dramatic finishes yet. gold, sill skprver and bronze a with us today, thursday, february 13th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" at the olympic winter games with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from olympic park in sochi, russia. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. alongside natalie morales and al roker. we're going to take a deep breath. we are not going to gloat because once again we're in the 60s in sochi, but you want contrast? take a look at this. let's go back to our plaza in rockefeller center. it's 31 degrees there, snow is falling. it has been falling for a while, and that's just one of the scenes from a storm that is blanketing a large portion of the country. >> yeah, this huge winter storm is today's top story. more than 560,000 customers are without power this morning. the majority of them in georgia and south carolina. and already the airlines have canceled 4,500 flights nationwide. >> to give you an idea of just how bad this winter has been, this is already the 15th storm of the season, well ahead of what we normally see by this time a year, and still more than a month to go until the official end of winter. our weather dream team is spread out up and down the east coast. let's begin here in sochi with mr. roker. al? >> that's right, guys. and this storm is just really getting wound up. we're watching it deepen and really start to bring in heavy snow. philadelphia reporting four to five inches of snow falling per hour. as you can see on the satellite/radar, this thing is really just getting wound up. we're seeing icing conditions just now to the south of washington, making their way into washington, d.c. you can see an icy mix during the day today for washington, d.c. and d.c. reagan national, just one of the airports reporting all those delays. check it out. airport delays today, anywhere from 1,900 delays, over 4,500 cancellations, and we've got more coming. here's the system making its way up the coast. as it does, it's bringing in all this moisture off the atlantic. the 32-degree line is staying up to the north of that low. so the low pressure deepens. the heaviest snow's going to be west of i-95. look for snowfall rates one to three inches per hour, and this is a heavy, dense snow. it is difficult to clean. also brings trees down, big problems. so as you look at the snowfall amounts, charlottesville, 12 to 16 inches of snow. philadelphia, 6 to 9 inches, while cape may, only an inch. 6 to 10 in new york city. inland, 18 to 14 inches of snow. rutland, vermont, 10 to 16. 8 to 12 inches in portland. so this is going to be another 24 hours. and guess what? there's another clipper that's going to be coming across in the next few days. it's going to add insult to injury. but in the meantime, the southeast really took a punch from this system. we're going to go to sam champion in atlanta. and sam, it seems like lessons were learned from that last storm. >> reporter: exactly right, al. it's all about lessons learned. and as the heavier snowflakes are falling in the northeast, we're left with a little light snow. and the question about the roads. it's a slushy mix that will all refreeze again overnight tonight. this storm affected, well, about a quarter of the country, and many major southern cities were affected like atlanta, like charlotte, like raleigh. and there is no doubt the lessons learned here is that a big southern snowstorm will shut down southern cities. it's a nightmare throughout the south this morning. winter storm packs blasting a deadly combination of freezing rain, snow, sleet and ice. more than half a million now living in the dark without heat. >> running ragged trying to get the lights back on. >> reporter: heavy ice knocking down trees. >> ran into my grandma's room and she was covered with sheet rock and insulation. >> reporter: buildings collapsing under the icy weight. >> i saw the roof go from up here, boom, straight down. >> reporter: in north carolina, gridlock on the highways. nbc's peter alexander spoke to the frustrated motorists. >> you know, we're not really accustomed to this here in charlotte. >> reporter: the roads, a mess. in raleigh-durham, people even had to abandon their cars. >> don't put your stupid hat on at this point in time. protect yourselves, your family, your neighbors. >> reporter: schools are closed for days. >> just got to keep them busy and feed them. >> reporter: kids who have probably never seen this much snow are making the most of it. it's catastrophic weather in the u.s. that is much better suited for popular winter sporting events. >> how about it's 60 degrees in russia? >> it is. >> and it's four-inch snow here. >> it's 60 in sochi and 27 in charlotte. >> it doesn't make any sense. we should have had the olympics here. >> reporter: so the word from the officials here in atlanta is just don't get on the roads until noon. things should get better then. let me show you this. this is what a big mixture of snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain is when you start to clear it all off. and atlanta will gladly u.p.s. this to sochi so you have some there. al? >> i bet they are. sam champion, thanks so much. hey, guys, just got word, dulles international and reagan national airports now are closed. the runways are shut down because of blowing and drifting heavy snow. >> you took the words out of my mouth. that's right, al. the storm is shutting down parts of d.c. tom costello is in a neighborhood just outside of dmplgts d.c. with more on this. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. this is my driveway. let me turn this off. i woke up to 15 inches of snow here this morning. and now it's sleeting and raining. both airports, as you mentioned, in the d.c. area are closed. all schools are closed. maryland, virginia and d.c. federal government offices also closed. and this is the trouble. you know, d.c. is really not equipped to handle 12 to 15 inches of snow. and so throughout this area, they're trying to dig out from a heck of a lot of white stuff. and now sleet on top of it. the roads, very dangerous this morning. the good news is, though, that most people are, in fact, not driving to work. they're staying off the roads this morning and trying to avoid any complications at all. we just learned of one virginia department of transportation worker who was killed earlier today because he was hit by another virginia department of transportation dump truck. so this is really a very dangerous situation. guys, back to you. >> tom costello getting it done in his own yard. tom, thank you very much. >> tom, you missed a spot. meantime, the city of philadelphia has declared a snow emergency. some spots north and west of the city could see well over a foot of snow. we will get to nbc's dylan dreyer who's in phoenixville in just a moment. i think we're maybe having a little bit of technical problems. can you hear me? >> reporter: good morning, savannah. we are right now about 20 miles to the northwest of philadelphia, and the snow is coming down real hard. keep in mind, this is an area that is still picking up the pieces from the last storm they had just about two weeks ago. and this is a very common scene. trees toppled right in front of people's homes. now, the way today is going to set up. right now it's 30 degrees or so. the snow is still fairly light and fluffy. but as temperatures warm up, it's going to get a lot heavier in nature. then we're going to switch over to some sleet and freezing rain. that's going to create that glaze on top of all this snow. then we're going to turn over into straight rain. that sounds like a good thing. but what happens is, the snow is like a sponge. it absorbs all of that water. and it really adds weight to the trees, to the power lines, to the roofs of people's homes. and we will most likely see more extensive damage, more widespread power outages as this snow continues to come down. now, we will drop down into the mid-20s overnight tonight. so all of that water is going to refreeze. and it's going to make roads extremely treacherous for tomorrow morning. and another couple of inches of snow could fall. now, keep in mind, philadelphia is already now the top seventh snowiest winter on record. and if we get just a few more inches of snow, it could become the top five snowiest winters of all time. back to you, matt. >> all right. dylan. >> wow. we'll have a lot more on this storm, of course, throughout the morning. let's get to olympic competition. it's already been a busy and historic day here in sochi. natalie's here to get us caught up to date. >> really exciting. the u.s. hockey team sees its first action later today. the big story, a one, two, three finish for the american men freestyle skiers. there were high expectations on the slopestyle ski course, and they did it with americans josh christiansen capturing gold, gus kenwor kenworthy, silver, and nick goepper, the bronze. on wednesday night, it was girls' night. american women led the way in the halfpipe. >> she is just nonstop right now. >> reporter: it was katelyn fairington who upset the field, beating out vancouver champ australian tore torah bright who took silver. >> there's a 1080. >> reporter: and fellow american kelly clark, clark the most decorated snowboarder in olympic history took the bronze on her final run. fans in chicago watching and hoping for hometown hero shani davis, trying for his third consecutive gold in the 1000 meter, but he came in eighth. >> there will be no three-peat. there will be no medal. >> it's the best race i could possibly skate. it just wasn't inside of me today. >> reporter: davis still has a shot at gold in the 1500 meter on saturday. no medal on the line when the puck dropped between the u.s. and canada in women's hockey. and no love lost between these teams. the canadians win this one. >> the whistle blows! >> with the help of a controversial goal. russians filled with pride after tatyana slvolosozhar and maksim trankov won in the pairs in figure skating. the first time a host country has done that in 78 years. and in a highly competitive field, americans marissa castelli and simon shnapir placed ninth. a different sort of dancing. lolo jones posting video of a sidewalk danceoff between teammate jasmine fenlater and a member of the jamaican bobsled team. all right. so awesome dancing there. but here's what we have to look forward to tonight with american skeleton race, second heading into tomorrow's final, we'll also be seeing the men's slo slopesty slopestyle, men's figure skating and much more. very exciting night. >> very tight competition in the men's figure skating to look forward to. who's keeping track at home of the medal count? here we go, norway on top, 13 medals overall. the u.s. moves into second now with 12 medals. and our crowd likes that. followed by canada and the netherlands with ten each. >> catching up. >> catch us up on the other news. news making waves in the television world this morning, comcast, our parent company of nbc universal, has reached a deal to buy time warner cable. >> discounts for all of us! >> maybe. i don't know. the merger will unite the biggest and second largest cable tv operators in the country, and cnbc's david faber breaks it all down. >> reporter: comcast agreeing to buy time warner cable in a $45 billion deal that will create by far the nation's largest cable company. with the acquisition of time warner cable, comcast will add subscribers in los angeles and new york city, amongst other areas in the country. effectively making it the first nationwide cable company. antitrust regulators are expected to look closely at the combination, particularly those from the federal communications commission which are expected to at least question whether this is simply too big a company in terms of what its power will be in the market. nonetheless, comcast believes with the potential of spinning off 3 million subscribers, it will be able to succeed in getting those approvals from the department of justice and the fcc and close this massive deal by the end of the year. >> that's cnbc's david faber, thank you. new developments this morning in the edward snowden nsa spying controversy. a civilian nsa employee recently resigned after being stripped of his security clearance for allowing snowden to use his personal login credentials to access classified information. nbc's michael isikoff broke the story. snowden was able to gain access to massive volumes of classified documents that he later leaked to the news media. a heartbreaking scene for car lovers on wednesday after a sinkhole swallowed several prized corvettes. take a look. this happened at the national corvette museum in bowling green, kentucky. and surveillance video captured these dramatic moments. you'll see the floor there buckles and then just a few minutes later, that beautiful coal-colored corvette in the left corner of the screen just vanishes there. it wasn't the only one. the corvette museum sent up a drone inside the facility to assess the damage, and a total of eight cars actually ended up in the sinkhole. the price tag has not been determined on the loss there. sad news out of hollywood this morning. sid caesar, a pioneer of television comedy, died wednesday. >> after the slaughter is over, we're going to come back here and ring that victory bell. >> that, of course, a clip from one of our all-time favorite movies, "grease." but caesar's career began decades earlier in the 1950s. caesar hosted a live variety show called the "your show of shows," and the sketches are considered classics. he hired and inspired some of the best writers in the business including woody allen and mel brooks, among many of them. sid cizsiz caesar was 91. the big headlines in the sports world, future hall of famer derek jeter says the 2014 season will be his last. the new york yankees' captain made the announcement on facebook wednesday. the five-time world series champion is one of the most revered players in the game. he amassed more than 3,300 hits in 19 seasons. and in a facebook message, jeter said i have achieved almost every personal and professional goal i have set. i have gotten the very most out of my life playing baseball, and i have absolutely no regrets. he's really going to be missed on the field. he's done so much for the team. team captain. we all really can't believe it's happening. >> the game of baseball, really. >> wow. i heard this news yesterday, and as soon as i heard it, the cauldron dimmed for a second back there. seriously, the flame -- the flame went down. i love derek jeter. he's been such a classy captain of the new york yankees. well, well done. we look forward to next year. >> we will miss you. meanwhile, mr. roker. >> that's right. well, we're going to get to your local forecast in just 30 seconds. . looking into the valley, temperatures will be comfortable for your friday. as natalie told us a second ago, it was a very impressive day for team usa in the women's halfpipe. >> you can say that again. katelyn fairington grabbed the gold ahead of torah bright while kelly clark took the bronze. all three ladies are with us. good morning to all of you. >> congratulations. >> you now join this exclusive club of gold medal olympians. i don't know if you've come up with a secret handshake yet. >> we may have to think of one. >> has is sunk in that you are now in the same rarefied error? >> you know, it hasn't really sunk in that i've gotten the gold medal. i think when we do awards later, i think that's when it will kind of really hit me. but i'm just so happy to be up here with these ladies and join the club. >> it's an amazing accomplishment to win the gold. you had to beat three other gold medal winners, previous gold medal winners. torah, you had had the gold last time around in vancouver. it's the silver this time. what was really touching i think for a lot of people, though, was the emotion on the podium and how much you all seemed to support each other. what's the camaraderie in this sport like? >> i think it's very much a part of our culture. and it's about snowboarding. it's about the progression of snowboarding, and we all just are shredding babes doing our thing. >> i'd get in trouble if i said that. >> but we agree. we agree. kelly, for you, you win the bronze, but your first run, you had that crash. all of us were collectively gasping. how do you collect yourself and then come back with a medal-winning run? >> it was a huge achievement for me. you know, to be able to come out after that fall, i mean, an epic fall at that. and be able to rally and be able to land on the olympic podium after that was a huge victory. i was so proud of my riding and being able to come back from that was amazing. sfwoo maybe experience had a little something to do with that. you've been doing this for a while. >> yes. it's my fourth olympic games. it's an absolute privilege, and i've been in that situation before. and it hasn't worked out before. so every time i have to go for it, i'm really happy to walk away with the bronze medal. >> katelyn, when i think about you, you were somebody who, as i understand it, just happy to get to the olympics, hoping to get to the finals. was a gold medal even in your mind when you started this out? >> not really. i mean, i definitely didn't expect to win the gold here. i was just so thrilled i made it through finals because yesterday was a long day for me. i went through all of the rounds. i think it helped me in the end because it was a lot of riding. but it kind of -- i was comfortable going into finals, and it was just great to be there. and then when i realized that i was getting an olympic medal, i was so excited. i was, like, so stoked on that. and then once i found out i got the gold, i couldn't even believe it. and i still don't. >> can we bring in another young lady? han hannah teeter is over here. she finished fourth. hannah, you don't even know this, but do you know how often your name comes up in the "today" show offices? because four years ago in vancouver, we all got together, and we asked you then what your experience at the olympics there was like, and you said -- >> epic! >> and we quote you all the time. how's your experience been here so far? >> it's been amazing. i love russia. i love russia, especially, you know, being here with my best friends is, like, amazing. so you couldn't ask for more. we've been having a great time. it's time to let loose. >> four gold medalists here now, i would say that's pretty epic. as hannah would say, epic! thanks so much, ladies. and congratulations to all of you. >> thank you. coming up, we're going to have more on that nasty winter storm back home that's working its way up the east coast. plus, the men get their chance to shine on the ice. can an american figure skater land on the medals stand? we'll have a preview of tonight's competition from scott hamilton and evan lysacek. and willie? out of the orange room, we're going to play a little game on this throwback thursday. we'll show you childhood photographs of american olympians. you tell us who it is. here's your tease of the first one. send us your answers using #sochitoday. we'll reveal your answers coming up. first, this is "today" on nbc coming up on "trending," the u.s. athlete bringing home a medal and a new best friend from here in sochi. >> we promise this story will touch your heart. that and more. first on this thursday morning, a check of your local news and weather. are red. violets are blue. splenda® is sweet. and so are you. 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two people were hurt. right now their conditions are unclear. about 200 people had to be evacuated out of that complex. after almost two years of waiting, the case against the man accused of kidnapping and killing 15-year-old sierra lamar moves forward today. antolin garcia-torres will be arraigned this afternoon. garcia-torres was indicted tuesday by a santa clara county grand jury. lamar was last seen in march of 2012 after she left her home in morgan hill. she never made it to school that day and her body was never found. garcia-torres was also indicted for several violent attacks on south bay women in 2009. time to check the forecast. here's meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you, laura. good morning to you at home. highs today comfortable, upper 60s to low 70s. 71 degrees in the east bay. the north bay will hit about 55 degrees and we are expecting some light shower activity mostly in sonoma county, starting today we're going to keep that chance going for tomorrow, late saturday to sunday we all have rain on the way, but not before we see a pretty comfortable valentine's day across the bay area, 68 degrees in the south bay, tomorrow, san francisco that's 58. let's check your drive with mike. >> clouds drifting through, skewing our view of the roadway, right there at the level between the camera and the roads itself. 880 at high street, the off-ramp is reopened from the earlier car fire, smoke blended in with the clouds. the map will show you the south bay really showing the orange. visibility may be a problem for northbound routes and we're seeing slowing through san jose, all of your northbound routes along the area up into the peninsula, where we get a look at palo alto right there, the rooftop camera, we can see down onto the roadway, less than a quarter mile there, so about a quarter mile visibility for your drive there. the off-ramp slower speeds will be tough. back to you. >> thank you very much. i'll be back with another local news uptate 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book a flight to sochi. it is not nice in new york city. they are expecting 6 to 8 inches of snow. this is what it looks like here. that's olympic park here in sochi. 60 degrees at least here for the winter olympics. side by side, i think i'll take screen right. >> i think so. and by the way, we're not gloating, we're just reporting the news. we have snowboarders out there in tank tops. it's ridiculous. >> we'll have the latest on that storm in just a couple of minutes. coming up, meredith vieira hits the slopes with skier ted ligety. he'll tell you why he likes to live in the shadows and let his skis speak for him. let's take a look at some of the stories making headlines. an internal memo obtained exclusively by nbc news shows that nsa leaker edward snowden was able to swipe a password from a civilian worker giving him even more access to classified information. that employee has now3 f2 >> y un gran acuerdo se anuncia $45 billion. dylan, good morning again. >> reporter: good morning, matt. we are about 20 miles northwest the worth west.3 c1 230 degrees. this snow is light and fluffy. three to four inches an hour.ald with a thin layer of ice. on top of that, it is going to start raining. now you see once it turns to rain we will start to see improvements but all of this snow is like a sponge and absorbs that water and weighs down on trees and power lines. we could see more extensive damage and more widespread power outages as this storm continues through the day and even into early tomorrow morning. matt? >> all right, dylan. thank you very much. >> meantime, al the south dealing with all that nice that's right. and -- not to belabor a point but there is another system coming across that's going to add insult to injury. let's show you what is happening. right now they are seeing the snow in minneapolis and it is just -- leading edge of this system is going to be coming in. so today they are going -- to be looking at snow through the morning. the good news is this is a clipper. it is quick. this afternoon, sunshine will return. the futurecast, continue to see snow coming. a p secondary system that comes up from the south and bringing snow through central ohio and pennsylvania, on into new york. by late saturday afternoon. snowfall totals four inches throughout the great lakes and less than an inch or so into >> 7:33, good thursday morning i'm meteorologist christina loren. we have temperatures right now mostly in the 50s, a couple 40s out there in the north bay. look at where we're headed up to. 0 degrees in the south bay for today, once all that fog burns off. 71 degrees in the east bay and you're going to hit the upper 60s along the peninsula. low 60s in san francisco with that fog lingering for the first half of the day. want to show you some changes headed our way, tomorrow looking great for valentine's day, getting into sunday, rain moves in and by monday, presidents' day we clear out. d that's you that's your latest weather. ht, much. we want to give you a little more on the breaking news at the bobsled venue here in sochi. a worker hit by a sled during a training run. anne thompson is with us just making her way to that sliding centre. anne, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the accident happened just before the finish line at the bobsled run here at the sliding centre. three workers were on the track and they could hear a sled coming down. it's called a forerunner sled, if you think of a pace car at the indianapolis 500, that's essentially its purpose. it's to test the track conditions and it's also used for timing. well, they could hear that sled coming down and you can see people waving the workers off the track. two of the workers were able to jump the barrier. the third worker could not. he was hit by the sled and then you see him fly several feet in the air. what's really amazing is how fast emergency medical personnel got to him. within 45 seconds of that accident they had a stretcher on the track. they took him away in an ambulance. he has been taken to a local hospital where we do know he is alive, but his condition is not known. as for the driver of the forerunner sled, we don't know his condition either. that is usually an honor given to someone at the olympics, much like driving the pace car at the indianapolis 500. but again, that track worker is okay. matt and savannah. >> all right, anne thompson, thanks very much. coincidentally, we were up there this morning, we were at the sanki sliding centre. it's an amazing complex just in the mountains in rosa khutor. skeleton, luge and bobsled all on the same track. obviously we'll wait to hear more about the condition and how that affects the competition as well. >> we'll keep an eye on that. meantime we're going to take a turn and talk about one of the events that people are looking forward to the most today, the start of the men's figure skating competition. and the world's powers will be well represented here.and the w well represented here. >> after coming up just short in vancouver, this hometown hero is looking to move forward. and chasing down patrick chan is yuzunu hanyu. another person to keep an eye on is javier fernandez. and then there are the americans, jeremy abbott and jason brown. jeremy struggled here in sochi in last week's team competition. and jason, the fun loving, crowd pleasing team from chicago, counting on all the goods that got him this far, jump, skills and good old charm. it might just take him to the top. >> this is going to be a great competition. >> coming up next, is he peaking at the perfect time? right after this. take a closer look at your fidelity green line and you'll see just how much it has to offer, especially if you're thinking of moving an old 401(k) to a fidelity ira. it gives you a wide range of investment options... and the free help you need to make sure your investments fit your goals -- and what you're really investing for. tap 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[prof. burke] talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum♪ welcome back to sochi. faster, higher, stronger is the olympic motto. we're with someone right now who exemplifies the higher part of that. kidding. >> why? >> meredith vieira is here now with a story of an american skier, ted ligety. meredith, good morning. >> good morning. see, i know you couldn't. good morning to you, matt. he is one of the most successful skiers a lot of people of never heard of and that's exactly how ted ligety likes it. he prefers to keep his life out of the headlines and let his skis do the talking. we got the man they call ted shred to open up following his first training run here in sochi. shortly after landing here in sochi, ted ligety was out on the course to train, comparing notes with fellow competitors. >> at the end lots of -- makes me scared. >> hey, ted, meredith here. nice to meet you. he admitted he gets scared? >> downhill gets scary a little bit sometimes for sure. >> you just got here. you don't waste any time clearly. >> yeah, we just got in last night and are training today. >> this is your third olympics as a competitor. is that hard for you to believe? >> a little bit, yeah. growing up i never would have thought i'd be where i am today. being at the olympics is really special for sure. >> your first olympics as a competitor you walked away with a gold medal. >> that was a dream come true. >> he is on the podium at these olympic games. >> ted was just 21 years old. >> still to this day i'm a little bit shocked by it. >> really? >> people say olympic gold medalist and i'm like, wow, i can't believe i did that. >> it was ted's first win in a major international competition. >> does it put more pressure on you, ted, the very fact that your first win was a gold medal at an olympics? >> yes and no. i think i really tried hard at the olympics not to be just a one-hit wonder. >> after italy came vancouver, and you didn't medal there. how does that affect you? >> vancouver was frustrating. i knew at the finish line i could have taken more risks, i knew i could have gone faster. that made something click in my mind where i decided to make myself go that much harder every single race. >> last season was your best season ever. >> last season was great, world championships, awesome. i won three gold medals there which hadn't been done in 45 years. on the world cup tour, i won seven of the nine races in the year, so it was a pretty phenomenal year. >> you know, they have said about you, you may be the best skier in the world with the least amount of fanfare. >> i definitely like to be a little anonymous. it's nice to be able to go to the grocery store in the t-shirt you wore yesterday and some sweat pants and flip-flops. >> that's what i do. >> it's nice to be able to be a normal person. >> ligety has been getting attention from u.s. retailer j.c. penney who parodied a song with a new twist. ♪ i like the way you work it >> do you have it on your ipod? >> no. like one or two times i watch it in youtube, it gets in my head too quickly and i figure that's not a song i want in my head. >> why not? it sounds good. >> you have a nickname, right? >> shred has been my nickname. they called me ted shred because i was the crazy little kid bombing down the mogul field. >> you've seen me maneuver a little bit, not with skis on, you've seen me on the hill walking. that for me is the drama. that's my olympics. what would my nickname be, do you think? be kind. >> i don't know. dandy. >> what will you be thinking right before you start your first race on friday? >> i just want to think about my skiing. i just want to think about letting myself ski and be calm and let my body do what it's going to do. >> can i get a premedal hug. thank you, ted. best of luck on friday. >> ted will be in the starting gate tomorrow for the men's super combined and we will be cheering for him and all of our athletes. >> i have a good feeling about him here. >> i do too. >> keeping my fingers crossed. >> i love that he compared me to a disney character, bambi. >> thank you, meredith. good to see you. coming up, strike up the band, savannah and natalie join the russian speed skating orchestra. and up next, who's that baby? willie is in the orange room with an olympic-themed throwback thursday. that's right after this. olympik if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. for many adults, humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work. the triple-groove wand combs through for clump-free length. while a potion with strengthening proteins drenches lashes for spellbinding volume. do you believe in magic? 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[ gong ] m'm! m'm! good! ♪ ♪ ben! ♪ [ train whistle blows ] oh, that was close. you ain't lying. let quicken loans help you save your money with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze. and irresistible aroma of nescafe clasico stir what's inside of you. ♪ [ engine revving ] [ tires screech ] ♪ [ male announcer ] that was bold. real bold. ♪ if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? this one's a keeper. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®. good morning everyone. 7:56. i'm scott mcgrew. flowers and candles line the sidewalk outside a popular nightclub in downtown san jose this morning. last night more than 100 people gathered in front of johnny b's nightclub to remember a bouncer who was stabbed to death. ryan vieri was off duty but at the club early yesterday morning when a man reportedly carrying a case of knives was asked to leave. vieri left around the same time and minutes later stabbed and found around the corpser. the suspect was arrested. heavy snow and ice pounding much of the east coast as we speak. thousands of flights have been canceled nationwide and sfo reporting cancellations and delays as well. you are certainly urged to call your airline, make sure your flight is on time. if you're sticking around here, here is your forecast with0m÷ christina. >> thank you, scott. weather headed over to the east coast, we have a lot of fog and low ceilings out of sfo, you're going to find delays at one hour so check ahead, just because of the fog alone, likely to see those delays rippling out throughout the day. they should be lifted by 11:00 as that fog burns off before we hit lunch time. temperatures are comfortable today, climbing into the upper 60s to low 70s. 62 degrees in san francisco versus our 70-degree reading in the south bay where we're getting more sunshine. rain showers president but presidents day clearing out and temperatures comfortable for your outdoor plans. here's mike inouye. >> low clouds for 680, 101 northbound slow from that point on the map, typical. north 680 around alan rock and mckee a slowdown from an early crash. crash and spinout there, causes everybody to slow down and off of north 17 and 880 through oakland, a little clouds there as well. back to you. >> we'll have another local news update for you in a half an hour. [ male announcer ] we could say a lot about the most track-tested is ever... ♪ ...about its stiffer suspension... ♪ ...its precise steering... ♪ ...and its more rigid chassis. ♪ but the truth is... we don't have to. ♪ the experts have spoken. now it's your move. [ engine revs ] it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, on the slopes for the team usa. the men and the women in the halfpipe. plus all eyes on the guys. tough competition in the men's skating event. we'll get an inside look from scott hamilton about who might come out on top. and matt and al can't have all the fun in sochi. natalie and i hit the ice for learning cheering speedskating style. "today," thursday, february 13, 2014. >> hello san francisco. >> venice, florida. >> we're having a good time in sochi. >> we're wishing the men good luck tonight. >> hi, mom, go usa! ♪ back in the ussr, you are don't know how lucky you are ♪ >> hi, mom. >> hi to my family back in the usa. >> usa! >> and good morning, everyone. nice to have you along with us. welcome back to "today" on a thursday morning. we're live in sochi, olympic park. i want you to know while you do athletic feats natalie and i learned how to march. we almost got hurt too. >> when al and i do the stories we get into the costumes and the outfits. what happened there? >> not going there. >> no? >> they were the russian rockettes. >> yeah. >> you're in and out. >> we didn't quite make the team. >> we'll find out how that turned out in a little while. we want to talk about the big story back home. first of all, take a look at our plaza in rockefeller center, where we understand it's snowing sideways there. they're trying to clear the snow away. about four inches already, maybe five inches already. going up to six or eight inches. that is nasty there. >> yeah. >> it is crippling ice and snow slamming the east after knocking out power to more than 600,000 people in the south. and of course, it's taking aim at new york city and other places. nbc's peter alexander is with us from charlotte, north carolina. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. the carolinas are virtually shut down right now. this is the worst winter storm, charlotte specifically in a decade. three more inches of snow on top of up to six inches that they had across this area yesterday. they prepped the roads days in advance, but a lot of drivers ignored the warnings and drove anyway. in raleigh, people today are going back and trying to retrieve their cars they had abandoned late yesterday as a result of the awful conditions. so much snow on top of the trees. that obviously causes some serious consequences. pulling trees down and power lines in places. at least 13 people have been killed as a result of this storm across the region. 600,000 homes and businesses without power. flights heavily affected as well. 4,800 flights cancelled for today. it's the kind of weather where it's not a good idea to stay only off the roads but stay inside. emergency rooms reporting a lot of injuries today for pedestrians as well. matt, that is the latest from here. now back to you in sochi. >> well, hang in there, peter alexander. thank you very much. mr. roker, what's the latest on this? >> well, this thing is intensifying. in fact, the last 24 hours, this low pressure system has actually dropped 25 millibars. that makes it a bomb, if you will. a meteorological weather bomb blowing up. as far as the system is concerned, it's making its way off the coast. right off the shore line. you can see the yellows and oranges. that's heavy precipitation. thunderstorms happening. then you've got some ice mixed in and now heavy snow developing. as we look at philadelphia, they have been picking up snow at a rate of two to four inches per hour. so this is heavy, wet snow. it causes big problems. as this system makes its way up the coast, it's got all that tons of moisture, coming in off the ocean. the heaviest snow will be west of i-95. that 32-degree line that's where the heaviest snow will be. and so as that system moves up and away early tomorrow morning, with strong winds behind it, you can see we're looking at washington, d.c., six to nine inches and same in philadelphia. new york city, six to ten inches by tomorrow morning. rutland, vermont, 10 to 16. and up into parts of northern new england, we're looking at another 10 to 16 inches in northern maine. so this thing is not done yet. and there's another clipper system behind that. that's going to bring more snow to the area. >> back home -- >> meantime in sochi the weather and the competition is heating up. keir has more about that and about the bobsled accident. good morning to you. >> yeah, that serious news first of all. we're hearing that a track worker has been hit by a bobs d bobsled. it happened near the finishing line. this video shows the worker lying on the ground, being tended to after he was hit. he was taken away to the hospital by paramedics. but the president says that he suffered a broken leg and may be concussed. but it sounds like he'll be okay. turning to the sport, team usa's hopes have been kept alive by the women. but this morning it was an opportunity for the men to make a comeback and what a comeback. in freestyle skiing a huge victory for the usa. joss christensen taking gold. gus kenworthy the silver and nicholas goepper the bronze. and the hockey team took the ice. in women's speed skating today, heather richardson and brittany bowe, roommates and best friends off the ice both failed to medal in the 1,000 meter race. and the women took two spots on the podium. gold for kaitlyn farrington. and the third top honor for team usa at the games, all in snowboarding. australian's torah bright finished second. >> wow! that was an amazing run. >> and kelly clark walks away with a bronze for team usa making her the most decorated olympic snowboarder ever. they joined us here on "today" earlier. >> what's the camaraderie in this sport like? >> i think it's very much a part of our culture. it's about snowboarding and us -- we're all shredding babes doing our things. >> missing out on the medal, shani davis striking out in the men's 1,000 meter event. >> the most jarring result, shani davis. >> i think it was good, but it wasn't good enough. >> he has one more chance to take some hardware and make history in the men's 1500 on saturday. a win and he ties the u.s. record for most career olympic long track speedskating medals. dutch domination continues in men's speedskating. >> who else? a dutch skater. >> dutchmen have won eight of the possible nine medals up for grabs so far. also dominating in ice, the host country russia. >> an impressively difficult performance. >> winning on the home ice is stolbova and volosozhar. look at this picture. this is bobby brown in the slope style, competing in a t-shirt. that's right. it's the winter olympics, and he's in a t-shirt. guys, we can combine the winter olympics with the summer olympics and get it all done in one. >> there's a thought. keir simmons, thank you. >> i'm not sure nbc wants that. >> a lot of stories making headlines. let's go up to natalie. natalie? good morning, everyone. we're starting off with breaking news in kentucky where an entire town has been evacuated after an underground gas pipeline exploded overnight. emergency officials in rural kentucky says homes, cars and barns were destroyed by the blast and resulting fire. at least two people have been injured. the flow of gas to the pipeline has been shut off so officials will let the fire burn itself out. the senate voted wednesday to extend the nation's borrowing limits. the vote allows the government to raise the debt ceiling until march of 2015. enabling the nation to pay its bills. president obama is expected to sign the increase. newly released video shows a very close call at a dmv office near denver. police say a mother left two young daughters in her parked car monday. her 10-year-old girl apparently climbed into the driver's seat, got the car started and then crashed right into the waiting area. you can see a couple people getting out of the way just in time. fortunately, nobody was hurt by the child was cited for careless driving. one of television's first and funniest stars is being remembered for his own ground breaking work and the influence he had on others. sid caesar died at the age of 91. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: on hollywood's walk of fame, flowers honoring a comedy legend. >> no dancing! >> reporter: sid caesar and co-star imogene cocoa captivated the tv audiences with imitations and sketches. first on nbc's admiral broadway revue and then the show of shows. raise in yonkers, new york by european parents, a young sid found he could make people laugh. by mimicking the speech of immigrant customers at the family's new york diner. in 1949, he made it big on broadway. in make my manhattan. he attracted some of the best writers on television. many of them became as famous as their boss. karl riner, neil simon, mel brooks, woody allen, larry gel bert among them. his nine-year run ended after a third show was cancelled, and his career declined. he battled drug and alcohol addiction for years. before quitting cold turkey. >> i was a nasty drunk and an aggressive drunk. >> making a come back with built parts in tv and movies. today, his legacy is secure. mel brooks remembering his old friend as a giant. maybe the best comedian who ever practiced the trade. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. >> a man who launched many, many careers. it's 8:11 right now. you're up to date. 8:11 now on a thursday morning. are you as excited about the weekend as i am? hopefully. we have showers on the way. we really need the rain. we' we'll hit about 61 in san francisco. getting to your valentine's day, looking good all over the area. what we are expecting in san francisco is overall good. and still manning on showers as we head into the weekend mostly late saturday night into sunday. . and guess what? it's time for a new version of al's russian class. >> all right! >> yeah. brand spanking new. the other one was only three days old. so we're bringing it back. our students are snowboarders, kaitlyn farrington and kelly clark and we've got hannah teter and -- >> no, meredith. >> and meredith. sorry. >> i thought you pointed to her and said "hannah teter." >> easily confused. >> this is a new version of the so, ladies, and you folks at home, how do you say congratulations in russian? >> couldn't tell ya. >> any idea? >> this is the new version of the game? >> new version. >> i like the old version. >> give us some tips. >> okay, here's the russian -- let's move on. >> you don't have it? >> okay. it's -- [ mumbling ] natalie, you speak russian. how do you say congratulations? [ speaking russian ] >> there you go. this is fantastic. all right. let's put up the next thing and show you what it is. i can't even see it. anyway. okay. [ speaking russian ] >> what does that mean? >> where's the bathroom? no. >> russia is my homeland? >> no, very close, though. >> russia is a wonderful country. there you go. >> close enough. >> how do you like the new version? [ cheers and applause ] >> we need a new version! >> that's al's russian class! >> wow. >> that's al's russian class! >> today's medal count is brought to you by mcdonald's, i'm lovin' it. all right. time for the medal count now. norway is on top with 13 overall, the u.s. is in second with 12 and canada and the netherlands have 10 medals each. all right. coming up next on "trending," you can only go in one direction from here. who from team usa picked up a medal and a new friend in sochi? >> and abbott and brown. how are americans looking headed into the opening of the figure skating competition tonight? >> and rare look at the treasures housed insides the walls of the kremlin. but first, these messages. let someomake your day,'s with a chocolate covered strawberry frappé. ♪ enjoy. [ female announcer ] another way to love mccafé. ♪ because what you don't know, can asmarhurt you. insurance.é. what if you didn't know that posting your travel plans online may attract burglars? 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[ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪ [ male announcer ] do we get up before the sun because we like the dark? ♪ do we have a love for repetition? in some ways, we do. because the hard work, the dedication, the attention to detail, all have a greater purpose. and whether after the perfect score, or the perfect taste, giving everything you have to get it right is what being the best is all about. smucker's. proud sponsor of all our hard working olympians. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. here's yet another reason to love our silver medalist gus kenworthy. when he is not shredding the slopes he is helping some furry friends. he's made it his mission here in sochi to rescue some of the stray puppies that we saw wandering the streets. >> gus says he's already lined up four kennels for these adorable puppies. he's also made vaccination appointments for them. he tweeted, doing all i can to bring them home with me. credit where credit is due to him. but we should mention natalie has been trying to help those dogs as well. along -- in the area. right by the hotel, feeding some of them. >> i have. yes, i have. >> no, seriously. >> no, i have. i have been trying. there are a lot of dogs that i see out there in my morning run. it's hard to see. heart breaking. we're working on a story. hopefully we'll bring it next week. we love the pairs figure skating for the flair and the drama, but what would it look like if we photoshopped the men out? take a look. the ladies seemingly do it all. there they are, twirling, twisting, stretching. that would be impossible. some even laying on their backs midair. when you take out the guys the ladies look like superheroes. come on, they basically are, aren't they? >> pretty amazing. >> that's cool. >> yeah. out of the picture. >> christmas without -- >> shh. okay. so you're in the middle of a long commute, how do you pass the time? you could read a book or play candy crush. one cartoonist did this during his 40-minute train ride. joe butch decided to have fun with his fellow passengers imagining they're characters. here you can see waldo. the hulk. he tells today.com that no one has ever caught him in the act. he calls it -- he calls himself the post-it ninja. >> pretty perfect. >> hold on a second. >> we knew this was coming. what have you got, al? >> mr. illustrator. >> don't do the beagle nose on me. no! >> got to get a little closer. >> i have to get further. forward. that works. and now time for al's russian class. play along at home, folks. now we have an exclusive announcement from ben affleck and matt damon. the stars have an offer you'll find hard to resist. they want you to hear about it first here on "today." >> we're here to tell you about two great initiatives and how you can support them. first and foremost is the eastern congo initiative. >> second and equally important is water.org. >> for $100 you can support two great causes. >> for $10. $10. >> [ bleep ]. >> ben and matt, take five. >> you can support two great causes. >> you and a friend can win a trip to los angeles to stay in a four star hotel and be our special guest at a very special hollywood event. >> be like our best friend double date. >> be like us hanging out, taking selfies talking about how the sox will do. >> or i can ask you more meaningful questions like what are your hopes, dreams and fears? >> if you warrant to get weirded out by having existential questions posted we can talk about other fun stuff. >> go to the website. >> my understanding was i thought it would be matt and ben. >> don't worry, fellows. both web addresses work. you can see that whole video and learn more about what they're up to at today.com. bottom line, great cause. >> great opportunity. a lot of fun. >> exactly. that's what's "trending" today. >> today's olympic moment is brought to you by coca-cola. open a coke and enjoy the games. that's right. is time for today's olympic moment. russia's triumphant return to glory in pairs figure skating. >> perfect! >> after a stellar performance tuesday that made history -- >> it's the highest score ever recorded. by a pairs in a short program. >> russian pair skaters volosozhar and trankov were looking for redemption. after 12 straight gold medals in the sport russia failed to medal in vancouver but this time volosozhar and trankov delivered. >> gorgeous. >> triple salchow. >> that was perfectly landed. >> driving the home crowd into a frenzy. leaving the skaters competing in their first olympics together overcome with emotion. >> they poured their hearts and so souls into this. >> russia clinched gold and silver, realizing their dreams and the dreams of a nation. >> russian pairs is back on top of the world. >> how did they do that? >> so beautiful. >> unbelievable. >> so incredible. >> remember mary carillo brought us a story about how they used the ballerina timing? >> yeah. >> speaking of ballerina training, natalie and i find a unique way to get into the olympic spirit. >> some stunning photos and some images. very good thursday morning to you, it is 8:26, i'm laura garcia-cannon. firefighters trying to find out with a fire started about 12:30 this morning in a 12 story complex near 19th avenue. it was contained to one apartment. two people were hurt and right now their conditions are unclear. about 200 people had to be evacuated out of that complex. let's check that morning commute with mike. >> it's hard to see how it is looking. i'll tell you what you're seeing here is low clouds. between the camera and the clouds is about 150 feet, so that might be part of the issue, but the patches of fog reported here. a slower drive. the orange is creeping in. road weather index says a fog situation here. across the bridge across the peninsula the orange for the 101 and 280. going into woodside, south to saratoga, and a slow drive as well. the earlier crash caused big slow downs all the way up to san jose. thank you. >> thank you, mike. back with another local news update for you in half an hour. this monday after the olympics someone new slides in to host the "the tonight show" right here on nbc. february 2014. it's a balmy day here in sochi. they probably wish there was more snow here because that was the russian santa claus. >> take a look. these guys are right here on our plaza. though he was voted by the people as the official mascot for these games, ultimately unfortunately he was not picked but he is still very popular. he's in-house olympic village. he's here. he's got a lot of folks here. >> he lost out to -- >> the bear. >> no, the rabbit. >> the leopard. >> the polar bear. >> and the rabbit. >> and the leopard. yeah. >> this is turning into another russian class situation. >> he's like the santa "the polar express." >> yes. >> very nice. >> coming up, how an olympic champion fights back. lindsey vonn talks about her knee injury that knocked her out of these winter games. >> and you wouldn't think fishing and fashion goes hand in hand, but for johnny wear you bet they do. >> to a whole new level. >> see what happens he and billy bush head out to the black sea. johnny and billy go fishing. >> wow. >> a fish out of water. >> they caught something. >> we won't tell you who made the catch. >> that may be the craziest story. >> no, actually, this is the craziest story. savannah and natalie spent a little quality time together lately learning how to cheerlead sochi style. >> that's right. there's no pompons, guys. a lot of coordination involved. i think you'll be impressed as natalie and i learn from the best. this is the speedskating orchestra. wow. so this is the adler skating arena. this is what it's like to be, look at that, in the center of the action. this is incredible. >> so you see what they do, right? >> yeah. i do. >> do you really think you can do that? >> yeah. i said i would. i'm ready. >> really, you? >> i don't know why you don't trust me, i feel good. >> okay. i guess i'll go along with you. >> yeah, we're in this together. >> all right. let's do it. >> let's do it. ♪ >> ready? >> okay. >> one, two, three, four -- ♪ [ playing "when the saints come marching in" ] >> i told you it would be a >> i'm exhausted! ♪ ooh, we were good. >> i felt like i had kind of a talent. >> yeah, me, too. >> we need this now. >> okay, bye. >> we nailed it. come on. >> i thought that video would be embarrassing. >> were you watching the same tape we were? >> i thought the outfits were tasteful. you could have gotten away with those. >> i don't think so. >> that was fun, ladies. that was good. >> we had a good time. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? >> can't unring that bell. okay. let's show you what piece going on. >> oh, come on! >> no please, i'm begging you, no. look at all that wet weather. if i could ask santa for one this evening, it would be to unsee that video. >> i liked it. >> you did not. >> more winter storm warnings, we have avalanche warnings. there you go. look at all this rain in the pacific northwest, northern california, all the way into parts of oregon and washington state. we're talking 4 to 6 inches of rain and snow up to a foot to a foot and a half in the cascades. that's what's going on 8:34 on a thursday morning. tomorrow is a get away friday for many of us. and we're kicking off president's day weekend on monday. president's day looking really good for showers between now and then. let's get right to the nuts and bolts for today. 74 for san jose. last warm day. tomorrow we drop our temperatures off a touch. 71 today in the east bay. valentine's day looks good. then we bring in that rain starting late saturday night into sunday. we could be talllying up to fourth tenths of an inch. here's savannah. >> all eyes will be back on the skating palace again tonight. it's shaping up to be a dramatic competition. scott hamilton needs no introduction, nor does evan, a gold medal winner. let's talk about the americans first. jeremy abbott didn't do his best in the team competition. do you think he has a shot at a medal tonight? >> a medal is kind of far fetched. he's skated at the top, done all these things but i sense him approaching this gently instead of being really aggressive. >> that i remembery moved out of the olympic village. was that a good thing to do? >> i think jeremy's had some time to regroup. he is of the level of those top contenders and he's shown he can skate up to that level and compete with them. if he skates clean tonight, i see him in the mix. >> and jason brown, he's so effervescent and adorable, he gets the crowd with him. >> he's the one that dares to look into the crowd and say "love me, love ." >> and i think they do love him. >> he works hard and he puts his time in and because the jumps came slow, he had to learn how to skate first. he's got great flexibility and versatility. when the squads get there, look out. >> yevgeny plyushchenko, evan, you know something about him. do you think he can skate for the gold? >> a lot of people were doubting whether he could get through the free skate portion of the competition. he did quite well winning the free skate. that being said, he had a very rough practice session yesterday. he's falling on jumps that are typically easy for him. his injury may be just too much for him to handle this olympics. >> and we have yuzunu hanyu and patrick chan and both are fierce. >> coming into the olympics, they haven't fared well. the only once able to beat them coming into the olympics are the americans. p patrick chan has every quality you'd want in a skater. everything is beautiful and of high quality. but jumps and sometimes he gets a little slow on his spins. three-time world champion, you have to consider him a favorite but hanyu, he might have his number. >> what i love about tonight is it's anybody's game. >> you can catch the men's short program tonight on nbc at 8:00. [ male announcer ] when three world champions face off in intense competition... ♪ ...you never know what can happen. [ laughter ] can that be in?! [ male announcer ] royal caribbean international is proud to present the caribbean cup challenge! featuring gabby douglas... [ douglas ] i totally went the wrong way. i should stick to gymnastics. [ male announcer ] ...tom daley... [ daley ] my hands are shaking! [ male announcer ] ...and ian thorpe. i'm a turkey. are we revealing that? gobble gobble. [ male announcer ] go to royal caribbean's youtube page to get exclusive content and watch the competition unfold! lots of white stuff on the ground in rockefeller center, right next to our studio behind me. lindsey vonn had hoped to compete here but instead she's on the road to recovery, doing some rehab on her knee injury. she let our cameras in to show us just how much work that actually takes. these days this is where lindsey vonn spends a lot of her time, in rehab at the andrews institute in pensacola, florida, a far cry from four years ago when she won gold in vancouver in the women's downhill. but after two crashes and surgery last month on her badly injured knee, vonn is fighting back. >> since i made the decision to not compete in sochi, i've been frustrated. so i'm just focused on the next goal, you know. i'm trying not to think about the fact that i'm not there. i'm just focusing on the fact that i will be. >> six days a week, four hours a day vonn is in physical therapy, in the gym and in the water. >> pull your toes up. >> sometimes it's a combination of the two. here she walks on a special treadmill at the bottom of the pool. >> the rehab process has been quite a bit quicker this time just because of the injury itself. last time i had mcl and acl and tibial fracture. this time it was just acl meniscus. trying to stay positive is not always the easiest thing in the world. it's very monotonous work. >> vonn credits boyfriend tiger woods for teaching her a valuable lesson that's helped her in rehab, how to be patient. >> playing golf you have to have a lot of patience. it's pretty much one of the most important things to have in the sport, and i'm not very good at that. i'm very instinctual and i want things right now and i'm pretty aggressive. he just a taught me to stay calm, be patient and focus on one thing at a time and that's helped me get through it. >> nice. >> with her sights set on next year's world championship in her hometown of vail, colorado, vonn is pushing forward, showing w while her knee is on the mend, her spirit is as strong as ever. >> for me to come in every day and do what i'm supposed to do, that's going to be huge in the long run. >> the physical side is one thing but wife all know emotionally that is a tough young lady. if anybody can make it back, she can. >> she always says don't bet against her. >> she's made tons of progress already. >> up next, billy and johnny go fishing in the black sea. ♪ [ man ] patrick deneen is going to take home another medal. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ man ] that's it, patrick! [ woman ] you got it! whoo-hoo! [ male announcer ] td ameritrade. helping you reach your long-term goals one small step at a time. we're back on a thursd we're back now on a thursday morning from sochi. normally at this time of the year, fishing probably the furthest thing from people's minds. but the temperatures here are unusually warm, and some people are heading to the black sea behind me to see what they can find. "access hollywood's" billy bush was among them. good morning. >> can you believe how warm it is? it's gorgeous fishing weather. i was looking for you. i wanted you to be my buddy, but you've got the primetime thing going, the morning. >> i don't see you as a fris fisherman. >> i don't either. roker is out all night. >> do you have a story here? >> who else could i get to go fishing? johnny weir. isn't it obvious? and he did not disappoint, matt. >> reporter: former "limpian turned nbc commentator johnny weir going for the gold. necklace. just one of many fashion statements the former olympic figure skater is making at the sochi winter games. policem flamboyant and always colorful -- >> pink vintage chanelle sweater. >> reporter: weir's searching for an outfit that's sure to make a splash when we go fishing in the black sea. >> i think that will be attractive to a fish. >> reporter: oh, wow! johnny! >> fishing. >> reporter: johnny, i wasn't sure you were going to show. >> of course, when you're invited to go fishing by billy bush, you go fishing. >> reporter: you look terrific. >> thank you. >> reporter: you don't have waders, but those look pretty good. what are those? >> they're rick owen. >> reporter: of course. it was high fashion at low tide. and judging by the looks of things, johnny was not the on catonly catch. the fish were looking good, too. >> this isn't a tackle box. >> reporter: come on. we're looking for sushi in sochi. we were like two fish out of water. we soon discovered the lingo of fisherman is universal, even in a fur coat, johnny spoke the language. >> yesterday he caught a different one that was bigger. >> reporter: really? >> but he said you have to wait for the big fish. >> reporter: trusting the experts, we followed their lead and let them size our bait. >> i think this is good. >> they're very unimpressed with you, just so you know. ♪ billy, he says we don't have to throw it. the fish are all biting closer. >> reporter: oh. how about that? leave it to me to cross the line, our new friend became alarmed that i waded into his territory. oh, no, i'm so sorry! oh, god, this guy -- we were in such good stead with him. >> you've disappointed everyone. this is why i don't go anywhere with him. he always asks me to do stupid things like this. this is why i don't go. he embarrasses me. we made a new friend. >> reporter: okay. okay. >> he's good with it. >> reporter: johnny, beautiful. i've got a bite. >> no, you didn't. you got a rock. >> reporter: so far i've caught three rocks. >> it's really weird to fish in an ocean. >> reporter: you look like you've done this before. >> well, i've ridden horses. >> reporter: you've got a bite. it's probably a rock, though. wait a minute. it's a shimmering rock! it's -- johnny weir! johnny weir! >> i caught it. i caught it, i caught it. >> reporter: johnny weir, look at this? it's a fish! >> it's a fish! >> reporter: johnny weir, a fish out of water. what do you know, buddy? >> wait. don't get saltwater on my mink. >> oh, my gosh. >> reality show. you guys need a show together. >> felix & oscar. the old grizzled vets, these guys love their fishing. they took a shine to johnny. i mean, he brought a smile to their faces. they love him. >> where's your fishing casual outfit? johnny stepped it up. >> style. >> i had had my waders on. johnny had vintage valentino on, or was it schanel. >> he's all about the fashion in sochi. there, look at that. back with much more of "today." first this is "today" on nbc. but first this is "today" on nbc. this may sound like a long shot, but one day you will be the greatest athlete in your sport. but before you begin to run, you will learn to walk. again. you'll curse the fact that something you mastered as a 1-year-old is now so difficult. but you will take that first step. and you will never stop moving forward. at citi, we believe in everyone's potential, which is why citi and rico are giving back to paralympic sports programs to help future athletes every step of the way. welcome back to sochi. 1,000 miles north of here is the giant fortress known as the kremlin. the kremlin is also the store house for russian riches. keir simmons is back with more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning again. weep showed you yesterday how the kremlin is a fortress that towers over moscow. prepare yourself for the details of the smallest of treasures. the kremlin, a treasure house of wealth and riches. we had unique access to this fabulous palace, the fabulous faberge eggs. only 50 ever made, only 42 still survived. given by the czar to his family on easter, every egg had a gift inside, intricately detailed. some feature portraits of russia's last royals, the romanovs. the eggs are worth millions each, a miniature monument to russia's past. >> this is a clock. >> so we have 5 past 2. >> i'm not sure it has been wound up properly. >> and some of the kremlin's treasures are actually alive. >> hello. >> once the sport of czars, falconry is still practiced here. >> no tv crew outside of russia has been given the chance to do that. imagine czars holding a bird just like this in these surroundings. they are just majestic. >> it takes 3,000 light bulbs to illuminate one room. and imagine how it could feel to sit on one of these golden throwns, one of the most opulent in the world. >> and this was made especially for katherine the great. >> she was a woman and she likes diamonds. that's an answer that has continued through the century. i have to tell you, i am so grateful my wife isn't here. i would never be able to buy her a present again. >> reporter: earrings so heavy they had to be looped over the years, jewels too expensive to be valued and a reminder that for centuries russians have loved their bling. and it was really special to be given the keys to the kremlin, if just for a little while. >> keir, thank you so much. what do you guys have coming up next hour. >> we'll be talking about the sochi sun, all the action. and we went to the halfpipe last night. >> we got to see some american success up there. >> and a tour petersbu petersburg. >> first a check of your local news. ♪ ♪ good morning, everyone. 8:56, i'm scott mcgrew. police asking for help finding a burglary suspect. this man recently broke into a car, stole a purse, and used the victim's atm card to get cash in fremont. he was driving a dark green toyota with emblems. >> thank you, scott. temperatures today climbing into the 70s. 68 along the peninsula today. showers coming our way, especially to areas north of the golden gate bridge. that starts today and intensifies this weekend. ♪ [ man ] wow! noelle pikus-pace does it again! ♪ ♪ ♪ slide! yay! [ male announcer ] td ameritrade. helping you reach your long-term goals one small step at a time. okay. let's i think i forgot to it's race dapay a bill.oals what's up ted? yep, paid that one. what about your mortgage? yep, paid that too. alright we're good then. man i feel like i'm forgetting something. eh, it's probably nothing. you worry too much ted. alright, hammer down! bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app. citi, with you every step of the way. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today," live from the olympic games in soi, russia. welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, february the 13th, 2014 and to the olympic park here in sochi, russia. i'm willie geist along with al roker and natalie morales. another beautiful day here, temperatures up in the 60s. once again our thoughts are back at home with you as the winter snowstorm is causing havoc in the east. thousands without powers. >> at least 12 people have died, more than 600,000 people are without power right now. there's been over 4,700 flight cancellations out of this thing. schools, systems up and down the eastern seaboard have shut down, with the exception of new york city. >> here we go. >> it's kind of interesting. >> angry al. >> well, the mayor and the school chancellor yesterday said basically you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. and basically they said macy's is open, so schools can be open. >> well, explain that to the parents -- >> they also say there are a lot of kids who depend on school to get a hot meal and if they don't, they may go hungry. >> when you've got blizzard-like conditions, the mayor has issued a hazardous travel advisory. he said stay home, don't go to work but send your kids to school. >> it's a tough decision to make. our kids -- my kid are home from school and it's a tough call. i think the schools are in a tough position and i think for parents it's a hard position as well because you want your kids to be safe as they're getting to school, too. >> i can tell you from my personal reporting from home, some kids are staying home from school, even though school is open. they just can't get out. we actually have a live shot from phoenixville, pennsylvania, now turning to sleep there. they've had 9 inches on the ground, may see another 2 to 3 inches overnight. can you see something you talked about, al, is the accumulation of the snow on those trees, it pulled them right down. >> and now especially along the coast, some of this is changing over to sleet and rain. and then as the system pulls past, it's going to turn back to snow. even if you're getting rain right now, you're not out of the wood yet because chances are once that cold air filters back in, there could be a few more inches over that. >> there could be more. >> very, very dangerous conditions. please be careful out there today. as we said, the weather here -- >> 64. >> got up to 64 degrees. >> not to rub it in or anything. >> you were strolling on the beach, huh? >> yeah. actually, it's so beautiful along the black sea and i caught what was a stunning sight. i actually saw a pod of dolphins just a couple miles offshore from us. if you look out your hotel window, you could probably see them, too, guys. they seem to be out there most mornings. i just had to get some video of that. if they got in the water, i figured i could at least dip my toes in it and they inspired me. it was cold. >> you went swimming? >> no, i did not swim with the dolphins. >> make your dolphin sound. come on, make your dolphin sound. come on. >> i don't do the dolphin sound. >> come on. >> no, you're not going to embarrass me again. >> it was freezing. are you going to go the polar plunge? if you do it, i will. >> you were halfway in. >> it was great. it's so invigorating. you have to try this. you walk on the stones and it's like you're getting a stone massage to your feet. >> isn't that supposed to be a hot stone massage? >> it's okay. highly encourage to you do it. >> you are more of a man than we are. >> tomorrow i'm dragging you two out there. get ready! tomorrow morning we are making sure you guys dip your feet in there, too. >> good luck with that. you don't want to see these feet in there. >> there is a story back home that's pretty incredible. what could be worse than missing out on an olympic medal? being told you got into a college, especially this college, and then being told it's all a mistake. it happened at m.i.t., fewer than one in ten applicants are admitted. last week thousands got a letter and at the bottom it said you'd been admitted to m.i.t. college. >> at m.i.t., how do you have an error? that's a college full of smart guys. >> it should have read you are receiving this e-mail because you applied to m.i.t. and we sometimes have to tell you things about stuff. and the admissions counselor said we're incredibly, incredibly sorry. remember that moment when you open the letter and you saw the letterhead and you said this is it. you think you're in m.i.t., envisioning yourself starting facebook or something and now you're living under a bridge. >> you're out swimming with dolphins. >> oh, my gosh. >> a lot of people i guess getting that message. >> that's just terrible. >> a little bit confused about where they're going to end up. >> if you even applied to m.i.t., you're probably going to go to a good college anyway. good luck if you got one of those e-mails by mistake. >> we got some scary news today. a track worker, who had been struck by a bobsled suffered a broken leg and maybe a concussion. that's the report. the worker had been hit by a four-running sled near the braking area on the track that's used for the sliding races here at sochi, just before the start of thursday's two-man bobsled. >> the training team. >> matt and i were just up there this morning getting ready for our two-man luge thing. you could see the workers on the tracks. i mean, that must have been a horrific scene. >> they say usually before they send a sled down the track, there's always a warning cry of "bob on the track." it still remains to be seen what happened before that event and how this accident happened. usually there are efforts in place to make sure no accidents like this happen. >> you hate to say a broken leg and concussion are good news but -- >> we were worried because last olympics in vancouver on the luge track there was a fatality. >> there was much better news today for the u.s. ski team. they swept the men's ski slope. gold medal to joss christensen. i was watching that this morning. it's breathtaking. they flip, they land four and they flip and land backwards. >> we actually saw the course yesterday because it's right next to the women's halfpipe. we were there for the halfpipe which we'll talk about in a minute. it scary. when you look over at the jumps and the ramps and what they have to do -- >> tv doesn't do it justice. >> yeah. and there's no way. and i love to ski. >> that was the third time in u.s. olympic history that there's been a podium sweep at the olympic games. congratulations to all those guys. as natalie mentioned, the ladies snowboard halfpipe, the u.s. ladies team captured gold and joined by the silver medallist torah bright. here's what they had to say. they're buddies. they get along. >> i think it's very much a part of our culture. it about snowboarding, about the progression of snowboarding and we're all just shredding base. >> we some that camaraderie as they were waiting for scores. they were all hugging each other. it seemed like the longest wait until they could find out who was actually going to be on that podium. >> and a great venue up there, too. they're pumping great music. it was a great vibe up there. >> kelly was talking about how after her fall torah came up and gave her a hug and then she said you need another one and kelly said it slowed her breathing and got her back. >> yesterday randy moss was doing a report on todd lodwick. and let's take a look at the photo bomb that lasted for the remainder of the report. >> reporter: lafs month in france he crash landed after a jump and suffered nondisplaced fractures in his upper left arm, as well as torn ligaments and cartilage. he was in a sling for three weeks. ever since then doctors have been working hard to try to maintain the healing of the fractures while at the same time keeping some flexibility and mobility in that arm. the goal has been for lodwick to participate in the team event. it was a bit of a surprise to see him on the start list today after his first trial jump, they had to help him get his vest off. i asked him are you going to participate in the cross country later this afternoon? it's not just day to day, it's literally hour to hour. hey! >> no, no! he had to know. that was amazing. i give him credit for going through that whole thing. >> that was fantastic. >> meantime swedish gear henrik's baggy pants sliding up and down during his slopestyle qualifying. >> good thing he was wearing underwear. >> i don't think they want to wear them that low. >> what is he, a rapper? >> al whaes, what's going on wi weather? >> this thing is really still causing problems for the next 12 hours or so. as we look, you can see the satellite radar. it's now filling in. the ice, the sleet, we're seeing mostly snow now as the system makes its way up the coast. new york, we're looking at snow and an icy mix as we go into the evening. and it changes back into snow later tonight. airport delays, over 2,200 delays, almost 4800 cancellations all across the country today. here we go, system moves up to the north. you can see that 32 degree line. this low pressure deepens off the coast. the heaviest snow is going to be west of i-95. and it is going to be heavy, it's going to be dense and blowing pretty strongly. 6 to 9 inches in washington, d.c., all tolled 7 to 9 inches. it's now the snowiest winter good morning within 9:12 the time right now. we have fog hanging on tightly and that will be the case until noon. visibility down to three quarters of a mile. elsewhere, lots of foggy skies continue to be the story this morning. we'll see sunshine early this morning. temperatures rebounding nicely near 70 in the east bay. that comes with sun and clouds. have a good one. >> and that's your latest weather. >> we told you about that accident at the sliding center, bobsled training now has resumed. the worker who was injured we're hearing perhaps a concussion and a broken leg. >> that is relatively good news. >> coming up next, it's the cultural heart of russia, one of the most beautiful cities on the face of the earth. we're going to take you let's talk about dreams and the people who choose to pursue them, like gwen, a machine engineer from new york. she's a real person, with a real dream of starting her very own business. and she's got a message for her boss, ted. hi, ted. i quit! wow! just like that, a puppet dream is born. [ turturro ] build your dream online at godaddy. it's go time. one, for making my perfect cup of coffee. one for being the perfect neighbor. and one for no reason at all. ♪ try our delicious new fresh mex bowls with chipotle or margarita chicken. all served with a bowl of soup, like our new southwest chicken. chili's lunch combo starting at 6 bucks. more life happens here. ♪ see what's new at projectluna.com ♪ clovers and blue moons shoes ♪ hourglasses, rainbows ♪ and tasty red balloons let's go! ♪ lucky charms ♪ frosted lucky charms ♪ they're magically delicious if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? this one's a keeper. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®. st. petersburg is the second largest city often described as a cultural capital. >> nancy is here. >> this is a game many times over the last lee years, it is stunning, i should say. you want to feel old russia, they are very much live today. the buildings were designed to showcase the grandeur which rules the fascination for 300 years. wherever you look here, russia's imperial past comes alive and it is easy to imagine the fortunate few, the nobility and royalty, who called the city home. >> the aristocracy was comprised of roughly 100 families who had ancient lineages, extreme wealth and centuries of service to the czars of russia. it was about money, breeding, history, pedigree and past. >> reporter: so much of what we understand as quintessentially russian culture, arts, literature and music was born in the aristocracy. >> so much of what we understand as russian culture the arts and music, was born in the a aristocracy. even the leader of the revolution was the son of a nobleman. >> he's really very special, not only for russia but for the whole world. >> reporter: this doctor is the woman behind the restoration of the cathedral. >> a descendant of the romanov family. they still come here and ask to be buried here? >> yes. >> reporter: but you don't need a drop of royal blood to experience life as it was once lived. at this restaurant founded 300 years ago, aristocratic cuisine is the specialty. and just outside in the woods where catherine the great surveyed her empire, even a commoner can feel like a princess. yes, it was the treat of a lifetime, a ride in the snow in st. petersburg. i've always said this is a city that should be on everyone's must-do list. i think it is so glistening, it should be on everyone's bucket list. do not leave this world without going there. >> good caviar. >> coming up, we'll get you caught up on all the news you need before you leave the house this morning. >> and we'll get a chance to hang out with team usa's figure skating pairs teams. >> but first these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] you say tomato. ♪ old el paso says diced tomato stand 'n stuff chicken tacos. ♪ you say what's for dinner? old el paso says start somewhere fresh. 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[ zach ] i can't help out as much as i used to. do you need help? [ doorbell rings ] let's open it up. it's a swiffer sweeper. swiffer dusters. it can extend so i don't have to get on the step stool. i don't know how it stays on there. it's like a dirt magnet -- just like my kids. [ afi ] this is a danger zone. that is crazy. ah haha! [ zach ] yeah. no, this definitely beats hanging out on a step ladder. good jump, baby. general motors is recalling nearly 780,000 compact cars in north america because the engines can shut down and cause crashes. they say six people have been killed in crashes related to the problem. dealers will replace the ignition switch for free. >> get ready to say good-bye to swipe-and-sign credit card transactions. beginning in 2015, you'll just insert your card into a slot where the machine will read a microchip instead of a magnetic sweep. you will still have to sign until banks decide if they want a pifshgs -- p.i.n. associated with your card. >> a blockbuster deal in terms of cable television. comcast is buying time warner cable. price tag is $45.2 billion in stock. the deal would make comcast the nation's largest cable and meat provider. >> combine breathtaking scenery with a heart pounding stunt, you get two french dare devils high above the clouds in spain. this is ridiculous. neither of them made it. not to worry, they landed safely with the help of parachutes there. and still to come this morning, the olympic fashion that is all the rage here in sochi. yes, we're talking reindeer hats apparently. but first, your local news and more on your weather. talking rs apparently. but first, your local news and more on your weather. tonight in speed skating sprinters take the ice this evening. heather richardson of the united states and world record holder brittney vying for the world title. heather richards of the united states. for more top moments go to nbc olympics.com/nbcmoments. honey? uh-huh? ♪ [ female announcer ] this valentine's day, spend less time communicating... happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] ...and more time...connecting. 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>> i'm in a fog and so are the drivers. we're looking toward palo alto. a quarter mile visibility on this side of the bridge. look at the maps, our traffic weather index shows where there is likely to have a problem with visibility. 880 over there from hayward north to oak lanld. highway 17 starting to improve, but north 85 just starting to improve. there is folks backing up, it may be an offramp there causing the slow down from 87 up to the area. >> thank you, another local news update for you in half an hour. have a great morning. look at that shot. that is gorgeous. we're getting all the light this week. it's a beautiful shot here, back in olympic park in sochi, russia. >> one of our camera guys said "isn't that the same moon we have?" >> no, they make different moons here in russia. they have more moons here. >> looks a little different after three or four vodkas, doesn't it? >> by the time you get to our hour, these guys are almost blackout drunk. it's amazing. >> how many vodka bottles back there, guys? >> i'm willie geist along with al and natalie. but you know that by now. we're here at olympic park in sochi, russia. i want to show you a clip from a movie, every piece of dialogue is the title of a movie. they used 154 movie titles. >> good burger. >> good as it gets. >> out of sight. make it happen. >> taking sides? >> home fries. >> layer cake. >> cake. >> just go with it. >> she's having a baby. >> top secret. >> mom a mia. >> she gets what she wants. >> nine and a half weeks. >> eight and a half. >> cocktail? >> manhattan. >> juice? >> milk. >> 15 minutes? >> we wait. >> that is so good. >> how about a good burger reference? ryan hunter from the brooklyn comedy group. >> brilliant. >> i'd like to try to do that with the weather. >> mash up the weather. >> next time when it's maybe a little less serious. let's show you what we got going on. starting with today. we are looking at that storm system coming up the snow bringing heavy snow, wet weather in the pacific northwest. that weather coming by is going to be bringing more snow into the great lakes. for tomorrow, the sun and warmth continue from the gulf coast, texas, florida. the rain expands into the pacific northwest. frigid, cold air makes its way into the plains. if you're looking for a little silver lining by late next week, we see a change in the pattern so that we are looking at warmer air throughout much of the country. we need it. good morning, 9:32 is the time right now. hots of fog across every micro climate this morning. you'll notice in san jose right now we're starting to get a little break in that fog and by this afternoon well see temperatures back into the mid 60s by 4:00. 67 degrees. not bad after all. it will be cloudy and cool in the north bay and san francisco. that's your latest weather. just face timed with the lovely geist children. >> yes, you did, george and lucy geist, home from school today. >> christine tied up there in the corner. >> she was there. they got to meet al roker from russia. >> they saw me do my newscast. i waved to them. >> go to school, by the way. >> no, they can stay home. >> a chance to make industry is happening. javier hernandez could be the furst figure skater from spain to win an olympic medal. i caught up with him recently. >> and it's a man from spain, 21-year-old javier fernandez taking the ice. >> from winning bronze at the 2013 world championship -- >> triple salchow beautifully landed -- >> to winning back-to-back golds at the european championship, javier fernandez is now hoping to lend on the podium in sochi. >> congratulations. you just won the european championship. how are you feeling? >> thank you. i feel great. >> you're at the peak right now. this is your moment. >> i have to keep improving, keep working and do everything we can for us to try to win a medal at sochi. >> there you go. perfect. >> helping javier achieve his goal is his coach, canadian brian orser, who also coached elena kim. on top of all that athleticism, he has the creative, too. >> the music and interpretation and choreography is what he's going for. but his character comes out. there's something special about this guy. >> he's a spaniard. showmanship. >> it comes across with him and everyone falls in love with him. >> i had a little time to spend with javier on the ice when he was training in toronto. >> awesome! >> he fell in love with skating when he was 6 following his sister on to the ice. you grew up like these little kids at a young age, the age of 6 you started skating. do you remember that first time on the ice? >> i do remember a couple of things. i do remember when i was on the ice, i would never want to go off. >> at his first olympic in vancouver, javier placed 14th. >> there's only four years difference but i grew up like a skater a lot. now it's completely different because now this olympics i fight to be on the podium, i fight to be on the top. >> what would it mean for you to be on that stand and bring a medal to spain in ice skating, which you'd be making history. >> yes, it will be a huge, huge thing. you will not imagine how much it will mean to me and to so many people. i just have to believe in myself, believe that i can do it. >> well, i've got a little surprise for you. >> oh, my god. oh, oh, my god. a little treat after a day on the ice. >> thank you. >> something from spain. cheers. >> cheers. >> gracias. >> and javier fernandez also had the honor of carrying the spanish flag during the opening ceremony, so we wish him a lot of luck. >> you know the way to his heart. >> you looked pretty comfortable in the pairs skating there. >> it was great. he lifted me and it was like i had been on the ice forever. >> coming up next, it's team usa's skating pairs fresh off of last night's event. u[ male announcer ] it'sh off of surprising what your mouth goes through in a day. but what's even more surprising is that brushing alone isn't enough to keep it clean. fortunately, you've got listerine®. unlike brushing which misses 75% of your mouth, listerine® cleans virtually your entire mouth. so what are you waiting for? 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marissa? >> i think we're all feeling great. we all got great scores and skated really well. we're so excited to be here. >> simon, what do you think about the future for you guys? this was your first olympics obviously, you come in and see what a big event it is. now you've been here once. what do you think now four years down the road? >> absolutely. it's actually become a little addictive. we've done this once so we had the opportunity to do it twice as the team event. we want to do this again for sure. it's such an incredible experience, you know, as many times as we can do this, we want to do it. >> you guys were first out. talk about a little pressure. what did you do to calm yourself? >> we had no pressure on us. we just went out there and had a great time and we practiced skating first so many times at home, just going out and having a five-minute warmup. early in the morning or later in the afternoon. so it was just like home for us. >> and i think you guys are still so young and relatively new to international competition. so to be here at the winter olympics your first time around, i mean, how are you feeling about this whole experience? >> we're just feeling great. it's a wonderful thing at nationals to be able to put our consistency that we've worked so hard on. we are still a new team and we're going to look forward and use this as a stepping stone for what's to come. >> just the beginning for you two. >> marissa, tell us what it is about these russian pairs that make them so great. we all watch, we're casual observers and say there's something special and different about them. what makes them so good at what they do? >> the russians are great at just perfecting everything. they have the best lines in the world obviously because they're winning. but there's such a strong history of russian pairs through all time almost. they're just great at pairs skating. >> we've all had people that we've admired and watched and learned something from. when you watch the russians, do you find you picked up something, you've learned something, you've seen something that you think maybe i can do something like this? >> definitely. they have the best twists in the world, they have great throws. they're just such great, strong individual skaters. >> marissa, i read you're a psychology major, is that right? >> yes. >> is that what you're going to get into or keep it to skating for a while. >> keep it to skating for a while and do psychology after to keep myself busy. i'm hoping to get a career in psychology. >> pyongyang 2018, right? >> yeah. >> coming up next, the outrageous olympic fashions that are stealing some of the spot light here in sochi, the good, the bad and the ugly. but first these messages. ♪ see what's new at projectluna.com [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda™ [ ding! ] losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-popcorn decoy bucket. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures only chex mix is a bag of interesting. ♪ [ male announcer ] give extra. get extra. ♪ tthe pleasure you crave bjust got real.leasure? light & fit greek nonfat yogurt. irresistible flavors, like toasted coconut vanilla, with a thick creamy texture. never have 80 calories tasted so satisfying. light & fit greek. taste satisfaction without sacrifice. ♪ dannon hey, is it true we can get four lines, unlimited talk and text and 10 gigs of data to share for 160 a month? yep. at&t's new family pricing. that's 100 bucks cheaper than us. i know. are you guys with verizon? what makes you think that? oh. just her nametag. and i see you guys at the food court every day. can we go back now? yeah. [ male announcer ] introducing our best-ever pricing for families. 10 gigs of data to share. unlimited talk and text. and 4 lines for $160 a month. only from at&t. welcome back to sochi. olympic rings are blue, red, green and black. >> i went out in search of the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly of olympic fashion. >> norwegian patches. >> i like that. >> or legos or something. >> the norwegian curling team is once again making a statement at the olympics. four years ago in vancouver, the norwegians showed their national pride in delightfully hideous fashion after siding the uniforms they'd been issued were too dull. >> we tried to find some colorful pants online and bought them really. ended up being a point of no return. >> norway won silver in vancouver and quickly found being the guys in the bad pants has its benefits. >> took like 200 pictures, a couple of girls asked me to marry them. i thought this is big. i thought i can do this. >> olympic fashion, like all fashion, has been hit or miss over the year. some wondered about team usa's christmas sweaters at the opening ceremony. it was a different direction certainly from the united states' long history of cowboy hats and denim. at least the american team was dressed for the season. bermuda wore shorts and knee highs. the cayman islands wore flip-flops and the germans went with every color in the rainbow. perhaps the best goes to this german skier going full mariachi as he tackles the slopes. and it's reflected on their helmet, angry birds and brains. sochi's loudest contingent in terms of color is the netherlands. >> how do i look? that wasn't very convincing. >> whoo. >> and now modelling out for us live, our model natalie morales has the german open ceremony jacket on. >> couldn't you get a smaller size for me? >> no, it looks good on you. >> the oversized baggy look is good. is this the sochi trend? >> a lot going on under that jacket. >> i like the patch. i look the colors but i don't know if i like it all together. >> what are some of the outstanding fashion choices? guys good morning. >> hey! >> you're olympic fashion pick is the nike metal jacket. >> i found out today olympians are walking around in the navy jacket and you don't get this one until you win a gold medal. inside it says "this is your moment," which is pretty cool. and it's from herb brooks from the 1980 miracle on ice. >> and you can buy it here, too. >> you can buy it, too. >> pretend you won a gold medal. >> and the other hot item is a reindeer hat. it's cute. >> let's talk about the figure skater catalina. >> being a gymnast and being into what we really love, i always design my own costume and and it was just like a timeless piece that you can always look back on. so many people are looking for intricate designs and it was just simple. >> let's keep it in ice skating. plyushchenko, you loved the black suit he was wearing. >> looking at the men's event, i think we saw a trend starting to formality vancouver where a lot of guys were shying away from the ornate, overdecorated outfits. plyushchenko, this was pretty simple for him. for him this is very simple and it highlights his athleticism and doesn't detract from what he's doing on the ice. >> let's not forget the outfit you wore four years ago. the black snake suit. >> at the everyone called it very simple. in comparison to what the other guys were wearing it was very pared down. >> do you have it still? >> i've just recently got it back from an olympic museum. i haven't slipped into it yet. >> this is "today" on nbc. almond. a good that comes in 25 flavors. from whole natural to wasabi and soy sauce. good is a catalyst. good is a contagious and magical feeling. and once it gets going, there's no stopping what you can do. get your good going. blue diamond almonds. official snack nut of the u.s. ski team. russia just had a big win over slovenia. we stand the united states is up big in their games. you're wearing the coolest thing in sochi right now. >> good morning, everyone. 9:56, i'm scott mcgrew. flowers and cards along a sidewalk last night. more than 100 people gathered to remember a bouncer that was stabbed to death. he was off duty, but at the nightclub early yesterday morning when a man reportedly carrying a case of knives was asked to leave. he left aren't the same time. minutes later he was found stabbed to death on the corner of first and santa clara. heavy snow and ice pounding the east coast as we speak. sfo reporting cancellations and delays as well. urged to call your airline if you're going anywhere. let's check our weather with anthony. >> that's right, the visibility behind me at the golden gate bridge. this is the scenario as we wake up across every single micro climate zone. we're starting to see peeks of sunshine and that will boost us to 70 degrees later on. cloudy and cool in san francisco and the north bay. elsewhere will be near 70, not a bad afternoon coming our way after all. let's talk about that commute. >> southbound 101 with a person with a stalled car. very worried about them because cars were coming up very quickly and changing lanes at the last minute. the map will show you the orange here related to the fog. the dumbarton bridge has one issued because of the fog. it was tough this morning, slower speeds, and the orange continues for the south bay all over the place. it will be starting to clear. look at sunol. blue skies there. >> sounds good looks good. another local news update for you in half an hour. ♪ ♪ ♪ where you think you're gonna go ♪ ♪ when your time's all gone? [ male announcer ] live a full life. the new lexus ct hybrid with an epa estimated 42 mpg. ♪ the further you go, the more interesting it gets. this is the pursuit of perfection. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. ♪ walking in a winter wonderland ♪ >> the only thing i like about this day is hearing myself sing. other than that, it's not sochi, it's sucky, right here. thirsty thursday here, february 13th, in the midst of what they like to call a catastrophic storm. >> along east coast, it is really hammering down. usually rockefeller center looks like it never snows, even when it does. if you look behind us, a, there's a crowd, which is shocking. >> crazy people. >> they're out there in it. and, b, it's really coming down. when they can't stop the snow from hitting the ground in rockefeller center, you know that there is an issue. but, anyway, it's a really, really snowy day. just got to -- >> it is not as bad as i thought it was. >> no, no. >> there are people getting -- >> what? >> what happened? >> what? >> the lady -- >> what lady? >> really? >> is she okay? >> she's fine. >> oh. you got to be -- >> you have to be careful out there. >> you have to know what you're doing out there. they're helping her. she's all right. she's all right. >> anyway -- >> we have to let them in. they're going to think we're horrible. we have to let you in on this. that lady is a plant. she's a professional stunt woman and fitness instructor. she's going to come in in a little bit and tell you how to fall -- >> correctly. sometimes when you fall, you really hurt yourself. >> and nothing is funnier than that to hoda. >> hoda started this. you're going to be really sorry by the end of next week. >> here's the thing. we said we would have one shot out here. >> you did. >> one for each medal. then we said that of these we -- we don't know how many plants -- >> there are four real shots and the rest is water. >> yeah. 12 total because we had four gold, and two silver and six bronze. we said we would take a shot. >> we're second place behind norway. bigger odd s now -- worse odds. you ready? >> we're going it take one shot. >> i'll take the one that has the least in it just in case it's -- why am i in on what you said you would do? >> because we're a team. you're doing what i'm doing. >> okay. i apologize to my mother. are you ready? >> wait. all but four are water. so only four are not water. right? four are vodka. just making sure. i want it clear before we start. >> all right. >> it's going to be a long week next week. long, long, long. lovely ice water, though. i enjoyed that very much. >> how did you know? which is which? it is russian roulette. we'll play again tomorrow. >> we have some winners in pairs figure skating, big night for the russians. they took home gold and silver. this was fun because, well, they're usually very stoic. and that guy, especially -- >> they had a difficult time in vancouver. this was their comeback skate. they came back. you know when you nailed something, these guys are not emotional, until right now. >> and they really let it go. >> but not with each other. they didn't even hug each other. he got away from her as fast as he could and went yeah! so much for valentine's day in sochi. >> by the way, how are the flowers going to get flivvdeliv on the east coast. valentine's day is tomorrow and it is a blizzard. there are a lot of people. >> lovely little markets you can get to here. >> i'm talking about around the whole east coast. people put their orders in. they want their flowers delivered. any who. here is something really unusual -- >> in the scheme of things, just seems -- >> i want my flowers! i'm kidding. >> oh, no, she's not either. what happened? >> this has never, ever happened before. if you missed the women's downhill this is interesting. a swiss and a slovenian skier did something never done before in the slalom. they tied down to the mil millisecond. they skied down 1:45.57 seconds. they share a gold medal. you think about it, down to a tenth of a second or 100th of a second they tied. this never happens. >> like when katharine hepburn and barbra streisand both won at the oscars. >> what? oh, okay. any who -- >> thought it would be interesting, but apparently not. i can't win them all. forbes has just come out with its most trustworthy celebrities and we are not on it. >> of course not. what makes somebody trustworthy? >> i know what makes somebody trustworthy to me, their credibility and the trust that we put in them for a long, long time and have never blown it. >> so here are the top five. we'll start from five and work down. >> who seems to be genuine. >> betty white is five. >> i think betty white -- >> i can't remember who was four. who was four? michael j. fox. morgan freeman number three. carol burnett number two. and the number one most trusted celebrity in all of the nation is -- >> tom hanks. we were with him the other night. sitting in the front row, ado adoriador adoring his wife rita wilson while she was singing. >> they're such a loving -- >> they are -- >> do you not like my dress? you keep looking at it? >> i love your dress. but it needs to be retired. i saw you were wearing it today. i lost count of how many times i had to match it, because this is what we do. she picks it out, what she's going to wear. i have to rummage through what i've got. so i've got a little help today. >> what? >> this dress was picked out by ross, who is on our show today. >> ross the intern? >> no, not ross the intern. >> oh, ross from e. >> e channel. he tweeted everything. and i said this is what hoda is wearing for the umteenth time, so i need a little help. >> kathy and craig are here with their two children. they are a great family. they adopt these wonderful kids from haiti. they're behind the scenes. do you like the dress? >> love it. >> you know she's going to take you to lunch or something. they were in your book. >> in the new book. we're excited. i have something for my play list that is actually a total change of pace for me. >> that's good. >> it is very chill. it is very mellow. and i -- i don't know, i probably should have pumped it up today. something about this song that is haunting and beautiful, called "say something," by a great big world and christina aguilera. ♪ say something i'm giving up on you ♪ ♪ i'll be the one if you want me to ♪ >> stop it! ♪ anywhere i would have followed you ♪ ♪ say something i'm giving up on you ♪ >> i'm giving up on this, i'm telling you. ♪ and i >> there is christina. ♪ i'm feeling so small >> pretty, right? >> beautiful. >> where is the lady who kept her -- >> beautiful. >> as lovely as it is, i like it when i hate them better. >> i know. i know. bringing it down. >> i'm sorry. i was in a bad mood when i picked it. we would like to bring on amy hoff. >> you did well. >> you were awesome. >> okay, we should point out people really do fall on the snow and ice. >> and do hurt themselves. >> there is a proper way to do it -- look at you. people were helping you, which i loved. shows new yorkers are nice, or tourists. who are visiting. >> we should let people know i am a stunt performer and fitness expert. >> we told them that. >> wanted to make sure. >> what is the right way to fall, if you start losing your balance? >> tuck and roll, that's really important. people put out their hands, that's when they break the arms, the wrists. >> instinctive is the trouble. >> it is. if you can pull in like this -- >> protect yourself. >> into a ball. >> right. make yourself as small as possible. if you're going down to the sides, put your arm down this way, you don't want your elbow going down. so, yeah, and to the back, with the biggest thing is people going -- >> yeah. >> like that. fall back, tuck your knees in if you can and sort of slap the ground. it is hard. >> you practiced this. we just are tripping and don't have -- we have like a tenth of a second. >> remember tuck and roll. >> remember the other day, like three months ago, the day after thanksgiving, and i was going to take that face plant and at the last minute i said -- your nose or your teeth or the cheekbone, and at the last minute, it was a mess, but you do have a split second there, don't yo huh? >> yes. and taking your head away from the ground is really going to protect your head the most and have your shoulder take it. rather break something here rather than your face. tuck and roll, might sort of lose the wind out of your body, but that's so much better than breaking a bone. >> thank you. we're glad you're okay. thanks for playing. >> tuck and roll today, people. >> tuck and roll. don't miss a second of the olympic action in sochi. >> and jenna bush hager has a behind the scenes look for us. >> oh, good. and two ladies see their new look, hot new look on this cold day, for the very first time. >> results of our "ambush makeover." get ready to be surprised right afte latte or au lait? 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[ female announcer ] pore refining cleanser. ♪ see what's new atncer ] porprojectluna.comnser. yeah, straight talk has nationwide 4g lte coverage on one of america's largest and most dependable networks. hmmm. and you save up to $950 a year? yep. nice...but i bet you have to get one of those old generic brick phones. paperweight. nope...it's compatible with all the latest smartphones. hashtag... lots-o-options. hashtag... awesome. hashtag - hashtag....what? get a $100 walmart gift card when you purchase the samsung galaxy s3 on straight talk. and pay only $45 a month for unlimited talk, text and data with no contract. walmart. it is time now for "ambush makeovers" with the early crew over in sochi, covering the olympics and the snowstorm that just will not go away. there were slim pickings on the plaza this morning, but we still managed to find -- >> slim. >> two ladies who want a whole new look. >> giving them that new look is our resident makeover team, "today" contributor and stylist to the stars -- >> louis licari. >> and contributing editor for "people style watch" and author jill martin. >> gorgeous jill martin. >> okay, kids. before we get started, give a shoutout to jill. jill walked in the red dress show last -- >> thursday. wowed them. >> strutted. >> oh, my gosh, jill. you look -- >> you look good, girl. >> whose dress is that? you look amazing. >> awesome. good job. >> modern girl. >> we should confess, we weren't out there today in the snow because no one was out here, right? >> no, in sochi. >> our first lucky lady was ann delano from new york city. she finally got ready to jump back into the job market, so she begged us to give her a whole new life and a new chapter in her life. let's listen to her story. >> well, we could all use an "ambush makeover" on days like this. you wanted this for a long time. >> yes, i have. >> so tell me. >> i've watched the show for many years and seen all the people and i always thought that i looked as bad as they did. so why not me? >> oh, we love that. you look fabulous. but we are going to make you look more fabulous because you're looking for a job. >> i am. i have an interview next week and i want to look as young and as polished as possible. >> you are in luck today. we have you covered. thank you. >> i appreciate it. >> yes, they do. she is here with her friends abbie and jess. keep your blindfolds on for a second. here is ann delano before. ann, let's see the new you. oh! >> wow! >> all right. take yours off. >> oh, my god. >> are you okay? are you ready to see yourself, ann? >> yes. >> all right, turn around right here. >> okay. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> hello, new job. >> hello, hire me. >> yes. >> look right here. >> i'm ruining it. >> no, you're not. tell us about the hair. tell us about the hair. >> happy tears. ann is a great story. you have no idea how beautiful you are. she has not been working and she admitted -- i won't say how long, but she's been out there on the dating scene. she's ready for both. and what we did is we just gave her a little boost. i made her hair color a little bit warmer, just makes her skin complexion come alive and accented the whole thing with makeup and told me cut off inches of her hair, which make her look years younger. >> i love it. >> jill, the dress is -- the perfect fit. >> i'm so happy we had it. this is project gravitas. this is great for different job interviews because you can mix and match the jewelry. >> big round of applause. >> she loves it. >> ann, join your friends. >> wonderful. >> our second lady is julie, 55 from west ches westchester, new. she said she was finally ready to try something new. let's hear her story. >> well, at first you were going to play hooky because you wanted this so badly, but then a snow day. so you really lucked out, meant to be. >> absolutely, absolutely. couldn't wait. so excited. >> so tell me why this is so important to you. >> because i need to look different. i need to look -- i don't know, i don't like my look. >> total change. lewis can do whatever he wants. total change. >> i don't care. he can do anything. >> you like red hair? >> um, i don't know, maybe. we'll see. >> just kidding. here we go. >> julie, we might see -- we might see a red head coming out. she's here now with her two beautiful daughters, gina and dana. one last look at julie before. and let's bring out the new and maybe red headed julie. >> oh my gosh. >> wow. >> all right, take a look, please. >> oh, my goodness. >> i love it. >> more kleenex, please. >> oh, wow. are you ready to see? turn around, sweetheart. you're going to like what you see. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> beautiful. >> you're allowed to say i'm gorgeous. i'm gorgeous. >> i'm not used to it. >> look here, look at camera four right here. >> wow, wow. >> i'm not crying. i'm excited. with julie, here is -- i was terribly intimidated because her daughter is a hairdresser and does her hair all the time. >> oh. >> i might be strangled after the segment. >> no, it is beautiful. >> what i did is i lightened her hair, which made it softer, more attractive and took off years. this added fullness, softness and worked with her face shape. >> you can tell -- >> i think the daughters are happy. >> you like it? >> love it. >> don't you love the color too? >> so pretty. >> and that makeup job as well. and -- >> tell us, of course, the dress. beautiful. >> she loves poke why d s polka. we happened to have polka dots. this is from maggie london. >> big round of applause for our ladies. >> good job, louis, jill, as usual. you're beautiful. guess who we're all going to get to meet in a minute? the hot swedish star of the new robocop film is here. >> and lou manfredini is here with a quick fix. coming up right after this. reveal your most extraordinary hair... ....every day. for fine thin hair -- a transformation awaits. l'oreal presents volume filler shampoo. our first haircare with filloxane -- to actually increase the diameter of your hair. with volume filler, hair's instantly thicker ... ... feels like 2 times more hair. a transformation that lasts, wash after wash. more than beautiful -- extraordinary. new volume filler. from l'oreal advanced haircare. the science behind extraordinary hair. and you're worth it! yo,move fast fruit flavor,fe, watermelon, blue razz green apple. your taste buds dancing. it's the jolly rancher, we make it happen. untamed fruit flavor. jolly rancher. you've got to try this sweet & sour chicken helper. i didn't know they made chicken. crunchy taco or four cheese lasagna? 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[ superfan ] hey, america, we're here to help. ♪ [ superfan ] hey, america, we're here to help. [ male announcer ] can't take a sick day tomorrow. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] so he can't let a cold keep him up tonight. vicks nyquil. powerful nighttime 6 symptom cold and flu relief. ♪ are so soft, chewy, and filled with their fruity selves... they think this world isn't big enough for the both of them. but we assure you - it is. bites. little greatness. good times happen] with100% naturally. and they're never, ever watered down. welcome to the art of fun, not the artificial. so grab a gogo, and enjoy the squeeze. we are gogo squeez. and we are more than just applesauce. we are awesome sauce! gogo squeez. 10 varieties, 100% fruit, applesauce on-the-go. time to head to sochi for "today's" olympic action. >> two girls with the front row seats, jenna bush hager. >> hey, girl. how are you? >> hi, guys, how are you? >> i'm sorry. >> wait, i'm glowing in the dark? i'm glowing in the dark. >> have you heard them all? heard all the jokes? >> yes. i've heard the jokes. i've heard the jokes. people said they were blinded by me earlier. that was a compliment. >> are you having fun, jenna? >> we're having a great time. i mean, i'm sorry that it is freezing there, but it is actually lovely here. i'm not wearing a coat at the winter olympics. >> it is practically a blizzard outside of 30 rock. it is a blizzard. what is the temperature there? >> it was 61 earlier. earlier i had just my long underwear on, which is -- is that appropriate? they're long. but my long underwear on, right? on the mountains. you didn't like that joke, kathie lee? it was just for you. on the mountain i felt like -- no, you didn't like it. i felt like i was getting sunburned. >> that's what we're seeing. >> matt was interviewing the girls and they were in tank tops. you couldn't believe -- >> i thought it was "sports illustrated" models, they're just adorable. >> that's crazy. >> and tell us about the big sweep we had, gold, bronze -- >> this was amazing. >> and silver. what happened? >> yes, it was amazing. i spent the day at slope style skiing and adventure parks up in the mountains. we swept it. so these adorable boys, we have nick, josh and gus, all three medaled. it was an amazing day. it was terrific because i watched it with their parents. so i got to see what olympic parents go through watching their -- okay, so this is josh. he won the gold. he told me that his dad passed away this year. his mom had planned to come three days before the olympics started. and he said, i'm so glad that my mom came, because he wouldn't have been celebrating with any family members. and he said, you know, i skied for my dad. he was up there watching me. and it was really a touching, lovely, lovely moment. and i told him, yeah, your dad has best seat in the house. it was terrific to be with these g boys. i had a wonderful day. >> one guy is adopting the dogs. he's getting a lot of attention, isn't he? >> there are a lot of stray dogs around here. they're beautiful russian dogs. and gus started adopting them and putting pictures of himself with these puppies up on his twitter page and he -- see, there they are. look at those dogs. >> sweet. >> i think he's going to take them home, which is pretty amazing. >> that's going to be a coup, getting them out of a -- good luck getting them out. >> you're right. that's another story. i myself want a puppy, but that ain't going to happen. >> jenna, doing a great job. thanks, hon. >> i miss you. see you soon. do you have a leaky faucet that needs ♪ [ female announcer ] most of the time it's easy to know which option is better. other times, not so much. so it's good to know that mazola corn oil has 4 times more cholesterol blocking plant sterols than olive oil. and a recent study found that it can help lower cholesterol 2 times more. take care of those you love and cook deliciously. mazola makes it better. [ female announcer ] we lowered her fever, you kept the midnight watch. infants' tylenol® reduces fever and pain while being gentle on the tummy. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. infants' tylenol®. good morning, 10:26, i'm scott mcgrew. after two years of waiting the case against the man accused of kidnapping and killed 15-year-old sierra lamar believes forward today. garc garcia-torres will be indicted today. lamar was last seen in march of 2012 after she left her home in morgan hill. she never made it to school and her body has never been found. >> a driver in a reportedly stolen uhaul lost control while speeding and hit three cars and a poll in oakland this morning. the driver was taken to the hospital for nonlife threatening injuries. oakland police say the truck was stolen out of vallejo yesterday. welcome back, time is 10:29 right now. in san jose we have a little fog, but it's starting to clear. by this afternoon we have a good mix of sun and clouds. temperatures comfortable in the mid to upper 60s. throughout the day the fog will stick around in places like san francisco. the north bay not going to see a lot of sunshine but a few peeks here and there. let's check that drive, here is mike. >> anthony, as you're talking about things are changing. we can't yet see the san mateo bridge yet from foster city, but it is changing minute by minute. south we're looking at the palo alto area for the 101 and the sun coming out. the map will show you that's the only patch where we have that orange. that's the only shot where the clouds come down and a smooth drive to the bay bridge. we're back with more of "today" on this thirsty thursday. you may recognize joel kinnaman as the guy who plays detective steven holder in the drama series "the killing". >> now he's starring in the big screen reboot of "robocop." like the original, alex murphy is given a new lease on life, transformed into part man, part robot, crime fighting machine. >> here is what happens when alex and his wife reconnect. whoo. >> test the connection. >> it's so good to finally see you. >> i was going to say the same thing. i'm sorry. i know how i must look to you. >> i think you look beautiful. >> this is a love story "robocop." hello, joel. how are you? >> congratulations. first lead in a major motion picture. >> we are so excited for you. >> thank you. me too. >> you auditioned three times for this. >> yes. >> tell us about the process. >> i had to work hard. i was shooting up in -- shooting my tv series "the killing" in vancouver. had to fly down to l.a. and three weekends in a row and then finally i got the call. >> you are swedish. have you done a lot of -- >> half and half. my dad is american. my mom is swedish. i grew up in sweden. >> have you done a lot of english speaking films or do some -- >> i've done a couple now. maybe five or six films. and then a tv show, of course. >> you said you were a little late coming to the acting world. you were 21. that didn't seem too old. >> i was in a tv series when i was 10, but me and everybody -- i try to forget it, everybody keeps reminding me of it. it was pretty atrocious, but i did have an experience early and then i came back to when i was 21. >> this is the reboot of "robocop." there was the first one. must have come out when you were a little -- a wee little boy. >> i was around 8 years old. >> were you interested in it back then? >> for sure. i have this weird -- a made up memory i went to see it with my dad. and my dad completely denies that. says he has no idea what i'm talking about. >> but you got into character. >> i did. >> you did "the robocop". >> had the memory, first time i was in l.a., i sat down with harrison ford and he gave me a smoothie and we were hanging out. and then, of course, first time i was in l.a. is when i was 21. >> did you make up dating olivia mon munn? are you really dating her? >> we love her, by the way. how can she not be here in the snow? >> stay out of the weather. >> she knows how we treat her here. >> she's a trouper. we take good care of her when she's here. she co-hosted our show. >> i heard that. >> do you know what she did? >> no. >> you would have been humiliated. look. look. first of all, she sang, drank, drank -- >> chugged. >> look what we have in the snow. >> we were on empty. it was st. patrick's day. what is she like to hang out with? >> she's a hoot. you know? she's a lot of fun. >> she's very different from you, isn't she? you seem very calm and -- >> yeah. >> very steady. >> yes. we complement each other like that, yeah. >> well, tell us about if we have any time, i want to hear about the year that you spent in texas with the weirdest couple on the planet. >> tell us that story. >> that is such a weird story. >> yeah. there was strange couple. when i first got into the house, they had these -- i was an exchange student for a year, and i stayed with this couple, and they said that they had a 26-year-old son. i never met him, never saw him. never heard about him again. and in their house they had these 11 little dogs that were all running around everywhere. and they had no furniture. it was just white tile and white walls and the second day i was there, the host mother, she said, like, if you want to go watch a movie, you can go look in the cupboard, we got a bunch of movies. you can watch any win you want. i was like all right. i opened up the cupboard and it was all cartoons. just cartoons. >> and no pictures on the wall, no nothing. >> crazy. you have an interesting life. >> strange one, joel. >> yes. >> great to meet you. >> great to meet you too. >> give our best to olivia and all the best with "robocop". >> it is in theaters now. he's a machine when it comes to fixing things around the house. >> lou manfredini with solutions to your big problems. >> he got a start as an intern and now he's a big time tv host. >> and he dressed me today. ross matthews right after this. he's got some explaining to do. yeah, straight talk has nationwide 4g lte coverage on one of america's largest and most dependable networks. hmmm. and you save up to $950 a year? 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[ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. we're back and it is time to ask lou about how to handle all those pesky problems that creep up around your house. >> here to help save you some money and help you learn how to do it yourself is all these home repairs is "today" contributor and host of the syndicated show "house smarts". >> lou manfredini. >> hello, lou. give us some lou love. >> yes, ma'am. >> first question comes from deb waddle. she has bigger holes in her wall than a patch kit will fix. what should she do. >> step sideways for a second. this looks like a piece of dice. they have magnetic patch kits you can get. if you don't have one of those, this is a keyhole saw. we cut this out already so i can show you. you'll cut a big square. whatever size the hole is, you'll cut that out. and you take this drywall out. >> throw it out. >> throw it out. >> no good for anything. >> i put this here, this is a board that you're going to put in -- behind that hole and screw through the drywall to hold the board. we'll take one of these real quick, and i'll show you how you do this. fit it through the hole. this is a little piece of one by four, a little larger. i'm holding is in place and with that -- >> i love to watch that. >> you put a few more screws in there. and then i've already cut a piece, you're going to fit inside there, see if this works, okay? and it fit inside there like that. >> not exactly, but good enough for hoda. >> okay, hold that. hold that. >> that looks fine with nothing. >> put a painting over it. >> there we go. now because i put that board there -- >> you can attach it to the board. >> that's what i was going to say. >> look what do you do with this empty gap. >> you tape it, put the mud around it f, finish it, paint i you're done. >> up next, ashley wants to know an easy way to fix nail pops. >> hand me the screw again again. >> what? >> right behind you is a nail pop. >> what is a nail pop. >> a nail pop is when the nail in the drywall comes out and makes a hole in the drywall. take drywall screws on either side where the nail is, and go ahead and screw that in, push the drywall in. see the nail, if we show slowly, that nail now is sticking up. put your finger on there. >> i'll put my finger on there. you put your finger there. >> you do it, lou . >> take a pair of pliers and grab that nail and pull that sucker out, all the way. >> now you have two holes. >> i know. but now -- the point is now that nail is not going to come out. and it is not going to pop again. >> okay. >> trust me, it is coming out. >> then you take -- then you take some spackle over all three holes, because the screws are there, won't pop again. you touch up the paint and it is done. >> ful lot of trouble. >> jane said the place i moved into has a dishwasher that leaves more junk on my dishes after it is done washing. we put all our dishes in practically clean and they come out dirtier. >> use a nice cleaner, bunch of different brands out there, this one works pretty well. clean. this is what you clean all around the gasket where the door is, get rid of the junk. this is a product called dishwasher magic. this is a unique cleaner. right in the center there is a little wax plug. you turn your dishwasher on to sanitize. you put this in upside down, like a glass. >> okay. >> when it gets really hot, this melts and this cleaner, during the wash cycle, runs through your system to get rid of all of the built up gunk. >> do it empty. >> empty. and you do this every month. if you have a really bad water this works great to really make your dishwasher work like brand-new . >> a lot cheaper. >> deborah asks how do i fix a leaky faucet. >> so all faucets, they're beautiful, there is different kinds, two handles, single handles. what makes them turn on and off is the valve cartridge inside. >> we knew that. >> yes, exactly. >> i prepped this, but usually -- this is a kit, alan wrench kit that takes off the handle. i unscrewed the handle. this is the stem here. >> there it is. >> some of them unscrew, some of them have a retaining clip. this particular one unscrews. you take off this trim plate. you take off this other one here that unscrews, okay? now when that comes out, mind you, the water has to be turned off underneath. >> okay. >> pull this out. >> it goes flying through. >> you come up like -- >> this is the valve cartridge. go to the hardware store and say i would like one of these, please. >> couple of bucks. >> 20 bucks. >> done. put it back in, it doesn't leak any longer. >> if you have a question, go to klgandhoda.com, click the connect button and he may answer them next time he's here. >> probably not. >> doubtful. in the mood for love, we'll cook up a romantic french meal for valentine's day. we want you to cook with us -- where did you go, lou? >> and some of hollywood's biggest celebrities on speed dial. >> the very fun, crazy, ross matthews, is here. >> the [ female announcer ]s worried shampooing might damage your hair? don't be. ♪ [ female announcer ] new pantene brings new repair & protect. first ever pro-v antioxidant systems. clinically proven to make hair healthier. healthier with every wash. healthier looking hair every day? i want that. ♪ [ female announcer ] new hair, new you. new repair & protect from new pantene. hair so healthy you shine. turn to roc® retinol correxion®. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. after one year, skin looks ageless. ♪ clovers and blue moons shoes ♪ hourglasses, rainbows ♪ and tasty red balloons let's go! ♪ lucky charms ♪ frosted lucky charms ♪ they're magically delicious if you were a fan of "tonight show with jay leno," you know ross matthews also, aka, ross the intern who got his start with jay and never looked back. >> now in its second season, ross stars in his own appropriately titled show "hello, ross" where he gets up close and personal with people like gwyneth paltrow and former spice girl mel b. >> i kissed a girl and i kind of liked it! >> you are crazy. >> hey. >> welcome, sweetie. >> i oam so happy to be here. it is weird to be here. you're so real. look at you. >> you're adorable. you need to apologize to hoda woman. >> i know i need to apologize. we never met before. this is probably a rough start. i met kathie lee backstage and forced her to match me instead of you today. i'm wearing like a plum color. >> i was wondering what was -- >> oh. >> there we are backstage. >> that was not very nice. >> she said, i have to match hoda. i said, no, today is my day. you're watmatching me. >> how cool that you're in your second season. you have great celebs, a-listers. >> i wanted to be a talk show host since i was 8 years old watching you in the mornings and i remember i would write about it in my best-selling book "man up," no big deal, paper back. i was watching you with my mother one day and she seemed happy and you got to talk to celebrities and i thought that's the job i want. i can talk to celebrities and make my mom happy. >> i wish i could make my mom happy. >> it is the second season. it is a dream. >> are you thrilled beyond believe? >> beyond belief. it is as good as i thought it could be and better. it is a show about super fans, you know. we're not too cool for school. we don't tear down culture. it is working. >> you surround yourself with all of these people who you have known for years, which is a cool thing. >> who love you and tell you the truth. >> a writer on the show, my best friend from high school, my college roommate is the producer. a lot of the leno people are coming over to my show, people who did segments with me. it is about surrounding yourself with the team and people who tell you you're wrong and you're stupid when you're wrong and you're stupid. >> and you're great. >> i saw you on the red carpet for one of the shows. are you uncomfortable criticizing when you see someone when you don't like their outfit? >> yeah, uh-huh. i don't want to have, like -- >> you're the only one in the world not comfortable. >> i don't want to have a victim at the end of the joke. sometimes it is so -- you got to say what you guys are thinking. we try to find a spin. i never say she's so stupid or dumb. i said, i love britney, i expect more from her. >> we'll play a game. >> are you ready? >> this is called the ross game. we're going to test your knowledge on people with the name ross. are you ready? >> okay. my own game, fun. >> what is betsy ross famous for, inventing french fries, innovative fashion design, american flag or activist? >> american flag. >> all right. number two. what did ross gellar from "friend "friends" do for a living? >> dinosaur guy. >> right. >> finish the lyric to this diana ross song and sing it, please. ♪ ain't no mountain high enough ♪ ♪ ain't no valley low enough ♪ ♪ ain't no river deep enough ♪ ♪ to keep me from you >> good enough. good enough! >> all right. which show had a doctor named dr. doug ross. er, grey's anatomy. >> er, george clooney, so much in common. >> one last one. john ross was the real first name of a character on which of the following tv shows. silver spoons, family ties, dallas or happy days? >> i'm way too young to know that. >> the answer is -- >> i'm not old enough. >> the answer is c, dallas. jr ewing, john ross. >> john ross. >> i don't know that. >> yes, yes. >> three out of four. >> that was rude. >> when you lose, you lose. >> do it again. >> hey! >> you are adorable. give our love to joan and -- >> everybody. >> all your people. >> they're just as nice in real life, you guys. i swear. so nice. >> thank you for dressing me today. >> you're welcome. you look great. >> catch the new season of hello ross" friday february 21st at 10:00, 9:00 central on e. easy romantic meal for valentine's day. >> we want you to cook along with us, okay? this is "today" on nbc. time to cook with us. last week we posted ingredients so you could join in on all the fun. >> today we're cooking up a romantic french meal in time for valentine's day with executive chef and owner of bournaise restaurant, spike mendelson. >> what are we cooking? >> i read somewhere on the internet it happens to be snowing. this is a great recipe for today but even better for tomorrow, valentine's day. >> it is warm, hot, you want to cuddle, get the blankets going. we're new to french onion soup. start off with some raw onion. >> any particular kind? >> i like vidalia, a little sweet. cook them until they caramelize, long process. >> need a lot of them to get -- >> need a lot. need this much to get this much. stir a little bit. >> sure. >> to finish off, what you want to do is thicken the soup. add a little flour. >> okay. it is called -- >> now you're showing off. i got you. and then a little sherry. a little bit of flavor. >> the whole thing? >> yes. just go for it. >> okay. a little beef stock. >> a little beef stock. >> you can use chicken stock, vegetarian stock, but we like the beef. yes. what we have here is a -- >> god bless you. >> it is a little bay leaf, black peppercorns and thyme leaves. we're going to wrap it up. >> like a cheesecloth. >> like a cheesecloth. it is cheesecloth. >> all right. >> not like one. it is exactly like one. >> put it in there. >> dip it. >> thank you very much. >> and let it cook for half an hour and thicken. >> okay. >> that's pretty much it. >> then we got these beautiful onions, what i like to do is stir, so i can get some onions in here. we'll put it in the bowl. >> uh-uh huh. >> just like that. and i'll let you do the other one. and we'll put some brioche croutons. >> one without the cheese. >> one without the cheese. >> i like to layer cheese. put this in the broiler, let it melt, take it out, let it cool and -- >> how beautiful? >> that's gorgeous. >> gorgeous. >> one without cheese. i like to top them off with parsley. >> pretty. >> a little -- >> all right. >> just like that. exactly. >> we're doing something else? >> yes, we just opened a new place in capitol hill called bournaise, we just got awarded two stars from "the washington post". >> they're tough. >> so we start with a little bit of egg yolks, okay? a little tarragon vinegar. pour that in. that will bring ascidity to it. >> then what do we do? >> a little cayenne pepper like that. >> okay. >> we'll from some steak. >> and i saw you guys doing shots and i was a little jealous. >> okay, you're allowed. >> we'll celebrate. >> matthew hussey, how men really feel about valentine's day. >> and performance by american idol winner ruben studdard. >> and a look into your past. have a great thursday, everybody. god bless you. stay safe out there, okay, everybody? >> and warm. legs up! legs up? legs up! legs up! legs up! verizon has free tablets and free phones. get here anyway you can. good job! free tablets. free phones. on the best network. only at verizon. get tablets like the verizon ellipsis 7 free. and when you trade in your old smartphone, you can get the samsung galaxy s4 free. or the droid maxx by motorola free. plus get a data plan with unlimited talk and text for as low as $45. this week only. getting free tablets and phones on the best network. that's powerful. verizon. four hours on the slopes.hours on weights. and two hours doing this stuff. which leaves me approximately two minutes to get my banking done. so i use the citi mobile app to quickly check my accounts and pay my bills. which leaves me about five seconds to kick back. that was nice. bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app. citi, with you every step of the way. good is in every blue diamond a good that comes in 25 flavors. from whole natural to wasabi and soy sauce. and once good gets going, there's no stopping it. get your good going. blue diamond. snack nut of the u.s. ski team. right now at 11:00, several governors declaring states of emergency. the federal government is closed in washington dc. good morning to you, thank you for joining us on this thursday at 11:00 a.m. thousands of people are without power. miles of roadways are iced over, and thousands of flights are channelled which is having an impact on our local airports. bob redell is joining us now from sfo. what is the flight board showing