Transcripts For KNTV Today 20101110

>> and i'm meredith vieira. we are very pleased to have the 43rd president of the united states, george w. bush, with us live in our studio this morning, already cracking jokes over there. >> he has kept a very low profile since leaving the white house. now he's out with his memoir, it's called "decision points." he's opening up about the tough choices that defined his presidency. it is making headlines from everything from his handling the economy, the wars in iraq and afghanistan, and even kanye west. and he's going to react to them when we sit down, straight ahead. >> looking forward to that. and straight ahead, the latest on that carnival cruise ship stranded in the pacific for two d d days. it is now being slowly tugged back to shore. and rations have now arrived. we'll have details in a live report. and one of my favorite things is the film, "the sound of music." >> that's right. it became an instant classic when it was released 45 years ago. in honor of its anniversary, all seven actors who played the von trapp children are here and julie andrews will join them for a little interview, a reunion of "the sound of music," coming up. biggest fan of that movie, ann curry. >> good morning, everybody. and about those 4,400 passengers and crew, stuck at sea off the coast of california since monday. there is some relief, because supplies have been flown aboard. and the liner is now being towed to shore. nbc ice miguel almaguer joins us from san diego with more on this story. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning. tug boats reached the "splendor" yesterday afternoon, but they can only tug that massive ship about 4 miles an hour. that means all those passengers won't be back on land here in san diego until late thursday evening. dead in the water, but now the focus of an extensive rescue and resupply operation. a monday morning engine room fire has left the carnival cruise ship "splendor" without power and hot water for two days now. a situation which the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew on board will have to endure for at least another full day. >> they are safe. it's a matter of, i think, discomfort, primarily. >> reporter: navy helicopters from the "uss ronald reagan" have been ferrying some 70,000 pounds of supplies to the stricken ship, including canned crab meat, pop tarts, and spam. no injuries to crew or passengers have been reported, but phone communication has been impossible, leaving some families to worry about their loved ones on board. >> my sister and brother-in-law do this every year and this is the first year that they were able to bring my parents along with them. my dad has a little bit of a heart problem, to just to know that everything's being taken care of and they're safe, just to hear their voices would be reassuring. >> reporter: the ship left long beach sunday on what was to have been a seven-day cruise to the mexican riviera. in a statement, carnival says, "we sincerely apologize to our guests for this uh unfortunate situation and offer our thanks to their patience and cooperation during this challenging time." carnival says it's going to refund all of their passengerses, but once they get back on land here in san diego, they'll have to hop on buss to a two-hour ride all the way back to long beach. ann? >> miguel almaguer, thank you so much this morning. the president arrived in seoul, south korea, this morning. the third stop of his ten-day trip to asia. he is to attend the g-20 summit to meet with global leaders on stabilizing international financial markets. 3 million haitians could now be at risk of cholera. officials call the disease outbreak a threat to its national security, now that it has spread to the capital. countrywide, the disease has claimed at least 580 lives so far. the centers for disease control is reporting that for at least part of this year, nearly 59 million americans went without health care. and that's up by about 7% from two years ago. the military is saying that monday's strange streak of fire and smoke across the california sky was not a missile. experts say that it was most likely a plane. we'll have more on this coming up. a government panel is blaming last summer's gulf oil disaster on a faulty well design by bp. the panel blasted the oil giant's, quote, culture of complacency that led to the blowout. and a moving tribute at the 9/11 memorial. engineers are testing the waterfalls being installed at ground zero, and when the 30-foot black granite fountains open in 2011, they will be the largest man-made waterfalls on the continent. it is now 7:05. back to matt, meredith, and al. >> a beautiful sight. did you see that? >> mr. roker's joining us. how you doing? >> pretty good, pacific northwest, a fairly good-sized storm moving in. it's bringing a lot of moisture and we've got some reinforcing cold air, so that means, of course, snow. we're talking some areas, especially through the colorado rockies, picking up up to 9 inches, anywhere from 6 to 9 inches of snow. rest of the country, beautiful weather here in the east, although that pesky low pressure system still bringing showers along the new england coast. record highs continue ahead of the front, into the upper mississippi river valley, rain back through the plains behind the system. a few showers through eastern texas. sunny skies through the southeast and the gulf coast. look for those mountain snows continuing back through the cascades and the rockies here's a beautiful view from san jose. look at the sun peeking out over the tops of the clouds, almost makes the cob webs look pretty this morning from our camera view there in san jose. for the afternoon it will turn breezy and cool, northwest winds 20 miles per hour. 63 around san jose and most of the south bay, not much change of temperature as you head inland across the north bay, low 60s there as well. trend will be for drying weather and warmer temperatures by the weekend. in 70s returning to the bay area. >> and that's your latest weather. now to a "today" exclusive, a live conversation with george w. bush. the former president's new memoir, "decision points" is out. you spent a year and a half writing this book and i'm sure during the process you stopped and thought about what you were putting in there and what would the media react to? what would people really find that resonates with them? now you have had a chance to hear what are reaction over the last couple of days, anything that surprises you? >> let me debunk your premise. i really didn't spend time thinking about what the media would say about my book. i took the key issues, the key decisions i made and tried to explain to the reader why i made them. and, look, i was aware that some of the decisions i made were very controversial, and i knew that putting them in the book would create controversy, but i really wasn't concerned about what the media would think, i'm more concerned about how history will judge the decisions i made. >> in the "new york times" there's an article that says that perhaps inadvertently, by sharing the story you shared about your mother's miscarriage, you may have shared a national conversation about the complex psychological fallout of miscarriage. that must be rewarding to you. >> i had no intention of creating a national dialogue, my intent was to describe a relationship between a mom and her son and an interesting anecdote that helped the reader understand why my mother and i are so close. >> one of the subjects that's gotten the most attention is what you wrote about kanye west and what he said about you during hurricane katrina, george bush doesn't care about black people. he clearly has heard the furor over that and he seems to have changed his tone rather dramatically. >> i would tell george bush in my moment of frustration i didn't have the grounds to call him a racist. but i believe that in a situation of high emotion like that, we as human beings don't always choose the right words. >> he seems to have regret. what's your reaction? >> i appreciate that. it wasn't just kanye west who was talking about that during katrina. i cited him as an example, i cited others as an example as well. you know, i appreciate that. >> he has called his comment a low point and one of the things you and i have spoken about a lot in our conversations over these past couple of weeks is your faith. does your faith allow you to forgive kanye west? >> absolutely, of course it does. i'm not a hater, i didn't hate kanye west but i was talking about an environment in which people were willing to say things that hurt. and nobody wants to be called a racist, if in your heart you believe in equality of race. >> you spend an entire chapter in the book talking about the financial meltdown in the last year of your presidency. in that year, the country lost about 2.6 million jobs t banking system nearly collapsed and the housing market did collapse and we fell into the deepest recession since the great aggression. >> i think a lot of the blame should be laid on a lot of people including my administration. now in the book, i make it clear that we did recognize a looming problem and that is fannie mae and freddie mac with their implicit government guarantees were making risky investments. therefore i called for the regulation of those two entities and was thwarted at every turn by powerful forces on capitol hill. >> and some would say you didn't call for enough regulation in other areas that doomed the economy. >> i don't think this was a matter of lack of regulation, it's a matter of poor judgment by wall street and others. and -- but no question, the housing bubble was fueled by government policy and that is a result of people and congress refusing to regulate fannie and freddie. so my conscience was clear when it came time to recognize an impending problem. >> how much of the blame do you make for that impending meltdown. >> any time there's a problem, you're going to get blamed and i understand that and i walk people through the reason why i used taxpayers' money to bail out wall street and the lesson there is that i had to set aside an ideology which is when you make a bad mistake you pay for it in the marketplace. and the hardest thing for me was not whether or not blame was assigned. the hardest thing to me was to explain to hard working americans why we were using their money to prop up the people who were to blame. >> there's a great debate about whether we should continue your tax policy. they call them the bush tax cuts. give us your argument about those tax cuts. >> too bad they are calling them the bush tax cuts, they probably would have a better chance of being extended if they were the lauer tax cuts. most new jobs are created by small businesses. many small businesses pay tax at the individual income tax level because of how they are organized. therefore if you raise the top rate, you're taxing job creators. >> but we have been living under that system for seven years now and we have seen incredibly slow growth in jobs. so why should we continue down that path? >> i don't accept that premise. for 53 weeks or nearly 53 weeks we had job growth. i come to office. there is a dotcom bubble burst. then 9/11 comes and the country is in severe economic hardship. the tax cuts in my judgment stimulated an economic vitality and a lot of jobs were created. now the question is, how do we create them? and part of the debate is should government try to create the jobs or should the private sector try to create the jobs. my argument is keeping taxes low will create the private sector jobs. >> you said, quote, when i entered politics i made a decision i would confront problems and not pass them on to future generations. let's talk about the deficit, in the case of deficit, didn't you do the opposite, don't you pass it on to a future generation? >> when you look at the statistics, my deficit to gdp during my presidency was lower than ronald reagan, was lower than my dad, my death to gdp was the lowest or one of the lowest of modern presidents. my tax to gdp was the lowest and my spending to gdp. i argue my fiscal record was strong, especially given the fact that we had to deal with recession and funding two wars necessary to protect the american people. >> we didn't raise taxes to pay for those wars and you left office with a $10.7 trillion deficit. >> i think the way to look at it is the debt relative to the size of the economy. it's the only fairway to judge previous administrations to my administration. and our debt to gdp was one of the lowest in modern history. >> even some republicans say that perhaps your fiscal policies gave birth to the tea party. did you give birth to the tea party? >> i don't think i was that powerful. i think what gave birth to the tea party was severe frustrations in the political system in general. and, again, i understand perceptions, the purpose of this book is to state reality and i'm confident over time when people take an objective look at the fa fiscal record of my administration, they will have a better understanding of why i said i was proud of the fiscal record. >> allan greenspan wrote a book that came out in 2007, he said, quote, my biggest frustration was the president's unwillingness to veto -- >> in 2007, i did veto bills. i vetoed the farm bill which was overridden, prior that we were able to negotiate budget deals with republican controlled congress that actually -- other than defense spending was able to ratchet down spending and at the end, less than the rate of inflation. >> you wanted to be a uniter. along came 9/11 and you did something that a lot of people thought was a real effort to unite. you reached out to the muslim world and you visited a mosque and you said the following, the face of terror is not the true face of islam and you said, quote, in our anger, americans must treat our fellow americans with respect. there's a proposed islamic community center sited for just two blocks from ground zero. if i look at your words there, it makes it seem to me as if you're saying the rights of muslims should not be denied for the sake of others, is that fair? >> if i look at what you're trying to rope me into, you're trying to get me to talk about this mosque issue. >> why wouldn't you speak out? >> there's a lot of events and a lot of opportunities for me to speak out over the next years and i have chosen not to and the reason i have chosen not to is that the i don't want do intrude on my successor's ability to get the job done. inevitably if you were able to get me to answer this question, they will compare that to what president obama or other presidents might say on the issue. >> whether they should build the community center or not, are you disappointed by the increase in anti-muslim rhetoric? >> i think most americans welcome freedom of religion and honor religions. i truly do. and the problem with the arena today is a few loud voices can dominate the discussion and i don't intend to be one of the voices in the discussion. >> we asked some people in our audience to submit questions and i thought this was interesting, when you look back at the eight years of your presidency, the world literally changed, the question, president bush, looking back now, what advisor in your administration was the most insightful and gave you the best advice and why? >> that's a pretty unfair question. that's like saying which one of your children do you love the most? because i got a lot of good advice from a lot of good people. hank paulson gave me very good advice during the financial crisis. condi rice gave me great advice for eight years. colin powell gave me great advice. donald rumsfeld gave me great advice, dick cheney's advice was strong. >> pick one. >> you can sit there and say pick one all you want but i'm the guy who gets the pick and i'm not picking one. >> after you left office, you walked away, you literally walked away and you stayed very much on the sidelines and you did not chime in on a lot of the issues of the day and now this book has placed you back in the headlines and i'm curious how the spotlight feels again. >> you know, it's fine. it's an interesting question since you are the spotlight. i'm enjoying showing the book, but as i explained to you -- >> is it nostalgic? >> i have no desire to debate. my debating dates are over. and i knew when i laid out the book, people would chomp on different issues and sometimes spit it out and sometimes swallow it. and i'm pleased with the response, all i ask is that people take a look. and then after showing this book, i'm heading back under ground. i enjoy my life, i'm spending a lot of time working at the bush institute, which is on the southern methodist university campus, talking about freedom and markets and i'm worried about people suffering from disease overseas and i'm worried about public schools not meeting challenges. so i'm going to be able to do things in public policy without being political. >> there are people around this country who are walking around wearing t-shirts of president bush, they've got a picture of you on the t-shirt and the words "miss me yet"? >> there used to be people walking around with t-shirts that said we don't miss you. >> what do you miss about being the president? >> i miss being the commander in chief. i miss the military. i'm going to do a veterans day event with the military. laura and i had a mom that lost a child in combat over to the house the other day and i was inspired by them and i love the military. and the united states. and we are a lucky nation to have people who volunteer to serve. and i know you met many in the military too, and you know what i'm talking about, to be the commander in chief and have them salute and you salute back to people you admire, is an awe-inspiring experience. >> president bush, you've been generous with your time over the last few weeks. the book is called "decision points" by george w. bush. when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast, i could use all the help i can get. like nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that's perfect on multigrain toast, even whole-wheat waffles, for a breakfast that my kids love and i feel good about serving. and nutella is made with simple, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa. it's quick, easy and something everyone can agree on. ♪ nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. just ahead, why give sarah palin a reality show if she's even considering running for president. and all the von trap family join us for a reunion.th till u time, but first your local news and weather. desserts and some coffee. sure. decaf or regular? 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[ female announcer ] choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. time to check the morning commute now with mike inouye. one of the trouble spots or at least a place to be heads up is the golden gate bridge. >> that's right. first of all, as we look at the shot here, the northbound two lanes had a container reported in the second of the two lanes right near the divider so that was a concern for both directions. the bridge crew went out and cleared it. no slowing showing up on the south side but you might find slowing heading towards marin. here's the south bay, we see considerable slowing northbound 280 coming off of 680 and again really bunching up approaching the 880/17 exchange. 101 typical slowing and southbound 880 between the bridges, we have 40s. >> thanks, mike. we'll have more local news coming up in half a dan. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning. we're in a heated debate right now over whether we should continue with your tax policies. >> they might have a better chance of being extended if they were the lauer tax cuts. >> the number one news program, "today." 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, november 10, 2010. our friends out on rockefeller plaza are getting in some camera times. meanwhile inside studio 1a, i'm meredith viera alongside matt lauer. coming up in the next hour-- >> why did she decide to do a reality show? what does she have to say to critics and what does she have to say about critics who say it's a bad idea if she wants to run for the white house. the most successful musical of all time believe it or not turns 45. and this morning we are having a special reunion. >> please tell me you are going to sing the theme song, please. >> i don't want to diminish them. when should you have the talk with your aging parents about giving up the car keys. that issue is getting a lot of attention when an 84-year-old woman drove the wrong way down the highway. and now there's an eye-opening experience to challenge someone behind the wheel. chilling new testimony from elizabeth smart at the trial of her alleged kidnapper. janet shanlian is at the courthouse in salt lake city, utah for us. >> reporter: good morning to you. how difficult it must have been for this young woman to talk about these things with her mom and her dad sitting right there. elizabeth smart, sharing painful details of almost daily sexual assaults for the better part of a year. with her calm demeanor here yesterday, she told everyone that while she may have been victimized, she wouldn't remain a victim. a determined looking elizabeth smart walked into the courthouse for a second day of testimony against brian david mitchell, the man she says kidnapped her from her bed. she recalled nine months of captivity, horrific details of being repeatedly raped, hidden in the foothills of salt lake city not far from her home and later in san francisco. i started to quietly slip away and started down the trail, and i didn't make it very far. she said she was told if i ever tried that again i would be killed. with her parents looking on, she described being a 14-year-old girl held captive, force to drink alcohol, look at pornography and then submit to her attackers sexual demands. as days turned to months and hope became disspare. mitchell took her to a library where they were approached by a detective who said they were looking for elizabeth smart. mitchell would not let him peek under her veil. i was mad at myself for just not taking the chance, that i just felt like it was so close and it was so terrible. he came back that evening and brought me a candy bar. what else did he do that evening, the prosecutor asked? he raped me. walking in a long robe and veil alongside mitchell and his wife wanda barz si who's already serving time. she knew she was finally free. i was very scared, at the same time i thought, this is it, i'm done. this is over. the defense is claiming that this is a case of mental illness, of a man who could not make a rational decision, and yet elizabeth smart spent five hours on the stand here yesterday talking about how every decision the defendant made was planned in advance. and smart will take the stand once again today. meredith. >> quite a remarkable young woman. thank you very much. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now. and i've got some nice friends here, one of them helped take care of my dad. >> november is lung cancer awareness month. we're here to bring awareness to a disease that affects way too many people. we're looking for a cure, al. >> we have got snow to talk about, that's right, uh-oh. look out. oh, man, brokeckenridgbreckenri, pick up snow, they are getting down an early base for the ski season up there in the rockies. and it's looking good. let's check your weather and see what's going on. denver, salt lake city, henderson, nevada, anywhere from five to 15 degrees below normal. ahead of that front, temperatures 10 to 25 degrees above normal. st. louis is going to get up to 65, chicago 66. and we have got record highs in the great lakes, also looking at showers along the new england coast and the rain and snow moves another system into the pacific northwest. here's oakland seeing cool sunshine this morning. it will turn breezy this afternoon. we'll see temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s today. what's left of the showers shedding down along the coastline and coastal hilltops. tomorrow and the next few mornings it will be fog setting up but the afternoon should trend pretty nice. we'll be in the 60s and 70s as we move through the weekend. dry weather starting for veterans day and taking us through the weekend. >> didn't forget, you can get your weather any time online at weather.com. a new interview with sarah palin is reveals new details about her marriage and her time as governor. "today" national correspondent natalee morales has more on that. >> sarah palin is now the star of a new reality show, she's raising a family. providing political commentary and sending out tweets and yes, she might even be eyeing the white house. these days it seems sarah palin is everywhere. one minute she's a politician, the next she's face to face with wildlife in her own backyard. palin tells "people" magazine, leaving her post as governor of alaska gave her life new balance, saying, quote, she's no longer shackled in juneau by those hell bent on seeing my political and personal destruction. >> oh, my gosh, look at this. >> reporter: palin is now focusing on her new reality show "sarah palin's alaska". >> and on a really clear day, you can see russia from here, almost. >> reporter: palin told people she's doing the show to help correct some untruths out there. palin's response, i would like karl rove to come to alaska and see me being in a man's world. >> if she does run for president, this is a way for people to get to know sarah palin, the person. >> makes me so proud to be an american. >> reporter: as for a run for the white house in 2012, palin tells people if there's an opportunity for me to help america get back on track, i will do that. >> i think there's certainly a double standard at play here. >> reporter: palin is also a regular contributor on fox news, she does her segments from a small studio at home. husband todd is her cameraman and researcher. palin tells people he's my everything. the entire palin family is part of the new reality program. 16-year-old willow is growing up fast. >> she can visit you for like 20 minutes. willow, come here, willow, willow. >> reporter: and sarah palin tells people she is not concerned about having her children's private lives exposed to america, maybe it's because she gets to take part in the editing of the show. according to the producers, she has not asked to have anything deleted. coming up, 45 years later, our green room is live with the "sound of music." we'll have a live interview with the von trapp children. and we'll discuss when to take the keys away from older driverdr we'll show you what it's like for a senior citizen to be bethind wheel right after this. blame the mucus. , well, i can't breathe. did you try blowing your nose? of course. beh wheel right after this. i wheel right after this. n wheel right after this. behind w. what you probably have is swelling due to nasal inflammation, not mucus. and this can help? it treats the real problem of your sinus symptoms, reducing swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. 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( announcer ) turning complex data into easy tools. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. we're back now at 77:49. the most recent example of a reality participant who took his or her own life. jeff rossen is in los angeles and has details on this story. >> reporter: as you mentioned, it just happened again, this time a contestant on the bachelorette as killed himself in california. experts say we don't really know them. when reality tv life is over, their real lives can be hard to watch. >> i'm ready to have somebody that can be open and honest with me. >> reporter: on season 5 of the bachelorette, jillian was looking for a husband. >> i am julien. >> reporter: and julien was in the hunt. julien only made it through two episodes, voted off the show. friends say he was saddened by the rejection. just this month, a year after the taping he shot and killed himself. julien's family says he battled depression along before his tv run. >> julien was kind of a father figure to all of us on the show. it's not only sad, it's confusing as to what happened and why it happened. >> reporter: julien's death raises new questions about reality show culture and the young contestants they look for. >> from an age group, statistically, these people are set up for suicide and acting out. >> reporter: sadly there's no shortage of examples. just months ago, another reality show death. max hughes starred on the show "storm chasers," he hanged himself at home. earlier this year, the suicide of a chef who appeared on the fox show "kitchen nightmares." even with the screening, his family says he loves the show and host gordon ramsey, but just two months ago battling personal problems, he jumped off the george washington bridge. and ryan jenkins, a contestant on vh1rks's megan wants a millionai millionai millionaire. some experts say that while the contestants come from different shows, there's a psychological connection. >> what we're dealing with is people who start off with a narcissistic need for attention. then they hit a wall because the show is over with. and they don't have the tools to necessarily deal with that. >> reporter: this isn't just an american problem, reality shows are popular overseas and contestants there have committed suicide too, in places like england, sweden and india. the shows may need to do a better job of screening the contestants and actually supporting them after the cameras stop rolling. a "sound of music" reunion live in our studios. good morning once again, everybody. the time is 7:56. i'm brent cannon. we are checking in with mike for the latest on your morning commute. >> it looks like after the time change, at least this week's commute is a little later in the day. also an accident northbound 280 just past the 880 interchange causing some additional slowing coming off of 680 where 101 really bogs down in the northbound direction. southbound, 880 at dixon landing road, an accident slow there and bogging down in both directions between the bum daughterton bridge and the san mateo bridge. highway 92. more slowing for westbound 580 coming through livermore but not as bad as we often see. this is a 27-minute drive out of the altamont pass. we don't need any additional problems for five 80. >> the weather is improving around the bay area. you can see not much showing up in terms of showers but if you're heading to the sierra, snow still flying there. temperatures 50s and 60s, turning breezy this afternoon with sunny skies so it will feel quite cool outside. after today we'll dry out for a while. just morning fog and temperatures eventually climbing back into the 70s as we move through the weekend. it's 7:57. more news after the break. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else. add a layer of excitement to your next meal. ♪ crescent bacon-cheddar pinwheels. just unroll the dough, add the ingredients, roll up, bake, and present. wow... these look so good. and so easy. for this recipe and more, visit pillsburycrescents.com. stricter smoking laws will soon go into effect in parts of santa clara county. supervisors approved two tough smoking bans yesterday that will impact unincorporated areas of the county. the first will ban smoking inside apartments and condos. the second bans smoking in public places, like county fairgrounds, parks and outdoor areas, including ticket lines and outdoor seating at restaurants. hotels and motels are also no-smoking zones. the new laws take effect in 30 days and fines could be up to $100. more local news coming up in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. see you in a bit. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] we know you've got a lot on your plate at thanksgiving. which is why safeway has everything you need to get it all done. right now get a safeway frozen turkey up to 16 pounds for just $7 each. that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway. ♪ a drop of golden sun ♪ mi a name a call myself >> we're back at 8:00 on this wednesday morning, november 10, 2010. it looks beautiful there on the set of "the sound of music." it's a movie classic of 45 years ago. that's incredible. you know what's really cool? inside our studio, julie andrews and the seven von trapp children, or the actors who played the von trapp children. they have gathered for a special reunion. >> they have. we're going to talk about "the sound of music." what else is coming up, mr. rockier? >> coming up, the man that we love, he has been here for four decades. the greatest afro going, our own gene shallat is calling it quits. we're going to have a tribute in just a little bit. >> it's not an overstatement to say that movie reviews will never be the same. also this morning, great winter getaways, whether you're looking to get away from the cold or embrace it, we're going to have some of the best sun and snow spots out there. >> let's get a look at the morning's top stories. president obama arrived in seoul, south korea this morning for a meeting of the g-20 economic powers. a strange streak of fire and smoke across the california sky on monday night is still raising some questions today. nbc's pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski with the latest on what the military is saying. >> reporter: it's been a full day and a half since this mysterious flying object lit up the skies over california and the u.s. military still can't tell us what it was. it's a startling image, this video from a kcbs traffic copter shows us what looks like a missile soaring into the sky. the unidentified flying object streaks through the clouds. the navy and air force strongly deny they had fired a missile and using satellite imagery, the missile appears to be flowing through one of the most air traveled areas in the country. they have reviewed air traffic control tapes and the radar did not reveal a fast moving object in that area, at the same time there were no reports of unusual sightings from pilots. so then what is it? military missile experts believe it's an airplane, likely a jumbo jet and the appearance of it streaking upward is an optical illusion. military officials also claim the object is moving too slowly and changes course like an airplane not a missile. u.s. military officials insist there was never any threat to the u.s., but then again, how would they know? and this morning, conspiracy theorys are running wild. federal officials have charged 17 people with defrauding holocaust survivors out of $42 million. israel is planning to extend jewish neighborhoods in east jerusalem. israel's building plan does not help the pursuit of peace. the israeli prime minister responded that jerusalem is not a settlement, it is the capital of the state of israel. singapore airlines says it's replacing rolls royce engines on three of its a-380 superjumbo jets after fichbtding trouble. these actions come a week after an engine on a quantas a-380 blew out during a flight. now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on nbc "nightly news." >> coming up when we see you tonight for nightly news, for a lot of americans losing a job can be a life shattering experience, but some are finding unexpected ways to reinvent themselves. our series here called back to basics continues here on "nightly news." and they left our ears buzzing during the world cup. well now after a design camp tigs in south africa, those droning plastic horns are going to be recycled as, you'll never guess, earrings, anything to keep them out of landfills. i won't be wearing them. it is now 8:05. let's all go back outside for a check of the weather. maybe you'll try them out. >> i don't think so. we got folks hanging out all huddling for a little warmth right now. the victoria secret fashion show, you know one of our stage managers is going to be in that. very nice. i don't know what that's about, but it's very disturbing. let's check your weather and see what's going on. minneapolis, minnesota, nbc 11, a few afternoon showers, 67 degrees, we have lost control. jet stream dips down into the south out west and that brings in the cold air, mild in the east and you can see why because that jet stream is way up to the north. but as we head towards friday, it shifts a little eastward, allowing sunny skies, mild conditions along the eastern seaboard, storm track right along the mississippi river valley and that's there's a gorgeous looking clearing skies around san francisco. get used to that picture. the show earps have moved on and we're staying dry for quite some time. the winds are 10 to 20 miles per hour. low 60s for highs today. the only weather concern we'll see, especially for the north and east bay valleys, will be patchy fog. can you see our inland temperatures climbing as we go through the weekend. dry weather for a change, rafting through the entire weekend. >> got a happy birthday, you're 60 degrees? kiss my wife. all right, you're next, lauer. >> i was there. i all right kissed her. when we come back, julie andrews and the von trapp children for a special 45th reunion, our anniy rsveth "arsoe d c. simu" [ monkey screeches ] ♪ [ male announcer ] a bath becomes even more pleasurable when you know that your water is being heated in an environmentally conscious way, while saving you hundreds of dollars on your water heating energy bill. introducing the geospring water heater from ge with advanced hybrid technology. heating the water in your home any other way is just going to seem primitive. ♪ - you went to kay. she'll love it. 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[ female announcer ] the hallmark "countdown to christmas" ornament. this christmas, make it joyful, at your hallmark gold crown store. and we're back now at 8:10 with one of our favorite movies of all time, "the sound of music." it seems hard to believe that the classic story of hope, love and following our dreams is now 45 years old. >> and now for the first time, it is available on blu-ray, digitally remastered and restored in high definition. we have julie andrews and the von trapp children. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> 45 years. when you look back. >> i lost a decade somewhere. i just don't believe it. it feels like maybe 35, but not 45. >> not at all. >> that's impossible. >> in a nutshell, this is a hard question to answer precisely, but what does the movie mean to you, looking back? i'll start with you, julie and go right down the line? >> i think it was one beautifully crafted movie. in this particular case, we have all been told that it actually transcended the stage production. in this case it's a notch better, not that it's bad. >> it's like having a second family. >> yes. >> you get emotional when you say that. >> yes. >> we all have stayed in touch and we all love each other a lot. >> and i think that's what the film suggests, it's about love, it's about every kind of love and certainly we have it for each other. >> i'm just grateful to be a part of something that's inspireded so many generations of people. it's become a multigenerational film, i have a 12-year-old and all her friends love it. >> at some point in your child's live, it's a must-see movie. >> exactly, yeah. >> i have to reiterate the family part and to realize and finally come to accept the fact that it has affected so many lives and i just happened to be a part of it. it's been wonderful. >> when you have someone come up to you and say they put "the sound of music" in when they're feeling down just to lift their spirits. how amazing is that to be a part of a movie that does that to people? >> the fact that it's lasted 45 years and it's still as popular now as it ever was. that's pretty amazing i would say. i'm proud to be part of it. >> after 7.6 ounces which i basicalliy concur, this family here and also the history of my own family. and my mother who is no longer with us, every time i see the movie, i feel her and i remember that. >> because you were all so young and this must be just so hard now -- >> we're still young. >> exactly. >> we have to mention that the music is such a part of this movie. >> i think there's a quality of joy about the movie that transcends -- forget about the fact that we had glorious scenery and a wonderful story and children and religion and marvelous music, the actual combination of joy and the craftsmanship is made for us, we are all deeply grateful we were part of it and it's made as you said a family. >> you weren't sure whether you wanted to do another nanny film. >> that's sort of been a bit hyped. >> but i know something that is true, because i interviewed robert weis the director before he passed away and he told me the story of the casting. he said there was a nasty rumor going around that you weren't photogenic and he and some producers went over and saw the early footage of mary poppins which hadn't been released yet and thought you would be perfect. >> the day we finished shooting, the director of photography came up and said i need to tell you you have a little pump on your nose and if you wanted to get it fixed, it would make life a lot easier for all of us. i never did anything. >> you're perfect as you are. >> everybody thought you played 16 going on 17, but in reality, you were much older? >> yes. >> he couldn't join us, because he's making a movie right now. but what was it like doing the movie with him? >> it was so wonderful. i know i was nervous. >> i think he brings out almost every line. >> he was nervous actually si singing with you because he is such a trained singer, but he actually was shaking, he said singing that song with you. >> really? that's sweet. >> we have stayed such good friends, i think he's in swede on right now. >> girl with the dragon tattoo. >> most of you were little kids and therefore i know that you guys, you had a little tricks you were up to like switching shoes outside the hotel. >> we did get yelled at a couple of times by the guy behind the counter in the hotel. but, you know, the movie had taken a little longer because of the weather. >> the weather was miserable, wasn't it? >> rain, rain, rain. >> so we had a few hold ups and we were a little board, come on, there's seven of us. we did get into a few things, but nothing like today. >> actually they weren't all that thrilled to have us there. >> why. >> we were blocking the streets and we were americans and they had no idea. >> it was their story. >> why were americans coming over and dressing extras up in uniforms and of course they didn't have any understanding what the film was going to be. >> right. >> now i think they're quite happy. >> what we have now is a sound of music bus tour. >> and there's talk about there being a sound of music museum. i don't know if it's going to happen or not. >> you were a very little girl, that this would turn into what it did? >> no, we had no clue. >> and i can't believe we're sitting here talking about it today. >> it's not something you can preplan. absolutely not. >> you hoped you would have a good movie, but not anywhere near the size and scope that it was. and i think we all hoped to make it a little less saccharin. this scene that they're showing now is funny, because just before cameras roll-- >> it was a serious thing that happened. >> they said just before camera rolled, they said the little ones can't swim, so would you please go forward and rush to get them. >> i wasn't really supposed to do the scene, it was my extra that was supposed to do the scene, but he wanted authenticity. >> and he got it. >> he asked me, and the truth was that i was. >> was it frightening? it had to be very frightening? >> absolutely. not only that, we had to do it twice. so the first time it went fine and julie caught me. >> and i went over the back instead of over the front. >> and she swallowed so much water, she threw up all over me. >> they cut that part out. >> i hated my costume. >> you did? >> i hated it with a passion. >> why. >> because it was like overalls, i had never worn overalls in my entire life. >> and didn't you grow like six inches during the entire film? >> i was 5'3" and i was 5'9" by the end. we're actually doing a book now about all these stories because we get asked about this for 45 years. so we finally decided let's get all our memorabilia together, all our photos and home movies and we're going to do a book. that way we can give back to the fans. >> deborah, after all of these years, when you were such a young child would now result in a book. >> i'm so excited. every time we get together we all share new memorabilia that we have got and to think that i will have a copy of everybody's stuff. >> and our mothers kept everything, we have got our call sheets and stuff that we would have never held on to. people should see this stuff, they're all interested. >> and you said when you leave here, you're going -- >> i'm going up to the von trapp labs this afternoon. >> maria, who is the daughter. >> it was your voice? >> yes, it was our voice. >> the last time you sang back then or have you sang together since? >> we have been on the road. >> we're teal playing at the hollywood bowl in front of 20,000 people with the pictures of the children. >> will you give us just a little -- >> no, no, no, you want to keep your audience. >> next time. >> do, a female dear, ray a develop of golden sun, me aname a call myself, fa, a long long way to go, so a needle pulling thread. that will bring us back to do. >> thank you. >> special collector's gift set. and julie will be back in our next half hour to tell us about her children's book, it's great. al congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. now try new breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com. [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too? that advertise flights for 25,000 miles? but when you call... let me check. oh fudge, nothing without a big miles upcharge. it's either pay their miles upcharges or connect through mooseneck! [ freezing ] i can't feel my feet. we switched to the venture card from capital one -- so no more games. let's go see those grandkids. [ male announcer ] don't pay miles upcharges. don't play games. get the flight you want with the venture card at capitalone.com. 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[ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go, boy, go! whoo-whee! if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. and good morning, everybody. time is 8:26. we have real traffic trouble in the south bay and mike's got the l latest. >> north bount 280, folks are heading northbound 101 causing additional slowing off 185. look at that, jammed up past 680 and past the airport. continuing in the northbound direction, palo alto, an accident at wood side road. a distraction for both sides as you see from these speeds here. slow throughout at approach on the bay bridge toll plaza. speeds in the 20s for 580 and 880. >> might see wind speeds faster than that commute. it's going to be breezy and cool, the showers moving away from the bay area. low 60s, we'll see temperatures in the upper 50s to near 60 san francisco. now that the showers are heading out of here, we'll stay dry for a while. patchy morning fog is the only concern we'll have, and inland temperatures actually warming up as we stay dry for this upcoming weekend. time is 8:27. more news after the break. looks like jerry mcamericany will keep his seat, but it's an extremely close race. votes are still being counted but mcamericany has gained significant ground in the race for the 11th congressional district seat. mcnerny has increased his lead, the winner could be announced soon. more local news coming up in half an hour. have a great morning. ♪ a drop of golden sun ♪ me, a name i call myself ♪ fa, a long, long way to run ♪ so, a needle pulling thread ♪ la, a note to follow so ♪ tea, a drink with jam and bread ♪ ♪ that will bring us back to do ♪ >> more! >> julie andrews and the von trapp kids. i messed up one of the lines. >> it's supposed to be like, come on! >> a drink with jam and bread. >> that was so much fun, though, that reunion. >> that was so cool. and julie's going to stick around, because she has a new book coming out, "little bo in italy." >> is that the book she does with her daughter? >> it is. they've collaborated with some 26 books. >> she's way up there on my favorite guest list. >> she's a class act. >> not like us. >> on another subject, this is kind of a dangerous question, have you ever met a sloth? >> you mean the animal? >> i've been very sloth-like. >> you're going to meet a sloth today, and also a vulture. we're going to be doing a little -- >> a little baby! >> and we're going to show them some appreciation. >> beautiful. >> also ahead, also ahead, fire and ice. we'll talk about some great vacation destinations. some for the cold weather enthusiasts, some for the warm weather enthusiasts. so skiing and beaching, all kinds of things, courtesy of kate maxwell. >> and we want to remind you about our viral video challenge. we want you to create a fun "today" show themed video, with clips from the program. we'll air the winner right here. for complete rules, log on to todayshow.com. >> how about a look at the weather? >> yes, sometimes like a viral video unto itself. >> let's check it out, show you, especially the way our director works out. we're looking at record highs in the upper mississippi river valley. wet weather in the pacific northwest. mountain snows through the rockies. some areas may pick up 6 to 8 inches of snow. tomorrow that snow moves into colorado. we've got rain in the midplains. beautiful weather up and down the eastern seaboard. mild through the ohio river valley with temperatures in the 60s there. mild through the southwest. more rain moves in in the late afternoon and evening hours, looking at cool sunshinen i oakland after almost close to a quarter inch of rain fell overnight. skies have cleared out and we'll see northwest winds picking up. so it will feel chilly outside. classic november day in the bay area. we'll see 50s and 60s across the north bay. patchy fog will be the only thing to watch out for for your morning commute, then we'll warm up, 70s with dry weather through the weekend. >> he's a scary >> he's a scary man, he's a scary man. what is her name? karas. what a cutie. >> nice to see. you can check your weather, you can check your weather any time of the day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. besides being a movie star, julie andrews is also a best selling author, her newest work is a children's book, little bo in italy. julie, thank you for sticking around. we mentioned you have been collaborating with your daughter for 11 years now. 26 books? >> i think 26 together, we have published about 30 in all. >> it's always a risky thing when you collaborate with someone you love, did you have concerns about it? >> no, we have enormous mutual respect for each other. we had some concerns about would we have any kind of difficulties, but we have very different strengths. >> what are your strengths and hers? >> well, i'm about all the flights of fancy, the beginnings, the endings. she's very much, she's terrific at the nuts and bolts of the book, saying, mom, we have to have a first, second and third act and we need a second act finished here and so on. >> this is the third installment of the little bo series. this time the adventures she has with her buddy in italy what is the message? >> the message is the series of four books, one more to go which is coming out next year, which is little bo in london, she's a ship cat and she's so tiny that she packs into the pocket of a young sailor who found her and who has loved her. along the way, she's searching and searching for all of her brothers and sisters who were lost in the snow one day. they might have been drowned so they all decided to scatter. and each book is a complete adventure, but all four books will make one day a complete arc and it rounds out what members of the family she meets and how she meets them all. >> but there's a message to children that you want to get out through these books. >> i think really that family matters and children can relate to something as small as a little cat. she's very plucky but she's very shy and nervous about it so it's really about being strong in adversity and sticking to family and family matters and we try to write -- we don't write down to kids, we try to write so they come up a little in learning words and they're beautifully illustrated. >> you had a concert in may, in london. will there be another one? are we going to hear you sick again? >> i don't know, meredith, occasionally the subject comes up and it might happen, and i would say thrilled if it did. >> i will be your back up. >> i would be very happy to take you on. thank you so much for that. >> the book is little bo in italy. up next, one man's mission to hike the entire appalachian trail. but first this is "today" on nbc. back now at 8:39, with your life calling "today." this morning she's here with a story of a man who decided to literally take the high road. >> reporter: after 28 years as a high school art teacher, joe lyles retired at 58. not to take life easier, but harder. the appalachian trail is where he found his life calling and it had been calling to him for years. the trail runs from georgia to maine, a walk in the woods, a scramble over rocky streams, mountains followed by more mountains. joe lyles was a thrill hiker, he did the entire trail, 2,200 miles. >> i sensed that the trail would change me, i had no idea how much. after hearting at 58, he took a full year to train and get ready. >> but nothing can prepare you like getting out there on the trail and just doing it. >> reporter: last march he hoisted his pack and set off into five straight days of rain. first night in the wilderness alone. >> i woke the next morning and i was still alive and i realized i could do that again. i lost my fear. >> reporter: a lone man in the wilderness is never really alone. joe saw bears constantly in his dreams and once while eating lunch. >> a 200-pound bear watching every bite that i take. as soon as i turned, the bear took off. >> reporter: and you were by yourself, what if something had happened? >> people wanted to give me guns to take, but the people i met on the trail, they turned out to be the best friends of my life. where are you guys from? they knew me by the trail name of braid because i wear my hair in a long braid and i knew them by their trail names of cruiser and old goat. and to tell you the truth, i know very few of their real names. >> reporter: even now? >> to this day. >> reporter: you used to talk about a midlife crisis, this strikes me as a midlife opportunity. >> right. i kind of felt like i was doomed to live life the hard way, everything was going to be difficult. >> reporter: but he could see himself changing, even after falling face first in the mud. >> when i got up, my glasses were completely covered with mud and my first reaction was, i can't see. i've gone blind, until i took off my glasses and went, oh, wow. >> reporter: and there was so much to see. >> you had time to be a philosopher on the trail, to look at ordinary things and get life lessons from them. you've got to take that first step, the next step will be revealed to you. you have to have a kind of faith that those next steps will be revealed. >> reporter: finally, after six months and six days, he reached maine. the end. and the new beginning. >> getting up every morning and hiking 15 or 20 miles, if i can focus that kind of energy on the things that i care about, i can do some amazing things with this next chapter of my life. >> the typical hiker was either in their 20s or 50 and up, and that's the reality check, who else might have the freedom as joe put it to be absent from the world for six months. i'll be talking about joe's experiences online at noon eastern time. >> where did he get some food? 2,600 miles in six months? >> he packed 28 boxes of prepackaged food and preaddressed them either to hospitals or hotels or to post offices and had a friend on a scheduled date to send -- and they were all there when he needed them. >> and never got hurt? >> bad shin splints, but he got a little rest, plunges in ice water, after seven days, he was good as new. up next, fire and ice getaways for the colder weather. but first this is "today" on nbc. back at 8:46, and this morning on "today's" travel, fire and ice getaways. kate maxwell is the article's editor for traveler magazine. you are right on the ball with this first one, you like the breckenridge resort. al talked about it this morning. >> breckenridge is opening on friday, and everyone's talking about west coast skiing this year, because el nina is supposed to bring record snow to that area. >> what about value? it can be an expensive sport. >> in breckenridge, they are offering $90 a night, which is a fantastic rate and it goes for four days. >> let's move away from the west coast, or the western part of the united states, you like killington as well. >> killington is the beast of the east and this is a midweek deal. if you go on sunday and stay until friday, great stuff, $82 and it includes your ski pass and your children's ski pass. >> kids are skiing free there? >> kids under $15 ski for free. >> sticking with skiing, you also like jackson hole, wyoming and in particular, they've got a big attraction for snowboarders. >> the conditions are wonderful and especially back country, but if you're a wannabe snowboarder, there's a crash course. you get a full day's tuition, everything is thrown in, from the boards, the boots and the bindings. it's a really great hotel. >> let's turn to some warmer weather destinations. >> 29 rooms, but if you've seen the film "the harder they come" the people behind it are the people behind this hotel as well. it's a real individual property, steps from the beach. >> it's called jake's? >> $150 a night is a really great deal and they're throwing in things like a cooking class. >> so can the smaller hotels compete with the larger hotels in terms of amenities and things like that. >> it's a totally different experience. >> let's talk about puerto rico, and you like the ritz carlton. people hear ritz and they immediately think this is going to be pricier. >> you book three nights and it works out to $107 a night. the ritz has some really good meal import restaurants. >> in birmingham, you like the reefs hotel and club? >> they have both of the reefs, the number one hotel in the caribbean and atlantic the last six years. >> that's a good record. >> really great deal. you buy five nights and you get christmas for free. and they do things like tree trimming. >> and lastly, turks and caicos, the readers are offering a much lower. for you, it's $360 and they're throwing in -- >> just for the today show? >> that's great. and free breakfast, a free romantic dinner, and they have a great kids club, you can drop them off at 9:00 and pick them up at 5:00 in the afternoon. up next, we're going to get up close and personal with some very underappreciated animals. we'll get to that, but first this is "today" on nbc. ? this morning on "today's" call of the wild, our animal ambassador is here with animals who may not be pretty to look at. >> you've got a vulture with you right now. >> i'm glad you didn't actually call them ugly. unappreciated and it all comes with education, and that's why zoos are so important to teach people about animals people think are disgusting. >> why isn't it disgusting. >> not only are they nature's recyclers, dead animals they feed on, cholera, bacteria and anthrax are all found in that. these animals can eat those animals and digest it. ije going to take out the try an chula. i conditionan't stand it, you'rg a spider. >> they're the largest spiders in the world. but they're pretty much all harmless to humans. and you think about it. >> what do you mean pretty much? >> they are venomous. her name is morticia. >> these guys do everything that they possibly can to not attack. they run away, they hold up their arms and go -- they try to scare you. the little hairs on the back of their abdomen out. >> don't agitate him. >> they can scare their predators or their threat away. so matt, you can either hang on to her or you can put her back. but our last unappreciated animal was named of course after laziness, you know, one of the seven deadly sins or whatever. but you know what? the laziness comes from the fact that they're very slow moving of course. >> look at this. >> the slow moving is actually a defensive mechanism, so that they aren't detected in the wild and they grow algae on their fur. their fur is specially made so that there's cracks in it, the algae grows on there, there's an entire ecosystem, moths, beetles, worms all go in that hair as well. >> why is that good? >> in the wild it's great for the environment because it's its own ecosystem. just like every tree as it's own ecosystem. >> found in dad at the courthouse hit by a car. the latest problem is the 880. >> as you approach, we're looking just at the top of the screen, that's where you come offle 80 and make that cross over the toll plaza approach and then to the toll plaza itself. somewhere along that high rise which we can't see, reports involving a big rig accident. 880 coming up past the coliseum, moving, but slowly past high street. things are famromimprom san leandro slow past the coliseum. more news after this. "know the species, know the stain." lanolin-free coat, i know it's an alpaca. walks in here, looks says "hey look, it's a llama!" cleaning the stain like he would a llama stain. time he's wasting. ♪ call 1-800-steemer [ male announcer ] the turn changes everything. ♪ the turn will make you think. ♪ make you re-examine your approach. change your line. innovate. and create one of the world's fastest-reacting suspensions, reading the road 1,000 times per second. it's the turn that leads you somewhere new. introducing the new 2011 cts-v coupe. from cadillac. the new standard of the world. the bay area could get another bridge, a special committee is going to meet today to consider whether to pay up the $400,000 just to study the idea of building a new span south of the bay bridge and north of the san mateo bridge. you see it on your map there. this idea was considered in 2002, but the estimated $8 billion price tag put the plan on the back burner. if the study is approved, it alone could take two years to complete. another update in a half hour. "the today show" returns in about a minute. have a great morning. [ dog barking ] mom! breakfast? in this house? in the morning i can use all the help i can get. that's why i love nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that's perfect on multigrain toast and even whole-wheat waffles. it's a quick and easy way to give my family a breakfast they'll want to eat. and nutella is made with simple, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. they love the taste and i feel good that they're ready to tackle the day. ♪ nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 10th day of november, 2010. it's been a really nice morning to be out here on the plaza. not too cold, 49 degrees. thanks to these people for sticking around. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with natalee morales. coming up in this half hour, a little bit more of our interview with george bush, he stopped by our studio this morning for a live interview, but we're going to show you some of highlights of that and what happened and what we talked about coming up. >> he's a pretty funny guy. >> i like the matt lauer tax cuts. elizabeth smart kidnapped at 14 years old, taken from her bed at knife point from her utah home, she was rescued nine months later and this week she's been telling her story and the horrifying details of what she went through during her time in captaintivi captivity. and on a much different note, of course it's wednesday so that means it's time for "today's" money 9/11 giving you answers to your financial questions. among the topics today, how to get your ex's bad credit report off your credit. and then on "today's" health, we're going to be finding out what you're at risk for, having a talk with your parents and grandparents can give you clues about your own health. find out why that's so important. ann's got the headlines. >> good morning once again, everybody, president obama arrived in south korea this morning, the third stop of a ten-day tour of asia. and meanwhile pakistan's president is saying that president obama made a mistake in not going to his country, given its role in the war in afghanistan. for eight years he held the most powerful office in the land and today in an exclusive live interview, former president george w. bush told matt about his new memoir and the tough choices that defined his presidency. >> i was aware that some of the decisions i made were very controversial and i knew that putting them in the book would create controversy. but i really wasn't concerned about what the media would think, what i'm more concerned about is how history will judge the decisions that i made. >> you spent an entire chapter in the book talking about the financial meltdown. in the last year of your presidency, the country lost about 6 million jobs, and we fell into the deepest recession since the great depression. how much of the blame for that should be laid at your feet and on your policies? >> a lot of the blame should be laid on a lot of people, including my administration. now in the book, i make it clear that we did recognize a looming problem, and that is fannie mae and freddie mac with their exclusive government guarantees making bad investments. so i called for regulation of that industry. >> and asked what he missed about his old job, being commander in chief he said because he loves the military. elizabeth smart is back on the stand today after her alleged kidnapping. >> reporter: good morning. just gripping testimony here yesterday. how difficult this must have been for this young woman to be talking about these things with her mom and dad sitting right there. elizabeth smart sharing details of almost daily sexual assaults for the better part of a year, and yet with a very calm demeanor here on the stand, she told everyone that while she may have been victimized, she was not a victim. a determined looking elizabeth smart walked into the courthouse for a second day of testimony against brian david mitchell, the man she says kidnapped her at knife point from her bed. smart now 23, spent more than five hours recalling nine months of captivity, horrific details of being repeatedly raped. hidden in the hills of salt lake city not far from her home and later in san diego. she describes a failed attempt to escape. i started to quitely slip away and started down the trail. at one point mitchell took her to a library where they were approached by a detective who said they were looking for elizabeth smart. mitchell would not let him peek under her disguise and the officer left. i felt like hope was walking out the door, i was mad at myself for just not taking the chance, that i just felt like it was so close and i was just so, i felt terrible. a photo taken the day she was found. walking in a long robe and veil, police stopped and questioned them, separated elizabeth from the others and handcuffed her, but she knew she was finally free. i was very scared, at the same time i thought, this is it, i'm done, this is over. the defense contends this is a case of mental illness, of a man who could not make a rational decision, yet elizabeth smart spend five hours on the stand yesterday. the carnival cruise ship splendor is slowly being pulled back to port after stalling off the coast of california by an engine fire. the navy has dropped thousands of pounds of supplies for the 4,500 passengers on board. it turns out that whales are increasingly suffering from severe sun burn, researchers in california say the whale's growing exposure to ultraviolet radiation may be caused by the thinning ozone layer. and the smoking chimpanzee will have help quitting smoking. they had him entertain visitors by taking drags off of cigarettes tossed into his cage at a soon in lebanon. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> as we teak a look and show you on our u.s. satellite erada, you can see that low pressure system still spinning off the new england coast, bringing some showers to coastal massachusetts, we have got another storm that's coming into the pacific northwest, bringing more rain, re-enforcing that cold air that's coming in. here's a nice view of san francisco, a scene from oakland. breezy conditions keep temperatures cool. most of the showers are off to the east where we still have snow flurries on the west slope of the sierra today. upper 50s to 60s around the bay area. these showers leaving now are going to be the last of the rain for a while. veteran's day looks fine for your outdoor plans. temperatures should warm up some this weekend with 70s returning and dry weather at least through tuesday of next week. "today's" mon 9/11 is brought to you by charles schwab. and "today's" money 911, we answer some of your big financial questions from cleaning up your credit report to early withdrawal of money from your retirement fund. jean chatzky is our financial editor, the author of money 911 and sharon epperson, good morning all. >> good morning. >> all right, now, let's get started, we're going to go to pandora, that's kind of like "avatar." pandora, from aspen, colorado. good morning pandora, what's your question? >> caller: good morning, i have been divorced for two years, and i have two boys 11 and 13 and my expadgett away several years ago. my boys also receive a monthly social security check from benefits of their father's death. what is the best way to clear up my credit and establish it and will this affect any ability to purchase a home? >> it actually depends how old those medical debts are. do you know how old -- how long they have actually been on your report? how many hearses have passed? >> yeah, is it date open or date reported that you go by? >> go by date reported. >> caller: they range from 06, 07, 08, 09. >> here's the things, items fall off your credit report after about seven years and you don't necessarily want to reset the clock on the old ones, which is what can happen if you go in and try to clear up those medical debts. chances are because you were married, you are just as responsible for those debts as he was. i would pull a credit score and see how bad it actually is. they're so old that at this point doing nothing may actually be your best alternative. so go to credit karma.com, or credit.com and pull a report and make sure that you stay on really good behavior by paying your bills going forward. >> now we're going to go to skype. kelly in coral springs, florida. what's your question for our crew? >> i have been on short-term disability for the past six weeks and i'm trying to stay out through december. my husband and i used most of our savings account to put him through nursing school. my question is now should i cash out a small retirement naund i have. we do have three other larger accounts. i'm not as worried about the future as i am now. i want to know what the penalties would be for cashing in this retirement fund early and would they waive any of the penalties for certain circumstances such as being on disability? >> first of all, here's what you should check on. check and see if your benefits department has short-term disability insurance, chances are they do and you can actually receive benefits from them for a short-term disability. >> i'm sorry, i do have that, i'm already on that insurance, but unfortunately it only pays 60% of my income. >> exactly. >> the good news is that you've got 60%. can you pull money out of your ira account without penalty for a short-term disability? the answer is no. you have to be on long-term disability, over 12 weeks with a doctor's note to avoid penalty. so what i would recommend you do, if you absolutely have to have money, and we almost never say this, but rather than take a distribution from your ira, or a 403(b) plan, you could take a short-term loan. go back to your benefits department and look at the rules that they have on your 403(b) plan. that way you're paying interest back to yourself, as soon as you go back to work, you can start making payments back on that loan, you'll have no penalty and no taxes. >> and we hope you get better. >> thanks so much. >> let's go to a video question, this one is from angel from miller grove, ma pennsylvania. >> one year ago me and my wife were expecting a child, i had to purchase a second vehicle. my credit score was not the greatest. i ended up purchasing a used vehicle with a big, high apr rate, 20%. soon enough, do to my apr, i will owe more than the car's worth. i still do not have the greatest credit score and i'm trying to prevent this, what would be a viable solution. >> this guy is actually under water like a mortgage. >> that happens so often to so many people, what he needs to do right now is try to figure out exactly what his credit score is and if he can possibly refinance to a lower rate. 20%, that's a horrible rate. he can go to capital one or auto finance.com and try to see if he can refinance. and the other thing to think about, if he refinances, he probably has not had that loan for more than about 12 months or so, so again, it's going to extend the term and he's going to have to pay off for a longer period of time. knowing that you're under water, that loan to value on your car is not on your credit report. the issue is you don't want to follow behind on other expenses that he has. >> thank you so much. for those of you on the east coast, jean is going to be dishing out some more financial advice for the next hour on our website todayshow.com. coming up, sarah and todd palin, their lives today and whether or not they're looking toward the white house in 2012. what is your risk of cancer? 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[ mucus ] new advil congestion relief. the right sinus medicine for the real problem. the right sinus medicine this morning on "today's" health, knowing what diseases run in your family can predict your risk of cancer. a cleveland clinic says that family health history is more reliable than genetic testing. nancy snyderman is here with more on this. what specifically does this study tell us? >> it's very interesting, it took a company that's pretty well known now in looking at genetics who can swab your mouth and say you are at risk for heart disease, colon cancer and there may be genetic markers maybe saying that you will be at risk somewhere in your life, but not nearly as predictive as knowing your family history. so knowing father, brother, uncle, grandparents, that's a much better road map than any genetic screening that's out there right now. >> the thing about it is that it's probably fair to say that most of us don't really have a good family history sense. i mean you need to go get it. >> you need to get it and talk. if you're lucky, you have parents who know what happened to grandparents who know what happened to great grandparents and you yourself can make a really informal family tree. remember that if you have three or four family members who have died of heart disease or lung cancer and they were heavy smokers, you may say well, i'm not a smoker, perhaps that's not my risk factor, but if there's colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, you may say, there's enough there that i'm going to alter my screening. and you and i have talked about the risk benefits of when you screen, how wisely you spend your money, through knowing the sword hanging over you is the best way to figure out what's what i'm in my family, my grandfather got colon cancer early, my father beat it, i know i will get it. that sounds morbid. that's my genetic hit so i started screening a little earlier than the average person. have had multiple polyps removed over the year, some probably would have been cancer, some were not. but i'm still negligent about it because i know that's me. >> so we all need to know what we have. >> i'm not going to die from it because i'm screening for it. no matter how you slice it or dice it, you are the genetic makeup of two people and their two people and their two people. >> i was reading in the research, sometimes when they look at the family tree, they sometimes think about what the mom had and the grandma, but they don't factor in that breast cancer on the paternal side of the family. >> can be a risk, absolutely. know that certain diseases may be somewhat related. prostate cancer, breast cancer on either side of the family, but if daddy has breast cancer and you're a daughter, that might also put you at risk. but what you want to look for is some kind of pattern. so many women say to me my mother had breast cancer, i know i'll get it. because only about 5% or 8% of breast cancer are genetic, most of it happens for reasons we just don't understand. just take the time to say mom, dad, grandma, brand grandpa and look at that family tree and assign diseases or causes of death to them and if you're not sure what to make of it. take to your doctor and say this is my rude men try family tree, help me figure out how to be smart. >> the surgeon general operates a website that's free where you can learn how to put this information together, it's family history.hha.gov. it's a good way to get started. >> i would say even before that, the family dinner table is the best way, have those conversations. now there's a little hiccup here. my eldest daughter who's now 24 is adopted, so kate has no idea what her family history is. so i several years ago hired a private investigator just to look to find out where her parents might have been and how they tied. going as far back as grand parents because i thought i owed that to kate to give her some kind of landscape and found out who had died of what. so at least as an adopted child, she can say, i may not have a complete family tree, but i have really something. and i think that's important for kids in their 20s to have. >> all right, very good. >> prevention starts early. >> thank you so much. on all those counts, dr. nancy snyderman. coming up next, what's next for sarah and todd palin, we'll be hearing about their marriage, their new reality tv show and 2012 coming up after these messages. nah. we have something else. but if you're hurt and miss work does it pay cash like aflac does? nah. or let you spend it in any way you want like for gas and groceries? nah. or help with everyday bills like aflac does? nah nah nah. [ male announcer ] there's aflac and there's everything else. visit aflac.com for an agent or quote. aflac! would you like me to read you a story? you can't read. [ grandma ] 'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma. [ grandma ] ...nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya... how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. [ both ] goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. this christmas, make it wonderful at your hallmark gold crown store. new revlonstmas, growluscious mascara. helps lashes grow stronger. with a unique formula that complements my lashes' natural growth cycle. 96% saw instantly longer lashes. this is the start of something big. new revlon growluscious mascara. ["stir it up" playing] stir up a smile with hershey's syrup. we knew the perfect place to go. man: cheers, everyone. i guess i did okay. i knew they'd love him. introducing olive garden's two new sacchetti dishes. stuffed pasta pouches filled with four italian cheeses. with herb marinated chicken breasts in a garlic cream sauce. or with savory sauteed shrimp. both served with our unlimited salad and breadsticks. it was a great time. and good practice for my parents. olive garden. when you're here, you're family. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. 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[ female announcer ] introducing the eraser foundation from maybelline. our patented applicator and formula with collagen goes beyond covering. micro-corrects, micro-erases signs of aging. the eraser. only from maybelline new york. when you can actually party at your party? with homemade chex party mix. five great recipes that wow the crowd. and you can make them in only 15 minutes. get out of the kitchen, get into the party. homemade chex party mix. good morning to you. it's 9:26 right now. mike's got an update on the bay bridge. >> we had that disabled big rig on the 880, but it cleared. sounds like the rig was able to move off the roadway without any problems and this is the remainder of the backup. still have the metering lights on heading over to the city. let's get a wider shot. the commute continues to wind down on the east bay side making things slow coming out of the city as more shift toward their commute on the golden gate bridge. on the south bay we still have slowing, especially 101 after the earlier folks routed over there because of problems on 880. and drying around the south bay now. you can see what's left of the showers, we're still seeing snow flying close to 6,000 feet this morning. for the afternoon, partly cloudy, breezy, 63 san jose. upper 50s to near 60s in san francisco today. tomorrow looks dry and pleasant weather through the weekend. 60s and 70s into the start of next ek. time now, 9:27. more news after the break. an ultimatum from the santa clara city council to labor unions, come up with concessions or else 82 workers will lose their jobs. overnight the city council voted on holding off issuing pink slips for another month. the labor unions can try to come up with solutions. and forgo year-end raises, accept a pay cut and furlough days. city workers say they're being used as a bargaining chip. >> to talk about laying them off after you guys have squandered millions of dollars, it's too bad you all don't have the 49er named after what you do because that seems to be the only priority these people in front of me have. >> we have worked really, really hard and diligently to try to find some way to solve these problems and we just are not close. the only thing we have left was to talk to our employees. >> jobs that could be cut range from fire captains and police dispatchers to civil engineers and library assistants. another local update in a half hour. "the today show" returns in less than a minute. have a great morning. it's not that the easy days, are what keep me coming back for more. and the customer says, on the carpet." what? gonna be difficult. don't tell me about a dog. a day care full of kids, house chickens. call a day's work. call 1-800-steemer ♪ who said that you can't go home ♪ ♪ he's a hometown boy ♪ who said you can't go home that's the supergroup bon jovi and they're coming back here to rockefeller plaza, they're going to rock their second home friday morning only on "today." >> do they know that "today" is their second home? have we made sure they know that? >> they were the artists in residence last year. >> this is home. >> that means we're sisters and brothers. >> coming up in this half hour, sarah and todd palin open up about their marriage, their kids and their future. and also ahead this morning, how to be a hostest with the mostest. and it's the season for it, lots of entertaining coming up. so we'll be showing you how to work with flowers and mashed potatoes. >> hi, bianca, how are you? >> she's the hostest with the mostest. we're going to go into their kitchen, because they're the ones who really rule the kitchen. but from the folks at the biggest loser, sweet and salty with chocolate, a dessert that will tempt you but not crash your diet. let's see what's happening for today, we have got some heavy mountain snows, the pacific northwest windy and wet. we have got showers from the low pressure center over the east coast. tomorrow mild for the eastern third of the country, we have got some cold weather moving into the plains, wet weather in the pacific northwest by late in the day and some showers along the eastern texas coastline. there's the oakland camera looking back to san francisco. we're going to see breezy and cool conditions, mainly 60s from oakland to san jose. closer to the coast, upper 50s. 56 for lake port. look at truckee. veterans day looks just fine, patches of morning fog. temperatures should be climbing with a light offshore breeze. dry weather taking us all the way through tuesday. >> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, what's up e going to get the skinny onn? that right after this. of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. ♪ keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. [ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. go-gurt is specially made to freeze and thaw by lunch time? so kids can have their favorite yogurt in their lunch box go-gurt. freeze it. thaw it. eat it up. thaw it. gotta get that bacon! dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as zero dollars at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night. sarah palin, the former vice presidential candidate, knocks news commentator and mama grizzly as she calls herself now takes her turn as a reality tv star. the palin family will invite america into their living room on the new tlc show "sarah palin's alaska." sarah and her husband todd sat down for an interview to discuss the show, their marriage and what's next for sarah palin. sandra, good morning, good to have you here. so it's interesting that she's doing this reality show now that there's so much question about her political future. you really got to spend a good amount of time with them. two days in their home. what are the real sarah and todd palin like? >> they have a very comfortable relationship, they almost don't need to say anything to each other. in fact todd told them their couple time was a long road trip, he would take a nap and she would go out jogging. they have been married 30 years, they're comfortable, cemented and also a real working two-man team. he does everything for her. >> she even says that in the interview, she says he is my everything. >> he's putting on her earpiece for fox news, googling for the latest news, checking up on candidates she might endorse. they're a really connected team. >> the new show on tlc, "sarah palin's alaska" start this is sunday and a lot of people are wondering if this perhaps isn't an advertisement for her. but karl rove had an interesting take, he said that it would make sarah palin appear less presidential. >> i quoted that karl rove comment to her at her kitchen counter. and she showed me her bruised muscles from kick boxing and she said i would like for karl rove to come up here and see me in a man's world. she's afraid of heights. >> it's a mark burnett production as well, right? >> it started out as a documentary about alaska and the great outdoors. you see them as a very regular family, very involve parents encouraging their kids to challenge themselves. >> so it really is unguarded, the family is exposed. and i know sarah palin has called herself a mama grizzly, do they have any concerns about exposing their children to this kind of media. >> todd said that he did a little bit. and that's why they insisted that mark brunette tells s me that ty didn't take anything out. in fact, sarah made some suggestions about what images to use over some of her voiceover materials. >> so there's no downside if she's going to have somewhat of a say there. >> right, that risk was minimized, but there are still some telling scenes, willow has a friend who's a boy sneaking up the stairs. you know, you get some glimpses into the challenges of raising teenage teenagers. >> speaking of reality shows, her daughter bristol is a reality show star in "dancing with the stars" she actually got into the semester mooil my finals last night. >> the power of palin voters. >> exactly. and sarah palin said she actually had an ah-ha moment when her daughter bristol made a comment. what did she say? >> i think that was why they decided to just jump in and do the show. bristol said when she was going on "dancing" you know mom, whatever i do i'm going to be criticized i might as well go dance. >> yeah. >> and i think sarah and todd, this is it. they're going to go dance. >> go dance and have their time, as well, and maybe make it into the semifinals abdomen we saw there. a lot has been made about the financial aspects of the palin househo household. what do we know about the income or how much they're worth nowadays? >> that was interesting because i was almost afraid to ask, i know it's a touchy subject with a lot of people. and they seemed unbothered by the question, though they wouldn't answer it. she said reports that she's made 12 million in her first nine months out of office are grossly exaggerated. she said we haven't even made that much yet. i said, would you like to correct the record? she said, no, participate of the freedom of being out of public office, i don't have to. >> so the question is would she go back to public office and the white house being perhaps that office. what did she is? >> she talks about the freedom being unshackled from government office, i think it will be a hard change of lifestyle for her to go back to that. but, you know, she said she hasn't made up her mind. she did say if there's an opportunity to make a difference she's going to take it. and she said that the kids are on board and say, sure mom, let's do it. >> and todd's a board, as well, with that. >> todd says said it's her decision. interestingly, he said about the show, every step we take is a step towards whatever comes next. so i think the show is the next step. >> interesting. well, thank you for sharing your interview with us. appreciate it. and you can read more the new issue of "people" magazine out today, right? >> yes. >> all right. thank you. and coming up, putting new sparkle into your next party right after these messages. ting sparkle into your next party right after these messages. be santabulous this christmas. right now at sears themed décor is 25% off. including all stylish country living... ...and beautiful ty pennington collections. be the santa you want to be. find your santa at sears.com. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. in among on this morning on "today's home," creative way toes entertain your guests this holiday. we have some exciting new party ideas. hey, danielle. i feel like i'm coming to your party. >> welcome to my party and that is what we want to stress, first and foremost. the best gift you can give your friends and family is an invitation to your home. i think so many of us are like, gosh, i have to spend a lot of money or i have to put on a big show. not the case at all. we wanted to pull together some fun discoveries to inspire you to think, oh, i have something like that, i should pull that out. >> and you're saying that makes it easy and fun and what i'm thinking you can say is maybe you can find it from your grandma's trunk or maybe something just to great your guests with something pretty, right? >> it sets the tone and it puts you in the mood. when i put on a cute apron, it may be silly, but i'm ready for a party. my husband has to remind me to take it off. some of these are so cute. they're using these gorgeous vintage fabrics. this is from smocks design and these are from headhostess.com. these are both mother-daughter teams that make these abe rons. >> that's fun to actually have one that matches with your daughter. >> that's a great idea. >> yeah. >> once you arrive, you say, hey, welcome to my house, then i want to serve you something fun. and you're saying there's lots of things you can buy these days or even find again in your grandmother's house. >> think about presentation and whether you're whipping up something simple or buying something from the store, it adds a really elegant touch to put it on a pedestal. this is from whitneysmithspottery.com. she casts these or makes these by hand. i would also sit a bowl of soup on those. thank you spaniards for your great idea of pop-ups. put some olives, tomatoes and onions on the store that you pick up on your way home. put these into little dishes. >> a great thing to have on the table. >> you're ready to go. >> one thing i thought, one time i went to a party and one of my girlfriends gave me a recipe for something that i just loved and it tasted so great. and i said i just love that. and she says i have already written it out for you because you were talking about it and so she gave me one of these cute little cards. >> i think i love that idea to send your guests home with something they enjoyed at your house. >> we love to serve wine in our house and decanting wine can really improve the flavor and we don't have a lot of decanters, sometimes you can put them in a pretty bottle. >> this is a milk bottle from threepotatofour.com. or you can just find one. i think that takes all the pretension out. you pour it into something simple, as you said, it's kind of a french country feel, people reach for the wine, nobody's worried about how much the wine costs or it's a lot easier and homier. >> and you can put your flowers in them. >> this is a friend who lives in new jersey who throws the best christmas parties, does this every year, it's a mashed potato bar. the humble mashed potatoes, you can feed literally hundreds of people without a lot of money. you can put them in martini glasses, and it turns into -- we look forward to this part of the party every year, we start getting excited bit it in july. isn't that great, so you can put whatever. >> and let them pack it while you're in the kitchen doing something else. >> or talking and enjoying your guests. and don't forget, breakfast or brunch is a great time to host guests. it's a little less expensive, you don't have to search as much food. unless you have friends like mine, they don't drink as much. >> we have all the expensive wines in the morning. so that's a good idea. you also want to think about presentation. >> some bread. this is a neat tray, it's just $30 and it comes from piazzo. it looks like a lacy doyle. or another way to do that is just some sweet potato butter. >> in other words people know when they come to your house -- >> they're like, oh, she always has that great low calorie sweet potato butter. it's a new spin. >> thank you very much. you have some great idea this is morning. >> thank you. and coming up next, chocolate without guilt, we're going to be talking about some sweet treats from the biggest loser and chef devon alexander. but first, this is "today" on nbc. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. can cause coma andider's even death. the african black mamba can kill a man with one bite. but there's an even deadlier predator cigarettes, produced by big tobacco, which take a life every six point five seconds. don't be big tobacco's next victim. this morning in "today's" kitchen, hot chef devon alexander is one of the chefs for nbc's the biggest loser. her newest cookbook features 80 healthy recipes you can enjoy even if you're on a diet. good to see you. >> good to see you too. >> the challenge is when you're trying to lose weight or at least maintain weight loss, have to be lower in calorie, but they still have to taste good. and dessert's got to be a real challenge. >> absolutely, i have lost 70 pounds and i crave chocolate like you wouldn't believe, so i was the perfect person to write this book because it's all about the flavor in the end. this is the first cookbook of its kind in that all of the recipes are not only lower fat and lower calories, they're also all natural. >> cool, all right. let's get started. what are we making to start off with? >> we're making chocolate glazed pretzels. >> in this is a lot like a sweet and salty deal. >> exactly. you take pizza dough and then you roll it out and cut it into these little nuggets and we throw it into the boiling water and this is water with baking soda. which is how you traditionally make soft pretzels. >> so you're boiling the dough? >> you're boiling the dough and it gives it that nice crispiness that pretzels have. you come over here and you throw them in your oven, 450 degrees for on about 10 minutes, and then you have your pretzels. here, i made this sauce out of agave nectar and cocoa. >> now, why agave? it doesn't spike your insulin, it doesn't make you go on sugar crashes. >> it's not any less caloric than, say, any other sweetener, is it? >> it's not. but we just use a little bit as you'll see here, and spread them on your pretzel. and you don't need a ton. but four of these pretzels have 144 calories and three grams of fat. as opposed to your mall pretzels that have about 500 calories, if they're half as decadent. so throw that on there and then we sprinkle a little bit of sea salt and we all know that's the trend right now. >> everybody loves the sea salt? >> they do. here we have mocha silk custard. this custard is only 104 calories, believe it or not. >> that's illustrate? >> yes. >> 104 calories for that. >> yes, and normally if you got that in a restaurant it would be about 370 calories and 12 grams of fat. >> now, what's the -- when you're working on dessert, a lot of people make the mistake, i think, because they think it's lower in calories, i can have more of it. >> well, you can have a little bit more, which is part of the reason i love it. when you feel like you're having a couple things one stop more quickly than if you're having one giant pretzel. >> now, what if you can't make this yourself, you're out, you're dining, what is one good tip for a dessert to try and keep yourself -- >> oh, buy, you know, i like to eat desserts at home because, again, you can eat so much more. when you're out, you really do have to deprive. eat the fruit when you're out and bake this stuff,'s easy. >> that's just chocolate powder and agave? >> here we go. >> i am not kidding. no, no, here we go. >> oh, yumm. >> hey, could you do that again? wow. >> that's fantastic. >> it was great for me, too. the book is "the biggest loser dessert cookbook." devean. and coming up, we'll tell you how to get what you want, the art of complaining. . hi! welcome to progressive.com. come on in, and i'll give you a free quote. quote and compare in about 8 minutes. now, that's progressive. call or click today. good morning to you, i'm laura garcia-cannon. let's check the morning commute. >> a traffic break over the next few minutes northbound side of 5 approaching fremont avenue. you'll see officers going back and forth to slow things down while they move an accident off the roadway. by the time you get to fremont itself, that incident is clear. northbound 101 still shows that slowing coming past the airport. san jose, and again past 237 and 85. typical pattern for that portion of the south bay. looking at the southbound side of 880, that's the fun zone. south of the slow zone still for 880. it's clearing up as well as westbound 580. eastbound you'll get help this evening because the hov lanes are open for the p.m. commute. >> and the weather should be pretty nice later on today. breezy at times, we'll get the sunshine, but cool temperatures, low 60s san jose. upper 50s to near 60 in san francisco. tomorrow, patchy fog. weekend looks good. 70s coming back as we head toward saturday and sunday. >> stay healthy, rob. can you get a free flu shot today, contra costa health services is offering the vaccinations in nine cities today. you do not need health insurance and anyone can come. the clinics are held from 1:00 to 7:00 today. this year's vax seen will provide immunity to the h1n1 virus known as the swine flu and other strains of flu in a single shot. nasal spray vaccines are also available for people 2 through 49 and people who are not pregnant. good health to you this winter. another local news update in a half hour. "the today show" returns in about a minute. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody. so glad you're with us. it's wednesday to you, is wines day here. it's november 10th. we're delighted to have you. hello, hoda woman. >> you were the talk of the evening last night, by the way. >> i was young and i needed the money, really. whatever they told you, there was a good reason for it. >> i went out for a little bit, and your compadre rob chuter was there and he was describing the night. look at you two. >> that's nothing compared to what went on that night. that's how the evening started. >> if you didn't know yesterday, we're doing a trading places story where kathie lee gets to live my life and get to live hers. >> one day even. >> rob said even for him, and he's a nut. >> he's a totally crazy. >> he said even for him your night was off the charts. there was one point we were passing you over our heads like a mosh pit. that's what they said. >> i went to physical therapy yesterday, and i had to explain to my therapist why my neck is killing me. i said it was hard to describe. i was clubbing last night. >> he said he couldn't believe that you rallied and played. >> oh, yeah. oh, no. we'll show you the entire thing on friday. >> that is friday. >> you were busy yesterday. did you talk? >> it's interesting to do one of these chats. you're doing a live chat and people are sending in questions and you have to answer quickly and fire away. >> i can't do it. >> i was so happy. i've never been happier. >> she just grins. look at your beautiful manicure. >> people asked about that. >> the little things -- >> can i tell what you they agreed with me on? >> what, hon. when they have a chip or nick and don't want to redo the whole deal, people do the band-aids. i'm not the only one. >> i do a band-aid if there's a broken nail that's going to rip off so it's protected. >> why would you redo all ten when one has gone? you just let it go. they agreed with me on that. it was fun to chat with everybody. >> you took 1600 calls -- questions. >> i couldn't type that fast. >> as many as you could. what was the single most often asked question? >> they asked a lot about what's in our glasses on the table, approximate if it's true. that's a question. >> this is always the green tea for me and for you it's usually green tea. >> i switched to coffee because it's cold out. >> today because it's wines day, we have this in front of us. it's called maple river winery, and it's pumpkin wine. this is the biggest seller in the month of november. so much about wine is the aroma and i've got to tell you, it doesn't -- it smells -- it doesn't smell so hot. doesn't smell so hot, but that doesn't mean -- >> get in there. >> it's not as bad as i thought it would be. it's just unusual. it's unusual. >> you can work with the coffee. i don't know. >> hot cider or something. i don't know. >> it's 13.99 and you can get it at maple river distillery.com. >> we wish them all the best in the world. i have something exciting to share with everybody. go i got a phone call from a friend of mine two months ago, dan cooney. he's been in under the bridge off broadway and he did a work schopp shop of mine, the seduction of saving amy. it was saving amy at the time and did he it. he said i'm writing a musical and i'm struggling with the lyrics. will you help me? i said of course. i said, what's the name of the show? it's a wonderful life. i said how did you get the rights to that? it took me one year to get the rights to the family under bridge. this is a huge branded thing. he said the person who was supposed to be in charge of re-issuing the copyright didn't do it, so it's public domain. so i helped him, and i ended up writing i think 12 songs and then he asked our mutual friend to write the melodies. it's a world premiere of it . >> a lot of people are familiar with the movie. >> it's a very, very fine -- the book was adapted by a guy named john huffman. i never met him. i read the script and wrote the lyrics to it. >> how cute. where is this going to be? >> it opens november 26th through december 23rd. tickets are on sale now at the enco encoretheater.o encoretheater.org. it's in dexter, michigan right outside the ann arbor. it only seats 300 people or something like that. >> how fun is that? >> how thrilling. >> "it's a wonderful life" the bar is really high. everybody really knows it. to come up with other songs couldn't have been easy. >> it wasn't. whether something is so well-written and the characters are so well delineated you know right where the song should be. this is the first time. this is the workshop of it. it doesn't travel yet. we work on it the next year. you see the first workshop tf basically. i'll be there on december 3rd. hoda can't come with me because she's very, very busy. to prepare for that weekend you'll have down to the turks and caicos, there's a new std test. you never know when you need it. now that i've lived hoda's life for one day, it's too bad i didn't have it the other night. >> this app by the way is kind of nasty, so here's what you do. >> if you have small children take them out of the room. >> here's what you do. there's a microchip that you are to take, and then you are supposed to urinate on the chip, and then you take the chip that's been urinated on and put it in the iphone thing, the app, and it tells you whether or not you have an std. that is sick. i'm sorry. that's really -- >> you can also use your sa lea live va. >> it tells you where to go if you have a problem. they have an app for that. they're still developing it. >> before you swap fluids and stuff like that, you should know, obviously. >> you should do the test before you meet someone and see his test. that's what you should do. i think the idea people are just running around having sex with anyone seems so yesterday to me, doesn't it? >> i don't know. after the other night reliving your -- >> stop it. >> you have to watch on friday. jkr has produced it and is editing it. i hope there's something useable for family television. >> it doesn't sound like much. >> i have never been speechless. you know that about me. there was a ten minute period where i could do was gape. i couldn't believe it. >> i can't wait. it's wednesday and we have a thing called would you wines day? would you let your kids register for birthday gifts -- >> or christmas gifts. >> the same for your wedding or baby shower. now they have a thing where parents are registering their children on their birthdays and things, and so if you're saying what should i get little mary sue, you go on the link. >> you don't like that? >> that's ridiculous. >> why? >> because -- >> i can see two sides to this one. >> when you need things for your wedding and baby, i understand registers. you need sheets, a crib, or whatever. when it's your birthday and you're a young kid, you should be grateful for whatever anyone brings you. the idea you say here's my wish list seems greedy. >> a little crass. >> what do you think? >> i have given gifts to children on their birthdays and they say i have three of those. >> they shouldn't say that. >> they're little kids. they said thank you, i have three of them. they said thank you, which i'm grateful to hear a thank you these days from kids. i cannot believe how few kids say please or thank you. maybe it's because their parents are on the twinkie diet. >> we talked to joy bauer about this. a 40-year-old went on a junk food diet. he ate twinkies and junk food and pop-tarts and whatever and lost weight. here's what joy said about this. she said it doesn't matter what you eat. it's calories in and calories out. >> he cut it down to how many calories? >> 2600. >> instead of consuming 2600 he consumed 1800. >> let's pretend you don't want to have dinner and there's a steak and potatoes and say i want the chocolate cake. you can skip the dinner and eat the cake. you may end up losing weight. >> but the fat content doesn't make sense to me. >> she said your numbers all go down because you lose weight and your energy level is terrible. >> she does not suggest it. that might be why so many children are not saying please and thank you because their parents are on this diet. up next if you have a complaint about your cable or phone and no one will answer the phone and you can't get what you want, what are you supposed food? >> sarah ckhe tcut oto check out the viral video of week. first, these messages. ♪ holy night ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ the moisturizer in other body washes sits on top of skin. only dove has nutriummoisture, which can nourish deep down. dove body wash with nutriummoisture. superior natural nourishment for your skin. so fisher-price created the laugh and learn kitchen. ♪ something smells yummy where babies get a taste for learning. ♪ a, b, c, d... opposites. 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"today's working woman" is brought to you by mcdonald's. i'm loving it. the tough job of getting your complaints heard and your situation satisfied. who doesn't have a story about consumer dissatisfaction like the new appliance that arrives without a key fob. >> or the service people that never show. i'm just saying. then there's the frustration and countless phone calls begin, and you become the complainer. something jerry seinfeld really had a handle on. >> i had a reservation. do you have my reservation? >> yes, we do. unfortunately we ran out of cars. >> but the reservation keeps the car here. that's why you have the reservation. >> please hold while i transfer you to our automated system. >> this steak is medium rare, and i wanted extra gravy on my mashed potatoes. how intelligent do you have to be to take a food order. >> the supervisor? >> to get you to the right representative, i'll need to know what you're calling about. >> i'm sorry, i would normally get an associate to help you with that, but our offices are now closed. >> we have a blue ford escort for you, mr. seinfeld. would you like insurance. >> you better give me the insurance because i am going to beat the hell out of this. >> that woman in that movie "waiting" was a nasty complainer. how do you get good customer service. >> margaret and amy is the ceo of successfulkids, inc. the initial frustration is getting somebody on the phone to start, because you're constantly pushing one and one and one and by the time you get to a human being you're already lathered up and upset. >> that's when you get to a human being. you know it's bad when you scream at a computer generated voice. >> you have to keep your cool. i get it. it's hard sometimes. >> when you finally do get to that person is to make it clear to him or her that you're not blaming them. they didn't cause your problems. they're the ones to help you fix it. so if you start, you know, in a calm way, you have made them more of an ally and not your enemy and get better satisfaction. >> sometimes they don't seem that interested, though. they're just not. you get that feeling sometimes, right? >> yeah, you do, but i think that as we always tell our children, to use your words. when you have a problem or an issue, if you use your words, if you stay calm, if you have polite language and explain the problem, you can get them to, you know, help you better and quicker. >> here's the thing. you get transferred -- first of all, you can no longer hit zero to get an attendant. now they say that's not a valid thing. you have to go through the whole rigmarole. then they transfer you to somebody else and somebody else again. my worry is you get disconnected in the middle, and you get in the back of line. >> what you do is -- before i even have any kind of fight with them or conversation about the problem, i ask for their name and i give them my phone number so if we get disconnected they can call me back. >> and also if you ask their name they're on record as the person who might have been rude to you. >> what about face to face? now my cable is not working and whatever. i thought about going -- >> it's just fine. >> wlaehatever. i thought about going down to the time warner cable place and waiting there. i've been there once to return equipment. it's a madhouse. is it better to physically show up somewhere? what's the best plan of action? >> one of the problems why we have so many complaints and why we complain is we've lost that face-to-face thing. you put two real people face to face, you start from a position of more kindness and niceness. when there's not this an no, ma'am mitt. >> with internet, with all of the social networking tools we have with blogging and tweeting, it's so easy for us to write our complaints so quickly and to be mean. to write things that are inappropriate. >> when you write -- i don't think anybody's reading. you know what i mean? you're like i didn't get my west elm delivery. >> i think that's completely wrong. i think that a lot of service industries really, really care about what you write. i mean, there are sites like trip adviser and others and these are businesses that depend on word of mouth and goodwill and they want you to have a pleasant experience. it works in our favor because these service providers bend over backwards to make us happy. >> when you are just at the end of the rope and finally get that person, what can we do? is it stop, breathe? give us a tip. >> if you use your manners, if you are polite -- >> if you're out of them. hoda's out of them. >> i feel like they should give me something. i said to the cable people, my cable is out and i want five days. i said to the phone people you didn't plug my phone into the right phone number. >> know what it is. what will make you happy? know what it is. ask them what can you do for me for the situation? you say, this is what i would like you to do. you can negotiate from there. >> they told me you can't get your rebate on the phone thing. i'm sorry. we have to charge you for the hookup. but that's twice we've done it. >> sometimes you have to be -- >> i feel terrible now. they might mess up my cable. >> all right. >> i'd like to say one thing. i feel much better. thanks, ladies. the viral video that will have you singing all week long. i hope not. later the little creatures from out in the cold come in to. >> i wait. >> i love them. >> thank you. and this is my e. on fridays i have hockey before school, so i take two eggo homestyle waffles and put peanut butter inside. [ whispering ] i add a couple chocolate chips when dad's starting the car. [ male announcer ] there's only one way to eat an eggo...your way. [ quinn ] l'eggo my eggo. [ louise ] my name is louise and this is my eggo. on tuesday i go in even earlier than usual. thank goodness for eggo, a nutri-grain waffle with a quick smoodge of cream cheese... at least that part's easy. [ male announcer ] there's only one way to eat an eggo...your way. [ louise ] l'eggo my eggo. to cover up flaws and make skin look pretty but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skiliakqu m 98% of women saw improvement in their skin's natural texture, tone, or clarity. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics recommended most by dermatologists. neutrogena® cosmetics ["stir it up" playing] stir up a smile with hershey's syrup. i'm home. toilet's fixed. 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[ speaking spanish ] ♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso stand 'n stuff taco shells. old el paso. feed your fiesta. we're back with webtastic. we're keeping you up on all the stuff burning up the web. >> who better than sarah to show us the newest and hottest viral video. >> you know when your friends he mail you a youtube video they can't stop watching. atomic tom performed and taped and edited their whole video using their iphones. check it out. with over 3.5 million hits, atomic tom's subway video is a youtube sensation. i had the chance to meet up with the band. you guys are a real band and you do the musical creative blogs. who came up with this idea to do a whole song on an iphone in the subway? >> this actual idea came from my younger brother. he gave me a call one day and said i have a great idea for one of your new video blogs. >> 3.5 million hits. how is your life different now? >> a lot of early mornings. >> a lot of early mornings. >> we basically have done the same thing we've been doing. we're trying to play for as many people as we can. >> i couldn't wait to see the guys in action. live from the b train, atomic tom. let's go, guys. ♪ >> that is the coolest thing ever. i'd just ride the subway all day if this was the kind of stuff we did. this is video that will have them talking for a while. >> i can't believe they can do that. unbelievable. >> they're ridiculous. >> still to come, could you t c penguins our studio after your local news. no gobbledy-gook? never. do i still get all the dagnabbit coverage i need? sure. we give you a quote and you can adjust your price up and down to find something that works for you. ♪ this thing is okey-mcsmokey skiddly-doo. great! i think. diggity. oh! still not sure. the "name your price" tool. only from progressive. call or click today. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ new revlon growluscious mascara. helps lashes grow stronger. with a unique formula that complements my lashes' natural growth cycle. 96% saw instantly longer lashes. this is the start of something big. new revlon growluscious mascara. good morning to you. it is 10:26 right now. mike has one last update on 101. >> let's check it out, we're looking at northbound 101 off 237 up out of mountain view and into palo alto. speeds below 20 miles an hour, slower approaching coming out of san jose. sorting thins out on 101. golden gate, no problems. mostly dry, an easy drive out of the north bay through marin county. slowing north and southbound on city streets. right here getting into the city an easy drive as well, the metering lights turning off and then drying out here. oakland, 880, haven't seen many issues over the last hour and a half. smooth drive and lighter volume. traffic will shift to the southbound side route into hey word. >> all those commutes, mostly sunny and we'll see breezy conditions, cool temperatures despite the fact you saw the sunshine from the traffic cameras. 63 degrees, upper 50s close to 60 in san francisco. winds generally out of the northwest. tomorrow morning, patchy fog and look at those dry conditions taking us through the weekend. 60s and 70s. gorgeous weather towards saturday and sunday. time now is 10:27. more news after this brief break. - hello! - ha! why don't you try a home cooked meal... with yummy hamburger helper? oh! tada! fantastically tasty, huh? ummm, it's good. what would you guys like? hamburger helper. what?! one pound... one pan... one tasty meal! with not having enough food. that's why i've teamed up with feeding america and hamburger helper®. when you buy hamburger helper® you can helpeeding america deliver a meal to a local food bank. visit this website to see how you can help. lots of local nonprofits are looking for valuen tiers and this year it will be easier for people to find the right match. the oakland city center and east bay are teaming up, looking for people to donate their time to worthwhile nonprofits whose missions they support. they're holding a fair from 11:00 to 1:00 today. >> a lot of people want the opportunity at the start of the holidays to go to a charity, help out in whatever fashion, in whatever type of organization they're familiar with and would like to help. >> some of the local nonprofits participating include habitat for humanity, space and science center, wardrobe for opportunity and the alameda county food bank. there will be live music and prizes for volunteers. thanks so much for joining us this morning. "the today show" continues next. see you bright early tomorrow morning starting at 5:00. and we're back on this wines day with more of "today" and we're ready to play "who knew?" we will quiz you on war movies. kathie lee is across the street. she's ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who get the questions right. those who don't, they get kathie lee's cd. here to help me out is a senior writer at "newsweek" magazine. interesting topic. >> happy veterans day. >> let's go across the street. >> i hope this lady loses so she gets my album. she has 4-month-old. you're from peru. according to the guinness world records which had the most expensive explosion scene. was it pearl harbor, platoon, mash, our "inglourious basterds." >> "platoon." >> yay. >> he's going to love this cd. >> and the correct answer in this one is "pearl harbor." >> that movie cost about $140 million. they spent $5.5 million on the big explosion at the end. they used 12 cameras, 700 sticks of dynamite, 4,000 gallons of gasoline. it was crazy. >> where do they do that? >> just off the shore of hawaii. >> back across the street to kathie lee. >> two lovely ladies from charleston, south carolina. which is credited with giving us the term wing man. was it wings, fly boys, blackhawk down or top gun. >> "top gun." >> yeah, baby. >> there's not a woman alive who missed that one. >> you can be my wing man anytime, which you can, hoda, if you want. >> too cute. that was such a great movie. >> it was. and they're making a sequel, believe it or not. tom cruise might come back to play maverick again. >> interesting. we'll look forward to that. >> beautiful family visiting from washington state. which of the following movies does not take place during the civil war? gone with the wind, cold mountain, glory or the patriot? >> "the patriot." >> that was the revolutionary war, baby. >> "the patriot." >> that was the revolutionary war. mel gibson was in it and heath ledger was in it. mel gibson was in "we were soldiers." he was in "braveheart." so he must like to get in a lot of fights on the screen. >> back across the street. >> this gentleman is from southampton, england. let's look at the clip. >> i'll give you the best shot. >> good morning vietnam! >> where was the movie "god morning vietnam" filmed? china, thailand, vietnam or hong kong? >> vietnam. >> no. but you're going to love "my way home." i hope you have a safe way home yourself. >> he gave a good guess, but the correct answer is actually thailand. >> it was a trick question. it was cheaper to shoot in thailand. they went to bangkok and transferred it into saigon, and they talk about this on the dvd. they had to change the street signs and change it from thai to vietnamese. one of the problems is in thailand you drive on the wrong side of the road, so they had to move the traffic on the other side of the road. clear the roads for this movie. >> interesting. back across the street. >> is this beautiful lady is from portland, oregon. let's look at the next clip. >> let's get into the war. >> grab some cover and put some fire on that crew. david, young, get ready. >> first 25 minutes of that movie were so powerful. how many barrels of fake blood were used in the opening scene of "saving private ryan." 10, 20, 40, or 80? >> i would have to say 80. >> no, no. you're going to love "everyone has a story" because they do. >> 40 is the correct answer? >> 40 gallons of fake blood. that's 27 minutes long and it's one of the most memorable scenes in the war scenes. steven spielberg made it for his father that fought in world war ii and he did it in his memory. his father told him stories growing up. >> kathie lee is comes back across the street to see me. >> i'm from these lovely people from sacramento. >> we need you. >> they're going to get a cd. >> rob schneider returns to the screen with something new. we'll talk to him about that. let's get chinese. should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with wanchai ferry? you can make it in just 14 minutes. mmmh, orange chicken. great. i didn't feel like going out anyway. 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[ male announcer ] ...seem less than graceful. ♪ the very well talented rob schneider is best known as the gigilo in deuce bigilo. >> he's breaking out in the usual roles in a movie he wrote, directed and stars in. it's called "the chosen one." good to see you. >> nice to see you. >> i like that. >> you wrote it yourself? >> i wrote it with boone collins. it's a nice movie about a guy who thinks his life is over. >> why? >> it was a suicide in the family, his father. he works at a car lot and emotionally shuts down. finally his wife leaves him and he's about to lose his job. these people walk a couple thousand miles from columbia, and they knock on his door and think he's the chosen one. it was a nice story. i wanted to write it and make it. we finally finished it. >> it's sort of a darker movie compared to what we're used to seeing you in. what made you want to do something like this? >> i liked the story and these people. they're from the teronia in colombia. it's the only place that's very unique in the world. it's the only mountain that's four miles high right on the ocean. it's the only place in the world that has it. they live up there. they were never conquered by the incas. >> it wasn't worth it to make the climb? >> very high up there. they want to talk about the world and what's happening with the world. >> it's very timely. you got a great cast. steven buscemi and holland taylor is so good in everything. >> she plays my mother. >> doing an indie is not simple, it's difficult. what's hard about it? >> getting the money. steve beau shem mee plays my brother, a buddhist gay monk in it. >> that doesn't sound quite right. >> he's great in it. >> we wish you good luck right now. it's out on dvd. >> it's on dvd. it's going to get into theaters, too. i'm lucky to get it throughout, and hopefully it will be theaters in new york and la. >> called "the chosen one." one of our favorite people is in the house. she shares some words of wisdom. what are you reading? >> her book. >> i think she's reading hoda. atcond we have cold wer malsanoming up after this. been in the daney am [ ss rftce a htsierthe turn of the centu. my grandfather, also a dairyman. and then my father, duane. i started out with my dad and my brother. [ scott ] when you have a family situation, it's just a progression. my position is at the bottom of the totem pole. since the boys came in, i've worked my way all the way down. 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[ man ] call for a special offer and go to walgreens to learn more about diabetes. and get freestyle lite test strips today. we're back with "today's call of the wild" and seaworld's ambassador. >> look what she's found. some animals -- >> some that are here to poop on my stage. >> he's just looking. >> some penguins in the house. >> oh, my gosh. it was fantastic. i went down and saw them. and their chicks, and we actually have some video to show. the chicks were amazing. think about it. it's the coldest, driest, harshest place in the world. >> yeah. >> it was about zero degrees. i'll tell you that. it was very, very cold. look at that. >> cute. adorable. >> what was amazing to me was what they have to go through to survive. >> "march of the penguins" was unbelievable. >> we had a chick hatch in san diego, that thing is four times as big as these guys. ours get pampered and fed ever day. they were looking around for their parents, but it was a fantastic experience. >> you know what? they're not afraid of -- they don't have very many predators down there. we saw one seal they thought was a leopard seal, and they all took off. these are penguins that are very different from the very cold weather peng kuins. they come from south america and withstand cold and warm, which makes it more difficult if you think about it. this is penny from seaworld of orlando. underneath the table. that's so cute. >> are these the ones that bite? >> they can. anything with a mouth can. these guys are very young, only two years old. >> okay. >> this is their first trip. >> i need a -- i'm telling you. >> they are a little stinky. isn't this amazing? look at the baby. look at that little baby, and i'll take care of the adult hair. this is dad, actually, who got mom waiting off stage there. >> he's so cute. >> he's so soft. >> yeah. they're like a rabbit. >> they have 50 hairs per follicle as opposed to our measely one. they've been hunted to extinction in the wild. >> are they coming back? >> not yet. they're bred in the care of people for coats and things like that. you're looking at an animal that's surviving very well. >> i'm sorry, honey. >> they live up in the andes. so these guys are very, very cute. you know what i want to show you? hang on for those a second longer. >> it's jumping around. >> let's get david out here. >> oh, it's stuck. >> hoda dropped a -- now -- >> let's take the babies off. these guys actually bathe up in the snow. >> he's okay? you sure. >> they're very, very hearty. they actually go into the ash, in the volcanic ash, and that's what cleans them. >> they're so clean. >> they take that ash, and that keeps their fur in really good condition. they need that fur to be in good condition. >> we have to save some time. come on, baby. >> i'll take this one. >> don't jump. don't jump. >> one of the most beautiful and the largest falcons in the world. thank you, jennifer. >> i'm nervous about that baby. >> this guy is from bush gardens in williamsburg. look at the coloration on this. >> they can turn their whole head around and look at you. >> look at the large eyes. these guys hang outs in the coldest parts of the arctic and the tundra, and they hunt year-round. they even store and cache some of the things they catch so they can come back later and chip away at it. look at the coloration. isn't it perfect for living in the snow. it's whiter than all our birds of prey. >> he's lovely. >> you guys are so funny. let's get this guy out first. >> he was giving me the eagle eye. >> it's a very beautiful falcon. >> he's beautiful, but i don't think he liked us, julie. >> that's all right. look at this. a red fox, which a lot of people associate with -- he's going to love that. a lot of people associate it with other parts of the united states, certainly. >> i'll get it. i'll get it. >> they are found all the way up into the arctic areas as well, because they have this luxurious fur. they're very, very intelligent. you guys have heard of the cunning fox and all of that. >> yes. >> all righty. >> it's been fun. i wish i could remember your song, but we'll have it down for next time. coming up next, one of the our favorite author is in the house. she has a new book bound to be a best seller. she's genius. first, this is "today" on nbc. critics call adriana, delightful and energetic and an effortless storyteller. >> this time instead of giving her readers her usual dose of family-themed fiction, she's back with a new book full of advice to feed your soul. it's called "don't sing at the table: lessons from my grandmother." >> you can sing at the table. it's your show. i'm so excited to be here. it's my best selling girl. >> you crank out best sellers like nobody's business. >> this took me over three years. this was the hardest book for me to write for it to feel effortless. it's about my grandmothers and i was crazy about them. i wanted it whittle it down and dispel their wisdom. there's great stuff in here. >> i love the pictures because it puts a face to your grandmothers. what did you take away from them? >> first of all, it was the way they lived. they knew how to live. when you came into their home, you were welcomed. if you were an unexpected guest, there was a feast for you. my grandma had peppers and tomatoes and piece of bread, and suddenly there was a feast. there she is, viola. the hard part was the pictures because we had thousands of photographs of her and really so many that i wanted to share. the thing about her, she started to work when she was 14 in a fact factory, and by 16 she was the forelady. when she turned 40, she and my grandfather opened their own mill and had it for 26 years. she worked all her life, and then they went into business together. all of that is chronicled in here. my mother's mother came over and worked at a factory in hoboken and she changed her name, americanized it from luchia to lucy. my daughter is named for her. she worked in a mill, and then she met my grandfather. my grandfather went off to night in world war i. that's how you got your citizenship. you signed up for the army. they moved to minnesota. it chronicles all those years. i wanted to write something for my daughter so if god forbid something up happens to me -- >> no. >> that the wisdom is here. that she has it, and it will apply for your daughter and girlfriends. it's for everybody. >> in a nut shell, what would be the one line they would say to you? we have 30 seconds. >> luchia used to see nobody has to see how many times you pull out the hem. you perfect and perfect and perfect and get it where it should be, whatever that gift is, if it's your song, if it's a story, if it's a book, you perfect it to the best of you can, but nobody has to see how much work went into it. >> you're the best. >> genius. >> tomorrow, taboo topics how to get down to the naked truth about sex. get down to the naked truth about sex. >> bye. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ye.ok, 'lli [ female annouer made fresh, ight. thiss. that is not half. guys i have more. with cinnabon cnamon have such a sweet delicious aro that my family can wait ir hands on them. enjoy cinnab cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon roll that my family can wait ir hands on them. enjoy cinnab cinnamon... this flu season, what would you pick for your flu vaccine? a shot in the arm? or a spray in the nose? i pick my nose. i pick my nose. i pick my nose gracefully. flumist. it's the only flu vaccine that starts fighting the flu in the nose, where you usually catch it. in a study of kids 2 to 5 years of age, flumist cut the risk of getting the flu in half compared to the flu shot. i picked my nose. she said i could. flumist may not protect everyone. flumist is not for people allergic to eggs or other vaccine ingredients or for children and teens taking aspirin or products containing aspirin, or for anyone who's had life-threatening reactions to flu vaccines. health conditions including guillian-barré syndrome, a weakened immune system, diabetes, pregnancy, or heart, kidney, or lung disease may exclude you

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