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welcome back, insomniacs. well, as you know, all week long, we've been celebrating our 19th birthday. what birthday would you celebrate without a cake? what cake would i pick? red velvet. we're here with john chang who will show us an easy red velvet. >> first we'll put our liquid ingredients. 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil. one cup of buttermilk. this is red color. >> i see it, like blood. >> red wine vinegar. and a little vanilla extract. right now i wanted to get all the ingredients incorporated so

it should just look red. i'll stop that. so, now i have some flour. this is actually 2 1/2 cups. now i'm going to put this -- do you want -- >> i want to feel a part of things. >> yeah, definitely. i mean, that's a good amount of sugar, too. >> then our baking soda. >> okay. >> some salt. and two teaspoons of cocoa powder. >> oh, i'm surprised to hear cocoa powder goes in it. would you beat it for, a minute, 30 seconds? >> i would say about a minute. >> okay. >> wasn't that easy? >> very easy. >> nine-inch cake pan? >> nine-inch. >> i don't want to waste a drop of it. is that about good? >> perfect. make sure it's nice and even in there. here we go. we're going to put this in our oven at 325 degrees. slide that right there. for approximately 20 minutes.

let's see where we're at. okay. i think that's -- >> the key is clean toothpick, right? >> right. >> we let these rest. what's best amount of time? >> 15, 20 minutes. all right. i'm just trying to even it out. i'm not trying to cut a lot. >> so, now we still have to make the icing for this bad boy. >> yes, we do. eight ounces of butter. you don't have to worry about overmixing. the more you mix, the better it is. >> it's powdered sugar also? >> yes. >> you're basically creaming the butter and sugar together. >> yes. >> this is the basis of any icing? >> yes. would you mind adding in that vanilla extract? >> no, not at all. >> that's a pound of cream cheese. >> yeah, that's good for you. you could use a hand blender? >> yes, you could. we're just about there. cream cheese icing is done. >> mm. oh, man, that's a whole lot of icing. that looks good. you're slowly spreading it out. >> you want it to be -- the layers to be even. >> oh, okay.

>> i'm moving side to side and i'm kind of watching, kind of spreading it. >> the last step is walnuts on the side. >> yes. you're going to do that part. >> if i can do that, anyone can do that. is that good? kind of like that? >> that's great. >> i love red velvet and this looks absolutely perfect. >> almost. give me one second. i'll be right back. okay, here we go. now it's perfect. >> oh, wow. i'm completely flattered. we love you, vinita. rob will be jealous. like it's my birthday instead of the show's. >> rob, we love you, too. >> pastry chef don chang, thank you for letting us come in. >> thank you for coming. >> i'm so excited because we're sending back to the studio one of your beautiful and delicious cakes. cue the birthday music and send out the other birthday cake. >> yea!

>> and pastry chef john chang told me he spent about five hours. how cool that? it's the complete logo. he's such a super talented guy. you can get the complete recipe for the red velvet and people who have written in and said, i can't get a good red velvet, this is a real one. >> is this a southern thing? is it really a southern thing? >> yes. >> i first heard of it from new orleans. you're from dallas. that makes sense. okay. it is delicious no matter where it's from. >> as opposed to this, we're talking about "the skinny" when we come up. >> charlie sheen coming up. you will not believe why.

♪ skinny so skinny well, the boring, dull, mundane life of charlie sheen just continues. first, the big hotel thing at the manhattan in plaza, then a bender in vegas with porn star and cocaine two weeks ago, reportedly and now a big party he had wednesday that got him in the hospital on thursday. another kind of drug and porn and porno actress-fueled mess at his beverly hills mansion. again, he's in the hospital.

his folks say he suffered some severe abdominal pains. but before he went to the hospital, he was partying, apparently, with, again, in his $8 million beverly hills home with five women, including adult actresses and what they're saying is a briefcase full of cocaine, literally bricks, bricks of cocaine in this suitcase. his folks are not saying this is related to drug use or to drinking or whatever. they're just saying, abdominal pains and that he'll be back. he's on hiatus from his sitcom so he's been partying since tuesday but he goes back next week. it's just a mess with him. this one kind of landed him in the hospital. his friends said, no he didn't -- he wasn't -- he's not sick from the drugs. he actually had an aggravated hernia from laughing too hard at the tv. other reports say, no, he wasn't laughing at tv, he was actually critiquing the porn films he was watching with the porn films inside the mansion. just -- if there was ever a hot mess, charlie sheen has become the poster boy for it.

>> any way you look at it, to be hospitalized in three times in as many months it's not a good indication of where things are going. you think charlie sheen, if you took a vote, might have been the worst celebrity influence of 2010 up. might think lindsay lohan. it's miley cyrus. >> worse than charlie? >> worse than charlie. the kicker on this one, this is the second time she's gotten this undesirable honor. they took a vote of 99,000 18-year-olds. 58% of them took part in this poll done by aol and their other website, just so you know, jfwk.com. the target audience, 9 to 15-year-olds. they say she's the worst celebrity influence. keep in mind, she had that video smoking salvia from a bong and those shots of her lifting her skirt to her chest. there you have it. i'm sure it's not an honor she's too happy with. let's switch gears. great news from jon stewart at "the daily show," i went to a taping a few weeks ago, it's so

good. he's been a very passionate advocate for the 9/11 rescuers. they decided to give him an appointment to the national september 11th memorial museum board. he'll take a seat on that board for a meeting set later today. the president of the memorial said he was a big supporter of the health care bill and emceed their annual benefit last year. to both of those causes he exhibited a passion for 9/11 issues, that it seemed like a no-brainer to us. they're trying to open the memorial come this september but a nice honor for jon stewart. he's done a lot for that cause and now getting an appointment on that board. if you watch the show "the office" you probably know it's based off a uk show. ricky gervais, who was in the original uk version, he played david brent, he and steve carell have an interesting moment. they bump into each other. we have time to let you listen to it. >> mike, mike. english? >> you're picking on me. >> i'm not picking on you.

>> ricky gervais on last night, you also see other cameos, will ferrell. he'll be on the season as well. good stuff. [ all sniffing ] [ female announcer ] ever notice after a while you stop smelling your pluggable air freshener? there's a better way to get long lasting freshness. pull the plug on your old one and trade up to a free febreze noticeables. it's long lasting freshness in the febreze you plug right in. for freshness you'll notice week after week. find out how to get your free febreze noticeables at febrezetradeup.com.

here are some stories to watch today on abc news. president obama addresses families usa 16th annual health action conference being held in washington. he's expected to use that speech to reiterate some key elements from the state of the union address. ford motor company is expected to post its best annual profit in more than a decade. that and some other economic data could help the dow close over 12,000 for the first time in years. and a service is planned at kennedy space center today to honor the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle "challenger" disaster. finally this half hour, a film like none that's come before it. it just made its debut at sundance film festival. >> there were plenty, we mean

plenty of stars. who knows, you may be one of them. john berman explains. >> reporter: 6 billion separate people, 6 billion separate lives. but when you look at it closely, there is a remarkable oneness. >> fundamentally we're only really interested in the same thing, which are children, loving our families, getting old and dying. that's kind of the -- not much else to think about really. >> reporter: what do you love, what do you fear? those were the questions asked in an unprecedented film project by director kevin mcdonald, youtube and you. it's called "life in a day." july 24, 2010, mcdonald asked anyone and everyone to post videos of their day on youtube. they got 80,000 clips from 192 countries. 4,500 hours of footage. it was a day when a little girl

in barcelona climbed a human mountain. a day when a father in dubai worked to send money home to his family. a day when a young man in russia took an acrobatic walk to work. and took liberties at the grocery store. a family in illinois struggles with cancer. >> so, tell me what happened to mommy. >> boob cancer. >> reporter: what was it like to be part of this project, which is really worldwide? >> you know, in the beginning you just upload your footage and you don't know where it's going. you just know there's thousands of people doing the same thing. >> reporter: so many lives, so many angles. but just one direction. forward. john berman, abc news, new york. >> sounds like horribly cliche but stuff like that proves we're more alike than different. >> connected through the

power of the internet.rlrlrlrlrl

this morning on "world news now" -- egypt is bracing for what antigovernment protesters are now calling a day of rage. >> rallies are expected to start in hours. is a revolution coming? what it means for americans a world away. it's friday, january 28th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everybody. happy friday. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. well, though violent protests that started in tunisia are spreading like wildfire across the region. egypt bracing for the worst today and could have an big impact on the war on terror. we'll have a live report coming up. an amazing domino effect in that part of the country. later, millions of weather-weary americans are digging out from yet another

snowstorm. get this, could the next blizzard be days away? >> those snow-shoveling muscles are in full flex for some people. it's friday and also polka time. barry is here with a special performance to wrap up our 19th birthday celebration. it's one you don't want to miss. >> no kidding. we begin with that growing wave of protests sweeping across the middle east. today's demonstrations in egypt could be the largest and most violent so far. >> lama hasan is jonning us live by phone this morning from cairo with the very latest. lama, hearing words like "revolution" there. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. it's safe to say people are bracing themselves because they organized another day of anger. on friday, the first day of the week end here, it's a holy day when people go to the mosques to pray. the protests will follow midday prayers in a couple of hours. they are expected to be bigger than anything we've seen all

week, especially what we saw on tuesday, which was unprecedented. overnight the government shut down the internet. there was no access to social media sites like twitter and facebook. and the use of sms was also blocked. this was an attempt to stop people passing on information and mobilizing protesters. but, word was already out. people have been talking about these antigovernment demonstrations all week. and they're using the old-fashioned way, handing out leaflets and in some parts of country going door to door urging people to take to the streets. a couple of interesting notes from today. former aiea chief, mohammed el berra die, the leading opposition figure is back in the captain, and he will be protesting. so is the muslim brotherhood, officially banned in the group, but tolerated. up until now they've taken no part in the protests but today they'll be out on the streets. expect people to be out in full force. . >> many thanks, who will be following that story here on abc

news throughout the day. shifting gears now. plows and shovels are still working overtime across the northeast this morning, digging out from a record storm. >> 19 inches of snow took new yorkers by surprise, making it the snowiest january on record. airports are getting back on track after 1,000 flights were canceled here in this area alone. roofs loaded down by heavy snow are caving in from washington, d.c. to boston and seven deaths are now attributed to the storm. >> well, on top of all of that, new york has already burned through its entire snow removal budget for the year and there will actually not be much time to recover before the next winter wallop heads this way. >> we turn now to accuweather and our meteorologist ava dinges. good morning. >> good morning, rob and vinita. dare i say the word snow in the forecast for the northeast? well, that's what's going to be happening through these next couple of days, if not into the upcoming weeks. here we have a quick-moving storm out of canada. it's basically grazing over the

great lakes and dropping a couple inches of snow near pittsburgh, across upstate new york before bringing a coating to an inch in new york city. it's not the monster of the snowstorm weave seen but this is getting redundant here. we'll see yet another storm take much of the same path through friday. it's tracking over the great lakes. you get into the weekend and that's heading back toward the east coast. again, a chance for upwards of one to two inches perform really what we've seen so far has been remarkable. new york city, already about 60 inches of snow so far this season. that's putting us well above normal, even about 15 inches shy of the snowiest winter of all time. and, unfortunately, the thing to keep in mind, february could be a snowy month. we get a lot of cold air coming in out of canada and that draws a lot of storms up toward the northeast coast. back to you. >> i guess, thanks, ava. here's the rest of your friday forecast. the dusting that hits the east today stretches as far south as charleston, west virginia. snow showers from minneapolis and green bay into chicago, detroit and cleveland. a wet day in the pacific

northwest. >> 51 degrees in seattle. 46 in boise. 56 in albuquerque. indianapolis, detroit and chicago will hover around the 30-degree mark. dallas will warm up to 71 degrees. new orleans, 66. 29 in boston. and 36 in baltimore. in some other news, president obama spent an hour on youtube trying to rally support for his revamped economic message. the interview was part of an ongoing white house effort to expand its social media outreach. the president stuck mostly to his state of the union theme on what's necessary for our economic recovery. >> but he also answered some more personal questions, like who he favors in the super bowl. the answer, he's staying neutral. smart man. his favorite class in college, no surprise here, political science. >> well, as we reported yesterday, that infamous color-coded terror alert system put in place after 9/11 will soon be a thing of the past. >> homeland security says it has a new plan that will provide better information on possible threats. karen travers is in washington with details. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob

and vinita. that color-coded system has been in place for nearly a decade but the department of homeland security says it's time for a new one. in just a few months terror alerts like this one will be a thing of the past. the department of homeland security unveiled a new way to inform americans about potential threats. one that doesn't include the much maligned color-coded terror alert system. >> under the new two-tiered system, dhs will coordinate with other federal entities to issue formal, detailed alerts regarding information about a specific or credible terrorist threat. >> reporter: the five color scale was established in 2002. green indicated the lowest threat of attack. a red alert warned of a severe threat. secretary napolitano said the color-coded terror alerts did not effectively convey to americans the likelihood of an attack. she says the new system will be more straightforward. former fbi agent brad garrett said for the new system to work, the public needs to be well informed. >> they're going to have to say what the basis of this threat

is. >> reporter: since its creation, the current terror alert has been adjusted 16 times, but hasn't been raised or lowered since 2006. in an interview with abc news last year, former homeland security secretary michael chertoff explained his reluctance to raise or lower the threat level. >> people are so used to having the level change on a regular basis they ignore it. >> reporter: secretary napolitano says the nation is safer now than ever before but she urged the public remain vigilant and remember this motto, if you see something, say something. rob and vinita. on to lighter news this morning -- to facebook and texting lead new couples to the bedroom more quickly? most people actually answered yes. that's according to the latest sex survey by "shape" and "men's fitness" magazines. however, in reality, only 38% of women said they actually slept with a date sooner because of social media. 75% of women also admitted

checking out their new boyfriend's former flames on facebook. >> i guess you don't consider it stalking when you do it that way? >> i told you i do it all the time. well, this year's college freshmen are revealing some disturbing new details. about their emotional health. they say they are buckling under the stress. abby boudreau has more on what has changed for the class of 2014. >> reporter: starting out in college has already been stressful, but never like this. >> a little unprepared for how stressed i would be in college. >> i just get bogged down and overwhelmed. >> reporter: awe new study tracking college freshmen for the past 25 years says students' emotional health is at an all-time low. for them college days is less about partying and having a good time. students we spoke with on ucla's campus tell us they're anxious, overworked, don't sleep. 52% students reported above average emotional health. in 1985 it was 64%. today women are especially

struggling. only 45% of female students reported above average emotional health. versus almost 60% of men. students told researchers the economy was also a factor. more students reporting unemployed parents. and with tuition costs at an all-time high, students worry they'll graduate with too much college debt and no job waiting for them. >> parents have lost their homes, both parents have lost their jobs. >> reporter: how does that affect their express level at school? >> it really increases the pressure to succeed. >> reporter: elizabeth, a counselor at ucla, says there's an increase in the number of students seeking mental health treatment on campus. 30% of those students are treated with anxiety medication, or antidepressants. but most students are just dealing with it on their own. >> i feel like i'm always running. i feel like if i did ever sit down and take a breather, that's when i'd actually feel the stress. >> reporter: for this student,

no rest in sight. for abc news, abby boudreau, los angeles. well, chocolate lovers in japan are getting revved up for valentine's day. >> mercedes benz just unveiled a version of its smart car that looks good enough to eat. there's a good reason why. it's designed to look just like a bar of chocolate but will cost you more than candy. it will run you $28,000. >> that's not actually made of chocolate. in case you were really thinking that. interestingly enough in japan, it is traditional for women to give men chocolate and other presents. >> yeah, yeah. reciprocity, i like that. that's what i'm talking about. finally. hear me roar. hear me roar. hó

♪

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well, it is time for our quotes of the week. >> the president, of course, had a massive audience for what he had to say this week. >> we heard from a mayor, a mom and the guy who was going to help hand out the oscars. take a listen. >> mr. speaker, the president of the united states. >> each of us is a part of something greater. something more consequential than party or political preference. we are part of the american family. >> americans are skeptical of both political parties and that skepticism is justified, especially when it comes to spending. >> we can outwork, we can outhustle, we can outthink anybody on the planet. >> had them sitting like almost boy/girl. republican, democrat, republican, democrat.

it worked out so well, in fact, this time they used the capitol hill kiss cam for the very first time. >> let's see what you've got. ♪ kiss me beneath the milky twilight ♪ >> and the snow stopped falling at about 4 a.m. the official reading in central park was 19 inches. and we have now had the snowiest january in new york city's history. >> in terms of recovery for brain issues, this is really at lightning speed. >> the best picture nominees for 2010 are -- >> you know, i feel like actually people are kind of confused. like why am i? >> i wanted to you hear the truth from me. my sister patricia is here. come on out, patricia. >> intended to be a criticism for the people. i teach and i can see that so many people get to great places so many different ways. you know, lenient parents, strict parents.

>> do you think as discipline, mothers should just buy this and hold it over the children and say, don't make me go tiger mom on you. >> happy anniversary, "world news now." >> happy birthday, "world news now." >> happy birthday. >> happy 19th birthday. >> just think, you can serve your country, you can vote, but you still can't drink. >> we'll see about that. so cool all the former anchors who made time for us this week. thank you very much. >> those are our quotes of the week. hopefully they're asleep somewhere. coming up, a quarter century after the "challenger" disaster. >> we open our abc news vault. for the day that changed history. experts from a leading consumer publication recently tested automatic dishwashing detergents.

they rated finish quantum number one, beating the competition ! try finish quantum for amazing clean and shine. satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. 25 years ago right now the american space program was a gleaming example of precision. a few hours later that would forever change. >> because on this morning back in 1986 the shuttle "challenger" lifted off and never came home.

here's our coverage from "world news tonight" with peter jennings from our abc news vault. >> "challenger" go with throttle up. >> reporter: the space shuttle "challenger" is destroyed just a little more than one minute after lift-off. >> 1:16, velocity 2900 -- >> reporter: all seven astronauts on board are killed. president reagan has declared a week of mourning for the seven astronauts. five men and two women who lost their lives on their way into space this morning. we begin at cape canaveral with with abc's john quinones. >> reporter: they gathered for what turned out to be their last meal at 6:48 this morning. the ceremonial breakfast. for months they trained together. astronaut allison from hawaii, the star of this mission, new hampshire school teacher christa mcauliffe, mission commander dick scobee, pilot michael smith, astronauts judith resnik

and ronald mcnair. and payload specialist gregory jarvis. lift-off was scheduled for 9:38 this morning. again, there were problems. a hard freeze overnight left ice on the launch pad. a two-hour delay. and then nasa discovers a faulty fire detector on board the shuttle. another hour's delay while it's replaced. finally, the lift-off was set for 11:38. a crowd of some 500 spectators, including 18 visiting school children from mcauliffe's hometown and then counted down anxiously. >> five, four, three, two, one! >> reporter: the liftoff appeared flawless. the spectators, including christa's parents, grace and edward, watched proudly, with tears of joy. 65 seconds into flight, nasa control orders commander scobee to go to full power.

>> "challenger" go with throttle up. >> roger, go to throttle up. >> reporter: suddenly an explosion. >> controllers here looking very carefully at the situation. obviously, a major malfunction. >> reporter: nasa loses all communication with "challenger," but the crowd still does not realize that something's gone wrong. within seconds, "challenger" disintegrates. >> we have a report from flight dynamic officer that the vehicle exploded. >> reporter: for the spectators, joy turns to confusion. worry and a realization of tragedy. late this afternoon, after six hours of searching, nasa reports they found no survivors. tonight, nasa and cape canaveral are in mourning. vice president george bush accompanied by senators john

glenn and jake garn, both former astronauts, expressed nation's condolences to the family of the astronauts. bush had a special message for american school children. >> you must try to understand that spirit, bravery and commitment are what make not only the space program but all of life worthwhile. we must never, as people in our daily lives or as a nation, stop exploring, stop hoping, stop discovering. we must press on. >> reporter: john quinones, abc news, cape canaveral. >> it's so eerie watching that footage. i was in second grade. we gathered around to watch the news coverage. i remember our teachers walking in, hugging, crying. they really felt like they lost one of their own. a horrible, horrible day. >> i think many people have a specific memory of exactly what they were doing that day. that educator astronaut, one of her friends were interviewed, a local reporter was interviewing her and she said, it's going to

are hard to watch because i want her to be safe and i want her to have fun. e.

. a short time ago, this woman suffered from around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me.

if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll give it to you absolutely free. that's the scooter store guarantee. we'll wo with your insurance company, even help with financing. if there's a way, we'll find it. when they delivered mom's power chair, i expected they'd show her how to use it once or twice. that man stayed for hours! whatever it takes, as long as it takes. that's our guarantee. why do we go to < uch great lengths? because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today.

>> announcer: "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." this first paper is funny. that's all i'm going to say about it. there's a study out that said italian men have a reputation as being momma's boys. >> all right. >> a lot of people are pointing to that study when they saw this headline. more or less, this guy just got married. his mother was sick and i said to his 36-year-old bride, mom is coming on the honeymoon. now there are reports she's divorced him. just too much mom. >> that will kill the mood for what a honeymoon is supposed to be. >> lightening the mood, though, it's time for the polka. ♪ 19 years we never sleep ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ brand new year and brand new

set ♪ ♪ same old tune you can't forget ♪ ♪ it's the world news polka ♪ they're giving nightline specials in prime time that rocks ♪ ♪ but put us on at 9 p.m. and we'll beat idol on fox ♪ ♪ we've got polka waiting for the news ♪ it's the world news polka ♪ everyone at home ♪ what is it ♪ it's the world news polka ♪ facebook friends only ♪ it's the world news polka choreography. ♪ they all came through this way ♪ ♪ and a guy named anderson this show turned his hair gray ♪ ♪ our new set looks really great ♪ ♪ we use windex by the great ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ we've had so many anchors they serve their time and go ♪ ♪ as long as we've got willis laughing we've still got a show

♪ it's there david morton brought me here and the world news polka ♪ >> very nice. that is so nice. thank you so much. we've had such a great week on the anniversary. our producer, director, writers, everybody has has put so much time into this to make it happen. everybody, come on out. everybody come on out. ♪ >> it's been good. >> two people work here? >> yes. budget cuts, man. budget cuts. >> happy birthday, "world news now." >> 19 years. >> thanks for watching, everyone. >> keep watching. ♪ >> there they are. >> there we go.

♪ ú ú ú ú ú ú ú ú ú ú ú ú ú ú úú

this morning on "world news now" -- the east coast is digging out from another onslaught of snow. >> and with two more months of winter still ahead. is it only going to get worse? it is friday, january 28th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." almost scared to hear the answer to that question. good morning and thanks for being with us on this friday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. we had 19 inches of snow here in central park yesterday. we normally get about that much the entire winter. so, what is going out on there with mother nature? we'll take another look. >> looks so pretty until you're walking in the slushy mess that it is. another big story we're watching, 92-year-old nelson mandela, the anti-apartheid icon, is in the hospital with a collapsed lung.

we'll have the latest on his condition. the world is waiting and watching to see what happens. and we're celebrating 19 years of "world news now." that means 19 years of the one and only barry mitchell and the polka. wait until you see some of the old video, especially that one. whoa. that's from his personal video collection barry dug up. we begin with the big dig out after the latest monster storm to slam the northeast. >> as you can imagine, cars were stuck and abandoned from maryland up to maine. airports thrown into a tailspin. 500,000 people lost power. >> new york is now buried under more than a foot and a half of snow this morning, nearly double what was expected. t.j. winick joins us. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: rob and vinita, good morning from the streets of new york, where a weather emergency was declared. city schools were shut down on thursday. this is now officially the snowiest january on record here

in the big apple and there are still about four days left. much like the snow we're showing you, this video is fresh. not an instant replay. though jerry cipoletta of massachusetts already knew that. >> enough, that's enough, you know? we have enough for this year. i hope we don't get hit with another storm soon. >> reporter: i wouldn't count on it, jerry. boston got hit with more than a foot of snow causing this roof to collapse at a taxi garage. to workers trapped inside were pulled to safety. >> oh, very lucky, very lucky. yeah. i don't know about my friend here, but we were blessed to make it through that. >> reporter: the greater snowfall was south, like here in new york city. cross-country skis aided many commuters through central park which got hit with 19 inches of snow. even the mayor got the memo -- this is sweater weather. >> don't overexert yourself when you're shoveling your driveway, sidewalk, walk, car out. this snow is heavy.

>> reporter: the storm is being blamed for at least three deaths, two on long island and one in delaware, where a woman was hit and killed by a snowplow. in clifton, new jersey, the snow seems to bring out the very best in this neighborhood. >> we have a lot of older people here, so myself and a few other neighbors do all the driveways and all the sidewalks. >> i think they're fantastic. god's little angels. i'll tell you that right now. >> reporter: as you might imagine, snow here in the northeast caused several problems for travelers across the country. the three major airports here in new york had about 1,000 flights canceled in total. all are back up and running again. still, with some delays. rob and vinita? >> don't put away those shovels just yet. it appears that old man winter still has even more up his sleeve. >> that's the news we didn't to want hear. for the latest forecast we turn to accuweather meteorologist ava dinges. good morning. good morning, rob and vinita. it's almost as if the word snow is becoming a curse word across the east coast.

when you stack up the numbers, you can see why. officially, it's now the snowiest january on record with the help of the 19 inches new york city saw on wednesday. and this is basically just an inch shy of the snowiest february that happened last year. and that also happens to be the snowiest month of all-time, february 2010. so, we're contending that at least as we go throughout the next couple of days. as we do have multiple snowstorms on the way. a quick mover coming in over the great lakes region throughout the day. eventually hitting the east coast, mainly towards the afternoon. we're only talking about a coating to an inch. but remember, basically, all an inch is what we need to get to that snowy month record. then we'll see another couple inches come in with another clipper. basically the same pathway heading to the east coast throughout saturday. another quick 1 to 2 inches of snow. the thing to keep your eye on, this next storm could be a doozie, most likely next week, and that could be a big one, especially for the midatlantic. light snow for minnesota, ohio, 3 to 4 inches in the twin cities, chicago, detroit and cleveland.

showers in the pacific northwest from seattle to portland. warmer than usual in the southwest. >> 71 in phoenix. 58 in sacramento. 46 in boise. 30s in fargo and omaha. 43 in kansas city. 37 here in new york. 52 in atlanta. and 66 down in the big easy. the u.s. is closely watching events in egypt where the largest antigovernment rally so far is expected today in what protesters are calling a day of rage. a rarely used police counterterrorism force has been deployed around the capital of cairo, raising even more concerns about violence. internet service in the country has also been disrupted. there is growing concern this morning over the health of former south african president nelson mandela. the 92-year-old spent a second night in the hospital because of a collapsed lung. a south african official said this morning that mandela was undergoing special tests but that there was no reason to panic. president obama has chosen

the next public face of the white house, a key move in his overall staff shakeup. hi is jay carney, communications director for vice president biden and a former journalist with "time" magazine. he is, of course, replacing robert gibbs who is stepping down as press secretary. gibbs will stay on as an adviser and serve on the president's re-election campaign. former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel is back in the race for mayor of chicago. the illinois supreme court overruled a lower court which threw emanuel off the ballot because he hadn't lived in the city for a year. emanuel says he's relieved and he got a phone call of congrats from his old boss, president obama. now we shift gears to a growing controversy in bloomington, indiana, over the national anthem performed before high school sporting events. it's not the actual song but how it's sung that has some people complaining. chance walter from our indianapolis station, wrtv has the details. ♪ o say can you see >> reporter: no one is disputing this girl can song.

16-year-old bloomington high north sophomore shea warfield cross has been performing the national anthem at school sporting events for more than a year. a recent performance at a boy's basketball game has some people upset about how she sings. >> the complaints that were alleged were that the -- while the words were not changed in the national anthem, the tune was unrecognizable as being the national anthem. >> reporter: school principal jeffrey henderson admits he wasn't at that ball game close to two weeks ago, but written and oral complaints from parents and fans were enough to tell shea she wouldn't be allowed to sing anymore unless her rendition was closer to the original. >> they gave her an ultimatum. she can either stop singing it or change the way she sings it. >> reporter: after getting reprimanded, shea sang this performance, seen here, that the school deemed acceptable. but shea's father says it's the exact same version she sang the

night people complained. >> we wanted to put it on youtube to let everybody know she didn't change anything. >> reporter: both the parents and the principal agree that the 16-year-old is a good kid and a good student with a great voice. henderson wants to set up a meeting with the parents to discuss the issue further, but that meeting won't go very far, cross says, without an apology. well, you know, all week long we've been celebrating our 19th birthday and we've certainly eaten through a ton of cake. this morning we're mixing it up with something kind of different. >> yes. you may not know this is national blueberry pancake day, my favorite holiday. the friends at driscoll sent over blueberry pancakes to celebrate with grub. >> and these are still warm. they also gave us some key points about pancakes i had never heard. my mouth is watering so much, i can't talk. >> so good.

>> one of the funniest things i thought is they said 80% of people who love pancakes love to eat them in their pajamas in front of the tv. this is so much better, isn't it? working, eating. >> interesting stat. 79% of folks cut their pancakes one bite at a time. 21% cut them up all at a once. how do you do yours? >> i'm a cutter and a biter. >> you cut it once and -- >> one at a time. i don't have the energy to cut it all up and wait for that. of course you guys have been watching us eat cake all week long, so with he had to go one step further. they even say, driscoll's had the opportunity to serve pancakes to "modern family" as well as the cast of "glee," right? >> we're in good company. >> most people said they would rather eat with "modern family" than the royal family. >> we love you, driscoll's. happy birthday, us. >> let's eat. >> let's eat.

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well, it is time for our look at what has been trending on the internet this week. i hope they saw the last bit. >> if it's cold here, i'm keeping it all. >> this week, it ranges from the capitol to controversial mtv show.

>> of course, there were plenty of people interested in the legacy of a fitness icon. we're joined by yahoo! life editor and former anchor, heather cabot. good morning, heather. hey, guys, once again, washington is capturing the web's attention with president obama's second state of the union address. the president's call for civility and his mention of congresswoman gabrielle giffords sent people searching for updates on her recovery. they also wanted to know about representative paul ryan, who delivered the republican response. searches for his name spiked 1100%. and when the president talked about this generation's sputnik moment, queries soared for the russian satellite launch and how it sparked new spending on scientific research and education back then. speaking of schools, here's a vocabulary test for you. define the word vociferous. that's how one of the stars of mtv "skins" described a cast mate and sent people running to yahoo! to find out what the heck

it means. and searches were up 16,000%. by the way, it means scandalous. perhaps not so coincidentally that's what the parents television council has been calling "skins," the charges spurring advertisers to pull commercials. ratings dropped for the racy drama, which only added to its cache online. and just as taco bell yanked its ads from the show, the company ran into a controversy of its own. a lawsuit alleging the chain's beef is below the standard to be called beef drove a spike in searches for taco bell meat. up 777% this week. one man who probably never stepped foot if a taco bell in his life, fitness pioneer jack lalanne continues to be memorialized on the web. news of lalanne's death this week launched searches for his power juicers, recipes up 8,244%. and last, i have a confession. there were definitely nights when i was on "world news now" that i wished i could wear my

pjs to work. well, guess what? now you guys can. pajama jeans are apparently catching on. searches are up 73% this month on yahoo! so dare i ask, has the trend hit you guys yet? >> dare i answer. >> you got your jeans on. i got my skinny suit on, which is a little too snug today. that's all right. >> coming up, really in our 19 years, we have another old friend of ours. >> barry mitchell is here to recapture the highlights and low lights of two decades on "world news now." low lights of two decades on "world news now." nenenenenenenenenenene

welcome back, everybody. he's been a fixture here on "world news now" for most of our 19 years. of course, we're talking about the one and only, barry mitchell. >> he has given us plenty of laughs over the years. almost like a third anchor here. so, we went deep into the archives for our look back. >> i'm sure i've seen him somewhere before.

>> bond, gold bond. >> oh, yeah. ♪ so good so good i got you >> that's the godfather of soul, james brown, with me, the pinhead of polka. in 19 years of memorable moments, i'll never forget my broadway audition for comedy legends mel brooks and carl reiner. ♪ my career was minor until i interviewed carl reiner in the morning ♪ ♪ and melvin kaminsky ♪ welcome to world news now ya! >> we're so happy and somewhat ashamed to be here, barry. >> did you bring your belly button with you? >> it's here. >> let's see. >> it's not pierced or anything, but it's here. >> what other job for "world news now" could i get to go up to beautiful women on the street and ask to see their belly button. >> and i did it.

that's the sick thing. >> this one went viral real fast. >> gee, when they told me a leather gift i was thinking more in terms of an attache case. or a wallet. >> why do you sound familiar? >> barry, of course, it's me. >> anderson! >> there are other uses for riding. >> okay. >> the first turn, you turn left. >> producer stephen cohen and i have been everywhere, but the most beautiful scenery was in drummond, montana, big sky country. >> so, i'm looking at this beef chart. what part do you get the oysters from? >> well, right down here by the bottom of the sirloin and the -- between the flank -- well, right between the hind legs. >> between the legs? ♪ you broke my will what a thrill ♪ ♪ goodness gracious great balls of fire ♪ >> back home in brooklyn, blue fishing only made me green and

sea sick. i'm not kidding. >> ship's log, day 21. sure feels that way. the sea is choppy, the fish aren't biting and the crew is about to mutiny. i did everything i could to keep them amused. >> do you have any flounder? >> go fish. >> i got one! i got one! >> for "money" magazine's worst and best place to live, we headed to iowa to celebrate a place that came in -- last. >> he was arrested for swimming nude. >> they say davenport has no culture. >> one year we had extra money in the budget, the academy awards, baby. >> the award for best bladder control goes to this young lady. katherine? >> katherine. >> all right, there you go. speech. >> i would like to thank all the public rest rooms in the area because we'll be using them tremendously. ♪ oh i wish i were

♪ an oscar statue winner i would be a big celebrity ♪ so long from hollywood! >> and happy 19th anniversary! >> very good stuff. >> as they said at the beginning of that, some of those are about 19 years old. what does 19 years do to someone on the overnights? barry mitchell, the polka meister is here himself. >> this is it. what can i tell you. >> good morning, barry. >> hi. i was 6'2" before i came on the overnight shift. this is what happens to you, folks. >> what was your coolest moment? what's the most fun you've had? >> the most fun was vegas when producer stephen cohen, who created the kinds of pieces i do, the funny with a little information, i had an idea to do a piece on a ventriloquist convention. david bohrman at the time was the originator of "world news now" and he said you can't go for one piece. he said, come up with five pieces, go for a week and we'll send you. we did six pieces in 2 1/2 days.

>> never a bad time. such a great part of the show. >> we're running out of time so we'll throw it to break but thank you for being here. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com.

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call this toll-free number now. all week long we have been celebrating our 19th birthday. of course, on friday, the last day of the celebration, we had to bring the polka meister, barry mitchell here. >> yeah! >> i feel naked. i don't have the accordion on. it's terrible. >> so many people, as you know, always write in about the polka, they love it. >> we can play it anyway. i appreciate it. >> a lot of people may not realize the origin of the polka is funny in the sense that lisa mccree, the first anchor on the show, they played music one day, sort of eclectic music, and she came out and said, "i hate polka music." >> an ad lib.

i had been with the show for a few months. they used to play different music going into weather. one night they played peppy polka and she said, i hate polka music." well, in the days before e-mail, she got a ton of letters saying, how dare you, insult the national music of minnesota, and she contritely a few weeks later said, i'm sorry. wore a polka dot dress and she said, i'll never say bad things about polka again. >> so many people know the lyrics. i know them by heart. he's learning them. all those lyrics we sing are not the original polka lyrics. >> it was supposed to be a one-off. david bohrman who created "world news now" said to me, you know, we had some fun with polka a while ago. you play the accordion. at the time, i was doing topical song parodies. he said, write us a polka. play us a polka. i said, i'll write you your own polka. i thought it was a one-off thing. the original lyrics made

reference to the 1992 presidential campaign. bush is golfing with dan quayle. and they were playing it every week after a while. so, after the election, david said, write a few new ones. and make it generic, which i did. we were getting letters. one time a woman wrote in saying, i sang the world news polka and it got me through labor. i actually have that clip somewhere. >> how many do you think you've done? have you kept an accurate count? >> no. but maybe 100. >> wow, that many? >> yeah. >> i wondered, how long does it take you to write these? the lyrics are so different week to week. >> 10 minutes, 20 minutes, sometimes an hour. >> that quick? >> yeah, plug in the new lyrics. >> musical genius. >> i wouldn't say genius. thank you, anyway. >> any favorite celebrities you've -- >> we had william shatner singing the world news polka with me once. can't top that, captain kirk. >> absolutely, man. >> and the dixie chicks at texas state fair. >> you're our most creative member. go on facebook and you can see some of barry's other polkas. >> you make "world news now" "world news now."

this morning on "world news this morning on "world news now" -- the winter storm walloping the east coast is over. for now. >> as we dig ourselves out, is there even more snow on the way? it is friday, january 28th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." state budgets are running dry, but the snow keeps on coming. good morning and thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. the snowfall levels are literally staggering out there. 56 inches now in new york city for the winter. all that as you heard putting stress not only on city budgets, but air travelers and not to mention a whole lot of folks out there who are just tired of old man winter at this point. and, folks, it ain't over yet. by now, most of have you seen those violent images coming

out of egypt. protests in the middle east mean a lot for us at home. officials say it could have a serious impact on terror cells. our martha raddatz breaks it down for us. and later in the show, we wrap up our big 19th birthday week with insomniac kitchen. vinita enjoying her all-time favorite, red velvet cake. on facebook some people hadn't heard of this. >> this is the best recipe i've seen for it. i'm not just saying that because i like the chef. this is a real red velvet, not a cake that's been dyed red with buttercream. >> high praise. but we begin with all the snow that is in the northeast. >> the snow is blamed for at least seven deaths, including seven people who were literally struck and killed by those snowplows out there. >> new york city got enough snow to put it over the top for the snowiest january ever and piled up a foot high in new england. jeremy hubbard is in boston this morning. good morning, jeremy. >> reporter: good morning. it is proving to be daunting and dangerous dealing with all this snow. one of the big problems in the

northeast now, roof collapse. there was a garage near boston where a roof collapsed under the weight of 3 1/2 feet of snow. it smashed down on a car where two men were sitting inside. they were trapped for several hours. police had to set them free. reporters talked to them at the hospital about their harrowing ordeal. >> my wife was the first person i called and i told her that i was in some trouble. and didn't know if i was going to make it. >> reporter: that was just one of many roof collapses across the northeast. roofs were buckling and collapsing under the weight of all this snow. fire officials say they're surprised it isn't happening more often. >> there's a lot of flat-story, flat-roofed factory buildings around. they just don't think that, oh, i have to shovel the roof off. >> reporter: even for homeowners this is proving to be a lot of work. this 16-year-old posted some sped-up video of his efforts on youtube. this is his home in connecticut. he got out there with his dad to clear away 3 1/2 feet of snow that stacked up on the roof. they had to clear away the snow because it was starting to leak into his bedroom.

a little math shows just how staggering this winter's snowfall has been. in new york city they've had enough snow to fill the empire state building more than 1,000 times. it is very daunting and it can be very heavy, too. emergency officials are worried because next week there's even more snow in the forecast for this part of the country. rob and vinita, back to you. >> say it ain't so. >> states are now getting so creative, you heard reports about pickle juice and beet juice as healthy alternative to salt on the road. >> and some numbers perspective here. you know how you see the big scoopers loading away the snow? one scoop is about a ton. how much has boston gotten so far this winter? 21 million tons of snow have fallen on beantown. that tells you how big the clean-up effort is across the northeast. >> this is a picture i took, outside of my house. that was my husband they just zoomed out of the picture. he was standing there to the left. so many great snow pictures. of course, you've seen to many. another one right there taken right here in new york city as well.

>> it's pretty, unless have you to go out in it. >> exactly. the staggering numbers are about to climb higher. >> as we wrap up the month of january, even more snow is on the horizon. for more of what's in store we're joined by accuweather's ava dinges. good morning, ava. >> good morning, rob and vinita. with all the snow, we're definitely piling up the records. officially in new york city it's been the snowiest january on record. as we've seen about 36 inches. we still have a couple more days of january to go. this is just contending the snowiest month ever in new york city, which actually happened last year. you remember what a doozy it was. well, we're getting close to that being the case, if not more as we go into these next couple of weeks. we do have more snow on the way. a quick-moving clipper out of canada brushing over pittsburgh and eventually getting toward the east coast, towards the afternoon. places like philly, new york city, maybe upwards of a coating to an inch. not a whole lot of snow but not welcome, nonetheless. another storm is on the way. this will be a quick mover and drop another light coating of snow across the east coast as we

get into saturday. now, the thing to keep in mind, as we get more cold air coming in from the arctic through the next couple of days, it will steer the moisture down to the south. the storms down toward the south, more moisture available. we could see very heavy snowstorms in the month of february. back to you. tensions could reach boiling point in egypt today with largest antigovernment rally so far. it is part of a chain reaction of countries exploding into chaos across the middle east and could have serious implications here at home. martha raddatz explains why. >> reporter: for every punch, for every blast of tear gas from the police, the protesters have come back in greater numbers with greater conviction and growing influence. the spark was lit in tunisia where protests led to the ouster of that nation's authoritarian president. but now just across the continent, egypt is on fire. the tens of thousands of protesters are trying to bring down the man who has held power for 30 years, president hosni mubarak.

they want better living conditions. for the u.s., alarm bells are sounding. why is egypt so important in listen to the president. >> egypt's been an ally of ours on a lot of critical issues. >> reporter: issues like the middle east peace process and fighting terrorism. >> if the egyptian government falls then sort of all bets are off throughout the region. >> reporter: it's not just tunisia and egypt that have america's attention. the protests have spread across the water, through the deserts to yemen. talk about alarm bells -- thousands of protesters are looking to oust yemen's president. why is yemen important? the list is long and frightening. a training ground for al qaeda, the home of al awlaki, a terror leader more dangerous than osama bin laden, tied to the failed christmas day and times square bombing and calling for more attacks. if the yemeni government falls, no one will be there to challenge the terrorists. >> yemen becomes the south.

i think the fear is this would simply fall apart. >> reporter: so, while protests may be cause for cheering in some places, in others these scenes should make america very nervous. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. former south african president nelson mandela has spent a second night in the hospital after suffering a collapsed lung. a top south african official said the 92-year-old mandela is undergoing tests but no reason to panic. the official added that mandela is in good spirits and could actually be released from the hospital later today. taco bell is fighting back against a class-action lawsuit over its meat filling, calling it bogus. the claim is that the meat mixture in taco bell products is not all beef but mostly contains binders and fillers. the company's president denies the accusations and he'll have a lot more to say live today on "good morning america." i still say yo quiero. >> you like it? >> i like it.

>> got me through college. the mystery that caused those birds to fall out of the sky over a small arkansas town on new year's eve, that mystery may finally be solved. >> a bird scientist has isolated images on weather radar he claims shows an exodus of 5,000 startled birds taking flight. >> three separate labs have confirmed the birds died from blunt force traumas from loud noises like new year's eve fireworks. >> they basically say that these birds might have gotten spooked. they have a hard time seeing at night. they got spooked and could have run into houses, cars, even the ground at 25 miles an hour. that's the blunt force trauma. >> we saw a lot of these mass bird deaths not only in arkansas, i think in kentucky and louisiana as well. i wonder if the explanation is for all cases. more "world news now" coming up after this.

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welcome back, insomniacs. well, as you know, all week long, we've been celebrating our 19th birthday. what birthday would you celebrate without a cake? what cake would i pick? red velvet. we're here at wonderful north square with pastry chef john chang who will show us how to make an easy red velvet. >> first we'll put our liquid ingredients. 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil. one cup of buttermilk. this is red color. >> i see it, like blood. >> red wine vinegar. and a little vanilla extract. right now i wanted to get all the ingredients incorporated so it should just look red.

i'll stop that. so, now i have some flour. this is actually 2 1/2 cups. now i'm going to put this -- do you want -- >> i want to feel a part of things. >> yeah, definitely. i mean, that's a good amount of sugar, too. >> then our baking soda. >> okay. >> some salt. and two teaspoons of cocoa powder. >> oh, i'm surprised to hear cocoa powder goes in it. would you beat it for, a minute, 30 seconds? >> i would say about a minute. >> okay. >> wasn't that easy? >> very easy. >> nine-inch cake pan? >> nine-inch. >> i don't want to waste a drop of it. is that about good? >> perfect. make sure it's nice and even in there. here we go. we're going to put this in our oven at 325 degrees. slide that right there. for approximately 20 minutes. let's see where we're at.

okay. i think that's -- >> the key is clean toothpick, right? >> right. >> we let these rest. what's best amount of time? >> 15, 20 minutes. all right. i'm just trying to even it out. i'm not trying to cut a lot. >> so, now we still have to make the icing for this bad boy. >> yes, we do. eight ounces of butter. you don't have to worry about overmixing. the more you mix, the better it is. >> it's powdered sugar also? >> yes. >> you're basically creaming the butter and sugar together. >> yes. >> this is the basis of any icing? >> yes. would you mind adding in that vanilla extract? >> no, not at all. >> that's a pound of cream cheese. >> yeah, that's good for you. you could use a hand blender? >> yes, you could. we're just about there. cream cheese icing is done. >> mm. oh, man, that's a whole lot of icing. that looks good. you're slowly spreading it out. >> you want it to be -- the layers to be even.

>> oh, okay. >> i'm moving side to side and i'm kind of watching, kind of spreading it. >> the last step is walnuts on the side. >> yes. you're going to do that part. >> if i can do that, anyone can do that. is that good? kind of like that? >> that's great. >> i love red velvet and this looks absolutely perfect. >> almost. give me one second. i'll be right back. okay, here we go. now it's perfect. >> oh, wow. i'm completely flattered. we love you, vinita. rob will be jealous. like it's my birthday instead of the show's. >> rob, we love you, too. >> pastry chef don chang, thank you for letting us come in. >> thank you for coming. >> i'm so excited because we're sending back to the studio one of your beautiful and delicious cakes. cue the birthday music and send out the other birthday cake. >> yea! >> and pastry chef john chang

told me he spent about five hours. how cool that? it's the complete logo. he's such a super talented guy. you can get the complete recipe for the red velvet and people who have written in and said, i can't get a good red velvet, this say real recipe. the good kind. >> is this a southern thing? is it really a southern thing? >> yes. >> i first heard of it from new orleans. you're from dallas. that makes sense. okay. it is delicious no matter where it's from. >> as opposed to this, we're talking about "the skinny" when we come up. >> charlie sheen coming up. you will not believe why.

♪ skinny so skinny ♪ skinny so skinny well, the boring, dull, mundane life of charlie sheen just continues. first, the big hotel thing at the manhattan in plaza, then a bender in vegas with porn star and cocaine two weeks ago, reportedly and now a big party he had wednesday that got him in the hospital on thursday. another kind of drug and porn and porno actress-fueled mess at his beverly hills mansion. again, he's in the hospital.

his folks say he suffered some severe abdominal pains. but before he went to the hospital, he was partying, apparently, with, again, in his $8 million beverly hills home with five women, including adult actresses and what they're saying is a briefcase full of cocaine, literally bricks, bricks of cocaine in this suitcase. his folks are not saying this is related to drug use or to drinking or whatever. they're just saying, abdominal pains and that he'll be back. he's on hiatus from his sitcom so he's been partying since tuesday but he goes back next week. it's just a mess with him. this one kind of landed him in the hospital. his friends said, no he didn't -- he wasn't -- he's not sick from the drugs. he actually had an aggravated hernia from laughing too hard at the tv. other reports say, no, he wasn't laughing at tv, he was actually critiquing the porn films he was watches with the porn staffs inside the mansion. just -- if there was ever a hot mess, charlie sheen has become the poster boy for it.

>> any way you look at it, to be hospitalized in three times in as many months it's not a good indication of where things are going. you think charlie sheen, if you took a vote, might have been the worst celebrity influence of 2010. you might think lindsay lohan. it's miley cyrus. >> worse than charlie? >> worse than charlie. the kicker on this one, this is the second time she's gotten this undesirable honor. they took a vote of 99,000 18-year-olds. 58% of them took part in this poll done by aol and their other website, just so you know, jfyk.com. the target audience, 9 to 15-year-olds. they say she's the worst celebrity influence. keep in mind, she had that video smoking salvia from a bong and those shots of her lifting her skirt to her chest. there you have it. i'm sure it's not an honor she's too happy with. let's switch gears. great news from jon stewart at "the daily show," i went to a taping a few weeks ago, it's so good. he's been a very passionate advocate for the 9/11 rescuers.

they decided to give him an appointment to the national september 11th memorial museum board. he'll take a seat on that board for a meeting set later today. the president of the memorial said he was a big supporter of the health care bill and emceed their annual benefit last year. to both of those causes he exhibited a passion for 9/11 issues, that it seemed like a no-brainer to us. they're trying to open the memorial come this september but a nice honor for jon stewart. he's done a lot for that cause and now getting an appointment on that board. if you watch the show "the office" you probably know it's based off a uk show. ricky gervais, who was in the original uk version, he played david brent, he and steve carell have an interesting moment. they bump into each other. we have time to let you listen to it. >> mike, mike. english? >> you're picking on me. >> i'm not picking on you.

>> ricky gervais on last night, you also see other cameos, will ferrell. he'll be on the season as well. good stuff. [ all sniffing ] [ female announcer ] ever notice after a while you stop smelling your pluggable air freshener? there's a better way to get long lasting freshness. pull the plug on your old one and trade up to a free febreze noticeables. it's long lasting freshness in the febreze you plug right in. for freshness you'll notice week after week. find out how to get your free febreze noticeables at febrezetradeup.com.

here are some stories to watch today on abc news. president obama addresses families usa 16th annual health action conference being held in washington. he's expected to use that speech to reiterate some key elements from the state of the union address. ford motor company is expected to post its best annual profit in more than a decade. that and some other economic data could help the dow close over 12,000 for the first time in years. and a service is planned at kennedy space center today to honor the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle "challenger" disaster. finally this half hour, a film like none that's come before it. it just made its debut at sundance film festival. >> there were plenty, we mean plenty of stars.

who knows, you may be one of them. john berman explains. >> reporter: 6 billion separate people, 6 billion separate lives. but when you look at it closely, there is a remarkable oneness. >> fundamentally we're only really interested in the same thing, which are children, loving our families, getting old and dying. that's kind of the -- not much else to think about really. >> reporter: what do you love, what do you fear? those were the questions asked in an unprecedented film project by director kevin mcdonald, youtube and you. it's called "life in a day." july 24, 2010, mcdonald asked anyone and everyone to post videos of their day on youtube. they got 80,000 clips from 192 countries. 4,500 hours of footage. it was a day when a little girl in barcelona climbed a human

mountain. a day when a father in dubai worked to send money home to his family. a day when a young man in russia took an acrobatic walk to work. and took liberties at the grocery store. a family in illinois struggles with cancer. >> so, tell me what happened to mommy. >> boob cancer. >> reporter: what was it like to be part of this project, which is really worldwide? >> you know, in the beginning you just upload your footage and you don't know where it's going. you just know there's thousands of people doing the same thing. >> reporter: so many lives, so many angles. but just one direction. forward. john berman, abc news, new york. >> sounds like horribly cliche but stuff like that proves we're more alike than different. >> connected through the power

of the internet. more "world news now" coming up. [ female announcer ] why watch regular tv when you can experience the next generation of television service? at&t u-verse tv. tv like you've never seen before at a really great price. go now to the website below and get u-verse tv starting at just $29 a month for six months, dvr included. or get up to $300 in a promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. u-verse tv lets you record and play back your favorite shows in any room.

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