Transcripts For WBAL Today 20090909

and we're back with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, september 9th, 2009, 09-09-09. >> guess whose birthday it is? >> whose birthday? >> luke's birthday. happy birthday. >> your son, luke. 09-09-09 baby. a lovely crowd. we're glad they're here. and you've got an amazing story. >> i really do. i'm really excited about this. now, jim williamson is a veteran outdoorsman, competes in these 100-mile super marathon races. but he got in a bind last week while hiking in the mountains of utah. we'll tell you what happened to him and also meet the local heroes who came to his rescue along with the grateful hiker himself to tell you his amazing story. truly a story of survival. can't wait to see it. >> absolutely. and we've got another edition of "today's money 911." this morning, answer to your financial questions from financial emergencies like how to move on after you've declared bankruptcy to investing in everything from real estate to savings bonds these days. we've got our expert team at the ready. >> good. also, the inspirational story of ruby geddinger, overweight since a little girl, recently she's been bravely documenting her weight-loss process on her own reality show. she is now down to less than half that weight, more than 400 pounds later. we'll show you what she looks like now. you'll hear what she's learned along the way. she really is motivating so many people across the country. >> really inspiring story. now let's get a check of the latest news. we go inside to ann at the news desk. >> thanks a lot. good morning once again. in the news this morning white house spokesman robert gibbs said on this broadcast that the president will speak clearly and directly about health care reform. in his address to congress tonight. the president is facing skepticism from republicans and conservative democrats as well as millions of americans who don't want their current coverage to change. nbc news will have the complete coverage of president obama's address to congress anchored by brian williams tonight at 8:00/7:00 central time here on nbc. devastating floods in turkey have killed at least 20 people. today motorists in istanbul were trapped in their vehicles. some of them were swept away before help could arrive. it is the worst flooding there in 80 years. dramatic images. a kidnapped "torque times" reporter was rescued overnight in a nato commando raid in afghanistan. steven farrell was taken hostage by the taliban on saturday along with his interpreter. they had gone to the area to report on last week's deadly air strike on two hijacked fuel tankers. the interpreter, a british commando and reportedly some civilians were killed in the cross fire of today's rescue. today sonia sotomayor hears her first legal arguments as a supreme court justice in the case dealing with campaign finance laws. sotomayor was welcomed to the high court on tuesday by the chief justice, john roberts. today president obama is among those paying tribute to walter cronkite at a public memorial service in new york celebrating his achievements. the legendary anchorman died in july at the age of 92. some great white sharks, more of them, were spotted and tagged on tuesday off cape cod so that trackers can keep an eye on them. the biggest is about 15 feet long. in all, five great whites have been tagged off massachusetts saturday. as you might expect, chatham beaches are closed to swimmers again today. and an arizona driver charged 37 times with speeding vows to fight the charges. photos taken by surveillance cameras show someone driving his car wearing different animal masks. well, the suspect claims police can't prove it was him. police say, however, yes, they can. they say that other surveillance photos show him putting the masks on. it is now three minutes past the hour. let's get a check of the weather, another check of the weather, from al outside. >> i think that's a guy that needs to take the bus. i don't know about you. we've got some friends here from canada. you came in in an interesting way to new york. what did you come in on? >> the queen mary 2. >> the queen mary 2. that's very cool. >> documented her hometown of st. john's, new brunswick. so there was a tour that was offered, two days, two nights with the rich people. all the way to new york. >> well, that's great. good to see you. thanks for coming down. >> so we're here for two nights to enjoy. >> thank you very much. that's awfully nice. i love that. let's check your weather, see what's happening. and we've got in the northeast, you picked a bad time to come, ladies, unfortunately. cool canadian high pressure. low pressure coming up the cape. you're not going back. okay. and that means we've got a lot of heavy rain over the next couple of days. seas six to ten feet. good thing you're not on the ship tonight. we're looking at a lot of rain working in here. over the next two days, rainfall amounts generally about one inch but some areas along the southern >> more gray skies today. a slight chance of showers. not into the 80s where we should be. the blustery. and that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. now to a miracle rescue. 49-year-old father of two jim williamson was out for a training run in the rugged mountains of utah last week when he slipped and fell into a cany cany canyon crevasse. pulling off a series of daring helicopter landings with only inches to spare, the rescue squad lifted him to safety. jim is with us this morning along with the guys who saved his life, terry mercer, helicopter pilot with the utah department of public safety, and lieutenant corey polcifer from the washington county sheriff's office. good morning to all of you. >> morning. >> what an incredible story. when i heard about this, i said you've got to be kidding me. jim, you're out there for a run, and you get swiped by a car, right, that pushes you into a crevasse? you got hit? >> i have no idea. >> you don't remember? >> i was running, and everything was fine. the temperature was relatively mild, low 90s. i was just working my way down a gradual slope, wasn't difficult or anything like that. >> so what happened? >> i don't remember. >> you don't remember. >> i blacked out at some point because i hadn't -- i didn't even know i was near a cliff at that point. >> mm-hmm. >> so i don't know. >> how are you doing? because we should let our viewers know, you have your jaw still wired shut, and you had some serious injuries to your face. >> pretty much i apparently somewhere along the line, these guys might be able to add a little bit. i had fallen and maybe when i fell over, i was just, like, 30-foot cliff or something. i fell over something. and i assume that i landed face first. >> uh-huh. >> and so i broke my jaw, lower, all the way up and then across the top and off the sides and then my forehead. so i have metal plates all through there. and i get to pull my face down to get to it. so my jaw's wired. >> so still a lot of recovery for you, but, i mean, considering the circumstances, i mean, you are very lucky to be here today. >> the search and rescue people as well as my friends and family, i have them to thank for that. the support that i've had throughout the whole session was unbelievable. >> you said you don't remember much of it, but you do remember at the point where you regained consciousness. it was, what, about two days into the ordeal? >> it was sunday when i was running. and somewhere around 12:00 to 2:00 that afternoon, i guess i lost consciousness. >> mm-hmm. >> i had no idea what happened from that point until i started coming to on about monday evening. >> mm-hmm. >> and at that time i heard a helicopter, and i'm thinking, oh, it reminded me when i was doing search and rescue work myself. >> you were on a team, too. >> so i said, the chopper's leaving. sounds like it's the last load out, and i'm not on it. my gosh, they can't see me. and so in and out of consciousness the rest of that evening, i guess, that night, i worked and squirmed my way out and the next morning, once i saw that they waved back, i pretty much passed out again. >> this is unbelievable, when you see the landing on that ridge there. you had to do that 11 times with the whole rescue team. tell me what that was like. first of all, you two know each other. you had known about him. tell me what it was like knowing that there was somebody down there when you spotted him and knowing that it was up to you to get to him. >> when we first spotted him, i put the couple rescuers above him where it was a very easy landing. and i noticed this pinnacle. but i didn't think if i put him on the pinnacle they could even get off of it. but after a couple of trips in, one of the hikers got out to the pinnacle, and that's when we established that as our point to work from. and it was -- >> how dangerous is that, though? i mean, that looks -- i mean, where he was, it was hard to get to. >> where he was, it was very difficult. it could have taken us all day, but with that pinnacle, we got it down to a couple of hours. and it was a very -- you know, it was a doable landing with a little bit of experience. the best part was the crew that i was working with. >> yeah. >> the search and rescue guys were so efficient getting on and off the aircraft that when i came in, i didn't have to sit there and mess around too long. it didn't take them long to get hooked in and get their gear in. >> corey, i imagine your training kicks in there, and you go in, and you know you've got a life to save. how dangerous was the situation? >> our concern when they located him was how quickly we could get him out. he was in critical condition, extremely dehydrated. we took medical personnel in with us to establish an i.v. with terry being able to land on the pinnacle where he was at, it really cut the retrieval time down by several hours. >> and you shot that video, as we saw there, of the landing and everything. >> the video was shot by one of our search and rescue members that was up there, and then i took the photos. >> and so i imagine you don't see a lot of days like this. even though you have all the training, i imagine you're not doing this a lot in your life. >> it's really amazing with our volunteers, the amount of time and effort that they put in, too. and that's one of the big stories. on this search, we had 108 volunteers for a total of 338 hours that were given just for jim on this one. it's really amazing, the amount of time. >> jim, really quick, i know you've got a couple words you probably want to say to these gentlemen. >> these guys are the top of the heap. there's so many people in the search and rescue field that are responsible for my being out here. i mean, to cover that mountain and the hours that they put in to train and prepare is unbelievable. so thank you guys and all the search and rescue people out there. it's fantastic. >> really remarkable. >> i probably wouldn't be here. >> we wish you the best in your recovery. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> you'll probably get out there running again real soon again. >> as soon as i can get that left side working again. >> i'm sure you will, if i know you. thanks so much, jim williamson, terry and corey, thank you. and still to come this morning, how to be smart about which movies are appropriate for your kids from 2 to 12 and beyond. but up next on "today's money 911," from timing the real estate market to dealing with credit card companies, you've got worries, so we've got some answers for you right after this. announcer: it gives the world fewer smog-forming emissions. it gives you a 50 mile per gallon rating. the 3rd generation prius. it's harmony between man, nature and machine. 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>> aha. this is the waiting game. you try to time the housing market like you try to time the stock market. it's a very difficult thing to do. and here's the deal. prices, if you just follow prices, maybe prices will be lower. maybe prices will be higher. depends where you're looking. but what about interest rates? there's something you have no control over. that could change. interest rates could go up. therefore even if prices go lower, the loan, the mortgage, will cost you more, therefore you won't get as much back on your written investment. the thing is, if you're looking to invest in real estate, you have a long-term commitment, you've got to be ready to do this, do it now if you can. you've got to put over 20% down, absolutely, you have to have a lot of emergency cash in the bank and make shaur you have fantastic credit. remember, too, if you're going into real estate now and you're tempted by low prices and low interest rates, you already put one-third of your money in your primary residence, one-third is a lot. be very careful going in. >> and also make sure that you can do the maintenance on a real estate investment. >> the insurance, the upkeep. >> exactly. and you have the time to do it. >> all right, stacey, thanks. let's head over to dean & deluca with natalie. >> all right, i've got marian rich from buffalo, new york. you have a question about repaying back college loans? >> question. we owe about $21,000 left on our daughter's college loan. we're paying 4% interest on it. and we are able to pay it back if we choose to. i want to know, what is the smarter move, to continue making monthly payments until 2017 or to repay the loan now at 4% interest? >> it's 4% interest on that loan? okay. go ahead, stacey. do you have an answer? >> how about having their daughter pay it off? how about that? >> i wasn't going to say it. >> have this conversation with your daughter. >> and you want to know which is the smarter way to go. >> she really needs to be having this conversation with her daughter. children have got to take some responsibility for their own college education. ask her. would you rather that i tap into my retirement, help you pay off some of these loans now, or would you rather i live with you when i'm retired? never tap into your retirement. >> every child will say no. but financially, if that money's earning -- if you have money earning more than 4% somewhere, let it ride. if it's sitting in a checking account or savings account, you might want to pay more now. but again, we're talking about who's going to take care of you? can your daughter do that? make sure you're taking care of yourself first. she needs to pay something. >> take care of yourself. >> good advice. don't hate the playa. >> exactly. >> we've got a viewer on skype, kay from stewartstown, pennsylvania. kay, good morning and what's your question? >> hi, good morning. my situation is that i have accumulated a significant amount of credit card debt from trying several home-based businesses that were unsuccessful. i've been trying to make monthly payments on time to keep my good credit rating. however, two of the companies sent me letters stating they were going to increase the apr. and i can either choose to accept their terms or cancel the cards. so i opted to cancel the cards which those have high balances. so my question is, what's the best solution to reduce and consolidate this debt so that i can pay off the cards and still keep my good credit rating? >> well, here's the thing. consolidation is all about kind of bundling things up and fixing an interest rate. so what you're thinking about doing is basically taking out another loan. now, you could actually fix an interest rate with a loan, say, from a bank or credit union which may serve you well in the long run. but if you maintain what you're doing right now and you're able to afford to do that and keep your interest rates low, keep doing what you're doing because taking out another loan, you may not be able to get a very good interest rate here. go to your credit union. and if you need help managing all these loans, you know where i'm going to send you, nfcc.org, get a nonprofit credit counselor. because what you're finding out, kay, when it comes to your business and your personal credit, your business cards and your business debt is actually relies on your personal credit history. so the two mesh. so be very careful with it. >> good luck, kay. and now let's go back across the street to dean & deluca and natalie. >> from clinton, indiana, dick, you have a question about gold? >> yes, i do. i keep hearing from financial advisers and stock brokers to buy gold, buy, buy, buy. gold reached $1,000 an ounce yesterday. >> mm-hmm. >> do you still buy gold, and where's it going to go? >> well, you've got a nice necklace going there, i'll tell that you. go ahead, carmen. >> invest in the bling, i guess. >> it's not real. here's the thing. gold, it did reach a really amazing high. but it's a hedge against inflation. during recessionary times, commodities, people flock to what you can hold and feel and touch. so prices have gone up. so the time to get in was back in '07 when it was $600 an ounce. now here's where it may or may not go. most folks say there will abe pullback because the dollar is going to gain more value. we're coming out of the recession. the time to get in was before. if you're going to get it now, do a spyder fund, not necessarily ingit. >> that's a swedish accent, isn't it? carmen wong ulrich and stacey tisdale, ladies, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and if you've got financial questions, go to our website, todayshow.com, and we'll try to answer them for you. still to come, you've got her to thank for frank sex talk over cosmos. so what has "sex & the city's" candace bushnell come up with now? 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(announcer) 20 upc labels mean 20 free books for your classroom. or, sunnyd will donate ten cents per label, up to three hundred thousand dollars, to the kids in need foundation. make classrooms sunnier for kids. learn more about the book spree at sunnyd.com. team up with sunnyd. are you having -- you happened to catch "america's got talent"? >> i did, last night. >> we pick from the top 20 who perform, one energetic breakdancer, torres, got down, literally bending over backwards. ahaw! >> oh, that hurt. >> my golly. but does he have what it takes to be crowned the king? you'll have to tune in tonight and see which four acts move into the finals. that's 9:00/8:00 central time. meanwhile, still to come, one woman's battle to fight 700 pounds she's lived in most of her life. we'll have that and more right after this. >> we also have a dog here in a baby stroller. >> yes, it's a first for us. that's after your local news and weather. i saw a picture of myself and i was absolutely horrified, oh my gosh. it was the weight. i lost 26 pounds using alli. my friends were absolutely amazed. they had no idea that alli would work that well. if you stick to the guidelines that come with the starter pack, you'll do great. i actually don't mind getting on the scales now, i'm happy. i actually don't mind getting on the scales now, should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with new wanchai ferry? you can make it in just 14 minutes mmmh, orange chicken. great. i didn't feel like going out anyway (announcer) wanchai ferry. restaurant quality chinese in your grocer's freezer >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. a baltimore woman will get a front row seat for tonight's health care speech. she has been invited to sit with first lady michelle obama and jill biden. she has a chronic condition that attacks oliver major organs. she racked up $30,000 of bills in surgeries. her insurance only paid $400. >> i have not been to a specialist and i'm very scared to good one. a hospital bills i have are really big and i cannot afford not to go, but i have not been good but tomorrow, i hope something will happen and it will make a difference so that i can go back to see about my stuff. >> she will be among the millions paying very close attention to what the residents as to say. you can watch the speech on health care reform tonight at 8:00. let's get a check on the forecast with sandra shaw. >> slight chance of showers, much like yesterday. 70 to 74 degrees. the easterly flow is coming off of the atlantic. it is going to be around for another day. for least one more day, we are in the clouds. >> our next update at 9:55. the sparkly flakes. the honey-baked bunches! the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? 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>> well, luke just turned a year old. >> i mean josh, i'm sorry. >> luke is asking me for a lot of elmo these days. >> oh. >> you know, it's a tough decision for a parent, what they get to watch. you know, like, i struggle with some of the cartoons that are on because they're so violent. >> yeah. >> maybe you look back at the old stuff. >> that's right. >> wile e. coyote and bugs bunny. >> as we all know, you can't always trust the ratings to make sure that the content's suitable for your kids. so there's a new entertainment site that features a guide to help you decide what you want and not want your kids to watch. this morning we'll take a look at some of the movies coming out this fall. also coming up, one woman who's been brave enough to let us into her life, ruby, who stars in her own reality show documenting her weight-loss battle. at one time she tipped the scales at 716 pounds, and now she's less than after of that. you'll get to meet her and hear her inspirational story just ahead and she'll tell you how she's been able to do it. then this "today's kitchen," an all-time crowd pleaser, noodles with an asian flavor. later on hoda and kathie lee catch up with the man with the >> mostly cloudy, a slight chance of showers. today will probably be similar bird 70's, cooler temperature range continues tomorrow. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. coming up next, she started at a life-threatening 700 pounds-plus. we'll show you how ruby looks today right after this. i knew i had to see my doctor. he told me i had choices in controller medicines. we chose symbicort. symbicort starts to improve my lung function within 15 minutes. that's important to me because i know the two medicines in symbicort are beginning to treat my symptoms and helping me take control of my asthma. and that makes symbicort a good choice for me. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler. within 15 minutes symbicort starts to improve my lung function and begins to treat my symptoms. that makes symbicort a good choice for me. you have choices. ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. 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"but it looks pretty nasty outside" (announcer) grands at only $0.25 a biscuit you'll find any excuse to eat in ♪ you don't have to be a witch either, it's true ♪ ♪ you just have to love a fun, tasty dinner ♪ ♪ and wearing some of that dinner on you. ♪ and at her heaviest, ruby weighed more than 700 pounds, and everyday life was a struggle. now ruby chronicles her life on her style network show called "ruby" as she works on losing weight and battling the mental challenges. for you at 328 pounds, ruby shares her private thoughts and insights in "ruby's diary," reflections on all i've lost and gained. ruby, good morning pap great to have you here. you're such an inspiration. >> thank you so much for having me. >> you look great. >> i feel incredible. it's amazing. >> you've lost about half of yourself already in weight. >> i really have. >> this book really is more than just your weight-loss journey, it's your life journey. it's the story of trying to struggle with lost childhood memories. you don't remember a lot of your childhood. >> i don't remember anything. i remember a couple of things under 13, but especially 10 and under, i do not remember anything. i had a recurring nightmare that i share in the book. >> mm-hmm. >> that i was not ready to share on television yet. and then there was one memory that came when my dad passed away which was in january. and i share that. but that's one thing -- the next part of this journey, trying to find out my memories. >> do you think a lot of that is what led you to being overweight? whatever happened in your life in the past? >> i could never figure out why i got as heavy as 716 pounds, but now talking to the therapists and reading books, i'm starting to think maybe it has something to do with that. >> so now you've lost over 400 pounds. how has life changed for you, and what has it been like to do this in front of the millions of people who are watching? >> i'm telling you, it's amazing because the people that are watching me are inspiring me to keep going on because they write me. i have people of all sizes, all ages that are changing. and i never realized there are so many people out there that face their own addictions or their beef. i call this the beef, something that i've been fighting forever. so every time someone tells me that they are changing, they've lost 100 pounds or 50 pounds or they are walking or they're calming out of their house for the first time, it keeps me going on. >> how much has your life changed? i mean, you talk about the things that people take for granted, putting on a pair of blue jeans or even just walking up here to get to the studio, getting up the stairs? i mean, that was tough for you. >> somebody would have to help me get up the little stair right there, but it's different now. because back then, you know, no matter what size i was, i was always happy. i lived my life. people were mean and cruel, but i would still go out. so back then i could walk five minutes, couldn't hardly breathe. but now i can walk three miles or i can get behind the steering wheel of a car. i can go kayaking. i had one of my dreams come true. i got to ride a horse. >> i know, you've been horseback riding. you're on the treadmill. you're working out. you're doing things you never thought you could do. you say, though, that the old ruby used to say i'll do this tomorrow. but then tomorrow never came. >> the one thing that i have learned is that do it today. don't ever say tomorrow. anything you want to do, i don't care if it's dieting, if it's a dream, start it today because tomorrow will not come for five or ten years. i beg everyone to do it today. >> and you tried every diet. you've done the yo-yo dieting thing. what is it that finally got you motivated and got you working? >> i'm telling you right now, it's almost like i went to rehab without going to rehab. i went cold turkey for six months, and it totally changed my pilot. i'm telling you. >> it's a diet. >> it's a diet plan, you know, that is totally made by a chef that, you know, it's not processed food, and they really teach you portion sizes, and they teach you totally -- a variation of healthy foods. i never would eat that kind of thing. >> but you were struggling with health issues. i mean, diabetes. >> i was at death's door. >> your doctor said you're a metabolic time bomb waiting to go off. >> he wanted me to take insulin, and i said no way. ten milligrams. and when he said that to me, i went no, because i felt like if i was going to take insulin, i was giving up, and i could not go there. i said no, i have to fight this. i'm not going to get myself shot. >> i have to read a little bit of what you write at the end. i'm not going to give away anything. if god asked you if i could go back and time and make you fat or small and you could choose, it would be true, i'd rather be the same, lord. i'd choose big. i know that sounds crazy but i'm spending every second of my life fighting to get small, but this is the kind of person you want to be, and the journey is what this is all about for you, right? >> i believe that i'm a better person for being big because i don't judge people. i don't look at people on their shell. i look at the inner person. and i feel like this is my destiny because i want to help other people. i don't feel like it was the purpose of me to be this overweight, but i want people to not live in their house or define themselves by weight or anything. i want them to define themselves by the heart, by who they really are and live their lives. >> and you are inspiring so many with that message. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> the book is a ruby's diary." ruby, thanks so much. >> thanks so much, natalie. >> nice to see you. next, how to choose the right movies for your kids. but first, these messages. ing... and hand-made upholstery. you choose the style... we custom make it. always with free design service. ♪ hand-made for you at ethan allen. it's more affordable than you think. ethan allen now with smart finance options... for the way you live. ♪ some 100-calorie snacks just fall flat. ( thud, ding, applause ) 100 calorie right bites. make the most of every bite. t you make me another meatloaf ♪ - ♪ no - ♪ forget the mac and cheese ♪ - ♪ oh no ♪ i want some fun piled on a bun ♪ ♪ i want a manwich, please... ♪ make tonight a manwich night. - ♪ i want a manwich, please ♪ - ♪ ahh-ahh-ahh. (announcer) even after 20 washes, woolite for all darks won't cause fading. washed out? not pretty... so keep your clothes looking like new! (announcer) don't take a cnce. trust woolite. thanks. i did it to let the judges know that my dog is the right choice. i got the idea from general mills big g cereals. they put a white check on the top of every box to let people know that their cereals have healthy whole grain, and they're the right choice... just like buttercup. (announcer) general mills is the only leading cereal company to put healthy whole grain in every box. the choice has never been easier. for whole grain guaranteed, just look for the white check. vegetables are naturally low in calories. for whole grain guaranteed, v8 juice gives you 3 of your 5 daily servings. it's a tasty, nutritious way to make this number go up... and help this one go down. v8. what's your number? but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin. you need to be your own advocate. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. you take care of your kids, now it's time to take care of yourself. while previews of some of hollywood's newest family movies may look harmless, some content may not be suitable for your child. i village is hoping to guide your children to proper programming to their age and maturity level. today michelle borba and angela matusek take a look at fall's movies. you have a new entertainment site out there. what is it that we need to know? because a lot of times they have a rating and you think it's okay, and then you watch it and your kids are covering their eyes. >> you know what we found is that parents do really want to know what they should take their kids to see. the thing is they're so busy. so we've put together a site where you can find all the information you need, whether it's the latest hollywood gossip or what to see with your kids. >> first of all, there's a new movie opening today called "nine," a computer. generated movie. what do you think of this one? >> the number one thing i'm concerned about, animation has gone up five levels. it's extremely intense. the thing that you need to know, parent, is really do your research and homework before your send your child to the movie and buy that ticket. >> because it's got a pg-13 rating. >> don't be deceived by that thing called the rating. i think the number one thing is do your research, check the trailers. do the reviews. and then in the end, make sure that you are choosing that movie based on what you know your values are and is this okay for your kids? >> do you basically have to go see the movie first? because a lot of them -- >> well, in some of these, i would say yes. but in the end, there are good websites that you can go to if you know a good reviewer and a critic that you trust, keep looking at that same reviewer. >> okay. so we've got a couple of pg-rated films, "cloudy with a chance of meatballs," the voices of bill haidar and andy samberg and yours truly. and "fame" coming out as well. so start with "cloudy with a chance of meatballs." >> so interesting that both movies are rated pg. and they're so different. one is a light-hearted, animated film, as you know, and the other one is a true life story about kids struggling at a performing arts school. >> and the overtones of sexuality and cliques and all sorts of things. all within pg. >> exactly. and that's the key in life is that there's going to be mature themes in there, could have sexual i sexuality, violence in there. even though they're rated the same thing, again, why you need to do your homework. >> some of these movies, are there teachable moments? >> i love using movies with teachable moments. first of all, you're in your kid's zone. they'll be more likely to open up. and you can talk about that thing called sex and drinking and the issues that come up. and you can also get a gauge on your kid's moral reasoning. what do you think about that? your kid's going to open up, and it's a wonderful way to discuss. >> interesting one coming out, "where the wild things are." much anticipated movie. but you figure it's a kid's book, how bad can it be? still some kids could be frightened by this. >> when the book came out initially, it had a lot of controversy around it. and the film really does follow the sort of themes of the book. it's about a 9-year-old boy who has a wild imagination. but little kids might be frightened by this movie because the creatures are very realistic. >> go ahead. >> that's exactly it. be careful. if your child is going to be one of those that has problems with things that go bump in the night -- >> literally. >> -- this is literally not the movie you want your child to see. >> and in november, "new moon," the follow-up to "twilight." "twilight" was rated pg-13. we don't know yet. >> i would guess it would also be the same, pg-13. at ivillage, we have a ton of message boards. people are in love with the series. and moms are just as excited to see it as their daughters. >> michelle and angela, thanks. for more information, go to todayshow.com and then our ivillage community. up next, everything you wanted to know about noodles but were afraid to ask. this morning in "today's kitchen," it's all about noodles. if you're in need of a hot, fast meal your family will certainly love, we've got a delicious one-pot special. today we have appear accomplished chef and the author of the new cookbook, "noodles every day." corinne, good morning. good to have you here. >> good morning. good to be here. >> you've been called the julia child of asian cuisine. huge shoes to fill, right? >> it is. it's quite an honor. >> let's get cooking. we're going to do noodles with beef and broccoli today. >> that's right, we are. the reason why i wrote this book is basically you're taking a very popular, you know, ingredient, the noodle, and just applying asian flavor profile, taking basic ingredients that you can find anywhere. you don't have to have a chinatown near you. we're lucky here in new york city. we have a lot of beautiful noodles, rice noodle right here. >> soba. >> soba, green tea soba and a bunch of beautiful egg noodles. >> and you can find these -- >> fresh ones and dry ones. >> -- in a lot of grocery stores. >> huge variety of noodles. >> do you prefer fresh or dried just as good? >> i like both. you know, they're both very good. the dried ones cook quickly, in about three minutes or less. you know, it's not a problem at all. >> we start with the marinade with the beef. what kind of beef are we using here? >> here we're using sirloin. certainly you can use something that's tender. >> should we go ahead? >> sure. let's do that. and you want to hear that sizzle because you're looking for a very high heat. >> hot, hot pan. >> hot, hot pan. >> and what kind of oil do you have there on the bottom? >> peanut oil but you can use any type of vegetable oil. >> right. >> something that takes high temperature. so there you go. and -- >> this cooks so fast, right? >> very fast. >> you're going to add all the ingredients as it's going. >> exactly. here's the soy sauce, a little bit of sugar, a rice wine. we've got a little bit of corn starch. >> these ingredients and a little garlic? >> and garlic, yeah. >> okay. >> it's all in the marinade. and it just cooks until, you know, cooked through. or ever so slightly pink. and then what i'm going to do, stir frying, first you want to do your beef, then your egg, your little broccoli here. >> has this been precooked? >> this one has been parboiled, but you can certainly, if you have the time, you can do this. you can do it the day before if you're running out of time. if you don't have much time to cook. just do some of the parts earlier on. >> i love that it's a one-pot meal and you've got the noodles here already ready. >> and again, these you can use the fresh noodles so they can go right in. hi, al. >> hi. looks good. >> we'll let this continue and you can show us how it's plated up. >> terrific. okay. so here we have the noodle. with the broccoli. >> and you've got dumplings. >> ooh, dumplings. >> this is a traditional one. >> what's over here? >> here we have green tea soba, another type of >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. if you have a lead foot, you may want a slowdown in baltimore county. the county council voted 6-1 in favor speed cameras in school zones. the cameras are expected to be up by the end of the year. the police department is required to provide yearly financial reports on the cameras. officials said that this not about making money off tickets but improving safety. state officials will travel to anne arundel county to toward what could become the site of the largest slots palace in maryland. members of the state's slots commission will tour the site of a proposed 4700 slot parlor. they will look at things like whether the votes in the area and other infrastructure can support the parlor. back in a minute with a check on today's forecast. why? i don't know, she's running around the lobby, yammering about fios tv, internet and phone all for $79.99 a month? seems crazy... actually, fios customers get that price for 6 months. it's like getting three services for the price of two. so am i the one that's crazy? no? (announcer) now get three amazing fios services for the price of two. tv, internet and phone for only $79.99 a month for 6 months. plus a free multi-room dvr for three months. record shows in one room-- watch them in up to six other rooms. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v before september 19th, and get fios tv-- ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction by j.d. power and associates america's top rated internet-- now even faster, and crystal clear phone service. all for just $79.99 a month for 6 months. plus, a free multi-room dvr for 3 months. that's an overall savings of $240 dollars. hurry, it's your last chance to get this incredible deal. 3 great services, for the price of 2. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v today this is fios. this is big. >> time for a check on the forecast with sandra shaw. >> we are going to be mostly cloudy. 40% chance of showers. winds are generally pretty light today. picking up a little bit tonight. potential for scattered showers as well. tomorrow, more of the same. 40% chance of showers. again, cloudy skies. by friday, warmer and starting to clear. >> thank you for joining us. we will see back here for 11 news at noon. ( slurping ) ♪ ( child giggling ) ( both slurping ) ( laughs ) ( giggles ) why just make a snack? make fun. jell-o.