good morning. breaking news in a late-night vote, the house gives final approval of legislation, pulling the country back from the brink of the fiscal cliff but does it set up an even bigger financial fight in washington down the road? recovering, hillary clinton spending a fourth day at a new york hostal where she's being treated for a blood clot in her head. we're there live with the latest on her condition. and eat this and this and this. the controversial new diet that lets you eat anything you want for eight hours a day. we'll talk to the familiar face behind the plan "today," wednesday, january 2nd, 2013.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm erica hill in today for savannah. happy new year. >> happy new year to you. this is our first day -- tech nknick ally, we were here yesterday, but this is our first day back together. >> everybody was here yesterday. >> technically. happy new year to you. >> a lot going on. in the briefing room after that vote in the house, passing the fiscal cliff legislation. >> in the end, the president got most of what he wanted including higher taxes for families making over $450,000 a year. there were things left out of this bill that have angered a lot of republicans and set the stage for some contentious debates down the road.

we'll have a live report from capitol hill, straight ahead. also ahead, a papparazza taking pictures of justin bieber's car was hit and killed in los angeles last night. and some gadgets and gizmos designed to help you get fit. the free flexor, body blade and hyper whole body vibration machi machine. we'll check them out. >> laughter and hilarity will ensue. kelly o'donnell now is live on capitol hill. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. it was slow and it was ugly, but in the end, congress did go bipartisan, passing something they call tax relief which many of them do not like. one fight down is another taken up. the president and congress have set the stage for what could be the next fiscal cliff. nearly 24 hours after the new

year deadline, but before a real world crisis set in, congress finally acted. >> the nays are 167. the motion is adopted. >> reporter: to cut some taxes permanently and delay for just two months severe military and federal spending cuts. that gave president obama reason to make a rare late-night stop in the briefing room. >> under this law, more than 98% of americans and 97% of small businesses will not see their income taxes go up. >> reporter: the president quickly turned from thanking congress to calling them out over raising the country's borrowing limit, the debt ceiling, necessary within weeks. >> while i will negotiate over many things, i will not have another debate with this congress over whether or not they should pay the bills that they've already racked up. >> reporter: many in both parties remain frustrated that the fiscal cliff deal does not cut the deficit. >> i severely regret that this

is not a big, bold, balanced plan. >> reporter: and that will be the next washington drama. >> we also need to address the fundame fundamental causes of our debts and deficits and that's out-of-control spending. >> reporter: columnist david brooks criticized congress for setting up fights by avoiding hard decisions. far from laying the groundwork for future cooperation, it sentences the country to another few years of budget warfare. the president opened the door to reducing entitlements to reduce the deficit. >> i agree with democrats and republicans that the aging population and rising cost of health care makes medicare the biggest contributor to our deficit. >> reporter: after midnight as lawmakers poured out of the capital with just one day left before a new congress takes over, the president headed overnight to hawaii to rejoin his family on vacation. so, washington takes a breath

now, but there are those other fights coming. in fact, it will be just a matter of weeks before they fight over raising the country's ceiling to borrow. we will be back to some of the same wrangling very soon. matt? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you very much. chuck todd is nbc's political correspondent and our political direct director, of course. they got this done at the 11th hour -- after the 13g9 hour if you want to be accurate about it. a lot of people aren't happy about this. the tax situation we know about. when it comes to deficit and spending it's totally a kick the can approach, isn't it? >> it's totally that. they've done this to themselves now multiple times. this is the story, this 112th congress does leave us today and some people say finally leaves us today because this is the story of this congress. every major decision they came up to -- and it began with a

threat of a government shutdown just two months into this congress. and then, of course, we had the debt ceiling showdown. then it culminated with this fiscal cliff and created what's coming in march. what's coming in march, matt, take all the fights we had separately and put them all in one fight and expiring all at the same time, debt ceiling, funding the entire federal government, that expires. >> and i thought david brooks column was powerful and eye opening. kelly mentioned something he said but he said if congress couldn't make a single tough decision under these circumstances, why should we think it will make any further down the road? more likely, there will just be more squabbling and brinkmanship, more posturing and punting, which would not only poison future budget talks, chuck but also prospects for immigration reform, tax reform, gun control and many other projects. not a rosie picture. >> it isn't. i'm trying to figure out the relationship between, for

instance, house speaker john boehner and the white house is terrible. let's not pretend they can get anything done. yet you still have to get something through the house. perhaps this new -- this relationship, renewed relationship between the white house, joe bide nen particular, and mitch mcconnell is a way to get some things done, but it is going to dominate this thing. and one thing to look back here and to figure this out is republicans have to figure out what they want. if you look back on it, matt, this was a debacle for the republican party. we almost had the republican leadership in the house completely undermine the republican leadership in the senate when it looked like they were threaten to scuttle the whole thing. more than any republican party in a generation has ever helped anybody raise taxes and have nothing for it. >> here is a prominent republican, lindsey graham, saying this. round two is coming and we're going to have one hell of a

contest about the direction and vision of this country. >> well, the republican party has to figure out what it wants to be first before they sit down at the negotiating table. then they've got to figure out who is going to do the negotiating for them. is it mitch mcconnell? is it john boehner? who runs the republican party? i think that's unclear out of all this. one piece of fallout here -- look, lindsey graham is right. it's going to be a giant fight. until the republican party is sort of unified at what it wants to do, they're not going to be an effective negotiating force against the president. >> a busy couple of months. chuck todd, thank you very much. >> you got it, matt. >> now here's erica. doctors say secretary of state hillary clinton is making excellent progress as she recovers from a blood clot in her head. anne thompson is at new york presbyterian hospital with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. this is day four for secretary of state hillary clinton in the hospital as doctors try to use

blood thinners to try to dissolve that potentially dangerous blood clot behind her right ear. in her four years as secretary of state, hillary clinton never seemed to stop until now. she has been out of the public eye since this appearance in l belfast. suffering a stomach virus, concussion and this past sunday an mri revealed the blood clot. >> patients who just have a mild concussion, that risk is extremely low. it would be very rare to have this type of complication of a concussion. >> reporter: the clot is in a vein on the surface of the brain that carries blood to the heart and lung. the fear is if it grows larger, blood could back up in the brain, causing a stroke. using blood thinners, doctors hope to slowly dissolve the clot. >> prognosis for this type of problem tick typically if it's isolated to one small area, the

prognosis is very good. >> reporter: superlatives mark hillary clinton's career, the most admired woman in america for the 11th consecutive year in the gallup poll, the most traveled secretary of state, locke logging one million miles and visiting 127 countries. some speculated that clinton was trying to avoid answering questions on capitol hill about benghazi. >> when you don't want to go to a meeting, conference or event, you have a diplomatic illness. this is a diplomatic illness to beat the band. >> reporter: one day he said the lack of details was to protect her presidential ambition. but yesterday the often crit icl new york post wished clinton well, arguing her answers about benghazi, quote, can come later. a full recovery is what's important now. new york democrats assist the former senator will rebound.

>> she is as tough as nails. she is strong. she is resilient. we wish her a very speedy recovery. >> reporter: her husband, former president bill clinton, is believed to have been at the hospital. her daughter, chelsea, an nbc news special correspondent, acknowledge acknowledged well wishers on twitter, writing thank you to all for sending good thoughts my mom's way. grateful to all her doctors and that she will make a full recovery. this is not the first time secretary clinton has dealt with a blood clot. she had one in her leg in 1998. erica? >> anne thompson, thank you. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical director. >> good morning, erica. >> you said it's important to clarify this is not on her brain. >> it's the drainage route for the blood that goes into the brain and has to get back in the heart. it's not right in the brain, on the skull but in the canvasy area called the dura, that in-between area.

>> when we hear that there was a concussion prior to this, does that tell you anything about the type of fall? >> viral gastroenteritis. she got dehydrated, fainted, clunked her head. that caused a tiny tear in a blood vessel that frankly then started to slowly leak into this area that acts like a pool of blood. that pool is constantly sending blood away from the brain. in this case, it became stagnant, it clotted. if you don't get that out or it doesn't start moving on its own, then because the skull is so rigid, pressure builds up, you get headaches and that can lead to a series of events if, untreated, can be very serious. >> still typically this is not the type of thing that you would use a blood thinner? >> this is so atypical, a lot of

us were stumped. i talked to my brother, who does this type of surgery. if there's a blood clot you either leave it alone and watch it or put a drain hole in the skull and suck it out and evacuate it. to anti-coagulate somebody puts them at risk because you worry about risk of bleeding in the brain. they still realized it was an isolated place, it wasn't going away and the best chance of curing her then was to put her on the blood thinners. >> does that add any extra concern to you as a doctor? >> no, because now they know exactly what they have on mri. they know exactly what to focus on. they'll watch her blood clotting really, really carefully. look, she's probably working from her bed at this point. she'll have a full recovery. even if she doesn't travel anymore, she'll have a really, really good prognosis. but this is -- there's an old statement in medicine. you never want to be a fascinating patient.

you never want to be a fascinating case. she's now become more than a fascinating woman. she's a fascinating medical mystery. >> boring is better, right? >> boring is always better. >> thanks, nancy. let's go over to the news desk and get the headlines of the morning. natalie is off. we've got willie geist sitting in. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt, erica. abandoned plans to vote on an aid package for victims of superstorm sandny this current term of congress. the senate had approved more than $60 billion to help residents of the east coast recover. residents from hard-hit new york and new jersey are furious, peter king calling it inexcusable. open house is being held at a connecticut middle school that has been reoutfitted to serve survivors of sandy hook elementary. classes begin there on thursday.

police in los angeles are investigating the death of a celebrity photographer who was hit by a car tuesday while trying to take pictures of a white ferarri owned by pop star justin bieber. bieber was not in the car. the driver who struck the photographer has been released. an investigation is under way into tuesday's deadly crowd stampede after new year's celebration in ivory coast. at least 61 people were crushed to death while leaving a fireworks show at a stadium. the taliban released a statement today that ridicules the planned withdrawal of u.s. forces from afghanistan next year calling it a, quote, declared victory and comparing it to the u.s. withdrawal from vietnam. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange with a look at wall street. good morning. >> good morning, willie. happy new year. u.s. stocks are poised to kick off the new year on a high note. investors reacting to the house

vote last night on the bill to avoid the fiscal cliff. stocks and commodities are expe expected to move higher as uncertainty dissipates. however, traders think the rally could be short lived as the next big battle in washington looms in just a few weeks over raising the nation's borrowing limit. willie? >> courtney, thank you very much. love at the flowers at tuesday's tournament of roses parade. a virginia couple tied the knot aboard the appropriately named love float and first class eric paz stepped off the float he was riding to surprise his wife and 4-year-old son, who were among the spectators. it is now 7:16. back to matt, erica and al, who was there at the parade. those things never get old, do they, guys? >> there was not a dry eye in the house. it was really very special. sergeant first class paz doing tours in iraq and afghanistan. >> the only thing he was afraid of was that his wife would be

mad at him for lying about where he was. good to have you back. >> good to see everybody. let's take a look. things fairly quiet across the country. the big story will be the cold air, the jet stream dipping way down to the south. 49 in houston. 44 in albuquerque. temperatures temperatures 10 to 15 to 20 degrees below normal. looking at what's going on for the day today we have a little clip of snowfall in the plains to great lakes and lake effect snow. temperatures on the cool side and northwest temperatures in the 40s and showers down through the gulf coast. we'll get to your local forecast but first, this message.

good morning, i'm tom kierein, sunrise over the potomac and a live view from hour news4 city camera. sun is up at 7:27 and right now mostly cloudy at reagan national and 35 degrees. wind from the north at 10 miles an hour. and it's at or below freezing west and north of washington generally mid 30s south and east. it will stay in the 30s the rest of the day. partly sun in and and that's your latest weather. matt? the fiscal cliff deal that was reached will raise taxes for people who make more than $450,000. that's nothing compared to france. michelle kosinski is there. good morning to you.

>> reporter: tougher trying to imagine being successful or lucky enough to earn a million dollars in a year, then being asked to hand over 75% of that in taxes. the french president has been pushing for that, though his law was just ruled unconstitutional in its current form. the effect has been the same in other countries, even the u.s., when high taxes have loomed a run for the border. it may be the birth place of labels and luxury, chanel, champagne. revolutionary cry of liberty equality for eternity had a discomfort like the scene out of the movie marie antoinette. >> france is a country where you have a president who said i don't like the rich. >> reporter: nicknamed president bling-bling and who vowed to help ease the country's

stagnation and deficit by taxing the rich, 75% on income over a million euros. according to polls, most citizens agreed with this. entrepreneurs have gone wild, saying this would further kill any innovative spirit here and driving already an estimated thousands of wealthy or wanna-be wealthy people out to switzerland, london, including gerard -- the french film icon who starred in "green card" is now bidding adieu to france for belgium which doesn't have a movie theater but is full of tax exiled millionaires. the government has said it unpatriotic, but he equally slammed them, causing an uproar here. >> the problem is france is not a fiscal cliff.

it's sort of like fiscal quicksa quicksand. bit by bit, the french are losing confidence. instead of doing what we do in the united states or what they do in britain which is to say you want to work hard, you want to make money, you will be rewarded. >> reporter: it would affect a few thousand people but was shot down because it targets individual instead of household income. the government said it will find a way to enact it in some form this year while other taxes also rise. today in france, the rich are revolting against it with their feet, taking their cash away. around here we keep running into american tax exiles, people who have given up their citizenship to protect their money from taxes. do you know where in the world has the highest income taxes currently? the island of aruba, 60% for its highest earning individuals and sweden at around 57%. matt?

>> michelle kosinski in paris this morning. thank you very much. from what i understand, that town in belgium where gerard depardu moved, their gardens in the backyard are in france. >> you lose depardu, you lose the country. >> very famous saying. thank you for that. just ahead, four prominent americans, including warren buffet and the world's youngest self-made billionaire discuss your prospects for 2013 when it comes to money and other things. and good-bye to gangnam style why psy could be hanging up his dance moves once and for all. oh, please. first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, a new diet that would fix only the hours you eat

not what you eat. >> a woman fights back the insulting way she was identified by a valet. she shares her story after these messages and your local weather. flaky layers biscuits in just 15 minutes the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands biscuits let the making begin. try our entrees, snacks and new salads. salmon with basil, garlic chicken spring rolls, and now salads, like asian-style chicken. enjoy over 130 tasty varieties, anytime. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. these are sandra's "homemade"

yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence. i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. good morning. it's 7:26 on this wednesday, january 2nd, i'm aaron gilchrist. breaking news on the roads right now. mike cremedas has what to look out for. >> reporter: thank you, westbound 66 at chain bridge road an incident has been removed. all travel lanes are opened. no delay on the westbound side but the eastbound side of 66 has heavy delays making a trip to the beltway this is monument driver. a 19-minute ride on eastbound 66 from fairfax county parkway to the beltway. >> thank you. in our headlines, investigators trying to figure out what caused a fire in prince george's county. witnesses sent us they photos of flames shooting from the roof of a home in 8200 block of student

dive in clinton. the fire started just after 6:00 last night and it was so intense firefighters were forced to fight the flames from outside. no one was hurt and the house was vacant at the time. same-sex couples can begin to hold public courthouse wedding ceremonies in montgomery county. gay marriage became legal in the state but they had to be private because the courthouse was closed. today the circuit court clerk already has four ceremonies lined up. a look at your chilly forecast next.

good morning, a cold start around the region. we've got temperatures at or below freezing. western northern suburbs and southern eastern suburbs mid 30s right in the district of columbia, low to mid 30s. and later today. we'll stay in the 30s, the rest of the day and partly sunny and more of the same on thursday. friday milder into the mid 40s during the afternoon with more sun and then partly sunny over the weekend and highs in the 40s on saturday.

maybe briefly near 50 on sunday. looks like good weather for the skins' game and then back to work and school on monday and tuesday is chilly and dry. >> thank you.

that's al and some of the gang here feeling the burn this morning. a lot of people resolve to get fit and lose weight. some of those people may be going out to buy some of the hottest gadgets on the market, including that one -- or those ones that these guys are using right now. we'll try some of those gadgets to see if they will help you get in shape. also an eight-hour diet that comes with a bold promise, drop as much as five pounds a week while eating what you want. gangnam style, the first video to have a billion views on

youtube, the singer may say he may retire his hit. >> he said it got too popular and he's ready to move on to the next big thing, which is fine. fextremely successful americans gaze into the crystal ball for 2013. our very revealing and diverse round table, warren buffet, founder of spanx. one florida woman left her car with a valet. she got her vehicle back but along with it came something she never expected. kerry sanders has the story. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: car parking valets have all sorts of memory tricks to match the car to the keys to the person who left the car. one florida valet here secretly used a description that offended one woman and she demanded an apology. actress sharon peoples was headed to work last month and

valeted her car near the local theater where she was performing. the next day, the valet parking ticket she found in her car made her angry. right there four descriptive words scrawled on the ticket, she assumes written by the valet. >> in handwriting it said play, red dress and fat on it. i was mortified, embarrassed, in front of my boyfriend especially. >> reporter: called trying to find out who was responsible. >> i wanted them to be reprimanded appropriately and i wanted it handled in a manner that this would never, ever happen again. >> reporter: after complaining she received this e-mail from dan silva. please accept our sincerest apologies. moving forward physical appearance will not be written on tickets and this type of situation will never occur again. silva offered sharon free valet parking and a restaurant gift card. in a statement to nbc news, the

ceo of the company says he spoke to sharon to apologize and the employee who wrote that description on the ticket has been disciplined. >> and i hope, i hope and pray that doesn't happen to anybody else. >> reporter: but apparently it does happen elsewhere. across the internet, people have posted their own versions of sharon's parking stub. this receipt allegedly from a chain restaurant notes the to go order is for nerds and another receipt, order number 315 is reportedly for an asian customer. at this chicken restaurant, this order apparently is for a guy with no hair. >> if it could hurt your customer, your business, your relationship with your employer, it's best not to do it. >> as for sharon the actress, she hopes that people learn words hurt. >> i think that knowledge is power and at this point i just think that people should know what happened to me and maybe,

maybe this will change something. >> reporter: sharon peoples says she has now met face to face with the valet parking company manager, accepts the apology and will give the valet company another chance. erica, thank you? >> i like that she stood out -- or stood up and told the story despite the embarrassment because i thimplg it might help other people prevent it in the future. let's get another check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by massage envy. this new year, start your wellness resolution with massage envy. >> good morning, everybody. brisk day. 16th birthday here. a lot of folks trying to do something to help the folks suffering from hurricane sandy. take a look. this is asbury park, new jersey, the tenth annual polar bear plunge. they raise money to water

temperatures of 46 degrees. tell them about the shrinkage, jerry! that is rough. oh, man! le this morning. weak system coming from southern texas all the way into the southeast. bringing some light showers and no big problems with this. as we look around the rest of the country, we're going to see some blowing and drifting snow through the plains and as the clipper comes across through the great lakes and bringing lake effect snow and look at plenty of sunshine due to the southwest and showers near the gulf coast and sunny in new york and the northeast but it is going to be anywhere from five to ten degrees colder thachb usual. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> cold and dry pat person tear. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. there's the dawn sky over the potomac river. reagan national in the foreground mostly cloudy and 35 degrees with northerly wind around 10 miles an hour. elsewhere, below freezing western-northern suburbs mid 30s. south and east.

and out into the mountains it's in the 20s in many locations. we'll stay in the 30s later today and more of the same on thursday and into the weekend, dry and >> got another sweet 16. happy birthday. >> al, thanks. still ahead the unusual new laws that are now in effect in the new year. and up next, what should you do with your money in 2013? matt talks about that with some of the most successful people in america after this. lucky charms?! ♪

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we're back now at 7:39 with words of wisdom for the new year from some great minds. warren buffet, tony robins, san antonio mayor, and creator of spanx, sarah. after so many economic starts and stops, do they see positive things in 2013? >> i'm usually optimistic about america. you're in the right place. if you're born in this country, you know, you're one of the luckiest individuals in the world. and go back to 1776 and what we have works. >> all of you also optimistic? >> i would say so. look at 2013, i'm optimistic because there is a force we've been a part of for a couple hundred years and that's a force of technology going geometric. it's changed our access to resources. the phone most people have in

their pocket today, this is something the president of the united states didn't have 20 years ago. then you have guys like this gentleman or bill gates, spending their life fortune about how to end hunger, how to fight disease. >> this is like one big woodstock event here. everybody is so optimistic. are you as optimistic? >> well, i am. you can feel the mood of the country, i think, brightening. i think we're ready to let out a collective breath and get on with prospering. >> what about uncertainty? you're a great businesswoman. you tell me, matt, it's going to be bad for the next three years, i can plan for that. if you say, i'm not sure how long this is going to last, i think uncertainty can be paralyzing. >> an entrepreneur, i'm not uncertain about myself and my team. and i spent so little time focused on is the economy up, is the economy down when i started spanx right before 9/11, a lot of people would say it was a horrible time. i didn't know it was a horrible

time. i never had taken a business class. sometimes the economy is up, sometimes it's down. you trudge your course. for me i made a product that was good and the public wanted it. >> tomorrow is always uncertain. the future, the longer future is always very certain. that's what you have to keep your eye on. >> we've gone through a very contentious election. a lot of people, i think, just my opinion, came out of it wondering whether government can do its job, whether there's so much dysfunction at the federal and even at local levels. >> sure. >> that we can count on government. in the coming year, what would you tell people about that? >> the fact is that washington is only one facet of government. most of what affects people's daily lives actually goes on at the local level. police that protect you, firefighters that protect you, people that pick up your garbage. quality of life of the neighborhoods you live in are impacted by local governments. everyday individuals have a chance toim packet what happens there. so it's easy to create a cardboard of what government is. really it's functioning very

well in a lot of these local communities. >> in this coming year of 2013, how would you say it is in terms of starting your own business? is it a good idea? >> that depends on the individual. some people have natural entrepreneurial abilities and tendencies and there's a course called 10,000 small businesses, which we've been sponsoring in various cities, new york, new orleans, chicago and so on. that would be a terrific thing to join if you think you have that sort of talent. not everybody does. >> but if you don't have the certainty, you shouldn't begin. because the things you'll have to face, as you said, if you don't have that certainty, if you don't have the ability to say i'll find a way to add more value to other people's lives, then don't begin. >> this young lady has the idea. that people would clamor for. if you don't have that great idea, you just have what you think is a good idea, should you

resist the urge to start a business? >> i think it's beneficial. the reason why is talent is easier to find. other corporations, the big guys you're competing against get much more conservative and buyers at stores want to take -- they're looking for something more inventive, more interesting. for me with spanx, it came at a time when everybody else was sort of becoming so conservative that the buyers at niemans and bloomies said okay we'll give this a chance. >> more than half of them were started in a recession or depression. disney in a depression, all those company that is start in tougher times get so strong when spring comes after winter, they're able to dominate for many, many decades. >> what were times like when you started berkshire hathaway? >> they were reasonable times. i actually bought my first stock in 1942 and it was in the spring

and we've been -- after pearl harbor. we were getting clobbered every place. you know, we had the death march at the time. >> you took a chance? >> it was a great time to buy stock. >> reporter: >> and we'll have more with them in a little while. up next, good-bye sexy ladies. why psy is ready to retire his breakout single, gangnam style, after this. i'm jennifer hudson. i hate getting up in the morning. i love bread. i love cheese. did i say i love chocolate? i'm human! and the new weight watchers 360 program lets me be. the reason i'm still in this body feelin' so good isn't because i never go out and enjoy the extra large, extra cheese world we live in. it's because i do. and you can too. because when a weight loss program is built for human nature you can expect amazing. introducing the new weight watchers 360 program. join for free and expect amazing. because it works.

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gangnam style was the surprise hit of 2012. if psy has his way, we'll hear less of it in 2013. andrea canning has more on that. >> you can tell matt to stop crying about this news because it's unofficial. i'm just kidding. but it completely came as a shock. after playing his blockbuster hit at times square on new year's eve, he say it may be time to retire. what better way to do it? psy it isn't so. all good things must come to an end, including the uber viral phenomenon known simply as gangnam style. the korean rapper performed his hit in times square, his 35g9 birthday, and that could very well be the last time we see him do the horsey dance live.

♪ hey sexy ladies >> aside from previously scheduled gigs overseas, he is hanging gangnam style up. in america i need a new single because gangnam style got too popular. that's quite the understatement and not a bad problem to have. the song has been viewed over 1 billion times on youtube. the first clip ever to surpass the 1 billion mark. >> we're not even sure if it's possible for him to retire it, because it seems like if you're paid for a psy concert and you don't hear gangnam style there may be a mini riot. >> in 2012 it was everywhere, literally. ellen and britney did it, so did the navy. snl spoofed it. from washington, d.c. to new york's madison square gardens with none other than madonna. >> one, two, three, four.

>> reporter: he even brought his signature moves to the "today" show plaza. and our anchors had an exclusive gangnam style dance lesson. by the end of 2012, the song had topped the music charts of more than 30 countries. now the big question, can psy capture lightning in a bottle the second time and prove he's not just a one-hit wonder? only time will tell. until then his smash hit is only a click away on youtube. good-bye and good luck, gangnam style. we hardly knew you. again, the so-called gangnam style retirement is unofficial. we'll have to wait and see. something tells me david gregory is crying in a corner somewhere right now and probably doing the horsey dance. >> he's not going to let it die. there's no question. andrea, thanks. a few laws across the country caught our attention. more than a few. this time of year you find out

about these wacky laws. in maryland, michigan and new jersey, delaware, illinois and california, employers now can no longer require or request your social media passwords from employees or job applicants. >> in kentucky, releasing wild hogs into the wild is prohibited. >> oh, man. >> how about illinois? it's now legal for people to collect roadkill off the side of the road. >> it is legal? >> it is now legal. >> unless you run into a wild hog. >> that was illegally set into the wild. >> there are roadkill restaurants, by the way, across this country. true story. you can take roadkill and they will cook it for you. >> bring your own roadkill? >> bring your own roadkill. >> all right. >> i like this one in wellington, kansas, which will have a lot of cat ladies upset. hou households cannot have more than four cats per household. >> skipping ahead real quickly, in illinois a new skin tax

band-aids that strip clubs charge $3 at the door and send those proceeds to charity. they nicknamed this willie's law. >> you beat me to a joke. that's good. anyway, coming up, we'll get some exercise gadgets like this one. what's this called? flexor. see how they work after your local news and weather. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust

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7:567 is your time on this wednesday, january 2nd, 2013. good morning. happening today, same-sex couples in montgomery county hold some of the first public ceremonies in the state. many couples wed in private ceremonies but today is the first day courthouses are opened in the new year. maryland is the ninth state to legalize same-sex marriage along with d.c. some flurries in the air.

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sunrise over the potomac. a live view on this wednesday morning, 34 now at a gan national. that northerly wind is gusting to around 15 or 20 miles an hour. it makes it feel colder than the low 30s to upper 20s that we have right now. and we'll stay in the 30s through the rest of the day and the cold pattern continued into the weekend. back to you. >> slow traffic eastbound at 66. earlier accidents are gone and here this is waples mill. and 123 and maple avenue shut down with police activity between lawyers road and center treat. >> mike, thank you. another use

we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it is the second day of january, 2013. kind of a chilly one here in the northeast. we've got 23 degrees out on the plaza. that means it's a little brisk for the final few days of the christmas tree. that baby's coming down on monday. if you're in the area and want to get a glimpse, make it quick. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with erica hill, who is in for savannah, giving her a little bit of holiday time off. nice to have you here. >> nice to be here. >> what was your new year's resolution? we talked a little bit about this prior to the holidays.

>> i don't have a new year's resolution. >> you dntd make one? >> no. >> i'm kind of avoiding it. >> how many people here resolved to lose weight? we'll have more with that resolution coming up. >> indeed, we are. talking about this new eight-hour diet, david zinczenko is here. the premise is that you can eat whatever you want for a certain amount of time. >> little controversial, i would say. >> little controversial. and then maybe you got some of these gadgets over the holidays. >> oh, that's not right. >> we'll show you how to use these, the correct way, we hope. >> save a little or make a little more money in 2013. we've got the five ways you need to know -- five things you need to know to help you earn some more cash in 2013. >> always can use that. let's go inside. natalie is off today. willie geist is standing by at the news defining with a check of all the headlines. hi, >> hey, matt. good to see you all.

good morning, everyone. president obama says he will sign the legislation approved by a divided house last night. it delays huge spending cuts that many economists feared would push the economy into a new recession. however, it does nothing really to avert the next fiscal cliff. in two months battles over further spending and, in particular, the u.s. federal debt limit will come to a head. classes start thursday in a nearby town for the students who survived the shooting rampage at their school in newtown, connecticut, nearly three weeks ago. their desks, backpacks and other belongings left behind in the chaos in that rampage have been taken to a different school building so the kids will feel comfortable there. hillary clinton is spending a fourth day in a new york city hospital. the secretary of state is being treated for a blood clot in her head discovered during a follow-up exam for the concussion she suffered last month. doctors expect mrs. clinton to make a full recovery. a celebrity photographer was killed after taking photos of justin bieber's fechlt rarri on

a busy street in los angeles. bieber had lent the car to a friend, who was speeding. no charges are expected to be fired against the motorist who hit him. >> now for a look at what's trending today, a quick roundup of what has you talking online. neil armstrong being accused of lying by his own brother. legendary astronaut claims his famous line, one small step for man was spontaneous, but don armstrong says in a new bbc documentary that it was really dreamed up months in advance of the lunar landing. kim kardashian says she's looking forward to becoming a mom but that going through pregnancy is hard. yes, it is. the 32-year-old reality star revealed her feelings when she stepped out on the red carpet for the first time since announcing she's expecting her first child with boyfriend kanye west. and going viral with this

version of taylor swift's "trouble". ♪ i knew you were trouble when you walked in shame on me now i drew me to places i've never been ♪ >> hollywoodlights.com reports those rumors that swift wrote the song about one direction member harry styles are true. now back to matt, erica and al. we can confirm the rumor that you've been investigating, matt, that that song was about harry styles. >> that story about neil armstrong and his brother, that's depressing. why would you bring it up now? >> we thought he would to have thought about it ahead of time and it wasn't completely spontaneous. >> why not let it go? >> it doesn't take away from what the man did. come on. >> wow, pushed your button. >> sure did.

>> start out the new year a little angry, okay. >> come on, neil armstrong walked on the moon. how many of us can say that? london falling. how are you ladies doing? what do you think about the news that taylor swift wrote that song about harry stiles? >> harry, i love you. >> how do you feel about that neil armstrong story? >> uh -- >> uh, all right. one question too many. thank you, ladies. pick city of the daer. pick city of the day just happens to be savannah, georgia. and scattered showers and a little cloudy. 63 degrees. and as we look and show you what's going on for today, wet weather there if gulf coast into the mid-atlantic coastal states. a weak frontal system and no big problems. look for plenty of sunshine in l.a. a little cooler than usual at 64. lake skt snow showers ahead of a clipper coming in that's going to bring blowing snow through

the plains. sunshine but a little on the cooler side through the pacific northwest. caribou, maine, four above today. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. mostly cloudy and cold around much of the region. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. we're talking wind chill. air temperature is at or below freezing. farther south and east a little above freezing but it feels like the 20s most areas with the wind gusting to 15 miles an hour. that's the story the rest of the day. a cold day with highs only reaching upper 30s and more of the same on thursday. the cold, dry pattern for the weekend and and that's your latest weather. erica? the new eight-hour diet that says you can eat what you want. right after this. from the day , we're defined by a number. ♪

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we're back now at 8:09. millions of americans are beginning their new year's resolution to lose weight this morning. how are you going to shed those unwanted pounds? our good friend, david zinczenko is here with his new plan. it's called the eight-hour diet. good to see you. happy new year. >> happy new year, matt. >> we're normally here talking about healthier choices in restaurants, ways to save fat, calories and sodium. you came up with a diet plan now and raised the stakes a little bit. people really care about these, their health is at risk when they go into these things. you're confident about everything in this plan? >> yes. the fact is that every year we're getting heavier, sicker, diets aren't working. 95% of them are failing or dropping off the wagon. you know, this is brand new science. this is a plan that basically says, you can eat all your calories in your day but you're going to start eating in eight-hour windows even just three days a week, 11:00 to 7:00, 9:00 to 5:00.

>> it's controversial. again it goes against some of the things we're going to talk about go against things we've been taught for years. the claims are pretty dramatic. you say if you follow this diet you'll look younger, feel younger and dramatically reduce your risk for getting the major diseases of our time. >> we're sleeping less than ever, working more than ever and eating more than ever, not giving our bodies a chance to process all of the food that we're taking in and all the toxins. by feasting for eight hours and fasting for 16 -- >> of famine -- >> even just three days a week, you'll reset your body to get on that path. i lost seven pounds in ten days when i adopted the plan. >> by the way, people could lose 20 pounds in six weeks. let's start. breakfast, the most important meal of the day? not according to you. >> delay breakfast. get up in the morning. turbo charge your metabolism a little bit. have some coffee, some tea. wait it out. if you want to have breakfast, let's say your window is 9:00 to

5:00 or 10:00 to 6:00. get a few minutes of exercise in the morning. >> eight minutes of exercise? >> eight minutes. >> really going to help me? >> just jump-start your metabolism. that's all it's going to do. if you want to work out later for an hour or hour and a half, go for it. you'll turbo charge your metropolit metabolism first thing in the morning, get rid of the calories being stored in your liver. >> you are focusing on what you call power foods. give me some examples. >> this is not the hoony boo boo diet. this is not a junk food diet. it's not permission to indulge or -- >> we do indulge later in the day. >> you're getting your health boosters and fat busters, a variety of lean protein. you're getting good fats. you're getting complex carbohydrates. these are the things that will make sure you're getting the nutrients you need as you incorporate them in your diet for the day. >> the first meal, albeit a small one, comes at 11:00 in the morning for you. what's in that? >> right here, your yogurt with

berries, bran muffin. you're getting orange juice. you can go out and eat at a chain restaurant and get a 2,700 calorie french toast. the problem is that it's completely dwoid of nutrition. >> technically, that's your breakfast at 11:00. >> if you want something else, something bigger, go for it. >> 12:30 now it's time for lunch. you've got a salad, two big pieces of pizza. that's okay. if i want more of that pizza, can i have it? >> have a third piece of pizza. when you restrict it to eight hours it's hard to overeat. >> you could eat five, six pieces of pizza. >> replace this with fries if you want. if you wanted pizza and fries. >> and a bowl of soup? >> and a bowl of soup. >> later in the day, at 6:30, snacking is okay in between? >> you'll be able to fill your favorite foods, pizza, burgers, chocolate, wine. you can still do that. >> if i want to sit down with french fries for a snack, with an ice cream sundae for a snack,

that's okay? >> it's not permission to overeat, to gorge, to just go crazy. eat the foods that you want. this is not a food restriction plan. eight-hour diet is not about calorie restriction. it's just about respecting the window. >> some attention with dinner. 6:30 it's time for dinner. this is a dinner you say is okay. that is a ribeye steak. these are potatoes and vegetables and you said to me in the commercial break, eat that steak. you want another, you can have another. >> you're not really going to be able to eat all this food in an eight-hour window. by fasting for those 16 hours, your stomach is getting smaller. you're getting better at process ing all these calories. and you can even finish it off with a piece of chocolate cake. >> you're our friend here but we have to check these things. we talked to a lot of weight loss experts who had nothing to do with this diet. they had real reservations about it. they say it's restrictive in the sense that it limits how long you can eat, it doesn't promote healthy eating. >> well, it does if you get the eight power foods, try to incorporate them into your day. you're getting all your

nutrients. if you have a cobb salad and berries, boom, you've gotten seven or eight of them right there. look, we had 2,000 people on a test panel who, over six weeks, lost an average of 10 to 15 pounds and reported feeling a lot healthier. this is turning back the clock on aging. >> when i read this, i thought about people who had eating problems for a long period of time, getting on this diet. okay, got eight hours. they get to the seven-hour mark here, david, you've got them eating dinner and they're going i'm going to have to go 16 hours without eating. i'm going to have that second steak, the second helping of potatoes. >> you can cut this in half. what this is doing is helping you feel fuller longer. you can make it till the next day. but, again, you don't have to do it seven days a week or five days a week. you can just do it three days a week and still see enormous benefits. >> you stand by this entire principle? >> yeah. >> you think people can lose up to five pounds a week, maybe 20

pounds in six weeks? david zinczenko, good to have you here. the book is called "the eight-hour diet." we'll test out the newest exercise gadgets right after this. let's go places. not just the ones you can find on a map. but the ones you can find in your heart. because inspiration doesn't favor those who sit still. it dances with the daring and rewards the courageous with ideas. ideas that inspire. ideas that take you places you never imagined. ideas big enough to make the heart skip a beat and, in some cases, maybe two. toyota. let's go places. and, in some cases, maybe two. i've always had to keep my eye on her... but, i didn't always watch out for myself. with so much noise about health care... i tuned it all out. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks.

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i wave my wand and refunds suddenly appear. i can help you. back at 8:19 with the newest fads in fitness just in time for your new year's residenolution get skinny. a personal certified trainer is here to put them to the test. >> skinny are lofty goals but we'll get awfully close. let's face it, with as little effort as possible to boot, right? it is not surprising with every new year comes a whole new generation of get fit fast products. you know the saying. new year, new you. >> great legs.

>> reporter: and in years past maybe that new you starts with a little squeezing. >> squeeze your way to shapely hips and thighs. >> reporter: a little bit of shaking. >> just shake it. >> reporter: and some good old-fashioned sweating to the oldies, of course. >> pop, pop, pop, pop. ♪ >> reporter: and now that the gifts have been unwrapped, maybe you were lucky enough to receive the next generation of these fine products. >> that will make your muscles cry. >> reporter: from a flexible dumbbell to a bendy body blade, these devices are designed to give you good vibrations all year long. ♪ shake that body shake that body for me ♪ >> okay. we've got three ganltdgets, kinf popular exercise gadgets. i don't know why i'm calling them gadgets.

fitness tools. they're charming and fun to play with. everybody has one? four different exercises we can do with this. put your hand on top. we'll move the ball around. yes. you should be able to do this for 30 seconds. really move it in a circle. move it in there. >> it does get tiring quickly, no question. >> on the side, grab the side. let's move it this way. so, it's going to target a little bit of different muscles. you only have to do about ten minutes a day. >> ten minutes total? >> yeah, 30 seconds at a time. hold it down by your side. move side to side. go for 30 seconds. you start to feel it. >>definitely. >> right? >> oh, gosh, yeah. >> how heavy are these? >> they're not heavy at all. they're less than half a pound. this will move around, force your body -- mostly dumbbells work one muscle in one direction. these move a number of muscles. >> do you recommend this or

think it's a good thing? >> yeah. i think it's great. in a hotel, on the road, this is great. >> in the jenna wolfe personal arsenal here? >> if you close your eyes and not think about this too much, it would definitely be in the jenna wolfe arsenal. the body blade. let me grab one of these to show you, grab one of these just like this. >> how much does this thing weigh? >> pound and a half. >> pound and a half. >> these blades will move about 270 times a minute. that means your body is resisting it 270 times. >> the same principle then as the other one? >> exactly. >> causing your muscles to react in other ways that aren't used to reacting. >> this one is really targeting the core. >> hit me in the back of the head. >> this has a three stooges concept. >> go over your head? >> get into the shoulders a little bit. perfect. >> and is this a 30 second --

you could do a whole class on this? >> you could do a whole class. >> if you spin around at the same time, that's the goal, to get light enough where you can lift yourself off the ground. >> how much are these, by the way? >> this is about $50. this one will run about $0. they're affordable. again, it's something -- it's very light. you can use it. >> and it fits in your carry-on luggage. >> no one will question you. >> just my body blade. >> this is the hyper vibe. hop on the machine. >> effort in full disclosure. >> go for it. >> i have a different brand of this. i love this. >> hit on/off. hit enter. hit enter one more time and then you're going to go with your plus sign, give it 15 or 20. >> power supply has been disconnected.

>> you should start feeling it. there you go. >> hard to do any kind of an interview with this. >> now what you can do from here -- >> ours aren't working. >> whoa! i love this thing. >> al try to do a little bit of a squat. you can do some biceps curls. >> you're too younger to remember this. al and i remember this. remember the machines, a lot of women used with the belt around you. >> if you hold some milk, ice cream. >> latte. >> shake it at the same time. >> do one-legged squats on here. you can do a bunch of different things. >> you like this one, too? >> you're not fwri briing this one on the road with you in a

hotel room or anything. you can do sits, matt. >> i did that. if you have neighbors downstairs, check with them first. it does make a -- >> happy holidays, guys. >> thank you very much. >> you are very welcome. five ways to bring you extra cash in the new year.

some breaking news at 8:26. police in vienna, virginia, on the scene with an explosive device. they found it apparently in the parking lot of the merchant's tire on west maple avenue near center street. we have a crew in route there and we'll bring you more details as soon as we get them into the newsroom. for now we'll see if it's impacting the morning rush. mike cremedas is in for danella seabrook. mike? >> thank you, aaron. not causing delays but keep many mind maple avenue, 123 in vienna shut down between lawyers road and center street. take gal lows. and fender-bender at wlabtory road southwest. no lane information yet. and slight delay on northbound 395 heading to the 14th street bridge. >> thank you mike. the forecast when we come back.

breezy and cold this morning. winds gusting to around 15 or 20 miles an hour. we're only hovering right near the freezing mark. now and later today in the mid-to-upper 30s and that wind diminishing by this evening and part it will sunny.

cold tomorrow tapped cold dry pattern continues to the weekend but milder on sunday. good weather

wednesday morning, 2nd day of january, 2013. as we pan the studio we've got a group of hardy people out on the plaza with temperatures in the mid 20s. we get to the middle of this final week of the holiday season, i'm matt lauer with erica hill while savannah is

taking a little time off. mr. al roker here and willie geist out on that side. what do we have coming up? >> a lot of good stuff, including -- i don't know if you ever thought of getting paid for having an opinion. probably would be nice or getting paid to have someone listen to you. one of the ways you can make a little extra cash and we'll have more of those to share with you as well. you could use that cash perhaps to go out and buy some of those big-ticket items. we put together a season by season guide for you, whether you're talking about cars, appliances or mattresses, the best time to get a great deal. >> all right. meanwhile, we want to tell you that kathie lee is off today and hoda has the new year's resolution to help out some of the pioneers of broadcasting. >> you know what? >> wow! >> what a shot. >> she did for five years. >> and to help out on the fourth hour, how are you?

happy new year. >> happy new year, guys. good to see you all. >> what made you decide to do this, by the way? >> cash. >> exactly. >> we'll be there to keep you warm. >> what are you people doing, by the way, in those ridiculous things? >> the same thing you did for five years here. that's what we were doing. >> okey doke. >> we're going to remind her at 10:00, big time. >> what do you have coming up? >> we'll talk about what's been going on so far in the new year, lot of gossip going on. and also there are these two diets that are out there, the one that meredith is crazy about, the virgin one, and another one. >> new year's resolution, losing weight. >> do you know what you're in for with this one? >> she told me just don't read anything. >> like the other five years you were here. >> good to see you. >> mr. roker? >> let's show you what we've

got,e got starting off the day. we're looking at a clipper coming across bringing snow and blowing snow in the plains and wet weather through the gulf coast into the southeastern atlantic states. chilly in the pacific northwest with sunshine. tomorrow, expecting snow the lake effect know to continue. it is going to be awfully cold in the plains. single digits and low teens. we've got snow showers down through the southwest and some rain moves into the pacific northwest. that's what's going on around the country here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. sunshine lighting up the washington monument on this 2nd day of january, 2013. a live view from the news4 hd city camera and it's 34 now at a gan national. the wind coming from the north at around 15 miles an hour and wind chills down to the 20s. cold morning all around the region this morning. and later today, highs in the 30s and partly sunny and more of the same into thursday. the weekend, cold and dry and it's a bit milder on sunday. >> get that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on

cable or weather.com online. >> all right. when we come back, five great ways to make a little extra money and boost your bottom line in 2013. but first this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits.

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back now at 8:36. this morning, five ways to bring in some extra cash in 2013. sharon epperson is cnbc's financial consultant. all the wrangling over the fiscal cliff the last couple of days it was essentially avoided. >> yes. >> there could be some changes for folks. what do we need to look for? >> the payroll tax holiday they enjoyed is now over. they'll see a 2% jump in the y payroll tax. that will impact the typical american family that makes $55,000 a year by about $1,000. you'll see less in your take home pay. >> that could be yet another reason why some people may be

looking for a little extra income in 2013. >> exactly. >> you have five great ideas for us, cashing in those gift cards you got for christmas. >> it's a great gift but what if you don't really want to shop anymore? you can cash in these gift cards, up to 92% of the value of the gift card at sites like cardpool.com. plasticjungle.com. it's worth looking to see if you're not going to get anything from these retailers, you can get cash back and a quick way to make a few extra dollars. >> part-time job could also be -- >> working a couple of extra hours at a part-time job. sn snagajob.com, great site to find hourly jobs that pay $10 to $11 an hour. retail is still a big industry. they're still hiring. customer service, all those things are grit for part-time jobs. >> taxgrabit.com. what's that? >> you list odd jobs. people list odd jobs that they might want. you bid on that odd job. the lowest bid, you get to do the job. that's a way you may actually make some extra money as well.

>> if you have a little hobby, you can make some money on it, start your own online store. >> if you make jewelry, crafts, have vintage goods to sell you can put your stuff on there. basically you're creating your own online store, great way to sell stuff and get products as well. >> minimal cost to you as well as a seller. >> you may pai a minimal amount for four months to keep it on there. that's something you want to consider. with all of these things if there's a fee involved, how much you make. >> if you're a teacher, share your lesson plans for a fee. >> really creative teachers with great lesson plans. you have to look at perhaps what the service fee may be for these service sites. another thing you may want to think about are peer to peer

that will match you with a tutor and tutors get paid an average of $12 to $15 an hour and there's a great site called udemy. half a million people use this site. you're able to put up your online classes, whatever you an expert in, do a video, put up your online class. that's another site to look into. >> people basically pay to take your class online? >> exactly. >> never even knew that existed. i had a roommate obsessed with this one and made a lot of money doing it. >> if you're near a college campus, in particular, doing studies. all you're doing is sharing your opinion and getting paid for it. what could be better than doing something like that? >> how much are you making per focus group? >> it depends on what the focus group is. it may be a couple of dollars. this is not a way to get rich quick really. it's really a way to add a few extra dollars and something you may want to do, particularly because you're going to see your take home pay cut here with the payroll tax increase.

something to consider. >> when you mentioned those part-time jobs, what are some of the other industries we can look to? >> health care is always growing. people are looking into that. they're also looking at personal care services, another industry that a lot of folks are interested in. when you look at these sites again, figure out how much time you can spend per week. it's a great way to earn some extra cash. couple of hours a week, not a full-time job. not a second job necessarily. >> right. >> a lot more information on cnbc.com. >> sharon, nice to see you this morning. >> sure. great to be here. how it's so elusi investment and how to get more of it t

we're back now at 8:42 with

"the myths of happiness" a new book that looks at the impacts of happiness. you may be surprised at what she found. everyone is in search of happiness. >> even the word happy can seem like an abstract term, meaning different things to different people. >> figuring out just how to be happy and stay that way can be a mystery. >> i would say having kids. i feel like that's my sole purpose like on this earth. >> being married sounds awesome, perfect. >> sonja lujbermorsky. >> i'll be happy when x, y and z happens, when i meet mr. right, when i get that promotion i've wanted, when i make money. >> she says these life events do make us happy but that the cruel truth is not for as long as we would like. psychologically and

physiologically, people take positive experiences for granted. >> that's one of the myths of happiness. almost nothing makes us happy forever. we get used to positive changes in our lives. >> that doesn't have to be a death nail for happiness and good cheer. there are a few things to help us stay in that positive place. >> what you're focusing on at this moment really determines your experience. it kind of determines your life. >> actually, the less you are thinking about what you want and what you don't have, the more you can just be connected to what you do have. >> research shows that people who, on a regular basis, express gratitude, whether it's in writing or to a friend about their lives, their health, their jobs, their relationships. they become happier. >> i know some people who aren't happy in their relationships. it just kind of brings everything down. >> keys to happiness, invest in your relationship. redirect your attention on the things in life that really matter, on the positives.

it's a huge cliche to say this, but really happiness resides inside of us, not outside of us. >> here with more on the pursuit of happiness is gretchen ruben, best selling memoir, "happy at home." happy new year. >> happy new year. >> why is it so elusive, happiness? >> it's something we strive for and if we don't get the things we want, it doesn't make us happy, which we expect. things like anxiety, remorse, guilt, fear. these things are big flashing signals we need to change something in our lives. even negative emowings have an important role to play in a happy life. >> when people define happiness, they tend to define it in terms of a perfect life and it can never happen? >> exactly. i think it's helpful to be happier, not achieve some myth

iccal goefl a happy life or achieving perfect happiness but thinking today, next week, next month, what can i do to be happier? >> one of the ladies in the piece, one of the women in the piece said sometimes you have to stop and think about what you do have, not what you don't have. i've been through difficult times in my life and often times have found really happy times because of those difficult times. good friends, good family, things like that. >> absolutely. negative situations can often remind us of what really matters. one thing my mother says is that the things that go wrong often make the best memories. sometimes the thing that is seem terrible while it's happening often leads to very good results. >> you have children. how do you teach them about what is part of happiness and what isn't? >> there's sort of an unconsciousness with regard to children. but i talk about what i can do to make our home and environment happy. not feeling hurried, having a

tender feeling of engagement. stepping away from devices, things like that. >> that's a big one. >> yeah. >> you have some tips. some of these are interesting. first thing you say is make your bed. >> this sounds so silly, right? so trivial in a happy life. so many people have told me this is something they tried and it really works for them. it's a little bit of control, little bit of order first thing in your day. you can actually get it done. >> 4:10 in the morning, i should make my bed even if my wife is still in it? >> no, no, no. >> i shouldn't do that? >> last one out of the bed makes the bed. >> warm feelings. >> every time someone comes or goes we get up and give them a warm feeling of good-bye or hello. none of this grunting. that gives you this feeling of engagement and tenderness. >> it's heartfelt. >> yes. >> unless it's not.

unless somebody goes hi, how are you? if you stand up and take the time to recognize someone, not only arriving but also departing, i think it means something. it comes from the heart. >> it gives you that feeling that people are really paying attention to each other. >> increase personal relationships. this is an important one. one of the reasons people tend to be unhappy is because they lack personal relationships. >> absolutely true. ancient philosophers and contemporary analysts agree. joining a book group, going to a high school reunion, making a pledge that you'll have lunch with a friend once a week, these keep relationships. >> last one is a little maybe on the silly side. but surround yourself with pleasing scents. i'm a big fan of this. >> there's no calories. there's no money. there's no time. there's no mental focus. just smell a grapefruit. smell clean house, smell a bottle of vanilla. buy a scented candle. you get that quick hit of

happiness, just that bodily sense of joy. it's very small but it can really lift you up. >> gretchen, thank you very much. we appreciate t happy new year to you again. >> happy new year to you. up next, need a new mattress? how about a refrigerator? season by season guide as to when the stores have the best deals of the year. [ male announcer ] when your business is powered by verizon, you can do more business per second. and with more reliable internet, that's more per second. and with a dedicated line, it's more per second. and with an additional line, it's more... table for 15? [ male announcer ] ...per second. but most importantly, it's more... mmm! [ male announcer ] ...per second. get the speed and reliability of the verizon network

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this morning on "today's" consumer, become a savvier shopper in 2013, knowing what to buy and when to buy it. who doesn't love a good bargain? there are certain times of year we should buy certain items. >> this is called smart shopping, it's about knowing the calendar year, when things come up for sale, when new introductions are made. when new introductions are made, the old stuff goes out. you can start and think about your year, if you've got something in mind that you want to buy, you might want to hold off till the right time. we broke it down quarterly. >> perfect. >> start with the first quarter. >> start with winter. january to march, holiday items, we know, will be on that list. >> that's a no brainer. every time after a holiday the best time to buy for that holiday is right after. you'll get 50% off on wrapping paper, you name it. 50% off on chocolate after

valentine's day. go through the calendar year you can figure that one out. >> exercise equipment, treadmills and ellipticals. >> if you haven't bought one for christmas and retailers are hoping that at least they can entice you to come in so you can fulfill some of those new year's resolutions. that's why prices are lower through this month. if you want to get in shape now is the time to go and buy one. >> no more excuses. furniture and linens. >> furniture follows fashion in a lot of ways. think of the same calendar a lot of clothing goes on sale and winter clothing goes on sale in january. same thing with furniture. retails are trying to get the old models out. now in terms of linens, white sale we think of in january, it dates back to 1878 when john wannamaker created this white sale. also the man responsible for creating the price tag. so people have obviously followed him and followed suit. that's why white sales take

place right now or this quarter. >> got it. moving on to spring, mattresses. >> so mattresses get released, new models come out in may. those older models will be on sale. that's a great time to get your mattress. >> gym membership. >> as the weather gets warmer, people want to go outside. gyms are more apt to not only waive the membership fee but cut back on pricing. >> also lingerie in the spring. >> the turnover, you don't think of major turnover in styles in lingerie but that happens in june. best time to do it is early, end of spring, beginning of summer. >> you prefer to do all that work around the house in the spring, tools and hardware. >> really, really follows father's day. you'll get your best bang around father's day. if you want to stock up on screwdrivers, et cetera, that's the time to buy those. >> also around father's day, but moving into the summer months, outdoor grills are a good deal.

>> outdoor grills you want to buy after fourth of july. they go on sale after and towards those summer months. >> 2013 cars also become a better deal in the summer. >> september. the newer models start coming in. 2014 will start coming in september. they're trying to get rid of older models from september straight through december. >> bikes and school supplies as well. >> bikes follow cars, same models and school supplies, back-to-school deals, retailers are really competitive. those are real deals. you'll get your best stuff in august, september. >> best time to stock up. patio furniture, end of season in the fall. >> october, november is when you want to buy that. >> and electronics in the fall. why in the fall? >> electronics, a couple of things that your best bet for electronics is to wait for black friday and cyber monday. don't forget new models are coming in. there's been the electronics show. black friday, those are real deal. >> and large appliances as well. >> same thing.

newer models coming in. that starts like the end of the fall through january, like even now. it's kind of the last quarter. >> and i can't believe i'm suggesting this since we just finished but for toys, holiday shopping, this is the best time for them actually. >> toys is december. that's when you'll get the best deals. anyone from amazon, you name it. they had great deal this is year, toys r us. they'll continue to do that. usually they do 25 days of christmas. >> the year is now maxed out. thank you. happy new year again. speaking of things to buy, we have exclusive steals and deals for you this morning. but first your local news.

we're following two breaking news stories at 8:56. first in maryland, firefighters are battling a mobile home fire in laurel. chopper 4 is live on the scene right now burning near 198 and brockridge road.  police in vienna are on the scene of a explosive zwies on west maple avenue near center

street. maple avenue is closed from center street to lawyers road. we're working to find out more about both of these stories and we'll bring you information as it becomes available.

good morning. good weather, get your car washed. no precipitation for the next seven days. but it's going to be cold. right now, only nr freezing. later today, into the mid-to-upper 30s and partly sunny and remaining cold into the weekend. mike, house traffic? >> maple avenue 123 shut down between lawyers road and center street. take gal lows road. >> make, thank you. the latest on the fire. an explosive device in about 25 minutes.

"today" on this 27bd day of january, 2013. we've got a nice crowd outside on the plaza. i'm willie fwiest, along with al roker and erica hill and she's back for more. >> i jumped the barricade. >> wow! >> kit hoover. al, good to see you back from cali. >> your hometown. >> i'm having so much fun here. you bop around. it's so electric. coming up this hour we'll see steals and deals. i love a bargain. jill martin will be on to talk

about all the good stuff. >> she is always saving us mountains of cash. >> we love it. millions always promise this time of year to eat better but snacking can be the biggest setback, especially if you don't have a plan or you spend a lot of time at the mall or you're traveling. we've got great calorie-saving solutions. little changes can make big differences. >> they can. >> also, words of wisdom and secrets of success from people who have made it big. warren buffet, coach tony robbins, spanx creator, sara blakely, and san antonio mayor julian castro. >> i thought you were just all fit. >> those exercises we were doing earlier. the butter churn. president obama says he will sign the bill that pulled the nation back up from the fiscal cliff. last night a divided house vote

diverted income tax hikes for most persons but delayed decisions on spending cuts. congress now needs to raise the debt ceiling, he says, so the government can keep paying its bills. if not, he says the consequences could be far worse than the impact of the fiscal cliff. secretary of state hillary rodham clinton will fully recov recover, doctors are confident, from a blood clot in her head. she is said to be in good spirits and making excellent progress. the blood clot behind her right ear formed after a concussion from a fall. justin bieber's sports car. he was not in the car at the time. the photographer was struck by another vehicle as he returned to his own car. officials say no charges are expected against the driver who hit him. today an open house is being held in connecticut at a repurpose school for survivors of last month's sandy hook elementary massacre. teachers and other workers have

been busy get thing the space ready for the students, painting and moving furniture. classes at the new facility begin tomorrow. counselors say it's important for children to get back into a normal routine. if your new year's resolution is to lose a few pounds, researchers are weighing in on a new study. looking at almost 3 million people, those with a body mass index that ranked them as overweight had a lower mortality rate as people with normal weight. cholesterol and diabetes are as important or perhaps more important than weight alone. those who are obese have a greater risk of dying overall and health official s caution the study should not give anyone the green light to gain weight. emotional scene tuesday at the tournament of roses parade in pasadena. sergeant eric paz deported to afghanistan, was on one of the floats. his family told they won a front row seat to the parade didn't know he was there.

he walked off the float and into the arms of his surprised wife and 4-year-old son. his wife, miriam, called it amazing and awesome. eric said he was choking back tears the whole time. four men in central china ushered in the new year on the rocks, living inside an ice hut. one gave up after 14 hours. endured the entire day in rooms made of ice without eating, drinking or sloping. two of the winners, if you want to call them that, also hold world records for surviving in extremely cold water. that is the news. it's four after the hour. it remains unclear, al, why they did this. >> that's why they did it. >> it was worth it for the hug. >> bring it in. >> all right. how about a check of the weather? >> that was very okay. let's see what we have for you. starting off with today, we're looking at wet weather from the gulf coast into the southeast and atlantic states. part of a weak frontal system draped down there and a clipper coming across bringing some blowing snow to the plains and lake skt snow later on today.

and on into the eastern great lakes. plenty of sunshine through the southwest. and temperatures throughout much of the country, anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees below normal. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. sun illuminating the monument in washington. and the jefferson memorial as well as the lincoln here in washington. we've got cold temperatures. right reagan national at 35. wind from the north at around 5 to 15 miles an hour. temperatures around the region are only in the 30s and even 20s farther west and north. hagerstown only 25 now and that's the region for winds. cold today and tomorrow and into the weekend. the chill remains but dry. all right. now to "today's" take three, where we take on three top he cans that we hope, at least, have you talking. take one turns out the most searched gift item online this year, more people searched

online for ugg brand than any other gift. are you ugg wearers? >> i believe this. i struggled with whether to buy my kids -- because they're expensive, like $175. i bought them for my girls, that was their one big ticket item and i can share my fourth graders, the same shoe. double dip. >> what size are we talking about? >> a good 5 1/2. >> okay. >> you do such great stunts. >> i'm a -- >> are they furry? >> i have to say uggs, it is a funny thing with your kids when you want those. you can't get those bear paws for long because they want the ugg brand. >> they're big now, for girls of that age, the age of your kids, bright pink and purple. >> you have the uggs? >> i do. they are so warm. i resisted for so long. >> i have a pair of ugg slippers. >> you do? >> wear them around the house.

or out to the stores when you get older, start losing it. >> you wear pajamas. >> men can't wear the ugg boots. >> no, does not work. >> i've seen a couple of men -- i don't know. >> does not work. >> number two was kindle fire, ipad, amazon kindle, bar by was number five, ipad mini, ipod touch. you get the idea of technology. >> technology. >> there it is. the end of gangnam style. >> it's time. it's time! >> can we watch it a little bit again? if this is the end we want to drink it in. psy new year's eve -- here we go. >> horsey dance. ♪ gangnam style >> so he said on new year's eve that this has got to be the end in america. he said he has a few dates where he has to play it still but he feels it has run its course. >> give a call to mc hammer.

he's still rocking it, but he has embraced, you know "can't touch this." don't give that up. >> just as you see david gregory make a fool -- >> david, do it again. >> look at al. whoo! >> little hip action. but look at david. >> there it was. >> he already has one name, madon madonna, cher. psy, take it to vegas. >> celine now. >> celine. >> i'm thinking road trip. take three, banished words of 2013 for the 38th time michigan lake superior state university has released a list of words to be banished from the queen's english for misuse, overuse and general uselessness based on nominations from around the world. the word or phrase that topped the list, are you ready for this? >> hit it. >> fiscal cliff banned from the queen's english.

based on the deal we got yesterday we'll hear that. >> for a while. >> into 2013. >> maybe fiscal ravine. >> there you go. little twist. >> wouldn't it be great if wile e. coyote fell off the fiscal cliff? >> you only live once. >> i'm so late to the party that i looked at this list. they're a little bit new to me. yolo, i'm just learning about these. main ball, what? >> you just heard of mace balls? >> no. >> spoiler alert. i guess we're not allowed to use that anymore. used in full caps warns readers of the spoiler, as it would indicate. introducing the early days of the web. >> i would rather know. >> the worldwide web.

>> become in the good old days. >> spoiler alert you go right to it. it says not to look at it. that makes you look at it. >> great for the people putting it out there. >> exactly. >> bucket list. >> i'm okay with bucket list. >> what's wrong with bucket list? >> was that from shake the bucket? >> originally. >> bucket list. trending something currently popular. apparently we're not allowed to use that word anymore. >> what happens if you use it? are there word police? >> yes. the black helicopters sweep in and take you away. guru is another one. >> what's the matter with guru? this list just -- >> guru has been around for a long time. >> kick the can down the road was on there. i fully support that. >> getting rid of that term? >> i was ready to get rid of it in 2012. >> how about cray-cray, does that bother y'all? >> if you're 12 or 13 it's okay.

the word i want to get -- really? it's time to put that to rest. >> really? >> really. >> i go for literally. >> that was mine! i'll think of another one. >> there it is. tas not just that it's overused but so wildly misused. literally means you are literally doing the thing. >> which is kind of like seriously. seriously? >> i'm going to change mine to like. with the young kids it drives me crazy when everything is like this, like that. >> or you know. >> if you're on facebook you want to be liked. >> this is getting really confusing. >> who's on first. >> right. 75% off, this morning's steals and deals. jill martin is next. ♪

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swiffer. great clean in less time. or your money back. very interesting. cool. i like "success." joy. i got cracker chips. [ laughing ] chocolatey pretzel. mmmm.... special k! [ female announcer ] snack and stay on track with special k. i like "confidence." i am a confident lady. [ laughter ]

we're back now with jill's steals and deals new year's edition. we have great items with deeply discounted prices exclusively for "today" show viewers. jill martin is here to walk us through the office. good to see you. >> good morning. >> i love a bargain. let's start over here. i like the idea of these. >> this is new year new you. you can get these items right now on today.com. if you want them, go on right now. we're all into working out, getting our bodies in shape. that's what this series is dedicated to. starting with this fabulous line. now retail $36 to $58. the brand says that the materials are in your everyday exercises will help you tone and burn calories. >> how great is that?

>> there's five different styles. whether you want it -- high wasted or regular tights go online to today.com and we'll explain which is which is. retail is $36 to $58. the deal $16 for any of them. that's up to 72% off. >> well done. good way to start the new year. >> we all like to start the year looking thinner. >> looking thinner. i like the smoke and mirrors approach. i thought this was a big new year's thing for people, they want to learn a new language. >> i want to learn this, i want to learn that. retail $179. you want to learn french, italian, spanish, german, japanese or chinese, each course includes three course books, 36 lechs, nine audio cds. barnes & noble and other fine stores nationwide. the retail $179. the deal $54. that's 70% off. >> big deal savings right there.

>> put it in your car. >> working out at home. >> workout dvds, retail $59.99. creator of the best selling dance and fitness dvds are offering a set -- i think we have these right here. see how happy they look, working out. >> so happy. >> cardio lean or pilates super sculpt. do this at home, need very little equipment. you don't even need sneakers in some of these. tracy mallets a certified personal trainer and certified sports nutritionist. you can trust her. retail $59.99. the deal $14.99 for the set. that's 75% off. >> she makes it look good, smiling all the way. the scale. you have to be careful with the scale. lot of times you're building muscle. it's not relevant on the scale. >> after you have your shapers on, learn your language and work out, now we get to the scale. retail is $79.95, escali bathroom scale, body weight,

body fat percentage and body water percentage. it helps determine if you are losing body fat and how much muscle you're gaining. sometimes that gets confusing. >> that's key because the number on the scale doesn't always match up. >> retail $79.95. the deal $24. that's 70% off. it's nice looking. you can have it in the bathroom. >> i like the glass look in there. that's good. who doesn't love a nice pair of sheets to curl up with? >> these are a great gift if you want a new year's gift, beautiful box with the bow. you feel this. microfiber. retail $149 to $189. egyptian comfort collection, machine wash and dry. they don't wrinkle. available in 12 colors. retail $149 to $189. the deal $49 up to 74% off. this is the first bed i've ever made here. >> are you going to lay in this thing? >> i'll let you do that for the wrap up here. >> i like all the different colors it comes in. >> 12 colors. great deal and a great way to spruce up your new year. >> jill marpt, great to see you. happy new year.

again, all the products are online. shatobu shapewear, living language platinum, tracy mallett workout series, escali. any questions you have about our steals and deals. good stuff. coming up, healthy snacks on the go. first these messages. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

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coming up this morning, we're talking about celebrities that make the same pose in every picture. did you ever notice that? >> yes. >> you find a pose that works. >> do you have one, al? >> that's it. >> i'm always like fat neck laughing. i don't get it. i need to learn this. >> but it works. >> it works. >> it works for you. i'm not on a lot of red carpets. >> bob yager, our camera guy. show them your look. >> let's see it. >> good one. >> that's good. >> kind of a variation on the roker. >> i have a picture of bob at

every concert going -- >> we'll have matt talking to some of those successful people in the country about their keys to success. >> first your local news. weight. i just got started and i'm like "hey, that first 20 came off, well it wasn't too hard at all." i love breads. you can still eat bread. i love my sweets. i can still have a cookie on weight watchers. i love the barcode scanner. occasionally, i'll use it at the bar. of course! that's what it's for, right? bar code. oh i think i'm never going there again. i feel healthy. and just...young again. [ female announcer ] weight watchers online. the power of weight watchers completely online. join for free today. into john stamos. honey! i think i'm getting burned! eat. ♪ tastes pretty good, huh? [ men grunting ] open! [ male announcer ] oikos. possibly the best yogurt in the world. [ nyquil bottle ] just reading your label. wait...you relieve nasal congestion? sure don't you?

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live pictures now in vienna, virginia, what the bomb squad is prepared to detonate what we learned is a grenade in the parking lot of a merchant's tire shop. this is on west maple avenue. this is a parking lot. chopper 4 flying over the scene this morning. crews are preparing to detonate this as we speak. we have a crew opt ground nearby as we get more information in this morning we'll bring it to you. weather and traffic after this.

oldest day since last winter. right now we're near freezing or below freezing. western northern suburbs around washington, low to mid 30s. not warming up much today. we'll have partly sunny skies. and more of the same tomorrow. a bit milder on friday and saturday afternoons after starts in the 20s and then sunday afternoon may be near 50. good weather for the skins game. mike cremedas how's traffic? >> tom, an accidents on the outer loop of the beltway at gw parkway. it was moved to the shoulder with a slight delay, maple avenue and 123 still shut down

between lawyers road and center street. ta gallows as your alternate.

you start to notice a pattern of some of these poses you may be on to something. do celebrities strike the same pose in every shot? some do. i'm willie geist along with al roker and kit hoover. >> you put me in the middle. >> i thought it was this guy. >> how about bieber? a peace sign, you have to bring it in. i would be the dorky, like, hang loose. >> throw some gang signs. very nice. if your resolution is to lose a few pounds, eat a healthy diet, snacking can be a real issue. when you're out and about, whether you're on a plane or at

work, we have great healthy choices thanks to madelyn fernstrom as she continues to read the paper. >> you know the spanx, amazing body shaper. >> my friend. >> got them on right now. >> female billionaire, she joins warren buffet, tony robbins and mayor castro of san antonio. >> i'll be listening. how about a check of the weather first? >> weak frontal system to the south bringing showers from texas to the southeastern atlantic states and a clipper coming across the plains bringing one to three inches. no big deal. chilly throughout much of the country today. then for tomorrow, we've got more lake skt snow. it's going to be cold throughout much of the u.s. and rain coming back to the pacific northwest and a few scattered showers along the georgia/florida boards. lots of sunshine in the northeast but temperatures from 10 to 20 degrees below normal. here's what's happening in your

neck of the woods. >> cold pattern into the weekend. right now we have some sunshine breaking out. live view from the nbc 4 city camera overlooking washington. now 35 degrees at reagan national with wind coming in from the north around 5 to 15 miles an hour and it will feel like the 20s the rest of the day juan even though highs are reaching the mid-to-upper 30s for mid-afternoon. tomorrow, more of the same. highs mid 40s on friday and saturday morning and lows of 20. maybe near 50 on sunday and >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. up next, keeping face. celebrities who strike the same pose with every single photo, after this. standard in anti-aging.r ]d roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. it's clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. now for maximum results, the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum to create retinol correxion® max.

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did you ever notice when celebrities hit the red carpet they strike the same pose every time? we decided to put a match-up of our favorite celebrities never changing looks. e! news correspondent. >> let's start with the biebs. he puts up a peace sign. miley cyrus is the queen of it. you point out always to the side. >> always to the side. little gangster. >> is that canadian gangster? what gang is that? >> paul mccartney does it, it's straight up. >> mccartney can pull that off, though. >> he's the original. >> what about victoria beckham? she doesn't like to smile. she likes that pout. she has a lot to smile about. >> very severe. she does not smile because when she hits the red carpet it's all about business. she's playing a role.

she wants to get in, get out. and she does -- >> looks like somebody took a whiz in her cheerios. >> she's working it. >> women like the way their face looks -- >> is that the thing? >> yes. when you smile you get -- >> and do this, because it makes you look smaller. >> your supposed to hold your mouth open. a lot of women do it. >> a lot of women do it. >> what? >> on the red carpet they're like, huh? >> it brings sex appeal. so paris hilton is the queen of the side like this. she has one eye that's smaller than the other one. >> no, come on! >> it's true. >> she has a twinkie eye? >> she tries to do the side that she covers up that eye. >> the hands on the hip. >> make you look smaller, skinnier. hands on the hip all the time. >> one side or the other, depending on which eye -- >> one side or the other.

>> how does she prevent shots from the other side? >> you can never prevent it. >> she wears an eye patch. p pirate look. >> hair covers it up on one side. >> how about lady gaga? >> slightly opened mouth as you were talking about. there we go. she brings that couture to red carpet. >> how about willie? >> side head shot. >> he's smiling. >> half smile. >> i like it. >> you do have that boyish thing that i love. >> what is it you say you do? do we have some of kit? >> we do. i'll show it to people. >> oh! >> i didn't wash that day. >> a beautiful smile. i don't know why they're messing with you. it's beautiful. >> i just don't get it. i get all choked up and go -- >> especially with the mustache.

>> you look good. >> couple of pistols. >> let's do yours because we're talking about everybody. >> al roker. >> get that off. come on! straight to roker. >> whenever i'm out saving lives. >> it's the hair i love. >> i love the hair. >> people with good teeth like al have a toothy grin. >> hey, how are you doing? good to see you. >> you don't really smile big, you kind of cover it up. >> is there an alicia quarrles, by the way? >> hand on one hip. it makes the waist look better. >> people not want to mess with you. >> i'm the enforcer. i'll have to try your boyish grin and the mustache. >> the sta krchstache. >> alicia quarrles, thank you.

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while thermocontrol wicks moisture away. oh hi, yes. wow you really went all out on the decorations, huh? yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me normal means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity when eaten three times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. this morning on eat smart today, healthy snacking on the

go. it can be a challenge. >> madelyn fernstrom, happy new year. >> happy new year to you, too. >> what do we want to do when you're grabbing a quick snack? >> we're talking about 150 to 200-calorie range, but it can be less, as little as 75 to 100 or a drop more, depending on the circumstance. if you're a smart snacker, you can make this work for you and not overdo it. >> snacking kills you. at the airport, what do you need to know? >> perfect world, i'll take things along with me. but getting through security, you want to make your plane. if you're looking around at restaurants, there are things that can work with you. you can't go wrong with a piece of fruit, something like an orange or banana. a small latte. if you're not a coffee person, have a steamer with some milk, yogurt. lifestyle snacks that do the heavy lifting for you. small snacks around 150, 180 calories, little mixes of fruits, nuts, crackers, good for

you things in little packages or do something as simple as a kind bar. they fill you up. they are satisfying. they have a good taste profile. that's what you're looking for, just little snacks. >> no more cinnabuns and chick-fil-a. >> it looks like a snack but will weigh in at about 800 calories. it doesn't have to be a snack. >> once you're on the plane. >> now you're on the plane. >> what do you do? >> long flight. there's a lot of things that you can look for. let's start with the free stuff. a lot of this stuff is really pricey. perfect world, you bring something with you. think about the drink cart, nonalcoholic, that comes around. you can get a juice, orange juice or vegetable juice if you're trying to trim some calories. that stuff is free. make a little spritzer and mix it with some seltzer. have some water. but this gives you something around 100 calories or so. a leader in keeping up with

snacks, popped corn chips around 100 calories for them. think about what you want to have. >> caramel. >> animal crackers, these kinds of things. >> portion control is one thing. barely give you any. >> and in snacking case, that's a good thing. be careful when airlines have a snack pack, delta, jetblue, it's about 500 calories. think of that for two or three people. nuts and different things, but split these things. >> let's go over to the car. we both have kids. >> yeah. this is a huge issue on a road trip. >> this is great. i wish mine looked like that instead of the cheetos in the back. >> you want to have stuff that's not a mess. water, small bottles. thing that is your kids would actually like, and you, too. buy things that are preprepared or make your own. teeny bags of cereal, few chocolate chips in, raisins, dry fruits. you can buy them already made if

you have the time or money or make them yourself. >> you get that vat of gold fish crackers, is that bad or good? >> buy the little 100-calorie ones so you can have the satisfaction of eating all the way through the bag. you can find a lot of this stuff at a rest stop or gas station but you'll see them in much larger ams. you can get turkey jerky. or even something small from a fast food place. >> let's stop by the mall real quick. what do we do in the food court? >> there are plenty of good things in the food court. >> there are? the smell sucks me right in. >> you're looking for that cinnabon. >> i totally am. >> tiny yogurt parfait, frozen yogurt with berries on it. want something warm and savory, have some soup or asian vegetables. that's good especially if you want some crunch. think before you eat and what you want to get. you can be a smart snacker and

it still can taste good. >> no sauce on that, by the way. >> you can do it on the side. you have to give somewhere. >> we're still going to chick-fil-a. we set our goals higher than anyone. perdue is the first and the only chicken company to have usda process verified programs for fresh, all natural chicken. our chickens are not fed steroids or hormones. [ jim ] we raise our chickens cage-free. we're trying to make a better chicken.

that i put on my children's plate. that's why we use all-white meat, breading that is whole grain with omega-3 and no preservatives. it is my goal to make the highest quality, best-tasting nugget on the market. i want consumers to go, "dang, that's a good nugget." matt recently sat down with people offering tips for the new year. julian castro, sara blakely, the founder of spanx, warren buffet and tony robbins. >> in a down time when you've been battered and a rough time to splurge? good idea? >> maybe occasionally, sure. but splurge means you do it once

in a blue moon not folks that don't save, that, you know, spend their monies in ways they shouldn't. >> the best investment you can always make is in yourself. it changed my life in a big way. before that, i could not speak in public. i was a total disaster. it gave me the chance -- i was going to go sell stocks and i knew i had to be able to talk to people. any time you can invest in yourself, you'll get a payoff 1,000 for one. >> that's an amazing piece of advice, especially for the coming year. have you done something like that? >> the first thing that popped into my mind was when i could not really afford it, i splurged on a nice watch when i was selling fax machines door to door and that watch became my symbol to myself where i was headed. and it was just something i made a decision to do. i still have the watch. >> inspiration? >> that was inspiration for me but also the belief in myself, i'm going to get there. >> i mentioned that you're all successful. you're all self made, all right.

was the drive to succeed in your dna? or did you find it somewhere else? how about you, mr. but haffet? >> i think it was but i was encouraged by my father. if i had a different set of parents, it might have been different. i always -- i always liked to do business. i liked to buy -- when i was 5 years old, i would buy six cokes for my grandmother for a quarter and sell them for a nickel each. >> something in your dna? >> circumstances of pain made me look for answers. i wasn't a popular kid. i loved people. i would bake cookies and take care of people. i was the oldest of three, i had a lot of responsibility. it made me want to find answers, what makes a difference in people's lives and it made me obsessed with that. >> part dna and part circumstance. there were events that catapulted me stronger into

wanting to be self independent financially. i've always had such great tud for being a woman in america. lotto ticket hi had no control over and i'm grateful for it every day. the people that have worked so madder hard to give me opportunity in this country is so exciting for me. >> i think it's both. the circumstances of how i grew up. also one of the neat things in my life is that i'm a twin. i have a twin brother. i'm absolutely convinced that the competition between us as twins fueled both of our success. that always wanted to outdo the other. >> let's say you're talking to someone out there who has tried everything to be successful. what would you say to that person who thinks maybe this just isn't going to work out for me? how do you encourage a sense of optimism in that person to keep digging? >> my dad lost his job in 1931. i was one year of age. two kids, a mortgage on his house. he worked with the bank.

the bank was closed. money was in the bank and he just started the company. he didn't have anything else to do. and for a year or two, it was tough. but america comes back. and you're riding with the tide in this country. and you keep clawing at it. >> who you spend time with, and getting yourself in proximity with people who are succeeding, even if you have to work for free for somebody, you begin to see what the opportunities are. one of the challenges in our country, when people are doing poorly, we put them together in an environment where other people are doing poorly and we wonder why they don't get better. >> for me, in a very rough time in my life i became specific, what am i good at? one of the things on my list is sales, selling fax machines door to door. i said -- i wrote down the words, i want to come up with an idea i can sell to millions of people. i was very specific. i would tell these people, what do you want? take time to sit with yourself,

be specific and ask for it. then your life will start filling in the blanks. >> if you take the time and the energy to invest in yourself in all the different ways that you can, and you keep knocking on the door, i think everyone would agree that eventually that the door gets opened. maybe it's not the biggest door in the world that you see right away, but a small door. but a door gets opened that can lead to the great things that folks are looking for. >> great invoice. >> great selection of talent there, too. >> just ahead, hoda and her very special guest co-host. can't wait to see how this -- >> oh, yeah! >> meredith vieira. >> oh, yeah, oh, yeah. >> al talks about his new weight loss book. >> first your local news and weather. (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime--

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breaking news now at 9:57. fairfax county police have successfully removed an explosive device in vienna. chopper 4 was over the scene of merchant tire on maple avenue where someone found a grenade earlier this morning. they have since re-opened the area and no word on how the grenade wound up in the parking lot in the first praise. your forecast, storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. good morning. high clouds streaking the.

over washington. and here's the live view from the hd city camera. 36 cold degrees at reagan national and wind from the northwest at 5 to 15 miles an hour. high today only in the 30s. partly sunny and more of the same tomorrow and highs 40s into the weekend and near 50 on sunday. mike cremedas, how's traffic? >> maple avenue, 123, re-opened in vienna. might notice surrounding delays in the area and northbound 95 looks fantastic as you make the trip toward the beltway. here's a live look right here and things look good all the way to the beltway. >> thank you. ahead on "midday", useful

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody, it's wines day wednesday, january 2, 2013. kathie lee is off, in fact, she's getting a root canal. >> is she really? >> she said her tooth was bothering her. she's at the dentist. joining us in the studio is a very special guest host. >> who? >> a girl named meredith vieira. ladies and gentlemen, meredith

vieira. i want to go on record first saying i'm so jet lagged and in a fog. i want to apologize for you having to carry the entire show. yes, indeed. yes, indeed. i did get back from this long flight. i went to -- for the holidays, i ended up going with my sister halfway around the world to a place called the maldives. look at us, terrible hair. still, a beautiful, great time. that's my sister, halla. you have to fly to dubai, that's 14 or 12 hours. then you have a six-hour layover. >> is that you in the bikini? >> yes. >> you look fantastic. you look so lovely, you do. >> anyway, so we spent a few days in the sun, and while i was there, my mom is the one who's celebrating. it's new years. that's my calling her. by the way, on new year's eve, my sister, my brother, and i were all tucked in dead asleep, and the only person partying was

her! >> oh, my god. >> she's got it. >> you know what i did new year's eve? >> tell me. >> we had a party. supposed to be five or six people, ended up being 30 people. 6:30, coming at 7:00. 6:30, we have a fireplace in our family room, we leave our flue open. >> what is a flue? >> you don't know where the flue is? the smoke goes up. we leave it open all winter long because we have fires every day. i light the fire and use one of those starter logs, they are very powerful, they can be dangerous. suddenly the house starts filling with smoke. the flue was defective and it shut down. it was the most -- all kidding aside, i was hysterical. richard's just sitting in his chair doing nothing. i don't know if he was drunk, looking, what smoke? the house is black, is black. and fortunately, i had a friend

over who's a volunteer fireman. he was trying to jerry rig it. we were trying to put the logs in tinfoil and put them outside. >> did your house stink? >> everybody said it smelt like a cabin, but it's a warning to people. even if you think your flue is open, every time you start a fire, check your flue. >> what were you drinking that night? >> oh, my gosh. well -- first of all, i was traumatized. funny. you know what, that's so wrong. we almost burnt down my home, but i got over it quickly, because i was given a couple of cosmos, which i haven't had in the longest time. >> what do you do at your parties, what happens? do you play games? >> apparently we played charades. i don't remember that part. we always play charades. i had met this group of young guys in jersey who perform, and i said i'm going to get a little

group, which didn't even make sense, because the living room isn't even connected to where everybody was sitting. they were by themselves, no, we went and listened to them. >> i love that. >> just friends coming over. it was lovely. >> i was talking to meredith a couple days ago and you were talking about your addiction. we all have a tv show we're addicted to. yours was -- or is -- "homeland." it's like a weird, crazy, cracky thing with you. what happened? >> i don't watch television, you know, pointed television, because i don't want to miss something. anyway, my friend got me the first season of "homeland." she said, you have to watch this. i watched it, you do get addicted. you don't watch it? >> i don't watch it. >> it's unbelievable. >> is it? >> it's great. >> i don't like to be revved up when i go to sleep. does it make you revved up? >> what do you mean by revved up? not a sexual thing, what are you talking about? what are you -- revv eved up?

>> heart's pounding, it's got drama. >> let it go, hoda, it's a tv show. just let it go. no, what happened was, then i decided, okay, i don't have show time, i'm not buying showtime, that's ridiculous. >> you're tight. >> i am. then the second season starts, and i'm at home, just sitting there saying no way i'm going to get showtime. i'll see it, you know, when i see it, exactly, when it comes out on dvd. around 9:00, the show comes on at 10:00, i'm shaking. i'm shaking, and i call showtime. i need showtime. the lady goes, okay, no, now, i need it now! she thought i was crazy. then there was a pause and she laughed and said is this about "homeland"? i said, yes. >> oh, my god. >> i watch it. i have to watch it on the night, you know, the first night. >> my must-watch now, i don't know if you have seen this, "downtown abbey." it's not like downtown.

just saying, it's downton. but i watched the first season, didn't know if it was for me, fell crazy in love with it, and now i can't wait until -- when does it start? >> january i think, yeah. >> you're in or not in? >> totally in. that's pbs, right? normal station. you don't have to pay for that. you know what, there was an article on that and said spoiler alert, and i should never have read and i read it. now i know what's happened and it's ruined the whole thing. you want me to tell you? >> no, don't tell me. do they stay married, the couple? >> i can't tell you. >> okay, okay. >> you won't sleep that night. put it that way. >> all right, don't give it away. >> i would never. >> you might, because you're weird like that. you might do it. >> when have i done anything like that? >> you sometimes blurt inappropriate things out. >> i do? >> yes, yes, that's what you do.

>> you didn't wish me happy birthday. >> i was just about to. i want to wish meredith a happy belated birthday to ya! ♪ >> happy birthday! >> we love you. blow out your fake candle. did you make a wish? too late. we'll cut that up. >> i'm 59. >> you are? and how does 59 feel? >> you know, i always have loved my birthday, i'm not ashamed of my age. this year i got depressed, and i don't know if it's pre-60 depression that's suddenly -- i felt maybe i was approaching a milestone, i don't know. >> really? >> yeah. it's hard. >> that's interesting. and you never, ever, ever have done anything to your face or anything, have you? asking a question! >> you really don't give a damn, i thought, what does that mean? you know, you obviously don't care about your appearance,

doesn't matter to you. i haven't done a thing. >> no, because you're natural. >> please, natural -- that's not what -- natural is a code word, you know that. age, age. >> no, it's not. >> i'm fine with it. i'm absolutely fine with it. >> you have something coming up. meredith, by the way, since she's no longer doing -- she's busy, has other jobs. >> i can't do everything. >> she has this big fancy production company, and in this production company, which is actually terrific. you put out a lot of movies. >> one movie, we put out one movie. >> you are lazy, lazy,lazy. >> it's hard to get a movie made. it's very hard. it's expensive. >> what's the one, the single movie? >> this is a documentary, "the woman who wasn't there." that's documentary, "the woman who wasn't there." you're looking at this woman, tanya, she was a face of a survivors' network, trade

towers, people who survived the attack, and she really became their voice. she was in the tower, she escaped, her fiance does not. turns out, she made it all up. >> oh, my gosh. >> "the new york times" discovered she made everything up, she was never in the towers, wasn't a survivor, wasn't even in this country. so the betrayal to all the survivors who trusted her and love her and even have mixed feelings to this day, because she did give them a voice. >> what was her explanation? >> we don't know. we don't know. she disappeared right after the documentary was made. actually, i think she went back to spain. her new employer found out about it, i think she was fired from that job, but nobody really knows where she is. >> oh, my gosh. >> she's a brilliant woman, but what provoked her. she loved america, we know that as a kid growing up. >> maybe the spotlight? >> probably. i guess we're over that one. that one's done. >> we're over. >> can i put the button on that one?

digital release. itunes, amazon, and other digital services, whatever they are. >> are you on the digital stuff, by the way? >> no, i don't know anything about it. you're a big tweeter. twitterer. >> meredith, what's your twitter handle? is it meredith vieira? >> i don't have a twitter handle. >> somebody's impersonating me then. >> no, it's you. we did it on the show together. >> once, is it the same thing? it's on a loop? are you serious? i am not, just so america knows -- not that i wouldn't, but i'm not. >> you're going to, because you're here with me today, tomorrow, and friday. during all those days, you are going to tweet. @meredi @meredithvieira on twitter. >> can you teach me how to clean the stone soot off a fireplace? >> that's a good one. go on twitter and explain to

meredith how to clean the soot off a stone fireplace. okay, we have a little contest happening. >> can i hold this up, your book, "ten years later," is it out yet? >> no, it's not. this is the first copy. the concept of this book is take a significant event in someone's life and fast forward ten years, won the lottery, lost a loved one, but we noticed people's big changes come in stories -- [ laughter ] don't mind me. >> they are not looking at us at all, they are looking at everything but us. hi. >> anyway, so we're asking people to send in -- they don't care, they are leaving now. we're asking people to send in photographs of them over just how they've changed over a ten-year period. >> a photo from ten years ago and now? >> we have one of yours. i didn't send this in. >> this is with our hash tag -- you look awesome. >> that's ten years ago? >> brittney says yes.

mine's a different ten-year period, but i want to point out this takes guts to put that picture up. >> look at you. >> no, it's more than that. >> how are you, 50 there? >> that'smean, okay? can you believe it? oh! you know what! oh! >> wait, wait, wait. the one on the left were you 20-something? >> i was in my 20s. >> you look adorable. >> that is bad. the one on the right was just last week. the one on the left, and we talked about this, at the time i curled my hair that day. i looked, this looks really great. you had it feathered. i got a pretty dress on. that's what it looked like. >> it always happens. in that moment, right now i'm sure we think we look good. ten years from now, oh, my god. >> no. all right, gang, we have a big show coming up. >> we do? >> we do. we're going to talk celebrities. what's your favorite celebrity? kim kardashian's having a baby. another baby for this couple.

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>> oh, i wish that was the first time a woman said that to me. it is not. >> let's talk babies, babies. kim kardashian, that was a big, big story a couple days ago. >> the hash tag for the baby is kimye. very twitter friendly of you. kim kardashian is pregnant with kanye west's child. it's the first baby for both of them, and he announced it at a concert. he was performing in atlantic city, and he announced it, basically said -- he mentioned his baby mama, kim. >> romantic. >> romantic, i know. angling for the first in utero interview. is she in calabasas right now? >> do you know when the baby's due? >> we don't know yet. the summer. i don't understand lady things. >> she's still married, right? >> she's still married to kris humphries, so this is a very confusing situation. good episode of "keeping up with the kardashians." >> speaking of babies, matthew

mcconaughey, cutest couple, he and his wife. this is their third. >> third baby, name is livingston. cute, sounds like an old man, you know, but they had their third baby. he was nine pounds, which is -- i know, she's not a big lady. >> they said she was getting bigger, he was getting smaller for the role he was going to be playing. >> he is going to play a man that has aids. she got to eat and he got to starve. >> so this is interesting, new year's eve there's always some shenanigans going on. i don't know if this is true, sofia vergara and her fiance got into a brawl? >> supposedly sofia vergara and her fiance were at a restaurant, spilled a drink, nick got upset, sophia started yelling at him. some reports her top fell down, which sounds like it would be a solar eclipse. >> nobody got a picture of that? >> i guess nobody got a picture of it.

i guess people were just stunned, like a car accident. >> people like my chest, fun, not for that reason. also new year's eve there was a wedding, right? h hugh hefner. >> what are the ages? 86 and 26. >> true love, people. >> what do you think happened? 18 months ago -- it's christie, right? >> crystal. you're really classing her up, no, it's crystal. >> she sort of left him at the aisle. what happened in the 18 months? >> god knows. i'm sure -- god knows. >> you were here for it. >> i mean, yeah, i don't know. she just decided they were compatible. i'm sure she -- >> that's sweet. >> she probably discovered viagra and some kind of levers and pulleys, some kind of system. you know? >> stop. >> nasty. >> kate winslet got married

again. this is her third time, right? >> her third time to richard branson's grandson, whose name is ned rockandroll. >> okay, okay. >> he looks like a cute guy. >> he's intriguing. supposedly richard branson as a gift gave her a ticket to the virgin galactic flight to space. >> what? >> going to the moon. >> supposedly, instead of a gravy boat, ticket to the moon. >> hollywood box office, what was winning? >> yes, the big winner was "the hobbit" over the weekend. elves are trending. but "django unchained" and les miserables. >> that was a great, great movie. meredith has her own news. >> not celebrities, but northwestern and stanford won their bowl games. had to spring that out. >> that's important. >> my kids go to their schools.

>> marriage, babies, football. >> game over. thank you, sweetie. coming up next, funny awkward photos that make you say what the what? >> that's right after this. ( ♪ ) for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. for the days when you get a sudden call from the school, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. when you have children's motrin on hand, you're ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer than children's motrin. be ready with children's motrin. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. just begin with america's favorite soups.

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all right, it is wines day wednesday. you know what that means, time for one of our favorite segments. we like to call it "the what the what." >> sara haines is here with this week's top.

>> you'll like this. i have a feeling you'll courtesy laugh for me. first photo comes from john patron from minneapolis, minnesota. that was on the machine, iced tea. do you think it's sweetened or unsweetened? >> definitely sweetened. >> denise coleman from connecticut submitted this photo. rooms for rent. no vacancy. >> that's cute. >> little odd. >> yeah. >> we'll get there, we'll get there. next up, a photo from don romo from redland, california. breakfast. >> peter, our photographer, always starts with food like that. every day, it's like neon orange. reece's pieces, doritos. >> when i was a smoker, i started every, every day with a tab and a cigarette. how sick is that? >> sicker than --

>> peter drinks colored beverages. he's an adult. who drinks colored beverages? bob sent us this photo. little too late. >> that i like. that is classic. we always have one dumping one. >> always poop jokes. finally this photo. shotgun! >> that is the cutest. >> that is pressing you for your doggy love. >> i can't wait. we're going to do a segment later on in the show on training dogs, because you have, i think yours is a real dog, jasper? >> jasper's a real dog. >> he left teeth marks on people. >> we're going to talk about that coming up a little later. all right, if you've got a photo worthy, pretty much anything, go to our website, klgandhoda.com. maybe we'll pick you for "what the what." if you got a new dog for the holidays, the guy who helped me

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and we're back on this wines day wednesday with more of "today" and we're ready to play our weekly trivia game we call "who knew." do you ever wonder where the whacky sayings we say come from? it's time to find out. meredith vieira is ready to hand out $100 to those who get the answers right, and those who don't, kathie lee's cd. lucky them. joining me, chief historian at the history channel. nice to have you. >> nice to be back. >> meredith, take it away. >> okay, what's your name, hon? >> dora. >> where are you from? >> orlando, florida! >> dora, what is someone

insinuating when they say "when pigs fly"? >> it will never happen. >> yeah! >> it will never happen. she's right! >> well, when pigs fly comes from an agricultural expression. think about a pig, it's the last thing that could fly. you go into the office saying i'm going to win at the lottery today and your colleague says, when pigs fly. >> there's a great geico commercial out with pigs flying. it's hysterical. back across to meredith. >> emily from ft. lauderdale, florida. >> okay, emily. true or false, emily, the phrase "break a leg" originated in the theater industry due to somebody actually breaking their leg on opening night? >> is that true? >> oh, the answer is false. >> that's false. >> but you get a kathie lee gifford album, cd.

>> she looks happy, kind of. >> so the origins of that, you know, theater people are a little superstitious and they think if you wish them good luck right out in the open, it will jinx them. so say opposite, break a leg and that will bring them good luck. >> all right, back across to meredith vieira, host of "who wants to be a millionaire." >> thank you very much for pointing that out. i assume you're from florida. >> i'm not, from illinois. kirby. >> what's it mean when you want to bury the hatchet with someone? plan to deceive another person, bury hatchets in the ground, make peace with someone, ask someone about their thoughts? >> c, make peace with someone? >> yes, yes indeed. that's true. that's putting it away. >> it's absolutely true, and it has a wonderful history. when american indian tribes got together and sought peace between the two of them, they'd literally bury the hatchets to show they no longer needed

weapons. it's one of our few phrases that come from the american indians. >> very nice. back across. >> your name? >> ashley. >> ashley from? >> phoenix, arizona. >> all right. that's lovely, people here are so pleasant. true or false, the phrase barking up the wrong tree comes from hunting dogs barking at the bottom of the wrong tree where they think something is hiding? >> false. >> you got the cd! whoa! >> somebody's cheering. so the answer's true there. >> well, it's true. an old hunting metaphor, and let's say the raccoon goes up one tree but the dogs are barking up another tree, they are barking up the wrong tree. >> they've made a mistake, gone the wrong direction. one more. >> your name and where you're from? >> kansas from washington. >> lovely. how did the saying "beat around

the bush" originate. shy young lovers would chase each other around bushes, in bird hunts participants beat the bushes enabling others to catch the birds in nests, farmers would beat bushes to ensure good harvest, or the origin is unknown? >> d. >> the correct answer is b, the bird hunt participants. >> they'd go into the fields, the birds would be in the shrubs and they'd beat around them and the birds would fly into nets or people would take aim and shoot them. it means stop going into all this activity that leads to nothing, straight to your point. that's why we use it. >> thank you for coming on again with us. >> always so much fun. happy new year. >> meredith is going to come back. if you want to lose a few pounds, we're going to take a look at some of the hottest diet books after these messages. look at that. [ dylan ] this is one way to keep your underwear clean.

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doing is taking the calories you would normally eat in a day and putting it in an eight-hour window. if you do that, you'll lose massive amounts of weight, because you are giving -- you're feasting for eight hours and fasting for 16 hours. your body -- nature didn't intend us to eat for 18 hours a day. that's what we're doing, three meals, three snacks, give it a chance to clear the toxins, process the food, and if you do that, what you're going to find is that losing weight was pretty effortless and you'll see your health profile improve dramatically. >> you're saying eat all you want. i did segments, eat this, not that. you were specific what you could not eat. >> the good news is, if you want to eat pizza and burgers, ice cream, wine, chocolate, you can have a 400-calorie burger instead of a 2,000-calorie

burger. if you do that and you're doing these things in your eight-hour window, 10:00 to 6:00, 12:00 to 8:00, whatever that is, you're going to turbo charge your weight loss. >> you have something different. you say there are foods we are sensitive to and if we would just get those out of our diet, the weight would fall out. >> you know, it's really clear to you, too, we've been following the wrong set of rules. this isn't a calories in, calories out game. your body's not a bank account, it's a chemistry lab, and food is information. i found over the years there were seven key needle-mover foods that most people are intolerant to. when we pulled them out and swapped them for foods that were similar but often tasted better. >> list some of the things. >> what are the seven? gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, peanuts, and sugars and artificial sweeteners.

that's good, if people are going that's everything i'm eating, you're going to have huge results. the average weight loss is seven pounds in seven days. >> is that fat? >> some of that is inflammation. you're creating massive inflammation by eating these foods and start to crave these foods that you are eating. after the first couple days, people come in for the weight loss but stay because they feel better. >> do you try each other's diets? >> i think the eight-hour diet is good because you can combine everything. >> the eight-hour virgin. >> or the promiscuity diet, if that's your thing. >> restrictive, yours you can only have the eight hours. >> they are not depravation by nature. the average diet is a depravation diet and if you're looking at what we're telling you, instead of soy milk, have coconut milk, you'll probably

like it better. it's not depravation. yes, i totally agree, snacking all day long makes us chubby. >> i cut dairy out, i ended up losing weight not even meaning to because i always felt crummy and sluggish and icky. i kicked it out. >> we need to connect the dots between what we're eating, how we're feeling, what we weigh. >> we wish both you great luck on your super diets. you're good advertisement. >> we're ready, we're ready. >> thanks. you want all eyes on you when you walk down the aisle. >> wedding gowns that won't break the bank after this. >> oh, my gosh, i love these twins! fragrance into the air, the welcoming scent of fresh lavender and juicy, sun-ripened peaches quickly fills your home. then fills you with a little something, too. try the long-lasting one-of-a-kind scent of lavender and peach blossom. available in plugins scented oil, only from glade.

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>> but you don't need to break the bank. here with the best deals is anna winicka. editor of theknot.com. this is a time a lot of people are out for wedding dresses. >> 40% of couples get engaged over the holidays. everyone is logging on, looking at beautiful wedding dresses, and we have a lot of fun trends to show you. >> we're going to show you the expensive version, then the less expensive version. >> this is the trend. this is $18,200. gorgeous, gorgeous dress. airy, romantic, hand beading crystals. >> look at joy, adorable. this is a jasmine bridal dress, it's $1,100. she's carrying a big, beautiful

white bouquet, which is also a big trend for next year, all white bouquets. she looks great. >> you look terrific. saves a lot of money. >> let's go on now. a little flair, so this is hot on the runway, ready to wear. often scarlet is the splurge there. but the same is our beautiful model taylor. she's wearing a $399 from david's bridal and she looks incredible as well. that structured look is what everyone is after, that city look. >> what are you paying for when you pay that extra money, the name, the label? >> the name, the fabric, you're paying for the construction. a lot of those are hand beaded with crystals. quality, you know? but at the same time, you're looking to save, you want to find that look, you want to pull off that trend, you can do it. >> thank you, hon. you look great. >> ruffles are a really big

trend. it's playful, it's fun. this splurge $9,250. 50 yards of fabric to make those beautiful ruffles move amazingly. we got a splurge here. >> beautiful. >> amazing. this one's under $1,000. $990. still got the ruffles, by moonlight bridal. it's got the bling on the top, the sparkle, which a lot of brides love. and the veils are in, long, natural hair. >> is this good for any age? >> you know, this is more playful. >> if i wore that, i'd look ridiculous. >> it's not for everyone, but these are trends. this is it. >> adorable on her. >> fun to dance in too, right? >> thank you. >> one trend i know a lot of people like, korsette. beautiful, gorgeous dress. $4,999 dollars. incredible fit.

beautiful, romantic dress. >> what about june? >> june is wearing -- >> good to see you, june. >> this one's by anne taylor. >> busting out all over. >> you look amazing in this ann taylor dress. $600. >> that's unbelievable. >> you can mix and match the pieces. $600 for both, but she's got the corseted top. >> i love the veil, it's so cute. >> looks great. let's go to bridesmaid dresses. a lot of people hate these, you never wear them again. >> this is a peplem, it's a trend, that's the splurge. >> great cocktail dress. >> great, the scheel is gorgeous. this is $159. >> oh, my gosh, love it. >> amazing in that little black dress. very flattering. that's something a lot of your friends, you know, may be afraid about, but try it on. elizabeth looks good in this.

ask your girlfriends. >> let's go to prints. >> patterns and prints, you don't just have to wear a solid color, can be fun to wear a print. this splurge is $290. and our model, catherine, is wearing the ann taylor dress under $100, $99. it's all about the accessories, simple strappies on. she looks so cute. >> subtle. >> she's not matching the drapes. she looks gorgeous. looks like a lot of fun. >> great, thank you. finally, the one-shoulder look is very sexy. it's a nice look. >> one shoulder is a very sexy look. that's really fun, $265 dress. the neckline can be 15 different ways, that's fun, on the fancy one, but this one, $138. fabulous. >> gorgeous. >> one last trend, it's gray. >> one last trend, gray. gray is the new black, so for

our splurge we have a $350 dress. gorgeous dress. you know that would look amazing on your girls. but we have a save here from target.com. $69. you can find them all over the place. this is alicia. yep, yep, yep, that's the thing. gray is the new black. >> is it real fabric? >> it's real fabric. >> it's very inexpensive. >> let's bring all the ladies out. thank you. gorgeous. great job, thank you so much. >> really great job. all right, did you get a new dog this holiday? well, sit and stay. >> we'll talk about the basics of dog training, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right, if you gave into your kids begging you for a dog this holiday, you're probably looking at your new four-legged friend and wondering, what did i

do? >> here we have simple, but important behaviors to teach your dog. director of animal behavior for the humane society of new york. he also helped me train my dog, jasper. >> how are you? >> thanks for having me here, especially with all the dogs that need homes. >> you're going to give us pointers. >> if you're thinking of getting a dog, puppy is the most labor intensive. if you're a first-time dog owner, don't get a puppy. first thing you need to do with puppy socialization, they come out and bring them from person to person, right? they don't get used to being in your home with people. when you hand them to someone, hand them like that. rear first. not face first. that's really frightening to dogs. then, not just with people, but can we put vinny down? got to meet other dogs, too, when they are puppy. she's full grown. you want your puppy to meet an adult dog. they are playing, yeah.

there you go. good girl. you want your dog to meet a dog that isn't going to be aggressive. vinny, come here. come here, girl. okay, then let's go right to -- hand them back. rear first. once you get your puppy out socializing, you start training. first thing we do is teach them to walk on a leash. today we have sophie, and sophie is a year-old dog who comes from south carolina. she was abandoned, and you can see she's kind of wild. >> yeah. >> so the first thing you do is teach them to walk on a leash. that's called healing. did you catch her? >> i did. >> hoda. >> take a treat, have them on your left side. hold the leash next to your side. >> pay attention. >> i'm trying. i'm trying. >> walk in a circle. see how she's trying to jump around and i'm using the leash to control her? >> holding it tight. >> tight and fit. good girl. having the leash connected to

your dog, showing them how to walk is the easiest way to show them who's boss. >> we got to run. >> got to run? >> thanks, sweetie. [ male announcer ] when your business is powered by verizon,

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