time today, friday, december 10, abouthe accident for the first time today, friday, december 10, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith viera. this morning british police are facing tough questions over the protests that charles and camilla were swept up in last night. >>he royal couple was on their way to theater when their limo was surrounded by an angry mob. people were chanti ining "off w their heads". we're going to get the latest in a live report from london straight ahead. someone pretding to be from a college sorority friending pledges on facebook and asking them to send naked photos. now an arrest is made. you havenly got two more weeks to finh up your holiday shopping. we're going to have some gift ideas especially ifou're struggling with that hard touy for person on your list. an attack on prince charle and camilla's limo. >> reporter: good morning to you. this is a wild one. this is where the royals were headed here to the theater. but t seets were filled with protesters some of them even set fire to the christmas tree at trefalgecompare. the prime minister referred to the attack as both shocking and regrettable. but by all accounts, the protesters were as stunned to e the royals there as the royals were to see them. it was hardly the royal treatment. student demonstratoors pounded their limo with fists and paint. the stunned charles and his wif camilla, both in full formal attire, headed to a charity event in london's famed west end. >> the responsibility for security is to keep their charges safe and this could have been a lot, a lot worse. >> reporter: the couple wasn't hurt, but the duchess of cornwall was rattled. >> she was shaken to the core, she was guided straight through and let's just say a stiff brandy was administered. >> all across london students protested the gernment's plan to raise tuition. the mayhem spread to one of london's most popular tourist areas. a dozen officers were hurt as well as 40 students. these daysuch of europe shares britain's pain, with more protests expected. >> i try to have some sympathy and i think now by attacking the royals they have really turned against them because they are very well liked and well loved. >> reporter: still with a heavily anticipated ral wedding just four months away, the latest violence on london's streets will force the royal family to reassess security. and today the head of the royal fleet said the route had been checked just minutes before the royals went through there and that it was safe and clear. they also said that the royal police used restraint by not opening fire on the protesters. >> i guess it couldave been worse. peter alexander in london. now to politics and more fallt over president obama's tax cut deal with republicans. house democrats say that will not take up the package unless changes are made. kelly o'donnell has details. >> reporter: there's actually some progress to tell you about this morning with a different group of democrats in the senate. they seduled a vote for monday afteoon. expected to pass it and that will put more pressure on house democrats who are refusing to even call for a vote. >> and we will not bring it to the floor in its current form. plain and simple. >> reporter: house democrats are defiant. >> houseemocrats will not admit to hostage taking and we will not submit to this deal. >> reporter: a liberal rebellion against the white house. >> the republicans seem fairly lethal about this deal. >> reporter:he vice president's hard sell only stirred up emotions. so much that now even the president's friends say mr. obama should go to capitol hill himself because loyal supporters feel let dow >> at least he would have a chance to hear from the very people that have been carrying hiss water. he will also have a opportunity to thank the over 60 member who is supported his policies and lost their elections. >> reporter: because so many democrats lost, republicans have leverage to negotiate their own tax cut priorities. keeping rates the same for high earners and a lower rate on este taxes paid on big inheritances. house democrats refused to vote on the compromise deal unless changes are made. >> whate said is that we are for tax cuts. we are for inheritance exceptions. we just got a different legal. >> reporter: but the white house says tinkering could torpedo the their. that's what people want right now, they want jobs, they want paychecks. >> but they also want unploemt benefits. >> they want paychecks more than they want unplmt benefits. >> better than a job, they want unploemt benefits. >> we want people to have jobs. it isn't just unemployment, it's also food stamps, it's also housing assistance, it's also all the other programs that go along with it. the best thing we can do is grow the economy and to do that, we need to keep rates lower now so we can hire more people >> the president has basically lost a lot of support within his own party, but has he gained support among the democrats. >> there are tax increases in this and it spends a lot of money that's not paid for. so there's not yuan unanimous anymority. >> i'm a businesswoman, we have got to have tax tables, this is highly irresponsible. we have to get is work done so people have certaiy. >> now let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories, natalie morales at is the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. an end to the controversial don't ask don't tell policyh/óú not be in sight as legislaturors block. -- now with only days to go in the lame duck session, opponts of the ban are racing to get new legislation on the president's desk. there's an empty chair in oslo as the nobelrize winner -- ian williams jns us from beijing. good morning. >> reporter:ood morning, natalie, a crackdown on the award don't stop protests in beijing today. they knew the authorities would quickly crack down. but that didn't stop scores of ornary people fm across the country gathering to demand an end to human rights abuses. they knew that today the eyes of the world were on china. this is a protest that s brai bravely and kindly brokenp here. even building a wall near the compound whe the wife of the nobel winner is under house arrest. she is in jail for 11 years for subversion after calling for greater democracy in china. the authorities have angrily condemned the award as an obscenity calling the demonstrate fors anti- china clowns. >> ian williams in beijing for us this morning. two brothers were killed in an explosion at a small chemical plant in west virginia where they worked. the third fatal explosion at that plant in 15 years. a third employee was seriously injured in the incident the controlled burn of a southe california home went off safely. the house held the nation's largest ever cache of weapons. no neighboring homes caught fire in the planned blaze. the resident of the home has been charged with bank robbery and possession of explosives. i want to head over to wall street to see what investors are watching. amanda drury is at the cnbc stock exchange this morning. >> china took action against inflation once again this morning which potentially reduces the demand for commodities. also lots of economic news coming out of the u.s. so we'll ge a check on how our economy is doing, like consumer sentiment and we will be certainly watching what kind of changes might possibly be made to the deal that caused the obama cut with the republicans after the house democrats voted it down yesterday. lots of developments to keep our eye on, natalie, back over to you. >> we'll beatching you guys on cnbc. a very bundled up first family flipped the switch last night to light the national christmas tree acrossrom the white house. the president carried out the 88-year-old tradition with a little bit of a modern touch. the blue spruce is adorned with energy efficient lights. looks very beautiful. it's 7:14 right now. let's g back to matt, meredith and al. where did they get that idea? >> i think maybe they stole it. and a good friday morning. i'm "news 4" meteorologist chuck bell on a friday. we have aartly to mostly cloudy sky in place. temperatures are generally in the 20s. a few spots have made it into th30s. leonardtown, 30. but out across northern plains parts of virginia, manassas, temperatures are in the upper teens. so el pasoty of cold air around. highs today, highs in the 30s under a mostly cloudy sky. milder tomorrow, and a cold rain on sunday. >> sunday lousy weather, so you know what you're going to be doing? i know what you're going to be doing, you're going to be in front of the tv set, watching sunday night, fool nig in america. this is -- trying to pluck the eyes out of their opponents. , those eagles. mostly clear, cold, temperatures 41 to 45 degrees, on sunday ght, football ght in america. >> i hope they have the roof open at the stadium. the american army private who was the alleged source in the wikileaks case is now awaiting court-martial in what's described as a massive cust -- nbc's mike tiabbi explains. >> reporter: bradley manning was the undersized sax player in the band, the straight a student, and his lifelong friend jordan davis who says he often got under classmates words. now he's the alleged source in the middle of the wikileaks firestorm, an army intelligence officer entrusted with downloading and distributing classified documents made public by wikileaks. in his hometown of escent, oklahoma some are already juing him, like former marine roger campbell. >> i think he should be executed for doing what he did? >> reporter: andf he did it, why? a former computer hacker says he had a -- i want pple to see the truth, manning wrote about war strategy, air strikes that killed civilians in iraq and about all those cables in the ste department database. it belongs in the public domain, he said repeatedly, he says i couldn't be spy, spies don't post things for the world to see. >> he described himself at one point to be a hacktivist. >> reporter: he sometimes refused to say the pledge of allegiance at school. >> that was one of the things that was a little different about him. >> reporter: he talked about his parent divorce, about a boy who joined an army who would not allow him to serve as a gay man. i was the only one in town who was nonreligious, i am godless. >> if found guilty, he deserves all he gets. >> reporter: given the current charges he faces, that could be 52 years. for today, mike tiabbi, nbc news, crescent, oklahoma. 19 minutes after the hour, once again here's meredith. >> the connecticut man whoost hiss entire family in a brutal home invasion is speaking out about the vicious crime and his life since the tragedy. natalie has his etional story. >> it is really hard to imagi what dr. william petit and his family went through on that night in 2007. but now dr. petit is speaking out about the heart taaches and how he's facing the future without the family he loves. >> it pretty much comes back every day. >> reporter: for the first time dr. william petit tells his heart breaking story to oah winfrey, a heart breaking account of losing his two daughters and his wife. >> just intrusive though, banging into your brain. every second, every minute. you know, replaying events over and over and over again in your mind. >> reporter: prosecutors say these two men steven hayes and joshua cokomisarjevsky broke in and terrorized his wife and two daughters upstairs before setting the house on fire. >> i went to sleep one night with a nice home and a loving family and basically awakened in an emergency room manaked o a gurney with no clothes, no family, no home. >> reporter: hayes was convicted of capital mder and sentenced to deat komisarjevsky goes on trial next year. he pleaded guilty on all charges. tit was asked if he could forgive the two men. >> i don't think you can forgive ultimate evil. you can forgive somebody who stole your car. you can forgive somebody who slapped you in the face. i think forgiving the essence of evil is not appropriate. >> will you ever be able to feel happiness again? >> i'm not convinced. a lot of people tell me, yes, that will happen. >> reporter: no matter what the future brings, dr. william petit wants people to focus on the loves of his life. >> it was such a terrible, terrible thing and i wanted people to hav positive memories and know who they were. >> reporter: dr. petit has set up a foundation in memory of his wife and two daughters. the petit family foundation has now raised $1.5 million in support of causes theetit women held close to their hearts >> and you can learn more abt the petit family foundation on our website. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. can you tell me what f-stop you had the aperture set to? uh, pretty big. and the shutter eed? really...[snaps]...quick. how did you compensate for the diminished light? very well, thank you. with features like compact long zoom, leica lenses, and intelligent auto, lumix cameras make amazing photos easy. just ahead, the man behind groupons speaks out in a live interview. plus the man who survived this spectacular car crash oepes up for the first time after your local news. save $523! 16minutes could save you 16%! come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have statearm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million dvers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? calan agent at 1-800-state-farm r go online. equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share an app like our texas cheese fries, then choose two entrees from 14 chili's favotes, like our new honey chipotle baby back ribs. good morning. i'm joe krebs on this friday, the0th of december. in the "news 4 today," students at george washington university are being warnedot to browse the wikileaks website because it could affect their job prospect. they say wikileaks might come up during polly graphs as well. we'll take a b good morning, everyone. i'm "news 4" meteorologist chuck bell. a friday off to a partly sunny start in washington but will have a mostly cloudy day tod. temperatures still below freezing in many spots. we'll struggle to get into the upper 30s, low 40s and increasing clouds. rain and a chilly one on sunday. a little bit lighter than normal. we do have some slow traffic. 66 a little slow. again, at the beltway, a little slow. let's go to georgia avenue. tough to get by. flurries monday morning. welltune in bright and early to get the weather and traffic as well as all the day's news. 7:30 now on this friday morning, december 10, 2010. and these folks are getting an early start to their weekend spending the morning in rockefeller plaza. we're going to join them in just a little bit. inside studio 1a, i'm meredith viera alongside mattlauer. the young driver who survived this terrifying crash, doctors say it's a miracle he didn't die. and we're going to hear from him exclusively. andrew mason's website did not exist two years ago, now less than months later, "forbes" magazine has called it the fastest grows company ever. and google reportedly tried to bu groupon for $40 million. which is is more dangerous to the gentle giant, cold weather, o human's touch. we begin with the facebook scam targeting sorority pledges. jeff rossen has been following the case. >> reporter: police say it was an online predator who was e-mailing sorority pledges, demanding nude photos, threatening violence and disclosing secrets. police were stumped until now. investigators say this is the man who did it. preying on sorority girls from his home computer. it all started with a facebook chat. >> theirst conversation was about two hours long and very thorough and in department. >> about your life? >> they get you. >> reporter: ashley is a freshman at florida state university, she even got a chance to pledge a sorority. >> they basically said, tell me anything about you, what your personality is like, why you decided to join a sorority, how was your family lifelike? >> reporter: so you thought it was legitimate? >> they asked me what color underwear i was wearing and then they asked me to go even further and to put them in my mouth to show that i was below them. >> they wanted you to take a nude picture of yourself. >> yes, they did. >> reporter: you thought this was what you had to do to join the sorority? >> basically. they threatened me to use any secrets. >> reporter: police say it was all a scan, ashley was actually chatting with mitchel hill, a 26-year-old man hundreds of miles away now being charged with video voyeurism and extortion. >> the "today" show was instrumental in con joining the efforts of all the law enforcement agencies to -- >> reporter: hill targeted women at schools all over the southeast. smu, the yooefuniversity of flo the university of alabama and lshs su. >> i had word from the police that girl actually fully undressed themselves on skype which is is a video camera for this person. they lured them in to go to that extent. >> we are glad we were able to assist in getting a predator off the street and we do urge any other victim to please come forward so this young man can be brought to justice for every single crime he has committed. >> reporter: policerecovered mitchell hill's computer. they actually found evidence connecting him to at least 11 victims. one thing they don't know right now, how he picked the women to target. how did he know they were sorority pdges for example. ashley is just relieved they have somebody in custody. >> jeff, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> we're out here with our friends and you got a kind of a quiet wave. what's your name. >> emily. >> where a you from? >> connecticut. >> it never gets cold in connecticut. let's check your weather and see what's happening. these good morning, everybody. i'm "news 4" meteorologist chuck bell. friday off to a pleasant enough day in washington. temperatures, though are on the chilly side again. 18 degrees in manassas and fair fax this morning. 18 in leesburg. 25, winchester. 30, downtown. 31 in annapolis and 30 in gaithersrg and germantown. temperatures in the upper, low 40s. nice tomorrow but cold and wet >> and don't forget, you can check your weather any time of the day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. the survivor of a terrifying car slash in ohio is speaking out about the day he almost died. >> reporter: when you see this tape,t's amazing to beeve that the driver survived and not only that, but just four months after the accident, he's able to sit down with us and talabout it. one look at this police dash cam video and it's impossible to understand how anyone survived. police say 19-year-old brennan eden was traveling at over 100 miles an hour, when he lost control, sped through the median, went airborne and smashed into a concrete bridge pillar. watch and you can actually see him bounce acrs the payment. >> i just remember driving regularly, the speed limit, just like anyone else. >> reporte this is all that was left of brennan's 1980 firebird. the car literally in pieces. >> we have a vehicle that does this much damage, how another vehicle wasn't involved is amazing actually.brennan was ta to the hospital in an air ambulance. his mother, a trauma nurse was 40 mes away. >> i was wondering what i was going to see, how i was going to able to handle him in such critical condition. >> reporter: brennan was in intensive care for several weeks and underwent four surgeries before he learned to walk agai doctors say there's no medical logic to explain his survival, but the fact that he was thrown from the car may be one explanation. >> i don't remember any speeding, crashing, nothing. >>eporter: shortly before the accident, police approached brennan's car while it was parked in an emp lot. they discered an empty can of alcohol and a small amount of marijuana. but there was no trace of alcohol in brennan's system after the crash. >> i was probably doing things i shouldn't be doing. probably looking back i wouldt do them again though. reporter: brennan's driver's license has been suspended for two years for reckless driving, but he says he's willing to face the consequences because he's just tnkful to be alive. meredith? >> he should be, john yang, thank you very much. what you should buy that impossible to shop for person on your holiday lift. . next up the founder of groupon, he rejected a $40 million bit for his company. rules and restrictions. oh, and limits. 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[ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's bwed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. we're back at 7:41, what if someone offered you billions of dollars for your startup company, would you take it? th folks at groupon have reportedly accepted a $6 million offer. before i get to th, for the uninitiated, let's talk about groupon. basically you send out a deal every morning, it's a great deal on a product or service local to your customers. a certain number of people have to sign up for the deal, and if they do, they get thecoupon. >> you should be our spokesperson. >> so the customer gets a good deal, the business that's providing the scount on a product or service gets exposed to a huge audience. what is your average subscriber like, who' your target audience. >> we're mostly people that live in cies, a little bit more female than male. people who are college edge indicate educated. >> 2/3 make bween $50,000 and $100,000 a year. these are the customers everybody wants. >> yes, it's not the typical person you would associate with being a coupon clipper. this is more the type of people that everybody wants to get into their store. >> it's a sime formula and it has made you a juicy target for other companies wanting to get a piece of this or the whole pie. the reports of late on the business pages has been that google offed you $6 billion for this company and the same reporting says you turned it down. have you turned down a deal like that lately? >> unfortunately, matt, i can't speak to that. but we're excited to be -- to have a cool company that we're continuing to grow. >> can you at least confirm that you were in the -- i'm not looking for the specific number, will you confirm that you we in talks with google for such a deal? >> let me tell you a story to answer that question, matt. >> i have a feeling i'm not going to get an answer here. >> my middle name is divens. i was embarrassed at this middle name. and josh wilson made fun of me on the baseball field and i started crying and running aft him and mrs. patteon ran after him. the next day on the school bus, someone said hey divens and i tried to squirt suntan lotion on those. >> you will stall any way you possibly can? >> some people sayhis business model is fantastic right now, but they worry, they have a major concern that's too easily pyable and that any other company can copy this and someone who wants to be aggressive and come in and undercut your fees can basically push you to the side, are you worried about that? >> in addition to being the fastest growing company ever, we have probably bn the most copied company ever. there's over 500 groupon claims all over the country. the fir groupon claim came out in the first 18 months. 99 of them are completely irrelevant. >> last week amazon made a significant investment in one of your competitors called living social. does that worry you that a company like amazon is pouring money intohat company? >> we think as long as we build a product that our consumers really like to use and is useful for mehants and brings them new customers. >> this seems like a great niche right now, but will it feel that way when klaclaustrophobia sets. it goss on to say groupon will regret passing on google's billions then if it doesn't all right. without going into your middle name and the story of skiquirti again, how do you answer that. >> even with the copycat sites out there, we have backlogged for six months for people that nt to be featured on groupon. so what we're doing is something that consumers and merchants seem to like. >> we are excited by people like you,ou are the young guns, you are the pioneers in the digital world. what do you want to do with your clout, andrew? >> i want toee if i can get more buildings to have laser in their name. the word laser. i don't know. do i have clout. >> you do have clout whether you realize it or not, and you do realize it, you do have clout. i feel like clout is mething that builds up on your teeth. i can't even take the question seriously. >> did i get one serious answer? i'm not sure. andr andrew mason, nice to have you here. swimming with florida's manatees, should it be allowed? [ male announcer ] it's here. the all-new chevcruze. msn autos called it "the class of its class right now." but that's not the only story. it's got turn-by-turn navigation, onstar, an availablix-speed automatic transmission, remote keyless entry, and 10 air bags. it's a big story for a compact car. the all-new chevrolet cruze. get used to more. very well-qualified lessees can get a low-mileage lease on a 2011 chevrolet cruze ls for around $159 a month. call for details. ♪ it comes along just once a year ♪ ♪ on winters wings, decembers rear, ahha humbug faces come and dear ♪ ♪ then appears at perfect christmas time. ♪ ♪ a tiny tree, christmas, tinsel, the lights ♪ ♪ the star that sings, top your tiny tree, yeah ♪ this week's cold weather in florida could be a death sentence for endangered manatees. but there's at least one place they can go for warmth. kerry sanders -- >> i'm at the national wildlife refuge here. it's a chilly 32 degrees, but down here in the water, it's a constant 72 degrees. that's because these are spring fed waters so. the manatees are sort of like tourists who flock to miami beach in the winter, they kw where to stay warm. but at the same time, as you see the manatees swimming here, there's a little bit of a conflict in terms of, well, is it a good idea t have people up close to these manatees when it gets cold. so under new federal regulations, fish and wildlife if they need to can close this area off where i am right now to people swimming. but that means for tour operators, people who travel from around to the world, won't be able to swim with manees. on a cold winter morning, crystal rivers steamy waters become a sanctuary, a warm bathtub for manatees, a distant relative to the elephant, these gentle giants quietly gather in large herds here. but sometimes eve if they follow their instincts, it's not enough. so far this year, a record659 manatees have died from hypothermia. >> for them being able to fin refuge at the springs is a life or death situation for them. >> reporter: more than 100,000 tourists from around the world come here every year like the merck family from georgia. if they want to touch, pet and scratch these behemoth, long ago mistaken by sailors as mermaids. >> it's new, it's fun and it's kind of scary, but like you just want to keep touching them and keep going for them. >> reporter: environmentalists claim petting and rubng the manatees especially when it's cold is a problem. tracey colton calls it harassment and belves when manatees try to eape the prodding, the only place to swim are dangerous colder waters. with the video camera, she spent five years documenting human manatee encounters. >> i really believe that the touching has to be banned all together. >> reporter: but now studies prove that people are chasing the manatees to their deaths. which is why florida state law outlaws harassment but petting is jt fine. >> the manatee is going to approach and that's the law, let them come to you. >> captain diane who for decades have brought tourists to swim with the manatees, says the tragic deaths are from unusually cold weather. she fears government officials under pressure will expand an every expanding no swim zone. >> the whole town i primarily dependent on tourism. i love the manatees and i want them to be protected. i don't want them harmed in any way. >> reporter: and so now we're looking at a live picture of a manatee right here. it's a good bet that this area possibly will be closed as early as next week because the temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s. matt and meredith? >> whatever they can do to protect those beautiful, beautiful animals. still ahead, what to buy for the hard to buy person on your holiday list. >> after your local ws. with the capital one venture card we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a maze, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? sure. cake or pie? pie. apple or cherry? cherry. oil ocream? oil or cream cream! (announcer) some use hydrogenated oil. reddi-wip's uses real dairy cream. nothing's more real than reddi-wip. wait for me! there it is. ah! hurry up. you're heavy. are you sure these letters will get to santa? yes, of course. hold still. almost there. a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's and we'll donate to the make-a-wi® foundation. together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe. our temperature right now is 30 degrees. beautiful sky out there this morning. some clouds above us. 7:56 is the time. it's friday. good morning. i'm joe krebs. in the "news 4 today," a robbery suspect is in the hospit after being shot by police in prince george's county. police say the man started firing at app officer after the officer started to pat him down and noticed a weapon. the officer was not injured. you may want to avoid the beltway in alexandria. they'll shut down the ramps at telegraph road. those closures will remain in place until sunday afternoon. this work is all part of the wilson bridge project. we'll take a break and come back and look at our weather and our good moning. we're off to a cold start on "news 4." i'm meteorologist chuck bell. temperatures will climb into the 30s with increase clouds. saturday, high 45 and rain for sunday. traffic. georgetown avenue, denison avenue, looking at a water main break. we're back at 8:00 on a friday morning, it's the 10th day december, 2010. you know what winter has really arrived in new york city. 34 degrees, i'm bundled ups are all these great people out on thelaza. just a reminder, only 13 days left to do your shopping. i know you were done in august. >> iot a couple more things to pick up. >> but you're 99% there? >> pretty much. >> how about you? >> i have purchased nothing. zero. >> i'm about 5% done. i haven't done much either. so we're going to get busy next week. >> also when you get invited to parties, do you understand the dress code? what does that mean, holiday casual? we're going to find out what those dress codes really mean, how you decipher them. >> that's holiday chic. >> and one icon goes to bat for other. we're going to show you why hugh hefner was the playboy man went to bat for the hollywood sign. >> okay, a lot to get to. let's go inside, ann's on assignment, nalie is at the news desk with all the headlines. british initials are questioning security procedures after prince charles and camilla's car was attack and vandalized in london last night by students holding a massive protest against tuition hikes. the royals were unharmed. senate republicans thursday voted down a bill to track and treat sickness among ground zero workers. th$4.7 billion program would be too expensive and open to abuse. virginia tech could lose millions of dollars in federal ai after the -- notified the campus in a timely fashion as a shooting rampage unfolded there three years a lot. 30 people and the gunman were killed then. an advocacy group says the united states needs to focus more resources on women's health. dr. nancynyderman has more. >> reporter: in a ten-year look at women's health in this country, the national women's law center reports that when it comes to meeting government goals to keep women healthy, th united states is failing. while no state is given an overall satisfactory grade, 37 states are found to be unsatisfactory, 12 considered out right failures, getting a grade of f. >> what the worst state did so wrong was notut into place policies that could actually help women get healthier. >> experts a concerned by the marked increase in the number of women who report binge drinking and fewer women a getting pap sme smears, the curervical test for cancer. for "today," dr. nancy snyderma nbc news, new york. new figuresreleased today show that the $700 billion bailout program known as t.a.r.p.arned a profit of $35 billion for xpayers mostly from the government's ongoing sale of citigroup stock. . resourceful parisians went skiing there. that looks like a lot of fun. love to be there. it is now 8:04, you're up to good friday morning to you. i'm "news 4" meteorologist chuck bell. we have a little bit of sunshine on there. clouds are on the increase. not much clouds later today. temperatures below freezing in many spots. 25 degrees in falls church this morning. 0 you town. so a bundle-up day for sure. highs today slowly climbing into the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. a little milder for tomorrow before a chilly rain on sunday. >> and that's your lates weather. >> mr. roker, thank you. it's granny's birthday today. when we come back, some great items for the people on your list who are har to buy for, right after these messages. tommy? - i helped dad pick it out. it's beautiful. - behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open heart collection at kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. there are millions of reasons to give one, but the message is always the same: keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in. - i love you. - i love you too. one made with only real cheese. a pizza my family will love. [ female announcer ] freschetta naturally rising crust pizza. no other pizza tastes like freschea, because no other pizza is made ke freschetta. "today's" holiday gift guide is brought to you by target. expect more. pay less. >> back at 8:10, this morning on "today's" holiday gift guide. ideas for those hard to buy for people on your list. >> we have gathered three experts to give suggestions to everyone from the health nut to the fashionista. >> the featureded director of travel magazine. let's start with a good piece of luggage. everybodloves that. >> the best way you're going to get through security lines is to carry on is this one, $89. but if you have someo in your family who likes to pack a little heavier and are not worried about those extra charges which can be above 50 pounds. it goes red if you're over 50 unds. so it has a built on scale. >> so you don't have to put it on the scale in your bathroom. this says al roker,e loves his ipad. he travels all the time won't leave home without it. >> we have an ipad case. this really cool company is doing these ecoflip slips for your i pad. >> a jigsaw puzzle, i don't quite get this. >> you give them a address and they willake it into a map. search you went on a great honeymoon and you went to commemorate that or if you want to surprise seone with a trip and you want to have them figure it out, you can do it. >> if you want to splurge, a camera is always a great gift. >> is has a usb port built in, it's a flip camera. people love to shoot their memories and send them to every member of e family. but now they're personalizable. >> coming up, if you're stopped going thrgh security at the airport,ou've got to take your shoes off at the airport. matt hates that. >> they come in small sizes, these are $50 and they will keep you warm at 30,000 feet as well. >> that's great. and very ickly, finally, clothing when you get there. >> three islands has these great tunics for$55 so you don't have to break the bank just because you're splurging on a trip. what do you get for the stylist one on your list? "today's" style editor bobby thomas. nice to see you. fr grandmothers to grddaughters, sweaters are a great gift and you've got an interesting one here. >> i really love this two for one sweater that comes with a neck piece. and it's detachable. and what's great is it's -- >> two sweaters for the price one. sparkles are very big this year, why is that. >> sequins and vera line you can find all that for less. that societote is really afford >> i find accessories hard to buy for other people, it's so personal. >> think about making it a statement piece. this is such a great collection, because they're fun, affordable. >> what kind of prices are we talking about? >> about $50 for a big ring like this. which is really great. >> what about the nelace? >> the necklace is about $90. >> i mentioned that accessories can be personal, but when you start to get into beauty products, again, this is not something i deal with. do women buy beauty products for other women? >> they do. you can give a big name at an affordable price and they always make great limited edition special things. this opens up and there's makeup and a mirror inside. what's great is that the makeup can be removed and you can use the case for something else. and the same with this dress set fr channel. it's not something you splurge on yourself, but great for something else. >> and always great ideas. bobbthomas, thank you very much. we're going to find out wha to buy the hard to shop for health nut on your list right after this. ♪ tie it all up in a big shiny bow. i'm a "home for the holiday" superhero ♪ ♪ mrs. claus ain't got nothin' on me.'m dancin' circles ♪ ♪ around the christmas tree. today" at the rink is brought to you by smucker's. >> and time to wrap up today's holiday gift guide with gifts for the hard to shop for. this lifestyle expert has some suggestis. this looks kind of interesting. >> you're a bit of a fitness fanatic, you just won the marathon. >> if nobody else was running, i won the marathon. >> you can put your cell phone in there and your keys and go for a run. >> what's this? i love this. >> this is called road idea. 40,000 of us end up getting hurt and taken to the hospital without any identification with us. and this is a gat gift, from's opti there's options to put it on your shoe. this is a huge trend, they're finding that it's better for your feet if you separate your toes. these are called toe stocks, they're for the yoga enthusiasts, you put them on and go do your yoga. >> these five finger gloves are good for running. >> these are a great gift item. >> you want to make se someone gets a healthy snack. >> this is the fruit of the month including. you can buy three mons, six months. >> this is unbelievable, this is from smart box. you basically -- there's differt price points, $69.99 to $299 and basically this is a box. this is for someone who has everything, you can buy different -- all they do is show up at the place, that's it. >> and a fitness video game. >> this is fallen. the lovely fallen who's demonstrating the smart cycle. they're work out but they're also learning their a-b-cs and how to count. how to decipher those holiday dress codes. right after these messages. ♪ every little step, brings me closer to the gift. can't be late. ♪ ♪ip it open in a second and 's time to play. ♪ ♪ i was up all night in anticipation feeling electric jewels of jubilation. ♪ ♪ yule tide carols from the local congregation. ♪ ♪ make it tough to hold my patience in check. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't it. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't wait. ♪ how's it going in there, hon? um, almost ready. [ car alarm blaring ] [ blaring echoes, fades ] oh! [ male announcer ] relax. pam helps you pull it off. [ male announcer ] relax. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it'in the bunches on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's licious. nobody does it quite like u [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our mes on them! richard, i tnk they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you, boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas. bk at 8:20, this morning on "today's" style, decoding dress code. have you ever been to an event d thettire is listed as holiday casual. stacy, good morning. i get these invitations sometimes and i never can understand what the codes mean. doesn't that make you angry at the host? very abstract. >> it's very abstract. what are some of the most common mistakes that people mak when they're dressing for a hole did party. >> they dress in a literal interpretati of the holays with the christmas sweater and santa and the elves and more reindeer. little bit hokey and it's a little bit of a caricature and it an investment in terms of your ability to wear the pieces throughout the year. when you go to holiday parties, you want toear things that you can wear to holidays any time. and to interpret the invitations you really need to understand them a little bit. we have categories. >> let's interpret this dress code. they say dress your best, r an office party. >> you're going to an office. one of the things i feel strongly about is that usually an office party means you're going straight from the office. this is what i call the add and switch. all you need to do is bring a tote bag, put in a different shoe and add a great seinned -- you can wear this throughout the year. the big mistake people make in the office is that throughout this party, you are still at work. you can' show too much skin, you can't be inappropriat be more conservative. and with a monochromatic palate, add some shine and maybe some color in yourshoe. just add a little plush in your coat that you can take with you to the party. >> the next confusing dress code, creative black tie. so we know it is formal. that's about all we know. what's the creative part? >> here we have done something creative. this is alicia. what we have done here is a cot don jersey. and believe it or not, it's full length. you can do full length or to the fl knee. but what i love about this is it creates this beautiful formal silhouette in a very comfortable fabric. what really make this is formal is the jewelry. the idea of using these bolder matt bronze pieces, matt bronze is really big this season. you can still be comfortable and with the new se with super great high heels you've really got a formal look. >> thank you alicia and for festive attire, maybe you're being invited to a casual holiday party. >> i would say start with denim. jeans with high heels immediately is great, but color and patterns is a great way to defi define festive. that does not mean red and green together. bold colors, make sure you wear something you love. nine times out of ten you will get to the party and it will be hot. add a jacket in a bold color. does not have to be red and green, it has to be complementary on your skin tone. if red and gen look great on you, that's great, but don't do them together. >> buy pieces that you're going to weart other times of the year. otherwise it's like a halloween costume, it's a great investment. this vest that alicia's wearing is $49. you can wear it during the holidays not just for black ties but for other occasions. >> think beyond the holidays. >> as always, you want to get bang for your buck, even for the holidays. >> i'm on morning television, i think i better ep it tweed. >> i'll keep that in mind at my next party. easy to make minty holiday treats after your local news and weather. 8:26 is your time now. 30 degrees. look at those heavy clouds overhead. a tiny bit of a warm-up. good morning. i'm eun yang. in the news, a fashion designer was found dead inside a new york city hel room. she was discovered in a full-body bathtub ood machinery morning, every one. clouds with rain showers likely. much of the day. very cold next week. traffic time. >> north of town, heavy traffic getting around the outer look at college park and silver spring. most areas around the city, we do have delays on the inner loop, braddock to 66. eun, bk to you. >> thank you. coming up on "news 4 today" or 8: 30,on this friday morning, the 10th of december, 2010. big holiday crowd on rockefeller plaza. right now many are donate fog the toy drive. and ira smith is collecting toys. we're going to talk with him in just a minute. >> if you're thinking about giving, take a moment to brag. >> a little bragging e "today" show charitable fodation has just received a 2010 foundion fill lant by award. we're happy to help them and we're also hum nbled by the awa. meanwhile just ahead, "today's" amy robach lands and takes off on the newest aircraft carrier in the u.s. navy fleet. she's going to share that incredible experience. >> i like the look of a window. >> you know what, take the clock down 30,000, 4000 feet and it's still great for your skin. >> look at her, she's going to fly out. they might have forgotten that. >> anyway, a treatment of a different sort. a delicus pepperment flavored dessert with the help of sara lee. >> all right and now we're also going to have a beautul live performance from olympicic gold medalist sarah hughes. but first, let's say hello to matt. hi, guys. >> danny o'donahue, mark sheehan and glen powers. your first album was so well received. does that make you feel better about the second one? >> it makes me a little bit nervous. >> why? >> you just worry that you got so much attention on the first album, that you hope you did a good job. >> when you guys sit down and listen to this new record, how do you think it compares to e sound? >> we're so proud of the work that we have ne. that's all we can do. . >> you have been compared so much to u-2. was that why you had -- >> she's an incredibly talented actress. she's going to be in a film with sean penn. she's on her way, and we're on our way with the band also. so we thought it would be a good thing to combine all the talent. >> in our book, you're there. >> you're finally getting a break this year. what are you going to do? >> we have three weeks off, it's only two weeks now, but we're going to go home and chill out and see family and friends and just put our feet up. but you're coming back next month? you're going to be live on the plaza. >> you got it. >> and s patrick's day, you got to come out. >> congratulations. >> he's res and a good friday morning on news 4. i'm meteorologist chuck bell. we had little sunshine earlier this morning but the clouds are loyering and thickening. temperatures, they've dropped into the 20s to low 30s in most everybody's neighborhood this morning. 25 drees infair fax, 30 downtown, 29 degrees in montgomery county. a couple of light snow flurries. not expecting any snow around here today. just cloudy and cold. a little better tomorrow with a high near 45. >> and don't forget, you can check the weather any time of the day or nigh go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ♪ it comes along just once a year ♪ ♪ on winters wings, decembers rear, ahha humbug faces come and dear ♪ ♪ then appears at perfect christmas time. ♪ ♪ a tiny tree, christmas, tinsel, the lights ♪ ♪ the star that sings, top♪ navyal aviation was born in 1910. 100 years later, "today" national correspondent amy robach flew on the uss "george h.w. bush." >> it was a really cool experience. the bush leaves norfolk, virginia for its first combat deployment next spring. the crew just spent several weeks on maneuvers out on the atlantic ocean to fine-tune those operations. i got a taste of what these brave men and wom do day and night to prepare for combat. it's one of the most amazing sights to witness. a navy fighter attack jet landing and then catapulting off the four-acre flight deck of an aircraft carrier. but watching it and actuay experiencing it are two different things. it may be just another day at the office for the navel pilots. >> information on the flight suit. >> reporter: but for a civilian like me, just to ride in the back seat required an intense day of preflight training. and we' after several cssroom hours learning about potential loss of consciousness, extreme ear and sinus pain, vomiting and blacking out, i was fitted with helmet and mask and put to the test in the altitude chamber. i'm ready to go. but i wasn't exactly ready for the water. drout proofing is a must before a carrier landing and i was petrified. >> that was not easy. >> reporter: but it was all worth it the next morning, i suited up and met pilot perry solomon. call sign, whisper. as we walked out to the flight line, perry eased my fears with his confidence. >> it's a rush every time. >> reporter: after one last brief -- >> our mission today is a trap cat trap. >> reporter: it was time to strap in and go. we lifted off from our land base at oceaniana navel air station andeadedut to sea with a little extra boost. >> all right, amy, we're going light the after burners. that was 7.1. >> reporter: this has been an incredible experience. i am in an sa-18s superhornet and we just did 750 miles an hourround speed and we are on our way to the uss "george h.w. bush" aircraft carrier what. a ride. >> here were. >> reporter: you d't see that every day. maybe you do. >> i do, yeah. >> reporter: it's a beautiful day we approach the aircraft carrier. >> look at that thing. how awesome is that? >> reporter: that is awesome. as we make our final approa, whisper tells me to expect a controlled car crash. >> 15 seconds. >> reporter: okay. and that's exactly what it feels like as we go from 115 miles an hour to zero in two seconds. an amazing landing with a perfectly calm, cool pilot. but the fun wasn't over yet. the most exciting part washe catapult off the carrier fro zero back to 180. in three seconds. landing on th"bush" a second time, you quickly realize why it takes 5,500 young men and women rking together in a tight ly choreographed mission. >> you saw them up on the flight deck, not an easy job, a lot of responsibility, dangerous. >> reporter: admiral nora tyson is the first female to command a flagship. the average age of the crew is under 20. >> it takes every single person doing their job for all the pieces to come togethe to be able to accomplish what we're doing right now. >> these guyare the professionals with all the pride and they can trust them 100%. >> this was an awe inspiring experience, i had a few panic attacks, some tears. i think i called every member of my family to talk me off the ledge. but i have a newfound respect for the men and women every day who their jobs and help us sleep safely every night. >> that catapult is -- >> you've done it. it'sike you're on a rocket ship to the moon. >> and as you were describing a second ago, it wasamazing, you get off the ee of that deck, it feels like you're floating. it's just like nothing else you have ever experienced. >> you catch the third le. >> the third line. >> i'm nauseous, though. imagine if i was in a convertible. >> if you look at that tape, i rest my case. up next is holiday desserts. but first this is "today" on nbc. vrmgs. we're backow at 8:45. candyanes are everywhere during the holidays, why not put them to use for a creative, festive dessert. ndra lee christmas and her latest cookbook is called home made. it's gate to have u you here. peppernt screams holidays. do you do a lot of cooking over the holidays? >> entertaining? >> not so much this year, we have a big new year's coming up, but usually, yes. >> what are you starting with? >> i like to do something whether i'm entertaining or for the kids at home which is kind of a fantasy dessert. so what we have is our peppermint bonbon pop. in this bag is going to be a bag of light chocolate chips. a third of a cup of butter, a quarter of a cup of heavy whipping cream. don't whip it, just put it in there. melt the chocolate chips. >> get some paddles ready. clear! >> it's candy, it's christmas. melt them on low for about five minutes, low heat, a nice, soft, ow melt. >> that's the consistency you're looking for? >> it's very shiny, now is the fun part. you are going to put in a cup of powdered sugar. >> all of it at once? >> all of it at once. and with that whisk, you are going to go to town. one teaspoon of peppermint extract. >> so you don't want to overpower with the peppermint taste, you just want a hint ppermint. let's say i did that already and it ended up looking like this. you want to put your chips in? peppermint chips. >> this becomes kind of like mud here. >> it's a candy. it's a candy pop. this once you're done, you put it in a bowl in the fridge for two hours. you're going to roll them your hands. and then you're going to set those aside. in your oven goes helper mint. >> i had no ia those things would melt like this. >> three minutes that's all. all you do is put this on your plate. now we' >> now we're going to make a pepper mint pie. you'reoing to have the cheese flavor, everything inthis. >> i've got two different kinds of pudding, you make it the regular way, i've got white chocolate pudding and the cheese cake putting, the flavor. >> you can buy a crust? >> you can buy a crust, but if you want to make it the money saving meals way, because i have two shows on the network, it's just some gram crackers, sugar and melted butter. pack down your des. now you're going to put in layers of white chocolate pudding, the topping, another teaspoon of you extract goes in there. >> just two layers? >> two layers, one on top of another, that's what you have here. put that together. >> you have to chill that first? >> you want to chill it after you put that in. >> okay. >> go ahead and place that on here. you want to grab the peppermint because that's going to be our topper. and then just have a good time creating billows. >> you actually want to make it look kindf exotic, correct. >> kind of festive and fun. >> you do stuff like this all the time? do i sprinkle these on, is that it? >> y just made pies. >> fantastic. >> one more. >> all right. we, actually twomore. i have a punch he and this is my christmas white cake. but instead of water, just use eggnog. it pumps up the flavor. >> up next, a special performance on the rink from 2000 gold medalist sarah hughes. "today" at the rink is brought to you by smucker's. >> "today" at the rink, the woman behind one of the biggest histor sarah hughes was just 16 years old in002 wn she pulled off e near flawlessong program to win gold in new york city. eight years later she's dazzling us on the ice. and inducted into the figure skating hall of fame, congratulations on that. while you were skating y were studying at yale university. >> when i was inducted into the hall of fame, i was around all the people that i had looked up to and skated with and competed with and had so many good times and i was watching the skating and i said you know, i miss it a lot, i want to start practicing again and going to the rink and here i am. >> and christmas you're going to be on a show on nbc called he salute to the world of skating." you're going to have to stop after this. you get in the skating position, and sarah is going to be skating to grown up christmas list by barbra streisand. ♪ do you remember me ♪ i sat upon your knee ♪ i wrote to you with childhood fantasies ♪ ♪ well i'm all grown up now ♪ can you still help somehow ♪ not for myself ♪ but for a world in need ♪ time would heal all hearts ♪ every man would have a friend ♪ ♪ that right would always win ♪ and love would never end ♪ this is my grown up christmas list ♪ ♪ what's this illusio called ♪ ♪ love would never end ♪ this is my grown up christmas list ♪ ♪ this is my only christmas wish ♪ ♪ this is my grownup christmas wish ♪ ♪ 8:55 is your time now. 31 degrees. chuck bell will have your forecast right after the news. good morning. i'm eun yang. crews are working on several water main breaks throughout the area. this break occurred a short time ago in bethesda. it is causing icy conditions on the roadway. be careful out there. today the d.c. department of public works will dedicate s buildings to an employee killed on the job. larry hutchins was killed on october 15 while preparing for his schiff. he worked fo the department of public works for 24 years. good morning. temperatures below freezing. we're going to struggle to get into the upper 30ss, lo 40s today. over to traffic no. >> the travel around the area largely free and clear. gegia, just north of the beltway, water main break. near pen train 410, nearly half an hour late. back to you. >> coming up on we're back with more of "today" on a friday morning, it's the 10th of december, 2010. we're rocking the tree. we have got a happy crowd kicking off their weekend out on e plaza. a chilly day, temperatures in the 20s, going up into the low 30s? and then we're going to have rain coming into the city for holiday shoppers. inside the studio, i'm matt lauer along with meredith viera and al roker. coming up in this half hour, serious questions about the security surrounding the royals. last night the car that prince charles and camilla were riding in were attacked by student protests. they were shocked but left unharmed. we're going to have the latest in a live report. >> it's amazing that they could just drive right through all of that. where was their secret service? lso we're going to be talking about seanal affective disorder, it affects millions of people around the u.s. and in the colder months when people feel a little bit blue. how do you know if it's a case of cabin fever or a more serious emotional condition. we'll have advice coming up. and we're going to take a trip to some beautiful cities and check out some great deals on some great homes for sale. on the new england cape to a designer home in texas. and we're going to show you how the best holiday bargains are online in time to get it under your tree for christmas. student protests in london rattled the royals last night. >> reporter: it was quite a scene, the british prime minister described it as shocking and regrettable. but what had hatched, the protesters seemed as shocked to run into charles and camilla as charles and camilla were to run into them. it was h hardly the royal treatment. student then strademonstrate fod their car with their fists and with paint. shouting off with their heads. the chaos was shot on home video as charles and camilla headed to a charity event in london's west end. >> the responsible of security the to keep their charges safe. this could have been a lot, a lot worse than it was. >> reporter: the couple wasn't hurt, but the duchess of cornwall was visibly ratled. >> camilla was shaken to the core. she came into the theater and she was guided straight through and a stiff brandy was administered. >> reporter: all across london students protesters as the government nearly tripled college tuition. part of sweeping and drastic new budget cuts. at least a dozen officers injured, six seriously, as well as many students, with more than 40 arrested. still, with a heavily anticipated royaledding just four months away, the latest violence on london's streets will force the royal family to reassess security. and this morning london's police chief said they had checked out the route just minutes befe the royals arrived and it was clear and safe and it was a credit to royal police for not firing on any of those protesters. an end to theontroversial don't ask don't tell policy may no longer be in sight as senate republicans have blocked legislation that would have allowed gays to serve openly in the military. a jury is now deliberating for the second day today in the trial of a street preacher charged with the 2002 kidnapping and rape of elizabeth smart. attorneys for brian david mitchell used an insanity defense. and what a difference a day makes, this is the cruise ship that's safely docked in argentina that got strand in rough seas in the antarctic earlier this week. firefighters had to come and rescue the girl, but don't worry, they didn't use the crane. just in case you were wondering. and this video, a russian daredevil combined their mountain climbing and base jumping to take a flying leap off that peak. let's hope he lands fely. there you go. >> he lands right in a stuffed animal vault. >> and if you look right over good morning. i'm "news 4" meteorologist chuck bell. we're off to a very cold start. 31 downtown. 28 in fair fax, 27 degrees in germantown. forested highs in the upper 0s, low 40s. plenty of clouds around today. a little more sunshine for your saturday. tomorrow's high, 45. 43n sunday with rain and turning windy and much colder early next week. that's your la weather. you know we have already shipd out truckloads of more than 2 million toys to underprivileged kids all over the u.s., thanks to the geners donations that all of you made tour annual -- 17th annual toy drive. some young girls will be receiving a trendy doll from ugly dolls. and boys love ugly dolls. eight years now that you've been giving to us. what are you contributing this time around? >> this year we're contributing our ugly doll which kids love. >> they're so cute and ugly at the same time. >> and we're also donating our action figures, the arms twist and the waists twist and they have really cute, collectible items. the ugly dolls have been around for eight to ten years now, and our donation is 10,000 ugly dolls. >> we cannot thank you enough. and eight years long, we really appreciate all your generosity. and by the way, if you still want to make donation to our toy drive, you can, just go to our website, "today" shtodaysho you can always stop by the plaza and bring your gift as well. let's go back inside to al. and this morning on "today's" real estate, what you can buy for under $250,000, today we have our own barbara corcoran who's here with some gorgeous hom on the market. we're starting off, i know university heights in ohio well, a four bedroom home priced at $289,000. >> it's a friendly walkable counity, it's right outside of cleveland. this pretty he fitsight in. look at that topiary and nice bushing. it's pretty, but if that shut you are were to be painted to match. this is a house where the guy who actually wrote the superman series lived in. not only did he write superman, but he first wrote it as a bad guy. but let's focus on the house. it's gotten kind of unusual furnishings that get in the way. this is a dinning room. picture that sparkly white without all that pattern going on there. the kitchen is very traditional, there's nothing wrong with that, it's been totally redone. it's spic and span, you can see that shiny happy little dining area through that door and it's spacious and seats four people. the breakfa room is surrounded byindows, four of them. that's the back, the covered porch is small, and that gravel terrace is pretty with it's own pretty little fountain. that's a pretty backyard. >> that's a great area. university circle there. let's head to rhode island bristol, rhode island, a four bedroom home priced at $209,000. >> it's actually on a peninsula flanked by a bay on one se and mt. hope day on the other. this is a traditional house and just feels like a rhode island house. there's a nice view of that very pretty living room, it's open, it's bright and underneath that carpeting, it has hardwood floors, built in bookcases and a wood burning fireplace. there's a comfy fire room right next door to the dining room. this dining room is very large, it can sit a lot more people and is immediately connected to the kitchen which you see in the background. >> it's only 1 1/2 baths. >> for a four bedroom, these people ought to be putting in one more bath immediately. it's a tremendous detriment for selling a house in today's market. you can see you have a lot of land out back, a pretty lawn and very mature ees. >> let's go to cypress, texas, 30 minutes out of houston. this house is a big one, 4,000 square feet. four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths. they've got plenty of bathrooms in this. >> this is one swanky house. and at 4,000 square feet, it's only $81 a foot. ev on the outside, nothing about this house looks to me like an $81 per foot house. all the finishes on it. top of the line, very expensive. that gallery would impress any of your friends. the living room has tall windows, wood panelling, a graceful fireplace. that a huge room and you can see t adjacen dining room off to the left there. that has rich cherry wood floors in the dining room. very nice white cabinetry, very spacious. people like to work in something like that. there's a private office above this kitchen which we're not showing, but who wouldn't want a private office. a poolroom with a wet bar and a brick fireplace. and the back room has a huge pool and also it's own private spa. remember, that's $325,000. >> let's go to high point, north carolina, get some furniture, about 25 minutes north from greensboro, at $344,900. >> it's midway between again greensberg and winston-salem. there's the inside of the living om, beautiful, but the traditional furniture i think really date this is house. makes it feel a little funky. the rooms are large and spacious, it's a totally renovated kitchen with the granite counter tops. recessed lighting above. just a perfect kitchen with cherry wood counters. there's another shot of the kitchen, a i hope we don't miss the beautiful -- just a spare den. who needs a spare den. there's a shot of the wooded backyard with not a neighbor in sight. >> barbara corcoran, you used a word that reminds me of you, swanky. >> i love the way that feels. thank you, al. >> if you've got any questions for barbara, you can head to todayshow.com. coming up, advice for those who have a hard time emotionally during this time of year. and the best gifts for the fitness buffs on your list. after these messages. so'll need to take care of my heart. my first step... start eating chrios. 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[ le announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® pients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had eir plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. beforetarting stelara®, your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sigof infection, or have had canc. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses, it's stelara®. "today's"'s health i brought to you by kellogg's special k products. >> this morning on "today's" health, how to cope with seasonal affective disorder. it's not simply a case ofhe winter blues. psychiatrist gail salts is a "today" contributor. good morning. as we said, this is not just the winter blues? >> no. >> why is it more serious and what are some of the symptoms? >> basically if for more than two years in a row you find at the same time of year, and i say thatecause it could be spring or summer, but most commonly it's now, late fall, early winter, you find yourself slowing down, feeling sad, depressed, but unlike typal depression, you're sleeping more than usual, you're eating more than usual, particularly carbohydrate craving. you lose concentration, you lose libido, desire for sex. you start to socially isolate yourself and feel really hopeless. people can become incredibly depressed with seasonal affective disorder, they even can commit suicide. so feelings of life isn't worth living, that can happen as well. >> and who is more at risk of getting s.a.d., or seasonal affective disorder. >> women areuch more likely to get it than men and also it runs in family. if all your family members have maybe suffered from this, and maybe didn't even realize it. and people who live farther from the equator are at more risk because this has to do with the lack of light, the shorter days, the changing of your circadian rhythm and precipitating this kind of depression. >> if you're sad, what can you do? >> take i seriously. things that you can do on your own, inject exercise, daily exercise into your life, it's shown in studies that exercise can ev go head to head wit medication in terms of improving depression. make sure you stay involved with people. the social isolation can make this really spiral out of control. add light to your day, naturally by sitting by the window early in the day, as much as possible. think about being somewhere where there's more light. changing your home so that shades are up and light is around. that actually can be helpful on your own. but you may actually think about seeing a professional. because the truth is that s.a.d. may need professional treatment. >> it's a clinical form of depression. >> it is a clinical depression, it will keep reoccurring and will go away at the end, but now you've got a third oyour year that you're depressed. so if you go see a professional. things they may offer you are medication like an anti-dress sant. you should think about light treatment. it can be as effective as an anti-depressant. this is a real treatment that needs to be prescribed. what kind of light, how long you should use this light and under the care of a doctor because -- >>nd you've got an example. >> this is a light box. this is a light box that will look like white light. this is the kind of tng you would sit in front of. you uld probably do it for about 30 minutes when you're really depressed and 15 minutes a dayo maintain your mood during the holiday season. it's going to affect the base of the retina and that's going to make it more effective because it simulates real sunlight. the blue wave length is the one that actually treats you, it's a certain wave length of light that you get from the sun that's actually going to make you better. because some people with depression actually have masked bipolar disorder. and the light just like an anti-depressant will make you manic and you can become extremely sick. so it's important to have a doctor monitor you during treatment. coming up next, why hugh hefner is getting credit for saving the famed hollywood sign. and instant ambush make yefyefr makeovers for two lucky women from the crowd. m. and the chocolate cravings begin... again. ♪ for nights like these, there's special k chocolatey delight cereal. ♪ so you can get your chocolatey fix... ♪ ...witht undoing your whole day. ♪ [ barks ] ♪ with technology of the fure. it's liquid-plumr foaming pipe snake. clears slow drains, cleans pipe walls. liquid-plumr foaming pipenake. ♪ you can find your feet and you can find your way ♪ ♪ you can find yourself in bed at the end of the day ♪ ♪ you can find some fun on a tropical isthmus ♪ ♪but you'll never find my... ♪ you can find it in your heart to be patient with me ♪ ♪ you can find a new star for the p of the tree ♪ ♪ i don't mean to be coy and i don't mean to be vicious ♪ ♪ but you'll never find my christmas ♪ cozy up, spread joy. there's no story without a cast of characters, and just like wmix and mingle, so do the delicious tastes d textures in every handful of chex mix. we're made to mix. there's a big party last night inollywood to celebrate the surval of one of the nation's most iconic landmarks. >> the hollywood sign was in dangerf losing it's perch. >> reporter: like any celebrity, the hollywood sign started out as a nobody, it wasust a billboard for a housing development. but it has staying power. the sign, minus four letters, became one of the world's most famous landmarks, perched on a prime piece of l.a. real estate. than's the problem. >> i think everybody thought it was public land. they didn'realiz it was private land. >> reporter: turns out a chicago investment firm purchased 138 acres just to the left of the h and planned to build. the news spread like a bad movie reew and soon dotions from stars and studios alike came pouring in to save both the open face and the sign. >> if you can't raise money to protect the land ove and behind the hollywood sign, where can you raise the money? >> reporter: but despite tinsel town's generosity, the purchase price was still too high. until playboy founder hugh hefner stepped? his last-minute donation of nearly a million dollars helped save the sign from an encroaching neighbor. >> it's more than a sign, it's the iconic symbol of dreams. >> reporter: it's not the first time that hugh hefner has tak an interest in the hollywood sign. back in 1978, he launched a fund-raiser to replace the original hollywood sign that was built back in 1923. same letters, obviously same place, but these letters are five feet shorter, believe it or not than the original. >> how bad a shape was the original sign in? >> it was falling apart. >> reporter: was it? >> it was literally falling apart. >> reporter: now the sign is guaranteed a home on that hill top looking out on a city that still looks up to it. lee cowan, nbc news, llywood. still to come, some good gifts to keep your family and friends healy through the holidays. i won't. ♪ [ female announcer ] clear some snow. ♪ or spread a little warmth. [ cellphone rings ] [ wife ] honey, where are you i have no idea. [ female announcer maell house gives you a rich full flavored cup of coffee so you can be good to the last drop. try maxwell house coffee and cappuccinos in the tassimo single cup home ewing system. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. 9:26 is your time now. 32 degrees. cloudy skies overhead. what will the day be like today? chuck will have your forecast right after the new good morning. i'm eun yang. a robbery suspect is in the hospital after being shot by police i prince george's county. police say the man start firing at an officer after the officer started patted him down and noticed a apon. and students are being warned not to browse wicky leaks because it could affect their job prospects. we're going to take a quick break now. we'll have your weather and traffic whelp we come back. traffic[ female announcer ] safeway talks holiday baking. that smel scrumptious. yummy! smells delightful. awesome! i'm not smelling anything. [ female announcer ] everything for holidayaking. just add love. safeway. ingredients for life. i think there are eggnog people and non-eggnog people. and which are you? i'm a fish. on a tree. [ female announcer ] if it tastes like the holidays, we've got it. safeway. ingredients for life. good morning, everybody. temperatures still below freezing across much of northern virginia. even freezing here in washington. temperatures only in the upper 30s to near 40 for the high. a little bit more sunshine and slightly milder tomorrow with a high near 45. rain likely for the redskins game on sunday and maybe some snow flurries on nday. traffic time. >> we're looking at northbound georgia avenue outside the ltway and denson avenue. otherwise the interstates are in pretty good state. becareful. an earlier rail malfunction. train 4 10e running 15 to 20 minutes late. coming up today on "news 4," "ellen" is all new with oh, yes. some of the hottest youtube vios of the year. well on monday, we're going to check out which ones made the top ten. do you think we made the list. >> ihink we should. >> especially with don nash's unicycle ride. >> coming up in this half hour, we're going to talk abo getting the best holiday deals online. it's not too late to get your gifts shipped in time for christmas. as a matter of fact it can be easier and cheaper to shop online. we're going to show you some tips to help you get the most from online shopping. >> joy bauer is here with affordable gift ideas from an olive oil to a fitness track. >> you know, it seemed a lot funnier when we were -- wow. okay. anyway. we have jenna wolf here with a preview of what's coming up this weekend on "today." >> we have got a busy weekend on "today," friends and family will be saying goodbye to elizabeth edwards. her request was to be laid to rest next to her son wade. we'll have much more this weekend on the service and on her life. and on a much different no, they're hoping for a christmas miracle. the problem is money. and then we're going to continue our series, "today's" first teen idol. family ties back to thefuture, i was completely obsessed with the actor back in the '80s, so we are going to do a nice little tribute to michael j. fox. that was in my room. >> that was in your room? >> it was just crazy. >> this weekend on "today." >> that's what's in her room now. >> you thought i meant when i was a teenager? >> are you going to talk about the restrainering good morning. i'm "news 4" meteorologist chuck bell. friday is off to a cloudy and cold start th morning. 31 downtown. 29 degrees still in rockville, maryland, 28 in fair fax, 25 in manassas, 25 in hagerstown. temperatures struggling to get up to upper 30s, near 40 degrees. partly sunny, 45 for your saturday but rain likely for sunday. ending with a little snow on monday. >> and of course, it's going to be a lousy sunday, that's great weather to be indoors for sunday night, football night in america. that's right, they got a retractable roof, cowboys' stadium. clear, cold. and the philadelphia eagles are going to fly right in there. temperatures are in the low to mid 40s. that sunday night, football night in america. coming up next, have you recovered? you okay? you need some air? oxygen? leing your fingers do the shopping, letting you know how to get the best digital deals for the holiday right after this. i don't wanto feel depressed. [ woman #2 ] i'd like to enjoy things again. [ woman #3 ] i feel these aches andains. [ woman #4 ] the guilt. [ man ] my sleep just isn't right. [ woman #5 ] i'm so anxious. [ man #2 ] i need to focus. [ female announcer ] depression hurts. cymbalta can help with mansymptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worns, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase the in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is t approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relvers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signsnclude abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin oreyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a poible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. talk to your doctor and go to cymbalta.com to learn about an offer to help you get started. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double les add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a maze, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital on and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? i wonder what it could be?! the chill of peppermint. the rich dark chocolate. york peprmint patty. get the sensation. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ this morning on "today's" tech, digital deal hunting, if you haven't started your holiday shopping, there's still time to snap up some hiday bargains. heather cabot is he, hpy holidays. make sure you make a list before you get out there on the digital world. >> shopping online without a list is like going to costco without a list. you need to make sure that you know what you're really shopping for. do some home work. >> you say comparison sho so know your prices and look for coupons? >> what they do is pull coupons, deals, discounts from tusands of websites across the internet to one place for you, so you can use something like price grabber, and you can also comparison shop. for example you were talking about justin bieber. everyone wants a justin bieber singing doll. >>there's a justin bieber singg doll? >> yes. >> i definitely need that. >> i opened up a couple of different of these and i found a price range between $39 on one all the way down to $25. so you really have to. so use a coupon aggravate fors. >> is time of day important? >> yeah, a lot of retailers will actually put their deals online starting at midnight. but as we get closer to christmas and they want to move inventory, they may have more more deals. you open up a separate browser number. put the retail name in and discount or sale and see what comes up because you might be able to find another coupon code or another way to get more money off before you purchase. when you find it online elsewhere eaper, but the bricks and mortar store is right there by your house, can you take that sale price and go this is wha they're offerg at walmart, can i get it here? >> sometimes you can. and you can also get a lot of printable coupons. free shipping has been a given this season, but basically the last day that you're going to be able to get that isid night on december 18. >> to guarantee in time for christmas? >> so what you want to do is look for those free shipping coupons next week, i for some reason you don't find one, go to free shipping day.com. free shipping day is december 17. thiss a website with a list of almost 1,200 different retailers that are going to offer free shipping on friday december 17. you can even sign up for an e-mail alert to tell you, to remind you to go on there and take a look. >> i don't think i have paid shipping at all. gift cards, you say don't pay full price. i find that hard to believe, when it has the value of the gift card you can actually get a discount on those? >> there are a number of websites that are faactual buyi gift cards from consumers a reselling them at a discount. they verify all of them. you can b a $50 gift card from macy's for $44. the one thing about this is they run out really quickly. so what you want to d is go to one of these sites andctually sign up for an e-mail and put in your wish list. they' send you an e-mail when they get those n gift cards in. >> make sure that you set up a free web mail account so that they're not going into your regular inbox. >> otherwise you'reoing to be inundated at work with e-mail. heather cabot, a wealth of inrmation. thanks so much. comin up next, get fit gift that help you stay in shape and cut the calories during the holidays. you are all stick "today" joy. after these messages. okay, which picture for the card? hellllllo...that one, everyone looks great. [ female announcer ] when y make your christmas cards at hallmark.com... my show, perfect. ♪ la la la la la la laaa ♪ [ daughter ] dad! sorry. aww yeah! that one! [ female announcer ] ...we address and mail them for you... [ little boy ] now that's a good one. [ indistinct conversations ] [ female announcer ] ...which gives y more... done! [ female announcer ] ...family time. let's go decorate the tree. [ female announcer ] cards that mail themselves, at hallmark.co [ daughter ] so, the one where everyone looks great, right? [ mom ] right. [ daughter ] so, the one where everyone looks great, right? have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wo it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. ranch spinach dip. whoa! that leaves lots of piec behind. that's why there's charmiultra strong. than the ultra rippled brand, it's no wonder charmin ultra strong holds up better for a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. business is looking better. it sure is. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra strong enjoy e go. and r an extra-clean finish, try charmin freshmates. ♪ but you're not sweet you ma my butt fat ♪ss ♪ you drove me insane self-control down the drain ♪ ♪ we're over i'm so done with that ♪ ♪ i found a new love a natural true love ♪ ♪ that comes from a little green leaf ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ my skinny jeans zied in relief ♪ ♪ its name is truvia i had no idea ♪ ♪ no more sprinkling my coffee with grief ♪ [ announcer ] truv. honely sweet. this morning on t fit "today," healthy holiday gifts. 'tis the season for overinduence. joy bauer has some skinny gift suggestions. >> skinny gifts. hey, i shrunk. >> what the heck happened there? let's start in the kitchen, some healthy ideas. >> we have a lot of great gifts. first i love oil misters because you have the opportunity to carefullyontrol with a spray. pump it six or seven times and you can significantly reduce the amount of calories in your pots and pans that you incorporate into recipes. listen, it's cost efficient, it's calorie smart, it's ecofriendly. and if you want to bump up your gift a little bit, you can combine itith a hearty bottle of olive oil. this is for people who don't have time to fuss in the kitchen. you put in large chunks of produce, cover the top and all you need to do is a few times -- you get an arm workout too. and depding on how many time ys you pull, you can get a nutrient dense produce. okay, you can workout clothing is really important. you want to feel good in it. a lot of women like the spand supported bottom, but they don't want their tush and their thighs showing. so so this eclipse skort comes in a few different colors. >> and skin care? >> these are for outdoor athletes, especially skiers. it has a fabulous amount of anti-chafing lotion, it has things like sweat proof sunscreen and sweat proof lip balm and it saves you about $30 when you buy it in a bundles kit. you increase lean body mass, you boost your metabolism and it helps you to lose weight. a lot of women want weights, but they don't tend to buy them for themselves. if you order them by december 23 -- >> this is for people who want to keep track of what they're doing. >> this is a device that clips on to your bra strap, your tank top or your waistband and it will track for you the amount of steps you walk, mil you've traveled and the number of calories you have burned. it comes with a base station and you can wirelessly load all of your information and youan -- >> and you have a game? >> this is called table topics. it comes in a variety of different topics and t idea is that you can have a much more interesting dinner party. questions like who's the most famous person you have met, al roker. >> you need to get out more. and then for the outdoor activities? >> this is a great item for kids especially in the winter months. it's a miniluge. this is for kids over 6, these are for the younger ones. the kids could carry it themselves back up the hill. >> and tell us about these. >> all right. wait a second, the wrong way. >> wow, it was even better the second time. joy bauer, ladies and gentlemen. very nice. >> happy holidays, al. coming up next, adding some spice to lose e poun. take it off "today" is brought to you by truvia natural sweetener. turally sweet. >> this morning on take it off "today," variety is the spice of life and the holidays may be a tough time to manage your waistline, but it's easy to stick to youriet without depriving your taste buds. madeleine, good morning. >> how are you? >> i'm great. say variety is the spice of life and it's . >> a lot of evidence show that if you spice up foods you're going to eat less. >> a more memorable meal that way. >> and you're really paying attention. >> these are what you call sugar enhancers, so we think of sugar substitutes, but in this case we're talking more about the cinnamon and the ginger and the cloves and the nutmeg. >> people say i want a lot of taste,o instead of adding sugar, what you're going to do is add things like cinnamon and nutmeg. it will enhance things, anything that has a natural sugar in it, any fruit or vegetable from apples to pears to things like squash and you can even take a cinnamon stick and swirl it arou. it even works with coffee or tea. >> you can really just get the powdered things if you're not sure what to do with t whole thing. >> kick it off a notch with the hot and spicy spices. how do spicy foods actually help us lose weight? >> they're double duty for weight loss. first is behavioral, when you eat something that's spicy, it slows your eating down and i gives your brain a chance to signal your stomach that you've had enough. there's a chemical compound caed capsasin that will help that calorie burn. >> eat a lotf hot, spicy foods. >> even if you think i don't like spicy foods, you can train your pallet to get more accustomed to this. >> you've got some different spices here from curry to c oourks min. think of it as component of mustard. you can use it with anything you would use oregano and rosemary with. you go wow, this tastes pop. and it's like taste bud fatigue. >> there's some very easy things you can do. >> you can sprinkle it over chicken or vegetables. >> so i don't have t worry about taste bud fatigue? >> it's so much food. >> coming up next, we have got two women from our crowd getting an instant ambush makeover. >> but first your local news and another chilly start to the day out there, but not as windy, so it doesn't feel as cold. we'll eck on the weather with chuck bell coming up shortly. i'm barbara harrison. in the news this hour a fashion designer was found dead inside a w york city hotel room. the 33-year-old's body was found in a bathtub. they're now questioning her boyfriend. she spent time livingin mclean and attending school in arlington. drivers should watch out for icy conditions in that area. and how long is the icy conditions going to last? are we having any warm-up today? >> a little bit. we'll be above freezing. that will help out a little bit. be careful. you have to sort of assume sometimes that there's a possibility for some icy spots out there. 28 right now in fairfax county. 27 in manassas, 31 downtown. southern maryland, st. mary's county, 35. but still plenty of chilly stuff out there. might even see a passing snowflake or two. that's i. mainly cloudy and chilly. highs today near 40 degrees. over to traffic. >> near river road, that's the water main break. crews are setting up to work on that. north georgewn, crews still working on there. on the marx system we have the penn train running about 15 minus late. barbara, back to you. >> stay with us for "news 4 midday." get all the news, weather, and traffic coming up at 11:00 a.m. th the moment you feel run down or achy nip flu-like sympts in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the d. captions paid for by nbc-universal television > hey, everybody. it's friday, try-day. december 10th, 2010. willie geist is here with me today. kathieee and frank went to don meredith's funeral in dallas, texas. we wish the family well. >> the great dandy don. >> it is great to have you sitting here the table. >> it's great to be here. i'm no kathie lee but there is beer. >> it looks a little overwhming. but we have to talk about the "today" show party which was yesterday. did you go? >> was it yesterday? when did the invites go out. >> it was a small, intimate gathering at chelsea piers. it was a really fun party, willie. it was catered and they had really interesting photo booth. this is one of those ones where you sit there, you hit the button, the image comes out instaly, it is on a video screen and you can click on it and get it. i think we have some of the nderful images. that's terrifying and bad. jim bell, our executive producer. that's don nash in the middle, tammy ller, our executive producer and the wonderful sara haines is joining us. that's the gang. it was just a really fun party. what was great was it was one of jeff's final parties and he was -- he got kind of choked up. it was really sweet. >> he spent his entire professional life here. you can understand that. >> one of his favorite performers, james blunt. >> come on. ♪ you're beautiful notes ♪ you're beautiful ♪ you're beautiful it's true >> it's a nice tribute. i don't know if that's the song i would have sung to jeff. >> that is just cruel! >> "you're beautiful"? i don't know. >> he's beautiful inside. >> he's a wonderful man. i don't know if he's beautiful. >> meredith vieira was cutting up at the party. >> she's a wild card. >> she is wacky. well, we actually had these special drinks named after every anchor. wh was yours? >> bloody vieira. >> bloody merry viea. lauer was the lauer sour. kathie lee was the pinot lee gifford. mine was the viv lakota. >> very good. a little bit out of reach but good. >> careful. >> natalie was the natalie. think we should bring up meredith. causet is rare that meredith vieira joins us on the 10:00 hour. meredith is here. where do i go? i don' want to take your chair. >> that's what you said you were going to do. >> you didn't get an invitation? i think that's so wrong. >> that's terrible! sit on down. so this is a big day for meredith vieira. >> it is. for my production company actually. >> first of all, who knew -- >> who knew? i didn't know i had one. >> i didn't know you were a producer. what does that mean to be a producer? >> in my case, doing very little. which is why this hasn't done that much. i mean you find talent and try to work with talent. theres this guy who's just wonderful, james brawley. had he a one-man show off broadway. he had a show that waon broadway, then went off broway and now he's taking it on the road so we're producing it. >> is it funny? >> what do you mean, is it funny? what is the matter with you? it's funny. it's poignant. it's about his marriage to his wife susan. it is complicated. and his family life. it is a little bit of everything. it's very real and i think people will relate to it. were starting it off in new jersey, they be taking it off from there. >> where can people see it? >> can we put that on the website? >> it is on the website. south orange performing art center in south orange, new jersey. if you'd like more information, where can people go? >> klgandhoda.com. is that right? >> yes. >> when do you do this? you do the morning show, then you hve the game show. >> there is a wonderful woman named ammyy rapp. she does all the work. i'm just the window dressing. >> have you heard of this stuff? >> whipped cream. yes, i have. >> i'm sure you have. >> but what are we doing with it? >> this is an alcohol-infused whipped cream. a can of whipped cream is three beers. >> what do you mean is three beers. it's alcohol. it's 36 proof! one can equals three beers. look at that. willie? get on it. >> you know the old move you used to do -- or maybe you still do -- where you just reach in the fridge and do bottom's up? >> do it, do it. >> oh. are you okay? >> that gives whole new meanin to the whip-it. >> maybe blunt should have been singing to you. >> wow. that is stiff. >>top it. >> but the think about this stuffs, some parents -- careful. what do you want to put it on? >> don't do that, meredith. >> se parents are ups about it because they think that kids are going to look at it and think this something they should have. >> where do you purchase this? >> i think you have to purchase it in places that sell alcohol. >> well -- >> some supermarkets do. >> then you have to be a tough parent, make sure your kids don't get it. >> they say thisas been used a long time by chefs to sort of put on desserts and things like that. it is not meant to be used the way i just used it. >> how do you feel? >> it burns a little bit. >> but you got a little buzz. >> yeah, exactly. >> meredith, we're excited for your new show. >> we're very proud of it. james brawley is terrific and i'm proud to be associated with it. and thank you for letting us talk about it. >> okay. that's it. get out. no! we love when you're here. just stay. you want to stay? >> no, i can't. >> why? >> she's like, truly, i don't want to stay. >> is there a commercial? >> no, this is the show. we are live. >> okay. >> just feels like dress rehearsal. >> this is unbelievable. >> real quick. last night i went to this loreal avent which was fun. they honored n extraordinary women and a bunch of presenters were there. that's karen fondue, the head of the president of loreal. that's michael clinton. there's carrie washington. look how thin giadais. look how thin she is. and then i'm -- and tricia yearwood. >> i love her! >> and what was the point of it? >> it was honoring these ten women who were just kind of regular every day women who volunteer and do interesting things. >> that's wondful. >> you like that? >> i do like that. >> whatre you doing this weekend? >> i'm going to the white house for that christmas party. >> are you going? >> you were invited? >> why is th such a shock? you have a production company? >> i just have a question -- >> are you going? >> yeah. >> both of you -- hoda, we'll tell you all about it. >> we'll take this. kathie lee and i didn't get an invite. what's the story? >> i'm sure you did get an invite. >> we didn't. >> trust me, everybody got on invite. >> seriously? >> just go! >> how did it come? in the mail or e-mail? >> bring this, y'll get in. let's bring upbobbie. come on up. this is bobbie's buzz. >> this is perks for your purse. you always look for that last-minute emergency. these little miniemergency kits are really fantastic. this thing is $12. it has 16 items. if you need to remove your nail polish, clear nail polish, a tampon -- >> geez! >> okay. now this is the color wand. ladies out there can imagine, this is six lip glosses in one that you can keep in your purse so you always have a color to match what you've got on. >> that's nice. >> it' great. these are good stocking stfers. last, but not least, little mints. if you're cute or a little flirt, these slide open to reveal a mirror. you not only have mints but you can also check your teeth. >> i like that. >> is this holiday candy? >> it is a mint. >> no, that's a tampon. >> welcome to the fourth hour! >> i need a drink after that. that was really good. thank you, honey. all right, meredith, thank you for coming. what do you think of our show? >> it's different, it's unique. >> career burner? >> for you, it may be. no, i love your show. you know i love your ow. >> thank you. >> good luck with the show. come oing up next, wait no longer, "ambush makeover" is coming. later, nicola shay introduces to us some of amica's best newalent. after these messages. naturally colorful vegetables e often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® 's amazing what soup can do.™ sometimes it's the one they've been asking for - for weeks. live your christmas story at a kmart price - get a ps3 for only $299.99 and get assassin's creed: brotherhood free. there's smart and thers kmart smart. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces ofour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. it's time forthe moment we men around the world have been waiting to get to -- "today's plaza "ambush makeover"s." >> that's when twounsuspected women are chosen from our "today" show crowd, a very cold crowd, for head-to-toe do-overs. joining us are -- louis licari, la-la-la-la-la. >> my apologies. >> his makeover partner, "us weekly" contributor and author, jill martin. >> i don't have a son >> so how was it today? icy cold. hats on. >> hats on, gloves on. but we found two sisters. two sisters. so this is a big surprise for both of them because they haven't seen each other, they don't know what they look like. it's going to be a greatshow. >> so our first luckyady is vickie mcgrath. she's 48 years old from houston, texas. she's been married to her husband david for 12 years. they've got two kids. she's never colored her hair before and she trims it herself and she wants a brand-new look. let's take a look. >> all right. th have a very strategic move actually because the sisters put themselves at different ends of the plaza so we would see them and pick them and that's exactly what we did. so first, let's start with vickie. why do you think she deserves a makeover? >> well, first ofll, she's such a great sister. she's brought me he to new york for christmas and i just want us to look good while we're here. she doesn't do anything to her hair. it's juststraight and i want her to have some style and look really good. >> well, we are going to glam you up! ready to go? >> very much, yes. >> so vickie's up first. her sister again is back there. she won't be out for a couple of minutes. let's look at vickie's before picture. all right, vickie. let'see the new you. >> oh, my gosh. okay. i guess you got to see yourself. you ready? >> i don't know. >> spin around. ou're going to freak. hold me hand. >> jennifer lawrence gave her this great shag gee bob. she was born red so i gave her her red hair back. ket it natural. makeup of course makes it all wor >> looks so good. what about that dress? at's hot. >> look at this body that was hiding under that outfit. this is the twist to the little black dress foreign policy ann taylor. look at her modeling. this is the new york look wit the high black boots from 9 west. >> vickie, here's the plan. go stand over there and turn your back so that your sister -- you can't see your sister and she can't see you. all right? now willie's going to take over. >> she looks fantastic. her sister, christie, also from houston, texas, been married to her husband carl fo 21 years. they've got three kids together. christie was actually in a car accident a couple years ago and had not cut or colored her hair since. she tol us she couldn't imagine anyone other than louis giving her a makeover. let's take a look. >> all right, now it's time for sister number two. vickie, why does christie deserve this? >> she's a great sister also. i wish the best for her. she's had a hard timeately and i want to support her and she's a new grandma. what's not to want to celebrate this holiday season? >> we are going to make you the hottest grandma in the country! you ready to go? >> yes! yes, i am. this is wonderful. i can't wait. i just -- i want to get rid of al this and just be beautiful and glamorous and be the hottest grandma in town. >> she's going to be. >> one last look at christie before. and now let's bring her out. christie, come on out. >> whoa! hold on. don't leave us. you have to see yourself. >> turn around, check yourself out in the mirror behind you. >> oh, my gosh. oh, my god. oh, this is gorgeous. oh, my god. >> now turn your back. on three, sisters. you're going to face each other. okay sm are you ready? >> christie and vickie. >> one, two, three -- turn. >> come over, come over. >> you're so glamorous! >> louis, tell us about her hair cut. >> she obviously loved to be glamoured, she loved to be blonde so i made her a more flamboyant redhead but we kept her hair cut more classic. this is more of a classic bob. i just love that they love each her like this. this was one of the most successful makeovers. i have to say, this is one of the most difficult hair colors to do so i'm so proud. >> the sisters out on he town. we also wanted to put her in all-black also from ann taylor. but we also wanted her to have a great chic coat. they're not even listening. a great chic court for new york. this is from ann taylor. i love winter white in the winter. enjoy! >> so beautiful! >> go out on the town now. >> all right, coming up next, sara haines heads over to the cafe and th crowd is going to ask us anything they want. i love when they dance. then later, we'll get to ask nicola shay anything we want. but first, these messages. ring ring. progresso. everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup you're really, rich and happy. whoa! with a diamondweave texture at's soft and more durable, no wonder it holds up better. fer pieces left behind. charmin tra strong. [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet cfee and tea tohoose from. ♪ keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. wayo brew. [ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. stop in now and get a price match guarantee on the toys your kids are wishing for! like u-build monopoly, the nerf n-strike stampede blaster and more. make christmas an even bigger blast. only at walmart. set your pace to island time. rich chocolate over creamy coconut. almond joy and mounds. enjoy more. miss sara haines heads over to the msnbc digital cafe to gather the fans who want to ask us their most pressing questions. >> should i be worried about this one? >> please ask willie plenty of tough questions. >> it is all about hoda. >> we're starting with willie just because of that comment. we've got rachel and jennifer from california and florida. they have one for you, willie. >> we want to know what time you get up in the morning to get ready and who gets your kids ready. >> good question. i wakep about 3:30 in the morning. do i 5:30 a.m. show on msnbc. >> you do? >> yeah, 3:30 a.m. middle of the night. >> i've heard about that show. >> you get invited to the white house when you do a cable news show. and my wonderful fantastic wife takes care of the kids in the morning. god bless her. >> what time dyou go to bed? >> 10:00. something like at. >> when your show is called "way too early" i'm guessing it is pretty early. carla an marcus from st. louis have a question about -- imagine that -- drinking. >> hoda, we want to know, do you drink less with kathie lee is away? >> yes. she's the boozer. okay? i'm the one next to her. thas the way it works. we -- you know what's funny? we only drink a little bit on air. it looks like a lot becase it is over the course of an hour but we sip a today, we -- have we had anything? >> what's that? >> what did you just say? >> the only one that's been drink something will. whipped cream. he has. >> next up we've got -- i'm going to say this wrong. boo oze-a-laki girls from wisconsin and michigan with a question about gift giving. >> hey, we were just wondering, who is the most difficult person for you to y a gift for this holiy season? >> for me, i'm kind of a last-minute gift buyer. i try to buy things that will fit with lot of people. like i like to buy masses and stuff like that. the most difficult person -- it's funny because my mom -- you run out of things becse you've bought everything you could think of. wh's for you? >> you've known her your whole life. i like to get good things for the staff over at our show and you try toet creative, get something interesting every year. when you buy in bulk. people like restaurants but you try to get creative. that's tough. >> next up we've got cora lynn and friends from ohio. we've got a question about holiday stress. >> i want wondering how you de-stress during the busy holiday season. >> easy. >> what do you do? >> alcohol-infused whipped cream. tilt it up. all your problems go away. how about you? >> the holiday parties sotimes when you go to those you end up -- i had a bunch to go to last night. at first i was thinking, there's so much going on. after the third drink and the first dance, i was so -- it all just dissolves away. >> don't think of it as stress. it is the holidays, have fun, relax, joy it. >> do we have time for one me? sandy from florida has a question about holiday favorites. >> what's your favorite holiday gift? >> holiday ift? >> that was a tough one. that's a hard one. we'll think about it. >> i've got a lot of red fire trucks when i was 4. it was a good year. > a lot more coming up. nicola shay after this. totay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. cabell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ how can expedia now save me even more on my hotel? well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia. a fashion designer who grew up in nrn virginia and went to college here was found dead in a posh nework city hotel room. goodmorning, everyone. i'm barbara harrison. also we sit down with dr. steve hopping to hook at what women really want in cosmet procedures. is that all about looking your the moment youeel run down or achy nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud. you don't decide when vegetables reach the peak of perfection. the vegetables do. at green giant, we pick vegetables only when they're perfect. then free them fast so they're are as nutritious as fresh [ green giant ] ho ho ho. ♪ green giant everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. have made me, rich and hearty. 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[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ♪ ♪ wow. that is just one of the gravity performances featured on nbc's hit beingacapella singing progr "the sing-off." willie geist is joining me while kathie lee takes the day off. >> "the sing-off" host himself, nick lachey, about to tell us about that $100,000 price he's bout to give away. nick, nice to see you. >> nice to be here. >> what a hit. in the "new york times" today, perusing the times, it says how well that your show is doing, that the second series kind of bumped us up a little bit. 7.6 million viewers. it's really captured the attention of america. >> it's great. i think that erica's kind of gravitated to because there' nothing to hide behind. these are acapella performances, acapell singers. you get a real sense of someone's real talent when you don't have the smoke and mirrors or band or back-up vocals. it is great to see that america appreciates it and appreciates these groups and all the talent they bring to the show. >> how do you break through. you've got "american idol," all the dance shows. feels like there are so many competitive shows but this one has actually purged through all that. how do you stand out? >> i think it is the acapella part of it and people really have a respector what it takes do acapella live on national television. i do quite a bit of it with 98 degrees so i feel i have a real good appreciation of at it takes to pull off well. >> "glee" is such a huge hit. when you click around and we're finding another thing america seems to be crazy about. >> it is great to see, achs as i love the arts, it is great to see music and performing kind of celebrated now and idolized as opposed to be the geeky thing to do. now it's cool. it's a combo of all those shows. >> so many acts have a big following over the course of the season. anybody stood out to you in particular? >> the difference between second season and first season to me, first season noda sod out d they ended up winning. this year they're all so talented. it is really hard to tell who will be the ultite winner. >> can we say congratulations, by the way, on your engagement. >> of course you can. >> that's the coolest thing! how did you propose? >> i just wanted it to be a surprise. i ck a good moment when i didn't think it was anticipated and, you know, got down on both knees actually -- >> did you? >> i'm a traditionalist. i wanted to make sure i got her father's blessing and did things the way that they'reupposed to be done. >> were you at all gun shy about getting married again? >> no. i never -- i don't think i ever was. i always knew that i wanted to be married and that something i really value and cherish. and we've been together 4 1/2 years so at this point we really know each other very well and know that this is the right thing at theight time. it is great. >> you guys he hadto grow the relationship. in a way most of us don't have to, which is in the pages of "us weekly" every other week. is that ugh on a relationship? how do you manage that? >> like anything else, i think there are some growing pains there. especially for her stepping into that. she wasn't quite used to that th way i, unfortunately, was at the time. but like anything else, you learn how to deal with it, you learn how to block it out. at the end of the day, we know what's real and what's meaningful and all that other stuff. you really do have to just learn to ignore it. >> we always see you as kind of a family guy. even when we've se you on some of those shows, you see your family, your brother and you were saying you guys are going to your hme for christmas. you just kind of do is the old-fashioned way. don't you? >> to me, i don't care where we go, i don't care what the weather is like but around the holidays you want to be with your family and for me, my niece an nephew especially, the chance to watch them enjoy christmas and my nephews's case, his first chris mall. it is really coo and special to be a part of that and share that with family. >> willie's wife is in love with you, by the way. >> deeply. >> madly, deey. there's tension here. iold her last night you were going to be on the show. she broke out last night what's left of me, started plang that. it was very awkwa. >> someone's still singing it. >> say hi, christina. >> christina, you are my heart. you are my heart. >> i have nochance! >> and only you, christina, can see what's truly "left o me." i'm done. >> catch "the sing-off" monday night at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. the lady's man is ready to dole out some advice. oh, look at this. you are kidding me. leftover desserts, boardroom, now. thanks, i already have some yummy black forest cake. black forest cake? ♪ [ female announcer ] need a guilt free treat? try yoplait light. and i've lost weight. 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[ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. with an hdtv from walmart! get everyday loprices and a price match guarantee on all the hottest brands! like lcds from vizio, sony, samsung, lg, and more. a new hdtv. they won't believe it when they see it! find it at walmart. a new hdtv. they won't believe it when they see it! funny how nature just knows how to make things that are good for you. new v8 v-fusion + tea. one combined serving of vegetables and fruit with the goodness of green tea and powerful antioxidants. refreshingly goo sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you we up oen in the middlof the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activits while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may incde aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinions or confusion. in depressed patients, worseng of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, cur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta fo a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. as hard as we try, it's almost impossible to get inside the head of a man to know what he's thinking. so for the other view, we turn to donny deutsch. as always, in search of help. >> i'm he. we had to bring in a man for this? >> what is great, i have to tell you, there's new math today. usually it is you, the other crazy broad ganging up on me. >> broad. we're off and running. >> she watches these, by the way. >> i know she does. by the way, that's a compliment. now you have a guy who's kind of like the bad guy, and mr. sweetheart here. so we're going to do, you'll tee up the question, i'll give you the honest answer, isually get booed. and mr. wonderful will validate or not validate. >> i'll be the tiebreaker. >> once and for all we'll setting that i'm not so bad. >> really? that's where your money is going? >> go, sara. first question, shannon, i love my hubby and we've been married for 20 yars but why does he find kissing not so important anymore. i hate that it makes me feel the way i do. >> by the way, alotof my friends say after a lon relationships their husbands don't want to kiss anymore so what's the deal with you guys? >> men, as a whole, like to kiss less than women. they just do. but what you do is say, you know what, it means a lot to me -- >> why don't you like to kiss? >> because we tend to gravitate towards just getting the job do eventually. no, i speak -- william. >> no. >> but as a woman say i love kissing, i miss it. if a guy cares about you -- >> it's obligatory. >> it's not that we doesn't love you any less. >> do you like kissing, willie? >> ye, gi my wife a kiss now and then. >> you have to do the right thing but don't take it that your husband loves you less than you love him. just say to him, i miss the kissing. >> you do things we don't love. >> just remind him. all i'm saying, it comes to them a little less naturally. so far -- okay. >> you did not win. >> mr. sweetheart said i kind of agree. >> kind of. let's keep going. >> tricia -- how do you tellmy man that it is a huge turnoff to beg for sex. why do you guys do it? do you realize it makes us want to do it less? >> wait, say it again. >> how do i tell my man that it is a huge turnoff to beg for sex. >> when he begs for sex? i don't think that's a turnoff. >> why is he begging in the first place? >> that's it. >> wt, wait. >> here's something wrong if your man has to beg for sex. >> if it is teasing and fun begging. >> what happened? >> if you're the man and you have to beg there's something wrong with you. you're not attractive to the woman anymore? >> of course it is a turnoff. this woman needs to examine, he's begging for it, there's something wrong there. >> begging meaning that you're probably not going to get it, then there is a teasing begging. >> that's not what she's talking abt. >> do you know tricia? >> tom said i heard years ago that -- tom? i heard years a that man thinks about sex every three minutes. how true is this? >> yes. >> we think about sex i think more than women. i think it's an undercurrent all the time. >> since you arrived at the "toda show today and now it is 10:41, how many times have you thought about sex? >> it depends your definition of sex. it is on our minds all the time. that's just what drives us as men. >> it is not like a graphic explicit way. it's just like subtext. >> it is just interaction with men and women. it is not like -- it is like the mating thing. >> the default setting of the male brain is ex. if it's not there, it's out of your hands. >> you're still letting me take the heat. instead of saying he's right -- you'd coy and go -- >> go on. >> sandy writes, when we were dating and engaged my husband didn't mind going out and having fun. now i have to beg. so much gging here. borrow and negotiate for a dinner out each week. help. >> guys do that. >> you have to say, once again, hey, i really miss that. don't attack him but say we used to have those dates. >> what if he just likes to sit on the couch and watch football? >> you have to say that's not good enough for me. that's not what i signed up for. look, i'm not asking every night but let's pick a night and we'll do something you love. not saying we have to go to a chardonnay place. >> what's a chardonn place. >> you know what? >> ask kathie lee. >> kathie lee might as well be here. okay, budd >> he's touched on communication. ithere's a problem, talk about it. if you want to go out, you might have to drag us off the couch a little bit but we'll . >> let's get another one. >> carrie -- why won't my boyfriend get married. we hav a child together and live together. why won't he take the final step? >> the answer is obviously she committed to living with him and having a child. maybe these discussions sould have happened before then because the cart's a little out of the gate. having said that -- say to him, i really want to get married and he already h to say. if he doesn't want to, then have you a decision to make. >> but you don't want to say that -- >> these discussions should have happened before the child and living together. that's the issue at this point. they're in a committed relationship but he hay not want to get married but she has to hit it head-on. >> i think as long as he's looking after the child, he's not abandoning his duty there, leave him alone. is that good enough,on? >> i they should head-butt. comings up next, cotails to help you bring in the holidays. testosterone is crazy. right after this. i can't find it. ♪ [ female announcer ] new tide with acti-lift technology helps remove many dry stains as if they were fresh. hey! you found it. yeah,t must have been hiding in my closet. [ female announcer ] new tide with acti-lift. style is an option. clean is not. get ac-lift in these tide detergents. style is an option. clean is not. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. friday... saturday... and sunday... at the kmart better than black friday sale! this week, joe boxer sep sets for the whole family start at $7.99, family footwear is buy one get one half off, and girls' holiday dresses are just $9.99 there's smart, a there's kmart smart. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ we're counting down to the holidays with a bar menu. isn't that interesting? for your cocktail party. now we're talking. here to fill us in, fill our glasses, jean benedict, founder of jeanbenedict.com and contributing editor to celebrations.com. >> i brought the party with me. >> as you always do. >> let's get it started. cocktails parties are such the trend. we have bloody marys and bloody marias. basically a cocktail for every kind of little occasn. this is perfect for christmas brunch. so you want to make your ho bar a little bit more upscale. use pour spouts. and use a shot glass. i'm going to mix up a bloody mary. >> what's a bloody maria, by the way is. >> you want to mix up the bloody maria? a bloody maria is just a bloody mary with tequila. do an ounce. an ounce is two tablespoons. but a lotf people pour a little heavy. that's perfect. having a shot glass helps guests keep trk of their consumption. they ha something to do. it is fun. you want to taste them? >> yes. >> we're going to be tasting a lot of drinks. this next one is super fun. >> okay. >> what's wrong with that? spirit for the holidays. santa hat cocktail. christmas in july. you guys, these are super fun. >> is this coconut around the rim? >> it is coconut around the rim and then the way tha you make this is you do coconut rum, an ounce of coconut rum. you do three oces of cranberry juice. and then for color -- isn't it delicious? a splash of grenadine. mix it up, then pour it. i forgot to give you guys your garnish. you garnish it with -- look at me, two-fifsted. >> how did you get this coconut to stick? >> powder sur and waste. like a littl paste. you can do a little recipe card so it can be like a station. this is perfect for a cocktail party. multiple stations. >> this i love. look closely at the ice cube real quick. >> this is a little -- actually a shot glass mold. a shot glass mold but you can even make it with like a one-ounce plastic cup that salsa comes n. something like that. it is just mint, fresh mint and then cranberry tips just like this. then you put a cranberry in, then you fill it up with water and freeze it. this is great for drop-by guests. this cocktail is actually just like a straight mix of pinot grigio and a lemon-lime soda. like a white wine sangria. the mint and cranber just make it festive. you can put this in sparkling water. you make a bunch of these, guests stop by, just pop it in eir drink. >> that's beautiful. >> where do you get these shot glassmakers? >> one of those department stores that sells everything is a great place. this is signure drink, peppermint white-hot chocolate. >> i already lov it. >> this is great for an open house and also great for budget because it is peppermint schnapps and that's so affordable. the recipe for this on the website serves about 12 people. to make it that much more festive, dip it in chocolate. these are marshmallows. >> that' all i want. i don't care about the drink. >> looks so fabulous. >> 20 seconds. >> eggnog with bourbon. what makes this special is just this little fudge stripe cookie. i put a bourbon chocolate glaze on it. cheers, you guys. eggnog, little bouon, little cookie ornament on the side, perfect for christmas eve. >> always on our website. merry christmas. cheers. we'll be back with more of "today" nbc. it's hard to believe we are half-way through our annual holiday toy drive an we want to thank everybody who's contributed so far. >> yes. and we have another generous contribution today. brother and sister from st. jude's children's hospital, austin and haley. >> david, how many years is this? this is our 11th year supporting the toy dre. we're donating $50,000 worth of our plush puppy here taylor. sell them in all of our k jeweler stores across the country. >> tell them, these things are so super soft. you can't really tell on tv but you just want to squeeze them. both of you kids were suffering from bone cancer. how are you feeling today? >> feeling really good. sr. jude got me back and i'm doing everything i used to do. feeling good, yeah. >> haley, how you feeling? >> good. all the doctors and nurses and my physical therapist, they've all helped me get my leg back so i can do most of the things that i used to be able to do. >> st. jude is one of those places when you walk n, you aren't sure how you're going to el but it always lifts you up. it is an important place for you. >> we've been committed to st. jude for a dozen years. we hope to raise this year a grand tota of over $25 million. >> austin and haley's parents, by the y, they're just adorable. they're just sitting over there behind our news desk. you did such areat job with these wonderful kids. >> austin, what do you got set planned for the holidays? >> we're going too to my grandma's and justang out. >> haley, excited for the holidays? >> yeah. >> you guys, thank you all so much for coming. we really appriate it. if you want to donate, go to klgandhoda.com. willie, thank you for doing what you do. >> it was a blast, hoda. >> have a good weekend. bye-bye.