he tells matt lauer he has beaten the big "c." >>> college football's national title game decided inhe final seconds thanks to an unusual play. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning -- former house majority leader tom delay has been sentenced to three years in prison for illegally funneling corporate money to texas republican candidates back in 2002. delay, who also received ten years probation, was released on $10,000 bail yesterday pending an appeal which could last months if not years. >>> rescuers in australia are racing to reach trapped residents after an inland tsunami killed at least eight people and left dozens wounded yesterday. residents ran to escaped a 20-foot high wall of water that ripped houses from their foundations. >>> officials in germany are monitoring a sinkhole which so far swallowed three cars. authorities think melting water from recent snowstorms in the region may have caused the problem. >>> and the hubble space telescope has snapped a pict

matt lauer is -- matt lauer is hot. me too, me too. >> if you want a job on this show, you're sucking up to the wrong person. >> i don't know why i said -- i do know why. i just felt like, hey, meeting matt lauer would be the greatest thing that could have happened. i knew i had arrived in new york, meeting you guys. >> the greatest thing that could happen is that you get your life on board and you get the help that you need. >> i'll keep you guys abreast of what's going on. i don't know how i'll get in contact with you personally to say, hey, meredith. >> we'll give you our numbers. when this lady speaks to you, you listen. >> i don't disappoint her anymore. >> we wish you all the best. ted williams and julia williams, thank you. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> oh, what a great story and a great lady. and we have a lot of nice ladies here all from the same coast, what's the deal. >> jupiter, florida. >> he's a dentist. >> you're a dentist. >> i'm a dentist. all right, very nice. >> let's check your wea

. >> what did he say about matt lauer? >> that it brings out the girl in him, matt lauer is so good looking. >>> this comes to us from wluv tv 6 in marquette, michigan. one high school student's determination has made his an inspiration. cody has been wheelchair bound since he was 5, but his disability doesn't stand in his way from playing high school football. he underwent strength training for a year and not only an asset to the team but an inspiration to his community. now inspiring the nation, he is the only player from michigan's upper peninsula nominated for a national athletic award. good for him. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> in japan, the current hero of an ancient sport performed a secret tradition. thousands gathered to see the grand champion perform new year's rights at a tokyo shrine. the 24 -pound wrestler is only the 6th champion of a sport historians dated back 2000 years. the honor of performing the rights is all the mo

. >>> actor michael douglas sits down with matt lauer for his first interview since being diagnosed with cancer. >>> it turns out a popular drug for depression may hold the key to treating stroke victitimvict >>> e you a couch potato? how sitting around can affect your health. >>> tonight we are tracking increasing clouds and increasing chance of rain and chilly temperatures on the way. those big changes in your forecast>>ing t ck. until i look at the gumline. the problem is, you could have plaque along your gumline that can lead to gingivitis. in fact, one in two adults actually has gingivitis and might not even know it. that's why i recommend new crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gumline, helping prevent gingivitis. and it's been clinically proven to help reverse it... in just four weeks. it also protects these other areas dentists check most. new crest pro-health clinical toothpaste. for healthier gums. >>> breaking news from richmond. a 16-year-old has been shot and killed apparently. this happening in richmond. police are on the sc

, man -- >> jimmy: yeah, we like matt lauer. >> he brings the female out in me, because that matt lauere you? >> i have a friend of mine that's handling all these, because now i'm the official voice of kraft macaroni and cheese. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] and the commercial -- my first commercial that i cut today will debut on the -- i think it's called "the huddle for hunger bowl" this sunday when nebraska meets boston college. >> jimmy: all right. >> so, when you hear the kraft sponsor, that's my first spot. and i may get tearful, but, yeah, that's my first thing. [ cheers and applause ] yeah. >> jimmy: congratulations. i'm so happy -- so happy for you, man. how do they get a hold of you? do you have a name? >> ted williams -- 614-328 -- >> jimmy: all right, that's the phone number. [ laughter ] i mean, you're going to get so many phone calls. wow, why not? i mean, that's the way to get a hold of you. >> i don't have a website or anything like that. >> jimmy: absolutely, understood. well, i can't thank you enough for coming on our show and blessing us with your presence on our show. we

matt lauer. oh, god. oh, god. oh, man.gain with ted williams this morning, record, the open to our program. >> yes, sir. man what a -- >> amazing job offers, cleveland cavaliers want you to -- >> some radio station, i forget the call letters but in honolulu and they have invited me there, all expense paid and do some voices for them that's all. you know, and then -- and then the ryan seacrest show, earlier, i did some drops for him and ""access hollywood"" and the fine people at kraft macaroni and cheese offered me a little deal, being the official voice of kraft macaroni and cheese. even the cavs deal was a two-year signing with them at home and that's been so long, in and i have had an apartment of my own, let alone a home. of course, i don't think i will be able to afford the bills that -- >> i don't know, you get one of these jobs, you probably will be able to afford a home, you can have. and to think about that. >> oh, and i'm going to jimmy fallon tonight. >> you are? >> yeah. jimmy fallon. it's jimmy fallon live fro

and justin bieber talks to matt lauer and surprises one lucky fan on the plaza. >>> now keep it on thisannel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i was told that i was at risk for sudden cardiac death. i was 23 years old, i wasn't overweight. i never dreamed this would happen to me. when the doctor told me i had three blocked arteries, i felt like i was punched in the gut. i found out that one in three women die from heart disease. how did i not know that?

and matt lauer catches up with kardash kardashian sisters courtney and kim.t here for weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com just joined? new year's resolution! we want a healthier lifestyle... so we can have more energy to do more stuff. healthy lifestyle? well, you should also start enjoying activia or activia light. activia, for us? sure, it's for people who want to feel good inside. when you feel good, you're more likely to get out there and enjoy life! mmm! mmm! i like this resolution. mm-hmm! here is the activia promise-- love how you feel or your money back! ♪ activia

this week he announced some good news in an interview with matt lauer. >> i feel good, relieved that the tumor is gone. but, you know, i have to check out on a monthly basis now to maintain. i guess there's been a total euphoria. i'll probably take a couple of months of getting checked out to feel -- but it's been a wild six-month ride. >> he looks good and his voice sounds great. our friend, michael douglas, told our friend matt, he lost 32 pounds during his cancer treatment and he's now, quote, eating like a horse to get back to his healthy, fighting weight. >>> college football championship game was up in phoenix last night and after a moment of silence, of course, for the tucson shooting victims, the game between oregon and auburn was on and it ended on a nail-biter with auburn kicking a field goal just as time expired for the 22-19 win. auburn's first national football title 70s 1957. >>> retired army major dick winters has died. he was best known as the leader of the 101st airborne division's easy company during world war ii. the band of brothers in the book and later in a seri

here's matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone., president obama and the first lady michelle obama will appear on the south lawn of the white house to lead this nation in a moment of silence to honor the victims of saturday's mass shooting in tucson, arizona. people nationwide, i think it's safe to say, still reeling from this heinous crime. among the wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords. the suspect, 22-year-old jared loughner is due in court today. he faces five counts, including murder and attempted assassination of a member of congress. authorities say he has not said a word to them since his arrest. and the questions continue. what sent this man over the edge? let's go to tucson right now. nbc's brian williams is there. that question of why is one that it may be hard to find an answer to. >> yes, that's right, matt. although here in tucson on local media, about 20 people have come forward with small pieces of this puzzle. one of them, a woman who went to community college with the accused shooter, has produced an e-mail sh

>> that's snooki. >> i heard you and matt, i heard there was a little connect on your part with matt lauer> he's really hot in person. yeah. >> i'm sure matt will be happy. >> you know what? you're a lot of fun, snooki. but start -- can i give you a little motherly advice? value yourself more. just give yourself away to just any jerk. okay? >> oh. gotcha. >> everybody's favorites -- well, kathie lee's favorite kid cook. reed alexander is here. but first these messages. [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon have such a sweet and delicious aroma that my family can't wait to get their hands on them. enjoy cinnabon cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon rolls. whoa! that achy cold needs alka-seltzer plus! it rushes multiple cold fighters, plus a powerful pain reliever, wherever you need it! [ both ] ♪ oh what a relief it is! wherever you need it! revlon has something cool for your skin. infused with hydrating coconut water, new revlon colorstay aqua mineral makeup is a refreshing lightweight powder that feels cool on your skin... leaving it smooth and luminous

i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry.eredith is taking today off. >>> coming up, you go out to eat and then that free bread basket arrives. you open the menu, you can order all you can eat soups and salads and more. davidson is here to tell you why those offers sound appealing to your wallet but may not be good at all for your health. >>> also ahead this morning, a very special open house. does this look familiar? take a look. this is the home that served as the compound in "the god furtfa" now it could be yours. we'll take you inside. >>> also ahead, ann is going to head back to high school to live out her long-lost dream of her be our nightmare? we'll tell you more about that. >>> first, speaking of music, "american idol" returned last night with jennifer lopez and steven tyler at the judges' table for the first time. take a look. ♪ you've got to ♪ he truly feels >> you scared everybody in the room. >> didn't work for you? >> how did you do this for ten years? >> "american idol" after simon cowell? >> one of our researc

. >> this is "today" with katie couric, and matt lauer.the job, i was nervous. >> meredith vieira is here and it's great to have you. >> i feel like it's the first day of school and i'm sitting next to the cutest guy in class. >> my feet would hit the floor after the alarm went off and i would almost shudder that i was going to do the "today" show. >> when the "today" show theme started playing and i saw, you know, bryant gumbel and katherine couric, it was such an out of body experience. >> you get that call, you know, we would like you to fill in for willard. it's something you dreamed about is about to happen. >> ann is officially our news leader. >> it's great to be here, i can't think of three people i would rather spend 7:00 in the longer. >> i remember i would be so nervous sometimes i would just be sweating. >> it's more than an honor to be part of this show, it's a dream come true. i didn't realize they had "today" girls, but that was actually a sign of the times back then. florence henderson was a "today" show girl. the first wom

. >> i'm matt lauer. how was your drive in this morning? >> all things considered it wasn't too bad. a little slippery but not awful. people had a tough time. >> people are waking up in the northeast saying here we go again. it's not the amount of snow. it's just that it is really slippery out there. you can see the snow blowers and plows working hard in rockefeller plaza. >> the sleet and ice made the roads much more dangerous and that's what commuters are facing from philadelphia to boston this morning. we'll get a live report and al's forecast ahead. >>> and a sudden announcement from apple ceo steve jobs that he is taking another medical leave of absence. that is his third in about a decade. he is not saying what his condition is, but we have to remember, he has battled pan krdecree attic cancer and had a liver transplant in the past. coming up, the impact his leave could have on the future of apple. >>> and for years dr. laura has given advice to people on the radio. her listeners may be surprised to hear how she feels about betrayal a

i'm matt lauer along with meredith viera and al roker and ann curry. you have, we're talking physical illnesses. >> do you know the difference between a cold and the flu? and how concerned should you be be whooping cough. >> we're going to have important information that you need to know about all this. >> we're not going to laugh about that. >>> and tonight a new season of the biggest loser kicks off.conr olympic great wrestler, he gained a lot of weight. we're going to see what's going on with him. we're also and we're going to talk about how to keep mom fit. >>> also this morning, how would you all like a big bowl of warm, wonderful soup? >> yes. >> that's going to be a big bowl for all these people. >> we have got an expert in our kitchen who's going to teach us how to make a hearty, but also tasty soup. this is the best time of year to have soup. >> mr. roker, check of the weather please. >> first of all as we look ahead toward the jet stream, it's got the frigid air in the plains and also around the great lakes, that's normal. subtropical jet dow

i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. a belated happy new year to one and all and you. >> and you. >> and you. >> and happy birthday. >> happy birthday. ann's over there. >> happy birthday to you. >> we haven't seen each other or this whole group in a long time. have a nice holiday? >> a very nice holiday. and we'll talk about it later. and yours as well. >> i'm done? okay, fine, got it. meanwhile, just ahead this morning. >> yeah, with let me pick up here. those raunchy videos shot aboard the "uss enterprise" while the ship was deployed in support of the wars in iraq and afghanistan, they were made to entertain the crew by the captain who was second in command at the time. but some call the tapes offensive. the latest, straight ahead. >>> and a tragedy out in ohio. a decorated sheriff's deputy and mother of two shot and killed as she responded to a call of shots fired at a trailer park. and when other officers arrived, the suspect opened fire again, leading to this dramatic shoot-out. we'll have more on the details of th

i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. president obama hopes the visit with hu jintao can help strength strengthen. >> they have to over come tensions over the economy, north korea and china's expanding military. hu jintao arrived in washington tuesday ahead of today's talks and tonight's state dinner at the white house, a first for a chinese leader in about 12 years. we'll get the latest from a live report in washington straight ahead. >> also a memphis high school with as many as 90 young girls expecting or recent mothers. what's going on there and is there anything school officials can do to deal with the problem? details coming up. >> that's at a high school. unbelievable. >>> also, conservative radio and television host glenn beck is a tough talker when it comes to politics. this morning he's here to open up about personal struggles he's dealt with in his life depression, drug addiction, divorce. alcohol addiction. we'll talk to glenn beck later in the meeting. >>> we begin with high stakes meetings between president

matt lauer. >> not happening. let's go to what you're doing on the show.have someone right now. camille joins us. what's your question? good morning. >> caller: good morning. my boyfriend and i are in a long distance relationship. we have been a couple for about five months. i have been wanting to tell him i love him for two months now but i have been waiting for him to say it first. i'm afraid to bring up the subject because i feel i'm forcing him to say it. what do i do? >> ideally wait for the guy. are you in love with him? >> caller: yes. >> do you believe he's in love with you? >> caller: yes. >> some guys are shy. i'm old school. i say, wait for the guy. but if you believe he loves you and he's a shy guy you can turn to him and say, honey, i love you. i believe he will say, yes, uh love you back, but if he doesn't, that's not good. why not? you love him, tell him. you have been with him long enough. >> i agree. if not, get rid of him. >> i would tell my 22-year-old daughter to wait for the guy to say it first. but she should know, tell him and look i

i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and tamron hall.nd are going to deal with below zero temperatures today. parts of upstate new york, minus 35 degrees today. take a look at tamron's car in lower manhattan. >> i should have moved it. >> this is what happened. you don't go with alternate side of the street parking, that's what happens. >> i saw two construction workers this morning and they both -- big burly guys screaming. i'm like really? you can handle this. >> it means spring is coming eventually. coming up, something that most of us would love to know. seven ways to never run out of money. sounds pretty good, right? if you plan ahead, there are steps you can take to make sure your cash keeps flowing to afford a college education and retirement. the key is to start early. we'll get those tips coming up. >> and more real estate questions answered. from staging your home for sale for getting the seller to cover closing costs. we'll tell you what's realistic in today's housing market. >>> if you are one of those women who hates having

i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. i'm impressed you stayed up to watch the whole state of the union. >> not only the state of the union but the republican response -- at least one of them. i haven't seen the other yet, but it was a different feeling in the room. i think the seating arrangement had something to do with it. it was the president's first speech before congress since the gop took control of the house. he used the opportunity to push for unity in washington to deal with the economy. he even called for a five-year federal spending freeze to prove willingness to work with republicans. we'll have much more straight ahead and talk about the new tone in washington with former presidential candidate and new york city mayor rudy giuliani. >> also, it's shaping up to be a messy day in the east. winter storm watches and warnings in effect from mississippi to maine as another potent storm moves up the east coast. that's a live look in nashville where the snow is falling. how much snow will fall this time? we'll have

i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. parts of the pacific northwest were slammed by overnight snow. and just in time for the morning drive, things have changed over to sort of a dicey mix of rain and ice. >> meanwhile, here in the northeast, we are dealing with our own winter wallop. about 9 inches fell in central park, but take a look live at hartford, connecticut. still snowing there. parts of that state have been slammed by about 2 feet of snow. and as you can see, it is still coming down. up in boston, al has been outside for hours, where snow is falling at the rate of about an inch or two per hour with 30-mile-an-hour wind gusts. we'll get to his forecast for both coasts, straight ahead. >>> also ahead, president obama travels to arizona today, to pay tribute to the victims of saturday's shooting. this as the office of congresswoman gabrielle giffords releases the first photos taken inside her hospital room. you can see her husband, mark, holding his wife's hand. giffords' doctors say she now has a 101% chance of su

found four live monkeys inside a man's house during a meth raid. [ laughter ] i just want to say, matt laueri'm not bailing you out this time. [ laughter ] i'm not doing it this time. [ laughter ] hey, congratulations to "all of my children" actress rebecca budig who won "skating with the stars" last night. that's right. [ scattered applause ] she beat out the two other finalists. somebody else and whoever it was. [ laughter and applause ] i don't know if you guys saw this. an airport in louisiana was evacuated yesterday over a suspicious package that ended up containing a frozen chicken and a head lamp. [ laughter ] oh, good. so, it wasn't suspicious at all. i guess -- [ laughter ] "hey buddy, i never got that package they were going to send me. [ laughter ] that frozen chicken and head lamp. [ laughter ] remember you said you were going to send me that. yeah, i didn't get it yet. [ laughter ] wondering what happened to that package." "there is no send button, grandma. there is no --" [ laughter ] this is pretty scary, you guys. security officials say that al qaeda once considered spreading

i'm meredith vieira, along with matt lauer. >> i bleed orange, matt and meredith, come to syracuse, helpould cramp up. how much snow did you get? >> so far, this winter, we love three things in syracuse, snow, the "today" show and basketball. >> we like that. >> we like you guys, too. coming up, a serious topic. it's never easy when a partner cheats on their spouse, obviously. what if it happens in your home, in your own bed? could you get over that? >> there's an article on that. >> it's a very very interesting topic. coming up, how to handle what is considered to be the ultimate betrayal in a marriage. >>> also ahead, kids ask their parents for money all the time. take this a step further. now, the kids are young adults and ask their parents to help them out with a mortgage for a home. is it a good idea? should the parents even agree with it? expert advice on that. >>> jimmy family co-hosting with hoda today, filling in for kathie lee should be a lot of fun. now to the newsdesk and say hi. >> okay. thanks so much, meredith. good morning once again, meredith. in the news. congresswoman

i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira and ann curry.he announcement of the nominations of the 83rd annual academy awards. >> can't wait for that. >>> plus, dealing with financial infidelity. maybe you have fibbed about how much you paid for something. it might seem harmless, but it can cause a big rift in your relationship. we'll talk about it coming up. >> speaking of relationships, valentine's day is coming up soon. this morning we've got steals and deals that we understand are going to put a smile on your loved one's face. i'm not so sure about that particular one. >> i'm not sure what that movement is. >> boston power stance. >> yo! >> let's say hi to dan evans, the latest contestant voted off the biggest loser ranch leaving his twin brother don to fend for himself. nice to see you. >> thank you. >> instead of losing, you and don both gained nine pounds. what happened? >> as you can imagine, i spent a lot of time thinking about that. it's hard to comprehend the combination of events that had to take place -- either hydration, food o

i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith viera. let the battles begin in the nation's capitol as congress gets back to business today. >> gop leadership is prepared to fight president obama and his fellow democrats every step of the way on spending and health care and there appear to be some big changes coming to the obama administration as well. we'll get the latest from washington straight ahead. >>> also ahead, august busch iv breaks his silence about the woman who died in his bed. >>> and there are millions checking the megamillions tickets after the jackpot went over $350 million. we hold in our hands a lot of meaningless paper. we bet the house and came up unlucky. >> change your phone number and learn how to say no. you need to say no occasionally. >> but first a new day is dawning on capitol hill where a new congress, the 112th is sworn in today. kelly o'donnell is there with the pomp and the politics of the moment. good morning to you, kelly. >> reporter: there will be plenty of symbolism and ritual packed into this day. t

meanwhile inside studio 1-a i'm matt lauer with ann curry while meredith has the day off. on the golden globes award. natalie and al strutted their stuff on the red carpet last night. al had a chance to catch up with sandra bullock. coming up, we're going to hear from her about the men in her life, including actor ryan reynolds. >> and also ahead this morning, on a much more serious note, just a year after 15-year-old phoebe prince took her own life after allegedly being bullied by classmates the parents of another girl say their daughter is being harassed on campus. we'll get details on that and hear from phoebe's aunt. >> a programming note as well, tomorrow on "today" an exclusive interview with former vice president dick cheney, his first since undergoing heart surgery over the summer. we'll talk about everything from his health, to his book to sarah palin and his relationship with former president george w. bush. that's former vice president dick cheney tomorrow morning here on "today." let's begin this half hour with the big winner at the golden globes. "the social n

. >> and i'm willie geist in for matt lauer. >>> police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. richard engel got caught up in some of the demonstrations. we have a live report from him straight ahead. >>> tens of thousands without power on the east coast following that fast-moving storm that dumped nearly two feet of snow on some spots. there's even more snow coming this way this weekend. the forecast coming up. >>> i want to you check out some incredible video. this is not a man in a gorilla suit. this is an actual gorilla that for some reason walks upright like a man. we are going to have more on him later on. >>> but we are going to begin with the violent clashes in egypt. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in cairo with more. richard, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. these clashes continued to escalate. they are now involving at a minimum tens of thousands of people. we were out on the streets, thousands of people rushing into the main square. they were confronting riot police, throwing tear gas, canisters, and back at

when matt lauer asked president bush that question on the "today" or "tomorrow" show, president bushnacceptable done to any human being. the public law was getting more and more restrictive and making it clearer and clearer that human beings cannot be subjected to the this kind of treatment? they wrote memo after memo saying you can cannot to do exactly what you are doing. -- continue to do exactly what you are doing. >> all i can point out, i don't see a failure in the checks and balance between congress and the president. congress was fully aware of the methods, and continued to be, they may not be aware of the legal justifications that the executive branch might have, but congress has the ability to make it's own judgments about what's happening in the war in terrorism is constitutional or not. they can enforce it on funding and the creation of military intelligence agencies. they have to be fully briefed before the cia can conduct any kind of covert action. second thing is congress did restrict the military's ability to conduct interrogations. it's quite right. they did not pass