1. Last week Erin Scoles watched as an avalanche barreled into her Montana backyard, burying her two children. This morning she and her family told TODAY about the harrowing ordeal.
“I tried to lick and like, bite, my way out because I was too close together to get my hands out,” her 8-year-old son, Phoenix, told Matt.
2. “Girls” creator Lena Dunham is hosting “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, but she told Savannah one of her “SNL” dreams already came true. Last September the show parodied her HBO show in a sketch.
"It was one of the best things that's ever happened to me," she said.
3. Identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly are helping NASA identify what could happen to humans on a mission to Mars in a unique study. This morning they told the TODAY anchors all about it:
4. Musician Mike DelGuidice fronted a Billy Joel cover band for 15 years — until the real Piano Man asked him to join his band. He told TODAY he's always wanted to be a part of rock ‘n’ roll.
"That's a dream that starts when you're young and it never goes away," DelGuidice said.
5. Happy birthday, Willard Scott! The TODAY legend turned the big 8-0 today, and the anchors blew him a birthday kiss from the plaza. To celebrate the milestone, TODAY.com picked eight things you should know about Willard.
And that’s TODAY’s Takeaway!