includes a nasty accident overnight along a major commuter route in maryland and d.c. it claimed two lives overnight. sherri ly will report live from the scene. civil rights leaders led a right for justice march in the trayvon martin case. the chief of police is going to step aside for now. [ plane overhead drowning out anchors ] it is a beautiful start to the day. this is friday, march 23rd, 2012. a spectacular spring day in store here in the nation's capital. around the tidal basin, the crowds are already beginning to

gather for what may be the best day to see the cherry blossoms. i'm tony perkins. >> i'm alison seymour. we get the pleasure to be down here live at the tidal basin this morning for this wonderful rite of spring in d.c., of course cherry blossoms which dot the landscape of our entire area. this year marks the 100th year the cherry blossoms have been in washington, d.c. >> obviously for a big celebration you want a big event. this will be a big event, the national cherry blossom festival will go on for five weeks this year. it started on the first day of spring a couple of days ago, but the big kickoff this sunday. >> we have so much to bring you this morning. please don't turn away. we don't want you to miss any of it. our sarah simmons will have a cherry blossom history lesson. and a new variety of tree that's been created for this

year and the special person it honors. also, a local man has designed a stamp. and how to take that perfect bloom picture, even with your smart phone. we have that and more. we want to bring in tucker barnes who got started this morning at 5:30. >> hey, guys. >> hello there. we're a close knit family. >> one day they'll give me a chair. listen, conditions out here perfect. tony mentioned we're expecting bright sunshine today, and warmer temperatures in the low 80s. enjoy today. i got down here an hour ago, almost nobody here and now it's filled with people taking photographs. >> when allison and i were arriving some time ago, it really was noticebly more crowded than it is most years. i think a lot of people understand, number one, they bloomed early, and number two, this will be the best day for it. >> absolutely. i think this will be the best

day of the weekend. saturday and sunday expecting showers. reagan national, low 60s. humidity up again, 93%. not much wind out of the north at zero. dense fog advisory north of the city, montgomery, howard county and frederick county until 10:00. there's your satellite and radar, rain out to the west. that will get in here tonight. today, beautiful and warm ahead of that cold front. we should see highs later today in the low 80s believe it or not with a nice breeze out of the south. eventually the clouds move in and possibility of thunderstorms. saturday and sunday unfortunately have showers in the forecast. cooler air behind that front. forecast for today, after a little fog this morning, warm conditions. highs upper 70s. nice and dry for friday. cloud up tonight, rain showers arrive by daybreak tomorrow. more details on the forecast and i'll be a few feet down from you, coming up in a couple

of minutes. >> still without a chair. >> without a chair. >> we'll get you a chair. tucker, thank you very much. we want to find out what's going on on the roadways. we have julie wright standing by. now we're looking at what's happening on the roads and accident activity closing a portion of northbound 5 up towards the beltway. northbound 5 is blocked off' scene of this crash until further notice. we have problems to report traveling out of downtown, outbound new york avenue blocked off at the brentwood parkway, coming from northwest to northeast. inbound this morning, lanes are open. no problems to report if you were traveling eastbound along 66, the remains of the crash off the road to the shoulder. delays coming inbound from 234 south. connecticut avenue reopened in each direction between montgomery county and the d.c. line. sherri ly has been reporting live from the scene all morning

long. again, lanes open southbound and northbound connecticut avenue. outer loop of the beltway, below speed, southbound 270 traffic slowing in germantown. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. will, back to you. thank you. we want to get more on that police chase that led to a horrific crash overnight in chevy chase circle. sherri ly is live at the circle with more on that story. >> reporter: will, as julie mentioned, this road has reopened now. you can see everything has been cleared here. that car crashed there into that tree. you can see the ground is still charred. this was a fiery crash. two people survived, two people did not. police say the stolen car burst into flames. these pictures taken by a neighbor. officers who had been pursuing the car rushed to save the four

people inside, but were only able to get the driver and front seat passenger out. two people in the back seat were trapped in the burning car. firefighters later removed the bodies which were taken to the medical examiner for identification. the police officer spotted the stolen car around 1:15 this morning. police say the officer continued following the car south on to connecticut avenue waiting for backup. police were about to move in when they say the driver sped off. >> when the driver increased his speed significantly, the officer turned on his lights in an attempt to stop the car. the car continued on connecticut, where the driver lost control and ran into the tree at the circle. >> reporter: the identities of the victims have not been released. police tell us the male drive of the car was taken into

surgery with serious injuries. front seat passenger, another male, had only minor injuries. charges now pending. that's the latest here, will, back to you. another big story today, a new prosecutor in the florida shooting case. the state's governor is appointing the new prosecutor to oversee the investigation into trayvon martin's death. thousands attended a rally for him in sanford outside of orlando. protestors around the country were on hand to rally for trayvon who was unarmed when he was shot last month. the killing has sparked protests in our area. hundreds came out to howard university yesterday. >> we're here today to express our concerns with the justice system, the law, specifically in florida and how it accommodates this type of racism. >> you can see this here, symbolic, they held packets of

skittles, which trayvon had them on him. he bought them for his little brother when he was shot. later this morning on capitol hill, hoodies on the hill, more symbolic activity. tonight, a vigil in southeast, it starts at 6:30. and organizers are asking people to bring candles and asking you to r.s.v.p. there's a link on our web site, myfoxdc.com. a look at this morning's other big top stories. police continue to search for the suspect in the stabbing of a woman who was eight months pregnant. she survived, but her baby boy did not. the stabbing happened inside the woman's apartment early yesterday morning on 9th street in southeast. there were no signs of forced entry in the home and police are offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest. police in prince george's

county investigating the assault of a realtor. the man attacked her in the basement while she was showing a house and ran off. increasing calls this morning for rick santorum and newt gingrich to drop out of the republican race. this after a recent run of primary wins and slew of new endorsements for mitt romney. since he is more than 500 delegates away, the others show no sign of leaving soon. the candidates battle it out tomorrow in louisiana's primary. president obama is getting ready for his trip to asia this weekend. he heads to south korea late tonight to meet with more than 500 world leaders. the international summit in seoul will focus on keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. president obama will also meet u.s. troops stationed in the de militarized zone between north and south korea. it's 7:08. more headlines coming your way, including big developments in

the case of the u.s. soldier accused in that horrific killing rampage in afghanistan. plus, the coast guard takes action after a violation above the skies in d.c. but it's time to head back to the tidal basin with tony and allison. good morning again. good morning to you once again, will, and good morningev as we said this morning, this year marks the 100th anniversary of these blooming cherry blossom trees. the efforts to bring them here to washington started long before 1912. >> in fact, the push for the trees got going as early as 1885. it wasn't until 1909 when first lady helen taft became involved that the gift from japan really took shape. the first batch of 2,000 trees arrived in 1910, but they were sadly full of disease and insects. they had to be burned. it was in 1912 that the first of 3,000 healthy trees were planted on the north bank of

the tidal basin in potomac park. >> our own sarah simmons pays a visit to the trees with the woman who literally wrote the book on cherry blossoms. also, it is a great interview, you don't want to miss that, plus tucker will be back with the weather and it's coming to you live from the tidal basin, as we continue to celebrate the cherry blossoms 100 years in our fine city of washington, d.c. we'll be right back.

making headlines this morning, the army staff sergeant suspected of killing 17 afghan civilians will be charged today with murder, assault and other offenses.

meanwhile, another incident involving alcohol and violence has surfaced. documents from 2008 show robert bales was intoxicated when he made a pass at a woman and punched and kicked her boyfriend in washington. no charges were filed in that case. there was an incident over our skies last night. a plane entered restricted air space over d.c. the plane was escorted to the airport in fredericksburg, virginia, where police were waiting. they're looking into the incident and that is a look at this morning's headlines. let's head back outside. allison, tony and tucker are broadcasting live from the cherry blossom festival. i would imagine once you look past the cameras and lights, you must have a majestic view of those trees. >> a fantastic view i would say. here's the great thing about the tidal basins, pretty much anywhere you go around this

region, you've got a great view. now you have the added venue of the martin luther king, jr. memorial. it's another sight now that is beautiful and near the cherry trees. it's just great where we are and all around. >> beautiful. i'm struck by how many -- i want to talk to the people, because i want to know are these locals, tourists out early? seems like we're really taking advantage of this historic time, the 100-year, centennial of the trees. >> people taking advantage of the weather. tucker barnes here with, i think we could classify this as a spectacular forecast. >> pick of the week. 80s later today. and lots of sunshine expected. get out and enjoy today. i've noticed a few puddles on the ground, and i don't think they're going to last longer here. >> there will be some rain.

wind? >> possibly thunderstorms so a little wind this weekend. reagan national still in the 60s. nice sunrise there. should be a beautiful day here across the area. 50 now in washington. 55 leonard town. lots of 50s outside of the beltway. less fog than yesterday. but still, dense fog advisory remains at last look across northern tier of maryland, including howard county. quiet conditions, beautiful sunrise here a couple of moments ago. that's our frontal system that will hang out across the area for the weekend. cloud up early there evening and rain showers arrive tomorrow morning. rain off and on tomorrow, and possible we could see a thunderstorm kick up as well. conditions will start to fall apart here. not going to be a great weekend forecast. not going to rain every minute. cooler temperatures behind that front. five-day forecast, 82 today and we'll be in the 60s by sunday and early next week highs only

62. >> boo! >> allison! still beautiful. >> 62 gets a boo in march. >> julie wright will agree with me. 62 gets a boo in late march. >> absolutely. major boo. you all look great there. unfortunately on the roads we're busy. accident activity tying up outbound new york avenue after the brentwood parkway. eastbound 66 still tied up out of manassas. southbound 270 not bad out of germantown. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. julie, thank you very much. >> as we've been saying, this year is so special for these cherry trees and our city.

100 years of blooming beauty and that gorgeous spirit that comes with it. it really makes us feel so special. >> yeah. but just how did the cherry blossoms become such a big deal? our sarah simmons spent time talking to the woman, who as we said a few moments ago, literally wrote the book on the cherry blossoms. >> reporter: with us today is ann mcclellan, the official book of the cherry blossom festival. this is your new book, updated version. it's gorgeous and gives you an idea, as we stand underneath the cherry blossoms, how lucky we are to have these in our back yard. >> aren't we? we're celebrating the centennial of the gift of japan. it's become an iconic image of spring throughout the world. >> reporter: the interesting part about this, the book not only talks about the cherry

blossoms, but the history behind the festival. explain the significance of that and how it's really kept our relationship alive with japan. >> that's a great question. in 1927 there was an event, and 1935 called a festival. after world war ii it was celebrated with the parade. it's amazing, during world war ii the festival was halted, of course. and the trees were called the oriental trees, not the japanese one. in 1947 they were celebrating again, and there's always been a japanese involvement and celebration of our friendship between the countries. >> reporter: we're down to nine

original now, right? >> no, no, more like 100. there are about 100 trees left from the 3,000 that were given in 1912. of course, trees live and dies. they live about 50, 70 years. it's remarkable there are any still with us. >> reporter: right. you were telling me, these cherry blossom trees here are one of several different kinds that we have, even around this area in bloom now. >> that's right. there are about 12 varieties in the park where we are, potomac park. weeping cherries will be coming out. and the ones blooming along haynes point. they're gorgeous. >> reporter: we hope as long as the wind kind of stays away

that we'll keep these petals on the trees. i see a few blowing by now. hopefully they'll stay out here a little bit longer. >> i know. i want to go around with a glue gun. >> reporter: i think a lot of people do. tell us your personal history and why this is near and dear to your heart, the cherry blossom trees. >> i was lucky enough to grow up on a school campus that was an after about eatium with amazing trees. and there were cherry blossom trees. they were one of many i grew up to love and cherish. when i had the chance to write a book about trees, what they meant to people, it was just an amazing coming together of all the things i've loved in my life from this earliest age. >> reporter: the book is called "cherry blossom the official book of the cherry blossom festival." this is the one you need to get. >> absolutely. >> reporter: you can get this

around the area at the smithsonian. >> there, the museum shops, barnes and nobles, anywhere books are sold. >> reporter: we thank you so much for sharing the history with us and giving us more insight as to what these trees are all about. >> thank you, sarah. >> reporter: back to you. sarah, thank you so much. our cherry blossom coverage continues in a few minutes. coming up, a special performance by one of the featured performers at this year's festival, our holly morris is standing by with a classic guitarist who calls japan home. she will fill us in on this entertainer, the options also that you have with entertainment coming up in the next few weeks. first, after the break, bank of america is offering struggling homeowners an alternative to losing their homes.    

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we are keeping an eye this morning on the housing market. bank of america will offer some customers rent homes as alternatives to foreclosure. it's part of their pilot program called mortgage to lease. they'll transfer titles to the bank and the bank will pay the outstanding debt, and in exchange, the people in the house can lease back their home up to three years. the program is available to fewer than a thousand customers at this time in test markets in arizona, nevada and new york. a proposed casino in prince george's county could take a step forward today. the senate committee is expected to vote on a measure to expand gambling in maryland that would add a 6th casino in maryland, possibly on the national harbor. a lot of talk about this. it would allow table games like black jack and craps in those casinos. time now is 7:37. after the break, we're headed back to the tidal basin.

now tony and allison join us with a look ahead. it is the place to be this weekend, right, guys? >> hey, will, good morning. more than a million people are expected in washington for the cherry blossom festival over the next five weeks. next, the president of the festival will join us to talk about what to expect this year and what's new. and we'll check in with tucker. he's got the complete forecast for today and the weekend, the all important forecast. and julie wright will be telling us about traffic. there have been big problems this morning that will affect your commute. stay with us, fox 5 morning news     [ male anannouncer ]  technology accelerates at a relentless pace.

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available in an automobile. [ tires screeching ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. i like that music. >> yeah, very nice. we are back now live at the tidal basin, celebrating 100 years of the gift of the cherry blossom trees from japan. we'll be here all morning long bringing you live coverage. >> we have asked for your input. we want to see your cherry blossom trees. here is one someone sent in of the washington monument seen through the trees. it looks like it's night time. simply beautiful. >> uh-huh. remember we want to see all of your -- well, not all of your pictures, but --

>> pictures you want us to see of the trees. >> all your pictures. you can e-mail them to us, and we'll post them on our web page. send them to myweatherphoto@gmail.com. our tucker barnes is here with us and he is joining us now with a look at how nice it's going to be. tuck? >> i don't think you can see it over my shoulder, but there are hundreds of people here catching the sunrise, and it's going to be beautiful. [ bad audio] as we get into the weekend, we have rain in the forecast both saturday and sunday and the possibility of a few thunderstorms as well. get the wind in here, could lose a lot of petals this weekend. at reagan national at last look, we were in the 60s. looking right now, we're still

60 at reagan national. 55 at dulles. bwi marshall, 54. should be in the 80s later today. tonight and tomorrow clouds increase and the clouds will move in here. as they arrive, i think by daybreak tomorrow, showers back in the forecast and again the possibility of thunderstorms and wind around here during the afternoon tomorrow. be ready for that. there's your surface map and put the maps in motion. cold front to the west. that will bring cooler air behind the rain showers for saturday and sunday. by early next week high temperatures after 80s today only in the 60s. cooler air on the way. enjoy your afternoon, enjoy these cherry blossoms. 82 the high today. patchy fog, mostly sunny conditions expected. five-day forecast, as we get into the weekend, showers saturday and sunday. not going to rain all weekend. pretty much guarantee a good chance of rain tomorrow and

again sunday. monday, tuesday, cooler temperatures. highs by tuesday only -- [ audio breaking up ] tucker, good morning to you. on the roads very much a busy commute. eastbound 66 still struggling with delays coming in out of manassas headed to centreville. 395 below speed leaving duke street headed to seminary road. heavy, slow and steady with more delays across the bridge. we have delays continuing. minor fender-bender northbound 85. it's pulled over to the shoulder. northbound 5 in maryland, accident activity cleared. traffic heavy and slow towards the scene. outer loop of the beltway below speed. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. julie thank you very much. we are live at the tidal basin on what is going to be a

glorious day, as we kick off the cherry blossom festival. kicked off on the first day of spring earlier this week, but really the big event is this sunday. we have a special guest joining us. >> yes, we do. a familiar face. been doing this now 11 years. this is diana mayhew, president of the festival. good to see you. >> good to be here. what a great day. >> you're such a trooper. you work year-round on this. this is like the opening of a broadway show. the moment of truth, and you're working super hard. we thank you for coming out early this morning. i know you're not getting much sleep. are you excited? >> absolutely. we're ready to welcome the millions of people to the city. >> it will be millions. it's a five-week event. what's going on during the five weeks? what can folks expect? >> there are spectacular performances, art exhibitions

that have never been seen before. people are bringing collaborative work that's never been seen ever. this weekend we are kicking it off with an opening ceremony, open to 6,000 people, free. you have to have reservations to check online. we have a japanese pop star. it will be fantastic. >> almost sounds like a silly questions with the 100th year celebration, but what is new, what can people expect? >> there's a lot of commemorative things to celebrate the 100 years. tomorrow, saturday, the u.s. postal service will be launching issuance of the first stamp for the u.s. 2012 cherry blossom stamp. peter max has created the official artwork for the year. >> how do we get that? what's the web site or where

can we go in. >> nationalcherryblossomfestival .org or new want to go to union station and pick it up there. >> there are different things going on. family days is something that is interesting to me. it's going to be taking place at the national building museum? >> yes. this is new. it's usually one day. it's expanding to two days. lots of activities for children. kite making. you can actually, probably about 25 performances by youth there. we're showing our beautiful artwork done by all the kids in the community. >> that's great. >> and to make it easier, you have a pass. tell us all about that. >> the city will be in bloom, not just washington, but the entire region. 240 capital one bank branches will be distributing the petal pass. it's a special value card that if you come to -- it's good for

different shopping centers, good for macy's, nationals. you can get discounts. some of the museums are offering free tickets. it's trying to get everybody engaged for this entire five weeks, because it will be beyond the blossoms. >> they're peaking early this year. you lucked out. >> aren't they beautiful? >> really is spectacular this year. you mentioned millions, do we have an official estimate how many people we think will attend? >> each year it's over a million people. maybe 1.2. this year we're tracking hotel reservations, about 24% higher than they've been. we'll probably see a couple hundred thousand additional people over the five weeks. >> we have a couple of seconds left. i want to from you, diana, who has seen this every year, get the sense of what this means for our city, especially during this year. >> it's just spectacular. people look forward to this for a long time. people are coming from all over

the world to celebrate the festival, not just because it's 100 years, but this year's story will tell the story how the first gift of frees, 100 years ago, has become the nation's greatest spring time celebration. >> what's your web site? >> nationalcherryblossomfestival .org. and you can download our app, it's fantastic. >> that's great. >> you can also go to our web site, myfoxdc.com, we'll link you and we have a lot of the information about the festival there. congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> thank you for coming out. >> thank you. so much more coming to you live from the tidal basin. first we're going to check the headlines this morning. coming up next, is the mystery now solved? we're talking about that small town in wisconsin that residents say they were hearing that strange noise, remember us telling you about that? perhaps they have gotten to the bottom of what that noise is that has been puzzling residents there.

before we head to the break, we have a live look at today's fox 5 half off deal. fifteen dollars buys you $30 in food and drinks. they serve up a variety of dishes, including lamb and chicken kebab or try a turkish pizza. >> i'll have to find out what that is. >> go to myfoxdc.com. we'll be right back.      ♪ ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪

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in eastern wisconsin has finally been solved. the clintonville city administrator says the earthquake caused the rumblings. people said they were hearing loud booms and rattling under the ground. mystery solved. time to send it back over to tony and allison, as well as tucker, live from the cherry blossom festival. all that talk of the mysterious booming in that city put clintonville on the map, just like the cherry blossoms has everyone talking about d.c. this weekend. >> but i must say, we were quick to say yesterday, it's not an earthquake. turns out it was an earthquake. here's what we do know, it is simply gorgeous here and warming up to be a really pretty day. >> it really is. this is probably over the next few days when you want to come down. tucker barnes is standing by. he's got the latest on today's forecast. and the forecast for the

weekend as well. hey, tucker. hey, guys. the forecast only getting warmer from here. mild start with temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s. expecting highs in the 80s later today. yeah, 80s. let's get to your maps and let you know at reagan national still 60 degrees. we should see these temperatures warm up. not as much fog as yesterday. by afternoon should be off and running here. without the fog, temperatures will warm up into the upper 60s and low 70s, and eventually in the low 80s later this afternoon. look at our seattle radar, don't have a lot to show you. quiet conditions. should be a beautiful day. wind will shift out of the south later this morning, and that will deliver lots of sunshine most of the day late this afternoon, and evening hours, the front you see to the west, the clouds and rain you see will get in here.

i think by daybreak tomorrow, showers around here, and to be honest with you, saturday and sunday don't look great. lots of clouds, on again, off again showers and possible of a few thunderstorms as well. forecast not perfect for the weekend. for today, couldn't be better. lots of warm temperatures, lots of sunshine. highs by 4:00 p.m. in the upper 70s and low 80s. low humidity. enjoy today, because i'm not sure the cherry blossoms will last much through the weekend. that's a quick look at the forecast. let's do traffic now with julie wright. we started off busy this morning. had a number of accidents to contend with. now things are settling down a bit. delays, traveling the top side of the beltway, outer loop busy headed around towards georgia avenue. southbound 95, 295 of laurel. 50 will slow at 410 and leaving 202 headed to northeast. 395 on the brakes leaving the beltway past duke street. traffic on the 14th street

bridge. here's 66, not too busy now living vienna. outbound new york avenue, the incident we had in the right lane, and northbound 5 a struggle to the beltway, earlier crash cleared. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. thank you very much. this year the cherry blossom festival is filled with a variety of performers. >> and holly morris is going to preview some of that throughout the course of the morning. hey, holly. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you guys. what a spectacular morning. you've been saying the same thing. we are live by the paddle boats. yes, we are being serenaded this morning. he is a classical guitarist. we're going to talk to him and hear him perform and find out about all the special musical performances you might want to take in over the next five weeks live next. stay with us. ♪

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♪ we have more of your lovely photos you're sevenning in. we thank you for doing this, we appreciate them. they're beautiful. >> it's easy to send your photos to us. upload them to my weather photo@gmail.com. we hope to share as many as we can this morning. we're live here at the tidal basin cherry blossom. what i didn't realize, tony, i think when i'm not down here i don't know exactly what the cherry blossoms look like. i'm used to them being in this majestic setting. sure they are all over our area, but it's nothing like coming down here examine looking at them.

>> it is. and an extraordinary number of people are doing that. a little before 8:00 in the morning, and i think people have gotten the message there may be dicey weather this weekend. beautiful day today. blossoming early. here's the thing, we do this every year in one fashion or another, and usually it's beautiful, but we're fairly miserable. it's cold. sometimes raining. >> i've had on coats, right. >> this year it's very nice already, and there are a lot of folks out here this morning. this is going to be a big day. >> really the whole festival has a special feeling to this this year as we celebrate the centennial birthday of the gift from japan to us. each year the visitors are treated to performers they might not see here in the nation's capital. this year is no different of course. >> that's right. holly morris is near the paddle boats and she has a preview on that and more. hey, holly. >> reporter: you don't come down here every year, when it

rains, you guys stay in the studio, but you send me. >> i've done my fair share of years. >> reporter: you have, that's funny. you're right, i am also reveling in the beautiful weather. i am reveling in all the wonderful people that are down here. you are right, tony, i think a lot of the locals have gotten the word that today is the day to come out. and who knew the cherry blossoms could be to romantic? i'll tell you who. tell me, when you walked up, how do you introduce yourself? >> i'm part of the exercise crew from 6:30 to 7:30. tony, why aren't you down here, boy? >> reporter: he is, he's across the way. you'll have to do your exercise, walk around. >> we'll be over there tony. >> reporter: he said i'm an everyday channel 5 guy. i want you quickly, this is actually an annual date for you all? >> absolutely. we come as early in the morning as we can get here, and we have special place to park, so we

always park, and it's legitimate. i would never say that on television in my life of where it is. and we've been here in the washington area for over 50 years. this is an annual for us. >> reporter: while the cherry blossoms are celebrating their 100th anniversary you're getting ready to celebrate 54 years. >> 54, right. >> reporter: you are an inspiration. i don't want to impose on your date. you hold hands and walk off into the blue. >> we'll go see tony. >> reporter: go see tony and allison. they're around the way. we have danielle, the communications manager. she's joining me amidst the blossoms and people. we've been down here when there's not been many people and it's cold and rainy. >> i know. we got lucky today. >> reporter: everyone who comes out is lucky, because you have amazing performers this year. >> this year we have five weeks of celebration. we're doing that with amazing

groups working with us. the s and r foundation concert series at the kennedy center is one example. starting in april, there are seven performances, world class artists who have taken pieces they have and put their own spin on it. >> reporter: speaking of world class artists, we have one with us here this morning. he is a classical guitarist. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> reporter: i understand you started playing the guitar at the age of 3? >> yes. >> reporter: now you have played around the world. you're playing the kennedy center. what does it mean to you to be a part of this celebration? >> well, i'm so glad to be here. this is anniversary year, so i am -- [inaudible] -- by playing the guitar. >> reporter: will you play for us this morning? >> sure, yeah. >> reporter: let's hand it over

to soichi muraji. ♪ >> reporter: he travels back and forth from d.c. and japan. he spends a fair amount of town here and will be at concert at the kennedy theater sunday april 8th at 7:30 p.m. coming up we'll interact with the revelers coming out and have more performers. >> thanks, holly. we're going to be live from the

tidal basin the next two hours. coming up, we'll tell you what the national arboretum in honor of the first lady -- also, how to capture not only the beautiful cherry blossoms at the tidal basin, but the nation's capital as well. there are so many gorgeous sights to see. we're going to tell you how to do that. professional photographer steven brown will join us. we'll be right back.    ♪

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we have got plenty ahead on fox 5 morning news. the inbound lanes of a major commuter road shut down through the morning rush hour, this after a police chase ends in a deadly crash. we'll head live to the scene for an update. then, rallies are growing across the nation over the death of an unarmed teen in florida. this, as the police chief in charge of the trayvon martin case says he will step aside

for now. we'll bring you the latest. meantime, it is a very special morning on fox 5 and here in washington. the national cherry blossom festival is celebrating 100 years. >> the trees are in peak bloom and we are live at the tidal basin this morning, along with everything that you need to know to take in five weeks of celebrations surrounding this 100 years of the gift of the cherry blossoms to washington, d.c. good friday morning. i'm alison seymour. >> i'm tony perkins. lots of folks out here walking around the tidal basin, taking pictures, taking advantage of what is going to be a glorious day. tucker barnes is here live with us. >> duck, tuck. >> i think we've peaked in some trees. >> some trees, not all of them. look over there, it's perfect. >> you're right. our advice has been get down here today, because we're going to have beautiful weather with

lies in the 80s later this afternoon. rain this weekend. not all weekend, but periods of rain. something allison has been looking forward to all week, cooler temperatures. >> a 20-degree drop in temperatures. >> only in the 60s. >> still above normal. >> oh, yeah. right now we're 60. humidity 93%. fog for counties to the north, washington county in maryland, and some of the counties in northern maryland under a dense fog advisory until 10:00 this morning. here in washington, a beautiful start to the day. perfect sunshine here at the tidal basin. lots of sunshine today. we'll lose the fog and to the west, rain showers into kentucky and ohio. that will move in overnight tonight, into the day tomorrow. the weekend looks soggy. won't rain every minute, but periods of showers saturday and sunday. today, perfect day to get down here. 82, sunshine, and dry conditions this afternoon. >> very nice. thank you very much. >> it really is sunny.

we have our paul, our producer, also our umbrella man this morning. that shows you how sunny it is. hi, paul, like the pants. >> appreciate it. we want to go back inside to will and sarah with the headlines. >> we saw paul in the studio. pink pants today. >> good morning. we want to bring you the latest on a developing story we've been following out of chevy chase. >> two people have died after a police chase ended on connecticut avenue at the circle. fox5's sherri ly has been at the scene all morning long and joins us live with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, will. this was really a horrific crash. a neighbor just told me the flames were 20 feet up in the air, that this car burned for 10 or 15 minutes before the fire was finally put out. two people died. two people did survive. one person we're told was taken to the hospital for surgery and is in serious condition. the other person had only minor

injuries. all this happened this morning. had police not been there, it's possible that no one would have come out alive. take a look at the car engulfed in flames. these pictures taken by a neighbor right after the crash. the two people were in the back seat who died. they were still inside the car. officers unable to get them out after the car caught fire. this started around 1:15 this morning when police say an officer spotted a stolen toyota near east west highway in jones mill road. the officer followed the car waiting for backup to arrive. police say the driver took off at high speed. the officer tried to stop the car, but seconds later it slammed into a tree. >> officers report seeing smoke first, then flames. they ran to the car and were able to extract tdriver and

front seat passenger through the flames. they tried to rescue the other two in the rear seat, but were unable to do so. >> reporter: the ground is still scorched there. this accident shut down much of connecticut avenue southbound from east west highway down to western avenue this morning. fortunately, police were able to get that reopened before rush hour. julie wright has been following it all morning long. julie, traffic probably looks a lot better right now, doesn't it? absolutely, sherrie. reopened in each direction and flowing freely from the beltway headed to the d.c. line. traffic is gridlocked here, lower 14th street where they have the crane, they're scheduled to do maintenance on the signal lights here, 14th and independence. lanes open eastbound along 66. traffic flows out of manassas.

slow traffic inside the beltway past falls church. lanes open if you are continuing 270 southbound. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. thank you. new this morning, two people are in the hospital with serious injuries after their apartment building caught fire. the fire broke out around 3:30 this morning on the 500 block of hunt street in northeast d.c. d.c. firefighters rescued both victims. one person is suffering from smoke inhalation. the other has serious burns. investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the fire. meantime, d.c. police are searching for the suspect accused of stabbing a woman who was eight months pregnant. the stabbing happened inside the woman's apartment early yesterday morning on 9th street and southeast. she was taken to the hospital where she delivered the baby, but the baby did not survive. police are offering an award for information that leads to

an arrest. prince george's county police searching for a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a realtor. happened last night when she was getting ready to show a vacant house. investigators say an unknown suspect walked in and attacked her in the basement, then took off. more rallies today for trayvon martin and the case is expected to be addressed today at the white house in a meeting between the attorney general and african-american ministers. hundreds protested at howard university yesterday, calling for police to arrest the man who shot and killed the unarmed teenager. some members of congress are organizing a hoodies on the hill symbolic event. the shooting has sparked outrage across the country. >> trayvon martin represents the vulnerability of all of us that have to live being suspects rather than citizens.

>> the police chief of the city of sanford, florida announced he's stepping aside temporarily and the state's governor is appointing a new prosecutor to investigate the case. there is a prayer vigil planned in southeast d.c. tonight. it will be held at the big chair on martin luther king, jr. avenue. we have a link to the trayvon martin prayer vigil facebook page on our web site, myfoxdc.com. a top u.s. lawmaker wants to hold hearings on the nfl's bounty scandal. the call comes after the saints were punished heavily, by the way, for paying players to go out and hurt specific opponents. senator durbin says the activity would be criminal if it wasn't on the field. all right, we have more on our special coverage this morning on the 100-year anniversary of the cherry blossoms. >> let's head back out to tony perkins and alison seymour live

at the tidal basin this morning. good morning, guys. >> good morning, will, good morning, sarah. >> you know, there are so many aspects to the cherry blossom story, and you know, the cherry blossoms obviously are living and breathing organisms. they continue to grow and progress and we have an interesting future in store for the cherry blossoms. we're going to talk with a young lady by the name of margaret pooler. she is research leader with the united states department of agriculture and agriculture research service at the u.s. national arboretum. are you there? >> i am, thanks. >> thank you for joining us. my understanding, i'm not sure if i understand this very well. my understanding is that you have helped to develop a new variety of cherry tree, is that right? >> yeah. the national arboretum has been working on creating a series of flowers and cherries naming after the first ladies. the first one was named first

lady, and the next one we released is named helen taft, after the first lady who played a pivotal role in bringing the trees here 100 years ago. >> we're looking at the trees and think we know what they are. is this going to look different from what we consider the traditional cherry blossom tree we see here at the tidal basin? >> yeah. this new tree, helen taft, looks pretty much like a regular yoshino tree. but it's different in that it has pink flowers. most of the tidal basin trees come out pink and fade to white. with this new variety, it comes out pink and fades to darker pink. >> this is a wonderful thing to do, but i would imagine it's a very difficult and complicated thing to do. are you going to develop a new variety of tree for each of the first ladies from helen taft

forward to today? >> don't i wish. that's job security, huh? no. it takes about 20 years to go from creating -- making the first cross to releasing a plant. with this helen taft variety, we made the cross back in 1981. so you can see it's kind of a long-term endeavor. >> wow. >> in fact, are there some 70 varieties of the cherry blossom trees right now? >> well, it depends on what you call variety. at the arboretum we've got over 400 different geno types. so there's a lot. a lot of diversity. >> and one more to add. >> that's right. >> and those trees are out now, or when can we expect to see them? >> the helen taft variety is just now in the hands of those trying to get it propagated, so about five years before it's

available at retail places. >> margaret pooler, research leader with the usda and the national arboretum. thank you so much. >> fascinating. thank you. very cool. >> it is. guess what? we have more coolness from the tidal basin coming your way, and we'll check with headlines and chris wallace as well, congressman paul ryan is on the show talking about the budget battle on the hill. lots more to come here on fox 5 morning news. >> we'll be right back. ñ [ male announcer ] this was how my day began.

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♪ i love it. >> producer is like, we're hot. we know it. we can't help but move when we hear that cherry blossom music. >> what a great start to the day. already is a beautiful day. tucker barnes is here with us and before we get to the

weather, tucker, how about a special -- >> sorry. got to be careful about the branches. you like that? >> yes, very nice. >> cute factor of the day. we have multicuteness, because it's pink day. >> i don't know if i can handle it. >> our kids dressed in pink getting the honors. bonus today. if you can see them, you can comment, i can't see them. >> i can see them. >> lily jane at 6 months old. >> adorable. >> a cutie! >> can you see her? >> i can. >> lily jane is super cute. now let's take a look at this 3- month-old. >> i love the pink theme. that's a professional picture. now here is the one her family

took. to submit your child's picture, myfoxdc.com, click on mornings and start a new color theme, right let me go to the weather forecast. i would suggest you come down today, this will be the nicest day of the weekend. expecting highs today in the 80s. saturday and sunday, rain showers return. current conditions, 61 in washington. 57 some place else. there's your seattle, radar. clear skies now. later we'll see showers move in and not today, not tonight. overnight tonight into tomorrow. by tomorrow morning when you wake up, we'll have a lot of clouds around with showers on and off throughout the day. could be thunderstorms as well. might get breezes tomorrow. forecast today, high temperatures later this afternoon in the upper 70s. today will be perfect to come down to the tidal basin. >> the only thing that could make it better is if julie wright were here with us. but she's not. >> only so much room here at the tidal basin. i'm kidding.

>> wow. let me get out of this shot. >> oh! wow! >> i'm kidding. i'm kidding. >> i remember tony perkins can't swim and there happens to be a large body of water behind him. >> do you need me to do something for you, julie? >> god don't like ugly, remember that. >> it was a little joke. >> i'm going to do traffic now. 14th street, independence avenue, working on the signal. slowing you down off the 14th street bridge. it's heavy and slow here. beltway to seminary road, pentagon crossing over the potomac. below speed fair oaks to 123 and inside the beltway falls church. no accidents, just volume delays. slowing university boulevard to georgia. and below speed leaving connecticut to georgia. that's a check of your fox 5 on-

time traffic. back to you. now to the campaign trail now. president obama is defending his record on oil drilling. now his administration will not block parts of the keystone pipeline. in oklahoma yesterday the president announced he's ordering a fast track for the south keystone pipeline that will relieve a glut of oil keeping gas prices high in other parts of the country. he heads to south korea today. the keystone pipeline and gas prices are big issues in this year's race for the white house. a children's toy giving mitt romney and his campaign a major headache. house republicans unveiling their budget. fox news sunday two days away. chris wallace is here. good morning, chris. >> hey, will. >> who would think the etch a sketch is making news in politics this week? >> if you put enough candidates and political aides in front of a camera long enough and get them tired enough, and that is

what is true of all the camps at this point, someone will say something dumb. that was one of romney's aides, a smart guy, said. he was talking about the campaign and how it will switch from the primaries to the general election. he said it's like reset, like etch a sketch. obviously his opponents, gingrich and santorum are using it for all its worth. >> pouncing on it. got to get to a lot. republicans bring their new house budget to the floor this week. you have snagged paul ryan this sunday. >> that's right. we're going to have paul ryan for the republicans, david ploff, the architect of obama's campaign in 2008, now the chief senior strategist in the white house. we'll talk about energy prices, visions for the budget, the health care. a lot of the key issues that

will be central to the general election campaign this fall, which looks increasingly like it will be obama against romney. >> romney's campaign publicly complaining santorum's presence in the race hurts the gop's effort to unite against president obama. what do you make of that? >> he's the front-runner and wants to get the other guy out. i don't think this will be a big issue. they'll get together. >> ain't over yet. 9:00a.m. fox news sunday here on fox 5. always good to see you. thanks for joining us. >> you're welcome. time now is 8:22 on this morning. a new candidate in the running for governor in virginia. we'll have details coming up next on fox 5. we continue our coverage of the cherry blossoms. allison, tony, tucker and holly, all live at the tidal

basin. you are listening a moment ago, i think julie wright will redirect all our region's traffic to tony perkins' driveway. we're going to learn about some of the performances at the festival in the weeks to come, and tips on taking photos. speaking of photos, what a beautiful shot. it's all straight ahead as we continue.   

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the sergeant accused of the massacre in afghanistan gets charged today. staff sergeant robert bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder as well as assault. no explanation yet on why the number was raised to 17 when 16 civilians were originally reportedly killed. we're learning of a second incident from 2008. he allegedly groped a woman and punched her boyfriend. report from washington state sheriff says he was extremely intoxicated. former presidential candidate john edwards may be linked to another sex scandal. this time it involves a high priced prostitution ring. a call girl working for new york's alleged millionaire madam claims she was paid to have sex for edwards back in 2007. edwards denies the allegations and he's already facing a federal trial on charges he used campaign donations to

cover up an affair. the attorney general is running for governor of virginia. the republican says he is running for governor to continue the work he's done as attorney general and as a state senator. he says that work includes strengthening the state's economy and promoting smaller more efficient government. coming up this morning, an annual rite of spring. >> the national cherry blossom festival is underway and tony and allison are spending the day, at least the morning, at the tidal basin leading our coverage. what's coming up? >> it feels so good, we could stay down here the whole day. >> let's do it. i'm all for it. >> we have a lot coming up on this special edition of fox 5 morning news, being live at the tidal basin. you know how you're down here, you want to get that perfect picture, we'll tell you how to do that, but not just here, but other places. >> all of that and more.

stay with us. fox5 morning news will be right back.   [ man ] hmm. a lot can happen in two hundred thousand miles... are you guys okay? yeah. ♪ [ man ] i had a great time. thank you, it was really fun. ♪ [ crash ] i'm going to write down my number, but don't use it. [ laughing ] ♪ [ engine turns over ] [ male announcer ] the all-new subaru impreza®. experience love that lasts. ♪

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♪ lots of sights down here. >> for some reason we had three young guys walk by in fake mustaches. not sure what that is. >> trying to be like you, tony. >> we're here at the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin. we're in a different location than where we usually are. next to the martin luther king, jr. memorial. actually beautiful here this morning. >> it sure is. the weather is just -- it's really perfect. >> yes, it is. >> it's picture perfect. that's a clue, we'll be talking to a photographer coming up after tucker does the weather now. i am loving this day. >> allison, you should be.

it's going to be absolutely gorgeous here all day long. not much fog to deal with this morning. the sun is up and we're looking at blue skies at the tidal basin. sunshine, highs in the 80s later today. low 80s. warmer than yesterday. current temperature at reagan national, 61 degrees. mid-50s at bwi marshall. 55 and 60 at dulles. lots of clear skies to start your morning. to the west, our next frontal system. the timing won't be a good one. it will get in late tonight and during the day saturday and sunday, and once it arrives, showers around here both during the day saturday and i'm afraid sun as well, with the possibility of thunderstorms. as far as viewing the cherry blossoms down here, i think today is your best bet. here's your five-day forecast, and again, we have cooler air behind this front. highs by early next week in the 60s. that will feel cooler than what we have today, with highs

expected at 82. dry all day friday. that's the latest from the tidal basin. i'm going to throw it just a few feet away back to allison and tony. are you there? what's that, tucker? >> he said he's going to throw it back to us. >> thank you, tucker. we caught it. joining us, you know his work, stephen brown, professional photographer. >> i brought this d.c. book and world war ii book. >> excellent. wei seen them before. you are in the process of updating this book, correct? >> the martin luther king is new, and today was a great day to get down here and photograph it. especially with the cherry blossoms. >> excellent. i know you'll be doing a book signing. we'll talk about that coming up in a little bit. first, we love your photos. the other thing, though, we like to find out is i know you like to give people tips on photographing the cherry blossoms and more. >> the first slide i think coming up is a shot of the cherry blossoms.

i leave my strobe on -- >> can we see it, please? there you go. >> so when you have the strobe on, force your flash on, you get a nice, bright cherry blossom. then the background goes a little bit dark. so you emphasize the cherry blossoms. >> what is the optimal, like, what is the sun, where does it need to be? what is the perfect conditions, steven? >> optimally, the sun should always be behind you. >> okay. >> and then i use little flash on my camera. that fills in the foreground, so you almost always get a perfect camera. using a small digital camera, they all have automatic exposure. when you put the flash on, it does your lighting work for you. >> okay. i love it. >> i think we have a shot of -- >> here we go. >> that's the first one. >> this shot is basically the strobe is locked on, and you can see it fills in the foreground and let the jefferson go dark a little bit.

it kind of gives it a certain aura and warmth. >> i have to tell you a technical thing, i believe our camera is frozen up. we can talk through them and hopefully the timing will be right. >> the next shot is the shrine, which is typical of the festival. i always get that. then, because it's so crowded down here, i always photograph the cherry blossoms just by themselves. i try to get abstracts with the cherry blossoms. >> say you want to personalize it, what's a great way to get mom in the shot and still get the, let the cherry blossoms be the star and mom the star as well? >> the trick always is to use this tiny flash on your camera. that fills in mom's face, so she doesn't look like a panda. >> never a good thing. >> pops a little light into the eyes and then you get a beautiful -- >> even during the daytime? >> even during the daytime. i would recommend high noon, you should have your flash on.

>> what is the most common -- you want the sun behind you, that kind of thing -- what are the most common mistakes people make? >> i think they try to shoot too far. get close and you'll see a lot of people with long zoom lenses. really, you get a better photograph if you're up close and it's right there and you can capture it. >> we're showing the world war ii memorial. what was the trick here? >> world war ii memorial, those two photographs are shot from cranes. you don't -- >> we don't have the benefit of a crane. >> if you don't have a crane -- that was done early in the morning, 4:00 up the hill from the white house. you can get down there about 4:00 in the morning, they turn on the fountains and that shot is available to almost anyone. >> okay. >> fdr? >> the fdr memorial, we're going to show that one, yes. >> i think that personally is the most beautiful memorial down here. i think it's the most

interesting architecturally. >> it's very personal with the dog and very warm. >> everything in it. it's very complete, too. and it's hidden, too. a hidden treasure. i have four pages in the book devoted to the fdr. we'll be updating that again, too. >> let's talk about you're going to be doing a book signing, one this weekend and next week as well? >> the national park service was good enough to invite me down to sign books at the welcoming center at the tidal basin. so i'll be here three days next week signing book. >> we'll also link you to his web site if you go to our web site, myfoxdc.com. >> before we let you go, we're talking cherry blossoms today. we saw what beautiful sights there around d.c. how do we take that picture and make it our own? we can't all be stephen brown? >> stephen brown, i think there are shots coming up of the canal and what i do, i kind of

get -- one of the reasons i like the small cameras is i can walk a long distance. washington is a big city. one of the shots is a woman's memorial, it's hidden in arlington. that's kind of a hidden treasure as well. i think she's these small cameras take great pictures and you can do a lot with them. >> that's great. >> you don't hear that that often from a professional. >> lugging it around and all the equipment and all that stuff. >> i used to be 6'3". >> you still look good, and we appreciate you coming on the show today. >> sure. >> we appreciate it. we have more coming up from the tidal basin, and also news of the day, some things you're used to from the show, including the job of the day, that's coming up, too. and also some sad news to report, there was a cause of death found in pop star whitney houston. we'll be talking about that, too. >> we'll be right back.  when a carpet is clean and fresh,

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details about the death of whitney houston. the official coroner's report ruled she died by drowning. but heart disease and coke use

were contributing factors. she was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the beverly hills hotel the eve of the academy awards last month. she was a chronic cocaine user the report found. britain's government announced a plan to ban the sale of cheap alcohol by implementing a price. the prime minister says he the to be popular. the beverage industry of course is opposed to the idea and they'll have a chance to formally comment this summer. facebook is buying patents. the pattons reportedly number over 700 and cover technologies dealing with software and networking. now to the fox 5 job shop. georgetown university is

looking for a director of biomedical engineering. for more on this job and to see the rhett of our listings, head over to our web site, myfoxdc.com, and click on the job shop. i guess if i can't pronounce that job, i'm probably not qualified, right? a big weekend at the box office to say the least for fans of "the hunger games." >> the highly anticipated movie debuts today, and our movie reviewer kevin mccarthy has been hanging with the stars. his one-on-one interview with donald sutherland who plays president snow. holly? >> reporter: it's a big week at the president's capital. the country's rice are on us. it's a special 100th anniversary, the cherry blossom festival doesn't get better than this. coming up, we'll have a first of its kind performance and talk to some of the people that are out here enjoying the wonderful blooms this morning. it's all live next on fox 5

morning news. stay with us.    

♪ we are here at the tidal basin. how wonderful to be let out of the studio on a day like this. >> gorgeous. we thought we'd have the place to ourselves. >> when we came down, all the parking spots are all taken up. it was 6:30 in the morning. >> right. first the photographers, now dog walkers -- >> and joggers. >> and now regular cherry blossom lovers are down here. >> i think they heard your forecast. >> today is the day to do it, because rain this weekend. >> i love it. i don't like that, but i like today. thank you very much. we're down here all morning long and we have lots of good stuff coming up through the 9:00 hour as well. we're going to send it back to the studio to will and sarah. >> aren't you glad it's a nice day today? wasn't quite as nice yesterday. >> i'm thinking, doesn't everybody have jobs?

everybody is out. i'm assuming they're tourists. it's a big day at the box office. "the hunger games" hits theaters today. >> just a little movie, right, that's opening? donald sutherland plays mr. snow, or president snow in the film. he spoke with movie reviewer kevin mccarthy about why he was so enthusiastic about taking on the role. kevin tells us he apparently hurt his eye recently, and that's why you will notice he's wearing an eye patch in the interview. let's roll it. >> i love watching what characters end up living and which ones die. it's interesting to see how they go about it throughout the movie. if you can go over your resume, everything you've done, which one of your characters would have the best chance of survival in the hunger games and which one would have died? >> the eye of the needle would have survived, no question. i would have been dead just going to the cornucopia. isn't it a wonderful film? >> wonderful film. >> just great. the idea -- i hadn't read the

books and wasn't familiar with them at all. i was delivered this script of gary ross', who is a man that i just admire. i admired and now i'm in awe of. he had written this script that was so elegant and specific and had such an underlying political message that was so clear and so -- it was really beautiful. and i put it down, and i thought, i just want to be a part of this. and then i found out about the books. i read the books, and then i found out about the buzz about the books. fine. but what he has done, he's taken jennifer lawrence and he has made a film that perfectly represents those books, or that book, "the hunger games." she's brilliant, jennifer. she plays joan of arc.

she has the big character. has the genius of a joan of arc. she goes into a situation. she doesn't know she's a genius. but her dna takes part in that battle, and develops into this genius of a woman and woman is the key thing. she's a young woman who is to all intents and purposes, normal, natural, but strong. someone who has overcome the death of her father, the lack of participation in their lives of their mother. she's the bravest person in the world. and jennifer lawrence plays her with perfection. >> i always give kevin credit. he doesn't do fluffy interviews. he gets into their characters. he was here earlier this morning with his review. he gave the film, drum roll, 4.5 out of 5.

>> he says it transcends the teenage genre. you can find his entire review and interviews with our other stars from the film on myfoxdc.com. >> i asked him, i know a lot of parents are struggling, do i let the kids watch it, because a lot of them have read the books. he felt 13 was a good cutoff. you'll make your own decisions. back to the cherry blossoms through art and drama. >> at this year's national cherry blossom festival, special performers are showing off their talents. fox5's holly morris continues our cherry blossom coverage now with more. hi, holly. >> reporter: hey, guys. the cherry blossoms are good for all ages. there is no cutoff when it comes down to enjoying the beauty of the spring season. it doesn't get much better than today. we're having a lot of none, because there's a lot of people out here. some local, some from out of town. in fact, this group epitomizes

that. tell me your name. >> jorgy. >> reporter: you're from canada. and he comes with a lot of luggage. just arriving or leaving? >> unfortunately i'm leaving. >> reporter: had to come see them one last time? >> for the first time ever. >> reporter: what do you think? >> gorgeous. i haven't seen anything quite like this. >> reporter: it's always this beautiful in the spring in d.c. >> yeah? i think i need to come back. >> reporter: my locals over here are laughing. tell me your name. >> carol scott. >> matt. >> reporter: you live where? >> in d.c. >> reporter: in the actual city. you know how priceless this is, because it really isn't always this way. >> uh-huh. yeah, i've come before just to see the cherry blossoms, but it will be raining or cold. so today is so great. >> reporter: do you ever get tired of them? >> no. every time i see them it's a reminder of how cool d.c. is. it's one of the perks of living here. >> reporter: i think the same thing. every time i see this every year, i think, man, they are

spectacular. enjoy your time. meantime, i have special guests with me. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> reporter: this is a special time for you all, because for the first time, you're part of the festival. tell me about your group and what we're getting ready to experience this morning. >> we started out in the cherry blossom festival with our improvisation vignette. they're part of the production. they dictated the poem and after that, they put on the mask and i costume them. four weeks' of rehearsal the performance. it's improvisational. this is our fun production we do normally once or twice a

year. then we have more serious productions like this. this is our production that will be taking place on the 14th of april. >> reporter: you're talking about the performances, i want people to understand the therapy for the group and what makes this group special. >> our individuals all have intellectual disabilities. i call them differing abilities. they are talented, as you can see. they're lovely. >> reporter: do you prefer differing abilities over special needs? >> absolutely. >> reporter: why? >> because special needs implies -- it's a little bit degrading. we all have special needs. >> reporter: absolutely. the wonderful thing about your group, though, it's helping eliminate stereotypes with people with differing abilities. >> you absolutely understand our mission. that's what we are trying to do. to show that they are extremely talented individuals and worth really noticing and

understanding and appreciating their special talents. >> reporter: your group has been recognized. you are a national model. >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: why do you think that is? what is the model making a difference in these people's lives, and the public's lives of better understanding people with differing abilities? >> to promote the thinking about this population. it's important for us to help the audiences and regular folks to understand that they don't need to be worried about, you know, their interactions with the individuals or they don't need to be looking down at them. actually, we have a philosophy, we believe they are our spiritual teachers, because they teach us unconditional love, patience, and gentleness. >> reporter: wonderful lessons we all need to learn. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> reporter: they are going to be a part of the celebration for the first time, the 100th anniversary of the cherry blossoms gift to the nation's capital and they are certainly

adding to our morning. we'll have more fun coming up in our next hour. allison and tony, back to you. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. coming up, we have a lot more going on. we'll talk about the cherry picks restaurant program. a number of restaurants around the recently getting involved with the cherry blossom festival by designing dishes around the cherry theme. >> pretty. >> we'll highlight those coming up. some of the chefs are with us. not with us our fan of the day, but we want to recognize our fan of the day today. it is karen hall. karen says her 4-month-old katelyn marie, who you see in her profile picture, loves to watch fox 5 in the mornings with her. we appreciate both of you. hope you have a great day and a great weekend. we'll be right back.    

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♪ good morning, everybody, on what is a beautiful day across the washington, d.c. area. we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom to the nation's capital by the people of japan as the cherry blossom festival gets under way. we are live at the tidal basin. good morning, i'm tony perkins. >> i'm alison seymour. tucker barnes is here with us. coming up at 9:03, fall church man has designed the picture for this year's cherry blossom stamp. it's truly beautiful. we're going to talk to him and see the stamp and the other items you can purchase. we'll talk with him and a representative from the postal service about the dedication of that stamp. then at 9:15 we're going to talk about area rst