good morning. breaking news. a coast guard plane collides with a military chopper overnight off the coast of california. this morning, nine people are missing as a search-and-rescue operation gets under way. severe weather. a line of storms strching from michigan to texas. dangerous flooding and tornadoes in parts of the south, including one in louisiana that sent a massive church steeple crashing down on a car, injuring the driver. and trick-or-treat. we're throwing a halloween extravaganza on the plaza, and our crowd is dressed for the occasion. so, what will we all be? you're about to find out today, friday, october 30th, 2009.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television kind of cool. good morning. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. we're going to have much more on that collision between a marine chopper and a coast guard plane in a moment, but the other big story today are the storms down south. >> we have some wild weather -- >> geez! stop it. >> already produced several tornadoes on thursday in arkansas and louisiana, including one powerful enough to rip that huge steeple off a church. we're going to get to all of that, and al will have his halloween forecast coming up in just a moment. also ahead, a courtroom surprise for phillip garrido, the california man accused along with his wife of holding jaycee dugard captive for 18 long years. well, during a hearing on thursday, garrido came face to face with a woman he was convicted of abducting and raping more than three decades ago. why did she want to cfront him

in court? we're going to ask her in a live interview. also ahead, we're going to hear some alarming stories commercial pilots are sharing -- they're sharing them anonymously -- about extreme fatigue on the job. in some cases, even where a pilot fell asleep in the cockpit. we'll talk more about that. let's begin with the breaking news off southern california's coast. a mid-air collision between a coast guard plane and a marine helicopter. jim miklaszewski is at the pentagon with more. >> reporter: by all accounts, this was a horrific crash. eyewitnesses explain a huge fireball exploding in the early night sky from miles away. now, the crash occurred off the coast of southern california, near san clemente, about 7:00 pacific time. when the coast guard ac-130 collided in midair with a marine corps cobra attack helicopter, there were seven crew members aboard the coast guard plane and two crew members aboard that

cobra helicopter. now, the cause of the crash is obviously still under investigation, but weather doesn't appear to be a factor. although it was dark, skies were clear and there were light winds and calm seas. there's an intensive search that's continued all night long with navy ships, coast guard cutters and helicopters from both the navy and coast guard. but as of now, matt, there is no report that any of the possible survivors have been found. >> mick, what is the pentagon saying about what these aircraft were doing out there? were these training missions, what? >> well, for the marines, that cobra helicopter is one of their stalwart attack helicopters used in afghanistan and iraq, and they were indeed in a nighttime training mission. the c-130 coast guard plane is used as a long-range surveillance plane in counternarcotics operations, tracking boats, drug boats, coming up from the south of the pacific. and so, it appears that that coast guard cutter was on a

narcotics mission at the time of the crash. >> all right. thank you very much. jim miklaszewski at the pentagon this morning. it's three minutes after the hour. here's meredith. matt, thank you. now to the severe storms down south and that amazing survival story after a church steeple came crashing down on top of a man's car. nbc's ron mott is in shreveport, louisiana, for us this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, meredith, good morning to you. you can see the weather is still over this area. this car waso match for this giant steeple you see behind me. it fell off the church in one piece, trapping this man inside a mangled mess. and the pastor who says he saw this tornado barrel down on the building says it could have been much worse. firefighters used the jaws of life to rescue a man from a deadly looking scene after a soaring steeple was ripped off a church, crushing his car. the pastor of first united methodist had a front-row seat of the looming disaster. >> it started, sounded like a plane was coming near us and i look out the window and i could see off in the distance a funnel

cloud head toward our church. >> reporter: when the twister passed seconds later, a downtown shreveport landmark lay scattered in the street while a driver lie trapped in his lexus alive. >> immediately rushed up there to see if we could help the person. we could tell he was in very, very bad shape. >> reporter: but the man, identified as local artist michael williams, amazingly suffered only minor injuries. >> it was miraculous that the man was not killed. if there had been someone in the driver seat beside him, they would have been killed. >> reporter: officials say at least one person died in louisia when a potent line of storms that spawned numerous tornadoes tore across the region thursday, destroying mobile homes, downing trees and knocking out power. it was a day to count blessings, the pastor says, when there were many to tally. >> we're very, very fortunate that people were not more severely injured. >> reporter: at last report, the 57-year-old driver was in the hospital listed in fair condition and improving. he's obviously got quite a story to tell, meredith. >> yeah. a true miracle.

ron mott, thank you very much. al's upstairs. he's tracking this line of storms for us. al, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt and meredith. and this is a very potent system. you can see stretching from the plains all the way down into the gulf coast. behind this system we've got snow. we're talking about quite a bit of snow. take a look right now at this video from colorado, golden, colorado. anywhere from eight inches of snow to two feet of snow have fallen over the last 48 hours. it is finally, though, starting to wind down. and in fact, as we look at our map, show you, there are blizzard warnings in efct, because even though there are minor accumulations still expected, we've got very strong winds. so, those are going to be some big problems. we've got also quite a bitf rain coming down here. as you look, risk area, jackson, mississippi, to tupelo. still the strong possibility of strong storms and tornadoes. we have flood warnings in effect for rain from texas to louisiana, up into indiana. last night there was a dramatic rescue from a woman who tried to drive through an overpass -- or an underpass, i should say. her car got stuck.

she tried to back out. it got sucked in. heavy rain causing all those problems. a woman and her son were luckily rescued by a passerby, good samaritan. then rescue crews got them out finally safely. remember, turn around, don't drown. do not try to drive your cars through those kind of waters. you don't know what's going to happen. and we're still looking for another three to four inches of rain before it's all over, especially from memphis all the way down into louisiana. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. and now to the economy and a new sign the recession could be over. the dow jumped nearly 200 points on thursday after an important economic indicator showed its strongest growth in two years. dylan ratigan is a financial journalist and host of msnbc's morning meeting." dylan, good morning. >> good morning to you. >> in the third quarter, we saw growth in the economy that you typically see over the period of a year, leading some people to say the recession is over. are they right? >> as measured by the output of our economy, which at this point is being driven by the

government subsidies provided that we talked about last year, yes, the economy has shown signs of life, thank god, as a result of the taxpayer bailout delivered last fall. >> but if it was because of government spending, things like the stimulus package or cash for clunkers that kind of thing, then is that artificial growth? >> well, i mean, growth is growth, right? in other words, if i buy a hamburger from you and you sell me a hamburger and take the $2 and spend it to buy a piece of candy, wherever that money came from doesn't matter. we're creating activity -- >> but once the stimulus is all used up, then what happens? >> so, that's the big -- you're asking the right question. and so, what we've done is basically borrowed a bunch of money from the taxpayer to resurrect the gambling casino that the financial markets have been built on over the past ten years because that's how our economy has been built, with the sort of casino consumer culture. but the question is, how do we make a transition from the casino consumer culture, from the sort of highly speculative situation we found ourselves in

and we've brought back, and how do we take this moment of borrowing from the taxpayers' future to resurrect the economy, to rewrite the rules so that we don't get into this situation again? >> well, the president has said that it won't be a real recovery until there are jobs created. and right now, the jobless rate hovering right below 10%. is it possible we could be seeing a jobless recovery? >> yes. part of the problem with resurrecting the economy by borrowing a bunch of taxpayer money to fund the financial community, particularly now that we're seeing incredibly reckless and risky behavior happening from the banks using taxpayer money, because why wouldn't you? in other words, they just were able to make all this money using other people's money, so, we gave them more, they're continuing to do that. as they do that, it deprives the balance of our economy of the resources necessary to create future growth, to provide the money necessary for cure for cancer, trip to space, driverless car, all the things that make america america are

because we are able to put money into our future, not take money from our future, as we have, and use it for financial speculation. >> so, as you pointed out before, this is a little bit like -- talked about the holiday -- trick-or-treat? >> that's right. wehave a real level of economic activity we've gotten back, thank god. we need to take this window of borrowed money to support our economy, to reite the rules for long-term stability. we'll see what the government does. >> all right. dylan ratigan, thank you so much. it is 7:10 and here's matt. thank you. secretary of state hillary clinton is wrapping up her three-day visit to pakistan. she had strong words for the country's leaders when it comes to the fight against al qaeda. foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is traveling with secretary clinton and sat down with her overnight. andrea, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. some are calling hillary clinton's blunt criticism of pakistan tough love. she said to us today when we sat down with her that it was all part of her game plan, but on this visit, it was completely

overshadowed on day one by that bombing in peshawar. >> it was such a tragic event. the loss of life, particularly targeting women and children. >> reporter: but when you went and talked to the university students, you went in, came across a wall of resistance, suspicion, low-grade anger. they said, you know, why should we trust you? america has betrayed us in the past. how do you deal with that? >> i wanted to get that out on the table, because the pakistanis have talked about a trust deficit, and it's a two-way street. we have questions, they have questions. we need to be responding and we need to be as open as possible. so, i thought it was actually very healthy that there was no false politeness. >> everywhere else you've traveled in the world, you've come across skepticism and some tough questions, but your star power, your personality, your passion, your commitment, all of that has won people over.

that audience was silent. there was no applause. >> but think about it, andrea. i would have had some of the same tough questions. in fact, i was thinking back. there was one young woman who was standing up, and she was, you know, very kind about me personally and all the kinds of things that people say -- >> reporter: and then she let you have it. >> and then she came with a zinger. and i thought, oh, my gosh, there but accident of birth go i. >> reporter: you said i'm not going to dance around the issues. >> right. >> reporter: and you were blunt. and then you basically, you laid out the suspicions that americans and the american government has long had, that the pakistani government missed opportunities, did not go after al qaeda aggressively enough. people are really angry about that in the government and outside of the government. >> oh, i don't think so. >> reporter: what if your visit makes things worse, incases the distrust, the suspicion? >> i don't think so. i don't think so. that's not at all my impression or what we're finding as we look at all the reaction across the

country. >> reporter: this has been the worst, the deadliest month in afghanistan now. >> it has been. >> reporter: a terrible toll. the president took the unusual step of going in the middle of the night to dover for that very solemn ceremony. >> well, i really am grateful that the president went, because he did it not only o of his personal concern but because he does represent our country. >> reporter: is there a way out of afghanistan for the american people? >> absolutely. i mean, this is not an open-ended, never-ending commitment. >> reporter: still, clinton is gambling that tough talk to a close ally will rebuild trust, not create more resentment. matt? >> all right, andrea mitchell in pakistan this morning. andrea, thank you very much. david gregory is the moderator of "meet the press." hi, david, good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> let's talk about these tough words from secretary clinton to our allies in the fight against terrorism. basically, she says she finds it hard to believe that nobody in the pakistani military knows

where al qaeda is and questions their effort to go out and find them. what's behind this strategy besides frustration, perhaps? >> well, frustration and a deliberate attempt and strategy of bluntness, to try to embolden those in t civilian side of the government who are willing to fight al qaeda, and deed, pakistan has ramped up efforts to fight al qaeda in areas where they have not taken the organization on before, and it comes as the united states is providing a lot of aid here. so, you hear the secretary of state saying we're going to put these issues out here and try to push something forwar administration officials say, look, the private approach has not worked as well. >> but does she risk some backlash from this, david? >> yeah, potentially. i think there's no question about it, because pakistan is a very fragile place politically, between the government and the ar. and this can only exacerbate tensions, but the government has made a determination that pushing this more openly might actually embolden those who realize they have to take a

different tactic against terrorists. >> let me talk about something we covered in the middle of the week, and that was president obama's visit to dover air force base, and he witnessed the solemn transfe of those bodies of the americans who were killed in afghanistan earlier in the week. it was an unscheduled visit. but of course, in the end, it turns out to be a bit of a photo op. what is the message being sent by the white house here? >> look, i think beyond what's on its face, which is honoring our war dead, which is important, i do think the president is sending a message about the fact that he is going to factor in the loss of life in this conflict to those who might say he's dithering, he's going to say, every life is precious and that this war has cost, and before i surge up troops and send perhaps tens of thousands more, i'm going to get up close and personal with the fact that people die in war, and that's a reality of what's happening in afghanistan. and i also think he wants to send a message to the american people that just we have to have an emotional connection to this conflict and make very clear that this is something worth dying for, if that's the path that he's going to take the country on. >> david, who do you have sunday on "meet the press"? >> we're going to talk about the

economy with tim geithner. we have david plouffe, who's the campaign manager for barack obama about the first part of the campaign. >> if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." david, thanks again. now let's check on our other top stories. ann curry's at the news desk, and right now, you still are ann. >> i am. but that's apparently going to change. meredith and matt, good morning. good morning, everybody. we begin with word this morning that iran has now rejected a plan to export its stockpile of uranium. the report from western diplomats would be a setback in the efforts to slow iran's nuclear ambitions, and it would also mean that iran is rejecting a deal its own negotiators agreed to last week in vienna. western diplomats say iran instead wants to continue enriching uranium inside iran but under u.n. supervision. congress, meantime, is moving toward possible sanctions, more sanctions against iran over its nuclear program. today in afghanistan, a bomb exploded under a taxi, killing nine civilians, including a

mother and her child. the u.s. has a new top doctor amid a national emergency over swine flu. on thursday, 3 1/2 months after she was nominated, the senate confirmed dr. regina benjamin, an alabama family physician, to be surgeon general. massive fires are burning in western india, where an oil depot burst into flames on thursday. at least five people are dead. six are trapped and more than 150 others are hurt. here's a little good news. remember that this is the weekend to set your blocks back an hour on saturday night, and that means that most of the u.s. returns to standard time and you get another hour of sleep. and the world series is all even this morning at one win apiece after the yankees beat the phillies last night 3-1. game three of the best-of-seven series is tomorrow night. so, matt has a special extra twinkle in his eye this morning, you know why. it is now 7:17. let's go back to the aforementioned matt -- >> actually, a little

blurry-eyed. >> a little blurry-eyed. i was at the game last night. >> congratulations. now it's a series. >> it was always a series. >> but now it's even, so it's fun. al's outside with a check of the weather. >> that's right. >> and he's going to select our first finalist in our halloween costume contest. >> yeah, we're all in a good mood now that daddy got spanked. we've got a damasel in distress. sarah hirsch. love the costume. how long did it take you? >> about a week. >> thank you. did you have trouble getting on the subway? >> yeah. goinggoing through the turnstil it's been a good morning. here, we have quite a bit of cloudiness around, a little bit of patchy drizzle from time to time as you head off to work and school on this friday morning. we are in the low and mid 50s now. the view from space showing clouds that cover the sky from new england to florida. producing a little mist and

drizzle. cloudy and low 60s. passing showers are >> woo woo! meredith. >> al, thank you very much. the nasty feud between former alaska governor sarah palin and levi johnston, the father of palin's grandson, has reached a new level o ugliness. nbc's norah o'donnell is in washington with details. norah, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. ugly is right. sarah palin is blasting levi johnston. she says she's appalled by his latest comments about her family, and palin calls him desperate for posing for "playgirl." three weeks before sarah palin debuts her new book "going rogue," she's going after levi johnston, her daughter's ex-fiance, who's infuriated the ex-governor by spreading what he

calls family secrets in recent interviews, the latest with "entertainment tonight." >> i would say bristol was more of a mother than she was. >> reporter: the 19-year-old johnston is also planning to pose nude for "playgirl." >> you ever read "playgirl," levi? >> no. >> do you know what "playgirl" is? >> do you have qualifications? >> i guess it's dude posing for women. >> reporter: last week, palin lashed out at johnston, the father of her own grandchild, saying "those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say and do anything for even more attention." >> i have things i can, you know, that would get her in trouble and could hurt her, will hurt her, but i'm not going to go that far. >> reporter: it's just the latest bizarre twist in this family feud turned ugly. johnston is clearly unhappy with how the palin family has treated him after palin's daughter bristol broke up with him. >> you know. if we're going to take the gloves off, i'm going to tell a little bit of somethin >> reporter: just this week on cbs, levi accused palin of

referring to her baby trig trig, who has down syndrome, in disparaging terms. that has palin furious. in a statement, she said, "we like many are appalled by the inflammatory statements being made or implied. trig is our blessed little angel who knows it and is lovingly called that every day of his life." the bitter breakup of bristol palin and levi is just part of the drama that has followed palin since she burst onto the national stage as john mccain's running mate. she shocked many with her sudden decision to step down as governor with a year and a half left in office. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: then the news that she could collect millions to write a book, an autobiography she completed in just months. still, what's next for palin is not clear. >> oh, you know, i wish i could predict the future. cannot, so can't answer that questionight now. >> well, about her future, the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows a drop in sarah palin's approval ratings from this time last year, at an

all-time low, just 27%. meredith? >> all right, norah o'donnell, thank you very much. and still ahead, a former victim of phillip garrido, the california man accused of abducting jaycee dugard, faces her tormenter in court. she speaks out in a live interview

so, you've already chosen your -- >> i've got one. >> -- favorite? lady on the tracks? >> lady on the tracks. >> i'm going here with the zille phone, and part of the zilophone's down! are you okay? what's your name? >> my name's alison. >> show me how this works. >> okay, we have julia, we have sloan -- >> go ahead. >> we've got steven, max and that's reid down there. >> i love this. >> this is fantastic. >> do you have a finalist? >> well, he's playing to our nbc ego here, but i'm going with the peacock. what's your name? >> billy martin. >> billy martin.

you knew when you came here we were going to love this. >> yeah, a little bit. >> okay, well, i think you're fantastic. >> thank you. >> that's my choice. >> cool. >> you're going to find out what we're wearing -- >> and we're going to crown a winner as well.

good morning, everyone. 7:26 is the time. it's friday, october 30th, 2009. i'm barbara harrison. in the news at this hour, we have breaking news from our county, chopper 4 is above a serious accident near the northeast station west of dwi marshall airport. it involves a howard transit bus. more than one person has been injured. one was taken by hospital via ambulance. we are continuing to follow this. we will bring you more information as we get ithis morning. we will take a break and come back with weather and

here to talk about our weather for today and the weekend. >> perfect halloween weather, cloudy and misty and mysterious. low 60s today. warmer tomorrow. likely, late afternoon and evening showers on saturday into saturday night through midday sunday and cooler late on sunday. how is the traffic? northwest washington, serious accident. pedestrian has been hit at the int next of north capital and missouri avenue. both northwest capital and missouri avenue are closed at the intercession.

beltway, over river road coming along nicely. coming up tonight on news 4

♪ 7:30 now on this friday morning, the 30th day of october 2009. and we are getting a head start, as you can see, on halloween. all sorts of folks dressed in their halloween finest out on the plaza. we'll be joining the fun in just a bit. meanwhile, i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer. and matt, we certainly have a tough act to follow. >> creative people. >> also when you consider some of our previous costumes. but i think, you know wt? i think we've outdone ourselves this year. anyway, the big reveal. we will see what happens. coming up as well, airline pilots and ereme fatigue. coming up, we'll hear some stunning firsthand accounts from

the cockpit and find out what's about to be done to hopefully improve the situation and safety for everyone who flies. and a quick programming note. you've probably seen that terrifying video of the stroller with a baby inside plunging into the path of an oncoming train. >> well, thankfully, that child survived. and coming up on monday on "today," we're going to have an exclusive interview with that child's mother and meet the extremely lucky infant as well. but we're going to begin with an emotional scene in a california courtroom. it happened on thursday at a hearing for phillip and nancy garrido. they are the couple accused of kidnapping and holding jaycee dugard captive for 18 years. a woman who phillip garrido was convicted of raping more than 30 years ago showed up to face her attacker at that hearing. we're going to talk to her in just a moment. but first, nbc's lee cowan has the details. >> reporter: when phillip garrido and his wife nancy walked into court to face charges stemming from the jaycee dugard case, sitting not 20 yards away was a blond-haired

ghost from a different crime. >> that man has been a part of my life, just the name, if nothing else, for 32 years. >> reporter: katie calloway was only 26 the last time she saw garrido in a courtroom back in 1977. he was being tried for raping her. he was convicted and sentenced to 50 years. katie went on about her life but was shocked to find out that garrido was released early after only 11 years. how did she find out? garrido showed up at work. did he say anything? >> well, he said "hi, katie." >> reporter: she says she quickly notified the parole board that he was a danger but was ignored. and there it sat for more than 20 years with katie always looking over her shoulder, until garrido sudnly made headlines again, this time for allegedly kidnapping and raping jaycee dugard. >> i just started screaming, you know? i went, "that's the man who kidnapped me! oh, my god!" >> reporter: her husband

couldn't believe it. >> i always knew he was out there, but i never knew it was going to be this guy, which is a littledifferent. >> reporter: with garrido safely behind bars for the dugard crime, katie decided if she was ever going to face down her fears, now is the time. so, she and her husband packed up the dog and the car and drove nine hours from las vegas to placerville to s her attacker in person. >> when he came in that door, i almost lost my hat. immediately grabbed on. his eyes went straight to her for a moment, and i'm sure to her, it was a long moment. >> i thought i'd sit there and look at him, you know, in victory, you know, you jerk, i survived, and you're going down, you know? but it didn't -- it hit me completely different. >> reporter: phillip garrido was escorted back to his jail cell just minutes later, as he awaited his next appearance in the jaycee dugard case, but for katie, she got what she came for. what was that glance like?

>> it was a hard glance, because he looked at me, he focused in on me and i focused in on him, and it was a real hard glare. >> reporter: words weren't needed, she says. 30 years or not, the trauma remains. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, placerville. >> and katie calloway hall is with us now. katie, good morning to you. thanks for joining us. >> good morning, meredith. thank you for having me. >> oh, not at all. i wanted to pick up on wh you said to lee cowan, that once you finally faced phillip garrido, you would look with a sense of victory, but instead, it hit you differently. how so? >> oh, it took me by total surprise, my reaction, and i can't even explain why except to tell you that on some deep subconscious level, i reacted to this man in a way i didn't expect to. i expected to be really strong to go in there and do what i wanted to do, to face him.

i intend to be a watchdog in this case, so to speak. it's what i need to do for me. it's really what i need to do for me. i know that what happened to jaycee is not my fault, but i have to live with this every day now. >> what do you mean you have to live with this eve day? >> well, what he did to jaycee, what he did to this little girl because i couldn't -- because, i don't know, because i wasn't vigilant enough to keep track of him after he was paroled or something. i just can't explain it. i feel on some level not responsible, but i just feel that i should have done more. and like i said, it's just -- it's something i'm going to have to live with, and i'm doing this for myself, but i'm also doing it to make sure this man is put away forever. i want to see it with my own eyes. i want to see it with my own ears. >> but katie, you were the victim in all this, and when he was paroled after 11 years -- he

was supposed to serve 50 years, that was the original sentence -- you talked to the parole board. you said this man is a danger. what more could you have done? you were living in fear at that point, weren't you, that he might come after you again? >> you know, if the parole board hadn't been so dismissive to me and had maybe encouraged me to call them, to, you know, feel free to call us, check on him, whatever. they were extremely dismissive. they pretty much told me go away, little girl, have a nice life, we'll watch him, don't worry, you know. there's nothing you can do. and i had to trust them and pretty much just had to look out for myself. and yes, i had to look over my shoulder my whole life. >> talk to me about that moment when you finally did come face to face with him in the courtroom, at the hearing. because i know when you testified against him back in 1977, you made a point not to look him in the face. so, this time, you guys locked eyes. what was that moment like for you?

>> well, like i said, i was not expecting my reaction, and it was -- i was trying to stay focused on him and just look at him. and all these feelings were surging through me that i didn't expect. i almost broke down. i almost -- i started tearing up and i couldn't understand why and i couldn't control it, but i hope that that's not going to happen next time. i hope i've got that initial meeting out of the way and now i know what to expect. >> katie, now that you have confronted him and you say that you plan to go to every hearing and you plan to be there for the trial as well, do you think when this is over you will finally be able to close the chapter on this part of your life, or will this always haunt you to some extent? >> i douthought this chapter wa closed. i pretty much closed it and went on with my life. it's been, like i said, just

under the surface of my life. and i thought this was in its box and put away, but this has -- this pandora's box has opened for me and now i'm dealing with it again on a different level. it's like i've been revictimized myself. and i'm just doing what i think i need to do, which is to follow this case carefully, be there, see with my own eyes and make sure this man is put away forever. that's my intent, and i hope thatives mclosure. i really do. i'm sure it will, but i intend to reregister with the victim witness program so that as long as he is in custody for the rest of his life, i hope, they will have to keep me informed of anything that goes on with him. >> maybe he has met his match in katie callaway hall. katie, thank you very much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. now let's switch gears and get a check of the weather from al. >> thank you, meredith. and as we take a look and see what's going on as far as your weekend's concerned, we've got wet weather on halloween day from the northeast all the way

down into the southeast. some morning showers around the great lakes. mountain snows in the pacific northwest, sunny and warm from texas on into the southwest. then on sunday, morning showers move out, hopefully in time for the marathon here in new york. showers in the central plains, good morning. it's cloudy, cool, and damp around the region on this friday morning. we have a little patchy drizzle. 54, washington. the clouds will be with us here throughout the rest of the day and into most of the weekend as well. highs today in the low 60s. perhaps a little patchy drizzle tomorrow morning and dry through mid to late afternoon saturday. late afternn >> that's your latest weather. for your forecast all day long, check out the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. and still ahead, our big

costume reveal live on the plaza. but up next, alarming stories from the cockpit. pilots admit to extreme fatigue, causing mistakes at the controls.

now to airline safety. the issue of pilot fatigue is back in the headlines following that northwest airlines flight thatovershot its destination by more than 100 miles. in that case, the pilots say they were distracted, not asleepbut it does rae the larger question, and now the faa is about to take action. nbc's tom costello's at reagan national airport with more on this. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt, good morning. the faa has an anonymous reporting system that it encourages all pilots to use, essentially report themselves anonymously on a website, and

that helps the faa really look at glaring safety issues. one chief issue has become pilot fatigue. they are harrowing firsthand stories from the cockpit. a pilot of a 737 who after days of delays, cancellations and little sleep, admits, "my eyes were sunken into my head. my best saving grace was the captain i've flown with before who kept catching my mistakes." the pilot on an international flight who says, "during the first leg of the trip, i caught myself making little mistakes. during the second leg, i started feeling the effects of fatigue, including nodding off and misprogramming the flight computer." the 737 pilot who had difficulty staying awake while on approach to denver -- "i had been doing everything in my power to stay awake -- coffee, gum, candy. as we entered one of the most critical phases of flight, i had been up for 20 straight hours." and the captain of a regional jet who reported falling asleep multiple times during the flight after just three hours of sleep.

"due to irregular sleep, i was physicly trembling and could not think in coherent sentences." the pilots say it can be a daily issue. >> the most critical phase of flight is the descent and landing. and at the end of a 16-hour day, a pilot cannot possibly be on top of their game after being on duty for 16 hours. >> reporter: the faa rules that allow airlines to schedule pilots for 16-hour shifts with 8 hours oflying have been on the books since the 1940s, and the ntsb has cited fatigue as a factor in more than 250 airline accident deaths over just the past 15 years, including the american airlines crash in little rock in 1999 that killed 11, a regional jet crash in missouri in 2004 that killed 13, and still under investigation, the colgan air crash in buffalo last february that killed 50. now the faa is rewriting the pilot maximum workday rules, something the nation's top safety agency says is long overdue. >> we want to make sure that

they are using scientifically based principles to schedule pilots. we have seen fatigue as a factor in too many aviation accidents for this to continue to go unaddressed. >> reporter: the new faa rules are expected by the end of the year, and this comes as both the faa -- pardon me, both the air transport association, in other words, the airlines, as well as the unions, have been pushing the faa to allow some managed naps in the cockpit, one pilot at a time, so that they are awake and alert during that critical descent and landing period, which, matt, always comes at the end of a pilot's very long day. back to you. >> all right. tom costello at reagan national airport this morning. tom, thank you very much. mark rosenker is a former chairman of the national transportation safety board. mark, good to see you. >> good morning, matt. >> these are startling stories, and they're coming from the pilots themselves, although anonymously. what should they do to our letter of confidence in terms of what's going on behind those locked and armed doors? >> well, the good news is that we have got programs, fatigue

mitigation programs, fatigue management programs, that the companies are beginning to implement, and those are very important to begin the process of getting rid of this insidious condition. >> but you know, the rules, as tom just mentioned, governing fatigue and pilot workload and things like that were written in the 1940s. why has it taken so long to adjust them and change them? >> i wish i could give you a good answer. we've been on the books since 1990 asking the faa to make changes, to update these pilot hours of service rules. and unfortunately, we have not been very successful. but the good news is, matt, i believe something is coming, and i believe it's going to be an extremely good improvement. >> what about this idea of naps? i mean, you almost want to smile when you hear it, but this is important. we know what it can do for us in our lives. should there be some system like other airlines have in other countries allowing some controlled, guided or governed naps among the cockpit crew?

>> the research shows that it's been extremely helpful. it does begin to reduce the fatigue. so, i believe you may end up seeing some opportunities in the new regulations that will be coming. >> and this website that the faa keeps up with, where the pilots go there anonymously to report these incidents. what it tells you, mark, is that the pilots are afraid of repercussions if they come forward and report this. they're afraid they're going to get punished, and we hear that from the pilots union. doesn't the faa have to kind of eliminate that fear and say, no, you will not be punished if you report a real problem like this? >> there are programs that are in effect today. the asap program is a very effective program which basically asks for the pilots to report any type of error that may have been made so that it is a learning moment rather than any type of a punishment issue. >> yeah. the irony here, of course, i mean, the risk of punishment is so much less than what could possibly happen if a tired pilot gets in the cockpit. obviously, not only to the cockpit crew, but the passengers

flying on that plane. >> i'm optimistic that the new rules are going to take into account the 21st century operations that we are in today. it's been many, many, many years too long in coming. >> all right, mark, thanks very much. you've been a big help to us this week. we appreciate it. >> my pleasure. still to come, on a lighter note, we're going to reveal our halloween costumes and join the party out on the plaza. but first, these messages.

well, we're going to pick some more finalists now for our halloween costume contest out on the plaza. al, we've each chosen one -- >> yes. >> actually, two in one. why don't you start? >> your name is? [ inaudible ] and you're a cowboy and a cowgirl or a little cow? >> i'm a cowgirl and our cowboy is working hard at new york city balloons -- >> very nice. she wants that -- >> we need that back. >> you can hold onto that. no. >> i love this. we have a diner and the waitress. jen weidenbaun from new york. where did you come up with this idea? >> well, originally, i'm from new jersey and diners are a very big part of new jersey culture. >> very nice. >> and we've got this interactive one. mary matthews. where are you from? >> i'm from brooklyn, new york. >> and look, there's meredith! >> yes, today show viewfinder. >> it's like 3d. >> we'll pick a winner.

sgood good morning and welcome. i'm barbara harrison. the time right now, 7:56. we are following breaking news on the rhodes. let's go to jerry edwards for latest. two serious accidents causing problems. this accident occurred just a short time ago closing down the intersection of north capital street and missouri avenue. north capital is blocked between hamilton street and new hampshire avenue. northbound delays jammed coming up from fergut place. the other problem up in howard county, route 1 is blocked off at this hour. at route 100, serious accident involving a bus. chopper 4 was over the scene. expect some delays to continue for the next hour or so. barbara? thank you very much, jerry. we will check with tom on the weather coming up. st

tom, tell us what we he can expect for the weather. we have the clouds around this morning. patchy drizzle around the blue ridge. at this hour, cloudy in washington. we have got a gentle, easterly breeze. live picture from our city camera. light fog in the air. feeling like halloween. cool, damp.

we will have the clouds throughout the rest of the day. temperatures only rising into the low 60s this afternoon. cloudy tonight, a little drizzle tomorrow morning. dry for much of the rest of saturday, except by sunset saturday. highs, before then, low 70s. occasional showers, sat evening through perhaps midday sun. drying out an cooling down sunday afternoon. turning our clocks back one hour late saturday night. dry for monday through much of next week and cool with highs near 60. barbara? thank you, tom. coming up tonight on news 4 at five, a frightening halloween tale.

it's 8:00 now on a friday morning, october 30th, 2009. the calendar says it's the 30th, but you know what? for us around here, it is october 31st, because we are celebrating halloween this morning, as you can see. our friends out on the plaza are getting into the act as well. we love that. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, al roker and ann curry. didn't give anything away, but how do you think the reaction will be to our costumes? >> oh, i think they're going to be thrilled. >> yeah? >> it's going to be spectacular. >> out of this world. >> yeah. >> people are going to be shocked, because you know, very scantily clad. >> well, that's what you asked

for, so they delivered. no, i know. >> why should this day be different than all other days, right? >> exactly. >> also a programming note. next week, we'll be kicking off a special series called "today gets a laugh," where we all get a chance to tickle your funny bone. >> first up, meredith is undercover at a mcdonald's. check this out. >> hi. i have two separate orders. >> whoa, whoa, whoa. two separate orders? okay. >> yes. a sweet tea -- >> wait, let's put this order through, then you circle around and do your next order. >> circle around? >> yeah. [ laughter ] >> you finally got to live out your dreams, right? >> but she was one of the nice ones. it got a little ugly. >> uh-oh. that's "today gets a laugh" starting monday here on "today." >> all right. now let's get a check of the morning's top stories. ann is heading upstairs to get her costume on, so amy robach is taking over duties at the news desk. amy, good morning. >> hey, good morning, everyone. a massive search effort is under way this morning off the southern coast of california after a coast guard plane and a

military helicopter collided. that crash between a marine corps cobra chopper and a coast guard c-130 transport plane happened last night about 15 miles east of san clemente island. one witness reported seeing a large fireball i the sky. nine people were on board the two aircraft. a major storm system across the midsection of the u.s. unleashed heavy rain and powerful winds, causing flooding and possible tornadoes in some areas. in shreveport, louisiana, high winds caused a church steeple to come crashing down onto a car, injuring the driver. there were five reports of tornadoes there. today, president obama and his closest advisers huddle in the white house situation room with the joint chiefs of staff to again discuss the way forward in afghanistan. and today the government is expected to announce an $87 million fine against oil giant bp, according to "the new york times," for failing to correct safety problems after an explosion that killed 15 plant workers in texas in 2005

asian markets are mostly higher this morning amid news of strong third-quarter growth in the u.s. bad news sent theow up almost 200 news thursday. and firefighters battling a trailer fire in sacramento thursday came to the rescue of a pair of puppies trapped inside. the adorable pooches were given oxygen and we're happy to say this morning they are doing fine. it is now 8:03. let's head back to meredith, matt and al. >> all right, amy, thank you very much. we need to get one last check of the weather now from al before he goes off and becomes someone completely different. >> that's right. which might be an improvement. anyway, let's see what's happening. our pick city of the day, hartford. we've got good wealth for hartford today, plenty of sunshine, not a bad one. and as we look at today's map, you're going to see strong storms firing up down through the south, heavy rain, flash flood watches and warnings out. behind that we've got blizzard warnings for parts of colorado on into nebraska. plenty of winds moving in the pacific northwest. we've got sunshine along the eastern seaboard. going to be a fairly mild day,

and going into tomorrow, we are >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks. next up, our big halloween costume reveal. what's that mean? right after this. my doctor tole i still had high cholesterol. that really hit me, and got me thinking about my health. i knew i had to get my cholesterol under control.

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>> announcer: this portion of "today" is brought to you by chevy. and welcome to "today's halloween special." you may be putting the last-minute touches on your costumes, but here on rockefeller plaza, the holiday is already well under way. >> that's right, matt, and this year's celebration is out of this world.

>> obi wan kenobi, you're my own hope. i know, you're probably wondering, why did i call you here? >> what do you want now, my master? >> let me ask you a question. just checking in, but the rebels, they always seem so testy -- >> master, shouldn't you -- >> the light saver, have you gotten into a good light saver fight? and are they l.e.d. lightsavers or fluorescents? because you know, we want to be environmentally correct. >> no, my master, but don't you -- >> and java the hut, any

relation to pizza the hut? >> master -- >> oh, gosh! man, should be able to knock a buzzard off a transport. woo! >> my master? >> yeah, what? >> i believe you have somewhere to be. >> oh, geez, i'm late! that's why i love you. you're my man. hey, let's call chewy, tell him to get the hyper drive ready. we've got to get out of here. chewy, come on, we've got to get going, let's go! >> i have a bad feeling about this.

[ deep breathing ] [ laughter ] >> as it opens. sorry i'm late. i was on my laptop in here. >> i've got a bad feeling about this! >> oh, man. >> hold on.

>> wow! >> where is -- >> where's hoda? >> hoda? >> you mean -- >> wait a minute, it's no longer hoda, it's yoda kotb! >> i am yoda, i am. >> you are perfect, you are. >> and where's kathie lee? >> oh, my gosh! didn't even recognize -- >> what a desolate place. >> why did it take you so long to get out of there? >> because we didn't quite time the hatch correctly. a little slower than we -- i thought it was going to go like -- >> i've always fantasized out

you as a blond. >> hey, we should just say, first of all, these props -- >> from lucas films, yeah. >> lucas films. george lucas, the man behind "star wars." amazing stuff. >> hold on. >> wait. >> we haven't revealed darth vader. >> who could it be? >> besides being asthmatic. >> i thought i would go a little against type. i am your father. >> who's your daddy? >> wow. pedro. >> exactly right. anyway, we want to thank all the people -- >> yeah, yeah. >> george lucas and lucas films. >> that's right. >> these incredible costumes, and -- >> that's the right thing, right? >> that's the light saver. >> and that's the pemperor's chair. >> and this is the natalie portman costume -- >> the one she actually wore. >> this is the original yoda costume. it is! >> it's a lot shorter.

>> i had to put heels on. i couldn't take it. i have to. >> actually, you're right, it's very cl that actually we got to be able to actually use some of the original parts of the movie. it's amazing. >> and this is the original chewy. >> and i've got to tell you, he smells a little bit. as only you could. >> look how tall he is. how tall are you really? >> he can't talk. >> how about ewok. >> you can't be at the other networks because you're here. don't touch my butt. >> whoa! >> when we come back, we're going to play a little jedi jeopardy. >> yes, we are. >> so get ready for that. we'll also pick the winners of the halloween costume contest for the people who came down to the plaza, and much, much more an almost halloween morning. (in unison) they say imports always get the best mileage. well, do they know this malibu offers

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and we are back, and now it's time to team up our warrior wannabes for a game of "jedi jeopardy." leia, darth vader, hans solo and the queen and yoda and c-3po. you'll point to a value from the big board. my hairy assistant chu baca will reveal the clue.

once i'm finished reading it, the first one to buzz in with the correct answer gets the points, but remember, if you blow it, we take the points away from your total score. and remember, this is "jedi jeopardy," so each answer has to be in the form of a question. >> got it. >> here are the categories -- actors and actresses, aliens and androids, quotables -- so here i'm leak for the missing word -- and space junk. okay? we're going to start with leia and darth vader. make a choice. >> go ahd, leia. >> actors and actresses for 200. >> actors and actresses for 200. he raided theaters as indiana jones in another popular film -- >> harrison ford. >> who is harrison ford! >> who is harrison ford is correct. >> they didn't ring the buzzer! no, no, no, they didn't ring their buzzer. >> we did. we did. >> a buzzer malfunction. >> princess, we did too. >> do we have to wait until you finish -- >> you have to wait until i'm finished reading the question. >> nobody said that. >> all right, yoda and hoda and

whoever, go ahead. >> quotables for 200. >> quotables for 200 -- >> quotables. >> chubaca. >> chewy. >> may the blank be with you. >> the force. >> what is the force! >> what is the force, correct. >> whatever. >> bravo. bravo! >> bravo. >> nice. you get to select. >> okay. ail yaeliens and androids for 4 >> for 400, short, furry forest creatures from "return of the jedi" -- who buzzed in first? who buzzed in first? >> mine's not working! >> who's the ewok. >> i buzzed in first! what is a ewok. >> we're going to give it to hans solo. >> why? why? >> because they haven't had one. >> this is ridiculous! >> what is an ewok. okay. >> quotables for 800. >> quotables for $800. i've got a very blank feeling about this. >> what is bad! >> down there. >> what is bad. >> what is bad feeling.

>> this is not working. my buzzer is malfunctioning. >> hold on. let me get my little violin. >> that's right. okay. >> okay. >> does anybody have a cinnabun? i am so hungry. >> go ahead. you get to choose. yoda, go. >> what is actors and actresses -- >> actors and actresses -- >> you don't have to ask that part in the question. actors and actresses for how many? >> $400. >> $400. he was the voice but not the body of darth vader -- >> oh, oh! >> james earl jones. who is james earl jones. >> very good. who is james earl jones. >> vader knew it. vader was saying it. >> okay. >> actors and actresses for $800. >> actors and actresses for $800. she followed her role as queen amidala with her freshman -- who rang in first? >> we did! we did. >> that would be me. >> we don't know why -- >> natalie portman. >> natalie had natalie portman. >> it's a game show. >> exactly. >> should we give them to

natalie? >> we got it first. >> last one. okay, choose. >> ail yaenz and androids -- >> space junk! >> aliens and androids for $600. >> this weeky co-pilot was originally based on george lucas's dog. >> who is chubaca. >> excuse me. you buzzed in first. >> ha! >> that's us. that's us. >> who is chubaca. >> that is correct. one last question, do we ve any idea where the score stands right now before we do the last question? hold on. they're giving it to me in the control room. 1800 hans solo in the lead, okay. >> yes. >> so. >> all right, quotables for $600. >> for $600. help me, obi wan kenobi, you're my only? >> hope! >> what is hope! >> what is hope. >> we're going to give it to everyone, which means that hans solo and queen amidala are

winners of "jedi jeopardy." >> way to go, hans. >> those were not the answers you were looking for. >> congratulations. >> congratulations. >> thank you. thank you. >> there is no prize. we're going to do the contest winners -- >> now? >> right now. all right, so come on down. >> can i help you? >> yes, you can. >> i've never heard such whining. >> because they cheated. they cheated. and i'm disturbed that i'm in love with you and you're my brother. >> let's go down -- >> they're cutting into -- >> thank you. >> now, we've got our six finalists here from our halloween contest -- >> i can't move until you fix these -- >> we've got to huddle quickly -- >> i'm trying to get up here. >> you're picking first, second and third. >> oh, right now? >> um, guys? >> guys. >> come on down. we need you. >> okay. >> okay. >> so, let's see. we have the girl on the damsel in distress. we have the interactive

viewmaster, the diner and the waitress, the cowgirl and the cow. >> jessica and julia. >> we've got the xylophone down here. you want to gather together and tell me what you think? >> yeah, me too, me too. second place? >> and -- >> okay, yeah, yeah. yes. >> okay. >> okay? >> all right. >> all right, so, here we go. al, you start. third place. >> third place! >> and a whole slew of prizes. >> a slew of stuff goes to -- >> yes. >> the viewmaster! >> congratulations. >> congratulations, viewmaster. all right. >> second place. >> second place, we did -- >> is the diner. >> the diner, that's right! >> diner. >> who was the diner? >> that's jen weidenbaun from

brooklyn. >> all right. >> a i want to go through a couple of the prizes. four tickets to "star wars" in concert playing in various cities throughout the year. we've got "star wars: clone wars" complete season one dvd box set, xbox 360 "star wars" games. "star wars" backpack with wheels. and the winner is? >> the damsel in distress! >> sarah hirsch from brooklyn, new york. took her a wee to make that costume. >> and brought it on the subway. we've got more, but first, your local news and weather. >> congratulations. >> where's hoda? >> yoda. >> being asthmatic. >> i thought i would go a little against type.

i am your father. our time is 8:26. 54 degrees here in the nation's capital. kind of hazy. we will get the forecast from tom kierein. good morning. i'm joe krebs. we have breaking news to tell you about. emergency crews remain on the scene of a serious accident involving two cars and a pedestrian in northeast washington. seven people were injured in this accident at the interception or north capital and missouri avenue. two of the people have life-threatening injuries. traffic there is a mess. stay away from that area if you can. we'll take' break and come back and look a

still kind of misty and cloudy. >> rather cool too. temperatures in the low and mid 50s around the region. it's uniformly so all the way from the mountains to the atlantic beaches. remaining cloudy. a slight chance of light miss the. through midday sunday, a chance of showers. how is the traffic? chopper 4 was over the scene, howard county at route 100 and route 1, at elk ridge, an accident involving a bus. the intercession has opened. elsewhere, in chantilly, a power fall brought down by a vehicle. authorities are on the scene trying to get that taken care of at this hour. joe? coming up on "news 4 at 5:00," a frightening halloween

tale haunting an old town. a story about a tortured soul lurking

♪ 8:30 now on this friday morning, the 30th day of october

2009. those are highlights from a few minutes ago. actually there were a few highlights from a few minutes ago. you saw just about all of them. no. you know, you told me earlier today how kerry fisher said when she had this thing on, she realized when you have a fat face, you don't need to add to it. that's about wt i'm feeling right now. >> you look great. >> yeah, the costumes are great. >> coming -- >> in this half hour, a tour of a lifetime for mr. roker. >> that's right. there was only one place to go if you wanted to get ready to do "star wars," and that was lucas films out on the west coast in san francisco. george lucas was very, very gracious, opened up his private archives. wait until you see what he got to show us. >> all right. >> very cool. also,ou know one of our favorite segments around here is "from bow to wow" -- >> sure. >> with the dogs. well, today we're going to do "from meow to wow." >> aww. >> we're going to fix up some kitties and hopefully find them a home on this halloween as well. >> kitty makeovers.

>> yeah. >> okay. and also -- >> we're doing halloween treats, right? >> that's right, hl ne treats. we're going to get advice on making some great treats. >> great. before we get to al, remember earlier in the week, we gave people a clue as to what we were going to be today? >> yes. >> then just to recap -- then you weighed in on our website. the clue was "trying to guess is the wrong way to the right answer." >> i don't get it. >> yeah, i don't get it. >> that's a yoda speak. >> well, why don't we hear from yoda himself in "the empire strikes back" -- >> do or do not. there is no try. >> huh? >> well, if you're not familiar with yoda, and you probably should be -- >> i should be. >> what does that he mean? >> i don't know. >> okay. trying won't accomplish anything in life. only doing will. >> interesting. >> trying, no, doing -- >> i think hoda gets the award -- >> yes. >> -- for the bravest costume. >> and the least makeup, which i

thought was amazing. >> whoa. >> let me tell you something, i did a "dateline" interview, and a guy i was interviewed first called me yoda during the interview. "anyway, yoda" -- and there was a name injector. he did it the first time throughout the interview. and after you don't correct him once. so, anyway, i thought this was the perfect thing. >> very cool. >> and kathie lee looks very uncomfortable. >> mine is definitely the most uncomfortable one and it's going to be difficult to urinate. >> wow. although she's done it twice already. >> i don't think -- >> but who would know if i did? >> starting to get rusty. >> can we add a romantic touch to this, though? because "star wars," when it came out, that was the date movie. >> yeah. >> ann's first date with her and her now husband was "star wars." >> i had actually just met him that day, and i said, a bunch of us are going out to a movie, do you want to come? so the bunch of us went to see "star wars" for the first time. it was amazing at the time with the special effects. and inded up marrying the guy -- [ everyone talking at once ]

>> an excellent saver. >> you would not know this by my costume, but i was a good girl. >> okay. >> aren't we supposed to do a check of the weather at this point? >> i hope so. let's show you what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. and as we take a look at halloween, it's going to be beautiful throughout the south on into the gulf coast, california looking good. mountain snows, though, in the pacific northwest. then halloween night, uh-oh, rain along the mid-atlantic coast into the northeast, mountain snows the pacific northwe northwest, clear texas into the southwest. and as far as the world series tomorrow night, showers may turn into a steady rain in philadelphia. they may be having some problems. and the new york city marathon on sunday. morning showers ending and then -- there are giants running through manhattan! partly cloudy by the end -- >> oh, my. >> look at them! they're stepping all over cars through the bridges. temperature about 56 degrees. that's what's going on around the country -- >> you look a little like a

good morning. we've got the low clouds, a little patchy miss the around this morning, rather cool and damp. temperatures in lote and mid 50s all around the entire region. 54, washington. highs today, low 60s. remaining cloudy tonight, in the 50s. tomorrow morning, a little drizzle. should be dry until around sunset saturday and saturday night and off and on through midday sunday, passing showers are likely. cooler on sunday after highs in the low >> and that's your latest weather. you know, of course "star wars" is a cultural icon, obviously. i wa a big fan. i watched it like three times the day the film went out. >> nerve. >> yeah, nerve. how about fan boy, all right? get off my back. >> that is sad. >> i was by myself. anyway, but i left with somebody. anyway, we went to san francisco

to shoot some scenes for what you saw leading into all this. >> three times! >> three times! >> what's the matter with you? >> a greater force really does determine destiny. just ask the legions of loyal "star wars" fans. when the original "star wars" was first released in 1977, no one, including its director george lucas, could have predicted its future. >> when i started making "star wars," i was just hoping that i would not have such a disaster on my hds that i couldn't make the next two film >> reporter: whether it was the imaginative story line, the groundbreaking special effects or the enduring characters -- r2-d2, where are you? >> reporter: it was a cosmic success, and science fiction movies would never be the same. >> great shot, kid! that was one in a million. >> reporter: george lucas recently opened up his "star wars" archive for "today's" halloween special. housed at skywalker ranch, the private archive contains original costumes, props and set

pieces from all six "star wars" films. >> the force around you. >> reporter: i headed west to check it out. first stop, the motion capture stage at industrial light and magic. >> what we have here is we're using the motion capturer set to put you into a pre-vid system. it's a way to visualize the movie before you actually shoot on set. >> reporter: that is wild. known simply as ilm, this has produced special effects not only for the galactic empire, but for best-selling movie franchises like "indiana jones," "pirates of the caribbean" and "harry potter." >> and action! >> reporter: decked out in my "star wars" jammies and chewbacca slippers, i worked with director miles perkins to create a special halloween open. so, here we are on the sound stage, and we're going to be creating me talking to darth vader, as i have many times, but usually it's just in my own head. jabba the hut, i mean, is he any relation to pizza the hut?

get chewy on the line. tell him we've got to get ready to jump hyper space. my green screen image was then digitally remastered into a darth vader screen from "the empire strikes back." >> make a little glow for him so he looks more like a hologram. >> reporter: walking the halls of this place, you can see the influence and creativity of george lucas everywhere. he's still heavily involved in every aspect of the operation. >> we're having a lot of fun. i work on it all the time. >> reporter: his current project, creating "star wars: the clone wars" for the cartoon network. >> george goes through every episode in terms of making sure it's the correct way he wants to tell the story with the pacing, the framing of the camera, every aspect of it. >> reporter: while i was visiting, the animation team whipped up a personalized al roker droid or albot, and i recorded a voiceover with sound editor matt wood. i told you kids, i'm all out of candy. i might use this on my own children. >> see if your stupid tape can

take this. >> isn't this taking trick-or-treat a little too far? >> happy halloween. >> wow. >> nice. >> ouch! that's going to leave a mark. turns t, matt played general grevis in "revenge of the sith." >> can i hear a little bit? >> sure. he'll say like activate the ratios and prepare for attack! >> ooh. >> it's a big hit with the ladies. >> i bet you get a lot of action with that voice. speaking of action, i wondered if george lucas had any tips f my role as hans solo. >> don't get cocky. [ laughter ] >> you just have to be a swashbuckler and you always have to be ready for anything and always slightly over your head. >> reporter: that sounds about right, but which character would he like to be? >> i probably would associate myself with luke. i'm just a farm kid who grew up and became a filmmaker. >> reporter: not surprising, coming from the jedi master. he's probably rethinking this

whole thing. >> nice. >> that was cool. >> it was really exciting. >> part of the cartoon. >> that's right, three times. >> three i'm in one day! >> three times. >> that's unreal. >> back to back? did you go home and come back, what? >> i was 21! give me a break. what else did i have to do? >> nothing, nothing. >> obviously. when we come back, much more of our halloween extravaganza, including beautiful decorations. but first -- >> b

more frustration on offense. another major injury. kicking it canadian style. on the next ♪ you may have seen our special series "bow to wow," but this morning, in honor of black cats on halloween, it's "meow's the wow," felines in need of homes. jill rappaport, a major animal lover and loon is with us this morning. how are you? >> hello, mat.

this fat cat needs to be adopted, too. >> you don't want to set me up like that. that's true. but we're going to meet some of the kittens and the cats? >> yes, we are. yes. you know, we've had such success with the canines, so now it's time to focus on the felines -- meow -- which are filling up our shelters in staggering amounts. >> we get twice as many cats as we do dogs so, there's twice the amount of work to do in giving these guys homes. >> reporter: the numbers are astronomical. approximately 25,000 cats a year end up at amal care and control in new york city along, all breeds, all ages and all in need of a permanent home. like this beautiful 3-year-old pure-bred persian named grace. >> they're the most popular breed of cats in the united states. >> her situation was very upsetting. she was found in somebody's yard, just dumped. >> like so many of the cats we get in, she was a stray, just wandering around.

>> gracie, look at the camera. sell yourself, sweetie. next, meet tina, a beautiful black bombay. halloween, you couldn't resist a black cat, but let's please dispel the rumors, the superstitions associated with black cats. >> and there are a lot of superstitions still out there, and you know, that they bring bad luck and there's a stigma attached to it. we need to give them the same opportunity for adoption as any other breed of cat. >> she's gorgeous. >> yeah. >> look at those green eyes. >> see how mellow she is some just very relaxed, but she's also very playful. >> oh, look, she's saying, ha ha, i'm going to get adopted. ♪ last but not least, we have the itty-bitty kitties, baby brothers nick and vick. okay, i can't take it, how cute these are. nick and vick. >> nick and vick. >> i don't know which is which -- >> you have nick and i have vick. they're 2 months old. >> people should really consider adopting cats or kittens in pairs. >> yeah. especially if you're not home a lot. this way, they keep each other company, keep each other

exercised and entertained until you get home. >> and we're joined by richard gennels from animal care and control of new york. welcome back. >> thank you very much. >> jill has now ruined your career, but that's okay -- >> hair ball! >> befe we go any further, you have a book out, right, a new book? tell me about that briefly. >> yes. it's coincidentally called "500 cats," and it's based on the cathouse in the kings, which is an incredible animal sanctuary in california, the largest no-kill, no-cage animal sanctuary. and it's about a little kitten about mittens who finds peace, love and safety amongst his many furry friends. >> okay. congratulations on that. >> thank you. >> let's bring out the cats and kittens, richard. >> sounds good. >> first we have meredith bringing out grace. what do we need to know about grace? >> grace is a persian, one of the most popular breed of cats. >> she's beautiful. >> and she's a lap cat. so, wants somebody just to -- >> look how calm she is. >> she's really calm. she's -- >> of course she's calm.

i'm holding her. >> it's the way you hold her, too. >> she's actually not that calm. no, she's fine. >> she's turning away from me. >> no, she's very sweet, actually, very docile. >> how old again is grace? >> 3. >> 3 years old. >> she's a beaiful kitty. >> meredith -- princess leia. >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much, we appreciate it. next we have tina, and actually, tina is being carried out by asoka, one of our friends from "star wars." hello, how are you? tell us about tina, richard. >> tina is a bombay, and the reason we brought her on is because this time of year, a lot of shelters don't adopt black cats out because they feel they may get adopted, used as props and then returned or abused, but black cats have such a hard time being adopted, we don't want to keep the stigma issue going. so we want to make sure that any time of year, please think about adopting a black cat. she's a bombay and she's absolutely gorgeous. >> isn't she beautiful? hi there, sweetheart! >>hank you very much. we appreciate it. tina, good luck.

next we have -- now, these are the kittens. we've got nick and vick. >> yeah. >> being brought out by one of our stormtroopers and a club girl. club girl, by the way, we have sara and amanda doing this. tell me about the kittens, richard. >> they were actually a litter of five, and they were bottle-fed. they came in without their mother and went into a foster home. she did a phenomenal job taking care of them. we would really like to adopt them together. >> and just don't forget, contact us. we have a perfect record so far with the dogs. let's keep it going -- >> keep it going with the cats. >> -- the cats and kittens as well. richard, thank you. jill, thanks very much. all of our handlers, thank you. when we

♪ i was working in the lab late one night ♪ this morning on "today's

kitchen," some delicious desserts just in time for halween. buddy is the host of tlc's "the cake boss," and of course, we're helped by our friends, the ewoks, who happen to love anything sweet. >> good morning. >> buddy, good to see you. we're starting with what you call your simple cake recipe that you then transform into a monster cake. >> yes. i'm going to start with my frankenstein. what i did was i covered a regular cake with some green fondon or icing or whatever you've got. then i'm just going to pipe a little face on. >> and kids can help with this, right? >> absolutely. this is very kid-friendly. this is something that, you know, i love doing around the holidays, like you know, halloween holidays with my children. >> and it doesn't have to be perfect. >> no, it's fun, see? >> that's why they don't let the kids do it but mess it up. it's okay. >> mess it up a little bit. so, we're just going to draw some hair on franken tin. >> this is cool. >> keep going, ewoks.

keep working. no free ride here. >> here you go. >> yeah. >> that's cool. let's turn it to the camera right there, make sure we see that. buddy, that's great. >> that's great. >> i love that one. and the e woks are doing what? >> they're decorating the cookies. now buddy, this is a cake cookie? >> this is a black and white cookie, actually. >> okay. >> what you're doing is you ice it like a traditional block of icing fondon and then you draw a little face. i don't know, ewok. i don't know what you're doing there. you're making a mess. >> do you understand what the ewok is saying? >> he's saying leave me alone. exactly. is this icing you can get anywhere, the supermarket? >> these are fondon. it's ing that you melt and then dip the cookie in, like a traditional new york black and white cookie. >> then you take any old kind of icing here? this isn't fondon here, is it? >> what are you doing? >> then you just kind of draw a face. >> hey, hey, hey, hey, ewok. >> hey, hey, hey.

>> you draw a little face on like this and you make like a jack-o-lantern cookie. you know? >> i like the one -- you've got a dracula cookie over here, which looks fantastic. >> yeah, the dracula's a little bit more- >> then i'm looking at the pumpkin, though, with the sparkles. when do you know to put on the sparkles? >> those are just crystal sugar. so you do a regular sugar cookie dough. >> how does that stick -- oh, there's no fondon on that. >> no, that's just sugar cookie. you take the typical cookie dough and take a spray can and wet it and dip it in crystal gar, put different m&m cookies to make the face. >> thank you. the ewoks are going crazy. >> take a shot of those cupcakes. >> they're gorgeous. >> they're really nice. >> buddy, good job. nice to see you. next up, we'll check out things in the control room. wonder what's goi

where's the talent? >> they're upstairs. >> we've been having a lot of fun here on our halloween morning. >> maybe too much fun. >> and you know what? we forgot to check in with the control room, though. >> oh, we have to do that. >> it's a great "star wars" halloween. we've got luke skywalker,

princess leia, chewbacca, but where's obi wan kenobi? >> use the force, luke. use the force. >> ooh! >> ooh! >> executive producer jim bell. >> very nice. >> during the jedi training. ob obi wan, what is happening? >> it's actually like the barroom scene around here. this is toned down for us, but we're having a lot of fun. how's it look? >> great. >> fantastic. >> i love it. hey, obi wan, is there any way you and chewy can get the control room to jump to hyper space? >> in 30 seconds, is that what i have? >> do it, chewy. >> yeah! >> where are we going? >> man! >> that's what the show looks like to joe michaels every day. >> we get some thank-yous, though, we have to get to.

our time right now is 8:56. we have 54 degrees here in the nation's capital. a lot of colorn the trees as well. some clouds. good morning. i'm joe krebs. we have breaking news to tell you about. emergency crews remain on the scene of a serious accident involving two cars and a pedestrian in northeast washington. seven people were injured in this accident. the accident at the intercession of north capital street and missouri avenue. two of the people have life-threatening injuries. traffic in the area is a mess. you might want to stayway from there if you can. get ready for extra security to take the marc train to work today. beginning today, they are conducting security screenings. the focus is on the penn, the camden and brunswick line. riders should add five to ten minutes to their

meteorologist, tom kierein is here now.

we will find out if the clouds are going to move out today? no. they will be with us through the weekend. sort of a halloween mood, low clouds, a light mist falling. low 60s today, low 70s tomorrow. likely rain saturday night through midday sunday. how is the traffic? 270 southbound, minimal delays. 395 northbound, light to moderate traffic to and across the 14th street bridge. joe? thanks, jerry. coming up on "news 4 at 5:00," a

oh, oh, chewy, come on! we've got to get going! come on, let's go! >> i have a bad feeling about this. [ deep breathing ]

>> well, the force was definitely with us this morning as we got into our costumes as all the classic characters from the "star wars" movies, among the greatest films of all time that brought us to a galaxy far, far away. i'm luke skywalker, otherwise known as matt lauer, here with the rest of the gang, my twin sister, princess leia, meredith vieira. something's wrong here. a swashbuckling al roker as hans solo. he's not your father. ann curry is darth vader. my mom, princess amidala, natalie morales. >> which is just wrong. >> c-3po, kathie lee gifford. and finally, hoda is yoda, from hawa hawaii five oh. nice to have you here. and in just a moment, a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put this whole thing together. it takes an army to do this. >> it does.

>> and our thanks to george lucas and the folks at lucas film, but also the folks here at nbc. we're going to show you the behind-the-scenes version of this in just a second. >> ooh! that's nice. >> yummy! >> kathie's complaining already, right? >> oh, look, i'm ringo! and then later on, some real-life ghost hunters. >> oh, cool. >> yeah, yeah. >> and by the way, if you don't have a costume yet for your children or maybe even for yourself, we've got some ideas coming up. we've really had, as you mentioned earlier, this excellent team behind the scenes helping us, but actually, you don't need one of those teams because of the ideas we're going to present. >> and also coming up, some spooky decorations that might scare away trick-or-treaters so you can keep all the candy to yourselves. >> did you see that shot? that was frightening. >> our crew's dressed up as well. >> but first, let us head inside. time for a check of the headlines, which just sounds weird saying it in these costumes. amy robach filling in for ann -- >> because i'm not doing it in any costume! >> amy, take it away.

>> good morning, everyone. search-and-rescue operations are under way after a marine corps helicopter collided with a coast guard plane off the coast of california. an eyewitness reported seeing a fireball last night east of san clemente island. they say there were nine people on board the transport plane and the supercobra helicopter. at least one death is blamed on severe weather in arkansas and louisiana. in shreveport, a possible tornado knocked a church steeple onto a passing car thursday. the driver was seriously injured but survived. and in ltle rock, a woman and her son had to be rescued when they were trapped in their suv by rising floodwaters. the storm that blanketed colorado with more than two feet of snow has moved east, although strong winds continue to cause hazardous road conditions. people in south dakota, utah and wyoming also face a long weekend of digging out. a rape victim confronted her attacker thursday at a hearing for phillip and nancy garrido, who are accused of kidnapping

jaycee lee dugard. in the front row sat katie callaway hall, who was attacked by garrido over 20 years ago. he was convicted and then paroled. she is determined to make sure justice is served. and the olympic flame has started its journey to the 2010 vancouver games. before arriving, it was handed over to canadian officials thursday in athens. it will journey across canada leading up to the opening ceremony on february 12th. it is four minutes past the hour. let's head back now to matt, meredith and natalie, kathie lee and hoda. >> all right, amy, thank you very much. we've got not just us essed up here. >> of course not. >> members of the crew and a lot of the other people who work for nbc brought their little ones. >> i love this part. >> al is at the other end of the plaza. al, what have you got some. >> a lot of cuties here. who's this? >> oh, this is carrie mcdowell. >> this is haley the cowgirl. >> and? >> matthew and john. >> and a curious george? >> this is jaden.

>> this is rosemary. >> this is hannah. >> and? >> giana. >> and? >> caroline. >> and? >> i'm michael. >> michael. okay. then back up here, who do we have? >> a startrooper. >> hi, this is peyton. >> isabel. >> yes, and? >> jack. >> and? >> luca. >> and who's back there? >> tate. >> and? >> josh. >> and who's that? >> luky. >> little charlie brown. >> and? >> paris. >> all right, very nice. did i get everybody? all right, very nice. let's check your weather, see what's happening. show you, we've got a lot of wet weather ahead of this system, snow behind. it we're talking about snow finally starting to wind down. minor accumulations, but we do have blizzard warnings in parts of nebraska and kansas. ahead of the system we've got a risk of strong storms, possibility of some dangerous lightning. and in fact, you can see we've got flood warnings, flood watches and flash flood watches. and then as you continue on, rainfall amounts, we're talking anywhere from three to seven inches of rain. i've got a little one moving

away here. hold on, sweetie, come back this way. okay. no, no, no, no. here we've got the low clouds and a little bit of miss the around the higher elevations far to our west. temperatures are in the low to mid 50s all around the region. holding steady there all morning long. we will only climb to around 60 for a high this afternoon. remaining cloudy. perhaps a little light mist as well. for tomorrow, cloudy and milder, low 70s. evening showers that may linger >> all right, that's your latest weather. for all your weather needs, always go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. back to the gang. >> all right, al, thank you very much. it took much more than the force to get us into these costumes today. >> oh, yeah. >> begging and pleading. >> she's supposed to be --

>> correspondent sara haines is here with a behind-the-scenes version of what this all meant. >> go, sara. >> it took an arm of jedis to plan and prep for this show, down to the very last light saver. here's a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to put it all together. >> help me, obi wan kenobi. you're my only hope. >> i am c-3po. >> you seek yoda. >> reporter: it's months in the making. costume designers, makeup artists, art directors, all at work bringing this epic film series to our plaza. >> use the force, luke. >> reporter: it's no simple task. and for the anchors, a chance to share their passion for these groundbreaking movies. >> my husband and i went to go see "star wars" on our first date. >> i saw "star wars" three times in one day. crazy, nuts, yes. okay, i admit it, i'm a fan boy,

okay? sue me. >> the characters themselves are magical. >> my biggest challenge for friday is not to confuse "star wars" and "star trek." >> reporter: the force may not be strong with matt, but he did have his very own light saver. >> pardon me while i whip this out. oh! >> whoa! >> that's an actual working light saver. you can cut people in half with that. >> ahh! >> reporter: with plans in place, a dream delivery arrives, a very special shipment straight from lucas film, including hans solo's blaster from episode four, queen amidala's actual costume from "phantom menace," and an exact replica of darth vader's villainous suit. it was time to see if it all fit. >> i look like owen wilson, don't i? >> i have a light saver and i'm not afraid to use it. >> mm-hmm. i am your queen. you must bow to me.

>> reporter: for ann, it took a while to succumb to theark side of the force. >> red light saver. >> yep. >> aww, that's so cute. >> reporter: but once the look was complete, she channeled her inner darth vader. >> i am your father, luke. >> reporter: then it was my turn to get into character, and i couldn't resist having a little fun. >> that's the new page uniforms. [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> reporter: meanwhile, at a warehouse far, far away, the "star wars" set for the plaza was being built. >> this is our great, big death star window backdrop. we're going to finish today painting and we'll get it on a truck to deliver on thursday.

>> reporter: a small army puts it into hyper drive, making final preparations on the plaza, putting the wing fighter and the emperor's throne into place. suddenly, familiar facestaed to show up from another galaxy. and it was time for our big close-up. another successful year and another complete transformation. >> we had such a great time putting this together. here's hoping that next year the empire strikes back and we can do it all over again. >> thanks so much, sara. >> thanks. >> very nice job, sara. >> coming up next, we'll talk

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well, if you don't happen to have a halloween outfit just yet, not to worry. with a few simple everyday items, you can create an original costume for your kids in no time. "today's" style editor bobbie thomas is here to show us how to do it.

bobbie, good morning. i had no idea you were bobbie thomas. i'm like, bobbie? >> no one is recognizing me. >> so, you are? >> hello kitty. >> you look beautiful as hello kitty. >> thank you very much. we both turned 35 last week. i thought it would be a good idea this year. and i have to thank kristen jackson who created this amazing wig and mack makeup, which is a good idea for people at home, because makeup can transform you and you can stop into your local makeup counter or store and have them help. >> happy birthday to you and hello kitty. >> thank you. >> let's start with the great costume ideas. our first trend is colorful costumes, so let's bring out our first models, joanna, lindsey, nicole and rashida. >> now, this is the easiest costume. call up your girlfriends, pick a color and dress head to toe. and of course, they have a dance. shake it, shake it. >> they are the fan tanya girls. >> chewbacca, easy. down boy, down boy! okay, chewbacca's getting a little excited here. >> let the color inspire you. the girls all picked their

flavor. then the guys go green. okay, we have to keep gog. >> okay. you guys look great. thank you, ladies. next we have brandon and andrew. >> yes. >> they're literally about going green some. >> yes, guys go green. this is a cool idea for some guys to just get some body paint. andrew is the hulk, so he's got to rip up his clothes. >> thanks for that, really. you've scarred me for life. >> then we have the jolly green giant. and they do sell men's tights. we love colors. you can do an old tablecloth, a garbage bag and grab the fake leaves at home to make this. >> you guys are very brave to dress like that. thank you very much. next is our fun with feathers. >> yes. >> with this, we have nancy as a chick and little clair as a peacock. >> as a peacock! i dressed up as this last year. it's such fun. >> easy with little feathers. >> yeah. grab boas from the costume store -- >> aww, clair. >> clair is a little peacock! >> look! >> oh, no. >> she wants to go back to mama.

>> as you can see how clair -- >> well, we love the back view of the little peacock. she's adorable. >> this is really easy. just belt some boas that are draped over you and grab a beak and you're good to go. you can get it at a party supply store. >> oh, here comes clair with her mom, erin. >> smile! so sweet. thank you. you guys look great. >> thank you. >> our next category is think out of the box, and we have r2-d2 with lawrence and tyler. >>actually, these are the umbrellas -- >> oh, the umbrellas. umbrella kids. recycle your umbrellas. >> really cool wait to recycle your umbrellas. you'll see that we have wings that's just an umbrella. we cut in half, took away the metal spokes. >> good idea. >> and we have umbrella girl that i painted, then that boy. and myell in the middle. if you could turn around, it's "cloudy with a chance of meatballs." >> oh, that's a great idea! >> the michaels craft and joanne's craft are great supply stores. you can pop into them to get the

styrofoam balls, a couple dollars and you're good to go. >> that is so easy and so great. thank you so much, guys. you look great! >> thanks, guys. >> now, let's talk about think out of the box, and here we have r2-d2, who is coming out with lawrence and tyler. >> yes. and these are really great costumes to use just cardboard boxes lying around the house. >> r2-d2 got stuck. come on, r2. work with us here, okay? >> you'll see on lawrence, he just basically has construction paper and tape cut out in squares. >> of the rubik's cube. great idea. >> and his son tyler is a transformer. u.s. to print that out off the computer and draw it on. we used tissue boxes as his feet and arms. >> very nice and very easy, which we like. thank you, r2, we appreciate you escorting them. thank you, guys. >> okay. >> next is boo with black tape. now, here's an idea if you really have absolutely no time to put together -- >> absolutely. >> but you've got some great

originality. >> so easy. >> there you go. >> if you grab some black duct tape, you can turn your whole family into an outing. >> i love this. >> we have our producer, rachelle, her baby beatrice. they're queen bee and baby bee, and we put the black tape -- >> dance, sweetie pie, dance. >> and we have on the other side, dad and his little dude, charlie brown. so easy to do. we did this in minutes. >> there you go. >> go ahead, give a little dance there. all right, thanks, ryan. good job, okay. some great ideas all around. and you know, it's really last minute. let's say you have absolutely no time left. >> yes. >> but yet, you still want to be festive. what can you do? >> this is you're late, you're late for your halloween date. we see gloria, who's so sexy in her kiss the cook outfit. she just drew with lipstick, "kiss the cook," and of course, max dleema is a work of art. that's easy. >> that's great. >> grab a picture frame. kristen is in all black.

what do you think she is, with a shot glass? a shot in the dark. >> oh. i would never have put that together. >> and we have an oversized stamped piece of blackmail, and amanda, our lovely producer, she's my little pumpkin. >> my little mpkin. >> that's a very easy last-minute, just draw a jack-o-lantern on. >> adorable. you look great. >> and of course, all the ideas are explained on our website at todayshow.com, so you can get any of the information. >> let's bring all the models out one more time. everybody oks so cute. thank you for playing along with us. bobbie thomas and to all our models, thanks. and you can also check out bobbie's column "the buzz" when you read "in touch weekly." great job, everybody. >> all right, we'll be back in a moment. but first, a message from our very own albot roker. >> i told you kids, i'm all out of candy. >> see if your stupid tape will take this! >> isn't this taking trick-or-treat a little too far?

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we've got some good ideas if you want to decorate your house for halloween. obviously, we have a little time before halloween. the real halloween is tomorrow night, so we'll give you those ideas coming up. >> and keeping with that, we've got two guys, no joke, they're plumbers by day, ghost hunters by night. so, we'll check that out. natalie's a big fan of their show. >> the sci-fi channel. i was watching "ghost hunters." it's great. >> we'll talk to them. i remember being at the hospital, thinking about my wife. i should have done more to take care of myself. now i'm exercising, watching my diet, and i trust my heart to lipitor. (announcer) unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications,

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e. >> nice day out there. hazy, cloudy, 54 degrees the current temperature. we will check in with tom kierein shortly. i'm barbara harrison. 9:26 is the time. >> in the news, following a developing story. an accident involving two cars and a pedestrian on north capita street has left two people with life-threatening injuries. it happened around 7:30 at the intercession of missouri avenue. five other people are being treated for less serious injuries from the accident. will have more on the accident and how it is impacting traffic shortly. we will be b

we may have rain for tomorrow's trick or treaters. we have had a little light mist but overall, cloudy. it is in the cool low and mid 50s all around the region and will stay this way for the next few hours. may briefly touch low 60s by mid afternoon and remaining cloudy. as we get into tomorrow, cloudy, southwest wind getting into the low 70s. likely showers until after sunset until perhaps midday sunday and sunday afternoon, cloudy and cooler, in the 50s. jerry, how is the traffic now? we'll mention that the intercession of north capital street and missouri avenue still closed at this hour as the investigation continues. we areooking pretty good south of town to the wilson bridge. 395, a little sluggish with the

lanes open. barbara. coming up tonight on "news 4 at 5:00," a

chewy, come on! we've got to get going! let's go! >> sorry i'm late. i was on my laptop. >> i've got a bad feeling about this. >> oh, man! i had to put this on. i couldn't take it. >> joba the hut, any relation to pizza the hut? and that breath, oh, my gosh! >> master. >> ooh. >> producer jim bell. >> very nice. >> that's the big boss. that's the control room. >> yeah! >> we've all had maybe a bit too much fun this morning playing "star wars," the cast of "star wars," and i still can't believe

that beautiful plane that is is our -- >> the x wing fighter. >> and we are still here on the plaza, where i don't think i have the same pipes as james earl jones, but i'm making my best effort in trying to be. >> you're doing a wonderful job. >> i'm ann curry along with al roker, natalie morales and also amy robach. >> what are you coming as? >> just normal. >> a news anchorwoman. >> just wait until tomorrow. >> yes. >> you and lester are getting dressed up, right? >> yes, we are. >> anyway, we're talking about ghosts, right? >> that's right, ghost busters -- >> hunters. >> "ghost hunters." they are plumbers by day, but at night when the lights go down, they're hunting for not clogged drains, but ghosts. they have a popular show on our sister network sci-fi and we'll meet them in a moment. then, are you breaking out into a cold sweat right now because you're not happy with your halloween decorations? no worries. no need to hide into a crypt, because we'll show you some do-it-yourself ideas that you can set up in no time. and amy, as we said, the fun doesn't stop here, because halloween is actually tomorrow.

>> tomorrow. >> so, lucky for you. >> and we are not going to disappoint. we have a lot coming up. talking about scary movies from "psycho," to whatever your favorite. >> you love scary movies. >> "the exorcism of emily rose" i think is a favorite for me. >> honey, i'm home! >> yeah, that's a classic, "the shining." we're also going to show off some of the hottest pet costumes of the year. and we do want everybody to dress up, head downo the plaza tomorrow. as i mentioned, lester and i are going to be dressing up. and let's just say i think we'll see and hear lester in a way many of us never imagined or wanted to imagine. >> uh-oh. >> i got a little sneak peek. it was a little frightening. >> scary? >> frightening? >> that image is seared in my head forever. >> good tease. i look forward to that. meantime, how will the weather be tomorrow? well, some parts of the country are going to be fantastic. let's take a look for halloween. others not so much of a treat. brooksystem lake, new york, 64 tomorrow. rainy in the northeast. ghoul creek, washington, some rain, 45. mummy pass, colorado, sunny and

mild. then halloween night, salem, massachusetts is going to be raining, 62, all the way down into the mid-atlantic states. mountain snows in the midwest. tombstone, arizona, very nice, 77. saturday night for the game, showers may turn into steadier rain and temperatures in the upper 50s. for the marathon, showers running through manhattan. showers end -- look at thatth glood good morning. a cool and damp friday around our region. low clouds continuing to linger. a little sun southern maryland and northern neck. elsewhere, mostly cloudy. we will hold steady for another few hours and briefly touch low 60s. tomorrow, cloudy and milder. from late afternoon all the way through the evening, through midday sunday, a chance

>> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, thanks, al. >> thanks. coming up next, who are you goingo call? >> "ghost hunters"! >> the real-life "ghost hunters" searching for things that go bump in the night. we'll meet them after this. is take her out to eat. she needs a good meal and we need to catch up. i love when they come visit and so do my roommates. announcer: try olive garden's new mezzalunas. half moon ravioli stuffed with four italian cheeses. try the shrimp in white wine cream sauce or the savory sausage in tomato alfredo. starting at just $9.95. with unlimited salad and breadsticks. i just like to know my little girl is ok. daddy! (laughs) announcer: olive garden. when you're here, you're family. discover a light yogurt like no other. activia light! delicious, fat free, and above all... the only one that has bifidus regularis and is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. activia light. ♪ activiaaa! town hou toppers--

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so, if you worry about things that are going bump during the night or you've got some creaky floors or lights

flickering on and off, you might want to listen to jason haas and grant wilson, because they're plumbers by day, but -- >> they have a popular reality show at night. it's called "ghost hunters," now into its fifth season on the sci-fi channel and they have a new book "seeking spirits." good morning! good to have you guys here. >> good morning. >> pretty creepy, the video we saw with the opening and closing of that door at ft. henry -- >> yes. >> what did you guys conclude with that? >> we concluded that that's paranormal. that's a paranormal experience. it would be different if we saw a ghost closing the door. that would be a haunting. >> have you ever seen a ghost? >> we have. we have some pretty strange evidence -- >> let's go back a little bit, because you say you both began as skeptics. you didn't believe in ghosts, you weren't sure about things and your job was to debunk them. why are you convinced now there are such things? >> the reason we want to do this is it's very easy to say a place is haunted. a lot of people just flat out

believe, and that's not the way to find what's really going on. when people think their homes are haunted, we want to find the truth. so, we want to try to debunk the claims. then whatever we can't explain holds that much more water. >> and remember, we are believers. we just believe that over 80% of the claims can be disproved, and that last 20% could likely fall under the paranormal aspects or a haunting. >> and you guys are skeptics, then, when you go in the most time? >> you've got to be. you've really got to be, because people can find a paper bag haunted. >> right. >> if you're willing to say anything's a ghost, you're just hurting the field. >> so, when you go in, do you use -- you record a lot of what's going on inside, outside the homes. what else do you use? >> with what? >> we've got the k-2 meter because we're looking for magnetic fields because the theories are they can cause paranoia, hallucination, fatigue, things of that nature. >> people can feel freaked out and it's due to a high

electromagnetic field. >> does that mean there's a presence in the room? >> no. >> actually, it's just their body reacting to it. >> okay. >> of course, we're using the flashlights because we're in the dark all the time. cameras that can see in total darkness, because a lot of people are claiming of seeing shadows or things that emit their own light and using infrared, we're able to catch both of those. >> what people want to know, when you talk about paranormal activity, what do you mean exactly? and what would you say has been the most stunning example of that, in terms of what you think people really raise questions about, whether or not they should disbelieve this? >> well, the sound of footsteps when nobody's there, doors opening and closing on their own, objects moving on their own. and that definitely falls under paranormal, para just meaning above, so above the normal. >> have you gotten that on tape? >> yes, i have. if i saw a ghost actlly move that, i could call it a haunting. >> you recently went to the union county courthouse in new

jersey. tell us what happened. we have some video of that, too. >> okay. well, we're in -- >> so, what were you looking for? >> what you're looking at right here is a figure comes out of nowhere and actually takes a right and walks right through a wall of records. this is in the records room. and we saw this footage and thought somebody, somehow, somebody was walking around while we're right there -- >> oh, i see that -- >> it takes a right turn right into a wall of records. so there's no way -- >> so, is that a ghost or paranormal activity? >> that would definitely fall under spirit activity, a ghost. and it's not even a faint light. we looked at the video. when you look closely, you can see what appears to be a woman with some sort of a shawl turn and walk right through a wall of records. >> just because we can't explain it away doesn't mean we instantly say it's a ghost. if we can't explain it, we want to show the rest of the world, show people and try to get other opinions because we don't have all the answers. >> i imagine when you come into contact with this spiritual

world, do you ever get energy that's a bad energy, that you know, makes you feel like they don't want you there? >> well, yeah, we . we do a lot of cases that fall under a confidentiality agreement through churches and things of that nature, and we have been sent to locations where the minute you walk in, you just feel like you're not welcome. but you know what? you've got to -- you've just got to throw that out and try to figure out what's truly going on to help out the family. >> woo. >> well, you guys obviously found something that fascinates you a great deal. >> do you have any halloween tips for us, by the way, as we search for our own paranormal activity tomorrow? >> you're going to experience a lot tomorrow. >> yes. >> but that doesn't mean it's truly paranormal, so watch out. >> jason hawes and grant wilson, thank you very much. the next episode of "ghost hunt yi ers" is wednesday at 9:00 p.m. eastern on the sci-fi channel. coming up next, i want my mummy. we have a lot more do-it-yourself halloween decorations. a labor of love. but now there's keurig. keurig's single-cup brewers let you enjoy

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if your idea of halloween decorations is limited to pumpkins outside the front door, don't worry, we've got some tips for you, some last-minute ideas. looking pretty good, evee rios is a contributor for betterhomesandgardens.com. good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> you don't have to break the bank here. >> no. oh, my gosh, this is all super easy. you've got this fantastic tree behind you. >> right. >> look, i made -- look at this. i made some of the "star wars" characters, like ann. >> cameos. how do you do this? >> this is easy thing, silhouettes. you print out the picture you have online, cut it out and stick it on black construction paper andrace it. do you want -- maybe that's not

the right craft for them. >> they get frustrated very easily. >> they do. they do. okay, so, this is one even an ewok can do, because -- >> that's like the geico commercial, "it's so easy, even a caveman can do it." >> exactly. but if you happen to not be around for halloween, this is a great way you can leave stuff for the kids. what you do is take some branches, spray-paint them black. >> right. >> stick them in dirt or sand or whatever and then you stick the little treats on there. how cute is that? and super easy. >> nice. >> i'll put one on here. >> whoa, whoa, whoa! you're going to have a tummy ache if you keep that up. >> okay, let's move on to some other things. this is really a beautiful thing, actually. >> yeah. >> this is lovely. this is a pumpkin inside. >> this is a pumpkin, yeah. we call this the mumkin. >> very cute. >> very clever. >> you take a screwdriver, make some holes and i've got some mums i've already cut. >> nice. nicely done. of course, the color is important in that one.

>> yes. >> now the other one is decopage ygt this looks like a lot of work. >> it's not at all. all you need is the glue. grab some leaves from outside and glue this on. this is a white pumpkin called a luminary. >> that's it. so this is already white. >> exactly. >> sous good. >> or paint one, whatever. >> these are cool because -- >> one of the ewoks is drinking already. >> you know >> it's not time yet! you have to wait until the end. >> the ewoks are always a scene stealer, for goodness sakes! all right, okay. >> just like my kids! you get a little sugar in them and they're crazy! >> they go crazy. >> oh, no, there's a fight! we've got to break it up. >> whoa, whoa, boys, boys, boys, settle down! hey, hey, hey, hey. whoa, whoa, whoa! >> peace-maker. >> this is what it's going to be like on halloween, ladies and gentlemen. >> yes, exactly. >> try to make sure your kids don't have too much candy. >> make sure your kids aren't drinking. >> how fantastic. this is such an easy last-minute --

>> this is what they look like. >> oh! flying dogs. >> they fly also. these are great. they're hot dogs wrapped in a crescent row and then capers. >> oh, my gosh, they're actually eating it. >> we love them. then this is so cute to make deviled eggs into spiders or creepy eyeballs -- >> you used regular develed eggs and you can make eye balls -- >> oh, my gosh. >> ow! it's like a bad "three stooges" movie! >> food fight. >> okay, get him now, go ahead, take him! >> yes, yes. >> so, for the wine -- >> for the wine. >> if you happen to be going away to some sort of halloween party tomorrow, what you can do is -- >> down, boy, down, down! sit, sit. good dog! what's he doing behind me! >> whoa! >> whoa! >> they're frisky.

>> you're not allowed to have vodka. sorry. no vodka for ewoks. >> this is the bootini. look how cute. you'll take some decorative icing and then the decorative blood -- >> they're moonwalking. >> wow. >> let's see that again. go ahead. whoa! that's after too many martinis. >> hey! >> oh, man! >> you need an ewok to do your party tricks, too. >> hey, hey, hey! >> i feel so dirty. >> live television, okay. >> oh, my gosh, wow. working out. >> well, evette rios, i'm sure glad you came. betterhomesandgardens.com.

the truth is, i'm not sure the force was with us today. >> but it has been a lot of fun. again, thanks to all the folks at lucas films for providing all of the stuff. >> yes. >> we appreciate that. >> this truly has been amazing. let's take a look back at all the fun we've had so far, and probably the most fun we've had two seconds ago, right, al? >> wow. >> woo! take a look. >> oh, chewy, come on, we've got to get going, come on, let's go! ♪ ♪ i was working in the lab late one night when my eyes beheld an

eerie sight ♪ ♪ when a monster from the lab began to arise and suddenly to my surprise ♪ ♪ he did the mash, he did the monster mash, the monster mash ♪ ♪ it was a graveyard smash, he did the mash, it caught on in a flash ♪ ♪ he did the mash >> i look like owen wilson, don't i? can i have a light saver? ♪ ♪ they did the mash, they did the monster mash ♪ ♪ the monster mash, it was a graveyard smash ♪

9:56 is our time. 54 degrees. cloudy skies. misty out there right now. we will get the forecast coming up. good morning. i'm joe krebs. we are following a developing story. an accident involving two cars and a pedestrian in northeast washington. it has left two people with life-threatening injuries. this happened around 7:30 at the intercession of north capital and missouri avenue northeast. five other people are being treated for less serious injuries. let's get a look at the south side right now. see what the skies look ke. you can see, we still have a lot of clouds around. we will see whether we are going to have any rain coming up today and through the weekend. >> cloudy now. we have had a little bit of light mist falling around the elevations to our west. highs reaching low 60s. by the time we get into saturday and into late saturday night and through sunday, we will have temperatures a bit milder on saturday afternoon. by the time we get into sunday,

cooler. any rain activity will be ending by sunday midday. jerry, how is the traffic? tom, take a live look at this hour, making the droif along 95 southbound, a broken-down truck in lorton. northeast, pretty good shape. new york avenue, kentle worth avenue, better. the intercession of massachusetts avenue looks pretty good as well. watch out for the rhodes. a frightening halloween tael

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>> move it. chop, chop. thank you. hello, everybody. >> hello, everybody. it's the day before halloween. >> yes, it is. what's the date? >> october 30th. >> october 30th, thursday, friday. >> does this make me look fat? >> i need hair and makeup, pronto. you can't drink. >> i have such a bad case of dust contamination, i can barely

move. >> these costumes are unbelievable. your costume, especially, is amazing. what do you think of it. how are you getting around in that thing? >> it is incredible uncomfortable. it's like a big can of sardines. you can't move and go potty or eat and drink anything. i'm the oldest person at "today" show than willard scott. treat your elderly with more respect. >> no one is more hideous than me. i want you to look at my hair. i need a flat iron and i need blush, more lips, a manicure. >> show them what you're wearing on your feet. >> you have to have something of your own going on. >> she's got her tori's on. >> you cannot function this way. hello, crowd! >> shhhh.

>> forgot. >> keep it down on the plaza or they'll kick us out again. >> matt, meredith, natalie, me and you trying to do a big reveal. why don't we look back at the top of the morning, shall we? please. >> any time. >> i am yoda, i am.

>> check out ann. >> i took an elevator with her, she's not happy. >> it's hard to get out of these. >> how come natalie gets to look gorgeous every year. i'm sick of it. >> the guys who worked really, really hard on these costumes deserve a big sort of kudos for what they did. >> they're genius. they don't have to wear these themselves. >> you know what was weird. this whole thing i've got on. you can't touch it. this is all like rubbery. >> feels good to me. >> this is all rubber. to make this whole deal they had to put me in this purple goop. >> i had that last year for the wolf. >> yeah. but you know what, can i tell you when you put that stuff on. clauser phobic. >> it takes a good half hour to do it. >> they did that fast, but to get that on took a while. how did they get you all fixed

up in your costume? >> i was kicking and screaming the whole time. it took a while. this was made specifically it was smaller than i am so this was literally made, every bit of it and was very expensive. so, natalie is going to go borrow it and go trick or treating in it later. >> we are rdd2. >> what are those guys calls again? >> ewaks. >> hello, hi. bring it. hi five. >> that is really alex under there. >> he is being operated by john. >> it's cool. i just feel for the actors when they actually had to spend hours and hours and hours in these. when they're actually shooting. i hope they're in residual heaven because they earned their pay. >> what's weird.

i have been scaring. i walk up to kids because i don't realize what i look like and which the kids are totally freaking looking out looking at this gid. >> you hadn't seen the "star wars" movies. >> that was the early '70s. matt hadn't. >> can i have a sip of wine? >> careful. >> thank you. hey, hey, hey -- back off, barbie. you going to give them a cookie. >> i got one for this guy. here you go, sweet pea. >> go away, you're annoying me. >> one of the cutest costumes. look, look, look. i can't take it. >> the little princess. >> let's see if i'll scare her.

>> hoda, look at her ying no, no, no. >> do we have a hand mike, guys? >> no. >> if you could grab one. what are you dressed up as? >> the raven. >> mr. oxy clean, actually, he is billy mays' son asked people to dress up like his dad for halloween. >> not nice. >> he did. >> what do we have here? >> will ferrell. >> buddy the elof. >> that is unfortunate. >> what do we have here? >> the blossom. >> oh, she's pcious. >> and we have the house from "up." >> that is such a cute thing. >> and the phantom. all right. >> okay, so, we are -- i'll take that. we're going to judge. but everybody gets one thing.

>> well, everybody is a winner around here, except for me, stuck in this tin can. >> everybody is a winner. so, if we're all winners -- >> consulation prizes. >> we only have four. but these are kathie lee cds. >> i say prize number one goes to -- >> i think the house from "up." >> the babies. >> the babies i want to have my lullaby albums. >> it should be first, second and third, hoda. >> okay. let's do it. we're going to pick our winners. so, first -- >> you have to hand out. the house from "up" or the babies? house from "up" wins. that's for you.

just open your mouth. next, i think we have to do a tie. we love everybody, but the babies. come on. the babies! >> pass them out, hoda. >> and everybody else gets a kathie lee cd. >> i'm tired of this, it's not nice. thank you all very much for playing. >> you guys are awesome, thank you. >> all right, so, we've got some flavored insects. you interested? >> real ones? >> they are available at stupid.com for $5. sour cream and onion crickets. >> o >> salt and vinegar. people don't really eat these, do they? >> i've given them up until thanksgiving. >> now, here's something that is really great. when you drink red wine -- when

you drink red wine sometimes on your teeth you get a red stain so now they have something called wine wipes. hello. and what you do is you take the wine wipe and you smile and you and they're sparkly. that's geus. wine wipes, guys. do they taste bad? >> not good. >> do you want a bug? >> i shouldn't drink too much because there is no way to go. >> i did tell you the yoda story, but maybe everybody doesn't know it. when they asked us wt "star wars" character to be and when i was doing a "dateline" interview many years ago and he started calling me yoda, it was like a name injectory, so, when it came to pick our halloween costumes, it was a no brainer, i think.

>> i'm the only one who did their homework around here. i had the "star wars" movie at home and cassidy and i watched it. here are all my notes. >> she took notes. >> how did we get into this mess? i don't know. we seem to be made to suffer and all my studying was for not. >> no, we don't sdy here. >> what are you going to do for halloween? >> get out of this, get out of this. and cass is still under the weather. frank had to go get her and go home and be a good mommy and there will be no trick or treating for her. she's going to get better. you're going to go see hannah. >> i'll see my cute niece who is dressing up like a butterfly. i'm going to get on a plane right after this and head to d.c. >> have a great weekend, sweetie. miss sara somewhere. she is a stormtrooper.

>> i am an irresponsible stormtrooper, i lost my weapon. betsy wrote in and said hoda looks great but who convinced kathie lee to wear a c3p0. >> did anyone notice that matt looked like bruno? >> he did look like bruno. >> oh, he looks exactly like bruno. oh, my gosh. >> he kept saying he looked like luke wilson. >> is that wanda psyc a sykes o end? we want to thank you for showing up dressed like that so we don't look so terrible. >> we'll talk to wanda in a couple minutes. >> big talk show about to premiere and lots of big news going on in her personal life. and that's out it.

we are back and wanda sykes is with us here on the plaza. we haven't been on the plaza in like a year and a half. >> she is comedian, actornd now about toadd talk show host to her repertoire. tell us about your outfit, why elmo? what are you doing? >> yes, i'm elmo. >> is there a reason? >> elmo's warm and i knew we were going to be outside and, oh, god, i look ridiculous. i didn't realized how ridiculous i actually looked. >> what do you think of our outfits? >> you look great. it's hard to take you seriously right now with the ears. >> this is the happy hour of "today" show. >> it's just weird. it's like missing a front tooth. >> you can't keep your eyes off of it. >> but it looks good.

>> thank you. >> i mean, right here. i wouldn't go anywhere else like this, but it works here. >> everything is relative. >> thank you, wanda. >> look at that thing. >> how did the idea of the whole talk show thing come about? was it a friend that suggested it. >> fox came to me and said, hey, we want you to do a talk show and this was like a year ago and i said no. >> why? >> i just wasn't ready to do a talk show. i was doing the stand up and the new "new adventes of old christine" and i got married and had babies and then i was like, oh, maybe i should do the talk show right now. everything going on in the country, first black president. have a place to go do stand up and not have to be so much on the road. it gives me a little stability.

>> what time are you going to be on, wanda? >> we're going to be on at 11:00. we're scheduled on fox at :00. i'm always late, the show might show up about 11:15ish. >> it's theish that gets you in trouble. how do you think you're going to fair amupg all the guys? >> i think i'll do okay. it's me, it's my voice, you know, it's my sensibility. >> so, alternative programming. >> alternative programming. >> tell us about the rest of your life. you said married and babies. tell us about that. >> i got married a year ago and we have twins, a boy and a girl, six months old. >> the one is not sleeping, right? >> let's just say she's complicated. she's a little complicated. little girl is complicated. just cries for no reason. >> attention. >> just attention. the wind will blow. >> so how do you stand the not

sleeping part of it? >> how do i stand it, you just get a snap whenever you can. i'm actually napping rht now. i know how to take naps any time. >> do you like your life as a mom? has that been a fun transition? >> i love it. i always said that babies ruin your life and they do. they ruin your life. >> you don't realize that. >> right. don't think you're going to be the same life, no. you just get a new life. >> how has this changed the relationship with your wife, you call her your wife? >> changed the relationship, i guess we really have to be a partnership. it's not about what i want or what's best for her or what's best for me now. it's best for everybody. everybody agrees that i'm the dumb one. so, as long as i just say, okay, i know, baby. you're the smart one, i'm the dumb one, it makes everything, everything goes a lot smoother.

>> are you a "star wars" fan, wanda? >> i am. >> but after this -- >> after today? >> now, i am. because you all went out. i think i will go take a look at it and give it another try. >> will you put this on your resume? >> of course. it's going on there. >> we wish you the best with the show. >> thank you. >> all the best, wanda. >> thank you so much. we'll be back with our ambush makeover. who did they find in this crowd to ambush? they should have ambushed us.

those "star wars" characters have taken up the program this mo morning. >> they're everywhere. look around. wait a second, that is my dressing room. that is my coat. ch chewy, get out. we're going to do an ambush makeover. anyway, chewy's got trouble. we got the rest of the "star

wars" characters trying to take charge of our true guys. travis is going down! the ewalks are on him. this is -- well, they are nasty. >> nasty little beasts. >> good-bye, travis, nice knowing you. we'll be back right after these messages.

sleepless nights, a universal problem. some states have more than others. where some people are struggle for a good rest 6789. halloween fun. we will get you ready for the big holiday. "news 4 midday" begins in a

and we're back with the results of today's ambush makeovers. we're joined, as always, by stylist to the stars and jill martin contributor to "us weekly" who are dressed as -- >> danny zuko and sandy. >> you're the one that i want. >> you got it. >> i got a question. i know you looked for a lot of people to ambush. but look at us. how did you not even think about us? >> we couldn't miss the little bumblebee landing in the crowd. his mother and grandmother. >> wait till you see the mother and grandmother. so beautiful. >> let's start off with 26-year-old shanna jacobs.

she is from grand blunt, michigan. she is married to her husband, joe, for two years and she fills the rest of her day caring for cute little landon. when we asked her if she had time to pamper herself, when i get to shower. that is a treat. let's listen to her story. >> well, of course, we spotted the bumblebee but we have a mother/daughter makeover and why do you want your mother to have a makeover? she's a breast cancer survivor and she's always helping me with our new son, landon. >> why do you want your dotter to have a makeover? >> because she's a new mom and works fulltime and takes care of him. she deserves it, too. >> this little bumblebee is going to have a beautiful grandmother and mother. are you ready to go? >> yes. so excited. >> first, we have joe, her husband over here. and the rest of the landon

family over here with chewy. let's take a look at shanna before. all right, shanna,ome on out, let's see the new you. >> wow! wait, wait, wait. don't take off yur blindfolds, not yet. you ready? all right, family, take off your blindfolds. check out shanna. >> wow, chewy's in. are you ready to see yourself? all right, turn right there. wow. >> so excited. >> you look beautiful. >> thank you. >> lewis, the hair. look at your hair, lewis. >> i never taken my hair off, but, shanna, your hair will wash off because we used a semi-permanent color. you had hair that we couldn't make blonde or dark, the dark had more drama and gave you a great cut and the bangs and the length make sense.

>> joe, what do you think? the whole family, by the way, is crying. it's so sweet. jill, tell us about the outfit. >> she hadn't taken care of herself and this is from white house black market and she asked me what size if her size was smaller in new york and she says i'm a size 8, but are they smaller in new york? >> what do you think of your new look? >> i am absolutely amazed. you guy did a great job, thank you so much. >> you look beautiful. >> go stand over there with your family. >> all right, guys. we'll bring out your mom. lorry pendleton and she's 52 from and she's married to her high school sweetheart, dave. they have four children together. she beat breast cancer 11 years ago and haven't done anything to pamper herself yet. she never worn an ounce of makeup or covered her hair.

here is her before picture. put on your blindfolds and we'll put on the new improved lorry pendleton. here come shes. >> wow, wow, wow. >> look at her. >> oh, my gosh, family. >> everybody but shanna, shanna, stay turned. >> take off your blindfolds and take a look at her. >> oh, wow. >> should she see herself first? see yourself. turn around and take a look at yourself, sweetheart. >> oh, my gosh. that's not me. >> hold on. turn around. >> backwards, which is not easy to do. >> hold on, okay. >> wait a minute, hold on. i can't go that fast. let me get out of the way. >> on three you guys turn around. hold on, one, two, three, turn around. >> it's hard to tell.

>> you guys look great. >> this is such a great story because after chemo your hair does change. she was born a red head and lost her red hair and came back blau blonde and did not do anything for her beautiful blue eyes and skin color. the red hair and the green eyeliner, wow, you look beautiful. you look like you're a 35-year-old woman. >> you look awesome. >> we gave her some fishnets and the dress is white house black market. >> you guys, thank you so much. happy halloween. >> you have been officially ambushed by "today" show.

now we're talking the truth about halloween candy. which is actually the best for you nutritionally? >> today's diet nutrition editor madeline is here with the answers for us. happy halloween. >> happy halloween, m&m. something you never eat. >> a little candy is good and you have to have fun on halloween. look at the ewoks. >> loo at these guys. >> they can't get enough! there are healthy options, right? >> we'll start with my favorites. now, we always talk about portion control with candy. think about this, for 100 calories do you get 18 m&ms, 25

or 30 m&ms. >> 25. >> i say 18. >> i say 30. >> you're right? >> that's 100 calories. that's not so bad. >> that's a little handful. >> it depends. so, next, we all love candy jewelry and this is so nicely displayed. it is all sugar. if you had this little choker and bracelet and ring pop. is it 200, 300 or 400 calories? >> easily 400. >> 300. >> 200. you're both wrong. 200 calories in this little set up of candy jewelry. >> that's two classes of wine. i'd rather have that. >> this is solid sugar. but it's little pieces. >> now, this is a little more challenging. we have to rearrange. all the same size candy bar, the highest fat to the lowest fat. >> the lowest fat the

musketeers. >> this is lowest. >> i think treese's is the highest. >> you pick your order. >> i can't. >> just tell us. >> put that right there. just like that. this is kathie lee's. >> i'll tell you the way it is. >> this is the woman who knows her sweets. >> nope, you're both wrong. the highest fat is the godiva chocolate. sugar free doesn't mean fat. sar free and the reese's and three musketeer. >> look at the ewoks. this is craz what are they doosh? >> all right, now, i happen to love twizlers. >> twisslers are really great. more than 100 calories or less?

>> more. >> they have more than 100 calories. >> i haven't gotten one right yet. >> now you can redeem yourself. >> we have a york peppermint patty and one has fewer calories and less fat. which one is it? >> that is a trick question. i think the yogurt. i'll go with that. >> this does have -- what do you think is the low snest? >> this one. >> i love these. so hungry. >> what is halloween without candy? >> we don't care about this. look, how many calories is this going to have? is this going to have 450 calories, 300 or 200? >> 450, you're right. >> ewoks, you want some -- can you do it? careful. waddle over. >> careful. >> those ewoks are insane. they're crazy. >> they ate them all.

oh, my gosh. >> that's going to be me when i can finally have sweets again. >> we have a candy apple. does this have more than eight grams of fat or less? >> more. >> candy apple. there is no fat at all, zero. all right, hoda is the winner. >> come here, bring me my prize. >> madeline never has good prizes. >> i'm sorry, it's a pillow. >> oh, that will go so nicely in your living room. >> we'll come back with my favorite. a little sip of something.

halloween doesn't have to be about the kids and candy. lot of adults love to get into the spirit of halloween. >> the author of "the wine club" is here.

>> we have some adult beverages here. >> we're ready. >> the first one is a blood orange vodka martini. this is simply blood orange vodka and little bit of simple syrup over ice. shake it up. >> i can show you, but i just can't pour. >> this is blood orange vodka. then you add the juice also. >> a little simple syrup and it's delicio. it tastesust like the fruit. i don't know. yes. this is a big girl drink now. >> that's a very big girl drink. i got all the pulp in my mouth. >> that's the blood orange. it's bitter. these are the big boy drinks. the next one is a martini, too. the thing with a lot of cocktails around this season is syrupy sweet. she may not make it to the end. >> an interesting man.

whatever you are. >> the next martini we have here is made with a crystal head vodka. it doubles out -- >> that's adorable. >> it looks tiny, but the same amount as a full bottle of wine. it should last your whole party. this is a traditional vodka martina and we did the garnish of the gory eyeballs. >> that is so adorable. >> this is just a radish. you take the side of a scrubby pad and then we quart it out with a paring knife. you can also put them in drinks on the rocks. >> that's adorable. >> you got your eyeball. it's a little creepy. chewy, huh, you think? chewy is ready for the punch. >> we're moving to the punch department. >> this is a great showstopper. this is a centerpiece. and a very large pumpkin hollowed out. this is a halloween harvest.

that's how we get that great green, goolish color. this is a little sweeter. this one you might like to taste. >> what is it? >> melon liqueur and there are a few rums in there. this one is a little sweeter. hoda will like that. >> it matches your face. >> why am i smiling. >> nice to make big batches so you're not bartender all night long. >> is there smoke under there? >> underneath this bowl is a bowl of dry ice. you always have to handle dry ice with gloves. when using dry ice, make sure you use metal bowls. we just have a funnel here. putting it on the side and then we're going to add for our smoke effects. we have a little -- so, this is

our witch's brew here. >> that's cool. >> very cool. and then you can just keep your water, somewhere on your table so you canned a to it as the night goes on and you get a really great showstopper. we mentioned those were the big girl drinks or big boy drinks and here we have something for the kids. usually there are kids at the halloween parties. this is a pumpkin pie milk shake. you ready to taste one more? >> is it sweet? i gave it up until thanksgiving. >> it's a pumpkin pie milk shake. does it taste like pumpkin pie? this is simply edey's slow churn ice cream. there is a little bit of milk, n nutmegand a little vanilla. now, when you hollowed out the baby pumpkins. you can do this the night before. scoop them out and put them in the refrigerator.

they'll stay moist. you don't have to do this all last minute. >> thanks, chewy, for helping. >> we'll be right back to say bye-bye.

i wish i could say it has been a lot of fun. >> it has been fun. we want to thank a lot of the folks from lucases films. >> thank everybody from lucas films. amazing. thank you to a of our cast. >> they helped make this. they made this mask. you guys are phenomenal. >> alex and artouro, our little ewoks. >> everybody, you guys were awesome. >> awesome halloween and take care of the kids and be with them every second and make sure what they're eating is safe and don't drink and drive. >> let's take a look back. nice talking to you.

>> we're counting down to halloween with creative costumes for the fureiest member of your family. >> never take you too seriously in life. >> i could be wrong. and probably am. don't know. we have hulk hogan here with us today. what are you doing? just flash your underwear. >> real men wear pink underwear. ♪ >> did anybody hear that? >> yes, my mike was right next to your whisperring.