it's thursday, january 19th. good morning. i'm tony perkins in for steve chenevey this morning. >> and am alison seymour. cold start to our thursday. let's get the latest from tucker barnes who is over there. good morning. >> good morning. cold outside. temperatures in the teens and 20s. bundle up as you head out. decent day today with clouds moving in this afternoon. 26 now at reagan national. 18 the temperature at dulles. winchester, hagerstown and little warmer south and east. the entire area below freezing. very cold start. 27 now in ocean city. looking at the satellite radar, starting the day with sunshine. clouds to the north and west. clouds in eastern ohio, they'll move in here shortly. by mid-morning we'll get cloud cover and mostly cloudy this afternoon as our next storm system approaches from the north and west. in this storm, a clipper could

bring us flurry activity, maybe snow showers later this evening. early sunshine, afternoon clouds. temperatures where they should be. 43degrees. more details in a minute. traffic and julie wright has your latest. good morning. good morning to you, tucker. it's kind of busy. had problems with a water main break on new york avenue and crash on eastbound 66. that activity now cleared at 29 centreville. big delays out of manassas. and slow traffic in from 50 to 123 and beltway. southbound 270 approaching 109 down to about 34 miles per hour. gaithersburg here, down to about 39 miles per hour. top stretch of the beltway, delays working around from 95 college park to georgia avenue. now that trip is about 12 minutes westbound 495. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. thank you, julie. the big story this morning much needed help is in the way to

reopen the washington monument. >> the remaining money is being donated to finish repairs caused by last year's earthquake. stacey cohan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is becoming a habit for him. we did a story last month about a generous gift. he is the cofounder of the carlisle group, which is a global asset management firm. he has donated $7.5 million towards the repair of this beautiful building behind me. last august there were visuals of inside the monument. people rappeled down the outside dramatically checking for cracks. there was enough damage to keep the monument closed. it has been closed since august. the federal government said they ned help in footing the bill and now they have it.

reubenstein is footing half of the money needed. he donated $4.5 million to the zoo for their panda program. he is son of a postal worker and grew up in the area and he would like to keep the things in the city running. he's donated money to the national archive and kennedy center. there will be a press event held here at 9:00 a.m., where we learn more about this gift and what that means for the monument, specifically how long will it be until repairs get underway and this reopens. i'm stacey cohan. back to you. >> thank you. now to the other top stories we're following this morning. a warning for kids and parents out of fairfax county. this is going on near clairmont elementary school. five incidents of a man in a red pickup truck staring at,

waving at and calling children near the school. no children have been hurt or touched in the incident. he said to have short black hair and a goatee. in the december incidents he wore a red national baseball cap and gold chains. the truck is red with scratches, dents and rust. call police if you've seen him. bethesda now, where a smoke alarm revealed something potentially dangerous. a 6-year-old girl left home alone. police say the girl was trying to cook something in an apartment off rock forest drive last night. it began smoking and the neighbor who called 911 found the girl wandering the hallway. her mother is charged with leaving a child unattended. new clues in a deadly hit- and-run in oxton hill. january6th a car hit a couple as they were walking to a bus

stop. both died. call police if you have information about this. police are searching for the woman in this surveillance video. montgomery county investigators say she forced an elderly woman to withdraw thousands from her account. during the news conference, the 84-year-old victim said she was duped by the suspect lured her in using her three young children. >> you try to help somebody and they turn around and mistreat you. i don't think that's fair to us old folks. we're not stupid. we're not dumb. we just try to help people. >> investigators are offering a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

developing off the coast of italy, the search resumed today for two dozen people still missing from last friday's cruise ship disaster. this is a live look at the search operations. we're also learning that the captain of the ship says he ended up in a life raft because he tripped and fell into it. the captain also claims he never intended to abandon his ship, saying he was thrown into the water when the ship suddenly lifted. the only americans unaccounted for in the disaster are an elderly couple from minnesota. ♪ friends and family of barbara and jerry heil held a vigil for them last night. they were on a 16-day trip treating themselves after putting their four children through college. they were active members of their church. >> we're all very hopeful and

we're all praying. >> i feel so bad for the family. not knowing where their parents are, not knowing what happened. that's horrible. >> some family members were at last night's prayer vigil, including their granddaughter. she asked everyone to continue to pray for their grandparents and the others on board the cruise ship. rick santorum may have reason to celebrate this morning. he may have actually won the iowa caucuses. the des moines register reports the certified vote count to be released today shows santorum was ahead of romney by 34 votes. romney finished ahead by just 8 votes the night of the caucus. it will remain unresolved because both tallies from eight

precincts are missing and will never be recovered. president obama's campaign is also kicking into high gear. doug luzader has more on his trip down south. >> reporter: the campaign trail is already a busy place. but with five gop candidates making the rounds of south carolina and florida ahead of this month's primaries, it's about to get more crowded. president obama is heading to florida today, a trip to disneyworld to talk about a new effort to boost travel and tourism. it's an official visit, not technically a campaign appearance, so taxpayers will pick up the tab. the fact it coincides with the run up to the florida primary is a coincidence says the white house. >> every president should travel across the country to meet with americans from as many states as possible, and that's a principle this president pursues. >> reporter: and another strategy, this tv ad.

the president's first for his re-election. >> for the first time in 13 years our dependence on foreign oil is below 15%. >> reporter: he decided to kill the pipeline project yesterday, saying republicans were rushing the decision. it's a strategy aimed at defusing an issue that republican candidates have been hammering the president on. gingrich called the decision stupid. >> there's no better word for it. these people are so out of touch with reality, it's as if they were governing mars. >> he's not on the ballot, but herman cain will be in south carolina. steven colbert is hosting a rally with him tomorrow. he says he supports cain because cain is the only former candidate who truly shares his

values. cain says he finds the endorsement humorous and people that find it offensive to lighten up. preserving the legacy of winston churchill in the district. agreement in a high level phone hacking scandal involving several celebrities. details coming up. for more than a century it ruled the world when it came to capturing that special moment. word this morning that kodak may be heading towards bankruptcy protection. we have a live look outside. we'll get the last in weather and traffic coming up next. it's 10 minutes after 7:00.

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welcome back. making headlines this morning, the world is becoming less democratic. that's the assessment of freedom house, the pro democracy group based here in

the district. it reports 12 countries improved their democratic credentials last year, but 26 nations became less free and tolerant last year, despite glimmers of hope like the arab spring uprisings. 2011 is the sixth year in a row that showed declines in democratic governance around the world. 19 high profile victims will be paid damages and they include actor jude law, former british government ministers and the mother of a murdered girl whose voice mail was hacked. murdock newspapers is owned by news corp, which is the parent company of fox 5. another iconic american company going broke. kodak is filing for bankruptcy after failing to find buyers for its digital imaging patents. they were hoping to sell the patents for the money needed to stay afloat. the company said this morning it's secured $950 million in funding from citigroup, but kodak expects to be able to

operate its business and pay employees during bankruptcy reorganization. >> that's a shame. >> never would have thought it. >> nope. >> first hostess, now kodak. >> american companies. >> hostess. oh, sorry. >> tucker, you're right, though. twinkies. >> yeah. >> who would have thought that? >> i feel like single handedly i supported that company well. >> between us, the twinkies and cupcakes. >> it's hard to simultaneously push we're too obese and eat twinkies at the same time perhaps. >> yes. >> but in moderation. >> and ho hoes. >> everyone is entitled to a delicious snack every now and then. >> if you have been had a ho ho recently -- haven't had a ho ho recently, eat one, share with friends. >> want to help america out, get a kodak camera and take a

picture of the ho ho. >> they have digital cameras. kodak first invented the digital cameras, and i guess the market got flooded, which always happens. >> tough. >> it is tough. we hope they will rise like the phoenix again. >> very well could. apple has done it for years. >> that's right, there you go. bus stop forecast for those kids going to the bus, and it's going to be cold. sunrise in a couple of minutes. 7:24. temperatures in the teens and 20s. 27 here in washington. got teens to the west this morning. now we're 26. 17 in boston. minneapolis, that's a tender temperature. >> minneapolis! >> minus 10 this morning. >> wow. >> seattle, washington, the snow has changed to a mixed mess. 27 in seattle, washington. 39 in san francisco. unusually cold there, too. a lot of cold on the map for a change this morning. clouds off to our north and

west. that's a clipper system. our clouds will increase here shortly. i think this afternoon mostly cloudy. could be a few snow showers and/or snowflakes, maybe flurries later tonight. then the storm system out to the west in the pacific northwest, that will reemerge and present the possibility of wintry mix around here late friday and early saturday. got to look out for that time period. temperatures likely below freezing. we'll get overrunning. possibility that we could get a little snow, sleet, and maybe some of that freezing rain early saturday. five-day forecast, warm it up by early next week. watch out for early saturday. later tonight a few snow showers. before i push on, i want to mention the fox 5 weather app getting good reviews. always open to more reviews on what we can do to improve it. we have a 10-day forecast. you can go to our radar, put in your zip code and it will get down to your city or community. best part, tony has been

tweeting on a regular basis. >> irregular. i'm trying to improve. >> occasional tweets. speaking of buses, i'd like to give a shout out to my kids' bus driver. bus dude. >> bus dude? >> that's what they call him. kevin, but bus dude to the kids. >> very personal. let's find out what's going on on the roadways. >> these are the thankless jobs, tony. >> i know very well. >> julie wright is here. >> speaking of thankless jobs -- >> i'm thinking, allison, you were like rudy huxtable and called him bud. >> he calls himself bus dude. probably not to get too -- bus dude. >> hey, bus dude! >> the most important job in the morning as far as i'm concerned. >> true. get the kids there on time. you'll find the crew in skyfox is with us over the dulles toll

road. inbound, not a lot happening. lanes here are open. no problems to report now inbound on route 7. south capitol street, heavy, slow and steady across the bridge. other side of town, we have problems here. 108blocked off in each direction at prince phillip drive. follow police direction. southbound on the baltimore washington parkway, heavy and slow out of laurel, 16 miles per hour headed towards riverdale. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. thank you. fox5 monitoring metro. we have learned that board members will meet to discuss today the budget proposal. many of the members wanted to consider different options to send to the public for consideration. so we may see alternatives to the plan. the possibility of a new flat fare for the rail, plus

increase for bus fares and parking rates. prince george's county has an easier way to find out about emergencies. they can get e-mails, text message or a page. amber alerts, severe weather, school or government delays and closing and emergency preparedness measures are included. if you're interested in getting the notifications, register for free on the prince george's county web site. schools in virginia will soon offer new digital education program. that will encourage students to use technology and social media safely and responsibly. the curriculum is designed for grades 8 through 10 and includes cyber bullying, good texting practices and online research. governor mcdonald and senator warner plan to announce that program today. winston churchill, the british leader who led the united kingdom during world war ii may get his own library in washington, d.c. international group is working to create the

first u.s. research center devoted to the long time british leader. it's giving the george washington university an $8 million pledge for a new national churchill library. it is now 8:20 on this thursday morning. turns out dishing dirt behind someone's back may be doing us a favor. results of a new study about the benefits of gossipping. plus, this billboard is causing quite a stir in new jersey. both sides of the controversy coming up after the break. something really neat to take the kids to this weekend. the classic children's book "snowy day," takes center stage at glen echo in the theater in maryland. later we're going to check in with our annie yu for a sneak peek and live performance.   

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big announcement is coming from apple today. the company has scheduled a media event in new york city. at this point, no one with apple is talking. bloomberg is reporting the company will leap into the electronic text book industry and unveil other educational tools for the ipad. big secret, though, will be revealed at 10:00 a.m. talking about someone is usually frowned upon, but it turns out gossip may be good for you. university of california at berkeley researchers conducted four experiments on gossip involving hundreds of volunteers. they found people who talked about others helped control bad behavior, had less stress, and assisted in preventing someone else from being exploited. scientists also say the subject's heart rates went down when they talked about negative incidents with other people. >> what? >> i don't know. huge billboard creating a lot of buzz in new jersey.

take a look. the ad for the new jersey center for prostate cancer and urology is aimed at getting help for people with problems urinating. critics say the sign is inappropriate and could be taken as vulgar language. others say it should stay, because it gets your attention and drives home a far more important medical message. get checked out, men. that's the message. >> gets your attention. >> i like it, too. >> needs to be dealt with. >> sometimes we're up tight. seen worse on billboards. >> exactly. how a loaded gun slipped past security at a texas airport. on the defensive now, maryland's governor pushes for a tax hike that's not sitting well with some residents. that's coming up next. as we head to the break, we have a live look at traffic outside. it's picking up in intensity. we'll get the latest on weather and traffic from both tucker

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here's a live look at the mall. i think that's one of the smithsonian buildings there. a pretty start to the day.

but it is cold outside. don't let the picture fool you. tucker barnes is here and he can tell us all about what's going on. >> nice sunrise. 7:24. >> give us more. we're hungry for more. [ laughter ] >> okay, let's take a look at the forecast before allison has had enough. >> no, i wanted more. >> wintry mix. friday night, saturday morning. could get going by 9:00, 10:00 friday night. possibility of classic overrunning. that's in the weather world. could be snow mixing with or changing to sleet, freezing rain late friday night, early saturday morning. got to look out for that time period. and the possibility of snow showers later tonight. i'll show you that, too. 26 now in washington. indeed cold out there.

16 in gaithersburg. 16 manassas. martinsburg 14. very chilly start to your day. shouldn't be a bad looking day. sunshine and temperatures will be in the low to mid-40s. where we should be for afternoon highs. we'll get clouds moving in later today. then we have to deal with this, clipper system, alberta clipper, that will slip through overnight tonight and will have just enough moisture, probably will squeeze out flurries and snow showers even in the washington area. then a little bit further upstream our next storm system, giving us another round, or another possibility of winter weather, friday night and early saturday morning. the second system looks more impressive than the first, as temperatures will be colder and more moisture. forecast for today, early sunshine, afternoon clouds roll in. 43high. winds out of the south and should be a little more gentle than yesterday. mostly cloudy tonight.

couple flurries. 32overnight low. could be snow showers, particularly north. there's your five-day forecast. cold tomorrow. clouds increase tomorrow afternoon. got to look out for that wintery mix. timing on this one, 9:00, 10:00 friday night, into early saturday morning. hopefully we'll get warm enough saturday afternoon to change it to rain. back into the 50s by early monday. let's do traffic and see if julie wright can deliver. are you tweeting? i haven't seen a tweet yet. >> i tweeted once today. i'm about to get back on there. >> my goodness! >> i promise. >> one tweet a day, that's tucker barnes. >> no, i'm all about it. >> one tweet tucker what i'm going to call you. >> i have to get into the tweet and then i'm there, ready to go. twitter, whatever we call it. [ laughter ] he's still working with a type writer, folks. heavy slow and steady heading to the lane divide. accident activity on the inner loop of the beltway before 66 out of the roadway. it's in the backup that extends

every day that will cost you about 20 minutes worth of time leaving springfield. 108shut down each way at prince phillip's road due to a crash. delays south of the beltway, 16 miles per hour traveling in towards riverdale. inbound 50 delays, 410 towards new york avenue. and 295, slow ride down to 28 miles per hour at the nrl. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. thank you, julie. smaller state income tax refunds for some maryland residents and a shift in how the state pays for teacher pensions. that is what governor o'malley is proposing under his new budget plan. joining us to talk about it more is a fellow at george mason university. thank you for coming in today. when we first reported this yesterday, it seemed like big news. let's start by taking the

proposal that folks who earn six figures. and not $500,000 or the top money getters. we're talking about $100,000 in maryland and couples at $150,000 a year would be facing higher taxes. tell us about this part of o'malley's plan. >> right. i think that point needs a little bit of clarification. so what o'malley is proposing is to not increase the rate at which these individuals are paying taxes, but to reduce the number of exemptions they're allowed to take. it's not a tax increase. it's a rate reduction. not a rate increase, but exemption reduction. >> on things like what? >> there's definitely a series of exemptions that individuals that make more than $100,000 are currently eligible. what the governor wants to do is reduce those. also as part of the tax changes he's proposing include increasing tobacco tax, getting rid of some of the loopholes

that exist in the mining industry, and increasing the sales tax on internet sales. >> all this looking of course to close $300 million in that budget they're looking to close in the state of maryland. another big component, the way teachers are paid after they retire. this practice has been in place for many, many years and this might be a total switch here. tell us about what might happen. >> right. what the governor is proposing is to introduce cost sharing into the pension system. what this means is as the system is currently -- the system that's currently in place, the county level government determine how much teachers make. however, the state is on the hook for paying the entire pension cost for teachers. what it cost sharing does, it splits the cost between local government and the state. the state will continue paying a portion of the pension bill.

but county level governments will be contributing. this increases accountability in the system, and increases a sense of discipline in county level budgeting. >> medicaid and medicare, i guess the long standing things that we've come to take for granted might will be changed. can you talk a little bit about that as well? >> right. there are a lot of changes that, including medicaid and medicare being considered for this proposal. i think what's important to recognize about the governor's specific proposal is that he's really starting to make the reform that needs to happen in maryland. the state has been running a structural deficit several years now, and largely because of these overcommitted pension and medicaid systems. what the governor is proposing is a good first step in reducing the costs. >> some of the deeper things in that rate increases for medicaid providers, diverting

patients to communities instead. let's talk about in broader terms when marylanders see this budget. we're all sort of operating in a different way now under these hard times. is this just what we should expect and how can we sort of ease into this way of thinking? >> right. like i said, it's a first step. this problem didn't happen overnight, and it's going to talk a long time to get out of. but it's something that will be a slow transition. it didn't happen overnight and won't be fixed overnight, which i think is going to aid in the how easy it is to start dealing with these reforms that are being taken. >> also under this, there are a lot of points i urge you to look at this proposal. that is just what it is now, what he is proposing. but also the way we get our energy maybe and that may cost more in the meantime before things level out a little bit. there you see gas tax hike and we already talked about smaller tax refunds for the top earners in the state of maryland.

do you think this will pass as it is? >> i think there's some controversy and things that need to be clarified, like you pointed out with the higher earning income taxes. i think it's what needs to happen. these other structural reforms that will get the state back, get its fiscal house in order, but these are certainly not enough to fix everything. >> not yet. all right. ben from george mason university spending time with us, breaking down this budget proposed by governor o'malley. thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. thank you both. still ahead, the tsa under fire after a passenger boards a plane with a loaded gun. and the good, the bad, and the ugly. in case you missed it, a complete wrap of last night's season premier of "american idol." first, here's a look at today's half off deal. this will help you get other good deals. ten dollars will buy you $20 in

credit to spend on overstock.com. that's the web site that sells discounted brand name merchandise. to learn more about the deal, go to myfoxdc.com and look for the my fox half off on the right side of the home page. we'll be right back. 7:39now. other. other. they keeasking me the rty guy is rlly my son huh -- what do you tell 'um? holy smokes, these viva towels really are tough, even when wet! [ mike ] for the record, that's my real father, cleaning up a real mess on a real grill. see? very impressive! you're a natural. oh that's much better... dad's got his tough mess, i've got mine. [ female announcer ] grab a roll and try it on your toughest mess. i think you got it.

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making headlines today, officials will not file charges against a 65-year-old texas woman who brought a loaded gun on a plane. the woman says she carries it for protection. but she forgot it was in her computer bag. she carried it on board the flight in dallas yesterday. security screeners detected the gun, but she picked up the bag and left before the process was over. >> for the liquids they remove and the scrutiny that they put you through, and then for something as blatant as a pistol to get through, it's unacceptable. >> officials tracked that woman

down two hours later on a plane headed for the runway. she returned to the gate and she was taken into police custody. actor mark wahlberg has apologized for comments he made about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. he said if he had been on one of the planes that left boston that day, he would have beaten up the hijackers and landed the plane safely. he says he's deeply sorry for being so insensitive to the families of 9/11 victims. winter storm blasts the pacific northwest, turning more than a foot of snow in some areas. plows in seattle did their best to clear major roads and highways, but drivers are on their own when it comes to neighborhood streets. the concern is now is as the weather warms up, residents may have to deal with flooding. kids weren't complaining with the schools closed. that hurts. of course, it made for a perfect day of sledding.

>> i'm surprised they have sleds. >> they probably had a run on sleds at target. >> doesn't snow that much there. >> or kmart or zayre's. >> that's going way back. reagan national, it's cold out there. jacket weather here for the day, even with highs in the low 40s, will feel colder because clouds moving in this afternoon. 26 in washington. 16 frederick. 14degrees the air temperature in martinsburg. 17 at dulles. detroit is 28. chicago, got a winter storm warning. 27 there. expecting some accumulating snows for a change. this morning we're fine. this afternoon we cloud up and

look at that, by 10:00, 11:00 tonight, weak clipper system could give us light snow, snow showers, maybe a few snow flurries overnight. that will quickly push to the east and look what happens late in the day tomorrow and tomorrow night. this is tomorrow night at midnight. friday night into saturday morning. could see a period of snow transitioning. see that pink. it's wintery mix. that's freezing rain. that could stick around through saturday morning. things could be interesting as far as the weather is concerned late friday and early saturday. not talking about large amounts. but it doesn't take a large amount of freezing rain to cause problems. watch that carefully. five-day forecast in the low 50s by monday before our next cold front. >> that is why freezing rain is so insidious. >> a little bit will do it. >> hopefully we won't get that. let's go to julie wright, find out how the roads are this morning. >> receiving word of an accident eastbound on the dulles toll road, second lane from the left. from hunter mill road towards

the beltway, heads up. here comes the sunshine along with delays. beltway inner loop stacking up, braddock road to 66. heavy and slow out of rockville headed for the lane divide. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. it's that time of year, the race for the "american idol" crown has begun with last night's season 11 premier. >> it was good, too. >> it was. >> the judges have their work cut out for them. here is idol roundup now from hollywood. >> we don't sing, we sang. >> reporter: as always, the idol auditions brought out some of the most colorful and perhaps tone deaf singers, keeping the judges on their

toes. ♪ you really blew my ♪ >> they don't blink. >> no blinking. >> eyes are dry. >> then they turn out to be great, and you're like, they're going to be amazing and they open their mouth and you're like, wow, okay, bye. ♪ sitting here trying ♪ >> reporter: kicking off the season, savannah, georgia, impressed the judges. ♪ we used to play out in the rain ♪ >> we probably sent the most people -- >> how many people? i think that was the city where we sent the most. >> the most ever. >> i remember the door kept opening and people sprinting out of it. i'd never seen it happen at that frequency. >> auditions begin right now. let's go! >> reporter: it may look easy, but waiting around most of the day to get your one chance to impress the judges can be stressful. ask season 10 finalist pia. >> it's a scary feeling not

knowing what they're going to say. ♪ when you believe in things that you don't understand ♪ >> reporter: savannah saw the most put through to hollywood, pittsburgh had some of its own. ♪ >> another talented city, kind of cold. >> i remember we'd look up at each other at lunch, and have that look on our face, it's a good day. >> never been there before, so you think, is it going to be any good? i have to say we were pleasantly surprised by a bunch of cities. ♪ >> that guy, proving you can sing anything, if you can sing. good show last night. >> it was. local children's theater is gearing up for a special musical. >> annie yu is standing by in glen echo, maryland with more on that. hey, annie. >> reporter: good morning tony and allison. we're here at adventure theater, and for 60 years they have been entertaining kids of

all ages. coming up on friday they are kicking off one of their big musicals based on the book "a snowy day." coming up, we are hanging out with the guy who plays peter. see him in the red there dancing? that's him. ♪ back to you. >> very cool. that's being brought to life. we want to say good morning to sarah millworth from falls church, virginia. sarah is our facebook fan of the day. she and her husband john watch the show every morning with their 6-year-old dog who a boxer. good morning to all three of you. if you want to be tomorrow's fan of the day, search for fox 5 morning news and post a comment under sarah's photo. we'll be right back.     

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ngest running children's theater in the washington area. >> our annie yu is spending the snowy day." ou le ornin big musica" a lot of kids do. eatis a prat this eater has be ki ded in thi frid they arkicking off the big show. joining mnowithe ma who lays t lead, peter. good moing,alan. >> goi'm dng well. thank you for getting up early. >> no problem. >> reporter: tell us bout your l about peter's first experience in the sw. he's never seesn bectures. he gets to ooutside and is imag just have as muchun ating. one of the thingswe talked about in our rehearss is child,

but fding the most innocent m that w peter's character. we talked a lot about how children,hey all the we as ve b they d'talways have he fality to so he experiences joy, he experiences sadness and sometimes anger and fea just as all human beings do. so it's just being true to those emotions and really just finding the joy and the wonder in all the new experiences that's happened for him on this special day. >> reporter: right. the book is celebrating its 50th anniversary. aware book, o and i read it you a lot as ald. i had a couple of the hooks in i have a nephew who is very young,'s a heut two yearsand he to get to play this part, i was

excited for him to see it and to be a wonderful legacy of this story. >> reporter: that is truly wonderful. you'reing to perform for us real quick. set up the scene. >> this is going to be the ng, peter the reat. it's in the morning before peter gets to go outside and play for the first time. and he his mom have areall thinks he's the greatest and most adventurous there is. >> reporter: of urse he your t take it away. ♪ i'm peter the great, how great is that, i'll hunt anything with a pirate hat, i'm peter the great ♪ i'm peter the great, how great is he, sail a ship on a frozen sea, i'm peter the great ♪ ♪ can i go now, ma? all righ

♪ i'm peter the great ♪ [ sound of wind blowing] ] >> okay, snow, here i come. >> reporter: if you would like to come out and see "the snowy day," it kicks off friday, february 12th. go to myfoxdc.com for all the details. >> fantastic. thanks annie. coming up at 8:00, sure to get football fans fired up. do you think it's okay for redskins' fans to root for the ravens in the playoffs? i have an opinion on this

one, too. also ahead, sandra bullock returns to the big extreme in "extremely loud and incredibly close." this is a story about a young boy's reaction to his father's death in the 9/11 attacks in new york city. ken mccarthy sits down with sandra bullock about how important it was for her to be a part of this film.     

new this morning, looks like the results from the iowa caucuses are changing. today, it is expected to be announced at that rick santorum actually won, not mitt romney. here is a live look at the washington monument. a local philanthropist giving a big gift to help repair it. redskins fans don't have a lot to cheer, for sure. unless they throw their support behind the baltimore ravens, dare we say it? but bob mcartny says "no self- respecting fan dare root for

the ravens." >> that's right. >> he'll join us with more on his thoughts ahead this hour, as well as yours and tucker's and tony's. >> all different. >> i know. >> interesting. >> even here. good morning, i'm sarah simmons in for steve. >> i'm alison seymour. speaking of tucker, he has details for our thursday. >> cold. will be cold later this morning. this afternoon our temperatures will be in the seasonal range, low 40s. cold the next couple of days and that will set us up for interesting weather events. >> all right. >> first we'll talk weather, temperatures, 26 in washington. 17 dulles. 16 winchester. these are actual air temperatures. let's talk about event number one. that gets in here late this afternoon and tonight. in the form of cloud cover later today, and then the possibility of flurries and/or snow showers later tonight.

the white near chicago, it's a clipper system. doesn't have a lot of moisture to work with, but will do its best to get over the mountains and squeeze out a little bit of snow here 10:00, 11:00 tonight in the washington area. i don't expect a lot of problems with it. could white the ground in a few places, well north and west of the city. early sun, afternoon clouds. temperatures where they should be. 43degrees. wind lighter than yesterday out of the south 5 to 10 miles per hour. event number two, details coming up in a few minutes. >> event number two? all right. >> number two. >> have to wait for that one. thank you be tucker. hello to julie wright and get the latest on traffic. very busy this morning. we've got a lot going on now. traveling out to the west, coming inbound on the dulles toll ray, accident activity wolf trap, the center of the roadway is blocked. delays eastbound from latest hunter mill road. springfield towards 66 earlier wreck cleared to the shoulder.

average speed 9 miles per hour. you are literally crawling along up the west side. traveling eastbound along 66, still down to about 17 miles per hour as you head eastbound towards the beltway. continuing eastbound here we are live coming in from westmoreland. bumper-to-bumper traffic at this point as you continue around town. meanwhile, other side of town, delays inbound on route 50 from 410 to bladensville road. that's a check of your fox 5 traffic. the washington monument will soon reopen. a local philanthropist is donating the money needed caused by last summer's earthquake. our stacey cohan is live at the national mall with our top story now. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. 62-year-old david reubenstein is the son of a postal worker

from baltimore. he made his fortune as cofounder of a global asset company, and his estimated worth, $2.7 billion. now he's determined to share his wealth. part of it will be helping that beautiful building behind me. he said he was learned of the damage done from the earthquake. the monument has remained closed since august, as much of it cracked and the price tag to fix it was $15 million. he is now agreed to split that cost with the federal government, kicking in 7.5 million to bring our monument back into condition so it can reopen to the public. that's not his only gift. just last month he donated $4.5 million to the national zoo to help with their cash strapped giant panda program. also considered a national treasure in this city. it brings millions of tourists to come see our giant pandas at

the zoo. he has donated $13.5 million to the national archives, $25 million to the kennedy center. a man who is clearly set on keeping things that we are familiar in the washington region running and at full capacity. he is going to be down here at 9:00 a.m. there will be a special press event to announce his gift formally, and hopefully we'll learn more about how it will be used and when our monument will reopen. i'm stacey cohan, back to you. nearly five months later and we are still feeling the effects of the earthquake. the u.s. geological survey recorded three aftershocks yesterday. two centered in mineral, virginia, the other in louisea. divers in italy resume the search for those missing in the cruise ship disaster. last night the ship moved about a foot, forcing crews to stop

looking for the 21 people missing. the captain of the ship now claims he fell into the water and never intended to abandon his ship. an italian newspaper is reporting captain francisco schettino told the italian coast guard he was thrown into the water when the ship suddenly lifted and accidently fell into a life boat. one of the survivors grew up in our area as well, and she is telling her story how she made it off the ship. fox5's will thomas went to charles town, west virginia, to speak to his father who said his daughter didn't listen to crew instructions and that may have saved her life. >> i think it was roughly an hour and 15 minutes, maybe an hour and a half between when we felt the initial jolt and when we finally made it off the boat. >> reporter: martha manuel speaking from her home in germany. keep in mind, martha doesn't

swim. >> was that a fear of yours? >> that is what was driving us to go to our rooms. we had seen our life jackets, they store them in the closets, because i think that i would be able to make it all the way to shore. >> reporter: she found a life jacket next to a life boat and didn't have to return to her room. the 29-year-old grew up here in charles town, west virginia, where her father spoke. >> my daughter said, i was in front of the life boat and i had a life jacket on and i wasn't going anywhere. it could a tragedy. i understand that, too. but we were extremely lucky. especially that she is self- reliant and it appeared to me that the bette course of action on that ship was every man and woman for themselves. >> reporter: martha travels the world as an architect for the army corps of engineers. her sense of adventure may have paid off when she became stranded on the tuscan island of gigilio. >> i walked off the boat with

clothes on my back and one euro bill. we stayed in a church on the island until the next day. we didn't have coats and it was cold. >> reporter: as details emerge, martha and her father believe the captain should pay dearly. >> from what i've heard, especially the dialogue between him and the port authority, it's fairly disturbing. >> totally don't understand why a person in such a very important position would do something as idiotic and harebrained as that. >> reporter: will thomas, fox 5 news. >> the safety drill was supposed to happen the day after the accident. martha, her father and many other survivors are saying the safety drill should occur before the ship even leaves port as it does here in the u.s.

new this morning, a warning for students near clermont elementary school. five incidents of a man in a red pickup truck staring at, waving to and calling out to children near the school. the first time was on december 19th. the latest this past tuesday. no children have been hurt or been touched in any of the incidents. the man is said to have a short black hair, excuse me, and a goatee. in the december incident he was wearing a red national baseball cap and several gold chains. the truck is red. it's got scratches, dents and rust. a bethesda mother is facing charges. police say she left her 6-year- old daughter home alone. montgomery county police say the girl tried to cook something in the toaster oven in that apartment. it began smoking and set off an alarm. a neighbor called 911 and found the girl wandering in the

hallway. the mother is charged with leaving a child unattended and could face more charges. let's check out the headline on today's des moines register. in big black font, it says, unresolved. the newspaper reports the certified vote count to be released today shows rick santorum head of romney by 34 votes. the night of the caucus romney finished ahead by 8 votes. the paper reports the results will remain officially unresolved because tallies from eight precincts and will never be recovered. dates are trying to drum up support in north carolina, but some are unsure who to rally behind. ainsley earhardt has more. >> reporter: saturday's south carolina primary is almost sure

to dwindle down the remaining republican candidates. >> i think some have vowed to move on and they should. >> reporter: gingrich, currently at number two -- >> we are now close to getting enough conservatives to come together for a gingrich candidacy that we'll beat him here. >> reporter: santorum suggests he's the only trustworthy candidate in the race. >> nominate someone, not who the pundits say that can win, but who you know they can win because they represent the value of this country to step forward and elect a conviction conservative that you can trust. >> reporter: while the candidates are setting their sights on romney, the clear front runner has his target on the white house. >> if there's ever been a time the nation needs a real leader, it's now. >> reporter: despite all the speeches, signs and attack ads, some voters remain undecided. >> i don't think the field is very strong.

most of them don't represent what i feel where we should be going. >> hopefully i'll decide the next day or two. i definitely am not going to go the way i did last time, because we need some help. >> reporter: analysts say it will be a critical vote this weekend, for more than 30 years, every winner of the south carolina republican presidential primary has gone on to win the party nomination. in new york, ainsley earhardt, fox news. it is 8:12 now on this thursday morning. the redskins, they're out. but ravens are still in the playoffs. so should fans of the burgandy and gold cheer for our neighbors to the north? there's a lot of different answers from a lot of different people. bob mccartney says no way, and joins us in studio when we come back. stay with us. ñ ♪ that aroma calls to you

♪ time to jump in to something new ♪ ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up

time for a look at stories making headlines. the white house is blocking a $7 billion pipeline from canada to the gulf coast. this after the state department said there was not enough time

to evaluate its environmental impact. but republicans in congress are promising to fight to keep it. the canadian company says it will reply for the pipeline permit. president obama is heading to florida today where he will pitch his plan to boost u.s. tourism in orlando. he will outline new ways to increase travel to the sunshine state during a speech at disneyworld. the trip comes just ahead of the florida primaries, which takes place january 31st. the wizards pulled off a major upset, beating the nba's top team, the oklahoma thunder. good for them. 105-102. that was the score. wall had 25 points. second win of the season for the wizards. we needed this warmup. they need to make it hot on the court there. because it has been -- >> brutal. it's very strange. >> i know. >> maybe we're a good team, a better team than we get credit

for being? >> we can hold up hope. >> okay. we're in the 20s. >> we are cold. wizards 2-12 now. looking up. time for the photo of the day. >> is he playing in the paint? >> this is brady, everybody. as you can probably tell, he's really enjoying his first birthday cake. >> he's so cute. >> adorable. i love that. >> yummy. >> i take it he likes blue. >> i think a little bit. my goodness, cutie. >> those kisses are already sweet, but with that frosting on his face, too much. he is cute. >> extremely cute. love the picture, brady. hope you have a great birthday. go to myfoxdc.com and click on mornings to send in your photo. let's look at the forecast. starting off cold. much of the area in the teens

and low 20s. currently 27 in washington. you think it's cold here, look at what's going on off to our north and west. minneapolis, the actual air temperature, minus 11 right now. 28 in seattle. that snow has changed to freezing rain. airport there is still closed. they're still dealing with winter weather in the pacific northwest. we've got a couple of chances for winter weather of our own around here over the next couple of days. first chance tonight, we'll have morning sunshine, cloud up later today. little clipper system could bring us a period of light snow showers and snow flurries, 9:00, 10:00 tonight. lasting into the early morning hours. pacific northwest, a piece of that energy will get in here friday night and early saturday. looks like temperatures are going to be cold enough we could have a period of snow at the on set, changing over to the wicked wintry mess around here late friday night, early saturday morning. temperatures critical. look like they'll be below freezing. keep an eye out for a couple of

time periods here. there's your five-day forecast. 43 today. early saturday morning for that wintry mix. let's do some traffic and julie wright has the latest. all right, tucker barnes, very busy, especially coming in from the west. traveling inbound on the dulles toll road at wolf trap, accident activity tying up the center of the roadway. inner loop of the beltway slow, up to 11 miles per hour. 66 to the west also on the brakes approaching fair oaks. 18miles per hour. traveling on 295 heading into southeast, below speed at 22 miles per hour heading for the inbound 11th street bridge with lanes open. no problems on 66 inside of the beltway. slowing traveling past westmoreland. northbound i-95, and moving at speed headed to the beltway, with 395 delays leaving the beltway. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic.

all right, now that the redskins are out of contention, should fans throw their support to the ravens? it may seem like the gracious way of handling our situation, but our next guest begs to differ. robert mccartney is a columnist for the "washington post" and writes about this very thing in today's issue of the paper. also here with us, these two, our resident raven fan tucker barnes, hey, tuck. >> hi, allison. >> and tony, whom we know is a huge redskins fan. >> go skins! oh, nothing to go now. >> next year. >> always next year. >> heard that before. >> in your column today you say if you live in d.c. and virginia, you are a redskins fan. if you live in maryland, it's a free state. baltimore is in maryland. you have a little bit of wiggle room. >> i maintain if you're a fan in the district of columbia, no way you can root for the

ravens. if you live in maryland, as i do, there's a temptation to root for the ravens, for free state pride. maryland pride. >> you use the word traitor, bob. >> i say traitor. i conclude at the end, after much reasonable and thoughtful discussion that there's no way that a real redskins fan, a committed redskins fan can root for the ravens. >> at the end of the article bob also says if any ravens fans are still reading, go patriots! he's really getting them. tucker, let's start with you. you're kind of a middle of the road person. >> i am a maryland resident. i like both the redskins and the ravens. we went both ways in my part of maryland. >> howard county area -- >> howard county. i lived in columbia. i loved the redskins when they won the super bowl with timmy

smith having a big day, in the 80s. i loved the redskins, and i now love the ravens. i don't have any problem at all with both teams. can't we all get along? >> tony, what do you say? >> i'm a die hard redskins fan, have been all my life. i don't pay a lot of attention to the ravens. right now, though, the redskins are out of it. we're out of it seemingly every year. i'm kind of excited we have a local team, fairly local, that's in it and i'm kind of rooting for them. >> so you are? >> yeah. i'm not opposed to it. >> i am opposed to it. >> some people are. >> why? >> because as one gentleman said in your article, if you are a fan, you're a fan of the one team. >> one team, right. >> that's your team, right, bob? >> these gentlemen, they have rational positions, like the ideals of the enlightenment. being a sports fan is not an exercise in rationality.

>> that's true. >> if you're a committed fan, you have one team, you support that team. when other teams, like the ravens try to poach your loyalty, you say no, i am sticking with my people. i am sticking with my clan. >> right. >> that's the position i take. i also provide numerous reasons for rationalzations. the main one is, if the roles were reversed, the redskins were in the playoffs, and if the ravens were out of it, no way they would support the redskins. no way. >> right. >> i was in howard county interviewing ravens' fans and they hate washington. >> there you go. >> really hate washington and especially hate the redskins, because if i may add one more word -- >> you may. >> jack kemp quote, he tried to keep baltimore from getting a

team when the colts left town. >> in the middle of the night. >> exactly. baltimore fans particularly hate the redskins. >> okay. your answer, is there an answer to that? >> it makes me a better enlightened man that i can overlook that and say -- but if i'm rooting for the ravens, it doesn't mean i'm no longer rooting for the redskins. i'm still a redskins fan. the ravens, they do a nice job up there. they treat their fans well. got a nice stadium. >> which we paid for. >> what about stadium envy? >> this is one thing that gets me. they have a nicer stadium than we do. >> yes, they do. >> it was paid for almost entirely with maryland state taxpayers' dollars. washington area suburbs contributed a large amount of state tax dollars. which means redskins fans in maryland suburbs paid a large

share for their stadium. the sainted jack kemp cook, he paid for almost all of fed ex field out of his pocket. their stadium is nicer than ours. >> all the more reason we should claim part ownership. >> different divisions. we don't compete directly -- >> tucker, if you have a team, it's one team. >> the cowboys and steelers, those are who we need to be hating. >> do you think the cowboys fans are rooting for any other team? >> exactly. >> what? >> exactly. >> can i say one thing? you look good like that. you know -- >> very handsome. >> they need help in the coaching department, but i don't it. >> let me say this is the last note, maryland guy, virginia guy for the most part, d.c., right, this is me, where my parents still live, good morning, maybe it's the difference with that. it's the washington redskins. i know they play in maryland or

what have you. d.c., baltimore, the two shall never meet. it's city pride. go redskins. >> who does your husband root for? >> the ravens. >> we're the diplomats here. >> oh, please. read bob's column today. thanks for being here. what a nice side to see of you. >> there's all sides of me. >> we have to root for the 49ers against the giants. they're in our division. >> can we all be in one accord? thanks very much. sarah, over to you. >> let's make note allison is wearing purple, bob. [ laughter ] >> she didn't get the memo. >> thanks so much. 8:26 now on this thursday. prince george's county residents, there is a new way for you to find out about emergencies or severe weather. more on that when we come back. plus, it is a classic children's book that's coming

to life on stage. we are live at adventure theater in glen echo with a behind the scenes look at "a snowy day."      

prince george's county residents now have an easier way to find out about emergencies. the new system allows residents to get alerts via e-mail, text message or a page. emergencies covered through the system are amber alerts, severe weather, school or government delays and closings, and emergency preparedness measures. you can register on the county's web site. you can find their site on our site, myfoxdc.com. click on web links. let's hope we won't have to use those any time soon. >> please. >> have to keep an eye on saturday morning. potential to be a little messy in the way of a wintery mix. talking mix, freezing rain and sleet and -- >> nastiness. >> exactly. not fun. we are cold this morning, no doubt about it. air temperatures, teens, low 20s. they're here to stay for the next hour or two. will warm up to the low 40s this afternoon. it will feel better than yesterday when we had the brisk winds. check out the cold temperatures.

16 now manassas. 27 in washington. baltimore is 24 degrees. 21 gaithersburg. chilly start to the day. will warm up into the low 40s. starting the day with sunshine. not going to last. here come the clouds. this is a clipper system, could bring, you can see it, doesn't have a lot of moisture, but could bring us a period of flurries, maybe snow showers later tonight. i want to show you what will take place over the next couple of days. 8:00a.m., watch us cloud up. 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 tonight, indicating at least the possibility of snow showers across the area as that clipper rolls through. then i'm going to forward it and watch what happens. clipper is out of here. then we cloud up by tomorrow afternoon and by midnight tomorrow night, looks like we could get a period of snow around here. the pink, that's that wintery mix. possible change to a wintry mix. saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. temperatures will remain below

freezing. we'll get overrunning, setting us up for a situation for wintery mix early saturday morning. five-day forecast looking wintry and interesting here over the next couple of days. could be snow showers tonight. better chance of the wintry mix transitioning to rain maybe on saturday. back up to 50 monday. warming up near the end of the weekend. allison, sarah, back to you guys. thanks. if you were online yesterday, you probably noticed it was difficult to get some information perhaps. >> internet industry protest had some sites shutting down? lauren demarco takes a look. >> supporters are calling it the biggest internet ever. scores of web sites going dark, some blacked out their names, also posted banners, all of that to draw attention to sopa

and its partner in the senate, pipa, both designed to crack down on-sites that steal content made in the u.s. critics are concerned the crack down on pirates will -- supporters say yesterday's protest was misguided. >> sopa places tremendous incentives towards anyone who does business with an american company to pull the plug on them without warning. if anyone complains about something posted on a web site they didn't like, they could most likely get that web site pulled off the internet. >> it's ironic that a web site dedicated to providing information is in fact spreading misinformation. they simply haven't read the bill. wikipedia and other domestic web sites have nothing to worry about. we focus on foreign web site. >> calls reportedly flooded congressional offices and now several members from both

parties are pulling back their initial support. analysts say we may see tweaks to the legislation before it comes up for a vote. >> yesterday you may have noticed google blacked out its logo. it's back today, and there is something a little fun going on with google. the web site is kicking off its fifth annual google doodle contest. kids grades k through 12 can send in their own rendition of the logo. the winner will see their doodle on the home page for a day, and receive a $30,000 scholarship, plus a $50,000 tech began for their school. other prizes as well. the theme is, if i could travel in time i'd visit. so kids have until march 23rd to send those in. >> that will be fun. neat to see who sends in. we've had locals, too, as well. >> open nationwide. i think they pick finalists from every state and pick the winner from there.

>> love it. >> get the girls drawing. >> i sure will. >> we'll have more information on that on myfoxdc.com. quick reminder, we've been talking about that fox 5 weather app. it's quick and easy to use and free. features like wind speeds, temperatures, road conditions, live hourly forecast charts and a twitter blog where you can chat with our weather team. it makes it super easy to send in photos and videos, so you can contribute to our coverage. all you need to do is search the apple app store or android market for d.c. weather and download the fox 5 weather app. there you have it. again, of course, that's all free. we'll post all of it on myfoxdc.com. >> in case you missed the 20 million forecasts that tucker does here, it's also there. right in the palm of your hands. >> don't you love that, tony and tucker in the palm of your hands? >> i don't know. lauren, thank you. i like the app. >> yes.

>> okay with that. coming up on 8:36 on this thursday. american institution has filed for bankruptcy protection. >> we'll have more on that when we come back. stay with us. i can't stand these spots.

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this just in to the fox 5 newsroom. we have good economic news. weekly unemployment benefit applications have dropped to 352,000. that's the fewest in nearly four years. of course, if you are looking for work, and there are a lot of folks out there that still are, despite the numbers, check out our job shop. our job of the day is with gse. looking for an unarmed security officer in arlington, virginia. pay between $11.25 and $12.50 on hour. go to myfoxdc.com and click on the job shop page at the top of our home page. another american iconic american company is going broke.

kodak filing for bankruptcy protection after failing to find buyers for its digital imaging patent. they were hoping to sell it for the money needed to stay afloat. the company said this morning it has already secured $950 million in funding from citigroup. they expect to operate their business and pay employees during the bankruptcy reorganization. 8:40. she's from arlington, virginia, but she's known around the world as america's sweetheart. >> sandra bullock sits down with andy mccartney. stay with us. fñ

sandra bullock plays the mom in a new movie that follows a boy's quest to hold on to the memory of his father lost in the 9/11 attacks. >> kevin mccartney talked to her. >> hi, you've reached the shell residence. today is tuesday, september 11th. >> when i left this film, when the credits rolled, i walked outside, immediately called my dad. 11:30at night. i knew he was sleeping. i didn't care. i said, dad, i want to you i love you.

it moved me. it might be a tough question, is there a film for you in your past that you have seen that made you want to call up a loved one? >> not like this. >> nothing like this? >> experiences have made me do that, you know, going through life, you see something happen and you go, i need to reach out and let everyone that i love know how much i love them. unfortunately, it always takes something big to remind us to do that. so hopefully this movie will remind people over and over again to just embrace and love and take care and appreciate what we have. >> isn't it weird we don't do that on a regular basis? it's strange. >> i think life has gotten so crazy what society makes important. why was i so concerned with getting that car rather than paying attention to my child, or my spouse or my mother. it's just life. i think it's good we have landmarks like this movie to make us stop again. >> i miss his voice telling me

he loves me. >> dad told me love your mother. she's such a good girl. >> i'm judging her as a mother. what's great, and i don't want to give anything way, is you know what you're really doing. as an actress, was that fun -- not a fun character, but fun for you knowing we were going to ultimately judge your character 90% of the film? >> no. i loved that she was the way she was, because it seemed more real than most, how most mothers are portrayed on film. it's hard, and it breaks your heart, and she's grieving and she doesn't know how to process that grief and has a child that wishes she was dead. you have all those levels going on and it's messy. it's messy between the two of them. i loved showing that, because it represents life a little more honestly than everything being pretty and perfect and easy to communicate. all that. i reveled in that. the payoff, you're never quite sure it was going to click. that was steven's job, our

director. if we didn't have that, i wouldn't have loved the character so much. >> where are you? >> 105th floor. >> thomas, listen to me, and you come home. >> when the camera shuts off can you go back to being your normal self immediately? >> depends which day of filming it was. sometimes you were just wiped and everything became so, you know, opens you up and you're affected by everything. you love on the people you love, and get a good night's sleep. some days were harder to shake than others. but you have to, especially if you have kids. leave it at work and come home as you. >> that is going to be one intense movie. >> yes, it is. >> tomorrow we'll have kevin's reviews of this week's new movies and his interview with kate beckinsale, star of "under

world awakening." adventure theater has been here 60 years now. and annie yu is there with the cast of their new musical "snowy day." >> reporter: this is a fun place to bring your kids out. they have a cafe here, and theater classes and more activities. this saturday they're kicking off their snowy day production. joining me is the entire cast. they do it big. alan wiggins plays peter the main role. calvin, harold the snowman, if you couldn't tell. and of course, lauren dupree. alan, let me begin with you. when did you know musical theater was in your blood? >> i would say some time around second or third grade. it was when i did my first production. it was "oliver!" >> reporter: since then you've been acting? >> i've been singing since i

was four, taking voice lessons. i made the jump when i started college. it was a hard choice to make. >> reporter: good for you. >> i love what i'm doing. >> reporter: giselle, what's it like playing multiple roles? >> it's really fun. >> reporter: back stage what's it like with costume changes? >> frantic. >> reporter: harold the snowman, talk about your character in the play. >> harold is really, he wants to go to the north pole, and he's scared of life. he's afraid of kids pushing him over. snow men want to stay up straight. getting knocked over, they're gone. he really has a fear of moving forward without help. when peter comes around, it gives him the courage to go. it's like the lion aspect to it. >> reporter: i hate to be the one to tell you, but your nose

is a little offcenter. i'm kidding. >> that's right. >> reporter: and lauren, you're going to perform with your friends here. set up the scene. >> okay. this scene we're about to do, it's right before -- right after peter and harold the snowman find roberta, the southern crow. she kind of comes as a shock at first. they're not sure they can trust her. she assures them, we can be friends. >> reporter: your outfit is darling. take it away, guys. ♪ if you'd like to live up north with polar bears and so forth, it doesn't matter in the end, i would be your friend ♪ ♪ if you're a southern bird, where humidity is preferred, though heat and snow don't really blend, i would be your friend ♪ ♪ and though you'll never catch me freezing on a block of

arctic ice ♪ ♪ and you'll never catch me boiling in a pot of cajun rice ♪ we can be friends. >> reporter: if you want to check out the snowy day, it starts this friday. it's a high demand show, so log on to myfoxdc.com for all the details. back to you in the studio. >> thanks so much. another show that's back, "american idol." yes, it is. >> up next, hear from one contestant whose name you will not soon forget. coming up at 9:00, a truly amazing story, this toddler has been in isolation since labor day, missing out on halloween, all that fun. he was being treated for what we know as bubble boy syndrome. but he is free now. more on that in our next hour, fox 5 morning news. stay with us.



never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days is-- is huge. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. you just put one foot in front of the other, and you know that you're walking for such a great cause that you just keep going. (man) that you have all these people coming together for one common goal. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving.

complete strangers wanting to help. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. (woman) and it has to end, but it starts with us. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had in my entire life. we can do this. you can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. we want to say good morning to sarah from falls church,

virginia. she's our facebook fan of the day. she and her husband john watch the show every morning with their 6-year-old dog, who is a boxer. looks like maybe a wedding picture. >> that's what i thought earlier. really pretty. ♪ you're fighting for your life inside of chiller, thriller, yeah, chiller, thriller night ♪ >> sounds good, right? that is phillip phillips. that is phillip phillips' verse of thriller. he auditioned in savannah, georgia, one of the prettiest cities in the country. that's his real name, phillip phillips. he was the judge's favorite. the 20-year-old got a ticket to hollywood along with 41 other contestants. you can watch the highlights and low lights, because there were some, from last night and from the pittsburgh auditions tonight at 8:00 here on fox 5.

>> did you like his version of thriller? i liked it. >> i did, too. to be honest, i don't even love that song thriller that much. >> oh. >> wasn't my favorite michael jackson song. i like that one. raw. i liked it. >> you could tell the judges were getting into it, too. tony joins allison for another hour of fox 5 morning news coming up. and coming up after 9:00, gardening expert will join us with tips on how to grow orchids. you'll be watching this one, right? they're often considered a delicate flower. but there's no need to be scared, no. stay with us. that much and more coming up in the 9:00 hour.  people keep asking me if that lady in the viva commercial

is really my mother. they keep asking me if the dirty guy is really my son. huh -- what do you tell 'um? holy smokes, these viva towels really are tough, even when wet! [ mike ] for the record, that's my real father, cleaning up a real mess on a real grill.

see? very impressive! you're a natural. oh that's much better... dad's got his tough mess, i've got mine. [ female announcer ] grab a roll and try it on your toughest mess. i think you got it. good morning, everybody. i'm tony perkins. >> i'm alison seymour. right now, a major donation to the washington monument. we're live this morning as a

maryland man gives millions so you can once again visit the historical landmark. but this is not his first big donation to the city. we'll tell you why you may recognize his name and generosity. the movie "red tails" is about to hit theaters. it's about the african-american service men who served during world war ii. this morning we're going to introduce you to two young african-american pilots, teaching young kids their craft at no cost to their families. we'll chat with them about that program. it's just about the sweetest story, a heartwarming story. it's been months since a young boy has seen the sun. he has been living in a man- made bubble for medical reasons. we're going to show you when he was released and we're going to really show you that video