i'm feeling capable ♪ [ female announcer ] we eased your back pain... ♪ ready or not. [ female announcer ] ...so you can be up there. here i come! [ female announcer ] ...down there, around there... and under there for him. tylenol® provides strong pain relief and won't irritate your stomach the way aleve® or even advil® can. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more.

tylenol®. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. >> it's booze day tuesday. it's december 10th. it's coming down a little bit.

♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ hoda. from i carly. miranda cosgrove. sweet girl. they are fun when they answer your relationship questions together. they are the new odd couple. i love them. have you seen them in some markets because of the snow in new york. >> because of what's happening in johannesburg. >> today is nelson mandela'serc. leaders from over 90 countries. that's what is so impressive. everybody is saying it's raining. how terrible. in south africa, rain is a blessing. >> what a gift from god. maybe it's tears from heaven, too. >> yeah, a little bit. it could be. >> it's funny, we were talking

about how a lot of young leaders whose lives are cut short, and you say, i wonder what would have happened if kennedy had lived and martin luther king and you see how his life unfolded and the great things he did. >> absolutely. >> we are talking about the winter weather, but if you are on flights, be careful. they were cancelling them last night. i think people realize a major storm is coming. they come to us for the breaking stuff like check your local carrier. >> by the way, i wanted to get them the big, fat sleigh. >> they are not and you can't get everything you want in life. it's going to accumulate a couple of inches. >> "the voice" last night -- >> they're down to five performers. >> it's down to five. >> why shouldn't we pick 1 one out. >> you like this girl from the

caribbean. >> tess an. >> when i have seen her, she is special. she sang bridge over troubled waters. let's listen. >> ♪ i will try ♪ ♪ i will ease your pain >> the note went on forever. >> that's crazy. >> justin: happened. the thing that they edited out is the fact that it was very intense and serious. we respect that obviously.

we know what you are going through. regardless of popular opinion, that's probably one of the most flawless and graceful performances i have ever heard on this show. >> is adam her guy? >> yeah. she is really, really tall. >> what was edited out. you can tell that something was very sensitive and the song reminded her of getting past that. you don't know what it is. >> it only makes it that much more compelling. >> the results are tonight at 9:00, 8:00 central. because 18.5 million people watched the sound of music with carrie underwood, they are thinking of doing it again. i think that's great news. not the same one, but there were a lot of mixed reviews for carrie. i thought it was the greatest thing in the world. they said nobody can step into julie andrews's shoes. julie andrews stepped into mary martin to begin with. they are roles for the ages. every person who comes along has to mick it their own.

she does not have that kind of broadway experience. she sang the living daylights out of everything. she gave it a great try and i was really, really proud of her. >> i felt the same way. when you watched carrie underwood sing, you dead stop. >> she's a lovely person. that colors me too the way i want to receive it. in typical carrie fashion. she responded to critics. she said they will number my prayers tonight and quoted the bible verse that began rid yourself of all malace and hypocrisy and the slander of every kind. >> these haters need some jesus. good for her. the best way to get it behind her is she knows because of her that is how many people watched. you could have put the greatest broadway star in that role and it would never get that attention. >> not only the people who remember, but the young people who were watching it for the

first time were paying attention. >> julie andrews sent her love and support. if julie can, everybody else can take a tip. >> what should everyone else do next? >> besides one of mine? >> the wizard of oz would be an easy one to do. >> no for the same reasons. it's iconic. they tried to do it. it's called the wiz. >> the wizard of oz -- >> take the movie version and make it on the stage version. >> what's the one i mentioned earlier? >> you liked mame. >> that's a fun one, but remember the actress eleanor parker played. she passed away right after this was aired. complications of pneumonia at 91 years old. crazy. >> it sure is.

we always tell you about these sexy guy calendars with the guys and we have something way better. the new york city taxi drivers. it's the 2014 calendar and it's hard to pick our favorites. >> i like mr. february. love him. what's it say about him? >> it says here it's a good thing i have a heart because i would have named my son after every player on the 1979 arsenal football team. that's dan. >> you really get to know the people. >> we loved may. how could you not love may. biting his finger. i love to meet and talk with so many different people. that's my favorite part of the job. >> i like him. >> we have to do him. he is so good.

reading the romance novel. jose starred in numerous television commercials in venezuela. >> okay. one last one as we talk. >> this one? >> no. are you sure wasn't this? that one. you gotta get a driver who knows what to do in trouble. look at him. come on. side of the road kind of guy. >> $14.99 and 100% of the proceeds go to university settlements helping immigrant settlers. >> you may not be flying today, but expedia.com and they have biggest pet peeves. >> we ranked them from 5 to number one. >> number five is the chatty kathy. never stops talking. number four is the boozer. >> sometimes that's also chatty

kathy. this one drives me crazier than anything. the smelly passenger. >> that can be translated in a couple of ways. >> it could be bo or lots of extra perfume. i was on a plane once and a guy took his shoes off and they wreaked. it was bad. like the kind where you look around and say wow, it's him. i took perfume out because i don't like to smell like that and i went to the bathroom and i sprayed some on me and i came out and said do you mind? he was offended by my perfume. he said we are in a closed space. i didn't know what to do. i am not great with confrontation. i didn't say what about your feet. i was like oh, my gosh. i feel embarrassed. >> the only time hold is brave is in a car. the venom that spews and the sign language and everything. that's when hoda feels brave. >> i felt bad that he was mad at

me. >> little children can get away with it. this man was trying to come on to my sister once and he was sitting next to her little girl. finally shany looks at her mother and said mommy, does his breath smell? >> oh, she sthad? >> the guy never said another word. he was trying to get to my sister. that's nasty. real seat kicker. can't stand that. especially if it's a little kid and the parents don't do anything. >> what do you do in that situation? >> i always go to the flight attendant first. maybe the parents aren't aware, but this is really, really upsetting. once our producer tammy had a lady scream at her because of the little kid that was kicking the back. can you control your kid? tammy said it's not my kid. it wasn't. it really wasn't. the best thing to do is go to the flight attendant.

the first one is the parents. >> i want to give a shout out to a guy who is so beloved and his name is frank davis who passed away last night. he was 71 years old. he was an iconic figure in new orleans. he was the man. he did all kinds of cooking and when he walked into a restaurant, everyone knew him. it's a huge loss for new orleans. he was fighting an autoimmune disease. >> love to his family. we told you miranda will be on the show. she has millions of twitter followers and we will try to take time for you to tweet us at klg and hoda and use #orangeroom. again, get tweeting. we want your questions. if you are hoping to get kissed

under the mistletoe this year -- if you have a story and remember we need you to send in your kids's new year's resolution. go. push connect.

you party souls out there, if you are looking for love during the holiday -- >> or you found love and you need help dealing with what comes with it, we have advice. >> that's. it's not just any advice. it's elle's advice and i heart radio with matthew husbandy. hussey.

>> how do i announce to my husband to stick to the traditional plans? >> they want to split the plans. >> i think it's really tough. it means more to them than to you. >> your lichristmas is about family. you have to communicate with them. i want our time where we have our special time and our traditions and quirks and moments, but i also want to make you happy and your family happy.

i would also say why is she not inviting it. if she was being more expansive, i want to embrace it and make it a great day. >> i have an idea. you say darling, thank god your parents are coming for new year's eve. i love them christmas eve. now, darling, i have been thinking and as you say that, you pull out a box with a bow. christmas morning when the kids are opening the presents, this is what i had in mind for you on christmas morning. >> what's in the box? >> there is a promise. what a special treat that she is going to enjoy with her husband personally. >> all day christmas day. then she says how about new years day with your family. >> you know what's missing is her family. lots of times people break it up. we will be with your family that night and my family the next. who knows what the dynamic is. >> they have their own family as well. their only unit between the two of them. they have that time for each other. >> doesn't sound like they have

children or she would have mentioned that. >> lindsay said i am 25 and i have never been kissed under the mistletoe. i have been told i'm intimidating. >> telling women they are intimidating is a line to keep women down. if women were more intimidating we would be running more of the fortune 500 companies. we run 4%. if a man says you're intimidating, he's really saying you're pretty but you don't smile enough. when she goes through the party she she grab the oldest guy and plant a big one on him. leave the younger guys with the ideas of what to do. >> now the voice of reason. >> for the viewers, i have a seven-step guide for this.

this is designed to get people that kiss by midnight. i will give you a couple of tips. the first thing and i agree, smile. as soon as you walk into the room, smile. that kills intimidation. the key to approachability is to approach the guy. say something you can say. she could say snag is risk-free. it's so great that everyone is so happy now. everyone is happy and having a good final. i love that. >> she can say let me in on the secret. i have never been kissed under the mistletoe. would you do me the honor? >> not as the first thing to say. >> what nice guy wouldn't? >> i like that one. i like to close out the conversation to invite -- christmas day is christmas shopping.

say to the guy, i would love for us to go shopping together. let's hold each other accountable. >> just down the street. >> make out. you can get weird diseases that way. >> keep the extra pounds from sneaking up. >> madeleine is here to help you cut the creep. >> she already has 6 million twitter followers? >> she wants to hear from you. >> miranda cosgrove is answering questions from her fans after this. you know, ronny... folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? i'd say happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic. he does look happy. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. the way we clean.ange and free ourselves from

the harshness of bleach. lysol power & free has more cleaning power than bleach. the secret is the hydrogen peroxide formula. it kills 99.9% of germs and is family friendly. that's healthing. prove it. enough is enough. d-con baits are specially formulated to kill in one feeding. guaranteed. d-con. get out.

>> miranda cosgrove became a star of the hit show icarly. she is march gee in despicable me ii now it's available on blu-ray and dvd. >> here to answer twitter followers, do you know how many followers you have? >> i just hit 6 million. >> we will never know what that's like.

school. >> i just finished my second year at usc. it's going pretty well. >> congratulations. >> should we take a couple of twitter questions. look how we do it. >> have you had any spaghetti tacos since icarly. >> i have not had any spaghetti tacos. >> next time you are here we will make you some. >> we promise. we'll get reed alexander to make you some. >> those would be really good. >> you want to do it, miranda? >> this way? >> excellent. >> that are is pretty cool. >> when is your album coming out? love you. >> yeah, i have been in the studio a lot recently. i'm hoping to release new stuff soon. i love singing. it was fun going on tour and all of that. >> awesome. >> here's another one. >> she said love you. >> thank you. i love you too.

>> what new projects are coming up? what are you working on? crissy. >> i have new music and i really have been focussing on school and next month i'm doing a movie. it's a thriller. it's different than anything i have done. >> we love you and we love when you come by. >> we love all 6 million of your twitter followers. >> thank you for having me. >> madeline is going to help you get rid of unwanted holiday pounds. >> coming up after your local news.

>> look at that. welcome back to "today" on this booze day tuesday. it's time to cut the creep. diet expert is here with two brave viewers.

melvina and kathy who want to keep the extra pounds from sneak up during the holidays. how did they do? we will find out. madeleine is with us. let's talk. >> our ladies have worked hard and melvina had a little going up on the scale after thanksgiving. you were up two pounds? >> yes. >> that are energized her and motivated her rather than panic. kathy was on the way down. >> let's talk about melvina first. you weighed her this morning. this is nerve racking to me. >> my heart is going. >> she is on the scale. tell us what the verdict is. >> she is down 2.6 pounds. she lot of a total of .6 pounds. more than a half a pound since the start. you made up and you were motivated. >> that's going to motivate you even more. you lot of almost three pounds

in a week. >> part was flute. that doesn't always mean weight. to say yikes, i don't want this to stay on and you worked doubly hard. >> did you have the eggnog? >> one. >> let's move on to kathy. >> she stepped on the scale. and now her total is down 2.1. >> that's good. >> a total of 3.3. >> what do you think? >> great. i feel energized by not worrying about the food. i feel mindful. >> what did you do differently? >> i'm hula hooping. >> you love to knit, but that was a sedentary thing and you put that down and picked up the hula hoop. >> and i haven't baked. >> another thing is when she

goes somewhere and went to a a party with a lot of peruvian treats. she didn't say i'm dieting. the minute you say no thank, they shove it on you. she was successful by being a taster and not saying anything. >> good for you. >> do you let people know you are watching or don't? >> yes, i think everyone knows here. >> you were at a party and she ate before she went. she wasn't as tempted when she went to the party and she had wine and everything. that's true. >> i have friends who eat yogurt before they go out so they feel saceated and full. >> there is a lot of great stuff to eat. you feel more focused.

why set yourself up in a situation where you are starving. a lot of people don't eat all day because you are going to a party. >> the exercise that you are doing which i find difficult are the burpees. >> i hate them. >> why are you doing them? >> they burn a lot of calories. >> will you show us? >> i might know. >> down-oh, yeah. >> how many do do you? >> i do intervals of 20 seconds and rest 10 seconds. >> how do you time it? >> i have an app. >> let me see yours. >> i have a trampoline. >> make sure you are not going to bang anything. >> let's see. yeah, yeah. >> i can do it for like 15 minutes while watching tv. >> how long can you go? >> here.

here's yours. >> it's not weighted. >> and go. >> kathie lee, go. >> go. go. >> coming up, toys for all ages. it will help your little ones learn a new skill. if you don't have plans for new year's eve, we will make you some. >> last minute travel ideas.

[ female announcer ] we eased your back pain... ♪ ready or not. [ female announcer ] ...so you can be up there. here i come! [ female announcer ] ...down there, around there... and under there for him. tylenol® provides strong pain relief and won't irritate your stomach the way aleve® or even advil® can. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®.

travel plans are often for family members, but getting away for new year's eve can be a treat. >> there deals and destinations out there to help you bring in 2014. the author of travel therapy, where do you need to go? >> nice to see you and welcome for the first time. >> thank you so much. >> there still deals out there? >> absolutely. i know you are thinking it's too

late, but the key is to be smart about it. we don't have a lot of time so you want to do a one-stop shopping. check out hotels, deals, destinations and go. when it comes to airline tickets, this is a big one. the big expense. i helped a friend last night. the key is to try to travel on tuesday night. those tickets are high. try to travel monday and tuesday. if you can travel new year's eve day, you can save 50%. go in the morning. you can be there in time for the nightclubs. >> depends where you're going. >> there is some really amazing and exciting places, but like i said, you want to get the hotels. make sure you are searching. we will tell you what i found. when it comes to hotels, you will have a vision of where you want to go. it's not available. call the hotel. you know the old days where you pick up not online. call. they have last minute cancellations. if they don't have something,

they can recommend something close to their brand, something else you may like. you are striking out online. think outside the box. you want to come for new year's eve here in new york. tickets are high. stay in a ski resort and come down. >> take us to napa. >> i planned this just for you girls. napa valley, one of the most beautiful places to go for new year's eve and believe it or not, i found a deal still available at the west on downtown on the river. $169 a night. if you go to one, they have a party and a five-course meal with wine. it's a great way to celebrate. also in napa. look at the property. they have a party downtown at great gatsby where you can get into that and a masquerade ball. >> in toronto, canada. that's a hot spot. >> a lot of people don't realize. >> a great mayor. >> i knew you would get that in.

it's only 70 minute flight from new york. a lot of other direct flights. check your market. toronto will be the music party this year. downtown they have this huge celebration and live bands and fireworks. they will have different stages with international artists. now for a place to stay, we found you the eaton chelsea. a great downtown hotel that you can see here. they finished a major renovation and a great start at 165 a night. you can walk to those events we were talking about. a 10-minute walk is chilly. a five-minute cab ride. >> jackson hole, wyoming, is another one you like. >> jackson hole is a great place. the off the beaten path. the number six trip adviser destination trip on the rise. this is a hot spot. it was number one ski area in north america. look at this mountain and the powder. you can ski and snowmobile in yellowstone park. it's stunning.

a great place to stay is the wyoming inn starting at $180 a night. here's the great part. it has a free shuttle to the mountain top. at the mountain, we will do fireworks for new year's eve and a party at a restaurant. there will be a lot of cool things going on. >> we have a tiny bit of time, but chicago is a major city you enjoy. >> the hard rock hotel is partnering with playboy's 60th anniversary. they will have everything. champagne and live music and that's where you want to go. >> the bunnies look good now. >> $260 a night. legoland has a special new year's eve only $20 for kids. >> orlando is a sunny spot. >> if you are tired of the weather, orlando is the number one destination for new year's with families. that's a big thing. we have millions of people who give advice. it's smart to use a site like that and get the information.

$254 a night, but $50 each night. >> thank you very much. happy new year to you. >> you too. if you plan to bring the kids on the trip. we have ways to keep them busy. >> right after this.

fall is finally here. >> and for every season there's a reason to watch. >> wake up with al weekday mornings on the weather channel. >> it's just right. all your local weather, travel updates and the day's top stories. >> the front will move through.

that will change the temperature. >> you can't beat this weather. >> everything you need to know first thing. >> here's the big picture. >> we're like a killer app in the morning. >> tap into us. >> "wake up with al" with stephanie abrams and al roker at 6:00 and 10:00 a.m. only on "the weather channel."

if there's a child on your christmas list, help is here. >> meredith is here. she's a blogger and contributor to play.com. you can never go wrong with a new toy if it teaching a child a new skill. >> great ideas you have across the board. >> parents tend to buy their kids the things that are the most advertised. if you buy a toy for someone else's child, it's great to go with the hidden gems. parent appreciate that. we will go age appropriate up. we will start with the floor. >> this is one of the producers.

congratulations on your cute little baby. 4 months old. >> this is the tummy time activity floor mat. what is great about this one is that had helps babies strengthen their necks and core and entertainment and parents love it because this rolls up and you can take it with you when you travel. it's perfect. that's what they are looking at will. >> it's washable. >> and yummy. >> rory is playing the drums. 2-year-old. >> this is the things they love to do which is bang on things. this is the kitty beat drum set by v tech and when she bangs on

it, it's going to give out letters and numbers and this helps with her development and she gets to bang on something. >> better her baby brother. what are jada and lauren up to? >> this went viral and is very popular. developed by an engineer at stanford. she wanted toys for girls and encourage building and construction. >> another part of the brain. >> we're start with the spinning machine and this is a new one. the parade float. comes with a book and the main character of goldie block. teaching girls. >> very cute. >> morgan is busy at work. >> i love this. the gift that keeps on giving. this is a monthly subscription. you want that kid to get something from you every month. this is the activity kit. right here he is doing the holiday kit. the polar expedition kit. >> it's a little bit of instruction and something to play with. >> over here, somebody is destroying things.

>> this is fantastic. i think we are missing kids. >> they are fine. you and i are kids. what do we do? >> kids love to play with the boxes and this is play from scratch. this is yoxo done with recyclable materials. this is a box of boxes and a tube of tubes with connectors. >> fine. >> you can connect it. >> oh, my gosh. >> you can connect cereal boxes. it gets them creative. >> okay. >> this is another one of my favorites. brand-new out this year. >> david. this is the park up magic reader. you can send this to the grandma and grandpa and they record themselves. holds 50 books.

you turn this button on and it senses the pace and reads along with her. she can learn to read and when she learns, she will record her own books. >> sweet. >> the last thing is mad formers. these all have shapes with magnets on every end. >> i love magnets. >> we used these and it's very much like this. kids can learn as they play. they will learn about geometry and spatial relations. >> thanks to all the kids. >> merry christmas. we'll be right back with two special guests. >> first this is "today" on nbc.

>> christmas is growing closer and many are helping the holidays be brighter by contributing to the toy drive. we love this gentlemen. chairman of tupperware brands and on the board of boys and girls club of america. here is keanna nolan.

she's the national youth of the year. we are so glad to see you. >> so glad to see you all. >> why do you continue to do this? >> this is the reason. we have got 15 million youth at risk and we take care of about 5 million of them. we are so proud of her. we were kidding. she is beautiful and she wasn't picked for looks. she is picked for achievement. she is wonderful. >> you are a freshman at howard? >> you are right. >> what are you studying? >> public relations with a minor in political science and i hope to be a federal prosecutor. >> i thought you were after hoda's job. >> you can take that, too. >> this is the shape of toy. >> talk about toys that teach. all those we sold over the years can stretch to paris. >> wow. >> i have got to say, we