good morning. violence in the streets. protests at the nato summit in chicago today. this after at least 45 people were arrested over the weekend. we're there live. today exclusively, a new jersey mom charged with taking her young daughter to a tanning salon opens up about her headline-making case and takes on her critics. this morning we will hear from her. and remember robert gibbs. the co-founder of the legendary group the bee gees has died following a battle with cancer at the age of 62. we'll look back at his life and music "today," monday, may 21st, we'll look back at his life and music "today," monday, may 21st, 2012. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

and welcome to "today" on this monday morning, i'm ann curry. >> and i'm lester holt, in for matt this morning. welcome back from cannes. >> okay, thank you so much. >> the story that they made you go? >> they made me go. they made me stay for two days. it was so hard. but no, it's really fun. >> great to be here with you today. we're talking about what happened in chicago over the weekend. things got a bit rough and tumble. this is the last day of the nato summit there with new protests planned, some downtown businesses have actually told their employees to stay home today. >> exactly. you can see why in these images from sunday. dozens were injured, including at least four police officers and demonstrators voiced their opposition to the war in afghanistan and other issues. protests that provided a rather unusual backdrop to one couple's wedding day photographs. she does not look particularly pleased about that.

we'll have more on this straight ahead. >> also we're going to get the latest on the mysterious disappearance of a 10-month-old girl in missouri. you might recall the story of lisa irwin. she vanished from her own crib in the middle of the night last october. the girl's parents have not spoken publicly about the case in months. this morning they are here with us for an exclusive live interview to open up about what they believe could be a break in the case. >> all right, seven months. and it's pretty darn tough to imagine that. also we have a very rare sight that has millions of americans looking to the sky. we're going to show you more of these remarkable images of the so-called ring of fire eclipse. but we begin this morning with those violent clashes at the nato summit in chicago. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd is there. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, ann. while the nato summit itself has been fairly low key, even agreeable, it's the protests outside the summit that have created the drama that can often be associated with events like these. at the nato summit sunday,

chicago police experienced their toughest day yet dealing with protesters. while most of these demonstrations were orderly, skirmishes between police and some of the protesters became more frequent as the summit continued. avoiding even larger protests, particularly from occupy wall street, was a big unstated reason the white house moved saturday's g-8 summit to camp david. inside the nato summit, president obama's mission is clear, formalizing his pledge to end the afghanistan war by the end of 2014, and keeping afghanistan secure in the long-term. mr. obama acknowledged that goal before the summit even opened, sitting down with afghan president hamid karzai. >> we are working with the afghans over the next several years to achieve a complete transition to afghan lead for afghan security. >> reporter: now obama and karzai must convince nato allies that afghanistan is ready for the transition, and that continued nato investments in afghan security after 2014 will pay off. republican criticism of the president's afghanistan plan has been relatively muted.

mitt romney's op-ed in sunday's chicago tribune voided the issue, instead saving criticism for proposed defense cuts. meanwhile, at mr. obama's campaign headquarters here in chicago, campaign aides are preparing another attack on mitt romney's bain capital career this morning. this time focusing on a paper company acquired by bain in 1992 that went bankrupt eight years later. but such attacks aren't sitting well, even with some of the president's biggest supporters, including newark mayor cory booker. >> i'm not about to sit here and indict private equity. to me we're getting to a ridiculous point in america. you look at the totality of bain capital's record it's done a lot to support businesses, to grow businesses and this to me, i'm very uncomfortable. >> reporter: those remarks angered many of president obama's supporters, so booker took to youtube in an attempt to clarify. >> let me be clear, mitt romney has made his business record a centerpiece of his campaign. he's talked about himself as a job creator. and therefore, it is reasonable,

and in fact i encourage it, for the obama campaign to examine that record and to discuss it. i have no problem with that. >> reporter: all right i want to go back to the protests here. the protests haven't been disruptive to the nato summit its service. bullet has been to chicagoans. look at the photos of a wedding party of tim and beth alberts. as you can see here, nato protesters in the financial district here of chicago, storming daly plaza, if you will, bride not very happy at all. and i think now we even have some footage of the wedding itself, just showing best laid plans. as you know, weddings, they get plann planned, ann, a lot farther in advance than even nato summits and they didn't see this coming. >> chuck todd, she still looked beautiful, though. that's at least one positive from that. it is now 7:05. here's lester. >> all right, ann, thanks. the music world paid tribute to robin gibb at last night's

billboard music awards. wund of the founding members of the bee gees died sunday at the age of 62 following a long battle with cancer. nbc's jim maceda is in london with more on gibb's career and music. >> that's right. tributes are pouring in for robin gibb from fans and colleagues around the world, after the death of the bee gee with that signature voice. ♪ >> reporter: the bee gees were rock 'n' roll hall of famers whose music sold hundreds of millions of albums and now the gibb family has lost another one of its own. robin gibb following his younger brother andy and his twin maurice died after a long battle with cancer leaving fans stunned. >> they have such tragedy in the family. the three youngest siblings gone. this is not as nature intended. >> reporter: the british trio crossed over genres and in many ways defined the disco era.

as its lead singer, robin gibb made his mark with a distinct voice. ♪ >> reporter: his song writing and vocals catapulting the bee gees, short for brothers gibb, just behind the beatles in popularity. ♪ >> reporter: born in england the bee gees began as a teenage act, when the family moved to australia in the 1950s. working hard on the tight, blended harmonies that became their hall mark. >> it became like football to other kids, it became a hobby. >> yeah. >> i mean, really just grew with the years into adulthood. ♪ >> reporter: their career took off back in england with the release of a series of sweet, achy ballads like "i started a joke" performed here live in las vegas. ♪ the joke was on me

♪ dancing >> reporter: but it was in the '70s when gibb and his brothers reinvented themselves with a breakthrough r&b soundtrack for a film called "saturday night fever." it sold more than 40 million copies. the bee gees were in a zone. >> the beatles had that, michael jackson had that, and the bee gees had that with the "saturday night fever" period. >> reporter: robin also had a successful solo career, despite his illness, gibb continued to work and give back. active in many charities, he rerecorded his 1960s hit, i've got to get a message to you, in support of british soldiers. recently gibb had composed a classical work with his son robin john. their titanic requiem was performed on the 100th anniversary of that sea disaster. but by then, gibb was too ill to attend. >> we wanted to take a moment to pause and remember -- >> reporter: at the billboard awards last night, a moment of silence. >> his voice and the music of the bee gees will live on forever.

>> reporter: robin gibb died at 62. a driving force in one of pop music's biggest brandings. and besides all these bee gees songs, gibb also wrote hits for female vocalists like barbra streisand and celine dion. one british music critic says gibb was more talented than even he ever knew. lester? >> all right, jim maceda, thanks very much. it's now 7:09. here's ann. >> lester, thank you. the jury in the criminal trial of john edwards reconvenes for deliberations this morning. a trial that has taken a toll on the former presidential candidate. nbc's lisa myers is in greensboro, north carolina, once again this morning. lisa, good morning. >> hey, ann, good morning. this morning the jury begins its second day of deliberations, and given its request for office supplies, a blackboard, and a master list of hundreds of exhibits, it looks like we could be here awhile. that was john edwards last fall. >> try to get your attention.

>> reporter: today the cheerful banter with reporters is long gone. replaced by the obvious strain. >> how are you feeling? >> reporter: of his three-year legal battle and four-week trial. here he is last fall, arriving to his pretrial hearing. >> good morning. >> reporter: here he is last week. >> good morning. >> reporter: in the closing hours of his trial. >> this has had an emotional toll on him, it's had a physical toll. the way he carries himself, his facial expressions, his shoulders are a bit slumped. he's moving slowly. and the strain is palpable. >> reporter: the eight-man, four-woman jury includes teachers, mechanics, a retired accountant, and a financial consultant. they musts decide whether or not edwards is guilty of six felony counts, alleging that he knowingly violated campaign finance laws, to hide his mistress, rielle hunter, while he ran for president. on friday, jurors asked to

review exhibits, having to do with $725,000 provided by heiress rachel "bunny" mellon. to convict the jury must determine that edwards knew he was breaking the law beyond a reasonable doubt. >> i think there is doubt about john edwards' state of mind, and whether he had the requisite criminal intent. there was never a smoking gun. >> reporter: but edwards' lawyers appeared upset over judge's instructions to the jury on a critical issue. what constitutes a campaign contribution? >> the instructions given by the sort favor the government. >> reporter: the issue is whether each donor gave money to hide hunter mostly to save edwards marriage, or mostly to get him elected. >> instead of having to prove that that money was used for the sole purpose of promoting john edwards' campaign, the government just has to show now that it was a purpose. >> reporter: john edwards, his family, and his lawyers will again be waiting inside the courthouse, while the jury

deliberates his fate. >> all right, lisa mayors. once again here's lester. >> we want to catch folks up with the story of that young georgia woman fighting for her life after being infected with a rare flesh-eating bacteria. she's now breathing on her own, this just days after doctors had to amputate her hands and remaining foot. gabe gutierrez is in augusta with the latest for us. gabe, good morning. >> lester, good morning. we've learned of a third case with ties to georgia being treated here, the same hospital where 24-year-old aimee copeland is recovering. in a new blog post aimee's father says that she's now breathing on her own, she's off the respirator and even cracking jokes. a significant improvement since the amputations late last week. aimee copeland's emotional roller coaster, documented in her dad's facebook posts. andy copeland writes while his daughter faced losing her hands and feet she did not lose her sense of humor. on wednesday he remembers

telling her, aimee, you are as priceless as the mona lisa. his daughter shook her head and mouthed the words, i'm nothing like the mona lisa. she doesn't have eyebrows. by the next day, though, her condition worsened. her father says he finally told her about the accident, how she had contracted the flesh-eating infection while continuelining with her friends. i took aimee's hands and held them up to her face, he writes. she didn't draw back in horror. she knew the condition she was in. when doctors said they'd have to amputate her hands and remaining foot, she smiled and raised her hands up. we all understood her next three words. let's do this. copeland is not the only one battling necrotizing fasciitis. a south carolina woman contracted the flesh-eating infection just days after giving birth to twins in an atlanta capital. she remains in critical condition in greenville. >> she does respond sometimes. you can see it in her blood pressure, or she has opened her

eyes a little bit at times. but that's pretty much about it. >> reporter: but now there's a third case with ties to georgia. bobby vaughn is a landscaper from cartersville. he spoke to "today" by phone from his hospital room. >> i was just -- i was working one day, and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. boom. >> reporter: he says he's been through five surgeries, where doctors removed almost two pounds of infected tissue near his groin. >> i still don't know the extent of this thing. you know. i don't know -- i mean, i was told i was close to death. >> reporter: but he's thankful he's now in good condition. and his thoughts are with aimee copeland, who is just a few rooms away at this augusta hospital. the young woman still fighting for her life. experts estimate that these types of infections are rare. they think there are about several hundred cases in the u.s. each year. with about one in four being fatal. lester? >> all right, gabe gutierrez

this morning at augusta, thanks. that's disturbing stuff. >> i know. we want to make a turn now and get the rest of the mornings's top stories. natalie is on assignment so savannah is at the news desk. >> good morning. former rutgers student dharun ravi faces sentencing today. he was convicted of hate crimes for using a web cam to watch his roommate tyler clementi kissing another man. clementi committed suicide just days after that incident back in 2010. ravi could face up to ten years in state prison. the funeral is today for convicted lockerbie bomber abdelbaset al megrahi. megrahi denied responsibility for the 1988 bombing of pan am flight 103 which killed all 270 people on board, including 189 americans. megrahi was found guilty back in 2001 but then freed in 2009 by scottish officials and returned to libya, because it was believed he would soon die of his cancer. three years later, on sunday, he died in tripoli at 60 years old.

dozens of aftershocks have rattled survivors of sunday's magnitude 6 earthquake in northern italy. officials say at least five people were killed, and historic buildings damaged in a rural area near the town of bologna. three climbers have died descending from the top of mt. everest this weekend. two other climbers have also gone missing since saturday on the world's tallest mountain. nearly 3700 people have scaled mt. everest since 1953, and at least 236 people have died attempting that climb. new complications today in the trayvon martin murder trial. nbc's kerry sanders is in miami with the latest on this. kerry, good morning. >> good morning, savannah. a special prosecutor angela corey says florida public record laws are the problem. all of the evidence that she's released so far is on the internet and she doesn't like it. >> because the public's right to know -- >> reporter: at a political forum in jacksonville, rare public comments as the special

prosecutor, angela corey, unloaded on florida's 45-year-old public records law. >> i would say that nothing should be public until the trial. >> reporter: florida's law forced the prosecutor to release 183 pages, and five gigabytes of files, including surveillance video of 17-year-old trayvon martin just minutes before he was shot dead. and dozens of audio files, including a recording with trayvon martin's girlfriend. >> did you have conversations with him that day? >> yes. >> reporter: in the recording, martin's girlfriend says she was on the phone with him just moments before 28-year-old george zimmerman fired a fatal shot. >> and he's saying the guy looks what? >> crazy. >> and did you say -- >> and creepy. >> reporter: the evidence released has been criticized as underwhelming, leading corey to believe too many are judging her case as unwinnable. >> i don't know where people think they have a right to try a case by internet. >> reporter: florida requires all the evidence to be made public, in part, to hold elected officials accountable.

>> stop trying any of our cases in the media. let us try them in the courtroom. >> reporter: george zimmerman's attorney, mark o'mara. >> one thing you have is security of the witnesses. i want to make sure we get their testimony straight and true and not impacted by any concerns they have over publicity. >> this is not a new complaint in florida. back in the 1970s, during serial killer ted bundy's trial prosecutors complained about the same thing. but when lawmakers passed this law back in 1967 they said it had one goal, fair justice for everyone, including the accused. savannah? >> all right, kerry sanders in miami. thank you. and finally, a rare annular solar eclipse had millions of people from asia to the western united states looking at the sky. the so-called ring of fire eclipse was last seen here in the u.s. back in 1994, and don't worry if you missed it. there will be another one in 11 years. ann, lester and al back to you. >> not that long a wait. >> but you know, through the miracle of television and pictures it's pretty remarkable

to look at, isn't it? >> the best place to see it was in japan. we got to see -- >> all right. so mr. roker tell us about the weather today. >> well, we have some video not quite as spectacular, but still a little frightening if you are in south central kansas. look at this, i mean, a very strong storm making its way across, luckily hit rural kansas. there were no reports of injuries. there was minor damage. but for the most part, about a dozen of these touched down during the weekend. look at it going through that wind turbine. man. they're going to have it is moving winds at 40 miles per hour and moving south-southeast. it is not going to make landfall. makes its way off the coast and continues on out into sea. and that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. tom kierein, storm center 4. an easterly breeze and low i clouds producing some showers

and some patchy drizzle. look at the storm 4 radar, that area moving color is rain. yellow is where it is coming down a little bit harder and it is going to continue to advance southeast to northwest and move on lou over the next couple of hours and more off and on through the rest of the day, too, with highs reaching mid 70s. off and on showers mitt and tomorrow and wednesday with maybe a little thunder and >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thanks. it was a big weekend in britain as the country gears up for a huge summer. nbc's michelle kosinski is joining us this morning from london with more on this. michelle, good morning. >> good morning, ann. in england you almost come to expect impeccably done pomp and circumstance for big events. but then there are times when your jaw just drops. when you feel the history and pride here. this is one of those times. all weekend long. all for their queen. the military mustered at this 1,000-year-old castle.

>> head held high. loved it. >> reporter: but all of london feels like a celebration, with much more to come. cakes are being engineered. velvet thrones hammered. bells forged. and tested. more than a million buttons to be sewn. on one banner. >> if we're not on time it might be off with my head. >> reporter: and a queen has been all over the place meeting her subjects. having tea. dodging hailstones. planting trees. in a duck boat. visiting rhinos. cracking jokes. even got a sombrero. it was a magnificent lunch british royals welcoming the crown heads of the world. 24 kings and queens, princes and princesses, an emperor, a sultan, followed by a dinner fit for royalty. so outside the palace gates not everyone appreciated the guest list. king mswati of swassyland who brought an entourage and one of his 13 wives, the king of

bahrain and others provoked some controversy. at dawn and land's ending everybody getting along to kickoff the olympic celebration. the flame has arrived. >> now it becomes really special. it becomes the people's games. >> reporter: and local heroes, 000 total, have started running it all over this land. some walked to savor the feeling. just don't get too close to the torch. burns. this boy is about as tall as the torch itself. diana gould will have lived a century when she carries it. >> i might be 100 in numbers, but i'm not old. >> reporter: a service dog will join the ranks. as will brave soldiers, and disabled who now inspire others. the jubilee honors the queen's 60 years of service to her people. the olympics honors their fighting spirit. that can burn in everyone. this is one of the olympic

torches. a little bit heavy. and in its design are 8,000 holes, no that's not how many it takes to fill the albert hall, based on the lives of the 8,000 inspiring torch bearers who will help carry the flame 8,000 miles around britain. ann? >> very cool that you get to hold that. michelle kosinski, thank you so much this morning. coming up just ahead the so-called tan mom speaks out in an exclusive interview. and she has some strong words for her critics. ear going to hear from her coming up. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ mechanical humming ]

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this is the pursuit of perfection. just ahead the parents of a baby girl missing for more than seven months.

good morning. it is 7:26, monday, may 21. the rainy weather could be slowing things down for your drive to road. danella is here with problem spots. >> you have two right lanes blocked by the crash inbound at north capitol street. also alert. a truck that's actually on the sidewalk here in this area as well. you are able to pass single file to the left inbound new york avenue. now make your way on the outer loop. right at the interchange. an accident involving a police vehicle has been hit in that area. look out for that. accident 295 northbound 11th street bridge, left lane blocked and are jam. >> thank you. how long will the rain stick around? around? tom has your answer after this

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good morning. we had some occasional showers and patchy drizzle moving through here throughout much of the morning. and everything is wet as a result. right now storm 4 radar showing

these areas in color. rain moving southeast to northwest throughout virginia and maryland. we will continue to do so off and on the rest of the day today

look in the mirror and look at yourself. i really think that these moms or dads or whoever need to step off and step away. >> that's the new jersey mom who gained national attention for allegedly taking her young daughter to a tanning salon. of course blasting her critics. she has a lot more to say and we'll be hearing her exclusively coming up in just a little bit. it is now 7:30 on a monday morning. the 21st of may, 2012. i'm ann curry alongside lester holt who is in for matt this morning. hey, you. >> thank you. good to be here. >> what else do we have coming up? >> also ahead a case of mistaken identity that's still hard to believe after all these years. it was an accident that left one girl dead, another fighting for her life. their identities mixed up at the

hospital for more than a month. coming up, matt talks to the woman at the center of it and she's got some very big news to share. and later kate gosselin became a name with her family's reality show before her marriage fell apart in front of the cameras. now the mom of eight is trying something new. she'll tell us all about that in a live interview. >> those kids are really growing up. i think they just enjoyed their 8th birthday. meantime let's begin this half hour with some new information that's tied to the mysterious disappearance of a baby girl in missouri. her parents are hoping it will lead to a break in the case. we're going to talk to them exclusively in just a moment. first we want to hear from nbc's krig melvin with the latest. craig, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. this is the house behind me where baby lisa actually lived and perhaps you can still see the missing girl posters plastered on the front door. they're still all over this neighborhood. new this morning, baby lisa's father jeremy says that his deb it card number was stolen about a month after his little girl

disappeared, and also says that the charges are suspicious. all of this as kansas city police tell me while the case is still open, there have been very few leads. >> drink your baba. >> reporter: it's been seven months since 10-month-old baby lisa vanished from her crib in the middle of the night. and kansas city police say they don't have much to work with. but lisa's parents, deborah bradley and jeremy irwin, hope exclusive information provided to nbc news leads to a break in the case. according to jeremy, one month after lisa disappeared, his debit card was suspended because of fraudulent charges. documents provided by irwin show one transaction for $69.04, which he claims leads to a website specializing in changing your or your child's names. kansas city police say they are investigating the debit card issue, but that it does not look promising, or appear to be anything more than stolen card numbers.

>> if a credit card was used fraudulently over a month after the disappearance of baby lisa, that's a long time for somebody to steal a credit card and wait to try to use it. and that's one of the reasons why law enforcement will probably cast some doubts on the relationship between the two. >> not a joke. it is not a circus. it is not a game. this is my baby. >> reporter: lisa's parents last spoke out to dr. phil about their daughter's disappearance in february. jeremy says he got home at 3:45 the morning of october 4th. the door was unlocked, lights were on, and lisa's crib was empty. >> it's really, really hard, because every day i wake up, and i think about her, and when i go to sleep i think about her. and it's almost everything i can do to stay sane. >> reporter: deborah has admitted to having several drinks the night lisa was reported missing, and does not remember when she last checked on her. police searched the home and

scoured woods just three miles away, close to where a witness says he saw a man carrying a baby around the time lisa went missing. according to authorities no information has surfaced about the man, and the search has so far come up empty. now, her parents hope this latest development brings their daughter home. >> that emotional porch light will always be turned on that house and be turned on the investigation until we find out what happened to baby lisa. >> reporter: now, over the weekend i asked kansas city police whether the parents had continued to be cooperative with police. and police told me that while they have provided some information, none of it has been useful to the case. but they hope to continue to talk to baby lisa's parents. ann? >> all right, craig melvin this morning. craig, thank you. lisa's parents, deborah bradley and jeremy irwin are now joining us exclusively along with their attorney. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> we can see you have a photograph, a button of lisa on

you that -- that you're wearing. during that tape that we were just watching, you couldn't stop crying. >> no. >> what do you want to say about where you are now, seven months after she's disappeared. >> i am a mess. i am frustrated. it has been almost eight months, and we're not getting any answers. we understand that the fbi and the kcpd have a job to do, but we need answers. we need lisa. and it's unacceptable the answer to us, we are looking at it, it's unacceptable. >> when you say that you're frustrated, are you saying that you see that they're not doing enough? or that you're just unhappy with what they're telling you? do you think -- >> i'm unhappy with what they're telling me. and it's been too long. and with this -- this development they've had for a long time and we still haven't heard anything. >> jeremy, you -- you -- we just heard in this last report,

you're talking about your debit card being used about a month, right, after lisa disappeared. >> right. >> and our producers, one of our producers took a look at this and they looked at the company that was charged through your debit card for $69.04, and it leads to a stationery website. now why do you make a link between that and this idea that the site where you can change your name or your child's name? >> i don't know why it takes you there now. but when we first found out about this in december, it -- that's where it used to go, was the website that -- where you can change somebody's name online. >> you saw this yourself? >> yeah. we went through this back in the middle of december, when -- whenever it was first found out about it. and we called them, and we ended up talking to the office supply store and they had obviously had no idea what we were talking about. but it all -- it used to go to

the name changing website. and now there's something weird going on there where it doesn't go directly there anymore. so there's some kind of weird internet thing going on. >> and why do you believe this could be a link, could be a break in the case of your missing girl? >> well, somebody has my information and tried to use it on november 6th. and whoever had it and used it used it for $69, and it went through and got paid, so they received some kind of -- some kind of service for the money that was charged on my card. and there were also two other charges attempted that day that were not paid. >> if i could just say, we provided this to the fbi. i mean the cache, the page that we caught in november, you know, when looking at this, when we found the credit card company called us was a website that actually advertised change your

child's name. >> you saw this yourself? >> i saw that myself. our investigators have seen it. we've turned it over to the fbi. if it's just another coincidence when you pile it up in this case they're overwhelming. you have that coincidence and maybe it's nothing. but of all sings a website from the uk that provides a service to change your child's name over the internet for $69, and there's a fraudulent charge on his card. we also have a phone call 11:57 the night baby lisa disappeared to a woman from -- from deb's phone that had never been called before this megan wright. she was the on-again/off-again of this jersey joe, the person we think should be looked at very carefully here, yet no one, because the phones went missing with the baby, remember. and that phone had never been dialed from deb's phone ever before. >> you stop short of saying that investigators aren't doing enough. are you saying investigators are not doing enough? are you saying it should be looked at here? >> here's what i'll say now. i know the fbi is in constant contact with deb and jeremy and

without intervening. this is not about defense of them, this is about them finding answers and finding their baby. they speak with the fbi frequently and routinely. from the get-go the kcpd add pigeonholed them your honor fortunately. it's right to start with them as suspected but they alleviated other potential avenues of and missed other opportunities. including three witnesses identifying a man holding a baby that matched joe's description after midnight. it's inconceivable that that wasn't followed up immediately. >> we want you to have the right answer we want you to be able to find your girl. we want to tell anyone who's got any information about baby lisa irwin to call 816-474-tips. deborah, jeremy, joe, thank you so much all three of you this morning. >> thank you for having us. >> now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> ann, thank you. as we loo >> al has a check of the weather. >> we show you we have wet weather in the east.

mid part of the week we are looking at more wet weather in the mid atlantic states and warm in the eastern half of the united states. chillier out west. latter part of the week, we expect to see more warm temperatures in the eastern half and pacific northwest looking a little on the damp side. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. grab an umbrella before you head out. you will need it throughout the rest of the day and much of the week ahead. right now storm 4 radar showing some passing showers and moving color moving from southwest to northeast across northern virginia. maryland this morning. and we will have them off and on through the rest of the day today. maybe thunder and lightning, too. especially this afternoon and this evening as well as tomorrow and again on wednesday with highs in the 70s. then thursday and friday, might have a little sun breaking out but much better for the weekend with sunshine and warming up saturday, sunday. >> that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right al, thank you. coming up next, we're going to take a turn and talk about the new jersey mom accused of taking her young daughter to a tanning salon. she's opening up in an exclusive interview. what she has to say to people

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we're back now at 7:44 with our exclusive interview with the new jersey mom accused of taking her then-5-year-old daughter to a tanning booth. nbc's mara schiavocampo talked to her and she's here with us this morning. mara, good morning. >> good morning, lester. patricia krentcil, also known as the tan mom, said she decided to speak because she wanted to set the record straight and let people know that she is a good mother. while she has come to be known as the tan mom, patricia krentcil wants people to understand what her life is really all about. that of a busy housewife and mother of five kids. >> i'm up at 3:00 in the morning making sure all the wash is done, my husband goes to work at 4:30. works on wall street, and then i make pancakes, pack their bags, and they're all off and gone, and then i work all day inside and outside of this house. >> reporter: in her backyard on a sunny day, we speak to krentcil exclusively, about the

attention surrounding her devotion to tanning, and the allegations that she brought her then-5-year-old daughter inside a tanning bed, a claim she denies. >> she never went in. she never went in. >> reporter: prosecutors say krentcil's daughter anna, now 6, turned up at her elementary school with a sunburn last month, prompting a school nurse to contact police. although krentcil admits her daughter was burned, she says it was caused by the sun, and not artificial rays from a tanning bed. >> it was beautiful out. and they went in the kiddie pool. she's a redhead. she got sunburnt. >> reporter: but essex county prosecutors allege anna's burns were caused by a trip to city tropics, a tanning salon krentcil visited up to 20 times a month. she's been charged with second degree child endangerment. >> i'm innocent. >> reporter: earlier this month krentcil pled not guilty in court. she continues to proclaim her innocence.

>> we're fighting these charges because i'm not guilty. every allegation was completely wrong, and i just want people to leave us alone. >> reporter: but, like it or not, krentcil has remained in the spotlight. >> leave me alone! >> reporter: her overly bronzed appearance making headlines and punch lines. >> is she tanning or did she fall down a chimney? she looks like wile e. coyote after the dynamite stick blows up. >> reporter: she's inspired an action figure. and even a skit on "snl." >> piece of bread. >> yep. >> put it between my thighs. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: krentcil says she's taking it all in stride. but her kids have not. >> they're mad. they're mad, they're picking on mommy again. >> reporter: several new jersey tanning salons krentcil never even visited have now banned her. a move she calls pathetic. >> i didn't do anything wrong.

if there's something wrong about getting your nails done, or somebody who smokes too much, or somebody who overeats, if this is such a problem, why wouldn't this have said years ago. >> reporter: krentcil says what upsets her most is how her tanned complexion brought on negative comments about her parenting. now she has a message for those who judge her. >> look in the mirror and look at yourself. instead of looking at me. i'm sorry i'm tan. i like to be tan. it just feels good. but, i really think that these moms or dads need to step off and step away. >> now krentcil says she is looking forward to her next court appearance scheduled for june 4th because, in her words, she is innocent. lester? >> all right, mara, thank you very much. up next, where does she go from here? the latest on facebook founder mark zuckerberg's surprise wedding to cap off a very big week. right after this.

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♪ in the span of a few days, facebook founder mark zuckerberg turned it 28, took his company public, and then to cap it off, he got married. here's nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: mark zuckerberg didn't wear a hoodie for his wedding to longtime girlfriend priscilla chan, just a nice, dark suit. but the understated event at his palo alto home was still a typically unconventional surprise. one of the 100 or so invited guests said they all thought they were going to a party celebrating chan's graduation from medical school. said a neighbor -- >> it definitely outside the box, which seems actually pretty characteristic. so that's good. you know. that's silicon valley. >> reporter: and in silicon valley and beyond the reaction was monumental. word spread that zuckerberg's relationship status had changed, just after 6:00 p.m. pacific time saturday. that within three hours after posting this photo on his own

facebook page, over 400,000 friends liked the news. congrats, zuck, big day, big week, one wrote. another simple comment, wow. contrast that to the mere 485 likes following the opening of public trading for facebook last friday. and a lukewarm reaction from some wall street savants. >> is this the next google? or is this the next pets.com. >> reporter: still, facebook with its nearly 1 billion loyal worldwide users, came away from the opening with some $100 billion. if money is power, one question now is whether the young mogul and his bride will become one of the country's visible power couples. one celebrity watcher says not in the typical way. >> mark and priscilla have always been a very private couple, and they'll probably stay that way. they may end up more like a bill and melinda gates versus a brad and angelina. >> reporter: the two had met when both were harvard undergrads. when the precocious zuckerberg, as portrayed in the hit movie "the social network."

>> that's what the facebook is going to be about. >> reporter: was inventing the way he believed people would choose to connect in the digital age. in the days before taking his company public, he was saying the same thing. >> i think it ends up being a very clear picture of the important things that happened in a person's life. >> reporter: and what a story in the lives of these two people. the 27-year-old bride, whose 28-year-old groom is now the 29th richest person on the face of the earth. one fan wrote, prenup? i'm just sayin'. but this is a guy on a roll like no other. all smiles, and why not. for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> they look happy. kate gosselin coming up. >> after your local news. a quick pit stop for gas.ake [ engine turns over ] but it looks like she'll have to find another station to fill 'er up. no! are you kidding me?!

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7:56 is your time now on this monday, may 21, 2012. a messy morning at that. let's check in with tom kierein to rain we are having. good morning. >> good morning. grab an umbrella. you will be glad you did. we will have occasional showers throughout much of the day. storm 4 radar showing some showers and moving across northern virginia and much of maryland heading from the southeast into the northwest. here is yellow and orange where it is raining a little bit harder. everything is wet with scattered drizzle around as well. later today, up into the low and mid 70s with occasional showers, thunder and lightning as well. more of the same into wednesday but drying out for the weekend. >> tom, thank you. we will take a quick break and check your t

traveling beyond avenue at north capitol street, an accident in your right lane here. travel lanes are open to the left. also a lot of rain and delays traveling route 50. making your way inbound past landover road. delays to 295. driving at 23 miles per hour. very slow. also 66 at fairfax county parkway eastbound slow as well. >> another news update in 2

8:00 here on a monday morning, 21st of may, 2012. this is the start to the work week but we really can't complain because it was such a beautiful weekend we just had. and also we've got some fun people with us. waving to folks back home. i'm ann curry alongside lester holt, who is in for matt this morning. and al roker. and coming up this morning we're going to kate gosselin who is in our studio. of course we remember her from the show with jon and kate plus eight. well, now the mother of eight is moving past her life as a reality star, with a brand-new career and she'll fill us in on all of that and tell us how her kids are doing away from the

cameras. >> also we're going to catch up with two families who were linked by an unforgettable tragedy. it happened after an accident in which one girl died. the other was badly injured. for more than five weeks you may recall the girl's identities were mixed up. coming up matt talks to the young woman who survived and she shared some pretty big news with him. >> that's exciting. it's really one of the most compelling stories, i think, that's ever been shown on national television. >> absolutely. and a little bit later on the daredevil who is training for a record-breaking free-fall from space. we're talking about 23 miles up. he's going to get help from the man who set the record 52 years ago. we're going to talk to both of them. >> can i try that? wouldn't you love to do that? amazing! >> i don't know if they have a long enough bungee cord. >> anyway let's go inside. we've got natalie who is on assignment this morning so savannah is filling in at the news desk. >> good morning, guys. in the news today, chicago is braced for more protests on

this, the final day of the nato summit meeting. at least 45 people were arrested sunday after clashing with police during an otherwise peaceful demonstration by thousands. the primary agenda item for the summit, the wind down of the war in afghanistan with the nato combat commitment due to end in 2014. robin gibb of the bee gees died sunday after a long battle with cancer. gibb with brothers barry and maurice achieved superstar status in the disco era with hits like "stayin' alive" and "night fever." robin gibb was 62 years old. tropical storm watches for the south carolina coast have been lifted. tropical storm alberto, the first of the atlantic hurricane season, has been moving away from shore and is expected to cause little more than showers and some increased surf. the jury is resuming deliberations today in the campaign finance trial of former presidential candidate john edwards. edwards is accused of failing to report nearly $1 million from wealthy donors used to hide his

pregnant mistress during the 2008 campaign. he could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts. >> now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. the billboard music awards are a top google search with highlights that include bobbi kristina brown accepting the millennium award on behalf of her mother, whitney houston. >> i'm just blessed to have been in such an incredible woman's life. there will never be another one, ever. and i thank you, all of you, fans, everyone, thank you. >> this was bobbi kristina's first major public appearance since her mother's sudden passing in february. baseball icon babe ruth is a hit on the blogs after setting an auction record. one of the bambino's new york yankees jerseys from the 1920s fetched $4.4 million. that's the most ever paid for any sports memorabilia. and will smith's performance

as the fresh prince of bel air theme song on the graham norton show has racked up more than 1.3 million hits on youtube. ♪ philadelphia born and raised >> well, earlier smith perhaps got a little bit too much love at the moscow premier of "men in black 3." he gave a backhand face slap to a reporter who had tried to plant a kiss on him. he didn't like that too much. i think we can see the slap. it's coming. oh, and there it is. it's now 8:04. back to al with a check of the weather. guess he didn't like all that love. >> he's kind of swatting him away, i'll tell you. and still the fresh prince. anyway, let's see what we've got for you. for today, pick city of the day happens to be panama city, news channel 7, sunny, hot, 90 degrees. hot, 90 degrees. and we go ahead and show you these temperatures. we have the heat continuing down

through the southwest and temperatures well into the 100s throughout death valley and southwest. 90s through the central gulf. 80s into northern new england. bangor, maine, getting up to 83. rain in the mid atlantic. 74 and wet in washington, d.c. 77 in beautiful minneapolis. look for more rain and wind in the pacific northwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> a wet morning. good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. right now around our region we had passing showers throughout much of the morning. all the pavement wet in the region. allow yourself extra time and drab the umbrella. rain advancing from the southeast heading northwest across northern virginia and across maryland. and we have a little drizzle and sprinkles in the district now. occasional showers off and on through the day today, tonight and tomorrow. again on wednesday with maybe some afternoon thunder and lightning. then thursday and friday maybe a little sun breaking out. maller chance of >> got a girl turning double digits. happy birthday, caitlin. >> thank you.

>> very nice. >> all right. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up, we've got some exciting news in the story of a young woman who was involved in a deadly accident that led to a heartbreaking case of mistaken identity. well, matt has interviewed her and we'll have more coming up right after this. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪

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i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i got heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw! we're back now at 8:10 with a story that generated a huge response here on "today." two extraordinary families brought together by a deadly accident and a dramatic case of mistaken identity. matt caught up with them for "dateline's" 20th anniversary special. >> reporter: some stories stay with you forever. >> how are you? >> reporter: this is one of mine. it involves a young woman. >> ah! her family. >> nice to see you. and another family. equally remarkable. it all started six years ago. with a high-speed collision between a semi truck and a van filled with college students and staff.

soon, colleen and newell cerak got a call about their daughter whitney. >> i think they just told me that she had died. i just thought oh, so sad. i just said thank you. i didn't talk very long on the phone. >> reporter: the crash killed five people. others survived. some with serious injuries. laura van ryn's family rushed to the hospital to find her covered with bandages. how hard was it to see, suzy, to see your daughter in that state? >> horrible. very. >> it was very hard. >> very hard. >> reporter: the ran vivan ryn' up a bedside vigil for their daughter laura. while the cerak's planned a funeral for their daughter whitney. but in the hospital as the days went by, something strange was hopping. >> you noticed something about her teeth. >> these two on either side in the front looked different to me. >> reporter: and as the patient in the bed began to regain her

appearance, and her memory, the van ryns doubts increased. after five weeks of round-the-clock care they asked a question of the woman they still hoped was laura. >> i said can you tell me your name? and she said, "whitney." >> reporter: a shocking realization. somehow in the chaos of the crash, two women, both young, blonde, and pretty, had been misidentified. >> immediately realization that, you know, our daughter had died in the accident. >> that sounds hard. >> yeah. >> well, it was hard. but we knew where our daughter was. and we knew that newell and colleen needed to know where their daughter was. >> reporter: one family's devastating loss meant another family could be whole. within hours, the ceraks were reunited with her daughter. >> did she say anything? >> she was like shaking her head, yes, like yes, it's whitney.

>> reporter: so this is your room? >> yep. >> reporter: whitney recovered fully thanks in part to the devotion of a family that wasn't even her own. >> i love the van ryn family. they're so great. >> reporter: you look fantastic. and what's new with whitney? well, just about everything. tell me about the last few years. >> i don't even know where to start. >> reporter: let's start with her boyfriend matt. in the same church where whitney's family once held her funeral, she and matt got married. colleen and newell, you never thought you were going to see that wedding day. >> it was really a special day. >> it was such an unbelievable moment for us, because we were at a moment in our life when we thought this would never be a possibility. >> reporter: and just four weeks ago, the biggest news yet. oh, my goodness, whitney, he's adorable. but whitney and her family face another big challenge. and soon. matt is in the army. and in about two weeks, he's shipping off to afghanistan. >> this will be like a whole

different level of hard. >> reporter: but somehow you know she'll get through it. just as these two families came through an almost unimaginable ordeal. their love and their faith unshakable. >> we are just glad that we've been a part of it and god has given us the strength to get through it. >> for more of matt's stories and others i hope you'll join me as i host "dateline's" 20th anniversary special tomorrow night at 10:00, 9:00 central time right here on nbc. up next, kate gosselin on life after her reality show. her kids, and her new job. after this. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind.

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take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ not in my house. with maxwell house, we are perfectly capable of brewing our own coffee. am i right little man? he knows what i'm sayin'. [ male announcer ] maxwell house gourmet roast. always good to the last drop. back now at 8:18 with kate gosselin, the mother of eight, and former reality television star is trying something new these days, as a blogger for couponcabin.com. kate, good morning. >> hi. >> so your show sort of ended in september, so it's been awhile since we've caught up. how, how are your kids doing, how are you doing? >> great. we're doing awesome. the kids are doing great in school. they've gone on. they really, honestly miss filming. they've recently been saying, when are we going to go here or there? we miss the crew. so we're hoping our tlc contract

is over so we're hoping to move forward and do more fun projects. >> like another reality show? >> yeah. fans are begging, you know. they've grown up, they've turned 8, what are you doing? so we're hoping to put that out there for them. >> mm-hmm. >> i'm compiling my recipes. i have eight recipe testers at home. and working on that. as well as i'm running the san diego rock 'n' roll half marathon the beginning of june. >> so you're in training. >> yes. >> that's pretty exciting. >> did my first marathon in december. so i'm doing a half coming up. and i'm blogging. >> yes. talk about that. because, it -- what you're blogging about is really trying to help people understand how they can save money with coupons. is that right? >> correct. there's a million ways you can save. kouben cabin, i do a weekly blog for them to tell people just, you know, maybe not so obvious ways that i save. they have a new coupon coben mobile app that's coming out this week, actually, soen your

phone now you can find coupons and ways to save, as well. which is a lot easier and faster. >> before we get to some of the tips that you have learned for this process that you can offer to moms at home, let me ask you about the babies turning 8. you had a big birthday, right, they're not babies anymore, they're 8-year-old. how was their birthday party? >> it was awesome. we actually did have their friends birthday party yet, that's coming up. but we did our at-home normal mom's chocolate cake regular stuff. we always have to swim on their birthday, no matter if it's 40 degrees out. and they're doing really great. everybody is excelling in school. across the board. >> really? >> amazing. yes. >> that's pretty remarkable. >> totally doing amazingly well. we've had a great school year. and they love school. and it's -- yeah, it's really fun. >> also,th has been a development that people might be surprised about in terms of your relationship with your ex-husband, who we heard a lot about, there was a lot of difficulty, tough times. >> mm-hmm. >> but now, you can actually say

what. >> i can honestly say that it's more peaceful than it's ever been. i feel like a really big weight has been lifted off my should s shoulders. he's really been positive and more available, and it's just less stressful. i feel like he's working with me, and the kids notice it. and that's good. because i've always just wanted that peace for them. and i feel like we're finally to a point where it's happening. >> so there's a lesson in that that with time, sometimes even the most acrimonious kind of separations someone can turn into something okay. >> and that's good. because i can take that emotional energy that was so wasted in that area, and you know, put it back towards the kids and taking care of them. so that's good. >> so these tips that you have that you want other people to know about that can cost -- that can save money are to do your homework in terms of prices. and, and one of the interesting things is that you went to target and you got one price. and then you went to -- to the website for target and you got a cheaper price? >> yes. >> so there you go. i didn't know that you could do that. cheaper online.

>> -- stand in a store and either, you know, look on coupon cabin's website and order it online, the same item i'm looking at. because it's actually cheaper that way. and it's all a game and at the end of the day if you save money, it's great. i mean you can find coupons for anything. i also reuse things. i recycle it throughout my house. for reuse. that's all savings. it's money in your pocket. i cook from scratch and pack eight lunches every single day because, if you do the math on packing eight lunches versus buying eight lunches, i'm saving so much money every week. >> you also say teach kids the value of a dollar as you say, cook from scratch, be organized and plan ahead. >> mm-hmm. >> so, so, really so what you're really trying to do is if you could do it with all these kids i think the rest of us have some hope as well to save this money. >> it's really fun to save money and know that you're stretching your dollar. so that's what i want to help people do. >> well, good luck on the marathon. >> thank you. >> thank you for stopping by this morning. kate gosselin.

>> absolutely. >> now here's lester. >> ann, thanks. now to a daring world record attempt. in 1960, u.s. air force captain joe kitinger made history free-falling from 102,800 feet. he set several records, including the highest manned balloon ascent, longest free-fall and at mach 0.9 the fastest fall by a human through the atmosphere. felix baumgartner is looking to challenge those records with kitinger's help. retired colonel kitinger. felix is going to do a test jump at 90,000 feet. did you do a test on your way up to 102? >> yes, sir. we did two jumps before i made my last jump. the reason is making it as safe as we can make it. >> felix you have already jumped from about 72,000. your next jump will be 90,000. you're wearing a pressure suit like this. what are you going up against? what are the conditions up there that you're falling through? >> well, this is a very hostile

environment. you know. there's no air left. if you go higher than 65,000 feet that's the reason why you wear the pressure suit. and it's pretty cold up there. >> this may seem like a silly question but whether you're jumping from 30,000 feet or 120,000, aren't the physics all the same? >> no, they're not. at 65,000 feet blood boils. and without a pressure suit, you die very quickly. so, there's a big difference between 30,000 foot and 100,000 feet. it's because of the pressure. >> and felix, very quickly, you're going to be going supersonic, at least that's your hope. >> yes. >> at that point. i thought there's such a thing at terminal velocity. do you have to put your body in a shape to go that fast? >> you have to be in shape to go from that at tud. and we hopefully break speed of sound at that altitude. that's what science is telling us. >> you're going to try perhaps this summer, right? >> yes. >> good luck to you. felix, thanks so much for being on. we'll be back with our celebrity apprentice winner.

good morning. it is 8:26 this monday, may 21. dreary, damp morning out there. let's check in with tom. >> widespread area of low pressure that is bringing in moisture off of the atlantic and out of the south and east. passing showers moving across virginia. and maryland and the district of columbia into west virginia. scattered drizzle, too, between the hours and areas in color on storm 4 radar. we are getting some of the heavier showers across northern virginia and northern montgomery county in maryland. they are all heading northwest. later today, occasional showers and highs reaching the mid 70s. we are in the 60s. maybe afternoon thunder and lightning as well. >> thank you, tom. danella is

if you are taking i-270 today be prepared to wait. as you make your way past shady grove very slow delays. start out of germantown and continue to the beltway. also seeing troubles on the beltway, outer loop at route 4 delays continue to just pass

route 50 and on 395, you are jammed as you make your way over the 14th street bridge. slow at 19 miles per hour. >> thank you, danella. another update

8:30 now on a monday morning, the 21st of may, 2012. you're looking at times square where you can see we are getting doused with rain. it's a nasty morning in the northeast. and you know what? our intrepid crowd out on the plaza, they're still out there with those umbrellas waving to fans and friends back home. we're really glad that they decided to stick around with us. we, however, decided to stay indoors. and we are joined also by donald

trump. we'll get to you guys in just a moment. we're going to talk to them about the apprentice. meantime talk about how you can give yourself a confidence boost. we're going to talk to a harvard professor who could be as simple he says could be as simple as changing the way you sit and stand. >> like a pirate. >> sit and stand like amy robach, obviously. anyway, he's going to tell us all about that coming up. >> also tired of the superhero or princess theme in your bedroom, or maybe your bedroom, i don't know. but two design experts will teach you clever and affordable ways to spruce up your son or daughter's room and they should know. they've got seven kids. >> wow. plus chef adam perry lang shares new grilling techniques to bring out the ultimate flavor in your next outdoor meal. >> meantime i also want to mention, guys that last week you know you probably know this, i was in cannes, and i -- >> she's apologetic. >> well, you know, it was exciting but i also feel kind of

guilty about it. but anyway i got to sit down with sean penn the oscar winner and it's the first time that he's given a "today" show -- it's a rarity but first we got to interview him for the "today" show in ten years. and it was a very raw and emotional interview. he cried at one point. laughed as you can see at another. we had a lot to talk about including his work in haiti and also his work as an actor. but first let's talk. >> we have the aforementioned mr. donald trump and the winner arsenio hall. he was crowned the winner of the "celebrity apprentice" last night. arsenio i know you're really excited about this. congratulations. hat does this mean to you? >> well, it means a lot. but i think i'm sidetracked now as to why sean penn cried. >> oh! >> oh, my gosh. >> you're the winner. >> yes. >> you are the winner. >> yes, i'm very -- and it's nice to be number one. all my life i've had the number

two syndrome. kind of like clay. that's why i didn't let him talk about that without me rebutting in that area. when i was a kid i entered a contest. i was a magician. that's why me and penn jillette had such in common. coming in the contest i'm second in the lead. late night, johnny carson was king, i was always second. but this morning i'm number one. >> bravo. >> and clay aiken is number two. he raised almost twice as much for his charity. >> he did. >> what came down -- >> but he had a loss as project manager and you were undefeated. i congratulate you on that. but it was a great choice. we really had 18 great contestants. we never had that many. we had 18 this season. and they were really all winners. but arsenio stood out. >> and that competition was four-fold. it was partially money, partially a show we created. partially a psa about our charity and a party we got to throw. and they give you like 24 hours and you do all of that. so it was a -- we knew that it

was going to be complicated because it was so much we were being judged on. >> you were able to give a check for $250,000 to magic johnson's foundation. have you talked to him about this credit? >> no, i haven't talked to him. last night i called my son, i called my mother, and i went to bed so i could wake up this morning, and represent the banner. >> you look well rested. >> who would you like feature " apprentice"? >> we have so many people who want to do it. we've had joan rivers, and so many others. by the way, people like clay atkins who didn't win, lisa and so many of the people in this, even if you don't win it's a great boost. and frankly in terms of career, certainly i tell you what, i just want a little piece of what he's going to be making because i know how well he's going to do. so it's been amazing. so we have many, many people that want to go on that we just can't take. so, we're flooded. probably five to one. >> you know what, when i sat in for piers morgan on cnn, it was

a moment where i felt like, i was seeing an old girlfriend who i still loved. i had such fun. i'm like, i want to do this again. and this show, him believing in me, nbc believing in me, has kind of allowed me to re-enter. i mean, this guy, the greatest builder in the world has built a bridge that i'm going to walk across back in to show business. >> it will be great to see what you do. >> come back for the announcement. >> sean penn's crying again. >> i cried a lot. but i cried a couple times. >> you got emotional. >> my cousin died right before they called me. my cousin died of aids and it made me realize, this is where i'm supposed to be. because magic is so healthy, looks so good, is doing so great. there's a tendency to forget the mission. but, aids and hiv is still a very important problem in our society. and i got the wake-up call when i was making the decision as to whether i should do "celebrity

apprentice." and she's in heaven and she knows that i won and she knows that i'll spend the rest of my life fighting for what killed her. >> arsenio hall. thank you so much. i'm glad you got to say that just now. thank you so much. and congratulations once again. and donald trump. >> now you have a check of the weather. >> it is raining here. >> tom kierein, storm center 4. it is still wet and, in fact, pavement wet just about the entire region with patchy drizzle and also some showers which are showing up there in the color on storm 4 radar to the west-northwest of washington. they are heading north and west. we will have occasional passing showers, maybe some thunder and lightning as well later this afternoon with highs into the mid 70s. looks like we will repeat this tuesday and wednesday. we ought to get sun breaking out into the week. right now, memorial day weekend looks terrific w >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks very much. up next, how to boost your confidence by changing your posture. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:38. have you ever wondered why some people seem to ooze self-confidence while others struggle with it? "today" national correspondent amy robach is here to reveal why there is power in how you choose to stand and sit. >> that's right. pay attention to their body language. now this was really a fascinating study that was able to show the way we hold ourselves actually changes what is going on in our body on a hormonal level. so in effect, how you stand or sit can really change who you are. victory. dominance. power. a single pose can stay it all. >> if you watch people when they put their chins up and they smile. they are completely open. they've just won. they feel super powerful so they're expressing that through their body language. >> reporter: amy cutty is a professor at harvard business school, an institution famous for producing some of the most powerful players in high finance and industry.

but in her classes, cuddy noticed that power seemed to have a physical connection as much as a mental one. >> men were holding themselves in ways that are associated with power and dominance, across the animal kingdom. so they're sitting in ways that i can't sit right now. so they're sitting with their knees apart, and you know, an arm draped over the seat next to them. >> reporter: most of the women were exactly the opposite. knees close together, assuming low power positions. >> they're contracting. they're making themselves as small as they can. they don't want to bump into the person next to them. >> i laugh because i know because that's how i often find myself sitting. i think a lot of women can relate to that. with dana carney of the university of berkeley at california, cuddy set out to discover if power could come from a pose. >> we wanted to know if the body could shape your mind. >> reporter: hormones are chemical messengers that signal how body and mind should react to a variety of stimuli. in powerful people the hormones testosterone drives confidence

and assertiveness. in stressed-out individuals, cortisol is the hormone that spikes. cuddy measured these hormones in people assuming both low power and high power poses. >> after two minutes, they feel more powerful. their testosterone has gone up and their cortisol has gone down, and the low power posers experience exactly the opposite. >> what's the practical use of it? can people actually put what you found to use to better their lives? >> doing this for just a couple of minutes can sort of reconfigure your brain. it allows you to really bring your true self to that situation. so you become more powerful. ♪ i've got the power >> looking for a little inspiration for your power pose? cuddy says good examples aren't hard to find, including president obama. >> when you're feeling really powerful and comfortable, he is spreading out. >> but politicians need to be aware that a power pose can

backfire, especially when it's forced. >> there is a bush/gore debate where gore just decides to walk over to bush and stand next to him, he's trying to expand, he's trying to get into his space, and bush turned around and just goes like this. >> and i believe i can. >> and it just -- it's disastrous. >> susannah harwood reuben has traveled the world teaching yoga's mind, body and spirit connection. cuddy's research on the power of a pose makes sense to her. >> it's not even remotely surprising to me. for her students, reuben's body work delivers a mental reward. >> i want for them to feel peaceful, energized. for them to have had a beautiful experience of themselves. >> amy cuddy has good reason to believe in the power of change.

as a promising undergraduate student, she suffered a traumatic head injury. doctors encouraged her to lower her career expectations. >> my experience of recovery from the head injury and saying, no, i am going to finish college, and then some is related to my saying to these people who feel powerless, no, you don't have to be this way. it can change. >> and this really has a transformative effect, and the best thing about it, it doesn't cost a thing. you can do it in the privacy of your own office or maybe a bathroom stall. >> practice your wonder woman pose. >> i know, i know. >> you're crossing your legs. >> i know i always have terrible posture problems. this is a good thing to know. >> listen, we want to say something, though, amy because you've been such a spectacular correspondent and anchor at nbc news for all of these years. i know you've decided to move on and to bigger and better things but we are going to really miss the quality of your work here. >> oh, thank you so much. i really appreciate that. i know it's kind of weird

because lester i already said good-bye to you. >> i meant everything i said the other day about how much i love you and miss you. but what part of good-bye -- >> i'm actually not -- i'm going after this. i'm going to give you all a hug. thank you so much. >> you've been so wonderful. >> air kisses. but thank you all very much. and i have loved and enjoyed every moment that i've been here sharing my life with you for the last nine years, five years, i've just had so much fun. i've learned so much from each and every one of you. so thank you. >> you are adored. >> we wish you all the best. >> and what i said saturday goes again. >> all right. >> thank you. >> okay. we've got a lot more to get to, including some ways to redecorate your children's bedrooms. but first this is "today" on nbc. we love you, amy! i'm thinking of asking carlina to have dinner at my place. she's italian... and you can't cook.

♪

sure. no problem.ere? ♪

we're back now at 8:47 with "today's home." as designers and parents of seven children, courtney and robert juggle home and work to create appealing spaces that are stylish and family friendly on their hgtv show. this morning they're here with unique and affordable ways to transform your kids' bedrooms. good morning. great to have you here. >> thanks for having us. >> you are busy parents, designers. what's the biggest challenge when it comes to designing a child's bedroom? >> first of all you want it to function well. but you also want it to be eclectic and a reflection of who the kid is who lives in the space. i mean all seven of our kids actually share a room. >> in our household courtney and i share space. >> but you share a room because the kids want some individuality within that room. >> right. for example the beds behind you, these are kind of two kids that would share a space. but the beds don't match. you know, one is blue, one is pink. they're from land of nod. but it's okay to mix it up a

little bit. especially in our designs. we definitely have an eclectic look, so as far as bedding we like the fact that they don't match. that everything is slightly different. so for example, one child may choose blue. one child may choose pink. i think it's important, too, that maybe you get them involved, possibly take them to bed bath & beyond where there's really affordable bedding. and you can mix and match all different shapes and colors. >> you have a more traditional bed you can change out the bedding a little bit. >> let me ask you a really serious question, pink or blue? >> i would go with blue. >> just curious. we're also big on storage, lester. we have two great trunks down here. kids can throw the balls in there, their belongings, get the clutter off the floor. >> you like getting vintage items in, as well. >> for example this is a kmart dresser that we all go to, the one place that you can get everything but to make it unique, we did vintage knobs. and so we really love going to flea markets, you know, we even drive all seven of our kids but

if we don't have the time, there's amazing websites out there like one king's lane has vintage and market finds where you can find a globe. >> i noticed the vintage globe there. >> isn't that fun? >> it's educational for your kids. >> we've got boxes showing up all the time at our house. >> because it's actually, the site kind of does the work for you. they break it down and it's really affordable. they give you great values. so antique books, but i think what's important is shopping and buying vintage pieces, even in your kids' room, it brings it in and makes their space you 'nique. >> i know you live in new york city so functional work space is really key here. a lot of folks have space issues. >> it's big. on our show this year we filmed in oklahoma, california, utah and what we've seen in kids rooms especially is over-clutter, toys everywhere and not great work spaces. we're all about creating a workspace for a kid. their own desk, their own personal space. >> at what page would you start bringing the workspace?

>> we have children ages 15 -- our oldest will be 15, our baby is 3. 3 to 15 they're great. this desk here from ikea, $170. it's a place to create, where they can dream, where they can design. >> i love the chair by the way. >> another vintage piece. >> another vintage piece. >> don't be afraid to mix old and new. again you know what's most important is that you really kind of push your kids to be unique. so say what color would you want your room? what color would you want your desk? you know, that's the most important thing. >> i see the children's artwork another nice touch. great to have you both here. appreciate you stopping by. >> you've got to try out. >> we used to call them bean bags. now they're poofs. >> you sit much better. better posture. great job. thanks have he much. up next, cooking dirty. the new way to grill to get the most flavor. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's kitchen," we're grillin' and chillin' with chef and barbecue expert adam perry lang who's newest cookbook is charred, bold new techniques for explosive flavor on and off the grill. adam, good morning. we know you are dedicated because it is -- >> this beautiful day, right? >> it is a wind and rainstorm this morning. you call yourself an active griller. >> active griller.

i like to move things around on the grill. and develop a crust. it's all about creating flavor and really just putting on the coals. let me show you. i have the coals right there. this is a technique i call -- >> dirty grillin'. >> exactly. when you go directly on the coals. at this four seasons blend which is garlic salt, black pepper, cayenne and salt and you mix these all together. >> and you're grilling, actually, a strip steak, right? >> that's right. >> and as you have the butcher tender -- >> i gave this as an example. you can see how i've trimmed this down already. you don't want too much fat. but fat is good. >> if you have too much i'm sure it causes too much of a -- >> actually not so much. you'd be surprised. a lot of people are intimidated with this type of cooking. so when i season it, i moisten my hands and create this paste. >> so it doesn't come off as

easily. >> yeah. >> so you mixed all the spices together. you're going to put them directly onto this grill. but directly on top of the -- of the coals. >> right. >> how do you keep the ash from going on the meat? >> i use my trusty hair dryer. >> wait a minute. you're using a hair dryer. is this legal? >> yes. >> oh, my lord. >> it kicks the coals right off. >> yes, it does. >> and then, i just kind of baste it and goes right on the goals. >> you've got to be kidding. >> do you have to blow dry your steaks after that? >> no, my wife hates this, because i'm using her hair dryer. once you blow dry once the ashes off it's good to go. >> wow we know what to get you for christmas just a bunch of hair dryers. you basically do that for how long? >> it's the whole thing lasts about 6 1/2 minutes. >> okay. >> so three minutes on each side almost. >> and look how beautiful that comes off. >> and you baste it. >> yeah. >> take it over there.

>> and once you take it off, after six minutes, you now need to let it rest a bit. first before you do that you're mixing it in some dressing. >> exactly. one of the things you may have noticed when i actually cook i use this thing what i call an herb brush. >> right. look at that. you just tied the yummy herbs -- >> just kind of stick it in like that. >> and tie it together. >> tie it together. >> and you wrap this -- i see you put this in the olive oil and put that on top of the meat. >> exactly. >> that's going to give you all of these flavors. >> exactly. >> now you're putting a lot of flavors in parsley and olive oil again on top -- >> right. >> wait for how long? >> just maybe about five, ten minutes. i'll take a microplane greater and just kind of grate some things. >> rah? >> just a little bit of garlic or if you're averse to garlic -- >> i'm not averse. i love raw garlic. >> and rub it in like a caesar salad. >> and then you're putting the meat on top of that.

>> exactly. >> and the meat gets infused with all these flavors. >> exactly. >> yum. hey now. now you've got -- after you've let it rest for six, eight minutes? >> yeah, about that. i don't fess too much about it. >> right. then you're able to slice it and make it beautiful like this. >> exactly. >> oh, look at that. look at that. oh! adam perry lang thank you so much. >> thank you. >> we really appreciate you teaching us all about this. breaking news right now at 8:56. d.c. police say they have found 6-year-old jevon browning. he is safe. he had been missing since yesterday afternoon when last seen outside of his family's home in columbia heights. much more on this story throughout the day here on news4. let's get the latest the forecast. tom kierein is in the storm center. >> it has been a wet morning.

all around the region we had passing showers and also scattered drizzle moving from the southeast to the northwest. and it is going to be with us here from time to time throughout the rest of the day. maybe some afternoon thunder and lightning as well with highs in the 70s. it is going to be the same here. does look like tomorrow and again wednesday. drying pattern by the end of the week and weekend, memorial day looking better. shine, 80s. >> tom, thank you. we will take a quick b

good morning. traveling gw parkway northbound at 123, we had zlaent. i'm see something delays. in fact, just 5 miles per hour as you make your way past i-66. very slow northbound. 29 southbound. delays start out of bridg bridge/chain

back now with more of "today" on this monday morning. the 21st day of may, 2012. it was actually a spectacular weekend a few days ago here in the big apple. but not so much this morning. it's a very big day. everybody's outside still waving and happy saying hi to their family and friends back home. meantime we're all inside. >> and you're dewey fresh. >> i'm dripping because we were just doing that barbecue segment and i just got -- let's put it this way it's going to be a bad hair day for the rest of the day. i'm ann curry along with lester holt who is in for matt. we've got al roker and tamron hall has joined us. nice to have you here, tamron.

coming up in this hour, talking about the answers to your diet questions. >> that's right. one of the biggest problems for anyone who's ever tried to lose weight is hitting that plateau. what do you do to break it? joy bauer talks about that. you lose a lot fast and then you hit that mark. you don't know what to do next. >> all right. so once you get your diet in shape now you want to get your finances in shape. and to do that we need to look at everything from buying gas to grocery shopping. we're going to tell you where you're spending too much money, and how you can save. >> then, a "today" exclusive, the new jersey mom accused of taking her young daughter to a tanning salon opens up about her headline making case and takes on her critics directly. ear going to hear from her coming up. >> also you may remember that last week we showed you this picture of natalie and al and savannah. and we asked you to tweet us your best caption. the results are in and our winning caption comes from @karenehowell who tweeted, and your thoughts of fifty shades of grey.

anyway, i -- i don't know why you're reacting that way, al, to fifty shades of grey, but that -- we won't even go there. >> i'm very much in touch with my feminine side. >> we want to thank everybody who decided to send us their captions and to see some of the other great entries you can go to today.com. >> what she said. >> i thought that was a good one, as well. >> meantime natalie is on assignment but savannah guthrie is here to tell us the news. >> good morning to all of you. the final day of the nato summit in chicago today has police bracing for more demonstrations. nato leaders are recommitting to ending the war in afghanistan in 2014. even though some nato countries want to end their combat roles even sooner. afghan forces have set to take the lead in combat missions next year. meantime, one pair of newlyweds got caught in the middle of all the demonstrations. leading to some, shall we say, rather unique and unplanned wedding pictures. robin gibb has died after a long battle with cancer. together with his brothers gibb

founded the singing group the bee gees, cranking out hit after hit, including "stayin' alive" and "night fever." gibb was 62 years old. a rare annular solar eclipse had millions of people from asia to the western u.s. looking up at the sky. the so-called ring of fire eclipse was last seen here in the u.s. back in 1994. and don't worry if you missed it, there will be another one in 11 years. amazing images from rural kansas about 50 miles from wichita where storm chasers caught this tornado on tape. 17 tornadoes were reported in the area on saturday damaging several homes. thankfully no injuries reported. a major status update for mark zuckerberg. the facebook co-founder married his college sweetheart priscilla chan in their california home. he even ditched the trade mark hoodie for a suit. for the third straight week "the avengers" conquered the

weekend box office taking in $55.1 million. "battleship" debuted in second place with $25.4 million. and "the dictator" opened in third place. the billboard music awards happened over the weekend with highlights that included bobbi kristina brown accepting the millennium award on behalf of her mother, whitney houston. >> i'm just blessed to have been in such an incredible woman's life. there will never be another one. ever. >> and i thank you. all of you. fans, everyone. thank you. >> this is bobbi kristina's first major public appearance since her mother's sudden passing in february. and longtime "saturday night live" cast member kristen wiig seemed to be fighting back tears when she got a musical send-off this weekend from host mick jagger and her fellow cast members during the season finale of "snl."

♪ ♪ when you change every new day i'm gonna miss you ♪ >> wiig has been withson for seven years. it is now 9:05. let's go back to al with a check of the weather. >> thanks so much, savannah. take a look, show you what we've of the weather. >> we show you what's going on besides the rain in the northeast. tropical storm alberto. looks like it won't be much of a problem. 40 miles per hour. eventually it will be scooting off the southeastern atlantic coast. biggest problems will be rip currents along the south eastern atlantic coast. otherwise so long, alberto. that's your latest weather. here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. we have had a wet morning and it is going to stay this way off and on the rest of the day occasional showers and right now the radar showing these moving off from the southeast to the northwest across virginia and maryland. and scattered in between those areas in cole score storm 4 radar. we have scattered drizzle and

later today, ought to make it into the mid 07s. mid and upper 60s. more of the same on tuesday and wednesday. a drying trend into the week. looking great for the memorial day weekend. sunshine back and highs in the 80s saturday, sunday and possibly monday. weather. tamron? >> hey, al, thank you very much. this morning on "joy's diet s.o.s." answers to your daily diet dilemmas. "today" contributor and nutritionest joy bauer is here with answers on everything from hitting that weight plateau to vitamin deficiency. joy is the best selling author of "the joy fit club." good morning. >> good morning. >> all right, let's get to the questions. i know that you've got great answers. we're starting off with lisa in georgetown, delaware. lisa, good morning. >> good morning. >> so what's your question? >> well, i've lost over 40 pounds, and i seemed to reach a plateau. and it's like i lose a few pounds during the week and then i gain it back on the weekends,

and with special events, tempting desserts, it's really hard to stick to my plan. so my question is, like how do i, you know -- how do i notify gate the weekend without undoing a week's worth of work. >> i'm going to give you a hey man, sister. i think a lot of people can relate to that. >> this is a very, very typical scenario. it's usually because on the weekends we're way less structured than we are during the week. and also like you mentioned there are temptations everywhere. so this is what you're going to do starting this week. first, when it's wednesday or thursday, i want you to look ahead to your weekend, and make a plan. make it formalized and structured. i even want you to formalize and structure the down time. because it's going to make it much easier for you to stick to a healthy eating plan. and exercise on saturday and sunday, and preferably in the earlier part of the day, because exercise will automatically up your food resolve. and secondly, i want you to look at your weekend plan and pick one fun, delicious splurge that you're going to look forward to

and don't use it up on friday night. save it for saturday late afternoon or evening or maybe a spectacular sunday brunch. and then it's only one thing. it's not going to derail all the work that you put in during the week. you're going to wake up on monday morning feeling light, energized and ready to conquer. those few pounds that you lost the week before will still be off. i'm positive. >> wow. lisa, thank you. i got a quick question though staying on track you say make the weekend more structured. does that set you up for failure if you fall off the plan? >> no, no. but it gives you a road map and you're much more likely to stick with it. again the structure just means knowing what your weekend plans are. >> let's get to brenda in los alamos, new mexico. good morning, what's your question? >> good morning, joy. my question is, i'm wondering how to approach my weight loss plan so that my skin isn't left draping once the weight is gone. does neoprene wrapping -- does wrapping with ace bandages or neoprene wraps or other methods promote skin tightening when a person is dropping pounds?

>> unfortunately, no. and there's nothing you can really do to control your skin's response when you lose a significant amount of weight. now, some people are genetically blessed with a lot of elastin and they snap right back into shape. but the vast majority of people are not that lucky. none of those methods that you mention will really work too well. you just have to really focus on all of the positives. don't get stuck on this one negative. think about all the whole host of health conditions that you might be able to reverse. you're going to feel terrific. you're going to get better night's sleep. you're going to look fabulous and there's always surgery if it bothers you a lot. it's a little involved. it can be costly. or there's fabulous undergarments like yummy tummy and spanx that tuck and hide and will really make you feel terrific. >> all right, brenda. good luck and congratulations on having lost the weight to have that issue. you have to lose it first. >> it's a great issue to have. it really is. people have to remember that. >> congratulations, brenda. now we have a viewer immaim.

catherine in new york city rights, i get a latte every morning when i get to work. i get to my desk, have a few sips then don't get a chance to finish it. is it okay to reheat it and continue to drink it after lunch? that's a long time. >> it's a long time. and she's got to toss the latte. here's why. when it sits it's going to settle into a temperature range between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit and that's that range that bacteria can just thrive. and a lot of the bacteria will not be spried when you heat it. even though she's popping it in the microwave she's still going to be at a risk for getting a foodborne illness. trash it and just buy another one later on in the afternoon. >> another e-mail. this is juanita in new jersey. she writes, joy, the doctor just told my husband that his b-12 is low. can you tell us what foods have b-12? >> so b-12, vitamin b-12 is abundant in fish and dairy and eggs and meats and poultry and also fortified in some vegetarian foods like breakfast cereals and soy items.

most people that have a deficiency in b-12, it's not because they're not eating enough from foods, most of the time because of two common conditions. he needs to speak with his physician. it could be pernicious anemia or atroughic gastritis. in that case our body can't absorb the natural b-12 in foods and he's going to need a supplement to bring him back up to baseline. it's really important to speak with your physician and find out why -- >> it's not as simple as grabbing a vitamin. >> no. but there are a lot of foods. he should maybe take the supplement and eat the foods and when his levels are back up to normal. just foods alone. >> good stuff. thank you joy. coming up, excess spending. how to stop and save thousands of dollars. and later hot style as your summer heats up. but first these messages. you know, we're a little early for this thing... want to hop in the back and get weird? no. family vacation... vegas. ♪ no. no. give it a big yank! really? yeah!

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"today's money" is brought to you by bank of america. >> this morning on "today's money," making money mistakes. a lot of us are spending too much but with some smart financial moves you can start saving literally thousands of dollars. farnoosh torabi is the host of financially fit on yahoo! finance. great to see you. >> so great to see you. >> tough times yet we still are in little and not so little ways waste money. >> it's human nature. we don't have the time sometimes to really think through a purchase, to plan ahead. we fall prey to marketing tactics. i think in some cases there are misc m misconexceptions about what products and services are worth their value. >> one we have to use, food. >> exactly. we are leaking money. food is probably number one.

according to the book american wasteland we waste about 25% of our food every year. that amounts to about $2200 on average a year. >> wow. >> researchers at harvard have done the research and said we do overspend on groceries, particularly at the warehouse clubs. >> hmm. >> when we buy perishables. >> we think we're getting a deal. >> there are ways to be a savvy bulk buyer but it can get really tricker. to save a couple things. take inventory of what you have in your cabinets and fridge before you go to the grocery store so you're not overbuying. and invest in a freezer. a second freezer. some of the most frugal families in america, this is their thing. they stock up on meats and cheeses when they go on sale and they freeze them and they have them for the rest of the year. >> and have a list. >> have a list and stick to it. >> okay. next, buying gasoline. >> there is an octane myth, al, out there, aaa and consumer reports caution us to avoid this octane myth. this concept that you drive up to pump gas, you see, you know,

regular, mid level, and premium, and you assume it's a good, better, best scenario. not true. most cars just need regular. the 87 level of octane. a lot of drivers kind of, again, mrs. a misconception the higher the octane the gbetter it is fo my car. that's false. the difference can be 50 cents per gallon, over $300 a year. check your manual. >> i was going to say. >> definitely check your manual. >> atm fees. >> every year atm fees just keep soaring. last year they hit a record, including not only your bank's fee but charging you for going out of network and also the atm's own surcharge. so, a couple of things you can do to avoid this up to $4 to $5 slap every time you go to the atm. use your bank's atm. i know that's sometimes easier said than done but these days with technology, al, you can just download your bank's mobile app it will tell you where is the closest bank. or your zip code. if you can't do that, another

option, another app is called the my mobile all points app. it's free. it will tell you what atms are around you that have no surcharge. so while your bank may charge you a fee you may not get the surcharge. so you can save 50%. >> a lot of online banks. >> ally, ing direct, a lot of banks will either reimburse you for fees or give you freebies. >> gym membership. >> so huge. >> they count on it. >> totally. we're all sort of guilty of this. researchers at stanford business school said 80% of gym members who hold an unlimited gym membership overestimate how often they're going to hit the treadmill. so a couple ways to save here. one is work out with a buddy. we've done stories on the "today" show, if you work out with a buddy you're going to not only enjoy the workout more, you're going to hit that treadmill. there's an app. i'm very app happy today. called gym pact p-a-c-t by harvard students. you make a bet whether you're going to go to the gym or not.

when you do, you get paid. when you don't you pay it. 90% of users stick to their promise. >> extended warranties. >> usually you don't want to go for these. it's a marketing tactic. most don't require an extended warranty except for probably pcs and laptops, consumer reports found that 30% of pcs tend to break down by their fourth year. at which point the basic warranty is finished. >> by then you'll want pay new one anyway. >> if you're al roker for sure. >> i think everybody wants the newest thing. anyway then you're spending money. farnoosh torabi. still ahead the top ten cities for college grads looking for jobs. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!!

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♪ life is amazing with the love that i've ♪ ♪ found well, with diploma in hand a new batch of college graduates is entering the workforce and looking for jobs. >> over the past five years, careerbuilder found the best cities. >> here from apartments.com,

chris, good morning. >> good morning. >> glad to have you up. number ten is baltimore. nine philadelphia, eight houston, seven chicago, number six, atlanta. >> tell us what the criteria for is. >> we looked at four primary factors, npt number of entry level jobs in the market. the average based salary for those jobs. we looked at the average one-bedroom rents, since most recent college grads are going to be renting rather than buying. and we looked at the unemployment rate in those markets and came up with our list. >> at number five, keep in the heart of -- >> dallas. >> tamron is from dallas. >> yes, where i lived right out of college and struggled. >> dallas, texas, below average rents and good opportunities in telecom, technology and manufacturing. >> okay. number four, minneapolis. >> minneapolis, a little bit higher than the average rent which is about $940. they're about $975. but great opportunities, and low unemployment. >> bring a big coat >> yes, a little bit cool there.

>> a little bit. >> boston. >> so boston you know, great college town obviously. great buy for recent college grads. those universities also provide opportunities, expensive though, $1800 a month for a one bedroom. >> speaking of expensive, number two the big apple. i can't imagine being straight out of college and moving to new york city. >> will they be able to afford it? >> it is among the most expensive but has the highest based salary and there's a lot of opportunities primarily in banking and financial services. >> number one, our nation's capital, washington. >> absolutely. so washington, d.c., tops the list based on primarily very low unemployment, 5.5%. well below the national average. and opportunities in government, public policy, education, and of course the election, lots of jobs available as well. >> turnover almost every four years. >> exactly. guaranteed. >> chris brown. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> we're in unison today. coming up affordable summer styles.

( telephone rings ) 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!

s . breaking news at 9:26. news4 confirmed that d.c. council member marion barry is in the hospital in las vegas. it is unclear right now what he is being treated for. barry in vegas to attend an annual convention with mayor vincent gray and other d.c. council members. we are actively work thing story now and will bring you more information as it comes in. let's check the weather. here is tom kierein. >> it has been a wet morning. good morning. right now storm 4 radar showing some showers that came through the metro area a couple of hours ago. now passing northwest and moving towards the north west. but some other areas south and east of there right around the metro area as well, we are getting scattered drizzle. this is going to be the story off and on the rest of the day

today as well as tonight, tomorrow and into tomorrow night and wednesday. may be afternoon thunder and light noon. >> traffic is next. stay wit

good morning. have an accident west bound route 50 blocking lanes to get to the outer loop of the beltway. beltway. overturned vehicle is there. 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. >> i want to challenge you to a game of bubble soccer. >> give it up for lester holt! >> put your hands together for david "stretch" gregory! >> oh, my gosh! >> wow. and you know now why we didn't get to see it. you never know what kind of trouble jimmy fallon is going to get into. lester holt and david gregory getting into a match of bubble soccer. stephen colbert also joining. >> no way, jimmy. >> oh, jimmy fallon is coming in here for a visit tomorrow on "today." cannot wait. >> he wears the blue spandex

leggings. >> if you're watching jimmy -- >> meanwhile just ahead an exclusive interslew with that new jersey woman known as the tan mom. she's accused of taking her little girl into a tanning booth. but now she wants to set the record straight, saying that she's a good mom and that she shouldn't be judged. we'll hear from her. >> all right we'll also -- >> we are on tv right now. all right we're going to switch gears to fashions, okay and light and easy is the key to sultry, summer style from flowy dresses to swimsuit cover-ups and old accessories we're going to show you the newest looks for summer. >> and the flavors of mexico in "today's kitchen" with a traditional casserole using layered tortillas. it is super easy to put together, and it has got a lot of flavor. >> hmm. looks good. >> we want to get the check of the weather. >> >> we want to get a check of the weather. >> a lot of wet weather in the northeast. mid lapt states, also pacific northwest where it will be windy

and we have tropical storm alberto off the coast. no big problems. rip tides. showers in the lower mississippi river valley. tomorrow sunny and warm along the eastern seaboard. interior new york. and new england, we will see rain, heavy rain in southern florida. sizzling from texas into the southwest. and more rain continues into the pacific northwest with risk of strong storms in the upper mississippi river valley. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. drizzle around the metro area. with low clouds and temperatures in the mid and upper 60s. passing showers and moving color on storm 4 radar passing northwest of washington. heading towards the northwest and we will have this off and on through the day today swes tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night and wednesday with highs in the 70s. maybe some afternoon thunder and lightning. dry out towards the end of the week. a chance of shower on thursday, friday. but drying out for the memorial day weekend. sunshine saturday, sunday. highs into the 80s. latest weather. >> al, thank you. coming up nexted so-called tan

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we're back with our exclusive interview with the new jersey mom accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter to a tanning booth. mara schiavocampo talked to her. >> good morning. patricia krentcil, also known as the tan mom, said she decided to speak because she wanted to set the record straight and let people know that she is a good mother. while she has come to be known as the tan mom, patricia krentcil wants people to understand what her life is really all about. that of a busy housewife and mother of five kids. >> i'm up at 3:00 in the morning making sure all the wash is done, my husband goes to work at 4:30. works on wall street, and then i

make pancakes, pack their bags, and they're all off and gone, and then i work all day inside and outside of this house. >> reporter: in her backyard on a sunny day, we speak to krentcil exclusively, about the attention surrounding her devotion to tanning, and the allegations that she brought her then-5-year-old daughter inside a tanning bed, a claim she denies. >> she never went in. she never went in. >> reporter: prosecutors say krentcil's daughter anna, now 6, turned up at her elementary school with a sunburn last month, prompting a school nurse to contact police. although krentcil admits her daughter was burned, she says it was caused by the sun, and not artificial rays from a tanning bed. >> it was beautiful out. and they went in the kiddie pool. she's a redhead. she got sunburnt. >> reporter: but essex county prosecutors allege anna's burns were caused by a trip to city tropics, a tanning salon krentcil visited up to 20 times a month. she's been charged with second

degree child endangerment. >> i'm innocent. >> reporter: earlier this month krentcil pled not guilty in court. she continues to proclaim her innocence. >> we're fighting these charges because i'm not guilty. every allegation was completely wrong, and i just want people to leave us alone. >> reporter: but, like it or not, krentcil has remained in the spotlight. >> leave me alone! >> reporter: her overly bronzed appearance making headlines and punch lines. >> is she tanning or did she fall down a chimney? she looks like wile e. coyote after the dynamite stick blows up. >> reporter: she's inspired an action figure. and even a skit on "snl." >> piece of bread. >> yep. >> put it between my thighs. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: krentcil says she's taking it all in stride. but her kids have not. >> they're mad. they're mad, they're picking on mommy again.

>> reporter: several new jersey tanning salons krentcil never even visited have now banned her. a move she calls pathetic. >> i didn't do anything wrong. if there's something wrong about getting your nails done, or somebody who smokes too much, or somebody who overeats, if this is such a problem, why wouldn't this have said years ago. >> reporter: krentcil says what upsets her most is how her tanned complexion brought on negative comments about her parenting. now she has a message for those who judge her. >> look in the mirror and look at yourself. instead of looking at me. i'm sorry i'm tan. i like to be tan. it just feels good. but, i really think that these moms or dads need to step off and step away. >> now krentcil says she is looking forward to her next court appearance scheduled for

june 4th because, in her words, she is innocent. i should add she also said she has not been to a tanning salon since all this happened. >> wow. >> she still looks pretty tan. >> well. the depth of the tanning. >> there's always the sun. >> the old-fashioned way. >> exactly. >> well, mara, thank you. >> up next, -- >> jinx. >> sexy styles for every occasion, with or without a tan. right after this. [ man on radio ] it's a scorcher out there folks...

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this morning on "today's style," outfits for every summer occasion, whether a pool party pore a backyard barbecue. isabel gonzalez whitaker is here with some sizzling fashions. good morning. >> good morning. thank you so much. >> before we bring out our models, what, to you, is the key for a good summer look? >> well, you want comfort, obviously, but you want to look great, as well. so loose silhouettes, lightweight fabrics. even colors that reflect light, so lighter, bright colors. and then look for details, whether it's in the design or the accessories that really elevate the look. >> so we've got four different summer events. let's bring out carmella. she is going to a pool party. we will check out her very summery outfit. >> she is wearing a summery outfit in that beautiful yellow and we picked a dress. if you're going to be getting in and out of the pool, separates can be cumbersome. a great dress with a loose silhouette that you can also belt is really an effective and

functional look. and look for something with a little bit of drama like this asymmetrical hem. all our looks are under $100. this is $84 from top shop and we've sort of dressed it up with a great fedora, keep you safe in the shade, and then some colorful sandals. >> and cute tote, as well. >> a straw tote you can't go wrong because if it gets wet it doesn't get damaged. >> she can take off the belt and use the dress as a cover-up. >> totally. >> looks good carmella. thank you so much. our next occasion is a summer barbecue. this is brigitte showing off her look. >> that's right. brigitte is wearing a wonderful and very convenient, we love a peasant top. both because of the construction, the structure, the fabric, it's airy, it's breezy. oftentimes it's a very sheer fabric. really, you know, it allows for movement of air. you're going to be really cool. this is by lucky brand from lord & taylor. we've paired it with classic denim shorts which is such an all-american barbecue kind of look. now instead of cutoff shorts we've decided a more polished

look with a trouser cut and a darker wash. because the shirt is a bit bohemian we've played it up with global accessories like a raffia straw bag, sandals and some great global necklaces. >> i know she's got her latest issue of "in style". >> if case there's quiet time at the barbecue. >> and her hair is loose and flowy, too. >> exactly. >> thank you so much, bridget. our next item we have a cocktail party and here's alex coming up. >> we picked a maxi dress for the cocktail party. the idea being a relaxed silhouette isn't too fussy. nobody is going to mistake this as an evening gown. the color makes an impact. the great gold belt. what we really like, too, is it's got these great slits so it's very feminine. again, airy and breezy, and some wonderful stacked heels by franco sarto. function as a heel but you're not going to sing into the grass. >> the colors are so pretty.

they look like a cocktail. like the sea breeze or something. >> a good margarita. blood orange margarita. >> we're ready. >> okay, thank you so much. you look great. and our final event that we will have for the summer is of course the summer concert. >> the summer concert. the idea here is that you might be dancing, you might be standing, you might be sitting down. you could be at a music festival. you want to wear something you're going to be come for theable for many hours. look for a loose silhouetted tank style dress or halter style dress. this one has lace so it elevates the look. what's really key so this look, we paired it with motorcycle boots which is so on trend right now for the season. it's a bit of an investment. these are by frye a little bit over $200. motorcycle boots you can wear year-round. >> some people thought oh, that's too heavy. >> but it's not. first of all it keeps your toes protected from the crowd. and second of all, it's a comfortable, super comfortable look, and right now, this edge of masculine versus feminine,

super popular. >> let's bring all our models out one last time so we can have a look. you're ready for four different events. summer is upon us. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> isabel gonzalez whitaker from "in style." up next, mexican food made easy. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in "today's kitchen" we're spicing things up with a mexican-style lasagna. instead of pasta, we're using tortillas. marcella is the host of food network's mexican made easy. it's a traditional dish with authentic flavors, and even better, it's delicious and it's easy. marcella, good to see you. >> good to see you. how are you? >> good. this is very exciting. i never heard of this kind of a lasagna. >> it's called a pasta azteca. an aztec cake.

instead of using pasta sheets we're going to use these. >> how do we get started? >> we have to fry the tortillas just a tiny bit. same way you would do with enchiladas. >> are these flour or corn? >> these are corn. you fry them because we're making a wonderful sauce and you want to make sure it stands up to the sauce and doesn't get all soggy. it's going to make it fine -- >> it's a gluten free recipe. >> exactly. it sure is. just a couple seconds, you don't want to make a tosta. you want them to be pliable. like a lasagna you need various fillings. we're going to make a saw tao with garlic and onion and then i've got some tomato puree. you've always got the option of making it from scratch, which i always choose to do. but you can absolutely just buy the puree from the supermarket and use that and make your life a whole lot easier. >> could you use crushed tomatoes? >> absolutely. what you want to do is just achieve a nice, smooth sauce so

when you're layering you get most of the texture from what we're doing right here. >> the other great thing about this is, you know, in a sense you're adding a lot of vegetables. you're hiding vegetables from the kids. >> oh, absolutely. i have a young son, he's around here somewhere. >> actually he's a gorgeous young man, got long hair. i said oh, is that your daughter outside? >> oh, yeah. >> i didn't say it to him. i said it to you. you don't have to repeat that. >> he's watching you right now. so it's too late. but you know what -- >> back to this. >> back to this. this is really good because he's going to get tomatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini that i'm going to saute. a little bit of corn and we're going to get nice, smoky flavor and not too much heat from some poblanos. these beautiful ones right here. we peeled them and cut them into stripped. >> is this a store bought version or do you have to do this? >> there's no comparison in using the fresh. it only takes a couple minutes and it makes your house smell amazing. just char them directly over a gas burner so they're all

blackened and then peel them and slice and that's it. and the flavor is just, you can't compare. >> how long would you saute? >> for about a good -- and then we're going to add some water. what we're going to do. we want everything to steam up and get really, really soft. we're looking at eight minutes. everything softens up and it's nice and yummy. and then, lasagna layering time. >> okay. >> this is basically what we're doing. we want to grab the tortillas. and exactly as you would a lasagna, you're going to take some of that tomato sauce from the bottom. on the bottom. and then we're going to layer with some of the zucchini, with the corn, the fresh corn and the poblano. and then we're going to layer with a couple of those tortillas. >> right here? >> just over the top, yes. just doing half so you get a good idea. then a little bit of the tomato. so you basically repeat. >> make a layer. >> exactly. >> and then, we're just going to add a little bit of sour cream or mexican, whatever you have

available. a little bit of the cheese. you're going to fill up the whole dish. you can use any white melting cheese. monterey jack cheese, oaxaca cheese would be great. and then you come back here. >> put this in the oven? >> put this in the oven. >> oh, my gosh! >> who can mistake this for a girl. >> oh! >> the cutest boy in the world. >> and he's got missing the teeth there. >> okay. and then some fresca with the strawberries, apricot, a little bit of sugar. >> what's your name again, young man? >> fausto. >> fausto. >> very nice, fausto. very good. >> thank you. >> coming up, kathie lee and hoda, affordable beach vacations. bring this drink. >> first your local news and weather.

breaking news at 9:57. d.c. council member barry is in a hospital. he developed a blood clot while waiting on a plane in memphis en route to vegas. much more on this story on "news4 midday" and nbcwashington.com. let's check your forecast. storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein has the latest. good morning. >> good morning. yes.

radar showing some patchy drizzle around the metro area. but the area moving color showers that are advancing from the southeast to the north west. and into maryland and northern virginia. shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia. occasional showers and some drizzle. afternoon thunder and lightning continue into the mid week. how is traffic? >> traveling the outer loop of the beltway, montgomery county still very slow in this area as you make your way all the way to georgia avenue and beyond. look 28 miles per hour from i-270. actually i-95 to i-270. that trip taking 20 minutes. >> thank you.

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only at safeway. ingredients for life. captions paid for by nbc-universal television real big deals this week and every week. it's a soggy fun day monday, everybody. may 21st. so glad you're with us today. ♪ rainy days and mondays never get us down ♪ >> yesterday was so gorgeous, sun splashed. and this is nasty. you had a lot of visitors, didn't you, over the weekend? >> i did. it is prom season, it is graduation season. in my days we went and got a little dress or our mother made us little dress and we did our

own hair and makeup. now, forget paying for college when you send your kids off. i can't believe how much it costs to send your kid to a prom! >> right. the dress, the -- >> hair and makeup and pictures and da-da. then we hosted about 100 people at our house yesterday because everybody has to take their pictures. cass is in the middle there in that yellow -- butter color which is her nickname. there she is on the left. all of her friends. >> they're all beautiful! >> the sweetest group of girls. they really are gorgeous girls. and there's cody with his sister. he's home for another week before he goes back. not flattering of mommy and daddy, but hey, it's not always about us. >> those are great shots. >> you know what is amazing to me though. when i was younger and bought dresses, you know, for events and things like that -- i still buy them, i don't steal them, but i paid a lot more money for

things back then than do i now. i just won't do it. i bought a few gorgeous ralph lauren dresses through the years. cassidy's wearing one of them. that's one. when i think this girl is 105 pounds. that's what cass -- 104. when i married frank i weighed one pound less than cassidy! what happened to me? two see syrians and menopause happened to me. and a little vino -- all right, a lot. oh, my gosh -- yes. there i am. there's my sister and my little niece. i was 104 pounds. how did they happen to have that -- >> because that's how they do. before and after. before and after. >> so embarrassing! anyway -- >> we have a big announcement first in the kotb family. my brother an his wife, you guys, adopted this beautiful baby from ethiopia named ella. she arrived in my apartment. that's her and hanna holding

hands. my mom picked her up right there at the doorway and she was a little scared, like who are these people. my mom's got -- >> she's beautiful. >> she was adjusting and she was crying as kids do. then she fell right asleep on top of me. and look at hanna's little pinhead in the corner. >> it was love. >> her name's ella. we are so excited to have her. >> how is she adjusting to life? >> she's getting the hang of it. >> can you imagine the world she's been taken from and the world she goes forward? she gets on a plane with strangers. >> she 25e yea's 2 years old. they speak another language. she's saying sounds and we're all trying to see what that meant and now we are getting the hang of it but i think she's adjusting and smiling more. >> hanna's a good big sister? >> yes. and she was holding her hand and helping her color. i have some stuff on my refrin raters of the first drawings that ella do. it was a slash with a crayon, but i like it. >> a piece of art to you.

>> i'm excited. >> congratulations. that is an incredibly brave thing that they did. >> yeah. she's going to be a great kid. so this is weird. i went to vegas do an interview with carrie underwood over the weekend for "dateline" that airs tomorrow night. i was staying at the mandarin hotel. i set the alarm to wake up at 6:00 because i wanted to make sure i was up at 6:00. >> on friday morning. >> yes, friday morning. set the alarm at 6:00. hit the button. the weird thing is the way the alarms work in that hotel is when 6:00 happens, the black shades -- blackout shade open and a fake sunrise appears on the tv! look at it! isn't that weird? it starts out with birds chirping. you're like -- >> there are no birds in vegas! >> i know. that's what i knew! something was weird. anyway, it was really cool. i loved that whole thing. so i ended up interviewing carrie underwood. >> who is a doll! >> such a talent and so sweet. she ended up -- we ended up

doing some karaoke which was just sad for me. praying she drowned me out. >> you're brave woman. karaoke with carrie. >> by the way, she knows every single song. she knows them all. >> "everyone has a story"? >> except for that one. but she's so great and we got on some mechanical bull like we did the whole thing. there's my big behind up there. >> not your first time at the rodeo. >> careful. anyway, that thing airs -- that's enough of that. i couldn't get up. all right? i'm old and flabby. >> sad news in the world. not just the music world but the world in general. these are -- down to one beegee brother left. robin died after a long battle with cancer over the weekend. we can crank their music a little bit because that is something that's going to live on and on and on. just awesome. >> yeah. he was battling it and there was a point there where i think a lot of people thought that he

had sort of beaten it. it was just so sad to hear. on the heels of donna summer, you heard that news late last week. then this. we always say certain musicians define generations. >> the soundtrack of your life during a certain period of time. >> yeah. but -- >> but donna and the beegees were -- had so much talent that they were never isolated into one just disco. donna went on to win other grammys in inspirational music and the beegees, they wrote that great song for kenny and dolly which is "islands in the stream." talented people. >> i didn't know though wrote that. >> yeah. they defied -- what's it called -- just being -- putting a label on them and slapping them on the wall. yeah, our heart goes out to bar barry. it's really hard for barry. that was really sad. so this was weird -- a couple in chicago got married. don't know if you saw what was going on in chicago, but there were huge protests because of the nato meeting. so anyway, this couple gets

married and step outside and look what they step into. there's a huge protest -- >> talk about stepping in it. they stepped in it, all right. that's where they had their pictures. she looks freaked sglp s. >> she's never been happier. >> what a glorious day. >> they say it is like rain on a wedding day. you're bummed by it -- or when a pigeon poops on you. it is supposed to be good luck. i would say it is good luck for the pigeon. he's the only one that feels better. a little sad on saturday night. i guess it is sort of the end of an era on "snl." kristin wigg basically said good-bye on "snl." it was one of those things, you heard rumblings it was going to happen. it was the season finale. mick jagger wag hosting. everyone says he was great. you wondered how they would say good-bye to her. he actually sang "ruby tuesday," then they did this beautiful good-bye thing. >> you meant quite a lot to us

over this past seven years. she got held back. so our music department got together and prepared a song to say good-bye. this one's for you. ♪ ♪ ♪ good-bye ruby tuesday ♪ who could hang a name on you ♪ >> she was fighting back tears. >> she's got six movies already ready to go. she's going to have a huge, huge, huge career. personally i'm happy to see her go. >> why? >> because only she can do kathie lee. >> well let's take a look at that. >> oh.

maybe not. >> no. we're going to get it. we can feel it. >> "today" show. >> i'm kathie lee gifford and i am like so menopausal. >> and i'm hoda kotb. hoda kotb. god, i am never going to get past that weird name. what? it's weird! hoda comes from the land of no vowels. >> there's an "o" in there. >> what? >> an "o." an "o" is a vowel. >> someone look it up. "o" is a vowel. >> and "a" is a vowel, too. oh, my gosh. i wish her all the best but i won't personally miss her at all. >> by the way, who's been doing you lately? >> i don't know. >> you're impossible to do apparently, hoda woman. >> who did it last time? we were talking to her. >> i think thompson -- kenan thompson. >> that's enough. >> he's the only one qualified.

the tan mom -- kristen also did the tan mom brilliantly. tan mom was speaking out on the "today" show today. >> yeah. you won't forget this. come on. >> look at the steam. >> today she spoke to one of our "today" show correspondents and she wanted to set the record straight, i guess, because she thought there were a lot of misconceptions about her. >> and there still are. >> we're fighting these charges because i'm not guilty. every allegation was completely wrong and i just want people to leave us alone. is there something wrong about getting your nails done? or somebody who smokes too much? or somebody who overeats? and if this is such a problem, why wasn't this said years ago?

look in the mirror and look at yourself instead of looking at me. i'm sorry i'm tan. i like to be tan. it just feels good. but, i really think that these moms or dads need to step off and step away. >> was it wines day wednesday that day? just asking. you know what? what can you say? >> nothing. nothing. >> but i don't think she changed anybody's mind. >> no, i don't think so. >> sometimes you speak out because you want to be understood. i still don't understand. all right. let's just -- >> i want to. >> i know you do. >> i do. let's take a tiny look back. on thursday, you and i had a strange opening to our show. some people got it, some didn't. >> look at you. >> they're long.

>> oh, hello. >> if you saw it from the side view, this is what's sad. we could be an ad for spanx. if you look at some of the photos that were taken from around me -- >> who took those photos and why haven't they been destroyed. >> britney. that's practically naked. >> oh, hey. >> nobody told me -- you can't see them. you can't see them from behind the desk. >> it's not the spanx. it's the legs. >> whatever! they're too long. i can't keep them together -- i mean. >> spanx. they work in every direction. >> all right! >> forget it. you got some 'splaining to do. all right, "favorite things." this is the burrbury national

bronzer sun glow number four. $40 from burrberry.com. over the weekend it just makes you look -- not like the tan lady, just a little bronze and i love it. it is really fun. >> my favorite thing is a little expensive but it is worth it if you like muse nick your house. it is called sonos. you get these portable speakers that you can put anywhere in your home, and with your iphone -- >> stop it. >> -- you can turn the volume up and down in different rooms. it is insane. each speaker is about $300. to set it up it is $49. you have to have wi-fi in your house. you can adjust volume bedroom, living room, patio. it is insane. >> wouldn't work on my little dinosaur phone? >> no. wouldn't work there. >> my favorite thing are sweaty bands. i live in workout clothes. these are about $18 at sweatybands.com. it is the last day for our contest for hot dads. go to klgandhoda.com to submit.

>> what do they do? >> go on there and submit a photo and a reason why they have the hottest. >> all right, great. coming up next, big stories in tinseltown this weekend. >> we'll have the latest buzz. you know who's in the house. right after this. yeah, he won the batting title way back in '35. actually it wasn't 1935, he won it in '38... with a .386 average. you sure? i'm 99.9% positive. so you don't know. made with 100% angus beef, to make guys 100% happy. ball park angus beef franks. i'm 99.99999% sure. if you don't know, you don't know...it's fine.

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[ gasps ] think again. try charmin ultra strong for a clean with fewer pieces left behind. its diamondweave texture is soft and more durable so it holds up better for a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. charmin ultra strong. what if we could keep enough plastic waste to cover all of manhattan out of landfills each year? the equivalent of 140 million trash bags, 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. we are back with "today's buzz" and all the celebrity news you missed while were you catching up on your chores this weekend. here with all the

entertainment scoop is huffington post celebrity columnist mr. rob. >> we were just saying how disappointed we were that so many people lip synced. >> is there no shame left? >> do you know what the trouble is? it's actually become the norm now. expect more of this. nobody's outraged about the fact that everybody lip syncs. i love people singing live. i think that's the joy of tuning in. however, there was somebody there who o was a very special guest. for a year this young lady katie has been trying to get justin bieber to take her to her prom. it was this weekend. she finally had given in to the fact that he wasn't going. pretty upset about it. gets to the prom. he sends a video to the prom that they played inviting her to be the date the next day to the billboard awards. he flew her to las vegas, treated her like a v.i.p. here's the video that he sent to

her class and they played it. she had not a hope from him before he accepted the award. >> i'm sure he got a million of those from girls. you can't start a precedent either. >> i blame betty white for this on "snl." when she was on facebook and we got her do it, that's how it starts. >> what about miley cyrus' outfit? >> a very unusual choice. >> she forgot something that night. i think it's called her bra. >> and her pants. she had on this very white matte. he designed the bustier with the cone breasts for madonna. it is a very unusual look and everybody is talking about it today. >> the fact that she's not going to be doing "x factor" now, you've got to stay in the conversation, as they say. >> what about the whitney houston tribute? >> there was some conversations, a little bit of drama about who with a accept the millennium award, would it be bobby kristina her daughter, or her

manager and sister-in-law, pat. in the end they both accepted the award. this is the first time she's spoken out publicly since the death. she did do the oprah interview. very touching. she said she was blessed to have en in such an incredible woman's life. tears, very emotional. john legend nailed it with jordan sparks. it's fantastic to hear them sing these songs. >> i'm reading a lot of people very concerned about the reality series coming up, that this might not be the very best environment for bobby kristina. >> i spoke to her godmother last weekend and she told me she was worried it was a little bit too soon. >> mark zuckerberg had a big week. >> he makes $220 the $20 billio the next day marries you so you're not part of the share the wealth. >> $20 billion and a new bride. what's level about these two, they've been dating for over nine years. they went to university together, harvard.

he famously dropped tout pursue facebook. she did graduate and they even set up a facebook page. she's a pediatrician so she set up a facebook page so you can give donations, organ donations. they just went to china. they got married. we asked her rep if there was a pre-nup because we're cheeky like that, but they declined to comment. >> it would be crazy not to. >> $20 billion. >> we're happy for them. >> kinda. kristen w ichii gig said good-bye. >> a couple of other cast members have contracts that are over. we don't know what's still to come. what are those gender reveal parties all about? sounds dirty. . consider the journey of today's athletes: ♪ their training depends on technology. [ beeping, ticks ] and when their devices are powered by a battery,

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it is monday and that means it is time to reveal our "fan of the week." >> we still have some? >> apparently. >> as always, the lovely sara is here to announce our lucky winner and reveal where that fan is going. >> yes, drum roll, please. this week's winner is sissy mcnew. from greenbriar, arkansas who watches us on channel 4. even working women are keeping up with the show daily. her job requires a lot of data entry so she can listen to the show at her desk. she is the only woman in an office of 30 men so you are her cyber co-workers that help keep her sane. sissy records the show so she can watch it at home, too, and pay closer attention to all of

the details. her favorite part of the show is the chat because you make her laugh and show that sometimes true ends just have to agree to disagree. >> that's right. >> you got it, sissy. >> so congratulations, sissy. we are sending you and a friend to niagara falls. you and a guest will enjoy a two-night stay at the mansion on delaware avenue in buffalo, new york. the trip includes discovery passes to niagara falls state park, a spirit of buffalo cruise, daily breakfast and round trip airfare for two. the hotel and airfare accommodations were provided by visitbuffaloniagara and ilovenewyork. >> it is gorgeous up there. have fun, sissy girl. still ahead -- boy or girl? how to surprise the expectant mom even if it's you. that's right. that's enough to keep you coming back to see a gender reveal party. are you ready for a beach get-aw get-away? some hot and very affordable deals for you. >> if have you any money left

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alright, what do lions eat? ♪ we're back on this damp fun day monday with "today's travel." so get out that sunscreen and skim board because we've got five killer beach deals to tell hoda about. >> "travel & leisure" magazine's editor laura bigley bloom is here. these are all affordable. start with hawaii. >> we've got the aqua lotus. this is a fantastic boutique hotel on oahu. gorgeous views from the rooms of both diamond head and the ocean. it's got a really asian decor and they offer tons of free perks in the rate which is only $199 a night, by the way. great for hawaii. they have morning yoga classes.

they give you beach cruiser bikes so you can cruise around on the beach and afternoon wine tastings as well. >> book us! >> hello! done! let's go to northern california. what do have you for us there? >> northern california. a suite hotel called the blue door. this is not about lying on the beach. this is about being near this gorgeous coastline, getting out and hiking. >> near big sur? >> it is about 150 miles north of san francisco. really dramatic coastline. great wine tastings in the area. >> book us! >> do we see a theme here? >> yes. and $200 a night. i can't believe you can get these kind of rooms for that rate. >> look at that beautiful room. >> fireplaces for cool nights. >> that is really amazing at that price. >> this would be for a typical every day -- >> these are general rates. you want to make sure the rates aren't going up on the weekends or on holidays but these are your general starting rates. >> if you want to go closer to florida which is an easy flight for a lot of people, ft. lauderdale. >> this is the atlantic in ft.

lauderdale. this offers the best of both worlds. on a on a quiet part of the beach with gorgeous panoramic views but it is also right near beach place so you can be near the action and restaurants. a lot of fun. right now they are offering something that's super fun called the fintastic get-away. can you go to the museum of art and see this amazing shark exhibit that has installations and paintings and they also throw in a snorkeling cruise. no sharks in the area. >> this is $199 a night. >> also a great deal. they give you discounts on spa treatments. and morning breakfast as well. >> off to newport, rhode island which i love. >> really fun new hotel just opened -- or just opening there on june 1st called the atwater. this is unlike a lot of other newport hotels which are a little more traditional. this is super funky, really modern, bright colors and the rooms are -- >> wow! >> the rooms are really high-tech. apple tv and ipads and ipod.

their starting rate is $165 a night. they also throw in a harbor cruise in the area. >> that's an old building that they renovated. >> right. in the center of newport but easy walking distance to the beach. >> all those mansions that you can tour that are just unbelievable. >> you'll take us to mexico here at the end. >> this is the viceroy in a charming little fishing -- >> that's the place from shawshank redemption. >> that's what he considered his perfect idea of paradise. this hotel is definitely paradise. many of the rooms have private plunge pools, gorgeous views of the beach. they also do what i think is really great an organic cooking class where the chef takes you into the local market so you get to buy all of the local ingredients, then learn how to cook your mexican dinner back at the property. >> that's gorgeous. >> guess whose birthday it is today? edwardo. speak of a hot tomale.

that's what i was thinking of. thank you, laura. up next, the latest trend for mommies to be. a gender reveal party. >> we'll show you how to throw one right after this. ly sun expe requires daily sun protection. eucerin daily protection is a light-weight, long-lasting moisturizer and spf in one developed with over one hundred years of eucerin skin expertise. it helps protect skin against everyday sun exposure. what you pass on today lasts a lifetime. make sun protection a lesson for life with spf 15 daily protection body lotion and spf 30 face lotion. only from eucerin. ♪ 'cause germs don't stick on me! ♪ [ female announcer ] band-aid® brand has new quiltvent™ technology with air channels to let boo boos breathe. [ giggles ] [ female announcer ] new quiltvent technology. only from band-aid® brand. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system.

[ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix actually it wasn't 1935, he won it in '38...n '35. with a .386 average.

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[ all ] ♪ so right [ female announcer ] new lipton tea & honey. lipton: drink positive! >> announcer: "today's moms" is brought to you by charmin, ultra strong. now on "today's moms," those increasingly popular gender reveal parties. >> what are they, you ask? we don't know either!

well, it's when your friends learn the sex of your child the same time you do at a party, of course. >> how do you throw one of these things? lori gelman, lifestyle and trend expert for babycenter.com. this is kind of an interesting concept. from it is not dirty, kathie lee. i don't care what you see. >> gender reveal. >> sounds kinky. so how do we go about this? >> here's thing. it is one of those things that it is one of the last things you find out about a baby and the trend started with one woman having a great idea, then she invited all her friends and now all of a sudden it's become this fantastic thing to do when you are going to find out what sex your baby is. >> how does it work? >> you get your sonogram and you don't find out anything. the technician seals the sonogram in an nfl and you give it to either your caterer or the baker at your local bakery or whatever and they will find out and they make -- everything appropriate. so when you -- >> pink or blue. >> your whole party is pink and

blue. you put candies in jars. these are very nice. we got them i think at home goods or something. can you get them anywhere. use mason jars at home. just something that's festive, says pink and blue. you get hershey bars. with sharpies we've done the he and the she. >> people are voting, then the ultimate goal is to reveal? >> when people show up they pick a side. they pick a side and say i'm on team boy or i'm on team girl. you can even go as far as you can get really nice invitations made up, too. >> are most of these the second or third child or do people do it on the first, too? >> a lot of people are doing it because they are so excited about their first baby. this is in lieu of like a shower. when you don't need anything you don't want to ask people for money or gifts. you just want to celebrate the baby. people come in, they pick either team boy or team girl. then they can suggest names and write them down. put them in the box. wear a bead around your neck. say i'm on team blue.

sincevy two girls i'm going to be on team blue because i always wanted a boy, too. that's basically that part. then the big reveal -- >> how do we reveal it. >> now that you've had the cake made. you have no idea what it is. a the parents have you absolutely no idea. so you cut into the cake and let me just turn it around and show -- it's a boy! >> or if you do these cupcakes, you have them put a little bit of frosting the color of pink or blue in the cupcakes so everybody -- >> that's such a cute idea! >> very cute idea. >> there's a couple more things you can do. you can get a pinata. can you have the store fill it with either pink or blue candy. that's basically giving it to the baker, you give it to the person at the store and say i don't want to know but fill it with something. >> people bring their children an everybody finds out at the same time. >> you tell it with either blue -- these actually you can get, they say it's a boy or it's a girl from hershey. it is all very cost efficient, i have to say. this is one of those things people are really talking about

how to. on babycenter, ten times as many people have been talking about it than they did last year. >> usually it is just you and your husband in a hospital room and then you are making all the phone calls. >> it's so boring. this is everybody gets a chance to -- even if they have a sibling and the sibling really wants a brother and all of a sudden it is a sister, is softens the blow. but you get cake! one of the other big reveals if you don't want cake and stuff, these are balloons in a box. because nothing ever works. then everybody gets to -- >> it works just fine. >> surprise! it's a girl. >> great to see you. give our love to gelman. >> i will! up next, getting into a little heated competition over skin care. after this. ning. ♪ you take a message. take a boo-boo and make it better. take a nap? lol.

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now on "today's beauty,"

skin care myths that will surprise you as the seasons change. your skin care regimen should change as well. who really follows that? most people use the same stuff all the time. >> to advise us on skin care and help you making common mistakes. sara bernard, the thread or yahoo!. we wondered where you are. >> i'm here! great to see you guys. >> we're going to play a little gym, guess myth or fact. wearing makeup to bed occasionally won't cause break-outs. myth or fact? >> won't. occasionally. it is a myth. it is actually -- quick change. it is actually one of the worst things can you do for your skin. the easiest to change. >> occasionally! >> every now and then! >> here's a solution. keep those make-up remover wipes right by your bedside so you have no excuse. >> okay. >> next.

here's another one. myth or fact -- oops, let me get my cards. you always need to wash your face in the morning even if you wash it the night before. >> i say myth. >> fact. that is a fact! even if you wash it at night, overnight your skin cells are going through the renewal process, they're kicking off toxins, metabolic products that you need to wash off in the morning. two washes -- >> isn't it too much washing? >> you got to use a gentle cleanser. be gentle but wash nighttime, morning. >> you seem like a nice woman but you're starting to get on our nerves. >> i'm just giving you more work do. you're tied though, so that's good. the next one is -- you can disregard your skin type when choosing a cleanser. >> myth. >> so you're both right. always take your skin type into consideration because if you have oily skin and you use a dry cleanser it is not going to remove all the oil. if you do the reverse you might get redness or irritation. you guys knew that one. >> yes. i just use whatever's in the

bathroom. >> never use a deode rabbit bar soap on your face. >> fact. >> fact, that is correct. because even though it is innom with us it can cause dryness and irritation. you got that one. all right. it's best to clean your face with a wash cloth. >> a wash cloth? >> myth. no, it's not. that would be a myth. >> you guys are totally on the same wavelength here. it is a myth because bacteria loves those warm wet wash cloths we all hang in our bathroom so you could actually be washing bacteria into your face. >> what's the best way? >> your hand. clean hands. just be gentle about it. >> should you use toner and all those other things? >> it can be really drying. if you have oily skin, yes. if you have dry clean, no, i wouldn't do it. hot showers cause wrinkles. >> that's a myth. it better be.

don't say fact. is it? >> it is a fact. >> because hot showers dry your skin. if your skin cells -- >> hot showers cause wrinkles -- >> you're going to have to change absolutely everything do you. >> my favorite things -- sugar and hot showers cause wrinkles. >> it's all over for you, hoda. >> just lukewarm. >> but who wants that? that's no good. >> we've got to suffer for our beauty. >> the tiebreaker -- >> no, no, it is not the tiebreaker. >> come on. clearly it is the tiebreaker. >> don't leave makeup on while you exercise. >> don't leave it on -- don't leave it on -- you shouldn't leave makeup on while you exercise. >> fact. >> all right. you guys are both right on that one. but there's an exception to that. lip gloss and waterproof mascara, that's all right. though i don't know why you'd want to do it. but some people go to the gym with full face and makeup. >> i can't be without something on my lips.

ever. ever. >> so how do we split it? >> we don't split it! oh, my gosh, you should be so ashamed. >> i use oil of olay. >> take them. >> i use the venus, too. give them a thrill on the grill with some swordfish. but first, this is "today" on grill with some swordfish. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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it's time to head into the kitchen to see "what's cookin'?" it looks like we've got some fish in the dish. >> the jersey chef just a block away from us right here in new york city. >> we can smell the fish when we

pass by. >> smells great. what's happen in this region? >> we've got a little something to warm up the morning. this is an oceanic cocktail with a little bit of seaweed. we've got a little bit of lime juice, sherry, citrus vodka, cucumber and mint, little bit of salt. >> i like that. >> put it this way. it's interesting. >> very nice. >> we're making some swordfish. >> we've got swordfish on the grill, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper. put it on the grill for about two minutes, then turn it for 90 degrees. >> why is that? >> because after another two minutes when you flip it over -- >> that's the only reason you're doing it? that is adorable! >> that is so cute. >> we're going to grill some apare gus here. we slice the ends off the asparagus. to get the presentation, we trim around the end, then peel it

back with a paring knife. that gives you a nice pretty presentation. that grills you five minutes on the grill. >> so far it is nice and low-cal. >> it is. everything here today. >> how long do you cook the swordfish. >> about eight minutes overall. >> everybody likes their swordfish different. >> for an inch-thick piece that's going to give you about medium. >> what's happening in this pan? >> this is some shallots that are sauteing with a little olive oil. here's thesparagus tips. some chicken stock. >> i'm cooking. >> you're stirring actually, hoda. >> no, this is cooking. >> after about five minutes you're going to transfer this to a blender and puree it. then you've got this nice asparagus. >> that's cool. >> that's a great idea. you don't waste anything. >> we put the asparagus puree on

the plate, put our grilled asparagus, our piece of swordfish -- >> you're going to garnish it with some cucumber? >> more asparagus. we've taken the tips of the asparagus, season that with a little olive oil and coarse salt for a little asparagus salad. then we've got a balsamic vinegar reduction. >> why don't you come on back here, ben, and we can taste some of this good stuff. >> i got to flip this baby! >> nice job. >> thank you very much. >> so this is the finished product? >> this is the sal bammic vinegar reduction. >> what's happening in the middle? >> spring pea risotto with parmesan cheese and mint. >> oh, is that good. >> watercress salad with roasts mushrooms an pine nuts. >> get in here. that's so good. >> we got to run but it is so good. we're so happy. >> delicious. >> oceanic right here right next to 30 rock. >> guess where i'm going today? i know you dant but we're going

to go and honor our friend meredi meredith vieira. >> we'll tell but that tomorrow. jimmy fallon will stop by. >> plus our guys tell all panel is back. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

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