sofia vergara danced all night in one sizzling celebration. what do the "modern family" stars do next? they're taking over "gma"! >> you're going to have a crazy week. ♪ well protected this morning. good morning, america. robin on medical leave. everyone else back. good to have amy robach here. check out twitter overnight. it seems like the whole country is buzzing about that blown call. there it is right there. it looks like an interception. but watch the refs come in. one says yes, one says no. and the whole country goes a little bit crazy, especially, josh, if you're living in wisconsin this morning. >> the packers nation, dying a slow death all over the again. it needs to be said, the game's too fast for the replacement refs. the rules not always known. for the good of the game. for the integrity of the game, the safety of the players, get the referees back on the field. >> wow. >> they reviewed this. they went back and watched the tape. >> yeah, they did. >> and they still made the call. >> we need to get real football refs to play. >> we have an editorial from josh elliott. here we go. we're going to begin with a lot of stuff today. of course, breaking news out of the world's most volatile strategic areas. iran claimed it has test-fired several missiles in the strait of hormuz, a key passage for some 20% of the world's oil. abc's martha raddatz watching all of it this morning. martha, if nothing else, the timing here is interesting, as the u.s. military has been conducting drills there. and iran's president is here in new york at the u.n. what should we make of all this? >> well, this is showmanship, pure and simple, josh. this exercise is clearly meant to tell the world, and especially israel and the u.s., that it has the power to close down that vital waterway and to attack u.s. ships. as you said, the u.s. is conducting mine-sweeping exercises right now, about 250 miles from where these missiles were supposedly tested. so this is surely in response to that. just yesterday, at the united nations, iran's president, ahmadinejad, told reporters, we have all of the defensive means at our disposal. and we are ready to defend ourselves. but while this may be just an exercise, it is significant nonetheless. it comes at an extremely tense time, with israel saying iran's nuclear program must be stopped. and urging the u.s. to take a tougher line. josh? >> all right, martha raddatz, in washington. thank you for that. now, to a developing story in southern california. at least 30 homes have been destroyed or damaged by this wildfire burning near san diego. one man has been killed. hundreds of other homes stand in the flames' path. strong winds fanning this fire, making it extra difficult for the crews on the front lines. we'll have updates as they become available. a major setback for homeowners who lost everything in hurricane katrina. a federal court has reversed itself and now says the army corps of engineers is not responsible for the damage caused by a main shipping channel. the corps cannot be sued for damages. if you use a discover credit card, you could be getting a refund. discover bank has agreed to pay back $200 million to settle accusations that it deceived customers into buying special add-on services. capital one bank settled a similar case in july. and for the first time in three months, gas prices going down. the national average dropped a nickel in the last week, and now stands at $3.81 per gallon. and discouraging news from the nation's classrooms. the s.a.t. reading scores of this year's graduating class were the lowest in four decades. only 43% were deemed fully prepared for college. and anyone who has ever been to new york knows there's no shortage of cabs, at least not at certain times of the day. that fact, though, apparently lost on these two fellows. rather aggressive businessmen, who decided to square off over the services of that cab. oh, yeah. blows would be thrown. after the shoving and the pushing. you have to learn to share, people. one puts the other, as you can see there, of a cartoonish head lock, throws a slap, before finally declaring defeat in the battle for the backseat. he decided discretion was the better part of valor, after doing this on a crowded new york street. >> 5:30 when it's raining. come on. >> there's another one coming. there's another one coming. >> i don't think it's okay when it's raining, amy. >> maybe i've -- >> i know we have a lot more show to get to. i wanted to make it a surprise for the viewers today. we're going to turn to the race for the white house now. just 42 days before the final vote. it's "your voice your vote." all of the action in new york. president obama will address the united nations. both candidates will attend president clinton's global initiative. and the president and the first lady stopped by "the view." barbara walters is here to speak to that. but first, let's get to jake tapper with more on the president's u.n. speech. good morning, jake. >> reporter: good morning, george. mitt romney and paul ryan will be kicking off a bus tour in ohio, to regain momentum in a state where they're trailing. but president obama will be at the united nations, telling the assembly of leaders that the united states will do what we must to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. a senior administration official tells abc news this morning in new york city, in front of the united nations, president obama will reiterate the u.s. commitment to preventing iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. he'll also call on leaders in the combustible muslim world to end the violence and declare the u.s. will not shrink from bringing to justice those who harm americans. sensing an opening, mitt romney has been assailing the president for calling the situation bumps in the road. >> bumps in the road -- we had an ambassador assassinated. and iran is that much closer to building a nuclear weapon. >> reporter: the white house says the president was referring broadly to transformations in the region. >> there is a certain rather desperate attempt to grasp at words and phrases here to find political advantage. and in this case, that's profoundly offensive. >> reporter: the romney campaign is also posting to a clip online about the president's "60 minutes" interview, about his campaign ad. >> do we see sometimes us going overboard in our campaign, mistakes that are made or areas where there's no doubt that somebody could dispute how we are presenting things? you know, that happens in politics. >> reporter: the romney campaign calls that a reckless disregard for the truth. but the president is giving, as well as he gets. sitting down with the first lady to talk to the ladies of "the view," about mitt romney's tax returns and whether it's fair that romney pays a lower tax rate than somebody paying $50,000 a year. >> he said, yes. i think it's fair, and i also think that's the way you get economic growth. i've just got a different vision about how we grow an economy. i think, barbara, you grow an economy from the middle-out, not from the top-down. >> reporter: the president will, of course, have an international focus today at the u.n. the president will say, quote, we must affirm that our feature will be determined by people like former ambassador chris stevens and not by his killers. george. >> jake, thank you very much. i'm here with barbara walters for more on "the view" appearance by the president and first lady. airs later. >> at 11:00 today. >> and jake was talking about the killing of ambassador stevens in libya. you got into that with the president? >> we did. you know, we asked fun questions because the two of them were together and that's rare. but then, we did. we asked about libya. >> we're still doing an investigation. there's no doubt that the kind of weapons that were used, the ongoing assault, that it wasn't just a mob action. now, we don't have all of the information yet. and so, we're still gathering it. but what's clear is, that around the world, you know, there's still a lot of threats out there. >> and the president, you know, he said you had lighter stuff, as well. the president seemed to mix politics and fun, when he talked about coaching his daughter's basketball team. >> yeah. >> the girls, they play like a team. >> great. >> a lot of us could take some lessons from the vipers. in terms of, you know, they pass the ball. they high-five each other. but they're doing great. >> i see him sitting next to the first lady. the president seemed in much better human than if you watch the "60 minutes" interview on sunday night. >> he's different with her. i mean, this is the first time they've been on "the view" together. they've each been on separately. he's funny. she says she's funnier. but he's very relaxed with her. they held hands throughout the interview. and he answers the serious questions. he's a little long-winded, george. and she will say, i'll vote for you. in other words, keep it shorter, honey. >> they had to reschedule their 20th anniversary celebration. >> it's the same night, october 3rd, as the debate. so, in the middle of the debate, you can't say -- >> hard to break away. >> exactly. >> you have a big celebration, as well. happy birthday, barbara. >> i'm trying to ignore it. >> no, i don't think so. happy birthday. and of course, the president found out about it. and he brought you some stuff. >> thank you. thank you. you make it easier. he did. he brought me a present. you can see it. >> oh, a basket full. >> this is the story, on the occasions when i've been at the white house, i sometimes take a few things like the paper napkins. like the paper towels. so he brought me a whole basket full of real napkins. m&m's. beer. the white house has beer. and a golf ball. you want the golf ball? >> i'll take the golf ball. >> there you go. >> thanks, barbara. happy birthday. you can see the whole interview with the president and mrs. obama later today on "the view." 11:00 a.m. >> all right, george. happy birthday, barbara. and now, to the call that turned "monday night football" into monday night mayhem. the seattle seahawks defeating the green bay packers on a last-second play that may be one of the biggest referee blunders of all time. it has fans and players screaming for the nfl, including josh elliott, to end the referee lockout. abc's john muller joins us with more. it was the call heard around the world. >> reporter: got that right. when nfl fans thought it couldn't get any worse, last night, a call to end the seahawks/packers game, that has fan, player, coaches, commentators, everyone pointing the finger at the nfl saying, enough is enough. there were eight seconds on the clock. and espn commentator jon gruden laid it on the line. >> a section of the end zone with as many seahawks as you can. get someone a chance. >> reporter: seahawks rookie quarterback, russell wilson, puts up a hail mary. >> with tate, jennings simultaneous, who has it? who did they give it to? touchdown. >> reporter: but look here. watch the two refs immediately giving mixed signals in the end zone. one says it's a touchdown, one says it isn't. >> for the life of me, i don't know how m.g. jennings doesn't have credit. >> it feels like a jennings interception. >> reporter: and after a further look. >> after further review, the call on the field stands. touchdown. >> seahawks win! >> this is comical to me, really. that's two of the worst calls at the end of a football game i can remember. >> i agree with you, jon. when it impacts the end of a game and the outcome of a game, is this the impetus to change this lockout situation? we don't know. time will answer that. >> reporter: reaction was fast and furious. >> it was awful. >> in what way? >> just look at the replay. >> i've never seen anything like that in all my years of football. >> reporter: packers linebacker clay matthews and wisconsin state senator jon erpenbach. posted roger goodell's phone numbers on facebook and twitter. and the uproar went viral. drew brees, the packers' next opponent, tweeted his solidarity. tonight's debacle hurts me greatly. goodell and the nfl are in negotiations with the referees union. but three weeks of chaos and controversy over calls on the field are taking their toll. sunday, pats' coach bill belichick grabbed a ref's arm, after his team lost to the ravens after another controversial call. all right. the seahawks won the game, 14-12. the ending was farcical. the game wasn't over for another ten minutes. both teams called back from the locker rooms for the extra point. the nfl responded, telling players they have to respect the game. now, they're hearing the same thing directed at them. as josh said earlier, it's a case of integrity. >> guys. >> all right. john. at its height, more than 6,000 tweets a minute. >> it broke twitter. the glut was remarkable. now, for the latest troubles for american airlines. pilots in a bitter clash with the bankrupt company. and it's causing a rough ride for thousands of passengers. abc's lisa stark is at reagan national airport with the details. good morning, lisa. >> reporter: good morning, george, well, flyers are bracing for another tough day with american. on monday, only about half of the carrier's flights arrived on time. that's according to flightstats.com. it's a dismal record. no reason to believe today will be much better. more troubles for american airlines, after an already turbulent week. the bankrupt company and its pilots locked in battle. passengers caught in the crossfire. >> it's not fair to people like us, who pay a lot of money to get on the flights. >> i'm needed back at work and i can't show up because i'm over here but to them, i'm just a number. >> reporter: the company accuses the pilots of delaying flights, over minor repairs and of calling in sick. the union blames the company, for operating with too few pilots and too many aging planes. >> there's absolutely no doubt that american and its employees are really at each other's throats right now. >> reporter: florida senator marco rubio's flight was delayed last friday. he tweeted, let's say this has not been the best week in american airlines' history. and on top of all this, a spat between two flight attendants on board a departure. one flight attendant reportedly getting on the intercom to announce. everyone turn their cell phones off. and i do mean the other flight attendant. the pilot had to return to the gate for a new crew. a four-hour delay. what's a passenger to do? have a plan "b." >> definitely know when your next flight option might be. ask american to put you on another airline, not just another american airlines flight. >> reporter: now, there is one small glimmer of hope. the company has reached out to the union to begin negotiations again. the union is thinking of its next move. george? >> let's hope, lisa, it comes to pass. thanks, lisa. how small can you go when it comes to where you live? could you go as small as the size of a cubicle or a parking space? san francisco's board of supervisors is proposing big changes for living in little spaces. and it could lead to some of the tiniest apartments in the country. abc's cecilia vega has the story. >> reporter: ooh, it is small. >> yes. >> reporter: it turns out, it opportunity take very long to tour a 150-square-foot home. foyer/dressing room/cabinet. >> it's also the pantry. >> reporter: slash pantry. slash kitchen. the kitchen is in the closet. slash bathroom. you can almost reach and grab something in the fridge. that's convenient. welcome home. a model home in berkeley, california, to be exact, where everything is almost in arm's reach. a home that is smaller than the average office cubicle. and about half the size of most parking spaces. >> a coffee table, yes. >> reporter: but my feet are in the kitchen now and i'm sitting on my bed/couch. this may be the future of city living. san francisco is considering allowing some of the smallest apartments in the country. at 250-square-feet, there's only really only one way to describe it. >> teeny. definitely not tiny. micro. >> reporter: other cities like new york have tried to go small, too. but it in some of the toughest real estate markets, how much does size really matter? >> this was the challenge for myself. >> reporter: the ultimate challenge in this house, it wasn't finding a place to work, relax or small asleep. where do i put all of my shoes? for "good morning america," cecilia vega, abc news, san francisco. >> you can put them in the oven. then, that would be spacious for you, josh. >> yeah, of course. come on, it would have to be a big oven. >> you couldn't stand up. >> i'd be home before i got home. i'd like to weigh in on the topic of the morning. i have to tell you, it's an interception. you have a problem. you have a tiny little problem, if i'm the one who has to tell you that. let's get to what's going on on the board. we look ahead with the drought forecast. there's some news that isn't the best for places in the west. drought will continue. this is our country's forecasters. they say that from kansas city, all the way to the west. the pattern will stay dry all the way through the end of this year. here's where we have moisture popping up today, many places like cincinnati, louisville, indianapolis, pittsburgh. will be getting some heavy rain. from louisville to paducah to st. louis, that would be strong to severe storms. and the chilly air continues. boston about 49 degrees this morning. bradford at about 44. charleston, about 40 degrees. >> tuesday trivia, brought to you by kellogg's. coming up on "gma," the man who did jail time for stalking a woman, now accused of killing her roommate years ago. he's representing himself in court. could he soon take the stand to testify about whether it was all for revenge? also caught on tape, the hero cop who pushed a woman out of the way of an oncoming car just in time. we have their emotional reunion just ahead. and how one woman dropped over 100 pounds and documented it it all in store dressing rooms. and the stars of "modern family," taking over "gma," this morning. cine, a 90% smaller needle, wow that's...short. hd 3. for 18-64 year olds. approved it shouldn't be given to anyone with a severe allergic reaction to any vaccine component including eggs, egg products or a prior dose of influenza vaccine. tell your doctor if you've ever had guillian-barré syndrome. redness, firmness, swelling and itching at the injection site occur more frequently than with fluzone vaccine. other common side effects include pain, head ache, fatigue and muscle aches. if you have other symptoms or problems following vaccination call your doctor immediately. vaccination may not protect everyone. 90% shorter please. i have a callback on monday. [ female announcer ] visit fluzone.com or these locations to find fluzone intradermal vaccine. tiny needle, big protection. ♪ tiny needle, big protection. because you get the same phones, you feel richer same networks for half the cost of a contract plan. and this saturday you can feel even richer. just stop by walmart and take a one-minute demo of our new lg optimus zip. for every demo we'll donate one dollar to make-a-wish with the goal of raising up to a million dollars for children with life-threatening medical conditions. demo the phone at walmart and we'll donate a million. find out more at one-minute-one-million-dot-com. straight talk wireless. available only at walmart. nah, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicoderm cq, the patch with time release smart control technology. quit one day at a time with nicoderm cq. tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. could've had a v8. good morning i'm eric thomas. two men under arrest this morning in connection with attempted copper theft at a pg&e plant in novato. police discovered a hole in the fence of a substation pacific this morning east of highway 101 at novato beautiful. officers arrested one at the scene the second about two hours later. officers found pieces of copper wire and pipe on the ground at the substation. let's see how commute is going. tough one getting into the macarthur maze two problems westbound 580 at macarthur truck accident blocking right and left lane and out of the caldecott tunnel cleared but slow approaching both approaches. jammed north 101 at capital expressway from before healthier due to an accident. >> when -- hellier due to an beautiful colors of the morning from mount tamalpais to the east. unfortunately low clouds not thin not very thick but out there enough causing flight arrival delays into sfo. check our flight tracker. 45 santa rosa, thickest fog at the coast. going to stay cloudy upper 50s to low 60s, 70s bay, 80s inland. to the footwork there. >> all right. there you go, guys. >> head on up here. >> wow. >> ooh. >> starting the season off with a bang. kirstie alley plants one on emmy winner tom bergeron. the only thing that can make him speechless. one of the highlights of last night's debut of "dancing with the stars" all-stars. boy, what a night it was. the competition fierce. good morning, everyone. robin on medical leave. >> i must have fallen asleep before that happened. also ahead, you could call her the incredibly shrinking woman. an amazing weight loss transformation story. how she dropped more than 100 pounds using her phone and a store dressing room for motivation. also, caught on tape. a real stunning moment. a hero cop pushed a woman out of the way. you see it right there. >> oh, wow. >> wow. >> saved her life. this morning, we're going to have their emotional reunion. and get this. very controversial. a dad admitting he likes one of his kids better than the other. he's stirring up a lot of controversy over whether it's okay to play favorites. we're going inside the escalating debate. >> it's not okay. >> a lot of people have a lot to say. we'll get to it. right now, we're going to get to the bizarre murder trial in georgia, where a man who did jail time for stalking a woman is now accused of killing her roommate back in 1995. steve osunsami has the latest from atlanta. >> there's are numerous occasions during the trial that your veracity has been in strong question by me. strong. >> reporter: the judge in this georgia courtroom, close to losing her cool. and clearly fed up with waseem daker, the man on trial for a murder and acting as his own lawyer. >> you don't try cases by ambush. >> reporter: this would-be attorney is a convicted stalker, now accused of strangling flight attendant karen smith in 1995. as an act of revenge against her roommate who helped send him to jail for harassing her. loretta black is still frightened all these years later. >> i would have clearly done things differently. but i can't. i can't. >> reporter: in court monday, prosecutors said that when they finally arrested daker in 2009, they found rope, handcuffs, and how-to manuals with illustrations on how to get away without murder and kill without joy. >> if my advice in this book are followed, no one will ever know. >> reporter: they showed jurors 12-year-old e-mails they say proved daker obtained the disturbing materials, allegedly murdering smith, and waiting all day for her 5-year-old son to come home from school and walk through the sliding glass doors. nicholas smith was stabbed 22 times. >> i see when they ran past the room in my window. it was dark. and they were close. >> reporter: daker and prosecutors are fighting over new dna tests of hairs from the scene, that police say cracked the case and led to his arrest. >> which is more expensive? doing a dna test or sending a an innocent man to jail for life? >> reporter: he could soon start arguing his innocence, this afternoon. and he could testify while acting as his own lawyer. for "good morning america," steve osunsami abc news, atlanta. >> let's get more of this from dan abrams. you see it rarely. and it creates a strange dynamic in the courtroom. >> it's always a bad move for someone to represent themselves. there's a famous line that says, anyone who represents themselves has a fool for a client. there's reason for that. part of it is what you saw there in the piece. some of the witnesses can attack the lawyer and say things like, well, when you were stalking me. there was fwhor case, colin ferguson, a long island railroad shooter, he represented himself. and the witnesses called to the stand were shooting victims who would look at him and say, well, when you shot me. no, when the shooter -- no, when you shot me. >> and that's admissible. >> of course. it's admissible because he's the lawyer and he's the defendant. and it's a similar dynamic here because you have a stalking victim who's on the witness stand. he was convicted for stalking her. and she's now talking at him, not like a lawyer, but like the guy who did something terrible to her. >> the judge also seems to be getting pretty fed up with this guy. >> and they tend to do this. this is the problem when defendants in big cases. i'm not talking about like a misdemeanor, but in a murder case represents themselves. they end up causing a mess. and you have frustrated judges, which doesn't help the defendant. so you've got problem after problem for this guy in connection with this case. >> now, is it possible he's trying to set himself up for an appeal and uses the fact he was his own lawyer as a reason to do it? >> people try to say that. but in the end, this judge is real skafl. they ask a lot of questions. they discourage him from doing this. but it is his right. it is his right to completely mess up his defense. and that doesn't mean that he can then use it on appeal, the fact he messed up his defense. the judge has to make sure that the person is psychologically sound, understands the issues, understands the choice that he's making. once that happens, someone has a legal right to represent him. >> and he's got a tough race to begin with, that dna evidence. >> oh, dna, in addition to everything. they long suspected him that he was involved in this. but now, with the dna, they thought that was the final, final piece they needed to bring this case to trial. >> dan abrams, thanks very much. now, to that jaw-dropping moment caught on tape. a texas police officer pushing a woman out of the way of an oncoming car just in the nick of time. this morning, they are both speaking out about what exactly happened. abc's ryan owens has the story. >> reporter: a week after officer phillip standefer push herd out of the way of this oncoming car and almost certainly saved her life, sarah beaty has trouble putting her gratitude into words. >> thank you doesn't cover it. >> reporter: it was the 19-year-old student, talking to officers about a fender-bender she just witnessed. watch again as a van with an alleged drunk driver behind the wheel plows into the police car, sending it barreling toward them. officer standefer grabs beaty and pushes her to safety. the other cop barely escapes, too. >> i knew she didn't see the car coming. so, i just moved. and got her out of the way. >> reporter: in fact, while beaty was safe, the man who just saved her was actually pinned between those cars. >> i looked at my leg and saw it didn't look like it was pointing in the direction it should have been. >> i remember hitting the concrete and closing my eyes again because i wasn't sure if i was going to open them up. >> reporter: beaty escapes with just a few scrapes on her face. officer standefer's leg is still bruised. but remarkably, he has nothing more serious than a few pulled muscles. >> my job is to serve and protect people. i'm humbled by the opportunity to do so. >> if he hadn't been there, i don't know what would have happened to me. so i call him a hero. >> reporter: a humble hero who nearly sacrificed himself to save a stranger. for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, dallas. >> they're both so cute. i love that story. time, now, for the weather and sam champion. a humble hero over there. >> something wonderful happened yesterday, by the way. josh, you got this tweet. >> i did. >> this is from a group at harvard, who put a group of students and folks on the stairs, with a sign that has team robin in the middle of it. colleges are rather competitive, aren't they? >> they are, indeed. >> they have sports programs and fight each other to see who wins. >> yep. >> right? so what if we started a competition, if you're at a college and you've got a group of folks, you get a sign together with "team robin." see how many people you can get together for this. >> and see yourself right here. we want to see fun, competitive and the right thing to do. >> we would put that on television. let's just say, if you were to do that and call it a college kind of competition. >> sporting competition. >> sporting competition. down comes the cold front. in comes cooler air on the west. we're going to get moisture in the air with that, as well. here's places that do not have a break in the heat. it's texas, into oklahoma. wichita, about 89 degrees. memphis at 90 degrees. new orleans, still hot and steamy about 88. all that weather was brought to you by volkswagen. >> thank you, sam. coming up, the incredible transformation, how one woman changed her life using a phone and a store dressing room. and a store dressing room. lone ♪ ♪ my life begins today ♪ ♪ fly by night away from here ♪ ♪ change my life again ♪ ♪ fly by night, goodbye my dear ♪ ♪ my ship isn't coming ♪ and i just can't pretend oww! ♪ [ male announcer ] careful, you're no longer invisible in a midsize sedan. the volkswagen passat. the 2012 motor trend car of the year. that's the power of german engineering. i was expecting it to feel like i was on a diet, but the good news is, i don't. i actually still eat real food. things that i love. i'm losing weight, and i'm not feeling deprived. i never thought i'd be able to say that. i still have a ways to go but i feel more motivated than ever. i'm a mom now, and the most important thing is that i'm healthy. join me. join for free. weight watchers. because it works. hello? [ sea ] hi! this is the sea calling. i'm talking to the sea? is this for real? [ sea, laughing ] yeah! what's what what what is what... [ sea ] i want you to close your eyes and imagine a place in the middle of me where the world revolves around you. can i go now? [ sea ] sure! ♪ ♪ something this delicious could only come from nature. now from the maker of splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial. ♪ it's all that sweet ever needs to be. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. with more birthdays.se. join the american cancer society making strides against breast cancer walk and help us get there faster. sign up at makingstrideswalk.org. ♪ (female announcer) the lunchroom. it's the closest thing to a free-for-all, a who's who of social pitfalls: who's going to sit by me? who should i sit by? turns out, lunch is pretty important. hormel natural choice sandwich meats. one-hundred percent natural. no preservatives. thanks for sending us in there with her. actually... that way i could split my payments into little bite-size chunks. i mean you feel me right? yeah. uh, sir... ah... [ male announcer ] layaway's back. earlier than ever. through december 14th. walmart. back now at 7:43. and i think, amy, you'll be able to relate. trying on clothes in a dressing room, lighting not so great. not always fun. but you're about to meet a woman, an inspirational story here, about losing weight and staying motivated. this woman on a mission to lose over 100 pounds. she documented all of it in the bright lights of a store fitting room. and the results are amazing. take a look. this was julia kozerski, right after her wedding day. and remarkably, this is also julia kozerski, one year and 160 pounds later. >> it's unbelievable for me to think about where i am right now and think about who i was at that time. >> reporter: kozerski says she was inspired to make a lifestyle change after getting married. but it's how she chose to document her transformation that's now inspiring other women. >> i decided to take the images, while i was in a fitting room. >> reporter: that's right. kozerski photographed each step of her weight loss in fitting rooms, a place women often confront their body issues head-on, staring into unflattering mirrors, under those harsh, harsh lights. >> the photos were something i could keep with me as a reference. i would flip through them and look at the picture and say, do i want to go backwards? do i want to go forwards? continue with my progress? >> reporter: kozerski photographed her journey while studying art at the milwaukee institute of art and design. turning her loss into an art project. an online exhibit called "changing room." where she explored her changing identity as her weight dropped. from casual wear, to ball gowns, even sexy cocktail dresses, kozerski captured herself in 200 different outfits. showing both physical and emotional changes she endured through the unfiltered lens of her smartphone. >> i made this work for myself personally. >> reporter: that all changed after she printed a close-up shot of one of her stretch marks and posted it on the wall during a classroom critique. >> i had an outpouring of support. my classmates wanted to know more. >> reporter: she says she hopes her personal weight loss journey will inspire others. >> it's about being happy with yourself, no matter what size, what weight you're at. >> reporter: really inspirational. and kozerski says she took the process, just ten pounds at a time. though she occasionally slips up, she uses the pictures to get back on track. we can do that, too. i love that story. >> that's great. >> you know what else i love? >> what? >> josh, the fact that you're back and doing "the play of the day." i hear it's out of this world. ding, ding. we'll have that coming up. and playing favorites. a dad sparking big debate by admitting he likes one child better than another. no. we'll explain, coming up on "good morning america." explain, coming up on "good morning america." in your career.t ahead how do you get from here... to here? at university of phoenix we're moving career planning forward so you can start figuring that out sooner. in fact, by thinking about where you want your education to lead, while you're still in school, you might find the best route leads somewhere you weren't even looking. let's get to work. like the elephant on my chest... he thought he was having a heart attack. she said, "take an aspirin, we need to go to the hospital." i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i'm very grateful to be alive. aspirin really made a difference. so i get claritin clear. this is all bayberry. bayberry pollen. very allergenic. non-drowsy claritin relieves my worst symptoms only claritin is proven to keep me as alert and focused as someone without allergies. live claritin clear. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ] [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. maybmaybe you can't.re; when you have migraines with fifteen or more headache days a month, you miss out on your life. you may have chronic migraine. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life. or get the yard ready for cool an energy weather?n to size? the answer? a lot less. the great american fix-up is going on now... ...with new projects every week and big savings every day. so you can do what needs to be done. today. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, owens corning ecotouch attik insulation is only $11.87 a roll. here's "the play of the day." >> we have to get right to it. lara, that is a lovely chartreuse top you have on. >> thank you. >> look at this. this is a great story. a father/son bonding experience. run in the sun, an art project. they sent the 4-year-old boy's train, that's stanley, off to the heavens. with a weather balloon and hd camera. and then, edited it. >> i love it. and that's the view of planet earth, 18 miles into the sky, before the balloon popped. >> that's real. >> they found it about 27 miles from where it had gone up, with the gps technology, as it plummets back down to earth. it's fair to say, that 4-year-old son has an experience and a toy train he will never forget. oh. that's great. >> i love it. he's looking for it. >> yes. ty burrell, "modern family" week kicks off. big feats in college football. brought to you by al ly bank. which college football team has the most total wins in history? go, now, to goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! to find out and to discuss what makes your favorite team great. there to talk. s i love you, james. don't you love me? i'm a robot. i know. i know you're a robot! but there's more in you than just circuits and wires! uhhh. (cries) a machine can't give you what a person can. that's why ally has knowledgeable people there for you, night and day. ally bank. your money needs an ally. body washes with paper that reacts like skin. if others can strip this paper, imagine how harsh they can be to your skin. oh my gosh. [ female announcer ] dove is different. its new breakthrough formula changes everything. new dove. this is care. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. coming up, ty burrell and "modern family" takes over coming up, ty burrell and "modern family" takes over "gma." go nowhere. "gma." go nowhere. good morning i'm eric thomas. san francisco supervisors are considering changes to the city's building code today. that would allow the smallest apartments in the country. developers would be allowed to build new apartments as little as 220 square feet, double the size of a prison cell. mike has a look at forecast >> good morning. outside east bay valleys nearly below average to well below average today. 80s inland. 70s bay. 60s at the coast warmer this weekend. big rig stalled westbound toll bay bridge lane four things jammed. another accident before the caldecott tunnel slow westbound 24 towards the macarthur maze. >> news continues with "good morning america." i like to score my designer shoes and handbags early. so i shop at t.j.'s. i get my favorite brands without having to wait for them to go on sale someplace else. done! fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. t.j.maxx. good morning, america. ♪ i have some very exciting news for you. your days this week, are about to get crazy. cra -- craze -- crazy! because guess what. "modern family" is invading this joint. and guess who the first guest is. let me put on my best announcer voice. and ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage now, my very modern friend, mr. -- what's his first name again? ty burrell. is it ty? hi, ty-ty. ty burrell. ♪ ty burrell >> there he is right now, making his way into the times square studio. >> how are you? >> boy, they swept it at the emmys on sunday night. high-fives on his way here. almost looks excited about it. and there he is, right there. >> the invasion begins. >> good morning. >> good morning. i feel like with that much of a run-up, i should have been able to generate more speed. i'm really very slow. >> hi. welcome. and welcome to amy robach. >> whoa. >> thank you, ty. >> good morning. >> no big deal. have a seat. >> hello. >> congratulations on everything, by the way. >> thank you. >> quite a weekend. >> it really was. >> we loved seeing you after you won as a team. and have a lot of gold between you now. >> yeah. it was crazy and unexpected. i think we're all just waiting for the hate. >> not here this morning. >> the blowback. it was really fun. it's been great. >> and unless you've been living under a rock, i think everyone knows you play phil dunphy, the coolest uncool dad on the planet. and who could forget your famous "high school musical" takeoff. in fact, we should mention josh did a rip on your takeoff. i thought you did a great job. >> there we are. right. thank you. >> oh. >> how's it looking? >> it's looking clear that you're winning. >> oh, not even close. you owned that last move right there. yeah. i just couldn't. >> i think the reason being is that i am that much of an idiot. you're just playing that much of an idiot. >> i'll take it, ty. >> thank you. >> welcome. >> thank you for having me. >> we could talk about "modern family" all morning. we want to tell you about a couple other stories we're working on, including the controversy started by a dad who admits to playing favorites. he is a daddy blogger. and he says he likes one of his kids better than the other. he's not ashamed to say it. >> that would be some "modern family" episode, huh? >> i think it's happened. yeah. that's every week. >> of course, it is. i don't know if you saw last night. but a sizzling night in the ballroom, "dancing with the stars," the fierce competition on the all-star show. emmitt smith at the top of the leaderboard right now. everybody was great. the judges were tough. wendy williams is going to be here to break it down for us. >> how you doin'? first, we get to josh elliott. >> we're going to start. it's a big story this morning. a show of force by iran. the country claims to have test-fired four missiles near the strait of hormuz, a key shipping lane for some 20% of the world's oil supply. that's just 250 miles from where the u.s. military's been conducting exercises. meanwhile, president obama addressing the united nations today, reaffirming his commitment to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. saying that the u.s. will do and i do quote -- do what it must, end quote. he is calling on leaders in the middle east, to stem the violence, from that anti-muslim movie produced in california. meanwhile, mitt romney has accused the president of playing down the turmoil in the middle east. he and running mate paul ryan will begin a tour of ohio today. and the commissioner of the nfl is coming under intense pressure now to end the league's labor dispute with its referees, after a controversial end to last night's packers/seahawks game. the replacement refs first gave different signals on the play, before ruling the catchdown catch was anything but. it was reviewed and upheld. packers fans, packer nation, everyone watching, broke twitter and weighed in, believing this to be an interception. and it was. much explanation still required. meanwhile, a disturbing new report on discrimination against women. researchers at yale surveyed science professors at six top universities. they found the professors widely regarded female undergraduates as less competent, even if they have the same accomplishments as the men. and the women were less likely to be offered jobs. the report called the bias pervasive. and some troubling news this morning. actress bonnie franklin has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. she starred on "one day at a time," as ann romano, a feisty single mom, well ahead of her time. franklin is 68 years old. her family says she is staying positive. financial news today. get ready to pay more for the morning breakfast. analysts say the global drought and rising feed costs are leading to a shortage in pork products. prices could double in some areas in the coming months. and here's diane sawyer with a preview of tonight's "world news." diane? >> josh, great to have you back. great to talk to you again. and here's the question tonight. are you losing tens of thousands of dollars? is your bank telling you how much your home is really worth? we're going to show you how to get that money back. and it is real money. coming up tonight on "world news." see you then. >> all right, diane. we will be watching. that's a look at the headlines, guys. >> thank you. ty, you know "pop news," right? >> "pop news"? >> everything you need to know. we begin, ty, and good morning to all of you by saying we're so glad it's "modern family" week. we know you know how to have a good time. you know how we know this? things like this story. your co-star, sofia vergara, boy, did she look stunning at the emmys. there was almost a problem, as you probably know, ty. moments before you all won for best comedy, she had a little situation. >> yeah. >> the zipper busted open on her zuhair murad gown. and her emergency team had to sew her back into the dress. she made it just in the nick of time to get up on that stage and shake her groove thing with you all to celebrate. and later, she did thank her wardrobe team on twitter and made it, as you can see there to the hbo emmy after-party. to display they did a good job securing her back into that gown. she also brought 19 family members to that party? >> yeah. almost broke the 20 barrier. >> and she tweeted, this is how colombians party, with three "ys," at the emmys. >> she showed me the photo of the split. >> yeah. we saw that. >> and there's no discernible difference from her cleavage. >> oh! >> i was confused. >> it was a lovely dress. really lovely dress. what's the problem? >> you can say that. we can't. and we thank you. please keep it up. >> well, she would say it, too. she is awesome. all out there. yeah. >> not necessarily 8:00 a.m. friendly. >> yeah. in other news, some stars display their emmy statues in their living room. but five-time emmy winner, tom hanks? nope. he used gaffer's tape to put his on his limo. as a hood ornament. he tweeted a display of him doing it. he promised he would. that's how he drove out of the emmys. i love him for that. earlier in the day, rita posted a shot of the couple saying, i think tom hanks and i will make out in the backseat of this car on the way to the emmys. >> that's a photo. >> cute, right? we love them. we love you, tom hanks. finally, this is for everybody who stayed up late watching the emmys. we at "good morning america," you know, understand get up very, very early. we really appreciate the power of the power nap. 20 minutes a day increases productivity by up to 30%. we can grab one anytime thanks to this. come on in here. >> this the greatest thing of all-time. >> this is called the ostrich pillow. the product designed by a british design studio. go ahead, josh. >> ty? >> give you a little privacy in public, so you can unwind and sleep. >> no. i'm going to watch this. >> you are learning, ty. >> you put it over your head. there's breathing holes. and the holes on the top of your head is so you can put your hands in it. >> why would i put my hands in? >> for like the norman rockwell? >> you can take a nap. this is a new study -- >> look at what a little sleep deprivation will do to you guys? >> where do they come up with the engineering for the hands, as if that's how people take naps normally. we need to put in some holes for the way we nap like this. >> ty, this is a follow-up-free zone. >> the ostrich pillow is available online, ty. and the makers are open to all questions. you can go to the makers of the ostrich pillow. that is "pop news" for this tuesday. sam, you escaped at a good time today. >> the television gods were smiling upon me. i had to get outside to the crowd. good morning, times square. how are you all? how are you doing? >> i'm wonderful. how are you? >> i'm wonderful now. you just made my whole morning with that. let's get to the boards. let's show you exactly what's going on this morning. one or two things we thought we would start with. how about a little fall color? duluth is where we get the pictures from. it's kind of nice. take a deep breath in. look at the color moving through. we know that after cool morning temperatures, the temperatures are going to rebound. in a lot of cases, back into the 70s. so, it's comfortable there. summer continues in the deep south. where it is warm. just the way i like it. memphis to new orleans. dallas, you're in the 90s. i know you need a little bit of moisture. but you're not getting any today. just more heat. >> times square is excited that lara and josh are here. layer, what's coming up next? >> trying to get ahead of the ostrich pillow. we'll have that coming up. ahead on "gma," playing favorites. the controversial dad who says he likes one child better than his other. plus, ty burrell is with us from "modern family." stay right there. " stay right there. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain ostrich. your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. ...but add some ham and cheese ...roll them up in some crescent dough and tada, thursday is now... a ham & cheese crescent roll-up wonder pillsbury crescents, let the making begin. is a great tasting stock. knorr homestyle stock. it's concentrated with just the right ingredients simmered to perfection. delicious. knorr homestyle stock, tastes like stock made from scratch. smoky eyes look amazing. but creating them? that's a whole different story. almay intense i-color smoky-i kit. first, sweep the smoky eye color across your lid. then add the crease accentuating shade and a highlight under your brow. only from almay. only for me. and every day since, two years ago, the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf. we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no other energy company has invested more in the us than bp. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. today, our commitment to the gulf, and to america, has never been stronger. because you get the same phones, you feel richer same networks for half the cost of a contract plan. and this saturday you can feel even richer. just stop by walmart and take a one-minute demo of our new lg optimus zip. for every demo we'll donate one dollar to make-a-wish with the goal of raising up to a million dollars for children with life-threatening medical conditions. demo the phone at walmart and we'll donate a million. find out more at one-minute-one-million-dot-com. straight talk wireless. available only at walmart. [ cheers and applause ] fantastic crowd out here in times square. back with a parenting story about playing favorites. a daddy blogger admitting he favors one child over the other. and it's stirring up as you might imagine a lot of controversy. take a look. >> why do you go to jan all the time? >> reporter: sibling rivalry has long been lampooned in classic tv shows like "the brady bunch." but what happens when a parent says they likes one child more than the other? buzz bishop, a father of two, has done just that. writing a blog saying he favors and chosen a favorite son. in the post, he said, if i were to be absolutely honest, my older son is my favorite of the two. he and i are adventurous partners in crime. and i can't imagine life without him. bishop admits in a follow-up post, to me, he's more fun. i don't love either of my sons any more than the other. but i do like them differently. i'd be willing to bet you're the same. he also posted this video saying it pinpoints the exact moment he fell in love with 5-year-old zacharie, then 2. >> for me to take that language and call him my favorite, he's just the one i relate to easier. and if that means he's my favorite, and those are the -- that's the language, i don't think that's too evil. >> there's a maturity factor you hope that all fathers have. and that goes beyond the line. >> reporter: online, the response was swift and brutal. one reader writing, quote, that favorite kid part can hurt someone's feelings one day. and another wrote, did you write that one son is your favorite? that's horrendous and cruel. but some people understand where bishop's coming from. >> there is some truth to what he says, i think all parents sort of favor one. >> reporter: child psychologist dr. jamie howard, says she worries that outward displays of child favoritism could help develop mental ramifications for children as they grow. >> forming relationships with peers and teachers and other adults could be potentially more difficult for kids if they got this notion that they're not as likable. >> reporter: but bishop stands by his blog post. >> it's something we have inside. and i'm honest when i write. so, i wrote about that moment and the struggle i have. and told the story about my kid. >> i'm going to go with honesty is not always the best policy on that one. george and lara, i throw it back over to you. we're over here now. "dancing with the stars" time. all-star season kicked off last night. you could tell from the stars that this is going to be one fierce competition. it's full of mirrorball winners and finalists. and here to give us her take on the first night, wendy williams. season 12 "dancing with the stars" veteran, and host of "the wendy williams show." how about emmitt smith last night in top of the leaderboard. what a cha-cha. >> emmitt smith, like they said, he was born to dance. i liked his costume. he just glides. i see him as, perhaps, taking it all the way. >> and we liked the team robin bracelets. >> yes, yes. but, you know what, the judges are tough this season, and you can't get to the top of the leaderboard by having a sexy body or wearing a team robin. you have to show your skills. >> every, single time. >> yes. do you like that idea of the half-points? do you think it helps or hurts the contestants? >> i think it definitely helps the contestants. the half point is good. >> i think we're going to see less high scores, though. there's a big difference between an 8 1/2 and a 9. now, they have that option. >> i like it. >> i want to know, are you willing to tell us who you're rooting for? >> yes. secretly, i will always be rooting for kirstie and maksim. they were on my season 12. i think they're dynamic together. i like they're personal friends and professional dancers. but they won't win. they won't place in the top five. that's me to you. popularity is not going to win this time. >> the stunt last night didn't help? >> listen, not even pamela anderson's sexy body helped. she will be eliminated next week. they're not going for it. apolo, in the top three. shawn, the gymnast, in the top three. >> how about the fan favorite? >> sabrina. >> sabrina in the top five. and emmitt, of course. >> when it comes to chemistry, that real sexual thing, who has the most? >> maks and kirstie. because i can't figure out did they or didn't they? have they? haven't they? they are too sexy. are you kidding me? >> i agree with that. as they said, they would have tore each other apart if they actually got together. >> i think that they're very -- i think they're sexy. >> i do, too. if you heard, there's something going on there. >> exactly. >> not saying that it's that going on. but there's this thing. this anger, bubbling over. >> it's a lot there. >> yeah. i think you said it, pamela anderson goes home tonight? >> she's going home tonight. no chemistry with the partner. she was a little stiff dancing. look who is talking. but i am. >> okay. you heard it right here. wendy williams, big predictions. we want to hear from you. go to goodmorningamerica.com and tell us who you think is leaving tonight. you can find out if you're right at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on abc. now, it's time for josh and "modern family" week. >> "modern family" week has begun here on "gma." happy to have ty burrell and the favorite tv family kicking off a brand-new season on wednesday. and just days after a multiple emmy triumph. five awards, a lot of gold, left the stage in the hands of you and your cast mates. and creators. we'll talk about your movie, "butter" coming up. but about that night, sunday night. you guys started the show off with such a bang. so many individual awards. and then, to end it, best comedy. how does it feel when everybody gets to join in the fun? >> yeah, that's actually kind of -- that's the most fun because we do kind of consider ourselves a weird sort of family, you know? a fake family. and for all of us to be up there at the same time, it's a lot of fun. especially for the writers who are the reason we're still employed. >> and brilliantly so. >> oh, they're amazing. amazing. >> and talking to steve levitan, he said, i like to give them forever i can because they pull it off. your work wife, julie bowen, one of those. what a beautiful and heartfelt speech she delivered. >> yeah, yeah. well, that's her, you know? you could tell that she wasn't expecting it because she's a humble person. you know? she wasn't -- she was kind of like taken off guard. and that's her nature. she's a good, humble person. >> and beautiful. great to celebrate it with you guys, afterwards, seeing you all together. you can see why it all works. i want to get to this clip of the new season. you, obviously, always trying to connect with jay, your father-in-law. and here, you're trying to surprise him with a fishing trip in classic phil fashion. let's take a look. >> okay, put me back in the trunk. >> relax, you're almost there. >> nope, i'm done now. >> jay? jay? >> somebody help me. >> i would. but these pants are cashmere. >> i got you, jay. >> you have to calm him down. punch him in the head. >> don't punch him in the head. >> i'm going to punch you to save you. >> it's like i'm being waterboarded. >> you're making me do this. >> get this thing off of me. >> happy birthday. we're taking you fishing. >> i do that for a living. i do that for a living. >> to that point, we have compiled some of the great pratfalls in phil's history. coming into this character, were you aware of the degree and the prevalence that physical comedy it was going to require? >> no. but i have always loved it. in a lot of ways i feel like it's the purest form of comedy. it's the simplest form of comedy, good and bad. i always loved doing it. it's been fun to be able to do it every day. >> is it a lot of multiple takes? is one usually enough? >> it depends. it depends. rarely is it one, which usually leaves me kind of sore. rarely injured. but always sore. yeah. like getting 10 to 15 takes of jumping on the hood of the car, is not good for, you know, older fella. >> never good for the older fella. quick lightning round. we've seen the "high school musical." you're much better at it than i am. i want to know about the cast. who is most likely to get a speeding ticket? >> not me. i'm the slowest, oldest man driver on earth. >> most likely to miss a plane? >> i'm going to say sofia vergara because she's used to flying private. she doesn't -- >> and she rolls with 19 family members. that's a lot of security. i can't imagine there's one to pick. but a class clown on that set? >> i'm going to say jesse, actually. jesse has, like an unbelievable amount of bits that he does throughout the day. >> and who cannot compose themselves during scenes? >> who laughs the most? >> yeah, to break a scene. >> also jesse. also jesse. >> jesse. i'm going to ask you who is most likely to be injured in the course of shooting an episode. i think we have the results. >> yes. >> it's overwhelmingly you. >> yes. >> we really appreciate you being here. new movie "butter," is terrific. we'll be talking about it in a few minutes. don't hurt yourself crossing the street. all right. ty burrell. it's the new season. it's "modern family," wednesday, 9:00, 8:00 central. go nowhere. good morning. two men under arrest this morning in connection with an attempted copper theft at a pg&e plant in novato. police discovered a hole tonk in the fence of a substation 3:00 this morning east of highway 101 and novato boulevard. officers arrested one at the scene and they found a second suspect two hours later. officers found pieces of copper wire and pipe on the ground at the substation. your morning commute visibility somewhat compromised. >> it can be in places. we have a couple of hot spot west 24 approaching caldecott tunnel earlier accident right bore slow. south 101, 92 peninsula accident blocking right lane. south bay very slow 280, 85 and 101 north with two separate incidents. thanks. when will we see welcome back, north on 101 san rafael, sun already cool conditions in the north bay, 48, 45° excuse me in santa rosa now everyone else in the low to mid 70s, antioch at. -- flight arrival delays in san francisco [ cheers and applause ] great crowd out here for "modern family" week. robin's on her medical leave. great to have amy robach with us. also great to have ty burrell with us. >> thank you for having me. >> and you are just working it right now. you also have a new movie coming out october 5th. "butter." butter carvers? >> it's a smart, funny, big ensemble comedy, set in the world of butter carving, which i didn't know was a world. >> you're a champion butter carver now? >> yeah. they gave us some training. but it's real fun. it's a real subculture in the midwest. it's a huge competition. >> and the cast put together for this is fantastic. >> big, wonderful group. >> hugh jackman, jennifer garner, really great. >> it is a lot of fun. >> called "butter," out on october 5th. it's out on demand right now. thanks a lot for coming in today. >> thanks for having me. >> you are fantastic. we have another one of your co-hosts here tomorrow. and sam is here to make the big reveal. who is it going to be, sam? >> i would have done it in butter, if we could have. >> whoa. >> there's my fake wife. my fake wife, julie bowen. >> that's right. >> i'll even hold her. >> there you go. >> i will embrace her. >> that's great. and how great was she at the emmys? what a speech. also in the house, or the square here, rocco dispirito, in the kitchen. meatballs and it's momma's own meatballs. how delicious are those, lara? >> meatballs coming. but first, love having you. the butter thing, i'm fascinated by. vanessa williams is over here. >> hi. hi, my darling. >> happy to see you. >> happy to see you, too. >> we're all really excited about "666 park avenue." >> finally. >> sounds like a gorgeous address to live at. but i'm guessing it might cost you more than money to have your sanity, maybe even your life. vanessa williams will play a spooky role, a departure from the gal we fell in love with on "ugly betty" and "desperate housewives." this is a fun role for you, i would guess. >> i don't want to scare people off with the genre. there are horror elements. but it's a drama. and i think people will be invested in the families and the lives of the people who live at the drake, at 666 park avenue. the upper east side. it's a world of ambition. it's a world of sensuality and seduction. there's a lot more than just blood and guts. >> and terry o'quinn. >> he's phenomenal. >> i can't decide, the promos for this look really -- i don't know. as you say, seductive. he's a little spooky. but sexy. >> yeah. >> you guys play -- you run the show. >> olivia and gavin doran. we're moguls on the upper east side in new york. it's nice to be back in that world. wilhelmina, that was her gig. and this is back in the neighborhood. >> it's hard to get an apartment on park avenue. but here, it might cost -- yeah. >> is it the kind of -- sell your soul to the devil type stuff? >> he's not actually the devil. but the actual building does have some powers. >> it does? >> yeah. you have to watch out. >> what is it like for you two, having such known characters on other shows? he from "lost," you as wilhelmina from "ugly betty." >> i said yes to the project. i read a bunch for pilot season. when i read this and read how exciting it was and knew he was going to be my husband, i said, sign me up. and even though the genre is scary, we have the most relaxed time on set. terry always has a guitar. we're always singing. it's laidback and a fun place to be. >> i want the outtakes on that. >> we'll have to screen them or something. >> you haven't seen it. the clothing looks fabulous. very glamorous. you look gorgeous. and you have a little side business. skin care. >> i was here about a month ago. it's doing really well. >> how do you like being a beauty mogul? >> it's exhausting. >> it's never easy being beautiful. >> but it's good. and it works. >> if you want to look like vanessa williams, you can get it online. >> absolutely. >> we can't wait. tell us when we can watch. >> sunday night, 10:00. >> right here on abc. my friend, vanessa williams. sing for us any day. first, sam? >> who is more gorgeous than vanessa williams? who is? >> oh, stop. >> no, really. we're standing here looking at her, going she is drop-dead gorgeous. good morning, everybody. hey, where's mother of sam? come here. come here. >> sam is here. >> where is grandparents of sam? >> grandparents are still in the room thinking they can't get on tv. >> we're not going to get up because we can't get right next to "gma." guess what? sam's here. we made it. you didn't have to stay in bed. you could come right here. let's get to the boards. we want to start with the twitter and facebook pictures everywhere this morning. cape may, new jersey. gorgeous shot. love that place. la crosse, wisconsin, with the beautiful sky this morning. here's what's going on with the rain. this front doesn't get too far to the south. it stalls. there's going to be good, heavy showers with it. in the red spots, two to three inches of rain. that's good news for the country that's in some form of drought. atlanta, in 81 degrees. it's still hot in texas. oklahoma gets that, as well. a little cooler by the time you get to the west coast. phoenix, you're showing up 99 degrees. lara spencer, sneaking around. sneaking around behind the cameras. >> all that weather was brought to you by track phone. josh? >> oh, sam. we're just coming off of our emmy awards ride. we want to share another set of awards close to our hearts. they're the real awards. they honor health care workers at home and around the world, for all of the great and unheralded work they do, in difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions. and the campaign director for save the children awards, mary beth powers is here to explain it all. the real awards. it is a beautiful idea. what are we talking about? >> around the world, we're missing many health workers. 5 million health workers on the front lines of care. so, we're trying to honor health workers in this country, as well as health workers around the world who are saving children's lives every day. >> you hear 5 million. that's a staggering number. how can people get involved? >> we'd love people to go to the website and nominate a health worker who has made a difference in your life. it could be the labor and delivery room nurse or hospice worker that worked with a parent. it's therealawards.com. >> it's an organization that's phenomenal, as well. save the children, it does wonderful work all around the world. but how do these awards tie in with the mission of save the children? >> well, there's no way we could save children without health workers around the world. that's why save the children are partners. they came together to put together this way to honor american health workers and health workers around the world. >> it's therealawards.com. logon for information. also, for more information, about save the children, as well, logon to goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! mary beth powers, thanks so much. phenomenal work you're doing. coming up, carolinñ!ú we're marking the 50th anniversary of the kennedy presidency. as part of that, the jfk library is releasing secret white house recordings to give us the chance to eavesdrop on the biggest issues. from civil rights to vietnam. and we even hear president kennedy's first meeting on the cuban missile crisis. >> how far advanced is this? >> sir, we've never seen this kind of installation before. >> not even in the soviet union? >> no, sir. >> it accompanies a new book, "listening in: the secret white house recordings of john f. kennedy." his daughter, caroline, is here to talk about it. your father was taping after the bay of pigs crisis. what was he trying to do? >> i think maybe two things. i think in the long run, he would have used it to draw on for his own memoir. i think people in the short-term, he really felt the advice he got from the military during the bay of pigs was poor. >> that he had been burned. >> he had been burned. and everybody said, they hadn't said it. he wanted it, you know, an accurate record. and to keep people honest. >> what's so fascinating about the tapes when you listen, these are real conversations, the shorthand, that presidents and their advisers use. and you really get a chance to see a presidency at work. >> i think it's an incredible window. we want to be a fly on the wall in the oval office. and here, you really get this. we know what happened. when you're reading or listening to this, they don't know how it's going to turn out. so, you really get the raw emotion of these decisions. and it's incredibly dramatic. >> it truly is. as you were, as a very young girl, a fly on the wall. i hope you have the picture. it shows you playing under the president's desk. and you write about in the forward about doing that. here's a little snippet when you walk in on the president. >> you know what? i won't let you do much. >> oh, okay. >> you're laughing there. but one of the things that's amazing, you can't remember that moment. but here's the president on the one moment, talking about the cuban missile crisis, boom, complete switching of gears. >> people with kids, keep you grounded. he felt that the cuban missile crisis, he talked about it, his obligation was to keep all of us safe. i think that probably, you know, you see him as a father. that's a wonderful balance. >> and you write a little bit about playing under the desk. making little toys. >> necklaces. from construction paper. >> that's right. did hearing the recordings bring back anything else? or was it just too long ago? >> the recordings themselves, not so much. but it's just -- it does bring it to life, that sort of being in the moment. and i didn't realize that i was being ushered out. i thought that was the big moment of his day, the big moment of mine. >> it was. >> we have one other tape we want to play a snippet of. this was a dinner the president had with journalists right after he announced he was running for president. and it's a fascinating transfer. he's open about his ambitions. and the meaning of the presidency. >> is being president the ultimate of everybody who goes into politics? >> well, in the sense that being, i guess head of whatever organization you're in. i suppose. but the most important is the fact that this president, today, is the seat of all power. >> that dinner, he was very open about his vulnerability. called himself a physical wreck at the time. >> i think it's so interesting because, he talks about how relatively simple the problems were. and how frustrating it was to be in the senate, where you can work so hard and something could happen and all that went for not. and the presidency was really the place you could get things done and bring change. and it's this era that is one of tremendous change. similar to what we have now. what he realizes, you're talking about the kind of person and the kind of judgment. >> that's what i want to get to. we're never going to have tapes like this again. >> right. >> after watergate, there's no more tapes at all. this is one of the few ways that people can get a sense of how a president handles things, coming to them all day long. >> and how many different kinds of things are coming at them all day long. big, small, you know, how they manage to maintain their sense of balance. >> it's a fascinating look in. caroline kennedy, thank you very much. we'll be right back with rocco dispirito. [ cheers and applause ] well, welcome back, everyone. we love italian food. and we love rocco dispirito. >> thank you. >> his new cookbook, "eat this italian." reinvents our favorite dishes with a fraction of the fat and calories but all of the flavor is retained. >> all the flavor and then some. how about these kids down here? >> too much coffee. >> if we don't hurry, there won't be anything left. let's start with your momma's meatballs. >> they've been amended. my mom's meatballs are amazing. you all know. they're 250 calories each. >> each meatball? >> so, they have to be good, right? >> what are you doing here? >> now, they're only 45 calories each. >> i like that. >> i'm making a sauce. marinara sauce. garlic, onion, a little bit of spray stuff. >> tomato paste, puree and chopped tomatoes. they go in there. they cook for about 30 minutes. now, we make the meatball mix. in here, i have onions, garlic, parsley, chicken stock. i make a slurry. and i put the slurry inside the meat mix. >> and the meat mix is different than what it was? >> i use turkey instead of veal. we don't want to hurt the calfs. we don't want to hurt them any further. and lean pork and beef. and eggplants. charred eggplant. >> charred on the grill? >> cut in half. on the broiler. >> what is that? >> this is breakfast cereal. something you don't have enough for. this is puffed. it goes in there. you mix it up. you mix it up. you mix it up. >> and it gives you what? the texture? >> it replaces the texture of meat with only a fraction of the calories. >> that's why they're 45 calories. your meatballs, saute them. watch josh stir. >> i've been working diligently over here. >> no olive oil? just cooking spray? >> i reduced the use of olive oil in this book. olive oil is over 100 calories a tablespoon. we didn't need all that fat. you watch us cook on tv. and they're hosing down the table with olive oil. you can't do that at home. they cook. they go into the sauce we made. and this is what you get. >> how long are they cooking? >> 30 seconds a side. oh, a legitimate question from you this morning. >> i have a big question for you. that pizza looks like it's a lot more calories. >> there were 10 more pieces about 30 seconds ago. i don't know where they are. >> it's now in their stomachs. >> it's only about 670 calories a slice. these are under 200 a slice. >> why? is it the mozzarella you use? >> it happens to be the lowest mozzarella. as long as it's fresh. and then, my favorite recipe is this magic trick called instant italian ice. you take frozen strawberries and stevia and water and lemon juice. >> stevia's a natural sweetener. it is something you can take. you find it. >> it's like the newest sweet blend thing. >> it's 100% natural. >> and the kids like it? >> look at lara. >> i have everything. >> that's a big plate of it. >> you left some for me. thanks so much. >> you have to taste a meatball. >> those are great. >> i love hearing that it's low-cal. >> you do really need to worry. >> i know. >> i've known lara for 20 -- no. ten years. she has always looked this good. trust me. this is 50 calories. it used to be 300. >> everyone, this tastes great and is good for the waistline. you can get the recipes for these dishes at goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! i think i can finally eat. we'll be right back. boy, getting a nice char on the meatballs, rocco. thank you for coming in. >> do you like them in. >> i love them. "modern family" week will continue tomorrow. julie bowen live tomorrow. you don't want to miss that. >> that's right. we have the exclusive interview with j.k. rowling from harry potter with her first adult book. >> and the first couple booted from "dancing with the stars," the all-star edition. >> we heard what wendy williams had to say about that. your predictions, goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! >> what's going on over there? >> the ostrich pillow makes another appearance. >> that's ghastly. thanks for watching. only five more. that means three. >> four seconds, guys. good morning. fog delaying arrivals 46 minutes at san francisco international. let's check in with mike. 10, 11:00 rapid clearing trend. good morning. livermore a little warmer than average everybody else cooler if not significantly around san francisco, seven degrees cooler than average clouds at the coast more than yesterday. warmer everywhere thursday. bay bridge toll jammed metering lights on, stall lane two commuter lane the way to go. slow southbound 880, sack machine foe both directions of 80 "sig alert" accident in the median there