Transcripts For KNTV Today 20101210

and how did he survive this? the man who lived through this spectacular car crash opens up about the accident for the first time today, friday, december 10, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith viera. this morning british police are facing tough questions over the handling of the protests that prince charles and camila were swept up in last night. >> the royal couple was on their way to theater when their limo was surrounded by an angry mob. you can see the stunned look on their faces. people were even chanting "off with their heads." the mob was protesting a controversial tuition fee hike. we're going to get the latest in a live report from london straight ahead. new details in an online scam that we told you about last week. someone pretending to be from a college sorority friending pledges on facebook and asking them to send naked photos. now an arrest is made. you have only got two more weeks to finish up your holiday shopping. we're going to have some gift ideas especially if you're struggling with that hard to buy for person on your list. let's begin on this friday morning with the attack on prince charles and camilla's limo. peter alexander is in london winter park the latest. peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. this is a wild one. this is where the royals were headed here to the theater. but the streets were filled with protesters, some of them even set fire to the christmas tree at trefalgar square. the prime minister referred to the attack as both shocking and regrettable. but by all accounts, the protesters were as stunned to see the royals there as the royals were to see them. it was hardly the royal treatment. student demonstrators pounded their limo with fists and paint. even shouting "off with their heads." chaos captured on cell phone video, the stunned charles and his wife camila both in full formal attire headed to a charity event in london's famed west end. >> the responsibility for security is to keep their charges safe and this could have been a lot, a lot worse. >> reporter: the couple wasn't hurt, but the duchess of cornwall was visibly rattled. >> she was shaken to the core, she was guided straight through and let's just say a stiff brandy was administered. >> all across london students protested while the government voted to nearly triple tuition in a country where college had long been free. part of sweeps and drastic budget cuts. the mayhem spread to one of london's most popular tourist areas packed with pre christmas shoppers. at least a dozen officers were hurt as well as students, with more than 40 arrests. these days much of europe shares britain's pain, with more protests expected. >> first i have some sympathy. by attacking the royals it turns against them because they are very well liked and well loved. >> reporter: still with a heavily anticipated royal wedding just four months away, the latest violence on london's streets will force the royal family to reassess security. and today the head of the royal police said the route had been checked just minutes before the royals went through there and that it was safe and clear. they also said that the royal police used restraint by not opening fire on the protesters. >> i guess it could have been worse. peter alexander in london. thank you very much. now to politics and more fallout over president obama's tax cut deal with republicans. house democrats say that will not take up the package unless changes are made. nbc capitol hill kres sp correspondent kelly o'donnell has details. >> reporter: there's actually some progress to tell you about this morning with a different group of democrats in the senate. they scheduled a vote for monday afternoon. expected to pass it and that will put more pressure on house democrats who are refusing to even call for a vote. >> and we will not bring it to the floor in its current form. plain and simple. >> reporter: house democrats are defiant. >> our caucus will not submit to hostage taking and we will not submit to this deal. >> reporter: a liberal rebellion against the white house over the tax cut compromise. >> the republicans seem fairly lethal about this deal. >> reporter: the vice president's hard sell only stirred up emotions. so much that now even the president's friends say mr. obama should go to capitol hill himself because loyal supporters feel let down. >> at least he would have a chance to hear from the very people that have been carrying hiss water. he will also have an opportunity to thank the over 60 members who supported his policies and lost their elections. >> reporter: because so many democrats lost, republicans have leverage to negotiate their own tax cut priorities. keeping rates the same for high earners and a lower rate on estate taxes paid on big inheritances. house democrats refused to vote on the compromise deal unless changes are made. >> what we said is that we are for tax cuts. we are for inheritance exceptions. we've just got a different level. >> reporter: but the white house says tinkering could torpedo the deal. >> if everybody took out what they didn't like, we would have nothing. >> reporter: the president said jobs will be lost and middle class families will pay higher taxes if the compromise fails. insisting on national public radio this morning it will pass. >> here's what i'm confident about is that nobody, democrat or republican, wants to see people's paychecks smaller on january 1st because congress didn't act. >> reporter: and the white house says it has not completely opposed to trying to improve the deal, but they just don't see that happening and today the president can talk this over, maybe even commiserate when former president bill clinton meets with him in the oval office this afternoon. but it's a meeting that's been scheduled for a while. minnesota republican congresswoman michele bachmann is with us this morning. good morning. the clock is ticking on this lame duck congress, you have one more week an then you adjourn for good. house democrats say they're not going to accept this package, they say they will extend tax cuts but not at this level. is there any wiggle room here? >> maybe that's what we should do. maybe we should make it very simple at this point and just extend the current tax rates as they are and let that be it and not deal with anything else. we may need to keep it simple. >> they're saying no to that, they don't want to extent the tax cuts, they put a level on them. >> that's the problem right now, that's the issue, will taxes go up massively on january 1 or will they stay where they are? for those of us coming from a conservative perspective, we don't want to see anyone's taxes go up and the compromise that was forged wasn't rich enough for speaker pelosi and they want the taxes up even higher and that's where the line of demarcation is. >> let me ask you about fiscal responsibility, if you extend these tax cuts, we're going to add $500 billion to the deficit. how do you justify that? you said you opposed extending unemployment benefits. because that's going to add $55 billion, but that's a lot less. >> remember it all begins with spending and there's been dramatic overspending that has gone on. and so we have had over $1.4 trillion in overspending in '09, $1.3 trillion in overspending this year. >> how do you justify adding that much more money to the deficit? >> remember that money -- when people are allowed to keep their own money, that's considered a deficit. i don't agree with that definition. when people keep their own money, that's considered a deficit to government. but it's not a deficit to your pocket or mine, so i think it's important that people can keep their money. >> let me ask you about people watching the interview and they're frustrated -- >> i don't blame them. >> they feel that republicans are all for the tax cuts, even for multi millionaires but opposed to extending the unemployment benefits to people who are hurting the most. >> we're talking about a chart layer in wisconsin who employs his brother-in-law and son and have $250,000 in gross sales. that's what we're talking about. >> you're talking about that and also people who are living large. >> we're talking about everyone. remember, those people who are the job providers, those are the people that won't be able to provide more jobs. that's what people want right now. they want jobs and they want paychecks. >> they also want their unemployment ben facilities and you're opposed to that. >> they want paychecks more than unemployment benefits. >> if they don't have a job, they want unemployment benefits. >> that's right. that's what we want. we want people to have jobs. right now it's historic. people have unemployment benefits for two years. it isn't just unemployment, it's also food stamps and housing assistance and all the other program that is go along with it. so the best thing we can do is grow the economy, and to do that we have to keep rates low enough so employers can hire more people. >> let me ask you before i go, the president has basically lost a lot of support within his own party, but has he gained some traction among republicans by taking the position he's taken? >> some. but there are a lot of problems republicans have with this bill because there are tax increases in this and it spends a lot of money. there's not unanimity on the republican side either. the clock is ticking like you opened the interview with. we're getting very close. i'm a business owner, we have to have tax tables. this is highly irresponsible. we have to get is work done so people have certainty. >> representative bachmann, thanks for joining us. >> now let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories, natalie morales at is the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. an end to the controversial don't ask don't tell policy may no longer be in sight as senate republicans have blocked legislation that would have allowed gays to serve openly in the military. now with only days to go in the lame duck session, as you heard, opponents of the ban are racing the get new legislation on the president's desk. there's an empty chair in oslo at the nobel awards ceremony to honor peace prize lar yet. ian williams joins us from beijing. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie, a crackdown on the award don't stop protests in beijing today. they knew the authorities would quickly crack down. but that didn't stop scores of ordinary people from across the country gathering to demand an end to human rights abuses. they complaineded of forced evictions and official brutality. they knew that today the eyes of the world were on china. this is a protest that was the here. the authorities have tried to restrict outside information about the nobel peace prize, blacking out international broadcasts. and blocking websites. even building a wall near the compound of where the wife of the winner is under house arrest. dozens of supporters have been prevented from leaving the country to attend the oslo ceremony. the authorities have angrily condemned the award as an obscenity, calling the nobel jury anti-china clowns. a tirade that may have put a for a sharper spotlight on beijing's human rights record, natalie? >> ian williams for us in beijing this morning. thank you, ian. two brothers were killed in an explosion at a small chemical plant in west virginia where they worked. the third fatal explosion at that plant in 15 years. a third employee was seriously injured in the incident. the controlled burn of a southern california home went off safely, officials say. the house held the nation's largest ever cache of homemade weapons that were discovered when a local gardener stepped on an explosive device in the backyard. no neighboring homes caught fire in the planned blaze. the resident of the home has been charged with bank robbery and possession of explosives. now i want to head over to wall street to see what investors are watching. cnbc's amanda drury is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. amanda, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. lots of news from china today, isn't there? china took action against its inflation once again this morning, which potentially reduces demand for commodities. do watch for some reaction in the commodity pitch there. also, lots of economic news coming out of the u.s. so we'll get a pulse check on how our economy is doing, like consumer sentiment. and of course, we will be certainly watching what kind of changes might possibly be made to the deal that, of course, obama cut with the republicans after the house democrats voted it down yesterday. lots of developments to keep our eye on. natalie, back over to you. >> we'll be watching you guys on cnbc. amanda drury, thanks so much. a very bun christmas tree across from the white house. the president carried out the 88-year-old tradition with a little bit of a modern touch. the colorado blue spruce as you see is adorned with energy efficient lights. looks very beautiful. it's 7:14 right now. let's go back to matt, meredith and al. >> where did they get that idea? >> i think maybe they stole it. let's see what's going on, getting me in trouble with the white house. thanks a lot. got a developing storm, it is going to be friday evening, pushing its way into the midwest. we have got blizzard watches for parts of iowa on into minnesota. winter storm watches and warnings as well. mild on the backside of this system. but look at this, we have got snow, we're talking anywhere from nine to 12 inches, some areas up to a foot and a half from rochester, minnesota to marquette, michigan. that snow will be pushing through sunday morning. a big storm system to talk about along the eastern seaboard as well into the northeast. but for today, we have got wet weather on the pacific northwest. windy and snowy back through the plains, showers in the mid mississippi river valley. lots of sunshine, texas into the southwest. with cooler than usual temperatures. that's what's going on one more day before the storm heads to the north much going to warm up for the weekend. if you are fog free, expect 60s. cool by the trivalley it is. sunday night, football night in america. this is a good one. the eagles will fly into dallas cowboys stadium trying to pluck the eyes out of their opponent. the eagles cleaning their claws. temperatures 45 '41 to 45 degrees on sunday night "football night in america." >> i hope they have the roof open at the stadium. >> because the birds will get hurt. the american army private who was the alleged source in the wikileaks case is now awaiting court-martial in what's described as a maximum custody wing. some people are already judging him. nbc's mike taibbi explains. >> reporter: bradley manning was the undersized sax player in the band, the straight a student, and his lifelong friend jordan davis who says he often got under classmates words. >> he made feel people people feel a little stupid because he always used big words. >> now he's an alleged source in the middle of the wikileaks firestorm, an army intelligence officer entrusted with downloading and distributing classified documents made public by wikileaks. in his hometown of crescent, oklahoma some are already judging him, like former marine roger campbell. >> i think he should be executed for doing what he did. >> reporter: and if he did it, why? "wired" magazine published -- a former computer hacker says he had a -- i want people to see the truth, manning wrote about war strategy, air strikes that killed civilians in iraq and about all those cables in the state department database. it belongs in the public domain, he said repeatedly, he says i couldn't be a spy, spies don't post things for the world to see. >> he described himself at one point to be a hacktivist. which is basically a hacker who acts out of activist concerns. >> reporter: but in crescent, some remember that he sometimes refused to say the pledge of allegiance in school. >> that was one of the things that was a little different about him. >> reporter: they talk about his troubled home life, parents divorce, about a boy who joined an army who would not allow him to serve openly as a gay man. would later write, i was the only one in town who was nonreligious. i am godless. >> if found guilty, he deserves all he gets. >> reporter: given the current charges he faces, that could be 52 years. for today, mike tiabbi, nbc news, crescent, oklahoma. 19 minutes after the hour, once again here's meredith. >> the connecticut man who lost his entire family in a brutal home invasion is speaking out about the vicious crime and his life since the tragedy. natalie has his emotional story. >> it is really hard to imagine what dr. william petit and his family went through on that night in 2007. but now dr. petit is speaking out about the heartaches and how he's facing the future without the family he loves. >> it pretty much comes back every day. >> reporter: for the first time dr. william petit tells his heartbreaking story to oprah winfrey, a heart breaking account of losing his two daughters and his wife. >> walked around in a daze, intrusive thoughts banging into your brain, every second, every minute. you know, replaying events over and over and over again in your mind. >> reporter: prosecutors say these two men steven hayes and joshua komisarjevsky broke in as the family slept, beating dr. petitte and tieing him to a pole in the basement and terrorized his wife and two daughters upstairs before setting the house on fire. >> i went to sleep one night with a nice home and a loving family and basically awakened in an emergency room naked on a gurney with no clothes, no family, no home. >> reporter: hayes was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. komisarjevsky goes on trial next year. he pleaded not guilty to all the charges. petit was asked if he could forgive the two men. >> i don't think you can forgive ultimate evil. you can forgive somebody who stole your car. you can forgive somebody who slapped you in the face. i think forgiving the essence of evil is not appropriate. >> will you ever be able to feel happiness again? >> i'm not convinced. a lot of people tell me, yes, that will happen. >> reporter: no matter what the future brings, dr. william petit wants people to focus on the loves of his life. >> it was such a terrible, terrible thing and i wanted people to have positive memories and know who they were. >> reporter: dr. petit has set up a foundation in memory of his wife and two daughters. the petit family foundation has now raised $1.5 million in support of causes the petit women held close to their hearts. >> and you can learn more about the petit family foundation on our website. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. lightning fast. lightning strong. verizon 4g lte. rule the air on the most advanced 4g network in the world. just ahead, the man behind groupons speaks out in a live interview. plus the man who this spectacular car crash oepes up for the first time after your local news. save $523! 16 minutes could save you 16%! come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online. equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share an app like our texas cheese fries, then choose two entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our new honey chipotle baby back ribs. >> per good morning. 7:26. a new accident in the caldecott. >> as you approach on the westbound direction on the o rippeda side, an accident affecting one of the westbound areas. the traffic flow still moving with slowing out of orinda. typical slow pattern for friday. the east shore highway off of the freeway with activity north of university avenue. the bay bridge toll plaza shows the big deal with the fog affects your view. the golden gate bridge, it's tough to see even the south tower. >> the the windshield wipers are going with light rain and spotty showers out by fairfield and a little bit of light rain along 880. you will ski that mist, but partly cloudy south of san jose. showers across the north bay and for the weekend, the rain heads out and temperatures warm up withchfog. 7:27. more news after the break. this morning, si18 tor is stirring anger for her stance on casinos. dianne feinstein is the chair woman in charge of funding forever the agency that handles indian land issues. feinstein is a critic in urban areas including a plan to build a casino. feinstein is backing laws for proving tribes tie to casino land. i will have another update for you in a half hour. the "today" show back in less than a minute. 7:30 now on this friday morning, december 10, 2010. and these folks are getting an early start to their weekend spending the morning in rockefeller plaza. we're going to join them in just a little bit. inside studio 1a, i'm meredith viera alongside matt lauer. the young driver who survived this terrifying crash, doctors say it's a miracle he didn't die. and we're going to hear from him exclusively. andrew mason's website did not exist two years ago, now less than 22 months later, "forbes" magazine has called it the fastest grows company ever. and google reportedly tried to buy groupon for $40 million. which is is more dangerous to the gentle giant, cold weather, or human's touch. we begin with the facebook scam targeting sorority pledges. jeff rossen has been following the case. >> reporter: police say it was an online predator who was e-mailing sorority pledges, demanding nude photos, threatening violence and disclosing secrets. police were stumped until now. investigators say this is the man who did it. preying on sorority girls from his home computer. it all started with a facebook chat. >> the first conversation was about two hours long and very thorough and in department. >> about your life? >> they get you. >> reporter: ashley is a freshman at florida state university, she even got a chance to pledge a sorority. >> they basically said, tell me anything about you, what your personality is like, why you decided to join a sorority, how was your family life like? >> reporter: so you thought it was legitimate? >> they asked me what color underwear i was wearing and then they asked me to go even further and to put them in my mouth to show that i was below them. >> they wanted you to take a nude picture of yourself. >> yes, they did. >> reporter: you thought this was what you had to do to join the sorority? >> basically. they threatened me to use any secrets. >> reporter: police say it was all a scan, ashley was actually chatting with mitchell hill, a 26-year-old man hundreds of miles away now being charged with video voyeurism and extortion. >> the "today" show was instrumental in con joining the efforts of all the law enforcement agencies to -- >> reporter: hill targeted women at schools all over the southeast. smu, the yooefuniversity of flo the university of alabama and lshs su. >> i had word from the police that girl actually fully undressed themselves on skype which is is a video camera for this person. they lured them in to go to that extent. >> we are glad we were able to assist in getting a predator off the street and we do urge any other victim to please come forward so this young man can be brought to justice for every single crime he has committed. >> reporter: police recovered mitchell hill's computer. they actually found evidence connecting him to at least 11 victims. one thing they don't know right now, how he picked the women to target. how did he know they were sorority pledges for example. ashley is just relieved they have somebody in custody. >> jeff, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> we're out here with our friends and you got a kind of a quiet wave. what's your name. >> emily. >> where are you from? >> connecticut. >> it never gets cold in connecticut. let's check your weather and see what's happening. these temperatures, boston--these are air temperatures. 22 in buffalo, caribou is at 4. and the afternoon is only going to get up to 16 there. albany 26, pittsburgh 36, we have got more cold air coming next week as you look at the rest of the country, you could see brutal temperatures up in the northern plains. 70s down through the gulf. and on into here's a live view of the bay idge. low clouds and misty idskies. the radar you can see out towards the delta and vallejo seeing scattered showers around fremont. light rain and you can see clouds filling in to northern california. scattered showers and as you head to the weekend, the storm track heads to organization own and washington. the exception to the rule are valleys where fog will stick around as you stay dry to the start of next week. >> and don't forget, you can check your weather any time of the day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. the survivor of a terrifying car slash in ohio is speaking out about the day he almost died. >> reporter: when you see this tape, it's amazing to believe that the driver survived and not only that, but just four months after the accident, he's able to sit down with us and talk about it. one look at this police dash cam video and it's impossible to understand how anyone survived. police say 19-year-old brennan eden was traveling at over 100 miles an hour, when he lost control, sped through the median, went airborne and smashed into a concrete bridge pillar. watch and you can actually see him bounce across the payment. >> i just remember driving regularly, the speed limit, just like anyone else. >> reporter: this is all that was left of brennan's 1980 firebird. the car literally in pieces. >> we have a vehicle that does this much damage, how another vehicle wasn't involved is amazing actually.brennan was ta to the hospital in an air ambulance. his mother, a trauma nurse was 40 miles away. >> i was wondering what i was going to see, how i was going to able to handle him in such critical condition. >> reporter: brennan was in intensive care for several weeks and underwent four surgeries before he learned to walk again. doctors say there's no medical logic to explain his survival, but the fact that he was thrown from the car may be one explanation. >> i don't remember any speeding, crashing, nothing. >> reporter: shortly before the accident, police approached brennan's car while it was parked in an empty lot. they discovered an empty can of alcohol and a small amount of marijuana. but there was no trace of alcohol in brennan's system after the crash. >> i was probably doing things i shouldn't be doing. probably looking back i wouldn't do them again though. >> reporter: brennan's driver's license has been suspended for two years for reckless driving, but he says he's willing to face the consequences because he's just thankful to be alive. meredith? >> he should be, john yang, thank you very much. what you should buy that impossible to shop for person on your holiday lift. . next up the founder of groupon, he rejected a $40 million bit for his company. rules and restrictions. oh, and limits. 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[ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. we're back at 7:41, what if someone offered you billions of dollars for your startup company, would you take it? the folks at groupon have reportedly accepted a $6 million offer. before i get to that, for the uninitiated, let's talk about groupon. basically you send out a deal every morning, it's a great deal on a product or service local to your customers. a certain number of people have to sign up for the deal, and if they do, they get the coupon. >> you should be our spokesperson. >> so the customer gets a good deal, the business that's providing the discount on a product or service gets exposed to a huge audience. what is your average subscriber like, who's your target audience. >> we're mostly people that live in cities, a little bit more female than male. people who are college edge indicate educated. >> 2/3 make between $50,000 and $100,000 a year. these are the customers everybody wants. >> yes, it's not the typical person you would associate with being a coupon clipper. this is more the type of people that everybody wants to get into their store. >> it's a simple formula and it has made you a juicy target for other companies wanting to get a piece of this or the whole pie. the reports of late on the business pages has been that google offed you $6 billion for this company and the same reporting says you turned it down. have you turned down a deal like that lately? >> unfortunately, matt, i can't speak to that. but we're excited to be -- to have a cool company that we're continuing to grow. >> can you at least confirm that you were in the -- i'm not looking for the specific number, will you confirm that you were in talks with google for such a deal? >> let me tell you a story to answer that question, matt. >> i have a feeling i'm not going to get an answer here. >> my middle name is divens. i was embarrassed at this middle name. and josh wilson made fun of me on the baseball field and i started crying and running after him and mrs. patterson ran after him. the next day on the school bus, someone said hey divens and i tried to squirt suntan lotion on those. >> you will stall any way you possibly can? >> some people say this business model is fantastic right now, but they worry, they have a major concern that's too easily copyable and that any other company can copy this and someone who wants to be aggressive and come in and undercut your fees can basically push you to the side, are you worried about that? >> in addition to being the fastest growing company ever, we have probably been the most copied company ever. there's over 500 groupon claims all over the country. the first groupon claim came out in the first 18 months. 99 of them are completely irrelevant. >> last week amazon made a significant investment in one of your competitors called living social. does that worry you that a company like amazon is pouring money into that company? >> we think as long as we build a product that our consumers really like to use and is useful for merchants and brings them new customers. >> this seems like a great niche right now, but will it feel that way when klaclaustrophobia sets. it goss on to say groupon will regret passing on google's billions then if it doesn't all right. without going into your middle name and the story of skiquirti again, how do you answer that. >> even with the copycat sites out there, we have backlogged for six months for people that want to be featured on groupon. so what we're doing is something that consumers and merchants seem to like. >> we are excited by people like you, you are the young guns, you are the pioneers in the digital world. what do you want to do with your clout, andrew? >> i want to see if i can get more buildings to have laser in their name. the word laser. i don't know. do i have clout. >> you do have clout whether you realize it or not, and you do realize it, you do have clout. i feel like clout is something that builds up on your teeth. i can't even take the question seriously. >> did i get one serious answer? i'm not sure. andr andrew mason, nice to have you here. swimming with florida's manatees, should it be allowed? [ male announcer ] it's here. the all-new chevy cruze. msn autos called it "the class of its class right now." but that's not the only story. it's got turn-by-turn navigation, onstar, an available six-speed automatic transmission, remote keyless entry, and 10 air bags. it's a big story for a compact car. the all-new chevrolet cruze. get used to more. very well-qualified lessees can get a low-mileage lease on a 2011 chevrolet cruze ls for around $159 a month. call for details. ♪ it comes along just once a year ♪ ♪ on winters wings, decembers rear, ahha humbug faces come and dear ♪ ♪ then appears at perfect christmas time. ♪ ♪ a tiny tree, christmas, tinsel, the lights ♪ ♪ the star that sings, top your tiny tree, yeah ♪ this week's cold weather in florida could be a death sentence for endangered manatees. but there's at least one place they can go for warmth. kerry sanders -- >> i'm at the national wildlife refuge here. it's a chilly 32 degrees, but down here in the water, it's a constant 72 degrees. that's because these are spring fed waters so. the manatees are sort of like tourists who flock to miami beach in the winter, they know where to stay warm. but at the same time, as you see the manatees swimming here, there's a little bit of a conflict in terms of, well, is it a good idea to have people up close to these manatees when it gets cold. so under new federal regulations, fish and wildlife if they need to can close this area off where i am right now to people swimming. but that means for tour operators, people who travel from around to the world, won't be able to swim with manatees. on a cold winter morning, crystal rivers steamy waters become a sanctuary, a warm bathtub for manatees, a distant relative to the elephant, these gentle giants quietly gather in large herds here. but sometimes even if they follow their instincts, it's not enough. so far this year, a record 659 manatees have died from hypothermia. >> for them being able to find refuge at the springs is a life or death situation for them. >> reporter: more than 100,000 tourists from around the world come here every year like the merck family from georgia. if they want to touch, pet and scratch these behemoth, long ago mistaken by sailors as mermaids. >> it's new, it's fun and it's kind of scary, but like you just want to keep touching them and keep going for them. >> reporter: environmentalists claim petting and rubbing the manatees especially when it's cold is a problem. tracey colton calls it harassment and believes when manatees try to escape the prodding, the only place to swim are dangerous colder waters. with the video camera, she spent five years documenting human manatee encounters. >> i really believe that the touching has to be banned all together. >> reporter: but now studies prove that people are chasing the manatees to their deaths. which is why florida state law outlaws harassment but petting is just fine. >> the manatee is going to approach and that's the law, let them come to you. >> captain diane who for decades have brought tourists to swim with the manatees, says the tragic deaths are from unusually cold weather. she fears government officials under pressure will expand an every expanding no swim zone. >> the whole town is primarily dependent on tourism. i love the manatees and i want them to be protected. i don't want them harmed in any way. >> reporter: and so now we're looking at a live picture of a manatee right here. it's a good bet that this area possibly will be closed as early as next week because the temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s. matt and meredith? >> whatever they can do to protect those beautiful, beautiful animals. still ahead, what to buy for the hard to buy person on your holiday list. >> after your local news. with the capital one venture card we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a maze, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? sure. cake or pie? pie. apple or cherry? cherry. oil or cream? oil or cream? cream! (announcer) some use hydrogenated oil. reddi-wip's uses real dairy cream. nothing's more real than reddi-wip. wait for me! there it is. ah! hurry up. you're heavy. are you sure these letters will get to santa? yes, of course. hold still. almost there. a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's and we'll donate to the make-a-wish® foundation. together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe. >> good friday morning to you. mike has a look at the morning. >> throwing pans at me. that's the only thing we have to deal with. the south bay looks good. look at the travel times. routes on the map show the same thing. slowing around 880 and northbound 280. the rest of the routes with a nice even steady flow. despite the wet conditions, just a drizzle recently and here hayward looks nice. southbound 880 experiencing friday light. slowing northbound and towards the bay bridge toll plaza. about a 40 minute drive passing through berkeley and things have broken up with the volume. i say that the rain is broken up. >> the central bay seeing drizzle this morning and part le cloudy around san jose. we should see highs in the 60s. upper 50s as the clouds bring in a slight chance of a few more showers. the weekend we should clear out and warm up for a change. mid- to upper 60s to wrap up the weekend with patchy mornifog.fo. time now is 7:57. more news after the break. new this morning, police say a man is preying on pedestrians in the east bay. a serial robber armed with a gun is targeting people who eat and shop in north berkeley. he robbed people in les than a month. the man might be scouting out victims at the bart station and following them in the dark. the police department is telling people to put their ipods and phones away and be aware of their surroundings. have a great friday morning. we're back at 8:00 on a friday morning, it's the 10th day of december, 2010. you know what winter has really arrived in new york city. 34 degrees, i'm bundled up as are all these great people out on the plaza. just a reminder, only 13 days left to do your shopping. i know you were done in august. >> i got a couple more things to pick up. >> but you're 99% there? >> pretty much. >> how about you? >> i have purchased nothing. zero. >> i'm about 5% done. i haven't done much either. so we're going to get busy next week. >> also when you get invited to parties, do you understand the dress code? what does that mean, holiday casual? we're going to find out what those dress codes really mean, how you decipher them. >> that's holiday chic. >> and one icon goes to bat for another. we're going to show you why hugh hefner was the playboy man went to bat for the hollywood sign. >> okay, a lot to get to. let's go inside, ann's on assignment, natalie is at the news desk with all the headlines. british initials are questioning security procedures after prince charles and camilla's car was attacked and vandalized in london last night by students holding a massive protest against tuition hikes. the royals were unharmed. senate republicans thursday voted down a bill to track and treat sickness among ground zero workers. the $4.7 billion program would be too expensive and open to abuse. virginia tech could lose millions of dollars in federal aid after the -- notified the campus in a timely fashion as a shooting rampage unfolded there three years a lot. 30 people and the gunman were killed then. an advocacy group says the united states needs to focus more resources on women's health. dr. nancy snyderman has more. >> reporter: in a ten-year look at women's health in this country, the national women's law center reports that when it comes to meeting government goals to keep women healthy, the united states is failing. while no state is given an overall satisfactory grade, 37 states are found to be unsatisfactory, 12 considered out right failures, getting a grade of f. >> what the worst state did so wrong was not put into place policies that could actually help women get healthier. >> experts are concerned by the marked increase in the number of women who report binge drinking and fewer women are getting pap sme smears, the curervical test for cancer. for "today," dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. new figures released today show that the $700 billion bailout program known as t.a.r.p. earned a profit of $35 billion for taxpayers mostly from the government's ongoing sale of citigroup stock. . resourceful parisians went skiing there. that looks like a lot of fun. love to be there. it is now 8:04, you're up to date right now. let's get a check of the weather with al. "today's" weather is brought to you by kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. >> and i don't think we have ever had this before in a sign. the only thing you love more than al is bacon. wow. who are you, lady gaga? we got these nice folks here, it's mattie's eighth birthday weekend. where are you guys from. >> north carolina. >> all right, let's see what's happening as far as your weather. pick city of the day, this happens to be panama city, florida, sunny and cool at news channel 7 and it's going to be a high of 60 degrees today. and we'll take a look at the weekend, sunshine here in the east, the rain over the mid-atlantic coast, some snow around the great lakes, rain down to the gulf coast, heavy rain in the pacific northwest. then sunday, sunday, sunday, arctic air comes into the plains, snow in the upper midwest into ohio and west virginia. ice changes over to rain in the northeast. rain along the coast, heavy rain in the pacific northwest, sunday is going to be a mess, get all your shopping done on saturday. midsection of the country looks pretty good. we're seeing partly cloudy skies. oakland, you can see pockets of drizzle and light rain showers. we still have moisture off the pacific. that will slowly aim north at the start of the weekend. so today we leave in a chance of showers with 50s and 60s for highs. then temperatures start to climb northward. some mid to upper 60s. areas inland stuck with patchy morning fog. >> and that's your latest weather. >> mr. roker, thank you. it's granny's birthday today. when we come back, somre gatre items for the people on your list who are hard to buy for, right after these messages. tommy? - i helped dad pick it out. - it's beautiful. - behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open heart collection at kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. there are millions of reasons to give one, but the message is always the same: keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in. - i love you. - i love you too. one made with only real cheese. a pizza my family will love. 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"today's" holiday gift guide is brought to you by target. expect more. pay less. >> back at 8:10, this morning on "today's" holiday gift guide. ideas for those hard to buy for people on your list. >> we have gathered three experts to give suggestions to everyone from the health nut to the fashionista. >> the featureded director of travel magazine. let's start with a good piece of luggage. everybody loves that. >> the best way you're going to get through security lines is to carry on is this one, $89. but if you have someone in your family who likes to pack a little heavier and are not worried about those extra charges which can be above 50 pounds. it goes red if you're over 50 pounds. so it has a built on scale. >> so you don't have to put it on the scale in your bathroom. this says al roker, he loves his ipad. he travels all the time won't leave home without it. >> we have an ipad case. this really cool company is doing these ecoflip slips for your i pad. >> a jigsaw puzzle, i don't quite get this. >> you give them an address and they will make it into a map. search you went on a great honeymoon and you went to commemorate that or if you want to surprise someone with a trip and you want to have them figure it out, you can do it. >> if you want to splurge, a camera is always a great gift. >> is has a usb port built in, it's a flip camera. people love to shoot their memories and send them to every member of the family. but now they're personalizable. >> coming up, if you're stopped going through security at the airport, you've got to take your shoes off at the airport. matt hates that. >> they come in small sizes, these are $50 and they will keep you warm at 30,000 feet as well. >> that's great. and very quickly, finally, clothing when you get there. >> three islands has these great tunics for $55 so you don't have to break the bank just because you're splurging on a trip. what do you get for the stylist one on your list? "today's" style editor bobby thomas. nice to see you. from grandmothers to granddaughters, sweaters are a great gift and you've got an interesting one here. >> i really love this two for one sweater that comes with a neck piece. and it's detachable. and what's timeless and trendy oat the same time. so you can find something for the fashionista. >> two sweaters for the price of one. sparkles are very big this year, why is that. >> sequins and vera line you can find all that for less. you doesn't have to break the bank when it comes to sparkle. that tote is really affordable. sequences scarves, gloves and more. it's really great. >> i find accessories hard to buy for other people, it's so personal. >> think about making it a statement piece. something that's just fun, and i love rachel, by rachel ward. she won accessory designer of the year. this is such a great collection, because they're fun, affordable. i love the little -- >> when you say affordable, what kind of prices we talking about? >> about $50 for a big ring like this. which is really great. >> what about the necklace? >> the necklace is about $90. this is just a really great statement piece that you can put on with jean, a t-shirt or little black dress. >> i mentioned that accessories can be personal, but when you start to get into beauty products, again, this is not something i deal with. do women buy beauty products for other women? >> they do. you know what is really great about the luxury beauty? chanel, you can give a big name at an affordable price and they always make great limited edition special things. this is from dior. this opens up and there's makeup and a mirror inside. what's great is that the makeup can be removed and you can use the case for something else. and it's a dior case. same with the brush set from chanel. you get a chanel bag that you can keep. it's not something you splurge on yourself, but great for something else. >> and always great ideas. bobby thomas, thank you very much. we're going to find out what to buy the hard to shop for health nut on l ts. ♪ tie it all up in a big shiny bow. i'm a "home for the holiday" superhero ♪ ♪ mrs. claus ain't got nothin' on me. i'm dancin' circles ♪ ♪ around the christmas tree. "today" at the rink is brought to you by smucker's. >> and time to wrap up today's holiday gift guide with gifts for the hard to shop for. this lifestyle expert has some suggestions. good to see you. >> good to see you too. >> if you're running around, this looks interesting. >> you're a bit of a fitness fanatic, you just won the marathon. >> if nobody else was running, i won the marathon. >> this is so cool. i love this. this is call aid spy belt. you can put your cell phone in there and your keys and go for a run. >> what's this? i love this. >> this is called road idea $450,000 of us get injured and get taken to the hospital without any identification with us. and this is a great gift, from's there's options to put it on your shoe. you can wear it as a bracelet. all sorts of stuff. >> the individual toed socks. this is a huge trend, they're finding that it's better for your feet if you separate your toes. you've got 26 bones in your toes. 23 muscles. it's all good. these are called toe stocks, they're for the yoga enthusiasts, you put them on and go do your yoga. >> these five finger gloves are good for running. >> again, bare foot running is a huge trend. these are a great gift item. >> you want to make sure someone gets a healthy snack. >> this is the fruit of the month including. you can buy three months, six months. >> this is unbelievable, this is from smart box. >> you basically -- there's different price points, $69.99 to $299 and basically this is a box for someone who has everything. but you want to give them an adventure. choose from 125 different adventures in their local area. like fly casting, ghost tours. and you basically give them the card. all they do is show up at the place. that's it. >> and a fitness video game. >> this is falon, demonstrating the smart cycle. they're working out and playing a video game. abcs and learning to count. >> up next how to decipher the confusing holiday dress codes right after this message. me closer to late. ♪t. can't be ♪ rip it open in a second and it's time to play. ♪ ♪ i was up all night in anticipation feeling electric jewels of jubilation. ♪ ♪ yule tide carols from the local congregation. ♪ ♪ make it tough to hold my patience in check. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't wait. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't wait. ♪ how's it going in there, hon? um, almost ready. [ car alarm blaring ] [ blaring echoes, fades ] oh! [ male announcer ] relax. pam helps you pull it off. [ male announcer ] relax. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you, boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas. back at 8:20, this morning on "today's" style, decoding dress code. have you ever been to an event and the attire is listed as holiday casual. stacy, good morning. i get these invitations sometimes and i never can understand what the codes mean. >> doesn't that make you angry at the host? very abstract. >> it's very abstract. what are some of the most common mistakes that people make when they're dressing for a hole did party. >> they dress in a literal interpretation of the holidays with the christmas sweater and santa and the elves and more reindeer. little bit hokey and it's a little bit of a caricature and it's an investment in terms of your ability to wear the pieces throughout the year. when you go to holiday parties, you want to wear things that you can wear to holidays any time. and to interpret the invitations you really need to understand them a little bit. we have categories. >> let's interpret this dress code. they say dress your best, for an office party. >> you're going to an office. one of the things i feel strongly about is that usually an office party means you're going straight from the office. this is what i call the add and switch. all you need to do is bring a tote bag, put in a different shoe and add a great sequinned -- you can wear this throughout the year. the big mistake people make in the office is that throughout this party, you are still at work. you can't show too much skin, you can't be inappropriate. be more conservative. and with a monochromatic palate, add some shine and maybe some color in your shoe. just add a little plush in your coat that you can take with you to the party. >> the next confusing dress code, creative black tie. so we know it is formal. that's about all we know. what's the creative part? >> here we have done something creative. this is alicia. what we have done here is a cot don jersey. and believe it or not, it's full length. you can do full length or to the fl knee. but what i love about this is it creates this beautiful formal silhouette in a very comfortable fabric. what really make this is formal is the jewelry. the idea of using these bolder matt bronze pieces, matt bronze is really big this season. you can still be comfortable and with the new shoe with super great high heels you've really got a formal look. >> thank you alicia and for festive attire, maybe you're being invited to a casual holiday party. >> i would say start with denim. jeans with high heels immediately is great, but color and patterns is a great way to defi define festive. that does not mean red and green together. bold colors, make sure you wear something you love. nine times out of ten you will get to the party and it will be hot. add a jacket in a bold color. does not have to be red and green, it has to be complementary on your skin tone. if red and green look great on you, that's great, but don't do them together. >> buy pieces that you're going to wear at other times of the year. otherwise it's like a halloween costume, it's a great investment. this vest that alicia's wearing is $49. you can wear it during the holidays not just for black ties but for other occasions. >> think beyond the holidays. >> as always, you want to get bang for your buck, even for the holidays. >> i'm on morning television, i think i better keep it tweed. >> i'll keep that in mind at my next party. easy to make minty holiday treats after your local news and weather. good morning to you. 8:26 right now. we have an update on the commute. >> they have the 8:30 slowdown. this is where we see it every day. tonight we're going to see slowing as well. there's going to be post work traffic. pretty standard for a friday. the bottom of your screen, start of a 26-minute drive. you're heading up past the coliseum. here we have the fog affecting the golden gate bridge. >> thick fog around san francisco and a little bit of light rain mainly north of san francisco. the north seeing partly cloudy skies. that storm track will lift off north for the weekend. 50s for highs. mid-60s for the south. patchy morning fog like you just saw in san francisco. stick arn for the inland valley. moy. news after the break. a hungry mountain lion is to blame for that dead deer found on campus. they say the deer was likely killed by a mountain lion and her cub who wandered near the middle school campus in belmont. kids in a p.e. class found the animal yesterday morning. officials warned residents in the area not to feed deer, because they attract mountain lions. another news update in half an hour. today show back in less than a minute. have a great morning. 8: 30,on this friday morning, the 10th of december, 2010. big holiday crowd on rockefeller plaza. right now many are donate fog the toy drive. and ira smith is collecting toys. we're going to talk with him in just a minute. >> if you're thinking about giving, take a moment to brag. >> a little bragging. the "today" show charitable foundation has just received a 2010 foundation fill lant by award. we're happy to help them and we're also hum nbled by the awa. meanwhile just ahead, "today's" amy robach lands and takes off on the newest aircraft carrier in the u.s. navy fleet. she's going to share that incredible experience. >> i like the look of a window. >> you know what, take the clock down 30,000, 40,000 feet and it's still great for your skin. >> look at her, she's going to fly out. they might have forgotten that. >> anyway, a treatment of a different sort. a delicious pepperment flavored dessert with the help of sara lee. >> all right and now we're also going to have a beautiful live performance from olympicic gold medalist sarah hughes. but first, let's say hello to matt. hi, guys. >> danny o'donahue, mark sheehan and glen powers. your first album was so well received. does that make you feel better about the second one? >> it makes me a little bit nervous. >> why? >> you just worry that you got so much attention on the first album, that you hope you did a good job. >> when you guys sit down and listen to this new record, how do you think it compares to the sound? >> we're so proud of the work that we have zone. that's all we can do. . >> you have been compared so much to u-2. was that why you had -- >> she's an incredibly talented actress. she's going to be in a film with sean penn. she's on her way, and we're on our way with the band also. so we thought it would be a good thing to combine all the talent. >> in our book, you're there. >> you're finally getting a break this year. what are you going to do? >> we have three weeks off, it's only two weeks now, but we're going to go home and chill out and see family and friends and just put our feet up. >> but you're coming back next month? you're going to be live on the plaza. >> you got it. >> and st. patrick's day, you got to come out. >> congratulations. >> he's responsible for the weather, by the way. go ahead, al. here's a look at the golden gate bridge or about 200 feet of it. we have fog and mist there. you can see the clouds spilling over the bay area. we'll see that swing further north towards the weekend. today we see a few showers out there for one more day. then temperatures starting to climb up, except for inland valleys where patchy fog could linger into early next week. >> and don't forget, you can check the weather any time of the day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ♪electronic santa song ♪electronic santa song i could use all the help i can get. like nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that's perfect on multigrain toast, even whole-wheat waffles, for a breakfast that my kids love and i feel good about serving. and nutella is made with simple, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa. it's quick, easy and something everyone can agree on. ♪ nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. navyal aviation was born in 1910. 100 years later, "today" national correspondent amy robach flew on the uss "george h.w. bush." >> it was a really cool experience. the bush leaves norfolk, virginia for its first combat deployment next spring. the crew just spent several weeks on maneuvers out on the atlantic ocean to fine-tune those operations. i got a taste of what these brave men and women do day and night to prepare for combat. it's one of the most amazing sights to witness. a navy fighter attack jet landing and then catapulting off the four-acre flight deck of an aircraft carrier. but watching it and actually experiencing it are two different things. it may be just another day at the office for these navel pilots. >> information on the flight suit. >> reporter: but for a civilian like me, just to ride in the back seat required an intense day of preflight training. and we' after several classroom hours learning about potential loss of consciousness, extreme ear and sinus pain, vomiting and blacking out, i was fitted with helmet and mask and put to the test in the altitude chamber. i'm ready to go. but i wasn't exactly ready for the water. drought proofing is a must before a carrier landing and i was petrified. >> that was not easy. >> reporter: but it was all worth it the next morning, i suited up and met pilot perry solomon. call sign, whisper. as we walked out to the flight line, perry eased my fears with his confidence. >> it's a rush every time. >> reporter: after one last brief -- >> our mission today is a trap cat trap. >> reporter: it was time to strap in and go. we lifted off from our land base at oceaniana navel air station and headed out to sea with a little extra boost. >> all right, amy, we're going to light the after burners. that was 7.1. >> reporter: this has been an incredible experience. i am in an sa-18s superhornet and we just did 750 miles an hour ground speed and we are on our way to the uss "george h.w. bush" aircraft carrier what. a ride. >> here we are. >> reporter: you don't see that every day. maybe you do. >> i do, yeah. >> reporter: it's a beautiful day as we approach the aircraft carrier. >> look at that thing. how awesome is that? >> reporter: that is awesome. as we make our final approach, whisper tells me to expect a controlled car crash. >> 15 seconds. >> reporter: okay. and that's exactly what it feels like as we go from 115 miles an hour to zero in two seconds. an amazing landing with a perfectly calm, cool pilot. but the fun wasn't over yet. the most exciting part was the catapult off the carrier from zero back to 180. in three seconds. landing on the "bush" a second time, you quickly realize why it takes 5,500 young men and women working together in a tight ly choreographed mission. >> you saw them up on the flight deck, not an easy job, a lot of responsibility, dangerous. >> reporter: admiral nora tyson is the first female to command a flagship. the average age of the crew is under 20. >> it takes every single person doing their job for all the pieces to come together to be able to accomplish what we're doing right now. >> these guys are the professionals with all the pride and they can trust them 100%. >> this was an awe inspiring experience, i had a few panic attacks, some tears. i think i called every member of my family to talk me off the ledge. but i have a newfound respect for the men and women every day who do their jobs and help us sleep safely every night. >> that catapult is -- >> you've done it. it's like you're on a rocket ship to the moon. >> and as you were describing a second ago, it wasamazing, you get off the edge of that deck, it feels like you're floating. it's just like nothing else you have ever experienced. >> you catch the third line. >> the third line. >> i'm nauseous, though. imagine if i was in a convertible. >> if you look at that tape, i rest my case. up next is holiday desserts. but first this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] martinelli's gold medal sparkling cider is the perfect choice for holiday gatherings. martinelli's is non-alcoholic, festive like champagne, and tastes great! martinelli's: since 1868. vrmgs. we're back now at 8:45. candy canes are everywhere during the holidays, why not put them to use for a creative, festive dessert. sandra lee christmas and her latest cookbook is called home made. it's gate to have u you here. peppermint screams holidays. do you do a lot of cooking over the holidays? >> entertaining? >> not so much this year, we have a big new year's coming up, but usually, yes. >> what are you starting with? >> i like to do something whether i'm entertaining or for the kids at home which is kind of a fantasy dessert. so what we have is our peppermint bonbon pop. in this bag is going to be a bag of light chocolate chips. a third of a cup of butter, a quarter of a cup of heavy whipping cream. don't whip it, just put it in there. melt the chocolate chips. >> get some paddles ready. clear! >> it's candy, it's christmas. melt them on low for about five minutes, low heat, a nice, soft, slow melt. >> that's the consistency you're looking for? >> it's very shiny, now is the fun part. you are going to put in a cup of powdered sugar. >> all of it at once? >> all of it at once. and with that whisk, you are going to go to town. one teaspoon of peppermint extract. >> so you don't want to overpower with the peppermint taste, you just want a hint of peppermint. let's say i did that already and it ended up looking like this. you want to put your chips in? >> peppermint chips. >> this becomes kind of like mud here. >> it's a candy. it's a candy pop. this once you're done, you put it in a bowl in the fridge for two hours. you're going to roll them your hands. and then you're going to set those aside. in your oven goes helper mint. >> i had no idea those things would melt like this. >> three minutes that's all. all you do is put this on your plate. now we' >> now we're going to make a pepper mint pie. you're going to have the cheese flavor, everything in this. >> i've got two different kinds of pudding, you make it the regular way, i've got white chocolate pudding and the cheese cake putting, the flavor. >> you can buy a crust? >> you can buy a crust, but if you want to make it the money saving meals way, because i have two shows on the network, it's just some gram crackers, sugar and melted butter. pack down your sides. now you're going to put in layers of white chocolate pudding, the topping, another teaspoon of your extract goes in there. >> just two layers? >> two layers, one on top of another, that's what you have here. put that together. >> you have to chill that first? >> you want to chill it after you put that in. >> okay. >> go ahead and place that on here. you want to grab the peppermint because that's going to be our topper. and then just have a good time creating billows. >> you actually want to make it look kind of exotic, correct. >> kind of festive and fun. >> you do stuff like this all the time? do i sprinkle these on, is that it? >> you just made pies. >> fantastic. >> one more. >> all right. well, actually two more. i have a punch here and this is my christmas white cake. but instead of water, just use eggnog. it pumps up the flavor. >> up next, a special performance on the rink from 2000 gold medalist sarah hughes. "today" at the rink is brought to you by smucker's. >> "today" at the rink, the woman behind one of the biggest upsets in olympic skating history. sarah hughes was just 16 years old in 2002 when she pulled off the near flawless long program to win gold in new york city. eight years later she's dazzling us on the ice. and inducted into the figure skating hall of fame, congratulations on that. while you were skating you were studying at yale university. >> when i was inducted into the hall of fame, i was around all the people that i had looked up to and skated with and competed with and had so many good times and i was watching the skating and i said you know, i miss it a lot, i want to start practicing again and going to the rink and here i am. >> and christmas you're going to be on a show on nbc called "the salute to the world of skating." you're going to have to stop after this. you get in the skating position, and sarah is going to be skating to grown up christmas list by barbra streisand. ♪ do you remember me ♪ i sat upon your knee ♪ i wrote to you with childhood fantasies ♪ ♪ well i'm all grown up now ♪ can you still help somehow ♪ not for myself ♪ but for a world in need ♪ time would heal all hearts ♪ every man would have a friend ♪ ♪ that right would always win ♪ and love would never end ♪ this is my grown up christmas list ♪ ♪ what's this illusion called ♪ ♪ love would never end ♪ this is my grown up christmas list ♪ ♪ this is my only christmas wish ♪ ♪ this is my grownup christmas wish ♪ ♪ good friday morning to you. it's 8:56 already. >> we'll take you to the east shore freeway. most of the bay area is very slow. especially westbound down the east shore freeway. really jammed all the way up to university in the westbound direction. the toll plaza is light. eastbound it's jammed up all the way to university avenue where we told you all morning there's still police activity just off of the east shore highway siiv of university. wet roads as well. more news after this. er california is getting funded for the high street rail project. they're redirecting more than a billion dollars from wisconsin and ohio to start laying tracks like california. california will get $624 million. the largest chunk of the funds. the first segment of the tracks will be in the central valley from 2012. they'll eventually connect to the bay area in los angeles. we'll have another update in about 30 minutes. today show back in about a minute. [ female announcer ] safeway talks hostess gifts. you know what i want for the holidays? do tell. true love. true love is a myth. [ gasps ] you're a myth! excuse me? [ female announcer ] it's the thought that counts. safeway. ingredients for life. when you don't have to cook, you have time for other things. yeah, like what? i don't know. fishing. fishing?! i, uh, i said wishing. [ female announcer ] when we do the cooking, you do the enjoying. safeway. ingredients for life. we're back with more of "today" on a friday morning, it's the 10th of december, 2010. we're rocking the tree. we have got a happy crowd kicking off their weekend out on the plaza. a chilly day, temperatures in the 20s, going up into the low 30s? and then we're going to have rain coming into the city for holiday shoppers. inside the studio, i'm matt lauer along with meredith viera and al roker. coming up in this half hour, serious questions about the security surrounding the royals. last night the car that prince charles and camilla were riding in were attacked by student protests. they were shocked but left unharmed. we're going to have the latest in a live report. >> it's amazing that they could just drive right through all of that. where was their secret service? also we're going to be talking about seasonal affective disorder, it affects millions of people around the u.s. and in the colder months when people feel a little bit blue. how do you know if it's a case of cabin fever or a more serious emotional condition. we'll have advice coming up. and we're going to take a trip to some beautiful cities and check out some great deals on some great homes for sale. on the new england cape to a designer home in texas. and we're going to show you how the best holiday bargains are online in time to get it under your tree for christmas. student protests in london rattled the royals last night. >> reporter: it was quite a scene, the british prime minister described it as shocking and regrettable. but what had hatched, the protesters seemed as shocked to run into charles and camilla as charles and camilla were to run into them. it was h hardly the royal treatment. student then strademonstrate fod their car with their fists and with paint. shouting off with their heads. the chaos was shot on home video as charles and camilla headed to a charity event in london's west end. >> the responsible of security the to keep their charges safe. this could have been a lot, a lot worse than it was. >> reporter: the couple wasn't hurt, but the duchess of cornwall was visibly ratled. >> camilla was shaken to the core. she came into the theater and she was guided straight through and a stiff brandy was administered. >> reporter: all across london students protesters as the government nearly tripled college tuition. part of sweeping and drastic new budget cuts. at least a dozen officers injured, six seriously, as well as many students, with more than 40 arrested. still, with a heavily anticipated royal wedding just four months away, the latest violence on london's streets will force the royal family to reassess security. and this morning london's police chief said they had checked out the route just minutes before the royals arrived and it was clear and safe and it was a credit to royal police for not firing on any of those protesters. an end to the controversial don't ask don't tell policy may no longer be in sight as senate republicans have blocked legislation that would have allowed gays to serve openly in the military. a jury is now deliberating for the second day today in the trial of a street preacher charged with the 2002 kidnapping and rape of elizabeth smart. attorneys for brian david mitchell used an insanity defense. and what a difference a day makes, this is the cruise ship that's safely docked in argentina that got stranded in rough seas in the antarctic earlier this week. firefighters had to come and rescue the girl, but don't worry, they didn't use the crane. just in case you were wondering. and this video, a russian daredevil combined their mountain climbing and base jumping to take a flying leap off that peak. let's hope he lands safely. there you go. >> he lands right in a stuffed animal vault. >> and if you look right over there, you can see mt. kilimanjaro. >> all right, natalie, thanks very much. >> let's take a look and show you what's going on as far as your weather is concerned and we're basically going to be looking at a beautiful day as far as all -- my director is up there. >> come on, joe. he didn't mean that. >> i did mean it. anyway, we are looking at a storm watch for the midsection of the country from iowa all the way into minnesota, winter storm watches and warnings, a lot of snow out of this thing, we are talking anywhere from nine to 12 inches of snow from rochester to marquette, michigan. snow all the way from cleveland to chicago. one to three inches of snow before it's all over, look for that same system to push its way east and that's going to be bringing a mess to the northeast over the next 48 to 72 hours. here's kind of a gloomy view across the bay bridge. still clouds spilling over the bay area as you see on the satellite and radar views. still aiming at northern california. all the clouds will slowly start to head north. as we head into the weekend it will lead to a warmup. still a slight chance of a few showers. we'll clear out for the weekend. but with the recent rain and clearing skies, expect to see patchy thick fog for the inland valleys. outdoor at the coast, we may get close to 70 late in the weekend. >> that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. we have already shipped out truckloads of more than 2 million toys to underprivileged kids all over the u.s. thanks to the generous donations that all of you made to our 17th annual toy drive. some young girls will be receiving a trendy stuffed receiving a trendy doll from ugly dolls. and boys love ugly dolls. eight years now that you've been giving to us. what are you contributing this time around? >> this year we're contributing our ugly doll which kids love. >> they're so cute and ugly at the same time. >> and we're also donating our action figures, the arms twist and the waists twist and they have really cute, collectible items. the ugly dolls have been around for eight to ten years now, and our donation is 10,000 ugly dolls. >> we cannot thank you enough. and eight years long, we really appreciate all your generosity. and by the way, if you still want to make a donation to our toy drive, you can, just go to our website, "today" shtodaysho you can always stop by the plaza and bring your gift as well. let's go back inside to al. and this morning on "today's" real estate, what you can buy for under $250,000, today we have our own barbara corcoran who's here with some gorgeous homes on the market. we're starting off, i know university heights in ohio well, a four bedroom home priced at $289,000. >> it's a friendly walkable community, it's right outside of cleveland. this pretty home fits right in. look at that topiary and nice bushing. it's pretty, but if that shut you are were to be painted to match. this is a house where the guy who actually wrote the superman series lived in. not only did he write superman, but he first wrote it as a bad guy. but let's focus on the house. it's gotten kind of unusual furnishings that get in the way. this is a dinning room. picture that sparkly white without all that pattern going on there. the kitchen is very traditional, there's nothing wrong with that, it's been totally redone. it's spic and span, you can see that shiny happy little dining area through that door and it's spacious and seats four people. the breakfast room is surrounded by windows, four of them. that's the back, the covered porch is small, and that gravel terrace is pretty with it's own pretty little fountain. that's a pretty backyard. >> that's a great area. university circle there. let's head to rhode island, bristol, rhode island, a four bedroom home priced at $209,000. >> it's actually on a peninsula flanked by a bay on one side and mt. hope day on the other. this is a traditional house and just feels like a rhode island house. there's a nice view of that very pretty living room, it's open, it's bright and underneath that carpeting, it has hardwood floors, built in bookcases and a wood burning fireplace. there's a comfy fire room right next door to the dining room. this dining room is very large, it can sit a lot more people and is immediately connected to the kitchen which you see in the background. >> it's only 1 1/2 baths. >> for a four bedroom, these people ought to be putting in one more bath immediately. it's a tremendous detriment for selling a house in today's market. you can see you have a lot of land out back, a pretty lawn and very mature trees. >> let's go to cypress, texas, 30 minutes out of houston. this house is a big one, 4,000 square feet. four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths. they've got plenty of bathrooms in this. >> this is one swanky house. and at 4,000 square feet, it's only $81 a foot. even on the outside, nothing about this house looks to me like an $81 per foot house. all the finishes on it. top of the line, very expensive. that gallery would impress any of your friends. the living room has tall windows, wood panelling, a graceful fireplace. that's a huge room and you can see the adjacent dining room off to the left there. that has rich cherry wood floors in the dining room. very nice white cabinetry, very spacious. people like to work in something like that. there's a private office above this kitchen which we're not showing, but who wouldn't want a private office. a poolroom with a wet bar and a brick fireplace. and the back room has a huge pool and also it's own private spa. remember, that's $325,000. >> let's go to high point, north carolina, get some furniture, about 25 minutes north from greensboro, at $344,900. >> it's midway between again greensberg and winston-salem. there's the inside of the living room, beautiful, but the traditional furniture i think really date this is house. makes it feel a little funky. the rooms are large and spacious, it's a totally renovated kitchen with the granite counter tops. recessed lighting above. just a perfect kitchen with cherry wood counters. there's another shot of the kitchen, and i hope we don't miss the beautiful -- just a spare den. who needs a spare den. there's a shot of the wooded backyard with not a neighbor in sight. >> barbara corcoran, you used a word that reminds me of you, swanky. >> i love the way that feels. thank you, al. >> if you've got any questions for barbara, you can head to todayshow.com. coming up, advice for those who have a hard time emotionally during this time of year. d> >> b taneshet f ts forhe t fitness buffs on your list. after these messages. so i'll need to take care of my heart. my first step... start eating cheerios. [ male announcer ] to keep doing what you love, take care of your heart with cheerios. the whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. love your heart so you can do what you love. we always make time for just us cousins. like the other night at olive garden. hey susan, you gotta tell the aunt jessie story again. -yes, you do! -ok, ok. joe: love that story. try olive garden's two new scaloppini dishes. pan-seared chicken breasts in a lemon-herb glaze. or sauteed pork in a creamy white wine sauce. both served with asiago filled tortelloni. with our unlimited salad and breadsticks. this is like being back at the kids' table. [ laughter ] olive garden. when you're here, you're family. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®, your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, or have had cancer. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses, it's stelara®. "today's"'s health is brought to you by kellogg's special k products. >> this morning on "today's" health, how to cope with seasonal affective disorder. it's not simply a case of the winter blues. psychiatrist gail salts is a "today" contributor. good morning. as we said, this is not just the winter blues? >> no. >> why is it more serious and what are some of the symptoms? >> basically if for more than two years in a row you find at the same time of year, and i say that because it could be spring or summer, but most commonly it's now, late fall, early winter, you find yourself slowing down, feeling sad, depressed, but unlike typical depression, you're sleeping more than usual, you're eating more than usual, particularly carbohydrate craving. you lose concentration, you lose libido, desire for sex. you start to socially isolate yourself and feel really hopeless. people can become incredibly depressed with seasonal affective disorder, they even can commit suicide. so feelings of life isn't worth living, that can happen as well. >> and who is more at risk of getting s.a.d., or seasonal affective disorder. >> women are much more likely to get it than men and also it runs in family. if all your family members have maybe suffered from this, and maybe didn't even realize it. and people who live farther from the equator are at more risk because this has to do with the lack of light, the shorter days, the changing of your circadian rhythm and precipitating this kind of depression. >> if you're sad, what can you do? >> take it seriously. things that you can do on your own, inject exercise, daily exercise into your life, it's shown in studies that exercise can even go head to head with medication in terms of improving depression. make sure you stay involved with people. the social isolation can make this really spiral out of control. add light to your day, naturally by sitting by the window early in the day, as much as possible. think about being somewhere where there's more light. changing your home so that shades are up and light is around. that actually can be helpful on your own. but you may actually think about seeing a professional. because the truth is that s.a.d. may need professional treatment. >> it's a clinical form of depression. >> it is a clinical depression, it will keep reoccurring and will go away at the end, but now you've got a third of your year that you're depressed. so if you go see a professional. things they may offer you are medication like an anti-dress sant. you should think about light treatment. it can be as effective as an anti-depressant. this is a real treatment that needs to be prescribed. what kind of light, how long you should use this light and under the care of a doctor because -- >> and you've got an example. >> this is a light box. this is a light box that will look like white light. this is the kind of thing you would sit in front of. you would probably do it for about 30 minutes when you're really depressed and 15 minutes a day to maintain your mood during the holiday season. it's going to affect the base of the retina and that's going to make it more effective because it simulates real sunlight. the blue wave length is the one that actually treats you, it's a certain wave length of light that you get from the sun that's actually going to make you better. because some people with depression actually have masked bipolar disorder. and the light just like an anti-depressant will make you manic and you can become extremely sick. so it's important to have a doctor monitor you during treatment. coming up next, why hugh hefner is getting credit for saving the famed hollywood sign. and instant ambush make yefyefr wd c tmarotwo fock.women y from the crowd. m. and the chocolate cravings begin... again. ♪ for nights like these, there's special k chocolatey delight cereal. ♪ so you can get your chocolatey fix... ♪ ...without undoing your whole day. ♪ [ barks ] ♪ with technology of the future. it's liquid-plumr foaming pipe snake. clears slow drains, cleans pipe walls. liquid-plumr foaming pipe snake. ♪ you can find your feet and you can find your way ♪ ♪ you can find yourself in bed at the end of the day ♪ ♪ you can find some fun on a tropical isthmus ♪ ♪but you'll never find my... ♪ you can find it in your heart to be patient with me ♪ ♪ you can find a new star for the top of the tree ♪ ♪ i don't mean to be coy and i don't mean to be vicious ♪ ♪ but you'll never find my christmas ♪ cozy up, spread joy. there's no story without a cast of characters, and just like we mix and mingle, so do the delicious tastes and textures in every handful of chex mix. we're made to mix. there's a big party last night in hollywood to celebrate the survival of one of the nation's most iconic landmarks. >> the hollywood sign was in danger of losing it's perch. >> reporter: like any celebrity, the hollywood sign started out as a nobody, it was just a billboard for a housing development. but it has staying power. the sign, minus four letters, became one of the world's most famous landmarks, perched on a prime piece of l.a. real estate. than's the problem. >> i think everybody thought it was public land. they didn't realize it was private land. >> reporter: turns out a chicago investment firm purchased 138 acres just to the left of the h and planned to build. the news spread like a bad movie review and soon donations from stars and studios alike came pouring in to save both the open face and the sign. >> if you can't raise money to protect the land above and behind the hollywood sign, where can you raise the money? >> reporter: but despite tinsel town's generosity, the purchase price was still too high. until playboy founder hugh hefner stepped? his last-minute donation of nearly a million dollars helped save the sign from an encroaching neighbor. >> it's more than a sign, it's the iconic symbol of dreams. >> reporter: it's not the first time that hugh hefner has taken an interest in the hollywood sign. back in 1978, he launched a fund-raiser to replace the original hollywood sign that was built back in 1923. same letters, obviously same place, but these letters are five feet shorter, believe it or not than the original. >> how bad a shape was the original sign in? >> it was falling apart. >> reporter: was it? >> it was literally falling apart. >> reporter: now the sign is guaranteed a home on that hill top looking out on a city that still looks up to it. lee cowan, nbc news, hollywood. still to come, some good gifts to keep your family and iends healthroy thfrugh the holidays. i won't. ♪ [ female announcer ] clear some snow. ♪ or spread a little warmth. [ cellphone rings ] [ wife ] honey, where are you? i have no idea. [ female announcer ] maxwell house gives you a rich full flavored cup of coffee so you can be good to the last drop. try maxwell house coffee and cappuccinos in the tassimo single cup home brewing system. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. good morning. it is 9:26 right now. >> we'll take you to the lower freeway. highway 101, we have typical slowings south, but extending down towards highway 85. that's a little longer than typical for a friday. but further north we get a little treat. 101, close to 50 miles per hour. in both directions toward 52. across the bridge it's all right. oakland and hayward looking nice. no backup really. gray skies still. >> grey skies and still drizzle and light rain over the bay area. you can see the cloe of the clouds spilling in north an west now. more sunshine and more mild temperatures south of san jose. should sooe some 60s today. and once we get past today, tomorrow morning some drizzle in a few spots. but we'll trend warmer and drier for the weekend. mid to upper 60s in some spots as we wrap up the weekend. but patch morning fog into the beginning of next week. the time is 9:27. it's patients versus police in the south bay. police raided them to find evidence of illegal sales. owners say they're the ones being unfairly targeted. the owners say they worked diligently but found the officials to run the medical business according to the law. yet, they say a drug task force continues to raid their businesses taking office money and marijuana. clients who use the clinics are protesting. >> this is completely normal. it's totally legal. they represent business licenses and provide safe access. a public hearing between the medical marijuana clubs in the city of san jose on monday. i'll have another local news update in a half hour or so. oh, yes. some of the hottest youtube videos of the year. well on monday, we're going to check out which ones made the top ten. do you think we made the list. >> i think we should. >> especially with don nash's unicycle ride. >> coming up in this half hour, we're going to talk about getting the best holiday deals online. it's not too late to get your gifts shipped in time for christmas. as a matter of fact it can be easier and cheaper to shop online. we're going to show you some tips to help you get the most from online shopping. >> joy bauer is here with affordable gift ideas from an olive oil to a fitness track. >> you know, it seemed a lot funnier when we were -- wow. okay. anyway. we have jenna wolf here with a preview of what's coming up this weekend on "today." >> we have got a busy weekend on "today," friends and family will be saying goodbye to elizabeth edwards. her request was to be laid to rest next to her son wade. we'll have much more this weekend on the service and on her life. and on a much different note, they're hoping for a christmas miracle. the problem is money. and then we're going to continue our series, "today's" first teen idol. family ties back to the future, i was completely obsessed with the actor back in the '80s, so we are going to do a nice little tribute to michael j. fox. that was in my room. >> that was in your room? >> it was just crazy. >> this weekend on "today." >> that's what's in her room now. >> you thought i meant when i was a teenager? >> are you going to talk about the restrainering. >> i predict that joy bauer will never do that bit again. but let's show you what's going on for the weekend, heavy rain in the pacific northwest, a lot of rain in the ohio river valley. sunny and cold in the northeast. lots of mild sunshine in the southwest. sunday, ice changes to snow in new england, we have got arctic air come into the plains, it's going to stream here's a view of the bay bridge. some fog and mist now. let's show you the view on the radar. you can see it running close to the same spot. we have light rain right over the bay. not so much down in san jose. we're seeing sunshine. and notice most of the moisture in towards northern california. at will continue to slide north as we get into the weekend. today 60s from san jose southward. 50s northward. for the weekend, temperatures will continue to warm up with some patchy morning fog. >> and of course, it's going to be a lousy sunday, that's great weather to be indoors for sunday night, football night in america. that's right, they got a retractable roof, cowboys' stadium. clear, cold. and the philadelphia eagles are going to fly right in there. temperatures are in the low to mid 40s. that's sunday night, football night in america. coming up next, have you recovered? you okay? you need some air? oxygen? letting your fingers do the shopping, letting you know how to get the best digital deals for the holiday right after this. i don't want to feel depressed. [ woman #2 ] i'd like to enjoy things again. [ woman #3 ] i feel these aches and pains. [ woman #4 ] the guilt. [ man ] my sleep just isn't right. [ woman #5 ] i'm so anxious. [ man #2 ] i need to focus. [ female announcer ] depression hurts. cymbalta can hp with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in 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 and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. talk to your doctor and go to cymbalta.com to learn about an offer to help you get started. depression hurts. c ymbalta can help. we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a maze, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? i wonder what it could be?! the chill of peppermint. the rich dark chocolate. york peppermint patty. get the sensation. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ this morning on "today's" tech, digital deal hunting, if you haven't started your holiday shopping, there's still time to snap up some holiday bargains. heather cabot is here, happy holidays. make sure you make a list before you get out there on the digital world. >> shopping online without a list is like going to costco without a list. you need to make sure that you know what you're really shopping for. do some home work. >> you say comparison shop so know your prices and look for coupons? >> what they do is pull coupons, deals, discounts from thousands of websites across the internet to one place for you, so you can use something like price grabber, and you can also comparison shop. for example you were talking about justin bieber. everyone wants a justin bieber singing doll. >> there's a justin bieber singing doll? >> yes. >> i definitely need that. >> i opened up a couple of different of these and i found a price range between $39 on one all the way down to $25. so you really have to. so use a coupon aggravate fors. >> is time of day important? >> yeah, a lot of retailers will actually put their deals online starting at midnight. but as we get closer to christmas and they want to move inventory, they may have more more deals. you open up a separate browser number. put the retail name in and discount or sale and see what comes up because you might be able to find another coupon code or another way to get more money off before you purchase. when you find it online elsewhere cheaper, but the bricks and mortar store is right there by your house, can you take that sale price and go this is what they're offering at walmart, can i get it here? >> sometimes you can. and you can also get a lot of printable coupons. free shipping has been a given this season, but basically the last day that you're going to be able to get that is mid night on december 18. >> to guarantee in time for christmas? >> so what you want to do is look for those free shipping coupons next week, if for some reason you don't find one, go to free shipping day.com. free shipping day is december 17. this is a website with a list of almost 1,200 different retailers that are going to offer free shipping on friday december 17. you can even sign up for an e-mail alert to tell you, to remind you to go on there and take a look. >> i don't think i have paid shipping at all. gift cards, you say don't pay full price. i find that hard to believe, when it has the value of the gift card, you can actually get a discount on those? >> there are a number of websites that are faactual buyi gift cards from consumers and reselling them at a discount. they verify all of them. you can buy a $50 gift card from macy's for $44. the one thing about this is they run out really quickly. so what you want to do is go to one of these sites and actually sign up for an e-mail and put in your wish list. they' send you an e-mail when they get those new gift cards in. >> make sure that you set up a free web mail account so that they're not going into your regular inbox. >> otherwise you're going to be inundated at work with e-mail. heather cabot, a wealth of information. thanks so much. coming up next, get fit gifts that help you stay in shape and cut the calories during the holidays. you are all stick "today" joy. after these messages. okay, which picture for the card? hellllllo...that one, everyone looks great. [ female announcer ] when you make your christmas cards at hallmark.com... my show, perfect. ♪ la la la la la la laaa ♪ [ daughter ] dad! sorry. aww yeah! that one! [ female announcer ] ...we address and mail them for you... [ little boy ] now that's a good one. [ indistinct conversations ] [ female announcer ] ...which gives you more... done! [ female announcer ] ...family time. let's go decorate the tree. [ female announcer ] cards that mail themselves, at hallmark.com. [ daughter ] so, the one where everyone looks great, right? [ mom ] right. [ daughter ] so, the one where everyone looks great, right? have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. ranch spinach dip. whoa! that leaves lots of pieces behind. that's why there's charmin ultra strong. than the ultra rippled brand, it's no wonder charmin ultra strong holds up better for a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. business is looking better. it sure is. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra strong. enjoy the go. and for an extra-clean finish, try charmin freshmates. ♪ but you're not sweet you made my butt fat ♪ ♪ you drove me insane self-control down the drain ♪ ♪ we're over i'm so done with that ♪ ♪ i found a newov e ltua trranae l ♪ ♪ that comes from a little green leaf ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ my skinny jeans zipped in relief ♪ ♪ its name is truvia i had no idea ♪ ♪ no more sprinkling my coffee with grief ♪ [ announcer ] truvia. honestly sweet. this morning on get fit "today," healthy holiday gifts. 'tis the season for overindulgence. joy bauer has some skinny gift suggestions. >> skinny gifts. hey, i shrunk. >> what the heck happened there? let's start in the kitchen, some healthy ideas. >> we have a lot of great gifts. first i love oil misters because you have the opportunity to carefully control with a spray. pump it six or seven times and you can significantly reduce the amount of calories in your pots and pans that you incorporate into recipes. listen, it's cost efficient, it's calorie smart, it's ecofriendly. and if you want to bump up your gift a little bit, you can combine it with a hearty bottle of olive oil. this is for people who don't have time to fuss in the kitchen. you put in large chunks of produce, cover the top and all you need to do is a few times -- you get an arm workout too. and depending on how many time ys you pull, you can get a nutrient dense produce. okay, you can workout clothing is really important. you want to feel good in it. a lot of women like the spandex supported bottom, but they don't want their tush and their thighs showing. so so this eclipse skort comes in a few different colors. >> and skin care? >> these are for outdoor athletes, especially skiers. it has a fabulous amount of anti-chafing lotion, it has things like sweat proof sunscreen and sweat proof lip balm and it saves you about $30 when you buy it in a bundles kit. you increase lean body mass, you boost your metabolism and it helps you to lose weight. a lot of women want weights, but they don't tend to buy them for themselves. if you order them by december 23 -- >> this is for people who want to keep track of what they're doing. >> this is a device that clips on to your bra strap, your tank top or your waistband and it will track for you the amount of steps you walk, miles you've traveled and the number of calories you have burned. it comes with a base station and you can wirelessly load all of your information and you can -- >> and you have a game? >> this is called table topics. it comes in a variety of different topics and the idea is that you can have a much more interesting dinner party. questions like who's the most famous person you have met, al roker. >> you need to get out more. and then for the outdoor activities? >> this is a great item for kids especially in the winter months. it's a miniluge. this is for kids over 6, these are for the younger ones. the kids could carry it themselves back up the hill. >> and tell us about these. >> all right. wait a second, the wrong way. >> wow, it was even better the second time. joy bauer, ladies and gentlemen. very nice. >> happy holidays, al. coming up next, adding some spice to lose the pounds. take it off "today" is brought to you by truvia natural sweetener. naturally sweet. >> this morning on take it off "today," variety is the spice of life and the holidays may be a tough time to manage your waistline, but it's easy to stick to your diet without depriving your taste buds. madeleine, good morning. >> how are you? >> i'm great. say variety is the spice of life and it's . >> a lot of evidence show that if you spice up foods you're going to eat less. >> a more memorable meal that way. >> and you're really paying attention. >> these are what you call sugar enhancers, so we think of sugar substitutes, but in this case we're talking more about the cinnamon and the ginger and the cloves and the nutmeg. >> people say i want a lot of taste, so instead of adding sugar, what you're going to do is add things like cinnamon and nutmeg. it will enhance things, anything that has a natural sugar in it, any fruit or vegetable from apples to pears to things like squash and you can even take a cinnamon stick and swirl it around. it even works with coffee or tea. >> you can really just get the powdered things if you're not sure what to do with the whole thing. >> kick it off a notch with the hot and spicy spices. how do spicy foods actually help us lose weight? >> they're double duty for weight loss. first is behavioral, when you eat something that's spicy, it slows your eating down and it gives your brain a chance to signal your stomach that you've had enough. there's a chemical compound called capsasin that will help that calorie burn. >> eat a lot of hot, spicy foods. >> even if you think i don't like spicy foods, you can train your pallet to get more accustomed to this. >> you've got some different spices here from curry to c oourks min. think of it as a component of mustard. you can use it with anything you would use oregano and rosemary with. you go wow, this tastes pop. and it's like taste bud fatigue. >> there's some very easy things you can do. >> you can sprinkle it over chicken or vegetables. >> so i don't have to worry about taste bud fatigue? >> it's so much food. >> coming up next, we have got two women from our crowd getting an instant ambush makeover. >> but first your local twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. goods morning to you. it is 8:56. >> we typically expect this time of year to be no problem. the map shows you how very slow it is around the east bay. the freeway finally starting to budge, except for eastbound. there's an accident there. it has been slow all morning towards university where there's still vehicles there as a result of an earlier police investigation still going on off of the freeway. 880 through oakland is also very slow. light traffic here. but keys in the last few minutes we have seen some buildup there. midday is typical for friday. we're starting to see more traffic heading over the bridge. we also have a look at your forecast. sf >> the morning is starting off with patchy fog and drizzle. you can see the clouds spilling across the bay area and much of california. temperatures 50s to low 60s today. then the storm track finally heads to the north. good timing. just in time for the weekend. some warmer temperatures for most inland spots. patchy fog lingers into early next week. >> thank you, rob. we continue to follow the story of a toddler who nearly drowned at a san francisco hotel. the 18-year-old boy remains in critical condition this morning. we also learned the pool has been drained since the incident. a security guard found him unconscious in the water. the family had gone to see the holiday display when that accident happened. these aconic swans may soon get some protection. last month someone broke the neck of a swan. now the board of supervisors is considering a bill that calls on the department of animal care and control to create a safety plan for the birds. in the meantime, the sole surviving swan is quarantined at the san francisco zoo until a pair of companion swans flown in from new york city can be brought in. another local news update for you in a half hour. great friday morning. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. it's friday, try-day. december 10th, 2010. willie geist is here with me today. kathie lee and frank went to don meredith's funeral in dallas, texas. we wish the family well. >> the great dandy don. >> it is great to have you sitting here at the table. >> it's great to be here. i'm no kathie lee but there is beer. >> it looks a little overwhelming. but we have to talk about the "today" show party which was yesterday. did you go? >> was it yesterday? when did the invites go out. >> it was a small, intimate gathering at chelsea piers. it was a really fun party, willie. it was catered and they had really interesting photo booth. this is one of those ones where you sit there, you hit the button, the image comes out instantly, it is on a video screen and you can click on it and get it. i think we have some of the wonderful images. that's terrifying and bad. jim bell, our executive producer. that's don nash in the middle, tammy filler, our executive producer and the wonderful sara haines is joining us. that's the gang. it was just a really fun party. what was great was it was one of jeff's final parties and he was -- he got kind of choked up. it was really sweet. >> he spent his entire professional life here. you can understand that. >> one of his favorite performers, james blunt. >> come on. ♪ you're beautiful notes ♪ you're beautiful ♪ you're beautiful it's true >> it's a nice tribute. i don't know if that's the song i would have sung to jeff. >> that is just cruel! >> "you're beautiful"? i don't know. >> he's beautiful inside. >> he's a wonderful man. i don't know if he's beautiful. >> meredith vieira was cutting up at the party. >> she's a wild card. >> she is wacky. well, we actually had these special drinks named after every anchor. what was yours? >> bloody vieira. >> bloody merry vieira. lauer was the lauer sour. kathie lee was the pinot lee gifford. mine was the viv lakota. >> very good. a little bit out of reach but good. >> careful. >> natalie was the natalie. think we should bring up meredith. because it is rare that meredith vieira joins us on the 10:00 hour. meredith is here. >> where do i go? i don't want to take your chair. >> that's what you said you were going to do. >> you didn't get an invitation? i think that's so wrong. >> that's terrible! sit on down. so this is a big day for meredith vieira. >> it is. for my production company actually. >> first of all, who knew -- >> who knew? i didn't know i had one. >> i didn't know you were a producer. what does that mean to be a producer? >> in my case, doing very little. which is why this hasn't done that much. i mean you find talent and try to work with talent. there is this guy who's just wonderful, james brawley. had he a one-man show off broadway. he had a show that was on broadway, then went off broadway and now he's taking it on the road so we're producing it. >> is it funny? >> what do you mean, is it funny? what is the matter with you? it's funny. it's poignant. it's about his marriage to his wife susan. it is complicated. and his family life. it is a little bit of everything. it's very real and i think people will relate to it. we're starting it off in new jersey, they be taking it off from there. >> where can people see it? >> can we put that on the website? >> it is on the website. south orange performing art center in south orange, new jersey. if you'd like more information, where can people go? >> klgandhoda.com. is that right? >> yes. >> when do you do this? you do the morning show, then you have the game show. >> there is a wonderful woman named ammyy rapp. she does all the work. i'm just the window dressing. >> have you heard of this stuff? >> whipped cream. yes, i have. >> i'm sure you have. >> but what are we doing with it? >> this is an alcohol-infused whipped cream. a can of whipped cream is three beers. >> what do you mean is three beers. it's alcohol. it's 36 proof! one can equals three beers. look at that. willie? get on it. >> you know the old move you used to do -- or maybe you still do -- where you just reach in the fridge and do bottom's up? >> do it, do it. >> oh. are you okay? >> that gives whole new meaning to the whip-it. >> maybe blunt should have been singing to you. >> wow. that is stiff. >> stop it. >> but the think about this stuff is, some parents -- careful. what do you want to put it on? >> don't do that, meredith. >> some parents are upset about it because they think that kids are going to look at it and think this something they should have. >> where do you purchase this? >> i think you have to purchase it in places that sell alcohol. >> well -- >> some supermarkets do. >> then you have to be a tough parent, make sure your kids don't get it. >> they say this has been used a long time by chefs to sort of put on desserts and things like that. it is not meant to be used the way i just used it. >> how do you feel? >> it burns a little bit. >> but you got a little buzz. >> yeah, exactly. >> meredith, we're excited for your new show. >> we're very proud of it. james brawley is terrific and i'm proud to be associated with it. and thank you for letting us talk about it. >> okay. that's it. get out. no! we love when you're here. just stay. you want to stay? >> no, i can't. >> why? >> she's like, truly, i don't want to stay. >> is there a commercial? >> no, this is the show. we are live. >> okay. >> just feels like dress rehearsal. >> this is unbelievable. >> real quick. last night i went to this loreal avent which was fun. they honored ten extraordinary women and a bunch of presenters were there. that's karen fondue, the head of the president of loreal. that's michael clinton. there's carrie washington. look how thin giada is. look how thin she is. and then i'm -- and tricia yearwood. >> i love her! >> and what was the point of it? >> it was honoring these ten women who were just kind of regular every day women who volunteer and do interesting things. >> that's wonderful. >> you like that? >> i do like that. >> what are you doing this weekend? >> i'm going to the white house for that christmas party. >> are you going? >> you were invited? >> why is this such a shock? you have a production company? >> i just have a question -- >> are you going? >> yeah. >> both of you -- hoda, we'll tell you all about it. >> we'll take this. kathie lee and i didn't get an invite. what's the story? >> i'm sure you did get an invite. >> we didn't. >> trust me, everybody got on invite. >> seriously? >> just go! >> how did it come? in the mail or e-mail? >> bring this, you'll get in. let's bring up bobbie. come on up. this is bobbie's buzz. >> this is perks for your purse. you always look for that last-minute emergency. these little miniemergency kits are really fantastic. this thing is $12. it has 16 items. if you need to remove your nail polish, clear nail polish, a tampon -- >> geez! >> okay. now this is the color wand. ladies out there can imagine, this is six lip glosses in one that you can keep in your purse so you always have a color to match what you've got on. >> that's nice. >> it's great. these are good stocking stuffers. last, but not least, little mints. if you're cute or a little flirt, these slide open to reveal a mirror. you not only have mints but you can also check your teeth. >> i like that. >> is this holiday candy? >> it is a mint. >> no, that's a tampon. >> welcome to the fourth hour! >> i need a drink after that. >> that was really good. thank you, honey. all right, meredith, thank you for coming. what do you think of our show? >> it's different, it's unique. >> career burner? >> for you, it may be. no, i love your show. you know i love your show. >> thank you. >> good luck with the show. come oing up next, wait no longer, "ambush makeover" is coming. later, nicola shay introduces to us some of america's best new talent. after these messages. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ sometimes it's the one they've been asking for - for weeks. live your christmas story at a kmart price - get a ps3 for only $299.99 and get assassin's creed: brotherhood free. there's smart and there's kmart smart. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. it's time for the moment we men around the world have been waiting to get to -- "today's plaza "ambush makeover"s." >> that's when two unsuspected women are chosen from our "today" show crowd, a very cold crowd, for head-to-toe do-overs. joining us are -- louis licari, la-la-la-la-la. >> my apologies. >> his makeover partner, "us weekly" contributor and author, jill martin. >> i don't have a song. >> so how was it today? icy cold. hats on. >> hats on, gloves on. but we found two sisters. two sisters. so this is a big surprise for both of them because they haven't seen each other, they don't know what they look like. it's going to be a great show. >> so our first lucky lady is vickie mcgrath. she's 48 years old from houston, texas. she's been married to her husband david for 12 years. they've got two kids. she's never colored her hair before and she trims it herself and she wants a brand-new look. let's take a look. >> all right. they have a very strategic move actually because the sisters put themselves at different ends of the plaza so we would see them and pick them and that's exactly what we did. so first, let's start with vickie. why do you think she deserves a makeover? >> well, first of all, she's such a great sister. she's brought me here to new york for christmas and i just want us to look good while we're here. she doesn't do anything to her hair. it's just straight and i want her to have some style and look really good. >> well, we are going to glam you up! ready to go? >> very much, yes. >> so vickie's up first. her sister again is back there. she won't be out for a couple of minutes. let's look at vickie's before picture. all right, vickie. let's see the new you. >> oh, my gosh. okay. i guess you got to see yourself. you ready? >> i don't know. >> spin around. you're going to freak. hold me hand. >> jennifer lawrence gave her this great shag gee bob. she was born red so i gave her her red hair back. kept it natural. makeup of course makes it all work. >> looks so good. what about that dress? that's hot. >> look at this body that was hiding under that outfit. this is the twist to the little black dress foreign policy ann taylor. look at her modeling. this is the new york look with the high black boots from 9 west. >> vickie, here's the plan. go stand over there and turn your back so that your sister -- you can't see your sister and she can't see you. all right? now willie's going to take over. >> she looks fantastic. her sister, christie, also from houston, texas, been married to her husband carl for 21 years. they've got three kids together. christie was actually in a car accident a couple years ago and had not cut or colored her hair since. she told us she couldn't imagine anyone other than louis giving her a makeover. let's take a look. >> all right, now it's time for sister number two. vickie, why does christie deserve this? >> she's a great sister also. i wish the best for her. she's had a hard time lately and i want to support her and she's a new grandma. what's not to want to celebrate this holiday season? >> we are going to make you the hottest grandma in the country! you ready to go? >> yes! yes, i am. this is wonderful. i can't wait. i just -- i want to get rid of all this and just be beautiful and glamorous and be the hottest grandma in town. >> she's going to be. >> one last look at christie before. and now let's bring her out. christie, come on out. >> whoa! hold on. don't leave us. you have to see yourself. >> turn around, check yourself out in the mirror behind you. >> oh, my gosh. oh, my god. oh, this is gorgeous. oh, my god. >> now turn your back. on three, sisters. you're going to face each other. okay sm are you ready? >> christie and vickie. >> one, two, three -- turn. >> come over, come over. >> you're so glamorous! >> louis, tell us about her hair cut. >> she obviously loved to be glamoured, she loved to be blonde so i made her a more flamboyant redhead but we kept her hair cut more classic. this is more of a classic bob. i just love that they love each other like this. this was one of the most successful makeovers. i have to say, this is one of the most difficult hair colors to do so i'm so proud. >> the sisters out on the town. we also wanted to put her in all-black also from ann taylor. but we also wanted her to have a great chic coat. they're not even listening. a great chic court for new york. this is from ann taylor. i love winter white in the winter. enjoy! >> so beautiful! >> go out on the town now. >> all right, coming up next, sara haines heads over to the cafe and the crowd is going to ask us anything they want. i love when they dance. then later, we'll get to ask nicola shay anything we want. but first, these messages. ring ring. progresso. everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. you're really, rich and happy. whoa! with a diamondweave texture at's soft and more durable, no wonder it holds up better. fewer pieces left behind. charmin ultra strong. [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. ♪ keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. [ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. stop in now and get a price match guarantee on the toys your kids are wishing for! like u-build monopoly, the nerf n-strike stampede blaster and more. make christmas an even bigger blast. only at walmart. set your pace to island time. rich chocolate over creamy coconut. almond joy and mounds. enjoy more. miss sara haines heads over to the msnbc digital cafe to gather the fans who want to ask us their most pressing questions. >> should i be worried about this one? >> please ask willie plenty of tough questions. >> it is all about hoda. >> we're starting with willie just because of that comment. we've got rachel and jennifer from california and florida. they have one for you, willie. >> we want to know what time you get up in the morning to get ready and who gets your kids ready. >> good question. i wake up about 3:30 in the morning. do i a 5:30 a.m. show on msnbc. >> you do? >> yeah, 3:30 a.m. middle of the night. >> i've heard about that show. >> you get invited to the white house when you do a cable news show. and my wonderful fantastic wife takes care of the kids in the morning. god bless her. >> what time do you go to bed? >> 10:00. something like that. >> when your show is called "way too early" i'm guessing it is pretty early. carla an marcus from st. louis have a question about -- imagine that -- drinking. >> hoda, we want to know, do you drink less with kathie lee is away? >> yes. she's the boozer. okay? i'm the one next to her. that's the way it works. we -- you know what's funny? we only drink a little bit on air. it looks like a lot because it is over the course of an hour but we sip and today, we -- have we had anything? >> what's that? >> what did you just say? >> the only one that's been drink something willie. whipped cream. he has. >> next up we've got -- i'm going to say this wrong. boo booze-a-laki girls from wisconsin and michigan with a question about gift giving. >> hey, we were just wondering, who is the most difficult person for you to buy a gift for this holiday season? >> for me, i'm kind of a last-minute gift buyer. i try to buy things that will fit with a lot of people. like i like to buy massages and stuff like that. the most difficult person -- it's funny because my mom -- you run out of things because you've bought everything you could think of. who's for you? >> you've known her your whole life. i like to get good things for the staff over at our show and you try to get creative, get something interesting every year. when you buy in bulk. people like restaurants but you try to get creative. that's tough. >> next up we've got cora lynn and friends from ohio. we've got a question about holiday stress. >> i want wondering how you de-stress during the busy holiday season. >> easy. >> what do you do? >> alcohol-infused whipped cream. tilt it up. all your problems go away. how about you? >> the holiday parties sometimes when you go to those you end up -- i had a bunch to go to last night. at first i was thinking, there's so much going on. after the third drink and the first dance, i was so -- it all just dissolves away. >> don't think of it as stress. it is the holidays, have fun, relax, enjoy it. >> do we have time for one more? sandy from florida has a question about holiday favorites. >> what's your favorite holiday gift? >> holiday gift? >> that was a tough one. >> that's a hard one. we'll think about it. >> i've got a lot of red fire trucks when i was 4. it was a good year. a lot more coming up. nicola shay after this. to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ how can expedia now save me even more on my hotel? well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia. we just heard about an accident. it's a mercedes convertible. it will be out there. also a motorcycle involved. so you'll see quite a spectacle heading northbound 101 approaching 280. the interstate blocking at least one lane. there will be an issue as far as spectators as well. along the south it's light. but it could be an issue. northbound 87. a little bit of slowing there. the bay bridge also has backup. that has increased over the last half hour. we didn't see any backup 45 minutes ago. last time we showed you we had a few more folks there. >> good morning. starting off with patchy fog, drizzle, and a few chance of showers. the clouds are spilling across the bay area and much of california. so we'll even the chance of showers today. temperatures 50s to low 60s today. then the storm track finally heads north. good timing. just in time for the weekend. warmer temperatures for most inland spots. patchy fog will linger to early next week. >> 10:27. more news after this. in the east bay branch of the salvation army is in desperate need of toys. they're trying to get 13,000 goals for needy kids. but as of last night only 34 toys had been donated. salvation army is waiting on the marine corps reserve to deliver donations from their toys for tots program, which usually makes up 70% to 80% of the branch's donation. there will be a new blimp. a company called egreen technology is going to base the air shift in one of the hangers there. they called the bullet 125 runs on biofuel, so basically french fry oil. they will make you look like a blimp and power blimps. and remember the california guys who sent a capsule into orbit. . i turns out it was a giant wheel of cheese. they say it's a monty python reference. enjoy the rest of your day and your weekend. gh b0 5 5tanan:0a.rlrld 0 m.a.. ♪ ♪ wow. that is just one of the gravity performances featured on nbc's hit beingacapella singing progr "the sing-off." willie geist is joining me while kathie lee takes the day off. >> "the sing-off" host himself, nick lachey, about to tell us about that $100,000 price he's about to give away. nick, nice to see you. >> nice to be here. >> what a hit. in the "new york times" today, perusing the times, it says how well that your show is doing, that the second series kind of bumped us up a little bit. 7.6 million viewers. it's really captured the attention of america. >> it's great. i think that america's kind of gravitated to it because there's nothing to hide behind. these are acapella performances, acapella singers. you get a real sense of someone's real talent when you don't have the smoke and mirrors or band or back-up vocals. it is great to see that america appreciates it and appreciates these groups and all the talent they bring to the show. >> how do you break through. you've got "american idol," all the dance shows. feels like there are so many competitive shows but this one has actually purged through all that. how do you stand out? >> i think it is the acapella part of it and people really have a respect for what it takes do acapella live on national television. i do quite a bit of it with 98 degrees so i feel i have a real good appreciation of what it takes to pull off well. >> "glee" is such a huge hit. when you click around and we're finding another thing america seems to be crazy about. >> it is great to see, achs as i love the arts, it is great to see music and performing kind of celebrated now and idolized as opposed to be the geeky thing to do. now it's cool. it's a combo of all those shows. >> so many acts have a big following over the course of the season. anybody stood out to you in particular? >> the difference between second season and first season to me, first season noda stood out and they ended up winning. this year they're all so talented. it is really hard to tell who will be the ultimate winner. >> can we say congratulations, by the way, on your engagement. >> of course you can. >> that's the coolest thing! how did you propose? >> i just wanted it to be a surprise. i pick a good moment when i didn't think it was anticipated and, you know, got down on both knees actually -- >> did you? >> i'm a traditionalist. i wanted to make sure i got her father's blessing and did things the way that they're supposed to be done. >> were you at all gun shy about getting married again? >> no. i never -- i don't think i ever was. i always knew that i wanted to be married and that's something i really value and cherish. and we've been together 4 1/2 years so at this point we really know each other very well and know that this is the right thing at the right time. it is great. >> you guys have had to grow the relationship. in a way most of us don't have to, which is in the pages of "us weekly" every other week. is that tough on a relationship? how do you manage that? >> like anything else, i think there are some growing pains there. especially for her stepping into that. she wasn't quite used to that the way i, unfortunately, was at the time. but like anything else, you learn how to deal with it, you learn how to block it out. at the end of the day, we know what's real and what's meaningful and all that other stuff. you really do have to just learn to ignore it. >> we always see you as kind of a family guy. even when we've seen you on some of those shows, you see your family, your brother and you were saying you guys are going to your home for christmas. you just kind of do is the old-fashioned way. don't you? >> to me, i don't care where we go, i don't care what the weather is like but around the holidays you want to be with your family and for me, my niece an nephew especially, the chance to watch them enjoy christmas and my nephews's case, his first chris mall. it is really cool and special to be a part of that and share that with family. >> willie's wife is in love with you, by the way. >> deeply. >> madly, deeply. there's tension here. i told her last night you were going to be on the show. she broke out last night what's left of me, started playing that. it was very awkward. >> someone's still singing it. >> say hi, christina. >> christina, you are my heart. you are my heart. >> i have no chance! >> and only you, christina, can see what's truly "left of me." i'm done. >> catch "the sing-off" monday night at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. the lady's man is ready to dole out some advice. oh, look at this. you are kidding me. leftover desserts, boardroom, now. thanks, i already have some yummy black forest cake. black forest cake? 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[ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. with an hdtv from walmart! get everyday low prices and a price match guarantee on all the hottest brands! like lcds from vizio, sony, samsung, lg, and more. a new hdtv. they won't believe it when they see it! find it at walmart. a new hdtv. they won't believe it when they see it! funny how nature just knows how to make things that are good for you. new v8 v-fusion + tea. one combined serving of vegetables and fruit with the goodness of green tea and powerful antioxidants. refreshingly good. sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. as hard as we try, it's almost impossible to get inside the head of a man to know what he's thinking. so for the other view, we turn to donny deutsch. as always, in search of help. >> i'm here. we had to bring in a man for this? >> what is great, i have to tell you, there's new math today. usually it is you, the other crazy broad ganging up on me. >> broad. we're off and running. >> she watches these, by the way. >> i know she does. by the way, that's a compliment. now you have a guy who's kind of like the bad guy, and mr. sweetheart here. so we're going to do, you'll tee up the question, i'll give you the honest answer, i usually get booed. and mr. wonderful will validate or not validate. >> i'll be the tiebreaker. >> once and for all we'll setting that i'm not so bad. >> really? that's where your money is going? >> go, sara. first question, shannon, i love my hubby and we've been married for 20 years but why does he find kissing not so important anymore. i hate that it makes me feel the way i do. >> by the way, a lot of my friends say after a long relationships their husbands don't want to kiss anymore so what's the deal with you guys? >> men, as a whole, like to kiss less than women. they just do. but what you do is say, you know what, it means a lot to me -- >> why don't you like to kiss? >> because we tend to gravitate towards just getting the job done eventually. no, i speak -- william. >> no. >> but as a woman say i love kissing, i miss it. if a guy cares about you -- >> it's obligatory. >> it's not that we doesn't love you any less. >> do you like kissing, willie? >> yeah, give my wife a kiss now and then. >> you have to do the right thing but don't take it that your husband loves you less than you love him. just say to him, i miss the kissing. >> you do things we don't love. >> just remind him. all i'm saying, it comes to them a little less naturally. so far -- okay. >> you did not win. >> mr. sweetheart said i kind of agree. >> kind of. let's keep going. >> tricia -- how do you tell my man that it is a huge turnoff to beg for sex. why do you guys do it? do you realize it makes us want to do it less? >> wait, say it again. >> how do i tell my man that it is a huge turnoff to beg for sex. >> when he begs for sex? i don't think that's a turnoff. >> why is he begging in the first place? >> that's it. >> wait, wait. >> there's something wrong if your man has to beg for sex. >> if it is teasing and fun begging. >> what happened? >> if you're the man and you have to beg there's something wrong with you. you're not attractive to the woman anymore? >> of course it is a turnoff. this woman needs to examine, he's begging for it, there's something wrong there. >> begging meaning that you're probably not going to get it, then there is a teasing begging. >> that's not what she's talking about. >> do you know tricia? >> tom said i heard years ago that -- tom? i heard years ago that man thinks about sex every three minutes. how true is this? >> yes. >> we think about sex i think more than women. i think it's an undercurrent all the time. >> since you arrived at the "today" show today and now it is 10:41, how many times have you thought about sex? >> it depends your definition of sex. it is on our minds all the time. that's just what drives us as men. >> it is not like a graphic explicit way. it's just like subtext. >> it is just interaction with men and women. it is not like -- it is like the mating thing. >> the default setting of the male brain is sex. if it's not there, it's out of your hands. >> you're still letting me take the heat. instead of saying he's right -- you'd coy and go -- >> go on. >> sandy writes, when we were dating and engaged my husband didn't mind going out and having fun. now i have to beg. so much begging here. borrow and negotiate for a dinner out each week. help. >> guys do that. >> you have to say, once again, hey, i really miss that. don't attack him but say we used to have those dates. >> what if he just likes to sit on the couch and watch football? >> you have to say that's not good enough for me. that's not what i signed up for. look, i'm not asking every night but let's pick a night and we'll do something you love. not saying we have to go to a chardonnay place. >> what's a chardonnay place. >> you know what? >> ask kathie lee. >> kathie lee might as well be here. okay, buddy? >> he's touched on communication. if there's a problem, talk about it. if you want to go out, you might have to drag us off the couch a little bit but we'll go. >> let's get another one. >> carrie -- why won't my boyfriend get married. we have a child together and live together. why won't he take the final step? >> the answer is obviously she committed to living with him and having a child. maybe these discussions should have happened before then because the cart's a little out of the gate. having said that -- say to him, i really want to get married and he already has to say. if he doesn't want to, then have you a decision to make. >> but you don't want to say that -- >> these discussions should have happened before the child and living together. that's the issue at this point. they're in a committed relationship but he hay not want to get married but she has to hit it head-on. >> i think as long as he's looking after the child, he's not abandoning his duty there, leave him alone. is that good enough, don? >> i they should head-butt. comings up next, cocktails to help you bring in the holidays. testosterone is crazy. right after this. i can't find it. ♪ [ female announcer ] new tide with acti-lift technology helps remove many dry stains as if they were fresh. hey! you found it. yeah, it must have been hiding in my closet. [ female announcer ] new tide with acti-lift. style is an option. clean is not. get acti-lift in these tide detergents. style is an option. clean is not. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. friday... saturday... and sunday... at the kmart better than black friday sale! this week, joe boxer sleep sets for the whole family start at $7.99, family footwear is buy one get one half off, and girls' holiday dresses are just $9.99. there's smart, and there's kmart smart. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ we're counting down to the holidays with a bar menu. isn't that interesting? for your cocktail party. >> now we're talking. here to fill us in, fill our glasses, jean benedict, founder of jeanbenedict.com and contributing editor to celebrations.com. >> i brought the party with me. >> as you always do. >> let's get it started. cocktails parties are such the trend. we have bloody marys and bloody marias. basically a cocktail for every kind of little occasion. this is perfect for christmas brunch. so you want to make your home bar a little bit more upscale. use pour spouts. and use a shot glass. i'm going to mix up a bloody mary. >> what's a bloody maria, by the way is. >> you want to mix up the bloody maria? a bloody maria is just a bloody mary with tequila. do an ounce. an ounce is two tablespoons. but a lot of people pour a little heavy. that's perfect. having a shot glass helps guests keep track of their consumption. they have something to do. it is fun. you want to taste them? >> yes. >> we're going to be tasting a lot of drinks. this next one is super fun. >> okay. >> what's wrong with that? spirit for the holidays. santa hat cocktail. christmas in july. you guys, these are super fun. >> is this coconut around the rim? >> it is coconut around the rim and then the way that you make this is you do coconut rum, an ounce of coconut rum. you do three ounces of cranberry juice. and then for color -- isn't it delicious? a splash of grenadine. mix it up, then pour it. i forgot to give you guys your garnish. you garnish it with -- look at me, two-fifsted. >> how did you get this coconut to stick? >> powder sugar and waste. like a little paste. you can do a little recipe card so it can be like a station. this is perfect for a cocktail party. multiple stations. >> this i love. look closely at the ice cube real quick. >> this is a little -- actually a shot glass mold. a shot glass mold but you can even make it with like a one-ounce plastic cup that salsa comes in. something like that. it is just mint, fresh mint and then cranberry tips just like this. then you put a cranberry in, then you fill it up with water and freeze it. this is great for drop-by guests. this cocktail is actually just like a straight mix of pinot grigio and a lemon-lime soda. like a white wine sangria. the mint and cranberry just make it festive. you can put this in sparkling water. you make a bunch of these, guests stop by, just pop it in their drink. >> that's beautiful. >> where do you get these shot glassmakers? >> one of those department stores that sells everything is a great place. this is signature drink, peppermint white-hot chocolate. >> i already love it. >> this is great for an open house and also great for budget because it is peppermint schnapps and that's so affordable. the recipe for this on the website serves about 12 people. to make it that much more festive, dip it in chocolate. these are marshmallows. >> that's all i want. i don't care about the drink. >> looks so fabulous. >> 20 seconds. >> eggnog with bourbon. what makes this special is just this little fudge stripe cookie. i put a bourbon chocolate glaze on it. cheers, you guys. eggnog, little bourbon, little cookie ornament on the side, perfect for christmas eve. >> always on our website. merry christmas. cheers. we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc. ♪ [ female announcer ] with cable's bundle choices, there's not much to see. with at&t u-verse tv, you can record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. hey. yeah. on my way home. [ female announcer ] you can even choose wireless voice service. he can't do that with cable. now you have your choice of offers. call today to get u-verse tv and internet plus choose home phone or wireless voice service starting at $99 a month. or choose to get $300 back via promotion cards with other qualifying bundles. bundle the services that fit your life. with u-verse tv, record and play back your shows in any room from a single dvr. call now to get three services starting at $99 a month. or choose to get $300 back via promotion cards with other qualifying bundles. ♪ for the bundle that fits your life, at&t. ♪ take a look around me. the research at st. jude children's research hospital helps save kids with brain tumors, sickle cell, and leukemia across america. and no family is ever turned away because they can't pay. you know what i'm building? thanks to st. jude, i'd say 'a future.' is that right? yeah! give thanks for the healthy kids in your life. and give to those who are not. go to stjude.org or shop wherever you see our magnifying glass. it's hard to believe we are half-way through our annual holiday toy drive an we want to thank everybody who's contributed so far. >> yes. and we have another generous contribution today. brother and sister from st. jude's children's hospital, austin and haley. >> david, how many years is this? >> this is our 11th year supporting the toy drive. we're donating $50,000 worth of our plush puppy here taylor. sell them in all of our kay jeweler stores across the country. >> tell them, these things are so super soft. you can't really tell on tv but you just want to squeeze them. both of you kids were suffering from bone cancer. how are you feeling today? >> feeling really good. sr. jude got me back and i'm doing everything i used to do. feeling good, yeah. >> haley, how you feeling? >> good. all the doctors and nurses and my physical therapist, they've all helped me get my leg back so i can do most of the things that i used to be able to do. >> st. jude is one of those places when you walk in, you aren't sure how you're going to feel but it always lifts you up. it is an important place for you. >> we've been committed to st. jude for a dozen years. we hope to raise this year a grand total of over $25 million. >> austin and haley's parents, by the way, they're just adorable. they're just sitting over there behind our news desk. you did such a great job with these wonderful kids. >> austin, what do you got set planned for the holidays? >> we're going to go to my grandma's and just hang out. >> haley, excited for the holidays? >> yeah. >> you guys, thank you all so much for coming. we really appreciate it. if you want to donate, go to klgandhoda.com. willie, thank you for doing what you do. >> it was a blast, hoda. >> have a good weekend. bye-bye.

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