captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> and good morning. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. happy friday, everybody. so this debate in sioux city was the last before the iowa caucuses, which are on january 3rd. >> while newt gingrich did face some criticism, surprisingly, none of it came from mitt romney. instead, he saved his harshest words for president obama. we'll have much more on the debate and where the republican race stands right now, straight ahead. an encouraging sign for one of the smallest babies ever born, delivered at 24 weeks and weighed 9.5 ounces and doctors gave her a 1% chance of surviving. now four months later doctors have wonderful news for this family. we'll talk to the parents coming up in just a few moments. and we're going to be hearing a lot from howard stern on the new season of "america's got talent." the outspoken shock jock as some call him decided to join the judge's table and already promises "feelings are going to be hurt." we'll have more on that story as well. >> uh-oh. we begin with presidential politics and last night's political debate. chuck todd is our political director and chief white house correspondent. good morning. >> good morning. most of this week had candidates attacking each other and it turned into the most negative week of the campaign. final debate lacked that same negative energy. instead the front-runners played iowa nice. >> i think governor romney deserves some of the credit. >> governor romney, do you want to respond to that compliment? >> yes, thank you. >> reporter: so went the final debate before the january 3rd iowa caucuses. the two leading candidates, mitt romney and newt gingrich, choosing to avoid any clashes. the only veiled reference to their feud, gingrich poking fun at himself for being zany. >> zany is great. >> reporter: a word first used by romney at "the new york times." >> i get accused of using language too strong so i've been standing here editing. i'm very concerned about not appearing to be zany, and -- >> reporter: but each time romney and gingrich got a question designed to get them to spar with one another, they shifted the focus often to president obama. >> this president doesn't know how the economy works. i believe to create jobs it helps to have created jobs. >> i believe i can debate barack obama and in seven three-hour debates barack obama will not have a leg to stand on. >> reporter: the positive debate is a marked contrast from most of the tv ads airing in iowa. >> gingrich was fined $300,000 for ethics violations. >> it's about serial hypocrisy. >> $10,000 bet? >> not too many caucusgoers in iowa would ever place a $10,000 bet. >> reporter: but gingrich doesn't have a lot of money and his latest ads stay mostly positive. >> others seem to be focused on attacks rather than move the country forward. that's up to them. >> reporter: they didn't come away completely unscathed, getting hit repeatedly by the other candidates. >> he personally as governor issued gay marriage licenses. >> i want to make it very clear, i have been a champion of protecting traditional marriage. >> reporter: michele bachmann and gingrich got into tes the ti exchanges over the former speaker's private sector ties to freddie mac. >> when p speaker had his hand out and was taking $1.6 million to influence senior republicans to keep the scams going. >> sometimes people ought to have facts before they make wild allegations. >> reporter: bachmann, onetime iowa front-runner, now trailing badly was the most aggressive, even tangling with ron paul over the issue of nuclear weapons in iran. >> we ought to sit back and not jump the gun and believe we aren't going to be attacked. >> i believe i've never heard a more dangerous answer for american security than the one we just heard. >> i think this wild goal to have another war in the name of defense is the dangerous thing. >> reporter: but for the most part, the debate was more kumbaya than contentious with a focus on president obama. >> it's president obama we've got to talk about. he's unveiled himself as the president, not the right person to lead this country. >> our only opponent is barack obama, and we need to come out of this process remembering beating him is collectively what we have to do. >> the romney campaign is trying to show they have momentum again. they've nabbed a pretty big endorsement in the early sweep states, south carolina governor nikki haley who had a lot of tea party support in 2010 and the romney campaign hope it transfers to him in that third big primary of the season. matt? >> chuck todd weighing in on this for us. chuck, thank you very much. >> david gregory, moderator of "meet the press" good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. >> it was pretty civil, cordial. they're trying to create a lasting impression in iowa for people to talk about over the next 18 days. are you in agreement with some month who say this was a good night for mitt romney? >> i am. all of the candidates touched on feel-good issues for iowa, conservative voters, social issues getting play last night. romney made the calculation he was not going to attach gingrich because gingrich is a good counter-puncher. he learned that in the last debate, kept his fire trained on president obama, talked about himself more. had to fend off tough questions from moderators but all in all it was a good night. >> as chuck pointed out in his piece, on the one hand they're being civil and friendly but all running ads in iowa and elsewhere that are anything but. >> absolutely. they don't always engage each other as hard on the stage as they do with those tv ads. make no mistake, mitt romney is relying now on some of his rivals like a michele bachmann, rick santorum, ron paul, to take the fight to newt gingrich. there's a lot of folks in the republican establishment taking on newt gingrich, and it's giving room for romney to step back and not take him on frontily, where he doesn't necessarily have all of the goods on the debate stage. >> when you talk about seeming to some of the republican establishment taking on newt gingrich and coming to the rescue of mitt romney, are they taking on gingrich on ideological grounds or electability grounds? >> it's an important point. it's actually both. you see some conservatives actually making the point that gingrich is a much bigger government conservative than people may think, and the glenn becks, the ann coulters, they're taking him on from that point of view. it's true if you look at gingrich's record and his belief that the role of government, something tea party folks will not like to hear. and the electability argument, who can best debate barack obama, the president, on the economy but also electability, high negatives for gingrich and a certain ceiling talking about independent voters. >> just as we put a couple of recent polls up on the screen, we're noticing that lead that newt gingrich had developed over the last several weeks in iowa seems to be shrinking in this poll right here, the rasmussen poll, it's actually gone and mitt romney is in the lead and as we talked about earlier in the week, david, the guy who was there in the middle of these polls continually and has been for a long time, ron paul. >> yeah, and he took it to gingrich again over the freddie mac issue. it goes to the point that gingrich has really high negatives. people dislike gingrich, sometimes voters forgotten why they dislike him. they can be reminded through television ads. paul is running the most negative ads against gingrich in iowa thus far. he'll continue to do that, the super packs, outside groups will super pacs, outside groups will continue to do that on behalf of mitt romney as well. it's driving up the negatives and look at what's happening in the vacuum. there are no big republicans around the country who are stepping up for newt gingrich, and everybody knows him. nikki haley from south carolina, big endorsement for romney today. gingrich is more isolated when it comes to the people standing behind him saying he's the guy. >> who are you having sunday? >> michele bachmann and the near government shutdown with the member of the administration. >> david gregory, see you sunday on "meet the press." thanks. >> thanks, matt. a check of the top stories with natalie morales at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. russian officials have seized radioactive material bound for iran. the custom service at moscow's international airport said that radioactive sodium 22 was found in a tehran-bound passenger's luggage and that tests showed that material could only have been obtained through nuclear operations. an 11th-hour deal has been reached to avoid a government shutdown ahead of today's midnight deadline. congressional negotiators reached a compromise on a $1 trillion spending bill and pushing to renew a payroll tax cut in unemployment benefits. but just in case, senate majority leader harry reid says lawmakers are planning a plan b that supports a two-month extension. two former penn state officials head to a perjury hearing today. gary schultz and tim curley are fighting charges they didn't respond properly to reports that jerry sandusky was molesting young boys. this morning assistant coach mike mcqueary testified he believes he saw sandusky molesting a boy in 2002. he said the boy appeared to be about 10 years old. he said he reported the incident to head coach joe paterno the next day. the army private accused of releasing thousands of classified documents to wikileaks makes his first public appearance today. 23-year-old bradley manning's pretrial hearing opens today. the u.s. military is pushing for manning to be court-martialed and endangering national security. christopher hitchens died after a long battle with esophageal cancer. the passionate and controversial critic and ardent atheist took on political fighees in his vibrant essays. the best selling author of "god is not great" had publicly scoffed his diagnosis would in change his disbelief of religion. he was 62 years old. let's head to wall street. cnbc's mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange. good morning, mandy. >> good morning, natalie. u.s. stocks snapped a three-day decline yesterday on showing improvement in the economy. today there is one stock in particular, though, we are following. do you own a blackberry? research in motion delayed the release of a make-or-break overhaul of its devices until later next year and the market is not happy. back to you. >> mandy drury, thanks so much. in case snowboarding doesn't rev your adrenaline enough, how about saltboarding? take a look at this. devin graham headed to the salt flats of utah to capture some adventurous athletes in action, zooming along at 50 miles. the view could not be better. beautiful cinematography. it is 7:12, we turn it back over to matt, al and ann. >> looks like fun. let's try that. >> let's do that, you guys, group project outing. >> i'm going pepper skiing this weekend. let's see what's happening, we've got a lot of wind to talk about down in southern california, santa anas, getting herself together, high pressure to the north, low pressure to the south, in between the windy conditions. to the northeast and new england we're looking at wind advisories there as a big, powerful low-pressure system up in canada causes problems. and as we head across the pond, france, they're calling it hurricane joaquim, wind gusts of up to 83 miles per hour. that's what's going on in the >> and the rain has moved on. temperatures really chilly this morning. we'll stay in the 30s and 40s for 8:00. by lunchtime as you head outside and enjoy the sunshine, still need a jacket. should see low 60s inland. little breezy in the hill tops. if you like today you'll love the weekend forecast. frosty temperatures this morning. dry weather through the middle part of next week. now to washington state where the so-called barefoot bandit is set to appear in court today, and as he prepares to face a judge we're learning new details about the man's troubling past. nbc's miguel almaguer has more. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning. colton harris moore has written a letter to a judge taking full responsibility for his crimes while also blaming his upbringing for his mistakes. when his crime spree came to an end, true to form, the barefoot bandit was arrested without shoes. colton harris-moore suspected of 80 crimes in eight states. the 20-year-old writes of growing up in a broken home. "my thirst for knowledge cries for help, and coming of age was met with inept parents suffering from drugs and alcohol." harris-moore's mother wouldn't talk to nbc news on camera but says she was never an alcoholic and raised her son with good values. but in a psychiatric evaluation, paid for by the defense, dr. richard adler says colton was an abused youth exposed to alcohol prenately, who suffered psychological harm while falling through the cracks. >> those various agencies and institutions that were supposed to assist him simply didn't, time and time again. >> reporter: dubbed the barefoot bandit for leaving footprints behind at his breakins, he stole cars, boats, even airplanes after he taught himself to fly. he gained a cult following but adler writes, "what was characterized by the media as the swashbuckling adventures of a rakish teenager were in fact the actions of a depressed, suicidal young man." >> he was living in ditches, culverts and port-a-potties from time to time, so that's the other side of it. it wasn't a romantic adventure. >> reporter: marion rathbone was one of the earliest victims. for 25 years her family ran this restaurant near colton's home in washington state until one night changed everything. >> he just took the rug right out from under our feet. >> reporter: authorities say harris-moore stole $18,000 from the restaurant's safe, then was captured on security video a year later trying to burglarize the restaurant a second time. >> when we had to file bankruptcy, we lost everything, not just the business. we lost our homes. >> reporter: for rathbone, the new details about harris' hard past mean nothing. >> i'm sorry he had a rough childhood, but you know what? three-quarters of america would be in jail right now if that was a good excuse for everything. >> reporter: harris-moore has already pled guilty to federal charges in june. today the state begins to close their case. he could get nine years in prison. ann, back to you. >> miguel almaguer, thank you so much. it is 7:16. once again, here's matt. the italian appeals court that overturned the murder conviction of amanda knox is explaining its ruling in a newly released report. nbc's stephanie gosk has details on that.nie gosk has details on that. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. judge claudio helmand blows holes in nearly every aspect of the prosecution's case at time accusing the prosecutor of ridiculous conclusions based on little fact. the judge's report does in writing what his decision last october did in the courtroom, completely exonerates knox in the murder of meredith kercher. amanda knox was overcome with emotion when her guilty verdict and 26-year prison sentence were overturned. she had spent nearly four years in prison. ushered out of the courtroom, out of italy and finally home to seattle, as quickly as her family could get her there. in a report released thursday the italian judge offered a blistering critique of the prosecution. he says there was no evidence that knox and her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, murdered meredith kercher in 2007. in a statement, knox's parents write that the report confirms what they knew all along. "the prosecution's theory against her was only that, a theory that had no basis in fact." >> one could not hope for a more clear statement rendered by an appellate court. >> reporter: the pros kugs, the judge writes, could not prove that they were in the house at the time of the murder or that they even knew rudy guede, the third suspect who was found guilty of the crime. the judge continues, "the sudden choice of two young people, to commit evil for evil's sake, without any further reason, seems even more incomprehensible." the more than 140-page report repeatedly criticizes the prosecution, flimsy dna evidence, flawed by sloppy police work, no proof that the alleged murder weapon was ever in the house, knox's interrogation statements were made under duress and she wasn't offered a lawyer. the judge writes "the obsessive interrogation by police went on for hours, both day and night on a young girl who at the time did not speak or understand italian." during the trial the prosecution accused both knox and sollecito of insensitive behavior, criticizing them for buying underwear and kissing in public. it was simple tenderness between two lovers and was also a way of relieving the climate of anxiety and fear that had enveloped them and not, the judge says, a reliable indication of guilt. what the judge doesn't do is provide a theory of what actually happened. the complete details of kercher's death still remain a mystery. the prosecution will appeal to italy's supreme court but only on the appellate process, not the evidence itself. knox and sollecito doesn't have to attend the hearings. >> thank you very much. it's 19 after the hour. here's ann. a california couple has a reason to be happy this holiday season thanks to their tiny daughter who is defying great odds and savannah guthrie is here to explain. >> good morning, it's an amazing story. with the help of modern medicine a premature little girl, thought to be one of the smallest babies to have been born and survived has reached an more than milestone. the images are remarkable, a tiny baby no larger than the palm of one's hand, little melinda starr guido came into this world after only 24 weeks, weighing just 9 1/2 ounces. >> everybody thought she wouldn't make it at all. they doubted her. >> reporter: now 16 weeks later on what should be her due date the parents are marveling their daughter is believed to be the third smallest baby in the world to have lived this long. >> when i had her, they didn't want to help her. i said she was a fighter, to help her to survive and that's what they did. >> reporter: it was difficult from the beginning. ibarra experienced pregnancy complications, forcing her to undergo an emergency caesarian section. >> chances of living was like 1%, so that 1%, we got t it's a miracle. >> reporter: the challenges continued. melinda had surge troy repair an artery and treated for an eye disorder common in preemies. >> she's a fighter, no doubt about that. she's a fighter. >> reporter: melinda is now four pounds and her doctor is encouraged by her progress. >> the smallest baby i've ever had to take care of and we are lucky that the baby is doing well. >> reporter: and as with all premature babies, she will need to be closely monitored. >> most premies have problems with heart, lungs or brain. in this case it looks like things are going well but doctors will warn parents who are taking a premie home, they'll walk very carefully because in most cases there are going to be significant developmental hurdles. >> hello, little girl. >> reporter: for melinda's parents, their focus now is preparing their daughter's homecoming. >> hopefully in three weeks we can take her home. that's what i'm looking forward, spending my time with her, my life with her, just going to be great. >> babies born so prematurely certainly have the odds stacked against them but thankfully looks like melinda is doing very well. >> thanks very much to modern medicine. coming up, what happened to the first attorney who looked into the first allegations to jerry sandusky and then vanished six years ago. but first this is "today" on nbc. get the technology they love, on the network they deserve. and video chat with up to 9 of your friends with the galaxy nexus by samsung, or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. wmg up, we'll take a look at some of the fun we've had this year. >> baton down the hatches, after your local news. good friday morning to you. 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. former giants slugger barry bonds is back to federal court this morning to learn his fate. a judge will sentence the home run king for an obstruction of justice conviction. prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 15 months in prison, but legal analyst steven clark says there is a chance bonds could get house arrest instead. >> but most importantly is the judge has set a precedent by sending other people who were convicted in the case, who have lied, and giving them house arrest. so that's his best bet for house arrest. she's already established the pres dentd. >> bonds will be sentenced at 11:00 this morning. we'll have all the latest on this newscast and also nbcbayarea.com. right now want to check the forecast with chief meteorologist rob mayeda. >> and we're seeing temperatures still in the low 0s for many spots inland valleys around the bay area. 37 in san jose. 44 in san francisco. 32 in novato. as we head to lunchtime, now that the sun is up with the clear skies, we'll see mostly mid-50s by noon. notice the hill tops north of east bay, bit breezy at times. pretty nice day despite the chilly start. 58 in san francisco. up to 65 around santa rosa. not much has changed for the weekend. another frosty morning. >> i like the word weekend that's in your forecast, rob. we're looking to the south bay where we show a nice, easier light volume of traffic northbound 101. some slowing southbound. no accidents reported, but it is slow heading down all the way towards menlo park. and a look at the bay bridge toll plaza where we have a lighter volume of traffic showing up here. we still have metering lights. traffic is moving in the area. there is a stack up forming in west grand avenue. >> i bet there's a lot of heaters on in the cars this morning. bundle up before you head out the door. check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update for you in half an hour. have a wonderful friday morning. ♪ uh-oh, 7:30 on this friday ♪ uh-oh, 7:30 on this friday morning, the 16th of december, 2011, you're looking at a small sample of some of the good times we've had during the year on "today." we'll have the highlights, if you can call them that, lowlights maybe, later this morning. i've got three words for you, lava chugging fun, ahead. >> look out for that. >> inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. coming up, we're going to be talking about howard stern because he's got a new job. >> also keeping his old job. he's also joining the judges on "america's got talent." will he join his sometimes over the top behavior? how is he going to treat the show's younger contestants? a lot of people will be surprised by the range of howard stern, i think. we'll talk about that coming up. also, a lot of people when they hear the word cuba, the name of the country, a lot of emotions that inspires, seems so far away and yet it's very close. natalie is sharing her recent trip there to explore the big changes taking place in the once isolated nation. we begin this half hour with the penn state child sex abuse scandal. earlier this week jerry sandusky waived the right to a preliminary hearing tied to that case. today two former penn state officials charged with lying to a grand jury and failing to report sex abuse allegations face their own day in court. and key witness mike mcqueary is the first person to be called to the stand by the prosecution. another mystery in this case. nbc's lester holt has that side of the story. lester, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. it's almost a mystery within a mystery, a story of ray gricar, a pennsylvania district attorney who we now know was the first prosecutor to investigate an allegation of sex abuse by jerry sandusky in 1998. we don't know why he chose not to prosecute the case, but the bigger mystery and bigger question is why in 2005 did ray gricar suddenly disappear? ray gricar, the d.a. of center county, pennsylvania, had a stellar reputation. >> he was the most serious prosecutor i've ever met, and i've met hundreds of prosecutors. >> reporter: by early 2005, the d.a. was preparing to retire, stepping back from his duties. on april 15th, he decided to play hooky. >> and he said, "i don't think i'm going to go to work today. i think i'm going to take today off." i said fine, good for you. >> reporter: but that night when his girlfriend, patty fornicola, got home, there was no sign of gricar. >> to me it was an emergency, this is not like him, it's unusual behavior. >> reporter: the d.a. was missing. the next day, his red mini cooper was found abandoned 60 miles away in lewisburg, pennsylvania. it smelled of cigarette smoke. there were ash specs on the floor. but the d.a. didn't smoke. >> ray did not like people smoking around him really and he definitely would never let anybody smoke in his car. >> reporter: daryl zagani, now retired, was the lead investigator on the case. >> it would indicate to us somebody who had been in that car smoking or at least was leaning into the car, possibly talking toibly talking to ray, holding a cigarette, with some of the ash falling to the floor and the smoke getting into the car. >> reporter: three months later, the d.a.'s work laptop was fished out of the river in lewisburg. its hard drive was hovered soon after, so damaged no data could be retrieved. when you found out that nothing could be recovered, tell me your reaction. >> very upset. annoyed. it's like, you know, it was like this great big carrot hanging there, and you reach for it and you just about have it and it's gone. >> reporter: over time, investigators developed three working theories about the d.a.'s disappearance, that he committed suicide, or walked away, or was murdered. no one knows, and the case remains open. police chief sean weaver now oversees the case. does your department lean in any particular direction? >> no, actually, we don't, and it's hard because we all have our personal thoughts on the case. everyone who has ever looked at the case has their own theory, personal theory, how crazy it might be. >> reporter: of course the question folks are asking now, could gricar's disappearance be linked to the sandusky case. close friends and colleagues tell me no way but acknowledged he never really talked about that investigation and matt in tonight's broadcast we'll hear from a prominent medical examiner in pennsylvania who offers his own theory as to how the two could in fact be linked. >> lester, thank you very much. the broadcast lester is talking about is "dateline" at 10:00, 9:00 central time here on nbc. now here's ann. >> matt, thanks. a popular reality show is getting a new star "america's got talent" has named howard stern as a judge. nbc's craig melvin has details. craig, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. the reality competition turning up the heat on competitors now, adding the so-called shock jock to the judge's table and stern is expected to bring some unexpected moments and some brutal honesty to the popular show. it's official, after weeks of speculation, howard stern made the announcement on his radio show thursday. he's the new judge on nbc's "america's got talented." >> i've got to tell you something. you might think i'm out of my mind or i'm crazy, but i take judging very seriously. >> reporter: the man known for shocking stunts, foul language and outrageous behavior will take the seat of former judge piers morgan. who left the show after last season. >> i'm going to be piers on steroids, trust me. >> reporter: he's already giving viewers a taste of what to come. >> don't call me [ bleep ] because i'm going to tell you the kid has no talent. i don't want to hurt anybody's feelings but i'm telling you feelings are going to be hurt. >> reporter: thursday night he called into "piers morgan's show" on cnn. >> whatever you think my goal is to find real talent. >> reporter: as for howie mandel and sharon osbourne -- >> believe me my opinion is the one that counts on the show. >> reporter: "america's got talent" is known for acts that are oddly appealing, much like howard himself. >> the point of having howard stern on the show is that he's going to bring an edge. he's going to bring a brutality to it and that's what you want from him. "america's got talent" is one big circus. >> excuse me honey this is the united states of america -- >> nobody knows a big circus better than howard stern. >> reporter: it allows contestants of all ages. some say he's a bad choice for family audience. >> you have a guy who is synonymous with shock, profanity, obscenity, indecency. is he someone you want to hold out to american families as a person who should be a judge on what has been for many seasons a family show. >> am i spectacular attitude. >> reporter: stern's radio show is based in new york so "america's got talent" is now moving there from los angeles, a sign the newest judge carries a lot of weight with network brass. >> all of america is embracing this. they're excited, everyone is excited. >> the new season of "america's got talent" starts taping in february. after the stern announcement, howie mandel tweeted welcome to the party. >> craig melvin, thank you so much. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> ann, thank you so much. look at this beauty. who this? >> evangeline. >> how old? >> 5 1/2 months. >> where are you from? >> ohio. >> she is perfect. and it's your 17th birthday? >> yes it is. >> what is your name? >> meghan. >> let's check it out and see what's happening for the weekend. saturday, frigid conditions in new england. we've got morning showers along the mid-atlantic coast. we'll see showers in the southwest, cold in the northern states. sunday, sunday! more frigid weather in new england, sunny and cold along the east coast. more rain, southern texas where they need it into the southwest, a few showers move into the coastal pacific northwest. that's what's going on in the country. here's what's happening in your temperatures are still very cold. 29 in santa rosa. 30 in gilroy. 30 in san jose. a bit breezy for north and east bay hills towards the afternoon. and our temperatures as now the sun is come won't be that bad, but cool for the meantime. windy up to lake tahoe. for the weekend more frosty mornings and hazy sunshine for the afternoon. birthday present to you is the fact that you can get your weather any time of the day or night if you go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. you don't need to go online, you just need to be on nbc on sunday night. sunday night football night, best night in america. that's right. the ravens, flying west to take on the chargers. it's going to be partly cloudy and cool, temperatures 53 to 58. going to be partly cloudy and cool, temperatures 53 to 58, and i don't know if ravens even molt. we'll check, but first it's sunday night, football night in america. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up next, signs of change, natalie takes us inside the new cuba, right after this. 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[sfx: knocking on door] and now you need to hide. oh, i love the mercury glass pieces on the mantel, we could put some evergreen pieces... you know a simple touch like adding. oh, i think we should quickly decorate the hallway, wouldn't that be fun? maybe just put some...oh thank you so much, i'm going to bring you a snack later. wait, i still need to talk to you about led candles. happy holiday's. hey! hi! please come in. you know ornaments, they make a great centerpiece. we're back now at 7:43. the united states and cuba have had a complicated relationship for the last five decades. it is a relationship that is changing constantly. natalie recently took a trip to havana and i'm sure you were impressed what you saw. >> there were gradual changes there, as well. good morning to you, matt. cuba has been off limits since fidel castro's revolution a half century ago. the castro regime remains in place under brother raul's leadership yet there are signs of change. cuba is often described as a country frozen in time. while u.s./cuba relations may also remain frozen, change is on the horizon. ♪ >> how much are they, five? >> reporter: americans once banned from visiting under the embargo are coming back. >> we're here for a festival. >> reporter: the latin american international film festival was a big draw for americans this year. also tour groups are back. >> cuba is at a time where it's going to change significantly. to see as it's been for the past 50 years. once the door opens cuba will be a totally different place. ♪ >> reporter: this group is among the first to experience cuba, though under strict guidelines, they're here on a full-time cultural immersion program approved by the u.s. treasury department. the new rules have their critics especially among cuban-americans who fled castro's revolution. >> president obama's gesture of friendship toward the castros, significantly increasing travel from the united states to cuba, has meant over $500 million a year to the land, in castro's bank accounts. >> reporter: for many cubans it's less about politics and more about family. today they can send money and goods without restriction. christina morales is on her way, from miami, her third visit this year to bring her brother supplies for his new restaurant. >> he's happy because that was something he couldn't have or do in cuba before, to have your own business. >> reporter: her brother, angel morales is now one of the 1 million private business owners. he reopened the restaurant his grandfather ran for 40 years until castro shut it down. what does it mean for you to have this? he says "it's allowed me to reach my dream," and miguel in turn is giving other cubans and culinary students a shot at the new cuban dream, which now includes buying a home. the new privatization law in effect this month allows cubans to buy and sell property again. real estate agencies don't exist here yet in cuba. instead people come here on saturday mornings, this place is bustling with people posting signs like this, looking to swap, barter and now sell their homes in what is known as the stock market of cuban real estate. ♪ while cuba has a long way to go by american standards, they are enjoying new freedoms including religion. for decades this country was officially atheist and today for the first time in more than 50 years, the government has allowed this national religious procession, celebrating cuba's patron saints. but the opposition group, the ladies in white, are demanding more must be done to end human rights abuses, something pope benedict will most likely address when he visits next spring. when pope john paul ii made his historic visit in 1998, he called for cuba to open to the world, and the world to open to cuba. that's silvia wilhelm's hope, too. she was sent to the u.s. as a child after the revolution. >> i definitely did not want to have anything to do with cuba. >> reporter: today her view has changed. she's working to break down the 50-year-old walls between cuba and the united states. do you think family then will be the tie that binds these two countries together ultimately? >> without a doubt, what is going to continue to move this train in the direction of reconciliation, lingers on one word. it's called family. >> it is a fascinating place and on monday i'll take you on a tour of earnest hemingway's home in cuba with granddaughter mariel hemingway, probably the highlight of the whole thing. >> natalie thank you very much, appreciate it. still to come, daniel craig stops by to talk about his role in the movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo." but first, these messages. [ female announcer ] ornaments are not for decorating. dad. did you know it's 22 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes to christmas? [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. [ female announcer ] they're for building excitement for christmas. 12 days, 18 hours... come on. it's no days! [ female announcer ] the hallmark countdown to christmas ornament. 5 hours and 59 minutes and 41... 40...39... 38...37...36... the best approach to food 40...39... is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal. they steam and bake the actual whole grain while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. when sugar plums appear, temptation's all around. donuts, cakes and pies, they've got a gift for me, i wish that i could take it back, but there is no receipt. oh jiggle bells, jiggle bells, jiggle all the way. oh how i wish i could resist, jiggling this holiday. oh joy oh natural joy! truvia®, box of bliss, zero calorie sweetness from a leaf, my sugar plum happiness. truvia®. honestly sweet. ♪ [ male announcer ] they've been tested, built and driven like no other. and now they're being offered like no other. come to the winter event and get an exceptional offer on the mercedes-benz of your dreams. it's our way of showing a little holiday spirit. but hurry -- the offer ends january 3rd. ♪ it's a great hd tv... shhh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. 8 a.m. saturday. with our lowest prices of the season on select toys, electronics and more... the only stop for last minute gifts is walmart. okay, be afraid, be very rah frayed. we're going to show you the lighter moments we experienced in 2011. >> girs these messages and a check you have your local news and weather. yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day. look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. they're for keeping us together. ♪ [ boy ] to dad, love sam. [ mom ] say "merry christmas." [ boy ] merry christmas. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. [ boy ] charlie brown spotted a small, scraggly pine tree. ♪ it burns! it's singeing me. it's the sun. get out of the office more often, with chili's $6 lunch break combos, featuring texas toast half sandwiches. chili's lunch break combos. ♪ a little rendezvous ♪ that special something ♪ that will carry you through ♪ that little reward ♪ for all the things you do [ female announcer ] luscious, creamy filling -- perfectly combined with our intense, slow-melting chocolate -- the one and only ghirardelli squares chocolate. for all the things you do. ghirardelli. moments of timeless pleasure. dinner with the girls tonight. i really want dessert. i better skip breakfast. yep, this is all i need. [ stomach growls ] [ female announcer ] why skip breakfast when you can start your morning with special k multigrain oats and honey, a wholesome blend of rolled oats and honey kissed multigrain flakes. it's a delicious way to get your whole grains and make your breakfast beautiful. ♪ and make your breakfast beautiful. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. good morning to you. it's 7:56 now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. developing news where police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that killed a man. it happened on inman way in the alman rock neighborhood. police were trying to talk to the suspect when he made a threatening move, and at least one officer fired his gun. he says in self defense. the man was taken to the hospital where he died. the police department is investigating. right now want to check the forecast with meteorologist rob mayeda in for christina. it's a cold one. >> it is a cold one. as you step outdoors this morning, mostly 30s here and some 20s earlier this morning around santa rosa. 40s in san francisco. in the north and east bay hills winds pick up out of the north, northeast, heading into the afternoon. but the forecast for the afternoon looks good, despite the chilly morning. close to 60 in san jose. and santa cruz, upper 50s and low 60s. tomorrow a frosty start, but a dry finish to the weekend ahead. looks pretty good through saturday and sunday. >> i've got 50s and 60s for the most part on my maps. 680 into and through walnut creek down through danville and alamo. a little slowing for westbound 24 in through lafayette. but not a big deal. as you're approaching the toll plaza, the maze is slow. 880 past the coliseum we see a good volume of traffic. northbound 880 it would slow down a bit at high street and through downtown. the earlier incident has cleared from lanes. laura, back to you. >> thanks, mike. for the latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update for you in about half an hour or so. in the meantime, stay bundled up and warm out there. as we embrace this cold friday morning. we're back now, k on a friday morning, the 16th day of december, 2011. we've got a big crowd of people out on the plaza this morning. a lot of these folks probably in town to wrap up their christmas shopping and we're just happy they decided to stop by and spend a little time with us here in rockefeller plaza. i'm matt lauer, with a big group today along with ann curry, al roker, savannah guthrie. >> a big group as in four of us. >> it went from there to there. >> a couple of chilly ones over there, hoda and kathie lee. >> we were told it was warmer than it is. >> oh! you're going to shame me into this? >> no, i'll just snuggle in. >> the reason we have the big group out here is because we're going to take a look back at some of the fun we've had in 2011. >> brace ourselves because we're going to be showing you all of the clips they put together. we've not seen what they put together, this is the first glimpse of it. >> i've seen that. >> yes, but what i mean is the complete compendium we have not seen and we shall see the choreography. oh, boy. >> natalie has got a check of the headlines. let's get in and get warm. >> thank you, matt. good morning, everyone, once again. after one of the most negative weeks on the campaign the republican presidential candidates kept things civil last night abefore the iowa caucuses. newt gingrich and mitt romney directed their attacks at president obama instead. president obama is standing by his decision to hand an award to dakota myer. it was reported he probably deserved the medal but portions of the citations were untrue, unsubstantiated or exaggerated. major league baseball's home run king barry bonds faced up to 21 months in prison, he was convictcon convicted of obstructing justice for purposely misleading a jury of an investigation into steroid abuse. a quick roundup of what has you talking online, christopher hitchens is a top search on google and a twitter trending topic as well as literary greats and celebrities alike, quote him and mourn his passing. he died thursday after a long bat well cancer. salman rushdie tweeted "good-bye, my beloved friend. a great voice falls silent. a great heart stops." this is at a. rally, having locked with mystery kissers. the problem is the kissers were their own parents. the school's principal is apologizing. no more mr. nice judge, a top search on google, howard stern said to replace piers morgan on nbc's "america's got talent." stern tweeted morgan tweeted about throwing contestants into a vat of acid. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by jared, the galleria here's a look at an update ed temperature map across the bay area. still in the 30s. the sun has not been up for an hour yet. livermore, 35 because we have breezy conditions in the east bay hills. that's some of the warmer spots you're seeing right now. toward the afternoon, we should see upper 50s to low 60s. once again tomorrow morning, looks more like a patchy frost and no sign of any rain. unfortunately, no snow in the is he a-- sierra. that's dry until next week. nnati station. >> ron schmidt and wife keri from cincinnati. >> coming up, we'll look at all of the fun we had over the past year, coming up right after this. right? 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[ 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? back at 8:07, as "today" looks back at 2011. it was a memorable year on the show. >> that's right, and here are the highlights. ♪ you and me, we're running this town ♪ ♪ and it's me and we're shaking the ground ♪ ♪ this is our show ♪ everybody, whoa, oh, oh ♪ come on, oh, oh, oh ♪ let me hear you now ♪ oh, oh >> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry in for i guess nobody this morning. me, myself and i. oh your birthday wish to meet me. you have a sign. happy birthday. >> hi, i'm matt. >> i'm al roker. >> nice to meet you. >> natalie is going to be replacing ann at the news desk. >> yes. >> that means there is an opening in the 9:00 hour so if you would like to host the 9:00 hour, savannah guthrie is moving from the white house in washington to new york city to join us in the 9:00. >> ann curry this lady came from a thousand oaks just for a hug from you. >> you know what? i give a good hug, baby, come on! group hug. >> a woman after my own heart, matt i've purelld a cheek for to you kiss. >> you kissed the wrong cheek! ♪ i've had the time of my life and i never felt this way before ♪ ♪ and i swear this is true and i owe it all to you, you, you, you ♪ >> after months of personal reflection and private conversations to my family and my friends, i've decided to leave "today" in june. >> all right, mr. roker. >> mr., ahhh -- already you're forgetting me? >> i swear i just saw a bat fly over. i got to get help. >> put some air in there and pour that into the hot pan. >> mama, we're in the house! ♪ saying good-bye, when words aren't enough ♪ ♪ keep away the cold, oh, no ♪ say good-bye, now where our story ends ♪ ♪ i know you can't be mine, not the way you've always been ♪ ♪ as long as we've got time, for saying good-bye ♪ ♪ oh, no, it's saying good-bye ♪ where them girls at, girls at ♪ where dem girls at, girls at ♪ >> hey, every day is a good day with you hoda woman. >> getting drunk. >> you came to the right place! ♪ party rock >> matt get over here. >> i'm actually going out over the air? >> yes, we're on tv. ♪ hey, everybody, everybody, that will make you want to move it like they do it at south beach ♪ ♪ hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey ♪ >> eh pa! this is what i came back to television to do. ♪ i will make it, believe >> it's an honor to meet you, your holiness, thank you so much. >> i lift you up all the way to the heavens. >> thank you. >> a tsunami is coming right now, they're yelling at everybody to get out of the way. ♪ to conquer, to thrive, a chance to win ♪ >> all four -- what is the future you wish for iran, why? ♪ >> today and tomorrow, whoa! ♪ >> this is a play grouground. that's the mississippi river. >> you see what used to be freedom tower, now one world trade center. ♪ i will be right there from the ground like a skyscraper ♪ >> wow. >> it is our tenth anniversary of lend a hand today, and this year promises to be our biggest year ever. see you tomorrow in vegas. we've got seven, count 'em seven trucks. open them up! let's open them up! here we go! open up that truck. i'm going to see you from birmingham. i got to get started now. ♪ you're my bigge "a" girl, you're my biggest cake girl ♪ ♪ let me play it now, let me play it now like ♪ ♪ whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh >> good-bye to you. >> she went into the abbey as kate middleton, came out a princess. >> standing by with my binocula binoculars. >> they'll share that kiss. >> i got to tell you, it was a huge party here. ♪ oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh >> where in the world is matt lauer? >> look out below, here in the southern hemisphere, that is what we call spring skiing. i want to say pull up, pull up. and i like it here. i will tell you that. >> two big guys in a little car. >> we're going this way. i'm standing on this sky bridge connecting the petronis towers here in kuala lumpur, malaysia. ♪ written in the stars >> this is good times ten. i'm on a horse, in theçó beautil island nation of barbados. >> ooh the snowshoe. hit it. oh, did we forget to hook mine up? ♪ ♪ i get a good feeling, yeah ♪ oh, sometimes, i get a good feeling ♪ >> i just shook a few hands outside, i'm not sure i should do that. >> you should have washed them. don't put those on our beautiful table. >> sorry. >> one, two, three, go. >> i'm not taking a dog biscuit, no way. i learned that trick from matt lauer. okay. >> let me tell you a great way to keep your potatoes hot while you're waiting. >> i know all about keeping my potatoes hot. >> i make you nervnervous, don'? >> yes you do. look, there's chocolate cake to serve with this. >> oh, no, you're not changing the subject. ♪ now, now, now, come on ♪ now, now, now, come on ♪ you know you make me feel like i'm the only girl in the world ♪ ♪ today i don't want to do anything, i just want to lay in my bed ♪ ♪ you traveling around town with the girl i love and forget you ♪ ♪ just the change in my pocket wasn't enough, as i forget you and forget her, too ♪ ♪ tonight is the night, girl, tonight is the night ♪ ♪ oh, ooh, tonight is the night ♪ >> they closed off 49th street, our biggest concert crowd ever. >> this presented problems when ann pulled in this morning and her motorcade they had to move some of these people out of the way. ♪ i'll tell you if it's snowing ♪ oh it's definitely snowing ♪ ♪ or the wind is blowing ♪ if the wind is blowing ♪ all i want to do is have some fun ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, ann curry. ♪ they say brandi, such a novel round, she serves them whiskey and wine ♪ ♪ the sailors say brandi ♪ party on, say that it's september ♪ yes, sir, it's my baby now ♪ >> favorite tv daytime show, these guys right here! ♪ because i got a feeling ♪ whoa, ooh, yeah, i got a feeling ♪ oh ♪ ♪ you know i got a feeling ♪ oh, yeah, i got a feeling ♪ sit a spell, it will take about an hour ♪ ♪ i'll tell you all a story about me and matt lauer ♪ ♪ you're the one that i think about all day ♪ >> put the mike closer to her mouth, right up against her mouth. can you speak louder, ma'am? can you speak louder? louder, yes. >> what soap opera did awe peer on in 1982? >> this is the soap opera i appear on every single day. ♪ oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ >> it is called the lauer. you no he that? >> it is? ♪ >> yeah! >> come on, let's go! ♪ >> let's show everybody where dhee keeps her tweeter so to speak, right in the old spanxs-arooney. >> this is not preventing the snow from reaching my scalp. ♪ you make me >> looks like the girls are late again. ♪ >> hey, i'm drivin' here! ♪ all i do is win, win, win no matter what, what, what ♪ ♪ got money on my mind, can never get enough ♪ ♪ and every time i step in the field, everybody's hands go up ♪ ♪ all i do is win, win, win ♪ and if you gonna win put your hands in the air and say yeah ♪ ♪ you can count on me like one, two, three ♪ i'll be there and i know when i need it i can count on you ♪ ♪ like four, three, two, and you'll be there ♪ ♪ cause that's what friends are supposed to do eoh, yeah ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ you can count on me cause i can count on you. >> u.s. -- sorry, a mosquito is in here. ♪ i was born this way, don't let yourself regret ♪ ♪ i'm on the right track baby, i was born this way ♪ ♪ born this way ♪ baby i was born this way >> contact lenses have been great for ann's career. >> which actually i don't wear them which is why i can't read the teleprompter half the time. >> it's been a long time since i've had the power of the pool -- >> sorry, that was funny. >> guys, you didn't hear, they're lower in alcohol. you're not going to like them. >> still ahead we got kathie lee and hoda coming up. >> and it's going to be great. >> what's ann curry doing here? oh, you forgot your blackberry. ann curry forgot her blackberry. >> sarah va in a's iphone is under the table and playing music. >> please don't reveal. >> it's glee! >> no, no! oh, no! ♪ pick it up, pick it up, pick it up, oh ♪ ♪ pick it up, pick it up, pick it up, oh ♪ >> that was a bird. >> whoa! >> did you see that on tv? ♪ i'm on the edge of glory and i'm hanging on by more than my shoes ♪ ♪ i'm on the edge, i'm the edge, the edge, the edge ♪ ♪ i'm on the edge of glory and i'm hanging on a moment with you ♪ >> i own the george washington bridge! i'm king of the bridge! ♪ i'm on the edge with you ♪ today's a day, everything's going your way ♪ ♪ today, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ today, today, yeah, today, today, yeah ♪ ♪ yeah, today, yeah, today ♪ today, yeah, mmm >> wow! >> so many people did a great job. >> unbelievable. erica levins, lindsay grubbs, amanda avery, editors molly paul, drew candel and jay ashonovsky and graphics team, help me, millie. guy, well done. >> and also well done in 2011, a lucky time, a lucky staff. >> it's not over. >> a big year. oh, we got more. >> i want to take a nap after watching all that but we still have a show to do so don't. >> go anywhere. >> i like that magic box. >> that will be under your christmas tree, al. much more ahead including daniel craig coming up. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. the brand-new nook tablet. ♪ by barnes & noble it's their fastest, lightest tablet with all my favorite books. ♪ jane can write! and the best streaming movies. see? high score. ♪ yeah! yeah! ♪ introducing nook tablet. books, the best in entertainment, facebook, apps, magazines and more. i know you're worried about making your savings last and having enough income when you retire. that's why i'm here. to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there, every step of the way. call or come in for a free portfolio review today. way to protect your skin from the good friday morning to you. it's 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. friends and family of a toddler killed by a stray bullet in oakland will hold a memorial service for him today. hiram lawrence would have turned 2 on december 28th. he was in his father's arms when gunmen started shooting into a crowd in west oakland november 28th. a bullet struck that little boy in the head. his parents agreed to take him off life support on friday. public service will be held at the full gospel church at 11:00 am. so tragic. let's turn to, hopefully, better news in the morning commute. i don't know. for a friday, let's check it out, mike. >> overall, friday commute, friday lighter volume. we see some slowing, though. this happened over the last half hour. we had a couple of accidents in the same area of the peninsula. 101 southbound just south of willow. an accident within lanes causing some tie-ups. we expect it slow in both directions. 280, accident has cleared, caused some slowing. across the bay bridge, lighter volume of traffic as well. send it back to you with that picture. >> very light out there. 8:27 right now. for the latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. ♪ it's 10:31am, and they won't serve you breakfast. but i will. i serve my entire breakfast menu all day, so you can get my new- -jumbo breakfast platter with mini pancakes,scrambled eggs, hash browns, plus bacon or sausage for only $2.99, anytime. nooooo....nooo jack, we only see my parents twice a year. chill out. 8:30 now on this tgif, friday morning, the 16th of december, 2011, and you're looking at claire dane who just picked up a golden globe nomination in the showtime series "homeland" she's gathering gifts for our toy drive. "homeland" is one of president barack obama's favorite shows so that's an exciting thing. i don't know who is more excited about that, or picking up the golden globe nomination. we'll talk about a very talented actor, another one in our studio. >> very talented and extremely versatile, daniel craig, one of the stars of the new movie "girl with the dragon tattoo." it is an extremely powerful movie. we'll talk to him about that, some other things as well. >> it's going to be a christmas to remember for one michigan family who suddenly found themselves homeless after a medical crisis. they'll share their story with us. >> okay, on another note we have jill martin back with another holiday steals and deals for you as well. >> first a check of the weather. >> let's look ahead to your weekend, tomorrow, sunshine in the northeast and new england, going to be cold. we got cold and frigid weather through the plains, mild through the gulf coast, showers in florida and texas. sunday, sunday, sunshine continues along the east coast, a few snow showers, rain in southern texas where they really need it and the southwest as well. that's what's going on in the sunshine around the bay area. chilly temperatures. lots of 30s around the bay area. low 30s down in the valley. 34 in san francisco. one of the things you'll notice are breezy conditions in our hilltops in the north and east bay above 1,000 feet. by 4:00, should be in the upper 50s to near 60. more rounds of frosty mornings and hazy sunshine through the afternoon. nice part of the middle of next week. r. >> when we come back we'll bring some holiday cheer to a family that can really use some, we'll explain that. first this is today on nbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. ♪ that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. ♪ with your help, we can reach 20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. [ female announcer ] get 0 percent apr financing on select models for thirty-six months and we'll donate two-hundred and fifty dollars to your choice of five charities. now through january 3rd. back now at 8:34, more than 49 million americans now live below the poverty line and a number of them like the family you're about to meet propelled into bankruptcy by a one-two punch of job loss and a catastrophic health crisis. "today" national correspondent jenna wolfe is here with more. >> good morning to you, ann. in michigan the families of former autoworkers were among those taking the biggest hit and this holiday season as part of our getting to the heart of christmas series we wanted to offer a little hope to one family in crisis. >> i miss being able to say that i have a home. that's the hardest part. >> reporter: meet finley klein, this high school junior and family of six represent the new face of america's homeless. >> i can see how this could rip families apart. >> reporter: since early october the klein family has been crashing at a friend's vacant home in suburban detroit. >> everything was going fine three years earlier. i could give them everything and now piece by piece, it was getting taken away from me. >> reporter: a few short years ago the kleins lived a life full of promise, but then disaster struck. finley was diagnosed with a rare tumor. >> all around here. >> it's a bone-eating tumor that grows at a very, very fast rate. >> the first picture that my dad showed me, her face was like over here, and when we found out she had the second tumor, it was even more scary, because my dad said she might not be good. >> reporter: with their daughter fighting for her life and no insurance, the $100,000 surgery wiped out the klein's savings. facing bankruptcy, the kleins lost their home and were evicted. >> that broke my heart right there. it was the worst. i would take another tumor any day just to be back there and just for that to never happen again. >> any more swelling? >> yeah. that hurt worse than all of my surgeries put together. yeah, my jaw. >> your whole sense of normalcy is gone, and trying to figure out what we're going to do to bring that back is when it's just like a neverending road that we're on right now. obviously it's going to be christmas celebrating, we're going to be surrounded by friends and family and that's the most important thing. >> reporter: the family expects another bare bones christmas. we follow michelle to the local walmart where she plans to pick up some lights for the tree, but we actually have quite a surprise in store. our team is giving them a christmas to remember, by giving michelle the run of the store. >> oh, wow. >> the wonderful people of walmart opened up their stores and their aisles and their hearts. the store is your oyster, michelle. >> oh, wow. what do i do? holy cow. serious seriously. >> look at this face. would we lie to you? >> pick out what you need, what you think the kids will enjoy for christmas and we'll take care of it. >> oh! let's go shopping. where's my kleenex? >> can we can why you're crying? this should be happy. >> i'm overwhelmed. i don't know what to think. >> don't think and just lead with your heart. michelle makes up for all of the years of underwear and socks. >> they all need laptops, even darby. >> laptops for school, a kindle for finley, an xbox for garrett. >> oh, this is kind of cute. >> some new duds for darby. >> can i get my husband a tv? >> and the mother of all tvs for russ. >> wow, that is really big. oh my gosh. >> and the candy kanes should go this way. >> back at michelle's parents house our team is busy decorating and wrapping the presents so the family can celebrate when the kids get out of school. >> this is overwhelming. this is overwhelming. >> why are you crying? >> it's a tough couple years for them. >> i'm sure. what's this going to mean for their children? >> incredible. >> what we decided to do when you went to school today was bring christmas to your house. are you okay? >> you got me a laptop? >> the coolest present i've had ever. >> ooh! >> awesome! >> pretty fantastic. >> holy! wow! >> reporter: we saved the best for last, telling the kleins the "today" show was flying them to new york, to be on the "today" show, to be on our set with matt lauer and ann curry, and finally take in new york city the way you guys should and spend a christmas like i'm sure you've wanted to. >> i love you. ♪ joy to the world, the lord is come ♪ >> it is my great pleasure to introduce to you, ann, the klein family, russ, michelle, finley, garrett, darby, and kendall. welcome. >> good morning you guys and welcome. i feel like we're so far away from you. i'm going to step across and welcome you in person and michelle, we could tell you two it meant so much for to you give these things to your children. and to think you only wanted slippers for christmas. >> i love slippers. it's all i really wanted. >> but you really want a job. >> four years ago when i was in the ford factory, left because we were worried about it, but you know, i'm back in michigan now, that's right where i want to be again, it's the best job i've ever had. >> fingers crossed, things are getting better and better. finley watching this, you were particularly emotional. you say that losing your home hurt even more than even suffering through this tumor. what do you want to say to people listening this morning about what it means to be one of the what, 60,000 children who are in america today who are homeless and who are enduring this kind of pain. what do you want to say on behalf of all these young people? >> well, even though like they don't have homes, they have, we have a strong family, so it is our home, our family is our home. >> you've come closer together as a family because of all this? >> um-hum. >> because you've had to, and i can see it's been emotional for all of you and your family. i want you to know that it's the best is yet to come, because we want to tell you that actually getting to the heart of christmas, wants to give you something else, the team at walmart wants to give you a monthly stipend to pay for food, clothing, and also fulfilling expensive medicines, anything else you need for a year. >> oh, god. >> wow, thank you. thank you. thank you very much. >> walmart's been wonderful. they've just been fantastic and the "today" show. >> and everybody connected with the "today" show and walmart, you know, i love you guys. >> this has been great, i don't know if we deserve it. >> it is what you deserve, clearly you as parents are doing everything you can to help your family. have you learned what it takes, finley, watching your parents? do you think about what they have done for you, what they've done for your brothers and sisters? what have you learned about the heroism it takes to be a parent sometimes? >> i know that it's hard, and they're really courageous and i just, i love them for doing everything that they've done for us. >> i should mention having spent time with them this is the most grateful, beautiful family you'll meet, they're grateful for every small thing. to spend a holiday like this, you can see it in their eyes as they're all shedding tears you can understand how much they appreciate this. >> thank you and good luck to your family, we pray for you and all families. >> thank you. >> thank you to everyone who is involved and clearly a message we all need to add community, involve more to help our homeless families. we're back with much more. this is "today" on nbc. >> thank you. ♪ [ male announcer ] this december, we're thanking our customers with $2 subs -- get the regular 6" cold cut combo or meatball marinara. just $2 each! just 2 bucks! are you kidding me? there's no competition. male announcer ] prices and participation may vary. subway. eat fresh. ♪ and we're back now at 8:45 with one of hollywood's most versatile actors, said to star in a spielberg animation, currently shooting his third james bond film and one of the most anticipated movieness of the year "the girl with the dragon tattoo." take a look. >> those are from her, the rest from her killer. >> who knows about this? >> just me, the police, the killer. and now you. >> daniel craig, welcome back. good to see you >> nice to be here. >> how you been? >> good. i was thinking about your career, reading the notes. you are not afraid to take on roles that put you in the cross-hairs of passionate fans, the whole bond stuff which you have completely laid to rest and now this. people love this book. they love this story, and they have expectations. did you worry at all about it? >> i didn't really. i think that once i read the script which i thought was a true and accurate sort of adaptation of the book and i kind of was fulfilled with confidence, i knew he would do a good job. >> as an actor when you read steve larson's book were you already thinking what it might be like to play this character? >> me and millions of others. >> you can dream about it, think it might come your way. how did it eventually come your way? >> a phone call, just andy pascal from sony and i went to see david in los angeles, had dinner with him and said let's do it. >> he looked at you and this is one of those stories i'm not sure how accurate it is, you can correct employee, you were in the best shape of your life and said you're playing a journalist, playing a guy who probably wouldn't be in that great a shape. i'm not sure if i should be insulted by that. >> you shouldn't be. you're in great shape. >> you had to put on some weight. >> it was as much to do with the fact i wanted to look at kind of normal a guy as possible and the fact of it is, is that this guy is, you know, a journalist and he works and works very hard and maybe drinks a little too much, and but when sort of the thriller aspect of this movie kicks in, i wanted him to be in danger. i wanted him to look like -- >> you didn't want him to be bond. >> exactly what it is, yeah. >> and christopher plummer was here, one of your co-stars, and he talked about the location, earlier this week, and he said you shot a lot of this in sweden in the winter and wasn't sure if you'd ever been that cold. >> i don't know why he's complaining. he's wearing a fur coat and i've got like a t-shirt on. i don't know how that worked out. >> he said you shivered through most of the movie. >> that was real, that wasn't just acting. >> rooney mara, there was talk maybe scarlet johansson or natalie portman. rooney was not all that well-known. >> unknown. >> do you think that that was important? >> i do. i mean, the sort of story surrounding it was what was going on in the outside world. we knew, once i met rooney and talked to david she was the right girl for the part and all of this sort of, you know, the brouhaha that was going on, it didn't make any sense once we started filming. once i saw how good an actress she is and what great person she is, i had every confidence in her. >> not only does she transform herself into this role but within the role, within the movie she goes from at times being androgenous to other times being anything but the androgenous. she's a kchameleon within the role. >> she's done a wonderful job. >> there are quite adult themes in this. >> in the whole movie. i wouldn't have done it if it hadn't have been. have anybody has read the books they know what the themes are, deals with sexual politics, deals with violence against women and all of those things are important to the story, so my kind of theory is i'm hoping babysitters are going to make a lot of money out of the money. >> hire a babysitter, do not take the kids. you're in the middle of shooting your third bond. how is that going? >> going good. >> how long do you have ahead of you? >> we shot six weeks and shoot until the end of may so i can't work that out but a long time. >> staying true to the genre, what people expect? >> a little bit more this time. >> daniel indication, incredibly versatile in this movie "girl with the dragon tattoo" will wow people. it's very powerful. >> thank you so much. >> happy holidays. >> and to you. >> thank you very much. a new release date, moved up to a nationwide release on december 20th. check that out. up next, jenna bush hager on a young man making his mark on and off the playing field. we'll talk about that, but first this is "today" on nbc. 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[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. this morning on "tooled's extra yard," an nfl rookie with a tough upbringing making people around him better. jenna bush hager has the story. good morning. >> good morning, ann. baltimore ravens wide receiver torrey smith might be known for his skills on the field but it's his character off it that makes him truly stand out. determination. drive. resilience. all words rookie torrey smith lives and plays by. practices at the ravens facility, the 22-year-old already feels like a winner, like a survivor. would you say that you fought for all of this? >> definitely. i feel like nothing's given to you. >> reporter: the odds were stacked against torrey from the beginning. his mother, monica jenkins was only 16 when torrey was born. >> i was a baby having a baby and he was born with jaundice, meningitis, so he stayed in the hospital for a few months. >> reporter: monica had more babies while she was a teenager. times were tough and she worked two jobs to feed her kids. >> she financially did everything, and i just stepped up and was trying to be a good role model for them. >> reporter: even as a little boy, torrey was a man of the house, playing the role of parent. >> he was 4 years old and i remember him getting up and fixing bowls of cereal for his siblings, because i've worked all night. >> i'd help take care of my brothers and sisters from microwave to putting everybody to bed to putting clothes on them. just taking a little stress off my mother. >> reporter: his brothers, minke and tevin say torrey raised them and their four other siblings. if you could describe your brother what would you say about him? >> very humble, kind, just all-around good person. >> he was just like all-around good to me. >> reporter: being the father figure also meant trying to shield the family from violence. >> i saw him put a gun to her head before and he pulled the trigger, me and my brother in the back seat, went up through the roof and you have no control over it. ♪ when i get older >> reporter: torrey found control on the high school football field. he got a full score larship to the university of maryland, the first man in his family to attend college. he played for coach ralph prejean. >> he's honest, caring, loyal and good person. >> reporter: right when life seemed to be finally going his torrey's mother was sent to jail for felony wounding. the coach served as a character witness for monica and wrote a letter explaining torrey is the best example of the good she could contribute to society. >> in my 41 years of coaching i have never met a better character player than torrey, an unselfish hard worker, he's a testimony to her hard work and destination. >> reporter: monica was able to see torrey graduate and from her he learned the importance of redemption. earlier this season, with seconds left in the game against the steeler, torrey dropped the game winning pass in the end zone but his team kept the faith in the man who has always beaten the odds, another ball was thrown his way, this time for the victory. >> a lot of people you know kind of look back on it like you were kind of built for that situation, my head wasn't down and the catch is up to him, it was big. >> and torrey is still taking care of his family. they say he makes sure they're okay financially before he spends any money on himself, and they're all going to his house for christmas in baltimore. >> great story. jenna bush hager thank you so much. catch the ravens taking on the chargers sunday night on nbc, coverage at 7:00 p.m. eastern on "football night in america." just ahead, jill martin's holiday steals and deals, after your local news. good morning. 8:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. it is bay area is asking the government to make one of the drugs to reduce the risk of hiv infection in those who do not have the aids virus, but who engage in risky practices that can lead to the disease. check your forecast right now. here is meteorologist rob mayeda. >> we'll see temperatures in the 60s and 50s. and even though you do what you can to take care of it, sometimes you want to give your immune system some support. try new airborne chewable tablets. each serving contains 14 vitamins, minerals and herbs... including zinc, echinacea, ginger, and a blast of vitamin c. it's the easy, great-tasting way to help support your immune system. airborne. in fast-acting effervescent formula, and new super-convenient chewable tablets! that's back now with more of "today" on this friday morning, the 16th day of december, 2011. and we've got a great start by the weekend here in the big apple and we're glad all of these lovely people decided to stop here on the plaza to say hello to us. i'm ann cry with al roker and savannah guthrie. matt had to go and leave a little early mere here on a fri morning. >> barbara corcoran is here and will show us how far you might go these days from a charming lake front property in georgia to a hip pad in downtown new york. that is all coming up. >> all right. and if you haven't done all of your christmas shopping, never fear. jill martin is here with our patented steals and deals up to 80% off on products. drinks are free and also big lotion from blitz. beautiful products. >> don't get those confused. >> we'll check in with jill in a little bit. >> we also have some dresses. i know you'll pay allot of attention to this to help you ring in the new year on a budget. >> first hello to clare danes the star of a wonderful show on show time. >> i love you. you are so great. >> good morning to you. we're not worthy. i am such a huge fan of this show. you've been nominated for a golden globe. your costar, the show has been nominated. not a surprise. so wonderful. you've won two already. you going for the three-peat? >> well, i am very happy to be invited to the party for sure. it's a great thrill and honor. we just basically finished filming so it's kind of wonderful to have this immediate response and appreciation. i couldn't be happier. >> i love how i guess -- how damaged your character really is and i think the story line is one that sort of hits a lot of sort of notes. did you know that it is one of president barack obama's favorite shows on television? >> i heard that. >> what is your reaction to that? >> what? but he naes the openi's in the . maybe that's why. >> it's amazing. an amazing honor. >> and you guys just finished filming your finale. now you've got season two coming back. >> yes. >> any tips or hints you can give us? >> they won't even tell me. >> really. >> i'm in the dark as much as anybody else. >> come on, clare. >> you could work here. >> they're trying to figure out where they're going to take the show as well so it's a mystery to all. >> season finale on sunday. all questions will be answered? >> never. or more posed? >> some questions will be answered and other questions posed yes. >> you are immensely talented. >> thank you. >> i love watching you. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> by the way, we should mention, "homeland" airs on sunday nights on show time. >> i can tell you that by heart. i'm a huge fan. >> now a check of the news from natalie standing by at the news desk. all right. good morning, everyone. two former penn state officials head to a perjury hearing today. gary schultz and tim curley are fighting charges they did not properly respond to reports that former assistant football coach jerry sandusky was molesting young boys. schultz and curley both denied the charges against them. assistant coach mike mccreary arrived this morning at the harrisburg courthouse. mccreary testified he saw sandusky molesting a boy in a penn state locker room shower in 2002. he said, the boy appeared to be about 10 or 12 years old. mccreary also said he reported the incident to head coach joe paterno the next day. gop presidential front-runner newt gingrich was the prime target at the last debate before the official launch of the 2012 election season in iowa. taking particularly sharp aim last night was minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann accusing gingrich of being a washington lobbyist for accepting payments from freddie mac. gingrich, meantime, fought off criticism from rival mitt romney that he's too zany to be president. and texas governor rick perry jumped on the pop culture band wagon saying he is hoping to be the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. an 11th hour deal has been reached to avoid a government shutdown ahead of today's midnight deadline. congressional negotiators have reached a compromise on a $1 trillion spending bill and also are pushing to renew a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. but just in case, senate majority leader harry reid says lawmakers are preparing a plan b that would support only a two-month extension. ho-ho help. he got stuck in the chimney of his family's stockton, california home while trying to sneak in after curfew. firefighters had to dismantle part of the chimney so jorge could go free to face his mom. not a good thing. don't try that one at home. it's five minutes past the hour. let's go back to al for a check of your weather. hey, al. >> my son the idiot. okay. thanks, natalie. let's check it out and see what's happening for today. we've got a storm system getting itself together riding up a cold front into the midwest. that is going to bring some rain. we've got a few clouds making their way into the pacific northwest. all in all not a bad one today. windy conditions here in the northeast. we've got that rain where we would actually use it, parts of southern texas. santa ana winds will be firing up later today in southern california. we continue with air stagnation problems for the pacific northwest. temperatures starting to rebound around the bay area. 50 in livermore. cold air remains trapped in the inland valley. 31 degrees in gilroy. 34 in san jose. breezy conditions around our hilltops but not really down to sea level today. upper 50s to near 60 for highs despite the chilly start to the morning. as we take a look at your weekend forecast, more patchy frost is likely. in the afternoon, we'll see some hazy sunshine. drive weather taking us through wednesday and thursday next week. ♪ she's a brick house time for out "today's real estate" what you can get for under 400,000 bucks, from georgia to washington state, barbara corcoran is here with stunning homes on the market now. good to see you. >> nice to see you, too, al. >> we head to georgia, thomasville, i had, to, charming small town, large traditional five bedroom. >> this is a town that everybody likes each other, they live next door, a lot of mom and pop type businesses and a friendly town but this is one big house with more roofs than dogs have fleas. nine peaks in total. that's a lot of snow to plow off there. the snow sits -- pardon me, the house sits over an acre of lakefront, dramatic two-story entry wane with waynes coating and natural light. kitchen is elegant, granite counters and breakfast nook walks out to the porch. i love the high glass which can knick table in the dining room. simple, neat, makes you want to look down and i love the floor to ceiling windows. what a difference the foot makes on the bottom of the windows. the great room has a cathedral ceiling and marble fireplace. the sunroom you'll see in a moment is as sunny as they get, and it looks out onto a fish pond and the southern pines that lead you down to the lake. that's a lakefront front and if you don't want to swim in the lake it also has its own big saltwater pool in the backyard. not bad for $309,000. >> that's pretty darned good. let's stay in the south, ft. mill, south carolina, got a southern style double decker porch with a five-bedroom home attached to it. >> a lot to get out of that mouth of yours, right? the ft. mill makes the claim to have some of the best schools in the state. i checked that out, that's entirely true. this home has that double decker that is hard to find anywhere else but the south. the southerners love, i think anybody would love to have two porches. cherry cabinets and corian counters. i like the wood floors with crown moulding and the chair rails. the living room has the classic nine over nine windows people like, it has gleaming wood floors and very formal looking dining room. what do you think about the red chair? i loved it in the corner, went by. the master bedroom has a dramatic trade ceiling and recessed lighting and the private fenced backyard has a pretty patio with its own fire pit and charming fence that knocks it off from the rest of the yard. >> one-bedroom apartment located in the trendy new york neighborhood downtown manhattan. on a tree lined street. >> what do you get for 379 in new york city? a small one-bedroom in the east village surrounded by crazy people with a lot of fun in the evening hours. >> you live near there? >> no, i used to live there. it's a great place to live. >> crazy people. >> whoa, not very nice! inside there's a kitchen that in new york city is an amazing kitchen, even has that little dining area there, considered an eat-in kitchen new york city style, modern wood cabinets and corian counters. the living room has blond hardwood floors, french doors and recessed lighting. there's a nice roof deck you have on the top of your building that's not yours, you share it with your crazy neighbors but it has terrific cityscape views and the maintenance on this little apartment is terrific. it's only $450 a month, typically $650 to maybe $800 in any other part of the city. >> tacoma, washington, a kind of a dollhouse version. >> so different. you can get a lot more here for $388, you get an 1890 queen anne victorian, almost impossible to find and hard to pick the right green color but these owners managed to do it. the wraparound staircase goes up two floors, all of the beautiful original detail has been left intact. what a nice shot of that, right? the kitchen has granite counters, stainless steel appliances and striped window, i don't know what happened, it fell down or something, should be raised about two feet but other than that it's a perfect kitchen. the dining room, wood floors, fir fireplace in the corner, the corner fireplace in the living room converted from coal to gas with an ornate mantle left intact and there's a piano room with ten-foot ceilings, pocket doors and bay windows and the master bathroom has a vertable almost spa of its own, soaking tub, separate shower and lots of beautiful finishes. the master bedroom is up in the turret of the house which i love, windows on every side. >> and pulaski, new york, a nice house there. >> here we have the world famous place for the best fishing in the world for sharks, penguins, porpoises, only kidding, actually salmon but the adirondack style retreat sits on its own seven acres and has almost 300 feet of river frontage if you're a fisherman. it has a metal roof that can easily handle the snow, there's the darling little side porch perfect for a corn cobb pipe smoking, i can picture you there, al, 24-foot high ceilings, i got that out, and everything is tongue and groove pine throughout the entire house. the kitchen is fully equipped with gas stove, oversized refrigerator and hidden laundry closet and the fancy stair railing was designed by a local new england artist and the second story space is open and easily converted to another two bedrooms, it's a giant open loft space. >> beautiful. >> that's a big house. >> pulaski right near us in new york. >> nice up there. dry hands to chapped lips we'll help you wipe away the inwither it skin. sailing away on a carnival vacation to skin care and diamonds, jill martin has the oftenlicatedupcate neverd equal holiday steals and deals. why se ttle for a why se one-note cereal? 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[ sponge ] so it's not a chore. nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. bisquick makes amazing pancakes... and pizza... chicken tenders... even strawberry shortcake. unleash the hidden power of bisquick. ♪ baby i like it, the way you move on the floor ♪ ♪ baby i like it this morning another holiday edition of "jill's steals and deals" from omaha steaks to a four-night carnival cruise for all of you last-minute shoppers. jill martin is here to take us through it. >> good morning. >> blockbuster deals once again. a quick explanation how this works. >> go on today.com right now. this is our best line ever so logon right now. we have so much, so much quantity, but i know it's going to fly. >> it will get there, all of this by the holidays in time for christmas. >> all of this in time for christmas. >> first a new one from bliss. this is amazing. >> so fabulous, guys and girls are ready to steal. orange peel set, the fabulous fivesome they're calling it, retail $95, the set includes soapy suds, body scrub, mini for travel, body butter mini, blood orange fragrance, retail $95, the deal $23.75, that's 75% off and this is the biggest deal the company has ever done. >> that is amazing and these products are so hot, so it's great. okay next, diamond very near studs from say hello diamonds. they look like real diamonds. >> they do, i'm wearing them right now. the retail is $195. i wore them around to see if people thought, they're two carats made from 100% real diamond particles. the particles are dusted on to a cz stone creating a sparkling diamond veneer. the retail $195, the deal is $49, that's 75% off. >> they are beautiful. >> that's great for a whom who needs a classic stud but can't afford the real thing. >> exactly. next this is the sure to thrill gift assortment from omaha steaks. they were one of our first steals and deals and the phones are ringing right now. >> my friend mark texted me last night, can i have the secret code now so i can get in on it? >> no, mark, you can't. >> the shortest thrill gift assortment, retail $185. the four five-ounce bacon wrapped filet mignon, four ounce center cut pork chops, four ounce boneless chick breast, steak burgers, baked potatoes, caramel apple tarts and gift cards for future purchases. the retail is $185, the deal $39.99 for all of this, that's 78% off. >> wow and last time we had this deal, i think me and all of the crew, we all got on and ordered right away. make sure you do it as well. next the teleflora bouquet, every mom, grandma lofrsz loves to get flowers. retail is $70.94. teleflora, the largest network of local florists with over 15,000 shops around the country so everyone can get in on this, choice of three, all is bright centerpiece, the you and me bouquet and candy cane christmas, order through the 31st, so the retail is $70.94 to $75.94, the deal is $32.49 and that includes delivery, hand delivery, up to 57% off. >> for the sharp dressed man a suit utility kit from indo chino. >> retail $148, created popular suit accessories, 100% silk skinny black necktie, pocket square monogrammed and cufflinks and free shipping. >> free shipping a big deal there. >> the deal is $29, 80% off. >> and free shipping again. and finally for the ultimate gift we move over to our cruise set. imagine this could be you on a carnival cruise. >> it could be you drinking away, cheers. >> with a better backdrop. what's the deal? >> from carnival cruise, retail $1,200, these guys are having fun, four days, four nights out of your choice of four different ports so miami, port canaveral, new orleans and long beach to destinations in the bahamas, western caribbean or baja, mexico, for two people and two nights hotel accommodations in the port you choose to enjoy, the city before or after you return, the retail $1,200, the deal $549 for two people, that's 54% off, and you have a year to book this. >> so get on it right now. jill martin, great job, great deals for us, a big blockbuster holiday deal. again the products are a bliss beauty set, say hello diamonds, omaha steaks, teleflora, tweet us us@todayshow. first these messages. progresso. it fits! fantastic! [ man ] pro-gresso they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. when sugar plums appear, temptation's all around. donuts, cakes and pies, they've got a gift for me, i wish that i could take it back, but there is no receipt. oh jiggle bells, jiggle bells, jiggle all the way. oh how i wish i could resist, jiggling this holiday. oh joy oh natural joy! truvia®, box of bliss, zero calorie sweetness from a leaf, my sugar plum happiness. truvia®. honestly sweet. [ thunder crashes ] [ snoring ] [ thunder crashes ] [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold... medicine. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] vicks dayquil. defeats 5 cold & flu symptoms. ♪ but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? 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[ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena naturals. we've combined conditioner with a weightless nutri-oil treatment. to give 3x the internal nourishing power of our regular conditioner. new dove daily treatment conditioner. make friends with your hair. it ais always great to see people on the plaza bringing toys and helped so many needy children this week and this month. they morning they got to meet claire danes, good enough to be our helper today. >> a lot of folks come down and go the extra mile. cindy monroe, good morning. >> good morning, thanks for having us. >> thank you for being here. >> we're excited, we donated over 250,000 of our thermal lunch bags, satchel backpacks for kids and teens across america. >> so cute. our affiliate in albany, georgia, did a little story on some of the work that you all have been able to do. you work for 36 charities in 24 states? >> we did, we got smiles and we're so excited to partner with "today." >> you did give one get one. if you bought a purse and got to give one away, too. >> yes, we got our consultants involved to do more. >> that's great. thank you so much. >> by the way if you want to continue to give to our toy drive, continues through december 21st. just ahead an easy food swap to help you stay on your diet during the holidays. they're for keeping us together. ♪ [ boy ] to dad, love sam. [ mom ] say "merry christmas." [ boy ] merry christmas. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. [ boy ] charlie brown spotted a small, scraggly pine tree. ♪ it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. good morning. it's 9:26. i'm marla tellez. an nbc exclusive. we are hearing giants fan bryan stow speak for the first time since he was beaten nine months ago. this is at a south bay rehab center. >> i'm nancy. how are you? >> fine. >> i've heard so much about you. >> how are you? >> i'm doing very well, thank you. >> that's good. >> you're just as handsome as your sister said you are. >> i think he's blushing. you can catch the entire interview monday night at 10:00 on rock center right here on nbc bay area. former giants slugger barry bonds is getting ready to stand before a judge in federal court this morning it hear his fate. at 11:00, a judge will sentence the home run king for an obstruction of justice conviction. prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 15 months in prison, but bonds' lawyers are asking for probation. again, bonds will be sentenced at 1we t'll crning. we'll check the forecast and the roads, right after the break. at 9:28, welcome back. 30s and 40s for inland valleys from salinas, gilroy and santa rosa. not much wind at sea level. hill tops will see some breezy conditions today. 60s for highs and about the same for the weekend. more morning frost and plenty of sunshine to take us into and through the weekend. mike? northbound 880 to 280, speeds into the 50s there. there might be a lot of folks hanging around the mall. 101 at the airport, an accident moving to the shoulder. no injuries and no major slowing there. we do have some residual slowing past an accident, northbound 101 at university, the second or third over the past 45 minutes through this area. southbound 280, another accident cleared there. that has cleared to the shoulder. golden gate bridge, marla. back to you. no doubt there's some traffic jams inside the malls this weekend. we'll be back at 9:56 for our next news and weather update. your report lies in another area. >> that is just a taste of one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, "the girl with the drag goon tattoo." the actress there will be here with us monday on "today." it is going to be good. also coming up from the dry heat inside to the whipping winds outside, your hair, face and skin really take a beating during the harsh winter months. we'll tell you what you can do to protect your skin from head to toe. and then you're going to look good from head to toe with one of these smashing party dresses to ring in the new year. we have the hottest looks of the season for every budget. plus, 'tis the season to eat, drink and be merry but all that indulging can leave you anything but merry when you step on the scale. >> buzz kill! >> okay, debbie downer. >> sorry. you just go pig out and see what happens! jenna wolfe is here. what's coming up on "weekend today"? >> more than 1.5 million americans have served in iraq since 2003. we are live at the last of our u.s. troops leave that country. then, what is your new year's resolution? from a stress-free holiday season to putting your finances in order to not wanting to step on the scale because you overate over the holidays -- whatever -- we'll tell you how to make it all work. after playing peter pan on stage for over 20 years, cathy rigby shares what it is like to be almost 60 and still playing the boy won't grow up. all that and more when we see you -- >> she never grows up. she looks fantastic. >> she is peter pan. i saw the show the other day. >> she is the perfect person to play this character. >> she's got an amazing voice. >> a lot of fun. >> she makes her own costumes. >> yes. >> sure. let's get a check of the weather. >> for your weekend for tomorrow, we expect to see plenty of sunshine along the east coast, though a few morning shows, mid-atlantic coast. a few clouds move into the pacific northwest, showers in extreme southwest continuing into sunday. on into southern texas we are looking at a few showers along the southeastern coast of florida. frigid and cold in the northeast. that's what's going o gorgeous pictures outside. look at that clear view across the bay. not a lot of moisture, which allowed our temperatures to bottom out in the 30s and 20s overnight. no rain to talk about. that's moved on past southern california today. we should see temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s right around 3:00 in the afternoon. still a bit breezy in some of our hilltops. windy heading up to the high country today. more patchy frost for tomorrow morning, but some pretty nice afternoons. >> and of course you know, sunday the most important night of the week, because it's sunday night, football night in america. that's right, and we got a good one for you, the baltimore ravens go flying to see the san diego chargers, fly little bird, fly! partly cloudy, cool, temperatures mid to upper 50s, sunday night, football night in america. i think i hurt something. >> our ears, ow. thanks, al. coming up next, head to toe tips to help you cope with dry, itchy, wintry .t after is eggland's best eggs. the best in nutrition... just got better. high in vitamins d, e, and b12. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. better taste. yum! [ female announcer ] eggland's best. the better egg. sally, you don't need toys when you have... ♪ imagination ♪ imagination imagination ♪ ♪ helps you see the world in different ways ♪ yay! yay! ♪ this is a pony ♪ and this is a choo-choo ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. and this is a... [ male announcer ] with a wii twist. what is this? [ male announcer ] netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. ♪ 's new baked pasta romanas. ruffled pasta, layered with creamy fontina and asiago cheeses, and oven-baked just for you. try it with pan seared chicken with toscano tomatoes. or, try it with braised beef. for a limited time, only at olive garden. hershe y's bliss. one square inch of incredibly smooth rich chocolate. one square inch of joy... fun... indulgence... one square inch of bliss. hershey's bliss. 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"today's daily dose" is brought to u by progresso, 40 soups, 100 calories or less. ♪ and the sky is a hasty shade of winter ♪ this morning, wiping away winter skin. the cold, harsh weather can take its toll but dermatologist deborah wattenburg has tips on how to keep your skin healthy. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> what's an all-over representation for moisture as we head into the winter months? >> you want to prevent. prevention is key. if you let your skin get out of control this winter there's no return. you want to be sure that you don't let the moisture seep out and you start itching and getting really uncomfortable. so the key to that is to shorten your showers, don't use scalding hot water. that will rip the natural barriers out of your skin. apply moisturizer, consider using these two-in-one body moisturizers which clean your skin and leave a thin film of moisturizer on and apply moisturizer to wet skin. it will seal some of the moisture and prevent some of the skin problems that develop. >> and drink water. how do you recommend keeping hair shiny and moist? >> hair is complicated. in the winter your scalp dries out so you get the dry flaky scales on your scalp, it feels itchy and your hair dries out from a combination of overprocessing too much heat, too many blow dries. you need to use a salycylic acid, look for a shampoo for dry scalp or seborrhea, about you those hamper the dry hair conditions so condition with shea but thor it or moroccan oil. >> the face, a lot of women put moisturizer on our face. >> for the face change your routine as you change your wardrobe. you need to adjust if you're using products that contain a lot of benzoperoxide or salycylic acid. don't use a toner every single day or switch from a lotion or cream or oil. >> a lot of people get excema. >> for those you want to treat the pack, cortisone cream, and progresses that are fragrant free. if they don't get better see a doctor. >> the lips you can't cover them up generally speaking. >> for lips prevent the problem from occurring, apply a fragrant free lip balm every day. i recommend putting an emollient onto your lips, vaseline, or favorite lip balm before bed even in your lips are not chapped. >> hands, the thinnest skin we have. what do you suggest? >> protect them from the elements inside and out. you can have issues from the cold weather, wear gloves, outdoors, gloves indoors, cotton lined rubber gloves are great, avoid using hand sanitizers, they worsen the dry skin condition and keep tons of moisturizer by the sink. >> after you wash put the moisturizer on. what about for feet? >> you want to protect your feet from the cold, wet environment, use a pumice stone when you get out of the shower for two minutes on your heels and put moisturize moisturizers, you can wrap them in saran wrap and put socks on. that holds the moisture in. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. coming up next are you going to a new year's bash? we have perfect party dresses for y buoming . ♪ [ female announcer ] let betty crocker do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies. ♪ just pour, mix...love. best foods and holiday leftovers become irresistibly creamy turkey casserole. real delicious best foods. make it real. make it different. nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol. you know we'e twins. real delicious best foods. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. [ dog ] i am my coat? solid gold. my insides? pure platinum. [ female announcer ] a healthy outside starts inside. new iams simple & natural has chicken as its number one ingredient and zero fillers. it works inside for health you can see on the outside. [ dog ] i can't be a rockstar on the outside if i'm not one on the inside. [ female announcer ] new iams naturals. you'll like what's in them and love what's not. [ dog ] i am an iams dog. [ girls ] he's so cute! [ dog ] groupies! ( men vocalizing ) there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. hidden valley ranch makes vegetables delectable. why se ttle for a why se one-note cereal? ♪ more, more, more... get more with honey bunches of oats 4 nutritious grains come together for more taste, more healthy satisfaction. get more with honey bunches of oats. ♪ the weather outside is frightful but the fire is so delightful ♪ this morning on "today's style" new year's eve fashion from sequins and lace to chiffon and jeweled tones the stores are filled with glamorous looks. isabel, good morning. >> thank you. >> what is the trick to dressing for the whole days and doing it without blowing your budget? >> keep in mind where you're going, what type of event but look for fabrics and colors that are inherently dressy, jewel tones, metallics, chiffons, these are things that will bring a sense of formality and the good news is there are options for every budget. >> let's get started, first with we're going to have all these different looks first we've got the red look and we've got our highs and lows and red really makes a statement. >> red is inherently dramatic. >> girls now we bring out the models. >> marie on the right is wearing more of a raspberry version red, a dressily cynthia vincent, $295, and it's in crepe, elegant, easy to dress up and you can see it lends itself well to a grecian elegant draping. >> flattering on any figure and you have the lower priced option which is equally as gorgeous. >> diane is wearing a wonderful dress from victoria's secret, about $100. we love this dress, it can be worn five different ways and we've styled it "today" as a strapless dress and a lot of women who are a bit busty feel they can't wear a strapless dress but this dress lends itself to strapless. it's a great option if you love this look and it's beautiful with the gold accents which again give it a sense of luxury. >> gets them extra little bling to it exactly with great shoes as well, and they look glamorous and gorgeous and you wouldn't know which outfit was more expensive. thank you so much. you look great. next let's bring out lace, because i think lace is something that we're seeing all over the place right now, huge trend, and a great way to dress up any option, any outfit. >> that's right, lace is inherently feminine so it brings something very special to the occasion, and we have -- >> love these dresses. >> they have haji in a dress for $295, a retrosilhouette, a longer hemline. we've modernized it with a bold, bright shoe. >> i love the pink shoes. >> great bold earrings. >> the lower priced option? >> our lower priced option is from forever 21, it's $25. >> what? >> significantly lower. >> wow! >> you would never guess, it's got the beautiful veil of lace on the arms and this is a mini skirt version so we've elongated her legs with beautiful shoes from steve madden. >> thank you so much. now our romantic look and this is great for any night out as well, and it's something that you could wear to a party or to afterwards. come on out ladies. >> chiffon lends itself to the sense of airiness and lightness, it's an inherently formal fabric. on the right we have heather wearing a max and cleo dress $180 from bloomingdales. what we love when you're we pete, draping and the rouching and volume, accentuates the waist. >> we have the lower priced option as well. >> melanie is wearing a dress from arc and company, $65, and this version of the dress is more matt so it works well during the day if you were to wear it without the necklace let's say and a great black jacket and black tie. >> add the bling and you're out for a night on the town. appreciate it. okay, and then finally, speaking of bling, sequins, doesn't make any more bling than sequins. come on out. gorgeous dresses. >> this is really all you need. >> right. you don't need a lot with accessories when it comes to a dress like this. >> you want to play off the sequin dresses with subtle accessories. we have lauren in a beautiful armani exchange dress, about $200. the real selling point is the bow on the back. >> so pretty. >> sweet and which we've accented with the bow on her shoe. >> kept the shoes neutral, very vibrant and then you've got a lower priced option as well. >> we have a lower priced option from black label $95, it's a great price and we've modernized this look and this vibrant electric blue, you can't go wrong if you want to have a party and dance all night long and to anchor it we put her in black tights. >> ladies, one final look here, great outfits to all and good job finding highs and lows. >> thank you. >> lots of options out there. thank you ladies. we'll take a look by the way at some easy food swaps coming up on another note, you don't ruin your diet during the holidays, that's next. first this is "today" on nbc. [ terri ] my husband, hank, was always fun. never took life too seriously. 'til our son was born... that day, he bought life insurance. now, there's no way i could send our boy to college without it. if there was one thing i could say to hank, it'd be "thank you." you're welcome. hey, hank. [ male announcer ] life insurance you can use while you're still living. you are one lucky lady. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] learn more from your state farm agent today. this morning on "eat smart today" surviving the holidays. studies show all of us gain an extra pound or two during the season and the extra weight is hard to take off in the new year. today madelyn fernstrom is here to show us smart swaps we can use to help us maintain your waistline. good to see you. >> nice to see you, too. >> you have nine different food swaps and you do this, you could lose a pound. >> just one time, these are small things. you often think it's all or nothing, black and white thinking in terms of calories. these are teenie things and starts with something isn't the food. >> what you use to serve the food. >> take a typical big serving spoon you get a half cup of macaroni and cheese. use a smaller spoon to serve yourself. >> instead of a dinner plate use a salad plate. >> plates now are gargantuan so you'll save a lot of calories, 350 calories you save just by downsizing the portion, the food is exactly the same, creamed spinach, all the things you love. >> let's start with the food swaps. typical holiday breakfast. >> you think let's indulge. we swapped out egg whites instead of eggs, instead of extra cheese, tons of veggies and feta cheese, swapped out the lean erica nadian bacon instead of fatty bacon and ditched the potatoes for some fruit instead of buttery toast we have fruit spread so if this looks good it's a lot of food, the crew is going a lot of food, you save 400. >> drinking. for our director definitely. >> yes indeed. this is something where you just want to alternate, get the spritzers and things like that, have a drink and have some club soda with some lime. no one will know what you're drinking. if you swap that twice you'll save 500 calories and that's for a leaner drink, like a martini. if you have the fruity drinks you can save 500, 600 calories or more. >> swapping out nuts for popcorn. >> right, you look at this container of nuts, this is just a couple of big handfuls, that's 850 calories. if you swa. it for some air popped popcorn you save 800 calories. this is a big savings, you start to drink you're going well this looks good, nuts are healthy. nuts are a great food >> they're protein. >> heart healthy fats but they have tons of calories. >> all right, now the dips. >> this is a dip, this is easy to do because we see a lot of cheese dips and there's either chips or vegetables but also salsa around and you save a lot just by swapping these out. 200 calories replacing the salsa with some of the cheese sauce. these are easy things to do. >> do you see baked tortilla chips? >> you save about 100 calories but it's the number of chips that you're having. >> right. boy french onion soup. >> who doesn't want that, right? you have a big steaming bowl covered with cheese, that gives you a little hint. if you swap this out one time you'll save 600 calories if you choose a big bowl of vegetable soup. these are things you can really do. they're not painful, not terrible and you do them now and then to be mindful. >> mashed poe dapotatoes. >> puree cauliflower, add butter and milk and you'll save 350 calories in this portion. >> does it help if you really want potatoes, sweet potatoes instead of white? >> sweet potatoes are great, too. >> dessert? >> who doesn't love this? before you say oh we're going to swap out apple pie and have a baked apple this is a great choice or if you don't want to do this, just eat the filling. you save 200 calories there. >> very nice. >> good ideas. thank you. >> savannah, as she eats the ba it is 9:56 now. good morning. i'm marla tellez. friends and family of a toddler killed by a stray bullet in oakland will hold a memorial service for him today. hiram lawrence would have turned two on december 28th. he was in his father's arms when a gunman began shooting into a crowd in west oakland on november 28th. a bullet hit the boy in the head. his parents agreed to take him off life support last friday. a public service will be held at the acts full gospel church this morning at 11:00. also today, community memories will hold a candlelight vigil in the parking lot where hiram lawrence was shot. organizers say they are standing up against violence in the murders of hiram and 3-year-old carlos nava, hit by a stray bullet in august. the vigil will be held tonight at 6:00. the sun is now out. don't be fooled. it's still cold outside. meteorologist rob mayeda joins us to take a look at the forecast. >> jackets will be part of the standard wear throughout the day today. 20s and 30s earlier. now clear skies. no rain in the forecast radar. quite dry around the bay area. temperatures by 3:00 will be warming up. 50s and 60s outside. the weekend will start off with more patchy fog. pretty nice afternoon through the weekend. mike? probably not cruising with the top down but at least cruising a little smoother down in the peninsula. southbound 101 into menlo park. smoother drive. that was on the northbound side at university, kaui icausing th distraction. the south bay moves much smoother now. 880 starting to move better off 280 as well and 880 past the coliseum moves nicely as well. no delays from the coliseum up to downtown. back to you, marla. for the latest traffic and news updates, find us on facebook. we're there. search nbc bay area. we'll be back with our next news and weather update at 10:26. we'll see you then. at progressive, you can bundle your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. thanks for joining us today. it's try day friday. i can't snap. it's december 16th. >> don't snap. this one is walking in agony today. >> i cannot snap. yesterday i went home, took a long run and walk with cass. we go two miles, get an iced tea, two runs back. i take a corner, i start running and something catches my eye in a store shop. >> what happened? >> i went oh and i turned around, cass was behind me. she bumped into me. wasn't her fault at all and i ran right into a concrete wall and it's just really attractive. i don't know if you can see. yeah. isn't that nice? it's -- yeah. >> what's weird is it's not broken. you have the lislest wrists and hands. >> i'm tough, tough. i apologize if you see that. i'm fine though. >> you know way love today. this is a great day. this is the day erica does that year-ender. >> i don't know if you caught it earlier at 8:00. she does a great look back at an entire year of "today." >> it's unbelievable. you think of four hours of television every single day. >> yes. over the course of a year. we decided to pick the parts that are about us and show them to you. let's take a look. ♪ where them girls at >> hey. >> it's a good day with you, hoda woman. >> i only date drunk girls. >> you came to the right place. >>. ♪ party rock >> matt, get over here. >> is this actually going out over the air? >> yeah. we're on tv. >>. ♪ make you want to move it like they do in south beach ♪ >> this is what i came back to television for. >> yes, it is. ♪ today is our day ♪ everything's going your way ♪ today is your day ♪ i said today yeah ♪ today ♪ today is your day >> fabulous job. >> the whole thing is on our website. the people responsible for erica levins, lindsey grubb and a ton of editors. >> it reminds you how incredible our whole crew is. everybody. there are a couple of hundred people here. every single one of them is so important to each hour. you can't do it without every single one. thanks to everybody. >> some people boozed it up last night. >> i wasn't there wasn't me. i was icing in a different way, if you know what i mean. >> jim through a dinner for some of the senior producers and some of the folks on air. it was at a great restaurant. i want you to pay close attention, tammy, joanne, christine, jim bell, jimmy gaines our producer, then on the far right you see dee dee with her tongue stuck out. she wanted to ruin the picture and i said we're showing the picture anyway. look how great everyone looks. christine all decked out in hair and make-up. >> everybody looked beautiful. >> we went to see theater. i did last wednesday. i didn't have a chance to tell you about it yesterday. went to see a really, really good play called "seminar" on broadway. alan rickman, that brilliant character actor. jerry o'donnell. he's very funny in it. great, great cast. only 90 minutes. really excellent. about the whole concept of writing. i found it fascinating, but very funny, as well. you get pros doing work. >> you loved it. you had a double feature that day. >> double feature. then went to see a show called "lysistrata jones." it was a big hit off broadway last year and then they brought it to broadway. alan wasser is a very good friend of mine. it got sensational reviews. it's based on a greek mythology from 411 bc, something like that about women who didn't want their husbands going to war so they -- i've got my three boys here. >> they are not listening to us. >> they withheld themselves. go see it. i'm talking about these three little boys. spanx alert, that would be hoda. >> thank you. i knew it would be showing. >> i had a surprise today that my nephew is over there jason and his gorgeous wife amanda and elijah, noah and aidan visiting from canada. gorgeous family. yeah, call next time, guys. just give a little hint you're on your way. >> here's the deal. a lot of people are flying over the holidays. they are trying to start something new at the airline klm. they want you to select who you sit next to. you will know a passenger list, which is a little weird. you can go online and figure out who they are and pick to see if you want to sit next to them. >> what if that person doesn't want to sit next to you? >> i don't like the idea of it, do you? >> we are all control freaks. let life happen to you, you know? >> yes. >> what are you going to do? if you find somebody you don't like you're not going to take that flight? >> what if someone is not attractive or freaky looking even though they are nice people and you go, i don't want to sit next to that person and you don't know what you're missing. we're against it. >> the other thing that does not exist in life except for hoda, mr. perfect does not exist. another study. >> most women say their guy is about 69% perfect. >> i think it was chris rock or a median having a show. he said ladies, guys, i want you to think about this. you are not your woman's first choice. that's what he said. >> really? >> he said if you think about your very, very first love, whoever your first love was in your life, everyone has that person then you're with, usually aren't with the first love, usually with the later live. you're like the second or third choice, they are saying. >> you have to kiss a bunch of frogs is the point. i think expecting perfection is an absolute recipe for disaster. guess what you're not perfect either? that's the whole key. anyway, what makes a perfect man? good personality tops the list. liars. followed by sense of humor and looks. >> we have to be clear about this lying thing. there is lying and then there is, have i gained weight? no, you haven't. that's not the same thing as lying about something important. there are different degrees of lying. you do it out of kindness, don't you think? >> i think there i ways of saying something without lying. >> look at these gloves. they look like normal gloves. these two fingers are different. they have little thingies on them. they have traction so when you're on your iphone. >> which i'm not, but this does hide my ugly hand. i'll go through the show with one glove on. >> text kathie lee. >> sorry, i didn't find any phone numbers or e-mail addresses for kathie lee gifford. >> how did you know her name was kathie lee gifford? how did she know. >> e-mail address. >> don't give that. >> forget it. >> i thought siri was dead to you. >> how do you turn it off? push the button. >> with my bad finger? i can work it. >> thank you, kathie lee. >> you know what i'm a little upset about? this company is making big bucks off of us and we are not getting any of it. it's not going to charity or going to us. >> i need a contact name. i need a number or e-mail address. >> they are selling charms of us over the a the experience store. it's all drinking related and i'm very upset about it. they will hear from my lawyer. >> the charms -- >> where shall i send this message? >> stop talking. >> i need a contact name. >> we are very busy today. >> bobbie, stop talking. >> we don't say shut up in our house, do we? bobbie buzz, everybody. >> i'm trying. >> i want to explain what i'm trying to do. this is a cardi wrap. it's a great thing to own this time of year. it's got a lot of options. people ask me how to wrap them. dkny, cozy. their girl inspired me. start the clock. one, tie the two front ends together. slip it over your head. you have a shorter version. >> cute. >> you could shimmy the shoulders. i don't want to get too naked. if you still tie the knot in front of you, twist it, make a loop, slip your head over it. then you have a cute asymmetrical top. >> very cute. love it. >> last but not least. >> jerry is fascinated. >> take a bangle and another wrap i have on my website comes with it. slip it through, make a butterfly effect and tie it behind you. four. one more. i have 13 seconds. >> you can do it. >> if you don't have a bangle, you twist it twice then you can still butterfly it and tie in the back. >> that's cute. >> how many ways are there actually to wear it? >> literally, endless, 50 one website says. >> dknypr, go on twitter. >> it is the softest. this is the best fabric. >> this is cashmere, $159. but the other one i have on line is $38. you can get them every price point. when you're running out the door you can turn it around backwards and do more ways. >> bobbie thomas. >> all the guys are going. >> every guy is riveted to bobbie's buzz. >> that's not what they were riveted to. >> up next, the 14-year-old sar of a terrific movie called "extremely loud," thomas horn stops by. >> still ahead, the stunning results of today's ambush makeovers. first these messages. hey babe... oh, hi honey! so i went to the doctor today, then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay downalance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. chase slate with blueprint helps you save money on life's little surprises. trip...lets... start your path to saving today, call 855-get-slate. mmm... pillsbury crescent wrapped brie just unroll, wrap the brie and bake. it's so easy. now this might even impress aunt martha. pillsbury crescent wrapped brie. holiday ideas made easy. sally, you don't need toys when you have... ♪ imagination ♪ imagination ♪ imagination ♪ helps you see the world in different ways ♪ yay! yay! ♪ this is a pony ♪ and this is a choo-choo ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. and this is a... [ male announcer ] with a wii twist. what is this? [ male announcer ] netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. ♪ prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ '80s dance music plays ] [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. it's a great hd tv... shhh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. 8 a.m. saturday. with our lowest prices of the season on select toys, electronics and more... the only stop for last minute gifts is walmart. electronics and more... incredibly close" thomas horn plays an 11-year-old boy who loses his father in the 9/11 attacks. >> sandra bullock plays his mother. let's take a look. >> what do you miss about him? >> i miss so many things about him. >> i missed how he could tell the weather just by touching the window. >> when he would come in the house and yell, what's everybody doing? >> he told me, he said, i really love your mother. she's such a good girl. >> wow. >> it's a beautiful, beautiful movie, but very moving and a difficult role for you. you carry the film. you are the leading man. >> well, yeah, there were definitely days when i felt really stressed and challenged by what i had to do, but everyone on set really, really helped me. they gave me all the kindness and encouragement they could. that enabled me to do my job. >> aren't you sweet? i love you. >> will you come home with me and teach cody how to be a nice boy? >> you worked with sandra bullock and tom hanks. >> the biggest stars in the world. >> what was that like working with those two? >> it was amazing and i loved it. not only are they amazing actors, they are kind people. they gave me kindness and encouragement every day. >> your first acting job was a grasshopper in school, right? >> yeah. >> i bet you were a heck of a grasshopper. it's amazing how you got this role. can you tell us quickly how it happened? >> well, it's for sure not normal casting story. what happened, i was on an episode of kid's "jeopardy" that aired in july 2010. what happened later a producer high up in the production of the upcoming movie saw me and thought i should audition for the role. a casting agency called my house up and asked me if i would like to send in material. we were puzzled. we didn't know what a casting agency was. >> you're a normal kid playing a grass hopper in a play. >> but i was curious. i sent the tape in and i didn't expect anything, but two months later they called me up for an audition in new york. >> it was in national casting so thousands young men were seen in this. >> they wanted a unique kid like you. you're obviously a smart kid. you speak how many languages in. >> i have spoken or learned four to some degree. i speak english and croatia fluently and learning mandarin. >> say you are a hot baby kathleen in co-ation. . >> why was croatia one of the languages you wanted to learn? >> my mother's family was from there. >> you are an incredible young man. >> do you want to keep acting? >> this was a really great experience. i liked making the film with these amazing people. it was a real privilege. it's in a way hard to follow up. so what i'm thinking is if i get another opportunity that also has a great director, a great script and great actress to work with, maybe i would think about it, but my continuing in acting is by no means assured. >> you might go to college. >> any way, i'll try to go to college and do something else, too. >> who are you? who is this child? >> you are brilliant in this movie. we know we'll see you in many, many more. >> thank you, honey, thank you so much. you were great. >> thank you. >> opens in limited release on christmas day. you're going to love this movie 20t.hationwide friday january .h how much to tip for the holidays. >> we love you. nyquil: you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers? tylenol: me, too. and nasal congestion. nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. but they should always be comfortable. [ nicole ] how do they feel? [ woman ] they feel wicked good. 'cause it's the wicked good slipper. [ nicole ] my name is nicole waite. i sell wicked good slippers. and the holidays are made here at l.l.bean, where your order ships for free. at l.l.bean, hershe y' at l.l.bean, s bliss. hershe one square inch of incredibly smooth rich chocolate. one square inch of joy... fun... indulgence... one square inch of bliss. hershey's bliss. you spend all day cooking it. so why spend even a moment considering any broth but swanson? the broth cooks trust most to make the meal folks spend all year waiting for. in stuffing and more, the secret is swanson. have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. 'tis the season to be tipping. christmas is just over a week away. >> if you made your list and checked it twice, think again. lifestyle expert suzanne rusk is here with suggestions. >> you're never sure what to tip and the way the economy is going now. people are cash-strapped. >> it's true. i think this is the time of the year when you pay for a service you often tip with money to balance it out. we are in lean and mean times. you have to be creative. i think that's where it comes in. if you don't have cash there are other things you could do. first of all, don't stress yourself out if you don't have cash, don't pay it. the other thing is think of what you can do. are you a great cook? make your jam, make your beautiful tomato sauce. beautiful jars, labels, go for that. if you've got incredible skills, say you're a savvy business person, offer to help your super out. he has a side business, give a couple hours of your time with that. great math skills, maybe your hairdresser's son needs tutoring with that. >> the barter system. >> heartfelt notes. if you aren't usually demonstrative, this is a good time of year. >> is it okay to write i wish i could give you more this year? >> i think it is. >> then there are others that have their hand in your face before they ring the door. when there are people like that that just expect it and you don't feel like they earned it, you know, what do you do? >> give what you want. you have to go with your own gut. you usually want to give something in a service. >> they may not deliver your mail next year? >> sometimes out of fear you've got to tip. what about people who provide a weekly or monthly service like a cleaning lady, babysitters? >> people tend to tip them more. childcare providers and cleaning ladies. >> one week's? >> one to two week's pay. maybe your personal assistant, throw in something you know they might like like a designer wallet. >> what about the guy or girl who delivers your newspaper? >> you can do $10 to $30 depending the rapport. >> you rarely see them. >> where does your paper land in your bushes, at your door? >> i used to deliver the paper. you're doing it every day in the rain. when they give you 5 bucks in the end, you think i slogged it every day and put the paper inside your door, thank you for the $5. >> what about your hairdresser? >> often you want to tip the price of one service. that is a nice tip. >> do you know how much they cost in new york city? >> i do. you can have that and give them something personal, maybe chocolates or flowers if you don't have the cash. notes are very well received. >> it's much tougher on people who live in the city. it's a service city. people at home sitting on the farm are going, i don't tip anybody. >> if you live in a building you have the doormen, the super, the porters, the list is so long. >> what about a personal assistant, a nanny, someone with you a lot? >> those are people you're close with, one to two weeks' pay plus a note and personal gift. i think a luxury item they wouldn't buy for themselves. >> that's what hodi did. she gave the best gift in the world. two tickets to seeck jan.ma jac. >> she went crazy. she'll do anything for you. >> healthier hangover. i'm good about washing my face. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. good morning. it's 10:26. i'm marla tellez. developing news in san jose. police are velthing an officer-involved shooting that killed a man. it happened in the allen rock neighborhood. police say they were try iing t talk to the suspect when he made a threatening move and at least one officer fired his gun in self defense. the man was taken to the hospital, where he died. the police department, of course, ise going to have inves. we're going to have st and road afafafafafafafafafafafafafafbrea ♪ making your way in the world today ♪ ♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ welcome back. some 50s around the east bay. 52 in livermore. 47, san francisco. 49 in san jose after a chilly start to the morning. bay area hill tops should see highs in the high 50s to lower 60s. not much change for the weekend. frost patch tomorrow morning and hazy afternoon sunshine all through the middle of the next week. mike? stalled vehicle richmond westbound 80. that's the only slowing really, aside from this. look at that, oakland breeze here. live camera, past oakland coliseum, things are moving smoothly. there may be some sweeping going on as you head to hayward. just a heads up. >> a good heads up. thanks, mike. coming up at 11:00, christmas is only nine days away. in case you're still having trouble getting into the holiday spirit, there's an app for that. show you some of this season's holiday apps, coming up. plus, barry bonds is just a half hour away from learning his sentence? the balco steroids investigation. we'll be live with the latest on that case. two penn state administrators in the ongoing sex abuse scandal say they're out to clear their names. what they had to say in court, coming up at 11:00. see you in about 30 minutes. we are back on this try day friday with another insaulment of ambush makeovers where we pluck two lucky ladies from our crowd. >> here to show them off is our makeover team. one of them just arrived luis lacari, la, la, la, la, la. and "us weekly" contributor and author jill martin. >> how was it out there today? >> speedy. work was fast, hair color was fast. we got great results many. >> you made it exciting. you arrived in the nick of time. >> you have to have an edge to the show. >> first up is lucky sara fern, 33 years old from arlington, virginia. she never colored her hair. she hadn't worn make-up since her son chase was born 3 1/2 years ago. she was thrilled when we approached her on the plaza. >> she is pretty. >> you're supposed to be at work. nobody is watching. we ambushed you on the plaza. tell me why you want this for your wife? >> i don't think she knows she is such a great mother and i travel so much and she takes care of this little guy all the time. she really deserves this. i'm happy for her. >> chase doesn't need a makeover in that oncy. are you ready to get a glam new look? >> i'm so excited. >> she is already a beautiful girl. >> gorgeous. we have her husband brad, their son chase. keep your blind-folds on or just you, dad. here is sara's before picture. come see the new you. >> oh, my gosh! are you ready, dad? >> i'm ready. >> take off your blind fold. >> wow! >> turn around. take a gander. >> oh, my god! >> who is that. >> awesome. >> blow mommy kiss. >> luis, that hair color is beautiful. take a peek right there. >> this is a beautiful woman. what can you do for a beautiful woman but make her more beautiful? i did it with a series of small changes. the most subtle change, more warmth, a little bit more lightness. dana gave her a great haircut and simple make-up. >> and the dress is flattering. >> can you believe this body? i said what do you wear for new year's eve? she said i don't know what we are doing for new year's eve. this is available at macy's. you can wear a beige pump to elongate your legs. what are you thinking? >> yeah, i love it. clap for mommy. clap for mommy. >> yeah. >> our second lady is carol wislowski, 63 from the villages from florida. she doesn't wear one stitch of make-up and begged us to give her a glam new look to surprise her siblings. >> these are what i call signs. choose carol with an arrow because you didn't know where she would be. wrinkled, old, pick her. why do you want this so much? >> oh, jill, i feel old, wrinkled. i need to be updated. i'm going to see my eight brothers and sisters in one week. i need help. >> she is so cute. >> i love her so much. whatever she wants, she gets. >> we are going to give it to you. are you ready to go? >> i'm ready, so ready. >> maybe the perfect man does exist and his name is bob. let's take one last look at carol before. let's bring out carol. >> oh, she feels beautiful. bob, take off the blind fold, hon. >> movie star! >> turn around, carol, see yourself. >> what did you do with carol? oh, wow! >> it's gorgeous. >> can i have a date? >> this proves it. feelings are not facts. you're not old, you're not wrinkled. you are glamorous, gorgeous. >> you look gorgeous. >> again, her hair color was too dark, at-home hair color user. we cut a lot of the dark ends off. dana gave her this layer so she can wash and wear or blow it dry. >> what a great outfit. she is gorgeous. >> you don't have to whisper. >> she's gorgeous. >> she is. >> make great plans with this great dance from donna morgan. we added a little bit of leather and this great sweater by belledini. dress it up with a dress or jeans. and again a statement necklace. >> beautiful. >> everybody looks gorgeous. everybody is ready for new year's eve. are you nursing a hangover? we'll find out what method works. ♪ the weather outside is frightful ♪ ♪ but the fire is so delightful ♪ nothing melts away the cold like a hot, delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup from campbell's. ♪ let it snow, let it snow [ woman ] ♪ why you gotta be like that? ♪ don't be like that ♪ 'cause i deserve better than this ♪ ♪ did i catch you playing up like that? ♪ [ female announcer ] dry hair needs extra nourishment. introducing dove's first conditioner with a treatment of weightless nutri-oils inside. a daily conditioner with 3x the internal nourishing power of our regular conditioner. new dove daily treatment conditioner. make friends with your hair. oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪ i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. 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[ male announcer ] get low prices on this season's hottest games. like kinect sports season 2 for xbox 360 with kinect. rated e for everyone. backed by our christmas price guarantee. save money. live better. walmart. whether you're still recovering from last night's holiday get together or you over indulged on new year's eve what is the best way to get rid of an ean -- a hangover? >> we have an expert here to help with hangover helpers not to be confused with hamburger helpers. >> the holidays are synonymous with hangovers and there are probably things in your kitchen which can help. see if you can guess. eggs. what do you think, the morning after? >> i say it definitely helps. >> you're both right. >> why? >> that's what i'm here to tell you. the amino acids in eggs are great for detoxifying the liver. is then we've got ginger root. this is ginger candy, gender -- ginger ale. >> i'm going to say it hurts. >> i'm going to say it helps. >> a split jury here. it helps. there you go. >> this is so good for your digestion. >> quit showing off. >> i'm happy for you, hoda. >> it's natural. you can have it in tea, ginger ale. bubbly water. >> think it through. >> this is a little counterintuitive. >> french fries, i'm going to say it's going to hurt the hangover. i love them so much. >> grease. >> stop thinking it through and just guess. >> i'll do the opposite to make it fun. >> hurts and helps. greasy food, we all love greasy food in the morning, but it hurts. too much greasy food is going to make your stomach more upset. >> okay. >> the alternative side is greasy food before you drink slows down the alcohol from getting into your blood stream. >> so we were both right. >> not technically. >> before is fine, but after -- >> speaking of greasy food now you have bacon. >> now we have to say it helps because it's the opposite of that. >> i'm going to say it hurts because i want to be the opposite of her. >> this is tricky. >> stop it! >> a little bit helps. too much hurts. >> i won. >> bacon has the same amino acid eggs do. maybe two slices. not this big plate. >> who got it right. >> i did. >> moving on to bananas. >> has to help. >> you're sure? >> yes. >> it helps. it definitely helps. bananas have potassium like you said. >> the healthy stuff along here helps you so far. >> so far, so good. it's got electrolytes. just as good as an energy drink. if you have one in the house go for the banana. >> coffee? >> coffee. >> i'm going to say hurts. >> i'm going to say helps just to have fun. >> i like that you're having fun with this. >> i'm not having fun. >> coffee again hurts. it hurts. it's caffeinated. you're already dehydrated. you want to go for something decaf. less caffeine. if you are a heavy coffee drinker don't skip it all together. you'll end up with a worse headache and hangover the day after. >> is this the last one, oranges? >> oranges and we have special things over here also for you. >> this isn't the tie-breaker? i'm asking because it's 4-4. >> she is keeping score. >> i'm going to say it helps. >> i'm going the opposite. no, it does help. i think it does help. >> and it helps. i was waiting for the hammer there. it helps. the fructose, the sugar in the fruit is really good for getting energy and speeds up the process of detoxifying all that alcohol. >> we are tied up. >> these were the parting gifts for the winner. this is a hangover kit. too often people are left the morning after without, this is great for putting at your desk, in your car, in a few guest rooms. >> how many of those do you have? >> we are full of a lot of good things here now. we mentioned, you always need sunglasses for the morning after. you can do either, get beautiful sunglasses. >> those are cute. >> i got these for you. >> of course you did. >> you're wearing those. >> then we've got mercy. this is a drink you drink the night before with your cocktails or right before bed. >> i wondered about this. >> you'll be in better shape the morning after. >> we have to go, hon. show us one last thing. >> for your breath. >> and those teas we talked about. >> thanks very much. up next nothing says dessert quite like chocolate. >> the chocolate tarte that wilf imr ur gs sts right after this. 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[ female announcer ] this time of year you have a lot of festive meals. and safeway helps make every holiday meal a special occasion. so you can make all of your gatherings, just as merry as can be. get a safeway smoked shank half ham for just 99 cents a pound. plus save on gift card multipacks. right now get 15% off of $40 itunes multipack. safeway. ingredients for life. including starbucks. it's the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. way to brew! today's holiday kich evan is brought to you by pillsbury cookies, more ideas made easy at pillsbury.com today. now in "today's" holiday kitchen, an easy but special dessert to make. >> lauberge chez francois from great falls, virginia. he is here to show us how easy it is to make a traditional chocolate tarte. easier to say that. >> absolutely. >> how are you? >> i'm wonderful. great to be back here. we have a warm chocolate tarte. nothing like a warm tarte or two for dessert i always say. >> this is a delicious simple to make great gift for the holidays. everyone loves chocolate. >> it's beautiful. >> i opened a brasserie in the restaurant and this is the most popular dessert. we scald a cup and a half of heavy whipping cream, a cup of milk just scalded and then put the 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate inside like this. take it off the heat and melt it. right away. you don't want it to boil anymore. then the real trick of this tart is to make sure once this is melted, we have five eggs here. i'm going to do it differently. >> you're going to fold it into the eggs. if we put it too quickly into the eggs it's scrambled eggs. exactly. let me hand it over to you. >> tell me what to do. >> keep stirring. go ahead. this is so simple. >> the only thing you might be intimidated in is the pie crust. if you go to the men's section of the grocery store, beer, nuts, chips, and pre-made pie crusts you can just use one of those. >> you don't do that. >> not you. >> if you're feeling feisty, two tablespoons of rum. >> just throw it in. >> my charm and personality don't work, rum seems to move the evening along. then we'll take this and pour it into the pre-baked pie crust. >> this is really simple. >> that's the whole thing right there. >> then you cook that baby how long? >> ten minutes in about a 400 degree oven. you can tell it's ready taking a tooth pick, pulling it in and out. >> that's the whole tart? that's the whole thing. >> hanna could make that. >> we don't want to complicate things this time of year. >> it's fantastic. >> we have a slice. we put powdered sugar on top. garnish it with a raspberry. we have a wonderful, warm, chocolate tart. >> thank you. >> what else do you have on display? >> i have chocolate truffles with grand marnier we serve at the end of the meal and almond tuilles. it's almonds and anisen. really delicious. >> it's delicious. just delicious. >> that is unbelievable. >> those are good. these are hand made. >> by the way, we're glad, his daughter is an nbc employee, great girl, madeline, shout out to madeline, who ness kuwait. >> and happy birthday, madeline, on sunday. happy holidays to all. >> thank you, chef jacques. we'll be back. >> thank you for having me. our toy drive already shipped $30 million of gifts to children living in poverty from the united states, whether it's from a viewer or a large corporation, kids don't know the difference. >> we have special gifts from diane harper of children's books and arbonne. >> it's your first time? >> no. actually it's our second time. first time in the studio. >> we let you in the second year. >> thank you. we are donating fancy nancy, which is based on our best selling picture book series. it's about a little girl, everyday girl who takes everyday items and makes them fancy in her world. >> many girls do. >> my niece loves "fancy nancy." >> it's great. we are giving away 15,000 kits which have lots of great things in them, photo scrapbooks, tons of stickers. these two great books and we think giving the gift of reading at the holidays is a great thing to do. and make a little fancy holiday for everyone. >> what about you? >> well, these are something new this holiday season. these are fragrances we just invented for the holiday season. they've already sold out that i made a donation of these plus colored cosmetics for teen girls. >> they are left out. >> we are all about self-esteem building, inner and outer beauty. we just ordered more. we donated some in the meantime. i've gotten a call from dallas from one of the wonderful shelters you donate to saying how much the girls love them. >> it's funny how something so small like that gives you confidence. just something to make you feel pretty. >> we don't understand how one tiny thing can be amazing. i told you i was talking to that one little homeless girl she had a gum wrapper and that's all she had. that was her toy. it breaks your heart. >> thank you both so much. >> thank you so much. >> thanks for womaning to see us. there are still a few days left to give in our donation. you can come down in person. >> or go online to today.com for details. >> monday rapper shaggy is going to be with us. >> and from "mission impossible" protocol getting great reviews, actor simon peg. god bless. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is.