[ cheers and applause ]

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. >> hi. >> hey. i really shouldn't be doing this on the air. hey, everybody. it is wines day wednesday.

so delighted you're here with us. it is december 11th. you have two weeks, missy, until christmas. it's two weeks from today. >> two weeks? >> two weeks. tell everybody how much you've done. how prepared are you? >> i've done nothing yet. we'll show our trees tomorrow because -- >> you did do that. >> kind of. haven't bought a single thing yet. you? >> yeah. yeah. i'm finished. i am finished because i have -- ♪ have yourself a merry little christmas ♪ >> that's good. >> piano guys. >> piano guys are here. they're a lot of fun. they're from utah. they're a bunch of dads and they do these videos. and we'll help you rate your marriage. get out those number two pencils. >> all right. >> this morning it was bitter cold here in new york. >> my first winter with a dog. >> hoda is having a reality check. >> i love blake. >> i know. >> but went out at 4:30 in the morning, took him out for a spin. he loved it outside. he didn't have a coat on.

>> what was the temperature? >> it was 23. >> what was the windchill? >> probably a lot colder. it was windy. >> yeah. >> i noticed as you look around new york, if anyone's ever seen manhattan, you see people walking dogs. they all have parkas, coats, little boots. >> scarves. ear muffs. >> i started feeling bad. maybe he should have a coat on him. he seems to love it. >> he has his own coat anyway. beautiful little fur coat. >> i tweeted out this morning, do you have coats for your dogs? >> well, you got a response. >> people have coats for their dogs. do you know who he looks like? >> the grinch. >> he looks like gerard. >> he's adorable. >> he looks like the grinch. >> let's see the next one. >> look at the hood. that's a whole full-on thing. and what else do we have? now, do dogs need coats? what's the correct answer to the question? >> i think what they need more than coats is booties because of the salt they put down for the ice.

that can be damaging to their paws. he's naked out there, right? >> i didn't know the first day. there was salt. >> did you wipe it off when you got home? >> i wiped it off. they talked about those little plastic -- what do you call them? they're disposable. >> little galoshes except they're plastic and you throw them away? am i saying it right? is that what you meant? i don't know what she wants me to say. i'm trying to be helpful. is that what you mean? >> the disposable ones, yeah. that's what i meant. >> okay. >> we want to ask viewers, do you put a coat on your dog or is it a new york thing. >> or chicago or minneapolis or people who live in apartments. we're really talking about that. if you don't have a yard to put your dog in. >> my dog's coat isn't really thick has he has a normal coat. >> tail wagging. >> look at him. >> all right, hoda.

we hear that jimmy fallon is at it once again. the man would have no career if he didn't have -- >> let's hear what he has to say. >> pros and cons of christmas in new york. here we go. pro, going to rockefeller center to see the tree get lit. con, going to the fourth hour of the "today" show to see the hosts get lit. same place. >> turn around. there's the tree. >> don't have to move. >> don't have to move. >> who is that guy? who is that guy, getting in on the jokes? >> that was the sidekick. >> oh, i've never seen him before. >> you haven't? >> no. "the voice" was on last night. it's getting down to the nitty gritty. >> down to the top three. >> top finalists perform. two were sent home. the ones who made it are tessanne, the girl we love and the other girl who we adore, on christina's team, jacquie. >> i'm not sure which one she is. >> these are the bottom three.

of these, two are gone. let's watch. ♪ shameless oh i don't have the power now i don't want it any how so i've got to let it go ♪ ♪ without you i can't live with or without you ♪ ♪ the sound of feet upon the ground carry on no it's never gonna stop us now ♪ >> okay. and those are the three. so only one survived. one survived. >> i think it was the last one that survived. >> you do? i think it was the first one with the beard. >> you've heard them all along. i'm at a disadvantage.

who is it? will from team adam was saved. you were right! but wait a minute. the guy with the beard, he was so good. oh, my god. >> showbiz sucks. >> wait a second. is there no one from team blake? >> no. >> so nobody is in the finals from -- >> "the voice" is over. >> it's not over. three people would like to think there's a chance, hoda woman. >> i can't believe team blake -- that means the streak is broken. >> yes. >> that's what i mean. he has always won! >> this is huge. >> he has won it three years in a row, right? >> yes. >> it's somebody else's turn, hoda. like when the yankees won every single -- like when the giants do. but, you know, when the yankees -- you have to have somebody else have a chance. whose team was the guy from that

they saved? >> team adam. >> sexiest man of the year. he has mojo. >> cee lo has nobody and blake has nobody. >> oh, okay. >> that's it. >> now you are up-to-date. what else is going on? a couple of musical stories since we're on the music roll, right? robin thicke and will ferrell. >> oh, thank goodness. >> will ferrell is promoting everywhere he goes. >> and in a very unusual way. >> he can sing that ron burgundy. he teamed up with robin thicke to sing "ride like the wind." >> i sound good. ♪ ride like the wind you're riding like the wind, for those of you who don't know. ♪ i was born the son of an honest man with a girl in my hand ♪ >> something is dangerous. >> i love that song. >> is that robin thicke?

>> i just love that song. whatever happened to him? >> i can't believe that's robin thicke. >> because we don't usually hear him in that register. we usually hear him in that higher register. >> you're right. >> he is a terrific musician. >> he really is. >> but i couldn't tell what ron burgundy was saying. second thing to go from your eyes is your ears. >> yeah. lea michele released her first single off the debut album called "canon ball." >> let's listen. ♪ ♪ like a canon ball like a canon ball ♪ >> i love it. >> there seems to be a ball thing lately. wrecking ball, canon ball. >> i love her. >> it's interesting to hear her take on something different from -- she's very successful, very, very talented.

if they end up doing funny girl on the nbc musical next year -- >> you know what? you're right. >> who actually knows how to sing very well. >> you're right. >> we have to show you this photo. this is a picture of gisele bundchen multitasking getting her makeup done, hair done and nails done while breastfeeding. the caption was, what would i do without this beauty squad after 15 hours of flying and only 3 hours of sleep? #multitasking. >> she's certainly right. i don't know how she's doing it without one arm. what happens if your nails are wet. >> her nails are getting done. >> maybe she's just getting buffed. you really do need to hold on to your baby with two -- >> i don't think she's multitasking. she's very passive in that equation.

>> she knew there was a camera there, something tells me. on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your relationship? >> you and i have a ten, hoda. >> we do. >> from your arguments to your sex life, the questions you should start asking each other right now. and for the person who has everything, finally, something they don't have. >> some unique items you're going to find online to make awesome gifts. you should do your shopping today, on the show. [ coughs, sneeze >> announcer: "today" all night is sponsored by alka-seltzer plus. rest. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope. they don't have a decongestant. really? [ male announcer ] really. alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a fast-acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ inhales deeply ] alka seltzer plus. oh. what a relief it is. [ male announcer ] can't find theraflu, try alka seltzer plufor fast liquid cold and flu relief.

>> how happy are you? >> eight. >> ten being perfectly happy and one being totally miserable or -- >> just respond instinctively. >> okay. >> ready? >> ready. >> eight. >> eight. >> that's brad pitt and angelina jolie in mr. and mrs. smith, rating their marriage. it turns out that's not such a bad deal. >> giving your marriage a numerical score can actually benefit your relationship. here with the questions you should be asking to see how yours stacks up is elizabeth bernstein, who recently wrote an article. >> here with psychotherapist, excuse us, barry neuman, and author of a new book. >> fascinating article.

>> how do people go about rating their relationships? >> researchers and clinicians said this would be a very good tool for people to use at home. you want to know what is wrong in your marriage and you basically can't fix something unless you know what's wrong. you also want to know what's good. you go about asking yourself what different areas of a marriage are important? >> these are the three things that you say couples should rate themselves on. these are interesting. here's the first one. my partner doesn't keep any big secrets from me. the second is my partner and i share every day news and experiences with each other. and the third is our bodies respond when we see each other. those are the three. that's all you need. >> that's it? >> you said something interesting early on. you know when something is wrong, but you don't know what it is? >> you don't know what it is. >> how can that be? you live with this person. you know when your sex life isn't good, right? you know when he makes you angry or she. >> genders are different. people are very often satisfied with different parts of life and different things are important to them. the crucial part about scoring is that healthy marriages always

work as a team to find out how we can make things better. it's a misnomer to think we have to wait until something is wrong and then fix it. healthy couples look at the problem as the enemy. >> but they don't know what the problem is, is my point. >> you don't know until you sit and say regularly, once a year, whatever, how are we doing? are we together making our needs met and known? how can we work together as a team to make them better? >> what is good, too, not just what is bad but what is good, too. >> sure. >> there are certain areas couples have to see eye to eye. some of these things may matter more to the husband and more to the wife. some see it as a big problem and some see it as a big yawn. >> i tell people not to worry about the scores being different because that's what makes men and women different. we learn from each other. sex, communication. those things might be different. we say to each other, how do we work it out? most couples talk about their

marriage in a negative rant. when we're angry we say, you never do this. you -- our love is so important, what can we both do to make it better? let's talk about how we should make it better to be best. >> shouldn't this be a conversation you have before you get married? >> that would be a great idea. >> i think it's awfully a good idea to get a bit of counseling before you go into this thing, what your expectations are. >> often people go too late to marriage counseling. >> some people think when they do go early, gosh, you already have issues, you're already discussing things before you get started. >> i don't think if you discuss it that mean you have a problem. that's what the healthy couples do. i've had people come to my talks 60 years they're married and say we're always working and always learning. every couple who is long-term married are still looking around the corner. what can we learn here? how can we still have fun? >> it's constant.

>> what if one part of the couple thinks the marriage is just fine and the other one thinks they're not signing up? >> i talked to a lot of therapists about that. they said that is a big problem. one person who is mentally checked out and one person in denial. those kinds of marriages need some professional help. >> and that's the nice thing about scoring. sometimes when you take a questionnaire, instead of saying how is your marriage? it's okay. when you say, well, it's a four or three. oh, it's not so okay. and then you get a book, dvd, go to a therapist. you do something active. most people come to me way too late. that's the issue. >> most honey mooners would say they rate it a ten. >> they do. >> they're in that blissful -- but long-term marriages -- and our wounded warriors, they come back and maybe they're not able to perform sexually or something, but something happens, a dynamic between the wife and husband and it's a sexless marriage, in a sense, but it's a deeper, richer love affair in many ways. >> sure. think about the difference --

when you say premarital counseling, that's an excellent idea but nobody is prepared for children. no one is prepared for the issues. >> or illness. >> or illness or death. that's why you have to keep checking it out. i tell people a month before your anniversary, score your marriage. not the night before, please. >> spoil. >> work at it so you hit that anniversary -- >> we could talk about this for a whole hour. thanks so much. for more information on how to find the relationship quizes head to klgandhoda.com and press the connect button. we promise you'll give these holiday gifts a high score, we promise. >> some of the most unusual gifts you'll find online after this. [ female announcer ] what does he really want for the holidays.

♪ wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin' ♪ you! give him k-y yours + mine. it's naughty and nice. ♪ all you got to do is hold him and kiss him ♪ [ female announcer ] band-aid brand

waterproof tough-strips. designed with a four-sided seal. they're waterproof, shielding out water, dirt, and germs. ♪ 'cause band-aid helps heal me ♪ [ female announcer ] and they make great holiday gifts!

the holidays are always a good time to show how much you care. >> if you wanted to do that with something out of the ordinary, you have come to the right place. >> we've scoured the internet for hidden jems and she always

comes up with them. >> you sure do. >> this is the opposite of a fruitcake. you're not going to regift them. you can get them all online. everyone loves their poochies. pastel originals, start at $45 for an original work of art, unframed, dogs in pastels. >> is that bambino? >> it is. >> gift certificate before christmas. >> that's nice. awfully late for that. thank you. >> it's not too late for this. you both should have stock in wineries all over the world. >> we're working on that. >> she's ahead of you. >> if you don't consume as much as you, you can adopt a vine for one price only for five years, you get a certificate, tag on a vine in california. after the vine matures in five years, you get vino etched with your name in it. >> how cute. >> barbour farm. >> harbour. >> i told you, the eyes are the first to go.

>> beautiful. that's fun. >> moving on to the carbohydrate factor, mini donut factory. >> stop it. >> it's a splurge, it's 149. when you count up how much you spend when you take the kids to get donuts and coffee, it makes 60 donuts in a second. >> what? >> i'm sorry, 30 in a minute. that is great. >> most popular mom in the world. >> kids would love that. >> pretty good and you don't have to pay for the donut shop. this becomes an instant heirloom. this artist hand stamps letter by letter, vintage silver plated and it says kathie lee's licks, frank, pucker up. hoed a -- hoda's hot chocolate. good morning, hannah. anything you want. terrific message.

>> so sweet. how much does that cost? >> it starts at $16.50 and goes up. >> so very affordable. >> this is incredible. starts at $5. i took the liberty to send a message from you to frank. let's go to the videotape. >> i can't wait. >> meet me under the mistletoe in the living room at 8:00 pm. come unwrapped. nobody wants to see that. >> that's adorable. >> we'll change it. come wrapped, frank, if you're watching. >> i thought it meant me. okay. >> adorable. >> you send it in and they send you a link or something? >> a link, and you send it to anybody you want. >> okay. >> colored toilet paper. everybody needs it. >> yes. you can only get it at gracious home right now. fantastic from europe. you give it to the person who has everything. >> okay. >> last, but not least in old-time europe, everyone had a

monogram. you can have one, too. look at hoda. >> look at hoda's. wow! >> where would one use that without looking like you're totally in love with yourself? >> it's block art. use it as a headboard, wall art.

we're ready to play "who knew"? in case you're not aware, today is the anniversary of joe dimaggio's retirement. in case you didn't know. to those who get the questions right, they get $100. to those who don't, they get kathie lee's cd. here to help me in the studio is aarp magazine contributor barbara hannah reperman. are you ready? >> yes, and who knew life could be so great after 50? >> it's not. i'm just kidding. from memphis, right? jack nicholson played a man facing retirement in which 2002

film, as good as it gets, how do you know, about schmidt or anger management? >> as good as it gets. >> this has like 14 great songs on it. >> look, she looks happy. the correct answer is "about schmidt." >> yes. jack nicholson, we love him. he is really like a bad boy but i think he has found his calling to be a poster child on how to be really cool as you get older. like "the bucket list," it's all about living your best life after 50. he gets it. >> back across to kath. >> celebrating her birthday today here from indiana. indianapolis, i think she said. what is the current average age of retirement in america? 57, 59, 61 or 63? >> 61. >> i think that's right. >> 61. >> yeah, good job. ten years ago, it was 59. it really is climbing steadily up, according to aarp.

a lot of americans are pushing retiring further and further away. >> sure. >> that's one of the big reasons why aarp dropped retire from its name officially a few years ago. there's a big trend happening in america. people are retiring from their first jobs and going into their second and sometimes third, like i did. >> excellent. back across to kath. >> you're from birmingham, right? >> yes, ma'am. >> which of these musical acts has never signaled their intention to retire with a "farewell" tour? >> cher. barbara streisand, kiss or the rolling stones? >> cher? >> oh, no. cher said good-bye, i think, five times. >> yeah. the correct answer here, the only group is the rolling stones. >> they just keep on rolling, right? >> they do. >> they all do. all these other acts do, too. even though they did say bye-bye like barbara streisand in 2000, she came back in 2006, and gene simmons from kiss just

said recently we have a good five to ten years left. and cher is actually coming back in 2014 with a huge world tour. >> yeah. she's something. >> just rockin' and rollin'. >> back across to kath. >> gentleman from chicago. which state has the greatest number of people over 65? florida, california, new york or arizona? >> going to have to go with florida. >> you're going to love this cd. it's really good. >> i would have guessed florida, too. but the correct answer, california. >> sure. well, yes, because it's a very tricky question. according to aarp, the largest percentage is in florida, but the largest number of people over 65 is in california. >> that's a trick question. >> it's so cold here right now, i would go to either of those places even though i'm only 56. let's go. >> back across to kath. >> another birthday girl here from the beautiful town of atlanta. all of the following celebrities will turn 65 in 2014 except -- who is it? bruce springsteen, meryl streep, vicki lawrence or pierce brosnan? >> let's say pierce brosnan.

>> happy birthday. wow! >> i can't believe that bruce springsteen, meryl streep and vicki lawrence are turning 65. >> i know. they should be shouting to the world, this is what 65 looks like. let's talk about pierce brosnan. he is 60 and sexy and dashing and incredible. all of us are showing how to age well and how great life can be after 50. they just keep on going. >> thank you so much. kathie lee will come back across the street. we're going to talk holiday gadgets for yourself or for a friend. and who knew they had 300 million views on youtube? the very talented piano guys show us what they've got. first, these messages. so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know,

all with the ah, tap of my geico app. oh, that's so cool. well, i would disagree with you but, ah, that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron! whoa. ah...yeah, pretty much walked into that one. geico anywhere anytime. just a tap away on the geico app. it's time to change the way we and free ourselves from the smell and harshness of bleach. lysol power & free has more cleaning power than bleach. the secret is the hydrogen peroxide formula. it kills 99.9% of germs. that's healthing . powerful cleaning that's family friendly. lysol. start healthing. and for where it matters most, try new lysol power & free pourable.

make the seasons and friends a little more festive this year, we have got what you need. >> here with the gadgets, author of "gadget nation," steve greenberg. hi, steve. love your ugly sweater. >> that is hideous. >> catzilla with lacers opening packages and we made -- the hem here is like -- >> that is great. >> of course, you need to complete the look with fancy santa hat. ♪ jingle bells. jingle bells ♪ >> do you like that? >> no. >> moving along.

>> somebody will. >> let's dim the lights, shall we? >> musical pathway lights. the motion sensors would trigger this as you come up the pathway. 30 different songs come along with it. and lights the way as your guests come to your home. neat idea? >> is that affordable? >> about $80. hammacher schlemmer. >> if you do it up your whole drive way it could be a problem. >> you get three with that. >> this is the wine box. you ladies need that. if you have a brother-in-law you want to control. >> teenager. >> put it on here, set the lock. they can't get to the liquor that way. >> no, no, no. >> that's from amazon wine. >> perfect. >> next. >> thank you, hoda. >> these are candy cane spoons. they're spoons made out of candy canes.

>> clever. >> dip them in hot chocolate or put them in hot chocolate. i'll try it. >> that's very clever. >> delicious. >> there you go. what a smart idea. six for $6. from partycity.com. >> adorable. >> next for in the morning, reindeer waffles. >> this is so cute. >> reindeer waffles, chef's choice. >> you don't have to eat each prop, you know. >> you can put other things in or just that one? >> that is it. you bring it out once a year. >> but it's adorable. >> you could do it all winter. >> wayfarer.com, $50. >> not bad. >> shall we dim the lights again? >> absolutely. please dim the lights. light show power strip. this is from skymall.com. put ordinary lights into this power strip. you can make flashing lights, do the chase. whole bunch of different options. >> i like the chase. >> $25.

there's an indoor version, outdoor version. >> do you shop on sky mall? >> i love sky mall. >> great, great stores. >> lot of great things there. >> absolutely. >> making a tree easier to deal with. snowflake thirsty ornament. you hang it on your tree like a regular ornament but a string goes down into the pot. when it's dry, the light starts to flash to remind you to water your tree. >> do you know how much water that tree outside takes? >> how much? >> 90,000 gallons a day. >> are you kidding? >> 90,000 gallons a day? >> it's true. >> i want fact checking on that. somebody fact check that. >> somebody google it. it's true. 90,000 gallons a day. >> this tree doesn't handle that much. but this is a funnel. >> that tree is plastic. >> well, yeah. it goes down on the side. you put it at the top.

>> tree nanny. very cute. >> and it has a thing here that will play music when it's dry as well. >> good stuff. >> always a pleasure. ho, ho, ho. >> ho, ho, ho. >> yeah. they rose to fame covering everyone from adele to one direction's hits known as the piano guys. >> love them. >> it's great. ♪

fall is finally here. >> and for every season there's a reason to watch "wake up with al" weekday mornings on "the weather channel." >> it's just right. all your local weather and travel stories. >> the front will move through. that will change the temperatures. >> you can't beat this weather. >> everything you need to know first thing. we're sort of like a killer app in the morning. >> tap into us. >> announcer: "wake up with al" with stephanie abrams and al roker weekday mornings at 6:00 and 10:00 only be on "the roker weekday mornings at 6:00 and 10:00 only be on "the weather channel." ♪ ready or not. [ female announcer ] ...so you can be up there. here i come! [ female announcer ] ...down there, around there... and under there for him. tylenol® provides strong pain relief and won't irritate your stomach the way aleve® or even advil® can. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®.

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. >> since we're looking at the tree, i want to make one quick correction before we begin. do you remember how i said there were 90,000 gallons. >> every day. >> to keep the rockefeller tree watered? >> every day. >> apparently i was incorrect. i told so many people. it's 90 gallons. >> just a little difference. >> i told everyone. >> takes a big woman to admit her mistakes.

i'm proud of you. there are four musical guys that can make one instrument sound like a symphony. >> they're back with a new album that made the billboard charts, top 20. jon schmidt, steven sharp nelson, paul anderson and al van der beek. >> their youtube videos have been viewed 1 million times. now they're back with -- >> just made the billboard top 20. >> top 20. you all new each other way

before? >> you think back and say, how did those relationships happen? >> the cousins. >> those happened with us. now here we are with 90,000 albums floating away. no. >> number. >> that's cruel. >> i liked them before. i'm teasing. you guys get stopped on the street before -- >> somebody asking for directions, yeah. >> you get the chicks. you get the chicks. >> we have beautiful wives, thanks to our music. that's right. our title track on the album. "angels we have heard on high," four guys on a piano. >> we're so excited, you guys. here they are, the piano guys. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ gloria in excelsis deo ♪ gloria in excelsis deo

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> oh, gosh. >> that was fantastic, you guys. the piano guys. we love that. merry christmas, guys. we'll be back with some special guests, but first this is "today" on nbc. >> so good!

the holidays snuck up on us pretty fast this year. our toy drive was ready and gifts are on their way to children all across the united states. more than $10 million worth of toys and gifts. >> those children get to receive gifts but they get to give an adult in their life a gift as well with the help of elena --

or is it elena? >> elena. >> i'm sorry. he likes to be called torii and lia sophia jewelry. >> we have a great gift this year. >> on behalf of our sales advisers we have 2,500 pieces of jewelry worth $160,000 donating to the troy drive this year. this is our fifth year doing it. >> we know you guys are very philanthropic. tell us about that. >> we're a company about women. we believe we have to recognize the mothers, caregivers. that's why we're here today. we've had a ten-year partnership with dress for success, which i know you both -- >> wonderful organization. >> we give $3 million annually to them. we really believe when you feel great on the outside, itow