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sadly they haven't figured out how to get rid of me yet. >> i'm matt lauer. >> they want to talk to youat's right, matt. i'm ann curry. i became news anchor in 1997. clearly some of us are holding out for a place on the smucker's jar. >> is this where we cue meredith? >> very, very funny, bryant. i meap, matt. i'm meredith vieira. >> so here is a look at the rest of the team. natalie, hoda, kathie lee. as we widen out, take a look at all of the hosts of this show over the last 60 years. [ applause ] >> we have all loved being a part of your lives. we're just now getting started as we look at everyone. we've got some things coming up. >> we're going to sit down and talk with these folks. that could be perilous. right after this. >> in five minutes. >> way to go, guys. [ applause ] [ female announcer ] therese uses dove. molly, ordinary soap. would they switch? notice a difference? it feels a bit tight. [ female announcer ] soap leaves behind soap residue that can cause a tight draggy feeling. with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove cleansers rinse cleaner than soap. with 1/4 moisturizing cream

and matt lauer. >> very cute. look at matt before as you see him here. and let's look at him today. >> i think he is like a fine wine. he has fermented beautifully. >> i think he looks sexier and more handsome now. >> he grew into the smile. >> he sure did. >> we love him around here. >> we also love jimmy fallon. >> not really. >> lately has been digging on us. >> yeah. for all the wrong reasons. take a look. >> tv news in advance of the season premiere tonight mtv started airing 12 hours of "jersey shore" at 9:30 this morning. seriously, if i wanted to see people getting drunk and acting weird at 9:30 in the morning, i would just turn on hoda and kathie lee. it's easier. i love you guys. i'm kidding. >> we have a news flash for you. >> we're not on at 9:30. >> we're on at 10:00. >> that's when we start getting drunk and weird, okay? >> get your facts right, buddy! there, jimmy. >> i do love that little commercial he does with the little boy. you want more money? no. that's very cute. >> if you were flying this we

he seems surprised by matt lauer's question. he came out with an odd answer. we can talk about tax policy in quiet rooms. >> yes. >> that just hit me as the strangest idiomatic sound in a democracy. let's not talk about what kind of a tax structure we have with the people. let's have it in the quiet rooms where the people don't hear it. >> well -- >> does that strike me as elitist. >> you are exactly right. mitt romney is what a management consultant would create if you were creating a political candidate. he's someone which the more rules governed and exchanged, a debate, a big speech, the better he is. the less rules that govern an exchange, out on the stump, interviews with people like matt lauer, the more difficult it is because he just has trouble thinking on his feet and relating to your average person. now that is something that the obama campaign is going to relentlessly hit on. mitt romney is out of touch. this is a guy who made millions by bankrupting companies. and i would say, newt gingrich and rick perry are really doing some of the obama campaign

i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. mitt romney holds a sizable lead going into tuesday's florida primary according to the newest nbc marist poll. that doesn't mean he's letting up on newt gingrich. >> that's a mistake he's probably not going to repeat after iowa caucuses and new hampshire they seemed to let up. in a candid article many of his campaign advisers are opening up about how it played into romney's strategy in florida. we'll taub about that with governor romney ahead. >>> and they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. that has some fast food giants battling for your dollars. we'll tell you about a new, unexpected competitor in the field. >>> and in the last big run-up to the academy awards hollywood's a-listers were out for last night's s.a.g. awards. we'll tell you who walked away with hardware. >> let's begin with mitt romney's surge in florida one day before the state's republican primary. nbc's peter alexander is in miami. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. you spoke about romn

. >> i'm matt lauer. already down in florida this morning voters are casting their ballots in the biggest contest to date in this primary season. >> with a double digit lead in the polls mitt romney is acting and sounding confident. he even broke out in song on monday. and win or lose, newt gingrich is vowing to keep on fighting. we'll talk about where this race is headed with gingrich supporter, herman cain. >> and one woman's unimaginable ordeal that started in middle school. for 19 years, tracy lundin has been stalked and harassed by the same man. he's now been sentenced to prison. coming up, tracy will share her story in a live interview. >> we have shown people over the years, lots of emotional reunions between soldiers and children. we found one that was particularly touching. we'll show you coming up in a little bit. very dear. >>> we begin now with today's key presidential primary in florida. nbc's peter alexander is in tampa with more. good morning to you. >> reporter: ann, good morning. this cam

. >> i'm matt lauer. rescue crews are back at work inside the crippled cruise liner after they were forced to suspend their search for survivors because of bad weather on monday. >> that's right. take a look at the images that show what rescuers are dealing with -- scattered furniture and debris everywhere making it nearly impossible to get around. a recording surfaced between port officials and the captain after a he already left his vessel, matt. >> the port officials told him there were casualties on the ship he had already left and that he had to get back on that ship, an order he apparently ig thorred. we'll have the latest on that ahead. >>> also imagine if your child began to suffer unexplained tics and verbal outbursts. it's happened to 12 girls in new york and no one can tell what's causing it. we'll talk to two of the young ladies coming up. >> and reports are swirling that the popular chef has been diagnose thosed with diabetes. we are talking about paula deen. is it true and is it caused by th

. >> and i'm matt lauer. it sounds a little strange, we're talking about breaking news coming out of the iowa caucuses. they were held more than two weeks ago. but the news is breaking and it appears that mitch romney may not have won there. >> the initial count gave romney of course an eight-vote win. but as it stands this morning, rick santorum wound up a with 34-vote advantage. officials are calling it a virtual tie. at the latest from chuck todd straight ahead and we'll talk about the impact on the race with gop hopeful, newt gingrich. matt? >> and did the obama administration share top-secret information about the killing of osama bin laden with the oscar-winning director of a new movie about that operation? we'll tell you about a pentagon investigation that is now under way. >>> and also coming up this morning, john f. kennedy junior's long-time assistant is out with a new tell-all. and in it she reveals never before heard details about kennedy's proposal to carolyn. the constant strain on their marriag

meanwhile inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry.the wake of the disaster in italy you may be surprised to learn about the rights you don't have when you board a cruise ship. coming up, what you need to know before booking a trip on the high seas. >> also this morning, kate middleton, the duchess of cambridge, is on vacation with her family on a posh caribbean island and some tourists say their own trip has been ruined. also, "today" professionals are here to weigh in on the most talked about headlines and studies. >> they look ready to go. >> as always. >> we begin with a guilty plea in the case of a dancer. good morning. >> good morning, matt. laura garza's family was in court as the man who killed her described how he did it. he' he's behind bars and will be for decades but the family said justice hasn't been served. laura garza came to new york city from texas. her dream was to become a dancer. a dream that ended december 3, 2008, the night she visited this trendy manhattan nightclub and met handsome michael mele. unbeknownst to

that's what it is. >> and this is what matt lauer told me to ask? >> yeah, yeah. >> oh, wait till i get a hold of him. >> what are you going to do about that? >> i don't know. >> apparently they're still doing that. don't you think that's ridiculous? don't you think a person should be what god intended? >> yes, definitely. >> yeah. should i work on it? >> you just be you, joanie. here. we brought you a little champagne because -- there's yours. >> oh. >> all right. now my mom has more fun, especially when hoda's mom is here, too. we all have great fun together. you're not the only feel-good granny in the world. this man adam lives with his 90-year-old grandmother who is legally blind and hard of hearing but she loves to dance. so he shot her doing what she does best. you go, girl. ♪ she's in great shape. oh, yeah. ♪ she's 90 years old, mom. >> she's wonderful. >> okay. she's going to show us some moves now. yeah. yeah! ♪ okay. oh, look, she kicked it. whooo! look at her, mom. look what great shape she's in. >> she's in great shape. >> let's do it. c

i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. that helicopter crash in afghanistan is the deadliest there since 30 soldiers and 22 u.s. navy seals died when their chopper was shot down in eastern afghanistan last august. we'll get the very latest from the pentagon in a moment. >>> meantime turning to politics. what a wild day in the gop presidential race. >> trying to keep track of it all. rick perry dropped out. mitt romney actually finished second behind rick santorum in the iowa caucuses. then that all led up to the debate where newt gingrich's past took centerstage right out of the gate. he said the claim being made by his second ex-wife that he asked for an open marriage so he could carry on an affair is completely false. >> it's an issue i talked to the former house speaker about on "today" on thursday. >> intruding into family things that are more than a decade old are simply wrong. now, i'll have my daughters speak for it. i'm sure they'd be glad to come on and chat with you about it. >> we followed up with mr. gingrich

. >> and i'm matt lauer. let's go back to this picture of arizona governor, jan brewer, and president obama on the tarmac in arizona. not exactly the kind of picture you would expect to see when a governor greets a president. we'll have more on what happened between the two of them, coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> intriguing there, right? >>> and meanwhile, speaking of tension, we get the latest on what seems to be an ongoing feud between newt gingrich and democratic house leader, nancy pelosi. on wednesday, pelosi backed down after claiming she knows something that would keep gingrich from becoming president. why did pelosi say that in the first place? we'll talk about it with tom brokaw. >>> and the national institutes of health getting involved in the medical mystery at a school in upstate new york where a dozen girls are suffering symptoms that mimic tourette's. this after another student comes forward saying she's also experiencing severe tics. >>> and also coming up, 10% of people are left-han

matt lauer goes one-on-one with the host. >>> one star is pregnant and one just had a baby. >> joran van der sloot says something to get his >>> ricky gervais is gearing up to host the golden globes for a third time. matt lauer sat down with the funny fan to talk about the criticism he faced after last year's show. >> the thing with me, there's two people in my head. one is saying go ahead, say it. the other is saying don't. it might be funny. but you might be living in a car. this one usually wins. >> you promised you were never going to do it again. >> i did. no one believes me now. this will be the last time, i think. or last time for awhile. what tipped it is all the people saying i would never be invited back. >> exactly. tear me. >> exactly. people should know the reverse psychology works better. i don't like it when he does that. here is more. >> here are some of the comments. robert downey jr. called your jokes sinister. time magazine there's a fine line between playful and he bulldozed over the nuance. the front-runner by the worst p performance. >> i don't know what i did w

i'm matt lauer along with al roker, savannah guthrie and ann curry. and it is only -- tell them what you said. >> and chucklehead jones. i feel like i'm doing the weather right now. >> you should. >> it's odd casting but thanks for having me. >> 22-time guest on "today," tom hanks. let's look at one of your early appearances. talking about a little known movie. >> 364 movies. >> i don't get the main girl. that was a reason i was intrigued by the script after playing this rake countless times who ends up in bed several times. >> i feel sorry for you. >> with babes, too, as a matter of fact. it was going to be a pleasure to go to work and not have to strip down. but by the time we got around to making it, you will see me on the mattresses a couple of times. >> oh, my god! where was my publicist? i would go back to that day and fire my publicist for letting me appear in that shirt and saying that story. >> you were so hot. >> what was i thinking? >> it was adorable. >> as a girl, baby, hot as heck. >> how old were you there? >> 13 years old. i have no id

matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and al roker.that made a lot of headlines in this area. >> it did. barbara sheehan shot her husband 11 times in their home in queens, new york. she said she had no other choice after suffering years of abuse at his hands she said she feared for her life. she was acquitted of murder, but she still faces jail time. we'll talk to her about that exclusively in a few minutes. >> also we'll talk about the new rules when it comes to cursing, especially on television. a lot of people have children watching television. it seems more and more these days you're hearing some of the words you never would have heard in years past. for example, when you get jabbed in the eye with an umbrella. >> yeah. >> how do you deal with this when your kids are watching? what do you tell them and what should people programming television do about it? >> you showed self-restraint. >> and you have a relationship with your pediatrician and it's gone for a while. >> it's important. >> it is. what if after a while it's not working

. >> i'm matt lauer. go from new york city to a live picture of a polling place in bedford s, new hampshire. we have early results -- a few, but some results. >> that's right. nine voters in the tiny town of dixville notch have made their votes. mitt romney and john huntsman tied. a trend the former governor hopes to see throughout the day. we'll talk to them ahead. >> also ahead, new details on a colorado couple seriously injured by a bomb that was hidden inside a paper bag and left by their car. the ex-husband of one of the victims has been named a person of interest in that case. we'll fill you in on that. >> uh imagine spending thousands of dollars to rent the vacation home of your dreams only to find out it's not for rent. it was a scam. coming up, the results of an investigation. >> also, it's tuesday. today's professionals join us to tackle a lot of hot topics including the young lady we met on monday, a high school senior who wanted to use this photo as her official yearbook portrait. we asked you

i'm ann curry along with matt lauer and al roker.today's professionals." >> they're back after a holiday break and they're all geared up to tackle the hot trends and topics of the day, including these, a controversial psa campaign in georgia set to target childhood obesity, we'll weigh in on that, also a perk being offered by an airline to first class travelers, and i'm curious to hear their thoughts on. >>> also coming up this morning, we're going to, you may remember a year ago this month, a book came out, "the battle hymn of the tiger mom" that set off a firestorm, the author, amy chua talked about her strict parenting style, a lot of people very angry about it. we'll catch up with her on what's happened since. >> all right. >>> and how many people overindulged a little during the holidays? yeah, okay. well, if you want to get back on track, we've got seven steps for you to get your diet back and get to a healthy lifestyle. >> okay, just in time. all right. >>> inside, natalie is by at the news desk with the headlines. >> good mor

i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. this storm is expected to dump half a foot of snow on seattle which is typically what they see in a year. >> even more snow in other parts of the region. al's forecast is coming up in a few minutes. >> also, after being pressured by republican rivals, mitt romney said he pays a federal tax rate of about 15%. he stopped short of releasing his entire income tax return. does new jersey's governor chris christie who has pushed for full disclosure in the past agree with the decision. if mitt romney asked him to be a running mate would he say yes? more with the governor in a bit. >> good to have you in studio. let me fire that political question at you. if the giants go on to win the super bowl in three weeks the victory parade, should it be in new york or new jersey? >> new jersey, matt. they train in new jersey, they play in new jersey -- >> what's it say on the mehelme? >> that's all you've got, baby. >> nice to have him here. we have new details on the medical mystery we told you about

. >> and i'm matt lauer. we greet you this morning on a busy morning on the gop side of this presidential race. >> rick perry has scheduled a news conference for 8:00 a.m. pacific time. nbc news learned at that time, he will announce he's abandoning his presidential bid. >> we'll talk to chuck todd in a second. >> also breaking news with the iowa caucuses. new certified results say rick santorum finished ahead of mitt romney by 34 votes. let's get right to chuck todd. he's nbc's political director. he's in south carolina this morning. chuck, let's start with rick perry. this is official now. he's out of the race. >> he's out of the race. south carolina claiming their second victim this week. jon huntsman got out of the race earlier this week. huntsman, who had a bitter rival with mitt romney was helping m romney create this air of inevitability. he went behind mitt romney. it's about eligibility. what rick perry is doing, when you drop out before a vote, you get your moment in the sun. if he does go through w

let's check in with matt lauer to see what they're working on.morning to you. >> joe, good morning to you. nice to see you. coming up on a tuesday here on "today," navy divers blast a hole in the side of that badly damaged cruise ship off the coast of italy to search new areas for possible survivors. this as the ship's captain makes his first court appearance today. we're live in italy. >>> also ahead, mitt romney pressured to relies has tax records -- release his tax records. during a heated presidential debate in south carolina. should he? we'll ask republican strategist karl rove. >>> plus, the frantic attempts to save a mother and her two children after an accident left them trapped in their car as it dangled from a bridge. we'll show you that rescue. >>> and southern chef paula dean will be here to respond for the first time to rumors that she has diabetes. we'll get to that and more ahead as we get started on a tuesday right here on "today." back to you. >> all right. look forward to. it hope you have a great day. >> you, too. thanks. >> th

he said to matt lauer in february when he first became president look, this is a one-term propositiont turn the economy around. i know they will spend numbers and we have 2 million less people working when he was president and unemployment rate is coming down but we don't count half the people that are unemployed. >> no way he can run on the record. what he has to do is make the unacceptable alternative. if you think i'm bad, look at them. in contrast, we have to say, everything was bad when he came. in he made it worse. this is a tired president who doesn't like his job. there are two great days. >> a tired president who doesn't like his job. i agree with you. >> sean: he likes the helicopter and the plane and playing golf. who wouldn't. that is not a bad living. at the end of the day, i always said and i worked for four different presidents. president has two good days. inaugural day and the day he leaves and dedicates his library. this guy is ready to dedicate his library. >> sean: wow! that is profound. >> look at the problems he has had and he tries to come up with solutions but

." >>> today, mitt romney goes one on one with matt lauer. >>> and the latest details on a bizarre bankobbery attempt involving a frightened 73-year-old grandmother and a fake ankle bomb. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you so much for watching earler, just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a great wednesday. see you back here tomorrow. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry and savannah guthrie. just ahead, we go live to italy for more on the cruise ship disaster where divers resume the search for 21 passengers still missing and the captain is now saying he didn't abandon the "costa concordia," instead, he tripped and fell into a life boat. we'll have more on the story, coming up. >> then we're going to turn to another subject, which has a lot of people of course talking, which is about lose to weight. lactose-intolerant. it's a big subject because it's after the beginning of the year and people have been dieting and working out. so joy's got her diet s.o.s., timely, this morning. >> and we've seen all the commercials, whether they're offering miles, low interest rates, low balance transfers, it can be confusing to pick the right credit card. how you can make the best choice. >>> and if you want to look like the stars at the golden globes, and who doesn't, we'll show you how to do it even if you don't have any movie star-sized salary. help you recreate those pretty looks on a

they have got to get matt lauer to stay. not to, ryan seacrest is a big name, he has a big audience and he wants world domination. he wants to are more involved with the "today" show. you never know what will happen. >> okay, we'll be watching that. let's talk now about cable because cable late-night tv is getting new competitor starting tomorrow night. he's a heavy hid tter. tell us about that. >> you're talking about andy cohen, the host of "watch what happens live" on bravo, which i love. it's part performance art, part cocktail hour, part group therapy session. it's this hilarious, half-hour show. andy cohen is an executive at bravo. he started doing this, he started blogging and it was very popular, then he started doing this late-night show two nights a week. it grew in double digits last year, which is huge in tv. >> jessica? >> yes. >> the housewives, that was under his watch. was he the brain child behind how wives or was it just on his clock that that happened? >> well, no. he was definitely instrumental in getting

joe paterno's son sits down with matt lauer to talk about his father's final legacy, one day before he'said to rest. >>> and as the academy award nominations are announced, hear from some of this year's top oscar nominees. now keep it on this station for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just for first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

. >> i'm matt lauer. >> a camera shot over there. getting creative. >> i'm matt lauer with al roker and tamron hall. ann had to take off a little early. time is running out for rescue crews that are trying to find possible survivors on the cruise ship we've been watching so much off the coast of italy over the last seven or eight days. the operation was delayed yet again. we'll get the latest in a live report from italy coming up. >>> also ahead gop presidential candidate newt gingrich is denying his ex-wife's claim that he asked her to agree to an open marriage when he admitted to having a six-year affair with his now wife calista. what effect will this have on his campaign? we'll get the latest on the republican race. >> he jumped right out of the box tackling that issue. no question. >> just to think, the inaugural is a year from today. >> wow. >> there you go. and later on on "today's real estate" we'll take you on a virtual tour of homes on sale right now for $250,000 or less from a three bedroom home in a great fishing town to

i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. that hostage rescue was carried out a short time before president obama delivered the state of the union address. >> the president appeared to have referenced the raid before the speech when he said "good job" to leon panetta. >> this morning he released a statement thanking special operations forces for their, quote, extraordinary courage and capability. we want to go to jim miklaszewski at the pentagon for more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. score another one for u.s. special operations forces who rescued these two hostages. remarkably, this mission was, indeed, still unfolding even during the president's state of the union speech. and it was, in fact, the president who dropped a hint that something was going down. president obama himself tipped off the world to the rescue when he openly thanked leon panetta before his speech. >> good job tonight. >> reporter: the president got word that jessica buchanan and paul fisted were rescued in the raid in somalia. tw

i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker.that michelle obama wowed people with that dress she wore to the inaugural ball. >> a white, beautiful dress. that put the designer, jason wu, even more on the map. now he's coming out with a line where everything is under $60. >> it's wu, not wow! >> he's going to give us a little sneak peek. there is a lot of buzz about what may be coming out. young people want to afford the outfits. we'll show you more coming up. >> giada de laurentiis, you spent time with her at the golden globes dancing at one of the parties. she also cooked for some of the stars at one of the parties, and she was a hit with comfort food and that outfit. she'll share comfort food recipes with us ahead. >> very exciting. also coming up, some cars that are family-friendly. they have gotten a little bit of a plus from parenting magazine because they have certain attributes that are particularly good for having children in the car. >> and then a little bit later on, president bill clinton knows a thing or two about co

. >> and i'm matt lauer. i think you can see it's raining hard in the northeast here, but the midwest this morning is bracing for really, the first major snowstorm of the season. and here we are, two weeks into the year. >> this one has a little bit of everything. snow, high winds, matt, and also some bitter cold temperatures. it's going to have a big impact on some major cities in the region, chicago, milwaukee and green bay. we'll get al's forecast coming up straight ahead. >>> and tom brokaw is here, he's going to weigh in on the gop presidential race. is the criticism of mitt romney's business practices by his opponents, actually hurting the republican party's chances of winning back the white house. tom's going to talk about that and some other things. >>> and also coming up this morning, casey anthony's pretrial psychological evaluations have been made public for the first time. in them she reveals that her daughter may have been the result of a rape. >>> also ahead, how a 12-year-old girl used a webcam

i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. oh, what a night and oh, what a story. these results mark the closest in the history of the iowa caucus and as a measure of interest, participants turned out in record numbers. >> so tight the results weren't announced until the early morning hours. mitt romney's 30,015 to 30,007, that's just eight votes. it's been a remarkable surge for rick santorum, considering he was posing in single digits a few weeks ago. >> ron paul finished in third. 21%, newt gingrich, rick perry and michele bachmann founding out the field. let us begin with savannah guthrie. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. the first votes cast at this 2012 race, iowa voters provided a photo finish reflecting a divided republican electriorele. romney and rick santorum at one point were within four votes of each ear. an afterthought as one week ago -- >> rk rick santorum! >> reporter: former rick santorum consolidated the support of iowa's social conservatives. >> thank you so much, iowa. >> reporter: promising he would go to distance. >> if we