hey, we are back now more of "today" on a friday morning. it's the 30th day of december, 2011. live look at times square. that place will be jumping around, i don't know, 28 hours from now, people starting to line up for the big ball drop at midnight, ushering in 2012, about 1 million people expected. in the plaza we have a big crowd as well, lots of early revelers, we thank them for stopping by. most of them here to see savannah guthrie who has been filling in this week while ann is taking time off. thanks for your hard work. >> thank you. we have a lot of birthdays on

the plaza. >> a lot of signs no question. we have a big event coming up early next week, the iowa caucuses, they are being held on tuesday, and according to a new nbc news/marris poll we have a tight race at the top. mitt romney leading ron paul followed by a fraction rick santorum and newt gingrich and jon huntsman so we'll take a look at the latest from iowa coming up in a moment. >> genuine suspense about what might happen tuesday night at the caucuses. if you had a hackie holiday season now the debts are piling up, great tips how to get over your debt hangover coming up. a lot of people will resolve to lose weight in the coming year and unfortunately a lot of people will fail at that effort. we'll try to make it easier this year. we'll get some tips to kickstart your diet in 2012. >> but before we get to all that let's get to tamron hall over at the news desk filling in for natalie. good morning. >> good morning, savannah and matt. good morning, everyone. the gop presidential hopefuls

are making a mad dash to the finish line with the iowa caucuses four days away. nbc's peter alexander is in des moines. good morning. >> reporter: tamron good morning to you. we want to put up the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows mitt romney and ron paul basically neck in neck, followed by rick santorum and a jumble of everybody else. with four days to go until the iowa caucuses, front-runner mitt romney before another large crowd wednesday night, aimed to nail down his support. focusing his closing argument on patriotic values. >> we want to instill in our kids a confidence in the future. if i become your president, i will do everything in my power to restore those principles, not to transform america into something new. >> reporter: romney was defeated in iowa four years ago by former arkansas governor mike huckabee, who united conservatives behind

his campaign, but romney is benefiting from a sharply divided conservative field. the latest republican to emerge, rick santorum, who spent more time in iowa than anyone else, believes his success here can make up for the lack of resources. >> i will provide the spark. there's plenty of tinder on the ground that will start burning in these other states. >> reporter: analysts question whether santorum has the political organization for the long haul. trying to stop santorum's momentum, texas governor rick perry who launched a new attack ad wednesday. >> i'm wink taxandspend. which republican running for president voted for the bridge to nowhere earmark? yes, suzie from des moines? >> rick santorum? >> correct. >> reporter: newt gingrich whose support plummeted in iowa is struggling to keep his campaign alive. symbolized by this blunt exchange with a voter thursday. >> do you really want to be president? >> i think it's my duty as a citizen and as a grandfather to help serve my country at a time

when i think we're in real trouble. >> reporter: gingrich is promoting his wife calista as a key campaign asset. mrs. gingrich appears in this new campaign video, promoting music, education and schools, drawing on her own experience as a musician. >> music is a vital part of a complete education. today unfortunately, many schools are threatening to cut or eliminate entire music programs. >> reporter: michele bachmann's political director left her campaign late thursday, just after her state chairman defected to ron paul. again that latest poll was kuked by nbc news and marist and mitt romney's campaign hoped things stay just the way they are, and mitt romney heads to new hampshire before coming back to iowa, in time for the caucuses tuesday. tamron? >> peter, thank you. the uncle of three little girls killed along with their grandparents in the tragic fire in stamford, connecticut,sation the family has been touched by the outpouring of public

support. newly released recordings from the fire department reveal what firefighters were up against on christmas morning. >> we got victims trapped on the second floor. we're going to rescue mode with the ladder. we have heavy fire in the back of the building. >> funeral services for the little girls will be held next week in new york city. iran's threat to close the world's most important oil route may be easier said than done. according to military analysts, one-sixth of the world's oil passes through the strait of hormuz. it's unlikely tehran would be able to completely shut it down. even an attempt to close the strait could turn iran's few remaining allies against it. president obama paid his respects at a memorial for victims of the 1941 attack on pearl harbor in hawaii. the president and the first lady laid a wreath at the memorial and scattered flower petals in the water after a moment of silence. this year marks the 70th anniversary of the japanese

attacks that brought the united states into the second world war. siku the popular polar bear in denmark sparked worldwide frenzy but now serious cute computation. twin polar bear cubs are making their grand debut. this is the second set of twins that their mother birthed this year. that's one busy mama, and preparation for the last night of 2011 are in full swing and every city has its own special way of bringing in the new year. here in new york city of course all eyes are on times square on thursday, planners tested the confetti to make sure it has the right flutter and flap. key west the other shoe is about to literally drop. every year the city puts a local drag queen in a giant red high heel and lowers it that night. if you're looking for something meatier, head to lebanon, pennsylvania, a 200-pound 12-foot-long bologna will be

lowered at midnight. i always say bow-loe-na but i said boe-boloe-knee. >> mom how long did it take to you find the warm clothes? >> six weeks. >> just came out just before christmas, oh a week before christmas is when they got the warm clothes into houston. let's show you what it's looking like around the country today. we are seeing a system move through the midwest and through the pacific northwest unsettled as we head through the day today. >> good morning.shining from the we will start picking up some clouds. look where the temperatures go. ratings jumped into the 50's for highs.

>> this is how to ring in your 50th birthday. you're due in times square, when are you going to get there? >> about 4:00. >> what are you going to do all that time before? >> we don't know. >> heading back into the studio now tamron. >> thank you. this morning on "today's money" surviving a holiday debt hangover, if you're left with a mountain of debt, there are ways to get cash in your pocket apparently fast. vera gibbons, good to see you. >> good morning. >> pretty in pink, i'm assuming that's a christmas gift. >> yes and a lot of people bought gifts and wanted to share the love but reality sets in soon. >> you need to put cash back in your pocket. give yourself a raise, specifically i'm talking about

change the number of allowances you take on your w-4. three out of four taxpayers got a refund and the average was $3,000 which tells us we're having too much withheld from our paycheck so you can figure this out by using some of the withholding calculators on the web. turbo tax and irs.gov has one. if you're single, got a $1,000 refund, if you claimed two allowances that puts $90 back in your pocket every single month. it's better than to give the government an interest-free loan. >> you headline give yourself a raise. next stop, what some consider a no-brainer, nibbling away the at the mortgage. >> the reason i mention this, we have 12 million credit worthy americans who have yet to refinance and probably should because they're overpaying their mortgages by $436 a month. >> wow! >> collectively, tamron, if this group were to refinance they'd save about $52,000 over ten years so significant amount of money, to see how much you would

save, some of the others have the refi calculators, zillo you can comparison shop to find which offer you the best rate. >> a little spring cleaning puts money in your pocket. >> do it early, clean out the drawers. we have the stale potpourri. $16 billion in unredeemed bonds, bonds that expired, no longer earning interest. you need to cash the out and go to treasury.gov to find out what they're worth. gift cards we got a lot over the holidays. on average we have about $300 worth of gift cards on hand at any time so that's an awful lot of money sitting out there. if you're not going to use the gift cards sell them. there are plastic jungle or card hub. >> better than having them sit in the drawer. you talk about redeeming some of your reward points and miles. why is that significant? >> we earn $48 billion in points

and miles every single year and we leave $16 billion on the table, a third of it on the table. what's that, a waste of money. you earned the points, redeem them. the average household earns for example $6 2 and leaving $205 on the table. i mean that's enough for a week's worth of groceries, airline ticket, smartphone. >> you say no more impulse buys. all of the good sales start after january 1st. >> a lot of this over the holidays, retailers entice us any number of ways. they offered really good deals and reconfigured the stores to encourage us to brows, tempting items by the checkout. we spent a lot, holiday sales are up about 3.5% and even though i think there's buyers remorse going on we're still out there making the impulse purchases, 60% of purchases, tamron, are unplanned purchases and the average impulse buy is about $100. that adds up. >> keep that in mind going shopping, if you're going in,

get in, get out. >> 52% of americans lose $3,000 a year to mystery spending. >> what is mystery spending? >> they don't know where it went. you spent it on something, food, entertainment, money you can't account for. you need to be more accountable. even if you take a couple dollars out of your wallet and stash it aside you can have over $700 saved at the end of the year. >> retail rip-offs. >> everything seems like it is on sale but there are rip-offs out there. for example, this is probably the biggest example, movie theater popcorn marked up as much as 1,300%. wine you boo i at restaurants marked up 100% to 200% on the bottles, 300% to 400% if you buy it on the glass and the cheapest stuff has the most significant markup, precut fruits and vegetables, you get the idea. so avoid the retail rip-offs.

>> bargain, haggle. >> continue haggling because it works. those who negotiate for a better price tend to get it, over 50%. >> learn to haggle because you get intimidated and say you're going to do it and don't. >> just do it. >> happy new year, vera. great advice. recipes for your new year's bash. are you resolved to losing weight in 2012? we have tips on kick starting your new year's diet right after this. her as "that woman with the great gums." because great gums are a foundation of a healthy smile. so she uses crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most. crest pro-health clinical gum protection. because healthy smiles are built on healthy gums. life opens up when you do. is this your normal? jamie lee curtis?? oh, hi, yes...wow, you really went all out on the decorations, huh?!

yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free. creme body wash with nutrium moisture. after 1 week we took their close-ups.

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yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower. save money. live better. walmart. >> announcer: "today's daily dose" is brought to you by multigrain cheerios. lightly sweetened whole grain and 110 calories. >> this morning on "today's daily dose" kickstarting your

diet. there's a good chance you'll resolve to lose weight in 2012 but if you're like a lot of folks you've tried before and failed. madelyn fernstrom is here to help us succeed this time. madelyn, good morning to you. >> good morning to you. >> this is the season, even if you don't do it as a resolution, everybody at the beginning of the year says i'm going to eat better, i'm going to exercise more and it's so hard to keep it up, so we're anxious to hear your tips. >> people say i want to lose weight and do better but there's really no plan. if you start now there are some specific things that are going to give you some results so you'll stay engaged. >> that's our first tip create a plan. >> you want to create a plan now and not wake up january 1st, what am i going to do? you want to follow some instructions so first, empty out your fridge, get rid of the holiday foods, all of the stuff you're not going to eat around it. you're just going to eat it. give it away or throw it out. get foods that are easy, frozen vegetables, fruits, low-fat

dairy. it may not sound appetizing but when you're grazing in your refrigerator you'll have low calorie items. also keep a structured plan. stop grazing all day long. we don't need to do that. breakfast, lunch and dinner and all of your emergencies are set. what am i going to have for lunch? people think to kickstart i better not think about food. in the beginning think about food all the time and here's news that may surprise you. >> we should buy a scale and monitor your weight. >> get a new scale if you have the one from college, one foot in the bathroom, one eye open. >> it's broken but i like that. >> take the plunge and get a new one but also use that as one index because you also want to get something like a belt and see how the notches change or a pair of jeans that are too tight and you can see the difference because the scale is one index but it's important and you need to do it regularly. >> but not obsessively and finally get enough sleep. >> you have to get enough sleep, the number one barrier.

people get tired. >> revamping your eating. tell us about it. >> first thing is eat breakfast. people think that's the easiest to skip because i can save the calories later on. it sets you up for success for the day. i'm talking about 200 calories, breakfast could be as easy as a skim milk latte, or something that gets you going. you also then want to think about meal replacements. this is the no brainer approach that makes it easy. it's not saying i should be cooking, i should do this. the easiest thing is to get a bar or a shake or a calorie controlled frozen meal. you're not a bad person because you use them but if you use that once or twice a day you know the calories. that's the most important thing. >> veggies and fruits instead of carbs, cut out or limit alcohol. you're killing me now. >> when you think about the calories per ounce, alcohol has almost as much as fat so when you think well, alcohol, red wine, it's all good for me, good for your heart, a lot of things are good for your heart so chuck the alcohol. >> eat at home. don't go out if you don't have to. talk about exercise, the other

piece of it. we can boost our efficiency. >> efficiency really counts. it's hard enough to make some time to exercise soet will etel you have 30 minutes. if you have interval training boost a little bit more oomph during that activity so you may be more out of breath. crank up the resistance on the bike, jog a little bit when walking, these work for any activity. >> spot exercise. >> spot exercising, makes you feel better whether it's your belly or your arm, it's something that if you do some spot exercising you goet that mental perception that you're toning and feeling better. >> okay, a couple more tips you have there. >> there's a new study that came out saying if you're playing fast music you move faster and more no matter what you're doing, whether you're exercising or in your house. >> i know that is true, britney spears. establish a support network. >> learn what's best for you. a face-to-face group can be good, online can work. you need to have someone with similar interests. get a diet buddy and you need

this for when you're struggling, not when you're doing great. >> if you're interested in losing weight head to ivillage.com for a free six-week motivation program for strategies to kickstart your effort this year. just ahead a look back at how we covered the biggest events and newsmakers of 2011 but first these messages. 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... oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero?

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♪ it's mccafe's new peppermint mocha and peppermint hot chocolate. holiday cheer with chocolate on top. ♪ the simple joy of unwinding. ♪ just ahead, quick and easy do-it-yourself appetizers that will give you time to enjoy your new year's eve party. plus olympic gold medalist tara lipinski is here and will join us live on the rockefeller center. ♪

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> good morning. i am john collins. yesterday we had snow flurries. you will see a big change today. temperatures will be warming up considerably. highs in the low-to-mid-fifties today. disturbances come in. if any p

♪ in just four days, the republican presidential contest gets under way for real, when iowa caucusgoers will become the first in the nation to vote for their favorite candidate, and things are still very much up in the air. and i'll be live in iowa starting monday on "today" along with nbc's david gregory and chuck todd and we'll bring you the latest developments in this fluctuating republican race, and it's a lot to look forward to. i think anything could happen on tuesday night. >> absolutely. last-minute help for your new year's bash. >> it is fun to host a party, isn't it? >> uh-huh. as long as i don't have to cook.

>> you don't want to spend the entire time in the kitchen. just ahead recipes for delicious and simple apps to please your guests and give you time to enjoy the night. lovely dress. >> you can cook in that kind of a dress, come on. we got to get our party outfits on. also ahead look back at how we cover the big events and newsmakers from 2011 from the trials that captivated us to the shockers in the world of politics and world events, an interesting look back so stay with us for that. we've got the youngest woman to ever win an olympic gold medal in figure skating on our rock center rirng. ta rink. tara lipinski. she's got her dog with her, it's not skating but she's got the dog with her. first a check of the weather from stephanie abrams in for al. >> these days you never know if you're going to get that. let's look at your new year's forecast. we'll look around the country and then look a little bit closer to home here, new year's

eve. one of my favorite things that drops is a giant peep in bethlehem, pennsylvania. they dropped pickles and bologna. here is a look at the million people, what they will be feeling in times square, temperatures into the mid to lower 40s, the winds not that bad. new year's day looking good with the exception of the great lakes and the northwes >> good morning. a mixture of clear skies and a few clouds beginning to move in. increasing clouds is the it's time for your football forecast, sunday night football we have of course manning versus

romo. he's apparently going to be playing. he's healing up from what i have been reading on the internet, and it's going to be a little bit on the chilly side but really not all that bad. we're talking mid to upper 40s. tamr tamron? >> dallas cowboys. >> is that your favorite? >> of course it s come on. thank you, stephanie. up next a live performance from olympic gold medalist tara lipinski on the rock center rink, right after this. now, i use all my vacation days. i can afford to visit my folks for the holidays. and reconnect with my girlfriends in vegas. because i get ridiculously low prices on all my trips. you see, when hotels have unsold rooms, they use hotwire to fill them, so i get 4-star hotels for up to half off. now i can afford a romantic trip to new orleans. hi honey! ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e... ♪ hotwire.com i make sure i've got the right guidance. turbotax has a unique gps feature that guides me to every deduction and credit i deserve, so i get my maximum refund, guaranteed.

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pillsbury crescent wrapped brie. "today at the rink" is brought to you by smucker's. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. ♪ i like the way you move this morning on "today at the rink" the youngest olympic gold medalist in figure skating history. we remember when she won gold in in a ga know, japan in 1998 and this weekend tara lipinski is headlining pandora's skating series. ta camera, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> this is all about the ladies this weekend. >> all the girls. it was awesome. there was a tribute to peggy fleming so i looked up to as a young skate per >> tell us about the skaters. >> nancy kerrigan, niki ando, sasha cohen, so many. >> you were just 15 when you won gold and you'll always be the youngest olympian to get gold

because they changed the rules. >> yes, i like that. >> do you still love skating? >> i love it. it's part of my life and always will be. i don't know what i'd do without it. >> you're also doing come tating, between the commentating and the skating, which is harder? ? there's less pressure when you sit down behind the camera but skating i'm used to so it's a learning process. >> what else are you working on these days? >> working on a camp this summer finally it's been a long process but i'm excited about it. >> tara lipinski we're excited to see you skate and as you get yourself ready we're going to hear tara's going to be going to beyonce's "i was here." ♪ ♪ i wanna leave my footprints on

the sands of time ♪ ♪ know there was something that and something that i left behind ♪ ♪ when i leave this world, i'll leave no regrets ♪ ♪ leave something to remember so they won't forget ♪ ♪ i was here ♪ i lived, i loved ♪ i was here ♪ i did, i've done everything that i wanted ♪ ♪ and it was more than i thought it would be ♪ ♪ i will leave my mark so everyone will know i was here ♪ ♪ i want to say i lived each day

until i die ♪ ♪ and know that i meant something in somebody's life ♪ ♪ the hearts i have touched will be the proof that i leave ♪ ♪ that i made a difference, and this world will see ♪ ♪ i was here ♪ i lived, i loved ♪ i was here ♪ i did, i've done everything that i wanted ♪ ♪ and it was more than i thought it would be ♪ ♪ i will leave my mark so everyone will know ♪ i was here ♪ ♪ i lived, i loved ♪ i was here ♪ i did, i've done

♪ i was here ♪ i did, i've done ♪ here ♪ i did, i've done ♪ i was here [ cheers and applause ] >> tara lipinski thank you so much. catch aat that rah on the pandora unforgettable moments skating series this sunday at 4:00 eastern on nbc. coming up next, quick and easy appetizers for your new year's eve party, but first these messages. [ female announcer ] they've been off limits to dieters

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you could spend as much as $200. olay says challenge that with an instrument that cleanses as effectively as what's sold by skin professionals for a whole lot less. new olay pro x advanced cleaning system. is this your normal? jamie lee curtis?? oh, hi, yes...wow, you really went all out on the decorations, huh?! yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity,

when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free. ♪ i'll be ringing in a brand new year ♪ this morning on "today's holiday kitchen" easy entertaining with do-it-yourself appetizers, if you're hosting and katley fiorio is executive chef for sara lee. good morning to you. you look lovely. >> you can cook in a dress this beautiful that means it is easy to do. >> exactly very easy. >> we're going to split up, savannah is on that station, i'm

starting off with the hearty stuff, paninis. >> you can make them totally ahead of time like this and leave these out on nice trays and just let your guests as they want them eat them or put the beautiful spreads out, different kinds of lunch meats, cheeses, everything you love to see. >> since this is do it yourself i better do it myself. this is one of my favorites. so we'll do this, tuscan bread. >> hearty bread. savannah would call this stale but it isn't. hearty bread. >> this gets nice and crispy and doesn't absorb too much oil. actually we'll start with fontiana cheese and a mushroom medley. saute it up ahead with olive oil and thyme. if you want to put white wine that's fine.

>> drizle that on there. your party won't go well with me because i'm asking too many questions. >> i'll hide when you had ed to the panini. and a little prosciutto. if you have someone who doesn't want meat, that way they can add. you add a touch of truffle oil. who doesn't love truffle. >> new year's, go all out. >> exactly. put a little bit of that on each side. >> okay. wow. more truffle oil. nice, okay. >> so it's really easy and then obviously you can use butter as well. >> okay. >> i like the smell of the oil. >> and i'll let you do the honors. >> thank you. >> signage so people know what to do? >> exactly. >> keep it moving savannah and

tamron. keep it moving. >> how long do you hold this down? >> we'll leave this here and get to dessert. >> keep pressing tamron. >> golden brown, two to three minutes until the cheese starts to melt and you get the golden brown. >> i'll stay here. >> you do that. roasted fruit poundcake. when i first read this i thought we were having fruit cake and i was sad but this looks good. >> this is pears and apples, a little brown sugar and lemon and cinnamon, a little bit of salt so it's nice, makes your house smell great, you can do it again ahead of time and then you just take your favorite pound cake. i like to serve them in a balloon glass, have the pound cake already in there. >> pound cake you feel works the best? >> i do, it's hearty and stays up over time, a great thing for enjoying your party. >> what is this? >> my take on a tiramisu filling. mascarpone cheese, whipped cream, salt, vanilla extract and

coffee, espresso. >> put the fruit over that? >> yes. >> i can do this. >> perfect. it's easy to carry and eat, no worry about balancing your dessert on a plate. >> can you use any other fruit? >> absoluteilabsolutely. strawberries aren't in season but anything seasonal you can take and roast up. way to go, savannah. >> my gosh i broke the glass. >> you are uninvited to the party. >> someone will be suing you at the party. >> there's really nothing i can do in the kitchen. >> take her to the kiddie station. >> oh my gosh. >> this is all kinds of fun toppings, it's really easy, if you want to make it fun. >> because that was really hard. >> this is savannah easy. what are you making? >> i'm not sure after witnessing that. >> we'll sprinkle it on. >> ice cream, put some ice cream in here and just have all of the toppings. you can make a beautiful display. >> and the kids love it, too.

thank you so much. i'm sorry, did you like that glass? >> i guess i have to give it up. >> a look back at how we covered the biggest news events of 2011. >> what are you thinking?e

i'm still sighing over that broken glass. from trials that trnz fixed the nation, 2011 was a big year. >> here's how we covered some of the biggest newsmakers of the year. ♪ >> breaking news. >> penn state university. >> i can't process. >> charlie sheen in his first morning show interview.

>> tired of pretending i'm not a rock star from mars. tiger blood, madonna's dna, winning, duh. >> what would you have done differently? >> on, tiger blood. it was silly and people took is so eariously. >> arnold schwarzenegger admits he fathered a child from the woman who worked in his home. >> kim kardashian filing for divorce. >> it's over, demi moore announces she's ending her marriage to ashton kutcher. detectives reopen the investigation into the death of actress natalie wood. bombshell verdict. >> we find the defendant not guilty. >> casey anthony acquitted of killing daughter caylee. jury in perugia deliberating the fate of amanda knox. why is it going to be hard for be you to hear? >> she's fighting for her life. >> the jury said amanda knox did not commit the crime. >> thank you to everyone who has believed in me. >> the manslaughter of michael

jackson's doctor. >> weigh tonight so to seeious. >> do you feel guilty that he died? >> i didn't do anything wrong. >> the jury finds the defendant guilt of involuntary mansligh y manslaughter. >> my son's gone. i'll never see him again. >> one of the world's most powerful bankers accused of sexually assaulting a housekeeper. >> dominique strauss-kahn now a free man. >> i was pranked, i was hacked. >> from blame to shame. congressman anthony weiner says he sent inappropriate photos to at least six women online. >> i have not been honest to myself, my family. >> if it were me i would resign. >> today i announce my resignation from congress. >> joe paterno is no longer the head football coach effective immediately. >> the sex abuse scandal that rocked penn state at the center is former defensive coordinator jerry sandusky. >> are you sexually attracted to underaged boys? >> am i sexually attracted to underaged boys? >> yes. >> i enjoy young people, but no. ♪

>> 4,000 americans lost their lives, maybe 100,000 iraqis lost their lives, cost about $1 trillion, was it worth it? did you give the right advice? >> i think i did. >> what is the evidence against them? >> translator: they illegally crossed our borders, but i think they'll be freed in a couple of days. >> when you look in your son's face, a young man who served in this country, what do you say? >> i say i'm so damned proud of you. >> the debt ceiling vote? >> i wouldn't raise it. >> most economists say that would send the economy back into recession. >> most of them are not very smart. >> 14 million americans, why are you not angrier? >> i spend all my time thinking about this stuff because i'm talking to these folks every single day. >> we're seeing sweeping changes

in school lunches that we've seen in generation, the quality -- >> that's not going to affect my kid's tater tots though? >> do you want them to have the tater tots? >> i juan the tater tots. >> there's not a hair and makeup team on board? >> that should be obvious. when i get off the plane in the middle of the night i'm always afraid i'll scare the children. >> did you say to bernie, we should kill ourselves? did bernie say it to you? >> i think it was my idea more than his. i just wanted to get it over with. >> i think it's a shame that i can't say something nice about angie without jen being drug in. >> let me read -- >> please don't read it. >> i think if jesus were alive today there would be polls in "us weekly." >> there would for sure be polls. should he cut his hair? that's the life we live in. >> what is the noise in your head? ♪ sit a spell it will take about an hour, i'll tell you all a story about me and matt lauer ♪ ♪

>> wow, great effort by our team that put that together. we fit a lot into 2011. >> wait until we see what we fit in in 2012. just ahead kathie and hoe ta look back at the biggest celeb brit stories of the year. >> we'll see you back here on monday next year in 2012. have a happy and safe new year. happey birthday, matt lauer and we'll be back after your local news. [ female announcer ] they've been off limits to dieters

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