good morning. let the games begin. london ready to put on the biggest show on earth. in just a few short hours, the opening ceremony of the 2012 olympics. this morning a firsthand look at what you can expect as the olympic flames makes a dramatic journey along the river thames. we have big names including obama, romney, beckham. the perfect vantage point to bring it all to you today the perfect vantage point to bring it all to you today friday, july 27, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is a special edition of "today" at the olympic games with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from olympic park in london, england. and good morning, everyone. and welcome to "today" on friday morning. yes, our home away from home here in london, the olympic park for the next two weeks, plus this is going to be where it's happening. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie and natalie morales. al is at the residence of the u.s. ambassador here in london. a little later this morning he's going to be talking to our first lady michelle obama. we're going to check in with him a little later on. meanwhile, what do you think of our digs. >> amazing. >> only more exciting. the park is actually closed right now to the public. we expect there will be crowds lining up behind us for the next couple of weeks. you're starting to really feel

the excitement in the air. >> a great location. you know what's behind us there. you get the lay of the land. that big white thing there, that is savannah's trailer, better known as the olympic stadium. the observation tower, the aquatic center. >> amazing chlgt you ask. >> you asked me to store your hair and makeup. >> we're going to spend a lot of time in these places. >> the pomp and pageantry under way. the famous big ben chimed nonstop for three minutes to celebrate the first official day of the olympics. right now a big crowd is at tower bridge awaiting the olympic torch to sail by on the queen's barge. whose hands will it be in? matt lauer, we're looking at you, because you know. >> you're looking in the wrong place. >> barry goldwater said a long time ago, i'm not a good leaker.

i'm not going to do it. >> we're going to pry it out of you or meredith. obviously a very big day for britain. one of the country's biggest stars is david beckham a lot of people are asking what will his role be tonight? we expect a lot from him. we're going to hear from him coming up. >> meanwhile presidential hopeful mitt romney will attend tonight. he stirred up a little controversy when he criticized london's readiness for these games. we'll talk about that when the governor and his wife ann join us in a couple minutes. first peter alexander has more on this. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. the torch is passing nearby on the river thames. for mitt romney this was supposed to be a risk averse trip overseas. a chance to listen and learn. but again this morning romney is getting a lesson loud and clear, getting the message from the british people that they were not impressed with the way he

described the preparedness of this country for the london games. here is a headline from one headline, mitt the twit. as romney wraps up the uk he's hoping tonight's activities wash away some of the hard feelings. as mitt romney looks forward to tonight's opening ceremony. >> governor, did you intend to criticize the way london prepares for these games? >> reporter: he's hoping to escape the unintentional firestorm he sparked with nbc's brian williams when romney questioned whether london is ready for these games? >> it's hard to know how well it will turn out. there's a few things that were disconcerting. the story about the private security firm not having enough people. the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials. that obviously is not something which is encouraging. >> reporter: british reporters pounced. >> mitt romney has turned on the charm during his visit to britain by questioning the country's ability to host the olympic games. >> the message he wanted to get

out on this trip has been obscured. >> if he's here to make friends, he has a funny way of showing it. >> reporter: from editorial. mitt romney is perhaps the only po tiegs who -- the white house tried to capitalize on these remarks from romney. >> peter, thanks very much. let's get a check of the top stories of the moment from here in london and back in new york as well. we've got natalie morales on the set. natalie, take it away. >> good morning, matt. good morning, everyone. one of the alleged victims of the accused sex abuser jerry sandusky has filed suit. ron has the latest from state college, pennsylvania. good morning, ron. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. we're outside the football

stadium and the place where legendary coach paterno's statue was until it was removed last week. paterno was criticized for not doing more in the case of this young man, victim number two, who was attacked in the penn state shower. we still don't know who he is. he's keeping his identity secret but he's speaking out through his attorney about how he was abused by jerry sandusky. >> you know, there's nothing really to hide. if you want, give me a call. all right. take care. love you. hope you get this message. thanks. >> reporter: a voice mail that a young man's attorney say was left by jerry sandusky last september. less than two months before sandusky's arrest. two months before he left this message. >> just calling to see, you know, whether you had any interest in going to a penn state game. thanks. love you. >> reporter: even though victim

two hasn't come forward, he was convicted on crimes against him based on mcqueary's testimony who testified he saw sandusky in a sex act with an unidentified boy in penn state shower room in february 2001. he said he told coach paterno what he saw. a report by an independent investigator said paterno and top officials failed to notify police and worked together to keep the incident quiet. >> they showed no concern about the victim. >> reporter: paterno, before he died, and the other penn state officials have denied any wrongdoing. victim two's attorney say he suffered extensive sexual abuse over many years and say they will file a civil lawsuit against the university and others to hold them account able for the egregious and reckless conduct that facilitated the horrific abuse our client suffered. there's no comment from penn state. in the past officials say they are trying to reach out to

victims to address their concerns and try to work out settlements. no comment from sandusky's attorney either. his wife dottie has told a local newspaper that she still loves him and that he's, quote, not who say they say is. natalie. >> ron allen in state college, pennsylvania. thanks so much, ron. the gun debate that emerged since the shooting, congress voted to honor the first responders this as colorado rockies paid a visit to the shooting victims still hospitalized. an attorney for katherine jackson says he's met face-to-face with his client and she's doing well in spite of the family feud. earlier this week a judge suspended katherine's guardianship of jackson's three children. her lawyer plans to reinstate her as guardian and last reports that she suffered a stroke.

a storm slammed and the governor declared an emergency in the surrounding county. while the skyline was ominous, the twitters sphere full of pictures. that's amazing. >> al did not make it to our olympic park set. he's got a good excuse at the u.s. ambassador's set in london. known as the winfield house. he'll be talking to first lady michelle obama and david? >> guys, i tell you, this is gorgeous here. we have some friends here part of a let's move, movement. first lady michelle obama has been propagating and talking about. this is the second largest private garden in london. second only to bucking hm palace. it is gorgeous. heck of a backyard. let's take a look, the oep oeniov oenio

oenioepening ceremony forecast, cloudy skies, temperatures will be in the upper 60s and it won't be bad, believe me, i think it will hold off. closer to home, a risk of strong storms along the southeastern atlantic coast and back through the upper midwest and risk of damaging winds and heavy downpours and rainfall amounts anywhere two to three inches before it's all over as you can see the system's pushing through the upper great lakes and the northeast and we have wet weather and, again, lots of wind and possibility of damaging hail, as well. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, mostly cloudy around the metro area. tom kierein storm center 4 and those areas in green just a few lingering sprink hucles out in the highlands and west virginia and later today into the mid-90s and steamy humidity and later afternoon, early evening, some storms with a chance of severe. might get afternoon storms, still humid but less humid on sunday and hig

and that's your latest weather. matt. >> thank you very much. governor romney and his wife ann will attend tonight's opening ceremony. they are with us at olympic park. great to see you both. >> thank you. >> pleasure to have you here. we hear from you a lot, so i'm going to start with the better half. >> i love that. >> what's going to be harder, watching your husband compete in a rough-and-tumble presidential race or watching your horse compete in the dressage at the olympics. >> when i'm watching my horse, it's like watching my children play sports, you're kind of like this a lot. i know every move she makes. i know where she makes mistakes. i know where her weakness are. i know where she may lose confidence of the rider. >> it's nerve-racking. >> it is nerve-racking. i will tell you watching debates are also nerve-racking. there is a point at the 20th debate where i finally said i've had enough. you sit in the audience, i'll

stand on the stage and you see what it feels like to watch that. >> you're not going to actually get to see this horse compete. this is a big deal having a horse in the olympics. no interest to be there. >> it's ann's horse. >> you don't want to be there and see it. it's your wife. she's going to be nervous. >> i'd love to be there, but this is kind of a busy time important me. >> i give him a pass when it comes to my horses. he's so supportive of me having to put up with my love of horses. when it comes to the show part of the horse stuff, i give him a total pass. >> i have to tell you, my sons gave me a box and said if you wear this, mom will pay more attention to you. it was a rubber horse mask. >> did you wear it? >> no. >> let's get to comments, mr. romney. you said you were a little concerned with security issues, called preparation disconcerting, questioned whether londoners would come out. drew aters response, we're holding olympic games in the

busiest, most active bustling city anywhere in the world. of course it's easier if you hold olympic games in the middle of nowhere. obviously a reference to you recognizing the games in 2002. what's your response? >> i don't see that. i read the same reports a lot of people did about all the challenges faced by the organizing committee. after being here a couple of days. it looks to me like london is ready. of course it is hard to put on games in a major metropolitan area. what they have done that i find so impressive is they took the venues and put them right in the city. you're going to be on the back side of 10 downing street for beach volleyball. >> are you being a good politician, backing off a little bit? if you look at the papers this morning, mr. romney, you're everywhere and they are saying things about this comment. >> i'm absolutely convinced the people here are ready for the games. in just a few moments all the things politicians say will get swept away because the athletes will take the stage. the games are about the

athletes. that's why the games virtually anywhere they have been have been success. >> let's talk about the presidential race. it seems very negative, on both sides, negative ads one after another. are you proud of the campaign you're running. >> i'm very proud my campaign is focused on the economy. it's focused on my vision for what i do to get jobs for america. >> and what president obama has done wrong with the economy. >> and the problems with his having managed the economy. that's what my campaign is focused on. the differences between us both on such an important issue. his campaign has taken a different tack. he's able to do what he'd like to do. i'm going to keep battling about the issue most people care about, getting america working again. >> do you think your campaign is more negative than the obama campaign. >> i don't know if i can measure item for item. water not focused on personal attacks but policy differences and where we think the president

may have gone wrong. where we think we can do better. >> you mentioned the economy. let's tuck about your own personal economy. i don't have to tell you how much air time and ink has been dedicated to your taxes, investments over the last couple of months. i'm not going to go through the mineutia minutiae. having known you were going to run for president for years, why not call the accountant, look, let's make it simple, take away the drama, not give my opponent any ammunition. why didn't you do that. >> we did what was required by law, all my financial statements and in addition two years of tax returns like john mccain did. we looked at what he did, did the same thing. it's hundreds of pages of documents. my guess if you decide to give more and more and more you give the opposition a chance to

distort and twist and be dishonest about more material. >> you don't think you've raised more questions than you've answered in releasing the amount of information to date. >> we've laid out all required by law and then some, the same as john mccain. we don't want to give dnc more things to pick out, distort in the way they have already. >> the next major event that the two of you are going to travel to after your travels through europe and abroad this week is going to be the republican convention in tampa, florida. i'm wondering, first of all, very begun your speech? >> i've not begun my speech yet. >> you know the themes? >> i know the themes. they are the themes i've been speaking out for several years. words to paper, that hasn't begun yet. >> mrs. romney, i'll ask you this, can you begin to calculate how hard your heart will be pounding as your husband mitt takes to the stage. this is a dream of his, has been for a long time as he accepts that nomination. what's it going to be like?

>> i will feel extremely proud, extremely grateful. i think it's an extraordinary responsibility that both of us have right now, that we could represent the world in such an important and significant way. i think it will be an opportunity for the first time for the american people to really take a look at us as people, as individuals and who we really are and what motivates us. i think that is going to be -- for me, it's going to be a moment of great pride. >> so governor, how hard will your heart be pounding? that will be a huge moment. >> it will be a great moment and an opportunity to talk about, as ann said, who we are, but also our vision for the country. i think this has to be an american century as we go forward. i'm concerned we're drifting in a direction right now that is not showing the best side of merck. we need strong values, strong military. i want to get that back on track. >> finally, if you're going to be president of the united states, you have to make tough calls. is it phelps or lockett. do not straddle the fence here.

>> i think it's more likely to be phelps but i don't know. >> so in the first head to head showdown you're calling phelps over lockett. thanks so much for joining me here today. mrs. romney, it's a pleasure. thank you. let's go over to savannah. >> matt, thanks. the olympic torch is completing its epic trip to the stadium. michelle is on the river thames. what can you tell us? >> reporter: it just arrived 20 minutes early along the thames or we should call it america east. how many of you are from the u.s. if you see the olympic ring, the torch is on the glo a gloriana, the queen's decorated row barge given to her as a gift for the jubilee this year. the torch is on the front of

that barge, carried here from hampden palace where it was today. what they are going to do is take the flame inside the building behind the rings. city hall, known as the fencing mask, pretty appropriate today. then it will travel by some secret means, they are not saying how, for the olympic ceremony tonight. you can see crowds over there on that side of the thames. this has been a point of excitement for people. they were expecting possibly a million or more people to line the tents. over the past 70 days we've watched this torch travel 8,000 miles through the uk. it has been on the divided streets of belfast, on the highest mountain in wales, up in a hot air balloon, on a steam train, on horseback, on bicycle, skating on ice. you name it, we have seen this torch travel by means of community heroes, people of all ages, up to the age, by the way,

of 100 we saw just a couple days ago. people who have done much to help communities. as soccer star david beckham said, when he carried the flames from athens at the start of this, this part of the games is really for the people. this the people's games. this is what's here to get people excited and to feel the olympic spirit themselves. the spirit through their own community heroes. savannah. >> all right. michelle kosinski, thank you. more than a billion people are expected to watch tonight's opening ceremony. matt is hosting nbc's coverage along with meredith vieira and bob costas. guys, we've learned one thing about you two this week, can you keep a secret. >> maybe and maybe not. >> you guys have seen it. just tell me this, what was your reaction to the opening ceremony. meredith. >> to me it's quintessential of the oscar winning director from "slumdog millionaire." he's quirky.

it's a british show, a lot of humor and heart. i liked it a lot. >> it also highlights the different national identities of england, scotland, wales and northern ireland, which is important. one thing i will say, it's a different experience for the people in the stadium as opposed to the people at home. >> we're showing the 30 seconds of video they allowed. >> this is beautiful. i love this. >> we've heard quirky, we've heard very british. there are comedy bits. the screen writer thinks that's the best part of it. are we going to get it or is it british humor? >> you'll get it. maybe not you, but most americans will get it. >> actually the costume designer is the only american part of it. she was used and asked, is this too british. >> cinematic, like a movie? >> supposed to be live. >> i ask questions, you stare at

me blankly. >> what do you want to know? >> i want to know about the torch, who is going to light it? >> i see your mouth and it's blah blah blah. >> the calderon, a huge surprise. >> good surprise, bad surprise. >> good surprise. right after the calderon gets lit, meredith gets lit. >> i have to keep up with you. >> we'll be watching tonight. it starts at 7:30, 6:30 central on nbc. we've got much more from london straight ahead. i'll try to get the scoop during the commercial. this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead a live interview with first lady michelle obama. >> al talks to david beckham about what we can expect from him later tonight. we're expecting him to be part of the ceremonies but we know matt won't tell but first a check of your local news and weather.

how can you say you're in love with her? she gives me snickers peanut butter squared and i eat it.

it's snickers with creamy peanut butter, would you like one? let's just keep an open mind. [ groans ] [ male announcer ] if you like peanut butter and chocolate, you'll love peanut butter and snickers. try snickers peanut butter squared. good morning, it's 7:26 on this friday, july 27th. i'm aaron gilchrist. as you get ready to head out the door, let's look at what you can expect on the roads. danella's here. >> an accident at gull road and all the lanes are blocked in this area. 395 in virginia, take a look not too bad but once you pass edsall that's where you're hitting the brakes. 31 miles per hour and that drive taking 21 minutes. aaron, back over to you.

good morning. partly sunny now and we're in the 70s and it is humid and looking at radar that area in green upper left of your screen and few showers out in the highland and west virginia. later today climb to mid-90s and

small chance of storms mid-afternoon and storms into this evening and perhaps on saturday afternoon and cooler a little bit less humid tomorrow. but a lot less humid. sunday,

7:30 on friday morning, july 27th, 2012. you are looking live at the olympic torch on the river thames as it completes the last leg of its epic 70-day, 8,000 mile journey to britain. it's at city hall where the flame will remain out of sight until the big moment, the opening ceremony. if the music doesn't get you excited, the torch will. >> you know, i have to be honest, i'm getting pumped. it's going to be an incredible show tonight between the creative part of it, the parade

of athletes and the lighting of the calderon, the raising of the olympic flag. so i'm getting excited about it now. just ahead two big interviews from london. international icon david beckham will tell us how he's feeling with the opening ceremony and hours away first lady michelle obama will join us live. but we begin this half hour with one of the most anticipated m p matchup, the swimming showdown from michael phelps and brian lochte, two remarkable men who drive each other to succeed. >> eight for eight. olympic gold. >> they are two of swimming's greatest stars ever. >> it is lochte! >> together they make one of its greatest rivalries to date. >> they race each other, man against man. >> i don't think michael would be the swimmer he is today unless he had a ryan lochte.

>> .29 separate lochte and phelps. >> the same for ryan and what he's been able to do for the last few years. it's solely because of michael. he got tired of being second. >> out of the pool, the two are reportedly friendly but couldn't be more different. michael is seen as a machine, intense, focused, unstoppable. >> when he gets really serious about it, no one is more competitive than he is. >> ryan, while fiercely competitive in the pool, is more of a free spirit, more laid back. >> he does a pretty good job of enjoying life. when he's happy, he swims well. >> lochte held off phelps. >> while lochte has dominated the swimming world in recent years, phelps still owns the olympics. >> phelps knows how to get up for the olympic games. until lochte takes phelps down there, phelps is always going to

be the guy on top. >> both have taken extreme measures to find an edge, ryan taking on strong man training techniques. michael sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber to increase his lung capacity. >> i think they are just trying to one up each other, especially michael. he loves to plant those little seeds. >> both believe the advantage belongs to them. >> to me michael is just another swimmer. it's just another person i've got to go up against and race. when i go on the blocks, i always feel like i can win. >> when i jump in the pool, you see what happens. that's all i need to say. >> if you can write the headlines, ryan, for what's about to happen in london, what's your headline going to be? >> ryan lochte takes over. >> how do you feel about that headline? >> i don't say anything to that. i don't need to say anything to it. my talking is done in the pool.

>> friends, yes. but you know, that little exchange there when i said to michael phelps, ryan says lochte takes over, i think his face pretty much said it all. >> he said it all, like, it's on. >> by the way, their rivalry begins right away, the individual medley begins tonight. you heard hit here, mitt romney picks michael phelps. >> i guess i shouldn't ask you who you pick. >> no. >> got to stay objective. to the weather. al. >> "today's" weather brought to you by coffee mate's natural bliss. your flavor ambassador residenc winfield house and i'll tell you the heat is on, but not as bad as it's been back in the states. let's show you where we have heat advisories, heat warnings and heat watches out. basically in central oklahoma, eastern oklahoma into st. louis and along the eastern seaboard from philadelphia all the way

down to brunswick and temperatures, though, for the most part, slipping below 100 degrees, finally. tulsa at 102 and st. louis 99 and 97 raleigh and d.c. 96. rest of the country, cool conditions in the pacific northwest looking good. 70s and 80s in the northeast to new england. as we said, 100s right on top of oklahoma and 90s down into texas and 100s in the extreme southwest. 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. we had those showers and thundershowers from last night and evening and pretty much dissipate, although a few lingering sprink hucles and highlands and the potomac highlands in the panhandle of west virginia right now and that's dissipating over the next couple of hours and later today partly sunny and humid and into the mid-90s and not as hot as yesterday and afternoon and evening storms and slight risk they would be severe. partly sunny, warm and humid and could get afternoon storms.

>> that's your latest weather. joining me now is david beckham, needs no introduction. thanks for being here. pretty exciting. less than 12 hours the eyes of the world will be here in london. the games literally in your backyard. that's going through your mind right now. >> i think the excitement around the country has been incredible. i arrived here three or four days ago. you can feel the expectation now, the excitement. it's going to be a great day. >> what do you hope london shows the world? >> i think we'll show the world exactly what we're about. we're a traditional country, very traditional people. danny, the director, people involved are top class people. it's going to be exciting. like i say, it's very patriotic, which is what we're about and what the u.s. is about as well. you're going to appreciate that. >> i know reports say, we've read these reports, you've got a

role in the opening ceremony tonight. you've got the grin on your face. any hints? >> i can't give any hints, but it's going to be exciting. obviously i was part of this process seven years ago when we first got the olympics. the east end of london is where i'm from, where i grew up. to be part of the opening ceremony tonight is a very proud moment for me. >> the soccer team, great britain started yesterday. what advice do you have for the team? >> no advice for the team. it's just about enjoying it. all the athletes we've got, we've got amazing athletes, whether soccer, track and field, gbc, so talented. exciting for them and exciting for us to see them perform. >> when you're watching them perform, any part of you wishing you were out there? >> always. always. doesn't matter what game is going on, i always want to be playing the game. i want to be out there. i'm a fan. at the end of the day i want us to go well, win as many medals as possible. >> we hope team great britain

does well, not too well. >> my eyes on the gbc but living in the u.s. for the last six years, i have a lot of love for the u.s. team as well. >> david beckham, we'll be watching tonight to see your role in the opening ceremonies here in london. thanks for being with us. now, savannah, back to you guys. >> all right. pretty cool. i have to say i was personally hoping david beckham will be here but i'm glad al got to meet him. that's great. ahead i'll spend time with the fab five. >> a sneak peek at venues at olympic park and beyond right after this. ] [ female announcer ] the coffee house.

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[ male announcer ] febreze. eliminates odors and leaves carpets fresh. ♪ new pencils, new books... new backpack...looks good. just trying to look our best. gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh we had a good breakfast, so we're ready. gonna be another great year, huh guys?! you bet your 8 layers! yeah! long distance high 5. whoa! oh, careful. hey, watch it. [ female announcer ] packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains, kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full

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where you can say bye-bye to the birdcage and catch you later to the cube. those venues are so 2008. this year it's all about london, the stingray, the pringle and the copper box. these are the london olympic venues where records will be broken and legends will be made. nearly 9 million spectators will pass through this 600 acre park in london's east end hoping to catch a glimpse of olympic gold. the centerpiece of the park and home to opening ceremony, the olympic stadium, holding up to 80,000. the stadium, also the track and field venue, is essentially an island surrounded by water on three sides. the big question, with no roof and inclement british weather, will runners be able to achieve their peak performance. you may never have swam with one but now you can walk along the

stingray, a nickname for london's aquatic center. two-thirds of the visitors will cross under this wave inspired roof. while spectators are walking on the outside, a big record could be broken on the inside if american michael phelps wins another three medals of any color, this is where he will become the most decorated olympian of all time. it isn't just a cute name for the handball venue, the copper box is constructed of 32,000 square feet of copper-clad steel, giving the venue one of the most distinctive appearances in the park and a new meaning to the word heavy metal. one of the largest temporary olympic structures ever built, the basketball arena will be one of the most heavily used venues in the park, covered completely with the vinyl cloth, the arena's exterior the serve as a backdrop to lighting displays on the outside while team usa is sure to dazzle on the inside.

it's not hard to imagine where londoned velodrome got its nickname, the pringle. >> when the british give nicknames to buildings, it's a sign of great affection. >> already a london favorite the award winning design not only mimics the potato chip but the bike within. o look for ated to enhance records here, too. heading off campus is the beach valley ball venue at the who horse guards parade, the historic location for ceremonial events. for the next two weeks the site where henry viii roamed with royal robes, this venue will be famous for disrobing. many venues are outside of the park utilizing iconic institutions. tennis will be played at wimbledon and soccer at wimbley

stadium. and in between competitions, this is where the 16,000 athletes will eat, sleep, meet and greet. if you're a u.s. men's gymnast, maybe find time for nerf basketball. of course the olympic park is not without controversy. many londoners are wondering what this structure is located next to the stadium. it's called the orbit and it's a viewing platform and the tallest art institution in britain. a behemoth, a roller coaster ride. the artist said it will grow on people already. >> grow, is grown already. it's there so we may as well enjoy it. >> so there's a lot to see just beyond the competition, where the competitions are held are really exciting. we're excited because our "today" show set has quite a history. >> it's centrally located. this set, we've used the same

outdoor set since athens, in torino and other places. this is old home for us, in a great location in the park. >> you may find a comb or hairbrush since 2004. >> no, before that actually. >> we also want to show everybody the athletes village. i love it. houses tens of thousands of athletes and officials. there's everything they will need. they have wonderful interaction where they run into each other. >> 50 yards from us. >> you can see it not far from the athletes village. the wonderful dream team, the dreamies dream team ever, events there every day. the velodrome is pretty cool to look at. it's home to cycling. >> walk this way. the dark, low box you see there is called the copper box. you'll see team handball and fencing at that venue. of course the olympic stadium down here, that is where the opening ceremony will be held tonight. 80,000 people can fit in that

stadium. tonight about 60, 62,000. there's that observation tower. just below it, that is the water polo venue with slightly sloped roof. just to the left of thats the aquatic center where the duel in the pool gets under way tomorrow night. >> one of the fun things about being here, athletes breeze by. we may have a group over there. they are dressed like athletes. >> they walk over a bridge and into the olympic park. it's pretty cool. >> lots to see. we have a lot of ahead on the show. al will catch up with first lady michelle obama. he's over at the winfield house. we'll check in with him in a few moments. first these messages. after college, i moved back in with my parents. i was worried about 'em, you know? i mean for instance my mom went to bed tonight before making my dinner. which is fine, i mean i, i know how to make dinner. it just starts to make you wonder. is this what happens when you age?

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key until now. >> until now. we're not wearing gloves for a fashion statement. it's in order to handle. >> these are nice. >> these are the largest and heaviest in olympic history. each medal, every olympics has the same theme on one of the sides. >> that is her leaving, the greek goddess of victory leaving t the parthenon. >> these are designed by the artist david watkins. >> this set here, this is the first set of medals, minted for the olympic games. this is set 001. the queen, by the way, received a full set of medals this week. >> that's true. there's all kind of medal etiquette. one is never. >> ever. >> do not put the medal on unless you're an olympic athlete who earned it. >> you didn't? >> no. >> always we should mention, we have the medals here. we are hoping the u.s. women's

field hockey team might take home one of these medals during these games. they are standing right here at our set this morning just chatting up the crowd. ladies, good luck. great to have you here. >> thank you. >> we're hoping for one of these for you. the u.s. won the most gold medals in beijing. may we be so lucky here. >> coming up, a live interview with the first lady michelle obama. >> i'll catch up with the gymnastics team, the fab five, after your local news. parents this year i'm going to teach your kids that magic does exist. it's called science! here's what they'll need. ♪ pencils, folders, notebooks. ♪ ♪ backpacks, denims, graphic tees. ♪ ♪ markers, calculators. whoa! ♪

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7:56 is your time now on this friday, july 27th, 2012. good morning, i'm eun yang. another hot day out there. here's tom kierein with your forecast. hi, tom. >> pleasant now, though, but still rather humid in the wake of the storms that came through last evening. those storms rolled on through and then dissipated and this morning a few sprinkles north and west of washington and the highlands in west virginia around the panhandle of west virginia and temperatures around the region now are generally right in the mid and upper 70s and later today into the mid-90s. we'll likely peak in the mid-90s by mid-afternoon and by the time we geet the late afternoon hours and late into the evening hours, we'll probably get a few passing thunderstorms. eun? >> tom, thank you

good morning. if you're traveling inbound route 50 at kendallworth avenue. the crash there blocks all your travel lanes. you're able to get by, but just in the right shoulder lane. you're jammed at landover road and delays start at 410.

the 27th day of july, 2012. this makes this friday the day the 2012 summer olympic games in london get under way with a fabulous opening ceremony a little later on. we have come to our home in olympic park for the next couple of weeks this morning. a second ago, savannah, we're saying we're so close to the village, sometimes athletes step over and join us. >> that happened to us. we've got the u.s. women's field hockey team here. morning. >> morning. >> you're the captain. why don't we start with you? >> lauren. >> were you in beijing?

>> i was in beijing, yes. >> what are the prospects for this team? >> we're planning on standing on the podium in two weeks time. we're just going to take it one game at a time. >> i'm going to scoot over here and get these guys. the question everyone wants to know, what's it like to live in the athletes village. >> it's an amazing experience to be surrounded by so many world-class athletes and people who love playing the sports, the culture as well. you're immersed in an environment. sometimes is chaotic. >> have you seen athletes you're dying to meet? >> pal gasol last night, that was pretty cool. the gymnast. >> lolo jones. >> i know you guys have been practicing. you showed me right over there. how is the field? does it feel good? >> yeah. >> you know what's funny, we were talking a second ago, we asked, how were your accommodations, food. you said, great, you get it 234 hours a day. somebody said that's a problem

sometimes. you have to be careful. good luck, ladies. it's a pleasure to meet you. we wish you the best. happy to have you there. we also told you call your families back at home. hopefully wave to them. they are watching now. >> a fun day. over to the u.s. ambassadors residence, al is going to check in with the first lady of the united states, michelle obama. >> yeah. we've got more athletes coming on, u.s. gymnastics team, fab five as they are called. i got to meet and chat with them. we'll see that in a few minutes. >> natalie is standing by at the news desk with a check of the headlines. natalie. >> good morning, everyone. mitt romney got a sharp rebuke from british officials and media when he questioned whether london was fully prepared to full off the olympics during an exchange in that city with brian william. today romney said autos convinced the games will be a suck. he's traveling to jerusalem tomorrow. president obama is signing legislation that expands u.s. military and civilian

cooperation with israel. the sex scandal at lackland air force base in texas is growing. three more instructors are under investigation for possible sexual misconduct involving female trainees. that brings the total to 15. on saturday one former instructor was sentenced to 20 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. federal officials say more than 700 engineers, contractors, lawyers, and others have been killed while working to rebuild iraq after the 2003 u.s. invasion there. nearly half of them were americans of it's the first time federal officials tried to estimate those casualties. let's head to wall street. courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange. good morning, courtney. >> good morning, natalie. a day after the dow gained on positive comments, investors are going to have to divide their attention between europe, economy and earnings. speaking of earnings, facebook reported a net loss of its first quarter as a public company, also in line with what analysts

had expected. but the revenue growth was the lowest in more than a year. that's troubling. natalie, back to you. >> all right. courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange, thanks. now for a look at what's trending. a roundup of what has you talking only. green day front man ready for the time of his life. he's joined nbc "the voice," with aguilera's team. "twilight" heartthrob robert pattinson has moved out of the los angeles home he shared with co-star and girlfriend kristen stewart. pattinson is said to be heart broken and angry over stewart's admission this week she had a fling with film director rupert sanders. one more time for a song that has been a team sport, olympic singers are making a splash with their own numbers. well, you heard it here. ♪ ♪ i missed you so bad

i missed you so so bad ♪ ♪ before you came into my life i missed you so bad ♪ >> the video is racking up thousands of hits by the hour. we're going to talk more about that coming up. having a little fun there in the pool. it's 8:05. let's turn it back over to matt and savannah. >> the under water shots were pretty cool. all right, natalie, thanks. we want to check in with al now who is over at the u.s. ambassador's house in london with a very special guest. al, good morning. >> that's right, savannah and matt. we're thrilled to have the first lady, michelle obama. thrilled to have you here. >> thrilled to be here. >> this is a gorgeous setting. >> it's fun. >> got to do let's move with kids out here. >> part of let's move, one of the things we wanted to do. we invited u.s. military families here, as well as kids from the uk who normally wouldn't have access to the olympic games. the u.s. ambassador opened up his yard.

we've had games. we've had david beckham out here, a number of the u.s. athletes, current and former olympians here and we've just been playing on the lawn. >> tonight you're going to clean up and get ready. >> that's right. >> you are leading our u.s. delegation. what's that going to be like? >> it will be awe inspiring for me, humbling. i've never been to an olympics before. to go from never attending an olympics to heading the u.s. delegation, it will be a proud moment for me personally. i know it's going to be exciting for everyone. >> this is something very special to you. growing up, you watched the olympics with your dad. >> i don't think i'm different from any other kid in the country growing up, but the olympics was it. we all gathered around the tv. i told the story earlier with the olympic athletes. but because my dad had ms, and he was an athlete. sports and the ability to watch sports was really all he had. so it meant a lot to my family.

now being able to meet some of these paraolympians, pushing through and being inspiring to other kids of all abilities, it's truly an amazing thing to see. >> what events are you looking forward to seeing? >> well, i'm going to get to see a little tennis. i hope to see some of the swimming and maybe a little basketball here and there. >> any possibility the president is going to come over to -- >> no. >> not even the basketball? >> he is so jealous of me right now. he is so jealous. but no, he won't be able to make it. >> i know there's a big contest coming up. i wanted to get your thoughts on ryan versus lochte. >> my goodness, no way. i'm not going for that. go team usa. >> i had to ask. >> thanks. nice >> thank you. nice try. >> thanks so much, al. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning here in

washington. off to a humid start on this friday morning. we have a few bits of sunshine try to make their way through and a mostly cloudy sky. those areas in green, a few sprinkles, shenandoah valley and heading northeast. and later today, a little sun in and out and highs reaching the mid-90s by mid-afternoon and then storms popping up mid to late afternoon and into it evening hours and some severe south and east of the metro area and cooler and maybe afternoon storms and les humid sun and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> al, thanks. much more from here in london, including our visit with the fab five, u.s. women's gymnastics team right after this. [ male announcer ] summer is here.

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a group of teenager girls from the usa may really feel the show. jordyn, aly, gabby, mckayla, kyl kyla, names to remember. the u.s. gymnastics team, also known as the fab five. they may be new faces now but pretty soon they will be recognized everywhere they go. >> gabby, nice to meet you. >> i have here the cover of "sports illustrated." are you guys ready to be household names? has it sunk in? here you are. it's real. >> no, it hasn't for me. >> it's still like crazy. >> there are thousands of girls who wish they were in your position right now. here i'm looking at the five who did it. that has got to feel great. >> it feels amazing. it's still so surreal to be here. we've been working so hard. i'm just so proud.

all these girls of my best friends and we have so much fun together. >> they are a young team. the oldest is 18. the youngest just 15 years old. >> the last time the u.s. women's team won team gold, it was 1996, and then a little bit later kyla was born. what does it mean to you to think about grasping that very hard to reach goal as a team? >> you know, just living up to expectations of winning the goal. it's going to be hard work. i think the main thing we have to remember is just to go out there and hit our team the way we've been practicing. we've been training really hard. >> is it true you and kyla made a pact when you were little girls to make it to the olympics together? >> we definitely dreamed about going to the olympics. we never thought it would like come true. >> i did. >> it's crazy we made it. >> you guys have sacrificed a lot.

what's it like to be a normal teenager but working for a goal. >> being a normal teenager. we're not normal. we do crazy skills and tumble. being normal is understated. >> it's overrated. >> on thursday the girls had what's called podium training. it was the first and only time they are able to practice in the stadium where they will make their olympic debut. how did it feel? how do you guys feel right now about your competition? >> coming out and training today, it was exciting to see the arena for the first time. it boosts the confidence to see how well we did there. hopefully we can come in on sunday and rock the house. >> well said. mckayla, i know you've got an old injury on your foot that's been cropping up again. how are you feeling? how did you feel today? >> i felt good today. i was excited to come out and hit the vault i needed to. it was amazing being out there.

>> jordyn and kyla, a lot has been said about that competition and rivalry. you're best of friends. >> we're teammates. we want each other to do well. it pushes out to do better and better things. that's good for the whole team. >> you're avid tweeters. you've seen celebrity sightings, who have you seen? >> michael phelps and brian lochte. >> and volleyball. we're the shortest ones, they are the tallest. >> you can see them across the room. who is somebody you're dying to meet at the olympics. >> usain. we all want to meet him. he's next on our list. >> you're warned. the olympic gymnasts are after you. i have someone to meet you. he's not exactly usain but for now ryan seacrest and his moves will have to do. are you guys practicing your

british accent? >> a lot. >> may i hear it, mckayla. >> we're all the gymnasts and very excited to compete here at the 2012 london olympics. >> have you tried in british stew? >> no. >> but they are not just here for a jolly good time. they have come to london to get a job done. to be at this level, what does it take? >> years and years of hard work and passion for the sport. it's about pushing yourself when you feel like you're exhausted and you can't do it anymore. >> you have to love what you do. >> it's just amazing to know if you have a dream and love something so much, you can get there if you put your mind to it. >> they are just adorable. you love every single one of them. >> i got chills. when you see how hard they worked, thinking about them as little girls dreaming about this moment. i asked them, have you visualized yourself on the podium winning gold. a lot said yes. >> you can imagine the pressure they are under. what a lot of people don't

realize about these olympic athletes, when they are here they are in serious competition mode. they are away from maybe their families here. many of them don't get a chance to see their families until their competition is over. coming up later on we're going to be talking with both gabby and jordyn's moms. they are going to join us and talk about what's that like for them. >> we'll all be watching the fab five. memorize those names. giada de laurentiis gives us a taste of the olympics. don't go over 2000... 1200 calories a day. carbs are bad. carbs are good. the story keeps changing. so i'm not listening... to anyone but myself. i know better nutrition when i see it: great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. for multi grain flakes that are an excellent source of fiber try great grains banana nut crunch and cranberry almond crunch.

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[ female announcer ] letting her home be turned into a training facility? ♪ this olympian's mom has been doing it for years. she's got bounty. in this lab demo, one sheet of new bounty leaves this surface cleaner than two sheets of the leading ordinary brand. bounty has trap and lock technology to soak up big spills and lock them in. let the spills begin. p&g. proud sponsor of the olympic games. welcome back to london where athletes from 205 countries will take part in the competition here. >> that's right. you can sample all of these delicious foods part of this olympic opening ceremony. for many it's a quick walk down one street, brick lane in eastern london. "today" contributor giada de

laurentiis got to sample great foods with a foodie. >> one of the most famous we should try. wow, thank you very much. >> the colors. >> it's going to be a little hot with the chilies on top. with the kick. >> these are very tasty. i want to come back here, it's so good. >> next stop is my favorite thai restaurant. >> yellow curry with lamb. >> it is. most end up getting green or red curry. this is different. give it a go. is that good? i'm going to try one. >> now, this one is super refreshing. >> it is. >> where are we off to now. >> around the corner from brick lane. >> i'm ready.

this is how you attack it. want me to show you how to eat it, too. this is my favorite. >> why don't we take you to the kitchen and show you how to cook it. >> two teaspoons, starting with red chili, turmeric, tomato paste, garlic. put that together in the cooker. coriander and out it goes. there we go. >> i think we need british fare here. >> okay. i think i can help. >> oh, boy." . >> the inside are -- >> yeah. >> there we go. now you can see it's a pig. >> a garnish of pig ears because there's not enough pig thain. >> never enough pig. >> who knew blood cakes could look so great. one, two, three, going down. it's good.

>> giada likes it and she's here with us now along with the field hockey team who are all very hungry. another person who has an olympic diet is ryan seacrest. come on in, ryan. ryan is starving after that splits routine earlier. >> americans are going to see that split soon. >> what she brought, first bangladesh curry, this platter here. >> yes. basically brick lane has lots of different types of food, lots of epic food. most is curry. so bangladesh curry, the mango curry is my favorite. >> slightly sweet. >> go with the non. >> the spinach. >> spicy? >> no, sweet. >> want to try some, ryan? >> i've got to watch out for

bloating and halitose. >> you sound like my roommate. how do you know? >> you told me. >> this islam. >> this, ryan darling, this is for you. this is the indian food. no dairy there. you should be fine. your breath, i don't know. >> then we've got some blood cakes. who wants to try blood cakes. >> anything with blood in the title, i definitely want to eat. >> this is all basically pork products. >> british. >> this is all british. you've got a duck egg on top. you've got basically all pork inside here. >> pig. >> pig blood. fried ears. >> come on, guys. >> let's do it. >> come on, savannah. >> it's like chocolate pudding. >> like cake. >> you can finish it off with a swedish drink. >> that's motivation. this is not easy to do. >> is there alcohol in that?

>> alcohol, lots of it and vodka. >> great, see you guys later. >> the ladies will eat it if you guys won't. >> be careful with that. >> you can all wash it down. >> a little kick here. >> i'll try. >> a little vodka. >> these berries, lingen berries. they put a lot of fruit in their drink. we've got a variety of different flavors. all in one place you can have all of these different things. >> i don't think ryan and natalie fully tasted the blood sausage. >> behind you. >> i've got to tell you, i see tears on the field hockey team? >> that's good. >> i think you're a little star struck, ryan. the pig ears are better. >> you've got to break the yoke and get into this. >> much more from olympic park including a visit with michael phelps mom and sister after your

local news. good morning. 8:26 on this friday, july 27th. i'm aaron gilchrist. let's look at your weather tom kierein is in storm center had. >> warm and muggy, temperatures around 80 degrees and storm showing mostly sunny and afternoon highs mid-90s and still very steamy and could get afternoon and early morning storms and some severe south and east of the metro area. tomorrow low 90s and might get an afternoon storms.

in damascus, good news for you. had a crash that was blocking all your lanes at 27 and all your lanes are now open. it's clear. also, the crash westbound route 50 at 201, that's now clear. but you're still jammed. in fact, you should just jump on 295, nice and clear.

aaron, over to you. >> thank you, danella. nbc 4 is your home for the london olympics. catch the opening ceremony at 7:30 tonight and follow the games

8:30 on this friday morning, july 27th, 2012. that is a date we've had marked on our calendars for a long, long, long time. the opening ceremony of the 2012 olympics. you can really feel the excitement starting to build in the air here at olympic park. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie alongside natalie morales. >> all on special assignment,

matt preparing for opening ceremonies. al, as you saw, at the winfield house, busy. >> hanging with the first lady. we'll catch up with him in a little bit. >> ryan seacrest, our special correspondent. he'll join us back. his first olympics. he's been snapping a lot of photo, athletes and other thins around town. we'll catch up with him in a minute as well. >> we all know when mike phelps gets in the pool he has a wonderful, emotional cheering section of his moms and sisters. they will stop by in a little bit. we'll talk to them about how they feel about the competition under way. >> they look confident, they look cool and collected. so excellent. speaking of team usa swimming. if they are feeling any pressure, i don't think anybody is showing any right here today. coming up we're going to have more of that hit we showed you in our news "call me maybe" song. their version going viral already as we speak. >> pretty cool. they have under water shots.

>> it's pretty cool. >> having fun. >> first we want to check in with a couple of special guests. we have wenlock. one of the olympic athletes. he doesn't talk. >> hunter kemper. >> how are you? >> good morning to you. what an honor, you're going to be captain of the team. that's got to add an extra special something. >> feels great. it's my fourth olympic games. i won't say it's old hat, it never gets old. just 100% usa. so proud. >> when i look at the training schedule you're under. so people know what you do, you swim 18 to 20 miles all in a week, run 60 miles, bike about 250 miles. that's 325 miles a week. no wonder you look. look how thin you are. you have to keep eating. >> a lot of hoarding calories. this is what i do fulltime. this is my dream, to win the olympic games.

it's so exciting. >> are you feeling good in are you excited about the competition? you've been in four games and your place has gotten better every time. >> hopefully i can win that childhood dream. i placed seventh in beijing. winning would be icing on my career. >> when you were 20. >> i'm the old guy, 36 years old. my very first, 100 yard swim, 1k bike ride, run, i bet two other ten years old. >> best in your age group. there you go. >> yeah. >> i think for a lot of spectators, they may not know this is such a great sport to watch. even if you don't have a ticket, the swim starts in hyde park in the pond. >> it does. august 7th is the men's race. we start at 11:30 a.m. exciting. one mile swim, 40 kilometers of

cycling, right by bucking him palace. can say hello to the queen. maybe not me particularly but the british athletes. ten we run 10-k in hyde park. it's an open venue. anyone can come out and support us. hopefully we'll get a lot of usa cheers. >> speaking of cheers, you did the favor of trying to teach me how to cheer. teach me again. >> my initial cheer, i didn't want you to come to the first olympic games and not know what to do, be passive, very much watch them go by. that's not cool. or the golf clap. shhh. no good. you have to be very aggressive. >> okay. here we go. come on, hunter, doing good. whoa! coming your way. >> get em. >> gold medal. yea! there you go. that's it.

>> gold medal. >> we underplayed it. >> here is the deal. we come around like seven times. seven laps on the bike, four laps on the run. >> the whole way. >> the whole two hours. >> hunter, we are ready to cheer for you. >> so excited. >> over to al. check the weather. hope he's in a cheering do it. . >> you left wenlock hanging. >> he doesn't talk. >> he was trying to get a high five. >> oh, wenlock, sorry. we can't see that well either. okay, only has the one eye. >> that's kind of freaky. now it's getting a little freaky. all right, thanks, guys. we're here with shawn johnson who recently announced your retirement, just june of this year. you tried to make the olympic team, didn't quite, but you're now a correspondent for today.com, a special correspondent. what are you looking forward to in that? >> just getting to see the olympics from this side of it. it is a little bitter sweet.

i would give anything to be on the team, but coming up a little short and having to retire was the best decision for me. but now getting to interview athletes and kind of have fun with it. it's going to be interesting. >> we were talking a little bit, this is like the full social media games. can that be a distraction for the athletes? >> i think it can if they allow it. they need to sensor it themselves. a lot of critics and opinions on social media that will say and do what they want. if they read that, it can get to them. it can also connect the world. >> what is it going to be like watching the opening ceremonies as a spectator tonight? >> it is going to be weird. i would love to walk through it. it is going to be cool to see my teammates walk through. >> we're thrilled to have you as a special correspondent for the games today. shawn johnson, always great to see you. >> good to see you. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> the best of british culture.

around our region, temperatures beginning to climb to around 80 degrees and it's rather muggy, too. humidity in place. reagan national now is at 81. and later today, climbing to the mid-90s by mid-afternoon and there's a possibility of some scattered storms, especially south and east of washington, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. they could produce damaging wind. tomorrow partly sunny and less humid on sunday and highs near 90. no extreme heat >> and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> all right, al. thanks. coming up next, ryan seacrest's very first olympic photo album. he's going to share it with us. first, this is "today" on nbc.

the stage is almost set for tonight's opening xxx olympiad.

ryan seacrest covering live. good morning. >> good to see you guys. >> ryan, you've been here a week. have you figured out the lay of the land? if you figured out where everything is. >> allow time. allow time. i was told by nbc staff, don't be late. you can feel the enthusiasm, pace building, the people, spectators as well as the athletes ready to kick it off. >> you feel tightness in your legs after being with the gymnasts. rather than tell you, we'll show you. >> one, two, three. >> i'm out. >> i can't even touch my toes. >> this is as far as i can go. back to you, savannah. >> the russian judge wasn't as nice. >> there was a moment of uncertainty there. i wasn't sure

i was going to get up and have a seam. i was worried. >> in your pants, your jeans purchase i was inspired by the athletes. >> when you said do the splits, i backed up. >> you went for it. >> see you later, seacrest. s.g. out. >> what are your impressions with the athletes, what they are eating. >> i spent time with jordyn wieber and gabby douglas. the whole team had just come back from the arena. i asked what was their impression, how did they feel standing there. they said, we're focused, ready to go. i think the whole team feels that way. >> you're an afterward tweeter. >> don't call me a twit. >> the other word we're not going to say. >> not yet. we're on our best behavior. you have a photo album. can you show what you've done. >> i've been taking pictures and sending them out. this is my first shot with you

guys, fencing for the nbc promo. wasn't quite sure how that one will turn out. obviously, look uncomfortable. next a photo of me with michael phelps. i went to where he trains outside of baltimore. had a chance to spend time with his family and speak with him. a lot of michael phelps -- i spent a good deal of time with michael phelps. here is daniel, competing for his first goal as gymnast. it's a cool story. his stepfather is also his coach of his stepfather is one that daniel rolls his eyes to sometimes. he loves to spotlight. >> a shot on the plane. >> preparing. >> doing a little background. >> '84 olympics. >> you have to start from scratch. so i do the radio every day from the moose lodge, our dorm. the radio setup where we've got people who come by. next here is the u.s. swim team.

phelps, natalie coughlin. also e! news work. >> how many jobs do you have? >> i should be at leigh now. >> tonight, too, part of the opening ceremonies. >> tonight i'll be part of that, down on the field covering all of that action. >> also you were going to deliver pizza to the athletes. >> what would you like? >> no anchovies, hold the anchovies. you actually tweeted during the rehearsal last night. we know there's a whole save the surprise. you're not going to give away a lot here. >> i'm feeling my way out here. they said cover the social media aspect. i'm doing it. i forget there's a process here at nbc. i did find some video. we shot this out. this is something we captured just behind the scenes. >> take a look. >> they won't let you shoot that. sorry. actually rehearsals are going on for the opening ceremony. the rules say we're not allowed to show you anything.

so i'm back here behind the stands. i can tell you this, it will be something you've got to see. it's going to be a show you'll want to catch of don't miss it. come back here. check in here for all things olympic, right in we good? we good? >> there's an in-depth -- here is what i can tell you. we did see most of the actual ceremony. i think two elements were left out. they are big surprises. we didn't see those things. you've got danny boyle, an oscar winner in charge of this. he's going to put on an legendary show with music, hints of broadway, hollywood, pageantry. there were a couple of moments in which i was sitting there next to bob and matt and we were watching something happen about here, eye line here, and we looked at each other and went, wow, wow. there are some wow moments. >> did you cry? >> i cry, natalie, a lot.

commercials inspire me sometimes. >> security guys will take you away for that tweet. >> nothing new. >> unauthorized tweet. ryan, thank you. >> thanks. >> have a great time tonight. look forward to watching i. can you catch the opening ceremony here on nbc starting at 6:30, 7:30 central time. up next, team phelps. we'll chat with michael's mom and sisters. but first this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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welcome back to london's olympic park. michael phelps begins his quest to become the most decorated olympian of all time on saturday. can you expect to see his biggest fans cheering him on at the aquatic center. his mom debbie and sisters hillary and whitney. ladies, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> are we nervous? >> a little bit. >> how are you feeling about it? >> wonderful. we got in last night. the good thing about it, michael

called us in the airport in washington. michael called. we were all passing the phone around before we boarded the plane. we were excited to talk to him. >> was he missing you guys? >> i think he was. he was like, when are you getting here? he's on twitter. >> will you get to see him before or game phase lockdown. >> game phase lockdown. >> see him between swims. >> we see him when everybody else sees him. when he comes up and gives us a hug and the flowers. that's when we see him. we talk to him on text message. other than that, he's doing his job. >> i knorr you guys are used to him making history at this point. if he gets three medals of any color, he'll be the most decorated olympian ever. has that sunk in, debbie? >> that's wild. it really is. i saw a picture of michael and it was so memorable to see the two of them. it hasn't sunk in, savannah.

it has not. >> especially for the mom who drove him to swim practice, the sisters who inspired him. what do you think about that possibility? are you pretty sure it's going to happen? >> i think for us, we're such a supportive family that everybody does. to us, personally, i don't think beijing has really set in yet. we're just there supporting my brother, her son, on his quest to accomplish his goals and be the greatest that he can be. so it's a little hard to believe. pretty historic. >> he's really marked his place in history. >> hard to grasp it. wasn't entire an easy road. he's been really canned it about some of the struggles, getting that passion again for swimming. was it hard to watch him go through that? >> it was hard. he had to work sometimes in isolation to be able to say i'm going to dedicate four more years. i'm going to come on the world stage and perform at my highest

level. but i was so happy when i got the phone call and he was like, okay, mom. i'm in. great. he's excited. i'm excited as a mom here as well as as a grand mom. we have my granddaughter with us this olympics. not only does he have three women in the stands, he now has four women in the stands. that's really exciting for us. >> he may have the world's best cheering section. if there were gold medals for that, i think you guys would definitely win. >> thank you. >> i know you're hoping mom, this won't be the end. are you thinking he'll retire? >> he's been swimming for so long. he's worked so hard for so many years. he's accomplished so much. more than almost any olympian has almost ever accomplished. i think it's coming to that time to hang up the suit and cap and goggles and go onto the next adventure. >> thank you so much for being with us. we're all so proud of him. >> thank you for having us and

thank you london. >> we'll have more in a few moments including michael phelps and his u.s. teammates taking on -- have you seen this -- "call me maybe." first this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back to london where the u.s. swimming team is making a splash out of the pool as w l

well. take a look at their version of call me maybe. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> you see every swimmer involved, michael phelps, apparently ladies on the u.s.

swim team were the brains behind this. >> yes. >> and decided to get everyone in the action. >> i see a lot of star quality. >> missy franklin. >> rowdy gains, our commentator. >> dan hicks, andrea cramer, commentators for us. >> we think dancing is even harder under water. >> i can only imagine going down water slides. >> doing well. >> a lot more from london. we want to show you we've already had a good time here, one week. we'll show you highlights from behind the scenes at the "today" show. >> it rained here for 734 consecutive days until i arrived a couple of days ago. since that time, voila, knoll but sunshine. what are you doing here? they said, we're the diving team. you're the diving team? don't tell me you weren't wearing. >> a lot to do with security.

after push publicized gaffes and big concerns -- >> are you putting a lot of sunscreen on the top of the dome. >> queue the theme music. who better to tell us about the queen of the women, meredith vieira. >> good morning. >> none shall pass. >> ryan seacrest will not be -- in addition to being sponsor for flag ceremonies at soccer venues. >> for the record, that was not my mistake. >> en garde. >> just like that, he's out. >> we're walking, we're walking, we're walking. >> this is like the mod squad meets the great wall of china. >> without further ado, i know there are boats waiting. >> this is really exciting. tower bridge. >> danny devito here.

>> the moment my career died. >> i feel a lot closer to you now. >> didn't work out so well, did it? >> there we go. >> if you're going to be president of the united states, you have to make some tough calls. so is it phelps or lochte? >> we also told you to call your families back home. hopefully wave to them. 8:56 is your time now on this friday, july 27th, 2012. good morning to you, i'm eun yang. let's check in with storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein. we going to have any storms today? >> maybe late this afternoon. mid-morning we're hitting the mid-80s and partly sunny now around the region and 84 at reagan national and later want to hit the mid-90snd then mid

to late afternoon is when we could get some of those storms popping up and mainly south and east of washington. that's the zone that could get the strongest storms again tomorrow and less humid and cooler sunday. eun? >> all right, tom,

good morning, traveling the inner loop of the beltway in virginia. passing arlington boulevard, very slow and delays start closer to braddock. no accidents, through, just general. eun? >> thank you so much. nbc is your home for the london olympics. you can catch the opening [ taste buds ] donuts, donuts, donuts! who are these guys? oh, that's just my buds. bacon, donuts. -my taste buds. -[ taste buds ] waffles. how about we try this new kind of fiber one cereal? you think you're going to slip some fiber by us? rookie. okay. ♪ nutty clusters and almonds, ♪ ♪ almonds. ♪ fiber one is gonna make you smile. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing new fiber one nutty clusters and almonds.

with 43% daily value of fiber for you. crunchy nutty clusters and real almond slices for your taste buds. special day, july 27th, 2012. welcome you back to london olympic park. just a few hours, the eyes of the world will be on the olympic stadium. they are going to see the pomp and the pageantry othe opening ceremony. we are so excited. >> can't wait. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie alongside natalie morales. al is at the u.s. ambassador's residence. he's hanging out with the first lady. matt is busy preparing. >> got a big job. everywhere we go we see the briefing he carries, probably weighs 10 pounds.

>> we joke about it but it's a lot. >> all the athletes and stories. more than 60,000 people will be inside that stadium including presidential hopeful mitt romney who joined us here earlier this morning. we're going to hear from the governor on the games and some of the controversy over his criticism of london's readiness. >> of course we introduced you to the u.s. gymnastic team this morning led by jordyn wieber and gabby douglas. coming up we're going to talk to their beautiful and very proud moms. >> i have to imagine nervous as well. we'll get a sneak peek at the fashions the athletes will be wearing in london, including the speedos. >> who is going to model the speedo, that is the question. first the top of the morning stories. natalie, we'll join you for that. >> presidential hopeful mitt romney is trying to stop a firestorm he sparked when he questioned whether london is prepared for the olympic games. peter alexander with more.

>> reporter: for mitt romney, be very clear. this was supposed to be a risk averse trip overseas as campaign advisers put it to us, this is a chance for romney to listen and learn. again this morning romney is getting it in the ear loud and clear. from the british folks. they were not impressed with his comments about the preparedness for the games. check this out in local headlines. it reads mitt the twit. as romney wraps up his stop here in the uk, he's hoping tonight's festivities will wash away some of the hard feelings. as mitt romney looks forward to tonight's opening ceremony -- >> governor, did you intend to criticize the way london prepared for these games. >> reporter: he's hoping to avert the political firestorm he sparked when he spoke with brian williams and was asked if london is ready for the olympic games. >> it's hard to know how it will

turn out. it's disconcerting the story about the private security game not having enough people, the strike of the customs official. that's not encouraging. >> british reporters pounced. >> mitt romney turned on his charm by visiting britain, questioning the country's ability to host the olympic games. >> the message he wanted to get out on this trip has been obscured. >> if he's here to make friends, he's got a funny way of showing it. >> from the telegraph, this editorial. mitt romney is perhaps the only politician who could start a trip that was supposed to be a charm offensive by being utterly devoid of charm. even the prime minister pushed back. >> we are holding the olympic games in one of the busiest and most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. of course it's easier if you hold olympic games in the middle of nowhere. >> reporter: that middle of nowhere phrase and to be a not so subtle shot at salt lake city where romney oversaw 2002 games.

he responded with a statement saying cameron can stop by any time. we're happy to have him and happy to send a map so he doesn't have any trouble locating the middle of nowhere. london's outspoken mayor fired back. >> mitt romney wants to know whether we're ready. he wants to know whether we're ready. are we ready? are we ready? yes, we are. >> reporter: early on today he told matt he had a new outlook on the games. >> after being here a couple days, it looks to me like london is ready. >> reporter: and back in washington, d.c., the white house tried to capitalize on romney's gaffe, the spokesperson jay carney saying very clearly the president has the utmost confidence in our friend and ally united kingdom hosting the olympic games. mitt romney heading to israel tomorrow. >> i know you're heading there with him.

peter alexander, thanks so much. one of the alleged victims of accused sex abuser jerry sandusky has come forward as he filed suit against penn state. this as the attorney released two voice mails they say are from sandusky to their client. the attorneys say they were left months before he was arrested. in the message, he tells victim number two he loves him and invites him to a penn state football game. ford is recalling 485,000, 2001 to 2004 ford escape suvs that can cause sticking gas pedals that can cause crashes. they have had 68 complaints, 13 crashes, nine injuries and one death. this is the third recall in just two weeks for the top selling escape. wild storms slammed new york last night. in elmira, witnesses report add tornado. the governor declared a state of emergency in the surrounding county. while the clouds over the manhattan skyline were pretty ominous, the twitters sphere

responded loading pictures. if they ever allow dogs on the team actor kevin bacon could go for the gold. there he is with his pit bull lilly ready to take the plunge. off they go. perfect timing. it may not be a perfect ten but gets thumbs-up from his wife kyra sedgwick off camera there. >> i give him a ten. >> then did it again. natalie, thanks. let's get a check of the weather from al over at the winfield house. hi, al. >> thanks so much. the u.s. ackyard for a great ev with the first lady. we'll have a little bit more on that just a little bit later. but, boy, severe storms possibly cropping up in the city, i should say in much of the country. first, let's show you the u.s., i should say the olympic games. the opening ceremony.

tonight, we're looking at cloudy skies and 20% chance of a shower and temperatures will be in the upper 60s and i think things will go off without a hitch. we are keeping our fingers crossed. let's show you as far as those severe storms we're talking about from the mid-atlantic states into the southeast and also in the mid-mississippi river valley and ohio river valley a risk of strong storms. >> good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. around our region now, we've got a partly sunny sky after we had a few passing light showers to our north and west, now pretty much dissipating. >> the other of the book "gym mom" and natalie hawkins is dwaby's mom. how are you all feeling? opening ceremony tonight, w in the opening ceremony tonight, what do you think you'll be feeling sitting in the stands watching your girls come out. >> it's starting to feel real. the last couple of days in london it feels like a vacation. all of a sudden today being in the olympic park, it's becoming

very real. >> becoming very real. >> for you, natalie? your daughter, they have been working hard their entire lives for this very moment. what does it mean for them to be here? >> i know for gabriel it's a dream come true. she's been working for this moment so long. to have it culminate and be here in the athlete village, meeting other athletes makes it more real, even though it's like a dream. we've been skyping. she's been telling me how excited she's been. an amazing spirit. >> you say you've been skyping. looft people think, you're here, don't you get to see your daughters. the reality is they are training, in game mode. >> we're used to that, the way it is when they travel internationally. it feels good to be in the same country. i felt good when i was in london, five, ten minutes away from her. we've been talking on the phone

and texting daily. >> are they nervous? natalie, do you feel like gabby is pretty cool? >> she's calm. that surprised me. i thought she would be more on edge. no, she's like oh, my gosh, mom, i'm so excited. i think the excitement is suppressing the nervousness for right now. i don't know what it will look like on competition today. but she's absolutely in wonderful spirits right now. >> clearly there's such a huge buildup and such huge expectations on these very young girls' shoulders. do you worry about the pressure, rita? >> i think any mom would kind of -- i just want the best for them. i don't want to see any tears of sadness. i want them to do their best and pull this off for the u.s. so yeah, i feel it. i know they are well prepared. >> yeah, this team, everybody is expecting amazing things. what are your expectations, or do you even dare to dream about goals at this point in time, natalie. >> i do now. we were a little hesitant at first to say, okay, going to be

an olympian. but now that she's achieved that huge dream and gotten over that hurdle, i just think that anything is possible now. so i'm confident. like rita said, i just believe they are well prepared. they are in a good place. they have great training. their coaches are awesome. so i just think that they are ready for this moment. i'm excited to see them. >> what is, as the mom in the stands watching your daughters, the most nerve-racking moment? what event really is hard for you guys to take? rita. >> used to be the beam, because you can fall off the beam. as jordyn has progressed into the harder skills, it's every event i get nervous on. but beam is the worst because every single thing they do is on a four-inch piece of wood. >> a slip or fall. my goodness. natalie, how about you? >> beam. >> gabby douglas, your daughter is the flying squirrel, we know she's got those uneven bars

down. do you get nervous and see her flying and doing things nobody can imagine doing what she does. >> sometimes i do. i wonder, she gets so high in the air. i wonder, is she going to catch that thing when she comes down. every time like clock work. you don't want to get relaxed and say every time she's got it because sometimes you don't know. beam is the worst for me. >> not only is their pressure to compete as the team, there is the individual pressure as well. they are up against each other. there has been much said in the press about friendly rivalry between gabby and jordyn. what do you tell your girls to keep it in perspective? >> i just tell jordyn i'm proud of her no matter what happens. i know she's going to go out there and do her best. they are all friends. they want each other to do their best and they want to do their best. >> they are a team. >> natalie? >> we grew up together in the sport. they have done similar programs. i've seen jordyn in the pictures

with gabrielle. they have known each other since they were little girl. it's not like they are just quai acquainted each other. i tell her this is what you've grown up to do. enjoy it. have fun. enjoy every moment, pay attention to the details. >> soak it up. >> soak it up. >> rita wieber, natalie hawkins, thanks so much for spending the moment with us. we're so excited for your girls. good luck to them. so much to come from london, including all the gear that team usa will be sporting right after this. this happy couple used capital one venture miles for their "destination wedding." double miles you can "actually" use. but with those single mile travel cards... [ bridesmaid ] blacked out... but i'm a bridesmaid. oh!

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more than a billion worldwide will watch tonight's opening ceremony. all eyes on the athletes and what they are wearing. fashion editor for harper's bazaar. good morning. >> good morning. >> the truth is, what the athletes wear does matter. >> we're here at the olympic ceremony, it's all about fashion. there's so much of it everywhere, from the clocks that tell us who won the game to the designers designing all the outfits and competitive wear, too. it's literally everywhere. >> let's start with team usa. i know i've seen the opening ceremony outfits. we had them on the show. what do you think of the ralph lauren design. >> here is the thing, red,

white, blue, screams american luxury sportswear. hey, it doesn't get much better than that. it's one of our best designers, fabulous. >> right here we have looks for nike. nike is doing basketball, metal stand outfits and also some for the track sprinters. what do you think of these outfits. >> a lot of the competitive wear from nike. lebron james dream team outfit. not only does it look great but one of those that's terribly fashion chic, too. i have to say i'm complimenting you on your mannequin. looks just like a basketball player. >> i like the bright shoes. speedo doing the swimsuit, not just fashionable looking but high-tech. >> holds to the body and reduces drag by 2.7%, which is terrific. ryan lochte said it makes him feel invincible. our wonderful swimmers are so incredibly -- have that edge

because of the all the things, technology. what can we say, michael phelps, says it gives him an extra boost of confidence. >> let's talk about great britain. for the open ceremony they will be in a design house that's sort of like the gap. >> kate middleton going to the high street retailer. next they are very understated look for the opening ceremony. a bit of gossip saying there might be bling in the jackets, which is very unusual for the brits. >> we like bring for sure. >> yes. >> stella mccartney, british royalty, the daughter of paul mccartney designing athletic wear for athletes. >> she's doing competitive wear. she slightly changed the log okay, flag coloration. we've got one of our best designers producing competitive wear. fabulous for us. >> got to say if you're an italian athlete you're in great shape in the fashion department.

arma armani. armani they will be wearing coming into the opening ceremony. if you're an italian sailor, you're wearing prada, flying the best for italian luxury brands. >> really cool. jamaica is another interesting one. the daughter of bob marley designed some of the sportswear. >> she's the daughter of reggae legend which is fabulous. the colors of the jamaican flag, leaf present, yellow, exotic, slight touch of military, too. usain bolt will look gorgeous walking in. >> some fashions cause a little controversy. here is one from spain. number one is a russian designer. some of the athletes tweeted photos of themselves wearing the designs. i guess to be diplomatic about it, they don't love these designs. what do you think? >> it's a russian designer. very blingy red color. there's a bit of controversy in spain. they do have fabulous designers

in spain. i think it cost a little less for the team outfits by going to another designer. still quite a punch coming into the ceremonies. >> being in the olympics is cool no matter what you're wearing. >> no matter what. >> thank you very much. >> my pleasure. >> the duel in the pool. matt talks to ryan lochtee coming up after these messages. his teen face. because i didn't just get him a pair of nikes, i got him the pair of nikes. look - he can barely control himself. (in her head) i'm amazing. the styles they'll totally freak over for back to school are here. famous brands. famously easy. famous footwear. victory is yours. these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness...

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little crowd here at olympic park. thanks for showing up. some are summer interns. >> usa gymnasts. >> the park is closed. obviously they are gearing up for tonight's opening ceremony happening in that building over there. security is intense getting through. >> it will be packed. we'll be back in a minute. but first your local news. ♪ ♪ [ man ] excuse me miss. [ gasps ]

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good morning, it's 9:26 now on this friday, july 27th. i'm aaron gilchrist and talk about this forecast already topped 80 degrees for some of us. tom, what is it looking like? >> low to mid-80s around the region. live view from our hd city camera. later today, ought to hit the mid-90s by late afternoon and thunderstorms and some could be severe south and east of the metro area. highs low 90s and still humid and maybe afternoon storms and less humidity on saturday and could get storms first part of next week. aaron? >>

nchsh good morning. traveling northbound had an accident blocking the left lane and now moved to the left

shoulder lane. aaron, back over to you. >> thank you, danella. nbc 4 is your home for the london olympics. catch the opening ceremony here at 7:30 tonight and following the games any time you want

just a small taste of what you can expect during the olympics opening ceremony later tonight really is about all we're able to show you from the big event, final rehearsal, 16,000 people got to see it. they are keeping quiet today. they put up around the stadium the whole savior the surprise hashtag on twitter. i'm natalie morales with savannah guthrie enjoying it. it was raining this morning, the sun is shining. >> we have our fake phone booth

here. >> we should mention of a the opening ceremony gets under way 7:30 eastern, 6:30 central. you'll see more than the 30 seconds. you'll see the whole thing, all will be revealed. >> like a hollywood production, danny boyle, pomp and circumstance. >> moved to tears, meredith. >> ryan. >> the best matchup or one of the best match-ups at the olympics, michael phelps and ryan lochte, the showdown, duel in the pool, matt talks to them in a few minutes. >> the guide to the british isle with help from team usa athletes as well. >> all right. first we want to say hello to two of the women's boxing team. good morning. trying to shake. >> no. get with it. >> this is so exciting.

the first time women's boxing has been in the olympics. how do you feel about that. you've got to be so proud. >> excited. ready to roll. >> ready to hit somebody. >> i've been training hard back home. got here a little earlier. we're ready to put on a show for usa. >> you didn't know you really made the team until just about a month ago. is that right? you didn't qualify at the world championships and they called and said they needed you. >> they needed me. made it happen. i'm ready to give my all. >> i heard when your sister called you and said they added women's boxing you didn't believe it at first. >> i didn't think she knew what she was talking about. i was asleep when she called. i wasn't going to answer. she said like, you're in the games. i was like, no, you're deciding. she's like, no, it's all over the internet. i jumped out of bed. sure enough. i was really excited. it was definitely an honor. >> for those who know boxing, what is the difference between women's boxing and men's boxing.

>> the actual boxes is no different. >> different rounds. >> just learned something. >> is it fun to have this experience together? to get to go to the olympics together. >> we have been doing everything together for the last five years. we're like roommates, everything. we have to do everything. >> sparring partners? >> no. look at those guns. >> come on, savannah, show your guns. >> okay. >> do we need gloves or without gloves. okay. what are the basics. >> do the jab. >> y'all are both right-handed. >> i'm a leftie. >> savannah. >> be a leftie. >> so step. >> i'm scared.

>> i'll give you, same hand, same leg. >> we're ready. >> let me try. >> have you ever taken a kickboxing class, savannah? >> no. >> okay. >> hands up. keep your hands up. >> leftie. >> go. >> then what happens? there we go. >> she can hit me. >> come on. >> no mercy. no mercy. >> how do we look. >> float like a butterfly. >> all right. let's shake on it. time to go home with the weather. >> we're so proud of you guys.

you make us proud. >> keep doing this. >> get out some aggression. >> your blue ones actually match. maybe we can trade after this. let's get al with the weather. >> wow. it's like a female version of rock'em robots. let's look at your weekend and see what we got. starting today risk of strong storms and also in the upper ohio river valley and beautiful weather in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, we're looking at a risk of strong storms and not going to be all that bad tomorrow, but we do see some hit or miss showers and thunderstorms in the northeast to new england and the rest of the country sizzling really from the plains all the way down to texas and hot in the southwest and beautiful and mild in the northwest. sunday, sunday, plenty of sunshine on the east coast with hit or miss thunderstorms and the heat continues out west. 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. right now mid-80s and still

changes on the seven-day outlook and today mid-90s could get some storms during the afternoon and evening. there is a possibility that some of those storms severe with damaging wind south and east of the metro area and tomorrow partly sunny and afternoon storms and a bit cooler. each day sunday all the way to next thursday, although we could get storms on monday afternoon and, like aly ali and frasier all over again. >> we're still besties. >> team usa right after these messages. ahhh, i love how clean and healthy my mouth is right now. i wish i could keep it this way. [ dentist ] even after a dental cleaning... plaque quickly starts to grow back. but new crest pro-health clinical plaque control toothpaste can help. it not only reduces plaque... it's also clinically proven... to help keep plaque from coming back. plus, it works in these other areas dentists check most.

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advice from members of team usa as the mayor of london. >> i'm really, really happy the olympics are in london because i'm kind of obsessed with the brits. >> when you say london, i just feel comfortable. >> when i'm in london, i definitely want to see big ben. >> the most famous miami in england, right? >> i'm definitely going to try to get the digits of the prince. >> london bridge is falling down. >> i road the eye. >> they have some good shopping there. >> that's crazy to be that close to history. i love it. >> london bridge is falling down. ♪ what's the rest of it? >> president one day in london -- >> arrive from heathrow, attended, a high bike, new style bike for conservative men.

they go down to british museum. might take one of the new buses. will that take them in the right direction? they go down the river, take a thames clippers down the river. splendor. to greenwich where they can have a picnic. >> the lasting impression you want your global visitors to have of london is what, sir? >> the biggest, greenest city. we have more restaurants than paris. twice the number. >> might not be true. >> certainly true. twice the number of book shops, more theater and it rains more in rome. there you go. >> bye-bye. see you. >> and mary is here. welcome. what a character. we love him. >> he's hilarious. the country, royalty, prime minister, then -- >> he's a real person, on a bike

nonetheless. you got to see some sights. first the world of ian fleming. you just need to know one character here, bond, james bond. >> the 50th anniversary of james bond on film. we were so lucky. i got to do this. in a car. >> beyond reason. yes. >> how fast are you going? >> 2,000 miles an hour or so i assert, as the mayor of london would say. very, very fast. >> no bike rides. >> not at all. >> wow, lunch before hand? that could have been bad. >> it was something. >> you went to wales. >> i went to wales. >> you've been to wales, too. >> unbelievable gorgeous. >> you know how physically beautiful it is. it really is. i did a bunch of different things in wales, including this. natalie, this is frog new york ling. this is not an olympic event. no. you're not allowed to use -- this guy is great, tom shanklin,

a welch rugby player that tried to teach me rugby. that didn't go well either. >> what do you see in the bog? >> not a lot. it's dark and disgusting, but i did it. the mother ship. >> i give you props for that. you also had a little more lady like experience here. everybody knows you come to london, you've got to experience high tea. >> high tea is great. >> you did high tea at the twining tea shop. >> the famous family. this guy, again, tremendous character. i learned why, in fact, tea is the second most popular beverage in the world and why it got so big in this country. very good. i drank up the whole tea store. >> i can't wait to see more. you can see all of these stories throughout nbc's olympic coverage starting with tonight's opening ceremony at 7:30, 6:30

central time. coming up next, the rivalry everyone will be watching and talking about, ryan lochte versus michael phelps right after this. it's olive garden's 2 for $25.

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back now in london with one of the hottest rivalries of the game. michael phelps trying to become the most decorated olympian of all time but he faces serious competition from his teammate ryan lochte. >> olympic gold. >> they are two of swimming's greatest stars ever. >> it is lochte. >> together they make one of the greatest rivalries to date. >> race each other, man against man. >> i don't think michael would be the swimmer he is today unless he had a ryan lochte. >> .29 separate lochte and phelps.

>> the same for ryan and what he's been able to do for the last two or three years. i think it's solely because of michael. he got tired of being second. >> out of the pool, the two are reportedly friendly but couldn't be more different. michael is seen as a machine, intense, focused, unstoppable. >> when he gets really serious about it, no one is more competitive than he is. >> ryan, while fiercely competitive in the pool, is more of a free spirit, more laid back. >> he does a pretty good job of enjoying life. when he's happy, he swims well. >> lochte held off phelps. >> while lochte has dominated the swimming world in recent years, phelps still owns the olympics. >> phelps knows how to get up for the olympic games. until lochte takes phelps down there, phelps is always going to be the guy on top. >> both have taken extreme

measures this past year to find an edge. ryan taking on strong man training techniques. michael sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber to increase his lung capacity. >> i think they are just trying to one up each other, especially michael. he loves to plant those little seeds. >> both believe the advantage belongs to them. >> to me michael is just another swimmer. it's just another person i've got to go up against and race. when i go on the blocks, i always feel like i can win. >> when i jump in the pool, you see what happens. that's all i need to say. >> if you can write the headlines, ryan, for what's about to happen in london, what's your headline going to be? >> ryan lochte takes over. >> how do you feel about that headline? >> i don't say anything to that. i don't need to say anything to it. my talking is done in the pool. >> rivalry gets under way

tomorrow with the 400 individual medley. coming up next, the u.s. women's shooting team. first these messages.

we are back with three women hoping to make their mark, literally, on u.s. olympics shooting team. kim, amanda, ladies, good to have you here. kim, you are the veteran of the bunch. these are your fifth olympics. >> fifth olympics, going for another gold. >> another medal. >> if you medal, one more medal is all you need, i understand, to have five consecutive olympic appearances. i think that's the first ever. >> the first person to ever go five consecutive medals in five consecutive games in an individual sport. no pressure, right? >> no. how are you feeling about that?

>> just a little weight on the shoulders. i'm taking it really good just focusing on my practice. i'm ready. i'm excited for it to be over. >> corey, you got bronze in beijing. >> i did. >> i hear you revamped your shooting style since then. >> i have. i've definitely learned a lot over the last four years, worked on my technique. really developed as a shooter. really doing myself as one of the best in the world. >> you guys are really renaissance women. as i understand it, not only are you obviously olympic shooters, you make homemade pasta, a cook, you restore muscle cars or both of you do? >> yes. >> i went to cooking school in italy and studied there for a while and worked in a cooking school for two years. >> second career perhaps. >> maybe, possibly. >> i just purchased my 14th car the week prior to coming here, a 1928 model a roadster. >> wow. >> you guys are too cool. >> a lot of work to be done on a 1928 car, probably? >> amanda, this is your olympic

debut here. how is it for you to be a part of this team? >> it's so exciting. not just to be a part of usa olympic team but team usa as a whole. we're all the same level, the best in our sport, some of the best in the world. it's an honor to be here. i'm so excited. >> have you thought about walking tonight in the opening ceremony and what that's going to feel like? >> i'm scared it's going to be a huge rush of emotions. everybody says it's the moment you feel like a true olympian. i can't wait to feel that. >> i understand you're a part time barista for starbucks. >> that was in the past. i was 16. i'm 21 now. >> ancient home. >> making a no foam latte. >> i can make cappuccinos. my main career is shooting now. >> good luck. >> her goal now is to win a medal. ladies, thank you for being here. >> final reminder, opening ceremony 7:30, 6:30 central time right here on nbc. have a great weekend.

9:57 is your time now on this friday, july 27th, 2012. good morning. i'm eun yang. let's check in with tom kierein for a look at your forecast. hot and sticky out there already, tom. >> into the mid and upper 80s throughout much of the region now and partly sunny and no storms around yet, but we could get some later today during the latter part of the afternoon into the evening. highs in the mid and upper 90s and some of the storms south and

east of washington. tomorrow partly sunny and afternoon storms and looking nicer sunday with lower humid y humidity. right now looking at the situation on 29 southbound at 32. all of your lanes are blocked right now because of a tractor trailer. it's overturned and you are seeing delays right now really from seneca drive, you're jammed. slow gw parkway and delays continue as you head towards the dulles toll road. no accidents, delays. nbcwashington is your home for the london olympics and catch the opening ceremony at catch the opening ceremony at 7:30 t

captions paid for by nbc-universal television [ applause ]

>> hey! so embarrassing. >> that was crazy. >> hi, everybody, it's try day friday, july 27th. >> look at this crazy crowd. we want to thank our interns. >> we do? >> all those people walking behind us. that was great. hi, guys. >> you know what i love about interns, hoda? s you can get them to do anything. they can't say no. it's wonderful. >> we have an all-olympic show for you guys. we are going to do everything from learn a few things with british slang with rob shuter. we have the most ridiculous, ridiculous obstacle course known to man. >> they've been taking bets on who is going to win that one. >> the bets are 2-1 for kathie lee winning the obstacle course. where's the outrage? where is the outrage?

>> i don't know. i don't feel it today. i'm game day and i just don't feel it. >> the opening ceremony, you guys is tonight at 7:30. >> i can't wait. i'm dying to see what they are going to do. >> i hope they can just forget about china and concentrate -- that was such a bar, you know? people twirling and things behind us. >> they're over there. oh, yeah, they're right there. there is an adorable bunch of gymnasts. these are future olympians. >> should we have an olympic drink? what is it? >> we don't want to tell you what time it is here. >> cheers. >> what time is it in london? >> this is an olympic punch from the hotel savoy in london. it has gin, chamomile tea, lemon leaf and bitters.

>> that's good. all righty. what are we talking about today? this is the third time in history that london -- >> let's talk about one thing before we do that. we have the ugliest track suits known to man, don't we? >> they're not the most flattering. you look good in yours because you are 8 feet tall and slender. i'm post menopausal and have my problems, but we do look a little like jane lynch. do we have a picture of jane? yes. also betty white. >> where is the picture of frank gifford? >> frank gifford in a track suit. i wish we had one of those. how big is your foot, hoda? >> i proudly wear a size 9 1/2. and sometimes 10. mostly 9 1/2. yeah. there is a swimmer out there -- >> it's unbelievable. >> missy the missile. >> yes. this is the young 17-year-old

girl. >> i heard from sources, she has a size 13 foot. >> that's not a foot, that's a hoof. >> that is a flipper. anyway. she's adorable. she is only 17 years old. she could medal seven times. >> she is going to compete in seven different events. they are saying she could surprise everybody and win them all. >> we are excited about her. we are also excited, of course you know michael phelps and brian lachte. who do you think it's going to be? >> ryan. he's got the age advantage and winning the last three years. he's been considered the finest swimmer in the world. remember who took a little time off. >> who? >> michael phelps. >> oh, yeah. >> so he's had to come back while ryan stayed in shape. he thought it through. >> there was a picture of ryan in the pool with an australian

swimmer and they were kind of holding hands under the water, somebody said. there might be a little -- heh-heh. >> you didn't hear that. you don't know what that is. >> i'm sorry. >> don't mention heh-heh again, hoda. >> they are going to be great games. i'm excited about the gymnasts. that's another great group. we have the u.s. team has more female athletes than male athletes. >> that's a first. that's a first. this is interesting, as well. every nation that's competing, and i think there are 205 of them, have male and female athletes for the very first time, as well, in every sport. in every competition. yes. we've come a long way. >> meredith vieira interviewed the sprinter from afghanistan. it was a great interview she did with her. she is going to be competing in a head scarf and full length

dress. >> that is an unbelievable disadvantage. not a burka, right? >> there is video of her. she is beautiful. >> that puts her at such a disadvantage, doesn't it? >> she is just happy to be there. she says some of the women in afghanistan are giving her more problem than the men of afghanistan. >> tough to be the only female member of her team. god bless her. >> the two gymnasts everybody is watching, jordan weber and gabby douglas. >> they are going to bring out the best in one another. >> i'm scared of our obstacle course. not that the olympics aren't important, we have a wine uncorking game. that's one of our olympic games. we are walking a balanced beam with a glass of wine, okay? >> that's not easy. >> it isn't easy. >> i train made whole life for today. what were some of the other things that were fascinating to us about an hour ago when we were discussing them?

>> lolo jones. she is the hurdler. she competed in beijing. the foot hit one of the hurdles. she is way out ahead. suddenly she stutter steps and she literally was favored to win. she couldn't believe it. that's been in her head. she nicked it. this year she's competing again. she says the days of beijing are washed away. she is looking forward to this. in addition to that -- >> she has a lot to look forward to in life. she is known as the 29-year-old -- >> virgin. >> no. the woman who's never heh-heh. >> she kept making jokes about she wants the drought to end. >> i want my drought to end, too. let's talk about the olympic mascots for a minute. very, very controversial. not the cutest, cuddliest thing. how would you like to cozy up to

these two? >> they have no feet. their arms have friendship bands and the eye in the middle is a camera lens. apparently children are being frightened by these. >> there is a theme every olympics, it seems. >> if you look at different olympic games, the mascots are never -- look at the one from beijing, okay? >> makes you miss the muppets. >> vancouver. >> i don't know. i think they're okay. >> this is interesting. do you know who is carrying our u.s. flag into the ceremony tonight? >> no. >> we're going to tell you. >> this is nbc news. two-time olympic fencing champion mayor yell zagunis. she was voted on by all the athletes. it's like a miss congeniality contest. some of the swimmers were not eligible because they are not going to be in the opening

ceremony tonight because they are in an event tomorrow and chose to rest instead. >> we have a beautiful crowd out here. we are never outside and it's so weird. i want to point out one person in particular. lenny, happens to be wearing the right kind of t-shirt. >> lenny is dead to me. >> lenny rocks. the. >> in fairness, you have known lenny for how many years? >> i've known him longer than you. look at little betty, look at the little dog. >> sweet. we have a few -- it is try day friday. it's time for my friday funny. we've got three for you today. let's see what you think. here we go. why isn't sun tanning an olympic sport, hoda? >> i don't know. >> because the best you can ever get is bronze. >> that was not funny. that was a yuan. next. >> you know why you should never date a tennis player? because to them love means

nothing. i'm on a roll! book me in the catskills. you're drowning in that stuff. >> trying to make these jokes funny. go on. >> all right. third one. you know why you shouldn't trust a volley ballplayer with your drink? they might spike it. >> those were the worst jokes ever. you know what it is time for? bobbie's buzz. >> how are you? >> look at miss liberty herself. >> i'm back with the catherine mellengino flag dress. flag fashions with the olympics and july 4th made flags a hot trend. i have two gorgeous models, andrea and elizabeth, katie's little sister, modeling some looks here. there is the camera right there. this is from urban outfitters. the jeans 35 and up. >> you have to have a body like

andrea to wear those jeans. >> you can wear them every size. there is an assortment of flag fashions to get in on the spirit. converse and lacoste have flags from 16 countries. then a little bling. red, white and blue bling, judith leiber made some very special editions for london 2012. danny hoe, a jeweler andrea is wearing. liberty and the london. then swarovski have great charms from 13 countries you can pick up for under 100. great with the london bracelet. >> awesome. excellent. >> good job. >> you guys have seen behind us all these great gymnasts. they are from the eastern national academy of gymnastics in paramus, new jersey. where is olivia, how are you?

>> good. >> how old are you? >> i'm 9. >> how cute is she? >> how long have you been in gymnastics? >> i've been doing gymnastics for six years. >> since you were 3? you went to gymboree, tumble bugs? all of you the same since you were like 3? >> when do you want to complete in the olympics, olivia? >> i want to compete in 2020. >> she is so cute. >> where are those games going to be? >> they haven't decided yet. >> she knows everything. what is your favorite event? >> my favorite event is the bars. i love to swing. >> you do. >> who is your favorite current olympian, who do you love? >> i love gabby douglas because she rocks on the bars. >> are we talking parallel bars or uneven ones? >> the uneven. >> all right, kids. we are going to go. good luck. we can't wait to see you guys.

>> they'll be with us through the whole show. >> coming up, they gave us more than the beatles and the clash. >> we'll go back and look at the british invasion of pop culture in general, all right? s right back after these messages. [ taste buds ] donuts, donuts, donuts! who are these guys? oh, that's just my buds. bacon, donuts. -my taste buds. -[ taste buds ] waffles. how about we try this new kind of fiber one cereal? you think you're going to slip some fiber by us? rookie. okay. ♪ nutty clusters and almonds, ♪ ♪ almonds. ♪ fiber one is gonna make you smile. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing new fiber one nutty clusters and almonds. with 43% daily value of fiber for you. crunchy nutty clusters and real almond slices for your taste buds.

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bunker, fred sanford and mr. roper actually originated across the pond. >> the british influence in american entertainment has gone on for decades, most recently with reality shows spin-offs like "american idol" and "big brother." >> tim stack, we love him. we don't know why. we tried to figure it out, but we just love the man. >> i feel the same way. >> we steal everything from britain, don't we? >> we steal everything. >> any original ideas here? >> nothing. everything is stolen from the u.k. there is a british counterpart of me. i ripped this off. >> let's talk about -- we said archier bunker from the '70s. how did that start over there? >> "all in the family" originated in the u.k. it was called "till death do us part." norman lear loved it and brought it over here. archie over there was called alf. he wasn't an alien.

he was similarly racist and offensi offensive. >> meathead. >> i think it was the equivalent of bangers. >> "sanford and son" was another big one. >> it was called "step toe and son." it was kind of about a blue collar family, a father and son, but was a little more serious in the uk, much like everything is in the uk. >> "three's company" was a big hit here. >> that was originally a british show called "man about the house." it was progressive about a man who moved into two women, pretending he was gay to live with them. it was cutting edge. there was even ropers on that one. the landlords.

i don't know if she wore mumus. >> "the office" was probably one of the most modern huge in both countries. >> "the office" in the uk was a bomb. it only aired two seasons, six episodes. ratingswise was awful. it gained a cult following and now a big hit. >> you know i loved "benny hill." who didn't love benny hill. >> crickets? crickets? >> absolutely fabulous. >> which to me it reminds me of -- it's two boozy gals to like to talk about sex and spanx. kind of reminds me of somebody. >> it was a huge hit in england but not here. >> it has a very cult following.

>> not a cult. >> a cult. who are the british equivalents of you two? do we know? >> i don't know. >> you're too unique. >> mine would be margaret thatcher. >> i see that. >> you're going to stick around with us. you'll help us out later with the obstacle course. >> i can't wait. >> sweetie, we love you. get ready to ask us any bloody thing you want to. >> well, almost anything. sara will take questions from our fabulous crowd. [ lane ] your anti-wrinkle cream is gone. but what about your wrinkles. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it has the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce wrinkles in just one week. "why wait if you don't have to."

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all righty. you're not going to like it. >> she's going to instagram? >> i'm doing it all. it's time for 3, 2, 1, sara haines lining up questions from our crowd. >> our first question is from alyssa from chicago, right? >> i was just wondering what is your favorite event of the olympics? >> i think i'm gymnastics. you know what's funny? i have trouble watching it because i'm fearful of someone falling. i watch cringy. our team is so hot. we could win gold. >> for me in the winter it's the skating. in the summer, it's the gymnastics. they're 6 and they can do this stuff. >> these children behind us are pretzels. >> ricky from pittsburgh. >> hi, ricky. >> gooseburg. >> okay. >> i was wondering what's your

favorite part of the opening ceremonies? >> well, i don't know what they are going to be. i'm curious to see what the big unveiling is. they build it up. you know how they leaked a couple of pieces of video? meredith vieira said there is something spectacular that happens if they can pull it off, it will be one of the epic moments of the olympics. >> that worries me though, "if they can pull it off." surely they tried and it did happen, right? >> next question is from a birthday girl who turned the big 1-3. >> who do you think is rotter, ryan lochte or michael phelps? >> ryan. >> you know he is. >> we like the young ones. >> we've got jody from milwaukee. >> if 2 you could compete in any olympic sport, what would it be? >> wine tasting. >> yes. you do what you're good at.

it's important in life. >> go for the gold. >> thanks, sara. if you like fashion, we'll show what the brits have to offer. >> and since we are feeling cheeky, british slang. [ female announcer ] every day, there's a new reason not to make a home-cooked meal. work, errands, a greasy bag of deep-fried easy. ♪ fortunately with hamburger helper's 40 varieties a home-cooked meal is never out of reach. hamburger helper. help is on the way.

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welcome back. it's try day friday here at the plaza. people are giving us gifts. they said we have something for you guys you never tried before. water. we never touch the stuff. we are going to celebrate all things british fashion. >> senior fashion editor and new contributor to the "today" show, welcome. >> lovely to see you. >> you're heading over to london for the olympics. >> i am indeed next week. >> what do you think of our fashion choices? >> this is what we all should be wearing. it's very madonna. >> it's very betty white.

>> let's talk about the trends. >> we have the best of british friends. we have this little suit by jack wells. british like a more eclectic style. tomboy meets the girly-girl with the floral shirts. >> a little laura ashley there. >> what age group do you think can pull this off? >> it's quite a young look. you guys have great legs. you could totally wear the shorts. this is a great alternative to a pants suit. >> i remember when that was a great look 30 years ago. all comes back. hold on to your short shorts. >> what about these bags? >> one of the the biggest british secrets is accessorize. it's been a go-to for british women over 30 years. these are super cute little sacks. this is $20. very useful and super fun and functional. it's disguised with the floral and the butterflies. >> it could be a cute diaper

bag, too. >> what does donna have on next to you? >> donna has on this delightful a-sauce dress. >> this is adorable. >> look how cute. >> this is a dress that works for all figure types. it's flattering if you have lower body issues. >> it's beautiful. >> a blooming gorgeous dress. >> in terms of accessories, minimize everything? >> absolutely. the dress is enough of a statement. shoes nude, easy. >> talk splurge items. >> everyone is jumping on the olympic bandwagon. the designer market is no exception. jimmy choo have done these fabulous smoking slippers. union jack has been around forever. it's always going to be in fashion. maybe something you want to splurge on. they've done these incredible sunglasses you have to wear. >> go ahead, team hoda.

>> no? >> and the bracelet. and they teamed up with these back-to-school pumps and jimmy choo cashmere scarf. >> these are all crazy pricey. >> but fun. >> stefan. >> he's on team kathie lee, by the way. >> another fabulous intern here. he looks wonderful. it's almost like the sun comes out and fashion goes haywire. no flip-flops with socks. cute little booties. all french connection. >> these shoes with that outfit? >> yeah. they are a great transitional shoe. no socks. >> that would be nerdish. >> definitely the belt to keep it more polished, done up. >> good job. >> then we have everyone's favorite british -- >> what is going on there? >> i want you to try these on. >> no.

>> these are by top shelf. synonymous with british cool. these are henry hall, a great british designer. >> a british version of spanx. >> less adventurous is a great denim jacket here. >> thank you very much. >> enjoy london. >> rob shuter is going to give us a lesson or two in british slang. then that crazy obstacle course. i'm scared. try this. it's oikos greek yogurt. it's creamy, nonfat, and it turns the next person you see into john stamos for five seconds. honey! i think i'm getting burned! heh! eat. ♪ tastes pretty good, huh? ♪ best yogurt ever. yeah!

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all right, if you are headed to london for the olympic games, we are going to help you out. we have one cheeky gentleman to help us with british slang. >> no one is cheekier about their slang than the brits. we have our own rob shuter for the huffington post celebrity columnist. >> hello. >> since we could not get the buzzers we usually have since we are going to have a game show. instead we are supposed to blow these. >> english horns. there you go. >> ready? ladies, get ready. if i say you have the biggest

cob, i'm referring -- >> the what? >> biggest gob. i'm saying, a, house, b, mouth, c -- >> mouth. >> you are correct. point for hoda. >> she can blow that because she has a bigger gob than i've got. >> hoda is obsessed with her blower. is it, a, a phone, b her ipod or c her hair dryer. >> hair. >> you have to blow the horn. hair dryer. >> correct again. >> did i not say that? >> hoda, i'm wrong. it's not your hair drier. it is your phone. >> we're both wrong. >> a blower is a phone. sorry. >> question number three. if i say balls up, it means, a, we are going to a cricket match, b, going to give a toast, or c, you made a terrible mistake.

>> i can't do it. >> i think it's a toast. >> that is not correct. you made a mistake. >> the third one, whatever that was. >> you made a mistake. that's right, you made a mistake. balls up is a mistake. >> is it tied? >> a little bit of a cheeky one. listen carefully. what do you do with bob roll. >> learn to speak english. >> do you a, clean your bum? b, eat it with chips? or c, roll it down the side of a hill? >> i want to hear you blow your horn. >> i can't. >> go like this. >> that's it. >> b.

>> that's not correct. >> i don't know what it was. >> it is clean your bum, eat it with chips or roll it down the hill. >> clean your bum. >> roll it down the hill. >> clean your bum. bob roll is toilet paper. >> i said that. >> what's the prize? >> oh, the prize is fantastic. >> okay. finish the sentence, i'm going to a casino because i feel, a, manky, b dodgy or c jammi. hoda, a, b or c? >> it is amanky. >> it is c. >> right, it is c, jammy in britain means lucky. >> number six. >> how many more are there? i'm exhausted. >> you have just been put into a panda car because, a, you're on the way to the nut house, b, you're on your way to jail or c, you're on your way to the zoo?

hoda. >> jail. >> you are absolutely right. it's a police car in britain. >> let's tee it up it's the last question. and it's 2-2. this is the tiebreaker. >> you're going to answer it because i can't blow the daggone thing. >> hoda! >> we can't even understand him. go ahead. >> the last question. if you just brought your man y-front y-fronts. >> just what? >> you have just brought your man y-fronts. >> okay. >> is it a, a sling shot. is it b a wax? or is it c, underwear?

>> underwear. >> that's a mating call. >> that is correct, underwear. >> what did i get? >> hoda is the winner. >> your horn. >> i don't want my horn! i don't want my horn! >> you can have mine, too. >> i hate these horns. >> that was funny. thank you, rob. >> a lot more coming up. then we'll do an obstacle course. >> and a little drinking, too. we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] so how long have you been living flake-free with head & shoulders? since before jeans were this skinny... since us three got a haircut. since my first twenty-ninth birthday. [ female announcer ] live flake-free with head & shoulders. it starts working from your first wash. with seven benefits, there's no worries from flakes, itch or breakage. i haven't worried about flakes since my grunge days. remember them? trying not to. [ female announcer ] head & shoulders.

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whether it's bangers and mash or fish and chips, certain words do evoke thoughts of an english pub and all the wonderful food they serve. >> and the very british robert irvine host of "restaurant impossible" is here to show us a thing or two.

>> he shaved his arms and i said why? >> because you burn your hands. you burn the hair. it smells awful. >> good to know. >> british food. let's talk about fish and chips, right? fish and chips, you don't get any more british than that. the trick to this is the batter. we've got vinegar, egg. >> regular batter? >> baking powder and pepper. >> that was just an egg yolk. >> water. the key to this and i'm giving you this for free. well, maybe. vinegar. >> you love your vinegar. >> keeps it crisp. >> we believe you. >> what kind do you like to use? >> i use malt vinegar. you can use any vinegar you like. rice wine vinegar is always good if you want an oriental flavor to it. get all the lumps out. we don't like lumps. we are british. we don't like lumps. >> what kind of fish do you use? >> cod.

it has to be cod. listen, we're british. season, flour it, shake the excess off, into the batter, one hand, keep it clean. >> okay. >> shake the batter off. into the oil. >> stand back. it goes crazy. >> hold it and gently put it in. >> beautiful. >> what oil do you use? some people say it makes a difference. >> peanut oil is regularly used in england because of the flavor. but because so many people have allergies, i'm using grape seed oil. it's better for you than olive oil. >> better than olive oil? >> much better. >> i don't believe you. >> and it gets to a higher cooking temperature very quickly and has no flavor. it's much better. >> how long do you cook it for? >> that will be cooked in about three seconds. here is what you're going to do. all these, flour them, batter them and put them on the tray. whoever gets the most done in a time wins.

>> flour it? >> excess flour off. batter it. don't let her win. what's up with you? what is that? >> la, la, la, la, la, la, la! this is so he'sy. >> oh, my gosh. >> now what do we do? >> hang on, hang on. >> who did that? >> what? >> how come kathie lee is cleaner? >> it's a messy business. >> yours does not look better than mine. okay? who won? is this another contest? i'm exhausted. where's the horn? >> i tell you what, it would not be in my kitchen. >> we are more interested in eating it than making it. >> our fish has gone golden brown. hang on. i'll tell you who won. >> get it on there.

>> it's team hoda. >> look how cute he looks in that. >> you just want to show off your body. that is so unattractive. >> totally hot. >> first of all, thank you very much. this is "today" on nbc.

this is our olympic obstacle course. this is going to show our ingenuity, our athletic ability. >> all that stuff. tim stack is going to help us. >> i can't leave you two. >> this is a complicated course. >> we have our interns helping us out. can the crowd scream? scream for team kathie lee. >> sure.

>> let's go. let's go through it. >> real quick. >> start off with your dizzy bats. you do that once. spin around once. then we'll move to the balance beam where you will hold a glass of wine and do the balance beam. it's like a friday night. then you're going to -- sorry. human ring toss. you're going to throw a ring on an intern. treat them like crap. go to the basketball hoop where you're going to dunk. >> hoda has a great advantage because she is eight feet tall. >> let's do it. >> let's just do it. wait. wait. >> sara is the referee. >> go!

>> kathie lee's in the lead! >> i can't do this one. >> here we go! >> what happened? >> excuse me. >> go around the back. >> what happened? s. >> i'm going to crown you, kathie. >> you guys, that rocked. we want to thank all our

interns, everybody for coming out this morning. >> we have extra time. we'll have a funky dance party. >> yes! a funky olympic dance party. why not? >> crank it up, guys. >> thank you. see you tonight at 7:30. >> we'll be back in two weeks. i'll be working on that fabulous musical "scandalous." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com