who had very little experience as a painter. >> and michelangelo didn't want to do the ceiling. he really wanted to continue to sculpt, and julius insisted that he do it. >> he actually wrote in his journal, "i'm no painter." and it wasn't particularly modesty. i don't know that he was a real modest guy. it was just stating a fact. he was a sculptor, and yet he had been commissioned to do this work. and it came at a pretty substantial personal cost. >> reporter: for hundreds of years it was thought that michelangelo painted the 65 foot high ceiling while lying on his back on scaffolding. but historians now know that wasn't so. >> he was standing up, getting paint in his eyes and almost going blind. >> reporter: one reason michelangelo's ceiling has withstood the trials of time is the method he used to paint it, a process known as fresco where the paint is applied to wet plaster. it took a lot of painful experimenting to make it work. its central theme is humankind's need for salvation, which is portrayed in nine scenes from the book of genesis. >> you have the drunkenness of noa

but michelangelo didn't want the job. so time consuming, he thought it was a conspiracy by his enemies to keep him from doing the work that would make him famous. >>> and, of course, it is halloween tonight in so many places but postponed in some states because of the storm. but even in the storm zone, a lot of kids have found a way to trick or treat. super heroes and cats on long island, there you see them out in the dark in places where the power is out. not deterred by downed trees. and here in new york city, scenes tonight of determined trick or treaters, night vision images, a small symbol of the halloween spirit that will not be daunted. >>> and, coming up here, some amazing people who show us how to face a true grit moment and walk through the storm. i have never encountered such a burning sensation... until i had the shingles. it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside stor

the chappell's famous frescoes were created by michelangelo just 20 years after the discovery of america. >> catholics around the world are celebrating all saints' day on november 1. according to tradition, people go back to their hometowns and visit the graves of deceased relatives and friends. the declaration of the graves reflects hope that the debt are in the presence of god. and in mexico, the celebration is somewhat different. on the day of the dead, families build colorful altars to remember their dead loved ones. >> all right. we will be back in one minute with more news. >> that's right. stick around. >> welcome back, everyone. we want to go now to our series of reports from battleground states as the u.s. presidential election campaign into the final stretch. today, we visit colorado. >> gun control has been a hot topic, especially after a gunman killed a dozen people in a colorado movie theater early this year, but measures for more gun control often fail with citizens and politicians alike psyching the second amendment of the u.s. constitution, which gives the right to bear a

. >>> and believe it or not, michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the sistine chapel were first displayed to the public 500 years ago today in 1512. >>> all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. savannah gets an inside look at how engineers are draining all that water from new york city's flooded tunnels and subways. >>> and with just one day to go until their big show on the plaza, a look back at four decades of aerosmith. >>> and now keep it on this channel 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

the ceiling, dedicated in 1512, took michelangelo 4 years to paint. now, 5 million people visit annually. benedict said when the chapel is seen during prayer, "everything lives, everything resonates." >>> finally, in egypt, coptic christians make up about 10% of the population. last march, the leader of the copts, pope shenouda iii, died and this week, coptic leaders narrowed the field of possible successors to just three men. this weekend, by ancient tradition, the names of the three were to be put in a box for a blindfolded child to reach in and pick the new pope. the belief is that the child's innocent choice will best reflect the will of god. >>> that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook and watch us anytime on the pbs app for iphones and ipads. there's always much more on our website as well, including more on religion and the presidential election. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, music from the ch

while this was sculpted over a century before the renaissance began, michelangelo himself traveled here to marvel at pisano's work, drawing inspiration from its realism. around the top, christ's life unfolds in a continuous scroll. the infamous massacre of the innocents is powerful. king herod, so threatened by this newborn king, orders the slaughter of all the first-born sons in hopes of killing baby jesus. mary and joseph load up the donkey and hustle their son down to egypt as the bloody massacre proceeds. the sculptor captures the horror of this event with a skill unprecedented in its day. pisano's 400 intricately sculpted figures all weave a complex theological ideal. this provides a symbolic foundation designed to legitimize and reinforce the gospel message the priests read from the lectern crowning the pulpit. in the middle ages, you couldn't even enter the church until you were baptized. that's why baptisteries like pisa's were free-standing buildings adjacent to the church. the interior is simple and spacious. a statue of john, the first baptist, the man who baptized christ, se

you got a little michelangelo on your hands there.his young one to his first concert. i don't know, man. that ain't boss. >> we have a situation developing. debbie in new mexico is about to make a big mistake. deb, step away from the granny pan panties. smoking mommas do not buy underwear in bulk. that was a close one. >> i personally use the crying out method. i used it for my children and so should you. >> you can go back to the life you had. you can go back to the life you deserve. thanks for holding, i'm alicia keys. right. okay. i'm going to need you to get a hot tub and fill that [ bleep ] with champagne. >> jimmy: well -- thank you so much on behalf of all of us for doing that. this is the new cd. i can't wait to hear the whole thing. you're going to do one of the songs tonight. >> you're going to love this one. >> jimmy: it's called "girl on fire." it comes out november 27th. we'll be right back with alicia keys. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] go-to... [ male announcer ] house party. ♪ [ female announcer ] go-to... [ male announce

excitement than right where i'm at now which is on the teenage mutant ninja turtle float with raphael, michelangeloe it to you for thanksgiving. >> wow. >> make sure you bring pizza. >> and coffee, don't forget the coffee. >> good job, >> good morning. we will start off today with off and on rain showers. sunshine should break out later today. >> that's your latest weather. catch the 86th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade next thursday, november 22nd, right hear on nbc. >> thank you, al. coming up next, rapper turned techie vanilla ice with some gadgets to help you with your thanksgiving meal, right after this. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread? here's a better idea. pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits in just 15 minutes the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands biscuits let the making begin. pillsbury grands biscuits mommy! i went potty! that's great, honey.... where? for life's bleachable moments. to make just about anything delicious. introducing new jif chocolate flavored hazelnut spread. whatever you put it on... reaches a whole

. >> so leonardo, michelangelo, the whole crew is back. >> is that a little furby? came back this year. it's for $55. it's much better than the original furby. >> it talks and still makes -- >> you'll learn an entire new language. the hottest doll on the market, these were introduced two years ago from mattel. these are the new ones this year. they're all daughters of famous monste monsters. you talk about a brand that mattel will sell $375 million worth of these dolls this year. >> that's kind of fun. but i love thomas the tank engine. >> thomas is still the number one boys property. this is a radio control engine. simple for kids to use. a simple forward, turn around, and a little steam noise. what's different about this, this engine will actually produce cool steam. for the first time ever, steam comes out of thomas. >> do you have to fill it up with water? >> you fill it up with water. it has a piece on the bottom, you just fill it up and watch thomas run. >> okay. what people, when they see ideas like this, and say, i've got to do exactly what jim has told me t

we look at the past couple hundred of years, you had michelangelo and then you fast forward several centuries and you have steve jobs and bill gates, who built the computer. with computing technology and science and art, the sky is the limit. with chemistry, you start with the white canvas and bland art and design with practical use. host: you have a project that was used in the sandy effort. how does that relate? guest: just as facebook brought to light the concept of social networking, everyone of us has a mobile phone. it enables organizations and companies to leverage the crowd of people i am calling everyone -- by empower when everyone -- by empowering everyone with a mobile phone. in real time, his pictures can send the exact location back to a server with a map on it. the picture and the math -- the picture is over late in real time. it enabled decision makers to make meaningful decisions in real time. host: jon iadonisi is the founder of the white canvas group. is a former naval seal. caller: i would like to ask your guests to comment on the recent theft of three-4 million tax record