in the morning. if morning mania is hitting you, figure out what the common cause is you're always arguing with

the kids, because they can't decide what to wear, pick it out the night before. you can't figure out where your car key is, make an extra set and put a hook by the door. you'll reduce a little bit of the stress and make the morning go better. >> another thing you say, a great benefit to you and your kid, to exercise together, work it out a bit. >> we know that exercise gives us energy. the big problem is mom says where the heck do i work into that one. do it with your kids. prop your toddler in the stroller, push and find another mom to walk with you, get yourself an extra bike and do it with your kids, garage sales are great. the fun one is put on some dance music, i don't care if it's john phillips sousa or lady gaga, you can dance your tensions away. >> and as well as finding support with your family and outside of your family. so michelle borba, other great tips, online, head to our website at today.com. thank you. coming up, we'll meet some stylish octogenarians, bobbie

thomas has fashion advice for aging with grace, but first, these messages.

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that just makes people move. [ male announcer ] golden crispy outside, warm and fluffy inside. who says breakfast together can't be done? [ male announcer ] eggo® waffles. simply delicious. 9:26 is your time now on this thursday, january 26, 2012. good morning to you. we have big delays on metro this morning. danella, good morning. >> a cracked rail outside of tinley town is slowing you down on the red line metro right now single tracking between friendship heights and van ness. expect big delays. farrugut north, every other train is turning around and heading back to silver spring. for you at farrugut north, you will have to get off and take the next train to continue your commute. in d.c. northbound lanes shut down to 20th street in northwest. closures are at k street. back to you. >> thanks so much. a quick break now and a check of

good morning. tom kierein in storm center 4. radar showing a few scattered sprinkles moving through the metro area. larger area of some steady, light rain west of interstate 81. west of the shenandoah valley. that's just now coming into the northern shenandoah valley. heading east. maybe coming into the metro area and another couple of hours. and ahead of that, low clouds and fog and we are in the low

and mid 40s now around the metro region. late near the low and mid 50s. with occasional showers and that may continue into tonight and ending friday midday. chilly for the weekend. >> thanks so much. more news, weather and traffic

my husband is in the military, thank you. >> at least you have insurance. >> and access to guns. >> just go and change your shirt, okay? please take those away from me. >> sitcom star chelsea handler, known for her ruthless attitude. we'll show you a side of her you never knew she had, tomorrow. i think it has something to do with accountens and poetry. >> and long walks on the beach. meantime, coming up in this half hour. aging gracely. >> stars like betty white and debbie reynolds look as fashionable as much younger stars and it proves there's nothing stopping women of a

certain age and we're talking up to 100, putting a stylish foot forward. bobbie thomas is here with some inspirational ladies from age 80, or almost 80 and up. we have advice on how to be a fashion plate at any age. and then imagine what it would have been like to sit down and talk with the likes of frank sinatra, sophia lauren or marilyn monroe. a new book chronicles chats with those stars and more. we'll hear about it. and we'll be doing some classic american cooking with a gourmet touch. don't be intimidated, how to take on short ribs to pound cake, all recipes you can do at home. all right. gayle won't like it -- >> but we will. >> first a check of the weather? >> we've got today we have a risk of strong storms in the lower mississippi river valley. morning showers into the pacific northwest and not quite as bed as it has been.

sunny and mild in the southwest. tomorrow we have santa ana winds setting up in southern california. steady. chillier in the northwest. slight chance. morning showers ending in the mid atlantic states. plenty of sunshine from texas to the gulf coast and mild. that's what's going on around the country and here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, tom kierein storm center 4. moving color on radar is some scattered sprinkles in northern virginia and maryland. farther to the west and much of west virginia, northern shenandoah valley a larger area of steady light rain. that will be moving towards the metro area in another hour or two. and temperatures are in the low and mid 40s out ahead of that. most locations. and we will continue to climb into the low and mid 50s later today with occasional showers and it will continue off and on tonight and into midday friday. then drying out friday afternoon with a blustery wind and chilly weekend to follow. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks. coming up next, bobbie thomas' age-defying style secrets from women who wear it well and our over 80s -- whew, she's inviting

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this is mary. who has a million things to pick up each month on top of her prescriptions. thankfully, her walgreens pharmacist recommended a 3-month supply. now, mary gets 3 refills in one and for 3 months she's done. ask your pharmacist about a 90 day supply and how to save with the prescription savings club. individual memberships are just 5 dollars. enroll today. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. this morning on bobbie's style buzz, the secrets to age-defying style, we're inundated with flawless images of youth and beauty, an upcoming documentary, advanced style age and beauty has a look at how style and fashion can improve as we age. >> i love leopard. >> dyed to match cashmere

sweaters and skirts. >> i like surrealism. >> i love fashion. >> i dress according to my mood. i have to have freedom. i have to when i move i move. >> we love it. today's style editor, bobbie thomas is here with some of the women featured on the advanced style blog and on the documentary, good morning, bobbie. i love these ladies, what's not to love? these are women from 80 to 100 years old who you're going show us today, how inspirational are they? >> beyond words. i'm a huge fan of a blog called advanced style. we'll meet seth cohen who deserves a lot of credit. i feel so honored to do the segment. in our society, as women, we all know this, we're obsessed with numbers. i say you can wear this, they say, no, if i was 20 years younger, three inches taller. these women with ages they're so proud of, 79 1/2 and above. it's so inspiring to know that it gets better. >> let's start taking a look at some of these fabulous women. and starting off with joyce

karpoti, whose mantra when it comes to style, is confidence and attitude at 80 years young. age is a privilege, she says, bobbie. tell us about this classic look we see she wears so well. >> i'm so in love with joyce. she loves fashion and she says that she has never felt better. she is all about wearing classic color combinations, she loves accessories. and these are her signature pearls. she does her own hair. she does this braid, it's her signature look. and i just every minute i get to spend with joyce is an honor. she was teaching me what i should be doing different. and it's really, you know, you can wear that, joyce has so many wonderful things that are out of the box. purple leather gloves and fancy prints. >> joyce, you say a lot of people focus on looking younger. but you focus on being elegant, right? >> because a woman can't always look younger, but she can always look elegant. >> i love it.

i love your style. and your attitude. you do have that confidence, thank you, joyce. >> and another age-defying style secret is to be yourself. so let's meet jackie murdoch, a legendary dancer from the famed apollo theater, who is not afraid to wear heels in her 80s and you say jackie knows where to find fashion for less. >> she's not afraid of anything, heels or fashion. she loves to thrift shop. she has a signature flower in her hair, ala billie holiday, she's done it for years. jackie was a dancer, so she has amazing posture. she was most proud to tell me her dress was on carolliina herrera. she scored this dress for $100. >> jackie, i'd like to go

i love her. fabulous, when i first met her she huddled me into her apartment and she kept showing me all of the jewelry she made herself. her bracelet is made out of a bedspring. everyone makes fun of me for diy? i'll be diying tonight.

she makes her own eyelashes, she snips her hair and makes her own eyelashes to match. she has a song written about her eyelashes. her style secret is about self-expression, all about color, putting her style together. >> you look great and you're so much fun. we love you, alana, thank you so much. >> fantastic. >> i'm blessed that you loik my freedom. >> we love your freedom! >> and last, but not least, keep moving has been the mantra that has moved ruth cohen to be the celebrated age of 100. bobbie, he created the blog, advanced style, seth cohen. let's see what we admire here about ruth. >> ruth is telling me to hurry up, she has pilates after this. so she does keep moving. >> and you know, she's so fantastic.

they've all never felt better. they said they had insecurities when they were younger, and now it's like forget it. ari, i adore you and i hope your book and documentary gets so many eyeballs because you deserve it. >> these women are so inspiring. >> if we could bring all the ladies out for one last look here? and you all are just wonderful. such an inspiration tore all of us. thank you. >> go to his blog to find the article. advanced style.com. moving with sinatra and other legends from the golden age of hollywood. we've got movie critic, jeffrey lions coming up with his father's elite of his time. a look at that right after this. of feeling embarrassed about my skin. [ designer ] enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone --

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the paper still exists and he started contributing to the other columnists of the day. and in the dailily mirror, he began in 1934 and wrote six days a week, 1,000 words a day. and i have all columns and went through all of them. >> the people your dad met and rubbed shoulders with, we've got a picture from the cover of the book. it's your dad, your mom and marilyn monroe. >> it was taken by sam shaw, who took the picture of marilyn on subway grating and look how angry my mother looks. and when people say isn't she gorgeous, i say, yes, so is marilyn. but my dad, not only knew, he didn't write a gossip column, he didn't write with his eye on the keyhole and that's why he became friends with them. s orren wells was his best friend. the book covers stars from charlie chaplain to penelope cruise. >> and marilyn monroe gave you a

special 16th birthday present? >> she called me. i don't know whether she practiced singing for president kennedy. she called me on my 16th birthday. the column was the key to everything. my dad pushed the plunger to that blew up the river kwai. it changed our lives. >> tell me about joe dmaj yoe. >> he was good friend of my dad's, he didn't know what to do with his life after his playing days, he was a quiet, elegant gentleman and larger-than-life person. >> and sophia lauren, actually made you a spaghetti dinner? >> she did. when i was in spain. i was 11 and as mel brooks said, at that age, i thought girls were just softer fellas. but sophia, cooked me a spaghetti dinner and i saw her five years later at a movie opening and she said how was the dinner? she said, you didn't tell me how the spaghetti was.

she's a remarkable lady. >> speaking of the chairman of the board, your dad wrote the first item about frank sinatra. >> apparently one of the first, certainly one of the first, during the war, sinatra was walking down the street with his agent and they just had a big tiff with the press. and the agent caught a glimpse of a banner headline and quickly raced over and bought the paper and breathed a sigh of relief that said, allies pound sumatra. those are the kind of stories that make the book. my favorite is phil silvers who was an mgm contract player. he was signed to be in "pride and prejudice" he said, i'm a jewish actor from brooklyn. they said learn the lines and audition. and he was supposed to say i think you should not get married. and he said, first of all -- >> thanks so much for joining us. up next, we'll learn how to make american classics, short ribs and pound cake, not together but at the same time.

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this morning in today's kitchen, what's on the menu? timeless american meals made simple. from short ribs to pound cake, chef richard rosedale, executive chef at greenbriar in virginia is here. you've got exciting recipes that you might find intimidating, but you said you found ways to make them simple. >> we picked dishes that are timeless and try to put a contemporary spin. >> normally you braise the short ribs for 48 hours, how do we shorten it up? >> i'm going to ask you to help me out. if you can grab the vegetables, the celery, onions and carrots. >> and throw it in there. we're good. >> okay. >> perfect. and what we've got here is this the pot we've seared the beef

and we're going to bring this over here, our tomato. >> this is the tomato paste. our garlic. we're going to stir it around. when we get it good and carmelized. what i've done is browned these off so you've got some great carmelization and once it cooks and you get good carmelization, can you get the nice sweet flavors 0 out of the vegetables. we'll add our ribs that have been browned nicely. >> you put merlot? >> yes. >> i would know it anywhere, pour it in there? >> pour it in there. >> all right. could you use any kind of red wine? >> i like cabernet, pinot another, it works great. this is great secondary cut of meat and it tastes really succulent. next we have some beef stock here, it will go on top of the ribs, we'll cover it up. we made this beef stock from scratch. you certainly can go ahead and buy store-bought. but we definitely suggest you make it home-made.

>> you put parchment over it? >> this is a great economy lid, if you don't have a lid at home. we made one out of parchment paper. we put it over top. and then put it in the oven. >> i was going to put it right on top. >> you put it in the oven for how long? >> two and a half to three hours. >> okay. >> we've got some short ribs already cooked off over here. you see the nice, nice viscosity of the sauce, it looks fantastic. >> now instead of potatoes we're doing five-onion risotto. >> one of the classics at the greenbriar is the five-onion soup. we tried to put the same flavors into a risotto. >> what are the five onions? >> yellow onions, red onions, shallots, leeks and scallions. you can use whatever onions you want. you can use a three-onion risotto. we've enriched it with butter, parmesan cheese and we have the finished dish. the risotto, the short ribs plated up. >> for dessert, my favorite,

pound cake, this is a real twist. what is this globe? >>ky tell you what the classic dish is? it's the pound cake with the vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce, what we've done -- is we went ahead and got the fudge sauce that we're kind of pouring over the hot chocolate here. >> come on over. >> perfect timing. >> now you can see what's being revealed inside, it's the vanilla ice cream. surprise, surprise. >> do it again! >> and you are basically in the olympics of cooking. the finals are this weekend? >> yes, they'll take place this weekend. so we're looking forward to that. >> richard rosedale from the greenbriar, thank you. >> look who is here! >> carrie fisher! >> are you ready? >> yes. see you in a

good morning, everyone. 9:57 is our time. thursday, january 26, 2012. i'm barbara harrison. big delays on metro this morning. let's go to danella sealock with more on that. >> good morning. if you are traveling the red line, a cracked rail right outside of tinley town is slowing you down on the metro right now. delays on the red line, single tracking between friendship heights and van ness. at farrugut north, trains are turning around every other train

so if you are continuing at farrugut north you have to get off and then take the next train. these delays are set to last throughout the morning. over to tom with a look at our weather. good morning, tom. >> good morning. chilly sprinkles for another horror so. steadier rain as we climb into the afternoon. low and mid 50s. tomorrow morning showers and ending by noontime after the overnight rain tapers off and then getting colder on friday night. and as some gusty winds blow in. winds will settling down. chilly weekend to follow. barbara? >> all right, tom. coming up on "news4 midday," a warm bowl of soup, perfect for a cold winter day. cold winter day. we never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the...

and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. 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. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing! i was just in a trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] and here's a special bonus: sign up now and get $300 back with a two-year contract. fios internet -- the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] start saving now. move up to fios for our best price online -- $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years and get $300 back with a two-year contract. or ask us about the option of no annual contract. is change good? in this case, change is very good. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatprice. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities

that's verizon.com/greatprice. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead. captions paid for by nbc-universal television [ "soup it is thirst day thursday, january 26th, 2010. kathie lee is out today but filling in is the wonderful carrie fisher. i'm sorry about the "star wars" movie. that was not my pick.

>> 2012. >> 2012, apparently. >> not with that music. >> exactly. nineteen -- >> fifty-six. >> yeah. i know, people still to this day, does it get on your nerves when people think "star wars," princess leia and come up and ask you -- >> well, i'm getting a little -- i should be queen by now. but the music following me, you know, imagine walking down the street. no. my favorite thing is people saying princess leia, and i'm supposed to go, yes? like i forget that's not my real name. >> the other thing people especially now know you a lot for is your tremendous weight loss. that was one of those things that we saw before pictures and then you went on jenny craig and these are the before and afters. >> oh, my god. >> why? what do you mean? when you look at those, what do you think of the before ow

and -- >> horror. just horror. no, the after part is fine, but look what i allowed myself to -- that was the thing where someone said whatever happened to carrie fisher, she used to be so hot and now she looks like elton john, which is not nice to elton john, i feel. but there you have it. >> how long did it take to drop all that weight? >> i started at thanksgiving. >> yeah. >> so that was the jumping-off point. i think about ten months? >> ten months. okay. >> sort of like a pregnancy but there was no child at the end of it. that i'm aware of. there might be. >> do you still eat the jenny craig food and do all that? >> i'm very involved in their snacks. >> i saw you had some cookies today. >> my big thing is it feels like -- what is that called? like i'm a truant. they're hiding the snacks from me at the house. so that's my new -- that is sad.

you guys are hiding the drinks in the morning. >> i know. you don't drink so we cleared the table of all things alcoholic. >> oh, isn't that nice. >> sweet of us. >> come back on and i'll have the snacks. >> by the way, i know there were all those rumors about the facelift. are you sick of that? >> no. this is new. >> tell me. >> why didn't i get my neck done then? and they -- the great thing is there are doctors that weigh in, as it were -- >> yes. >> -- on my appearance, and apparently i didn't -- it's not a good job. >> i'll say. so, there's like three doctors saying it's clear she had the lift and it's a little too -- >> yeah. >> i don't know what else -- i had so many things done. >> have you ever had any bork done? >> well, yard work. >> that's it. >> no. i -- you know, like the botox.

>> yeah. botox. we had your mom on the other day. >> she looks better than anyone except my daughter. >> she looks great. it was a weird experience for us, i have to say. >> i heard she used a certain word a lot. >> yeah. look, she wanted everyone grabbing her. no. she threw the dress open and you'll see, kathie's going in and at the commercial break, we have a shot of it. >> of her -- >> no. >> it comes with age that you start, you know, exposing yourself. i'm about five years away. >> she kept asking how do they feel. you live just around the corner from your mom. right? >> i'm near her breasts, yes. >> how is that living so close? >> well, we're both on the road for a long time, and there's a hill between us and between her

arthritis and my bursitis, it's getting a little weirder as we go along. >> yeah. >> so i'm moving. no. i'm not. no. it's fine. except my mother now goes out and does interviews saying, well, our relationship is very volatile. >> yes. she says that. >> really? no one told me that. i thought we were getting along pretty well. so, you know, that's how i keep up with what she thinks of me. >> what is that relationship like between you and your mom? >> well, it's certainly not, i believe, typical. >> yeah. >> but it's -- my mother had me go and get my doctorate from the school of speech and drama that i never graduated from. >> okay. >> because she wanted class in the family. so she honestly thought i was going to be called dr. fisher, you know, and write prescriptions and stuff. and i said to her, why -- please tell me why i'm doing this again. she said it's for your future.

when is that going to happen? i thought that was sort of already going on in a big way. so, you know, but now i have officially turned into my mother. in our family to turn into one another we do -- well, mine's not a knife, necessarily, but -- >> you do. you're going to be in baltimore coming up. >> going to be in baltimore. >> on january the 21st -- 31st. >> nude. >> nude. >> no. i'm not. i promise not to be nude if you come. >> uh-huh. >> so please spare all of us from that. >> that's at -- where are you going to be? baltimore. >> the hippodrome. >> don't forget. d you're going to be in dayton and in houston and we're going to have all that stuff on our website. >> we are? all right. >> there we go. so demi moore, you guys know,

was in the hospital and they were talking about what's happened since her breakup and she's obviously had a really difficult time. >> not that it's easy for anybody, but to do it this sort of -- >> publicly. yes. >> what do you think about that? there are two issues going on. obviously we've all had break breakups. what was your worst breakup, by the way? >> it's such a competition. no. it isn't a competition but i'm not going to say. just guess. >> yeah. >> but it is difficult because -- well, especially with her, though. can you believe that after this length of time they're still saying jen wants to get back with brad and brad sent her a text message in her car. yeah. >> so this, i think, was -- they were just watching her, waiting, it seems like, for something to happen. >> for something. >> so she -- >> what about these -- we see

may-december romances with men all the time, the older man, the younger women, and now we're seeing a lot more. >> not a lot more, but when a guy is nice. >> yeah. >> but when a woman does it, it has him washed and brought to my tent. you know? so -- which actually is a line of cher's. >> uh-huh. >> like to give credit when credit is due. but it's embarrassing. i mean, it's viewed that way or the inevitable. when they break up, then they -- >> right. madonna does it, j. lo, a love ot people who have -- >> but how to talk about it is not really complimentary. >> the way people look at it. there is a new website out there. if you do break up with your boyfriends or whatever and you wondered what went wrong, like why did we break up? i guess you never really asked him. >> like you care about his opinion at that point.

>> right. >> but, okay. >> what you can do later, apparently there's a website -- >> how much later? >> when the sting has worn off. you can write him a letter on this website, wot -- what went wrong. >> like for the next boyfriend? >> to figure out. >> it was really bad and not really a great cook. and she takes things way too personally. i mean, what -- another way to be mean to people. >> yes. let me ask you this. if you could line up all your previous relationships, okay, for a second, there they all are in a line. and you could ask them all what was the reason, if you had to boil it down to one reason that this relationship didn't work, what was the -- what would be the one common thing every single one of those guys would say? what would the common thread be, do you think? >> she's a lot. >> she's a lot? >> yeah. >> what does that mean? >> i think they would say that i

was -- you know, not sort of someone who can be found in the -- no. just, you know, too much. >> complicated. >> yeah. and i'm not -- i'm not a typical wife so, if you look at me and think, oh, that's my girlfriend, maybe that's fine. but if you look at me and say this is my wife, it looks weirder. so i don't know. i don't mean to brag. but i just -- i think that might come up on the resume. >> you've dated younger men before. yeah? >> thousands of them. >> did you? >> one after another. >> what would the youngest you ever went in terms of an age gap? >> 12. and i got arrested. so i learned from that. >> yes. >> more than necessary. >> yeah.

>> and it was -- it's embarrassing. >> is it? >> well -- >> yeah. >> when you get around other people, yes. and when he was in very good shape and that was kind of his focus, so on christmas he gave me an exercise bike and i gave him some books. so that didn't -- >> that did it. >> kind of spoke of -- yes. >> of all the guys, the love of your life, who was the love of your life of the men you were with? >> oh, that's not fun to say. you know, in different ways. i -- paul was -- >> yeah. >> you know, very -- he was -- he's a great artist, so that was great. and i was quite young, and so it was like being apprentice to someone who was brilliant. and then my daughter's father, he took care of me.

>> who's your daughter's father? >> i don't know. i'm still going through the tests. no. his name is brian borg, and he's an agent. and he's a great father. and we try very hard and succeeded, and we'd go on vacations together. you know, he prefers men now, but, you know. >> oh, okay. >> who doesn't. >> who doesn't. real quick, i want to get to -- we have something to play real quick. a little michael jackson song. every thursday i do a play list. i thought, you're close with michael, and this is one of his old songs. kind of a good dance song. get on the treadmill that guy gave you. >> elliptical. >> e lipt call. here it is. do you like to dance? >> well, not in public. >> really? >> am i going to have to do this with you? >> just feel it a little bit.

do you like it? >> no. >> she hailt hates it. up next, luke perry is in the house. his newest film on the hallmark channel. why you... nobody's taken a shine to me in a long time. phooey. i don't need anybody...but you! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. used mops can push muddy water around. swiffer wetjet's new, upgraded solution helps prevent streaks and residue to reveal more shine than a mop or your money back. you're a fresh swiffersnapper! you can always do something better for yourself. and better is so easy with benefiber. the fiber that's taste-free and grit-free... so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber. no problem. man: do your simple return

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with delicious sweet filling my kids will love. plus i get two boxtops for their school. toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. tv, movies, broadway. there is not much luke perry has not done. >> and you can add writing to that list. >> yes, you can.

his first movie about a circuit judge in wyoming, did so well that a sequel is coming out. it is called "good night for justice." let's watch. >> you know how to use that thing? >> yeah. >> sure you turned the safety off before you put the finger on the trigger? you know something, i make a much better friend without that. and you know something else, you pull a gun on somebody, you better be ready to kill them. also you need to make sure it's loaded. back on your horse. you're going to jail. >> oh. that's bad. >> welcome. by the way, this is number two on the list, is very first -- the first one came out and was the number-one-rated movie on hallmark so congrats. >> thank you very much. >> we expect something similar for this movie. >> we hope so. it's tough being the highest rated one they've ever had. nowhere to go but down or up.

hallmark is supportive. >> you're very good looking. >> see. thank you, doctor. >> no, no. and i'm a doctor, so it has to be true. >> yes. you can take my temperature later. >> your facelift is awesome. >> thank you. good stuff. >> and you came up with the characters, too. >> yeah. it's first time i've ever done that. you know, i was thinking -- i'd done a couple westerns with these guys and i thought about a character that i would like to play. took out a yellow legal pad and started writing a story. >> describe this guy, your character. >> when he's not being a judge and sitting behind the bench as it were, he's a regular guy, have drinks with, plays cards, meets the occasional girl. rides a lot. spends a lot of time on the road. i thought that's interesting. you have to show the mumen being as well as the judge. >> and you're involved in the writing of the whole deal. how does that work? >> i have some folks i collaborate with, neil and

tiffy. i write a story on a grocery bag or whatever i get it out on, i take it to these guys. they make it into a screenplay. they hand it back to me and me write on it. on the day i get to polish the dialogue and do all that stuff. >> great. >> it's interesting because -- >> that's the thing. on the day you want to be able -- >> you want some control over this. >> you shoot this -- how long did it take to shoot "star wars"? >> we're still shooting it. no. three months. >> three months. yours, what, 15 days? >> 15 days. >> both of you guys are interesting because you're both known for something, beverly hills "90210" and you "star wars." does that bother you, you did this movie but they go, hey, we remember ""90210""? >> doesn't bother me. without one probably wouldn't have had the other. if not for "90210" none of the other "stuff" would have happened. i don't know how you feel about it. >> i think you really just go with it. >> you have to embrace it.

especially "star wars," the biggest movie franchise ever. you have to embrace it. >> princess leia is like being minnie mouse at some point. >> and the hair. the only time i've asked to have my picture with anybody was markham mimar mark hamill. i was, like, i got to have this one. >> we could wander around. >> can we ask about the tie you have on? >> ice a gift. fantastic. this was give on the me by the kids at the st. jude's children's research hospital when i was down there. >> beautiful. >> all the kids designed it and i told them i would wear it. >> again, this is a sequel coming out. if you didn't catch the first movie, will you understand what's going on if you watch this one? >> you will. this is called "goodnight for justice: the measure of a man." two separate films, not a true sequel. they're stand-alone movies. we made a third one this summer also, stand-alone movie, all different characters.

>> i saw it and i completely -- >> she got it. >> yes. >> thank you so much. good luck with this again. catch it saturday night on the hallmark movie channel. up next, sarah's going to take us to a webtastic wedding. ♪ ...and make it wild. ♪ introducing wild fruit fusion pop tarts all the fruit flavors you love... in a tasty new combination. [ laughing and cheering ] pop-tarts. joylicious. [ female announcer ] you would never leave him... ♪ or put him in harm's way. ♪ but to take care of him, you need to take care of yourself first. one a day women's helps provide key nutritional support we need

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everybody dance. this week's video is by who? videographers -- >> one grooving groom. >> doctor, you're brilliant. >> that's right. check out the surprise performance of justin bieber's "bab "baby" for his bride, emily. ♪ oh, like, baby, ba baby, baby oh, baby, baby, baby ♪ ♪ baby, like baby baby, baby oh, like, baby, baby ♪ >> now this is a surprise. they actually watched a justin bieber the night before and choreographed it all night before. these are his groomsmen and

ushers. >> she looks totally astonished. >> he's not a performer. he's a tax guy. >> i would have guessed that. guessed that in a minute. what do you think of that moving and groove, carrie? >> i don't think they're still together. >> i want to note the contest we have coming up. >> that's what we do here. contests. tell 'em. >> if you think your engagement story is the most romantic, the most unique, go to klg and hoda dotcom for a chance to win four nights at laguna beach, roundtrip air fare, two spa treatments and an award-winning restaurant. the contest ends at february 2:1 2:11 -- february 2nd 11:57 eastern time. >> describing it on video is better. >> we might amp that up. >> all right. sarah, thank you. >> thank you. >> we are going to come back

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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. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing! i was just in a trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] and here's a special bonus: sign up now and get $300 back with a two-year contract. fios internet -- the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] start saving now. move up to fios for our best price online -- $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years and get $300 back with a two-year contract. or ask us about the option of no annual contract. is change good? in this case, change is very good.

[ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatprice. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/greatprice. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead. and we are back on this thirst day thursday with "today's relationships" and how to feel closer after a fight. we have all been there, raised a voice, and you get upset and you're angry and hurt. how do you get past that? kate white is the editor in chief of cosmo magazine, and she's here with doctor-ish -- >> ish -- love that word. >> you're not getting a long-ish. >> we've all been in fights with

our husbands, boyfriends, what not. >> ish. >> and you say something you don't mean. and it's cruel and it's -- you know, whether -- you're a jerk isn't so cruel, but you say something. how do you unring the bell or can you? >> you have to do more than apologize if you say something stupid like that. you've got to try to neutralize it or those words will hang out in his head. if you have that you're a jerk, you could say something like, wait, aren't i a jerk for saying something so silly or if you threaten to divorce him you could say, hey, i was being overdramatic, overreacting, but try to neutralize it. >> and send a stripper. i've always found that works. >> when you got in fights in relationships, how did you fight? >> we never fought. >> come on. >> everything was so beautiful. boring. no. it is tough. you try to make it i think funny. >> yeah. humor works, does it? >> humor works, but be careful.

only if the other person thinks it's funny. guys, we tend to hold onto things a little more. let a little distance pass before you inject the humor because if it's too soon, he'll think you're making light of the situation. >> the cooling-off period, sthims r sometimes you need a little time, a lot of time, according to this study, 9% of guys need no time, okay. 25% need ten minutes to cool off. 40% need an hour. and 26% need a full day. now, are women -- >> yeah. what was interesting is that, you know, 25% practically needed a whole day, so you've got to be aware that not everybody's ready to get all lovy dovey, you know, at the same time. i like the hour thing because it says the length of a television show for a lot of guys. >> like a football game or something. >> and touching. i mean, when you're in an argument and you're really going at it, is it a good idea to make

contact or not? does that help? >> it depends on the timing. so after the argument and you've had your cooling-off period, now you're going back in to assess the damage, i say do the sit test. sit right next to him. make sure some part of your body is testing him. leg, arm, shoulder, thigh. if he immediately pulls away, the argument is still on. if he doesn't move, it's over and you're in there. >> what about going to bed angry? when you got in fights did you go to sleep and wake up and -- >> i'm sure i tried to forget. i think it's important to teach your mate to say you may have a point. it takes a long time to learn that. >> it is true. sometimes they've got something that makes sense. >> mm-hmm. >> okay. now when you talk about humor, because i know that's something that kind of works, what do the women think of humor after a fight? >> i think they like it. it does break the tension and it's humor about something that you guys always laugh about,

because that not only breaks the tension but it also reinforces the idea that you've got a great bond with each other. >> sure. sometimes the arguments, though, you can go way below the belt and sometimes you didn't mean it but you just grab -- you know his achilles' heel and you just went for it. that's a hard one to try to fix, isn't it? >> that is. that is. what i tell folks to do is before hand do the fighting fair stuff. when things are good and you're lovy dovey, have a conversation, gosh, i like the way we get along and i hate when couples argue all the time and they say mean, hurtful things, such as -- and then you run your list of things. find the boundaries and the parameters for a fair fight. >> kate's working on a new book as usual. guys, thanks for coming to see us. >> thanks. up next, winterizing. this is interesting. >> ish. [ announcer ] to do a job well, you need the right tools. [ thuds ] that's not gonna work.

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it is time for "today's home" and the ways to keep the heat in and the cold out. >> automatic it takes is a little something on your windows. >> "today" contributor and host from "house smarts," lou is here with a bunch of tips. >> good morning. >> we're still kind of waiting for winter. what's happening? >> i know. right? it has not come. i get that.

but even though it's been mild, you're still paying to heat your home. these types of tips have a direct benefit, even in this type of weather. and when winter does come, you'll be ready. >> on the ball. >> standard thermostat. most people have seen this. they remember these round ones. they go on and off. some of the old ones have the mercury in them. these come off, pop off or twist off. this panel comes off and when you do that, ladies, you end up with these wires. >> look at that, carrie. >> these are low-voltage wires. they're not anything you have to worry about getting electrocuted. a programmable thermostat can save you up to 20% on your energy bills by adjusting the temperature when you're not at home or go to sleep at night. if you lower the temperature by just one degree it goes down by 3%. when you take these off, that back panel of that new programmable thermostat, you'll see a bunch of letters. >> see this? >> the letters represent the colors of the wires. can you see that?

>> the colors of the wires. >> you take those wires and you connect them to that, mount that on the wall, then you have a programmable thermostat ready to go to adjust. it's really that simple. >> okay. >> would you do that? >> ish. >> a programmable thermostat, a good one is about $50. this one for $100 is programmable but also you can adjust it from your smartphone and from a computer. >> wow. >> so if you have a second home or you know i want to turn it up, it's a little cold, you can do it that quickly. it installs just like that with a separate module. >> let's walk down here. these filters, i don't even know where they come from, but -- >> they come from the store. you buy them at the hardware store normally. this is what most people put in. they put in a blue pleated filter. its only job is to from protect the blower motor. does nothing for indoor air quality. i want people to go into these pleated filters, these higher

efficiency filters have ten times the cleaning power over these standard filters and you'll feel a difference in the overall air quality. but they trap more so it's important to make sure that you change them on a regular basis, probably every two months or so. >> okay. not bad. >> not bad. >> again, that is furnace that we have here. the reason i had them bring this in is this is a brand-new furnace. this is the heat exchanger. you need to get your furnace cleaned and inspected on an annual basis. one thing they'll say is you have a cracked heat exchanger. the gas that flows into the top of this can break through and this is where you can get carbon monoxide. a quality hvac contractor will clean these. we have about a minute. >> you can die from -- >> absolutely. really something you have to getment inned. drafts are the biggest things we want to eliminate in a home. whether you're using weather

stripping, caulking is your best friend to get rid of the draft where is the baseboard meets the floor or drafts around windows and doors. the plastic sheeting we put on this window back here, if you have drafty windows and can't afford brand-new window, this gets put on with double-sided tape and a hair dryer to get it on nice and tight. you can increase the energy features of your drafty windows by 70%. when it's tight you don't even know it's there with your window treatment. >> and the glass is on the other side. >> the downside is you can't open the window up if you get a nice day in the fall without having to take it all away. >> ten seconds. >> furniture. make sure if you have furniture, these directional vents can go on so you can push the heat where you want it so you're more comfortable and don't have to turn it up a. if you use space heaters in small areas it's the most efficient way to heat because you don't have to turn the thermostat up to heat the whole

thing. don't put it next to flammables, don't use extension cords. never leave it unintended. >> lou, thank you. talks to us like we're in third grade and i like it. >> no, no, you can do it. >> talking for women. >> thanks. up next, stilettos. ♪ ...there are no sick days. ♪ vicks dayquil. defeats 5 cold & flu symptoms. [ snoring ] [ indistinct talking on tv ] [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. ♪

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"today's woman" is brought to you by aveeno. >> protecting yourself with style. jennifer is a fitness and defense expert who once found herself in a compromising position realizing she had very one unlikely weapon on her body and it was your shoes. tell us what happened in that situation. >> when i was living in new york city, i got attacked on the street. i was not being aware, which is the "action" in the abcs of

self-defense. and i got grabbed from behind, caught off guard, and i had my stilettos on. my years of training, i was able to defend myself by scaring my attacker away and with mihials on i chased him down the street. did you start pounding on him with your shoe? >> i didn't have time to take it off. i chased him. >> you chased him. >> and he didn't have a weapon like a belt or anything? >> no. >> a clothing attack. >> no. >> so the stilettos that we all have on can be weapons. what are the abcs on how to get busy with these? >> the abcs of self-defense are awareness, boundary, and being centered and calm in the face of an attack. however, being centered and calm, you need to be able to release your shidi. >> shidi. show us because often we can't understand unless we see. and we know height matters. >> i'm very upset about being

short. in this type of situation. >> okay. we're going to step up a little bit. we get to step up to you. okay. go. >> here's my attacker. first things first, your atta attacker sometimes is going to come from the front when you see him, sometimes from the back. the first thing you want to do when he grabs you is to learn how to base out in stilettos. i'm dropping my center of gravity so i'm nice and stable. when you're back like this -- >> okay. >> it's a good legworkout, too. >> flexibility. it's not mental. >> drop your chin so you can breathe. now i have a lot of options but i'm going to look for my target. eyes, fingers in the eyes, right, or pull him close and -- >> whoa. that's what you were talking about. >> that's plan a. >> sometimes you have a weapon. >> a key. >> and it's going to go in his neck. and if you don't have that, you have your elbow, strike him across the face. next thing, i need one more

thing to get him down because he's already going and then stilettos. boom. >> oh. triple threat. >> okay. come to carrie. >> oh, okay. >> drop your center of gravity. >> my center of gravity. am i kicking you in the balls first? >> you can. >> i can't remember. >> eyes. >> oh, i'm hitting him in the eyes. >> elbow. >> elbow. >> knee. kick him in the -- >> going! >> down! and stiletto. >> the key. i didn't do the key. >> you got it. >> thank you so much. you're good. scared of you. you can see the whole program on her dvd called stilettos and self-defense. a portion of the proceeds, by way, goes to women's victims of violence. coming up next, to the kitchen with chef ryan.

♪ well, it's dinnertime it's dinner sometime ♪ >> taking you into "today's kitchen," getting saucy with chef ryan. >> hi, ladies. >> ryan has a string of restaurants in new jersey opening the latest in newark called nikko kitchen and bar. >> in new jersey. >> the recipe you love the most is one of your moms, isn't it? >> this is one of my mother's recipes. and also i ate it every sunday i was off in italy. one of my favorite dishes, chicken cacciatore. it is a one-pot meal. everything cooks in the same pot, put it in the center of the table, throw sout om dishes and everybody eats. >> what part of the chicken do you use? >> thighs.

i just sered them with a little salt and pepper. if you can put the mushrooms and onions and butter in for me, that would be great. dump the whole thing in. >> oh. >> what kind of mushrooms? any kind? >> a meaty mushroom like a portobello. >> i'm going to take one, you take the other. >> so we give it a little bit of a stir. we'll cook it for five to seven minute, get some nice carmelization. and we'll move down here -- >> is the chicken cooked all the way through? >> it is not. it still has to go in. onion, mushrooms, chicken and the garlic. then we'll glaze with white wine. >> that's what i was wondering. >> get the sizzle going. reduce it down by half. then you're going to add your tomato. okay. your sweet and acidity in one. >> okay. >> your roasted peppers. little smokiness in the dish. your potatoes are going to be your starch. and then we add our chicken back in. >> put the chicken in.

>> okay. >> this is something that's great for the whole family. >> i got oregano, red pepper flakes for a little spice. then we add the chicken stock. okay? going to cover the chicken and then it's going go in the oven. all right? >> carrie, what's your dish of choice? >> my favorite thing is to make dishes that everything ends at one. it is one dish -- >> yeah. >> souffle, risottos. and you don't have to make everything in different -- time it. >> do you enjoy the cooking classes? >> someone said once if you can read you can cook, and i'm a good reader. >> flow me over to the oven. we'll throw it in. okay? >> mm-hmm. >> uh-oh. there it goes. >> put that in the oven for about 45 minutes. obviously with the magic of tv we have this beautiful dish right here. >> that looks great. >> we serve this dish at my other restaurant every wednesday

night. chicken cacciatore. >> should we try it? >> let me give you your own plate. >> really delicious. >> here we go. >> of course. of course. >> and bon appetit. >> looks really, really -- hold on. we have a knife but let's get in there. tell me about the restaurant in new jersey. >> it's been open eight years, modern italian, very market driven and upscale. and then last week was our anniversary from one we opened up two years ago. now i'm the culinary director. >> we got to run. >> ciao. >> thank you so much. carrie, thank you. thank you. you were a lot of fun. tomorrow we have ambush makeovers.