of the united states george bush. >> he has kept a very low profile since leaving the white house. he's opening up about the tough choices of his presidency, evything from the economy, iraq and afghanistan and yes, even kanye west. also ahead the latest on that carnival cruise ip stranded in the pacific for two days. it is now slowly being tugged back to shore. and because there is no hot food or refrigeration, rations has now begun. it became an instant classic when it was releases ased 45 ye ago. we'll have reunion a little bit later on. good morning, everybody. and about those 4,400 pasngers and crew stuck at sea off the cot of california since monday, as you just heard, there is some relief because supplies have been flown aboard and the liner is now being towed to shore. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: tug boats didn't reach the splendor until yesterday and they're only going about four miles an hour, that means thousands of those passengers won't b on land here in s diego until late thursday. dead in the water, but now the focus of an extensive rescue and resupply operation, a mday morning engine room fire has left the carnival cruise ship splendor has been without hot water and electricity for two days now. >> they are safe, it's a matter of, i think discomfort primarily. >> navy helicopters from the uss ronald reagan have been carrying some 7,000 pounds of supplies to the ship, including canned crab at, pop-tarts and spam. phone communication has been impossible, leaving some families to worry abo their loved ones on board. >> my sister and brother-in-law do this every year and this year they took my parents along. just to hear the voices would will reassuring. the ship left long beach on sunday on what would have en a seven-day cruise to the mexican riviera. the carnival issued a statement. carnival says it's going to refund all of i passengers, once they're back on land, it's going to be a two-hour bus ride all the way back to long beach. the president arrived in seoul, south korea this morning, the third stop of his ten-day trip to asia. he will attend the g-20 summit. 3 million haitians could now be at risk for cholera. country wide, the disease has claimed at least 580 lives so far. for at least part of this year, nearly 59 million american went without health care and that's up by about 7% from two years ago. the military is saying that monday's strange streak of fire that streaked across the california sky was - the panel blasted the oil giant's quote, culture of place senity that led to the blowout. and a moving tribute at the 9/11 memorial. when the 30-foot black granite fountains open in 201010, they will be the largest man-made watefalls on the continent. it i now 7:05, let's go back to matt, meredith and al. >> how are y doin >> i'm doing sunrise on this crisp autumn morning. temperates around the region now in the 30s and lo to mid-40s. right now 47 at national airport. and later today. with a light breeze out of the north we should climb into the low 60s with lots of sunshine. clear tonight, 30s tomorrow morning. it shoul be mostly sunny on veterans day. tomorrow's highs in the mid to upper 50s and it looks like we'll repeat that on friday. sunny on saturday with a high near 60. cloudy on sunday with a near 60 for a high. >> and that's your latest weather. now to a "today" exclusive, a live conversatn with george w. bush. the former president's new memoir, "decision points" is out. you spent a year and a half writing this book and i'm sure during the process you stopped and thought about what you were putting in there and what would the media react to? what would people really find that resonates with them? now you have had a chance to hear what are reaction over the last couple of days, athing that surprises you? >> let me debunk your premise. i really didn't spend time thinking about what the media would say about my book. i tk the key issues, the key decisions i made and tried to explain to the reader why i made them. and, look, i was aware that some of the decisions i made were very controversial, and i knew that putting them in the book would create controversy, but i reallyasn't concerned about what the media would think, i'm more concerned about how history will judge the decisions i made. >> in the "new york times" there's an article that says that perhaps inadvertently, by sharing the storyou shared about your mother's miscarriage, you may have shared a national conversation about the complex psychological fallout of miscarriage. that must be rewarding to you. >> i had no intention of creating a national diogue, my intent was to describe a relationship between a mom and her son and an interesting anecdote that helped the reader understand why mmother and i are so close. >> one of the subjects that's gotten the most attention is what you wrote about kanye west and at he said about you during hurricane kaina, george bush doesn't care about black people. he clearly has heard the furor over that and he seems to have changed his tone rather dramatically. >> i would tell george bush in my moment of frustration i didn't have the grounds to call him a racist. but i believehat in a situation of high emotion like that, we as human beings don't always choose the right words. >> he seems to have regret. what's your reaction? >> i appreciate that. it wasn't just kanye west who was talking about that during katrina. i cited him as an example, i cited others as an example as well. you know, i appreciate that. >> he has called his comment a low point and one of the things you and i have spoken about a lot in our conversations over these past couple of wks is your faith. does your faith allow you to forgive kanye west? >> absolutely, of course it does. i'm not a hater, i didn't hate kanye west but i was talking about an environment in which people were willing to say things that hurt. and nobody wants to be called a racist, if in your heart you believe equality of race. >> you spend an entire chapter in the book talking about the financial meltdown in the last year of your presidency. in that year, the country lost about 2.6 million jobs t banking systemearly collapsed and the housing market did collapse and we fell into the deepest recession since the great aggression. >> i think a lot of the blame should be laid on a lot of people including my administration. now in the book, i make it clear that we did recognize a looming problem and that is fannie mae and freddie mac with their implicit government guarantees were making risky investments. therefore i called for the regulation of those two entities and was thwarted at every turn by powerful forces on capitol hill. >> and some would say you didn't call for enough regulation in other areas that doomed the economy. >> i don't think this was a matter of lack of regulation, it's a matter of poor judgment by wl street and others. and -- but no question, the housing bubble was fueled by government policy and that is a result of people and congress refusing to regulate fannie and freddie. so my conscience was clear when it came time to rognize an impending problem. >> how much of the blame do you make for that impending meltdown. >> any time there's a problem, you're going to get bmed and understand that and i walk people through the reason why i used taxpayers' money to bail out wall street and the lesson there is that i had to set aside an ideology which is when you make a bad mistake you pay for it in the marketplace. and the hardesthing for me was not whether or not blame was assigned. the hardest thing to me was to explain to hard working americans why we were using their money to prop up the people who were to blame. >> there's a great debate about whether we should continue your tax policy. they call them theush tax cuts. give us your argument about those tax cuts. >> too bad they are calling them the bush tax cuts, they probably would have a better chance of being extended if they were the lauer tax cuts. most new jobs are created by small businesses. many small businesses pay tax at the individual income tax level because of h they are organized. therefore if you raise the top rate, you're taxing job creators. >> but we have been living under that system for seven years now and we have seen incredibly slow growth in jobs. so why should we continue down that path? >> i don't accep that premise. for 53 weeks or nearly 53 weeks we had job growth. i come to office. there is a dotcom bubble burst. then 9/11 comes and the country is in severe economic hardship. the tax cuts in my judgment stimated an economic vitality and a lot of jobs were created. now the question is, how do we create them? and part of the debate is should government try to create the jobs or should the private sector try to create the jobs. my argument is keeping taxes low will create the private sector jobs. >> you said, quote, when i entered politics i made a decision i would confront problems and not pass them on to future generations. let's talk about the deficit, in the case of deficit, didn't you do the opposite, don't you pass it on to a future generation? >> when you look at the statistics, my deficit to p during my presidency was lower than ronald reagan, was lower than my dad, my death to gdp was the lowest or one of the lowest of modern presidents. my tax to gdp was the lowest and my spending to gdp. i argue my fiscal rord was strong, especially given the fact that we had to deal with recession and funding two wars necessary to protect the american people. >> we didn't raise taxes to pay for those wars and you left office with a $10.7 trillion deficit. >> i think the way to look at it is the debt relative to the size of the economy. it's the only fairway to judge previous administrations to my administration. and our debt t gdp was one of the lowest in modern history. >> even some republicans say that phaps your fiscal policies gave birth to the tea party. did you give birth to the tea party? >> i don't think i was that powerful. i thk what gave birth to the tea party was severe frustrations in the political system in general. and, again, i understand perceptions, the purpose of this book is to state reality and i'm confidenover time when people take an objective look at the fa fiscal record of my administration, they will have a better understanding of why i said i was proud of the fiscal record. >> allan greenspan wte a book that came out in 2007, he said, quote, my biggest frustration was the president's unwillingness to veto -- >> in 2007, i did veto bills. i vetoed the farm bill which was overdden, prior that we were able to negotiate budget deals with republican controlled congress that actually -- other than defense spending was able to ratchet down spending and at e end, less than the rate of inflation. you wanted to be a uniter. along came 9/11 and you did something that a lot of people thought was a real effort to unite. you reached out to the musli world and you visited a mosque and you said the following, the face of terror is not the true face of islam and you said, quote, in our anger, americans must treat our fellow americans with respect. there's a proposed islamic community center sited for just two blocks from ground zero. if i look at your words there, it makes iteem to me as if you're saying the rights of muslims should not be denied for the sake of others, is that fair? >> if i look at what you're trying to rope me into, you're trying to get me to talk about this mosque issue. >> why wouldn't you speak out? >> there's a lot of events and a lot of opportunities for me to speak out over the next years and i have chosen not to and the reason i have chosen not to is that the i don't want do irude on my successor's ability to g the job done. inevitably if you were able to get me to answer this estion, they will compare that to what president obama or other presidents might say on the issue. >> whether they should build the community center or not, are you disappointed by the increase in anti-muslim rhetoric? >> i think most americans welcome freedom of religion and honor religions. i truly do. and the problem with the arena today is a few loud voices can dominate the discussion and i don't iend to be one of the voices in the discussion. >> we asked some people in our audience to submit questions and i thought this was interesting, when you look back at the eight years of your presidency, the world literally chged, the question, president bush, looking back now, what advisor in your administration was the most insightful and gave you the best advice and why? >> that's a pretty unfair question. that's like saying which one of your children do you love the most? because i got lot of good advice from a lot of good people. hank paulson gave me very good advice during the financial crisis. condi rice gave me great advice for eight years. colin powell gave me great advice. donald rumsfel gave me great advice, dick cheney's advice was strong. >> pick one. >> you can sit there and say pick one all you want but i'm the guy who gets the pick and i'm not picking one. >> after you left office, you walked away, you literally walked away and you stayed very much on the sidelines and you did not chime in on a lot of the issues of the day and now this book has placed you back in the headlis and i'm curious how the spotlight feels again. >> you know it's fine. it's an interesting question since you are the spotlight. i'm enjoying showing the book, but as i explained to you -- >> is it nostalgic? >> i have no desire to debate. my debating datesre over. and i knew when i laid out the book, people would chomp on different issues a sometimes spit it out and sometimes swlow it. and i'm pleased with the response, all i ask is that people take a look. and then after showing this book, i'm heading back under ground. i enjoy my life, i'm spending a lot of time working at the bh institute, which is on the southern methodist university campus, talking about freedom and markets and i'm worried about people suffering from disease overseas and i'm worried about public schools not meeting challenges. so i'm going to be able to do things in public policy without being political. >> there are people around this country who are walking around wearing t-shirts of president bush, they've got a picture of you on the t-shirt and the words "miss me yet"? >> there used to be people walking around with t-shirts that said we don't miss you. >> what do you missbout being the president? >> i miss being the commander in chief. i miss the military. i'm going to do a veterans day event with the military. laura and i had a mom that lost a child in combat over to the house the other day and i w inspired by them and i love e military. and the united states. and we are a lucky nation to have people who volunteer t serve. and i know you met many in the military too, and you know what i'm talking about, to be the commander in chief and have them salute and you salute back to people you admire, is an awe-inspiring experience. >> president bush, you've been generous with your time over the last feweeks. the book is called "decision points" by george w. bush. just ahead, why give sarah palin a reality show if she's even csidering running for president. and all the von trap family join us for a reunion. meredith will take us back in time, but first your local news and weather. desserts and some coffee. sure. decaf or regular? 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[ female announcer ] this is not a prescription. this is diane. who worked with her walgreens pharmacist to help control her diabetes... with some exercise and a few changes to her diet. diane, whose new routine comes with a view. to find out if you're at risk for diabetes, get a free health test november 12th and th at your nearest participating 24-hour walgreens or take care clic location. expertise -- find it everywhere there's a walgreens. good morning. it's 7:26, wednesday, the 10th of november. i'm joe krebs. later this morning d.c. will break background o a brand new hotel in the convention center. the $520 million marriott marquis will go up on the corner of 9th and massachusetts avenue and it's slated to open in goo morning. bright sunshine and a blue sky. temperatures around the region is near chilly. we're in the low to mid0s. highs today up around60 or so with lots of sun. veterans day should be sunny and in the upper 50s. saturday, dry and 60s. how's the traffic? over in maryland an accident by river road down near the beltway. let's switch gears and we'd head over to kennelworth avenue. two jams. joe? >> jerry, thank you. this afternoon on nbc 4, the all gnu "ellen" with queen latifah and game week and audience members of we're i a heated debate right now over whether we should continue with your tax policies. >> they might have a better chance of being extended if they were the lauer tax cuts. >> the number one news program, "today." 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, november 10, 2010. our friends out on rockefeller plaza are getting in some camera times. meanwhile inside studio 1a, i'm meredith viera alongside matt lauer. coming up in the next hour-- >> why did she decide to do a reality show? what does she have to say to critics and what does she have to say about critics who say it's a bad ideaf she wants to run for the white house. >>the most successful musical of all time believe it or not turns 45. and this morning we are having a special reunion. >> please tell me you are going to sing the theme song, please. >> i don't want to diminish them. when should you have the ta with your aging parents about giving up the car keys. that issue is getting a lot of attention when an 84-year-old woman drove the wrong way down the highway. and now there's an eye-opening experience to challenge someone behind the wheel. chilling new testimony from elizabeth smart at the trial of her alleged kidnapper. janet shanlian is at the courthouse in st lake city, utah for us. >> reporter: good morning to you. how difficult it must have been for this young woman to tal about these things with her mom and her dad sitting right there. elizabeth smart, sharing painful details of almost daily sexual assaults for the bette part of a year. with her calm demeanor he yesterday, she told everyone that while she may have been victimized, she wouldn't remain a victim. a determined looking elizabeth art walked into the courthouse for a second day of testimony against brian david mitchel the man she says kidnapped her from her bed. she recalled nine months of captivity, horrific details of being repeatedly raped, hidden in the foothills of salt lake city not far from her home and later in san francisco. i started to quietly slip away and started down the trail, and i didn't make it very far. she said she was td if i ever tried that again i would be killed. with her parents looking on, she described being a 14-year-old girl held captive, force to drink alcohol, look at pornography and then submit to her attackers sexual demands. as days turned to months and hope became disspare. mitchell took her to a library where they were approached by a detective who said they were looking for elizabeth smart. mitchell would not let him peek under her veil. i was mad at myself for just not taking the chance, that i just felt like it was so close and it was so terrible. he came back that evening and brought me a candy bar. what else did he do that evening, the prosecutor asked? he raped me. walking in a long robe a veil alongside mitchell and his wife wanda barz si who's already serving time. good morning. here another crisp autumn dawn under way. temperatures are chilly, in the upper 30s and low and mid-40s around the region. it's 47 at the national airport. lots of sun today with highs reaching the low 60s by mid afternoon. warmer, though,n central virginia and parts of the shenandoah valley. ought to make it into the mid-60s there. tomorrow, moseley lows 30s. sunny again friday. saturday, sunny near 60. dry, sunday. >> didn't forget, you can get your weather any time online at weather.com. a new interview with sarah palin is reveals new details about her marriage and her time as governor. "today" national correspondent natalee morales has more on that. >> sarah palin is now the star of a new reality show, she's raising a family. providing political commentary and sending out tweets and yes, she might even be eyeing the white house. these days it seems sarah palin is everywhere. one minute she's a politician, the next she's face to face with wildlife in her own backyard. palin tells "people" magazine, leaving her post asovernor of alaska gave her life new balance, saying, quote, she's no longer shackled in juneau by those hell bent on seeing my political and personal destruction. >> oh, my gosh, look at this. >> reporter: palin is now focusing on her new reality show "sarah palin's alaska". >> and on a really clear day, you can see russia from here, almost. >> reporter: palin told people she's doing the show to help correct some untruths out there. palin's response, would le karl rove to come to alaska and see me being in a m's world. >> if she does run for president, this is a way for people to get to know sarah palin, the person. >> makes me so proud to be an american. >> reporter: as for a run for the white house in 2012, palin tells people if there's an opportunity for me to help america get back on track, i will do that. >> i think ere's certainly a double standard at play here. >> reporter: palin is also a regular contributor on fox news, she does her segments from a small studio at home. husband todd is her cameraman and researcher. palin tells people he's my everything. the entire palin family is part of the new reality program. 16-year-old willo is growing up fast. >> she c visit you for like 20 minutes. willow, come here, willow, willow. >> reporter: and sarah palin tells people she is not concerned about having her children's private lives exposed to america, maybe it's because she gets to take part in the editing of the show. according to the producers, she hasot asked to have anything deleted. coming up, 45 years later, our green room is live with the "sound of music." we'll ve a live interview with the von trapp children. and we'll discuss when to take theeys away from older drivers. we'll show you what it's like for a senior citizen to be bethind wheel right after this. blame the mucus. , well, i can't breathe. did you try blowing your nose? of course. beh wheel right after this. i wheel right after this. n wheel right after this. behind w. what yoprobably have is swelling due to nasal inflammation, not mucus. and this can hel it treats the real problem of your sinus symptoms, reducing swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. 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( announcer ) turning complex data into easy tools. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 millionmericans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. we're back now at 77:49. the most recent example of a reality participant who took his or her own life. jeff rossen is in los angeles and has details on this story. >> reporter: as you mentioned, it just happened again, this time a conteant on the bachelorette as killed himself in california. experts say we don't really know them. when reality tv life is er, their real lives can be hard to watch. >> i'm ready to have somebody that can be open and honest with me. >> reporter: on season 5 of the bachelorette, jillian was looking for a husband. >> i am julien. >> reporter: and julien was in the hunt. julien only made it through two episodes, voted off the show. friends say he was saddened by the rejection. just this month, a year after the taping he shot and killed himself. julien's family says he battled depression along before his tv run. >> julien was kind of a father figure to all of us on the show. it's not only sad, it's confusing as to what happened and why it happened. >> reporter: julien's death raises new questionsbout reality show culture and the young contestants they look for. >> from an age group, statistically, these peoe are set up for suicide and acting out. >> reporter: sadly there's no shortage of examples. just months ago, another reality show death. max hughes starred on the show "storm chasers," he hanged himself at home. earlier this year, the suicide of a chef who appeared on the fox show "kitchen nightmares." even with t screening, his family says he loves the show and host gordon ramsey, but just two months ago battling personal problems, he jumped off the george washington bridge. and ryan jenkins, a contestant on vh1rks's megan wants a million millionai millionaire. some exper say that while the contestants come from different shows, there's a psychological connection. what we're dealing with is people who start off with a narcissistic need for attention. then they hit a wall because the show is over with. and they don have the tools to necessarily deal with that. >> reporter: this isn't just an american problem, reality shows are popul overseas and contestantthere have committed suicide too, in places like england, sweden and india. the shows may need to do a better job of screening the contestants and actually supporting them after the cameras stop rolling. a "sound of music" reunion live in our studios. 7:56 is our time. beautil picture of the white house this morning around the fall trees. autumn leaves still on the trees. good morning. i'm e krebs, 7:56. in the "news 4 today," the trial of the man accused of killing chandra levyill resume today. endec endecay is charging with killing the intern back in 2001. her body was not found until a year later. this morning d.c. will break ground on a braunld-new four-star conventionhotel. it's been in the planning stages for more than a decade. the marriott marquis will gup on the corner of 9th and massachusetts. it will open in 2014. we'll take break and come bac good morning. we've got bright sniechblt temperatures now in the 30s and low and mid-s. highs thoulds should quickly climb into the low 60s by early to mid afternoon. chilly again. veterans day, sunny, high, and mid and upper 50s. sarday looks to be mostly sunny with a high near 60. sunny, partly cloudy near 60. jerry, how's the traffic. >> it's been a challenging one. accident now over to the shoulder but plenty of backed up traffic even wit the lanes open. haven't had any accidents, but, oh, there's a lot of loadedup traffic at 95 and the beltway all the way across the bridge and lanes. >> thanks very much. this afternoon on nbc 4 an all-new "ellen" with queen ♪ a drop of goldenun ♪ mi a name a call myself >> we're back at 8:00 on this wednesda morning, november 10, 20. it looks beautiful there on the set of "the sound of music." it's a movie classic of 45 years ago. that's incredible. you know what's really cool? inside our studio, julie andrews and the seven von trapp children, or the actors who played the von trapp children. they have gathered for a special reunion. >> they have. we're going to talk about "the sound of music." what else is coming up, mr. rockier? >> coming up, the man that we love, he has been here for four decades. the greatest afro going, our own gene shallat is calling it quits. we're going to have a tribute in just a little bit. >> it's not an overstatement to say that movie reviews will never be the same. also this morning, great winter taways, whether you're looking to get awa from t this dry and cool pattern continues on wednday. good morning. i'm meteorologist tom kierein. right now temperatures are in the near 40s to 50s. lots of sun, sunny on veterans day with heise in the upper 50s and lighter wind tomorrow and friday should be bright and sunny. morning lows, 30, afternoon highs on friy, 60s. looks to be dry on sunday as well. partly cloudy with a high around 60. then a bit cooler with more clouds monday and tuesday. >> got a happy birthday, you're 60 degrees? kiss my wife. all right, you're next, lauer. >> i was there. i all right kissed her. when we come back, julie andrews and the von trapp children for a special 45th reunion, our anniversary of "the sound of music." 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[ female announcer ] the hallmark "countdown to christmas" ornament. this christmas, make it jful, at your hallmargold crown store. and we're back now at 8:10 with one of our favorite movies of all time, "the sound of music." it seems hard to believe that the classic story of hope, love and following our dreams is now 45 years old. >> and now for the first time, it is available on blu-ray, digitally remastered and restored in high definition. we have julie andrews and the von trapp children. goodorning to all of you. >> good morning. >> 45 years. when you look back. >> i lost a decade somewhere. i just don't believe it it feels like maybe 35, but not 45. not at all. >> that's impossible. >> in a nutshell this is a hard question to answer precisely, but what does the movie mean to you, looking back? i'll start with u, julie and go right down the line? >> i think it was one beautifully crafted movi in this particular case, we have all been told that it actually transcendethe stage production. in this case it's a notch better, not that it's bad. >> it's like having a second family. >> yes. >> you get emotional when you say that. >> yes. >> we all have stayed in touch and we all love each other a lot. >> and i think that's what the film suggests, it's about love, it's about ery kind of love and certainly we have it for each other. >> i'm just grateful to be a part of something that's inspireded so many generations of people. 's bece a multigenerational film, i have a 12-year-old and all her friends love it. >> at some point in your child's live, it's a must-see movie. >> exactly, yeah. >> i have to reiterate the family part and to realize and finally come to accept the fact that it has affected so many lives and i just happened to be a partf it. it's been wonderful. >> when you have someone come up to you and say they put "the sound of music" in when they're feeling down just to lift their spirits. how amazing is that to be a part of a movie that does that to people? >> the fact that it's lasted 45 years and it's still as popular now as it ever was. that's pretty amazing i would say. i'm proud to be part of it. >> after 7.6 ounces which i basicalliy concur, this family here and also t history of my own family. and my mother who is no longer with us, every time i see the movie, i feel her and i remember that. >> because you were all so young and this must be just so hard now -- >> we're still young. >> exactly. >> we have to mention tha the music is such a part of this movie. >> i think there's a quality of joy about the movie that transcends -- forget about the fact tt we had glorious scenery and a wonderful story and children and religion and marvelous muc, the actual combination of joy and the craftsmanship is made for us, we are all deeply grateful we were part of it and it's made as you said a family. >> you weren't sure whether you wanted to do another nanny film. >> that's sort of been a bit hyped. >> but i know something that is true, because i interviewed robert weis the director before he passed away and he told me the story of the casting. he said tre was a nasty rumor going around that you weren't photogenic and he and some producers went over and saw the early footage of mary poppins which hadn't been released yet and thout you would be perfect. >> the day we finished shooting, the director of photography came up and said i need to tell you you have a little pump on your nose and if you wanted to get it fixed, it would make life a lot easier for all of us. i never did anything. you're perfect as you are. >> everybody thought you played 16 going on 17, but in reality, u were much older? >> yes. >> he couldn't join us, because he's making a movie right now. but what was it like doing the movie with him? >> it was so wonderful. i know i was nervous. >> i think he brings out almost every line. >> he was nervous actually si singing with you because he is such a trained sing, but he actually was shaking, he said singing that song with you. >> really? that's sweet. >> we have stayed such good frnds, i think he's in swede on right now. >> girl with the dragon tattoo. >> most of you were little kids and therefore i know that you guys, you had a little tricks you were up to like switching shoes outside the hotel. >> we did getelled at a couple of times by the guy behind the counter in the hotel. but, you know, the movie had taken a little longer becausef the weather. >> the weather was miserable, wasn't it? >> rain, rain, rain. >> so we had a few hold ups and we were a little board, come on, there's seven of us. we did get into a few things, but nothing like today. >> actually they weren't all that thrilled to have us there. >> why. >> we were blocking the streets and we were americans a they had no idea. >> it was their story. >> why were americans coming over and dressing extras up in uniforms and of course they didn have any understanding what the film was going to be. >> right. >> now i think they're quite happy. >> what we have now is a sound of music bus tour. >> and there's talk about there being a snd of music museum. i don't know if it's going to happen or not. >> you were a very little girl, that this would turn into what it did? >> no, we had no clue. >> and i c't believe we're sitting here talking about it today. >> it's not something you can preplan. absolutely not. >> you hed you would have a good movie, but not anywhere near the size and scope that it was. and i think we all hoped to make it a little less saccharin. this scene that they're showing now is funny, because just before cameras roll-- >> it was a serious thinthat happened. >> they said just before camera rolled, they said the little ones can't swim, so would you please go forward and rush to get them. >> i wasn't really supposed to do the scene, it s my extra that was supposed to do the scene, but he wanted authenticity. >> and he got it. >> he asked me, and the truth was that i was. >> was it frightening? it had to be very frightening? >> absolutely. not only that, we had to do it twice. so the first time it went fine and julie caught me. >> and i went over the back instead of over the front. >> and she swallowed so much water, she threw up all over me. >> they cut that part out. >> i hated my costume. >> you did? >> i hated it with a passion. >> why. >> because it was like overalls, i had never worn overalls in entire life. >> and didn't u grow like six inches during the entire film? >> i was 5'3" and i was 5'9" by the end. we're actually doing a book now abouall these stories because we get asked about this for 45 years. so we finally decided let's get all our memorabilia together, all ourhotos and home movies and we're going to do a book. that way we can give back to the fans. >> deborah, after all of these years, whenou were such a young child would now result in a book. >> i'm so excited. every time we get together we all share new memorabilia that we have got and to think that i will have copy of everybody's stuff. >> and our mothers kept everything, we have got our call sheets andtuff that we would have never held on to. people should see this stuff, they're all interested. >> and you said when you leave here, you're going -- >> i'm going up to the von trapp labs this afternoon. >> maria, who is the daughter. >> it was your voice? >> yes, it was our voice. >> the last time you sang back then or have you sang together since? >> we have been on t road. >> we're teal playing at the hollywood bowl in front of 20,000 people with the pictures of the children. >> will you give us just a little -- >> no, no, no, you want to keep your aience. >> next time. >> do, a female dear, ray a develop of golden sun, me aname a call myself, fa, a long long way to go, so a needle pulling thread. that will bring us back to do. >> thank you. >> speci collectos gift set. and julie will be back in our next half hour to tell us about her chdren's book, it's great. al congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! 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[ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including peoe with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor iyou are taking other medications or if y have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go, boy, go! whoo-whee! if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. 8:26 is yourime now. 56 degrees. we continue to experience the gorgeous weather in the d.c. area. this morning d.c. wi break ground on a brand-new hotel near the convention center. it's been in the works for more than a decade. it will go up on the corner of 9th and massachusetts. it's slated to open in 2014. we'll take good morning. the bright sunshine and tempatures are near 50. we've got a light breeze out of the north. a lot of sun today with highs low 60s. tomorrow, veterans day, high and upper 50s by mid afternoon. more the same on friday. sunny over the weekend and the rest of the weekend should be dry. jerry, how's the traffic? >> tom, plenty ofdelays. 95, 395 still taking it on the chin. and one more stop. lit's head over along the inner loop in prince gorges county, an accident on the shoulder. still slow. this afternoon on nbc 4 an al ray, a drop of golden sun, me a name i call myself, fa a long, long way to run so a needle pulling thread, la, a note to follow so, ti a drink with jam and bread that will bring us back to do. 8:30 now on this wednesday morning. >> i have seen you do something, and they looked at me like come on good morning. sunny and chilly here on this wednesday morning. our temperatures are now in the upper 40s to near 50 degrees, and we've got a light breeze coming out of the north and later today should me it into the low 60s. maybe a few high clouds later this afternoon and early is evening. otherwise clear tonight and upper 30s by dawn on o veterans day. tomorrowfternoon highs into the mid to upper 50s and more of the same on friday with highs in the upper 50s a a dry weekend to follow. saturday up near 60 and partly cloudy near 60 sunday. >> he's a scary man, he's a scary man. what is her name? >> karen. >> nice to see. you can check your weather, you can check your weather any time of the dayr night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. besides being a movie star, julie andrews islso a best selling author, her newest work is a children's book, little bo in italy. julie, thank you for sticking around. we mentioned you have been collaborating with your daughter for 11 years now. 26 books? >> i think 26 together, we have published about 30 in all. >> it's always a risky thing when you collaborate with someone you love, did you have concerns about it? >> no, we have enormous mutual respect for each other. we had some concerns about would we have any kind of difficulties, but we have very different strengths. >> what are your strengths and hers? >> well, i'm about all the flights of fancy, the beginnings, the endings. she's very much, she's terrific at the nuts and bolts of the book, saying, mom, we have to have a first, second andhird act and we need a second act finished here and so on. >> this is the third installment of the little bo series. this time the adventures she has with her buddy in italy what is the message? >> the message is the series of four books, one more to go which is coming out next ar, which is little bo in london, she's a ship cat and she's so tiny that she packs into the pocket of a young sailor who found her and who has loved her. along the way, she's searching and searchinfor all of her brothers and sisters who were lost in the snow one day. they might have been drowned so they all decided to scatter. an each book is a complete adventure, but all four books will make one day a complete arc and it rounds out what members of the family she meets and how she meets them all. >> but there's a message to children that you want to get outhrough these books. >> i think really that family matters and children can relate to something as small as a little cat. she's very plucky butshe's very shy and nervous about it so it's really about being strong in adversity and sticking to family and family matters and we try to write -- we don't write down to kids, we try to write so they come up a little in learning words and they're beautifully illustrated. >> you had a concert in may, in london. will there be another one? are we going to hear you sick again? >> i don't know, meredith, occasionally the subject comes up and it might happen, ani would say thrilled if it did. >> i have heard your backup. >> i would be very happy to take you on. thank you so much for th. >> the book is little bo in italy. up next, one man' mission to hike the entire ap back now at 8:39, with your life calling "today." this morning she's here with a story of a man who decided to literally take the high road. >> reporter: after 28 years as a high school art teacher, joe lyles retired at 58. not to take life easier, but harder. the appalachian trail is where he found his life calling and it had been calling thim for years. the trail runs from georgia to maine, a walkn the woods, a scramble over rocky streams, mountains followed by more mountains. joe lyles was a thrill hiker, he did the entire trail, 2,200 miles. >> i sensed that the trailould change me, i had no idea how much. after hearting at 58,e took a full year to tin and get ready. >> but nothing can prepare you like getting out there on the trail and just doing it. >> reporr: last march he hoisted his pack and set off into five straight days of rain. first ght in the wilderness alone. >> i woke the next morning and i was still alive and i realized i could do that again. i lost my fear. >> reporter: a lone man in the wilderness is never really alone. joe saw bears constantly in his dreams and once while eating lunch. >> a 200-pound bear watching every bite that i take. as soon as i turned, the bear took off. >> reporter: and you were by yourself, what if somethingad happened? >> people wanted to give me guns to take, but the people i met on the trail, they turned out to be the best friends of my life. where are you guys from? they knew me by the trail name of braid because i wear my hair in a long braid and i knew them by their trail names of cruiser and old goat. and to tell you the truth, i know very few of their real names. >> reporter: even now? >> to this day. >> reporter: you used to talk about a midlife crisis, this strikes me as a midlife opportunity. >> right. i kind of felt like i was doomed to live life the hard way, everything was going to be difficult. >> reporter: but he could see himself changing, even after falling face first in the mud. >> when i g up, my glasses were completely covered with mud and my first reaction was, i can't see. i've gone blind, uil i took off my glasses and went, oh, wow. >> reporter: and there was so much to se >> you had time to be a philosopher on the trail, to look at ordinary things and get life lessons from them. you've got to take that first step, the next step will be revealed to you. you hav to have a kind of faith that those nexsteps will be revealed. >> reporter: finally, after six months and six days, he reached maine. the end. and the new beginning. >> getng up every morning and hiking 15 or 20 miles, if i can focus that kind of energy on the things that i care about, can do some amazing things with this next chapter of my life. >> the typical hiker was either in their 20s or 50 and up, and that's the reality check, who else might have the freedom as joe put it to be absent from the world for six months. i'll be talking about joe's experiences online at noon eaern time. >> whe did he get some food? 2,600 miles in six months? >> he packed 28 boxesf prepackaged food and preaddressed them either to hospitals or hotels or to post offices and had a friend on a scheduled date to send -- and ey were all there when he needed them. >> and never got hurt? >> bad shin splints, but he got little rest, plunges in ice water, after seven days, he was good as new. up next, fire and ice getaways for the colder weather. but first this is "today" on nbc. i don't think i ever expected to have this big of a family. we go through a lot. if i can stock up on the things my family needs at a really great price, i'll do it, i'll find the space. we know saving money is important. the gigantic stock-up sale at giant is going on now. take advantage of our biggest sale othe season with thousands of weekly specials, real deal savings, and mor. the great thing is, stocking up saves me money. there's never been a better time to stock up -- only at giant. new look. new style. new sears. come see our brand new side. at sears. back at 8:46, and this morning on "today's" travel, fire and ice getaways. kate maxwell is the article's editor for traveler magazine. you are right on the ball with this first one, you like the breckenridge resort. al talked about it this morning. >> breckenridge is opening on friday, and everyone's talking about west coast skiing this year, because el nina is supposed to bring record snow to that area. >> what about value? it can be an expensive sport. >> in breckenridge, they are offering $90 a night, which is a fantastic rate and it goes for four days. >> let's move away fm the west coast, or the western part of the united states, you like killington as well. >> killington is the beast of the east and this is a midweek deal. if you go on sunday and stay until friday, great stuff, $82 and it includes your ski pass and your children's ski pass. >> kids are skiing free there? >> kids under $15 ski for free. >> sticking with skiing, you also like jackson hole, wyoming and in particular, they've got a big attraction for snowboarders. >> the conditions are wonderful and especially back country, but if you're a wannabe snowboarder, ere's a crash course. you get a full day's tuition, everything is thrown in, from the boards, the boots and the bindings. it's a really great hotel. >> let's turn to some warm weather destinations. >> 29 rooms, but if you've seen the film "the harder they come" the people behind it are the people behind this hotel as well. it's a real individual property, steps from the beach. >> it' called jake? >> $150 a night is a really great deal and they're throwing in things like a cooking class. >> so can the smaller hotels compete with the larger hotels in terms of amenities and things like that. >> it's a tally different experience. >> let's talk about puerto rico, and you like the ritz carlton. people hear ritz and they immediately think this is going to be pricier. >> you book three nights and it works out to $107 a night. the ritz has some really good meal import restaurants. >> in birmingham, you like the reefs hotel and club? >> they have both of the reefs, the number one hotel in the caribbean and atlantic the last six years. >> that's a good record. >> really gat deal. you buy five nights and you get christmas for free. and they do things like tree trimming. >> and lastly, turks and caicos, the readers are offering a much lower. for you, it's $360 and they're throwing in -- >> just for the today show? >> that's great. d free breakfast, a free romantic dinn, and they have a great kids club, you can drop them off at 9:00 and pick them up at 5:00 in the afternoon. up next, we're going to get up close and personal with some very underappreciated animals. we'll get to that, but first this is "today" on nbc. ? this morning on "today's" call of the ld, our animal ambassador is here with animals who may not be pretty to look at. >> you've got a vultu with you right now. >> i'm glad you didn't actually call them ugly. unappreciated and it all comes with education, and that's why zoos are so important to teach people about animalseople think are disgusting. >> why isn't it disgting. >> not only are they nature's recyclers, dead animals they feed on, cholera, bacteria and anthrax are all found in that. the animals can eat those animals and digest it. ije going to take out the try an chula. i conditionan't stand it, you'rg a spider. >> they're the largest spide in the world. but they're pretty muc all harmless to humans. and you think about it. >> what do you mean pretty much? >> they are venomous. her name is morticia. >> these guys do everything that they possibly can to not attack. they run away, they hold up their arms and go -- they try to scare you. the little hairs on the back of their abdomen out. >> don't agitate him. >> they can scare their predators or their threat away. so matt, you can either hang on to her or you can put her back. but our last unapeciated animal was named of course after laziness, you know, one of the seven deadly sins or whatever. but you know what? the laziness comes from the fact that they're very slow moving of course. >> look at this. >> the slow moving is actually a defensive mechanism, so that they aren't detecte in the wild and they grow algae on their fur. their fur is specially made so that there's cracks in it, the algae grows on there, there' an entire ecosystem, moths, beetles, worms all go in that hair as well. >> why is that good? >> in the wild it's great for the environment because it's its own ecosystem. just like every tre as it's own ecosystem. >> found in dade county at the courthouse hit by a car. 8:55 is your me now. 52 degrees. beautiful day, sunshine. a nice fall day. tom will have your forecast after the news. good morning. i'm eun yang. in the news this hour the trial of the man accused of killing chandra levy continues today. guandique is charged with killing the intern back in 2001. the national mall is getting a makeover. secretary of interior kin salazar just signed the deal. it included maintenance and family-friendly fa sill. a private group is raising money to help pay for that work. the moment you feel run wn or achy nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, th oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers. cadillac. the new standard of the world. good morning. here's your foir four-day forecast. should be sunny and dry. as we get into the weekday. w's your traffic. >> still in the thick of it. delays begin just above springfield. one more stopmaryland, the outer boulevard. this afternoon on nbc 4, an all-new e "ellen" with queen latifah plus game week we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 10th day of november, 2010. it's been a reallyice morning to be out here on the plaza. not too cold, 49 degrees. thanks to these peopl for sticking around. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with natalee morales. coming up in this hal hour, a little bit more of our interview with george bush, he stopped by our studio this morning for a live interview, but we're going to show you some of the highlights of that and what happened and what we talked about coming up. >> he's a pretty funny guy. >> i like the matt lauer tax cuts. elizabeth smart kidnapped at 14 years old, taken from her bed at knife point from her utah home, she was rescued nine months later and this week shs been telling her story and the horrifying details of what she went through during her time in captaintivi captivity. and on a much different note, of course it's wednesday so that meanst's time for "today's" money 9/11 givg you answers to your financial questions. among the topics today, how to get your ex's bad credit report off your credit. and then on "today's" health, we're going to be finding out what you're at risk for, having a talk with your parents and grandparents can give you clues about your own health. find out why that's so important. ann's got the headlines. >> good morning once again, everybody, president obama arrived in south korea this moing, the third stop of a ten-day tour of asia. and meanwhile pakistan's president is saying that president obama made a mistake in not going to his country, given its role in the war in afghanistan. for eight years he held the most powerful office in the land and today in an exclusive liv interview, former president geor w. bush told matt about his new memoir and the tough choices that defined his presidency. >> i was aware that some of the decisions i made were very controversial and i knew that putting them in the book would create controversy. but i really wasn't concerned about what the media would think, what i'm more concerned about is how history will judge the decisions that i made. >> you spent a entire chapter in the book talking about the financial meltdown. in the last year of your presidency, the country lost about 6 million jobs, and we fellnto the deepest recession since the great depression. how much of the blame for that should be laid at your feet and on your picies? >> a lot of the blame should be laid on a lot of people, including my administration. now in the book, i make it clear that we did recognize a looming problem, and that is fannie mae and freddie mac with their exclusive government guarantees making bad investments. so i called for regulation of that industry. >> and asked what he missed about his old job, being commder in chief he said because he loves the military. elizabeth smart is back on the stand today after her alleged kidnapping. >> reporter: good morning. just gripping testimony here yesterday. how difficult this must have been for this young womano be talking about these things with her mom and dad sitting right there. elizabeth smart sharing details of almost daily sexual assaults for the better part of a year, d yet with a very calm demeanor here on the stand, she told everyone that while she may have been victimized, she was not a victim. a determined looking elizabeth smart walked into the courthouse for a second day of testimony against brian david mitchell, the man she says kidnapped her at knife point from her bed. smart now 23, spent more than five hours recalling nine months of captivy, horrific details of being repeatedly raped. hidden in the hills of salt lake city not far from her home and later in san diego. she describe a failed attem to escape. i started to quitely slip away and started down the trail. at one point mitchell took her to a library where thewere approached by a detective who said they were looking for elizabeth smart. mitchell would not let him peek under her disguise and the officer left. i felt like hope was walking out the door, i was mad at myself for just not taking the chance, that i just felt like it was so close and i was just so, i felt terrle. a photo taken the day she was found. walking in a long robe and veil, police stopped and questioned them, separated elibeth from the others and handcuffed her, but she knew she was finally free. i was very scared, at the same time i thought, this is it, i'm done, this is over. the defense contends this is a case of mental illness, of a man who could not make a rational decision, yet elizabeth smart spend five hours on the stand yesterday. the carnival cruise ship splendor is slowly being pulled back to port after stalling off the coast of california by an engine fire. the navy has dropped thousands of pounds of supplies for the 4,500 passengers on board. it turns out that whales are increasingly suffering from severe sun burn, researchers in california s the whale's growing exposure to ultraviolet radiation may be caused by the thinning ozone layer. and the smoking chimpanzee will have help quiing smoking. they had him entertain visitors by taking drags off of cigarettes tossed into his cage at a soon in bright and sunny on this wednesday morning. our temperatures now rightear 50 degrees. and we've got a light bree coming in out of the north. later today should make it into the low 60s. otherwise clear. and tomorrow bright and sunny for veterans day, afternoon highs in the upper 50s. morning lows 30s, highs, 50s. sunny saturday as well with a high near 60. partly cloudy sunday near 60. may getain sunday night into tuesday. "today's" money 9/11 is brought to you by charles schwab. and "today's" money 911, we answer some of your big financia questions from cleaning up your credit report to early withdrawal of money from your retirement fund. jean chatzky is our financial editor, the author of money 911 and sharon epperson, good morning all. >> good morning. >> all right, now, let's get started, we're going to go to pandora, that's kind of like "avatar." pandora, from aspen, colorado. good morning pandora, what's your question? >> caller: good moing, i have been divorced for two years, and i have two boys 11 and 13 and my expadgett away several years ago. my boys also receive a monthly social security check om benefits of their father's death. what is the best way to clear up my credit and establish it and will this affect any ability to purchase a ho? >> it actually depends how old those medical debts are. do you know how old -- how long they have actually been on your report? how many hearses have passed? >> yeah, is it date open or date reported that you go by? >> go by date reported. >> caller: they range from 06, 07, 08, 09. >> here's the things, items fall off your credit report after about seven years and you don't necessarily want to reset the clock on the old ones, which is what can happen if you go in and try to clear up those medical debts. chances are because you were married, you are just as responsible for those debts as heas. i would pull a credit score and see how bad it actually is. they're so old that at this point doing nothing may actually be your best alternative. so go to credit karma.com, or credit.com and pull a report and make sure that you stay on really good behavior by paying your bills going forward. >> now we're going to go to skype. kelly in coral springs, florida. what'sour question for our crew? >> i have been on short-term disability for the past six weeks and i'm trying to stay out through december my husband and i used most of our savings account to put him through nursing school. my question is now should i cash out a small retirement naund i have. we do have three other larger accounts. i'm not as worried about the future as i am now. i want to know what the penalties would be for cashing in this retirement fund early and would they waive any of the penalties for certain circumstances such a being on disability? >> first of all, here's what you should check on. check and see if your benefits department has short-term dibility insurance, chances are they do and you can actually receive benefits from them foa short-term disability. >> i'm sorry, i do have that, i'm already on that insurance, but unfortunately it only pays 60% of my income. >> exactly. >> the good news is that you've got 60%. can you pull money out of your ira account without penalty for a short-term disality? the answer is no. you have to be on long-term disability, over 12 weeks with a doctor's note to avoid penalty. so what i would recommend you do, if you absolutely have to have money, and we almost never say this, but rather than take a distribution from your ira, or a 403(b) plan, you could take a short-term loan. go back to your benefits department and look at the rules that they have on your 403(b plan. that way you're paying interest back to yourself, as soon as you go back to work, you can start making pments back on that loan, you'll have no penaltynd no taxes. >> and we hope you get better. >> thanks so much. >> let's go to a video question, this one is from angel from miller grove, ma pennsylvania. >> one year ago me and my wife were expecting a child, i had to purchase a second vehicle. my credit score was not the greatest. i ended up purchasing a used vehicle with a big,igh apr rate, 20%. soon enough, do to my apr, i will owe more than the car's worth. i still do not have the greatest credit score and i'm trying to prevent this, what would be a viable solution. >> this guy is actually under water like a mortgage. >> that happens soften to so many people, what he needs to do right now is try to figure out exactly what his credit score is and if he can possibly refinance to a lower rate. 20%, that's a horrible rate. he can go to capital one or auto finance.com and try to see if he can refinance. and the other thing to tnk about, if he refinances, he probably has not had that loan for more than about 12 months or so, so again, it's going to extend the tm and he's going to have to pay off for a longer period of time. knowing that you're under water, that loan to value on your car is not on your credit report. the issue isou don't want to follow behind on other expenses that he has. >> thank you so much. for those of you on the east coast, jean is going to be dishin out some more financial advice for the next hour on our website todayshow.com. coming up, sarah and todd palin, their lives today and whether or not they're looking toward the whiteouse in 2012. what is your risk of cancer? 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[ mucus ] new advil congestion relief. the right sinus medicine for he real problem. this morning on "today's" health, knowing what diseases run in your family can predict your risk of cancer. a cleveland clinic says that family health history is more reliable than genetic testing. nancy snyderman is here with more on this. what specifically does this study tell us? >> it's very interesting, it took a company that's pretty well known now in looking at genetics who can swab your mouth and say you are at risk for hear disease, colon cancer and there y be genetic markers maybe saying that you will be at risk somewhere in your life, but not nearly as predictive as knowing your family history. so knowing father, brother, uncle, grandparents, that's a much better road map than any genetic screening that's out there right now. >> the thing about it is that it's probably fair to say that most of us don't really have a good family history sense. i mean you need to go get it. >> you need to get it and talk. if you're lucky, you have parents who know what happened torandparents who know what happened to great grandparents and you yourself can make a really informal family tree. remember that if you have three or four family members who have died of heart disease or lung cancer and they were heavy smokers, you may say well, i'm not a oker, perhaps that's not my risk factor, but if there's colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, you may say, there's enough there that i'm going to alter my screening. and you and i have talked about the risk benefits o when you screen, how wisely you spend your money, through knowing the sword hanging over you is the best way to figure out what's what i'm in my family, my grandfather got colon cancer early, my fatherhe beat it, i know i will get it. that sounds morbid. that's my genic hit so started screening a little earlier than the average person. have had multiple polyps removed over the year, somerobably would have been cancer, some we not. but i'm still negligent about it because i know that's me. >> so we all need to know what we have. >> i'm not going to die from because i'm screening for it. no matter how you slice it or dice it, you are the genetic makeup of two people and their two people and their two people. >> i was reading in the research, sometimes when they look at e family tree, they sometimes think about what the mom had and the grandma, but they don't factor in that breast cancer on the paternal side of the family. >> can be a risk, absolutely. know that certain diseases may be somewhat related. prostate caer, bret cancer on either side of the family, but if daddy has breast cancer and you're a daughter, that might also put you at risk. but what you want to look for is some kind of pattern. so many women say to me my mother had breast cancer, i know i'll get it. because only about 5% or 8% of breast cancer are genetic, most of it happens for reasons we just don't understand. just take the time toay mom, dad, grandma, brand grandpa and look at that family tree and assign diseases o causes of death to them and if you're not sure what to make of it. take to your doctor and say this is my rude men try family tree, help me figure out how to be smart. >> the surgeon general operates a website that's free where you can learn how to put this information together, it's family history.hha.gov. it's a good way to get started. >> i would say even before that, the family dinner table is the best way, have those conversations. now there's a little hiccup here. my eldest daughter who's now 24 is adopted, so kate has no idea what her familhistory is. so i several years ago hired a private investigator just to look to find out where her parents might have been and how they tied. going as far back as grand parents because i thought i owed that to kate to give her some kind of landscape and found out who had died of what. so at least as an adopted child, she can say, i may not have a complete family tree, but i have really something. and i think that's important for kids in their 20s to have. >> all right, very good. >> prevention starts early. >> thank you so much. on all those counts, dr. nancy snyderman. coming up next, what's next for sarah and todd palin, we' be hearing about their marriage, their new reality tv show hey boss! do we have aflac? nah. we have sothing else. but if you're hurt and miss work does it pay cash like aflac does? nah. or let you spend it in any way you want like for gas and groceries? nah. or help with everyday bills like aflac does? nah nah nah. 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[ female announcer ] now let's say every joe in america uses it. looks like everyone likes saving money. ah, the potential of putting people first. thanks joe. know more. get better. get a smarter healthlan. ♪ aetna.com. good morning. temperures now into the low. bright and sunny today. highs low 60s. sunny again for veterans day. highs, upper 50s. more of the same saturday. sunday, sunny with a high near 60. jerry, how's traffic? >> still jammed. pentagon to the 14th street bridge. one more stop heading over to maryland. looks like the southeast corners coming in loaded up. pennsylvania a through the work zone at branch avenue. eun? thairk you. this afternoon on nbc 4 a bran ♪ who said that you can't go home ♪ ♪ he's a hometown boy ♪ who said you can't go home that's the supergroup bo jovi and they're coming back here to rockefeller plaza, they're going to rock their second home friday morning onl on "today." >> do they know that "today" is their second home? have we made sure they know that? >> they were the artists in residence last year. >> this is home. >> that means we're sisters and brothers. >> coming up in this hal hour, sarah and todd palin open up about their marriage, their kids and thr future. and also ahead thi morning, how to be a hostest with the mostest. and it's the season for it, lots of a royal bluesky, a bit of a breeze coming in out of the north and temperatures are near 50 degrees around the entir region. right now it's at 52. should warm into the low 60s by early to mid afternoon. then this evening under a mostly clear sky wll bottom out to the upper 30s. tomorrow bght and sunny with highs reaching the mid and upper 50s. friday it looks like we'll repeat what happens tomorrow. mostly sunny saturday with a high near 60. then for friday partly cloudy, >> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, what's up next for sarahnd todd palin? we're going to get the skinny on that right after this. of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. ♪ keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under ainute. way to brew. 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>> they he a very comfortable relationship, they almost don't need to say anything to each other. in fact todd told them their couple time was a long road trip, he would take a nap and she would go out jogging. they have been married 30 years, they're comfortable, cemented and also a real working two-man team. he does everything for her. >> she even says that in the interview, she says he is my everything. >> he's putting on her earpiece for fox news, googling forhe latest news, checking up on candidates she might endorse. they're a really connected team. >> the new show on tlc, "sarah palin's alaska" start this is sunday and a lot o people are wonderg if this perhaps isn't an advertisement for her. but karl rove had an interesting take, he said that it would make sarah palin appear less presidential. >> i quoted that karl rove comment to her at her kitchen counter. and she showed me her bruised muscles from kick boxing and she said i would like for karl rove to come up here and see me in a man's world. she's afraid of heights. >> it's a mark burnett production as well, right? >> it started out as a documentary about alaska and the great outdoors. you see them as a very regular family, very involve parents encouraging their kids to challenge themselves. >> so it really is unguarded, the family is exposed. and i know sarah palin has called herself a mama grizzly, do they have any concerns about exposing their children to this kind of media. >> todd said that he did a little bit. and that's why they insisted that sarah have some editing control. they didn't take anything out, in fact sarah made some suggestions abou what images to use over some of her voice over material. >> so there's no down side if she's going to have somewhat of a say there. >> right, that risk was minim e minimiz minimized, but there are still some telling scenes, willow has a friend who's a boy sneaking up the stairs. >> speaking of reality shows, her daughter bristol is a reality show star in "dancing with the stars" she actually got to the finals. and sarah palin said she actually had an ah-ha moment when her daughter bristol made a comment. what did she say? >> i think that was why they decided to just jump in and do the show. bristol said when she was going on "dancing" you know mom, whatever i do i'm going to be criticized i might as well go dance. and sarah and todd are going to go dance. >> a lot has been made about the financial aspects of the palin household, what do we know about what kd of income or how much they're worth now adays? >> that was interesting because i was almost afraid to ask, i know it's a touchy subject with a lot of people. and they seemed unbothered by the question, though they wouldn't answer it. she said reports that she's made 12 million in her first nine months out of office are gross exaggerated. she said we haven't even made that much yet. i said would you like to correct the record? she said no, part of the freedom of being out of public office, i don't have to. >> she talks about the freedom being unshackled from government office, ihink it will be a hard change of lifestyle for her to go back to that. but, you know, she said she hasn't made up her mind. she did say if there's an opportunity to make a difference she's going to take it. >> and she said that the kids are on board and say, sure mom, let's do it. and todd's on board. >> interestingly, he said about the show, every step we take is a step tards whatever comes next. so i think the show is the next step. >> thank you for sharing you interview with us. and you can read more the new issue of "people" magazine out today, right? and coming up,utting new sparkle into your next party right after these messages. be santabulous this christmas. right now at sears themed décor is5% off. including all stylish country living... ...and beautiful ty pennington collections. be the santa you want to be. find your santa at sears.com. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunch, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. in among on "today's" home, creative ways to entertain your guests this holiday. we have some exciting new party ideas. hey, danielle. i feel like i'm coming to your party. >> welcome to my party and that is what we want to stress, first and foremost. the best gift you can give your friends and family is an invitation to yourhome. i think so many of us are like, gosh, i have to spend a lot of money or i have to put on a big show. not the case at all. we wanted to pull together some fun discoveries to inspire you to think, oh, i have something like that, i'm goingo pull out us. >> maybe you can find something from your grandma's trunk, just grt your guests with something pretty. >> it sets e tone and it puts you in the mood. when i put on a cute apron, it seemssilly, but i'm ready for a party. my husband has to remind me to take it off. this is from smos design and these are from head hostess.com. >> that's fun to actually have one that matches with your daughter. >> yeah >> once you arrive, you say, hey, welcome to my house, then i want to serve you something fun. and u're saying there's lots of this you can buy these days or even find again in your grandmother's house. >> think about presentation and whether you're whipping up something simple or buying something from the store, it adds a really elegant touch to put it on a pedestal. this is from whitney smith's pottery.com. i would also sit a bowl of soup on those. thank you spaniards for your great idea of pop-ups. put these into little dishes. >> a great thing to ve on the table. >> you're ready to go. >> one thing i thought, one time i went to a party and one of my girlfriends gave me a recipe for something that i just loved and it tasted so great. and i said i just love that. and she says i have already written it out for you because you were talking about it and so she gave me one of these cute little cards. >> i think it's a great idea to send your gifts home with the recipe of something they enjoyed at your house. >> we love to serve wine in our house and decanting wine can really improve the flavor and we don't have a lot of decanters, sometimes you can put them in a pretty bottle. >> this bottle from three potato four shops, i think that takes all the pretension out. you pour it into something simple, as you said, it's kind of a french country feel, people reach for the wine, nobody's worried about how much the wine costs or it's a lot easier and homier. >> and you can put your flowers in them. >> this is a friend who lives in new jersey who throws the best christmas parties, does this every year, it's a mashed potato bar. the humble mashed potatoes, you can feed literally hundreds of people without a lot of money. you can put them in martini glasses, and it turns into- we look forward to this part of the party every year, we start getting excited bit it in july. isn't that great, so you can put whatever. >> and let them pack it while you're in the kitchen doing something else. >> or enjoying your guests. and don't forget, breakfast or lunch is a great time to host guests, it's a littl less expensive, you don't have to see as much food. unless you have friends like mine, they don't drink as much. >> we have all the expensive wines in the morning. so that's a good idea.a#eaqçgvñr this flu season, what would you pick for your flu vaccine? a shot in the arm? or a spray in the nose? i pick my nose. i pick my nose. i pick my nose gracefully. flumist. it's thonly flu vaccine that starts fighting e flu in the nose, where you usually catch it. in a study of kids 2 to 5 years of age, flumist cut the risk of getting the flu in half compared to the flu shot. flumist cut the risk of getti picked my nose.lf she said i could. flumist may not protect everyone. flumist is not for people allergic to eggs or other vaccine ingredients or for cldren and teens taking aspirin or products containing aspirin, or for anyone who's had life-threatening reactions to flu vaccines. health conditions including guillian-barré syndrome, a weakened immune system, diabetes, pregnancy, or heart, kidney, or lung disease may exclude you from gting flumist. your doctor will decide if flumist is right for you. common side effects include runny nose or nasal congestion, sore throat, and fever. talk to your dtor to find out if flumist is right for your family. and visit flumist.com. sure is nice to have a choice. talk to your dtor to find out if flumist the moment you feel run down or achy nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself agai oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud. nice day in washington. look at that shot of the white house. you've got the trees turning. in fact, it's probably almost pretty much finish turning. good morning. 9:56 is the time. i'm barbara harrison. in the news at this hour, after a six-day hiatus, the man accused of killing chandra levy is expected to resume in a few minutes. prosecutors pect to call more witnesses. he's charged with killing the washington intern back in 2001. later this morning d.c. will break ground on the new hotel at the convention center. the marriott marquis will go up on the corner of 9th street and massachusetts ave now. it's slated to open 2014. gorgeous day. are we past peek with the leaks, tom? >> it is. we've g a beautiful blue sky, a few clouds coming through from time to time. right now it's in the low 50s. an right now for veteran ice day, bright and sunny in the upper. saturday, mostly sunny near 60. jer yrk how's the traffic? i-270 an accident below germantown but you can traffic coming to a grigd halt before the beltway. right now, lanes are open. barbara, back to you. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in roefeller plaza. hey, everybody. so glad you're with us. it's wednesday to you, it's wines day here. it's november 10th. we're delighted to have you. hello, hoda woman. >> you were the talk of the evening last night, by the way. >> i was young and needed the money, really. whatever th told you, there was a good reason for it. >> i went out for a little bit, and your compadre rob chuter was there and he was describing the night. look at you two. >> that's nothing comred to what went on that night. that's how the evening started. >> if you didn't know yesterday, we're doing a trading places storyhere kathie lee gets to live my life and get to live hers. >> one day even. >> rob said even for him, and he's a nut. >> he's a totall crazy. >> he said even for him your night was off the charts. there was one point we were passing you over our heads like a mosh pit. that's what they said. >> i went to physical therapy yesterday, and iad to explain to my therapist why myeck is killing me. i said it was hard to describe. i was clubbing last night. >> he said he couldn't believe thayou rallied and played. >> oh, yeah. oh, no. we'll show you the entire thing on friday. >> that is friday. >> you were by yesterday. did you talk? >> it's interesting to do one of these chats. you're doing a live chat and people are sending in questions and you have to answer quickly d fire away. >> i can't do it. >> i was happy. i've never been happier. >> she just grins. look at your beautiful manicure. >> people asked about that. >> the little things -- >> can i tell what you they agreed with me on? >> what,hon. when they have a chip or nick and don't want to redo the whole deal, people do the band-aids. i'm not the only one. >> i do a band-aid if there's a broken il that's going to rip off so it's protected. >> why would you redo all ten when one has gone? you just let it go. ey agreed with me on that. it was fun to chat with everybody. >> you took 1600 calls -- questions. >> i couldn't type at fast. >> as many as you could. what was the single most often asked question? >> they asked lot about what's in our glasses on the table, approximate if it's true. that's a question. >> this is always the green tea for me andor you it's usually green tea. >> i switched to coffee because it's cold out. >> today because it's wines day, we have this in front of us. it's called maple river winery, and it's pumpkin wine. this is the biggest seller in the month of november. so much about wine is the aroma and i've got to tell you, it doesn't -- it smells -- it doesn't smell so hot. doesn't smell so hot, but that doesn't mean -- >> get in there. >> it's not as bad as i thought it would be. it's just unusual. it's unusual. >> you can work with the coffee. i don't know. >> hot cider or something. i don't know. >> it's 13.99 and you can get it at maple river distillery.com. >> we wish them all the best in the world. i have something exciting to share with everybody. go i got a phone call from a friend of mine two months ago, dan cooney. he's been in under the bridge off broadway and he did a work schopp shop of mine, the seduction of saving amy. it was saving amy at the time and dihe it. he said i'm writing a musical and i'm struggling with the lyrics. will you help me? i said of course. i said, what's the name of the show? it's a wonderful fe. i said how did you get the righ to that? it took me one year to get the rights to the family under bridge. this is a huge branded thing. he said the person who was supposed to be in charge of re-issuing the copyright didn't do it, so it's public domain. so i helped him, and i ended up writing i think 12 songs and then he asked our mutual friend to write the melodies. it's a world premiere of it . >> a lot of people are familiar with the movie. >> it's a very, very fine -- the book was adapted by a guy named john huffman. i never met him. i read the script and wrote the lyrics to it. >> how cute. where ishis going to be? >> it opens november 26th through december 23rd. tickets are on sale now at the enco encoretheater.o encoretheater.org. it's in dexter, michigan right outside the ann arbo it only seats 300 people or somethinlike that. >> how fun is that? >> how thrilling. >> "it's a wonderful life" the bar i really high. everybody really knows it. to come up with other songs couldn't have been easy. >> it wasn't. whether something is so well-written and the characters are so well delineated you know right where the song should be. this is the first time. this is the workshop of it. it doesn't travel yet. we work on it the next year. you see the first workshop tf basically. i'll be there on december 3rd. hoda can't come with me because she's very, very busy. to prepare for that weekend you'll have down to the turks and caicos, there's a new std test. you never know when you need it. now that i've lived hoda's life for one day, it's too bad i didn't have it the oth night. >> this app by the way is kind of nasty, so here's what you do. >> if you have small children take them out of the room. >> here's what you do. there's a microchip that you are to take, and then you are supposed to urinate on the chip, and then you take the chip that's been urinated on and put it in the iphone thing, the app, and it tells you wther or not you have an std. that is sick. i'm sorry. that's really -- >> you can also use your sa lea live va. >> it tells you where to go if you have a problem. they have an app for that. they're still developing it. >>efore you swap fluids and stuff like that, you should know, obviously. >> you should do the test before you meet someone and see his test. that's what you should do. i think the idea people are just running around havi sex with anyone seem so yesterday to me, doesn't it? >> i don't know. after the other night reliving your -- >> stop it. >> you have to watch on friday. jkr has produced it and is editing it. i hope there's something useable for family television. it doesn't sound like much. >> i have never been speechless. you know that about me. there was a ten minute period where i could dwas gape. i couldn't believe it. >> i can't wait. it's wednesday and we have a thing called would you wines day? would you let your kids register for birthday gifts -- >> or christmas gifts. >> the same for your wedding or baby shower. now they have a thing where parents are registering their children on their birthdays and things, and so if you'reaying what should i get little mary sue, you go on the link. >> you don't like that? >> that's ridiculous. >> why? >> because -- >> i can see two sides to this one. >> when you need things for your wedding and baby, i understand registers. you need sheets, a crib, or whatever. when it's your birthday and you're a young kid, you should be grateful for whatever anyone brings you. the idea you say here's my wish list seems greedy. >> a little crass. >> what do you think? >> i have given gifts to children on their birthdays and they say i have three of those. >> they shouldn't say that. >> they're little kids. they said thank you, i have three of them. they said thank you, which i'm grateful t hear a thank you these days from kids. i cannot believe how few kids say please or thank you. maybe it's because theirarents are on the twinkie diet. >> we talked to joy bauer about this. a 40-year-old went on a junk food diet. he ate twinkies and junk food and pop-tarts and whatever and lost weig. here's what joy said about is. she said it doesn't matter what you eat. it's calories in and calories out. >> he cut it down to how many calories? >> 2600. >> instead of consuming 2600 he consumed 1800. >> let's pretend you d't want to have dinner and there's a steak and potatoes and say i want the chocolate cake. you can skip the dinner and eat the cake. you may end up losing weight. >>ut the fat content doesn't make sense to me. >> she said your numbers all go down because you lose weight and your energy level is rrible. >> she does not suggest it. that might be why so many children are not saying please and thank you because their parents are on this diet. up next if you have a complaint about your cable or phone and no one will answer the phone and you can't get what you want, what are you supposed food? >> sarah goes underground to check out the viral video of week. first, these meages. ♪ holy night ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brin you more natural colors than camell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ the moiurizer in other body washes sits on top of skin. only dove has nutriummoisture, which can nourish deep down. dove body wash with nutriummoisture. superior natural nourishment for your skin. so fisher-price created the laugh and learn kitchen. ♪ something smellyummy where babies get a taste for learning. ♪ a, b, c, d... opposites. 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>> to get you to the right representative, i'll need to know what you're calling about. >> i'm sorry, i would normally get an associate to help you with that, but our offices are now closed. >> we have a bue ford escort for you, mr. seinfeld. would you like insurance. >> you better give me the insurance because i am going to beat the hell out of this. >> that woman in that movie "waiting" was a nasty complainer. how do you get good customer service. >> margaret and amy is the ceo of successfulkids, inc. the initial frustration is getting somebody on the phone to start, because you're constantly pushing one and one and one and by the time you get to a human being you'relready lathered up and upset. >> that's when you get to a human being. you know it's bad when you scream at a computer generated voice. >> you have to keep your cool. i get it. it's hard sometis. >> when you finally do get to that person is to make it clear to him or her that you're not blaming them. they didn't cause your problems. they're the ones to help you fix it. so if you start, you know, in a calm way, you have made them more of an ally and not your enemy and get better satisfaction. >> sometimes they don't seem that interested, though. they're just not. you get that feeling sometimes, right? >> yeah, y do, but i think that as we alway tell our children, to use your words. when you have a problem or an issue, if you use your words, if you stay calm, if you have polite language and explain the problem, you can get them to, you know, help y better and quicker. >> here's the thing. you get transferred -- first of all, you can no longer hit zero to get an attendant. now they say that's not a valid thing. you have to go through the whole rigmarole. then they transfer you to somebody else and somebody else again. my worry is you get disconnected in the middle, and you get in the back of line. >> what you do is -- before i even have any kind of fight with them or conversation abo the problem, i ask for their name and i give them my phone number so if we get disconnected they can call me back. >> and also if you ask their name they're on record as the person who might have been rude to you. >> what about face to face? now my cable is not working and whatever. i thought about going -- >> it's just fine. >> wlaehatever. i thought about going down to the time warner cable place and waiting there. i've been there once to return equipment. it's a madhouse. is it better to physically show up somewhere? what's the best plan of action? >> one of the problems why we have so many complaints and why we complain is we've lost that face-to-face thing. you put two real people face to face, you start from a position of more kindness and niceness. when there's not this an no, ma'am mitt. >>with inrnet, with all of the social networking tools we have with blogging and tweeting, it's so easy for us to write our complaints s quickly and to be mean. to write things that are inappropriate. >> when you write -- i don't think anybody's reading. you know what i mean? you're like i didn't get my west elm delivery. >> i think that's completely wrong. i think that a lot of service industries reay, really care about what you write. i mean, there ar sites like trip adviser and others and these are businesses that depend on word of mouth and goodwill and they want you to have a pleasant experience. it works in our favor because these service providers bend over backwards to make us happy. >> when you are just at the end of the rope and finally get that person, what can we do? is it stop, breathe? give us a tip. >> if you use your manners, if you are polite -- >> if you're out of them. hoda's out of em. >> i feel like they should give me something. i said to the cable people, my cable is out and i want five days. i said to the phone people you didn't plug my phone into the right phone number. >> know what it is. what will make you happy? kn what it is. ask them what can you do for me for the situation? you say, this is what i would like you to do. you can negotiate from there. >> they told me you can't get your rebate on the phone thing. i'm sorry. we have to charge you for the hookup. but that's twice we've done it. >> sometimes you have to b -- >> i feel terrible now. they might mess up my cable. >> all rigt. >> i'd like to say one thing. i feel much better. thnks, ladies. the vira video that will have you singing all week long. i hope not. later the little creatures from out in the cld ce in to visit. we can't wait. 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[ speaking spanish ] ♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso stand 'n stuff taco shells. old el paso. feed your fiesta. we're back with webtastic. we're keeping you up on all the stuff burning up the web. >> who better than sarah to show us the newest and hottest viral video. >> you know when your friends he mail you a youtube video they can't stop watching. atomic tom performed and taped and edited their whole video using their iphones. check it out. with over3.5 million hits, atomic tom's subway video is a youtube sensation. i had the chance to meet up with the band. you guys are a real band and you do the musical creative blogs. who came up with this idea to do a ole song on an iphone in the subway? >> this actual idea came from my younger brother. he gave me a call one day and said i have a great idea for one of your new video blogs. >> 3.5 million hits. how is your life different now? >> a lot of early mornings. >> a lot of early mornings. >> we basically have done the same thing we've been doing. we're trying to play for as many people as we can. >> i couldn't wait to see the guys in action. live from the b train, atomic tom. let's go, guys. ♪ >> that is the coolest thing ever. i'd just ride the subway all day if this was the kind of stuff we did. this is video that will have them talking for a while. >> i can't believe they can do that. unbelievable. >> they're ridiculous. >> still to come, could you t c penguins our studio after your lol news. no gobbledy-gook? never. do i still get all the dagnabbit coverage i need? sure. we give you a quote and you can adjust your price up and down to find something that works for you. ♪ this thing is okey-mcsmokey skiddly-doo. great! i think. diggity. oh! still not sure. the "name your price" tool. only from progressive. call or click today. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbe's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ new revlon growluscious mascara. helps lashes grow stronger. with a unique formula that complements my lashes' natural grth cycle. 96% saw instantly longer lashes. this is the start of something big. new revlon growluious mascara. spam and pop-tarts. that's the menu for the people on the cruise ship. some of the other problems the passengers are dealing with. good morning. i'm barbara harrison. lying is a normal part of growing up for children, but how can parents put a stop to the habit and raise trust-worthy young [ female announcer ] joe here likes saving money. that's why joe likes aetna's payment estimator. he gets to compare out-of-pocket health care costs before they come ouof his pocket. that's awesome. [ female announcer ] now let's say every joe in america uses it. looks like everyone likes saving money. ah, the potential of putting people first. thanks joe. know more. get better. get a arter health plan. ♪ aetna.com. and enjoying it less and less? stopr second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. and there's no term contract required. if you don't love os, you can cancel with no early termination fee. call now. it's your last chance to get this special bonus: over 110 premium channels including starz, showtime, fios gives you the best cnnel line up, superior picture qlity and more hd, plus internet rated #1 in satisfaction, speed and reliability. why keep paying for cable? get fios t internet and phone for just $99.99 a month -- it's your last cnce to get over 110 premium channels free for 3 months. call 1.888.818.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.888.818.3467. at 800-974-66 tty/v. it'sime to get mor for your money. it's time for fios >>and we're back on this wines day with more of "today" and we're ready to play "who knew?" we will quiz you on war movies. kathie lee is across the street. she's ready to ha out 100 bucks to those who get the questions right. those who don't, they get kathie lee's cd. here to help me out is a senior writer at "newsweek" magazine. interesting topic. >> happy veterans day. >> let's go across the street. >> i hope this lady loses so she gets my album. she has 4-month-old. you're fromperu. according to the guinness world records which had the most expensive explosion scene. was it pearl harbor, platoon, mash, our "inglourious basterds." >> "platoon." >> yay. >> he's going to love this cd. >> and the correct answer in this one is "pearl harbor." >> th movie cost about $140 million. they spent $5.5 million on the big explosion at the end. they used 12 cameras, 700 sticks of dynamite, 4,000 gallons of gasoline. it was crazy. >> where do they do that? >> just off the shore of hawaii. >> back across the street to kathie lee. >> two lovely ladies from charleston, south carolina. which is credited with giving us the term wing m. was it wings, fly boys, blackhawk down or top gun. >> "top gun." >> yeah, baby. >> there's not a woman alive who missed that one. >> you can be my wing man anytime, whichyou can, hoda, if you want. >> too cute. that was such a great movie. >> it was. an they're making a sequel, believe it or not. tom cruise might come back to play maverick again. >> interesting. we'll look forward to that. >> beautiful family visiting from washington state. whicof the following movies does not take place during the civil war? gone with the wind, cold mountain, glory or the patriot? >> "the patriot." >> that was the revolutionary war, baby. >> "the patriot." >> that was the revolutionary war. mel gibson was in it and heath ledger was in it. mel gibson was in "we were soldiers." he was in "braveheart." so he must like to get in a lot of fights on the screen. >> back across the street. >> this gentleman is from southampton, england. let's look at the clip. >> i'll give you theest shot. >> good morning vietnam! >> where was the mov "god morning vietnam" filmed? china, thailand, vietnam or hong kong? >vietnam. >> no. but you're going to love "my way home." i hope you have a safe way home yourself. >> he gave a good guess,ut the correct answer is actually thailand. >> it was a trick question. it was cheaper to shoot in thailand. they went to bangkok and transferred it into saigon, a they talk about this on the dvd. they had to change the street signs and change it from thai to vietnamese. one of the problems is in thailand you drive on the wrong side of the road, sothey had to move the traffic on the other side of the road. clear the roads for this movie. >> interesting. back across the street. >> is this beautiful lady is from portland, oregon. let's look at the next clip. >> let's get into the war. >> grab some cover and put some fire on that crew. david, young, get ready. >> first 25 minutes of at movie were so powerful. how many barrels of fake blood were used in the opening scene of "saving private ryan." 10, 20, 40, or 80? >> i would have to say 80. >> no, no. you're going to love "everyone has a story" because they do. >> 40 is the correct answer? >> 40 gallons of fake blood. that's 27 minut long and it's one of the most memorable scenes in the war scenes. steven spielberg made it for his father that fought in world war ii and he did it in his memory. his father told him stories growing up. >> kathie lee is come back across the street to see me. >> i'm from these lovely peop from sacramento. >> we need you. >> they're going to get a cd. >> rob schneider returns to the screen with something new. we'll talk to him about that. let's get chinese. should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with wanchai ferry? you can make it in just 14 minutes. mmmh, orange chicken. great. i didn't feel like going out anyway. 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[ male announcer ] ...seem less th graceful. ♪ the very well talented rob schneider is best known as the gigilo in deuce bigilo. >> he's breaking out in the usual roles in a movie he wrote, directed and stars in. it's called "the chosen one." good to see you. >> nice to see you. >> i like that. >> you wrote it yourself? >> i wrote it with boone collins. it's a nice movie about a guy who thinks his life is over. >> why? >> it was a suicide in the family, his father. he works at a car lot and emotionally shuts down. finally his wife leaves him and he's about to lose his job. these people walk couple thousand miles from columbi and they knock on his door and think hs the chosen one. it was a nice story. i wanted to write it and make it. we finally finished it. >> it's sort of a darker movie compared to what we're used to seeing you in. what made you want to do something like this? >> i liked the sry and these people. they'rerom the teronia in colombia. it's the only place that's very unique in the world. it's the only mountain that's four miles high right on the ocean. it's the only place in the world that has it. they live up there. they were never conquered by the incas. >> it wasn't worth it to make the climb? >> very high up there. they want to talk about the world and what's happening with the world. >> it's very timely. you got a great cast. sten buscemi and holland taylor is so good in everything. >> she plays my mother. >> doing an indie is not simple, it difficult. what's hard about ? >> getting the money. steve beau shem mee plays my brother, a buddhist gay monk in it. >> that doesn't sound quite right. >> he's great in it. >> we wish you good luck right now. it's out on dvd. >> it's on dvd. it's going to get into theaters, too. i'm lucky to get it throughout, and hopefully it will be theaters in new york and la. >> called "the chosen one." one of our favorite people is in e house. she shares some wordsf wisdom. what are you reading? >> her book. >> i think she's reading hoda. >> and we have cold weather animals coming up after this. been in the dairy busine s since right after the turn of the century. my grandfaer, also a dairyman. and then my father, duane. i started out with my dad and my brother. [cott ] when you have a family situation, it's just a progression. my position is at the bottom of the totem pole. since the boys came in, i've worked my way all the way down. [ laughs ] he's teasinyou when he says he's moving down the totem pole. he's just as important as he ever was. ♪ he's just as important as he ever was. to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ get flawless skin, even in harsh, unflattering light. revlon photoready™ makeup. revlon's photorea™ formula bends and reflts light to help diffuse every flaw revlon photoready™ makeup. find your perfect light. use your shop your way rewards card at kmart today... ...for the chance to win 1 of 30 trips to universal orlando resort... ...and step into the magic and excitement... ...of the wizarding world of harry potter! there's smart, and there's kmart smart. ♪ such a silly game we play ♪ oh-oh, oh-oh we're back with "today's call of the wild" and seaworld's ambassador. >> look what she's found. some animals -- >> some that are here to poop on my stage. >> he's just looking. >> some penguins in the house. >> oh, my gosh. it was fantastic. i went down and saw them. and their chicks, and we actually have some video to show. the chicks were amazing. think about it. it's e coldest, drit, harshest place in the world. >> yeah. >> it s about zero degrees. i'll tell you that. it wasvery, very cold. look at that. >> cute. adorable. >> what was amazing to me was what ty have to go through to survive. >> "march of the penguins" was unbelievable. >> we had a chick hatch in san diego, that thing is four times as big as these guys. ours get pampered and fed ever day. they were looking around for the parents, but it was a fantastic experience. >> you know what? they're not afraid of -- they don't have very my predators down there. we saw one seal they thought was a leopard seal, and they all took off. these are penguins that arvery different from the very cold weather peng kuins. they come from south america and withstand cold and warm, which makes it more difficult if you think about it. this is penny from seaworld of orlando. underneath the table. that's so cute. >> are these the ones that bite? >> they can. anything with a mouth can. these gu are very young, only two years old. >> okay. >> this is their first trip. >> i need a -- i'm telling you. >> they are a little stinky. isn't this amazing? look at the baby. look at that little baby, and i'll take care of the adult hair. thiss dad, actually, who got mom waiting off stage there. >> he's so cute. >> he's so soft. >> yeah. they're like a rabbit. >> they have 50 hairs per follicle as opposed to our measely one. they've been hunted to extinction in the wild. >> are they coming back? >> not yet. they're bd in the care of people for coats and things like that. you're looking at an animal that's surviving very well. >> i'm sorry, honey. >> they live up in the andes. so these guys are very, very cute. you know what i want to show you? hang on for those a second longer. >> it's jumping around. >> let's get david out here. >> oh, it's stuck. >> hoda dropped a -- now -- >> let's take the babies off. these guys actually bathe up in the snow. >> he's okay? you sure. >> they'revery, very hearty. they actually go into the ash, in the volcanic ash, and that's what cleans tm. >> they're so clean. >> they take that ash, and that keeps their fur ineally good condition. they need that fur to be in good condition. >> we have to save some time. come on, baby. >> i'll take this one. >> don't jump. don jump. >> one of the most beautiful and the largest falcons in the world. thank you, jennifer. >> i'm nervous about that by. >> this guy is from bush gardens in williamsburg. look at the coloration on this. >> they can turn their whole head around and look at you. >> look at the large eyes. these guys hang outs in the coldest parts of the arctic and the tundra, and they hunt year-round. they even store and cache some of the things they catch so they cancome back later and chip away at it. look at the coloration. isn't it perfect for living in the snow. it's whiter than all our birds of prey. >> he's vely. >> you guys are so funny. let's get this guy out first. >> he wasgiving me the eagle eye. >> it's a ve beautiful falcon. >> he's beautiful, but i don't think he liked us, julie. >> that's all right. look at is. a red fox, which a lot of people associate with -- he's going to love that. a lot of people associate it with other parts of the united states, certainly. >> i'll get it. i'll get it. >> they are found all the way up into the arctic areas as well, becse they have this luxurious fur. th're ve, very intelligent. you guys have heard of the cunning fox and all of that. >> yes. >> all righty. >> it's been fun. i wish i could remember your song, but we'll have it down for next time. coming up next, one of the our favorite author is in the house. she has a new book bound to be a best seller. she's genius. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable, and enjoying it less and less? stopr second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. and there's no term contract required. if you don't love fios, you can cancel with no early terminatiofee. call now. it's your last chance to get this special bonus: over 110remium channels including starz, showtime, hbo and more- free for 3 months. fios gives you the best channel line up, superior picture quality and more hd, plus internet rated #1 in satisfaction, speed and reliability. why keep paying for cable? get fios tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month -- it's your last chance to get over 110 premium channels free for 3 nths. call 1.888.818.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.888.818.3467. at 800-974-66 tty/v. it's time to get more for your money. it's time for fios. critics call adriana, delightful an energetic and an effortless storyteller. >> this time instead of giving her readers her usual dose of family-themed fiction, she's back with a new book full of advice to feed your soul. it's called "don't sing at the table: lessons from my grandmother." >> you can sing at the table. it's your show. i'm so excited to be here. 's my best selling girl. >> you crank out best sellers like nobody's business. >> this took me over three years. this was the hardest book for me torite for it to feel effortless. it's about my grandthers and i was crazy about them. i wanted it whittle it down and dispel their wisdom. there's great stuff in here. >> i love the pictures because it puts a face to your grandmothers. what did you take away from them? >> first of all, it was t way they lived. they knew how to live. when you came into their home, you were welcomed. if you were an unexpected guest, there was a feast for you. my grandma had peppers and tomatoes and piece of bread, and suddenly there was a feast. there she is, viola. the hard part was the pictures because we had thousands of photographs of her and really so many that i wted to share. the thing about her, she started to work when she was 14 in a fact factory, and by 16 she was the forelady. when she turned 40, she and my grandfather opened their own mill a had it for 26 years. she worked all her life, and then they went into business together. all of that is chronicled in he. my mother's mother came over and worked at a factory in hoboken and she changed her name, americanized it from luchi to lucy. my daughter is named for her. she worked in a mill, and then she met my grandther. my grandfather went off to night in world war i. that's how you got your citizenship. you signed up for the army. they moved to miesota. it chronicles all those years. i wanted to write something for my daughter so if god forb something up happens to me -- >>no. >> that the wisdom is here. that she has it, and it will apply for your daughter and girlfrnds. it's for everybody. >> in a nut shell, what would be the one line they would say to you? we have 30 seconds. >> luchia used to see nobody has to see how many times you pull out the hem. you perfect and perfect and perfect and get it where it should be, whatever that gift is, if it's your song, if it's a story, if it's a book, you perfect it to the best of you can, but nobody has to see how much work went into it. >> you're the best. >> genius. >> tomorrow, taboo topics how to get down to the naked truth about sex. get down to the naked truth about sex. >> bye. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the moment you feel run down or achy nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yrself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud.