And from cnn World Headquarters in atlanta, this is early start weekend. Still waiting, three days to go, and no plans to avert the fiscal cliff, what will lawmakers do to save you from more taxes and fewer benefits . A young woman wins a restraining order against her parents. Is this a case of abusive parents or overly entitled child . You wont believe her complaint. And the new years almost here, the number one resolution, weight loss, of course. The secret to slheding the pouns and keeping them off. Its saturday, december 29th, good morning, im alison koski. Randi and victor are off today. Thank you for starting your day off. Happy to be here. We have to talk about money, your money, specifically, and sadly still not good news. And its about the fiscal cliff. Negotiations going on this weekend to try and keep from going off the fiscal cliff. The deadlines now just three days away. President obamas modestly optimistic the top democrat and republican in the senate can work things out. Jessica yellin has more on what needs to happen in order to make a deal. Alison, christy, hi. Well, the good news is, things could have been worse. It does seem those of us watching the sidelines as though time is running out. Congress does some of its best, at least the speediest work when the nations back is against the wall. Reporter after a Rare Oval Office meeting, the president said hes modestly optimistic a deal can come together, emphasis on modestly. The American People are watching what we do here. Obviously their patience is already thin. This is deja vu all over again. Reporter all sides left in agreement, at least over their next step. Well be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours. Whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect and some people arent going to like it. Some people will like it less, but thats where we are. So on saturday, the Senate Leaders will try to agree on legislation extending some income tax cuts, preventing pay cuts to medicare providers and fixing the alternative minimum tax. The president says an agreement must include an extension of Unemployment Benefits and republicans have called for a measure to avert an estate tax hike. Nobodys going to get 100 of what they want. Reporter senators will try to convince their members to schedule a vote. The pressure is on for Senate Majority leader harry reid to cobble together the deal. Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell to ensure no republicans block the bill. For House Speaker john boehner to agree to bring it to a vote on the house floor, and leader nancy pelosi to produce the huge number of democrats needed to pass it. But if that plan falls through then i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an up or down vote. The president s basic package has much more for democrats to like. So dont expect that to get very far. But all sides now agree the senate must first pass a bill before the house makes any kind of move. So all eyes will be on Mitch Mcconnell and harry reid and their negotiators holed up on capitol hill. The senate comes back into session at 1 00 on sunday. Jessica yellin, thanks. And with the pressure now squarely on the senate to fix the fiscal cliff, they will lead the talks this weekend. A period of time reid calls, quote, very important, mcconnell says hes hopeful both sides will have a plan to present to their respective members as early as tomorrow. And other republican and Democratic Senators are underscoring the importance of reaching an agreement soon. If we dont have a deal within the next 24 hours, the question is, where do you buy a parachute . Looks like well be going over the cliff. The closer we get to the end, the less likely it is youre going to be able to compress an agreement in to place that will have enough votes to pass. When the dust settles and everythings said and done, federal individual income taxes are not going to go up on almost all americans next year. That will either be settled this weekend by our votes or settled after the first of the year. Thats the most important point for americans to know. And as you may have guessed, uncertainty over the fiscal cliff had a Ripple Effect from washington to wall street. And for the fifth day in a row, u. S. Stocks closed lower, finishing the week down almost 2 . Looking at the numbers from friday, dow tumbled 158 points, the biggest lost since november 14th. The nasdaq shed 26 points while the s p 500 lost almost 16 points. But despite a roller coaster week, its been a pretty good year for the markets all in all. All three indices up between 6 and 14 . You know, whether its a stalemate over the fiscal cliff or the debt limit, turns out an inability to act could earn the congress a dubious distinction. The most unproductive in u. S. History. A review by the Huffington Post shows 219 bills have been passed this session, compare that to 383 bills passed by the Previous Congress and 460 by the group before that. Currently, the 104th Congress Holds the title of least productive and to avoid that milestone, the Current Congress needs to send nearly 100 bills to president obamas desk in the next few days. That lack of productivity isnt hurting paychecks on capitol hill. Even as tax hikes and an unend to Unemployment Benefits for 2 Million People could be on the way because of the fiscal cliff. Congress, its about to get a raise. Its part of an executive order that president obama issued which ends a pay freeze for federal workers. So salaries will go up by. 5 after march 27th. Thats an extra 900 before taxes. Currently members of Congress Make 174,000 a year except for leaders who make a little more. The last time lawmakers got a pay raise was in 2009. This morning, i want to tell you about the fact that we know the name of a man pushed to his death at a new york city subway station now. Hes identified as 46yearold dusend. A sketch of the suspect. Shes described as a heavy set woman in her 20s who was wearing a ski jacket and sneakers. Poppy harlow has more on the investigation for us. It was horrible. Reporter this man says he heard the final scream of the victim. James callanans train was halted. They said last stop on the train, debris fell on the tracks. Reporter witnesses say the victim was standing on the edge of this subway platform in queens when a woman who was pacing and talking to herself pushed him on the tracks. Surveillance footage captured this woman running from the station. Police are searching for the woman they describe as heavy set in her 20s wearing a ski jacket and sneakers. We do live in a world where subway platforms are open and thats not going to change. Reporter at a News Conference friday, mayor bloomberg and ray kelly were inundated with questions about the subway death. A second subway pushing death in this city in less than a month, im wondering what your reaction is to that. How can it be prevented . Well, i dont know theres a way to prevent. Theres always going to be somebody, a deranged person. Just this month, a 58yearold man was killed when a homeless man shoved him on to the tracks in time square. Would you consider putting more police on platforms in the wake of whats happened this month . No, we think that we are properly deployed in the transit system. Not something youd consider at this point . You show me any place in this world where 5. 5 Million People get together that has virtually zero crime rate that we do the mta, which runs new york city subways would not talk to us on camera, but said people should stay away from the platform edges and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Bill henderson advised the mta. What can be done to prevent things like this . Well, not you cant eliminate the possibility. But this is a very rare occurrence. Why not put some sort of barrier here . Well, you have different car types running on the tracks on new york city subways, and they have doors placed at different points along their length. If you ran a different kind of car, youd have to move the openings. Just not practical . Just not practical. Very expensive . Very expensive. Boy, certainly something to think about. We thank poppy harlow for the report. Heres a question for you. How Many Americans will have to shell out more in taxes next year if we go over the fiscal cliff . 66 . 88 , or everybody . The answer is next. [ mother ] you cant leave the table till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] theres a better way. V8 vfusion. Vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. Couldve had a v8. Or. 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[ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. [ male announcer ] icy hot arthritis lotion. Powerful encapsulated menthol gets icy to dull pain, hot to relax it away. Power past pain. Can you hear it . Tick tock, the clock is ticking. Three days from possibly going over the fiscal cliff. Its our focus this morning. If lawmakers fail to reach a deal, that would mean spending cuts and tax hikes for 88 of all american households come tuesday. Look at these numbers from the tax policy center. Some of the poorest americans who make up to 20,000 a year, will have to shell out 412 more to the irs and everyone earning more than 40,000 a year will be affected. If you make 40,000 to 64,000, youll pay almost 2,000 a year, if you make between 64,000 to 108,000, that jumps up to 3,500. And anybody making more than 108,000, yeah, youll have to give up a little more than 14,000. Overall, the average american will pay more than 3,500 a year. Will lawmakers be able to pull off a deal before the new year . Heres cnn chief correspondent ali velshi. Alison, i have no idea whether well get a fiscal cliff deal done or not. I do have a pretty good idea as to how we got into this gigantic pickle in the first place. Now weve passed a bold package of tax relief for americas families and businesses. It starts when then president george w. Bush initiated a series of tax cuts for all americans, but its a deal with the devil. The cuts, which are politically expedient, but costly to government expire in ten years time. Both houses of congress have now passed a package of tax relief that will protect the middle class. When it came time for the cuts to expire, the u. S. Is just emerging from the worst recession since the great depression. So president obama agreed to extend the tax cuts for two more years in exchange for congress extending federal emergency Unemployment Benefits. Those cuts are expensive. If theyre extended by 2020, the bushera tax cuts will be responsible for more than half the total national debt. Democrats insist that taxes go up for the wealthy but stay in place permanently for those earning less than 250,000 a year. We need to stop the job killing tax hikes, and we need to start cutting spending now. Republicans refuse to play ball. They say no higher rates on the rich, no tax hikes on anyone. Based on an ideology that calls for government to be as small as possible. The roots are as old as american politics, but today the philosophys main spokesman is this man. Grover norquist, president of americans for tax reform. Norquists pledge signed by almost all republicans in congress forbid signatories from raising taxes ever under any circumstances. Things come to a head in the summer of 2011, republicans demand the government reduce the deficit as a condition for raising the nations debt ceiling. Without a deal, the u. S. Would lose the ability to borrow money. Both democrats and republicans deploy scorch earth tactics that nearly shut down the government and ultimately cost america its aaa Credit Rating for the first time in history. But in a lastminute compromise, both sides agree to 1 trillion in spending cuts up front and another 1. 2 trillion in cuts to be decided by a special congressional Super Committee. But a poison pill was attached. If the Super Committee cant reach a deal, automatic across the board cuts known as the sequester would go into effect starting january 2013. At the exact moment when those bush tax cuts extended for two years, if you remember, would expire. So the point is, we couldve all seen this coming and some of us did. We yelled at the top of our lungs by it, but we were drowned out by the election. It seems common sense and Good Governance often get drown out by seemingly endless and continuele lesing elections in. We will be watching these developments play out over the weekend as congress is set to convene sunday evening. But as you know, alison, youve been saying, the markets may put pressure on lawmakers to act on monday. Stocks were weak toward the end of the week as investors wanted no part of this uncertainty, especially going into the new year. Ill be hosting a special edition of your money, in a few hours to bring you up to speed on what you need to know as we watch this faceoff unfold. Alison, back to you. Thanks, ali velshi. How will the markets and Small Businesses react if we do go off the cliff . In an hour, im going to ask a former Economic Council member under george w. Bush about the future of our economy. Meanwhile, indias capital is on lockdown right now. New delhi and other cities brace for unrest and protest after a young woman brutally gang raped dies. We have a live report from new delhi coming your way. Stay close. At a dry cleaner, we replaced people with a machine. What . Customers didnt like it. So why do banks do it . Hello . Hello . if your bank doesnt let you talk to a real person 24 7, you need an ally. Hello . Ally bank. Your money needs an ally. 20 minutes past the hour, thank you so much for sharing your time with us. The u. N. Arab League Special envoy for syria says the country faces two choices, hell or political process. Met with russias foreign minister in moscow a short time ago, and they both urged an end to syrias 21monthlong civil war. They warned that things may only get worse if peace does not happen. The conflict is not only more and more militarized, it is more sectarian. If were not careful, if the syrians themselves are not careful, it will be a mainly sectarian conflict with really dire consequences for the people of syria. Its not clear if the Syrian Regime or the rebels are listening because fighting continues to rage there. We want to update you on a story that we brought you last weekend about a young indian woman who was robbed and gang raped. The 23yearold woman has died now of her injuries at a singapore hospital. And the suspects in her brutal attack are facing murder charges at this point. Cnn is in indias capital new delhi. Police have tightened security there. By how much . And are they worried about massive new protests . Reporter youre right. They were very worried about massive new protests because you remember the scale of the protests we saw here in new delhi last weekend. They were quite violent, but security has been stepped up dramatically across the capital city today. I attended one of the protests, and to reach that site, a popular protest site, it took a while because there was a heavy Police Presence on the streets. Smo of the roasome of the roadsg to the area, train stations were sealed off. And the protests today were very, very peaceful. They were loud, noisy, people making their point and voices heard, but by and large, they were very peaceful today. Alison . Six suspects are in custody. Is that the case . Have they been charged with murder yet . Reporter not yet. Youre right. Six people are in custody. One of them is a minor, and the police have Just Announced this morning that they do intend to add murder charges and they will file these charges as early as next week. Thats what the police announced earlier, this saturday here in india. Let me ask you, why has this attack, this attack specifically become such a lightning rod in india . Thats a really good question. And one thats been coming up over and over again. And i think there are two reasons for that. One of them, alison, is just the sheer brutality of this attack. This young girl, 23 years old, all she did was go watch a movie, then get on to a bus, and she was brutally raped and beaten. Raped six times by men in a moving bus. They used an iron rod used during the rape. She suffered such serious injuries, and then she was dumped on the road side. Just, i think, the savage nature of this attack. This really sent shivers down the spine of all women in india. And this is the Tipping Point because women are just absolutely fed up now. And they say this time we wont take anymore, we want equal protection, equal rights. Thank you. The whole world has been keeping up with the health of Nelson Mandela. And there certainly have been a lot of rumors out there. His granddaughters would only speak to our nadya bilchik, though. Youre about to hear what they have to say about their grandfathers condition. Vision expanding to a 5inch 1080p hd display and camera. Touch acquiring nfc. Hearing evolving with beats audio. Wireless charging activated. Introducing droid dna by htc. Its not an upgrade to your phone. Its an upgrade to yourself. for those nights when its more than a bad dream, be ready. For the days when you get a sudden call from the school, be ready. For the times you need to doublecheck the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. When you have childrens motrin on hand, youre ready. For high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer than childrens motrin. Be ready with childrens motrin. Parents, you know you love your kids. You call to check on them. Make sure theyre doing okay even when theyre at school. Young one woman says her parents went too far. Yeah. One Phillips Colon Health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. Approved [ female announcer ] live the regular life. Phillips. 6 30 right now. Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, im christi paul. And im alison kosik. Thanks for starting your day with us. Take a look at this. A construction sign in portland, oregon, having a little fun with that looming deadline. The flashing orange lights warn of a fiscal cliff. That is funny. I like that. And they give the dates as january and february. But lets get back to washington, no ones really laughing there right now. President obama says hes modestly optimistic about the prospects for a deal after meeting with top political leaders. And now its up to the senate to come up with and agree upon a plan. Senate majority leader harry reid and Mitch Mcconnell say they are hoping to have a plan ready for a vote when both houses reconvene on sunday. In michigan, republican Governor Rick Snyder signed a new abortion law for his state. The controversial measure requires any clinic that performs more than 120 abortions a year to become a quote licensed Free Standing surgical outpatient facility. It also takes steps to ensure pregnant women are not being coerced into a decision and includes rules that a physician must follow to, quote, properly and respectfully dispose of fetal remains. Supporters say the bill protects the patients. Critics argue it will force clinics to shut down and restrict access for women. A tail of two cities as chicagos homicide rate increases topping 500 murders in the year, by the way. New york citys on pace for the lowest murder rate since 1963. That is when they began keeping records. As of yesterday, four days before the new year, of course, the city had 414 homicides, thats 57 less than the previous low back in 2009. The high for a single year was 2,245 back in 1990. Wow. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the numbers are another sign that the big apple is the, quote, safest big city in america. To a cnn exclusive now. New information on South African leader Nelson Mandela coming from his own granddaughters. They contacted and spoke exclusively to nadya bilchik. Over the last few weeks, the entire world has been monitoring the treatment of your grandfather Nelson Mandela. And he was released from hospital on wednesday. I know the two of you saw him this week. How would you describe his condition . We were just so happy that our grandfathers home after his hospital stay. Hes doing extremely well. Hes surrounded by family. We saw him this afternoon with the kids. And he was happy to see the kids. Hes really, really been taken care of very, very well. And wed like to thank the whole world for sending us messages and keeping us in your prayers. Were just so happy and happy hes home. Hes doing extremely well. And you said he was playing with the kids . So hes actually sitting up . Is he walking . Hes sitting up and he was waving at the kids and he was smiling at the kids. Hes very alert. And hes very aware of whats going on. So, yeah, hes doing extremely well. Very well. Theres there have been so many speculations. Some people said he was released from the hospital because there was nothing more they could do for him. And ive even heard hell be waiting out his final days at home. And again, is some of the speculation, you know, anything you can tell us . I think the whole world cares so much about him. I think, you know, as a family, we are very, very grateful for all of the well wishes we get on a daily basis, especially when it comes to our grandfathers health, but at the same time, you know, i think its important for people to remember he is 95 after all. And that, you know, once in a while he needs medical care, medical attention, and were very grateful because, you know, hes surrounded by the best medical team, hes very well taken care of, very comfortable, and very happy. We spent a lot of time with him and we see him a lot. We know that people worry and know that people are concerned, but, you know, we just like people to know that hes doing very well and hes in good spirits and very cheerful and very well taken care of. And you know, youve told me that some of the media reporting, especially social media youve said has not been 100 accurate. Can you give me some examples of where it hasnt been and how that makes you feel . I mean, you just said an example now, hes going home and these are his last final days, thats absolutely not true. Our grandfather is well. And it can be very, very hurtful for us to hear these messages out there that our grandfathers going to go home and go die and its just insensitive. And we would like to appeal to the media to please be sensitive to our feelings and our grandfathers feelings as well. My grandfather still wakes up in the morning reading the paper, and we really would like to appeal to everybody out there to stop saying these rumors, theyre not true. Our grandfather is great and hes doing very well. Some of the things, again, ive heard is theres so much speculation because theres so much secrecy. Some people say certainly reporters say why dont we know whats really going on . Do you think thats true . I think its also important to remember, he has every right to his privacy. And as the family, we call on people, and we urge people to give us the privacy to be able to deal with whatever were going through as a family in private. I think many people are afforded that simple rights to just, you know, if there are family members in the hospital, they can deal with it privately. It just boils down to the fact its a private matter, and whatever goes on with him, especially when it comes to his health should be dealt with privately as a family. What happens to south africa when your grandfather Nelson Mandela is no longer physically with us . What does happen to south africa . I i think people need to remember that, you know, my grandfather played a huge role and not only him, many other South Africans played a huge role to get us where we are now. My grandfather said this when he was resigning from public life that, you know, it is now to South Africans to take this country forward. A legacy like his should be carried by as many people as possible. And i think generations like ours and generations to come are responsible. And its really up to us to really take it forward and take this country forward. And i think that, you know, we are in a very i think that our government is very capable and there are many people who are very capable to do that job and to carry this country forward. So i have no doubt in my mind that we will be fine. And we cant put the weight of our country on one person. One person. Were more than capable to take this country forward and, you know, even as his grandchildren, we want to be a part of that legacy and carry our grandfathers legacy forward. Were very proud and honored to come from his family. And i think people should remember that they too can do something themselves. And that was Nadia Bilchik with that exclusive interview. You know you love your kids, you called to check on them, want to make sure theyre okay. Even at school, though . One young woman says her parents went way too far, took them to court. Well have her story next. But youre progressive, and theyre them. Yes. But theyre here. Yes. Are you. . There . Yes. No. Are you them . Im me. But those rates are for. Them. So them are here. Yes you want to run through it again . No, im good. You got it . Yes. Rates for us and them now thats progressive. Call or click today. You make me happy when skies are gray [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them feel better. You make me happy [ female announcer ] thats why you choose childrens tylenol. The same brand your mom trusted for you when you were young. How much i love you [ humming ] [ female announcer ] childrens tylenol, the 1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. [ humming ] okay. So i want to tell you about aubrey ireland, shes 21 years old, an honor student in college and a successful Movie Theater star. But now shes caught up in a messy family fight, one that ended in a court battle. Shes accusing her parents of stalking her. And a judge agreed to this, granting her a restraining order against her parents. Our affiliate kctv filed this report for us. Reporter aubrey ireland is used to the spotlight as a music theater star as the Prestigious University of Cincinnati College conservatory of music. But shes gaining National Attention now for a very different reason. Accusing her parents david and julie ireland of stalking her and winning an unusual protection order against them, making them stay 500 feet away until at least next september. No one answered at the irelands home in leewood today, but neighbors here describe a nightknit family, proud parents who worked hard to give their only child anything she wanted but veered toward overprotective. Not letting her play at neighboring homes. Neighbors also told us that the irelands went around the neighborhood asking friends and folks for letters of support saying they were good parents to take to court against their daughter. But the parents admitted to a cincinnati judge that they installed Monitoring Software on aubreys computer and cell phone, making her feel like, quote, a dog with a collar on. Aubrey says they would often drive to her campus unannounced to check on her, accusing her of promiscuity, drug use, and having mental problems. The parents say shes lying and that, quote, shes an only child that was cater to all her life by loving parents. Were not bothering her, were not a problem. But on a National Morning talk show today, aubrey called the protection order her last resort saying, quote, i never wanted this to happen. Thats the last thing i wanted, but i wasnt in control of my life at all anymore. Who do you believe . Who do you believe . I dont know. Its always usually somewhere in the middle, isnt it . And i posted this on my facebook page, and there are really passiona passionate, you know, thoughts on this, on both sides. We want to hear from you, what did you think . Did she have stalker parents . Or is she a spoiled member of the millennial generation . Tweet us, your answer answers alisonkosik an and cnnnewsroom. Its the same story every year, americans make resolutions to eat better, lose weight, why is it so hard to stick to that . Well tell you how to get and stay slim and trim in 2013. Why not make lunch more than just lunch . With two times the points on dining in restaurants, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. Chase sapphire preferred. Theres more to enjoy. All of you on the east coast, i know youre bracing for another round of this winter storm. An additional 2 to 4 inches forecast from Southern Illinois to new jersey, and some areas struggle to dig out from the foot or more they already have. Nationwide, the week long event has dumped heavy rain, spawned tornadoes, high winds, forced flight cancellations, and ten deaths have been blamed on this storm too. And 2012 does come to an end, its time to make the new years resolutions for 2013. And not surprisingly, the most popular involved eating well, exercising more. So with me is nutrition expert mark mcdonald. The top five new years resolutions. Lets go to those. Losing weight, yes, surprise, surprise is at the top, even though so many people, they make it their number one priority to drop the extra pounds. They cant make it past february. I get to the gym in january, its packed and then everybody clears out after that. Whats up with that . Well, you know, we all through the holidays, have that holiday 15. Were at a Tipping Point, scales too high, clothes are too tight. So we cut calories, we starve ourselves, we go on that crash course diet, that drops our blood sugar, makes us burn muscle, which slows down our metabolism. Then when the weight comes out a little bit, the pain isnt as severe anymore, the cravings kick back in, overeat, that makes us store body fat. Weve regained everything we lost and ditched the diet. Its the same story every single year. How do we get out of that cycle . How do we inspire ourselves . Please yes. Three simple things. The first thing, youve got to shift your mind. Youve got to ditch the diet. Let go of that diet. The average dieter buys a new diet book every 90 days. Exactly. Theyre starting over. The second thing, of you got to eat in threes. Very simple, eat every three hours, feed your body. And youve got to eat a balance of protein, fats, carbohydrates, stabilizes your blood sugar and hormones and makes you consistently release stored fat. Give me a break, were all really busy, how do we fit in good nutrition, good meals, go home, cook a nice meal after working a full day at work and get to the gym. Weve got kids, commitments. Come on. Its not the easiest thing. How do you find the time . Be creative. Instead of you eating your diet foods, bring it for the family so you can spice up your food so you dont prepare your diet food and your family eat something else. Make it for everybody. Second, make sure you enjoy your exercise. So you can go for like a family walk or you could do something. You can exercise at home, like we do indoor trampoline dodge ball. Does wii count . Wii does count. You just have to instead of focused on, i have to lose the weight, i have to drop it, you have to make this enjoyable so its involving everybody. And rather than dieting and cutting and restricting, you must stabilize your blood sugar, that allows you to achieve permanent weight loss and you can make 2013 your year of health. Ill do my best. You can do it. Thank you. See if we can make it to march. All right. The holidays may be winding down, the hollywood awards season, thats heating up. This would be the perfect weekend to catch one of those blockbuster movies i know you want to see. Kareen . It really is the perfect Holiday Weekend to catch up on flicks youve been dying to see. We are, after all, in the midst of the busy award season, and there are tons of movies getting a whole lot of buzz, many reviews are in, the critics have been anxiously chiming in. What are some of the big screen standouts . Well, Steven Spielbergs latest drama lincoln is a mustsee. The film offers a window back in time to the weeks preceding the end of the civil war and passage of the 13th amendment abolishing slavery. Some historians, though, contend the movies limited snapshot of abraham lincolns presidency paints an incomplete picture of lincoln. And day lewis portrayal of the president was so spot on. Its really no surprise here that not only was lewis nominated in the lead actor category for the recently announced golden globe nominations, but the movie also got a nod in the best picture category. Not bad since the golden globe nominations are usually a good indicator of how the oscar race will shape up. Some other films to watch, ben afflecks nailbiter argo. Also scored a best picture golden globe nomination. The critics have been raving about his directorial performance. Listen to what he told me drew him to this project. I wanted to make a movie about people who sacrificed for their country were more grounded and realistic. What it cost them in their marriage, they never see their kids, they cant tell their family where theyre going or when theyll be home. The uncertainty they have. Will i ever come back . Will i die overseas . And this isnt afflecks first time directing, he directed gone baby gone in 2007 and the town. Doc, shes crazy. And if youre in the mood for something more comedic, check out Silver Linings playbook which costars Bradley Cooper and robert de niro. Lots of stars to watch, so many movies to see. Get the popcorn ready. Alison, christi . Thanks, kareen. So what do Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin, and nude pictures on a couch have in common . I dont think i want to know. Why is it our own Candy Crowley speechless . Stick around for a bizarre and unforgettable moment from last nights situation room. If loving you is wrong i dont wanna be right [ record scratch ] what . its not bad for you. It just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal hearthealthy, whole grain oats. You cant go wrong loving it. Its lots of things. All waking up. Becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. Cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. The ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. The next big thing . Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. With odor free aspercreme. Powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. So all you notice is relief. Aspercreme. Did you know that Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin are teaming up this year to usher in the new year on cnn right from time square. Wouldnt be the same, would it . Without them . Of course. Lets just say things got a little weird last night. Putting it mildly. On the situation room when the two were promoting their new years eve special. Look at this. Somebody tells me, and im not sure this is true. Somebody tells me youre obse obsessed with wolf blitzer. And yet every year its me talking to you guys because im doing blitzers show. Is that do you take it personally . Do you think theres something to this . I think wolf is wise to stay away from Kathy Griffin. I once i dont know if you know this story, candy. I lent Kathy Griffin asked to come to my house on long island. And like a nice guy, i sent her a key because she wanted to go there a day in advance, and that night to clean up the place. No, just to go first of all, she arrived. I think she thought it was going to be a house like downton abbey. The chef was late. Never arrived. There is no chef. And while im on the news that night during commercial breaks, im receiving tweets, not even tweets, actually, Text Messages from her. Sexts. Naked pictures of herself sprawled out on my couch, draped over excuse me, i think candy has done that on a daily basis. I had to get a wet vac and a cleaning crew in there for a week. Okay. Why moving this conversation along why dont you candy, put your shirt back on, this is embarrassing. I said why dont you ask anderson what i sexted him on election night. She did. She was sending me dirty messages for david gergen. Top that, crowley. See, and usually i can followup very well, but theres no place to go after you know what the most embarrassing thing was . I actually showed david gergen the messages because she was pressuring me. I think with Kathy Griffin, its almost like watching a train wreck, you want to watch to see what happens next. Not only that, its anderson, you rarely see that man speechless. And something happens, he doesnt know what to do with it. Especially when she takes her shirt offer, hes speechless. As im sure are a lot of people. Sure. Thats funny. We wanted to give you that preview so you know what to expect on new years. And we certainly hope youll be with us on cnn for that. Were so grateful to have you. And thanks for starting your morning with us. More ahead on cnn saturday morning. Good morning, everyone, im alison kosik. And im christi paul. Its 7 00, though, on the east coast, 4 00 out west, boy, early for you out west. Thank you so much, though, for sharing your time with us this morning. We appreciate it. And i want to start with you to talk about these negotiations going on this weekend to try and keep from going off this fiscal cliff. The deadlines now just three days away. And president obama says he is modestly optimistic that the top democrat and republican in the senate can work this out. He also warns time and patience is running out, though, heres cnns stacy cohen. Reporter president obama says he and the nation are out of patience. And hes urging congressional leaders to do their job. If an agreement isnt reached in time between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reed to bring to the floor a basic package for an up or down vote, one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike. Reporter following a high stakes white house meeting friday, Senate Leaders appear poised to work toward a solution. Well be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours. So im hopeful and optimistic. Im going to do everything i can, im confident senator mcconnell will do the same. But everybody, this is whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect. And some people arent going to like it. Some people will like it less, but thats where