good morning. not so fast. the florida police chief under fire for his handling of the trayvon martin case turns in his resignation. but city leaders refuse to accept it. this as george zimmerman, in hiding, faces new death threats as he awaits his trial. what did they find? fbi dogs hit on items of interest inside the home of the 6-year-old arizona girl who vanished from her bedroom in the middle of the night. and this morning, we're hearing about the mysterious disappearance from the girl's parents for the first time. and she's back. the always opinionated rosie o'donnell takes on the hot topics in the news, as she joins donny and star on professionals

today, tuesday, april 24th, donny and star on professionals today, tuesday, april 24th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm matt lauer. there's some new questions in the trayvon martin case this morning, following that decision by city commissioners down in sanford, florida, to reject the resignation of that city's police chief. >> that's right. and it comes just a month after the same commission gave chief bill lee a vote of no confidence and placed him on paid leave. well, a lawyer for the martin family is not happy with the decision to let him keep his job, at least for now. we're going to hear from her straight ahead. >> also some tearful testimony from singer and oscar winner jennifer hudson as she took the stand at the trial of the man who's accused of killing members of her family. we'll tell you what she had to say in that courtroom.

>> and an interesting look at the private life of the man who helped make hudson a household name, simon cowell. a new, unauthorized biography takes a look at just how he spends his fortune, his obsession with fame, and the woman in his life, even cowell himself is calling some of the revelations embarrassing. we're going to hear from the author coming up. >> the deal here is he cooperated for awhile and then didn't cooperate, so that's why it's technically an unauthorized biography. >> yeah, exactly. >> and as we said, rosie o'donnell is going to join us this morning, joining "today's professionals" for the morning. we're going to talk to donny and star and donny and her about -- it's a new term. >> exactly right. >> about a number of things, including the question, can therapy actually be bad for you if it goes on too long? >> also the average 5-year-old child weighs about 40 pounds. meet meow, the cat, who does as well. we're going to find out just how this cat got so big coming up this morning.

anyway, but we begin now with a check of this morning's top stories. just kept wanting to talk to him because he thought he was pretty cute. also the top stories is natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning, ann and matt. good morning, everyone. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta spoke out about the ongoing prostitution scandal allegedly involving the secret service during a visit to colombia on monday. nbc's mark potter is in cartagena, colombia, with more. mark, good morning. >> and good morning, natalie. the u.s. defense secretary came here to colombia to talk about regional security issues. but with the prostitution scandal still front and center, he ended up talking about that, too. as defense secretary leon panetta arrived in bogota for a previously scheduled meetings with colombian officials, a senior u.s. defense official said the number of american minimum military personnel being investigated in the prostitution scandal has risen to 12 and that security clearances have been

pulled. >> my biggest concern is the issue of security, and what -- what possibly have been jeopardized by virtue of this kind of behavior. >> reporter: the pentagon says the latest target is an army soldier who worked for the white house communications agency, where military personnel set up and maintain equipment. meantime, the white house announced it has done its own investigation, and cleared its staffers. >> there's no indication that any member of the white house advance team engaged in any improper conduct or behavior. >> reporter: in cartagena, where the scandal erupted a week and a half ago, many residents are still angry. this man says it's humiliating how colombian women are being stereotyped now. american tourists also weighed in. >> a screwup of marathon proportions. the men have probably lost

everything. >> what goes on in las vegas, stays in las vegas. same thing here, except it's equally stupid. >> reporter: meantime, a source says the colombian police here had been very helpful to the u.s. investigators who have now interviewed almost all the women identified as being part of this case. natalie? >> all right. mark potter in cartagena, colombia, thank you. as you heard, more controversy today for the city of sanford, florida, in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed teen trayvon martin. that city's police chief turned in his resignation after facing mounting pressure for not charging admitted gunman george zimmerman. but on monday, city leaders voted to reject police chief bill lee's resignation. we'll have much more coming up in a live report. the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of natalee holloway could soon face criminal charges here in the u.s. for allegedly trying to extort $250,000 from the missing girl's mother. a federal grand jury in alabama indicted joran van der sloot for trying to exchange apparently bogus information on holloway's whereabouts for cash.

he is currently serving a 28-year sentence in peru for the 2010 murder of stefanie flores. a judge there has reportedly approved a u.s. request in the first step of the extradition process. raising energy pricing -- rising energy prices and a weak economy are hitting the social security program hard. the government says the program's trust funds are now set to run dry in 2033. that is three years earlier than previously expected. and walking and talking on a cell phone had disastrous results for a teenage girl in china. she didn't notice the caution blocks on the sidewalk and stepped right in to a sinkhole danger zone where the street then gave away. she plunged 20 feet straight down. a cab driver passing by saw the teen fall. he immediately stopped his car and dove in to help. the crumbling earth trapped both of them below until firefighters were able to finally rescue them. fortunately, matt and ann,

they're all doing fine. that goes to show you the dangers of texting and being on the phone while you're walking. >> give that cab driver a tip, number one! but number two, that's not so well marked. >> shouldn't they have blocked that off -- >> a tape, a rope or something. but when the guy runs in and goes right to the edge of the hole, i'm thinking just a second before he has to go down. which apparently is what happened. lucky they're okay, natalie. mr. roker is here. >> yes, he is. with a check of the weather. >> that's right. things a little on the chilly side in the northeast. you head out west and it's a lot warmer. big, strong ridge keeps the jet stream way up to the north out west. we've got temperatures that are way above normal out there. we're looking at record highs, casper wyoming, 85, 87 in salt lake. denver, 88. bismarck, 87 degrees. as we head east, look at these temperatures, pittsburgh will be 16 degrees below normal. albany, about seven degrees below normal at 55 degrees for a

high. that's what's going on ard the country, here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. breezy and chilly in the washington metro area this morning. a live view from our sky watcher camera at news4. good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4 and right now a few clouds are drifting over with some sunshine and it is chilly. dress for a winter-like morning. only in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. and it will be warming just into the 50s to near 60 by later this afternoon, winds gusting to 30 miles per hour. some clouds in >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al. thanks very much. a new development in the trayvon martin case. sanford, florida,'s embattled police chief tried to permanently design on monday, but in an odd turn of events, the city commission voted to deny his resignation. nbc's kerry sanders has details on that. kerry, good morning. >> well, good morning, matt. in a city where so many people are looking for someone to blame, the police seemed like an easy target.

but then a surprise that may have caught even the police chief off guard. it was a dramatic turnaround for the sanford city commission. just last month the commission temporarily suspended sanford police chief bill lee. after protesters claimed lee, and his department, were to blame for the lack of criminal charges in the initial investigation into trayvon martin's death. but monday, when the city manager announced the chief would resign at a raucous city council meeting, -- >> ladies and gentlemen, please. please. >> reporter: it was an about-face. >> this is a man who is a medal of valor winner. this is also the chief that would take a bullet for anyone in this room. and i don't think we have people sitting up here with that kind of character. >> reporter: it ended when three of the five elected commissioners rejected the police chief's resignation. >> approved to deny the memorandum.

>> reporter: but a lawyer for trayvon martin's family, natalie jackson, is disappointed. and believes the commission should have accepted the chief's resignation. >> i think that he should lose his job because there has to be strong leadership in sanford. it has to be strong leadership that people trust. >> reporter: meantime, accused murderer george zimmerman walked out of jail early monday on $150,000 bond. he's charged with second degree murder. and has entered a written plea of not guilty. his lawyer says he's still wearing a bulletproof vest, fearing for his life. death threats posted on twitter are just part of why safety is now a top concern. the next step is getting all of the state's evidence, says his lawyer. in florida, prosecutors, and defense lawyers, trade their entire case files before trial, in a process known as discovery. >> like a doctor doing a lab

test and x-rays and blood test, you need to know what's there before you know what to do. >> reporter: some city commissioners here who say they've been unfairly labeled racist say they would now like an independent investigation of the police chief, the same way there was an independent investigation that led to charges in the death of trayvon martin. meantime, george zimmerman's attorney has filed a plea with the court. a plea of not guilty. matt? >> all right, kerry sanders in sanford, florida, this morning. kerry, thanks very much. it's 11 after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thank you. the government's key witness will be back on the stand today in the trial of john edwards, the former presidential candidate is accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions to hide an affair. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers is at the federal courthouse in greensboro, north carolina this morning. lisa, good morning. >> reporter: hey, ann, good morning. the trial began with the revelation that the government's star witness, andrew young, had recently contacted three other witnesses trying to find out how they would testify.

which experts say could further erode his credibility. >> how are you doing? >> good morning. >> reporter: with john edwards in the fight of his life, his lawyers opened the defense with a scathing attack on andrew young. who managed the cover-up of edwards affair with campaign videographer rielle hunter. edwards is accused of accepting almost $1 million in illegal campaign contributions to hide his mistress from the press while he ran for president. but defense lawyer allen van lanning ham told jurors to follow the money and they'd find young pocketed most of it, using it to build this $1.5 million dream home near chapel hill, north carolina. >> this case is no longer the united states versus john edwards. it's john edwards versus andrew young. >> reporter: edwards' lawyers insist the money amounted to private gifts from friends to spare edwards and his wife elizabeth public humiliation.

but prosecutor told jurors that edwards was consumed by ambition. it wasn't just a marriage on the line. it was a presidential candidacy on the line. he made a choice to break the law. prosecutors contend edwards masterminded the cover-up. even asking young to falsely claim he was the father of edwards' child. young has described it this way -- >> somebody comes to you and says, hey, my wife is about to die of cancer, i need you to help me cover something up, i'm not saying that many people would say yes, but i'm saying that a lot of people would consider it. >> reporter: but edwards' lawyer says it was young's idea to claim paternity, so edwards got on board quickly. it seemed like a lifeline to a drowning man. running from his wife's inevitable anger, and his own certain humiliation. as early as today, young is expected to be grilled on what he was thinking when he contacted three other witnesses just before the trial was to begin. >> that does not make andrew

young look credible. it makes it look like he's still playing out some type of scheme, some kind of design to bring down edwards. >> reporter: with the jury out of the room, the judge said at this point, she will not allow the defense to tell the jury that young allegedly had a one-night stand with one of those witnesses while he was married. that makes it that he and edwards had more in common than previously known. >> lisa myers, thank you so much. it is now 7:14. once again here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you very much. five states hold republican presidential primaries today, including pennsylvania where mitt romney turned some heads by campaigning on monday with florida senator marco rubio. some believe it may have been a trial run or a preview of the republican ticket. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. chuck, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> marco rubio first-term cuban-american senator. he could help mitt romney with

latino voters. the tea party loves this guy. and he happens to be from the battleground state of florida. check, check, check. what am i missing? >> no, you're not missing much. plus he's young. and there is some idea that you need a generational lift for the republican ticket. and he might be able to have an appeal to more youthful voters. there's a lot of positives here. >> what are the drawbacks? >> inexperience. do you want to pick somebody who basically has the same amount of time in statewide office that a person who was on the ticket last time by the name of sarah palin had. that's number one. two, it isn't a home run that a cuban-american is going to appeal to mexican-americans where it counts in places like colorado and nevada, and new mexico. and the third thing is, he's never really been vetted. when you say vetted, his campaign for the senate, he breezed through. he never had -- >> and has made a couple of misstatements in the past that have cost him a little bit. talk about personality and chemistry, okay? mitt romney, let's be honest here, is not known as the biggest personality in the room. marco rubio has a very big

personality. is that a good thing? do you want to add personality or might that overshadow the candidate? >> they seem to be focused on this idea. they don't want somebody to overshadow him. and i think that this is a demerit, if you will, for marco rubio, a demerit for chris christie, even a jeb bush. you don't want your nominee to look small compared to the running mate. >> another guy getting some attention right now is rob portman, he's a senator from ohio. why is he getting the attention? >> if you put sarah palin into a computer and you said give me the opposite of, you would get rob portman. you know, he is quiet. he is workman-like. this is a guy from, by the way, the swing state of ohio. has a lot of experience in government. would allow this idea, matt, of doubling down on, okay, it is time to go after the budget and go in to the we. >> but two very, quiet, subdued, subtle guys. how is that going to work on the campaign tram? >> 245e9s what's unclear. what's interesting about portman is he's always played the person who fills in for the debate. he's done the practice debate

guy. so he has more personality than he gets credit for. i think his biggest demerit is going to be his years in the bush administration. i think having bush, quote/unquote bush baggage is not going to be good. >> the next few times. scale of one to ten, ten being certainty. chris christie, you brought his name up before. >> i think he's going to get vetted but i think because of the idea he could overshadow the nominee, that's going to be a problem. >> jeb bush. he said they've been trying to get him to run as the presidential candidate for ages now. he made some waves last week when he said maybe he considered the number two slot. >> if they care about the spanish vote, i think jeb bush is a better pick than marco rubio. because he would be able to appeal to hispanics in a way marco rubio wouldn't. but the bush last name might be a problem. >> you've got a long shot on your list, condoleezza rice. >> i do. i think it's going to be tough to pick any woman because of the inevidentable comparisons to sarah palin. however, condi rice is somebody who has her own persona outside of she wouldn't feel this idea that she would be compared for

ten straight days after the pick to sarah palin. and that's why i think, foreign policy, that matters. >> chuck todd. good to see you. 7:17. here's ann. >> matt, thanks. oscar winner jennifer hudson is expected back in a chicago court this morning after she was the first witness called at the trial of a man accused of killing her mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew. nbc's in chicago. katie, good morning. >> good morning, ann. jennifer hudson was on the stand yesterday for 30 minutes. during that time she told the court that she's known the defendant, william balfour since they were in middle school. now she held back tears for much of the testimony, but did break down when she was asked to remember the last memory she had of her mother, brother, and young nephew, alive. >> jennifer hudson! ♪ >> reporter: from center stage to the witness stand, jennifer hudson was the first person called to testify at the murder trial of her exbrother-in-law

william balfour. holding back tears, hudson told the court she tried to warn her sister julia, saying i would tell her over and over again not to marry william. and when asked about the last time she'd seen her mother, brother, and her 7-year-old never knew she nicknamed hugabear hudson broke down, took a second, and described a surprise family reunion shortly before they were murdered. i was playing my piano, and my mother sat on one side of me, and my brother sat on the other side. i was singing them a song. and it was just us being a family. hudson wasn't with her family when they were murdered in october 2008. she recently told lester holt on "dateline" that a last-minute phone call from her fiance likely saved her life. >> i was literally picking up my bag to walk out the door to go to my mother's house, and he called me like, can you come out here, instead of going. that one decision.

that one thing, i wouldn't be sitting here. >> reporter: prosecutors say balfour, in a jealous rage, shot and killed hudson's mother and brother inside hudson's childhood home. her 7-year-old nephew julian was found dead three days later in an abandoned suv. chicago district attorney is confident jurors won't be unduly sympathetic to the dream girls star. >> nobody is going to find balfour guilty because it was jennifer hudson's family. >> reporter: the defense claims there are no witnesses, and no physical evidence tying balfour to the crime. instead they say the family was targeted because hudson's brother, jason, was an alleged drug dealer. jennifer hudson remained in the court when her sister julia testified about balfour's alleged threats when they broke up. recounting how he told her, if you leave me, you will be the last to die. i'll kill your family first. and the trial is expected to last about a month. jennifer hudson said she will be

here for every day of it. ann? >> all right, katie tur this morning. thanks. it is now 7:20. here again is matt, and a special guest. >> that's right, ann. thanks. we've got rosie o'donnell in the studio. to spice things up on "today's professionals." rosie, nice to see you. >> how's it going? >> anything happening in your life? >> nothing new. nothing big. >> no? you ready to jump in the chair next to star and donny? >> i've been looking forward to it. >> i'm nervous about it. >> are you? >> yeah, i am, because i'm worried about drawing you out. >> well, you know, i'm usually reticent. >> right. >> a little bit shy. don't have very many opinions. >> you've seen the topics? >> i've seen the topics. >> you're ready to go? >> i'm going to do my best. that's all i can say. >> we're going to load it up and fire away in our 8:00 half hour as this young lady joins "today's professionals." just ahead the new unauthorized biography exposing the secret and lavish world of simon cowell. we're going to hear from the author of that book. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, a really fat cat. meow, the tabby who tips the scales at 39 pounds. >> that's right. here she comes right now. >> oh, hello tabby. i mean meow the tabby. >> better on your lap than mine. you looked so innocent and so sweet. convinced my lips that we should meet. you were a relentless flirt. oh no we had indecent dessert. twinkle twinkle hope appears. a stevia leaf erased my fears. it made my willpower a super hero. as for calories, it has zero. twinkle twinkle truvia® star natural sweetness, i love just what you are. truvia. honestly sweet.

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the 2012 c-class with over 2,000 refinements. it's amazing...inside and out. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. good morning, 7:26 right now, i'm airplane aaron. let's start with a check of the roads this morning, matt taqa is in for danella. >> we're working on a new problem, it looks like 395 south of edsall road approach to the beltway. all lanes block, at this point, the two left still back-ups through the stretch. accident cleared southbound 270 at 117, delays back well into clarksburg and an average of 14 miles per hour. there's a live on your 270 approach on father hurley. aaron, back to you. >> matt, thank you. a cold morning, a look a the forecast is next.

beautiful sunrise, and dawn over the nation's capitol. sky watcher camera overlooking

northwest washington, the foreground in the distance is arlingt arlington. we have few clouds drifting through, a little blustery wind, chilly, upper 30s to around 40. mid 40s in washington and by the bay, later today up near 60 ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream... ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream... ♪ when i want you... ♪ ...in my arms... ♪ when i want you... ♪ ...and all your charms... ♪ whenever i want you, all i have to do is... ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing xfinity streampix. stream your favorite movies and full seasons of shows instantly on any screen. find out more online. guys. come here, come here. [ telephone ringing ] i'm calling my old dealership. [ man ] may ford. hi, yeah. do you guys have any crossovers that offer better highway fuel economy than the chevy equinox? no, sorry, sir. we don't. oh, well, that's too bad. [ man ] kyle, is that you? [ laughs ]

[ man ] still here, kyle. [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. right now, very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 equinox ls for around $229 a month. when you're flying with a partner -- when you're sparring with a partner you know he's not going to hurt you but when you're in the ring you really have to be on your toes. >> we tape some interviews every once in awhile for this show. even if you pretend that it's live, it's just not the same. >> no. but you never know what i'm going to say right now. see, it's scary, isn't it? >> and that was rosie o'donnell talking to matt on her first visit to studio 1a back in 2000 -- or rather 1997, and she is back this morning and there's no telling, again, what she might say when she voices her opinions as only she can on "today's professionals." >> let me ask you a question, ladies and gentlemen, over in the professional panel, what was the laughter when that video

came up there? was that about my appearance in 1997? >> no, just noted so much we loved your hair. >> oh. >> listen, that -- >> we can age. we both looked a little different. >> anyway. also ahead simon cowell is known for his tart tongue and the golden touch for picking musical talent. now, a new unauthorized biography is shedding light on what he's like away from the cameras. we're going to hear from the author of that book, and tell you why cowell is saying he's a little embarrassed by some of the revelations. >> that's right. and we've also made some extra room on our sofa for a very big guest, meow the 2-year-old tabby cat who weighs a whopping 39 pounds. technically, he is obese. the question is, how did he get like this? we're going to find out. >> apparently he showed up at a new mexico shelter last week. now he's trying to get down to a healthier weight. we're going to find out what the jet is saying his chances are coming up. >> he's pretty cute. let's now begin this half hour with the search for a 6-year-old arizona girl who vanished from

her own bedroom in the middle of the night. fbi dogs have now hit on something of interest as her parents released their first statement. nbc's miguel almaguer is in tucson this morning. miguel, good morning. >> ann, good morning. detectives say they have checked out more than 100 leads in this case, but so far, some of the most promising clues may come from where the missing 6-year-old lived. investigators now call the home a crime scene. this is where 6-year-old isabel celis was last seen. and it's here on monday where two specially trained fbi dogs found something of interest. >> the dogs did give indication in there of further things that we need to investigate. for that reason, we asked the family if they would leave the residence so we could secure the scene between. >> reporter: police say isabel was last seen by her parents sleeping in bed friday night at 11:00 p.m. at 8:00 a.m. saturday her father realized she was gone and called 911. police say isabel's window was

open, the screen knocked to the ground. but they have not called the case an abduction, instead it remains a suspicious disappearance. this couple live down the street from isabel and have known the celis family for years. >> it is a good family. very good family. >> yeah. >> and they will have their daughter back. >> reporter: in a statement, isabel's parents, who also call their daughter isa, thank all those who have searched for the missing first grader. adding, quote, we are cooperating fully with authorities and are focused only on her safe return. >> what the police are trying to do is determine if that child met with some horrible fate in the home, and also examine the window in the bedroom to see whether that was a staged crime scene, rather than somebody actually breaking in. >> reporter: detectives have interviewed 17 sex offenders who live within three miles of isa's home. search teams have scoured tucson's desert and the city land fills but have come up empty handed. police served what they called routine search warrants and

while they say everyone involved in the case is a person of interest, so far they're suspect. >> just don't think something like this happens in your neighborhood. >> reporter: today, isa's picture, her story is everywhere. her parents writing, quote, we love isabel and will never give up finding her. police say everyone, including isa's parents, are fully cooperating in this case. there's a $6,000 offer -- reward being offered. they say that they are working this case 24 hours a day. ann? >> all right. miguel almaguer this morning. miguel, thank you. and now here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you. a new unauthorized tell-all is revealing some intimate new details about the life of music and tv mogul simon cowell. nbc's michelle kosinski sat down with the man who wrote the book. michelle, good morning to you. >> hi, matt. simon cowell actually gave the author some access. but pretty much every day here there's been some big, embarrassing headline coming out of this, called "sweet revenge," the intimate details of cowell's over-the-top but very private,

private life. >> there's no limit. >> reporter: yachts, jets, cars, mansions, women. suitcases full of beauty products and weekly vitamin iv drips. a $4 million birthday party with a theme -- ♪ you're so vain >> reporter: vanity. oh, and black toilet paper. the secret world, according to a new book, of music show rock star simon cowell. investigative author tom bower calls simon -- >> i really, really, really hated that. >> yes, this simon. >> really dreadful. >> needy. insecure, vain. >> simon's world is simon. here is a man whose constantly telling contestants on tv, you're no good and he has suffered the same for 20 years in the music business. people have been heaping, heaping manure on him telling him he's no good. >> reporter: and now, a reported $70 million a year for shows like "american idol," "x

factor," "america's got talent" finally living on his own over-the-top terms. including relationships with women, lots. the book seems to end any speculation cowell is anything but a lady's man. i mean it kind of makes him look like a stud. >> it makes him look like a stud. but he's a 52-year-old stud. you think he's misbehaved. he likes women who are uncomplicated, bit trashy. i said what do you think about the girls you have on your shows and he said, well they're my toys. >> quote simon saying he dated pop star dannii minogue, made moves on paula abdul and sheryl crow. bower spent days and nights aboard simon's rented party yacht. >> they didn't stop breakfast until three in the afternoon and then they just carried on until 5:00, 6:00 in the morning. the hours are just crazy. and he's all about games. ridiculously stupid games.

and everything is about fun. >> what do they talk about? >> well, that's interesting. they don't talk about -- they really don't talk about serious things. they don't talk about the world. >> simon is described for fame, perfection, his appearance. one ex-girlfriend describes twice daily bath, four shirt changes, throwing away silver spoons along with empty yogurt containers and spending his morning watching cartoons, but occasionally was still so blearly he would crash his ferrari into the neighbor's wall. it seems almost like a little kid with $70 million a year. >> yeah. he's a big, big, old boy. and he loves to look good for mummy and he wants to look good for the audience and he wants to be famous and he wants to be rich. >> but cowell is also -- privately exceedingly generous. he gave two of his exes multimillion dollar mansions. do you love him or do you hate him? >> i like him. i like him because in the end he's fun, and there isn't

anything bad about him. and we had -- it was an interesting insight into a vulnerable man. >> cowell has publicly said he's embarrassed by the book but denies nothing in it. maybe as interesting is the inside look at the music industry. the enormous amounts of money, and idol finalists were allegedly offered contracts at one point that would pay their managers 20% of their earnings over the following 12 years. matt? >> love him or hate him, i will tell you, this guy is successful. he has the midas touch, michelle. thank you very much. we appreciate it. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> i love the fact he likes cartoons. nothing wrong with that. all right, simon. hey, we're talking about snow yesterday. and some areas picking up 20 inches of snow in western p.a. in the upper elevations. this is rochester, oh, rochester, new york, we're expecting, we saw about three to four inches of snow there. nothing too horrible. but, again, some snow brought down trees, power lines, causing

some major problems. as we check your check your weak at the temperatures for may, below normal pacific northwest. above-normal temperatures southwest and gulf coast. as far as precipitation is concerned, only really drier than normal conditions in the northwest. the rest of the country looking nomal for the month of may. here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> a chilly start this morning. to this tuesday, we're just around 40 degrees. we do have some sunshine and the wind up around 10 to 15 miles per hour. some clouds in and out. afternoon highs around 60 degrees. tomorrow, sunshine and warmer. a mild day on thursday, could get some showers perhaps during morning and midday. friday turning cooler and a lot of clouds for the weekend. might get some showers on sunday. >> birthday girls. what's your name? >> carolyn. >> bree. >> happy birthday. don't forget get your weather

any time of day or night go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> all right, al. thank you very much. coming up next, bad news if you have a kid in college. why that pricey degree may not help them land a job these days. and rosie o'donnell joins "today's professionals" to weigh in on the hot topics of the day, including the current secret service scandal, would hiring more women prevent future scandals like this? today, we stand against the tyranny of single mile credit cards. battle speech right? may i? [ horse neighs ] for too long, people have settled for single miles. with the capital one venture card, you'll earn double miles on every purchase, every day! [ visigoths cheer ] hawaii, here we come. [ alec ] so sign up today for a venture card at capitalone.com. and start earning double. [ all ] double miles! [ brays ] what's in your wallet? can you play games on that? not on the runway. no.

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how do you kill them? frontline plus. it uses two ingredients. one to kill adult fleas and ticks. plus another to eliminate flea eggs and larvae, annihilating the next generation of fleas. and, frontline plus works non-stop for thirty days. no wonder it's the number one choice of vets for their pets and yours. ask your vet about frontline plus. accept nothing less. back now at 7:43. this morning on "today's money," grim news for the college class of 2012, who face mounting student loan debt, and jobs that are hard to find. a new study found that more than half of college graduates under the age of 25, 1.5 million people, were unemployed or underemployed last year. jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. jean, good morning. >> good morning. >> what perspective can you add to this number? >> so we're looking at 53% of

people under the age of 25 who have bachelor's degrees that are either unemployed or underemployed, and that number has gone steadily up for the last decade. >> the associated press took a look at this study and listed that the best degrees for jobs would be nursing, teaching, accounting, computer science, and some of the worst include humanities, history, zoology, anthropology, philosophy. some might start to wonder if it is even smart to go to college. >> it's absolutely still smart to go to college, and if you look at the earnings trajectory we see that people who have ph.d.s make more than people who have master's degrees, make more than people who have bachelor's, make more than people who don't go to college at all. but i think what this research is showing us is that you have to be very thoughtful in your choice of major when it comes to getting that job right out of school. >> so what is the take away for

parents of english majors when they find out the jobs graduates are getting are waitresses, bartenders, receptionist types of jobs. >> i was an english major and i think the same thing my parents told me holds true today. if you're going to come out with an artsy, liberal arts degree, you've got to load up your resume with professional experience. i'm talking about internships, and things that show a work trajectory before you get out of school. you also have to be very careful about how much money you're going to borrow, and think about how much your child might earn in that first job after college. >> so what is your best bet -- advice for people who are concerned about how much debt these students are accruing, and then not being able to find a good-paying job once they come out of college? >> if you're not in college yet and you're making the decision, thinking about not poborrowing y more than you expect to earn that first year out of school is a good way to go. if you've already borrowed and you're now thinking, what do i

do? well, look at how much debt you have coming out, break it down into federal loans, and private loans. the federal ones are easier to pay off so you want to maximize that borrowing on the federal side before you dip in to the private loan pool, and then look in to income-based repayment for those loans. which will allow you to make payments on an easier schedule. >> still worth it to go to graduate school? >> it can be, if you know what you want to do. i think the lesson from this is we really need to do some planning for our lives before we get that education. >> let it be said that i began as a waitress during an economic downturn in the 1970s, and it kind of worked out okay. >> i came out during one, as well. i sought s.a.t.s on the side to make money. >> ending on a positive note. hopeful note. eventually we'll get better. jean chatzky, thank you this morning. coming up next, the cat that weighs more than your average toddler, tipping the scales at nearly 40 pounds.

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we've all heard about fat cats. this one takes the cake and probably ate it, too. >> meet meow, a 2-year-old tabby who arrived at the santa fe animal shelter in new next ka last week weighing 39 pounds. he's here along with his veterinarian. jennifer, good morning to you. he actually moves rather quickly for a 39-pound cat. this can't be good. how did he end up in your care? >> he was relinquished to another shelter in new mexico, the roswell animal shelter by his owner who was an elderly woman. and could no longer care for him. and her family brought him there. they're a small shelter and didn't have the resources to take care of him, so we offered to. >> what could possibly explain how a 2-year-old cat could come in at 39 pounds? >> well, i mean, clearly he was not fed a healthy diet and way, way too much of it and lacks a certain amount of willpower.

but we have checked him out. he does not have any other medical problems that we can find. >> no diabetes? >> right. amazingly enough. because diabetes is very common in obese cats. but he is otherwise healthy. strictly obese. >> another explanation, you say, he turned up in roswell, maybe he eat a spaceship. aliens in here. >> it's a mutated cat in some way. he's on anow, right? >> he is on a diet. >> what's his diet? >> he's eating mostly meat, like a higher protein, low carbohydrate diet. he's already lost 2 pounds.yay. >> so he's on his way. >> for folks who have cats, they may have a more sedentary lifestyle, what's the take away from this? >> the thing is, a chubby cat is really not a happy cat. i mean, it's not okay to overfeed our animals. and clearly, he is a cat that can really barely walk now at this point. and it's going to be a hard road back to health.

so killing with kindness is something that we really need to avoid. >> make a comparison, if we could. because we have brooke and she's going to be bringing in a normal size cat. what's the name of your cat? >> oscar. >> be careful, oscar will disappear. >> there you go. >> what's the long-term plan? >> we're hoping to get him to lose about 10 pounds. he's in foster care right now. >> looking for a home? >> and yes, and then we'll start looking for a home for him. >> because you know actually it hurts him to be picked up unless he's held a certain way, he's that overweight. >> and he walks three steps and gets out of breath. >> very sweet, actually. jennifer, thanks. >> he likes you, matt. >> right after this. ♪

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7:56 is your time now, good morning to you, i'm eun yang. it's another chilly morning out there. will we warm up ever? let's get the forecast now from storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein. >> keep hope alive. afternoon highs should make it to around 60, a chill in the air, sunshine, a few clouds floating through, a live view from the sky watcher camera. temperatures near 40 degrees as we approach 8:00. reagan national is at 47, mid 40s near the bay waters, later today, upper 50's to near 60 degrees, a bit warmer tomorrow, wells thursday. wells thursday. >> weas a fashion blogger,

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and i'm matt taqa, looking at a little bit of good news on this one, 395 southbound. south of he hadal road, all lanes are reopened. a hefty delay. give yourself extra time. southbound on 270 is still stacked from urbana prior to 118. it does start to loosen up there. eun, back to you. >> matt, thank you. another news update in 25 minutes.

8:00 now on a tuesday morning, the 24th of april, 2012. what is going on with this weather? because there is now a chill in the air here in midtown manhattan. it's down to 41 degrees here on the plaza. but look at these faces. these people don't seem to mind. in fact, their smiles are making us all warm this morning. meantime, i'm ann curry out here on the plaza alongside matt lauer and al roker. coming up, someone who is sure to heat things up inside our studio. >> dr. nancy snyderman is on vacation so she's not a part of the professionals. look who is sitting in her chair. that is rosie o'donnell.

clearly someone who has some opinions about some hot topics. we're going to have some for her, including the subject of therapy. if it goes on too long, can it actually be harmful for a patient? no, apparently not. also ahead, are some college students facing unemployment now after they graduate, or underemployment because they majored in what some are calling, fake subjects. >> ooh. >> useless majors. we're going to be talking about that, as well. >> that will get the conversation started. also coming up this morning, we've got giada de laurentiis back in the house this morning. she's going to give us a globe trotting adventure, helping us sample foods, some of the best foods in the world, and how we can make them in our own kitchen. >> speaking of globe trotting. we've got a hot band from england where -- all around the world, but the wanted. taking the u.s. by storm with the u.s. debut album. they're going to be performing

live for us in the next half hour. >> let me see if i've got this right. you guys like them? of course you do! you will, as well. >> we've got a lot to get to. let's go inside, natalie morales standing by at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. trayvon martin's accused killer, george zimmerman, is wearing a bulletproof vest because of what his attorneys say are death threats posted on twitter. zimmerman was released on bail monday while he awaits his murder trial. meantime city commissioners in sanford, florida, refused last night to accept the resignation of police chief bill lee who came under fire for his handling of the shooting investigation. the prosecution's star witness returns to the stand on day two of the john edwards corruption trial. former aide andrew young says he helped edwards hide his pregnant mistress during the 2008 presidential campaign, even claiming the baby was his own. prosecutors say edwards used illegal campaign contributions

to pay for the cover-up. mitt romney's expected to sweep presidential primaries today in five eastern states, including new york and pennsylvania. romney appeared with florida senator marco rubio that a campaign stop monday, but dodged questions about rubio as a possible running mate. oscar winning singer and actress jennifer hudson broke down in tears monday as she testified at the murder trial of her former brother-in-law, william balfour. he's charged with killing hudson's mother, brother, and nephew four years ago. hudson testified that she had known balfour for years and had warned her sister not to marry him. james murdoch blamed subordinates today for the phone hacking scandal while he was running "the news of the world." appearing before a british inquiry, murdoch testified that his lieutenants misled him about the scope of the illegal phone hacking and denied there was a cover-up. his father, rupert murdoch, will testify tomorrow. the 168-year-old tabloid was forced to close because of the scandal.

now for a check of the markets, courtney reagan is at cnbc's world headquarters with more. a big meeting for the fed. >> good morning natalie. it's the first of a two-day meeting for the federal reserve. that's just one of the market events that investors will need to balance today because of the number of economic data reports as well as a slew of corporate earnings releases including one from the world's largest company. and what stands to be the most important earnings release of the quarter, apple will report its results after the bell today. analysts are looking for the effect behemoth to post nearly $37 billion in second quarter revenue. >> all right, courtney reagan at cnbc's world headquarters, thanks. now for a look at what's trending today our quick roundup of what has you talking online. reality stars giuliana and bill rancic have been top google search terms since their announcement monday on this program that they're expecting a baby through a gestational surrogate. they know the gender of the baby but they're keeping that detail secret. newly engaged brad pitt and angelina jolie had a beach ball in these photos circulating

online. they took their six kids to exotic galapagos islands to swim, snorkel, and draw pictures in the sand. jolie also managed a trip to a refugee settlement as part of her work with united nations. and a rare animal sighting revealed monday has become a fascination online. for the first time scientists in 2010 recorded an all-white adult male orca, iceberg as they named him, was spotted in the northern pacific off russia. and they've been looking for him ever since. a very cool picture there. 8:05 right now. let's go outside to al for a check of your weather. >> well, thank you so much, natalie. all these young ladies waiting for the fray. i mean, the wanted. the wanted. i was thinking about the fray. thanks. are you big fans of the wanted? >> yes! >> there you go. they're going to be on at 8:30. say hi to your mom. >> hi, mom! >> there you go. let's check your weather. as i your weather as i show you our pick city of the

day today, manhattan, partly cloudy, isolated shower, 60 degrees. and news4 our big station, looking at rain, still hanging around the northeast. a little frozen precipitation and some snowshowers, northeastern ohio into western p.a., western new york, showers in the pacific northwest. record highs continuing in the plains. breezy, throughout the southeast, a little bit cooler in miami. 78 degrees, but still we take it over our 41 degrees we're seeing right now. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4. the news4 sky watcher camera bouncing around a bit in a blustery wind. overlooking arlington on the horizon. we've got lots of sunshine on this tuesday, but there's a chill in the air. just in the low to mid 40s now. reagan national is at 47. later today, upper 50s to around 60. the wind picking up a bit during the afternoon, gusting to 30 miles per hour. some clouds back during the afternoon. then sunny doom, a bit milder, a

mild day on thursday, could get passing showers, over the >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. batten down the hatches because rosie o'donnell is in the house and she's about to take on the professionals. right after this. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ ya', you betcha honey. ya' think so? mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] some mornings, you just can't eat at the table. introducing eggo wafflers, a new kind of waffle packed with flavors like brown sugar cinnamon roll so you don't need syrup. new eggo wafflers. so you don't need syrup.

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and i know there's no orange like a tropicana florida orange. the soil and sunshine are just perfect here. tropicana pure premium is made with 100% florida oranges. because the best oranges make the best juice. i just wanted to say a few words. first of all, thank you for the lovely meal jane. mom. and let's hear it for sara's paper mache eiffel tower. it's the washington monument. and dad, i'll never forget what you said to me this morning. you said "brian, it's 11:15. get up." so maybe this is just the cake talking but let's celebrate! [ male announcer ] celebrate the little things. buy any kfc 10 pc meal or larger and get a free double chocolate chip cake. we're back now at 8:09 with "today's professionals." star jones and donny deutsch have their hands full this morning because rosie o'donnell

is sitting in for dr. nancy. >> what? >> good morning. >> what? >> good to have you here, rosie. you ready to have at it? >> i'm ready to have at it. >> let's start with a subject that's been making headlines over the past couple of weeks. the scandal involving the secret service and prostitutes in colombia. over the weekend a couple of lawmakers, in particular susan collins of maine and new york weighed in and said that this boys on spring break mentality might not exist were there more women hired by the secret service, and more women on trips like this. how do you feel about that? >> the studies have actually shown that gender diversity really does add to a company's bottom line. and if you put that on the secret service, it makes more sense. if you put people of different backgrounds and experiences, especially gender, at the table when decisions are being made, you're not going to run into the same kinds of problems. >> i'm not sure you're getting my question. i'm saying if they're on these trips and there are women there, are these guys going to be less likely to go out and misbehave?

>> yes, absolutely. because at the table when you're sitting around planning to go out and meet the hookers, you're not going to be making that plan with chicks sitting there with you. >> when i was a young comic i'd go on the road with young comics who were in their 030s and i knew their wives, all of them hooked up on every single trip. once there start to be more women comics on the bill it wasn't as easy. >> we're forgetting one thing, what these people do for a living. they protect the president. i'm going to give you guys a news flash. there's a reason the olympics, women and men don't box together. or they don't run together. physically, physically, the big part of this job, is men are, say the word, superior. women are superior intellectually -- >> they're bigger -- guys guys, i'm sorry -- >> i'm sorry, i just threw up on live tv. all you have to be able to do is take a bullet. a woman could take a bullet for the president. >> guys, would you just -- >> wait a second. we're talking about some people who were in colombia, they're dog handlers, they're logistics people. they're looking at locations. these aren't people who are necessarily going to take a bullet.

>> and one of them ended up doing the right thing was a woman. >> that is a good point. paula reed is getting a lot of credit. she's the head of the miami field office because she found out about this and called this team home. but is that about her gender? did she do the right thing because she's a woman or because she simply upheld her responsibility? >> she's a competent employee who did her job. >> well, i think because she's a woman. >> would a man have been less likely to do the right thing? >> yes, because there's a boys club situation. i don't think it's so shocking that men in power sometimes use prostitutes. prostitution is legal where they were. >> i'm going to say it again, i think we want them on that wall. guys there's a reason that men fight wars. women are superior intellectually superior. but, guys, let's not be so quick -- >> women are fighting wars, too. and why is it that men use the prostitutes and women don't? >> the next topic -- >> we want idiots protecting the president? >> would you want to know. "usa today" did this subject on line on monday.

if you had a 50/50 chance of developing a hereditary disease that took the life of a close family member of yours at the age of 45 would you want to have the medical gene testing that might tell you if you carried that same gene, and could die of that same disease? >> i had that. my mother died of breast cancer at 39 and i had the bcra test to see if i was positive. and it was a very tough decision. took me about eight years to decide to do it. because i thought, if i was positive, it didn't necessarily mean you were going to get it, you were just more at risk. so i finally took it. and wanted to know, because of life decisions. >> what was the upside? >> the upside was i could prepare myself emotionally. i could maybe, maybe plan out health things that were a little more regimented than going every six months. but, i was negative luckily. but i think i would want to know. >> would you guys have done the same thing? >> i would want to know. i think because i haven't had a heart issue, i would want to be able to plan out the rest of my life. >> i would want to know because "a" i'd be tortured by not knowing. and "b" i'd like to know if i'm

dying at 45 versus 85. i might live life a little differently. >> but changing your whole life if you did find out you had that gene necessarily be a good thing? wouldn't you live a very kind of conservative, contrived existence? >> i think it would be the opposite. maybe you'd let it rip. >> really? >> like that country song, live like you're dying. >> you know, it may influence your decision to have more children if you knew there was a good chance you were going to get a life threatening disease. >> you wouldn't have children at 45 if you thought -- all right let's move on. therapy. volunteer basis. raise your hand if you have been in therapy, or are currently in therapy. okay. interesting -- would you guys be more comfortable lying on a couch? >> by the way, i get frequent flyer miles. >> interesting article in "the new york times" over the weekend, suggesting that the longer people go in therapy, perhaps the less effective it is. how do we feel about that? >> i don't think you can draw a overall statement. i always like to say therapy is like a -- whatever works for you works. the thing that i think is important to realize, that these

people are human beings. and you have to use it as something for yourself, versus what they say is the gospel. i mean that's the big problem with therapy. is people use it as prescriptive versus using it as something kind of just to help you balance things around. >> how long have you been in therapy? >> seriously, since i'm 16. >> according to the article -- >> pretty good. >> according to the article the best results in therapy come between sessions seven and ten. >> i don't believe that at all. >> i disagree completely. it took me two years to get a breakthrough to talk about why i became a 300 pound woman at 5'5". it really did take two full years of sitting down, every week. i had closed off walls about it. so i can't imagine that you can do it in six or twelve sessions. >> wouldn't you agree there is a lot of ineffective therapy out there? >> yes. and you have to really find somebody who is able to match what your needs are. after being in therapy many years and then starting again a few years ago, i didn't want to go back to childhood stuff. i wanted to now deal with my present-day life. so you have to sort of find the therapist that fits the place

that you are. >> are you going to be a freudian therapist? or are you going to go to a behaviorist? do you want to change behavior or get into your brain. >> there are good doctors and bad doctors. >> college graduation season. hundreds of thousands of college grads are going to hit the job market in the next couple of months. according to a recent poll, one in two of them will be unemployed or underemployed, which isn't good news. is one of the reasons for this that many college students are studying useless majors? >> no. >> and they get out of college with no real employable skills. >> no. i hired tens of thousands of college graduates. your major, unless you are going to be an accountant or a doctor, is irrelevant. it's irrelevant. i'm just going to say -- >> i don't agree with that. >> let me finish one other thing. >> all right. >> i'm tired -- >> i'm teasing you. i'm teasing you. you're such a professional but you use a lot of words. >> i do. >> you're so much, therefore i believe -- >> so. >> and further more -- >> yes. >> i'm also tired of this learned helplessness with young

people that there are no jobs out there. that's ridiculous. >> i think if you get a degree in theater the chances of you getting a job in theater, minimal. right? if you love and you want to do that get a fine arts degree, there's not a lot of jobs out there. >> nowadays getting a law degree is very difficult, as well. to get a job as an attorney. i think you have to create your own niche. when you graduate from college, don't walk out thinking that the world is my oyster. it's not. you have to create it. >> but in today's employment situation, are degrees in things like fine arts, drama, philosophy, religious studies, are they useless when it comes to getting a job? >> yes! >> i don't know. i could use each one of those and come up with a niche market for me to go out and get a job. >> college versus the overall experience and i never looked at a major in my life in hiring people. >> let's wrap up with one of our favorite people. lindsay lohan it was announced yesterday has been cast to play a young elizabeth taylor in a new movie for the lifetime network. is this a good idea? >> i feel very sorry for her.

i think she needs a lot of help. she needs a lot of time away. >> is it a good idea to cast her in this movie? >> no. because she's had a lot of trouble doing every single movie, including "snl." she was out and not at rehearsal. i think she's not in a place to work. >> i used to think she was extremely talented. but i have not seen enough of her as an actress in recent years to really make an evaluation. >> it's a great idea. she's our generation's elizabeth taylor. she's the only one -- >> oh, come on! >> get out of here! >> -- before you shut up? >> the last thing she did good, she was 16. >> she's a great actress and she's got all that sensationalism. >> how do we know she's a great actress? >> she's good for it because she's right for the role or will bring attention to the movie? >> both. both. and i think she's going to be this generation's in real life. >> i don't think she's right for the role and i don't think she's capable at this point of doing what's needed to -- >> you're an ad man because you are looking this as a marketing opportunity. >> given what she's been through over the last several years when you attach her to a movie project does she attract viewers

or repel viewers? >> i think neither. i think kind of the interest level in hers awa s has waned. >> i think she's going to attract viewers, but i don't think for her talent. i think it's going to be for the train wreck she's going to see. >> on "snl" it wasn't as though she delivered. people watched expecting. she needs a lot of help. >> rosie o'donnell. >> can i just say barbra streisand's 70th birthday today? happy birthday barbra streisand! >> thanks for being here, rosie. star and donny, as always. up next, giada de laurentiis shares delicious recipes from around the world. ♪ [ female announcer ] irresistibly touchable skin hour after hour. ♪ it all starts with new 48-hour nivea extended moisture nivea. touch and be touched. now bring the world a touch closer.

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2012 camry hybrid. from toyota. ♪ doing project with different stores is a really cool idea. we want to bring a little piece of the boutique experience to target. a real taste of luxury. it's pretty special for us to imagine this little nook of polka dog will be in target stores all around the country. the shops we fell in love with, collected and curated for you. exclusively at target. cooking with giada is brought to you by target. giada's exclusive line of kitchen pducts and delicious food is only available at target and target.com. >> this morning on "cooking with giada today" recipes from all around the world. "today" contributor giada

de laurentiis is best known for her delicious italian dishes. but today, don't stop laughing at me, she's taking us on a road trip to sample a variety of international cuisines. giada. >> it's a tough name. >> it is not. i say it all the time. i'm just a dope. let me ask you this, because why, what prompted a nice italian girl like you to go international? >> you know. >> in her cooking. >> i think the thing is, is that weeknight meals at my house started getting a little bit on the boring side and todd and jade felt like we should explore. so we went exploring. so i came up with some greek meet balls. jade is a big, big lover of lamb. so i do ground lamb. you could obviously do ground beef if you wanted to. and i think it just kind of introduces kids, everybody to a few new flavors. i like to start young. she loves meet balms. anything meet ball. so we have some ground lamb and some couscous. very sort of north african. and we add a little bit, you can help me here. an egg, add some salt.

chopped parsley and some dried mint. so mint and lamb work really well together. slightly sweet. >> that's a lot of mint. >> it is a lot of mint. >> and this? >> that's olive oil. >> and then here comes the fun stuff. we've got dried oregano, cayenne, cumin and cinnamon. >> cinnamon amazing. >> scallions and garlic. >> you mix that together? >> with a spoon or fork. >> you can make this ahead of time? >> you can make them and form them and freeze them like this and cook them at the end. or you can cook them, let them cool completely, then freeze them. and freeze them three or four, however many your family wants to eat. because then what you can do is you can finish them off. >> some chefs like to brown them first. others like to cook them in the sauce. what's your way of cooking? >> for these in particular, because how moist the meat is i like to brown them first so they can hold their shape. then i make them in the sauce. a little bit of dry marinara. >> cinnamon. >> it's all about the warm spiciness.

and then you add that in and cook it for about ten minutes. and then this is what it looks like. just like that. >> wonderful. >> so there we go. >> so amazing. >> yum yum. >> you want to dry one later. >> i'm going to go for that now. >> go ahead and try that. >> where else are we going around the world? >> we're going to thailand. and my sauce has now burned. >> because i took so long saying your name. >> we've got some shallots. and this is ground turkey. you can make it with anything you want. this is a really fast one. thai chilies and some lemon grass, which is very lemony. >> can you find lemongrass at the grocery store? >> oh, yes. these days you can find a lot of different ingredients. >> hi. >> hi. >> we're going to want to start with this one. this is the lamb meatballs. >> okay. >> got it. >> natalie wanted the lettuce. >> i want to try that. >> the turkey lettuce. >> thai food has become one of our favorites. this is really easy. literally it takes eight minutes to cook down the ground turkey. and then you make a quick

vinaigrette. >> go ahead. >> sorry. >> honey, fish sauce, lime juice, lemon juice and mint. that's it. >> we didn't get to peru we'll do it next time. we've got beauties over there to show you. good morning, it is 8:26 on this tuesday, april 24th, let's go to storm center 4 meteorologist tom kierein with a look at the forecast. tom? >> the air is fresh and clean and chilly. a blue sky, bright sunshine. live view from the news4 sky watcher camera temperatures are climbing into the 40s throughout much of the region. reagan national at 47. and later today, highs around 60 degrees. tomorrow, a bit milder, more sun around into the mid 60s. clouds thursday, could have some showers morning and midday. highs near 70. a bit cooler on friday and saturday. quite a bit of cloudiness, might get more rain sunday, aaron? get more rain sunday, aaron? >> thank

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good morning, matt taqa with the latest problem on the topside outer loop. approaching 97, slowing right there, 29. at this point you're going to see a heavy go all the way back to 95. now you've got some heavy traffic on 395, earlier south of

edsall accident cleared, but you can see the delays and a bit of a thick go between the 14th street bridge and the beltway. aaron, back to you. >> thank you, matt, on "news4 midday," we'll sit hey guys, breakfast! ♪ [ female announcer ] if whole grain isn't the first ingredient in your breakfast cereal, what is? now, in every box of general mills big g cereal, there's more whole grain than any other ingredient. that's why it's listed first on the side.

from honey nut cheerios to cinnamon toast crunch to lucky charms, get more whole grain than any other ingredient... without question. just look for the white check. ♪ make you glad >> we're back now at 8:30 on a tuesday morning. 24th of april, 2012. some happy campers out on our plaza this morning. a lot of these people got here very early to check out the sensational boy band from britain, the wanted. as they come out on the plaza to say hi to some of their fans. and shake a few hands. they're going to be performing for us in just a little while in

this half hour. we'll get to that. out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, natalie morales, and mr. al roker. what else is coming up? >> also coming up we're going to ask the question, specifically of women, did you ever wish that you knew then what you know now? in fact, there's a new book that's tackling the 30 things that women should know by the time they turn 30, and some terrific advice in it. coming up we're going to get to some of those things people should know. >> then if you're struggling with your weight, do you really need to -- can you really trust the calorie count that you see on restaurant menus? well, we are going to take a look at some of your favorite restaurant chains, and put those -- test those counts to the test. >> and then "jill's steals & deals" and once again she has something for everyone from hand bags, to great jewelry, so be sure to stick around for that, as well. >> okay. >> all right. before we get to all that can we

please say hello to colton dixon? the latest contestant voted off "american idol." nice to see you. >> thank you. nice to be here. >> so the first time that you ended up in the bottom three. >> first time. last time. >> first and last. and you were there next to two people who had consistently been in the bottom three. >> yes. >> do you think you deserved to go home? >> compared to how people did that week, i definitely deserved the bottom. you know, i was shocked i went home again because i'd never been in the bottom. but that's the way it happens sometimes. you've got to roll with it and keep going. >> you received a lot of criticism for your performance of earth, wind and fire's "september." >> one of my favorite songs. >> but that's not a performance that you regret. >> right. i think the lady gaga song was a bad choice for me. not musically or what i wore or anything like that. but i think the message behind the song isn't something that i related to. and it was something america couldn't relate to either.

so i think that hurt me. >> philip, one of your fellow contestants had really emotional reaction to your elimination. that was pretty touching to see that kind of emotion. >> it was. i saw him afterwards and i was like philip, you're wigging out. and he was like no, dude, i was praying for you. we prayed together before and after every show, so it was cool to look over and see what was really going on. definitely touching. >> -- now with their music career, because obviously, you know, people, you know, look at somebody to look up to. does it take much to go from "american idol" to being a sensation? >> this year is critical. it's always the most critical year for an idol contestant because everyone is curious of what you're going to do. i'm going to write until my fingers bleed. and see what comes out on the record. >> good luck to you.

thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. colton dixon, by the way, a reminder the "american idol" winner and runner-up will perform here live on our show on thursday, may 31st. check that out. get a check of the wea 31st so out. it's chilly here, that's what's going on around the country, here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. good morning, a beautiful blue sky now, live view from our news4 sky watcher camera looking "today" montgomery county in the foreground. off in the distance is southern loudoun county. we've got a beautiful sunny morning under way, with tempts chilly, mid and upper 40s with a wind gusting around 20 miles per hour. the wind may pick up later today with clounds returning during the afternoon. up near 60 degrees. tomorrow, mid 60s and sunshine. milder on >> that's your latest weather. >> okay. >> all right. >> still to come this morning the 30 things every woman should know before they turn 30. >> but first this is "today" on nbc.

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back now at 8:36. this morning on "today's woman," wise words for women at the age of 30. the editors of glamour magazine recently asked a host of celebrities what they wished they had known by the time they hit the big 3-0. take a look. >> i wish, you know, someone would have said, it's so fun. you know what i mean? as opposed to, you're going to die on your 30th birthday. >> i think you've gotten enough experience just being in the world, and i think at 30 you should really get down to the business of being an adult, and being a woman. >> i wish i had known better about financial independence, first, foremost, and always. and this is a tough thing for young women. they're barely probably getting

along in first jobs. >> exercise. take care of this because you only get one. you know. and be kind to it. because it's kind to us. you just don't know it yet until you're 30. >> if i could talk to my younger self at 30, i would say don't worry, you know, it just gets better from here. you should celebrate your 30s. celebrate your 30th birthday. >> the collection of advice has now become a book called "30 things every woman should have and should know by the time she's 30." cindy levy is glamour magazine's editor. good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> talk to us about the inspiration for this book. >> well, this book was actually gun 15 years ago. there was a list that glamour published written by a glamour contributing editor called 30 things every woman should have and should know by the time she's 30. some of the things on it were very practical. some were more soulful. what we found, almost instantaneously is that women

started forwarding this list to one another. first, to thousands of women and then to millions. it was ultimately misattributed to everybody from jesse jackson to hillary clinton to maya angelou which is actually very flattering. it was taught in classrooms. we realized that there was something about these bits of wisdom that was very profound and struck a chord with women. so we decided to ask, as you just said, celebrities and notable writers to elaborate on some of these items. >> before we get to some of these bits of wisdom as you term them, why do you suppose turning 30 has become so pivotal? >> well, it's the kind of thing you hear so many women say. gosh i wish i had known all this before i turned 30. but there's something about that age, particularly for women, when you can start to let go of some of the insecurities, and the worries that plagued you in your 20s. but you still have so much of your life ahead of you. and it really is that moment, as

pamela just said, that you decide you need to get down to the business of being a grown-up woman. >> so we've taken a lot of this great advice in this book and we've brought them down to five essentials. >> right. >> bits of wisdom. one is the ability to fall in love without losing yourself. >> this is a big one. this is such a key thing, particularly young women. with all due respect to that line in jeremy maguire, you complete me. that's kind of a load of hooey. the best way to be happy in a relationship is to go in as a complete person. once you can figure out how to do that you're going to be much happier. >> you won't get lost. find the confidence to quit a job. >> yes. to quit a job well. this is key. you know you don't want to storm off in one of those, take this job and shove it moments. you want to be able to leave the job in such a way that they actually could hire you back again. and that's a very particular skill. >> another skill is to know the comfort of living alone. >> yeah. you know, listen, most of us do want to spend our lives with somebody, but it is really important to know that if push came to shove you could live alone and not only be okay, but

actually enjoy your own company. that's a really key skill. and so many young women say, gosh, it was living alone that that really taught me who i was as a person. >> so as a result that goes back to your first point, being able to come into middle age and have your own sense. >> also you say the knowledge that your body is beautiful. >> yes. i mean listen we all have things we want to improve. we all have things we want to change. you can't change the width of your hips, you can't change the length of your legs. i'm 5'2". i'm never going to be gisele. once you realize that and appreciate your body for what it is you're going to be so much happier. it's a really important moment for a woman. >> waste all that time. >> can you get those years back? >> i know, exactly. and lastly on our list today, and it may be one of the hardest, which is the belief you delve it. >> yeah. i mean listen, whatever it is to you, the job, the raise, the guy, the relationship, the dream, whatever it is, you have to believe you deserve it or nobody else is going to believe

that. if you want to teach people to respect you, you have to respect yourself to begin with. it's just a simple thing and it can sound so klee they but it is at the root of so much happiness, particularly for young women. >> to know your worth. thank you so much. cindy levy always trying to help us. >> thank you, ann. >> and always make women feel better. >> enjoy the book. >> i -- i am. and the book again is called "thirty things every woman should have and should know by the time she's 30." and still ahead, something to make us happy, a live performance from one of the hottest boy bands in the world, called the wanted. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. got my bearings. ♪ a little bird told me about a band. ♪ an old man shared some fish stories. ♪ ooh, my turn. ♪

she was in paris, but i still got to see her. we talked for hours. ♪ everyone else buzzed about the band. music, stories, adventures, memories. ♪ ...all at my fingertips. ♪ there's a wireless mind inside all of us. ♪ so, where to next? ♪

we're back now at 8:44 with the life-changing secret that was kept for years from madeleine albright, the first woman to become u.s. secretary of state. she writes about it in her new book called "prague winter." "today" national correspondent jamie gangel has that story. jamie, good morning.

>> good morning, matt. the secret albright's parents never told her was that her family was not roman catholic, as she always believed, but jewish. and that most had perished in concentration camps during the holocaust. albright admits she was shocked and embarrassed that she didn't know about her family. so she began a personal quest to find out everything she could. >> i knew about the holocaust, i just didn't know it applied to me. >> reporter: every family has secrets. but former secretary of state madeleine albright says nothing prepared her for what she found. this is your life? there were secret police records identifying her parents as jewish. nazi i.d. cards documenting the fate of her family. >> so this would have been your grandfather? and the realization that three of her grandparents and at least 25 members of her family, were killed just because of their

religion. what was it like to discover all of this? >> well, it was so -- the number of people's lives that are then cataloged in this whole other way. very organized, you know, interesting to do research from unless they happen to be people that are related to you. >> reporter: efficient, but in effect death sentences. >> death sentences. >> reporter: for albright, who was just 2 years old when the war broke out, the revelations have been both a fascinating and painful journey. why did you pick that photo for the cover? >> i think it just shows a happy little girl who doesn't know what's about to happen. >> reporter: while her father, a czech diplomat, managed to escape with his immediate family to london, albright now realizes just how precarious it was. >> this is the only picture that i have of me with my grandmothers.

we're actually leaving. >> reporter: this letter was written by her grandmother the day before she was sent to the nazi concentration camp. >> i'm going to wash my hair, do some shopping, and clean the house. in the evening, i will prepare dough for the bread to bake in the morning. i hope that once i get to terrazin i will calm down. i would like to ask you, not to waist your strength worrying about us. you will need it for yourself. i promise that i have a very strong will to survive. somewhere, in some foreign land, we will meet again. >> reporter: heartbreaking. >> it just -- it's horrendous. absolutely horrendous. >> reporter: who survived was often a question of luck. one cousin was saved on the children's transport. but her younger sister was killed in the camps. remarkably, some of her drawings survived and albright found this

one displayed at the jewish museum in prague. >> reporter: this is millena. she's done all these ams. ing pictures. because of the pictures while in a concentration camp, and then you look at the face and you realize that this is somebody that looks like me, that -- i mean it's just -- it's poignant. >> going there was the hardest part for you? >> very hard. >> reporter: was there one thing that just hit you the most? >> there's not one thing, i have to say. going to look at the rooms in which they held people, you can kind of feel the screaming, people, or the crowdedness, or the lack of any way of trying to figure out how you get out. and just kind of picturing people that were related to me in this horrible, horrible place.

>> despite everything she discovered, albright admits she still wrestles with one question. why her parents kept this secret. if your parents were here today, what would you ask them? >> tell me what happened. and tell me why you did it. they were such amazingly good people, who i think were trying very hard to put a very, very painful past behind them. >> this is a fascinating book. it's getting rave reviews, matt. i read it twice. it's a great history of world war ii, and also just a heartwrenching personal story. you know, there were skeptics who questioned how albright could not have known about her family. and she really hopes this book will put that to rest, and will honor her family. matt? >> all right, jamie, thank you very much for sharing the story with us. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

the "toyota concert series on today," brought to you by toyota. >> the british pop musical sensation the wanted formed in 2009 and quickly achieved international success. today the band is out with its self-styled titled u.s. debut ep

called the wanted max storage. tom parker, nathan sieps, steve warren and james mcginnis. men, good morning. >> good morning. >> so congratulations. you must be just thrilled. what are the emotions as you now await today's release of your debut ep? >> pretty overwhelmed to be honest with you. >> yeah? >> we sold two albums in the uk so we're kind of touching everybody in america of what we've been doing. >> congratulations on that. outside all we had to do was say the wanted and people just started screaming. how are you handling the adulation? i mean is there a downside to this? >> the only downside is we've got to go home and walk into our family living room and there's no screams. come on, now. come on. >> meantime, i understand you've been roaming, having a lot of fun, including going to the playboy mansion? >> we did. >> whether you liked that.

>> pretty unusual. >> listen i'm now going to step offstage while you sing the song we're now going to listen to, glad you came. ♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all that counts is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ you cast a spell on me spell on me ♪ ♪ you hit me like the sky fell on me fell on me ♪ ♪ and i decided you look well on me well on me ♪ ♪ so let's go somewhere no one

else can see you and me ♪ ♪ turn the lights out now now i'll take you by the hand ♪ ♪ hand you another drink and drink it if you can ♪ ♪ can you spend a little time time is slipping away ♪ ♪ away from us so stay stay with me i can make ♪ ♪ make you glad you came ♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all that counts is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ ♪ you cast a spell on me spell on me ♪ ♪ and i decided you look well on me well on me ♪

♪ so no one else could see you and me ♪ ♪ the lights down now ♪ hand you another drink drink it if you ♪ ♪ can you spend a little time time is slipping away ♪ ♪ away from us so stay stay with me i can make make you glad you came ♪ ♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all that counts is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa oh, oh, whoa i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ♪ ♪ whoa oh, oh, i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ♪ ♪ whoa, oh, oh, i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came ♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all i want is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came i'm glad you came ♪ thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thanks, fans. 8:56 is your time now on this tuesday, april 24th, 2012, good morning, i'm eun yang. let's check in with storm center 4 meteorologist tom kierein in the forecast. >> good morning, the air is rather chilly still, we're only in the 40s as we approach the 9:00 hour. reagan national is at 51 and right near the bay it's near 50.

but elsewhere, mid 40s, winds around 20 miles per hour. and we've got plenty of sunshine. a few clouds developing again later this afternoon. with a blustery wind and the highs around 60. a bit warmer tomorrow with more sun. a mild day on thursday, a the although of clouds around. maybe passing showers morning and midday. a little sun back on friday and saturday. right now the weekend looks like we may get some rain on sunday. high near 60. eun? >> we'll take a break. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪

matt taqa with the look at the roads, it looks like we're in the clearing stages of the accident on the outer loop approaching georgia avenue. delays still back there, 14 miles per hour around new hampshire. and we're seeing some delays coming down on 95, at least from 212. eun, back to you. >> matt, thank you. coming up on "news4 midday." we'll

we're back now with more of "today" on a tuesday morning. 24th day of april, 2012. that's the wanted. the very popar british boy band. we're going to hear more music from them in just a little while. we are out on the plaza in the middle of the wanded frenzy. i'm matt lauer with ann curry. al roker and savannah guthrie. nice to have you back. coming up we're going to talk about a very tearful day on the witness stand for oscar and

grammy winner jennifer hudson. she, of course, testified in the trial of a young man who's accused of killing members of her family. >> that's right. it was happening in the chicago courtroom. she was struggling to keep her composure at the trial of the man who's accused of killing her mother, her brother and her nephew four years ago and she's expected to be in court every day. we're going to have more on what she had to say yesterday coming up in a live report. >> turning the tables, to visit another joy bauer today's health -- helping us with our diets, she's going to answer those dieting questions, got a little verklempt there, whether you can trust the calorie count on menus when you go out to eat. yeah you may be surprised at what one recent study found. plus how to incorporate some unusual veggies in your diet when you go out. >> hmm. >> and also, friendly reminder so your mom doesn't have to remind you, mother's day, coming up in 2 1/2 weeks. and for that reason we have a special edition of "jill's steals & deals." she's got everything from note

cards, hand bags, jewelry, some of those hair straighteners. >> you give your mother a hair straightener? >> you could. it's a steal. up to 80% off. >> yeah. >> just some ideas. >> doesn't always work. >> not necessarily good ideas but we have some ideas for you. let's go inside, natalie is standing by at the news desk with a check of the headlines. >> good morning to you guys once again. good morning, everyone. more controversy today for the city of sanford, florida, in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed teen trayvon martin. that city's police chief turned in his resignation after facing mounting pressure for not charging admitted gunman george zimmerman. but on monday city leaders voted to reject police chief bill lee's resignation. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta spoke out about the ongoing prostitution scandal during a visit to colombia on monday. saying his primary concern is whether or not the alleged misbehavior posed a security threat.

12 members of the u.s. military, including members of the secret service, are now under investigation, and have lost their security clearances. meantime, the latest target in the probe is a u.s. army soldier who works at the white house communications agency. this, according to the pentagon. the prosecution's star witness returns to the stand on day two of the john edwards corruption trial. former aide andrew young says he helped edwards hide his pregnant mistress during the 2008 presidential campaign, even claiming the baby was his own. prosecutors say edwards used illegal campaign contributions to pay for the cover-up. mitt romney is expected to sweep presidential primaries today in five eastern states, including new york and pennsylvania. romney appeared with florida senator marco rubio that a campaign stop on monday. but dodged questions about rubio as a possible running mate. excuse me. oscar winning singer and actress jennifer hudson broke down in tears monday as she testified at the murder trial of her former brother-in-law, william balfour.

nbc's katie tur is in chicago with more. katie, excuse me, i lose my voice here. jennifer hudson was on the stand yesterday for 30 minutes. during that time she told the court that she's known the defendant, william balfour since they were in middle school. now for much of the testimony she did fight back tears. but she broke down when she was asked to remember the last time she saw her mother, brother, and her young nephew alive. >> jennifer hudson! ♪ >> reporter: from center stage to the witness stand, jennifer hudson was the first person called to testify at the murder trial of her ex-brother-in-law william balfour. holding back tears, hudson told the court she tried to warn her sister julia, saying i would tell her over and over again not to marry william. and when asked about the last time she'd seen her mother, brother, and her 7-year-old nephew she nicknamed hugabear hudson broke down, took

a second, and described a surprise family reunion shortly before they were murdered. i was playing my piano, and my mother sat on one side of me, and my brother sat on the other side. i was singing them a song. and it was just us being a family. hudson wasn't with her family when they were murdered in october 2008. she recently told lester holt on "dateline" that a last-minute phone call from her fiance likely saved her life. >> i was literally picking up my bag to walk out the door to go to my mother's house, and he called me like, can you come out here, instead of going. that one decision. that one thing, i wouldn't be sitting here. >> reporter: prosecutors say balfour, in a jealous rage, shot and killed hudson's mother and brother inside hudson's childhood home. her 7-year-old nephew julian was found dead three days later in an abandoned suv. chicago criminal defense

attorney sam adam jr. is confident jurors won't be unduly sympathetic to the dream girls star. >> nobody is going to find balfour guilty because it was jennifer hudson's family. >> reporter: the defense claims there are no witnesses, and no physical evidence tying balfour to the crime. instead they say the family was targeted because hudson's brother, jason, was an alleged drug dealer. jennifer hudson remained in the court when her sister julia testified about balfour's alleged threats when they broke up. recounting how he told her, if you leave me, you will be the last to die. i'll kill your family first. the trial is expected to last about a month. jennifer hudson has said she plans to be here for every day of it. natalie? >> katie tur in chicago. thank you, katie. and check out this gorgeous view of our home. nasa released this video called walking in the air. it's a series of time lapse sequences shot on board the international space station. from auroras to comets to

storms, it really is a wonderful world. it's just beautiful. could look at that all day. right now let's go back to al with a check of your weather. >> do they have speakers outside the space station playing that music? >> exactly. it's an orchestra, al. >> very cool. natalie, thank you. let's see what we've got for today. and it' today. and it's really the tale two of countries, temperaturewise. here in the east, it's way below-normal temperatures, we've got a big strong ridge in the west, pumping up the jet stream to the north, that allows things to heat up nicely, 84 in billings, 8 7 in salt lake city, casper wyoming and denver should break records as well. you head east and look at these temperatures, 38 degrees for a high in bradford, p.a. binghamton at 45, 12 degrees below normal. albany will be below 60 degrees, seven degrees blow where it should be, here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. welcome, sunshine on this tuesday, good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. right now around the region,

temperatures are still chilly, we're in the mid and upper 40s to near 50 degrees. and later today, climbing to near 60. a lot of the snow will be melting that fell out in western maryland. by dawn tomorrow, another chilly start, down to the upper 30s. and during the day on wednesday, warmer with some sunshine back. mid 60s and cloudy, mild on thursday, could get some passing showers. over the weekend, some more showers possible sunday. it is time for joy's diet s.o.s., answer your daily diet dilemmas. nutritionist joy bauer, author of the new book "the joy fit club" has advice. look at that picture. on everything from portion sizes when you eat out to picking to splurge every once in awhile. congratulations on the book. >> thank you so much. so excited about the book. >> i can't wait. let's check in with cristina, coming in on skype from san ford, california. good morning and what's your question, christina. >> in an eford to be healthier

my husband and i are making better food choices, watching our portions. and exercising more. when we go out to eat we try to choose dishes with a reasonable amount of calories. but sometimes it seems like too much food. how do we know if the calorie amount is per portion or for the entire dish? >> that's a great question. >> it's a great question. so typically, the calories that they list on menus or on the website are going to be for one portion, one entree. and if that entree is like family style, and several portions, it should clearly state it. so if you don't see that it's for one portion. so that being said, restaurants notoriously present you with oversized portions. and there's even a recent study out of tufts university and they collected random samples of restaurant entrees from around the country, and it winds up that an average restaurants are undershooting on their calories by 18%. >> whoa. >> you're right. they generally will be more calories than you think they are.

the other thing to know is when you look up how many calories are in your entree on the websites for some of the major chains, sometimes it's just for the entree, for the grilled piece of fish or the turkey burger and they're not automatically working in the side accompaniments like the saucy vegetables or the potatoes or the rice. so look those up, too, if that's the case, and then tally up your totals on your own. but with all of this in mind, i say don't sweat about the details in that restaurant meal. you go out occasionally, you're already picking this healthy, terrific option, compared to some of the other fattening things on the menu. just enjoy every delicious bite. >> all right. thanks christina. happy dining. now let's go to the phones. we've got erica. she's joining us via phone from chicago illinois. hi, erica. >> hi, joy. if i want to splurge on an unhealthy drink every once in awhile, what is better, lemonade or diet soda? >> neither. my gut says pick water and says

save that occasional splurge for some sort of indulgent food like chocolate cake or french fries. that's my opinion. from a health perspective there's really not a right answer. the lemonade is loaded with sugar and the diet soda has art fish sweetener. neither is a bargain for your body. in the moment pick whichever one you want. >> thanks, erica. now let's go to viewer e-mail, comes from grace in new york city. writing i love spaghetti squash but it's difficult to prepare. it's very hard to caught while raw and i don't know the best way to cook it whole. will it be any easier to cut it open if i cook it first. >> i can so relate to this one because so often you're exerting so much pressure on that squash, one small slip and there's blood everywhere. what i would do is put it in the microwave, soften it up for three to four minutes. then cut off the tough outer skin, slice it in half, scoop out the seeds and pop it into

the oven on 375, face down for about 30 minutes and it's perfect. if you don't want to deal with the microwave you can cook it whole. you can put it in for an hour to an hour and a half depending on the size. but before you put it in the oven pierce it several times because you want the skin to ventilate. otherwise the squash is going to explode. and the only downside is you have to let it cool. and it's a little bit messy after it's cooked to get the seeds out. but it's doable. >> okay. >> doable. >> i love spaghetti squash. >> me, too. all right, thanks so much. still ahead we've got the private life of music mogul simon cowell. a new unauthorized biography about his love life, his fort rns, even his tv viewing. he likes cartoons! but up next a mother's day edition of "steals & deals." got jill martin with exclusive discounts on the hottest jewelry right after these messages. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically.

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what will you gain when you lose? doing project with different stores is a really cool idea. we want to bring a little piece of the boutique experience to target. a real taste of luxury. it's pretty special for us to imagine this little nook of polka dog will be in target stores all around the country. the shops we fell in love with, collected and curated for you. exclusively at target. to our kraft natural cheese to make it creamier. so whatever you make isn't just good, it's amazing. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've ♪ ♪ found ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've ♪ [ beso, agents, why did i make you wear these costumes? because the new avengers movie is coming out. and what does that have to do with us? we're the superheroes of insurance. [ makes whooshing sound ]

whoa! how did you-- shh. [ all gasping ] [ announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ [ metal clanging ] back now with our popular series, "jill's steals & deals." today "us weekly" contributor jill martin is here with deeply discounted items exclusively for our "today" viewers. some make great gifts for mother's day. >> good morning. >> remind us again how this works. >> go on to today.com right now and all of these things will be listed. we will link you to the retailer's website. it's only up for 24 hours and a lot of things sell out really quickly. so if you want it now for mom or for yourself, which a lot of people will, go on right now. >> and deliverable by mother's day. >> yeah, yeah. some of it will come within a week or two weeks.

then after that it will take longer. again it's just getting on today.com right now and getting what you want. >> let's get to our products. starting off first with these great jersey dresses from michelle jonas. >> these are $198. high quality, comfy. retail. machine washable. available in four colors and great to layer. you can go over a bathing suit or just a cute little dress to have going into spring/summer. also great for traveling because they are wrinkle free. celebs include angelina jolie. maybe she'll wear this white one to her wedding. j. lo, the retail, $198, the deal $49.50. that's 75% off. >> wow. that is a steal all right. >> okay. over here now, hair straightening. this system or so many people are obsessed with straightening their hair. including moms. >> and including me. i have very curly hair and i do this, too. very curly. this is retail $99.95. smoothing and straightening system. you hear about a lot of people going to salons to do it. this is at home.

>> and formaldehyde free. >> and the big deal is everyone said for mom, for mother's day? my mother and i know so many moms obsessed with getting straight hair but they don't want the formaldehyde. this is a great gift. my mother already asked for it. four step process. natural, at home. great for all hair types including if they're color treated. not that i have to worry about that. and two treatments, retail $99.95. the deal $30. that's 70% off. >> you are a natural blonde. >> right. exactly. in my world i am. >> look at that, $30 for this whole set. that's amazing. this is going to fly. because if you have stationery you know personalized cards are so expensive. you have luxury note cards by stegsery studio. >> the retail, $225 for 100 cards and matching envelopes. you see on the back the return address. so that's $225 retail. it's printed in raised ink on

triple thick extra heavy weight stock in white or ivy. you feel it they're very substantial. it comes in an elegant white box if you want to pick it and send it. it's always nice to send a handwritten card still. the retail $225. the deal $54.95. that's 76% off. >> and that's for 100 cards. >> 100 cards and the envelopes and the return address. >> excellent. beautiful. some jewelry. we have necklaces for moms. they say mom very clearly on them. these are by lisa stewart. they come in a couple different styles. >> the retail $85. comes in three different styles, each available in silver and gold. you see all the different styles here. the open heart, the open circle, and then love mom forever, halle berry, jessica alba, j. lo. the retail, $85. the deal $25. that's 71% off. >> that is great. okay. last but not least, because these are always big block

busters. ha bags. this is the mira hand bag. >> retail, $250. how great is this? a lot of people ask for a new bag. >> right. >> going into spring/summer. available in eight colors. it is faux leather. now there are five pockets inside to organize everything. you can take the strap off. you could wear it as a hobo bag, all different ways. >> and you can bunch up. >> all different ways. what a great schlepp bag. the retail $250. the deal $59. that's 76% off. and lots of great colors. >> it is faux leather. >> faux leather. >> but they feel like the real deal. all right jill martin. thank you from "us weekly." again, the products are going the carmen dress, the keratin earth straightening system, the stationery cards, the lisa stewart mother's day necklaces and the mira hand bags. and as an added bonus we have a secret web only deal for viewers who are fans of "today's"

facebook page. logon to find out about our sixth deal and get the coupon code for all of our deals today. and jill martin with "us weekly," as always, thanks. coming up, indoor and outdoor fun with the newest toys to keep your kids busy. [ male announcer ] at pizza hut, we know your tuesdays are busy. but with pizza hut's tuscani tuesday, we have you covered! get pasta for two for just six bucks, or family-size pasta for just ten bucks on tuesdays. both complete with breadsticks. only on tuesdays.

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[ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek. last week's episode of the nbc hit show "the biggest loser" was filled with controversy and team mutiny. bob harper is one of the trainers. good morning. >> what's going on? >> the drama. tell us what happened? >> it literally was crazy. these guys forgot that they signed up for a reality show. >> wow. >> basically they quit. they all walked out. >> yes, they didn't like the twist that the contestants were going to be coming back. >> have they never seen the show? >> that's exactly what i said, al. i said, have you never seen the show? it happens every single season. really. we're not going to do this. we're not going to stand for it. and they just left. >> so mark and buddy physically

packed up their things and left. are we going to see them in the finale? >> that's a really good question. i don't know that. because the -- before if we've ever had anybody quit, which if i really think about it, we've never -- >> you've been with the show 13 years? >> since the very beginning. a long time. >> in fairness to them, from their point of view they're like, look, we made it this far and now we got to meet all these people again. >> right. >> really trying. >> but the thing about it it just goes back to, it's a reality show. there's always going to be a twist. there's always going to be a turn. there's going to be contestants that come back to try to fight for a position back in the house. life isn't fair. that's what you try to teach them. there's the lesson there. >> tell us about conda. >> she's -- >> she's a controversial. >> is she really that tough in real life? >> no, she actually is a sweet girl. she's just, you know, she doesn't really take a lot of crap from anybody. >> she's in the finale, though.

>> yes, she is. >> and she can pull a minivan. >> i know, that was a fun day. >> all right, bob. >> "biggest loser" tonight 8:00, 7:00 sent tral. so much acid in. my dentist said that the acid in fruit, or fruit juice or fruit teas softens the enamel so that then it can potentially erode. once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel to help harden that enamel so that it's not brushed away. pronamel protects your teeth from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. i can have the best of both worlds with pronamel. ♪ you take a message. take a boo-boo and make it better. take a nap? lol. take a breath. you take care of it all. let nutri-grain help take care of you. it's tasty -- made with real fruit, whole grains, fiber...

soft and sweet. take a moment. then take on that to-do list with a grin. kellogg's nutri-grain. take care of you™. 9:26 is your time on this tuesday, april 24th, 2012, good morning. let's check in with storm center 4 meteorologist tom kierein, for a look at the forecast. >> warming up now, we've got a breezy blue sky, the air is fresh and clean. a live view from our sky watcher camera. we have winds gusting to around 20 miles per hour. temperatures now are near 50 degrees. much of the region. and later today, a cool afternoon, highs only around 60. clouds building by later this afternoon. then mostly sunny tomorrow, 30s in the morning, afternoon highs mid 60s, a mild day thursday, might get passing showers, a lot of clouds around. friday and saturday, partly sunny, and still a bit cool.

maybe some rain on sunday. eun? >> thank you, we'll take a break and check traffic.

matt taqa with the latest rook at the roads, we're still seeing a little congestion on the south side at the woodrow

wilson bridge. if you're taking that up to van dorn street, average, 55 miles per hour. looking good there. congestion still on the west side, 50 and the beltway to this point from the interchange up to the dulles, 25 miles per hour. the dulles, 25 miles per hour. eun, back to you. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this.

we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. they're some of the hottest faces in hollywood have been sleted as the most beautiful in year's past but who will be named this year's people's most beautiful? well the list is about to come out and we will reveal who will grace the cover and who received honorable mention. that's tomorrow on "today." >> meanwhile coming up, simon cowell. you know him for his golden touch when it comes to picking talent. what's he really like, though, behind closed doors? well a new unauthorized biography called "sweet revenge" reveals everything about his lifestyle and most intimate details of his love life and his penchant for luxury.

>> black toilet paper. >> ooh. >> apparently. >> called "sweet revenge." can that go well for him? >> well, i don't know. >> we're going to find out. coming up. >> all right. also ahead, yachts and private jets may be the choice of millionaires, but forget it. we've got some affordable toys every kid will be clamoring for. we will show you some of the best bets to keep your kids busy outside in the warm months ahead and some fun ones for those rainy days spent indoors, as well. >> and i used to say, mommy, unlock the door! >> that explains a lot about you, al. >> plus another fun activity that will have your kids buzzing, we're making sweet treats with some creative touches. when we say buzzing, we're talking about -- >> really buzzing. >> a bee hive cake with marzipan bees. and so much more. >> ooh. that looks adorable. >> and yummy at the same time. >> ooh, cute. >> nice. >> first al has a check of our weather. >> if i'm not too busy to give that to

weather. >> today some wet weather in the pacific northwest. showers in the central ohio river valley, and western new york and p.a., a few showers. and a lot of heat in the plains, for tomorrow, the warmth continues there. risk of strong storms in the mid mississippi and ohio river valleys, clouds in the new england area, look for sunny and warm conditions through the gulf, sizzling west texas into the southwest and the southern rockies. here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4. right now a bright blue breezy morning under way. line view from our sky watcher camera winds gusting to around 20 miles per hour. and the air is still cool, we're only in the upper 40s to near 50 degrees. later today, warming up about another ten degrees, that will make it up around 60, and a few clouds returning during the afternoon and parts of the evening. then tomorrow, lighter winds, sunshine, chilly in the morning, afternoon highs mid 60s, might get some showers with mild weather on thursday, more showers possible sunday. and th weather. >> all right, al, thanks.

coming up next, love him or loathe him, the unauthorized biography of simon cowell. we've got the juicy details. ♪ we were skipping stones and letting go ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, rich dark chocolate, toasted oats. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious.

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[ female announcer ] and discover strong, healthy hair with life. new nourish+ strengthen, from the nourish+ hair care collection. only from aveeno. and we are talkingren about activia.llection. i've been eating activia and i feel great! i'm used to having irregularity. i feel like that's normal. if you are not feeling like trying this on, that's not normal. activia helps with occasional irregularity when eaten 3 times a day. feeling regular to me was a new feeling... i came to find my 'new normal' and i love it! ♪ activia and try new silky, fruity activia harvest picks. another way to enjoy activia. a new unauthorized biography of simon cowell is out and it's chock full of details, like it or not, of the mogul's jet-setting life. >> nbc's michelle kosinski sat down with the man who spent time with cowell on yachts, private jets and in mansions to get that inside story. >> michelle is in london with more. good morning, michelle.

>> hi there. yes, simon cowell actually gave the author some access. but here pretty much every single day there's been some big, embarrassing headline coming out of this called "sweet revenge." the intimate details of cowell's over-the-top but very private, private life. >> there's no limit to the vanity. >> reporter: yachts, jets, cars, mansions, women. suitcases full of beauty products and weekly vitamin iv drips. a $4 million birthday party with a theme -- ♪ you're so vain >> reporter: vanity. oh, and black toilet paper. the secret world, according to a new book, of music show rock star simon cowell. investigative author tom bower calls simon -- >> i really, really, really hated that. >> yes, this simon. >> really dreadful. >> needy. insecure, vain. >> simon's world is simon. here is a man who's constantly telling contestants on tv,

you're no good and he has suffered the same for 20 years in the music business. people have been heaping, heaping manure on him telling him he's no good. >> reporter: and now, a reported $70 million a year for shows like "american idol," "x factor," "america's got talent" finally living on his own over-the-top terms. including relationships with women, lots. the book seems to end any speculation cowell is anything but a lady's man. i mean it kind of makes him look like a stud. >> it makes him look like a stud. but he's a 52-year-old stud. you think he's misbehaved. he likes women who are uncomplicated, bit trashy. i said what do you think about the girls you have on your shows and he said, well they're my toys. >> quote simon saying he dated pop star dannii minogue, made moves on paula abdul and sheryl crow. bower spent days and nights aboard simon's rented party yacht.

>> they didn't stop breakfast until three in the afternoon and then they just carried on until 5:00, 6:00 in the morning. the hours are just crazy. and he's all about games. constandly taking out these board games. ridiculously stupid games. and everything is about fun. >> what do they talk about? >> well, that's interesting. they don't talk about -- they really don't talk about serious things. they don't talk about the world. >> simon is described as obsessed with fame, perfection, his appearance. one ex-girlfriend describes twice daily bath, four shirt changes, throwing away silver spoons along with empty yogurt containers and spending his morning watching cartoons, but occasionally was still so bleary he would crash his ferrari into the neighbor's wall. it seems almost like a little kid with $70 million a year. >> yeah. he's a big, big, old boy. and he loves to look good for mummy and he wants to look good for the audience and he wants to be famous and he wants to be rich. >> but cowell is also --

privately exceedingly generous. he gave two of his exes multimillion dollar mansions. do you love him or do you hate him? >> i like him. i like him because in the end he's fun, and there isn't anything bad about him. and we had -- it was an interesting insight into a vulnerable man. >> cowell has publicly said he's embarrassed by the book but denies nothing in it. i think maybe just as interesting is the inside look at the music industry. the enormous amounts of money, and idol finalists were allegedly offered contracts that would earn their managers 20% of their earnings over the following 12 years. >> wow. quite a cut. >> a lot of money. >> these explains a lot. >> why he keeps finding boy bands like one direction. >> he's rich, he likes to spend money and live in nice houses. wow! that's stunning. michelle, thank you so much. >> yeah. >> unbelievable. >> all right.

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"today's" mom ises brought to you by p&g future friendly. see the big in the little things you do. >> this morning on "today's moms," new toys for spring. stephanie oppenheim from toyportfolio.com is here with the top picks that will keep your kids busy for hours. the kids brought along a bevy of helpers. >> a lot of our toy testers. >> good morning. >> so we want to start with the little ones. this is a little activity center. >> little tikes garden center. this age it's very hard to find toys that are designed for their size and age appropriate. the balls are big. there are places for them to climb into. this can open up for more room

to play but it's sturdy in this formation. even the big kids, everyone wanted to climb into the space. it has a mailbox, it's got this great door bell here, as well to play with. the telephone. lots of things to do. hi, jack. >> hi, jack. >> oh, yeah, jack, let's try. what's this? >> these are talking cubes. they really do work. >> jack what are you doing right now? are you on tv? >> yes. >> okay. me, too. gotta go. bye. >> all right. now also when you have toddlers who are on the go, you really want to give them things that they love pushing things. this is a new push toy from manhattan toy. but it's very old-fashioned. >> it's sold school. >> very old school. the balls are safely enclosed inside. makes a lovely sound. but this is for a child who is steady on his feet. >> what is that, like 1 1/2? >> it depends on your child. >> tell me about this bike. this is a little bike. >> this is a plasma bike from

the people who made plasma car, one of our favorites. >> you want to try one of the bikes. >> what i love about this is it's technically a balance bike but it's got big, sturdy wheels and it steers. you really want to take kids to the store to try on any ride-on. sometimes the length is too short and they can't get their legs over, or their legs are too tao and it doesn't really fit them. this is really cool, glow in the dark bubbles. >> there you go. now, we had more requests about this toy than any other this spring. and we're going to make bubbles. this is a little experiment in science. we're going to put in "a." put your "a" into the bubble mix here. these are from imperial toy. >> you put the stuff in. >> put the "a" in. >> and now you want to put the "b" in. the activator. >> sorry. >> there we go. >> and then we're going to stir it. now even in the lights of the studio -- >> can you see it? >> yeah.

>> these things start really, really lighting up. >> oh, look at that. >> and our kids really, really loved this aspect of it. >> ready to go? >> here's the downside about this toy. the doubles don't glow. >> why are they called glow in the dark bubbles. >> they glow in the container and they glow when they pop on the floor. >> oh, okay. >> now that said -- >> our testers still really liked these, as well. >> what do we got over here? >> most science kits -- >> okay. >> careful. >> these are terrific in comparison. this is a color clay, $19.95. a new box comes every month. we haven't been able to check all of them. there's a color changing, you're combining yellow and blue to make green. >> you can make your own little top? >> exactly. >> and here we're doing stained glass. we put on special glasses.

>> what does it look like with the glasses? is it cool? >> mm-hmm. >> what you don't see is you don't see a blue. >> and it comes every month? >> what i really loved about it. everything you need is in the box. the instructions are good. if you had a busy day at work you're still going to be able to do it. >> we've got about a minute left. legos for ladies. >> very controversial. i really didn't want to love them but our testers enjoyed bidding them. and gills who never built before are building. that's a great thing. these are max formers which are back and they're magnets. and they go together. >> oh, neat. >> you build just by the end of the magnet. >> really fun. those will be back out in may. and these are laser peg robots. and the kids can configure them any way they want. really good gender free choices. >> our final 30. we've got some games. >> these are all, race to the

treasure, from cooperative play. racing against the ogre. this you're having a bee segment later. the bee looks like jerry seinfeld, don't you think? the idea is to push the pieces without toppling the bee. and quadefy's beautiful new company making lovely wooden older sets for older kids. the idea is to use all of your pieces while staying in the grid. >> good for kids to play with adults or older kids, too. >> exactly. >> stephanie oppenheim, thank you so much. coming up next your kids are definitely going to be sweet on our crafty discerts in "today's kitchen."

this morning in "today's kitchen," delicious desserts, sweet treats for spring. >> hey, savannah! >> woo-hoo! >> i played with all those toys. >> if you're looking for that

extra dessert for your next party we've got designs easy to create. >> the author of the new book sweet designs, baking, crafting, styling. good morning, amy. >> good morning. >> pretty cool stuff. you've taken ready-made stuff. making it kind of crafty. >> the book is all about taking baked items, craft items, and then styling it up to make beautiful dessert tables with everyday items. >> to do with your kids, i would imagine? >> you can absolutely do all this with your kids. i always start by picking a color palette and a theme. today we're doing spring garden theme. so i have over here these bumblebee macaroons. so these are so fun to make. let me show you how to make these. these are great. >> are those store bought macaroons? >> they're store bought macaroons. if you want to make them i do have a recipe in my book. a steady hand. and this is just melted dark chocolate. al, why don't you give it a try. >> oh, sure.

>> and then we're going to put in the bee wings. and your guests will be buzzing about these. and if you don't want to use macaroons, you can use any kind of sandwich cookies. >> are those almond slivers? >> we're just going to tack them right in to the wings. let's do it. tuck in your little wings over here. >> cute. >> and there you have a cute macaroon bumblebee. >> and this is what it looks like when it's done. this is what it looks like when it's done. i always like to have a craft-it item on the table. this is something that you can do with your kids. these are cellophane bags and construction paper you can get at the craft store. i decorated these with my kids. took colorful stamps, put colorful candy in them and they look fantastic. >> always important to have a vertical element on the table. this is our center piece. a wow moment. and so this is a trio of beelife cakes. it's so delicious.

honey banana. and notice how i just lifted it up just a little bit. these are sculpted -- these are not sculpted cakes, you can get a cake fan from a cake supply store and they look amazing and taste delicious. >> but it's not all one piece is it? >> it's actually two pieces that you bake in a pan and you put butter cream in the middle and stick it together. and that's a honey glaze that goes on top. >> what's the little bee made of? >> they're marzipan. >> is it pretty easy to make these? marzipan you can mold it into anything, right? >> you just put a little food gel on them and you can make it any color you want. >> and if you don't have the marzipan, just use play-doh. >> and don't tell anyone. >> exactly. >> the key lime bars? >> these are refreshing key lime bars. they have the most delicious graham cracker crust. you can see i tied it in with the whole theme because it's green. and we have these petit fos fou. >> are these easy? >> absolutely. they're so delicious. >> the key to these is that they

look fancy, but these will not rip the bank and i took cookie cutters. you can take cookie cutters with store bought pound cake and cut them in any shape that you want. >> what about the drinks? >> let's do drinks. >> i always say brew it up and brew it down. a brew it up drink for the adults, and a key lime ade drink for the kids. >> how fun. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> amy, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> the book is sweet designs, bake it, craft it, style it. thanks so much. >> and coming up the always charming -- >> plus one more song from the wanted. >> that's right. >> hoda and kathie lee coming up. never in my lifetime

did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days is-- is huge. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. you just put one foot in front of the other, and you know that you're walking for such a great cause that you just keep going. (man) that you have all these people coming together for one common goal. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. (woman) and it has to end, but it starts with us. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had in my entire life. we can do this. you can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

good morning, i'm eun yang, the space shuttle "discovery's" arrival in d.c. was a sight to see. now the shuttle "enterprise" is heading out of town. tomorrow morning on "news4 today" we'll get you ready for "enterprise's" final flight. the shuttle is heading for retirement in new york city. tomorrow we'll be live at dulles to tell you everything you need to know to tell you everything you need to know about the shuttle. nasa says it will do a final

weather review before giving the go-ahead for the countdown and the weather is starting to feel a little more like spring. tom kierein sheer with the latest on the forecast. >> still colder than average, though, but at least we're going to be warming today than yesterday. right now we're climbing into the 50s, much of the region. low 50s. 54 now at reagan national. later this afternoon, we'll have a few clouds building. temperatures peaking just in the low 60s. tomorrow morning, i'll be here with all you need to know before you go in the morning looks like good weather for "enterprise's" flight tomorrow. i'll have the latest. >> we'll have your weather and traffic on the 1's, plus all the traffic on the 1's, plus all the news

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. i its's booze day tuesday, april 24th, and another day with msnbc's wonderful willie geist who's filling in for kathie lee. hey! >> hey! >> now we upped the ante on the drink a little. we didn't really have your right drink yesterday and we apologize. >> i drink bourbon with a splsh of ginger ale. when it starts to get warmer

out, i think this is maker's mark, you can do any of the kentucky "bs" are good. >> how come whenever i have a drink i like to have a little straw. men tend to not ever have the straw. >> i can't drain it fast enough with a straw. i just want -- i think there's something perhaps unmanly like a little sippy straw. >> it is not for the big boys. daddy don't like. >> speaking of the big boys. oh, my gosh. earlier on the show we showed you the fattest cat. meow is 2 years old, weighs 39 pounds and was brought to us from santa monica animal shelter. we actually have meow with us. we wanted to see in all his glory. this is meow, 39 pounds. >> i'm worried but. your back. lumbar support. so this cat is on atkins kind of. >> we call it catkins. >> what is the cat eating?

>> he's eating high-protein, low carbohydrate diet to start. we've only had him about five days so we're just getting started on the diet for him. >> obvious question -- how did meow get this way? >> well, his owner really pushed him to our shelter. it is the santa fe animal shelter. but they relinquished him and we got him at santa fe animal shelter. it is a little bit conflicting stories but basically he was just overfed and probably not fed a healthy diet. >> can meow walk. >> he can. do you want to see him? >> not to make fun because we don't want to do that but let's just see. >> come on, meow. >> well, he can walk. >> how long will it take to get meow back to a healthy weight? >> it is going to take a long time but certainly within the next few months i think he is going to feel a lot better. it may take a year before he's -- he should be 10 or 12 pounds. >> in the earlier hours they brought a skinny cat out to show

the difference. that was just mean and cruel. it's like bringing a skinny girl out in front of someone who's heavy. >> you know what meow needs, hoda? "joy fit club." right? >> you know what? you got it. joy has a new book out. jennifer, thank you for bringing meow to see us. good luck with getting her down to the weight she needs to be. good look getting her -- >> meow, you first. no really, you first. >> you got her? good biceps, jen. >> she's going to be okay. >> that is an unbelievably fat cat. that's unbelievable. so we were telling you yesterday about this terrific movie that's out that is called think like a man. and it is a great movie. it is a screen gems film produced by will packer. it is a great movie, number one at box office. i think it hits all these nerves when it comes to men and women

and it basically -- well, i want you to watch this clip and just tell us what you think. this is obviously comes from steve harvey's best selling book called "act like a lady think like man." >> steve says you have to set the requirements before high before you even get in the car because you don't want to become a chirp chirp girl. >> a what? >> chirp chirp. he just has to hit the locks and he hop in. he don't even have to open the door. >> it's open. it's open. >> i don't go out on dates with guys who don't open the door for me. >> really? >> really. >> seriously? >> yes. >> oh, man. >> no, he didn't. >> i would not have gotten in the car. >> he came back. >> that's the chirp chirp girl. now guys don't have to be as polite because of all of modern technology. do you open the door for your wife? >> i have to confess i don't always. could i say i do but my wife's probably watching she would know

it was a lie. but you should do it. there's nothing wrong with it. i think there is this conflict though with today you don't want to be patronizing to the woman. every time i've said this, is it weird for me to step back and let everyone get off the elevator first. >> no, we love it. >> that's what every woman says. if you're a guy watching, just do it. that should be your instinct. but i think it is less and less now. that's too bad. >> a big kudos to jay but i have not put on my own coat or opened a door since i met him. honest to grod. he's that kind of guy. and it's such a sweet thing. it is a little thing and i love how that is. i think that's -- >> how long you been together? >> a year-and-a-half -- ish. >> that ended in about five minutes -- no, i'm sure he'll continue. >> men and women are very different. have you guys ever gone to a restaurant by yourself you're thinking, do i really want to go and sit there alone and if i go, should i bring a magazine, or do

you go and you enjoy a meal alone. you order from the waiter or waitress, you have your app and all the rest, your main course. do you do that? >> you and i probably confront this from time to time. when you're on the road, you're in the hotel, you get there kind of late, you want to go have dinner. i can't do it. i think i'd rather be in the hotel room not just because it is room service, because you have your world. you can read the book or paper, watch a movie. i just think it is a little weird. i'm not above it. i've done it. likefy go into a diner on a sunday morning, bring the paper. but in a nice restaurant to sit there alone and sort of stare at the wall? >> i feel that exact same way. >> people start to think you're like a drifter. you're going to run out on the bill. do you do it. >> no. i don't do the restaurants alone. i go to movies by myself. i do that. i'll do the diner, too, with the paper. but again to walk in, sit in a fancy place, order the appetizers, the main course, the wine and to be sitting blankly looking at nothing? no -- >> it's a wasted meal. good meal like that should be

shared with someone. >> by the way, this is so crazy, i can't even believe this exists. this is a menu. came from temple university. they had a green day. it's an edible menu. >> no. >> yes, it is. they served them on the table. someone has already been snacking. >> i know what's happening here. i'm the new guy, this is a prank. willie, eat the menu. seriously. it's green, i swear. >> so taste it. >> no, you taste it! >> come on! men first. >> i want everyone to know i know this is a prank but i'm going to do it anyway. >> no, it's not. i'll take a bite out of this one. get involved. one, two, three -- do it! >> why? >> that's disgusting! >> why? >> it's kind of sweet. >> it tastes like chalk. >> but kind of sweet. >> good chalk! >> that's not terrible. >> i'm all for going green. i'll reuse the towels in the hotel room. i'm not eating the menu. i'm not eating the menu.

that's where i draw the line. right there. you just lost me. okay. are you one of those people when you see someone trip and fall, do you life? >> she's giddy. >> no, i don't laugh. i swear. except for once when there was a video of an older woman who was going up the escalator. >> only when it is the elderly does she laugh. let's be very clear about that. >> just this one specific lady. i don't know why. i cringe when i see stuff like this. in china a young teenage girl was text is on her phone and was walking and blindly fell into a 20-foot sinkhole. see? nobody thought it was funny. she's fine, by the way. she's okay. a cab driver goes to help her sm you know what's going to happen -- well, he fell down, too. first of all, where's the cone? >> thank you! that's the real story here. everyone's saying see, this is what happens when you walk and text -- no! you shouldn't have to anticipate a sinkhole in the middle of the sidewalk because you're texting! just a little caution tape, a

cone, something. >> all right. >> you're laughing. yes. >> no, i don't usually -- only that lady. up the escalator. >> old people and young people. only those two categories. we want to give a big shout out to ann curry. she got a great award at matrix group yesterday, honored along with a lot of other terrific women. meredith gave her her award. it was a great group of people. barbara walter was there, peggy noonan was there. it was a star-studded events. >> the a-list of women in journalism. >> it really was. can i say thank you to dennis basso? he's hysterical. he had a dinner party last night for a dozen people. look what he does. look what's happening here. >> that's his home? >> yes. and his husband michael are there. we ate lamb chops that made you want to die. they were so delicious. everyone got all dolled up. so i want to give a big thank you. >> not to brag, but i had macaroni and cheese with my 4-year-old on a card table last night. two can play this game.

>> you rock. all right, coming up next -- hugh grant is in the house. >> wow! and play ball. can sara score a home run with the miami marlins? we'll find out. but first, these messages. why should i try it? my system gets out of sorts but that comes with age, right? just because we're in that over 50... what does that mean? are we done? activia helps regulate your digestive system when eaten daily. these could be our best years yet. huge news! [ giggles ]

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on for his little girl and he'll have to explain his character, a very. >> announcer: genergetic but unsuccessful pilot. energetic bu pilot. >> i'm the pirate captain and i'm here for your gold. >> gold? this is a ghost ship. >> sorry! >> hello, hello. >> well hello. >> well, describe this pirate captain guy. he doesn't seem like your type of man to me. >> no. i agree. he's a departure for me. he's -- well, he's the worst pirate in the world. complete failure. his crew are useless. but they're endlessly optimistic which is endearing. his big ambition is to win the pirate of the year award which is a big pirate award ceremony r

every year. he's always come last. >> he puts his resume together. i watched it with my kids last night. they loved it. i heard danny deveto saying the lorax consumed him, chris rock says i walk in to the studio for an hour, they tell me what to say and they hand me a check and i leave. where is the truth in there? >> well, it's not much of a check. that's the truth. they say when you do this film we're not going to pay you very much, but it's for kids. you go, all right, i suppose so. actually it takes years and years. it was fun. these people who do this kind of cartoon, they are so brilliant and sort of their sense of humor manages to be adult at the same time as being profoundly childish that it was right up my alley. kept me amused during two years. >> it does do that. >> two years. i can't believe it takes that long. >> you come and go, you do a bit, they animate it. you come back again.

then you've forgotten your character. >> you've done different types of voices when you were younger. tell me how this voice came about. this captain voice. >> what happens apparently on a lot of animated films nowadays, they create the character slightly around you. you can see will smith or tom hanks in the animated character. but they created the character and show it to you and you have to sort of act that. i was liking that the guy, just big chest and luxurious beard and i -- funny enough, the word beard really helped me. beard. that voice came from that. >> nice. >> you and jeremy's character go back and forth a little bit in this. salma hayek also in it, a big cast. >> huge cast. >> how about the biggest of all -- al roker is in your movie. describe his character. >> al roker is sort of gentle giant. at least in america he is. he's a different voice in the rest of the world but here he's

al roker -- >> that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> are you kidding? that's great. that is terrific. >> tell us about fatherhood, hugh. how are you doing? how is the baby? >> it's very uplifting. i love it. yeah. she's great. i couldn't love her more. i wish i had done it 30 years ago. >> yeah. everyone always said, hugh, you've got to do it, it is really the best thing in life and i was always dubious but i think they're probably right. >> the chase is in the other direction sometimes. you don't want to do it when you're being hammered by people. are you a diaper changing kind of dad, do you get in there with the nitty-gritty? >> i have changed half a diaper. >> you start there. >> i started. i was looking after the baby one night and i had written instructions in case anything happened. i gave the baby a lecture, i said don't let anything happen. we watched tv for a bit. everything went fine. then i could tell something was amok and i put to have for as

long as i could. then i got the diaper off and i didn't like what i saw at all. the worst of the two alternatives. and i did panic. >> you know what? i remember that first diaper personally very well. yes. it is a very traumatic moment. >> i had to phone a lot of women i know to tell me what to do. >> we wish you great luck with this film. it opens across the country on frid friday. up next -- batter up. sara slides into spring training with the miami marlins. that's right after this. [ female announcer ] it's 9 pm... and the chocolate cravings begin... again. ♪ for nights like these... there's special k chocolatey delight cereal. so you can get your chocolatey fix... without undoing your whole day. ♪ an unguilty pleasure.

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it is file it is time for "sara in the city." >> this time sara blew south for a little spring training. >> in preparation for baseball season i headed down to palm beach to become a miami marlin for the day. i did make the cut? take a look for yourself.

as you can see, i'm a marlin and a spring training is off to o slow start because i'm late. but they're going to let me hit today, they're going to teach me to pitch. and because baseball is a team sport, i'm going to get to know my team very well. >> you have to put those on first? >> okay. wait. i have an extra pair of pants here. >> i have hard time getting dressed. do i carry this? >> we have a new player here. >> i got prior approval to do this.

>> hey, i'm an athlete. i don't run like that. >> are you making fun of me? did you watch me? >> yeah. >> like how? i trust this one. it's these guys i'm more concerned about. >> let's talk about our feelings. oh, shoot. i'm really making this guy work. my parents hate when i get bleeped in my morning tv segments. oh [ bleep ]. in comparison to klg and hoda, these guys are disgusting. i went into the locker room and they do things that are just -- eew. any day of the week, i would pick klg and hoda. they smell. i'm coming! this isn't bad. i'm actually feeling a breeze. not even sweating anymore. hey!

can you help me with my belt? they're going to put me in the game. little nervous. >> ready? >> yep. >> go. i went the wrong way. new to the signs. okay. sorry. i made contact. i was even proud of my like fouls. those are fouls, right? yeah. i'm getting ready to learn how to shag. get your mind out of the gutter. i'm just going to run around and get some balls.

where? i'm taking my shagging pretty seriously. oh, okay! i want to catch it. i couldn't gauge where i was going. so i'm exhausted but i did survive my spring training. so i guess there's only one thing left do. showers? >> let's go. >> nice ending. nice ending. you brought some friends, i see. >> i mean we're all fb friends now, facebook friends. >> you guys look good, by the way. how do you guys play tonight? >> the mets. >> you play the metre? >> so they've got the night off. >> oh! >> we got trouble. >> you see any game with >> she doesn't have shot. >> baseball was not my sport. >> what do you guys have? what's happening right here? >> hoda woman.

>> that's great. you guys, appreciate it. >> you guys are really sweet. good luck. good luck tonight. that was a lot of fun, sara. >> they're going to put me in tonight. still ahead, our final three contestants sing their hearts out in "today's voice." plus, we'll crack the code in real estate ads by telling you what the terms really mean. we got a hot new boy band from across the pond called the wanted. they're in the house. you know this song. after your local news. irresistibly touchable skin hour after hour. ♪ it all starts with new 48-hour nivea extended moisture nivea. touch and be touched. now bring the world a touch closer. join our million moments of touch movement and be entered in nivea's daily date night sweepstakes.

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hey, everybody, wre back on this booze day tuesday with our special guest host, msnbc's willie geist who's filling in for kathie lee. as you probably know, we've been doing our own version of "the v voice" singing competition but this one is for kids. we've been holding auditions for these kids. >> so i hear. but apparently kathie lee didn't trust me to pick. >> no. she forced us to pretape this before she left. she said she didn't want you messing with her kids. >> no faith in me whatsoever. she and hoda took the big chairs for the final round. >> sara, of course, set us up to date with the rules. take a look.

>> two weeks ago, kathie lee and hoda battled it out over christian and last week kathie lee forgot she was allowed to battle it out over the mitchell sisters so the two of you duked it out behind the scenes. guess what? -- >> because hoda changed the rules! >> that's why we had to do this with a third party. kathie lee took this one. girls, how do you feel about that? come on out here. meet your new coach, the professional. are you excited? >> yes! >> not that excited. >> you can laud hoda later, but now you're with kathie lee. >> i have to pick two today. >> hoda has one. >> thank you guys, so much. turn your chairs around and bring out contestant number one. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> wow! >> wow. i can't believe you hit the buzzer first. first of all, what's your name, sweetheart? >> i'm chris air dorredondo.

>> how old are you? >> 11 years old. >> where do you go to school? >> east side elementary. >> do i get you? >> yes. >> i'm crazy about you. we both heard the voice and it was immediate. >> i know, but hoda that means i am now -- >> no. you are lucky because you -- tell me your age again. >> i'm 11 years old. >> elementary school! >> you are adorable, honey. congratulations. >> okay, guys. turn around again. >> there is no drama! >> do it! >> we're going to bring out contestant number two. ♪ ♪

♪ >> very nice! >> i lucked out! she's terrific! >> she's great. >> what's your name, darling. >> jillian ray. >> how old are you, honey? >> 14. >> from where? >> cold spring harbor. >> where is that? >> it's on long island. >> a local girl! >> what's your school? >> cold spring harbor. >> how lucky are you? >> you're stuck with me, honey. >> adorable! congratulations! >> thank you. >> okay, guys. one more so we're going to turn around. keep doing it, flintstones. contestant number three.

♪ >> yeah! good one! oh, my gosh -- this worked out well. what's your name? >> paige clark. >> you're from where, painl? >> alabama. >> where in alabama? >> daphne. >> daphne, alabama. how old are you? >> 16. >> wow! >> you have a very interesting tone to your voice. like an older -- like other world quality to it and you chose a song that is 16-year-old people don't usually know. that's an old nancy sinatra hit

from the -- '60s or something. where did you hear that song? >> i like old music so i prefer doing that song. >> hopefully you like old coaches, too, so we'll get along great! >> team kathie lee. we're both set. >> yes! team kathie lee, team hoda. >> may the best voice win! congratulations. our girl bobbie thomas with this tuesday's trend. but first, these messages. old, silver and bronze... ♪ it's the red. it's the green and yellow. it's the red, white and blue. because at the olympic games, it's not the color you go home with that matters. it's the colors you came in. and when colors mean this much, you can only trust them to tide. proud keeper of the red, white and blue.

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time for "today's real estate" and some popular terms to beware of. a lot of sellers know those key words to make even a snake pit sound very attractive. >> but if you know what they

really mean, you'll be able to see through all that glitz and glam. "today" real estate contributor barba barbara co barbara is here to crack the code. >> despatch times are calling for desperate measures and people are exaggerating more and more by the day but buyers are wising up. >> one of the words people often write is that their home appears to be unique. what does that mean exactly? >> it's always bad news. it means that nobody's going to buy it because you need to have that unique individual who just treasures odd ball taste. ridiculous. we touched that up a bit but they did have giant circles. you need someone who likes circles and someone who likes the color orange. not going to happen. >> small segment of the population. how about this one -- needs a little tlc. which means the place is a

wreck. >> a dump. tlc used to be a loving word. like tlc meaning paint the place, put in a new counter. today it means new drywall, new floors. people use it to cover a variety of sins. >> sometimes you see the words kid friendly in an ad. what exactly -- a mess? >> the house is a mess and we hope you understand and you have kids too. but even your own kids would object to a kid friendly house. it is never good news. when they put pet friendly it certainly means that the house stinks. >> that's without question. here's one that on the surface doesn't look too bad -- american style. >> it's funny. american style is very popular in advertising. all it really means is that the house is in america. it can mean anything. one thing for sure, it has poor taste. people use that to cover poor taste. >> it is not actually a real estate term. >> no way. it's been invented to cover a variety of of sins. >> if you feel like escaping and you seat words country living and you're so sick of the city it may be one of those words that's appealing.

>> hoda, you've got it right -- it's targeted at city folks who don't know if he better but the problem with these country places is you cannot get a job. you can't commute to the job, you're too far away from the major train lines. forget about it but it always comes with a cheap price. >> how about the idea of a home office. you see this a lot. apartment hunting in new york, space for a home office. >> it's almost always at the bedroom has been converted. but here's a shot -- this bathroom was converted so they advertise this house as plus an extra bath plus an extra home office. it's really a converted bathroom. >> move-in condition. >> with today's foreclosure market, it often means move-in, let's go because it often means the people have ran sacksacked house and moved out. >> coming up next, our girl bobbie thomas buys for your guy. she has a special tuesday's trend for men. you found the right guy. bobbie's enjoying herself.

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it is time for "tuesday's trend." >> here with the latest and greatest for us men, "today's" style editor and bobbie.com's miss bobbie thomas is here. >> in honor of willie we've got great stuff for guys. >> you say dockers are cool now. >> dockers have always been cool. they are synonymous with the khaki but they have updated their classic alpha khaki with a slimmer cut. tommy is showing off this new slimmer cut. dockers is really helping guys who love the brand take a step into a slimmer, leaner leg which can really help elongate the figure. lots of colors to choose from. i really love this story. florsheim. they kind of went away, but some

of the family founding members bought the company back. they've done a collaboration with duckie brown, famed menswear designeder to do all fun colors. >> these like maybe in the summer? >> yeah. you remember when prince william did the blue suede shoes? then when it comes to neckwear, go to tietry.com. guys can actually share and swap online. this is cool. it is a rental fee. they'll send to you matt lauer, they have your names preprinted on this. they'll send you the package. it is all preprinted. you borrow the tie, starts at like $11.99 a month, take your time, send it back when you want and get more. designer ties.

a bunch of big high-end designer ties can you get for less. these are really neat. these are called lick which flow shorts. they can go anywhere. they are swim trunks but they can also be shorts for the day. they dry really quick. they are made of a microfiber so if you're golfing or do whatever they'll dry instantly and you can go shopping or to lunch. >> liquid flow. i love that. >> then this is one of my favorite things. >> look at our florida marlins. come on. >> these are some hawkeyes showing off -- these shirts are called faux real. >> can we start right here with the tats? this is crazy. >> like a fake tattoo -- these are real. >> how about what's happening right here? spl this is my super fan. >> of course it is. >> i thought this was actually good for guys who don't know how to really get in on the dress-up but they can style it together. everything's online but there's mascara for men -- >> oh, no! no! >> time out.

this is not for the eyelashes, it is to help get rid of gray in the beard and side burns and many men will be stealing this for me here. a goatee saver. just bite on this and shave. >> is that how it works? >> yes. >> we have to go. >> you bite on that and you shave around it. no. you guys, the uk based boy band called the wanted is back with a performance. but first, this is t"today" on nbc.

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>> announcer: the "toyota concert series" on "today" brought to you by -- toyota. the uk-based boy band the wanted came together in 2009 but burst on to the american music scene just this year with this catchy pop tune that we promise

will be in your head all day, "glad you came." >> can't deny, it is a good song. today they celebrate the release of their self-titled u.s. debut ep. >> today as we sign off we'll leave you with the wanted singing "chasing the sun." probably be another hit. everybody, have a great day. we'll see you tomorrow. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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so, this is delicious okay... is this where we're at now, we don't care anymore? we just eat whatever tastes good? excuse me? [ man ] like these sweet honey clusters, they're awesome so no way they're good for you. but i guess that's okay right? actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? ya know? cancel the gym membership. bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one.