her father in a private ceremony in new jersey, one day after an emotional memorial service. how is her young daughter holding up? houston's godmother opens up today, monday, february 20th, houston's godmother opens up today, monday, february 20th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on a president's day monday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm carl quintanilla. matt and ann have the morning off. the avalanche is the deadliest in washington state in years. >> there were warnings of avalanche danger at the time of the accident. the skiers were on the back side of the e resort in an area marked out of bounds when they were swept nearly a quarter mile down a canyon. ahead, the survivor speaks out. >> and closing arguments delivered in the trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend. the case will be in the hands of the jury this week. >> plus the academy awards will be handed out sunday. we're getting a look at who cast the deciding votes for oscar. >> the group isn't as diverse as you might expect. we'll have more on that later on. >> first the deadly news of the avalanche in washington state. kristen dahlgren has the latest. >> reporter: the avalanche occurred shortly before noon in what officials call a ski at your own risk area near stevens pass ski resort. a dozen skiers were seen headed into 7th heaven. >> we lost three amazinging people. two were my really good friends. >> reporter: joel hammond was part of the group and described what he and a fellow skier saw. >> right when he crossed over the hill we noticed a three to four-foot fracture about 30 yards to his right. >> reporter: hammond said he watched as the skiers, including pro elise sagstad were carried nearly 2,000 feet. >> this is approximately where the slide started. it would have carried the victims down to here. >> at one point they were all buried in the snow. they managed to dig themselves out. at that point they realized three of them are in distress. they began cpr. >> reporter: it was too late for the skiers. three men -- aged 30, 35, and 45 -- were pronounced dead on the mountainside. the men were well known to the local community and especially to the ski patrol. >> it's a sad day. tough when you have a death and when you have three at one time it's really hard on all of the staff. >> reporter: for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> elyse saugstad is with us now. good morning. >> good morning. >> it's been around 24 hours since this happened. how are you doing? >> i'm in shock and absolutely devastated at the loss of our friends. my heart goes out to their families and the skiing community. >> three skiers passed away in this incident. did you know them well? >> yes. i knew two of them really well. >> you were out with a large group skiing and suddenly the earth beneath you started moving. can you take us back to the moment? what triggered this avalanche? >> one of the skiers triggered the avalanche. the skiers below caught in the avalanche were continued to be in a safe zone. we didn't really anticipate it, but when we saw it happening, we knew exactly what was happening. it's amazing how quickly an avalanche happens. it progresses rapidly into something major. when i was caught in it, i immediately pulled my air bag. >> i want to talk to you about it. but if you can take us back to the moments as you remember them, i imagine you are in shock but you were swept some 2,000 feet. how did it feel? how did it sound? what was that experience like? >> there wasn't much sound. literally just trying to figure out what exactly is happening and how you're going to deal with this. there is not a lot of thought. it happens really, really fast. literally seconds. >> did you feel yourself panicking in that moment? >> at the very beginning there wasn't much panic. i didn't think it was going to turn into the size of avalanche that it was. but once i was swept in it, it was a long ride and there was a lot of time to think. that's for sure. >> you mentioned you had deployed your avalanche air bag system. i know you believed that saved your life. >> yes. i'm certain that saved my life. >> how does it work? >> essentially an air bag system, you have a normal backpack. what happens is you have a lever to pull by your chest. what happens is it deploys an air bag that comes up and around your upper body. essentially it's lifting you up above the avalanche so it's -- you more or less stay on top. it's not like you're taking an inner tube ride down some snowy field. you definitely are in the avalanche and it feels like you're in a washing machine, being flipped and tumbled and it's white the entire way. it's scary. >> you are a professional skier. this area was under, as i understand it, a high avalanche danger because there had been a powerful storm. do you believe you had sufficient warning? >> yes. the avalanche danger wasn't at high when we went out that morning. all of the signs that led up to us being there were signs we felt comfortable and safe being there. all of us were experienced backcountry skiers. we felt we were in the right place. >> any question that you will ski again? >> i will definitely ski again. i think my friends that just passed away would be devastated if we didn't continue in the spirit of skiing. >> what a 24 hours for you. we're so sorry at the loss of your friends. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. >> and now here's carl. >> savannah, thanks. now to the presidential race and the comment by rick santorum drawing heat from president obama's campaign. nbc's peter alexander is in salt lake city, utah, with details. peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. president obama's re-election team has largely focused attention on mitt romney. but increasingly it's turning an eye to rick santorum, the latest example, a sharp back and forth after santorum appeared to question the president's faith. facing a surge of scrutiny to go with his surging poll numbers, rick santorum is trying to define himself before his opponents can make their attacks stick. >> someone who can clearly go after president obama on issue after issue, draw clear bright contrasts, make him accountable. >> reporter: but first, santorum is trying to clarify this comment questioning the values behind president obama's energy policy. >> it's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. oh, not a theology based on the bible. a different theology. but no less a theology. >> reporter: the obama campaign blasted the remarks as well over the line. >> it's just time to get rid of this mindset in our politics that if we disagree we have to question character and faith. >> reporter: on sunday, santorum argued he wasn't criticizing the president's faith, but his world view. >> uh i have repeatedly said i don't question the president's faith. i believe he's christian, he says he's christian. but i'm talking about his world view or the way he approaches problems in this country. they are different than how most people do in america. >> reporter: santorum is reviewing another hot button issue arguing the health care overhaul rerequiring insurers to pay for prenatal testing leads to abortion. >> a lot of deformities are dealt with in utero and the customary way is to have abortion. >> reporter: mitt romney basking in the glow of the tenth anniversary of the salt lake city olympics he helped rescue faced another distraction this weekend. his arizona cochair resigned from the campaign after allegations of misconduct with a man with which he had a relationship. he denied he tried to deport his ex-boyfriend if the man revealed er. all thesehi allegations in e of these newspapers are absolutely completely false. except for the issues that refer to me as being gay. >> all four of the republican candidates will be together in arizona this wednesday for their next debate, both arizona and michigan call vote one week from tomorrow. and there's growing concern today among some top republican leaders that if mitt romney cannot win michigan, the state where he was born and raised that the republican party may need to recruit another candidate. carl? >> peter alexander in salt lake city, thanks. all right, now let's get a check of the day's other top stories, tamron hall over at the news desk for natalie. >> good morning, everyone. nuclear inspectors from the united nations are in tehran this morning pushing for talks with iranian officials. this as the u.s. and britain urge israel not to attack iran. nbc's stephanie gosk is in israel with more. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: good morning, tamron. mixed messages out of iran. you do have the ia/ea resuming talks. but the government says it's going to ban all the oil exports to france and britain. this is a preemptive strike after europe's decision to ban imports to iran starting july 1st. there's new pressure on the israel government not to attack iran's nuclear facilities. you had martin dempsey telling cnn over the weekend that it would not be prudent and tbl destabilize the region. and the british saying diplomatic pressure have to be given a chance to work. now today on the ground in israel, you have national security adviser tom donlan, he is just the latest of u.s. officials on the ground here having high-level talks about iran. tamron? >> all right, stephanie, thank you very much. whitney houston has been buried next to her father in a brief, private ceremony at a new jersey cemetery sunday. on saturday, friends and family gathered for a star-studded funeral in the singer's birthplace of newark, new jersey. we'll have much more on whitney houston coming up in a live report. southern states are digging out after a wintery blast. the storm dumped several inches of snow from kentucky to tennessee to the virginias and north carolina. after what had been a mild winter. tens of thousands of homes lost electricity and slippery roads caused dozens of accidents. and here comes the sun as rupert murdoch is set to launch the successor, the sun on sunday will replace the former best-selling paper closed in july. after the revelation of staffers hacked into phones. two pilots lucky to be alive this morning after a small plane and a helicopter clipped each other over northern california. both aircraft were forced to land in fields and the pilots were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. no word on what actually caused that accident. and the colbert report will return tonight. took an abrupt hiatus last week after stephen colbert's 91-year-old mother took ill. colbert went to twitter to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. it is now 7:13, back to savannah, carl, and stephanie. good to see stephen colbert back at work and our thoughts are with his mother, as well. >> absolutely. thank you. mr. roker has the morning off, so stephanie abrams is here with the holiday forecast. >> good morning to you, guys. we have more snow to talk about. it's going bacthrough the rockies and the plains. anywhere in yellow, 1 to 3 inches, perhaps we could see 3 to 6 in some localized areas. the storm is just starting to get its act togetherment it will head north and east over the next several days. otherwise, the big story, the warm temperatures yet again. look at that, chicago, 42 degrees in the middle of >> we had showers earlier but we're starting to dry out nicely. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. you can see we're going to see a pretty nice presidents day. temperatures on the cool side. but continued clearing throughout the day. a mix of sun and clouds. and the warm-up is on tomorrow. so we're done with the showers if you are looking for the warmer weather we peak on thursday up to 74 degrees. then we'll level out mild for this weekend. carl, over to carl over to you. >> thanks. whitney houston was laid to rest on sunday. we'll talk to houston's godmother in a moment. first, craig melvin is in new jersey with the details. good morning. >> reporter: carl, good morning to you. balloons and flowers behind me are part of the public memorial that's grown since her death. new hope baptist church, the site of saturday's funeral. a final farewell to a talented woman many hoped was on the verge of a comeback. whitney houston's body arrived at its final resting place in westfield new jersey, ending a weekend filled with stories and songs, a celebration of houston's life. saturday, family and friends gathered in her hometown of newark, new jersey for a funeral service that lasted nearly four hours. actor and producer tyler perry talked about her faith. >> she loved the lord. if there was a grace that carried her through it was the same grace that carried her home. >> reporter: music executive clive davis and long-time mentor talked about the legendary voice. >> is there any performance of the star-spangled banner that remotely compares to her? >> reporter: and kevin costner, whitney's costar in "the body guard" had a moving message for girls dreaming of being like houston. >> think whitney would tell you, guard your bodies and guard the precious miracle of your own life. and then sing your hearts out knowing that there is a lady in heaven who is making god himself wonder how he created something so perfect. ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: it was houston's own voice, a powerful rendition of "i will always love you" that brought the service to a dramatic close. the day was not without drama. houston's ex-husband bobby brown who was invited to the funeral left early. he said he and his guests were asked to switch seats three different times. brown released a statement saying in part, quote, in light of the events i gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as i refused to create a scene. this was a day to honor whitney. i doubt whitney would have wanted this to occur. at a concert sunday night brown briefly mentioned his ex-wife. >> whitney, i love you. >> reporter: more than a week after houston's death, the cause is still unknown. results of a toxicology report are still pending and officials say results of that could take weeks. while speculation continues to swirl, family, friends and fans alike say what will forever remain is the very thing that made houston famous -- the voice. ♪ i look to you >> reporter: more on that career resurgence. a lot of attention will be paid to the film "sparkle." that was the movie whitney houston was working on last before her death. it is set for a summer release. carl? >> craig, thank you very much. darlene love was whitney houston's godmother and attended the service and burial. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> tough weekend. the service was described as emotional for many but also beautiful. i wonder what stood out to you from the service on saturday. >> you know, when we have funeral services we don't call them funerals. we call them homegoing ceremonies. now we're taking you to another life. the one thing that stuck out is when some of the ministers were speaking they were saying that people have to be better to entertainers, nicer to them. when we walk out on stage we give them 200%. we're theirs, you know. that's the way we feel. that's the way i feel when i walk out on stage. >> clive davis talked about her voice. just her sheer ability to sing. he said when he first heard "the greatest love of all," it shattered him, in his words. i wondered if you think that voice is really her legacy in the end? >> it is. and it will be forever. there is never going to be another sound like that in life. that was it. >> i was surprised to hear kevin costner talk about her insecurities. >> yes. >> even when she was a global phenomenon, still wondering if fans would like her in this or that. >> we have those insecurities. we're not sure. but each of us have that. we are insecure about different things, especially when we leave what we really know what we are doing and go to television or movies. that's an insecurity we have. we have it and we get over it. >> how did whitney get over that, do you think? >> i think her faith in god. because her mother, her whole family, they are all christians. they believe in god. that's our strength. that's what we hang on to. >> you mentioned her family. it's obviously been devastating for her mom cissy, her daughter bobbie kristina and over the weekend there were reports that bobbie kristina's whereabouts were unknown for some time. >> that's not true. she was with us. she was with the family. the burial was very emotional and the best thing was it was like a procession. the people lined the streets and we looked out of the windows of the car and they were crying. so it made cissy and kristina feel good. everybody is getting over yesterday. now it's a closure and now we have to go on with life because whitney would have wanted that. >> you mentioned the fans. the run on her music over the past week. what does that mean to you? >> they loved her, no matter what. our fan, no matter what we do. they say things but they love u unconditionally. we talked about it going to the burial. the streets were lined with hundreds of people up to the cemetery. they were waving and crying. that was so emotional to us. but it really made us feel good. >> finally, craig mentioned "sparkle." this was talked about as her comeback and of course it will be her final good-bye. is that bittersweet? >> it is. there is a line in one of her songs called "bittersweet," but we'll watch it, love it and move on. >> darlene love, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us today. >> you're welcome. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. b just ahead, the trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend enters its final phase. we'll have details. >> and bethany franthe bizarre her to the hospital. is to keep it whole for better nutrition. and that's what they do with great grains cereal. see the seam on the wheat grain? same as on the flake. because great grains steams and bakes the actual whole grain. now check out the other guy's flake. hello, no seam. because it's more processed. now, which do you suppose has better nutrition for you? mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. . hey, you made your own lunch. yep! 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(announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. >> good morning everyone. the time is 7:26. i'm jon kelley. the westbound lanes of the bay bridge are now open this morning, thanks in large part to mother nature. the bridge was supposed to not open until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning but because the weather cooperated, caltrans got its work done well ahead of schedule. it was reopened last night after crews worked around the clock to demolish parts of the existing bridge that were blocking the path to the new span. they also realigned and repaved the oakland approach. >> as you come through the metering lights you're going to be eased off to what would be your left so go easy, the merge lanes are a little different but you have the same space. >> for the record this was the final shutdown of the bay bridge until the new one opens up labor day weekend 2013. speaking of a holiday it's presidents day. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren to say good morning to a phenomenal forecast. >> you know, especially if you are just waking up. we had showers but at this point the rain has subsided and your temperatures are starting to climb. sun's out. 48 in oakland, and we're going to continue to see the sun shine through by noon today a few clouds over san francisco and up to the north bay. mostly sunny through the south bay as you break for lunch. 57 in morgan hill. 58 in milpitas. and 59 degrees in dublin. this will be the coolest day of the week, as of tomorrow the climb is on. up to 65 degrees inland. we bump you up to 72 by wednesday. and then thursday, mid to upper 70s. may be a few low 80s in some cities. it's going to get warm. let's check the drive with mike. >> confirming the south bay again, reminder all lanes cleared northbound 101 at capitol expressway. the earlier sigalert and deadly accident cleared. bob redell is following that. all lanes are open. 87 shows slowing from capitol up to curtner, that may be a ripple effect after people did hear about problems earlier at 101 and capitol. all lanes are clear. the san mateo bridge, a little haze but the bridge not as much traffic because the bay bridge did reopen. >> thank you. for the latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. we're back with another local update for you in one half hour from now. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur?] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that c help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ 7:30 on this monday morning, february 20, 2012. our crowd enjoying the start of this president's day holiday with a stop in rockefeller plaza. we thank them for that. we'll head outside in a few minutes to say hello. meantime back in studio 1a i'm carl quintanilla alongside savannah guthrie. matt and ann have the morning off. ahead, jury deliberations are set to begin at the high profile murder trial of a former lacrosse player at the university of virginia accused of killing his former girlfriend. this after dramatic closing arguments on saturday. we'll get the latest on that coming up. >> also ahead, how do you fix the country's struggling economy? dylan ratigan is here to tell us why he thinks america has allowed itself to be swindled and robbed. >> and bethenny frankel tweeted recently about a trip to the hospital after a bizarre ailment. she'll explain that and give us a sneak peek at the new season of her reality show. >> we begin with new developments at the trial of a former lacrosse player, george huguely. mike viqueira has the details this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. if it's one thing that's clear after the two-week trial this was a tangled relationship of jealousy, mutual infidelity and drinking. now jurors must decide if huguely went to yeardley love's apartment intent on killing her or whether her death was a tragic accident. it's been a wrenching two-week trial for the family and friends of the victim and accused. now the fate of george huguely charged with killing ex-girlfriend yeardley love is in the jury's hands. in his closing argument dave chapman became emotional, scoffing at huguely's claim that he went to love's apartment the night she died to talk things over pointing out the hole punched in love's door when she wouldn't let him in. what kind of conversation is that, chapman said? that's the beginning of terror. chapman reminded people of the e-mail huguely sent love. it read, i should have killed you. just days later chapman charged huguely went to love's apartment, beat her and left her to die slowly in her bed. during the trial experts testified love died of blunt force trauma to the head. the final defense witness told jurors he didn't think a blow to the head killed love. >> could you explain why you do not think she died of trauma. >> i thought she died of oxygen deprivation. >> reporter: another witness said it was a combination of the alcohol she drank and huguely's trauma. he portrayed huguely as incaleable of planning and carrying out love's murder calling his client stupid, drunk and not calculating, a boy athlete. lawrence suggested jurors consider the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter instead of premeditated murder. legal experts say huguely's drunkenness the night of love's death may bolster the case. legally, if george huguely was so drunk he couldn't form a coherence thought then he can't be guilty under virginia law of first-degree murder. >> reporter: supporters on both sides will have to wait longer for an outcome. the jury begins deliberation wednesday after the long holiday weekend. >> thank you. janine piero is host of justice with judge janine. good morning. good to see you. >> good morning. >> this case has two theories of first-degree murder. the first is george huguely premeditated the killing. have they shown premeditation? >> there can be an argument they have based on the evidence that huguely, the defendant held the victim in a choke hold but more importantly also said, i should have killed you. they theorized that when he knocked down the door to her bedroom when she was alone and by herself it proves there was intent, malice and premeditation. >> we'll talk about the defense in meemt. they argue george huguely was too drunk to premeditate a killing. let's talk about the other prosecution theory which is felony murder. that he went to steal a laptop and in the course of that, she was killed. is this stretching the outer limits? >> no. felony murder is part of the criminal justice system in this country today. what it does is eliminates on the part of the prosecution the need to prove intent. if during the course of a felony someone dies you are held to the same level of crime as if it were intentional murder. the question is did he commit a felony? did he commit robbery by taking the laptop? i don't think there is a question he took it. did he intend to assault her and that was a felony that occurred? there are a lot of arguments that can be made as a basis for felony murder for which he would face 40 years in prison. >> we saw the prosecutor get emotional delivering his closing argument. is that unusual? might it be effective with the jury? >> as someone who has tried cases the summation is the crescendo of the trial where you bring out all the pain and suffering of a young woman who died for no reason whose reputation has been trashed during the course of the trial. the autopsy pictures, crime scene photos. she dies in her own blood. she's left for dead. it was a slow and painful death. she's a beautiful young girl. there was no reason for her to die. sure, the prosecutor will get emotional. sometimes they show it and sometimes they don't. in the courtroom, a lot of people crying. a lot of pain. a vicious, horrible murder for no reason. >> let's talk about the defense here. this is not a case where an attorney is asking for a not guilty verdict. he's asking for the least serious homicide charge, involuntary manslaughter. he said george huguely did not calculate this, didn't premeditate it. that he was so intoxicated he could not form intent to kill. is this one of the rare cases where intoxication can be a defense? >> if you want to kill someone, you hate someone, you think, i'll get drunk, kill them and be let off. it doesn't work that way. can the intoxication diminish intent and make it involuntary manslaughter, pos blichlt but there is so much history, so much in terms of his threats to her and a volatile relationship tweep the two of them i don't think the jury will let him off on that. >> separate and apart that the defense didn't call huguely to the stand? >> my sense is he's got a short fuse and unfortunately he's an example of some of the binge drinking at college campuses. >> thank you. now a check of the weather from stephanie abrams who's in for al. >> we're going to talk about the warm temperatures across the country. they are above average anywhere from 5 a to 15 degrees throughout the midwest to the plains as well. otherwise it's pretty dry along the east coast. just a few lingering effects from the weekend system. the big story is in the >> good morning to you. we have showers earlier, those showers have subsided but we are left with some pretty thick fog. that is starting the to settle in in fairfield, santa rosa, even in oakland when it comes to visibility so give yourself plenty of time. 58 in san jose, 58 in milpitas. 56 in concord. staying cool in san francisco with 55 degrees today. up to 65 tomorrow. then we touch on the 70s wednesday and thursday. >> and it's prom season. guess what we have here? >> ben mac far land. i want to ask carey ray to prom. >> is she seeing it? >> yes! [ cheers and applause ] >> congratulations. have fun. all you have to do is go to weather.com. savannah. >> we're glad that worked out. up next, are we missing the most important of all when it comes to fixing the economy? plus, looking to save? how to find the best presidents' day sale. first, these messages. ♪ ♪ wow... ♪ [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need is the smooth, creamy taste of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ werther's original caramels. [ driver ] what do i want? ♪ i want horsepower. cleaner horsepower. i want power that dominates the road. and fuel efficiency that respects the earth. gimme 43 miles per gallon. and the rush of 200 horsepower. what i want is the best of both worlds. 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[ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. back now with some of the things that are wrong with america and how to fix them. dylan ratigan is host of "the dylan ratigan" show and author of "greedy bastards," how to stop them from sucking america dry." you talk about the jobs crisis, taxes, banking. are you seeing anything from the primary race on the republican side or from the white house that suggests solutions are coming? >> i am not seeing it from washington. i don't think we'll see it from washington. what i am seeing and the reason i have been inspired over the past few weeks and certainly the past few months is you are seeing so many communities in america, carl, that are addressing issues in their own way, in their own world. >> examples? >> austin, texas. invented a lightbulb that's 90% efficient, made in texas, lasts for 30 years. camden, new jersey, dr. jeffrey brenner figured out only 1% of the people there accounted for 30% of the health care costs. he helped them become healthier. also health care collapsed in the community because the people who are the most sick are being addressed. therefore people who do it with crime, education. san francisco figured out people -- you and i learn at different rates of speed. why should my pressure or your pressure on me affect what we are learning when we can work with youtube lectures and go to a classroom with less pressure. there is a lot of innovative thought in america outside washington. >> your point is washington will be the last to react. >> i believe that. >> meanwhile you are embarking on a 30 million jobs tour. you are taking your show to three college campuses this week -- kentucky, ohio state and university of chicago. >> the wildcats, buckeyes and the phoenix. >> why 30 million? >> the number is derived from the u-6 number. the underemployed, those getting one or two hours a week along with the unemployed. if you look at the people in america that don't have work by that measure it's 30 million people. our goal with this whole tour going back to when we launched it in january is to reframe the conversation around the scale. we need 30 million jobs. i know i can't do it. i would be defiant to anyone who suggested they could. as a result we have to all start oh talk about what are the systems, the flows of money. trade deficit, tax reform, bank reform. things that affect trillions of dollars. you can't have this sort of prosperity that we are this close to. my whole thing is every problem is a job. this is my best example. knicks needed a point guard, jeremy lin got a job. >> he'll probably keep it, too. you say the debt is no longer the point. it's too big to be managed. >> yes. >> you have to focus on economic growth. >> for me when you look at the overall liabilities, hundreds of trillions in the swaps market. tens of trillions around all sorts of issues we talk about. i can tax rich people and i can talk austerity until i'm blue in the face. if i spent a million dollars a day since jesus christ was born i would not have spent a trillion dollars. it is only going to be debt restructuring and massive growth driven policies that release to the point of the college tour the youthful passion and energy to experiment and find new and more efficient super innovations, things that cost less and give us more. that's the path out. we just have to relax into it and enjoy it. >> we'll watch on tour this week. dylan ratigan. to read an excerpt of the book head to our website. catch his show weekdays at 4:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. still ahead, who decides hollywood's highest honors. the oscar voters, unmasked. first, these messages. 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[ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ hip-hop music is very popular in the united states, of course. now it's thriving in an unlikely place. ian williams is here to explain. ian, good to see you. >> good morning. good to be here. this isn't something i ever expected to find in somewhere like myanmar, the former burma. most of the reports we have been doing there over the years have been about repression. but changes are taking place. big changes. and surprising changes. i experienced one face of that when i hooked up with a bunch of hip-hop dissidents. myanmar's top hip-hop band is back on stage. ♪ >> reporter: after an enforced absence while their singer served a three-year prison term for anti-government activities. [ rapping in foreign language ] >> reporter: the band called acid made hip-hop the most popular music among youngsters here. they returned with a brief performance in combative style with a new note of defiance. >> we just want to live a normal life. we want to live freely and we want to do whatever we want. that's all. >> reporter: and there are flickers of hope for that. myanmar is in the grip of unexpected reform from an easing of censorship to the release of political prisoners. now the lines are much less clear and fans like acid are preparing to push the limit. acid is now bringing together top myanmar artists to record songs in support of political and social change. that's not been attempted for more than 20 years. >> we never wrote the songs like this before. >> we hope the changes would come soon because i think this is the beginning. >> reporter: one of the first new reportings is a reworking of an old myanmar pop song about a young woman who never gives up hope. there is no surprise for getting who that may refer to. they will release it and hold live concerts in the lead-up to april elections in which aung san soo chi is standing. the artists are only too aware of the risks. some song writers are in jail still for their efforts during the last period of openness here in 1988. >> we don't know what happens next. this is very strange for us. >> it's like an adventure. >> like an adventure. ♪ >> reporter: a potentially dangerous one. but for now these young artists are clinging to the hopeful words of this pop ballad. if you're brave enough, you will overcome everything. with those elections fast approaching, the hip-hop artists aren't the only ones asking how fast and how far the changes can go. >> they are brave to keep singing. ian, thank you for the story. appreciate it. still ahead bethenny frankel will speak out about her health scare, her family and the new season of her reality show. we'll talk to bethenny coming up after your local news and weather. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. 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[ female announcer ] delicious, creamy, yoplait light. over 30 flavors each around 100 calories. do the swap today. 8:00 now on this presidents' day monday morning, february 20, 2012. the weather is not going to get windy here in the northeast. we have a huge crowd. they're here, not working. they are spending their holiday with us and we are glad to have them here. good morning. i'm savannah guthrie along with carl quintanilla. matt and ann have the morning off. >> a little bit here on the plaza. just ahead, talking about an emotional roller coaster. a new marriage, new baby, new career all at once. bethenny frankel lives all of it and her reality show starts tonight. she will tell us about her recent health scare and what's going on in her life. we'll catch up in a bit. >> also catch up with other big stars. adam levine of maroon 5, one of the coaches on nbc's "the voice" and oscar winner angelica houston starring in "smash" about a musical based on the life of miracle monroe. >> lots of star power today. and if you want to take advantage of presidents' day sales we'll tell you where to go for furniture, exercise equipment, jewelry and clothes. >> first a check of the top stories with tamron hall in for natalie morales at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. three experienced skiers are dead after being caught by an avalanche in an out of bounds area near the popular stevens ski resort in washington state. the men were swept to their deaths about a quarter mile down a canyon sunday. eight other skiers survived including a woman saved by a safety device. a male snowborder was kiard u.n. nuclear inspectors arrived in iran today in the latest push to get iranian officials to come clean on their nuclear ambition. they will stop all oil exports to britain and france in an attempt at a preemtive strike against more sanctions and israel is being pressured by both the u.s. and britain not to attack iran's nuclear facilities is and instead give sanctionses a chance. an adviser to president obama's re-election campaign says gop presidential candidate rick santorum went, quite, well over the line when he questioned the president's christian values. a charge santorum denies. santorum reignited a hot button debate about the president's health care overhaul alleging that requiring insurers to pay for prenatal testing is lake abortion. a new study finds that the voters in the academy are not very diverse. 94% of the 5,700 members of the arts and sciences are white. and they say minorities should step up and say they want to be included. now brian williams. good morning. coming up when we join you tonight for "nightly news" a man who is teaching a lot of life lessons along with the catch. city kids on a fishing boat making a big difference. we'll have that story for you tonight. for now, back to you. >> thank you. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick round-up of what has you talking online. espn said it fired the employee responsible for an offensive headline. that appeared on its mobile website referring to new york knicks sensation jeremy lin. meantime, linsanity returns to madison square garden. they beat the mavericks. the star-studded audience included kevin costner, eva longoria and mark zuckerberg. lindsay lohan's comeback trail will take her to "saturday night live." twitter and facebook lit up as nbc announced the troubled actress will host snl on march 3. and this video from black sheep films racked up at least half a million hits since it was posted a couple weeks ago. in sectioned parts, it shows a series of flying amusement park rides defying gravity rolling through a beautiful afternoon in buenos aires. it is now 8:04. now back to savannah and carl. i'd like to go on that ride. >> looks like fun. nice necklace, carl. >> thank you. >> it's mardi gras. yours, too. >> happy mardi gras. we have a bunch going around today. >> stephanie abrams has the weather. good morning. >> good morning. i don't have beads but look at kendra. she has the hat and it goes down to her gloves. how funny is that. i have never seen such a thing. it's your 15th birthday. what are you doing? >> singing at carnegie hall. >> a lot of people here singing at carnegie hall. very loud, very exciting. let's look at the pick city of cincinnati. 44 degrees is the average high. we'll see the sunshine. it will feel warmer than that. right through the center of the country in the northwest is where the active weather will be. good morning. we do have some fog developing out there but nothing too heavy at this point. visibility still above a mile and 3/4 in the bay area cities but dropping off in places like concord, santa rosa that's the case over the next hour. whatever fog does develop will not last long. offshore flow setting up. we'll see temperatures in the mid 50, upper 50s in some cities as a result of limited sunshine. tomorrow 67 is the forecasted high. we have chris and family here for presidents' day from washington. what place have you seen in new york? >> we saw "anything goes" and both my kids were in it at the playhouse locally. >> very nice. so you saw plays and you're also in plays. >> yeah. >> a theatrical group here, carl. >> thank you very much, stephanie. up next, bethenny frankel opens up about her family, her reality series and her recent health scare. we're back after this. ♪ ♪ the snow is snowin' ♪ the wind is blowin' ♪ but i can weather the storm ♪ what do i care how much it may storm? 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[announcer:] who's right? they all are. visit powerincooperation.com. hi thwhoaa! chase freedom is offering 5% cash back at gas stations this quarter. that's great! i know, right? just learned how to drive this yesterday. one second i'll be back around... here's that 5% cash back you earned. wow, thanks! courtesy of chase freedom. oh boy! earn 5% cash back at gas stations this quarter. activate your 5% cash back at chase.com/freedom. back now at 8:09. bethenny frankel is known for straight talk and sassy style and she's bringing it back for the third season of her reality show "bethenny ever after." if the controversy and buzz are an indication it should be an interesting one. take a look. >> things are good with jason, but the second year of marriage is definitely more difficult than the first year for me. the second year of marriage is we have a baby, we have this business. i'm really trying to be a good mother, be a good wife, keep the romance in my marriage. and run a business. >> bethenny frankel is here. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> first i have to ask you about this health scare you had. you had an ulcer? >> i took an antibiotic at pill at night without a full glass of water and it burned a hole in my esophagus. i thought i was dying. three days later i hadn't been able to swallow. they found out i created an ulcer in my esophagus. particularly for kids taking medications, a full glass of water and do not take it right before bed. you can burn a hole. i created an ulcer. >> do you feel okay now? >> it was 13 days. it was hike a missile crisis, but it was my esophagus. >> you said it was like "house"? >> my first doctor said in 30 years he never saw it happened. so i looked up things on the internet and we figured it out. next season i'll be on "house" solving medical mysteries. >> there is a lot of drama that is in your show. you said this season was an emotional roller coaster. >> it is. it's my life. it's the truth. you can't always be there like a fairy princess in a wedding gown and say how perfect life is and then when things aren't perfect not be honest about it. i said i would connect with fans about what was going on. a lot of people can relate. it's the truth. going back to document the other season again, no. this is the truth of my life. it's out there. >> what are some things that happened that you wish hadn't been only camera. >> i never regret certain things i.'s my life, my marriage. it's hard for me to balance a business and having a baby and be a good friend and manage so have romance. all i do is work through it. >> i wanted to ask you about a it. one of the statements you make that's been shown in the promos, i have to clean this up for morning television. you say your husband jason may be feeling neglected lately. i sanitized it. >> we don't say "penis" on morning television? >> i don't. >> oh, you don't. my husband's penis allegedly has cobwebs on it. do you know how hard it is to get cobwebs on a penis? it would be can i have cult. >> bethenny! >> you can't say it, but i'm here. when we first got together it's not the same. it's the baby, waking her up. feeling weird. >> a lot of people can relate. i'm sure you have seen stories the tabloids that say there are strains in the marriage. >> by the way, are there strains in my marriage? absolutely. do we have issues? absolutely. do we love each other and am i committed to my marriage, making it work and to being a better partner and a better mother? i have frustrations as a mother, in my business. there are strains in every part of my life. i don't know what everybody else does. this is my experience and i try to be the best person i can, the best wife i can. this show is a depiction of what's going on in my life. >> anyone who watch it is show sees a lot of love and affection and humor. i know you have talked about wanting to have a second baby. how is that going? >> you know, i'm 41. it's a very personal question i do get asked a lot. we were pregnant with a second baby and at eight weeks i miscarried. that was a very emotional experience and it had a lot of different things that came with it. thinking about women who can't have their own baby, even the first baby, i'm lucky. i have the most beautiful daughter in the world. and i'm grateful for her. but i didn't know -- until you become a woman you don't know the things that come with being a woman. i'm 41. i don't know. it's really not my choice. it's not my option. the window is closing. so it's something i'm dealing with. that's something that has not been dealt with on the show that was recent. >> it's hard to go through something like that. do you have hope? do you still want to try? >> i'm really not thinking about it. i don't know what i feel my options are. i have an incredible daughter. i feel like she's perfect. truthfully, i have thought about other women more than myself. in many cases i don't do that. but in this particular case, the first thing i thought about was, oh, my god, i can't believe what people must go through the f they can't even have one. my baby is still 21 months so i'm enjoying her being a baby. there are so many emotional things that come with it that it's hard to put it into a small conversation. you go through a roller coaster of emotions about your age, about being a woman. about can you have another baby. are you a failure to your partner, what if my husband married someone younger. you go through a million things. >> you have so many blessings. bethenny frankel, thank you for sharing with us. >> thank you. >> catch the season premier of "bethenny ever after" tonight on bravo. up next, gospel legend bebe winans on his' family's close relationship with whitney houston. coming up. what's this? 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[ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. when we were determined to see it through. here's an update on the progress. we're paying for all spill related clean-up costs. bp findings supports independent scientists studying the gulf's environment. thousands of environmental samples have been tested and all beaches and waters are open. and the tourists are back. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. back now with more on the life and legacy of whitney houston. be ber bebe winans first met her in the 1980s and developed a close relationship with her. on saturday he was among many celebrities who spoke and performed at houston's funeral and he joins us this morning. good to see you. >> good to be here. >> obviously we know about the relationship between whitney and your family and how emotional the weekend was for you. how are you and your family holding up? >> you know, yesterday i had the chance to breathe. it was a great sigh of relief. it's very difficult, you know, to stand in that position and to be surrounded by the friends and family was a definite help, you know. but now it's the hard part to get up and walk and fit the pieces back together and continue living. >> you said you would miss the crazy whitney. what do you mean by that? >> she was definitely an incredible talent. but outside and away from the stage she was hilarious. you know, right then and there i had a chance to speak of one of the things that i would always remember was we were on the bus. she came on the bus with me and wanted to stop and eat. we looked and said, well, the bus driver won't stop. he told us he doesn't stop. she said, oh, no, he's going to stop. he's going to make up the beds. we stopped maybe five times that night. she was hilarious. just a great heart. >> what do you think it was about her and your family? your sister cece sang a dutet with her. your brother marvin created a yulg. >> first of all, the church represented both of us who we -- where we came from. so the day we met i asked her -- i don't want to know your full name. i want to know what church you come from. singing like that you came from a church. she said, new hope baptist. that moment, we became family. our hearts and our thoughts and ways were so similar because of our upbringing. so for 20-something years. >> in that time she leaned on you, you leaned on her. even before the star-spangled banner, the song she sang at the super bowl. she came oh to you for support. talk about that. >> we talked right before she went on. i told her, this is what family would do. i said, don't you get up there and embarrass us. she said, you're going to love it. call me as soon as you get finished. she called and i said, girl, you nailed it. you made it hard for the rest of us, but you nailed it. >> she returned the favor for you as you were in the process of recording your new cd. >> recording a new cd and i told her, i'm doing the national anthem. i said, i'm bold enough. she said, you should be bold enough. you've got it, too. just go back to the root which is the church. sing from the heart. and so i'm going to miss the fact that she's not here because each album we would do she would sing background on and she would be a part of. so we'll celebrate as if she's with us in our hearts. >> you sang a song at the service, "i will miss you." what's the significance of the song? >> my brother passed when he was 48. whitney was there at the funeral with us. when i heard she left at the same ripe age of 48, i took some of the lyrics that i had from my brother and it made sense because she's my sister. it was the perfect song to let her know that even though, you know, we're going to miss her, she left us with such great memories. it's just felt right. >> how are you going to remember her? >> with a smile on my face. i'll remember her with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. >> thank you so much. it's 8:22. here's savannah. >> thanks. now let's switch gears and head to florida to say hello to willard scott. hey, willard. >> from beautiful sanibel island in florida where the sun always shines. my thousands of fans are back there. they came just to see me and get their free smucker's. happy birthday, how sweet it is. ruth farley from birmingham, alabama. she knits the caps for cancer patients. sometimes they lose their hair and need a cap. good for her. cape may, new jersey, john metzger. no ♪ on the way to cape may i fell in love with you ♪ that was a big hit. 102. never missed a single year of getting dressed up for halloween. hilda. i love that name. hilda rowly from north point, florida. 100 years old today. says the secret to longevity is being able to laugh, especially at yourself. she's absolutely right. happy birthday to our beautiful friend bruce parson of lubbock, texas, out west. that's good country. 101 years old today. a retired u.s. border patrol officer and loves to play dominoes. we have jessie williams from clinton, new york. 104 years old. she remembers going to school in a horse drawn sleigh? how about that. i saw that. lots of mennonites in my part of the country. robert and estelle pruitt, to pe ka, kansas. and robert still treats estelle like a southern belle. ding dong. happy birthday. now back to little old new york. >> willard scott in florida, thank you. still ahead, adam levine from maroon 5 and nbc's "the voice." live in studio. we'll catch up with him after your local news and weather. good morning, everyone. time 8:26. i'm jon kelley. speed may be to blame in a crash that killed a person and injured several others on highway 101 near the off-ramp to capitol expressw expressway. exiting 101 the driver lost control and rolled the vehicle several times. eight people were inside. three of them were ejected. police say none of them were wearing seat belts. one man was ejected and trapped underneath the suv and he was ki killed. police say road were slightly wet and the driver likely going too fast for conditions. two northern california pilots lucky to be alive after a midair collision. it all anned around 7:00 last night year the rio vista municipal airport 50 miles northeast of oakland. investigators say it appears the small plane and helicopter clipped each other midair. after the collision, the helicopter crashed in a field about eight miles away. the plane went down just south of byron airport where it was trying to land. both pilots somehow sufficientrd only minor injuries. the faa and national transportation safety board are investigating. for latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. back in a half hour with a local update. 8:30 now on this monday morning, the 20th day of february 2012. it is presidents' day. we have a huge crowd enjoying the holiday with us here in rockefeller plaza. i'm carl quintanilla alongside savannah guthrie and tamron hall. >> everyone is very excited. i think because it's a holiday. coming up, we are excited. nbc's hit "the voice," one of the most popular shows on television. there is another show tonight. the blind awuditions continue a the contestants try to get the judges to turn their chairs. adam levine is here. [ cheers and applause ] >> speaking of things to watch tonight the hit show "smash" is back following a group of dreamers trying to bring a musical about marilyn monroe to broadway. we'll catch up with the beautiful angelica houston. she is angelic. how many times has she heard that? >> if you want to spice up your presidents' day holiday, marcus samuelsson is here to walk us through dirty rice and shrimp, a kay gin classic. >> just in time for mardi gras. >> sounds good. before that let's check in with stephanie abrams here for al. good morning. >> we are celebrating a 20th anniversary with julia and chris. what's the secret? >> lots of love, happiness. >> that's easy enough. let's look at the weather today. show you how it's shaping up here. the east coast is looking dry. a little bit on the windy side in the northeast. rain and snow in the center of the country and 62 in los angeles tomorrow. a few showers as the system moves around the great lakes. it's a cold start to the presidents' day. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. we're going to see comfortable conditions later on. it's going to be on the cool side, if you're looking for the warmth tomorrow we spike temperatures by ten degrees. so 50s for today. 59 in dublin. 57 is the forecasted high in concord. 54 santa rosa, limited sunshine for the first part of the day. warmer by tuesday, 67 inland. after 75 inland on thursday. you don't have to be in louisiana to celebrate mardi gras. you can do it anywhere. for your mardi gras forecast go to weather.com 24 hours a day. carl? >> stephanie, thanks. up next, maroon 5's adam levine on the new season of "the ♪ [ male announcer ] aggressive new styling. a more fuel-efficient turbocharged engine. and a completely redesigned interior. ♪ the new c-class with over 2,000 refinements. it's amazing...inside and out. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. droid razr by motorola. buy one for $199.99, get another one free. and back for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. here's a better idea... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits. in just 15 minutes, the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands! dinner ideas made easy. ♪ i've got the moves like jagger ♪ >> for years he's been winning over fans as lead sipnger of maroon 5. now he's a coach on nbc's "the voice." >> i win. [ cheers and applause ] >> stop! stop! i didn't mean i win. i mean like there is no competition at this particular moment. >> that's not what you meant. >> you're right. > i want something different. from the beginning it was a really cool choice artistically. what was cool was it was different and i love that about you. i'm happy to coach you. >> adam is here. good morning. >> good morning. >> we happily turn our chairs to you. >> you have to have good posture in this chair. >> you're doing great. >> i feel like a robot. >> it looks natural. >> i'll do this though. >> you're a huge star. "the voice" is doing so well. can you believe it? >> i don't think i imagined this would happen to me. i'm a musician! >> when they asked you to do it, it's risky to do a show like this. >> yeah. i was very skeptical, naturally. you know, had my life and my career and didn't think it was necessarily going to work. but it seemed interesting. i loved the idea. and it worked. wow. i'm so inspired every day by the show. i love being a part of it. >> the show is good. i know we are only at the beginning of season 2. i have heard all you judges signed on for season 3. can you confirm? >> i'm not sure if i'm allowed. i don't want to get sued, but yeah. >> just between us. >> i just got one of these, yes. >> okay, good. congratulations. >> official. >> this is a big week for team adam. you have four more people on your team. what are you looking for? >> you know, i think that i'm not really looking for anything other than to be moved by what i hear. the great thing about the show. i know you have heard it a million times. you get to listen. you're not affected by how somebody works which is important eventually. eventually people will be looking at you. but for the initial spark and the thing you want to find it's great. it's lates it. it's not about pitch or anything other than a feeling. >> one thing i noticed this season. tell me if i'm wrong. are you and your fellow judges competitive? feels like you're going for the jugular. >> they push that a lot. they want us to be competitive. it's more about us as friends and messing around. it's playful, silly and not about us as much as it's about them. we have fun. i wouldn't say we are really competitive with each other. we're messing around. >> do they fight fair? >> most of the time. >> nobody's using special charms like cee lo? he can lay it on thick. >> everyone has their schtick. does anyone know what that is? >> you can spell it. >> i don't know how to spell it or say it. >> we can move on. the contestants come on for their big moment. they're performing for you, but if the buttons are pressed suddenly you have to convince them. >> i love that, too. the pressure is usually off us in a lot of ways. the fact that we have to convince them to be on our team is fun, you know. it's fun to convince someone, hey, you should go with me because a, b and c. i'm having a blast doing the show. >> have you ever pressed the button and regretted it? >> absolutely. >> you have? >> what's weird is sometimes you regret it like, oh, man, why did i uh do that and you're surprised by the person. everyone i have pushed the button for who i might have regretted it i think, oh, i'm so relieved i pushed it. >> obviously all four of you are great performers. what makes a good coach? >> i wasn't aware i could be a good coach. being a good coach is something i wasn't necessarily sure i could do in the beginning. i eased my way into it. i don't know what makes a good coach. i like to guide people based on my experience and try to help as much as i can. >> and tragically for your lady fans you have a sweetie. did you do anything special for valentine's day? there they are. >> we went out together on valentine's day. i believe every day should be valentine's day. you shouldn't have to allot time to be romantic. >> we had no idea you were so sensitive and have good posture. adam levine, thank you so much. >> nice to see you. >> and "the voice" airs tonight on nbc. up next, a cajun favorite from chef marcus samuelson. first, this is "today" on nbc. anyone who grows things for a living will tell ya... a plant is only as good as the soil you put it in. look, both these potted plants got the same sun. same water. only difference? this. miracle-gro potting mix. rich organic ingredients with miracle-gro plant food mixed right in. it even feeds plants for six straight months. want this result? gotta start with this soil. miracle-gro potting mix. success starts with the soil. back at 8:42. this morning on today's kitchen, what's for dinner? delicious meals for a crowd. if you're having friends over for presidents' day or any day and not sure what to serve chef marcus samuelsson has tasty ideas. he's chef and owner of red rooster harlem here in new york city. >> how are you? >> you're making food great for the holiday and great comfort food, too. did you grow up with these dishes? >> some of it. but the hash, i definitely grew up with that. this dirty rice and shrimp i fell in love with somewhere between the islands of jamaica and new orleans. >> somewhere in between. the dirty rice, where does that come from? >> like you have done a rice dish and you add things into it. it could be ham, chilies, leftovers and the next day the dish tastes almost even better than before. >> all right. >> we're going to walk through this. so we have really nice clean, beautiful shrimp to marinate. in true southern style we'll add a little bit of lemon juice, chilies and -- >> these are regular chilies? >> right. you can decide the heat level. we took the ribs and seeds out, so not that spicy. a little bit of olive oil. this is a marinade and a little bit of sauce. >> okay. >> buzz it up. there you go. look at that. done. then pour it right on top. >> tails on? >> tails on. i will set up the rice. we're going to start with olive oil. mustard seeds. there you go. a little bit of tomato paste. this is going to be our base. this is going to give it all the flavor. the mustard seed gives bold flavor and crunch. >> and eventually the seeds pop. >> start popping, exact. do you know what this is? smell this. >> what is it? >> curry leaves. it could be bay leaf, curry, basil. but the curry leaf, you find them in an indian store. you add it in and then add in the rice. nice beautiful basmati rice that we have washed. >> what's the trick to getting the rice just right? >> wash it out real well and cook it with a little bit of stock. i have lots of stock here. >> it adds character. >> lots of flavor. it could be clam stock or chicken stock. we'll add it in. >> is it easy to find lobster stock? >> not really, but you can do chicken broth or clam juice. just let it simmer. this takes 20 minutes to cook and then you want to let it sit and simmer off the heat for another 20 minutes. >> these marinate for -- >> at least 20 minutes. >> okay. >> so we have the shrimp, nicely, quickly marinated. add in olive oil. >> we need a fan. >> ooh, that's a hot pan. this is southern food i'm inspired by. part of being inspired by food i get when i travel the country. i'm going to austin for food & wine in a couple of weeks. traveling to other states is where i get inspiration. then i bring them home to rooster in harlem. >> which is one of my favorite restaurants. >> i know. you were so happy when you were there. this week we have a great jazz tribute to cal massey twice. wednesday and sunday in the restaurant. do you like jazz? >> huge fan. >> you should come up. last time you were smiling all day. >> it's a date. >> we've got the shrimp over there. >> okay. >> we have a wonderful rice. >> so the leaves, you can eat? it's not like a bay leaf. >> no, no. you can eat them and they add lots of great flavor. just smell this. doesn't it smell great? >> amazing. we'll put the shrimp on top? >> yes, absolutely. >> we have knives and forks, right? that's what we forgot. we can use our hands. >> eat with our hands. come over here. i have another dish for you here. put a little bit of lime on top of that and you can just add it in. >> yogurt? >> a little bit of yogurt. if you think it's too spicy, dip in the yogurt. >> which i won't. >> and my home country, we have hash with lamb. a little bit of egg on top of that. this is a perfect brunch dish typical of the food we'll cook at red rooster harlem. >> you have okra fried but not the way people in the south may think. >> this is a lighter fry without batter. we put in flour, fry it quickly and add smoked paprika. this is a great snack. >> you don't see the batter on top. >> no, no. more pure like a lot of okra, a lot of flavor. >> do you find it easier to cook for a large group or a small group? >> the great thing with a large group you see more happy faces, lots more fun to eat with a group. >> delicious stuff. thank you so much. i'm going to eat with this large spoon. is that okay? >> up next, oscar winner angelica houston on her new role in nbc's hit "smash." first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. back now at 8:49 with academy award winner angelica houston. she earned an oscar for her performance in 1985's prizzi's honor and turned in a scene ste stealing portrayal of morticia addams. now she's in "smash" about a musical about marilyn monroe while she deals with a difficult divorce. >> where's the money? >> it's not there. >> where did it go? >> we are trying to figure it out. >> you're my lawyer. it has to be somewhere. jerry's around town, spending as much as he ever did. >> well, his family -- >> i know about his family and their stupid money. don't talk to me about that. all i need is $200,000. that's it. >> you have access to $8,000. the rest is frozen. your husband is very clever. >> oh, i know he's clever. i know he's clever. >> angelica houston is here now. good morning. it's nice to meet you. >> hi, savannah. >> we mentioned your oscar. you have been nominated for six emmys for roles on television series. this is the first time you have done a series week to week. what made you decide to take it? was it a right role right time kind of thing? >> it's a brilliant script written by teresa rebeck who also has "seminar" on broadway if you think she's idle. she's a most prolific woman. the fact that steven peelbespie is the executive producer doesn't hurt. fantastic cast, wonderful crew. you know, i just happened to be on the receiving end of the miracle. >> you happened to move to new york to be a part of this. how have you enjoyed being here in the city? >> well, it's very good for me. my life changed radically three years ago. my husband died and i was in los angeles sort of wondering what would happen for the rest of my life. and this came up, "smash." it was a wonderful way to move forward, be gainfully employed and also sort of participate in this amazing show with so many great people. i have to say there is not a bad apple in the bunch. we are all in love with each other. >> it sounds like it came across at the right time. you talked about how there is a certain lack of great roles for women of a certain age. yet this character is so fabulous and so fun. what appealed to you about her? >> it's not just that there is a lack of roles for women of a certain age. there is a lack of roles for women in general. the thing i love about eileen rand is she takes no prisoners. i have modeled her on quite a few producers i have worked with -- female and male. but it's a wonderful part in that, you know, i can be all out awful when it's necessary and also i have a nice underbelly, i like to think of myself. >> i noticed your ability to throw drinks in your ex-husband's face. that's got to be fun. >> it's an amazing talent i had no idea i possessed. i knew i did things like drive in reverse and roller skate in reverse, but throwing drinks came naturally. it's a little bit worrisome. i kind of want to continue in my real life. >> it may come in handy to have that skill. word on the street is there may be a love interest for you in this show. >> indeed. i have a handsome love interest about to happen. >> that's very exciting. that's a good tease. what about singing? there are great songs in this show. the original music is phenomenal. would you ever do a musical number? >> it depends on how seriously i'm persuaded. we have scott whitman and mark shaman, two of broadway's most extraordinary and prolific song writers, writing on the show. it depends. if i get their seal of approval. >> and you are now a new yorker, at least temporarily. and you shoot a lot of scenes in new york city itself. >> i know. one of our first scenes we shot was jack davenport and i walking down the middle of broadway. it was just a little nerve wracking. >> here in new york they probably didn't notice. >> you'd be surprised. >> angelica houston, thank you so much. you can catch a new episode of "smash" tonight at 10:00/9:00 central. just ahead, the best presidents' day sales after your local news. good morning, everyone. time is 8:56. i'm jon kelley. new this morning, oakland police investigating another officer-involved shooting. it all happened on 62nd avenue near inter-nate boulevard just before midnight. officers pulled over a car during a robbery investigation. the passenger then took off running. as an officer chased a man on foot, police say he spotted a gun and he fired at the suspect. the suspect was hit but is expected to survive. no officers were hurt. and the driver got away. right now let's bring in and say hello to meteorologist christina loren and find out what's happening outside today. good morning. >> good morning. a few showers earlier but clearingly nicely. 5 to 58 in the greater bay. warm-up is on. tomorrow 67 inland. have a fantastic day. of ? not anymore. fiber one is bringing brownies back. at 90 calories, you can have brownies again. ♪ fiber one 90 calorie brownies. in the granola bar aisle. carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. back now with more of back more on this monday morning, the 20th day of february, presidents' day 2012. we have a great crowd. enjoying the long holiday weekend. i'm savannah guthrie with cnbc's carl quintanilla. the rest of the gang has the morning off. just ahead the final farewell for whitney houston. >> it was a star-studded event over the weekend here in new jersey. obviously a lot of stars mourning the loss of a beautiful singer but at the same time celebrating her life. we'll have the details on that and whitney's godmother, darlene love, will share her memories coming up. all right. then, as we mentioned, it's presidents' day and for a lot of people that means one thing, going out and shopping. if you have questions about where to get the best deals we have your answers from clothing and jewelry to electronics. we'll tell you where to get the best deals. if you're looking for something larger, real estate shopping, barbara corcoran will be here to tell us what you can get. great houses coast to coast for less than $350,000. >> always a good day to buy a house. >> why not? >> tamron hall has been manning the news desk for natalie morales and she has the morning's top headlines. good morning. good morning, everyone. whitney houston has been buried next to her father in a brief private ceremony at a new jersey cemetery. this after a star-studded funeral on saturday. craig melvin has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: tamm ron, good morning to you. the balloons, flowers and bears, all part of a public memorial that's grown since her death. saturday the private funeral, a final farewell for a talented woman many hoped was on the verge of a comeback. >> we love you, whitney. >> reporter: whitney houston's body arrived at its final resting place in westfield, new jersey, ending a weekend filled with stories and songs. a celebration of houston's life. ♪ saturday, family and friends gathered in her hometown of newark, new jersey, for a funeral service that lasted nearly four hours. actor and producer tyler perry talked about her faith. >> she loved the lord. if there was a grace that carried her through it was the same grace that carried her home. >> reporter: music executive clive davis and long-time mentor talked about the legendary voice. >> is there any performance of "the star-spangled banner" that remotely compares to her? [ applause ] >> reporter: and kevin costner, whitney's costar in "the body guard" had a moving message for girls dreaming of being like houston. >> i think whitney would tell you, guard your bodies and guard the precious miracle of your own life. and then sing your hearts out knowing that there is a lady in heaven who is making god himself wonder how he created something so perfect. ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: it was houston's own voice, a powerful rendition of "i will always love you" that brought the service to a dramatic close. the day was not without drama. houston's ex-husband bobby brown who was invited to the funeral left early. he said he and his guests were asked to switch seats three different times. brown released a statement shortly after the funeral ended saying in part, quote, in light of the events i gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as i refused to create a scene. this was a day to honor whitney. i doubt whitney would have wanted this to occur. at a concert sunday night brown briefly mentioned his ex-wife. >> whitney, i love you. >> reporter: more than a week after houston's death, the cause is still unknown. ♪ results of a toxicology report are still pending and officials say that could take weeks. while speculation continues to swirl, family, friends and fans alike say what will forever remain is the very thing that made houston famous -- the voice. ♪ i look to you >> reporter: more on that career resurgence. a lot of attention will be paid to the film "sparkle." that was the last movie houston was working on before her death. it is set for a summer release. tamron? >> all right, craig. thank you. a female skier who survived a deadly avalanche in washington state says an air bag-like safety device saved her life. three experienced male skiers were killed when the slide swept them about a quarter mile down an out of bounds canyon at stevens pass in the cascade mountains. a male snowboarder was killed at a separate avalanche east of seattle. judi dench is battling to save her eyesight. they say she is suffering from macular degeneration and said she struggles to see faces in front of her. she said friends have to read her scripts so she can learn her lines. elizabeth smart is on her honeymoon after getting married this weekend at a mormon temple in hawaii. smart became engaged just last month to 22-year-old matthew gilmore. they moved the marriage up to this saturday to avoid months of media scrutiny. smart was kidnapped ten years ago from her home in utah when she was only 14 years old. she was held captive for nine months. the race for the top spot at the weekend box office was almost too close to call "safe house" in first place with $24 million. according to early estimates. "the vow" in a close second with $23.6 million and "ghost rider" came in third. for one kentucky bride, age is nothing but a number. earlier this month dana jackson tied the knot on her 100th birthday. the blushing bride married 87-year-old bill south in a ceremony at the bowling green nursing home where they live. congratulations. six minutes past the hour. let's go back to carl and savannah. i love it. that's the cutest story of the day to me. >> thanks, tamron. >> let's check in with stephanie abrams for the weather across the plaza. >> good morning. i have sam. she's taking her driver's test next month. what if a big snowstorm comes? you haven't had a practice in the snow. >> hey, dad, i hope i get a ford f-150 for my birthday! >> how about a trip to new york city? >> i think mom says a trip to new york city. good luck on the driver's test. i'm sure you'll be great. >> thank you. >> maybe you're taking your test today. here is the weather you will be driving in. we'll see sunshine on the east coast but we have messy weather in the middle of the country and along the west coast. i-10 looking gorgeous and comfortable. warm into chicago. 42 degrees above average temperatures for a lot of you. here's a look at what's happening outside your door. y>> well, it's a cold and cud start to presidents' day. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. we're going to enup in 50s today. this will be the coolest of the week. if you're look for the warmth, as of tomorrow we bump temperatures up by ten degrees. we climb wednesday into thursday, up to 75 degrees inland on thursday. making this the warmest week we've had in months staying mild as we head into the upcoming weekend. tamron, over to you. >> thank you, stephanie. this morning on "today's consumer," presidents' day sales. millions of americans will hit the stores today looking for bargains. not everything is a deal. so where can you find the deepest discounts? vera gibbons is an msnbc financial analyst. >> good morning. >> why are sales so popular on presidents' day? >> the holidays are over, so it's a lull. retailers need to boost traffic, get people in there. big significant deals on the winter stuff because they have to make way for spring merchandise. you're talking up to 70% off. jackets, scarves. >> we had a mild winter. >> they have things to move. this is one way to do it and they know consumers wait for a weekend like this to make purchases. >> is there a big trend other than winter wear? >> yes. a lot of people say now is a good time to buy a car, for example. >> oh! >> that's not the case. we don't have the excess inventory and incentives we have seen. in 2009 everything was heavily discounted. you will save only about 15% on a 2011 and 11% on a 2012 car. >> you have broken it into four categories of things to look out for that could be a good thing to buy. home furnishings. the national retail federation predicts shoppers could find sales of 25% to 50% off retail for furniture. >> right. this is the time of year people take a look around. things look a little bit shabby, so they are looking to spruce things up with spring around the corner. go out and get a new sofa, sheets, towels. you can save up to 50%. the showroom models, this is the time of year. >> you say to ask about the show room. >> they do it twice a year. typically now and again in august. so you save up to 70% off that stuff depending on the popularity, what the item is. there could be additional room for haggling. >> the next category is exercise equipment. i laugh because i'm not buying that. you also have clothes on the list. >> yeah, yeah. with the exercise equipment, people make resolutions to lose weight, go to the gym and get fit. if they are having success they think, hey, now is a good time to buy an elliptical, treadmill. you're looking at saving up to 50% off this type of thing and the exercise apparel as well. sneakers, tops and the whole nine yards. >> once you get in shape from the exercise equipment you need a new swim suit. you say this is a good time to buy swim wear? >> you're looking at saving 25% to 35% off. you get additional markdowns in march and april. >> that's good. swim wear can be pricey. if you can get it on sale that's a good thing. and with appliances you say to look for bundles. >> 15% to 25% off. not the best time for applian s appliances. not the worst either. the national retail federation says you will see washer/dryer combos, refrigerator/stove. just a way to drive traffic and get people in there. they said the sales may last beyond today and through the remainder of the month depending on how things go. >> and then jewelry. diamonds are a girl's best friend but men like it, too. >> apparently if you see in the new york times today. men are buying that sort of thing. jewelry, watches, earrings. 40% to 70% off. >> really? >> the most significant discounts will be on the valentine-branded merchandise. >> hearts and things. >> "be mine." that stuff has a limited shelf life. they have to move the merchandise. >> for people who don't necessarily want to battle the crowds, online, a lot of free shipping and deals as well. >> you don't see the deals like on cyber monday but there are special promotions and people are hitting the web before they hit the malls or go to web comparison sites like price grabber, biz rate, shopping.com and in the store they are using apps to make sure they are getting the best deal. apps like red laser and others. >> not just mattresses on sale. >> they're always on sale. >> thank you so much. up next, how much house can you get for $350,000? barbara corcoran has some amazing properties to show off. later, what do you do if you have a crush on a co-worker? tips for minding your social q's after these messages. ♪ i am you ♪ you are me i'm jennifer hudson, and i believe. i was strong before weight watchers, but i'm stronger with it. i believe weight watchers can do the same for you. i believe you have 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at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. hi. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. two flavors. in harmony. honey bunches of oats. make your day bunches better. hershey's air delight. experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag. now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with five different taste and textures, chex mix is a bag of interesting... this morning on today's real estate, what you can get for $350,000 or less. barbara corcoran is today's real estate contributor and is here with stunning homes for sale. good to see you. >> thank you. >> let's start in lakeland, florida. lakeland has a total of 38 lakes but they count every little puddle there. it's midway between tampa and orlando. it's a half hour from disneyland, lego land and busch gardens. it's on a golf course and has 21 little bushes they planted there. i don't know what they were thinking. it looks like flower pots or something. if you're here for five years you will have a continuous bush in front of the house. it has a fancy paved walkway in front. the kitchen has expansive granite counters and a back splash and a granite-topped island which is popular with people. it's a little bit too monochromatic, but it's pleasant and it looks dark. in the dining room there are tile floors and two sets of big windows that make the house look like a nice spot to hang out in. there is also in the living room a cathedral ceiling and the highlight of the room should be the floor to ceiling stone fireplace. what a good fireplace. that tv ruin it is look up on the shelf. but that's a house you can get for $310,000. >> come on, kids, gather around the television set. >> that's how it happens. >> in hamilton, montana, a house with beautiful views. >> beautiful bones. it sits between two big mountain ranges. this is a log cabin in the sky that comes with elk, moose and deer if that's your thing. if you notice the front photo of the house it's color enhanced. the latest thing. it never works and shouldn't be done. makes people mistrust it to come have a look. inside there are cottonwood floors and the dining room has a bay window with dramatic views surrounding the entire house. there is a galley kitchen with breathtaking views and a schoolhouse black board counters. fits the style of the house. the loft has a cozy seating area that shows off the log construction of the house. that's throughout the entire rooms. the decking looks over the private canyon that makes this a bird lover's paradise. they have more birds there than any other spot of the country. >> ouit's beautiful. for a modern and clean look, seattle. >> people love seattle. this is down next to the waterfront. today this area is a hot bed of galleries, designers and creative and tech professionals that made seattle famous. if that was here in new york they would throw in 30 towers above it. it was an old hotel called the alaska hotel. it used to house everybody during the yukon gold rush. the loft has exceptional high ceilings, hard wood floors and wood beams throughout. that gives you a nice view. that's a feather painting on the wall. i thought it was crooked shelves or something. took me five minutes to figure it out. the kitchen is too seafoam for me. makes it sad, but super modern with stainless steel appliances and butcher block counters. the clean white walls fit the space throughout the loft. luscious wood floors. oversized double hung windows set against brick walls which make the windows pop. the monthly maintenance is only $440. in new york it would be $4,000 a month. >> we don't want to think about it in new york. in the northwest, oregon, another contempory home. >> this is a neat community. it has 300 acres of parks, a farmer's market and the famous hot air balloon festival. this is a contemporary home that over looks a creek and green space in perfect condition. i think the purple chairs are lovable in the backyard. it has an open great room with warm wood panelled walls and light-filled windows along the vaulted ceiling and a stone fireplace. we can get a shot of the space in that shot. it has an island kitchen with open cabinets, glass shefls and french doors opening to the large deck. in the master bedroom it's romantic. there it is. very clean. who couldn't move into that room? french doors to a private deck with a large new deck that runs the whole length of the back of the house that overlooks -- remember, the open mountain ranges. you can't shout to a neighbor there. there is nobody to hear you. it's wonderful. >> your last one is a charmer in charlesville, virginia. >> everybody likes charlottesville. this is in the middle of the historic downtown section of charlottesville. it's every family's idea of a simple, honest house. i like the clean lines on it. nobody objects to that kind of house. the kitchen is delicious with light wood floors and cabinets. there is a granite counter top and a tile back splash. the formal dieping room has an elegant ceiling, decorative molding and it's clean and simple. the light and airy family room is a knockout with built-in shelves and entertainment console over the fireplace. the living room has enough seating for maybe a hundred friends. what a relief. there is no tv in the room. i never see a room without a tv anymore. the garage ismp on the back of e house along with a small fenced yard and a pretty patio. has a little of everything. >> lots of great options under $ $350,000. barbara corcoran, thank you. >> my pleasure. >> still ahead, the beautiful voice now silent. remembering whitney houston. first, these messages. 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[ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ hi. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. two flavors. in harmony. honey bunches of oats. make your day bunches better. everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny. cause only he brings delicious cadbury crème eggs, while others may keep trying. nobunny knows easter better than cadbury! good morning. it's 9:26 i'm marla tellez. westbound lanes of the bay bridge are open thanks to mother nature. the bridge was not supposed to open until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning but because the weather cooperated cal trans got its work done well ahead of schedule. it was reopened last night after crews worked around the clock to demolish parts of the existing bridge blocking the path to the new span. they also realigned and repaved the oakland approach. >> the metering lights will be eased off to what would be your left. go easy. merge lanes are a little different but you've got the same amount of space. >> this was the final shutdown of the bay bridge until the new one opens labor day weekend in 2013. a teenager's in the hospital this morning after an overnight shooting that happened in san jose. police received reports of gunshots about mid night near the intersection of east santa clara and 24th streets. by the time they arrived on scene, the victim had been taken to a local hospital. police say the 19-year-old san jose man was shot at least once. he is being treated right now for possibly life-threatening injuries. police have not identified a suspect or mote everybody for this shooting. occupy protesters have a new target today. they'll be outside east gate of san quentin prison from noon until 3:00. occupy san quentin demonstration a national day in support of inmates. because of the quentin's village main street will be closed to traffic and no parking along east sir francis drake and east francisco boulevards. we'll check the forecast after the break. welcome back. 9:28. temperatures still running cool and we're not going to climb all that much with limited sunshine out there. today temperatures mostly end up in the mid to upper 50s. uniformed conditions with a fair amount of cloud cover from the coast to the inland cities. tomorrow the warm-up is on. we'll lose 50s and usher in the 60s. by wednesday, the 70s. thursday, the 70s. and 80s. the warmest weather we've had in months, marla. a lot of people excited about it. >> it's still winter. thank you. we'll be back with the next news and weather update at 9:56. we'll see you soon. ♪ we are less than a week away from the academy awards and we will be there giving you the hits and misses on the red carpet, hitting all the fabulous parties and of course running down all the big winners on the big screen. ann and al will be in hollywood covering the oscar glitz and glamour monday on "today." >> i love the oscars. >> i do, too. mostly i like the outfits, to be honest. >> me, too. >> coming up this half hour one star who was glamorous in her heyday, whitney houston. adored for her voice and popular music. coming up, her godmother shares special moments and fond memories of whitney. >> from facebook and twitter to texting and e-mail how are you social skills, savannah? carl is good. >> i don't know where you're going with that, tamron. >> i meant it as a compliment. >> i can have my revenge. >> speaking of etiquette, how to handle things. that's not how. lessons on navigating today's sticky situations. later you can call it a grilled cheese but this is more decadent. we have a portuguese version of croque-monsieur. i'm a hillbilly, so i don't know if i said it right. >> we call it a crock monster. >> i'm sure he appreciates that. >> first a check of the weather from stephanie. >> the cheese was on the outside. >> i know. >> let's have a look at how we'll see beautiful cooking weather today. let the windows, let the smell go to the neighbors. messy in the center of the country into the northwest. temperatures also above average. look at chicago. 42 degrees in february. what's going on. i guess i'm supposed to know good morning to you. temperatures are running a little bit on the cool side. and it's cloudy out there as well. as we head through the next few days, the warm-up is on. we're going to see temperatures avh warmer than seasonal eser ouagtat abg 70t ss and potentially 80s as we kick off estuy, wednesday, and thursday. for your presidents' day, staying nice and mild, temperatures in the upper 50s. by tomorrow, talking about the upper 60s and 70s by wednesday. fo yone t as f. >> thank you, stephanie. up next, social etiquette in the digital age. how do you handle awkward situations? 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[ female announcer ] sometimes a good deal turns out to be not such a good deal. but new bounty gives you value you can see. in this lab demo, one sheet of new bounty leaves this surface cleaner than two sheets of the leading ordinary brand. so you can clean this mess with half as many sheets. bounty has trap and lock technology to soak up big spills and lock them in. why use more when you can use less? bring it with new bounty. from facebook postings to twitter to office dating, social etiquette is more difficult than ever. philip galanis tackles the issues in the new york times and wrote "social q's." excellent, philip. good morning. >> good morning. >> here's how the segment is going to roll. you have viewers who read your column have written in. >> thousands. >> i will read the question. carl and tamron will say what they would do and you tell us what to really do. >> love it. you're on the hook. >> watching you. >> first question is about posting on facebook. the person writes when we go to a restaurant my fiancee spends half her time taking pictures of our food posting them to facebook and checking for comments. i have told her it's rude but she disagrees. >> taking -- that's rude. you can't do that. i would confiscate the phone. >> would you say something? >> absolutely. >> are these two in a relationship together? the abcs of relationships, always be compromising. i was at a restaurant yesterday and the lady asked if she could take a picture of my lamb chops. people are into it. >> that's terrible! >> on the plate. >> it means something to this wife, girl, fiancee. let her take the pictures and she can post at home and check all the comments. you guys are not into the subculture of food. are you on facebook? >> i do. i don't take pictures of food. >> compromise, dudes. >> next question is about television watching. this person wrote when i met my boyfriend i pretended i loved watching sports on tv. football, basketball, you name it. but i don't at all. still i spend my weekends glued to the tube with him and his friends. what should i do? >> you lied. you pretended to be someone else. >> you love sports so that's easy for you to say. >> i have lied at the beginning of a relationship. you have to be yourself at day one. >> if she said, the whole sports thing was a lie i would dump her. >> exactly. >> i guess you could be flattered that she would have lied. but i also think you may think she was kind of a freak. so maybe the thing to do would be to figure out if there is anything else in common that you have like going to the movies, walks in the park. >> taking pictures of food in restaurants. >> yeah. taking pictures of food in restaurants. the thing is you have put your finger on it. it's really seductive to be who you think somebody wants but that's not a relationship. >> she has to come clean. >> it's march madness around the corner. basketball every night of the week. >> god love her. she'll never leave the house. >> this is a hard question about shoplifting. i saw a little girl shoplift candy from the drugstore. i know her mother a little but neither the mother nor the store clerk saw it. should i say something? if so, to whom? the girl, the mother or the clerk? >> that's a tough one. >> yeah. >> as a parent, i think i would let it go. sad to say. i think the parent will have enough instances in which she can instruct the children to behave later on. >> my first job was at toys r us. i saw kids swipe things and i never said a word. >> you didn't? >> i didn't want them in trouble. i'm a softy. >> they say to stay out of it. >> she said she knows the mother a little bit. right? >> a little. >> when it comes to parenting the rule is i can say anything i want about my kid, but you better not. if you can share it in a way that was not judgy, just saw it, but i think it's a real risky one. i might steer clear but know my better angel would be telling me to speak up. >> let's do a lightning round. i have a crush on a girl who works in the same company in a different department. i don't know her well but i have a hunch we'd like each other. there is nothing in the employee manual to prevent our dating. how do i ask her out or should i not? >> just start socializing outside of work more. >> i'm married to my former producer. >> well, there. >> i bet you went slow, right? >> no. >> after cupid dies you are still sitting in the same cubicle. slow, go slow. >> our next question. i'm a secretary and somehow have the job of buying birthday, christmas and anniversary gifts for my boss's wife and kids and grandkids. it's gotten annoying. is there anything i can say now or is it too late? >> you're stuck. you have allowed it to go on too long. >> think you can say, can we renegotiate this arrangement? >> i'm with carl. i bet we can hook him up with a personal shopper who will be glad to do it. >> i hope you and carl will hire her. >> right. not so bad. >> you guys were impressive. >> this is the easy job. philip, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> up next, fond memories of whitney houston from her godmother darlene love after this. 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[ male announcer ] if you like peanut butter and chocolate, you'll love peanut butter and snickers. try snickers peanut butter squared. whitney houston was laid to rest on sunday, a day after a star-filled funeral to celebrate her life. this morning i spoke to her godmother darlene love and began by asking about her fondest memories from that day. >> you know, when we have funeral services we don't call them funerals. we call them homegoing ceremonies. you're going to another life. you're going home. the one thing that stuck out is when some of the ministers were speaking they were saying that people have to be better to entertainers, nicer to them. when we walk out on stage we give them 200%. we're theirs, you know. that's the way we feel. that's the way i feel when i walk out on stage. >> clive davis talked about her voice. just her sheer ability to sing. he said when he first heard "the greatest love of all," it shattered him, in his words. i wonder if you think that voice is really her legacy in the end? >> it is. and it will be forever. there is never going to be another sound like that in life. that was it. >> i was surprised to hear kevin costner talk about her insecurities. >> yes. >> even when she was a global phenomenon, still wondering if fans would like her in this or that. >> we have those insecurities. we're not sure. but each of us have that. we are insecure about different things, especially when we leave what we really know what we are doing and go to television or movies. that's an insecurity we have. we have it and we get over it. >> how did whitney get over that, do you think? >> i think her faith in god. because her mother, her whole family, they are all christians. they believe in god. that's our strength. that's what we hang on to. >> you mentioned her family. it's obviously been devastating for her mom cissy, her daughter bobbi kristina and over the weekend there were reports that bobbi kristina's whereabouts were unknown for some time. >> that's not true. she was with us. she was with the family. the burial was very emotional and the best thing was it was like a procession. the people lined the streets and we looked out of the windows of the car and they were crying. so it made cissy and kristina feel good. everybody is getting over yesterday. now it's a closure and now we have to go on with life because whitney would have wanted that. >> finally, craig mentioned "sparkle." this was talked about as her comeback and of course it will be her final good-bye. is that bittersweet? >> it is. there is a line in one of her songs called "bittersweet," but we'll do that like we did everything else. we'll watch it, love it and move on. >> my conversation earlier with darlene love. we're back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc. this morning in today's kitchen, what's on the menu? a portuguese version of a croque-monsieur. >> this sandwich has three kinds of meat, manchego cheese and a fried egg. >> the owner and chef of doro restaurant is cheehere. good to see you. >> good morning. >> what is this? >> it's called a fantazinia. you find it in the doro area of portug portugal. it's like a croque-monsieur but finished in tomato sauce. it's hearty. >> comforting. >> we start off with a mirepoix of onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf and garlic. add portuguese chorizo. >> how is it different from other chorizo? >> more pepper and not as fatty as some of them. it's meatier. we'll put in a little bit of bacon, portuguese chili for spice. >> what's that? >> tomato paste. a little bit of ketchup. >> ketchup! >> wow. >> we'll add one beer. >> you had me at chorizo. now you've really got me. >> what does beer do? >> moisture and acidity. >> that leaves you five others to drink. >> we'll add tomato sauce, water. we'll let it all cook up for longer and a little bit of corn starch to thicken up the sauce. basically once you have this going you let it cook down for a good hour so it marries in flavor, becomes hearty and thick. >> okay. >> then we start with meats for constructing the sandwich. we have thin-sliced steak here. we put a little bit of portuguese cured ham. again with the chorizo. >> this is not a vegetarian sandwich. >> not at all. >> next step is nice pullman's loaf bread cut thick so you can grill it and it stands up to the meat. butter it. take a panini press and grill the meats like this. once the bread is nice and pressed, hot and basically has traveled the heat all the way through you have cheese and you can pop it in the oven to melt on top. >> why is the cheese on top? >> it's very visual. you could put it on top and in the middle. then fry a nice egg. >> i love this sandwich. >> amazing! >> we do this and you take the sauce once it's done. strain it and get rid of the vegetables in there. you will have a pure sauce. while it's hot, take a little bit of the sauce and go right over the sandwich. >> you extracted the flavor from the chorizo and stuff but it's not chunky. >> right. this is the sandwich. at the restaurant if you come back here we show you what to serve it with which is great portuguese chips. we cut them thicker. they're meatier, not as crisp as most chips. we serve it with the sandwich. >> what's the etiquette of eating this? grab it with your hands or a knife and fork thing? >> definitely knife and fork. >> what about the rest of the sauce? >> discard it. >> we hate to throw a beer away. >> the sandwich is great. it's a male eal on a plate. goes well with a nice lager or a hearty beer. >> i can't wait to try it. >> yum. >> thank you for everything, chef. >> thank you. >> coming up, we have answers about men that we have been wond rg about. >> and take a break from the cold weather with spring getaways. >> i'll pick it up. >> do it, tamron. >> all coming up after your local news and weather. have a great presidents' day, everybody. it is 9:56. i'm marla tellez. speed may be to blame in a crash that killed a person and injured several noerz highway and 01 in the south bay on the off-ramp to capitol expressway. the suv exiting 101 when the driver lost control and rolled the vehicle several times. eight people were riding in the vehicle, not one was wearing a seat belt. one man was ejected and trapped underneath the suv, he was killed. chp says the roads were wet and and the driver was likely going too fast for the conditions. coast guard crews searched through night for a boater missing from the richmond/san rafael bridge. coast guard received a distress call from a boater in the bay saying he just collided with another boat and his boat was taking on water. the caller also said a person in the other boat jumped into the water. since then, crews have not had any contact with the boat. crews used helicopters, boats, flares to find the boater. a welcome sight for giants fans this weekend in arizona, catcher buster posy began spring training with rest of the team. posy returned to his catching routine in scotsdale almost nine months after taking hit that left 24-year-old with a broken leg and ligament damage. in spite of several surgeries he feels ready to play again. ryan vogelsong will be sitting out this week after straining his back at a workout. he says he will not be able to pick up a baseball for another 7 to 10 days. let's check the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning. yeah, beautiful presidents' day forecast. very much so on par with what we traditionally see in the bay area on a winter morning and afternoon. hey, come tomorrow, almost like spring. then as we transition into wednesday and thursday talking about summer-like weather up to 75 degrees on thursday. we'll take you through your forecast today at 11:00 a.m. >> thank you. we'll take it. we'll be back with the next news and and weather update in 30 minutes. see you at 10:26. find us on facebook. 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[ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. it's fun day monday, february 20th, and guess what? it's presidents' day. >> how would you know? >> honoring our nation's leaders and some great sales. >> it's a nice day to have off, by the way. it's always i think the third monday in february. so we honor our presidents. >> it was originally for george washington because it was his birthday or something like that. right? >> yes, it was. especially washington and lincoln. >> february 22nd and lincoln's is the 12th. >> so they merged them. >> we're going to do a quiz. you look so pretty. >> thank you. yours is nice, too. you're multicolored. presidents' day quiz. play at home along with us. which president once performed stand-up comedy in las vegas? was it bill clinton, ronald reagan, barack obama, or richard nixon? i'm going to go with bill clinton. >> yeah. he's the obvious. i was, too, but if you do that, i'll go with -- >> richard nixon. go with nixon. >> ronald reagan. >> and the right answer is? you were right! did you know? >> a guess. >> in 1954, ronald reagan took the gig as a las vegas stand-up comic to supplement his acting career. >> oh, i thought they meant something else. which president was once a fashion model? john f. kennedy. could have been. george w. bush. >> uh-huh. >> okay. gerald ford. or herbert hoover. i'm going to say jegerald ford. >> i'm going -- fashion model, i'm going with the obvious, herbert hoover. what's the answer? gerald ford! did you cheat? >> i didn't know. i just thought -- in the '40s. >> gerald ford did a bit of modeling and even posed on the cover of "cosmopolitan"? >> does helen know that? >> his wife was a fashion model, betty ford. >> i'm 2 for 0? 0 for 2? which president was given a $20 speeding ticket for riding his horse too fast on washington street? >> horse. >> andrew johnson, ulysses s. grant, thomas jefferson -- >> i'm going with jefferson. >> ulysses s. grant. did they give him a ticket? >> i don't know. we don't know. another question. play along at home. there are eight left-handed presidents. name them. >> bill clinton. >> yes. >> barack obama. >> yes. two. >> the only two i know. >> okay. we only like multiple choice. don't ever do that again. >> james garfield. >> herbert hoover. >> harry s. truman. ronald reagan. george h.w. bush, bill clinton and barack obama. >> next one. >> you're not doing so well. which president was known for his early morning dips nude? john quincy adams, franklin delano roosevelt -- i don't want to see any of these guys naked -- calvin coolidge or lyndon b. johnson. franklin had physical problems. >> i'm going with john quincy adams. >> coolidge because he was a whack job. >> go. john quincy adams! >> naked? >> yes. >> i don't believe it. all right. i don't believe this for a minute. i've never seen anybody who's better with people than you besides me. >> they say if your name is difficult to pronounce you are not favored in work, in your personal life, in school. >> who did you sleep with to get this job? >> ha. here's the thing. when people don't know how to pronorthern plains your name, they don't ever say it because they don't want to be wrong. >> he doesn't care. how's by koda? most people go heeyyyy. >> some people are name injectors. >> both ends, so to speak. hoda and then kotb. you know? i mean -- didn't you add an "e"? what did you add? >> an "e." for a few minutes. to help people out. but people kept saying vowels, but it didn't work so i took it back off. >> be you and be proud. >> people with easy to pronounce names were more likely to be favored in political office and job promotions. >> they also sleep with people. let's be honest. >> they do. >> we get the drift. >> the next question is what does it mean to be a wife? >> okay. this surprises me because they say the word wife -- automatically, immediately positive connotations. a lot of women think -- a lot of women around here think, oh, a wife, that means i'm home, i'm -- >> this is what they said. >> i know. >> then why does everybody want to get married? to be their mistress? >> they say there's a connotation of a june cleaverish sort of woman with the term wife. i don't agree with that. >> does anybody think hillary clinton is june cleaver? >> no. i don't think so. >> why do so many women want to be a wife? they want to be married but they don't want to be a wife? >> funny. you know who's with us today who is a wife and a mother? >> yes. >> and an entrepreneur. >> yes. >> and about to launch a talk show. >> yes. i know. bethenny frankel. >> she's sitting on our kouch on this holiday. she'll talk to us about all things bethenny frankel. have you seen the promos? >> i have not. >> they are juicy. >> apparently they've got sex problems like most people who have been married a couple times. what is it, the second year of marriage? >> i don't think she can hear us. >> i can hear you. >> oh, you can. >> here you go. >> all downhill apparently after you become a "wife." >> want to get it up, not down. >> exactly. >> okay. favorite things for our fun day. jill martin came to my rescue because i completely forgot today is fun day monday. so this i love. i love this company. this lip gloss. nars. i like nude because i think women over a certain age such as myself, you know, it gets in all the creases and nooks and crannies we grannies have. this is called striptease. it's $24 at narscosmetics.com. >> this is something you and i both got sent. i ended up liking them. mini individual soaps. first of all, they're personaliz personalized. they have your name on them. second of all -- >> hoda kotb. >> so you can put these in your guest bathroom if you like. people like a fresh bar of soap sometimes. >> take the paper thing off. >> and you can take them if you want to travel and not use the hotel soap or something. just throw them in a purse. >> most people don't like to use a bar that's been used. >> me.com. $13 for a sampler or something like that. >> what's your favorite thing? >> bobbie thomas just did this, but a lot of people on our facebook wall asked about it. this is the beach -- let me make sure i'm saying it right -- beach waver. i do it on my own head but without a mirror i'll burn myself. i'm doing it on emily. >> the nobody. >> you push the right or left side. look at this. this is what i got. don't have a job in hairstyling. and that's all straight. >> so you don't burn it. >> no, i've been burning her head the whole time. i need to pay attention while driving. >> everybody loves it. >> it rotates itself so you get your curls going the same way. >> finish her head, please. >> but also "fan of the week." >> oh! who's going to hold this? our winner is heather from houston, texas. >> stop it. >> she watches on channel 2. she watches daily with her 3-month-old daughter, mili. their favorite segment is the talk. >> look at millie. how precious. >> and your relationship is so strong and contagious. they think they know kathie lee better than rege and everybody else. >> everybody does. >> congratulations. we're sending you to san diego for three nights at paradise point, san diego's island resort. >> awesome. >> dinner for two, two spa treatments, surf lessons at the surf academy, roundtrip air fare for two provided by the san diego convention and visitors bureau. >> that's great. san diego. have you been? >> i've been. >> one of the greatest cities in our country. best weather. nicest people. can we start doing the show maybe all winter long from san diego? >> dream on. >> coming up next, a reality check with our girl bethenny frankel. >> and if you knew what your man was thinking. >> our guys are going to tell you all. who knows better than they do? everybody! but first, these messages. bored with your one trick lipstick? then lead a double life! with new blast flipstick from covergirl. it's the lipstick with a flip side. you call this a flip side? creamy color on one end, shimmery color on the other. expertly matched so you can flip your look. from demure, to daring. you be demure! day to night, naughty to nice. get gorgeous lips not once, but twice! now your lips can lead a double life. new blast flipstick from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. new newtons fruit thins. real cranberries and cranberry citrus oat... crispy whole grain. newtons fruit thins, one unique cookie. our machines help identify early stages of cancer and it's something that we're extremely proud of. you see someone who is saved because of this technology, you know that the things that you do in your life, matter. if i did have an opportunity to meet a cancer survivor, i'm sure i could take something positive away from that. 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[ erica ] i would love to meet the people that made the machines. i had such an amazing group of doctors and nurses, it would just make such a complete picture of why i'm sitting here today. ♪ [ herb ] from the moment we walked in the front door, just to see me -- not as a cancer patient, but as a person that had been helped by their work. i was just blown away. life's been good to me. i feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. ♪ bethenny frankel's reality tv show "bethenny ever after" is back. it caused a stir long before it hit the air. >> surely did. the best-selling author, reality tv star, and entrepreneur provides us with a window into her crazy world where the cameras almost are always rolling. let's look. >> what i'm supposed to do. there might be rules. this is just the beginning. we're going to have a whole blah, blah, blah -- let me just keep going. ready and go. just basic 101 things i've learned but i really don't know that many and break them all the time. always eating getting my picture taken. >> i don't believe you're always eating. you're teeny. >> such a -- i'm sure you kids have been to cycling. didn't drink water. it burned a whole in my esophagus. don't ever take medicine without a full glass of water and not go straight to bed. not kidding. >> you woke up and you thought you were having a heart attack. >> i went to the hospital. they had to do a scope. burned ulcer in my esophagus. >> will that heal just fine? >> yes. i'd to say my thin figure is because of my daily nutritional products but it's not. i have no esophagus. >> terrifying. >> by the way, watching the promos of your show that is upcoming of you and jason -- a little steamy, a lot going on. >> emotional. >> yeah. it's real. the truth of the matter is i can't have every season be, oh, yay, i'm getting married, i'm in a white dress. look how wonderful my life is. my life is real. this is the second year of my marriage and this is my life. >> something about cobwebs in the bed? >> jason's penis doesn't actually have cobwebs on it. not everybody can be hitting it every night like you, hoda. some of us have a baby. am i wrong? not quitting it. you're going back. >> whoa. >> i'm sorry. i have -- >> the woman speaks truth. to power. >> look at her. i have sex. it's not as much as i'd like to. but, like, you know, you probably have -- >> you have a little baby. how old is she now? >> she's 20 months, 21 months. but we did everything in two years. got married, had tremendous business experience, my baby. it happened all at the same time. >> you said i wouldn't do it again. if i knew then what i know now, i would not have had the cameras going. >> i made a commitment to it and i have a commitment to my fans to be truthful, not, like i said, not only the petals but also the thorns. this is the trick. relationships take time and nurturing. we're committed to it. we love each other. >> how do you manage that? they need privacy. >> they do. the show hasn't affected our relationship. i wish i could say that because it would be' si. we're different people. we got married later in life and have different backgrounds and we have to learn to accept each other. i'm in therapy and we work on it. that's the truth of my life. >> every couple has to. >> you're doing reality stuff and we know that. you've done a lot of things with skinny girl. but you have a talk show coming up in the summertime. >> i do. >> titled "beth enn"bethenny" a expected. ellen deje nars. >> she's been unbelievable, loyal and dedicated. she's a great partner. i'm excited. i can't wait. >> what can people expect from your show? >> people just watching me -- watching my sex life, watching my family life, my career. i'd rather have a conversation about it, talk to women about sex, about relationships, about having a baby, breast-feeding. >> you and nate berkus, people asked how do i start a business? you said you already have a job. put 10% away on whatever's upcoming. you give good, like, business advice. >> that will be a big part of it, too. talk about whatever's going on. >> very proud of you. but you're going to get a head start this summer. >> more crowded than booze, as you definitely know. in cocktails. >> a little. >> i understand. the cob tames don't intimidate me. you don't look at anybody else. >> that's right. you tell frank. >> if you're paying attention to what the other guy is doing you're not doing your job. >> that's right. >> get the premiere on the at 9:00, 8:00 central on our sister station bravo. >> up next, what's on your man's mind? 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[ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop. not financially. so we switched to the bargain detergent and i found myself using three times more than they say to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. that's my tide. what's yours? it is time to regroup with our "guys the tell all" panel. we've gathered them together to help you make rhyme or reason out of your man. the single guy, david goode, author of "the man code." next is the very funny chestnut, the host of "price this place." a new one. >> yes, it is. >> every week -- and can be seen every week on trutv's "world's dumbest." married for 14 years, two kids. >> comedian and actor rick younger, married a toddler son and can be seen in his one-man show, "i am my father," premiering in new york city. and all commercials. >> every single time. >> last but not least, actor ed watts, he's single, too, and has been starring for quite a while not only in my musical "saving amy" but also "the fantastics." let's hear what the ladies are asking. >> a question about the whole male/female vibe. >> hi. my question is before they date a guy, they think they have to be friends with them. what's your opinion? do you have to be friends first? >> those women are wrong. in my opinion, they're wrong. we don't ever want to be your friend. the only reason we pretend to be your friend is so that we can be your, quote, unquote, boyfriend, which means we want something else. >> it helps to be friends first. you get to know somebody that way. >> most of the time when a guy becomes your friend, that's a default that happened after he really wanted to be your boyfriend. >> you don't think it's possible for a man and a woman, both heterosexual, to just be friends? without sexual undercurrent? >> no. no. >> after what you said -- >> it's complicated if the guy is attracted to her, though. that's the problem. it's okay to be friends. >> i have a lot of good hot girlfriends. >> but you're not attracted to them. >> no. my wife and i were friends for years before we got married. do you know why? because she wanted to be friends. that's why. when she called me buddy once, i said don't you ever call me that again. i'm not your buddy. and guess what? now we're married. that's the strik. >> the thing that attracts you to a friend is probably the same types of things that will attract you to someone that you are sexually attracted to. but it's kind of like -- >> let's go to our facebook page for another question. why is my husband afraid to stand up to his parents and he feels the need to sit down and have a talk with them if we make a decision he doesn't think they will agree with? we are adults for crying out loud. p.s., it's our kids, not theirs. how old is this guy? 12? >> some people don't stand up to their parents. some men don't. do you guys stand up to your parents in. >> i have cool parents. >> when i think of standing up to your parents, i feel like that's an adversarial relationship. if you have an adversarial relationship with your parents, the need to stand up to them or sit down to have a talk with them to break things to them isn't there. my parents always had the kind of relationship where i was able to be just who i was, good or bad. >> i think the -- >> advice. >> i think the wife sometimes feels like you're siding with them? we have something going on here. we have our family. >> that becomes your primary relationship. >> honor your father and mother but supposed to become one with your wife. >> you got it. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> i love cleving to my wife. that's, why i'm like, screw your mom and dad! >> when i first brought my wife around to meet my family, you know, of course it was important to me that they liked her. >> right. >> but i had an uncle who said what's most important is that you like her. like you see us maybe a few holidays a year. >> yeah. you have to live with her. and i miss your parents. they're lovely, lovely people. >> questions like this are so strapg to me and i'm sure some other people because my parents just want me to be happy. easy. >> midwestern people. >> a little commercial break. we'll come back and chat with you guys again. stick around. allie's spelling bee is monday... sounds like a mini-wheats day to me! and becka's science fair is on the 8th. she's presenting the solar system. hey i've got just the whole grain fiber to help keep her full so she can stay focused. um...you rock. she'll be ready to rock. right here! 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[ female announcer ] delicious yoplait light at around 100 calories. do the swap today. good morning. 10:26 i'm marla tellez. two pilots are recovering after a small plane and helicopter they were flying clipped each other in midair. the collision happened around 7:00 last night near the rio vista municipal airport in solano county 50 miles northeast of oakland. the helicopter crashed into a field eight miles away and the plane crashed south of the byron airport, where it was trying to land. both pilots suffered minor injuries but it's unclear if anybody else was on board either aircraft. the faa and the national transportation safety board are investigating. this week could be the deciding vote of the san jose earthquake's new stadium. it has the permit to break ground. last month neighbors appealed, concerned about noise and traffic. on wednesday the san jose planning commission will take a vote on whether to allow the team to move forward. if the commission rules in favor of the residence the team will have to start the permit process all over again. welcome back. 10:29. temperatures in the low 50s. only going to climb by five to eight additional degrees today. staying within the mid to upper 50s. gradual clearing, cool and cloudy. tomorrow high pressure takes control of the weather pattern. temperatures spike ace result 67. tomorrow, 75. 75 inland thursday. back to you. >> thank you. coming up on nbc bay area news at 11:00 a police officer opens fire on a robbery suspect in oakland. we'll have the latest on that investigation. a painful reminder of the importance of seat belts. a crash on highway 101 kills one person and injures several others. not one was buckled up when it a eth sry at 11:00. jon kelley and i will see you soon. we're back with david goode, rick younger, ed watts for more questions. >> a lot of questions. sara, what do the women have to say? >> michelle has a question on long-distance relationship. my advice, they don't work, but go ahead. >> i was wondering how you feel about long-distance relationships, can they work, and if so, how do you make them work? >> hate them. you can't make them work especially if you started out with one. as far as starting out long distance. no way. i got to see somebody. >> but what about the sex when you see them? >> long distance works for a short period of time. you need to close the gap eventually. believe me, it's something to be said for missing somebody. you see each other, like ah! but after a while -- >> what happens? >> ah! kind of like a sumo thing. you see them across the room. ah! >> all about the details. if you don't share the details, you miss the big thing. >> starting out long distance is the toughest thing. a little different if you have a couple years under your belt. see each other every few weeks. but you make deals. you say two weeks is the longest we'll go. >> yeah. >> wait till you share a mortgage, baby. >> a facebook post from shelby. why does a man's behavior change after he, quote, wins you? my boyfriend was the most supportive man i ever met, which is why i got together with him. now that he's got me, he's like a ghost sometimes. i told him i have serious reservations about our relationship in the long term because of it and now that he thinks he might lose me, he's shaping up again. >> she got it. no man keeps running for a bus once he gets it. you know what i'm saying? you got to stop the bus. if you want to shape up, get your butt off this bus. see? >> there's nothing better than comparing a woman to a bus! >> complacent a lot, guys do. sometimes when you get into the relationships it becomes a mother/son thing, you start nurturing and they start thinking this is unconditional. it's never unconditional. >> you have to tell them how you want to be treated or else they're going to go down that road. >> you got to kind of let a guy know, look, the same things you felt attractive to me, there's somebody else out there who will find them attractive in me, too. >> no question. >> give names. track them down. >> let's go across the street to sara. >> next up, we have a question about long-term relationships from alana. >> so i've been dating my boyfriend for a little over five years, and there's no engagement, no proposal. how long do i really need to wait? >> you have already waited five years. >> one more week! a week from today. watch the "today" show. don't do it. >> he's going to see her saying this. how is that going to affect that relationship? >> that's going to be weird. >> yeah. >> real weird. >> he's going to feel pressured, right? >> she's got to wait as long as she want, though. it's up to her. he's going to do whatever he's going to do. it's all about choices. if you're willing to wait longer -- my brother waited i think -- well, like eight years and now they're happily married with kids. >> unless of course you live in his basement and he lets you out occasionally. unless you have that kind of a relationship, no one is forcing you to be here. so you wait until you feel like, all right, i got to go. >> one from facebook. since when does card giving have to be on a holiday or birthday? i used to get them out of the blue just because. and would get flowers. now i never do. kind of what we were saying before. >> what you stop doing when you get the relationship, as well. that's the same as card giving. >> oh, yeah. >> the teleflora ad. >> that's what we do. >> you bring back up the mention of jimmy and steve, those guys that like you. you know -- i don't know. it's like we do get complacent. >> that is so true. i've been married for almost -- how long is it? 25, 26 years. when trudie styler came after cody -- >> after frank. >> hasn't met cody. i went home and i was, like, he is good looking. there is something about that. >> kids, we have to run. thank you. see you again soon. >> we love you. we don't care what anybody says. up next, escape the cold. hot deals on spring break getaways. 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[ sponge ] so it's not a chore. love the taste., love the simple ingredients. love the price. new dannon pure yogurt. please your family. please your budget. crispy granola, layered with creamy peanut butter or rich dark chocolate flavor. 90 calories. 100% natural. and nature...approves. granola thins. from nature valley. nature at its most delicious. now on "today's travel," if you are sick and tired of the winter, it may be time for a spring break getaway. >> travel and leisure's deputy editor is here with deals to consider. >> these are affordable. >> and all warm. these are great places to escape the cold. >> one of kathie lee's favorite spot, california, the west coast. >> the cat house inn. it's in a little town which we called one of the great undiscovered hideaways of 2012. >> look at that. >> enjoy it while it lasts. >> now everyone knows. it's in an old captain's house that's been converted. it is a wonderful little place with a farm-table restaurant, serve all local food. the orange juice you have at breakfast, which is included in your rate, is locally squeezed from local oranges. >> look how charming it is. >> and it's $165 a night. >> further west. honolulu. >> honolulu. hawaii. there we found a place called the modern, which is right near waikiki beach, right on the yacht harbor. it is very modern. it's very sleek and whitewashed. they've got surfboards, sculptures at the hotel, a fire pit to hang out. hotels in hawaii tend to be very expensive. >> they've been hard hit by the recession. >> they have. but they're still keeping the rates up there. this hotel is $239 a night. a great price. gorgeous. >> beautiful water views. >> that is beautiful. okay. moving to florida. you recommend the bohemian hotel celebration. >> about five minutes from walt disney world. really well located. the celebration is an interesting little town. it was created by -- >> it is a town. >> small-town americana, a whole walking town. >> like the movie "truman." >> absolutely. they've got little ice cream parlors and movie theaters. everybody walks around or rides segues. this hotel is a great find. it's pet friendly. they have a heated lakeside pool, water views, $199 a night. >> family friendly? >> very. >> you can't go to orlando without being friendly. >> yeah. got to be. >> if we want to go to puerto rico -- >> and who doesn't. >> i was there last week. i have to say, it's such a great destination, only 3 1/2 hours from new york city, so easy. you done need a passport. it makes it very simple. in old san juan, which is super charming, cobblestone streets and the colonial mansions, there's a hotel called the gallery inn, owned by an artist. it is like staying in a museum. it's all decorated with sculptures and has her own water colors there. they've got a rooftop wine bar, which you guys would love. and you can look out on the surfers and the ocean in the distance. and $175 a night. >> a drinkie-poo. >> exactly. >> that is gorgeous. >> beautiful. >> finally, green valley ranch resort in las vegas. >> this is las vegas just off the strip. we call this a great spa get away. it's great for a lot of things because it's got a casino, eight acres of gardens and pools. but they've also got an amazing sprawling spa and they've got monthly spa treatments. this month they're offering one that i love. it's called the cupid's sweet treats. they scrub you with strawberries and champagne and sugar. >> then you lick yourself. >> then they massage you with chocolate afterwards. so -- >> i would break out in hives. >> the best thing of all about this hotel is it's so cheap, $90 a night. >> $90? wow. >> medical bills afterwards. >> it sounds great. thank you very much. >> up next, the latest inductee into joy's fit club. now less than half her original size. >> you love chocolate.á [ male announcer ] new starbucks blonde roast is another way to look at the bean. another way that reveals the lighter, mellower side of our roast. introducing delicious new starbucks blonde roast. the lighter roast perfected. ♪ that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. woohoo! let's foam in those tones and highlights. [ gigi ] try nice 'n easy colorblend foam. our foam penetrates hair and locks in color. for tones and highlights that last. try nice 'n easy colorblend foam. ♪ [ male announcer ] 20,000 btus produce a delicate sear. double-oven range makes dinner and dessert -- at the same time. turbo-charged advantium oven cooks more than twice as fast, in this culinary powerhouse. dan. yes? molé sauce. [ male announcer ] with ge's most advanced cooking technology, the café line takes food further. ♪ new newtons fruit thins. real blueberries and blueberry brown sugar... crispy whole grain. newtons fruit thins, one unique cookie. those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. fantastic! pro-gresso ] they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. hey, there. stay right there. look at me now joy fit club. a 25-year-old youth pastor from los angeles, california, lost a whopping 180 pounds. >> her name is leona sims. let's take a look at her story. >> this is what i see when i look at in the mirror. i feel fat. i am fat. my name is leona. but my friends call me queen. and at one point i weighed 356 pounds. i get on the scale every morning. does it change? no. as far back as i can remember, i always loved to eat. i'm just going to show you a little bit of how we bake baked beans in my house. not the moat healthy way. food tasted good. but once the flavor was gone, i was left with the pounds. my weight dictated now i lived my life. i performed for the world, but inside i was broken. it seemed impossible to lose five pounds let alone 200. i can't do this by myself. i'm tired. i'm tired of getting up and going to the gym. but my turning point came in 2007. the song in the background i was playing with a song and the words kept repeating "yes." and in that moment i made a declaration that i would surrender myself to the process. i began to work out and change my relationship with food. not because i wanted to be skinny but because i wanted to be free. it was a long process. my weight went up, down, and plateaued. but i would not be who i am today if the 350-plus pounds of me did not realize my potential. i decided four years ago that i was worth it, and here i am. >> wow. >> love that word free. before we ask her to come out, joy bauer will tell us more about her eating habits. always comes down to that, doesn't it? >> this is such a powerful story. it didn't happen overnight. it took her four years. >> good for her. >> to lose 108 pounds. she says that god gave her her strength. >> her strength. >> she's not an emotional eater, but she is a volume eater. she's addicted to food. so i wanted to show you something so strategic that she did. remember she was in college at the time, so she was at an all you can eat cafeteria. this is what she would eat before. >> wow. >> thousands and thousands of calories. soda and the fries and lots of c cap'n crunch. now when she was losing the weight, she still ate an incredible amount of volume but chose the right foods, filled hertz up, and was able to lose the weight. >> and as she got smaller she didn't want as much. >> she shakes it off when she stumbles. >> she's human. >> her before picture one last time. let's see the newley i don't know -- new leona. bring it out. whooo! >> oh, wow! >> oh, yes. >> you look awesome. >> thank you. >> do you feel free? >> i do feel free. i feel great. >> good for you. >> i love how you documented it. you can really see -- many people watching it possibly resonated because when you stripped down and looked at yourself, you weren't shy about doing that. >> in your opinion pain. >> i was. i realize a lot of people lose weight show you the after but never process. the process makes people feel like it's real, authentic, you can do it. >> religion, god, all helped you through. >> i couldn't have done it without him. >> and you're helping others. tell ufrs hero. >> 350-plus pounds more of me. she's the hero because she's the one who made the change. that's my hero. >> god gave you the strength. >> we are so happy for you. >> give it up for leona! >> up next, you guys, hot drinks for frosty weather. first, this is "today." when it's frosty outside, nothing like a warm drink, right? >> peppermint patty drinks and malt red wine, ray is here with hot drinks to wash the winter blues away. >> hey, ray! one of our favorites! >> what are we cooking up? >> some warm drinks because it's cold out there. >> yeah. >> you get that chill in your bones and you want something warm with a little alcohol in it. and what we've got is a number of recipes from the magazine. this is -- this is really cool. this is called a peppermint patty, basically a liquid version of the classic peppermint patty candy. it's simple with white cream demint, a little dark rum, a little cognac or brandy, and about four ounces of white hot chocolate. ghirardelli makes a nice version of this. >> oh, my gosh. are you kidding me? >> then you can also use -- if you can't find white hot chocolate, you can always use regular. a little whipped cream whipped with cocoa powder and sugar. >> that is insane. that is ridiculous. >> we have a woman who lost 180 pounds. >> and crushed peppermint al toid. >> crushed peppermint altoid? >> just want to stick my finger in it. so sad hoda can't have any. so delicious. >> what's this one? >> this is a classic. this wine is 17th century, something that george washington or tom jefferson would have enjoyed. red wine and -- you are shameless. >> that is just cruel. >> you bring it out of me, ray. you make me an animal. >> you warm it up. you warm it up with some spices. you put them in a little cheese cloth so you don't have to filter them out later. >> hoda can't have cheese. >> no cheese in the cheese cloth. >> she put the food in the chocolate mousse. >> having a little fun. you can't have it anyway. these guys don't mind. they all have them. >> perp corn, cinnamon, fennel seed, red wine, orange rind and a little bit of sugar, a little brown sugar that you whisk in. >> okay. >> this is classic old school -- >> like an old drink. >> delicious, warming thing. this is super intense hot chocolate. double chocolate hot chocolate made with -- not a bad thing at all -- made with milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate melted down with a little boiling water. then you've got warm milk unfortunately -- >> poor hoda. >> this is the worst segment ever. >> next. >> i don't think -- >> going to enjoy it. >> she loves it. >> this is malt side we are a lot of spices in it. >> who molded it? >> mold means warmed up with spices and sugar. >> mold. >> mold. >> and it's side we are a little chardonnay in it because i know you like sharld nay here. >> a cute touch. >> what else? >> cloves, a little bit of lemon rind. >> delicious. >> without the chardonnay for kids. >> tastes like christmas. >> does it? >> sure does. >> who's better than ray? >> nobody. >> coming up tomorrow, the latest celebrity buzz from the long holiday weekend. >> and networking. like i know. please. ♪ ♪ we were skipping stones ♪ and letting go ♪ over the river and down the road ♪ [ female announcer ] at nature valley, we know nature comes together in amazing ways. that's why we bring together natural ingredients, like dark chocolate with toasted oats, or sweet golden honey. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ ♪ i was thinking that i hope this never ends ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious.