>> straight ahead, the senator is with us for an exclusive live interview. bitter blast. bone-chilling cold and snow taking aim at 25 million people from the midwest to the northeast. al is on it. that, plus holiday overload. the delays that have millions still waiting for their cybermonday packages to arrive. a 6-year-old using youtube to make millions. and royal show of force. princes william and harry attend the "star wars" premier and take the red carpet by storm -- trooper. today, wednesday, december 13th, 2017. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today." live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." nice to have you with us on a wednesday morning. >> yeah, this was a surprising result in alabama. a defeat for republicans and president trump. >> a political earthquake. democrat, doug jones, once considered to be a long shot in the race. the margin was razor thin, leading moore to end his night refusing to concede. will there be a runoff? we have team coverage this morning, beginning with nbc's gabe gutierrez in montgomery. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. for the first time in a quarter century, alabama is sending a democrat to washington. and the republican majority in the senate will now be razor-thin. 51-49. president trump is trying to save face, tweeting just a short time ago that the reason he originally endorsed roy moore's primary opponent, luther strange, is that he knew roy moore couldn't win the general election. roy worked hard, the president says, but the deck was stacked against him. this morning, a seismic political shift. a democrat is the apparent winner and the next senator from ruby red, alabama. >> we have shown not just around the state of alabama, but have shown the country the way. that we can be unified. >> reporter: overnight, doug jones pulling off a stunning upset. >> congratulations. >> everybody feels great today. >> after a frantic scramble to get african-american voters and moderates to the polls. >> i think that i have been waiting all my life, and now i just don't know what the hell to say. >> reporter: in a brief, somber speech to his reporters, his republican opponent, roy moore, refused to concede and even raised the possibility of a recount. >> when the vote is this close, it is not over. >> reporter: the horse race was surreal. for weeks, the headlines dominated by sexual misconduct allegations against moore. the former judge repeatedly denied claims that he molested teen girls decades ago. one as young as 14. >> this is simply dirty politics. >> reporter: president trump tweeting a rare congratulations to a democrat for a hard-fought victory, adding the republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. it never ends. the president also backed the losing candidate in the republican primary here, and now this stinging defeat for moore, who mr. trump only had officially endorsed last week. >> get out and vote for roy moore. >> reporter: moore's loss also a rebuke for former white house chief strategist, steve bannon, who after campaigning for moore twice this month -- >> mr. bannon, is this a huge defeat for you? >> reporter: left quietly overnight. moore supporters furious over establishment republicans who they feel abandoned him. >> i feel this is the beginning of a revolt by conservatives within our own party. >> if a republican is getting 56% of the vote in shelby county, that is a catastrophe for republican in alabama. >> reporter: as the drama unfolded on live television -- >> i think we got it. >> reporter: for johnson, it was personal. >> i told you! >> woo! that's it, that's it. it's legal. >> reporter: she's one of the women who accused moore of wa alleging he groped her at his law office in 1991 when she was 28. >> i am just thrilled that speaking out did make a difference. and that we won't be silenced any more. >> reporter: as for that possible recount, that roy moore suggested, it is highly unlikely. under alabama law, recount is only automatically called for when the margin of victory is less than one half of one percentage point. but at this point, doug jones topped roy moore by three times that margin. savannah and hoda? >> gabe, thank you so much. and chuck todd is with us now, moderator of "pete tmeet the pr" how did he do it? >> on the backs of a bunch of things. number one, republican disunity. that helped. he had massive democratic enthusiasm. in many ways, we saw the same thing in alabama we saw in virginia, where the blue areas just turned out in higher numbers than the red areas. everybody -- oh, boy, this is going to break the way alabama breaks, moore is going to win. and instead you realized, no, the suburban vote, essentially these moderate republicans did show up and they voted against roy moore. whether they voted for jones or not, i don't know. but they voted against moore. >> how important were women in this race, do you think? >> i think women weren't -- there certainly was important -- it was a big gender gap. but it was african-american women that provided a big margin. roy moore still won white women in alabama by a very big margin. so, look, i think it had -- the issue itself had an impact with the suburban voter, okay? i was down there. the people in mobile, in birmingham and huntsville, the three big cities in alabama. >> now republicans have to be asking themselves, is this a one-off, is this a candidate who was flawed, or is this a sign of what could happen in the 2018 mid terms? >> first of all, donald trump is political toxin, period. look at the year throughout. you have to go through -- this is not a oneo kansas, in montana, in georgia. there were all these special elections and democrats didn't win them. but they were overperforming by 10 and 15 points. democratic enthusiasm, trump problems. and then all of a sudden virginia, the big explosion in a win and now you see in alabama. if trump can't get a 50% job approval in alabama, if he can't carry over his candidate in alabama, every republican in the country this morning needs to wake up and fear for their political lives. >> chuck todd, thank you. know it's late night for you, we appreciate it. president trump's controversial tweet aimed at democratic senator, kirsten gillibrand sparked a firestorm. the president suggesting she would, quote, do anything for campaign contributions. the senator labelling the attack a sexist smear. we will have an exclusive live interview with her in a moment. first, here's nbc's peter alexander from the white house. hey, peter. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. the president routinely lashes out on twitter, but critics say targeting kirsten gillibrand crossed a line. overnight the "usa today" highlighted the attack, arguing president trump has shown he's not fit for office, reading, quote, rock bottom is no impediment for a president who can always find room for a new low. this morning against the backdrop of the metoo movement, backlash against president trump for his attack on senator kirsten gillibrand. >> it was a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice. and i will not be silenced on this issue. neither will the women who stood up to the president. >> reporter: the president earlier tearing into gillibrand on twitter after she called for him to resign amid new renewed accusations of sexual misconduct. mr. trump mocking the new york democrat as someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago, and would do anything for them. democrats rushing to defend gillibrand. elizabeth warren accusing president trump of while the president ignored a chance to clarify. >> mr. president, what did you mean when you said kirsten gillibrand would do anything for a campaign contribution. >> his press secretary disputing claims. >> only if your mind was in the gutter would you have read it that way. and so no. obviously, talking about political partisan games that people often play and the broken system that he's talked about repeatedly. >> reporter: for her part, gillibrand has become an outspoken advocate against sexual harassment. the first democratic senator to call for al franken to step down. earlier, the president brushed off a renewed round of claims against him, dismissing what he called false accusations and fabricated stories. allegations he also dismissed as a candidate. one former accuser, is again alleging the president groped her at a concert in 2003. >> i demand that he is subjected to an investigation by the ethics committee. i think it's important that we hold this man to the highest of standards. >> reporter: adding her voice to a growing chorus. more than 100 house democrats are formally calling for a congressional inquiry. several senators also on board. the white house calls the accusations politically motivated, arguing no investigation is needed. >> these questions have been asked and answered, and we're ready to move forward and focus on the questions of the day that the american people have. >> reporter: president trump also called his accusers women who i don't know and/or have never met. but the list includes a contestant in one of his beauty pageants, a reporter who interviewed him, and also a contestant from "the apprentice." the white house says the president was only referring to three women who spoke out earlier this week. hoda, savannah? >> peter, thank you. and senator gillibrand is with us now. senator, good morning to you. >> good morning. how are you? >> i'm well, thank you. let's talk about this tweet from the president yesterday. among other things, he said that you had not long ago come to his office, quote, begging for campaign contributions and added, you would do anything for did you interpret that tweet as a sexual reference, that you would trade sexual favors for campaign cash? is that what the president was saying about you? >> well, certainly that's how i -- and many people read it. and it was certainly just a sexist smear. intended to silence me. and i'm not going to be silenced on this issue. i have heard the testimony of many women, numerous accusers. i believe them. and he should resign for that. i think congress should do an investigation, because we need accountability. and women aren't going to be silenced right now. and as we just saw in alabama, women are not going to be silenced, african-american women are not going to be silenced. and they came out in numbers. >> i do want to go back to this tweet for a moment, though. because the white house press secretary said anyone who interprets this in a sexual manner should, quote, get their minds out of the gutter. is your mind in the gutter if you took it that way? >> no. president has tweeted this kind of thing or said this kind of thing about men in the past. for example, i recall in 2016, he said that mitt romney had come to his office in 2012, begging for an endorsement and would have gotten on his knees. was that a sexist attack or a sexually loaded attack? >> i don't know. i can just tell you, the president's trying to certainly silence my voice on this issue of these allegations against him. and he's often berated women and made them feel that they cannot be heard, as well. and what i'm seeing today and what this election of doug jones is about is a statement by particularly women, african-american women, and the african-american community, coming out and saying we are going to vote our values. and you have to put this in context. 50 years ago, four little girls were killed by the kkk. and doug jones was the prosecutor who brought them justice. were heard. so i think this was an election about what we feel and our values and what we care about. and i think president trump is wrong. he is a bully, and he has been attacking different people across this country since he's been president. and since the women's march, women have stood up, have fought hard, have spoken out about their beliefs, and they have not stopped. and so i think that is a testament to this election, and because of it, i have hope for this country. >> some of the accusers of president trump have come forward again, recently, this week, publicly. because obviously, they came out before the election and he was still elected. and the white house points to that a lot. do you think times have changed in a year, such that these accusations will be listened to in a different way now? >> yes, i do. i think this is a moment in time, unlike any other, with the metoo movement. women are feeling the ability to tell what happened to them. some of the worst momenhe and that is powerful. and it is affecting everything. and people are looking for justice. you are seeing quick justice, whether it's in hollywood or in corporate america or in congress. and so what we can do is make sure that we continue to speak out. and that's what women are doing, and they're speaking out in the millions across this country. >> let me go back to the tweet for a moment, and let me be devil's advocate. bear with me here. the president tweeted this. after you called for his resignation, and essentially said, you believed those who were calling him as someone who sexually assaulted them and mon molested them and harassed them. you played hard ball. doesn't he have the right to do the same? >> the president says whatever he wants, whenever he wants. i don't think that level of discourse, however, is what this country wants. i think what he has done is unacceptable. and if you put that in the context of multiple accusers who have assault and sexual harassment, that are credible, you need accountability. and i think what people do want is accountability and he should resign. and if he's unwilling to, congress should investigate. that's our job. oversight and accountability. and i think the american people want this. i think they want a country that they are proud of, and i think that's what this election was about. the fact that people wanted to vote for their values and what they care about. >> well, it's obviously something people will be talking about today, that election in alabama. senator kirsten gillibrand, good to have your perspective. we appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> thank you. also on this busy wednesday morning, for the first time, we are now seeing some of the anti trump text messages that led to an fbi agent's removal from the russia investigation. nbc justice correspondent, pete williams, has that story. hey, pete. good morning. >> hoda, the e-mails were handed over to congress tuesday night, just as the deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein prepares for today. some e-mails demonstrate why he should appoint another special counsel to investigate robert mueller's team. the e-mails were exchanged between peter struck and lisa page. the two were romantically involved. sent between august 2015 and december 2016, most were exchanged before either party secured its nominee. but many were critical of donald trump. one reads, god, trump is a loathsome human. on july 14th, struck wrote about trump, it's clear he's capturing the white, poor voters who the mainstream republicans abandoned. in other messages, the couple shared pro clinton views, struck telling paige, god, hillary should win 100 million-0. after clinton was nominated he wrote, congrats on a woman nominated for president in a major party. about damn time. after the election when mr. trump jeff sessions for attorney general, struck said sessions for ag, to which paige responded, good god. when mueller learned of the e-mails last summer, he removed struck from the team. the justice department's inspector general is now looking into the fbi agent's role in the hillary clinton e-mail case. so he already is under investigation. as for appointing another special counsel, that would have to be to investigate a crime. hoda, savannah? >> pete williams, thank you so much for that. 25 million people are under winter weather alerts with snow expected from the great lakes to the northeast. al is here, and it is cold outside! >> yes, it is. jet stream taking a big, big deep. let's take a look. this is a live shot along i-90. our good pals at the weather channel providing this. my pal, mike seidel, is out there right now. there was an accident. finally traffic starting to move. but also the big story, the gold air. 5 to look look at the temperature and it feels like 3 below in buffal in d.c. 8 in new york city. boston the wind chill, 7 degree you'll only feel like 3. 26 in d.c. 19 in new york city. clevel you'll feel like 12 degree the good news is it's a short we'll see temperature rebound richmo degrees. charlo get up to 55 by sunday sunny, windy and c 23 degrees in washington. and single number wind chills mornin partic north and west of snow, . >> i can't believe how it's coming down. wow. >> all right, al, thanks. coming up, will your packages arrive in time? the ominous new warning that could spell trouble for holiday shoppers. what you need to know right now. and the youtube star raking in millions all before his 7th birthday. so how kids are cashing in on the popular trend in a but first, this is "today" on nbc. . coming up, jeff rossen. plus, a special contest to give away the year's hottest sold-out toys. big surprises coming up. he's pulling them off live. and hey, are you taking the tissue test? yep, and my teeth are yellow. i mean i knew they weren't perfect, but, ugh. oh well, all hope is lost! oh thanks! clearly my whitening toothpaste is not cutting it. time for whitestrips. crest glamorous white whitestrips are the only ada-accepted whitening strips proven to be safe and effective. they work below the enamel surface to whiten 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. hey, nice smile! thanks! i crushed the tissue test! yeah you did! crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. gewith a sparkling new sweater this weekend at kohl's! for the girl's - a holiday dress or a ceramic cookware set! you'll get kohl's cash too! presents for them, kohl's cash for you! give joy, get joy at kohl's! with advil's fast relief, you'll ask, "what pulled muscle?" "what headache?" nothing works faster to make pain a distant memory. advil liqui-gels and advil liqui-gels minis. what pain? advil liqui-gels and advil liqui-gels minis. in this home we are grateful. for the things we have. for those we love he grown up table. what matters most is made at home. even if you don't buy one at carmax,from us.uy your car because maybe you're already buying a car somewhere else. or maybe you want to shop around. or, maybe you don't want to drive a car at all anymore... like, maybe you want to ride a camel into the dessert and take a deep hard look within. just figure some stuff out for awhile. that's cool. whatever your plans for buying a car, carmax is the place to sell your car. okay, let's do this, tina, tchick-tchick. here we go, tchick-tchick. i believe in ya tina. c'mon now. ah, we can just hang out here. delicious recipes made holidwith nutella! the holidays never tasted this good. discover holiday recipes at nutella.com. ♪ ♪ ♪ but they see you, like no one dogs canelse can.lor like we do. dogs see more, because they are more. milk-bone. doing more for dogs since 1908. 2017. good m to you. >> we want to quickly mention montgo county police are it outside a mcdonalds no oneinside was hurt. now to a heads up for metro riders crews are replacing a trains will be delayed between brookl let's on the rest of the how it looking? >> you can see inner loop there a little slow inbound on 50 and inboun on 295 inside the inner loop near gw parkway, a not to help that morning northb 395 after duke. broken down vehicle blocking the right shoulder. >> thank you, melissa. we'll take a quick break now and check forecast ne starte aftern highs in the low 30s stayin windy through the for after a cloudy start, get back to today, 33. tomorr warmer. >> we'll take every degree we all the sun behind us not doing anythi anothe local news update in 25 ♪ at the d.c. lottery, we not only love this place as much as you do, we heard you loud and clear when you voted for six new neighborhood scratchers. don't forget to enter the second-chance drawing. you could win $500,000 that may be used towards buying a home in your favorite neighborhood. ♪ good morning, everybody. welcome back. 7:30 on a wednesday morning. a snowy wednesday morning. check out warners, new york, near syracuse. they're getting some serious snow this morning. >> they are. it's cold all around, isn't it? we're in the 30s. >> didn't you feel it when you walked out this morning in new york city. we don't have snow, but we have cold and christmas trees. >> been waiting patiently. we have a lot happening today. let's get to a check of the headlines. starting with a political earthquake in alabama. >> stunning upset. >> we have shown the country the way. that we can be unified! >> democrat, doug jones, the apparent winner in the alabama senate race over controversial candidate, roy moore. >> the republican is getting that is a catastrophe for a republican in alabama. >> the republican refusing to concede. >> when the vote is this close, it is not over. war of words. president trump under fire for tweeting democratic senator, kirsten gillibrand would do anything for campaign contributions. the senator responding exclusively in a live interview with us this morning. >> it was certainly just a sexist smear. intended to silence me. and i'm not going to be silenced on this issue are u. ready to talk. secretary of state rex tillerson offers to sit down with north korea without preconditions. >> it's not realistic to say we're only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your program. inappropriate. michigan police under fire for handcuffing an 11-year-old girl at gunpoint. >> you're not going to jail or anything. >> no! >> police now launching an >> it made me feel scared, and it made me feel like i did something wrong. and it's lit. hanukkah officially under way this morning, after jews worldwide light the me nora, launching the festival of lights. today, december 13th, 2017. and happy hanukkah. >> let's begin with families across the country, hoping to avoid a christmas shipping catastrophe if the gifts don't arrive on time. so with so many of us ordering online this year, the nation's shippers under the microscope to deliver. and that's after struggling with cybermonday. nbc's tom costello is tracking it all from a postal service in northern virginia. hey, tom. >> reporter: hey, guys. good morning. so listen, santa claus may be able to do it all around the world in one night, but if you want your package there on time, ground delivery with the postal service. you've got to get it in tomorrow. u.p.s., the world's biggest shipping company, is bringing on 100,000 people in december, just to handle cybermonday. they're still struggling with that. and now the clock is ticking for christmas. with three quarters of a billion packages in these brown trucks before christmas, will they make it to your home for the holidays? >> it's important to me they get there on time, because i want to make sure that my family opens their presents on christmas. >> reporter: but with hanukkah already here, many gifts ordered on cybermonday aren't yet. some angry customers on twitter showing their u.p.s. packages boomeranging back to the same distribution center not yet delivered. why the delay? the shipping giant concedes, the cyber week surge exceeded its operating plans. now expecting 40 million more packages than last december. u.p.s. insists, we have returned to our original peak operating plan, and normal delivery time. and to meet demand, u.p.s. is staffing up. adding 95,000 seasonal workers. meanwhile, fedex says it's well-positioned to m that means 325,000 packages an hour, along the 42 miles of conveyor belts at its hub in memphis, where a plane full of packages touches down every 90 seconds. while the union for the pilots who deliver for dhl and amazon's prime air say they're stretched incredibly thin and delays are possible. the company, atlas air, says it's added ten more planes than last year and we are fully staffed to meet our customers' expectations. >> it's very important i get stuff to where i want it to go on time because i'm paying for a service, and i would like it to get there on time. >> reporter: but anticipating potential delays, some retailers are hoping customers simply skip shipping all together. >> many retailers are starting to introduce the idea that you can shop online, and then pick up in store right up into the evening on christmas eve. >> reporter: all right. amazon.com tells nbc news in a statement, we are confident in our ability to serve customers this holiday, and we customer network with extensive network, i should say, and are also looking to carrier partners and ensuring we can meet our delivery promises during this busy holiday shipping time. a couple of take-aways. first of all, the postal service says and the u.p.s. says, if you haven't yet gotten your package, if it hasn't been delivered yet, don't show up at the nearest sorting facility, trying to get it from them. they're probably not going to have it. reiterating, of course, if you want it to go by ground with the postal service, you should probably have it there by tomorrow. and lastly, with the postal service delivering 15 billion packages, the word is, whatever you do, you might want to consider having it shipped to the retailer and picking up from the retailer as opposed to waiting for it to come all the way to you, if you're playing the game, if you're rolling the dice. guys, back to you. >> i don't like to gamble with christmas, though. >> wow. >> thank al does his shopping in july. >> all done. >> that's right. well, if you're h that m affected by the snow, it may be slowed down just a bit. we have another clipper coming minnea on into green bay, these effects. 25 million people under winter winds, slow travel, reduced today this clipper comes through and to bring snow to as we get into the day on thursd the amounts not quite genera around 4 to 6 inches, but threaten the bigger amounts gomorning, it is a the wind is making temperature right now feels like 9 degrees feels like 4 in gaithersburg it's going to stay cold as we go throug the day to day. bluste lunch time. wind chills 15 to 20 degrees. still through the afternoon with highs only near freezing. tomorr 40s. friday, a chance f get that weather any time you need it from our friends at the weather channel on cable. guys? >> thanks, al roker. >> thank you, al. still to come this morning, it's rossen to the rescue. wait until you meet the deserving families he's surprising with the year's hottest toys. and inside william and harry's night at the london premier of "star wars," and what the director is telling us about their rumored cameo. >> do they play storm troopers? and then we chat with hugh jackman about the greatest show and his new movie and why it almost wasn't made. next, the 6-year-old boy making millions just for playing with toys. this. ♪ so... you like it. little bit. nothing gets a reaction like a gift from kay jewelers. where everything is 25% off. save 25% off all rings, all necklaces, and all bracelets. that's 25% off everything! december 14th through 18th. at kay, the #1 jewelry store in america. dad? ♪ every kiss begins with kay (i wanted him to eat healthy., so i feed jake purina cat chow naturals indoor, a nutritious formula with no artificial flavors. made specifically for indoor cats. purina cat chow. nutrition to build better lives. america's favorite cookie ♪ delicious chocolate candy ♪ oreo chocolate candy bars ♪ now also available in mint flavor you only earn double withmiles when you buy stuffds, from that airline. is this where you typically shop? is this where anyone typically shops? it's time to switch to the capital one venture card. with venture, you earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, everywhere, every day... not just airline purchases. seriously... double miles... everywhere! what's in your wallet? in this home... we count our blessings. uh, this one. both when there's a little and a lot. there you go. what matters most is made at home. now with more icing. outer layer of your enamel tooth surface. white, the thing that's really important to dentists is to make sure that that enamel stays strong and resilient for a lifetime the more that we can strengthen and re-harden that tooth surface, the whiter their patients' teeth are going to be. dentists are going to really want to recommend pronamel strong and bright. it helps to strengthen and re-harden the enamel. it also has stain lifting action. it's going to give their patients the protection that they need and the whiter teeth that they want. ♪ and roomba from irobot gets to work using two multi-surface brushes and power-lifting suction to grab and remove everything from fine dust to large debris. daily dirt doesn't stand a chance. you and roomba from irobot. giveand get $10 kohl's cash wefor every $50 spent! give the latest active and wellness gifts that will keep them on the move all year long and you'll get kohl's cash! presents for them, kohl's cash for you! give joy, get joy at kohl's! welcome back, everybody. 7:42. toys are, of course, a big money-maker, especially this time of year. >> that's right. but did you know you could be reviewing them online and making big bucks? and this little boy right there, why is he so happy? because he's living proof of that. nbc's joe fryer has his story. hi, joe. good morning. >> hey, good morning, guys. "forbes" is out with its latest list of highest-paid newt stars. and this year a 6-year-old is raking in millions, the magazine says. by playing with toys. known simply by his first time into a very grownup business. >> whoa! feel it! it's like a real egg. >> on his youtube channel, the 6-year-old opens toys, plays with them, and offers his thoughts. >> wow! >> the video is recorded by his parents and posted online for millions across the world to watch. >> okay! >> woo! >> the channel started two years ago when ryan was a mere rookie. today he has more than 10 million subscribers, and now ranks eighth on the "forbes" list of highest paid youtube stars. by far the youngest to crack the top ten. "forbes," through number-crunching and expert interviews figures ryan's page brought in $11 million in revenue in a year, money that came from ads and sponsored content. >> it's a really interesting phenomenon that really anybody with a camera has this potential. of course, not everyone with a camera makes millions of dollars, b potential. >> yay! >> it's a popular youtube genre known as unboxing. literally watching kids unbox toys and entertain themselves for minutes on end. >> kids find this mesmerizing. >> welcome to ryan's toy review. >> and it's not just ryan. there are hundreds of these channels. and some others have also found success. in 2014, "today" profiled evan-tube hd. >> nice. >> we have already maxed out certain accounts. so i think the college -- the education is pretty much taken care of. >> as for ryan's family on their youtube page, they say most of the toys featured in these videos are donated to charity. >> we thought we would play a game inside -- >> it even started a second channel documenting the entire family's daily life. youtube notes that this type of content is found on so-called family channels. it's because youtube is younger than that to participate with their families, not on their own. i think we missed our calling, guys. >> i know! i don't think ryan gives a bad review. he loves all of the toys. super cute. jeff, thank you. >> yeah, i think vale and haley have some plans to make. we check in with dylan to see what's up in the orange room. >> we have a wild story behind an ♪ >> we have a wild story behind an ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ no family pays st. jude fbecause all a family, should worry aboutd. and play. and definitely play. visit stjude.org or shop where you see the st. jude logo. ♪ i'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain ♪ ♪ what glorious feeling i'm happy again, ♪ ♪ just singing, singing in the rain. ♪ i love you, droolius caesar, but sometimes you stink. febreze car vent clip cleans away odors for up to 30 days. because the things you love can stink. giveand get $10 kohl's cash wefor every $50 spent! give the latest active and wellness gifts that will keep them on the move all year long and you'll get kohl's cash! presents for them, kohl's cash for you! give joy, get joy at kohl's! ♪ think of your fellow man, ♪ lend him a helping hand, tle love in your heart.♪ ♪ you'll see it's getting late, oh please don't hesitate...♪ ♪ put a little love in your heart.♪ ♪ in your heart... ♪ in your heart... ♪ in your heart... ♪ in your heart. (vo) going on now, our subaru share the love event will have donated over one hundred fifteen million dollars to those in need. how much would you pay for a short ride to the other side of town? you're going to be shocked when you hear this. >> hey, guys, he took an uber to visit a friend in a but little did he know he was embarking on one of the most expensive uber rides in history. the trip was only across town and took just 20 minutes so you can imagine the surprise -- >> oh, my gosh. >> when he saw he was charged $18,518.50. he contacted uber and received a lengthy response, with the most notable part saying, i can confirm that based on the pickup and drop-off locations of the trip you took, this fare is correct. >> what? >> so after the charge his hit credit card, of course, he tweeted about the ordeal, and social media users came to his defense. danielle tweets, unless the ride was in a helicopter piloted by luke skywalker, this dude better get a refund. >> thankfully he was able to get uber's attention. the afternoon after his fateful trip, he tweets, thank you to everyone who tweeted and retweeted about my magical $18,500 uber ride. uber support has refunded the fare and apologized. in a statement, uber acknowledged the charge was an error and apologized again. but, guys, i don't know, the traffic in new york city right now, it's possible to get a charge >> wow. all right, dylan. >> mta card. >> yeah, i like how dylan said it was one of the most expensive uber rides. might be even more. good to know. just ahead, the fun prince's harry and william had. and surprising very lucky viewer see ya. -take care. ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions, the instructions are here in spanish as you requested. gracias. ♪ at walgreens, how we care will change over time, but why we care remains the same treating everyone with the care and attention they deserve. walgreens. trusted since 1901. when food is good and clean and real, it's ok to crave. and with panera catering, there's more to go around. food as it should be. seed to the oat to the o on the table for two baby and mama sit down for that first finger food start with the good... and the good will come back to you good goes around... and around... and around. good goes around and around. it's a better place, since you came along since you came along your touch is sunlight through the trees your kisses are the ocean breeze everything's alright when you're with me and i hold my favorite thing i hold the love that you bring but it feels like i've opened my eyes again and the colors are golden and bright again there's a song in my heart, i feel like i belong gewith a sparkling new sweater this weekend at kohl's! for the girl's - a holiday dress or a ceramic cookware set! plus take an extra 20% off when you spend $100 or more! you'll get kohl's cash too! presents for them, kohl's cash for you! give joy, get joy at kohl's! hi, good morning. i'm jeff rossen. these are some we wan mention that greenw mill elementary school in frederick county, virginia, now we want go to melissa and how is the commute? >>morning. taking a look at the beltway, randol and denly road, a caution there for new silver spring pennsy avenue at branch avenue reported there right shoulder. >> thank it is cold out there still. we're talking about wind chills below degrees for most of the area. 23 in the district. sunny and windy. feels 11. the rest of the area feeling dulles 6 degrees. gaithe freezing for it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, shocking upset. republican roy moore falls short in alabama's hotly contested senate race. democrat, doug jones, eking out an apparent and historic win. but moore is not ready to concede. >> when the vote is this close, it is not over. >> we're live with the latest. plus, rossen to the rescue. with the season's hottest toys hard to come by, jeff rossen and his team, crisscross the country creating holiday miracles some for deserving families. >> you do such beautiful things for these kids. it's the least we could do to help their christmas. and galactic royalty. ♪ princes william and harry make a grand entrance at the "star wars" london premier. meeting the cast of the sci-fi epic, along with a fan-favorite andro droid, and rumors of the cameos in their movie are revealed. today, december 13th, 2017. >> it's freezing out here! what are you guys thinking? >> we love "today"! >> this group just flew back from thailand. you're running on three hours sleep. why? >> we wanted to celebrate katie's birthday on the plaza! >> hey, look who i found scla! >> happy 4th birthday, allison! >> i found 8-year-old elisia from alabama. >> good morning from the plaza! >> this cup from houston has a lot to celebrate. >> five years cancer-free. >> hey, al, guess who i found? >> i'm number your number-one fan! [ cheers and applause ] >> and welcome back to "today." good morng, it's a cold one out there. >> it is. i think it's 9 degrees with the wind. but we're going to go out. we're putting our hats and gloves and coats on. >> we have a hardy crowd out there and can't wait to see hello. we start with your news at 8:00. and the democrat, doug jones, declaring victory this morning in the alabama senate race that was clouded by sexual misconduct claims against his republican rival, roy moore. nbc's gabe gutierrez has been covering the campaign for us. he's in montgomery this morning. hi, gabe, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. ruby-red alabama will now be sending a democrat to washington for the first time in a generation. and the republican senate majority will now be razor-thin, 51-49. this morning, the blame game has started. president trump tweeting a short time ago the reason he originally endorsed roy moore's primary opponent, luther strange, is that he knew roy moore couldn't win the general election. roy worked hard, the president writes. but the deck was stacked against him. this morning, a seismic political shift. a democrat is the apparent winner and the next senator from ruby-red alabama. >> we have shown not just around the state of alabama, but we have shown the country the way. that we can be unified! >> reporter: overnight, doug jones pulling off a stunning upset. >> thank you. >> congratulations. >> everybody feels great today. >> reporter: after a frantic scramble to get african-american voters and moderates to the polls. >> i think that i have been waiting all my life, and now i just don't know what the hell to say. >> reporter: in a brief, somber speech to his supporters, his republican opponent, roy moore, refused to concede. and even raised the possibility of a recount. >> when the vote is this close, then it's not over. >> reporter: the horse race was surreal. for weeks, the headlines dominated by sexual misconduct allegations against moore. the former judge repeatedly denied claims that he m one as young as 14. >> this is simply dirty politics. >> reporter: president trump tweeting a rare congratulations to a democrat for a hard-fought victory, adding the republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. it never ends. >> i think we got it. >> reporter: regina johnson, it was personal. >> woo! that's it, that's it. >> reporter: she's one of the women who accused moore of unwanted sexual advances, alleging he groped her at his law office in 1991 when she was 28. >> i am just thrilled that speaking out did make a difference. and that we won't be silenced any more. >> reporter: as for that possible recount that roy moore suggested, it is highly unlikely. under alabama law, a recount would automatically kick in if the margin of victory was less than one half of one percentage point. but doug jones topped roy moore by three times that thank you. earlier on "today," democratic senator, kirsten gillibrand, stood by her call for president trump to step down in the face of renewed sexual misconduct accusations against him. and during an exclusive interview, savannah asked gillibrand about the president's tweet tuesday that the senator would, quote, do anything for campaign contributions. >> let me be blunt about it. did you interpret that tweet as a sexual reference? >> well, certainly that's how i and many people read it. and it was certainly just a sexist smear. intended to silence me. and i'm not going to be silenced on this issue are u. i have heard the testimony of many women, numerous accusers. i believe them. and he should resign for that. >> meantime, new york's other senate minority leader, chuck sh schumer, says he was the target of a fake document offered to news organizations. schumer's office says the document f turned over to capital police. we know the cause of that fast-moving wildfire that destroyed homes last week in the bel-air neighborhood of los angeles. officials say the so-called skur ball fire was sparked by an illegal cooking fire at a homeless encampment. the fire scorched more than 400 acres since it broke out last wednesday. the flames burned down six homes, forced thousands of mandatory evacuations. there have been no arrests in the case. 8:06 now. time for the morning boost. >> let's do it. kids, if you can't count on a family member to help you in your time of need, who can you count on? watch what happens during a youth wrestling match in indiana. a little girl and a little boy are locked up in a ear-to-ear match when the girl's little brother jumps into action. dad has to run in and scoop up the overprotective sibling. everyone got a good laugh. apparently the boy thought his big sis was being picked on. and you know what, he was having none of it. get off my sister! >> i love it. that is adorable. lo including the one thing that might possibly be able to overshadow a "star wars" premier. we'll show you. >> wow. plus, he plays the greatest showman and he is a pretty good one himself. hugh jackman is stopping by. first, let's see what megyn has coming up. >> hey, guys, a teenage football player seemed to have it all until the panic attacks started before he knew it, he was in the hospital. how he found joy when he joins us live today. and next, it's rossen to the rescue. >> hi, good morning. i'm jeff rossen. they are the hottest toys of the season. stores are sold out. the prices online are sky-high. so we bought them for you. handing toys out to parents and children in need. the results of our rossen reports ( ♪ ) more people shop online for the holidays than ever before. and the united states postal service delivers more of those purchases to homes than anyone else in the country. ( ♪ ) because we know, even the smallest things are sometimes the biggest. even the smallest things ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ my dbut now, i take used tometamucil every day.sh it traps and removes the waste that weighs me down, so i feel lighter. try metamucil, and begin to feel what lighter feels like. delicious recipes made holidwith nutella! the holidays never tasted this good. discover holiday recipes at nutella.com. in this home we make breakfast. sometimes messes! but always masterpieces ...together. what matters most is made at home. giveand get $10 kohl's cash wefor every $50 spent! give the latest active and wellness gifts that will keep them on the move all year long and you'll get kohl's cash! presents for them, kohl's cash for you! give joy, get joy at kohl's! welcome back. with a new rossen to the rescue, a followup to tuesday's big holiday toy challenge. >> that's right. today national investigative correspondent, jeff rossen, showed us why it's so hard to find the season's hottest toys, and then launched a contest to give some of them away for free. and yes, the viewers did respond. and jeff is in orlando this morning with the results. jeff, this is a fun one. good morning! >> yeah. this is so fun. and it's been so inspiring, my team has been tireless. we have been up for 24 hours, reading all of your tweets, all of your stories. so many families in need this year. so many families where money is tight, and they can't afford these sky-high prices for these toys. so this morning, we are crisscrossing the country, making some special deliveries and in just a moment, programs the biggest surprise of all right inside this house. they are the hottest toys this season. fingerlings. the lol surprise big nes. many stores are sold out. prices online sky-high. we bought them, and on tuesday, made this announcement live on "today." >> we have bought extras of all the toys, and we want to give them to you, our viewers! so we want you to tweet us right now using the hash tag rossenreportscontest. >> thousands and thousands of you wrote in. so late tuesday, the rossen reports team deployed nationwide. one thing i've noticed from this contest is how many good people there are in the world. and one of them, her name is la tasha. and i saw this tweet from her. i had to meet her. she wrote, i am a single foster mother who recently took in a family of four brothers ages 2 through 8. the super nintendo classic would really make their day. okay. so i have the super nintendo classic. we are here in georgia. let's surprise her. >> oh, jeff rossen! >> la tasha? >> yes, oh, my god! >> you do such beautiful thing it's the at least we could do to help their christmas. >> oh, my god. thank you so much! matthew! >> what? >> will this help to make their holiday better? >> oh, my god, yes. it would be amazing. matthew, look! >> yes, yes! >> what do you think, matthew? >> it's great, thank you. >> i'm going to cry! >> i know! >> oh, we're just getting started. >> hello! >> my producer, olivia, flying to louisiana to surprise this mother. her husband is deployed this christmas, and she was just laid off. for their kids, we deliver an lol surprise and a nintendo. this year, so many families displaced by natural disasters. this mom writing to us, my 14-year-old twins went through harvey, and then moved to florida to start over and went through irma. this christmas, we are grateful to be alive, but it will be very small. my girls would love a nintendo system or a finger pet. >> jeff rossen from nbc news. >> oh, my >> it's actually me! we've brought presents for your daughters. where are they? can we go upstairs and see them? >> she leads us to the living room. >> i heard you guys wanted fingerlings. >> those are adorable! >> are you okay? tears of joy, i hope. >> yes. i love these things. they're so adorable. >> reading your tweets is what touched us so much. stories of brave children, fighting sickness and disabilities. this mom wrote to us, my 14-year-old with autism and his brother would love the nintendo classic, as this is how they bond, through talking about video games. thank you for a chance. >> can't wait to see their faces when they get their hands on this. >> my producer, lindsey, showing up at their door. >> i'm with the "today" show and rossen reports. and we heard you guys wanted a super nintendo. >> oh, my gosh. did you know your mom sent us a tweet? >> i didn't know we were going to win, though. west coast, and this little boy from california. his grandma writing, my grandson just received a bone marrow transplant for leukemia. his mom cannot afford christmas this year. time to surprise them, too. >> lucas, your grandmother wrote to us this morning on twitter. and she told us about how strong of a boy you've been. and you know what she recommended? is that you get this toy! are you excited? are you ready to play? >> yeah! >> coast to coast, smiles for the families who deserve them most. >> happy holidays! bye! loved meeting all of them. and right now we are inside the ronald mcdonald house here in orlando. this is an amazing charity. they house families for free when their kids are being treated at hospitals away from home. now, i heard you guys like toys, right? >> yeah! >> they like toys and a lot are spdi they're being treated, everything from brain injuries to pediatric cancer. so guys, we got you some of the hottest toys that you can't find in the stores. so if you guys want to -- you want them to get these? >> yeah! >> go get them! the parents were telling me, this is so important, debby. you were telling me that your daughter has been here. what does this mean? little things like this, be even? >> oh, you take their mind off of what's going on out there, and you guys care. takes the mind off and makes them happy. that's what it's all about. >> we're happy to be here. thank you so much. >> we appreciate it. >> everyone here is so brave. these kids are so amazing. we're going to stand here for a little while, guys. this is so inspirational to watch them ripping into those toys. very cool? you like that? of course, as you know, guys, it's hard to get the packaging open. we're here inside the ronald mcdonald house, and thank you to everyone in america for those tweets. our thoughts and hearts are with you this holiday season. >> absolutely. well done, jeff, and your whole team. it's lovely. >> by the way, i have loved a lot of jeff stories, but this is at the top of the heap, isn't day and night to go across the country last night. awesome. >> beautiful. >> thanks to you guys. appreciate it. give some hugs out there. love it. thank you. mr. roker, that makes us feel good. >> that's right. santa cleared out the weather so they didn't have any problems. that worked out nicely. we do have leftover lake-effect snow. we hav buffal aftern highs in teens and 20s throug the northern tier of 80s in southern california where they use rain and cooler weathe chance for a white christmas white christmas defind is one the way across to chicago, detroi buffalo, cleveland, on looks good. likely also out in the pacific that's what's goin on ad good morning, everybody. you'll notice on that map of out. here, our chances of white 23 now. the su is out. feels like temperature is 11 degree bundle today. you'll need i had. stayin cold all day wit is your weather. savannah. >> alrighty, al. trending time. trending on twitter this morning. bon jovi. what was just revealed. bon jovi among next year's 2018 rock and roll hall of fame inductees. the other, my three celeb dinner would be -- okay. it is the most wonderful time of year. we all know that. while shopping, planning, decorating, cooking, wrapping presents and writing cards, your holiday to-do list can seem endless. in a yelp survey, 69% of people said they were stressed and many would be willing to pay to have someone else do their holiday tasks. so that brings us to "today's" trending. holiday tasks. would you delegate it if you could? delegate, yes, not delegate no. holiday shopping. do you want to delegate it? >> yes. >> yes. ooh, of course. because you like -- you enjoy shopping. >> i do. >> and you're good at it. cook your holiday meal? >> no. >> yes, i would delegate. >> delegate. >> who -- >> i would delegate. >> you know what, we don't cook. >> right. >> okay. >> we don't do anything. >> take down and put away your decorations. >> oh. >> take them down. >> take them down. >> yeah, take them down. >> i would definitely have someone else take them down. >> i like putting them up. >> me too. >> okay. >> a simple kid's toy christmas morning. no. >> delegate. >> you would want to do it yourself? >> no, i want to delegate. what about gift wrapping? >> i like gift wrapping? >> did we do -- >> gift wrapping, yes or no, delegate? >> yes. >> i like wrapping. >> you like to do it? >> no, i would delegate. >> me too. >> means you don't want to do it. gosh. two quick ones. make holiday returns. obviously, we delegate. >> delegate. >> drinking eggnog. delegate. i don't want to drink it. >> why would i have someone else do that? >> i don't want to delegate. >> i'm glad we had this talk. >> so confusing. >> take it away. okay. let's begin "pop start" with the royals. prince william and harry hit the red carpet for the european premier of "star wars" the last jedi. lucy cavanaugh was at the premier last night. i'm jealous. how was it? >> reporter: dylan, good morning. this was a star-studded event that got the royal stamp of approval. prince harr ime be busy planning his wedding and prince william child, but they managed to find some time to hit the red carpet. and the force was with them. in a galaxy not so far, far away, right here in london, actually, hollywood "star wars" royalty shared the red carpet with british royalty. the dashing princes greeted with proper protocol by the film's adorable droid, and a bit of enthusiasm from the cast. >> i hope i don't trip when i read them. >> reporter: this was no ordinary premier. they were reportedly making came oappearances in the film, disguised as storm troopers. was this the scene? lucy cavanaugh of -- the producer keeping mum. >> i did not say they made a cameo. >> reporter: but after john spilled the beans at the hollywood reporter's actor's round table. >> it wasn't intimidating. >> reporter: joking last night -- >> i think harry is the jedi. i really do believe that. >> reporter: even chewy played by finnish basketball player s tammo, was impressed. >> it's a royal competition. >> reporter: the pair dropped by the "star wars" set in london last year. the brothers getting a sneak peek at the costumes and creatures. getting their hands on some of the most famous props in the world. >> am i supposed to wear this during the film? >> reporter: but last night, it was the royal force meeting the force. the british empire striking back. dill lab l dylan, no official word on whether prince harry got any acting trips from his fiancee, but we did hear from meghan markle will be joining this year, a major break in tradition, since the pair isn't officially getting married until may. dylan? >> interesting. thank you so much. and now to a special "pop start" premier. we have a look at the trailer for the upcoming movie, the 1517 to paris. remember in 2015 when three courageous americans shot off a terrorist attack aboard a train? they are now headed to the big screen. take a look. >> once you begin to discover who you are, then you realize how you have been given authority over your life! but you can only do that through the struggle of life. and most people avoid the struggle. but we've been chosen for this great work. >> now the movie is directed by clint eastwood, and he cast the real-life heroes to play themselves. >> wow. >> the film hits theaters february 9th. the full trailer, head to today.com. >> that's amazing. >> cool. and finally, the golden globes. everyone is still talking about the 2018 nominations just announced monday. and this year is extra special. it's the 75th anniversary of the award show. so nbc, the hollywood foreign press association and dick clark productions are teaming up to bring us a star-studded anniversary special. and we have an exclusi of the biggest stars who won for the very first time. >> i got so nervous, i didn't know the etiquette of coming up here when you win these awards, because i'm -- i don't know. and yet i've been in this room since i was 7 years old. >> to my mother, i love you. did okay, huh? >> i want to thank my mama, who said i could do it. can you believe it, ma? >> my father used to tell me to say every morning, today is going to be a great day. i can and i will. well, dad, today is a great day. i can and i did. >> thank you to hollywood foreign press, and most of all, my family. mom, stop crying. stop screaming. it's okay. >> will and grace stars will host the two-hour event which will feature interviews with nicole kidman and many more. you can catch the golden globes 75th anniversary special tonight at 9:00 p.m. right here on nbc. >> the movie a will be on the "today" show in february. >> cool! >> that's awesome. >> "pop start" news for you. >> breaking news. >> yes. let's get to this one. i was trying to make that catch. a group of tourists were surprised when they got up close and personal with a great white shark. take a look. >> ooh. >> whoa! >> my god. >> ooh. ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. >> oh, my gosh! >> ooh! horrible. >> i'm going to get to this thing. >> whoa! >> oh, they were -- >> oh, my god. >> crazy! >> there were divers in the cage. >> oh, no, indeed. >> attack the whole time? thankfully the shark lost interest in the cage when someone on the boat threw food into the water. i mean, you go shark diving, and to have happen. >> wow. all right, thank you, dylan. straight ahead, international superstar in the house, pep 8:26 o wednesday, december we want to mention that greenw mill elementary school in frederick county, virginia, now let's turn to the roads. meliss has a check on the commut taking a look at the rails on delays of shady grove. proble van ness. walter main breaks, two here. one in the glenmont area. urbana drive, a big problem thi this causes a big problem with inner outer loop, a right. thank you. curren temperature near 20 degree since 15th. more cold days coming. we should turn a little milder force. brace yourself for the season of audi sales event. ♪ [vo] the season of audi sales event is here. month's lease payment on select models during the season of audi sales event. good morning, everybody! it's wednesday, december 13th, 2017. beautiful day out here on our plaza. so cold, so lovely. but there is one little pig that will cheer up everything. it's peppa. she is here. we all know peppa pig, those of us with toddlers. and we are very excited to have peppa and the celebrity voice collecting the toy for our toy drive this morning. how exciting is that? >> are you busting? >> i love peppa so much. that's been the talk. you actually showed me some cartoons on your phone. >> i did. well, it's for my 3-year-old who loves peppa, but i love her too. >> and peppa herself is here. >> interrupt for a second. hoda, i know you normally take over the crowd moment here. but i want to do it for you. i want to bring you with me. >> okay. what? >> there's a group of girls -- i think are a little bit obsessed. >> hoda, hoda, hoda, hoda! >> come on over. >> hoda, hoda, hoda, hoda! >> i found your biggest fans. >> we love you, hoda! >> that's awesome. [ cheers and applause ] >> who doesn't love hoda? >> this is l life. you guys, that was so nice. yes, i will -- i'll take a picture. >> it's your fan corner. >> i'll be right here. >> okay. coming up, we have another great big star. not just peppa pig. we've got hugh jackman here. oh, yes. we're going to talk about his role as the greatest showman to buzz around the movie. and why that movie almost wasn't made. >> that's pretty cool. and what you need to complete the holidays besides presents? cookies, of course. we're going to dress up the classic butter cookie, not one, not, two, not three, but four. >> yummy. first, megyn, what have you got coming up? >> so how about that roy moore stunning loss last night in alabama. why steve bannon is crying in his soup. and then we're going to talk about lotcas. this is not just about merry christmas and the ugly -- what is that, fruit cake? >> fruit cake. >> it's about the smushed tater tot. and it's awesome. and also faux fur and how to wear it. it's very confusing. faux fur. >> okay, megyn. we need some faux fur. am i right? >> fe, fi, fo, fur. >> that's our envy talking. >> you guys all just climb in. there is plenty of room. we've got a birthday girl over here. very nice. happy birthday to you. let's show what's going on as far as your weather is strong winds around the western windy and colder in the tomorr lake effect snow lakes. that persistent fog in the the winds start to pick up again in southern california. not news there. plenty of sunshine, warm through the gu on into the that's going on around here's what's happening in your good morning. we still have wind chills at 10 area. clinto feels like 6. feels like 6 in gaithersburg dulles 11 degrees is what it it is a bitter cold start to feelin more like the teens and maybe some flurries north of the distri tonight. the weekend mostly dry until [ cheers and applause ] >> and that's your latest weather. hey, we've got to make sure we get all of these people seen. and also let you know that no matter where you have weather and when you need it, make sure you check out our friends on the weather channel on cable. oh, savannah? >> al, thank you so much. the new musical "the greatest showman" is getting a lot of buzz, with the star hugh jackman. he sings his way on to the screen as circus pioneer, pt barnum. ♪ a million dreams are keeping me away ♪ ♪ a million dreams a million dreams ♪ ♪ i dream of what the world can be ♪ ♪ i dream of the world i see ♪ >> oh, i mean, it's so good. the music is beautiful. >> thank you. i'm laughing because your crew are dancing in the background. guys, that -- that one was amazing. i'm a little upset we didn't use it in the movie. >> i know, i know. exactly. i didn't know they had such heart. i mean -- >> see? >> but this is the kind of movie that makes you want to sing and dance and -- >> yeah. >> it's beautiful. >> it's a perfect -- for me, a perfect movie for this time of year. it's for everybody. it is uplifting. it's got i think a great theme about inclusion and tolerance for those people -- back in those days, it was a bearded lady, a three-legged man. but really, the story of being kind to everyone. that we can create family. we can create tolerance i think is perfect for them. >> the message is this was a labor of love. i know you tried to get this made for years. >> seven and a half. >> but who is counting? >> yeah, right. no, it was just after i hosted the oscars, and the producer said, you know, you've done movies, "wolverine," musicals on broadway and the west end. you should put the two together. and i was like, great. to be honest, i thought it was a one in ten chance. because no matter who you are, it had been 23 years since a studio had said yes to that. and thankfully, we found justin and benj who were nobodies at the time. won for "la la land." >> just got three grammy award nominations. and they no longer talk to me. but that's fine. because i wrote -- they're way too big. they wrote ten incredible songs. >> and i know there was this critical moment in the process where you're trying to get this movie made. >> yeah. >> and i heard a story that it was rehearsal time, this big moment with the producers. >> yeah. >> and you had had skin surgery the night before. >> yeah. >> and the doctor said, whatever you do, don't sing. >> don't sing. >> so what happened? he said you've got to get it out. and i said, can we wait until after the performance? he said, no, it's cancer. so he put 80 stitches in my nose and everything was fine. and i thought, i'll turn up the next day and there were probably 80 people, big wigs, all ready to make the decision were we or weren't we. the director was not happy with me, but i had someone singing for me. so i would do the scenes and he would sing. and it came to the last number, and i thought i'll just sing the first line. i'll sing the second line, it's quiet. and then i was off. i'm a big ham. so i started singing, finished the number. it was a good show biz moment. oh -- he overcame. and then all of a sudden i felt this trickle of blood. yeah. it was not good. i had to go and get some of those stitches redone. but worth it. >> it was worth it! >> the show must go on. >> i was going to say, blood, sweat and tears, literally. and it's kind of full circle for you. because pt barnum, a great showman, the circus. you do have some experience in the clown sector. >> oh, my gosh. you've done your >> of course i have! so when was this? you used to -- you were a clown at birthday parties? >> 21 or 22. and me and stan were cocoa and bozo. clearly hadn't put a lot of effort into that. that was a rented clown suit. sorry, i still haven't given it back. and i gave up, finally, after a year when i did an 8-year-old's party, and your job as a clown is literally to distract the kids for an hour while the parents have a glass of wine. >> exactly. >> so that eight minutes in -- maybe three minutes in, this 8-year-old stands up, mom, this clown is terrible! he might have used a different word than terrible. and i was, like -- i literally grabbed my ace, which was juggling eggs, and i just gave them all two dozen eggs and they started throwing eggs at me and i thought this is the greatest thing ever and that was the last time. >> you're like, i'm out. >> i'm out. >> you talked a little bit about the movie, one of the themes is inclusion, and acceptance of whoever you are. >> right. >> and i read, and i was intere t actually given up dancing for a long, long time. >> yeah. >> because you didn't -- what -- >> a teacher pulled me aside and said you have talent, you should do dancing lessons. so i went home and told my dad. and he was like, great. and someone said, oh, you're a sissy dancer. and i said what? and he said, dancing is for sissies. and i said i'm not a sissy so i didn't do it. and i was in theatre when i was 18, and sang 42nd street with my dad and at the end, came up to me and he said, you know, i said something really stupid to you about eight years ago much. you belong on the stage. and i'm really sorry. so the next day i signed up for dancing lessons. but it was about seven or eight years. >> you are kidding me? that just gave me some chills. >> really? for me too at the time. i was grateful he had said it because i had forgotten about it. it wasn't like the whole seven years i was like i wish -- i so for my kids or any kids out there, i don't care if you want to be a mechanic, make pizza, dance, if you love it, do it. don't care what anybody else says. that's part of the message of this movie. >> and it's never too late. >> never too late. >> and as we mentioned, hue picked up a golden globe nomination this week for his portrayal and he reacted to the news on twitter saying in part, through all of the literal blood, sweat and tears, giving up was never an option. as it is said, with great risk comes great reward. thank you, hollywood foreign press. "the greatest showman" opens one week from today. and hugh is a doll. >> you were totally cool, too. i was wondering -- you fan girled a little. >> a little bit. i was the inner dork that you know well. but, yes, i tried to play it cool. coming up, an easy option if you're looking for last-minute holiday gifts. the best books to give or curl up with this year. but first, this is "today" on nbc. and we are back with moref hassle-free holiday. if you're still looking for presents for your loved ones, may we suggest a good book. here is "new york times" best-selling authors emily giffen. emily, let's start with the fiction category. what would be your number one -- >> and thank you for the stockings. >> you're welcome. >> so my fiction recommendation is the story of true love by elizabeth berg. we were just chatting about her. we both love her. he knows her, i don't. >> oh, yeah? >> three lonely people who find an unexpected connection. and it just really highlights the good in people. it's uplifting. story. >> would you give it to men, women, both? >> yes. anyone. anyone. >> all right. harlan, what's your number-one fiction book? >> "blue bird a great blues song could be a book full of great heart ache, it would be this. an exciting murder mystery, really gripping, really thrilling and beautifully written. my favorite voice i've heard this year. you will be hearing a lot about her, i think. >> is that the first? >> this is her first in this new series and first real mystery. >> okay. let's go nonfiction. emily, where are we going? >> we are going with bobby kennedy. >> oh, that's chris matthews' book. >> chris matthews' new book. i am fascinated by the kennedys. a lot of people are. he's my favorite, though. bobby is my favorite. he embodies the idealism of that family and is just the best of what that family offered. and this is a very intimate portrait. >> so often when you feel like i think i've read everything about the kennedys, do you learn more in that book? >> you do. you see him from the perspective of the brooding young soul. you really feel like you get to know him intimately. so if you like the kennedys, this is a great one. chris mth >> harlan. >> "the killer of the flowered moon" by david graham which tells a true crime and historical novel. the osage nation in the 1920s were like the kuwaitees of today, super wealthy in oklahoma getting the oil. and someone started to kill them and murder them. and this is a unbelievably well-researched -- it's written like a detective novel. an important book to read. and also very entertaining. >> how do you guys get your recommendations? do you go through and read things, get recs from friends like we do? >> mostly friends. >> i think friends. it's one of the perks of being a writer. you get some advanced reading copies. >> show us your coffee table book. >> are we skipping one? oh, wait. >> coffee table is fine. you want to go? >> sure. "the portraits of courage" by george w. bush. >> oh, yeah. >> george bush says he's a novice as a painter. he's painted soldiers and he te t haunting, lyrical, mesmerizing about it. and, like, a lot of great art or a lot of good art, reflects both on the subject and on the artist. i think it's a fairly poignant book and definitely worth a read. >> he is so talented. >> and what's yours? >> mine is "clairegs" and i don't cook. it's beautiful even if you're not a big chef. >> and quickly, give us your children's book picks. >> "the hates you give" by angie thomas. my 16-year-old daughter recommended it. it's a great book about race but also entertaining. >> will be a movie too. >> very important book. adults too. >> until i had harlan's list, i had to take it off. that's how good it is. here we are, children's book. it's the message is really simple and great for the holiday. be kind, be accepting and we're all on this planet earth together. >> good way to end, you guys. great picks. thank you so much for being here. >> thank you. they also selected a bonus pick exclusively for the web. you can find their full list at today.com/shop. next, we dive into the holiday cookie craze. isrst, this ♪ we are back. it's 8:49. this morning on "today food," the holiday cookie craze is taking hold from coast to coast. plenty of sugar, spice and everything nice. this holiday, bakers are battering up to see just how the cookie crumbles. >> flavors that are trending this year are peppermint, chocolate and cinnamon. >> during the months of november and december, 93% take to baking. spending $110 billion on candy and food. just a fraction of the 19,000 cookies each of us eat in our lifetime. >> that's a lot of cookies. >> christmas time cookies are a european tradition that can be traced as far back as the 16th century, brought to the u.s. 100 years later by the dutch. today they are sprinkled and sugared flavored by santa and gift-givers alike. >> this year, 100,000 americans will give baked goods for the holiday season. >> boldly baking the holiday spirit. >> we have the host of "baked in vermont," here with a family butter cookie for us to try. good morning! >> good morning. >> everything looks so beautiful. we're ready to dig in. >> i try not to eat the dough. it's a tough battle in all of this. >> it is. >> we're making my grandmother's german butter cookies. it's one of those recipes i've had since it was written by hand. handwriting. the cutest thing. so you have to translate the handwriting, which is so much fun. so you're spending time with people you love. there's lots of butter in there. and what it means is butter stuff. so it is butter stuff. so lots of butter and sugar. and then there are two kinds of flour. because it was an old german recipe, i have all-purpose and pastry or cake flour. >> okay. >> so that it's the right amount of structure in the flour and the right amount of tenderness. so you have them both. and lemon zest and salt. in her recipe, she also had something called -- i couldn't read it -- what does that mean? i looked it up. my grandmother is so difficult. it was like booze. so i couldn't find the right stuff, but there was a lot of it in there. so just a little more butter -- i'm like, go, omi. and you also add four egg yolks, which is a little unusual. lemon juice, because omi liked things a little -- >> a little sas? >> a little sassy. a little vanil until it's just incorporated so you get really nice dough. and do you know how to make lattice? >> no. >> that's funny. >> so what you do is, you peel back -- well, it will peel back for us, every other one and lay a strip across. >> okay. like this way? >> way. >> do you have to chill the dough? >> you do have to chill it about 20 minutes. >> oh, and then you put it back over. so it's like a checkerboard. >> and if it breaks, don't worry, because it comes together really well. or you just eat the piece you broke off. >> okay. >> we have one minute. i want to make sure we get over here. >> this is what happens when you make the checkerboard. so you. >> beautiful. >> you roll it out and stamp it out and i have extra just to make the cuff. and then -- >> beautiful! >> i like that. >> so this is the piping part. and the best way to pipe is that you have, obviously piping bags. if you get really nice tips and you just -- you actually hold the bag higher up than you think you should and y line, especially if you had coffee and you're shaky. >> oh, so higher. >> higher. you can control -- >> he's doing great. >> good one, dylan! >> you're doing a great job. and that just means you're covering the whole surface with the icing. >> and it's different textures. one is piping. and this is so much fun to do with kids. it doesn't need to be perfect. it just needs to be yummy. >> they're delicious. >> right? >> and they can use embossers, if you don't like doing decorations, you can put ho, ho, ho. >> so one recipe but lots of ways to do it. >> yes. >> thank you. if you do want the recipe, omi's recipe, go to today.com/food. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. as we finish off these cookies, in our fourth hour, judd apatow will be here and best il how about that? >> you're doing great. >> what grade would you give her? >> a-plus? >> f-minus? >> doesn't it look fun? megyn kelly today is next after wednes december 13th, 2017. good m you. we want to mention to that you greenw mill elementary school in frederick county, virginia, we want to check in with melissa for a look at your commute. >>morning. on red line, delays at shady grove. we have a signal problem outside water main break, one in could be very slick because of carefu there. westbo constitutio 20th, the beltway, slow spots almost everyw right. bitter cold continues. look at these wind chills. back the single digits for feels like 9 degrees. feels like 9 in frederick. 8 degrees in clinton. we'll near freezing but only flurri for friday. this morning on "megyn kelly today." mr. jones goes to washington. alabama picks its next senator. >> we have shown the country the way, that we can be unified. >> what does it mean for a divided nation and the feud-focused president. and a college football star steps away fro the field to focus on his own mental health. plus, it's the holiday season and we are celebrating hanukkah with next-level latkas. and our freebie train rolls into the studio on "megyn kelly today," right now. [ cheers and applause ] >> hi!

Related Keywords

New York , United States , Georgia , Montana , Louisiana , Alabama , United Kingdom , Urbana , Indiana , Paris , France General , France , Vermont , Washington , California , Virginia , Russia , Syracuse , Michigan , London , City Of , Germany , Thailand , Netherlands , Ronald Mcdonald House , Illinois , Hollywood , Finland , North Korea , Houston , Texas , Frederick County , Prince William , Spain , Chicago , Americans , America , Finnish , Spanish , German , British , Dutch , American , Judd Apatow , Clint Eastwood , Meghan Markle , Elizabeth Warren , Dick Clark , Regina Johnson , Tom Costello , Al Roker , Los Angeles , Doug Jones , George Bush , Robert Mueller , David Graham , Pete Williams , Megyn Kelly , Lucy Cavanaugh , Chuck Todd , Mitt Romney , George W Bush , Mike Seidel , Montgomery Gabe , Peter Alexander , Jeff Rossen , Elizabeth Berg , Hugh Jackman , Gabe Gutierrez , Rockefeller Plaza , Steve Bannon , Roy Moore , Prince Harry , Kirsten Gillibrand ,