good morning. extreme weather. more severe storms and record-breaking heat in the east today, after a weekend tornado outbreak in the midwest. more than 130 reported twisters, five people killed. al will tell us what to expect. i'll be angry. president obama on his feelings shouldn investigation into a sex scandal involving members of his secret service team prove to be true. is it an isolated incident, or are there bigger problems within the agency tasked with protecting the president? and pippa and the pistol. disturbing new images of kate middleton's sister in a car as the driver waves what appears to be a gun, and aims at a

photographer. could it land her in serious trouble "today," monday, april could it land her in serious trouble "today," monday, april 16th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie in for ann this morning. it is going to be a long day of cleanup for people in cities hit by those devastating tornadoes over the weekend. including right there in woodward, oklahoma, where more than 100 homes and businesses were destroyed. and al says there's a risk of even more severe weather coming today. >> and there's another part to the whole weather story, from virginia to massachusetts, the bigger story might not actually be storms, but the heat. it could reach into the 90s in some spots, that's about 20 or 30 degrees above what would be normal temperatures for this

time of the year. al's going to have his forecast on that straight ahead. >> also ahead, new details on what may have contributed to the unexpected death of the so-called painter of light, thomas kinkade. his artwork hangs in the homes of 1 in 20 americans. coming up, what the emergency calls from the night of his death, and the artist's own brother, are revealing about how he died. and it is the big news out of hollywood. brad pitt and angelina jolie's engagement. this morning we're going to have more on why they finally decided to get married. and we'll talk about the ring that brad personally designed. >> pretty big. okay. we'll get into that. but we're going to start with the weather. and of course those deadly tornadoes over the weekend. the record-breaking heat expected in the east today. let's get to al roker upstairs, keeping an eye on all of it. >> good morning, savannah. here's that outbreak as it came across the plains states on saturday, wreaking havoc. 130 tornadoes. but the good news is, the

forecasts were out early for this. as you look into oklahoma, woodward oklahoma, five deaths, all deaths out of this tornado outbreak happened in woodward. rural community about 140 miles from oklahoma city. three children among the dead. 30 others were injured. and in kansas, where they had incredible amount of tornadoes, as well. in fact national weather service saying a month's worth of tornadoes spotted sunday in kansas. 100 homes damaged in wichita. no serious injuries or fatalities. 97 tornadoes swept through kansas, leaving a dozen people injured. thankfully, though, no deaths. of course the other big story, we're looking, again, we've got a risk of strong storms today from charleston all the way up into upstate new york. but we're not expecting any sort of widespread outbreak of tornadoes. some strong storms and maybe some hail. you can see already we've got a heavy line of thunderstorms making their way through texas. earlier we had tornado warnings out. those have since been called off. now, the heat, that is going to be a big story. we've got a big area of high

pressure off the east coast. stronger than normal upper level ridge, so from florida all the way to new england, we're talking about the potential of record-setting temperatures. burlton, probably will break its record of 86 bang in 2002. albany looking for a record. new york city, coming close to a record. boston, where they're running the marathon, the record is 84. well, look at these temperatures. 9:00 a.m. temperature 71. by 12:00 noon, 82. 3:00 p.m., an 87 degree temperature. that could cause major health problems for people running the marathon. we'll have more on that a little bit later on. >> all right, al, thanks very much. we'll get the rest of your forecast in a couple of minutes. president obama, meanwhile, is back at the white house this morning following a trip to colombia. a visit that was overshadowed by a prostitution scandal involving members of the secret service, and apparently the u.s. military, as well. nbc's kristen welker traveled with the president. she's at the white house this morning with the latest. kristen, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. well, the secret service has

launched a full-scale, internal investigation into this scandal, which has proven highly embarrassing for the agency, the u.s. military, and this administration. president obama returning to washington late sunday, after a weekend summit in colombia. facing an evolving prostitution scandal within the agency that is supposed to protect him, the u.s. secret service. >> it if turns out that some of the allegations that have been made in the press are confirmed, then of course i'll be angry. >> reporter: the alleged incident happened on wednesday night at this cartagena hotel, just days before the president was set to arrive. staying in a different hotel. according to u.s. officials who had been briefed on the matter, 11 special agents and uniformed officers, including two supervisors, allegedly brought prostitutes back to the el caribe. guests at the hotel have to leave their i.d.s at the front desk. thursday morning hotel managers realized within woman hadn't

picked up her i.d. by checkout time and found her in a room, fighting with an agent after he failed to pay her. the hotel called local police, who alerted the u.s. embassy. ultimately, it went all the way to the white house. >> we're representing the people of the united states. and when we travel to another country, i expect us to observe the highest standards. >> reporter: the secret service members were sent home before the president's arrival. five military service members assigned to protect the president were confined to their quarters in cartagena and are now under investigation. prostitution is legal in parts of colombia. but it is a violation of the secret service rules of conduct. in a statement, the agency said, the secret service demands more from its employees, and these expectations are met and exceeded every day by the vast majority of our workforce. members of congress say they will launch their own investigation. >> in my committee we're going to look into all the details of what happened here and see whether we should be changing

procedures. >> reporter: critics worry this could point to a larger problem within the agency. brought to light in 2009 when the salahis, two reality tv stars, entered a state dinner without an invitation. still others are urging restraint. >> this is an unfortunate set of circumstances that needs to be dealt with, but it should not be overdramatized as a scandal. >> reporter: now, all 11 secret service personnel have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that investigation. those five u.s. military members could also be facing the possibility of disciplinary actions. president obama had hoped to focus on his domestic agenda and the campaign this week, but now that is going to be a lot more difficult. matt? >> kristen welker at the white house. kristen, thank you very much. ronald kessler is the author of "in the president's secret service: behind the scenes with agents in the line of fire and the presidents they protect." mr. kessler, good morning to you. >> good to be with you. >> what was your first reaction when you heard these allegations that these members of an advanced team, if you will, were

perhaps involved with prostitutes before the president arrived in colombia? what was your first reaction? >> well, this is just another example of what i've been writing about in my book, "in the president's secret service" and since then. the sal la his was another example. in my book i reveal dodens of examples of corner cutting by the secret service, laxness by the secret service, ranging from letting people into events without metal detection, under pressure from campaign staff, to not keeping up to date with the latest firearms, to even letting agents ignore requirements for physical fitness. >> when you talk about dozens of examples, though, would you not agree with secret service spokesmen, or officials who say, 99% of the time, these folks get it right, they do their job exceedingly well. they meet or exceed expectations? >> well, the agents themselves are generally brave and dedicated and they don't go around partying all the time.

that's not the issue. the issue is the corner-cutting which can -- which does represent security breaches. you know the standard is not, gee, there was no assassination, therefore we're doing fine. the standard should be, there should never be a scandal like this, this is the worst scandal in the history of the secret service. >> since you know -- since you know this organization well, and the role they play, what, exactly, would these men have been doing on the ground? what was their job prior to the arrival of the president? >> there were a number of different functions. some of them were on the countersniper team, some were on the counterassault team. others just would have been involved in advance. so it was a mix of people. and the fact that they had -- did place extra stress on the people who are already there. but the larger picture is the secret service, under mark sullivan, has gone from one debacle to another, and all we see from president obama is, well, i will be angry if the

allegations in the press are true. not allegations in the press. this is what the secret service determined. they issued a statement after i broke this story in "the washington post," saying that misconduct occurred, and that's why they're bringing the agents back. >> right. >> there's nothing to wait for. and the action that's needed is replacement of the secret service director. because it's really president obama's life that is at stake. -- >> you just answered my next question, how high up the food chain does this thing go in terms of someone losing their job? you think it's the director himself? >> oh, absolutely. and there's talk about, well the congress is going do do investigations. that has nothing do could with reforming the agency. the only way to reform this agency is with a new director from the outside such as bob muller at the fbi, he's done a wonderful job. you have to bring in someone who is not beholden to interests within the agency. >> ronald kessler, thanks for your input this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you, matt. ten minutes after the hour. here's savannah.

>> all right, matt, thank you. now to a strange incident involving the duchess of cambridge's sister pippa middleton. what appears to be a gun and tabloid photographers in paris. nbc's michelle kosinski with the pictures and the story. michelle, good morning to you. >> hi, savannah. yeah, it was an april in paris weekend full of parties for pippa. costumes, aristocrats, some of the most eligible bachelors around. but now some not so pretty pictures on the front page of "the sun" newspaper, including what may or may not be a real gun. as pippa middleton enjoyed a sunny ride through paris with three male friends, take a close look at the driver. here in traffic, pointing what looks like a gun at a photographer. >> he was perhaps so angry, perhaps they were just showing off, but it certainly doesn't look good. >> reporter: even if the gun is fake, it could be more serious than in very bad taste. only weeks after firearm attacks in france on a school and some

soldiers, left seven people dead. four of them children. pippa's paris weekend was a fine one, indeed. until now. spending time with three very lovely, very wealthy, bachelors. escorted by a television mogul she dressed up in period costume. kind of. at least from the waist up. while other guests went all-out. this for the birthday party of old friend, entrepreneur and owner of a popular fashion label, who, pippa also spent time with, and his handsome brother. it's not really clear who the three men in the convertible are with her. but at least one of them may have some serious explaining to do. to police. well "the sun" has this exclusively with the headline, the smirking gun and claims that the photographer involved, at whom this gun was allegedly painted, was thinking about filing a complaint with police. although we talked to police and prosecutors in paris, and they say they don't know anything about it.

savannah? >> all right. so we will hear more about it. michelle kosinski in london for us, thank you. it is now 7:13. meares matt. >> thanks. a congressional hearing is set to get under way in the general services administration spending practices. this stems from a lavish conference in las vegas and the official at the center of the scandal plans to assert his right to remain silent. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers is in washington with the latest. lisa, good morning. >> good morning, matt. a government official taking the fifth is not the kind of imagery any white house would hope for. what's more, top tsa officials appointed by president obama will have to explain why, after they learned of a lavish conference in las vegas, they nevertheless gave the official in charge a bonus. ♪ >> reporter: the fun-filled las vegas conference that investigators say cost taxpayers almost $1 million, included rap videos. a mind reader.

and $1200 for shuttles to take gsa staffers to party on the vegas strip. the gsa official in charge was jeff nealy. >> i think i pretty much promised to deliver an over-the-top, unforgettable, team-building experience. how'd we do on that one? >> reporter: but nealy has told congressional investigators he'll take the fifth today, rather than answer questions. >> taxpayers need to know that what they see in those videos is, in fact, to a great extent, the tip of the iceberg. there's a culture of waste that when people misbehave, they're seldom punished for it. >> reporter: e-mails show that even after senior gsa officials were alerted to excessive spending in vegas, administer martha johnson personally approved a $9,000 bonus for neely and vegas was only part of the story. an even longer conference was held in 2010 in palm springs, california.

for gsa interns. the awards dinner cost taxpayers as much as $100 a head. it was held at this resort, where the lounge had been named one of "playboy" magazine's 20 greatest bars. >> it's a wasteful abuse of taxpayer dollars. >> reporter: investigators also found other outrageous costs. five gsa officials went to hawaii for a week for a one-hour ribbon cutting. $330,000 to move one official from denver to hawaii. and gsa invented awards. because if there were awards at an event, they could stick taxpayers with the tab for food. they called one, the jackass award. >> americans across the country have been tightening their belts, and when they see that the people who are being paid with their taxpayer dollars are squandering it and wasting it, it just increases people's contempt for government. >> reporter: we reached out to neely's lawyer, who did not return our calls. the white house has called the

spending spree a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars, and said decisive action has been taken. so far, three gsa officials, including the administrator, have been filed or resigned and five more are on administrative leave. >> all right, lisa myers in washington this morning. lisa, as always, thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the day's other top stories. natalie morales is over at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. procrastinators rejoice, if you didn't yet file your taxes this weekend there is still time. this year you get two extra days to submit your federal income tax returns for 2011. the deadline is tomorrow, april 17th. the extra time is thanks to april 15th landing on a sunday, and today's emancipation day, which is observed in washington, d.c. a violent 18-hour assault in kabul, afghanistan, has ended this morning after a joint u.s./afghan -- widespread attack it was. a suspected militant captured after the assault confessed the operation was carried out by the

haqqani network, a group with ties to the taliban and al qaeda. three civilians and eight policemen were killed in the attack. in norway, the man who admits to killing 77 people last july is in court today. the right wing radical has pleaded not guilty to terror and murder charges. he claims he acted in self-defense. he has previously claimed responsibility for the bombing in oslo and the shooting massacre on an island outside the capital. syria's newly minuted cease-fire is coming apart this morning as the first u.n. observers arrive in damascus to news that government troops are once again showing neighborhoods in the rebel stronghold of homs. the violent attacks -- president bashar assad's willingness to adhere to the peace plan. the coast guard is calling off the search for four missing yacht crew members. the racers went missing in the waters off san francisco this weekend when powerful rough seas caused their sailboat to run aground. one crew member was found dead. three others survived.

well, even secretary of state hillary clinton has to lose the scrunchy and let her hair down every once in awhile. the 64-year-old former first lady rocked out a respectable rumba in a colombian night club and was even photographed throwing back a beer. clinton was in cartagena for a diplomatic summit, for a diplomatic summit and these pictures already setting twitter on fire. 7:18 right now. let's turn it back over to matt, savannah and al. >> the secretary. >> turned out to be quite the party. meanwhile, what is it? patriots day, right? patriots day so they're running the boston marathon. >> noon start time. >> 84 degrees? >> that's right. it could be even hotter than that. so that's dangerous. >> natalie, you've run how many marathons? >> five. >> what's the hottest temperature? >> probably 60. so this is not good for them. i hope they're getting lots of water and hydrating, hydrating. >> i've run oh, gosh, one. no. it was okay. wouldn't have mattered what the temperature was.

anyway let's see what we've got for today. record highs in the northeast. risk of strong storms in the northeast. and in to the western new york and parts of california, the west ew york and parts of west virginias. we have wet weather in the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine through the southwest. that's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> summer in april. by later this afternoon, we will be in the 80s. around the region, good morning, now in the low to mid 60s around the metro area. 50s in the rural areas. and we have got the sun up and partly cloudy sky. mid and upper 80s this afternoon. then cooler weather moves in tomorrow. should be good weather for the discovery arrival. we will have it >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you. we're learning more about what may have contributed to the sudden death of renowned painter thomas kinkade. his brother says the artist battled alcoholism, and suffered

a relapse right before his death. nbc's mike taibbi is in los angeles with the story this morning. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this isn't a gallery around me. it's the home of a private kinkade dealer. 2,000 to 3,000 reproductions here. that's been nonstop work for the past ten days. the painter's death not hurting sales at all. >> i paint the world the way we all kind of daydream it would be and try to paint a world full of light and life. >> reporter: for the artist who delivered those daydreams to more than 10 million american homes, and whose fame won him vast riches and audiences with popes and presidents, this is how it ended. >> 54-year-old male unconscious, not breathing, apparently he's been drinking all night and not moving. we'll get los gattos pd rolling. >> reporter: it was his current girlfriend who called it in. his death ended years of struggle with booze and bankruptcy, the final binge for

relapse his brother said. >> you can be doing really, really well and suddenly the bottle calls you and you fall off. >> reporter: and there were other troubles. his high school sweetheart wife nannette had left him. and there was the constant pummeling by the serious art world, which dismissed his prodigious output of sentimental and christian themed americana as the work of a commercial hack. >> it hurt him over time again and again and again to have that sort of talk about him. all he did was try to make people happy. >> reporter: how many pieces altogether? >> 2,000. >> reporter: in the meantime sellers of his work like private dealer karen, have brought on extra staff to deal with the surge in demand for kincaid's work. here a half million dollars in ebay orders in the seven days after the artist's death. and half again as much through the weekend. the worst of the stories that have emerged in lawsuits by former associates. about kinkade's drinking and strip club visits and crude behavior haven't dented the ardor of his regions of fans.

>> people forgive artists. they go hollywood. do you think people stopped buying elvis presley's cds when he was like an elephant on drugs? >> reporter: you're asking how much more now for this? >> trouble. >> reporter: encouraging a fresh look for why the artist meant so much to so many, whatever the critics say. >> he wants to take hope and peace and joy and if that is a problem ultimately for the critical community, so be it. >> reporter: it will be a private funeral for kinkade tomorrow near his los gattos home. the continued marketing of his artwork and brand and his brother pat involved with the company says is more valuable now than ever. >> mike taibbi in los angeles, thank you. just ahead, why now? and what about that ring? we're going to have new details on brad pitt and angelina jolie's engagement, but first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, why more

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move over will and kate. there is a new wedding of the century to plan. after seven years, six kids, brad pitt, and angelina jolie are finally going to tie the knot. why did they make the move now? why did brad want to personally design angelina's pretty large engagement ring? we'll get some answers coming up. maybe a few cameras at that wedding. >> you think? >> or at least in the near area. 7:30 now on this monday morning. april 16th, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie who is in while ann is off this week. >> we all know angelina will shine on her wedding day. what about some other brides who want to look their best. turns out some are turning to a

pretty controversial procedure. eating through a feeding tube to lose weight. we're going to hear from a doctor who performs that procedure and talk about the risks as well. then are web cams to blame? the surprising activity that's helped make chin implants the fastest growing cosmetic procedure in the united states. we're going to get some perspective from dr. oz. i got to say anyone who's looked at themselves on a web cam it can be pretty shocking. >> piece people didn't have mirrors before web cams was invented? >> there's something uniquely unflattering about that shot, i guess. >> whatever, okay. also ahead, "today's professionals" are with us this morning. star and donny being joined by bobby flay this morning. one of the topics they'll be discussing, company moles and leakers. how far businesses should go to expose them. >> wire going to begin this half hour with the big news out of hollywood. brad pitt and angelina jolie's engagement. natalie is back with the story on that. >> that's right. this is a long time in coming. and now we're learning more about why.

brad spent the last year working with a jeweler to design the perfect engagement ring. brad pitt and angelina jolie have been dodging the question of marriage since they first got together seven years ago. here's brad with ann back in 2008. >> you were asked recently by a reporter whether or not you guys are ever going to get married. she said you have to ask brad. >> well -- >> here i am. >> listen, if we feel it's important to our kids, we will do so. >> reporter: their kids must have spoken up, because now it's official. hollywood's most glamorous couple is engaged. >> i asked her to marry me. >> what? >> i'm getting married. >> a lot of people give them a year or two to stay together, and they've been together for about seven years now. so they defied all odds. >> reporter: with an odd-defying ring that brad helped design, a year in the making, more than

six carats. >> if it weren't for will and kate it would be the wedding of the century. but it's definitely the biggest wedding since the royal wedding. >> reporter: this isn't the first wedding for either member of brangelina. jolie's been married twice before. once to actor billy bob thornton. and pitt famously divorced jennifer aniston before dating jolie. as for the wedding. so many questions still remain. when and where will they get married? who will design the wedding dress? and what roles will their six kids play in the ceremony? >> they're certainly not going to have any shortage of flower girls or ring bearers. so it's certainly, i would imagine, the kids will definitely be part of the ceremony. >> reporter: so what started out as marriage made for the movie screen, now set to finally become official. >> she's with me. >> reporter: and according to reports, aniston is at peace with her ex-husband's decision to remarry. a source close to the actress says she is happy for brad and angelina. savannah? >> all right, natalie, thanks.

kate coyne is the assistant managing editor of "people" magazine. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> this is full deployment for "people" magazine until they tie the knot. >> this is a pretty big deal. it was about one year ago today i was sitting here talking about the royal wedding. now here we go with a hollywood royal wedding. >> do you think interest will be that high? >> absolutely. i think interest will be that high. i don't know if ultimately the sort of coverage that we'll be able to get of the actual event will be quite what the royal wedding provided. i don't know if you'll see angelina emerging from a carriage waving to the crowd. one can only hope. >> they've been together seven years. a lot of people are wondering why now. >> this is actually one of the most normal, traditional, old-fashioned things that brad and angelina have ever done as a couple. they've been together for seven years. they have six kids already. a lot of people actually, when i told them that they were engaged said to me, aren't they already married? >> yeah. >> and they themselves have said that the commitment that they

have in raising their children, in having a family together, to them outweighs any sort of wedding or marriage that they could ever have. but it's become pretty clear that their six kids have really been putting on the pressure. >> they could definitely put the pressure on. let's talk about the ring, who knew brad is such a sensitive guy, working on it for a year. >> working on it for a year. which means this was not a spontaneous, spur of the moment, will you marry me? this was many months in the making. and brad fancies himself to be quite the designer. he's an amateur architect. he is very, very interested in design and has been for quite some time. of course he came up with a ring that is completely one of a kind. absolutely unique. the cut of the stone itself was a custom cut. so it's not even emerald cut, ascher cut. it's a brad and angie cut. >> could you even venture a guess as to how much it would cost? >> some jewelers are putting the cost at well over $1 million. and the stone size is over 10 carats. so it's a pretty significant stone. >> knowing this couple as you do, you cover them a lot, of

course, do you think there will be a big wedding and a ton of fanfare, or might they just try to do it privately, elope, and tell everybody about it later? >> to be completely honest, the brad and angelina that we've covered for all of these years to me would indicate that there wouldn't be a huge wedding, it will be something very quiet, very under the radar that we would only hear about after the fact. then again i'm not sure a lot of people ever expected there to be a proper, official engagement with a dazzling ring on her left hand. this is more traditional and old-fashioned than we would have expected already from the couple. so, it's possible that there could be a big, lavish ceremony in their future. >> let's get serious a little bit. we have a sad story to report. ryan o'neal has revealed that he has stage four prostate cancer. we remember him right by farrah fawcett's side in the documentary as she was battling her own cancer. what can you tell us? >> it's cancer touching his life yet again. obviously he lost farrah to

cancer. he battled leukemia himself. now he's dealing with stage four cancer. he does say he feels grateful it was caught early. i'm not sure you can classify stage four cancer as early. but his words seem to indicate at the very least it's contained, and that his doctors feel that it's treatable. >> he seems to have a positive attitude about it. >> absolutely does. >> all right. kate coyne from "people" magazine. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. and now let's head outside to al for a check of the weather. >> all right. thanks so much, savannah. we got kids in the frame. where are you guys from? >> rhode island. >> very nice. good to see you. who is your friend holder? >> our dad. >> had to check. i like that. let's see what we've got for you for today. again we're talking about the re -- record-breaking heat here in the east. early part of the week. lot of rain through the gulf coast. rain in the pacific northwest. we get to the mid week period, we are looking for more above normal temperatures through the

plains. on into the southwest. and cooler than normal temperatures in the upper plains. then the latter part of the week along the east coast, above normal temps, cooler from the great lakes to west coast to wet weather. showers in the pacific northwest. twins celebrating sweet 16. >> claire. >> christine. >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. a mild start around the metro area. tom kierein in storm center 4 now. we are in the low to mid 60s near washington. 50s in the rural areas. and right near the bay it is in the low to mid 60s as well as shenandoah valley, mountains, few locations western maryland, near 50. later today, into the 80s. all around the region. upper 80s in parts of virginia. we will have quite a bit of sunshine, cooler weather moves in tomorrow, partly cloudy. might get showers with cool weather on wednesday. again, over the weekend. >> and somebody's double digits today. what's your name? >> murphy. >> happy 10th birthday. can you get your weather any time of the day or night from the weather channel on cable and weather.com online. savannah? >> hey, al, thanks.

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the fastest growing trend in plastic surgery, chin augmentation. believe it or not it appears to be sparked, in part, by the increased use of video chatting. although i'm not so sure about this. we're going to talk to dr. oz and find out what he thinks in a moment. but first, why some people are changing their chins. when 39-year-old lizzette stevens, a project manager for a software company, looked at her image during web cam video conferences with clients and colleagues, she didn't like what she saw. >> i was not happy with the profile of my face and the way that it's projected in those pictures. so i thought i'd do something about it. >> reporter: stevens decided to get a chin implant, a 45-minute, minimally invasive surgery. designed to give her a stronger chin. >> the incision is right under my chin. it actually looks like, you know, most kids when they're a kid they fall and hit their chin. today you can't even see it. >> reporter: patients can typically expect to be back to

work in three days. the cost ranges between $3500 and $7500. and the requests for the procedure are on the rise. up to 71% in the last year alone. >> we'll do chin implant surgery as many as three or four times a day. >> doctor derek antell is the spokesman for the american society of plastic surgeons. he says the popularity of web cams has made people more aware of their appearance. >> i think that today, with digital cameras, people are seeing their photo and profile more often than ever before. >> dr. antell says the surgery is ideal for people like lizzette, who feel they want to improve their image in the workplace. >> we made her chin a little bit stronger, and cleaned up her neck. just makes her look better overall. this is the kind of operation that whispers. it doesn't shout. but it makes people look better. >> dr. mehmet oz is the host of "the dr. oz show." doc, good to see you.

good morning. do you buy that this is a result of people seeing themselves on web cams? i mean, we've had mirrors for generations, why would a web cam suddenly make me go out and change my chin. >> i think it reinforces the reality. you may not be happy with your chin or yourself. but there's another factor, matt and it's a big one. we always think that people with strong chins have stronger personalities, will be more effective in the workplace. and this is one of those plastic surgery trends that is not predominantly in women, it is in men as well. it turns out less than 10% of ceos of fort rn 500 companies have weak chins. >> so there's some perception issue here. if you want a stronger children, this is surgery, after all, any other options before you get to this step? >> there's a small little muscle people can exercise it. it's not that effective. can you do this. not very attractive either to do that. >> do that in the comfort of your own home. >> that's right. good posture help and weight loss is probably the most effective technique.

something called ultrasound therapy is being done a lot. a half hour office procedure, no cutting. and we've featured it on the show, it's very effective. >> you showed me something, but if you want to know just how big a chin or more prominent chin you can get you can show yourself. >> this will show who it works for and who it won't work for. the most important test to do at home stick your chin out as far as you can. that's as far forward as your chin will look if you implant a little -- >> isn't that more about your jaw bone than your chin? >> you're just mimicking how far the chin can go. if you implant a device that's larger than that in an attempt to get more augmentation you're much more likely to have erosion which is a destruction of the skin, also increases the chance of infection. that's a major complication of the operation, that you get an infection. about 5% to 7% chance. >> what questions should people be asking themselves before they say, okay i'm going under the knife, just so that i can have a more prominent chin?

>> this abig issue for any surgery. first off are they board certified. make sure they can actually put this product in and in a hospital. if they're going to do it in their office, i know that, but if a hospital lets them do it, that means they're really good at it. secondly, how many they've done. should be dozens of them. find out who their patients are. actually talk to those patients. get references from your surgeon as well. and ask the soul searching question, am i happy and doing this because i'm going to be happier, or am i doing this to make me happy? >> a lot of plastic surgeons are good about talking to people and saying this will give you a more prominent chin, this will not make you happier, will not make you funnier at parties, socially more active, things like that. >> i think that's the big take away message. if you want to get the procedure done, if in your heart of hearts make sure you're doing it for a compelling reason. i don't want to discount the value of a strong chin in the workplace. people with strong chins are perceived, in fact the heads of

major companies who don't have strong chins often started those companies. no one had to hire them. >> two other proceed seed yours apparently lip augmentation and cheek bone operations. >> those have increased maybe 50%. 70% increase. and this procedure has been around since you and i were born. in the last year there's been a massive shift in perception. >> dr. mehmet oz. thanks very much. still ahead, going on a feeding tube just to lose weight. some brides are taking the quest to look their best to extremes. are they going too far? we'll talk about it. these are our ocean spray 100% juice blends with no added sugar. just one glass equals two servings of fruit. very "fruit-ritious." or try ocean spray light 50, with just 50 calories, a full serving of fruit, and no added sugar. with tasty flavors like cranberry pomegranate and cranberry concord grape, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. [ splashing ] just, you know, demonstrating how we blend the fruits. ahem. try all our tasty

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with every door direct mail. just ahead, scarlett johansson opens up about her divorce from ryan reynolds. and now the new love in her life. >> and he knows his way around the kitchen, but can bobby flay handle "today's professionals"? doubtful. they're going to weigh in on the best and worst jobs in america, how to deal with company moles, and leakers, and much more. first your local news and weather. ♪ [ female announcer ] with depression, simple pleasures can simply hurt. the sadness, anxiety, the loss of interest. the aches and pains and fatigue. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression.

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7:56 is your time now. good morning. i'm eun yang. it is going to be a spring scorcher. let's get the forecast from meteorologist tom kierein in the storm center. >> got to feel like summer in april. right now temperatures are in the 60s throughout much of the region. we approach 8:00. 66 at reagan national. and it is going to be near 70 over the next hour and then near 80 by noontime and hitting the mid and upper 80s by mid afternoon. and then overnight tonight near 70 by midnight 60 by dawn tomorrow. cooler weather for tuesday. good weather for the discovery arrival and then maybe some rain on wednesday and perhaps again over the weekend. >> a quick break now and check

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♪ good morning. if you are traveling 95 northbound in virginia, a crash blocking the left center lane. you are just under speed as you make your way towards the beltway. you are at 34 miles per hour. 18-minute drive from the occoquan to the beltway. >> thank you. another news update for

8:00 now on a monday morning. it's the 16th day of april, 2012. and you know what? here we are in the early stages of spring. we are already 70 degrees on the plaza here in new york city. al says going up into the 80 degree range. >> 90. >> 90. boston could go to 90 today. >> going to be rough for the marathon. >> that's going to be very tough. i'm matt lauer out on the plaza along with savannah guthrie who is here while ann is taking some time off this week. and mr. roker joins us, as well. and coming up a familiar face in our studio right now taking part in "today's professionals." we're talking about chef bobby flay. he is a guy who knows his way

around the kitchen. how is he going to do when he mixes it up with the other pros? donny has already been marking his territory this morning. >> oh -- >> anyway, star is waiting, as well. some of the subjects we're going to talk about, this has some comments on the trayvon martin case over the weekend. we'll hear what he had to say and let them talk about it. and then company moles and leakers. the people who leak stories to the press and tell stories in secret. how should they be dealt with? we'll talk about that. >> string them up. >> we'll see if bobby flay can stir the pot a little bit more. been planning that one all morning. also ahead the disturbing way some brides are trying to lose wet before their big days. it's a feeding tube. >> enjoy your cheerios. >> in their noses and then just getting 800 calories a day. well, it works, but should they be doing it? we'll talk to a doctor who performed the procedure. >> i just had 00 calories between coffee and now.

>> but we're going to meet the so-called queen of the mommy bloggers. some 200,000 folks read heather armstrong's blog every day. they were recently stunned to find out about the end of her marriage. we're going to talk to her when she joins us in just a little bit. >> all right. a lot to get to. natalie is standing by at the news desk. natalie, good morning again. >> good morning, again. a massive cleanup is under way after at least 130 reported tornadoes ravaged the plains states this weekend. at least six people were killed in woodward, oklahoma. kansas was hit by 97 tornadoes, but officials said there were no fatalities there thanks to an extensive early warning system. president obama is defending what he calls the extraordinary work of the secret service. but says he will, quote, be angry if reports of scandalous behavior by some agents involving prostitutes turns out to be true. officials say 11 members of the secret service were sent home from colombia where the president was attending a major diplomatic summit this weekend. the senate votes today on

president obama's buffett rule. a minimum tax on the wealthiest americans. republican critics say the plan would hurt the job market. dole is recalling 756 cases of bagged salad sold in at least 15 states. dole says a random sample of its seven lettuces salad tested positive -- tested by new york state came back positive for salmonella. the bags are stamped with a use by date of april 11th. dole says no illnesses have been reported. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. good morning, courtney. how are we going to start off the week? >> good morning to you. investors are going to continue to keep an eye on europe's debt crisis, specifically spain. yields on spanish bonds are now spiking to levels that are going to make it difficult for the country to refinance its debt. elsewhere the earnings parade continues on, as well as a slew of economic reports. seagram's just reported its earnings, beating the street by 11 cents. >> courtney reagan at the new

york stock exchange. thank you. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking. sports blogs are heating up after jets quarterback tim tebow was te-booed by many in the new hometown crowd last night. he was in the stands at a yankees game and got the rough welcome when his face was shown on the scoreboard. and a story we brought you earlier has made jennifer aniston a top yahoo! search item. twitter is buzzing over one report claiming that aniston is so happy for her ex, brad pitt, that it wouldn't be surprising if she attends his upcoming wedding to angelina jolie. and the latest "snl" digital brought out the big guns. steven spielberg making a cameo in a new video. executive producer lorne michaels seems unimpressed. >> blast him with lasers. >> did you see my cameo? >> hitchcock. >> hitchcockian. >> and with the election season

heating up, "the new york times" columnist reports that "snl" has offered mitt romney a guest spot on the show. we'd all like to see that. 8:05 right now. let's go back outside to matt and savannah. >> ready? >> i'm sorry about that. i didn't know we were on. >> that's right. shall we get to the weather from al? >> a little do-si-do there. want to see it again? >> ♪ . very nice. hey, we've got three generations of ladies here. so who do we have here? >> right here. >> wow, grandma? >> grandma mother and two daughters. >> that's fantastic. you look -- 81, terrific. god bless. all right let's find out what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. and the boston marathon. man it is going to be rough. we're talking temperaturesalkin climbing from the 70s into the upper 80s. be very, very careful. especially if this is your first time running.

temperatures in the 70s and 80s up and down the east coast. pockets of 90s as well. 30s in the northern bright lakes. we are looking at 80s down to the southwest. rain in the pacific northwest. slight risk of strong storms, western new york, western pennsylvania into parts of ohio and west virginia. snow showers still hanging around in northern minnesota. some areas picked up seven inches of snow. >> summer in april. good morning. tom kierein, storm center 4. right now temperatures are in the 60s throughout much of the region. 66 at reagan national. it is going to be pretty hot down that way, upper 80s. then later today, locally, low to mid 80s around the metro area. lots of sunshine. then cooler weather moves in tomorrow and partly cloudy. could get showers on wednesday. then over the weekend, too, some more showers are possible. >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> mr. roker, thank you. when we come back, extreme dieting. the length some brides-to-be are

willing to go to to look great on their big day. we'll talk about that right after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] not everything powerful has to guzzle fuel. the 2012 e-class bluetec from mercedes-benz. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services.

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lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. back now at 8:09 with what some women are now doing to look their best on their wedding day. "today" national correspondent amy robach has the details on this. amy, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning. all eyes are on the bride when she makes that special trip down the aisle, and some women are taking it to the extreme when it comes to reaching their goal wedding day weight. the invitations have been sent,

the gown has been chosen. but for some brides-to-be, there's still one thing left to check off their wedding to do list. shed those unwanted pounds. studies show that 70% of engaged women want to be about 20 pounds lighter for their big day and now some are going to extreme measures to reach that goal. >> people want to be perfect in this country. i'm allowing them to do it. >> reporter: at his clinic in bay harbor island, florida, dr. oliver dipietro has been offering brides what he calls the k-e diet, a weight loss procedure in which patients eat through a feeding tube. >> it's done by inserting a small feeding tube through the nose into the stomach under localen es theesh yeah. it's slightly uncomfortable. it's not terrible. and then we hook the patient up to a feeding pump that they carry 24/7. >> reporter: dr. dipietro demonstrated for us how the tube is inserted. for ten days his patients, and they're not just brides, eat nothing. they get all their fourishment

from the feeding tube dripping 800 calories a day into their stomach. the combination of protein, fat, and no carbs helps to curb hunger and shed weight rapidly. >> it's an extreme form of an sin ens. it's not for everybody. some people can't stand the thought of having a tube in their nose. >> reporter: the diet recently highlighted in this "new york times" article called for patients to use the feeding tube 24/7. >> we had one patient that she made a t-shirt that said, i'm on a diet. >> reporter: what it takes away in pounds it adds to that already bloated wedding budget, $1500 for the ten-day drip. and not everyone thinks it's a good idea. >> getting 800 calories would be too low for anyone, but getting them from lean protein, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats is very different than getting them through a feed tube. >> reporter: the diet has also started a firestorm on twitter where actress ashley jude recently in the spotlight for speaking out against criticism of her looks tweeted -- insane,

abusive, sad. there is a company now offering brides pre-wedding crash diet feeding tubes to appear more culturally acceptable. now, dr. dipietro says the procedure is perfectly safe. adding that on average his patients lose 20 pounds in those ten days. but they'll have to maintain the weight loss on their own once that feeding tube is removed. savannah. >> all right, amy robach, thank you. dr. louis aronne is from new york presbyterian we'll cornell medical center and dr. roshini raj is a "today" contributor. where does this feeding tube diet range in terms of unusual fad diets? >> this is nowhere. this has a very high yuck factor. this is much too severe for people to consider, in my opinion. really, this is not something that should be done. >> dr. raj, you agree this is something that's just off limits? >> i totally agree. we use feeding tubes in the

hospital for very ill patients, post surgical patients. even then we think twice about it. there are risks of having a feeding tube in your nose, in your stomach. it can cause ee ocean and bleeding. knowing that people would do this, knowing it's so temporary, there's no long-term benefit. you have to think of the psych cloj logical factors going into this decision. >> in your mind, doctor, what is the worst case scenario of something that could go wrong with this? >> you could have side effects. and they're minimized in the doctor's mind. but people can get dehydrated, have severe constipation. and what is lost is mainly water and muscle. so when you first start losing weight you don't lose fat you're actually losing water and muscle. >> some doctors who have done this procedure, they monitor the patient closely for ten days. they are getting calories, 800, enough to subsist. it appears to provide some results, so what's the harm if it's just for the ten days? >> first of all, they're saying

they're monitoring the patient. the patient is not in a hospital being monitored. so i was reading their website. they check in maybe every three days. 800 calories is very low. to say that that's sort of enough to subsist. you are going to start to break down parts of your body that you need. and when you get 800 calories through food you absorb it much better than through a liquid form going into your stomach. there are a lot of potential side effects. kidney stones. gout, all these things can happen with this kind of diet. >> dr. raj kind of touched on this, do you think this says something about the mind-set of somebody who's willing to go to these lengths of walking around for ten days with a feeding tube up her nose? >> if someone wants to lose weight before their wedding, they just need to start a little bit earlier. you're not really going to get anything useful doing this for ten days. >> all right, thank you so much. interesting information, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and coming up next, "today's professionals" weigh in on a spouse's role in the presidential race. the best and worst professions out there. and more. bobby flay joins the group.

i was living with this all-over pain. a deep, throbbing, persistent ache. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain.

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back now at 8:17 with a special monday edition of "today's professionals." star jones, donny deutsch, they're here as usual but we've got famed chef and restaurateur bobby flay filling in for dr. nancy snyderman. good morning. good to see you, bobby. welcome to the group. >> thank you. >> let's start off with this subject we talked about earlier in the show. the secret service scandal or alleged scandal. you've heard some members of the team that went to colombia in advance of president obama may have used the services of some prostitutes. and that obviously has got tongues wagging. raise your hand if you're shocked by this story. raise your hand if you think this probably goes on more often than we thought. >> i'm kind of shocked. >> shocked. >> not shocked? >> shocked. >> go ahead. >> i can't believe that they would use such poor judgment. i mean, obviously the secret service is tasked with the duty of the protecting the president.

but more importantly, you're going to argue with a hooker over $47 and put yourself in this situation? that's lack of judgment shock. >> how much did they -- >> the arguing over the money? >> come on. >> how much did they compromise the mission here? the mission, protecting the president of the united states. >> that's really the question. because once that hotel door closes and it's just the secret service guy, with the prostitute, he has to trust her to not tell of his secrets. what is he giving up to her? and then that becomes a problem -- >> possible black mail situation. >> definitely. >> really is a security breach. i worked on the clinton campaign and traveled with the secret service guys. these guys are so impressive. i was actually surprised. look, any human being is capable of anything. we've learned that if nothing else. having said that, though, these are such an elite force that it is a security breach. and obama's got to act swiftly. >> how high up the food chain does someone get fired if the allegations are proven true? >> well, desiree rogers lost her job and she was a social

secretary. >> the crew chief has to go, too. >> absolutely. >> she lost her job then they need to do the exact same thing. >> let's move on to the trayvon martin story. bill cosby weighed in with some comments in an interview over the weekend. it was interesting to hear mr. cosby talk. one of the things he said is we need to start this discussion on guns as opposed to race. has the media focused too much on race, star, in this issue, because it's explosive, when guns are the real problem? >> i just -- >> by the way, this was a legal handgun. >> absolutely. i just attended my 26th anniversary of the district attorneys over in brooklyn. almost to a person, we had this discussion. they all said it was gun related. that it was not about race per se. in that the negation and the lack thereof was about race. but the issue is about guns. >> i was so happy to hear cosby say that. he says a lot of things that ruffle people. but in reality there are going to be racist. when a journalist comes out and says every 17-year-old black man should know that could happen to

them. i don't think that helps. >> but it's true. you need to live in the truth. >> is that really, really, really true? >> it's absolutely really true. >> if this goes to trial it's going to be about race for sure. the guns are going to go out the business. >> if a guy runs a business, if you're going after guns you're solving problems. by highlighting race here -- by the way, i don't agree with that. i know it's a white guy talking, so some white guy stuff. i don't believe that. >> it's not some white guy at all. you know what? i've spent a lot of time over the past few weeks talking to families that have lots and lots of money, live in trailer parks and everything in between, and to a one, you have a 17-year-old black kid, you know your son might not come home. >> let me go back to guns for a second. by the way, bill cosby revealed in that interview that at one point he had a permit to carry a handgun. what percentage of people in this country do you think own a gun? not a handgun, any kind of a gun. >> 25%. >> i was going to say 20%. >> i'd say about 30%. >> 47%. >> really? >> according to a recent poll.

let's move on. so media news in the last week, fox news apparently had a mole in their midst, a guy who was leaking stories about the way fox news did business. that person has since been identified and fired. what drives a mole? what drives a leaker? >> attention. i mean, i think it's just he wanted to become famous within his own community. this guy was working at the 2004, if he didn't like the way fox was running their business he should have come over here and applied at nbc. nobody is holding the guy down for a job. >> it's not anger? it's attention? >> it's self-loathing. i was in a situation, somebody sent out a silly picture of me while they're working for me, it was from my personal files and i fired them. >> absolutely. >> this is somebody who's working and i'm paying a paycheck and it's a violation. >> anybody that undermines your business has to go. >> how far should companies, then, be allowed to go or how far should they go in rooting out moles? should they go through company e-mails? >> absolutely. >> should they go through company cell phones to find out who is calling who?

>> the word was companies. it's company e-mails. it's company cell phones. it's company video. you work for the company. >> if you moan about the company that they choose to work for, that pays their paycheck, your point, bobby, go work for another company. >> fox probably should not try the sue. the last thing you want to do is open a door to having to show whatever your financial hurt has been in this. you don't want that out there. >> has everyone here ever been involved in a leak regarding knee? >> no, sir. >> just to make sure. >> ann romney the wife of mitt rom think been in the headlines. someone took issue with her. a democratic strategist came out and made a comment saying basically mitt romney should not look for advice on working women and their plight from his wife because she's never worked a day in her life. that got a lot of stay at home moms very angry. they came to the support of ann romney. ann romney tweeted on the matter, i made the choice to stay at home and raise five boys. believe me, it was hard work.

so her popularity seems to have gone up as a result of this. which begs this question, is there such a thing as a spouse bump in a political election? can a candidate get a bump from popular spouse? >> 100%. and she is incredible woman. anybody's who's met her says this is a special, special woman. having said that. most of my partners are women, coming to work on a monday morning, versus staying at home, i think we need to distinguish affluent stay at home moms who might have housekeepers, nannies. it would be interesting to see in her case, doesn't mean they're not involved with their children. but it is a different job at home when you don't have support. nobody's written about that. >> anybody who raises five children successfully should get a lifetime achievement award. >> do you vote for a candidate based on their spouse? that you really like their spouse? >> well, she's not running for president. if i like her husband, and i think that she's going to be a great support system, in lots of different ways, including at home, absolutely. >> i would not vote for a president based on the spouse.

but i also want to point out that the majority of working women either in the home or outside of the home don't have the resources, and so they're not the exact same. >> would you not vote for a candidate because you really didn't like their spouse? >> i actually think this says something about who that person is. their children, their spouse. so i'm not -- it goes into the pot. >> i wasn't a big fan of newt gingrich partially because of his third wife. that's the truth. >> they need the support, as well. >> how did bobby flay do? >> sucked. >> welcome, beenby. just ahead, cameron diaz on turning 40 and some other news. but first, your local news and weather.

good morning. it is 8:26. quick note today. workers at would office buildings important the u.s. department of agriculture don't have to report to work. there was a fire at the south and whiten buildings. an electrical problem start the fire. all employees should check the employee information line for more updates. let's get a quick check on the forecast. tom kierein is in storm center

4. >> summer in april. hitting the mid to upper 60s around the region. we approach 8:30. it will continue to climb as we get into the afternoon hours. we will have our temperatures climbing all the way into the 80s by later this afternoon and the 70s tomorrow. maybe rain coming in on wednesday. >> thank you, ♪

oh yeah, this is what a weekend getaway should feel like. and does. if you're here that is. feel the fun. feel the hamptonality. 8:30 now on a monday morning, april 16th, 2012. just a beautiful day here in new york. unless, of course, you haven't done your tax returns yet. because that deadline day is tomorrow. extended a little bit because the 15th fell on a sunday and because of a holiday in washington. so, how many people here are done their taxes?

>> one hoar day. >> you're just blowing it off? >> no, irs, i'm not blowing it it off, thank you. >> the ultimate under the bus. >> your social security number is -- >> come on! >> i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. she's here while ann is enjoying time off. we've got mr. roker and natalie morales, as well. coming up, the big stories of the covers of magazines before they actually hit the covers. there's scarlett johansson. she's on the cover of a magazine talking about her split from ryan reynolds. also nicole kidman and cameron diaz. come ran by the way, about to turn 40. she talks about that. >> 40 is not too bad. also we'll meet the queen of mommy bloggers as she's known. heather armstrong. she has really made a wonderful business out of her mommy blog. but her readers were shocked to learn that she has recently split from her longtime husband. she'll be here to talk about that as well as her new book.

>> all right. and making a lot of headlines overseas, across the pond in particular is a picture of pippa middleton on the cover of a paper and in it she appears the driver of the car that she was in appears to be pointing what looks like a gun. it could, in fact, land her maybe in some hot water. we're going to have much more on this story, as well. >> and we'll be looking at sustainable cooking. the lowdown on that. how you make the freshest, most wonderful ingredients with available now. we'll find out about that. >> you ladies look great. the best outfit of the day belongs to rashid today jones who is over there. one of the stars of nbc's hit "parks & recreation." fourth season. >> yeah. >> why do you think this show has resonated when, to be quite blunt, some shows on nbc have not? >> wow. >> i can't speak to that. >> nor should you. >> but i think that -- i think that the government undertones,

and with an election year, and i think also our show is very noncynical. it's a show about people who love each other and love their town, and want to do the best for their towns and cities. >> and you play ann who is leslie, amy fuller's best friend. this next episode has something in a crisis in the relationship when she fires you? >> yeah. well, you know, i'm not good at everything. i can't be a best friend and a great employee. but you know, we make it through. we make it through. >> she just give the whole episode away? >> spoiler alert. spoiler alert. >> and besides this you're having a pretty big year. not only are you co-starring in an upcoming movie but you co-wrote it. >> i did. i did. i co-wrote it with my writing partner and my husband and it comes out this summer. >> yeah. >> -- top ten screen writer?

>> what? >> vanity fair called you one of the top ten screen writers to watch. >> it did? >> yes. >> meanwhile some of the other work you're doing is so important. you're spokesperson for the international rescue committee. you went to thailand recently. >> yes. >> what was it like seeing the refugees and how did that open your eyes? >> it was really inspiring. i went to the border of murre ma and got to meet with a lot of doctors and people who live there and then i got to go to san diego and see where a lot of the refugees are resettled. it's a great organization, been around for eight years and they're kind of like first in emergency services and recovery. it's a great nrgs. they have a website, rescue.org. >> you're doing it all. >> and wearing those kicky shorts. >> yeah. >> look, you guys. >> reminder you can catch her on "parks&recreation" on thursday night, 9:30, 8:30 central time.

>> but i already told you what's going to happen. >> yeah. >> you do need to watch it. >> absolutely. >> she was wrong. >> that's right, she's wrong. >> mr. roker, a check of the >> we show you what we have for you. week ahead, above normal temperatures along the east coast. showers in the pacific northwest. heavy rain through the gulf. mid week period, above normal temperatures from new england all the way back into the central plains. above normal temperatures in the southwest. cooler than normal in the upper mississippi river valley. wet weather from the great lakes down to the gulf. cooler there in the latter part of the week. above normal temperatures along the northeast and mid atlantic coast. warmer in the western third of the country. showers hanging around the pacific northwest and intermountain regions. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> mild monday morning. good morning. tom kierein. storm center 4. we are in the 60s. right now 66 at reagan national. on its way to the 80s later today. feeling like summer in april. lots of sunshine. cooler weather top tomorrow.

partly cloudy. good weather for the discovery rival. then on wednesday, cooler, 60s for highs and maybe an afternoon or evening shower. then we will have tonight the 60s on thursday and into friday. maybe more rain saturday, >> and that's your latest weather. don't forget you can get your weather any time you need, go to the weather channel on cable and weather.com. those are neat earrings. >> thank you very much. coming up next, we'll talk about scarlett johansson. she opens up about her divorce. but also finding love again. first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back now at 8:38 with the cover story where we give you first looks at a few of the big celebrity interviews before they hit the newsstands. e news correspondent alicia squares is here with all the details.

let's start with scarlett johansson. beautiful woman, great actress. also a pretty private person. so she's in "vogue" this month and opening up to their writers. >> this is a wonderful interview. she finally talks about her divorce from actor ryan reynolds. she talks about the phone hacking scandal where naked pictures of her were leaked. and just like any of us, she says going through the divorce is devastating. >> does she talk about the reasons for the split? this was one of those hollywood it couples for awhile. >> she just says she's devastated, she's not over it yet and it's hard because he was her best friend and now he's not there anymore. >> knows photos of her, they were revealing photos and they were illegally obtained and then distributed over the internet. did she learn a lesson from that? >> she learned a lesson and she's a fighter. when this happened she said i'm going to approach this person, i'm going to press charges and she says she knows people have seen her in the buff but she wasn't going to take it lying down, no pun intended.

>> nice one. >> thank you. >> okay, speaking of revealing nicole kidman on w magazine and she's also someone who is generally pretty private. we hear more about her relationship with her husband. >> keith urban had vocal surgery. he couldn't speak for six weeks. she talks about how that brought them closer and hearing him speak for the first time after that, she said if you weren't touched by that you're not human. >> she talks about her relationship with her mom and even with all her success, still tries to please her mother. >> she says she picked roles to please her mother until she won the academy award. then she felt validated, like didn't have to please mom anymore. look, mom, i made it. >> there they are. >> and the fun and funny cameron diaz on the cover of instyle magazine. she's got a big birthday coming up. >> just interviewed her at the academy awards. she makes 40 look fabulous. she talks about dating and the pressures much being 40 and people saying do you want

children? she said if it's right, and how it's right. her approach to different to aging and i like it. >> good. >> and penelope cruz on the cover of harp ar's bazaar looking glamorous and revealing a low key side and talk about how the birth of her son changed her life. >> of course she's married to javier bardem and she said she's basically living in two worlds. she's a very famous celebrity but she's a mom. she wants to talk about her child all day. she's always worried and always trying to live in the moment. it's really interesting. >> robert downey jr. is someone who is, by the way, i think one of the finest actors we are out there today. unfortunately he gives an interview to esquire magazine, he's on the cover, i think a lot of people when they hear his name they immediately go back and think about the trouble he has been in as opposed to his pure talent. >> it's pure talent. and lindsay lohans, all the people who have gone through it take note. this is someone that came out on the other side. he's now married to susan, a producer, they've just had a baby. and he talks about the two worst moments of his life are the ones that he learned the most from.

>> i was going to say, does he think that that's going to help him in fatherhood? >> absolutely. he talked about his own father. his dad said oh, well i'm not helping you, get it together. it builds character. he wants to show his child that he's not perfect, but daddy's flawed. learn from my msz takes. >> alicia quarrels with the stories that we will be reading about in the coming months. thanks very much. >> thanks, guys. >> up next one of the most influential women on the web. we'll meet the so-called queen of the mommy bloggers. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

you by p&g future friendly. see the big in the little things you do. back now at 8:44. and this morning on "today's moms" the queen of the mommy bloggers. heather armstrong started writing about her personal life back in 2001, touching on everything from her marriage, to

the birth of her children. well, now her blog, juice.com, attracts some 200,000 readers a day. she's known as the queen of mommy bloggers. and has been named one of "forbes" magazine's 30 most influential women in media. her blog was also included in "time" magazine's best blogs list of 2011. it is heather's candor and honesty that attracts her followers as the mother of two chronicles the joys and heartaches of her family. including the stunning announcement of her recent split from her husband, after almost a decade of marriage. i'm sad and devastated but i'm not sure i've ever been more stable than i am right now. >> there you go. >> reporter: she credits her loyal followers with helping her to get through the tough times. i'm so incredibly touched by your words of encouragement and sympathy. yes, i am a stranger. i don't know you. but that's the amazing 24i7k about this medium. and heather armstrong is with us now. she's out with a new book called "dear daughters" a compilation

of letters she wrote to her oldest daughter who is now 8 starting when she was just weeks old. heather armstrong, good morning. it's good to be you. >> thank you, so good to be here. >> i guess blogging too, is for better or worse, and you've gone through this trial of separation from your husband. and you've had to do so publicly. was that difficult writing about this experience? >> absolutely. it's probably the most difficult thing i've ever written about. i was really scared. a lot of people bring their own perspective and experience to something like this. and i didn't know if talking about it was going to, you know, destroy everything. i thought i had to talk about it, because i felt, it's not revealing what was going on. because i've been so open about my life for almost 11 years. >> and at the same time, it's so personal. it must be like putting your heart right out there. >> you know, i write about the day-to-day bond of my life and this was pretty much consuming me. and it was hard to sort of write about anything else without revealing it.

>> and what has the response been from your viewers, your readers? >> my readers are the most incredible group of women. mostly women. there are men. they have reached out to me, and given me the support that i've needed. i really credit them with sending my life when i had postpartum depression with my first child. this medium, mommy bloggers, mommy bloggers have sort of created, rebuilt our village, and these are the women who sit around -- >> what have this last couple months been like? i imagine it's quite difficult. >> it's extraordinarily difficult. i wouldn't wish this on anyone. it's probably the hardest thing i've ever been through. >> let's talk about your blog. it's enormously successful. this is a self-sustaining business. anybody who thinks bloggers are in their pjs sitting around all day, that's not you. why do you think it's caught on

the way it has? >> i think people realize we have this huge community, we have huge connections. the women that i have friend. with online. these are the women i turn to for recommendations for, you know, bottles and food, and back packs, and these are the women who give me the recommendations, and i think people realize that we have these voices that are unfiltered and raw and honest. and that what people are tapping on to. >> let's talk about your book "dear daughters." you actually write letters every months starting when lita was a few weeks old. i'm amazed at the discipline when you're trying to raise a little one. >> it's incredibly difficult. it's hard to come up with something new every month to say. but i knew that one day she would get to, you know, read all of these things about her childhood and, you know, the small memories that were taking her first step. and you know, her first words. and i have a readership who is expecting it every month, which is great motivation to continue writing about it. and she actually read the book. she did. >> tough audience.

what did she say? >> i saw her look at the book and i thought oh, my gosh, what's going to happen? and she took it over to a corner and started laughing. so, i breathed and took a huge breath and thought, okay. >> is it a practice that you would recommend for other parents? >> it is. you know, i don't scrapbook, and i was in the scrapbooking capital of the world and thought what can i do to give to my children one day, and i can write. and i can tell the stories of their childhood. i would recommend it to everyone. >> what's the best piece of advice you've received from your readers? i know it's very interactive? >> i think the best advice i've been given is to, you know, let go of a lot of guilt. moms have a lot of guilt. this is just let go of a lot of that and experience everything without that horrible feeling. >> well, heather armstrong, thank you so much for sharing the joys and the sorrows of life. i know a lot of people really enjoy reading your black. >> thank you. >> again the book is called "dear daughter." coming up next in today's kitchen, a hip new way to get

dinner on the table. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ man ] did we get anything good?

sweetie i think you need a little extra fiber in your diet. fiber makes me sad. oh common. i dare you to taste one hint of fiber in fiber one. oh, i'd be able to tell. why don't i just eat this bag? and how can you talk to me about fiber when you are eating a candybar. you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. back now at 8:51. and "today's kitchen" goes green with us is continuable cuisine. you heard the term, seems trendy. chef nathan lion is the author of great food starts fresh.

fresh, seasonal ingredients. good to see you. >> it's such a pleasure to be here. >> we hear so much about sustainable cooking. what are we talking about? >> well, sustainable cooking is talking about things that don't deplete the natural resources. so, for example, you wouldn't want to keep farming in one same place. you want to rotate different type of crops. and also probably the best thing we can do is cook in season, buy from local farmer's markets and then just, you know, buy fresh, sustainable ingredients. >> for exam halibut. why do you like halibut? >> i love the flavor of it. there are two different types of halibut we use for this dish. one is a pacific halibut and the other is an alaskan. this particular recipe works fabulous on different types of white fish. >> halibut. you could use other kind of fish? >> you could, absolutely. >> all right. so how do you make this? >> we're making some green sauce. we're starting with a little bit of flat leaf italian parsley. and then we'll do some cilantro, as well. and as far as different flavorings, fresh garlic. how do you feel about garlic? >> i love garlic. >> me, too.

>> and freshly squeezed lemon. that goes in there, as well. a little bit of acid to brighten this whole thing up. we'll use a touch red wine vinegar. >> i love anchovies. >> you're the man. isn't that nice? that goes well, and then capers. fresh capers is nice. here we are. and a touch of olive oil to get the whole thing started. there we are. >> we'll blend it up. done. and we'll pulse that up, and then once that's blended or once that's blended then we add some diced shallots, that gives it a crunch and a touch of heat. we'll do that now. stir that in. and so next up would be the halibut. one thing to do is actually have the halibut out at room temperature for about 20 minutes to a half an hour. and the reason for that is because you're not going to put a cold halibut in a very hot pan. letting it rest to warm

temperature, it cooks more evenly and won't overcook. >> we don't want that. >> once we get a nice sear on the halibut on one side, we would just flip it over. >> nice. >> that's what we're looking for. >> now we're adding asparagus. >> exactly. once -- and also you can actually free up this by moving this to the oven and it cooks pretty quickly. three minutes. and asparagus. spring says asparagus. this is what we're looking for. fresh asparagus. a touch of olive oil and butter and then fresh garlic. >> and you just saute it? >> just saute it. finish it with a little bit of lemon. >> brighten it up a little? >> brighten it up a little bit. the thing about this sort of cooking is actually what i'm doing going all around the country on this new show "good food america" on living the fantastic network, wellness, health. this is it. we're ready to plate up. >> what did you bring for dessert? >> cherry, like an ungious

cherry tart. can i grab the salsa verde, al? >> there you are. >> this is great. >> the gang's all here. >> here we are. we'll plate this up. fresh halibut. >> love halibut. >> and of course, how do you all feel about some garlic asparagus? >> we love it. >> right off to the side. >> i'm going to pass this down. >> nathan lyon, thank you so much. >> you can find all about the new show on goodfoodamerica.com. >> all right. >> there you are, guys. >> if you don't like your kids' friends? what do you do?

8:56 is your time on this monday, april 16, 2012. it is going to feel like summer around here. let's check the forecast with tom kierein in the storm center. good morning. >> good morning. looks like a hazy summerlike morning in april. already as we approach 9:00,

temperatures are approaching 70 degrees. reagan national, 71. and it will continue to climb into the 80s later today. mid and upper 80s throughout much of the region this afternoon overnight tonight we will have our wind shift into the northwest and cooler weather moving in tomorrow. cooler on wednesday. maybe some showers. >> tom, thank you. a quick break now and check tr

traveling east bounds i-66, a crash now in the right shoulder lane. it was blocking the right lane here. you are still seeing some delays. take a look at this. slow as you make your way towards 50. outer loop montgomery county hitting the brakes at new hampshire avenue. slow as you make your way towards yeah gentleman avenue. 24 miles per hour. >> thank you. more news, weather and traffic

we're back now with more of "today" on a monday morning. april 16th, 2012. got a nice crowd of people here on a sunny day in new york city. going up to the 80 degree range today. and we're loving it. warmer in some parts of the northeast. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, who is here while ann is taking some time off. we're joined by al roker and tamron hall, as well. nice to see everybody. coming up, pippa middleton in paris, and there's a picture on the front of a tabloid newspaper there and it put her in the headlines for what appears to be all the wrong reasons. >> that's right. she's with a gentleman friend, who's holding what appears in

that photo to be a gun. what we don't know is if it is a real gun or a fake gun. but it's obviously landed her maybe into some trouble. we'll get into that in just a little bit. >> also, the end of a marriage can do a number on your worth but it can also do a number on your net worth. especially if one stock has not been working. we'll look at how to protect yourself financially at the end of a marriage. >> and then a little bit later on, spring is all about renewal and starting fresh. how about your diet? doing the same with that, as well. one way to do some spring cleaning to your diet, before summer, some small changes you can make that will make a big difference in your health. >> let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk. she's got a check of the headlines. >> hello again. good morning, everyone. residents from kansas to minnesota are cleaning up this morning after this weekend's outbreak of severe weather. despite more than 100 reported tornadoes in oklahoma, only one

twister turned deadly. at least six people, including three children, died when the storm hit the town of woodward near oklahoma city. tragically, the town's tornado warning system was knocked offline by a lightning strike before the real force of the storm arrived there. president obama's promising a rigorous investigation of the secret service after reports emerged that agents had partied with prostitutes during the commander in chief's diplomatic visit to colombia this weekend. 11 agents were placed on administrative leave due to misconduct. and five u.s. military service members were also alleged to have been involved. although the president did not directly address the allegations, he said, quote, of course, i'll be angry if those reports turn out to be true. procrastinators rejoice. if you didn't file your taxes this weekend there is still time. this year you get two extra days to submit your federal income tax returns for 2011. the deadline is tomorrow, april 17th. the extra time is thanks to april 15th landing on a sunday, and today's emancipation day, which is observed in washington, d.c.

london's gatwick airport temporarily closed this morning after a virgin atlantic flight made an emergency landing due to a technical problem on board the aircraft. the florida-bound plane landed safely earlier this morning. nbc education nation tour is kicking off in denver this week. it's part of our efforts to engage local communities to improve america's schools. last night nbc's rehema ellis moderated a candid discussion with about 300 educators from around the state. attorneys for the connecticut woman who was mauled by a neighbor's pet chimpanzee say she is deeply disappointed by the state's effort to block her attempted lawsuit. charla nash said the state failed in its duty to restrict dangerous animals as pets. but in legal papers filed on thursday, connecticut's attorney general said taxpayers should not be held liable for injuries inflicted by a privately owned chimp. and now to a strange incident involving the duchess of cambridge's sister pippa

middleton and what appears to be a gun and tabloid photographers in paris. nbc's michelle kosinski with the pictures and the story. good morning. >> hi, natalie. it was an april in paris weekend full of parties for pippa. costumes, aristocrats, some of the most eligible bachelors around. but now some not so pretty pictures on the front page of "the sun" newspaper, including what may or may not be a real gun. as pippa middleton enjoyed a sunny ride through paris with three male friends, take a close look at the driver. here in traffic, pointing what looks like a gun at a photographer. >> perhaps they were confused. perhaps they were angry. perhaps they were just showing off, but it certainly doesn't look good. >> reporter: even if the gun is fake, it could be more serious than in very bad taste. only weeks after firearm attacks in france on a school and some soldiers, left seven people dead. four of them children. pippa's paris weekend was a fine one, indeed. until now.

spending time with three very lovely, very wealthy, bachelors. es courted by son of a television mogul she dressed up in period costume. kind of. at least from the waist up. while other guests went all-out. this for the birthday party of old friend, entrepreneur and owner of a popular fashion label, who, pippa also spent time with, and his handsome brother. it's not really clear who the three men in the convertible are with her. but at least one of them may have some serious explaining to do. to police. so the sun has this as their big exclusive and they claim that the photographer who the gun was allegedly pointed is thinking about filing a formal police complaint. so far prosecutors and police in paris say they know nothing about this. >> michelle kosinski in london. thank you, michelle. it seems that the odds are forever in "the hunger games" favor.

the book adaptation held on to the top spot for the fourth week in a row gobbling up $21.5 million. "the three stooges" was second and "the cabin in the woods" came in third. let's go out to al with a check of your weather. >> i saw "the three stooges" this weekend. >> what did you think? >> let's show you what we've got for today. boston marathon, man is it going to be hot. temperatures starting in the 70s. climbing up into the 80s. probably going to be some health issues. please make sure you hydrate, and take frequent breaks if you need to. as we look you need to. as we look you can see along this frontal system from the great lakes, all the way down to the gulf coast, looking at showers and thunderstorms. could be a risk of some of the strong storms later today. nothing like we saw over the weekend. wet weather moves into the pacific northwest along the front with showers there. record highs in the northeast. temperatures in the 80s and some areas maybe even cropping up into the 90s. sunshine exists all the way down

to the gulf coast. risk of strong storms into west virginia. >> good morning. tom kierein, storm center 4 with we are already above our average high for this time of year. it is now 71 at reagan national. average high is 67. and we will make about 20 degrees above the average high. up into the upper 80s by later this afternoon with lots of sun. then by dawn tomorrow, near 60 degrees. cooler air coming in tomorrow and northwest wind, mid 70s and partly cloudy. maybe showers around on wednesday. over the weekend, could get more showers.t's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. this morning on "today's money," divorce and retirement. the end of a marriage can be emotional and financially devastating. especially when it comes to dividing assets and savings. so how do you protect your nest egg during a split? aaron epperson is a financial

correspondent for cnbc. such a hard thing to go through, as people go through divorce. i imagine this idea of thinking about retirement for a lot of people, it's really hard to think about the future without that spouse. so, you really have to think about it, though. >> it's very difficult to think about retirement. of course that's the number one concern of many americans whether they're getting divorced or not. all day on cnbc we're talking about the return on your retirement. but what we're talking about today in terms of divorce, particularly if one spouse has been earning more than another, it can be very difficult because you may not have been able to save as much. so then the retirement savings question really is a big one. >> it can be devastating to you financially as well. let's talk about some tips for protecting your nest egg. first you say if you are thinking about splitting or separating, you have to start thinking about separating your accounts. why is that so important? >> the first thing you need to do is definitely get your own credit. make sure you have your own accounts, make sure you have your own savings account, own checking account, a credit card in your name. build your own credit history. that's very important. you want to be financially independent in that way.

and you also want to make sure that you manage the debt that you've accumulated to the. so if you have a joint card you want to try to close that, pay that off. make sure that you're not responsible for someone else's debt down the road. >> next you also say think about hiring a financial adviser. which can be hard for people who are going through divorce. they're hiring so many people, lawyers and all of that. >> it's expensive. but it's critical. and this person needs to work with your divorce attorney, they need to work as a team, a team on your behalf. and it's very important that you find someone who really has specialized in divorce, perhaps get someone who is a certified divorce financial analyst, who has that designation. certainly a certified financial planner. someone who also has experience with retirement issues. and you can find these people at the national association for personal financial advisers. >> and they usually work in conjunction with your attorney, right? >> absolutely. they should definitely do that. because it's very important to make sure that they understand how you're going to have to budget now, how you're going to have to plan for your retirement savings, as well.

>> okay. next, you say review all retirement accounts. so, for example, should you assume that if your husband, or if you are getting a pension that the spouse is going to get half of that pension? >> you can't really assume anything. >> right. >> many of these assets are now going to be considered marital property. but how they're divided is really going to depend on what the court says. and you're probably going to have to get something called a qualified domestic relations order. you want to make sure you have this document that specifies exactly how the assets are going to be broken down. the 401(k), the i.r.a., the pension, as well. and you may, again, think that you're entitled to certain things that you may not be entitled to. again, this will outline what it is and this is something, again, that you work with your divorce attorney, as well as the financial adviser to make sure you have the right documents in place. >> 401(k), i.r.a.s are not always halfsies? >> really depends on state laws, depends on what the federal laws are as well for 401(k)s and depends on what the cpro says, most importantly. also, you may think that you're

qualified for their social security benefits, and if you've been married ten years or more you may be able to get some of your spouse's benefits. put if yours are greater they're going to give you yours first so you're not going to be able to get yours first. >> increase your insurance coverage, why is this important and won't that also increase your monthly payments? >> it may increase your monthly payments for insurance but again it's critical that you are financially independent. and a lot of people think about their health insurance needs but you need to think about life insurance, property hazard insurance and disability insurance as well, particularly if you have minor children. you want to make sure that you're protected. >> absolutely. last you say, perhaps the most difficult is don't raid those retirement funds. >> well look at everything we've outlined. all of this costs money, hiring all of these people. where are you going to find that money? a lot of people say i'll dip into my 401(k), take a loan or take some money out. you don't want to be hit with that penalty if you're not able to pay back or you lo your job, if you take that money out

before 59 1/2 you're going to have a 10% penalty. see if you can perhaps borrow money from family or friends. really, the retirement account is your last resort. and if you are really not able to build it up strongly, this is the time that you really don't want to touch it. you want to start adding to that retirement savings. again we talk a lot more about this at retire month.cnbc.com. >> time to think about yourself and your future. great advice. turn in to cnbc and cnbc.com. coming up next, spring cleaning your diet. small changes you can make every day to trim the fat and up the nutrients for better health. and then later the dress, the location, oh, and that ring! can we talk? when will brad and angelina tie the knot? all the details of their long-awaited engagement.

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"today's" small steps to a healthier you is brought to you by walgreens. >> this morning on "small steps to a healthier you" spring cleaning your diet. now this is traditionally the season where you say out with the old, in with the new. that's certainly true for food choices. here to get us started is registered dietitian carrie glassman and author of "slim, calm, sexy diet." >> nice to see you. >> start with the new. healthier eating. >> these are certainly small steps. i'm going to tell you super simple steps that you can take to help you clean up your diet this spring, and you'll automatically be cleaning out some of the old habits. >> okay. first of all, a lot of people say i want to eat fresh but i want to eat well but it's so expensive. you say frozen items are really a great way to "a," stretch your budget, and "b," get some really good produce. >> they are.

that fresh produce is about to be in full effect. you should use that as motivation to get in the vegetables at every lunch and every dinner and to get in a serving of fruit. but you absolutely should always have frozen produce on hand. frozen produce is picked at peak ripeness so it actually has even more nutritional value than some of the fresh you might be buying. of course it's often more affordable and it's super convenient. no excuses not to have it on hand, throw some berries in a smooth think or put together a fast, easy dinner. >> this goes for fruit, as well? >> exactly. >> how also, when do we -- when do we start to look at say whole meat and what you call meaty vegetables? what are meaty vegetables? >> okay so what i like to tell people in the spring, use this as an opportunity to up the nutritional value of your sandwich by choosing whole meat. think chicken, turkey, even lean steaks. and pork tender loins. slice it on your own at home, you'll reduce your sodium, and the preservatives that you're consuming. now it does take a little bit more time but it is also more

afordable and you can also make more the night before or just use leftovers. so go for that. and also, swap in a meaty vegetable, lunch, at least once time per week. what i mean is using something like a portobello mushroom as the main all-star of your sandwich. or even eggplants. >> okay. now we talk about liquid. you say you always want to be drinking fluids. you have water, milk, tea, coffee. i'm surprised coffee on the list. >> exactly. because you do not need your pantry and your fridge to be loaded with hundreds of types of beverages. you really need your faucet. use the spring as a time to be motivated to drink your eight glasses of water. and flavor it with lemon slices, cucumber or even a few pieces of fruit in there to absorb the flavor. but drink those eight glasses of water to improve your energy levels. also boost your metabolism slightly. coffee and tea, if you've been drinking it throughout the winter, make it cold for the spring. and you do get antioxidant value from the tea and the coffee. just add a little bit of milk, and herbs or spices like basil

or mint to the tea or sliced fruit for flavor in the tree. >> you're talking low fat or skim milk? >> low fat or skim. there can be a place for whole milk but you need to watch your calories. but as far as your beverages go that's really all you need, milk, water, tea and coffee. >> we always hear eat foods with color in them. but you say you got to be careful as to how the food got the color in the first place. >> absolutely. well, we know whole foods, anything without any packages or any ingredients or labels to read are going to be the best. but i'm a registered dietitian, i still buy things out of the package sometimes. it's impossible to totally avoid. when you do buy things out of the package look for natural color. caramel color, grapeskin extract, dehydrated beets. that's all you should see as far as colors go. and of course, though, try it

avoid packages as much as you can. >> right. and once you finish cooking you say when it comes to cleaning you want natural kind of gentle cleansers. >> absolutely. try cleaning out our bodies, you're cleaning up our bodies, try to also clean up your kitchen naturally and in a more affordable way with things you might have on hand. use lemon to decrease odor on knives and even put a little bit in the disposal if you have one. that will help reduce odors, as well. and use things like olive oil with lemon to clean furniture. and then water with white wine vinegar and lemon juice also can act as a natural glass and surface cleaner. >> all right. carrie glassman, thanks so much. >> you're so welcome. >> our spring cleaning of our diet. thank you. still ahead, what do you do when you don't like your kids' best friend? we've got some advice for parents. ♪ [ female announcer ] walgreens introduces...nice! [ woman ] i got it. where's your brother? [ dog barking ] ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ dad ] hello.

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coming up, the royal engagement hollywood style. >> brad pitt finally pops the question to angelina jolie after seven years. we've got the details. >> then in "today's kitchen" getting your kids to eat their veggies with easy and delicious weeknight meals. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ birds chirping ] unh! ♪

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good morning. it is 9:26 this monday, april 16, 2012. i'm aaron gilchrist. it feels like summer outside already. let's check in with tom kierein for a bit of our forecast. >> we are already now getting above 70 degrees here as we approach 9:30 this monday morning. feeling more like july than april. it is 71 now at reagan national. later today into the 80s. maybe even upper 80s by mid to late afternoon. then cooler weather moves in tomorrow. northwesterly breeze. highs mid 70s. maybe rain you a round on wednesday. again, looks like more rain perhaps over the weekend. >> thank you, tom. a peek at the roads for you right after a

if you are traveling 270 southbound a lot of delays as you make your way from rockville and head to the purchase and

connect to the beltway. no accidents but you are slow. taking the bell way in virginia, inner loop at 50. you are seeing delays to the dulles toll road. your travel speed 34 miles per hour. >> thank you. we will sends you back to the "today" show now after a short

we don't have it all ironed out yet but these dogs cannot stay here. >> we're going to get these dogs homes and then never, ever, ever again, right? >> never what? >> bringi ining 11 dogs home. >> maybe not 11. >> that is actually jennie garth trying to go back to her country roots. the star is in the middle of a divorce from her husband, peter favre nellie. now she has a new reality show cranicling her life on the farm with her kids and she's going to be here to tell us all about it tomorrow on "today." 90210 actresses have their own reality shows now. >> that's the thing to do. >> coming up in this half hour, will and kate who?

there's a new wedding of the century to plan after brad pitt and angelina jolie announced they are engaged. we saw the bling. now all the buzz is who will design the dress? we're going to have all the details that we know of so far of the engagement. that's developing. >> you know we're going to find out they've been married or -- >> all along. >> played tricks on us. also ahead what to do when your child bff has you saying omg. get them off text messaging. you can't pick and choose from your kid's friends so what do you do? the strategies for parents if you just happen not to like your kid's best friend. >> move. >> that's right. >> you don't have to stress yourself out trying to get your kids to eat vegetables or a healthy meal. in "today's kitchen" we're going to have an easy way to whip up any night of the week the whole family will love. >> first let's get a check of

our hot weather. >> that's right. here in the northeast especially. we've got above normal hot weat >> in the northeast especially. above-normal temperatures in the northeast. mid atlantic states. heavy rain down around the gulf and look important more showers. cooler weather out in the pacific northwest. for the mid week period above normal temperatures lou the southwest. lower mississippi river valley, and into the northeast and great lakes. chillier in the northern and central plains. and we are looking at wet weather stretching from the great lakes into the gulf, cooler than usual weather. western third of the country looking above normal with showers in the pacific northwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> summer in april here. good morning, tom kierein storm center 4. all around our region making it into the 80s. later today in the afternoon highs likely. up near 90 degrees. culpeper, luray, charlottesville, stanton, virginia, warrenton, manassas, leesburg, all those areas even up to winchester, upper 80s to 90. metro area, highs in the mid 80s. cooler tomorrow. may get showers on wednesday.

and then again >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. coming up next, they are sealing the deal. so when will brangelina walk down the aisle? we're going to take a look right after this. (bell rings) hi. good morning. big news. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry... and banana/blueberry. we're telling everyone.

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of marriage since they first got together seven years ago. here's brad with ann back in 2008. >> was asked recently by a reporter whether or not you guys are ever going to get married. she said you have to ask brad. >> well -- >> here i am. i'm asking you. >> listen, if we feel it's important to our kids, we will do so. >> reporter: their kids must have spoken up, because now it's official. hollywood's most glamorous couple is engaged. >> i asked her to marry me. >> what? >> i'm getting married. >> a lot of people didn't give them a year or two to stay together. and they've been together for about seven years now. so they defied all odds. >> reporter: with an odd-defying ring that brad helped design, a year in the making, more than six carats. >> if it weren't for will and kate it would be the wedding of the century. but it's definitely the biggest wedding since the royal wedding. >> reporter: this isn't the first wedding for either member of brangelina.

jolie's been married twice before. once to actor billy bob thornton. and pitt famously divorced jennifer aniston before dating jolie. as for the wedding. so many questions still remain. when and where will they get married? who will design the wedding dress? and what roles will their six kids play in the ceremony? >> they're certainly not going to have any shortage of flower girls or ring bearers. so it's certainly, i would imagine, the kids will definitely be part of the ceremony. >> reporter: so what started out as marriage made for the movie screen, now set to finally become official. >> she's with me. >> and our reports by the way that jennifer aniston is at peace with her ex-husband's decision to remarry. source close to the actress says she's happy for brad and angelina. >> thanks for answering all those questions. >> i haven't got my invitation. >> well up next, what should you do if you think your kid's best friend is a bad influence?

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♪ this morning on "parenting today," what to do when you don't like your child's best

friend. from school to sports and extracurricular activities, your kid will make lots of different friendships through the year. so how do you handle if one friend starts leading your child down the wrong path? psychiatrist gail saltz is a "today" show contributor. >> good morning. >> i mean, this is inevitable. we were talking about this in the commerce break. this is something most parents will face. >> absolutely. there's no way that you're going to like every one of your kid's friends. >> so what do you do? >> if you get an inkling that the kid is probably not a right match? >> first thing is, ask yourself, what don't you like about this kid? so, if it something about their appearance? is it something about the way they talk? is it something that frankly i would consider sort of a superficial thing that isn't necessarily worth having some sort of battle about? >> do you get to know them and their family? >> exactly. you want to get to know this kid. make your place a place that they want to come over. and when they come over, give them space but at the same time on their way in, way out, say hey, how you doing?

what do you like? what are you interested in? and that's the way of getting to know is this something really to be concerned about? or just you have different tastes than your child. >> if you decide that the child in question is just not a good fit, don't you add fuel to the fire when you go to your own kid and say i don't want you hanging out with this one? >> yes. which is why you don't go and say -- >> what do you do? >> if there are specific things going on that you see you don't like you want to talk about those things. so, you don't want to be judgey. i don't like so and so, you want to say, you know when she did "x," i didn't like that behavior. you should say what you're not comfortable with so that you are upholding your family values. because your kid is listening to that. >> but a lot of reality for a child, their life is formed at school, at recess, places where you're not around. >> correct. you balance that or at home. conversation when most of the friendship is away from you? >> exactly. so, some of the this, by the way, is going to run its course.

if there's not something terrible going on you don't have to get overly concerned. if you get to know the kid a bit, and get to know their parents, because the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. so if your parents learn that you've got to know, you see they're on top of things, you can open a dialogue with them, help your child to get in to interests where they're going to find other like-minded friends. >> so encouraging different activities in the relationship? >> exactly. so then you sign them up for a certain craft, after-school activity. >> what about in the teenage years? obviously when we're talking about younger kids, you can discuss some of those things and steer them the right way. teenagers, a bad friend, if you will, can be a friend that introduces you to drugs and drinking. >> now we're talking about the whole area of peer pressure. and that's where a friend can really be a big problem. so if you see your kid starting to -- really what you want to do is talk about peer pressure. dialogue with them. what would you do if your friend asked you "x"? how do you feel about this kind

of thing going on? and how would you handle it if you're put in that situation? you want to fortify your child that even if they do have a friend who's doing things that you don't approve of. and again, attack the things that they're doing, not the friend, i wouldn't rush in -- >> you don't -- >> -- from seeing that person because you know what they'll do? they'll see that person. and they go underground about it. keep an open dialogue with your child. so that they know, have lots of family gatherings, so they know that they can come to you if there's a problem going on. they can talk to you about it. >> every parent wants a child who's independent, you know, think on their own, if someone jumps off a bridge would you follow? what do you do to i guess foster, or if you will, push that independence out of a child so they don't get into it -- >> exactly you want to say, i can see you're going to be put in this situation. talk with me about how you're going to decide. so for instance, what are your options? what are your other choices? if you're put in that situation. what are the consequences? i want you to talk around with yourselves about the

consequences, and if you do follow that friend, you might get in to a car wreck. you might have unwanted sexual situations. you might end up doing a drug and you will certainly incur the disappointment and wrath of your family. you need to tell them what the family rules are, and what the consequences will be for breaking them. >> are you just missing some of the bad things, really awful things that can be life changing, what do you do if you note those major problems? at what point do you maybe go to the other parent if issues are bad behavior are serious in life? >> if you start to see in your child a significant weight change. a significant change in academics at school. a withdrawal. if you start to see telltale signs that are concerning, you do need to leap in and say i'm really concerned it has to do with this friend you're hanging out with. i would at that point you tell your child you are concerned enough to not want them to be together. i would potentially talk to the school which is a way of displacing it. and letting an official take up what is going on.

and in terms of going to the other parent it really is a matter of the relationship you have with the other parent and you belief that the other parent will be able to hear what you have to say. >> dr. gail saltz, thank you, great advice. a lot of parents certainly relate to. up next, getting your kids to say yum, instead of yuck, with a healthy weeknight meal. but first, this is "today" on nbc. 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.

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this morning in "today's kitchen," what's for dinner? how about an easy weeknight meal with a little planning we can create a healthy and delicious dinner your kids are going to love and you will even get them to eat your veggies -- their veggies. bonus. good to see you. >> always good to see you, al. good morning. >> good morning. so one of the things that i think really helps here is you're talking about marinating, and -- and foods that kids actually like. >> well, yeah, we don't want to

insult children by giving them overprocessed foods or thinking they're maybe not adventurous eaters. but they are notoriously finicky. this works well with chicken or beef or shrimp. and it's teriyaki sauce. to which we had some cilantro. >> right. get a little veggie in there. >> more for the flavor than anything else. onions. >> right. >> ginger. >> love ginger. don't you? it's so good. and garlic also very good for you. and this is a meal the kids can participate in too. the flavor is really fantastic but the kids can actually participate in the preparation of it. so here we have shrimp. but the chicken, the beef, you could do lamb, you could do pork, anything that's on sale. we're using chicken thighs here. notoriously flexible, and forgiving. >> i like them more, too, because of a little more flavor. >> they're always son sale. shrimp, the other can go overnight or put them in a bag and freeze them. you're ready to go. >> what about fish? >> fish or the shrimp we're only going to let it marinate an hour. because it will sort of break it

down. but you just cover that up. then you can put it into a plastic bag. we have skewers soaking in a plastic bag. label what they are and pop them out of the fridge there the morning. >> so you can kind of soak the skewers in water. >> we're soaking the skewers in water because we're going to grill these and we don't want them to catch on fire. >> if you've got really little ones could you clip off -- >> that's right. what you can do is you can put the steak right on the skewers. and kids love to participate in that. >> unlike a lot of kebabs you're not cooking the vegetable with the meat because they cook at different times. >> they cook at different times and also because kids are so notoriously finicky. i don't want the pepper touching the meat. right? >> you've been in my house. >> i've been in your house. so you want to put on a nice, hot grill so you hear that sizzle. let it cook. one thing i did want to say about the skewers. two things. one you can soak them in water, put them in a freezer bag, and then they're ready to go. you can just pull them out of the frozer and if you have kids.

>> little ones. >> little, little ones. 7 or 8-year-olds are not going to get in too much trouble. clip off the ends. >> exactly. >> saves on the fighting. >> these cook really quickly. >> the shrimp will cook about two minutes per side. the steak we use a frank steak here they're going to go about three minutes a side. again the chicken thighs are more forgiving. so if you forget you get a phone call, they're going to be okay. >> now i like this you're making vegetables ribbons. >> again, you know, kids we always think they're, you know, we insult them thinking they're not going to want to have vegetables. sometimes it takes something enticing to get them to the vegetable table. how about vegetable ribbons. and young ones can do this. not toddlers. >> no. >> but 7 or 8-year-old. you just take the vegetable peeler and peel it. and then you get these beautiful ribbons. go a few more down. but it's really hard to cut yourself with a vegetable peeler. so then you've got these gorgeous vegetable ribbons. it's like confetti. it cooks up really, really

quickly just in some butter and a little bit of water. pair that with healthy brown and rice and look this. absolutely gorgeous, lots of fun. doesn't take any time at all and kids love it. >> and i love this vegetable -- >> these are whoopee pies. oh, hello ladies. you're just in time. good to see you. whoopee pies. you want to get your hand behind the filling and go ahead and fill that. these are chocolate ones, obviously. but you could make them with pumpkin, red velvet, cinnamon. you could fill them with anything you like. put it on the top. and you know how they got their name? the kids came home from school and saw this, whoopee! >> okay. not to be confused. >> these are freakin' fantastic. >> that's right. >> annie, thanks so much. >> we've got to try these. >> oh, my goodness. >> coming up the newest member of the joy fit club probably not eating these. cheeseburger macaroni?

[ female announcer ] cheeserburger macaroni hamburger helper. now even cheesier and tastier. helpers. forty dishes, all delicious. gives us the most nutritious of gifts. but only when they are ready to be given. that's why green giant picks vegetables at their peak. ...and freezes them fast, locking in nutrients ...for you to unwrap. ♪ ho, ho, ho. green giant 9:57. good morning. >> here is what you can expect tomorrow morning on "news4 today." the shuttle discovery is ready. we will get you ready from the historic flight. the best places for to you watch and what you will see an amazing show. plus how you will able to get up close and personal important look at the shuttle once it

lands on the ground. all your weather and traffic on the 1s. >> how is the weather going to be for the plight? >> i will have that for you tomorrow morning. looking good for tomorrow. right now we are heating up as we approach 10:00. already into the low 70s. all the way around the region today and into our south, it is going to be into the 80s. near 90 degrees from fredericksburg, culpeper, manassas, warrenton, leesburg, much of the shenandoah valley. upper 80s, mid 80s around washington and much of the rest of maryland. and i will have your forecast for the week ahead and that will be tomorrow morning. >> thank you. >> thank you. our

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, everybody. so glad you're with us today. it is fun day monday. it is april 16th already! and it is full-fledged spring here in the new york area. >> full fledge -- thong day here. 87 degrees is the high. >> we're going to talk a little bit about this thing you can get and lose 20 pounds in ten days. >> it's sick. >> maybe then we'll talk about the thong thing after that. >> it is so weird to have these

summer temps. >> it's weird to see everything blooming all at once. we're used to back here the crocus. then you see your daffodils, then you see your tulips. everything's bloomed all at once which i don't really like. the peonies are already starting -- >> i know. it is getting in the 60s again later in the week. >> that's seasonal. don't complain, hoda. >> you know i don't do that. how was your weekend? >> it was awesome for a weekend i actually worked a lot. because it was just beautiful. i'm wrifting all weekend long and i'm looking out at the water and trees. >> you're working on amy some more. >> yes. i will not give up until there's no hope left. that's the musical i've been trying to bring to broadway for 12 years. >> soon within the covers of

"people" magazine -- can we talk about that? >> cass and i on friday did a little shoot for "people" magazine for the mother's day issue. so again we were home and it was a beautiful day so it doesn't seem like work. how are you, darling, whose bra is showing. >> that's why the flowers are strategically -- there. anyway, don't mess with me. so what -- jay and he we just sat outside, we had drinks. we went to a movie. and last night we ended up going to this thing the mayor had this dinner and it was for all the mayors around the country that came together. there he is. >> you look like twice his size. >> i am. i'm a big girl. >> no. but you're not. >> please get on to other pictures! oh, my gosh. >> maybe it is me. let's see if the third one hold true, too. >> you're not in it.

>> brian and his wife were there. it was a nice group of people and it was all the mayors getting together to talk about initiatives, education -- it was a nice way to spend a sunday evening. >> i wonder how brian and his wife spent it watching their daughter in this very steamy hbo. my drawer san actress. when i hear about what these girls are doing on this show, this mama would have a problem with it very much. >> they're aware of everything that's going home. it's called "girls" on o hbo. they know about that part of it. >> knowing about it and watching it are two different things. we wish her the best. apparently she's very talented. i remember the time that cody met her one day. he was covering something. i think it was for our show for some movie event or something like that and brian was there with allison. right? brian was very funny. i wish we had that, you guys, in our archives. where brian just basically says back off, buddy. now after cody sees this, watch

him try to keep him away. what are we going to do with our secretary of state? >> don't you love her even more. >> she's got to let off a little steam now and then. why should it just be the secret service devise? >> stop it. she was this colombia. she had a beer. so what? they said she was there for a short period of time. by the way, i think drinking beer out of a bottle is cool. how about that? how about a corona with a lime in it? how else are you drinking the beer? >> i like beer in a mug. a frosted mug with crabs in the summertime. anyway, it is not about us. you know what it is about? brangelina. i bet they hate being called brangelina. let's show them respect. brad pitt and angelina jolie are engage. she didn't make a big deal about it. just showed up at a museum. >> they've been together seven

years -- >> is that a beer she's holding? >> looks like champagne. they have how many kids? >> six after seven years. >> the kid are the ones that wanted them to tie the knot so they're going to do it. that wedding is going to be something. >> you know what i like about them? what they will do is have unbelievable security. they're going to get married apparently. we're going to talk more about it in our gossip a little bit later. apparently they're going to get married at their chateau in france which is very isolated, very gorgeous. they'll probably sell the pictures of it. control the whole thing. but everything they sell goes to charity. both very, very involved in great charities. you got to play the game. you got to feed the beast. at least let somebody get helped in the process. >> for all the other brides who are also thinking about getting married, you're not going to believe this way to drop weight. it is almost kind of sick. >> i think it's genius. but it's also sick. >> they put a feeding tube in

your nose and down your throat. okay? you carry with you a sack -- don't look. lalala! but then look back at us. they carry a purse with your calories in it. it is called -- whatever the -- >> it is your food for next ten day. >> you carry that bag around. you sleep, i would imagine, with the bag. in bed. >> so does my mother with her purse. >> you go to work -- it costs $1,500 for eight days. >> only 800 calorie. they say you drop 20 pounds in ten days. >> we're a little afraid to tell you that. at first everybody goes oh, that's awful. then you learn, 20 pound in ten days? it's not that awful. i guess i could do five days. lose five pounds. >> they say there are all kind of issues. that tube has to stay down there. there could be some infections. but you're carrying around a bag all the time.

if it gets knocked out, what if you fall down? >> what if you have a nightmare and you rip it out of your nose in the middle -- >> oh -- lalala! something the mayor said last night at that dinner that surprised me. he said more people are dying now from obesity in the world than from famine. when you think about that -- obesity related diseases, diabetes, all those different things. and he said obesity used to be a rich person's disease and now it's become a poor person's disease because it's more ready accessible. and it really made you think. anyway, that's a downer. sorry. >> but there's hope for people who don't have chins. >> right. here's something that's great. if you guys have been skyping with your friends and you've seen yourself while you're skyping. you know how you have to put the camera at the right angle it's shooting up -- it's freaking a

lot of people out. they're starting to get chin augmentation surgeries because they don't like what they look like. >> it does make a huge difference. it is the fastest growing plastic su trend. it's bigger than breast augmentation and botox and something else. put together. that doesn't mean it is -- just the percentage of the increase in its growth. >> so 20,000 americans by the way have gotten chin implants. >> we did the math. that's one chin implant every 25 minutes in 2001. >> we didn't do that. >> that costs between $3,500 and $7,500. if you add that to the $1,500 to lose your 20 pounds you're going to be out a little bit but the good news is you're going to get your tax refund so pretty soon you'll have all that money and can go straight to your plastic surgeon. is there when you get a tax refund, it is so much fun when

the check comes. the feeling of the check in the mail. >> it's your money! it's not like winning the lottery. >> but it feels like it because you forgot that you had it. >> how dumb are you? >> because you took it out of your salary. who knows? it's so exciting to get. 30% of women and 21% of men say tax refunds are more satisfying with sex. >> i'd like to know who they're having sex with. you know what i'm saying? you got to think these things through. 73% said the day their refund comes through it is more exciting than christmas or their birthday. >> when i do file, i'll check the mail more often. >> tomorrow is the day, hoda. >> no. it isn't. it is the day for some people but for the other laysier people there's another date. >> and apparently most of them -- most procrastination is in san francisco. >> october is my date. >> do you then file again? eventually you have to pay the tax man, hoda woman.

taxes and death. the only thing can you truly count on in life. boy, if that isn't sr. a downer, nothing is. this whole thing about the working moms as opposed to the stay-at-home moms. >> as you know, hilary rosen, a democratic pundit went on tv and her quote was -- speaking of ann romney, mitt romney's wife -- "she's never worked a day in her life." now that caused explosions all over. ann romney responded saying i made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. believe me, it was hard work. i haven't really heard anyone on hilary rosen's side on that one. i haven't heard anybody. >> i think she's probably regretting that five second more than anything. the irony of it is she's -- she is an expert in communications. so i don't think she had any concept of how much power there is that few amount of words. >> i think later on in that she talked about the economics of

it. i think she was leaning more forward as she went on they have a lot of money and they don't understand what struggling is like. >> except that hilary rosen probably doesn't understand what it is like to battle breast cancer and also every single day deal with multiple sclerosis. all of this stuff is just ugly. it's really, really ugly. >> we're going to turn the beat around on this show. what we have decided to do. we found out how much a working mom is actually worth. they crunched numbers at salary.com. >> because of the jobs she actually does. >> here's how much the working moms are worth. $112,940.45. that's more than $100,000. >> first of all, i want to say one thing about that. that is what they've come up with. that's the amount. i said how many children are we talking about? they didn't put that into the equation. i mean i had two children. that should be worth a little less than the octomom.

>> here's what's good. you guys will love this at home. we've teamed up with salary.com and we have a contest. we are going to find the mother that deserves that titd le. you know what the winner's going to get? $112,962.45. >> how about that? >> am i eligible? >> no. go to klgandhoda.com and tell us what makes you the best mom and also submit a picture of your family. we'll select finalists pum's come to new york city for mother's day weekend. the contest ends april 27th at 11:59. >> all travel and accommodations are provided for salary.com. time for favorite things. we're getting to the point old fart married couple. from they hate when you say that on the air. >> old flatulence married couple. so favorite things. everybody's always asking -- the thing i brought in today originally was too expensive.

i didn't realize it. it was a great little thing i'm going to give you later that a lady had sent in to me. in the meantime you're also asking about nails. the nails are san tantonio. opi. this is bare minerals, pink blossom. it's got that -- the good thing that is in red wine -- what's the name of that? you know what i mean. maybe that's why i like this floss so much. it's terrific. it's really moist and good for your lips. >> my favorite was if you're -- if you come to new york and you want to get your hair blown out, we're very lucky because we have laura to take care of us. in a sunday, a place called the dry bar. $40 for a blowout. in new york, you guys, that's inexpensive here. you can't get a blowout here for under $60. that's all they do, watch and

blowout, and they serve drinks. it is a bar! >> and you spend most of the weekend there, don't you? >> what you got, sara? >> this is my favorite thing. my best friend erin got this for me for christmas. it is the state of iowa right here. the heart is the county i grew up in. so it is by heirloom. this woman designed them because at her own wedding they wanted a cute way to display cheeses so they did states. so i got you new orleans and -- >> she said i know you're not loyal to anyplace so i just gave you france. i go what the heck is this? that's corsica. france owns corsica. this is a cutting board. >> they're $40 but they're such a unique gift. we'll have the juicy details on "today's buzz."

buying this juicer online was unbelievable.

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>> highest form of flattery. >> talk to us about brangelina. >> wow. the ring. estimated by "people" magazine to be a $1 million ring. he spent a year working on it. 10 carats, they think. it is yellow gold -- >> looks like emerald cut. >> the ring is surrounded by a band of yellow gold and it's gorgeous. yes? >> it is beautiful. >> anything on her. she could do a gum wrapper one around her finger. >> he's known he wanted to do this for year. >> apparently he designed it. he has legend airline great taste in homes, women, decor, clothes, everything. and so they're saying 200 to 300 people this summer, south of france, at their chateau. no doubt the two of you are on the list. >> of course! >> so it will be great. >> let's talk pippa middleton. this photograph was very surprising.

she's in a car with a guy next to her. >> three guys in paris in an audi convertible. the driver is waving what looks to be a gun. can't tell if it's a -- can't tell if it's a real gun or a fake gun but it's causing all sorts of controversy. >> either way -- >> well, by the way, it is illegal to brandish a fake or real gun -- >> in france? is that where they were? >> yes. that was in france. this is burning up the presses over there. >> it is sort of weird for pippa. like she didn't marry a prince. she just -- >> still. she's going to be the object of all kinds of intense scrutiny. >> everybody loves her fanny, kathie lee. >> hey, i love her fanny. >> i do, too. >> i wish i had her fanny. >> i do, too! >> let's leave my fanny alone and get on to the next thing -- >> no, i don't wish you had her fanny -- >> you said it, it's already out there.

>> ryan o'neal reveals he has stage four prostate cancer. he says the prognosis is good. >> that seems like an oxymoron that the prognosis is good and you have stage four -- >> i know. he's got a book coming out about his life with farrah in a few weeks. she of course famously died of anal cancer. so very sad. robin gibb, this is another sad story. he's been battling a few kinds of cancer, and there have been speculation that he had beaten it. he was very upbeat a few months ago. and now he is -- >> pneumonia. and he's in a coma. >> yes, exactly. >> thank you for coming to see us. >> it really ended on an upper. >> hey! good to see you, buddy. up next, are you our fan of the week? >> i doubt it. >> get ready to find out right after this. ♪

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she's presenting the solar system. hey i've got just the whole grain fiber to help keep her full so she can stay focused. um...you rock. she'll be ready to rock. right here! [ female announcer ] make your kids big days, mini-wheats days. packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full and focused. now available in cinnamon roll flavor. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused. it is monday. that means it is time to meet our "fan of the week" and find out where the lucky winner's going. >> and the lovely sara is here to do the honors. >> thank you. this is one of the best parts for me. drum roll, please -- our winner is karen benavidez. she watches on kris-tv, channel 6. karen recently had a baby, left her job and moved across the country with her husband. she says it was a lot of change but your bright smiles and familiar faces have kept her

company through it all. she and her son rock out to the "ihoda" play list. today today's talk is the perfect place for work place banter. she's ambushed her son at home. you can always hear them singing "louis licari la-la-la-la-la." since this is nbc universal's green week, you're going for a four day, three night trip to chicago, illinois. the trip includes dinner for two and breakfast for two every day at an elite restaurant. it also includes two spa treatments and round trip air fair f fare for two. provided by hotel felix chicago. >> that will be fun after that big trip and everything. just go up someplace romantic. thank you. still ahead, heather armstrong, the mommy blogger with more than a million twitter

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>> announcer: "today's moms" is brought to you by p&g future friendly. we're back on this fun day monday with "today's moms." one very popular mommy blogger heather armstrong is not only a mom but she's been recognized by "forbes" magazine as one of the most influential women in media. >> in 2001 heather began writing online about her personal life touching on everything from her marriage to the birth of her children. now she's got a 1 1/2 million twitter followers an her blog attracts about 200,000 readers a day. she is known as the queen of

mommy bloggers and has been named one of forbes's magazines most 30 influential women in media. her blog was also included in "time" magazine's best blogs list in 2011. it is her candor and honesty that attracts her followers. including the stunning announcement of her recent split from her husband after almost a decade of marriage. i am sad and devastated but i'm not sure i've never been more stable than i am right mao. she credits her loyal followers with helping her get through the tough times. "i'm so incredibly touched by your words of encouragement and sympathy. yes, i am a stranger. i don't know you. but that's the amazing thing about this medium." >> now heather has a new book out called "dear daughter," a compilation of letters she began writing when her 8-year-old daughter was born. >> there are so many blogs out

there. i even have friends who's done mommy blogs but not all of them get traction. for some reason yours did. what made it unique, do you think? >> i think there's a pew things. i've been around for a long time. i got in pretty early and i sort of write in a conversational style and i say a lot of things that people probably would like to say but are uncomfortable to say and i just -- i don't care. >> are you that way naturally? >> i'm that way naturally. i got that from my father, i think. >> you're blunt. >> i'm blunt. i'm southern and i have a mouth on me. i think also, you know, i think there's a huge community around what we do as mommy bloggers -- oh, my dpod -- i hate that word -- i really hate that wore. but i don't know. mostly it's just speaking the truth and trying to be as authentic as possible. >> so everybody can relate to you that's actually reading what you say. >> i hope. >> when you separated from and

split from your husband, i mean that must have really devastated a lot of the readers because they've been with you for so many years. >> i was really scared to write about it. a lot of people have their own experiences and their own perspective on this type of situation and you know, i didn't go into the details and i never will go into the details so people are confused and hurt. >> he's still the father of your two beautiful girls. you want a relationship with the three of them. is there absolutely. i don't want anybody thinking anything bad about him. i'm trying to walk a fine balance there. >> yeah. you goto navigate that very carefully. especially with a mouth like yours, right? >> yes. >> now the book, you've written, these letters that you've written to your daughter, and your daughter actually saw the copy when it arrived in the mail. >> she did. >> and you used an expletive. >> did i? >> yes. >> i probably did. >> you did. >> it was sitting on the counter

top and i a few feet away and i saw her pick it up. i was like -- oh. >> because she can read now. >> quite well. show sat down with it and i held my breath and waited for her to get through a couple of pages. she started laughing. giggling. i thought, okay, mission accomplish. she read it within a couple of days. >> were you holding your breath the entire time? >> the entire time. my one question to you -- because we often go through this - say things in the spur of the moment and it seems fine, then you later say, ooh -- >> why did i say that. >> it doesn't happen very often but once in a >> really. >> were there things you were sorry you shared, people you felt like crossed the line in any way? >> well, no. this book was heavily edited. if there was anything i thought at the time was okay to say and now that it wasn't okay? i've gone back and made sure things are smooth. >> do youer with about that with the blog?

when you hit send it's out there. >> yeah. i worry about it all the time. that's the nature of the medium. >> so you read it over a couple of times? >> sometimes. sometimes i don't. >> we wish you all the best. up next, she lost 250 pounds. see how the latest member of the "joy fit club" looks know. big news! big news! huge news! [ giggles ] all band-aid® bandages just got better. yay! and still protect from dirt and germs. [ female announcer ] band-aid® brand has new

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time for look at me now, "the "joy fit club."" >> 45-year-old charlotte erickson from nina, arkansas lost 250 lbs. let's take a look at her amazing story. >> my name is charlotte erickson. i'm 45 years old and i lost 250

pounds. i grew up in a family where we all had weight issues. but i loved food more than anyone else. as i got older, i would eat from the minute i woke up until i went to bed. my meals consisted of sugar, carbohydrates, and sodas. i would super size everything and polish off not only my share, but my daughter's share, too. in life, i was successful in any almost i put my mind to. i graduated from nursing school and raised four kids as a single mom. but the only thing i couldn't do on my own was lose the weight. at one point, the scale tipped to 400 pounds. even the size 5x clothing was too tight. i decided to give weight watchers another try. i had been on and off of it for a while, but this time i took it seriously. i learned about portion control and i would track my food every

day. then i started moving. first around the block, then on the treadmill, and last month i completed a half marathon. today i am proud to say that i'm a weight loss success story. i can't wait to fly to new york and share my experiences. this time, free of the seatbelt extension. >> aw! >> go girl! >> what a great story. before we ask thoer come out, joy's here to tell us about her eating habits. >> this woman is so smart and so compassionate. you heard, she put herself through nursing school and she's got a thriving career. she had her own biological daughter, then adopted three daughters from china. but at the same time she was paralyzed by her obesity. so sugar was her demise. this is what in one day she was eating. this is just a sample. for breakfast in the morning, she had four toaster breakfast pastries.

19 teaspoons of sugar. then she would have this rich coffee concoction. another 19 teaspoons. at lunch she'd have a large vanilla milkshake. >> probably with a sandwich or something as well. >> this is just a sampling. now she'd learned to wipe out the natural sugar. satisfying with natural -- great produce, berries, sugar snap peas and grapefruits and bell peppers. she's down 250 pounds. >> just amazing! >> let's take a look at her before photo. there's charlotte before. come on out, charlotte. let us take a look at you. >> oh, my for! >> i'm going to take away the pants. >> oh, my gosh! >> that may be the most insane one. >> where did you put charlotte? >> i'm here.

>> oh, my gosh. >> simply miraculous. >> i could wrap her -- that is crazy. >> that is amazing. how long did it take you? >> about 27, 28 months. >> but that's slow and steady, honey. >> that is unbelievable. are your friends and your kid must be freaking, huh? >> they like it. i have a lot more energy. we go places and do things. >> she found love. she got married a year ago. >> and she has another stepdaughter now. so now there's five kid. >> you're married with five kid. do you recognize the woman who we see in those pictures? >> yeah, i know her. i remember her. i remember her. >> but you don't want to be her again. >> no. >> we're so happy for you. congratulations. what an inspiration for everybody. >> i'm going to chuck these jeans. >> happy mother's day coming up. coming up, from an ipad to a

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time now for "today goes green" with ecofriendly products for you in your home, there are many gadgets on the market that can help you help the environment and make your life a little easier. >> co-host of the upcoming food network series called "invention hunters," traveling around the country looking for the new s products to improve your kitchen. >> congratulations. >> first up, green paint. i don't just mean the paint color is green. but these are paints that are all completely natural, non-toxic, biodegradable made from things like pomegranates and blueberries and beets. you can really make -- it is pretty call.

that's all non-toxic. >> kind of fun. >> i'm doing you some lips. >> very, very sexy. very cool. they start around $12. >> i could do this all day. >> yes, you could. hey. you've seen these -- this looks like construction work fences. >> i hate them sflimpl. >> they've taken them from abandoned construction sites and turned them into these bags. >> that is a great idea. >> the bottoms are cool because the bottoms are from those plastic signs that are in the construction site to fill in the bottom. they're $40 from uncommon goods. >> the little bamboo handles. >> this is again "new york times," you can get arts and leisure section and you've got a really nice bag. these are handbag. cool way to go. again, kind of keep sending out the message to be green, green,

all the time. >> they've been plasticized. laminated sort of. >> maybe surfing the web, these are made from surf -- wet suits -- neoprene. this is upcycled meaning they've taken the remnants from the original and used it for that. >> so it's not wasted. >> is this expensive? >> $28 or so. now this is the first solar ereaders case. >> stop it! >> isn't that a great idea? it is a solar kindle. >> what is that? >> i know. >> yes! >> so this is a very cool thing. open it up. you charge it up. will go three months on just regular daylight, this -- it's got this built-in l.e.d. light for it as well. can you read well with those outside? absolutely. i use mine all the time. $79. >> fantastic. these sneakers, all of these are

from brooks. this is their green silence line. these are all made from recycled materials. tops are made from recycled plastic bottoms -- >> are they running shoes? >> they are running shoes. they weigh 6.9 ounces. priced at $100. they're pretty cool looking, too. all recycled. by walking around that energy that you use all day long, that extra energy can be harnessed to actually run your electronics. this is called the end power peg. you can give a little shake yourself there. >> why are we shaking it? >> oh, lord. >> oh, i see. >> you put it in your backpack, even if you're on a bumpy public bus, the bumping action harnesses electricity. >> i bet it does. >> this is called the energy jewel. this changes color. it lets you know how much energy you are using in your home and also the price of the power you're paying. when it is green you know it is

a good time to run your dishwasher. red, don't -- wait a little. all the detail information is on the bottom of it. we had it here for display. >> these are motion activated -- these are l.e.d. for hallways or stairwell lights. what's cool is you stick them on but they have motion sensor on them. the other ones are radio activated. as one turns on, it lights up the lights all the way down, all the way back up. you just stick them on the wall. no wiring needed. >> steve, that was really great. >> for once! finally! >> yes. congratulations on the new show. up next, how to cook a delicious chicken cacciatore. [ female announcer ] with xfinity,

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"today's kitchen," we're getting saucy to create a delicious and healthy chicken cacciatore. >> when it comes to healthy cooking, "cooking light" contributor allison knows what she's doing. >> simple, simple. the concept today is it starts with a jar. with a jar of tomato sauce. you're in really good shape. this is what they say with a slow food cooking movement. but it comes in a jar so you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen. >> the sauce can take you hours just there. >> it sure can. we're starting with the skinless chicken thighs.

at "cooking light" we want to make things healthier, taking off the skin, replace with a little olive oil, you'll have a lower saturated fat option. these are just browned right here in the skillet. two teaspoons olive oil. >> your cacciatore stuff. >> we've got about a minute. i'm going to help you put all this stuff in here. >> look at hoda cooking. rosemary, peppers, garlic, this is the flavor we're arding instead of sodium. you cook that about three minutes. then in go the mushrooms. cook that for about six minutes until it cooks down. final step, there's our lower sodium sauce. >> the last thing is the sauce. >> exactly. >> dump it right in. then you just cook until the sauce is heated through. that's about a month.

>> look how good that looks. that looks delicious. >> except for the green peppers i'd love it. >> then we put it straight in and we coat the bottom of this pan with the cacciatore. something really important -- would you hand me those chicken thighs? something that's really important is lots of the tomato sauces have over 500 milligrams of sodium. our favorite ones that are lighter, we say keep it under 350. looking good? >> you just cook that in the oven? >> you just cook this in the oven, just like this, for 30 minutes. open? you cover it or just leave >> just leave it open like that. as you can see it cooks down. sauce on there for you. >> so thank you so much. while we're tasting this -- >> jennie garth is going to be

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