Transcripts For WRC Today 20100302
with us. >> have a great day. we'll see you tomorrow. >> bye. good morning. chaos and confusion. desperate residents turn to looting in the wake of that devastating earthquake in chile, as much-needed aid trickles in, authorities are struggling to maintain order. this morning, ann curry reports live from one of the hardest hit areas. repeat offender? san diego police step up the search for missing 17-year-old chelsea king, and now investigators believe a man held in connection with her case may be responsible for another girl's disappearance. and he's back! >> i thought you were leaving us. >> but i did leave! i went away to the strangest place. >> jay leno returns to "the tonight show" and finds there's no place like home, today, tuesday, march 2nd, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. secretary of state hillary clinton is in quake-ravaged che today, and she's bringing with her the first wave of u.s. aid to that region. >> that's right, but getting that aid to some of the hardest hit areas will be challenging due to damaged roads and widespread power outages. as for the total damages, it's now expected to exceed $15 billion. the death toll has now climbed above 720. >> ann curry is in the devastated city of constitucion. we'll get to her in a few minutes. also ahead, our hidden camera investigation that will you buy underwear that is not sealed in a package. we actually found popular chains trying to resell used items. more on what we found, just ahead. >> governor romney's looki at me going what are we talking about? wel talk about that in a second. also, we'll have more of our special series "great tv families reunited." if you grew up in the early '70s, there's a good chance you walked around singing this song right here. ♪ come on get happy that is the theme song to an all-time television classic "the partridge family." this morning the cast is bringing a whole lot of lovin to studio 1a. we'll kaw up with them coming up. also ahead, david letterman's executive producer and rlfriend are speaking out about the late-night host. some of it he will probably want to hear. some of it he will not want to hear. we'll have more on that story as well. but we begin with the frantic search for survivors in chile. ann curry is in the badly damaged city of constitucion, miles outside of santiago. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. our news team drove overnight to get to this part ravaged by the earthquake. the population is 38,000. 353 people are known to have died here. behind me, that is the factory that was once the largest employer here in town. now, locals say that after the earthquake, five tsunami waves came from over there in the ocean, the largest of which they describe as 50 feet high, and this is just one town among many that is reeling here in chile. new signs of life in hard-hit concepcion three days after the quake, knocking heard under an apartment building has rescuers sending in tiny cameras to found those buried alive. hope despite so much despair. debris, roofs down. what a mess. from the air, you can begin to see the extent of the destruction, over hundreds of miles, town after town flattened by mother nature. with half a million homes damaged, many need a place to live. but the deepest agony is for those missing people they love. rosa bustamante tells us she hasn't seen her granddaughter, claudia, since the quake. "she's 12 years old," rosa says, "we don't know anything. we don't know whether she is alive or dead. we need to find her." chaos is increasing. supermarkets are now rationing food. some say there is not enough. this woman says her children are hungry. police are out in force to stop people from stealing food. too late for this store, stripped bare. some ghered at this market to beg for food. workers gave what they could. because of the threat of violence, police have imposed curfews and have arrested those who violate them. in the fishing town of dechatto, stunned silence as residents try to come to terms with the devastation. this man's saying, "i haven't seen any help here, nothing." these fishermen hope they can salvage their livelihoods. in the town of payaway, the first of the funerals. mourners gathering in one of the only buildings still intact in this devastated town. but aid is starting to arrive. the convoy driven by volunteers brought food and clothing monday. this woman, whose town is almost all gone, speaks for many in saying, "we must have strength to move forward." as of late yesterday, there were 128 aftershocks since the quake and 14 of them occurred as a magnitude 5 or higher, matt and meredith. and we actually felt a tremor here this morning. so, from near the epicenter of constitucion, chile, back to you. >> we want to get the rest of the top stories of the day from natalie, who is filling in at the news desk while ann's down in chile. good morning to yo >> good morning, matt and meredith. good morning, everyone. today the u.s. postal service announces that a bad situation is getting worse as it loses billions of dollars every year. tom costello's at postal headquarters with more on potential changes to mail delivery, likely to affect every american. tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. we're talking about the explosion of e-mail, online shopping, online banking and also a terrible economy. all of that has got the postmaster general saying that his agency needs to change radically if it's going to survive. that old adage about letter carriers staying on the job through snow, rain, heat or gloom of night doesn't make any mention of e-mail or weathering a 21st-century great recession. today the postal service is in trouble, big trouble. in just four years, mail volume has dropped off a cliff, from 213 billion pieces delivered in 2006 to fewer than 170 billion projected for 2010. most lost to the internet. and the financial losses are mounting. $7 billion in the red by the end of this year. >> last year the postal service lost money. it lost money in each of the previous two years. and the projections going forward are not bright. >> reporter: not bright and likely to get far worse. the postal service has already said it may need to cut six-day-a-week service down to five, close some post offices, raise rates and restructure how it funds its retiree benefit programs. but all that would require congress to sign on, and so far, it's refused. while critics argue the entire postal service model is broken. >> without competition, how can anyone be efficient, how can they be interested in serving consumers when consumers have no choice but to use them? >> reporter: well, again today, the postmaster general is expected to call for cutting saturday mail delivery, possibly closing some post offices. but again, congress has to weigh in on all of this, and the dire situation grows more dire. natalie, back to you. >> all right, tom costello in washington, d.c. thank you, tom. well, this morning, congress will hold more hearings on toyota's recent recalls. toyota's announcing it has picked former transportation secretary rodney slater to head a panel to review the company's quality control systems. meantime, gm says it will recall more than a million chevrolet and pontiac compact cars to fix power steering motors that can fail. the recall affects the 2005 to 2010 cobalt, the 2007 to 2010 pontiac g5s, the 2005 and 2006 pontiac pursuits sold in canada and 2005 and 2006 pontiac g4s sold in mexico. overseas markets are mostly higher this morning. on wall street, cnbc's trish regan is at theew york stock exchange. trish, what are you watching there? >> reporter: hey, good morning, natalie. financials are very much in focus today. we have the senate banking committee reportedly near a deal on financial reform. now, this is pretty critical. there are two elements here that are being talked about. one, the expectation that there would be a consumer financial watchdog within the fed. the other big issue is that the government would have the ability to unwind any kind of failing financial institution. finally, greece still in focus. investors are looki for some resolution on that debt crisis. natalie, back to you. >> trish regan at the new york stock exchange, thank you. and it was a tough way to start the day for a man in australia who woke up early to see the sunrise. instead, he got stuck on the side of a cliff and he had to be rescued by helicopter. lucky man. it is now 7:09. back over to meredith, matt and al. sunrise he'll never forget, for sure. >> good to be alive. >> natalie, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from al roker. >> a low pressure system down in the gulf is causing some problems and may cause a little bit of problems for us tomorrow. you may see heavy rain with this system. as you look, snow is also working into the northeast -- mid-atlantic states, i should say. cape hatteras looking at heavy rain. as this system works its way. the good news is high pressure will be pushing it offshore so it doesn't hug the coast. so, whilee see light snow from norfolk all the way up into new york, it will almost be negligible. basically talking about two to four inches. asheville, north carolina, may good morning, a cloudy start to this tuesday, temperatures around the region are in the mid and upper 30s generally. right now on radar we're getting a few wet snowflakes in the central shenandoah valley from ront royal to harrisburg. and temperatures in the mid to upper 30s, for the most part abe freezing, highs today in the mid 40s. perhaps a little sun later on. but then cloudy the rest of the day. light rain later on this afternoon into the evening hours, mixing that's your latest weather. matt? >>ll right, al, thanks very much. president obama travels to savannah, georgia, today to talk with local business owners about the economy and ways to create more jobs, but it is t president's attempt to reform health care that drew recent criticism from former massachusetts governor and republican presidential hopeful mitt romney. he's out with a new book called "no apology: the case for american greatness." governor romney, it's great to have you back. good morning. >> thanks, matt. good to be with you. >> you're releasing this book, and you know what people are saying. the fact that you're launching it now, it's your unofficial launch of your presidential campaign in 2012. are you in? >> you know, that's -- you heard the expression about counting chickens before the eggs hatch. well, this is counting chickens before the hen has met the rooster. i haven't made a decision like that yet. i'll think about that after the 2010 elections. but frankly, this is a book that flows from my many years of experience in the private sector, in business, going around the world. i think america's got some real challenges. >> you sound, though, like a guy who wants to be in the mix. you know, you've been having a good time taking some shots at president obama over the last several months. your zingers are out. obama's going downhill faster than lindsey vonn, america's not better off than it was $1.8 trillion ago. so let me start by asking this. has president obama done anything right, anything good in the last 12 months? >> no question about it. he's done several things well. most of those things are where he had changed his view from where he had during the campaign. for instance, he's left our troops in iraq and they're being more successful there. he boosted our effort in afghanistan, which is the right course to take. he did not close guantanamo, thank heavens. and his education effort to encourage more charter schools is a good effort, but overall, i am not giving him a passing grade for the year. >> but when you say the country's not better off than it was $1.8 trillion ago -- the dow is at 10,000 now, the gdp was declining at 6%, it's rising at 6% right now. we were talking about the possibility of a great depression. most people aren't talking about that anymore. so, aren't we better off? >> when you have 10% of our people almost unemployed and a lot more looking for work, when they've been promised we've been able to hold the rate at 8%, if we were simply going to borrow another $878 billion from the chinese that kind of debt and unemployment does not make people in america have a brighter future. >> had the administration not taken some of the steps it did take, though, might not that unemployment figure, though, be at 12% or 13%? >> could have taken much better steps. this administration has added so much debt that it's frightened the financial markets and made it more difficult for small businesses to grow. on top of that, when they put in place cap in tax, you scare businesses away from investing. when you talk about putting in a program in place which takes away the right of workers to vote on a union, you provide the incentive for businesses to pull back. the private sector is scared in america right now. it's the most antijob, antigrowth, anti-investment agenda we've seen in washington in decades. >> a couple of things quickly. on health care reform, you had spoken out against the president's plan. critics say it's very close to the plan you put into law in massachusetts. if the democrats go the way of reconciliation, get this bill passed in the senate, what is going to be the short and long-term impact of that? >> well, immediate reaction will be outrage on the part of the american people. they have said in every way they know how they do not like his health care plan. by the way, our health care plan in massachusetts, one heck of a lot better. number one, lets states resolve these issues, whether they have a federal government one size fits all plan. that's what we did. number two, don't raise taxes. no need to do that. number three, don't cut medicare on senior citizens. his plan does all those things. that's why it's wrong. >> in your book "no apology: the case for american greatness," you say that the country needs a renewal and fresh ideas to cut through complicated problems. do you see yourself as the best person to offer those fresh ideas? and i ask that with all due respect that people had a chance to look at your ideas in the last presidential election and they weighed in on them. >> well, i have a lot of ideas. so do other people. that's the great thing about this extraordinary democracy of ours. but what i'm saying is we don't need to apologize for what america is. we have brought extraordinary economic wealth to people around the world, lifted people out of poverty. we've brought freedom to people around the world. but this country is under extraordinary stress right now. the challenges we face really could cause us to be passed by other nations, and washington politicians have not dealt with the real challenges we face. we've got to fix our schools, we've got to fix energy, we've got to stop spending money we don't have, and we've got to get our entitlements on a sustainable basis. that's not happening. it's got to happen soon. >> the book is "no apology: the case for american greatness." when you do decide whether or not you're running, will you come and announce it here? >> i'll be right here, matt. >> governor mitt romney, thank you very much. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> 7:16. here's meredith. >> you heard him, matt. thank you very much. how would you like president obama to speak at your child's graduation? that is the prize of a nationwi challenge announced by the white house while we were in vancouver. arne duncan is the secretary of transportation and will help select the winning school. secretary duncan, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. thank you for having me. >> pleasure to have you. before we get to the challenge, yesterday the president announced grants aimed at low-performing schools if they are willing to take dramatic steps to change the condition they're in, drastic steps, even. and he pointed to, as an example, a school in rhode island that recently fired all its teachers after only 7% of the 11th graders passed the state math exam. do you think that other failing schools should follow that lead? >> well, i think this is a decision that has to be made at the local level. it's not something we should decide from here, but we have to do the right thing by children around the country. we have a dropout crisis. it is economically unsustainable and morally unacceptable, and the president yesterday, i thought, showed real courage. alma powell, colin powell, this is an absolute bipartisan effort. we have to work together to be successful. >> if we use just the rhode island schools as successful, don't you risk losing the good teachers with the bad there? >> there are many great teachers in any underperforming school. again, it's a local decision what the right thing to do is there, but what we all agree on is the status quo there isn't good enough. we have to get better. everyone agrees on that. i'd like to congratulate the national union leadership for no one's defending the status quo, we have to get better. how that plays out has to be a local decision. >> the money would also go to districts that close entire schools when they are failing, something you did when you ran the public schools in chicago. between 2001 and 2006, i believe you closed 38 schools, but a study by the university of chicago, a subsequent study showed that the children who left those schools for others didn't do any better. so, wasn't it just shifting the problem from one pce to another? >> no, there are lots of different options here, and what we're advocating is often making sure those schools, existing schools, stay strong. in many places, you can't move children around to different schools, but you can come back and create much better options in communities that have been historically underserved. we've seen example after example around the country, whether it was in chicago, whether it was in l.a., a recent school where attendance went up 20%. that's an additional 20 days of school each year that children are going to school, an additional month. test scores in philadelphia went from 7% to after the turn-around 54% of students meeting state proficiency standards. we see dramatic, dramatic improvement. the big thing the country needs to understand is poverty is not destiny. we have hundreds and hundreds of performing high-poverty schools around the country. we have to make that the norm, not the exception. our students, regardless of where they come from, regardless of background, can do extraordinarily well academically. we have to make sure every child has a chance to get a great education. >> let's talk about the challenge for public high schools, encouraging them to compete for the chance to have the president speak at their commencement address this spring. what are you hoping to achieve with this challenge and how will you determi whichchool wins? >> first of all, meredith, i don't know about you, but i can't remember who my high school commencement speaker was, and this is going to be just an absolutely memorable day for whichever high school wins. this is a race to the top commencement challenge. the president's asking every high school to put their best foot forward and demonstrate what they're doing to make sure that every student graduates from high school, college and career-ready, which is his goal. he's commied to doing this every single year. so, this is just a really fun challenge. the applications are due march 15th, in less than two weeks. and so, we expect many, many high schools around the country to submit, whether it's their essays and applications or video presentation, and we look forward to a very, very vigorous competition. the public's going to help us decide. we want every high school to demonstrate what they're doing to give every child a chance to be successful and fulfill their tremendous academic ial. >> you're right about one thing, i do not remembe my commencement speaker. education secretary arne duncan, thank you so much >> thanks for having me. >> the deadline is march 15th. for more on how to enter, logon to todayshow.com. it is 7:20 and once again, here's matt. >> meredith, thank you. san diego police have expanded the search for missing 17-year-old chelsea king, who hasn't been seen since last thursday. this morning there are new questions about the registered sex offender held in connection with the case. nbc's janet shamlian is in san diego with the latest on this story. janet, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. officials are refusing to call this a rescue mission, and her anguished parents are somehow holding on to hope that their daughter will be found alive. and yet, here at the san diego jail, police say they have the man who knows where chelsea king is. what happened to her. he's a sex offender who now may be connected to other recent crimes. the lush trails of this san diego area park attract hundreds of runners every day. last thursday, 17-year-old chelsea king w among them, stopping for a run after school, something her family said she'd frequently do. when she didn't return home by the usual time, her father raced to the park. >> so, once i realized there was a running trail there, i did what anybody would do. i took off running. i ran about a mile and called for my daughter and yelleds loud as i could yell. >> reporter: a massive search was launched. by sunday, the number of people looking for the straight "a" senior topped 1,500. divers are now using sonar to explore the waters of nearby lake hodgins. >> we're just praying for chelsea to get home. >> you're seeing the faces of the parents, and that's what drives us to do everything humanly possible. i will say that they are literally moving heaven and earth to find this little girl. >> reporter: a suspect is behind bars. he's 30-year-old john gardner, a registered sex offender. he's not talking, but authorities say there's physical evidence linking him to the case. the investigation is widening as detectives believe gardner is tied to a december assault in the same park. >> many times, an offender will look for the same type of victim, the same age, but they also look for the victims in the same area, too. >> reporter: and then there's the case of 14-year-old amber dubois, who vanished from the area just over a year ago while walking to school. she's never been found. >> there are just enough similarities for it to be eerie. >> reporter: for now, the focus is on finding chelsea, as a heartbroken mom and dad wait for word. >> just help us get her home, okay? help us get her home. that's what we need. >> reporter: as for the man behind bars, court documents from his 2000 arrest for child molestation indicate he showed no remorse for his actions, and at the time, a court psychiatrist said that he would continue to be a danger to young girls in the community. matt, back to you. >> all right, janet shamlian, thank you very much. just ahead, david letterman's executive producer and ex-girlfriend for ten years speak out about the "late show" host and his relationship with his staff. but first, this is "today" on nbc. can you go back to the right? no, backckere. how about over here? hmm... let's go back to the left. uh... waffling is back with the return of the waffle breakfast sandwich. two oven-toasted waffles 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. still ahead, are some stores that you shop in selling used underwear? our hidden camera investigation. suitcase? huh? ♪ where do gummy bears hide? under the seat. look! yeah! ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] the all new chevy equinox. [ man ] guess who? dad! [ man ] enjoy the trip! okay, daddy! [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it takes you farther... and brings you closer. pedestrian han hit and killed on the brentwood parkway. >> good morning, eun, this morning occurred about 4:30 this morning. as a result, the brentwood parkway remains closed to traffic in a stretch between mount ol vet road and b street, a major impact along new york avenue, as a po tension alternate and west virginia and montana avenues, making the trip into the district this morning. and word of an accident south dakota avenue and d street, so stay away from the area, if you can. the messy weather coming our way. we'll get good morning, cloudy, in the 30s, later too, mid 40s. tonight, a little light rain, light snow. wet roads. and then it should taper off and end by wednesday evening. eun? >> tomorrow morning, get the new rk city experience on our dime. we'll get you there, put you up in a hotel and get you behind the scenes at the rockefeller center, "today show." we'll announce the ♪ i woke up in love this morning ♪ 7:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 2nd day of march 2010. got some nice people out on the plaza rockin' to or jammin' to or maybe just swaying a bit to one of the classic tv hits from a classic tv family, "i woke up in love this morning" by who else? tell us, meredith. >> the partidge family, matt. am i right? >> and look who's here this morning. that is the cast in our green room playing theoard game based on their hit show. we're going to bring them up to the studio. we'll talk to them in just a little while. meanwhile, in that studio, i'm matt lauer here with meredith vieira. hard to believe "the partridge family" premiered 40 years ago. >> 40 years ago. yikes. >> it will be fun catching up with them. and a story that will make people cringe. employees at popular clothing chains found restocking and reselling used underwear and bathing suits. coming up, our hidden camera investigation. >> you're not supposed to do that? >> no! ugh. first, a way to find happiness by taking stock of the rooms in your house. we'll explain in a second. but let us begin this half hour with new details about the david letterman sex scandal and alleged extortion plot against him. nbc's peter alexander is here with the latest. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. nice to see you. when he's not in front of the camera, david letterman prefers to live a mostly private life, and even know, the details of his in-office scandal have largely remained a secret,ut there is a new in-depth account of his late-night world that some describe as a cult-like environment. it was a stunning admission and the first chapter of a complicated, salacious tale. >> i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. >> reporter: the confession follows the now infamous blackmail attempt by longtime cbs producer joe halderman. prosecutors say halderman tried to extort $2 million from the late night star after threatening to write an embarrassing screenplay about letterman's marital indiscretions. and caught in the middle, letterman's former girlfriend, stephanie birkitt, a letterman assistant and sketch regular who reportedly had a sexual relationship with her boss. >> it appeared david and stephanie were seducing each other on national television. >> reporter: this month's "vanity fair" goes inside the world of letterman's "late night" staff. "it's like a cult" says one staffer. "you arrive as an intern and stay for life and people do fall in love with dave." >> one producer said she'd be sitting in her office with her back to the door. all of a sudden, the hair on her arms and back of her neck would stand on end. she would turn around and say dave would be standing in the doorway. she said the man was electric. >> reporter: but he was also, cording to "vanity fair," a heartbreaker who didn't stay faithful. his companion for years says "we were together for ten years, though i know it's a vague definition of the word together since he was apparently with his current wife regina for the last two of those years, and to my knowledge, none of us were involved in a polygamous cult." the piece also attempts to shed new light on the breakdown of letterman's accused extortionist, a tv news producer who had fallen into tough times financially and emotionally. >> he was having a hard time with the divorce,limony payments, and his ex-wife had just moved his young son to colorado. >> reporter: the last straw for halderman? seeing letterman pull up his $100,000 car just down the street from halderman's modest connecticut home, dropping off stephanie birkitt after a romantic embrace. pleading not guilty, the former war zone journalist now faces his own battle in court. and david letterman's executive producer tells "vanity fair" the comedian is willing to testify. >> so far, the defense team has been trashing david letterman, making comparisons to tiger woods. those are media strategies. pretty soon, it's going to be time to either craft a legal strategy or very seriously think about trying to cut a deal. >> reporter: for his part, joe halderman is charged with first-degree attempted grand larcen so far, no trial date has been set. if he is found guilty, halderman could face up to 15 years in prison, matt. >> all right. peter alexander, peter, thank you very much. mark seal wrote the "vanity fair" cover story about the letterman scandal. he joins us now exclusively. mark, it's good to see you. welcome back. >> great to be back, matt. thank you. >> you're a great writer and, you know, a great researcher. i just want to know what kind of an unfiltered view you think you've got of this. you spoke to a really good friend of david letterman's. >> right. >> a really good friend of joe halderman's. >> right. >> one former segment producer and a former girlfriend of letterman's. did you get a clear view of this? >> i spoke to a lot of people. i think i got as clear of a view as possible. you know, i was able to piece together what i hope is a compelling narrative about a pretty sensational story. >> since the scandal broke, there have been accusations about the work environment over at "the late show," and to boil them down simply, the women who reportedly had a relationship with letterman were advanced and promoted. those who didn't were less fortunate. did you find anybody willing to corroborate that claim? >> well, mostly people who just talked about it, and that's the industry buzz. but the main thing underlying all of this is david has an incredible charisma. people want to be around him. people want to be close to him. not only people who work for him, but also the women on the show, like who can forget drew barrymore jumping on his desk and pulling up her top, and you know, all the other women like julia roberts, who basically grew up flirting with him on the show. >> that is what really jumped out to me from your article. >> right. >> david letterman's sitting here, you don't want articles written about this. you want it to go away. but on the other hand, you're portrayed as this guy with this almost bill clinton-like charisma. >> that's right. that's right, yes. >> not only do womenant to be around him when they work for him, but after they leave the show, they still want to be around him. >> that's right. >> and you write after they're married, they still think about david letterman. what do they put in the water the there? >> one woman says she watches the show 18 years after leaving there and says i hope letterman likes me. she thought of basking in the buzz of dave. >> meryl markel, a longtime companion of david letterman, spoke to you on the record about this story. >> right. >> what do you think was she able to shed light about? >> well, she's hilarious. she's a great comedy writer who created much of dave's current show. and she just said that the overlap with his current wife, the affair with her and the affair with merrill overlapped a number of years, and she said, you know, when you've got a guy with two combs all over the country and these people stalking you, anything can happen. >> a lot of cover stories. rob burnett, executive producer of dave's show and a dear friend real talked about the atmosphere at work. >> he did. >> he said look, i've got a couple of daughters. i'd be proud to have them work in this environment. >> right. right, yeah. he said i've got two daughters. i'd love to have them work here one day. you know, the charge of halderman's lawyer is that dave created and fostered a climate of sexual misconduct in the office, and rob burnett said absolutely not. there's never been a harassment claim. and so, it goes from there. >> it seems to me, mark, there's a high-stakes game of chicken being played right now. >> right. >> most people would agree it'd be best for everybody involved if there's some kind of a plea deal or settlement. or, of course, the district attorney has a lot to say about that. >> right. >> but both are also possible, sides are also positioning themselves to say we're willing to go the long haul on this. and what do you think's going to happen? >> yeah, you know, who knows. it's going to go -- the trial date is expected to be announced soon. we'll see what happens. but you know, rob burnett said, you know, 99% of celebrities who get blackmailed back down and pay the money, and he said it was a great mistake to think dave would do that. >> and he said dave letterman's more than willing and even eager to testify if this goes to trial. >> could you imagine being in a jury and sitting there and david letterman comes in to testify? i think the jury room would be packed. >> mark seal, who wrote the "vanity fair" cover story on this, thank you. >> thank you, matt. >> and "vanity fair" hits newsstands this week. let's get a check of the weather now from al. thank yo we're out here with taylor, who is 10 years old today. double digits, girl! where are you from? >> boston. >> boston, all right. very nice. happy birthday, young lady. >> thank you. >> we've got nice weather for you. let's check it out, see what's happening. out west, they've got a big storm, another one coming onshore. it's going to bring a lot of rain, a lot of wind. take a look. rainfall amounts into central and northern california, we're talking one to two inches of rain. wet weather along, all the way up into the pacific northwest. strong risk of strong storms down in florida, rain and snow along the mid-atlantic coast. midsection of the country from the great lakes down to texas, fabulous weather, plenty of sunshine. got a group here, empower! where are good morning, mostly cloudy now around the region, radar showing a few wet snowflakes, trying to reach the ground in central shenandoah valley, through the central blue ridge at this hour. temperature above freezing around the reemg. mid 30s in the nearby suburbs, upper 30s in washington and near the bay. highs reaching the mid 40s. cloudy rest of the day. and en after sunset, we may get a little light rain, perhaps mixing with wet snow around lenny, no dummy, moving over with the ladies. very nice. hey, and if you want to check your weather any time of the day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? all right, al, thank you very much. up next, used underwear sold as new at some popular stores. the result of our hidden camera investigation. batten down the hatches, right after this. hey, you made your own lunch. yep! look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. 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. ladies, raise your spoons. now there's nothing left standing between you and a satisfying breakfast. introducing special k low-fat granola. with 50% less fat than the leading granola... and 5 grams of fiber per serving, it's a satisfying way to help you manage your weight. special k low-fat granola -- a taste of freedom. 6 years. i've had asthma forever. i never knew why my asthma symptoms kept coming back... ...kept coming back... ...or that i could help prevent them in the first place. the problem was that my controller medicine... ...was treating only 1 main cause of asthma symptoms. but there are 2. airway constriction. and inflammation. unlike most controllers, advair treats both main causes. advair treats both main causes. and that helps prevent symptoms in the first place. (announcer) advair contains salmeterol. salmeterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so advair is not for asthma that's well controlled on another controller medicine. advair will not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms... ...and should not be taken more than twice a day. talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of advair. if you take advair, see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. if you're still having symptoms... ...ask your doctor how to help prevent them with advair. (announcer) get your first prescription free and save on refills. advair. now you know. back now at 7:43 with our ongoing series "secret film exposed!" this morning, a shocking practice at some popular retailers. nbc's jeff rossen has the story. jeff, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. big ew factor on this, of course. >> yeah, big. >> but it's an important story for all shoppers. our hidden camera investigation uncovered store employees selling used underwear like they were new. these are big-name stores where we all shop, and even we were surprised by what we found. just the thought is revolting. would you ever buy used underwear from the store? >> okay, first of all, ew. >> it's completely disgusting. >> i think i draw the line on used shoes. wouldn't buy used underwear. >> reporter: but our hidden camera investigation reveals that's exactly what you may be doing when you buy lingerie at some popular retail and department stores. does returned underwear that's used end up backn the sales floor? >> yeah. >> reporter: tiffany luxinger has worked at three victoria's secret stores. now she's exposing a shocking secret behind the scenes. employees accepting returned underwear that's been worn, then putting it back out for sale like it was new. >> we would retag it and put it back on the sales floor. >> reporter: even though it may have been used. >> it may have been used, yes. >> reporter: and, she says, it gets much, much worse. >> if a product comes back as returned, it obviously has an odor to it, we will put it on a hanger, hang it up to dry overnight so the odor has time to come out of the product. we'll retag it the next day and put it back on the sales floor. >> reporter: that's disgusting. >> it is disgusting. >> reporter: but, we wondered, how common is this? to find out, we went shopping at an upscale mall in new jersey, buying underwear, lingerie and bikinis at eight major retailers, places we all shop. we took our skimpy apparel home and removed all the tags and protective stripping to make it look like they had been worn. then we marked each pair with two tiny black dots. >> hi. >> reporter: a week later, we went back to the stores and tried to return everything. this time, wearing hidden cameras. >> hi. i'd just like to return this stuff. >> reporter: believe it or not, every store took our items back for full refunds, but what our hidden cameras caught next surprised even us. at bloomingdale's, watch as this clerk retags our returned underwear, then casually walks it back out for sale. at victoria's secret, the clerk wastes no time sneaking new censors on our thongs and bikini, and then another clerk puts them back on the shelf as new. >> thank you. >> reporter: at the gap, the clerk moves even faster, returning our used underwear to the sales floor within seconds. in every case, we knew they were ours because of those two black dots. amazingly, it's not illegal to sell used underwear, but -- >> it could have health implications. >> reporter: microbiologist peter kamique says used undergarments can harbor material that could last for weeks. >> fecal material could be the most concerning substances. you can have bacteria, substances, fungi. these are things one person could transfer to another inadvertently through the garment. >> reporter: but that didn't stop stores from rushing our items back to the rack. though we never found our items at j. crew or saks, here at macy's, they're retagged, hanging up for you to buy. at nordstrom, here's our bikini for sale with no tags or hygienic liner. remember, we ripped it off. so,e asked the clerk, could this suit have been worn and returned by someone else? >> no, you can't wear them and return them. >> you can't wear them and return them? >> yeah, because then the tag would be off. >> reporter: oh, really? remember, a clerk put new tags on them after we returned them. while this store says it's against their policy to resell used underwear, this clerk says that's not the reality. was there a rush by managers to rush them back to the floor as soon as possible? >> yeah, i would think so, so we can make more money. >> reporter: did stained items end up back on the sales floor? >> yes. employees are in a rush, a lot of them don't care and they don't double check to see if it was used or not. >> reporter: so, we took our experiment up a notch. before returning the underwear, we visibly stained several pairs with baby oil. surely, no stores would take those back, right? wrong. at the gap, bloomingdale's, victoria's secret and macy's, they not only took back the stained panties, but put them back out for sale. we took our findings to the street. >> i can't -- i lack words for that. i can't even speak to that. >> that's a private area of your body. you don't want grossness near there, especially if it's foreign grossness. >> reporter: in statements, the stores involved told us their "customers' safety and satisfaction are top concerns" and their "employees made a mistake in reselling used merchandise." they said our investigation has prompted them to re-educate their workers about this policy. still, insiders say shoppers should play it safe. >> just be cautious. know the possibilities of where the item was and wash the item before you use it. >> yuck. whenever we found our used underwear back out for sale at all of these stores, we bought them again to make sure other shoppers did not get stuck with it. the best advice, as we said, wash all of your new underwear and bathing suits before you wear them. meredith, i can tell by your face -- >> yeah. you said it is legal to sell used underwear, but is it legal to mark it as brand new? >> well, it's unclear, but this may actually violate, according to government officials, some states' consumer protection laws. you should check with your individual state, but we were surprised it's not illegal to sell them even if they return them. but yeah, it may violate state laws if it's sold as new. >> jeff, thank you very much, i think. tomorrow on "secret film exposed!" you won't believe what's growing on and inside your children's bath toys. meanwhile, just ahead, something much cleaner. "the partridge family" gets back together live in our studio. but first, these messages. ♪ hings to do. we've got the tools and hardware to get 'em done. and with new, lower prices all through the store. so you can do more fixing... replacing... fastening... and updating... for less. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, get a ryobi 18volt starter kit, with drill and circular saw, for the incredible price of just $99. and a kind of pressure behind my eyes. i'm wondering if you've ever been checked for cortical spreading depression. [ doctor ] yeah. actually, he was. november 11, 2009. came back negative. march 23, 2007, a c.t. scan for nasal polyps -- also negative. [ male announcer ] by putting your medical history in one secure, easily accessible place, electronic medical records from ge will forever change the way the doctor sees you. thanks, guys. can i have my pants back, actually? ♪ the smell of freshly juiced wheat grass can i have my pants back, and hand pressed shirts. whatever scents fill your household, purina tidy cats scoop helps neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats scoop. keep your home smelling like home. 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. prwhen it comes toe anconstipation relief... miralax is the one. it's the one. the one recommended by more doctors. only miralax is clinically proven to relieve constipation with no harsh side effects. miralax is the only one. restore your body's natural rhythm with miralax. [ male announcer ] gym membership for february: $68 paid automatically. gym membership for march: $68. oh, my. [ male announcer ] gym membership for april: $68. ♪ finally convincing your boyfriend he should go with you: priceless. mastercard makes it easy to pay gym, cable, utility and other monthly bills online. visit priceless.com to find out how. blend it. sprinkle it. sweet! [ male announcer ] grilled. filled. chilled. sweet! [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. more ways than you ever imagined. [ male announcer ] flakes. shakes. cakes. sweet! [ female announcer ] splenda® starts with sugar. tastes like sugar. but it's not sugar. it's... [ male announcer ] savory. crunchy. yummy. sweet! [ female announcer ] splenda®. america's favorite no calorie sweetener. still ahead, what you should be feeding your children for breakfast. plus, great tv families reunited. we're going to catch up with the cast of the television classic, "the partridge family." there they are. but first, a check of your local news and weather. increase in 6 months. pete, back it up! ( marker squeaking ) when business travel leaves you drained, re-charge with comfort suites. spacious rooms, free hi-speed internet, and free hot breakfast. comfort suites. power up. now stay two separate times with comfort suites... or any choice hotel and earn a free night. book at choicehotels.com. simply orange, with no added sugar, water, or preservatives... tastes as fresh as biting into a juicy orange? if you don't agree, we'll give you a package of our competition. that's the orange back guarantee. only from simply orange. honestly simple. ♪ honestly simple. sea salts vary in color and taste. one tops them all. adding it helps us use less salt than before in campbell's tomato soup while keeping the famous flavor. ♪ so many, many reasons ♪ it's so m'm! m'm! good! ♪ [ male announcer ] you're surrounded by fabrics all day. ♪ wouldn't softer feel better? try ultra downy. it softens fibers better than detergent alone, for a deep-down softness. and ultra downy april fresh has more than double the softening ingredients than the leading value brand's original fresh. ♪ and softer feels better. get more. feel more. [clucking] and softer feels better. look for delicious cadbury's, ree's and hershey's prodts in the easter candy aisle. 'cause no bunny knows easter better than hershey's. the sparkly flakes. the honey-baked bunches! the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? eating it. honey bunches of oats. taste the joy we put in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats. we call the bunches in honey bunches of oats the prize in the box. well, now there's a prize inside the prize. pecans! pecans! baked into crunchy oat buhes. taste the delicious surprise in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats with pecan bunches. beautiful. 7:55 is your time now after a lovely day yes, some changes in the forecast. tom will have the latest after the news, good morning, i'm eun yang, it's tuesday, march 2nd, 20-10. police are still on the scene of a dwedly accident on the brentwoodparkway. let's get to jerry edwards with the latest. >> a pedestrian was struck and killed about 4:30 this morning. and authorities continue their investigation at this hour. the brentwood parkway remains closed between 9th street and mount olivet road in northeast washington and the ninth street exits from new york are closed. new york avenue inbound loaded over the anacostia river. earlier accident along the way has been cleared. give yourself extra travel time this morning. the d.c. council could decide whether to reprimand marion barry to direct the city contract to his former girlfriend. and it could decide to refer the accusations against him to the u.s. attorney's office. last week barry apologized for what he called poor judgment, but said he good morning, a the this hour it's mostly cloudy, temperatures in the mid and upper 30s, later today, reaching the mid to upper 40s. we might get a little light rain by sunset, changing over to wet snow after midnight. at the very most, a dusting to an inch on the grounds. but the roads, streets and sidewalks will be wet. tomorrow morning on "news4 today," get the new york city experience on our dime. we'll get threw, put you up in a hotel and bring you a tour of the rockefeller center, home of the "today show." to sign up, go to nbcwashington.com and search 30 rock. we'll announce the 8:00 now on this tuesday morning, march 2nd, 20. and we have got one message for the crowd, come on get happy! that, of course, is the theme song for everyone's favorite '70s singing family "the partridge family". this morning we got the band back together. we're going to talk to the part riches in a moment. there they are, four of them. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer and al roker. >> by the way, good news, danny and david and brian and suzanne there, they're going to answer viewer e-mails later in the show. go to our website, todayshow.com. get those to us and they will answer them. okay. also ahead, a new path to happiness. we found two women who said you can find it by figuring out which room in your house you are stuck in emotionally. they'll be here to explain. >> the kitchen. >> the bathroom. >> no. >> no, okay. plus, a first ever look at evidence from some of the most famous cases in the history of the los angeles police department, including the assassination of rfk and the death of marilyn monroe. >> good stuff. >> a lot to get to. ann curry is down in chile covering the earthquake there. natalie morales is at the news desk. she's got a look at all the headlines. >> good morning to all of you. this morning, secretary of state hillary clinton i visiting earthquake-ravaged chile. she's delivering 20 slight telephones as part of a larger u.s. aid paage. saturday's 8.8 quake and resulting tsunamis claimed more than 720 lives. chile's military failed to restore order monday in concepcion, where a supermarket was set on fire. chile's president says the situation there, though, is now under control. flooding and mud slides in peru killed at least eight people monday. most of the dead were members of one family who sought refuge on top of their house, which later collapsed and was swept away. general motors says it will recall more than 1 million cars in the u.s. the ao maker plans to fix power steering motors on late model chevrolet cobalt and pontiac g5 vehicles. last month, federal officials launched an investigation into reports of power steering failures on the cobalt nato and afghan forces say their two-week offensive has broken the taliban's grip on its former stronghold in marjah. nato's top military commander, general stanley mcchrystal, visited marjah on monday for the first time since it was cleared of militants. his visit came on a day when six nato soldiers and ten civilians were killed in a string of attacks across afghanistan. and a trial date will be set later this month for the man charged wi the 2002 kidnapping and rape of utah teenager elizabeth smart. on monday, a judge ruled that 56-year-old brian mitchell was faking mental illness and is competent to stand trial. anxious moments monday at an irs mail processing office in ogden, utah where a suspicious substance was found. the fbi sent hazardous materials crews to the site and they found the substance did not pose any danger. the scare came, though, less than two weeks after a man angry with the irs crashed his plane into a texas building that housed federal tax workers. you are up to date with the news right now. it's 8:03. let's go back outside once again to matt and meredith. >> all right, natalie, thanks very much. >> not too bad out here this morning. >> it's actually -- >> it's a beautiful day. >> -- 36 degrees. >> how much? >> i think it says 36. >> oh, it does say 36. that's not bad. where's al? >> al will back me up. >> that was scintillating. unbelievable. >> she made me seem like i was lying about it. >> well, we've got some nice -- >> i thought you said 60 something. >> no, it's not 60 something. it's okay. we've got some folks here, u.p. of michigan. having a good time? >> having a great time. >> yoopers! you bet. >> you bet ya! >> don't you say that in minnesota? you say you bet ya in -- okay, let's check your weather. toledo, ohio, nbc 4, scattered snow showers, temperature's 39 degrees. and the jet stream band of air 20,000 feet above the earth's surface. that storm track, good news is it's keeping that storm -- it's going to eventually move right off the coast. and so, the northeast storm and coming out of the south, that's going to move off the atlantic coast. that's good news. we've got showers moving into the pacific northwest, but for the most part, things are going to be pretty quiet by the midweek period. very, very quiet, and we like that. and look at this, "the partridge family" album. my gosh! >> album, yes. >> now, is this yours? >> it's mine! >> that's nice. good morning, a mostly cloudy start to this tuesday, you shouldn't have any difficulty getting off to work and school, no weather problems this morning, temperatures in the mid and upper 30s around washington and the nearby suburbs. and off to our west and south, there have been a few snowflakes trying to reach the ground. the shenandoah valley, those have dissipated for now. but precipitation will likely begin tonight in the form of light rain and perhaps mixing with wet snow from time to time. especially after midnight. at the very most. an inch on the that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. and up next, the super groovy family band with t hip clothes and the cool bus. "the partridge family" reunites in studio 1a right after this. ♪ special k protein shakes -- ♪ a truly great-tasting breakfast shake. with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, it's the 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. diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating. that's me! can i tell you what a difference phillips' colon health has made? it's the probiotics. the good bacteria. that gets your colon back in balance. i'm good to go! phillips' colon health. [ children shouting ] come on, kiddo, let's go. [ laughs ] hold on a second... come on up here where your brothers sit. [ birds chirping ] wow! did i ever tell you what it was like growing up with four sisters? that sounds fun. yeah...fun for them! [ male announcer ] chevy traverse. a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it seats eight comfortably -- not that it always has to. fruit - we all know it's good- for us, but most of us find it hard to get as much as we need or want. try del monte fruit naturals. these portable cups of pre-cut, chilled fruit are ready-to-eat, so the only thing you need to peel is the lid. you'll never be disappointed with fruit that's unripe or spoiled every mouthful is just right, and bursting with flavor. enjoying a delicious fruit snack can be this easy. look for del monte fruit naturals chilling in your produce section now. brand power. helping you buy better. nature knows just how much water vegetables need. so, to turn those vegetables into campbell's condensed soup, we don't boil it down, our chefs just add less water from the start. ♪ so many, many reasons ♪ it's so m'm! m'm! good! ♪ ♪ hello, world, there's a song that we're singing, come on get happy ♪ we're back at 8:09 with day two of "great tv families reunited." this morning, the classic '70s show that taught us all that the family who plays together and sings together probably stays together. we're going to catch up with "the partridge family" in a moment, but first, a look back. >> they were the original garage band. ♪ hello, world, there's a song that we're singing, come on get happy ♪ >> reporter: they were the original garage band. broadcast over four seasons, beginning in 1970, "the partridge family" showcased the musical talents and home life of shirley partidge, a working single mom and her five kids. keith, the frontman, and teen idol. >> what is there about the teenage girl that makes her follow around someone just because they sing? >> reporter: laurie, the sensible one, serving as the voice of her generation. >> this group is supposed to be a democracy. >> reporter: danny, the smart aleck, wise beyond his years. >> of course, my mother is the one who will have to decide it. however, there are some legal points that i have to go over. >> reporter: and there were the youngest collaborators, chris and tracy. >> no fair, they get to stay up. >> they're older. >> we didn't ask to be born last. >> golly. >> reporter: most days, they were having a ball, getting it on. ♪ together, together, together >> reporter: busting a move with mom at the wheel, from smalltown california to the big time. >> hey, kids, hollywood boulevard! >> reporter: there was no sex and no drugs, and with their brand of rock and roll, these partidges never laid an egg. in fact, with the success of the show also came seven chart-topping records, including -- ♪ i woke in love this morning, i woke up in love this morning, went to sleep with you on my mind ♪ >> reporter: and the best-selling record of 1970. ♪ i think i love you, i think i love you, i think i love you ♪ >> reporter: that hit sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. the family's adventures took them from casinos to clubs to block parties, but in between gigs, they acted just like any other family, complete with sibling rivalry and motherly advice. >> i think it's important that you be honest with yourself and others, don't you? >> reporter: the partidges took their final bow after a jam session in 1974. as the song goes, the fun they brought into our living room was -- ♪ roller coaster, it's going faster ♪ >> and here they are today, david cassidy played keith partidge, danny bonaduce was, of course, dan partidge, brian forster played chris and suzanne crough was tracy. >> how are you doing? >> i was trying to watch your faces while you were looking back at that footage from 40 years ago. is this fun or cringe-worthy? >> frightening. >> is it really? >> absolutely frightening. >> did you see dave's look on his face? >> when, then or now? >> just now. >> both. >> and it was so odd to see the pilot, because i was 19 years old and the music that we did only for the pilot, i dubbed somebody else's -- i was lip-syncing to somebody else's voice. it was the only time, because once the series sold, i started recording in the studio and making "the partridge family" and david cassidy records. >> i made a career -- i dubbed for brenda porcaro. >> and still does. >> how was the relationship among the children? when you were shooting these, how well did you get along or not get along? how was the dynamic on set? >> we got along good. the second chris -- >> danny killed the first one. >> exactly. >> in my defense, he had it coming. >> there was a chris for one year, right? >> right. >> yes. >> then you came on the second season. >> i stepped into some shoes here. this show had already been going, but we all got along great, i think. >> i want to read you something. this is a review in the "christian science monitor" -- >> uh-oh. >> -- after the first season. it went like this. "would that every fatherless, financially distressed family could take up guitars against a sea of troubles like grin-and-bear it shirley partidge and her five whinsome metropolitans, it's imapplausibility upon applausibility from the records to the psychedelic bus they rode around in." someone taking it very seriously. >> keep in mind we sold way more records than "the christian science monitor." >> why was it such a hit? >> i think it touched a nerve with everyone at the time. very difficult now in the culture we lived in, but coming out of the '60s and still having that free-wheeling kind of thing. i have been asked this a million times and i really think that from what i have gathered over 8 million people asking me and telling me, my brothers, my sisters, we all wanted to be one of those characters. and wouldn't it be cool to be traveling around and playing music and having had the opportunity to tour and be rock stars? >> was it just the fantasy factor, the cool factor that got everybody? >> i thought it was a combination of that, and i think america was also looking for a funny, wholesome show, you know? you're counting us through waves, and i think -- >> everybody was looking for the obvious. they were looking for that face. that's what they were looking for. >> as long as he brings it up, i mean, you -- i mean -- >> there's something not fair. when i was at the start of the show -- >> david cassidy! >> i was a little kid and he was a grown-up. now he looks wonderful and i have the flesh of a shar-pei. something's not right here. >> your fan site, the people were crazy. like elvis, maybe the beatles, and then you. what was it like to walk in your shoes during that time? >> if i could disagree, he out-sold the beatles in 1970. "i think i love you" came out on the same day as "let it be." "i think i love you" was at number one, "let it be" stopped at number six. >> what was it like? >> well, it's still -- i have to be honest with you, my whole career, it was launched and i've been blessed to be able to say i'm still out singing those great songs, playing hits, and to touch so many people's lives, to bring light into them, i can't even tell you the stories i've heard from fans that were in dysfunctional families like most of us actually were. and it brings light into my life now because somebody every day of my life comes up to me and says you brought so much happiness to me and so much joy to me, a to know that all over the world, you know, my last tour i was playing stadiums to 40,000, 50,000, 60,000, and i'm still out there carrying the torch. >> and you have such a shinier, nicer story. i get -- i have a brother in prison! >> all right, i'm going to go with the lyrics to a song. "come on get happy," all right? "hello world" -- >> are we supposed to join in? >> "here's a song that we're singing" -- ♪ come on get happy >> how much of you were actually singing? >> i was. >> listen carefully, matt. ♪ i think i love you i'm out! >> were you singing? >> well, i was very good at being milli vanilli. >> so no singing, no singing -- >> it was on the back ofvery album. >> a disclaimer, right? >> the voices of david cassidy and shirley renfrew. >> so when it came to plang the bass? >> the only time dave ever raised his voice to me -- everybody yelled at me. i was a horrifying child. but it was the third episode and i'm playing the bass like this and -- >> like this. >> and david comes up finally -- and you kind of walk carefully around david because he's such a big star. and he comes up to me and i'm scared. and he goes, "you don't strum a bass, you pluck it! do you think you can learn to pluck?" and i went, okay, man, i'll pluck. >> brian, were you on drums? >> well, sort of. yeah. >> you were going through the motions? >> i was going through the motions, so -- >> he actually -- he actually got pretty good. >> he took lessons in his dressing room every day. >> i had a drum teacher, so i was supposed to practice and all that. >> and suzanne, the tambourine? >> tambourine, triane and cowbell, anything that they put in my hands. >> she played wicked cowbell, let me just say that. >> with an i sos lees triangle, you wouldn't believe it. >> i'm thinking with david, we've got the number one sex symbol in the country at that time. you were a young girl. >> well, and that's funny. we were talking about this last night. all my friends were going, well, oh, my god, i love david. don't you love david? and i was going, he's like a brother. why would i love him? >> that's creepy >> no, no. isn't that creepy? >> yeah! >> no, i loved suzanne in a very creepy way. >> well, you're danny. >> one of my favorite memories, too, was suzanne. i remember that -- >> well, suzanne who? >> by the way, shirley, we had hoped, would be here. she wasn't able -- >> she's on tour, and -- >> and she would be happy to be here. >> can i tell you, i spoke with her two nights ago. she's doing a tour playing symphonies. she's on a 17-day tour, and shirley, if you're out there, i know you wanted to be here. she sa to send her love to all of you, what's left of us, and she's doing 17 concerts in 17 nights with symphony orchestras. >> while we're on the subject of concerts and music, did "the partridge family" music -- >> no. >> -- influence any other -- >> oh, yeah. >> i mean, when you think of any other groups of that time, who do you think might have been influenced by your music? >> zeppelin. i've got to think first. >> greenday. >> clapton. >> clapton has admitted it. >> i got to play with eric once on the rock awards and i actually got to know john, paul, george and ringo and played with john a few times, played once with paul, because i was 13. the beatles broke and i was hir hired, as all of us were, as actors. i had done a bun ach of leads in like "mod squad," "bonanza" and all that. and at the end of the year, i did this pilot. who knew what was going to happen? and they didn't -- even though they knew i could play and sing, they didn't care. i was cast as an actor. >> someone mentioned susan dey a couple minutes ago. susan dey, anybody keep in touch? >> susan who? >> the only way you can reach susan dey i think is by teleprompter. she does not come out of the cave as far as i can tell. >> i have not seen or heard -- shirley ran into her about ten years ago -- >> literally? did she knock her down? >> probably. i don't know. i loved susan. i haven't seen her in years. she became a very close friend of mine, and you know, i felt like she was a sister. she was very close to my age. she was two years younger than i. and if you're out there watching, susan, we still love you, we still -- >> not me so mu. no, i'm being sincere. listen, we've all shown up. where the hell are you, susan? are you too good for us for christ sakes? >> i think if you've learned anything about this, you had your hands full with him back then. >> yes, and we still do. actually, every time he gets arrested, people call me up. i swear to god. >> no, like i'm his problem, seriously. >> no. well, you have been my problem many times. >> there you go. >> but people call me up as if we're still living in the same house together. and like, yeah, hold on, i've got to pick him up from school. no, i'm picking him up from prison. >> david, danny, brian, suzanne, thanks. >> thank you. >> thank you for coming back. >> thank you, america. >> it was fun to reminisce with you guys. we really appreciate it. by the way, they'll be sticking around to answer some of your e-mails later on in the show. so, get your questions to us at todayshow.com. and tomorrow on "great tv families reunited," we'll catch up with the cast of the popular '80s sitcom "227." still ahead, never-before-seen evidence from the pd's most sensational and famous cases of all time. but first, these messages. eating well has never been so craveable. with quaker dark chocolate mocha hazelnut cafe squares. isn't this how whole grains should taste? eating well has never been so craveable with quaker caramel baked rice snacks. ♪ would we eat better? at hellmann's, we make our mayonnaise with eggs, vinegar and oil rich in omega 3. for the quality that could only be hellmann's. hellmann's. it's time for real. if you're on medicare part d, you can get... your 90-day prescription supply from a place... you already trust to keep you staying well. walgreens. you'll have the confidence of knowing your walgreens... pharmacist has personally checked your medications. and you'll be in control of how and when you pick them up. so you can relax and enjoy all your benefits. cheese! walgreens. there's a way to stay well. 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. is also a great value? it's the difference between paying more... [ giggles ] [ female announcer ] ...and getting more. snuggle fabric softener gives you fresh, snuggly softness your whole family will love -- and it costs less than the leading brand! switch to concentrated snuggle blue sparkle, and over a year, you'll get more than 50 loads of softness for free. more, for less. now that makes all the difference. because everyone loves to snuggle! so my old contact lenses would sometimes move out of place and blur my vision. my eye doctor said there's great news for people with astigmatism. acuvue oasys for astigmatism. they work with the way my eyes move and blink, which helps them stay in place. and this is the only lens of its kind made with hydraclear plus. i'm seeing more clearly, crisply, comfortably, all day long. now life doesn't have to be a blur. [ male announcer ] for a free trial pair certificate, go to getacuvue.com. acuvue oasys for astigmatism. jay leno made his big return last night to "the tonight show," and he started off as if he woke up from a bad dream. take a look at this. >> there's no place like home. there's no place like home. there's no place like home. >> jay, jay, it's me, kevin. >> kevin! >> you remember me, don't you, jay, your old pal, ross? >> ross, of course. >> you had us worried. we thought you were leaving us. >> but i did leave. i went away to the strangest place. it was wondful, but some of it wasn't so nice. >> now, there, there, jay, you just had a bad dream. >> but it all felt so real. you were there and you were there. >> just checking in on my little leno. >> well, he took quite a hit, but he's going to be just fine. >> whoa, nbc really did cut your budget. look at this ratty ass barn. i can't believe you're doing your show from here. >> show? >> it's "the tonight show" with jay leno. >> that was a great way to start off. it was cute. >> anything with bty white. >> betty white, man. >> how hot is betty white now? >> she's very hot. she and abe. >> super bowl commercial. >> we wish leno, obviously, the very best. >> yeah. >> and his guest tonight, nice lineup, sarah palin, our time right now is 8:26, 39 degrees outside. kind of cloudy. today we'll get the forecast coming up, good morning, i'm joe krebs. in the "news4 today." we're following a developing story out of northeast washington this morning. police remain on the scene of a deadly accident on the brentwood parkway. it happened around 5:00 near the ninth street bridge. police say a pedestrian was hit and killed. the driver did stay on the scene. brentwood parkway is closed right now and traffic is backing up in the area, so drivers should be ready for delays. we'll take a break and come back and check traffic and weather. it will be cloudy for the rest of the day. afternoon highs climbing to the mid 40s. right now, mid and upper 30s. this evening, light rain mixing with wet snow after midnight. an inch at the most on the ground, but wet roads. inbound 66 loaded up, a couple of problems earlier have cleared. wilson bridge inner loop is jammed. outer maryland, had some problems on the virginia side. look for the backup to begin back near route 210. joe? >> thanks, jerry. tomorrow on "news4 today." get the new york city experience on our dime. we'll get you there, put you up in a hotel. take you on a tour of rockefeller center, home to the "today show." to sign up, go to nbcwashington.com, and search 0 rock." we'll announce the winner tomorrow morning during the 6:00 a.m. hour. it is 8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's also the 2nd day of march 2010. nice weather here in new york. kind of blue skies, moderate temperature. a little breeze in the air. nothing these people can't handle. and we are very happy to have them joining us. and speaking of happiness, in just a couple of minutes, meredith, you're going to tell us how women can help gauge their happiness. >> i'm going to do my very best. we have two women who developed a new way to take stock of our lives by actually using the rooms in your house. so, what does it mean if you're in the child's room or feel trapped in the attic? we'll explain. the house is a metaphor. >> all right. >> got it. also ahead, from rfk to marilyn monroe to o.j. simpson, we have a never-before-seen look at evidence from some of the most talked about cases in u.s. history. also, don't forget the cast of everyone's favorite musical family, "the partridge family," they're sticking around to answer your e-mail questions coming up in our next half hour. so, if you have a question for them, just logon to our website, todayshow.com, and we'll try to get to them. all right, but first, can we say hi to peter krauza, one of the stars of the new nbc comedy "parenthood." good to see you. >> good to see you. >> welcome. it's good to have you here. >> nice to be here. >> this sw is based on a movie from 1989 of the same name. >> yes, it is. >> it's about the braverman family. >> right. >> you played yam. tell me about him. >> adam is the kind of father who wants to try to fix everything and doesn't succeed all the time. and he desperately doesn't want to turn out like his father, played by craig t. nelson. >> who's great. >> and as you see, ironically, adam is not that different from zeke at all. >> and a lot of people are going to assume it's a comedy, this show, but it's also a drama and there are a lot of serious story lines, including the story line about your son. >> yeah. you'll see the pilot episode tonight that it turns out my son, max, is diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, and the creator of our series, who also created "friday night lights," has son has asperger's, so it's a personal project for him, as well as ron howard, who created the movie back in 1989. >> you're a dad. >> i am a dad. >> how does this impact how you play this character? >> well, my son's 8 years old. he's quite a character. recently we were at lowe's, you know, the home supply store. >> sure, sure, sure. >> and he was begging for one of those mechanical arms that you can reach things with. >> oh, sure. >> described to me that he really needed this thing. so, the other morning after breakfast, he had a flashlight shininover a heating vent in the kitchen. i said, what are you doing? and he said, you know, a lot of times, dad, mice are attracted to light, so he had the mechanical arm ready to catch the mice -- >> this is all good stuff. >> you know, i've got to shave, i've got to shower. what do you need to do, trying to get him to say brush his teeth, and he said hunt. >> he's a hunter and a gatherer. >> yeah. so, everything's working. he's all wired correctly. >> well, the cast is really amazing, and of course, all of us are thinking of laura tyranny, originally cast and diagnosed with breast cancer. how's she doing? >> she's doing really well and is doing a play here in new york and working on "rescue me" with denis ary. laura graham replaced her on the series. it was a strange beginning of the show to have some tragedy on the series, but you know, we're on the air tonight. >> come around. >> and your time slot, so that's good. >> peter is very kind of modest. he said to me inside, we are going to single-handedly save the network. >> well, you do it, peter. >> thanks a lot for that, matt. >> "parenthood" debuts tonight, 10:00/9:00 central time right here on nbc. peter, it's great having you. >> we're rooting for you. >> we appreciate it. how about a check of the weather, al? all right, let's see what's going on. for today we're basically looking at sunshine in the northeast, rain in the pacific northwest. we're also expecting to see sunshine through the gulf coast. then as we work our way through tomorrow, you'll expect to see more rain along the mid-atlantic coast, some showers working their way along the west coast, sunny and cold in the plains right through the gulf coast. now to the latest contestant dismissed from the ranch on nbc's "the biggest loser couples." melissa morgan was sent home after she actually gained a pound, leaving her husband, lance, behind. melissa is now with us. melissa, how are you? >> good, how are you? >> good. when you started at the ranch, you were at 233. you're now at 199 when you left the ranch. >> yes. >> how much have you lost since then? >> i've lost 31 points. i'm at 168. >> terrific! congratulations. >> yes. >> you literally had some ups and downs with your weight. were you surprised about you ga gained a pound, which is not unusual for weight loss? >> i was surprised. i mean, you're on "the biggest loser" ranch. you don't expect to gain weight. i had a huge weight loss that first week. and so, you know, i guess i wasn't terriy surprised by the plus one, but when i was in the third week and only lost one pound, i thought i would die. i couldn't imagine. >> you got into some heated debates with jillian and bob. what was up with that? >> well, they thought i was playing the game and were upset with me because i wouldn't admit that i was playing the game. and anyone that knows me knows, if i'm playing the game, i'm going to tell you i'm playing the game. and i really was struggling. i wasn't losing weight. >> well, but you're still losing now. >> i am. >> congratulations. that's great. >> thanks. >> and don't forget, melissa morgan, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> good morning, a cloudy pattern here today, tonight, into tomorrow. and right now, temperatures in the upper 30s. near 40 in washington. and near the bay. elsewhere in the mid 30s. highs today in the mid 40s. by sunset overnight. we may get a little light rain after midnight, mixing with wet snow from time to time. could have an inch or so on the ground tomorrow morning. most of the roads, streets and sidewalks will be wet. maybe a passing snowshower or rain shower on wednesday, with a blustery northwest that's your latest weather. and don't forget, if you want to check out your weather any time of the day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. coming up next, well, there are some ways to find happiness. just look at the rooms in your house. but first, this is "today" on nbc. >> announcer: "today's woman" is brought to you by acuvue contact lenses. acuvue. see what could be. >> this morning on "today's woman," true happiness. we all want it, but finding it is the hard part. that's where the new book "the nine rooms of happiness" comes in. it's a way of looking at your life through the metaphor of a house. the book's authors are psychiatrist lucy danziger. good to have you both. >> thanks for having us. >> interesting book. the title is "the nine rooms of happiness." how did you come up with that title? >> well, all women are harsh on themselves. we are our own harshest critics, and i said to katherine, is this universal? and of course, she says yes. she sees it in her practice. it's the little things that really bring us down. so, we decided to use the house metaphor as a way of dividing up your problems and helping women really solve those problems. >> so, every room represents a certain series of problems or set of problems. >> a different area of a woman's emotional life. >> all right. so, let's look at the nine rooms, beginning with the attic. explain what the attic symbolizes. >> all right. for most people, there are family expectations. they wanted you to go to law school. you didn't want to go to law school. you know, so, these expectations are conflicting. in the bedroom, we talk about sex, romance, intimacy, the kind of sex you're having, the kind of sex you wish you were having. >> okay. >> and the search for a mate. >> the child's room? >> well, whether or not you have kids, the decision to have kids, and of course, the conflicts -- brush your teeth, go to bed, do your homework. all of that, that disciplining can be very -- >> so, all about parenting. >> exactly. >> then we go to the kitchen. >> the kitchen. >> the kitchen is for emotional nourishment -- household chores, who's doing what or who's not helping enough around the house. >> what about the living room, what does that symbolize? >> the living room symbolizes social life, friendships. are you upset with your friend? are you feeling like you disappointed somebody? >> and next, the bathroom? >> the bathroom -- issues of weight, vanity, health, am i okay? am i worrying about cancer? >> and then the closest relationships, they are in the family room. >> this is your siblings. you might be fighting with the sister, your brother's driving you krai crazy, your mom calls all the time. the nearest and dearest. >> and the home office is next, actually. >> that's career, purpose, work, the bills on your desk. >> so, it's also the bills, okay. >> yes. >> finally, the basement. what does that symbolize? >> the basement is the largest room in the house, underlies the entire emotional house. everyone has one, even if you don't really have one. that represents childhood memories, past memories, things like a teacher who said you'll never amount to anything, that really you keep reacting to in your adult lif that keep you down. >> so, once you know the rooms or areas why wl you may be unhappy, how do you begin to tie these together? >> well, first of all, you might be in the wrong room. let's say you're having a fight with a best friend. she's not calling you back -- >> you think you'll be in the family room for that -- or the living room. >> and in fact, you might be in the living room, but also, there might be childhood memories that come into play. we say you deserve to be happy, and sometimes that means knowing your limits, telling your friend you can't help her throw a baby shower, and it's okay to have that conflict. we say to women, know your limits, it's okay. >> so, once you identify what the problem is, you can figure out what room you're in, right? and then from there, you look at what patterns are repeating. what's happening in that room that keeps you stuck? and we provide then key strategies. we call them key processes. >> can you give me an example of the strategies? >> sure. one of the ones we like a lot and i use a lot in my practice is the relationship equation. a patient says my mother is driving me crazy. and i say, look, you can't do anything about your mother. she's your mother. she's going to always be your mother and she's going to stay the same. but you, we can help you feel differently, react differently, behave differently. and when we help you, it changes the outcome of the relationship. so, if you're "a," your mother's "b" and the outcome of the relationship is "c," changing "a" changes "c." you can't do anything about the other person, but you can change yourself. >> you also use circles to help people understand how to be in a happy relationship. how does that work? >> right. >> that was something that set the light bulb off for you. >> i think it's great to think of the venn diagram. we say sorry, all you "jerry maguire" fans, but nobody completes you. you complete yourself and you come together, two whole people, and the overlap is the relationship. you have areas outside that are you and so does your mate, but that overlap is key. so, to make sure that you have the right amount of overlap for you is great. and you don't worry about what other people think. it has to be making yourself happy. >> but these, again, these rooms are a metaphor. all the rooms can't be tidy at any given point. >> no. >> absolutely not, and you don't need them all to be tidy. we give you the tools to close doors, to come back at a time at a later date when you're ready to deal with what's happening in that room. but just because one room's messy doesn't mean you can't enjoy the rest of your house. >> that's the important thing. you always focus on the mess. you could have eight neat and tidy rooms, we always focus on the mess. >> exactly. >> so, we say close the door. we empower you to close the door and come back later. and one of the things we found out is that two-thirds of women say they want to be happier, and the good news is, you can do it if you have a set point that's 50% -- 10% might be the circumstances, but once your basic needs are met, you can change 40% of your own happiness. you have that power. >> you know, you said,lucy, that this is not a diet, but you lost 25 pounds while writing this book. how did that happen? >> well, first of all, i'd like to say i learned so much. this book is about teaching other women what we have learned. and one of the things i learned was not to internalize your stress. i would stress eat. a lot of women think about things at the end of the day, and for me, i would do that and eat ice cream or cookies and soothe myself. and i realized, rather than internalize these things, i needed strategies to cope and deal with conflict in my life. and katherine really provides these in "the nine rooms of happiness." each of these strategies has helped me, so i don't think, you know, what should i eat, i think what's eating me. >> so, what room were you stuck in as you were doing that? >> i think it was a bathroom-kitchen thing. >> ah, two rooms! >> i was not taking care of myself. so, i had to learn to take better care of myself. we say in self, take care of yourself. the airlines have it right. they say put your oxygen mask on before you help the person next to you. we say to women, we give you permission to take good care of your inner self as well as your outer self. >> all right. the book is called "the nine rooms of happiness." lucy dan zinger, katherine murdoch, thank you for being here. >> thanks for having us. and what's this is a very big year for the national urban league. the organization is celebrating its centennial, 100 years at the forefront of the civil rights movement. marc morial is the president and ceo of the national urban league. marc, congratulations. >> thanks, matt. >> happy birthday. >> hey, it's a great birthday. >> let me start with this and i'm not going to offend anybody, least of all you, but if you did an informal poll here, asked what is the urban league, they might know the name, but they're not familiar with what you do on a daily basis. so, what is it? >> we help people find jobs. we train them for jobs. we work with young people in after-school programs and early childhood programs. matt, we serve 2 million people a year in 100 communities from coast to coast, and we help them uplift themselves and become economically self-sufficient. >> when you look at the first 100 years of this organization, what stands out as a highlight to you? what do you think one of the major accomplishments has been? >> obviously, the passage of the civil rights voting rights and fair housing acts, but our continuing effort over those 100 years to help people find employment and to train them for better employment and to open doors to, whether it's corporate america or government, as the nation changed in the 20th century. >> you've brought some folks with you. they're all waving the flag. and if you look at the buttons, marc, it says "i am empowered," and this is an initiative that you're creating as a part of this celebration. what exactly do you want people to do? >> we want people to go to iamempowered.com and consider signing a pledge. that pledge surrounds four important goals. one about our kids, one about jobs, one about housing and one about health care. matt, we're trying to change the conversation in this nation to focus people on goals we need to have for the future. >> you know, i want your take on something. you often hear people say that once this nation elected barack obama as our first african-american president, then we started living in a post-racial society. is that accurate? >> my take is that we're moving to a multiracial society. and our goal should be not necessarily post-racial, but perhaps post-racist and multiracial. the nation is changing, and i think we have to embrace the contributions of all ethnic groups and all races. and barack obama's election, while significant, has never been the goal. the election of a single person isn't the goal. the improvement of the quality of life for all people, that's the objective. parody is the goal. >> so, what you're saying is there's still a lot of work to be done. >> tons of work. >> yeah, well, 100 years at the forefront of the civil rights movement. our congratulations to all the fine people at the national urban league. marc, thank you so much. >> thanks, matt. appreciate you. >> thanks for bringing that message to us. we're going to be back with much more on a tuesday morning. this is "today" on nbc. back at 8:52. for the first time ever, the los angeles police department is opening its evidence room to the public. a behind-the-scenes look at one of the nation's best known homicide units. nbc's lee cowan gives us a sneak peek. >> reporter: it was that riff -- >> this is the city, los angeles, california. >> reporter: -- and those words that helped make the lapd a star. >> my name's friday. >> reporter: it was the '60s version of reality tv, although real crime in los angeles hardly suffered for real drama. >> it's the hollywood cases that make the news, that carry the interest of the american public, and sometimes around the world. >> reporter: the lapd has investigated some of the most norious and sensational cases in history. whether it was the death of marilyn monroe -- >> they say they are not so sure the death may have been accidental. >> reporter: or the brutality of charles manson. >> if i wanted to kill somebody, i'd kipick this book up and bea you to death with it. >> reporter: and now? >> this is the fork that was sticking out of ms. labianca's chest. >> reporter: some of the grisly and iconic evidence detectives uncovered is for the first time going on display at the palms in las vegas. >> they work so hard and they work so diligently, and we wanted them to give an opportunity to show the world what they do behind the scenes. >> reporter: crime scene photos like the one of marilyn monroe are displayed, to be sure. there is the rusty car that charles manson's followers drove on their murderous rampage in 1969. there is the long-barrel .22 revolver and a blood-staid rope that the manson family used to tie sharon tate to a rafter. >> some of this stuff, it's disturbing, you know? homicide, it's a disturbing business. >> reporter: some of the items need no explanation. >> if it doesn't fit, you must acquit. >> reporter: who could forget the bloody gloves from the o.j. simpson trial? >> this is also one of the gloves. >> reporter: never before have they been seen outside the courtroom until now. that does have to be one of the most fous gloves in history. >> i can't think of another. >> reporter: they're all famous and important. in fact, a judge actually had to decide whether to allow all this evidence on display in the first place. they're all artifacts, as uncomfortable as some of them may be. perhaps none so much as robert kennedy's assassination. we've all seen the grim aftermath at l.a.'s ambassador hotel. >> get the gun! get the gun. >> reporter: but until now -- >> i'm not sure if that's a bullet hole in his upper right -- >> reporter: few have seen the blood-stained dress shirt he was wearing, his initials stamped in the collar. >> i have never gotten this close to history at all, ever. >> reporter: they are silent testimonials, not only to the iminals, but especially to the victims, haunting reminders and lessons learned. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, las vegas. >> some of that stuff is gruesome, but i'd be interested. >> i think it's fascinating. >> you not so much? >> to a degree. >> some of it. >> to a degree. some of it would be off-putting to me. >> hard to take. yeah. just ahead, the cast of the classic tv show "the partridge family" is back. they'll be answering your e-mail questions, so keep sending them. >> but first, we'll have a look at your local news and weather. 8:56 is our time now, 39 degrees outside. kind of hazy sunshine ehere in the nation's capital. in the "news4 today," police are investigating a deadly pedestrian accident in northeast washington. around 5:00 on the brewood parkway near the ninth street bridge. police say a pedestrian was hit and killed by a dump truck. brentwood parkway is still closed in that area. the d.c. council could decide today whether to reprimand marion barry for directing a city contract it a former girlfriend. the council is expected to vote on censuring the former mayor. it could also decide to refer the accusations against him to the u.s. attorney's office. last week, barry apologized for what he called poor judgment, but said he did nothing illegal. we'll take a break now and come back and look at weather and traffic. good morning, cloudy, temperatures now in the upper 30s. and later on today, peaking in the mid 40s, we could get some light rain, perhaps mixing with witness snow late tonight into tomorrow. an inch perhaps on the ground tomorrow morning, with the roads should be just wet. jerry, how's the traffic? >> live look, top side of the beltway, righter side the outer loop, delays begin college park to silver spring. lanes open. one more stop, headed up to the 14th street bridge, back up against the pentagon, the lanes are reported open. joe? tomorrow morning on "news4 today," get the new york city experience on our dime. we'll get you there, put you up in a hotel and take you on a tour of rockefeller center, home of the "today show," go to nbcwashington.com and sea we're back now with more of "today" on a tuesday morning, 2nd of march 2010. kind of mild outside, mid-30s. nice blue skie pretty shot there in rockefeller plaza. thanks to the people outside, who have been hanging out all morning long. i'm matt lauer along with al roker and natalie morales. and coming up in this half hour, more on the devastation down in chile as the situation gets more desperate in some hard-hit cities and aid is slowly trickling in, quake survivors are raiding markets and pharmacies looking for food, water, medicine, everything they need in these desperate few days. ann is reporting from chile this morning. we're going to check in with her live in just a couple of minutes. all right, switching gears then. joy bauer is here with some important advice on staying healthy not just for yourself, but for your kids, especially if you're trying to manage their weight. she's going to answer all of your questions, from wha kinds of breakfasts are best to get your child moving to simple dinner ideas for all five nights of the week. so, we've got your "diet s.o.s." today. >> all right. and we've got a '70s flashback to a time when bell b bottoms, flyback hair and -- well, not forme. >> you had some hair. >> you had some mutton chops. >> i had some mutton chops. the soundtrack that sang for millions of lives was "the partridge family." 40 years later, we're saying hello, hello to the cast, and they've stuck around to answer your e-mail questions. >> any of you guys get the bus? did you get to keep the bus, david? >> i was told that danny took the bus and drove it over a cliff. >> why is at not a surprise? >> yeah, why don't we have a hard time believing that? >> of course. >> we'll check with you in a second. natalie has the headlines of the morning. in the news this morning, in chile, secretary of state hillary clinton is checking in on the recovery efforts after saturday's massive earthquake. she's bringing help, including 20 satellite phones, the first part of a much larger u.s. aid package. ann curry is in hard-hit c constitucion, chil good morning, ann. >> after driving all night, we made it to constitucion, about 45 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. locals say after this 8.8 earthquake, no less than five tsunami waves crashed ashore, and described one of them as being at least 50 feet high. you can see the power of these waves. further down -- we're about 2,000 feet from the ocean -- further down, we saw huge flatbed trucks completely flipped over. right there, you can see those were once power lines. there's a lot of need here. we know that a rescue team has arrived and we also know that there's a great need, according to the president, for more field hospitals and also for more rescue teams because the teams have been working since saturday and have become very fatigued. and this town here, constitucion, is just one of many here in chile still reeling from one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. natalie, back to you. >> all right, ann curry live there in constitucion, chile. thank you. today, congress is holding more hearings on toyota's recent recalls. meantime, gm ss it will recall more than a million chevrolet and pontiac compact cars to fix power steering motors that can fail. the recall affects the 2005 to 2010 cobalts, the 2007 to 2010 pontiac g5s, the 2005 and 2006 pontiac pursuits sold in canada and the 2005 and 2006 pontiac g4s sold in mexico. the search is intensifying in southern california for missing 17-year-old chelsea king. she disappeared thursday. a registered sex offender remains in custody for questioning. a california judge has approved donating to the smithsonian the suit o.j. simpson was wearing when he was acquitted of murder in 1995. the deal ends a long legal battle between fred goldman and simpson's former sports agent. and you're up to date right now. four minutes past the hour. matt and al. >> all right, nationalialie, thu very much. how about a check of the weather? we've got a low pressure system causing heavy rain down through the southeast. snow up from knoxville to northern atlanta, on back to memphis, some mixed precipitation. some of the storms could be fairly strong down through florida and off the mid-atlantic coast, where we could see anywhere from one to two inches of rain. the good news is, this storm system is not as intense, won't hang around as that one from last week. it moves out fairly quickly. snowfall amounts not too bad, fairly light, generally one to two inches, but some areas back precipitation won't be arriving here until late afternoon an overnight tonight into tomorrow morning. right now, temperatures under a cloudy sky in the upper 30s to near 40. now 41 in washington, but highs only reaching the mid 40s today. initially it looks like we could get light rain around the metro area, maybe changing to wet snow by late tonight and off and on by midnight and dawn, maybe an inch on the ground tomorrow morning. but the roads, streets and sidewalks should be wet. and that's your latest weather. natalie? ♪ sending out an s.o.s. al, thank you. on "joy's s.o.s.," helping you stay healthy. from protein-packed breakfasts for kids to the benefits of chia seeds. registered dietician joy bauer has all the answers to your nutrition questions. joy, good morning. >> good morning. welcome back. >> thank you. good to be back. >> okay, let's get right to viewer questions. the first one comes to us from katie. she joins us from skype from virginiaeach. katie, are you with us? good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question for joy? >> well, i'm a professional living on my own and i find it hard to make healthy meals for just one and i try to avoid prepackaged and processed foods, but a lot of fresh foods and recipes make multiple servings and it goes bad before one person can eat it all. what should i do? >> good question, katie. and who wants to eat all the leftovers, too? >> that's right. my best advice is to befriend your freezer in a big way. continue making the multiple serving recipes, especially things like hardy soups and casseroles and turkey chili and turkey burgers, but eat what you're going to eat and then take the leftovers, portion them out into single serving amounts, label them, wrap them and put them right back in the freezer, because then they're there for you to defrost at your leisure. also, when you go to the grocery store, you're going to buy big portions of ground beef and chicken breasts and fish llets. open them up at home, individually wrap them again and pop them in the fridge along with a lot of frozen vegetables, because again, that's going to be your savior, and everybody needs a few standard single-serving recipes. so, here's a bunch for you. the first thing, it's so simple, is grilled chicken farm sparmes. you take a piece of chicken because you have it singly frozen in the freezer, and panfry it in oil, spray top it with marinara sauce, under the broiler with skim milk, mozzarella cheese or in the toaster oven. yummy. you also have a hardy dinner omelet with vegetables and reduced fat cheese. you can make a shrimp and broccoli stir fry from frozen shrimp and broccoli that you thaw out just what you need and then make a preportioned individual serving of brown rice or whole wheat pasta. i love making turkey sausage with sauteed peppers and onions, and then, you know, the standard meal. >> you're making me hungry, joy. >> i'm supposed to -- >> all right, steak and chicken. >> with a baked potato or a small portion of pasta or brown or wild rice. >> so you can eat healthily for one. >> very doable. i hope that helps. >> katie, thank you. next, susan from north carolina is joining us on the phone. susan, what's your question for joy? >> hi, joy. >> hi, susan. >> i'm 61 and i recently lost 31 pounds plus. now i do cardio and strength training, but i haven't regained the elasticity in my skin, around my middle, my legs, my arms. and cosmetic surgery is not an option right now. so, i'm wondering, am i healthy in spite of the loose skin? >> well, congtulations, susan, great job! >> yeah, huge congratulations, and susan, a huge yes. skin is skin. it's not fat. and even though you don't get the benefits on the outside that you'd like to get from the exercise, you can bet your bottom dollar that that exercise is dramatically helping your insides. it's probably lowered her cholesterol and her blood pressure. it's definitely reduced inflammation. it's plummeted the risk of different disease states and it's enhanced your overall health. and i work with people all the time that have this same issue. while some people are genetically blessed with elastic and they lose weight -- >> they bounce back. >> it snaps right back. the majority of people have excess skin, but unfortunately -- >> and the toning is important. >> and you are healthy. so kudos to that. >> thank you, susan. next is christine in charlotte, north carolina. sent us an e-mail. she writes "i'm trying to help my 9-year-old daughter manage her weight. can you recommend a few healthy, protein-rich breakfasts to give her a good start to the day? i know eggs are grea but she's allergic to eggs and nuts." what do you recommend, joy? >> this is a smart mom, because she knows that a protein-rich breakfast is going to help kids stay alert and focused during school in the a.m., and it's also a great weight regulator because it helps with appetite control, but it's tricky because we have two allergies here that are high in protein, eggs and nuts. >> so peanut butter is out. >> peanut butter is out. so, i'm going to go after the dairy, and i love greek yogurt, because greek yogurt is higher in protein than regular yogurt. a lot of brands, there's chabani, so you could do a parfait, layer the yogurt with fruit and whole grain cereal. also, instead of making oatmeal with water, make it with skim milk or skim plus, which is even higher in protein. fruit yogurt smoothies, you can throw in skim milk and yogurt and a scoop of way protein if you want and take toasted waffles instead of maple syrup and butter, a little soy nut butter. >> so soy nuts are good with peanut allergies. >> soy ns are typically fine with peanut allergies and make it interesting with either sliced strawberries or topped with bananas. kid-friendly and fun. >> very good. joy, good information and more advice on your website, todayshow.com. coming up next, actions speak louder than words. what does your body language really say about you? but up next, "the partridge family" is going to answer your questions right after this. destroy them with lysol neutra air. it eliminates odor-causing bacteria in the air... and kills 99.9 percent of bacteria at the source. oust air sanitizer is not approved to kill bacteria at the source. enjoy nothing but freshness. with lysol neutra air-- the ultimate odor eliminator. and try lysol neutra air freshmatic for clean, fresh air automatically. i've got good news. you need more fiber. huh? don't worry, it tastes great. froot loops now with 3 grams of fiber. 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. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze, my eyes water. but with new zyrtec® liquid gels, i get allergy relief at liquid speed. that's the fast, powerful relief of zyrtec®, now in a liquid gel. zyrtec® is the fastest 24-hour allergy medicine. it works on my worst symptoms so i'm ready by the time we get to the first hole. and that's good because the competition's steep today. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air.™ and that's good because the competition's steep today. ♪ (announcer) right now, all over the country, discover card customers are getting five percent cashback bonus at grocery stores. it pays to get more, it pays to discover. vegetables are naturally low in calories. v8 juice gives you 3 of your 5 daily servings. it's a tasty, nutritious way to make this number go up... and help this one go down. v8. what's your number? 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. ♪ hello world, there's a song that we're singing, come on get happy ♪ more now of our special series "great tv families reunited." this morning we're hanging out with some icons of the '70s, "the partridge family." the cast has stuck around to answer your questions. david cassidy, david bonaduce, brian forster and suzanne crough. good to see you all again. >> nice to see you, too. >> first, let's get caught up. david, what are you doing these days? touring, doing a lot of touring, huh? >> yeah, touring and waiting around the train station for someone to pick me up. no, i've been out on tour quite a bit. last couple of weeks i've been in dallas, chicago, playing casinos. i'm actually going to be in epcot later this month. >> cool! >> i'm playing three nights there. and yeah, i've been out touring and just finished doing a television series with my brother, shawn, as the executive producer, head co-writer, and my brother patrick and i. we have a great cast. it's called "ruby and the rockets" on abc family. and we won't mention that network again, will we? >> no, they're done. >> that's enough of that. >> and danny, i know you're doing radio. i've been on your show a couple times. >> yes, you have. i'm in philadelphia now on wysp. thank you very much. >> huh, i guess you must have lost my phone number. you've been calling al, but i don't get a phone call? >> okay, hey, brian, so, what's up with you? >> sorry! >> well, i'm semi-retired, underemployed, actor, musician -- well, musician sort of, race car driver. looking for my next project, kind of like you were talking about. >> yeah. >> and suzanne? >> i'm a manager for officemax. >> oh, cool, all right. very nice. can you get me maybe some toner or -- >> sure. >> no. >> you don't need toner. you don't need toner. >> we've got some e-mail questions here. first of all, this is from darryl in texas. "david, how do you think being a heartthrob in your era compares with today's young heartthrobs like robert pattinson or zac efron?" >> ooh, i get a lot of people asking me that question about zac. apparently -- i just hope that his, you know, when you get compared to someone, when someone compares a young actor to me, i think that the world and the culture's so different now. as we were talking about before, everybody's got a cell phone with a camera. i think that for me it was all about the work. i'd work all day on the set with these guys, then i'd go and record all night. i think it's such a different world that i can't even imagine having to dl with the tmz concept. and i think our culture is so celebrity-obsessed now. it was nothing like that. >> plus, you were handsome. robert pattinson's ugly. come on. >> oh, come on. >> admit it. take looks like tori spelling with his eyes on the side of his head. he looks like the gecko on the commercial -- >> robert was on yesterday. lucky he's not here -- >> could he see behind him? >> will you stop! laurie from montego, new york, wants to know, what would you all be doing if you didn't get a chance to be on the program? suzanne, what do you think you'd be doing? >> god. you know, it's part of -- it's part of you. i mean, i started so young, who knows? but you know, i have two daughters and i'm married and i have a normal job, so i'd probably be in the same boat. >> mm-hmm. >> you know. >> that's not a bad answer. you know, my favorite on the show, i must admit, was reuben kincaid. dave madden -- >> all of us agree. we miss dave madden. >> this is from alex from florida. "the partridge family" manager with reuben kincaid played by dave madden. why isn't dave madden here? >> he doesn't fly. >> interesting. >> he won't fly. and danny could probably tell you better, because -- >> on the show, danny, you guys butted heads, but in fact, you had a good relationship. >> i spent almost every weekend of the four years of "the partridge family" at dave madden's house. he was a second father to me, and to be quite frank, he did a better job than the first. >> i agree. >> he was a remarkable man and sts in contact almost constantly. i get an e-mail from dave madden almost every day. >> in fact, our booker did call, tried, but as you said, he doesn't travel. >> he will not fly. >> you know, you mentioned something that he was a dad to you. was shirley and dave, were they kind of parental figures for you guys or -- >> not to me. >> o well, that's right. i forgot about that. >> not to me. no, shirley is my step mother. a lot of people, because she played my mom. >> right. >> she was married to my dad and i knew her from the time i was 7. and she -- i miss her and i'm telling you, she should be a part of this and she wanted to be a part of this, and as i said earlier, she's on tour, and i love you, shirley, i miss you. i hope you come back and join us and we get to hang out again. >> she was like a mother to me, and in a sense, i think she got carried away a couple times, because i remember on the set, and i was, imagine this, misbehaving, and she looked at me and she said, "danny, go to your room!" and i said, "shirley, there is no room. this isn't a real house," but she tried to ground me a couple times. >> one last question, from theresa in jeffersonville, indiana. will there ever be a "the partridge family" reunion show? >> yes, and this is it you're watching it. >> what's this? >> i would love just to have an opportunity -- a i mean this sincerely -- i would love to put together something that would -- in its time, it had an innocence about it. i think today you would have to do it totally different and you would have to use, if you were going to use this cast, you'd have to use an awful lot of the mistakes that we made. >> okay. we'll leave it at that. david cassidy, david bonaduce, brian forster, suzanne crough, thank you very much. you brought us a lot of happiness, including today. and tomorrow on "great tv families reunited," the cast of "227." coming up, emily on her new film and co-starring with heart throb robert pattinson. ooh! danny, take that! 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. 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. sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. please proceed to the viewing platform. [ buzzer ] ♪ [ beeping ] begin ink discharge. [ splat! ] watch tough stains disappear right before your eyes with clorox 2 stain fighter & color booster. see for yourself. lose the stains. keep the color. one bottle of clorox 2 takes care of 33 loads. tide stain release only does 11. there's a full serving of vegetables in every manwich. announcer: surprise. every manwich has a full serving of wholesome vegetables. manwich. meat your vegetables. my old contacts would sometimes move and blur my vision. then my eye doctor told me about acuvue oasys for astigmatism. they work with the way my eyes move and blink, which helps them stay in place. so now, i'm seeing more clearly. [ male announcer ] for a free trial pair certificate, go to getacuvue.com. actress emilie de ravin plays ali in the new movie "remember me," and it's not your typical love story. >> and she has the grueling job of playing the love interest of hollywood hunk robert pattinson. emilie, good morning. you probably get that a lot, don't you? >> good morning. no, no. >> now, tell me about your character, ali, because we learned at the beginning of the movie, she suffered a major tragedy in her life, so that's really kind of shaped her character and who she is. >> yeah, it has, in a very primitive way, too, at age 11. so just sort of preteen and about to figure out who you are. and i think, yeah, she's got a lot of strong personality traits, which i love a lot of them, i think stemming from losing a mother. you know, she's really quite guarded, but she's really strong and she just has this amazing outlook on life, to live life to its fullest and to not live in the past, and there's nothing you can do about it. and also, this why wait? don't sit around procrastinating, just do something instead of just talking about it. >> both of your characters, yours and robert pattinson's, who plays tyler, you're both emotionally wounded and find each other. really, the chemistry between the two of you is something special. why do you think that happened? >> we worked a lot together on things. we spent a lot of time getting to know each other and working not just reading lines, i mean, reading through scenes, but really just talking about them and getting to know each other's outlook on the characters and sort of working on their journey and relationship, instead of just getting to set and figuring it out then. it just sort of clicked. >> and i remember when you were shooting here last year in new york, the paparazzi, the papers were going crazy. what's it like working opposite a guy -- i mean, he can't even walk out of a hotel without there being a mob scene on him. >> yeah, it's pretty crazy. it was challenging at times, because you know, when you've got that many eyes on you and cameras on you constantly, when you're just trying to figure out the rehearsal, you just become so self-conscious of that fact, but. >> emilie de ravin, thank you and good luck with the movie. "remember me" opens nationwide friday, march 12th. how you can change your life in seven days with your body language everything about you is unique. including your skin. discover aveeno positively ageless. with shiitake complex, it helps speed... your skin's unique renewal process. 94% of women showed an improvement... in lines or wrinkles. for younger looking skin: aveeno positively ageless. for younger looking skin: it's tough to reach that five servings a day if you don't always like the taste of vegetables. good thing v8 v-fusion juice gives you a serving of vegetables hidden by a serving of fruit. [barking] v8. what's your number? 9:26 is your time, a gray day after a lovely day yesterday. good morning, everyone, i'm eun yang. it's tuesday march 2nd, 2010. in the "news4 today." the d.c. council could decide whether to reprimand marion barry for recommending a city contract to a former girlfriend. the council could also decide to refer the accusations against him to the u.s. attorney's office. last week barry apologize for what he called poor judgment, but said he did nothing illegal. a warning for women in montgomery county, police are looking for a man who they say sexually assaulted a woman. last night in the 8800 block of laneer drive in silver spring. police say a woman called them, claim that a man was attacking her at the paddington square apartment. he's still on the loose. investigators have not released a description of the suspect. we'll take a quick break and good morning, temperatures now near 40 degrees and it's cloudy tist. and remaining cloudy the rest of the day, highs in the mid 40s. this evening, maybe a little light rain, perhaps after midnight mixing with wet snow. perhaps an inch on the ground tomorrow morning, but the roads should be just wet. and jerry, how's the traffic? >> brentwood parkway has reopened, new york avenue still jammed because of earlier problems in the northeast. quick check of elsewhere. 270 much improved, now pretty much clearing out to the split. eun? >> tomorrow morning on "news4 today," get the new york city experience on our dime -- we'll get you there, put you up in a hole tell and bring you a tour of rockefeller center home of the "today show." just sign up at for you, mary, just a little naive domestic burgundy. i hope you're serving something red. >> i'll put ketchup on it. >> that's the signature comedy of one of the favorite '80s tv shows, "227," the truth-tellers, as they saw it, from a group ling in a d.c. apartment building. we're going to have a cast reunion here tomorrow on "today." so, we're looking forward to seeing the ladies here. meanwhile, still to come in this half hour, have you ever seen something and thought how can i get one of those? >> sure, i have. >> well, not to worry, because you know who's here to help us out? >> who? >> jill martin -- >> yay! >> with se fun finds, like what i can't get away from, the world's largest gummy bears. >> you know, they had those in "cloudy with a chance of meatballs." >> exactly. do you know how many calories are in that gummy bear? you don't want to know. also, monopoly is going digital. >> no! >> so we'll show you that, too, coming up. and this may make you nervous with this lady sitting next to you. she's a body language expert and she's telling us what message you're sending with your body language. >> i love al? yes, i do. >> we just butted heads. yeah, we made a love connection! >> it means i'm into al, right? janine's going to tell us. also, in "today's kitchen," we're getting nutty with a treat. homemade pecan rolls with scott peacock. one of our favorites. whenever he's here, we all gain about three pounds by the end of the show. >> that's right. always love your sticky buns. what? let's see what's going on, check it out for today. sunshine in new england, rain works its way up the mid-atlantic coast. slight risk of strong storms down in florida, showers in the pacific northwest. for tomorrow, we've got some snow showers in interior new york on into the alleghenys, ra rain good morning, a cloudy start to this tuesday, our temperatures now are near 40 degrees, and we have a light breeze coming in out of the northeast. and it will climb into the mid 40s later on this afternoon. and then by sunset, around 6:00, we may have a little light rain moving in from southwest to northeast. coming through the region, perhaps mixed with a little wet snow around the blue ridge and the shenandoah valley. and around the metro area it may change to wet snow after midnight. till around dawn tomorrow. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. coming up next, from sleeping in style to sasha obama's favorite doll. we've got some fun items you won't be able to live without, so says jill martin. y! wow, you look great! thanks! it's this new wish yourself thin program. i just wish it and it happens. it's probably those fiber one bars you're eating. i know they help me stick to my diet. the bars are 90 calories and the fiber helps you feel full. 90 calories and high fiber. so that's why this diet thing is working. but it's weird because my wish for lorenzo came true. [ male announcer ] new fiber one 90 calorie bars. hungry no. results yes. if it's not there, we dig by the septic tank 'til we find the problem. average repair costs six thousand dollars. monthly maintenance with rid-x? about six dollars. (announcer) use rid-monthly to help keep your septic systems operating efficiently between pumpings. would we eat better? at hellmann's, we make our mayonnaise with eggs, vinegar and oil rich in omega 3. for the quality that could only be hellmann's. hellmann's. it's time for real. mmmmmm. mmmmmm. mmmmmm. mmmmmm. wow! you have got to be kidding me. 80 calories? 80 calories! light & fit is so creamy and irresistibly delicious, it's hard to believe it has 80 calories versus 100 ithe other leading brand. do you always eat like that? i love light & fit. light & fit. irresistible taste. fewer calories. now save money with our new super saver four packs. four cups at a great low price. hungry is there to sabotage you every step of the way. but if you join weight watchers for free right now you can follow the momentum program and conquer hungry and other things that stop you from losing weight. join for free today and you can learn strategies like choosing filling foods so you can resist temptation, lose weight and keep it off. show hungry who's boss. hurry, join for free today, the offer won't last forever. weight watchers. stop dieting. start living. announcer: there's an easier way. create your own business site with intuit websites. just choose a style, then customize, publish and get found. sweet. get a 30-day free trial at intuit.com. this morning on "jill's fun finds," items you never thought you needed until now, from gadgets that make shopping a cinch to reincenting board games. "today" contributor jill martin has some unusual products that will make your life easier and a lot more fun. jill is also a contributor for "us weekly." good morning, jill. >> good morning. >> how did you find all these things, because i've never seen half of this stuff. >> these are random finds that i thought was fun. i want to start with my favorite, this is a cyber shot camera. what it does is it detects smiles. so, if you have a party, it goes on this sony. it's $150. it looks like a lazy susan. but if you smile, it will snap and take a picture. it has software loaded in. >> it did take a picture. >> it took it, uh huh. >> you can see there. good. >> so, if you have a friend that has something on their face, they will not make the album. and it's perfect. 50. >> now to the computer savvy desk light. >> you know what, iyou don't want to turn your lights on at night but want a little extra light for your computer, this is $7.99, perpetualkid.com. >> powers off your computer. that's great. >> isn't that cute? and it's great for kids because it's fun. >> speaking of a computer, you have a slide show converter software thing you've worked into the computer. >> my family has over 3,000 slides. i went into storage to get it. this is the old envelope they're in. we all have so many old slides. now for $99, you put the slides in here and it will put it right on to the computer so you can edit it. it's my father's 65th birthday. i'm making ts for my family. that's my father and i. >> so cute! >> it's a great gift and so easy to edit. you're computer-savvy, but i am not, so this is great. >> it's perfect. over here, for the person with their to-do or shopping lists, you've go the this smart shopper. >> it's the smart shopper, and you just talk into it and say your grocery list or errand list and press print and it will print it out for you. >> and it detects whatever it is you're saying. >> right. it has software that detects your voice. >> so cool. >> and it prints it out. that's $149.95. >> everybody loves that. over here, monopoly's going digital. >> isn't this amazing? for the first time on the "today" show, hasbrotoyshop.com. it's $14.99. you can preorder it and this is digital banking now. remember, this is the old set with all the money. now you have an atm card. >> no way. >> and if you go to jail, there's literally like a jail sound effect and music just to update it. >> okay. but you know what i'm bummed about? i like the little pieces. i like the little dog. where's the little dog? >> i know. everything is a little updated. and the bank, too. >> a little too modern. over here now, for the person who always forgets to recharge their gadgets, this is a gadget charger. >> this is great for the car. it looks like a starbucks cup, but you can plug it into anything in your car. this goes into the cigarette lighter and charges it up. >> now this is a transition from the ipod to the ipoo'd. >> i love this. it's so random. what a great gift. >> these t-shirts are fabulous. they're so cute. i love the ab/cd, instead of ac/dc. we know sasha loves this doll. >> sasha obama has one on her backpack. uglydolls.com. we have it right here. we also have a picture of her. >> they're collectibles now. >> and it's a great gift for your kids if you want to get them a little something. this is my favorite. >> this is my breakfast here. i love gummy bears. >> rpetualkid.com has the biggest gummy bear in the world. >> oh, my god. look at this thing! >> it's 5 pounds, 12,600 calories, equivalent to over 1,000 gummy bears. >> maybe i would stick to the little guys. more portable. >> and the lollypop. but it's a great centerpiece. i don't know if i'd recommend you eating it with your children. >> for the frequent flyer amongst us -- >> for the frequent flyer. you come sit here. >> now, you swear this is actually going to improve our quality of life on an airplane, right? >> it fits in here. >> you may annoy some passengers sitting next to you. >> you may, but you put it up to the vent and it blows it up -- >> blow this up on the vent. >> put your head down and relax. that's it. >> if anybody wants to go to the bathroom, forget about it. >> you need a window seat, but isn't that fun? >> this is so great. i don't know that i'd necessarily like to use it on a plane. >> gummy bear lollypop -- >> gummy bear lollypop is for me. up next, from the bar stool to the board room. yay, now i'm happy. we're going to decipher the language of body language, right after this. if you're a people person, a hard worker, and love insurance... [gasp!] i could use a little help. for a chance to appear with flo in a progressive ad, go to helpflo.com today. why not save on car insurance? visit progressive.com for a free quote. [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com. can you believe how fast kids grow these days? and since 90% of bone strength is developed before adulthood... it's so important that ty 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. blend it. sprinkle it. sweet! [ male announcer ] grilled. filled. chilled. sweet! [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. more ways than you ever imagined. [ male announcer ] flakes. shakes. cakes. sweet! [ female announcer ] splenda® starts with sugar. tastes like sugar. but it's not sugar. it's... [ male announcer ] savory. crunchy. yummy. sweet! [ female announcer ] splenda®. america's favorite no calorie sweetener. [ female announcer ] splenda®. better cover up those hands, or they'll be in for a dry spell. [ male announcer ] dawn hand renewal with olay beauty. it helps your hands seal in moisture while you do the dishes. [ sponge ] who could have predicted that? [ male announcer ] dawn does more... [ sponge ] so it's not a chore. 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. if actions speak louder than words, then what are you saying with your body? in her book "you say more than you think," janine driver says you can change the way you're perceived and get what you want using her seven-day new body language plan. nice to see you. >> nice to see you, al. thank you for having me. >> good to have you. during your 16 years of investigative training, you had a high-security clearances, how difficult was it to perceive what somebody's body language would mean? >> it can be really challenging. for me, i'm throwing you in jail or teaching cops to tell if bad guys are lying. i can't do it because you touch your nose, say to the judge he touched his nose, he's lying or put his hands in his pocket, he's lying. so, it's about baselining and you're looking at what someone's baseline is and if they deviate from that. so, woody allen is a neurotic kind of a guy, right? his hands tend to be in his pockets. he's very small. then you have someone like howard stern. howard stern tends to take up more space, he's very relaxed. look at him. this is his norm. his his baseline. if all of a sudden, howard stern started playing with his cuticles or buried his hands in his pockets and looked more like woody allenthat would say to me as a law enforcement officer, there is more to the story here. >> a lot of this is subconscious, but you say you can consciously make changes. >> absolutely. i have the seven-day plan. for seven days, you learn a new skill every day and at the end of the chapter, it's great, i give you ten exercises. some you can go out and do, some you can do from the comfort of your own home. simply going to youtube and looking at oprah when she interviewed kris angel, the magician. he guessed her number, 1 to 100. how did he guess it? well, there's a body language element. i tell you what to look for and you can use this in your li. >> let's look here. first one, a job interview. you say with a handshake, you can make a big impression. >> you can. a handshake, there's more to the story. if you look here, look what happened here. this is the kiss of death, al. she has -- she's the interviewer. she's coming in, giving what's called the upper hand. what she just did is killed all chances of success. >> because she had her hand over his? >> absolutely. so, this move right here is the upper hand. she's trying to dominate him. you will not get the job if you try to dominate him. >> let's look at what the correct thing would be. >> what happens heres you're going to see her walk into the room now. instead of her giving the upper hand, you're going to actually see something more powerful. wait, before we go there, al, she's making more mistakes. look what she just did here. here's another faux pas, number two, big mistake. she has her hands under the table. never hide your hands. the other mistake is she sat down directly across from the person interviewing her. this is fight or flight. when i'm going to fight someone, i go directly face in front of them. what she's just done is increased stress. and by increasing ress, you stress him out, you become more stressed, and this is not going to be the job. >> so, don't keep the hand over the top, don't sit directly across from somebody and keep your hands visible. >> absolutely. those are the three biggest mistakes in an interview. now we'll see her do it right. >> okay. >> here she'll come in and it's very strategic, give him the upper hand. bam, look what happened. she's underneath the hand and gave him the impression he's in control. >> she moved the chair over. >> two, she moved the chair over here, very strategic. now you see her hands, al. look, she's using a gesture right here, which is a-ok. a-ok. it's a small emblem that she used that says i'm the person for the job. by moving the chair to the side, you've decreased stress and by decreasing stress, you increase your chances of getting a job. >> boardroom meeting. let's go to this. this is interesting stuff as you talk about steepling. >> yes, steepling right here. this man is doing what's called the handgun steeple, which says he's about to kill her dead, right? [ laughter ] >> she doesn't even know she's got it coming! >> she's doing a more traditional steeple, where this is what donald trump often does in the boardroom. >> right. >> by looking at thispicture, we know without a doubt she is the boss. he is going to kill all chances of success. look at these guys, very open, open, open. >> so, that's good? >> this is the trouble-maker. >> he's bad. he's bad. >> watch what happens now. so, he's going to all of a sudden start talking and he's going to be even more aggressive. when you see someone pull out the handgun steeple, we know there's more trouble to come. in a second, here we go -- look, bam! palm-down gestures, look at this, pushing her away. >> ooh. >> push, push, push. >> first he kills her, then pushes her away. >> what does she doing? crosses her arms. you have just backed down your supervisor. >> oh, boy. >> this is the kiss of death. >> dead man walking. >> here's the quick fix. i call it in my book, seven quick fixes. if you notice you're shutting someone down -- here's the boss again. here's the boss. use this open-palm gesture. he's looking for approval from other people on the team. open palms, this is what a beggar says, a dollar, please, a dollar, please. >> i'm begging you. >> you are going to be heard. look, our boss does not close down now. she stays open. >> let's do the dating. we're in a bar situation, two single girls. >> all right, two single girls. these women are never going to be approached. their belly buttons are facing the bar. we face our belly button towards people we like, admire and trust. so, right here, unless you're trusting the booze and the bartender, if you're single -- >> so, you should face outward, your belly button out. >> i call this naval intelligence, al. >> okay, so, there you are. naval intelligence, i like that. >> so, this is what we call the quick fix again. so, my book is great for bars, it's great for the boardroom. right here, look at the difference. as men looking in, we now see these two women. >> they're available. >> they're available, absolutely. >> and a guy going to try -- >> this guy looks pathetic. now, he's doing something powerful here, called hooking. he's a good hooker, al, because this is a powerful move. powerful people do that. here she has her leg crossed, so she's creating a circle with him. but what happens if she dumps him? all of us are looking in and all we see is his back. >> so we should be sitting in with the belly button facing out. >> look at the quick fix. he turns it around -- >> and boom, he's done. very nice. >> so, my book is a tool to reading people accurately and a tool to getting what you want from the boardroom to the barroom to the bedroom. >> all right. janine driver, thank you so much. >> thanks for having me in. >> did i do that right? >> you dominated me! >> oh, well. >> that's okay. >> that's another show, all right. coming up next, go ahead and indulge. we're whipping up the perfect pecan buns. either way you say it, this morning in "today's kitchen," an inadult breakfast treat. pecan rolls can be the star of any table and you don't have to use dough in a can. scott pecan, contributor to "better homes and gardens" has a homemade alternative to sticky buns. good morning, scott. >> good morning, natalie. >> i usually just open up the can and pop them in the oven, but you're showing us how to do it the rig way. >> this is a simple, no-need recipe. do the whole thing in the mixer. >> so, you start with the flour. >> yes. we've got yeast and water in here. then we've got a little bit of milk and melted butter, a couple of eggs. >> two eggs. >> a little bit in there. and then you dump everything. this is flour, all purpose, and some sugar. >> okay. >> and a little bit of salt. >> great. >> then you just put this in. >> blend it all together? >> blend it all together. you don't need to knead. put it in a bowl and let it rise up like this. >> how long do you have to wait to let it rise? >> oh, a couple of hours. the thing is we're using a special cinnamon. we ground this ourselves and it's really delicious. you can see it's so tender and sweet. >> wow. >> you can do it like this. the normal cinnamon you would get -- >> more of a stick. >> this is harder and it's not bad. this is just special and worth looking for. >> how do you grind it? >> in a coffee mill you set aside for grinding spices. this is a beautiful dough. you see how soft and supple it is. >> oh, my gosh, very fluffy. >> velvety and it's a delight. rolls itself out practically. >> so, we'll pretend it's rolling itself out. >> exactly. it's rolled itself out. because we don't have that much time. >> we put melted butter all o it and beautiful dates. brown sugar and cinnamon. then we've rolled it up and we have it like this. >> look how beautiful that is. >> and you cut it into pieces. >> now the pecans, you want to get a special. >> these are worth finding, buy them in bulk online and keep them in the freezer. >> exactly. i've done that. >> and it keeps great. then you let these sit here and you see how they rise up. >> they're beautiful. >> they go into the oven and they're quite beautiful. >> you don't top them with anything on top, right? >> no, because there's the sticky on the bottom, which is great. it's a mixture of sugar, honey, water and butter. >> wonderful. >> and here we are. >> m gosh! we've been waiting all morning for this. they look beautiful. >> have one, please. >> i'm going to. then you made some variations here for us. >> we did one little savory with rosemary and some without nuts at all, just apricots and dried cherries. >> wonderful. >> it's a versatile recipe. >> what's this some. >> that's a nice hot herbal grade tea, perfect with a sticky 9:56 is our time now, 41 degrees, some cloudy skies here inhe nation's capital on this tuesday, the 2nd of march, 2010, good morning, i'm joe krebs. in the "news4 today," brentwood parkway in northeast washington is open again at this hour. it was closed after a pedestrian was hit and killed near the ninth street bridge. the driver of the dump truck that hit him did stay on scene. police are trying to figure out details of the accident. now let's get a check of the forecast with meteorologist tom kierein. tom? good morning, joe, radar showing a little bit of sprinkle activity now down near richmond, toward charlottesville and shenandoah valley getting a few snowflakes at this hour. that's not the leading ij 69 main precipitation, it looks like we'll have our temperatures climb into the mid 40s this afternoon. it looks like we'll get some greater chance of rain this evening maybe mixing with wet snow overnight and into tomorrow morning around the metro area. around the mountains, blue ridge and the shenandoah valley and maybe an inch on the ground tomorrow morning. but the roads should just be wet, occasional passing rain showers tomorrow morning. a live look, looks like we're settling down. the left side of the screen, outer loop past university boulevard, appears to be moving well. one more stop downtown. no worries coming off the 14th street bridge, traffic there has thinned out. we're looking good up to pennsylvania avenue. joe? >> tomorrow on "news4 today" get the new york city experience on our dime. we'll get you there, put you up and take you on a tour of rockefeller center. go to >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. it's tuesday and. >> black and blues day. >> and it's also my friend karen's birthday. so happy birthday, karen. >> love karen. i like most of your friends, but her i'm crazy about. happy birthday to karen. big night for mr. loan know last night. >> it was with. i don't know if you stayed up, but we can't. we have to get up at the crack of dawn. we saw a little bit of it. jay opened up with an interesting little sequence from dorothy of oz. he played the role of dorothy. >> time has not been kind to dorothy. >> let's look at this exit. >> there's no place like home. there's no place like home. there's no place like home. >> jay? jay, it's me, kevin. >> kevin? >> you remember me, don't you, jay? >> ross, of course. >> we thought you were leaving us. >> i did leave. i went away to the strangest place. it was wonderful, but some of it wasn't so nice. >> there there, jay. you just had a bad dream. >> but it all felt so real. you were there, and you were there. >> just checking in on little leno. >> well, he took quite a hit, but he's going to be just fine. >> whoa, nbc really did cut your budget. look at this ratty barn. i can't believe you're doing your show from here. >> show? >> i'm sorry, just put betty white, just put her there and i'm happy. >> please, lord, let her live a long, long -- oh, he says she already has. she's 84 or 86. >> there's this push to have betty white host "snl". >> they're crazy not to let her. lorne michaels, just once in his life, you know, throw the people what they want, lorne! >> a little betty white. >> i wonder if betty while washes her underwear -- brand new underwear she buys at the store. i wonder if she washes it before she uses it. >> there was a hidden camera investigation that kind of xeefed a couple of people out. what happens according to the hidden investigation is people buy underwear and return them. those exact underwear get put back on the shelves, retagged, reeverything. so what the nbc investigation was, we took underwear, put black dots on them, so we knew the ones we were returning them. we saw all of these underwear returned to the shelf. what we even did in one occasion is dropped a couple of drops of baby oil so they were clearly stained, used-looking. and those babies got put back on the shelf. all right. so we should point out that in statements from these various stores -- >> there's always a statement. >> their customer satisfaction and safety is top concerns. their employees made a mistake in selling used merchandise. and our investigation has prompted them to retrain workers. >> it's legal to sell underwear that's used, apparently, but i think it's supposed to be -- >> do you -- so you go to the store, a normal everyday store, and you see underwear on the tag. >> i like it wrapped in plastic. >> do you take it home and wash it? >> no, i don't. i've always felt -- i'm a more trusting person. tammy, our very pregnant producer -- >> extremely pregnant. >> -- she washed her husband before she married him. i mean, she is a neat, clean freak. i'm a trusting soul, but not going to anymore. >> it made me a little bit useous because -- i don't know who returns underwear, but apparently it happens. you think that things are clean and fine there but i don't wash -- and i don't -- maybe this will prompt me to do it, but i'm not 100 that it will. >> i guarantee it won't. i think we should start a brand new thing. we should go commando and it won't be an issue. >> sometimes i do that with spanks. just spanks. >> well, yeah. that's the same thing. >> we want to know what our facebook people think. >> be honest, okay? >> we don't know who you are. >> but we like you a lot. >> we do. >> we're going to go to sarah in a few minutes. how about kate gas listosselin? >> how about buzz aldrin? 80 years old? >> "dancing with the stars." >> evan lysacek. >> frank should do it. oh, my gosh! >> he could be the next one. he's just six months behind buzz aldrin, you know. come on. >> evan lysacek is it. >> he's going to be great. >> pamela anderson is in it. >> going to be a little top-leave. >> first of all, this is what i've got to know, i did not realize -- >> she's got to spin. that can weigh you down. >> i didn't realize you got paid 125 k to go on the show. that's better than a year's -- that's fe that's even if you don't win. >> do you know how much time they take out to do this. >> it's triple what most make a year. >> you're going to get $125,000 whether you're the first person eliminated or the person that wins. >> who wouldn't do that? >> they asked me to do it a couple of times, and the time involved is unbelievable. >> why not? >> my feet. my feet are fine now, but back then, please. gnarly. >> gnarly doesn't begin -- >> you'd know it if you read my book. >> what book? >> there is apparently a little hoda out there. >> we got this picture of kalely. she says she's a mini -- >> oh, my god! what is her name? >> kaly. she's adorable. >> did she get her hair flat-ironed and relaxed? or is that just the way it is? >> she's adorable. >> yeah, wait. >> somebody sent in a little kathie lee lookalike, too. >> she has to have bangs so consult yocut your hair immediately. >> we did things differently because we had meredith. usually on monday we call everyone who is a story winner to let them know so she can fly in to new york tuesday. we did it differently and called them off the air yesterday to let lisa peterman and matt cruz to know they were winnered. lisa was born with a disease that -- let's stop to hear my voice. ♪ >> her kidney failure began in 2008. doctors told her she would either need die alicyals or a ky transplant. i want to send my best wishes to my friend who this very day is having a kid any transplant. god bless her. lisa's husband was not a match so a family friend named matt cruz said, test me. the ultimate, ultimate gift. the gift of life. so matt was a match. surgery was a complete success. and they're with us on the phone. >> they're here! they'll be in the studio on thursday. >> and guess who's singing. >> i don't know. i have no idea. >> let everybody know that the incomparable sandy patty is going to be singing on thursday. >> look, everybody's going, oh, my gosh. >> she is -- google her if you don't know her. >> one of the greatest voices god's ever given somebody. >> what kind of singer? >> mostly inspirational gospel music, but she can sing anything. she's going to sing "the gift of life". >> hi, you guys. >> hey, matt. >> hello. >> list sa, convia, congratulat. congratulations, matt, for the gift of life you gave your friend. >> thank you so much. >> you guys are in new york. >> hello? >> hi, matt. >> hi. how are you? >> good. you're going to be with us in studio tomorrow. what did you think when you guys got the news? >> i was really taken back. i'm flattered that lisa wrote such a nice letter. >> it was a beautiful letter. >> i'm just flattered to have the chance to be there and share our story. >> we can't wait. >> matt, you must be a pretty young man because i offered my friend verna to be tested for a kidney. they told me i was too old, my kidney was too old. you had ce, young healthy kidneys. good for you. >> well, that's what they told me. i was glad i could help out. >> we look to forward to meeting you thursday. >> how's the underwear controversy? >> we asked the fans if they wash their underwear before they wash it. michelle said, i already did, but now i'll wash them twice. >> did most people wash? >> i found that shocking because i don't always whe they're in a package. >> you know what? apparently you should wash or dry clean everything. i got rosacea, little -- your torso, it was from the chemicals that are on clothing to -- >> you're kidding. i always think everybody's so germ aphobic that you don't have to wash and clean everything. you we just got it from the store. but apparently. >> you do, hoda woman. >> we've got such a show today that my head is spinning. >> coming up next, this guy definitely has a hill billy bone, if you don't know the song, please download it, hill billy bone. >> starting today, he's also got one in the stores. country star and all-around good guy blake shelton. ... and just like that, voila! a room i want to show off. get the new home trends collection at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. get[clucking]ome trends collection at walmart. look for delicious cadbury's, reese's and rshey's products in the easter candy aisle. 'cause no bunny knows easter better than hershey's. rere professional with va. with our advanced technology and the care we provide, our work truly fulfills america's promise to our veterans. (announcer) learn more about careers with today's va at vacareers.va.gov. i reached my weight goal thanks to you so i am ready to get back out there. alright. that's great. i want to personally thank you for 100 calorie hearty chicken rotini. well, it's not just me. you're so funny. i like you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. with two scoops! of raisins harvested at the peak of sweetness, and golden flakes of bran with 28% of their daily fiber, nothing gets your family's day off to a brighter start... than the goodness of kellogg's raisin bran cereal. feed their sunny side. blake shelton has reason to celebrate today. his new cd is hitting the store. >> the country star was already hard at work this morning with reba mcintyre announcing the nominations for the academy of country music awards. guess what? he earned a no, ma' eed a nomin vocal evenfor hill billy bone. >> come grngratulations. >> now, hill billy bone is a funny song, great song. what does the song mean? >> well will, i mean, it's not the meaning that we were talking about off camera there, but it's basically it's a song about how no matter who you are, where you live, you can right here in new york city and there's something redneck about it. >> a little something. i like that. >> you are hillbilly to the core, wouldn't you say? >> absolutely. i p i purposely try to buy used underwear. it doesn't bother me at all. they fit better. that's headneck. >> you've got to tell jeff foxworthy that. >> your cd, you call it a similar-pack. >> yes. >> you have songs more affordable for them to buy, right? >> it's no secret that the record industry, they're struck elling because people don't buy albums like they used to. they just download the single they want. warner brothers had the idea of having the six-pack. >> how's it going? >> we'll find out today. >> i love warner brothers. i have a couple of cds with them. >> as long as they own me, i love them. >> that's the way i felt, too. >> on the front cover of "usa today," there was an article about that. i didn't know it was so revolutionary to have six songs on a cd. >> most places retail it's under $6. >> a dollar a song. >> basically. which is probably a little more than people want to spend on my music, but -- >> is it worth it? >> the packaging, you know. >> speaking of the packaging, you're still with miranda lambert? that's going well. do you even get to see each other? she's actually here right now. she's probably in soho. >> shopping. >> yes. i got back to the room yesterday and she came back in with one of those cart things full of boxes and bags. >> there you go. but the good news is she's got her own money. >> oh, she's my retirement. what do you think? >> what do you like to do when you come to new york? >> i don't know that much about what's going on around here, to be honest with you. i think we're going to go see a play tonight, or whatever, a musical. >> go see "memphis." it's all about when the blueses and hillbilly stuff all came together with that interracial love story. >> the blues and the hillbilly stuff. >> yes. it merged into -- you wouldn't be here. >> you're full of crap on national television. >> i made a living at that for years. i'm telling you will love "memphis." am i right? >> she said something about "wicked". >> but because of the world you're in, have a history lesson and fun, too. >> congratulations on your award today. that was pretty cool. how did that feel getting that? >> i don't -- i tell you what. >> he's bored. >> not at all. i've been doing this for ten years now, and, of course, we were presenting the things with reba, who'been nominated i think she said a little over 700,000 times now. >> and won most of the time, too. >> exactly. i don't get that stuff so -- >> blake, i want you to look at the fan you bring out. just for you. that is a hillbilly bone. >> isn't that one of the oakridge boys? >> it looks like william lee. >> blake, thank you so much. >> good luck with the cd. >> say hello to miranda. up next, stepping out from the salon and on the street for a makeover. 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, mmmmmm. mmmmmm. wow! you have got to be kidding me. 80 calories? light & fit has 80 calories versus 100 in the other leading brand. i love light & fit. now save money with our new super saver four packs. fruit - we all know it's good for us, but most of us find it hard to get as much as we need or nt. try del monte fruit naturals. these portable cups of pre-cut, chilled fruit are ready-to-eat, so the only thing you need to peel is the lid. you'll never be disappointed with fruit that's ripe or spoiled every mouthful is just right, and bursting with flavor. enjoying a delicious fruit snack can be this easy. look for del monte fruit naturals chilling in your produce section now. brand power. helping you buy better. is "the farmer's vegetable patch," right? there's a full serving of vegetables in every manwich. so you're made of vegetables, yet you're eating vegetables? exactly. [ male announcer ] every manwich has a full serving of wholesome vegetables. manwich. meat your vegetables. ♪ could open a world of wonder ♪ ♪ so sensory ♪ so satisfying ♪ the discovery ♪ never seems to stop ♪ ♪ it's the magic friskies ♪ ♪ makes happen ♪ every day ♪ in so many ways ♪ friskies ♪ feed the senses you know who you are if you love your hair. perhaps the style is too old or too young for you or maybe it's the color that's causing questionable things. >> maybe it's all of those things. that's when stylist to the stars lieu yis la kari comes in. if you happen to cross his path while having a bad hair day, you're in luck. >> yes. >> hello, louis! >> hello. >> it was raining on top of everything when you found these women? >> it was a crummy weather week in new york. but i was walking down fifth avenue and i saw three women -- actually, they saw me, and instead of. >> you didn't have to work. >> no. they ambushed me. they immediately came over. >> here is our first woman, sharon. she's been married 24 years as a volunteer at a hospital. let's hear her story. >> why do you want a makeover? >> i want a makeover because i'm walking around with hair like this, like, forever. and i see what you do every friday on that show, and i always wanted to you do something with it. >> i'm going to give you a complete new look and i'm going to show you how you can do it yourself at home. >> you can work a miracle? >> it's not a miracle. i promise. >> well, i am so excited. >> wean't wait. let's look at sharon's before picture. just so we can see it. all right, sharon, come on out. step around. let's look at her after. whoa! >> wow! >> i'm sorry. hello? the color looks so good. >> well wi, these women are noty girls. they wanted bold statements. so i made her hair bright. i made it more of a strawberry, which is softer, just uplifted her look. >> she looks chic. >> she didn't have a mullet but too much hair in the back. >> and on the sides. so reshaping it instantly gave her a lift. >> she looks years younger. it looks so good. you were pulling your hair. not anymore. >> it's adorable. good for you. >> let's go to our next lovely lady. her name is linda. she's a mother of two, married for 36 years. let's take a look listen to what she had to say. >> why do you want a makeover? >> because i don't like my hair color or my make upup. i think i need a change. >> you know what? we're going to give you a change today. >> today? sounds good to me. >> all righty. here we go. let's go. >> all right. >> i love how they just go. just go. >> i was skid nap kidnapped. what are you talking about? >> you loved it. >> every minute of it. >> let's look at the before. >> she has such naturallpretty curly hair it almost looked like a roller set. her hair made her look matronly. >> let's see the new hair, linda. >> wow! oh, my god! have a seat, darling. >> sit down. you look so pretty. >> now, she does have very curly hair. you use a large brush. i liked her bangs added, the golden blonde highlights, years younger, more contemporary, vibra vibrant. you'll less than two hours. >> the last lady is also sharon. this woman has four grandkids. let's hear what she had to say. >> here's what we would do for your makeover, give you a great new haircut, we'll keep the blonde but make it just a little bit more natural looking. >> well, okay. i could do that. if you promise. >>t's a deal. >> whatever it takes, right? >> what was her issue? let's look at the before picture. >>s as you see she went from blod to blonde, she ended up being a platinum blonde, which almost looked like gray hair, which made her look much older than she is. >> this is the before picture. >> this is the before. >> sharon, come on out. >> oh, wow! >> bright yellow. how beautiful. >> wow, sharon! >> that's awesome. hello? >> this is hair color working at its best. i added depth and i left out a few highlights. >> she's still blonde. >> she is. but her skin color comes alive. and also, of course, when with you your hair is this overcolored, the condition is bad. the best solution to a conditioner is the hair cap, which dana gave her. >> sharon, do you love it? >> i love it. i feel so much younger. >> you all look so awesome. >> and you can all do it yourselves? >> i gave them all the ability to do it at home or come see me. >> you're the master. >> thk you. still to come, travel gadgets that will make you want to hop on a train anywhere. plus, the number one single on the urban radio shacharts. shine on we are back on this booze-day with robin thicke singing his new song "sex therapy." which has climbed the urban radio charts. he is here to heat things up with the two of us. >> could it get any hotter, baby? >> that song is so sexy. did you write that? >> i did. >> i heard there was some editing because it was actually too sen seosual? >> on certain shows i had to do it as love therapy. which is the point. in the history of marven gaye's sexual healing. the sex part is easy, but the therapy part is about love and connection and working things out. >> right. every cut on the record is kind of like this. >> it is. other albums i made a lot were about looking inside yourself and trying to become a better person. this one i wanted to make something very sensual. >> you're madly in love, having your first child in may. >> little too much sex therapy, i guess. >> here's his wife paula. so good and precious. >> thank you. >> just a doll. >> how do you feel about becoming a father? >> actually, it's been great. you know, we've been together a very long time. >> you were high school sweethearts. >> we were. we've gotten to go all around the world and have so much fun together in the last few years with our moderate success. so it just seemed like a kid was the next proper step. now, you know, we're taking it in all in stride. i'm just making sure i rub the belly, rub the feet. tell her how beautiful she is. my theory is just give her everything she asks for. >> you know, your chances for happiness are real good. >> whatever she asks for she gets. >> she did so well in the movie "prerns precious." was she amazed how well it did? >> we all knew it was amazing, but you never know what you're getting into. for all this amazing success, we're just very honored and blessed. >> tell us about your journey now into that urban world, which is usually dominated by african-american artists, obviously. and they love you. why do you think they've embraced a very caucasian young man? >> i think because it comes from a real place. like i grew up listening to mary j.blige or luther van droes or wind ne houston. i think when it's real. when people are faking it, you might get away with one son but you can't live here unless it's real. >> how did you feel whenou hear it hit number one? >> i just heard yesterday. you have to make the art because it comes from your heart. it never hurts to hear you're number one at anything. >> i wouldn't know. >> we're so happy for you, robin. please give your mom and dad your best. >> oh, thank you. up next, turning the page. what happens when a single mother finds her lover murdered? details right after this. tappin into her sensibility at the helm of one of the hottest world's magazine "cosmopolitan" kate white usually takes her readers on a stylish ride. >> however this time she's starting a new chapter with a murder mystery called "hush." kate white, welcome. before we get to the book, cosmo has a little sexy cover this go-around. lady gaga? >> it's -- i think it's the first mainstream magazine. >> wow. she's in her underwear. i wonder if she washed it before she wore it. >> i was thinking i'd love to give it away. to a lucky person. >> we have been so surprised the times we've been around her. she'so normal, you know. >> down to earth. >> women really relate. she has a great line in the article. she says, your career will never wake up in the morning and tell you it doesn't love you anymore. it's so inspiring. >> true. yeah. >> tell us about this book. this book "hush" is a standalone, not part of a series. >> right. i wanted to do something kind of darker and a little scarier. it's about this woman, she is a single mom, and she has a one-night stand. she just feels a little needy for it, and it's uncharacteristic of her, but when she wakes up in the morning, the guy, the sexy doctor that she slept with, has been brutally murdered. >> i hate it when that happens. >> i know. >> good morning. >> talk about spoiling a day. >> but she can't go to the police because her ex-husband is suing for custody. so she just flees the scene. before long somebody is stalking r and she knows to save her life, protect her kids, she's got to figure out who the murderer is. >> when do you find time to write? >> youe so busy. >> you just got back from india. write on airplanes. >> absolutely. like a lot of women, i always had this sort of dream that i had parked to the side when the kids were little and i finally decided i've got to figure out how to do it. i used a time management tip that says, start small. i started just writing 15 minutes a day. >> right. get up earlier and write 15 minutes. then five pages a day. >> you give something up. like i never did learn tennis. that's what i was going to learn. >> is there a time of day when you're the most creative you think? >> i think you need to find that, if you're a creative person. i'm a night owl, unfortunately i discovered i wrote best in the morning. it was a little bit burning the candle at both ends for a while. now i go to bed earlier, get up earlier. >> this is your fourth book? >> this is the sixth one. >> what? >> yes, i know. >> i remember when the first one came out, it seems like yesterday. >> it's like your kids. it just goes by. >> speaking of kids, they're in college now? >> they are. it gives me more time to write. women discover that freedom again you never thought it would happen. >> did you have the empty nester thing? >> it's bittersweet. i miss them. with texting i feel like i'm in constant contact with them. >> even i have learned how to do it. it's such a nice tool. >> kate, good luck with the book. >> you give helen a lover to us. >> she just lost her precious husband. >> i know. >> again, kate's book is called "hush". up next, the jacket that gives packing light a whole new meaning and other packing gadgets you won't want to leave home without. we're back with "today's" travel. gadgets you'll want to pack next time you take a trip. >> we have the general manager of virtual tourist.com. he says we can call him "g." >> wuf got a lot of great gadgets up here. these are little jelly lenses for your camera. >> that's right. they're little jelly lenses. this cover comes f, and then it's a little bit sticky. and you just put it over the lens of your cell phone camera. then off you go, you shoot and they make little special effects which you can see over here. they have this kind of vignette effect. >> who's that? >> that would be me. it's neat for kids. >> this is a throwback to polaroids. >> that's right. instant photos. you can get instant gratification. you just shoot the shot and it develops in a little bit. these are neat when you travel because you take pictures and then you say, i'll send them to you. >> take it. take it. >> oh, look at that. >> comes right out. >> can't put it in your computer or anything like that. this is all you get. >> yes. >> kids would love that. such a cute little shape. >> great for parties. >> if you have a mac computer and you're careful and you're worried about it, you have a nice way to travel with it. >> that's right. this looks like an old journal or volume. >> yeah. >> in fact, it is a rigid and paddedac carrying case. >> oh, that's smart. >> so it's really neat. kind of nice to carry around, feels nice, also it keeps would-be thieves away from your computer. they just feel it's an old, beat-up book. don't care about it. >> this looks like a kindle, but it's a real book. >> how much do these run? >> $80. >> how much is the polaroid? >> about $130. >> look at us. >> you look great. >> not pretty. >> what's this? >> these are speakers for your ipod an they fold flat. they're made out of recycled cardboard. >> oh, that's smart. >> what's really neat is that when you kind of fold them up, they make a pretty good sound and you can draw on them. kids can draw on them. that's right. >> is that kathie lee? >> no. >> kids can draw on them, and now let's say junior takes the ipod and drops it in his wheaties in the morning and they get all wet. you take the ipod and put it into this it bag. >> what's in there? rice? >> seal it. no. it dries out your electronics, and if it was fully submerged you leave it in for about 72 hours. this costs about 20 bucks. it may save your piece of expensive electronics. >> does it really work? >> yep. absolutely. >> that's unbelievable. this looks like a regular umbrella. what's great about this? >> voila, you open this baby up, and it has -- >> bad luck. >> -- a light in it so it lights up. >> that is fantastic. >> if you're walking around at night or walking the dog -- >> look at his jacket. >> love this jacket. >> that's right. you have your own little disco going. >> this lights up so nobody -- >> it has batteries in it. when you want to wash it or dry clean it, you take it out and it goes back in. >> that's right. since we're talking lights, these are about the size and shape of a credit card. you just carry them around. then when you need a light, on a train or maybe a plane or a little reading light, there it is. >> how do they get juice? >> they have little batteries in them. they cost abou5 bucks. >> literally the size of a credit card. >> wow. >> that's right. there is our little picture. that's good. >> keep you dry here. >> thank yo g. thank you. >> g, great to see you. >> thank you, guys. >> here is a question -- can n and women be friends? >> it's the age-old question. >> we'll get answers, because that's what we do. >> that's the way we roll. >> this is "today" on nbc. it's an age-old question -- can men and women really be friend or is it a relationship destined to end in disappointment and frustration or even in bed? >> hmm. a good question. here to weigh in, jennifer and alexis, hosts of sirius satellite radio's "whatever." ladies, when is your show on? >> monday through friday, 5:00 p.m. eastern. >> on sirius 112 and xm 157. >> this is a hot topic with women because we work in the work place with men and we have lunches and drinks sometimes with men who are married. >> we're in close proximity. a good thing or bad thing? >> to be in close proximity with men? it depends on how hot they are. >> and whether or not you're married. >> enough said. thanks for being with us. >> this is what it is. men and women can be friends if that specific man and that specific woman are having sex. otherwise, there's no way. >> or if one of them is gay. >> oh, sure. >> some of my best male friends are gay. i have other men friends, happily married, and i love them as friends. >> are you friends with the wife? >> yes. >> do you hang out wh the man alone? >> yes. >> like you go to dinner? >> yes. >> lunch? >> yes. >> and you're not having sex with them? >> i'm not having sex with anybody. ask frank. >> i've had a lot of male friends and i thought it was all cool. then eventually there would be the moment -- >> that they had sex. >> -- where either we had sex or they expressed the desire, even after years. i mean, i was, like, okay, friendship over. >> are you friends with her husband? >> no. friendly, yes. >> sure. >> no. >> would you be upset if they went and had lunch? >> would i be upset? i mean, i trust him. >> i would be, like, why? >> it would be a strange happening. >> yeah. >> maybe you're planning a surprise party for her. >> oh, please. >> you don't need lunch. >> there's e-mail. >> phone. >> give us a scenario. >> one of my girlfriends, her husband and i had to commute to new york city together. we were going to the train station together. snowstorm. >> what happened? >> i'm goingto tell you we did not have sex. but we ended up having breakfast together at a bagel store. and it was horrible. i had nothing to say to him. he had nothing to say to me. >> you weren't friends. >> we were friends as uples. but i don't want to hang with him alone. ew! >> maybe your husband is more friendly with him. >> yes. and i'm more friendly with his wife. >> it's a morn-day work environment. let's say somebody at work, a superior of yours, says, hey, i'd like to tke you to lunch. >> that's -- >> but it's clearly not -- you know that it it's not 100% work. >> how much -- what is the percentage? >> it's 60% that you know it's not work, 40% work. >> is he cute? >> is he hot? >> he's married. >> is is he hot? >> again, he's married. >> no. i know that -- >> i'm giving a scenario. >> fake scenario >> sure. >> i know people take offense, but -- >> what? >> it's not really cheating unless you get caught. just like if a tree falls in the woods and no one's there, does it make a sound? >> no, no, no. >> if you never get caught, it never happened. >> you are going to get caught. you're going to get caught. >> yes. eventually everyone gets caught. >> hav you ever been caught? >> it ain't over yet. hoda, the answer to the work issue, if your boss asks you to lunch or a colleague asks you to lunch, as long as the relationship doesn't expand outside the scope of whatever the projects are that you're working on -- >> it's okay. should you tell your husband or boyfriend, i'm having lunchith so-and-so? >> of course you tell. why not? >> sometimes it's not that that person doesn't trust you.seen o other people -- >> that's their problem. >> it can be your problem if they make it theirs. >> it can. but not if you're an honest person. obviously, i'm not. besides, if you don't act on the one person's -- i think it's one person has the desire, not both. >> the friendship ultimately. >> no. the se desire. the friendship -- >> the sex desires the friendship. >> it might initiate the friendship because he wants to be with you. >> you're saying a man and woman can't be platonically friends? >> i think there's always anunderlying desire. >> do our facebook people agree or disagree? >> i don't think you can be friends. i agree with them. but katie wrote, only if they get the attraction out of the way first. beth wrote, depends on if their exes. sam wrote, only if they're single >> it can always will come back. if you had something, then you had something. >> you guys have a lot of issues. wow. >> you better go to three hours on the radio every day. >> thanks so much, guys. tomorrow, country trio lady and sabella will perform for us. plus, you'll feel better. tell us the best ways to confess. >> have a great day. we'll see you on wines-day. only one day away. we'll see you on wines-day. only one day away. bye! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com