update with traffic and weather at 7:25. at 11:00 a.m., the both of us route back here in these same two chairs. >> have a great day. good morning. here it comes. a powerful storm takes aim at the east coast, from north carolina to maine, after pounding parts of texas. some areas could get close to a foot of snow. leader of the pack. a new nationwide poll shows newt gingrich with a double-digit lead in the republican presidential race. how does the white house feel about his surge? we'll talk to a top adviser to the president's re-election campaign. and bounced. alec baldwin returns to new york overnight after being kicked off an american airlines flight in los angeles. he says all because he failed to turn off his ipad. what are his fellow passengers saying? we'll hear from them today,

wednesday, december 7th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. well, we knew this good weather couldn't last. we've been enjoying nice, mild temperatures for this time of the year in the northeast but it's about to change. >> a storm system that's going to hit parts of the south and mid-atlantic today will quickly bring a nor'easter to our region. heavy rain, snow, much colder temperatures all expected. we're going to get to al's forecast coming up straight ahead. we're also following a story that might outrage a lot of people. a seattle doctor and his wife living in a $1.2 million lakefront home traveling the globe, but they have been accused of illegally collecting

welfare for eight years. so we're going to get details now on how they allegedly did that. and michael jackson ent his final days in a rented beverly hills mansion. now some items from that home are about to be auctioned off which might make some people uncomfortable. we'll take a look at what's being put on the blocks. but let us begin with that storm system that will impact millions of people from the south all the way up the east coast. al roker is upstairs tracking the storm. hi, al. >> not just a snowstorm but a rain storm as well. you can see parts of texas really getting slammed yesterday from amarillo to austin. we're talking snow causing problems, flipping over trucks, 18-wheelers, causing big, big traffic jams and lots of problems throughout parts of the southwest. that same system is making its way to the east and you can see right now we've got snow in memphis. they picked up 3 inches earlier this week and have more snow coming. this storm system will make its way up the coast and it's got heavy rain in front of it, snow

behind it. look at this, we've got flood watches and flash flood watches from roanoke, virginia, all the way to new jersey. a lot of heavy rain out of this system. so far la guardia has already broken a record today, 61.2 inches of rain, wettest year so far on record. you can see the heavy rain, 2 to 3 inches of rain from roanoke to boston. back behind that system we're talking snow. into the poconos, anywhere from 9 inches to a foot of snow. big changes temperaturewise. look at this morning's temperatures, low to mid-60s. cold front moves through. by tomorrow morning at this time temperatures anywhere from 20 to 30 degrees colder. so it will begin to feel a lot more like christmas. ann. >> all right, al, thank you so much. now to presidential politics. a new poll shows newt gingrich out in front in the gop race nationwide. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent, joins us now. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. well, today should have most of the republicans singing from the same song sheet.

they'll be questioning president obama's relationship with israel at a republican jewish coalition forum here in washington today. the newt front runner, newt gingrich, is finding himself coming under increasing attack. >> you are the worst possible questioner. >> reporter: new gingrich may be the new front runner but is walking a fine line criticizing mitt romney. trying to laugh off a question claiming he doesn't understand the economy. >> you can make an argument i helped romney get rich. i did the macroeconomic things necessary to make his career possible. >> reporter: he has commanding leads in iowa, south carolina and closed the gap with romney in new hampshire, also has opened up a large lead nationally. according to the inaugural gallup daily tracking poll released tuesday. gingrich is also the subject of the first major negative attack ad campaign in iowa, courtesy of ron paul. >> he's the essence of washington insiders. >> reporter: romney, now the chaser in this campaign, is

attempting to frame his battle with gingrich as a question of leadership, saying he will come out on top compared to gingrich. >> his role as a leader as the speaker of the house will be examined very carefully. people will measure our capacity to lead. i don't know what that is going to show with regards to him. i know what it will show with regards to me. >> a former gingrich aide takes the comparison one step further. >> newt never made the comparison from being an entrepreneur or revolutionary to being a manager. >> reporter: romney who picked up the endorsement of dan quayle tuesday is also ramping up his media appearances after criticism he's been avoiding reporters. >> any questions? >> reporter: he is holding more frequent press availabilities and has agreed to his first sunday show interview in over a year. but he will not join the december 27th debate moderated by donald trump, saying he politely declined trump's invitation by phone. >> we've already set our calendar in december and i communicated to mr. trump that that schedule is completed.

>> reporter: in a statement, trump fired back a predictable response, complete with a dig at romney writing, it would seem logical to me that if i was substantially behind in the polls, especially in iowa, south carolina and florida, i would be participating in the debate. but i can also understand why governor romney decided not to do it. meanwhile president obama traveled to kansas tuesday to preview his re-election argument. casting himself a nonrepublican as the protector of the middle class. using the phrase 20 times. >> we simply cannot return to this brand of you're on your own economics if we're serious about rebuilding the middle class in this country. >> reporter: a former republican front runner in this case, texas governor rick perry, is doing an all-in strategy on tv. he just placed a million dollar ad buy and his super pac did the same. that may be all the money he's goleft as he makes one final push in iowa. >> chuck todd this morning. chuck, thanks. robert gibbs served as president obama's first press secretary and now is working on

the team that's trying to get the president re-elected. mr. gibbs, good morning. >> good morning, ann. how are you? >> doing great. the first question is who does the obama campaign consider the more formidable, mitt romney or newt gingrich. >> i think both candidates from a national perspective have plusses and minuses. if you're mitt romney, your biggest negative obviously is you've been on both sides of virtually every issue in the public debate. newt gingrich just was mentioned in your story, really came of politics and prominence at a time in which our politics got much sharper in tone and partisan gridlock set in. i don't think voters will like, quite frankly, either one of them. >> a lot of people are listening to him right now, as you well know, and he's been criticizing the president on the economy, even last night calling the president the president of food stamps. the fact is, bob, that this past year more americans are asking for and applying for food stamps

than ever before. why shouldn't americans hold president obama accountable? >> well, look, the president is the president of the united states and he takes responsibility for getting us out of the economic mess that took us years to get into. i think the best way to give people a help up right now is to continue cutting the payroll tax that republicans don't want to do. at the end of the year 160 million families are going to find themselves with a tax bill that's $1,000 greater simply because quite frankly the republicans, newt gingrich and others, simply don't want to see the middle class get a tax cut. they're happy to have millionaires and billionaires continue to get big tax breaks, corporations to get tax breaks but quite frankly the question of our time is what are we going to do to help the middle class. >> on that question you mentioned the payroll tax. the truth is it's so basic and yet it still has not been passed. if the president cannot get something like pat roll tax passed, then how effective can he be in the future in trying to

fix this economy, bob? >> look, ann, let's be clear. the american people are for it, the president is for it, the president's party is for it. there's a group of people that stand in the way. and in our democracy, we call them republicans. that's what they're doing right now. quite frankly they just don't want to see the middle class get a tax cut. they're happy to protect the tax breaks for the wealthiest in our society. even if it means hurting our economy and not making sure that our middle class gets a help up. and i think that's very dangerous and it's going to hurt our economy even further unless republicans decide quite frankly it's time to start working with this president and getting something done that's positive for this country. >> as you know better than most, in 2008 the president campaigned on this idea of hope and change. a lot of people think that this election based on the attacks on his record already going on that he's going to have to go more negative. can you give us one example of what the president has done tha

has inspired hope or created change in this country? >> ann, we'd have to -- you'd have to give me about an hour to go through them all. this president has done great work. let's take the auto industry, for example. millions of people would be out of work if mitt romney had -- if we had done what mitt romney said, which is let detroit and michigan go bankrupt. there's thousands of examples of what this president has done to make this country a better place. this campaign, ann, will be about the future, it's not going to be about the past. it's going to be exactly what the president talked about yesterday in kansas. how do we get this middle class on much firmer ground, how do we make sure that our children have the same opportunities or greater opportunities than our parents and grandparents had. that's the defining issue of our time. i think this campaign will be a positive future oriented campaign about who best can get the american people and the middle class to a place of greater genuine security. >> you're asking the questions about how to fix things, but the

point has been made that the president has so far not laid out what he wants to do in his next term. what specifically does the president -- what is his agenda ahead, if he is re-elected? >> talked about yesterday. we cannot continue in a country where we're seeing the haves' incomes increase greatly and the rest of us, the middle class, watching our incomes getting smaller and smaller even as people play by the rules and work harder. i think income and equality, i think hope and opportunity for the middle class, being able to get ahead, education and investment to make sure workforce the greatest in the world, i think that is the defining issue of this campaign and i think it will be the work of this government and this administration for years to come. >> to be continued. robert gibbs, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. let us get a check of the rest of the top stories. natalie remains on assignment. savannah guthrie is at the news desk.

>> savannah, good morning to you. >> good morning to both of you. we begin with a new development in the illegal phone hacking case against rupert murdoch's "news of the world" tabloid. a journalist from the now defunct paper has been arrested in london this morning in connection with fresh allegations of phone hacking. the 41-year-old was jailed back in 2007 also on phone hacking charges. there's a new acting chief today at the federal aviation administration, deputy administrator michael huerta, this after the top official stepped down. randy babbitt resigned tuesday after being arrested over the weekend on drunk driving charges in virginia. local officials did not disclose the results of his blood alcohol test. new information about the u.s. drone that went down in iran over the weekend. the unmanned aircraft was on a cia mission and was part of a special fleet of stealth drones that have spied on iran for years from an afghanistan air base. iran claims it shot down that plane after it was found some

140 miles deep into that country's airspace. a sentence is expected this morning for disgraced illinois governor rod blagojevich. the impeached governor is expected to address the judge today and ask for mercy. in a last-ditch effort to avoid a lengthy prison term. prosecutors will also give a final argument about why they think blagojevich deserves up to 20 years for his conviction on 18 counts of corruption, including an attempt to auction off president obama's old senate seat. now to wall street, cnbc's mary thompson is at the new york stock exchange this morning. mary, i guess the question is what impact greece is having on the markets today. >> reporter: well, the news that greece's parliament approved an austerity budget aimed at dealing with the country's deficit is contributing to the cautious optimism among investors this morning ahead of a critical meeting of euro zone leaders. of course, that two-day summit begins tomorrow, with french officials promising a powerful deal to help ease the region's debt crisis. meanwhile closer to home, "the new york times" is

reporting j.c. penney is close to buying a stake in martha stewart's company, a pact that will bring many martha stewart stores to the chain by 2013. savannah? >> mary thompson, thank you. finally, just how private are your facebook photos? it turns out even facebook founder mark zuckerberg isn't exactly immune to security breaches. these are personal photos of the internet billionaire just hanging out with his girlfriend, in matching aprons, hunting chicken, rolging around town with his dog and eating, eating, yes, and more eating. they were pulled from his page using a fairly simple trick. the problem has now been patched but reportedly could have been used to hack into anyone's personal pictures. back in november facebook settled with the federal trade commission over its failure to protect privacy but luckily for zuckerberg, those photos aren't exactly scandalous. >> if those were the worst photos ever put out there of mark zuckerberg, he fared pretty well. >> yeah, but mark, an apron? really? >> he didn't want to mess up that t-shirt.

>> yeah, we're really glad you told the story so now we can get all of our scandalous photos off the website. >> savannah, thanks very much. mr. roker is going to have a busy 24 hours. >> yes, we are unfortunately, because we're talking about a lot of heavy rn up and down the eastern seaboard. you can see it there.vy literally we play follow the front. you can see it from the gulf coast all the way up into new england. behind it much colder air. out west, we've got air stagnation alerts for the pacific northwest. we've got a good looking day shaping up across the bay area. a cold start will make way to a mild and sunny afternoon. hazy sunshine, an air quality alert for the north bay, unhealthy air quality because high pressure k our air o air m so stagnant over the past couple days. nonetheless, we'll hit the 60s later today.

hazy nine on thursday. a little more fog but temperatures still in the 60s. weather. matt? all right, al. thank you very much. 70 years ago today nearly 2,400 americans died when japanese warplanes bombed pearl harbor. an attack that brought the u.s. into world war ii. and a dwindling number of survivors are now gathering at the site to remember those who lost their lives. nbc's george lewis is there. george, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. later today when about 3,000 people gather, including 125 pearl harbor survivors and their families, the bell behind me from the sunken battleship "arizona" will toll to remember the dead. almost half the americans killed at pearl harbor were aboard the "arizona" when it blew up. the survivors of the "arizona," their ranks thinned by the passage of time. that day of infamy seared forever in their memories. the "arizona" blew up when it sustained a direct hit from an armor-piercing japanese bomb.

21 american ships were either sunk or badly damaged. john anderson and his brother were serving aboard the "arizona," his brother killed that day. others like don stratton were badly burned. >> it was just a terrible day. it just engulfed us up there in the flames. >> reporter: only seven "arizona" survivors were able to make it here for today's ceremony. for them, it's heartbreaking remembering the shipmates who were lost here 70 years ago and in the years since. >> it's sad. you can't lose all those people and friendships and not let it bother you. >> reporter: the "arizona" national memorial marks the spot where the battleship went down, its sunken hull under water, many of those who died on board entombed here. vernon olson survived the attack but died at age 91 in april of this year. today, with his family in

attendance, he will rejoin his ship mates, his ashes interred beneath the waters of the memorial. members of his family say being here is a deeply moving experience. >> these men did it all to help us learn to live and be safe and for their country and the people in this country and other countries. >> i can compare it to going to the world trade center memorial. this is of their generation compared to my generation. >> reporter: and now, as these old warriors say goodbye to their brothers in arms and to one another, it will be up to future generations to keep the memories of pearl harbor alive. because so many of them are getting so old and so many members have died off, the pearl harbor survivors association will officially disband at the end of this year, so for those in attendance, this is an extremely sentimental journey. matt? >> and it's important to take the time to remember what happened that day. thank you very much.

it is now 18 after the hour. once again, here's ann. now to seattle where a well-to-do couple is accused of filing false claims to collect more than $100,000 in welfare. nbc's mike taibbi is in seattle with details on this story. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this is one of those stories that makes your blood boil. with so many people struggling financially, it's about a couple with plenty of assets. world travelers with big bank accounts and a lakefront mansion who have allegedly collected well over six figures in welfare benefits over at least an eight-year period. nice house, all those custom windows looking out at a lovely lake washington south of seattle, a million-dollar view. actually the house is now valued at about $1.2 million. the woman of the house has salted her several bank accounts with big recent deposits for more than $31,000, two more than $5,000, one for nearly $11,000. the man of the house, a chiropractor with an in-town

practice, drives a black jaguar. on his private dock, a sleek boat. nothing unusual says the next door neighbor. >> i know them as friendly people, pretty typical. >> reporter: but over the past eight years, dr. david silverstein and his wife have collected tens of thousands in food stamps and disability payments and approximately $135,000 in housing subsidy benefits. now in a federal civil suit, the government wants it all back. kevin concannon administers the food stamp program. >> when we come across cases like this alleged case, we think, you know, bring on the heat here because these are serious violations. >> reporter: the alleged scam was relatively unsophisticated. when ludmilla applied for benefits, she claimed she lived alone with her two children with almost no assets. a few hundred bucks, a $2,000 car and listed her husband as

her landlord to whom she needed help paying rent. he reportedly listed his office address as his residence boasting on his website, on a personal note, i am happily married with two children. it was a government database cross-check that finally caught up with them. >> i think the public should be reassured that this is an absolute anomaly. this is a rarity in this regard. >> reporter: rare perhaps, but undetected for years, during which time they lived in the lakefront mansion and vacationed in paris, moscow, israel, turkey, mexico, while collecting thousands in your tax dollars month after month after month. there's been no comment from either of the suspects. beyond that federal civil suit for restitution, they haven't been charged criminally yet. a decision on criminal prosecution will be made sometime in the next few weeks. ann? >> mike taibbi this morning. mike, thanks. just ahead, alec baldwin booted from a plane as it idled

at a gate in los angeles, he says for playing a game on his ipad. what another star who was also on that flight is saying about the incident. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, "today" investigates one of the largest puppy sellers on the web. do you get what you're paying for? >> plus the dutchess of cambridge steps out and turns heads at a charity event. when doesn't she? coming up after your local news. you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪

that's my world. hey babe... oh, hi honey! so i went to the doctor today, then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay downalance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. chase slate with blueprint helps you save money on life's little surprises. trip...lets... start your path to saving today, call 855-get-slate.

good morning to you. it's 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the occupy movement in san francisco has faced another police raid this morning. police moved in early this morning, started taking down tents and clearing protesters from justin herman plaza. police say some protesters left voluntarily but many others refused to leave. the police chief said they decided to raid the camp after communication between protesters an city leaders broke down earlier this week. >> after the aggressive attack on the officers and other city workers last thursday, it appeared the group had deteriorated.

>> they arrested at least 70 people. public works employees have cleaned up the plaza. protesters can pick up their belongings from the city later today. time for a check of the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning, laura. it's cold out there. although we don't have frost or freeze warnings in place. it's just about as cold as it was this time yesterday. 32 degrees in novato, 32 in livermore. 26 in gilroy. as you can see here, the 24-hour temperature change shows you most cities just about as cold as they were were this time yesterday. stagnant air mass overhead making for a spare-the-air day across the bay area. you don't want to burn the wood. it will add to the pollutants. 62 degrees in gilroy. if good news is we stay nice and quiet in terms of your weather all the way through this weekend and maybe a little rain moves in monday and tuesday. let's check your drive with mike. a slowdown southbound 880

into union city. the accident at stleel, the bottom of your screen still over on the shoulder and a distraction. an accident at the san mateo bridge toll plaza might slow things down. once you're through the toll plaza, a nice drive over to the peninsula. the bay bridge, a 30-minute drive from the carcinas bridge, bagging down at the berkeley curve. thank you very much. another update in half an hour. look! here she comes!

♪ she'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes... ♪ it'll be spinning new chrome wheels when it comes. ♪ custom spoiler, race grade pistons ♪ gt35 turbo charger and they'll all know that it's kevin's awesome car. ♪ bought 'em! (clears throat) sorry. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 7th day of december, 2011. this is a live look at the conditions in our nation's capital, the early part of a powerful storm system that's now making its way up the east coast to the northeast and it's already drizzling here in new york city as well. and there is more severe weather on the way such a mild season so far. we'll have the latest on this from al in just a moment. inside studio 1a, i'm ann curry along with matt lauer staying warm inside. >> trying to. just ahead, thinking about buying your kids a puppy for the

holidays? >> apparently where you shop could make all the difference. in fact it could be just as important as the dog you actually pick. coming up "today" investigates one of the largest sellers of puppies online and you may not be pleased with what we found. meantime, how do you cope with a stressful day? you're not going to believe this, matt, but according to a new study, a growing number of women are turning now to prescription drugs. should popping a pill ever be as comfortable as taking a warm bath? of course not. we'll talk about this and perhaps try to explain this phenomenon. also an auction that could make some michael jackson fans a little uncomfortable. it's prompted some discussion here in the studio. items from the home where the singer spent his final days are going up for auction, including a mirror with a personal message the singer wrote to himself. we'll tell you more about that coming up in a little while. >> there were even some chairs in what was called the medicine room, you know, so it's kind of -- anyway, we'll get to that coming up. we want to begin this half hour with drama aboard an

american airlines flight. actor alec baldwin says he was asked to leave the plane tuesday night after a dispute with a flight attendant. we've got nbc's jeff rossen covering the details for us. >> good morning. in the beginning of the flight when the stewardess tells you to shut off all your devices, and of course you -- >> do it immediately. >> of course. we too. alec said he was playing on his ipad, i'm told it's very addictive and you play online. the flight attendant asked him to shut it off again and again and suddenly one of the funniest actors on tv was escorted right off the plane. >> so what happened? >> reporter: alec baldwin, arriving back in new york overnight, wearing sunglasses and not thrilled with the media crush there to greet him. on tv, he loves to fly. >> after all, isn't traveling hard enough? >> reporter: boy was it ever tuesday. >> what happened with the flight attendant and american airlines, man? just want to give your side of the story?

>> reporter: baldwin says he got the boot after settling into his seat aboard american flight 4 at l.a.x. headed to new york. the he had his ipad out playing words with friends. it's a lot like scrabble, you play against other people online. baldwin says the flight attendant demanded he shut off his ipad multiple times. he immediately took to twitter, alerting more than half a million followers flight attendant on american reamed me out for playing words with friends while we sat at the gate, not moving. #no wonder america air is bankrupt. witnesses say he slammed the bathroom door out of anger, though these people deny it. fellow passengers say the pilot came out and security kicked baldwin off the plane. >> we kept seeing him get up and everyone's head is popping up and celebrity spotting. then we realized it's actually a big thing going on. >> security came in and he just

was like, yep, fair enough. it was like it was inevitable. he went off. >> reporter: also sitting in first class, a man who knows a fight when he sees one, boxing champ oscar de la hoya who says he didn't see one. >> i didn't think there was no problem. alec baldwin was turning off his devices. he just got a little angry. that's about it. >> reporter: baldwin was rebooked on a later flight, but he took to twitter again, now on the 3:00 american flight. the flight attendants already look smarter. my words with friends user now is now #there is always united. citing privacy concerns, american airlines wouldn't comment to nbc news but did tweet back. mr. baldwin, we are looking into this. please direct message us contact information. the flight drama all ended okay. baldwin tweeted this picture

from his new flight and the words let alec play speak for themselves. this morning it appears the faa is not investigating this incident. baldwin's pr team is having some fun with it saying in a statement alec is so in love with words with friends that he would risk getting thrown off a flight to play. we're told the gaming company has already reached out to him for an endorsement deal. >> we've got to try this game, i've never even tried it. okay, jeff rossen, thank you. coming up now we want to go to al for a check of the weather. today's weather is brought to you by priority mail flat rate shipping only from the postal service, a simpler way to ship. we've got some nice friends here. got a birthday girl. what's your name? >> olivia. >> you are 10 today. where are you from? >> new jersey. >> double digits, very nice. congratulations, happy birthday. let's check that weather for you. we've got afternoon temperatures that are fairly mild along the eastern seaboard, but they are going to drop as that cold air

you see over the plains with 20s makes its way toward the east. 40s in the pacific northwest with air stagnation alerts, 60s in southern california. we're looking at a lot of rain in parts of the eastern hawaiian islands, heavy rain along the mid-atlantic coast and mountain snows interior sections of new good morning to you. well, it's not fog obstructing your view of the golden gate bridge. it's actually particulate matter. we have a spare-the-air alert in place. bad air quality especially in the north bay. elsewhere we have moderate air quality. 38 in hayward, 32 in livermore. freezing cold conditions yet again this morning. we'll see a really comfortable afternoon. temperatures ending up in the 60s. 62 in san jose later today. 62 in los gatos, 62 in gilroy. the storm track stays well to our north. not expecting any significant rain showers in the extended eriod. much. ming up next, one of the largest online sellers of puppies advertises healthy top

breeds, but a new lawsuit alleges you may not be getting what you pay for. "today" investigates right after this. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com. a simpler way to ship. whatrun...hat? it's the monster.... ahh, ah, no ♪

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. it burns! it's singeing me. it's the sun. get out of the office more often, with chili's $6 lunch break combos, featuring texas toast half sandwiches. chili's lunch break combos. nyqui tylenol: me, too. and cougnasal congestion.ers? nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime

relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. [ female announcer ] the newest seasonal flavors are here. ♪ express yourself ♪ [ female announcer ] because coffee is like the holidays. ♪ oh, do it [ female announcer ] it's better when you add your flavor. coffee-mate. from nestle. be five percent more merry with the target red card,add your flavor. i love it! by getting an extra five percent off our already low prices.

plus free shipping at target.com ♪ we're back at 7:39 this morning. on "today" investigates, online puppy sales, a new lawsuit claims one of the nation's top puppy companies on the web is actually deceiving customers, charging them thousands for what too often turn out to be sick dogs. lisa myers is here with details on this. good morning. >> good morning, matt. the company is called purebred breeders and that's exactly what its websites promise, healthy puppies from the country's top breeders. it all looks like a dog lover's dream, but our investigation found that the truth about some of these dogs has been more of a nightmare. her name is lola, a scrappy golden doodle puppy who at eight months old has already caused her family a lifetime of heart

ache. what was supposed to be a fabulously happy event turned out to be a traumatic event. >> absolutely. >> reporter: it all started online. new jersey mom jen papa, whose husband is a nbc commentator was looking for a golden doodle for her boys when she found this adorable ad for lola. the website, new jersey goldendoodle breeders looked local and promised happy, healthy puppies from award winning breeders. jen called right away. >> i'm told the dog is from a great breeder, they're very reputable, there's a lifetime guarantee and you're going to get a top-notch dog for the money. >> reporter: turns out the company behind the offer, purebred breeders operates nearly 800 websites, making it one of the largest puppy sellers on the web, advertising triple health check dogs at pedigree prices. >> how much did you pay for the dog? >> $2,000. >> and how much additionally have you end ed up spending on

the dog? >> about $4,000 worth of vet bills. >> reporter: jen says instead of getting a healthy dog from a local breeder, lola was flown in from a kennel in florida and arrived so sick, two vets labeled her unfit for purchase. what's more, she's no mini. just look at her size. >> i feel it was completely fraudulent. >> reporter: now the papas and ten other customers are suing purebred breeders and its owner, accusing them of unlawful and deceptive practices by selling sick puppies from substandard breeders to consumers nationwide. >> disgusting. >> reporter: plaintiff karen leeland paid nearly $1500 for this precious beagle, zoey. but she said she arrived anemic and weak and died days later in karen's arms. the company says leeland didn't follow their proper medical procedures, which she strongly denies. >> it breaks my heart. they're not taking into consideration how many people

they're hurting. >> it's a fraud. >> reporter: humane society president wayne baselli says it starts with how the company loser you in. google any breed of dog in any state. >> boxer, puppy, virginia. >> reporter: and chances are one of the first ads you'll get is from purebred breeders. >> it's a marketing deception. these folks in the company never even see the dogs. >> reporter: in fact we found purebred breeders aren't breeders at all but puppy brokers, selling dogs sight unseen from this unmarked call center in south florida. and this is where some of the dogs come from. when the humane society sent investigators to six company breeders, they found large-scale operations with dog after dog stacked in wire cages, often in dirty conditions. classic signs, they say, of puppy mills. >> it's horrible. >> reporter: now for the first time, company insiders and one of its breeders are speaking out

exclusively to nbc news. >> did the company train you to mislead customers? >> yes. >> reporter: this former sales agent who asked that we conceal her identity and voice said she was trained to fabricate heart-warming tales about where the puppies came from. >> home raised, family raised. we set up that breeders had children even if they didn't and the puppies were being socialized. >> reporter: what were you supposed to do if someone wanted to visit the puppies? >> we told them the puppies were very fragile, the breeders don't like people coming to their homes because it's not good for the puppies. >> reporter: she said she was fired for poor performance after protesting having to lie. still the company promotes a squeaky clean image, claiming all its breeders follow a meticulous code of ethics and are thoroughly researched. >> did anyone come visit your kennel? >> no. >> reporter: this breeder, who says she wants to help clean up the industry, says she has sold dozens of dogs through the company and no one ever

researched her. >> did they ask you for any proof at all that you're a good breeder? >> they just asked me if i had a website and to send them my website. >> and that's it? >> that's it. >> reporter: so how could the company be sure you weren't a puppy mill? >> they couldn't. there's no way they could. >> reporter: as for those triple health checks, she said the company only requires her dogs to see a vet yuns. >> i do know some people who have had problems with their puppies. >> reporter: the company has told other breeders to go ahead and send sick puppies? >> yes. >> reporter: last year purebred breeders reportedly earned $20 million. the ceo lives in this sprawling compound in florida, complete with a guest house, tennis courts, riding trails and a nine-car garage. we wanted to speak with purebred breeders so we came here, to the company's unmarked headquarters in south florida. after multiple requests, company officials agreed to go on camera, but then at the last minute pulled out. they say because of the pending

lawsuit. in a statement to nbc news, the company told us it has a comprehensive breeder screening process. the vast majority are responsible, and 90% have seven or fewer puppies. those exposed by the humane society were terminated and it's doing a full review of all its breeders. the company also says it scores high in surveys, has an excellent reputation and thousands of happy customers. it says a few unhappy customers do not paint a proper picture of a business. as for these dogs, it says vets found no health issues before they were shipped. ultimately these families got refunds for their dogs through their credit card companies. purebred breeders says the papas also were fully reimbursed for their vet bill, which they dispute. they wonder how many more families will pay thousands for sick dogs before something is done. >> i want this company to be held accountable for what they're doing. i think they should be shut down. >> experts say before buying any

dog, you should check out where it comes from. go visit the breeder yourself. and if the breeder doesn't want you to come, that's a huge red flag. go find yourself another puppy. >> where do you get more information about this if you're thinking of buying a puppy? where can consumers go? >> go to the websites of either the better business bureau or the humane society. both have excellent information on where to find a good breeder. >> lisa myers, thank you. appreciate it very much. it's 7:47. up next, the dutchess of cambridge steps out with her in-laws right after this. ♪ have a better day [ male announcer ] only subway has a deal this flat-out delicious -- the $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty flatbread breakfast sandwich

and a 16-ounce cup of seattle's best coffee or 21-ounce fountain drink. all for only $3. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most.

ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. on holiday gifts this friday and saturday! get in at 6am saturday for giftbusters like 60% off the warmest family coats. 70% off stunning gold jewelry. 60% off the coolest hoodies. and 19.99 boots for juniors. plus with jcpcash get 10, 15 or $20 off storewide. no exclusions! unlike other stores, we don't make you come back to save!

go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. we make christmas affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. [ growling ] captain, one step at a time.keep going! come on, snowy. look! did you ever see a more beautiful sight? captain! it's just a mirage. - snowy? what is it, boy? - [ barks ] what do you see? [ yipping ] [ woman announcing ] just like snowy, your dog's one of a kind. overactive imagination and all. [ barking ] long live your buddy. long live your dog. [ tintin ] snowy! purina dog chow. see the adventures of tintin, only in theaters. back now at 7:50. with a benefit concert attended last night by the duke and dutchess of cambridge and, boy, did katherine turn some heads. city

>> reporter: yeah, the dutchess really turned some heads last night. she hasn't chosen any charities herself. she supports her husband, but as she showed us last night, she's bringing those organizations lots of new attention. the season for giving has begun. at london's royal albert hall, members of the royal family were dressed up and ready to do their part. once again, princess kate turned heads, this time in a lace dress from zara. the charity concert was held for young victims of the london riots. british pop star gary barlow performed. >> not too loud. >> the louder the better, guys. the louder the better. >> reporter: in the concert hall they were greeted with cheers. some say the royal family is more popular now than it has been in a generation, due in no small part to the family's latest addition. since the wedding, the palace has been easing kate into her new public role. what's becoming increasingly

clear is that she is getting very good at it. the next challenge for her in a year that has brought many will be christmas with the queen, kate's first. there is a formal and rigid schedule for the holiday. >> the whole day is ruled by a gong. they will bang a gong when it's time for them to get up in the morning, they bang another gong when it's time to come down for breakfast, they bang another gong when it's time to have your morning coffee. >> reporter: kate will need multiple changes of clothes for church, christmas lunch, even cocktails, pheasant hunting. but there is one relief. the pressure is off when it comes to gifts. >> i get so many presents throughout the course of the year that actually when it comes to christmas, they just want to exchange something small, something very, very silly. >> reporter: kate may also get some help from her family. the british press reports her younger sister, pippa, has invited for pheasant hunting the day after christmas, perhaps making kate's first christmas

away from home a little bit easier. i had a rare chance to meet kate actually at a reception at buckingham palace last week. what struck me is she is confident and comfortable in her new role. >> very cool, stephanie gosk. lucky you. we're back after your local news. dessert. i better skip breakfast. yep, this is all i need. [ stomach growls ] [ female announcer ] why skip breakfast when you can start your morning with special k multigrain oats and honey, a wholesome blend of rolled oats and honey kissed multigrain flakes. it's a delicious way to get your whole grains and make your breakfast beautiful. ♪

they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, guaranteed.

[ doorbell rings ] ♪ [ female announcer ] just for these hectic holidays, mcdonald's introduces a cup of holiday cheer. ♪ it's mccafe's new peppermint mocha and peppermint hot chocolate. holiday cheer with chocolate on top. ♪ the simple joy of unwinding. ♪ no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. nice ring. knock it off. ignore him. with the capital one venture card you earn... double miles on every purchase. [ sharon ] 3d is so real larry. i'm right here larry. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. really? a plaid tie? what, are we in prep school? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? i was gonna say that. uh huh...

good morning to you. it's 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the parents of the 1-year-old boy shot in the head in west oakland are expected to talk about his treatment this morning. hiram lawrence remains in critical condition at oakland's children's hospital. he was injured on november 29th when three men opened fire into a group in a parking lot. his relatives were told by doctors last week he's not progressing. they are unable now to agree on how to continue to care for the baby. let's switch gears and talk about the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you. it's cold out there, at the freezing mark in novato, below freezing in santa rosa. 26, the coldest city across the bay is gilroy. temperatures will start to skyrocket now that the sun is up. it came up around 7:15.

we'll start warming up conditionally. much warmer than what we saw yesterday. thursday's lows two to four degrees. more mild overnight tonight. sunny and mild tomorrow afternoon. finally a little more of a change friday into the weekend with fog in the mix. 62 in santa rosa and gilroy. we have more mild overnight temperatures on the way. starting thursday into friday. friday into saturday back to our seasonal averages overnight and lows looking comfortable in addition to the highs in the 60s. we'll check your drive with mike. >> we'll take you to the south bay, a lot of slowing in the northbound commute direction. middle of the screen, 280 jammed from downtown san jose. northbound 101, an earlier accident at ellis is over on the shoulder. a lot of slowing. tow trucks on the scene as well. no major injuries. southbound along the peninsula, 101 jammed coming past the san francisco airport, into san

mateo and menlo park, laura. >> for the latest updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update for you in about half an hour. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur?] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that c help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it.

♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪

we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 7th day of december, 2011. it is not a nice day here in new york city, been raining for about the past, i don't know, 24 hours. it's going to rain some more and then turn to snow north and west of us here. it is a potpourri of weather for mr. roker to be talking b i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and mr. roker. coming up we'll talk about women and stress. >> that's right. it's a sobering topic because get this, more than a quarter of

adult women are now taking prescription drugs, and often to deal with anxiety, depression, the daily stresses of work and family life. there was a great stigma using pills but is that stigma diminishing and is that hazardous for women. also ahead take a look at our studio. these are some of the items that were in the room and the home where michael jackson passed away. now, this is an auction coming up. to be perfectly honest, i think some people might be a little uneasy about this, but we're going to be showing you some of those items and talking to the people responsible for selling them in just a little while. then on a different note, it's a big cast, rom com called "new year's eve" and two of the key players, michelle pfeiffer and zac efron will be here in our studio to talk about the movie. there they are. >> by the way, you've got a

little something on your cheek there, matt. >> lipstick? oh, that might be from michelle pfeiffer actually. >> or zac efron. >> actually that's zac, i'm sorry. >> i got a thrill seeing them in the studio. >> let us go inside. savannah guthrie is standing by at the news desk while natalie continues on assignment. most of the republican presidential hopefuls are in washington today to address the republican jewish coalition as a new gallup tracking poll shows newt gingrich opening a double-digit lead over his fellow republicans. mitt romney is still ahead of gingrich in new hampshire and picked up the endorsement of dan quayle on tuesday. citigroup said it is eliminating 4500 jobs in a cost-cutting move. that's more than 1.5% of its global workforce. citigroup blames slumping revenues and unprecedented market conditions. financial conditions worldwide have shed more than 200,000 jobs

this year. in florida police searching for missing mother michelle parker appear to be zeroing in on the man they call their only suspect, her former fiance. lilia luciano has the story. >> reporter: it's been nearly three weeks since michelle parker went missing and police have said their only suspect is dale smith and now they have questioned smith's mother. >> mrs. smith, are you cooperating with the investigation? >> reporter: silently staring straight ahead, dale smith's mother, tamra, walked into the state attorney's office subpoenaed to answer questions about missing mom, michelle parker. smith's son, dale, is the man police say is the primary suspect in the disappearance. dale has denied all wrongdoing but legal experts believe his family members may hold critical information. >> there's a lot of relevant information that members of the family can offer, especially when they're all living together. >> reporter: 33-year-old michelle went missing, just hours after she appeared on national tv with her ex-fiance on a taped episode of "the

people's court" arguing over a lost engagement ring. >> i felt somebody grab me and yank me around. >> reporter: michelle's abandoned hummer was found the following day but extensive searches in the air, on ground and underwater have yet to find any trace of the young mother. meanwhile michelle's family also met with detectives, as they try to keep their hopes and michelle's memory alive. police say smith's mother is not the only person called in for questioning, but there's no word yet on who will be next. savannah. >> all right, lilia luciano, thank you. now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on nbc "nightly news." >> good morning, thanks. coming up tonight on "nightly news" can where you live and where you work increase or decrease your chance of breast cancer? it's called environmental factors, and we'll deal with that tonight when we see you for "nightly news." savannah, back to you. >> thank you. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. a story we brought you earlier this morning is a top search on

google. alec baldwin was escorted off an american airlines flight in los angeles tuesday for refusing to turn off his ipad before departure. he was playing a popular scrabble game. baldwin later tweeted flight attendant on american reamed me out for playing words with friends while we sat at the gate not moving. no wonder american air is bankrupt. alec summed up his argument by tweeting this visual statement saying let alec play. twitter has released the top three hash tags of the year, the phrase three words to live by was third, charlie sheen's tiger guilty blood was runner up and in first place egypt. on facebook, casey anthony was the third most popular global topic behind the packers winning the super bowl and at number one, the death of osama bin laden. and it takes a big man to be this humble. bradley cooper dubbed "people" magazine's sexiest man alive told a british talk show the honor should have gone to ryan

goss ling whose snubbing triggered an international backlash. back to al for a check of the weather. today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. >> and the rain holding off just for now, not too bad. as we commemorate, it is pearl harbor day, 70 years ago the bombing of pearl harbor, but a pearl harbor baby back here. what's your name? >> joanne dirkin. >> and you were born 70 years ago. >> yes, in freeport, new york. >> let's check it out and show you fargo. you betcha, yeah, channel nbcse 11, sunny, breezy, ld. 30 degrees. as you look on the satellite, a lot of rain making its way up from the south along into the mid-atlantic states. behind it colder air will be bringing snow. temperatures will be dropping 20 to 30 degrees from where they are today to tomorrow. we've got air stagnation alerts in the pacific northwest. sunny but cool from texas into

the sout >> and we've got a real cute -- oh, she's not too happy. >> this is clara. >> all right, clara. very nice. back to matt. >> mr. roker, thank you. when we come back the growing number of women who are using prescription drugs to deal with their stressful lives. we'll talkafesr thsse me.ag aest after these messages. en forever. kay jewelers presents the ring that lives up to the moment. neil lane bridal,

from hollywood's premiere jewelry designer. - the setting has to be perfect. it's where the diamond lives. - uniquely beautiful hand-crafted rings with diamonds hand-selected by kay. the newest reason kay is the number one jewelry store in america. neil lane bridal. forever begins here.

♪ vegetables picked at their peak ♪ ♪ so fresh my knees grow weak [ male announcer ] new hearty bertolli meal soup for two, with crisp vegetables and tender chicken. [ chef ] ♪ fresh tasting restaurant style ♪ ♪ bertolli soup's in the freezer aisle ♪ and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as 1... -2... -3... [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. [oy robot sounds ] apply online or at a bank of america near you. why se ttle apply online or at a bank of america near you. for a why se one-note cereal? ♪ more, more, more... get more with honey bunches of oats 4 nutritious grains come together for more taste,

more healthy satisfaction. get more with honey bunches of oats. done done done done done done,done,done almost done. done done done done done,done,done,done,done done done done ♪ ♪

hershey's chocolate syrup. stir up a smile. we're back now at 8:11. many of us use a warm bubble bath or perhaps a glass of wine to relax from a stressful day of parenting, but increasingly more and more women are turning to pills. savannah has details. >> a new study shows women are turning to the med sip cabinet

for membershhelp more than ever. now they are becoming mother's little helpers. at the crack of dawn carrie has to get her two young daughters, husband and dog up and out the door before starting her job as a midlevel manager in the mortgage industry. >> my life became a lot more stressful after my second child was boerrn. i thought i could return back working full time, manage two kids, the family life and professional life not a problem and it turned out not to be as easy as it was the first time around. >> reporter: she slept only two to three hours a night and the pressures of being a working mom took a toll. >> she was sad. she didn't really see a smile on her face. >> i felt like i wasn't able to effectively handle all that was being asked of me. >> reporter: her doctor prescribed ten milligrams of

lexipro a day as well as ativan. she also adds a tylenol pm a few nights a week to help herself sleep. >> i would say probably within three weeks i noticed a huge difference. everything just seemed to be put into perspective. it really helped me address the same challenges and the same issues that i had been presented with before i went on the medicine, but i was able to see it and compartmentalize it. >> reporter: carrie is not alone, according to a recently released analysis of prescription drug plans. medco, a health care company that manages 65 million health insurance plans found more than a quarter of adult women take prescription drugs for anxiety and depression. women 45 and older were the highest percentage of all users. >> in that age group when we're talking about 40s and 50s, there's a lot of change in life going on, a lot of hormonal

changes for women, and there's an overlap between the hormonal changes, things like depression, anxiety and other symptom that say cause them distress. >> reporter: the number of women seeking medicine for sleep is also increasing. "the new york times" found an increasing number of mothers are turning to prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids. >> mother's little helper of the new millennium is anything from ambien or low dose antidepressants or antipsychotics. it might be melatonin, tylenol pm. people call it mom's secret weapon. >> reporter: after surviving the day, carrie was back at the house with her family, focusing on the things that matter. >> i don't have any short-term plans to go off the medicine at this point. i don't want to be dependent on medicine for the rest of my life, but at the same time if it's something that helps me, gives me a better quality of life and the side effects are minimal, then it is something that i will continue to consider.

>> and some experts attribute the increase in use of antidepressants and antianxiety medications to a decrease in the social stigma associated with using those drugs. ann, back to you. >> dr. julie holland is a psychiatrist and also the author of "weekends at bellevue." dr. holland, good morning. >> good morning. >> let's review the numbers. one in four women are now taking a mental health drug and also women are being prescribed these medications at a higher rate than men now. why the increase? >> well, a couple of things have happened. in the mid-'90s the pharmaceutical industry was allowed to start advertising on television and magazines and a lot of ads do target women. the other thing that happened was 9/11 happened. everyone was very anxious and fearful, couldn't sort of turn off the alarms. people started giving themselves permission to take anti-anxiety medicines and sleeping pills and that sort of got the ball rolling. >> we just heard savannah talk about the stigma. the stigma did decrease, do you

agree with that? >> at least in new york city it feels like the stigma is very much gone. when i started my practice people came to me and were anxious and depressed and they didn't know why. i had to explain medicine, it was okay to take it. now they come and say which medicine should they take. they talked to their friends, they have seen the ads, things have changed. >> you actually think that the numbers are higher than one in four in cities than less urban areas? >> yeah, i think in the cities there's more noise, more stress, people are working longer hours, they're eating later, there's less time for sleep, less physical activity and it's really taking its toll. >> one woman talked about side effects being minimal. every drug has a side effect? >> every drug has a side effect. >> sara from washington writes as a single mother doing everything on my own, it gets very stressful. sometimes the stress is so overwhelming is overflows to my children. taking a xanax during those hard times really helps me cope. what are the other solutions if you are so stressful, and we've

all been there as parents? >> the biggest thing you can do immediately to help you when you're stressed out is to get in touch with your body and your breathing and really focus on your breathing and take slow, deep breaths. as soon as you get tensed up, your breath becomes more shallow and as soon as your brain census there's less oxygen in your blood, it goes into panic mode. so the first thing to do is really breathe and slow everything down. >> deep breaths as in let your stomach -- let your stomach go in and out really deeply. julie from new york wrote ever since i had my babies, i do not sleep. i often use tylenol pm but have also used ativan to relax myself to help get to sleep. i feel like i have 2,000 things running in my mind. what else can women do to promote sleep that doesn't hurt them? >> it's really important to clear the decks. one thing to do is make a list and teach yourself to meditate. teach yourself to sit calmly and do nothing and clear your mind. in terms of inducing sleep, very

important not to have caffeine later in the day. a morning cup of coffee okay, afternoon not okay. >> are there other things you can take? >> there are herbs that you can take and there's a proprietary blend i like to recommend called deep sleep. cam meal can be helpful. the other thing is screens. turn off the television, close your laptop, no screens. no glowing screens. >> even when you're asleep if they're by your head. >> tv in the bedroom a bad idea. turn off the tv, turn off the computers, put on some music, read a book, read a magazine, unplug. the best thing you can do before bed. >> dr. julie holland, thank you for coming in. really appreciate it. still ahead, michelle pfeiffer and zac efron live in our studio. look at them. don't you just love them? i do. anyway coming up after these messages. with special savings. nd once a year offer tm today, it's a phenomenon. toyotathon is back. see the reinvented camry,

named a 2012 "best resale value" by kelley blue book's kbb.com. and with amazing deals, now's the time to get the toyota you've been waiting for. others have tried to copy it. but in the end, there's only one...toyotathon. the biggest and best sales event of the year is going on now!

the biggest and best sales event of the year twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. yay! [ female announcer ] storytime is not for reading. this is a story about jingle the husky pup. and jingle was a good dog. [ jingle ] ruff! ruff! jingle loved to bark hello.

ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! [ mom ] jingle even loved to sing. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! jingle! [ female announcer ] it's for bringing stories to life in a whole new way. jingle, stay. and jingle did. [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. when you read key words, jingle responds.

we're back now at 8:22. if you think minding your manners is becoming more complicated, you're not alone. technology and social media are raising new questions about polite behavior. philip galanis tackles the issues in his weekly column in "the new york times." also the author of social qs. philip, good to see you.

>> nice to see you. >> questions you receive on a daily basis and questions i hear on a daily basis are any indication, people are confused by these things. >> absolutely. what makes this book to me so useful and fun is that it is based on tens of thousands of questions that have come into my column, so i know what people like and what drives them crazy. >> let's give an example of some of the questions you hear all the time. how about this one, perfect for the time. i like to send my holiday cards via e-mail with a picture of my kids and a generic happy holidays message. i could say i prefer them for environmental reasons but the truth is, it's just simpler for me. is it tacky? >> i'll give her points for honesty on the eco thing. but a picture of your family in a holiday sweater with a generic seasons greeting that you send with a click of your computer to a thousand of your friends, that goes in the "drives people crazy" pile because it feels like junk mail or spam. if you're going to use one of these e-card companies and

they're terrific, compensate by typing a personal message. >> to make people think you've made an effort to talk to them directly. >> have a great time skiing. >> i walk everywhere and am moving and shifting to avoid bumping into people who are looking at their phones instead of where they're going. i want to yell at these people "pay attention." can i politely tell them to get out of my way? >> you can try. but let me tell you, strangers on the street are strangers. and based on the letters i get, it doesn't matter how sweet you are, people will either roll their eyes or flip you the bird. >> flip you the facebook. >> exactly and the problem is looking at our phones on the street has become like a basic human right. >> it's dangerous, people walk out into intersections looking at their phone. this next one is an interesting question. i've recently received a few facebook friend requests from people i work with. they're perfectly nice but they're not my friend friends, they're just work friends. i'd like to reserve facebook for

people i really care about. how should i handle this? good luck. >> good luck, exactly. when i send you a facebook request, matt, it is like going like this. hi. >> if i don't reach you. >> do you want to be the guy that says, yeah, mary, i like you but not that much. >> i sympathize with her. she wants this to be a special place to connect with real friends, she doesn't want it polluted by people who are just acquaintances. >> i totally sympathize with her, but listen, in the real world, is it more important to have your little facebook page or not to hurt somebody's feelings? >> and there's another one in here that we don't have time for about dating and date sites and pictures that go up that aren't current so people deceive other people. it's a great idea for a book. the column is always great as well. great to have you here. the book is called "social qs." just ahead, items from michael jackson's final home hitting the auction block. how do you feel about that? after your local ♪

it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. on the network they deserve. like the powerful droid charge by samsung,

or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning. it's the 7th day of december, 2011. check this out, we've got two of hollywood's biggest stars on our plaza. that's right, that's michelle pfeiffer and zac efron meeting fans and gathering donations for our holiday toy drive. very excited to have them out on our plaza.

we'll pry them away in just a little bit because they're in a new movie called "new year's eve" that has a lot of stars, matt, and we'll interview them coming up. >> directed by derrick marshall, one of the kings of comedy. also ahead, we'll take you inside the rented home of michael jackson, where he spent his final days, and actually see some of the items that he surrounded himself with, some of which are now actually going on the auction block. we'll talk more about that. also ahead, martha stewart is going to be here. she's got four great recipes for christmas cookies and she is going to teach us how to make them. >> she makes the best cookies. i love this segment every year. >> you might avoid the five things couples fight about at the holidays. we'll tell you what those five things are and how to avoid them. mr. roker, how about a check of the weather. >> it's raining here and that rain up and down the eastern seaboard is going to be heavy at times. snow from sections of new york

on into new england. plenty of sunshine along the gulf into the mid-atlantic states. tomorrow it will be windy, but also chillier as well with some snow left over in northern new england. that air stagnation continues in the pacific northwest. frigid conditions fall into the got some wild weather coming? check the weather channel on cable or weather.com. >> always good advice. thanks very much. when we come back, michelle pfeiffer and zac efron talk

about their new movie called "new year's eve." then we'll take you inside the rented home of michael jackson where he spent his final days and take a look at some of the things that are now on the auction block. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:35. it's been two and a half years since the death of michael jackson and now all of the items in the home where jackson spent his final days are hitting the auction block. we'll have a preview in just a moment. first a short tour of the multimillion dollar mansion. it's a mansion fit for a king, and the king of pop hand picked the six-bedroom estate in the heart of los angeles using its sitting rooms and fully functional movie theater at his personal sanctuary while he rehearsed for his comeback "this is it" tour. but it's the furnishings that

michael jackson used, some personalized by the singer, that will get the most attention at the auction, including an antique armoire where he wrote a motivating message to himself. train perfection march, april, full out may. hundreds more items are about to hit the auction block and darren and julian are from the auction house. good morning. you have experience auctioning off michael jackson's things before but this one seems to be a little different. he didn't actually own any of these things, they're from the house where he spent his final days. do you expect that viewers will have as much interest in items that he never actually owned himself? >> very much so. it's very much like when we sold the house -- the contents of brentwood where marilyn monroe passed away. those were owned by the lady that bought the house afterward and we sold them for record prices. these surrounded michael and his family the last year of their life together. >> this is a kind of morbid

nature to this. we just heard about the end of the trial not so long ago. these are actually things that really were connected to him as he was struggling, according to everything we've learned. >> very much. but there's still a demand for his items. there's a love affair with michael jackson all over the world, from china, japan, everywhere in the world people definitely want something. they're very nostalgic and they want a memory. michael is gone and they want to cling to something tangible. >> now the owners of the home where he rented are selling this, putting them on auction and they would benefit from this auction of the one of the things comes from this armoire that we heard about. you couldn't bring it all but you brought the door, the mirror where he wrote these words. train, perfection, march, april full out. m -- no, that says may and there's a little drawing. >> mirrors, typically when we sell a celebrity mirror they do very well. michael stood in front of this mirror, wrote that. we state six to $8,000 but we

anticipate it will sell for more. >> and this bench was owned by the owner of the house but michael jackson wrote on it? >> that's right. michael hired us in 2008 to clear out neverland and we noticed that he wrote on a lot of furniture. he would also do this in a hotel room. write on the mirrors, write on the furniture. stick figures. yes, it looks like somebody is dancing but this was in the shower. >> this other item, this seems like something you wish that the children would keep because according to what we understand, one of the children wrote on this a message to her or his father. >> because it was a home, he was a daddy, they were children. they were living among beautiful items. they're all just very nostalgic note. it's a really amazing piece, very sought after and the kids have all the memories and probably other numerous items they have wrote to daddy. >> it says love daddy, i heart daddy, smile, it's for free. >> it's a wonderful message. >> this candle, you know, you

look at it and it doesn't look like it would be worth, the candle itself. but prince wrote something on it. >> typical child growing up in a house. >> how much did that increase the value? >> significantly. we'll know at the auction on december 17th. something it's typically found in a family home. michael lived in a beautiful home with his children, normal kids growing up and this is a part of the memory of that. >> you know, i think one of the most sobering sort of things that you have here are some of the chairs that were in what was called the medication room. i'm wondering who -- some of these apparently still have a little of the makeup on it on the chairs that michael wore? >> there were over 600 items in the sale and we're doing an amazing exhibition. we're going to recreate the home in our gallery starting on december 12th so people that didn't get a chance to see the home would come to our exhibition and walk through the rooms like if it was the home.

>> do you expect any bidders who might be a part of a museum or historical kind of site? because that would seem to be something where this should go. >> absolutely. but again, it's beautiful furniture, intrinsic value by themselves, probably 350 to 550 for the five chairs. this also comes with a couch so 1500 to 1800 is the value. not highly priced but the michael jackson factor is unknown. >> okay, thank you so much. i want to mention the auction takes place in beverly hills on december 17th. coming up next, we've got michelle pfeiffer and zac efron live in our studio. we love them. first these messages.

we are back now at 8:42. two of the stars of the new movie "new year's eve" are with us, michelle pfeiffer and zac efron. this movie follows the lives of several couples and singles on the most dazzling night of the

year and some of them have a few things on their resolutions list from last year that they need to finish. take a look. >> i'm your next job. i bought you for the day. >> bought me for the day, huh? miss withers, i think i should be offended but i'm too intrigued. >> my new year's resolution. i just took care of the first one. >> you quit your job? all right. >> if you could make the rest of these come true by midnight, you get these. >> michelle and zac, good morning, nice to see you. you had worked together before, right? this is not your first rodeo. it was "hairspray," right? did you two become friends during that or more ships that passed in the night? >> well, a little of both. i don't think socially, but we -- i really -- we really loved working together but didn't have any real scene scenes together.

it was sort of like snarling and like little semi flirtation moments. >> that's why i was so excited to come back and do this movie with her because it was more of a chance for us to connect and have some good scenes. >> zac, you're very honest about your feelings about being around icons and you said on that first movie in "hairspray" whenever you two did see each other on set, you tended to say the wrong things or were nervous around her. >> i was. i didn't know what to say around michelle. >> you see what you do to people? >> he really covered it, if that was going on. he was very cool. >> what's interesting is when you signed on to this project, and i'll talk more about the kind of movie it is in a second because it's a lot of stories, not just your story. you called and left a message on his voice mail saying you should do this. >> well, actually i called just to make sure that they weren't lying to me, that he actually was doing it because i was -- you know, it was -- i was so excited.

>> that was a killer voice mail to get. >> how many of your friends did you play that for? >> i probably still have it on my phone. i just remember i was working and i didn't check my voice mail. so three days after she left it, i heard it, and i freaked out. i started jumping up and down in my trailer, immediately called her back. >> it was more like three weeks. >> you wanted to be cool. you don't jump right on that. >> yeah, try and be cool. and immediately i said if you do it, i'm in 100%. >> without getting too much into the relationship between the two of you in the movie, between ingrid and paul, i think people would be interested to know that there is a scene in this movie where you two kiss. now, first of all, there is an age difference here. does -- don't look at me that way. does it work in the movie? it's not going to make people uneasy, it's kind of fun and romantic and nice? >> are you kidding? it's the best part of the movie. >> well, it was kind of surprising.

but i actually -- i don't know, i don't think -- i think we started out thinking it was going to be a little more of a shock than it ends up being, i think. >> it turns out to be really fun. actually we told gary -- can i tell him? >> yeah, sure. >> it was kind of our idea. we really wanted to spice up the movie. >> so there was no planned kiss in the original scene? >> in the original script, it was a little softer. >> in the original script, our characters actually didn't end up together at the end of the movie. >> yeah. >> we sort of went our separate ways. and that didn't feel right. >> that didn't feel right. new year's eve magic, it's about love. >> it's prom night almost. everybody gets together on prom night. were you nervous for the kiss? were you? >> a little. it's always a little bit nerve racking, those kinds of scenes, and it was also in the middle of the night. it was one of the coldest nights, i think, in the history of new york city.

>> it was. it was very cold. >> gary marshall is known for comedy. he's done some amazing comedies. i like what you said about him making you comfortable on set where he came to you and said if you ever need to talk privately with me, you'll have a code word >> yeah. >> where you can say it and we'll go somewhere and talk. >> yeah. >> had anyone ever done that with you before? >> no, that was really -- it was magical. gary just goes the extra mile to make you feel very, very comfortable on set. i remember on the first day i felt like one of his kids. he brings you in. he was so warm and so loving. so he said rather than give notes out in front of everybody, if you want to come talk to me in private, let's have a code word. >> i never had a code word. i didn't get a code word. >> you have a beef. you can go to gary with a beef. michelle and zac, thank you very much. the movie opens in theaters this coming friday and it's called "new year's eve." by the way, gary marshall will be visiting with kathie lee and hoda a little later this morning. up next, martha stewart is in the house. we're going to make some holiday

cookies. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] are you still shopping for a medicare plan? the annual enrollment period ends wednesday, december 7th. call now or go online to enroll in an aarp medicare complete plan, insured through unitedhealthcare. or starting december 1st, sign up at a local unitedhealthcare enrollment center. open every day. where licensed agents can help you choose the plan that's right for you. to enroll now or find the enrollment center nearest you, call this number or visit us online at uhcmedicare.com

martha on "today" is brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available only at macy's and on macys.com. this morning on "martha on today" christmas cookies for all

to enjoy. if you need a present to please, why not give a homemade treat. martha stewart is here. martha, you have no idea, good morning, this is one of my most favorite martha stewart segments all year because your cookies are always so delicious. is there a secret? >> well, no, just a good recipe and nice decorating techniques. >> all right. we're going to start with my father's favorite and i think matt's favorite too, gingerbread. you're making bells for us. >> we are. once you make the bells, and this is a good recipe because it bakes nice and flat. if you get bubbles in them and ripples, it's not a pretty cookie. what you want is the final cookie to look like this. >> that's phenomenal. but painting the color on top of it is one thing, but to get that little squiggle -- >> well, we've already outsigned the cookies. once you do the outline, that's called the dam. then you fill the dam with the

flood. that's not a good flood. >> that was an initial -- >> so you get it all filled in like this. and once it's nice and filled in, if the frosting is the right consistency, you just smooth it out like that. >> look at that, shaking the cookie, who knew. >> then you put a line across like this. >> okay. >> every half inch or so, right in the wet frosting. you'll practice and get it better. >> okay. thank you for your vote of confidence. there we go, like that. >> then take a toothpick -- you're putting it on a little heavy. >> that's how i do my mascara, a little heavy. >> then you just draw lightly through the surface and see what it does? you're making it perfectly. >> oh, how nice. here we go.

>> it's that lovely top that gives that pretty, very professional look. >> you know what, i've got to tell you yours looks obviously much better than mine, but what a great little trick. >> so those are gingerbread bells and the recipe is really good and really simple. >> chocolate peppermint thumb prints. simple batter, right? >> simple batter. just flour, cocoa powder makes the chocolate, you press with your thumb or your forefinger or you can use the back of a melon baller if you have it. >> you've gotten some sugar in there? >> it's all rolled in sugar before you bake. then once they're baked like this, then you fill. and you can do all the filling. >> but you've done a half baking. so you bake them partially at first, then you get the little bump or the indentation and then you fill them. i read the note, are you kidding? >> so put that in. okay. >> just like that?

>> yeah. bake for five minutes and then bake another five minutes. >> and when they come out, they look just like that. >> i love cinnamon. >> this is store bought puff pastry and you like cinnamon. >> yes. >> and you make these beautiful -- they're sort of like little clefs for music. now you roll it in cinnamon on one side. the more you put, you know, you just spread it around. you spread that side, i'll spread this side. this is the fun part. i love puffed pastry. i love everything that you make with pastry. >> it's easy because you get it from the store. >> so you roll it up one way, halfway tightly. and then you turn it over and roll it the other way. keep rolling until halfway. >> and then you bring it up. >> and then turn this over and

roll the other side. it takes a little finessing. roll it the opposite way. >> and you've got it like that. >> yes. then you cut and chill it. chilling puffed pastry is very important. cut off the end that's not so pretty. then cut this into pieces like this and you'll see that's your little cookie. baked, they come out like this. squiggle chocolate over the top. >> yum. >> and the recipes are straightforward. these are like torts. >> hazelnut sandwich cookies. >> there's two cookies. the bottom and the top is cut out with a cookie kurt. so you can make one cookie there. >> is there a special technique other than cleanly press? >> push down and squiggle a little. >> see, that always happens. >> that's good, you want it to. if it doesn't lift up, you're in trouble. cut exactly next to it so you don't waste your dough. >> the closer the better.

the closer to the edge too, really close. then you don't waste so much dough. >> it looks easy but it's difficult. >> that's the top cookie, that would be cookie. always use offset spatulas. they bend so you can lift them easier. this cookie, you cut it perfectly. using these sil pads, silicon baking, you don't have to grease and butter the pan. >> we bake them and then we add this jam? >> and then once it's baked, then you put either nutella, using your offset, or jam. >> just drop it right in there? >> no. >> oh, spread it. >> you've gotten almost everything wrong today, savannah.

>> we'll be right back, everybody. >> merry christmas and happy cookie making. ♪

[ female announcer ] during the holidays, there's a lot to get done. and safeway select appetizers help you rise to every occasion. ♪ from delectable to amazing. there are over 20 affordable safeway select appetizers ♪ to make all of your gatherings just as merry as can be. ♪ only at safeway. ingredients for life.

only at safeway. ♪...my trsix geese a-laying... five new tops... i want to be very specific about this because last year i got some gifts i wasn't exactly feeling. especially from you, uncle dale. were those acid wash jeans? i just hope you all stuck to my list this year. a new digital camera or a new suede shoulder bag would be really ideal. sorry to be so frank. i just don't need another needlepoint throw pillow, aunt carla.

♪ four calling birds, three french hens... when it's on your mind, it's on ebay. we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 7th day of december, 2011. just a crummy morning weatherwise here in new york city. it's been raining. we've got some rain that will turn into a little snow for the people north and west of us later on. the temperatures, what, 20 degrees? >> 20 to 30 degrees from where they are right now to tomorrow morning. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and willie geist joins us this morning. >> they brought me in to hold

the umbrella. >> anyway, coming up we'll talk more about alec baldwin, what happened. he apparently got kicked off a flight. willie, you've gotten kicked off a lot of flights, what happened? >> not for this, though, matt. not such a funny situation for the "30 rock" actor. it's all because he wouldn't turn off his ipad. other passengers witnessed the whole thing. we'll hear what they are saying happened in a live report. >> they didn't care what was in his wallet. it's time for us, of course, to check in with our today's money 911 folks. they are going to be helping us with everything from why closing a credit card might be a bad idea even if it has an annual advice and also advice on how much homeowners insurance you really need and whether it's better to buy your car or to lease it. also coming up, the stress of the holidays. number one we'll talk about how stress sparks some arguments in your marriage, from everything on how much to spend on presents to sort of which family members you're going to invite to your christmas table. so we'll get some advice on the

five most common couple fights. and then we'll switch gears and talk about part of the holiday stress being about the parties you're invited to, how many there are and we're sort of basically going to try to make it a little bit easier for you when you go to people's homes and what to bring the hostess. >> a lot to get to. let us head inside. savannah guthrie has a look at all the headlines. good morning. we'll start with politics today. it is not easy being the front runner as newt gingrich is finding out, coming under increasing attack from his fellow candidates. with a large national lead according to a new gallup poll, he is also the subject of the first major attack ad campaign of the season, courtesy of ron paul. meanwhile mitt romney says he will not participate in donald trump's upcoming debate. ron paul and jon huntsman have also declined to participate. gingrich will attend the december 27th forum. in a campaign preview, president obama portrayed himself tuesday as the defender of the middle class. speaking in a small kansas town, the president said this is a

make-or-break moment for the middle class and all those fighting to join it. michael huerta is the new head at the federal aviation administration after the former top person stepped down. randy babbitt resigned after being arrested over the weekend on drunk driving charges in virginia. local officials refuse to disclose the results of his blood alcohol test. police officers in riot dpegear raided an occupy wall street protest. officers took down 100 tents and arrested 50 people. "30 rock" star alec baldwin was booted from a los angeles to new york flight tuesday in a dispute over playing on his ipad. jeff rossen is here to explain. >> you've been guilty of that too, savannah, i know. alec said he was just playing a game called words with friends, pretty addictive, i hear. the flight attendant asked him to shut it off again and again but he didn't. suddenly one of the funniest actors on tv was escorted right

off the plane. >> so what happened? >> reporter: alec baldwin, arriving back in new york overnight, wearing sunglasses, and not thrilled with the media crush there to greet him. on tv he loves to fly. >> after all, isn't traveling hard enough? >> reporter: boy was it ever tuesday. >> what happened with the flight attendant and american airlines, man? do you want to give your side of the story? >> reporter: baldwin says he got the boot after settling into his seat aboard american flight 4 at l.a.x. headed to new york. the plane parked, he had his ipad out, playing words with friends, a popular app. it's a lot like scrabble. you play against other people online. baldwin says the flight attendant demanded he shut off his ipad multiple times. he immediately took to twitter, alerting more than half a million followers flight attendant on american reamed me out for playing words with friends while we sat at the gate, not moving. #no wonder america air is

bankrupt. witnesses say baldwin slammed the bathroom door out of anger, those his people deny it. fellow passengers say the pilot came out and security kicked baldwin off the plane. >> we just kept seeing him get up. everybody was sort of -- their heads were popping up celebrity spotting and then we realized it was a big thing going on. >> security came in and just -- he just was like, yep, fair enough. it's like it was inevitable. he sort of went off. >> reporter: also sitting in first class, a man who knows a fight when he sees one, boxing champ oscar de la hoya who says he didn't see one. >> i didn't think there was no problem. i actually felt alex baldwin was turning off his devices. he just got a little angry. that's about it. >> reporter: baldwin was rebooked on a later flight, but he took to twitter again. now on the 3:00 american flight. the flight attendants already

look smarter. my words with friends user name is now #there is always united. citing privacy concerns, american airlines wouldn't comment to nbc news but did tweet baldwin back. mr. baldwin, we are looking into this. please direct message us contact information. the flight drama all ended okay. baldwin tweeted this picture from his new flight and the words "let alec play" speak for themselves. >> like double word score. this morning it appears the faa is not investigating. baldwin's pr team is having some fun with it, though, saying in a statement alec is so in love with words with friends that he would risk getting thrown off a flight to play. by the way, we're told the gaming company has already reached out to him. i'm smelling endorsements here. >> jeff rossen, thank you. it's now six past the hour. back to al with a check of the weather. >> thanks, savannah. let's check out what's going on. we've got some rough stuff up td downhe east coast. you can see back to the west some pink, that's some freezing

precip, heavy rain making its way through the ohio river valley up into the northeast. we've got flood watches from roanoke, virginia, all the way to teterboro, new jersey, and on into west virginia. rainfall amounts from 2 to 4 inches causing possibly more flooding. snowfall amounts are going to be anywhere from 6 to 9 inches in interior new york state on into new england. and big changes temperaturewise. current temperatures in the mid-60s. tomorrow this time, boom, down 20 to 30 degrees, back down into the 30s just about where they should be. good wednesday morning to you. it is stel cold out there. we're going to see a really nice segd half of the day. it is a spare of the air day for your north bay counties this morning flt as we head throughout the next couple of day, no major changes, no swings in your temperature. we'll see more cloud cover friday into the weekend. hope you have a fantastic

wednesday! money 911." that's where we take on your financial emergencies. from when to close out a credit card. our panel of experts, jean chats ski, sharon epperson, a personal finance correspondent for cnbc and c nnbcnbc.com and courtney reagan, also a cnbc correspondent. >> nice to see you. >> we've got connie from michigan. connie, good morning. what's your question? >> good morning to you. i'm wondering if there's any correlation between lower appraised values these days and the amount of homeowners insurance you should carry on the building? i have currently $375,000 insurance on my home that was established years ago but

recently houses that have sold in my area are in the 150,000 to $160,000 range on appraisals. do you ever reduce insurance or how do you know what's enough? >> that's a great question. >> that's a really good question and it's happening to so many people. here's the deal. you're insuring the cost to rebuild that home, not the cost to buy the home. so if the cost of building has actually dropped in your area, then, yes, you should see a reduction in your premium but it's not going to come automatically. you'll have to ask to be reassessed and then see what you should get. it's probably a good time to do it because homeowners insurance prices because of all the natural disasters that you tell us about are expected to prize. >> connie, thanks for that. great question. appreciate it. >> thank you very much. let's head to skype. we've got megan checking in from newark, delaware. megan, good morning. >> hello. i'm a 22-year-old college student and had a question about credit cards. i have two credit cards and just finished paying off one and wanted to close it out due to

the fact that the credit card carries an annual fee of $59 and has a much higher apr than the one i got from my bank. i was wondering if there were any negative effects with closing the credit card, especially on my credit score. >> sharon, what do you think? >> well, first of all, megan, you're right, $59 is way too much for the annual fee. you definitely want to find a card with no fee and you should find a student card like that. here's the problem with cancelling that card before you have another one. we always talk about the credit utilization ratio. you don't want that to be too high and that's the amount of credit across all of your cards so by doing that you'll raise that ratio and hurt your credit score. wait, get a new card with no annual fee. once you have that card with a credit limit that is the same or higher than what you currently have, then you can cancel that card with the $59 annual fee with a little note saying what are you doing to me, this is way too high. >> megan, thank you so much. now we'll head to sue. she's calling in on the phone from columbia, maryland. good morning, sue.

>> good morning. how are you? >> we're doing great. what's your question? >> i'm retired and i have a time share that i do not use and can't afford the monthly payments and the fees. how can i get rid of it or should i just stop paying it and will it hurt my credit? >> a lot of folks are in this situation. >> many, many people deal with this. when you buy into a time share nobody tells you how hard it is to get rid of it. it depreciates in value almost as soon as you buy it. don't default. don't stop paying those payments because that will definitely hurt your credit score, which is even harder to get back. you have a couple of options. the first thing is call the resort or developer and see if they have any kind of a buyback program. a first right of refusal clause to resell that right back to them. if they don't, then you want to ask them if they can recommend for you a time share resale broker, someone they use that's licensed and reputable. never, ever pay an up front fee.

no reputable broker will charge you an upfront fee. if you're a do-it-yourselfer you can try to rent it or sell it yourself online. >> it's going to be tough. >> it is. and your last option is that you can try to donate the ownership of the time share to charity and you want to start with donating for a cause.org. >> time for one more. going back to skype. chris is calling in from north carolina. good morning, chris. >> good morning. we are in the market for a new car. is it better for our credit rating or overall financially to pay cash or take advantage of 0% financing? >> jean? >> if you've got a limited amount of cash in the bank, and most people do, i'd take advantage of that 0% financing because then you can just invest your other money, allow it to grow and make something for you. it's pretty much a no-brainer. >> all right. thanks so much. thank you for joining us. jean chats ski, sharon epperson and courtney reagan. for those of you on the east

coast, jean will stick around. she's got a live chat answering your questions on the web. just go to today.com. and coming up ahead, how to avoid some of the most common holiday fights with your significant other. then later, what to get the hostess or host with the most. affordable holiday gift ideas after these messages. two medium cappuccinos!

let's show 'em what a breakfast with wholegrain fiber can do. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte. medium macchiato, light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos, make one a double. she's full and focused! [ barista ] i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate, hold the whip and two espressos, one with a double shot. hehe, that's not the coffee talking. [ female announcer ] start your day with kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. the 8 layers of whole grain fiber help keep you full so you can avoid the distraction of mid-morning hunger. no thanks, i'm good. time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag.

now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. [ sniffs ] ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] when you fill your home with glade fragrance... ♪ ...the holidays come alive. wow! [ female announcer ] release the magic with candles [ santa ] ho! ho! ho! from the new glade winter collection. s.c. johnson. a family company.

this morning on "today's relationships" holiday bickering. it really is the most wonderful time of the year but all of the hustle and bustle puts a lot of stress on relationships. here on avoiding five common fights, good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> jill, you asked your readers to send in what their most common holiday fights with their spouse or significant others were and these are our responses, right? >> yes, our facebook was flooded with responses. this was what came to the top because it really seems like you pull out that box of holiday decorations and with it comes this big bag of holiday arguments. it's time to settle them.

>> there are some stresses and also a lot of demands on time. let's get to our first one. situation one, a reader wrote his family comes over but i end up doing all the work. this has got to be a common one, how would you handle it? >> i think jill and i were talking about this, that couples have very prescribed roles and very often it's the woman who's taking care of all the homemaking, entertaining type of roles and efforts for the family. and so you really need to tell your guy what you want if you need some help because it's going to be -- >> it's a two-person job. he's not going to read your mind. >> be direct about it. >> be direct. ask him for what you need. compliment him when he does a good job in listening to you. >> and don't be a crazy perfectionist about this. if you're going to get his help, you have to say he does it his way, i do it my way. >> okay. our next one i love, it's inevitable when it comes to shopping during the holidays, we can never agree on how much to spend on the kids.

i want to shell out more than he does. this is really tough. >> this is tough and this is the argument that we have in our house because i'm a little bit more of a splurger. where we came to on this is it works out best if you figure out gifts that are somewhat practical and educational. like my tweenager is ready to get a cell phone. we put it off until christmas but i feel like i'm splurging a little bit to get her the cell phone she wants. or if your kid is a wonderful guitarist, get him the guitar that he needs. it feels generous. >> this goes to the heart of financial fights, which is a big one in any context, but also the kids and people's traditions on whether to go big on christmas. >> you may want to find out what your partner's history is in terms of the holidays and spending money and sometimes you have to defer to the person who's better with money in the family and the person who's the voice of reason. >> let's pick up the pace and get to the next one. i always put a lot of thoughts into his gifts and he always gives me some stupid perfume.

>> that came up with so many women and really you just have to hint and hint loudly. >> i say be direct. cut out pictures, say what you want, go shopping together on a date and say let's pick out our gifts together. but i think the bottom line is not to get too caught up in the gift and think about who's your partner. is he really thoughtful in general. >> the next one the in-laws. we argue about having to go to his parents' house because they live far away. we have to spend the night and there are a lot of people staying there. so many people have this scenario. >> yes. when you get married, you're doubling your family. so to a certain extent you've got to expect there are new scenarios you find yourself in. the really important thing is to get yourself a break. if it's an overcrowded house, be the person to run and get the eggnog. >> and i like the holiday decorations to be down by new year's day but he likes to keep them up longer.

>> see who cares about it the most. if it's up until valentine's day, you're barking up the wrong tree. if the tree becomes a fire hazard, it has to come down. >> jill and robbie, thank you. coming up, high-end hostess gifts at low-end prices. but first, these messages. traditions are not for keeping. they're for keeping us together. ♪ [ boy ] to dad, love sam. [ mom ] say "merry christmas." [ boy ] merry christmas. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. [ boy ] charlie brown spotted a small, scraggly pine tree. ♪ [ gasp ] [ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter. bounty can clean the mess with less. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo,

1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface as clean as 2 sheets of the bargain brand. ♪ dance cooking? bring it. super durable. super absorbent. super clean. bounty the 1-sheet clean picker-upper. and try bounty napkins. bounty the 1-sheet clean picker-upper. chase freedom gives you 5% cash back? at restaurants now... bon appétit guys, enjoy. activate your 5% cash back at chase.com/freedom and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um... try the number one! [ jack ] yeah, this is pretty good.

[ male announcer ] half a day's worth of fiber. fiber one. yay! [ female announcer ] storytime is not for reading. this is a story about jingle the husky pup. and jingle was a good dog. [ jingle ] ruff! ruff! jingle loved to bark hello. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff!

[ mom ] jingle even loved to sing. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! jingle! [ female announcer ] it's for bringing stories to life in a whole new way. jingle, stay. and jingle did. [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. when you read key words, jingle responds. well, the brave crowd got quite a thrill this morning meeting michelle pfeiffer and zac efron out here on the plaza while donating toys, books and other gifts for underprivileged children. that's part of our annual toy drive. we want to thank everyone for standing out in the rain and for their generosity. >> one of our generous contributors, big contributors, laura wallace, general manager of microsoft new york metro district. nice to see you. >> nice to see you as well. >> you guys are always so nice. what are you doing this year? >> thank you for having us. we're really excited to be here on this beautiful new york day. but as you know, holidays are a great time to give back.

in the past we've given up to $1.4 million to qualified "today" show agencies. this year we're expanding that donation to cover the full need regardless of size of any of the qualified "today" show organizations. >> so this is basically like tech support for some of the people that do hard work all year round. >> absolutely. we give them the tools to get the job done and tools for the kids to be productive with their school work an also a little fun. we also have a couple of xbox systems and some of the new games. >> and it's so critical in this down economy to chip in and contribute whenever you can. >> absolutely it is, there's so much need out there. >> laura, thank you so much and thank you everybody at micros t microsoft. only two more weeks to give and donate gifts. you can do it on the plaza or yop line at today.com. coming up, we, the three of us, are going back to school, cooking school, coming up. >> coming up, your local news and weather. [ female announcer ] why do your holiday shopping at walgreens?

so you don't have to deal with this. [ boy ] she's pushing me. you guys stop it. look for spaces. [ horn honks ] hang on. [ ho honks ] are you sure that's space? keep walking. [ horn honks ] [ female announcer ] just go to walgreens. great parking...short lines... and a perfect selection of just the right gifts. now earn up to $20 in jingle cash good on your next purchase of $30 or more. shopping. simplified. with walgreens...there's a way.

59% now say they would reject the pro poe sal. the rail project hovering one dread billion. planners have also moved back the finish date from 2020 to cos ngmi u a after this break, we'll have a check on your local weather and some traffic. t

welcome back. the time now 9:28. temperatures still freezing out there. as we head out there this afternoon, we'll get a lot of sunshine but hazy sunshine. by tomorrow, lows about two to

four degrees over. by this friday, a little bit of patchy fog develops. we'll get plentiful p.m. sunshine, however. still, no rain in this forecast, except for h the north bay possibly on tuesday. >> our frentsds are looking at a slower drive down passed heyward. an earlier accident has tied things up. both are slow. south bay, looking all right. but northbound 101 slow through oakland. but it's typical build. a lot of folks getting delivery. look at all of those trucks, john. >> nice observation. we'll have another look on huz update for you in one-half hour. see you then.

ann and natalie, look at roker. now look back at me. now back at roker. sadly, he is not me. but if he were me, he might be a lumber jack somewhere in the canadian rockies. but al roker is not me. >> that's a little fun on his "where in the world" this year. you know he actually wears clothes like that, breakaway clothing. >> that's his travel mustache. >> his own version of that popular old spice ad campaign. guess what, the old spice guy was watching. tomorrow we're going to have --

hold on, wait for it. >> roker, but he's not here. as a matter of fact, he's nowhere to be seen. but if roker was me, he might be in a tropical paradise and throwing a beach party. >> anyway, coming up, it's one of those dilemma that say come up every year. what do you get your hostess or host when you're invited to a party. >> that's right. i don't have this problem, but i'm told when you're invited to multiple holiday parties, the cost really starts to add up. i'm here to learn today. we'll play the high-low game with sbreabrina soto. she'll show us some gifts for $25 or less. >> willie, we're going to make you popular. also a staple of holiday decor, we're talking about wreaths, but it's not all about evergreen and pine cones. there are new rules, and the rules are there are no rules.

they can be made of candy, feathers, christmas cards. we'll show you some creative and affordable options. >> a lovely wreath made of cheese. and a delicious centerpiece for your holiday table, a juicy roast. oh, mama! chef michael la monico is here and has three easy recipes for your next family feast. you had me at roast. >> that looks good. first you have to earn that roast. the weather, we need the weather forecast. >> man, let's just look at that roast. anyway -- oh, yeah. hands off, that's mine! let's show you what's going on. for today, heavy rain mid-atlantic states into the northeast. windy conditions. snow back through the -- parts of new england and western new york. plenty of sunshine out west. air stagnation alerts in the pacific northwest.

more windy weather in the northeast. colder but sunny, although we'll have some snow in northern new england. snow also around the great lakes. ke-effect snow kicking in late tomorrow on into friday as we move into the eastern great taking a live look, nice and clear here. temperatures are still running cold. we actually have a spare the air day in alert. that's in lace for the north bay counties. moderate air county. but up in the north bay, you have unhealthy air quality. 61 degrees in oakland, 62 in san jose under lots of sunshine. as we head there tomorrow, pretty much a repeat performance. light a.m. fog. a discount store.

>> this comes with all of the knives and these signs. >> you're leading me that way so i'm going this way. >> that's the high. this comes with two handles and all the different knives. >> so go with this one. a couple of beautiful vases here. >> if you picked them up you can somewhat see the difference. >> that's heavy so that's the high. >> that is the high. this is 100% crystal and this is 26% crystal. >> almost 400 bucks? >> and $25. everything here is less than $25. >> easy call.

cake platters, trays. >> cake stands. you are great with this. >> i'm not handy in the kitchen, am i. this is riegt a little higher, i'm going with this one. >> that is the high. people are doing cupcakes and cakes more than ever. >> the price difference is outrageous, $200 difference. these we are looking at a standard platter kind of thing? >> yes. nice ceramic platter. >> i'm going this way. >> you are right. this is $155 and this is $15. >> $15? >> that's a huge price difference. >> this one i love because whenever i go to the holiday party i like to bring the hostess a dress. >> it's an apron. >> oh, i'm sorry. oh, yeah, they don't have a back. i don't know about either of these so i like this one. >> actually this is the low, $20. this is $85 because it's reversible. but isn't that gorgeous? >> you don't need a reversible

apron. >> in case it gets dirty. and my favorite, this is all year round i think a perfect gift. throws. you can put them on the bed, on a sofa. >> that one is a little sofa. i'm going to go -- yeah, that's the high. >> that's cashmere. this is $200 and the low is only $18. this is acrylic and this is cashmere. but acrylic, you can throw it in the wash and don't have to dry clean it. >> you've sold me completely. leave the red wine at home. >> you did good. >> sabrina soto, thanks so much. you can catch it saturday nights at 8:30. dressing up the home for the holidays with unique wreaths. that's after this. also make beautiful center pieces. you're a miracle worker sabrina soto. [sfx: doorbell rings] and you can mix your seasonal pieces with your everyday china. [sfx: knocking on door] and now you need to hide. oh, i love the mercury glass pieces on the mantel, we could put some evergreen pieces... you know a simple touch like adding.

oh, i think we should quickly decorate the hallway, wouldn't that be fun? maybe just put some...oh thank you so much, i'm going to bring you a snack later. wait, i still need to talk to you about led candles. happy holiday's. hey! hi! please come in. you know ornaments, they make a great centerpiece. no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. nice ring. knock it off. ignore him. with the capital one venture card you earn... double miles on every purchase. [ sharon ] 3d is so real larry. i'm right here larry. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. really? a plaid tie? what, are we in prep school? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? i was gonna say that. uh huh... 'sat's in your wallet? new baked pasta romanas. ruffled pasta, layered with creamy fontina and asiago cheeses, and oven-baked just for you. try it with pan seared chicken with toscano tomatoes. or, try it with braised beef. for a limited time, only at olive garden.

[ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents? with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain.

one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer.

this morning on "today's home decorating" decorating with holiday wreaths. who says they have to be round and green? these days there are no rules

when it comes to sophisticated holiday decor. cassie post, good morning to you. >> hi, savannah. >> so think out of the box? >> don't be afraid to take a well calculated risk this year. wreaths are an affordable option for decorating for the holidays and you can use them again and again. >> some people say it could be an alternative to a christmas tree. >> absolutely. >> let's start with this one. not a circle, a square. >> starting out big. this is a square boxwood wreath from christmas farms.com. it's only $49 and we love sort of this great sort of modern take on the round wreath. people are loving boxwood this year. it's hugely popular. the great thing about it is you can keep it for a couple of seasons if you just spritz it and keep it out of the direct sunlight. >> it's a little change because it's square but keeps the classic colors. >> traditional with a twist. >> here's not traditional, feathers. >> glamorous feathers. >> it's alive. >> and we love the feather trend. it was huge all over the runways

this season. now this trend is jumping off the runways and walking into your home. >> there are wreath runways? >> well, the fashion runways. >> i'm with you. >> and walking into your home. so we love the glamour of a feather wreath. so this one is from jamale, it's just $25 so really affordable. again, you can use a feather wreath again and again. they stay forever. >> not just for christmas. what do we have over here? >> this is a beautiful red feather wreath from garnett hill. this is a great idea for displaying your wreaths. we're actually using a wreath stand. so no nails. and this will go on any surface. you can also use a wreath as a centerpiece, just pop a bowl inside. >> now moving to something you might be able to eat. are these peppermint candies? >> yes. this is fun and cheery. the great news is you can buy these ready made so if you're crafty, you can make them, it's

a great idea to do with the kids but you don't have to. they start at $29. >> that's a ribbon you could put on any wreath, like jazz up your old wreaths. >> that's a styling trick. look for ribbon with wire in the edges and that will help you get a big, beautiful, glamorous bow. >> we've got polka dot here. >> adding some polka dots. >> this is a really cool idea. >> this was inspired by martha stewart. we love her. and this is a christmas card wreath or holiday card wreath. this is a do-it-yourself. all we did is took an embroidery hoop, and put on some little old-fashioned safety -- clothes pins and you just clip on your cards as you get them. >> less than a minute so let's show these. these are shells. >> yes, and this glamour shell wreath is from b's tropical design. it's $198 so it's a little bit of a splurge, but you can use shells all year round. >> metallic, this is perfect for

new year's. >> absolutely. the huge trend again in home decor is metallics. they act as a neutral so go with everything. $60. >> this isn't wreathy but it's cool. >> yes, anything can be a wreath, savannah. this is from southern proper monograms. this starts at just $10 for a small monogram but this is $48 and they come plain. you can glitter them, do anything you want. >> cassie post, thank you so much. coming up next, dressing up your holiday table with a delicious roast. we'll show you how to make it, three ways in today's cooking school. first, this is "today" on nb state farm. this is jessica.

hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm. "today's cooking school" is brought to you by bertolli premium meal soup for two. a fresh take on soup. it's frozen. >> this morning on "today's cooking school" roast three

ways. >> is there any more impressive centerpiece for your holiday feast? but cooking a big piece of beef can be intimidating. >> absolutely. speaking of hunks, chef michael lomonaco, executive chef of porter house new york here to teach us just how easy it is. good to see you. >> great to be here. you're right, holiday roefasts e a traditional thing. roasting is such a great way to cook. the flavors that it brings out and also gives you time in the kitchen to do other things. we're going to start off with a boneless pork loin. >> one of my favorites. this is a pork loin. it can be a rack with a bone. >> i like the bone. >> i look cooking on bone too but this is a delicious cut. usually any butcher will tie it for you. we have the oven at 425 degrees. i start this at a high heat. i have just a simple marinade or really brush it on, we're going to -- how about we put this roasting pan -- roasting rack right in there. you don't have to get all messy. a little olive oil on that.

and that's simple enough. and we have some garlic. you can mix the garlic with the cumin, the salt and black pepper and really it's an herb crust that you put on. again, it retains the moisture and seasons it as it goes. actually the seasoning is all in there, the salt and pepper. with a roast, you need to make sure you season well because this is four pounds. you really need to season it all at once so that the -- not season it after waries but season it ahead. >> and you've got onions. >> in fact let me lift this up and you put that on the bottom. >> why do you like to do it like this? >> because i'm going to tell you to put white wine and some stock right in there. you can put that in there too. that's my pan drippings. yeah, there you go. at the end, you wind up with the pan drippings, which can really go on your roast. if you want to slice -- this is what's great about a boneless one, easy to carve table side.

makes you look like a real pro. >> from a pro to a non-pro, we're making beef. >> this is prime rib, exactly. this is a rib roast. this one i start at a lower temperature. we always cook at 350 at an even temperature. >> and you keep the bone in? >> this is bone in. look at this, this is great. this weighs about seven pounds. very simple. i'll give you olive oil and also a little bit of garlic. here we are some herbs. >> this is the dry seasoning. >> this is my dry seasoning. there's rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. what you can do is just stir that together and that goes right on top. this is -- the pork we cook on a rack but the beef we cook bone side down and with thermometers. >> how do you put this on? >> if you want to get your hands into it, you're going to do this. >> get in there. >> savannah, savannah, savannah. >> okay, here you go.

>> thank you. i didn't think my hands were clean. don't forget the thermometer. you have to check the temperature. i want you to carve this because this is so easy. here's your knife and here's your fork. >> let me try to carve but you've got to get willie's going. >> just put the knife between the two bones and carve one big prime rib chop. >> step away from savannah with the knife. >> i'm moving away now. >> vegetarian option. >> these are vegetables. we've got butternut squash, eggplant, carrot, onions and tomatoes. we make a spice mix and they're really great -- it's just a great group of spices. >> how are you doing, savannah? >> she's doing very well. >> i ran into some bone. >> the spices go in -- >> michael lomonaco thank you so much. the recipe is on today.com. ng

>> good morn, everyone. the time now is :56 ft you noi that popular tv myth busters,

well, it busted up a neighb neighborhood in dublin. a cannon ball flying right into people's homes. producers were experimenting with a homemade cannon trying dispel myths of cannon balls. well, the misfire shot crashed right through a front door, finally shattered a van window. homeowners say yes, they're lucky nobody was injured. >> scary. i'm surprised i wasn't in the van. i was in the van five minutes before this happened. we had our 10-month-old son. show producers contacting home oebers right now to try to set the meeting with their insurance carrier. smart move. a much safer forecast to tell you about. >> call them home busters.

we're looking good this morning. we don't have any problems. but that stagnant air mas overhead, high pressure, a cold dome of air leads to a spare the air alert. and that's mostly from the north bay. we actually have unhealthy air quality up there. your temps will wind up in the 60s. hazy sunshine continues through thursday. friday, saturday, the fog comes back. >> christine, the earlier accident has cleared a southbound 880. that's one of the factors that was causing all of that jam which is still clearing through heyward. 680 also approaching at that point. the rest of the south bay all right and slowing along the peninsula off of the airport there and the wrij itself. oh, there's a crew on the rieblgt, but they're just doing

some work off to the shoulder. >> thanks a lot. for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc barry on face book and see you in half an hour. if i can take classes year round on campus, online, or both and earn my bachelor's degree in 3 years you can, too. [ male announcer ] at devry university, whether you study at one of our 4 bay area locations, online or both, you can prepare for a career in a growing field... and with year round class offerings, you can even do it in as few as three years. if i can let nothing nothing...stand in my way you can too. [ male announcer ] classes start january 3. learn more at devry.edu is the perfect choice for holiday gatherings. martinelli's is non-alcoholic, festive like champagne, and tastes great! martinelli's: since 1868.

captions paid for byne, nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> yeah. hello, everybody. it is winesday, wednesday. it is wet here on december 7th. ♪ silver bells >> listen to this one. ♪ silver bells >> who are you singing with? ♪ it's christmastime in the city ♪ >> here it is. >> here they are. ♪ ring-a-ling, hear them ring

>> can you believe this? i had him record that with me because every year this time of year he would go to me, here's your sidewalks. your filthy sidewalks. your filthy sidewalks. >> by the way, it's 61 degrees in new york this morning. >> it's weird. >> the cold is coming, they say. >> you know what else is coming? >> what? >> we are -- well, alec baldwin's coming to a theater near you. he's coming to an airport and airline near you. >> here's the thing. he loves this game called words with friends. we don't know all the details because people are giving different accounts. however, he was sitting on the plane. they shut the door. apparently the flight attendant asked him to turn off his game on his ipad or iphone, wherever he was playing it. >> did alec take umbrage? >> it sounded like he wanted to

continue playing. okay? and he did. and she i guess asked again to turn off the ipad or iphone. he according to some passengers got upset, went in the bathroom, slammed the door. he says that didn't happen. others say it did. apparently the pilot heard noise and came out wondering what all the commotion was about. the bottom line is he got bounced off the plane. he tweeted a lot of things. one of the things he tweeted flight attendant on american reamed me for playing words with friends while we sat at the gate not moving. then he tweeted again, now on the 3:00 american flight flight attendants already look smartered. last flight with americans. where retired catholic school gym teachers find jobs. >> that probably shouldn't have been done. it's one thing to say, look. we had an altercation. i want to play that game. who's it hurting. we're not moving. they have reasons. i don't understand all the technical reasons why they want all the electronics turned off. the rules are for everybody.

that's the thing. there are two alecs in the world that i've come -- i don't know him extremely well. i've certainly spent some time with him and you have, too. we flew back from washington with him once on a plane. a private plane because it was -- i forget why. anyway, he is such a charming guy. >> yep. >> he's like a charming rogue. we all know he's incredibly talented. but there is a -- there's the other side of him that likes to jostle a little. >> i remember at starbucks he had a problem. this was a while back. with one of the baristas. and he wrote something, i remember, about, like, the queen jay, the barista, has an attitude. something like that. you know what bothers people about it? people who don't have a voice, flight attendants, baristas, et cetera. >> the 99%? >> hearing from people who have a lot of power and people following them -- >> use your power in a positive way. >> the airline tweeted back. they tweeted, looking into the

matter. they requested baldwin send a dm, direct message, with his contact info. that's how it's going. >> you know what's going to happen. he's going to be rewarded with a big deal -- >> from words with friends! >> from words with friends. >> words with friends is like scrabble. i play scrabble. i am addicted to it. >> bananagrams. >> bananagrams except on the ipad. it's fun to play. i get it. >> he might be upset that he didn't make "entertainment weekly's" entertainers of the year. that's probably what was ticking him off. i'm happy to see this for daniel radcliff justice of the pea radcliffe. he deserved the tony. audiences are loving him. everything from daniel radcliffe, brad pitt, milo davis, all the way down, their tributes are written by other celebrities who respect them. which is nice. >> i got to tell you, adele.

where is that picture? show it. look at that picture. >> look how beautiful she looks. >> she is like a show stopper. viola davis -- her tribute was written by meryl streep. i love this song. >> the one thing i want to talk to jess cable about, i haven't seen the whole magazine, i really think there should have been some sort of a tribute to the three people who retired from their shows this past year. larry king, oprah winfrey and regis. come on. they changed the face of television. they really, really did. >> we're going to discuss that. i was on the facebook page, our facebook page this morning. i like to see what people are saying. if they're at all interested in our program. sometimes yes. sometimes no. anyway, there was something that caught my eye. there was something called a wrap.com did a wrap video for us. >> gift wrap. >> this is about us. but you can also get -- >> have a customized wrapped

song about you. >> pictures, video and info. for 150 bucks, they'll pop one out for you. let's see if you're interested. ♪ this one's for klg and hoda, what's up, ladies ♪ ♪ usually around 10:00, catch the forecast on "today" show, man, klg and hoda watch them owe da, drinking soda ♪ ♪ making over fans, always an ambush, jill and louis ♪ ♪ yo, that's the stuff, bobbie thomas got the stuff, sara, did you listen to that tune on hoda's play list ♪ ♪ celebrity guests and a fan of the week, kathie lee and hoda make every morning complete ♪ ♪ "today" show, "today" show, you ain't in the know if you

ain't watch klg and hoda ♪ ♪ don't you touch that dial >> cute. >> kind of cool. >> yeah. >> so for 150 bucks you can have your own rap video. they posted that one on our website. gift-rapped.com. you know what i'm saying? >> that's really cute. >> who's on our couch? >> one of our favorite guys. garry marshall's here today. he stops and smells -- whatever those flowers are. >> classic flowers. >> we both saw his new movie "new year's eve" at different screenings this past week. both of us came back saying what a fun movie this is. >> unbelievable. >> he has everybody in this movie except for us, hoda. i have a little bone to pick. >> michelle pfeifer, zac efron, robert de niro, ryan seacrest,

josh duhamel. all in the same movie. >> it's going to be a big, big hit. we're going to get the facts behind the cameras. >> and he does a little home cooking on his movie. i like that. i like it. you see a lot of friends and family with garry in the show. >> you don't want to discuss what happened yesterday, do you? >> no. >> okay. >> now, let's move on. >> when we went over to see suzanne somers. >> yeah. i think we should wait. >> we have a little news to tell you about our friend suzanne somers. >> i thought you meant other things. >> oh, that. >> no, no. that is a big, no! okay. all right. there's something -- >> it's a survey. >> this is researchers saying that a lot of people drive while talking on the phone, which in a lot of places you're not supposed to be doing. what? okay. anyway --

>> hey, nameless. >> they've come up with some technology that if you are mobile in your car, not on the blue tooth, and you're driving, your phone will automatically cut off because you shouldn't be driving while talking or texting. >> what if you stop and pull over. >> and you're still in the driver's seat? >> yes. >> i think they can test the wind velocity to see if you're moving. >> who are these people? >> unless you have the air conditioner on and they think you're moving. i don't know. >> first of all, you want to start an accident, what if your phone suddenly goes dead and you're in the middle of something you shouldn't be doing. we know that. then you're going to go, redial. >> and you're calling 911 because something bad's happening. >> it's not good. there is some good news. >> let's get to this. >> starbucks is offering beer and wine to boost sales. >> that and dwayne reed. if you're in our vicinity, you know it's crowded because of the tree and stuff. next door to us is christies. there's a line outside of christies because a lot of

people want to see liz taylor's jewels. >> they're being auctioned through the 17th, i believe. >> her clothes, too. >> lots of her personal items. i mean, people are lined up like crazy. they have this thing now. >> what is this? is this her purses? >> they show you what her -- her jewelry was just unbelievable. but you can actually sort of figure out what it's like to wear it. >> because it's paper jewelry. not worth millions. >> not worth the paper it's printed on. however, it's -- i don't think this is life size. >> can you wear it? >> you can't get it around your neck, hoda woman. >> split it. there. that's beautiful. >> i don't think it will go around your neck? >> hey, hey, hey, hey. i'm right here. >> you have a bigger head than i do. >> i have the biggest -- i have the biggest head circumference of anyone at the "today" show. >> ever. >> except willerd. his head is definitely bigger. hard to find hats.

anywho. >> this is called little black dress wine. >> ten bucks in stores. >> cheap. all righty. we have got garry. it's time for him. and we will be back after this. [ male announcer ] on a dull, dull day in a ho hum world... [ sniffing ] ...something wonderful is as near as your nose. ♪ ♪ just pop up pop tarts. sprinkled with joy and frosted with fun... [ laughs ] ...they make ordinary extraordinary. [ cheering ] so you can make any day joylicious!

it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories --

plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month.

dew mel. then he just shows up on the biggest night of my career! what kind of karma is that, huh? >> what, you made love with jenson or you're catering the biggest -- all i'm hearing is fwood. >> that's just a little clip from the star-studded film called "new year's eve" directed and produced by the amazing garry marshall. >> his list of credits is never ending. he brings together hollywood's a-list for a movie that gives us a glimpse into all the emotions

that surrounds one of the biggest holidays. >> we both really enjoyed this movie. >> loved, loved, loved. >> i mean, i hope you did a -- i don't think your budget could afford all the stars that are in it. they all work for the same amount of money. please tell me. >> it is a favored nation thing. except me. >> none of that stuff for you. no, no. even penny. your sister penny is in it. >> penny came and did a cameo. >> did you just get on the phone and just start calling the celebs and did they say yes, yes, yes. all of them? >> no. they don't say yes, yes, yes. you call them. some are available. you see the part. only ashton kutcher didn't read it. he said i hear you're shooting "winter in new york." i'd like to be indoors. >> he has one scene when he comes out. he still has his pajamas on. >> how were you able to shoot the times square scene? i was thinking about that. did you do them overnight? >> no, no. times square we actually shot new year's eve.

and they had the wrong -- 2010. but we fixed all that. but we did -- i must say that you mentioned all the stars. i think my stars of the film are new york's police department. the big shots, my son, scott, shot. too cold for me some nights. >> so nepotism is alive and well in your family as well. >> it was a big deal to shoot all that stuff. >> michelle pfeifer, jozac efro >> there was a little love there. kind of sweet to see. >> they worked together in a movie called "hairspray." michelle pfeifer was doing a film for frankie and johnny. she said, i never met him. i said, i saw you in "scarface"

together. this time i knew zac efron and michelle knew each other. >> halle berry's role, she wasn't available. >> she wasn't available. >> but she's wearing a dress, apparently, you asked your wife to marry you on new year's eve. right? >> yes. it wasn't really formal. i said, what do you think? noncommittal. >> keep the back door open. >> and she said, i'll make it easy. we'll get married on my birthday. you'll have one date to remember. so i thought that was nice. >> she's in the movie, too. your wife. >> my wife always plays. one line or two lines. she has two in this with her own outfit. so she comes. but she wore -- i'm a little color blind. so i knew it was a reddish dress she had on. so i said, let's make it reddish. halle berry called and said she couldn't come. two weeks into the shoot, she said, i'm coming.

you got another part? we wrote a little thing for her. >> i like how you used some of the staff to fill in. there was the josh duhamel scene at the end. explain you had some people who were stage hands and things who went in. >> you know, i don't want to shock you, new year's eve is night. so he was shooting a lot at 3:00, 4:00 in the morning and a lot of times it was hurry up. the sun's coming up! >> bitter cold. >> three blizzards, we had. >> that means it's going to be a hit, garry. >> we adjust everything. but sometimes when the crew is cold and everybody's kind of tired, i put the crew into the movie just wandering around. it gets everybody -- we get to be in the movie! they never speak. they just walk through. >> it's exciting for everybody. >> listen, we just highly recommend if you want a good time -- >> what's going to be your next holiday? you've done valentine's day. now you've done new year's. you can't do groundhog's day.

they did that. >> one of my favorite is arbor day. >> we love arbor day. >> cousin murray with the sheep. they're all made up. plant a seed, the tree comes. >> give regis a role. >> ryan seacrest came and had a good time. regis comes, he's sitting around, maybe garry will call me. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> good luck. all the best. great success to you. >> great to see you. up next, those photos that make you say "what?" right after this. hey babe... oh, hi honey! so i went to the doctor today, then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay downalance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. chase slate with blueprint helps you save money

on life's little surprises. trip...lets... start your path to saving today, call 855-get-slate.

turn to senokot-s tablets. senokot-s has a natural vegetable laxative ingredient plus the comfort of a stool softener for gentle, overnight relief of occasional constipation. go to senokot-s.com for savings. they won't be beat. oh, actually... th i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule!

oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, guaranteed. [ male announcer ] what if we could keep enough plastic waste to cover all of manhattan out of landfills each year? the equivalent of 140 million trash bags, gone. by using new glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. ♪ it's a small change that can make a big difference. ♪ we're back with our

hilarious segment called "what the what?" >> miss sara haines sorted through every single one of those bizarre photos you've been sending in. she's here with the week's big pics. >> it's a tough job. someone has to do it. our first photo is from jeanne burns from beaverton, oregon. perfect. now i know what to get my dad for christmas. >> oh, my gosh. bras. >> were they trying to tell us something? >> i don't know. >> clearly someone wasn't paying attention when setting up the room. our next photo was sent in by michael from grand rapids, michigan. >> this is an entrance only. >> that's like a professional sign. whoever put that up thinking that was okay? seriously? next, kathy mullen from texas submitted this photo. i hope my husband doesn't shop here. >> ugly fixer liquor. >> there's a back door. it's a small store. people literally sneak in so no one sees them. it's in a small town.

who wants to be seen shopping here. >> that is terrible. >> all the girls get prettier at clothing time, that old song. >> a photo from kayla from tennessee. they couldn't have come up with a better name? >> doody pro. >> i'm a poop person for doody pro. that happens. >> what? >> it's probably smart. >> tells what it is. we know exactly what it is. >> corrine engel from columbus, ohio, sent us this photo. was this a necessary precaution? 0 feet, 0 inches. so don't try diving. >> some people need to have the notice put up. they don't want to be sued. >> maybe water that can be deceiving that it might have inches? >> bizarre. >> don't go in head first. finally, from dayton ohio. this sign is so literal, it's scary. >> it is the end of the road. >> can you imagine? >> not for shirley maclaine. >> all right, everybody.

send your photos in. still to come, what you probably never knew about some of your favorite holidays. >> if you're looking for love online, the makers and breakers of writing the perfect profile. all of that is after your local news. >> are you sure? >> i don't know. good afternoon. don't feed that meter. this meter's on me. with all the hundreds i've saved at progressive, this meter's on me. thank you. de nada. with all the hundreds i've saved on car insurance this year, this meter's on me. there's a catch? there's no catch. nothing but savings. thank you very much. have a great day. you, too. you're sexy. [ laughs ] i'd like a decaf 360 calories please. i'll have a triple iced 410 calories please. you know what... i'll have this instead. [ female announcer ] swap one thing a day for a yoplait light at around 100 calories. it will add up to amazing.

rx plan gives you the lowest plan premium in the country... so you can focus on what really matters. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. ♪ but the fire is so delightful ♪ nothing melts away the cold like a hot, delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup from campbell's. ♪ let it snow, let it snow

keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is.

we're back on this winesday, wednesday, ready to play our weekly trivia game we call "who knew?" we're talking holiday music. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc experience store ready to hand out $100 to those who get the answers right. and to those who don't, they get her cd. >> hey. >> all right. here with me is billboard magazine's editorial director bill worde. are we ready for this? >> i'm so ready. >> great job posting awards the other day. home run. >> look what i have, hoda. all these adorable boys from westfield, new jersey, here. yeah. all right. are you first or you're first?

where are you from? >> climax, new york. >> climax, new york? is that near poughkeepsie? all right. here we go. which popular christmas song tops the billboard charts this week. all i want for christmas is you by mariah carey, mistle toe by justin bieber -- >> probably all i want for christmas. >> is that right? ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas ♪ >> this is a great song by mariah carey. this has been number one for a while. >> number one forever. it's actually one of the top 20 songs of all time of any kind of song. top holiday sung song of all times. just a monster thing. my favorite thing about the song, though, is connie matola, at the time the grand puma of sony has a cameo in the video of santa claus. >> back across to kath. >> this lovely lady is from san

jo jose, california. finish the lyric to this classic liday song. ♪ i'll be home >> for christmas. >> yeah. we know that part. what's the next line? ♪ if only in my dreams >> we don't care -- we don't care what key she sings it in. that was good. >> all right. if only in my dreams. a great christmas classic. >> one of the all-time greats. bing was on a roll. the previous year released a song called "white christmas." it was 1943 when the song came out. world war ii. missing folks that are away. >> great song. >> that's a beautiful song in any key. and she sang it in four of them. all righty. which -- you're from jamsport. which '90s boy band sang this song? you're not going to get this.

>> you're right. i'm not going to get this. i remember the '90s. >> all right. is it the backstreet boys, 98 degrees, n'sync or boyz ii men. >> let's try boyz ii men. what the hell. >> you're wrong. >> the answer is n 'sync. >> one of the last new top 40 songs. gary coleman was an elf in this video. >> no, he was not. >> yeah. >> he was? >> poured a little eggnog out for gary coleman. >> back across the street. >> rockingham, north carolina. who is singing this version of "have yourself a merry little christmas"?

♪ let your heart be light >> i don't know. i know the answer. but i want to get it wrong because i really want your cd instead. >> just say it and i'll give you both. >> kathie lee gifford! >> the best! >> you know what? how sweet is that? how sweet is that? kathie lee can sing. >> proof all the years you've been giving the losers the cds. maybe you should think about giving the winners the cds. >> we should rethink it. >> she has a really impressive recording career. people don't give her credit. >> kath, did you know that? you're a billboard star, baby. >> you're a billboard star, kathie lee. >> no, i didn't know that. you better check your research. all righty. where are you from, ho snrks. >> sumner, washington. >> okay. name the three reindeer whose names start with a "d" in "rudolph the red-nosed reindeer." there's three of them. >> dasher, dancer -- donner!

>> you cheated. >> she got it. three "d"s. >> this is super impressive. johnny marks wrote this song. he also wrote "rocken around the christmas tree," "holly jolly christmas." he gets to a trend which is important. almost all the great christmas songs were written by jewish people. this is absolutely true. i have some written down. "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." "w "white christmas." "winter wonderland." the jewish people should be proud of christmas. >> thank you so much. kath is going to come back across the street. we've got work to do here. up next, how to write an online profile aimed to land you the love you're looking for. all that coming unext. next. thank you to bill worde. nnouncer ] holiday plus cookies plus memories

pillsbury holiday star cookies start with pillsbury cookie dough easy. then add my own favorite frosting and sprinkles. just three ingredients to sweet memories. holiday ideas made easy. [ female announcer ] it's the holiday sale at famous footwear. ♪ ♪ winter wonderland, oh, my [ female announcer ] buy one pair of shoes, get another pair half off. ♪ we'll make today famous, it's true ♪

[ female announcer ] spectacular savings on the brand names you love. famous footwear. make today famous. i would never go out without my covergirl. i want to look natural, not naked! but look! with covergirl, all you need is 3 little things to make beauty powerful for you. lashblast for voluptuous volume, outlast -- to keep your lips beautiful and not come off if you kiss... simply ageless foundation to help you look young. see? just three. easy breezy beautiful covergirl. ♪ rx plan gives you the lowest plan premium in the country... so you can focus on what really matters. call humana at 1-800-808-4003.

you've been looking for love online but you keep coming up empty. >> so sad. >> perhaps it is worth meeting mr. wrong. >> time to put pen to paper or fingers to keys and rewrite that dating profile to get what you really want. kate white is here to help you. people are going about it all the wrong way by putting their large bazooms on? >> that sends the wrong message. 17% of people who married in the last year met online. >> the abcs. put a photo on. a lot of people just put the head shot. a picture of the face. you say you've got to do more than that. >> there's a lot of data out there because so many people are online so we know what works. one of the things we discovered, if you put up at least three pictures you're going to get twice as many messages. >> why? >> so they can see more. put up a lot of pictures. >> tasteful pictures. >> tasteful. good quality. not with a cell phone. natural light seems to work

better. >> the other thing ages you ten years or something like that. >> you look younger with natural light. >> you probably get a lot of feedback if you put the cleavage shot out there. >> not your peach pit. you know. after 50, hide them. >> you get a certain kind of guy, then. >> true. >> maybe that's what you're looking for, though. >> if you are, fine. >> when you're writing about yourself and you say i like, i don't know, hiking and reading or whatever. >> women make the mistake of doing a long essay sometimes. and guys' eyes glaze over. do bulleted descriptions of yourself. >> what is a big turn on for a guy? >> something that tells something about you but not too vague. don't say i'm fun and adventurous. say i love to laugh my butt off at improv comedy. i love to get lost in new cities. so he has a sense of who you are. >> how important is it to be honest with your data? like i am -- you know, your age and your height and your weight and things like that.

>> he's going to find out sooner or later. you don't want to be having that drink with him and realize, oh, my gosh. i set him up. >> sometimes, let's pretend you fudge a little. you get him into the bar. he likes you anyway. some guys say i'm not going to date over 35. and maybe they just want to meet someone. >> the word is not fudge. the word is lie. >> call it what it is. >> a lot of people do that. i think you pay the price down the road. >> thank you, kate. >> better to be authentic and entice him with who you really are. give some of that confirmation. >> i know a girl who never told the guy she was dating how old she was. they got married. she was terrified he was going to eventually find out. >> what happened? >> he did and they're divorced. >> oh, come on. if he divorced her because her age wasn't what she said? >> if you're going to lie about that, you might be lying about other things. >> you say give him something to talk about. what does that mean? >> what you want ideally if you're not lying, of course, is to get into a conversation with this dude.

and the more you give him entry points, show a picture with your dog. or talk about your golden retriever so then he can say, oh, you know, i've got a black lab. i guess you're a dog lover. >> this is all really good common sense. that's all it is. >> it is. people don't always do this. >> the biggest mistake is what? >> lying. >> thank you very much. or fudging. >> i think you've got one mistake is not updating enough. that allows you to be searched more. update every week. >> all right, kate. thank you. coming up next, hostess gifts that are so great you're going to want them for yourself. right after this. >> if you're selfish. so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol

and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's bring your happiness to work day. campbell's microwavable soups. in three minutes -- the deliciousness that brings a smile to any monday. campbell's -- it's amazing what soup can do.

this season's hottest games and...sweatbands. [ grunting noises ] ahh! this is gold. [ mom ] woo! [ game ] snaps up the ace. i'll never be popular. [ game ] next game decides our winner. [ male announcer ] get low prices on this season's hottest games. like kinect sports season 2 for xbox 360 with kinect. rated e for everyone. backed by our christmas price guarantee. save money. live better. walmart.

[ female announcer ] during the holidays, there's a lot to get done. and safeway select appetizers help you rise to every occasion. ♪ from delectable to amazing. there are over 20 affordable safeway select appetizers ♪ to make all of your gatherings just as merry as can be. ♪ only at safeway. ingredients for life.

we are counting down to the holidays with hostess gifts for all kinds of parties. >> if you are stumped on what to give, style expert nathan turner will help you out. he's got fun and affordable ideas. >> he always looks so cute. i love your outfits.

>> very hip. >> just match the occasion. >> very ralph. you look very ralph today. >> let's start with the wine rack. >> it's fun. everyone loves wine. this is a great thing. i specially if you create your own self -- do it yourself bar. identify different wines. fun for different ttings. different whites. >> with cheese, they go hand in hand, don't they? >> they do. but wait. these could completely insult your host and hostess or they could get a real laugh out of it. a personal breathalyzer. >> who doesn't want one of those. i wouldn't pass that now. >> keep it away. don't even bring that near here. >> if it starts smoking. >> these things, you get sued if anybody's in an accident when you drive home or something. >> know where you are. >> the cheese. >> this is a clever idea. >> i love these.

slate topped cheese platter or any kind of platter. >> it's always hard to balance things in your hand. you have a drink. you have a little snack. you've solved that problem, haven't you? >> these are little -- >> those are attractive. >> you have a little -- >> they're smart. >> if you're italian -- >> forget about it. >> everybody kind of brings baked goods and sweets. which is really lovely to bring. here's a pie. but here's a fun way to bring it. you leave a little gift at the end. a vegetable steamer. not only does it protect the pie, you can layer two, three, four of them. but it leaves a nice little gift. >> that's smart. >> these are banana bread, ginger bread, homemade gifts.

>> get in there, hoda. >> jerry, we're on to you. >> i've got to. >> dig in there. get involved. >> look it, you guys, these are just tin cans. like, you know, wrap it with paper. it's disposable. >> you baked it in there? in the can. >> i baked it in the tin can. >> he did it himself. >> i don't know if i believe it. >> okay. flowers. everybody brings flowers. it's lovely. i like this idea. it's a dwarf citrus tree. it can grow in pots out on a balcony, in your kitchen. >> that is adorable. >> lemons, limes, grapefruit. >> $22. >> that's lovely. >> i love this instant camera. i think it's a really fun thing to bring. especially if you're going for a weekend. at the end of the weekend you can make this little wreath. it's like an ornament. it can be put on the door, on a christmas tree. >> or tucked away. >> in secret.

>> hey! >> that's good. >> it didn't work. >> but when they work, they're beautiful. >> i love instant cameras. >> of course you do. you're nathan turner, right? >> candles. it's the kind of quintessential gift. but these are homemade candles in vintage tins. it's actually a really pretty decorative gift. i found this candle making kit. it's $22. and it really works. >> great. >> if you don't want to get that brave and make the candles in your kitchen, take a regular pillar candle. embellish it. these are from pottery barn. bring it in as a centerpiece. >> very pretty. >> i love these. >> wait. look at bambino. stop it. >> bambino! >> look at my mom on here. >> cute! where do people get these? >> this is stockingfactory.com.

and zazzle.com on the coaster. you can send in pictures. it takes about a week. it's really quick turnaround. >> time to do it now. >> do it now. >> thank you, nathan turner. >> great to see you, sweetie. we'll be back with a special guest, toy drive. more of "today" on nbc. yeah, i'm married. does it matter?

you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪

it's important to remember those who are less fortunate. especially during the holidays. this year more than ever there are so many families out there whose holidays are clouded by economic heartship. >> every single donation to our toy drive is so proeshted. this morning we have a very generous donation from joey heartwood from amway, north america. delighted to have you here. >> hi, joey. >> great to be here. >> what are you giving today? >> we have a whole series of electronics, small digital cameras, crafts and toys that

are really focused on preteens and teens. particularly the boys that tend to get overlooked during the holiday season. >> they do tend to get overlooked. that's awesome. amway does a lot all year round filan tlopically. >> absolutely. we have independent business owners, employees who have donated more than 2.3 million hours to support over 8 million children. >> wow. >> they have also donated over $141 million. >> wow. >> this is all through our one by one campaign for children. >> how long have you guys had that campaign. >> it's a long time. precedes my time with amway. more than ten years. we've been involved with the toy drive for seven years. we're proud to participate. >> thank you. >> we're so glad you're here. >> that is that demographic group that is not a little kid. they don't want toys. they do want to be remembered at christmastime. >> absolutely. >> thank you, jori. >> thank you. all righty. we are shipping toys daily to

needy children until december 21st. you can donate right here in person on the plaza, at nbc experience store behind us or online. >> whatever's easier for you. >> go to "today".com. coming up tomorrow, actress melissa gilbert comes by. making travels with the kids this holiday season easy. >> tomorrow is thirst day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

fiber one. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? uh, try the number one! i've never heard of that. [ wife ] it's great. it's a sweet honey cereal, you'll love it. yeah, this is pretty good.