Transcripts For WRC Today 20100213

minutes for a local news update. join us at 9:00 for the lat goonchlgts. let the games begin. the 21st olympic games officially under way. following an opening ceremony filled with canadian pride, pageantry, and one noticeable problem. >> they may be experiencing something of a mechanical failure here. >> a touching tribute to the luger who died in a tragic training accident just hours earlier as fellow olympians prepare to begin racing on a track some consider to be too dangerous. today, saturday, february 13th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" at the olympic games with lester holt live from vancouver and amy robach live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. good morning. welcome to "today" on saturday morning. you are looking live at the permanent olympic caldron located just outside the international broadcast center in downtown vancouver. good morning, everyone. i'm lester holt up on grouse mountain, just above downtown vancouver. above the olympic flame. today the -- our new home as long as we are at the olympics. and we want to look back right now before we talk about the olympics, look back inside studio 1-a and say hello to amy and congratulations. you are back from your honeymoon. how did it go? >> it went really well. i'm feeling guilty, lester, because i know that you and so many of our colleagues have been braving the cold temperatures, the extra early morning hours. i have been sleeping in late, enjoying the hot sun, and the ocean and the sand. so it is -- it is a quick dose of reality, though, this morning. nice to see you, too, by the way. >> i must have misread the headline. seven inches of snow on the ground in new york. >> i got in late last night and didn't notice. i was still remembering the mexican sun. sorry. >> i know -- i know you brought pictures. we will look at the wedding pictures. we are delighted to see you. sorry i couldn't be at the wedding. a lot to get to in vancouver. bc place was the place to be last night. the dazzling opening ceremony. the first ever held indoors. more than 2,500 athletes. 82 countries, including 216 from the u.s., that took part. everything -- everything, almost everything, went off without a hitch. coming up, a look at the memorable moments, including the glitch as they went to light the olympic caldron and didn't work quite out exactly as they hoped. yet, it was still stunning. >> one unforgettable image came when the delegation when the republic of georgia was announced p.m. they wore black armbands to honor their teammatteammat teammatteammat teammate. >> i was at the ceremony last night and it was quite an emotional moment when the georgian team came out. it was an ovation for that group. we will hear from liney vonn. the u.s. athletes who will start competing today and give you an inside look at what's become one of the winter games' most popular events, curling. as i try my hand at the sport with members of the u.s. women's team. don't laugh, amy. it is a lot harder than it looks. you actually work up a sweat. >> too late to laughing part. sorry. already started. >> right. i will warn you earlier next time. between want to begin with highlights from the opening ceremony friday night. nbc's dawna friesen joins me here. >> the australia producer, david atkins, wanted to create an intimate emotional spirit and wanted to evoke the spirit of canada and make the audience cry and apart from the glitchere the end when they were trying to light the caldron inside, i can tell you as a canadian, this whole thing worked for me. >> 2010. vancouver. >> it started in stunning style. a snowboarder leaping through the olympic rings. 60,000 people dressed in white ponchos to help create a wintry feel. ♪ ♪ o canada >> reporter: there was a soaring rendition of canada's national anthem and then the athletes, including the team from georgia, wearing black armbands. their team of eight reduced to seven yesterday after the tragic death of luger nodar kumaritashvili. the american team was filled with familiar faces and some first-timers. vice president joe biden and his wife cheering them on. it was the scene of red and white that got the biggest cheer. canada has never won gold on home soil. they are hope thing olympics is their moment. there was a parade of canadian talen talent. aboriginal and first nation were showcased. the outdoors came inside. there were northern lights. constellations. and then as if by magic whales gave way. descending into the sky and tow empoles, evoking canada's rich aboriginal history. there were big flashy moments and moments of stunning intimacy. a young man soaring over wheat fields from the praries to the canadian rockies, icy heat emerged and a moving song sung by kd lang. >> in memory of nodar kumaritashvili. >> reporter: in honor of an athlete that died, a minute of silence. >> may you carry his olympic dream on your shoulders and compete with his spirit in your hearts. ♪ >> reporter: when the big moment the lighting of the caldron came -- >> they may be experiencing something of a mechanical failure here. >> reporter: four famous canadian athletes, including hockey great, wayne gretzky, waited and waited until finally three of four pillars emerged and the flame was lit inside the stadium. gretzky then ran outside to light another one and that will light up vancouver's harbor the next 16 days. it wasn't a huge, showy, in-your-face affair. i thought it was pretty -- it was moving. it was lovely. you know, one writer in "the vancouver sun" said, the secret is out, we are the true north and that's how canadians feel today. >> it was beautiful ceremony pip got quite emotional there. >> i cried. >> you are canadian. i'm an american. i got emotional. right from the singing of "o canada." a beautiful moment. reflected the people and the culture here. >> i really fell for wayne gretzky standing there waiting, waiting, what would happen with the caldron. >> good to see you. turn it back to amy now. >> thank you. to more on the tragic death of that 21-year-old luger from the republic of georgia. olympic officials say that competition will begin today as scheduled. but the track is being modified to improve safety there. nbc's chris jansing is at whistler mountain where the luge competition is being held. chris, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. you can imagine emotions will be very high here as well today. as the lugers take to the track for the first time. since that tragic accident yesterday, now they have done a thorough inspection of that track. and they say that they believe that what happened yesterday was not as a result of any faulty problem was the track. in fact, they say that the slider got off-line. nodar kumaritashvili, 21, internationally, somewhat inexperienced for a luger. we can show you that video but we want to warn you once again this is very difficult to watch. the analysis ofhis take by ex-experts around curve 15, that's the most -- probably the fastest curve on this track, he got offline and lost control. and came off of his sled and flew into a pole. efforts to revive him were not successful. there will be both today on that track today, practice runs as well as the competition later this afternoon. >> chris jansing, thanks so much. we will have more on the accident and the concerns over the safety of the track later this morning when a former olympic luger joins us live for an interview. for now, once again, here is lester. beyond the thousands of athletes and hundreds of thousands of spectators attending the winter games, there is another huge presence here in vancouver. the very visible display of security. nbc's peter alexander takes a look at the challenge of keeping the olympics safe. >> reporter: it may the most recognizable uniform at the olympics. 15,000 now assembled to protect the largest city ever to host the winter games. vancouver's $900 million security blanket includes nearly 1,000 surveillance cameras, monitoring venues and city streets p. drivers sweeping the harbor. military helicoptering patrolling the busy air space. so far security officials insist there is no specific threat to these games. >> certainly a terrorist attack, a threat, seismic event, we have all seen the damage that can cause. those are all terrible and those will call for a lot of resources and deployment. >> reporter: at the ten olympic venues spectators will be m by the same intense screening they find at an airport. extra machines, metal detectors, explosive sniffing dogs. game organizers are warning ticket holders to arrive as early as three hours in advance of scheduled events. >> are you ready? >> yeah, we are. solutely. >> reporter: bud mercer, canada's top security officer, signed to keeping the games safe. >> we plan for the worst, we have been evaluated for the worst but obviously we hope for the best. >> reporter: the planping process dates back seven years. a complex challenge to secure more than 4,000 square miles. from vancouver, home to more than 2 million people to the mountain resoar of whistler, site of the alpine events. >> the real problem is not the olympic facilities. it is potential soft targets, transportation, hotels, any area where large numbers of people are going to gather. >> reporter: also cause for concern, a dizzying mix of ferries, sea planes, container ships. all possible terrorist targets. a delicate balance between sport balance and security. >> the focus is on the athletes and the life longchievements to get here. finding that balance is something that we strive for every day. >> reporter: for "today," peter alexander, nbc news, vancouver. >> just about 12 minutes past the hour. head over to the news desk in new york now where norah o'donnell has the rest of the morning's headlines. good to see you. good morning, everyone. we begin with afghanistan. three american troops were killed this morning by a roadside bomb in southern afghanistan. month details have been provided. meanwhile, in helmand province, troops are advancing on the taliban stronghold of marjah, a key base and center for the lucrative poppy trade. officials believe up to a thousand militants could be holed up there. 911 call one dispatcher won't soon forget. a washington state operator saved the life of a choking baby who turned out to be his son. the story from drew mickelson of king tv. >> reporter: 6-month-old jamie scott is fine now. last week he was unconscious and stopped breathing. >> his eyes rolled back in his head. that was a moment i thought oh, my god. >> reporter: his mother called 911 looking for help. the dispatcher who answered was her husband. >> reporter: the couple recognized each other's voices but had no time for pleasantries. >> just trying to separate myself from the actual relationship, i guess, so i wouldn't take it so personally and do it as professionally as possible. >> reporter: he calmly directed his wife to clear the boy's airway by slapping him on the back five times. jacob coughed up a piece o plastic he was choking on. >> reporter: no doubt her husband's demeanor saved her son's life. >> that's how i am with every call. >> that was drew mickelson reporting bhap a good father. so calm throughout that. that's the news. now back to amy. unbelievable a lesson to be learned in terms of how you maintain your composure in something like that. the weather channel's stephanie abrams is in vancouver with a check of your forecast. stephanie, good morning. >> good morning, amy. congratulations. welcome back. the snowboarders behind me have been snowboarding all night long. literally got here at midnight. another place you can snowboard this morning is in the south, believe it or not. we had record snowfall. eight inches from mississippi all the way over over into sout it is indeed a cloudy start here in the washington area. one or two snowflakes down towards i-95. a few snowflakes i culpepper county an the panhandle of west virginia. not expecting any weather-related problems today. the snowflakes will be gone by lunchtime. temperatures in the mid to high 20s will climb into the low and >> lester, back to you. >> stephanie, thanks. on friday, u.s. skier lindsey vonn received her first bit of good news since she arrived in vancouver. first women's alpine event super combined has been delayed a day. that gives her badly bruised shin more time to heal. >> reporter: one sports writer called her the face of the vancouver olympics. what michael phelps was to the summer games, lindsey vonn could be on snow. >> hoping this will be a time where my dreams come true because i have given everything and i have given my entire life to this sport. >> reporter: she will be racing with a painful shin injury but it won't be the first time she has fought through injuries. at the last winter olympics she crashed hard during downhill training and was rushed to a hospital by helicopter. she was bruised and in pain. on sheer tenacity she got back on her skis, racing 48 hours later and finishing in the top ten. lindsey vonn started small. as a little kid on a hill in minnesota so diminutive the locals called it the bump. her father is a former ski racer and had her on skis at the age of 3 and bribed her with sprinkled don't sxuts on chocolate at the end of a successful run. >> come on, lindsey! >> reporter: by the second grade lindsey had it pretty much figured it out. >> she wanted to win more gold medals than anyone else ever won before and that was at 7 years old. >> reporter: her childhood idol was picabo street who actually remembers the day lindsey vonn stood in line to meet her. >> she had an intensity in her eyes i could see. >> i thought to myself this is who i want to be. i just want to be like picabo. >> when i saw her ski the first time, she has a love for the fall line you cannot teach somebody. >> reporter: picabo street became lindsey's mentor. what is it you feel deep down that you know about snow and your sport that kind of has been your secret? >> what i know best is where to go and how to make ski. when i'm skiing it is second nature. i just -- do it. >> reporter: white gets tough for you, injury, challenge, bad run, who is it? who is over your shoulder? who is in your head? >> my husband. he's -- if i'm stressed, if i'm nervous, if i doubt myself, he's always the one there making things more real. >> reporter: her husband is thomas vonn. former u.s. ski racer, now her coach. they call their team the vonntourage when the pressure gets high they use humor to keep the mood light. >> manage that, switch. >> pleasure, personal. >> reporter: lindsey vonn is a living example of minnesota nice, modest, despite all her fame. home these days is vail where she trained as a kid and where she's now a local celebrity. >> portrait of you. >> reporter: her husband says that the truth is that it's lindsey who gets starstruck by celebrities. in her off hours, she is a "law & order" junky. this fall she finally got to visit the set of the show in new york and meet the cast. and now comes the publicity for lindsey vonn who right now seems to be everywhere. >> action! >> reporter: but for lindsey vonn, at the end of the day, and at these games, it's all about getting out on the snow. >> when i met picabo, she was so inspiring to me. i was this young impressionable girl. i imagine those girls sitting by the tv watching me ski and i want to make them proud as well. people are expecting things of me. i'm excited to really show them who i am and hopefully inspire some young kids. >> now here's amy. >> thank you. of course, you are there in vancouver surrounded by olympic spirit. but you don't have to be in british columbia to feel pride for team usa. last night's olympic opening ceremony was exciting and emotional. athletes representing 82 countries marched in the parade of nations, including most of the 216 americans that make up team usa. amid the pageantry, you can see the spirit of the american athletes. >> go usa! >> reporter: and back here at home, fans felt it, too. they met around tv sets to see the competitors they will be watching in the days to come. the proud family of speed skater nick pearson gathered to support the second-time olympian. >> can't really put it into words how proud you are. bursting at the seams. >> reporter: what do these games mean to the average american? >> i have been waiting to watch this the last two months. >> apolo ohno. oh, my gosh. he is so cute and he skates really fast. >> reporter: for many, these games couldn't come at a better time. a distraction for some still digging out from a record snowfall. >> nice to have something, you know, positive to look forward to and forget about everything else. >> reporter: for others, a chance to root for the red, white and blue despite months of economic hardship. >> one break every would years where people can just rally together for a certain cause and that's just, you know, supporting your country. >> winter olympics is a great boost for morale, especially now that the economy is in the shape it is. the fact that is these olympians are more likehe average american than any big-time sports star. >> reporter: as the competition gets under way, americans expect to have plenty t cheer about. vonn, ohno, white. to name a few. as the athletes look to their fa for support at the games and back home. just ahead, we will have much more from new york and vancouver. including the members of the u.s. snowboarding team who found love by way of the halfpipe. we will talk to them. we are going to talk more about the olympics. amy, i want to see pictures and everything about the wedding last weekend. and you andrew. >> i know. we were so sad you couldn't be there. a couple of our good friends and colleagues were actually on their way to cover the olympics. we missed out seeing you all. but this was our first dance. and it was a very emotional moment for us. we had a lot of fun celebrating with our family and friends. you know that that big nor'easter came in that day. so we had people -- canceled flights, delayed flights. i had friends coming in from washington, d.c., that were on a train for nine hours. at the end everybody made it. we were happy to have the people who we were closest with be there. sans you, of course, lester. >> yeah. well, listen, i wish you and andrew all the best and happiness. sorry i wasn't there. looked like a beautiful wedding. everybody says it was terrific. can't wait to see new a few weeks. >> i wanted to see your dance moves. that's what i'm upset most about. >> i will do it right now. we will be right back. good morning. it is 7:26. the wind is really blowing. good morning. i'm kimberly suiters. saturday, february 13g9. here is a look at what's making news this morning. a scene all too familiar for metro riders. another derailment on the red line yesterday morning at 10:15. the first few cars of the packed train deliberately derailed between the farragut north and the dupont station. people were trapped underground for about an hour an a half. the ntsb is taking the lead in an investigation to determine what went wrong. the new head of metro says a change in culture must happen for the entire agency to focus on safety. that derailed train left the main track and went into something called a pocket track instead, which would have allowed the northbound train to cross over tohe southbound crack. a pair of safety devices stopped the train from going farther and avoided hitting another train or wall. the train operator and controller were placed on administrative leave. chuck, if you say it is not so, you would be lying. >> everybody wants to see a little bit of sunshine on their weekend. i know they do. he with have to mention another chance for snow. it doesn't get here nl monday, everybody. don't worry about that. outside on your saturday morning, cloudy and cold. temperatures are in the 20s for the most part. doppler shows a few lonely snowflakes down towards culpepper and to the west of fredericksburg. we keep an eye on those. no accumulation of any kind of snow for today with temperatures climbing into the low and mid-30s. our next chance ofnow comes up monday afternoon. >> we will see you again at 7:55. coming up on "news 4 today," this schling of cabin feve ♪ we are back on a saturday morning, 13th day of february, 2010. first full day of competition at the 2010 winter olympic games following last night's spectacular opening ceremony. two caldrons. a permanent one in downtown vancouver. i'm lester holt here at grouse mountain in vancouver with a few of my closest friends that got up early to join us here in the fire pit. this will be our home away fm home the next few weeks. stop by any time. great to have you. >> yes. i'm amy robach and holding down e fort in studio 1-a. you got to be at the top e opening ceremony. i loved the snow falling. it was one of the magical moments. did you have a favorite moment while you were there? >> you know, i had one. then every time we show a clip i'm thinking i like that moment. the one i really liked was the fiddlers that came out. at one point he is doing a duet, if you will, with a shadowed fiddler and then did the tap dancing and folk dancers. that was a special moment. there were so many. it went on for three hours. terrific show, emotional at times as well. lot of different reasons. it was a really good time. >> just ahead, we are going to meet two american athletes to watch in vancouver. snowboarders. snowboarders. elena hight and greg bretz. we will talk to them about their chances and get their impressions of last tonight's opening ceremony in just a moment. lester? you may not realize vancouver has the second largest chinatown in north america. bigger than the one in new york. coming up, the travel channel's samantha brown will take us on a tour and later sample some of the local asian cuisine. >> if you were watching nbc's coverage of the opening ceremony you saw the world premiere of "we are the world 25 for haiti." more on that just ahead. >> but right now if we can just take a moment, i want to give you a tour, amy, of our little home. i'm right now standing at the outdoor fire pit here. this is where we will have a lot of folks gather around. we can warm our hands. i can burn my scripts. this is cool. they have an 8,000-square foot skatiing rink here. you can skate and wave. whatever you want to do. let me just quickly point out here before we go inside, this is a ski mountain, 26 runs. i think there are four lifts. as i said, it is open all night right now. i have to be careful. we had a little snow/rain mix a little while ago. slick. i will walk you over here now. this is the peak chalet. they had a bunch of buildings here that burned down. big fire at the top of the mountain in the '30s. you take a tram to get up here. sky tram. eight-minute journey. we start at the base every morning, 50-minute drive from downtown vancouver and get on the tram and come up here. very short journey. we are very, very close to the city. i will walk you inside our studio, if you will. but it is a working chalet. say hello to the crowd here. nice to have you. this is our production, musical acts, and cooking segment, whatever. very similar to what we have in studio 1-a. this is where you saw me earlier. our home base. home base being the equivalent of our desks you see, the window behind us at studio 1-a. an interview area. we can do our one-on-one interviews. this lodge is going all the me. people coming and going. if you happen to be up here in the area, you can stop on by. say hello. and watch the show. going upstairs now where we report to work every morning to prepare important the show. that by the way is the restaurant. is the bar open at this hour? my goodness. let me -- that's where our director is. he heard that. we will go in and see joe michaels. we will walk in and show you the control room. it is a private function but come on in anyway. hi, guys. sorry about that, joe. >> should have locked the door. >> i was just kidding. this is our control room that we have set up. we brought the whole gang. not the whole gang. back home, the studio 1-a gang is doing their thing. these are all the folks that traveled with us to vancouver. say hello to the folks back in new york as well. guys, you are doing a greatob here. love you, joe. that's pat. senior producer on the show. anyway, amy, that's your ltle tour of our home. >> looks like fun. wish i was there but those of us holding down the fort are also knowing we get to feel like we are sleeping a little longer than guys. you are not getting much sleep, lester. >> no. you know what, last night i was at the opening. i got -- i got about an hour of sleep before i came up to the mountain. i'm running on adrenaline and caffeine. >> at least you have snow and at least it looks like it will be a great day of competition. i know it is time -- time to get a check of the weather now. stephanie abrams. she is also up there with you. >> yes. stephanie is up here on the mountain. take it away. >> hey. we have local canadians here. it is not too bad out here. they are so excited for the olympics here. unfortunately we are not excited about the weather. let's show you our system. that's going to be moving in. it is going to be on the soggy side yet again. we have rain, a little bit of snow east of the higher elevations which is the good news. let's talk about the forecast. it has been wet in vancouver. we could see another inch, inch and half of rain. but whistler will be getting in on snowfall. how about snow throughout the lower 48. we had it in the south of the last 24 hours. that is out a good saturday morning. i'm news 4 meteorologist, chuck bell. we are off to a cold and cloudy start in the washington area. temperatures in the mid to high 20s in the metropolitan area. near 30 in southern maryland and by the bay. frederick maryland, 19. a little bit of a breeze blowing. current windchills in the mid to high teens. plenty of clouds this morning. a little bit of sunshine by later on this afternoon. highs into the mid >> lester, back to you. >> stephanie, thanks. i don't know where i put my script. i will read off the teleprompter. up next, we will talk to two young americans that are in love and both qualified to compete in vancouver. coming up right after this. aked! the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? eating it. honey bunches of oats. taste the joy we put in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats. we call the bunches in honey bunches of oats the prize in the box. well, now there's a prize inside the prize. pecans! pecans! baked into crunchy oat bunches. taste the delicious surprise in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats with pecan bunches. beautiful. a hint of calla lily. beautiful moments are 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vancouver together as a couple gives you an athletic advantage? elena, i will let you take this one. >> i don't know about that. it is definitely nice to be here together. to have the support and be able to experience everything together. we walked opening ceremonies last night together. yeah. everything is pretty amazing. >> greg, you are not distracted by elena? you are focused? >> yes. i'm completely focused. 100%. she's -- she's always here, always around. she's basically here for my support. >> elena, let me ask you this. in torino you placed sixth in the halfpipe final. what's your primary goal in vancouver? what do you hope to accomplish? >> you know, coming to vancouver, i -- i definitely was just happy to make the team. we have such a strong women's team this year. and i would love to come home with a medal this time. >> that would be mice. greg, i know you are known for a specific snowboarding move. what's the double cork? how important is that skill at the games this year? >> well, basically a double cork is a new -- new move that shaun helped innovate after -- after michael -- i don't know. it is basically this -- it is a double flip with a little bit of twisting in it. and it is very crucial to have. i mean, everyone is doing it. it is -- it is a trick you have to have. hopefully to land on the podium. >> what are you doing for valentine's day? i have to ask. it is tomorrow. greg, i hope you remembered that. >> oh, i remembered that. i might have something special up my sleeve. >> i don't think anyone let him forget quite yet. >> you guys are an adorable couple and we hope you do well. we will be watching and rooting. greg bretz and elena hight, thanks for joining us and best of luck to you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> the men's halfpipe is on wednesday and the women's is on thursday. nbc's sports coverage of today's events begins at 2:00 p.m. eastern and much more tonight beginning at 8:00 p.m., 7:00 central time. coming up, travel channel's samantha brown takes us to vancouver's chinatown after these messages. think it's time higher educatione was held to a higher standard. because it's time traditn no lger stood in the way of getting an education. people like me demand a different kind of university. one that puts my talent first. on-line... on campus... on my terms. it'time a university recognized people like me. people like me. people like me. as a va doctor, i have moreime to spend with my patients. and that's the kind of attention our veterans deserve. ♪ (announcer) learn more about careers with today's va at vacareers.va.gov. we are back here in vancouver with a special series we are calling "northern exposure." we will look at vancouver's chinatown. every nook and cranny has something interesting. the travel channel's samantha brown took us on a tour of the east right here in the west. >> reporter: i'm samantha brown in the beautiful voight of vancouver at the millennium gate. entrance way into one of the city's oldest, most vibrant neighborhoods, chinatown. second largest chinatown in north america. second only to san francisco. when the chinese settled here, they weren't only immigrates, they were pioneers, helping to build british columbia before vancouver was incorporated as a city. this is very important. look at this. at six feet wide, this is the thinnest building in the world. does this building make me look fat? the energy of the people is definitely a mix between those who live here and this is just their day-to-day and those visiting from all over the world. when people visit here, you should be taking in mostly the old because really the old traditions of china exist here. to really get the feeling of being in another place and another time, classical chinese garden. this is designed after a 15th century scholars garden from the ming dynasty. the first of its kind to be built outside of china. the purpose of the garden is to promote ex-plration and discovery as well as contemplation and relaxation. it is a tiny refuge of ancient china surrounded by the glass towers of modern vancouver. one of the most popular shops here is ming wo. it has been around since 1917. what i love about it, no only do they have the high end stuff, they have the traditional chinese ceramics, beautiful teapots. believe it or not, one of my favorite gifts to buy when i'm in any chinatown, china, is a cleaver. a great gift. may i look at your number four cleaver? this is a good one. find that nothing says i love you than a bone-crushing knife. now on to a subject tt is slightly controversial here in this city. who has the hottest buns in vancouver? my money is on new town bakery. so this is an old fashioned traditional chinese bakery. i have heard that the things to get are, of course, the buns. you can have buns with more savory filling and buns more sweet filling. look at this. we have ones coming up that are hot. they are as big as baseballs and they are considered hamburger of chinese food. so even though this chinatown is the second largest chinatown in north america, it is really not overwhelming at all. most everything that you want to see and do is located a one street, all within four, five blocks. it is really easy to navigate and enjoy and explore. >> our thanks to samantha brown for that wonderful tour. later in the program,er with going to go in the kitchen and cook up tasty chinese cuisine. but first, lester, now you are an avid skier and know the slopes are just right there. have you hit the slopes at all? in fact, are you on the slopes as i'm looking at you? >> i am on the slope as we speak in grouse mountain. this is my second run. grouse, where we are broadcasting, is terrific. have you runs within a few minutes of the city. stop the falling. yes. you can see on the mountains, 3,000 feet. as high as 4,000. ok at the gleaming skyscrapers below you as you ski. it is incredible here. you heard a lot about whether they are getting enough snow in this area. i can tell threw's plenty of skiable snow here. they have 26 runs, two high-speed lifts and two other lifts. and we noted earlier, 24 hours. people can come out during the olympic games and ski within a few minutes of the city. we are going to take a break and come back with a lot more, including a premiere of the new "we are the world" video. ♪ we are the world ♪ we are the children >> plus, he is showing off on the slopes. how did lester do with a rock and a groom? he will hit the ice with the members of the u.s. olympic curling team. - [sighs] oh, honey! - oh, yeah. he went to jared. - he totally went to jared. female announcer: celebrate life's unforgettable monts with pandora charms and bracelets, now at jared, where you'll find a fabulous pandora selection. girls: awww... - they are so cute at that age. code orange. when the fever is high enough to be a code orange, you need children's motrin. the brand pediatricians recommend most... to bring high fever down fast. 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enroll today. it is cold and overcast. another snowshower heading our way. good morning. i'm kimberly suiters. it was a scene all too familiar for metro riders. another derailment on the red line. it happened yesterday morning around 10:15, right in the middle of a snow-delayed rush-hour. the first two cars deliberately railing between the farragut north and dupont stations. three people were hurt, minor injuries. 345 people trapped underground for an hour and a half. the ntsb is taking the lead on an investigation to determine what went wrong. metro's new head says they need a change in culture with a focus on safety. a yellow lab named tulley fell in and could not swim out. they took firefighters to save the pickup. his owners say he will be fine. you may feel like jumping into a pond when you hear chuck's forecast. stay with us. good morning. chuck, a snowfree zone for the weekend? for the most part. there are one or two lonely snowflakes out there. a check of live doppler. you can see how few and far between. a couple of lonely snowflakes towards culpepper, louie sa county and spotsylvania. that is not an accumulating snow. no real snow this whole weekend. enjoy it, everybody. cloudy skies. temperatures in the mid to high 20s. we will get a few breaks of sunshine this afternoon. high temperatures climbing just above the freezing mark today. bright and sunny for tomorrow. we do have another chance, a couple inches of snow monday afternoon into monday night and first thing tuesday. we will keep you posted. a couple inches, we can handle it, chuck. coming up on "news4 today" at coming up on "news4 today" at 9:00, the psychology of cabin captions paid for by nbc-universal television 8:00 on this saturday morning, february 13th, 2010. the olympic flame burns this morning. here up on grouse mountain, highest peak in metro vancouver. grateful so many folks woke up early. maybe they just stayed up late. we will ask in a few moments. we appreciate them being with us this morning. i'm lester holt here at the vancouver winter games. >> i'm amy robach here in studio 1-a, rockefeller plazan new york. coming up, it was a spectacular show of pride and passion as vancouver opened the 21st olympic games last night. almost everything went off as planned. the we will have the highlights coming up. >> as you know, i am was a bittersweet moment. we are also getting latest on the terrible accident on the luge course yesterday. young athlete from the republic of georgia died during a practice run. lot of questions this morning. is that course too fast, too dangerous, too steep? we are going to talk to a former olympic luger in a moment and get his take on what happened there. >> also last night, during nbc's coverage from vancouver, we got to hear the newly updated version of the classic "we are the world." 25 years after the original, a whole new cast and a pressing new cause. we will take a look at that. >> then it seems every four years, the world comes together to try to figure out that sport called curling. it is very fun to watch. and it may seem easy. this video proves shows it is not. pit will tell you how that went coming up. before i move on wane to say hello to the nice crowd that got up very early to be here. i heard you are from chicago. what's your name? >> dana. >> reporter: what brings you to vancouver? >> the olympics. >> reporter: did you see anything? >> opening ceremonies. it w awesome. we will go to whistler and see women's downhill. >> and apolo. >> reporter: wane to say hello to this guy. you were -- you are from beijing. >> yes. originally from vancouver. >> reporter: you were there for the summer games. >> i'm on the olympic committe >> reporter: compare the opening ceremonies. >> fantastic. winter games are something else. >> reporter: all right. great to have all of you here. bring your friends. want to bring in dawna friesen now. she was watching the a opening ceremony last night and has a run-down of the spectacular event last might. what's to come? >> you know the whole idea the producer had in mind for the opening ceremonies, this opening ceremony, evoke a spirit of the country and spirit of canada. as a canadian, i think that -- managed to pull it off. there was a glitch at the very end, you know, big moment, of course, lighting the caldron. wayne gretzky was the man along with a couple of other canadian athletes. it did happen but there was a bit of a wait. we wondered if they were going to pull it off. it got going. it all happened in the end. there are also -- solemn moment, of course, because all the joy and spirit of the games was tempered by the fact a georgia athlete, luge athlete, 21-year-old killed yesterday. it was a solemn moment when the georgian team entered the stadium. they are a team of eight now reduced to seven. they were wearing black a armbands. they decide to compete in the games in order to honor their fallen comrade. >> what an emotional moment that was when they marched in and the crowd rose to its feet. and then just let them know they were with them. >> yes. there was a moment of silence in honor of that fallen athlete. >> it is good to have you here. let's go back inside studio 1-a to amy. >> thank you. more now on that tear bible accident that happened before the opening ceremony. as we just heard dawna talk about, an athlete from the republic of georgia died during a luge practice run. raising questions now about the course's safety. nbc's chris jansing has been following the story from whistler. chris, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. immediately after that tragic crash, the international luge federation launched an investigation and come back with a conclusion that that 21-year-old luger was offline as he came around the 16th and final turn and simply lost control. they say that this is not a technical deficiency of the track. although they are going to raise the wall of that 16th turn and can adjust the ice to make it somewhat slower. but they say that, again, that they do not believe that this is a problem with the track. many of the athletes have raised questions about it. we do want to let you know that the video of this accident is very difficult to watch. the sled was already on the final turn of the track on the luger's final run of the day when the devastating accident happened. nodar kumaritashvili of the former soviet republic of georgia, lost control, went airborne over a concrete wall, and struck an unpadded steel pole just feet from the finish line. emergency medical personnel were on the scene in less than a minute. and kumaritashvili was quickly airlifted to a trauma center. but he couldn't be revived. >> we are heartbroken beyond words to be sitting here. >> reporter: earlier in the day the two-time dpeepding men's gold medalist from italy crashed higher on the track. a romanian woman was briefly unconscious after crashing her sled just two of more than a dozen accidents in this olympic luge training. >> speeds are high. it is a dangerous course. however, this shouldn't have happened. >> reporter: at 21, kumaritashvili is young for a luger. inexperienced by international standards. he was ranked 44th in the world. but there 00 been a fatal luge accident in the olympics in 46 years. >> difficult to remain composed. this is a very sad day. here you have a young athlete who lost his life in pursuing his passion. he had the dream to participate in the olympic games. i have no words to say what we feel. >> reporter: in a split second, a young man's dream turned into international heartbreak. immediately after that accident, all training was suspended. it will resume less than five hours from now here at whistler. and competitio will go on as scheduled later today. lester? >> nbc's chris jansing this morning. thank you. it is a question everyone is asking. is this track too fast? chris whiteman is the luge analyst for ctv in canada. he competed in the luge in the 1988 calgary olympics. this is a tough time at the start of the olympics. certainly a tough moment for your sport. you were there yesterday. what went through your mind when you saw this unfold? >> it was shocking beyond belief. i was standing at the end and we were watching the big screen with some of my -- my friends and former athletes that i competed with and we just -- we couldn't believe what was happening. sickened feeling in our stomachs. >> how had this athlete -- how had he been doing in the practice runs up until this point? >> reporter: i -- you know, i was watching the big screen, as i said. i wasn't paying attention. another training run. since then, i have seen the run over and over and over again. he was having a great run. he's a young slider. little bit inexperienced but he was -- he was having a great run, that run. he was handling it -- handling the track well up until that final curve. >> chris, i was at the track a couple of days ago and talking to the man in charge of the ice. he said what's some of the best of the world come through here and have crashed. fast, steeper than many of them have ever encountered before. there have been a number of crashes leading up to this one practice. what's the story there? is it -- is it exceptionally dangerous? >> reporter: no. i wouldn't say it is excepti exceptionally dangerous. crash sing part of the sport. everyone crashes and you saw it. the defending gold medalist crashed yesterday. everyone crashes as they learn a new track. we go back to the olympics and -- in 2006 and that track had its crashes, too. i would say those crashes were even worse. guys that ended up winning the gold medal a year before the olympics crashed. ey were competing with steel plates and pins in their legs. >> this is so much faster than we have seen in the past. we understand he was almost at 90 miles per hour when he hit. that's a speed that you wouldn't have seen in the olympics. >> reporter: you are right. it is fast. every track has its characteristics and this track, characteristics, is the speed. is it too fast? it is at the limit i would say now. you know, the -- international luge federation said to the -- track that -- track in russia, that's it. no faster than this. 135, 140. kilometers an hour. canadian working kilometers an hour. it is fast. and it is -- at the limit. >> we are just about out of time. i have to ask you, as these folks hit that track today, i mean, they obviously get the danger of the sport they are in. will they move past this? will this weigh them down on the first few runs at least? >> reporter: it is going to be hard to overcome. you know, they are all very trained -- you know,rained athletes who get into a routine at the beginning of the run and most of them will do that and get through it. i can imagine there will be some that will be having a tough time with it. it is a very, very difficult thing to think about when you are at the top of that run. >> thank you very much for being with us this morning. we appreciate it. we want to go back to new york now, the news desk. norah o'donnell standing by with more of the morning's headlines. >> good morning, lester. we begin with toyota announcing yet another recall. this time it is 8,000 tacoma pickup trucks. the problem with some of the 2010 models has to do with the front propeller shaft that could cause the truck to lose control. it is the latest in a string of toyota recalls. totaling 8 million cars worldwide. meanwhile, two new lawsuits were filed friday in los angeles by the families of people that died in car crashes where the car suddenly accelerated. toyota has not commented on the suits. university of alabama biology professor is being held this morning on three counts of murder. police say amy bishop started shooting at her colleags during a faculty meeting friday afternoon after learning she had been denied tenure. three her school employees were also wounded in the attack. would of them are critical. no students were injured. bishop could face the death penalty if convicted. it is that time of the year again. the world's biggest party. we are talking about carnivale in brazil. rio's mayor officially opened the carnivale festivals friday and the raucous celebrations continue until ash wednesday which marks the beginning of the lenten season. that's the news. and now back to amy. as i quickly put on the gloves because i found these around the studio. i know you were on your honeymoon. these are the hot new thing. you have to tell lester to bring me back some of these. >> really? they look great on you. i like how they go with your outfit. >> they are warm. >> it is cold in the studio. the weather channel's stephanie abrams is in vancouver this morning with a check of your forecast. stephanie, good morning. >> good morning, amy. 45 degrees out here which is balmy. is that -- >> balmy. >> it is balmy. these people are from chicago. a look at the temperatures as we head through the day today. and back in chicago where they live, it is going to be on the chilly side. we are talking about the highs today in the 20s and 30s around the great lakes. 40s in the south. that snow is not going to last very long. a good saturday morning. i'm news 4 meteorologist, chuck bell. hopefully, your weekend is off to a nice and quiet start. a big change from last saturday. still, plenty of clouds across the area. limited sunshine through at least the first half of your day. snow showers down across southeastern virginia and up into the mountains of far western maryland. no accumulating snow in the washington area today or tomorrow. temperatures are going to stay cold, though. mid to high 20s. >> amy, makes no sense. colder where you are than at the winter games. i can't figure it out i know. it was snowing at least last night. that was a nice touch. stephanie, thank you. one of the highlights during nbc's coverage of the opening ceremony was the world premiere of "we are the world 25 for haiti." the remake of the classic '80s charity anthem. while the voices are different, the cause is event brit as urgent. here's nbc's lee cowan. ro >> reporter: as the world waited for the grand spectacle for fanfare and pageantry the games have to offer, there was a cause and a recognizable refrain. ♪ we are the world ♪ we are the world ♪ we are the children ♪ we are the children >> reporter: the premiere of the remake of "we are the world" was heard by millions. had the same familiar spirit but an updated sound. from rap -- ♪ we are the world >> reporter: to creole. it was more contemporary, to be sure. the late michael jkson was the only original singer featured. his vocals shared by his sister jan janet. the rest were all new. more than 80 artists from every corner of the music industry. ♪ there's a choice we are making ♪ ♪ we are saving lives >> give everything we've got and hope it works. ♪ we are the ones that make a better day so let's start giving ♪ ♪ let's start giving >> reporter: quincy jones and lionel richie produced "we are the world" in 1985. it was a chart-busting success. raising millions for african famine victims when a devastating earthquake in haiti struck, they figured what better way to remember the effort 25 years ago than with a "we are the world" makeover. >> would like to zpu god bless for being here. >> reporter: the vocals were recorded in hollywood. >> you could see they were nervous. this is a big moment for them. a lot of them are used to recording separately. they have them stand next to each other trying to cord, that's not what they are used to. >> reporter: organizers hope downloads of the new version will help drive donations that lagged in the month since the quake struck. fresh voices, old but desperately needed idea new life. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> lester, you and i, of course, remember the original. it is nice to know there's going to be a new generation of people, youngsters, that will remember that song now and, of course, for such a great cause. >> yes. you know, i liked it back then and i like this version now. i applaud all of the artists on for coming out and rending us all that haiti needs help for a very, very, very long time. new mousse temptations by jell-o. ♪ three decadent flavors. 60 calories. it's me o'clock. time for jell-o. aside from skating, skiing, snowboarding, other familiar winter olympics, get ready for the return of the other curious and no less competitive sport. we are talking about curling and two members of a well-known curling family are hoping to sweep the americans to vtory. debbie mccormick is right where she wants to be. between a rock, in this case, a curling stone, and a hard place. winter olympics. >> we have all had this on our brains the last four years. >> the u.s. women's curling team. debbie is the team captain of this band of sisters who had the advantage that knowing for a full year they would be the team to represent usa women curlers in vancouve >> we had training camps all through the summer. lots of big tournaments this year. >> reporter: tre along with them, debbie's father, wally henry, former world champion curler who also happens to be the team's coach. >> two different aspects there. the father and the coach. >> he is a great coach, too. he has been part of my curling career forever. >> reporter: a career that for debb included two other olympics. but began around age 4 when debbie and her brother tagged along to the you onnings to the wisconsin curli club. >> they picked it up when they are big enough to throw rocks down the ice. >> reporter: and now father and daughter lead a team of young women who are regarded as strong medal contenders. >> been to the world championships. we have a world silver medal. we have all that confidence and it is great to carry it with us to olympics. >> reporter: wally and debbie are ambassadors to a sport that holds an odd fascination. >> unusual question that people ask is why do you sweep? what happens when you sweep? >> start. >> reporter: the answer, as wally and debbie showed me -- >> sweep, sweep. >> reporter: -- help your teammate's stone travel further. we are extending the distance this can go. >> that's right. yes. okay. that's enough. >> reporter: it is going to make it. >> all right. good sweeping. >> reporter: that's the object of curl. >> that's the object of sweeping. >> reporter: of course, it helps to have a well-aimed throw in the first place. an art considerably more athletic and difficult than it looks. >> main object of curl sing to get your stones closest to the center of the bull's eye than your opponent. let it go. good job. nothing to it. it is going pretty far. >> going good. >> reporter: it is right in the middle of the house. as we speak. that's tough. it is a lot tougher than it looks on tv. it really is. as father and daughter, wally and debbie are close. as coach and team captain, they are hoping that family bond helps their curling family sweep their way to gold. stop laughing at home. at least this time, at least four years ago, i-didn't fall. still ahead, how to get the full olympic experience at home. still to come on "today," throwing your own olympic party with an international mix of food and drinks. >> plus, celebrating the chinese new year here in vancouver. some mouth-watering recipes. first, these messages. what they wanted, we put it in a computer. you can stream from your computer, to your tv...wirelessly! with movies, tv shows, whatever you watch online... maybe even do a slideshow on your tv with pictures and stuff. they have the 30-day geek squad support, long battery life. they have a two year manufacturer warranty. they're everything you want in a computer. you're going to love our blue label laptops, exclusive to best buy. you're going to love our blue label laptops, [ announcer ] your dog's one of a kind. good boy. and now, you have the power... to help significantly extend his healthy 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[ male announcer ] for a free trial pair certificate, go to getacuvue.com. acuvue oasys for astigmatism. the sunshine you've enjoyed over the last two days is gone but so is rush-hour. good morning, everyone. i'm kimberly suiters. here is a look at what's making headlines this morning. first off, mayor adrian fenty promises big changes at metro. he says, there will be ramifications for the accident that happened yesterday on the red line. this after another derailment on the red line yesterday morning around 10:15 in the middle of a snow-delayed rush-hour. the first two cars deliberately derailed between the farragut north and dupont stations. three people were hurt, minor injuries. 345 people were trapped underground for an hour and a half. now, the ntsb is taking the lead of the investigation to determine what went wrong. the new head says the agency needs a change in culture with a focus on safety. man's best friend needs a rescue from the icy waters of the partially frozen pond. a yellow lab named tully fell in but could not swim out. it took firefighters to save the pup. his owners say he will be just fine. more wintry weather expected on monday. there are a whole lot of people hoping valentine's day plans are not in jeopardy. you can still pop the question no matter what the weather. everybody outside ready for a quiet weekend. cloudy skies. it is cold out there. there are a few snowflakes flying down to the south of washington. no accumulating snows. that is welcome news. temperatures in the mid to upper 20s across the region with windchills in the mid to high teens. plenty of clouds around. a few snowflakes on the radar down south of fredericks urg about. they are not coming our way. the only places around here that will have any snow will be out west. around town today, clouds this morning. a little break or two of sunshine later on this afternoon. highs, low to mid-30s today, mid to upper 30s tomorrow. we have a chance for more snow in the area. this should be a couple of inches, not a couple of feet. coming up on "news4 today" at 9:00 a.m., ♪ ♪ we are back on a saturday morning. february 13th, 2010. you are watching a performance, a traditional first nation dance group from northwestern british columbia. we thank them so much for being here with us this morning and sharing some of their heritage with us. in the meantime, i'm lester holt on grouse mountain. just above vancouver. amy robach is outside on the studio 1-a plaza with the crowd there. just ahead this half hour, we have your complete guide, yeah, g hey from the crowd, complete guide to the vancouver winter games. >> from food to gear to technology. we are going to show you how to have a do it yourself olympics experience no matter where you live, lester. >> plus, as we told you chinese new year is this weekend. we saw the riches of the culture in chinatown. bit earlier in the program. we promised you food and we have fo. i'm going to try my hand at making a hot pot whic you know what, in the cold sounds real good now. amy, i should let you know we are getting word this morning that that today's marquee event, men's downhill, may have postponed that. bode miller will have toait one more day for his spot at redemption. nbc's sports coverage of the winter olympics begins at 2:00 p.m. eastern time. apolo ohno's first run on the short track speed skating ring. lot of expectations there. we will be watching later this afternoon on nbc. >> before we get to that, we want to head back to vancouver and get a check of the weather from stephanie abrams who is there with the crowd. stephanie? >> hey there. good morning. let's talk about what's happening in the lower 48 because a massive snowstorm kicked off over the last 24 hours in the southeast. record snowfall. we are talking eight inches from mississippi on into south carolina. that is now gone. we do see a big system. see the big swirl, upper left-hand corner of your screen. that will produce a lot of rainfall in the northwest and here into vancouver. that is today. how about tomorrow? it is valentine's day. maybe you wan good saturday morning. i'm news 4 chuck bell. a couple of light snow showers down in southeastern virginia. up across the mountains of central west virginia. a passing snowflake down south of fredericksburg into lower southern maryland. no accumulating snows across the area this weekend. temperatures will gladly climb out of the mid and high 20s where we are now. lester, i'm getting attacked. i don't know, allergic reaction or what. sorry if i look like i'm crying. >> it is called smoke inhalation. i'm feeling it, too. we have more ahead as we broadcast from vancouver. we have a guide to the complete olympic experience coming up. >> that's right. we are bogey to tell you how the bring the spirit of the olympics to your own home. and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." and brian looked at me at eight years old and said, "promise me you'll quit." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. 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[ male announcer ] talk to your doctor about chantix and a support plan that's right for you. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions to chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away. tell your doctor which medicines you're taking as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. the most common side effect is nausea. patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit-smoking products. ♪ my benjamin, he helped me with the countdown. "ben, how many days has it been?" "5 days, mom. 10 days, mom." i think after 30 days he got tired of counting. [ male announcer ] talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you. a special edition of "today's olympic experience." you don't have to be here in vancouver to catch olympic fever. >> that's right. we have three experts to offer up the ways to share in the olympic spirit. first up, the gadgets for the games. nick thompson is from "wired" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> we have video games that you can really get in on the action. >> they are really fun. >> first one is the -- mario. this is wii. >> this is a wii. you pull this up. olympic games. mario against sonic. you can have them race. skiing. you will click a. you will be mario and race. we have a little break. here you go. you shake it up and down like this to star and go side to side. go to play again. >> see, this is what happens. i was excited bit. you have to have the ceremony here to begin it all. >> they are quite fun. you can get speed skating and downhill racing and all of the games. it is actually ptty fun because they are short and simple. here we go. >> off the couch. >> up and down. shake i fast. there you go. powell. >> how did i fall? this is the problem. >> playstation. this is a little more life like. instead of skating as mario you look more like bode miller. more advanced. >> does it require a lot of skill? clearly i have none when it comes to video games. >> i lost every time yesterday. there are advantages and disadvantages. >> you can follow the games on your phone. >> wonderful aps you can get that will show you the olympic games. nbc vancouver game. we have all sorts of news, sports. updates on medal counts all the exciting things happen. >> okay. that's cool. whether you are at work or home, you can follow it. >> we have great reporting. a blog. nbc has gray results. and i actually really like following the athletes on twitter. about a third of the u.s. athletes are tweeting. some of it is inresting. apolo ohno is one of my favorite ones. cherry things. telling you what his room looks like, who he is seeing and doing. >> how do you find the athletes on twitter? do you have to look them up and search their names? >> we publish the big list on wired. i posted a bunch on my account. if you you go to the accounts or type in olympians tweeting, google, you will get a bunch of them. apolo ohno is apolo ohno. >> we appreciate it. great advice for following the olympics from the comforts of your own home. nick thompson, thanks so much. lester? >> to the gear that will make you feel like an olympian p next time you hit the slopes. editorial director of with the equipment's health" magazine and "men's health." you can see on these mountains the same day be in the middle of bright sunshine and clouds and you need to switc your goggles. >> for goggle, one of the things, when you are at high speeds you have to see trouble well in advance. what's great about the goggles, $180. the lenses are interchangeable. so what you are doing there is you can deflect bright sun in the morning and low light in the late afternoon. and, you know, heck, even paparazzi plsh bulbs and nighttime, those are great. >> you also have a cure for the other issue when you are on the slopes and want to change the music on your ipod. >> looking at the lonel glove in the snow. oh, my gosh. these quantum -- 180s by quantum gloves, $75. what's really great about them is you don't ever have to take them off. you know, you can be -- programming your play list. you can dial your orthopedic surgeon if you need to. >> special tips. >> never taking the gloves off. right. basically it has nanotechnology that mimics the properties of human skin. so that you don't ever have to take them off. >> did you see me skiing a while ago? the lame helmet i had on. >> yes. >> you want this one. >> this is cool. >> mac daddy. serious street. this is the burn. well worth the money. $105. what's great about it is you need different helmets for different sports. one for skiing, one for biking, one for rock climbing. this allows you with the different layers within to interchange them throughout for -- sailing. whatever it is, you have this very cool helmet which was actually introduced by gold medalist in torino. >> let's talk about the latest wardrobe on the slopes. walk over here. >> what we have here is we have the burton bit of classic americana here. these were developed specifically for the olympians. this thing is so breathable. you can live on pandora quite comfortably. it has -- zippers that are protected and keeping the moisture out. it is a nice blend, like i said, bit of americana. it is incredibly comfortable. allows for a lot of freedom of movement. you know. andou can't muss -- you can't miss our olympians in these. >> you have to snowboard here. it is mott just any snowboard. >> this is great. the -- technology now is called reverse. it means you have these extended tips, almost like water-skis. and it allows you with this -- with this lid tech banana snowboard to not sink in the snow. it has serrated edges that allow you, crinkle cut fries, it allows you to cut into -- bite into the groomed slope rather than sinking into it. >> you are going to be one for each foot and i may be able to stand on it. david, great to have you here. enjoy the games. >> thanks. >> let's go back to amy. >> last but not least, olympic culture. here to show us how to bring the olympic spir night our homes with food and fun is amy goodman. good morning. >> good morning. let's start with food. that's always the best place to start. you have some ways to bring international flares to the festivity. >> get to the heart of the olympics, fws the food. here we have a bit of an international heavy hors d'oeuvre for your party. vietnamese spring rolls. they look beautiful and complicated to make but are very easy with six ingredients. i want to underscore you can do this affordably. $1.45 per serving. that's very affordable. this does have shrimp. you can substitute tofu for the vegetarians. next up, five-layer mexican bean dip. we want to transition you from your honeymoon nice and smoothly into the olympic games. >> this is easy to make. i made this before. >> it is. there's blended cilantro and onions. i used low-senate sour cream t keep it nice and helpful. in addition to the chips, vegetable. >> greek pizza. >> pre-made dough. feta cheese, oifls. you can cut the pieces even smaller if you are having a larger party. so this is really a nice festive finger food. if you want something more hearty, hearty meal other than just the heavy hors d'oeuvre. this is a curry chicken chick pea stew. 15 minutes to prepare. you can do that with a nice rice. i like the couscous for the mediterranean flair. >> also adding international flair to your drinks, correct? >> yes. >> bringing this to your pear as well. you have beers from around the world. >> while the cooker is cog the work, you have everybody -- have each guest have a different country and get to bring alcohol or nonalcoholic beverage from the country. wine hears from italy, beers from the america and germany. and canada dry is from plano, texas, we like the theory we get to celebrate the canadian spir. >> it that's nice. you have some games you can be playing as well. >> sure. olympic bingo. you can downloadhe schedule from the games. highlights the sports, athletes, country flags you will be seeing over the course of that afternoon. and you play a little bit of bingo with your medallions, winner gets to cheat the chocolate coins. >> great advice. coming up next, lester celebrates the chinese new year, vancouver style. this morning on "today's olympic kitchen," we are celebrating the chinese new year. vancouver has the second largest chinatown in north america. the area is kicking off the celebration to mark the year of the tiger with a traditional new year parade planned for tomorrow. robert, culinary expert. owner of a wok around chinatown. good morning. xw ung -- help me. >> ouch. >> back at you. >> hand, hand. bow three times. that represents past, present and future. >> this is the year of the tiger. what's that mean in terms of the kind of year we will see? >> most auspicious, we just went through a big recessionary period. the year of the tiger means tenacity, drive. you certainly need it both in canada and the united states. >> this is -- obviously a -- an important time for the chinese people, new year. here you are in vancouver and you have olympics in town. valentine's day. you had to readjust your traditional parade. >> it has been a perfect storm this year which is fantastic. what happens here is that the world is seeing vancouver in at its best. multicultural, diversity, it is fantastic. >> i want to dry some of your food here. we are going to do a hot pot today. >> chinese hot pot. >> will this be with a vancouver flair? >> we have d.c. prawns, scallops and you have me. >> all right. let's get started. >> what we areoing to do here, this is called the basket. i need to ask you a question. how are you with chopsticks? >> i'm okay. i'm okay. >> you are scaring me. >> i can hold my own. i'm better in chopsticks than i am in happy new year in chinese. >> i'm skill scared. okay. okay. the chopsticks. you holdhem in the middle. you hold it down here. you are not going to eat. hold it up here, it is only for a serving. if you eat like this, that indicates a greedy person. you don't look like a greedy person. >> you don't know me. >> maybe i don't. let me see how you hold a chopstick. >> okay. >> i want to you get a basket. >> okay. >> you have a basket. >> got a basket. >> pick up some food. >> all right. how many? >> shrimp. >> little shrimp. >> now pick up a little chicken, please. >> okay. >> amazg. >> see. not too bad. not too greedy. >> you are wonderful. this is the broth. garlic. cilantro. drop it in. >> basket? >> no. drop it. no, no, no. >> i blew it. do it again. wait a minute. wait a minute. >> you are killing my routine. >> i know, i'm killing your routine. >> couple more in there. we will keep tonight the basket. >> keep it down. keep it down. now just like the european custom, if you drop your food in there, you have to buy everybody a bottle of scotch. >> it is o me, guys. >> okay. >> crew just -- >> just put it down. okay. ju let it steep for about three, two minutes. >> okay. >> okay. >> then what happens? >> then you get into the dipping sauces. we have the soy and the mustard. we have the hot chilies. oyster sauce. we have hoisin sauce. >> take the basket out and dip those in? >> exactly. it is getting there. >> getting there. we are out of time, unfortunately. >> okay. >> traditionally you would -- >> bring it out and dip it. then you eat a little bit of rice. you have to have rice because that's symbolic of fertility. fertility is very important. >> it is fun having you on. thanks so much and happy new year. >> i shouldn't have pointed the sticks at you. we will be back with more after this. there are many paths to good health. that's why nature's bounty makes... a full line of high-quality vitamins, like fish oil for heart health. go to naturesbounty.com now for a $2.00 coupon. nature's bounty. perfect for every body. hey, bob. what's up? oh, i just talked to someone at fidelity about saving for my kid's college. huh. what's this? well, that's how i'm going to get there. it's guidance. oh, so maybe i should follow it, too. it doesn't work that way, pete. you see, this is my own personalized plan. you've got to get one that's right for you. okay. but i can still walk along it while we talk, right? [ laughing ] yeah, come on. whatever your destination, fidelity has the people, guidance, and investments to help you find your way. fidelity investments. turn here. oh, look, he went to jared. - excuse me? - what's in the bag, dave? - a diamond necklace. - may i see it? - uh, can i just get directions, please? - i'm sorry, dave. i'm afraid i can't do that. female announcer: jared presents the levian collection, featuring levian chocolate diamonds and levian chocolate cultured south sea pearls. - now can we go? - oh, dave, you shouldn't have. let'ster, we have been getting e-mail questions for you. including one from anne in british columbia. she wants to know if you are going to visit the capilano suspension bridge in vancouver. any plans? >> been there, done that. i did that with jason priestley who is from north vancouver. a few fliptsz where we are. that was one of the picks he had en he took he out on the town. a very narrow suspension bridge. scary. it is definitely worth seeing. we are going to show you that tomorrow. >> looking forward to that, lester. that's going to do it for us tad on this saturday morning. we want to thank norah o'donnell who is sitting on the couch with me. we can widen out the shot. >> holding downhe fort. >> helping me hold down the fort. want to thank stephanie abrams who is out there in vancouver who is helping you with the weather. >> we want to remind folks that nbc sports coverage of the vancouver games begins today at 2:00 p.m. eastern and tonight in prime time. apolo ohno looks to tie the record for most winter olympic medals with six when he competes with the short track skieding 1,500 meter race. bode miller, as we said, has to wait to race in the men's downtill. postponed for a day. i will see you back here tomorrow. we will be in vancouver for tomorrow's broadcast. until then, so long. have a great day. good morning, everyone. i'm kimberly suiters. here is a look at what we are working on for 9:00. trouble on the tracks, more bad news for metro. how the latest derailment might actually have prevented another catastrophe on the rails. a live report ahead. an amazing rescue. we have the video. we will show you how a beloved dog was pulled from an icy pond. does all this snow somehow make you want to pig out? there is a reason for that. we've got the explanation coming up. i'm meteorologist, chuck bell. we have the clouds and the cold temperatures. i'm optimistic that we will not see any heavy snow this weekend. a complete check of the forecast coming up. we will have those stories and much more when news 4 begins in less than two minutes. a call for change. another derailment, another mark on metro ace spotty safety record. why the agency's leader says metro's culture is the real problem. dangerous speed, an olympian killed just hours before the opening ceremony. some say there were warning science. the calm before the next storm, finally, a weekend without a big snowfall. that doesn't mean it is going to last. the change in your forecast that might have you saying, not again. good morning. welcome to the 9:00 edition of "news4 today." the news is just ahead. first, a quick look at the forecast with chuck bell. watching for those first flakes to fall? i know we are a little ways out. we are a long ways away, kimberly, away from any more accumulating snow. our next ance to have anything accumulate will be monday afternoon. take a check of the radar. a few snow sflax out there this