who claims they had a 13-year affair. we will tell you about cain's meeting today that determines whether or not he stays in the race "early" this friday morning, december 2nd, 2011. captioning funded by cbs a good friday morning. i'm jeff glor. >> no such thing as a bad friday. >> i was going to say happy friday but did we ban that or is it back? >> i worked on a show where we said that. good morning. i'm erica hill, along with jeff glor. chris is off this morning. these pictures when you see them ver unbelievable. recovering out there this morning from hurricane force santa ana winds that hammered areas from california, aumt way to colorado. >> this morning, hundreds of thousands are without power and

the cleanup is just beginning. national correspondent lee cowan is in pasadena, california. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. this is why residents were told for a second straight night to stay indoors out of fears the winds that toppled like this one would hit. they were spared a second round in pasadenpasadena. thousands are waking up in the dark for a second day in a row after a storm brought winds powerful enough to do this. >> i never, ever seen anything like that. >> reporter: the storm was one for the record books. not since the late '90s the santa ana winds been this violent and done this much damage, whipping over the mountains and down through canyons at speeds clocking 80 miles an hour. for crystal walters, a close call. her home withstood the storm

most of the night but before dawn her neighbor's tree could stand no more and cut crystal's house in half. >> i thought it was the end of the world to be honest, with you. >> we huddled as far away from the trees and got through it. >> reporter: this family didn't know what had happened. first, the power went out then see the storm through their bedroom ceiling. >> you could really the roots literally rip out from the floor. >> reporter: electric screws were scrambling to make repairs but so many outages over such a vast distance, keeping up with tough at best. in california, it isn't alone. high winds were plaguing states all across the west, nevada, new mexico, and utah. >> whoa! >> reporter: where tractor-trailers were blown over like toys. one gust outside of salt lake city reached more than 100 miles per hour. it's the product of a very unusual weather pattern. two pressure systems that have

parked themselves in just the right spot. josh rubenstein. >> you get two features close together. a high up and low down here and winds funneling through the west coast. >> reporter: the biggest fear was the fire danger especially in the mountains where the gusts had been the strongest. >> when you get 60 to 80-mile-an-hour. the brush is dry and rain recently but difficult to stop and once the fire gets established it spots ahead with empbers up to two miles ahead i possible. >> reporter: cleanup from round one is more than enough to handle. jeff, despite those wind comes doug a little bit overnight a high wind advisory remains in effect, although the red flag warning has now been canceled so good news on the fire front. the storm silvets itself will p stick around the rest of the morning and into the afternoon until the high wind advisories

canceled but the winds will head out to the midwest and bring bad weather there sometime over the weekend. new unemployment numbers are coming out this morning. a report everybody watches to see if the economy is getting stronger or not. >> there has been some good economic news lately, especially when it comes to auto sales. joining us is cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis. what are analysts expecting to hear about the jobs report? >> analysts are offering a expecting to learn while jobs are being created, they are not being created enough to move the dial lower on unemployment. the month of november we spent to learn later today 131,000 new jobs were created but that unemployment remains steady at 9%. one of the things when you look at these numbers that you really see in them is that private sector jobs are being created, but it's the public sector, the state and local government jobs that are still being lost as a result of local economies being weak that are dragging things

down. november is an important month for hiring in general for businesses because it's a big retail hiring month for the holiday season. >> irerica mentioned new number on car sales. >> people are buying cars now at the rate they were buying cars during cash for clunkers. >> i forgot about that! >> the incentive isn't there necessarily, but people are still -- by the way, the government incentive isn't there for people to buy cars but they are doing it on their own and the good news. car sales up 14% and chrysler 45% higher and general motors up 7% and ford a winner in the category up 13%. those are the numbers you want to see because november tends to be lackluster for car sales. this is a good thing. >> there's also good news for people who have a job right now who are employed. >> yes, because the number of employers took away matching programs in 401(k)s throughout the downturn in the economy to conserve money. 75% of 260 companies that cut or

downgraded the amount of match from the employer have now increased that match. either to the level that it was previously, even in some cases, they have increased it beyond where it was previously and some of them have just increased it which is a great thing because when you think about it, when you put money into that 401(k), if it gets matched, it's free money from your employer and that is a big incentive to do it. >> win/win every time. >> yes. >> rebecca, thank you very much. with that unemployment rate hovering around 9% and with an election less than a year away president obama is looking for new solutions. senior white house correspondent bill plante has more on that. good morning to you. rebecca talked about dialing the move on unemployment. what options does the president have? >> the 9% number hasn't moved much all year and a source of frustration for the president obviously. he has been taking action. congress won't appropriate any more money to create jobs, no more stimulus so he is taking

executive actions under the title we can't wait. today he announces another one. $4 billion in energy upgrades for buildings. 2 billion for federal buildings to be paid for out of savings in the future and another $2 billion with the private sector and engaged 60 companies, universities, hospitals who are going to do upgrades worth $2 billion and he has a partner in this. former president bill clinton is with him. clinton involved numbers of people in his global initiative so you'll see both of them later today. >> bill, the president is trying to sell his jobs plan now for a couple of months. what is the status of that? >> reporter: well, the jobs plan failed in congress and since it failed, he has been trying to get the pieces of it passed one by one, bit by bit. his biggest concern right now is trying to pass things which will expire at the end of this year, before congress goes home for the year, for the holidays. the biggest one of those, of course, is the payroll tax cut

which is the probably not only wants to reinstate but also to increase. >> right. i think both actually republicans and democrats haven't agreed how to pay for it which is interesting. bill plante, thank you very much. in the republican presidential kras there appears to be more trouble for herman cain. new revelations surrounding his alleged affair with an atlanta businesswoman. >> jan crawford is in nashville with the latest. >> reporter: herman cain told a new hampshire newspaper quitting is an option and he made the admissions about his relationship with ginger white which indicate it might be hard for him to stay in the race. it was his most candid interview yet on the alleged 13-year affair and cain admitted he helped ginger white financially. >> she didn't have a job. she had told me that she was not able to get financial help from family and friends. and that, quite frankly, i was the only person that was a friend at the time, and i

underscore "friend." that was in a position to help err. >> reporter: cain also revealed his wife knew nothing about his friendship with white. >> that was the revelation and the surprise that my wife found out about it when she went public with it. >> reporter: cain has continued with his campaign and has been warmly received by crowds. he spoke to college students last night at middle tennessee state university and was heckled by a handful of occupy wall street protesters. >> don't be embarrassed that those young people wanted to stand up and talk about they are a partner in the 99%. we have freedom of speech. some people simply abuse it. >> reporter: cain heads home to atlanta today to talk to his wife and family about whether he should stay in the race. he told the paper he has not ruled out quitting. in a crowded field, that could help candidates like newt gingrich who continues to surge ahead. >> it's very hard not to look at the recent polls and things,

that the odds are very high i'm going to be the nominee. >> reporter: but gingrich has baggage and now that he's a front-runner will face scrutiny. a new ad by ron paul shows opponents have a lot of ground for attack. >> he has flipped and flopped based on who is paying him. >> he is the essence of the washington insider. >> it's about serial hypocrisy. >> reporter: gingrich is going to be hit hard for his ties to corporate interest, the ethics allegations, and charges he faced when he was speaker of the house. even his personal relationship, his adulterous affairs. his opponents are ready to attack to erode that front-runner status. >> they do face intense scrutiny. any front-runner, frankly, anybody who is running for office. when it comes to herman cain what is the thinking as to whether or not he can survive this and continue on with the campaign? he is saying he's not done yet.

>> reporter: well, even his -- only really his die-hard supporters and campaign staff think he can stay in this race. everybody else is saying they believe he is done. people close to cain say they think he is leaning against quitting. he has got enough money to get him through the iowa caucuses which are a month from now. but all of that could change when he sits down with his wife later tonight and rethinks this thing. >> big meeting coming up there. quickly, want to ask you about rick perry. still in the race. we saw him at the top. we saw his support erode a little bit. but he is trying to use a little bit more humor these days it seems, right? >> reporter: that's true. some of his advisers and people close to him say that is his strategy gi. he made a number of stumbles. remember in the debate he paused and couldn't come up with a third federal agency and he comes out with an ad i'm not a slick debater and i'm part of the strategy to rehabilitate him. he was a front-runner and now fifth place and has a long way

to go to make up that ground. this is the first part of it. after these ads coming out showing the softer side of rick perry, they will make a turn in the next couple of weeks and start going after their opponents and their opponents weaknesses with the eye on the iowa caucuses that are now a little over a month away. >> jan crawford in nashville, thanks. terrell brown has more headlines now. 7:13. happy friday. >> same to you. good to see you. al qaeda says it's holding american warren weinstein kidnapped in pakistan. 70-year-old weinstein is a development expert and abducted from his home in august by armed men. al qaeda says it will release him in exchange for the release of high profile suspects including all of those held at guantanamo bay. this morning, a pakistani military official disputes a report that pakistani officials gave the go ahead for a nato air strike on two pakistani outposts.

pakistani officials said the pakistanis learned about the actions minutes before the strike. 24 pakistani soldiers were killed in that attack. in burma this morning, secretary of state hillary clinton met human rights leader aung san suu kyi for the second time two days. they vowed to work together to promote democratic reform in burma. burr has has been isolated from the world for decades by its military rulers. queen elizabeth met yoko ono in a beatles exhibit in a museum yesterday. they say her outfit made her look young and

you might have seen this british tv show has kind of a cult following. the host this morning is in hot water for saying that striking public workers should be shot. >> as charlie d'agata reports the bbc is caught in the middle with a star-making franchise. >> reporter: tv host jeremy clarkson landed at london's heathrow airport after landing his bbc bosses in a lot of trouble. he said his remarks were meant to be a joke. >> see, what i actually said and then you can judge. >> reporter: this is what he said about the millions of public workers who went on strike this week. >> i'd have them all shot. i would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. >> reporter: tens of thousands of people called in to complain

telling his bbc bosses clarkson's head should roll which puts the bbc in a bind. clarkson shows earn the corporations millions of dollars. even the prime minister who is a friend found himself sucked into the controversy. >> obviously, a silly thing to say and i'm sure he didn't mean that. i didn't see the remark. >> reporter: but saying silly things is a clarkson trademark. he is the star of "top gear" a popular automotive show but the observe irreverent commentary that keeps millions tuned in. it also got the attention of cbs' "60 minutes." >> it's a hard gear. change gear, change gear, change, gear, murder. that's a lot of effort in a day. i mean, a weekly occurrence that somebody will complain. "top gear" was on last night. you sit back and wait for the complaints but if you start to pay attention to everybody's concerns, you end up with something bland and boring. >> reporter: in past he has called former prime minister gordon brown, who is half blind,

that one-eyed scottish idiot. clarkson has issued something of an apology for his latest remark saying if the bbc and i have caused any offense, i'm quite happy to apologize for it, alongside them. maybe because he reportedly cleared it with the bbc producer before going on air. they knew what to expect. >> that's what he does and he does it very well. he sets out to shock and always succeed. >> reporter: and all that attention won't hurt sales of the dvd clarkson is promoting just in time for christmas. charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. >> it won't hurt them. >> no, it will not. ahead, a growing problem in the workplace. companies using little yell loopholes to deny workers proper benefits and wages. a virginia woman's death, it looked like suicide but then err estranged husband became a suspect. this is "the early show" on cbs. embarrassed about my skin.

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♪ still to come this morning, how about a little trip to miami beach on a friday? >> in december? not a bad call. >> a little dose of culture this weekend in miami at the annual art festival. one critic calls this a century overload of modern art. >> oh, you don't say? for the last ten years, it's become one of the hottest spots for celebrities to hang out and we are going to head down there to check things out. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. announcer: this portion of "the early show" sponsored by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. - i'll be home soon. until then... tommy? - behind every open heart is a story. - it's beautiful. - tell yours with my open heart collection at kay jewelers. keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in.

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♪ welcome back to "the early show." half past the hour now. i'm erica hill, along with jeff glor. chris is off today. a "48 hours mystery" that took years to figure out. a virginia woman is shot to death in her home and police also find what appears to be a suicide note but there was something here that just didn't add up. >> they find a suicide note but four years later her estranged husband is in prison and still denies having anything to do with it and we will have a

preview of "48 hours" in a few minutes. first, terrell brown is over at the news desk with more headlines. the unemployment numbers due out this morning and congress predicted 131,000 jobs added last month and improvement from the 80,000 added in october but the unemployment rate is expected to stay at 9%. hillary clinton completed a trip to burma and before she left, she met with aung san suu kyi. she called her an inspiration to the world and promised u.s. support. >> the u.s. wants to be a partner with burma. we want to work with you as you further your democracy. >> reporter: clinton is the first u.s. secretary of state to visit burma in more than half a century. wild santa ana winds in california whipped across six states yesterday gusting to

triple digit speeds and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers. blustery weather system is moving east toward oklahoma, missouri, and indiana. in kansas, a bizarre accident was recorded on dash cam video. take a look. wild stuff here. a tree branch fell right into a passing police car. police released the video from the friday crash that shattered the windshield. luckily the officer at the wheel was not hurt. what do the bears do in the woods? not exactly what you think. if it snows on the first of december at a wildlife park in northern arizona, he makes like a kid like a kid out of school on a snow day. i want one! >> it's a cute, big

four years ago this month, a 38-year-old woman named jocelyn earnest was found shot to death. >> her bizarre case is filled with twists and turns and it's the subject of "48 hours mystery" tomorrow night on cbs and tracy smith is here with a preview. >> good morning. a few things look as they first appear. starting with a crime scene that looked like a suicide. we spent two years trying to sort out this mystery by talking to investigators and with the man they eventually arrested for murder. jocelyn earnest, a successful businesswoman, was discovered dead inside her home on december

20th, 2007. a revolver by her side and a note by the front door. >> it was addressed to mom. please forgive me. wes has put us in such a financial bind, i can't recover. my new love will not leave the family. love, jocelyn. >> money problems. a new love. those 83 words seemed to raise more questions than answers. >> i found out that she was married and was separated at a time and she was married to wesley earnest. the most athletic person i've ever met. could do anything she wants, successful, great job, working for a great company. >> they had built a lake house. it was worth a lot of money. we are talking multimillion dollar homes all over this lake. >> was there a romance? >> very little. she kept telling me, i need to go to sleep because other women would come home. >> he seemed to adore me. the way he would look at me.

it would always make me get these but theers flies. he told me that he had separated. he wanted to be up front and honest and i appreciated that. >> earnest, an assistant high school principal claims his wife was suicidal but two fingerprints on that mysterious note matched history. >> i lived in that house ten years. i guess it could be confident. >> you're confident the fingerprint is not yours? >> i'm very confident. i'm the guy making it safe for kids to go to school. i'm in the situation it's pretty sca scary. >> jocelyn and wesley's marriage were collapsing and investigators soon learned, where there is smoke, there is fire. >> oh, my word! >> so many twists and turns. a wild story. what happened with that lake house fire? >> after jocelyn died, suddenly be that house goes up in smoke. now, wesley was in over his head with a mortgage.

so, boom, problem solved. the house burns to the ground. but he was miles away. they never tied him to that fire. so it really still is a mystery what happened there. >> we wesley. his mindset was what when you talked to him? >> he is man of many faces depending on who he talks to if he is talking to a single woman, he is suddenly unmarried and independently wealthy. with us, he was this selfless guy who works with kids and who said, you know, very innocently, we had this arrangement where my wife said i could go sleep with other women so he is an odd duck but because he is an odd duck. >> doesn't make one guilty. it's fascinating. her family, though, also broke their silence to speak to you. what did they have to say about all of this? >> they really wanted to get -- so often in these cases you focus on the guy has who is accused and you forget about the victims. they really wanted us to see jocelyn who was this amazingly successful woman, great daughter, great sister. success in everything she did

until she got married and that is where things went wrong. now he would say that's why she took her own life is what wesley would say. her family says no way she would have ever done this to herself. >> it's fascinating. looking forward to learning more this weekend on "48 hours mystery." tracy, thanks. it is airs tomorrow night at 10:00/9:00 central on cbs. up next being an independent contractor is not as good as it may sound. >> some companies use that term to cheat their workers. who gets hurt in the process? i'll give you a guess. you're watching "the early show" on cbs.

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when is an employee not an employee? the labor department is cracking down on businesses that call their workers independent contractors in order to deny them wages or benefits. >> the issue historically is linked to low paying jobs and now it's hitting the middle class as john black stone reports. >> i've been everywhere from maine to spokane and golden gate. >> reporter: for seven years

dutch brior has taken pride in being a trucker driver. >> take care of your equipment and your equipment will take care of you. >> reporter: last year, he signed on with a company called shippers transport express. although he drives their trucks, shippers. >> translator: port call themselves an independent contractor, not an employee. >> i'm not classify as an employee. i'm classified as an independent contractor but i have very little control over the success or failure of my company. >> reporter: despite his so-called independence, pryor works for shippers. he has seen his paychecks dwindle and none of the protections he would get as an employee. >> as long as they are independent contractors they don't have to cover benefits and they don't have to cover sick days, leave time, holiday pay and it saves the company money. >> reporter: this sounds like a pretty good deal for shippers transport but not a good deal for you. >> no it's not a good deal for us. >> reporter: critics call it

misclarification and a top priority for the labor department under the obama administration. in 2011 the department collected more than 5 million dollars in back wages on behalf of about 7,800 employees who had been misclafed. a misclassified. they have fired 300 additional investigators to probe complaints. >> we know thjs a big problem. >> labor secretary hilda solis says this hurts more than just employees because companies that misclassify workers avoid paying taxes and such benefits as workers' compensation. >> these are astronomical impacts on federal and state and local governments and hurts businesses playing by the rules and for employees has that are being ripped off. >> shippers transport did not respond to our request for a comment but bob diggs says many truckers choose to be independent contractors instead of employees.

>> trucking companies are not miss cla misclassifying workers. >> but they faltered a bit with a slip of the tongue. >> they believe they get a more productive employee -- excuse me a more effective worker and worker who is efficient and has skin in the game. >> as for dutch pryor, he wants to be treated fairly and that is important enough to put his job at risk. would you be fired for talking to me. >> >> i don't know. i will find out when this airs. my grandfather says you stand for something and you fall for anything so this is me standing up. >> john blackstone, cbs news. >> people flocking to miami beach for an art show. >> we will find out why it is all the rage this weekend. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. captain, we have to keep going!

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one of the star-studded art shows opened in america. it is an exhibition in miami beach, basel exhibition. >> tens of thousands go there and many celebrities to look and buy and so many of them told us why this art fair is important to them. >> i'm chair of the exhibition. baseel was considered a cultural waste land. when i moved here 30 years ago there wasn't a book store. art basel 100% changed the experience of the world as looking at miami beach as a destination that is way more than just a beach, just a drink in a restaurant, and we are -- we have all benefited from it. >> this show is about a 400,000 square foot plus show. it fills the entire convention center.

everything is out here on the floor. and that's what makes it such an energizing show. >> it's been great. >> is this your first time? >> a little overwhelming. my first time. >> 1969, pencil on paper. the amazing thing is it's hanging here with no guard in front of it. it's available for anybody to walk up and see firsthand. it's the most fun museum on earth. >> everything you see here was created in the 20th and 21st century. >> and it varies from edgy to comfortable. >> we have young artists and then we have masters. >> my name is james rosenqist. i'm a parent for 50 years. i hitchhiked to florida in 1953 with my water colors. no one was interested in museums at all. this, in part, is humanism into the community. it makes people aware of art.

>> this is an early rosenqu circumstances t called "brighter than the sun." 1961, i believe. this painting is over $4 million. >> it is a billion dollar boost to the economy. this is an art fair. it's an economic experience. it's not just a museum. still ahead, a visit from the one and only ben stein. >> he has an opinion on everything from herman cain to tax cuts and even zombies. nice to have him back with us in the studio. stick around. very serious! is only $399.99 dtv and this craftsman drill and impact driver kit just $99.99 real deals. real savings. sears

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good friday. did we mention that? >> is it friday today, all day? >> it is. welcome back to "the early show." i'm jeff glor, along with erica hill. chris wragge is off this morning. coming up here, movie called "the artist," is getting a lot of oscar buzz right now, even though it has hardly any sound. a throwback to the '20s and the silence movie era. there is some sound. >> music and dog barking and

phone ringing. >> it's getting a ton of attention. critical praise. another gamble for the weinstein company that is turning out big it appears. >> in a few minutes we will speak with harvey weinstein, one of the most powerful men in hollywood about the artist and my weekend with marilyn and a few things going on so looking forward to that coming up. first, ben stein has made plenty of bold comments. lately, he is comparing congress to zombies. >> he is a lawyer, professor, game show host and his latest book is called "what would ben stein do this morning?" he is here to chat with us. nice to have you with us. >> always an honor to be here. >> can we add aspiring skateboarder to that? >> i have my skateboarder shoes on. >> we should get you and tony hawk together. >> when i had a show, tony hawk was on and he skated over me.

i laid down on the ground and he skateboarded over me. >> did you try to pick up some moves from him? >> no. i was terrified. >> but the shoes work. >> the shoes are great. >> they are very comfortable. >> you want to talk a little politics? >> sure. go ahead. >> herman cain in the news a the although and we know he is going to meet with his wife for the first time since these latest allegations came about. you think things are getting too personal in politics? >> yes. he is a center. let them among you cast the first stone. he is not running for pope. he is not running for saint. he is running for president. we've had lots of presidents who have had girlfriends. we had president clintkennedy a president roosevelt and thomas jefferson had a very well documented affair. i'm not saying it's a great thing. i'm saying people are human and we can't judge people by super

human standards. >> we know what we get into. when you get into politics this day and age, you run for politics, every sing i'll thing that happens, somebody will pull it out. >> i agree. i totally agree but think that is something wrong with politics. i'd like them to concentrate on policy issues. it doesn't do an unemployed person one bit of good to concentrate on herman cain's love life. if you concentrate on economic policy, it will give a woman, a man, a job it means something. to concentrate on their love life doesn't mean a darn thing. >> which means you're not a fan of 9-9-9? into no, i'm no more in line with the president obama's policies. i think the rich should pay more taxes but i don't think 9-9-9 is the solution. i think extend the payroll tax lowering a while longer.

people are in hard times. i also think that for people who are genuinely suffering in unemployment they should extend the unemployment payments, but if you subsidize something you get more of it. we get a lot of unemployment to people would not otherwise do because we are subsidizing it. i live in north idaho part of the year and i know from talking to social workers there a lot of meth addicts and crack addicts able to do it because they are getting unemployment compensation. that somehow has got to stop. i don't know how but it's got to stop. >> not everybody who is unemployed is a meth addict. >> i'm talking about the merest timing of slice, of course, but any is too many. it's like what did we say about unemployment? any is too many. any people being subsidized to be meth addicts is too many but i doubt if there are very many but we don't want any. >> what about in terms of paying for the extension? everybody pretty much agrees at this point in washington they

are going to extend it but can't agree how to pay for it. how do you think they should pay for it? >> i probably will get murdered by my fellow republicans but i think they should raise taxes on very wealthy people. >> that is the best option? >> $9 million or more? >> not $250,000 or a million or 2 million. i often say i live in beverly hills part of the year. practically every person has at least one bentley. those people can't pay a few thousand more in taxes is hard to believe. many of them have two or three bentleys! this if if they can't afford to pay a little more, something is wrong. >> they could sell a bentley. >> i like the comparison to beverly hills and north idaho. speaking of one of the debates going on the payroll tax debate in congress. you called congress zombies. >> i said there is a zombie craze. i noticed my son who is up on all crazes, funny, he says we have to be aware of zombies.

he wants a special kind of steel grating for his windows where he and his wife live. >> to keep them out? >> yes. >> deadly serious. >> to keep out zombies. i have another close friend who in ohio who believes in zombies and i'm wondering where does the zombie craze come sfrom? like congress, they see problems and walk past them. the fact they cannot agree to cut $1.4 trillion out of something like a 40 trillion deficit is incredible. that is zombie land. >> real quickly. the zombie problem worse now than 30 years ago? >> way, way, way worse, way worse. >> put the bars on congress. >> to keep them in, not let them out. >> ben stein, thank you. terrell brown has a check of your headlines at 6 minutes past the hour. staying with that jobs theme. this morning, president obama unveils a new initiative designed to create jobs.

it's the $4 billion plan for energy upgrades in buildings answers $2 billion from long-term savings and the other half from funds. a new study from rutgers university has bad news those still unemployed. 7% who lost their job after the financial crisis have been able to get a job with equal or better pay. folks in california and five other western states are hoping they have seen the last of santa -- santa ana that is. wild santa ana winds blasted the region yesterday and some places gusting over 100 miles an hour. they blew trucks off highways and knocked over trees and brought down power lines. this morning, more than 225,000 people are still without power.

announcer: this portion of "the early show" sponsored by macy's. up next, some people achieve success by playing it safe. not harvey weinstein. >> the oscar winning producer tells us about taking a big risk his new movie "the artist." which is getting leave attention. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. hese letters will get to santa? yes, of course. hold still. almost there. a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's

and we'll donate to the make-a-wish® foundation. together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, [ growling ] captain, one step at a time.keep going! come on, snowy. look! did you ever see a more beautiful sight?

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"pulp fiction" and more. >> he hopes audience will injoy a black and white film called "the artist." and he thought it was time to explore the legend of marilyn monroe. harvey, good morning. >> nice to be here. >> good year for you. >> so far, so good. >> so tell us, talk about "the artist." it's getting good attention at that. what possessed you to back a silent film? >> possessed is probably a good word. >> you like that? >> oh, yeah. that's the softball of today. you know, i love silent movies. i went to film school. chaplain, keaton are the obvious choices and there are many, many more after that. but i followed this director because he made a james bond spoof called "os 117." i tried to get my brother to hire him to do a scary movie but

it didn't work out. i was a fan of him and knowing he was making a movie in los angeles and american movie direct by a french director. it's about the early days. but it's really, really funny. really, really smart. i like those kind of movies. >> i read like to watch people watch these movies. so have you been able to sit in a theater and get the audience's reaction "the artist"? i-not what i expected. >> you see it. the audience howl and explode in laughter. los angeles times said two recent movie miracles, "avitar" and the laugh and thrills and enjoyment is the same. >> "the artist" is not released in 3d? >> i'd like to thank you for

that. >> people say we have heard all we need to hear about marilyn monroe or everything has already been said. this is a different approach? >> i read an article where my mother said exactly that to me, enough of marilyn monroe. we found a boy 23 years old, first job on a movie to work on a movie laurence olivier is directing marilyn monroe. she has an article argument with arthur miller, her husband. he leaves and goes off to paris. the young boy gets closer and closer and really closer in a romance. even though the movie takes place over a period of time, we focus on this one gorgeous week where she kid naps him one day. they go skinny dipping on the lawn, something like you do every weekend. >> we know jeff a little too well. >> they go skinny dipping on the lawn of windsor castle and go through the windsor castle library and it's charming and fun.

the movie plays more like a comedy than the serious drama tragedy of marilyn. >> it's amazing some of the places where you could do things. >> i have been making movies in england for far too long and never get any of that stuff. i always say can we shoot here? the king's speech, can we shoot the palace? absolutely not. after "the king's speech," also i think there is footage you can see on youtube of the queen meeting marilyn monroe and amazing coincide they are exactly the same age. think what marilyn would be today. they got along famously according to all of the newspaper accounts. we asked for these. for sure they will never do it and somebody cut the red tape. we shot in every location we wanted to and controlled by the royal family, every location. >> not bad. >> next time you're at windsor castle, we'd like to join. >> jeff is wondering if you'd set up a meeting with pippa. >> skinny dipping with pippa on

the windsor castle, jeff, that would be good. >> where is your business going these days? >> movie business? >> yes. >> well, i think two parts of the movie business. there's the folks who make movies like i do which try to be a little different, you know, and not follow the rules. and then there's, you know, put on a cape and be a super hero. it's sort of boiled down to the two things. so for us -- >> it's that strict of a division? >> yes. i think people always say it's a award season. it has to be because the award season shines the light on the independent movies that not only our place but five or six other places make and the actors do something different and exciting make a low budget movie like george clooney. that light is an important light to be shown on a film because it gets people into the theater. people who normally wouldn't see that movie, they go and then they have an amazingly good time. it happened last year with "the king's speech" and it happened

with "black swan." and "true grit." people want to see something different and something different is a lot better than the same old thing. >> well, thank you. >> well said. >> for bringing us something different. thank you for being here this morning. >> jeff, i'll let you know about pippa. >> please do. let me know. >> i'll be there. up next, great work from the make a wish foundation. speaking of granting wishes! >> just ahead, you'll hear a survivor of childhood cancer telling how having his wish granted 19 years ago still has a major impact on his life today. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. ♪

write "you're pretty." you're pretty! ♪ i think he hurt his tibia. what's a tibia? [ female announcer ] cards are not for sending. ♪ they're for bringing us together. this holiday, select cards come postage-paid.

♪ as we have been telling you here, macy's is in the fourth year of its "believe" campaign and supporting the make a wish foundation. foundation surveyed thousands of people to assess the impact of the wishes it granted and not surprisingly, the results are very impressive.

>> that, they are. this went off in a cancer children specialist is dr. kasum and paul had his wish granted nearly 20 years ago and is here. nice to have you both here. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> you have an idea of what a wish can do for a child and it's an incredible organization. to have this number. they found 74% of parents said it marked a turning point in treatment. do you see that once a child's wish has been granted, there is a change? >> absolutely. you know, when a child who has a lifetime illness has an opportunity to make a wish, to actually make wish that they want, finally, they have an opportunity to have some self-control over -- some control over their life, so they feel very empowered because they have made a decision to do this wish and when the wish is granted, they come back, you know, amazingly happy and, you know, very positive. >> paul, you can talk about some

of the stuff firsthand. 81% of parents and 58% of health care professionals witness the increased willingness of a wish recipient to go along with difficult treatments. we know how difficult these can be at times. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> and they need that little help every once in a while. >> did you feel it, paul? i mean, after your wish? you were 11 years old. you had nonhodgkin's lymphoma and you have your wish granted. how did it impact you and the way that you dealt with your treatment? >> basically, there is two types of pain that a child must endure. physical and emotional pain. the physical pain, it comes and goes. it will subside but the emotional pain is really what sticks with you. so to have this wish, to me, was, you know, the light at the end of the tunnel. it gave me something to look forward to. it gave me hope that i was going to beat cancer and i was going to survive and i was going to celebrate it with my wish.

>> here you are 20 years later. what was your wish? >> i decided to take my family on a trip to cancun, mexico. we went to mexico for seven days and make a wish was absolutely amazing. they sent a limo to come pick us up. i think in the early '90s. it was a big deal to get on a wish list. it wasn't like, mom, there is a phone in the car! it was wonderful. and we had spending money. we went snorkeling, went surfing and went to the mayan ruins and wonderful and the first time our family had done something together since i had been sick. >> when a child gets a life-threatening illness, it doesn't just affect the child. it affects the siblings because they feel very isolated and the family is stressed out. the family bonds and they get strength and they have a wish they can do together so it's an incredible feeling and it's an incredible way to strengthen an entire family. when they come back, everyone is in a different state. >> renewed energy and nice to

take a break from the realities. >> absolutely. >> really nice to have both of you with us this morning. we want to highlight the campaign "believe" campaign. all you have to do is write a letter. >> if you'd like to grant a wish, stop by the "believe" station at your local macy's and write that letter to santa. macy's will [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices...

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♪ welcome back to "the early show." i'm erica hill along with jeff glor. chris is off this morning. just ahead, probably about time to get those christmas cards in the mail. >> yeah. >> i'm not even close to being ready for that.

sign them, write them out, write out all of the addresses, put the stamps on. it is just exhausting! >> my goodness. >> so -- nice. as is our job, that part of it. there is now an easier way to do your christmas cards thanks to a few new apps. beautiful cards. your message. your picture. something you can do on your smart phone and people will mail them for you and it's fantastic. we will show them to you and how much it will cost. >> the double life of somebody we know. >> and love. >> we know and love and both worked overseas with them. pete gow works in the cbs news london bureau. he spends plenty of time in the war zone and he comes back and writes songs so we will show you more from pete in a few minutes. take a listen. >> he has a new album. ♪

>> when you look at him, you can tell. >> scruffy. >> he is scottish, right? >> yes, he is. proudly scottish. consumers are spending more of their incomes than in years but not buying the same things we used to. >> a commerce department report finds some fundamental changes in where our money is going. personal finance expert la jean that lewis -- regina lewis is here. it seems like the retail therapy? >> a good way to put it. it's the american way. americans love their spending. what we are spending has changed and what we have fallen in love with. we are creating to impulse buys and quick fixes at affordable price points that make us feel and look good now. we are all about the now so living on a shoestring but in the moment. >> why is that? how big is the shift up? >> the numbers are really significant so take a look. 93.1% of our after-tax income is

going to goods and services, record levels as you led with. here what is what we are not buying. when you're this close to close you're not hiring a lawyer. you can't afford the fight. you're not repairing your couch. if it breaks, plop rop it up wi books. those are the bigger ticket items are long-term investment that kills you to pay money on because it doesn't make you feel instantly good and we are foregoing. >> what are we buying? >> take a look at this list and personalize it, if you can. wine. the ultimate impulse purchase and makes you feel instantly good up 14%. pretty recession-proof. it was only down 2% during the recession. as opposed to if you're following this line of thinking, wine glasses, not as much. that's a learning term investment in my home, a bigger price point. i will buy the wine and use the glasses i have. >> we talked about whether or not the great recession has

permanently changed consumer behavior. we see spending is back up again which is good news for some parts of the economy but, then again, many hope we save as well. how has it changed? >> yeah. i mean, i think ben stein and i, the economist and i were talking about. this off stage. i think housing has to shift for the washer and dryer example. in order to invest in my home i no longer assume is an appreciating asset i have to be convince of that and when the big picket items will come back. we are doing something buying products and not on a math level. shampoo and conditioner you bought in a grocery store. as things improve you might buy it at the salon. maybe not the highest price point but the second highest price point. cosmetics you might pick up a high-end name grand nail polish and makes you feel good. disposable contact lenses.

they are pricey but it's called graduating up and not a must but i like it and i can afford it. those are the things we are buying. not buying carpet. >> we are spending more pets, too? absolutely. talk about recession-proof. the pet industry expected to grow 33% over the next five years. i dare say any of us could find something else projected to have that kind of growth. i think what it is is affordable, unconditionable love. >> never hurts. never hurts. >> not at all. >> regina lewis, thanks. >> of course. here is terrell brown at the news desk with a final check of today's other headlines for us. >> unconditional love over here? >> always! >> lots. >> thank you. police in florida looking for a purse snatcher targeting gas station customers. surveillance video from last month was released showing a man sneaking out to grab a purse from a car where the driver is pumping gas and make a clean get-away. coca-cola is canning its new white cans for the holidays. the new design was supposed to

raise money for polar bears but consumers apparently confused the white can for diet coke and some say it changes the taste of coke. just drink it! geez! a christmas tree light show in washington, you'll love this. best seat in the house is kermit, the frog, perched on the shoulders of first lady michelle obama. her met came face-to-face with our own bob schieffer. >> miss piggy has owner hher ow like "face the nation" it's "face the creature." you can see bob on "face the nation" sunday morning on cbs. time for w

arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords has made remarkable coverage after the gunshot to her head in january. her husband, astronaut navy captain mark kelly joins us. this book is going back and recounting the things that happened on january 8th. what happened in tucson. what was it like for to relieve it because you weren't there

that day and it made it difficult for you. >> it was tough day for not only the people in tucson but people around the country. initially, we thought she had died. it was a really difficult day. and we talk about that a lot in the book, you know, what that day was like when she found out she had died and then later we found out well, that actually wasn't the truth. >> she has become such a source of inspiration and hope for so many people across the country, people who may not have known who she was because she didn't live in tucson and weren't familiar with her as a lawmaker. what is that like to take the impact? >> she is an inspiring person and always been that to me but now she is to a lot of other americans and people throughout the world. you know, i think it's easier for me because i experience it every day, you know, outside talking to people about it, people come up to me and approach me. it's much less -- it occurs much less for her, but she is -- you know, it helps her with her recovery. >> people get very excited

whenever a new picture is released, when we heard her speak and when she showed up in congress, the impact that had. how do you make those decisions, though, as to what to share or how does she decide when she is ready to talk about something or to put herself out there? >> what we did when we decided we would write a book, gabby and i talked about it. we figured since people are going to pay a lot of money for a hard cover book and we're going to put everything in it, so we wrote the whole story and we didn't leave anything out. i think it's an incredibly inspiring story. people have told me this is like a danielle steel novel, but it's true, it's not fiction. >> i read that, before your relationship, i mean, before the shooting rather, in your relationship, gabby did about 70% of the talking? >> at least. >> things have changed a little bit since then. >> significantly. >> her speech is limited. she is communitying with you but in a much different way. what is that like for the two of you to reverse these roles? >> at the beginning of her recovery, she couldn't speak at all. now we are coming up on a year

later and she is still improving every week but it is a little bit -- a little bit of a role reversal for us but, you know, we are really positive about the outcome. she is looking forward to getting back to work and it's -- you know, it's been -- you know, we've had ups and downs, but n general, a lot of the experience has been very positive. >> you mentioned getting back to work. a lot of people want to know what exactly does that mean? when do you foresee that happening? >> so she would have to file to run for re-election in may. so some time before may, she will decide if she wants to continue and can continue to do the job of a member of congress, you know? congress men and women work very, very hard. it's a grueling schedule and she has to see if she is up for that. >> that is something you're still waiting to decide. >> yes. she'll make the decision on her own schedule when she is ready. >> so what about you? what is next for you? >> i don't know. you know, my primary purpose in life right now is to make sure that gabby has everything she

needs to recover and also, you know, we have two teenage daughters in high school and that is always a challenge to get them, you know, through high school and off to college so we are looking forward to that. then for me, i'll see. >> who knows. ever thought of running for office yourself? >> i've been asked a lot. she is the politician in the family. and, you know, she will come back and serve, you know, her constituents at some point in some way and she'll decide in time. for me, i could nfigure that ou later. >> it's not a no. before i let you go, we covered a lot of the space program, especially over the summer as we say good-bye to the shuttle program. not to the space program. any thoughts on where things are headed now in the recent developments we have seen with the move to mars? >> we even talk about that in our book. my shuttle mission that was, you know, a tough thing to decide, given the light of everything that happened. so i do talk about the space program a little bit. and, you know, right now we have

retired the space shatuttle. nasa is going to build other vehicles. companies out there like space-x who last year orbited a spacecraft which is a remarkable accomplishmentment. i think we will be flying soon, first to the space station and maybe aster roieoided or one da hopeful to mars. >> thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you. chris misses the biggest card sending holiday of all with 1.5 billion cards going out by snail mail and if you hate writing all of those cards by hand, guess what? there is an app for that. c-net.com bridgetcarrie is here with more. >> we have a personal to take

care of printing and mailing of your holiday cards. it's simple. open up the app. you take what photo do i want? you plug it into a design there is and whatever words you want. say, all right, what context do i send it to? bam. apple takes care of it. prints it out. and this is a folding card. this is one of the many design options you can do and they have a nice envelope to go with it. >> wow! >> this is going to cost you -- >> what does that cost me? >> this will cost you $2.99 per card. >> whoa. >> if you send it international, it's $3.99. >> maybe for a few select special people. >> is there a cheaper option. >> what is that? >> doing a post card. app that is called sincerely ink. this is one of many designs and on the back, postage paid for and everything. it's just under $2. about $1.69.

>> sincerely ink. >> you can do for this anything, too? if you want to send a thank you note. >> how cool if you're on vacation and you can send a vacation post card while you're still on vacation? >> without having to find a post office, i like it. but that's for apple, the card app. >> right. hallmark, american greetings are not doing apps like this but pumping tech into their cards because they want you in the store to buy some stuff. so how would you like a digital photo frame inside your card? doing that this holiday. more than music. music is yesterday. >> looks like a book almost. >> exactly. they do have some cards. >> who is in there? >> yeah, who is that? >> crazy people. >> exactly how it works. you take a photo. it has a little usb port in here. you pull it out. plug it into your computer and drag the photos on. >> oh, man! >> it's 20 bucks. >> how many photos does it store? >> this stores 50 photos. it plays the photos you put in there. >> if you want to send somebody

50 pictures it's a cool way to do it. >> you were decorating me yesterday. >> but if $20 is too much, cards also. >> my son and i know your son too. our kids go crazy for these. >> they love these things. >> fiber optics is light up. all sorts of new motion and light up now. >> this is a cool one too. i don't know if you can get a shot of this. i press this and the stereo and then. >> 1-2-3! ♪ >> it's about 7 bucks! >> 7 bucks for this? >> it's not too much from a singing card but now a new surprise this year. >> it is kind -- it's a pricey card but if you have kids, honestly $7 you will get your money's worth out of it because they will play this thing until you want to throw it in the garbage. bridget, nice to have you here. >> thanks. ahead, the music of the one and only pete gow. >> 1-2, 1-2-3! >> he is a talented singer song

writer. he made greetings cards at some point. cool stuff. we love pete and we will show

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pete gow is the lead guitarist and singer for the british band case harden which just put out a new album. >> most of his fans, though, don't know that off stage, he often spends his time doing things far different than what they see on stage. hopping on a plane at a moment's notice to go into a war zone to cover the news. as charlie d'agata reports, he is totally serious about both. >> 30 seconds. 30 seconds away from the show. >> reporter: pete gow, cbs news journalist on assignment in egypt just last week. >> okay, let's do it. ♪ >> reporter: pete gow, singer/songwriter, on stage in the uk.

>> this is the bit that everybody else finds incredible. send something ifb. >> reporter: he says producing news pieces and performing music makes him a better story teller and better at both. >> they are both short form. they are both concise. two-minute news spot like a song, you have to, you know, best foot forward and hit them hard. best lines at the top and, you know, you strike it. the parallels are very similar. >> reporter: in his first job in journali journalism, he was thrown in baghdad during some of the worst of the violence. >> i spent seven years in baghdad and when i came back from baghdad, i realized i had never been out on a shoot and never done a live shot where i didn't wear a flak jacket or take four guys with guns with me. >> reporter: in the early hours after he put the news to bed, he would write and record demos on his computer in his hotel room. ♪

♪ it's 2:00 room is black ♪ >> i'd go back there 3:00, 4:00 in the morning and quietly record a few of the songs. i whispered quiet and made it all the way through on to the record. >> reporter: baghdad at sunrise inspired the first line of the album. ♪ coming down looking out over a steady bleach by the sun ♪ >> reporter: when it came time for his band case harden to release the album, word got out as pete's other life as a journalist and looking for a back story and capitalize on it, pete downplayed it. >> i think it would swallow up. the whole record and me being a musician and the band would be defined as that guy that went to iraq. >> reporter: he has been just about everywhere since, including tripoli on that

afternoon when rebels stormed colonel moammar gadhafi's compound. >> a lot of gun fighting and celebratory. it's very difficult to work out whether a firefight going on or celebrate getting into the compound. for this moment, at least nobody here really cares where moammar gadhafi is. it was just elation throughout and it was great to be part of that. ♪ a little bit of money reputation reason to reason best way of getting things done ♪ ♪ give me a job >> reporter: he has written a couple of songs about his experiences in the field but he didn't think they had a place on his band's albums. >> they are much, much happier playing songs about all of the women that have done terrible things to me, about drinking too much, about having too much fun and getting in trouble.

>> reporter: he admits doing both jobs well, takes a balancing act and all of his time. but don't ask him to choose one. >> they are the two aspects that make me up because there is nothing else in my life. whoa is me. ♪ i should try to make something out of nothing ♪ ♪ feel the tingle confused with you ♪ >> i couldn't be without either and i really wouldn't want to be. ♪ >> reporter: charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. ♪ singing hallelujah ♪ >> there is one other part of his life and that is his great friends. so i disagree with him. >> it's true. he is such a good guy. >> i spent a month with pete in

baghdad. one of the most memorable experiences in my life. >> he is a fantastic guy. you should get the album. case harden is the album. have a great weekend. we will see you back here on monday. >> good night.

gary, what happened to robyn? >> he's breaking his silence. what he says happened to the missing american tourist in aruba. >> they want to know if you had anything to do -- >> absolutely not, absolutely not. >> then, out of my way! the prime suspect in the people's court missing mom case, his violent outburst. and why would the mom of the missing woman give him a hug? and it's up