Transcripts For WRC Today 20100301

good morning, total despair -- the death toll from the massive earthquake in chile climbs above 700 as rescue crews brave aftershocks to search for survivors. hockey night in canada -- >> scores! it's over -- the gold medal to canada! >> team canada knocks off the u.s. in overtime to win gold in men's hockey. thrilling the host country, as it says good-bye to the world in a star-studded closing ceremony. and the brad 23fords are ba they filled our hearts with love in the '70s, now for the first time in 20 years, the cast of "eight is enough" is back live for a reunion today, march 1st, "eight is enough" is back live for a reunion today, march 1st, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, welcome to "today" on a monday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. we have two and a half weeks, two-plus weeks that were great in vancouver, but it is so good to be home. >> it was nice to get home over the weekend. it was nice to set the alarm for normal hours this morning. kind of the middle of the night. >> did you oversleep this morning? >> no, no problems. >> i did a little bit. we're going to talk about the closing ceremony, which i watched on tv, which was terrific. and we're following latest on saturday's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in chile. >> the latest this morning, the country's president has called it a catastrophe of unthinkable magnitude as the death toll has soared to at least 708. at least half a million homes have been destroyed or damaged, leaving some two million people homeless and the first international relief aid arrived on sunday. much-needed supplies that can't get t victims fast enough. as we said, an curry has made her way to chile, we'll get her report in a couple of minutes. an unusual concession in the disappearance of alabama team, natalee holloway who vanished in a class trip to aruba in may of 2005. in an interview that aired last night, joran vander sloot has a new story, claim that he dumped her body in a swamp. why has he not been arrested. and tragedy for the osmond family, we'll have the details on the suicide of marie osmond's 18-year-old son over the weekend. but we begin on a monday morning with the devastating earthquake in chile, an curry is in santiago this morning, ann, good morning. >> earthquake was the most powerful in a century. described as more than 500 times the strength of haiti's earthquake and strong enough to be felt 1800 miles away. more than 700 people are known dead and the number is expected to rise. one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded has devastated chile for hundreds of miles. half a million buildings severely damaged or destroyed. an unknown number of people buried alive. ground zero, near chile's second-largest city of concepcion, 200 miles south of the capital. this man is saying, we thought we would die, i heard my friends scream and i opened a door and the building just dissolved around us and we fell. rescuers are using ladders and ropes, risking their own safety, as more than 90 aftershocks so far rattled nerves in santiago. >> it's a mortal trap for the firemen that are venturing into the debris. and people are still camping out in the city of a million and a half. >> the quake dealt a massive blow to chile's infrastructure, roads cracked and buckled, cars toss like toys. bridges gone crippling transportation. frustration is growing, as people are increasing will he desperate for food. police used teargas and water cannons to disperse crowds at a supermarket sunday. >> people really desperate and crying. and asking and begging for food and water for their kids. even until they were stealing. >> amateur videos are starting to surface showing what happened at 3:34 a.m. saturday. when the 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit. one shows the moments after tsunami waves hit a town. this man says a carnival in the town was under water within minutes. up and down the coast, towns are described as having disappeared from the map. about 90% of the town of kuraco's historic center has been destroyed. the president michelle bachelet called it a catastrophe of unthinkable magnitude and said chile welcomes international aid, especially rescue teams and field hospitals. the good news, if there's any to be had here, is that this quake was 21 miles deep, which makes it less destructive than it could have been. secretary of state clinton, who was scheduled to be here already, is now still trying to t re tomorrow. from santiago chile, now back to you, matt. >> ann curry, thank you very much. paul simons is the u.s. ambassador to chile and is with us by phone from santiago. ambassador simons, good morning to you. >> caller: good morning, matt. >> talk to me a little about communications, what are you hearing or not hearing from the hardest-hit areas? >> caller: well, matt, this is really something like a tale of two earthquakes. here in the santiago metropolitan area, things are returning fairly quickly to normalcy. the government is up and running, the stock market is going to be open today, we've been able to account for all of our american and chilean employees. we've been working 24/7 to make sure they're all safe and sound and i'm pleased to report that we have found them all. but down in the epicenter area, in the concepcion area, there's still very little information. and we've set up a consular operation center that's working 24/7 to try to determine the whereabouts of the approximately 1,000 americans who may be in the concepcion area. >> president obama has said we are here to help. but ambassador seemeimons, what the chilean government asked for? >> we're 48 hours into the crisis. and yesterday afternoon, president bachelet, after meeting with her team, did indicate, gave a speech in which she made two announcements that were quite important. first she declared a state of emergency in the affected area. which enabled the military and police to step up operations. to get a handle on public security. but secondly, she opened up an openness to accept international support. as president obama indicated in his conversation with president bachelet, we want to be as helpful as possible. >> and quickly, the americans were so generous with an outpouring of support for the haitian people following a severe earthquake in that country. so for americans watching and listening who want to do something to help, what would yourest advice be, ambassador simons? >> well certainly the red cross has opened up a website where donations can be made. that would be one option. and there are other nongovernmental organizations that are beginning to open up for contributions. i think the important thing is to stick to reputable entities. >> all right. all right, paul simons, we wish you luck. i know you're very busy and i thank you for your time this morning. >> thank you very . >> and for more, here's meredith. >> luke mesher, an exchange student from iowa was sitting in bed when the quake hit. he joins us by skype from his apartment in santiago. good morning to you, luke. >> good morning. >> let me start with the beginning of this earthquake. it's 3:30 in the morning. you're on the ninth floor of a 20-storey building living with a host family and i think you're on the computer, the electricity goes out and the windows start to rattle. then what happens? >> then the entire room around me obviously started shaking rather violently. and i live with a host family, so my host mom, she kind of came running out of her room and was obviously pretty panicked. and i just made a quick grab for my head lamp that i happened to have nearby because it was completely dark obviously. and my only instinct was to just get out of the building. having heard about plenty of other earthquakes, similar, you know intensity. i just thought i could not be in this massive apartment building. >> how frightening was this for you, like? >> it was pretty scary. i was more focused on just, okay, it's time to get out. i don't know how serious it's going to be. but i need to go. because my host family was more panicked about it, i felt like i had step into the role of hey, we don't have time for this, we need to go right now. >> you had to walk down nine stories, right? >> it's like, about like eight flights, i'm actually on the seventh floor. but there's an extra level on the ground floor. >> did everybody get out of the building, as far as you know? >> right after we had gotten most of the residents were outside. there were a couple of reports of a couple of families who were more or less stuck or their door was wedged, like way up in the 13th and 14th floor, they got out eventually. the building itself, obviously, my building did not come down. but they were, they were able to get out of their apartment eventually. >> once outside, luke, did you see a lot of damage around you? >> in my immediate area, no. i mean there was a few, you know, some cracks in some walls obviously, some broken windows and more just like topical kind of stuff. in my particular part of the city, no, there was no building that came down around here. that's more in the central part of santiago. >> i know there have been a lot of aftershocks, how unnerving has been that been for you? >> it's pretty strange. i've almost become used to it. there's been apparently 60 or 70 aftershocks at this point. so there's a really large one about an hour after the first one happened. so i was ready to exit immediately again. we had stayed outside for just over an hour, just after we returned inside finally, another pretty sizeable one happened. and i jumped out of bed once again and was ready to take off, but otherwise, you know, they've been coming around probably once every couple of hours. >> and very, very quickly before i let you go. i understand your parents spoke with you and asked you to come home and you said -- >> they didn't exactly ask me to come home, they wanted to know what my thoughts were. i'm here, taking some classes and i need to finish what i'm doing here, i think, things are going to be in santiago, they're in much better situation than they are further south, obviously. >> luke mesher, thank you for your time this morning. we're glad you're safe. >> thanks a lot. let us get a check of the rest of the p stories of the morning. natalie's over at the news desk while ann is traveling in chile. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with the rising death toll in europe. a violent storm that lashed into coastal regions on sunday has left more than 50 people dead. most of those killed were in western france. when hurricane-force winds slammed into coastal towns and massive floods destroyed homes. rescuers in helicopters are going house to house now, some one million homes are affected. french president nicolas sarkozy, is visiting the region today. bag in the u.s., more than 200,000 people still without power across the northeast three days after the major storm. some cities were hit with more than two feet of snow and wind gusts of up to 90 miles per hour. the white house is signaling that democrats may have to go it alone on health care reform and push for a vote along party lines. nbc's white house correspondent savannah guthrie is in washington, we'll hear more about this from the president this week? >> that's right, natalie. probably wednesday, we'll hear how the president sees health care reform will get across the finish line. it looks to be a democrat-only process. a two-step process. first because the senate has lost the super-majority of democrats, the house will have to pass the bill that the house passed back in december when they did have the 60 votes. then the senate would pass a series of narrow fixes, which only require as simple majority. but it's very controversial. republicans say that's ramming it through, democrats say it's only a narrow set of fixes that they need to do via this simple majority vote. either way it will be controversial and it's not at all certainly, natalie, that democrats have the votes to det get it done. in the afghan city of kandahar, two bombings killed six people, including civilns and a nato soldier. a suicide bomber targeted a nato convoy. a separate bombing targeted the city's main police station. a north carolina mother has been charged with child abuse and murder after two of her four children, a 1-year-old and 2-year-old, were killed in a house fire sunday. police say she left them home alone. today, the supreme court is hearing arguments in an appeal by former enron ceo, jeffrey skilling. the high court is considering whether a law used to cvict skilling is unconstitutionally vague. he's convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy in 2006 for his role in enron's collapse. wall street watching a big deal involving insurance giant aig. melissa lee is at the new york stock exchange. does that mean that aig is going to be paying back the government? >> part of what it owes. aig is selling its asianit to prudential. the u.s. government would get the first $16 billion in proceeds from the sale. this would be the biggest repayment yet towards the $180 billionhe u.s. government sank into aig in order to bail it out. we should note the asian insurance unit is considered aig's top business and it's also one of the oldest, founded back in 1919. but yes, the u.s. government looks to get some of its bailout money back. >> melissa lee at the new york stock exchange, thank you. and more than 5,000 people got down to the bare essentials at the sydney opera house today in australia. that's why we're showing you the wide shot. they posed for more than an hour in the buff for a photo shoot by photographer spencer tunic, known for his nude photos. no close-ups, you'll notice. >> standing cheek to cheek. >> natalie thank you very much. >> you guys made it home a day after me. no problem with the weather? >> no, it was great. >> what's the rest of the forecast looking like. >> sitting in front of meredith, that's a whole new -- >> let's not talk about it. >> never mind. let's take a look see what's going on. again we've got this storm system down through texas. it's bringing heavy rain to the gulf coast. snow up through the plains on into kansas and parts of nebraska. rainfall amounts generally one to two inches. some areas could pick up three as the system makes its way through the gulf coast, it will be affecting the eastern seaboard before it's all over. working its way through the gulf, bringing rain into the florida panhandle. and more rain up along the eastern seaboard. snow will eventually develop along the mid-atlantic states. the good news is, if we do get any, it's probably going to be about one to three inches of snow possibly good morning, it is the first day of march, the first day of meteorology kl spring. we have some sunshine at this hour taaround the metro area. we'll have a blustery northwesting wind gusting to around 25 miles an hour. could get some light snow m that's your latest weather. matt? entertainer, marie osmond is in seclusion this morning, following the tragic suicide death of her 18-year-old son, michael. nbc's george lewis has the latest. >> reporter: a sidewalk memorial, with one word "faith." marks the place where michael blosol. the son of marie osmond, he leao his death friday note. >> in a suicide note he said he was going to take his life because he had lost all hope. >> reporter: in 2007, marie osmond admitted on "larry king live" that her son had gone to rehab for unspecified reasons. >> we know that your son has gone to rehab. >> reporter: marie osmond and her us wife had eight children. five were adopted. beginning in the '70s, marie became a star at a young age appearing with her brother, donny. >> my sister deserves the very, very best. that's why i work with her. >> reporter: in a statement released by her publicist. marie osmond is quoted as saying, my family and i are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time. >> the last few years for marie have been very traumatic. she's dealt with the death of her father, she's dealt with a divorce from her second husband. and now this, the suicide of her son. it's just goto be devastating for her. >> reporter: for "today," george lewis, nbc news, lossing an los angeles. th 21st olympic winter games officially came to an end last night in vancouver. and what a sendoff, a fantastic closing ceremony, just hours after an overtime hockey thriller between the u.s. and canada. lester holt is at the international broadcast center in vancouver. lester, good morning to you. >> meredith, good morning. you can see the cauldron dark behind me after 17 days. the olympics did come to a close last night after a sunday that kept this city riveted. if canada could have written a script for the vancouver games, this is how it would have ended. crosby scores! >> with tradition, national pride and oh, yes, gold on the line. e canada men's overtime hockey viktctory over the u.s. providea dramatic finish to the 2010 games and sent a hockey-loving nation into the streets. the emotion of the day capped by a rousing colorful closing ceremony. it included a parade of homegrown celebrities. >> you come to vancouver, you spend time among us, you competed on the world stage here in canada and that makes you canadians, too. >> vancouver passing the olympic flag to sochi, russia, which will host the next winter olympics. >> i declare the 21st olympic games closed. >> the games will be remembered for athletes who raised the bar in their sports to unheard-of heights. from an american flying tomato. >> shaun white. >> to the epitome of grace on ice from korea. >> the death of georgian luger, nodar kumaritashvili, reminded us all that these extraordinary athletes balance on a razor's edge, while joannie rochette, who went forward just days after the sudden death of her mother, proved that all strength is not physical. the u.s. led with a medal count of 37. but canada had the most gold, with 14. >> these 2010 vancouver games, make no mistake, have been by and for canadians. the rest of the world was here, but this was pretty much a canadian party. >> still, team usa had plenty to celebrate. >> skate of his life. >> virtually every american who came here with high hopes delivered. from vonn and bode. to shani and apolo, who now has a record eight career winter medals. >> have you made a decision as to whether this is it for the olympics? >> as an athlete and as a competitor, you never want to say never. >> the olympic flame is now out. but apolo and his american teammates will bask in its historic glow for a lifetime. in all, nine of the u.s.'s 37 medals were gold. 15 silver and 13 bronze. and meredith, by the way, only 879 days until the london summer games. >> oh, yeah. >> still getting over vancouver, which was great. this isn't quite as dramatic as the fire in grouse mountain. >> the smo is coming right at us. >> i thought that the whole weekend doing laundry, just trying to get the fire smell out of my clothes. >> this is like a hibachi compared to the olympic flame. >> you know what i did on saturday? >> what? >> i went out and bought snowshoes. we have at least two feet of snow. i went out in the back yard for about an hour >> it's very hard to find snowshoes in the city. >> the people of canada showed they had a good sense of humor in the closing ceremony with kind of lifting up the final leg of the flame in the opening ceremony, a clown doing it, and it came up fine this time. and boy, how excited must have all the canadians been in that arena after the hockey game. >> it was like a scripted ending. and it was a great game. >> and the last part of the ceremony, it was almost like they were staging their own macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> but just to see the people out on the streets right after the game, i mean it was crazy. >> and i actually got excited about sochi. when they handed the flag over to the mayor. it was kind of cool. much more ahead on a monday morning. >> there is a plate of homemade wishes on the kitchen windowsill. the cast of the classic sitcom, "eight is enough," together again live in our studio for the first time in over 20 years, but first, it's "today" just ahead, an amazing story, the whistleblower in bernie madoff's ponzi scheme will be with here to tell us why he says he was prepared to kill the now-disgraced stockbroker. >> plus a strange confession of the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of alabama teen natalee holloway. with 3 grams of fiber. loops now fiber makes your tummy happy so it can absorb the good stuff you need, which your mom is gonna love. it does taste great. fiber is a great way to start your day. i can never read these things. kellogg's froot loops, apple jacks, and corn pops! cereals, now provide fiber. kellogg's makes fiber fun. 7:26 is your time right now on this monday march 1, 2010. good morning, everyone. in the news for today, in prince george's county, a car slammed into a group of people, four of them and two of them are in the hospital. the group was standing behind a hospital on university boulevard in langley park. the driver was arrested on the scene. police say it appears he knew all four people. they are looking into whether he hit them intentionally. we'll have your weather and traffic when we come back. good morning, it is partly cloudy now, temperatures in the mid and upper 30s, highs reaching near 50 with some sun. cloudy tomorrow, make it a little light snow, perhaps mixed with a little light rain. don't see much if any accumulation at all. sun back on thursday with highs near 40. how's the traffic now, jerry? >> tom, take a live look, here 66, loadeup, got off to a tough start this monk with a broken down vehicle. on manassas into the belt way we're jammed. reports of a broken down vehicle and we're getting reports of backups back to the g.w. parkway. >> can heating up food putting your health at risk? liz crenshaw with an important consumer alert, the can you go back the right? no, back here. how about over here? hmm... let's go back to the left. uh... waffling is back at dunkin' donuts with the return of the waffle breakfast sandwich. two oven-toasted waffl with a hint of maple, complete with fluffy egg, a slice of melted cheese, and now with delicious sausage. so hurry in today because it's only around for a short time. america runs on dunkin'. try our oven-toasted waffle breakfast sandwich today, only at dunkin' donuts. checking out our plaza crowd waving hello to loved ones back at home and they're listening to the theme song of one of the most popular shows of the late '70s, "eight is enough." this morning, a real treat, the cast of the show together again. we'll talk to them and they'll answer your email questions in just a bit. it should be a lot of fun. i'm married mayor, alongside matt lauer. just ahead in this half hour, what really happened to natalee holloway. she vanished in 2005 during a trip to aruba and now the man who is considered the main suspect in her disappearance has changed his story about what happened. just ahead, what joran vander sloot said happened to the alabama team and reaction from natalee's family. and we'll talk to the man who first blew the whistle on bernie madoff's $60 billion ponzi scheme and he did it 10 years ago. harry marcopoulis said he was so concerned that bernie made ooff would kill him. he'll be here to share his amazing story. we begin with the tragic earthquake in chile. ann is in santiago, ann, good morning again. >> matt, we can't overstate how powerful this earthquake was, an 8.8 is really one of the most powerful earthquakes recorded in human history. we now know that more than 700 people have died. we don't know how high the number is going to rise, because there are a lot of buildings down tha have not actually been approached yet. i want to give you a look at the local newspapers this morning. you can see from the front page of this newspaper, a photograph of a town that was hit with a tsunami. you get a sense of the devastation further south from where we are here in santiago. there are a lot of small towns on the way to concepcion. and that's where we believe that the epicenter was, the intensity was the highest. the epicenter was closest to. and here's another newspaper, that shows something else that's occurring here. and that is that the chilean military is now out, trying to control the streets, and prevent looting. we understand here in santiago, there actually is a curfew for this, it's difficult for people get out at night. and the reason for that is because there has been a lot of looting, a lot of people desperate for food. as the days progress, the desperation will continue to rise, in some places they've broken into places like supermarkets looking for food, matt. so it's getting to be a very difficult situation. as we've been reporting, the president is saying that she is now going to accept international aid. what they really need here are relief hospitals, field hospitals. because many of the hospitals here cannot handle the numb of people who are coming in for help. and part of the reason for that is because the hospitals themselves have been damaged. so now back to you, matt. >> ann, i want to ask you to clear something up. a lot of people at home might be wondering, we're hearing that this earthquake in chile was so much more powerful than the earthquake that struck haiti a couple of months agoth and yet, the damage is less severe. and i just wonder if maybe you could touch on that and explain that. >> sure. the reason for that, matt, a very good question. one factor, is that this earthquake, while it was 500 times the intensity of the haiti earthquake, it was also 21 miles deep. so the depth prevented some of the destruction. but also, chile is ready i a way that maybe many other countries are not. for a major earthquake. there was a major one, a 9.something in 1960. another major one in 1985. because it's very near this earthquake fault line. because of that, chile has required that its buildings being retro fitted. that they be earthquake-ready. that said, the building here behind me, was built five years ago, and as you can see, there's been major destruction here in this building. it's now unsafe, it's leaning off its foundation. no one, however, was killed there. so there are factors. chile is just much more ready than haiti was for an earthquake of any magnitude. and especially onef this particular magnitude. and that's why there are fewer deaths. but clearly, the numbers are going to go up, matt. >> ann curry, reporting live from santiago, chile, thank you very much. let us get a check now of the weather from al. >> the storm we were talking about over the weekend, the one that caused all the snow, still hanging around, won't go away, it's off the new england coast. coastal flood warnings, boston right now, high winds, a real mess, you can see the system backing up a little, but eventually moving off the coast, spreading rain along the southeastern atlantic coast, the northeastern atlantic coast. snow in northern new england. out west, things fairly quiet. we've got wet weather through the gulf coast. snow to the north and the ce central plains. good morning, in washington, there's a live picture fm our sky watcher camera showing colloids and a blue sky. right now temperatures in the 30s and 40s, afternoon highs near 50 degrees. a blusery northwest wind and then cloudy tonight into tomorrow. we may get a little light snow, perhaps some light rain tuesday night into don't forget, if i want to keep track of your weather all day, go to the the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now to a strange new confession in the mysterious disappearance of alabama teen, natalee holloway. she vanished during a class trip to aruba in 2005. now the primary suspect in the case is speaking out in an interview that aired last night on dutch television. nbc's michelle kosinski is in amsterdam with more. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. this was surreal, seeing this play out on national television here last night. joran van der sloot giving an interview six months ago, to a buddy of his. claim now that natalee holloway suddenly fell off a balcony and that he disposed of her body. but he tells this tearful story, after failing an on-camera polygraph test. complete with soap opera-style scary music, some low-tech production values and the screaming headline -- "joran speaks" this was something we hadn't seen before. joran van der sloot, about a year ago, submitting to a professionally-administered polygraph test. >> are you involved in causing the death of natalee holloway? >> no. >> are you involved in the disappearance of natalee holloway in may 2005? >> no. >> reporter: but when asked if he met natalee, joran also answers no. he's been accused of deliberately trying to manipulate the results and is told, there is clear evidence he is lying. he denies that. and blows up. it was all arranged by this dutch reality tv show star, who calls himself, terror jaap. this is hiswebsite. the broadcast says a few months after the polygraph, jaap paid joran thousands of euros to sit down and talk. this is what happened. joran breaks down. claim that he and natalie went to the beach that night she disappeared. then to his friend'shouse. that natalee was drinking, using cocaine and dancing on this balcony. i wish i could turn back time, he says. i walked towards her. i thought i was going to hold her. i just feel as if it's my fault. at the moment when i held her, she fell off the balcony. in this new story and joran has told several, he emphasizes, she was 100% dead. at times, appearing to cry, joran claims he and his friend then placed natalie in a car. that there was a lot of blood. they put her body in this swamp. he says, i want to say i'm sorry to everyone. to my own parents. and the parents of natalee holloway. i hope they can find the heart to forgive me. prosecutors and police do not buy it. they say nothing adds up. that the railing is too high for natalee to fall over. that this supposed vehicle showed not a trace of blood. >> the way he is reacting, sometimes he doesn't know, huh? yeah. >> reporter: this is peter telling a friend about natalee having a seizure on the beach. viers were stunned that he said he disposed of her body, not knowing whether or not she was alive. >> he hates me. >> peter and his producer -- >> he needs to make it more interesting for the money. >> reporter: also do not like what they see here. >> why is he going to a person like terror jaap? why is he not going to the police? i think i know the answer. >> reporter: now the question is there, how much of this was actually set up by joran himself? even the polygraph? is it possible that he wants to appear as though you can't really trust anything he says? what we do know is he has told two stories in which he claims to have been present when natalee holloway died and he disposed of her body. the details of those two stories are completely different. but those factors remain the same. meredith? >> very bizarre, michelle kosinski, thank you very much. we're joined by joe tacopina, as well as natalee's uncle, paul reynolds. i'll start with you, your reaction listening to joran van der sloot, to this latest confession? >> this is the third recent confession that we've heard. once she was in the swamp, this time she's in the swamp. before he dumped her out on the ocean. >> after she supposedly had a seizure of some sort. >> right. the consistent thing is that joran was always there. he was always the person there. he was there the night that natalee disappeared. he was the last person seen with her. and beth was able to identify him and go to his house that day. very disappointing that the officials did not allow the police into the house so we could find out if possibly she was even there. >> joe, this is one more confession that the authorities don't buy. do you think that he's telling the truth this time? or is there any element of truth to what he's saying? >> none whatsoever, meredith. what you're seeing here and what you saw two years ago with peter devries and what you saw on another television network are television productions. >> is that why he hasn't been arrested? >> that's why the prosecutors are itching to arrest joran van der sloot for a fourth time an put him in jail, can't even use this, the times d't match, the known facts are inconsistent. the named witnesses deny even being there. there's no blood in the car, these are made-up stories that being being paid for. this producer went to joran and gave him money to tell a different story. if he told the same con dpegs that he told the other guy who gave him money, it wouldn't be a new story. >> why would joran van der sloot do this? >> i represent the criminal investigation and the civil litigation we got dismissed in the united states. i represented him then. i represented a different person. i think he needs help. he's not well, i don't think and when he first became in the spotlight, in the fore of all this, he was a young teenaged boy who was vilified. i believe wrongfully vilified. i don't believe he had anything to do with the disappearance. >> and paul, you disagree, you think he did have something to do with the disappearance. >> we completely disagree. joran was there. he's responsible. we think it's time for joran to come forward, do the right thing and tell the truth. >> let me ask you both, his father died a few weeks ago. his father was a lawyer in aruba and also some believe, hindered the investigation. now that he has paed, do you think that people will come forward? >> there's nothing, i assure you, there's been so many rumors about his father and about joran and so many false stories put out there. now by joran as well, there's absolutely no involvement by his father. there's no evidence by anything regarding his father. the investigators turned every grain of sand on the island upside-down. they searched the house, they took the ground and the pool apart to get under the land to see if there's anything there. there's no evidence. you can't just say he was involved. if the evidence says he wasn't. >> meanwhile, your niece has been gone for almost five years, so emotionally for you, this is very difficult. >> it's almost five years. natalee's friends have graduated college, they've started their careers. we need to find natalee. >> pawn reynolds, thank you very much. joe tacopino as well. up next, the death of a trainer at seaworld, the park holds its first show since the tragedy. ♪ where do gummy bears hide? under the seat. look! yeah! ♪ 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[ female announcer ] we all love. ♪ we all share. ♪ we all create. ♪ and we all get dirty. try new and improved all with more cleaning ingredients. all's trusted, powerful stainlifters help get your whole wash incredibly clean. and costs up to 40% less than the leading brand. for l your laundry, it's all good. ♪ a little encouragement changes everything. molly es muy muy intelligente. and right now, hallmark's got a whole new way to do it. new gifts and cards to cheer on kids of all ages. come in and pick up a free card today. nine to choose from. only at your hallmark gold crown store. we're back now at 7:47, the seaworld trainer who died last week when a killer whale dragged her into its tank is being laid to rest today. nbc's tom trong is outside the park in orlando with the latest. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning the funeral for the trainer, will take place later this morning in chicago. here at seaworld, officials are saying the show must go on. dirs the first shamu show since the death of dawn branchau. >> i want to be here to make sure this continues, it touched so many lives. i don't think there was a dry eye in the stands. >> reporter: the show took place three days after the trainer's death. seaworld's curator said this needed to help. >> we all were expecting to have a difficult time. but actually, this show inspired me again. it really, really made me think about why we do what we do. >> reporter: how they do it has changed. trainers are no longer allowed in the water with the whales. they maintain a safe distance during this weekend's show. >> we're not getting in the water with these be a lls, we will not get in the water with the whales, and we won't until we conclude our work and ascertain if there's anything to learn from here. >> the largest killer whale in act difficulty grabbed branchau by her pony tail and dragged her under water. >> it was not an attack. he had a novel object presented to him. he simply grabbed her hair and pulled her in. it's no more than that. >> reporter: these animals are one, if not the biggest money-makers for seaworld, a national for-profit business. and they take center stage in marketing seaworld's brand. because of tillican's breeding capabilities, the 12,000-pounder is reportedly worth millions more. but just like in the movie, "free willy" some activists are demanding seaworld to free tilly. seaworld said doing that would be a death sentence, since captive killer whales stand little chance in open water. the tillican will be featured in future shows. >> tham trong in orlando, thank you very much. just ahead, the man who discovered bernie madoff's $60 billion ponzi scheme ten years ago, but couldn't get authorities to do anything. kind of an exciting night. >> it is an exciting night. >> i like the promo "get back to where you once belonged." >> getting back to the studio where he once did the jay leno show. >> great guests. >> lindsey vonn. >> you can catch it 11:35, 10:35 central here on nbc. just ahead, a walk down memory lane with the cast of "eight is enough." they're going to reunite for us for the first time in two decades. unches of oats. taste the joy we put in every spoonful. unches 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. sure, but let me get a little infortion first. for broccoli, say on for toys, say two. ys ! the system can't process your response at this time. what ? please call back between 8 and 5 ceral standard time. he's in control. gobye. even kids ow it's wrong to give someone the run around. at ally bank you never have to deal with an endless automated system. yocan talk to a real person 24/7. it's just the right thing to do. yocan talk to a real person 24/7. sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. 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(announcer) for five generations, with a name like smucker's it has to be good. 7:55 is your time now, look at those beautiful skies as we start spring. tom will have your forecast after the news. it is march 1, 2010. police are investigating an overnight homicide. police are not saying how the man died, only that he was found uncoun unconscious around midnight. good news this morning for drivers in virginia, crews are launching a pothole blitz for the entire month of march. v dot is making potholes a top priority. you can report potholes by going online to good morning, we welcome march with open arms, bright sunshine on this first day of march and we have temperatures right now near 40, afternoon highs should reach 50 degrees. a bit of a blustery northwest wind. overnight clouding up and colder into the lower to mid 40s. we may get a built of a mix of some wet snow, a little bit of light rain from time to time. it should all end by wednesday night. >> we look over the american region bridge. that's the -- lanes are open, let's head over to the virginia side and you can see delays for that will begin on the inner loop just after the gw park way. travel lanes are open. >> tomorrow morning on news 4 today, can heating up food be putting your health at right? an important consumer alert t containers you should be using and the ones 8:00 on this monday morning, the first day of march, 2010, it's a nice day here on the plaza, with a huge crowd of people gathered to say hi to the folks back home. we appreciate it very much. we're back in new york after two and a half weeks in vancouver. and we missed you people. we missed you a lot. nice to see you. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer. along with meredith vieira and al roker and we're starting a special series here. we're reuniting some classic television families and kicking things off with the bradfords, the lovable families of from "eight is enough." it was one of the most popular shows, fans went through all of it with they will, the angst and the weddings, and together they're here with us for the first time in two decades, we'll catch up with them in just a moment. they look great. >> they look like they're in good shape and having fun. and also ahead, harry markopouls, this is the guy who tried to bring down bernie madoff a decade ago. he warned the s.e.c. not once, but four times. no one listened to him. parts of his story reads like a hollywood thriller. it really amazing stuff. and a guy who is starring in some hollywood movies, mr. robert pattinson. [ cheers and applause ] >> okay, now they're warmed up. >> is stopping by -- robert pattinson! >> let me try this -- harry markopoulis -- >> robert pattinson. >> oh. >> before we go further, let's go inside for the top headlines of the morning from natalie who is in while ann is in chile this morning. officials in chile say the death toll is likely to rise after saturday's powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake, this as aid begins to pour into the nation and rescuers look for trapped survivors. ann curry is in santiago. ann, what are you seeing on the ground this morning? >> well you know, you can see from the building behind me, that there are scenes of devastation here in santiago, however, is not really where the serious damage is. it's really further south of where we are, in concepcion, around there, that is considered ground zero of this quake, which is an 8.8 magnitude, natalie. it's considered one of the strongest ever recorded. it downed bridges, it downed buildings, it downed roads. and the ensuing tsunami has wiped some towns off the map. people are increasingly desperate also. and on sunday, people were seeking food for their children. they looted a market and they were met with teargas and with water cannons. the president of chile says there's a major need for field hospitals here, for rescue teams. and we want to probably also mention to you something very interesting. the quake that struck here is called a mega-thrust quake, which means one part of the earth's plate defense underneath the other and that's what caused the tsunami and caused the violent shaking. the good news, however, is that the epicenter was 21 miles beneath the surface. and just offshore. so the devastation could have been much worse than it was. now back to you. >> ann curry, reporting there at santiago, chile, thank you. a suspect is now in custody this morning, arrested in the disappearance of a san diego teenager. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: police have arrested 30-year-old john albert gardner, a register sex offender in the disappearance of 17-year-old chelsea king. >> during the course of this investigation, evidence was scovered that linked gardner to miss king in such a manner as to warrant his arrest. >> reporter: over the weekend, searchers scoured the large recreation area in rancho bernardo, where chelsea, a long-distance runner, often went jogging. >> chelsea would frequently get off of school, go out and come out here frequently, change her clothes in the car, put on her jogging gear and then run four to six miles, what we're told. >> when chelsea went missing after going for a run last week, her parents put out a desperate and emotional plea for help. >> just help us get her home, okay? help us get her home. >> reporter: her car was found near the park with her cell phone inside. her father, brent king. >> within five minutes of me finding her car, i had this dread roll over me. and a dread of where's my daughter. and it hasn't subsided. >> it's going to be hard for us to go back to school this week if we don't find her. >> reporter: investigators hope that the arrest of gardner will lead them to find out what happened to chelsea king. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. flooding is a big concern this morning in southern california, on sunday, large waves and a strong high tide flooded part of the pacific coast highway in orange county. it is 8:05 right now. let's go back outside for more on the rest of your forecast with al. all right, thanks, natalie. and we've got another part of the rob pattinson contingent here. you came from florida. where did you come from? >> philadelphia. >> where are you from? >> new jersey. >> all right. just a few of the people who have come for rob pattinson. let's check your weather. pick city, temple, texas. nbc 6, it will be rain and cool, temperature, 51 degrees. week ahead, above-normal temperatures. and out west in the northwest, with rain along the coast, rain through the southeast as we get to the mid-week period, we're looking for light snow in the northeast. below-normal temperatures in the southeast. the latter part of the week, below-normal temperatures through the southwest and the southern atlantic state. looking for above-normal temperatures in the northeast and the great lakes. some more robert pattinson fans. and this lady told me earlier, march coming in with bright sunshine on this monday morning, good morning now, near 40 degrees, it's 40 in washington anit will continue to climb around 50 for a high this afternoon. but a blustery northwest wind, overnight clouding up and cloudy tonight with highs in the low and mid 40s. tomorrow and wednesday maybe a little bit of light snow showers, maybe a little bit o that's your latest weather, i consider you my boo. >> you were my boo before i was your boo. anyway, coming up, the cast from "eight is enough" reyou nights for the first time in 20 years. , one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix. protection that helps save lives. people with stomach ulcers or other conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, may affect how plavix works. tell your doctor all the medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition reported sotimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. but my allergies put me in a fog. so now, i'm claritin clear! claritin works great on all my allergies like dust, mold, pollen, or pets without making me drowsy, cause i want to be alert around this big guy. livelaritin clear. indoors and out. 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[ female announcer ] spnda®. america's favorite no calorie sweetener. this morning we're kicking off a very special series, great tv families reunited. over the next week, we'll be bringing together the cast of some classic tv shows that you grew up with. we're starting with the bradfords of the classic tv show, "eight is enough." it was the late 1970s, the vietnam war had recently ended and the nation was still reeling from the watergate scandal. television was at a crossroad and people craved the stability of american family life. enter "eight is enough." the series focused on tom bradford, played by dick van patten and his eight children. david, the eldest, living on his own. mary, the brainy one, attending medical school. joanie, the artsy one. susan the tomboy, nancy, the pretty face, always searching for direction. elizabeth, the typical teenaged all-american girl. tommy, the rebill yus bad boy of the bradfords. and nicholas, the swt-faced youngest of the clan. >> living in this family is like living in a small town. >> premiering in march of 1977, the show tackled the tough issues of sex, drug abuse and single parenthood. things that would have been taboo in primetime a few years earlier. >> david, this is beautiful. where did you find it? >> during production of the first season, actress diana hyland, who played their mother, joan bradford, passed away. with tom now a widower, he found love ain wh school teach eer abby, played by betty buckley. she married him during the second season. although the series rated in the top 20 throughout its run. "eight is enough" was canceled after its fifth season. as the staple of tv pop culture, the bradfords were able to perfectly mix the idyllic world inside their household with real-world problems. earning them a place as one of the great tv families. ♪ eight is enough to fill our lives with love ♪ >> and here they are for the first time as a cast in more than 20 years, let's bring them out one by one. beginning with dick van patten who played tom bradford, come on out, dick, have a seat. nice to see you. >> i watch you every morning, you're terrific. >> you're terrific, too. have a seat. >> betty buckley, who played abby, come on out, betty. >> nice to see you. have a seat. >> grant goodeve, the oldest son, david. nice to see you. laurie walters was joanie. good do see you. connie needham played elizabeth. you look like a flash from the past. and willie aames played the bad boy tommy. nice to see you, willy. and joining us from los angeles, diane kay who played nancy. good morning to all of you. look at the smiles on all of your faces, what is it like to be reunited here? >> i'm so happy to be with all of them again, i really mean it it's great. it's great. it's kind of a gift. we thank you for getting us all together. >> can you believe that it's been more than 20 years? >> it's been a while. >> it's been a while. >> they all look the same. >> and to think -- i look at you, dick, and i realize, having read the notes last night, what i didn't know before, was you were not the original choice. >> no. >> to play tom bradford. how did you convince the producers. >> they shot it for three days with someone else and freddy silverman, the head of abc and he looked at the rushes and said, get dick van patten. he's funnier. he has a funny bone. >> and you ended up, you're the dad with these eight kids, and at the time the show was filmed, they were kids. did you become a father figure with the cast. >> i was surrounded by all of these wonderful actors and they were all so natural. they never looked artificial when they were acting, they were real. so i think that's what made the show such a hit. their acting. i really mean that. the writer of the script did a wonderful job. >> connie, what was it like on the set? >> goodness -- it wa a lot of fun. it was an awful lot of fun. i was just thinking of this one particular day when we hadne of those hours and hours of dinner scenes. and -- we were getting really -- you know, a little annoyed. and a little frustrated. and you know, a little grumpy. and dick says to all of us, he says, you know, you're going to miss this, once it's taken away, you're really going to miss it. you're really lucky. >> and do you? >> i do. i do. >> i do, i do. >> i remember him saying that to us. >> grant, favorite moment, if there is one? >> my favorite moments were the times that i would do scenes with dick. who was the father figure, was much funnier than my own dad. to the point that we would get the giggles sometimes, the laughing and we would hold up production sometimes for half an hour because we couldn't gather ourselves. >> we couldn't look at each other with a straight face, we would laugh. >> and i secretly wished for that. it was so entertaining. >> will, you played the bad boy on the show. you know, the -- >> a troubled teenager. >> we were just talking about that backstage. and actually laurie was the one who brought it up. said, you laugh more these days, you were such a serious young man. and i guess i was. but i'm laughing now, we've been laughing all morning. >> you mean you -- personally were a serious young man when you were playing that role? >> i believe so. laurie, jump in. >> well, yeah it just seemed it me that it's a big burden. i mean connie and willy, maybe diane, no, not diane, but certainly adam, they were children, really. and it's enormous responsibility that they've had. and willy just seemed very serious and his work and his music and his career. and you know -- i was quite a bit older than him and in a certain way kind of the way older people are invisible to teenagers. that's how i felt with willy. so -- >> that's pretty accurate. >> and so i would watch him. >> not that anybody was invisible. but i was pretty focused. i hear diane laughing in the background. >> we're missing her. she is in l.a. is there anything you want to say, diane? jump in. >> hi everybody. i miss you. i'm warm and you're cold. >> thanks for pointing that one out. >>betty, it had to be hard for you. you came in in the second season, after diana hyland passed away. was it hard getting into this group. >> it was like being a real step mother. they had only shot six episodes, i believe, with diana, but the show was a huge hit. so they brought me in, i was the idea of brandon tartikoff, the associate to brent silverman, i had done a film "carrie" and they thought the character i played would be a nice prototype to come in and marry into the family. it was pretty uncomfortable, it was a bumpy ride for the first season. but things started to calm down in season two, and really fabulous in season three and four. >> adam rich could not be here, he played nicholas. and he did send a letter. he said although i may not there be in person, please know i'm there in spirit. i will always have a deep fondness for each of you in my heart. i consider it not only an honor, but a privilege to be a member of one of tv's greatest families. >> ah. >> he was the little one, the adorable kid, dick, what do you remember most about him, dick? >> people loved adam rich. he was named nicholas. people were naming their children nicholas. he was a big hit on the show. and he was largely responsible for the show being such a big hit. >> the show was a comedy and a drama and it dealt with a lot of issues that at that time, especially, it dealt with drugs, it dealt with sex. it dealt with a lot of heavy stuff. why do you think that you were able to do that? >> good writers. >> great writers. >> it was a real hybrid in that time period, because we were never really nominated for emmys. so i think we won the people's choice award every year because they couldn't figure out if we were a comedy or a drama, because we did it all and we covered every conceivable subject matter. >> you really did. how would you compare it with what's on primetime network television now? >> it seems so innocent, doesn't it? we were cutting-edge then. but what is cutting-edge now is very different. >> there were also issues behind the scenes. there was a certain amount of alcohol and drugs. willy, you've been open about it since then. >>sure. >> talk to me about what was going on a little bit behind the scenes. and what it's le for somebody to be a kid actor and then the show goes away? >> well you know, it was, it was the '70s. where weren't their drugs? there were as many here in new york as there were in l.a. and you could find the same thing in chicago. i think the thing that really happened in l.a. and what i've always said about it is it's not so much that it's different in that environment. you just have access to more when it's happening. and so i, i kind of see, see that whole environment as sort of like a small high school. you know, everybody knows what's going on. everybody is dating each other. and not for any other reason than its proximity. so i wouldn't say that anything was different on certain not on our set than any of the other sets that were going on. it wasn't as big a deal as maybe people want to make it out to be. >> that's true, i agree. >> i wasn't aware of -- i mean there was not really aware of anybody doing anything specific. it was just that we were all at work and the days were long. and you know, you know, it wasn't that apparent in any single way. >> yeah. >> it went completely over my head. >> you were too old. you didn't know what was going on. >> you obviously didn't do enough drugs. >> no. >> on a sad note, lani o'grady dying of an accidental drug overdose certainly very sad for the cast. but i don't want to dwell on that as i said. looking back now, why do you feel this show was as -- i know you said the writers. but why do you tnk it resonated so much with the audience back then? were we looking for something because of vietnam? >> well there was somebody at every age. you know, i think that helped. there was the young kids, the older kids. >> i think it got to the heart of the matter. >> you know, the soul of things, we really told very sensitive truths. and were very realistic, i think. >> and adam was cute. >> i got to stop it at that, guys. it is enough, the cast. you're going to be back in our next hour to tell us what you're doing now and also to answer viewers' emails, we appreciate it. we'll be back right after your local news. thank you, guys, you still look the same. i got to tell you. >> oh, right. >> you look great. a lot of research and a lot of work, oyota has done a lot ofresearch a a lot of work, and we've been open 24 hours a day -- 7 days a week. and we've made a tremendous amount of progress. you know, safety and reliability is top priority. i mean i got a family, too. i got a mother, a grandmoth, kids, nd we all drive in tse cs. i am 100% confident in the product. male announcer ] we're grateful to technicians like ronny who are helpings provide you with fe and reliae vehicles. for mo information, please visit toyota.com. 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what is that? what is this? guy: it's a special paste i invented to replace socks. we're dipping our feet in it. wife: why? guy: because we can't find socks that shape to our feet. we're sick of it! son: sick of it! wife: that's really stupid. guy: that's the future. announcer: hanes makes better-fitting socks the whole family will love. guaranteed, or your money back. our time right now is 8:26 on this monday, the 1st day of march 2010. a big suv slammed into four people in langley park overnight and police think the driver may have hit them on purpose. two of the victims had to be hospitalized after they were hit behind a shopping center on university blvltd. they're both expected to survive. police arrested the driver at the scene. they say he knew all four people. but they're still looking into whether the crash was intentional. we'll take a break now and come back and look at our traffic and weather of this. stay with us. back to the right? no, back here. how about over here? n-- let's go back to the left. waffling is back at dunkin' donuts. for a short time only, enjoy the return of the delicious oven-toasted waffle breakfast sandwich. america runs on dunkin'. good morning, it's been over a month since it's been over 50 degrees and we may do that this afternoon with a little light rain and snow mix tuesday into wednesday. >>. >> 66 eastbound remains quite slow because of earlier problems. >> tomorrow on news4 today, can 8:30 on a monday morning, the first day of march, 2010. if our crowd seems a little louder this morning, it could be that that man right there so to blame, that's robert pattenson, star of the vampire saga and starring in an upcoming movie out in june. we'll be talking to robert if he has any hands and arms left in just a couple of minutes. >> or ears left. exactly, meanwhile out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker and natalie morales. meredith had to leave a little early this morning. she's producer the fourth hour of the show this morning and she's holding her morning meeting with kathie lee and hoda. and they don't seem to be too pleased. >> that's rude, they came in here and did this. they come here every morning and do their hair and makeup and what do you call these topics you do every morning. >> chat topics. not hot topics. >> i don't know whose idea this was, but it's going to air at 10:00. >> hey, meredith, if i were you i would get a whip, a chair and a pistol. >> i'll get it out of your office. a little bit later on, the cast of "eight is enough" is back, we're going to talk with them some more. and they're going to answer your email questions. also, ahead, the man who sounded the alarm about bernie madoff, almost a decade before bernie madoff was actually arrested. federal investigatordid not listen to him. he's now written a chilling memoir about that and we're going to talk to harry markopolos about it in just a couple of minutes. but first, nbc's "law and order" returns tonight with its 20th season, tying it with gunsmoke as the longest-running primetime drama in history. >> and we've got two of the stars of the show, sam waterson and anthony anderson joining us this morning. let me take you back to 1989, producers loved the pilot of this. but we worry, the show won't be able to duplicate the intensity week to week. boy, were they wrong, sam. >> yes, they were. well, they didn't realize that going to the newspapers was inexhaustible source of stories. and you know, you can wear out a relationship between a boy and a girl pretty fast. because there are only so many things they can do. but the things people think of to do in the world of crime -- >> you can't make it up, can you? >> you just can't wear it out. >> what can we look forward the rest of the season? we mentioned two new episodes tonight? >> i think this is flat-out the best year of writing the show has ever had. if it's not the best, it's a tie for the best. it's absolutely wonderful. >> and sam, youlayed jack mccoy now all of these years, you're now the boss. anthony's the young guy here who has come in. are you learning? >> anthony, are you looking forward to say in 15 years, we're still talking to you? >> 15 years? i signed on for six. i would love to be around as long as sam. and the pace of the show. you know, it's a part of history. and it's part of our american fabric of how we watch television today. yeah. >> and you've kind of worked yourself right into this. it's amazing how seamless it is when new people join the cast. >> i think it brings, it brings new life. >> just like in a typical workplace. >> these guys are funny and they are so, they're so much fun to you know -- i don't get to spend time on the set with them, but they make life very funny. >> anthony is not used to working with a sex symbol like sam. >> i thought the screams were for the other guy, but they're for sam. they don't scream for t big guy like that. >> tonight's two-hour-long "law and order" event. and next week in its regular time slot, monday night at 10:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m. central. >> it's always great to have you good morning, we're celebrating the end of february and welcoming march on this monday morning, right now temperatures are near 40 degrees, we have some sunshine and it will climb to near 50 this afternoon and if it exceeds 50, it will be the first time in over a month. we'll have a bit of a breeze out of the northwest gusting to 20 to 25 miles an hour. overnight clouding up and clouding up tomorrow. highs into the low 40s. tomorrow night into wednesday, we may get a little light sno don't forget, you can check out your weather any time of the day or night on the the weather channel on cable or weather.com -- online. al, thank you very much. when we come back, we're going to be talking to robert pattinson, that's still ahead. but also ahead, the man who blew the whistle on bernie madoff, almost a decade before madoff was finally caught. we'll talk to harry markopolos. but first, this is "today" on nbc. imagine stumbling across the largest financial fraud in u.s. history, but when you try to expose it, no one listened. that's what happened to this man, after he realized bernie madoff's investment operation was actually a $65 billion scam. we'll talk to harry markopolos in a moment. but first, how the house of madoff collapsed. >> bernie madoff awaits sentencing for mastermining the largest ponzi scheme in history. >> it was the news that rocked the financial world, on december 11th, 2008, respected financier, bernie madoff was arrested in his new york city penthouse apartment by federal agents after admitting to his sons that he had been running quote, basically a giant pondsi scheme. the losses were staggering. first thought to be $50 billion. they finally totalled $65 billion in real money and imaginary profits. >> we are struggling to pay our motor home bill. and to put food on the table. and he took our life away from us. >> bernie madoff pleaded guilty and was sentenced to the maximum term, 150 years in federal prison. madoff had operated for years under the radar of regulators. victims ked how could the securities and exchange commission, watchdog for investors, not have known? the awful truth was, they did know. for eight years, one man tried to tell them, boston trader, harry markopolos. but this warning was ignored. and lost in a sea of bureaucracy. harry markopolos is now telling his story in the new book "no one would listen." a true financial thriller. harry, great to have you here, good morning. >> good to be here. >> i want to start off, i said at the end there, one man tried to warn people. you want people to know right off the bat that you worked as part of the team, there were others working on this as well? >> i had a four-man team, we were tracking it for eight years. >> you worked for a securities firm in boston. and basically people in the business started to hear about the returns that bernie madoff was getting for his investors. and your bosses said to you, look, harry, reverse-engineer this. we want you to use his system and see if you can dupe i had indicate his results. you worked very hard at it, but you couldn't do it. >> it was impossible. it was clear in five minutes that the strategy was bogus as a $3 bill. i had to model it. i couldn't replicate it. and we were losing customers to this man. every money manager around the world was losing money to bernie madoff. >> so an alarm goes off in your head and the team you were working with and you go to the s.e.c., not once, not twice, not three times, but four separate times, starting in 2000, and either they didn't understand what you were trying to tell them, or the information fell through the cracks. >> they didn't understand. they had lawyers there, not finance people. they weren't capable of understanding what i had written and presented to them. i had gift-wrapped this case and delivered it on a silver platter and they still didn't take it. >> at one point, harry, didn't they call bernie madoff i for an interview? >> they called him in, but he was the only person they never talked to. they never talked to any of his staff if they had, the stories wouldn't have meshed. and they would have solved the case. >> given that the s.e.c. is supposed to be the watchdog over these kinds of investments, how long do you think it should have staken them to get this? >> half an hour at the most. >> and they did nothing for ten years? >> nothing for ten years. >> parts of this book, harry, read like a manual on investments and government bureaucra bureaucracies. other parts of it read like a real hollywood thriller. at one stage, during your investigation, and you're trying to uncover this ponzi scheme for the world to see, you begin to fear for your life. and i want you to try to explain to our viewers why you started to feel that way. >> in june 2002, i took a key trip to europe with a french nobleman. i was meeting a very high-money crowd, an offshore secret money crowd in the uk, france and switzerland. at that point, when i saw the offshore nature of this money, the money coming in was hidden, untaxed money and i knew there was organized crime connections to this case at that time. >> so basically, to connect the dots here, you're thinking, wait a second, if organized crime is involved in this, and they're reaping huge benefits from bernie madoff's scheme, the last thing they're going to want to see is someone blow the whistle on their gravy train. >> madoff was victimizing the russian mob, and the drug cartels, he had a lot to fear. >> there's something else in this book that astonishes me. i need you to explain this. at some point during this period where you're trying to expose bernie madoff, you said to yourself, first of all, you went out and bought a gun, okay, to protect yourself. but you took it a step further. you said, look, if bernie madoff ntacts me directly, or indirectly, and threatens me in any way, i am going to prepare myself to -- >> kill him. it was the only choice. it was him or me. this man was a human predator. he would have no social conscience about taking me off the face of the earth. it was me or him. >> take this the right way, harry. i'm sitting across from you -- you look like an accountant, okay? you don't look like a guy who's going to commit a hit on another human being. how did you get to that stage where you actually thought, i may have to go out and kill bernie madoff and how would you have explained it to law enforcement? >> well i would hope not to get caught. i certainly had good army training. and it really, it really was him or me. i had a family to protect. the government wasn't protecting me. they were not doing their job. and i felt forced into a rather difficult moral dilemma. >> you talk about the incompetence or dereliction of duty at the s.e.c. and a lot of people are going to say, okay, that was starting in 2000, we're now ten years later. what's changed? in your opinion, what has changed? what lessons did they learn from this? >> it rocked the s.e.c. to its foundations. they're turning this agency around. it was nonfunctional. they're trying to become dysfunctional. it's crawl, walk, run. it's going to take them years to get to the run stage. >> so right now, if there are other people committing ponzi schemes, in this country, do you think they are at a greater risk of being caught? or are they also going to operate under the radar for a long time? >> the s.e.c. is really attuned to ponzi schemes, they're bringing more and more of those to justice. whereas before they ignored them. now they're aggressive in pursuing them. so i feel very good about some of the positive benefits of this case. but there are very few. >> there are so many people who watched this whole story unfold. and a lot of those people have one major question right now, and that is -- could bernie madoff have done this alone. or even with just one or two other people. i would like you to shed some light on that. >> he had a global conspiracy. he's operating in 40 nationings. he has 339 companies feeding him new victims. he's passing along over 90% of the fees to the people helping feed victims into this scheme. he had a lot of help. he had the big banks helping hill. he had custody banks helping him. >> helping him in a criminal w or just turning a blind eye? >> turning a blind eye. the accounting firms were turning a blind eye. all the companies setting up victims. no one asked the right questions. >> everybody talks about the incompetence at the s.e.c. but what about the investors? especially the hedge funds that were funneling money into bernie madoff, who were supposed to be doing their due diligence on behalf of their investors. and did nothing. was it incompetence on their part? or sheer greed? >> it was sheer greed. they assumed that madoff was front-running an illegal activity. so they didn't want to ask questions that they didn't want to hear the answers to. so they turned a blind eye, never did any due diligence checks. >> i think even an average investor will find your book fascinating. what is the take-away for that person? the typical investor, what lessons should they learn from this? >> don't trust your government. do your own research. use common sense, if you don't understand the strategy, don't invest in it. >> harry markopolos, "no one would listen: a true financial thriller." thank you very much. up next, we'll talk to robert pattinson about his new movie and the next installment of the "twilight" saga. but first, this is "today" on nbc. "twilight" heartthrob, robert pattinson already has a legion of dedicated fans and he could add few with his latest role as a rebellious young man, tyler in the movie "remember me." >> it's a bowl, it completes the room. >> this is a bowl? sorry. >> tyler? >> i guess it was just here to tease me. good morning, welcome back. you get to sit here and talk about something other, for a little while at least, other than the vampire saga. is that refreshing for you? or do you feel like you're working without a net? >> no, i do. i just got used to my pat answers to all of my questions, i found them very, very easy and now i'm just, i'm just treading water in every interview. i was walking in here first of all, and al outside and he was like, what's "remember me" about? >> let's talk about it a little bit. you play tyler, described as lost, rebellious, what else do we need to know about him? >> i i don't know. he's kind of sensitive. i think all, you know, he's fairly sort of typical, you know, comes in a tradition, a long line of male young male characters. but i guess just the writings very subtle and it seems very realistic. he is kind of a rebel without a cause type of thing. >> the movie takes place here in new york city. 2001, i'll let the viewers connect the dots here. this guy has just livered through a tragedy. was it important for you, was it desirable for you to do a movie that was based on this kind of major moment in recent amecan history? >> yeah. i mean there seemed to be something, when i first read the script, there seemed to be something about it, it didn't really feel like a film. it felt like there was -- i couldn't understand the reason behind it, why it was written. but it seemed like there was a reason to do it. it seemedike it wasn't written just to be a film. i doe know, there was just something special about it. and i thought that every part of it kind of -- you know, helped it become what it is. >> i think it's going to resonate with a lot of people. not only because of the story of the young man, but the story of this event in american history. pierce brosnan was on the show not long ago, talking about some things and i asked him about you. he was your co-star in "remember me." and i asked him what do you make of the situation that robert found him sfrl in right now. the white-hot spotlight. he said after spending time with you, he said you showed enormous grace under pressure. and i'm curious, does that come naturally? or have you had to make some adjustments to this level of fame? >> yeah. i mean you kind of -- i guess you try and limit the amount of time you have to deal with it. and then -- >> how do you do that, though? >> a bit of hiding. >> but that in itself is the price of fame. >> yeah. and you know, there are tremendous benefits. even doing films like this, which i was talking to the writer yesterday. and he was saying, it's impossible to get financing for two and a half years. and i read this and it's like, it has to be made. and it all got together really quickly. as soon as the script was being made, it was being sent to loads of actors all wanting to do it after. but it was just because of the "twilight" thing that can be the catalyst. >> i'm glad you brought that up. the diehard fans of the "twilight" saga have dedicated the opening weekend of this movie as "remember me" saturday. they're going to go out and see this movie. if you're producing a movie or directing a movie, or casting a movie, that's gold. that's money in the bank. >> hopefully. >> we'll see what happens. so now you, you're going to talk about "remember me." and then in june, the third in the "twilight" saga comes out. that's called "eclipse." have you seen it? you shot that at the same time you shot the second. >> in between. >> you've been working steady. >> how is eclipse? >> i haven't seen it yet. >> haven't seen anything? >> i just saw the trailer yesterday. the title, i can never pronounce "remember me." >> you might want to get that down in the next couple of weeks. after "eclipse" comes out and you do the publicity for that are you going to forget the word "vampire" for a while? or is there a part of you that might consider jumping back into this pool? >> i don't know. i don't have anything particularly against vampires. it's, i mean i don't even mind, people have been asking me about "breaking dawn" the last one, if it's going to be split into two. i honestly don't mind. they're great fun to work on and people really like them. yeah, i could do them for a while longer. >> there's an interview in "details" magazine with you and it's getting some controversial attention. you pose with a lot of naked women in it. i don't really have a question about it. i just want to say, you go et to pose with a lot of naked women. is it inevitable that when you do as many interviews and have as many photos taken of you, as you do, that sooner or later something is going to pop up as controversial. >> i guess so, if i didn't have to do interviews, then i wouldn't do any. nothing against them. >> you make me feel real special, robert, thank you. >> no one is particularly interesting. you know, if you just do pat answers to things, then people get sick of you for that. and you try to think of something to say and people get sick of you for that. but the thing with the naked women, i offered to do a naked photo shoot. it started off with me naked and they were like, actually, just forget it. >> "remember me" opens nationwide friday, march 12th. we're back. this is "today" on nbc. > just ahea our time right now is 8:56, beautiful blue skies out there, some high, white, puffy clouds. we're following breaking news this morning out of prince william county. at least one person is dead in a home daycare center in dale city. the home is on round tree drive, it is a daycare as i said. police tell us no children were involved in this. and we do have a crew on the way to the scene and we'll bring you more information as we get it, of course. we'll if i had to sit on a bench during the middle of a game due to diabetes it would frustrate me. in a basketball game a couple minutes could mean a big momentum shift. my bayer meter is very important. (announcer) only bayer's contour meter has programmable personal high low settings. it allows me to be able to look at my highs and lows to make sure that my diabetes is being controlled as tightly as possible. with my bayer meter i don't miss valuable game time. i'm alana burns and staying in the game is my simple win. (announcer) the contour meter, only from bayer. > good morning, sky watcher camera bountsing around and a stiff northwest breeze on this monday, the first day of march. a few clouds coming through and temperatures around the region are hovering right around 40 degrees right now. temperature also climb to near 50 later on this afternoon. the wind gusts are generally around 25 miles an hour. isolated gusts a little higher than that. clouding up tonight and into tomorrow. we'll have an area of low pressure developing along the southeast coast and moving out to sea. we'll get a little light rain on tuesday night and then ending wednesday afternoon and evening. and probably don't expect any, much of any accumulation of snow out of that. now, jerry, how's the traffic? >> had several vehicles involved in an accident on connecticut avenue on the outer loop, everybody's over to the shoulder, but it's getting a lot of attention. >> there's some construction equipment on the shoulder, but the lanes appear to be open across the 14th street bridge. >> can heating up your food be putting your health at risk. the containers you should be using and ones you should avoid. tomorrow morning and we're back with more of "today" on this monday morning, the 1st day of march, 2010. and we're glad that the crowd on rockefeller plaza has returned to welcome us home from two and a half weeks out in vancouver, british columbia. covering the olympic winter games. we had aood time, but we're happy to be back inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer, along with al roker and natalie morales. and it does feel good to be home, doesn't it? the closing ceremony last night. did you get to see it? >> i saw a little bit of it. this was cute with the clown making fun of the fact that the fourth arm didn't go up. >> about 16 days late, but that's okay. there were a lot of memorable performances during the past two and a half weeks. and we appreciate being a part of them. >> our athletes really delivered. >> yeah. >> great stories. >> athletes from all around the world delivered, no question about it. coming up in a couple of minutes, we'll have a very serious story. latest from the devastation from the powerful earthquake in chile, as the number of dead climbs above 700, the desperate search for survivors continues amid aftershocks and understandably some panic as well. ann curry is live in chile with the latest. we'll check in with her in just a couple of minutes. coming up, should tilikum be set free? that's the question many are asking about the orca whale who grabbed and killed trainer dawn brancheau in front of a horrified audience at seaworld. seaworld is continuing with the shows, but many are debating whether or not the whale should remain in captivity. coming up, we'll be speaking with a man who actually helped train dawn brancheau in her role there. >> we should mention they're continuing with the show but trainers are not going into the water with the whales at the moment. on a much lighter note, the cast of "eight is enough," the drama that hit the small screen in 1977, about a newspaper columnist, his wife and their eight kids, back then, millions of viewers longed to become part of the bradford family. we'll got the answers to your questions coming up in this half hour. before we get to all that. natalie has a look at the top stories while ann is on assignment in chile. in the headlines right now, chile's president said saturday's powerful earthquake was so catastrophic it will require a giant effort to recover. more than 700 people were killed, half a million homes destroyed or damaged and the hardest-hit city of concepcion has no food or drinking water. ann curry is in santiago with the latest for us. >> this 8.8-magnitude earthquake is the most powerful in a century. described five times stronger than haiti's earthquake. it struck where 80% of chile's population lives. one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded has devastated chile for hundreds of miles. half a million buildings severely damaged or destroyed. an unknown number of people buried alive. ground zero near chile's second-largest city of concepcion, 200 miles south of the capital. this man is saying, we thought we would die. i heard my friend scream. and i opened a door and the building just dissolved around us and we fell. rescuers are using ladders and ropes, risking their own safety, as more than 90 aftershocks so far rattled nerves in santiago. >> it's a mortal trap for the firemen that are venturing into the debris. and for that very same reason, people are still camping out in the city of a million and a half. >> the quake dealt a massive blow to chile's infrastructure. roads cracked and buckled, cars tossed like toys, bridges gone, crippling transportation. frustration is growing, as people are increasingly desperate for food. police used teargas and water cannons to disperse crowds at a supermarket sunday. >> it was being said that people really desperate and crying and asking and begging for food and water for their kids. people in chile were stealing. >> amateur videos are starting to surface, showing what happened at 3:34 a.m. saturday. when the 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit. one shows the moments after tsunami waves hit the town of dechato. >> this man says a carnival in the town was under water within minutes. up and down the coast, towns are described as having disappeared from the map. about 90% of the town of kuraco's historic center may have been destroyed. president michelle bachelet called it a catastrophe of unthinkable magnitude and said chile welcomes international aid, especially rescue teams and field hospitals. the good news is, if there's any to be had here, is that the epicenter was 21 miles deep, making it less destructive than it could have been. now back to you. ann curry reporting in santiago chile. today in the afghan city of kandahar, two bombings killed at least six people, including civilians and a nato soldier. in one attack, a suicide bomber targeted a nato convoy. a separate car bombing targeted the city's main police station. more than 30 people were injured by fireworks sunday at the annual lantern festival in taiwan. revelers were standing dangerously close to the fireworks, which is considered to be good luck. utility crews from the south and midwest are helping to restore power lines in the storm-struck northeast. some 200,000 homes and businesses, though, are still without electricity this morning. a repeat winner at the box office this weekend, "shutter island" captivated audiences for a second straight week, earning an estimated $22.2 million. "cop out" was second, followed by "the crazies." it's five minutes past the hour. we're the crazies here. back to us. let's gets a check of the weather, mr. roker. >> that storm system that caused all the problems in the northeast is still having an effect. you can see pinwheeling just off the new england coast, bringing rain and snow and high winds. finally going to be moving off later today. wet weather moving through texas, that storm system will affect the mid-atlantic by wednesday. sunshine out west, 69, but chillier as you get into the southwest. high suf advisories, southern california, sunny skies through the mid tlask states down into fl it's hello march and we have bright sunshine, actually going to feel like a spring day, with highs reaching perhaps even the low 50s in a few locations. right now we're climbing into the 40s, it's 44 in washington. we have had the winds gusting to 35 miles an hour from time to time so it is going to be feeling chillier than that. as we get into the afternoon, it should gradually diminish. it should be cloudy after a cloudy night and maybe into the low 40s tomorrow after and that's your latest weather. natalie. al, thank you, less than a week after a wheel grabbed and dragged a trainer to her death, seaworld has decided the show must go on. meanwhile, the funeral for the trainer, drawn brancheau, is today. but many are wondering, if these animals are dangerous in captivity. and if tilikum, the orca involved, should be set free. the retired vice president and corporate curator at animal training at all u.s. seaworld and bush gardens theme parks actually helped train dawn brancheau. mr. lessing, good morning to you. mr. lessing -- thad, can you hear me? >> mr. lessing, can you hear me? >> yes, i can hear you fine. >> okay. thank you, thank you for that. let me give you an opportunity first to tell us a little bit about dawn. i know it's a great loss to seaworld and the organization. this is by all accounts, a woman who was very passionate with these animals. her parents released a statement saying she loved her job. she loved her animals. you helped train her. what can you tell us about dawn? >> well, dawn was a person that was the absolute best. in every way, shape and form. she is going to be sorely missed and never replaced. i would like to recognize dawn's husband, scott, and send my condolences to him. she is having a memorial services today. and i know the entire family is devastated over this. >> and i know, mr. lessing, that it's your belief that the pony tail that she was wearing that day perhaps is what, what triggered the killer whale to then attack her. why is that? what can you tell us about that? >> again, the pony tail in the water may have been the catalyst. but the animal wasn't used to things like that. it was a split-second thing that happened. the pony tail drifted into the water and the animal grabbed it and pulled her in. it's as simple as that. the main thing is that today we need to recognize what's happening up in chicago right now. where the memorial service is for dawn. >> absolutely. and our hearts are certainly with her and her family. so i thank you for that. what can we learn from this? what would you like us to learn about the behavior of these animals, though? and the protocol? >> well i hear a lot, i hear a lot of people talking about whether this animal should be in captivity or whether it should be at seaworld and it should be released. some people are saying. and that is the worst thing that you could do wi this animal. they already tried that with keiko. it was a total failure. they released that animal and he was condemned to a very, a very bad death in a lot of ways. he literally starved to death. and caught pneumonia. so that is not an option. the other thing that you have to understand, why would you release an animal, even if it could work, which i don't believe it could. why would you release an animal that has rehearsed, grabbing people and actually killing somebody? that would be irresponsible on seorld's part. that's not going to happen. seaworld is going it take care of this animal like they know how to do. >> what do you think should happen to tilikum, then? >> well i think tilikum is going to be kept with the social group that he is with. he is very comfortable animal. he's a very good animal. he will be kept, i'm sure there will be new protocols. everything will be looked at to make it as safe as possible. but you have to remember, these are killer whales. everybody that works with the killer whales understanding what the risks are. >> right. exactly. >> and when you're working with an animal -- >> i'm sorry to interrupt. we don't have much time left. i want to make the point that these are killer whales and there is the question of whether or not seaworld is giving up safety versus profitability. these are animals that are bringing in millions of dollars for the theme parks. what do you have to say to that? >> well, it's just like anything. seaworld spends tons of money rescuing animals every day. hundreds of thousands, thousands of animals have been rescued by seaworld and are taken here. yes, they make a profit. if they didn't make a profit, they couldn't stay in business. but it's, that's like saying that ford should not make a profit. or car companies shouldn't make a profit. i mean they build cars, people die in cars, also. but that doesn't mean that anybody says that ford shouldn't make a profit and making cars or any car company for that matter. so those are really ridiculous arguments out there right now. >> well thank you so much for joining us this morni and our thoughts and prayers are with dawn brancheau's family today. >> absolutely. and my thoughts go with scott, today, her husband. who loved her dearly. >> thank you very much. and still to come this morning on "today," are you ready to pick up and move? we're going to check out a list of the most vibrant cities in america, where there's a lot to do, a lot of 30-somethings and job opportunities and maybe even a chance to meet a special someone out there. coming up next, the cast of the tv show, "eight is enough," is standing by to answer your email questions right after this. then a great hotel my kids will love. yeah. but wait... here's the really cool part. when i book them at the same time... voila! i can save up to 450 bucks. and we all know that can come in pretty handy. book flight and hotel, and save more. where you book matters, expedia. ♪ dot com 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. can you believe how fast gkids grow these days?m now for a $2.00 coupon. and since 90% of bone strength is developed before adulthood... it's so important that they get enough calcium every day. that's why there's new danonino. danonino! unlike leading kids yogurts, danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d. so it's power packed for healthy growth. and its rich creamy taste is... yummy! so they can start building strong bones today... for stronger bodies tomorrow. new danonino from dannon. power packed to help build strong bones. introducing finish quantumatic. a revolutionary dispenser and 12-wash refill system... ....that releases advanced detergent automatically... ...and delivers an unbeatable clean and amazing shine. it's only dishwashing, but you deserve brilliant results. new quantumatic. only from finish. the diamond standard. now to a special series, "great tv families reunited." earlier this morning we caught up with the cast of "eight is enough." they're back again to answer our email questions. dick van patten. betty buckley, grant goodeve, laurie walters, connie needham and diane kay from los angeles. hey, diane, let me ask you -- diane, you, you were all, you know, fairly close in age coming when this show started. what was that like? was it, was it a -- you know, brother-sister kind of relationship? or were there maybe some sparks going on? what was happening there? >> actually we were really very close. we were older than we portrayed. so -- >> i don't know if everybody knew that, but -- we, we had a good relationship. i kind of think of the dining room scenes when we were all sitting around the table. we sort of looked like a 1970s rockwell painting, norman rockwell. >> i was going to ask you, during those scenes, were you actually eating during those scenes? >> yes. >> for an hour or two. >> i would eat a small piece of cracker and celery and carrot in order to survive. >> otherwise you would have been the size of housing. >> tho dinners took a long time. >> what were you saying, diane? >> one time we had an episode where we were eating sushi. but that was before sushi was in. and we had to eat shark. but it had been around for a while? and we came back from lunch and it was the same shark. it wasn't good. we had stomach aches after that. >> yikes. betty, the interesting thing, some of the notes told us, you weren't allowed to wear blue jeans. >> right. i was actually younger than a couple of people on the set. so but they, one of the producers brought me a book, said, you know, "in praise of older women." and i'm, 29 turning 30. and he said, that doesn't matter. i couldn't wear jeans. but also, a penny marshall suggested that we have a food fight. i was at a party and she said, you know, you need to pinch that dick van patten on the heinie and she said, you guys should have a food fight. you need to put a little spice in the show. and i suggested it and they were finally let us have the food fight. and they were like, abby can't be in the food fight. she's a role model. >> did betty ever pinch your heinie? >> i certainly tried. >> it's not too late. dick, you're working on a pilot right now for hbo? >> yes, the don melcher. he wrote "deadwood." >> and betty, you just finished up an engagement at feinsteins. >> yes. and i'm starting a new off-broadway play called "white flight." and grant, you're the host of our pacific affiliate. >> we're about to go back into production with some new shows, great travel outdoor show. >> and laurie, you like to do a little community theater out there? >> well actually i still do professional theater out there. the rubicon theater in vaerentu is a great company. and luckily there's some professional theater around, i'm still doing it and we're trying to start up one in ojai called theater 150. and i worked until just recently for a number of years, for "ironweed films".com which is a documentary film club. and that was great. >> and connie, we know you had ovarian cancer and you survived that. how are you feeling today? >> fantastic. thank you very much. >> and willy, you're currently, you're no longer acting, but you're a financial adviser in kansas city, and how is that working out for snu. >> it's working out very well. we're proud of the things that we do there. and i enjoy it. >> and diane, we know that you got probably the busiest job of all, being a mom. i'm sure that keeps you busy. >> yes, i do a lot of carpool, lots of carpool. >> ah, the carpool, we know all about that. >> we're going to do some emails here. this one from elizabeth in tennessee, wanting to know, do any of you have kids? and if so, how many? >> two kids. >> three sons. >> three grandsons. >> all right. willy? >> two. >> two daughters and a son and i'm going to be a grandparent in may. >> congratulations. >> that's fantastic. >> betty in. >> i have a four horses, a parrot, four dogs and two barn cats and three house cats. >> and a partridge in a pear tree. >> this is from susan in michigan, who was the most fun guest star? >> i think don johnson, he was fun. >> he was the boyfriend of one of the girls. >> and in a bit part, robin williams was on the set all day entertaining people. but he didn't really want to be on camera too much. he had a new series coming up. "mork and mindy." >> diane, had you a choice? >> you know who i really loved working with was janice page. when she worked with dick on the show, the show just lit up. she was excellent. and i learned so much from her. her comedy was just -- impeccable and wonderful. and she was a part of the family. i enjoyed work with her a lot. >> they wanted her to play my sister. so i recommended my real sister, joycvan patten. they said no, she doesn't look enough like your sister. they got janice page and she was wonderful. >> grant wise on the show. and she's fabulous. >> heather locklehr. >> we'll have to do this again, thank you so much. the cast of "eight is enough," we appreciate it. coming up in our next half-hour, looking to change your life. we've got some great cities you might want to think about, where you can nd everything from a job to the love of your life, after these messages. ncer ] gri. filled. chilled. sweet! 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liz crenshaw with an important consumer alert. the containers you should ♪ hello world, here's a song that we're singing ♪ ♪ come on get happy >> hey, everybody, the partridge family, one of our favorite shows of the 1970s. how could you not be happy when you hear them singing? tomorrow we'll be reunited with the family right here in studio 1a. meanwhile, are you ready to pick up and find an exciting new life, new job, new place to live? we'll tell you what cities have the best to offer from jobs to recreation to omance, to the most vibrant cities in america. also maybe if you're looking for a new home, we'll show you how to create a room that you're going to love, step by step from the ground up. alsooming up, now when we were kids, pluto was mickey's dog and the ninth planet. you memorized the list, it was right there at the end. guess what, the little guy's been busted down it a dwarf planet. the man at the center of the controversy is here to defend his downgrading of the now-pip squeak planet. poor little pluto and science books have to be rewritten because of that. first a check of the weather. absolutely. rain in the pacific northwest, below-normal tempts, rain in the southeast. also a little rainy in the northeast. for the mid-week period, we've got leftover snow around the eastern great lakes into new england, below-normal temperatures in the southeast, mid-atlantic states, showers in the pacific northwest. latter part of the week, below-normal temperatures in the southwest. rain from texas into the plains, snowshowers in the western plains, below-normal temperatures along the southeastern atlantic coast.ast. well, good morning, we are welcoming march with some sunshine and temperatures right now climbing into the low and mid 40s, later on this afternoon, we should make it now up to around 50 degrees or so. that will be the first time in over a month. and these latest wind gusts have been 25 to 35 miles an hour. so it's going to be a blustery and rather chilly day even though we may exceed 50 for a brief time. clouding up tonight and tomorrow. perhaps getting a little light coming up next, the top ten most youthful places to live. we'll look at the cities that offer the most, from finding a job, to having fun, to meeting perhaps someone special, right after these messages. eating it. rt? 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[ male announcer ] new fiber one 90 calorie bars. hungry no. results yes. special k protein shakes -- ♪ a truly great-tasting breakfast shake. with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, it's t creamy, delicious way to satisfy... your hunger to help you lose weight. ♪ so you can kick the tin can habit. try special k protein shakes today. fact: your child could pick up the flu virus from surfaces. lysol disinfectant spray kills cold & flu viruses, including h1n1. lysol is the number one pediatrician recommended brand. lysol. disinfectant to protect. this morning on today's real estate, finding a new city. struggle to find a place where you can live, have it all, a home, job opportunities and a little fun, today's real estate ex-expert, barbara corcoran is here with her picks for the cities for young professionals. how did you compile the list? >> there are a couple of criteria, one you have to have a house you can afford, a cheap price, secondly, you have to haveve job. not only a start job, but a job to take you somewhere and three, good schools and a community that welcomes you. >> topping the list, starting with minneapolis, minnesota. what's attracting people? >> lots of things in minneapolis, the young city, median age, 33. it's on the forbes best place to earning a living. it deserves it. 19 fortune 500 companies. there there are enough parks and lakes to keep people happy. there's museums, a lot of happening in the evening in the art world and in the music world and one-bedrooms in minneapolis are renting for $900 a month. that particular house, if you're buying it $95,000. that's lot of house for $95,000. >> wow, so good bargains to be had there as well. denver, such a beautiful city and if you love the great outdoors as we all do, what's the unemployment rate and where are the hot jobs? >> the unemployment rate is actually low there, under 8% and as you know in the nation, it's 10%, there's a lot of jobs there. and as you know, it's the home of coors beer, i think that's what made denver famous in the first place. it brings a pub-and-club packed downtown. a diverse population and the most well-educated. you'll meet educated people. denver is all about the outdoors, the biggest sports city and the biggest party city. and no matter where you live, you've got the rocky mountains in the background. where it's a condo or new home. there's victorians, bungalows, can you buy it there. and a 1200 square-foot condo that one selgs for $98,000, two bedrooms, two baths. seattle is on the list what are companies doing to draw people to seattle. >> seattle has been the innovator in the united states, it's recently rivaling california in terms of technology jobs, they have tens of thousands of jobs also, in the young music and interactive media business. that's an area that young people thrive in. so if you're going to make a home, home to google, starbucks, amazon, you've got a lot of business there is and a lot of good jobs. >> from one washington to another the nation's capital. always filled with smart attractive people. so tell us about washington, d.c. >> it's a magnet for ambitious people. the average age is 36. 6% unemployment. they've got more jazz clubs and r&b venues in d.c. than in chicago and new york combined. a lot of people don't know that, it's a hopping town. four bedrooms sell for about $200,000 depending on the neighborhood. there are a lot of good school districts, good homes. there's one right there that's in fact $200,000. got four bedrooms, two baths, a cute little starter home where you can live happily ever after. athens, georgia, 60 miles northeast of atlanta. why is this city becoming so popular? >> athens is home to the georgia bulldogs, people are sports fanatics and love their city, it's home to r.e.m., b-52, the indigo girls. and you get so much for your money. so many jobs in recording studios, more than a dozen recording studios, 400 bands there. you can get there for a three bedroom, three-bath home, i'll show it to you in a moment, that's only $132,000, that's a sweet little home for $132,000. and a job to go with it. all right and now let's run through the list of running out of time here. but chicago is another one. austin, texas. the unemployment rate tln is down to 6.9%. >> you got it. >> new york, los angeles and of course boston. going to cost awe little bit more. >> of course, but you get paid more as well. these are all great towns. if you're going to make your life all over again. >> barbara corcoran, more on the list on our website, todayshow.com. coming up next, whatever happened to little pluto. we'll have more, right after these messages. frankly, the idea of owning a minivan used to make me cry myself to sleep at night. but i gotta say my sienna is great. it's super stylish. oh, and the available dual-view entertainment center? awesome. hold on. i just finished episode 8. oh, boy, if i wasn't married. 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[ sponge ] so it's not a chore. can you believe how fast kids grow these days? and since 90% of bone strength is developed before adulthood... it's so important that they get enough calcium every day. that's why there's new danonino. danonino! unlike leading kids yogurts, danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d. so it's power packed for healthy growth. and its rich creamy taste is... yummy! so they can start building strong bones today... for stronger bodies tomorrow. new danonino from dannon. power packed to help build strong bones. four years ago, the international astronomical union downgraded pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet. in new nova special called "the pluto files" inspired about abook of the same total, neil tyson the director of the hayden planetarium tracks pluto from its discovery to its fall from planethood. neil, good to see you. in 2006, you guys decide, sorry, you're not a planet. >> it actually began a little earlier than that. in the year 2000 at the museum of natural history, we created a exhibit. we were the first to regroup the planet of pluto. that's when my life went to heck. all heck broke loose. >> what was the reaction to that? >> i got hate mail from third graders. >> are you hated by a fifth grader. >> exactly. >> and six years later, the international community of professional astronomers voted to do the same thing we did. it relieved some of the pressure on me, but i had this huge file i had to get out of my system. >> we've got a little clip of the documentary here that just illustrates a little bit of this. take a look. >> pluto was since 1930, a planet. he had friends, you come along and say -- >> kicked pluto out of the solar system. i wanted to group it with its icy brethren. >> you think pluto should be with its own kind, separate by equal. >> he's not the boss of the solar system, he's not the boss of me. >> so even journalists were like -- angered. >> why do you think so many people were upset about this? >> part of it, the show, tomorrow night is to explore what's the cause of this angst and anger. >> do you think it's because it's mickey's dog? >> i'm certain of it, actually. when do you learn about planets, first, second third grades. when do you watch cartoons? the same time. and pluto the dog was fishes sketched the same year that the cosmic object was discovered. it's the same time. >> conspiracy? you be the judge. pluto never figured out if he put on pants like goofy, he could get out of the doghouse. >> he would be able to speak and not drool. >> you talked to a lot of great minds about this. >> i speak to my colleagues are who are deeply invested in pluto. those who discovered the other icy bodies. >> people who are deeply invested in pluto. >> astro physicists, somebody's got to care about the universe. i speak to those who discovered other icy bodies in the solar system and alearn stern who has the only mission headed to pluto right now. he'll get there in five years. >> does he feel bad? >> he said a dwarf planet is still a planet. just the same way a compact car is like not a car any more, it's just a smaller car. >> exactly. >> so which is the mini cooper of planets? i understand you've been tweeting the universe? >> well, sometimes i feel the universe within me and i have to share it in 140 characters or less. >> is the universe tweeting back? >> i'll let you know. that's a story, if that happens. >> if you do get a tweet back, you give us a call. >> sometimes, it's the lens of a scientist. during the olympics for example i'm looking at it and i'm thinking, you know, if there were no gravity or low-friction interfaces, the winter olympics would just be a lot of people standing around in the snow. >> there you go. neil de grassi, thank you so much. "the pluto files" premieres tomorrow night. thank you so much. coming up next, you see this furniture? it doesn't look like much now, but just you wait. we're going to show you how to create a fantastic look for your living room. or a planet living room. this morning on today's home, creating a beautiful room from the floor up, no matter what your budget, contributing editor susanna sock is here to share secrets from interior designers. our stage hands are here to help us build our room from the ground up. let's start with the building blocks of creating a room that you want to live in for a living room. >> you want to think about compositn, it's like pieces of a puzzle. composition, height, texture balance. but not too much balance. you don't want it look like a hotel room and some whimsy. you want it to feelike you, you want it to feel comfortable. but stay away from worrying about too many rules and matchy-matchy. >> let's start in our room here. let's bring in first -- >> it starts with the rug. >> i try to find a rug that's bold and has personality. but that has soft colors that can go with anything. i love this one from pier one, it can go with any style that you have, modern, traditional. and once you've got the rug that you love -- >> the sofa. and i like this sofa from crate and barrel, it has some lines, it looks elegant. if you make it too mushy, it looks like a potato in your living room. you want to have something that has some style. >> you like solids with a little texture. >> you can add to that. >> exactly. look how this nicely already goes with the rug. >> let's come on over here and make ourselves comfortable. >> now after you add the sofa. >> a coffee table. >> you don't want to overpower your space. >> i love these from pottery barn, they don't take up too much visual space, they're like the verb in the room, they link everything together, they can go on our side if we have a small space, they go in front and i love the idea that it's not one huge thing, two different tables. >> to have balance, have some balance. >> now, speaking of balance. >> and then we have since it is a family or living room. >> we want to create a conversation. we want to have a feeling, encourage people to sit and talk, i love these from crate and barrel, they have some pattern. and i didn't worry, oh, did they match perfectly with the rug. >> i was wondering how you would choose this pattern. >> i love how it kind of gets along with the carpet in a fun way. and you need some pattern with a solid sofa. you really do. but they're the same. i wouldn't rcommend too different patterns. >> it creates that whimsy we were talking about. lighting, very important. and you have two beautiful floor lamps. >> of the same. some speem with their lamps, they do one of one kind and, pair it up. >> these are substantial, they're 8 $80 from home goods. the shade is simple. it's got some personality on the base. balance it out on either side of the sofa. look how the room is starting to come together and -- >> i wish these guys would move into my home and do this. >> thank you guys, so much. >> the whimsy that we were talking about. >> i love these garden stools. you can use them for a variety of purposes. end tables, a dash of color, so important, i didn't worry it didn't go exactly with the pattern, it all works. >> now the mirror adds so much to your room. >> this is like your punctuation mark. i'm crazy about the mirror, it doesn't look too modern or traditional. it gives the glamorous moment to the room. we put in some accessories. >> you don't want it looking so perfect that it's like some hotel room. you want it to feel like it's your >> can they just pack it up and move it to my house? >> let's just do it. >> thank you, guys, thank you. >> when you think about creating the space, it's something that fits your personality, but also has that extra -- you know, whimsy, but comfort, too. >> and it's so much easier than people thnk. just take it piece by piece and pick pieces that have some personality. >> suzannah stock. any other deck rating tips that you can give people at home? >> not to worry so much. people get so frozen in e rules and what they can't do that it keeps them from just going ahead and starting with the pieces. the building blocks. >> and people as you mention do get so worried about being matchy-matchy. >> look at, there are a lot of different color skeemgs we've worked with with the yellow and the green. >> exactly. >> do you find like one base color to work off of? to tie it all together? >> certain colors that you love and that feel warm, the greens are great, oranges, beiges. start having that color family. it's like having a conversation and it's all going to work out. if you love a piece, it's going to look good. and if you get bored with a room, the good things i you can switch things around. >> sometimes what you take away is as important as what you put in. >> suzannah stock, great advice. coming up next, hoda and kathie lee and matt for a little "today show" trivia. but first, your local news. our time is 9:56, beautiful bright sunshine on thi monday morning, and this is the first day of march. good morning, i'm joe krebs and in the news4 today, be sure to bring an extra dime with you, the next time you ride metro. the fare has been raised by 10 corrects as metro tries to close a $40 billion budget gap. if you don't take metro, other systems link their fares to metro. that means ride on in montgomery county will cost you ten cents more per raid the same goes for the fairfax connector. some of the bus services, be prepared to pay $4 more per month. >> take a live look and let you know how things are moving along as we head out along i-66, loaded up headed for the capital belt way, the approach to nuttily street has been cleared. over on 270 southbound, there was an accident just below montgomery village, took a while to get that out of the roadway, that has cleared, lanes are open there once again. tom, how about the forecast? >> you can see the clouds jumping a around, the winds are gusting 25 to 30 miles an hour. highs near 50, maybe a little light snow and light rain tomorrow evening into wednesday. >> tomorrow morning on news4 today, can heating up food be putting your health at risk? liz crenshaw has an impor captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody, it is monday, known around here as fun day, march 1st. and with tammy headed into maternity leave, everyone wants her job, including -- as if you don't have enough jobs. >> hey, hey, hey. >> meredith vieira is our producer of the day. >> meredith is doing a little job swap thing. i'm very curious how you're going to do in this role because you're usually on this side. >> i am. >> now you're behind the scene. >> why didn't you swap with heidi fleiss? >> you already did that. time for somebody to do something new. >> do you have any rules for us? i just want you to move it along and class it up, all right? classy. think classy. >> oh, classy. >> don't talk over each other? >> no, none of that cross talk. >> people don't like that. >> people hate that. are you going to start? >> okay. >> okay. >> first, we're going to talk about our weekends. >> big weekend. >> it's kind of touchy today because so many tragic things happened and so many fantastic things happened. >> let's start with fantastic to put people in a good mood. if you were at home arne a tv around 3:00 sunday eastern time, you saw the most incredible, i think, game that i've seen that i can remember watching. it was the u.s. versus canada in hockey. i don't care about hockey until now. now i'm crazy about it. >> yeah. i think it made a lot of fans, definitely. >> this game, it was -- canadians were leading 2-1. 24 seconds left and the u.s. knocks -- we knock a goal in. now it's tied 2-2. then it's time for overtime. what does that mean? >> they change the ice and come back fresh. >> and it's four on four. >> sudden death. whoever scores first. >> whoever scores wins. we learned these rules and now we know them. now the canadians end up getting the gold. >> the looks on our guys faces, they were just devastated. i was so cheering for america, of course. when they started playing o canada and you saw the looks on those guys faces, i cried. i was so happy for them. >> it's their game. it really is. >> we have a different -- who owned the hockey teams. frank picks up the phone. he never liked hockey, he likes the guys who play, but never the sport. he gets on the phone, calls the friend -- what are you looking at? what's wrong? you're not pleasant. >> meredith is distracting me. >> wrap it up. finish the story. >> it's hard. i'm trying to tell the story and you're not looking at me. >> i'm sorry, meredith is saying wrap it up. >> it's not that long. you would have known how short it was if you had let me tell it. frank called norm and started singing "o anada" to him and norm hung up on him. >> the canadians doave a sense of humor. remember the opening ceremonies had a snafu. >> with poor wayne gretsky standing there. >> the closing stair moanies, they brought out a clown because they have a sense of humor. look at the clown trying to figure out how to extinguish the flame, bafonnery, and. >> we want you to know what we're dealing wh here. >> enough already. >> you just need to move on. >> i agree, but you keep interrupting us. >> i'm sorry. the tragic news, of course, was the 8.8 magnitude of earthquake. >> that hit chile. >> five times more powerful than the haitian one. >> first of all, the death toll right now, tragic, is at 700. if you think about the death toll in haiti, which was almost at a quarter million, 220,000 plus, it was a stronger quake in chile, but the people in chile, number one, they are structurally prepared. >> they're a wealthier nation, have building codes. >> for earthquakes. right. and the earthquake happened offshore the one in chile. >> and 25 miles down, is that what i read? >> 22. >> 22? look who knows everything. >> yes, she does. >> it was one of those -- the weird thing as, you found yourself watching hawaii because they kept a tsunami is coming. >> tsunami's coming! >> people waited and watched. >> it was pretty anti-climactic. >> it was sort of like the spotlight went off chile, went on to hawaii, it was sposed to hit at 11:00 eastern, then noon, then 1:00, then they said they dodged a bullet. another sad thing. i am so sorry about this. our dear marie osmond lost her son and we send out our love and prayers to her. >> love and prayers, yeah. let's talk about good stuff, hoda woman. >> let's. >> is there any good stuff, meredith? >> the dress. >> meredith's favorite. >> she was pushing for this. >> the first thing you both brought up. >> no, we didn't even really like it. >> uh-huh. there's a woman from nyu who wanted to be creative. >> yes. >> she decided to take expired condoms and fashion them into a dress. look what she has created. it's a beauty. look at that. she's made a dress out of condoms. >> the men are just groaning. nice pink ones, apparently. >> i woer if they dyed them. we don't know. >> we just thought you would be interested in seeing that. because if that's not -- what? >> i like this one a lot. "law & order "there's a funny thing that dogs are doing when they're watching the "law & order" show. >> everybody's a critic. >> apparently dogs are barking and freaking out. do we have tape of that, meredith? >> i believe we do. >> i believe we do. >> let's watch one. [ dogs barking ] >> reminds me of some of my concert concerts. just dodging for the doors. >> does that mean they like the "law & order" show? >> it's a pitch thing. it's uncomfortable forthem. >> what we like to do is roll a little bit of our show. we'll set this up on our website. it's not set up yet. we'll ask the dogs to gather round the set. >> see what you get. you'll get something. >> what do you think? >> this is mild compared to what you'll get. >> just don't use my everyone has a story singing, okay? that will be very embarrassing. >> oh, there it goes. no, someone was sing iing that the background. today, in honor of meredith, we're going to do crazier things than we usually do. we've got dancing, contests. >> we've got everything. and meredith is going to participate whether she likes it or not. >> i have to participate? >> yes. >> i'm producing. what does producing mean exactly? >> producing means you stand behind the camera. >> and what? >> make you look good, try to make you look good. >> when are you going to start doing that? >> i'm trying my hardest. >> wait. get a shot of that. go to meredith. >> we usually talk to tammy about her sex life. so, would you like to -- for us to -- >> ask me anything you want to ask me. >> you were away a couple of weeks. how is everything? >> everything is really fine. >> and by fine, what do you mean? >> fine. everything is fine. what about your sex life? >> anyway -- let's go to sara. >> are you talking to her? >> either one of you. >> let's talk to sara. you know hers is better than any of ours. >> well, we're talking canadian hockey. >> welcome back, by the way, sara. you did a great job. >> thank you. >> awesome job. >> i had gifts for you but one of them was taken in customs. it did delay my flight a little bit. it was a surprise for them, but -- >> oh, god! >> it will be here soon. i have gifts for you. jenny wrote in, as a canadian, i'm proud nationally but kudo s to team u.s.a. for strong effort. and arlene said i thought it was nice for the home team to have the last hoorah. >> did you find your time there was fantastic? >> it was great. people are so kind there. that's what made it. >> very, very successful olympics for the u.s.a. >> a home run. >> did the "today" show do well? >> i don't know. >> our hour did great. it did fabulous. >> your hour did well? >> yes. why are you surprised about that? >> i thought the ratings would go down. no, no, no, because olympics, olympics, olympics and then we're back in new york, i thought there would be a tiny dip. >> i don't think so. >> thanks for your faith in us. >> i have total faith in you. >> we'll let you know how this show does. >> that's really the test. a detective, but plays one on tv. >> like meredith not really a producer but plays one on tv. did you know go-gurt is specially made to freeze and thaw by lunch time? so kids can have their favorite yogurt in their lunch box go-gurt. freeze it. thaw it. eat it up. with comfort inn or any of these other choice hotels, you can earn a free night. one plus one equals free. no matter how you add it up, it's free. book now at choicehotels.com. the stuff you want your family to reach for. the stuff you want to reach for. now you can enjoy smarter choices even more. people who spent $100 a week at leading national supermarkets... on frequently purchased gceries... could have saved $55 in one month... by shopping at walmart instead. it's another cupboard filled. and another great day for the savers. save money. live better. walmart. the wipes americans trust most to clean and disinfect are the only wipes with a low-streak formula. clorox disinfecting wipes, tough enough to tackle the germiest messes, even on your shiniest surfaces without leaving a streaky trail like other wipes. clorox disinfecting wipes, the wipes you can trust to clean, disinfect and shine. anthony anderson knew he wanted to be an actor from the time he was 9 years old. >> absolutely. now just a few years later, he stars as detective kevin bernard in the longest run ining "law & order." >> one joint, two bottles. one with lipstick, one without. >> five plates and five glasses. i'm guessing a friend was here for dinner. >> maybe the type to eat, kill and run. >> anthony, welcome. >> aren't we all? >> oh, yes. are the inmates running the asylum today? what's going on? >> that's a good way to put it. >> how do you think meredith is doing so far, anthony? >> i think she's doing a fabulous job. real, talk more about you? meredith is doing a great job here. she needs to come over and produce "law & order." >> the woman has been around a long time, if you know what i mean. >> oh! >> let's stick to the -- >> a promo has been running throughout the olympics about the big "law & order" that's coming. it sounds really, really juicy. tell us a little bit about it. >> i can't tell you anything about t i can tell you about me, meredith and our little mini vacation a couple of weeks ago. it's two one-hour shows. we have debra winger on our show and i just have to say debra is going to get in trouble. >> she still has her acting chops. >> i take down a man with an ax and debra goes down. >> ooh. >> great to see the interview that bob costas did with lindsey vonn. i didn't know she was such a huge "law & order" fan and now she is going to get her dream, going to get to say ladies and gentlemen -- >> she's going to be a jury foreperson. she was expressing her love for the show and how big of a fan she is, and i learned, along with the rest of the world when bob costas said she was going to be on the show. so i'm excited about it. >> are you surprised of the legs of this show? >> 20 years. >> i am. it's tied "gunsmoke" for the longest running series and next year we'll have that record to ourselves. it's fun just to be part of history. >> what do you think it is, though? it really has -- it gets all sorts of people involved and interested. >> right. it's a testament to the writers and producers and the vision when the show was really created, ripped from the headlines. >> but very quickly translated into the show, boy. >> yeah. >> it's almost like you're still using your newspaper with your cats and next thing you know it's on "law & order". >> exactly. people can read what's going on in the world and two weeks later it's on "law & order." >> what did you think about the dogs howling, listening to your theme music? what does that tell you exactly? >> it means we transcend species. >> so many themes for tv show, said it's a first for him. he's thrilled. >> dogs never barked at the rockford files theme song. this is a big one. this is a big one for mike. >> maybe they're sick of t 20 years, it's enough already. bring back lassie. >> yeah. >> what's next? what else do you have going? >> i'm in a romantic comedy with jennifer lopez called "the backup plan." >> oh, yeah. >> i believe with an april release day. >> how was la lopez? >> wonderful. >> she's kind of fun. >> sorry, marc anthony. i have to speak on your lady. great to work with and we had a lot of fun doing that piece. >> did you kiss her? >> no. i kissed a baby. >> people want to know that. >> did you kiss her? >> no, but i did kiss meredith. >> who hasn't? >> i thought i was special! >> you are. you're very special. >> anthony -- >> what's your personal life like? you never tell us anything about you. well, we're out of time. >> okay. >> thank you, anthony. thanks so much. all the best. >> thank you. pleasure. >> thank you. >> say hello to dick wolf. we like the show, too, you know. >> we would love to be on. >> look at that handsome, husky man in the middle. >> tonight, 9:00, 8:00 central before the show settles into its regular slot on mondays, 10:00, 9:00 central. >> look at anthony getting the shot. >> i'm bringing husky back. to heck with sexy. i'm bringing husky back. me and al roker. whatcha doing, little bite? 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[ female announcer ] eyestudio. the liner revolution is here. see it at maybelline.com. announcer: trying to be good to your heart? so is campbell's healthy request soup. low in fat and cholesterol, heart healthy levels of sodium, and taste you'll love. chef: we're all kind of excited about it. guy: mmm! i can see why. announcer: campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good! for your heart. and we are back with our nutrition game and we're going to test your knowledge of salt. >> we asked "today's" diet and nutrition editor, madelyn fernstrom, to shake out the facts. >> nice to see you. what's the prize? >> something healthful. you'll want to wor for this o one. salt basics. listen carefully. buzz in and add the answer afterwards. what's the recommended maximum salt intake per person per day from all sources, half a teaspoon, teaspoon or tablespoon? kathie lee. >> half a teaspoon. >> no. hoda? >> teaspoon. >> it's a teaspoon. that's correct. okay. now to the next one. same thing. knowing that, a teaspoon, how much does the typical american consume every day? is it twice that amount, three times or four times? >> why don't you go this time? >> hoda. >> i would like to say twice that amount. >> no. kathie lee? >> four. three! >> no, it's actually three times that amount, almost 7,000 milligrams, lot of room for improvement. now that you know the daily recommendations, in terms of where we get salt, is the main source from the salt shaker when we pour on food, natural sources from cheese, eggs, or processed things? >> what's your question? where are we getting most of it, you said? >> don't deflect from the -- answer t question. >> i'm going to go with processed. >> you're correct. processed foods are nearly 80% of all the salt we get. >> i know. i know. it's typical. >> here we have an ounce of regular potato chips and we also have two four-ounce pancakes prepared from a mix, from a box. >> okay. >> which one has less salt? >> i'm just going to go with potato chips because it looks like obviously it would be the paincakes. >> you're right. 450 milligrams, only 180. don't be fooled just because something looks salty. >> look at the package. >> okay. now there's good news that we have -- we look at condiments, they have a lot of sodium. soy sauce, one tablespoon, 300, 600 or 900 milligrams? >> i'm going to go with six. >> you're wrong. >> she's telling me to go with nine, so nine. >> producer is giving us the answer. >> is it nine? >> that's called cheating. >> 900 milligrams. >> that's called cheating. >> i just heard her say it. what can i do? >> soy sauce -- >> we like soy sauce at our house. >> that's a good thing. thinking about light or reduced salt, if you switch these for a tablespoon of soy sauce, are you cutting the sodium by 30%, 60% or 80%? hoda? >> 60. >> oh, no. you've got two choices and you might not get it. >> i'm going to go with 80%. >> you're wrong, too. >> the other one. >> 20. >> it's 30. reduced sodium means it's just lowered by at least 25%. >> but that's still a lot. >> it's still 600 milligrams. use a small amount. >> we've never known that whole thing. >> now we're on to dill pickles. we know these taste very salty. this whole pickle, does this have more or less than 600 milligrams of sodm? >> more. >> it's more,you're right. it's got 900 milligrams. >> what's happening? this is mine. >> the bigger, the better. >> do you have time for a taste test? minute and a half, okay. doesn't taste especially salty, try v8. you're going to taste this. the one on the left is regular v8. take a sip. this has 600 milligrams in just this whole can of this. >> i love v8. >> now you're going to taste the low salt, low sodium one. now i want you to -- >> yeah, it's a big difference. >> does the low sodium one contain 25, 125 or 250 milligrams of salt? hoda? >> 125. >> no. >> terrible. >> the bigger one. >> no, it's 25 milligrams. low sodium product is low. we're done and the winner is -- >> meredith has it. >> meredith has the winner. >> you weren't even playing. >> kathie lee is the winner. >> i can't believe that. >> not really. she gave me one of the answers so it's a tie, but i'll take the prize. >> these are salts from around the world. you do need a little tiny bit of salt. >> you keep it. >> you got the computer. >> prize that no one wants. hurt my feelings. >> thank you. thank you very much, madelyn. we play "who knew" with r own matt lauer. >> plus julie scardino is here with her fury and not so fury friends. are you all right about that? what do we have, a hawk someone said, downstairs. >> it's going to get ugly. goes deep to heal dry skin at the source. the breakthrough formula wraps and seals more hydration deep inside skin, so after 12 hours, skin's condition is improved 2x more than eucerin original. now i can heal on a deeper level. beautiful. 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[ male announcer ] great milk comes from happy cows. happy cows come from california. look for dairy brands with the real california seals. coming up today at midday zplrks we're following breaking news in northern virginia. one person is dead in a home that serves as a daycare. coming up on news4 midday, staying fit and trim does not only mean hitting the gym it means hitting the hay. that's a we're back on this fun day with "today's" call of the wild, and seaworld and busch gardens's julie scardino. >> and meredith vieira is here, in place of our very pregnant producer, tammy, who is on maternity week. let's get back to julie. tough week for everyone at seaworld. >> absolutely. first and foremost thoughts are with dawn's family. >> and the service was today. >> today is the service and continuing support for them and for the trainers. >> will tilly, the whale, stay at seaworld? >> absolutely. we're very committed to that. there's no place better for him to go. you cannot release him. it's been tried for many years. >> sure. >> and spending lots of donated dollars on trying to return a whale. it's just a totally different world for them. >> instinctively, they could not survive? >> you remember free willy, the keiko whale? >> yeah. >> they spent years and millions of dollars people sent in to try to release this whale and he was like, no, i don't know anything about that and i don't want to be out there. i just also want to say, we bring ambassador animals and our ambassador animals help really relay the messages of what's going on in the wild. a lot of people don't realize. i've been all over the world. >> of course. >> people and animals are suffering because we have limited resources and we need to figure out how to save all that and we need to focus on that. >> let's introduce a few today, shall we? >> yeah. we've got some -- >> the first one is kind of frightening. it's a hawk. >> some people do certainly feel like these guys, because they are predators, that they can be intimidating. but they are very important for -- we're going to -- >> usually -- >> we're going to get meredith involved here. >> usually one of us will do it, but meredith is going to get on. >> it has meat in it. >> we see hawks circling around our house and my small bichon would be food for him, wouldn't it? >> well, some small species -- hoda, back up and meredith, he will fly right to you. good job, meredith. that's excellent. >> yeah. see how it's done? >> how was that? was it fun? >> now what? all out of food. >> he's going to fly back to -- >> where? >> wherever there's a chunk of meat is where he's going to go. >> open up. >> that's as open as it's going to get. oh, geez. >> there we go. that's a harrises hawk. they actually fly in groups and hunt in groups which is really, really unusual. >> okay. we have a snake? >> unless you're the one they're hunting. >> a rat snake. >> this is a ratnaker corn snake. these guys are found in the southwestern united states. very, very common, actually. but people mistake them for -- >> rattlers? >> yes, because of the coloration. the most unique thing about these guys is that they are actually very well adapted for climbi ining trees. >> look at that. >> that's why they're called corn snakes, the pattern of indian corn. >> it's actually beautiful. >> no reason to fear snas. >> well, not all -- some snakes you have to fear. >> well, respect. if you learn about them, you can learn that you can respect them and be very -- >> julie, what do we have back here? >> porcupines, it looks like. >> they're actually very funny looking. >> they are. these guys, i'm going to give them a couple of pieces of food here. they cannot throw these quicklies, but -- oh -- >> he's helpinghimself. >> totally figured out where the food is there. >> help yourself, buddy. quite the outfit you've got on. they have quicklies on them -- look at this little guy only a year and a half old. >> oh, that's a baby. >> yeah. >> oh, my gosh. >> he goes, let me have that apple. >> they do stink. >> oh, boy, do they stink. >> the quickly goes out like that, they're protecting -- >> why do they smell so bad? >> that's a wild animal. >> they're going to shoot at you. >> it's a wives tale. they cannot shoot those quicklies. >> oh, my gosh, what did he have for breakfast? that's disgusting! >> these guys are important for the environment and help out in the balance of africa. these are african poupines. >> i'm sorry, i don't -- >> we have little marmasets. >> they're actually cute. >> these are from south america and -- >> that is cute. what is -- >> found in the atlantic forest. this little one is about seven months old, this guy is full grown here. >> how adorable. >> randy, look. there we go. and here, this -- >> are you hungry? >> little marmusets are vulnerable, classified as vulnerable because the forests are being cut down in south america. >> at an alarming rate. >> yeah, and realizing we need to save those wild places and that's what we need to focus on. >> julie, thank you so much. >> great to see you. up next, meredith is here. we new matt wouldn't be far behind. we're going to play "who knew." >> right behind. right behind her. >> where he likes to be. >> we'll be right back. clean at are the only wipes with a low-streak formula. clorox disinfecting wipes, tough enough to tackle the germiest messes, even on your shiniest surfaces without leaving a streaky trail like other wipes. clorox disinfecting wipes, the wipes you can trust to clean, disinfect and shine. clorox disinfecting wipes, [ female announcer ] introducing something unexpected to the world of multigrain... taste. delicious new pringles multigrain. new multigrain pops with pringles. ♪ 4 pounds of sirloin. but only wrap half... i'll just throw it out anyway. we throw out over $500 worth of food every year. help save more of it with new ziploc freezer bags featuring smartzip. it's a seal you can actually hear close... from edge to edge so you know your food is protected. now that's ziplogic. ziploc freezer bags with the new smartzip seal. get ziploc. and get more out of it. s.c. johnson. a family company. we're back to play "who knew?" we have a very special guest for our very special topic, the one, the only matt lauer is here. >> hi, hoda. >> thanks for sticking around a couple of hours for us. he will share his knowledge of all things today, showing there's no one better for the job, especially not meredith. as usual, kathie lee is across the street at nbc.com digital cafe, ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who answer the questions correctly and to those who don't, they get hercd. >> hey, it's a good one. >> allegedly. >> matt, are you ready to go? >> let's go across to kath. >> these folks are from detroit. nice to e you. in the long running where in the world is matt lauer, which location was matt not at? mt. everest, angkor wat, and the bermuda triangle, where was he not at? >> let's say bermuda triangle. >> well, you would be right! >> congratulations. that's very impressive. actually, though, kathie lee, we were planning to do the bermuda triangle one time, spent producers there in 1994. we have not seen them since. >> stop! >> if you seen -- we're getting bills on the credit card but we have not seen them since. >> stop. >> seriously. >> let's go back across to kath. >> these folks are from beautiful cape cod. in 1953, the first "today" anchor team consisted of dave garroway and which animal? mr. peeps the outline, charlie the dog, or sir william peep the parakeet? >> i'm going to say the chimpanzee. >> you would be right again. >> i thought he was too young to know the answer to that question. >> no. j. fred muggs started on the show 1953, has a sister -- do you know his sister's name? >> no. phoebe bebebe. >> are you lying? >> no, fophoebe b. bebe. >> interesting info. >> who knew? >> all right, back across. >> these folks are from san antonio, where we were, hoda. before meredith vieira joined "today" in 2006, who was matt lauer's co-host? jane pauley, katie couric, diane sawyer or barbara walters? >> katie couric. >> you're right. so sad, nobody is getting my cd. >> i wanted to know what th just said. say what you just said. >> i said was there a time before meredith vieira. >> that's true. i was going to say the same thing. i couldn't even remember who the co-host was before meredith. >> no idea. >> she has so changed my world. >> i rocked your world, baby. i've rocked your world. >> it was katie. really was. >> back across to kath. >> visiting from norfolk, virginia, matt lauer and al roker did not demonstrate which olympic sport together, the super g, the luge, rhythmic gymnastics or synchronized swimming? it's an hour show. we would like to give us an -- >> we have a deal here. >> make a guess. >> okay. >> maybe the luge. >> the luge. >> wrong. wrong. but -- ♪ everyone has a story >> i'm sorry. no, we did the luge is in a memorable moment, allied on top of me in spandex for 30 of the most terrifying seconds of my life and then we got on the track. it was -- yeah, we did the luge in torino. >> and didn't do the super g, right? >> no, the super g requires talent, which is why we did not do it. >> back across to kath. >> alexandria, virginia, these folks are from. what "today" show on-air personality played ronald mcdonald before joining the show, matt lauer, tiki barber, willard scott or lester holt? >> no tiki. >> not tiki. >> not tiki? >> no. >> say lester holt. >> or willard scott. >> willard scott. >> willard scott. >> yep. >> that's a trick question. temptation is immediately to go to lester holt, but it is willard scott. here is a bonus trivia question for those people there. kathie lee, you translate here. can you tell me what young lady made her very first -- this is a famous person now -- very first television appearance with the aforementioned willard scott? >> who? >> do you ladies know who that would have been? >> no. >> want to tell them, matt? >> that would be kathie lee gifford. >> you're kidding. >> at the age of 11 years old. he was captain tug and he was adorable. >> you're kidding. is that -- >> we have to wrap? >> what do you mean, wrap? we're just getting into this. >> no, no, no, you're done. it's good, though, matt. >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much, hoda. >> thank you, kathie lee. >> change producers. >> all right. coming up next, which simple wines plus simple snacks can equal a perfect party? kids to . the stuff you want to reach for. now you can enjoy good choices even more. people who spent $100 a week at leading national supermarkets... on frequently purchased groceries... could have saved $55 in one month... by shopping at walmart instead. it's another pantry filled. and another great day for the savers. save money. live better. walmart. should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with new wanchai ferry? you can make it in just 1minutes mmmh, orange chicken. great. i didn't feel like going out anyway (announcer) wanchai ferry. restaurant quality chinese in your grocer's freezer fearless performance. that's what you get with secret clinical sport. proud sponsor of tanith belbin... and all of the fearless athletes of the u.s. olympic team. christopher columbus sailed the ocean blue... in 14 hundred and 92. nice! follow me, the missouri river is this way! lewis and clark expedition of 1804. oh, he'll never get this. magellan, 1520. awww, my 8 layers must've given it away. help keep your kid full and focused with 8 filling layers... of whole grain fiber found in kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. this is one giant leap for mini-kind. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. hoo hooo! our favorite vino vixen is back to get your friends together for no reason. >> no reason at all. leslie sbrocco, author of"the wine guide" is here to give us simple wines to pair with snack foods. this one is for you, meredith. >> where is meredith? >> in our control room. >> getting ready to drink along with us. >> party animal at heart. >> you can have a party at any time, right? it's 5:00 somewhere in the world always, right? snack food, easy party foods to pair with wine. first is our salty area here. just grab a nice salty nut. this is a riesling. >> you know how i am about rieslings. >> not calling you guys nut. from the mosul region of germany, $10 a bottle, low alcohol. >> no, it's good with the nuts because it's sweet. >> that's right. it offsets the saltiness. >> that's a good one. >> next is sauvignon blanc. pairing it with green pepper and tomato, you need something kicky. sauvignon blanc, $14, around that price point. and the acidity in the wine helps to kick off that salsa so it's a good match. one of the oldest wineries in california. >> i like that. the problem is i was drinking those things alone, without food. that's not a good thing. >> and sauvignon blanc loves salty food. >> what a concept, he food with it. >> you don't have to. details, details. and one thing i love to do at a party is do a popcorn bar. you can make different kinds of popcorns, set out toppings for people. this one actually has truffle oil on it. >> truffle oil is so good. >> this has parmesan and rosemary on it. i paired that with a dry rose. it's kind of fleshy and creamy. again, you're offsetting the saltiness with the freshness. >> rosemary. >> great. >> this is goats du rome. >> take a sip, not a gulp. take a sip. >> we're just sipping. have a long way to go here, meredith. >> what's in front of meredith, by the way? get the shot of meredith. >> i'm participating. >> of course you are. >> meredith, we brought you some big bottles, so don't you worry. >> thank you. >> takes care of her friends. >> don't worry about us. >> this is chaonnay with pizza. people don't think of white wine with pizza, but this is topped by smoked mozzarella, so if you have smoked duck or something with a nice chardonnay, with a little bit of oak, this is from california. it's a beautiful airing, especially because i know you love white wines. >> i do. very dry wine. >> oh, yeah. >> love white wine. >> you're a vodka girl, i know. >> she missed it a few weeks ago when we did vodka. >> i know. >> burgers, slider bar, burger bar with condiments that kick up and help fight the fattiness of the meat. one for you, italian for you, honey and spanish foyou. >> okay. >> you have this wine from fontana freda. >> i can't eat anymore. it's so good, though. i can't. >> one minute, leslie. >> okay. and that is -- >> i like that. >> isn't that nice? $10 a bottle. >> meredith, how ar you doing there? >> i'm actually reading kathie lee's book. it's 99 cents right now at barnes and noble. >> we're on the zinfandel. >> infidel or zinf achandel? >> she's got a big one. >> last one, dessert wine for you. >> hoda loves that. >> from the south of france goes with brownies beautifully. >> thank you so much. >> we love it with leslie comes. >> cheers, honey. party's not over. dancing begins when we come back with it may be snowy and cold in most of the country shall but in aruba, the sun is shining, the temperatures are rising. hold on. >> to share a little of that sunshine is aruba's minister of tourism and aruban carnival dancer. >> and meredith is still in the control room and very lazy and not joining us. >> no, no, i am. >> you've just been celebrating carnival. >> we just had our celebration in january and february. >> you do it for two months? >> over a month of celebration and dances on the street, a lot of exciting stuff going on. >> these costumes, we should point out, we have them on. they're quite heavy. i can't believe -- >> yes. >> how long do the dancers wear these and perform in them? >> normally six to seven hours. >> i wore spanx that long. >> the nice is that you have an averagtemperature of 83 degrees the whole year round. >> oh, be quiet. >> wonderful people. >> how are you enjoying new york? >> very nice. >> yeah. >> for us for two days it's enough. we want to go back to that 80-degree. >> this is a huge tourism draw, the dancers and carnival in general? >> yes. new york is our primary market. very easy, gateways, every day a flight is going out from new york to boston to aruba. >> we need francie to show us some things. >> miss aruba. >> come on over, honey. you're going to show us how to do some dances? >> yes. >> go ahead. >> have a little music? >> yes. >> it's all about -- yeah, right there. >> there we go. >> good. yeah. let's move those hips. >> are you kidding me? it's heavy. >> am i knocking somebody with -- >> hold on. it's just too big. >> honestly. >> oh, feelin' hot, hot. >> uh-huh. >> we love it. i feel -- >> we have to dance for one more minute? >> no, we've got 30. let's step out and give our dancer dshs thank you. >> big love to meredith vieira for helping us out. have a great day, everybody.