good morning. new year's blas a powerful winter storm blankets the nation's midsection on the nal day of the year after slamming the west. blinding snow and freezing rain causingozens of accidents including this massive 100-car pileup. from rsia with love. anna chapman breaks her silence and tells about her real life in this exclusive interview. other parts of the world already begins to celebrate the arrival of a new year a at

home, millions of americans getting ready to join the party, home, millions of americans getting ready to join the party, friday, december 31,010. caption not vy often we tap our toes at the beginning of the broadca broadcast. i'm lester holt. >> and i amy row bock. . >> you've bee over at times sqre getting ready for the ow. >> it's amazing the difference between earlier in the week and last night. they got all thenow out of times square. they are ready for the million or so people that will be crowding in toght. >> a lot of people are starting

to wonder at thi point. anyway, unfortunately the weher is little cause for celebration for a big chunk of the naon. the dangerous storm that hit the western u.s. with heavy rain and more thatwo feet of snow in some spots is slowly making its way east. > also ahead, mercy or a makeup. e controversy or a decisn by the governor of mississippi to grantlemency to two sisters o were serving life sentences under very unusualconditions. we're going to talk about that with the mother of these women. to the fun times we had throughout the year rig here on "today." let's beg with that winter storm system at's moving into the nation's midsection. kristen welker is in lake tahoe, nevada. kristen, good rning. >> reporter:ood morning to you, lester. this storm has claimed at least four lives including a snowboarder here in lake tahoe

an as it continues toead east, there are big conrns it will leave more destruction in its path. snow is finally falling in denver after anunusually dry wint, left the city's accumulation two feet below normal. but now theye expecting up to ten inches of fresh powder. it's already had an affect on the deer airport. the idea is to stay ahead of the storm and to get on the pavement and o the pavement as quickly as wean so the aiines can use it and get theirlanes in and out. >> reporter: on thursday as the storm cut acros ah, ice warnings and alanche watches backed up the highways. in arizona, roads were impassable in whitut conditions. andon sergeant was forced to sleep in his car. >> my wife left some blankets i there for m and i didn't know about them so i found thosend

just laieverything back. >> reporter: thetorm system dumped heavy snow and an arctic blast that could create more trouble. >>he temperature is supposed too down even further and with that comes e. and if the temperature gets down low enough, the sal they put on the roadson't work it's beuse too cold. >> we'll see heavy snow andind fo parts of neaska, the dakotas, wtern minnesota and at times some locations will see blizzard conditions. >> reporter: a shocking sight just outside fargo, north dakota when an estimated 100-car pileup stretcd a quarter milelong the i-94. and tragedy here in theake tahoe ar. thursday morning, search tea who had spent two days combing the wilderness found what they had feared, the body of 25-year-old chante willis.

she had been last seen snowboarding on tuesday,ut the whiteout conditions during t search made finding her almost impossible. >> the weather didot cooperate at all. it fought u every step of the way. >> reporr: the storm was so massive it dropped more than two feet ofnow here in lake tahoe an many other areas throughou the west. now the nation's midction is bracing for the worst. lester? it's now 7:05 and now here's amy. times square has bee eared of the majority of the snow left by the blizzard. mara, good morning. >> reporter: in jt a few hours, crowds of people wl begin streaming into this area to secureheir spot in times square to see the ball op. a lot of planng goes io throwing this massive celebrations. withll the crowds ce concerns forecurity and the potential for a terror attack

and this week mother nature further complicated pla by dumpinalmost two feet of snow on this city less th a week before the celebration. >> three, two, on >> reporter: a run tough of th famous ball drop. >> hap new year! >> rorter: a test of contti showers, bricades,put in place. inther parts of the world, party planning is underway almost a million people are expected to pack int new york's time square to watch the famous ball drop at the stre of midnight and welcome the new year. >> the world is watching, the ball is droppg and everyone is going to be watching n york city. as they do every year. >> repter: but as the excitement grs, so do security concerns. theassive crowds make the new year's celebrations a potentially attractiv target for a terrorist attack. ju this spring, tim square itself was targeted when a naturalized u.s. citizen tried

to detonate a car bomb the. while officls say there is n specific threat against the celebrations this year, ty are not taking any chances. >> we have a tra record of success, but as i say, we're not going to rest on that. we are going to be very much proactive. >> reporter: policare implementing number o security measures including more tha17 mil of steel barricades t keep revelers in place, entrance pot seahes and teams of uniformed officers and canine teams. this year officials had the added task of cleaning up after monster storm dumd over two feet of snow on the city. mayor bloomberg has bee wely criticized for lack of preparation. >> the response to the storm was inadequate and unacceptable. >> reporter: as the sanitation

crew works to clear out mounds of snow fromimes square, the becomes finally seems to be cooperating. the temratures are expected to hit a relatively balmy 39 degrees, clearing tout city and making sure 2011 gets a warm lcome. all of that snow has now been cleared out toake space for the crowds he, and those concerns aboutsecurity, genelly speaking this is one of the saft celebrations in the world. in years past, there's been relatively few arrests and probms. >> beer going to have t latest the forecast in jus a moment. but first a check of the among's other t storie thomas robertss in fornn at the news desk. >> great to seyou guys. good morning. incumbt lisa murkowski is now the ficial bwinner in the alaskan senate race. homeland security chief janet

nalitano has now arrived in afghantan where she will snd new year's e with the troops and work to bolster ghanistan's military police. one gee five states are expg widespread cases o influenza after having zero cases jus a few weeks ago. flu season is now in full swing in missisppi, alabama and new york. but there is good news, this year's vaccine match up with this latest strain. shaking buildings across the center center thursday, a major explosion outside an athens courthouse damaged buildings but caused no injuries. an israeli gas company has struck gold, black gold, it's the world's biggest deep water oil well in a decade and it

could dramatically transfo the mideastern dynamic. north korean state tv showed aestern movie for the first time ts week airing the 2002 british film "bend it like ckham." the government maintai it's chokehold usually airing patriotic anthems. it was a record breaking winning streak for the university of connecticut huskies that began and ended with snford. winnin90 straight games and outshowi the previous 88-game reco held by the ucla men's teamn the 1970s. stanfordeat connecticut 71-59 last night. wh a run for the lady huskies.

ja and we'vepaid our dues enthusiasm t nice weather is paying us ck. the temperature as 33 degrees. mount pleasant and mitchellville d morningsde at 28. wheaton and 28. 55 degrees for today. mostly sny skies and close to 60 degrees morrow. execng rain late. should be moving out of here rly sunday with falling tempetures. your midnight temperatu, 40 degrees. >> and your sunday night

football forecast looks like this. we're going to take you into seattle. we havthe st. louis ramshere and the seale seawks. and the weather not lking that bad. temperature 35 to 39 degrees. when i comes to the economy, millions of americans can't wait to put 2010 in their rear view mirrors, but it's ending on an upbeat not when it comes toour money. re's nbc's john yang. >>eporter: the government's final economic report of 2010 hasome good news, the number of americans filing first-time aims for unemployment benefits dropped to 388,000, the lowest levelince july 2008. >> i think this latest number indicates that the job market is picking up momentum. >> reporter: it comes on the heels of the best holiday shopping season since 2005. up 5.5% over last year

t all the economic news of this last week othe year has been rosy. housin prices in 20 maj citi which had been showing signs of recovery fell sharply. that's sparking fea of a double dip housing recession and there arether troubling signs like prices at theas pump. >> they're wayoo high. what can i do about it? complain, that's all. >> reporr: nationwide the average pri of a gallon of gular is above $3 for the first time since 2008, up more than 21 cents in jt a month. some motorists a s say there worried about it hitting $4 a gallon. >> you'l think twice befe you makehose trips. reporter: rising energy prices have frozen crops in e south and leading t projections of rising grocery prices. after bei ratively stable over the last five years, food

prices may gop as much as 3% next year. >> you're goingo see your food budget being attacked. you're going to have t make decisions. >> reporter: decisions that might cut spending elsewhere and ripple through the economy. so are there brighter days aheain 2011. carmengood morning, it's good toee you. it was eouraging numbers that jobless claims have dropped a bit. is that swed by the holidays? >> little bit. when you have the offices closed and can't file some days of th nth, filings could bdown. not necessarily a t of jobs being created, but we're not going to slide too much backward. >> to get where we used to be, yo would haveo add a couple 00 hundred,san jobs. >> you're goi to need over a quarter of a milli jobs a

month added in order to really budge the unemploymentumbers siificantly and some folks are ying we're going to see that after the next ten months. >> the american consumerrive this is economy. christmas shopping nbers up 5. last year. but consumer confidence fell to 52.5%. >> this is the first year we saw pele spending so much more on themselves than actuay on the gifts. th is a lot of pent up demand. it's kind of like being on a et for three years. some people say this is the third holiday seaso that we have bn in tough times. it's like being on a diet for three years and suddenly it's cake day, and people are like i want cake. i'm tired of not spending money. however in terms of confidence, think about this, our housing values are down, unemployment is still high, so consumers are still very, very sketchy about what's going to happ.

>> you mentioned housing,t of folks are worried about a double dip in the hsing market in 11. home sales increased slightly in november, but housing prices are falling. what's the outlook if you're trng to sell or buy a use. >> a lot of analyst are coming out and saying tha we're looking at double dip anywhere fr 16% to 30% lower home values this year whichs pretty shocking and not very brht. but other ecomists are saying wee goingo remain fl. the fact of the matter is that we have so many more foreclosures contiing to come on the marke which is dragging down the home marke and our consumer confidee is really ti to housing numbers. >> mortgage res can't get any lower? >> in 2010,he lowest in 60 years. in a way, the only place to go is up, right? but in terms of the pace, how quicy are we going to go up? e mortgage bkers association saying wre going to reach 5.1%

by thend of 2011. but freddie mac isaying we're going to stay aund 5%. but keep in mind, htorically and even at or below 7% on a long-terloan. so don'thase interest rates. >> if we're grocery shopping and weave already seen the winter in flida, the oranges a frozen. why these incrses happening? >> tremendous amot of pressure. we have seen everying from crops in agculture, corn and wheat up over 50%, vy expensiv dairy and meat. anwe new regulations coming through, a lot of the meat processors had to revamp how they do business. day, we saw butter prices g up this year 19%. so we're going to sesome increases in terms of costs at the grocerystore. >> we don't talk about gas prices a lot.

but -- >> it's anoth fact that influences the food prices because transportation costs end up getting trickled down to as well. we know that somepek gives are saying that gas pricesre going to be up over $5.50. rememberas prices are really volatile, in tms of drilling, 's going down, oil, crude oil prices going up. but the question is how far. >> i wish for a great new year toyou. it is now 7:. >> if you hate unwanted mails, you're not alone. more tha 6 trillion spam messages are st each year. one man is fighting back and mang money in process. orge lewis has history. >> reporter: arring at san francisco superior court, dan

balsam is on acruse, one spam at a time. eight years ago this forme ad agency guy had an inbox for unsolicited partners, free promotns and earning underhe son. >> women will get e-mails to grow certainarts and menill get e-mails to grow cerin other parts. >> reporter: so he starteduing spammers first in sma claims court now i federal court. >> what started out just for kicks turned into a hobbynd a mission. >> now he uses california's ti-spam law to -- oen to promote websites liketag, amateur match.

balsam got thise-mail, the subject line, llo, my name is rebecca, i love you. but balsam ss iwas really sent byspammers. the owner of friend finde is pealing and won't coent. legend has it th term spa for unwanted e-mai was inspired by this old monty python skit. >> i guess he would be known as a spambulace chaser. >> reporter: thi man represents mpanies sued by balsam. >> i have got no proems settling, i've got no problem litigating, it's up to them. money out of the spammers pocket is a good thing. >> reporter: balsamays he's

won more than 20 suits. for "today," george lewis, n news, los angeles. coming up, anna chapman breaks her silence. what the russian s had to say in her first television interview after being deported from new york.

just ahead two sisters serving life sentences were offered clemency. > plus your pick for t picture of the year. but first your local news and weather. [ male announcer ] it's he. the all-new chevy cruze. msn autoscalled it "the cls of its class right now." but that's n the only story. it's g turn-by-turn navigation, onstar, an available six-spe automatic transmission, remote keyless entry,

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with walmart's d-of-the-year clearance event, starting december 26 at 6am. get unbelievable clearance prices on select toys, home cor, clothing, candy, and seasonal items. it all starts december 26, while supplies last. it's the end-of-the-year clearance event at walmar what's going on? we ordered a gift online and we really need to do sometng with it... i'm just not sure what... at is it? oh just return it. returning gifts is easier than er with priority mail ft rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, ships anywhere in the country for low flat rate. plus i can pick it up for free. perfect because we have to get that outta this house. c'mon, it's n that... gahh, oh yeah that's gotta go... priority mail flat rate shipping only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship and return.

ood morning. it is 7:26 on this last day of 2010, dember 31st. in theews for today, the medical examiner's officeill determine if remains found side the old d.c. general hospital buildg are the remains of a baby, of a tddler found in a area where autopsies were once founded. e is on adminirative leave after being charged with heroin posseion. she was pulled over f speeding earlier this week and found with small bags, nine of them, of heroin. a lk at weather and traffic coming up.

stawith us.

hey, i hope you're going to be smiling after this. the weather, greattoday. highf 55. ideal toght. chose to 60 tomorrow as rain moves in during the evening and t sunday. jerry? >> very quiet this morning. no hov restrictio. i-95 in virgin looking od. go to marylan take a live

look wide open, frederick to rockville bothdirections. have a wonderful day. pat? >> you, too, jerry. tune in monday morning. we start at 4:30. we'l get all the test news, weather, and traffic. right now let's go back to the today show.

7:30ow on this friday morning, december 31st, 2010. and you are looking at new york's time square. toght it will be filled with more than a million revelers ringing in 11. right now we suld mention rockefeller plaza is the place to be on this final d of the ar. inside studio 1a, i'm amy robach. na chapman speaks out for the first time

what she. mississippi governor wil free the women on one condition. we'll have detailsnd we'll talk excluvely to the women's mother. an incredle zip line through downtown vancouver, we'll look back at the fun we d in 2010 right here on "today." >> some of the things have made me think, what weree thinking? >> how did we not get injured? >> martin fletcher has details for us. >> reporter: good morning, shs packed quite a bit of living in her 2 years,ent back to russia in the biggt spy swap since the old care, annahapman is busy creating a whole w persona. if this is the price of faure, bring iton.

an chapman, humiliated russian spy in america, superstar at home. the subject of an ho-long tv show, the spy finally revealed her seets. she les spy movies, may want to act andants a pet lion. as to the estion, were you a spy? he lips a sealed. but her life is quicklyecoming an open book. a beautiful child, once prided for citing poetry. but the tv show host stayed on message. according to a futur rusan. >> reporr: anna chapman, covergirl, public face of e russian secret service. maybe they can teach us something after l.

one of tenderted are the uned states six months ago, accud of being russian spies. still on the show, she has fond memories. new york, it's an mazing city, she says very positive energy. she didn't have a bad word to say about america. and seemed to enjoy an ol boyfriend's memories. >> anna was my first kiss, he says. na chapman, endeari ining hersf to russia. amid great fanfare, she became one of the leadersf the huge wing ofrime minister putin's politicaparty. her recipe for happiness in fe, loving your mother land. although weah and fame don't seem to hurtither. she thinks angela jolie is one

of the most beautiful women in the world. and hints that she too would ke to act. when asked who she would most like to act with in a james bond movie, her answer -- just another star struck girl on the new face of russia. as to her dreams, remember she wanted a pet lion? at the end of the show, she was given a ln cub on a leash. may all your dreams come tru too, lester. >> i thought for sure she was gog to go with daniel craig. >> you know what? 2011 may bring very nice new surprises for her. > let's get another check of the weather, stephanie abrams is in for al. >> it's going to be about ten degrees above average he in new yo city tonight. ok at these. are ese not the greatest glasses? where did you find these? >> at

right here, mild air will make a major comeback today. probably our warmest afternoon for the month ofdecember. the high, 55 degrees. expect sunshine throughout today. some high clos. in fact, more clouds will be on us tomorrow though. ate in the day, some showers. ra owers, though. the high 58. close to 60 degrees. sunday when the rainoves out, falling temperatures from 50 down io the 40s. next week, lo to mid-40s and no big storms.

>> to find the fecast go to weather.com 24 hours a day. now to mississippi where the governor has made a very high profile decision to let two sisters who are serving le sentences out of prison. there's only one conditionnd it's a life and death one. we'll talk excluvely to their ther in just a moment. t here's nbc's jusce continue petwilliams. >> reporter: they have been locked up in a mississip prison for 16 years. mey and gladys scotterving life sentences for rbery. now the naacp is raising governor rbour's decision t let the wen out on humanitarian grounds. >> thank you goverr barbour, you are a shining examp of the way government power shoul be used. >> rorter: the governor did not say that he wa acting to right an injustice. says the older sister who's

38 nds a kidney transplt to survive. the sisters no longer pose a threat to society, governor barbour says and jamie's medical condition cos the state $200,000 a year. but the release of gladys will only be if she donates a kidney to her sister neither woman had a criminal record, the victims were not seriously hurt. only a sll amount of money was takeand others me directly involved ithe robbery have since been reased. >> governor haley barbour calls the release of the scott siste an early release, release from 16 yearsf wrongful incarceration most certainly not an early release.

>> reporter: governor barbour tohe case to the sta earlier this year. he's made n secret of his interest ipossibly running for president. >> it's vy difficult to separate polics from any governor's decion on a very important and controversial matter when that governor is running for the whe house. >> reporter: but the governor calls it highly cynical to assume that he acted in anything other than humanarian reasons. the sisters hope to be released in a matter of days,ree to return to florida where their motherlives. >> evelyn roscoe i jamie and gladys scott's ther, she's with us excluvely and evelyn, goodorning. >> good morning. >> as weust heard in the piece, your daughters have been incarcerated for 16 years. have to ask you how you first

found out the news that they re being released? >> i received a phone call yesterday from warren shaffer at the jackson press newspap in jackson, mississippi. mr. warren instructed me and told me the decion that the governor had made. and i just got very hysterical. i had to stop driving i had to pulln to the side of thstreet because i was so excited and i was so happy that my daughters are being relsed. >> you've been fighting ever since they have been hind bars to see that day when thell come home to you. have you had a cnce to talk to your daughters? wh was their reaction to the news >> they were very happy about the news. becae they really want to come home. they have been lked up for6 years and they have been away from theirhildren and it's just been a nightmare forll of us. >> i know thatou have had a lot of support in tryg to get your daughters reased.

th were each given a life sentence for tha robbery that on resulted in $11. didou ever give up hope? d you ever think you would see the day where they would b coming home to you? >> yes. i didn't give uphope, because my faith in god tells m to carry on and i knew one day that my daughters will recve justice. no, i never gave up. i got al tired, but i never gave up. >> theovernor says he believes neitheof your doaughters remains a threat to sociy. but what do you think about the reasing behind the release, one of the daughters has to give her sister a kidney, do you thin that's a reasonable reason for their release? >> no, i dot, because my daughterladys stated in january, when my daughter jamie's kidneys first shutdown, th she would be willing to give her sister a kidney.

so this has been all over the internet that my daughte gdys was willing to give her a kidney. >> governobarbour mentioned the costf jamie's healt care. will you be able to take on that cost yourself when they're released? >> me and my supporters are going to try to find allhe help w can for jamie. so all i know i can pray abo it and hope any supporters can come up with a solution to help us. because i cannot affd medical care. >> reporte >> evelyn, there is a concern that the condition of the release of your dghters might t a precedent and there might be oers that have grave medical illnesses that they too could be releasedr pardoned for their imes. do you have any concern about this? >> no, but i know there's a l

of iocent people in the state of mississippi i prison. i know they're not receiving the proper medical care, like my ughter jamie. sh never received the proper medical care fromanuary when her kidneys first shut down. >> we understan it could be a better of days beforeour daughters head home. do you have any plans for their arrival? what are you getting ready for at this point? >> really, ll just be happy for them to come homend their ildren will be happy for them to come home. but as far as i hav heard, it's going to be 45 ys, what i have be told, in order for them to be able to comhome. so i d't know how -- you kn, how soon they're going to come home. bulike i said, i heard it's going to be 45 days. so i don't really know when they're coming home. >> evelyn, we wish you the best. i knowouraughters have a tough road ahead medically

speaki, but we wish you and your dghters the best. >> thank you so much. year in pictures, the most striking images of 2010, including the one you voted most memorable right after this don't forget mrs. collier.

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which helps me know it's donright and get to my maximurefund, guaranteed. >> try turbotaxnline now. you don't pay unss you're satisfied with the results. wee back at 7:46. we have been taking a look back at the most strikingmages of 2010. and we ask you to go t our website to vote onour favotes. this morning the votes are in. from the tragedies to the triumphs. the moments that shocked you and the ments that made you smile. wesked you to cast you vote for the mt memorable image of 2010. coming in at number three, a heart breaking sne of a father who preres to head back to war. a shotf two animals eye to eye

got the second vote. and a winning image, a close call thatne pilot will never forget. the photo captures a captain parachuting to safety as his jet plummets to the ground. >> the plane made what seems to me to be reay slow bank and nice and straight in the ground. it was very dream likeor me to watch. after i stop a look at the pictures, i see that, yeah, in st of the frames i have the pilot hoving above allf this. >> only four secon elapsed from the time h ejected from the cockpit to the time he hit the ground, the photographer still rembers every incident. i remember the first time pulling the hand and watching the jet descend down below mow and crash into the ground, it

was quite surreal. >> that's why i like pilo, no matter what happens, they're like, well, iwas quite aride. they tell you, you hesitate for onesecond, it's a matter of life and death. you can sefrom that picture. i remember going thrgh traing one time, they said the seat will work on theground, but you have to be caref about steering around the wrkage. glad he me it out, that was an incredible, incredible picture. 're back with more of "today" right after this. [ fale announcer ] treat yourselto something special for lunch

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here t problem, 2011 what do you do? the's no o thi year for all the new year's glasses. >> youook like mine any pearl. you can't really see throu them, th's the problem. >> but there are sever different versions of trying to figure out this eye gla problem. >> it just doesn't wor the one is ---i d't know, it's not the se, 2000 obviously was the best u can make a very serious point with glassesn. >> coming up, the fun times we had here on "today" in 2010. >> after your local news. and all my investmts, but it's not something that want to do completely on my o -- like to discuss my ideas with seone. that's what i like out fidelity. they talked with me one on one, so we could come up with a plan that's right for me,

and they worked withe to help me stay on track -- or sometimes, help me get an even better one. woman: there you go, brian. than, guys. man: see ya. fidelity investments. turn here. ♪ ♪ maxwell house international. stop your world.

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stop taking chantiand call your doctor right away. tell your docr about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could g worse while taking chantix. if you develop seous allergic or skin reactions, stop taking chantix an see your doctor right away as some of these cane life-threatening. don't take chantix if you've had a serious alrgic or skin reaction to it. dosing may be different if youave kidney problems. until you kn how chantix affects you, use caution when drivin or operating machinery. common side effects inude nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dres. ♪ it feels wonderful. i don't smoke. i don't smoke. [ male announc ] it's a new year. so, ask your doctor abt chantix. and find outow you could save money on youprescription go to chantix.com to learn me and get terms and conditions.

good morning. o time is 7:56 on this friday, december 31st. i'm pat lawson muse. in the "news 4 today," a ontgomery county teacher is admistrative leave after being arrested for hern posseson. she is a special education teacher. police say she was pulled over earlier this week. policeound ninesmall bags of heroin in her car. virgini is one of five states repting a widespread outbreak of the flu. according to the cdc two weeks ago, there were no reported cases. we'll have your new year's eve weather and tffic next.

nice weather today, just in time fa day and en a night

whene want to stay tside. we're going be running abo ten to degrees above average. the high today, 55 degrees. at midnight we'reown to about 40 degrees. it's goi to be pretty comftable out there. 58. lose to 60 tomorrw. rain moves in late around 5:00 or 6:00 p. should move out by sunday. jerry? >> light volume of traffi over theamerican legion bridge. both the inner loop an outer loop moving nicely. one accent on the board in virgini northbound lanes of route 1 at has sock street. u may be detour. heads up for that. >> thanks, jerry. start your new year off with us. happy new year, we'll see u later.

>>it's 8:00 now on a friday morning,ecember 31st 2010. but the calendar has just flipped to 2011 in sidney, australia. and there's the fireworks lighting uphe sidney rbor. happy ne year, if you' in austraa, happy new year's eve if you're in the united ates. >>hat a beautiful sight. >> always a gorgeous sight. they knohow to celebrate.

>> wow. >> meantime,utside onhe plaza, i'm lesteholt along with amy robach. >> we' all going to be there, and 's not going to be too bad. temperature-wise, i'mexcited. it's gng to be a fairly warm night. >> it's 37 degreesut here right now. >> we'll take that on new year's eve. i thk a couple million people might be there as well with all those warm tempetures. coming up, an amazing look back at some lighter moments here on "today." from those planned moments to those unplned moments. > a dream for a lot of men, taking a bath in beer. one s is now featuringeer as a beauty treatment obvious. i actual use beer to work on my beer belly. but first, let's get a check

of the morning's top stories. msnbc's thomas roberts is at the news desk for you. a powerful winter sto that slammed the western and plains states now moving east. thursday'snow fallaused a 100-car pileup stretching a arter mile along i-95. and in utah, avalanche warnings closed highways and roads. now to new york city,here preparations are und way for the biggest celebration of the year.

and right here, the final y of 2010ill feature the warmest afternoon that we've had all december. outside right nowe're in the 30s across the area. 34 degrees currely in areas around continually town. it's 25 here. theind is light out of the southwest butt will be good enough to take us upo with sunshi today. clouds tomorrow. high 58. >> and we have a great and fun way for you to ring the new

year. hockey we have t 2011 brick stone nhl winter classic that's going to be held in thelements at hines field in pittsburgh. sidn crosby and the pittsburgh penguins and alex ovechn and e whington capitals will be here. starting at 1:00 p.m. right here on nbc. and unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be wet, lester. we're going to take a look at the good times we shared in 2010. but first these messages. right now." but that's not the only story it's got urn-by-turn navigation, onstar, an available six-speed automac transmission, remote keyless entry, and 10 air bags. it's a big story for a compact car. the all-new chevrole cruze. get used to more. very well-qualified lessees can get a low-mileage lease on a 2011 cheolet cruze ls for around $159 a month.

call for details. pride. pizzazz. sass! [ laughter ] [ woman ] i'feeling that! [ female announcer ] the special k challenge begins january 1st. free personazed plans at specialk.com. what will you gain wh you lose? i won't. ♪ [ fale announcer ] clear some snow. ♪ or spread a little warmth. maxwell house gives you rich full flavored cup of coffe so you can be good to the st drop. i'd gethis tightness in my chest. so i went back to myoctor again. we chose symbort to help control my asthma sympms all day and night. [ man ] symbicort impros my lung function, stting within 15 minutes. symbicort will not rlace a rescue inhaler for sudden sympms. it is combination of two medicines and should not be taken more oft than prescribed. symbicort contai formoterol. medicines like formorol increase the risk of deat from asthma problems,

and children and adolescents may have an incread risk of being hospitized for asthma problems. symbicort is not for people whose thma is well controlled with a long-term asthma conol medicine like inhaled corticosteids. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide f you can stop symbicort without loss of control, and preribe a long-term asthma control medici. be se to see your doctor if your asthmdoes not improve or gets worse. symbicort is a good choice to help control my asthma all day and nig. [ inhales ] [ exhales ] ask your doctor if symbict is a goodhoice for you. [ male announcer ] if youan't afford your medication, astrazeneca maye able to help. "today" look back 2010 is brought to you by mercedes-benz. eny truly great engineering todaat your authorized dealer. back n at 8:08. this morning on "today" looks back 2010.

oh, the fun we ha >> from vancouver to right here in studio 1a and beyond. here's a lookack at the good mes had this year on "today." ♪ hello good morning ♪ hello good morning ♪ hello good morning ♪ you know you been waiting ♪ello america ♪ hello gd morning >> very nice. i missed u. >> i missed you too. >> you are the epito of

someone who's aging gracefully. >> if we gotn a paint ball contest with n, who would win? >> she would. >> they' real and they're spectacular. >> yes, they are. >> i'm not gng to getnto the american idol story and speculate as to who's gng to reace for judges but just know that meredith is not here. meredith takes one day o and she doesn't waste any time getting to the couch. >> you say the size of the package is very important? >> it tually is important because a ick that some of these retails will use is to shrink the size of the package >> i'm sorry. something struck me as funny. >> you have a load in your pants? no.

>> we're going to end this dness. >> especiay true in the kitchen. >> hi, ann. >> would it bother you if i do this? >> absolutely. >> i have been staring at that fothe entire segment. >> this is my favorite. >> oh, no, we have a fire! >> are weoving that? >> not really. >> you and me baby we' stuck

like glu ♪ >> this is a special no makeup zone edition of "today." >> here it is. this is us. >>his ishe real me. scaring little children at home right w. >> thais so cool, natalie, tamron said bob mley called and wants his hat back. >> this is one left to his own devices what it looks ke. >> you look different. >> i knew i should have taken the train. ♪

>> i know you gs never make mistakes, but w do here. >> you're right, mr. roker, you don't have a brain. it's amazing. >> natalie morales. >> matt lauer. >> i'll take it that's okay. now here's what's coming up tonigh -- >> we're back, i'm sorry. let'so inside, ann curry's standing by with a -- weid that alrea. what's coming ? >> he's late and then he steals your lines. why did you stop? >> stopped because i was caught othe couch necking with my boyfrnd.

>> the shorelines here have now been oiled. >> taking one for the team swalwing a bug for breakfast ther martin. ♪ >> that's not funny. here's the llboard, right in front of o hotel, and take a look at this. who's that lilliputian right there with the parted red hair in that is our own merith vieira, ruling kean. -- cannes. >> meredith, it's lovy to meet you. ♪ don't neednything but you ♪ ♪ we will we will rock you

♪ thank you for being a friend ♪ traveled downhe road and back again ♪ ♪ ti a drink with jam and bread♪ ♪ which will bring us back to >> this will go down as one of the strangesthings we have ever done. ♪e're going to go all night ♪ we're going to lig it up ke it's dynamite ♪ ♪

>> y can see why they all took a week off. >> i love that part when you -- >> i think there were a lotf

special ones, but i love when matt talk about shrinkinghe package. >> i like the moon walk. >> you're going to see a lot of people doing that at pares tonight. we' >> we'll start a whole new year's worth o 2011 memories. coming up last minute tax tips you nd to take care of today right after this. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] here's hoping you find something special in your driveway this holiday. ♪ [ santa ] ho ho ho! [ male announcer ] get an exceptional offer on the mercedes-benz you've ways wanted at the wintervent going on now. and stay connected with three years of mbrace rvice complimentary.

so hurry, and use your gift rd to buy the things at make all your other gifts en better. the holiday season doesn't havto end. quic now's the time to use yr gift card at walmart! n: whoa! mom just caught air. t that she'll describe it thatay to her book club. she'll probably say something like, "eveone had a wonderful time. the od was great. it was good to getway." but let'be honest... mom just caught air! now, there's a firs tell us whatou've always wanted to do, on facebook. [ ship horn blows ] to london starts with arthritis pain...

and a choice. take tylenol now, d maybe up to 8 in a day. ...choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. joy the flight. we're back at 19. last minute tax tips. before you begin your new year's celebration, there are movesou need to make today. you can do really good things now at this late date? >> we do last-minute tax tips every year. but if you do these things toy, you're in good shape. >> wl these only apply to

people who itemize? >> som of them, but not all. >> let's get right to it. aritable deductions, are always a big one. how do you make sur youet the credit for 2010? >> mak your charitable deductions online, use a credit card, get receipt. in fact get a receipt, save the paperork is a gd rule of thumb for every one of the tips on our list and if you are 70 1/2 or older and you want to make a donation out of your i you n -- >> iestment loss this is year, can you claim the at this point? >> you got to sl them. you selby tl by the end of the trading session today, then you can use these losses to offset gains in your portfolio as well as $2,000 in ordinary come.

we' talking iras, you have til next april 15. but for 401(k)s, there maye a way to make an additional contribution. number one youo to the processing center of the plan provider, you wk with fidelity, you work with merrill lynch, you take them the check and the paper work in person. second is call your benefits prider and ask when they run their last payroll of the year. some companies haven't run it yet. and if that's the case for yours, you may actually be able to hav that money taken out in december as long as the work was done in december. >> and advice autour mortgage payment, you can make an extra one? >> therere a lot of deductions, we get deductions for mortge interest, stude loan interest, professional dues and tuition. any of those that you pay this year, december 31st, making an extra paymencan be deducted on

your 2010 taxes rather than your 2011 taxes. >> but if i write a check today, it's not going to clear. take it to the post office make sure it clears, anything you can pay line using yr credit card, do it tha way. >> there are energy and consertion type items. >> this was a big break ts year, an energy tax creditf up to $1,500 forhe price of ener im3rprovemts you maken your ho. you got to go to the sto today and get the receipts and you need to try to get those things online today. >> is it too lateo reduce the size of your estate with gift giving? >> that's actually a fairly easy one. any person is allowed to give away up to $13,000 to any other people witut it triggering an estate tax event. >> the year s gone by and i have not use my flexible

spending account. >> this is theast year that you're allowed to use flexible spending dollars in order to pay r over the counter medication. so if y have flexible spending money left, the easiest thing to do is go to your local drugstore and load up on day quill and lenol and -- >> i can do this today? >> again, get the receipt and i know we have more tips that we are not going to get to. we'll twe them out the rest of the day so that people weren't going to los the good information that we t together. >> i'moing to go to the store and buy some ni quill. >> exceent. now let's cck in with our good friend, mr. willard scott. hey, willard. >> hey, i think you got some od news i'm sure up in new rk and new england. a lot of places are going to rm up. down here i florida, it's getting warmery the minute. now here's a nicbirthday wish.

here's a nice birday wish. ther hersh. rom atlanta, georgia, 100 years old. norman wissler, 100 years old. and isabel opliger, fm anok anoke, indiana, 100 years old today. and howard jone from norfolk, rginia, 100 years old. ghurns from belmont, massacsetts, 100 years old today. he attributed good living a good dentist.

angela perfetti, from philadelphiapennsylvania, 100 yearold. and myrtle flower from lvester, georgia, 100 years old. now back to new york city, where i'm head over heels in le with you. >> justahead, carson daily gets us set for the big bash in times square. but first your local news.

8:26 is your time on this friday, dember 231, 2010. good morning. i'mun yang. someone may be out ere celebrating more than the new year. the jackpot for tonight's mega million jar has gone up it's now $242 million. youan buy a ticket in d.c., maryland and virginia. odds are approximately 1 in 176 million. sti fun to play.

the's a change coming to a neighborhood near you, a it's a nice change and it's going to be brought to a high southerly wind. today' temperature, 55 degrees. we're right now getting out of the 30s. tomorrow, close to 6 i've got to goback and tell you the midnight temperure. it's 40. couldn't get any better than that for late december. falling temperates. on the interstates moving along very nicely. light volume of traffic

obviously. no concerns along i-95. go over to maryland. se things there. i70, wide open. eun? >> thank you. start your new yr off with us. tune in monday morning for your news, weather, and traffic. ppy new year.

8:30 nown this frida morning, december 31st, to 10. in a few sho hours, times square wilbe home to the biggest new year's celebration in the country. we have a big crowd assembled here in rockefeller plazand

everybody seems to be in the celebrating spirit. speaking of spirits, a new use

and right here we're warming up nicely. some high clouds across the

area. so we'll have ample sunshine throughout e day. right now the temperatures range from 28 degrees, onef our cooler spots up north. 28 degrees currently in manassas. 27 lplata and 34 rig insidthe beltway your high temperature day, 55 degrees. expect 48 degrees at midnight. clos to 60 tomorrow. rain moves in late during the >> for you new year's eve forecast, go to weather.com 24 hours a day. a lot of people will enjoying a beer or two tonight, but a spa in ft. laurdale has found new way to enjoy that popular adult bevege. jennwolf had that tough assignment. beer wonderful, ft. lauderdale wonderful, igine comning the two. i heard about this malty message and hado see what all the fuss

was about. >> go ahead, live le, enjoy budweiser. >> if you like beer, y'll love schlitz. >> reporter: beers serng up another purpose in beautiful ft. lauderdale, florida. whenoes beer flow like water? when it's useinstead of water. what is a beer spa treatment. >> one is a wrap, we have beer infused -- >> reporter: are you actlly using real beer at people drink? >>eal br that'sndigenous to south florida. >> reporter:he art of using beer a a beauty trick dates back to the ds of cleopatra.

who knew sheas so progressive wither skin care. what are the components o beer that are so good for the skin, the hair and everything else. >> they have a lot of barley and a lot of ano acids and has ti- aging properties. >> the more we're talking about it, e men are, ye, i'll try that with my wif >>eporter: so we decided to see for ourselves if this was indeed true. >> if y ever go t a spa? >> no, i don't think so. probably not. >>eporter: you wouldn't? do you dri beer? >> yes. >> have you ever visited a spa? >>no. >> reporter: wha if i told you th they use beer as a beauty treatment. what would you say to that? >> i would have me a beer.

>> how are you? >>e's been a little anxious. >> reporter: are you enjoying it so far >> yes. >> reporter: so ralph, what do you think? woulyou bring your buddies and co back here? >> it was od. it was relaxing and i'll definitely dit again. >> reporter: cheers. tourism in ft. lauderdale just shot right up. and for peoplthat don't drink, you can substitute root beer. it's got the malt in it and it also has the same benets as the beer. >> you picked up that guy on the beech? >> the best pick line ever.

>> cut to the robe and t music. >> i like how you work. i'm sure you wou work too ifhat was your signment. speing of beer, comingup, we'reoing to bust some popular hangover prevention myths. but first this is "today" on nbc.

we're ba at 8:41. career counselor always tell you to dress fothe job you want not the job you need. >> it's been a few yearsince he las wore a suit. after a rough pch of substance abuse a homelessness, he's getting dressed to impress on an upcoming job inteiew. >> there was tes when i didn't even have a place to stay. so that was a hure that i really had to work hard towards

overcoming and it's been rough. but i surrounded myself with people that were willing to help me because ty seen a potential. >> pottial that's enhced by a new tie, ses and dergarments, allrovided by the nonprofit career gear. for more than a decade, they have been outfitting unemployed men with donated attire and helping them prepare for their job interviews. >>ith the clothing, you have a renewed sensof confidence. and when you walk into that the door, you feel ful preparedo answer any queions on an interview and as well that you look the part. >> continue response sorsponsor many of these clothes. the cloes get a new use and the n wearing them get a second chance. >> itasn't all been easy cause people who abuse alcohol

and -- >> they want to fus on the skillshat they have and what they can offer to an ployer. >> what is image? what do you think it is? >> the program gs beyond clothing providi professional develoent, financial counseli and parents advice long after clients have gotten a job. gordon g this suit and lande a job. he now volunteers his spare time helping out at career gear. >>ou can change a person's life in a positive nner, then you change their who world. the entire world changes becau it creates st of a domino affect. i wound up with an extended family. >> soany people who have lost wo, it's about rebuilding male figures withincommunities, making sure that men n only ha jobs, but they're leaders and they're fathersithin the community they live and they work. >> we're happy to report the gentleman you saw preparing for a job interview aced itnd was hid.

up next, quick a easy recipes help you ring in the new year tonight. but first this is "today" on nbc.

backt 8:45 this morning on "today's" holiday kitchen, quick breakfasts to ring in e new year. edrown has some tasty treats that will he you entertaining like a pro in n time. ed, good morning, good to see you. >> happy holiys. >> you promisenyone can make this at home tonight if they've got ests coming in. >> s the challenge was, givee recipes that uses everything that you findn your house. we're starting off with a pasta, easy to make. >> pasta salad? pasta salad, it's bold, we're making a caesar pos that. i started out with garlic, olive

oil, red chili flake. >>that's smellg so good. >> and put a little bit of chicken ock in and we're reducing that. and i put my pasta in. >> and this is pta you have already cooked? >>his is pasta i cooked. >> can you use any kind of pasta? >> any shape, it doe't matter, it's all going to work fine. just making the pasta hot. >> just a few minutes. >> and not a lot of salt. you don't really want toake it salty. and we're going to add some butter and the butter is going to coat the pasta. >> butter makes erything tter. >> i think so. >> and you've got parmesan cheese? >> yes, parmesan is in there. we wanto turn the heat off. i've got shredded romaine lettuce. >> never thought about putti romaine letce into a sauce pan. you keeit in there for a quick

bit. >>ust a quick bit, youknow, it's a vegetable. it looks great. >> and we're going to toss that, dump thatight into our salad bowl. >> perfect. it does look beautiful. the salad doesn't get to wilty? >> the leaves are going to stay a little bit crunchy. >> that's a nice texture. and you add the olive oil. cheese olive oil, butter, we like allf those things. yum, that looks fantastic. you servet with some bread? >> i serve it with some bread. these are the chowder hou convicts and some cornbread which i always like to have. >> this is amazing. >> this is frata. ban, caramelized onion. withhe eggs and the paley, i put in pumper nickel croutons it gives it texture, it gives it a nice lo. >> do you cook it in a pan or do you put it in the en? >> i put it in the ov.

thinof this as a great egg sandwich. i'veot bread, i've got eggs, i've got unnonions. >> what we have all been waiting for is the bannanbanana's fter. >> it seems like it's a complicated dish, but it's not. it's just butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. cook it all together. we h flame. how long do you cook the bananas for? >> they probably don't need to cookore than about a minute and a half really. >> so this dish takes all of a fe minutes? >> five minutemax. once we put the bananas in and warm them up in our sce -- >> what kindf ice cream is th this? y

you. >> we're goingo be serving this as part of our anyon menu. >> what's new yeas eve like at th chowder house? >> new year's eve is crazy. right now for tonight, we're almost sold out. it's going to be a celebration and some dorations and a great menu. >> and are these on your menu right here? >> these will be on our anniversary menu starting in january, next month. >> i sd i wanted to try everything, n i go back dn the line? i didn't have breakfast this mornin so i love all of this. so this egg kiesh, how long does th take tomake? >> the e kiesh takes about 15, 20 minutes to make. it's actual it's. >> i love e chives on top. this is grea this is tough, but somebody's got to do . let's just see the texture with the sad. >> it takes like a caesar sad, right? >> that is so good. and t anchovies a nice little kick.

fantastic. i did i in the right der. dessert,reakfast and then lunch, right? >> a little bit ckwards. >> thank y very much and happy neyear. we'll be right back but firs this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, five wayto save a lot of money in the new year. but first as 2010 draws to a

close, we want to lk back at some of the people we loved this year.

8:55 is your time on this friday, december 31st, 2010. good moning. i'm un yang. in the news today the medal exiner's office will determine if remains found inside theold c. general hospital are that of a baby. the photographer foun the remains in an area where topsies were once conducted. and a crash knocked out power to about 2,000 people in prince george's county this morning. a car hit power polyoff wheeler road. noword on the condition of the driver. we're going to take a quick break now we'll have your weather and affic when we come back.

mild air making a comeback and it's jus in time for us to get out d have some fun today. we've now moved up to degrees. we're at 28. 25 deees right now in silver spring, marand. we'll see a high todayf 55. close to 60 tomorrow. jerry? >> ronica, still very quiet. there had been a little nder bender. it's over to the shoulder. lanes are open. lanes are open across the th street bridge and in maryland, i-270, frederick to rockville looking good. eun? >> thank you, jerry. start you new year off with us. tue in monday morning for all the news, weather, and traffic.

back with more of "today" on this friday morning. december 31st 2010. theast day of the year. this isn't a toshiba commercial. that's a look at tim square. in just a matter of hours, more than a million people will crowd der the skyscrapers to watch the ball drop. i'm sure a lot of these people on rockefell plaza will be heading over there. >> i think it's fair to say that

most people who -- one of the best ways to avoid a hangover tomorrow. does it matter what you drink, what should you eat beforeou go to sleep? what are some of theommon remedies tovoid that really big headache in thmorning. >> probly not drinking would be a start. but we're going to go through those coming up. plus using your phone to buy bargains, shoppg generic brands, we'll have five ways to save big bucks in 2011. let's go over to the news desk. >> goomorning, evybody, a powerf winter storm that slammed the western and plains states is still going on. kristen welker joins us now to explain what taking place. the orm took a deadlyturn, didn it? >> reporter: it certainly did, thomas. the storm has claimed at least four lives so far. two motorists in minnesota, one in nevada and a snowboarder was found dead here in lake tahoe thursday morning. but inddition to those tragedies, it's also wreaking

hac throughout the west and midwest. colorado really bearing the brunt right no that area hasn'teen much snfall so far this year. they arexpecting as much as ten inches due to this latest stor and they actually had to cance some flights at denver international airport. arizona also getting walloped, they had to close down two major highwa there for a period of time. some motorists even g stranded. now this storm system is headed to the nation's midsection. where they are certainly bracing for chilly temperatures and re treacherous conditions. now we turn our attention to new york cy where preparations are underway for the biggest celebration of the year. mara, explain, are people already shong up? >> reporter: thomas,idnight is 15 hou away, but already people are gathering here to secure their spot in tes square to see the ball drop. now as crowds grow, so do

concerns about security and a potential terror attack. the pd says there's no specific threat against tonight's celebration, but they are still takin plenty of security precautions, erecting more than 17 miles of steel barricades, more than 1,000 uniformed an undercover officers will be patrolling the ea. mother nature further complicated plans by dumping two feet of snow on this city. the sanitationepartment has been working t clear all the snow out. the weather is also cooperating, todays expected to reach a bay 42 degrees which means 2011 will get aarm welcome in new york city. relentless floodinis dampingening the n year in australia. the floodingovers a region

laer than france and germany combined. incumbent lisa murkski is w the officialinner of the alaskan sena race. the leading lady othe accidentrone broadway musical spider-man "turn off the dark" hasfficially left the production before it's opening. she sustained a concussion when she was hit by a swinging rope that was carrying equipmen she is one of fou performers in the show now to be injured. president obama will ring in the new year with his family in hawaii.

milder and then colder but at leasthe mild is going to come today. les take a look at temperatures rising quickly wh some clear skies acss the area. son sunshine aoss the area this mornin mclean and fairfax. bethesd 33. er in montgomery county. and hyattsvilles 36. your high today, 55. at midnight, we'lle comfortable at 40 and thenclose to 60 tomorrow as ra moves in la and out sunday morning. >> amy, over to you. this morning on "today's" money, shopping tips for 2011. you want to save some ext cash in the new year, therere essential stepsou can take today to gethe best bang for your bucktomorrow. lisa is the editor--chieff "shop smart" magazine. we hav seen line shopping

obviously become increasingly popular. but you say you can leverage technogy for better deals at the brick and mortar stores. >> if you haven'totten on your favorite store's alerts. social mediaor insider deal. >> that's right, also facebook. if you're on facebook, like the retailer. if you're involvedith twittering, follow that retailer on twitter. there are a lot of companies now twittering on special deals. >> youlso say you can use search enges to find different deals. you tested th top 25 search engine which are the best? >> you put in the name of your item that you want to buy and th it will come up with all o the different price that the retailer is offeng. you can quickly find the best

pre. what we found -- the one that found the lowes prices most of the time was price grber. but google's shopping search engine did very well too. all you do is good to google and click on shopping. also nexttag and bing did really well. you also say to comparison pre with your smart phone i. i don't even kw how to do at. >> you're missingout. if you you have a sma phone and you're not doing this, you're missing out. if you take your smart phone to the store, you can use apps. most apps are -- basical they're call bar cod scanners, you can phograph the bar codes or you canut in the numbe of the bar codes or you can st put in the name othe product. and it will tell you on the spot if that sale is a good deal. if you have a smart phone and you're notoing this already, get on there.

there'also coupons on your smart phone, all kinds of stuff. >> they canctually scan the coupons from your phone? >> sometimes ty can. see if they can plug the numbers that are on the coupon. >> i fgot to print it out, see i have the coupon. >> see, you'rdoing it. but you just g to get one of the red lasers, these are some of thear code apps. >>'m on it. on a related note, you say when you' ee you're armed with the best information. >> a lot ofeople don't know out this, and a lot of store have these policies but they don't adverte them. but if you purchase something and within aeek or two you find a lower price somewhere else, a lot of the times they will refund you the pre difference. so is always worth asking. especially if you have a paper, you know, copy of the price from another local retailer. and some storesill aually

add another 10% off. >>eally? >> for your trouble. like sears and home depot and lo's. >> the other thing you say is shop generic. people say it's not as good or my kids won't liket as much. >> we test products every year and every year we find that storerands are justs good or tter than regular bigbrands. and this year, we tested everything from beer and detergent and vitamins. taste tests, all kinds of stuff. and wha we found for example is kirkland, which is costco's brand had one of the best detergents, it rivaled tide, which has always been ourop detergent. >> what out real? because that's always the one where you feel like, i'm n su. >> we didn't test cereal this year. but it's always worth trying.

also a & p had better fran infrs urt -- comin up next, what's the best way to ward off that post new year's celebrati hang over? we'll bust some polar myths when it comes to ovindulging wi alcohol. some of the most famous people we hav talked ton 2010 here on "today." but first these ssages. that way to hebook club.hat s'lt she'll probably say something like, "everyone d a wonderful time. the food w great. it was good to get away. but let's be honest... mom just caught air! now, there's a first. tell us what you'valways wanted to do, on facebook. [ ship horn blows ]

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and she looks like... a matchstick. and she's obviously nevr dieted, or ever eaten anything. [ laughs and she sa to me, "whereould you like to be in six months six months? i need to in a pink bresmaid's dress in one month. i st want to be able to zip it up! [ female announcer ] sound famiar? then try the slim-fast 3-1 plan. 3 snacks, 2 shakes or meal bars, and 1 balanced meal. clinically proven. ridiculously simple. slifast. who has time to slim slowly ♪ sniffing ] [ all sniffing ] [ female announcer ] ever notice after a ile you stop smelng your pluggable air freshener? there's a better wa to get long lasting freshness pull the plug on your old one and tradup to a free febreze noticeabl. it's longasting freshness in the febreze you plug right . for freshnessou'll notice week after week. find out how to g your free febreze noticeales at febrezetradeup.com

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>>this morning on "today's" health, haover myths. a lot of people celebrate t new year with a few cocktails, maybe more an a few cocktails and that means they'll probably tr more than a few ways to wd off that headache. dr. peterson, gd morning, good to see you. there are a lot of myths out there about wha works and what doesn't work. the first one, beer before quor, never been sicker >> the order is not what's relevant, it's theolume that you conme which is important. but the reason tha this myth

came abouts that wheyou drink alcol, your inhitions goown and you have a tendency to wt to drink more so if you start wit a beverage that has a highe alcohol content, you will dnk even more. >> there are a lot of women who thk they can kp up drink for drink with a ma >> men have a better ability to metabolize control, they have a higher level of an enzyme that breaks it down more quickly. men have a highe er erers perntf body weight. >> if you had a man a a woman that weighed the same, men still have that higher water content which makes the fference. >> you may think eating before you go to sleep with help absorb the alcohol and ease your hangover, doest really? >> no, you have to eat before

you drink for it to make an impact. because food inhits the o sorpation of alcohol. you should eat a fatty meal because that works best. if you wait until after you have drank, the alcohol is already absorbed and it's too late >> a lot of folks think that acaminophen are acetaminophen -- >> normally the liver will metabolizes s acetaminophe shuns the -- inste of taking acetaminophen, you suld take ibuprofen beforeou go to bed that night. >> not just when you wake up, but wh you go to bed.

>> you may think coffee will both wake y up and ruce your hangover. in all the movie it works. >> it m give you that lite boost, but overl it worsens yourhangover. the reason it ds is that alcohol dehi dprats you and that's why y feel the majority of your hangersymptoms. >> here's a legend that persists, the hair of the dog that bit you, have another drink d that will bring you down quickly. >> it will just postpone the hangover until a little later in the day. ur hangover is at its worst when your alcohol levelsre at zero, so the hair of the dog is just going to put it off until later. >> what's your best advice for avoiding a hangover? >> try eing that fatty meal before you go out. take iprofen when you go to bed at night with a full glass of water.

eggs conta an amino acid called sistine. and sistine may help the liver. >> what itill do is slo down the alcohol levels in your bloodstream, especlly if you can have a glass of water in between every drink, that's a grt idea. still ahead, quick a easy a appetizers that you can throe together. together. together. ♪ i hate suburbia and the urgeoi-sie ♪ ♪ but i really love my bank ♪ i hate--

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on tv and the whole audice is going to hold you to it. >> i want t volunteer more i hope that thing are going to slow dowso i can do it more consistent. >> i forgot about mine. i want to travel more. now ieel like a horrible person. >> i have got to limit my work schedule, i'm no longer going to work more than seven days a week. at one point you've got to draw the line. that's it for you. >> ann? >> i want to travel mo, but i was feeling guilty about it. coming up. ofn, the best part of a meal is the desst. but sometimes after a bu day and a big dinner... my sysm needs some tlc. now there's something that's just right. activia desser rich, silky, smooth yogt with desserty flavors

liketrawberry cheesecake, ueberry cheesecake, and peach cobbler. and because it's activia, it helps regulate my digesve system. mmm. works for me. ♪ actia activia dessert. and the deals are so great everyone's gng. zzsaw? buzz what? i'm dan now. we're getting the band back together, you in? i don't think, uh... you're not in. not in. [ male announcer ] for a lited time, get 0% apr financing on select new corollas, camrys tundras. plus, every new toyota comes with toya care, featuring a compmentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. this legendary event only happens once a year. dot miss out on the amazing deals at toyotathon. hurry inoday. with walmart's end-of-the-yea clearance event, starting dember 26 at 6am. get unbelievable clearancerices on select toys, home decor, clothing, candy, and asonal items. it l starts december 26, while splies last. it the end-of-the-year clearan event at walmart!

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96 is your time this orning, and here's a look at washington's skyline on a hazy fday morning. this is the last day of the year. i'm t lawson muse. topping our news for today, former prince george's county exutive jack johnson is alwed to remove his electronic monitoring acelet. according to court documents, johnson's lawyer says the monitori bracelet has been keeping johnson from finng a new job. he and his wife leslie were

fou charged with evidence tampering

rolling out of 2010 we're ing to do it in fine fashion. the weatheroday, wearing a mostl sunny outfit, and, well, some of it may not need theoat by later this afternoon. 34 in rushton. kensington, 35 drees. your high today . close to 60 tomorrow. midnight our temperature will be right at degrees. a little rain late tomorrow. jerry? >> veronica, late at this hour, ill light. 395 northbound andouthbound between the 1th street bridge

d the capital beltway looking good. let's go over to maryland and see if there's anything to worry about. boekz directions wide open. looking good. pat? >> re news, weather, d traffic inbout 25 minutes. right now let's

who can forget the beautiful and heart breaking performance by canadia skater at the vancouver wier games. she skated to a bronz medal just days aft the sudden tragic death of her mother. we're going to find out h she's doing now and she will actually performor us on monday live on "today." >> coming up in this half hour, wee going to take a lk at some of th other fascinating people that made headlin in

2010. also ahea a lot of people will spend ts afternoon gettin ready for tonit's new year's eve festivities. ming up, recip for some easy st-minute snacks that your guests are just going to love. butfirst, let's look at what's coming

outside our dor we do ha some sunshine and pretty nice weather too for early rning. gorgeous wi be the afternoon. as we see, temperatures get out of the 0s. low to mid-30s where they are right now to mid-50s throughout the area. light southwesterly wind. it's not going to be all that cold at all tonight. we'll drop to 40 deges around midnight. mostly clear. t clouds come in tomorrow. some rain, too, by the late afternoonnd early evening.

ihould be out of here by early sunday t close to >> and of course a bigeekend for footba. we want to show you the forecast here as we head into our sunday games. sunday night football, we have the rams and the seahawks temperature not that bad. d this time of year, i get sad becaus footbals almost over. coming up next, from the world of politics to entertainment. we're going to look bac at the ggest newsmakers of 2010 right after this. and i quit smoking. me i knew for years before i quit th i needed to quit and i went online find a way. ♪ what rlly excited me about chantix -- it's a non-nicotine pill. i didn't want nicote to give up nicotine. while you're taking the medation, for the first week,

you can go ahead andmoke. [ male announcer ] presiption chantix is proven to help people quit oking. when i was taki the chantix, it reduced the urge to smoke. [ male announcer some people had changes in behavi, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressedood and suicidal thoughts or aions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you nice any of these symptoms or beviors, stop taking chantix and call youroctor right away. tell your doctor about anyistory of depression or other meal health problems, which cou get worse while taking chanti if you develop serious allergic or skin reactns, stop takinghantix and see your doctor rig away as somef these can be life-threatening. don't take chantix if yo've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to . dosing may be differt if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix fects you, u caution when driving or operatinmachinery. common se effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. ♪ it feels wondful. i don't smoke. i don smoke. [ male announcer ] it's a neyear. so, ask youroctor about chantix.

and find out how you could save money on your prescription go to cntix.com to learn more and get terms and conditns. ♪ ♪ mwell house international. stop your world. ♪ slim-fast giv you oven weight loss, not celebrities. so try the slim-ft 3-2-1 plan. the clinically pven way to lose weight now. slim-fast. o has time to slim slowly? the clinically pven way to lose weight now. activihas delicious news for dessert lovers. often, the best part of a meal is the dessert. but sometimes after a busy day and a big dinner. my system needs some t. now there'something that's just right. activia dessert. richsilky, smooth yogurt with dessey flavors like strawberry cheeseke, blueberry cheesecake and peach cobbler. and because it's activia,

it helps regulate my digestive system. mmm. works for m ♪ activia actividessert. "today" look back at 2010 is brought to you by rcedes benz. enjoy great engineering tay at ur authorized dealer. some of the many newsmakers we have sat down with over the past 12 months.

>> from presidents to celebrities to ordinary people who fnd themselves in extraoinary circumstances. here are t people of 2010. >> kan west when he said george bush doesn't care about black people. i resent it, it's not tru and it's one of the most disgusting moments o my presidency. >> what would you say to him if would meet with you fe to face. i'm not sure if he would. but if he would. >> i need you guys to ow me the tape. i don't need all the jibe. >> i'll do something el, you know. >> all of a sudn you're dumping them on me? so much a man can ke. >> you wish you were bac in the middle of it all? orre you so glad to be removed from ? >> it' nice to be out of the pressure. >>an you guarantee in th wage

of this withdrawal, we're not going to see an explosion? >> i can't guantee anything, but i willing to bet everythi. >> his version of hlth care reform did not receive one reblican vote. >> the republicans made a calcated decision that they uld not support whatever we di >> looat his hair. it's grayer. there's a littleore wear and tear on his face. hetill looks good, mind you. >> he's cute. >> i'm not bad mouthing yo husband here. >> you are now convicted of a felony. >> this project is creating tremendous pain for people who have already paid the ultimate crifice. >> we have absolutely no ea. ere was no iication. >> how were you ab to let go of the anger or have you let go of it? >> it's unhealthy.

>> you are forever n hitched. >> am. how lucky am i? >> buy this issue? >> there's an awful lot of people that are in danger? what are you going tsay to the next generation. >> quite a year. you know, being in this place and all the folks come he, and we go to them, it's great. >> and y can see what happened in a year. and it really is amazing tha it happened in a 12-month span. you forget, that happened this year? >> we have got a whole other year to make mories with. for is almost over with 30 years of great deals, everyo's going. fabio? ♪ wow. [ male announcer ] for a limited time, get 0% apr financing on sect new corollas, camrys & tundras. plus, every new toyota comes with toyota care, feuring a complimentary maintenance an with roadside assistce. this legendaryvent only happens once-a-year.

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>>you only have a few hours lefto make your new year's resolutionnd instead of making one that impossible to keep. the folkst women's day magane suggests pickingne that you can do each day. i'm so hpy to hear some of that, because you believe making thatne new year's resolution is too much for most people. >> we tackled the entire month ofjanuary, we gave you one thing you ca do each day, 31 things you can pic and choose. obously you don't have to do all of them. but they are about srting small, just to make yourself feel good.

we have got a few examples re to talk to you about. >> everyone wants to live the dream. eryone wants to have that perfect life where evything's eat, but yes, whatever that means. what is your advice to accolishing a goal like that. to live a dream? >> there ian incredible website called kick starter.com. you basically describe wha it is you want to do, whether it is open a bakery o become a fashion designer you describe what that is, you say how much money you need and people go on and they fund your drm. it's ry, very cool. basically you get it funded and then your people follow you. so everything from a wan who wants a van so she can have a mobile printing press,hatever your dream , go on there, check it out, supercool website. people fund tt and hopefully your dream can com true. >> that's pretty incredible. so people's dream is just to redecorate, have nice n surroundings, do it youelf can change the lk and feel of your home. what's your advice if you don't have a ton of money.

>> the easiest thing, i say it all the time, no matterhat i do is to paint. most people are afraid of inting. there's this great new iention that this woman came up with. it's called small wall. it's in two pieces thatoes not put any ki of mark on your wall. you paint it wtever color you want. you live with that -- because the whole thing about paint, the hardest thing is choosing the right color. you paint it, itbsolutely mimics your wall, you can move it aroundnd see what it looks like in differt lights. experiment and goor it. beuse painting is the biggest transformation. the other thing is wall paper. now wallpaper y thi is really hard to put in. but there are so many great products out there. i love this one. it's tperatu paper degns. it's 25 different patterns that they have that come in all different patterns and colors.

great for kids' rooms. it'sed ed ed adhesive. you can put it in a kid's room, a hallway. anywhere you need some zip. >> all of usant a simpleler life, just go thrgh your life, t rid of it. if you'reike me, you have that thing of batteri but nowhere to take them. you can also call them if you're d-fashioned. basically you type inour zip code and it tel you exactly wher to take it. from batteries to cell phones. th is the year to get rid of, clean out and one of the big things about that is you don't know what to do with it. this website solves that for you. >> i really like this, bringin in plants into your home.

you can breathe a little more freely that way. >> it sounds so simple and it sounds le, you know, to me this is the easiest resolution. if you want better air to breathe, allou have to do is bring a plant in. me of the best are elish ivey. >> you can't kill bamboo. because i kill everying else bubamboo. >> it really is better for you. the leaves are pulling off the toxins out of their and the chemicals get processed through the plant. >> s when you're inside breathg that cleaner air, you can stay and play games with your family. >> that's another tip that we nt people to com together and haveamily timetogether. well know that being at the dinner tab is better for kids. signate one night, even if it's one night a mth for a family game night. old-fashioned games. put all the remote controls away. we love ts game. it'salled call it. it's brand-w. all differentids of different agesan play it. it's just something to put o

your calendar >> so you play with your kids, but you also want them toitch in. all want our kids to help out with the chores you saythere's a unique way of getting kids to help. >>his year might be the year you decide to stop nagging your kids. the best way to do that is to have fun with it. you take ping-pong balls, you write down a bunch of chor, you have the kids pk a ball. >> chore lottery. >> the first kid to do the mt thing to g the most chores done with that 15 minutes, gets a pre. maybe 30 mines more of screen time. the whole thing is to just make it more fun. and it will make you fl better becausyou will not be nagging them. coming up next, last-minute easy to make appetizers for tonight's big bash. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪golden morning family'smiling♪ ♪gonna be a special day anncr: for the perft start to the perfect day, i always choose land o'lakes all-natural eggs. from hens fed a ri, whole-grain diet

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th morning on "today's" kitchen, simple new year's eve appetizers if you're putting together a last-minute party to watch the bal op. three easy recipes that are sure to imprs. good morning, and hap new year. >> happy new year to you, lester. >> this is all about folks who look at the clock and say, let's have a pty tonight. >> it's for all you party procrastinators o there. you n do it i think within an hour. >> we're goi to show you how to do it. >> these are your favorite potatoes. olive oil, salt and peer, roast them in your ove at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. cut them in half, skin side down. rot them and then you can top them with anything you want. make them fancy wh a little chiv, a little lemon zest. what would you like on yours?

>> i would like a littlereme fresh. you can actually just do sour cream and bacoand chives. so i like a little lemon zest on mine because it gives it a little bit of zing. >> but you can make them all differently? >> you can make them all different. you can put them on a pretty tray. whoever did thibacon did a really nice job. >> just little bit of salmon, right? >> a little bit of salmon. caviar, chives. real simple. >> i'm going to try mine. >> there's a little salt i that. so these are my au rain. >> she's going to sharehis with the whole country? i called heand asked her. she gave permissn. these are the party pleasers. you get these in the fzen section of any grocery store.

they're already done for u. you get tha ne blt -- then you're going to take yr plump tomatoes that e all diced. i'm using my finger. >> at's cool. w use oscar's thas delicious. okay, sohen you mix itith a little bit of mayonnaise >> just a little bit of ingredients. >> everybody loves the blt. so you're taking regular mayonnaise and you're going to jazz it up with some fres herbs. salt and pepper. and that's all you do, really. like i id, this is something that everybody can do d you can spend more te getting ready and jazzingourself up, right, lester? >> yeah. i say come as you are.

it's the food we dress . can i try this? >> please go. >> this is a cupastry and we brush a littlegg whites. and what was new year's without a littleit of champagne? >> muffins. >> so i put a sugar cube on the bottom so it connues to kind of fizz. >> a littl orange peel. a little orange peel. >>ell, happy new year'soast to you. thanks for bringing in these recipes. and thankto aunt reem. >> and you pop tm in your mouth. >> all right, there you go. >> happy new year to you. >> there's me to come on "today," but first your local

news and weather. happy new year.

>> good mornin everyone. 9:56 is our ti right now. i'm barbaraarrison. it's december 31st, 2010. the last day of this year. metro ll be open late this weekend to handle the crowds that be out celebrating the new year. metro will runon a sunda schedule on both days. > and another sober option get home. the washington regional alcohol program on w.r.a.p., wrap, they're offering free cabs tonight. all 800-200-8294. you must be 21 o 1 or der to us this service. what knd of weather? let's find out. >> our weather made to order, how about that. this is one of the warmest times weo from midnight into the new

year going back t 2007 when we were, in fact, 46 degrees. across the area sws its 37. landover at 3 your high temperature with high clou, 55 to 57 degrees down south. so 40 and comfortable. at midnight, rain tomorrow. jerry. very quiet. no restrictions. 95, 395 moving along nicely. both looking good. over in ryland, i-95 between baltimore, wasngton, wide open. smooth sailing. he a happy new year's eve. barbara. >> >> thank you, jerry. >> >> thank you, jerry. we'll have a full hour of

captn he everybody. so glad you're joining us for try-day friday. definitely not dry-d on this very last day -- i can't believe it, hoda -- decemer 31st. youaid we'd never make it. >> we made it! >> we get to celebrate new year's eve, we a welcoming in all that's old. like me. and all the new.

cheers. >>cheers. >> what's the one thing you want mt this year? notice the lip marks. >> we were thirsty before the show. >> what do you want most this year. >> i think morealance in my life because i've hadlways -- i feel like i've always had work focused and i'velways craved for balance. i always thouht you couldn't be great at anything if you had too much balance because you were okay at everything. >> jack of al trades. >> th's sort of silly. i think that you can giveour work and thatart of your life enough, then can you give the rest of your life more fos. that's going to be my goal in 2011. 2011. >> i know. i just got used to writing my checks the write way. >> whaabout you? you know what? i need a reali check. this morning jill had brought me threeifferent dresses. a friend of hers, beautiful signer. they've be hanging there for eeks. i'm thinking whichne am i goin to wear. well i tried to get in them tod and every one of tm

makes me look like my grandmother's grandmother. y know, i look up and there on e television is bette midler she's the one that told me a woman over 55 should not show cleavage because it is a peh t. it is not cleavage, it is a peach pit. i'm like oh, nothing looks good. in walks b, one of o beautiful, beautiful people that works here in wardrobe and she had been battling with breast cancer this pt year. she looks at me and gos, honey, they're yours and they're healthy had. keep it. i wt oh, my gos you are so right. forgive me lord. you know what? had a little reality check. you alys want to be sensitive. it's hard inhis business to -- you have to toughen u if you're in this business. i think you have to toughen up in life anywa but you don't ever want to lose your tender heart. you have to get toughened up against people whose opinio don't matter at all and remain sensitivand tender hearted to

the people who only their opinions matter. it is a battle, itruggle with that all the time. >> new year's eves one of those days that's so builtp in like the night of your life and everyone dresses up -- >> expectatis are way too high. >> no. i'm trying honest to god to remember a fun new year eve. one year -- >> this one's going to be fun. >> one year -- >> hoda. >> one year i did that ru in the park, th midnight run. >> that was stupid. >>it was freezing. it was freezin okay? at the waterstation they had champagne. ha, ha, ha, ten you wanted to get warm. the other i w with my ster an bunch of friends andwe were all essed up, me and my sister sat o the bed before the night started she's li i want to sit on the bed and watch movi and eat popcn. i don't want to go i always have more n the night before newyear's eve or the night after. >> we setp ourselves too much for disappointment in life. little girls e fed fairy fa tal

from the day we're little, "an they lived happily ever after." nobody talks about w prin charming grows agut. >> and scratches. >> andas a flatulence problem. not frank! no, but it se us up to think once we findthat guy it is all going to be -- it doesn't happe for him either because you ain't barbie. you know? >> right, right, righ let's talk about some of the best things in 2010. >> besides anthy who is barbie. >> the best thing -- >> lo at anthony. >> we lf our anthony. we love them all. we want to thank our incredible crew for this past year. nobody does it better. tammy, our fabulo staff, everybody. >> the best. >> lura and mayor are who do miracs in the morning. but i wa to really thank our friends out there, our fans who

watch this show every day. we wouldn't be her without you guys. we are so gratel to you. we're so grateful that you get us. you understand the spit in which everything we do is done. why, we don't know. >> "those thgs." >> so let's g on to, these are the most watched videos of 2010. we're going to start off with the most watch youtube video. before roll it, this is called the bed intruder sog. it had 55 million hits. this the guy who somebody brokeo his sister's bedroom d tried to hurt her and didn't and he wre a song, a little diddy that 55 million people. ♪ >> ve it. >> anyway, this guy purchased a newhome. had he number86 on the billboard 100.

>>ou turnomething bad into something good. go bless him. >> the most watched video, ytube video ever, ever, ever, was? justin bieber's musi video for "baby." 246 milln hits. >> you know what? his mom i the one that started putting his stuff on youtube a it only seems right that he has this t because he was discovered on utube. >> usher. >>usher. wraed his arm around him and the next thing you ow, two grammy nominations, best pop vol album and bes pop arti. >> the number one google searched entertainer, justin bieber. >> have you searched him once? >> no, i ven't. >> there are a lot of teensand tweens. >> the number one itunes download of the year, the song that was t number one and it isone that we know. ♪ hey sl sister >> by train. ♪ on the radio stereo

>> okay. >> oka >> the highest earning tour person. >> this rprised me. bon jovi. >>f the year. bon jovi. that's scking. and ac/dc. they beat them, too. >> i didn't even know ac/dc was still alie! they're alive and kicking apparently. god bles them, too. >> wat about your new year's resolution? anytng you want to do? >>ou know, i try not to make them because so many people -- ain, we put the standards too high. we just put expectations on. we don't need anymore -- >> a littlething? >> i'moing to try this year to love alittle bit more and criticize a little less and try to get some help for this next situation. >> you say criticize a little less? >> criticize a little less. my fily will be very happy to he that. >> me too. >> i don't justcriticize you i point out your flaws. you just did it. >> you have no flaws, hoda.

a lady was piing through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family. she asked thetock boy, d these turkeys come any bigger? get y bigger? the stock boy replied, no, ma'am, they're dead. that one i told tammy -- tt w a bomb. wat. first of all, that'sow y nded? >> the one i wanted to tell is so frickin' funny -- >> nast it's dirty. dir. >> no! >> nay. >> no. the one about. >> no, you can't do that one either. it is time for our favorite part of friday, "bobbie's buzz." >> today we're calling bobbie is already buzzed because she had some champagne. >> yes. happy new yea ladies. so this bu is all aout primping f the party. if you are gng to go out toniht -- primpin' for the

party -- there in't a party on new year's eve without some panti. there is aradition invery country. this is for you. in venezuel and in mexico if you wear red underwear o new year's leave it will welcome love anduck into the new year. if you're looking mo money, wear yelow. >> i can have them both? i'll wear o on each chee >> i'm obsessed with feathers riht now. feaers are everywhere and i want everyone to know wt a hackle pad wa this is $3 from your loc craft store and you can do everything with it. you can put it in your hair. you can put itere on your shoulder or this isrom mixology but you can me your own featherecklace like this. >> i think you should putthat on klg. >> i don't know about this. everything looks cute on you, bobbie. on a woman of maturity, i'm not so sure. who said'm mature? >> you're okay.

no? not for you? >> yo can put glitter everywhere at drugstore, you lips, there's more on the website. go toklgandhoda.com. >> evybody's loving the new nail polish you got. >> yes, buter. but we're going to ge happy hour going, your idea. >> what's happy hour? >> tellher. >> well, she is obsessed with e chanel khaki rose nl polish and its limed edition. there's a company we're going to talk to to see if maybe theye going to create hay hour, kathie lee's own color. >> we'll make that available to our friend out there. up next, two luc ladies loing for a speciambush makeover" for new yer's eve. we'll see the amazingresults. "3, 2, 1 live." >> sara's also buzzed. now i just follow the steps, and i can get anhere i want to go. turbotaxets me do my taxes the same way. its unique gps feature guides me step-by-st.

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plazaambush makeovers." >> guesswho's been hard at work? >> "todaystylist to the stars -- ♪ louis licari la-la-la-la-la >> and jill artin. they found two unsuspectsing ladies on the plaza. how did it down? >> iwas great. what better way to start the new year than a makeover. new hair,ew face, new clothes. >> let's meet emilysutter, 22 years old from baltimore, maryland. she has been with herboyfriend, brandon, f eight months who recently proposed toher. she had the exact same lo as long as she can remember and shs so excited about hing a ne style for her wedding. >> he loves her just as she s. >> i know. >> recently enged and you proposed on a horse and carriage. >>yes. >> congratulations. i love it. w do you think emily deserves a makeover? >> she just gruated from cal state univeity and she's got offer a job as an elementary

edution teacher, fourthgrade, she ever since've known her e's just the most patient, caring person, she willg to do anything for everybo. she's dinitely a caregiver and she definitely deserves this. that's so nice to hear. right? >> i love it. >> ae you ready for a wle new start? >> i'm so excited. just graduated colleg i'm ready. let's do ths! >> is a whole new life. >> adorable. >> her adorable fiance is right over there, brandon. ju keep your blindfold on. okay? unl i give youhe green ligt. here is emily before. all right, emily, let's see the new you! >> wow! >> brandon, get ready. get read take off yo blindfold, hon. >> my god! >> y ready, emily? >> i'm nervous. >> you look gorgeous. >> w. >> you look great. >> listen to you. >> gorgeous!

here, tun around. lo at brndon. what do you think? >> she's beautiful. absolutely beautiful. >> i w just going to say, the fit thing he said when he saw her is -- he said under his breath "she is so beautiful." they are sch a great coue. they are so in love. they adore each other. this is just a funmakeover to do. what did is i lightened her hair, added a few highlits around her fac kept it simple. this is the holidays, it is time to make your hair full. jennifer lawrence made it more finished, more full. >> you guys are doing such the right thing getting married. i'm just saying. jill, tell us about the outfit. >> i thinknew year's eve you get dressed . i think sequins are a gat way to bri that out but you want somethin you'll wear throughout theyear. this is from ann taylor, a sequined sweater, st a blasic blank tap and high boots. >> a big roundof applause! emily, go join your fiance.

>> okay. >> moving on, i feel very sorry for fran. she's 57 from long island new york after recentlyosing 80 ounds. she begged us to give her a new ce to go with her beautiful new body. here with her daughter jessica aner daughter's fiance, randy, let's listen to her story. >> all righ jessica. i saw y bopping around o out there because inow you really wan this for your mom. tell us why. >> she's always been a wonderful supportive mother and she recently got healthy. look at her, she lost 80 pounds and i know sheeally wants this and she definitely desees it. >> 80 pounds. congratulations. are you ready for this? >> i am so o ready to have this. you just have no idea. i want the whole thing go with all this weight loss. iant to be a new person. >> we are going to ring in the new year for you with a new look. you ready to go? yes! yes, yes, yes! am so ready. >> i think she really read >> i think so too. >> jessica and randy, keep those until we tell ou. all right, thers the old fran.

here's brand-new fran, time for the w year. come on, fran. >> wow! >> oh, yeah >> jessica and randy, take them off. >> oh, my god! >> you ready to look yourself, fran? turn right arod, hon. >> y afraid? youot it, girl. >> my od! >> look atthat flirty hair. you lk beautiful! is that me? >> louis, tell us. >> what i did is colored her hair to cover the gray. a great lared haircu great blow dry t finish it off and gold in theeyes. >> tell us about the outfit. >> again we love the sequin by talt's. look at this great flirty skirt. she doesn't have anything. she went from a se 22 to a size 8. >> butiful! emily, come on out. big und of applause. >> anks, guys.

>> w love you. thank you so much. >>you made so many people happy this past year, you ys. god bless you. see u in the new year! next up, hoda and i get ready to answer your questions with troublemaker ra after these messages.

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we're back th our special sers called "321 live" with sara ines. >> sara takes a stroll over to he dotcom digital afe. >> i am th some honeymooners right now. a b fat congratulations stephanie and nick from pennsylvania w have auestion about n year's resolutions. >> we wereust wondering if you've ever kept a ne year's resolution. >> kept one? no. no, no. never. >> i don'think i have ther. >> i usually don't mak them. you're going to getorganized, you say. >> and i'm going to try to g

more regular manicures. >>please! thank you, lord! >> we've got lindsey and dean also from pennsylvania. p.a. is representing today. they have a question about music. >> hoda, what's goi to be on your play list for when the ball drops a who will you be kissing? >>ooh! >> yes, who today. >> i'll tell you what's going on on my play list. that f rida "in the club song. u cannot sit down en that songis on. >> that's n very romantic. >> yes. yes. ♪ the club can' even handle me right n ♪ aw, i love that song. a the kissing part's private. >> you already said before. already said you were dating somebody. >> i'm going to be kissing him on new year's eve and you know who you e. >> don't ruin it. t him be surprised. ybe he doesn't know it's coming. i am here with anothe newlywed couple, megan and t.j. fm

virginia with a question abo new year'smorning. >> after a great new year's eve paty, what's your be hangover remedies. >> you mean ery day? >> hey. hey, hey, hey. hey. >> what do you do? >> i don't drink that mu but i usually take an advil. i really don't. it is true. i usual take an advil and a b glass of water before i go to bed. >> advil and big -- >> wt do you do? >> i never get drunk in the first place so therefore i do not have a hangover the next day. >> you see what we're saying? we don't bieve it at all. from tiger woods t lindsay lohan and bieber feve all our favorite resident gossip guests are going to be so ving for the microphone. plus "time" magine capturea year in pictures and from flawless looks toashion faux pass, we'll have the glamour dos and don'ts of010. are like nothing el. add a layer of excitement to your next meal. ♪

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never settle for less than fast. call 1-8-hrblock... or visit hrblock.com to make an appointment. h&r block. never settle for less. ♪ [ continues ] peoplecross our aea will be out toniht to ring in the new year. coming up on "news 4 midday," look at some of the events taking place in case you have not yet made your plans from the family to the friendly to tell gant. good morning. i'm barbara harrison. also coming up on "ns 4 midday," if you pl on having drink we have advice on how to void o cure a hang

we're back on this n year's eve with "today's buzz" and what a year it's bee from tiger to mel and back, the year was filled with scandal and who better to dish about it than all our favorite resident gossip guests. >> first we've got bran video's andy con, host of "watch what happens live" and "andy's new year's party" airing tonight. hello! party with andy. >> you better come. >> next up, bonnie fuller, editor in chi of hollywoodlife.com. >> her parer in crime, roanne, and finally, rob --

>> happyew year, kids. we are going to countdown the top five stories. number fve is the youtube sensation justin bieber turned just sension sensation. tell us about that. >> huge. i mean i love it that there are a lot of adu males walking around wth bieber hair cuts. >> i don't. >>ohnny depp went to his conrt? >> he's got an11-year-old. he had to go. >> johnny depp. that's pretty cool. >> h hr stylist should b the haiest womanalive. she's created a sensation. >> he's changed the music siness now. now you can get on youtube. even "american idol" is letting people auditi on youtube. is is a place where we're goingto discover my stars. >> this kid's ve alented. >> but t big question is is he going to break ery young girl's heart? he's tan up with salina gomez.

>> she's a very stable girl. >> number four sty of the year is -- the palins are back. >> they dominated tv. sarah palin justone stupid comment after the next for the whole year. she's mad at michelle obama's obesity campaign. athie lee hates it that i'm saying this. her show's auge hit on tlc. bristol's sanjaya her way to the op. >> i got herhristmas card. i couldn't believ it. it was sent by her danc parter thre. it basically says, listen, we lost, get over it. happy lidays. >> cool. >> do you guys ink she's going to remainn the headlines? >> tlc is looking to do pa two of "sarah palin's alaska." >> it is absolutely going to come back because she's done what only jon goelin has done, she made katecry. >> next up, ory three, stars imploding.

>> too many of those. >> talking about like mel gibson? >> lindsay lohan didverything wro. shedefied a court order. insulted thejudge. >> gave the finger to everybody. >> absolute. rested going to rehab. whenhe goes there e still messed up. >> she may be up for a battery and an assault charge on some woman who works in betty ford. you can't get worse than that. >> i think mel's the worst. i thinkmel's going to come out of this as a loser. i think lindsay career wasn't inthat good of place before she blew up so she sort of remains ntral. mel is going to go up and charlie actually went up. >> tat's incredible bcause this show still rates. what's amazing about all these people is don't you thinkhere was always terrible behavior going on? there are so many wa to get busted now that everyone just gets busts. >> it changes everything just when you are hring about it --

>> so you think they'll be redemption for lindsay, redemption for martin but not for mel? >> ihink mel's done. >> it will be hard-pressed for mel. charlie's ex-wife has already issued a chstmas invitation. >> at let she's having charl and the boy fend overor christmas dinner. >> he absolutely knows a good pub little bit it move when she sees one. >> number two story, tig and elin. >> that toe was the saddest story. >> too. >> but we do hear that elin is moving on. apparently she's bee seen cuddling with a new boyfriend. but what i think is sadde of all isafter making his promi that he would nev miss his son charlie'sbirthdays again, he over in dubai, golfing during chaie's second birthday. so idon't know if he's changed. >> can you imagine the girl there the first date he goe on, what that's going to be like? poor girl. >> ere will be no shortageof

willing ladies. maybe i'm not using t right term. >> here's number one. number onestory, sandra bullock and h not-so-sweet husband jesse james that's another sad one. >> the ople's prinss. >> everybody loves her. >> gd news for sandra i america's sweethearts now going to be starring with america'sheartthrob, george oon economy. >> she does have a wonrful man in her life, that beautiful baby louie. she's someone who' taken a terrible tragedy and she has been aole model. >> she'seen alady. absolute. >>ot said a word aout it. she's come out smelling like a rose. >>i'm going to make a ne year's prediion that it's only going to get worse. you guys have good jobs. thanks, everybody. >> andy, have fun on your ow. live! >> happy new year. >> happy new year, everybody. up next from the rescue of the chilean miners to he devastating oil spill in the gulf, a year in pictures. you're not going to believe

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if a picture's worth are a thousand words, then i can even imagine whathe new issue of "time" magazine is worth. its photos ofhe year do a beautiful job depicting the biggest newsmakers and even of 2010. >> there is no day le today to take a photographic look back at the year that was. this had to be aig job. with that many amazingpictures

to choose from. huh >> it was. it was an incredie year. we had so many long newtories and as brookle linda can tell y >>ou've divided this photo in what youre calling threeacts. tell us about that. >> there were three acts in haiti. this is the original -- that's a beautiful shotof an incredibly tragic moment. you can see the chicken whi is so poignant there on the coffin then there was the follow-up a which wasthe -- this is again an incredibly sad photo that shows the difficulty that the collapse inhaiti. en the second act i think was more as the -- how haiti could not deal with e actual tragedy. >> that's a great picture. >> the precariousness of the life the afterwards. finally, of course, the cholera outbreak. al of these things came toether to make that the worst, most diffilt.

>> the ne one we're covering is that volcanic eruption. tell us about that picture. >> i've been to that volcano. i have. i dn't set it off but i was ere. >> did you pronounceit? >> no, i could never pronoun it. >> we had an icelandic hotographer, from arctica. >> the president had a really bad year. >> one of the bigst stories this year is his plummeting popularity which he has to hear about every day. >> but the expectations we set so high for thi man. you know? >> there was noere to go but dow here he is talki to larry you can see the tension there, body language, howuch he's

carrng on his shoulders. >> a lot of weight. if we want to bring it up a little bit, a littlelevity, the world cup offered some of that. >> i love the world cup. the color. a brand-new stadium there and those fantastic rvoo vo zee las. >> not everybody w a fan of the. >> we just wanted our photrapher to capture how soccer is part of the fabric of life, and in the days leading up to the world cup. beautiful dramatic images. >> that's beautiful. >>they play soccer anywhere in south africa. >> all over t world. >> just any piece of dirt, ty'll play soccer. >>we want to get the chilean miners because it was one of those triumphant stories. >> so many of these end in tragedy. but th was triphant. >> the chilean miners didn't just emerge from the darkness

into the glare of the natural light but they emerged into e glare of everybody watching them and wanting to kn about the like it is the limeligh >> they're "dancing with the stars" now. >> they're runni marathons. >> this looked le robert de niro. >> i love abo this -- but why wehose black and ite. >> we just wante people to not be distracted by the color and their clothes. we wted them to just look iconic and ke you focus on their faces and wat these men went through >> every yeayou guys do wonderful, wonderful work. thank you for sharing tose pictures with us really appreciate it. up next, a look at the year in style. e bad and the good right after this. but sometimes afr a busy day and a big dinner... my system nes some tlc. now there's something that's just right. activia dessert. rich, silky, smth yogurt with desserty flavors

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you can't review the year without king a look at fashio more specifically the biggest style statements that helped nd haunted some of our favorite celebs this year.

tracy is "glamour" magazine's contributing style edit and susan is the magazine'sexto have online editor >> happy newyear, adies. >> we'll start off positively wh the glamour dos. first up, leopard. >> leopard print is one of those things that nevereally goes out o style but in 2010 it was especially huge news. we all th all over the red carpet, all oeft rways. think we have a shot o kathie lee a hoda wearing their leopard print. >> what is that pictu of me? did someone hit me in the back of the head with a 2x4? thanks a lot. >> there was a lizard on your shoulder. >> iwore that dress 00 times! thank you, tammy. let's go on. e nude dress is hot in 2010. >>it was the dress of 200. we saw it on every celebrity. it was just a great fresh alternative to a ccktail party outfit. >> i love that color.

so sexy. >> i can't believe orange was hot. nobody told us. >> in fact, rolina herrera says it is hot. she uld know. itis a great way to stand out in a sea black dresses >> beyonce wears orange well. >> this one apparently clogs were hot. is that right ell us. >> granted, it is not everyone's footwear of choice. for fashion-forward girls, clogs were the shoe to wear this year primily because we hadn't seen them for such a long time, since alicia silrstone wore them in "clueless." >> do you have t be young? >> i don't think you necesrily have to be young you can just throw tm on with jeans, a little pa of black pants. i tnk they're more versatile than they sound.

>> fa fur was hot. >> every single look down the runway at chanel was faux fur head to toe. not only is it mre affordable than t real thing but re environmentally friendly. no amals are harmed and it is a grat way to stay harmed. is all over theplace. >>let's get catty. these are e don'ts. you're cling this patlessness? what do you mean? people an't wearing their pant >> we saw it in the streets. unless you he a great recording ctract, a multi-platinum record deal a are performing at madison square garden and katper are and the beyonces of this world, pu on some pants! runninground wearing really short little skirts that show off theirooty or just wearing leggings with a tiny short top on top, you got to cover up your bum, girls. >> cleavage overrated. >> we like a little t of cleage but remember a little t goes a long way. >> that is ridiculous! >> is that pamela l?

>> this is cocoa. >> of course it is. >> she loes her cleavage. >> she's the rapper's wife. >> exactly. >> this is a don'tal on the street. you just got to remember a little bit goes a long way. keep your cleavage incheck. don't worry, hoda. >> okay. those ankle breaking high he shoes. they just got too treacherous level this year. we saw so many mdels tumble on the runway. lady gaga fell in the airport and we a glamour kind of he a rule that if your high heels are making y limp? gi them the boot. >> how cld we not address this. we love that lady gagaad this great streak of adventure, she's always willg to push t envelope. but tis is dinne not a dress. >> ladies, thanks. happy new year. we'll be back with more on this new year's eve but first

this is "toy" on -- nbc.

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so we're off to enjoour holiday weekend and we certainly hope you do, too. >> best wishes from all of us at "today" for a happy, healthy, blessed new year to you and your family. well see you all o monday, fun-day in 2011. >> a big thank y hadden to our cr for a great year. >> a big thank y hadden to our cr for a great year. >> god bless us all. -- captionm