joe fryer, nbc news. >>> an american olympic champ has died rayford johnson wa the u.s. team's first black captain and won gold at the 1960 decathlon. years later he was working with robert f. kennedy's campaign when rfk was fatally shot johnson helped subdue the assassin and acting appearing i "license to kill." johnson was 86. >>> in a dark time, how communities are lighting up. >>> there's plenty of light this holiday season and people can't seem to get enough here's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: let there be light. >> merry christmas >> reporter: in the darkness of isolation. >> is it good to get out of the house >> yes >> reporter: a thousand families a night together in their cars as they share the light chicago's drive through fantasy. >> we have brought the whole family including the hamster. >> reporter: across the country, pop-up light shows are a breath of fresh air to safely celebrate at the chicago botanic garden - >> it's amazing. >> reporter: a labyrinth of light this is one heck of an experience >> it certainly is ♪ >> reporter: here time tickets ensure a s

nbc's joe fryer has more. >> reporter: the announcement was big enough to warrant its own trailer.arner brothers movies will be released in service and on hbomax. >> the exact same day. >> what now? >> reporter: that means while in theaters they can also be watched at home for a month, available to anyone paying hbomax's monthly fee, $14.99 in all, we're talking about 17 movies including remake of "dune," and the musical "in the heights. >> you're hoping to make some box office revenue by having it in theaters for those comfortable going to theaters, and then for everyone else, they're hoping it will drive people to streaming. >> reporter: warnermedia calls this a unique one-year plan saying most will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021 movie theaters and studios have struggled based on covid restrictions and the lack of blockbusters, which means for now some movies are coming to a theater or tv or mobile device near you joe fryer, nbc news. >> they say it's a one-year plan. >> i hope it doesn't go beyond that. >> a lot of people are used to it. >>> up next, the hear

joe fryer now on one doctor's tragic battle. >> reporter: dr. carlos arroyo presis spent most of 2020 battling covid, first as a pulmonologist on the front lines. >> full force. like, he never stopped. >> reporter: then as a patient. >> it's an indiscriminate virus. >> >> reporter: paige king was a nurse practitioner in the professional practice and a loving partner in his personal life she saw him care for the sickest of the sick in the houston area until late october when he got sick >> he was a healthy man with no, you know, no -- nothing against him. >> reporter: yet the virus attacked his lungs, then later shifted to his brain a rare but serious covid complication that ended the doctor's life. >> we are broken i don't even know how to move on >> reporter: he also leaves behind two children >> i honestly don't think i have come to accept like i feel like i -- i haven't reached the level of acceptance. >> reporter: daughter adriana says her father was born in el salvador, came to america in the '90s to become a doctor. >> we represent what he

nbc's joe fryer now with a look at how it all unfolded. >> five, four, three, two, one -- >> reporternal seconds of 2019 ticked away, jubilant revelers in times square were eager to embrace a new year, bliftfully unaware of what the next 12 months would bring. >> let's bring ever win up to speed on the story breaking in china where they closed off a major city at the center of that mysterious and growing viral outbreak. >> reporter: it started in january with news of a mysterious virus overseas, first ravaging china and then stretching across the globe. >> to start the day today, the coronavirus had been found in roughly three dozen countries around the world. >> reporter: before long, covid-19 penetrated america's borders, first a little, then a lot. >> now more than 500 cases of coronavirus here in the united states. >> the ncaa officially canceled the march madness tournament, men and women's. >> reporter: as the virus spread, our vernacular spread. >> social distancing. >> social distancing. >> social distancing. >> >> reporter: we were told to stay home, work from home, learn fro

thank you to joe fryer for that.inly reflecting on this year and figuring out what lessons we can take with us. steph ruhle shares her hopes for the new year. >> in 2021, i hope we stay connected. i don't mean social media connected with views and likes. i mean connected like with our family. who we didn't get to see face to face or our neighbors who maybe we only waved to before this year and then they became a lifeline. i hope we keep this sense of ke community and put love first because that's what matters. >> i hope we do, too. what are you doing new year's eve? that's the big question. we'll look at the preps for a very different celebration than usual in times square. we'll be right back. with less of the sugar you don't. [grunting noise] i'll take that. woohoo! 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. ensure max protein. with nutrients to support immune health. the sleep number 360 smart bed. prices of the season on can it help with snoring? i've never heard snoring. ...exactly. no problem. ...and done. and no

nbc's joe fryer has more. >> reporter: when the year began no one would have batted an eye at a sightrt. before long, though, stadium stages were replaced by living room live streams. ♪ as the coronavirus pandemic grounded music tours, shuttered broadway shows and upended the entertainment industry. >> you're watching a very special social distancing edition of "the late show." >> reporter: late night shows adapted early. >> the second time for monologue. >> reporter: "saturday night live" reinventing itself in the age of zoom. >> and live from zoom, it's sometime between march and august. >> yeah! >> reporter: viewers were stuck at home too with plenty of time on their hands. it's why streaming surged with netflix seeing record-breaking growth. for many viewers, one show was king. the documentary series "tiger king" captivated the country in the early days of the lockdown. >> i've been doing this 20 years and never even been bit. >> reporter: but for the big screen, a different story, as movie theaters were shut down. over the summer, cinemas in some parts of the country did reopen w

we're almost there i'm in my third trimester so we're doing good >> for today, joe fryer, nbc "today.forming "holidays," here she is, meghan trainor ♪ it's a celebration, get ready for the holidays ♪ ♪ it's a celebration, so baby don't you stop ♪ ♪ you've got that look in your r eyes ♪ ♪ let's have a time of our you ♪ even lives, you can feel it ♪ ♪ even if you dance alone ♪ you deserve a cheer ♪ because you've been working way too long, baby listen ♪ so don't ♪ it's a celebration, get ready for the holidays ♪ ♪ it's a celebration, so baby don't you stop dancing with me ♪ ♪ holiday, holiday, holiday, holiday, holiday ♪ ♪ holiday, holiday, holiday, holiday ♪ ♪ oh baby don't you stop ♪ let me hear you say i'm ready for the holidays ♪ crazy, can you feel we're going crazy, can you feel it ♪ ♪ even if you dance alone, you ♪ you've been deserve a cheer ♪ ♪ you've been working way too long ♪ ♪ baby listen, it's a celebration, yeah ♪ ♪ holiday, holiday, holiday ♪ oh, it's a celebration, don't stop dancing with me ♪ ♪ holiday, stop dancing with me ♪ ♪ holiday, holiday, holiday ♪ ooh, it's a h

joe fryer has all the details. >> no, say it.essons that we've learned about how important it is to take care of one another. >> reporter: but it's a tiny star that steals the show. >> the first recorded word of archie and one of the lightest moments of a podcast packed with stars. >> i hope after this awful pandemic has passed that we have become better people >> we never want to go back to a time where we couldn't hug or touch or love people because of a virus. >> reporter: a collection of performers and activists opening up about the challenges of the past year. it is the first of many projects for the duke and duchess in their post royal life. the podcast is part of a dial with spotify and the couple signed on to produce content with netflix. >> he has a podcast voice. >> reporter: the sussexes are using their new platform to spread deep messages >> trust us when we say love wins >> love always wins. >> so true darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that >> the message of this song is one we hold so dearly. it's

this morning, many of the fans are paying tribute to her life here is nbc's joe fryer. ♪ the professord will. >> reporter: part of a group of castaways stranded on an island. >> where are the bandages? >> they're in her hair. >> reporter: dawn wells won hearts as mary ann when the tour turned into a three season run. >> the most beautiful. mrs. howell is the most gracious and last but not least, maryann is the sweetest. >> reporter: her character at the center of a debate. >> ginger and mary ann, how many times have you heard it in the lifetime >> i always win when they're talking to me. they aren't going to say ginger. i'd punch them in the nose. >> show some authority >> i think i can. >> tell them. >> i think i can. >> go out and show them! >> i can >> reporter: the show's cult following, a result of re-runs. >> what was the appeal, do you think, dawn, if the critics didn't like it, why did people enjoy the show so much >> i think several reasons it's timeless. everyone has a fantasy of wanting to be marooned with my experience the last 30 years, listening to fans, it was their fami

and as you mentioned joe fryer is with us. >> during the pandemic, we've tudios toying around with the by going all in, applying this model in every single release in 2021 >> go, go, go! >> for hollywood, a seismic shift. >> warner brothers pictures is bringing you the biggest premieres. >> reporter: as one of the industry's iconic studios is trying something new in the covid era, 17 warner brothers' films slated for next year will hit theaters and hbo max on the same day. the studio and the streamer are properties of warner media which said in a statement announcing the news, "we're living in unprecedented times which call for creative solutions," adding "no one wants films back on the big screens more than we do. >> you probably never heard my name. >> reporter: and hotly anticipated films including the film by manual miranda, and the film from josiah, and the "suicide squad" are also part of the one-year experiments following warner brothers' decision to release dual release of "wonder woman" hitting hbo max and the theaters on christmas day. this is to rethink the age-old ways of t

nbc's joe fryer talked to both of them. >> it's taken me ten years to build these three restaurants andl to be torn down. >> reporter: it is a raw, real look at the restaurant industry during unreal times. >> i hope we get out of this stronger i keep convincing myself that we will but it's frightening. >> reporter: "restaurant hustle 2020 all on the line" is a new documentary that follows four chefs and business owners in their own words. >> what if this is the year that changes the next 50 years. >> reporter: their honest emotions. >> i can't see my grandkids. >> reporter: as the covid pandemic upends that if industry >> we had to layoff the managers and the rest of the remaining team. >> you're on a sinking ship but asking somebody to take journal notes as to what it felt like when this went down. >> reporter: guy fieri teamed with the food network and enlisted his culinary colleagues like marcus samuelson to document the unprecedented challenges that have caused one in six restaurants to go out of business. >> it was a very trying time to listen to your friends that you love and resp

the 73-year-old died friday night from complications from multiple sclerosis, and more from joe fryerave been complete without lenny and squiggy. >> hello. >> reporter: david lander, who played andrew squigman was the smaller half of lenny and skwiggy and two lovable laughers from upstairs and the neighbors who played on the hit '70s sitcom. >> there is no reason on earth why prince charming cannot walk through our front door. >> hello. >> reporter: the show ran eight seasons on abc from 1976 to '83, making lenny and squiggy household names, creating a cult following, spawning a line of squiggy dogs, lunch boxes, even an album. ♪ night after night ♪ but only for a while ♪ i try to find me someone new >> reporter: while he was a character -- >> he's based on a real person, as is lenny. both michael and lenny did not like the people they were pacing it on. >> reporter: lander amassed 120 movie and tv credits he is best known for raising money for multiple sclerosis research. he was diagnosed in 1994, but kept it a secret until 1999 fearing that he would be rejected by hollywood. >> i to

. >> nbc's joe fryer joins us with details on this lucrative deal hello, joe. >> to say the least.tting plenty of money to put his money where his mouth is, a hugely lucrative contract for one of the most powerful voices in media. the king of all media is extending his reign this morning. howard stern announced his new contract tuesday with satellite radio giant sirius xm. >> i've signed a five-year deal with sirius satellite radio, stay for another five years. >> reporter: the financial details were not officially disclosed but bloomberg is reporting it's up to $120 million per year for five years. >> radio is my love. it's been great to me. >> reporter: stern built his reputation as a raw shock jock in the '80s and '90s. >> we'll have more sex on this show than we've ever had. >> reporter: on full display in his bio pic, "private parts. >> i have 11 kills in vietnam and i'm telling you, i really should have had more. >> reporter: in recent years, a nuanced interviewer, drawing praise for getting his guests to be candid and spontaneous. >> that's pretty perceptive. your therapy re