good morning. spy swap. ten members of an alleged russian spy ring head to federal court in new york today. will the hearing set the stage for the largest exchange of spy suspects between u.s. and russia since the end of the cold war? that's the man who cut my hair. the 4-year-old girl found alive, more than a day after she was snatched from her front yard points the finger at a registered sex offender. in a stunning twist, late last night, he turns a gun on himself as cops close in. and the nominees are -- an early morning in hollywood as

the nominations for the 62nd annual prime time emmy awards are handed out. we'll break down who's in and who's out "today," thursday, july 8, 2010. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and meredith vieira live from this is "today" with matt lauer and meredith vieira live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> in for matt lauer i'm ann curry. echoes of the cold war as alleged russian spies are caught living in the united states. >> absolutely. there are reports that the u.s. and russian diplomats are working on an exchange involving them, and ten people accused of spying for the u.s. it has all the intrigue of a 1950s spy novel. >> fascinating. also ahead, more problems tied to the heat wave in the east.

the demand for power is nearing record levels putting many energy companies on high alert. we'll have more on this and news on whether or not we'll see relief today. >> hopefully we will. plus, lindsay lohan is trying to explain away the vulgarity that was on her finger nail as she was sentenced to 90 days in jail on tuesday. she also wrote about cruel and unusual punishment. more on what lohan had to say coming up. we begin with a possible spy swap between the u.s. and russia. pete williams has details. good morning to you. good morning. all ten defendants will be in a new york city courtroom later today, brought together for a single hearing. it's likely that some, if not all of them, will plead guilty, opening the door to their eventual return to russia. less than two weeks after the arrests of ten people accused of being russian secret agents while pretending to be americans, all ten will appear

in federal court in new york, five of them ordered there from virginia and boston. legal sources say plea negotiations are under way between their lawyers and federal prosecutors. a former government lawyer says a deal could give investigators deeper insight into how the agent ring worked. >> the government has obviously had these people under surveillance for a long period of time, but i'm sure they have a number of questions they'd like answered about how this whole operation ran. >> reporter: american and russian sources say the ten could be swapped for ten people held in russia, accused of spying for the u.s. relatives of one man, igor sutyagin, convicted six years ago of giving classified information to the u.s. say he's been proved from a prison colony in russia preparing him to be a part of any spy exchange. one complication, the children of defendants born here. it is unresolved what would happen to them. meantime, one of the ten defendants, new york businesswoman anna chapman was shown in a london tabloid in

revealing photos taken by her ex-husband. her lawyer said she posed for them when she was 21 assuming they would be kept private. she feels betrayed, her lawyer says. a former british intelligence agency said they are looking at her time in london. >> we have a renewed search to see if there are any other contacts of the alleged anna chapman to see what her contacts might have been in the united kingdom before she went to the united states. >> reporter: federal officials say before there is any swap, the ten accused of being russian secret agents would have to plead guilty first, but some kind of exchange now appears the most likely conclusion for this strange case. >> thank you. journalist david wise has written a dozen books on the subject with one on chinese spies coming out next year. david, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> although there is no official

confirmati confirmation, assuming the trade goes through, there are reports it could take place today. what does that say to you? >> well, it says to me it's a throwback to the cold war. there were famous exchanges during that period. the most famous was a man named rudolph abel who was posing as a photographer in brooklyn. he was traded for gary powers, the pilot flying a cia spy plane over russia. they were traded on a bridge in berlin in 1962. >> does it suggest that the u.s. doesn't believe the alleged spies have much information? >> well, it doesn't appear that they did get very much. the fact that they were not charged with espionage suggests that nobody in the fbi saw them receiving a classified document from some government official. >> there was a lawyer who negotiated for the state department in the 1970s and '80s. he said the u.s. never would

have negotiated this back then unless the suspects had been convicted or served time. what has changed since then? >> what has changed is that the obama administration wants to, what they call, reset relations with russia and this is just an irritant. what do you do with these people? what do you do with anna chapman who's like a character out of "from russia with love" a james bond fan. throwing them in jail may not be an advantage with relations. >> you talk about anna chapman and a throwback to '50s. the fact that the russian spies didn't seem to pose a threat suggests a question of why were they here in the first place. >> you know, it's like fishing. if you put out the line behind the boat and you troll you may get nothing but sunburn, but you may get a strike, a big fish. i'm sure that's what they were hoping for.

>> yeah. as pete williams reported, for this swap to take place all would have to plead guilty and at least two say they have no intention of making a deal. could that potentially throw this up in the air? >> well, the deal isn't set. sometimes the prospect of going to jail clears the mind very quickly. they could change their mind. >> also, finally, you know, this whole notion of the fake names, fake passports, secret code words, invisible ink, is that how undercover operations are run these days? it sounds like such a throwback. >> well, the russians have done illegals for years. what's new is the size, the scope. maybe two or three were sent. but 10 or 11 is unusual. they have always done it. why stop now just because the cold war is over? >> thank you for your perspective this morning. >> thank you. >> it is 7:07. here's ann. >> meredith, thanks.

it may only be by a few degrees but today we should see relief from the oppressive heat wave on the east coast which is pushing power companies to the brink. ron allen has more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. yes, this is the day we are supposed to see some relief. don't get too excited. that basically means temperatures will be closer to 90 degrees than to 100 degrees. it means the east coast will place another huge demand for electricity on power companies already under stress as we all cope with yet another hot and sweaty day. >> we'll see what happens. >> reporter: finally, we may get a break from the intense heat making life miserable, especially for anyone who has to spend a lot of time outside. >> the asphalt is -- you know, once in a while you get a break waiting for trucks or whatnot, but other than that, it's really brutal. >> reporter: in connecticut, police suspect there wasn't enough water at a high school football practice when a player collapsed and was treated for

dehydration at a local hospital. two coaches deny the allegation. >> all the kids were asked and made sure they properly drank enough water before they went out and the water bottles were filled. >> reporter: alantown hit 98. raleigh-durham topped that at 101. hotter still at kennedy international airport, 102. from new hampshire to virginia, utility crews scrambled to turn fans, air conditioners and the lights back on for tens of thousands without power. >> we have been sitting out here all night. it's too hot to sleep in the house. >> we expect support like water, some ice, something to help us. we don't need to wait three days to get that. >> reporter: in baltimore about 150 seniors at a nursing home finally reached safety, after three days without air conditioning. it was 92 degrees inside. a burned cable knocked out power in all of park ridge, new jersey, population 9,000, for several hours.

the huge demand for power threatening to reach record levels is raising fears of more problems. energy companies are on high alert and pleading with the public to conserve. >> the grid is certainly stressed. >> reporter: the record was set during the summer of 2006. the grid crashed during the massive blackout of 2003. so far, analysts say, the system is handling the load. a lot of communities are also urging residents to conserve water as well as power. there is also more evidence to report of how dangerous this heat wave has been. another fatality to report -- this time a 46-year-old woman in new york who succumbed to the heat. her body temperatured had passed 100 degrees. hopefully there is relief for all of us here today. >> so the heat wave, will it start coming to an end? we have the weather channel's scott williams in for al. he's up stairs with a first look

at the weather. scott, good morning. good morning, ann. we'll see the temperatures come down. new york city, a high of 90 degrees after two consecutive days at the century mark. as we move to philadelphia, 94 degrees. the reason we'll see relief will be a bit of a marine layer that will come inland. the humidity will still be relatively high. we'll see the heat and the big ridge of high pressure shifting into parts of the southeast, so get ready charlotte, north carolina. 98 degrees for your high temperature. upper 90s in columbia, charleston and atlanta. things are heating up in the tropics. we'll talk about that in a few moments. meredith? now to a tragic accident involving a tour boat in philadelphia. 37 people were tossed overboard when a sight-seeing duck boat was hit by a barge. this morning, two are still missing. nbc's stephanie gosk is in

philadelphia with the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. this was a slow motion collision. some of the passengers are quoted as saying they had 45 seconds to react. it was enough time for some parents to put life jackets on their kids, but not enough time, it seems, for a 16-year-old young woman from hungary and a 20-year-old young man from hundrgary to be saved. the search continues. the boats behind me have been searching throughout the night. >> reporter: local rescue teams located the sunken boat using sonar detection and divers but were unable to check inside. murky waters and a strong current are making the search extremely difficult. >> right now, we're at a point where -- i'll be honest -- hope is fading, but we have not given up hope completely. >> reporter: the duck boat was full of tourists, many of them exchange students on a sweltering afternoon. crews pulled 35 people from the water after the accident

occurred. ten passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. investigators say the problem began with a fire in the engine after the boat launched. >> the boat was on the water, waiting for help. >> reporter: the 18-foot vessel sat in the water for ten minutes, helpless, incapable of steering clear of a 250-foot barge barrelling in its direction. when the two collided, the tour boat capsized and sank. duck boats are popular in many u.s. cities because they can drive on land and sail on water. they were originally designed by general motors during world war ii. 13 people drowned in an accident in arkansas. none were wearing life vests. today the company that runs the boats suggests but does not insist that life vests be worn. at least some of the passengers seem to have taken that simple precaution. safety measures will be just one facet of the national transportation and safety

board's investigation. >> our goal is to do a very good investigation, come up with recommendations that can prevent this type of accident from occurring again. >> reporter: the coast guard says that these duck boats are inspected annually but they won't say when this boat was inspected. the ntsb will focus on this issue of maintenance. it was one of the factors just over ten years ago that they blame for that terrible, deadly incident in arkansas. meredith? >> all right. stephanie gosk, thank you very much. now a look at the headlines with lester holt. good morning, everyone. we'll start with positive news. on day 80 of the oil spill in the gulf of mexico, bp officials tell nbc news they hope to stop the leak by the end of the month. kerry sanders is in new orleans with more on the effort to stop the spill. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, lester. bp says if everything lines up

they'll be able to kill this leak by the end of the month. we took an exclusive trip with them out to the site where the oil is leaking and they warned high seas and weather could cause delays. we joined the incident commander, retired admiral thad allen, and bp's bob dudley on their first visit since the disaster began to the "discoverer enterprise." in this still floating industrial city, this vessel is the one floating over the gusher one mile down. fm if there's been any limited success in this disaster, it's right down there. this is the pipe onboard the "discoverer enterprise" that makes its way down to that containment cap, and they're capturing about 15,000 barrels of oil every day. burning off gas as well as oil, the q-4000. soft hoses run from that ship down to the leak. an estimated 8,000 barrels of

oil is captured here every day. and soon the helix producer should capture upwards of 25,000 barrels. >> that is the third vessel that will come online under the current containment scheme that will bring us to 53,000 barrels of day capacity. >> reporter: that leaves an estimated 7,000 barrels a day still leaking in the gulf. how do you regain the confidence of americans who have seen this? >> it's going to be tough. i'll be honest with you. it's going to be tough. >> reporter: the relief wells are now ahead of schedule and bp has started to position that so-called mud into place that they will inject into the well to cement it off. so here on day 80, there are signs that things are getting into place to possibly close off this portion of an ongoing disaster. lester? >> we're all crossing our fingers. kerry sanders, thanks. today, three suspected members of al qaeda are under arrest in norway, accused in a bombing plot. they have been under surveillance for more than a

year. southern california was rattled by a 5.4 earthquake centered south of palm springs. no injuries. a safe landing for a solar plane after more than 24-hour test flight. designers wanted to show it could store enough energy during the day to keep flying all night. it will be the netherlands against spain in sunday's championship game of the world cup following spain's 1-0 win over germany on wednesday. and lebron james' sweepstakes will end tonight when the free agent superstar announces which team he'll play for. he's been heavily recruited from teams coast to coast. back to ann and scott. >> do you see where a woman did

>> we are off to buy dry start, but there is a slight chance for a thunderstorm today. temperatures will come down in a little bit. highs in the low-to-mid-90's. heat

73 in los angeles. >> that's your latest weather. ann? >> scott, thanks. we have heard about pirates on the high seas but now fishermen on a lake are being terrorized by boating bandits. >> reporter: with a tackle shop next to falcon lake, james used to feel he had a gold mine, but lately he spends more time stocking lures than selling them. >> this january, february and march, this store was constant -- we have had problems and business slowed down. the whole town has. >> reporter: flush with big bass, falcon lake is considered one of the nation's best fishing destinations. yet the usual crush of summer boaters is nowhere to be found on the lake which straddled the

u.s u.s./mexico borders due to stories of gun-touting modern day pirates. >> everyone said to stay away from the mexican side. >> reporter: richard drake, a san antonio doctor who fished the lake for decades didn't pay attention to the warnings. recently, a wake-up call, straight out of a movie. he said it started with people yelling from a nearby boat. >> two of the people stood up and started waving machine guns at me, pointing them at me going, hey, hey, pull over, pull over. i thought -- you know, i felt my heart go into my throat. i thought, oh, my gosh, what have i got myself into? >> reporter: drake who was on the u.s. side of the lake eventually outran the other boat. he hasn't been back. >> the lake is divided by the markers we see behind us. that's the international boundary. that signifies to sportsmen they are on the mexican or u.s. side.

>> reporter: they insist they are only being carried out by drug gangs who demand cash. >> nifb law enforcement 34 years. i have never seen this happen anywhere. >> reporter: modern day pirates threatening the carefree days of casting a line and turning a texas lake into the wild west on water. for today, janet shmalyan, nbc news. a stunning twist in the abduction o

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they like that chevy backs the quality with a one-hundred-thousand mile powertrain warranty. they're not just trading in, they're trading up. qualified lessees now get a low mileage lease on this malibu ls for around one ninety-nine a month. call for details. the switch begins at chevydealer.com. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. let's get check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> motorists have their work cut out for them on 795. accident at eastern ave. it is causing pretty heavy delays that stretch back to approaching white marsh

boulevard through the accident scene. 17 miles per hour. if you're heading out on coldspring in j.f.x., watch for the left lane closure in both directions due to the water main break repairs. delays on the west side. we have an accident coming in it to us at the but the road. seven minutes on southbound 95. that portion of 95 is looking good, and prior to that you want to consider pulaski highway in even rude one as an alternate. that's to be a live view -- let's give you a live view. this stretches from approaching white marsh to the accident scene. tony has a check on the forecast. >> the humidity is going up from yesterday. air quality is still in the port

range. code orange. dew points will come up into the 70's and that will make a difference in how it feels this afternoon. because of the increasing humidity, it will still feel about 100 degrees. 20% chance for a shower or thunderstorm. 30% chance for rain on friday. 50% or 60% on saturday. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back in 25 minutes with another live update.

♪ and i am sick and tired ♪ of my phone ringing ♪ sometimes i feel like i live in grand central station ♪ ♪ i am not taking no calls ♪ because i'll be dancing 7:30 on thursday morning, july 8th. that is lady gaga's song "telephone" with beyonce. tomorrow, lady gaga takes to our summer concert series. what songs will she sing? what outrageous outfits will she

wear? we'll find out together when lady gaga performs live in concert for a full half hour tomorrow on "today." meanwhile inside studio 1-a i'm meredith vieira in with ann curry in for matt lauer today. she has a string of hits and is the first person to have 10 million fans on facebook, more than president obama. a look at the gaga phenomenon and her remarkable rise. >> there are people outside lined up this morning. come on down if you're interested. speaking of stars, it is a big morning in hollywood as the primetime emmy nominations will be revealed. are your favorite shows in or out. we'll run through the nominees in a moment. you have to wonder if "glee" will win "30 rock" again. >> plus, new details in the search for the so-called barefoot bandit, the 19-year-old fugitive who committed dozens of crimes. coming up, why police believe he may be hiding out

overseas. >> let's begin with new developments tied to the abduction of 4-year-old alisa maier. she's back with her family and last night police say a person of interest in the case shot himself as investigators were closing in. nbc's jeff rossen is in louisiana, missouri with the latest on the story. >> reporter: good morning to you. a bizarre twist. everyone was hoping police would catch their man sooner than later but no one thould it would end like this. investigators honed in on one area but when they moved in to talk to him he pulled out a gun and shot himself. this morning we have learned he's in critical condition in a local hospital, but police say this is not over yet, not by a long shot. there may be other people out there who are involved. as 4-year-old alisa maier reunited with her parents, scared but alive after a terrifying ordeal, police were on the trail of her kidnapper.

late wednesday, 50 miles from alisa's house they are tracking what they call a person of interest to this farm and moved in. paul s. smith, a sex offender convicted of sod miomizing a 10-year-old boy in 1995. police officers say smith was spray painting this car which matches the description of the car used to kidnap alisa. >> as officers approached he shot himself. there was no discussion. >> reporter: alisa is now in seclusion with her parents. you can see the kidnapper cut her hair to look like a boy apparently to throw off police. when she saw smith's photo she said, that's the man who cut my hair, daddy. when her brother blake saw the photo he said, that's the man that took alisa. blake was there when alisa was abducted. for more than 24 hours, no one

knew if alisa was dead or alive, until tuesday night when the suspect dropped her off at this car wash hours away from her home, unharmed. what do you make of the person who did this? >> i'm not sure. i kind of wonder if maybe he was going to keep her. he didn't -- hopefully from what we heard he hasn't harmed her and he cut her hair to disguise her. >> reporter: you think maybe he wanted to keep her? >> maybe he mad a woman, they wanted a kid. >> reporter: alisa is said to be slightly traumatized but doing well, a girl relatives say, that could light up a room with her smile. >> she's a happy-go-lucky tot and she's happy to see her mother and father. she was sitting on mama's lap smiling. >> reporter: investigators will pick through smith's car to see if there is evidence tying him to the abduction. the best lead may be alisa, what

she went through, what the man said and did to her, all of it could provide answers. specialists are being brought in to interview alisa. she's only 4. >> apples and oranges interviewing an adult witness and a child witness. sometimes the children have very valuable information they can't articulate. you have to be extremely patient, know what you're doing and you have to get the most you can out of that child. >> reporter: this is how it ended for alisa maier back in her parents' arms. this is how it ends for paul s. smith, a self-inflicted gunshot wound as he was cornered by cops, all alone in a field. of course, investigators are now anxious to get in there and speak with paul s. smith, that person of interest in this case, but he's in the hospital. it will take a while. he's badly hurt. in fact, ann, there are questions whether or not he'll survive this. >> jeff, thanks. it is now 7:35. here's meredith. >> ann, thank you very much. there are new developments in the search for the teenaged

fugitive known as the barefoot bandit. he's developed a cult-like following for his ability to evade police and now he's apparently gone international. peter, good morning. this is a wild one. the so-called barefoot bandit earned the nickname by committing crimes shoeless. now after a dramatic plane crash in a tropical paradise it appears he's taken his antics abroad. these days the barefoot bandit may be tipping his toes in the caribbean waters. his latest suspected hideaway, the sun-soaked islands of the bahamas. the 19-year-old convict is holden harris moore. the teenage thief now famous for his ability to evade police as he is for his suspected crime spree. >> this is a kid who has spit in the eye of law enforcement. and i think that it's frustrating for them because they know that they can catch

him. >> reporter: but so far they haven't. harris-moore who escaped from jail two years ago is wanted for more than 50 burglaries and thefts spanning from washington state to illinois. he's accused of stealing everything from cash to food to boats to small airplanes, which police say he's taught himself to fly. >> no one can be safe. no one can be sure that they are not going to be next. >> reporter: like the south dakota family who returned from vacation last month to find a nude man in their home. investigators believe it was harris-moore. >> i was screaming, what are you doing in my house. he said, stop, i have a gun, i'll shoot, i'll shoot. >> reporter: now harris-moore has apparently graduated to international status. authorities suspect he crash-landed a stolen plane off their coast this past weekend after flying it nearly 1,000 miles from indiana. island police are combing the area, but so far, nothing. the barefoot bandit again, gone without a trace.

the fbi is also chasing harris-moore, offering a cash reward. $10,000 for any information leading to his arrest. >> i think law enforcement has a good chance of catching him because he is on an island which makes it harder to escape, but he's good at that. he's kind of a houdini. >> reporter: as they search, with his facebook following swelling to 45,000, but like footprints in the sand, the barefoot bandit has disappeared once again leaving it anyone's guess where he'll wash up next. this is a real live "catch me if you can" caper. the fbi believes harris-moore crash landed the plane but admit they have no idea where he is and say he could have easily returned home from the bahamas before anyone knew he was there. >> peter alexander, thank you very much. now a check on the weather from scott williams in for al this morning. >> we have the heat and humidity

here on the plaza. let's get a check on the national weather. we'll watch a flash flood through the ozarks into texas as we watch the tropical moisture stream in over the next 24 to 48 hours. before all is said and done we are looking at locally four to eight inches as we move into south texas. houston, watch ffr more heavy rain through places like tulsa, eventually the st. louis area. get ready for flash flooding >> it is going to be another hot day to day. we will not break any records. the heat index will still be around 100. there is a slight l.a., 72 degr.

of course for your latest weather you can log on 24 hours a day to weather.com. behind me i have mothers and babies. why are you here? >> to promote cloth diapering. there are a lot of people across the country that choose to do this. >> thank you so much. ann, back to you. >> thanks, scott. as you may have heard we have a little concert going on tomorrow, lady gaga. here are some of the people already lining up. [ cheers ] >> reporter: it's going to happen tomorrow. at just 24 years old she's taken the world by storm and is arguably perhaps one of the biggest if not the biggest pop stars on the planet. we have nbc's lee cowan on the phenomenon that is lady gaga. ♪ >> reporter: she is, in a word,

an artform, with a style, a sound that have launched lady gaga into the realm of rock royalty. ♪ >> reporter: her outfits, sometimes architectural and sometimes minimalist, have become her signature. ♪ paparazzi >> reporter: but make no mistake, lady gaga is all about the infectious technopop. >> gaga rocks. >> reporter: and her decadent fame. >> i love them more than any artist on the earth loves their fans. >> reporter: and they love her back. time magazine named gaga one of this year's most influential people. forbes named her one of the most powerful. this week, she surpassed barack obama as the most popular person on facebook. how do music critics describe the indescribable? well, it's tough. >> gaga came out of nowhere like this sort of pseudo sexual whirlwind.

i think it really shook people up in a good way. >> reporter: she was born stefani germanotta, once obsessed with britney spears who attended a catholic girls' school. yep, that's her. but her transformation into a pop icon is not the extent of her shock value. ♪ >> reporter: but because of her talent. >> she has incredible songs. even the people that don't like lady gaga find themselves humming her songs. ♪ stop calling, stop calling >> she's incredibly creative, incredibly controlling, incredibly savvy, incredibly naive, all at the same time. >> which makes her -- >> which makes for an interesting artist. >> reporter: neil strauss profiled gaga for "rolling stone" magazine and says while she's all about attention, it's not without a certain calculated wisdom.

>> what she does is not just rooted in what spectacle can i bring to please my fans and the audience and get attention, it's who she is and how she's expr s expressing her feeling. >> reporter: she can be exquisite, mysterious, raunchy and even old school. ♪ you can tell everybody ♪ this is your song >> reporter: what lady gaga isn't is predictable and that's the way she likes it. for "today," lee cowan, incomnb news, los angeles. these people have been here since 11:30 last night. >> kids from new jersey and long island. i will ask the obvious question. why? >> because lady gaga is amazing. >> amazing. >> we are her little monsters. >> little monsters. >> why inspirational? >> her music breaks barrier. goes beyond the ear straight to the brain, to the heart. >> she does what others won't

do. >> above the limit. >> she's unique. >> she's the definition of unique. >> you haven't slept? >> no. >> i don't think i will until i go home. >> i'm too amped up from being excited. >> are you putting money in the meter? you might want to do that. >> well, apparently -- >> because we're here the security guards will make sure you guys are front and center. >> a lot more coming up this morning on the "today" show. i'm taking the right steps to manage my diabetes and my budget. extracare advantage for diabetes is a new program that helps me save money and earn double bucks on over 100 items, so we can stay a step ahead of... all: our diabetes! join extracare advantage for diabetes today and receive a free gift when you enroll. only at cvs/pharmacy.

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back at 7:46. this morning on "today's" consumer, retailers picking up with creative strategies to win over your business. so what are the deals and are they worth it? we've got jean chatzky taking a look at this. good morning. >> good morning. >> what's causing retailers to think outside the box to get in customers? >> companies are noticing their customers just aren't coming in and i think sam's club is really interesting. they surveyed their customers. they've got business customers and their customers told them, we don't have enough money to buy what we want to buy at sam's club, so they went about trying to solve that problem. a lot of companies are doing the same thing. >> in fact, what sam's club is trying to do and this seems to

be an outside the box gimmick, they are offering what feels almost like loans. >> they are loans. in fact, they are small business loans. they are working with the largest sba loaner in the country giving a discounted application fee for their members and a lower interest rate for a loan of $5,000 to $25,000. what's happened is that for a lot of small businesses, credit has dried up. these people don't have money to shop at sam's or anywhere else. >> is sam's club trying to create a business? is it making money on the interest? >> no. $50 per application. it's not a huge money maker. they are part of walmart and walmart is making a move into financial services. but for them they want to be the good guys saying to the small business customers, hey, we solved your problem, shop with us. >> so they want people to buy but there is no guarantee that

giving people loans will cause them to spend money in their stores. >> that's right. they can spend the money wherever they choose but they hope it will brush back on them in a p.r. way and it is seeming to have that effect. >> target is offering significant discounts. >> target is saying to people who have their credit card or their debit card we'll give you an instant 5% off on whatever you buy. >> everything. >> instantly. this is pretty significant. if you look at how crazy consumers have gone for credit card rewards, they don't often get to the 5% level. this is fairly significant. i always want to warn people about putting an additional credit card in your wallet. if you can't go for the credit card, go for the debit card and if you spend enough money with this retailer to make it work. >> moving on, a toy company,

they make so much during the holidays but it's surprising to me that toys "r" us is trying to get parents to think ahead. >> they have rolled out a christmas savers club which is like the old-fashioned christmas club i remember when i was a kid. they say, come into the stores, deposit money now and at the end of october we'll give you 3% interest on that and you can use it on toys at toys "r" us. >> thank you. >> my pleasure. still coming up this morning, lindsay lohan trying to explain what the vulgar message written on her middle fingernail was all about. but first, these messages. and a satisfying breakfast. introducing special k low-fat granola. with 50% less fat than the leading granola and 5 grams of fiber per serving, it's a satisfying way to help you manage your weight.

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lady gaga is not the only global phenomenon. paul the oracle octopus has made a name for himself predicting the soccer matches. remember, he lives in germany, but paul picked spain and spain

won 1-0. making paul 6-0 on his picks. >> i hope people in pennsylvania don't get mad but he probably has a better average than punxsutawney phil. >> he has two boxes of food and they are labeled with the different teams. whichever box he goes to. that's quite a record. >> it is. it's an unexplaned phenomenon and something to talk about. >> paul the oracle octopus. just ahead we're going to break down this morning's prime time emmy nominations. should be good. first, your local news and weather. soakin' up some sun. woohoo shrek's got some moves. hi five boys, it's sushi time. i'm donkey, feeling the ocean breeze on my hooves, gettin' my vacation on donkey style. why aren't you? ♪

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nobody does it quite like us. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time for another check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> major back on southbound 795. look at the delays. seven miles per hour on average through the stretch. take pulaski highway as in your alternate. everything looking good on the j.f.x. this morning. we're checking an accident on

health and street and baker street. another one at reisterstown and greenspring valley. on coldspring lane between cameron and j.f.x., watch for in left lane closure in both directions. that is due to water main break. 39 miles per hour on the west side. six minutes on the order 95 the split to fort mchenry. -- on the 895 split to four mchenry. i could live look at the delays this morning. not a whole lot happening on the west side. southbound 95, barely moving. that delay approaching white marsh all the way down to the split. >> we are going to take temperatures back a little bit today, but the humidity has gone up. it will feel like about 100 this afternoon. karen temperatures are in the upper 70's and low 80s.

forecast today, a mixture of sunshine and clouds. heat index his upper 90s to around 100. 20% chance for a thunderstorm. >> real nice. check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 8:25 with a

♪ just dance ♪ gonna be okay 8:00 on this thursday morning, july 8, 2010. these folks have a great view and if they come back tomorrow they can get up close to a real superstar. [ cheers ] lady gaga live in concert. i'm meredith vieira with ann curry filling in for matt lauer today. coming up, lindsay lohan's change of address. what she'll face inside the

jail. also what it will take for lohan to turn her life and career around. >> especially since she's acknowledged she's addicted to alcohol. there is a lot to do there. >> right. also, the best when it comes to all things travel. you know, we have the readers of travel leisure magazine that voted on everything from hotels to airlines, cruises. it's always smart to choose based on what your references are, what people say they have experienced. we'll give you the top list this morning to plan your next vacation. >> speaking of picks, it is an exciting morning in hollywood as the primetime emmy nominations are revealed. first, a round-up of the top stories with ann here, lester is inside. >> good morning. here are the headlines. ten people accused of posing as americans to spy for russia are due in court in new york. sources say the ten could be swapped for prisoners held in russia accuse of spying for the u.s. a suspect arrested in southern california's so-called grim

sleeper serial killings faces arraignment today. auto mechanic lonnie franklin, jr., is charged with ten counts. he was dubbed the grim sleeper because of a 13-year break in killing sprees. two people are missing after a philadelphia tour boat crash. 37 people were tossed overboard wednesday when the stalled sight-seeing boat was hit by a barge and sank in the delaware river. the new york times reports the federal government will cut away red tape that keeps veterans with post traumatic stress disorder from collecting disability benefits. under guidelines veterans will not have to talk about specific events like bombings or firefights. critics say that discriminated against people who didn't see actual combat. the dow's big 274 point gain wednesday. melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange.

what are you watching this morning? >> after yesterday's blockbuster rally the question is, can it continue, is it the start of something bigger? the dow up 2.8%. financials leading the way. overseas markets following suit. japan up 2.8%, australia 2.4%, south korea 2.4% as well. today we are watching weekly jobless claims and monthly retail sales. back to you. a frightening accident brought gasps from the crowd at a las vegas casino. two acrobats performing stunts when one lost her grip and both women fell to the stage. it happened tuesday. after a trip to the hospital, both women were back in the show last night. a close call for lunch hour diners when a car smashed into a restaurant wednesday in perth, australia. five people were hurt. none fortunately were serious. among them, a 9-year-old girl whose father can be seen scrambling to reach her.

let's go back odutside. look at the way lennie is dressed. >> the phone matches his hat. they are both green. >> it -- >> it's hot. >> it's wet. >> we'll get a full look at the weather with scott williams filling in for al this morning. >> good morning, ann and meredith. we certainly still have the humidity on the plaza, but also we have some folks back here and there is a 50th, golden wedding anniversary. tell us your names. >> leonard. >> what do you attribute to 50 years of marriage? >> just a lot of love. >> that's right. >> let's get a quick look at your weather. our pick city is reno, nevada. hot conditions at knrv. watching temperatures around new york city to top out around 90 degrees. cooler but the humidity will be up for the mid atlantic and the northeast.

a sizzling hot day on tap for you in birmingham and atlanta. watching tropical moisture. tropical storm bonnie could be making landfall around >> it is going to be another hot day to day. the humidity will go up as well. it will feel like it is in the uppe climbing in the days to come. >> that's a look at your weather, ann. >> this sign says it all, scott. coming up, we'll give you a taste of some wacky foods that will soon be making toyota the

market. up next, what will jail time be like for lindsay lohan? we look inside the prison she's about to call home. that's coming up after this.

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lohan since she was sentenced to 90 days in jail. she wrote on twitter about the expletive on her middle figure saying, didn't we do our nails with a friend d.c.? it had nothing to do with court. it's an air brush from a stencil. later she tweeted, no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. what will her life be like behind bars? here's george lewis. >> reporter: lindsay lohan looked shocked as she was sentenced. >> that's 90 days in jail. >> reporter: 90 days at the linwood women's facility south of downtown los angeles. what's life at this place going to be like for lohan? >> i would tell her get ready to just give it all up. >> reporter: wendy feldman, a former stock broker who went to prison for securities fraud now councils people on how to survive jail time. >> she will be confined.

>> reporter: lohan will be housed alone in a cell with a toilet and wash basin. she won't be permitted to use her cell phone or the internet -- no twitter. the sheriff's department plans to keep her apart from the rest of the prisoners for her own protection. a probation report just made public notes lohan has been using a number of prescription drugs, including the stimulant adderall for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the painkiller dilaudid prescribed for her wisdom teeth last month. now it is up to authorities if lohan can continue using the prescriptions. >> everybody knows your business. the bottom line is how are you going to recover? what are you doing after this? >> reporter: paris hilton did time at the jail three years ago for violating her probation. >> the most humiliating experience of my life. >> reporter: after she got out, hilton told cnn's larry king about the experience. >> i was having severe panic

attacks, anxiety attacks, my claustrophobia was kicking in. >> reporter: when actors in trouble for drugs and alcohol throw themselves on the mercy of the court. >> i did do everything that i was told to do and did the best i could to, you know, balance jobs and showing up -- [ voice breaking ] -- i'm sorry. >> reporter: it just doesn't seem to work. after tom sizemore made this emotional statement a few years back. >> i deserve a second chance, sir. thank you. >> reporter: he got more than a year in jail, plus rehab. some do turn their lives around. after jail and rehab, robert downey, jr., kicked his habit and resumed his movie career. >> it's about hopefully bringing ourselves back to our lives as more principled people. >> reporter: now the same challenge awaits lindsay lohan. for "today" george lewis, nbc

news, los angeles. >> so will jail time and rehab help lindsay lohan save her career? msnbc.com columnist steve adubato is author of "what were they thinking" and we have the author of "weekends at bellev bellevue". >> good morning. >> lindsay lohan referred to her stints in rehab as a vacation. do you think jail will force her to take the severity of the situation more seriously? >> well, i think hopefully it will do that. i imagine that's what the judge is drinking. the judge said she's been deflecting blame and not taking responsibility for her behavior. she'll have time to think about that and hopefully take personal accountability for what's going on. >> she'll follow this 90 days in jail with 90 days in a rehab center. back in 2007, i believe it was, she spent 45 days in rehab and two weeks after getting out she was arrested for dui and possession of cocaine. you have to wonder how successful these rehab programs

are. >> well, you know, the rehab -- the whole recovery industry is sort of in crisis now. you have an abstinence-based model. maybe they should look at a harm reduction model. you should look for safer behavior, healthier behavior, incremental changes instead of abstinence when most people are in and out of rehab. it is chronic. >> if you're an addict, can you be a little bit of an addict? i mean, you're suggesting to give them a little bit of drugs, little bit of alcohol? >> it's not -- it's -- the problem is that these abstinence-based rehab programs aren't having very high success rates because the benchmark for success is total abstinence. it may make sense to just applaud any changes toward health, any changes toward growth and to embrace a more harm reduction-oriented model. >> anything that may help her

along the way. steve, i want to talk about her career. movie producers say they are sticking with her. is that a good idea? >> well, look, i understand them saying that publically. let's be candid n. a difficult economy would you invest $50 million on a movie with lindsay lohan being the lead character? would you do that given her track record, given the fact that she couldn't even do the court-mandated appearances she was supposed to do? she missed not one, two, three -- seven of them. her excuses are sickening. they get old, they get tired. that was the thing. i didn't mean that on my finger. if you're a movie producer, someone who's investing your life's blood into this, she's not the one you invest in. my advice is do some independent stuff, things that there is not a lot of money involved for yourself. she has to rehabilitate herself physically, emotionally, psychologically. in terms of her career, forget about a big movie. that should be the last thing on her mind. >> should she model herself

after robert downey, jr.? >> he had a great track record as an adult actor. though he had a serious problem we saw he did good things as an actor. >> for her there was "mean girls," "freaky friday" but it's been years since she was a success. she said she was working. i was thinking, what were you doing? being filmed and having the paparazzi take your picture isn't working. working is what we are doing. she doesn't have a reputation as a working actress. that's a terrible thing. her brand is in serious trouble. you don't need me to say that. she has to do some things way off broadway -- >> to rebuild the brand essentially. >> slowly and prove that she can get through a job. these excuses have to end. people are getting tired of it. >> julie, first thing she needs to do to make rehab work this time? >> well, she has to really want to make changes, and she has to accept that she has a problem and she's got to work it. i think she's had a couple of

court-ordered rehabs that didn't go well. she started using as soon as she got out. she may be in denial and has to accept that she has a problem and she needs help. >> what about the enablers? how does she avoid them? >> we have talked about this with other child stars who get a lot of attention and people give them drugs and want to party with them. it's going to be difficult. she'll have to make huge changes in how she spends her time if she wants to stay sober. >> she has to acknowledge that she hit rock bottom. i hate to call it a performance in court, but she doesn't appear to believe she's accountable, responsible. there are a million reasons why everyone did -- she didn't do it. take responsibility. >> we all hope she does that. >> nothing but the best for her. >> thank you both so much. >> thank you. up next from hotels to rental cars, the world's best in travel. right after this.

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travel the best in the world. for years, readers of travel & leisure magazine have voted on the best cities, best travel cars. here with the results is the features editor at travel anld leisure magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> you basically let people make the decisions. you love this issue. what do we gain when we see what people choose? >> for 15 years we have gone to the readers and asked them to tell us what's going on when you're there around the world. there is something about this bellweather we get as a result of what we get from them which tells us exactly what people want right now wherever they are. >> let's take a look at the bellweather at the best cities on the list. there are 40 categories in the survey, but one is best cities. who wins? bangkok, thailand. >> this is a city that is reclaiming its number one spot it got in 2008. we couldn't be more thrilled for

bangkok. they have had amazing upheaval there in this last spring. it's great to see them back on top for all the things the city offers. it is basically a joy-filled place, great for people who want culture, amazing food, value. the combination makes it an unbeatable combination. >> those are the same criteria that had voters choose their favorite city in the united states which it turns out to be -- >> new york, new york! >> is that the same criteria? >> exactly. i think new york city, ten consecutive years on top of this list for the continental u.s. and canada. now, i think mayor blumberg is doing a dance now. we know how great new york is. it's great for travelers, for food. we have over 20,000 restaurants. great for cultural institutions. lincoln center had a $1.2

billion renovation. it's an accessible city, a walking city. we have a new park called the highline people don't know about. it's a terrific preservation story. is story of an abandoned railway becoming an urban promenade. i could go on. >> i think our relatives will be calling to come visit us again. top hotels? although we want the relatives. you know what i'm saying. one of the top hotels is in india. >> the top is the vanyavila vanyavilas oberoi in india. this is on a tiger preserve. we talk about going on safari in africa. what about going to india? if you love the idea of seeing tigers but being in the lap of luxury, these tented accommodations are 790 square feet with four-poster beds, incredible butler service. this doesn't come cheap. it's $790 a night. but what you get is considered a value by our readers. >> let's talk about the top hotel in the united states. it's in chicago.

>> it is in chicago. the trump international tower hotel in chicago. now this hotel has amazing views. it soars above the landscape in chicago and northern michigan. what's great about this hotel per our readers is the rooms, the service and the great restaurant. in the summer you can see the navy pier fireworks twice a week. >> remarkable. >> all the way through september. >> i want to get to the river cruises as being one of the categories. >> this is a new category. river cruises have 200% booking increase since 2004. this is a big category. we see abercrombie & kent for everything from the nile to the danube. you get super personal service. there are cruise ships as small as four people. >> i have done the nile. it's very relaxing to be on a river cruise. let's talk about the top airlines. we, of course, need to get

there. >> airline service is an important issue for everybody. virgin america gets top. it's interesting that every airline in the top ten list was either regional or low cost carrier. the big airlines are getting a wake-up call from the readers saying you need to shape >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. right now we have problems out there. new accidents coming in. 140 at scottsville avenue, an accident over there. another one at wards chapel bridge accident in the cities still. that one that held the street and baker street. at coldspring between tamarind lane and the j.f.x., water main break closures. the closures will be in effect

all day today. these delays are a lingering from past white marsh towards the 895 split. it will be awhile before they filter out all of that. 16-minute ride on the outer loop northeast side. 12 minutes on the outer loop west side. 13 on southbound 95 down to 32. not a whole lot on the west side at old court. moving pretty well in contrast with what we're seeing on 95 out of the northeast. heavy delays from white marsh down to the 895 split. pulaski highway is a better bet. you'll find delays there as well. john collins has a look at the forecast. >> nice morning this morning. temperatures in the 80's right now -- is that right, tony? 82 degrees. a couple of sprinkled showers off the coast.

cold front out of the west. that will wait awhile to get in there. 74% at the humidity. light northeast winds. the forecast for today is calling for this fund to eventually come in. -- calling for this front to eventually come in. >> thank you for joining us. j for fast relief of itchy summer skin, get cortizone 10 cooling relief gel. cools instantly with the strongest itch relief medicine. cortizone 10 cooling relief gel.

♪ can't read my ♪ can't read my ♪ no he can't read my ♪ pokerface >> good morning. the 8th of july, 2010. a nice-sized crowd in rockefeller plaza on a sticky day. 24 hours from now we expect this place to be overflowing when lady gaga takes our summer

concert stage. what will she wear? what will she sing? all will be revealed tomorrow on "today." i'm meredith vieira here with ann curry and lester holt. matt and al off today. the prime time emmy nominations will be revealed. we'll run through the nominees in a moment. >> and we have some weird foods -- exotic foods, wild bohr salami. i don't know what that is but he has a goat cheese thing. >> also, tomorrow is the deadline to enter if you want to compete in our wedding competition. we have taryn and matt in california. they have sent in their application already. find out how to enter on our website or on facebook.com/todayshow. >> i'm nervous. we're about to bring out jason siegel from the new film "despicable me."

look at this guy. >> i love him. [ cheers and applause ] >> hello. >> first animated film for you, working with steve carell, russell brand. what was it like? >> it was super exciting to be part of such an amazing cast. it was an honor for me. julie andrews? come on. >> you thought it was awful? >> well, yeah. they're all jerks. steve carell, russell brand, julie andrews, jerks. no. it was truly the best experience i have ever had. >> that's cool. >> you play a villain. how did you settle on a voice? >> you know, they gave me a sketch of my character. i looked at him and to be honest, that's how i feel in my own head. >> like that guy. >> in the orange suit. >> oh, we have a picture? where is it? right here? >> so the deal is you had to

voice this. this is the first time you have been a part of an animation. is that right? >> yeah. >> how was it for you? cool, weird? >> it was exciting. you're alone in a booth. so my normal -- oh, there's me doing the voices. the normal standard is making your costars laugh. for me it was making the people in the booth laugh. it seemed to work out. i don't know. >> i saw it. it's fantastic. >> you liked it? >> i loved it. i really did. great for kids and adults. >> we have a lot of history together. we have done two movies together now. >> i'd like to do another. >> "gulliver's travels". >> yes. >> you heard it here. >> did you know jason is a reverend? >> i did not. you married a couple? >> i married the couple the other night. i'm a minister, not a reverend. >> i have a list of things i can do. weddings, baptism and for the

three of you, i can ab solve you of your sins. >> start absolving. >> let me know. starting with you, meredith. >> jason, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> "despicable me" opens up nationwide -- when? >> this friday. >> tomorrow. you got it. let ee's get a check on the wear from scott williams who's in for al. hey, scott. >> good morning. we have the heat and humidity still here in new york city. behind me we have some cadets from nine countries. >> we are visiting from all over the world to see what the united states is all about. >> where are you from? >> i'm from sweden. >> you're used to the heat? >> i was in afghanistan, but not the humidity. >> lehu >> it is going to be another hot day to day. we will not break any records. the heat index will still be

around 100. low 70s as we move into parts of los angeles, california. >> now let's head down to the nation's capital to check in with mr. willard scott. >> all right. get ready to blow the candles out of 100 birthday cakes. happy birthday from smucker's, how sweet. look at the spinning jam jar to see al roth of davie, florida, 100 years old. several books on health and loves to garden. works his own orange grove. how about that? and we have the reverend ivan

grooms of west union, ohio. 100 years old. lives independently and pastored over five churches at one time. rode a horse in the old days. trixie wortham, medford, oregon, is 103. lives in her own home and loves to teechach, enjoys traveling a has been all around the world. that is something if you think about it. olive landes, 101 years old today. has knitted over 700 hats for disadvantaged children. isn't that terrific? sleeps like a rock, she says. and we have jesse radice. jesse is from north charleston, south carolina. 101. retired u.s. steel worker, taught himself to play the organ, piano and guitar.

happy birthday. jennie salsille of plantation, florida. owned and operated a hotel for years. an avid reader and enjoys spending time with her family. that's it for today. >> up next, prime time emmy nominations are revealed. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

the nominations for the 62nd annual prime time emmy awards will be announced in just a moment. here with a preview is jessica shaw from "entertainment week lis." good morning. >> good morning. >> there are so many cable opportunities out there. >> that's right. >> what are you thinking? >> i think we'll see a lot of what we have seen before

"breaking bad," "mad men," "damages"s. >> "30 rock" rock again? >> they have won three years in a row now. who knows? "the office" might get a nomination. the comedies are up in the air. >> there are new suggestions. "glee," "modern family." >> we are going to the nominations. >> primetime emmy nominations award announcements. what a great year it has been in television. there is so much great television that it has, in fact, made the work of our membership even more difficult than ever to select the nominees. but joining me this morning to present the nominations are sofia vergara who currently stars in the answer series "modern family," and joel mchale who stars in the nbc show "community." thank you for being here at this early hour in north hollywood.

congratulations on the success of your shows. i have had the pleasure of designing a pilot for joel, so now can i say i have worked with sofia? >> no. >> oh. >> si. >> well, carry on. >> thank you, john. >> good morning. buenos dias, everyone. the nominations in the comedy series category are "curb your enthusia enthusiasm," "glee," "modern family," "nurse jackie," "the office," and "30 rock." >> the nominees for lead actress in a comedy series are -- leah michelle, "glee," julia louis-dreyfus, "the new adventures of old christine," edie falco, amy pohler, tina fey

"30 rock" and toni collette, "united state of tara." >> for lead actor in a comedy series, larry david, jim parsons, matthew morrison, tony shalhoub, steve carell, and alec baldwin. >> the made for television movie nominations are -- "end game, masterpiece," "georgia o'keeffe," "moon shot," "the special relationship," "temple grandin" and, "you don't know jack". >> the nominees for the mini series kapt gocategory are "the pacific" and "return to cranford for master piece." >> lead actress in a mini series or movie. "maggie smith, joan allen, dame

judi dench, hope davis, and claire danes. >> the nominees for lead actor in a mini series or movie are -- jeff bridges, sir ian mckellen, dennis quaid, michael sheen, and al pacino. >> here are this year's nominees for reality competition program. "the amazing race," "american idol," "dancing with the stars," "project runway" and "top chef." >> the nominees for outstanding variety music or comedy series are -- "the colbert report," ""the daily show" with jon

stewart" "real time with bill maher," "saturday night live" and "the tonight show with conan o'brien". >> the nominees for lead actor in a drama series are -- bryan cranston, "breaking bad," michael c. hall, "dexter," kyle chandler "friday night lights," hugh laurie, "house," matthew fox, "lost" and jon hamm, "mad men." >> the nominations for lead actors in a drama series are -- kyra sedgwick "the closer," glenn close, "damages," connie britton "friday night lights" julianna margulies "the wood wife". >> mariska -- >> hargitay and january jones

"mad men"". >> let's bring back the sexiest man in hollywood, john schaffner to announce our final category. >> wow, thank you. hello again. the nominations in the drama series category are -- "breaking bad," "dexter," "the good wife," "lost," "mad men," and "true blood." sofia, joel, thank you again for joining us this morning. sofia, i have good news for you. you have been nominated in the supporting actress category for your performance on "modern family." >> thank you! >> joel, i'm sorry. you didn't get a nod this year, but i'm a big fan of your work. >> that's all right. i phoned it in. >> an emmy will be coming your way soon, maybe next year. there is a complete list of the nominees on our website at emmys.com. please be sure to join us on sunday, august 29 live from

coast to coast -- yes, at the same time for everyone -- on nbc when we open the envelopes for all of our categories. thank you all for joining us this morning. we'll see you at the emmys. [ applause ] all right, break it down for us. what's the big surprise for you? >> it was nice to see new shows. of course "the good wife" is new, "glee," "modern family." those are ones we expected. "true blood" was a shocker. that was a dark horse for best drama. i'm certainly thrilled about that. i love that show. a little surprising that conan o'brien's tonight show got nominated whereas jay leno didn't. they were in the same category. conan submitted himself. nbc submitted leno. >> do you think there may have been something besides the quality of the show? >> i just think it's interesting. it's always awkward when the same show is nominated two times. you know. >> on our end, obviously "30

rock" and "the office" did well. >> another surprise. connie britton and kyle chandler from "friday night lights" got nominated and the show didn't. it was on nbc, got pulled off. it was on directv and now on nbc. >> meanwhile you have amy poehler against tina fey and then alec baldwin and steve carell. >> and "lost" which hasn't been nominated for its first year. had it not been nominated it would have been a huge snub. matthew fox never nominated for an emmy and he finally got one. >> what kind of boost is this for the shows and actors? >> look at "friday night lights." it could really benefit from the nominations. >> that's a high quality show. >> thank you so much. >> catch the emmys awards live on august 29th on nbc.

up next, int

8:49. this morning on "today's kitchen," back to basics. weird and wacky new foods coming to a supermarket near you. phil, good morning. glad to see you're done throwing popcorn. >> it wasn't my fault. >> okay. fine. >> the crew incited it. >> one thing we are talking about is the caramel. this one is made out of goat cheese. >> goat milk. >> i made that mistake earlier. >> and goat butter. the reason this is interesting -- everybody take a piece. >> uh-huh. why is it so interesting? >> because not only is goat milk obviously from goats but it's higher in calcium, has more vitamin a, more vitamin b6.

for people who are lactose intolerant it digests much easier. >> i'm lactose intolerant. >> are you? >> i can't get it open. >> again, keep in mind what we are seeing are products from the fancy food show -- >> it's a little gamey, isn't it? >> no. it's goat. >> no, it's good. >> what we are seeing is because this past year the economy, a lot of these companies are pushing the envelope to do more things. in fact, there was a goat festival. >> you gave us a caramel first because you wanted more air time. now we can't talk. >> exactly. >> this is very good. i was teasing. >> this popcorn is handmade, organic and the one in the middle is black truffle oil and white cheddar. taste that. we'll get you some water. >> we should have had the caramels last. >> besides the white truffle, what else? >> we have the caramel and one

with cashews. >> oh, my gosh. >> isn't it great? >> mm-hmm. >> it's gourmet. $6 for just 1.6 ounces. take one. it's really more interesting and better flavors than ever before. >> nothing makes a kid happier than marshmallows. >> that one's for you. you're still on the caramel? come on. >> spit it out. >> that's a violet caramel. violet flavor. try that one. >> they're all different. >> oh, tastes like a flower smells. >> i don't like marshmallows. >> these are wheat-free, dairy-free and -- >> they taste like a marshmallow except for the flavors. >> also keep in mind because there is no fat don't put them over a campfire. they won't burn. >> they won't make s'mores. >> no. >> stop throwing food. >> it's about the s'mores.

>> what is this? >> it's ee's yuzu which is a c from japan. >> do you know this, ann? >> should i? >> yeah, i thought you might. >> uh-huh. >> the only thing that's in there is sugar and fruit and honey. >> yuzu marmalade. >> i have had yuzu in other drinks. >> it's a nice clean flavor, good for you. >> this is wild boar? >> and pork. it's less gamey. it really is a very nice flavor. >> tastes like caramel. >> my mouth -- >> is that gamey? is it good? >> it's okay. >> i like everything. >> lester's great. >> lester, try it. >> and then macaroni & cheese in the shape of goldfish.

that's what i was eating before, lester. take a bite. >> oh, thank you so much, phil. >> we don't need lunch no

we still have caramel stuck in our mouths. >> i'm going to talk anyway. >> still ahead, dr. nancy

snyderman will answer your questions on beating the summer heat. >> and more on live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. the heat has claimed the life of the city president the city will extend the park and walk-through pools through the evening and cooling centers will provide places for people to cool down. a phone bank has been set up by the city health department for roughly 4000 residents who are more susceptible to the heat. >> there are many situations to

live alone, and when something goes wrong, problematic. >> for more information on the city's efforts, visit wbaltv.com.

>> now let's look at today's forecast. john collins is here. >> i would not call it a cool- down as much as less hot. the weather pattern has not changed all that much. big area of high pressure. a couple of light, spotty showers along the coastline. hazy, hot, humid weather continues in our area. eventually we will get relief from all of this. still way far away. a mixture of sunshine and clouds. te even before my dad told me that we switched over to fios, i automatically saw a change in how fast the internet was. i decided to switch to fios as soon as it came to my neighborhood. now, at a blink of an eye, i click something, "bam!" it's there. with fios, the picture blows your mind. my mind went, berserk!

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