This as russia prepares to host the winter Olympic Games in just three days. We are live in sochi. And troubled soul. Fans and fellow stars paying tribute to oscar winning actor Philip Seymour hoffman after he was found dead in his new york city home. A great actor on screen, but a personal life fraught with addiction and heartache. Well remember him today, monday, february 3rd, 2014. Announcer from nbc news, this is a special edition of today, countdown to the olympic winter games with matt lauer live from olympic park in sochi, russia. And Savannah Guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. And good morning, everyone, welcome to today on a monday morning. Im matt lauer live from the olympic park in sochi, russia. Savannah, good morning to you. Good morning. Looks like a Beautiful Day there. Im Savannah Guthrie alongside al roker and Natalie Morales. Were in studio 1a. Did you watch the game last night . Wasnt it 3 00 in the morning there . It started at 3 30 in the morning here, so the short answer is, no, i actually woke up at about 4 30, checked my phone and saw it was getting a little out of hand score wise, i did not bother to get up. Let me tell you about the view we got here. Got the olympic medal plaza in the background, the caldron there, the blue building in the background, the iceberg, figure skating and short track skating to be held there. And up in the distance, how about that backdrop . Those are the mountains, not of sochi, the snowcovered mountains of georgia. The mountains of sochi to the right here, savannah. Geography lesson, matt giving us the lay of the land. It looks beautiful there. It was clear skies last night, game time for the super bowl. 49 degrees. It was warmer in new york than it was in denver and seattle. Oh, man, look at Metlife Stadium this morning, what a difference. 34 degrees, snow is falling, and, apparently, were going to have a lot more of that. Yeah. Its going to be changing very quickly here in new york city. In fact, schools canceled all around new york city, not in the city yet. We are in the Weather Channel calling this first storm maximus, second storm nitka. Lets show you what maximus caused for our friends in arkansas yesterday. 4 to 6 inches of snow causing massive traffic headaches. Dozens and dozens of accidents being reported. A lot of big problems, cars off into the ditch. And this is making its way to the east. And theyre going to get hit with the second storm nitka. Lets show you, we have two winter storms. Thats our todays top weather story. And you can already see, its starting to make its way into the northeast. So we are looking at a storm system that is going to really be very dynamic. There you can see the rain snow line. Its now making its way south of new york city. So here we go. We have winter storm warnings stretching from long island all the way back to lexington, kentucky. In the new england Winter Weather advisories in effect. Heres what were looking for snowfall wise. Generally about 3 to 6 inches of snow, 6 to 9 inches of snow, new york city on down into washington, d. C. Then our second storm system getting itself together. Winter storm watches, Winter Weather advisories, winter storm warnings from tuesday into wednesday as we get the future cast cranked up. You can see snow in the rockies making its way across omaha into st. Louis, chicago, cleveland, all the way into new york. Look at these snowfall totals. We are talking about 9 to 12 inches of snow in northern missouri as we make our way to the east. Central indiana, into ohio, another 9 to 12 inches of snow. And then look at when we get into the northeast. We are expecting by wednesday, new york, another 6 to 9 just to the west. This is a foot to a foot and a half in central pennsylvania. And, folks, lets look live at philadelphia. This is whats happening right now. Philadelphia schools are now canceled, as well. This is going to be a setup for a real week of misery. And and the models are suggesting, guys, that late this weekend into next week, we could have a blockbuster of a coastal storm where we will be talking about snow in feet. Al, go back to bed and come back with a better forecast. I saw my shadow. Clearly, six more weeks. That groundhog was right. Im going to find him and smack his mama. Please do. Al will be back here with you in a few moments. The nfl has to be happy this storm was not on sunday. But the broncos may be wishing it was. Jshlgs jenna is at Metlife Stadium with more. Reporter good morning to you. Yeah, the folks from the nfl Super Bowl Committee are out buying lottery tickets right now after missing the storm. From the day the game was announced, weather was the only thing anyone was talking about. It turns out, weather wasnt a factor yesterday, it was 49 degrees at kickoff. You know what else wasnt a factor . The denver broncos. And thats should be it. Reporter the Seattle Seahawks didnt just win super bowl xlviii, they dominated. Snapped over the head started just 12 seconds into the game when they scored a safety. The fastest score in super bowl history. The seahawks turned that into a 220 lead at halftime. Touchdown, seattle reporter and speaking of halftime bruno mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked Metlife Stadium. It was more seahawks in the second half. In fact, an 87yard kickoff return started the half. Four turnovers by denver left no doubt as the seahawks cruised for their first ever super bowl title. Touchdown, seattle reporter the victory followed by euphoric chaos on the field. Or in other words, it was unbelievable. How does it feel to be the part of a team that wins the First Franchise super bowl . Its undescribable. We made history today. Pointblank, we made history today. The first ever title for seattle. Its unbelievable. I dont really have too many words to describe it. Its unbelievable. Describe all of this tonight. Honestly, words cant describe. Richard sherman with much to say after his last game left this one early with an ankle injury and was far more gracious this time around. Its been a lot of fun, man. Its been really humbling. You learn a lot about yourself. Reporter in the end, it was seahawks from start to finish. They came, conquered, and collected their first ever lombardi trophy. On this night, there were angels on the field and off it, as well. Reporter the one name we didnt hear much about yesterday was Peyton Manning. He had a great year statistically in the regular season, a good game yesterday, but at 37, you have to wonder how many years he has left in the nfl. We shall see. For now, ill play in the snow and be happy today was not yesterday. Savannah, back to you. Jenna, thank you so much. Going to have a lot more on the game and everybodys favorite commercials coming up later. But for now, we want to head to matt in sochi. All right. Savannah, thanks very much. There was an alarming hostage situation in russia overnight. And when the news first broke of this, we thought it could be related to the start of the games in just three days. It turned out to be something very different. We have jim maceda live in moscow this morning. Jim, good morning, what can you tell us . Reporter well, thats right, this turned out to be a disgruntled student who apparently according to eyewitnesss had a conflict with his High School Geography teacher. He stormed the school today firing from two rifles as he made his way to the classroom and his teacher where he shot and killed that teacher and opened fire on police who had responded to an alarm killing one and wounding another. He held about 20 other students hostage until the shooter was persuaded to give up. Again, matt, not a terror attack, but still a very scary and rare incident here in moscow where everyones a little nervous. Matt, back to you. Jim, thank you very much. As we said, it does highlight the security concerns here in sochi as the games are set to begin. Athletes are now arriving, fans are arriving. Journalists are also arriving. And the big question remains, is this region ready . The mountains blanketed in snow and inviting members of team usa who have already touched down in sochi. Ive never been to russia. This is my first day on the mountain and theres so much powder. Reporter with a 50 billion price tag, these are the most expensive games in history. But there are indications that not all of sochi is ready for its closeup. There are 41,000 hotel rooms here, almost all of them brand new. So new, in fact, many are still without furniture. It continues to arrive. A frenzy of Activity Still ongoing in olympic park and surrounding roads. Some olympians and spectators may never actually see the town of sochi, warned to stay away as security concerns linger. Behind me is the main Security Check point to get in and out. There are several of them, but thats the main one. If you drive there with a vehicle, you get out of the car. The car is checked from top to bottom. They open the doors, the trunk, the engine compartment. They look inside it all. Take mirrors and go underneath the car looking for any explosive device or anything that might be attached to the undercarriage of the vehicle. The people go into a separate building, you put your credentials in a scanner to make sure youre legitimate. Youre then sent through a metal detector, wanded and patted down. They not only check your credentials coming into the park, but going out, as well. Reporter between 5 billion and 6 billion has been spent to ensure the safety of these games. Some of the security precautions you might not notice. Im in a grassy field in the middle of olympic park and the Manhole Covers have been foamed and glued closed. Not just one, but every single one. Foamed and glued to make sure nobody can open them up and hide something inside. The ioc promises despite lastminute glitches, the games are in good hands. They will put on a great show. Reporter 25,000 volunteers have been trained to help make sure that happens. State of the art venues are ready and so are the athletes who begun to train here. And just be in the olympic spirit again. I mentioned the athletes had begun to train here. Theyve begun to arrive here. Weve got some members of the womens bobsled team, mens bobsled team, theyre all here on the plaza with us in sochi. Nice to see you all. We will get to talk to them in just a little while. But right now, savannah, back to you in new york. Thanks so much. And we take a turn now to the tragic and surprising death of one of the most talented actors in hollywood, oscar winner Philip Seymour hoffman. He was just 46 years old and his body was found in his new york city home on sunday. Nbcs Kristen Dahlgren joins us with the story. Kristen, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, savannah. Take a look, you can see a memorial growing here outside Philip Seymour hoffmans apartment. This was an actor who could play so many different roles, appeal to so many different people. This morning, all shock that he is gone. Fans of Philip Seymour hoffman could only watch as new york police sealed off his Greenwich Village apartment. The actor, just 46, dead of an apparent Drug Overdose. According to police sources, hoffman was found by a friend in the bathroom. He was found in a tshirt and shorts with a needle in his left arm, and envelopes nearby that are believed to have heroin in them. Reporter hoffman was known as an actors actor, he could disappear into almost any role. From his oscar winning turn in capote, to lester bangs in almost famous. You take drugs . No. Smart kid. Reporter he appealed to younger fans portraying plutarch heavensbee in the hunger games catching fire. The role he was in the middle of reprising in mocking jay parts one and two. He had seven days left to film that, but as far as we know Film Production says they will not delay the release of the film. Reporter the actor who was also a threetime tony nominee for his work on broadway was most recently seen at sundance promoting a most wanted man. But off camera, the star was fighting a battle with addiction. After more than two decades of sobriety, he reportedly relapsed and checked himself into rehab last year. In a statement, his family said, we are devastated by the loss of our beloved phil. This is a tragic and sudden loss. And we ask you respect our privacy during this time of grieving. Please keep phil in your thoughts and prayers. Reporter now, an autopsy is scheduled for later today. The results of toxicology tests could take some time. Celebrities have been taking to twitter to offer up their condolences, but its important to note, savannah, that around here the neighbors i talked to said he was really known as a neighborhood dad. He had three kids. He was often seen here with them. Kristen, its such a sad story. Thank you for that. I think everybody who heard this news yesterday felt like a punch in the gut. Heartbreaking. And also, what his children are left with. Young kids. Yeah. Young kids who have a dad with a marvelous legacy but also a troubled one. Yeah. Missing him for sure. Lets take a turn. Natalie, what are you following this morning . We have a lot going on this morning. This could be a key day in the socalled bridgegate investigation swirling around new Jersey Governor Chris Christie as new revelations call into question what christie knew and when he knew it. Nbcs Kelly Odonnell is in ft. Lee, new jersey. Kelly, good morning. Reporter good morning, natalie. This is a deadline day in the investigation of the bridge traffic scandal. Remember those 20 subpoenas to key figures around governor christie, well many of those are due back to new jersey lawmakers today. While the governor enjoyed the big game this weekend and played his own offense. Chris christie had something to cheer about at the Biggest Party as new jersey hosted super bowl xlviii. This weekend, the Governors Team ran a new political play striking back at exPort Authority official David Wildstein after his lawyer floated in a letter that evidence exists Chris Christie knew about the traffic mess while it was happening last fall. Christie denies that. The lawyer made the allegations in a letter demanding the Port Authority pay wildsteins legal bills. New jersey lawmakers say wildstein has produced no new evidence. Nothing that says the governor knew contemporaneously which is the allegation hes making now. Reporter christie had already distanced himself from wildstein who had supervised the lane closures, both attended the same high school. David and i were not friends in high school, we were not even acquaintances in high school. But high school came back in a stinging memo sent to christie supporters saturday that stated David Wildstein will do and say anything to save David Wildstein. The memo listed a series of criticisms of wildsteins work and character including this. He was publicly accused by his High School Social studies teacher of deceptive behavior. Reporter and we attempted to reach David Wildstein about that memo. We were unsuccessful. Governor christie says he knew nothing about the plot behind the traffic scandal until that news broke about a month ago. Natalie . Kelly odonnell in ft. Lee, new jersey, thanks so much, kelly. A manhunt underway in the midwest this morning for an escaped killer. Officials say Michael David eliot was discovered missing sunday from a michigan prison where hed been serving a life sentence for murder. Hes believed to be armed. Eliot allegedly carjacked a womans vehicle nearby. The woman got away unhurt in indiana. President obamas defending himself in the face of criticism over benghazi, irs, and the new health care website. And a sometimes contentious interview with bill oreilly of fox news. He says he tries to focus not on the fumbles, but on the next plan. He also said the issue of the irs targeting Tea Party Groups has been cleared up by hearings in congress. Youre saying no corruption . No. None . There were some bonehead decisions. But no mass corruption . Not even mass corruption, not a smidgen of corruption. Okay. The president said, some people think he sought to down play the benghazi attacks because fox has been telling them that. And as for the healthcare web site, the president said, it is now working the way it was supposed to. And it must have been a tall order when this giraffe casually walked through a South African outdoor restaurant at a wildlife park. It surprised some customers, as you can imagine, then he eventually wandered off. Apparently not interested in anything there on the menu. Actually, he wanted some hot tea because he had a really sore throat. Maybe. Cool sightseeing. Whats going on . I cannot get over this forecast. Were so over winter, but its still here. Its not over us. No. And for a lot of you, it is going to be rough. Thats why were going to get to your local forecast in 30 seconds. Your local forecast in seconds. Ike, seven billion, who youre meant to be with. One. Or you bought a house. Or you got a new job. Or you went on a really important business trip to des moines. You had a big year. And you should be able to answer some questions about it. Thats what taxes are, a recap. The story of your year. And we think youre the best person to tell that story. Intuit turbotax, its amazing what youre capable of. Good morning to you. The time now 7 19. Taking a look at your day part forecast for today at lunch time. Were going to be about 50 degr