>> hope to see you tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. have a great day. we'll see you tomorrow morning. medalist! her dream has come true. >> and he's got another gold medal! >> double gold! boy, does he deliver! >> six medals, three of them gold, the greatest day in winter olympic history for team usa. so, where does the king of the halfpipe and now two-time olympic gold medalist shaun white celebrate? right here, le today, thursday, february 18th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television ♪ and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, day seven of the winter olympic games. i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. we are here at grouse mountain, again, our home away from home, joined by ann curry and al roker. and folks, how about this for a fact? the last time the olympic games were held in canada, it was 1988 -- >> calgary. >> calgary. >> yep. >> during those games, the u.s. won six medals. they won six yesterday in one day. >> wow. >> three of those gold, including a gold medal for the guy you're going to see right now, shaun white, the king of the halfpipe. he dominated and repeated as the olympic champion in his event. >> and whether you know a lot about his event or nothing at all, one thing is for sure, you know he is the best at what he does, and we are thrilled that he is going to join us this morning. folks, he has not gone to sleep all night, so he's in rare form. also ahead, maybe we should start calling this place vonncouver, because lindsey vonn, what a week she had. that injury, the painful shin injury, then the delays, the training, and finally, she overcame the pain and won the women's downhill yesterday in dramatic fashion. julia mancuso, her teammate, took the silver. we went to whistler yesterday afternoon, caught up with both of them, and you're going to be seeing those interviews in just a minute. by the way, it's the first time americans have won gold and silver in a women's alpine event in 26 years. their medals helped the u.s. reclaim the lead in the top spot in the medal count with a total of 14. germany is in second place with ten. france has seven. >> and if you saw the downhill yesterday, you not only saw lindsey vonn's spectacular performance, but also a series of ugly crashes, including this faceplant by an italian skier. she was just one of six who went down. keep in mind, these women are going 80 miles an hour when this happens. for men, they are going nearly 100 miles an hour. we're going to have more on that as well. but first, ann has more on a big day for americanthletes right here in vancouver. ann? as you just reported it was a spectacular day across the board for team usa and a record for the winter olympic games. >> i've given up everything for this, and it means everything to me. >> golden girl lindsey vonn called it the best day of her life. >> yes! ugh! >> reporter: a day that came less than a week after she revealed a painful shin injury. >> look at this here. she's not even on her right ski. she doesn't want it to touch down. >> oh! she's completely out of control! >> reporter: despite a brutal course that claimed six skiers, vonn became the first american woman to win olympic gold in the downhill. >> awesome. >> sharing the moment with her husband. >> unbelievable. >> reporter: she also shared the spotlight with her teammate, julia mancuso, who won silver. >> i've been working really hard the past year for this day and this moment. >> oh! and there it is! >> reporter: also seizing the moment at the halfpipe, shaun white redefined what is possible. >> if you can imagine, last season we weren't even doing double corks in the halfpipe, and now i did three in a run. >> reporter: white went big and captured his second straight olympic gold. >> yeah! >> reporter: american scotty lago placed third to win bronze. >> in the final straightaway, shani davis pushing it until the end, and he's got another gold medal! >> reporter: it was a day full magical moments that included american shani davis at the speed skating track. >> i was so happy i was able to do it. >> reporter: the world record holder, davis is the first man to win back-to-back olympic titles in the 1000 meters. >> it means a lot. it shows that hard work pays off. >> reporter: fellow american chad hedrick skated his way to bronze. in total, the americans won six medals, three of them gold, making wednesday the most successful day in olympic winter games history for the u.s. team. >> she looks absolutely spent. >> reporter: but it is the olympic effort that matters most. >> here's what happened to her earlier today in training right before qualifying. >> reporter: after a bad fall, slovenan petro myvich fought back to win bronze. >> from the ditch to a bronze medal in the same day, wow. >> reporter: and more good news. po apolo ohno advanced as expected in the short track speed skating 5000 men's meteream relay and it will be another fine day for the americans today, because evan lysacek will go for america's first gold in men's figure skating in 22 years. also, we've got the women's halfpipe and also team usa's hockey and the men take on norway and the women play finland. so, a lot to look forward to today, meredith. >> ann, thank you. we are very excited around here, because look who has joined us, the man of the morning, the king of the halfpipe, back-to-back gold medal winner shaun white! >> thank you. >> congratulations. i mentioned before, you haveot gone to sleep yet, right? >> i have not gone to sleep. i'm still in victory lane. >> has it sunk in? >> it has not sunk in. i definitely -- i haven't even got the medal yet, so -- >> tonight. >> a couple hours from now. >> oh, okay. >> i think i'm going straight through. i'm ready. >> talk about this event, shaun. it was really the first run. your first run sealed it. take us through it, and what went right? obviously, a lot. >> yeah. basically, i was at the top and i knew i had a good run to do, and a lot of my strength in snowboarding is my amplitude, how big i can get out of the pipe, so i was using that as an advantage and put down that first run, which was great, and got a huge scor and i was standing at the top, and i won, you know? that's how -- >> you were shocked? >> -- i pictured it in my mind it was going to go down, and then it actually happened. so, i'm standing up there with this tough decision, what do i do now? >> you've got a second run. >> i've got a victory lap to do. >> you could have gone down the center of the pipe. >> i decided to take the glorious route a do something better. >> you did the double mctwist, that jump of yours. >> i did, i did. >> but you didn't do it in the first run. why didn't you? >> something about the olympic pressure going on, but i knew the first run was going to be a winning run. i knew it was something that was going to give everybody else a hard time, and it was just a great way to drop in last, get in first place and put the pressure on everyone else and then t put this trick down was just unreal. >> you do the double cork. you do a back-to-back double cork. other people do it but you know, sometimes it happens so fast, shaun, that people at home don't really get to appreciate it. we've got this animation we want to show you. and just talk us through what's going through your mind as this is happening. >> this one is a cab double cork, so it just means switch. right here, you take off in your normal trick, and right here you go for the second flip. so, that's usually the point where you panic and back out and decide, what am i doing here? but it's kind of a mindset you have to take where you basically initiate the first trick, and then where you would normally land right about here, you go in for the second flip, and it's all commitment from there, and i don't know, it's been a wild trick to basically create, and i'm just happy to be able to put it down. >> what's the rush when you win gold a second time? is it the same? >> i wish i could say this time was the same, but it's just totally different. i mean, even the road to g here is just -- i mean, the work is so much harder. >> how so? >> i mean, i've been crashing, i ripped a ligament in my thin. >> your chin. >> i chipped a bone in my ankle. yeah, i hit my chin. so, it's been such a struggle, and to be here and actually be safe and all right. >> did you ever he second thoughts leading up to this, gee, maybe -- >> no. you know, i was really nervous in qualifying. >> you were? >> really? >> i was, because -- >> you were nervous? >> you don't want to be the guy that doesn't qualify, not that there are people that didn't make it -- >> the gold medal to not qualify. >> but i was the pressure guy and everybody made sure everyone knew i was the one to beat. >> are you having fun? you're talking about pressure, but was it still fun? >> it was unreal, yeah it was a blast just because -- well, see, after the first run, i was having a really good time, and yeah, i don't know. i was just standing there and i knew i had the run in me, and i crashed a couple times even in practice, but i knew i could get those falls out of the way and lay down the good run. >> you know, life has changed so dramatically for you since the first gold medal in torino, and we've talked about this. you've not only become a snowboarder, you've become a corporation. i mean, you've got all these business interests, these endorsements. you've got commitments. you're drawn in one direction, and yet, what i think is great about you is you have not lost connection with your sport. you continue to innovate in the sport. a lot of other athletes, when this happens to them, they lose focus. how have you not lost focus? >> i don't know. i mean, i obviously set these goals for myself, and some are way out of reach and some aren't as much. and i think that any step toward that is the right way to go. and basically, for me, this season was completely different. i've always been a guy that takes a trick that's already been out there and just kind of did it a little better, a little bigger. and this time, i was actually able to create about five brand new tricks for the sport. so, it's -- >> what goal is out of reach for you? >> yeah. >> president? >> you know -- >> the dohill -- >> you know. >> also to be able to celebrate with friends and family here. >> oh, yeah. >> especially your mom. did she watch you as you were doing this? >> well, everybody that didn't get to come to torino was like, we're coming. and so, they were all here losing their minds down at the bottom there. there they are, the cheering, the whole squad there. my dad actually fell down the bleachers. >> oh, god. >> geez. >> he's fine. he's tough as nails, so, you know. >> i don't know if i were a parent if i'd be watching you, if i'd have my eyes hidden. i'd be nervous. >> my mom didn't even watch. she was panicked. and i don't see all that side of it. >> sure. >> but she's got all these random rituals she does to make sure i'll do well. >> we had asked you about the tattoo, right? we understand you're getting a tattoo? >> i'm not sure. i'm somewhat getting peer pressured into one by the u.s. team coach. he's like, "we're getting tattoos!" and we're at the top of the pipe, so i don't want to like shut him down, you know? he was in his prime. >> exactly. >> we could do it torro if you want. >> yeah. it's right here. >> a couple hours of no sleep and you'd have one already. >> i'm sure. i'm sure. >> quickly, before we let you go, what do you want to pass on to the next generation of snowboarders, the younger ones coming up right now? what lessons do you want to teach them not only in the halfpipe, but away from it as well? >> i don't know. i'd just say to have fun and represent the sport the way that they feel best. i mean, i've always found it strange to be one person speaking for a group that's much larger than myself. and i don't know, i've been able to meeteople that thanked me for the way i was able to represent the sport and just talk about it and describe how much fun it is. everybody out here understands that. >> yeah. >> and so -- yeah, i hope they have fun and don't give me too hard of a time when i'm all old and -- >> you know what, everyone out here wants to know if you'll be back in four years? >> i would love to be back. >> yeah, all right! >> i think we would be going next to russia. but what would i wear? >> that's it. >> there we go. all right! am i ready? i'm ready! moscow, all right. all right. >> are you going to hang around the games for a couple of days or do you have other commitments? where are you going to be? >> i'm not sure. i'm going to see what vancouver has to offer. >> all right. >> you're looking cold. i don't want to -- i'll get my own. >> any events that you particularly want to see the next couple days? >> i'm not sure. i would love to stop in and see a hockey game. i've never seen one in my whole life. so i'd love to check that out. >> i think you've got a ticket. >> yeah? i'm supposed to be getting one of those shiny medals in a couple hours. >> make sure it's the gold one. >> yeah, yeah. >> that one's yours, baby. your bronze medal winner, scotty lago's going to be with us in a little while as well. congratulations. team usa, way to go. >> shaun whit >> yay! >> congratulations, buddy. >> yeah. >> let's go back to new york. amy robach's standing by with the other news headlines of the morning. take it away. >> yeah, that is a tough act to follow. thanks, guys. good morning, everyone. today, eight of ten american missionaries detained almost a month in haiti are back in the u.s. they arrived in miami this morning after a judge in haiti allowed them to leave. two other americans are still in haiti for more questioning, accused of trying to take 33 children out of the country illegally. after months of scandal, tiger woods is about to break his silence and make a public apology. nbc's kerry sanders is in st. augustine, florida, with those details. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, amy. tiger's done everythin he can to stay away from cameras since november, but now he's finally ready to open up, sort of. tomorrow, here, he's going to meet with a select group of friends and a hand-picked group of reporters. this is not a press conference. he's not going to answer questions. but clearly, he's going to try to redeem his image. tiger woods is no longer running away from cameras. since his bizarre car accident three months ago, tiger's been in virtual hiding, but tomorrow, woods will speak out and plans to apologize for his behavior, according to a statement issued by his agent. >> three months later's perfect time for tiger woods to come out. people will see tiger woods emerge a better husband, a better father and a better person. i think america's ready to forgive tiger woods and we're ready to see him bring his "a" game back to the golf course. >> reporter: after admitting infidelity, tiger was reportedly treated for sex addiction in mississippi, and now he's back in florida living around the corner from his wife, elin. >> his wife, elin, has been hurt tremendously throughout this process. >> reporter: senior editor jen garcia says the next issue of "people" magazine looks at the fractured marriage between the couple, this as more fantastic claims surface. >> the most recent allegation against tiger woods is from a porn star. this recent report says that she was pregnant with two of his children, which she never had. so, we're really not sure what's fact, what's fiction. >> reporter: now, again, this on-camera appearance is going to be tightly controlled. there are three wire service reporters who have been invited to attend and the golf writers association has been asked to select three other reporters. he's not going to take questions, but he is going to speak. and interestingly, this is all happening at the same time that the accenture match play championship is under way, and you may remember, accenture is one of the sponsors who dropped him when the scandal first broke. amy? >> kerry sanders, thank you. transportation officials are stepping up security at airports, including random hand swabbing to screen passengers for explosives. the new procedure follows the attempted christmas day bombing of a plane about to land in detroit. investigators are trying to find out why a small plane crashed wednesday in a california neighborhood, killing all three people on the plane. fire officials say it's a miracle no one on the ground was hurt. and this morning, president obama meets with the dalai lama. it's a visit that has triggered outrage from china. and we don't recommend you try this at home, but an elderly woman in massachusetts took matters into her own hands when a man robbed a clerk at a convenient store, whacking the suspect with a handheld scanner, and it worked. the suspect fled but was later caught. it is 7:16. back to meredith, matt, ann and al. who needs a weapon when you have an elderly woman with a hand scanner? >> there you go. >> that's right. >> good for her. although it probably wasn't a right thing to do. >> nice weather? >> we have a ridge of high pressure dominating the wt coast, and on the satellite picture, you'll see that high pressure. and the satellite, clear skies from medford all the way up to vancouver. vancouver forecast looking great. downtown vancouver temperatures will be in the 50s today and whistler, we're looking at good morning, still mostly cloudy and a blustery wind this morning keeping the temperatures up. it's above freezing throughout most of the region, right now 38 in washington, the mid 30s in the suburbs and rural areas. a blustery wind with us throughout the day with clouds coming through from time to time and highs reaching the low 40s. more sun around tomorrow, should be a bit milder and partly cloudy saturday, sunday increasing clouds with highs in the mid 40s. a wintry mix is possible on monday. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks very much. talk about another impressive performance right now, lindsey vonn's gold medal performance in the women's wnhill. as soon as she finished the race, the emotion poured out of her. we went to whistler and sat down with the olympic champion. we have gotten for you your chocolate -- >> yes, chocolate! that's good. >> -- olympic gold medal. >> cool. >> and just because we adore you, congratulations. >> thanks, matt. oh, thank you. >> we are so proud. >> gold medalist and olympic champion lindsey vonn! [ sigh ] >> have you allowed yourself to exhale yet? >> i'm trying, but it's so overwhelming, you know? there's so many emotions. >> you said to me, you said the waterworks, at least temporily, have stopped. >> yeah. >> were you surprised at the flow of emotions? >> yeah. i just, i couldn't really contain myse. i've worked so hard for this, and you know, to finally be able to stand at the finish with a gold medal is, it's so awesome. >> was it joy? was it relief? how do you -- >> pretty much everything. i mean, it was all that, you know? it was a lot of relief and a lot of just happiness, you know, happy that i finally did it. and i mean, my family was the and eryone was crying, and it was just -- it's so positive, you know? >> let's talk about the race. of course, it was treacherous. 5 of the first 23 racers fell. 7 of the 45 did not finish. did it feel like a really tough course to you? what were the conditions? >> it was really tough. i mean, i knew that from the first training run. it was just bumpy and there was no room for error. >> at the start, there was a great tight shot. you really came in tight. >> great. >> you had the most intense look on your face. >> were you scared? >> i didn't have to be scared, but what were you thinking at that moment? >> i was just trying to be aggressive, you know. i was thinking about what i had to do, and i just kept thinking, you know, you've got to do it, you know, just go for it, don't hold anything back. and i wasn't nervous at all, actually. i was just really calm and focused, you know? >> were you thinking is this going to hurt? >> i've been trying not to think about that all day, you know. i've just been focusing on what i have to do on the course, not thinking about my shin at all. and once i got on course and i felt it, obviously, but i was more focused on just trying to, you know, have a good run and hang in there. it was a bumpy course. i was trying to fight my way down. >> lindsey vonn into the lead by more than a half second! >> and when i got to the finish, it was so amazing. seeing number one next to your name is incredible. >> you pump your fists, and then it looked like you collapsed. >> oh,eah. >> i mean, you just kind of fell in a heap. >> yeah. i just, i couldn't stand up anymore. i just fell over and was just, it was an overwhelming feeling, you know? just screaming and happy, and i did it, you know? just thinking i did it. >> talk to me about, first of all, seeing thomas, your husband. >> it was awesome, you know? i talked to him on theadio and he was like, "good job," you know, "it was awesome!" but when i saw him, i just broke down and i was so happy. and i mean, he's helped me so much and he's the reason why i've been skiing so well. >> what did he say to you? because there's a great shot of you guys embracing, and looked like you were whispering in each other's ears. >> he said "you deserve it," you know, "enjoy this moment because you deserve it." but it's not just me, though. it's both of us and it's everyone that's helped me along the way. it's been a long journey to get here, but that was kind of the moment when, you know, we both realized that it was -- i did it. and it was really emotional. >> you weren't sure you were going to be able to find your family. >> yeah. i was really nervous because there were so many people. i was looking everywhere, and then i saw thomas, you know, standing next to the family, and i just started jumping fences, you know? i just wanted to get to them, and i saw everyone and everyone was crying, and it was just, it was so awesome, you know? i wanted my family to be there more than anything, because you know, they're the reason why i'm a ski racer, you know? they sacrificed everything for me and they moved to colorado just for me, and it's so amazing when you can share that experience with them, and it was all of our success. >> olympic champion lindsey vonn. and there's more great action tonight on nbc primetime, including the finals in the men's figure skating. it starts at 8:00/7:00 central time right here on nbc. >> that's right. we'll have more on those awful women's downhill, how even the smallest mistake can spell disaster. when we come back, we'll have an interview with the new olympic silver medalist, julia mancuso. >> plus, a preview of the men's figure skating finals. [ male announcer ] aquafresh iso-active whitening. a breakthrough gel that transforms into an active foam. it not only helps prevent cavities, it whitens 33% better between teeth. aquafresh iso-active whitening. amazing. one reason? lubriderm® contains the same nutrients naturally found in healthy skin. skin absorbs it for a clinically shown 24 hours. for skin that looks and feels truly comfortable. lubriderm®. your moisture matched. our time right now is 7:26 on this thursday, february 18, 2010. a deadly pedestrian accident in prince george's county. let's go rifgt to jerry edwards. >> the accidents occurred just a short time ago closing down a stretch of branch avenue. it appears that authorities will be on the scene for some time to come to do the investigation. inbound route 5 is jammed coming in from the belt way. you can -- quick check along 270, volume only, no major incidents to report all the way on down to the split. be careful, we're still dealing with some ice andnow on the roadways. joe? >> we'll get a quick check good morning, a cloudy sky and we have the winds gusting to around 30 miles an hour. temperatures now in the mid and upper 30s. highs should make it into the low 40s. a bit warmer friday, saturday and sunday. >> coming up on news4 at 5:00, training like an olympian. a local coach who knows ♪ 7:30 now on a thursda morning. it's the 18th day of february 2010. there's a look at the olympic cauldron downtown vancouver, british columbia. we're about 20 minutes away from there, 3,700 feet up at grouse mounin, where we've got our second medalist of the morning. this time, the people here at grouse are getting a chance to say hi to scotty lago. that's not scotty. scotty lago, who's the one who grabbed the bronz in the men's halfpipe last night, and we're going to get to talk to scotty lago. >> there's scotty! >> there he is. >> in just a couple of minutes. >> all right. >> meanwhile, out here at grouse, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, ann curry and al roker. >> and actually, mr. lago is not the only american medalist we're going to hear from today. >> not by a long-shot. >> julia mancuso skied her way to the silver in the downhill. it's a big achievement for her. we'll have her thoughts on all that in just a bit. plus, more on the dangerous spills that mancuso and lindsey vonn managed to avoid on wednesday. six competitors went down in the downhill competition, some in frightening fashion. just ahead, what it is like to live on the edge at speeds of over 80 miles an hour for the women. >> they really pack that stuff wn to make it really slippery. >> and it is. and speaking of living on the edge, team "today" loves to test ourselves. we love to live on the edge. >> we had to find something. >> yeah, some of us do. >> test our metal. we found a zip line over downtown vancouver eight stories tall, 50 miles per hour. can we do it? you'll find out tomorrow. >> did you see the look on my face, al? >> yes. >> did you get a look -- >> i did. i did. >> we're all still he. >> we're all upright. all right, first, let's say hello to bronze medalist scotty lago. >> come on in, scotty. >> way to go! >> congratulations. >> so exciting! >> thank you. thank you so much. >> nice to see you. thanks for coming. >> nice to see you. have you slept at all? >> no, i have not. >> you have also not. >> no, i have not slept. >> what is going through your head this morning, the bronze medal? way to go. >> i'm so excited! i'm so excited, you know, and it was so special because my family came out to see me, my grandfather and my brother, my dad, my mom, and it was really special. >> well, the whole town of seabrook is proud of you in new hampshire. >> yeah. >> everywhere. >> i can't wait to go home. >> in fact, there was something scheduled for the sameime because there's an election and there was a move to move that because everybody was going to be watching you. that's true. that's what happened. they couldn't move it so they probably got very good ratings. >> dropped into the halfpipe, the whole thing lasts just a few seconds. >> yeah. >> but take me through it in your mind. what ha wa happening and how did you feel? >> well, i was standing at the top of the pipe and i try to block out everything that was going on, you know. obviously, i knew i was athe olympics, you know. there was a lot to lose, you know, but i waseally looking at it as wow, you know, i have a great opportunity here, so i kind of blocked out everything. and you know, i was just like, all right, i'm going to take it hit by hit and, you know, and just go do it, you know? my body knows what to do. don't overthink it and just ride like you know how to ride. so that was kind of my mentality going into it and it worked out. >> after making it in the 2000 games, i know you sort of changed your approach to the sport in terms of practicing and setting goals for yourself. >> totally, totally. yeah, i think being goal-oriented is super important, you know? having like day goals, monthly goals, whatever, you know, year goals. so, that's kind of what i've been doing, you know, and i've been working a little bit on, you know, on my mental game, you know, for competitions, because i used to choke in contests. >> yeah. >> what's it like being part of the best day for team usa in winter olympics history? >> yeah. >> it's, it's like this. it's like this. >> i know you're doing it for two dear friends of yours as well. >> yes, to kevin pearceon and to danny davis, two of my dear buddies on the frends crew. >> and it's frends without an "i." >> yeah. >> and you dedicated your run to them. so if they're listening. >> there we go. we've got a photo there. >> and to your friends in seabrook? >> yeah, what's up, boys? i hope they're awake right now, make sure they're partying. >> oh, they're awake. >> probably haven't gone to bed. >> what's your goal for today, the way? >> do you have a goal? >> my goal? to get some sleep. >> that's a good one. bronze medal winner scotty lago. >> bravo! >> way to go. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> and it was a record-setting day for team usa. another medal, a silver to julia mancuso in the women's downhill. we went up to whistler and sat down with her. we watched you at the start. took a nice, tight shot of your face. you seemed completely calm. >> i know that the skiing's the easiest part. everything else brings more anxiety, the waiting for the racing. but once i stand in the start gate, everything kind of calms and clears and i can just do what i do best. >> talk me through your run. it seemed like a pretty clean run. >> it was a good run, but definitely, clicking out of the start gate, i started to go a little too straight. the snow conditions changed with all the weather. we had to regroom it, even from our training run. then towards the middle i really started to pick it up and i kept my speed going and really all the way to the finish, and i was psyched with my run. >> there were no harrowing moments? i mean, a lot of skiers fell. >> it's fast in that snow, you know. it's frozen. there's a lot of water in it and there's a lot of bumps, so i hit a couple spots where my ski was kind of waving. you know, if you would get that at the wrong split second, you could cross your tips and go down or something. so, i had one moment where i was like, okay, hold on, and definitely flew off the last jump. but all in all, i feel like i never really scrubbed speed anywhere. >> you were the tenth skier. you've got to sit there and watch everybody else try to knock you off the podium. can you describe that feeling? what do you do during that time? how do you go through it? >> it's actually a lot tougher than actually skiing the race. i was sitting there, and a couple girls crashed, and that makes it even tougher, because you're like waiting. i knew i did my best, and it's hard because when you're in the finish in that situation, you want to be super psyched about your run, no matter what, but of course, if people start to beat you, it's like, okay it wasn't as good as i thought. so, there's a really fine line about how excited you can be down there. it's more just a bunch of nerves. >> you sat there for six other skiers, still number one, and then lindsey came. >> she first thing took out of the gate and she was having a good run and just kept gaining speed on me. so, it was like kind of expected because she's been skiing so well. and to me, when she crossed the finish line, i'm psyched for my teammate and she's had so much pressure coming into these races, so it's really incredible she was able to have a good run. and i also knew for myself that at one point she had an even greater lead on me, and i actually gained time on the bottom, so for me, that was a good sign that, you know, my time could actually hold up and i could stay on the podium. >> you've got a silver medal now. you've got three events to go. do they become more fun now or do you press yourself harder to try and get a gold? >> i was so nervous going into this race. i couldn't really sleep last night. i really had to force myself to go to sleep and i woke up this morning at 5:30 just waiting. i'm like, okay, when's my alarm going to go off? so, hopefully those jitters are out of the way. i'm excited to have a medal already. and i mean, just coming into these olympics without being on the podium in two years, that's really all i wanted was a medal. so, now, i'll just use that for my confidence and i'm really excited for the next races, too. i think that there's definitely some more medals to be had. >> and don't forget, she already has a gold medal from the torino games four years ago. so, congratulations to julia mancuso. let's get a check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> hey, thanks ilot, matt. and we've got some cold temperatures again to talk about, especially down through the southeast. temperatures anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees below normal. also back through the plains. warm here in the west as that high pressure ridge continues to build. temperatures 60s and 70s there, 60s in florida, teens and 20s as you get through the plain st blustery and cold, good morning, we have some clouds racing through, winds gusting to 30 miles an hour, temperatures now in the mid to upper 30s, we might make it to the low 40s with sunshine breaking out from time to time. still a bit blustery for friday and saturdayith highs in the mid 40s. sunday mostly cloudy, mid 40s again for highs and morning lows 20s. a possibility of a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain on monday. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. coming up, the danger of the downhill. we'll take a look at some of those ugly crashes from yesterday's women's competition. ... all over my body... ...it just doesn't go away. it's so baffling. 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(announcer) halls. a pep talk in every drop. four hours before you order them? it's all in the pepperation. for me, pepperation is about getting in early to smoke your ribs lownd slow over pecan wood chips for a sweet, smoky flavor. then i triple-baste them till they're fall-off-the-bone tender. this is shiner bock barbecue sauce i'm using. come in now for baby back ribs. choose 1 of 10 freshly prepared entrées plus an appetizer for just $9.99. only at chili's. it's all in the pepperation. the sparkly flakes. the honey-baked bunches! the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? eating it. honey bunches of oats. taste the joy we put in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats. we call the bunches in honey bunches of oats the prize in the box. well, now there's a prize inside the prize. pecans! pecans! baked into crunchy oat bunches. taste the delicious surprise in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats with pecan bunches. beautiful. welcome back to grouse mountain in vancouver. the women's downhill featured some spectacular runs led by gold medal winner lindsey vonn, but we also saw plenty of spills and thrills. nbc's jeff rossen has made his way to the top of the mountain here at grouse. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, meredith, good morning to you. standing here at the top of grouse above you, you really get the idea this is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. think about it. these downhill skiers are racing at 80 miles per hour. the men, we're told, get well into the 90 to 100-mile-per-hour range, meaning any mistake, any tiny mistake, can mean disaster. >> just launched into orbit here. >> reporter: the women's downhill. >> what a violent landing she had. >> reporter: looked like t women's wipeout wednesday. one event, six dratic crashes, including this one from romania's edith meklos. she was airlifted with a knee injury that's knocked her out of the olympics. the swedish standout was on the way to win the silver when she lost control off a final jump. she flew nearly 200 feet in the air before crashing through a gate, her body twisting and turning, sliding down the slope. in fact, that final jump took out several skiers. >> one ski came flying off immediately on impact. >> reporter: she eventually got up and walked away. >> oh, she's up and walking. that is just great to see. >> reporter: the italian skier had problems, too. and the hits kept on coming. clara grizova of the czech republic didn't even make it to the final jump. amazingly, she got up and finished the run. marion roland of france barely even started. just seconds out of the gate, it was over. what a day. >> this downhill today, i saw more crashes than any single race that i saw all season long. in downhill, you're going almost 80 miles an hour. you make a slight little mistake, that ski catches, and you are going to be in trouble. >> now it's herman meyer. >> reporter: skiing spills are a staple of the winter games. naga nagano, 1998, austrian herman meyer was off to a great start, and then -- >> watch him catch air right here. >> the skis and the shoulder and the helmet of meyer smacking that hard-packed, icy course. >> reporter: he must be made of rubber. he was able to walk away. then there's torino 2006 and the now-infamous lindsey vonn crash. the impact so intense, when lindsey finally skidded to a stop, she couldn't move. also in torino, a dramatic fall for american ted ligety. >> that's the sketchy part about skiing is it's superasy to go out of the course and it's real easy to fall, too. there's really no margin for error all the way down. >> reporter: luckily, be no ones seesly injured yesterday, but there were so many crashes, the race director now decided they want to change the crash before going forward. so they'll lower the jump zone where everybody crashed yesterday and shorten the downhill portion to slow these skiers down. >> jeff, you mentioned six falls. i think you're mistaken. we counted seven. in fact, we have the prove it, jeff. [ laughter ] >> reporter: nice. >> yeah, there you go, baby. >> reporter: oh, yeah! >> that is definitely a spill, if i've ever seen one. but wait! he's getting up. is he up? he's up! >> reporter: it's called body surfing with the idiot on a mountain. look forward to 2012. >> thanks very much, jeff. gold and silver medal winning skier picabo street knows something about all this and is a special correspondent for the vancouver games. good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> we're used to spills in olympic skiing competition, but this course seemed particularly rough. talk to me about it from what you've seen. how bad was it? >> well, i think what everybody needs to remember here is they did have a training run on the course but only one and they weren't actually allowed to ski at full pace in that training run through the bottom section of that course. so, this was really their full all-out run on the course and to have your first run be a race run, you're going to have this happen. >> but at what point does a slope become too dangerous to race? because a lot of skiers were concerned about the roughness of the slope. >> yeah, it was borderline yesterday, i would say, definitely. when you're seeing people going down, good skiers crash on a course like this, you get to wondering, but again, there's so little experience they've had on the course, you can't expect them to really have wrapped their brain around it and grasped it as the course and be able to manage it any better. >> which makes lindsey's run so spectacular. >> awesome. amazing. >> except on the point on the final jump. she lands solidly and then begins to wobble a little bit, nearly falls. >> mm-hmm. >> what do you think made the difference for lindsey and helped her win the gold in that moment? >> well, i mean, right there you can see her ski go out from underneath her. she has all her weight off that right leg just because it hurts so badly. so, at that point she's like, it hurts so much, let me get my weight off of it and she's got all her weight on her left leg. to me, that tells me she was cautious of that leg the whole way down the course and she was skiing accordingly but managed it well. and like i said, skiing at 80%, she's still clever enough in her mind to be ae to beat everybody. >> one of her best friends, maria reich of germany didn't crash, but she skied conservatively, at least some suggested she did. >> yes, ma'am. >> because of the crashes before her. you've been there in the starting gate. how is a skier reflected by what comes before them? >> those were really long holds, meredith. and these girls, they're friends, you know? they may not spend all their time together and be as tight as lindsey and maria, but they're buddies and they care about each other and they're in this together. so when there's holes like that you get to wondering, where's the helicopter? how bad are they? maria was affected really badly by it, because she was so far back in the pack, okay? it's one thing if you're like two to go and you're kind of already in your zone and you're already focused. you kind of know what your plan of attack is and you're already in that mode. with maria, she was still kind of cruising, still in her prerace prep, and that's an opening for your mind to kind of wander and grind on you. so, i can't help but wonder, you know, if she chose to ski more tentatively just subconsciously, maybe not even consciously, knowing so many people went down. >> will the skiers feel better given the changes that have been done to the slope? >> that's not going to really matter as much to them. they'll see those in inspection this morning. what will matter more is they've got to run on it now they know, you know? julia was talking about how much the course accelerated down on the bottom part because thehad kind of stood up and tip-toed through that in training and then have the hammer dropped in a race run in fifth gear and it's coming at them so fast. it's not going to come at them so fast this morning. you'll see them really kind of sticking their nose in it and you won't see the same crashes today. >> picabo, thank you so much. and still ahead, what did shaun white's family think of his halfpipe gold? jenna bush hager talked to them nt. 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(announcer) ask your doctor about pristiq. good morning. 7:56 is our time right now, 37 degrees as we look at a live picture of the united states capitol.ñyp r(t&háhp &hc% we have some breaking news to tell you about inxd prince george's county. deadly pedestrian accident. the news4 traffic center. >> branch avenue between silver park way and southern avenue. authorities have the entire stretch inbound and outbound of route 5 closed for añr while. just mom=n5m ago authoritiesçó reopened the inbound side of branch avenue, but the outbound side are remains closed. over on 66, just loaded up, a lot of volume eastbound, making the tr . >> this time in fairfax county, chopper 4 was on the scene just a few minutes ago over a deadly camping trailer fire in newington. this is near the intersection of day street and terminal road. we don't know anymore information except the fact that one person did die in this fire. good morning, temperatures around the region in the mid 30s, winds are gusting to around 30 miles an hour. and we'll have thoseñi blustery winds with us throughout the day, highs reaching the low 40s. then we should have quite a bit of sun tomorrow, highs reaching the mid 40s and still colder than the average high of 48. then saturday and sunday, both days highs mid 40s, morning lows it does appear question could get a wintry mix. we could get some snow, sleet and rain. and now, jerry, how's the traffic? >> thanks very much. coming up on news4 at 5 how ♪ 8:00 now on this thursday morning, february the 18th, 2010. a gorgeous morning here at our beautiful home for the winter games, vancouver's grouse mountain. just ahead, all the highlights from wednesday's banner day for team usa. if i can spit it out. and there were a lot of medals. >> yeah, a lot of medals, six in all. also, we'll preview the marquee event for tonight, the finals in the men's figure skating. >> i will be there. >> american evan lysacek is in second place behind the points leader evgeni plushenko. who has the upper hand? we'll talk to brian boitano about that. brian is the last american man to win that event. it happened 22 years ago. >> hard to believe. >> because he's only 22 years old. also, who had a ticket for shaun white yesterday? who got to see shaun white win gold yesterday? none of us. >> nobody of us. >> well, guess what? one of our team actually got to see him, and that was jenna bush hager. there she is. he's going to tell us what it was like to be watching that as it happened. >> thrilling, for sure. and is it fashion forward or a fashion faux pas? either way, norway's curling team, they've got everybody talking abt their pants. >> we'll talk more about them, too. first, natalie has a wrap-up of yesterday's events. natalie? >> going into wednesday's competition, expectations were so high, and the americans, boy, did they live up to them. >> into the lead by more than a half second. >> reporter: lindsey vonn -- >> the gold medalist! her dream has come true. >> pushing it until the end! >> reporter: shani davis. >> and he's got another gold medal! >> oh, and there it is! oh! >> reporter: and shaun white. >> double gold. boy, does he deliver! >> reporter: one day of competition, three gold medals for team usa, the most emotional win from downhill skier lindsey vonn. >> i've given up everything for this, and it means everything to me. >> julia mancuso, what an effort! >> reporter: vonn's teammate, julia mancuso, also added to the american medal count, taking the silver and wrapping up an impressive day of downhill for the american women. equally impressive, the american men's performance on the halfpipe. shaun white won his second consecutive gold medal, while teammate scotty lago took home the bronze. on the short track, apolo ohno, now one step closer to becoming the most decorated winter olympian of all time. he's in first place going into the 1000-meter finals and helped lead his team into second heading into the 5000-meter relay final. today, it's american figure skater evan lysacek's turn to go for the gold. he enters the free skate in second place, just behind reigning olympic champion, evgeni plushenko of russia. will lysacek dethrone plushenko to become the new king of the ice? and to give you guys an idea just how close that figure skating competition is, less than a point separates first place from third. so, you're going to have a real exciting event to watch tonight. >> it's going to be great. >> and i know you'll be talking about this with brian boitano coming up as well. >> by the way, wanted to talk to shani davis, the gold medal winner in speed skating. we hope to talk to him later in the games. >> that's right. >> absolutely. >> now we'll throw it to new york and amy robach for a check of the rest of the news. hey, amy. >> hey, meredith. good morning, everyone. eight american missionaries charged with child abduction in haiti are back in the u.s. the eight baptists, mostly from idaho, arrived in miami this morning nearly three weeks after being jailed for allegedly trying to take a group of children out of the earthquake-devastated country to an orphanage they had set up in the dominican republic. the group's leader and another person remain in haitian custody for additional questioning. transportation officials are adding another layer of security to the nation's airports. more passengers may have their hands or carry-on luggage swabbed for traces of explosives. the stepped-up security follows the christmas day attempted bombing of a detroit-bound jetliner. and president obama signs an executive order today creating a commission to help fix a government that's drowning in red ink. the national commission on fiscal responsibility and reform will make recommendations on how to reduce the nation's skyrocketing national debt. tiger woods' agent says the golfer wants to begin the process of making amends and returning to the spotlight. ods plans to make a statement tomorrow, but not answer questions in his first public appearance since november, when a car accident revealed a sex scandal. his statement is an attempt to adess what his agent says is a private matter, his marriage and to repair his tattered image. and do you remember the song "don't worry, be happy"? well, researchers at columbia university say that's good advice. happiness can help prevent heart attacks. the researchers tracked the happiness levels of more tha 1,700 ults in canada and found happier people tend to have fewer heart problems. it is now 8:05. let's get another check of the weather from al, one of the happiest guys i know, in vancouver. >> well, thank you very much, amy. we've got a nice group here, people who have got the canada flags on their faces. very nice. but got some american flags as ll. where are you guys from? >> saratoga. >> all right. new york state. way to go. new york state of mind, canadian state of mind. let's check your weather and we'll show you for today, pick city, st. paul, minnesota, kare 11 news, sunny and cold, 31 degrees today. as far as temperatures are concerned and weather conditions, lake-effect snow around the great lakes, plenty of sunshine up and down the west coast. east coast looks pretty good with the exception of interior sections of new york where we have snow there. sunshine through the gulf coast, te good morning. partly cloudy, blustery and cold this morning. temperatures are above freezing, we're generally in the mid 30s around the area and we have winds gusting to near 30 miles an hour, from time to time those-plthose blustery windsçó will be withñi throughout the afternoon. friday and saturday, morning lows in the 20s, highs in the 40s. a wintry mix possible on monday. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. when we come back, exactly what a quad, and should it determine who wins the men's figure skating competition? we'll ask that question to brian boitano, the last american man to win that event. t first, these messages. d. chilled. sweet! 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[ male announcer ] the chevy malibu. a consumer's digest best buy with a 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. you can depend on it so people can depend on you. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've wanted to quit smoking so many times, but those days came and went and the cigarettes remained. ♪ today's a new day. talk to your doctor about prescription treatment options and support. and this time, make it your time. >> announcer: "today's olympic moment" is brought to you by coca-cola. and today on our "olympic moment," the golden one in the halfpipe with the bright red hair. he's been called the flying tomato, animal, even red zeppelin. but just two words really describe snowboarder shaun white -- olympic champion. >> shaun white with the biggest -- >> reporter: with a sterling first run on the halfpipe last night -- >> shaun's moves right now are so much higher than the other riders. >> reporter: -- white found out he had won his second gold moments before taking his final turn. >> yeah! >> reporter: and in that last victory lap, white didn't hold back, pulling off a trick only he could dare to attempt. >> all eyes to this hit. oh! and that is what the fans wanted to see, shaun white, double gold. boy, does he deliver! >> reporter: big red raising the red, white and blue in triumph. >> usa! >> what a great day for snowboarding. >> reporter: and shaun white has one more celebration in mind. with this victory, he and his coach plan to get matching tattoos. although maybe he was hedging his bets on that a little bit earlier this morning, but congratulations to shaun white. and now here's meredith. >> hey, matt, thank you very much. tonight all eyes will be on men's fure skating, and some big air could decide that gold as well, the quad. rush evgeni plushenko plans to attempt one. american evan lysacek will not. so, what does it take to pull off a quad? we asked evan to explain. >> the most difficult trip is a quadruple, which is four rotations in the air. i can't really tell you how it's done. you just go as fast as you can and jump with every ounce of energy and strength that you have in your legs and be as quick as possible and pull in as tight as you can possibly pull everything together and then you cross your fingers and hope that you come down on the blade, or at least like come down upright and not upside down. >> brian boitano is here to preview tonight's free skate. he is the last american man to win olympic gold, 22 years ago at the winter games in calgary. brian, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we hear so much about the quad. it is so difficult. explain to us why it is such an important element. >> i think it's an important element because it really pushes figure skating forward. it's a technical element that you have to master, and if you don't master it, you shouldn't be putting it in competition. that's why you see a lot of guys doing it and a lot of guys not doing it. >> so, will this competition come down to which skater does it and which skater doesn't? >> it could come down to that. in plushenko's case, he needs to do the quad because it's in his stable - >> it's sort of him, right? it defines him. >> and with the other skaters, they really excel at the artistic side of it, the spinning, the footwork, and he doesn't do that as well. so, he really needs to do the quad. >> of the five skaters that attempted a quad in the short program, he's the only one that successfully pulled it off. >> yes. and the other guys that did not do it successfully ended up in the double digits, but those guys who tried it in the short program, they do it on a regular basis. it's clockwork to them, so, they just happened to miss it. with him, it's clockwork to him as well, and you see other people like evan and people not trying it because it's not a coistent jump for them. >> but let's talk about him, because he wants to be the first american male since you to take home the gold, and it is not part of his program. >> right. >> so, what will we see from him tonight? he does a triple, not the quad. >> yeah. he does a triple axel. he's a very consistent skater. there's no one more consistent than him. he's a great competitor as well as plushenko. they really excel in that. they're the mentally strongest competitors in the competition. so, that's why i think it's going to come down to a great skate with evan, which i think that he's going to skate a clean program, and then plushenko, and plushenko will be doing the quad. if plushenko hits the quad and does a clean program, it will be hard for evan to beat. >> to beat that. what about takahashi, a combination of artistry and technical skill. didn't attempt the quad in the short but says he will attempt one now. >> which is not a smart move now. >> you don't think so? >> no, because if it's not consistent and you haven't been doing it for years coming into this competition, it's not a smart play. you should go clean. his strengths are his spinning, his footwork connective stuff and other triples. so, he should stick with that. we'll see how that turns out. >> and his teammate, oda right behind him in fourth place. does he stand a chance? >> yes. they all stand a chance. there's a line of seven, six guys that really could sneak in and get a medal, a bronze, maybe even a silver depending o how the first two guys skate. so, everybody is in contention. >> which makes it a great competition tonight. >> it will be very exciting. >> brian boitano, thank you very much. you're sticking around for a cooking segment. >> i'm cooking with you and having a cocktail. >> all right! of course, you can watch men's figure skating, the final live in primetime starting at 8:00/7:00 central time here on nbc. up next, the day's other marquee event, the women's halfpipe. can team usa sweep all three medals? we're going to ask them right after this [ female announcer ] skinny, lanky lashes? so not sexy! turn up the heat... with new voluptuous mascara, from maybelline new york. the red hot news? the voluptuous brush. it lengthens and plumps at the same time. for sexy new measurements. up to 70% longer... 80% more va-va-volume. it's the most voluptuous mascara lashes will ever wear. it's hotter than ever. 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[ cellphones ringing, vibrating ] [ computer beeps ] get started at bank of america. >> announcer: "today's athlete to watch" is brought to you by p&g, proud sponsor of moms. and this morning on "today's athlete to watch," the women of the halfpipe. the u.s. has dominated this event ever since it was intruced back in salt lake city in 2002. on the men's side, shaun white continued that domination last night. and as nbc's kevin tibbles will show us, tonight the women get their turn. >> reporter: america's halfpipe dream team is set for high-flying on cypress mountain. and these fast friends and fierce competitors have a pretty solid history of collecting the hardware. >> this one for the fans here. >> reporter: hannah teter, gold medalist at the torino games. gretchen bleiler, silver medalist in torino, and kelly clark, gold medalist salt lake city. >> i think when we were going to the last olympics, hannah started calling us the dream team. she always reminds us of who we are and where we're going. >> reporter: but in vancouver, they faced some unexpected competition from half a world away. china's yu jiyu stunned everyone at the women's halfpipe world championship when she landed atop the podium. hannah teter says she's ready for it all. bring it on. who's the competition in vancouver? >> there's a lot of competition this year from the chinese riders, the japanese riders, mainly the u.s. riders are, i think, my hardest competition. kelly, gretchen. everyone's just looking really dialed in and really centered and really motivated. so, it' going to be a big year. >> does it put you in an uncomfortable position, the fact that the biggest competition you have happens to be your own teammates and your friends? >> it kind of makes it a little bit easier, because you know, we're up tre helping each other out. >> reporter: and gretchen bleiler adds, it's about support and competition together. >> but i'm riding my best. i'm going to push kelly to ride her best and vice versa. so, i think it's always a better environment when the energy's up, we're supporting each other and we're in this together to push each other. >> reporter: push each other, they hope, to the top of the world. who's going to win? >> hmm, i don't know. >> you'll have to stay tuned. >> reporter: but the wait is almost over, because now it's show time. for "day," kevin tibbles, nbc news, vancouver, british columbia. >> tina dixon covers snowboarding events for us at nbc sports. tina, good morning you. >> good morning. >> overall, this is a pretty packed field, isn't it? >> absolutely, absolutely, with i think the standouts being kelly clark, gretchen bleiler, hannah teter, but tora bright, don't count her out either. >> hannah teter took home the gold in salt lake city, fourth in torino. talk to me about her preparation and her chances of getting back on the podium. >> i think of all the ladies, she has really taken a step back and focused just on the fundamentals of snowboarding in general. she spends the summers in new zealand. she trains all year long. i think coming into this, after what happened in torino, she wants it. she wants to be on top again. >> gretchen bleiler, she had the silver in torino. how has her year been coming into these games? >> it's been -- well, the event before this, the x games, she had, i would say, the best run of her life that i've ever seen her do. so, she's coming in with a ton of momentum, obviously. but before that, it was hit or miss with her. >> all right. now, hannah teter is coming in here as the reigning olympic champion, and yet, perhaps not the favorite here. >> can't count hannah out, though. you can't count her out. she could probably pull something out. in torino she was hurt all up until the finals day and then she was on that day and she's even said so before. it's really kind of who's on that day. >> you talk about injuries. tora bright of australia, didn't she just come off an injury, a concussion or somethingike that? >> she did. she hit her head at practice at x games and went home. she's taken time to relax and regroup. but she says she's ready. >> what's the name of the chinese athlete again? we're both going back and forth on that. >> i knew you were going to ask that. liu xiaui. >> good for you. what are her chances here? >> you know, i talked to todd richards, the analyst for snowboarding, i talked to him about her and he said she could be a dark horse. she finished second in a practice run last year, so she could come in and upset the balance. >> when the judges look at this event, a they looking at only who technically lands these jumps the best? how much does style count in the overall judging? >> oh, it's a combination of everything. you definitely want to have the tricks, but you want to do them with style, and when i say that, like grabbing is really, really imrtant and to be able to hold your tricks the whole way. so, they look at everything. >> all right. and so, what's going to determine the gold tonight? >> height, how high you're going, style, combination of tricks. something like tora can piece together tricks that no one else can, but someone like kelly can go bigger than everyone else. >> good to know. tina dixon, thanks very much. nice job on the chinese athlete's name as well. you can watch the women's halfpipe tonight on nbc sports primetime coverage of the olympics. right now let's go over to al. thanks a lot, matt. hey, did you ever wonder what the 1010 winter olympics looked like? well, animation is getting ready to release a new movie called "how to train your dragon," and they furnished us with their vision. >> many expect the vikings speed skating to be the gentlemen's sport. vikings speed skating was designed for the nordic nature lover. >> ah! >> the skier gets a chance to breathe fresh air and see the world. hey, what do you know? it's round. >> brought to you by dreamworks. 8:26ñi is our time right no. taking a live look at the kennedyñi centerçó out there. 25 degrees under those clouds. in the news4 today, breaking news out of prince george's county. police are on the scene of a deadly pedestrian accident. jerry edwards has the details there the news4 traffic network. >> a live look near the intersection of southern avenue crews continue to work on that accident and as a result detours are in place. if you're going to be using that stretch, the inbound side is open, outbound side ñrxdçóremai -- the right lanexd under ice and snow. we'll keep you updated on all that. >> we're also following breaking news out of prince george's county where a person has been found dead in the brandy wine area. police are call it a death investigation. no other details host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: does charlie daniels play a mean fiddle? ♪ fiddle music charlie: vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. good morning, blustery and cold today a few i always felt that politics was a great story and i wanted to cover the great story. there's a huge responsibility to be the person who holds people accountable. there's no other place that i'd like to be. ♪ 8:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 18th day of february 2010. that's meredith up there on the trampoline just across -- no, if you go in close, you will realize that is not meredith, but she will be doing it later. >> i will. >> live here on the show. >> are you really going to do that? >> of course, i would do that. you wouldn't do that? >> i don't think it would look good. >> you think. now you're a snazzy -- >> some of the fun we're having here at grouse mountain, our home away from home for the next couple of weeks for the winter olympics here in vancouver, british columbia. out by the fire pit, i'm matt lauer along with meredit vieira, al roker, ann curry and natalie morales. and what's coming up? we're going to be talking about a team uniform that everyone is talking about. the norwegian curling team decided to make a bold statement with remarkably loud pants. check them out, folks. we'll get the story behind those pants. >> that's right. >> coming up. and speaking of wild, wait until you see what happened last night when stephen colbert paid a visit to the nbc primetime set. >> oh, wow. >> i'm sure that was fantastic. we're going to take a look at that. also, we just heard him weigh in on tonight's figure skating competition. we're talking about brian boitano. well, coming up, he's going into the kitchen to cook for us. >> he's a chef. >> and he has some golden recipes. >> sounds good. first, we want to remind you about the chance to go behind the scenes here at grouse. just head to our website, todayshow.com, and click on "today in 360." you can see what we see live during the broadcast. and today, by the way, is the last day that this 360 camera thing is going to be available. so, for all the stalkers out there, go and logon now and check us out now. >> it's a demographic we're really trying to impress. >> exactly. >> we are leading in that group, by the way, no question about it. meanwhile, before we go any further, let's bring in "today" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager in. >> hey, jenna. >> jenna had one of the hottest tickets in town last night. she got to go to the halfpipe. jenna, good morning. >> yes, good morning, guys. i did. i got to go to the halfpipe last night, had the hottest ticket in town. i got to interview shaun white, his family and his idol, tony hawke. >> shaun goes into his double cork rotation, 2 1/2 flips. >> reporter: coming into these games, shaun white was known as the flying tomato. today he wants to be known as animal. and after wednesday, he might have earned the title as the greatest snowboarder ever. back in 2006 in torino he wowed the world with his tricks, winning the gold. the dominant halfpipe snowboarder of his generation came into the vancouver olympics with as much pressure as anyone. >> yeah, there's a bit of nerves. there's a bit of excitement mixed with that. >> reporter: a sentiment shared by his sister, carrie. how are you feeling rht now? >> really, really nervous. >> reporter: and when you watch him snowboard, what are you thinking? >> i'm landing it for him. >> reporte but shaun white's dad said he was ready. >> well rested and ready to go. >> reporter: white didn't disappoint. he nailed the first qualifying run, finishing in first place. white's mentor and idol, skateboard legend tony hawke, wasn't surprised. >> he seemed coident, seemed happy. and obviously, by his riding, just like his first run, seemed like he wasn't really having any trouble. >> reporter: clearly the best of his class, white made difficult tripping, twisting jumps look easy as he soared far above the 22-foot halfpipe. after his first run in the finals, white had a big lead on the rest of the pack. so when american scotty lago faltered, white knew the gold was his. >> i knew i had already won. i'm standing at the top, my hands are shaking, i can't even focus joir focus. >> reporter: with nothing to lose, white took a victory lap down the halfpipe, giving the fans a show. >> the double mctwist 1260. i knew i had more to put down and i'm working and breaking myself to learn this trick and perfect it, and i felt like i came all the way out here, i don't want to leave anything out. i put it down. >> reporter: defending his olympic title and winning another gold for team usa and making his family and mentor proud. how much of this do you owe to them? >> i feel like i owe it all to them and i'm so happy that they're here. i'm so happy that i was able to deliver and make them proud and it's just a crazy moment. >> well, you made america proud. thank you so much. >> thank you, thank you, thank you! >> had to get the hug. >> got a hug in there. >> very nice. >> all the cameramen were very jealous that i got the hug. i was going to ask him for a piece of his hair for good luck, but that was o step too far. talk about stalker. >> all right, jenna, thank you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> lucky you. >> all right, mr. roker, let's talk about the weather. why not? >> also should mention, jenna's jacket is from her mom. she wore it in torino. >> hi, mom. >> oh. >> that's nice. >> say hello to your mom, and your dad and your sister and your husband -- >> and her grandparents and your husband. >> and your pets! all right, let's check your weather, see what's going on, and we'll see as far as the weekend is concerned, for saturday, sunshine up and down the east coast, rain in souern california, rain also down in texas, sunny and frigid across the plains. then sunday, sunday, we're looking at more sunshine as you work your way along the eastern seaboard. sunshine continues in the pacific northwest. more rain in good morning, temperatures are above freezing in most areas, right now 38 in washington and we have a blustery wind out of the northwest and clouds racing through, temperatures today should peak in the low 40s and that low will be with us from time to time throughout the day. tonight partly cloudy, upper 20s did dawn tomorrow. partly cloudy on saturday, again mid 40s, increasing clouds on sunday and again up into the mid 40s. slightly colder on monday, could get a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain. and that's your latest weather. >> mr. roker, when we come back, we're going to talk about the wild and crazy uniforms that have become the talk of the what's getting a lot of buzz here in vancouver? i'm talking about the downright crazy pants worn by the men's curling team from norway. they are the pants heard around the world, a bold fashion choice by the men's norwegian curling team, which has blogs abuzzing and fans in vancouver talking. >> seeing them from the ice, they're getting a lot of attention. it's part of the sport psychology. the creative pants. >> i think they were just wild, fantastic. curling generally has pretty state outfits, so i loved it when i saw them. >> it brings a little bit of color and distinction to them. >> i personally think it's a fashion disaster. >> not since "saturday night live" has so much attention been focused on such wild and crazy pants. so what prompted them to move from basic black to technicolor? >> i was trying to find pants in our norwegian colors, red, white and blue. a week before the olympics, i found these pants we're wearing now. >> reporter: he found them on a website called loud mouth golf, which is also a destination for golfer john daly. >> they're stretchy and it's a warm fabric, and they're nice to play in. >> reporter: so nice, the team wears two different color combinations. >> that's a wild print, that diamond shape and the bright color? i loved it. if this makes younger people start curling in other countries, that's just superb. >> i approve. two thumbs up. >> so, i mean, we had to try these. what do you think? it's a fashion statement -- what are you doing -- >> who will wear these pants? >> golfers. >> i like them. >> matt likes them! >> i like them. >> yeah! >> in fact, they are -- >> we're wearing these pants -- >> john daly's wearing them. >> would you seriously? >> absolutely. >> you are such a liar. >> i am going to play golf this summer in these at 11:00 at night. >> well, you know what? the norwegian team had these on the first game they lost to canada, but they won their second game against the usa. >> and it doesn't just have to be pants, so we could wear kilts. >> sliding on the ice like that is this. >> sliding on the ice. wow. there's a breeze! >> you don't wear anything under a kilt, so that's bad. >> well, you might have a rule change there. >> oh, okay. anyway, i think it's interesting that they did it. i thought it was kind of fun. >> they have banned some outfits in the past, but apparently, these got in under the wire. >> that's right. >> which is cool, anyway. when we come back, you've got a minute to win it. we'll have more on that and much forget about the glory of skating, speed skating or snowboarding for a moment. guy fieti, host of a new nbc primetime show called "minute it to win it" says his program is where you'll soon find the real competition. it's all about regular folks competing for big bucks. guy, good morning. nice to see you. >> thank you, much. thank you. >> now, i know you as the food guy, as the chef. >> yeah. >> exactly, you're a chef. so, did you always want to host a game show? >> i think if you would have asked outside of food what could i do -- i mean, you've got this locked down, so what would i do? game show would be up there, but it has to be the right level of competition. >> this is a little quirky, and what i was reading about this, you don't have to have any special skills. you don't have to be the "a" student from harvard to compete in this. >> exactly. >> average joes can compete in this. >> that's the whole idea behind it. you're talking about the games that once you see a game, you say, wait a second, i can do that. take all of the tissues out of a box in 60 seconds. go ahead and time me. >> you're getting ahead of me re. hanky panky is one of the challenges. just describe them. and it's clean. it's completely clean. >> the names are fantastic, by the way. all of our game inventors came up with these great names. so, hanky panky. in 60 seconds, remove all the tissues out of a box. you might think simple, but tiring. >> and with one hand. >> one hand. >> the next is an egg roll challenge. what do you have to do there? >> using a pizza box -- >> why a pizza box? >> i don't know. >> all right. >> fan three eggs across the stage. >> can't touch them. >> can't touch them. and if you smash the eggs, it's over. into a square and you have to stop them. it sounds crazy. once you do it, you're addicted. >> face the cookie is another challenge? >> put the cookie, put the oreo cookie on your forehead and wiggle your forehead and down your cheek into your mouth, and i'm not kidding you, playing with you food is legal. >> i almost made the olympic team in that event. i really did. >> i'm not kidding you. >> i've been doing that my whole life. so, if you don't complete the task in 60 seconds -- >> you have three lives, so, as a matter of fact, i think when we do the celebrity challenge for charity, we should get you out there to do this. >> i'll do face the cookie. >> well, it's not just -- you don't get to pick. we have 65 games -- >> see, that's hard. >> you get ten games going for $1 million. >> i may not be interested then. i want face the cookie. >> all right, face the cookie will be your first one. >> all right, cool. >> so you win $1,000 light off the bat. >> anyone can do this, and if you complete the task in 60 seconds, how much do you win? >> well, it goes to $1,000, then $2,500, $5,000, $10,000, then up. if you get to $50,000, you can lock it in. so you get to keep the $50,000. but we've got everything from school teachers to firemen to hairdressers coming out to compete in this. wait until you see it. >> just real quick to wrap things up, food. i mentioned food at t beginning. thank goodness we're in one of the greatest eating cities. have you gotten out? >> i've been seeing all the events. i saw speed skating and was thrown away. >> cool, cool. guy, good luck with the show. >> thanks so much. >> the premier of "minute to win it" airs sunday, march 14th at 7:00 this morning in "today's olympic kitchen," golden recipes from a gold medal winner. we asked brian boitano, the gold medal champ in men's figure skating at the 1988 calgary games to stick around because he's a contributor to the "food network" magazine and host of "what would brian boitano make?" good morning once again. >> good morning. i'm excited. >> you're a good italian boy. >> this is from a spread i did in "food network" magazine about how to entertain for an olympic party and the idea was really easy recipes and present it in a way that would be fun for the olympics. >> i like the word easy. let's start with the appetizer. >> definitely. this is my roasted cauliflower dip. >> oh, nice. >> it's basically roasted cauliflower and apples with a nice crunchy bread crumb topping, mixed with pancetta as well. now, you and i are going to make a garlicky white bean dip. >> excellent. >> i have catalini beans here. >> pepper? >> a red pepper, yep, basil and parsley. mix that together. >> mix this up. >> while you do that in a food processor i'm going to combine my lemon juice, garlic -- >> have to have gaic. >> okay. a little salt? >> salt. a little pepper. i'm going to pulse this together. >> olive oil. >> get the olive oil like the good italian boy i am. all right, just pulse that up. >> all right. >> and then you plate it a little in -- look at these little mountain bowls that i have. >> that's adorable! the snow-capped mountains. very clever. >> the olympics, the mountains. you can see lindsey vonn skiing in the background there. okay, so, you put the -- >> a little bit of this garnish, almost. >> exactly. and then you top it off with the beans. so you get the two different textures coming together and it's delicious. >> beautiful, and with pita bread or whatever you want. >> veggies. it's very healthy. >> now you need seafood, obviously. >> the northwest is known for their oyster. we have a minunet sauce, but my twist is a blood orange in here. and then i have crab. >> crab, we love crab. >> with aioli, and then i have a wisabi cocktail sauce. it's very spicy because i did wisabi as well as horse radish. >> very nice. that's good. >> i know, delicious. i told you it's spicy! wisabi and horse radish. >> it's good. >> but look, the presentation -- you could do this at home with -- oh, you're going to do that cocktail. this is the gold slagger cocktail with dark rum, lemon juice and orange vitters. but i put these on little ice blocks. you could put these at home with regular ice blocks. >> it's beautiful. so the display is everything. >> it's a raw bar. then here i have our little pastrami sandwiches with herb butter on the outside. pastrami with thousand island, and then i put little toothpicks in them. >> but if you like tuna, you could do tuna or little grilled cheese or whatever you want. >> if you're an italian boy, you could do tomato and mozzarella, anything you want. and i put the little flags -- >> exactly. >> those are great. >> we're running out of time for dessert. this is baked vancouver. i love that. >> lovely. we're going to top it off -- it's sort of baked alaska meets the olympic torch. >> oh, light it. light it. >> you light this on fire, yes. that needs to work. hold on. hold on. okay, there. >> oh, that's beautiful! >> so, you can see it. see the little purple flame? >> i do see the little purple flame. >> then you blow it out. and this is just pound cake and ice cream and meringue, and this is your cocktail. >> we've got to go. >> gold schlager, baby. >> thank brian boitano. i'm going to have the whole thing. now to the guys outside. >> meredith, brian, thank you very much. we have kind of strange hours here in vancouver, so you can't blame us for missing what happened last night when stephen colbert paid a visit to bob costas during the primetime coverage of the olympics. take a look. >> you know what? the olympics are about brotherhood, and i don't know if you have brothers -- >> i didn't. a sister. >> you did? >> i didn't. i said i didn't. i had a sister. >> so, tell me about your brother. >> i just said i didn't have a brother. >> you're ruining my narrative, bob. >> would you like to -- >> does everything have to be true for nbc? don't you make anything up to make the story better? i know you faked lindsey vonn's injury. i know you faked that to make a better story. don't tell me you didn't, buddy. >> earlier today -- >> yes. >> -- to be shown next week, i appeared on your program. so, this is one of the reciprocal appearance -- >> i thank you for that. you're a great man. to ride a stuffed moose. look at this. i'll bet that moose smelled great. >> listen to this. >> look at the crowd. listen to the crowd! i think you're actually a citizen of canada now. do you mind if i warm up? >> why don't you toast some marshmallows back there? >> sit by the fire? oh, oh, oh, oh, this is so nice. [ laughter ] it's really lovely in here. oh. you know, it's the authenticity. >> yeah, that's what i strive for. >> that i really appreciate about nbc. >> completely authentic. >> everything's real. >> see, now bob has a fake fireplace. our fireplace is real. >> real! >> you would not want to try that. trythat, stephen colbert, try that here. >> come use our fire pit, colbert! just ahead, we're going to remember shaun white's visit here to the "today" show a couple hours ago. but first, some stunning images of these olympic winter games, and these are courtesy of the folks at getty images. they always catch your attention. >> so nice. >> and we've had a lot to be proud of over the last 24 hours. six medals yesterday. here's a look at what's happened. ♪ ♪ our time right now is 8:56 as you take a look at ronald reagan international airport. good morning to you, i'm joe krebs and we're following breaking news out of prince george's county where a person has been found dead on the grounds of the juvenile detention center in brandywine. miswere called to the 11000 block of tippen road this morning. police are calling this a death investigation not a homicide at this point. there are no details about the victim or the situation. we'll take a break now and come back and look at weather and traffic, stay wi us. go morning, temperatures now around the region in the mid and upper 30s and we'll hit the upper 30s to low 40s throughout the rest of the dare so we'll be holding fairly steady and the winds will be blustery with winds up to 30 miles an hour. we should have more sun tomorrow and a bit milder. then saturday and sunday, clouds around and come monday, there is a chance of a wintry mix that doesn't look like a major storm, but we could get some light snow, perhaps mixing with some sleet and rain, it does appear that would be toward the end of the day and ending monday night. >> time to take a live look along 395. one more stop, the trip in on 270, crawling this morning, most of the way from germantown all the way down to the capitol belt way. all in all it it's far from perfect, but day by day it keeps getting better. >> how some youngsters are training like olympians. that's all ♪ and welcome back to grouse mountain. you are looking at members of the north vancouver pee wee league. these are 6 and 7-year-olds who come up to grouse mountain every morning to practice, and they dress like the teams that will be competing at the olympics on that day. so, today they're dressed as a usa. and one day, these kids will be, some of them may be in the olympics themselves, which will be great. >> absolutely. >> i'm meredith vieira along with al roker, matt lauer, ann curry and natalie morales. and please excuse our smiles. you folks from canada, but yesterday was a very big day for team usa, so we're beaming with pride. >> it was a record-setting day. six medals in all. three of those were gold. of course, all capped off by shaun whits incredible run in the halfpipe. he repeated as the olympic champion, taking home another gold medal, and we're going to hear what shaun had to say about his incredible day in just a little while from now. >> and lindsey vonn overcoming her bruised shin, and she dominated to win downhill gold. unbelievable. how is she feeling as she gears up for four more events? we're going to hear from her. and while vonn and silver medal-winning teammate julia mancuso excelled at vancouver, let's say some of their competitors had a rougher go of it. a lot of spills on the downhill yesterday. we'll tell you why the skiers, though, keep coming back for more. first, ann has more on team usa's golden day. >> that's right. as you mentioned, it was a spectacular day across the board for team usa, and it was a record for a winter olympic games. >> i've given up everything for this, and it means everything to me. >> reporter: golden girl lindsey vonn called it the best day of her life. >> yeah! yes! ugh! >> reporter: a day that came less than a week after she revealed a painful shin injury. >> look at this here. she's not even on her right ski. she just doesn't even want it to touch down. >> oh, she's completely out of control! >> reporter: despite a brutal course that claimed six skiers, vonn became the first american woman to win olympic gold in the downhill. >> awesome. >> reporter: sharing the moment with her husband. >> unbelievable. >> reporter: she also shared the spotlight with her teammate, julia mancuso, who won silver. >> i've been working really hard the past year for this day and this moment. >> oh! and there it is! >> reporter: also seizing the moment at the halfpipe, shaun white redefined what is possible. >> if you can imagine, last season we weren't even doing double corks in the halfpipe and now i did three in a run. >> reporter: white went big and captured his second straight olympic gold. >> yeah! >> reporter: american scotty lago placed third to win bronze. >> in the final straightaway, shani davis pushing it until the end, and he's got another gold medal! >> reporter: it was a day full of magical moments that included american shani davis at the speed skating track. >> i'm so happy that i was able to do it. >> reporter: the world record holder, davis is the first man to win back-to-back olympic titles in the 1000 meters. >> it means a lot, shows that hard work pays off. >> reporter: fellow american chad hedrick skated his way to bronze. in total, the americans won six medals, three of them gold, making wednesday the most successful day in olympic winter games history for the u.s. team. >> she looks absolutely spent. >> reporter: but it is the olympic effort that matters most. >> here's what happened to her earlier today in training right before qualifying. >>eporter: after a bad fall, suloevan petra majdic fought back to win a bronze medal in women's cross-country. >> from the bottom of a ditch and a hospital x-ray bay to a bronze medal in the same day. wow. >> remarkable and there is more good news, because apolo ohno advanced to the finals, as he was expected to, and today is supposed to be another big day. people, listen to this. we've got evan lysacek who's going to be going for america's first gold in men's figure skating in 22 years. we also have the women's halfpipe and also team usa hockey, the men and the women. the men taking on norway and the women playing finland. >> all right, ann. it was crazy around here this morning when shaun white showed up, the snowboarder. >> wow. >> we started off asking him, now thathe's a two-time gold medal winner, if it's even sunk in yet. >> it has not sunk in yet. i haven't even gotten the medal yet. >> tonight -- >> a couple hours from now. i think i'm going straight through. i'm ready. >> talk about this event, shaun. it was really the first run. your first run sealed it. take us through it and what went right? obviously, a lot. >> yeah. basically, i was at the top and i knew i had a good run to do, and a lot of my strengths in snowboarding is my amplitude, how big i can get out of the pipe. so, i was using that as an advantage and put down the first run, which was great and got a huge score. i was standing at the top and i won. >> you do the double cork -- you do a back-to-back double cork. other people do it. sometimes it happens so fast, shaun, that people at home don't get to appreciate it. we have this animation we want to show you. talk us through what's going through your mind as this is happening. >> this one is a cab double cork, so it just means switch. right here, you take off in your normal trick, and right here you go for the second flip. so, that's usually the point where you panic and back out and decide, what am i doing here? but it's kind of a mindset you have to take where you basically initiate the first trick, and then where you would normally land right about here, you go in for the second flip. and it's all commitment from there, and i don't know. it's been a wild trick to basically create, and i'm just happy to be able to put it down. >> what's the rush when you win gold a second time? is it the same? >> i wish i could say this time was the same, but it's just totally different. i mean, even the road to get here is just -- i mean, the work was so much harder. >> how so? >> i mean, i've been crashing, i ripped a ligament in my thumb. >> your chin. >> i chipped a bone in my ankle. yeah, almost took my head off at x games. >> recently. >> so, yeah, it's been just such a struggle, and to be here and actually be safe and all right. >> life has changed so dramatically for you since the first gold medal in torino, and yet, what i think is great about you is you he not lost connection with your sport. you continue to innovate in the sport. and a lot of other athletes, when this happens to them, they lose focus. how have you not lost focus? >> i don't know. i mean, i obviously set these goals for myself, and some are way out of reach, and some aren't as much. and i think that any step toward that is the right way to go. and basically for me, this season was completely different. i've always been a guy that takes a trick that's already been out there and d it better and bigger, and this time i was actually able to create about five brand new tricks for the sport. >> also to be able to celebrate with friends and family here. >> oh, yeah. >> especially your mom. did she watch you as you were doing this? >> well, everybody that didn't get to come to trorino was like we're coming. so they were all here losing their minds down at the bottom. there they are, the cheering, the whole squad there. my d actually fell down the bleachers. >> oh, god. >> he's fine. he's tough as nails, so. >> what do you want to pass on to the next generation of snowboarders, the younger ones coming up right now? what lessons do you want to teach them, not only in the halfpipe, but away from it as well? >> i don't know. i'd just say to have fun and represent the sport the way that they feel best. i mean, i've always found it strange to be one person speaking for a group that's much larger than myself. and i don't know. i've been able to meet people that thanked me for the way i was able to represent the sport and just talk about it and describe how much fun it is. everybody out here understands that. >> yeah. >> and so -- yeah, i hope they have fun and don't give me too hard of a time when i'm all old and can't -- >> everybody out here wants to know if you'lle back in four years? >> i would love to be back. >> yeah, all right! >> i think we would be going, what, next isrussia. >> right, right. >> all right, all right. >> if you're coming back -- >> but what will i wear? >> for a hat? >> al's hat! >> yeah. >> there you go. >> there we go, all right! >> you're ready, baby! >> am i ready? i'm ready. >> he's ready, all right. >> i'm going to be able to auction this on ebay. >> worn by shaun white. >> i know. >> no question. so, after the interview, he stuck around. there were a lot of people gathered here at grouse. he stopped, signed autographs, signed snowboards for some people. this guy is such a great ambassador for his sport in t olympic games. we like him a lot. >> the real deal. what a nice guy. >> all right. where are we going now? we're going to go to news. amy robach's in new york with the rest of the headlines of the morning. amy, i'm sorry. we got captivated by shaun white. >> i know, forgettable, i know. good morning, guys. eight of the ten american missionaries detained almost a month in haiti are back in the u.s. they arrived in miami this morning after a judge in haiti allowed them to leave. two other americans are still in haiti for more questioning, accused of trying to take 33 children out of the country illegally. new developments this morning in the case of an alabama college professor accused of killing three of her colleagues. nbc's thanh truong is at the university of alabama huntsville. thanh, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. it seems like every day, another aspect of amy bishop's past emerges. one of the latest includes an assault. the campus shooting that killed three people and wounded three others took place behind this door. for the first time, we're getting a look inside the school where the terror took place. it happened in a conference room like this one. the actual scene is still sealed off by police. dr. amy bishop is charged with capital murder. the biology professor worked in this lab. according to the "associated press," some former students last year complained to administrators that bishop's classroom behavior was odd and she rarely looked people in the eye when talking. during an impromptu interview with nbc affiliate waff, bishop's husband defended his wife. >> no problems? >> no problems. >> issues with students? >> um, none. >> reporter: in 2002, while living in massachusetts, bishop ran into trouble at an ihop restaunt. according to a police report, bishop punched a mother in the head after she took the last booster chair. assault charges were later dropped. one survivor of last friday's shooting says bishop was consumed by a decision that denied her a tenure position with the school. it's similar to the theme in an unpublished novel by bishop. an excerpt obtained by "the boston globe" describes a scientist battling depression in fears of losing tenure. bishop's husband describes the novel like this -- >> there was a scientist helping save the world from, you know, the end of mankind. everybody has a hobby. that was a hobby. so, she was at home on maternity leave, she wrote. >> reporter: bishop remains in jail. meanwhile, the first of three funerals takes place today. amy? >> nbc's thanh truong, thank you. well, after three months of public silence, tiger woods plans to speak out publicly tomorrow in florida, apologizing for his behavior, according to a statement from his agent. he is not expected to take any questions. and a tornado tore through a farm in australia this week as a farmer and his family looked on in disbelief. it spared their home but sent farm equipment flying high into the air. it is 11 minutes past the hour. we'll head back now to meredith, matt, ann, natalie and al. >> all right, thanks a lot, amy. now to you, mr. roker. >> well, thank you very much. and as we check things out for you, we've got beautiful weather coming here for the pacific northwest. big ridge of high pressure is going to be dominating, and as it does, we're looking for nice, mild conditions from san diego all the way up into vancouver, and vancouver's forecast, sunshine in downtown vancouver, temperatures in the 50s. and as you look at the mountains, whistler and cypress, we've got clear skies, sunshine, daytime temperatures in the 30s, low 40s, nighttime temperatures in the teens. ooh, amplitude! wow! woo! and guess what? right after we do d good morning, winter winds continue to whip the region, gusting to around 30 miles an hour, temperatures are above freezing, it is now in the mid and upper 30s, now 39 in washington and it should climb gusting throughout thexd day. shouldxd diminish a bit. friday and saturday, highs in the 40s both all right. when he we come back, the girls of "today" up on the trampoline here at grouse. come from your attitude, not your birth control. like all pills, yaz is effective at preventing pregnancy and can give you shorter, lighter periods. but if you choose yaz for birth control, it may also help treat moderate acne and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, pmdd, not pms. unlike pms, symptoms of pmdd are severe enough to interfere with your life. yaz has a different type of hormone that for some may increase potassium too much, so don't take yaz if you have kidney, liver or adrenal disease because this could cause serious heart and health problems. tell your doctor if you're on daily long term treatment for chronic conditions like cardiovascular or inflammatory diseases. serious risks include blood clots, stroke and heart attack. smoking increases these risks, especially if you're over 35 so don't smoke on yaz. don't take the pill if you've had any of these, certain cancers, or could be pregnant. the pill does not protect against hiv or std's. ask your healthcare provider about yaz. time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag. now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. so you ate lots of decadent rich food during the holidays. and i got irregular and sluggish. then you took the activia challenge. ♪ activia! honestly, i had my doubts. but activia really works, i can feel the difference! oh, good! help get your system back on track! activia with bifidus regularis helps regulate your digestive system in two weeks. you're convinced! i'll be treating myself to activia every mning. mmmm! take the activia challenge now. it works, or your money back! ♪ activia it's my dry skin, and it's deep down uncomfortable. 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[ female announcer ] new moisture wrap body lotion. neutrogena skin care. #1 dermatologist recommended. we're back here at grouse mountain. we've got meredith on the trampoline. here's what's going to happen, folks, here at grouse. we're going to put meredith up there, then ann, then natalie. you guys get to cheer to see who gets the gold medal for amplitude and style. >> oh, geez, come on! >> let's start off with ms. vieira. >> okay, here we go. one -- >> one, two, three! >> oh, wait! wait, wait, wait -- >> redo. >> false start. false start. >> false start. here we go. >> false start. >> go again. >> back at the starting gate. >> one rks two r, two, three! >> woo! >> whoa! >> nice. very nice. okay. >> that was good! ann! >> ann. >> good job. >> i should tell people,his is the first nation blanket toss we're wahing right now. save your applause for meredith until the end. ann, get in there. >> can we bend our knees or keep them straight? keep them straight? okay. >> ann curry. she was the silver medalist back in torino. >> okay. >> joins us here in vancouver. ladies and gentlemen, take it away. >> okay, all right. >> she's going to do her patented mcflip. >> it's the mctwist and shout. >> okay. >> one, two, three! >> oh, yeah! >> very nice. >> one more! one more. >> she gets another. >> woo! >> one rks two r, two, three. >> oh, very nice. okay. >> very nice. >> ann, thank you. natalie's turn. >> natalie morales up there. >> oh, one more. okay. okay. don't bend the knees. don't jump. >> don't bend your knees, baby. >> here you go. >> one more time. one, two, three. >> all right, go ahead, natalie. >> thank you so much! >> ann curry reminding us that sometimes it's just the olympic effort that's involved. >> excellent. >> it's the spirit of the olympics. >> okay, in a moment, get ready to clap to tell us who wins the gold medal. >> that's right. >> okay >> go ahead, natalie. >> natalie "sky" morales. >> okay. >> okay. oh, dear. >> that was so fun! >> arms up. >> one, two, three. >> whoa! >> very nice. >> yeah! >> very nice. all right, we're going to review them all on tape now. let's go back. meredith vieira was our first competitor. let's take a look, see how she did. >> one, two -- >> here comes meredith. oh, no, we're going right back. >> ah! >> okay, hold on. we're going to meredith in a second. >> natalie's still on there. >> okay, here's meredith, everybody. >> okay. >> that is fun. >> one more! he's not giving up on me yet. >> no, that was the first one. that wasn't -- >> that wasn't mine! >> that wasn't the best one she did. >> now, that's competitive. >> okay. >> and here's natalie. >> guys. >> natalie, we've got from the seated position there. >> it's a birds-eye view. >> okay. that was not the best recap we've ever done. so, if you think -- >> if you can do a better job -- >> who thinks meredith deserves the big hand? >> yay! >> okay. who thinks ann curry deserves the gold medal? >> yay. >> who thinks natalie deserves the gold medal? ladies and gentlemen- >> natalie morales. >> the 2010 gold medalist in the first nation blanket toss, natalie morales. >> great job. >> we'll have more from grouse mountain right after this. fill. chilled. sweet! 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all of them? well, it's the boston crème pies and the apple turnovers, oh, and the white chocolate strawberries, and the key lime pies so you need them let out? no, no, no - in out uh, in out ♪ no, in [ female announcer ] yoplait light, with 28 delicious flavors at about 100 calories, it only tastes fattening ok, i was just outside out and then i came in - so if you could... ♪ beautiful bright sunshine out there this morning. some blue in the sky, 39 degrees at 9:26 on this thursday the 18th day of february. good morning to you, i'm joe krebs. we're following breaking news out of fairfax county, that's where one person has dpied in a camping trair. chopper 4 flew over day street and terminal road earlier and we still don't know the victim's identity or how that fire began. we'll bring you more information as it does become available. we'll take a break and look at our let's take a look outside right now, we have clear skies, a lot of sunshine around the d.c. area, we have 39 degrees and still cold, but little above freezing right now. here's what the forecast looks like for the next four days and tom says there might be a possibility of a chance of wintry mix on monday. let's get a look now at theçó traffic. here'sxd jerry edwards and the news4 traffic network. >> joe still dealing with plenty of delays on the 14th street bridge. but it does appear that the travel lanes are open but they are squeezed because of that long-term construction project on the bridge. let's head on over and see if there's any relief in sight on 270. there's a little snow and ] squeezing the right side of the (u=9át mainñi lines of the roady from gaithersburg down to the split very manageable if you take it cautiously. >> on news4 at 5:00, how some youngsters are training by olympians and how a local ♪ men's figure skating is tonight, american evan lysacek and russian evgeni plushenko in a battle for the gold medal. plus, the ladies get their turn in the halfpipe. and you can watch both live tonight on nbc. we're going to hear from the medalists in those events tomorrow here on "toda" meanwhile, back at grouse mountain on this thursday morning. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, al roker, ann curry and natalie morales. and coming up, some of the not-so-bright moments from the women's downhill yesterday. >> scary moments. >> sry moments, yeah. >> six skiers took pretty nasty spills. thankfully, no major injuries. we'll have more on that and the dangers of this mountain and what officials are doing about it. all right, also ahead. now, if you want to win at these olympics, of course you need amazing talent, but sometimes it helps to have the latest in high-tech gear. we'll show you some of the things that team usa are outfitting themselves with, coming up in a little bit. okay, but first, we want to ke you back to that really touching moment that lindsey vonn shared with her husband/coach, thomas, right after she won the gold in the downhill. >> they were married back in 2007. we asked them about their relationship. >> in park city, utah, up on the mountain. the week before it was about 70 degrees and the week after it was 70 degrees and sunny every day. on our wedding day, it was 32 and snowing. he looked very handsome. >> yeah. i looked handsome. >> yep. >> i didn't think that i'd be the guy that, you know, got like -- >> emotional? >> a little emotional, and like, whoa, like overwhelmed by the moment, and it definely hit me, you know, when i saw her standing at the end of the aisle. it was incredible. ♪ >> i knew i wanted something big, and he definitely got that. >> i knew i wanted something big, great. >> well, shiny. >> yeah. >> good job. >> thanks. there's things that i can say to her that other coaches can' which is why i think we have an advantage in some ways. i mean, she has other coaches as well, but i can say things to her that, you know, i'm not going to get fired. i'm not going to be like, i'll get yelled at. >> that's what you think. >> yeah, that's what i think. >> i think we work reay well as a team, and he's helped me really mature and learn a lot more about my sport. he was an amazing racer himself, so he knows all of the tricks of the trade, and he's definitely taught me a lot over the years. so, i think definitely has a lot to do with thomas is the reason why i'm faster now as vonn. >> she's definitely doing better with the vonn name than i did. >> you know, they can celebrate a little bit, but not too long, because lindsey is back in action on the mountain today in the super combined. >> we wish her the best of luck. a check of the weather. absolutely. are you sure? >> yes. i'm positive. that's what it says right here. >> i just wanted you to ask me twice. we'll show you for the weekend, saturday we've got plenty of sunshine along the eastern seaboard. pacific northwest looks good. a lot of rain through the southwest on into texas, mild down through the southeast. then sunday, sunday, we're looking at sunny skies along the eastern seaboard. going to be all along the chilly side. sunshine continues in the pacific northwest. more rain in the southwest. chilly conditions through the ge good morning, blustery cold wind is blowing in out of the northwest and gusting to around 30 miles an hour.ñr temperatures around the regionñ in the 30s to near 40 degrees, not going to warm up much more with clouds racing through and winds will be rather high throughout the day. then it will be a bit blustery on saturday and sunday. saturday and sunday highs mid 40s and we may get and that's your latest weather. >> all right, mr. roker. when we come back, we're going to take a look at some cascary d spectacular crashes on the women's downhill course. calcium every day. t enough that's why there's new danonino. danonino! unlike leading kids yogurts, danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d. so it's power packed for healthy growth. and its rich creamy taste is... yummy! so they can start building strong bones today... for stronger bodies tomorrow. new danonino from dannon. power packed to help build strong bones. some washed mirrors with soap. others, dove. 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[ male announcer ] meet the family and the new sienna on youtube. toyota. ♪ welcome back to our olympic home high atop vancouver's grouse mountain. now, if you've ever gone skiing, you know it's not easy, and in fact, we saw real evidence of that in wednesday's downhill. in fact, it can be downright painful. nbc's jeff rossen has more on that. hey, jeff. >> hey, al. do you ski? >> i do not. >> neither do i, and for good reason. it's one of the most dangerous sports in the world. the women go at 80 miles an hour or more. the men are well into the 90, sometimes hit 100 miles an hour, and as we saw yesterday, boy, any tiny mistake at that speed can mean disaster. >> she was just launched into orbit here. >> reporter: the women's downhill. >> what a violent landing she had. >> reporter: looked like a women's wipeout wednesday. one event, six dramatic crashes, including this one from romania's edith miklos, knocked out of the olympics. swedish standout lost control on a final jump. she flew nearly 200 feet in the air before crashing through a gate. her body twisting and turning, sliding down the slope. in fact, that final jump took out several skiers. >> she came flying out immediately upon impact. >> reporter: she eventually got up and walked away. >> oh, she is up and walking. that is great to see. >> reporter: the italian skier had problems, too. and the hits kept on coming. klara krizova of the czech republic didn't make it to the final jump. amazingly, she got up and finished the run. marion rolland of france barely even started. just seconds out of the gate, it was over. what a day. >> this downhill today, i saw more crashes than any single race that i saw all season long. in downhill, you're going almost 80 miles an hour. you make a slight little mistake, that ski catches, and you are going to be in trouble. >> now it's herman maie >> reporter: nagano, 1998, austrian herman maier was off to a great start, and then -- >> watch him catch air right here. >> the skis and the shoulder and the helmet of maier smacking that hard-packed, icy course. >> reporter: he must be made of rubber. maier was able to walk away. then there's torino, 2006, and the now-infamous lindsey vonn crash. the impact so intense, when lindsey finally skidded to a stop, she couldn't move. also in torino, a dramatic fall for american ted ligety. >> that's the sketchy part about skiing is it's super easy to go out of the course and it's really easy to fall as well. i mean, there really no margin for error the whole way down. >> luckily, there were no serious injuries involved in yesterday's crashes, but still, the race director, the one who runs all of the downhill skiing here in vancouver said, you know what, too many crashes yesterday. so, they're changing the course in time for today's events going forward. they're lowering that last ski jump where everyone fell yesterday and they're also going to shorten the downhill portion, al. so these skiers go just a little bit slower, 5, 6 miles an hour slower can make a huge difference. >> of course, for the skiers who went down, they're thinking thanks a lot. >> especially for the one who just got out of the gate. >> exactly. do that again? >> see ya! nice. >> jeff rossen, thanks a lot. >> sure. coming up next, we've got a closer look at team usa's high-tech gear and much more coming up from the beautiful city of vancouver, british columbia. your home sees a lot of life. and so does new air wick imotion. it's the only continuous air freshener with the smart motion sensor that sees activity and automatically adjusts fragrance to give you freshness where life happens. new air wick imotion. air ck, its good to be home. i felt this deep lingering pain that was a complete mystery to me. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia muscle pain and then he recommended lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is fda-approved to help relieve the unique pain of fibromyalgia. and with less pain, i can do more during my day. how sweet is that? lyrica is not for everyone. tell you doctor about any serious allergic reaction that causes swelling or affects breathing or skin, or changes eyesight including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. lyrica may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people. some of the most cmon side effects of lyrica are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands and feet. do not drink alcohol while taking lyrica. you should never drive or operate machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. if you think you might have fibromyalgia, ask your doctor about lyrica. is also a great value? it's the difference between paying more... and getting more. snuggle fabric softener gives you fresh, snuggly softness your family will love -- and it costs less than the leading brand! because everyone loves to snuggle! can you believe how fast kids grow these days? and since 90% of bone strength is developed before adulthood... it's so important that they get enough calcium every day. that's why there's new danonino. danonino! unlike leading kids yogurts, danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d. so it's power packed for healthy growth. and its rich creamy taste is... yummy! so they can start building strong bones today... for stronger bodies tomorrow. new danonino from dannon. power packed to help build strong bones. speaking of, what's on friday's menu? friday is fish day. well, maybe it should be tuna helper day. mmmm... fish delish, yes? i'll take it. sold! tuna helper. one tasty meal. sold! the $100 cream. flabbergasted when we creamed the $700 cream! for under $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than 32 of the world's most expensive creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. as we've already seen here in vancouver, a fraction of a second can mean the difference in gold and no medal at all. and here with high-tech uniforms that give team usa a competitive edge is paul hochman, a contributing editor at "fast company" magazine. good morning. >> good morning to you. >> it's all about the suit and other gear, too. >> that's right. >> and team usa, as well, outfitted. let's first talk about the hockey teams, men's and women's. they're wearing a nike jersey with a venting technology? come on out here, harry. >> one of the things people think, especially in a hockey jersey, what could possibly help somebody perform bette other than go into the corners fearlessly? believe it or not, ventilation. nike has worked ventilation panels into the jersey and into the back and these guys gain a ton of weight over a game if the moisture that they throw off in perspiration stays with them. so it vents it, actually makes them lighter by the end of the game than a conventional jersey and faster. >> very good. gary, you're wearing it well and making us proud. thank you. next, the ski suit. now, if we take a look, we've got eddie and sarah. the ski jumpg. >> that's right. this is a jumping suit. the regulation on this is exactly the opposite as the regulation on sarah's speed skating suit. ski jumping, they wanted to wear parachutes, basically, the widest, fluffiest suit they could to stay up as long as possible. >> and they're judged on how it fits, right? >> exactly. it can't be more than six centimeters wider than the body of the person wearing it the result is, if they're not in fact wearing a tight enough suit, they're penalized. in this case, sarah's wearing the speed skating suit. shani davis won the gold medal. that won the gold, silver and bronze suits yesterday in the 1000 meters. >> wow. >> sarah, could you hold your arms out real quick? that material breaks up the wind draft. different, though, than the shoulders, because the shoulders are moving more slowly than the arms. >> how's it feel to wear that, sarah? you're looking good. it's a gold medal suit right there. now, you're wearing what spider makes, the ski -- >> now, forgive me, but i have to do this. >> you want to do this. >> i want to do this more than anything else. this is lindsey vonn's suit from spider. and actually, the cool thing about this is it is the slipperiest suit spider's ever made. they say it cuts up to 0.5 seconds off of the ski racer's time over 100 seblgconds. >> which in men's downhill makes all the difference in the world. >> exactly. matt is in smart wool. this is next to skin stuff. this is technologically advanced because the nordic skiers need to get rid of moisture as well. this marina wool gets the moisture off their skin, keeps them cool and results in much better endurance. >> you also have the helmets here, as we see. this is so important, and shaun white knows why this is so important, and this is his helmet. >> shaun white was actually protected by this one from red. it's the red hi-fi. this is his helmet andt protects him if he does hit the deck. >> which he did recently in the grand prix. he hit his chin, right? >> exactly, and the helmet saved a lot of the side of his face. >> exactly. now, columbia sportswear jacket, also, has this omni heat technology. >> it's called omni therm. it's this lining in here. it's used by a number of teams and it literally reflects the heat back in toward the body. >> wow. >> so it's like a mirror for heat. >> and feel -- it's really light-weight, too. >> incredibly light-weight. that would normally add a ton of weight and does not in this case. >> last, we have these great oakley glasses and you can actually get your own team, right? you can represent. >> oakley has made custom glasses for your own nation. >> if i can read the prompter still. >> in your case, the united states, red, white and blue. this is the italian team, sweden, united states, canada. >> these are cool! >> so, depending upon your nation, you can create your custom national colors. >> usa, usa! paul hochman, thank you very >> announcer: "today's northern exposure" is brought to you by bank of america. bank of opportunity. this morning on "today's northern exposure," an ah hah moment for our own mike leonard. he came to canada in preparation for the games, but he stayed far from vancouver. >> reporter: they call it the -- >> ah hah! >> reporter: -- moment. the wondrous realization that whatever you are looking for has suddenly been found. and so, it was for me, on the eastern edge of quebec, the historic and fiercely proud canadian province that has remained rooted to its french heritage. so rooted that not many people here speak english? americans? do americans come here very often? so, you speak english? >> no. >> reporter: hary anyone did. not that they weren't welcoming. ♪ and that is what i came to discover about life in a typical french canadian community, a colorful, festive life. ♪ this was my ah hah moment. and it happened in a town amply named -- >> saint-louis-du-hai-hai. >> that's right. >> ha! ha! >> reporter: the only place in north america with two exclamation points, and with good reason, said our host, talkg about how the founders came up the river with their canoes and carried their canoes across the land for more water. >> you don't see it because of the snow but the lake is right behind us. >> reporter: and when they saw it, what did they say? >> ah, ha! because of the scenery. >> reporter: and also because of their tired feet. >> so they walk and walk and every time they see the water, the french goes ah hah, ha, there's the water. >> reporter: and start building, honoring the exclamation of awe and relief. through the years, the farming town grew to a population of around 1,500. there's a church, a school, a fire department, a hockey rink, an observatory, a senior citizens center, a rec center, a municipal building, a cemetery, a bar, a store, a few scattered businesses and -- [ speaking french ] -- a way of speaking that makes this town and the province of quebec unique. that's good, because of the culture, right? >> oh, yeah. that's very, very important in quebec. we've been fighting for more than 250 years to save our own language. >> reporter: an expressive language, wouldn't you agree? for "today," mike leonard, nbc news, saint-louis-du-ha-ha! quebec. >> ha, ha, ha. >> that was really weak. >> it's been a long show. >> oh, man. the fire. it's been a good chill, though. >> it has been, and we've got an even better one tomorrow with just danger at every turn. >> we have zip lining. the "today" show cast taking on zip lining in the heart of downtown vancouver. a death defying stunt, and we'll be here to share it with you tomorrow morning. >> with a special guest heckler. >> that's true. >> oh, that's right, that's right. >> i forgot about that. >> and a megaphone. >> and we remind people that the medals for men's figure skating will be decided tonight, carried on nbc at 8:00/7:00 central. >> kathie lee and hoda next. have a great day, everyone. >> ha ha! >> on the final straightaway, shani davis pushing it until the end! and he's got another gold medal! davis comes through and wins it! ♪ ♪ ♪ today was a fairy tale ♪ ♪ time slows down whenever you're around ♪ >> and that is what the fans wanted to see, shaun white double gold! boy, does he deliver. >> look who's joined us, the man of the morning, the king of the halfpipe, mr. gold medal winner, shaun white! >> that first round was great, got a huge score. and i'm standing at the top, and i won. >> lindsey vonn. this is her chance now, what she's worked so hard for. one big jump to come near the bottom here, over the hot air, perfectly landed, into the lead by more than a half second! >> woo! >> that was impressive. our time right now is 9:56, we have 39 degrees outside. some clouds, lots of blue too.ñi in the news4 today, one person has died after a fire in a camping trailer in newington.çóó chopper 4ñi flew over the scene this morning, still no word on the victim's identity or the cause of the fire. we will bring you more information on news4 midday. now let's get a look at our forecast. tom? >> we have had some gusty winds thisñi morning, we have had som winds gusting to around 30 to as much as 35 miles an hour from time to time and we're going to see that with us throughout the day. temperatures are above freezing, we're in the 30s and we'll probably make it into the low 40s later on today with a few clouds in and out. and then more sun around tomorrow. and it should make it into the mid 40s throughout the weekend and on monday there is a chance of some wintry mix. some snow and rain and sleet around the region, not a major stor >> trying to get across the roosevelt bridge to e street over to 20th where we lose the far right lane that's filled with ice and snow. joe? >> thank you, jerry, coming up tonight on news4 at 5:00, how some youngsters are training like olympians. that's all tonight on news4 at 5:00. captions paid for by nbc-universal television live from new york -- it's thursday. >> yes. >> february 18th. it's a very special day for you, isn't it, hoda? >> it is. it's my niece's birthday. so, hannah, happy 3rd birthday. i'm coming home for the weekend to see her. >> i love how close you are to your family. >> terrible. >> big, big, big doins. >> can i complain for a second before we get to the olympics? i was so excited to watch lindsey vonn ski. we went to broadway, which we'll talk about. i went home, quickly went on twitter and then it said lindsey vonn wins gold. it didn't say spoiler alert. >> no warning. >> you were so glad she won but you wanted to see it. >> you wanted the buildup, the drama, the tension. >> what a day, though, for the americans last night. >> i don't know how i got thugh yesterday. we went to see "fela," by the way, on broadway. from nigeria, and it all takes place in this nightclub that he ran. and it's -- >> set in the '70s. it is -- they make you, so you know, in the show you actually get up and dance. that's part of the scene that happens. and watching that broadway crowd shake it was quite entertaining. i should say. >> yeah. yes, yes. not everybody in the audience was from nigeria, that's for sure. >> you could still shake it. >> international crowd. >> you can still shae it. >> you know what? today is their 100th performance, tonight. >> yes. >> good for them. >> yeah. >> really interesting. >> you did that and then -- >> i went home, had to get in a little workout because it's the olympics and gary marshall is on today. >> adore him. >> watched the olympics until about 11:15. i said what happened to -- i thought it was supposed to be over at 11:00. >> lindsey vonn was such a buildup. and her release at the end when she finally won gold, it was a moment. i think we have her sound. let's listen to what lindsey said after she won. >> were you surprised at the flow of emotions? >> yeah. i just -- i couldn't really contain myself. >> i worked so hard for this and, you know, to finally be able to stay in the finish with a gold medal is -- it's so awesome. >> was it joy, was it relief? >> pretty much everything. >> it was everything. >> how does she look so good, sobbing like that? >> she can look good doing anything. >> she's sobbing, has mascara running down and looks great. >> i look so contorted. >> google my e movie "spinning out of control," it's the ugliest thing you've ever seen. >> lindsey got a gold, shani davis got a gold. >> in speed skating. that was fun to see. >> from the south side of chicago. >> a chicago boy. >> i love that. there's shani davis. shaun white with that thing he does, whatever -- >> mcsomething. i'm watching with frank and, as i told you, it was apparently nine olympics and he did every ski event all around the world, agony and defeat, wide world of sports. we're sitting there and he's watching shaun white and he goes, what is that? and i said, that's the halfpipe. he goes -- he didn't know it. he said they didn't have that in olympics sport last time they did it. >> they didn't actually have it until last olympics. it was brand new. >> do you know what else they didn't have? curling. >> they've had curling. >> not forever. it's one of the newer ones. >> look at the pants these guys are wearing. >> they got them off the internet, loud mouth clothing or something like that. >> our guys here have been getting in the spirit, be trying to keep the floors clean. i don't know if you've seen it. >> i know. they call that an olympic sport? >> now that's a ten. and look how shiny the floors are, too. boys, excellent job. >> i'm sorry, but can we -- >> you win gold. gold, gold, gold. >> they also get paid if they're on camera. we're on to you guy. >> here they come again. go, go, go, go, go. one more time. >> they're going to get the gold. literally, they're going to get the gold. >> if you see them throughout the show, $100, cha ching, every time. >> after what conan did, can we do that anymore? that's it, guys. >> guys, tiger woods is speaking. >> yes. >> tomorrow. here is the deal, though. he says, number one, he's not going to take questions. there will be a single camera. >> right. >> it is invited friends and other guests, i guess. >> and press, certain members of the press. >> selected press. >> who are friends and friendly, too. >> they're having other press way down in some other room. >> watching it on a feed. >> he will take no questions. he will read a statement. it's funny. he had a written statement that said all the i'm sorries and now he'll have a spoken one. >> most of the papers i read today, and i only read three, said that he is going about this, again, all the wrong way. >> yeah, yeah. >> they're saying this is not -- this is only going to look like spin. it's not going to look like true redemption, true -- you know, mea culpa that they all -- i don't know what the guy has to do, but it will be interesting to see if elin is by his side tomorrow. >> it sounds like they're going to make his statement -- the masters are coming up. so he doesn't have to keep -- he'll say i already made my statement, so he can put that behind him. >> let me tell you something, though. it will never be behind him. >> i know. >> it won't be with him and her, unfortunately, and their children the rest of their lives. that's the culture we live in. it's called trash for cash. >> i think women are going to continue to dislike him and i think men will just want to see him play golf. >> men want to see him play golf. frank was saying something on sunday it's just not the same without tiger in the game. >> oh, no, it's another song. another song. >> everybody! i can't stop myself. >> can we go back to the olympics for one second? all those people were wiping out on that mountain. >> yeah, yeah, it's -- >> i mean, the number of people who -- i think they had six accidents, crashes. >> major crash. >> and they were bad crashes. >> major crashes. >> hold on. nick viquero in "the post" had a line, they walked the razor thin line between careless and carefree. i like that line. you have to be free, but you have to be careful. lindsey did it. you watch some of these crashes. >> oh, my gosh. >> ooh, those were tough. >> every olympics tries to do outdo the last olympics. of course they do. >> it's hard to watch some of these. >> that kind of competition as well between the host countries, you know. >> they want the fast track. >> the fastest track ever and, of course, all the athletes want to break every kind of world record. >> right, so you want faster and faster. >> there are some athletes that do not want the track messed with. they say, no, that's -- >> it seems icy, though, with all that weird -- >> because they've had so many different weather conditions. >> weather conditions, right. >> over the last week, so -- >> i don't know if you saw this video. this is hilarious. >> i didn't see it yet. >> a guy was trying to rob the 7-eleven, a granny was cashing out and she picked up the scanner thing and started clocking the guy. she doesn't even care. she can't reach him so she waits until he comes around and gets her another time. look at her. >> i love her! >> he ran away. look at her. >> do not mess with granny. oh, my gosh. that is hysterical. she looks like one of those ladies you see when they show russia. they always look like that. >> yes. >> maybe sheas visiting, on a visa. >> maybe she is. you're so upset. ha! >> no one is bidding on my football. i'm get soeg has. i have, what is it, $1,525? >> $1,525. >> i think the bidding thing is broken. there hasn't been a bid in two days. don't you think that's an issue? >> imagine that. >> go to klgandhoda.com. >> how much is this worth? >> $2,026. >> yours hasn't gotten another bid either. >> shout out to my friends in ocean reef. >> those are the rich people. they're going to bid on it. no, no. >> we just raised $2 million last saturday night. they industrial got some money, let me tell you. i want my friends in ocean reef, regis philbin, kathie lee and who is she, frank gifford, hall of fame 1977. okay? >> i have friends in ocean reef, too. bid on my football. i've got archie manning, emmitt smith, nini from the real housewives of atlanta. >> nouf said. from "okay," betrayed by john, all the comments he made in that playboy article. i think she should also -- as bad as what he did is, i think it made everybody look at her a little derifferently. >> i think that's fair to say. >> sexual napalm is better than what people have been saying lately, don't you think? >> yes. >> nobody has ever called me sexual napalm. i wish somebody would say your body is a wonderland. that ain't going to happen. >> what did we say? >> is it okay to write on your hand as sarah palin did? >> hoda says the only time it's a good idea is if you write, quote, don't write on your hand anymore. messy. buy a notepad, end quote. >> kathie lee says if you're going to cheat it's wrong but if you're doing it to remind yourself, it does come in handy. en't we cute and funny? hello, birthday boy. how was it? >> can i just say i love my birlth day. >> you did? >> do you love your birthdays? >> no, because you're 25. >> 24. >> i'll take 25, that's all right. >> almost three times. it's not as much fun the third time around. >> stop it. >> fair enough. i want to remind everyone that th aucon with the footballs runs through noon, 3:00 pm eastern on friday. >> not even a day. >> i know. >> won't take my friends in ocean reef long. oh, it's going to be over -- i bet it will be over $10,000 tomorrow. >> that's just mean. >> yeah. >> i want my friends from the south side of chicago to bid on my football. >> goldsteins to penny up. >> tiger on facebook, melissa says if he's willing to speak out, he should be willing to take questions otherwise issue a statement. >> which he has already done. >> i think that's what people think. >> i don't think he wants to go into all the sordid details. and, you know what? i don't want him to. i want to hear your sordid details but not his. >> stop it. spectacular day for the americans at the winter game. >> sara haines all the highlights after this. today's olympic highlights. we had huge numbers last night, i bet. definitely, you felt proud to be an american. >> absolutely. it was the best day ever for team u.s.a. in the history of the winter olympics, three gold medals, six in all. miss sara haines was there to witness it all. hey, sara. >> hi, darling. >> reporter: miss you. >> i don't, because i cannot hear you. can i hear you now? >> lindsey vonn, by the way, sara, that was amazing, right? >> the most amazing part, if you watch that video footage, she was so nursing her shin that on the corners, extremely tough due to the course's difficulty, she was taking it by one leg. you're supposed to go on the outside. she was going on the inside. she lifts her whole ski up. she barely got there, yet she took the gold. we can't forget julia mancuso. >> that's right, she won the silver. >> reporter: who won the silver. yeah. >> so many people were wiping out. were they worried about that beforehand, i guess, huh? >> reporter: yeah. it was a weather condition. with the rain they were getting, the course was getting icy, which make it is faster and bumpier. >> and more treacherous. >> reporter: each one outdoes the next. six people crashed, one woman was taken off by an airlift. they did all survive and are fine. >> when you think about it, they're going maybe 100 miles an hour, the only part of their body that is protected is their head. >> good point. >> even that's not a guarantee. it's extremely dangerous. >> shaun white spent more time, it seemed, in the air than on his board. he's amazing. >> is that even a competition? >> yeah. he's like six feet above everyone else and that guy redefines the sport. it's not just a gold medal. to watch him, you're watching history being made. the double mctwist 1260. that's what it's called. >> the 1260 is because he goes 360, 360, 360 and 120. >> right. >> all the way around. >> reporter: he did that on his victory lap. it wasn't even -- he had already won. >> yeah. you know, it was fun watching it with frank, because he was -- we watched all thguys before shaun and you're so amazed by what they do and you think they're just great. and then shaun comes out and does it -- >> changes the game. >>t's like he is awesome. he does define the whole sport. >> and shani davis, he did really, really well, too, took a gold. >> reporter: two out of three ain't bad. we also had chad hedrick, his u.s. teammate, come in with the bronze. that was another two-fer, which was awesome. then apolo ohno, who ran through easily both his qualifying rounds. americans nailed it. i was waiting for one person to maybe not do it. they all did it. >> what are we looking for tonight? >> reporter: today we've got the super combined, lindsey and julia back on the slopes. and that's a downhill one with one slalom. >> what are they saying about her chances in that one, sara? >> reporter: she's the fastest when it comes to speed. >> i know, but after skiing so well and so strong yesterday, did she damage her shin at all and will it affect her race today? >> reporter: she is not talking about heshin. i don't think she's come off cloud nine. that woman -- i mean, i don't think she feels it yet. i think she has a great chance. julia also is not far behind. she came in the practice races right behind lindsey. we need to keep our eye on her as well. >> can't wait to watch, sara. thank you, honey. >> are you having fun, sweetheart? >> reporter: i'm having the best -- i do miss you guys and i'm bringing fun things home. it is a neat experience. >> we miss you, too, but adam is looking awfully good. >> he's still in the chair. he won't leave throughout the whole show. >> hurry home, honey. >> reporter: i noticed he made himself at home. >> he's keeping your seat warm. bye-bye, darling. up next, they're back, our handsome panel of guys get down and dirty, answering all your love and sex questions. >> why did you say that? that's not even in the prompter. we're back with with our guys tell all series where our expert panel of males give you the guy's point of view. >> curtis stone, single, married father of one, rick younger, who has a comedy out "come on now." >> come on now. >> very funny chuck nice from trutv's "world dumbest" happily married, he tells me, for 12 years. >> we're going to get to our very first question. this is on tape from betty. >> hi. this is betty from new york. my question is, why is it that men can date a woman for years and years, sometimes up to ten years, without showing any sign of willing to commit? >> that's ridiculous. >> wow! >> what is that about? >> he's really comfortable. >> he's comfortable and you let him stay in that comfort zone. he's like, i'm going to stay right here. >> i have another question. why do women let men not commit for up to ten years? >> yeah. >> what's up with that? >> so it's her fault? >> no. listen -- >> in a way it is her fault. >> ultimatum? >> you should put the pressure on him. you have to tell people what you want in a relationship. >> ultimatums don't work. >> not ultimatums. you need to make it very clear what you want. >> that's the same thing. >> he will treat you how you allow them to treat you. >> no question about that. >> we'll go to our skype. you all have your earpieces in? >> yes. >> who is there from skype? >> live web video. >> this is april in seattle. >> hi. >> i'm -- i guess my question is, i'm 32. i'm not bad looking. i have my act together financially and emotionally, but every time i go out he in seattle, nobody approaches me. so maybe -- i don't know if i'm giving off a do not approach vibe or whatind of strategies can i try? >> i think a lot of people have april's issues. >> april is very cute. i was just looking at her. you're very cute, april. my suggestion to you would be move from seattle. you are in the wrong place, april! >> she might not be financially secure if she leaves seattle. >> studies have discovered for men to approach in bars it takes multiple eye contact and smiling in a short interval. she probably has to do it much more than she thinks she's doing. women are more attractive when they're ov lating. >> you always say that. >> take your temperature and hit the bars? >> exactly. >> i'm sorry, i can't see that. >> hi, how are you doing? i'm ovulating. >> there was a whole research. >> there was. >> that said go to a place where you're going to find somebody with equal values, go to church. >> that's right. >> go to a synagogue, a mosque. go to the fund-raisers for issues that you care about. >> curtis, what would make you approach a girl? what does she have to do? >> i don't approach people in bars, to be honest. i think you're better off, like you say, to go to a place where you're active in the community, gym or yoga, church, whatever it is. >> and they have those in seattle. we wh her well. >> yes. >> quick e-mail question. do men really care about lingerie? i'm always trying to spice up things but, seriously, it all ends up the same. do you guys really care? >> the only thing we like about lingerie is that it's telling us we're definitely having sex but other than that, it doesn't matter. >> be more zen. it's about the journey, not just the destination. >> yeah. >> i told you, he's the only sane one here. >> we have a hard break. we're going to come back with more. stick around. >> oh, yes, yes. also ahead, one of our favorite movies. "valentine's day." legendary director, gary marshall. if you can't bring us to canada, we're going to bring canada to you. i think that makes sense. coming up today at midday. comi&háhp &hc%y at midday. prince george's county, a body has beening found on the grounds of a juvenile detention center. the mayor is doing his best to clear the snow, but he's hoping for help from mother nature. oh, yeah. >> we're back on this thirst-day with another round of "guys tell all" session. >> let's go to our next question. this one we have on tape from caroline. let's take a listen. >> hi. my name is caroline and i'm from florida and my question for the panel is, why don't you just call? you say you're going to be home at 7:30. half hour goes by, two hours go by and nothing. i just need that call, just to let me know. so, why don't you just call? >> that kind of sums it up. see how she kept nagging about the call? the guy was glad to get away. >> wait a minute >> he's too scared to call. if he's ten minutes late with a call he's going to get his chops busted so he's like i'm not calling. >> so it's better not to call than to call late? >> that's like the old elementary school thing, oh, i should have been home by nightfall. i'm already in trouble. might as well stay out. >> she said two hours. >> there's no excuse. making personal calls on "24," this guy can call her. >> or what is he doing for those two hours? >> really, i think that whole thing of call me, call me, call me, neediness is not sexy. it just -- you feel like -- >> what if you want to make sure -- >> that may not be neediness. it could be concern. >> i'm not saying everyone who wants you to call is needy, but if they're not calling, leave them be. >> i'm going to say if it's your wife or a serious relationship, just call. because, honestly, you're avoiding a problem. why make things worse? if you know the woman wants you to call her? just pick up the phone and call her. >> how about texting her? >> that's chicken. >> hopefully you're in a situation where you want to call the person. if they're not calling you, examine the point of why he doesn't want to call you. >> he doesn't want to call you. that's what i'm saying. >> this is an e-mail question. what do you do if you're madly in love with a man who is a major mama's boy and the mama happens to be very controlling and manipulative. >> my wife is e-mailing you? >> you know what? this is the one where you pull the bible out on them and says a man should leave his mother and father. >> and the two shall become one. >> right. >> what if he doesn't? what if he really is influenced? >> then you throw the bible at him. >> some guys do this. they have a mom and they replace her with a wife and they pretty much pick a woman that replicates his mom. i think it's sick, okay, but -- >> you know what? it sounds sick, but one day you're going to sit up, you're going to be in the kitchen with your wife and your mother and they're going to be saying and agreeing and you're going to be like, oh, my goodness, i'm that sick man who has just married my mother. >> that is hilarious. >> but it's a beautiful sickness. baby, in case you're watching. >> we have a question from a woman whose husband is a neat freak. let's take a listen. i think. is it a listen? >> it's an e-mail. >> i don't have anything to read. >> there she is. >> hi. i'm sue from boston. my husband is extremely tidy, so tidy that i can't find my things sometimes when i come back from work. so, my question for the panel is, where's my stuff? where's my bundt cake pan when i need my bundt cake pan? >> i'm a chef. where is the bundt cake pan? >> where are you putting stuff? >> is the bundt cake pan a euphamism? >> i have the answer to the question. >> what? >> fourth cabinet to the left of the sink. that's where your bundt cake pan is. >> men aren't usually neat freaks, though. >> i want to know whether this -- >> i would think she would be happy to trade for the neat freak. >> no, neat freaks can get on your nerves. >> only when frank throws away the leftovers in the refrigerator and i'm le dying for them and they're gone. >> yes. >> gone! >> do what i do. >> come to my house, watch some football, he's welcome any time. >> do what i do. i call my wife when i can't find stuff. that's like all the time. if people who are neat tend to put stuff away, they put it in a place that only makes sense to them. call them up. where is bundt cake? >> thanks so much, guy. >> always so much fun. >> if you have questions for our guys go to klgandhoda.com. they'll answer them next time. talking about "valentine's day" and we'll talk to legendary director gary marshal. >> he is a legend. would you like the four-course sweetheart's menu or eight-course eternal love? >> whoa, slow down. is there like a one course only been dating for two weeks but it looks promising option? because it's -- i -- i -- i'm kidding. >> i realize that, sir. i'll come back when you're serious. >> the new film "valentine's day" is breaking all sorts of records, the highest grossing president's day opening ever, not to mention the highest grossing february weekend in hollywood history. >> really? >> that's what they say. >> legendary director gary marshal is here with us. so happy you're here. >> two beautiful girls. what else to do in the morning? >> i went 10:45 in the morning. >> you did? >> at the lowe's in nor new yew. not an empty seat. the crowd skewed all different ages. trying to reach a bunch of different peop? >> tryinto have them have a nice love story, forget about their troubles. >> a lot of love stories. that's what was so interesting about it. >> "love actually" was the original and we did a whole american version. >> i hear there's talk, smart talk about it so successful doing it around other holiday as well, like new year's eve. >> i've become a holiday director, arbor day, hug a tree. flag day. >> you used so many hollywood stars in this. did you have what's known as a -- is it favored nations where you have to pay everybody the exact same or negotiate contracts for every one of those stars? >> you had to negotiate contract. >> wow! >> they work a week, some worked two weeks, some worked a few days but -- >> julia roberts worked six ds or she's in the movie for six minutes? >> i'm not telling you how many days she's in the movie. she's one of the best stories. >> she's worth every bit of it. >> yes. >> this is my third film with her. we have a way of working. >> she owes you. she should have done it for free. >> i love at the very end in the credits. if you haven't seen it, i don't want to ruin it. there's a funny bit that brings back "pretty woman" and it got a huge laugh at the end. >> yes, people like to see stars make mistakes. >> yeah. >> so we have that in the end credits. >> it was genius. >> taylor swift. >> i thought she was very natural. >> young. i always find somebody young. >> talk to us about her. >> she was terrific. >> very natural. >> she has a -- she sings, she writes, she does -- >> very talented girl. >> she can actvery well. >> and i, being the age i am, loved to see -- you put hector alesandro in every one of your movies. to see him with shirley mclane is a treat. they have a very tender situatiogoing on. >> seniors, you know, fall in love, they make out, you know. it's a lot of action. and i think shirley was special because we see shirley as she is today, but then there's the scene encompasses another part where we see her when she was9 years of age. >> that was my favorite story line, those two. >> yes. >> i loved their story line so much. why is he in every single one of your movies? why is hector in every single one? >> he is like a luck charm. sometimes people don't understand what i'm saying. u go here, you'll say, and you'll do it. it will be great. >> and he understands you? >> he says, what gary meant is come over here and sit down. >> he's your interpreter? >> yes. and he can act also. >> he seems like a lovely man. >> we played softball. you ask me, do you rest after this? no. i have a big playoff game thursday. i'm pitching. >> oh, good! >> we do other things other than show business. >> congratulations. what's the next movie we're going to see? >> i heard -- is laverne and shirley coming back? >> jamie foxx, who was in "valentine's day," he is a guy who creates things. let's do "laverne and shirley" because he loves the idea that jennifer beil became friends. that was on "laverne and shirley" what you just did. he's pushing it. maybe it will happen happen. >> i hope it does. >> congratulations. >> fun movie. >> i'm excited. hope you can go, have a lovely time and smile. that's my job. >> people of all ages. yes. gary, thank you. up next, is it 5:00 yet in canada? we'll get a taste of the best canadian wines and liquors for kathie lee. >> a little sip? look at this. with the "today" gang having all the fun over in vancouver, we thought we would bring a little excitement over our way. >> as we do. >> because it's thirst-day. >> never too early to get into the spirit of things or should i say the irits? leslie sbracco -- you're just mean -- i'm reading the prompter. leslie, we're so glad you're here. >> just show us, for goodness sake. good to see you, darling. >> good to see you. >> these are olympic shrimp. they're on steroid. >> they could take on lindsey vonn, couldn't they, those things? >> i know. unbelievable. >> we have canadian wines and spirits for you today. they make wine in canada from bc all the way over to ontario. i'll kick off with some white wine by wayne gretsky, the great one. >> the great one. >> he has a vineyard, i guess. >> he has a vineyard, number 99. >> is it in the napa valley or sonoma? >> no, this is niagara peninsula. >> in canada. >> all these wines are from canada. vancouver is known for its seafood, shellfish. >> there's a bit of a sweetness to it, whichould counteract the spiceiness of seafood. and a portion of the proceeds go to wayne gretsky's hockey foundation. >> another reason to drink. >> canada, vodka. can we separate? no. >> i didn't know that. >> can you grab a little bit -- >> i can't do that. >> we have to shoot some things today, so -- >> this is actually vodka, made from 12,000-year-old icebergs. >> oh, then you've got to have it. >> they take the icebergs from newfoundland. >> i mean, it would be rude. >> who drinks straight vodka? >> we drink straight vodka. >> i don't. >> it's made from icebergs for goodness sakes. >> don't do it. we have a shoot after this. >> you're going ice skating. do it. quarters. anybody got a quarter? go! >> psych. >> you did it. >> psych. >> oh, my god. do not do this at home. i'm a professional. all right. so now we move to red wines. i know you love red wines. >> i do. >> this is from the okanaugen about an hour outside of vancouver. sorry, the vodka is still going down. >> leslie is a woman who likes her work. yes. >> and this is mission hill winery, very famous winerin canada, one of the best wines in all of canada, about $60 a bottle, beautiful red wine. >> this is a -- >> blend of -- very smooth and s supple. >> we all have a little age. >> that was mean. that's actually -- that's really good. >> isn't that beautiful? i paired it with a salad wit strip steak and bleu cheese and canadian bacon. >> is canadian bacon really from canada? >> it can be but it's really about the cut, from the loin of the pork. the pork loin. these are sometimes a challenge to fin >> we've already moved on. >> that's why you bring them to us, leslie. >> this one is from dan akroyd. >> all these celebs have their own wines. i didn't know that. >> he's a canadian. do you have your own wine? >> a jet. a girl can dream. >> that's like a dessert wine. >> it's sweet but it actually goes great with spicy food, too. >> 30 seconds, leslie. >> all right. absolutely gorgeous, jackson triggs, $25 a bottle. and this is a little canadian whisky. >> oh, no. >> yeah, ladies. come on. drink it up. here you go. >> who drinks these kinds of drinks with ice in them, just solid liquor and ice? >> leslie sbracco. >> we have website links and links that sell these wines. >> back to the wine. coming up, we'll go downstairs -- who do we have? corbin bleu is on broadway. >> we'll be back with him after this. he is an actor, dancer, singer and now a budding broadway star, corbin bleu is best known for his role in "high school musical." >> now in the award-winning musica"in the heights" now in its third year. >> three years? wow, good for you. >> yeah, it's incredible. it has been for three years now, and this is my third week. >> how are you holding up with your eight shows a week? >> it is something to do eight shows a week. >> a whole other discipline, isn't it? >> it definitely is. >> movies are hard because you have long hours. >> it's the long hours but you still stop in between, you go to craft services. >> play a little basketball. >> but you have that run for 2 1/2 hours every single day where you get up on that stage and go, here we go. let's do this again. >> do you ever blank in a live performances? >> you have so many word. >> what do you do if that happens? >> he spits out so many words per second. luckily, thank god, i haven't had a moment to blank out on ste. there have been a few moments on stage where you go what happens when we do -- but the show goes on as long as you stay in the present. >> the audiee doesn't know the difference. >> no except we call them the super fans. and they'll tell you after the show. i don't think that's the way you said it last time. >> do you see the same fans over and over? >> every once in a while. >> they keep showing up? >> they're incredible. >> what appealed to you about it? i'm sure after the success -- sorry. success -- little drinking. after the success of "high school musical" and all of that, you were offered so many things. you take a big pay cut to come do broadway. why did you do it? >> i've always wanted to come back to the stage. broadway is such a legitimate work, you know. it really is something that you feel -- just being on that stage every single night you feel fulfilled. every night after doing a show, you sit there and go okay, i can be proud of this i really can be proud of this. >> what are you learning? do you learn something every day by doing the shows? >> completely. just as a craft, as an art to maintain in that moment every single day and to have to do the same show and have the same arc every single night. >> and find something new. >> and find it new and keep it fresh for the audience. okay, there's somebody in this audience that has never seen this show and i need to do it for them for the first time even though this might be my 27th show. >> do the "high school musical" fans come to watch? >> oh, yes. >> they do? >> that's the wonderful thing about it. they have a large audience spread that has happened since i came to the show, younger fans that come to the show. >> good. >> at the same time, there are the adults that enjoy broadway. >> this show is for everybody. >> absolutely. >> we'll get you to sign a football for our auction. >> you got it. >> first dibs. >> no, i get him. no. i get him. up tomorrow, ambush makeovers. >> curtis stone will be back after this. >> i'm the one who asked.