nbc's stephanie gosk has our report tonight from los angeles. >> reporter: "the hunger games" hysteria is officially unleashed. in los angeles, they camped out for two days hoping for a sneak peek at the premiere. >> this is going to be the movie of the year. >> reporter: around the country, thousands showed up when the young stars went on tour. the story is not for the faint of heart. set in a future where the annual game is a reality tv fight to the death. the contestants are teenagers. the main character is a strong, cunning 16-year-old girl who quickly parlays hunting skills into assassin skills to stay alive. >> she's a futuristic joan of arc. it's amazing. >> reporter: "the hunger games" spent more than 100 consecutive weeks on "the new york times" bestseller list. it was written for teenagers, but the gripping, dark novel has appeal across generations. >> kids, teenagers, adults, women, men. everybody understands the book. >> reporter: the nationwide release is set for next friday. industry insiders suspect it may gross as much as $150 million on its first weekend. this regal ci

stephanie gosk in new jersey this morning. thank you. >>> politics now. republican presidential candidate mitt romney is hoping another high-profile endorsement today gives him some momentum to clinch his party's nomination. house budget committee chairman paul ryan gives romney his endorsement today. on thursday former president george h.w. bush gave romney his endorsement as well. and in something of an unusual development for a campaign, romney acknowledged that he has been in regular communication with his opponent newt gingrich and that the two even meet from time to time. >>> filmmaker spike lee has reached an undisclosed settlement with an elderly florida couple after lee helped spread a post on twitter mistakenly listing the couple's address as the home of george zimmerman, the man who shot unarmed teen trayvon martin. outraged protesters swarmed the address and the couple's lawyer said they had to flee their home out of fears for their safety after lee's retweet. he has now apologized for that error. >>> federal health officials say a sharp incre

stephanie gosk reports. >> reporter: hbo's luck features two hollywood greats, dustin hoffman and nick nolte but the tv show based on the crooked world of horse racing would be nothing without these stars. one accidental death of a horse during a movie production is rare. "luck" which was shooting the second season had three. the first two horses broke their legs while being filmed racing. hauntingly similar to this scene from the actual show. the third horse died tuesday after an accident outside its stable. within 24 hours and amid intense scrutiny, hbo canceled the series. in a statement the network said while we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happened. a veterinarian who consulted for the production praised its practices. >> i wish i had those protocols in horse racing. they had total access to the medical records. they had prefilming examinations. >> but the american humane association, which also monitors filming, says there were some tense moments onset. >> there's pressure of the money. they tend to want to push with the animals. >> re

nbc's stephanie gosk has more on the tremors that have some people thinking about leaving town. >> reportered mystery that has left people here in clintonville, wisconsin literally rattled. >> it was like a ground-shaking kind of push off the chest kind of feeling. >> we heard a boom, boom, boom. >> we have some weird banging going on and our whole house is shaking. >> reporter: all week overnight noises and tremors have turned this quiet community of 4600 into a boom town, shaking people awake in the middle of the night. >> it's definitely something under ground and could lead to something really big. >> reporter: wednesday night concerned residents gathered at a community meeting. >> it is a strong possibility that some natural phenomenon is occurring under the ground. >>> all of these dots represent the nearly 400 reports of mysterious noises to police, so far. >> did you hear a boom? >> yeah, right now. felt like it was right under my chair. >>> city officials have been checking gas lines and sewers, anything to sniff out possible explanations. they've ruled out an earthquake, under gro

stephanie gosk is with some of them tonight in new jersey. good evening. >> good evening, lester. a lot of people coming into shop said they have never played mega millions before, but today, they just had to. not because the odds are better, but because the prize is record breaking. the temptation is more than most people can resist. >> there's your number. >> just $1 for a chance at more than half a billion. >> i would buy a big house, big car. everything big. >> quit my job. >> i'm thinking yacht. >> when the jackpot jumped again, increasing by a staggering $100 million, twitter lit up. "okay, i'll play." "enjoying my last few hours being broke." >> and the lines just grew longer. at a pizza shop in new york city, they weren't selling many slices, just lots of tickets. >> i took the numbers from different psalms i say everyone day. those are the numbers i picked, my favorite ones. >> i got 11 now, but i have to go to 100 different locations and pay $1 each. >> in the 42 states that play mega millions, people are dreaming big as they stare down incomprehensibly tiny odds. >> may

>> stephanie gosk, right there in the heart of it all. we wanted to continue this lottery fantasy. what do you do if you win? i'm joined by personal finance expert carmen wong ulrich, president of ulta wealth management. let's just say, you've given thought to what you'd do if the winner would come to you. >> how fun is this? >> lump sum, i always think that's what i'd do. >> absolutely. might as well have money in hand so you can work with it, you can grow it. however there is the idea if you're not able to be disciplines enough, maybe you can go to annuity -- i'm a big fan of the lump sum have it all there. >> tell me the first thing i'm going to do when i realize it's my winning ticket after i scream and run around the house. >> this is the most incredibly stressful time. >> people faint. >> absolutely. here's the thing, too, understand most of the majority of lotto winners money's gone in five to ten years. why? bad decision making because of emotions, the stress and the pressure. first thing i say, get out of the house because everybody can find out where you live instantly. >

stephanie gosk has the story from manhattan's upper east side.ter: good morning, savannah. this less than glamorous apartment building may not look like a high end brothel catering to wealthy, powerful men from around the world but that's what the new york district attorney says it was. at the center of the alleged prostitution ring, an unlikely madam. a mother of four and animal activist from the suburbs. new york's district attorney says anna gristina made millions of dollars over 15 years. a well known madam who sold sex to a large circle of rich, influential friends. prosecutors told the court this british citizen would run if they let her out on bail. relying on hidden money and connections in the police department. the judge set bail at a steep $2 million. but her lawyer said she didn't do it. >> she's not admitting to anything. what she's admitted to is being a decent, kind, loving mother of four children who she's been ripped away from. >> reporter: the 44-year-old has been married twice and has four children. she lives in a modest home a

nbc's stephanie gosk explains why. >> reporter: the "hunger games'" teenaged fans are not difficult to, lining up to premieres, hoping to get a glimpse of film's young stars. but unique thing about suzanne collins' trilogy which she wrote for teenagers is it doesn't just speak to one generation. behind the screaming kids are their parents. like mother of two, charity finch who has been counting the days until it was released. >> as soon as i heard about it, i looked it online, lookedal all the trailers. >> reporter: she cruised through the three books. in fact, plenty of the adults have. it's what kept it on the bestseller list for 100 consecutive weeks. the story is set where every year teenagers battle to a death in a reality tv show. the heroine is 16-year-old, a skill skilled huntress. beautiful and bold, she, of course, has a trail of besodded suiters. >> it has an element of danger and romance. >> reporter: it's not the first film to have cross-generational appeal. it's been compared to other franchises like "harry potter" and "the twilight series." it's broken the event's ticket

nbc's stephanie gosk is in new jersey with more on this. anie, good morning. >> hey, ann, good morning. mega millions is played in 42 states, including here in new jersey. later on today, the lines are going to snake out the door of this little shop. for just a dollar they are selling a chance at winning $540 million. and although that chance is very, very small, few people could resist the temptation. the bigger the jackpot gets, the more tickets people buy. the more tickets people buy -- >> only takes a dollar and a dream. >> reporter: -- the bigger the jackpot gets. >> i have my ticket here. spread the wealth around. >> reporter: with one day left to go the mega millions is now $540 million. the biggest lottery prize ever. anywhere. >> mega millions fever is at its critical stages. everywhere you look you're going to see lines. this is a world record lottery. >> reporter: tonight when the numbers are drawn, every ticket has a chance to win. an infinitesimal small chance. one in nearly 176 million. put another way, to guarantee a winner an

here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: they are both teenage pop culture icons, but for differenti is the father vampire in the twilight saga. >> reporter: 39-year-old jennie garth played kelly taylor in the original "beverly hills 90210" which aired over 20 years ago. during ten seasons of rich kids from beverly high, her character became one of the most beloved. they were, say fans, the perfect hollywood couple. the ones that were supposed to make it. this is facinelli supporting his wife on "dancing with the stars" in 2007. in a joint statement released tuesday the couple confirms after 11 years they are separating. but they say, we remain dedicated to raising our beautiful daughters together. fans tweeted a steady stream of shock. thought they'd stay married forever. unacceptable! another wrote. another hollywood couple down. so sad. >> it definitely makes people think if they can't make it work in hollywood, nobody can. >> reporter: now they join the ranks of recent splits. ashton and demi, kim and chris, seal and heidi. despite garth's comments to oklahoma magazine fook maga

. >> nbc's stephanie gosk at a gift shop in bay own, new jersey, across the hudson river. have you seen a steady stream of poem coming in to buy tickets before the big drawing? >> reporter: they have, thomas. it could get bigger today. it's the biggest in world history. this is an enormous jackpot, $540 million. and the bigger it gets the more people it draws out to enjoy the mania. and it's because, look, one ticket costs $1 and although your chances are infinitesimal of winning that jackpot, you still get a chance. that's what compels people to come out. new jersey is one of 42 states taking part in this. the drawing tonight. it could go higher depending how many people buy tickets. your odds? with one ticket one chance in 175,711 -- no. 175,711,536. not very good. thomas. >> i think we can all be eaten by a shark faster than winning this lottery. it doesn't mean we won't be playing anyway. stephanie, thanks. coming up in a few minutes we'll talk about what happens when the office pool lottery goes wrong. a lot of people are pulling their cash. what do you need to do to

stephanie gosk is in clintonville where residents are baffled.g to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. they felt the booms again last night,ers specially here in this neighborhood. people are trying to keep a sense of humor about this but they are spooked. there's not many things that are inexplainable let alone shaking beds in the middle of the night and booms. scientists have no idea what this is. it's an unsolved mystery that has left people here in clintonville, wisconsin literally rattled. >> it was like a ground shaking kind of push off the chest kind of feeling. >> we heard a boom, boom, boom. >> we heard weird banging going on and our whole house was shaking. >> reporter: all week, noises and tremors turned this community of 4600 into a boom town shaking people awake in the middle of the night. >> it's definitely something underground. it could be something big. >> reporter: wednesday night, residents gathered at a community meeting. >> it's a strong possibility a natural phenomenon is occurring under the ground. >> reporter: all the do

for "today," stephanie gosk, nbc news, los angeles. >> really heartbreaking.he divorce attorney headed to jail after being caught on tape breaking spo t ie home of his client's estranged husband. >> more ahead after your local news and weather. doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun. and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies - into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots. and a lot more - spring per dollar. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. lay down a new look - with earthgro mulch, now 3 bags for just 10 bucks. have 46 grams of whole grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not...that... we'd ever brag about it... turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how did that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine 2012 iihs top safety picks. so we're celebrating with our "s

stephanie gosk has details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. haven't read the book imagine roman colosseum meets george orwell, or even better "survivor" but played as a fight to the death. the books are big, the movie is set to be bigger. the feverishly anticipated release is a week from today. this theater in downtown l.a. has 14 screens showing every single one of them, this movie, at once. even by this city's standards, the premiere of "the hunger games" at l.a.'s nokia theater was a big deal. >> one of the biggest movies of the year, maybe the decade. >> i love "the hunger games"! >> reporter: crowds camped out for days. some fans traveled hundreds of miles. >> i might cry. i really might cry. i'm really excited. >> traveling out here from wisconsin was the best decision i ever made. >> reporter: teenagers and more than a fair share of adults are crazy about these books. [ screaming ] >> reporter: the trilogy written by author suzanne collins. the first novel spent more than # 100 consecutive weeks on the new york times best seller list. >