good morning. trifecta. rick santorum sweeps the gop presidential contests in colorado, minnesota, and missouri. what does that mean for front-runner mitt romney? we'll break it all down. a cry for help. police release the 911 call fl the social worker who brought josh powell's two sons to his home. >> there's two little boys in the house and there's an adult man. he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. >> as investigators search a storage unit rented by powell for clues to his wife's disappearance. and breaking her silence. the woman who claims she had an

affair with jfk when she was a white house intern. why is she revealing it 50 years later? meredith vieira is here with the exclusive "rock center" interview today, wednesday, exclusive "rock center" interview today, wednesday, february 8, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. rick santorum said his three wins show he's the conservative alternative to barack obama. what does it say for mitt romney? >> the most telling results are from minnesota. take a look. mitt romney finished third with only 17% of the vote there. this is a state he won with 41% of the vote four years ago. should last night's defeats be viewed as a bump in the road for

romney or a major setback to his chances of winning the nomination? we'll talk about it with chuck todd. >> also, an emotional end to a case we have been following more than two years. the kidnapping and murder of a 7-year-old girl as she was walking home from school in florida. her killer faced the girl's family in court including her 9-year-old twin brother. do they think justice was served? the mother joins us to speak out in a live interview. >> later on, today's professionals weigh in on hot topics. what do they think of gisele's post super bowl comments? is there discrimination against single people in this country? we'll get star, donny and nancy's thoughts. >> first, moerm's clean sweep of three presidential con teftestst night. peter alexander, good morning. >> reporter: it's cold in colorado but a hot streak for

rick santorum. he's won four states to romney's three. for santorum that means more money and more momentum. for romney, who hadn't even mentioned rick santorum's name since early january, and we looked it up, that means one more contender to worry about. [ applause ] >> conservativism is alive and well in missouri and minnesota. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: celebrating his biggest night since the iowa caucuses, rick santorum surged back into the spotlight. >> i don't claim to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney. i stand here to be the conservative alternative to barack obama. [ applause ] >> reporter: santorum told the cheering crowd the president just doesn't listen. >> you better start listening to the voice of the people. but then again i wouldn't be surprised if he isn't listening. why would you think he would be listening now? has he ever listened to the voice of america? >> no! >> why? >> because he thinks he knows

better. he thinks he's smarter than you. he thinks he's someone who is a privileged person who should be able to rule over all of you. >> reporter: santorum tried to tie mitt romney to the president. >> health care, the environment, cap and trade. and on the wall street bailouts, mitt romney has the same positions as barack obama. >> reporter: and took a dig at romney for his fumble last week. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. >> i care about the very rich and the very poor. i care about 100% of america. >> this was a good night for rick santorum. i want to congratulate senator santorum. >> reporter: facing a r reinvigorated rival romney took a page from rick santorum's blue collar story trying to cast himself as the son of a working man. he said his mother, the former president of american motors once worked as a carpenter. >> my father never graduated college. he apprenticed as a plaster

carpenter. he could take nails in his mouth and spit them out pointy end forward. >> reporter: after the speech secret service agents dragged away a man who tried to glitter bomb the canada data. newt gingrich largely ignored all three contests, launching a bus tour in ohio targeting early super tuesday voters. >> since early voting is beginning, if you can go on facebook, twitter, e-mail or telephone or even in the old fashioned sense see people face to face we'd be very, very grateful. >> reporter: the three leading candidates had three different directions today, ann, ahead of the maine caucuses. the next big show down will be at the end of the month in arizona and michigan. >> thank you so much. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. good morning to you. >> good morning, ann. >> rick santorum swept the three

states with little money and he's now technically won more states than mitt romney. will he get a second look by the party and voters? >> it's clear he will. he got a second look by conservative activists in all three of these states. remember who showed up. these are the die hard republican party conservatives. that's who showed up last night. these are the folks that pick up the phone, do the door-knocking. they rejected mitt romney and chose santorum. you said it in the lead-in. he didn't have money or organization in these states. he had just a little bit of campaigning he did, a little bit of free media, a little bit of paid media. that was it. this says -- this is a rejection right now by conservatives of mitt romney. >> let's take a look at the numbers that matt pointed to earlier about how big the rejection was. if you look at minnesota, in 2008 romney won with 41%. yesterday he got 17%. of course he lost across the board.

is this, to some degree, this enthusiasm gap we're hearing about? what other reasons can explain why he was so roundly defeated? >> you have to go at the enthusiasm issue among conservatives. every time mitt romney has taken two steps forward it's because he's had money and organization. it's never been because his message resonated with the base of the republican party. last night was about the base of the republican party. let's take colorado. take the romney campaign at their word that they skipped minnesota, didn't have delegates involved in missouri. just look at colorado. colorado was a place where mitt romney spent money, he did campaign. it's where he spent last night. it's the one place they thought they would win and they lost there, too. again, this is about the activist community. conservatives have not been able to get themselves comfortable about mitt romney. we have seen in our exit polls.

the most conservative voters in just about every single exit or entrance polls have gone with somebody else. not because they are enamored with rick santorum. but mitt romney hasn't done enough to convince them. >> can gingrich maintain the position that he'll focus attention on the south and secure the nomination? what happened to him last night? >> mitt romney will be fighting a two-front war. if santorum and gingrich do the divide strategy are santorum focuses on some states and gingrich focuses on another and they are not there to split the conservative vote they could deny romney a lot of dell dpats on super tuesday. if it does become where both of them are campaigning, we have seen before. gingrich is most dangerous to mitt romney when mitt romney is not concentrating on him.

this is the difficultiy for romney. he has to keep gingrich's negatives up. you have to continue the negative campaign. you can't let up on him. now he has to start a contrast with rick santorum. he tried last night. we'll see. there are issues in rick santorum's wheelhouse that we are debating now. >> chuck todd, thank you for your perspective. it's now 7:09. here's matt. >> thank you very much. now the ongoing debt crisis in greece. there is growing optimism that leaders will be able to secure a new bailout for the troubled country, a deal that can't come soon enough for the people of greece. keith miller is in athens with the latest on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the greek government is under tremendous pressure to reach a deal, a new bailout. if they can't reach an agreement, greece could be the first country in the european monetary union to default. that would send the economy here into a death spiral.

there are already signs of an economy in collapse. soup kitchens and bread lines are packed with people without jobs and little hope of finding one. leo's work as a painter of icons dried up. at the age of 64, he lost everything. he had nowhere to go. >> i grabbed warm clothes, books and ten boiled eggs and i left the house. i found myself in the park. >> reporter: greece, like leo, is bankrupt. for decades the country lived well and worked little, all on borrowed money. now greece is suffering under severe austerity measures imposed by its neighbors as conditions for a bailout. >> if you walk down the streets of athens, you notice that the lights are going out in a number of apartments. it's not that they're empty. they're occupied but people can't afford the utility bill anymore. >> reporter: the basic fabric of

life is unraveling. suicides up 40%. homicide and violent crime up almost 100%. and cuts in social services so deep it is making the greeks sick, literally. hospital admissions jumped 24%, even as hospital budgets were cut by 40%. dr. kanikis has seen the number of patients visiting this charity clinic quadruple. >> we have people who are starving, people looking for doctors in medicine. >> reporter: to pay down debt the government cut the salaries of public employees by 40%. at the same time increaseded sales tax to 23%. a gallon of dpas lean now costs almost $10. >> i'm angry with the government. whose fault is it? the government's. it's not the taxpayers' fault.

>> reporter: the words tragedy and -- are greek in origin. the negotiations continued this morning but the greeks are going to have to make more concessi s concessions, more cuts in jobs, salaries and benefits in order to get the funds to keep this country afloat. matt? >> keith miller in athens on this story this morning. thank you very much. it's 12 minutes after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thanks. now to washington state where funeral services will be held on saturday for the two young sons of josh powell. he killeded himself and his sons when he set his house on fire. for the first time now we are hearing the 911 call from the social worker there at the time. miguel almaguer is in graham, washington, with details this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. detectives were back here at the crime scene on tuesday. they fanned out across the region. this as, for the first time, we

heard from the dramatic 911 calls. >> there was a man and two children. i just dropped off the children and he wouldn't let me in the door. >> reporter: the social worker who brought 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old braden to their father josh powell's home immediately called 911. >> there are two little boys in the house and an adult man. he has supervised visitation and h he blew up the house and the kids. >> reporter: from the beginning it was clear this was no accident. >> you think he might have done this intentionally? >> yes. >> reporter: police say powell planned the double murder a day before, purchasing ten gallons of gas, transferring $7,000 out of his bank account, even giving away his children's toys. >> hello. this is josh. i'm calling to say good-bye. >> reporter: powell then left this chilling voicemail with family and friends 20 minutes before he torched his home. >> i am not able to live without

my sons, and i'm not able to go on anymore. i'm sorry to everyone i've hurt. good-bye. >> reporter: josh powell's sister was among the first who heard his message and called 911. she feared the worst had happened at her brother's home. >> i'm afraid of seeing something. i don't want to see. >> reporter: powell was named a person of interest in his wife's disappearance. he was never charged with the crime but in september lost custody to susan's parents, allowed only supervised visit. this weekend, chuck and judy cox will bury their grandchildren. >> i think he was very sell is fish. that's why he took the kids. if he couldn't have them, no one could. >> reporter: with susan's disappearance unsolved, tuesday night investigators searched a storage unit rented by powell. >> if you have a storage shed, we want to know what's in it. >> reporter: police now say

josh's father steven has been named a person of interest interest in steven's disappearance. he's awaiting trial on child pornography charges. today he's on suicide watch. >> steven will always be part of the investigation. we have questions and stuff we'd like to talk about. >> reporter: police say before his boys died in the fire, josh hit them both with a hatchet. jennifer graves is josh's estranged sister. >> the thought of those babies suffering, and they must have because they weren't dead when the explosion was done. they suffered and they died. >> reporter: the heartache and panic from sunday, still vivid for that social worker, too. >> he opened the door. the kids were one step ahead of me. they're 5 and 7. they were one step ahead of me and he slammed the door in my face. >> reporter: the social worker is devastateded. >> she had bonded with the boys.

she had taken them to a number of visits before and was very close to them. as i say it was devastating to her to have had this happen. >> reporter: police say the social worker who brought the boys here and called 911 did everything she could. the funeral for the powell boys will be held on saturday. ann? >> all right, miguel almaguer, thank you so much. a quick programming note, "dateline" will have a look at the powell case friday at 10:00/9:00 central time on nbc. >> let's head to the news desk for the top stories of the morning. natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning. a major breakthrough in california where the hotly contested gay marriage ban known as proposition 8 has now been overturned and declared unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. the ruling applies only to california. the case could be headed to the supreme court.

new york prosecutors will not pursue rape charges against the police commissioner's son. the manhattan district attorney's office found criminal charges were not appropriate following an investigation into the rape accusation against tv anchor greg kelly. kelly's accuser said he assaulted her after they met for drinks in october. kelly denied wrongdoing. pennsylvania prosecutors are pushing to have jerry sandusky kept indoors only while under house arrest after neighbors complained the former penn state assistant football coach was watching children in a school play ground from his back porch. sandusky is awaiting trial on child molestation charges. his attorney says the concerns are unfounded. it may look like a tsunami is about to engulf the florida panhandle but not to worry. these photographs show what haze and humidity can do to the clouds. this is over panama city, florida. striking images. the first lady is proving to

be unbeatable. late night host jimmy fallon brought spandex to the white house despite disapproving looks from the first dog and mrs. obama herself. after doing push-ups, twirling hula hoops, hurling dodgeballs and pulling through a tug of war, the first lady won the face-off in a dramatic to the second potato sack race. the fun was all part of michelle obama's let's move fitness campaign. cue "chariots of fire." 7:18. back to ann, matt and al. jimmy's having fun. >> we need to get him a trainer. >> let's show you what's going on as far as your weather's concerned. we have a quick quick moving cl along and will bring snow to southern ohio and pennsylvania and even just to the south of new york. you can see this system i am proves through rapidly by 11:00 tonight. it is offshore. because it is moving so quickly it is not going to dump a lot of

snow. we are talking about 1 to 3 inches generally. some areas maybe not even going to see that much. that's what we are looking at across the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> you can see our area is under the gun here for some accumulating snow by later today. right now we do have some of that moving into west virginia out of the ohio valley heading off to the east. arriving into the metro area by later this morning and during the afternoon. right now ahead of that we are near freezing throughout much of the region. 38 now at reagan national, though. here's my snow forecast for this system coming in. area in dark blue may get some of the higher amounts along the ridges. else way inch or two on that's your latest weather. matt? >> for years we have been told to lower the amount of salt in our diets. according to the centers for disease control nine out of ten adults are still consuming far too much. in some cases double the recommended daily amount. tom costello has more on that. >> reporter: salt or sodium

leads to high blood pressure. this is what we're talking about for a daily maximum. i'm eyeballing it, but that may be too much. amazingl amazingly, a third of the american population has high blood pressure and 800,000 people die each year from diseases related to high blood pressure. >> how's that weight going? stable? >> reporter: when it comes to being lucky, don is a living example. >> i was walking in the office and all of the sudden i was on the floor unconscious. >> reporter: it was a massive heart attack. buy bistanders, doctors and paramedics saved his life. he stopped smoking and cut back on the salt. >> i eat less red meat, more fish, a lot of oatmeal and i'm conscious about not eating salt. >> reporter: the cdc says many of us would do well to follow his lead. on average americans consume

3,300 milligrams of salt or sodium each day, twice what's recommended for anyone at risk over age of 51 and all african-americans. in fact, 44% of the sodium we eat comes from only ten types of foods. surprisingly breads and rolls are at the top of the list followed by cold cuts, deli and packaged meats, pizza, poultry, soup, sandwiches incluzing cheeseburgers, cheese, pasta dishes, meeatloaf-type dishs an at the bottom, snacks. >> nearly two thirds comes from food at the grocery store. another quarter from food at restaurant. >> reporter: if you eat an egg and cheese sandwich with coffee and orange juice for breakfast that's 770. soup and sandwich for lunch with iced tea, 1600. sp ga spaghetti dinner, 730.

and after dessert you're over 3,000 milligrams. as for don in boston it's been five years since his heart attack. >> he's a model patient. he's on medication, stopped smoking, exercises and he's doing well. he certainly understands the risk of having too much salt in his diet. >> reporter: doctors would like to see that much salt. the grocery industry has been cutting back sodium levels for years and walmart announced plans to cut sodium and sugar levels from thousands of products while cutting prices on produce. more fruits and vegetables, more healthy home cooking are the keys, say the experts to cutting the high salt level intake. >> thanks, tom. coming up, details on the relationship between jfk and the woman who claims she was his mistress as a 19-year-old white house intern. meredith's here to share her interview. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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coming up, the family of a florida 7-year-old who was kidnapped on her way home from school and murdered faces her killer in court. >> summer thompson's mother speaks to us after your local news. oh, oh. oooh! will love ever come my way? oh my! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer sweeper's new, thicker cloths get deep into ridges picking up more dirt, dust and hair than a broom to help leave your floor up to three times cleaner. you sure are a pick-me-up! [ male announcer ] swiffer cleans better or your money back.

new ocean spray cherry juice drinks, like cran-cherry, made with sweet cherries and the crisp taste of cranberries. ah, sweet deal! find out how to get a free cherry juice drink at oceanspray.com good morning. it is 7:26. wednesday, the eighth day of february. i'm joe krebs. we have a school closure to tell you about, fauquier county schools are closed today because of the impending weather. now a check of the roads. danella, a few problems out will. >> that's right. gw parkway, southbound your left lane is blocked by an overturned vehicle. earlier all your lanes were blocked. right now the left lane. you have to stick to the right. right lane is blocked. stick to the left to get by. also, dulles toll road inbound, left lane is blocked by the trash there. only the right lane gets by and you are jammed as you make your way from route 7 to the beltway.

joe, back to you.

good morning. tom kierein in storm center 4. cloudy and cold near freezing.

later today around the metro area between noon all the way until this evening we could get accumulating snow mainly on grassy areas. higher amounts in the dark blue zone far west and north. joe? >> tom, thanks very much.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 8th day of february 2012. we have a lot of smiling faces, people who got up early to be in rockefeller plaza. meantime inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. just ahead we'll hear from a woman who claims she was jfk's teenage mistress. >> we told you about mimi alford earlier in the week. she said the affair started on her fourth day as a white house intern. she opened up to meredith in an exclusive interview about how it began, their time together and why she didn't come forward sooner. meredith has a preview of

tonight's interview. >> nice to have her here. also here we have today's professionals discussing topics including a controversial super bowl ad, gisele's behavior after the game and why some say singles are discriminated against in america. >> we begin with the family of 7-year-old somer thompson facing the little girl's killer in court. we'll talk to her mom diena in a moment. first, mark potter is in florida with the latest. good morning to you, mark. >> reporter: good morning, matt. somer thompson's murder deeply affected this area. when her killer came to the courthouse to plead guilty and be sentenced there was a lot of anger and he was confronted by the victim's family. by coming to court to plead guilty to murder and other charges 26-year-old jarred harrell avoided the death penalty. but what he couldn't escape was a withering attack from the

family of 7-year-old somer thompson whom he kidnapped, raped and strangled to death before throwing her body in a dumpster. >> you took her dignity, her virginity and then her life. after all that you then treated my child like trash. >> reporter: thompson disappeared on her way home from school on october 19, 2009. two days later her body was found in a nearby georgia landfill. after a months-long investigation, detectives arrested jarred harrell who lived near the thompson home. in court he confessed. >> you lewdly touched her in her private areas and strangled her to death. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: his sentence, life in prison with no chance of parole. >> with this plea agreement, you are going to die in prison. >> reporter: one by one somer's

family spoke to jarred harrell about how he destroyed a precious life. >> how could you kill a defenseless 7-year-old girl that only loved everybody? >> i can't let my children live carefree like children should for fear of others like you. >> reporter: thompson's twin brother glared at jarred harrell. >> he won't look as you. he's a coward. >> we know you did this. we have evidence. she trusted you. but you had to do what you did and look where it got you. and now you're going to jail! >> reporter: his sister abigail fought back tears. >> i don't know how you can live with yourself. you don't know how bad you hurt my family. but i hope you suffer just like me and my family did. i can't explain how much me and my friends and family, everybody i know and everybody my family knows, how much they hate you. you're not even a human being.

your name is not jarred harrell. your name is monster. >> reporter: as to why there was a plea deal rather than a trial seeking the death penalty authorities wanted to guarantee his life in prison. >> we made sure today jarred harrell will never have the opportunity to hurt another child. >> reporter: they said with the plea deal they avoided years of appeals. >> good luck, monster. >> reporter: during the hearing jarred harrell showed no emotion, never apologized or spoke to the family. when it was over he avoided eye contact and walked out to start his life behind bars. >> mark, thank you very much. diena thompson is with us exclusively. good to see you. >> you, too, matt. >> how did you get through that snm just do what you've got to do. no other choice. it's stand up and fight or lay down and die. i won't lay down and die for a monster. >> you talked about spending all your energy ensuring he got the death penalty.

in this court procedure basically you agreed to life in prison. why? >> basically with the information that was afforded to me by the prosecution considering all parties involved, my children who would be drug back into the court for god knows how long, this ensured he would never hurt another child which is truly giving justice to other children. what we want and what we get sometimes aren't the same thing. >> i have had people sit here before in similar, unfortunate circumstances and they say part of the reason they did something like this is because there was some sense of forgiveness. i don't get that from you at all. >> no. i don't grforgive him. he's going to leave prison in a coffin and probably sooner than he would have on death row. >> talk to me about your children and family members who spoke directly to jarred harrell. your son samuel. this is somer's twin. he was 7 at the time.

he's 9 years old now. did he want to do this? >> not at first. when he heard everyone talking he wrote that statement and he got up and made us all so very, very proud of his strength. >> he's a brave little boy. do you worry, diena, that it was a haunting experience -- the courtroom appearance as opposed to some kind of healing experience? >> no. when he got done reading it and spun around in the chair you could almost see relief that he got to face the monster and tell him what he thought. at least that's what i felt like. >> your oldest daughter abigail told jarred harrell his name is monster. this is the part i think i uh might have asked you last time. how do you tell your children and how should others prepare their children for the fact that there are -- i always tell my kids there is no such thing as monsters. ghosts, monsters. they are in the movies. how do you dew prepare your kid cans and how should others prepare their kids that there are monsters out there?

>> we have to empower our children. rad kids, all kinds of programs you can get them in. we can't tell them. we have to teach them. i told somer and it didn't do any good. we had to teach and empower our children. you can kind out about rad kids on their website or go to summerthosummer -- somerthompson.org. >> this man stole such an innocent thing from the world. this is a walk home from school. how do your children deal with something so simple today? >> unfortunately they are much older than they should be. they have been forced to grow up really fast because of this situation and much like the rest of us, have a hard time trusting pretty much anybody. we have to treat everybody like we don't know them. >> do you wish he would have looked at you in court, made eye contact? was that something you were hoping for? >> yes. he owed me that. he owed me at least that.

>> why? >> because he stole my child from me in such a vicious way. my family deserves that. he should have said something. but he's a coward. that's what a coward would do. >> the last two years of your life have been dedicated to making sure justice was served here. do you think it was served? and where do you go from here? >> it's served as best as it can be. i think the inmates in prison are probably going to do him some justice for me. i just want to move forward with the foundation and try to help other families and try to do something to make it where this can't happen again. >> you're a brave lady with a brave family. thank you for coming back. >> thank you for having me. >> now a check of the weather from al. >> thank you very much. as we look around the country, this is the fourth warmest january on record. nine states had their top ten warmest januaries ever. let's show you temperaturewise

what we can expect. it will be chilly around northe plains. 20s and 30s there. 30s into the northeast and new england. 70 as you get down to southern california. 80s in southern florida with hit or miss showers and thunderstorms. light snow showers through the upper ohio river reel. into the northeast and rain moves into the pacific northwest. look loor cloudy skies through the southwest. big area of high pressure dominates. we will have plenty of sunshine from the northern plains all the way down into northern texas. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. we will be getting accumulating snow later this morning and then into the afternoon hours. around the metro area, most of the accumulating snow will be from mid to late afternoon into early evening. here are the snow totals expecting from the storm. dark blue two to four inches, mainly grassry areas. closer to washington, about an inch or would, immediate western northern suburbs in fairfax, montgomery counties and mostly rain farther south and east. in the district of columbia, maybe a coating to an inch. mainly on grassy areas and ending

and if you want your latest weather go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> thank you very much. up next, the woman who claims she was jfk's mistress during her time as a white house intern breaks her silence. meredith is here with her exclusive "rock center" interview after this. of. place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, kwoez. it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪

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aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh! back now at 7:43 with more on the former white house intern who claims she had an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. mimi alford details her experience in "once upon a secret." she sat down with meredith vieira for an exclusive interview for tonight's "rock center" with brian williams. good morning. >> good morning to you. this is a story that mimi alford kept secret for 50 years.

she didn't talk about it publically. she was outed in a historian's book in 1953 and admitted she was indeed the mimi who had the affair with jfk. then she basically disappeared until now. >> most mornings when i woke up i thought, i don't want to get up and write this book. i want to hide under the covers. >> what made you get out from under the covers? >> i think when you keep a secret and keep silent about something you do it because you think it's keeping you safe, but in fact it's deadly. >> reporter: the secret, claims alford, started in the summer of 1962 when the 19-year-old debutante from a prominent new jersey family began what she says was an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. >> i was sort of swept into this web. the handsome president, his charisma, magnetism. >> reporter: mimi said it began on the fourth day of her new job as a white house summer intern

when she received a phone call from dave powers, the president's close aide. >> he said, a group of us are going to have a swim at lunchtime. would you like to join us? i thought, well, it was a little bit odd to be swimming in the middle of the day at work. where's the pool? i didn't know the white house had a pool. of course i didn't have a bathing suit either. he said, don't worry, there are bathing suits. >> reporter: in this heated pool, mimi found herself with two other young white house staffers. >> they were in the water and dave escorted me in. shortly thereafter the president arrived. no one said the president was going to join us. he put on his trunks and came into the water. >> reporter: hours later she was taken on a private tour of some of the rooms of the residence by her president where she lost her virginity to him in jackie kennedy's private bedroom. did he realize if you were a virgin? >> i think he did.

he kept asking me if i was all right. i was all right. there was not a lot of conversation. >> reporter: here you are a young woman. you have never had sexual relations before at 19. >> no. >> reporter: by your own account naive. >> yep. >> reporter: you have just had sex with the president of the united states. how can you be all right? >> i didn't start to cry. i was hysterical. i clearly wanted to go home. and i did, very quickly go home. but i didn't feel scared. maybe that's the thing about shock. i don't know. >> reporter: after losing her virginity to president kennedy on her fourth day on the job they began an affair, spending evenings together in the private residence as often as twice a week. you're 19. he's 45. what did you talk about? >> we didn't have a lot of time to talk. he was the president. what we talked about was not world affairs. the president was boyish and playful with me. >> reporter: in her book mimi calls their sexual encounters

varied and fun describing the president as a sensualist who enjoyed being silly, especially in the bathtub. >> he had a collection of little yellow rubber ducks. they were in the bathtub and rubber ducks became part of the game. >> reporter: what did you do with the rubber ducks? >> we had races in the bathtub. he was not being president when he was with me. >> reporter: no. definitely not. sometimes mimi would travel with the president, flying on the support plane in her role as press office intern. an one trip she said she attended a lavish party for the president at bing crosby's house but she was mostly in the hotel waiting for the president to summon her. that's where you started the waiting game. >> yes. waiting in the hotel room. >> reporter: did you feel at all like i'm being used here?

it's almost like you were a call girl to him. >> i never felt that. now, looking back, i can see it's not a good place for a 19-year-old to be, in a relationship that's so imbalanced and with such a powerful person and an older man and at the beck and call. i see how sad it was. that is not how i felt at the time. >> reporter: can you give me an example that would say to me this was more than just being a mistress? >> just the way he was. the way he smiled with me. i feel that he did. he actually cared about me. >> several teem tied to the jfk administration said she was an intern and had special access to the president. she didn't realize there were reportedly so many other women. she also talks about the fact that as much as she add miles an hour -- admired the president he had a dark side. she refers to his demons and i

think there are things that will shock people. >> meredith vieira, thank you so much for the interview and talking to us this morning. you can see meredith's full story on "rock center" with brian williams on its new day and time tonight at 9:00/8:00 central time here on nbc. also then after, mimi will be here for her first live television interview tomorrow here on "today." still ahead, an inside look at how the stars live. we'll take you on a tour of celebrity homes that are now on the market. first, these messages. sweet, nutty crunchy nut.

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good morning. it is 7:56. i'm joe krebs. we have some snow heading our way. fauquier county schools are closed today. preparation for that. let's get the forecast, though, from storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein right now. >> right now the radar showing the snow coming into west virginia, ohio valley and kentucky heading off to the east. and does look like it will be approaching the metro area by later this afternoon. right now it is near the freezing mark throughout much of the region. reagan national, though, at 38. bit milder farther south and east. here's my snow forecast map for this weak area of low pressure coming through. mainly on grassy areas and inch or would farther north and west washington a little bit more. >> thanks very much. a break an

whatcha lookin' for hon? ah, these new jeans i want. i've been looking everywhere. new blue jeans? oh, don't be crazy, i've got tons of blue jeans. frank! frank! get my jean bin, susie wants my jeans. no she doesn't. here we go. nice and loose. ohhh. those are loose, but i actually just ordered three pairs of this kind. ooooohhhh. oh. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.

good morning. traveling gw parkway southbound at langley, overturned car there. slow trip for you from the beltway as you make your ty the accident at langley. taking the beltway in montgomery county, still a slow trip for you as well. colesville road very slow on the outer loop of the beltway. travel speed 23 miles per hour. >>

we're back now. 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th day of february 2012. temperatures dipping down a little bit here in the northeast. we're at about 33 degrees. going to get a little better today. we get a blast of cold air coming at the end of the week. >> got a little snow maybe tonight. >> key word little. >> a dusting? >> yes. >> good. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. today's professionals are here. among the topics for discussion this morning, does spanking your child help correct bad behavior? of course that's gisele bundchen there. >> one has nothing to do with the other. >> did she cross the line when

it came to her post super bowl comments about the receivers on her husband's team? we'll be hashing some of that stuff out. >> sometimes you can't control live television. meantime we'll be talking about how movie stars live. a lot of us wonder how they live. there are a number of celebrity homes on the market including one shared by ryan reynolds and scarlett johansson. also christina aguilera's beverly hills mansion. we'll look at what's on the market. the rest of us can just dream. >> speaking of stars, denzel washington will be here. he's got an intense new action thriller "safehouse." he'll be here talking about that. ryan reynolds was here yesterday. >> denzel says he's not a morning person. it's great that he's here. >> i'm looking forward to that. let's go inside to natalie, a morning person, at the news desk with the headlines. >> good morning. rick santorum is riding a new

wave of momentum in the race for the republican presidential nomination. santorum swept tuesday's votes in missouri, colorado and minnesota, topping mitt romney who actually finished third in minneso minnesota. second place went to ron paul. santorum said his victories proved he's the conservative alternative to barack obama. officials in washington state released the 911 recordings from the social worker who brought josh powell's two sons to his home for a supervised visit sunday only to have powell set off an explosion that killed himself and the boys. >> there's two little boys in the house and there's an adult man. he has supervised visitation. and he blew up the house and the kids. >> you think he might have done this intentionally? >> yes. >> powell had been the only person of interest in his wife susan's disappearance. a funeral will be held saturday for 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old braden. senator north leader mitch

mcconnell warned that the obama administration crossed a dangerous line by requiring employee health plans including those at catholic schools, charities and hospitals to cover contraception. faced with growing uproar, white house aides said the administration is exploring ways to make the rule more compatible with religious beliefs. the top policy official with the komen charity resigned tuesdays after komen reversed the controversial decision to sever ties to planned parenthood. karen handle said officials discussed the funding cut before she came on board because they were concerned about alienating catholic donors. now for a look at what's trending today our round-up of what has you talking online. "19 kids and counting" star amy duggar after the fbi foiled an attempt to blackmail her. an iowa woman claimed she had

pictures of duggar in intimate situations with an older man. amy says there is no truth to the scandalous story. a marriage made in cholesterol heaven is spreading like a grease fire online. jack in the box is pairing the b.l.t. cheeseburger with a bacon milk shake. it uses bacon flavored syrup, not meat. it packs 40 grams of fat into a 16-ounce cup. makes your stomach churn. and president obama's tumblr page has the president of chief trying out a gun that uses air pressure to fire marshmallows. [ pop ] >> oh! let's go look. >> reporter: president obama said the young scholars put his own schoolboy science projects to shame. 8:04. now back outside to matt, ann and al. >> the secret service could have

tackled that boy. >> good thing it was a marshmallow. >> let's get a check of the top stories -- the weather. we heard the top stories. i had marshmallow on the brain. >> where's the stay puft marshmallow man when you need him? we have friends here. where are you from? >> arlington, texas. >> this woman told me, it's our wedding anniversary. >> it is. >> they have fun in arlington. >> you want to wish your grandkids -- >> and i lost my voice. >> it's a good time with you three hanging out. grandma wishes you a happy day. it's you two? oh, you two! so confused. she's got a t-shirt that says "keep austin weird." you need to move to ird. you guys need to move to austin.

our pick city of the day, bluefield, west virginia, where things are normal there. rain and snow showers. 40 degrees. look at that clipper coming across bringing snow through west virginia. we are also looking at rain moving into the pacific northwest. showers ending down in southern california. and beautiful day in new england. little on the chilly side today. lots of sunshine through the plains and down into texas and rain in southern texas. look for a few showers around the big island of hawaii today. that's what's going on around the country and here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. weak area of low pressure spreading snow into west virginia, on owe valley. advancing east. should be getting into the shenandoah valley by later this morning and then into the metro area during the afternoon. out ahead of that temperatures are near a little bit below freezing and closer to washington climbing into the mid 30s. may hit 40 by noontime. snow does move in later this afternoon, temperatures will drop back down into the low and mid thrifts. maybe an inch or two on grassy areas north and west of washington. right around the metro area, maybe an inch or so. mostly rain farther south and eathat's your latest weather.

now back to ms. curry. >> coming up, are singles penalized in america? that's one of the issues the professionals will be talking about com coming up after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation from [ babbling ] ...covergirl. that's what i'm talking about. see? what did you just say? i'm looking for some "beeza-beeza-vuza-vuza." so it doesn't come down to this. hey, i need a card & some chocolates. cards are in aisle 5... candy's in aisle 74. why wouldn't you just put them together? a little exercise wouldn't hurt you. [ beep ] just go to walgreens. [ female announcer ] you'll find short lines, great parking and valentine's day favorites... like hallmark cards & gifts... premium chocolates like lindt lindor truffles... fragrances, even fresh flowers. shopping. simplified. with walgreens...there's a way. back now with today's professionals. we're joined as always by star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman. they have interesting opinions we hope on the hot headlines of

the day. who saw the super bowl? who saw what happened after the super bowl? tom brady and his wife, the supermodel gisele bundchen, were walking out of of the stadium and were confronted by hecklers, giants fans. here's what happened. >> eli owns your husband! >> my husband cannot throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. >> she basically said how is he supposed to throw the blanking ball and catch it at the same time referring to the dropped passes late in the game? how did mrs. tom brady handle this? >> very poorly. mr. tom brady could not have been happy. tom brady said, i will throw to my receive rs any day of the week and the receivers aren't the ones who threw the ball for intentional grounding, safety,

interception. she stood for her man but she looked like a fool and made him look like a back. >> when you're the quarterback you reap the benefits of the win and take the burden of the losses. >> and spouses should not be in somebody else's profession. this was a classic case of a spouse commenting on a partner's work performance. now, listen, she should have been a classier act, pretended she didn't hear it and also brushed her hair. >> the pray for tommy, i didn't like that. there are other things to pray for. >> that didn't bother me. but one thing a heckler wants is to get under your skin. the thing you can't allow to happen is let them under your skin. >> i loved it when somebody yelled "eli rules." i completely believed. >> and now to single in america.

it is believed that unmarried people pay more for car churns, health insurance and they don't get the same tax braex married couples do. is there singles discrimination? >> there is from a tax basis, absolutely. if you file as a married couple you get a better tax rate than single people. i think going out socially and in the work place, not. but it's economically true. >> as someone who's been married and single -- >> several times. >> i felt when i was single, dealing with corporations, i'm not saying they weren't giving me business, why is this guy single? there's less stability. something i felt. sometimes i had to answer for why i was single. on the flip side for young people, single is a benefit not because they work around the clock. >> they have no responsibilities of home. >> cuts both ways. >> with meredith here earlier we used to have the discussion all the time on "the view." meredith was a working mom.

we had to make sure our spring break was around her kids' spring break. >> that's just reality. >> why is it? >> i'm being honest with you. meredith and i talked about it. >> married people can hijack. >> i had to work around my friends' kid cans' li -- kids' lives. that's reality. >> maybe i didn't want to break in march. >> if you're single you stay at work longer, the less you see people and you become a news nun. >> this ad that ran during the super bowl, get back to the super bowl it was for chrysler. it was all about the tough times detroit has seen and the fact that there is a rebirth there. it was voiced by clint eastwood. here's a listen. >> people are out of work and they're hurting. they're all wondering what they're going to do to make a comeback. we're all scared because this isn't a game.

the people of detroit know a little something about this. they almost lost everything. but we all pulled together. now motor city is fighting again. >> i think a lot of people liked the ad. then came the criticism that this is more than a car commercial. this is a campaign ad for barack obama thinly disguised. what do we think about it? >> if, in fact, the country is coming back and it benefits this administration, then they reap the benefit. >> the republicans should be quiet. by saying this is a barack obama ad you're saying america the beautiful, america is on its way back. so basically chrysler was so smart. i don't think in their mind they said we'll do a pro obama ad. they were doing a comeback ad and the republicans are looking like fools. >> i grew up in indiana. detroit, ft. wayne and the whole

beltway, i think a lot of people have felt the mid western pain. as a mid western girl i thought it was about our spirit. i didn't see this as political at all. when the talk started 72 hours afterward i was stunned. >> by the way, barack did make the move to save the auto industry. like him or not. >> did you hear the same talk? >> it was so smart. it wasn't buy america. it was about detroit. >> anything that's rah-rah us is a good thing. >> great ad, by the way. >> let's switch gears. let's talk about new findings in the great spanking debate. who's spanked as a child? >> i was. >> hair brush once. >> i was. >> as an adult? >> last night? >> two decades worth of research prove spanking doesn't change a child's behavior for the better. it increases aggression.

>> i'm stunned that we keep talking about this every 18 to 24 months over and over again. >> parents have a dilemma about this. >> we know it invites aggression. kids don't learn from it and violence begets violence. there is no win in spanking your kids. >> parents should do what they think is right. having said it, i would not spank my child. sometimes i will do the squeesz of the hand if they're out of line. i'm very -- parent this way. parents need to parent this way. a touch on the tush -- >> oh, donny. >> that's not my style. >> what about people who say, i turned out okay. >> i did, but i learned more in the last 20 years. i have learned ways to get my frustration out that doesn't include spanking. i don't know that i would spank. >> on the flip side we are too johnny did something horrible.

ooh, a one minute timeout. spanking is one thing but we could have gone too far in the other direction. >> i think even parents against spanking will admit they have done a pat on the fanny or said, listen to me, and grabbed by the arm. spanking is just a no win. >> spanking wasn't the way to discipline me. sending me to my room was a better way. >> look how she turned out. >> donny deutsch, star jones, dr. nancy snyderman. good to see you. up next, a look at remarkable celebrity homes that are now on the market right after this. 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. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash.

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made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. we're back now at 8:22. this morning on today's real estate the celebrity housing market. when a star puts his or her home on the market it's a chance for the curious to get a glimpse into the lavish details that come with those eye-popping price tags. ba basha the idea is that you can sell your home for more, right? how much more does the value go up because you own the home? >> 5% to 10%. everybody loves to brag that they bought the house the celebrity owned. >> but? >> celebrities never get a good deal. if anyone spots a celebrity looking at their home gets tough

on the price. they know they're rich and don't give them a break. >> we have a house that was once owned by scarlett johansson and ryan reynolds. >> this is an amazing house. a little over six months ago after filing for divorce they put their house on the market. it's just on the other side of the hollywood freeway. the house is all about the outside. it's a party house. it has two bedrooms, three baths, 2835 square feet big. >> beautiful. >> it's a classic mid century home. great lighting on the house on half an acre with unobstructed views from downtown all the way to the ocean while you swim in the pool. there are walls of glass, a flat grassy yard, oversized salt water pool. outdoor bath and the couple reportedly paid only $2.9 million when they purchased the home. that's only four years ago. they hope to make a sizable half a million profit. >> chances? >> chances are good. this is a sweet spot. it's one of the best streets.

>> christina aguilera, one of the judges from "the voice" selling a pink mansion in beverly hills. it was owned by another musician before her? >> definitely. it was owned by ozzy and sharon osbourne. she bought it for $11.5 million five years ago. it's a mediterranean house which is popular there. the hedges have been grown forever to make it look important. anyone could make a great entrance on this stairway. you don't even have to be a movie star. look at the dining room. the extra rooms include a gift wrapping room, movie room, beauty salon and the kitchen is. >> reporter:y. it has pop culture over the triple fireplace in the corner. >> whoopie goldberg has a house for sale as well. >> not that fancy.

comes with 745 acres of grass to cut, cows to feed and rolling hills. it was built in 1790. she did a renovation on it eight years ago. very traditional. >> we have been hearing a lot about new england patriots quarterback tom brady. he has a boston penthouse on the market. >> everybody's focused on the new house he's building in los angeles for a whopping $20 million. he also has a stunning home in boston on one of the best street there is. he bought the mansion for $6.2 million and developed it, the wise guy he is. he's a smart businessman. he put in four condo units and moved into the top of the house. it has a huge floor plan. the main rooms on the top floor over look beacon street and runs the full width of the house. entertainment room, media room. everything a rich guy wants in a

townhouse in boston. >> the rest of us can dream. >> it's fun to peek. >> you gave us a peek this morning. thank you so much. barbara corcoran. speaking of stars we have denzel 8:26 is your time. good morning. i'm eun yang had metro riders, there is a delay on the red line. let's go to danella for more on that. >> if you are taking the red line, we have a disabled train outside of the takoma metro station. metro single tracking between silver spring and takoma metro station. you are going to see delays in both directions along the red line. also still seeing the accident southbound gw parkway at langley, right lane is blocked by the overturned vehicle there. and outer loop of the beltway, no accidents for you. back to you. >> danella, thank you. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices

in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum, we can empower more people to innovate, create jobs, and put momentum behind our economy.

and a spectrum auction could raise as much as 30 billion dollars to help fund the payroll tax cut. it's simple. more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. good morning, tom kierein storm center 4. snow moving into the metro area. by later this afternoon. little bit earlier later this morning, perhaps out in the mountains and two to four inches may fall out that way closer to washington, though, just an inch or maybe a couple of inches farther north and west.

on mainly grassy areas, as this system does move on through. should all be ending by the 10:00 tonight. mostly rain farther south and east. frequent outer loop dates throughout the day on news4. >> tom, thank you. other news upda

8:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th day of february 2012. our crowd is enjoying a little bit of a chilly morning here in rockefeller plaza. we're glad to have them here waving at friends and family back home. meantime, including lenny. he's still out there with us. meantime we have a movie star in our studio. >> one of the biggest. denzel washington is in the

studio now. he's got a brand new movie out called "safehouse." you know "the artist"? nothing like that. absolutely nothing. but "the artist" -- someone dies every five minutes. he plays a cia rogue operative. >> also ahead, valentine's day is looming. coming up, a lot of people looking for love. we'll tell you about a search that leads many to the internet. coming up, some of the more unique websites that are out there catering to rather specific crowds. >> all right. >> okay. and on today's money 911 we have our panel of experts ready to answer your questions, everything from what do you do with multiple 401(k)s or when to change your auto insurance if you have an older car. >> all right. first before that let's get a check of the weather. >> absolutely. >> i like that idea. let's show you what's happening. it is a little on the nippy side

in the northeast. stay that way. light snow. moving through the ohio river valley into the mid atlantic states. wet weather in the pacific northwest. snow showers in the rockies. high surf advisories southern california. tomorrow nice and mild through the southwest. still lingering showers and snow showers in the rockies. rain central texas, up ask down the eastern seaboard gorgeous weather. few hit or miss thunderstorms around southern florida and bahamas. snow showers around the central great lakes. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. radar showing some snow now moving out of the ohio valley into west virginia and western maryland. and closer to washington, we will have that arriving not until later this afternoon. earlier in the day, into the shenandoah valley. right now ahead of that temperatures are getting above freezing much of the region and into the mid 30s to upper 30s and here's my snowfall forecast map. it does look like we might get an inch, mainly on grassy areas, just right around washington, north and east. and as well as south and west. far northern west, though, two to four inches cable or weather.com online. now down to captiva, florida, to

say hello to uncle willy. >> oh, how sweet it is. south seas island resort in lovely florida. one of the prettiest places in the world. i'm sorry. i'd invite you for a boat ride but my yacht is being repaired. happy birthday from stuckmucker. that's all i carry on my yacht. manly stanley sorenson of south range, wisconsin. all kinds of activities in his life, especially his church. attributes his longevity to the good lord. you cannot beat that faith in god. how sweet it is. leola allmond from richmonday, virginia. 106. loves to cook, sew and do kroz word puzzles. o florence hatz of palm beach,

florida. she's 104. she's won so many awards and good things in her life for playing bridge. that's a game of great skills and brains. things i'm short on. antonio hernandez. he's from harlingen, texas. the confederate air force. did you know we had one? enjoys boxing and te kwquila. what a man. here's rose, that's a pretty name. rose greenfield of palm beach gardens, florida. 101 years old. a lovely champion bridge player. so many people play bridge. it's a great game of skill. lester trubey of union city, michigan. he's 104. lives independently and attributes his longevity to his wonderful wife. been with her 72 years.

the "today" show is 60. how about that? they were practically newlyweds when we started. back to new york. >> thank you, commodore. >> thank you so much. >> do you know what happened ten years ago today? >> i know. it says right here. we had an opening ceremony in salt lake city for the big olympic games. >> right. >> and the cauldron was lit by the hockey team. >> the 1980 hockey team. we have only 170 more days before the opening ceremonies for the summer olympics in london. >> get cracking! >> i like the summer part. and they are right here on the networks of nbc. >> meantime who's coming up? >> i have a feeling i know. >> denzel washington. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:37 with two-time

oscar winner denzel washington. he's a force to be reckoned with in his newest movie "safehouse." he plays the cia's most notorious traitor who's eluded capture for decades. >> that house was a location. they were invited. someone told them, matthew. think about it. someone you know. so you better ask yourself, can you trust your landlord? forget me. they're going to focus on you. they will try to make a connection between you and i so if this goes wrong they will have something to fall back on in their little senate hearings. i'm not your only enemy tonight. >> denzel, welcome back. good to see you. >> thank you. >> the producer and director pitch you the product and the way the story goes, you got up and said, we'll do this and you walked out. it was that quick. >> uh, not quite. >> you had to be convinced? >> the young director, daniel

espinoza. maybe i had already seen his movies. first i said, let me see this kid's movie. he did a movie called "easy money." it was brilliant. then i met him. 32 years old. father fought in the revolution in chile. raised in chile, africa, stockholm. a unique background and a great young film maker. >> this guy, tobin frost, is the most notorious in the cia's history for the last several decades. he's emotionless. >> sos i don't path. >> no kxs. pure will you a mercenary out to win and defeat everybody. how do you go about a guy like that? >> i tested it. i read this book called "the sociopath next door." it was the bible i related to. the traits of a sociopath, no conscience, no sense of remorse, usually athiest.

always want to win, dominant and win in different ways. >> winning even when it comes to a conversation. if you're engaged in a conversation you want to win the conversation. you want to defeat me. >> he's about to get water boarded and he's telling the guy he brought the wrong towels. >> i understand you wrote something about winning on the strict. >> every day. >> what did you write? >> how am i going to win today? there is a scene in the football stadium. he starts yelling and screaming like a little girl. oh, he's going to kill me! two seconds later he's killed people. >> as accomplished an actor you are, that us fo cusses you on a daily basis? that word or phrase? >> i'm from the theater. i'm building a character, developing a character. someone says you're a bad guy, i say, i don't know what that means. do i twist my mustache? i have to develop a character. or they call it an action or thriller. that's for someone else to name it after the fact.

all i can do is develop the character. ryan reynolds was here on tuesday. i asked him about working opposite the intensity you bring to every scene. some of the things, simple dialogue, he said it gives you sun burn. he literally is like being in acting school. it's incredible to work with someone like that. he's a legend, one of the best living working actors we have today. why did you think he was good for the part? >> he brings a natural innocence to it and he's a tough guy. he did rugged fight scenes. those things are unbelievable. >> i know you got a black eye during filming. the way he tells the story you said something that pissed him off. >> is that what he said? >> not exactly. >> where's he from? i'm from new york. you know that didn't happen. what happened is i'm handcuffed when i'm breaking through the car. i reach over his head to try to choke him. we're going 100 miles an hour.

as i reach forward he got whipped back, hit me in the eye. >> he said he turned around and saw a mouse under your eye and your look was like, yep, you gave denzel a black eye. >> i was acting. >> there is a big body count in this. necessary? >> it's rated r. it is what it is. it's an intense film. it's not a comedy. >> one of the last times you were here you were on broadway in "fences". >> with viola davis. >> she's nominated for an academy award. do you miss that? is that something you would like to do -- two pictures and get back on broadway? you say you're a theater actor. >> i'm doing three or four things. i love the theater. i'm talking with kenny leon now about another play. i'm producing a film that will start shooting in april or may. i love directing and i like acting. >> you like your finger in a lot of things.

and i don't want to make the screen writer sound like he or she didn't do a good job but you thought it was a work in progress. >> right. >> you spent a lot of time. >> six months. >> is that something that you have license to do at this stage of your career? >> i have always done it with my character. i have been helping to develop scripts for a long time. >> and you like the collaboration side of things? >> i do. it's a window into the character i'm playing. >> this is a thrill ride from the opening sequence to the end. denzel, good to have you here. >> my pleasure. >> good to see you. "safehouse" from our sister company universal pictures opens friday. up next, online dating. some of the more unusual options. first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: today's relationships is brought to you

by hershey's bar air delight. what make as hershey's bar pure in pure, delicious hershey's chocolate. >> back now at 8:45. this morning on today's relationships, the business of dating. whether it's a website, professional matchmaker or app, there are more options than ever for those looking for love. they don't have to play the dating game. we have national correspondent amy robach who's taken a closer look at ways people are playing cupid these days. >> that's right. it's an industry approaching $2 billion a year in revenue fuelled by 30 million people who have taken the search for romance online. a big chunk of that has come to be known as niche dating. once we counted on finding a mate at church, at work, at happy hour. online dating has changed that and connected people who wouldn't have met any other way.

tempted by trekkies? fantasize about farmers? maybe you're an adulterer. there are plenty of those online. or maybe you're into riding. >> horses are my passion. >> reporter: in north oak, california, valerie keeps lucy and shadow. >> i have dated outside of the realm of horse owners and they don't get it. >> reporter: she wants a man who shares her passion. so she turned to equestrian singles.com. today, valerie is going on a first date with john paulson who is excited about meeting a boots-wearing, ranch-loving woman like her. >> great to meet you. >> nice meeting you. i love your hair. >> thank you. are you ready for a ride? i love your blue eyes. >> thank you. >> reporter: of the hundred top dating sites more than half target narrow interests. no one knows how many niche sites there are. they can spring up and disappear

overnight. the fastest growing group of online daters is boomers. >> really involved, scary. >> yeah. i moved my dog in. >> reporter: aging boomers jack daniel and hannah hogan have no plans for a quiet retirement. they met through -- where else? bikerkiss.com. >> much better to go on a niche site. a lot less work sorting through thousands of people. why not narrow it down? >> i see ourselves having a lot of fun until the day i die. i'm so connected with this girl it's unreal. if i was to order something from god it would be this girl. >> reporter: valerie and john's date didn't have quite the same result. they share a love of horses. just not enough human chemistry. >> we're now riding into the sun set. >> yes, indeed.

>> reporter: there are a hundred million singles in the u.s. and, for now, these two will remain among them. unfortunately no luck there for john and valerie, but there's been a change in how daters connect and a the internet may soon become the most used way to find a mate leaving millions of daters hoping luck might be, ann, just a click away. >> very cute. listen, there has been a sig ma attached to dating online with so many people now using online sites to date. what's happened to that stigma? >> it's melting away. if you think of the numbers. 30 million online daters now out of 100 million singles in mrk. a third of all people go online to find their mate. the stigma is quickly eroding. one of the fastest growing generations of people online dating, 55 and older. >> what stood out for you as you watched the process? >> what was interesting is the

science that goes into some of the websites, the algorithms. match.com, e-harmony hire mathematicians, scientists, and put together what they call the secret sauce where they know exactly what you want, what you say you want and what you actually want when you go online. you have an algorithm formulated to find that person. they can't predict love but they say they can predict like. then you have the opportunity to find love through like. >> good to know there is science behind this. amy, thank you so much. see more of the full report, love at first byte, the secret science of online dating, tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on cnbc. and we'll talk about the struggling housing market. first, this is "today" on nbc.

president kennedy created the peace corps more than 50 years ago. through the years some 200,000 volunteers have lent a helping hand in 139 countries. >> that's right. vanity fair special correspondent maureen orr launched peacecorps postcards.com to share videos of the work being done around the world. good morning. >> good morning. >> this has been a particular passion for you for as long as i

have known you you have talked about the peace corps. >> right. i was a peace corps volunteer in colombia when i turned 21. it was the most enriching and important experience for me to stay with me throughout my life. you're serving your country. you're learning a new culture and language and these people i made friends with who were so different than i was and am have stayed my friends throughout life. >> the idea behind peace corps postcards is that to keep the message out there, afraid it was being lost in the information age? >> i think so. the peace corps today is very modern. it's in 75 countries with 9,000 volunteers and a huge waiting list. it's amazing. i was just in china and saw these amazing volunteers doing beautiful work. it is such a great program. the peace corps is worth five hours in iraq. its budget is less than military

marching bands but the presence it has and the friends it makes for us abroad and the way people learn from it and it gives back i think needs to be out there. >> when we think about china you think beijing and modern cities, but there are a lot of rural areas that the peace corps is needed in. >> that's right. we went to -- three and a half hours by air southwest of beijing and saw wonderful volunteers who were all there to teach english at the university level but then they have all these secondary programs and so they are teaching glee club and shakespeare and, you know, the american prom and cooking clubs. these kids are the first kids in all the cities that have a million people in there we don't know exist. these are the first foreign rs they meet. >> how do they react to the glee club or the american prom? >> oh, my god.

they love it. they really get into it. there is such a curiosity about western life and culture. they never get to meet real americans. this is an opportunity for them to see that it's not like what reality tv might be that they would see. >> thank goodness. >> your being in the peace corps was an opportunity for you to become a volunteer in so many great charities. thank you. >> you know, i still have my schools. >> thank you, maureen. 8:56

this wednesday, february 8, 2012. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. heads-up for metro riders. there is a delay on the red line. let's check in with danella for the latest. good morning. >> good morning. right now metro is single tracking between silver spring metro station and takoma metro station. a stalled train and you can expect delays in both

directions. branch avenue northbound just before the beltway. we have a multivehicle accident in the left -- left median here. you can see police activity is still blocking the left lane. you are able to get by sticking to the right side. >> we will take okay, people, let's get started. pete, did you forget yours? me pete, me use pen!

(laughter) sorry i'm late, i was in the 16th century looking for pete's pen. (laughter) guys, guys. take it easy, ok? pete's mom is videochatting me, and she wants her pen back! ok, alright, well. i just got one. so... yeah, you've got a little... yep, i can feel the wet patch. don't look at it. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.

good morning. some light snow is now moving into the mountains of western maryland and west virginia. should be moving into the shenandoah valley over the next hour. then towards the metro area, later today. ahead of that temperatures above freezing in the mid and upper 30s. 39 now at reagan national. here is my snowfall forecast map. i think some of the higher amounts will be just on the ridges

back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th of february 2012. feeling like an actual winter day in the northeast. we've got temperatures in the mid to low 30s. we still have a couple of people hanging out outside the studio. many of them have gone in to seek shelter by now. >> my feet were numb. >> it's chilly. >> it is. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, savannah guthrie and al roker. coming up this hour, a woman who said she had an 18-month affair with jfk.

>> why she is she spilling the secret now five decades later? we'll hear what she had to say in an interview meredith vieira had exclusively coming up. >> on today's money 911 if you have moved from one job to another you may have several 401(k)s that you're not sure what to do with. we have advice on the best way to combine them and advice to pay down debt and save on car insurance. >> there is also good news finally in the housing market. experts say there are signs of life in some cities. we've got the top ten housing markets that are poised to bounce back in a big way. >> good news. >> let's go to the news desk. natalie is there with the headlines. >> good morning to you once again. good morning, everyone. it was a big night for rick santorum as the former pennsylvania senator swept the caucuses in minnesota, and colorado and took first place in the nonbinding missouri presidential primary. santorum's tuesday night wins marks romney's toughest day on the campaign trail to date.

in minnesota he came in third place bested by ron paul and falling even further behind overnight with newt gingrich. officials in washington state released the 911 recordings from the social worker who brought josh powell's two sons to his home for a supervised visit sunday only to have powell set off an explosion that killed himself and the boys. >> there's two little boys in the house and there's an adult man. he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. >> you think he might have done this intentionally? >> yes. >> powell had been the only person of interest in his wife susan's disappearance. a funeral will be held saturday for charlie and braden. a major breakthrough in california where the hotly contested gay marriage ban known as proposition 8 has been overturned and declared unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. the ruling applies only to california and doesn't decide whether any state could ban gay

marriage. the case could be headed to the supreme court. now for more on the former white house intern who claims she had an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. mimi alford details her experience in "once upon a secr secret." she sat down with meredith vieira for an interview for tonight's "rock center" with brian williams. >> reporter: mimi said it began on the fourth day of her new job as a white house summer intern when she received a phone call from dave powers, the president's close aide. >> he said, a group of us are uld you like to join us? thought, well, it was a little bit odd to be swimming in the middle of the day at work. where's the pool? i didn't know the white house had a pool. of course i didn't have a bathing suit either. he said, don't worry, there are bathing suits. >> reporter: in this heated pool, mimi found herself with two other young white house staffers. >> they were in the water and dave escorted me in.

shortly thereafter the president arrived. no one said the president was going to join us. he put on his trunks and came into the water. >> reporter: hours later she was invited back to the white house residence and then she was taken on a private tour of some of the rooms of the residence by her president where she lost her virginity to him in jackie kennedy's private bedroom. did he realize if you were a virgin? >> i think he did. he kept asking me if i was all right. i was all right. there was not a lot of conversation. >> reporter: here you are a young woman. you have never had sexual relations before at 19. >> no. >> reporter: by your own account naive. >> yep. >> reporter: you have just had sex with the president of the united states. how can you be all right? >> i didn't start to cry. i wasn't hysterical. i clearly wanted to go home. and i did, very quickly go home. but i didn't feel scared. maybe that's the thing about shock. i don't know.

>> meredith's full interview airs tonight on "rock center" with brian williams at its new time, 9:00/8:00 central time. curious spectators swarmed a crane in pakistan where it took a crane to lift the six-ton whale shark out of the water. they get that bigby feeding mainly on plankton. that's spectacular. now over to al with a check of the weather. >> where were they taking it? >> out of the water to take care of it. it was in the wrong place. >> wow. that's something. let's show you what's happening as far as today is happening as far as today's concerned. we have a quick moving system. that's good news. this will drop a little snow. no big problem. cause slick roads. that's about it. as you can see through this morning, we have light snow moving through central pennsylvania through central new jersey. then offshore and that's about it. snowfall amounts generally one to three inches. maybe a little bit higher elevations in west virginia might see up to six.

that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> locally, our temperatures ahead of that, snow are in the mid and upper 30s. most locations and it is 39 now at reagan national. where there is snow falling it is near the freezing mark in west virginia. it may move to the shenandoah valley and to the metro area later this afternoon and evening. that's where we could get an inch or two on the most in grassy areas and nearby suburbs north and west of washington. south and east mostly rain. all this ending by late tonigh time now for today's money 911 where our team of experts help you work out your financial issues. jean chatzky, author of "money 911." david bach, founder of finish rich.com and author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson, cnbc's personal finance correspondent. good to see you. >> good to be here. >> we're going to justina from

bloomington, indiana, on skype. good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> hi! i have three separate 401(k) accounts from past employers. now that i'm in school i would like to roll them into one account. i'd like to know what to look for and also how can i now save for retirement? i already have a roth ira. >> what should she do? >> for administrative purposes, i think you should just take the 401(k)s, roll them into a rollover ira where you already have the roth. that way you can access everything by logging in one time. it will be simpler as long as the fees aren't outrageous. you probably want to put it in a traditional ira rather than a roth because you're in school and you don't want to come up with the money to pay the taxes. does that make sense? >> how does she do it? >> contact a financial services firm, the one where you have your roth and ask for an ira

roll over kit. since you're in bloomington, go have mother bear's pizza for me. >> wow. go by jean's home. it's a museum. very special. >> exactly. >> thank you. next we have an e-mail question from jim from iowa. he writes, is there a good formula for when to drop auto collision insurance coverage? my collision premium is $86 per year with a $500 deductible. the average nada trade in value on my 2002 vehicle is $3,000. sharon? >> when he trades it in or if he takes the collision coverage that extra physical damage of your car only. a lot of people see it as optional coverage they don't need. he needs to think about whether he has the peace of mind that he'll be able to come up with $2,500 which is the trade-in value minus the deduct bable if the car is totaled. if he doesn't have the money you need the insurance.

$86 doesn't seem like a lot to pay for that peace of mind. keep in mind that will probably be reduced the older the car is. it's already ten years old. >> and everybody time somebody drops it they get in an accident the next day. >> good thought. we have another e-mail. this one asked to be anonymous. my fiance is behind on child support and in court with his child's mom who is asking for more money. i make more on my job than he does and have other money making investments. when we get married will my income and assets be affected by his child support problems? >> legally, no. but if you're trying to do things like pay your rent together and say you have a $3,000 rent payment or mortgage payment, his obligation to make that child support payment comes first. it has to come first. you want to make sure your family finances are okay. i think you should really do

this before you get married. clear everything up and get him current. >> definitely have the conversation about who will pay for what, how to manage finances together. >> maybe have a good sit-down. >> powwow with a financial advisor. >> she could be marrying into a huge financial liability. >> so much good news for you, anonymous! have a good life! now to the phone. we have karen from colorado. good morning, karen. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> i'm recently divorced and i want to use my maiden name on things. will i be able to change my name on my credit cards or reapply? >> what do you think? >> all kinds of divorce questions today. here's the thing. in your divorce decree it should state what happens with the old credit cards. is it a joint account or specifically in your name? >> it's in my name but my married name. >> just take the document from your divorce decree, go through

the process in colorado of getting your name officially changed. go back to the credit card company, show them that you have changed your name and they should be able to transfer your existing credit to your new name. the credit you built on the credit card is technically yours though it's a different name. >> he should go through and check her credit report five or six months down the road to be sure everything happened correctly. >> and nobody pulled a fast one. >> exactly. >> good luck, karen. now to twitter. katielady in atlanta tweeted, want to buy a home next year. is it better to over pay, pay down school debt or save the money to increase our down payment? which is smarter? >> the smart thing to do -- >> 140 characters or less. >> -- would be to be debt free but that's difficult to do. most people graduate with $27,000 in debt. she needs to be current on the loans. that's very important. make the payments on time. that's going to help her score.

also if she defaults she's not eligible for some of the v.a. or f.h.a. loans. try to consolidate loans so you can get a lower rate. having the one loan payment may look better on your score as well. the key is the good credit score, low interest rate and a better mortgage rate. start now figuring out what the monthly payment will be. save the money to build a down payment and let you know if you can actually make the student loan payments and pay for a house. >> a dry run. >> exactly. >> jean chatzky, david bach, sharon epperson, thank you. if you're on the east coast, david will be answering your questions for the next hour or so on a live web chat on today.com. up next, the top ten cities most likely to bounce back from the real estate bust. and later, a romantic valentine's day dinner to remember. first, these messages. ♪

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this morning on today's real estate, ten housing markets to watch. national home sales may not recover until next year but confidence is rising and some local markets are set to outshine others this year. barbara corcoran is here with the top ten list. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's talk first about who put the list together and what was the criteria they used? >> in the news every year publishes a survey. they are trying to pinpoint the

ten markets most likely to have the greatest appreciation and turnaround. one piece of the criteria is that the home price be similar or below the national average plus great jobs and a low foreclosure rate. >> let's get to the list. number one on the list is raleigh, north carolina. so what's the average sales praise there and how does it compare to the median sales in the u.s.? >> it's $224,000 whereas the national average right now is a low $169,000. but this is a market that's been buyed by the young population that's been growing. that creates a tremendous demand for housing. this is a traditional three bedroom, two and a half bathhouse with a screened in porch and water view. get it for $170,000. lots of jobs, lots of homes available and the prices are right. >> and lots of young people. that's great. next is wichita, kansas, number two on the list.

there is a particular industry that's helped buoy this market as well. >> definitely. if you like airplanes you will be happy in wichita which is the air capitol of the world. home to aircraft companies including cessna spirit, hawk, beachcraft and leer jet. if you like that kind of thing you will be there. this is a nice home with enough room for a growing family. three bedroom two bath with vaulted ceilings room for a growing family and the affordability is key in wichita. it's a vibrant housing market. >> $119,900. >> good value. >> third on the list is rochester new york. their employment rate has contributed to the comeback there. what is the rate? >> what the employment rate is doing now is it's next to nothing. they are not counting the unemployment rate anymore. it has one of the 20 fastest growing job markets in the

country which is great to have. if you're young with a family and you want to get a job, this is a sweetheart of a house. it has four bedrooms, one and a half baths, it's a colonial and only $124,900. look at the finishes in the room. it's a sweet house. >> it is. >> next is des moines, iowa. what quality does the area have that makes it attractive for families to live there? >> families love it because it has great schools. if you want to motivate a family, give them great schools and half the problems are solved. gives you bang for your buck. we have a typically priced house. it's a five bedroom, two bath craftsman-style house with plenty of updates and it's only $150,000. almost the entire community is fully employed. wichita is a friendly place to live. >> the fifth area that's likely to rebound is chattanooga,

tennessee, georgia. how expensive are homes here? >> they are affordable or wouldn't be on the list. they attract people from surrounding states moving in all the time. there are good jobs, houses, values. three good reasons to live in chattanooga. the house is a sweetheart. >> let's take a look at the rest of the list. six is peoria, illinois, seven amarillo, texas, eight is binghamton, new york. waterloo-cedar falls, iowa and bloomington-normal, illinois. good places to invest. >> the most important thing in each of the communities the house prices are already 5% to 11% higher than last year. you would swear there is no real estate recession in these towns. that makes it a great place to invest. >> barbara corcoran, thanks for showing us what we should do with our money.

coming up, from cocktails to candy candlescapes we have a valentine's party with colin after these messages. this is harvest day, the time where all the hard work is paying off. my name is ed pines, and i've been growing oranges for tropicana for 15 years. we nurture the trees all year long to harvest the fruit at the right moment. this is perfect for tropicana. at tropicana, we pick the oranges at the peak of freshness. it's all about growing the best orange to get the best juice. i love growing oranges. ♪ [kids talkhot potato!ing]es. hot potato ♪i got a fever, it's goin all around♪

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♪ still to come on "today" a special wednesday edition of our plaza ambush make overs. two lucky ladies in the crowd get head to toe new looks and you see the amazing results. >> in today's kitchen we help you wow your sweetie with a valentine's day feast with the first family of italian cooking. that's amore! >> now that's a pizza. >> .

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9:26 on this wednesday, february 8, 2012. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. snow is heading our way. let's go to storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein for a look at your forecast. tom, good morning. >> good morning. radar showing snow now in west virginia and western maryland. advancing to the east. looks like it will be closer to the metro area perhaps around the noontime and during the afternoon hours. it will begin to pick up in intensity. ahead of that, above freezing. at or below freezing where it is snowing in western maryland and west virginia. here's my snowfall forecast map. by time it ends by around 10:00 tonight, inch or two on brassy areas oyp round the metro area. >> tom, thank you. a quick break

traveling on the red line delays. metro is not reporting any delays at this time. on the roadways, taking more branch avenue just before the beltway, right lane still blocked by the accident along with police activity. if you are traveling the outer loop of the beltway at the american legion bridge, your delays continue as you head to

i-66. your travel speed is roughly about 40 miles per hour. >> we are keeping a close eye on the snow heading our way for the latest the winter weather stay with news4 all day. for now back to the "today" for now back to the "today" show. 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. ♪ the band from denver known as the fray. they have been burning up the charts for the last decade. they are out with a new single "heartbeat" and will be here for a live performance tomorrow here on "today." >> meantime, coming up this half hour if you want to throw a valentine's day party we have the guy for you -- to plan the party. celebrity planner colin makes it look easy with fun cocktails, favors and tablescapes. >> cute. >> he'll help us set the mood for an unforgotable valentine's day bash. >> nice. >> who better to warm our hearts

and item misthan the scottos. they have a sweetheart of a feast, even heart-shaped pizza to impress that special someone. look at that. >> how cute. >> great idea. >> i love their pizza. so good. >> everything's good there. before that we have to get to the weather first. >> we'll show you first today a quick clipper bringing snow across the ohio river valley into the midatlantic mid atlant. some showers in the pacific northwest. high surf advisories southern california, rain in southern texas. hit or miss showers through southern florida which will continue right on into tomorrow. we have more rain in the pacific northwest. sunny skies return to the northeast. great lakes. it is going to be cold and we are looking at showers in central texas. interesting thing is that this is the fourth warmest january on record. we just -- celebrated that. i know. no -- almost month ice on the great lakes. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. radar showing snow now in western maryland, west virginia.

advancing towards the shenandoah valley over the next hour. and then into the metro region later this afternoon. right now ahead of that we are above freezing most locations. where it is snowing, it is near freezing mark. snowfall forecast expecting by time it ends late this evening, inch or two around mainly grassy areas, nearby washington. somewhat higher amounts farther south and east. mostly rain rather north and west of the higher mountains. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. up next, party planner to the stars colin callie helps you throw together a fabulous valentine's day after this. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years.

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valentine's day is brought to you by silky smooth dove chocolates. share love with dove. >> this music is getting us in the mood. this morning on today celebrates valentine's day, throwing a memorable bash from heart-shaped jello shots to more. colin cowie always has good ideas. good morning. shall we dance? >> absolutely. >> or we could throw a party. >> whether the party is for two or 20, this is fun, sexy ideas anyone can do. >> valentine's day can be a sore spot for a single person. do you have ideas for singles and those coupled off? >> first off, get everyone a cocktail. >> i was going to say we should drink. >> we have the rose bottles. each person has their name on it. everybody knows who everybody is. >> so cute.

>> i thought you were giving me two. i don't know what you've heard. >> let's keep going. >> you have the straw. >> and the tray with red hots. >> so cute. >> this is a new one for me. gejello shots, how did you do i? >> with a lot of vodka. >> they're very good. you should try one. >> mm. >> those are good. >> fun idea. heart shapes on the cake stand. easy to do. i made a wreath out of carnations. put the ice bucket inside there. and put campaign inside. these are cool. we found them on amazon.com. they're light-up ice cubes. >> you can save them for other parties, too. we have mood lighting here. >> we have an old candlabra.

>> this is the little valentine heart candies we love. >> it's a candlescape. whether it's a party for two or more the different height candles protects them from the wind and the candy. everyone looks romantic in candlelight. >> good lighting is key. >> excellent. >> this is decadent. what's this? >> this is one of my residence piece. it' e's linguine with lobster. these are the trays you have in the kitchen for more space. we covered it in fabric, a little bit of tape. >> why is lobster romantic? >> you can eat wit your hands. it's an aphrodisiac. >> why did i ask? >> gets us in the mood. between the lobster and canaddl

and this we're good to go. here we have shot glasses with tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches in the shape of hearts. >> do you have a cookie cutter? >> yes. >> that's adorable. dessert. >> these are cool. take a box lined with gerber daisies to make it interesting and these are -- >> cake pops. >> i have already had two jello shots. it's hard. >> they're incredible. this is a fun idea. you could use it as the center piece of the buffet. it's a message board. you leave messages for guests. tell them what your room number s. >> that's forward. but i guess it's valentine's day. >> colin, these are adorable ideas. thank you so much. coming up, we'll keep with the

valentine's day theme. the scottos have a special feast for that special someone. first, these messages. this year i have a lot more than one valentine: one for making my perfect cup of coffee, one for being the perfect neighbor, and one for no reason at all. your moment. your dove.

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cruise ship but leave it is witness protection program to investigate a lake monster in minnesota. as wild as it sounds that's the premise of a great humorous crime fiction novel "wild thing" follow-up to "beeat the reaper" by josh bazell. thanks for being here. >> thank you. >> i loved this book. your character is a medical doctor. you, of course, have been studying medicine but you had to take a little bit of a break because the book proved popular. >> yes. i haven't finished my residency yet, but i'm trying to go back in june. >> was your dad an influence? your dad is borobert bazell, ou correspondent. >> and a crime fiction fan. a fan of yours as well. >> all of the sudden he changes

his name. now dr. lionel asthma hired by a reclusive billionaire to find out if there is a monster in the lake killing people? >> right. >> where do you come up with it? >> it seemed like a natural thing to think about at the time. >> really? >> he needs to be in obscure places because the mob is chasing him and he's self-loathing. so he ends up with horrible job assignments that never pan out the way they are supposed to. >> you did a lot of research including looking at the lo loch ness monster. is there such a thing? >> i would love to believe there is. to the extent you can prove a negative which you never can, you can come close with the loch ness monster. we have seen every inch of that loch and there is no reason to think there is a big animal there and there is reason to think it was a hoax specifically started to save a town in scotland during the depression.

>> there are parallels in your book. but there is a lot of dark humor and i love a book where there is a former mob hitman turned doctor and you also work sarah palin in. >> yeah. she needed to be there. there are certain things that it's hard to do realistically in a novel. for instance, if i were to create a character who, say, had been the senator from pennsylvania, as rick santorum was. rick santorum does not appear in the novel and i had the character get up and say global warming was a hoax and we had to change the constitution to limit the rights of gay people. no one would believe that. if i said that the entire republican establishment sat quietly and no one stood up and said, that's a krcrazy man talkg it would seem i was being biased. if you're going to approach the

republican establishment which i wanted to do in a book about belief and the policies that come from rational tity you hav to skirt toward the real. >> but you can probably do the same on the democratic side as well. >> absolutely. in fact, i do a little bit in the book. >> in fact, the book is so successful leonardo dicaprio has optioned it for an hbo series. >> correct. >> that's cool stuff. >> it's awesome. >> congratulations. it's a terrific book called "wild thing." i just love the character. i think everybody will. >> i love your books. >> thank you, josh. high praise indeed from you. thank you. still ahead, what's more romantic than dinner with the scottos? tha they are whipping up a valentine's meal to remember. first, this is "today" on

♪ this morning we are cooking up a valentine's dinner to remember --

>> so romantic. >> with the scottos. >> love is in the air. ♪ >> marion, anthony and elena. i guess -- are you having a moment? >> i'm sorry. >> we don't even need to cook. >> someone's cooking in the kitchen. >> we're going to start over here. you're starting off with your traditional pizza. >> in a heart shape for valentine's day. >> do you stretch it for that shape? >> you bet and we put it in a form. >> makes it easy. >> here we are starting with meat lasagna. everyone said why? why is that romantic? comfort food warms the heart. >> aw! >> that's right. i'm always right. anyway, we're putting more ricotta, mozzarella and grated cheese on this. it's layer after layer. this is all our home made sheets

of lasagna. put it right on. again you do another layer with the meat. this is sauteed chuck meat. our sauce is a meat sauce. >> okay. >> as you can see -- >> it has lots of vegetables in there. kar carrot, it looks like. >> it's wonderful. you can't get better than that. then you bake it? >> one hour at 350. it's the best lasagna you have ever had. >> you warmed my heart. >> if you don't have time to make it uh how would you get something like that? >> go to the scotto restaurant. >> we're selling it on hsn monday night. >> great idea. >> and we have a healthier option. >> you could share together and make this together. >> indeed. >> let's take a shrimp.

this is a 15-20 or a u-10, whatever you want for sizing. >> okay. >> take the vein out and stuff it. the stuffing is panko. >> you can do it. > seems like your department. >> crab and mayo. yes? >> yes. >> we'll add mayo to this. >> that's the crab stuffing. >> you want the mayo to bind it and stuff it. push it inside. >> yes. >> push it right in. >> i don't want to devein it. >> you're going to bake them for ten minutes. >> bread crumbs? >> they're already in there. once you have done it and the dish is done we make a sauce. i started with shallots, champagne or proseco which is a little bit less expensive. >> this is not my first drink of the day. >> cream. >> the whole thing? >> yes. let it reduce for ten minutes. finish with a pat of butter.

>> one pat or all these? >> one pat. once we have done that, comes out of the oven, everything is done. we're then going to place the dressing on the bottom of the plate and add the shrimp on top to make it pretty. >> lovely. okay, great. how long do we cook it? >> ten minutes. are we done? >> yes. done. >> oh, my gosh. al, most people think chocolate on valentine's day. i'm going with banana pudding. bananas are loaded with potassium. gives you a quick pick me up. have a bite. so i have eggs here, sugar, a little bit of salt. i'm going to start to temper the eggs. anthony, if you would whisk this for me. >> why temper? >> you don't want the eggs to turn into scrambled eggs. look how gorgeous. >> look at that!

>> then we put this in our milk and start to whisk some more. now important to keep eating the banana because you get exhausted from the whisking. >> you have none left. >> it will start to stick a little. >> what's in there? >> banana liquer. at the end add vanilla and a couple pats of putter. >> or four. >> let it cool. refrigerate it four hours covered tightly. this is what it looks like. isn't it stunning? load it in the pie crust. if you want chocolate we have sauce here. >> okay. happy valentine's day! >> kathie lee and hoda are next.

good morning. 9:57 is the time and it is wednesday, february 82012. snow heading in our direction right now. let's go to storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein who has a look at the forecast. >> good morning. it is the radar showing the leading edge of some light snow now coming into western maryland, panhandle of west virginia, shenandoah valley. it is snowing lightly farther to the west there across west virginia. ahead of the snow temperatures are near 40 degrees around washington.

and where it is snowing it is near the freezing mark out of the mountains and here's my snowfall forecast by the time it all ends around ten cloak tonight might have an inch or two on grassy areas only across parts of northern virginia and nearby suburbs around washington. little bit farther west and north. danella, how is traffic? >> if you are traveling northbound branch avenue approaching the beltway, right lane is still blocked by police activity. traveling i-95 northbound, disabled car at powder mill road. also on i-9 a northbound approaching 198, another disabled car. barbara, back to you. >> thank you. we are keeping a close eye on the winter weather heading in our direction. look

yes, it's winesday wednesday. february 8th, the wait is almost over. tomorrow where are we going >> we'll be live from the "atlantis" resort in the bahamas. if you're there, come join us on thursday. we'll do the show live and another one on tape. >> the weather is supposed to being a great. >> you know what the latest

thing is >> people know what planking is. owl is when you do this and you have pictures. everything catches on. >> they are all stupid. this one takes the cake for the most stupidest. >> it's called breading. it's only for cats. >> i thought discrimination was against the law in our nation law. >> only cats can do breading. they are called inbred cats. you putour cat's head in it. it has 1,000 likes. >> maybe if we stuck our head in an oven. >> who does this stuff except joann? that was her cat. >> took her all night to get that shot. wonder bread, you're wasting food. >> she was fwrogy. you're at your most creative when you're at your grogginess.

yet another survey -- i don't believe this one. >> here's the thing. when you wake up, okay, you're kind of out it but some people at night they keep a little note pad by their bed if you have an idea, you can joit down. i'll tell you -- >> you're not groggy, you're awake. >> no you're still in and out. >> you are. you're not post-menopause jal. >> when i'm in the shower i stand there and it's amazing because i have nothing to do but to think about the day. i'll think of, oh, this is a much better transition, can you think of things while in the shower. i think about just anything. that's my -- >> i'm happy for you. >> that's not good for the environment. you got to think these things through. >> whether you the most creative >> middle of the night but it's because i'm wide awake and can't sleep. i'm at my most creative and i

sit down and clear a set and a place and i get to work and i'm focused. let's ask lisa kudrow. who is more focused than she is. we'll ask lisa. makes no sense to me. you're your most creative. i've never written a good line of a song once when i was groggy. >> for some of us, once you start your day you have a million tasks to do. in the shower i have nothing to do but to be in there. >> you have to wash. that's what you do when you're in there. >> this is so exhausting. >> the reason to be in the shower. i'm happy four. >> the water is running all over you. you're thinking. after you wash, there's more five minutes you're spending in there. >> you know where else she spend time. >> don't begin to go there. >> we'll get a little graphic. embarrassing with lisa kudrow sitting there. it's in the name of you helping to improve your health. >> another study.

>> says how long you sit on the commode can affect your health. there's some science behind it. president carter was diagnosed with hemorrhoids a while ago. >> i'm enjoying this chat today. while being treated by a pro proctolog im proctolo proctologist. >> when you get older you like the commode to be higher. [ toilet flushing sound ] >> it's never past my mind it need to be higher. >> higher toilets are for people who can't lean down. you have to take care of people. the bottom line is they say it affects your health. so squat. i guess the lesson is squat. >> there's a teacher who has

been taken to task because she wants to put -- >> keep going. >> they are rubbing their heads. i do not know why. my hair? who cares. a teacher in new york city school has limited her students to bathroom visits to three a week. when they have to go they only have three minutes. here's the thing. she was tired of having all of the educational process upset because every five seconds some kid, i need to go the bathroom. >> became a thing. >> it's hard enough to teach kids today. [ commode flushing sound] >> let's get out of this one. >> i told you, winter is not the one big deal. so is this host chat. we're leaving for the bahamas tomorrow. >> here's the deal. i know much can't come. i wish you could. trip advisor has come out with a

list of people's choice awards. these are their top his. one of them happens to be the "atlantis" where we're staying. congratulations to them. ninth trendiest in the world. top honors, the world's trendiest hotel went to a villa in south africa. >> i hear so many great things about it. very trendy. >> if your looking for the most lures, go to the grand del mar in san diego. the best b and b is the thompson house in duluth, minnesota. rates start at $179. >> it's beautiful. doesn't look like it would be on the list. it looks like a beautiful home. >> sure. voted the best bargain in the u.s. on the sea coast inn in

hyannis, massachusetts. 88 bucks a night. if you're traveling this might come in handy. >> i can see you in the airport. >> you know how you get tired lugging your suitcase around. there's a suitcase you can ride. it's $300. >> so there you are in the picture yourself in the airport. everyone is walking and not you. >> not sarah. >> she's gliding. that's pretty cool. >> it doesn't look like it holds a lot. >> it looks like a backpack. >> but if you're going on an overnight trip and not packing too much it's great. >> it's winesday so we have chocolate wine. >> called vino. >> red wine, milk chocolate and cream. i don't care any more. 9.99 from cocovino.com.

>> are we going? that's it? >> we should talk about one more thing. you know how marriage is in decline. >> yes. >> so, "usa today" did another study and says two-thirds of us aren't sure i want to marry. >> i think what's happening it was a study that was out in "usa today." people who were single looked at married couples and said i don't want that because everyone is divorcing or breaking up and stuff like that. so there's nothing that they are looking at saying that's something i would like to be a part of. so they say marriage has been declining for more than 35 years. i didn't get this. the people who were surveyed in this, said that they had sex on the first date. a majority of them said they had sex on the first date. first date. first date. >> you know what? i think it's a disturbing trend, i really do. most people, they say it's because they are in social media

so much they already feel they know the person. that's the excuse they are giving. >> why your getting so edgy? >> because most of us have had a one nightstand, hoda. [ laughter ] hoda can't remember. great relationship deal breakers. you knows what yours are. >> they say these are the top ones that overall according to the survey. disheveled appearance is one of them that causes a breakup. >> sloppy can be cute. most kids today are sloppy. it's when there's a smell that accompanies it. >> unclean. being lazy. lazy. >> that i couldn't take. >> being too needy. that's a big one. just needy. they are never satisfied. this is the most important, lacking a sense of humor. you don't have one of those there's no place you can buy one. you'll have a rough life.

you'll have a big rough life. >> so you may not know this but think about it because apparently in the winter time you yawn more than you do during the other seasons the year. like our viewers are doing right now. [ yawning noises ] >> doesn't mean if you're tired or bored. >> what you're doing is fixing your internal temperature so it syncs up. >> outside? >> when you're out in the winter. >> think it's something to do with -- you see someone else downing it and you think gee -- it feels good to yawn. so it's contagious that way. >> whenever somebody -- >> let's try it. everybody yawn. >> now i know. >> keep yourself from yawning. [ yawning ] >> i'm really boring.

>> all right, you guys. we have a good show coming. up next, lisa kudrow. she's got another season of "who do you think you are?" . >> terrific show. and today's ambush makeover. but first these messages. over time, my lashes thinned. after 40, i didn't have enough lashes. my doctor said...latisse® is the only fda approved prescription treatment...for inadequate or not enough lashes. now with latisse®...my lashes are longer...darker, with more than double the fullness in 16 weeks. if you are using or have used, prescription products for eye pressure problems, use latisse® under close doctor care. latisse® use may cause increased brown pigmentation of the colored part of the eye which is likely permanent. eyelid skin darkening may occur which may be reversible. if you experience eye problems or have eye surgery, consult your doctor. common side effects include itchy eyes and eye redness. my lashes changed as i got older. now i use latisse®.

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jeer all curious about where we came from. only is a kudrow's nbc show on "who do you think you are?" now in its third season the audience goes on an adventure with celebrities. >> the discoveries are surprising and the experience is life changing. >> where did my great-grandfather and great-grandmother meet? were they here or did she somehow break that whole, that whole lineage, those eight times back lineage and was she the one

to leave this island to go on to the mainland? did she meet him there or did he whisk her away or who knows? >> wow. >> good to see you. how are you >> she knew both of them were from italy, tuscany. >> but she wasn't sure who was from where. it was her great-grandmother that was from alba and found they went back like eight generations back. she was the first one who left when she married the great-grandfather. that's the story. >> those are the cool things to find out. >> those are cool to find out. but the story is her great-grandfather was killed when her grandfather was only like 3. so she had heard that because he was, you know, they thought he was a philanderrer and he was

caught with somebody else but that's not the story. >> this must have taken a lot of time. >> we started working on mariss marissa's story on the first season. >> it's very difficult to find records of poor italians or poor irish. >> you were also a participant. you traced your roots too. what was that like for you >> it was intense. i'm not sure what other word to use right now. it was a lot to process because, you know, it's one thing to hear the stories, you know, and maybe they are true, maybe they are not and you know what happened in a put them away if they are disturbing like oh, yeah they were rounded up and shot. you are like that's what happened in history they are part of that. but then when you go and you just personalize it and you come

face to face with what actually happened and you can't put it away, then it's a lot to process but it's worthwhile. >> you take them physically to the place where these things happened and that has a whole power of its own that you're thinking wow they met right here. >> right here. this is where he was killed. okay. >> yeah. that's a whole lot of processing. >> is everyone happy that they do it. so, you. they are all happy that they did it. >> when we look at you, we can't help think "friends," do you guys still keep in touch? >> we do sometimes texting or emailing or bumping into each other somewhere. yeah. you know. >> that was then. >> that's the thing. the trouble with such success is that you can be pigeon-holed from it and you haven't let that happen to you at all. what other projects are you working on? >> we have web therapy which will have a second season on showtime. that's where i'm meeting that

horrifying therapist. >> is that scripted or is that -- >> prithat's improviced. it's really fun. >> as a young actress studying did you go to improv groups? >> that's where i started. the groundlings. >> we wish you great luck with this show. who else on this episode. >> great season. martin sheen. then it's blair underwood. and helen hunt. and rob lowe. 12 people. it's a lot. >> so this show, who do you think you are airs friday nights at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. up next those funny awkward photos that will leave you saying what the what? right after this. [ beep ] [ mom ] scooter?

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exquisite creations. what are we doing right here? >> you're a chocolatier. >> i love chocolate so much. this is a chocolate brown cocktail. lots of gin in the morning, orange juice and syrup, chocolate water and sugar. lots of ice. >> there's something for everyone. >> there is. chocolate liquor i poured on top. cheers. >> this is a perfect most romantic indulgent chocolatey cocktail. >> very nice. >> from a grant and full of flavor. put loads of chocolate in. so, the key thing i love about valentine's and making gifts for people is truffles. >> is that too high?

>> no in the pan sizzling, heavy cream, sugar and pour this -- >> what kind of sugar? >> light brown sugar. bring to it the center. pour it on to lot was chocolate. >> semi-sweet? >> or high percentage, 70% or 80% and you're making a grn anache. chocolate and cream. >> a lot of chemistry. >> it is but it's fun and all about love. >> we have bleu cheese into the ganache. it works. whisk that in. allow it to cool. pop it in the frigid. you get this. now you have a spoon each, ladies. you'll get messy. >> i'll eat it out of the truffles. >> don't eat it just yet. take a spoon of ganache. dip your fingers into the cocoa

powder sugar. you'll get messy. and roll really quickly on your fingers. you both to get messy with this. healthy size trufl. >> yes. who do likes her sweets. >> leave them like that and this one is pretzels. >> lavender flowers. >> you'll get really sticky. >> you got to get involved. we're new at this. >> that's good. >> that looks like a mess. >> you got 30 seconds. >> there we go. >> what is that thing over there? >> try one of those. >> these are mayan cupcakes. drizzle the syrup on top. >> we got to run. you're the best. >> thank you so much. >> still ahead how much now about the cold and flu season.

we'll take our quiz. >> get ready for the big reveal, the spectacular results of today's ambush makeover. that's delicious. >> rub your partner the right way with a couple's massage on valentine's day. we'll be right back after this. i love it! . right now, you can have it for free. - shut up! - free. yeah. [ man announcing ] imagine if you could get the best for free. - this is mine? - no. - shut up. - i can't just give away my best stuff for free. at h&r block, we're serious. we believe you deserve the best tax preparation available for free. so for a limited time, we'll prepare simple federal tax returns for free... at one of our 10,000 offices. call 1-800-hrblock. just 'cause i teach preschool doesn't mean i shouldn't look good.

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♪ we are back on this winesday wednesday ready to play our weekly trivia game who knew. it's still cold and flu season so we'll find occupant how much you know about our worst winter nemesis which of golf course is germs. kathie lee is across the street ready to handout hundred bucks to those who get the question right. here with me is dr. carrie peterson a medical contributor from "women's health" magazine. we're ready to see how smart our

folks are. >> lovely lady from jacksonville. germs can live on hard surfaces for how long? 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours or one week? >> 48 hours. >> good for you. >> wow. she's right. >> did you guess? >> two days. that's how long they last? >> can last anywhere from few minutes but up to 48 hours. germs tend to live heartily on hard surfaces than plastics or stainless steel. >> okay. >> this gentleman is an aussie but lives in milwaukee. how many colds can children in school environments have per year, five, ten, 12 or 15? >> 12. >> oh, my gosh. another guess? >> how is that possible? >> 12 cold per year. seem like a lot. >> it's definitely more than what adults get because children they are more susceptible.

they are not as good at covering their mouths. their environments are dirtier. they get sicker more than adults. >> i have a cutey from boone, north carolina. true or false the stomach flu and influenza are the same thing? >> i'll go with false. >> he's smart too. >> wow. >> yes. okay. stomach flew and flew are different. >> different germs. influenza causes the traditional flew which is the stuffy head, the aches, the fever. traditional flu can have stomach symptoms but a different germ. >> very nice lady from portland, oregon. you can spread the flu to others before you have symptoms. >> true. >> wow, you guys are on fire. >> all right. four for four.

before you start feeling the sniffling. >> one day prior you're contagious. even if you don't know you have the flu or cold you can give to it other people and you're contagious for about five days after. after symptoms. >> another very pretty floridian this one from gainesville. antibiotics can treat which of the following, the cold, the flu, neither, or both? >> neither. >> neither. you say neither, i say neither. either way, you're right. >> i thought you need an antibiotic when you get the flu. >> they only treat bacteria where flews and colds are virus. antibiotics don't work. they can cause problems because they can create resistance. then when you need them they don't really work. >> a lot of people pop something. i hope the next person gets it right. >> i know. this guy from england is a huge kathie lee fan. and he's dying to win my cd.

let's see how long should you wash your hands effectively to rid them of germs. five seconds, 20 seconds, two minutes, doesn't matter as long as you use soap. >> i'll go for it doesn't matter as longs you use soap. >> and you win a kathie lee cd. >> he's happy. he's happy. kind of. >> so, the correct answer here is 20 seconds. >> 20 seconds. proper way to wash your hands is run them under cold clean running water. lath everyone r them. sing happy birthday twice. that adds up to 20 seconds. rinse them well. >> this beautiful girl is from brazil. true or false, going out in chilly weather with a wet head will thread a cold? >> false. >> wow.

golly. >> good one. >> that's one of those wives tales. >> you cannot get sick from cold weather or a wet head. the only thing that gets you sick is germs. the reason people get sick in this l more frequently is that we're indoors more often so we're in more close contact with people and likely to spread germs. >> great advice. kathie lee will come back and find out how these two ladies look after their ambush makeover right after this. rica's softest. no wonder people want to share them on and on. send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com and start your own chain of sharing. in return, you'll receive a sample of new kleenex cool touch tissues... the only tissue that actively releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose on contact. kleenex. softness worth sharing.

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we're back on this special winesday wednesday edition of today's plaza ambush makeovers. we plug two lucky women and surprise them with a new look. >> here's our team. ♪ >> and our "us weekly" contributor is here. >> we found two great looking women. you have to work it to work it and with a little bit of effort you can make something good into something great. >> what your saying? >> let's start off with miss becka patton. she's from columbus, ohio. the last time she wore heels was on her wedding day. she jumped at the chance to get a glam new look.

let's take a listen. >> all right. i kind of had to bully new to this but you said yes if i let you do one thing. >> say hi to my boys at home zachary and nicholas and my husband steve. >> because of them you need this? >> yeah, i could use it. >> steve you told me is going to be absolutely shocked. >> definitely. >> all right, steve, we're going to make her look hot. are you ready to go? >> i guess so, yes. >> okay. guess who she is here with her brother-in-law and the twins. >> we won't give you blindfolds. close your eyes for us. we'll trust you. >> i'll let you know when to open them. here is becka patton before. come see the new you. >> oh, wow. okay. >> hold on guys. ready to open up your eyes. hold on the babies.

>> wow. >> wow in tandem. that's good. >> you ready to see yourself. >> yes. >> spin around. >> oh, my goodness. >> you're gorgeous. you like? >> yeah. >> you're beautiful. >> turn right around. look right there at camera number 12. talk about the hair cut. >> she need ad hair cut today. if you fine yourself tying your hair back every day guess what? it's time to gate hair cut. so we gave her a great hair cut, gave her shape. i softened her color with a little bit of high light. add highlights in the winter to give yourself a little glow. >> guys what do you think? >> amazing. >> i hope she will still want to help us change diapers. >> that little black dress is hot. >> i didn't pick it. she did. >> asymmetry.

>> it's simply vera wang available at kohl's, under $100. >> our second lady is jennifer. she's 37 from sidney, australia. she's a stay-at-home mom and today is the first day that she's taken time for herself. what better way to pamper yourself than with an ambush makeover. she's with her friend and her friend's son. let's listen to her story. >> second victim, second mommy with two kids and you told me help, i need a headacheover. >> yes, i would like a little bit avenue look. i feel i've looked the same since high school. >> what do you think your husband will think? >> i don't know. >> we're going to take new to the factory like we say. you ready to go? >> yes, yes. that sounds good. >> keep that blindfold on. >> that's her friend. >> that's her friend and her son.

yes. we're going to get right to it. bring out the new jennifer. >> whoa. >> oh, my gosh, forms. all right. leanna take a look. >> wow. you look great. >> turn around sweetie. take a look at yourself. >> oh, my god. >> you look awesome. gorgeous. gorgeous. wow. beautiful. >> i'm shocked. >> you have highlights under your natural color. i threat highlights because she wanted to keep some lightness and brightness. her hair was very thick and in a triangle shape. just a little bit of glow. don't over do the bronzer. get rid of that winter look. >> the dress is what?

>> color blocking so big especially going into spring. this is from dana morgan and high boots from payless. >> looks great. come on out, becka. >> becka is taking care of the babies back there. >> up next those funny awkward photos that will leave you saying what the what. >> we hope so. >> right after this. with lots os left behind. that's why there's charmin ultra strong. its diamondweave texture is soft and more durable versus the ultra rippled brand. so it holds up better for a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. i go in peace. yes, you do my little alien. [ female announcer ] we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra strong? love the taste., love the simple ingredients.

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we're back with the giggle inducing segments we call what the what? we'll be happy with the giggle. sarah scoured through the tos you sent in. she's here with this week's top picks >> you're in for a real treat. our first photo is sent from steve johnson. i hope there's not a fire drill. the last time you want to be confused is when it's hot in here. our next photo was set in from

sharon long from new mexico. it seems like a pretty good deal. >> cass transitions? >> it was on a vet sign. i feel they should say neutering. castration sounds just so -- >> walk in, walk out. >> you'll limp out, baby. >> or crawl out. >> you ride out on a different horse. >> jane kauffman from mount pleasant, south carolina submit this photo. you couldn't have picked a better spot to sit? that's her great dane. his name is moose. her friend took that picture. how funny. it's the biggest dogs that think they are small. >> she's so tiny. >> can you imagine watching tv around him. >> oh, my gosh. >> we have a big dog and she can't get close enough to you. >> they don't realize. i have chihuahuas. we have a photo from virginia.

would you guys drink that? it does have the magic word wine in it. >> special kind of wine. >> even i wouldn't drink that. >> might overlook it. depends how bad the day was. >> kate from mount pleasant, michigan sent us this photo. i know a good deal when i see it. clearance. it was zero but now 1.99. it's that club membership that gets you the perks. >> finally gail submitted this photo. i don't know how i feel about these two being in the same place. >> emergencies welcomed. >> okay. >> if you have a photo please send home to our website. up next couples massage for valentine's day. do we need to say more? >> no we don't. >> we won't say if this is "today" on nbc.

if you are looking for a great gift for your significant other hey what is better than a romantic massage. >> yes. going to a spa or hiring a professional is nice but if you have more of a do it yourself attitude, lisa is here with a few at home techniques that will spice up your relationship and save you a few bucks. this one would destroy my relationship. >> this is one of those things where it is really good four. some people think it's a luxury. >> it's really good for you especially if you're a couple. i give this as a homework more than anything else is go home, couples massage. you first, me next or me first you next. and it's something -- >> what if we can't agree on that. then we have some big problems. >> then you got come back. >> how should he do it. >> how he should do it, start

with the head. nape of the neck. further down. nape of the neck. >> this is go green. >> i got kyle. >> so we're going start with little circles back of the neck. all right. don't under estimate how a light touch can feel really good. just like let it go. light touch can feel fantastic. get some lymphatic drainage. then you go to longer strokes down the back. >> keep going. >> doing it in circles as well. most important as couples is you keep giving feedback. we want groaning. >> this is great. >> excellent. >> we want groaning. >> there we go. further down. let's do long strokes. >> long strokes. >> careful. >> very good. >> watch out. >> we'll talk about that when

you turn over. >> turn over? what? >> yes, kyle. >> as a massager ask how does this feel? how does this feel? is this hard enough? is this okay. >> harder. harder. >> harder or softer. >> harder. you have to use oil when you're with someone else like this. not with dresses on obviously but we can't go there. one of my favorites is this massage mint. i got to tell you i love this. got the nubby side. soft engineer nubby side. if you're not comfortable with your hands. go. this is my favorite thing ever. using oils and massage creams is fantastic. these are from pure romance.com. >> she's still talking. >> we have to run. >> give each other feedback. >> thank you. >> by the way, gang, we --

>> no need to stop. keep going. >> we'll see you in the bahamas, everybody, right? is that where we're going to go? we may not make it. we may have to send matt lauer and ann curry because we're a little busy. bye.

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