welcome to the north pole also known as midtown, manhattan as you look out over 59th and fiftd. the buses are stranded in the streets. >> it was incredible coming in this morning, russ. there were so many cabs, buses, everything stranded. 16 to 20 inches of snow. now you're looking at cambridge, massachusetts which is also getting pummelled which snow. it's all along the northeastern seaboard. >> that's true. the snow is still falling. a look at times square in new york city. you can see no one is on the roads. getting out of town, forget about it. it's a nasty day here in the northeast. >> it's good for a snowball fight, though, if you're in the market for that. >> let's get you caught up to date. the brutal nor'easter continues to hammer the region. a state of emergency has been declared from north carolina to maine, some areas are expected to get as much as two feet of snow. and thousands of flights have been canceled including 1400 in new york city's three major airports. we have correspondents giving coverage of the blizzard. we begin with seth dow in cambridge where the storm is hitting. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, russ. yes, as you mentioned the snow is still falling here in the boston area. it's expected to continue through midday. because of the holiday a number of schools were already canceled. now of course many more will be too. in some cases non-essential personnel are asked to stay home. and how you see this weather might be determined on what you have to do today. whether you look outside the window and see a wintry wonder land, or just a big mess. it's a wintry white-out. as a powerful blizzard blankets the northeast this morning. with up to two feet of snow expected in some places. states of emergency were declared from the carolinas all the way to maine. the storm which brought an unusually white christmas to parts of the southeast, dumped snow as far south as mississippi and georgia. it pushed north on sunday, aided by a strong low pressure system off the mid-atlantic coast. gaining strength along the way. the wet heavy snow knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people. it created treacherous conditions up and down the eastern seaboard. >> we're asking everyone to stay home, stay off the main thoroughfares. >> this storm turned deadly in several cases as drivers ignored warnings to stay home. a storm becomes a blizzard when significant snowfall is coupled with sustained winds or gusts above 35 miles per hour for an extended period of time. and this one surely qualifies. even sunday football wasn't spared. the philadelphia eagles game was shifted to tuesday. overnight coastal cape cod saw gusts up to 80 miles per hour. >> it's a hassle. >> it should have snowed on christmas. that would have been better. >> reporter: it's a difficult commute for any one who has to drive around the northeast this morning. one of the big issues in massachusetts is coastal flooding and wind gusts are still making wreaking havoc across the area. russ. >> seth doane, thank you so much. rebecca. >> and the powerful blizzard brought new york to a standstill. let's go to correspondent elaine quijano in times square. >> good morning to you. you know, at 7:00 a.m. on any monday morning times square here would be bustling with cars and pedestrians. not so today. it is snow piles in the streets and the streets are practically empty in the wake of that massive storm. a blizzard of the size and power is rare for new york in december. more than a foot of snow had fallen across the region before midnight. at the astonishing rate of an inch to two inches per hour with as much as 18 inches in brooklyn, and 20 inches east on long island by early morning. making matters worse, wind gusts up to 64 miles per hour. new york's mayor michael bloomberg said the city would spare no expense. >> we're going to plow the snow, clean the streets and then worry how to pay for it. >> wind chill effects dropped temperatures to single digits as tens of thousands are without pow e white-out conditions make streets in and out of town treacherous. one brave soul was spotted skiing down traffic clogged avenues. and the highways that lead into and out of the city barely get cleared when they are coated with another layer of slick snow. >> we've got several vehicles stuck on a hill, plow vehicles that got stuck on the hill. we had to pull them out. very treacherous. >> even snow plows and more than 2400 sanitation workers are finding it hard to keep up with the relentless snowfall that's expected to continue until at least noon today. and here in manhattan, the digging out continues, the most activity that we are seeing right now, people shoveling their sidewalks here. and crews clearing out all of that snow. rebecca. >> no snowball fights yet apparently. thank you. if you are flying call your carrier because it's very likely that you won't be going anywhere. thousands of flights have been canceled and cbs news correspondent michelle miller is in laguardia airport with the latest on that. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: good morning, rebecca. on average 70,000 people fly in and out of laguardia airport every day. but look at it. it's a ghost town. while some 250 passengers were stranded overnight, the good news is the numbers weren't higher. here in the northeast, all three major new york airports, jfk, laguardia and newark suspended operations overnight and are closed until noon today. some passengers made the best of a difficult situation. >> if you travel, you got to be prepared for any of the elements. >> hoping to keep the number of stranded travelers as low as possible, the airlines started canceling flights on saturday. but there was no getting ahead of this storm. even at boston logan a flight preparing to take off for paris was turned around. >> we thought we were going to be the last plane out, then you know, it turns sour. >> reporter: delta canceled 850 flights sunday, u.s. airways 679, continental 265, american, 262. hundreds more have been canceled through this morning. the blizzard rare for a december in new york complicates the trips of christmas travelers either coming or heading home. if the weather wasn't going to do it alone the frustration is threatening to strip the warmth off the holiday weekend. train travel has been crippled as well. amtrak shut down train service from new york all the way up to maine as well as service in some parts of virginia. crews worked overnight clearing the tracks but still no word on when service will resume. meanwhile, bus passengers were forced to find other ways to get around sunday as greyhound canceled scheduled from north carolina to canada. >> it could have been so much simpler, then the weather reports started coming in. it was just -- very frustrating. >> reporter: airline officials expect to catch a break by mid morning but as you mentioned rebecca, airport officials say if you have a flight scheduled to leave this morning call -- or this afternoon, call ahead, get a departure time before you head out to the airport. operations are scheduled to resume between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. this evening. rebecca. >> it's good advice. michelle miller at laguardia airport. >> we have a special weather contributor with us this morning from indianapolis. we kid you not, her name is sarah snow. sarah snow, good morning. >> good morning. don't blame me, please. i didn't bring the snow. >> welcome. >> thank you very much. nice to be here this morning. quite a big day for the weather this morning. we are still getting some snow accumulation outside. that's going to tamer as we move throughout the day. you can see rain further to the east but we're getting snow here in new york city, and that is continuing up the east coast right now. we actually had a phenomenon where we had thunder snow which happens from the friction of the ice crystals in the clouds. it was a pretty interesting phenomenon yesterday evening. that cleared out, though. what we're witnessing is snowfall, 15 to 30 inches in new york city and new jersey, that's tapering getting less and less as we move north. 12 to 20 inches in portland. and that's all going to taper off by about this evening. a few watches and warnings, but those should clear by midday and through the evening. back to you. >> sarah, thank you. her name was sarah sunshine last summer. i'm just saying. it is sarah snow. >> we're happy she's here with us. and of course we're happy she's here to walk us through all of the snowy details in this part of the country. and around and she'll be back with a forecast for the rest of the country, but first, we turn to betty nguyen. >> an investigation is under way into a bus crash in egypt. eight american tourists dead after more than 20 were injured in the crash. elizabeth palmer has the latest. >> here's what's left of the tour bus after it slammed before dawn yesterday into a dump truck filled with sand. it was the middle bus in a convoy of three. passengers on the other vehicles saw the crash. >> peeled away the side of the bus. bodies were everywhere. terrible. >> reporter: the dead are reported to include six women and three men. among the injured survivors, 18 were evacuated to cairo, two of them in critical condition. >> ambulances were there just in a matter of minutes. miracle workers. everybody pitched in and helped out and got them in the ambulances and got them off to the hospital. so they say -- saved many lives i felt. >> reporter: the group had been on the way to see the famous temple on a road that is known to be dangerous. in october, six tourists were killed when their bus crashed on the same route. and last month eight foreign tourists were killed when their bus flipped over on a mountain road near the red sea. notice, egyptian police have had to launch an investigation into the third fatal crash in as many months. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, london. police in rome defused a package bomb at the greek embassy. package bombs exploded in the italian capital last week injuring two people. a group with ties to greek anarchists claimed responsibility. >> reports of package bombs at three other embassies this morning were false alarms. terror charges against nine suspects in britain, those happened today, a police van brought the suspects to court this morning. they were arrested in london last week, the nine men are charged with conspiring to cause explosions in the uk and other terror-related offenses. three other suspects were released without being charged. in afghanistan this morning three people are dead and more than two dozen others injured when a car bomb exploded. the blast was in the southern city of kandahar. also in southern afghanistan a nato service member was killed in a roadside bombing. she was known as the ivory queen of soul. ♪ i just want to rock the world ♪ >> singer teena marie died at her los angeles home apparently from natural causes. she often described herself as a white soul singer. her hits included fire and desire, lover girl, and square biz. teena marie was 54 years old. >> in other news, hugh hefner is getting married for a third time. the 84-year-old hef nener annoud his marriage to crystal harris. in a twitter posting hefner called it, quote, his happiest christmas weekend in memory. if that is the case my name should be tracy fog. plenty of fog here in the bay area this morning dense fog inland, locations, to the bay as well as some patchy fog along the coastline. conditions for the afternoon, mix of sun and clouds, keep some fog in the forecast especially some of our valleys, rainfall tomorrow a few showers also in the forecast, wednesday and thursday >> and that's a look at your weather. russ, back to you. >> sarah, thank you. turning to the cold subject of politics, president obama and his family are on vacation in hawaii and yesterday they attended church at the marine corps base. robert gibbs says it's likely the president will run for a second term. imagine that. joining us is michael shearer. now it's game on can we expect changes in the president's priorities in the next two years of his term? >> this is about as surprising as hugh hefner getting married again. they have been planning for six months at least with hard plans of who would take over the campaign once they transition out for the re-election. if you look back, when the president came into office if you just chart the number of times he has been to swing states like arizona or indiana or north carolina, there was never any doubt he was planning to run for re-election. in terms of a shift it's happened. you saw it in the lame duck. the president is shifting away from his sort of legacy priorities that the american people weren't very happy with, like health care, to the economy, to dealing with the deficit, to appealing to independent voters. >> the president's run in 2008 was historic in so many ways. how will the 2012 campaign be different >> it's a real different thing. president obama came into office on a wave of enormous expectation. expectation even white house officials said they could never fulfill. the american people know president obama as a person who is not going to just bring hope and change in broad sense but is going to struggle like any president has. so he has to run on his record. the white house is hoping barring unforeseen incidents that he will be able to run as the person who brought the country out of the worst economic recession since the great depression. they use that phrase all the time. as the guy who saved the country from this economic downturn and if you look at the economic projections right now we should be in much better shape 18 year or two. >> what do you expect the republicans to hammer on in 2012? >> they are going to say the hope and changey thing was not real. you know, it didn't bring the appeals that -- the improvements that you wanted. you saw a lot of this in the 2010 race. they were saying are you basically better off now than you were a few years ago? it's possible that even if the economy is improving in 2012, the american people's home values will still be lower than they were in 2008, you know, their job prospects may not be as bright. so, the republicans are also going to battle on the economic front. >> michael, we expect changes in the senior staff. how do you think that will affect the campaign? >> the president and the white house have made very clear they don't want a whole sale runner-up. i don't think it's the case you'll have new gurus. people are going to rotate out because they are exhausted. it's a grueling couple years. david axelrod going to -- i think you'll see more continuation than change. >> michael thank you very much. we appreciate it. and coming up this mofrnday morning after a model was found dead. we'll have the latest on the case. >> also, many happy returns, after a huge holiday shopping season we'll take the headache out of returning your christmas gifts. >> queen elizabeth celebrates without prince william and kate. we'll tell you where they spent their holiday. this is "the early show" on cbs. ? nobody else has what this paint's got: and that's a number one rating. it's a paint and primer in one -- so it goes on bold, and looks even better. it means getting more done -- in half the time. and it means the shade you see on that swatch -- ends up on that wall... and is as durable as it is colorful. you know where to find it. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. try it for yourself. get your own 8-ounce sample of the number one-rated behr paint. now, just $2.94. so if you go from a croissant with butter to a whole wheat roll with olive oil, you'll go from roughly 16 grams of fat to about 6. take alli with that, and you're down to 4.5. alli helps you reach a healthier weight, when you get active, eat right, and take alli. alli will block about 25% of the fat you eat. and for every two pounds you work to lose, alli can help you lose one more. fda-approved alli -- how healthy works. learn more at myalli.com. i can get a cc for just my signature? that's right, right now you can take home a volkswagen for just your signature. like the cc, or the tiguan. huh. yeah, plus every vw includes scheduled carefree maintenance. really? that's great. there you go. oh, that guy's pretty good too. yeah, he's ok. [ male announcer ] it's amazing what you can do with a pen. sign then drive is back. for a limited time get any 2011 volkswagen for practically just your signature. hey! wait up! ♪ [ female announcer ] you see a mud stain. but new wisk sees a particulate stain. with our breakthrough stain spectrum technology, wisk is engineered to fight all the major stain groups like particulates and oils. [ girl ] that lip gloss is soooo cute on you. [ female announcer ] you'll never look at stains the same way again. for a powerful clean against a full range of stains, use new wisk. fight stains with science. if you've had a coke in the last 20 years, ( screams ) you've had a hand in giving college scholarships... and support to thousands of our nation's... most promising students. ♪ ( coca-cola 5-note mnemonic ) ♪ >> coming up the latest on what some call the strange case of a woman who died at the home of the former ceo of an highs are bush. it's raidsing a lot of questions. we'll bring you the latee. >> also, on a lighter note we're talking returns. 20% of us are going to return what we received this christmas holiday season. we're going to tell you what you need to know in order too make that work to your advantage. >> here is rebecca jarvis. >> that's not me. that's not me. >> announcer: this sponsor "the early show" sponsored by expedia. the best travel tools are all n one place. where you book matters, expedia. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. where you book matters. expedia. with walmart's end-of-the-year clearance event, starting december 26 at 6am. get unbelievable clearance prices on select toys, home decor, clothing, candy, and seasonal items. it all starts december 26, while supplies last. it's the end-of-the-year clearance event at walmart! it all starts december 26, while supplies last. ever wish vegetables didn't taste so vegetably? well, v8 v-fusion juice gives you a full serving of vegetables, plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. v8. what's your number? twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. slim-fast gives you proven weight loss, not celebrities. so try the slim-fast 3-2-1 plan. the clinically proven way to lose weight now. slim-fast. who has time to slim slowly? uh oh, sesame stir fry from lucky dynasty. oh, me too! but mine's lean cuisine, so no preservatives. wait, did you say? i did! no preservatives. [ female announcer ] only lean cuisine's got over 90 dishes with no preservatives like sesame stir fry with chicken. it's got crisp, farm picked broccoli and bell peppers, and 100% tender white meat chicken steamed in a savory sesame sauce. yum. mmm. yum is right. can i have a bite? uh huh. [ female announcer ] no preservatives, all delicious. lean cuisine. >> man: getting across town to a job interview is stressful enough without being late. i want guidance that takes me where i need to be, without any problems along the way. i feel the same way when i do taxes. turbotax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step. and calculations are guaranteed 100% accurate, so i know it's done right. they even offer representation in case of an audit. which helps me reach my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> try turbotax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied with the results. ,,,, mike singletary is out as head coach of the san francisco 49ers. the team fired him last i am juliette goodrich. mike singletary is out as head coach of the 49ers. the team fired him last night a few hours after the niners lost to the rams and lost any hope of making the playoffs. they are searching nationwide for a new general manager the gm will hire a new coach with yorks approval. >> call the airport before you go to catch a flight today. already this morning more than two dozen flights to and from sfo have been cancelled because of the blizzard back east, new york's major airports are all closed right now. and today is the second day of kwanzaa a second day celebration of african american culture 13 heritage the bay -- and heritage the bay area's largest event was yesterday at the bay area discovery museum in sausalito. >> traffic and weather in just a minute ,,,,,,,,,,,, gad morning still dealing with pothole problems in santa rosa. they issued a traffic alert for the area. crews are blocking off the right lane trying to get a very large pothole fixed as you can see it is slow going through that stretch. also got problems with fog. three dense fog advisories in effect, carcenas bridge, venetia bridge and bay bridge they have metering lights turned on for a little while but then they turned them off because we never saw a back up despite low visibility not many cars on the road should be an easy ride into san francisco. let's go check your forecast. thanks elizabeth. yes, definitely quite a bit of fog out there, we are having in the forecast this morning. and here is a lookout at sunrise, 7:28 a.m. a look at your seven-day forecast, mix of sun and clouds through the afternoon highs mid- to upper 50s. rainfall tomorrow, could be heavy at times especially late in the day, wednesday a few left over showers, thursday, friday, squeezing out sunshine that is new years eve and the first day of 2011, showers expected ,,,,,,,, cambridge, massachusetts this monday morning, yes, 14 to 30 inches of snow have fallen in the northeast and continues to fall here in new york city. just a nasty day, nobody's getting out. >> yeah, it's really incredible. i got up this morning, walked out of the house, put on my boots all the way to my knees and still snow was coming in because it's so high and they're taking a while to clear it out here in new york city. >> they are. look at that, new york city there is central park. a beautiful day, beautiful but treacherous. >> yes. you want to look but not play with it. >> i love this cover of the "new york post." this says, "balmy." i'm presuming he has antifreeze in his veins of some type. you don't see many people doing that. >> he has warm blood. >> welcome back to "the early show." i'm russ mitchell. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. >> coming up, a case raising a lot of questions, a model found dead at the home of august busch iv. police have just released a 911 call but took more than 40 minutes to make that call. we'll have the latest on this mysterious death. >> about 20% of americans return at least one holiday gift. will you be returning anything russ? >> nothing. i loved everything i got. >> of course not. unfortunately, fraud at an all-time high so some stores are enforcing stricter return policies. we'll tell you everything you need to know to make your returns go smoothly. not russ but everyone else out there. >> that's right. back to the snow now, that blizzard is still hammering, as we said, parts of the east coast. let's go to elaine quijano in times square for the latest. elaine, good morning again. >> reporter: good morning to you, russ. well, the normally bustling streets here in times square are pretty quiet this morning as new york city continues to dig out from this storm. at this hour, at last word, about 16,000 people in the new york metro region were still without power. of course, crews are working around the clock to restore power. in the city itself, the cleanup continues there. our crews are out on the streets, certainly people we've seen this morning shoveling sidewalks today as well. there is good news. right around the corner, there. later this week temperatures here in new york are expected to climb in the 40s and that will be perfect timing because on friday, of course, more than a million people are expected to descend, really, here on times square for the annual new year's eve celebration. russ? >> elaine quijano in times square, thank you very much. cbs news correspondent seth doane in cambridge, massachusetts, where as we said, they are still getting hit by the storm. seth, good morning to you. >> reporter: that's right. good morning, russ. yes, i just heard he elaine say times square is usually packed. this street here in cambridge is normally busy, too. as you can see just a few brave souls out this morning. this blizzard has really packed a powerful punch across the northeast, wreaking havoc on the roadways. coastal cape cod here in massachusetts did not see as much snow but they saw very, very strong winds, up to 80 miles per hour overnight. that's hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding. as elaine mentioned, power is out to thousands across the region. road crews are working feverishly to try to make this treacherous morning commute as good as possible. some folks are being asked to stay home, non-essential personnel asked not to come in. it is a wintry, wintry morning here in boston. still snow, >> that's a look at your local weather. here's rebecca. back to you. >> thank you, sara. now to the latest on the mysterious death of a model at the mansion of former beer executive. police have just released a 911 call and want to know why it took over a half hour to make that call. cbs news correspondent bill whitaker reports. >> reporter: the mystery continues to deepen surrounding the death of 27-year-old model adrienne nicole martin here at the palacial estate of her boyfriend and anheiser busch heir august busch iv when her apparently unresponse i have body was found last saturday. it took a reported 40 minutes before anyone called an ambulance. the just-released 911 recording by a busch employee sheds little light whether martin was dead or alive when her body was found. >> okay. what's the problem? >> this girl is just not waking up. can't get her to -- >> is she breathing? >> we don't know. it's dark back there. >> eyebrows raised saying what would take you 40 minutes to make the phone call? it's possible this gentleman simply panicked and didn't know what to do. >> five generations later it couldn't be more proud to be america's favorite bill. >> reporter: the 46-year-old had been a public face for the budweiser brand. there were no signs of any trouble in his year-long relationship with the former hooter's waits re, but there was trouble in mr. busch's own past. >> in college at the university of arizona he left a bar with a young woman. he was driving his corvette. it wrecked. he got injured. she was ejected from the vehicle and killed. he fled the scene. >> he tends to be irresponsible and reckless and tends to run away from problems. >> reporter: authorities say there was no trauma to martin's body and there are, also, reports she suffered from a serious heart condition. but whether ongoing tests determined she died of natural causes or not, questions remain about the delay in contacting authorities and the busch heir is once again at the center of a death investigation. bill whitaker, cbs news. >> martin's initial autopsy report was inconclusive. officials say additional toxicology studies could take another six weeks. coming up next, everything you need to know about returning those holiday gifts that just didn't make your personal cut. this is "the early show" on cbs. and t smoking. i knew for years before i quit that i needed to quit and i went online to find a way. ♪ what really excited me about chantix -- it's a non-nicotine pill. i didn't want nicotine to give up nicotine. while you're taking the medication, for the first week, you can go ahead and smoke. [ male announcer ] prescription chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. when i was taking the chantix, it reduced the urge to smoke. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these symptoms or behaviors, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. if you develop serious allergic or skin reactions, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some of these can be life-threatening. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix affects you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. ♪ it feels wonderful. i don't smoke. i don't smoke. [ male announcer ] it's a new year. so, ask your doctor about chantix. and find out how you could save money on your prescription go to chantix.com to learn more and get terms and conditions. and find out how you could save money on your prescription to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ hey tough guy, that cold needs alka seltzer plus! it has the cold-fighting power of an effervescent packed in a liquid-gel for all over relief! hiyah! dude! hiyah! wabout readingl and put it here. introducing nookcolor. experience books, magazines, newspapers and children's books like never before. nookcolor by barnes & noble. you've received your holiday gifts and politely expressed your deep gratitude for them, and now it is time to return the ones you just can't stand. here with tips on easing the process, aol's regina lewis. good morning, regina. you are going to help us with the return frenzy. >> sure, no need to cringe. 1/3 of retailers say they are trying to be more lenient during the holiday season. having said that 50% are trying to cut down over the fraud issue, which you teased, is a $4 billion holiday. the rest of that means expect to be asked for your driver's license. no big deal. hand it over, you're good. >> what are some of the other big-picture things we need to be aware of when we make returns this holiday season? >> i think manage your expectations in terms of what you are going to get back. if you have the card you made the purchase on, you're really in business. more often than not they can track it that way. if you bought things for a spouse or kids you should do the returning. otherwise if you have a gift receipt, it gets you merchandise credit, not cash back. you will have to trade it for something at the store. if you don't have a receipt, odds are you'll get a credit for the merchandise at the price it current is. of course, rebecca, prices have gone down, not up. there is a compromise there. >> there is a compromise there. also, a lot of these places, a number of stories have these 90-day return policies. not everyone but somewhat standard. you say you may actually have potentially more than 90 days to make your returns. >> a lot more time than you may think. kohl's is widely advertising a hassle-free no time limit policy, and nordstron known for being liberal. what they do is sticker the items. when you bring it back, they restamp the item and you are good to go. that's why it is so liberal. macy's also has an exceptional policy. >> right. you go to pick it out and there's a paper receipt, but you also have a sticker receipt that goes onto the tag of the item you just purchased. there's been these restocking fees. >> yep. >> people have grown accustomed to. i get e-mails from my grandma because her friends get these all the time. explain who and what they are and how we can get out of paying for them. >> the reason, rebecca, once you open an electronic item when you return it the sony and samsungs of the world, the manufacturers don't allow the store to return it as new. when you bring it back, you'll be charged $45. best buy has actually permanently retracted the restocking fees, retroactively through november. that's big news for a lot of folks out there. great cost savings. >> what do you do if it is bought from an online store. >> online stores, what people are running into, it is throwing people. i get e-mails about this. they say, wow, i had a very convenient pre-paid envelope. super. cost orders free, now. if is a $20 item, when you mail it back they take five so you pay for it, just more seamless. >> we appreciate. coming up prince william and kate middleton spent christmas apart. why they weren't with the monarch on christmas day. this is "the early show" on cbs. da this is "the early show" on cbs. wabout readingl and put it here. introducing nookcolor. experience books, magazines, newspapers and children's books like never before. nookcolor by barnes & noble. hey! wait up! ♪ [ female announcer ] you see a mud stain. but new wisk sees a particulate stain. with our breakthrough stain spectrum technology, wisk is engineered to fight all the major stain groups like particulates and oils. [ girl ] that lip gloss is soooo cute on you. [ female announcer ] you'll never look at stains the same way again. for a powerful clean against a full range of stains, use new wisk. fight stains with science. let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. you can do this... get the ball, girl. hmmm, you can't do that. but you can do this. bengay pain relief + massage with penetrating nubs plus the powerful pain relief of bengay. love the nubs! uh oh, sesame stir fry from lucky dynasty. oh, me too! but mine's lean cuisine, so no preservatives. wait, did you say? i did! no preservatives. [ female announcer ] only lean cuisine's got over 90 dishes with no preservatives like sesame stir fry with chicken. it's got crisp, farm picked broccoli and bell peppers, and 100% tender white meat chicken steamed in a savory sesame sauce. yum. mmm. yum is right. can i have a bite? uh huh. [ female announcer ] no preservatives, all delicious. lean cuisine. when even the firefighters have to get out, they depend on the t-pass iii communicator. and packed inside every t-pass... is the only battery they trust: duracell. trusted everywhere. it will with natural instincts. it's clinically proven. 80% of women agreed that natural instincts made their hair feel softer. want feel good color? get 10 minute natural instincts. it's all good. what i did before gps. >> gps: turn left ahead. >> woman: actually, i got lost a lot. now i just follow the steps, and i can get anywhere i want to go. turbotax lets me do my taxes the same way. its unique gps feature guides me step-by-step. searching over 350 deductions. so i get everything i deserve which helps me know it's done right. and gets me right to my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> man: try turbotax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied with the results. when the royal family gathered for their traditional christmas this year, prince william and his fiancee, kate middleton, were not there. joining us from london with why, ingrid stewart. ingrid, good morning to you. >> good morning to you. >> so where was william this weekend? >> william was at the rescue base because as a married man he offed to do the christmas shift. so everyone else could go home to their families, which was very nice to him. >> kate was with her family this weekend. there's word this could be the last christmas she spends with her family, is that true? >> it is pretty true. it is like a three-line whip. they have to go and spend christmas with the queen. william was not there this year, he will certainly be there next year. prince william was getting on prince phillip as he turns 19 next year. william feels like he needs to be with his grandparents, but he said i'm not always going to do everything everyone else has done. he's very much his own person. >> traditionally, the non-royal in-laws get a phone call on christmas, right? >> they just get a phone call, that's about it. even diana, she hated christmas. she would always go off even if it meant being on her own. >> given what you said, neither of this matters, but what is william's relationship with his in-laws? >> he is very close with them. he really craves normality in his life and spends a lot of time with him. he's spent holidays with them. they are a close-knit famly. >> here's an important question. how does camilla feel about kate? >> i know camilla loves kate. i would think that kate gets aloening with the queen pretty well, in fact. >> if you don't get along with the queen it is not a good thing, is that true? >> it is definitely not a good thing. fergie got along with the queen, diana was different. the queen found diana difficult. she loved fergie because she was a country gal. >> what does the rest of the family do at christmas time, do they give gifts? >> they give meager gifts. well, yeah, one year prince charles got a doormat because that's what he wanted. diana couldn't understand the meager giving. she came out with cashmere scarves. everyone was aghast she was so extravagant. >> that's disappointing but interesting. as always, ingrid stewart, good to talk to you. happy new year to you. >> thank you very much. >> take care. just a phone call to the in-laws. that's intense. we are coming right back. this is the "early" show on cbs. it's a paint arimer in one -- so it goes on bold, and looks even better. it means getting more done -- in half the time. and it means the shade you see on that swatch -- ends up on that wall... and is as durable as it is colorful. you know where to find it. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. try it for yourself. get your own 8-ounce sample of the number one-rated behr paint. now, just $2.94. if you've had a coke in the last 20 years, ( screams ) you've had a hand in giving college scholarships... and support to thousands of our nation's... most promising students. ♪ ( coca-cola 5-note mnemonic ) coming up, easy steps, things you can do to improve your mental health in 2011. >> dr. jennifer heartsteen will be along. and there are things that surprise me she'll have to say coming up in a few minutes. . yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day. look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. to london starts with arthritis pain... and a choice. take tylenol now, and maybe up to 8 in a day. or...choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. enjoy the flight. or...choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. can getting enough vegetables make you feel good? oh, yeah. v8 juice gives you 3 of your 5 daily servings of vegetables. v8. what's your number? a blizzard on the east coast is n impact on air trav time for news headlines from cbs 5 i am grace lee. abelias shard on the east coast is having impact on travel in the bay area. so far 25 flights into sfo have been cancelled 8 flights going out largely because airports are closed in fill dell phi yeah, new york, newark and boston. shots from cambridge massachusetts this morning look at this as much as 2 feet of snow has fallen in parts of the northeast. states of emergency declared north carolina, virginia, maryland, new jersey, massachusetts and maine. 49ers have fired mike singletary. the decision came hours after the rams defeated the 49ers in st. louis. yesterday's loss ensured the team will not make the playoffs, it capped a dispointing year for a squad favoured to win nfc west since beginning of the season. ,,,,,,,,,, good morning, southbound 101 around wilfred avenue, large pothole in lanes, a traffic alert will be in effect most of the day. sinkage problems in the roadway last check traffic was backed up to santa rosa. our other big problem is the fog this is nemitz freeway. 880 through oakland you can't see anything our camera is not broken just a lot of low visibility out there. we have several fog advisories issued by chp, one was just issued for san mateo bridge looks like most of that fog is on the highrise section of the bridge this is our camera just next to the toll plaza, you can see the fog is at the bay bridge fog advisory venetia bridge and carcenas. the national weather service now issued a dense fog advisory for bay area until 10:00 a.m. this morning because of reduced visibility across the bay area. wonderful example of what many of you will have to deal with as you head out the door. a look at your seven-day forecast, we are expecting to squeeze out some sunshine today clouds, highs mid- to upper 50s rainfall coming in tomorrow ,,,,,,,, ♪ ♪ ♪ sleigh bells ring >> oh, yeah. beautiful in manhattan, monday december 27th. about 20 degrees. about 14 to 20 inches of snow overnight and the sun's coming out. imagine that? >> it feels like it's about 13 degrees below zero. a big gust of wind went off just as we were kuking back. >> we call that the hudson hawk. it comes down and hits you. welcome back to the "early show." i'm russ mitchell along with rebecca jarvis. the blizzard is slowly leaving new york. as we say,donned about 13 inches in central park but more in some spots. some got as much as 20 inches. >> expecting to get anywhere between 12 and 20 inches of snow, and we already can see a lot of it right out here. there you see it in cambridge, massachusetts. >> yes. >> still going. >> snowy day. by the way a very nice hat. very frances albert. >> i like your hat. >> working for me today. >> good. >> betty nguyen doesn't have to wear a hat, because she's at the newsdesk. >> lucky girl. >> where it's nice and warm. sure is pretty outside with all the snow. thanks, guys. good morning, everybody. a large part of the east coast is buried under snow or ice this morning, and there's more than a foot of snow in some places including right here in new york. some of the busiest airports in the world, such as kennedy and newark, shut down completely overnight. they hope to reopen this morning. amtrak cancelled several trains between new york and maine and does not know when service will be restored. highways and local streets are treacherous. road crew, working to clear all of them. cbs news correspondent whit johnson is in times square here in new york with more on this blir blizzard. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, betty. times square is usual lay good place to take a picture. today for a different reason. look around. there are few people here. the snow is piled up on the corners around here, just getting from point a to point b is a real challenge. especially for those who are actually trying to leave town. there are few option, if any. the first monster storm of the season continues to hammer much of the east coast this morning, crippling virtually every type of travel. >> the streets are horrible. everything is terrible. >> reporter: amtrak suspended train services between new york and maine. and officials urged drive toers stay off roadways. at least two deadly traffic accidents are already blame and the bad weather. states of emergency were declared from north carolina all the way to maine. >> we're geared up, ready to go. going to fight this storm with everything we've got. >> reporter: even sunday's football got put on hold. the nfl postponed the eagles/vikings matchup in philadelphia until tuesday. in maryland, the natural guard was called in to help with weather-related emergencies. >> weren't supposed to get a lot of snow and all of a sudden it came out of nowhere. >> reporter: but digs out won't are easy. forecasters predict strong winds will hamper cleanup well after the snow stops falling. now, the good news is in the last hour or so the conditions have started to settle a little bit, but city officials up and down the east coast are urging people to cancel their plans. as you can see the city's already getting back to work but their urging people to stay inside and just wait this thing out. betty? >> a lot warmer inside indeed. whit johnson in new york. thank you. the snowstorm moved up the east coast and is battering new england now. cbs news correspondent seth jonas in cambridge, massachusetts with part of that story there. good morning, seth. >> reporter: good morning, betty. yes, that's right. many people are heeding officials' warnings and staying indoors taking a snow day. a number of schools already cancelled because of the holiday and now, of course, many more are as well. you can see foxboro there. we have a live picture of the stadium. snow covered seats and scoreboard, even the patriots themselves have been snowed in. they're stuck in buffalo after their win last night. now, just north of foxborough, coastal flooding that poured two to three feet of water on roadways. something the local residents say they have not seen in years. many non-essential personnel through the region are being asked to stay home. employers asked to stagger or delay opening hours. there are pretty much just plows out on the street as. as you can see behind me, and a couple of brave souls. the snow is still falling. betty? >> all right. cbs's seth jonas in cambridge, massachusetts. thank you, seth. stay warm. the blizzard caused a mountain of travel troubles in the northeast and beyond. michelle miller at laguardia airport in new york with the latest there. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: good morning, betty. well, airport officials have been battling the snow all night, suspended operations here last night as well. the other two major airports, jfk and newark airport, also suspended operation. now, the problem for cleanup crews here, the snow on the ground, up to 20 inches, but the wind. gusts were up to 60 miles per hour, and they're still clearing runways. now, airport officials here have been jokingly calling the terminal hotel laguardia. because some 250 passengers were stranded overnight. they're hoping to get the operations here up and running by 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. good news for these travelers. they're looking forward to it, but airlines suggest you call ahead. betty? >> good advice. michelle miller at laguardia airport. thank you. award winning champion greenspan chronicled games more than six decades. his film comes out in a few weeks. he die at his home in new york city saturday of complications from parkinson's disease. bud greenspan was 84 years old. get the latest on this blizzard. our special weather contributor this weather report, sponsored by subway restaurants. start the new year right with the egg white muffin melt. now here's russ. >> sara, thank you very much. up next, are you wondering how to make 2011 as 2010 was? you're watching "the early show" on cbs. re "the early show" cbs. [ "1812 overture" playing ] [ "1812 overture" playing ] [ male announcer ] this year, eat smart. with the low fat subway turkey melt, part of a subway fresh fit meal. or the turkey blt with crispy bacon. both, surprisingly, 7 grams of fat. subway. eat fresh. [ "1812 overture" playing ] how can expedia now save me even more on my hotel? well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia. let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. you can do this... get the ball, girl. hmmm, you can't do that. but you can do this. bengay pain relief + massage with penetrating nubs plus the powerful pain relief of bengay. love the nubs! with penetrating nubs plus the powerful pain relief of bengay. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. the moisturizer in other body washes sits on top of skin. only dove has nutriummoisture, which can nourish deep down. dove body wash with nutriummoisture. superior natural nourishment for your skin. to bring you a low-price medicare prescription drug plan called the humana walmart-preferred prescription plan. it's a new plan that covers both brand and generic prescriptions and has the lowest-priced national premium in the country of only $14.80 per month and in-store copays as low as $2. when you could save over $450 a year, you can focus on the things that really matter. ♪ go to walmart.com for details. hey! wait up! ♪ [ female announcer ] you see a mud stain. but new wisk sees a particulate stain. with our breakthrough stain spectrum technology, wisk is engineered to fight all the major stain groups like particulates and oils. [ girl ] that lip gloss is soooo cute on you. [ female announcer ] you'll never look at stains the same way again. for a powerful clean against a full range of stains, use new wisk. fight stains with science. this morning's in this morning's "healthwatch," small change, bill results. most of us are optimistic the new year will be better than the last, but we're not sure how to make that happen. psychologist and "early show" contributor doctor jennifer hartstein is with us. >> good to see you. >> first tip, join something. >> absolutely. the more involved with something you are, the better you may feel. a recent study came out about people going to church. that it's not necessarily the religion that improves their mood but the social connectedness they have. anything that might bring you joy. join a class. do a sport. go to church or any sort of religious affiliation you might have, and that's going to make you feel connected and start to build a group of people around you. >> goes with your second tip. get a support network. >> reconnect with people. stop being ice lated. build friendships with family, friends, with whomever. so you have people to rewli on, to go for a walk, pick you up at the airport, go out to a movie, join a book club. anything that will create a group of people to rely on. >> you tell us in 2011 we should learn to, "just say no." >> so hard. not a strength of mine, i can say, but we often overextend ourselves. pull back if you're feeling overwhelmed, can't help you out you're taking care of yourself. an important thing to do in the new year. >> why do so many of us have a problem with saying no? >> we want to please people, want to be the best question be. we take on the extra project and unfortunately are then doing too little too much and really not giving enough attention to the things that need our attention. >> also you say in 2011 we should purge. what do you mean why in exactly? >> anything you haven't used, looked at, worn, the last six months 0 a year, get rid of it. get rid of the clutter. too much in your house, in your life, creates too much in your brain. you don't see things right or do things right. really, get rid of it. if you haven't looked at it you haven't missed it so you don't need to have it. >> a show on tv, hoarders. why do we hold on to these things we never use? >> we think maybe we'll fit into those pair of pants, witness i lose weight. maybe i might need it later. you truth is, you may later. to have a ritual, say good-bye and let it go. you have a memory of it. you can let it go and be okay. >> i found this incredibly fascinating. take care of yourselves by appealing to your senses? >> it's important. self-soothe using senses. light candles, have flowers. get into an activity and move around. do things that are giving back to yourself and in that way, most importantly, possibly, the sun. we do bet wler we have more vitamin d. a lot of people fight that effective di iive disorder by g sunlamp and using that every morning. >> that might about problem. >> we need it for the snow, i think. >> we really have to be, take care of ourselves by scheduling leisure time. a lot of us don't do that? >> we don't do that. it's so important for us to slow down and smell the roses, so to speak. find ways to relax. if you don't have the money to go away on vacation, have a staycation, but really don't work. take yourself to the movies. do fun things. go to the museum. explore where you live. really take the time to slow down, take a breath. because when you're working and doing things that keep you busy, you won't be so overwhelmed. >> we fliv a big city, new york city. a lot of folk dos not. anything we can do based where we live to help us mentally? >> absolutely. figure what will bring you joy where you live. it you're in a place where you can be outside a lot, do that. here in new york city, walk more. do more outside. enjoy the arts. lots of free things can you do. figure out what can you do to maximize where you are so that you enjoy it and can become part of it and then build in your community where you live. >> all of this is cheaper than $75 an hour. not bad? >> there you go. >> jennifer hartstein good to see you, thanks so much. up next this morning, jerry herman, one of broadway's top composers and lyricists for half a century. the kennedy center is singing his praises. a look at his life's work when we return. this is "the early show" on cbs. life's work when we continue. this is the early show on cbs. 77777777it's pain relief77 without the pills. no pills, no pain. how can you get pain relief without taking pills around the clock? try thermacare heatwraps, for all day relief without pills. i was surprised, thermacare worked all day. you feel the heat. and it relaxes and unlocks the muscle. you've got to try it. [ man ] thermacare, more effective for back pain than the maximum dose of acetaminophen, the medicine in tylenol. go to thermacare.com today for a $3 off coupon. thermacare. no pills. no pain. just relief. thermacare. activia has delicious news for dessert lovers. often, the best part of a meal is the dessert. but sometimes after a busy day and a big dinner... my system needs some tlc. now there's something that's just right. activia dessert. rich, silky, smooth yogurt with desserty flavors like strawberry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, and peach cobbler. and because it's activia, it helps regulate my digestive system. mmm. works for me. ♪ activia activia dessert. each year the kennedy center honors five artists and performers for their lifetime of achievement and contributions to our culture. and this morning, we continue our look at this year's award winners with legendary broadway composer and lyricist, jerry herman who sat down with this conversation with julie chen ♪ i know that this very minute, there's history in it ♪ ♪ we're here >> 2010 kennedy center honoree jerry herman has composed some of the most memorable music in broadway history. from the charm of "hello dolly" to the comedy of "la cage aux folles" herman's scores and lyrics have been enjoyed by millions and earn the composer three tony awards. raised in new jersey, he discovered broadway as a teenager on weekend trips to the theater with his parents. when the curtain went up, jerry herman found his calling. >> even though i didn't say it to myself at that time, because i was a kid, i somehow knew that that's what i wanted to do. >> did it ever feel like work, or did -- >> oh, never. >> at miami university, herman began writing his own shows. after graduating, he moved to new york city and established himself as a composer with a very bright future. ♪ this is the land >> his first time of big-time success, the musical "mill k and honey" for which he received a tony nomination, leading to a call from broadway mega producer david merrick who said you have the weekend to convince me to hire you for my next big show. >> four days later i called him and i said, i have some stuff to show you. and i played him the four songs. and he said, kid, the show is yours. and that's how i got "hello, dollyy" >> "hello dolly" became one of the biggest hits of all time, running for seven years and winning a then record ten tony awards. herman's encore "maime" was a huge hit and ran five years. you were called a boy wonder. was that a blessing or a curse? >> it was a curse, because they expected notice just keep on turning them out. >> then, his luck changed and, for 17 years, each new show was a critical and commercial disappointment. finally, lightning struck again with the 1983 production of la cage you a foe, an old sdeedz fashioned love story with a new twist. the main characters were both men. >> i told two of my best friends that i was going to do a new musical and that i knew it had a very limited appeal. and -- but, i have to do it because i'm in love with the -- with the story and the source material. they -- they -- they laugh at me today, because it's become my strongest show. >> 27 years later, a revival of the show is on broadway. once again, a tony-award-winning hit, reminding herman and all of us that the best of times is now. >> congratulations. >> absolutely. i love the lessons in all of these because it's this common theme of never giving up. they overcome adversity. >> right exactly. >> -- time and time again and you see these individuals like herman doing amazing things. >> another thing they are not afraid to take a risk, that's what i found, just an underlying theme, he did so well, had enormous success and some flops and some people would say forget bit, i did fine. i'll hang my laurels on doing well at one time but took a risk and. >> la cage aux folles, he said would have a limited audience. i think it's done okay. >> interesting to go back to "hello doll'" that was a massive success and the song "hello dolly" performed by louis armstrong rose to number one and kicked the beatles off the charts at number one -- which is a great segue to tomorrow's guest. >> speaking of which, paul mccartney, sir paul mkt cartny. he's the cute one? >> according to russ, he's the cute one. >> john was the smart one. george was the quiet one and ringo was the lucky one, i guess. i don't know. >> and you can watch the kennedy center honors tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m., 8:00 central, right here on ,,,,,,,, honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my internet cord. oh, i'll borrow hailey's. you're downloading movies. fast! from here? where is her cord?! we switched to at&t high speed internet and got wireless access. no more cords. wireless, okay, honestly, can i just get a cord, please? dad, the cord's invisible. [ female announcer ] for a limited time, call to get high speed internet for just $14.95 a month with a 1-year price guarantee. it's our fastest internet for the price! oooh. videos online? here? how much is that? nothin'. at&t high speed internet at home includes access here. our invisible cord is really long, dad. oooh. [ female announcer ] get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network for no extra charge. so for a limited time, get high speed internet for just $14.95 a month with a 1-year price guarantee. aren't you glad we switched to at&t? yes...but i want my own invisible cord. you already have one. oh. ♪ coach of the san francisco 49ers. the team fired sing time for news headlines. mike singletary is out as head coach of the 49ers. the team fired singletary last night a few hours after the niners lost to the rams and lost any hope of making the playoffs. 49ers are searching nationwide for a new general manager the gm will hire a new coach. the niners have one more game this year the defensive line coach will be in charge for the game against the cardinals next sunday. he is in his fourth year with the team. reminder to call the airport before you catch a flight today, already this morning more than two dozen flights to and from sfo have been cancelled because of the blizzard back east. new york's major airports are closed right now. traffic and weather coming right up ,,,,,,,,,,,, good morning congestion is not an issue so far today. a great morning ride out of san jose area. live look at 280 traffic head lights going northbound approaching the 880 interchange. quick trip towards cupertino, 11 minute drive time highway 1 and 85, visibility is more of an issue. a couple fog advisories there isn't one for the golden gate bridge even though you can see there was a lot of fog there. we do have fog advisories here at the bay bridge, carcenas bridge, venetia and san mateo. no metering lights at the bay bridge and no delay as you approach the pay gates. that is your traffic here is tracy with a check of the forecast. thanks elizabeth. dense fog advisory in effect, visibility less than 1/2-mile. can't show you too much pretty thick out there, pea soup for the morning a few breaks of sunshine for the afternoon rainfall tomorrow courtesy of a cold front with a few left over showers wednesday and thursday. friday we will squeeze out sunshine more showers in the forecast, first day of the new year, saturday, sunday, a mix of sun and clouds also a winter storm watch, sierra, tuesday afternoon to wednesday afternoon ,,,,,,,, joon isn't it pretty. >> sunny and warm in new york city. >> looks frightful. >> # 5 degrees for a high, a heat warning in effect. maybe not. this bus, by the way, has been stuck here foimplsts hours. >> since 4:30 this morning. >> 4:00 a.m. this morning. >> i saw him this morning. >> goodness. welcome back to "the early show" at 59th and fifth in midtown, manhattan blustery day to say the least. >> hopefully you're watching indodz errs. russ mitchell, rebecca jarvis, betty nguyen and the appropriately named sara notice. >> with the cutest hat in the bunch. >> three of us at least are used it to this -- >> i recently went to vietnam for. those of you who don't know i was there but when saigon fell my parents left and we came to the united states. for the past ten years, though, i've gone back to bring food and medicine, humanitarian aid and coming up i'm going to tell you about our latest trip. >> fascinating. can't wait to see that, betty. on a much lighter note -- that's a lighter note and will be an interesting soar. in case you couldn't track which celebrities got married, divorced, perhaps incarcerated this past year, don't worry soinchts many incarcerations. >> we got your back. we'll take a look at hollywood's highs and lows of 2010 with some music and sports stars thrown in for good measure. >> also, if you are planning to spend new year's eve in times square, all you need is a warm parka. >> more than that. >> then put clothes on. >> layers, folks. if are a woman going to a party you may be looking for a fun, festive and affordable outfit and katrina szish is here with fabulous options not only cute but will keep you warm on a night like this. >> first up, sara snow with a final check of the weather. good morning, sara. >> latest reports show it is not snowing at all in central park anymore. we're still seeing flakes around here could be blowing around but the snow is to >> those wind gusts are really what we're experiencing here, cold, cold day today. rebecca, back inside you to. >> thank you, sar rachlt hopefully you'll be inside, soon, too. with 2011 around the corner you might consider a new year's resolution to help those in need. the number of hungry people has topped one billion worldwide according to the united nations world food program. betty nguyen takes help something of those people in need very personally, betty. >> good morning, rebecca. often hard to imagine extreme poverty until you see it up close, especially difficult with a personal connection to those help. in an effort to help i traveled back it my bitter country to vietnam to distribute hupttarian aid to those struggling to survive. the sound of mopeds fill the streets of saigon, officially called ho chi minh city but always saigon to me. this is where i was born shortly before the communists took over and changed the city's name signal and end to the vietnam war, today flourishing as one of the fastest growing economies in asia at-to-the markets where the food is fresh and often still alive to the fields where the harsh reality is millions work for next to nothing. here, poverty is a way of life. homes are little more than grass huts with dirt floors. this woman tells us, three generations have lived in this house since 1975. and you can see why. it's a one-bedroom hut with just three walls four people sleep right here. there's no mattress. basically you have a wooden platform and a hammock. nearby, we meet another woman whose home is falling apart but says there's nowhere else to go. this is her stove, right here in the middle of this house. as you can see, much of it is open to the elements. the wall is partially missing but she tells me they don't have enough money to fix it. stories of desperation fill these remote villages. more than ten million live below vietnam's poverty line which is why we've come back, to provide humanitarian aid through a charity my family founded called help the hungry. this is our ten thee year bringing food, medicine and hygienic supplies to thousands struggling to survive. it's a journey often a race against time. annual monsoons can be devastating and deadly. we try to distribute aid before the rain washes out ridges and fills up homes, but sometimes it's too late. this year, we were able to reach remote areas before the flooding had begun. still, the sheer number of those in need can be overwhelming. traveling from village to village, handing out aid, you can see how poverty has a way of ripping apart families. this 12-year-old says her mother abandoned them three years ago. she lives in this tiny hut with her father and two sisters. sometimes, it's not the aid but the toys that help children forget their struggle, even if just for a moment. when porve is the a reality, those living it are in a danger zone. these are mosquito nets we're providing because this particular area is known to have malaria. these nets will protect families. yet, many can't escape the bacteria that fills these canals. here makeshift restrooms dump sewage directly into what also serves as drinking water. in an effort to prevent the spread of disease, we began installing water wells for these villages what most of us consider a basic necessity is proving to be a life-saving luxury. but, for every family we help, the hardest part for me is knowing there are millions we couldn't reach. no matter how many times we come, or how much we try to bring, it's never enough. the need here is just so great. which is why we come back, trying to make a difference. and maybe providing a little bit of hope. this was our tenth trip to the region, which is why it was so pont we began building water wells. this way we're planting permanent solutions for villages that have seen their fair share of hardships. rebecca? >> infrastructure in these places is so important, such a significant step to their development. what's interesting about vietnam, it is one of the world's fastest growing economies yet you still have this major contrast and major poverty going on. >> there no doubt to. some people that's very surprising. yes, many people have been lifted from poverty because of this economic boom. but in the rural areas, many, millions, still do not have an education and, without that, the cycle of poverty just continues and it's hard to really rise from that. >> it's good to know your family and so many like you are going back and making sure to make a difference there. thank you betty he nguyen. >> thank you. >> russ. >> thanks. fascinating story, betty. they walk the red carpet and strolled down the aisle, broke up and hooked up, sentenced to rehab and awarded little gold statues, talking about the celebrities of 2010 and here with their best and worst moments is brian ballot that czar. good to see you. >> good morning. >> you've got everything covered don't you. >> we do, as we should. >> best hook-ups. >> lots of love connects one people are talking about taylor swift and jake skril len hall. squeaky clean, freshly exfoliated, you could say. first seen at an snl show the next morning having coffee in brooklyn and spent holiday together. i think they are one people are watching another katy perry and russell brand got married. i kind of fish chamois hit on her as host of an award show and now they are married and i think ones to watch, i think. i think he's kind of cleaned up -- she has cleaned up his act. he is not freshly expoleiated, as you can see. of ashania twain, an interesting soar, went through a divorce recently. her husband reportedly or allegedly had an affair with one of their managers. well, she ended up becoming friends with this woman's husband. now she's engaged to the husband of the woman her ex-husband had an affair with and the beat goes on. i also like to mention the people that deserve honorable mention, the ones that have been kind of staying power michael douglas and catherine zeta-jones i think a great example. ten years in the running. he's obviously had a very difficult year and they've stood strong in that, i think that's a beautiful thing. another couple of quite famously getting along i would say heidi column and seal. this past year she did a music video with sher that's quite beautiful in their underwear mostly naked in bed in a romantic way. >> you can show this on morning television. >> of course. it's classy. >> class c. >> the good news here. the bad news, break-ups. >> it is a little sad sometimes. i think one of the couples surprised us all courteney cox and david arquette. they had been together ten years and announced a trial separation then david arquette went on howard stern and said way too much about their personal lives. >> yes. >> that does not bode well for the future for these two. i was disa pointd then the one we all expected jesse james and sandra bullock. a year ago she was priped up for the oscars and looking adoringly at him when he won and suddenly turned out he was not the best husband in the world. i think people would have been really disappointed with her if she had stayed with him. >> after what happened. you said you were expecting this. >> expecting to leave him. not what happened. >> i got. >> drew: another split kelsey grammer and camille. she said she didn't spend enough time working on -- spending time with herself and doing things for sher self. she had four nannies so i don't know what she was spending time on. he reportedly allegedly had an affair with a 29-year-old steward des so he are trading. >> that will get you in trouble. >> not trading up but trading young. >> that will get you in trouble. >> he will apparently marry her but not yet divorced. >> jim carey. >> and jenny mccarty, two funny people. i was sad to see them break up. they looked like they would be a riot together. he once wore her swimsuit on the beach, beach, unpleasant for all. it is sad. they had been together at least five years maybe ten, as well. i think five. >> changing directions and talk about fashion. who were the big red carpet winners? >> anne hathaway never looked bad this year. she has an unusual -- she actually has said she has kind of an unusual look but i have to say she's gorgeous and on the red carpet always nails it. another emma watson, we saw her growing up. >> harry potter. >> she went and chopped her hair kind of as an act of look at my new freedom. she's a beautiful woman and loved playing with fashion from the very beginning. helen mirren, another one. i think. >> classic. >> she never looks bad. >> a classically beautiful woman, talented actress, there she is. always looks gorgeous. not everyone on the red carpet does. >> i bet you have a list of look zrs. >> sometimes you get it right. this looked like it was put together by a nursery school including the fingerprint. this was a nightmare. some pop stars nail it i think like lady gaga but kesha is a hot mess. >> a technical term. >> cloris leachman, i love her but this is a mess. looks like a tourist guide. courtney love, you know, doesn't always nail it on the red carpet, either. she's trying, she's trying. she needs to turn on the lights before selecting her outfits but actually put together a website this year called what courtney wore today and take as picture and i will say sometimes she looks pretty good. >> a rough train ride in for you today. >> it was. i'm a little edgy. >> break-out stars of 2010, acting and music. >> who would have thought betty white, 88-year-old woman would make her come back a. year ago she was in this great snickers commercial and led to a facebook campaign to host snl one of their highest rated shows in eight years. if you don't like betty white, you don't like rainbows. another jane lynch from ""glee"" it is interesting to see she's not the youngest character on the show. it's all about the teenagers in high school but jane lynch seals the show every time. the first one to be asked to host a late-night show, as well. i think she's another one. bruno mars has had an incredibly year musically and i think seven grammy, yeah, seven grammy nominations, you know, this is this great video, "just the way you are" very talented. another, nikki monage, i'm not sure everyone knows her, a hip-hop singer, the first artist with seven hit singles on the billboard 100 simultaneously. if you don't know who she is yet, you will. >> you have it covered. >> i do. >> happy new year. i'm going to stay on your good side, how is that? >> do that. >> rebecca. >> thanks russ. however you plan on ringing in the new year this friday night, one thing is certain, you want to look fabulous. so katrina zich is here with glitzy, glamour rouse options for women who want to welcome the new year right. great to see you. >> thank you. >> i love what you are watching. >> i was inspired by the first lady's recent for ray to the beautiful vintaj gown she wore. >> i saw it. >> this is a 1955 gown i scored at a vintage shop in new york city. can see michelle obama. that is from the 19 as. as you can see it is always a viable option but doesn't necessarily mean it will be budget-friendly so be careful. >> you look fabulous. >> thank you very much. >> something that is always a go-to, that little black dress. tell us what is in for lbds this season. >> as you said, we all have them in our closet, tried and true but sort of evolved to a basic sheath dress. but no more. now the new lbd has sparkle, shimmer or a unique detail. this one she's wearing from edress me, a scala dress, not only is it great because it is sequinned but the unique neckline, off the shoulder, egg gant. not many bells and whistles. you could put a great leather motorcycle jacket or pair it with tights so it has pizzazz. >> a snowsuit perhaps. >> moon buts. >> i see the sparkles. this is a big deal -- >> sequins are absolutely everywhere and sparkle and shine one of the top looks. we have two great examples. as you see, not everything needs to be black here. first of all, we have this great jessica simpson sequinned dress a bronze color. i love the shade. >> really cute. >> spin around and show us the back. we added a bell with the bow. it doesn't come with the dress. we added this. this is from forever 216789 we have great sparkly accessorieac a simple clutch a good way to go. kept it downtown, a bit cool and added black opaque tights. they don't always have to be sheer. >> i like that a lot. >> a little edgy. >> then this wonderful sweater dress from victoria's secret, still cozy but as you can see has sequins woven into the fam fabric, a way to stay warm especially when it is chilly like now and paired with great kate spade sling-backs we found on sale. >> that's great. are they comfortable? >> they are. >> dancing the night away, that's important. also white, some of us here you're not supposed to wear white certain times of the year soimplsts not true. >> i like that. what kind of winter white appropriate, what will we see this season. >> this season, winter white has been appropriate especially i think today, winter white especially in new york city is very poept with our snowstorm, blizzard conditions. winter white really is about being a little creamy, not pure white. we want to focus on the fabrication. as you can see we have a beautiful thick lace, heavy beading across the top. this is a sue wofg dress from egres me. paired with accessories in golds and satins and befits the season as opposed to being summery. >> i love that coach. >> it is about $30. >> $30? >> but very elegant. >> that's what we want to hear, affordable. >> a bargain, yes. >> teens and tweens, they might not be going out to the exact same parties. >> yes. >> however they are still planning on probably going out something like that for new year's. so, what's appropriate for them. >> i think of teens and tweens, always trend setters, a lot of times when you are older you look to the younger set to set trends and they're really showing how you can kind of be age appropriate at the same time. first we have a really fun dress from gabriella roche. from zappos.com. it is cute and -- >> are you only allowed to wear that as a teen or tween. >> i think you should be careful. there are different ways to accessories it if you are older. adding the headband, the fun clutch and sparkly tights and bejeweled flats we kept it age appropriate. on stephanie, she's looking very glam but still very downtown chic. >> love it. >> i love a tiered miniskirt. it is fun, makes you feel like dancing. we paired it with black leggings, great fitted jacket and sparkly bag. >> so cute. girls, you look so great. also if you want something less predictable maybe with shock value ala kesha. >> i don't want to go that far but people think what dress will i wear on new year's eve. you don't have to. we have two great examples. first, showing how black skinny satin pants can look fantastic. working in the sequin theme adding a velvet blazer, a way to be comfortable. if you are not a dress person and some people aren't you can look elegant and party friendly. >> and can walk from the cab to the party and not freeze in that one. >> a very good point. also a wise thing. and then, of course, a romper, this is not a dress. we have a romper from victoria's secret, i love it. it is comfortable. we accessorized it and she has the great glasses, which is great. around her waist not a belt but a belt we found at chico's. i love those glitter pumps from victoria's secret. >> they're great. ladies, i love everything you're n. thank you so much. have a great new year's. for more on these fashions, go to our website earlyshow.cbs news.com. we'll be right back. you're watching lt early show on cbs. [ female announcer ] why watch regular tv when you can experience the next generation of television service? at&t u-verse tv. tv like you've never seen before at a really great price. switch to at&t now to get u-verse tv starting at just $39 a month for six months, dvr included. or get up to $300 in promotion cards with a qualifying u-verse bundle. u-verse tv lets you record and play back your favorite shows in any room. and you can record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. maybe that's why u-verse tv is ranked "highest in residential television service satisfaction in the west" by j.d. power and associates three years in a row. switch to at&t now to get u-verse tv starting at just $39 a month for six months, plus dvr included. or get up to $300 in promotion cards with a qualifying u-verse bundle. at&t u-verse tv. tv like you've never seen before. at&t. betty nguyen told me a few minutes ago she can't wait to go outside and play in this. >> i can't wait to get out there and play in it. it's so pretty. >> it is nice to be inside. to look at it is pretty. >> really? i want to be out in it. >> i'm a southern girl. >> yeah, you love the snow. >> -- that's what you said this morning at 4:30 when i picked you up. >> i was knee-deep in it. >> the snow is already tapering off and will throughout the day. >> be careful out there. >> good news. >> we'll see you tomorrow. your local news is next. ,,,,,,,, a powerful east coast blizzard has drop et of good morning it is 8:55 a.m. i am grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines a powerful east coast blizzard has dropped up to 2 feet of snow. these are scenes from time square in new york a short time ago some drivers in new york had to abandon their cars on snowed in roads and highways. airports are closed in new york, newark and philadelphia. mike singletary is out, as head coach of the 49ers. owner jed york fired him hours after the team's loss to the rams in st. louis yesterday. that defeat dashed any hope the 49ers had of making the playoff this year his record was 18 and 22 during his two and a half seasons. >> police union in antioch angry at city officials for sending layoff notices to six officers now flyers are circulate being the facecontact information for the antioch city council and city manager. leaders say they had to cut the budget but the union said those notices may be a ploy to force concessions. traffic and weather coming up in a moment ,,,,,,,,,,,, good morning, we are dealing with a lot of heavy fog as you cross the bay bridge. we will click past it, but drive times are okay across the span, congestion is not too bad any where across the bay area but a couple fog advisories in effect. bay bridge, san mateo bridge, venetia bridge and carcenas. silicon valley commute, still pretty good westbound 237, like i have been saying not too much traffic on the roads. >> thanks elizabeth. dense fog advisory in effect this morning until 10:00 a.m. you can see why. yeah, you can barely see anything visibility less than one half mile for that reason national weather service issue that had advisory, sunshine later on, rainfall in the forecast, tuesday, wednesday and thursday ,,,,,,

Related Keywords

Vietnam , Republic Of , Brooklyn , New York , United States , Turkey , Manhattan , San Francisco , California , Venetia , Pennsylvania , Arizona , Rome , Lazio , Italy , Egypt , Massachusetts , Hollywood , Cambridge , Cambridgeshire , United Kingdom , Newark , New Jersey , Greece , Sausalito , North Carolina , Oakland , Afghanistan , Philadelphia , Boston , Saigon , H Chíinh , Foxborough , Foxboro , Georgia , Virginia , Cape Cod , London , City Of , Mississippi , Cairo , Al Qahirah , Maine , Laguardia Airport , Maryland , Paris , Rhôalpes , France , Hawaii , Italian , Americans , America , Greek , Egyptian , Britain , American , Jessica Simpson , Teena Marie , Mike Singletary , Robert Gibbs , Emma Watson , Elizabeth Palmer , Gabriella Roche , Katy Perry , Kelsey Grammer , Ingrid Stewart , Len Hall , Jane Lynch , Hugh Hefner , Kate Middleton , Michael Bloomberg , Michael Shearer , Jesse James , Dell Phi , David Axelrod , Seth Doane , David Arquette , Juliette Goodrich , Michael Douglas , T Betty Nguyen , Louis Armstrong , Frances Albert , Jenny Mccarty , Courteney Cox , Jerry Herman , Julie Chen , Anne Hathaway , Helen Mirren , Los Angeles , Adrienne Nicole Martin , Russ Mitchell , Elaine Quijano , David Merrick , Bruno Mars , Seth Jonas , Seth Dow , Jim Carey , Michelle Obama , Betty Nguyen , Michelle Miller , Harry Potter , Rebecca Jarvis , Queen Elizabeth ,