good morning. a royal celebration on the water. a spectacular show today on the river thames in london, all a celebration of queen elizabeth's diamond jubilee. we'll take you right into the middle of the action. time's up. george zimmerman, the man who shot an unarmed teenager to death in florida must turn himself in today, days after his bond was revoked by a judge. will the battle over his finances hurt his credibility when the case goes to trial? and with a little help from his friends. a fifth grader with cerebral palsy runs a race cheered on by his supportive classmates. the inspiring video is now a viral hit today, sunday, june

3rd, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe. a lot of chatter from across the pond this morning. today's day two of the queen's diamond jubilee, and princes charles and william will be rolling down the river thames this morning. >> seems like all of london's taking part or watching today's jubilee celebration. the queen and members of her family, including prince william and kate, are leading this river pageant. they're accompanied, you can see barges, row boats, sailing vessels, you name it, anything that floats, it seems. and we're going to catch up with it all live from london in just a moment. >> i think they're expecting like 1,000 flotillas or something coming down the river. >> must be raining. i see a lot of people --

>> well, it's london, so it's a good chance. plus, an unbelievable case of unneighborly behavior. check it out. a minnesota woman is headed to jail after a feud with her neighbors. it is a feud you have to see to believe. >> what is she doing? >> wow, i'm not sure what is happening there. we're going to hear from the people on the unfortunate receiving end of that treatment. >> somehow, you knew someone was going to end up in cuffs. >> or with a paper like that. this is how it usually ends. >> not a good thing. then, a remarkable woman. annie griffiths is one of the first female photographers ever at "national geographic" magazine, and her trail-blazing work is simply stunning. you've got to see this. that's coming up. plus, he may be the world's fattest cat. his name is spongebob. he weighs the same as a 4-year-old child, and we are going to tell you how he's doing and what he's doing to try to slim down to save his life. i've got to tell you, he is not looking the least bit concerned about his weight right now. he looks awfully comfortable. >> he's looking for mice. >> yeah. or full-fat cheese. ha, either one.

but we're going to be in london, where it's not helen of troy, but the queen of england who's launching more than 1,000 ships today. it's all part of her stunning diamond jubilee celebration. nbc's michelle kosinski is live along the river thames where it's all happening. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. this will be 1,000 boats for her majesty, one of which will carry her and likely watched by more than a million people along these banks. there's really been nothing quite like it ever. what a way to honor a woman who's reigned for 60 years. and interestingly, she became queen during the month of february, and it feels every bit of february right now. ♪ for days, one impressive wave has been building here, made up of tall ships, barges, the navy, you name it. ♪ colors flying. now, this morning, a glimpse of the royal vessel, decked out with 7 tons of flowers aboard. it will carry the queen and prince philip, charles and

camilla, william and kate. a modern marvel of very old, painstaking craftsmanship, gold leaves, velvet throne, every inch made certain to be just right. >> absolutely majestic and has huge gravitas, but also is quite fun, like the dolphin is licking father thames' ear and there are lots of little fish in his beard and there are details all over the sculpture that are quite entertaining. >> reporter: on its banners are bestowed more than a million buttons. but not everything is quite so fancy. take these two doctors from san francisco and their kayak, out preparing in the cold, damp and wind this morning, long before most of us even had one eye open. >> it's such a privilege to be able to be involved in one of their biggest days in history. it's pretty incredible. >> reporter: there's a floating bell float with eight new bells each bearing a royal name. church bells will respond as they pass.

one barge will hold the london philharmonic. floating along those haunting, british strings of edward l. goss. >> it will be very loud. at least for us. >> reporter: when they pass british intelligence services, they will switch to the james bond theme. ♪ it's all based on the kind of river pageants charles ii would stage in the 1600s, captured in paintings. now this has captured the national, even global imagination. >> we're not going to be discouraged by the weather. we're just going to come down and enjoy ourselves. >> reporter: true to form, they say nothing will keep them from enjoying what is expected to be the largest, proudest spectacle in all of elizabeth's reign. people have been very curious because, you know, there is a lot that could go wrong here. the water on the thames tends to get very choppy. you have boats big and very small. you have to keep them from

bumping into one another. there's been much rehearsal, serious security at every bridge, this all starting in about an hour and a half. jenna? >> all right, michelle kosinski. michelle, thank you so much. and in just a few minutes, we're going to talk to nbc's special correspondent, ben fogle. he's actually riding in the flotilla today, one of the flotillas. so, we will look forward to hearing from him. but now, let's go back to lester. >> all right, jenna, thanks. this is the day the florida neighborhood watch volunteer who shot trayvon martin must head back to jail. this after a judge revoked his bail. nbc's charles hadlock is following this for us from sanford. charles, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. george zimmerman is expected back at the seminole county jail by mid-afternoon today. on friday, the judge in his case revoked zimmerman's bond after the court learned that zimmerman and his wife may have misled the judge about how much money they really had when the judge set bond at $150,000 in april. it turns out zimmerman had at least $135,000 in a special

paypal account that zimmerman had set up to pay for his legal defense fund. on friday, state prosecutors presented transcripts of telephone conversations between zimmerman and his wife in which they discussed bank accounts. the state says they were talking in code, hiding the exact amounts of money. the judge was not happy about that, saying zimmerman benefited from a lower bond when he and his family may not have told the truth about how much money they really had. attorneys for trayvon martin's family say this is the best evidence yet that george zimmerman cannot be trusted to tell the truth, either about his finances or about what happened the night trayvon martin was shot and killed. lester? >> charles hadlock for us in florida this morning. thank you. once again, here's jenna. >> all right, lester, thanks. a wall of smoke is advancing across a wide area of rugged country in southwestern new mexico. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest on the state's largest ever wildfire. good morning, miguel. >> reporter: jenna, good morning to you. this wildfire has now consumed some 277,000 acres.

to give you some perspective here, it is roughly the size of the city of dallas, and it is still burning tonight. it is churning in the middle of the gila national forest. it's an area that's rather remote, where many firefighters are not able to get to, which is why the air attack is so important in this fire. but crews say it's going to be a day of watching the weather. the wind speeds will be a major issue today, as will the temperatures. this morning it's very chilly. it's in the 40 to 50 degrees here, and later on this afternoon, it's expected to be upwards of 80 degrees. so, we're seeing a 50-degree shift in temperatures. it's going to be a very tough day here on the fire lines, a big day for crews who are trying to suppress the largest wildfire in new mexico state history, the biggest wildfire burning anywhere in the country. jenna? >> all right, miguel almaguer. miguel, thank you very much. we want to get caught up now on the rest of the morning's headlines, and we'll turn to msnbc's alex witt at the news desk this morning. good morning, alex. >> good morning to you both, jenna and lester, and good morning to everyone. police in toronto are searching for a gunman who

opened fire at one of the busiest malls. the shots killed one person and wounded seven, two critically. many were hurt as they tried to leave a crowded food court at eaton center. that mall is in canada's largest city. it's very popular with tourists. syria's president says his government had nothing to do with the houla massacre, saying not even monsters would carry out such an ugly crime. bashar assad spoke for the first time today about last month's massacre, which killed more than 100 people, half of them children. assad also blamed terrorists and foreign extremists for syria's crisis and told parliament they are driving the country toward civil war. two-time emmy-winning actress katherine houstryn joosd after a battle with cancer. she is known as the actor karen mccluskey on "desperate housewives" and from "the west wing." she was 72. finally, there was a high-profile hollywood wedding saturday. actress drew barrymore was beaming as she tied the knot

with her fiance of five months. the ceremony was held at bar more's home in montecito, california. third time's a charm, so good luck to them. >> is five months in celebrity terms different than in other people's terms? is that like maybe two years or something for us, maybe? >> i don't know. i don't know how that works. >> for me, it seems like such a short period of time. alex, thank you very much. enough of me. >> next thing you know, you say that and then -- >> after 35 seconds, i'm engaged. >> careful. >> stephanie abrams is here with a check of the weather. hey, steph! hi, guys. good to see you. let's talk about whatpened throughout the central plains. we did have severe weather yesterday and it's still powering down. everything is moving eastbound into places like arkansas and also into missouri. the northeast also getting in on the rain. heavier showers into maine. let's show you exactly how much is going to fall. very heavy amounts for some of you. could see over two inches in some locations, and throughout the rest of the country it's going to be just gorgeous there

along the west coast. now here is a look at what is happening outside your door. >> it's a gorgeous day outside. great to see you. 64 at reagan national, and leesburg at 61, and still in the 50s at manassas at this hour. i wouldn't sweat it today. most of the day will be just like yesterday, and that means temperatures going into the middle and upper 70s. a possible late day thunderstorm by 6:00. that's your weather scoop. now we send you back to new york city. >> lester, back to you. >> stephanie, thanks. now to politics. with election day just five months away, some dismal news about the economy is making president obama's re-election effort a lot more difficult. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning. >> good morning, lester. >> we're talking about those job numbers that came out friday. only 69,000 new jobs added. the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.2%. how can this not hurt the president and help romney? >> well, this is the campaign that mitt romney wanted to run,

wants to run and will run over the next several months before we get to election day. there will be five reports between now and november, so we stay in this cycle of evaluating month to month whether there's been job creation. and there are a lot of factors here that could lead to a global slowdown. and we've seen this over the past few years, so it invites this look at the president's record and whether we can be doing better when it comes to economic recovery. >> and as you note, there are going to be some other job reports between now and november, but a recent nbc/marist poll shows that romney right now is almost tied with obama in three key battleground states -- >> right. >> iowa, colorado and nevada. this early in the game, will that usually be a big concern to a sitting president? >> well, it just shows you that those battlegrounds are going to be tough, they're going to be tight, and they're very, very important. but it also is worth underscoring, those three states, you have the unemployment rate that's lower than the national average. so, there is going to be a message that the president has, which is, look, things were

really bad, things have gotten better, and in states like ohio, they've really gotten better. so, who are you going to give some credit to if we're going to make this purely a referendum? so, i think that's the double-edged sword here for romney as he goes on the attack about the economy in some of those states. >> each of these men have surrogates who are not always on message. case in point, thursday, former president bill clinton praised mitt romney's business record and his background work at bain capital, saying he had a sterling business record. is this a case that, while it helps normally to have bill clinton on your side, sometimes not always? >> look, this is a former president who has huge sway in the democratic party who just called the republican nominee, someone who's got a sterling business background. that's tough when you're making the case against his business record as being a qualification to be president. so, i think that's difficult, and i think it's cory booker-esque, if you will, harkening back to what booker said on "meet the press" about these attacks on romney and bain capital. i think one thing you could say

right now about the obama campaign, they don't seem to have ironclad control over these surrogates or about the message, and there are going to be other democrats out there who are sort of speaking their mind rather than sticking to a disciplined script, and i think that's something that chicago will be taking a look at here as we move forward. >> give us a preview of what's coming up this morning on "meet the press," david. >> well, we're right here on this economic debate. we've got ohio governor john kasich, the republicans squaring off against deval patrick, the democratic governor of massachusetts, and the obama campaign making the massachusetts record of romney a big deal as well. so, they'll square off this morning. >> we'll see you a bit later. david, thanks. >> thanks, stay close. >> now here's jenna. >> all right, lester. we tell you all the time about bullying in schools, kids being cruel to others. this story is completely different. this is about a courageous fifth grader and a group of very supportive classmates and the viral video is inspiring people all around the world. the story from nbc's charles hadlock. >> go! >> reporter: it was field day at

colonial hills elementary school outside columbus, and 11-year-old matt woodrum was determined to compete. matt has cerebral palsy. his brain struggles to coordinate his muscles. matt's mom shot this video of the 400-meter race, a quarter mile, a race matt wanted to run. >> that's matt. he wants to do the biggest thing. it's go big or go home with matt. he is always trying to do everything that every other kid can do and he gives himself a challenge. >> reporter: less than a minute into the race, it's clear to see that matt is struggling. some muscles can barely move. but somehow, matt keeps moving them. for a moment, it looked like he might give up, but around the track he goes. matt's gym teacher, john blaine, began to walk alongside him. he asked matt if he was going to stop. "no way," matt said. as matt crossed the halfway point, something amazing happened. other kids who had already finished the race and some who never even took part, begin to

join him and cheer him on in a spontaneous act of kindness. [ cheers and applause ] >> it's when those kids came out that i did start to cry a little bit. it was just really beautiful to see them supporting my son. >> reporter: matt crossed the finish line in 3 minutes 58 seconds, just enough time to show the world that acts of courage can also inspire acts of kindness. for "today," charles hadlock, nbc news. >> broad message for all of us there. >> i mean, we hear so many stories of bullying, and then to see a story like this, it's so heart-warming. it's really, really nice. coming up next on "today," queen elizabeth leads thousands of boats as part of her diamond jubilee celebration. we're going to talk to a man who has a literal front-row seat to the historic event, right after this. when i left my job, i knew it'd be tough on our retirement savings, especially in this economy. but with three kids, being home more really helped. man: so we went to fidelity.

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take part in a 1,000-boat flotilla as part of queen elizabeth's diamond jubilee. nbc special correspondent ben fogle is taking part in the event. ben, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. well, it was a very early start here in london. the rowers were assembling from 7:00 in the morning, very wet, rainy and cold, but excitement was incredible in the air as the bunting went up, the union flags were flown and boats like this with my team were launch on to the thames. you can probably see, all the boats we're going past now as we go to join the main fleet. there's already people waving and shouting. it really is an electric atmosphere, unlike anything i've ever experienced here in london. we've got just a short time to get to the assembly point, and then the official flotilla will

be under way. jenna, back to you. >> ben, i'd put a move on out there. you don't want a traffic jam during the flotilla, i can only imagine. ben fogle, thank you very much. our coverage continues tomorrow with meredith vieira in london. then on tuesday, matt joins her live at buckingham palace for our special coverage of the queen's diamond jubilee. still to come on a sunday edition of "today," think you have a bad neighbor? this woman is going to jail for how she treated a family living on her block. find out what she did. but first, these messages. ♪ [ dog barking ] ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests, but your basic paper towel can handle them. especially if that towel is bounty basic. the towel that's durable and scrubbable. in this lab demo, bounty basic is stronger than the leading bargain brand. everyday life. bring it with bounty basic. affordably priced. tested by everyday life. and try bounty napkins.

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still to come on "today," the photographer behind some stunning images talks about jetting around the globe for "national geographic." and then, meet spongebob the

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we are starting off with a live look outside. that is the u.s. capital there. the temperature is 64 degrees, and the thermometer is going up

from there. there is a slight chance for rain this morning. it's 8:26 on this sunday, june 3rd, 2012. we will have more on the weather in a minute, but topping your news today, d.c. police are looking for a second man involved in a shoot-out in a parking lot. two men opened fire at each other in the safe way parking lot on maryland avenue northeast. nobody was hurt. police have one of the suspects in custody. no word on a possible motive for the shoot-out. and there is is major construction on the wilson bridge. construction crews are putting the final touches on. the work is expected to last until 5:00 tomorrow morning.

good morning, college park, you are at 67. your weather today off and running, and even still a 58-degree reading over in rockville. a little nippy outside, but i don't think you mind the refreshing weather. i will keep an eye for a stray shower northward, but most of the day will be dry and partly sunny. a slight chance of the storm up to the north. and extending the forecast, it looks like we go into a wet weather pattern on tuesday, wednesday and thursday, and then next weekend we are back up to

80 by saturday and mostly sunny, richard. back to you. >> kim, thanks. tune in at 9:00 for a full hour of news, weather and sports. for now, we'll go back to the "today" show, and and we're back on a sunday morning, june 3rd, 2012. just a gorgeous day here in new york city. our thanks to the wonderful folks spending part of their morning with us out here on the plaza. i'm jenna wolfe alongside lester holt. and if you've ever had a bad neighbor, this is the story you've got to check out. this is the neighbor from hell. >> this is the bad neighbor that is on her way to jail, actually. has been banned from her own home because she's been repeatedly harassing her neighbors, allegedly. the folks across the street have a laundry list of complaints against her. we'll hear their reaction to her punishment. i'm not quite sure what that little dance was outside the house there. >> nor do i want to even guess. so, we will just see how that

one pans out. then, back in the '80s, steven b. was a famous radio personality, and after moving to california years later, he disappeared from a yacht in the pacific ocean, but investigators figured out that he did not drown. we're going to have more on this "dateline" mystery coming up. then you got a chance to meet a remarkable woman who i met on assignment several years ago. annie griffiths, one of the first female photographers ever at "national geographic" magazine. what she does with a camera is simply just breath-taking. we're going to look into her trail-blazing work and take a look at some of that stunning work. >> if i told you we both looked at the same thing the exact same way, i shot it one way and what she did with it was unbelievable. such a remarkable woman. we'll talk to her. and then, spongebob is in the house. this is a fat cat. this tubby tabby -- and that's it for my feline terms -- weighs in at 30 pounds. he is up for adoption. we're going to find out what's being done to get him back to a healthy size. >> he was much heavier. he is losing weight now.

>> i think he lost about three pounds already, so -- >> wait until you see his abs. >> i cannot wait. >> done a great job with that. first, let's check with stephanie abrams for the weather. we have a set of twins celebrating their birthday. look at them for a second. one is living in miami. one is living in buffalo. can you tell which is which? yeah, you're all bundled up. this is too cold for you, huh? >> yes, it is. >> it's tooet's have a look at temperatures across the rest of the country. because we are seeing cooler air throughout portions of new england, otherwise the heat is on throughout the plains we will see the 90 and triple-digit readings. and the threat for severe weather is throughout the center of the country. tomorrow, where we will have to worry about bad weather, into the southeast. now here is a look at what is happening outside your door. >> no bad weather here. temperatures in the middle 60s to 50s where they are 59 in winchester, and 64 in downtown

d.c. we will take you to 78 in culpepper and manassas. and aberdeen maryland, could see a and we have two best friens with their hair braided exactly the same. remember doing that when you were a kid? if it's your birthday, all you have to do is go to weather.com to find your birthday forecast. happy birthday, guys. jenna, over to you. an update now on a most unneighborly situation. tomorrow morning, a minnesota woman is due to start serving 90 days in jail, all because of what her neighbors say was unbearable harassment, and they've got it all on tape. nbc's craig melvin has the latest. >> reporter: this little dance in a driveway is just part of the reason, according to a judge, lori christensen is going to jail. kim and greg hoffman say this home video they shot is but a

chapter in their nightmare of a story. >> well, she is the neighbor from hell. >> yes, she is definitely the neighbor from hell. >> reporter: they say the harassment started shortly after they moved into their quiet neighborhood just outside st. paul 15 years ago. >> she started with the obscenities, just really went crazy and started calling me names, swearing at me. >> reporter: the hoffmans videotaped signs like this one on christensen's garage door. it reads "i saw mommy kissing a breathalyzer." kim hoffman is a recovering alcoholic. >> i've been sober for three years. >> reporter: fed up, the hoffmans got a restraining order. in 2011, prosecutors say christensen pled guilty and served more than a month in jail for violating the order. in 2010, she also pled guilty to two misdemeanors. then, earlier this month, prosecutors claim the harassment was still happening, including verbal tirades aimed at the hoffmans children. the 49-year-old works as an executive assistant. neither she nor remember

attorney would comment for our story, but back in february, she had this to say to a local tv station. >> i had a psychological evaluation. >> okay. >> they said if i were to have been a man, that this would not have been happening, but because i'm a single female, i have a very good job, i have the biggest house in the neighborhood. >> reporter: wednesday, christensen ignored reporters when she went to court, where a judge called her actions "crap." he ruled that she violated probation by disobeying a harassment restraining order and sentenced her to jail again, this time a 90-day sentence. he also ordered her to serve 4 1/2 years probation. >> i didn't wish this on lori, and she still hasn't answered the question why yet. >> reporter: lori christensen is not allowed to go within one mile of her old house. she claims she'll never go back and plans to sell it. for "today," craig melvin, nbc news, new york. and now here's lester. >> all right, jenna, thanks. back in the 1980s, deejay steven

b. was a popular radio star. years later, he was a millionaire living in california before his life was cut short. tonight, his story is the subject of a "dateline" investigation. keith morrison joins us now from los angeles with more. keith, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. you know, you would have liked steven b. steven williams, great voice, a funny man, a wonderful cook and so impressive on the radio. in fact, he was a big deal on the radio, one of the pioneers of the two-man morning format. so, steven b. was quite a guy, but he was also a little naive where it came to money. down below the surface of the pacific ocean, on the far side of california's catalina island, is a silent current. strange how it flows up to the swelling coastline of santa barbara, then just before the open sea turns back to glide again past the storied island.

on one sunny day in may 2006, someone in it. >> our victim we identified as steven bailey williams. >> steven bailey williams, better known to his friends, family and fans as steven b. >> 96 kpke friday morning with the bird and the b. >> reporter: a deejay with a distinctive voice and personality that had made him famous in the 1980s as part of the hit denver-based radio show steven b. and the hawk. >> they were funny, they were great writers, they were great comedians. >> reporter: he eventually left, moved down to southern california to manage his father's nearly $2 million estate. >> the creative side of his mind worked very well, but he was not a good money manager. >> reporter: it seemed for tutus then that right around that time, he made a new friend, harvey morrow. >> steve said he's helping me

with stuff. he's a retired financial planner, investment banker. >> reporter: he lured him into harvey's boat, so when he died, detectives naturally wanted to take a close look at that boat, steven's last known residence. and when they did, they learned something that probably should have been obvious all along. that fancy, doled-up tub was paid for, practically every dollar, by the unwitty steven b. >> the whole amount he took from steven went right back into that. >> if only the detectives could talk to harvey. turned out, they had just missed him. >> he had some dealings in bellibel belize before, and we believe that's possibly where he's heading. >> reporter: but harvey headed in the opposite direction, north to a quiet town in montana. it took months before detectives arrested him and charged him with steven b.'s murder. and steven's friends were gratified, but that wasn't the end of the story, not even close. >> i thought, oh, my god, he's being set free. >> reporter: in fact, it took, what, six years, two trials and

30,000 pages of evidence to finally convict harvey morrow in the murder of steven b. and what a strange trip it was, lester. >> all right, keith morrison. we'll finish that trip tonight on "dateline." it's called "who killed the radio star?" it airs tonight at 7:00/6:00 central. hope you'll join us for that. up next, we'll go behind the lens of the globe-trotting photographer who's captured some of the planet's most beautiful images, right after these messages. not once in my life did i ever think i would have heart disease. she just didn't fit the profile of a heart event victim. she's healthy, she eats properly. i was pushing my two kids in a stroller when i had my heart event. i've been on a bayer aspirin regimen ever since. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone. so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i know if i take my bayer aspirin i have a better chance of living a healthy life. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am proheart on facebook. this is my grandson.

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it's real fruit juice; crisp, sparkling water; and no added sugar. and they come in these really cool cans. you want one? i'll wait a bit. all right. mm. refreshing. refreshing ocean spray sparkling juice drinks. in these really cool cans. sparkling... savings. get a coupon for ocean spray sparkling juice drinks at oceanspray.com or on facebook. if a picture's worth 1,000 words, then annie griffiths has plenty to say. as one of the first-ever female photographers at "national geographic" magazine, she's had a rare glimpse into some of the most stunning places on earth. annie has also edited a series

of books for "national geographic," from "simply beautiful photographs" to the latest collection called "life in color." i spent an interesting day with annie griffiths and discovered how snapping a photo can make you see things in an entirely new way. ♪ >> reporter: the photos delicately captured moments from all over the world, and the eyes behind the lens, annie griffiths. she's one of the first female still photographers at iconic "national geographic" magazine. >> i remember i went, this could be a cover, which is i think the only time in my life i thought that, but it was just so beautiful. >> reporter: for over 25 years, her photos have graced the covers and filled the pages of "national geographic." >> and this is the one that we decided was the strongest. it became the spread -- >> reporter: oh, look at this! >> for the story.

>> reporter: she first picked up a camera back in college and knew instantly she would never put it down. >> it was really like absolutely falling in love, where you know, you can't see, you can't think, you can't -- you're in love. and that's what happened as soon as i started taking pictures. >> reporter: all of a sudden, you're what, 25, and you find yourself at "national geographic"? >> yeah, it was kind of meteoric. >> reporter: i mean, really! >> it was. >> reporter: more exciting or anxious? >> terrified. >> reporter: terrified, okay. >> absolutely terrified. >> reporter: soon, she was jetting around the globe, from namibia to new zealand, over 150 countries and countless photographs, each picture telling a remarkable story. >> i arrived with certain expectations. there was -- >> reporter: what were your expectations? >> roaring victoria falls, the whole nine yards. and i got there and it was like, you know. so, i was talking to some of the locals and i said, oh, man, i didn't know the river ever ran

this often and that's the only time you can swim. and i was like, what? you can actually swim and walk out to this area, which is a little swimming hole. it's an indentation of rocks. >> reporter: wow. >> but it was as we went to leave that i turned around and this man was having just a really personal moment in one of the most beautiful places on earth. i've learned over the years to -- >> reporter: annie's own story is told in her memoir "a photo, two camera, two kids and a camel." >> i knew i would never be leaving my kids to go on assignment. it just wasn't in my dna. so i decided, well, i'll take them with me. and i mean, i started really early, i think we were in 13 countries before she was born. >> reporter: multitasker and master of her craft. i joined annie out in the field and behind the lens to learn how to see things from her point of

view. so, we decided to come to the washington monument because this is someplace and something that has been photographed thousands and thousands of times. >> yep. >> reporter: i need you to help me figure out what makes it different. i want to know how you see things and what actually you see when you look through the camera lens. >> well, the joy of photography really is that everybody sees it slightly differently. now, isn't that interesting? i put it on the right and you put it on the left. >> reporter: wow, yeah! >> awesome. >> reporter: got it. she might be the pro, but annie loves to share what she knows. oh, that was so good! look what you did! >> all right! >> reporter: these photos might not make the cover of "national geographic" magazine, but even for annie griffiths, that's not the point. look at your face. you are having such a good time. now, this is something you've been doing for what, 25 years? >> longer. >> reporter: it's about finding freedom and joy by simply snapping a photo. >> it makes me so happy. it's great. it's like putting on a pair of

wings or something, you know, and just, just going, and i love it, and it never stops, you know. from the very beginning. >> far and away one of the most interesting women i've met over the course of my time here at the "today" show. and she wrote this incredible book, "a camera, two kids and a camel"? i think i've read it three times. beautiful stories, remarkable stories of everywhere she's been all over the world. you spent time with her as well. >> i had a chance to witness her work in south africa a few years ago on assignment. and what i love is her ability, the way she engages people. this way, you don't speak the language, but a wonderful smile and way about her, and some incredible images she has. >> and she's so good at listening. she listens to the local people around her and she takes in the culture around her, and that's how she does her work. >> unfortunately, i didn't learn a thing. i still take snapshots as opposed to photographs. >> on your iphone. once again, our thanks to "national geographic" for allowing us to spend so much time with annie. thank you. just ahead, we're going to introduce you to the one and

only spongebob. this fat cat is up for adoption and kind of on the move. we're going to tell you about his new diet regimen and where he ends up. easy, easy, easy! but first, these messages. we love the sun 'n water so we use new coppertone wet 'n clear. it sprays clear on wet skin while most sprays go on white 'n messy. we get broad spectrum protection when we splish 'n splash with new coppertone wet 'n clear. coppertone. embrace the sun. fight both fast with new tums freshers!

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glamour and beauty take center stage tonight in las vegas as 51 contestants vie for the title of miss usa 2012. cat cora is co-host of bravo's "around the world" and they are two of the judges for tonight's big event and they are joining us this morning. hi, guys. >> hi! >> good morning. >> mary lou, let me start with you. why are people so intrigued by

the miss usa pageant? >> you know, i think people have always been fascinated with beauty and the idea that someone could come up through the ranks and represent the united states in the miss universe pageant. and it's always kind of fun to watch the fashion, the bathing suits, the conversation -- >> exactly. >> -- and find somebody who's really poised and beautiful. >> kat, what for you will be the biggest factor in judging the pageant tonight? >> well, i think it's really all about beauty. and i think, you know, for miss usa, that's really what the criteria is. and we're going to be looking at how these confident women carry themselves, how they, you know, that brightness, that it factor, and is this miss usa going to be able to go on and represent the united states in miss universe? and that's really what we're looking for. >> mary lou, if you had to give some of these contestants a little bit of advice before tonight, what would it be as a judge?

>> i would say, well, i don't get to talk to them before. we don't even get to meet them until at the exact moment. it's all very, you know, very sacred in terms of fair, fairness. >> right. >> i would say be the best you that you can be and project this air of confidence, exude a certain poise and being able to represent the united states. >> and kat, real quickly. >> i would say have a good time! have a sparkle. >> absolutely. and kat, twitter is involved somehow? people are going to tweet in, what, a question, a comment? >> oh, yeah. i mean, basically, you know, twitter. we're going to be tweeting all night, twitter, you know, everyone write in, write in. we're going to also be asking people for their questions because we always ask miss universe a question. so you know, twitter, you know, writing in and let us know. >> yeah. >> what your question is. >> yeah. we're actually going to be taking a question from the twitter feed, et cetera. so make sure you get in there. >> miss usa has gone

interactive. kat cora and marilu henner, thank you very much for your time. you can watch "miss usa 2012" starting at 9:00/8:00 central here on nbc. once again, here's lester. >> jenna, thank you very much. now we want to introduce you to a special cat with a dubious distinction. his name is spongebob. at 30 pounds, he's bigger than your average hat. and kendra is with the shelter trying to find spongebob a home. good to see you. >> thank you. >> he's a 9-year-old cat. his previous owner became ill. he's 30 pounds. how much was he when he came to you? >> he came to us at 33 pounds. >> what's the ideal weight for a cat like this? >> between 7 and 12 pounds. so, he's a little over that. >> how did spongebob get to be so large and in charge, shall we say? >> i mean, it's a best guess that his owner was just free feeding him dry food it was an

older gentleman who was ill, and i believe he just left out dry food all day, and sponge just kind of took it upon himself to eat all day every day. >> you noted he's up for adoption. are people afraid of adopting a cat like this? >> i think so. i think people are intimidated because they think he's going to need a lot of extra room or a lot of extra time. he definitely does not need a lot of extra room. right now we do have him in a large dog pen, so -- >> that's not a good sign. >> that's humiliating for spongebob. >> he's not a shy boy. he will need a little bit of extra time. we've worked hard to come up with a diet plan and exercise regimen for him. so, a little bit of extra time, but honestly, we've had blood work done for him. it's totally fine. >> let's be honest, we had another cat on here that was the biggest and died shortly after of pulmonary failure. >> yes. >> so i mean, if ths this cat a

healthy as can be under the circumstances? >> definitely not. his blood work is okay, he's not diabetic now, but definitely this is not the ideal weight. you know, we're not putting him on the show and say, you know, look at the fat cat, isn't it funny? >> sure. >> this is, feline obesity is a real problem. this is not healthy weight for him. he can develop arthritis. he probably does already have some. so we're trying to get him down to a healthier weight. he's already lost weight, so his new owners will need to continue that. >> so, no weight watchers or slimfast or anything or jenny craig? just more of a liquid diet compared to solid foods? a lot of walking around? >> only wet food, no dry food. low carbs. >> most important, is he a nice kitty? >> he's a wonderful cat. he's a very sweet boy. >> okay. >> we're not taunting you. we want to make you better and also smaller. >> kendra mara, thank you for coming on. >> thank you for having us! >> you have a fund-raiser on thursday. >> yes, our annual fund-raiser thursday night, yes, thank you. >> we'll be back in a moment. but first, these messages. cash rewards card the e

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♪ i hope you have the time of your life ♪ we're going to close the show this morning with our "today's life illustrated," our weekly chance to go through your family photo albums. you send them to us. >> that sounded creepy. >> it did. today we applaud the graduates in your life. >> next weekend we'll take a look at another milestone we often see in june weddings. so, please send some of your favorite pictures. >> you can submit them on our website, today.com, or on facebook and twitter. >> or we'll just figure it out and get them for ourselves. that does it for now. i'll see you tonight on "nbc nightly news." have a great day, everybody. >> bye. ♪ ♪

♪ here's to the memories, these are my souvenirs, my mental pictures of everything ♪ ♪ here's to the late nights, here's to the fire light, these are my souvenirs, my souvenirs ♪ ♪ i close my eyes and you're back in time, i can see you smiling, you're so alive ♪ ♪ we were so young, we had no fears, we were so young, we had no idea that life was just happening ♪ ♪ life was just happening ♪

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com take a look at this. new video just in. a startling wake-up call in prince georges county. >> a car ran into the bedroom of an apartment building, or the driver did. we will have the damage coming up. good morning, i am angie goff. >> and i am richard jordan. not a good start for those people there having a car slam inside, but maybe a good start for everybody else. >> yeah, if you are talking about weather. a beautiful sunday, a nice, crisp start. and kim is here filling in for