Its the kickoff of the hollywood awards season with the Golden Globes. Who will be named the best in tv and film and who will they be wearing . Well peer into our crystal ball as we head to the head carpet today, sunday, january 12, 2014. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with lester holt and erica hill, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Welcome to today on this sunday morning. Im erica hill. And im lester holt alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. All is calm and clear here in the new york city area after a night of heavy rains and high winds. And we didnt even see the worst of it. No, we didnt. In several other parts of the east coast this morning, people are digging out from these nasty storms. Look at this video here. Just amazing. Thats just part of it. Dylan is following it closely. Dylan is a little under the weather herself. I think maybe being at 50 below for three days straight might have had something to do with it. Boy, did we see wild weather yesterday, damaging winds and torrential rains knocked out power and demolished construction across the southeast. Up north, extreme flooding and roads covered in ice. All in all, a storm to remember. What a difference a few days make. Following the arctic blast that brought some of the coldest temperatures in 20 years, now its unseasonably warm temperatures and violent springlike storms. A massive system stretching from maine to georgia marching its way across the east coast saturday. Tornado warnings popping up across southern states. Oh, no, look at that reporter the damaging winds demolishing these houses being built in raleigh and ripping down trees and branches like twigs. Torrential rain turning some of atlanta streets into rivers. Thick fog blanketing the midatlantic. But perhaps some of the most damaging weather was the freezing rain that turned northeast roads into sheets of ice. Cars helpless. In connecticut, this mans car slid off the road, flipped and landed upside down in a reservoir. When i started seeing the water come in, youre going to die or maybe. I was just glad it was cold and the lake was frozen. Reporter five people were hurt when a jackknifed tractortrailer caused a chainreaction crash involving some 70 cars in maine. And a slippery race track in jersey sent this starting gate car plowing into the horses. Several drivers were sent to the hospital, but the horses, remarkably, escaped injury. Hard video to look at there. But yes, we are seeing an end to the severe weather. This cold front is moving to the east. Its all clear right now across parts of the gulf coast states. We will see that change today. Here we have a cold front. Not that much to it now. Its back through the rockies and will move to the south and east. Thats going to be the area where were going to see stronger storms redevelop, especially by tomorrow across the gulf coast states. You see about three to four inches, especially in new orleans and thunderstorms are likely. Were not going to see the Severe Threat of storms that we saw yesterday. We could certainly see those strong damaging winds producing some damage possible across the gulf coast. But this will slowly spread to the northeast and east. We will start to see some improvements. But for today, all is clear. Anything we need to clear up, we can do so today. Its getting much more frustrating for residents in charleston, West Virginia, and the surrounding areas today. Hundreds of thousands of them are now in their fourth day without tap water because of a chemical spill. Officials say it could be days before clean water is flowing again. Luke russert is in charleston with the very latest on the story for us. Luke, good morning. Reporter good morning, lester. Since thursday, nearly 800 calls to the West Virginia Poison Control Center have been caused by the leak. This as it stretches into the new workweek. Four days later, hundreds of thousands of West Virginians have no access to safe tap water. It remains unclear when life will return to normal. We have employees that have worked the system, that are extremely knowledgeable of this system, are out collecting samples and looking at flushing activities at this time. But were talking days. Reporter the chemical leak is causing great hardships. At hospitals, elective surgeries have been canceled and water is being brought in for any lifesaving procedures. For moms with infants, it means getting by however you can. You do what you got to do when youve got a 9monthold baby at the house. Reporter ordinary tasks like bathing take on a new degree of difficulty. Its not fun trying to bathe the baby out of a dish pan. Reporter also feeling the pinch, the local economy. The leak has closed many businesses since thursday, which means missed shifts and lost revenue. 96 of our economy in West Virginia is made up of Small Businesses. And they Small Businesses hurting. Reporter one of the few restaurants open, the adelphia sports bar, sat halfempty on what would be a busy day of playoff football. This place is usually bustling with a lot of people, a lot of food going out. Not today. Our employees want to work. Reporter patrons found distraction on a limited menu of drinks and chips. We can hold up. Were mountaineers. Reporter a lot of questions have arisen of just how safe the Storage Facility was where the chemical leaked from. Tomorrow, a team will arrive from washington to determine just how safe that tank was and what can be done to prevent further accidents in the future. Lester . All right, luke, thanks for the update. This morning, new york yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and his legal team is vowing to fight the most severe punishment in Major League Baseball history. Hes been sidelined for the upcoming entire season. Kristen dahlgren has the details. Good morning. This begs the question on a lot of peoples minds, will Alex Rodriguez ever play again . As you mentioned, he says hell fight on in the court system. But experts say the odds really are stacked against him. The suspension severe, 162 games plus the postseason, taking 38yearold Alex Rodriguez out of yankee pinstripes for all of 2014, and some speculate, possibly forever. This is unprecedented discipline by Major League Baseball, not just in the steroids world or performanceenhancing drugs world, but really with respect to anything that any player has ever done on a Major League Baseball field or off it. Reporter rodriguez vowed to fight the ruling in federal court, saying in a statement, the deck has been stacked against me from day one. I have been cleared that i did not use performanceenhancing substances as alleged. No player should have to go through what ive been dealing with. The yankees say they respect the arbitration panels decision. Rodriguez played just 44 games last season, clashed publically with the yankees front office, handed a 211game suspension in august by commissioner bud selig for his role in a sweeping doping investigation, despite never failing a test. The penalty was reduced on saturday, still the longest such punishment ever levied. The fact that he obstructed their investigation, in some ways blocked their path to finding all the truth in this whole matter, i think thats really what bud selig went after. For 20 years, rodriguez dominated baseballs lucrative and hot spotlight. Number 500 for Alex Rodriguez reporter he cracked home runs with ease, dated stars, made for than 350 million. But controversies have tarnished his image and cost him huge, 25 million this Upcoming Season which has some fans crying foul. I think its ridiculous. I think hes being used as a scapegoat. Its a sad day, because im a yankee fan, ive been a yankee fan, im an arod fan. Now, arods attorney is expected to seek that injunction in federal court on monday. The last one challenged in the courts was in 1976. Erica, that one was unsuccessful. 1976. Erica, that one was unsuccessful. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie remains out of sight today as questions still swirl about his political future amid the George Washington bridge scandal. David gregory is moderator of meet the press. Good to see you. Good morning, lester. If it turns out hes telling the truth here ands had no knowledge of this, does this become a problem as we look toward 2016 or will it be distant memory by then . Its difficult to gauge this far out. What i think still continues is a leadership question, a culture question. These are not people who are lower level aides, these are people hes known a long time, been with him a long time who were responsible for it. This email chain suggests they were covering up what they were actually doing. It raises questions about how this operation springs up underneath his feet, if nothing else. Does it also serve almost as a shot across his bow that if you want to run for president , its going to be rough going. No question about it. Its something else. A lot of people think its ideology that will be a problem for him. Is he conservative enough . It does come down to persona, that loud volume persona that has attracted so much support to christie because people find him refreshing. Does it also cut against him with his image of being a bully or somebody whose operation is responsible for petty politics. That could dog him as well. The question is how is that going to play outside of new jersey where lets remember he was overwhelmingly reelect sgld this story has overshadowed the release of bob gates, former defense secretarys new book. He was a holdover from the bush administration. Hes come out with his book, a bit critical of the obama administration, in particular the afghanistan war. How damaging is it for the president to have someone he kept from Previous Administration . I think it is damaging. Theres questions about the president s leadership in foreign affairs, National Security affairs. What i think in my own reading of the book is that gates is really critical of how political the Obama White House was, how Political Considerations loomed so large in the debate over afghanistan, whether to send more troops. But hes also highly complimentary of this president for overriding a lot of political concerns and ultimately surging up forces. Its a pretty nuanced view even where hes pretty critical. Well check with you in a bit on whats coming up on meet the press. Jenna has the upcoming stories. Good morning everyone. Two deadly car bombs evenings ploeded in bagdad today in the latest wave of violence in iraq. At least 13 people were killed, more than 20 wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. More than 70 people have died in sectarian violence in iraq over the past two weeks. Thousands of israelis are paying respects to former israeli Prime Minister aerial sharon today. His body remains in state in jerusalem. Sharon died saturday after eight days in a coma. Tomorrow, Vice President joe biden will lead a u. S. Delegation to sharons memorial service. An update on a story we told you about yesterday. It was about the dallas hunting club getting Death Threats over a permit to shoot an endangered african rhino. The permit sold for 350,000. Money the club says will help conserve the rhinos. Janet shamlian explains. Its i think a message that this animal is worth more rare and dead than alive with healthy populations. Thats not conservation. Reporter the winner whose name was not released bid a record 350,000 with all proceeds going to a nah mibian conservation fund. The auction was full of exhibits like these angered some to the point of Death Threats against club members which prompted tightened security and the fbi getting involved. Ive had threats on my life, my familys life. Our members have been emailed, theyve threatened our members. Reporter with fewer than 5,000 black rhinos in the wild, opponents say theres no valid reason to kill one, those the u. S. Wildlife service okayed the permit. For today, janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. Three weeks later there was christmas in space. A supply shipped off at the International Space station loaded with necessary supplies and also the astronauts christmas presents from home. The shipment was delayed because of last months emergency repairs. How did we know christmas presents were a little late . One of the gifts was a Cabbage Patch kid. That went over as well as i wrote it. It got a chuckle. If you didnt get a chance to watch both nfl playoff games yesterday but still want to impress your friends with knowledge, here is said knowledge. The new England Patriots advance to their Third Straight championship game with the win over the colts last night 4322. How about la gear plunk scored four touchdowns for new england. He was kind of the man. In the earlier games the seahawks beat the saints 2315. Im so sorry hoda kotb. They kind of seemed like blowout games unless youre fans of the teams that won. Then they were fantastic games. Dylan is very happy. I am. Erica and i had a little thing going. Somehow i got roped into it. It was really between you and my husband who is a colts fan. Hes not here to put on the patriots shirt. Its all over twitter if youre looking for something to do. We are going to see a big storm system in the addle area. It was pouring yesterday. Now all the watches and warnings are starting to move eastward into the rockies. We even had blizzard warnings in areas where visibility is extremely poor because of heavy snow and blowing wind. We are going to see this whole storm system continue to move eastward but not before it dumps perhaps one to three inches of rain in seattle. Looking at nine inches plus in the higher elevations. Moving east a widespread six to nine inches in the lighter blue. Also as we look west of denver. Some areas could end up with 12 to 18 inches of snow with this storm system over the next 24 hours. Its back behind this cold front which is going to start to Cool Temperatures down. We should be nice and mild in the 40s today in minneapolis. But it drops into not much fog right now around the bay bridge but in other parts of the area were seeing pretty thick fog in spots. Youre seeing it in napa and livermore. Visibility is down at times in the trivalley, less than a mile for the morning. Throughout the afternoon well see the low clouds clear as north winds help to clear out our skies. Highs around san jose in the low 60s. 58 near San Francisco. Mid60s today in santa rosa, then climbing into the 70s as winds turn offshore for the first half of the week. Dry weather continues. Thats your latest forecast. Lester . Up next on today, a family dealing with the loss of their 12yearold daughter finds comfort and inspiration in a letter the girl wrote to her future self. Well explain in that remarkable story after this. [announcer] welcome to the allnew intuit quickbooks. Do more than ever before with it. Make any place your place of business with it. Get paid faster with it. Run payroll with it. Sync this stuff with that stuff with it. Make more time for what you love with it. Turn on only what you need with it. Sample from our smorgasbord of apps with it. Take in the big picture with it. See your finances in a whole new way with it. This is your business on the allnew quickbooks. Run with it. Of looking for a good deal and sheesh, i shouldve looked some more. Thats why walgreens makes it easy to save even more on your Medicare Part d prescriptions. Just stop on by and leave all the legwork to us. Switch to walgreens today where you could save with copays as low as zero dollars on select Medicare Part d plans. At the corner of happy and healthy. A story now about finding home amid despair. A 12yearold girl who died senly last spring left her family an extraordinary gift that theyre sharing with the world. Its inspiring people throughout the social media universe. Here is mike die eastbound bee. Reporter like any parents who lost a child, tim and Mary Ellen Smith of johnson city, tennessee, are struggling with grief. Before their daughter taylor succumbed suddenly to pneumonia, the precocious 12yearold did something remarkable. She had written a letter to herself and she would open it when she was older. Reporter they found it in a sealed envelope, intended to be opened ten years later. It was little girls twopage time capsule list to herself, a thoughtful list of hopes and goals that the smiths decided to share by social media. Hows life she begins to her older self, life is Pretty Simple ten years in her past. She instructs herself to go to college, maybe become a lawyer, stay close to her family and her church and closes with words her parents could almost hear her saying. Its been ten years since i wrote this stuff. Stuff has happened, good and bad. Thats just how life works and you have to go with it. Reporter the response to taylors letter in emails and comments has been emotional and nearly overwhelming. Letters from lots of parents who said just it has encouraged them to love their kids and love each other. Reporter grieving parents who are proud of their daughter, of course. I want the world to know what an awesome, awesome person she was. Reporter and generous enough to share the gift she left them. I cant physically resurrect her, i cant bring her back, but im so grateful that people have been inspired by her story. Reporter taylor left an older brother behind as well as her parents. Along with ood meyerers worldwide, moved by the story of her short but meaningful life. For today, mike taibbi, nbc news. An incredible little girl. I dont know what to say. So touching. Well be back right after this. [woman]ask me. [announcer]. If you think the best bed for one of you might be a compromise for the other one. [woman]ask me about our tempurpedic. [announcer] theyre sleeping on the newest tempurpedic bed. The new tempur choice. [man]two people. Two remotes. [announcer] firmness settings for the head,legs,and back. And with tempur on top,that famous tempurpedic comfort comes any way you like it [woman]ask me about the lumbar button. [man]shes got her side. And ive got my side. [announcer] tempurpedic. The most highly recommended bed in america. [woman]dont touch my side every now and then i get a little bit tired of craving something that i cant have turn around, barbara i finally found the right snack [ female announcer ] fiber one. I finally found the right snack hey, so im on amazon, and it says i can pay with my cashback bonus . Yeah right there at checkout. So whatcha shopping for . Hats. Lots of hats. At discover, we treat you like youd treat you. Get the it card and pay with your cashback bonus at amazon. Com. They have the same walk. The same grin. And the same beautiful hair. With nice n easy, get the most natural shade of you. In one step, colorblend formula gives expert highlights and lowlights. For color so true to you, they may think you were born with it. Shes a mini kate. Im a lucky guy. With the expert highlights and lowlights of nice n easy, get the most natural shade of you. Ive quit for 75 days. 15 days, but not in a row. For the first time, you can use nicorette. Even if you slip up. So you can reach your goal. [ male announcer ] now, quit on your own terms with nicorette or nicoderm cq. The Golden Globes are tonight right here on nbc. We have a lot of people talking online. Jenna is in the orange room with more on that. Hey, guys, missed the joke obviously. Ill get it in a second. The internet is abuzz in anticipation for tonights Golden Globes. The biggest trend appears to be what the hosts, tina fey and amy polar, we know theyll be funny but they have vowed not to be mean which for some is a welcome message for tonights nominees. What do you think . Thats the beauty of them, theyre not mean. Theyre funny. It doesnt have to be hurtful. Im with you. I think theyre terrific. I think theyre just awesome, period. There you go. We will have a lot more of the Golden Globes in the next half hour. Plus the four of us will reveal the special cause were dedicating our efforts to as part of oh wow, you look incredible. Right . Is this the bacon and cheese diet . This is the creamy chicken corn chowder. I mean, look at it, so indulgent. This is so much more. Whats different . Ooh, its my chicken and cheese enchilada diet. Better keep it up, honey, its working oh, gracias did i tell you i am on the. [ both ] Chicken Pot Pie diet me, too lisa, did i tell you. [ male announcer ] discover all these great progresso light varieties available at walmart. Good morning to you. Looking live from our emeryville camera at San Francisco this morning, and if it feels a little dewier outside, well, thats what i think any way. Im kris sanchez. Rob mayeda is here with the forecast. I like that. Were close to the dew point so we have some patchy fog some spots. Visibility has dropped to about a half mile in napa and close to a third of a mile in livermore so your 580 680 commute heading toward the sunol grade youll run into thick fog that were seeing some spots. High clouds moving over the bay area but the ones that have brought the light rain have moved on. Well see temperatures today in the south bay in the low 60s. Upper 50s to near 60 closer to San Francisco. Mid60s today in santa rosa. Then as High Pressure builds in, closer to 70 as we start the workweek. Well also have to watch out for gusty dry winds in the hills picking up later on this evening. We begin with a developing story in the south bay. San jose fire responded to a small exterior fire this morning at a home on the 4100 block of rosenbaum avenue near capitol expressway. This is the same area that has been targeted by an alleged arsonist in recent days. That fire was quickly put out and caused minimal damage. The San Jose Fire Department is urging people to be on high alert following a string of fires, including one that happened yesterday morning as well. Investigators believe most of the fires were set on purpose. The fires have all been set on the exterior of the buildings and all have been moving very fast, putting both residents and firefighters at risk. A 10,000 reward is now up for grabs for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for starting these fires. A sketch of the person of interest has also been released. Hes described as a white or hispanic man, 25 to 40 years old. Six feet to 62 weighing approximately 160 to 180 pounds with dark medium length hair and wearing distinctive large frame glasses. San Francisco Police say an offduty female officer shot at another person after a fight following a minor accident this morning in San Franciscos bayview neighborhood. The officer was involved in a minor crash on 280 and pulled off the freeway with the other car just after midnight. Officers say the two cars stopped in the area of jerrold avenue and bay shore boulevard. Both parties got out of their cars and began to fight. The officer shot her gun, hitting the person in the lower body. Those wounds are not considered lifethreatening, but the officer will be placed on paid administrative leave during this investigation. Coming up at 7 00 right here on today in the bay sochi dreams. A 15yearold from the south bay looking for a spot on the olympic team. We talk with the bay area native and Gold Medalist christey am gu who called it lights out. Turn around every now and then i get a little bit hungry and theres nothing good for me around turn around every now and then i get a little bit tired of craving something that i cant have turn around, barbara forever ive been praying for a snack in my life and now i have a brownie ending all of my strife i finally found the right snack its my birthday anld celebrating it at the plaza. Left my friends to freeze at the today show. Second time is the charm to be at the today show. I love the today show were back on a sunday morning, january 12, 2014, taking a look at some of the pictures there of our fabulous crowd out on the plaza. Youre probably wondering why we were throwing the football around the studio. I dont really have a good explanation. Its okay. We can let them in on a secret. Thats how we warm up in the morning. We throw a few passes. The goal is to never hit a light because that would be bad. Hi to all the folks waving outside. We were talking football, and theyre waving at us. Im lester holt alongside erica hill, jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. We have a lot coming up but we want to get you caught up on the mornings top headlines. Residents along the east coast picking up the pieces following a massive storm system which stretched from maine to georgia. Now there is more wet weather headed to the southeast. Some 300,000 residents in and around charleston, West Virginia, the fourth day without tap water all because of a chemical spill. Officials safe it could be days before uncon tam nated water begins following again. New york yankees slugger alex records vowing to appeal the most severe punishment in baseball history, suspended for the 2014 season and the postseason. Whats still to come, which u. S. Figure skaters are headed to sochi, the marquis sport of the olympics. Anticipation is high as the womens an mens teams are named today. We are adopting a sit stay. All part of the todays show shine a line initiative. All four of us are teaming up to work on the project together. Well share the details and tell you how you can help us choose our sut stay. You walk into a Sporting Good store and there are so many different kinds of sneakers, you dont know what to try on first. Some of them can be awfully pricey. Well have advice on how to pick the perfect affordable pair of sneakers for you. Looking forward to that. Before we get to it, though, if you watch tv, if you wav movies, if you want to talk to anybody to know whats going on in the world, you need to tune in for the 71st annual Golden Globes, the whos who of hollywood coming together for the Biggest Party of the year. Helping to count us down is e news alicia quarrels who is live from the red carpet. Good morning. Good morning, guys. Miss you in new york, but happy to be in warm l. A. From the small screen to the big screen, everyone is expected to walk this red carpet. It might be quiet right now, but in just a few hours, the 71st annual Golden Globes is going to be stacked with star power. The Golden Globes, hollywoods Biggest Party and a trail blazer for all the award shows that follow. The Golden Globes sets the tone for the rest of the awards season and its the most fun. Reporter its a chance for your favorite stars to let their hair down a little. I beat meryl. Only at the Golden Globes do the Beautiful People of film rub shoulders with the rat faced people of television. Reporter despite the jokes, this is serious business. 12 years a slave looegs leads the pack with seven nominations. I survived. I will not fall into despair. Reporter its one of the most Transformative Experiences ive ever had in a movie theater. Reporter it faces tough competition from scifi thriller gravity. Im spinning. Cant breathe. Gravity was out of this world. New technology to make it a reality. The Hollywood Foreign press may award them with best director. Reporter American Hustle also has seven nominations t. Winner for best comedy or musical is anybodys guess. Youve got wolf of wall street and nebraska. It wont go to w068 of wall street. Too many f bombs. Over 500 . No. Reporter for breaking bad which ended the highly acclaimed run last year, its their last chance to win a golden globe. Say my name. I think they may actually win, not for this year alone but for the entire body of work. Reporter the big winners remain a mystery, one thing is for sure. You can count on a lot of laughs. Amy poehler and tina fey will kill. I cannot wait. Of course, ive got my own predictions. Im thinking for best drama, probably gravity. They love Sandra Bulluck and george clooney. For best comedy, i think it will go to American Hustle. Its all about the fashion. I cant wait to see what cate blanchett, george clooney, meryl streep, Julia Roberts will be wearing. Lester, are you excited for the fashion . Im always excited about what kind of black tie the guys will be wearing. Nobody else around you, youll have the best position tonight. Nice and early, lester. Alicia, good to see you. Nbc will have complete coverage tonight of the Golden Globes starting with a red carpet arrival special. Hosted by matt, savannah, carson and tamron. Tonight a full wrapup of lets head outside to dylan for a check of the weather. Dylan . A nice big birthday here. How old are you turning . 11. You got the lights on the poster board. Where are you from . Boca raton. Ive got to pull out this. This is fullon science fair poster board. Is there a lot to this poster . There is kind of a lot to it. I got to study up. Ill get to that in a second. Well looking at nice weather, speaking of the Golden Globes out in l. A. , lots of sunshine. Temperatures are pretty mild, too. Well see pretty nice temperatures across most of the country, above average for most, finally. Hard to find a whole lot of temperatures below freezing, which is always a good sign. We have a cold front moving eastward. Thats going to start dropping temperatures and also produce some heavier rain through parts this morning were seeing some areas of patchy, thick fog. Were seeing it out around napa this morning. Visibility down to about a mile, and a mile of visibility or less into livermore, pleasanton and dublin, thick fog for this morning. Also high clouds going by so kind of a cloudy tart to the morning. Clearing with highs in the low 60s in san jose down towards morgan hill. 59 in palo alto. San francisco upper 50s today, turning breezy in the hilltops later this afternoon. Highs today in the mid60s in santa rosa, then upper 60s to near 70 in the warmer inland locations as we head towards the middle part of the week. To detroit for todays top spot. Home of michigans biggest fishing show. Our affiliate, wdiv, local 4. The expo features seminars and demonstrations at a massive indoor lake and a 5,000gallon mobile fish tank, easier to catch fish in a mobile fish tank. People can enter to win a fishing trip for four to florida. After all the cold, that probably sounds like a nice deal now, especially if youre in to the whole fishing thing. It all comes together. Erica . This morning we continue our countdown to sochi, take a look at the u. S. Figure skating championships. Quite a night in boston for gracie gold, who took home the gold at the nationals, but just who will go to the winter games . The u. S. Figure Skating Association will name its olympic mens and womens teams later today, but we want to turn to nbc figure skating analyst and olympic Gold Medalist Tara Lapinski from boston where shes been watching all the action. Good morning. Good morning. A lot of excitement. A lot of surprises even a little bit, especially for the women. What was the Biggest Surprise to you over the weekend and yesterday . Last nights competition was so surprising. I didnt know what to think. To see Ashley Wagner sitting in fourth place right now, not knowing if shes going to the olympics. And then another surprise was polina edmunds, a little 15yearold that blew everyone away and ended up in second. You mentioned Ashley Wagner is in fourth place. We dont know if shell be going to the olympics, but there is a chance. Its not necessarily the top three who are going to make it onto the team. Explain to us how that works. Theres a Selection Process that will happen today, so everyone is still very nervous. We dont know whats going to happen. They look back over your past year, your accomplishments, what youve done. Ashley wagner got the u. S. Team three spots to go to the olympics this past worlds. So they take a lot into consideration. So, theyll be looking at that. We mentioned three women get to go, but only two men going to sochi. Well be seeing more of that today. Who do you think were going to see headed to sochi for the mens . I dont know. Its so exciting. An olympic year is so different than any other year. Everyone is so nervous. Everyones at the top of their game. Jeremy abbott came out in the Short Program and was incredible. Quads, everything you could think of. Our defending national champion, not so great, but in the free skate, anything can happen. Its amazing to me how i feel every year, its really every four years, how these spins and jumps just get more and more incredible. Some of the stuff youre seeing now, the quads with the men, how often were seeing them, did you ever think wed get to that point . No, ive never done a quad. To see these men do these jumps, not only are they doing one quad in a program. Theyre doing three. You won gold in 98, lets not forget about that. Any picks, any favorites heading in to sochi at this point . Well, for the ladies, euna kim is incredible, defending olympic champion. Shes almost like a robot. She keeps doing these jumps year after year, but she hasnt skated all season. One of her main rivals, mao asada, who was second at last years olympics in vancouver, is is skating pretty well. It will be a good competition. Tara, nice to have you with us this morning. Thanks. Nbc will have live coverage of the mens u. S. Figure skating championships today. That begins at 3 00 p. M. Eastern. Still to come this morning, whether you sprint or stroll, the right Running Shoes can definitely help you meet your goals. The good news is you dont have to break the bank to get the perfect pair. Well tell you what to look for after these messages. [ male announcer ] your eyes. Even at a distance of 10 miles. The length of 146 football fields. They can see the light of a single candle. Your eyes are amazing. Look after them with centrum silver. Multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. Centrum silver. For the most amazing parts of you. Centrum silver. And these Little Angels build in strength. And that little angel says, weeeeeeeee 60 more sheets than charmin. Everything you want and the value you love. Angel soft. This morning on get fit today, choosing the right run shoes. Why does the perfect pair of Running Shoes always seem to have you sprinting to the bank . Janice lieberman has answers for us. Kind of flashy stuff for you. They are flashy. Yes. When it comes to foot the bill for a new pair of workout shoes, you have to wonder why so much . We went to the source, the makers of brooks Running Shoes in seattle to find out. This is top secret info. Inside this lab is a new generation of shoe. Its brooks newest creation, the transcend, and its all pretty high tech. What this does, it allows us to cut the shoe open and be able to test the specs inside to make sure it comes out the way we want it to. Very cool. So, what is this we are seeing . This is super dna foam that will give you all the cushioning, and the heel, you can see the guide rails that go around the entire shoe. Thats dna . Thats dna. Reporter no surprise these shoes cost a pretty penny. 160 for a running shoe. A lot of people will say what am i paying for. Is it worth it . This is brandnew technology. This shoe is worth every penny when you put it on, you will absolutely love it. Reporter brooks isnt the only company touting glitzy colors and impressive mechanics. Adidas has the spring blade razor. Its basically a bunch of leaf springs that stick off the shoe. The idea is they return energy to you. Reporter and nike, their flying knit lunar one plus. Nikes fly knit technology is a onpiece, seamfree upper. Its almost like a sweater. Its really durable material. Reporter when it comes down to it, are all the bells and whistles really necessary . Necessary . Maybe not. But some runners find Better Success with more cushioning and more technologies. Others just like the luxury and comfort it provides. Reporter stores like road runner sports say you can get quality and a deal. Some really great tips to save money on sneakers, buy last years version of the sneaker theyre using. Its still going to be the same value. To save money, by two sneakers of the same and rotate. The foam can decompress and last longer. Reporter millions of dollars go into the research and development of these shoes. That can last runners up to 600 miles. What are you getting for that . Youre getting the premium ride here. Reporter all this putting more pep in your step, next time you shell out big bucks to treat your feet to something special. The bottom line, if the shoe fits, buy it. That may mean trying on lots of styles. If theres something that bothers you in the store, skip it. The sneaker should feel great right away. Once youve scored the perfect pair of sneakers, youll want to put them to good use, right . What if youre not an avid runner. Jenna has two simple steps for beginners looking to hit the pavement. Lets reiterate this is for beginners. These are beginner tips for runners. My first tip, its an easy one. Id love you to follow a guided plan. Dont wake up, call yourself jesse owens and go out for a 20mile jaunt around the park. You need to start slow and follow a stepbystep guide. In the beginning. Dont be afraid to walk. You should crawl before you walk. Try walking four minutes, walking four minutes, running one, slowly decrease your walking, increase your running. Eventually youll walk one minute and run four until youre running without stopping. Bottom line, really ease into it slowly. Theres a ton of reading material out there. Just search for a beginners running guide, a plan to ease you into a good running workout. My second tip, honestly, its about finding your motivation. One way to get yourself out the door, i know this sounds silly, put on your sneakers and lace them up. If you are dressed and ready to go, you are more likely to go for a run than to get undressed and back into a bed. Trust me on this. Other good motivators, find a good running buddy. Find a fun music playlist and run along an interesting route with plenty of things to look at. All these fall steps that seem silly will help you keep going. Those are my tips. Good stuff, jenna. Also ahead, our colleagues during the week have been talking about the causes theyre focusing on as part of our shine a light series. Now its our turn. Well tell you all about it after these messages. As your life changes, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust along the way, refocus as careers change and kids head off to college, and revisit your investments as retirement gets closer. Wherever you are today, fidelitys guidance can help you finetune your personal economy. Start today with a free oneonone review of your retirement plan. But add some sauce, pepperoni and cheese and fold up the crescent dough and presto, tuesday night just became crescent pizza pockettastic pillsbury crescents. Make dinner pop. He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me thats right. [ mom ] warm and flaky in 15, everyone loves pillsbury grands [ girl ] make dinner pop now to our special yearlong series shine a light. If youve been watching you know our colleagues revealed the important causes they plan to spotlight in 2014. Lester, dylan, jenna and i want to show you how we hope to make a difference this year. What most people have in common is were burning the candle on both ends, and it is ruining our health. The reality for many people across the country is even small changes can be really tough to do. Americans are increasingly stressed. Theyre worried about having the money to put any food on their table in many cases, finding time to exercise is really difficult when you may be working two or three jobs. For me this is such an important thing because i have lost several people in my family at very young ages. My grandparents all died of Heart Disease when they were in their 60s. My father, i watched him go through diabetes. I dont want to lose my parents at a young age. I want to live to a ripe old age. My wakeup call was a few years ago going to my physical. He handed me the blood results, and the triglycerides are inching up. Sometimes you dont see it coming, the results of not living a not perfectly healthy lifestyle. I notice a lot with my kids. When i get more sleep, i feel better. When i exercise on a regular basis, im more active and have more energy. I want to set a good example for them. I want to be around for a long time. A lot of people are overwhelmed by making sweeping changes to their diet, to their health, their sleep patterns. The truth is you dont have to make sweeping changes. Yu can do small things. We want to be part of what inspires people, to not just talk about a healthy lifestyle, but do something about it. Were hoping to partner with a community to shine a light on why it is so important to be healthy, to eat well, to exercise, to get enough sleep. This isnt just a big Weight Loss Program because its not always about weighted. This is a way to really get people invested in their overall health. I would love to put on a health fair, invite a community, sponsor a health fair, get doctors in there, nutrition counselors and physical fitness counselors and really spur us all on. One of the hardest parts, youre very gungho when you start something and the first couple weeks come easily. If we challenge a community and were all in it together, you can go beyond a couple of weeks. We dont have all the answers. We dont have all the thoughts. We want to learn from you, you from us and together i think we can really make some strides. Its amazing what you can do when you get a group of people together. Were hoping by doing this together collectively, we can have a broader impact and let that ripple across the country. And if you live in a community that you think needs a little help getting healthy, we want to hear from you. Go to today. Com or to our Facebook Page and leave us a comment and tell us why we should pick your hometown. This is going to be an interesting exercise, no pun intended, but for all of us. Now weve got to kind of walk the walk. Sure. Were held accountable just the way we want everyone else to hold themselves accountable. Its going to be fun. Its easier when youre all in it together and all making these small little challenges and reaching these small goals. Its going to be so much fun. We welcome your input. I already changed. Im ready to go. Ill talk to you guys later. Its going to be fun. We cant wait to hear from you. Hopefully well soon partner with a community and get going. Well take a break and be back with more after these messages. [ female announcer ] you get sick, you cant breathe through your nose. Suddenly youre a mouthbreather. Well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38 more than cold medicines alone. So you can breathe and sleep. Shut your mouth and sleep right. Breathe right. [run your entire business with allnew intuitit. Ickbooks. So you can breathe and sleep. Get paid however you want with it. Get real work done wherever with it. Make all your numbers play nicely with it. Say buhbye to the old way with it. Run payroll with your finger with it. Scan receipts with it. Sync this stuff with that stuff and that stuff, with it. Maintain your sanity with it. This is your business on the allnew quickbooks. Run with it. [ man ] yo buzz drop that beat remix hey must be the honey you got that medley crunch go go buzz go go go buzz hey must be the honey clusters, flakes that medley crunch, crunch clusters, flakes that medley crunch, crunch go hey must be the honey hey you got that medley crunch hey must be the honey lets check back with David Gregory to find out whats coming up on meet the press. Big week here obviously in politics. Coming up on the program, more on governor Chris Christie and the bridge scandal rocking his administration. Republican National Committee chairman rans prooef vis will join us. Plus the toll of poverty. Our colleague Maria Shriver will be here with her new report, groundbreaking, on the toll on american women. Its all coming up on meet the press. Well see you then. Thanks so much. That will do it for us on this sunday morning. Thanks for watching. Thanks for everyone who came out on the plaza. If youre in the neighborhood, come on down. I will see you later tonight on nbc nightly news. Have a great rest of your sunday everybody. [ female announcer ] wherever morning brings you, bring the energy you need. Nature valley softbaked oatmeal squares. Softly baked, made with hearty oatmeal and a drizzle of cinnamon. Theyre nature valleys take on a morning classic. Because when you keep going, the morning can bring you to brandnew places. Nature valley. Nature at its most delicious. Good morning to you. Im kris sanchez. Coming up next on today in the bay another suspicious house fire overnight and now an arson investigation in the south bay intensifies. The man who police want you to be on the lookout for. Also an accident on the freeway may have led to a person being shot by an offduty female officer in San Francisco. Plus, shes only 15 years old and competing on the national stage. A bay area teenager has a big night on the ice, but will it be enough to punch her ticket to sochi . This is today in the bay. Good morning to you. Looking live at a postcard perfect picture of the bay bridge and the beautiful skies