Transcripts For WBAL Today 20100211

back now with more of "today" on this thursday morning, february 11th, 2010. welcome back to vancouver, where the olympic winter games will get under way with a spectacular opening ceremony tomorw night. i'm meredith vieira along with ann curry. matt is off today, getting ready to anchor the opening ceremony. al and hoda taking care of business back in new york. and natalie morales is about two hours north of our location, up on whistler mountain. that will become one of the busiest olympic venues over the next 2 1/2 weeks. natalie, what do you have coming up? >> reporter: well, of course, meredith, the talk here is lindsey vonn. everybody wondering whether or not she's going to be able to get out and practice today, and in fact, be able to compete this weekend when her events start. she, of course, is in contention for a possible five gold medals here. and due to that shin injury, she said it's one of the most painful injuries she has experienced in her career as a skier. so, we'll be giving you the very latest on her condition as well as checking out some of the action with some of the other athletes who have arrived here in whistler as well. meredith? >> all right, natalie. i'll take it, and thanks so much. of course, one of the crowning moments of the opening ceremonies, the lighting of the olympic cauldron. the olympic torch is now inching its way closer to its destination with shania twain. even today our matt lauer is carrying it part of the way. and also part of that relay is canada's own ed robertson from the barenaked ladies. they've been busy, too, with a new album called "all in good time." ed, good morning. congratulations. >> nice to be here. thank you. >> you must have had a nice reaction when you heard you would be carrying -- well, you're not competing, so you thought maybe i should go ahead and do this. >> well, it was a double-edged sword, because it was nice to hear i was carrying the torch but a huge disappointment to find out i wasn't competing. >> you thought you were. >> yeah. i had been lobbying pretty heavily. i've done a few demonstrations for it. >> what were you thinking about? >> well, i'm trying to add shooting to more of the sports, because the biathlon is a big favorite of mine, so i'm trying to add shooting to curling and figure skating. >> that's a nice touch. >> because you're a multipurpose kind of guy. you can do it all. >> i thought there would be less subjective judging with guns around. >> i was going to ask you what people should know about canadians, but now i'm afraid to. i think i got a taste of it. >> i'm not happy this morning, meredith. canadians are a fierce and fiery bunch. tempers will flair -- no, i'm thinking of the italians. sorry. we're a very polite people. i think we're very welcoming, and i think it's in transition north of the border, you won't see much difference between canadians and people from minnesota or upstate new york. >> do you have a real sense of pride to have the olympics here? >> absolutely. >> yeah? >> you know, i grew up in canada and still call it my home, and we're all very proud to be hosting the world here. >> you said earlier before we started that this is such a nice place to live. >> it really is. it's a great place to live and it's a vast country. i don't know if you know, but victoria, just to the west of us, is further from st. johns, newfoundland, our east coast, than st. johns is from paris, france. >> oh, my goodness. >> so, that's how big this country is. and believe it or not, it's even taller than it is wide. >> he's good for facts, which is nice. >> absolutely. >> i've got facts for days. >> you're also performing at a medals ceremony here. you did that in salt lake as well. >> yes. >> meaningful, obviously. >> yeah, it's great. i mean, the salt lake games were a blast. we had such a good time there. oh, there i am in our canadian speed skating uniform, actually. >> so, you want to add that to the competition you want to do. >> do you want to do that? >> i haven't scoped out what the best uniforms at this olympic games are, but i hope to be wearing whatever it is. >> needless to say, you'll be in a costume of sorts. >> we'll see. >> okay. something to look forward to. >> i really like the vancouver games' mascots. >> oh, the sasquatch guy. >> maybe i'll be one of them, the sasquatch people. >> don't turn these games into that, really. so nice to have you here. congratulations. >> thank you for joining us this morning. >> thanks. now back to al and hoda in new york. >> thanks, guys. we've got a lot coming up here in new york. we don't even have time to tell you how much we have, because hoda's got a check of the news for us. >> yes, i certainly do. all right, monumental snowfall is pushing people and plows to the limit today all along the east coast. schools reopened this morning in new york city, where children enjoyed their rare snow day on wednesday. snow squirreled through the canyons of manhattan with nearly a foot on the streets and sidewalks. they plowed that pretty quick. in philly, they broke the mark for a single winner. tom costello is in washington, d.c., where they're getting hit hard with a record-breaking blizzard there. how are you, tom? >> good morning, hoada. schools are still closed through this metro area. we have now broken the record for all-time snow in washington with more than 55 inches. baltimore did the same thing. and now, we've got to dig out from all of this stuff. they called it snowpocalypse for a reason. from virginia through the mid-atlantic, up the east coast and into new york, a ferocious winter storm and a record-breaker along the way. for hours wednesday, d.c., maryland and virginia were blasted with one of the biggest winter storms in the region's history. >> i'm kind of used to snow, but not this fast and not this quick. it's a lot of snow. >> reporter: washington's historic landmarks disappeared into a sea of white. midblizzard, the d.c. police chief went on tv, urging area residents to stay inside. >> the roads are treacherous, really. it's not even just the road conditions. it is the blowing, driving snow. >> reporter: even before this latest storm, roads, highways and bridges were crusted and glazed over with layers of ice from the weekend storm. now the national guard has brought out heavy equipment just to help emergency personnel get to work. in maryland, which got hammered with 30 inches of snow last weekend, another 10 to 20 inches have piled up. >> right now what we're most concerned about are roof collapses, power outages, public safety, vulnerable citizens, senior citizens and making sure that we save lives, protect lives. >> reporter: today, area airports are hoping to dig out and reopen after being closed and deserted wednesday, while state and federal government offices remain closed. digging out won't be easy. the snow has been piling up since friday night. trees are down, cars are buried, entire neighborhoods snowed in. >> it will take some time, but we will work as hard as humanly possible to have the city back up and running as quickly as humanly possible. >> all right, this is the walk to the subway, about half a mile. game on. >> reporter: the best way to get anywhere is to walk or use mass transit. and after two back-to-back storms -- >> i love it! this is the best. >> reporter: -- a lot of folks have developed a serious case of cabin fever. >> woo! >> reporter: which led to this massive snowball fight in the heart of d.c., a little city football, snow surfing and a hunt for the bare essentials. >> we realized we were missing two essentials this morning when we woke up, toilet paper and beer, so we ventured out down the street to the cvs here, which is open. >> reporter: now, the dig-out begins. you know you've got your priorities straight when you're going for toilet paper and beer. listen, one other note. they're very concerned about roofs collapsing because of the weight of this snow. we've had dozens of reports already, and i don't know if you can tell, but we've already got 20, 30-mile-per-hour winds here that are blowing. hoda, back to you. >> all right, tom. stay warm. thanks. reports of protest in nuclear defiance today in iran. opposition websites said security forces clashed with protesters during a massive pro-government rally in tehran. president mahmoud ahmadinejad told the crowd iran is now a nuclear state because it produced its first batch of higher-grade atomic fuel. actor alec baldwin was taken by ambulance to a new york city hospital overnight, according to wnbc, after a relative called 911. the "30 rock" star was examined, then released. a spokesman called it a "misunderstanding" and said baldwin is completely fine. officials in brazil said the pilot of a news helicopter performed heroically when his crippled aircraft spiraled to the ground wednesday. the pilot managed to steer away from homes and a busy highway and crash in a grassy area. he did not survive and his photographer was seriously injured. in new mexico, a suspected drunk driver tried to get away from police by going in reverse. the driver of this pickup truck apparently decided he had no chance in a high-speed chase, so he stopped and then backed up into a police suv three times, causing $8,000 in damage. the suspect was eventually caught and hit with his third dwi charge. it is now nine minutes after the hour. what kind of a moron does that? that's not good. anyway. >> oh, boy. >> you've got a check of the weather. yes, i do. and as we talk about what's been going on with this big blizzard, this snowpocalypse, we're talking about travel still being affected. at least 1,300 canceled flights expected today. airports are going to be a mess. they scaled back amtrak service to basically weekend or holiday service. as far as the schools are concerned, we're talking about schools that are closed in baltimore, philadelphia, washington, d.c. they're open in new york and boston, the public schools, but some parochial schools and private schools are closed, or at least there are school delays. and talk about the cost of all of this. just getting rid of the snow in new york city, 1,600 plows, 4,200 workers. it costs an estimated $1 million to clear every inch of snow that falls. now, let's see what's going on down south. we've got another snowstorm to talk about for our friends in the south, from texas all the way to montgomery, alabama. we have winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and winter storm watches, as a big low pressure system gets itself together. you can see snow in dallas right now. that's going to cause problems for airport delays. as you look at the path of the storm, comes out over the gulf, bringing rain and snow as far south as atlanta. we're talking about snow today. on into tonight. and the snowfall amounts generally going to be about one to three inches, but dallas could see anywhere from three to six inches of snow, and that >> good morning. we get a chance to quiet down. there is a little breeze coming out of the northwest. that will diminish. otherwise, partly >> announcer: "today's countdown to vancouver" is brought to you by walmart. save money. live better. walmart. this morning on "today's countdown to vancouver," just one day to go. thousands of athletes from around the countries are gathering along with millions of fans with the eyes of the world upon them. >> absolutely. and all eyes are on american champion skier lindsey vonn and whether her shin injury will keep her from competing for five olympic gold medals. "today" national correspondent natalie morales is at whistler mountain with the latest on that and some of the other athletes we'll be watching. good morning, nat. >> hey, nat. >> reporter: good morning, again, al and hoda. yeah, i got to check out the action on the men's downhill as they were practicing yesterday. today's the women's turn, and the question is whether or not lindsey vonn will be able to put on those skis today. >> it's definitely not the place that i want to be. >> reporter: lindsey vonn is trying to keep her spirits up after the startling announcement that she hurt her leg while training last week, putting her shot at a possible five gold medals in jeopardy. >> i don't know how it's going to feel. i've tried just putting my boot on in my hotel room and i can tell you it's excruciatingly painful. >> reporter: the 25-year-old skiing sensation says she's not giving up. >> i'm just trying to focus on skiing well and skiing one day at a time, trying to win or get one medal of any color. >> reporter: vonn says she will try to practice later today. that could determine her future here in vancouver. while vonn recovers, other olympic hopefuls are hitting the slopes at whistler, including bode miller, looking for redemption from the disappointment of the 2006 olympics in torino. >> somehow manages to stay up and he is off the course. >> reporter: how are you feeling? are you feeling pretty confident? >> uh, all right. >> reporter: how does it feel this time around versus torino to be back? >> uh, it feels all right. you know, they're all ski races. >> i thought bode miller did pretty well. you could see that he was standing up and he was gliding into turns that he would probably be tucking into. he was only about a second behind, so i mean, he's right in the game. >> reporter: on the ice, apolo ohno is gearing up for his third olympics. the 27-year-old speed skater could become the most decorated american in the history of the winter games. as athletes like snowboarding star shaun white continue to arrive in vancouver, weather conditions on the east coast are keeping other olympians from getting to the games. u.s. olympic ice dancers tanith belbin and ben agosto are stuck in philadelphia, their flight canceled. they hope to make it to vancouver tomorrow night for the opening ceremony, now in its final run-through at bc place stadium. >> it's such a special thing. it only happens every four years for us, and being out there as a huge team unit, it's a lot of fun. >> reporter: and again, back here at whistler now, weather conditions could be a factor later on today. they're expecting a little bit of rain and even some snow, especially on that downhill course. so, that might determine whether or not lindsey vonn will even choose to take a chance at getting out there and making a run of it today. meantime, overnight, team usa also announced who the flag bearer will be. he is mark grimmette, a luger. it is his fifth olympics and it is only the fourth time that an american will be the flag bearer here. so, a great honor for him. al? >> that's pretty impressive. all right, natalie, thanks a lot. coming up, we're going to head back to vancouver to meet three high-flying legends. they're known as the golden girls of the halfpipe. but up next, an annual checkup for your relationship. we'll tell you about the six questions every couple should ask. 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just like going to the doctor or getting your car tuned up, valentine's day may be a good time to perform an annual checkup on your committed relationship. >> and according to a new study, there are six questions every couple should ask. dr. janet taylor is a psychiatrist and robi ludwig is a psychotherapist and contributor for care.com. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning, al. >> tell us about this survey. 217 married couples. >> right. it was a rather small study, but it looked at an intervention as opposed to therapy, and essentially had an assessment where they talked to a therapist, but more importantly, looked at their strengths and weaknesses and learned some questions that can help. and what it proved was that the couples who did it versus couples that didn't participate in the intervention had increased intimacy, support and really felt like they had the capacity to improve. >> so, these questions, there are six questions. this is supposed to be news you can use. >> yes. >> and -- >> supposedly. >> well, if it's true -- >> feeling hopeful already! >> the first one, you're supposed to ask a basic, general question like how are we doing. >> mm-hmm. >> okay, what answer is that going to elicit that's going to help you? >> well, i guess you're checking in with your partner to find out how they feel about the relationship. and i think, too, it's a very loving thing to do, because when you're in a long-term relationship, it is very normal and common to say what about me, what have you done for me lately and to feel like the victim. so, when you ask this question, how are we doing, you're basically saying i'm aware that i may have things i need to do in order to make the relationship stronger and it's telling your partner i want to hear what your thoughts are. >> and i like to call it a checkup from the neck up, because we forget how important communication is. we kind of take it for granted that couples naturally do it. >> now, i like this next question, because it's a positive, which is, what's good about our relationship now? >> yes. >> it's important to focus on positives, because as we know, it's that 5-1 rule -- one negative comment by a partner to another one or a spouse to a spouse can wipe out five positives. so, it's important to have a base where at least you can say, listen, honey, thanks for taking the trash out. now let's talk about why you didn't do it last week. >> is there a right time -- >> and also, our words are so important. and if you want to encourage your partner to behave correctly or continue doing the right things, the way to do that is to say i really love it when you bring me coffee. i really appreciate you for that. >> some guys just have a weird -- like, when you start asking these kinds of questions, there are a lot of men who immediately sort of a switch goes off. how are we doing, they go, oh, no, and they don't want to go there. >> can we talk? >> yeah, how do you keep that door open? >> it's important to understand this is not just a ra-ra time. it's hard for men and women sometimes to face hard questions, but you have to figure out the right time to do it. you don't want to do it right when the big game's coming on. >> right. >> and pay attention to when you communicate the best. >> so, pick your times. also, you say how can we work together on -- fill in the blank. >> mm-hmm. >> it's important to remember that marriage or any long-term relationship is a partnership. so, you have to work together towards your common goals, and you're not going to get to your final goals or your goals if you're not working together. so, it's highlighting that aspect. we're in this together. what can we do to make our dreams happen? really, if you don't work towards your dreams or don't believe in your dreams, you're going to lose hope, and that's when people get upset. >> i like the next one, too, guys. this is what do you need more of from me? that's a very generous question, i think. >> it is. it's creating this space saying i can accept your emotions, and again, really preparing each individual for the fact that you may say something hard. you may say something hurtful, but we need to take it so that we can move on to something better. >> i think, too, when you're asking that kind of question, don't expect to hear "nothing, you're perfect." >> right. >> you need to toughen up and say you know what, i'm imperfect and i have to hear these things. >> this is an important one. when we disagree, how can we understand each other better? >> so, being able to resolve conflict and fight fair is critical, which means listening, being able to understand even when you may feel like you're not being understood, and just focusing on making sure that it's a two-way street. >> yeah. don't hit below the belt. >> here's the last one, an important one -- how satisfied are you with our physical intimacy? >> yes. >> which doesn't just include sexual activity, but it also means do we touch each other, do we cuddle and understanding that there are other aspects of intimacy. there's emotional intimacy. but certainly having that kind of physical intimacy is a critical part of a successful relationship. >> okay. all right, guys. >> yeah. when you have a good sex life, too, that's something unique to a marriage. so that's why it's so important to keep it healthy. >> thank you, robi, thank you, janet. this is based on a study commissioned by the national stud for health led by dr. james car dova. coming up, i have a special co-host with me. ms. kim kardashian will be in the house. she's a reality star, an entrepreneur. she's got perfume, shoes. >> she's got it all. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. so you ate lots of decadent rich food during the holidays. and i got irregular and sluggish. then you took the activia challenge. ♪ activia! honestly, i had my doubts. but activia really works, i can feel the difference! oh, good! help get your system back on track! activia with bifidus regularis helps regulate your digestive system in two weeks. you're convinced! i'll be treating myself to activia every morning. mmmm! take the activia challenge now. it works, or your money back! ♪ activia the sparkly flakes. the honey-baked bunches! the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? eating it. honey bunches of oats. taste the joy we put in every spoonful. coming up, we're going to head back to vancouver and meet three close friends who are also fierce snowboarding competitors. plus, cupcakes for your cupcake this valentine's day. we'll get decorating. it's this new wish yourself thin program. i just wish it and it happens. it's probably those fiber one bars you're eating. i know they help me stick to my diet. the bars are 90 calories and the fiber helps you feel full. 90 calories and high fiber. so that's why this diet thing is working. but it's weird because my wish for lorenzo came true. [ male announcer ] new fiber one 90 calorie bars. hungry no. results yes. >> this is wbal 11 news. >> good morning. no cleanup -- the snow clinic continues this morning as crew makes the wrote manageable. we have the latest from baltimore county. >> it is cold and windy here in baltimore county. behind me piquancy north road. it is down to bare pavement on most areas. we have seen a dramatically reduced traffic. a lot of folks are digging out. like this gentle man. he is someone to talk to us. he is lifting a show the daunting task he has ahead of him just cleaning out his car. he has to dig all this out just to get to this car. what a task he has ahead of him. this is evans avenue. it is completely snow-covered. unless you have a four-wheel drive, they are not getting out of here today. that is for certain. a big task ahead for folks in baltimore county. they tend to recover from the second blizzard and lessen a week -- in less than a week. >> now with it the forecast. >> thank you. the storm is gone to the northeast. we felt a little wind left behind. partly cloudy skies. we will college breezy and cold. the high temperature is around 34 degrees. it will feel colder than that. i think there will be accumulating snow in western maryland. the western part of allegheny county could get several more inches of snow. to keep that in mind. and i see coming up on friday. a slight chance for a couple of flurries on saturday. the next chance for so is raymond into tuesday. >> we will see you back here and 9:55 a.m. i'm not roaster-phobic. my perdue oven ready roaster is already seasoned in its own cooking bag. and it cooks in about half the time. my work here is done. 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(announcer) perdue. extra inspections. extraordinary chicken. you're looking ativan coffer and the bc place, the stadium that will be home to the opening ceremony of the 21st olympic winter games tomorrow night. 2 1/2-hour extravaganza will be the first one held inside with a reported 4,500 performers and will feature a moving parade of nations, when all the athletes march in behind their flags. we're going to have a preview tomorrow on "today." of course, along with matt lauer, along with bob costas, who will be hosting. i'm al roker along with hoda kotb and our good pal kevin tibbles is in vancouver, where competition is about to heat up, especially for three snowboarding icons, right, kev? >> reporter: absolutely right. now, got a little bit of good news. it's actually snowing here, which is a bit of a shocker for the people who have been putting up with all the rain and fog out here. good notes for those people who want to be doing the snowboarding on nearby cypress mountain as well. you know, we spent quite a bit of time with the golden girls of the halfpipe over the past few weeks, gretchen bleiler, kelly clark and hannah teter, and you know, when they get to the top of that halfpipe, they are the fiercest competitors you'd ever want to meet, but off the halfpipe, they happen to be very good friends. some have even been bridesmaids in the others' weddings. and they're good friends, good competitors and great supporters of one another and we're going to be meeting them in just a little bit, al and hoda. >> all right, kevin. thank you so much. speaking of women who are really good at what they do, back here in new york we have a champion baker in the house, bobbie lloyd from the terrific famous bakery called magnolia bakery, known for its cupcakes. they're in new york and they just opened a branch in dubai, and soon in l.a. this morning she'll give us some valentine's decorating tips. those are the best -- >> those look like red velvet. >> with the cream cheese frosting. oh, bring it here. okay, before all that, how about a check of the weather? >> okay, thanks, hoda. as we look as far as the weekend is concerned, we've got sunshine through the gulf coast, windy conditions in the northeast. we're going to have rain in the pacific northwest, sunny and mild in the southwest, frigid conditions in the plains. then sunday, sunday, we're looking at clouds and wind in the northeast. expect mild conditions in the southwest. more rain and wet weather, windy weather in the pacific northwest, snow showers through the >> things are settling down today. it is still on the breezy side. even the wind will diminish. and-34 degrees. snow will and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up next, three fierce women who are flying high at the olympics, right after this. are you sure? definitely, it's my treat. whatever you want grandpa, as much as you want. grandpa (chuckling): ok. vo: try our new handmade pansottis. pyramid ravioli with chicken in a portobello alfredo sauce. or with grilled sausage in tomato alfredo. starting at $10.95. at olive garden. 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>> yeah. >> reporter: hey, well, i spent a lot of time with them, and that's a good thing for me, because these three women are among the fiercest competitors at the olympics, but off the halfpi halfpipe, they are the best of friends and each other's biggest supporters. they are the high fliers, that's for sure. three american snowboarding icons as familiar with the podium as the daunting halfpipes they dominate. >> unbelievable! >> reporter: for gretchen bleiler, kelly clark and hannah teter, success comes from friendship, not in spite of it. >> i think what's cool about snowboarding is it's a very supportive sport, where we travel around the world together, compete together, train together, we eat together. >> reporter: at just 23, vermont's hannah teter hails from a maple syrup-making family of snowboarding fanatics. teter won gold in torino. >> four older brothers, always trying to keep up with them, always on their tail. i'm always like, yeah, yeah, you know, go play with your barbies, and i was like, no, i want to go, too! >> kelly clark goes big. >> reporter: kelly clark won gold at just 18 years of age at salt lake in 2002. >> kelly clark has done it! >> reporter: just ten years after starting up a snowboarding club at her elementary school. >> a momentous occasion for clark and america. >> it's been fun to be part of the sport that's progressing. you know, i really hope that wherever i leave off in the sport, that my ceiling is really next generation's floor. >> reporter: gretchen bleiler is one of the most accomplished riders in the world, taking the x games title for the fourth time just last month, edging out kelly clark. she won silver in torino and she is the sport's covergirl. her big trick, something called the combo crippler 720, whatever that means. >> it's something, that combo crippler 720 to cab 720 is what i've been working on all summer and fall, and just perfecting it, making sure that it's big and fluid, strong. >> bleiler goes ballistic! >> reporter: when you nail it, what do you say? i mean, do you say "i nailed it"? you must say something other than "i nailed it," right? >> i don't say anything because i'm not done with my run yet. >> oh, you still have to do a couple more? >> yeah. >> reporter: that whole notion of all for one and one for all certainly works for the three musketeers, so why not for this american trio of halfpipe golden girls? >> when i see these girls land great runs it makes me want to be a better snowboarder. it's just a really unique thing that i don't think happens in a lot of sports, and it's a really wonderful thing to be part of. >> reporter: such close friends that gretchen asked kelly, her roommate on the road, to be a bride's maid at her 2008 wedding. off the slopes, gretchen bleiler adds her artistic flair to a design of outerwear. >> it's feminine, it's bold, it's flattering, it's sophisticated, but it's also edgy and fun. >> reporter: but it's on the mountain where this trio's real artistry comes alive. >> hannah teter lands that clean with the grab! >> reporter: so, they say you're big on amplitude. what the heck does that mean? >> what the heck does amplitude mean? >> reporter: is that an electric thing? what is that? >> no, amplitude is just going high and up in the sky, you know, like up there. >> reporter: up there. >> up there, where you have to look up to see where they are. so, that's what i like to do is -- >> reporter: way up. >> -- is make people go, oh, there she is, oh! that's kind of my thing. ♪ there goes my hero >> reporter: what's it like to fly? >> it feels so good. you know, the mind's quiet, everything just seems so amazing, you know, because you're just up in the air. >> reporter: taking a high-flying sport to brand new heights together, and who knows, maybe sweeping the podium along the way. so, they had gretchen's jump there, the cripple tripler 720 -- >> 720. like the 3,000. >> reporter: yeah, i went up there, too, i invented my own. it was called the cripple tibbler. >> hey, kevin, do they call you tibbs? is that what they call you outside -- >> reporter: yeah. >> i've never heard it before. they call him mr. tibbs. >> reporter: they do. >> kevin tibbles, thanks so much. >> bye. >> hey, i like the vancouver swag you're sporting. very nice. coming up, valentine's cupcake decorations from one of the country's top bakers, right after these messages. my family, while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. find out more about slowing the buildup of plaque at crestor.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. 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"you know, your valentine is who you want to sit by," "who you get in trouble with, who you tell your secrets to," "who you play with at recess." i said, "well, that's daddy, too." this valentine's day, wouldn't your valentine... like to know how you feel? give them a refreshingly real card from hallmark. this morning on "today's kitchen," nothing says i love you like a cupcake, and you want to make sure they are perfect for your valentine. >> so, here with creator decorating tips, hot chef bobbie lloyd, president and chief baking officer for magnolia bakery here in new york. bobbie, good to see you. >> hey, bobbie! >> hey, hoda and al. nice to see you again. >> these are such famous cupcakes. are you going to give up the recipe? >> well, we'll give up the buttercream recipe. this is one of the recipes you cannot mess up, as long as you follow the basic ingredients, but you can kind of play around with the consistency. so, you start out with two sticks of butter and you whip it probably for three or four minutes, until it gets light and fluffy. then you start adding your sugar. >> confectionary sugar. >> do you want us to put that in there? >> carefully. carefully, though. >> very gently, al, don't you worry. >> we generally do one cup at a time. there are a couple of tricks that at home -- >> that's good! >> good job. >> to avoid the burst of sugar cloud, i put paper towels over my mixer. so, once you get all your sugar in there and you mix it up, you add a little bit of milk. >> oh, milk, okay. >> this is where you have the opportunity to change the texture as you please. if you like it smoother, you can add more milk. if you like it a little drier. and of course -- >> is that it? >> -- vanilla. that's it. >> that's it! >> butter sugar, and you mix it like crazy for about five minutes and there is your end product. >> to me, frosting's the best part of the product. it's like the dessert of the dessert. >> you know, there are people who come in just for the icing. >> really? >> they don't want the cupcake. they want a little icing shot. >> i'm going to come on the other side of you. >> this is the finished product. we refer to it as icing, but frosting. so, today, the first one we're going to do is the cupcake for your significant other. >> oh, look at our cupcake. >> aww. >> aww, cute. like in high school. >> hoda and al. so, pastry technique. this is really fun. filling up your pastry bag. you take a little scoop and push it down to the bottom. i've already set up your bags for you, so i'll give you a quick demo. al, there's yours. there's your cupcake. >> okay. >> so, it's a good idea to practice on your counter before doing your cupcake. you want to have firm pressure -- are you righties, lefties? >> righty. >> righty. >> firm pressure on your right hand, press it tight and squeeze with your left hand. it's not a bad idea to practice on the bottom. xo, maybe. >> look how cute. >> aww, that's cute. >> we're ready. let's do it. >> you can do anything from simple to sassy. you know, get creative. not a bad technique, al. you've got the pressure down. >> martha stewart told us to squeeze with only one hand. >> exactly. hold firmly with the right hand, squeeze with the left. >> that was easy! >> look, al, i heart you. perfect. you've got that technique down. and these are for your significant other. >> and you can put sprinkles or whatever you like on them? >> we kind of leave these plain. this is chocolate chocolate because who doesn't like chocolate? and it's an aphrodisiac. >> is this red velvet? this is the best ever. >> this is butter cream icing. there are a couple ways to do this and i decided to simplify it. we're going to try it with a pastry bag today. i'm going to grab this one. >> okay. >> it's much easier just to sort of take that in your firm right hand and squeeze with your left hand and you just kind of plop it a few times. >> that's kind of the mister softee version. >> that's mister softee. >> then what do you do? >> then you get to finish it with your icing, and it's so much easier to do that than to start with the icing one. and just tap it down and give it a little twirl at the end. >> ooh. >> that's cute. >> so much easier. >> so, let's try. >> and you can get crazy with the icing. good technique, al. >> all right. >> ooh, beautiful. >> okay. >> then you can try your icing wand. there's one over here. >> okay, thank you. we've got about a minute, so i think we're doing all right, right? >> now, these are the cupcakes for friends. the red velvet is probably one of the most elegant cupcakes i think you can serve. and we try to keep it simple. >> terrible. >> this is a spackling mood. >> you can hide your mistakes with sprinkles. kids, cupcakes, it's all about the fun. al's got the technique down. kids love sprinkles. >> do anything on them. >> just go crazy. >> just go nuts. >> we have picks. there's your finished product. we have the sugar decons. kids love icing. the more the better. >> a couple things they could do there. >> many options for icing cupcakes. >> bobbie, you have the best cupcakes. you just opened in dubai and you said it was a huge hit, right? >> huge hit in dubai. >> they went crazy. >> screaming fans. >> and l.a., too. >> grand central next week. >> oh, all right! choo-choo. >> bobbie, happy valentine's day. we'll be back in a moment. wayne and mary met in kindergarten. they've been together ever since. for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. vows that were tested and kept. thanks, hon. even when cancer hit and cost wayne his job. and scleroderma hit and cost him his hands. and then the wall street crash hit and cost them their life savings. still, they struggle on just to get by, to keep food on the table and to heat their home. mary: the wood stove helps us save on oil, but it's getting harder and harder. at citizens energy, we know the hurt you must feel. we know it's hard for proud people to ask for help. i just want to let you know how happy we are that we can lend a helping hand. wayne: we never thought we would be cold in our own home. mary: thanks to citgo and the people of venezuela. hi, i'm joe kennedy from citizens energy, your nonprofit oil company. if you need help staying warm this winter, give me a call at 1-877-joe-4-oil, because no one should be left out in the cold. all right, so, all this snow has kept you kind of trapped in new york, and i know they're dying for you to come out to vancouver, so what are your travel plans? >> i'm going to try to get out this afternoon. we'll see what happens. >> because the airports are still snarly, right? >> i mean, the airports are open, but a lot of the airlines have canceled flights. as we said earlier, 1,300 flights canceled just for today alone. so, we'll see what happens. >> okay. >> the opening ceremony is one of the most important parts of the olympics. we have athletes from 80 countries. tomorrow, the world premier of the "we are the world" video to raise money for victims of haiti's earthquake. it was recorded earlier this month in the same studio used for the original song 25 years ago. >> wow. i can't wait to hear the song and i can't wait to see the opening. wouldn't you be intimidated? >> i know. >> because after beijing, you're probably wringing your hands thinking what can we do? >> unbelievable. you have a special co-host today? >> i do. kim kardashian is on the way as we speak. i think she'll make it in time for the opening of the show. >> she'd better. >> life, local, a late breaking. >> good morning. here is a look a one of our top stories. the big dig is out under way. road crews continue the task of clearing out all the snow. governor o'malley is urging patience, and it may be days before a neighborhood see their roads in manageable conditions. they urge people to stay off the road. we hi. i'm jim perdue. in case of everyday emergencies... guys, go get changed! ...or soccer practice, it's important to be prepared for dinner. that's why i've prepared my perdue perfect portions fresh chicken breasts. they're individually wrapped, so you can cook what you need and store what you don't. we're not playing helicopter now. ready when you are, they're trimmed of fat and consistently sized to cook in just 10 minutes. life's not perfect. that's why there's perdue perfect portions. [ male announcer ] perdue perfect portions. ready when you are. >> the weather will be relatively quiet today. we will stick up a little bit of work -- we will pick up a little bit of a breeze. 34 degrees. it'll feel colder than that. a nice day on friday. sunshine is of to 35 degrees. a chance for snow flurries on saturday. a better chance for snow on monday. >> thank you for taking of this. we will see you at 11:00.