good morning. breaking news. al qaeda releases a video of american hostage warren weinstein, the first since his kidnapping in pakistan last august. this morning, his emotional appeal. "today" exclusive, the woman at the center of the secret service prostitution scandal speaks out in her first american televisioninterview. how did she meet the agents? what happened in that hotel in colombia? is she now trying to cash in on her story? we'll hear from her. and record smasher. "the avengers" came up with the biggest opening weekend ever. more than $200 million.

and it's already on its way to becoming one of the top grossing movies of all time "today," becoming one of the top grossing movies of all time "today," monday, may 7th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. want to follow this breaking news that he just mentioned. ear going to be talking about this hostage video showing 70-year-old maryland native warren weinstein. he was abducted more than eight months ago when gunmen broke into his home in pakistan where he was working as an adviser. >> the video is less than three minutes long and weinstein addresses president obama directly in it. we do not yet know when or where that tape was made. we're going to get the latest in a live report coming up. >> also there's an alarming turn

in the search for a mother and her three daughters. they were abducted in tennessee. two unidentified bodies found in a home of the lone suspect who is still out on the loose. well now authorities fear that that man may have changed his appearance and perhaps even the appearance of some of those he allegedly abducted. so we'll have the latest on the manhunt coming up this morning. >> then i think it's the big question at john edwards' trial as it enters its third week. will his former mistress, rielle hunter, take the stand? and if she does, will she be testifying for the defense or the prosecution? we'll be talking about that, as well. >> and then a story that really will probably get you thinking. because imagine finding a million dollars in the trash. an arkansas woman says it happened to her when she pulled a winning lottery ticket out of the garbage at a convenience store. she cashed it in. even started spending the winnings. now a judge has declared that that money doesn't belong to her. we're going to talk to her in an exclusive, live interview coming up this morning. >> let us begin on this monday morning with the top headlines. for that we head over to the

news desk where natalie is standing by. >> good morning, matt and ann. good morning, everyone. an aide worker kidnapped last summer in pakistan has resurfaced this morning in a video message released by al qaeda. nbc news cannot verify when or where the video was produced. nbc's foreign correspondent richard engel is here with more. >> good morning. in this video al qaeda is apparently trying to show what good kidnappers they are. this video, which does appear to be genuine, shows warren weinstein sitting in a clean outfit in front of him are large plates of food, and a table stacked with several books. at one stage warren weinstein is even shown eating some of the food. but at the same time, he says, his fate is in president obama's hands. and he makes a direct appeal to the president as a father and says he will be killed unless al qaeda's demands are met. al qaeda wants an end to all drone attacks in afghanistan and pakistan. and a release of its prisoners. >> all right, richard engel following this breaking news for

us. thank you, richard. san francisco has elected a new president, ousting incumbent nicolas sarkozy in favor of socialist francois hollande. the new president-elect is expected to be inaugurated later this month. the change of leadership could rattle world markets as he's promised a new economic course for france saying austerity is no longer inevidental. for more on how those changes in europe could impact our markets we turn to cnbc's courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange. good morning to you, courtney. >> hi, good morning, natalie. those election results already weighing on the markets. the real concern is uncertainty. new leadership, or even the lack of definive leadership, could raise fresh doubts about austerity measures and budget cuts, again raising those concerns about europe's debt crisis. meantime, ceo of berkshire hathaway warren buffett addressing a crowd of 30,000 in omaha this weekend, telling his shareholders his early-stage prostate cancer is a nonevent and he feels terrific. natalie? >> good to hear that.

courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange. thanks. a rocky beginning on the road to bringing the accused 9/11 masterminds to trial. an arraignment hearing in guantanamo bay, cuba, this weekend was repeatedly interrupted by khalid shaikh mohammed and his four co-defendants. the suspects refused to answer questions, some shouted, and during breaks laughed amongst themselves as the families of 9/11 victims looked on. another hearing is set for next month, as officials try to advance the case. another reason to celebrate for the hikers who were freed last fall. after serving years in detention in an iranian prison on charges of espionage, sarah shourd and shane bauer were married this weekend in san francisco. they'd become engaged while in prison. bauer had proposed with an engagement ring made out of the threads of his shirt. the third hiker josh fattal served as best man. the couple is now on their honeymoon in an undisclosed location. and the actor best known for his role as the lovably gim

doober pyle has died. he was a fixture on the 196os sitcom playing goober, gomer's cousin. he died in nashville after a breathe illness. andy griffith recalls him as a friend and said he remembers him with, quote, great respect. lindsay was 83. six minutes past the hour. matt, ann, and al, he once has said about himself that i've made america laugh, i'm not the only one, i've contributed something. so, very sweet. >> yeah, it is sweet. and he really did. he made a lot of people happy. >> grew up on that show. loved that show. >> he's still on. >> i know. >> mr. roker with a check of the weather. a check of the weather. >> rough stuff in the midsection of the country. flood advisories and flood warnings up from south of chicago all the way down to del rio, texas, with flood watches. a risk area as this -- we start to see a system make its way to the east and bringing rain tall way from texas on up into detroit. the risk area stretches from texarkana to cleveland.

extreme western pennsylvania. mainly damaging winds and a lot of rain. some areas are going to be picking up two to three inches of rain from western pennsylvania all the way down to central texas. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> looks like some of that rain will be arriving here tomorrow between now and then, though, quite a bit of cloudiness around. good morning. tom kierein. now temperatures in the upper 50s to near 60 around the metro area. later today, clouds in and out. and temperatures climbing into the low 70s. then cloudily tonight and showers developing. looks like mainly during the afternoon tuesday. late afternoon to the evening. there is a slight risk of isolated severe storms here tomorrow. highs mid 70s. could get more >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. nine members of the u.s. secret service are leaving the agency in the wake of that prostitution scandal, tied to president obama's trip to colombia. this morning, though, we're hearing from the woman at the center of it all. nbc's michelle kosinski sat down

with her exclusively in madrid. michelle, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. she's a 24-year-old mom, has family here. she chose to do this interview, not being paid for it, saying her life's been turned upside down since being exposed as an es sort. and in her version of 9 events she called the secret service men stupid brutes which put extreme partying ahead of the president's security. >> translator: no. they like to show off heir bodies. great bodies. well-defined abs. they like attention, and we colombian women are not used to that. i was surprised that every time he dance with me he lift up his sweater so i could see. >> so they were acting very bold, and sure of themselves? >> translator: they were full of themselves. there was an --

>> were they shy about asking for sex or were they very direct about it? >> translator: very direct. i will say too direct. >> did any of them say that they had done this before? >> translator: no, but the way they approach it it seems obvious that they were used to doing it, because people that do this for the first time are very shy. >> what if someone said, well, you went to the bar, you tempted these guys. >> translator: no, i'm not to blame for being attractive. they are to blame for leaving their jewelry bond. >> reporter: danya suarez says the three men who approached her and her friend, she assumed they were tourist, were drinking like quote it was water but were still coherent. she said she made it clear that a night with her would cost $800. >> translator: these are very basic words. sex, sexto, cash, money, dinero. i made a sign with my fingers so

that he couldn't pretend that he was charging $80 or 80 cents. okay, no problem. let's go. >> reporter: she says after what she described as normal sex he fell asleep. that she could have gone through or stolen everything in his room, but didn't. and the next morning -- >> translator: he told me to stay. >> he told you to stay longer? >> translator: he told me stay here. stay, my love. >> stay my love. >> translator: i told him no. i told him to give me my money. that i was going home. >> was he angry? >> translator: very angry. very angry. >> she says the man, allegedly a secret service agent, gave her $50, ordered her out, closed the door. police got involved. she says other agents gathered about $250, and she left. >> translator: i think it's fair that they can never have their -- again. >> what do you think of these

guys? >> translator: -- >> why do you laugh so much? >> translator: they seem like completely stupid. idi idiots. i don't know how obama had them in his security force. what dumb men. >> the laughter lasts only until she thinks of her own life and of her 9-year-old son. she says in a way she feels sorry for the men involved but that no one should feel sorry for her. >> translator: i know that it's something shameful and ugly. i don't justify it, but i did it. i kept it a low profile. never again. >> a u.s. official acknowledges that investigators haven't talked to her because she left the country and they couldn't reach her and that the agent she claims to have been with has resigned. she says she has been contacted by a major american publishing house with interest in a book deal, which she says she'd be willing to do and still has plenty more details to tell. matt? >> all right, michelle kosinski in madrid for us this morning. michelle, thank you very much. it's 11 after the hour. here's ann.

>> matt, thanks. the presidential race has entered a new phase after president obama officially kicked off his re-election campaign over the weekend. chuck todd is nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director. he joins us now. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, ann. you know, after months of attempting to officially campaign only a few days or even hours a week, president obama has now gone into full campaign mode with kickoff rallies in the two most important battle ground states, a searing new line of attack on mitt romney and later today the unveiling of his version of a morning in america tv ad that's more like, it's still the middle of the night but sunrise is on the way. >> we're still fired up. we're still ready to go. >> reporter: president obama kicking off a re-election campaign that his team has been building behind the scenes for over a year. >> we've got to move forward. to the future that we imagined in 2008. >> reporter: candidate obama spent as much time going after mitt romney as he did defending his own record. >> he doesn't seem to understand that maximizing profits by whatever means necessary might

not always be good for the average american, or for the american economy. >> reporter: but the president's challenge may be less romney, and more the tepid economic recovery, a theme romney hits constantly. >> this is a sad time in america. when people who want work can't find jobs. half of the kids coming out of college can't find work. or can't find work that's consistent with their -- with their skills. this is a time when america wants to have someone who knows what it takes to create jobs and get people working again. i think it helps to have had a job, to create a job, and i have, and i will. >> reporter: romney believes he only needs to ask one question to win. are you better off now than you were four years ago? it's a powerful message, and it's why the president wants a different question asked. >> the question that will actually make a difference in your life, in the lives of your children, is not just about how we're doing today, but how we'll

be doing tomorrow. >> reporter: this, we're not there yet mantra, is an important thread in the president's first major tv ad, debuting later today. >> instead of losing jobs, we're creating them. we're not there yet. it's still too hard for too many. but we're coming back. >> reporter: meanwhile the current vice president made a little bit of his own news, going farther on gay marriage than his boss. >> i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties, and quite frankly, i don't see much of a distinction. >> now to the interview, biden's office sent out a statement saying that the vice president was not speaking for the administration, speaking for himself, and just like the president, he's evolving, too, ann. >> all right, chuck todd this morning. chuck, thanks. david gregory is the moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning to you. >> good morning, ann. >> so as we just heard chuck

reporting, the -- the romney campaign seems to be thinking if it just asks the question, are you better off now than you were four years ago that it could have a good chance of winning. but what do you think about the president's response to that, that things are getting better but year not there yet? how is that going to hold up in the face of that powerful message? >> well, it's going to be a contest. because if it is a referendum on the president's leadership it's a problem for the president when you see weak economic recovery. what the president is getting at is who's got the vision? who's got the vision for the future of economic recovery? the message is hang in there, the hole is so big, we're coming out of it, and the more people like the president, and we've seen this in polling that he's likable, the better chance, perhaps, he has to persuade them to stick with him. but, he's got to really try to make romney an unacceptable alternative. and that effort is under way, as well. >> clearly they're trying to frame each other. on the question of romney and and wooing independents, does he have to work really hard now to back track off of some of his positions in the past as he was trying to win the primary, or, or is it enough for him to simply be trying to take down president obama?

>> well, what he's going to do is try to build up some of the positive aspects of himself as a candidate. you know in a hard-fought primary campaign, a lot of negative ads. that negativity washed onto him. and he's got to turn that around, there's a reintroduction going on by romney to the american people about what his experience is, what his attributes are. but you're right, he wants to keep that attention on the president's record, and present himself as a reasonable alternative. not easy to take down an incumbent as they're going for re-election but that's the argument he'll make. >> i want to ask you a little bit about the news that was made on your broadcast on sunday when the vice president talked about gay marriage, said he was absolutely comfortable with gay couples who marry receiving the same civil rights and liberties as heterosexual couples. is this some backtracking it seems by the white house, is it possible that the white house could cause itself some damage in backtracking too much off of this? >> the reality is that the vice president, on the program yesterday, went farther than he's ever gone. he had been opposed to same-sex

marriage. the president, in talking about himself, had talked about his views evolving. clearly the vice president's views have evolved. he, in effect, endorsed same-sex marriage but saying that he doesn't set policy, that would be a decision for the president to make. certainly it's going to be difficult to try to walk that back now. and the reality is for the vice president and the president, there is a widespread expectation that if there is a second obama term, that they will look at same-sex marriage again, and perhaps, the expectation is, come around to fully supporting it, but not before re-election. >> all right, david gregory. always great to talk to you. thanks so much. >> thanks, ann. >> it is now 7:17. once again here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you. the trial of former presidential candidate john edwards enters its third week today. and so far there has been no sign of his former mistress rielle hunter. nbc's lisa myers is at the courthouse in greensboro, north carolina. hi, lisa. >> hey, matt, good morning. prosecutors say they finished presenting their case against

john edwards as early as thursday. the question everyone is buzzing about, will they call rielle hunter? or will she, instead, testify later for the defense? this private jet belonging to 101-year-old heiress rachelle "bunny" mellon once transported john edwards back and forth to mellon's estate. on sunday that jet landed in greensboro, carrying a key witness, mellon's lawyer alex forger. forger is expected to tell the jury more today about how he discovered $725,000 in checks mellon had secretly written to help edwards with an unspecified personal problem. but which she later learned were used, at least in part, to hide his girlfriend, rielle hunter. though she's not been spotted anywhere near the courthouse, hunter has been a constant presence in the courtroom. thoroughly trashed by most government witnesses. one former campaign aide testified that her website was sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and

astrology. >> i do think the government has gone out of its way with its witnesses to portray miss hunter in an unflattering way. >> reporter: in 2010 oprah winfrey asked hunter about her reputation. >> gold digger, home wrecker. new-age airhead. do you think that you have been unfairly judged? >> yes. i -- i believe it's -- well, it's not accurate. it's not who i am. >> okay. >> i think it's likely that the government will call rielle hunter as the crowning part of their case. >> reporter: but others say hunter is too risky for the prosecution. >> edwards' attorney indicated in a pretrial hearing that he believed her testimony would be consistent with john edwards'. >> reporter: in court, andrew young has testified that it was edwards who asked him to falsely claim paternity of hunter's child. but hunter disputes that. >> and andrew was sitting right directly across from me, and he said, just tell him i'll say

it's mine. i'll say it's mine. >> reporter: the government alleges that money used to hide hunter amounted to illegal campaign contributions. which edwards denies. if hunter is called to the stand, she'll almost certainly be asked about her relationship with edwards today. friends say they spend significant time together parenting quinn, who is now 4, but don't live together. hunter's spokesperson says rielle hunter is looking forward to telling the truth. matt? >> all right, lisa myers in north carolina on this story for us. lisa, thank you very much. it's 20 after. here's ann. >> all right, matt, thank you. a large sinkhole that's opened up in a florida neighborhood and forced at least one family to move out is threatening more homes this morning. nbc's kerry sanders is in wind mere, florida, with more on this story. kerry, good morning. >> well, good morning, ann. sinkholes are not that rare, because they dot the central florida landscape but this one is a little bit different, because it appears to still be growing. now we don't know how deep it is

so i've set up a little experiment here. we've got a weight and we've measured the rope out every six feet, as i toss this out at the water take a look at what was, and what is. what is now a giant hole in the ground was just a few days ago a backyard playground. where sand bill cranes paraded in the afternoon sun. a spot of ceron ter disappeared when the earth began to swallow the yard. >> what's your emergency? >> there's a gigantic hole in my backyard. >> reporter: in that first call to 911, lou went from incredulous curiosity to full-on emergency evacuation. >> everybody out of the house. come on, come on, everybody out of the house. >> reporter: denise was the first to realize something was wrong as the hole took down four 30-foot tall oak trees. >> she woke me up and said lou there's a hole in the backyard, and i -- i told her it's

probably a warthog, i don't know why i said warthog. >> i said, no, it is a hole. >> she was shaking. and then when i saw her shaking, and the panic in her face, we both ran downstairs, and as we ran down, it was collapsing. the ground was collapsing into itself. >> reporter: the family evacuated and emptied their home. just in case the sinkhole continues to grow. which is a very legitimate concern. >> police said it was 1500 feet across and 200 feet deep. >> reporter: in 1981, in nearby winter park, florida, a sinkhole swallowed a car dealership, a public swimming pool, and a portion of the roadway, all in a single day. geologists say these surprise openings are created when florida's sandy soil, on top of clay, which is all supported on a deep earth layer of limestone, faces a sudden and violent collapse. the catastrophic eve is off be the result of a dramatic shift in florida's unique underground rivers. in this case experts say one of those rivers likely started to dry up, because of this year's

record drought. >> if you lower that water level then all of a sudden you leave space where the ground on top can actually sink down into it, hence the sinkhole. >> reporter: so there is such a thing as sinkhole insurance, but it's not really a popular thing to people to buy. it's not mandatory. now we've measured this and i've pulled this back out. it's about 30 feet deep. that's assuming our weight didn't actually hit one of the trees that was sucked down into the earth. yes, as you saw at the bottom here because this happened this weekend. this is a cinco de mayo. >> kerry sanders giving us something to smile about. it's nice to see the family also having a sense of humor about this. thanks so much this morning. and still ahead, an ominous turn in the story, a search for a missing mom and her three young daughters, as two bodies are found in the home of the lone suspect. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, imagine finding

a million dollar lottery ticket in the trash and being told you can't keep the money. we'll meet a woman who had that happen. 7:26. good morning. 7:26 now on this monday, may 7. i'm aaron gilchrist. it appears we will get a break from the clouds we have been dealing with. let's check in with tom kierein. >> yeah. little sun breaking out around the region this morning. it is cloudy over the metro area now. temperatures are generally in the 50s to near 60 degrees. most of the region. except eastern shore, chilly. 40s to near 50. out in the mountains, low and mid 60s. later today in the low 70s. mostly cloudy day. cloudy tonight and showers and storms developing late tuesday afternoon into tuesday evening. highs in the mid 70s. occasional showers and thunder tuesday might and off and on

wednesday. ending thursday morning. into the week, weekend, dry and mild. >> we will check your morning commute after a quick break. there's a clear difference between claritin

and many allergy medicines. the difference is claritin clear. claritin gives me powerful relief that won't make me drowsy like zyrtec can. in fact, it warns drowsiness may occur right on the label. non-drowsy claritin. live claritin clear. good morning. traveling 395 northbound,

seminary road, off ramp is shut down right now. due to a crash there. you are seeing delays on 395. in fact, as you head north past duke street, you are slow. your delays continue to 14th street bridge and driving at 37 miles per hour. aaron, back over the to you. >> thank you. another update in about

supermodel linda evangelista once said that she wouldn't wake up for less than $10,000 a day. well now she's asking for a reported $46,000 a month in child support, from the father of her 5 yield son, who happens to be salma hayek's billionaire husband. more on the record sum at the center of the bitter court battle is coming up this morning. it is now 7:30 on a monday morning, may 7th, 2012. i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. >> all right. also ahead another very high profile fight over money. this one from arkansas.

where a woman found a million dollar lottery ticket in the trash, she then claimed what would be a life-changing prize for most people. but a judge now says the money isn't hers. even though she has already spent about $200,000 of it. we're going to talk to her about what happens next in an exclusive live interview. and a little later on, cameron diaz will be here. we'll talk to her about her new movie, views on motherhood, and the buzz over her recent haircut. >> that's right. so we begin this half hour with the frantic search for a missing mother and her three young daughters, and the man suspected of abducting them. michelle franzen has details for us. good morning. >> good morning, ann. the family was visiting relatives and friends in tennessee, a place they knew well, when they vanished. authorities also believe the mom and her daughters know the man who allegedly kidnapped them and say they are in extreme danger. a massive manhunt is on for an armed and dangerous suspect police say abducted jo ann bain and her three young daughters.

all four disappeared during a family trip to waterville, tennessee, and were last seen april 27th. this weekend, a new twist in this mysterious case. authorities discovered two bodies more than 250 miles away in mississippi, at a home investigators say is connected to this man, adam mayes. >> we have nothing to confirm that he's here. nothing to confirm that he's not. but we are going to search this area thoroughly. >> reporter: he is the fbi's lone suspect, and described as a person who knew the bain family. >> he has stayed with them as a friend of the family. >> reporter: investigators say mayes fled mississippi when the fbi tried to contact him about the case. authorities say they obtained a search warrant, and uncovered information that led them to believe mayes abducted bain and her daughters. 14-year-old adrienne. 12-year-old alexandria. and 8-year-old kylie yeah.

investigators believe mayes may have changed his appearance and the children's hair may have been cut or dyed. the fbi tells nbc news they are not commenting on the identities of the bodies found at the home, but say they continue to pursue the case, as if all are still alive. >> they're just hoping they can catch up with him. but he does have a good head start. >> reporter: the family had recently moved to arizona and traveled to tennessee, friends say, to take care of business following a relative's death. their disappearance has shocked residents in their former town. >> surprise, because this is kind of a quiet community, nothing ever goes on here. >> reporter: a community that is now doing all it can to help find them. >> all up and down the interstate, the posters up seeing if anybody's seen them. it's sad, because three kids and a mother come up missing and nobody knows where they are. >> reporter: bain's husband, who also traveled to tennessee, first reported her missing and authorities later found bain's car abandoned. at one point the fbi tells me

they didn't know if bain had gone with mayes willingly, but now, ann, they say they consider her a victim. >> all right. michelle franzen this morning. michelle, thank you. and now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by keurig. choose, brew, enjoy. >> and good morning, everybody. we've got kind of a confused superhero, because you've got spider-man there on top and then you've got superman. what's your name? he's a shy super hero. the silent superhero type. good to see you spidey super guy. wants to be an avenger i think. let's check it out, see what we've got for you. for the week ahead it's going to be wet alone the east coast,e e. heavy rain down in southern florida. we have plenty of sunshine in the plains states. as we get to the mid week period, we are expecting to see, again, plenty of dry weather out west with above normal temperatures. wet along the east coast. below normal temperatures. as we get to the latter part of

the week, the western half of the country warms up cooler in the east. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> cloudy start around the metro area on this monday morning. breaks in the clouds elsewhere. temperatures right now in the upper 50s to 60 degrees. chillier, though, in the eastern shore. out of the mountains. mild in the low and mid 60s, many locations, shenandoah valley west. later today, partly sunny day. highs reaching low 70s. mostly cloudy and looks like overnight tonight and into tomorrow. could get some storms developing. tomorrow late afternoon into tomorrow evening, a slight risk they would be severe. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you very much. now the emotional fight over a lottery ticket worth a million dollars that was thrown in the trash. sharon jones found that ticket, cashed it in, and actually started to spend the winnings. but now all on hold. we'll talk to her exclusively in a moment. but first, nbc's janet shamlian is in beebe, arkansas, with the story.janet, good morning to yo. >> matt, good morning to you.

so if you throw something in the trash, does it still belong to you? that is the million dollar question over a lottery ticket found in the garbage at this convenience store. a woman named sharon reportedly threw it in the garbage, another woman, also named sharon, found it there. and now the question is, which sharon gets to keep it? as sharon jones sees it, it's simply a case of finders keepers. and for more than a year, she's been a finder. collecting discarded lottery tickets and entering the numbers on a website for a chance at secondary prizes, like magazine subscriptions. she says she always gets the tickets from the store's trash. >> any store i've ever went into, they said nothing because they was in the trash can. other people dug them out of the trash can, too. >> reporter: but when one of the tickets wouldn't enter last summer sharon called her husband to help figure out why. >> he just told me, he said, i think this is a million dollar ticket. and i said, there's no way. no way.

i did not believe it at all. >> reporter: a million dollars was theirs. for sharon and william, laid off from his construction job, it felt like a miracle. $680,000 after taxes. the couple paid off credit cards, gave money to their children, and for themselves, they bought a new truck. >> i mean, you know, i was overwhelmed. because some good fortune had finally came my way. >> reporter: but their joy was short-lived. a clerk at the convenience store where sharon got the ticket sued for the money, saying the trash belonged to her. then another woman, sharon duncan, joined that suit, claiming that she was the buyer, and threw out the $20 scratch-off ticket only after the in-store machine she scanned it in told her it was not a winner. the arkansas lottery commission says the scanner worked properly. >> i'm sure they wanted to make clear that the scan -- the ticket checker scanner did not break. it has never malfunctioned in this case. and testimony was clear that it did not break.

>> reporter: so whose money is it? a judge ruled last week in favor of the woman who threw the ticket in the crash, saying she's entitled to the winnings. sharon jones is devastated. with only $490,000 of the original $680,000 left, she says she could never come up with the rest. and she doesn't feel she should have to for taking something that was thrown away. >> i just didn't think justice was done. because i mean, trash is trash. i couldn't believe that he went that way. >> sharon jones' attorney is planning to appeal. sharon duncan, the convenience store manager and the owner, are all parties to this suit that has now ban warded the money. we reached out to them. they say they have no comment at this time. matt back to you. >> all right, janet shamlian, thank you very much. sharon jones is now with us exclusively along with her attorney jimmy simpson. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> you find out after going through the trash for quite awhile, and putting a lot of other tickets through the paces, that this one is worth a million

dollars. just give me your initial reaction when your husband and you found that out. >> we were in shock. i did not believe that it was a million dollar ticket. >> but that's a life-changing -- >> yes, it is. >> event for you. >> yes, it is. >> did you ever think, sharon, to check with a lawyer before -- when you were going to cash it in, or when you cashed it in, were about to spend it, did you check with an attorney to say, is this going to be considered rightfully mine? >> no, i did not. >> when you turned it in to the lottery, and redeemed it for the cash, did you tell the lottery people that you had found the ticket in the trash? >> no, i didn't, because i didn't know that it had came out of the trash until the following -- after they had done paid me out. >> what do you mean you didn't know it had come out of the trash. hadn't you gone and gotten it in the trash? >> what had happened she got several tickets. handfuls of them. and she keeps lots of tickets, and they enter them for these second chance points. she really didn't know until an

investigation was gun, they saw video that this ticket was scanned and came out of the trash. >> all right, so $680,000 after taxes. so another woman then also named sharon, sues you, claiming to be the original owner of the ticket. and the judge's ruling here basically is that the judge says the woman couldn't have abandoned the lottery ticket because she didn't know its true value. explain that. >> what the judge really found, and we have to respect his opinion, we disagree with it, and that's what the appellate courts are for, but he basically ruled that she abandoned the paper that the ticket is, but that she did not abandon the claim to it, that she gained with her purchase of the $20 ticket. >> and sharon, you grew up, i think, probably like the rest of us with that somewhat childish expression, finders keepers, losers weepers. were you surprised at the judge's ruling? >> i was surprised. but i think that everything will be fine. >> you do? you think you're going to win this on appeal?

>> i think i will. >> if you don't, you have already spent $190,000 of the $680,000. >> yes. >> so what would it mean to you to have to try to find a way to pay that back? by the way, i understand you weren't working at the time. >> no. >> you redeemed the ticket. your husband has since lost his job? >> yes, he's been unemployed now for nearly a year. >> so is there any way in the world you could figure out how to pay that money back? >> no. there's no way that i could figure it out right now. but i'd have to, i guess, if it came down to it, you know. >> is there any compromise that's possible here, mr. simpson? i mean is there a splitting of this ticket? i'm wondering if legal bills alone aren't going to diminish this prize even further. >> i probably don't have time to explain all that. that's not necessarily going to happen. that won't happen. we took this case on a contingency. but what -- where we are at this point, the lottery commission has a lot at stake here. they did an investigation, paid the funds to sharon jones and we

feel confident that it will work out. this just happened last tuesday, so we've not really had an opportunity to explore those options. the judgment itself has not even been entered yet. there are some motions to be filed and things that will -- this is just six days old. there's still a little time left to see how it may play out. >> miss jones, we will follow this story. and good luck to you, whichever way it turns out. >> thank you very much. >> thank you for joining us here in new york. >> thank you, matt. >> mr. simpson, thanks very much. coming up next, the big money at stake in supermodel linda evangelista's child support battle with salma hayek's billionaire husband. we'll talk about that right after this.

now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea. hot or cold, keurig is the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. choose, brew, enjoy. keurig. chili's lunch break combos are full of delicious choices, starting at just 6 bucks. choose from savory favorites or our new philly cheesesteak sandwich. layers of shaved steak and grilled peppers served with fries and a tasty soup or salad. chili's lunch break combos. when it comes to home insurance, surprises can be a little scary. and a little costly. that's why the best agents present their clients with a lot of options. because when it comes to what's covered and what's not, nobody likes surprises. [ click ] [ chuckles ] we totally thought -- [ all scream ] obscure space junk falling from the sky? we cover that.

moving on. aah, aah, aah, aah. [ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ not only kills fleas and ticks it repels most ticks before they can attach and snack on us. frontline plus kills but doesn't repel and a tick that isn't repelled or killed may attach and make a meal of us. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii. ♪ [thor] who dare cross the avengers? [iron man] it's loki! [captain america] wait! i forgot my shield. i think my mom has it. [mom] i'm over here. [captain america kid] come on, guys. hey, mom. we're looking for loki. [mom] did you look over there?

a superhero in every aisle. the avengers, now at target. hi, honey. how's the camping trip? well, kids had fun, but i think i slept on a rock. what are you doing? having coffee. ah, sounds good! i thought you'd say that. ah. ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ you're the best! wake up to the mountain grown aroma of folgers. ♪ ... is folgers in your cup! back now at 7:45, with the contentious court battle between supermodel linda evangelista and the billionaire father of her 5-year-old son. nbc's mara schiavocampo is at the courthouse in lower manhattan. mara, good morning. >> ann, good morning. this is not your average child support battle. on the one hand, you have supermodel linda evangelista.

and on the other hand you have french billionaire francois henri pinault, the husband of actress salma hayek. it's all over support for 5-year-old augie. evangelista is asking for big bucks. supermodel linda evangelista is used to cameras flashing. but this is no runway. >> how did it go in court? >> reporter: she has been in manhattan family court for a child support battle with her ex, french billionaire francois-henri pinault, husband of actress salma hayek. >> you've got facing off supermodel, and billionaire, because he comes from a family that is worth $11.5 million. >> reporter: pinault is the ceo of a company that owns big-time fashion brands gucci, and yves saint laurent. he is also the father of evangelis evangelista's 5-year-old son augie, born before pinault married salma hayek. >> we heard, from our insider, that mr. pinault has been reluctant to talk about his son in court because he's very concerned that his son is not

seen as a commodity. >> reporter: at the center of the case, how much child support pinault should have to pay. evangelista is reportedly asking for $46,000 a month. a record in new york state. >> the judge is going to be looking at the standard of care of the other children of the noncustodial parent and analyzing how much this child, augie, is entitled to under that standard of living. >> reporter: pinault also has a 4-year-old daughter, valentina, with salma hayek, who, by many accounts, has been raised in lavish surroundings. pinault reportedly has a $12 million los angeles mansion in the trust in valentina's name. ee langua evangelista known for gracing countless magazines once famously said of supermodels, quote, we don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day. >> because you're worth it. evangelista is no stranger to big paydays. up until 2010, she had a lucrative contract with

cosmetics giant l'oreal, and an estimated worth of $8 million. the child support will reportedly cover costs of a 24-hour nanny for augie, as well as a driver and security. >> obviously $46,000 a month is a large sum. however, it could happen in this case, because you're dealing with a billionaire. >> reporter: pinault says he offered for years to pay child support but he never got a response from evangelista. the supermodel is expected back in court today for further testimony. ann? >> all right, mara schiavocampo, thank you so much, mara. coming up, cameron diaz will be in the house talking about hitting the big 4-0, relationships and a new movie in a live interview. but first these messages. the capital one cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and who doesn't want 50% more cash? ugh, the baby. huh! and then the baby bear said, "i want 50% more cash in my bed!" phhht! 50% more cash is good ri... what's that.

♪ you can spell. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? ha ha. ♪ made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally.

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. tropicana pure premium is made with 100% florida oranges. living with the pain of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ...could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you... ...with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra,... ...humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, blood, liver, and nervous system problems,... ...serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores.

you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist how you can defend against... ...and help stop further joint damage with humira. with magic. you are? see the egg? uh huh. so, look at the orange. now close your eyes. ♪ alakazaam! [ sighs ] you're good. and now i'm gonna make this flower bloom. presto. "love you lots." do you want to see it again? yes, i want to see it again! [ female announcer ] hallmark blooming expressions delivers your love again and again.

we're back now on this monday morning. we've got a very important person arriving at studio 1a. this for an interview about a half an hour from now. this is the dictator. >> admiral -- >> admiral aladeen of wadiya, which is a country -- >> oh. >> that is not the admiral. this is his security detail. >> not bad. >> oh, there he is. >> there he is. >> he's dressed casually today. >> sacha baron cohen who is here to talk about "the dictator."

he's won 14 olympic medals in his home country of wadiya. >> are you ready for this interview? because you know what he does to people he doesn't like, right? >> yeah, and i just mention we've covered all the furniture in the studio. >> we are prepared. >> right. >> we're going to sit down with him and -- >> cameron diaz is here in the house. we'll be talking to her, as well. [ male announcer ] did you know that your child's teeth

start out softer and more vulnerable? new aquafresh kids fresh and fruity toothpaste gently cleans their teeth with natural calcium and fights cavities with fluoride. try new aquafresh kids fresh and fruity toothpaste. like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours.

zyrtec®. love the air. dove challenged women to go the day without looking at themselves in the mirror after styling with new dove style plus care in the morning. we covered every reflection they could look in. ♪ style is long lasting when hair is nourished. ♪ that's why new dove style plus care with nutri-style complex nourishes and conditions so your style can go the distance. new dove style plus care. better style through better care. ♪ ♪

good morning. i'm aaron gilchrist. it is 7:56. let's get the forecast from meteorologist tom kierein. >> a cloudy start to this monday. temperatures around the region, metro area, are in the upper 50s to near 60. chillier around the eastern side of the bay and eastern shore. out of mountains, many locations in the 60s now. there's warmer air beginning to move that way and should be moving in later today into the metro area, low 70s. lot of cloudiness. tomorrow could get some afternoon and evening thunderstorms. some of which could be severe. more showers and storms on wednesday as well. >> thank you, tom. a look at traffic for

good morning. on the rails, a long delay. 15 minutes. camden north train of the marc. line 40 is. let's head over to the roadways. 29d 5 southbound and pennsylvania avenue, authorities are responding to a car fire in that area. right now we have just -- this just happened. an accident. this is the inner loop of the beltway approaching braddock. not here earlier. it is happening right now. looks like they are pushing this car out of the roadway. please use caution on the beltway as you make your way to

♪ 8:00 now on a monday morning. the 7th day of may, 2012. and it is not often that we welcome the dictator to the plaza here in rockefeller center. but that is the dictator of the country called wadiya. that is admiral general aladeen. >> yes. >> and he is also the star of a new movie, believe it or not. absolutely. some may have heard of the actor sacha baron cohen. just mention that name --

>> winning a number of awards. >> quite a few bodyguards. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. and by the way, "the dictator" not only a huge name on our plaza. >> that's right. >> he's got cameron diaz in our studio, as well. she's here going to be talking about her new movie, and some other things that will be going on in her life, as well. but before we chat with her -- >> she is spectacular. i love her in everything. >> and you're both wearing the same color. >> i know. so we didn't coordinate. hopefully we won't be clashing too much in our pink. also want to mention as we've been reporting last week marked the one-year anniversary of the navy s.e.a.l. raid of osama bin laden. now a former s.e.a.l., a lone survivor of a taliban attack in afghanistan, is out with a new book highlighting the heroic work of the country's most elite fighting force. so we're interested in talking to him coming up.

>> pretty impressive guy. let's go inside, natalie is standing by at the news desk. she's got a check of all the headlines. >> good morning, matt, ann and al. good morning, everyone. there's intense concern this morning over the fate of an american hostage kidnapped in pakistan. warren weinstein appears in a video released overnight by al qaeda, and says he will be killed if president obama does not meet the group's demands. although nbc news cannot verify where or when the tape was made, it's the first time we've seen or heard from the 70-year-old weinstein since he was kidnapped from his home in lahore, pakistan, last august. the 24-year-old colombian escort at the center of the secret service scandal is speaking out this morning in a "today" exclusive. danya suarez said the agent she met ahead of the presidential visit were, quote, stupid and idiotic. she said she called police after one agent refused to pay the fee they had agreed upon and she says she is not story that some of the secret service members lost their jobs. president obama is debuting the first major tv ad of his

re-election campaign today. he officially kicked off his campaign this weekend with rallies in ohio and virginia, where he accused his republican rival mitt romney of putting profits ahead of people. romney fought back, hammering the president on the economy, and especially the job market. meanwhile, vice president joe biden also made news on "meet the press" this weekend, going further than his boss by saying he would absolutely comfortable with same-sex marriage. the white house later clarified saying biden's comments were not an endorsement of gay marriage but his belief that same-sex couples deserve the same rights and protections of all americans. an autopsy today could provide new clues in the apparent homicide of a worker at churchill downs racetrack. the body of 48-year-old aidan fabian perez was found just hours after the kentucky derby. now our quick roundup of what has you talking online. there is an outpouring of sadness and admiration online for the beastie boys adam yauch

who died friday after a long battle with cancer. a cover tribute by cold play this weekend is already going viral. ♪ you got to fight for your rights ♪ >> and that mellow version of one of the loudest anthems already has more than 1.3 million youtube looks. nba legend shaquille o'neal is a hot topic online after receiving his doctoral degree in education saturday. the 7'1" shaq had to get down on one knee for the graduation scarf to be placed around his neck. and eli manning is trending on yahoo and google and winning strong reviews as the host of "saturday night live." also buzzing, sacha baron cohen's appearance as the dictator, torturing film director martin scorsese. take a look. >> speak freely. >> it was good.

it was great. it was better than "raging bull." >> hopefully the dictator won't punish matt like that when he interviews sacha baron cohen later on this morning. it is 8:05 right now. you're up to date. let's go outside to al for a check of your weather. >> well, thank you very much. we've got the ed erps of the band of -- all right. where are you guys located? >> michigan. >> well, thank you. you guys playing in a concert here? >> no. >> you're just hanging out. all right, there you go. they're going to be doing a friday concert for us. can't wait. let's see what we've got for you as far aave for you as far as today is concerned. pick city of the day, wmbf nbc news, partly sunny. warm in myrtle beach, south carolina. 08 degrees. looking pretty darned good. as you can see we have heavy rain from central indiana and northern indiana. all the way back down into texas where we have a risk of strong storms. western p.a., into louisiana

beautiful weather out west. 72 in seattle today. 73 in los angeles. we have sunshine here in the northeast. rain moves in later on this evening. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, just past 8:00 on this monday morning. lot of cloudiness around the metro area. elsewhere some sun is breaking out. temperatures most locations are around 60 degrees. later today, climbing to the low 70s. lot of cloudiness and sun in and out this morning. then tomorrow cloudy and into the mid 70s and some late afternoon and evening showers and storms. some of which could be severe. lingering showers and u wednesday into thursday morning, maybe thunder and lightning. then sun back for friday into the weekend. high 70s. >> what's your name? >> beth. >> nice to see you. and this young lady, 95. what's your name? >> ann. >> ann, thanks for coming. you look terrific. in five years you'll be back on the smucker's jar. okay. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. when we come back, cameron diaz

is in our studio. she'll talk to ann about her new movie, and some other things going on in here life. but first, these messages. ...98, 99, 100! ready or not, here i come! ♪ found ya! you always find me. you always hide here. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker have always loved the taste of just-picked fruit. so it's no wonder why today smucker's makes the world's best jam. for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. for five generations, ♪

abracadabra. new hershey's milk chocolate with almonds in pieces. your favorites, in pieces. [ female announcer ] the gold standard in anti-aging. roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. it's clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. now for maximum results, the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum to create retinol correxion® max. it's clinically shown to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. new roc® retinol correxion® max. nothing's better than gold. 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. that i actually taught you something. [ heartbeat ] tell me i'm ready. that you look up to me. tell me you like spending time with me. ♪ that i'm doing this right. even if i'm doing it alone. tell me you are proud of who we are. just -- tell me. [ female announcer ] for everything moms need to hear, there's a hallmark card. ♪

perfect golden color. rich in fiber. my dad taught me, and i taught my son out there. morning, pa. wait... who's driving the...? ♪ 99 bushels of wheat on the farm, 99 bushels of wheat ♪ [ male announcer ] yep, there's 8 filling layers of whole grain fiber in those fun little biscuits... so they stick with you, all morning long. kellogg's® mini-wheats cereal. [ mini ] yee haw! a big breakfast in a little biscuit. back now at 8:10. for millions of pregnant women, what to expect when you're expecting is a must-read. now the birthing bible has inspired a new movie that follows the intertwining stories of five couples. and cameron diaz plays jules, a reality show fitness trainer who

is thrown for a loop by a surprise pregnancy. especially when she and her boyfriend can't agree on some very important decisions. take a look. >> i'm not circumcising my baby. well done. well done. front page. >> i was going to tell you. >> why is this such a big deal. >> because i don't think -- and i'm his mother. >> and i'm his father. parenthood is about crops. >> well then promise, evan. >> i have. >> then every relationship has an alpha and a beta. i'm the alpha. >> no i'm the alpha. >> jinx. >> two alphas for sure. cameron diaz, good morning. >> good to see you, ann. >> be honest when you first heard that they were going to make a movie out of a book that basically is about placenta, hemorrhoids, gas, stretch marks, what was your first thought? >> the baking of the bun, right? i thought i didn't know how they were going to do it. so as i read it i realized, you know, rather than, you know, concentrating on the scientific part of pregnancy, they were weaving that into the stories of

what the human experience of it. the emotion. what it takes people to decide or not decide, to be surprised how children come in to different people's lives. you know, it's five different stories. but i think that people can relate to any one of those stories. you know, to make the decision to bring a child into the world, and to do it with someone, there's a lot, there's a lot of questions, a lot of responsibilities. a lot of things you don't think about before that happens. and my character, jules, and evan, matthew morrison, we -- it's a total surprise to us. so -- and we just met each other, really. we're only two months deep in our relationship. so we have to kind of figure out how that works. >> mm-hmm. exactly. and you find out that you're pregnant in a pretty spectacular way, which we won't reveal here. we'll let people see that on the screen. also it must have enticed you to do this movie are the other cast mates, jennifer lopez, dennis quaid, did you actually get to work with --

>> no, we've all sort of just been meeting one another in the hallways for the first time. because we had the film that we had to do two weeks at a time, each of us got ten days to shoot our stories. so it's sort of like a movie, a little mini movie. so we never were ever on the set with one another. just matt and i were together for our part. >> there's a lot of, i mean, dare i say, body fluids in this movie? did it make you, did it dissuade you from ever actually wanting to become a mother at some time? >> know what? i have so much experience with children. i'm an auntie for 15 years. i have a 15, 12, 11 and 3-year-old currently. and i have plenty of friends who have children. so i've had kids in my life for a long time. so, i know what it takes to -- to -- to, you know, be with children. and i love kids. >> well, i -- what i can't get over is the birthing scene. i mean, i have to say, when i really -- i marvelled at it because it felt so intense. >> it was weird. >> i mean, have you seen a baby

being born. >> i've been in the room with three births. my sister's three, all three of them. first a c-section which will change your life. do not witness that. >> hmm. >> and then the vaginal birth which will change your life, men, do not look at it. be there but just stay behind the curtain. and, yeah, so that was -- i've been in the room and also been, you know, since they were my nieces and nephew, i was very invested in it. the emotion there, you're waiting for the child to come. you want, you know, you're waiting to love this child, and the intensity of that. all the fear, you know, the terror, the excitement, the joy, everything that's present in the room at that moment is just so tangible, it's so beautiful, and we really wanted to bring that to the scene, where here's this couple that has been sort of not on the same page for the pregnancy, really struggling to figure out how this works, but

they're partners. they know this is like the moment that it's real, you know. this is where it all becomes very real. and so, we wanted it to be where they kind of climax -- the climax of their characters where they become that team. and it was so tangible in the room. and matt and i and the gal who was playing the midwife, we were all by the end of the scene we're just kind of holding hands like, we've been through something here. but it was really -- it was really beautiful. and when they brought the baby in for the 14-day-old baby that they brought in for the birth child was like, unbelievable, the energy was so beautiful. >> you can really -- this movie made me cry. i mean it's really, it does have, cause you to ride the waves of all these emotions. >> it does. >> i want to mention you said something really lovely in a magazine article recently, you were, and i think -- i want to ask you about it because i think it's going to be helpful to a lot of people watching, you said, you were talking about feeling bad after a breakup and you said that a friend -- >> well, years ago a friend of mine, this is like probably

eight years ago or something, he, you know, i had -- i said something about, you know, the loss -- i was just heartbroken, you know, like a really heartbroken. he says you shouldn't think of this as a loss, you should think of this as a gain, because the amount of love that you feel, the heartbreak, what is shows is how deeply you're capable of loving. and i thought, wow, that's really a great way to look at it. and it did change things around for me. because i was like, you know what? this actually now, instead of a loss, now i know what my capacity is. and i know that i can build that capacity and have even more to give. so, it turned me, rather than inward it turned me outward to be able to give. >> thank you for the generosity of sharing it with us. by the way i love your hair. >> by the way, i love my hair, too. they've blown it way out of proportion, too. i love my haircut. you know when you have short hair and like a little bit counts, like when it's shorter. my hair was already short and then it kind of just went a little bit shorter.

>> yeah. >> and i wasn't prepared for it. but my girlfriend is like the most amazing hairdresser. i love her so much. she did my hair today. thank you very much. but -- very cute. >> i love my hair. >> hair grows. cameron diaz. the movie is called "what to expect when you're expecting." and it hopes in theaters on may 18th. >> thank you so much. >> it was fun. >> so nice to meet you. >> so fun, as well. still ahead this morning, the coaches and contestants on "the voice" give us a preview of tonight's final performances. but first, these messages. ♪ ♪ i woke up to a new day ♪ every little thing gonna go my way ♪ ♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] kraft singles have no artificial flavors and they're always made with milk so all you taste is something amazing. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i found ♪ ♪

♪ 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™. are made with sweet cherries and the crisp, clean taste of our cranberries. i cannot tell a lie. 'tis tasty. okay, george washington, did you take my truck out last night? 'tis tasty. your mood and your makeup. makeup like you've never seen before. new revlon® photoready airbrush™ mousse make up. unique air-infused mousse formula blends easily for a smooth, poreless, airbrushed finish.

♪ jif to go goes anywhere ♪ jif to go goes here, goes there ♪ ♪ jif to go goes everywhere ♪ goes here, goes there ♪ jif to go, wherever you go ♪ goes here, goes there and let's see how colorfuloves. an afternoon can be. with certified advice to help us expand our palette... ...and prices that give us more spring per dollar... ...we can mix the right soil with the right ideas. ...and bring even more color to any garden. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. brighten mom's big day with colorful hanging baskets and color bowls. here's one story. pain doesn't have much of a place in my life. i checked the schedule and it's not on it. [ laughs ] you never know when advil® is needed. well most people only know one side of my life. they see me on stage and they think that that is who i am.

singer, songwriter, philanthropist, father, life's a juggling act. when i have to get through the pain, i know where to go. [ male announcer ] take action. take advil®. for your next headache, find fast relief with advil liqui-gels® or advil migraine®.

ur eyes will do the talking. with advil liqui-gels® [announcer:] new revlon® photoready 3d volume™ mascara the round tip brush coats even the tiniest lash. the innovative formula reflects every lash... for a 100% more magnified look. back in two,000 five, navy s.e.a.l. marcus latrell was the lone survivor of a mission in afghanistan when he and three of his members of his team were ambushed by taliban forces. an experience he talked about two years later right here on this show. >> i died on that mountain, too, sir. i mean, i left a part of myself up there. and i think about it every day. >> marcus latrell recovered from serious wounds and resumed his duties in iraq. he writes about his return to the battlefield, and the navy s.e.a.l.'s call of duty in the new book "service: a navy s.e.a.l. at war." marcus, good to see you again. >> you, too, sir. >> i think a lot of people were

surprised to know that after that doomed mission in afghanistan, you went back in to the service, despite losing so many friends, and despite serious wounds, but this time you went to iraq. what was the reason for going back in to -- in to a war zone? >> there was a couple. i mean, just because i had my butt kicked out there, and didn't mean that i needed to stop doing my job. i healed up the best i could and got back on the horse, so to speak and went back over. >> was there any part of it that had to do with revenge? >> revenge is a powerful motivator. i'm not going to lie to you. it definitely helped me overcome fear. and i kept that in the back of my head the whole time, just to push myself. not that i ever acted on it. >> i was going to say, is that a good reason to go back to war? >> no, no, absolutely not. rape, revenge and robbery are the three "rs" we don't mess around with. however, as i said before, the revenge attitude is very powerful. and it just kind of pushed me along. >> you went back to iraq, and

this time it was 2006, so it was just before the surge strategy. >> absolutely. >> was put into effect. discuss your -- your time there. what was it like serving in that country at that time? >> i was in the al anbar in ramadi and it was chaos, kind of like we were talking about earlier, it was chaotic. i thought for a little while that i'd been in over my head, that maybe i shouldn't have gone back. but, after being there for a little while, i realized that it was business as usual, and -- but it was very hard. very difficult. we took a lot of casualties. but we got through it. and did our best to turn that place around. >> if i remember, you wrote the first book about "operation red wing" to pay tribute to the guys you lost during that mission. you -- you write, this book to pay tribute to all the others. >> yes, sir. >> what do you want americans to know about the guys you serve with? >> that their stories of valor and heroism around every corner.

i mean everybody who wears the uniform around carries the rifle and goes there and puts it on the line, just the stuff that happens to them is completely unbelievable and i'm just trying to shed a little light on that from past, present and future. i mean, the story touches on all of that. and that includes the wives back home. >> you do have a chapter in the book called the warrior queens, which we want to make sure we understand exactly what you're talking about. you're talking about the wives and girlfriends who sacrifice so much while they're here, and their loved ones are overseas. >> i believe in my heart absolutely got to be the hardest job in the military is being a spouse of a soldier overseas. i saw it on the time. i wasn't married at the time. but, i had a lot of buddies who were and i saw it. so i just thought that it was time to take out a little credit for what they do back here. >> so much of what the s.e.a.l.s do goes on under the radar. >> absolutely. >> but a year ago in a very highly publicized mission navy s.e.a.l.s killed osama bin laden. and -- and they have been

celebrated for that. do you -- were you -- although you were not a part of that mission, were you proud to be a navy s.e.a.l. that day? >> i'm always proud to be a navy s.e.a.l. there was my greatest accomplishment, and that's about all i can compliment -- you know, talk about that. i -- i am proud of those guys, though, and what they do. >> you think it focused public attention on the difficulty of the missions they face on a daily basis? >> i think it did that, and a little more. i think it brought a lot of undue attention to our community, which we don't need. you know, it's kind of one of those things there's a reason why we exist and a reason why we run under the radar and when you bring attention to something like that you put a lot of people in danger and at risk. so, i could -- it runs both ways. >> i think i got the point. marcus, good to see you again. again the book is "service: a navy s.e.a.l. at war."

good morning. it is 8:26 on this monday, may 7. i'm aaron gilchrist. let's start with our forecast. here is meteorologist tom kierein. >> good morning. cloudy around the metro area. temperatures are near 60 degrees. sunshine, southern maryland, northern neck and near fredericksburg. and temperatures there are around 60. we will have a lot of cloudiness in and out today. maybe a few breaks from time to time. temperatures climbing into the low 70s and cloudy tomorrow. could get afternoon and evening thunderstorms. some of which could be severe. some showers and thunder possible and likely on wednesday. ending by early thursday morning and dry pattern friday into the weekend. >> thank you, tom.

traffic is next. stay with us.

still seeing delays on 295. headed southbound on pennsylvania avenue had an earlier car fire there. slowing down. benning road, 28 miles per hour. over to the inner loop of the beltway. have a stalled vehicle. blocking the right shoulder

lane. you are slow as you make your way to the dulles toll road. under speed at 29 miles per hour. outer loop of the beltway in montgomery county, very slow at new hampshire avenue. your delays continue to i-270. just 21 miles per hour. aaron, back over to you. >> thank you. another update in 25 minutes or

8:30 now on a monday morning. the 7th of may, 2012. we want to say hello to a fabulous crowd out here in rockefeller plaza. and the music you're listening to is actually a classic eagles song. >> it is not? >> oh, they're supposed to be running it. oh, there you go.

i see. well i hope -- anyway, the reason we wanted to hear that song is because we've got mr. frey, glen fry here to perform that song for us, one of the founding members of the eagles. you wanted to say something? >> i just want to say that jimmy corrigan did a live, on camera move through the plaza to find us here. >> the sad part is it was a mistake. >> someone must be on break. >> come on, come on. >> there we go. >> nice job. >> also ahead -- >> woo-hoo. >> as we mentioned we have the supreme leader of the country of wadiya. >> uh-oh. >> with us this morning. he has now apparently shot our executive producer. >> and our director. and he is now down in the control room. he looks a little like sacha baron cohen. we're going to be talking to him about -- >> i dare you. >> we will be talking -- >> -- on good morning america.

>> you know what he does a lot of in the movie? he does a lot of this. cut, cut, sacha, cut to me. somebody cut here. a lot of this. >> be careful. >> uh-oh. >> okay. >> breaking loose. no wonder jimmy had a hard time knowing where we were. no wonder he needed to run. he's lost all control. >> let's try to grab some back. >> are you paying too much for your cell phone service? well, we're going to show you all the different plans out there, the one that may be right for you so that you're not spending too much. >> and bravo's andy cohen is here, as well. you may know him from the shows that he brought to life such as desperate housewives, top chef and he takes an interesting look at his own life coming out. >> pretty funny. >> yeah. >> mr. roker, check of the weather? >> all righty. >> mr. roker, a check of the weather. >> if the dictator will allow, this let's show you, we have a risk of strong storms, ohio to

louisiana. p showers lou texas. slight risk there. hit or miss thunderstorms down lou florida. then for tomorrow, we have a wet day here in the northeast on into new england and showers move back into the pacific northwest. risk of strong storms again in southern texas. much of alaska looking on the wet side tomorrow. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. cloudy through much of the region. sun south and east of washington, though. north, few sprinkles that popped newspaper frederick county, maryland, carroll county. traveling west to east. later today, a lot of clouds around. sun trying to break out from time to time. highs reaching low 70s and cloudy tomorrow into the mid 70s. and looks like afternoon and evening storms. some of which could be strong with damaging winds and hail. then occasional showers. maybe thunder on wednesday and that may linger into thursday morning. drying out after that as we get into the weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you so much. by the way, on nbc's hit show "the voice," and we've got nbc's amy robach here to tell us all about it. >> it's season two.

it's had a lot of drama this time around. and tonight is the last night of competition with the performers performing solo. and they'll also be performing with their coaches. it's down to four vying for the title of "the voice." there's chris from team christina. ♪ team cee lo's juliet sims. ♪ nothing >> jermaine paul on team blake. and representing team adam -- ♪ tony luca, the former mouseketeer who co-starred with christina aguilera on the disney show back in the early '90s. >> where's my old mouseketeer buddy. >> but the reunion between old friends has been testy. >> i thought that was, you know, a good performance. i just find you to be very one dimensional. >> i want to ask you about christina. has going on there?

>> i would love to have an answer for you. but i don't. years and years and years have gone by, and i -- we lost touch. >> right, right. >> you know, i was anticipating maybe a little more pleasant exchange between the two of us over the course of the season. >> if this doesn't work you you and adam can start a cover band. >> what do you make of that? >> i'm more confused by it. >> christina was unable to join us when i caught up with the judges but the other three did talk about the sometimes spirited exchanges. is there a showmanship or a nice little rivalry that opens up? >> i'm competitive with myself. but these guys are my homies, i love you guys. >> what do you mean you're competitive with yourself when you say that? th's the most generic piece of crap answer. >> you're right. it was a terrible answer. >> okay. was it a dishonest answer? >> the truth is [ bleep ] these guys. i want to beat the crap out of them every possible night.

and if you say it's a competition, absolutely, and they're both going down. >> cee lo often seen on the voice holding a white persian cat named perfect was without her during our chat. where is perfect right now? >> home. >> blake loves your cat, by the way. he was talking -- >> i love that cat. >> that cat is perfect. >> that cat is the reason that you're sick right now. you're probably allergic to that cat and that's why you're sick. that's why you can't breathe. >> that cat has become the fifth coach. >> that cat has followers on twitter. >> it's the sweetest cat i ever known. >> it's the most bizarre interview i've ever done but yet it's the most entertaining. >> we're like the three most literally different people in the world however we're drawn together and we're friends. >> and you're touching each other right now. >> let go. >> if only we could have shown

you the entire interview. >> that showed right there. >> we had to really carefully edit that because let's just say they were very free with their choice. >> you should put that online. >> it was really funny. who knew they were comedians all three of them. >> fun, thanks so much. by the way want to mention you can catch the final performances of "the voice" tonight at 8:00, 7:00 central time here on nbc. the winner of "the voice" will be crowned tomorrow night. meantime we have the supreme leader of wadiya in our studio, ladies and gentlemen. so stay tuned. this is "today" on nbc.

sacha baron cohen has brought us some strange and even ridiculous characters. people like borat and bruno. now we're getting an up-close look at his latest creator, supreme leader aladeen of the

republic of wadiya. an oppressive dictator targeted by the united nations for removal because of crimes against his people. >> for over four decades the people have lived under the rule of the tyrant who denies them their most basic human rights. >> i am for free press, fair elections and equal rights for women. i can't say that. >> on your mark, get set --. >> supreme leader aladeen, good morning. it's nice to have you here. >> good morning. hello, and death to the west. >> great to have you -- >> by the way, how are your family? >> they're fine. why do you ask? >> correct. how is your wife annette? what is she doing now? >> she's probably watching this interview. >> incorrect. don't worry. don't worry. that's fun.

don't worry. don't worry. everything fine. no, i have some of my people do a little bit of research on your program, and i found out some things, the filipino girl, what is her name? >> the filipino girl? >> the filipino, the -- the -- >> japanese-american woman? >> yes. >> ann curry? >> yes, ann curry. i know that you are having an affair with her. so you are ask me good questions and i will not bring it up when it we are live on the air, okay? okay. you can ask me whatever you want -- why am i looking at the picture of myself in there? what is this? >> we'll take that out, sir. for people who are not familiar -- with the republic of wadiya, what would you like us to know about your country? >> it is 1,300 miles from tel aviv as the scud flies. wadiya -- wadiya is a lovely place. it has a population of 4 million, but obviously that

figure changes depending on my mood. >> and how did you become the supreme leader? how did you ascend to power? >> well, i ascended in tragedy, actually. my mother died in childbirth from strangulation. my father also died from natural causes. he was allergic to bullets. and he was -- and my uncle is going to die in a tragic helicopter crash at about 3:00 this afternoon. and don't worry, you and your family are totally safe. unless i say -- >> we are -- >> don't worry. >> i'm a little tense about it. the hair in the pocket got me. when we -- >> it is not her hair. >> we have learned some things about you. >> it's actually some of yours. look down below, it will look

like -- >> and you bring up megan fox. we have learned through your representatives you have had relationships with some high profile actors and actresses. >> not relationships. just sex activity. >> so megan fox, katy perry. >> yes. >> oprah? >> yes. yes. it is true. true. megan fox now she is pregnant, and she wants to get child support. what does she think that i am the richest man in the world? i'm actually the seventh richest. you know the money don't grow on trees. and all my money is hemorrhaging here. $20 a day for internet, and they call me an international criminal. >> you had a highly publicized incident on the red carpet trying to get into the academy awards not long ago. you spilled some of king jong-il's ashes on our friend ryan seacrest. is there anything you'd like to say to ryan? >> i know firstly that ryan tried to have an attempted coup and take your job away, so

having him executed -- but let me say it was not kim jong-il's ashes. kim jong-il's sun is very fat. in fact he looks so fat he ate his father which is actually what he did. so kim jong-il because kim jong dead and his fat son ate him and he became king jong-yum and 20 hours after that he became kim jong done. that is a small transition of power. >> it's perfect way for me to say, we want to mention that "the dictator" opens across this entire country on wednesday the 16th of may. >> that's right. it will be released, and next wednesday, as for your family, let's see. >> we're back with much more. supreme leader aladeen. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> this is "today" on nbc. >> okay.

back now at 8:46. if you know andy cohen you're probably not surprised to learn that he was voted most talkative by his high school class. some 20 years later he's the most of his own talk show called "watch what happens live" on bravo. he's also the bravo executive responsible for bringing "top chef" and the housewives franchise to television. now cohen is out with his mem ware called "most talkative: stories from the front lines of pop culture." >> hi, ann. >> this idea that you're the most talkative. in hindsight you called it an achilles heel when you were younger. >> yeah. >> don't you think it's kind of been the best thing? >> it's been great. my mouth has gotten me in so much trouble over the years. and i've detailed every bit of trouble that i've gotten in. in the book, but it's also been my greatest asset. so, you know. i -- i lied to oprah winfrey in order to get an interview when i was at cbs news, and i got caught. on and on, there's detail all of these stories in the book.

>> and by the way, the book is hilarious. >> thank you. >> there are lines in it, and it's also incredible honest. >> yeah. >> because you talk about from being from a very young age loving soap operas. >> yes. >> but also knowing that you were gay. >> yes. >> and struggling to figure out how to come out. and the hardest thing -- >> there i am in curlers. >> look at that. what is that, by the way? why are you wearing curlers? >> my sister and my neighbors dressed me up. yeah. >> but you've been you know, you, you, the hardest thing for you is to figure out how to talk to your mom about it. >> yeah. >> because you were so, so close to her, right? >> yeah, i think everyone's coming-out story who's gone through this process, it's incredibly personal. my, you know, mine was, too. and i share the story of moment of hilarity in that moment was that after i told her i was gay she said, i probably would have hated your wife anyway. which is great. and she may have, actually. so maybe it's a good thing. >> and i'm wondering, you know, because you know, when you were

coming out there weren't a lot of gay role models on television. >> yeah. >> now, there, this is, we're in the wake of will and grace, and has it been easier for people? >> well, i think it's always really hard and i hope that i think with more visiblity of gay people on tv you feel like you know them. so i hope it's okay. >> now you're a big executive. >> yeah. >> you get to be in charge of having these big programs and you're on television yourself now. >> it's true. >> with a talk show. are you having some fun? >> i'm having the best time. this is really a dream come true story, as well. because when i was at an intern at cbs news 24 years ago i think my boss said you know what, don't go try to be on tv because your eyes are crossed. and you're never going to make it on tv. >> your eyes are not crossed. >> i do have a bit of a wandering eye. >> really? >> and so i gave it up, and that began my career, actually, behind the scenes, first at cbs news for ten years, and then -- and then in cable. so it's wild that all these years later i've wound up on the

air. it's incredible. i'm living my dream that i dreamed for myself. >> and when you think about it because i'm just trying to figure out there seems to be a knowledge that you have about what works. you know. the, the housewives series that has been so successful. >> yeah. >> why, why does that work? >> first of all i work with a great team at bravo. we embrace big characters who are different than anybody that you see on tv. who are addictive. who are either great at something, or just great to watch on tv. and, and we know what makes good tv. hopefully. >> well, apparently you do. well, no, you do. congratulations on that, and -- and staying true to yourself, and, and to what you love because obviously it's led you to big success in your life. >> thanks, ann. >> the book is called "most talkative." coming up next, a live performance from the legendary singer song writer glenn frey. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

the "toyota concert series on today," brought to you by toyota. >> six time grammy winner glenn frey earned his place in music history as one of the founding members of the legendary group the eagles. this morning he's here to perform a song from his sixth solo album "after hours" which is a collection of love songs

and standards from the '40s and today. ladies and gentlemen, great pride in saying mr. glenn frey. ♪ ♪ if you ever plan to motor west travel my way that's the highway that's the best ♪ ♪ get your kicks on route 66 ♪ ♪ now it winds from chicago to l.a. ♪ ♪ more than two thousand miles all the way ♪ ♪ get your kicks on route 66 ♪ ♪ now you go through st. louis joplin, missouri ♪ ♪ oklahoma city looks oh, so pretty ♪ ♪ you see amarillo

gallup new mexico ♪ ♪ flagstaff arizona don't forget winona, kingman barstow san bernardino ♪ ♪ if you get tip to this timely tip ♪ ♪ go and take that california trip ♪ ♪ get your kicks on route 66 ♪ ♪ all right michael ♪ ♪ ♪ now you go through st. louis joplin, missouri ♪

♪ oklahoma city looks oh, so pretty ♪ ♪ you see amarillo gallup, new mexico ♪ ♪ flagstaff, arizona don't forget winona ♪ ♪ kingman barstow san bernardino ♪ ♪ get hip to this timely tip go and take that california trip ♪ ♪ get your kicks on route 66 ♪ ♪ ♪ get your kicks on route 66 ♪ ♪ get your kicks on route 66 ♪ ♪ ♪

>> glenn frey. we'll talk to glenn outside in a moment. but after these messages and your local news. breaking news at 8:56. right now prince george's county police are on the scene after serious school bus accident. let's go to danella sealock with the details. >> the crash occurred between palmer road and indian head highway. an accident involving a school bus and van.

no word on whether students were on the school bus. but reportedly the driver of the van is in serious condition. now let's go over to the beltway. we are still seeing delays on the inner loop of the beltway at new hampshire avenue. you are slow. only 20 miles per hour and at the van ness station, all elevate wrors and escalators are out. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] virtual wallet can help you be that person who's good with money. see what's free to spend. move money with a slide. save with a shake. feel good about your decisions.

one small black cocoa creme iced coffee. uh-oh!

let me out of here! try dunkin's new black cocoa creme iced coffee and call star-star-d-d for a text to capture your alien today. the galaxy runs on dunkin'. good morning. mostly cloudy. temperatures in low mid 60s. few sprinkles passing north of washington and northern montgomery county into western howard moving west to east. and we will have a few breaks in the cloud cover. little sun trying on come through from time to time. highs reaching the low 70s. tomorrow does look like a of the cloudy must and afternoon and evening storms. some of which could be severe. might have showers and storms on wednesday as well. >> thank you,

we are back now with more of "today" on a monday morning, may 7th, 2012. and wow, starting to brighten up beautifully here. looks like we're in for a nice day. and we've got a great crowd out on the plaza. we thank these people for sticking around. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker, and savannah guthrie. who joins us on the plaza. coming up, we're going to be listening to and hearing from the woman who's really at the center of that secret service prostitution scandal. >> that's right she's speaking out in her first interview, and it's exclusive for us on american television. so the question is how did she meet the agents and what

happened in that row tell in colombia? we're going to hear what she's got to sea about it. and she might raise some eyebrows. >> and we've got consumer news that we can all use. a lot of people feel they pay too much for their cell phone. not only that the contracts can be long, expensive, confusing. we've got some news you can use. strategies how to cut down on your cell phone bill. >> and today is being called melanoma monday. skin cancer one of the most common cancers out there in the united states. and coming up we've got some important information that could save your life. or someone you love. we're going to clear up the confusion about spfs, tell you why a base tan does not protect you and gets you a lot more preventative information. >> finally. >> and also i will tell you that all-times eagles probably one of my top two bands. love them. one of the founding members here, glenn frey. >> thank you very much. >> we love you. >> thank you. >> you surprised me with this. when i started to look at the list of songs here. it's a different direction for

you. >> absolutely. songs i've always wanted to record. i wanted to make this album for my parents who are still alive and kicking out in palm springs. i wanted to share their music with them, my version of it, and it was great making the record. and now i said everybody's a little bit surprised. and pleasantly so. >> yeah. >> are maybe you among those people? because at one point you were sort of wondering, you really wanted to own this music. >> it's a different kind of singing, you know. what i do in the eagles and what i do as a solo artist i call guitar singing. and with these songs, sometimes you're a trumpet. sometimes you're a clarinet. it's kind of more appropriate for the instruments that you use on the song. so it was a real challenge. but one i really enjoyed, and i'm really happy i did it. i want to do another one. >> doing this material made you a better singer? >> yeah, i believe so. because you breathe different. you hold notes different. it's not rock 'n' roll singing. of course i got a lot of respect

for the people like tony bennett and ella fitzgerald, all the people i admire. now i realize how good you have to be. >> and you're going back out on tour? >> i'm on tour right now. i'm going to play town hall on wednesday night here in new york with the nyu concert orchestra. >> oh. >> which should be really exciting. play a few more shows here on the east coast. >> we just heard you. you sound wonderful. >> thank you. >> you ever want to bring that other band by here on the plaza, we could do that one. >> they might just do it. i'm going to tell them i had a great time and how good it was to be here. >> do that. i mean it. >> they will. >> okay, that's nice. mr. roker, how about -- >> no, no, no. >> let's go inside to natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning once again. an aide worker kidnapped last summer in pakistan has resurfaced this morning in a video message released by al qaeda. nbc news cannot verify where or when the video was produced. in it, warren weinstein urges president obama to agree to his captors' demands, saying he'll be killed if the u.s. does not

stop air strikes, and if al qaeda and the taliban -- taliban suspects worldwide are not released. the 24-year-old colombian escort at the center of the secret service scandal is spiking out this morning in a "today" exclusive. nbc's michelle kosinski has the story. michelle? >> hi, natalie. she's 24 years old, a mother, has family here, and she was not paid for this interview. she calls the secret service men, stupid brutes. that she says put extremely indiscreet partying ahead of the president's security. >> translator: they like to show off their bodies. great bodies. well-defined abs. they like attention, and we colombian women are not used to that. i was surprised that every time he dance with me he lift up his sweater so i could see. >> so they were acting very bold, and sure of themselves? >> translator: they were full of themselves.

there was another guy that would jump up on the bar. >> were they shy about asking for sex or were they very direct about it? >> translator: very direct. i will say too direct. >> did any of them say that they had done this before? >> translator: no, but the way they approach us, it seems obvious that they were used to doing it, because people that do this for the first time are very shy. >> what if someone said, well, you went to the bar, you tempted these guys. >> translator: no, i'm not to blame for being attractive. they are to blame for leaving their jewelry behind. >> reporter: dannia suarez says the three men who approached and propositioned her and her friend, she assumed they were tourists, were drinking like, quote, like it was water, but were still coherent. she said she made it clear that a night with her would cost $800. >> translator: these are very basic words. sex, sexto, cash, money, dinero.

i made a sign with my fingers so that he couldn't pretend that i was charging $80 or 80 cents. okay, no problem. let's go. >> reporter: she says after what she described as normal sex he fell asleep. that she could have gone through or stolen everything in his room, but didn't. and the next morning -- >> translator: he told me to stay. >> he told you to stay longer? >> translator: he told me stay here. stay, my love. >> stay my love. >> translator: i told him no. i told him to give me my money. that i was going home. >> was he angry? >> translator: very angry. very angry. >> she says the man, allegedly a secret service agent, gave her $50, ordered her out, closed the door. police got involved. she says other agents gathered about $250, and she left. >> translator: i think it's fair they lost their jobs and cannot have them back again. >> what do you think of these guys?

you laugh? why do you laugh so much? >> translator: they seem like completely stupid. idiots. i don't know how obama had them in his security force. what dumb men. >> the laughter lasts only until she thinks of her own life and of her 9-year-old son. she says in a way she feels sorry for the men involved but that no one should feel sorry for her. >> translator: i know that it's something shameful and ugly. i don't justify it, but i did it. i kept it a low profile. never again. >> a u.s. official acknowledges that the agent she claims she has been with has resigned. she says she has been contacted by a major american publishing house with interest in a book deal. >> michelle kosinski, thanks. an autopsy today could provide new clues in the apparent homicide of a worker at churchill downs racetrack. the body of 48-year-old aidan

fabian perez was found in a barn early sunday just hours after the kentucky derby. a blind chinese activist says today he is confident beijing will uphold its end of a tentative deal to let him leave the country and study abroad. chen guangcheng triggered a dispute between the u.s. and china when he escaped from house arrest into u.s. diplomatic custody more than a week ago. france has elected a new president, ousting incumbent nicolas sarkozy in favor of the socialist francois hollande. the new president-elect is expected to be inaugurated later this month but the change in leadership could rattle world markets as hollande has promised a new economic course of action for france saying that austerity is no longer inevitable. and the biggest opening weekend ever as "the avengers" broke the record at the box office, raking in more than $200 million, well on its way to becoming one of the top grossing movies of all time. "think like a man" came in second. and "the hunger games" fell to third. it is eight minutes past the hour. let's go upstairs to al with a

check of your weather. >> and the three stooges was fifth. so there you go. let's see what we've got for you for today. got a risk of strong of strong . this is also causing a lot of rain. we have flood watches and flood warnings from chicago all the way down to texas. frontal system with a couple of vigorous low pressure systems bring plenty of rain from texarkana to detroit. we have the possibility of damaging winds. super cell tornadoes, thunderstorms in ohio. and western p.a. from jackson all the way could cleveland. rainfall amounts anywhere from 2 to 3 inches, western pennsylvania down to about a half an inch to an inch all the way into texas. here's what's going on around the country. her's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. tom kierein in storm center 4. our storm 4 radar showing a few sprinkles moving across northern montgomery county and into howard and carroll counties. moving west to east and passing north of the metro area. we had a pew breaks in the cloud cover. little bit of sunshine now and then. overall lot of cloudiness the rest of the day. highs reaching low 07s and

mctomorrow. afternoon and evening storms are likely some of which could be severe tomorrow. then some more showers and thunder wednesday. ending on thursday morning. sun back thursday afternoon and into the weekend. this morning on "today's consumer," what do you pay too much for? we asked. you answered. a lot of you think you're paying too much for cell phone service. so "today" financial editor jean chatzky is here with three strategies you can use to lower those bills. jean, good to see you. >> good to see you. >> how much is the average person paying? >> $71 a month. and that's just for an individual cell phone bill. that's up about 30% from two years ago. >> what's driving it up? >> smartphones. instead of just paying for voice, now we're paying for voice and text and data, in many cases, and in many cases we're not using it. >> are folks overpaying? >> yes. folks are overpaying. about 80% of cases. >> is it the people, the consumers, or the phone companies or a combo. >> i think it's a little bit of

both. people have to take the initiative to make sure that they're on the right plan, that they have the right number of voice minutes, and text minutes, and data in terms of their own usage, and if you mess that up and go over, you're going to pay too much. but if you're under, you're going to pay too much, as well. >> so let's get started. you say one of the first strategies is ask for a one-time credit. >> that's right. we have a user named heather, and we went to her phone provider, which was sprint, now she's got two smartphones, she's got a hot spot, and she's got 1500 minutes a month and based on her usage, that's actually the right plan for her. so you would think there would be nothing that she could do. we called them, we didn't even have to ask, before they said we're going to give you $100, just because you're a loyal customer, and, in fact, both at&t and verizon, they have these loyalty bonuses that they're willing to throw to people who've been there for years. >> but you've got to ask for them. >> you do have to ask for them. in many cases, or at least in her case, make the phone call.

we didn't have to say it, they came to us and said we can do this for you. >> another example, a viewer you say was given two discount options. how do you decide which one is right? >> you have to look at how long you're planning to be with that caier. this was peggy. peggy is with at&t. she's got four phones on the plan. she's been with them forever and she says that she's not leaving. because they're the only carrier in her neighborhood that has decent service. so she knows she's going to stay with them. they offered $10 a month off of her texting plan, or to waive the entire cost of texting for six months. so she looked at it and she said i'm going to be there for a lot longer, so she took the $10 a month. and then we said, is there anything else that we can do. and they said, if you're willing to extend your time with us for an additional year on two of your phones we'll give you an extra $70 off. so we saved another $200. >> and that goes in to your second strategy, which is to think long-term. >> you have to think about, am i going to be with this carrier

forever? or do i want to wind my contract down so that i don't have to pay fees for getting out of them, and then i could go to one of those no-contract plans that, for a lot of people is a good way to save a decent amount of money. you have to buy your own phone, but, the plans really run only about $40, $50 a month all-in. >> all right. and then the last strategy you say is you should really we should all be doing this anyway is examine your bill closely. >> okay. so cindy got in touch with us. and she's got a bunch of phones, she texts, no problem. but she's paying $15 a month for data, she doesn't use data. >> oh. >> yes. $15 a month. and this has been going on since 2009. >> wow. >> so she noticed this for the first time in november. she called them, they got rid of it, but only for a month and then it came right back on, and she said what can you help me do about this? so we got in touch with the carrier, that was verizon. they were willing, on the first call to get rid of it going back to november.

that wasn't good enough for us. we asked for a supervisor and they got rid of it for another four months. now we saved her about $275. they wouldn't get rid of it going all the way back because they said it's really up to the customer to look at your bill, as well. and she was in a plan that was in too much -- she just was buying too much phone usage, so she switched that, as well. >> all right. well some great advice. you really save a lot without doing a lot of work. >> just pick up the phone. i did it last week, i saved $100. so there you go. >> jean chatzky, thanks so much. still ahead, what you might not know about skin cancer, but you should. we're going to get important information from a dermatologist. then a little bit later on, supermodel linda evangelista's child support case. she's suing her billionaire ex for big bucks. he's married now to actress salma hayek. about activia.alking 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. so it stays on in conditions like sand... sun... 100-degree heat, and ocean water. for uva/uvb protection in seven conditions, banana boat. we've got you covered. great! tyler here will show you everything. check out our new mobile app. now you can use your phone to scan your car's vin or take a picture of your license. it's an easy way to start a quote. watch this -- flo, can i see your license? no. well, all right. thanks. okay, here we go. whoa! no one said "cheese." progressive mobile -- insurance has never been easier.

get a free quote today. until they see this. the new oral-b pro-health clinical brush. its pro-flex sides adjust to teeth and gums for a better clean. the new pro-health clinical brush from oral-b. is really my mother. they keep asking me if the dirty guy is really my son. these viva towels really are tough, even when wet! [ mike ] that's my real father, cleaning up a real mess on a real grill. see? [ female announcer ] grab a roll and try it on your toughest mess. ♪ ♪ whoa-oh, yeah, yeah ♪ well, she goes the extra mile ♪ ♪ she's gonna make you smile, yes, she will ♪ [ female announcer ] from special occasions to unplanned thursdays, it's one good time after another.

town house®. where good times reside™. [ female announcer ] stains are annoying. get rid of them with clorox 2. its triple-solve technology penetrates, dissolves, and eliminates tough stains. clorox 2. the triple-solve stain fighter. now on "today's health," what you may not know about skin cancer. the american academy of dermatology has dubbed today melanoma monday. dr. susan taylor is a dermatologist and spokesperson for the academy. >> good morning. >> melanoma. we hear a lot about skin cancer and yet we've seen the melanoma

rates rise so dramatically over the last four decades. is the public health message not getting out? >> well, there's still a concern. one in five americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. and one person, it's estimated, dies every hour from melanoma. so it remains a major concern. >> we have a lot of great tips so we're going to clear up some misconceptions. the first thing we want to point out is that early detection can really make a huge difference. >> melanoma can be cured if it's detected at an early stage. advanced melanoma can spread to the lymph nodes and internal organs and result in death. so what people should know is that if we detect melanoma before it gets to the lymph nodes, there is a 98% five-year survival. but if it spreads to the lymph nodes, that five-year survival decreases to 62%. and if it gets to the internal organs, that drops all the way to 16%. >> well, prevention clearly is the key here. >> it is. >> everyone knows you should wear sunscreen but the spfs can

be really confusing. >> they can be very confusing. in fact there was a study that shows only 1 in 5 americans realize that an spf 30 didn't confer double the protection of a 15. so the bottom line is this. you want to apply an spf 30 on a daily basis. you want to apply at least a shot glass full. >> you're showing us a shot glass. >> a shot glass full and you want to reapply every two hours. that's something many people don't realize. you want to apply it even on a cloudy day. don't forget to reapply if you go swimming, or if you sweat. you know, there's recently determined that you can cut the incidence of melanoma in half by using sunscreen on a daily basis. spf 30, broad spectrum. >> and a shot glass full. >> a shot glass full to all exposed areas. >> okay. another myth, young people are not immune. >> mm-hmm. so although melanoma occurs most commonly in middle-aged men, it

can occur, in fact it's the second most common form of cancer in young people. ages 15 to 29. in young women, it occurs on the torso. and we think that's due to unsafe tanning habits. >> like tanning booths? >> absolutely. >> some people think if you have a base tan, then you're protected. any truth to that? >> wrong, wrong, wrong. in fact, there were 65% of people in a survey who thought that a base tan can protect their skin. that is simply not true. there's no safe tan. >> also, all skin tones and colors can be subject to melanoma. >> that's right. so people with darker skin tones, those of african and latin and asian descent can, indeed, develop melanoma skin cancer. bob marley died of melanoma on his toe. the other thing that's of concern with darker skin tones is that the melanoma's often detected at a much later stage, and the prognosis for survival is much lower. >> we also should mention, although most people think of the sun when they think of skin cancer, you can get skin cancer in places that the sun never

sees. >> that's exactly right. like the bottom of your foot. so it's critically important to know how to spot skin cancer and to spot things that change. in fact the american academy of dermatology has a website, spotskincancer.org. but it has great information about how to spot skin cancer. and how to prevent skin cancer. >> and you say your partner can actually be a really good ally in this. >> that's right. so many times, a man or a woman comes to my office because their partner has seen something, they've spotted something on their back, or a place they can't see. so you should talk to your partner and you should examine one another's skin. because he or she can see the back, for example. so that's a great way to support one another. >> really good advice. dr. susan taylor, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and coming up, the child support battle between supermodel linda evangelista and the billionaire father of her son. but first, these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] need a new car?

♪ now's the time to get amazing deals from toyota, the full-line brand with the longest lasting vehicles during toyota's save in may sales event. plus every new toyota comes with toyota care, a complimentary plan that includes oil changes, roadside assistance and more. toyota's save in may sales event won't last long. so what are you waiting for? [ male announcer ] hurry in today! but not for your eyes. they're still so tired looking. with olay challenge that, with regenerist anti-aging eye roller. its hydrating formula with caffeine conditioning complex, perks up the look of eyes. it works in the blink of an eye.

now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea. hot or cold, keurig is the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. choose, brew, enjoy. keurig. never beat around the bush. you'll just squash the berries. new triple berry newtons. ♪ made with real fruit, 100% whole grain, and fiber. it's one unique cookie.

and coming up, finding the perfect gift for your child's teacher to show your heartfelt appreciation. >> and we're going to sink our teeth into some tasty sandwiches from all around the world. >> first your local news and weather. ♪

[ jennifer ] better. stronger. believe. happier. healthier. i believe weight watchers made me more powerful. it's time to believe again. stand up and take charge. i believe if you want to change your life, you can. [ female announcer ] weight watchers -- rated number one best plan for weight loss by u.s. news and world report, again. join now for free. hurry. offer ends may 12th. [ jennifer ] weight watchers. believe. because it works. hi, honey. how's the camping trip? well, kids had fun, but i think i slept on a rock. what are you doing? having coffee. ah, sounds good!

i thought you'd say that. ah. ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ you're the best! wake up to the mountain grown aroma of folgers. ♪ ... is folgers in your cup! breaking news at 9:26. prince george's county police on the scene after school bus accident in ft. washington. the bus and vannol school eyeded along indian head highway. the police department put out this photo on twitter a short time ago. three students and the school bus driver taken to be the hospital with minor injuries. the driver of that van has serious injuries. you can look for the latest "news4 midday" at 11:00 a.m. any delays because of the accident? >> definitely. traveling northbound indian head highway you are going to start to see delays around ft. washington road and you are slow all of the way to palmer road. jammed even. just be aware as you are making

your commute. outer loop of the beltway, montgomery county, we are still seeing del nays this area. slow, 25 miles per hour. >> a look at weather right after this.

good morning. cloudy around the metro area. there's some sun, though, sxouth southeast of washington. and temperatures in a the 60s. and closer to washington, near 60 degrees. and out in the mountains getting sunshine there.

it is already near 70. locally a lot of clouds around the metro area throughout the day with highs and lows 70s. tomorrow could get afternoon and evening thunderstorms. some of which could be severe. more showers and thunder likely on wednesday. ending thursday morning. dry, friday into the weekend. dry, friday into the weekend. >> on "news4 midday" the latest 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.

how come they wouldn't give you a raise? >> i don't know. i'm the best secretary they have if you don't count my shorthand and typing. >> actress suzanne somers has gone from america's blonde bombshell on the sitcom "three's company" to a crusader for al tempive medicine and now she's back. she's promising to help you rethink and redefine aging. and she'll be here to explain that and more tomorrow on "today." look forward to that. >> got some old footage out. >> yeah. coming up in this half hour a high profile and high stakes child support case. supermodel linda evangelista is

seeking a reported $46,000 a month to raise her 5 yield son she had with billionaire french fashion executive henri pinault. >> also ahead we were talking about this, no more pencils, no more books, almost time for summer vacation. remember how good that feels? one last assignment, though, you've got to find a great gift for your child's teacher. and that can be a tough one sometimes. we're planning to make it a little bit easier with creative handmade and store-bought ideas for teacher. >> a wheel o'crayons. >> from poor boys to gyros, sandwiches are a food favorite around the world. we've got andrew zimmerman in the kitchen to show us a guadalajara style roast pork sandwich smothered in spicy sauce. >> oh, yeah. >> all good stuff. >> not like eyeballs and things like -- >> no, no, nothing weather. >> no eyeball sandwiches. >> good, good. first a check of the weather. >> all right. let's show you what we got for today. starting off wweather. >> starting off with the week

ahead, we have wet weather here in the east with warmer temperatures through the ohio river valley. below normal temperatures in the midsection of the country. above normal temps in the pacific north west and mid week period and heavy rain along the coast. we have more rain in the central plains, and above normal temperatures there. as we get to the latter part of the week, we have normal conditions along the eastern seaboard. cooler down lou texas on into the great lakes. above normal temperatures for the western third of the country. that's what's going on. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. tom kierein, storm center 4. around the metro area, we have a lot of cloudiness, few shots of sun trying on get through. temperatures are near 60 degrees. later today, only in the low 70s much of the region. lot of cloudiness. there may be sun in and out. then tomorrow, some afternoon and evening thunderstorms likely. highs reaching mid 70s. some of the storms tomorrow could be severe. off and on showers and thunder on wednesday and that may linger into thursday morning. then sunshine returns friday into the weekend. >> and that's your latest

weather. >> coming up next, inside supermodel linda evangelista's child support case. i'm gonna make you breakfast. what? with magic. you are? see the egg? uh huh. so, look at the orange. now close your eyes. ♪ alakazaam! [ sighs ] you're good. and now i'm gonna make this flower bloom. presto. "love you lots." do you want to see it again? yes, i want to see it again! [ female announcer ] hallmark blooming expressions delivers your love again and again. [ female announcer ] i brought champagne.pressions oh wow! best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon. so creamy thick and fresh tasting dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2:1 in a national taste test. mmmm... this may be the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt.

i can't feel my toes, greg. yeah... cold feels nice on sore muscles, huh?

you know you could just use bengay zero degrees. medicated pain relief you store in the freezer. just rub it on...brrr... and go. did you know about this greg? i forgot. he told me yesterday. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. and then treats day after day... well, shoot, that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

and now to the contentious court battle involving supermodel linda evangelista. >> she's suing the billionaire

father of her 5-year-old son for what could be a record-setting child support payment here in new york city. >> nbc's mar ka schiavocampo has been outside the courthouse. >> good morning. >> good morning, everyone. this certainly isn't your typical child support battle. on one side you have supermodel linda evangelista, and on the other side, french billionaire francois-henri pinault, the husband of actress salma hayek. it's all over support for 5-year-old augie. evangelista is asking for big bucks. supermodel linda evangelista is used to cameras flashing. but this is no runway. >> how did it go in court? >> reporter: she has been in manhattan family court for a child support battle with her ex, french billionaire francois-henri pinault, husband of actress salma hayek. >> you've got facing off supermodel, and billionaire, because he comes from a family that is worth $11.5 billion. >> reporter: pinault is the ceo of a company that owns big-time

fashion brands gucci, and yves saint laurent. he is also the father of evangelista's 5-year-old son augie, born before pinault married salma hayek. >> we heard, from our insider, that mr. pinault has been reluctant to talk about his son in court because he's very concerned that his son is not seen as a commodity. >> reporter: at the center of the case, how much child support pinault should have to pay. evangelista is reportedly asking for $46,000 a month. a record in new york state. >> the judge is going to be looking at the standard of care of the other children of the noncustodial parent and analyzing how much this child, augie, is entitled to under that standard of living. >> reporter: pinault also has a 4-year-old daughter, valentina, with salma hayek, who, by many accounts, has been raised in lavish surroundings. pinault reportedly has a $12 million los angeles mansion in a trust in valentina's name. evangelis

evangelista, known for grossing the cover of countless magazines throughout her career, once famously said of supermodels, quote, we don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day. >> because you're worth it. >> reporter: evangelista is no stranger to big paydays. up until 2010, she had a lucrative contract with cosmetics giant l'oreal, and an estimated worth of $8 million. the child support will reportedly cover costs of a 24-hour nanny for augie, as well as a driver and security. >> obviously $46,000 a month is a large sum. however, it could happen in this case, because you're dealing with a billionaire. >> reporter: pinault says he offered for years to pay child support but evangelista never responded. the supermodel is due back in court today for further testimony. savannah, natalie, al? >> all right. we'll be watching all the developments there. mara schiavocampo, thank you. >> coming up next, presents for the teacher that will get high marks for sure. >> beyond shiny apples.

what happens when classroom teachers get the training... ...and support they need? schools flourish and students blossom. that's why programs like... ...the mickelson exxonmobil teachers academy... ...and astronaut sally ride's science academy are helping our educators improve student success in math and science. let's shoot for the stars. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this. i don't want a plunger anywhere near my coffee. not in my house. with maxwell house french roast, you let gravity do the work. [ male announcer ] maxwell house french roast. always good to the last drop. well, it's not gonna clean itself. want me to get dad? no thank you. viva's all i need. look at that! still in one piece. yeah, so's the towel. [ female announcer ] grab a roll and try it on your toughest mess.

now, i wear it every day. because damaging uv rays are everywhere with olay daily complete uv, its possible to block 92% of harmful rays for naturally beautiful skin in any light. olay daily uv. ♪ -wee! -woo hoo. [ kids ] pop-tarts, please! [ laughter ] ♪ [ female announcer ] when you give your kids frosted strawberry pop-tarts baked with real fruit, they'll rise and you'll shine. pop-tarts. made for fun.

i brought champagne.'ll shine. oh wow! best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon. so creamy thick and fresh tasting dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2:1 in a national taste test. mmmm... this may be the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt. dove challenged women to go the day without looking at themselves in the mirror after styling with new dove style plus care in the morning. we covered every reflection they could look in. ♪ style is long lasting when hair is nourished. ♪ that's why new dove style plus care with nutri-style complex nourishes and conditions so your style can go the distance. new dove style plus care. better style through better care.

appreciate teachers "today" is brought to you by exxon mobil. taking on the world's toughest energy challenges.

>> this morning an appreciate teachers today, a-plus presents. as the school year wraps up parents need to find the perfect gift to let teachers know how much they value their hard work. and "today" contributor and lifestyle expert elizabeth mayhew has suggestions that will put your family at the head of the class. good morning. >> good morning, natalie. >> so not too early to start thinking about what to get your teachers. because now is the time to be planning. >> and teacher appreciation day is tomorrow. >> oh, is it? >> it's this week. >> who knew. >> and for many of us, the class -- the year is ending, so, yeah, now is the time to do it, particularly if you're going to do something creative. or if you're going to go in a group gift. >> what on average are people spending these days? >> i'd say about $30 if you're doing an independent gift. obviously that goes up, because everybody's contributing and we've got some of those at the end. >> all right let's talk about some just great ideas and first thing these tote bags which teachers always need totes. >> right. so we often think of the coffee mug. >> right. >> as the classic gift. but i say a tote is so much

better because it's more useful. we're all trying to cut back on plastic and paper. when do you find yourself not needing a tote? >> so true. >> so the first ones are from cafe crafts they're $18.25. you can go and customize it. >> great. >> with fun sayings. >> right. >> or very graphic i teacher, love, teach. >> i love these personalized ones, too. >> for even more personalized, they start at about $30 for the small little canvas like little clutch -- >> like we have here. >> and they go up and you can personalize it with these really fun, very fashion forward monograms. >> all right. now i love this next gift. such a great idea. and that is to give your teachers the gift of learning, you know, a subscription to magazines. >> that's right. >> newsmagazines. >> i actually give this to my son's teacher every year. it's called "the week." to me it is the one source that kind of can make you feel smart because you can get all of the week's news in one place. >> oh, wow. >> plus it gives you all vantage points.

"the new york times" said this. "the wall street journal" said "x." and it's a great learning tool, as well. so one of the things you can also do is give a class a subscription. you can pay for your whole class to get one that can stay in the classroom and then the teacher gets a free subscription with that. >> that's a great idea. >> it is $49 for the year. it goes down less if you buy it for the class. >> okay, but it is great. okay. now teachers are always needing something to write on, they're jotting down little notes and you've got a lot of great little ideas here. >> this little trio, these little notes have a light bulb on them. called the bright idea series. >> very good. >> they're made by albertine crafts all hand done. i pair it with pencils called the know it all pencils. they have printed on them fun little things everybody should know like the boiling point of water. the world's biggest mammal. really fun things. also in that paper mode i love these, they're very chic. >> personal note cards. >> we had one made for you, head

of the class, natalie morales. >> thank you. >> they're $18. they come in a lucite container and you can personalize those and i love the little quips and queries gifts to jot down little notes. it has all good luck symbols and then another one will little french signs. >> okay. now these are also letter pressed this alphabet poster and great coasters, as well. this is designed i understand by a former emtly schoolteacher, right? >> three women and one of them happened to be an elementary school teacher. they're all hand pressed, done in addition. they're very attractive and i thought you could give either the poster or the coasters and say from a to z you're the best teacher i know or some fun little -- >> nice little artwork. >> and it's really pretty artwork. >> get to supplies. often they're digging into their own pockets. >> that's the thing, most teachers are paying for supplies in their classroom. i put together little teacher emergency kit. i just went to the container store -- >> mm-hmm. >> -- everything from -- >> hand sanitizer.

>> to red pencil for correcting. good hand sanitizer, even threw in some life 15i6ers, put those in a jar and container store has -- >> that's cute. >> you can do the same thing. -- >> great idea. >> okay now for the crafty parent out there here's something you can do for your teachers as well. >> i just made this crayon wreath. it was very simple. i went to michaels and actually on sale i bought two embroidery hoop rings. one 12 inch and one a 9 inch. you just lay them down and you start gluing -- >> great ideas. >> this took 84 crayons exactly. so you kind of have to figure it out. it's much easier if you just don't worry about stacking all the colors. but i was doing -- >> that's cute. >> -- kind of rainbow design. >> i like that. this is adorable, too. with pencils you made these flower boxes. >> i just took a jar and i glue gunned number two pencils. and then i thought i would say, you know, these pencils may be number 2, but you're number 1. and filled those with flowers --

>> saying! >> just a little note as well. >> which is cute. >> which is one thing i want to say. as you're giving a gift really -- >> personalize -- >> so that goes to this. this is a group gift where you have maybe you have 25 kids in the class you have them each write four or so reasons that they love their teacher and then stack those notes in between $100 bills and it's 100 reasons that you think they're a great teacher. >> and we're out of time but you have gift ideas, gift cards. >> and then also as a group gift to give a loaded amazon kindle and then you can customize them with these gel skins. go to gelskins.com and you can print out even a note for kids or a class picture. >> great. good ideas. elizabeth mayhew, thanks so much. as always. coming up next, from new orleans to greece, a taste of sandwiches from all over the world.

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.

this morning in "today's kitchen," what's on the menu? how about sandwiches from around the world. >> oh -- >> we have a great assortment that will make you want to roll up your sleeves and take a big bite. andrew is the host of bizarre foods on the travel channel. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is our cooking show. >> it is right now. >> can we just give you some congratulations? your show won the james beard award. >> thank you. very, very lucky. best tv show on location. i won't argue with them. >> no, not at all. >> we're very proud of what we do and very lucky with some stiff competition as there is every year and a lot of people could have won the award. we're thrilled it was us. >> i'm sure you run across some great sandwiches. >> and that's the thing. you guys know, i mean, you're a huge, passionate food maven. it all starts with bread. and from around the world what you have to make sure is that the bread can actually be eaten. here's a great, crusty baguette but you can't actually put your teeth through it.

nowadays a lot of people build sandwiches from things that are inedible or they fall apart. the other thing is the democratization of the food movement. we're lucky enough to be in an age and time where chefs in very fancy, high-end restaurants are doing sandwiches. especially here in new york. i wanted to make you three of my favorite. >> okay. >> this one is from guadalajara. we're making a torto avogada, means drowned or wet sandwich. pork shoulder, some onions, some oregano, some garlic, salt, throw it into the oven for three hours at 325. meanwhile, take your tomatoes, some onions here sweating. easiest thing in the whole world to get the skin off of a tomato is simply to grate it. >> oh. >> and press the fleesh away. you can see what you end up lift with is just the skin here. >> pretty cool. >> i don't mind the beads. in this. what i do want to do is make sure i don't have too many of them.

nice to use a medium sized tomato. a little oregano, a little bay leaf. some salt. and about a quarter pound of chili arbal that had the seeds taken out of them. smush them. a lot of chili. a lot of tomatoes. >> oh, my gosh! >> as it cooks -- >> how spicy is this? >> as it cooks it gets milder. >> my eyes are burning right now. >> the real fun of this is if you like it hot, leave the quarter pound in. if you would like it less hot go about halfway. you add some water, you cook this down, and you puree it in a blender and you wind up with this fantastic sauce. >> oh. >> now, the key here -- the key here with this is building it, a toasted roll, or baguette, is great. the reason you want it toasted is that you want the torta to have that toasted flavoring. this is the pork after it's been cooked for three hours. >> just falls apart. >> you used -- >> pulled pork. of course the traditional way in

guadalajara, especially with the food stalls, vinegared onions, cilantro, the bread, and it gets very messy, and yes -- >> drowning it. >> they really do drown the sandwich just like that. and i'm going to -- >> that gooks great. >> it really is a fantastic, fantastic way to eat. now -- >> tell us about the other two sandwiches. >> well, the recipe for all of these is on the website. but i brought two more of my favorites. this is a po boy from new orleans. my favorite sandwich in the whole world. usually made with meat or fried seafood. used to be called the peacemaker. but apparently, and perhaps it's apocryphal a long time ago during a street car strike down there one of the retired street car guys opened a sandwich shop and gave free sandwiches to the guys on strike, and so it became called the po boy. this is a real suvlaki from athens. another one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. the pork, the eggplant and all the rest. >> good to see you.

>> eat up. dig in. [ female announcer ] safeway presents real big deals of the week. or how to get great prices on things you need. we know you look around for the best deals. that's why we give you real big club card deals each week. this week a crazy low price on tide, $10.99 for 100 ounces. 12 rolls of bounty are $11.99. that's a dollar a roll! pack your lunches -- marie callender's are just 2 bucks. real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life.

breaking news at 9:57 the morning. prince george's county police are on the scene of a school bus accident in ft. washington. that bus and a van collided along indian head highway an hour and a half ago. three students in and the bus driver taken to the hospital with minor injuries. this photo was tweeted out by the prince george's county police department. the driver of the van was taken to the hospital in serious

condition and you can look for the latest on "news4 midday" at 11:00. the accident causing delays. danella sealock has more on that. >> that's right. it is slow. if you are traveling northbound indian head highway you will be jammed at ft. washington road. that's when you are heavy owe the brakes. i heard the road was shut down at palmer road. tom, over to you. >> cloud write and cool around the metro area. might have a little sun later. cloudy pattern for today all the way into thursday morning. tomorrow could get strong storms during the afternoon and evening. and off and on showers and thunder wednesday, perhaps lingering into thursday morning. after that, sun back for friday into the weekend. >> thank you, tom. >> thank you, tom. you can tune in for

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, everybody. hope you survived your big weekend. it is fun day monday. it is may 7th. chugging along in the beautiful month of may. i saw you over the weekend. >> we spent so much time together these days. >> it is kind of a miracle -- we really should be married because we really get along well. it's legal now, hoda. come on! >> i know. but if you guys were home

saturday night you may have watched "snl." if you've ever been to new york, they have something called the dress rehearsal, then they have the actual live event saturday. >> sometimes i hear the dress rehearsal's even more fun because it is loosey-goosey. >> and they have additional acts because they pare through them and weed them out. it was eli manning's day. one of the highlights was the tan lady. >> oh, yes! >> from nuttily. this is the original -- let's watch a little bit of kristin having some fun with her. >> now the tanning mom, patricia krenzel. >> now you sthad those who criticize you are fat, ugly and jealous. >> yes. no, i can't blame them for being jealous, i am alluring in a way they'll never be.

trust me, there are plenty of men in new jersey who would love to snap into the slim gym. >> i don't know about that. >> really quick before i go i want to show you this trick. are you ready? >> yeah, i'd love to see a trick. >> piece of bread. put it between my thighs. toast. >> that's what we need up in our room. the toaster that takes ten minutes. we need that woman we'll pay her to come and -- our crew will be so happy. they'll have their toast, their bagels, their waffles like this! >> so here's the other thing about that night. so eli manning hosted. he was adorable, great. before i went up to the show i was standing out on the street waiting for a friend to meet me to go see the rehearsal. this guy from snl said i've worked at "snl" for 25 years. there is not a better show than rihanna. i don't even want to give it away for you because it is off the hooks, off the charts. i love music, i was so excited. we get up there, we're all

waiting. for the first time ever in "snl" history they stepped out and they said we want to apologize, rihanna's not feeling well and is not going to be performing during dress rehearsal and only during the live performance. there was this audible groan. they said she wasn't feeling well. it's funny because i guess all the great acts they've ever had -- springsteen, paul mccartney, everybody does it. >> we don't know the real story of what happened to her. >> they said she was sick and someone reported she needed a penicillin shot. they said they did the second show fine. remember, they're two three-minute songs. >> but still, she's a high-energy act. looks like there she's feeling just fine. yeah, she's fine. >> amazing what a little shot of penicillin will do. oh, yeah, spank it, baby. >> we got to see her choreographer doing that same thing. >> so far whatever that gentleman said to you about how amazing it is going to be, it hasn't lived up to that.

>> well -- it's a lot of bells and whistles. lot of bells and whistles. >> i miss doris day personally very much. >> also, at the box office, if you weren't at home watching tv, a lot of people went to the movies. >> that is not an exciting performance for me. then you see "the avengers" which i have no desire to see and it broke all box office -- >> $200 million. the number two movie -- the number two movie in the list which is "think like a man," that made $8 million. $200 million, $8 million. >> "think like a man" might have some legs. that might be a little word of mouth movie. this is of course going to get all the attention. >> sure, it will. >> well good for them. people need super heroes i guess is the moral of that tale. >> speaking of people -- people who need people. so cassidy and kathie lee are in this month's "people" magazine as the moms and daughter

section. >> we're among four. kris jenner and her two girls, my god daughters. there's andy mcdowell. >> this shows the relationship. it is playful, it is fun, bambino's in the middle. >> i'm started to feel it though. she's going off to college in the fall and i'm already starting to -- you know, wonder -- >> you going to miss her? >> how am i going to live without my cass? >> oh. >> anyway -- >> speak egg of moms, can i just say my mom happens to be here? >> she's in the house and she brought beautiful little hanna with her. >> they're just coming here to have some fun and watch. >> speaking of -- hanna's always very, very well behaved but there is a little issue with a little 6-year-old who was suspended for sexual harassment. >> this is the weirdest story. a 6-year-old boy, colorado boy -- i think personally this

is over the top but he got a three-day suspension. the charge is sexual harassment. he sang a line from that song "i'm sexy and i know it," that's the lmfao song it. ♪ i'm sexy and i know it >> the kids love this song. >> he sang it once and got in trouble. then he was told never to sing it again and he sang it to again. >> he sang it to a specific girl, hoda. you always want to minimize it that's why our country's going into the toilet. >> how old is he? 6? he doesn't know what sexy means. ♪ ♪ i'm sexy and i know it snow. >> but here's the thing. he doesn't even know what it means. >> you think that's adorable. if some kid did that to my 6-year-old little daughter -- >> she wouldn't know what it meant either. >> if the kid is told one time that it's wrong, you have an issue. if the kid does it right away again to the same girl, then you have a problem. that's why kids never -- they

grow up to be bad behaving adults, hoda, because nobody stops them at 6 years old. >> but i done think they know what the words -- >> well tell them you may not understand it yet but you're not to say it and don't do it again. ♪ i'm sexy and i know it >> you got hanna thinking it's just fine. i give up! there's only so much i can do. you know what? that's fine. that's fine. >> okay. all right. ♪ >> okay. all right. okay. it's time for a sip of something. >> let's just toast making it through the week having hosted three big events. >> talk about those. let's do that. >> you start. >> let's start with on wednesday. on wednesday we did an event for donny deutsch called jacob's cure. donny was actually honored at the event. beautiful event. it was one of those great ones where we got to sit with donny's entie family. that's his mom and dad, married almost 59 years.

>> that's what we call a modern family. he's there with his baby mama, his children from different relationships, his parents who are the most delicious two people in the whole world. and his best friend since fourth grade. cindy, the woman in front. donny, if you only see donny on tv you would not really know donny. there's a tender really, really loyal side to him that we like a lot. >> then we together did another one on friday night. this was for save the children. angelique bell, our bosses on the right-hand side. >> jennifer connelly has just been named one of the ambassadors for this organization that helps children i guess in preschool situations with learning and that sort of thing. that was friday night. >> oh! >> that's sweet little girl. she's from washington state. she was sweet. >> you were busy -- >> that was saturday. >> saturday night frank and i hosted something called the dart concert which dart is the dana's

angels research trust. an organization we've been involved with for the last seven years battling nee ining niemane c. a beautiful family has two children afflicted with an incurable disease. and natalie cole performed. that we almost lost a few years ago to illness. i'm telling you, she comes out there looking like a dream. she looks like she's 16 years old still. she must be a size zero and she hang her begonias off and never took one sip of water. for an hour and a half. not a sip of water, just effortlessly. that's music. i'm sorry. but you know what? take a page from the pros, baby. favorite things. -- >> this is the "favorite things" music. >> this was supposed to be on and it isn't -- >> you just have to tap it. >> this is called "over the

moon. the broadway lullaby project book." it is a collection of bull blul. the thing about it -- this is a particular song written by rupert holmes and different broadway composers, different broadway singers, arrangers, illustrators. julie andrews wrote the forward and all of the money goes to breast cancer research, different -- people like kelly o'hara and rebecca luker. >> it is only $12.99 to download. that's great. >> check that out. >> my favorite thing is in this ziploc thing. my mom makes baklava every time she comes. look what's left. this is all that's left. okay? two of these full to the top. it is the best baklava you've ever had. the recipe will be found online or somewhere. we'll post it. >> i'm sure miss sara's got

something fun. >> she brings it so often that when she's here people will be like, so is there baklava -- it's almost not welcoming anymore. my favorite thing aside from hanna -- she's actually sitting by someone other than hoda right now -- this book chasing daylight. this man found out he had a brain tumor and had two months to live. it is not sad, it is uplifting, it talks about until he faced death he didn't know how to really live. it is the most beautiful book. >> thank you, sara. "everyone has a story" week. let's take a pause to listen to one of the great singers of our time. ♪ suddenly clear in that moment ♪ >> you know, the public demand for me to come back an sing again is so overwhelming. we're going to speak with jane faucet from seattle, washington. her daughter denise wrote in, beautiful letter to honor her. we figured with mother's day coming up, she would be a good one to honor. jane was diagnosed with stage 1 diabetes when she was only 23

years old so she's been in and out of hospitals and everything. but she raised three children, put herself through college, took care of denise, her daughter who then was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 47. denise wants to show the world what an amazing mom she has. they're both on the phone! >> hey! >> hey! >> hello! >> happy mother's day! >> well thank you very much! >> now we're seeing you. >> we're soex si excited for yo come visit us this week. >> that's going to be wonderful. >> i spent a lot of time back in seattle last summer and fall. so you have quite the flight on your way. it's a good six-hour flight you know. >> yes, it is. that's all right. >> you have a wonderful trip and we'll see you on thursday. >> okay! we can't wait. >> thank you. thank you. >> thank you, guys. coming up next -- actor matthew morrison on what to expect when you're expecting. >> we'll just take a pause and

look at matthew. and why he knows all about us. really? i doubt it. but we'll probe him. >> i don't like that word. >> i lot of word "probe." >> we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] think it's impossible to reduce the look of wrinkles

after just one use? think again. [ female announcer ] with olay regenerist wrinkle revolution, it's possible to reduce the look of wrinkles in just 10 minutes. now you've seen it. experience it for yourself. [ female announcer ] olay regenerist. that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

and we are talkingrensoup about activia.bell's. 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. inspired by the best selling pregnancy guide "what to expect when you're expecting," the book is now a big-screen comedy about five very different couples whose lives are turned upside down by the challenges of having a baby. what's the problem? >> matthew morrison plays he have been, a professional dancer on a tv reality show who --

surprise -- got his dancing partner played by cameron diaz pregnant. even though they're in a relationship, there's a lot these two do not agree on. >> wow. >> oh, no, no, no. i don't want to know about everything that can go wrong. >> oh, my god. there's breastfeeding. we have to know about this. and -- what? oh. circumcision, yes or no. >> of course! how is that even a question. >> actually, a lot of couples are choosing not to circumcise these days. >> who said that? >> the expert, honey. see, it is a question because it says yes or no. >> my answer is yes. >> whoa. >> if you can't get over a little brisk situation, you're not -- >> oh, come on, get the clamps an snip it. >> this is an interesting film. it has five i think different vignettes. you and cameron diaz worked together but you really weren't familiar with what the others were up to? >> we had a big press junket the

past couple days. actually some of the crew from some of my broadway shows work here. >> they love you. sglt cast is incredible though on this. >> tell us about making the movie though. >> oh, gosh. anna kendrik, jennifer lopez -- >> there was an international cast. >> yes, it is. >> what interested you about this? >> they said you're going to play opposite cameron diaz. i'm like okay, sounds good. >> they also said you are going to dance. isn't there a big dance scene? cameron's trained and have you a big background in dance. >> i'm a big dancer. what happened was i learn to dance in los angeles and she learned it in atlanta. then we had about four hours of actually learning it together in atlanta and then we had two days. that's actually an old abandoned

home depot -- >> are you kidding? >> i heard it was magic and i think it was. yeah. okay. >> there seemed to be some on-screen chemistry going on there. >> well, they made a baby. at least five or six minutes there was. >> come on. that's all you're going to give me? five or six minutes? >> i don't know. i hear things. >> no. we had a great time. because we started this movie actually learning to dance together. i think there was something about when you have a great body language when you learn like dance, it's so sensual, it kind of created the chemistry we had for the rest of the movie. >> a lot of people look at you an know you from "glee," but you had quite the career on broadway before any of that. >> if you say so. >> no, you did. what is it going to take to bring you back to broadway. >> i just want to come whack to broadway to see all these amazing shows. i'm so behind. >> but you don't have time at this point. "glee" is still going strong. >> i still have my apartment

here because with the thought that i would be back a lot but i just haven't had time to come back here. >> i'm sure you can't tell us what's going on with "glee." >> well, there's three episodes left. it is a very -- we cried a lot on the set. it's been very sad because it is kind of the end of an era for a lot of the kids. >> there is a little time for them to graduate. they're all 35! >> what? i don't know what you're talking about. >> it's time to move on into the real world, don't you think? >> isn't that always the case though with high school shows? we're all 35. >> exactly. we wish you good luck with this film. >> you have a new cd coming out, i heard, about broadway standards. when you bring that out, please come see us. great to see you. again, the film "what to expect when you're expecting" opens in theaters starting may 18th. up next, we'll reveal our fan of the week. food,

meet flavor. flavor, meet food. introducing swanson flavor boost. concentrated broth in easy to use packets.

mix it into skillet dishes, for an instant dose of... hell-o! [ female announcer ] new swanson flavor boost. kraft natural cheese with flavorful spices and breadcrumbs. all to help you make something amazing. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've ♪ ♪ found [ girl ]rumental ]amazing when i started playing soccer, i wasn't so good.

[ barks ] so me and sadie started practicing. we practiced a lot. now i've got some moves! [ crowd cheering ] spin kick! whoo-hoo! [ giggling ] [ announcer ] we know how important your dog is to your whole family. so help keep him strong and healthy with purina dog chow. because you're not just a family. you're a dog family. it is time to announce our

fan of the week. >> this might be what people look forward to more than probably anything at all. sara's here to do the honors. bring it on, miss sara! >> okay. drum roll, lease. our winner this week is shara curry from lansing, michigan. she and her friend work the overnight shift at an overnight health care facility so they tune in to the 2:00 a.m. airing of our show when they have down time. though they can't drink wine, they'll watch you two with coffee or energy drink in hand. your laughter and witty humor help keep them awake and cheerful in the middle of the night. they love hearing about the latest trends in fashion, hair and makeup with bobbi's buzz. "joy fit club" segment inspires them to eat healthy and exercise and they look forward to hearing the inspiring stories. >> where are they going? where's shara going? >> shara, congratulations. we are sending you to ft. lauderdale, florida where you'll enjoy a three-night stay at the

harbor beach marriott hotel. the trip includes daily breakfast and two 60-minute spa treatments and round trip airfare for two. the hotel and airfare accommodations were provided by harbor beach marriott resort and spa. >> that's for two. she can take that girlfriend that she works for at night. >> so people do watch that 2:00 a.m. repeat. >> apparently over a million people, hoda. there is no accounting for taste in this world. still ahead, our friend andy cohen with stories from the front lines of pop culture. new book out! >> he would know. plus, everything you need to recover from your fashion emergency to be fresh and clean. we got jill martin in the house to tell us about that. also, recipes from breakfast in bed that your kids can make for you on mother's day. >> but mothers do not like to be woken up. let them sleep, then bring it to them. okay? ♪ 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™. challenge that. olay smooth finish facial hair removal duo. first a gentle balm then the removal cream. effective together with less irritation and as gentle as a feather. olay hair removal duo. where we switched their steaks with walmart's choice premium steak. ♪ this is really good. like what i grew up with. only one out of five steaks is good enough to be called walmart choice premium beef. can i let you in on a secret?

you're eating a walmart steak. no kidding. noooo! i promise. it's very tender. you could almost cut it with a fork. it is delicious! we need to start buying those at walmart. walmart usda choice premium steaks. try it. tell us what you think about it on facebook. it's 100% guaranteed.

that i put on my children's plate. perdue has always listened to the consumer. and what they've told us they want is a chicken nugget that tastes good but is nutritious. that's why we use all-white meat, breading that is whole grain with omega-3

and no preservatives. [ bruce ] this is a perdue nugget. this is a competitor. which one would you serve your family? it is my goal to make the highest quality, best-tasting nugget on the market. [ rebecca ] if i can get another whole grain into my children's diet, i feel like a better mom. [ chad ] i want consumers to eat this product and go, "dang, that's a good nugget."

we are back with more of "today" on this fun day monday. what's more fun an andy cohen. head-cho at our sister network bravo where he is executive vice president of development and talent. that's an interesting title when you think about some of the things that you watch there. that's funny. >> he hosts his own late night talk show, "watch what happens live." it is a show he can describe as an interactive cook tame party apparently. >> this is what he drinks. having cocktails while hosting. he's out with a new book called "most talkative," stories from the front lines of pop culture.

what a cute cover! >> i was voted most talkative and biggest gossip if you can believe it. >> not you! >> i was very upset that i didn't win best dressed but the most talkative thing, my mouth has taken me from there to here and back. >> what happened to the guy that was best dressed? nobody ever heard of him! >> exactly. >> can we talk about what we're drinking? >> this is a drink that i enjoy on my show, called a frescila invented by mark consuelos. it is fresca and tequila. fresca is a diet soda. >> it is low calorie. >> we're happy about your book. i didn't know a lot of things about you. we feel like we know you because we see you all the time. but listening to your journey, first were you a susan lucci stalker as a young child. i loved "all my children." that's when i interviewed her when i was 19 years old. >> i love your fro! >> fro on me an the '80s hair on her. there we are when i was a

producer at cbs news the day after she won the emmy. i just always loved soap operas, specifically "all my children." that really came back as we produced "the housewives." i think that my love of "all my children" kind of informed my love of "the housewives." but i was at cbs news for ten years. i worked behind the scenes in tv for 23 years. >> one of the great stories is about when you went to be a host of a show early on and the producer raled you and said you don't have any talent and you'll never be anything. >> how dare you think that you could go from behind the scenes to in front of the camera. how dare you! >> how hard was that transition? >> very hard. it is -- it's one of the things -- one of the themes of my book is, it is really a dream come true story. i was told 25 years ago you have a wandering eye, you're never going to wind up -- >> a lot of men have a wandering eye. it's -- shouldn't keep them back. >> yes. but so i gave up that dream and then years later, there's a

misconception that i just like gave myself my own show one day which is absolutely untrue. and the story of how i wound up on tv, it is an amazing story but it really is lightning in a bottle. >> which one is the wandering one. i don't notice it? >> i focus on you. >> oh, yes, sure you do. in your book you write about -- >> there's a lot going on here. yes. >> you learned that two things about yourself by the time you were 8 years old that you loved tv and that you were gay. >> exactly. >> tell us about that moment. >> well, i mean, realizing that i was gay was really a heart breaking moment for me. i thought at this moment in st. louis, no gay people on tv, no role models anywhere. i thought this is not an option for a life for me. i'm not going to be able to be who i am in my life and i thought there was going to be a fork in the road where i was just going to have to choose to

put that part of me away. i just didn't think it was an option and i tell the story in the book of how i came to a place where i could do it and it was the hardest thing i've ever done. >> i love your mom's reaction when you told her. >> she said -- two things. she said, my biggest fear about you was that you were going to be an airhead because alldy was watch tv. that's a. b, i probably would have hated your wife anyway. she probably would have is the truth of the matter. that poor woman! >> long suffering. >> it is just one great last picture if we have it. but your hair is so out of control. i was embarrassed about my lid? >> i put every embarrassing picture -- >> that was a joke! that was me brushing my hair out as a joke obviously. yes. >> whatever you are doing now, it is working for you. >> oh, that's nice. >> hoda! >> hey, hey! >> was that no make-up day? >> no!

>> that's just a normal day getting color. >> it's a fun book, it's interesting, funny. a lot of people are going to o love this. andy, good luck with it. up next, just when you thought it was impossible how to find that balance between work and life, right after this. >> good job. what if we could keep enough plastic waste to fill over 200 garbage trucks out of landfills each year? 6.5 million pounds of plastic, gone. by using glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. it's a small change that can make a big difference. and try glad odor shield with febreze freshness... strong bags that neutralize strong odors.

♪ power surge, let it blow your mind. [ male announcer ] for fruits, veggies and natural green tea energy... new v8 v-fusion plus energy. could've had a v8. the next generation and then countless more. 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. ask your vet about frontline plus. almay smart shade makeup it's hard to choose foundation what if your foundation chose you? one of these three is your match instantly adjusting to your perfect shade because it's pretty and smart "pretty smart" ♪

[ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. love the air. [ sneezes ]

it's time for "moms rule today," and ways to balance the scale between your work and your life. >> whether you're a single or married mom, chances are you feel overwhelmed from juggling work, kids, school activities, your home and everything else that comes with it. >> carol evans is the president of working mother media and siobhan is a working mother of two. hi, ladies. >> so neither of them had enough sleep last night. join the club, right? >> we've had this discussion several times. what kind of sparked this one is carol googled -- googled there is work, there is life and there

is no balance. what are your thoughts on that statement? >> she also went on to say that she leaves work at every day at 5:30 to go home and have dinner with her kids. to me that is what women do. we feel like we have no balance. we feel like we're out of control. >> but she's making balance by making that choice. >> women are amazing at finding solutions to the problems in their lives. like she did. >> if you're a coo you can probably call the shots. but in your case, siobhan, it is hard to find balance. tell us what your situation is. >> i am a mother of two, a single mother of two. i am divorced. my ex-husband lives far away. i can't call him, can you do this for me. i do have a lot of help from home. >> your family's been great. >> i moved in with my mom and my dad and my sister baby-sits for me. but troy's got soccer on monday, they both have soccer on saturdays. i get up and i have to get them both ready for school in the morning before my sister takes my daughter to school, i got to make sure troy gets on the bus.

>> that's the point. is that she has all of this going on and yet she has found solutions. have you your sister, have you your mother, you have a lot of people helping. >> but that's -- i shouldn't speak for you, but if i were you, i would say that's just a part-time solution. this is not my -- what i want. i want my own home -- >> absolutely. >> independence. >> yes. but on the other hand, siobhan, you have to work to make it work for your family. most women in this world really do need to work. the two paycheck family is essential and if you're a single mom you're all there is. >> how does she get past her situation now into freedom from all of that to where she feels like she's calling the shots more not the shots are being called on her. >> we're never going to really feel like we're calling the shots. that's just life. >> until you're coo. >> even cheryl doesn't call the shots. she has to work with her system. what we want to do is reframe our thinking. we need to look at the value that we're adding to our family by working.

what would your life be like if you didn't have a job and what with your life be like if you didn't have a career. take the long view of your job, what is it when you think about it as a career and remind yourself that there is a real value to your bringing income into the home. otherwise, you probably would be in a very difficult situation. >> i can't imagine that happening. >> think about that, you reframe it and you feel stronger about the choices that you're making. >> some women don't ask for help. >> yes. i can't ask for help. >> either at work. you don't want to delegate, you don't want to think i'm not enough. at home you want to think you're super mom so you don't ask for anyone's help. >> but there are ways to ask for help. what you want to do really is you want to go out to whoever you are thinking about asking for help. remember, one thing which is that people love to help. if i asked you to help me right now because i just couldn't jump off this big chair, you would be delighted to help me. you'd feel good about it. remember, people want to help. other thing is to say to the person that you're asking the help of to just talk to them in a straight way about what you

need and not assume the answer. don't assume they're going to say yes or no. just say what you need. >> we also have to be very careful that when we say working moms we don't discount the work that moms who don't have a professional job do at home because that's -- you said you're jealous of them. >> i am super jealous of them. my son, i was able to stay home with him while my husband went to work for the first four years of his life. he is kind and he's quiet and he's self-sufficient. >> i bet he doesn't sing "i'm sexy and i know it" -- >> oh, he does! >> he does! >> no it's "i'm elmo and i know it." >> there's an elmo version? >> the elmo version. you got to look that up. adorable. >> thanks, ladies. thank you so much. up next -- you got a fashion emergency? jill martin has quick fixed when you're on the spot. >> she always does. [ female announcer ] introducing a match made in skin heaven.

new venus & olay. olay moisture bars help lock in moisture... while five blades get venus close. revealing smooth and goddess skin begins. only from venus & olay.

♪ spread a little love my way ♪ ♪ spread a little something to remember ♪ ♪ ♪ spread a little joy... [ female announcer ] fresh milk and real cream. that's what makes philadelphia. ♪ so spread a little... [ female announcer ] and that's what makes the moment we enjoy it, a little richer. ♪ real belgian chocolate whipped with philadelphia cream cheese. new indulgence. the moment just got a little sweeter.

time for fashion imagine from the bedroom to the bathroom to the airport, quick fixes for fashion niece stas eeiece that in a pinch. >> these are tipsy glasses. look at these. in case you've had a few and want to look fashionably chooek, they're already slanted. uncommongoods.com. this is fabulous. this is a necklace that actually attached to the scarf. can you take them off. it is a scarf and then it is attaches or it can be a necklace. >> so it doesn't get all lost in it. >> can you wear the necklace separate. >> clever. >> i wish i came up with it. feistyelle.com. these earrings are reversible and ecofriendly. do you see two different colors? they're reversible. you could get the yellow and the

gray. they have all of these different versions that you can stack, $12 and up. this is fabulous. they are bangles with the hair bend built in. >> best invention in the world. the wheel, fire, then that. >> i know. look at this. you could wear your bangle and look fashionable. i'm very into displaying your jewelry as art at your home. this is giftsimple.com, $15. you could put all your earrings on in a very fancy way. this is for the beach. it comes with all of these things. then have you a pail for your kids to put their things in. this is just a dot. let's say you are wearing a shirt and you want to cover up a little bit. it is just a simple dot. >> but you can see the dot. >> no, no, that comes off. >> nice but the dot -- >> if you're wearing a pashmina and you just want a little

wrap -- this is getbladebuddy.com. $19.99. you can take any razor you have. this is a silicone pad and it will actually lengthen the amount of use of yourstraighten. it will save your blood for months. longer lashes. lower lashes. i have very short lower lashes. >> thank you. so it is very hard to get the lower lashes. this is little from collin neli. >> it is a little baby wand! >> when you have a frizzy, it is a john frieda hairline, it goes right away. no color. just like using an emollient. can't believe i actually said that word. you'll love this. it is a mirror, a lip gloss, and

it is a light to read the menu. >> but we saw this from amway. >> beautyforreal.com. >> it is a great idea. yeah. good. >> $14 and up. >> then this is a fashion emergency just to smell fabulous. i know you love your scents. this is just a random insert. new for spring. the lotion and body watch. tocca.com. >> you want to put it on that other arm, yet, hoda that you haven't taken care of yet? >> on thursday i did laser hair removal on one arm and i haven't finished the other. >> she's a bushy mess. >> please don't say bushy. >> this is a bag that you could put through to look stylish when you travel over the summer and it is like this when you put it through, then it is a wristlet. >> i don't like clear because of all the things that are in there. >> because stuff you have is ten years old. >> it always looks a little

grungy. up next, a few good reasons to make mom breakfast in bed this sunday. but first, this is "today" on this sunday. b[ male announcer ] are youon paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement. act now and we'll add a special bonus: $250 back. but hurry, this offer ends june 2nd. unlike cable, fios is a 100% fiber-optic network that delivers america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet plus the best tv picture quality. why keep paying so much for cable? switch to fios for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement --

plus your special bonus: $250 back. save $600 in your first two years. but hurry. this incredible offer ends june 2nd. call 1.877.707.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.707.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. or visit us online to save even more. fios. a network ahead. or visit us online to save even more. at grocery storesreedom this quarter. cash back thank you. activate your 5 percent cash back. chase.com/freedom.

now in "today's kitchen what's cookin'," breakfast in bed for mom from peanut butter crunch french toast to crumb top blueberry muffins, there's no more delicious way to wake mom up. >> here with quick kid friendly recipes, "food and wine" special project director gail simmons who brought along some little helpers. sophia and marco. this sounds fantastic! >> this is one of my favorite

recipes from "food and wine" magazine, crunchy peanut buttery french toast. easy to make with the kids. sophia's made beautiful peanut butter sandwiches here. fold them up together. that one goes there, and this one goes right on top. you can do that. exactly. you've made your sandwiches. i'm soaking them in some eggs, cream and vanilla. soak that all up. once you've gotten them nice and moist, sophia, help me cover them in cornflakes. crushed cornflakes. >> you know how good that's going to be. >> get it all in there. we're going to press it on to it here. give it a good press. i'm going to put them into the fan. we'll make them nice and golden. >> like a minute on each side? >> yeah, a minute or two minutes on each side. you can hear it sizzling in there. once you've done the first side you can just flip it, give it a good flip. it is going to be nice and golden. >> oh, my gosh!

that looks delicious. >> then you take it off. give that some confection or sugar, maple syrup. >> nice work! that was amazing. >> sophia, come with me. >> where are you going? hold on! >> they need to taste. >> hold the phone. >> oh, my god. >> nice! >> delicious. good job! >> it's marco's turn. marco, you ready? stay up here with me. i'm going to mix -- i've got some baking powder, some flour, a little bit of salt, i'm dumping it right into my eggs and my sugar. beating it all up together. you want to mix it all up. this is the batter. it is super easy. then once it is all whisked together i'm going to fold in blueberries. dump those in. thank you very much. >> you're supposed to fold but she dumped. >> no, dumping is good. then we'll mix it all in together. once it is all mixed we'll scoop it right into our muffin tins.

we've made a crumb topping with brown sugar. >> you want to do this for us, honey? go ahead. >> you dump those in. good one. we've made a crumb topping with brown sugar, butter, a little bit of flour. >> these are easy. >> these are really easy. s s >> siprinkle some of that crumb topping -- bake for 25 minutes, half-an-hour. if you want to do a special drink, a beautiful smoothie. pomegranate juice, bananas and yogurt in the blender. >> all looks great! thanks, guys. tomorrow, actress and fitness guru suzanne somers joins us. >> plus father and son actors martin sheen and emilio estevez. have an awesome monday, everybody. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement. act now and we'll add a special bonus: $250 back. but hurry, this offer ends june 2nd. unlike cable, fios is a 100% fiber-optic network that delivers america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet

plus the best tv picture quality. why keep paying so much for cable? switch to fios for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement -- plus your special bonus: $250 back. save $600 in your first two years. but hurry. this incredible offer ends june 2nd. call 1.877.707.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.707.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. or visit us online to save even more. fios. a network ahead.