we listen to you. when you write us and tell us things on our facebook page -- >> curse us out. >> we listen. that's why we're starting off the show with pets. it's the last day of our cutest pets contest, you guys, and so you guys have been flooding our facebook and stuff with entries. anyway, this is the last day. up until -- >> midnight eastern -- >> 11:59. try to get it in by midnight. here are some of the dogs that have been coming in. >> bentley. from naperville. >> is that an ipod? >> he's chewing on something. >> here's lily the cat. from brooklyn. >> hoda, people can send in -- >> i like the cats. then this one. >> ancient egyptians, cats were divine. >> yeah. sara's going to give you more of the info we need, but we'd like to have the rest of your fan pictures, not that we've already chosen, because we haven't -- >> because we don't have all the entries. >> speaking of cute pictures, look at this one. >> this is adorable. >> you've heard of tebowing, and i guess the youngest tebower we've seen. >> oh. that's later. just a facebook fan. they'll contact us i'm sure. isn't that cute? >> either that or the child is constipated. was he actually trying to tebow or was he, you know, dealing with a gas issue? >> the mom's ashley. >> the mom's ashley. >> adorable. there's a fan that hoda -- >> stephanie and some of her pals outside. if you see us on the streets anywhere, you -- we'll be happy to get with you. fun to see that group of girls. thank you for including me in your picture. big news in the family, jay-z and his beautiful wife, beyonce. he has written apparently a brand-new song for his little blue ivy. >> this has caused a little controversy i think because there are a couple words you don't normally hear, one word especially, you don't normally hear in a song. >> it ain't a lullaby. >> but jay-z wrote it, and this is the song. it's called "glory." ♪ ♪ >> melody. is it just me? i mean -- ♪ >> can you feel it just a little? >> i just want to know how fast he got that thing together. he left beyonce in the hospital and went and recorded this? maybe also put a recording studio in that wing at the hospital. >> it was quick. by the way, that was the first time that was revealed beyonce had a miscarriage. we never heard that before. a lot of women go through that. >> a lot do. yeah, yeah. thank goodness it had a happy ending. >> it sure did. so this is going to be a controversy topic. we're going to talk about a program. this is a question all parents have. should you or should you not spank your children. and most people now don't do it or say they don't do it. they just do it when they lose their minds and, you know -- >> well, it's publicly frowned on now in today's society. we'll have a whole discussion about that. i think it's 81%. is that right? >> yeah. 81%. >> 81% of parents admit to spanking their children. >> right, although most agree it's not the right thing to do. >> not the right thing. >> you were spanked. >> i was spanked, not that often because i was an excellent child. but i was actually -- my daddy, whom is one of the finest human beings i've ever known in my life, one time apparently i was so bad, he took the belt and -- yeah. but now they're saying that all of us who are spanked during our lifetime grow up to have all kinds of behavioral issues. whack. and can't -- you know, emotional issues and that sort of thing. we're going to discuss that and see what you all think. i personally think there's a huge, huge, huge difference between beating your children and -- >> swatting. >> swatting your hands so they don't put their finger in a candle or a hot stove or -- >> yeah. >> it's different. >> kids out on the street are close to literally getting hit by a car and you grab your kid and out of frustration you swat them on the bottom and -- i get that. maybe the child is too young to understand the reasoning of the traffic. >> beating your child nobody thinks is right. we're going to talk about that. all righty? >> okay. >> can you dodge a chatty kathy? >> you've been on a plane where you're totally trapped and someone sitting next to you -- >> in your face. >> they're like jaws. you're stuck there. there's nothing you can do. the question is what do you do to avoid that kind of situation? >> i want to know what you do, >> i did this once and it was a big backfire so i'll never do it again. don't do it. i was on a plane and the person was yapping and yapping. i took the headsets from the plane, plugged it in the plane thing and put it in my earplugs and there was nothing playing but i didn't care. it was a guy talking and i just had my headphones on. the guy looks at me -- >> this is where you made the mistake. >> he reaches for his headphones, plugs them in the plane thing and there's nothing playing. >> but hoda's -- >> but i am rocking because now i'm already in the lie. so the flight attendant comes over, he says, my headphones aren't working. she goes, the system is not on. i was, like, yes, it is. that was a mistake and i felt terrible the whole flight but i had to stay in the -- >> did he ever bust you on it? >> no. i felt so crummy that i did that. it's hard -- if you really do want to just read on you're tired or something, what do you do? >> i think there's a nice way to say that. i hope you don't mind, but i've had a really long week and i'm going to get a little shut eye or i just need to listen -- don't lie. just let the person know it isn't personal except you have extremely bad breath and i don't want to speak to you. i don't know. there's a way to speak the truth in a kind way. >> yes. my mom will talk to whoever's next. never know what you're going to learn. >> she's right about that. >> sometimes if you shut people out you're missing out on a great opportunity. >> great blessing. we had a lunch yesterday. we were visiting with our friend jamie and her beautiful little girl. our prayers are still with her. they're still in the hospital. we went for lunch afterwards, mary's on 57th street. i was getting the lamb chops out of my teeth until about 10:00 last night. >> the best lamb chops ever. >> you were disgusting. >> you eat them like fred flinstone but you don't care. >> you have to. the worst thing. >> go. >> went for a manicure. i've been wearing darker polish on my nails so you really can't see what's under there. she takes the nail polish off and it looked like i'd been gardening. >> a great lunch. >> embarrassing. >> anyway -- >> good hair day for hoda. good housekeeping magazine, with the soft bangs. the next layers. i didn't realize. >> what. >> if you go -- >> choppy layers. >> anti-aging haircuts. >> what? >> yeah. yeah. >> is that what that is? >> anti-aging haircuts. >> okay. that's good to know. the classic bob is in. >> yeah. apparently i'm not in it. here's the thing, you guys. you know what one month from now is? >> what? >> you may say one month from now is february 10th, and you would be right. what you don't know is you know where you can come see us? >> what? >> live and in personal? >> where? >> the bahamas. >> we're going? i'm so excited. >> where are we going to be? >> atlantic. >> okay. we decided it's going to be cold we think in the dead of february so we'd like for you to come and join us. it will be fun. >> we'll give you more details. only 162 days left until the first day of summer. that's why we have a maitai. >> because that's what we do. yesterday we had robert shuter on and he was talking act bethenny frankel's reality show. she's decided she wants to leave on a high note, blah, blah. her show, because of how they shoot things, will start airing the new season on february 20th, when she'll be here with us. so even though this is going to be we think the final season, there's actually a whole fresh season you have not seen yet. it's in the can. >> okay. i think we're clear about that. >> we wanted to clear that up. we think we did. should we go to miss sarah? >> you have until tonight at 11:59 p.m. to go to our facebook page and like it. select the graphic. send in your cat or your dog. it ends tonight, though. voting will start on thursday and friday and it will be the top five and we'll be bringing them to new york city for pet fashion. >> dressed up? >> yeah. >> the pets are going to dress up? >> even cuter, hello. >> you know who's really, really funny. >> yeah. >> seth rogan is on the couch. he co-hosted once with me. >> look what you did for his career. >> i know. he's here, his beautiful wife is here. we're glad he's with us. stay with us. the last time seth rogen was here, he was sitting in my seat, co-hosting with hoda. a single guy looking for love. times have changed. >> they sure have. the always lovable comic actor has tied the knot and he and his lovely wife are using their comedy for a good cause. so much has changed. >> welcome back. >> i'm a new man. really turned around since i was here. >> yeah. >> now, lauren, we know, is off camera. >> you guys had dated for a long time before you decided to tie the knot. yeah? >> yeah, almost six years i think we were together, which is a long time. >> why didn't she want to marry you all those years? >> i kept asking her over and over and she kept saying not now. i asked her three weeks in and she just kept saying, you know, i really want to make everyone wonder why we're not married. i want my family to constantly harass me about it. i really want to get the sense you're not as into this as i am. that's really what i was going for. >> you never know. >> you usually come here to promote movies. last time was "50/50." congrats on the nominee for the golden globe. >> thank you very much. very nice. >> that's the comedy category, an the interesting part about this movie. >> i'm glad they recognized it as a comedy. we hoped it would be funny, so the fact they considered it one is nice. >> tough subject matter. >> it definitely does, but that was the whole idea, that it could be -- that humor is a good way to get people to talk about things they don't normally want to talk about. that's the similar idea of what we're doing with our benefit. >> tell us about the benefit. >> well, i've been working with the alzheimer's association for the last three years. my mother-in-law has early onset alzheimer's. and i've hosted their annual event a couple times. and it's a really great event, but it's honestly just not really something that's geared towards the younger generation of people. so we thought it would be fun to try to put on an event that raised money for alzheimer's but also kind of got a younger group of people excited about charity and going to charitable events and hopefully putting on their own charitable events. >> this is going to have a comedic twist, obviously. >> for charity. >> oh, yes. it rhymes. so we're off to a good start. yeah. we thought that, you know, it would be good to populate it with people, musicians, and comics that we like. bruno mars is performing and tenacious d and thai burrell from "modern family" and paul rudd. >> these people coming don't have alzheimer's. most of them have parents and grandparents and things that it affects so many people. >> definitely. and i think most people just are excited to do something charitable in a way that's also really fun and exciting and something that you would want to go to whether it was a charity event or not. >> is this out in l.a., seth? >> yeah, in los angeles this friday. >> this friday. >> can people get tickets or -- no. we told you all about it because you can't go. where can we buy tickets? >> there are some tickets still available. if you go to www.crowdrise.com/hilarity for charity, you can see what tickets are left. i'm up against edward norton and jonah hill and barbra streisand and they're all beating the crap out of me, so i really need help. please help me beat those people. >> we'll work on it. >> thank you very much. >> what's your next project? >> my next project, i think -- actually, the next one is with barbra streisand. i filmed a movie about a mother and son that go on a road trip across america together. >> oh, my gosh. >> what was that like working with her? >> amazing. really great. it was like being stuck with my own mother. >> on the road. was she fun? >> the best part about barbra streisand is when you shoot a movie about driving across america with her you don't leave malibu. >> she doesn't like to go far. >> exactly. >> when will that be out? >> that will be out in november. >> okay. >> i'll be back. >> please bring your mother with you. congrats on everything. >> thank you so much. >> up next, one of the oldest professions. >> really? >> we are not going to tell you what it is. no, no, no. it's not shoe shining. it's not shoe shining. it's the other one. right? felt like t, 2:30 in the afternoon, a lot to do, and you've hit the wall. but you got to get stuff done. so take 5-hour energy. just open it up, knock it back, and roll up your sleeves. 5-hour energy is faster and easier than coffee. man, does it work. you'll get that alert, energized feeling you need to get stuff done. a lot of stuff. wow. look at you go. 5-hour energy. when you gotta get stuff done. [ male announcer ] next time, try a subway turkey blt or a fresh fit turkey melt, merely 7 grams of fat each. subway. eat fresh. with smooth caramel and chocolate. ♪ hmm twix. also available in peanut butter. but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! ♪ one of these days these boots are going to walk all over you ♪ >> time for "sara in the city." stepping out of the comfort of the city to try out another famous occupation. >> which leads us to the one question, sara, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into this week? >> i don't even know where to begin with that. trying new jobs around the city has been exhausting and i've noticed wear and tear on my shoes. this week i decided to give my kicks a cleaning and learn the secret to shoe shining. new york's penn station sees millions of commuters each day, all with places to go and people to meet. every now and then this foot traffic has to put on the brakes and make a stop. shining shoes for 13 years, this penn station favorite was about to meet its newest employee. hi. what makes a good shoe shiner? i have never polished a shoe. >> it's all about the personality. the personality. and i'm sure you're good with that. i'm pretty sure you're good with that. >> tell me about the skills i might need to work on. with him at my side, this was one feat i was ready to tackle. wow, you could use a shine. all i was missing was customers. anyone need a shoe shine? >> i need a shine. >> yeah, you do. i noticed your shoes. you get your shoes shined here a lot? >> i do. but i've never seen you. >> we have to get the paint off so, you know -- >> i see that. you have nice socks, sir. shoe shining is actually a three-step process. first, the cleaning. >> you're going to do this. >> okay. >> you're going to wrap it really tight. >> next, the polish. i'm not going near the buckle. >> how many shoes have you shined? >> besides you? >> yeah. zero? >> yeah. a customer with a good sense of humor and not in a rush, a rookie's dream. >> so, like, a commuter would be in trouble with you. >> the average shoe shine lasts five to seven minutes. the key word here, "average." >> you only have to do that, like, two or three times. >> oh, we do this again? wow, this is tiring. i'm bored. how about you? and apparently my shoe needed a little extra help. wait. why are we changing shoes? am i not doing a good job? >> no. you're doing good. >> it was time for the final step. the buff. this is how shoes really get their shine. are you impressed? i know. i can see myself in there. >> it's actually pretty good. i was nervous. >> you weren't expecting this type of -- >> quality. >> a surprised and satisfied customer. are you going to request me next time? >> absolutely. i will. pepe, look! we made money! whooo, whooo, whooo! and that was just the beginning of a long day's week. can i get a hat, please? i was getting fired up. oh, my gosh. you're lighting your foot on fire. a special trick to add extra shine. oh, my god! no challenge or boot was too large for my talent. what makes you say that? no train to catch, right? what else is there to learn? >> well, that there's one more thing. one, two, three, four. >> yes. the shoe shiners actually dance on demand. whooo! no doubt about it. i had really become one shoe shining star. i learned how to shoe shine. i got a little dancing in. i'm exhausted. who knew this was going to take so much energy? i think you missed a spot on the right. right there. i had a wonderful time with this old man. i have a whole new appreciation for the art and skill of shoe shining. actually, i learned on average most people should be getting their shoes shined at least once a week depending on -- >> frank does it himself. every morning. >> my dad used to do it himself. >> why were you calling the guy pepe when his name was xavier? >> my ears were a little -- i was getting sick, i think. >> all right. >> still to come, do you spank your kids? we'll talk about parenting secrets. >> and the real housewives of beverly hills camille brown. we are back on this booze day tuesday with more of "today" and joy's 10,000-pound weight loss challenge. >> it's been fantastic. hopefully her tips are catching on. it is time to hear how far we've come in just one week. >> in one week -- >> yes, the big reveal. >> we have collectively lost -- >> what's happening? >> where is our graphic? >> there it is. you see it? >> 7,740 pounds. >> that's in a week? >> in one week. >> and we look good. >> we look really good. >> wow. >> we have thousands and thousands of people that have formally signed up, but aside from that, we have over 50,000 people that are following along with us. so if people are watching us for the first time, it's not too late to sign up. >> they're not fudging? >> they're not fudging. >> there's nothing to be gained by fudging. >> they're not fudging! 7,740 pounds. >> in one week. >> i think we're going to hit our 10,000-pound mark next week. >> i think so. >> we need more people. go to the web and sign up. >> great foods you can eat that you might not think are low in carbs and calles but they are. >> shrimp is only eight calories apiece. if you order a shrimp cocktail with the sauce in a restaurant as an appetizer, less than 100 calories. great starter. >> i do love that. >> you do. hoda also orders french fries. >> it balances it out. sugar snap peas you can munch to your heart's content because they're only 50 calories a cup. and they're sweet and they're crisp, whether you eat them raw or cooked. love them. >> love them. >> and edamame keeps your energy up and your hunger at bay. i love these come in the small microwavable pouches. >> that's great. >> you take them along with you, nuke them, have a great snack. >> nice to have a little bite with something. >> this is a funny one. i don't think they get enough love. 150 calories, water chestnuts, low in sodium so they get rid of bloat. >> i'm there. >> i wish i had a little salsa. next, balsamic vinegar. it's the ultimate flavoring item because it's only 10 to 20 calories per tablespoon and i'll show you how to whip up a great slimming balsamic vinaigrette. half a cup of balsamic vinegar, a quarter cup of water, three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. >> that adds up. >> one tablespoon of dijon mustard for some tanginess. and we have a teaspoon each of honey and garlic powder. there's no sodium i'm adding. it's less than 30 calories per tablespoon. we'll use it for our next item. whoops. >