i'm natalie morales. on this easterer sunday, a look at the divine inspiration that seems to be taking over hollywood. the good book has always been a good source of material. the biblical epic is as old as hollywood itself. the latest launching tonight on nbc is a story you actually may not know. what happened after the death of jesus? how christianity spread from one man to 12 apostles to eventually 2 billion people. it's nothing short of a revelation. it's earth shaking, a ground swell. the bible continues is just the latest in an explosion of religious and biblical programming on television and in the movies. >> there is a tremendous interest in religion-based programming. nothing succeeds like success. so people look at the other successful stories and say, well, they did it. we should do it as well. >> and they are. he needs no agent, no limo or private jet, but in many ways, god is the biggest star in hollywood right now. >> i think it's true. god is back. >> in the weeks leading up to easter and p

nbc's natalie morales reports. >> reporter: this is 14-year-old alandra luna screaming as mexican authorities her from school, pushing her into the backseat of a vehicle into the waiting arms of a woman all the while yelling "i'm not your daughter." >> in my arms for me it was my daughter. >> reporter: in texas, donatella garcia we certain she'd found her missing daughter since a visitation with her daughter in 2007. but it wasn't her. for more than seven years the desperate mom never stopped searching until, she says, she saw alondra luna on facebook. i was sure when i first saw her, i saw my daughter. >> reporter: she convinced mexican authorities it was her child. they seized her and sent her off to houston. >> translator: as you can see i'm in the united states of america. >> reporter: alondra luna was to say the least confused but like any 14-year-old she made a video telling her parents in mexico she was fine and not to worry. >> translator: we'll see each other soon. >> reporter: but the video offer will seizure in mexico caused such an outcry the foreign ministry ordered dna test whic

. >> we should mention erica is in new york central park along with natalie morales and 10,000 other women who are all off and running in the half marathon. the race is just starting but before the ladies took off, erica, natalie and the women of the team "today" sent us this message. >> hey, guys we are here in central park and we're so excited. we're here with a lot of our run for "today" people. a lot of people back there in the studio will recognize a lot of the faces behind us because they're a number of our "today" show co-workers and also a lot of the people natalie and i have profiled over the last six or eight weeks and introduce you to stories of why people run for "today." >> over 10,000 women participate here at the fitness marathon. it is an incredible event, all about women empowerment and the girl bond. so we are here in force today. >> we're super excited. there are first-timers here people who have done it probably more times than they can count. we have walkers, we have runners. there is literally a reason for everybody to be here to be involved. it's all about girl

erica is in new york's central park this morning along with natalie morales and 10,000 other women who all off and running in the more fitness shape half marathon. the race is just starting. before the ladies took off, erica, natalie and the women of "today" sent us this. >> we are here in central park and we are so excited with a lot of our run for "today" women. back there in the studio you will recognize a lot of faces behind us they're a number of our "today" show coworkers and a lot of the people natalie and i have profiled over the last six or eight weeks to introduce you to different stories of why people run for "today." >> this is a wonderful event. over 10,000 women participate here at the more shape fitness marathon. it is an incredible event, all about women empowerment and the girl so we're super excited. there are first timer, people who have done it probably more times than they can count. we have walkers, we have runners. there's literally a reason for everybody to be here and involved. it's all about girl power. we're excited to bring it to you. we're going to bring yo

>> another edition of "dateline" from my colleague natalie morales. i'm lester holt.ywood's newest extravaganza with a story that's all the rage. >> jesus is the ultimate superhero. >> my kingdom is not of this world. >> it was heartbreaking. but he had to go through it. >> the bible as blockbuster. tonight we te you inside one of the biggest trends in entertainment. >> people really connect with this character. i think it speaks to a deeper need. >> and they are the surprising power couple behind it. >> we are jokingly referred to as hollywood's noisiest christians. >> the king of reality tv. >> he has an imagination nobody else has. >> and a former tv angel with a new empire built on faith.

natalie morales. >> i was just going to say. >> sorry.ow long did you spend there the first time? >> reporter: could you send me some knitting? >> yes. you don't have to buy the new samsung galaxy s 6. sprint will just give you one for free. seriously. after a year, give it back and we'll give you a brand new phone. and every year after that. get the galaxy s 6 for free. when you sign up for the new unlimited plus plan. only from sprint. we snap it. we stack it. we smoosh it. we love it. hershey's makes it a s'more... you make it special. hershey's is mine, yours our chocolate. before fibromyalgia, i was on the go. i kept on top of things. i was a doer. then the chronic, widespread pain slowed me down. my doctor and i agreed that moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. he also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. for some patients, lyrica significantly relieves fibromyalgia pain and improves physical function. with less pain i feel better and can be mo

natalie morales and i are cohosting. you next sunday from the race. >> we will watch. >> i'm excited. >> it is a girl power great event. excited. >> we're excited. >>> still to come finding your inner child with a coloring book that is just for you. first this is "today" on nbc. >>> still to come on "today," tiger woods makes the cut at the masters. can he make a charge up the leader board? >>> and the american dream is terrifying. american history is the history of the scary thing being the exact thing we have to do. cross that ocean. walk on that moon. fly. none of this makes rational sense. it only makes american sense. here, the hard things show us who we are. leaving your job to start your own thing. having a kid, when you still feel like a kid. signing a 30-year mortgage on a home. scary sure, but no match for our colossal self belief. we're supposed to do scary. without scary, we don't get to be brave. i need to look for a used car. but i just keep putting it off. it's daunting. what if i make the wrong choice? it

i'm willie geist with al roker, natalie morales and tamron. march madness is officially over.rooting for wisconsin. matt lauer takes the crown. >> it doesn't matter. >> and the orange jersey. wrangler. >> and it's funny. >> that was a customized shirt. >> the point of a bracket is to win money. >> they are taking the bradley cooper relationship way too far. hangover bacon. >> oh. >> they were spotted in vegas a couple of times. >> the wager. we were the club. you are like a point apart. >> there is always next year. we have an unbelievable place. a woman got her leg stuck between a subway car and the platform on saturday. look at the response. the riders on the platform got out and started rogging the train car until they created enough for her to pull her leg out where it was wedged. she was taken to the hospital only with a minor leg injury. talk about teamwork. how cool is that? >> that's amazing. she is fine and that's the great part. 10 seconds afterwards, they get right back on the train. got to go to work. got to go. move em on. okay. >> barely injured. minor leg injury

i'm willie geist with al roker, natalie morales and tamron hall. >> in the last week or so there hase. >> you may be able to walk over there. >> it's april fools day. >> this is the perfect story. don't stand behind me. >> they can't say anything. >> let's say this is an exciting day and everyone will want to tune in. >> you know it's my turn. see you in a few minutes. >> >>>. >> i know who's who. i know who needs to get got. >> i feel confident willie got this. >> it's fact day. >> i have little things for you guys. let's see how you do here. a fact or are you a fool? >> the questions. they hired a tissue attendant for rayn malik's statue. since it is a fact since zayn left one direction, they have been providing tissues because the girls have been going crazy. apparently they are not sure if it will be long-term. they will move on. >> we hope. >> check out the next one. honda has a new selfie car. the hrv selfie edition features ten cameras across the interior and the exterior of the car. you get in there and look pretty and there you go. smile! one more drakzistraction is all we n

i'm willie geist with natalie morales and al is off today.th national title. he now tide john wooden, the great men's coach. he is 10-0 in title games and never lost. >> for the win. >> third in a row. we will say it again this morning, congratulations to u-conn, one of the great dynasties. >> such a good guy and they respect him so much. >> up in connecticut, congratulations. a big talk today. apple watch. >> the new watch. >> isn't that great? so fancy. >> there is a song about looking at my gucci, it's about that time. looking at my apple. this is the new apple watch that is taking over the world. >> katie is here with a look. good morning. first of all, it looks cool. a lot of hype surrounding the watch. does it live up to the hype? >> it's fashion and function. they nailed it in the sense that it's a statement piece as much as a time piece. you can make calls with it and read e-mails and send texts with your voice. it's awesome but again this is something that you want to wear. a number of different color band options and styles. it's al

. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, will gee geist the crowd burgeoning because they knew we have special co-hosts. willie, natalie, and tamron have been locked in a closet so we could bring back ellie kemp enandenkemper and jane krakowski back. they star in netflix series "unbreakable kimmy schmidt." >> and your old boss is here. >> she is not natalie morales and this is happening. >> whether you like it or not. >> is it too soon, al? >> not too soon. in fact, we had to invite you back. ellie, your mom said she was very impressed. you had the anchor card. >> they were impressed by my anchor card shelf. >> the card tap. >> you've got it down. >> all together now. >> there we go. >> for those who have not seen ellie play kimmy, she's starting a new life in new york after being rescued from a doomsday cult. and she plays a nanny. and of course jane -- the comedy -- >> and then the comedy ensues. >> and you are her boss jacqueline voorhies. >> i love how you say it. i've got to say it like that. >> let's see how jacqueline and kimmy inter

the 2015 billboard latin music awards and what's the "today" show show's natalie morales doing on markhing i've been wondering. well that's how we do things down here in the 305. look at that picture. their conversation after the big break on "the rundown." ♪ if you're looking for a car that drives you... ...and takes the wheel right from your very hands... ...this isn't that car. the first and only car with direct adaptive steering. ♪ the 328 horsepower q50 from infiniti. now best w here at fris are in charge of approving every new recipe. because it's cats who know best what cats like to eat. up today, new friskies 7. we're trying seven cat-favorite flavors all in one dish. now for the moment of truth. yep, looks like it's time to share what our cats love with your cats. new friskies 7. for cats. by cats. >>> a big night in miami for the latin music industry. the billboard latin music awards get underway in a couple hours with biggest names in music taking the stage. the today's show nathalie morales. it's so good to see you. welcome back to south florida. >> i know. any chance i get

no comment yet for morales. natalieck to you. >> kristen welker, thanks so much. >> some frightening moments on a flight from iceland to denver when a lightning strike blew a hole in the nose of the plane. take a look there. this happened shortly after takeoff. passengers on that iceland air flight say they heard a loud bang and pop. the plane kept going on its 3700 mile journey to denver where it landed safely, thank goodness. it wasn't until the plane landed that the passengers and the pilots realized the plane was damaged. i wouldn't want to be flying with a hole the nose there like that. >>> we have an important recall to tell you about. sabra is recalling 30,000 cases of its classic hummus do to possible contamination with listeria. it is limited to the best before dates of may 11th and may 15th. so anyone who has the item should throw it away or return it to the store. you can find out more on our website today.com. >>> president obama is in jamaica this morning as we showed you earlier. the first u.s. president t

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamrond friday morning, the first day of passover april 3rd 2015. >> i love -- nicely with butter and a little sprinkle of sea salt. >> so good. >> it's that time of year. >> i love this time of year. >> did you bring any? >> in the kitchen. bring it down? >> talk about seeing it. >> tamron has a push where we should have an hors d'oeuvre every morning. >> some apps. >> i think we should. >> i love that. what's that on the table? >> you are like the living embodiment of the snickers commercial. >> i'm not hangry because i did eat already, but it would be nice if you had some food. >> i didn't know i was going to reference it. >> no. >> willie mentioned passover. i thought matzo. i could have said gifelte fish. creamed herring. >> oh! >> i love the herring. maybe on the side tamales. chopped liver. >> the look of it. eew. >> how about a knish? we had a guy outside our school ps 272 in brooklyn. they were a dime. >> did he kill them? >> it was potato knishes. if you didn't have a dime you woul

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist, andnal grilled cheese day. yes. >> i thought you were going to say because you're back and we missed you. >> i missed you too. national grilled cheese today. that's what i'm talking. >> that was yesterday. we observe it the day after. >> it's like presidents' day. >> what's your favored grilled cheese to use? >> american cheese. yeah. on wonder bread. boom. >> old school. >> i like some stuff but old school. and if it's a cold day, the hot cream of tomato soup. >> i like the craft. you take it out of the wrapper. >> i'm so old i remember before it was actually wrapped individually. you'd have to peel it off. >> really? >> oh yeah. it claim in a block. it was sliced, but boom. you peel that off. sometimes you cheat and take two at once. >> you have to eat one before you put any on the bread. >> we're going to observe hard core in a few minutes. we're going to make our own. you're getting a grilled cheese. >> of course i am. hello, meet tamron hall the eater. i'm the show's eater. >> i'm wi

. >> from nbc news this is "today's" take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tam hon hallwelcome on this friday morning, 2016. a big crowd out on the plaza. you always love that. i'm willie along with al and tamron. it's cold and dreary and we are told by the end of the day, you don't believe it. >> al roker wore his suit at the beginning of the week. this is rough weather throughout the country. we are not explaining. >> the story that took our breath away yesterday. an l.a. courtroom heard the recording of sandra bullock's 911 call when she had to hide in her home from an intruder. there was a man in her home and we have the tapes as she called for help. >> i'm locked in my closet and i have a safe door in my bedroom and i'm locked in the closet right now. i hear them. i hear someone banging on the door. i can't hear anything. i'm locked in my closet. and it's a door and it's shut. so i can't hear anything. >> there was a portion of the call that was edited. it's much longer than that. she was home alone and her son was not there. the authorities arrived 15 minutes after

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist, and is inside studio 1a. natalie is on assignment, tamron has the day off. look who joined us. ellie kemper, ladies and gentlemen. >> yeah! >> yes. give it up. >> you remember her from "the office," "bridesmaids." probably the best theme song on television today. >> thank you. i agree. how catchy is it? >> it's the greatest. ♪ >> boy, that's passion. >> wow. by the way, we're going to play a game based off this song a little bit later. >> is that true? that's awesome. >> yeah. >> i thought it was just going to be me lip-synching for a segment. >> we could do that. >> okay. so last time we had you here "unbreakable kimmy" was just rolling out on netflix. we had confidence it was going to be a hit because you were in it, jane in it. this i think has exploded in a way that i think maybe even you didn't expect. >> well, that's kind of you. i am thrilled to hear and see that a lot of people are watching it. i think a lot of people are enjoying it. i think it's being on netflix and people are a

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales will geeie geist,today." willie is off today so natalie and tamron are hanging out with me. >> we love hanging out with just you. >> a lot going on this past weekend. of course friday the bruce jenner news, then the white house correspondents dinner. >> you guys went. >> yes. and ellen and matt finally allegedly putting their prank war behind them at the daytime emmy awards. >> no. >> so we thought. and then not so much. >> ellen and i are here to announce that we are officially ending our prank war. >> oh, matt please. this is a dignified celebration. this is the best of daytime. my god. pull it together. matt has generously offered to donate $1,000 of his own money to charity any time one of y'all thank matt lauer in your speech tonight. >> that's right. >> and as you might imagine the matt lauer thank yous poured in. >> matt lauer, how generous of you. thank you, thank you, thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you. >> thank you matt lauer. thank you, matt lauer, very much indeed. thank you matt la

. >> from nbc news this is "today another requests take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist mron. if you didn't see it, there is a show that premiers tonight called "lip sync battle" jimmy fallon is one of the executive producers of the show. chrissy teigen was here divided us into two teams. >> she does color commentary. >> she's a host of the show that airs tonight. savannah al roker, natalie and myself. >> it was epic. >> did you see how it went down? >> it was epic. let's start with savannah and carson's summer nights. >> carson looks very disturbing. >> yeah yeah. >> john legend looks surprised ♪ summer nights ♪ oh the summer nights ♪ >> a little video. >> a cameo. >> well done. >> nice. >> very nice. >> a nice headliner. >> opener. then the headlineers came out. >> after much deliberation we decided to go with a contemporary jam. see you, "chandelier." [ laughter ] ♪ chandelier ♪ ♪ chandelier ♪ ♪ on my chandelier ♪ >> i've not laughed this much since yesterday's prank. >> when he hit the note you just saw it. >> you got to go big. you got to go big. so if you don't have

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker natalie morales willie geist, and tamron. you dragging at all this morning or no? >> yes. >> just a little bit. >> yes. >> we were at the "time" 100 gala. we were not among the 100 most influential but we were there to talk to them. and as morning show people we tend to slip out when we can, but kanye was playing at the end of the night. so you had to stay all night. >> and by the end we mean a really long night. >> what time? >> i got home after midnight. i'm sure you can relate to this. you've been to a dinner party or family gathering and you have to devise a plan on how you're going to escape. willie said listen, we're going to stay. we've been here this long, we've got to see kanye so we can see what the hype is about. at one point i'm sitting at the table ready to go and there's kanye walking by. he gave willie a high five. we're sitting at the table and i look over and willie's missing. i thought willie left me. >> look he got tired. >> he was on his back. >> he did a song on his back. and willie had already po

>> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamronsday morning, it's april 16th. it's 2015. for the second consecutive day. we have a beautiful day. >> we do. >> spectacular weather. >> we got another huge huge "today's take." >> a huge "today's take." >> it will go over 90 minutes. we are taking over a part of kathie lee and hoda. >> you know how i know that? the weather and the take meet as one because we will be outside. >> we're going outside. >> kevin james and segue, it will spell disaster. >> paul blart. >> bring all the children around around see what happens. >> was the dance video real or fake? the debate started early there week. it was called a meltdown video. here's a reminder. >> you're not even watching anymore. >> dennis dennis. >> don't dennis me! i am doing my job here. i'm a pro. this is the most unprofessional set i have ever been on. this is [ bleep ]. >> okay. so al and natalie says it's fake. it's a fake. i just thought it was so intense it couldn't be for jimmy kimmel. >> i thought he was definitely playing to

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist andhave some nice folks out there hanging out. here with tamron and jenna bush-hager. i must say i am thrilled to have you back. it's always great to have jenna here. >> are you? >> yesterday was so much fun with the fabulous elly kemper and jane krakowski and tina few and who is fancy? that's the name of the guy. >> who is? >> he's like bad abbott and costello. he's on 3rd. anyway. >> you have a show with those three women on the show? >> yes, on the program. >> that is a show you should do every day because they are, i saw a picture on our instagram of you with them. i saw tina fey was surprised. yeah let me stay home and watch that show. >> she goes this looks like a great show oh, i'm filling in tomorrow. >> did you know that at this naina fey was coming? >> she's the best. they all are. special heart. thank you very much. >> okay. >> something that is not a special thing in our hearts. this is a crazy story, but we wanted to share it with you. it's a real talker today. this happened

. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist, andon? >> i can't remember the last time a band rocked it like that. >> when al does his overbite and he's jumping up and down. >> that's not an overbite. he's got soul. >> that's a contender for song of the summer. >> yeah. >> first nominee? >> first nominee for song of the summer. never too early to talk about summer. >> i do like "bills." >> we've got two on the list. let us know your early contenders. >> #song of the summer. >> but you have to does now because by the summer it's got to be full boil. we're at a simmer right now. >> did you see the overbite? >> i think you have an overbite. >> it was fantastic. >> that's very cool. >> they have another really good song. the first song that i down loaded from them was from the anna sun album. >> we've got a great story to start you off with today. a ceo in seattle has taken a pay cut. he was making a million bucks a year at the company he founded. dropped himself down to $70,000 a year so he could raise the salaries of his employees. tak

. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker natalie morales, willie geist andg to boy tamron time. we had a bar-b-que in a previous segment. tamron and i caught wind of it. >> there is a whole butcher's table from bar-b-que from around the world. >> i'm surprised. >> just u.s. >> but they're from london. >> they're from london and so they're going to be traveling these guys will be traveling around trying to find the best foods, we, our viewers, #lost and hungry. >> oh it's a great show. >> a great name. >> cool. >> every morning. >> lost and hungry. >> everybody wakes up that way. >> we are lost and hungry. >> a great bar-b-que, they smoke it in chile. >> have you seen these pictures? this is the calbuco volcano in chile. >> it looks like a movie. >> it does. >> 1,500 people were evacuated. we are told no one was hurt thank goodness. >> look at the lightning going on. >> clouds behind that, too, stunning. >> what causes the lightning? >> you got all this heat rising and humidity. it actually forms thunderstorms. >> wow! >> one particular photo shows the view.

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's" take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and this monday morning, april 6th 2015 and a nice big crowd on the plaza. i'm willy and along with that thely and tamron and al is at the white house for the annual easter egg roll. we have a special guest for jenna bush haeger. you want it to announce your news. >> i'm having a baby! i'm having another little girl which i was thrilled about. i can't believe it. it has been nice because i had five months of hiding it. >> you have done well. >> five months along. i haven't noticed it. >> i couldn't believe you didn't notice it. >> i'm expecting you to go off on a big adventure. 50000 viewers voted for to you go on an adventure not knowing. >> i can't jump off a bridge right now. >> sorry. >> natalie is like why am i out of the big adventure. she doesn't want to hang out in the room with me while i deliver a baby. >> i will be there to hold your hand. >> if you thought i screamed mommy before wait until the delivery. >> i'm sure we will have cameras there. >> i love that milla made the ann

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and to "today" on this thursday morning. it's april the 9th 2015 a. big crowd outside on our plaza. you see them outside in studio 1a. i'm willie along with tamron and natalie. two-time winner hilary swank will be sitting with us. blues traveler and hanson. i never saw that happening. >> a mash-up. >> guess who has the bum chair. i thought they got it fixed? it's a thing on the end. >> if we were at the restaurant i'd get the sweet n low packs. >> shake, shake, shake. >> ease fix. >> we'll get it fixed. >> the picture of this plane. this is crazy. there was a flight leaveing from iceland to denver yesterday. and that is the result of a lightning strike that blew a hole in the nose of the plane shortly after takeoff from iceland. passengers on the iceland air flight say they heard a bang and a pop and a flash of light. get this. the plane kept going, more than 300 miles, continued on to denver. the plane landed normally safely. it wasn't until after they landed the passengers were looking

. >> from nbc news this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall.ry. al tamron. >> i'm trying to buy tamron some time. >> yes, we did. >> tamron and i caught wind of it. >> it's a whole butcher's table of all of this barbecue from around the world. >> just from america. >> just the u.s. >> but they're from london. >> they're from london and so they're going to be traveling, these guys are going to be traveling around trying to find the best foods and #lostandhungry. >> that's a great name. >> that's how i feel every morning. >> lost and hungry. >> everybody wakes up that way. >> that's what we should name our show. >> we're lost and hungry too. >> there's some great barbecue. they smoke it over a giant volcano in chile. >> al the master of transition. have you seen these pictures. the calbuco volcano. >> it looks like a movie. >> stunning. >> 1500 people were evalevacuatedevacuated. we can marvel. hank goodness. >> look at the lightning going on. >> clouds behind that, too, stunning. >> what causes the lightning? >> you got all this heat rising and

. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and here. i have to start with al. you brought back one of the greatest things on the earth. it's loveless cafe bacon. if you go to nashville, it's worth the drive. >> i brought a gift pack of a little bacon and biscuit mix. we were there this weekend. did a fund raiser for the middle tennessee girl scouts in nashville. had a great fund raiser meal at the restaurant. met a lot of nice folks. did a fun little reception at the country club there. >> very fancy. >> you know it's going to be a good morning when i walked in the dressing room and i had biscuits and bacon. >> i was tweeted it out like life is good when you walk into work and there's bacon. >> my friend drove us to loveless to pick that up. >> it is so amazing. look at that. apple smoked country bacon. >> and their jams. >> they're amazing. >> i couldn't bring the jams back on the plane. >> and the waffle mix. >> they ship though. >> and the waffle mix. >> there was a young lady there who kept asking me questions. she said you wo