we are back now with more of "today" on this tuesday morning. it's the 17th day of november

2009. beautiful day outside. they're a little chilly in rockefeller plaza, but some nice people stickinaround to wave to the people back home, and remind you not to text while driving. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker. natalie's on assignment, but we've got a new co-host. actually, "today's" wedding couple is joining us this morning. sandra bullock and andy danzi who were just brought together through the magic of our show in the last half hour. sandra is starring in "the blind side." it's her new movie, and we kind of blind-sided her with andy ganzi just a second ago. >> that's what happens when you fall in love, right? out of left field? >> right. >> that's baseball. that's baseball. >> andy went to see sandra's last movie "the proposal," because he heard she was naked through a large portion of that. i don't know where he heard that. actually, it was through me. so as a result, when they met, he had this dvd, and you signed it to him. >> i did. >> what'd you write there? >> i said "to andy, thanks for

last night." >> wow. what's this up to on ebay already? >> i don't know. >> 75 cents. >> 75 cents. so, you're here. this is nice to have you back for this. and it's funny because it's almost like separated at birth. when you're here -- >> someone else is missing, has always been missing -- >> meredith. >> since i started coming on this show and she's been on this show, there's never been a meredith and a sandy in the same room. >> oh, wait a minute! >> in the same room -- >> wait a second. >> here we are. >> i was busy. >> finally. >> some people call it busy. i call it animosity. >> whoa! >> let's nip this in the bud. >> please do. >> that is not true. matt lauer asked me not to be on when you were on. >> really? >> ooh. >> because matt wanted you to himself. >> and then you get sort of stingy and overtake? because as we ladies do, we dominate the room. >> we do dominate the room. we have an ego we have to -- >> oh, i see. >> so, i was actually part of this and i'm taking it on the chin. no, i never said that, although

i do enjoy interviewing you. i think next time, unless you're off -- >> oh, you do. >> andy, ann, any comments on this? what are your thoughts, sweetheart? >> you got no part of it, matt. >> you got no part of me, matt. i'm with andy. >> congratulations. >> you're a lovely couple. >> you really are a lovely couple. >> thank you. >> i know there is some naked video of andy. >> whoa! whoa! >> if you would like that, i could probably give it to you. >> wow. >> it wouldn't cost that much money. >> or go to the machine and you could see it -- >> i'll make sure she gets it. >> next time we ask you to stick around, sandy, you might want to rethink it. >> the movie is "the blind side," and it opens this friday. >> congratulations. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. >> want to give us a headline count here? >> yes. we have some top stories actually to get to on a very serious note. this is kind of a hard turn, but we want you to know that president obama and china's president hu jintao are stressing cooperation after historic talks today in beijing. both leaders say that they are determined to join forces on the

economy, climate change and energy. and president obama praised china for helping the u.s. economy recover. he also called on the communist nation to take a tougher stance on iran and its nuclear program. the u.n.'s nuclear agency, meantime, says that iran could be hiding other nuclear sites amid recent revelations of a secret uranium enrichment plant. the iaea says it believes that iran would have needed to construct a varigy of other facilities to support it. the shuttle "atlantis" is circling earth with six astronauts and a full load of spare parts for the international space station. the supplies are needed to help keep the space station running for years to come. today the much-anticipated memoir from former vice presidential candidate sarah palin hits store shelves, and nbc's andrea mitchell has more on this. hey, andrea. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. "going rogue" is just hitting the book stores today, but sarah palin's publicity tour is well under way. and if this is the first chapter in a campaign comeback, some critics say she has her work cut out for her.

sarah palin's makeover is under way. on "oprah," trick or treating. >> good job, piper! good job. >> reporter: and working out. >> sweat is my sanity. >> reporter: what everyone wants to know, is this the opening act of her 2012 campaign? >> have you thought about running for president of the united states in 2012? >> that is -- >> have you just thought about it? >> it's not on my radar screen right now. >> reporter: she is certainly the most exciting player on the republican stage. >> thank you, guys! thank you. >> reporter: but in a new "washington post"/abc news poll, 60% of those questioned said she's not qualified to be president. and now, former mccain aides are questioning whether palin is also "going rogue" with the facts in her memoir. in it, she says she ran for governor mostly on small donations, but according to the "associated press," more than half her war chest came from donors giving more than $500. in "going rogue," palin says the mccain campaign billed her

$50,000 for legal fees to vet her for the vice presidency. but now john mccain himself says that bill was from her own lawyer to clear up ethics charges involving state troopers. former mccain aides also say palin fabricated claims that they pushed her into risky network interviews like the one with katie couric. >> there's the perky one, again, with the microphone and the cameras rolling, and i'm like, dang, you know? give me just a couple of minutes to gather -- >> the perky one, you mean katie. >> with all due respect, yeah, yeah. nicely, yeah. >> reporter: and mccain aides deny forcing palin and her family to dress up in those designer clothes. in "going rogue," she writes -- "my family was made to look like a herd of hillbillies who had come to the big city and started living high on the hog, and that hurt me for them." telling oprah -- >> okay, this is like one of those relationships you have when we're young and somebody says, oh, i just love you the way you are, now let me change you. >> reporter: in her book, palin's chief antagonist was mccain strategist steve schmidt.

she writes that he raised questions from day one on her views on evolution. in "going rogue," she writes that she told him she only believes in "parts of evolution" and "didn't believe in the theory that human beings -- thinking, loving beings -- originated from fish that sprouted legs and crawled out of the sea." still blaming party heavyweights and the media could be a winning strategy. >> she's saying i don't like those people and i don't care about those journalists in washington and i'm going to say what i think about them because that's who i am. >> reporter: palin is also on the cover of this week's "newsweek," a photo she originally posed for for "runner's world" magazine. last night on facebook, palin called the "newsweek" cover choice unfortunate. she added that the "runner's world" picture was all about health and fitness, something she really cares about, that "newsweek's" approach is "out of context" and "sexist." her book tour begins tomorrow in michigan with stops across the country, mostly in battleground states. ann? >> andrea mitchell, thank you so

much. and it was not a good idea for one crocodile to take a detour across a river. as these pictures show, it appears the reptile thought a path of bathing hippos were rocks or logs. unfortunately, he couldn't get away in time. the hippos attacked. a little animal kingdom for you. >> that didn't end the way i thought it was going to end. >> i thought it was a happy, kind of light, fun story. no, sorry. didn't end so well for the croc. >> wow. >> a little croc snack there. okay, geez! don't chew with your mouth open! >> sorry i brought that up. let's get a check of the weather now, al. >> my goodness! >> how's the weather for the hippo? okay, much better than it was for the croc. anyway, for the croc, it's warm and moist inside. anyway, let's take a look, show you what's going on. we are looking at a lot of weather making its way into the pacific northwest. strong storms bringing mountain snows, up to 12 inches of snow or more in the cascades.

rainfall amounts one to two inches of rain. and then as far as the midwest, we've got a big storm system firing up, and that's bringing rain from ohio back into parts of iowa, snow through kansas. they may pick up another one to four inches of snow, one to two inches >> that actors aren't -- to produce a coin to drop and today and, of course, that's your

latest weather, and maybe we'll have an update on the new game, hungry hungry hippos. now, back to ann. al, thank you. now more on the government's breast cancer screening guidelines recommending that most women wait until 50 to get a mammogram. nbc's chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman, is here to answer questions you posed since hearing this report. nancy, a busy day and it will get busier. >> lots of e-mails. >> because the response has been huge. >> right. >> let's take you through what the new study recommends for mammograms. update people on the news. >> the new recommendation is for people not at risk, for just routine screening mammography, that that start at the age of 50 and for every other year. the biggest benefit being for women over the age of 60. the seismic change for women 40 to 49 no longer recommended to get routine screening mammography. >> amid the passionate responses are a lot of women who are concerned because they say that the old guidelines were what saved their lives. for example, we have a woman,

peyton, in pennsylvania, who wrote -- "i am a woman diagnosed best cancer at age 45. it was because of me and my self-exam that i found this cancer. it was grade three invasive with three lymph nodes positive. it infurts me that this study is suggesting that self-exams are useless. if i had not done this exam, i would be dead right now." so, what are we saying to women like this one? >> well, we're saying with great sensitivity, and i understand this, is that there are big bodies of science where we really do look at the numbers across all women and all age groups who begin mammograms and then the antidotes, the personal stories. we all know women who have found their breast cancers or were diagnosed at 28 or a routine screening and found cancer at 40, and those stories matter, but the recommendations are that for every story like that, there may be 1,900 other women who got unnecessary radiation for whom screening wasn't the issue. so, cancer is always personal,

but these recommendations are supposed to give us scientific guidelines as to how we screen people from now on. >> but if, in fact -- let me just go back on that for a little bit. if, in fact, the self-exam shows you that you have a lump and even if the chances are overwhelming that you won't find anything, but there's a chance that you would, what's the hurt? why not just let people self-exam? what's the pain? >> if you do self-exam and you're comfortable with it, fine. here's the counter to that. a lot of women have been taught to sort of do this search-and-destroy mission on their bodies every month, such that our breasts are our enemies. and the yield is low unless you know how to do a good breast self-examination, and for those women who do find lumps, great. but sometimes we think that all breast cancers are the same. some breast cancers come, may sit for a long time and mean nothing. others like this woman are very aggressive. if you find a lump, absolutely

tell your doctor. all we are saying is that for the average woman, the yield is very low. >> okay. the next question is from cindy in albany, and she writes, "what would determine high risk to start mammograms at age 40?" >> very good question. strong family history, someone who's already undergone gene testing and you find out that brca1 or brca2 are other risk factors. colorectal prostate cancer in your family. or if you've been on hormone replacement therapy, your risk is higher. but for the average woman who says, ah, i don't have any of that in my family, that's who these new guidelines are intended for. >> next writer is from new york, deborah, and she says, "do these new guidelines give insurance companies a way out of covering yearly mammograms for women?" >> right now, insurance companies have said no, they're not going to change everything, and i think it's because there is this debate with physicians on either side. however, this group is an independent group, does advise

government and insurance companies and other bodies, and do i think that this will come up? i would be naive to think that this might not come up. however, this report was not timed to the idea of reimbursement because we're going through health care reform debates. this report came out just because it came out. but i do think of how we pay for what will come to the public, to the surface. now, i've been on record as blasting insurance companies, you know, ten ways to sunday. but here's one thing i think we really do have to ask ourselves. if we're talking about how well we spend money in this country and the yield is low for that 40 to 49-year-old group, would we be better off to take that money and spend it elsewhere, looking for better ways to screen the mammography treatment? >> do you think that influenced this finding? >> no, no, no, no. absolutely not. >> you think only this finding is purely based on science? >> i looked at who did this.

i looked at the organizations -- stanford, georgetown, harvard, m.d. anderson. these are scientists who came together without government pressure and said these are our recommendations. >> dr. nancy snyderman, you'll be talking about this all day. >> this has touched off a big, collective nerve in this country. we'll have more tonight. >> thank you very much for your perspective and awareness on all this. coming up, mementos from the masters of rock and roll that could end up in the hands of someone you know, if not yours, right after this. and talk to your friends about doing the same. let's help spread protection against flu viruses like 2009 h1n1. ♪ doo doo doo woman: there's only one disinfecting wipe with a low streak formula. clorox disinfecting wipes.

have come home to custom roasted maxwell house. really great flavor. i love the taste. hmmm. hmmm. smooth. rich. fabulous. is it "hmmm?" hmmm. (announcer) taste why maxwell house is good to the last drop. and i was so tender to the touch-- but i didn't know why. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia. and then he recommended lyrica... fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is fda-approved to help relieve the unique pain of fibromyalgia. so now, i'm learning what a day is like with less pain. lyrica is not for everyone. tell your doctor about any serious allergic reaction that causes swelling or affects breathing or skin,

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prince, the king of pop and simply, the king. if you are even a casual music fan, you know we're talking about rock and roll royalty. and now as part of a new auction, you can buy items that once belonged to those stars and more. we had a preview earlier, but darren julien and martin nolan have stuck around to show us some other fascinating things in this collection. guys, good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> does it make a difference pricewise if the artist is still alive or deceased? >> it does. >> it does make a difference, especially in the case of somebody that's an icon like michael jackson, somebody that's not out there performing anymore, they don't have any more costumes or lyrics -- >> so it's a limited amount that's out there. >> exactly. >> first off, somebody who's still very much alive, prince. >> this is a guitar, estimate $6,000 to $8,000. very rare guitar. we also have a set list in the hand of the king. >> now the set list being the songs he's going to play?

>> yes, he's going to play that night. he hand-wrote them out to keep track of it. we estimate $2,000. >> how many of these would there be out there? >> quite a few, because he performed twice a day in las vegas from '69 to '71 off and on. so there would probably be a couple hundred of them, but they still sell for $8,000 to $10,000. this is a ring he gifted to his uncle, and it comes with a letter from his uncle. >> martin, what do we have here? >> we have a great drawing of charlie chaplain by michael jackson. >> he was quite a good artist. >> fantastic artist. he gave this to his friend, lee tompkins, a brooklyn native, who studied under andy warhol. in 1981 he gave this to lee tompkins. we estimate $2,000 to $3,000 in the sale saturday at the hard rock cafe here in new york. >> all right. >> moving, of course, jackson, the king of bling, from prince to the king of bling.

this is one of three gloves we have in the sale. we estimate this $10,000 to $12,000. >> wow. >> amazing glove. it's 1,200 crystals and it's a black spandex glove and takes about 40 hours to make one of these. it's one of eight fantasy gloves. this is the blue one we're selling. we also have a white one and a black one in this sale on saturday. >> and the socks. >> pair of socks with crystals estimated $2,000 to $4,000. these are some of 300 socks we have in the sale saturday at the hard rock cafe and a portion goes to our friends at music cares. >> that's great. and he wore the socks? >> michael wore the socks, wore the gloves and did the drawing. so, yes, huge value there. >> there you go. take those home and my mom would wash them. >> she would sock it to you. >> very nice. darren julien and martin, thank you so much. auction takes place saturday at the hard rock cafe. still to come, ambush hits

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hey, by the way, al, you know what? you may want to watch tv tonight, because there's a new half-hour, animated holiday special called "merry madagascar." they're back and on a mission to save christmas after santa's sleigh crashes on their island. and your kids might like that. >> ben stiller, chris rock and jada pinkett smith lent their voices to the special, david swimmer. it airs tonight. be here in an hour! (horn honking) look at my carpet... if i steam clean it'll be soaked for hours! why steam clean? use resolve deep clean powder. the moist powder removes ground-in dirt and deep cleans without soaking. so you can easily give your carpets a deep clean... and it's completely dry in 20 minutes! look!

this carpet will please any mother-in-law. my carpet looks great! (alistair) resolve deep clean powder. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. debate on slots in anne arundel

county could come to an end. the county council is expected to make a decision on whether to approve the gambling machines and anne arundel mills mall. the president of the company that owns on the mills tells 11 is that he welcomes slots. residents are concerned that slots at the mall increase crime and change the family fun atmosphere. all officials say they are taking extra steps to keep the mall slots separated. >> we are not attaching the casino to the mall. the casino will be a separate building with a separate entrance. >> the commission has signaled that it will likely grant the location for this location soon. if you are under 18 and one to 10 in baltimore county, the county council will not -- want to tan in baltimore county, the county council will not stop you. it comes on the heels of the passage of a similar ban in how would county.

let's look at the forecast with tony pann. >> the weather should be nice and quiet on this tuesday. probably a little increase under the cloud cover, but no precipitation expected today. 70's on sunday, and today we will be in the upper 50s. the normal high of 56 but technically above normal. for this time of year, not too bad. clouds will be thickening up and we will see a chance for rain showers was denied and during the day on thursday. -- ranger was wednesday night and during the day on thursday. >> thank you for joining us. another update at 9:55.

just a little something to brighten your day. >> you've been looking kind of pale lately.

>> ow. paper cut. >> ooh, that can't be good. there's a new moon arise in the vampire series "twilight," set to take over theaters once again with the newest installment, "new moon," and the stars will be here all week, starting with kristen stewart tomorrow on "today." then later in the week, heartthrobs robert pattinson and taylor lawsuitner stop by. it's going to be crazy scary around here. >> actually, it will be crazy because the girls will be banging on the doors because they're beautiful and talented actors. they're the hot actors of our time. >> how do you feel about them? >> i think they're very talented. so i look forward to meeting them. still to come, the woman dubbed the world's healthiest body, "the biggest loser" trainer jillian michaels. she'll be answering your fitness questions, not yelling at you as she is in that video. we'll have jillian light this morning, coming up in just a few moments. and best-selling author james patterson is back with his

latest entry in the wildly successful detective series "alex cross," his new book "i alex cross." then, with thanksgiving around the corner, money-saving ways to dress up your table. [ gobbling ] >> wow. >> that's right, invite three nice people to do all the work. >> or in fact, you let them stay and you go out to dinner. then a little later, carrie fisher's going to be stopping by. first, let's get a check of the weather. >> for today, we are looking at heavy rain and windy conditions in the pacific northwest, rain back through the upper ohio river valley, sunshine through the southwest, beautiful up and down the eastern seaboard. tomorrow the showers move into the southeastern atlantic states. >> we are off to a quiet start on this tuesday. a mixture of sunshine and clouds through the day. we were in the 70's on sunday and 60's yesterday.

>> and that's your latest weather. and al, we have a special guest with us now. after becoming a fan favorite with her take no prisoners style on bravo, sheer genius, tabitha coffey stars in "tabitha's salon takeover," now in its second season. good morning and congratulations. >> thank you. good morning. >> so, are you still take no prisoners on this show, and how are you, if not, whipping the stylists into shape? >> i'm whipping them into shape. you know, especially with the economy, there are so many businesses that are really, really struggling at the moment. so, for me, it's going in and helping them turn their businesses around and get them back on track. >> i'm sorry, you use some pretty extreme measures. >> i do. and sometimes i need to use

stream measures. i mean, these people, as you'll see in tonight's episode, the lady is actually in personal bankruptcy and they have no idea how bad her financial situation is. so, sometimes you need to be a little firmer, and it's tough love to really get these salons back on track. >> so, what is success for you, to their businesses to turn around, for them to make a lot of money? what's your bar? >> my success for them is to be successful, whether they're having problems financially, whether they're having problems with their staff. a lot of people have just given up hope and need someone to go in there and actually help them get the hope and the passion back for the industry that they're in and to get their business back on track. so, for me, it's about really helping these people and turning their salons around. >> all right. well, you can see tabitha in action. tabitha, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> her show is called "tabatha's salon takeover," airing tonight at 10:00/9:00 central time on bravo. and you're making a special appearance on "biggest loser," i

hear? >> i am. tonight is the makeover segment, so i am very excited to help make over the contestants that are left. and up next, fitness guru jillian michaels solves your fitness dilemmas. so how long does it take a fresh vegetable to start losing essential nutrients? not long. in fact, green beans lose half their vitamin c in a week. that's why green giant freezes them within 8 hours

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(announcer) now for the first time, a gram of healthy fiber in every packet. sweet! (announcer) splenda® with fiber. >> announcer: "today's woman" is brought to you by splenda no-calorie sweetener. imagine life sweetener. ♪ this morning on "today's woman," getting your best body. america's tough love trainer jillian michaels from "the biggest loser" is here to help solve your fitness dilemmas, and we know she's up for the task, because she was just named america's healthiest body by "health" magazine. good morning and congratulations. >> thank you. yes, it's very funny. i aspire to be healthy, so i'm terribly flattered. >> because once you weren't. >> no. i was an overweight kid and unhealthy. so it was through my journey with diet and exercise that i became empowered in my life, so that's really what it's about

for me. >> even though we show the videos of you yelling at people on "the biggest loser," it's because you know what it takes to make a change in your life. and we have questions from people who want to make a change in their life. we have a video from jessica in chicago. let's listen. >> i'm a full-time working mom with little time to take care of myself, let alone worry about fitting into my favorite party dress. do you have any quick and easy tips for keeping those extra pounds at bay during this upcoming holiday season? thank you. >> go ahead. >> it's really about redefining what the holidays mean. so, they're not a license to binge. obviously, it's a time when we should be celebrating life, and this is where, you know, you don't get the pumpkin pie and the stuffing and the basiscuitb. indulge appropriately with balance and make time while you're off of work to hit the gym. take that new years resolution and start today, incorporate some family fitness, make healthy swaps with your holiday meals. it doesn't have to be hard. it doesn't have to be

complicated. baby steps. >> okay. baby steps are always good. >> yes. >> now we have a skype question from julie in carmel, indiana. julie, what's your question? >> hi, jillian. i'm not gaining weight, but i've stopped losing. how do i move past a weight loss plateau? >> weight loss plateaus are so easy. let me tell you what it is. it's when people stop tracking their calories. so, when you first begin a weight loss program and you dramatically change your eating habits, you're going to lose weight. but if you're not working out or you stop counting calories, you end up stabilizing. so, you're not losing, you're not gaining. once you start tracking calories in and managing calories out, tracking your exercise, i guarantee you'll see weight loss. make sure that you have a deficit of 500 calories a day and you'll lose at least a pound a week. >> i love that guarantee. thanks, jillian. and thank you, julie, for your question. we have an e-mail from rosa in utah. it says, "hi, jillian. my stomach is the hardest part

to tone, especially after having a c-section. what are the best moves for six-pack abs?" she is aiming high. >> good for her. i love that, though. with that said, six-pack abs are predominantly about diet. you can't stop reduced fat. you don't want isolated abdominal crunches. that's just going to build the muscle underneath body fat. so, eating clean and high-intensity cardio that sheds body fat is critical. but when you're rehabbing a c-section, i highly recommend core pilates work. >> what is eating clean? >> eating clean -- avoiding processed foods as much as possible, keeping your sodium to 1,500 milligrams a day, really drink moderately, no more than two to four drinks a week, and make it wine or a clear alcohol. it's like whole foods. that's the idea in moderation, counting calories. >> we've got a phone call question from nicole in san francisco. hey, nicole, what's your question? >> hi, jillian. my big dilemma is that i'm an emotional eater.

how do i gain control of my eating habits? >> we could talk about this for hours. with that said, there are two things you need to do. number one is manage the symptoms of emotional eating. so, you want to remove temptation foods from the house. have recovery behaviors in place. for example, hobbies that you like to do, so when you're looking to feed yourself emotionally, that emotional hunger, you're doing it in a way that's positive and constructive instead of self-destructive. have a friend that you call, a partner that you can reach out to for support. and then simultaneously work on the root of the issue. consider counseling. consider a support group, an online community, journaling, where you can explore the issues that are driving you to the fridge in the middle of the night. >> but sometimes if you're just upset, something happens, somebody made you sad and your habit is just to go grab anything -- >> yes. >> it doesn't matter if it's chocolate, it could be anything. that sometimes defines what an emotional eater is. so, what's the thing they should go grab? a person for a hug, or --

>> first thing is get all that stuff out so when you go to grab something, it's not there for you. you can't eat what isn't there. and then keep healthier things in the house. so, you know, some low-fat frozen yogurt. have -- there's a potato chip that i love called the pop chip that is fantastic. it's like 100 calories. have that instead of like the bag of doritos, you know? it's about balance. and then hopefully, you won't turn to food at all. hopefully, you'll take a bubble bath or get a manicure or pedicure. do something that's positive. >> i like that. bubble bath promoter. thank you so much. i'm with that. >> i try. >> thank you so much. by the way, jillian will be back next month to answer more of your questions. so, you can go ahead and send them to todayshow.com and we'll try to get them covered. coming up next, best-selling author james patterson. hello, james, good morning. oh, and this is when i got a two-wheeler. pretty awesome. i used to have one of these. there's a new one. "for lucy, to get her started. love, grandma."

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and congestion. introducing new sudafed pe® triple action™. for more complete relief from the sinus triple threat. new sudafed pe® triple action™. more complete relief. for more nan a dozen years, readers have followed the crimes for the metropolitan police department in washington, d.c. now detective cross is back, this time trying to cope with the mysterious death of a family member as he tries to find her killer. it all unfolds in "i, alex cross." james patterson, good to see you again. >> hey, how are you? >> i'm good. it's interesting in that this book starts off -- i mean, it's right out of the gate -- >> uh huh. what a surprise with my books, huh? yeah, the pots are boiling. >> when you start writing these, i mean, is that the plan? i mean, get people hooked right away? >> yeah. i wanted -- i pretend there's

one person sitting across from me, i don't want them to get up until the story's finished. and in this story, we've got a family member has been killed, a beloved, we have nana who's sick and alex who's about to get married. so, there's a lot of things going on. >> you've got a lot going on. >> yeah, and unlike tv -- i mean, there's one episode a year. this actually is a good book for anybody who's missed a couple, because you can kind of catch up in a hurry. >> and the other thing i love about your book, you don't pussyfoot around when it comes to the villains. these are bad -- >> they're villains. >> -- bad people. >> and alex is probably a little too good and the bad guys are a little too bad, but it is very clear. it is very -- good and evil. >> this guy zeus, where did you come up with somebody like this? >> um, i don't know where the bad guys come. my wife dreams up a lot of the bad guys. >> does she really? >> no. >> i was going to say, i'd be a little nervous if i were you. >> i am a little. >> in this one, you get kind of political here. i mean, there's a lot of

intrigue in high places in washington. >> well, it deals with politics, but ÷ tend not to get political, and certainly, i would never get -- i don't like particularly entertainers who go on television and spread their views. i don't really think that's really -- i don't think this is the venue for it and i don't think they ought to be doing it. so, it deals with politics, but i tend -- another thing about politics, i like to hear -- i like more of a dialogue in washington. >> right. and one of the things that i admire about you, you are also writing for young adults. >> uh huh, yeah. >> you want to get people in early. >> absolutely. >> why is that so important? >> i think that it's really important -- first of all, there are millions of kids in this country who have never read a book and some of the people who are watching have those kids. and i think the best way to get them reading is to get them books that they're going to love. i have a site, readkiddoread.com. there's about a couple hundred books on there. anybody that's looking for books, anything that's on there, it's the kind of -- those are the kind of books that will get kids turned on. it's important to get things under their belt that they love to read. and then the more they read, the

better they get at it. >> and you know, one of the things that's great about getting those kids excited -- you see that -- you literally see a light turn on. >> oh, yeah. i had a signing last night. there were tons of kids there, and they're so pumped, and it's -- and that to me is the most rewarding thing. i kept saying one after the other as they came up, this is the best part of the night. >> mm-hmm. what about alex cross in the movies? are we going to see another alex cross movie? >> oh, yeah. we're out in hollywood this week. we have financing, we have a director, we have a script that is, i think, superb. and if we don't sell it this week, i'll be stunned. >> who would you like to see playing alex cross? >> we have three or four actors who want to do it. one young guy -- this is an origin story, so it needs to be a younger guy. rob brown i think is great. there are a bunch of really, really cool actors who want to do this. >> thanks again, alex cross -- >> speak of which -- >> oh, oh my -- >> next week, man, al's book comes out. >> a little preview there. >> that's right. "morning show murders."

and i read it and it is hilarious. >> thank you very much, sir. i appreciate it. >> you're welcome. >> but your book is "i, alex cross." steve patterson, thank you very much. another "the new york times" best-seller. >> al did not put me up to that. >> i did not. thank you. coming up, how to throw a creative thanksgiving. inside that truck is something familiar--

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wool blanket, a washable wool blanket. >> right. >> like we have here. you can take a beautiful quilt, something you've collected, you've gotten from your grandmother, and put it right on the table and make your table beautiful with the things that you have at home. >> one of the things we always think is everything, like the glasses and stuff, have to match. you say no. >> no. actually, it's more charming if they don't match. i always call it perfect imperfection. >> ah. >> so, you can take things that you have in your home and put them all on your table. all your glasses, and you can even use glasses as vases. you can put tea lights in your glasses. >> so they can become votive candles. >> exactly. mix it up, have fun with it and enjoy it. >> what about the actual drinking glasses? do they have to match? >> they really don't. you know, i think that people have all sorts of mix-matched things in their cupboards. and if you bring them all out and put them all on the table, just the mass of it makes it really beautiful. think about massing it out. >> one of the things you do for the place settings, you write on some leaves? >> yeah. i mean, i always have kids go

out and collect leaves and they can even write the names and do the guest cards themselves. then you tie it with a pretty little ribbon, and the ribbon is just from a craft store and it says "home sweet home" or "family" or "friends." >> i like the centerpiece. >> i do, too. it's edible. >> you're basically using veggies. >> exactly. it's an edible centerpiece and you can use these extra vegetables from the side dishes, carve them out and put votive candles. we've got herbs, beautiful wheat. put it on a big platter in the middle of the table for a beautiful centerpiece. >> you say you can make this decorative trivet at home. >> you can. you can download this from our website and you use one of these glass blocks and some daycare decoupage. it takes minutes to do. it's a fun thing to do with your children while you're getting ready for the holidays. >> speaking of kids, the kids table. how do we keep them occupied? >> it's good to keep themñhpgu entertained. we put a neat cornucopia made out of a mat. we put down the mats to make it

interactive. we have craft paper so you can draw all over the table. we have wonderful gifts for the kids, and these also serve as placecards. >> that's terrific. >> then you have a downloadable placemat that you can color on so they're engaged during the entire thanksgiving dinner. >> so no food fights at the kids table. >> hopefully, they'll be eating the apples instead of throwing them. but it makes it fun and makes you want to stay at the table and do things and interact. >> you have these little animals here to play with. this is cute. >> ann's enjoying herself. >> but where's the turkey, mom? >> where's the turkey? it's in the oven. do this a couple days in advance so you can concentrate on your turkey. >> annette joseph, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. thanks. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving to you. coming up, the "ambush makeover" today. kathie lee and hoda. >> and carrie fisher.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. before requiring payments dissenters -- pregnancy centers to post signs stating their services or be fined was passed the second time. the bill has been a hot-button issue and is expected to pass at the third reading.

>> welcome back. things are pretty quiet in the with the department today. high temperatures will be in the upper fifties, maybe near 60 in the southern suburbs. we will see a chance for rain showers start wednesday night into thursday. it will clear out by the start of the weekend on saturday. >> we will see you back here for