good morning. emotional returns. students and staff from sandy hook elementary head back to class this morning for the first time since the tragic school shooting. the painstaking steps school officials have taken to ease the transition. battleground washington, a ne session of congress begins on capitol hill today and fresh off the fiscal cliff fight, the republican party appears in the this rows of a civil war. this morning, we speak to an outspoken congressman who urges voters in his district not contribute to a republican campaign. an 8-year-old bom to-- boy

told by his mom he didn't buy a $50,000 car. a harmless prank or mom going too far? we'll ask her son today january 3rd, 2013. from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm erica hill. this is obviously a difficult morning for students at sandy hook elementary. >> classes are being held in a neighboring school of monroe, connecticut. to make it's easier, classrooms in that school have been recreated to look just like the rooms at sandy hook and parents are being allowed to join their children. more from connecticut on that story. also secretary of state,

hillary clinton, back at home after leaving a new york hospital and treated for a blood clot and she gets back to work. how much longer will she remain secretary of state? and we learn more about the paparazzi killed after trying to get a shot of justin bieber and bieber and the stars hope this will lead to change for stalking of celebrities. and a sperm donor in kansas, helped another couple have a child, signed a way parental rights. th three years later, the state wants him to pay child support. we begin this thursday morning with staff members and students at sandy hook elementary heading back to class for the first time since that tragic shooting last month. in connecticut, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the media is being kept three miles from the school as

district officials try to get them back to a normal routine but won't return to the school where the tragedy occurred. volunteers worked several days transforming a middle school in a neighboring town into a place that looks familiar for 500 sandy hook elementary school students. >> at one point, there were 80 people in the building, cleaning up the building, doing the kinds of things to make it really look cheerful and happy. >> reporter: they brought the children's books and desks seven miles from the new school and even renamed the new building sandy hook elementary. >> we will go to our regular schedule and do the things we know are good for kids. >> reporter: some parents like andrew pa payley says it is som comfort to the family. >> you see the smiles on their

faces and i know they're excited to see the kids and get back but obviously have emotions running high, i'm sure. >> reporter: teachers and students toured the building windy under a high safe presence. >> it has to be the highest security in america. >> reporter: increased security will be increased for days to come. to help the parents through this, parents will be allowed to accompany test their children in the school today. >> we wish them all the best. thanks. secretary of clinton is out of the hospital this morning as she recovers from a blood clot near her brain. good morning. >> good morning, erica. it was all good news according to hillary clinton's doctors. a spokesman said she is making good progress on all fronts and they expect a complete recovery. the secretary of state's motorcade pulled out of a new york city hospital around windy he heading to chappaqua, where she

will continue to rest and work from home. earlier in the day, an upbeat clinton walking hand-in-hand with chelsea, along with husband bill, was seen coming out of another complex. chelsea tweeted grateful my mom discharged from the hospital and is heading home and even more grateful she will make a full recovery and thank you to the doctors, nurses and stach at new york presbyterian hospital columbia university medical center for taking good compare of my mom. doctors not involved in the care say she will be monitored for unusual symptoms. >> worsening headaches, changes in their level of consciousness, if they get lethargic, too sleepy, weakness on one side of the body, we need to evaluate and see whether or not the blood clot has increased in size. >> reporter: hillary clinton's i illness will certainly delay any testimony about benghazi but

will it silence the critics? >> maybe -- i know this will sound crazy, reduce the cynicism in washington, that she had a benghazi headache and she was just malingering or making up. >> it's unlikely the secretary of state will be adding any more miles on that airplane before stepping down from office assuming john kerry is appointed to succeed her but her staff said she is looking forward to getting back to the office and to work soon. president obama has just signed the fiscal cliff lbill into law end iing an immediate crisis but today, kelly o'donnell is at congress. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. there's been no break in the action and bitter partisan battles. the congress who served here two years to all of those dramas says good-bye and a new one

takes the oath at noon today. day one on the job for 82 house freshmen and a dozen senate newcomers. record books take note. 20 women most ever will be called senator. a changing america means 28 hispanics hold seats in the house. today marks the return of the kennedy family. rfk's grandson, joe, becomes a congressman. >> it is my honor to be here with all of you this evening as your next congressman for the fourth congressional district of massachusetts. >> reporter: and a return to work that meant a year of hard fought recovery for illinois senator, mark kirk, after his devastating stroke. >> i wanted everybody to say that depressed moment you can have when a stroke hits, say, look, kirk is even walking up the capitol steps as an example to patients. >> but this new congress faces

le leftover problems. >> absurd! absolutely absurd. >> reporter: billions for sup superstorm sandy victims was left at mid night on monday. >> i think it's inexcusable we did not have this vote. >> reporter: setting off anger from democrats and republicans. >> we cannot believe we had this knife is our region. >> time to take the gloves off jersey style. >> reporter: new jersey governor chris christie played no punches. >> it is why the american people hate congress. >> reporter: aides say boehner decided the house could not demand fiscal cliff cuts and vote on the same day to spend billions in disaster relief. boehner promised the new congress will vote on sandy help

tomorrow. >> it was an extremely positive meeting. >> reporter: but more proof in this political environment every kind of issue can veer off into another crisis. not the country is fractured. conservatives and liberals, republicans and democrats have very different views how to deal with issues, taxes and spending and entitlements, that's not going away. >>. >> reporter: this is a critical political day for john boehner as well. we watched him have political setbks in recent days and part of a new congress is electing a speaker. john boehner's aides says despite criticism and rumblings, they expect him to be elected. congressman king, good morning. the speaker says they will now vote on super storm sandy and are you confident all the money will be delivered to the people

in need? >> i am. it is a $9 billion bill voted on friday and january 15th, to the rema remaining amount. many districts are devastated. my own neighborhood and community devastated, staten island, breezy point, new jersey, this is devastation in some ways comparable to katrina. >> take me back some days. congress is debating the fiscal cliff bill and you and others were adamant the sandy will be taken up. did you talk to speaker boehner and were you as angry and outraged as you were yesterday? >> yes. we worked on this earlier in the week and told by congressman cantor and told it was coming up windy evening or -- tuesday or windy morning. tuesday evening or wednesday morning. we started getting rumors it may

not come up, might be pulled. >> did you express your outrage to the speaker? >> at that time, i was not outraged. i askedon boehner if there would be a vote. he said let me ask cantor and said it was 99% certain and decide what would happen. after the vote, the speaker left and we found out from an aide the bill was pulled. >> here's what you said wednesday. you said speaker boehner had a quote dismissive and cavalier attitude towards new york and new jersey. you went further, republicans have no trouble finding new york when it comes to raising money. i would say to any from new york or new jersey who contributes one penny to congressional republicans after this should have their head examined. do you stand by those comments? >> i stand by what i said at the time. it was shock therapy. >> did you mean it? >> at the time, absolutely. if we did not get this aid, this

could be disastrous for the people in new york. this isn't a special gimmick we were looking for. this is life and death. i have people in my district living in their cars and dilapidated homes. john agreed to put everything on the calendar and it will be voted on. john boehner is a friend. >> you came out of that meeting and say not only is he a friend. you will vote for him for speaker of the house. john boehner has a dismissive and cavalier attitude towards new york and new jersey. you represent people in the district of new york. how can you vote for a speaker who has a dismissive and cavalier attitude towards the people in your district. >> what's done is done. when the decision had to be made, john boehner made the decision, to put it all on the calendar and a vote held. i wish it had been done monday night and yesterday morning, the fact is it will be done january

15th. if we carry that the rest of our lives we'll never get anything done. >> john boehner is not known to mince his words when he's angry. did he call you out for calling him out wednesday. >> no. he did make a joking obscene reference with a smile and said, i love you, and then we went into the meeting. it was very cordial and business-like. i do consider john boehner a friend. i do consider him a friend but i hurt yesterday. john said he understood that and the pressure and suffering and had to make a decision and felt there was too much going on. i disagree with that and he has the speaker and the fact he came around so quickly and work with us and get it on the calendar, i am happy with that. >> do you have any doubt john

will be elected speaker? >> john is a voice of reason despite what i said yesterday. >> what a difference 24 hours makes. thanks. >> my, how things change. time for a check in the morning of other top stories. willie geist is in for natalie at the newsdesk. >> good morning erica and matt. we begin with wall street where the dow saw its biggest gains in more than a year wednesday. courtney, another good day today? >> good morning, willie. this is shaping up to be another active day on wall street after the dow gained 300 points on wednesday and marked the biggest point gain we have ever seen on the first trading day of the year. while the market is cheering that fiscal deal, the relief rally could die down a little bit. they have employment data, auto sales and the nation he's retailer

retailers report their december sales. >> thanks. with fighting intensifying, the death toll in syria hit a new milestone. more than 60,000 people have died in the 22 month-long conflict according to the united nation. fighting in the country's north surrounds the military airport and government air strike on damascus wednesday killed dozens of people. al jazeera is making a wide push for an american magazine as they purchase current tv founded by vice president al gore in 2005. he says al jazeera's mission is to quote provide diverse points of view. and christmas can turn a grown man into an excited little boy and they decided to cheer him up when they had to put down t their maltese. when they asked dad to unload the groceries from the car, he

found something special. >> aw! hello! >> dad named the little guy monty. as you can see here, they are already unacceptable. erica and al, the question gets him every time. >> no question. mr. roker is here with a first check of the weather. >> that's right. you have snow where you're not expecting it and other places you will. we start with rain in the southeast and l two inches thro of the southeast. we've got a quick clipper coming across and it will bring lake effect snow over the next 24 to 48 hours and we're looking at one to three inches. not a big deal. the big story is in texas, the big bend area. winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories and we're seeing moisture come up to cold air and that will bring a lot of snow over the next 24 hours. we're talking some areas partly cloudying up to eight inches of

snow in the mountains in the southwest of texas. we'll get to your local forecast. first this message. sunrise about ten minutes away and a clearing sky on this third morning open january, 2013. live view from the news4 city camera. 31 at reagan national and it's komd elsewhere down into the 20s and teens. much of the region this morning. and it's going to stay below freezing for the next two or three hours and then get into

the 30s to near 40 by early to mid-afternoon with lots of sunshine. more of the sam that's your latest weather. erica erica. >> al, thanks. new concerns about the paparazzi this morning after a photographer was killed trying to get a shot of justin bieber's ferrar ferrari. >> good morning to you. friends say chris was always hustling, looking for the next big shot and payday. but after an exclusive photo, he paid the ultimate price. >> the flash bulbs, the screaming. >> it's high stress. >> the mob scene. >> it's a price to pay. are you willing to pay it. >> a cat and mouse game between paparazzi and stars that can get downright scary. >> please don't chase me, i'm

pregnant. >> justin bieber's car was pulled over for speeding. he didn't know he wasn't in the car and as he tried to get a shot in a busy road, he was killed by a passing suv. >> reporter: saying the right picture can bring anywhere from 50 to $100,000. >> we're dealing with a billion dollar industry called hollywood. this ain't no joke. it is money that drives you. >> reporter: justin bieber has had his own share of run-ins with the paparazzi including this confrontation in a parking lot last may and high speed chase on a los angeles freeway that landed bieber a speeding ticket in july. in a statement released wednesday, bieber expressed his condolences for the family and said hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation. a statement echoed by miley

cyrus, hope this accident is a wa wake-up call. wasn't this enough of a wake-up call? sn>> sponsoring two paparazzi ls in effect in california since 2010. >> the one law we can go after is anti-stalking law to keep them from stalking the celebrities day and night. >> reporter: their sometimes dangerous relationship will go on as long as fame goes with so much fortune. >> it this is price of fame you have to deal with the paparazzi and you have to put up with it. >> late last year, prosecutors in los angeles used one of those new anti-paparazzi laws to file charges against the photographer in that high speed chase with bieber but a judge threw out most of the charges calling the anti-paparazzi law vague and problematic. >> jason, thank you. >> it's about money.

if they keep paying big money for pictures like this, people will still take risks to get those photos and accidents like this happen. >> and if people keep reading those magazines -- >> we've been calling for a wake-up call since 1997, when diana died and haven't had one yet. still to come, the sperm donor who signed away his responsibilities as a father but is now being asked to pay child support. and an 8-year-old burst into tears after his mom convinces him he accidentally bought a $50,000 car online. did she take a joke a little too far? we'll ask her. first, this is "today" on

coming up, this isn't good news, why this flu season could be the worst in years. and who invented the french fry? first your local news.

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with the cereal you love... and so much more. what will you gain when you lose? good morning, it's 7:26 on this thursday, january 23rd with. a atraffic alert four drivers heading to d.c. through friendship heights. big delays on wisconsin avenue because of a water main break. tony is live in chevy chase with more, tony? >> reporter: a significant backup along wisconsin avenue right now. route by door set avenue. and if you look to our left you can see the water main break crews cutting out the old pipe and putting in the new one and say it won't be repaired until about 11:00 this morning and the road won't be paved until about 2:00 p.m. major traffic backups along route 355 on to wisconsin. we'll send it back to alexis

davies in for danella. thank you, two southbound lanes are closed on route 355 wisconsin avenue between cumberland avenue and dorset avenue. elsewhere, 270 seeing delays as you head out of frederick this morning and as you approach the [ male announcer ] now at your neighborhood subway: the big hot pastrami melt. we perfected the pastrami sandwich -- filled with hot, juicy pastrami,

pickles, yellow mustard and bubbly melted cheese. all piled-high on our signature freshly baked bread. made hot, toasty and just for you. and don't be afraid to put your spin on this deli style deliciousity -- add your favorite ingredients, like spicy jalapeños or crisp green peppers. get to your local subway and taste some perfect pastrami today! subway. eat fresh. good morning, sun just now coming up over the potomac and a clearing sky. live view and the sun will be with us throughout the rest of the daylight hours with temperatures struggle to get above freezing over the next hour so right now reagan national at 31. elsewhere, down into the low to mid 20s. nearby suburbs, teens. farther west and north, later today into the upper 30s to near 40 around the metro. staying only in the 30s elsewhere. lots of sunshine and more of the same on friday and saturday. although maybe a little milder

during the afternoons. and sunday looking cloudy with a small chance of flurries and highs reaching mid 40s. back to you.

why did you buy that $50,000 car on ebay? >> i didn't. >> you did. >> oh, can we -- >> it won't cancel it. you hit buy. >> that is 8-year-old kenyon getting a little upset after his mom told him he had accidentally bought a mustang online. she posted it on youtube. you know what, not everyone is laughing about that. is it funny or a prank gone too far. we'll talk about that with kenyon and his mom when they join us in a couple minutes. they seem to be smiling about it. 7:30 on a thursday morning, the iii of january, 2013. i'm matt lauer with erica hill in for savannah. a georgia woman free on bond

after she allegedly hit a 17-year-old student with a car with a dispute over a parking space. you won't believe who's behind the wheel. we have bad news when it comes to flu season, off to a quick start, cases now reported in all 50 states. we'll talk about that with nancy snyderman. >> you are hearing more and more people complaining about the flu. and al's battle with obesity, a struggle that started when he was a child with ups and downs and he will explain why he's never going back to being overweight. this is a new book that will be inspirational to more people. a sperm donor at the center of a bizarre legal battle. can the state force him to pay child support. michelle franzen is in topeka. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. the state of kansas is seeking at least $6,000 in child support from a topeka sperm donor who

signed away his parental rights more than three years ago to give a family the child they wanted and he's now preparing for a long court battle to prove he's not the legal parent. when william decided to be a storm donor in 2009, he thought it would be an act of kindness to help a lesbian couple conceive a child. >> it's difficult when there are no men in there and i donated. now the 46-year-old is caught up in a child support legal battle, not with the couple but with the state of kansas. >> no good deed goes unpunished. >> reporter: the former mechanic found and ad posted on craig's list. it offered $50 but decided, along with his wife, kimberly, to take no payment. >> this is nowhat we signed up for. >> reporter: he signed a legal contract with this woman and her

partner at the time giving up any legal rights and the contract also says he would never be held responsible for any child support. the couple has since separated but still care for the child together. >> we never intended for him to financially support her. that was our responsibility as her two parents. >> reporter: bauer became ill last year and her partner applied for financial assistance and kansas does not recognize same sex marriage and bauer could not legally adopt the child. have the joy of raising her and loving her every single day. it's only because of william that i have that. >> in a statement, kansas officials say the state is entitled to pursue child support costs in cases where the parties do not go through a licensed physician or clinic. there remains the question who actually is the father of the child or children. in such case, dcf is required by statute to establish paternity and then pursue child support

from the non-custodial parent. >> the idea is the state of kansas shouldn't be paying support if there is a person legally obligated to pay support. >> reporter: maurada says the case made him question his good intentions. >> with what i know now, i don't think i would have been a sperm donor. >> reporter: his family has filed an argument to have this case dismissed and he's trying to figure out how to pay the thousands of dollars in legal fees he's already had to in cur. >> thanks. now, a check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> thank you so much, mr. lauer, as we go to the big weather wall and show you what we have. it is cold not only in the northeast but southern texas where they're looking at snow. look at these temperatures, amarillo, 12 degrees belownow, below normal. salt lake, 27, mobile 11 degrees

below normal. boston will get up to 24 degrees. in the teens in cleveland and look at these afternoon temperatures. teens and 20s throughout the lanes. 40s in the pacific northwest and down to southern florida to find some warm weather with the 80s. but some showers in central florida along the southeastern atlantic coast. look for snow showers and windy conditions through southern texas and showers moving back to the pacific northwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. 20s and teens and partly cloudy sky clearing later today with lots of sunshine and rice reaching upper 30s to near 40. 20s tomorrow morning. and news4 out look, a dry pat person. highs of mid 40s and sunday, maybe mid-to-upper 40s and briefly a small chance of a flurry as a front comes through with clouds. good weather for the skins game don't forget that weather on

cable and weather.com. got the ducks going up again. wildcat wildcats! matt. >> al. thank you very much. now, to a parking dispute in georgia police say got way out of hand. surveillance video shows a driver hitting a high school student with her car. that's shocking enough. what's even more surprising is the identity of the driver. gabe is in cartersville, georgia. good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning. it seemed like any other day just after christmas, a busy walmart parking lot, shoppers vying for a space. a teenager claims one driver went too far. >> reporter: a parking lot showdown caught on camera. pay attention to the girl in the dark pants, right there. then watch this white suv, as it drives down the aisle, pauses, then -- >> i thought she was going to pull out. i didn't think she would actually hit me. emily says she was holding a

parking spot for her brother's girlfriend, a new mom. things got ugly. >> she approached and rolled down her window and told me to move. i politely said i'm saving the parking space. she tells me to move again and rams me with her vehicle. >> reporter: the case is getting a lot of attention as it turns out the driver is the vice chair of the school board, the same district where she is a high school senior. >> i was a child in this situation and she acted like the child. >> reporter: police reviewed the video, measured the tire marks on the girl's jeans and arrested co coronett. >> from the video, it's obvious the pedestrian was standing there and the vehicle lurched forward and has to get out of the way quickly. >> reporter: but her attorneys s says the student leaned against the vehicle and the tire marks only show it brushed against her

not that she was run over. >> mrs. coronette regretful this occurred and don't believe any l laws have been broken. >> this video says it all. >> reporter: it is something the police are looking into. >> i can't believe somebody would hit somebody, especially over a parking space. that's not really important at all. >> reporter: the district superintendent is with holding comment until this case works its way through the courts. the school board member's attorney says while his client regrets the incident, she did not break the law, matt. >> that's going to be open for debate, gabe. thank you very much. looked like a pretty big parking lot. one more loop around might have yielded a parking spot. seems a little out of control. flu cases in all 50 states, is this going to be the worst season in years? we talk with doctor nancy right

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all 50 states and has some of us wondering if it might be a sign of worse things to come. dr. nancy snyderman. if you haven't gotten your flu shot, it may not be too late? >> it may still be early. we may be looking at a flu season that goes into spring. normally we tell people to get their flu shots in september, november, october, if you haven't done it, do it now. >> normally we see a spike in january-february, this started more early december. >> it started early. it started in the south where we don't normally see it and we've seen a continuous spike. not only early but a lot. that's probably because it's isolated to this influenza a, hta, technical term. the last time we saw it was in the 2002-2003 flu season which was notoriously bad. i don't expect this one to have a lull right now, especially

with the cold snap in the northeast. people are coming in and closing their door and we're passing germs more readily in the north and i suspect it continues in the winter and early spring. >> and we don't havehave a map l 50 states and strongest in the south and east. >> if you look at that southeastern red hot zone, i suspect we will see more states turn red over the next couple months. >> you mentioned the h strain. how successful was this? >> they nailed it. they turn this scientific guest work what will be around the bend. we have hits and misses. they nailed it this year. the vaccine is not only good, it's for everybody. even if you're a young healthy woman and thinks it's not for me. if you're pregnant, it protects your fetus, if you're grandparents around children, it protects your kids.

and it is hard to knock out and there's the nasal mist if you can't muscle up the courage for the needle. >> and people young and old and most at risk, besides getting the flu shot or washing your hands, anything else you should be paying attention to? >> it's so interesting, we have become so lax about public health and we can prevent disease, we thank our doctors for giving us antibiotics and going to the hospital, something as simple as an immunization can keep you from getting sick in the first place. if i can keep you from getting sick at your sickbed two weeks and a compromised person, young person, pregnant woman, that's a really important part about public health. last year, we saw pregnant women as their own isolated group. i think it's safe to say for everyone 6 months or older, get

your flu shot and prevent illness. 25 to 40,000 people die every year from the flu and no reason to do it anymore. >> it's not just you, the people around you. >> absolutely. protect those around you. >> nice to see you. still ahead, al shares his personal candid story about his life-long struggle with weight. up next, the battle royale with french fries. are they really french? had a cl. she'd been doing her own tax returns for maybe two or three years. i said, "let me just look'em over and make sure there's no mistakes." they were really, really wrong. i did them over, and i called her... and said, "you're gonna get a total of about $10,000 back." i wave my wand and refunds suddenly appear. i can help you. now you can get 4 box tops for education on 70 general mills products.

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fries really french? michele kaczynski is in paris, good morning to you. >> reporter: here, they call them fried potatoes. the americans named them french. the bell gins decided to investigate. the french don't really care. for the centuries of peeling, chopping, luxurious hot oil treatments, whether in the suddenly gone translate bag or work of culinary art. >> bon appetite. >> reporter: could it really be the crispy salty, restoratively groce french fries is actually not french? we took to the streets of paris and found surrender. >> are they really french? >> yeah. >> no, they're belgian. >> you think they're belgian? >> yeah, i think so. >> reporter: we asked foodies. would you be terribly upset if

french fries were not actually french? >> no. >> reporter: consulted authors, experts. >> even though they're belgian, i still think of them as french. >> reporter: you know they're belgian? >> everybody says they're belgian. >> reporter: belgians, who serve thousands with mayonnaise decided to find out which tale from the deep fryer of history might be true. could those from the revolution not eat cake but potatoes to survive or was it belgian fishermen lacking fish to fry invented fries. the belgians finally decided the french story was the more plausible but still as unclear as a well-used fry pit. >> reporter: is it important to you they be french? >> no,it isn't. the most important is it's delicious. i don't care. >> doesn't any dispense their fries as french? you're willing to fight for the

french fry? >> not really. >> everyone say they're belgian so -- >> reporter: you don't mind? >> no. i think we have more than just french fries. >> reporter: but of course. >> it's not belgian fries? >> no. >> reporter: my hand slipped! whatever they are, they're still good, aren't they? >> we hope so. [ speaking foreign language ] well, some accounts have this spanish scarfing down fries as early as the 1500s and long before freedom fries, remember those? it may have been american soldiers in world war i who named them in french but only after trying them in french speaking belgium. all that matters is they're hot, slightly crispy and seasoned with coarse salt because we may

never know the truth about fries, matt. >> no. we're going to get to the bottom of it right now, michelle. thank you very much. we turned to willie geist all things world history. french or belgian? >> i think they're belgian. i've done the work. >> southern part of the country? >> i spoke to someone else and he says they're belgian. >> which tastes better? french fries or belgian fries? should we try? >> only one way to find out. which one's which. >> you have to ask which one's which? >> they're more of a meal in belgium. in france, more of a side dish. in belgium, lots of mayonnaise. >> do you like mayonnaise on it? >> a little too much oil. >> i like the way it clears out your sinuses. >> is that the belgian? >> those are belgian. those are french. >> those are pretty good, too. >> belgian is the father. >> sorry, paris, back after your local news.

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7:56 is your time. good morning. traffic alert on wisconsin avenue just north of the friendship heights metro station. a water main broke last night and work is still going on with one lane getting by but big delays so avoid wisconsin avenue if you can can. now for a look at the rest of the first 4 traffic here's alexis davies. we have an accident in vienna. leesburg pike. use caution. 50 westbound, accident blocking the right lane. you can see from these live look the delays start at route 410. significant delays.

good morning, sunshine now and teens northwest of the matter area. 20s localry right around the beltway in the nearby suburbs and near 30 around the bay, northern neck eastern shore later today. only reaching upper 30s to near 40 with lots of sun. cold mornings and chilly afternoons but dry weather tomorrow to the middle of next

we're back on a thursday morning, the iii day of january, 2013. you know what? >> what! >> even though it's chilly out, we're in the mid-20s, pretty cold out here. gold star for everybody sticking out the chill. we appreciate you sticking by. >> think about it. it's 1-1-3-13 today. erica is here while savannah is taking a little vacation time. we're joined by mr. roker as well. coming up, the excitement we

all remember probably when you get your first car? >> yeah. >> a good thing, when you mean to do it. that is probably not the feeling this 8-year-old had when her mom let him use her ipad and told him he had bought a $50,000 car online. as you can see he was a little upset about it. the video was posted on youtube getting plenty of reaction and some people thought it was funny and others said, mom, you went a little too far and we'll talk to mom and kenyon and see how they feel about it. >> we will talk to mr. roker. we've known each other 20 years or so. throughout that time, al has made no secret about the fact he has struggled with weight, on and off successfully and not so successfully and he's written a new book called "never going back." if you're someone that has struggled, you will find a lot of inspiration in it. and we'll be back with you. >> i'm looking forward to

sharing thoughts and in sight, not a preachy book and maybe giving you my path and maybe it will help you. >> we look forward to it. we will go inside. natalie is off and willie geist standing at the newsdesk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. it is back to school for the children of sandy hook elementary. it is back to school for the first time since a gunman killed 20 children and six of the staff at a connecticut school. and they have outfitted a building in nearby monroe connecticut to accommodate him. secretary of state clinton has been released from the hospital after doctors treated a blood clot in her head and expected to make a full recovery. president obama signed the fiscal cliff bill raising taxes on the wealthiest americans, and the battle over spending cuts will be taken over by the 113th

congress that begins today and their first priority is approving aid for hurricane victims and the senate will have a new look with over 20 female victims. families that lost loved ones in the aurora colorado e-mail massacre have a new source of outrage, an e-mail inviting them to the movie's re-opening. good morning. >> good morning. many of these families say the pain is still too fresh to revisit the place they lost their loved ones. >> reporter: 12 lives were taken in just seconds, when a gunman opened fire at a movie theater in aurora, colorado. that theater is set to reopen this month. the parents of victim jessica, won't be there. >> none of us are ever interested in stepping foot in that theater, that killing field ever again. >> reporter: what hurts even more, they say, they were invited to the re-opening via e-mail from the colorado office

of victim assist stance two days after christmas. cinemark, the owner of the theater would like to invite you and a special guest to an evening of remembrance. the invitation asks guests to please reserve tickets for you and your guest by responding to this e-mail. we understand this may be a difficult time for you. counselors will be available at the theater if you would like to speak to someone. >> they never returned a phone call, they never sent a condolence letter. but now they want the public relations ploy of having us there to support their grand re-opening. jessica's family and several other victims' family countdoer with their own lettered, our family members will never be on this earth with us again and a movie ticket and some token words from people who didn't care enough to reach out to us nor respond when we reached out to talk to them is appalling. as early as last september, the

mayor of aurora sent the theater a letter saying after hearing from the victims of the shooting and the community, we are hearing a collective wish and desire for the community to reopen. >> at least one family who co-signed the letter placed a lawsuit against the chain accusing them of security measures. and they asked for it to be dismissed because there was no way to foresee a mass shooting. and the shooter will be in court next week. >> thanks. for a special edition of what's trending today and our all baby edition, what has you talking online, the first viral photo, the mim imagine of a baby grabbing a doctor's finger during her c-section delivery. it was taken by an arizona dad in october and just posted on the mom's facebook page. incredible. definitely don't try this at

home. a baby girl's ride on a roomba robotic vacuum cleaner originally posted three years ago, now posted online and attracting criticism from those who feel the baby could have been hurt. looks like she's having fun. and no worries for this baby born with a natural fear of vacuum cleaners. >> see you later. >> that's true. anybody with kids knows a vacuum cleaner scares them. let's hope they wouldn't do that over and over again. i'm sure they wouldn't do that for the benefit of a viral video. >> nobody would do that, willie, right? never. never. thank you, sir. mr. roker has a check of the weather. it's a little chilly outside. >> it's very recoupup prative.

you're 91 years old? you look fantastic. it's grandma? >> happy birthday, grand ma. >> me, especially, yeah, grandma! let's check your weather and see what we've got for you. seattle, washingt you. seattle, washington, cloudy, cold and 44 degrees. we'll take 44 today. look at this front bringing showers from the gulf coast to the southeast atlantic states. got a clipper coming across the breaks great lakes and bringing light snow, one to three inches and another front coming in bringing showers into the pacific northwest. snow in the big bend area of texas, three to six inches and the mountains could see eight inches before it's over. i like this drawing of the four of us. we've been made anime. it's your 17th birthday? >> yes. here's what's happeninging in your neck of the woods. very cold this morning. good morning, i'm storm team4 meterologist tom kierein. here's a live view from the city

camera showing the eastern skies streaked with high clouds. the sunrise was about half an hour ago or so and it's 30 degrees thousand at reagan national with a gentle breeze. and we have temperatures elsewhere northwest of washington. down into the teens right around the beltway and only lid i 20s and later today. 30 t that's your latest weather. >> you know that picture willie showed a second ago of the c-section, baby grabbing he hand. this is jimmy, our cameraman, who said what the baby was saying, hey, pull my finger! you should be so proud of yourself. thank you so much. >> a beautiful moment ruined. coming up, a mom who had her 8-year-old son in tears when she told him he accidentally bought a $50,000 car online. we'll talk to them but first these messages. [ female announcer ] now yoplait

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just about 12 minutes after 8:00 now. back with a mother's prank that has a lot of people talking. her 8-year-old son was using her ipad looking at cars on earthquakebay, when he thought he accidentally purchased an expensive car. >> why did you buy that $50,000 car on ebay? >> i didn't. >> you did. >> i did? can we get it? >> it won't cancel it. you hit "buy." is that true? did i? >> i'm afraid so. >> we'll have to sell everything, i'm horrible. >> you're not horrible, baby, you make a mistake. >> oh, no! >> what kind of car was it? >> it was a mustang.

i didn't mean to buy it. i was just looking at it. then when i tried to exit out it buyed. i didn't mean to. i was like, oh, no! >> hey, bub. you didn't buy it. you didn't buy it. >> oh. >> so you're sitting here watching that. you're kind of laughing as you're watching yourself. you weren't laughing when it happened. what did you think when your mom said she was kidding? >> i was like, that was a funny little prank. >> so you weren't too worried? you thought it was kind of funny. >> what made you grab your phone and start recording this? he got pretty upset at one point. >> he has some emotional responses sometimes and i thought it would be pretty comical. i thought i would just record it mostly for him to watch, but it turned out to be a lott funnier

than i anticipated. >> you had a little cabin fever trapped inside passing the flu back and forth among your family. then you decided to put it on youtube. boy, what a response you got. >> my goodness, yes. >> what kind of response are you hearing from people? >> some positive and some negative. heard a lot of things about my parenting. i think i caught more flak for a vertical video than even my parenting. you kind have have to let it roll off your back. >> there have been some pretty pointed comments, one saying this is a classic example how to teach our children how not to trust any. >> right. i think honestly teaching your kids to have a sense of humor is pretty important and teaching them to take a joke is a good deal, too. i think he's just fine. i don't think it's going to cause trust issues. >> so, kenyon, have you been back on the ipad since? >> yeah. i go on the ipad, i just don't go on skype as much. >> you were trying to find a car

to build with your dad? you guys were trying to restore a car? >> yeah. >> we can't get you a $50,000 mustang. just as a little something to tide you and your sister over we heard in the background offered to share her allowance with you. we have a couple of cars for you to take back with you. one for you and one for your sister to tide you over. >> you think you will post any videos? >> if i do, they will not be vertical. >> for those watching, that's how the shot was taken. >> it's a collectible. >> glad we passed the test. coming up next, al opens up his struggles with weight and what it finally took to overcome them right after this. ♪ we were skipping stones and letting go ♪

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not only that, we're using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum, so that when you find the job you want you'll be a perfect fit. let's get to work. back now at 8:18. millions of americans making a resolution to lose a little weight. as al will tell you, it's a struggle. he lost more than 100 pounds a decade ago. in his new book "never going back," he kept it off. talking with dr. nancy "spider-man." >> reporter: ten years after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, al roker has finally shed the fat man image. >> you look more handsome in person.

>> reporter: but five years when his mother was in the hospital, his old habits came creeping back. al turned to junk food to deal with the pain and gained 40 pounds. >> one thing you drive home is surgically is not the be all and end all? >> no. it is a means. just another tool in the toolbox to lose weight. you can eat through a bypass. >> you have. >> i've done it. i was lucky, i was able to put on the brakes and found something that helped me get back on track. you can eat through it. >> here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> reporter: it was from that moment gone al changed his diet for good. he went on a 28 day detox plan cutting out caffeine, alcohol, sugar, dairy and gluten. he lost 28 pounds in the first 28 days. >> i think the problem for most people is not the losing of the weight. i think most people can lose the weight. it's the keeping the weight off. maintaining was a killer.

>> reporter: so how does he do it? al began a workout routine called the slow method, exercise for 30 minutes three times a week. strength training creates more lean body mass, in turn burns more calories. al changed his diet to only whole unprocessed foods, high in protein and low in carbs. it sounds basically you need a discipline and rules around a very specific part of your life? >> that's when i do best. i don't want to do points, i don't want to do this, i don't want to do that. just tell me what i've got to eat. >> reporter: he's stuck to his new routine for the past four years and says he's never going back. >> i was there and i went back. i hated it. i didn't like the way i felt. i know what i have to do now to keep that from happening again. >> we're joined now by al and dr. nancy. good to see you guys. i think there's points people

want to know about. 340 pounds at your heaviest, you talked about binging. >> yes. >> you are a successful public picture, happy family, everything. people want to know what was the cause of the binging? what was the unhappiness. >> one of those things to a certain extent, you don't feel worthy, don't feel like you're going to be found out as a fraud and not as good as you think you are, all those different things and i really like food. beyond having a good piece of steak or something like that, i'd have to have two steaks. >> i remember after the surgery, i sat here and it was like the incredible shrinking man in front of our eyes, you were dropping the pounds and dropping the pounds. it seemed as if it was going off without a hitch. you write in the book there were a lot of challenges. >> absolutely. it's a breakfast program, dumping issue if you eat

something high fat and high sugar. >> you can have an embarrassing experience. >> at the white house with the easter egg roll. i thought one thing would happen and something else happened and had to get rid of my shorts. >> it's a breakfast show. you also open up in your book the pressures being obese put on your marriage. you ce said your wife said to you, she once told me my feelings weren't just about my weight about my lack of discipline and low self-esteem. >> how do you feel when the loved one in your life says that to you? >> it brings you up short. even that really wasn't enough to say, you have to do something about this. that was the problem. for the folks in their life who are overweight, i will help them. it's not just a help. we know we're fat. >> i've known al's wife longer than i've known al. when debra sat down, she said i always thought there was a third

person in this marriage, food. it's not my problem. it's al's. i can be supportive but it's al's problem and he has to do it. was she worried about him? she was there in a supportive role knowing this is his life to live. >> a lot of people can identify this. i have shared a very special relationship with my scale. sometimes i think i'm more married to my scale than i am to deborah. i live by the number i wake up to every morning. how does it feel today when you wake up and look at the number? are you still as careful about it? >> i weigh myself -- dr. nancy thinks i'm nuts. >> in the morning makes sense. >> in the morning and at night. i knowy that number is. if i've gone off over the new year's holiday i gained three pounds and working to get that off again and i don't want that number to go up. >> you also know what triggers your eating these days. are most people as good about identifying it? >> the great thing about al, this is a life-long change, not

a diet. he knows what his triggers are. he loves food. he loves great food and he loves junk food. when mcrib came up in the conversation, i could see the spit coming out of his mouth, he was like, seriously, seriously? >> where have you been my friend! >> this is the real al. he knows it. it's not that he's done with it. he knows the demons, and, frankly, he's figured out ways to get around them. is that fair? >> yeah. >> you talked about eating through the bypass. >> right. >> you also talked about finding something that could get you back on track. i'm not sure i understand exactly what got you back on track. >> you know a friend of mine, john harris, gained 40 pounds, lost it, looked terrific. i saw him, say what are you doing? people do deficit cleanses and i use that in combination with this slow workout from this trainer, melissa bowman.

it really helped change me. >> here's the part that made me a little sad. you write this in the book, you talk about how much more you could have achieved if you didn't feel -- while being fat, if you had been fit you could have achieved more. you still have doubts about that. >> not that i'm complaining about where i'm am, i'm thrilled where i am. >> life is pretty good. >> terrific. i wouldn't trade it for a moment. you always wonder where you would be if x hadn't happened. look, i'm thrilled i finally got to this place, at 58 years old, i finally got it figured out and feel good about it. >> do you still get the occasional person that walks by and say i preferred you when -- >> that's their problem. >> and others say that hey, you cheated by a gastric bypass. >> you look great and feel great. that's more important. al will do a chat and we will have more after the local

news. breaking news at 8:26. news4 confirmed a body found in adams morgan and a young man who vanished on new year's eve. the police found the body of michael powe in a shaft in the parmt building on built more street. he was last seen on new year's eve. no word on a cause of death. also aa heads up trying to drive through friendship heights. this is a -- there's a water main break on wisconsin avenue north of the friendship heights metro station. that happened last night as well. one lane getting by right now and that is causing some major

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good morning, an hour poost sunrise still in the teens northwest of the metro area. it's in the low 20s around the beltway and upper 20s south and east and later today. 30s to near 40 with lots of sun and a cold morning tomorrow morning and low to mid 20s and afternoon highs mid 40s on

friday and saturday and sunday. a lot of clouds around on saturday afternoon and evening into sunday and then dry in the

it's the new year and jay welcomes an old friend, plus arnold schwarzenegger. the best and brightest. freestyling with the roots. tonight on nbc. 8:30 now on a thursday morning. t the 3rd day of january 2013. take a gander at the rockefeller plaza and the christmas tree, only a few days to check it out. it comes down on monday. get down here and enjoy a last like at that iconic holiday symbol. i'm matt lauer and here with

erica hill while savannah is taking time out. and mr. al roker and mr. pickpocket with those gloves, be careful, he can pick a wallet in two seconds. >> what's coming up? it's that time of year everybody wants to lose a little weight. what if you didn't lose weight and want to dress like it. you know, al, i could save you a lot of time and effort here. >> but when you get to a size 60 suit, it doesn't matter. >> we have style secrets to maybe help you dress a little thinner and make you feel younger in what you wear and better walking out the door. >> let's be honest. after the holidays, you feel a little bit blue and wonder what's coming up in the new year. and we will tell you how to master your emotions. >> a lot of college grads hitting the streets, it's tough out there. we will tell you about 13 companies doing great from high-tech to retail and where

you should be looking. >> before we get any further, for a second straight day, meredith vieira has kathie lee gifford locked in a closet so she can take another turn at the fourth hour with miss hoda kotb. good morning. >> good morning. >> what are you doing today? >> we are going to talk about this controversial tv show called "buck wild." buck naked but called "buck wild." and critics say it's the appalachian version of "jersey shor shore". >> we will have stars on. >> i said that. >> i don't listen when she talks. >> we will have mimi leaks on, a nice little actress, talking about "the new normal," that show he's on. >> and having al on our show. >> no cursing, nothing today? >> i did not curse. >> okay. i thought i heard something slip

yesterda yesterday. >> hoda. >> and meredith in our fourth hour. mr. roker, check of over the weekend, tomorrow we have snow showers on the eastern great lakes. and snow continues in central texas and rain in southern texas and look for showers in the pacific northwest and on saturday, we've got more lake effect snow showers hanging around and wet weather down through the gulf coast and showers along the pacific northwest coast and sunny and cold and windy in new england and sunday sunday, we got more snow showers around the great lakes. frigid in the plains. cool weather stretching from the plains all the way down into texas. rain along the pacific northwest kohl's to central california and snow interior sections of the pacific northwest into the central area as well. that's what's going on around the country. good morning, i'm storm team4 meterologist tom kierein. sky ask streaked with trails over capitol hill on this very cold thursday morning. third day of january. live view from the city camera.

now 30 degrees at regan thashl. that's one of the warm spots. on the warmer waters of the potomac. teens northwest of the metro area and later today, into the 30s. maybe bravely near 40 right in washington. lots of sunshine, cold mornings and chilly afternoons. and t weather. >> we will tell people we will have more on your book "never going back" and struggle with weight loss over the years on "dat l "dateline," mr. roker telling more of the story. >> thank you, sir. now, let's head to washington d.c. and say hello to big willie scott. >> reporter: the national gallery of arts hosting us today. how nice of them. i'll get my hockey skates and do and show you figure 8 united states states -- figure 8s in a minute. you will be here a long time. if you look at hans moen, from

bridgeport, washington state. 100 years old today. he loves restoring old cars. i have to send him a couple, he might love my old cars. i have a couple. >> paula blumenfield, of new york, new york, a former model and still looks fantastic. beautiful ankles and gorgeous knees. and we have father richard raner, from fort myers, beach, ordained as a priest in 1958. god bless. still performs daily mass. here is the highly acclaimed katherine atwater from boomer, west virginia. avid seem stress and very active in her church. and take a look at emerson burkhardt, from margate city, the great state of new jersey. 100 years old today. he was a flight surgeon in the

air force during world war ii. god bless you. here is lucretia martin. 100 years old today. a registered mid-wife. and she loves to dance. can't beat that. take a look at glenn if you will, please. glenn cunning ham from des moines, iowa. he is 100 years old today. he loves to play golf. he is a good man and played golf once with dwight eisenhower. how about that? now, back to the great city of new york on the hudson. >> thank you very much. when we come back. simple style tricks that will trim years off your appearance. first on a thursday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:38 with "today's" style. simple changes that will make you look younger and thinner in

a mere seconds. fashion contributor and fashion editor, nice to see you. >> we need instantaneous gratification. we have really great styling tricks. >> we will start off with people thinking they need to look a little more youthful sometimes. you have options for us michelle is sporting for us. >> michelle head to toe looks much younger. i think she won't mind me saying she's 43 and looks not a day over 25. it looks casual and don't want it to look sloppy. >> you don't want to look like you're try toing to look too young. >> this is the big friend for the season. almost a little bit schoolgirlish, not too much. opaque tights better than sheers, more youthful and this

shoe has a youthful appeal. >> and lady like strap rather than purse with a handle, a grownup schoolbag. >> a good look if we want to look a little bit more youthful. and there are other ways to make yourself appear slimmer. >> it's amazing. the right accessories can drop areas you don't want attention to. your bag for example. >> your bag can make you look slimmer. >> if you have a tiny clutch. and if you're heavy-set, but not even for heavy-set, it's disproportionat disproportionate. >> and big and sloppy. >> that will add pounds. this is the natural skinniest part. you use a belt, it's miraculous. put it over a blazer or dress and do something with stretch in it and not too skinny. skinny belts should be for skinny skinny people.

>> you don't want muffin top going over it. >> and this is worn by the duchess of cambridge. >> she has supported this more than once. >> who's counting? >> these are great pumps, nude, elongate the leg. think about the heel size, every inch, five pounds lost and why i wear five inch heels. >> so do i. >> and on someone heavier set will look disproportion at and bigger. >> and it's a bit to walk in without the platform. >> yes. >> and then you don't fall. >> jewelry. >> jewelry on the necklace, draws the eye down and elongates. >> elongates. love the elongate. some other makeup tips you have for us that can help wipe away the years which we all love. >> fake tan -- we're not

encouraging orange look but fake tans can take back the years, makes you look more toned and fresh and covers a multitude of flaws. this is my favorite for the moment. get something two shades darker than your skin. you can fake muscle definition, if you put one more layer on the tricep and bicep, it can make you look more toned. >> makeup, if you want to look more natural, you're wearing makeup. >> it has oxygen in it and it plugs the skin instantaneously. it's sheer, not a heavy look and not add the ages. knew don't feel you have to scrape it off. hair is important, too? >> fringes and bangs, hides the crow's feet and wrinkles. this is a fringe you can place in. >> if you don't want to commit to the bang. >> exactly, angela david, a great friend. ponytail is a quick shortcut to a face lift, lifts the eyes and

forehead. >> shows off your cheekbones. >> and this is very important, always use shape wear. how fitted should it be? you don't want it too tight? >> absolutely. some women buy something too tight and thinks it will have a better benefit. no, it budges in all areas. it should compress you and helps you keep your posture better because it sucks you in. >> you should be able to breathe, too. we have a layer here, layering can actually help us look thinner? >> layer yourself thin. if you choose a darker color underneath, it draws attention to here and minimizes the area. it also makes you look like you know what you're doing when it comes to styling. you have a cardigan, blazer streamlines it, two thin layers. not talking bulky. clean slimlines and choose a jean that's not tie-dyeed but

washed. >> thank you so much! up next, the top companies for new college graduates looking for a job in 2013. first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:46. as college seniors head into their final semester, many are starting the all important job search. this morning, we have the top 13 companies college graduates will want to work for. editor of "inc" magazine which focuses on this. good morning. glad to have you here. as we mention these, not in any special order. >> that's right. my team put together a mix, some politic and some public. employees who worked there said

we love working here. who knows better than the employees themselves. >> are these companies hiring? >> that's right. they're all growing. can't be a great place to work if they're not hiring. >> let's talk about companies, facebook, google, microsoft, some of the ones you like. why? >> tech is a hot field. this is the place job seekers have the upper hand. there's a lot of competition for software engineers. all the companies different. facebook, the biggest company in the world with a billion people logging in every month. if you work there, you know your work affects a billion people. >> you want a degree in computer science? >> that's where the premium is. >> to zap pos, online retailer and trader joe's. >> zap pos is based in nevada and has a silicon valley feel. great pay and perks and fun culture. the model there is create a little fun and weirdness. >> i always heard recently airlines are struggling yet you

like one airline in particular, southwest airlines. why is that on your list? >> your perception of airlines is right. southwest is the exception. southwest a long time ago decided the best way to forgive their customers a great experience is make sure the people who work there are having a good time. they have great pay, great benefits and really fun culture. >> what jobs specifically might people be looking for at southwest airlines? >> there are a lot of jobs at southwest. it's the same culture. work had the gate, flight attendant, pilot. >> have to have the training to be a pilot. recent college grad, might want to train a little bit. you say the state department and government it contracting company called fci federal are good places. >> if you're going to work for the government, why not work at the part of the government that will send you to a foreign lo kail, teach you a foreign language. that would be the state department. >> ftic is a government

contractor and the government out-sources paperwork to them. what's unique about them, they hire mainly high school graduates. this is a great place to go if you want to launch a career as a high school graduate. >> edward jones cuonsulting, boston consulting group. edward jones is a financial planning group. it is a hot profession and as baby boomers age, they need financial advice. edward jones got through the financial crisis without a lot of layoffs and its reputation intact. one other country, the owners of the shake shaq. union square hospitality group. >> like southwest, they own a lot of restaurants in new york and the shake shack decided the best way to please customers is make sure employees are happy. they put employees first. great pay and health benefits for restaurant workers almost unheard of. >> you talk about great pay. the last thing we talk about is teach for america, a nonprofit company and makes me wonder what

kind of salaries they offer. >> this is an interesting company. you don't do teach america for the money. you do it because you want to help the country. it recruits college students from the best colleges and asks them to teach in inner city schools for two years. people who graduate from the program say it is a great resume booster but most of all, it gives you a good feeling you've done something for the country. >> good information. we hope the soon to be college graduates were listening. thank you. >> my pleasure. up next, how to keep your emotions from sabotaging your goals in 2013. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on new year new you on 2013, controlling your emotions to get the most out of life. the founder of life choice psychology and author of the new book, your killer emotion. seven steps to masking the top emotions and impulses that sabotage you. he is an agent for a number of news anchors, including some of our own. nice to have you this morning. you've down sampled people over the years and you say mastering your emotion is the first step. what do you mean by that? >> i wrote "killer emotions" because i have found over the years counseling people to make great life choices your emotions can sabotage you.

they can sabotage your life and the lives of those you love. you must control and master your emotions. if you make life choice, erica, when you're sad, hurt, angry, when you feel rejected, oftentimes you opt for a quick emotion essauging quick fix. that life choice is often counter to what you really want in your life and decision you'd make when your ogtively clear. >> that can have serious consequences. because especially so many of our choices in life are emotional. obviously, you said don't make important life decisions when you're feeling really emotional. you also talk about identifying what's most important to you. what you value most in this decision. >> absolutely. i call those your personal emotional triggers. that's a discussion i have throughout your killer emotions. if you can figure out what you love, what you want more than life or what you hate, what you loathe, what you fear, those

motivations can drive you to make great life choices and break through your toxic emotional skipping. >> you mention the word "toxic," a word that comes up with a lot of people talking about their emotion es. you talked about consequence, cogniza cognizant. you want to be aware what the consequences are. that should be a part of your entire thought process, thinking it through? >> absolutely. we so often don't think about the consequences of what we do. think about ex-cia director, david petraeus, if he thought about the consequences. tiger woods, kobe bryant in eagle, colorado, if they thought about the consequences to their lives, their livelihood, they might not have done what they did. conversely, if you can think about the great consequences of doing great things. al talked about losing weight, foregoing food, whatever that

is, if you can think about the things that drive you the most, that can change your life, your decision making pattern, and all of that. >> in terms of things that can really drive you, giving to others in need. it feels good, the right thing to do in many ways but also can benefit you. >> absolutely. if you put a little self-love in your heart, you can fill your heart of hearts with positive feelings, high self-esteem. i found that if you have high self-esteem, you will make great decisions because you know that you're worth making great decisions for, you feel like you deserve it. so one be gets the other. >> you talk a lot about visualization, this is something my husband is very big on, really picturing that outcome that you're hoping for. what's the best way to do that? how do you make that happen then in reality? >> the seven steps of emotional mastering your killer emotions, the first four steps are prepare torey. i believe if you will make a great life decision, ryou want o

prepare ahead of time and anticipate you making a great life choice. one of the ways you anticipate that is by visualizing the scenario and the decision you want to make. you always want to know the result of the interaction that you're going to have. >> the last tip you talked about a couple times, keep those toxic emotions in check. great to have you here and thank you so much. happy new year. more after your local news. 8:56 is your time on this thursday, january 3rd, 2013. good morning. we're following a developing story. police have oichd a body found in adams morgan late last night and say 23-year-old michael powe. he vanished on new year's eve after celebrating with friends. they found the body in a vechbt laces shaft in a apartment

building. in a ventilation shaft.

tsh by still below freezing most of region and rear the low to mid 20s now in the nearby suburbs and much of the region and at 31 now at regan thashl. later today it may reach 40 but elsewhere highs in the 30s with lots of sun. more of the same tomorrow, saturday and sunday and it will be mid 40s by mid-afternoon each day. lots of clouds around late saturday into sunday producing flurries and after that dry weather all the way to midweek next week. >> tom, t

back now with more of "today" on this thursday morning, 3rd day of january 2013. a lot of folks with coats on the plaza, getting one last look at the tree before it comes down on monday. i'm willie geist along with al rok roker. and back from your day job at hollywood access live. you were outside yesterday. >> absolutely. whose idea was that? if i'm not going to be out there, you will be out there. i keep showing up and y'all keep letting me in the door. i wasn't invited back, i keep showing up. >> al and i were talking. we love having you. >> thank you. >> coming up, if you resolve to

get healthy in the new year, takes more than cutting calories, five easy lifestyle changes you can incorporate everyday to help lose the weight. >> and from decades past, beehives and bobs, the old trends are back and how to look better than ever. i personally like the '80s, diffuser and john hughes movie. >> tell me about the diffuser. >> you pump up the hair. you know the '80s, al. >> sure. i had a mullet. if one of your resolutions is to save more money, we will tell you what to expect when it comes to prices in 2013, gas, college tuition, what's cheaper and more expensive, we will help you plan your budget. first, a look at the news. >> >> i do. for the first time since the massacre at sandy hook elementary, students return to

class but not to the scene of the shooting, going to nearby monroe, connecticut to make things as possible as normal for students on their first day back. secretary of state clinton is out of the hospital, resting at home and eager to get back to the office. she was released from the hospital yesterday and she is expected to make a full recovery. during the night, president obama signed the fiscal cliff deal that raises taxes on the wealthiest americans. today, the 113th congress will be sworn in with dozens of new members. the new senate will include 20 women the most ever. the new house is expected to vote for aids for victims of superstorm sandy after the vote was put off earlier this week by speaker boehner. that move drew sharp criticism from republicans and democrats alike. a federal judge has ruled the obama administration does not have to probably disclose

legal justification for carrying out attacks by drone attacks overseas. and lawyers discussed the so-called targeted killing program. in the ruling, the judge said she had no authority to order the documents disclosed. meanwhile, pakistanian and officials said u.s. drone strikes during the night killed at least 13 people including mullah nazir. the death toll in syria's civil war is staggering, saying more than 60,000 people have died since the conflict began. today, fighting is around a strategic air base in northern syria. a missile hit a gas station near damascus killing dozens of people. a new study shows fructose may play a role in overeating. when someone drinks the sugary

beverage called fru does, the brain apparently doesn't feel full. researchers say the study is small but fructose can trigger changes in the way people are eating. and nasa bringing in facilities for use by the space program for sale or lace. -- or lease. among those, the launchpad where the shuttle was launched and the last shuttle flight ended july, twen 2011, when it launched. have your next event on launch p pad. >> i have to get barbara corcoran on the case. >> now, a check by al. today brought to you by massage envy. this new year, start your wellness with massage envy. >> let's see if you have any go

weather envy here. we're looking at wet weather from the gulf coast and the southeast atlantic states. nothing too heavy less than an inch of rain in accumulation. and lake effect snow to syracuse, new york. one to three inches of snow generally. maybe a little bit more in the upper area of new york winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories from new mexico to central texas. snow is firing up and it will last to friday morning where we're specificing anywhere from three to six inches of snow in west texas and southern texas and some areas in the mountains are getting up to nine inches. still, the below freezing at mid morning on this thursday morning. good morning, i'm storm team4 meterologist tom kierein. right now, near 30 in washington and by the bay and elsewhere, still in the 20s in most locations and later today up around 40 and lots of sunshine. that will be around the metro

area. elsewhere, heights in 30s. 20s and afternoon high mid 40s. sun and increasing clouds on saturday and 20s in the morning and afternoon highs of mid 40s. mid 40s again on sunday but good weat now to today ease ta"today' where we share our take on stories. we're never going back. we will blow through these first couple and get to al. here's a couple anyway. take 1, caped crusaders and crime. a new study from the university of nebraska finds cartoon costumed crusaders may be confusing young children about crime. >> what! >> if i could boil it down, cartoons portray villains as evil and ir deemible, always. under all circumstances. >> the riddler, of course, and joker -- >> also, it suggests cartoons show cops inept.

police need a super hero being to come in and rescue them. >> the way we look at cartoons, growing up, jerry beat the stew out of tom. we grew up all right. wiley coyote. >> this is a new study in the criminal justice review. i don't think many people confuse dr. evil or joker with a petty criminal and suggest that person should be locked away. >> this is just happening when we were growing up. remember? if it wasn't for scooby-doo and the gang, i would have gotten away with that and you turn them over to the cops. you meddling kids when they take the mask off. >> hey, scoob, look! >> scooby, back in the van. >> this study suggests it's not teaching our children well about the relationship of police and criminals and eliminates the possibility of rehabilitation, all criminals are bad guys ir deemible forever. >> that's a stupid study. >> you heard it from al.

the biggest charitable donations. warren buffet donated $3.09 billion. >> with a b. >> with a b. mark zuckerberg gave up 500 million bucks of his cash. microsoft co-founder, paul allen, $300 million, mort zuckerman, newspaper tycoon, $200 million, and the top biggest donors gave up $500 billion and of that, $3 billion from warren buffet. >> it's not chump change but not a big deal. i like the big and little. i like more like donating your time. my grandmother always said do as much as you can for as many people as you can as long as you can. that's what we try to do. >> that's what make this country great founded on charitable giving and volunteerism because giving of your time is just as

important. >> we don't have the billion with a b. >> wall street brokers and others have been mall lined but they have put a lot of time and money in there. now, we've arrived. al, as you may have heard is never going back. his new book "never going back" winning the weight loss battle for good. al's advice, i love this, shut your mouth! >> guess what? those of us who are fat, we know it. tell me about this home that has no mirrors. we know we're fat. we know our clothes are tight. you telling us to lose weight, if you just try a little harder, it's not helping us, we already know it. in some cases it makes it worse for us. >> did that happen in your life? >> god rest her soul, my mom always wanted me to lose weight, i'd come over, oh, sweet sweetie -- would you like some pie? we equate food with love and it's difficult. a lot of us have saboteurs in

our life, both intentional and unintentional. it's tough. we know what we need to do. it's up to us to make the decision to do it. >> i'm curious, al, what you think when you look at some of the 60th anniversary tapes we saw last year and see yourself 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, what goes through your mind? >> i can't imagine they let me come in here. i just was huge. >> do you remember being that guy? >> i stopped watching. i think unconsciously i stopped watching because it was painful to see myself lumbering around. they say the camera puts on 10 pounds. we have six cameras, so you know, 60 pounds right there on top of what i already had. i was huge! >> was there a breaking point? was there a day you can remember, week or event or something you said, i have to change this? >> no. unfortunately, it was one of these things i had been fooling myself. my dad was dying of lung cancer. i had gone in to see him before

the show one morning. finally he point-blank said, look, i'm not going to be here to help you raise your children. i need you to swear to me right now that you will lose weight. swear to god you will lose weight. so i did. >> how? after that moment. >> then he passed away a week and half later. i forgot about it to be perfectly honest. in january of 2002, i decided i've got to do this, i've really got to do this. then we went to the olympics in salt lake city. i already made an appointment to have the gastric bypass. i ate like a pig. >> game-time. >> it was fantastic. literally, this could be my last meal. >> the last supper. >> i had many last suppers. >> we know one of your secrets is this peculiar drink you're always walking around with. we wonder what it is. >> it is a mix, a fermented chinese tea. i put a lot of fresh ginger in

it. i have a straw but i suggest you sip it because you want some ginger. >> is this every morning? >> every morning i have this. i also make a protein powder shake i do as well. >> what does it do? what is it with the ginger root? >> antioxidants, kind of helps the digestion. >> it's chewy. >> chewy stuff. >> what do you do breakfast-wise in addition to this? you come in so early. >> i do a protein powder shake with almonds in it and strawberries, almond milk, mix that up, generally do that for breakfast, maybe have something like that for lunch as well. there are all sorts of tips. i wear a jawbone ups that challenges myself to keep moving instead of taking the elevator, i'm taking the stairs. >> wait. i'm sorry, what? >> jawbone. nike has it, nike plus pulse and fit-bit. they measure movement. >> this tells you how many steps

you're taking today. >> how much movement you're doing, measures your sleep. >> keep track of it on your computer. >> i like that. your wife, deborah, has been with you every step of the way. >> i wouldn't say every step. she kind of backed off and thought i would trip and they would be peeling her off, little cartoon, here you go, honey. but she's been there for me, i appreciate. >> there's intimacy in the book we won't get into here. >> yeah. read the book. >> it's disturbing. al's never going back. five healthy tips. [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry

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a little more. there's a real, like, camaraderie in the parking lot... shut up! that's it! let's go in the car. my time to shine is the smoked pulled pork. i think it's done broseph! pretty much got it down to a science... pretty much. we also really like a great pulled pork sandwich even when we can't make the game. you ruined it! some people even like it better. really? yep. [ male announcer ] new carving board pulled pork, get that delicious slow smoked taste without the hassle. it's game time food. it's oscar mayer. this morning on new year new you. getting into shape for 2013 the right way. carey glassman is a registered

dietitian and author of the "new you and improved diet." >> thank you very much. happy new year to you. >> thank you. you have new rules people need to establish to get the year started off right. >> exactly. clients come in and they're always surprised when i ask them about stress and sleep and how organized their fridge is and when was the last time they got a massage. the fact is if you don't look at these other areas of your life, it doesn't matter how great that meal plan or motivated you are, grocery list is, you're not going to lose weight. on a positive side, if you focus on these other areas of your life, you will be healthier and lose weight almost automatically. >> it almost sounds counter intuitive, eat more to lose weight. >> only one rule directly relates to food. eat more not less. what i mean is eat from place of empowerment, not deprivation.

flip your food attitude, think about what you can eat and can't eat. when you focus on the health benefits of food, weight loss is a byproduct of that. focus on eating real foods. get rid of as much processed foods as possible and eat real foods and listen to your body, i know can be hard. stop when you're satisfied and you don't need to obsess about calories, something everybody can start right now. >> you need to change these habits. >> exactly. you need to look at all these other habits. your stress and your sleep. >> one of the things that really does play a big role. i know i'm a stress eater, a lot of people are stress eaters. our camera guy is a stress guy. how do you deal with that? it's easy to say it but another thing to put it in action. >> here's what i say, breathe your way thin. everybody has a certain amount of stress in your life. if you don't focus on that you won't be able to lose weight. it wreaks havoc on your health.

i want everybody to breathe in for 8 and out for 8 and do an 8 count breath 8 minutes a day. if i can sit still for 8 minutes a day, i promise you anybody can. >> at one time. >> yes. even if you do it 3 or 4 minutes, you will feel better and ultimately lose weight. >> are there foods to help bust stress? >> you can. i have a lot of stress busting foods as well. not talking about mac'n cheese. dark chocolate, celery, cashews and even grass fed beef. >> you said another thing, slip your way slim. >> exactly. we heard before you need to hydrate. i'm sticking to those 8 glasses of water a day. you need it to cleanse your body. it's good for your skin. you also don't mistake hunger for thirst. when you add all this water with

lemon or mint leaves and herbal tea, you get rid of drinks and bevera beverages that may not have calorie but loaded with chemicals. you can start to do that now and lose weight by making that change. >> what do you say to people who crave carbonate d beverages? >> selzer with mint leaves. >> and you say you feel sexier and also helps your attitude as well. >> exactly. feel sexy to slim down. sex actually boosts your feel-good hormones! when you have a healthy sex life, you increase the common connection hormone, oxytocin. this helps you manage stress and helps you sleep better and lose weight. you don't have to have sex to increase benefits. >> but it helps. >> it definitely helps and slimming down makes you want to have more sex and slimming down increases oxytone 9 and you feel

better. another rule is taking care of yourself, putting yourself first. when my kids were babies, taking a long shower is indulgent. depending where you are in your life, take some time for you everyday. >> thank you so much. great book. beauty trends making a comeback. first, these messages. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] take the special k challenge. lose up to six pounds in two weeks. with the cereal you love... and so much more. what will you gain when you lose? and so much more. we replaced people with a machine.r, what?

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coming up, everything old is new again. beauty trends making a comeback this year. plus from groceries to tvs, what will cost you more in 2013? >> everything! weight watchers online worked for us.

we don't argue much. we really don't. meg usually just gets her way, and i go along with it. i think it worked for matt because i did it for him. when i'm the one cooking, i'm the one calculating the points. i can microwave things. you get to eat real food. we still get to go out. we're just so much smarter about it. we can keep each other in check. going, "okay, i see you." we've lost about 110 pounds together. it helped our love life. happy wife, happy life, right? right. [ jennifer ] weight watchers online. the power of weight watchers completely online. join for free today. release 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. find glade refills, now with a new look.

s.c. johnson. a family company. it is 9:26 on this thursday, january 3rd. fwoom wm i'm aaron gilchrist. police identified a body found in adams morgan late last night. they say it's 23-year-old michael powe. the man vanished on new years eve after disappearing. he was found in a ventilation shaft. right now the medical examiner's office is determining what caused his death. we'lling check your forecast when we come back. (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. whoo! you walk with friends, you meet new friends, and you keep those friendships.

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good morning, approaching 9:30. still much of the region is below freezing. we're in the 20s to near 30 degrees. reagan national at 31. there it may reach near 40 later today but elsewhere heights in the 30s with lots of sun and then tomorrow, sunny again and 20s in the morning afternoon, highs mid 40s. mid 40s for highs over the weekend and a lot of clouds around. might have a in yourry on sunday otherwise good weather for the skins' game and the dry weather continues to midweek next week. milder, maybe upper 40s to near

50 on tuesday and again on wednesday. >> thanks, tom. tune in tomorrow. we begin at 4:28 a.m.

it asks you if you're operating a machine. >> those are important if you're going to have a baby, you need to -- >> that's a look into the hit movie "girls," a live look at the hit "20 something" about to debut. we'll have one of the cast members on. allison williams, brian williams' daughter who obviously gets her looks and talent from his wife. >> and thankfully escaping the

clutches of- >> i feel like you all are going after it. >> bad news when it comes to prices for 2013. we'll tell you what's coming up and going down in the year ahead. in the new year comes new beauty trends, a cue from the past for 2013, everything from big hair to updated makeup. who doesn't love big hair. >> have you volunteered for big hair? >> i'm from the south. big hair and blush and you're money. a big fight brewing in entrepreneur ov europe over the favorite snack, french fries. we don't really care where they're from. we want to all right, let's look ahead to the weekend. starting tomorrow we'll look at wet weather down through southern texas. sne in central texas and rain in the pacific northwest and windy and cold around the great lakes with snow flurries flying. saturday, more of the same with rain along the gulf coast and

more showers along the pacific northwest coast and frigid it in plains and sunday sunday, we're looking at a more lake effect snow and on the eastern great lakes and rain on the pacific northwest coast and interior sections of the pacific northwest to central nevada and see some snow as well and showers and thunderstorms in central florida. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. we have sunshine through high cloudiness over the region this morning. but clear skies should be prevailing by later this afternoon and by then we should have our temperatures warming up but right now it's in the teens. northwest of the metro area quarterback right around the beltway and the nearby suburbs, in the mid 20s now. upper 20s near 30, near washington and by the bay and later, near 40 in the district but otherwise, elsewhere in the 30s. this cold dry pattern continues and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks, we're sirting in ah. watching you do the weather.

>> you're flawless, not an um or breath, not a prompter. >> i'm making it up. >> now we know the secret. >> pro! up next, old beauty trends making a come back in 2013. kit hoover with big hair. >> yeah! >> first, these messages. fr omrogressive, but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. test-drive snapshot before you switch. visit progressive.com today. [ annoyed ] i'm pure milk chocolate on the inside. and i love that about you. and here i thought you loved me for my brain. is that made of chocolate too?!!! kit hoover with big hair. returns out there.

with h&r block's second look, people bring in old tax returns, and i'm like, "who did this to you?" you have a return. bring it in; i'll look at it for free. i'll go back three years. i'm going to get you every single deduction out there. get your free second look from h&r block now. a great clean doesn't have to take long. i'm done. are you thinking what i'm thinking? ♪ give me just a little more time ♪ okay. all right. oh! [ female announcer ] the 2-in-1 swiffer sweeper uses electrostatic dry cloths to clean better than a broom. and its wet mopping cloths can clean better than a mop in half the time so you don't miss a thing. mom, have you seen my -- hey! hey! he did it. [ female announcer ] swiffer. better clean in half the time.

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its creamy, thick texture helps satisfy you. so you won't feel like you're running low on satisfaction. up next, old beauty trends light & fit greek. be light and fit. and satisfied. this morning and "today's" beauty. updated friends from years past, the chic bob you know you love. rachel is editor of "new you"

magazine. a good friend of mine. >> it's our debut issue, courtney cox on the cover. everything every woman wants to know about beauty. anti-aging, products, trends, game changers, stem cells. it's incredible. >> we're starting with the 20s. this is a harder look to rock. >> it's harder look. but it was all hollywood glamor and we're seeing naomi and others rocking. it's a short option, super easy to do. find a texture cream you work through your hair. easy as literally rolling it around your finger. taking a pin, either a $1.99 and doing that and putting throughout the hair and put in hair spray. >> the pin curling, i can do.

the red lipstick, you want to be good at that. red is an instagram. put that on and suddenly, you feel like you can go anywhere. definitely a fabulous look. we have a couple of options with chanel or super matte or you want more glossy. that's the key to this 1920s glam look. >> with red lib stick, remember to liqueur finger so it doesn't get on your teeth. >> and to the '50s, we have the high ponytail. we saw a lot of it on the runways. the '50s was like sandy from "greece" the '50s was like sandy from "greec "gra "grace -- "grease" and they're under $50. it creates a huge look and i popped it on and gives the wavy wavy look. the other thing about the '50s, you want this flushed look.

>> i love it. >> we interviewed courtney cox for this issue of "new you" and says she looks prettiest after being fresh from the gym. this is one you dust on the cheeks and gives you a perfect pi pinkish glow. >> i love it. it is not matted and makes you look younger. >> and you can do that in a major way. >> now to the cardigan and '60s. >> and you want to add volume there as well. use that tease to get high volume. >> looking nice. >> the '60s, i'm thinking feathered hair. >> we have the mod version of '60s. emma stone was recently out. it looked just like this, super cool, super sexy. number one if you want that king king-winged eyeliner. >> i see that. >> a lot of companies are making

the eyeliner. it looks like a tip like this and makes it very precise to give you that perfect black line there. when you're wearing that, you want to make sure you keep the rest of your makeup pretty neutral. nude lib -- lipsticks in. red and nude. and we all like a little tease in our hair. you can take a comb, teasing spray, this will help and make the back comb. the other thing is extensions are women's best friend, the clip-on. here, we can add bangs literally. >> you can add bangs? >> literally clip this on, here you go. >> it's a different color. >> she's a little blonder with these bangs and gives you the emma stone look. >> don't be afraid of extensions, they're not that scary. >> s there easy when you do it. >> my decades, '80s, tell me you have a diffuser.

>> i love the '80s. all you need is a triple dual hot waver. these are great tools. you can get it at the drugstore. kind of waver and crimper at the same time. instead of rolling it like a typical curling iron, you go down and get this great crimp look. she looks just like beyonce! you have to have your super loreal hairspray to keep that going. the other thing about the '80s, color shadow. i love it. she's wronging the blues. greens and ideologicals and super fun. think neon in bright colors. big brows are back. >> whoa! >> yes. i like it. and we have it here. everything you want to do to look like every decade is in the stores and in the pages of "new you."

>> thanks. >> thank you. >> up next, from tvs to tablets, what will cost more-or-less in the new year. right after this. [ mom ] dear chex cereal, i just had to write. you can't imagine how long i've been searching for something like this for my family. i'm amazed you make so many great flavors that are gluten free. my guys are crazy for chocolate chex and honey nut chex. for me, it's cinnamon. it means a lot to be able to give them something that's good for them, that also puts smiles on their faces. 'cause i really love those smiles. we're the harris family. and we love chex. [ male announcer ] love chex? connect with us on facebook. to make peanut butter so deliciously creamy. ♪ it can even be a game changer. that's why choosy moms and dads choose jif. it can even be a game changer. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much.

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back now with what's going to happen to prices in 2013. some popular items may be getting more expensive and the price of others may go down. now to jean chatzky. good morning. >> good morning. >> you say we'll start with more expensive in 2013.

you say cars will get more expensive? >> yes. and we pulled together this list and we picked our favorites. cars will get more expensive because standards for fuel economy has shifted making car manufacturer manufacturers produce engines that will cost a little bit more. we have seen prices of the toyota camry up $175 for next year and cars like the lexus more expensive, even $3,000 on some models. >> there are some cars we should be looking at that may not jump in price? >> these fuel economy standards are across the board but your negotiating standard is best if you pair one model against the other. >> we heard about the fiscal cliff and we heard about the milk cliff. have we averted the milk cliff? >> we have. >> what does that mean for grocery prices? sn>> they are going up but the

milk price has been averted but the problem is we had a big drought, big in 2012. grain prices, grass was at a shortage, feed, corn feed was at a shortage. as a result, if you go down the food chain, we've seen higher prices on beef, on poultry, grain related items, on dairy. prices will be up next year, anywhere from 3-4%. you want to be more careful about clipping coupons and that sort of thing. >> that's a big jump. what about health care premiums, paying more? >> significantly more. they will go up about 6%. how much of that gets passed onto you depends on your employer and the type of health care. come october when it's open enrollment time, you want to choose carefully. >> talk about college and the skyrocketing price of furthering your education. when we do that, a lot of times we talk about private schools. state schools are getting very

expensive, too. >> they are. states have been under a huge amount of fiscal pressure, as a result, they have not been able to fund these state universities to keep up with increase intuition prices and more are passed to you. we expect state prices to go up a little less than 5%, fees at those same universities and colleges to go up a little less than 4%. that's big and student financial aid is not keeping up with it. >> financial aid is not rising with that. >> not necessarily. you have to be smart about filling out the fasfa right now and getting what you deserve. >> i don't buy a lot of copper but it is going up in 2013. >> you care about this because the price of copper is going to affect the price of beer. >> oh. thank you for drawing the line for me so i could understand it. >> copper is brewed -- beer is brewed in copper in many cases. as a result -- also, if you have any pipes burst in your house and have to replace them, copper

more expensive. >> we go right to beer. >> less expensive, streaming video, netflix. >> that's right. they have a new competitor in the marketplace from red box. we're used to seeing them in the supermarket. they're rolling out an $8 a month service half of what netflix is costing. >> and e books. >> if you have a kindle, amazon will discount the price of the ebooks and we're not sure how much. >> gas expensive? >> absolutely. 2012 was the highest priced year on record. we've seen prices fall in december and expect that to continue. >> but the copper and beer -- >> very disappointing. >> big problem for a lot of us. great to see you. up next, the origin of the french fry. was it french or belgian? we'll answer the question. but first, "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] when your business is powered by verizon,

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one of america's favorite snacks is the subject of a fierce debate in europe. is the french fry. french or did it begin in belgium? michelle is in europe. good morning. >> reporter: hi. here, they call them fried potatoes. it may be americans that name them french. the belgians decided to investigate. the french don't really care. for the centuries of peeling, chopping, luxurious hot oil treatments, in the suddenly gone translate bag or work of culinary art. >> bon appetite. >> reporter: could it really be the crispy salty, restoratively glorious french fries is actually not french? we took to the streets of paris and found surrender. >> are they really french? >> yeah. >> no, they're belgian.

>> you think they're belgian? >> yeah, i think so. >> reporter: we asked foodies. >> french. >> reporter: would you be terribly upset if french fries were not actually french? >> no. >> reporter: consulted authors, experts. >> even though they're belgian, i still think of them as french. >> reporter: you know they're belgian? >> everybody says they're belgian. >> reporter: belgians who pride themselves on putting mayonnaise on, we decided to find out which tale from the deep fryer of history might be true. could those from the revolution not eat cake but potatoes to survive or was it belgian fishermen lacking fish to fry invented fries. the belgians finally decided the french story was the more plausible but still as unclear as a well-used fry pit. >> reporter: is it important to you they be french? >> no,it isn't. the most important is it's delicious. i don't care.

>> reporter: doesn't any dispense their fries as french? >> i am. >> reporter: you're willing to fight for the french fry? >> not really. >> everyone say they're belgian so -- >> reporter: you don't mind? >> no. i think we have more than just french fries. >> reporter: but of course. it's not belgian fries? >> no. >> reporter: my hand slipped! whatever they are, they're still good, aren't they? >> we hope so. [ speaking foreign language ] well, some accounts have this spanish scarfing down fries as early as the 1500s and long before freedom fries, remember those? it may have been american soldiers in world war i who named them french but only after trying them in french speaking belgium.

chefs here say all that matters is they're hot, slightly crispy and seasoned with coarse salt because we may never know the truth about fries. back to you guys. >> michelle, thank you so much. how's your hand? >> you never even looked away, just got him. >> that's a mom, the flip of the wrist. >> got it the mom slap. >> what's next? be belgium waffle? >> you going after that? >> i think so. >> you want the fat one or skinny one. >> i like the belgian. >> it's hands down, you can't go wrong with it. >> meredith and hoda up next again.

9:57 is your time on this thursday, january 3rd, 2013. good morning. the medical examiner's office is determining what caused the death of a young man who was found in an adams morgan apartment building late last night. police identified him as 23-year-old michael powe. he hasn't been seen since new year's eve and officers found him in a ventilation shaft in an apartment on built more street. a prince william police officer killed in the line of

duty. chris young, the wake will be from 6:00 to 59 at the chapel in wood bridge. he was killed monday amp when he collided with a mini van while responding to a call. >> here's your forecast from tom kierein. >> good morning. almost 10:00 and still below freezing. high clouds drifting through with sun shining through. up near 40 later and elsewhere, highs in the 30s. chilly dry pattern continues to the midweek next week. >> ahead on "news4 midday", tips

from nbc news this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> it's thirsty thursday. it's january 3rd, 2013. kathie lee is still enjoying some time off and recovering from her root canal. >> oh, did you talk to her? >> i left her a voice mail, but she wasn't answering. >> she's probably sleeping. >> taking drugs. >> taking drugs. >> which she likes to do. >> how was your night recovering after your birthday? >> yesterday we did this whole segment about how you want a dog and you're so excited, and you could handle a dog and then i go

home, and i'm taking down my tree, christmas tree, which is so dry. people should take their trees down and let go because they're dangerous. they really are dangerous. >> right. >> anyway, i'm taking it down, and i smell something awful, and my poor little doggy jasper has vomited all over the rug, okay? all over. then proceeded to have problems throughout the house. >> what does that have to do with the tree? >> nothing. except i went to dr. kay, who is our vet. he is unbelievable. i digress. i went to dr. k. i was so worried. he was trembling. the doctor said did you take your tree down by any chance? i said yeah, how funny that you ask that. he said if the dog drank any of the water that could make him quite ill. i don't know if that's what it was, but my point in all of this was when you get a dog, you are really getting a baby. have you to prepare yourself for the fact that animals have accidents. it's not on your time frame. it's when they're ready. you can't just leave it for

somebody else. >> why do you think i wouldn't be good at this? >> i have seen you in the dressing room. >> okay. >> okay. >> don't get a dog. >> wait a second. i have already -- i already have a dog walker. this is before i have the dog. that way, see what i mean, when i come to work during the day, someone can walk the dog. >> you don't want to walk the dog. >> i do. when i'm out. i know when i was going to starbucks right by my apartment, there's a vet right there. >> that's good. okay. >> i'm ready. >> all right. i just hope you're prepared for all the things that can happen in your home. if you have really nice things -- >> i don't. forget about it. i don't. speaking of dogs, there was a little bit of a controversy yesterday during our show, okay? i was holding a dog that was kind of like a kangaroo. its legs were really long. >> oh, my gosh. >> it was long. anyway, so while the -- we were doing the segment, the dog got a little out of control. >> crazy. >> and then it ran away from me, and there are a couple of places that said i cursed, which i

don't think i ever do on the air. >> i think they thought you said the s-word, right? >> the s-word. let's watch and see what really happened. >> this is called keighley. yeah. did you catch her? >> i probably did. [ slow motion ] >> well, that doesn't help when they slow it down. >> i didn't say -- >> what did you say? come on. >> i think i said she's -- she's -- shiz, like sheeeez. >> gawker both think there was some cursing going on. >> why do they care? >> i don't know why they would care. if they really want to hear cursing, they can just go to your dressing room. there's another side of meredith that only we know. >> i am a little bit bad that way. you're right. >> it's nice. >> i had an accident on the air once. not an accident on the floor. >> you did?

>> let's take a look back. >> meredith. oh, jeez. you shouldn't be -- oh [ bleep ]. >> okay. >> i'm just going to clarify something in that last segment we did that i was behind the wheel. i thought i saw a shift in front of me. it wasn't a shift. it was actually a vehicle. that's the finest driving i've done. >> no, you said -- >> i said chip. i said chip. that's what i said. exactly. >> there's some video out there that is causing some controversy. we saw if in the make-up room earlier, and it's one of those things that makes you cringe a little. this is a woman from south dakota. her 8-year-old son, right? >> it's christmas time. >> yeah. >> she's running a video of him. he has gone on ebay, right, to look around and thinks that he pressed the buy button for a mustang. >> a real mustang. >> and he -- it's heart-breaking

actually to watch it. he is crying and saying i'm so bad or -- >> let's watch the tape. this is while his -- his mom taped it while he was craig. >> why did you buy that $50,000 car on ebay? >> i didn't. >> you did. >> i did. oh -- >> it won't cancel it. you hit buy. [ crying ] >> is that true? did i? >> i'm afraid so. >> i am horrible. >> you're not horrible, baby. you made a mistake. [ crying ] >> what kind of car was it? >> it was a mustang. i didn't mean to buy it. i was just looking, and he said -- i hit buy, and i didn't mean to. i'm, like, oh, no, oh, no, so i turned the ipad off. >> hey, bub, you didn't buy it.

[ laughing ] >> you didn't buy it. >> oh. >> that sounded very upsetting to look at. the mom and the son were actually on earlier in the morning. >> yeah. she was asked do you have any regrets, and she said my regret is i took the video vertically because that's where she got criticism. i think it's weird to -- first of all, that kind of stuff is being funny, i don't get it. i don't get -- she said she wanted her kid to learn how to take a joke. >> develop a good sense of humor. when he was asked how did you feel when she told you that it was a joke. he said that was okay, right? it's not okay. >> this video -- a lot of these, they live forever and ever and ever. i can even just think of today like this kid's classmates are saying it's already on youtube, and it's gotten a gazillion hits. she thinks it's funny. you are watching her embarrass him. i was totally turned off. >> i don't know the family dynamic. when you look from the outside at it, you just see a kid that's heartbroken.

he thinks he is going to have to sell everything. >> we're against it. >> okay. so meredith vieira, we asked people to tweet you yesterday. okay? meredith has a twitter account, which we found out. >> that sounds disgusting when you say it. tweet you. it's a contation. >> you are a total sicky, okay? these are the tweets that you have done over the last -- your last one was 607 days ago. okay? >> you have never err -- yes, you did. i was with you when you tweeted. don't you remember when you were learning? >> yeah, but i never -- i don't think i ever -- >> you did. here. you wrote this one. two of them. now that i'm tweeting, that twit lauer can't be far behind. >> that sounds like me. >> and then you wroted this one. it's cold outside, but i'm one hot mama. >> i did not write that. >> apparently you did. >> 600 and -- how many days? i can't see. >> i don't know. i can't see.

>> 678 or 687. let's do a tweet, should we? okay. we're going to tweet your first tweet. her twitter handle, by the way, is meredith --@meredith vieira. >> that's so original. >> what do you want to tweet? >> i do not -- >> don't even do that. >> i do not want -- >> wanty. >> want to tweet. >> i'm not twting. i'm deleting that. good-bye. good-bye. how about i'm just going to write tweet me. come on. by the way, i just want to let you know how many -- no. this is what you're doing right here. >> okay. >> okay. tweet me. send. now, the thing is you got since yesterday -- >> right. >> -- an additional not just 1,000 twitter followers. not an additional 2,000, but an additional 3,000. >> why would -- how do you get followers if you are saying you don't tweet? i don't -- they're following me. >> they're following you. they're waiting patiently for

you. >> we'll see. >> all right. >> play list thursday. >> go ahead. >> this is a good one. i think you're going to like it. it's old school. you may know it. >> wait, wait, wait. i know all about this music, okay? kathie lee and i have talked about your play list. >> get ready. this one is so good. get ready. >> we've hijacked -- >> what? >> take a listen. ♪ >> what is this? oh, no. note my love could hold you ♪ >> oh, no. k.l.g. is singing at alabama jack's. ♪ i'm crazy for crying >> oh, no. ♪ i'm crazy for loving you >> oh, no. >> what is alabama jack's? a hang-out? >> yes. it's a hang-out that she loves. it's where -- bambino is front and center. >> this is in key west where kath is, and this is one of her

favorite hang-outs where she says people do clogging and they drink a lot. >> clogging? really? i thought that was north carolina clogging. >> yeah, i like it. >> all right. >> does she ever do this, or it's always you that does the music? >> it's always me. what happened, meredith? can we do mine still? >> sure. i guess. >> you'll like this one. let's do it. no? we don't have it? what? >> that was it. >> oh, no. ♪ >> is it okay or not okay. we do this thing every week. let's see. the question is is it okay to leave your underwear at your home? >> you mean not wear underwear? >> yes, not wear underwear. >> okay. >> what do i say? >> i needed a little -- >> i can't read it. >> no, it's not -- why do you have this prop? no, it's not okay. why, oh why, would you ever go without your you understandies? if you are wearing a super clingy dress and you don't want panty lines, i kind of get it.

apparently have you done that. otherwise, keep your undies on, please. >> kathie lee says ask the people who regret doing so, ask there's your answer. >> have you ever done that? seriously. be honest. be honest. just be honest because -- >> who cares? >> no. >> no, i have worn spanx without underwear, but i always wear spanx buzz i'm very self-conscious. >> really? >> i always wear spanx even if they're hanging out. i would rather have them hang out than have them on. do you ever go without your underwear? >> not the way these women do where they get out of cars with their legs wide open. i do not do that. >> why would you ever go without your -- >> because when i was a kid, i took tap dancing, and so i always wore a leotard, and sometimes i'll have a leotard that's covering up. >> but you would never just go free? >> no, no. no. i would never do that. >> all right. it is time for -- we're going to turn to our girl sarah. hey, girl. >> hey. we have another fun one to make you laugh. there's nothing better than

these cute little babies. okay. go ahead. let's run it, and then we'll talk. [ laughing ] [ vacuum noise ] >> it's okay. it's okay. >> the vacuum scares the little baby. they've seen the reaction earlier, and they wanted to see if it was the vacuum, so they turned it on again to scare the kid again. it's good parenting. today is the theme is good parenting. >> cruel. this is a cruel program. >> all right. coming up, he kept it off, and we'll talk to our friend al roker. look at him reading to children. and talk about amazing transformations. ambushed on the plaza for head to toe makeovers. first, these messages. ♪ ♪

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the sweet reward, making a delicious choice that's also a smart choice. splenda no-calorie sweetener. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. splenda makes the moment yours. >> oh, chip. >> many of you -- wait in the new year. >> wait. >> just go ahead and put it on

gawker immediately. okay? >> i'm so sorry. >> stay where you are. [ bleep ]. >> i dropped all my cards. >> we're a little late with the beep. >> a lot of people are vowing to lose weight and get a little inspiration. our good friend al roker is here. spent a lifetime battling his weight. at his heaviest al weighed 240 pounds. today he is more than 100 pounds lighter in his new memoir "never gone back" al talks about breaking the yo-yo dieting cycle for good. hello, al. >> how is it to have pair dit back, al? >> so good. >> meredith has done this. there's a cleanse. >> what is it? >> this is almond milk, strawberries, protein powder. i usually put a little almonds in it as well. >> hmm. >> put that down. >> yes, i'll put that down. >> okay. al. >> yes. >> by the way, this book is

riveting. for those of us that have known you for a long time, it's funny how revealing it was even to us. were you at all uncomfortable with revealing that part of you? >> you know, i wrote it, and i worked with a terrific co-writer, a woman laura morton. you know, i didn't think it was that big a deal, and then i started hearing from people and they say it's brutally honest. i thought, oh, wait a minute. maybe i shouldn't have put this in here. >> why did you? it is brutally honest. some of your stories are -- >> whenever i go out to speak or i'm at functions where people keep wanting -- how did you do this? what did do you? i say maybe i should write it down. that's what i decided to do. >> well, your dad was such a major player for many, many years, and on his death bed he asked you -- he said to you, al, you know, i want to you lose the weight. that's a lot to carry around. >> yeah. you know what, it was one of these things where i did it. you know, he made me promise, and he made me swear to god that i would do it, and i did. he was gone about a week and a

half later. you kind of forget about that stuff, and then the new year started, and i started really thinking about and we found out we were pregnant with our second child nicki, and i thought, you know, i have to do this. i had been thinking about bypass earlier. kind of had gone back and forth and said, no, i'm not going to do it. i'm just tired of this. i'm tired of doing this, so i decided to go ahead. i met with this fantastic surgeon and got it done. >> you said you have to do it. anybody who is dealing with weight issues, have you to do it for yourself. >> yes. we know we're fat. your telling us, oh, have you to lose weight, we know we do. that's the way it works. but until you -- in a sense it's like any alcoholic or anybody who abuses drugs. until you're ready to do this, no program, no 12-step program, nothing is going to work for you until you're ready to say, you know what, i think enough of myself that i'm going to take the step to do it. >> the pain that you carried

around from when you were a kid is something i think a lot of overweight people can identify with, but when the comic strip fat albert, the cartoon, came out, that was something that really cut to the quick. >> oh, my gosh. i'm a sophomore in high school in new york city, and let's see, is he black, he is fat, he is funny, and his first name is albert. well, check, check, check. it was horrible. i mean, the first day of the morning after going into school and hearing everybody go hey, hey, hey. you joke about it, and you -- oh, yes. are you dying. >> you said that an insecure kid and very shy kid. >> i'm still very shy. you know? >> you hide that well. >> well -- >> i would never think that of you. >> like my mentor, willard scott, he is a great speaker in public, and he is one of the most famous weather people ever. you know, and you find ways to mask that pain, and for me it

was food. >> you know, you've had issues with weight and then you have lost weight and regained weight. the name of the book is "never going back." how do you know that? what are you doing now that convinces you? >> look, i had the bypass. i lost almost 140 pounds, and then about four and a half years, go and my mom got sick. i was driving back and forth north shore to long island on the l.i.e., and i fell back into the same old habits. the trigger, the pain, the fear of losing my mother. after she passed, i thought, you know, i cannot do this again. i put 40 pounds back on. just so happened that a dear friend of ours, john harris, had lost weight doing this cleanse with a nutritionist, melissa boman lee out of chicago. your assistant accide, brook, h this. i met with her, and it changed my life. whether do you this cleanse or juice cleanse or whatever, whatever you do, that -- but the

exercise, as you know, is so important. i found -- melissa does this slow exercise. a little less. you're not sweaty. you do it in a cold gym. it changed my fez evening and changed how i felt about exercising. i still hate exercising. >> all that stuff is great. this book is a terrific read. it's fun to read. there are recipes in the back. there's a lot of take-away, and i think it's inspiring, and we're so happy for you. so happy for you. >> it's so good. i'm glad i got to meet with you. i missed kathie lee. you're the gift that keeps giving. >> i love that. >> yesterday when you said -- obviously you haven't had any work done. >> i have feelings too, you know? whatever. >> you were fantastic. >> any-hoo -- >> hey, are you going to tweet us some more because that was riveting. >> al's book is "never going back." he is never coming back. you can check out our story on dateline "new year new you." >> two hours.

>> at 7:00, 6:00 central here on nbc. >> coming up, the small town stars that make their way to the big. we're going buck wild from mtv's newest reality show. first, these messages. ho w do es it feel to try smooth, wdelicious hershey's chocolate with 30% less fat? hershey's simple pleasures chocolate. 30% less fat, 100% delicious. to say get well to your loved ones. this came for you, mommy. [ female announcer ] but when you send a kleenex® care pack,

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s. ♪ i said are you going to be my girl ♪ >> we're back with more "today" on this thirsty thursday. it's time for our ambush makeovers who two lucky ladies get plucked off the plaza and we surprise them with brand new looks. >> today contributor and stylist to the stars lewis lacari, la, la, la. >> thank you, meredith. >> today contributor and contributing editor, people style watch jill martin. >> all right. how were the pickins out there, lewis? >> it was good. it was freezing cold, i have to tell you, so it was one of those days where you had to look at the eyes, but other than that, it was great pickings. a lot of people were there. >> you got sisters, didn't you? first up is doris. she's 61 from montana.

until recently she hasn't done anything to her hair in 20 years, so she was thrilled when we approached her on the plaza. take a listen. >> well, i love doing sisters because this is going to be so much fun, and i can make you look better instantly with this blanket on you. tell me why you -- >> she works so hard. she's a grandmother. she deserves a new, fabulous look. >> oh. i know you're surprised, but excited? >> i am. i'm totally -- i need this. >> are you ready to ditch the blanket for a hot new dress? >> i am. >> oh, my god, yes. >> how exciting. okay. she's here with her sister, who we're going to make over next, but she's also here with a couple of friends. bobby is here and linda. ladies, please keep on your blindfolds. here is doris before. all right, doris. let's see the new you. >> wow. >> whoa. >> wow. >> oh, my gosh. >> are you ready? bobby and linda, take off your

blindfolds? >> oh, my -- all right. doris, are you ready to see yourself? all right. put your glasses on and turn around. right here. >> oh, my god. >> wow. you look -- >> do you love it? >> you look absolutely beautiful. spin right around, sweetie, and look right there, if you wouldn't mind. tell us about the hair, lewis. that was -- >> what a better way to start the new year than with a makeover. this is all about being rich and glum russ. we made her hair color. added depth, and, of course, gave her this great very simple but very chic haircut. >> how do you decide the hair color? it's really beautiful. >> it's a brown, but it has different nuances of color in it, and that's what makes it special. it's very much alive. >> look at the friends, by the way. we need kleenexs galore. tell us what you guys think of the makeover. >> montana is not going to be the same. >> do you love? >> my aunty is beautiful.

>> jill, that's the perfect dress. perfect. >> you get some sparkle. this is great for maggie. i just want to show the back. show the back. how beautiful is that back? >> gorgeous. love it. >> the jewelry -- >> love it. >> perfect. all right. doris, why don't you take baby steps over to your friends. now we're going to talk about -- you're going to face the wall, okay? >> you're going to face the wall so you can't see. >> all right. doris's sister, cindy is 53 from south carolina. her daily beauty routine consists of putting her hair in a ponytail. she jumped at the opportunity to receive a glam new look. let's listen to her story. >> now it's cindy's turn. what do you think about all this for her? >> you know, i think that she works very hard, and she never gets dressed up. she never does anything for herself, and so she deserves this. she needs to feel better and,

yes. >> that's so nice to hear, right? >> yes. >> okay. >> she's beautiful anyway. >> all right. it's a love fest, and there are tears, but we're going to turn them into smiles. are you ready? >> i'm so ready. >> okay. so obviously cindy has never -- hasn't seen doris since her makeover, and -- >> look at doris, she's being block the by our floor manager. we've seen cindy before. let's see cindy now. come on. >> wow. wow, wow, wow. >> hot mama. >> all right. are you ready? everybody turn around. ladies. get the masks off. >> oh, my god. >> did you see your sister too? >> all right. want to see yourself? >> take a look. look in the mirror. >> surprise. >> wow, wow. >> oh, my god.

>> you look so beautiful. look right in the camera. >> right there, sweetie. wow. >> right? >> this starts with the hair. the darkest blonde, the darkest warm blonde. then this is very close to her natural color, which she was born with, actually. she looks a little more alive. the swept away bang erases years. combine that with the make-up, which is soft. the tip is the aging process goes on, less make-up goes a long way. >> i don't think people realize that that less is more. >> the outfit is fantastic. >> a little leather. when we put this on, she said i want this. it's from andrew market. it's an indoor-outdoor jacket. you can wear it indoors and out, and the jewelry statement necklace is scott. >> take baby steps. big round of applause. good job, sisters. beautiful. >> all right. a woman is always looking good. real house wooif diva nene leakes is here after this. try delicious light & fit greek

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don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked. it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. >> she's famous for speaking her mind and serving up sass on bravo as hit reality show "the real housewives of atlanta." >> nene leakes has that role on "the new normal" where she plays rocky, a fierce assist yabt who is not too different from the real nene, as we've noticed. hey. how are you? >> good morning. >> how are you? >> you're a busy bee, i have to say. >> i am. >> you got your fame from "the

real housewives of atlanta." you quickly took it and ran with it. not everyone can do that, can they? >> not everyone can do that. that's very true. i've been very lucky and very blessed. i think when you get an opportunity or a platform such as "the real housewives of atlanta" you have to use it to your advantage, and i was able to do that, and now i'm on a primetime television show. >> yes, you are. >> are you loving that? >> i do. i love ryan murphy. he is the creator of "glee," "american horror story." i love it. quite different than reality. it's a whole hour. lots of hours. >> you earn the money. >> yes, you do. >> there's a scene that was the part with the turkeys and all that where you and -- you're actually playing your mother's role, your father's role, and your role. that must have been such a trip. so much fun to play all three roles. >> i couldn't wait to do that.

>> look at this. >> look, i got awe new job. >> i love that strawberry lemonade. that menu is huge. thank god for those pitchers. >> i am assistant to mr. -- >> daddy, my dreams are coming true. >> dreams don't pay no bills. >> you dummy. >> you won't make it out there. >> this is so fun to watch you. it must have been fun to do. >> i was so excited for me to play the characters. i called up a few friends who have done that same thing before, like tyler and i was excited. >> tyler perry. >> i was excited to do that. >> you're also on the cover, right, of "ebony" magazine, money and power. >> look at you. >> pretty big stuff. some people were not happy with that. why do you think that is? >> i did some interviews, and i talked about -- i just -- my personal thoughts are i felt like i got a lot of flack from my own community, meaning the african-american community. i feel like we don't support

each other the way that we should. i feel like i deserve to be on the cover more than anybody else. i am an african-american who crossed over to primetime, which is not easy to do, and it's not a lot of african-americans who are on a primetime scripted series, so that was huge. and i did so many other things. i have my own charity. i own restaurants. i did so many things that i felt that i deserved it. the editors over at "ebony" felt i sdefshed it, and that's why sigh me on the cover. >> i know not everybody is kind, and you are known to speak your mind. do you say what you think? >> i do. most of the time i try to keep it really real and say what i think. sometimes i'm very direct, which can sometimes hurt people, but when i say direct, i'm just -- i don't feel like i have that tone, you know, that voice like a really sweet. i feel like if you ask me and i just tell you very directly, and sometimes it can shock somebody who -- >> can i ask directly, are you

back with greg? what's going on? >> greg andry definitely back together. >> okay. did he propose to you? >> we heard a rumor he proposed to you on new year's. >> no. it's not -- >> you tweeted about it. >> i tweeted about it on new year's eve. i love twitter. please follow me on twitter. @neneleaks. so you can hear me trash talk. i'm not trash talking. no, i think people can see on the real housewives of atlanta that greg and i are together, and i think people want to know if we're going to go to the next level. >> right. that's what i'm asking. >> the answer is? >> you'll have to tune into the housewives. >> that's not very direct. >> thank you. >> oh, man. >> tuesday, 9:30, 8:30 central time. >> from normal to buck wild. >> oh, no. >> some people are calling it the new jersey shore right after this. >> okay. ♪ my skin loses moisture nearly twice as fast as yours does, mom.

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>> move over jersey shore. mtv has in smu kids in town. >> the new show is called buck wild, and it follows the lives of nine advenrous friends. if you haven't been to a dump truck pool party, then you are missing out. shane and shay bradley are two of the show's stars. >> are you ready? tonight is the premier. we've seen some of the clips. there's a lot of people diving in mud baths and laughing and hooting and hollering. what happens in this show? >> you know, that was a little bit of it, but it's just nine of my friends living in the middle of nowhere. just making our own fun, doing what we want and when we want. >> with what we got. >> with what you got. >> what do you got? >> not much. that's what i'm saying. we got away we got. >> there's ridiculous stuff. >> tell us what you think is rid you can husband that people can have fun with? like what? >> you can have fun with a tire. >> that was just tarps, and we

just put soap and water and slide around. >> what's the message you're trying to get out, besides your having a good time. is there something you want the audience to walk away with? >> have fun. >> you only live once. live it up. >> the senator of your great state was very upset that this was going to be on mtv, and actually said, look, they went to mtv and said it's going to make all of us look terrible. we don't want to all be cast with this broad brush. what do you think about that? >> well, as far as the criticism goes, i represent myself and myself only, so to say that nine individuals represent the whole state of west virginia is just silly. you know? >> but do you think that it's a good thing for west virginia? i think that's what he is saying. >> it's not a good thing. >> that it totally represents young people in west virginia. >> i'm representing myself. >> we aren't representing everyone there. we are who we are. >> even my best friends on the

show, if they do something embarrassing, that's on them. i represent myself only. >> i picked you as the crazy one. what kind of crazy stuff? >> i get in this big old tractor tire, and first she starts it up. she's on flat ground. she rolls on it. let's take it back there to the holler and roll down this big old hill. >> you roll down in a tire inside it? >> in the tire. >> oh. >> my knees hit me in the face. oh, my gosh. then it flips me out. >> then what happens? >> then i can't do nothing. i'm laying there in a maze. oh, my gosh. oh, that was awesome. >> he does the craziest stuff, and he gets up like nothing happened. >> you know your lives are going to change because the fame that happened on the jersey shore kids could be happening to you. are you ready for that? >> we haven't changed at all. our friendship, nothing has changed. >> okay. we wish you guys good luck because "buck wild" premiers tonight on mtv. >> good luck. >> uh-huh. >> okay. >> next up we're going to show

you how to look like a million for way less. back with more of "today" on nbc.

back now with "today's beauty" and how to look like a million bucks for just pennies. beauty editor is the author of the new book "how to look expensive." it's full of beauty advice that celebrities pay top dollar to get. hey. >> hi, guys. thanks for having me. >> you're going to tell us how to do things. >> i'm going to show you how to do great things that are celebrity secrets. they're simple, easy, and most important, they're free. essentially free. first thing has to do with champagne. >> why are we putting champagne on our hair? >> we highlighted half of her hair. this is a before. that's the after. >> just wait. champagne on your hair -- >> champagne on your hair.

if you have leftover bubbly, it doesn't have to be good champagne. it can be the cheap stuff. what you're going to do is pour some -- i'm going to show you what we did. >> pour champagne on your hair. >> save a little for us. saturate the hair. then the heat of a blow dryer, and a diffuser. if you can see the ends of her hair that have the gorgeous ombre effect that people spend a fortune on. >> it doesn't -- >> it adds body to your hair and makes it bright, shiny. >> you blow it dry. >> next time you shampoo, you'll still have the highlights. >> wow. >> okay. >> now, these tips come from jennifer aniston's dermatologist. >> shhh. >> secret is out. >> i'm talking gauze pads with soy milk. it helps with pigmentation. it counter acts the pigmentation. dip it in. i'm going to do it on your face. you could do it on your chest

for pigmentation. just go like that. do this a few times. >> what exactly does that do? what exactly does that do? >> it counter acts pig meantation. it will even out your skin tone. >> dark spots, will it get rid of them? >> yes. >> really? >> soy milk. >> what about bags under the eyes? >> bags under eyes we have two fun ideas. we made squares wrap them in seran wrap, and -- >> freeze them. >> we froze them, and can you keep them in the frig for when you have those nights when you are going to have a bad morning. >> that is really rude. >>. >> how long do you keep them on? >> leave them on for ten minutes. >> okay. >> i'll give you each one of these. >> yeah. >> do you eat it? >> the anti-oxidant pop sickle. it would be great on the bags of your eyes, and it's also a great skin treatment for redness, and everyone has green tea.

how easy is that? i keep one in my freezer all the time. feels great. i'm not going to give you one. i think you're busy enough. >> okay. >> this one i didn't quite understand. it's using your mascara wand for eye liner. >> any mascara you have will work. this is one of my favorites. what i did is i use a eyeliner brush stick it in, and then you have a two-fer. >> what's the difference between using regular eyeliner and that? >> xheeper. >> saves some money. >> saves a few bucks. it's also a great trick. make-up artist dozen this because you can do it subtly, and it makes your eye lashes look really thick. >> i like the gold too. >> this is blake lively's make-up artist tip. she said blake would kill her tore going that. after you apply the black you rim your eye with gold. it's almost like walking around under candlelight. gives you this gorgeous glow. >> wow. >> we all love.

>> what's the olive oil? >> this is -- >> okay. >> we're out of time. >> we have to run. >> this looks good. [ male announcer ] this commercial is not about getting fios, it's about getting fios. that moment after you finally got it that you actually get it. the difference 100% fiber optics makes and you say "woah we are not on cable anymore." when online videos aren't herky jerky, you get it. or when a movie downloads in two minutes, you get it. [ female announcer ] switch to fios internet, tv, and phone for this amazing price online, just $79.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement. plus get $300 back. hurry, last chance to get this incredible deal. offer ends january 5th. fios brings you internet ranked the fastest in the nation. and unbeatable picture quality. it's 100% fiber optic, 100% different from cable.

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