tonight on "nightline," tragedy on trial. jennifer hudson takes the stand today, delivering emotional testimony against the man accused of murdering her mother, her brother, and nephew in the brutal neighborhood she worked so hard to escape. memorize this. she became famous on the classic sitcom taxi, but marylou henner has another gift, she remembers almost every moment of her life. tonight she's sharing secrets that could help your power of recall. and steiny treats. tasting, tempting, and barely there. deserts are getting smaller, but

why doesn't your waistline? we'll have the latest on the trend. >> good evening. i'm bill weir. she's an oscar winner, grammy winner, american idol finalist and multimillionaire spokeswoman. today she was introduced simply as witness for the prosecution. she took the stand in a chicago courtroom, three and a half years after her mother, sister, and young fef new were all gunned down in what prosecutors describe as a jealous rampage by her former brother-in-law. for the latest inside the courtroom, here's alex perez. >> reporter: jennifer hudson, her cinderella story, taking her down the red carpet and into the brightest spotlight. ♪ >> reporter: but today she was

here, testifying as the first witness for the progds in the trial of william yam bal for, her former brother-in-law accused of murdering her mother, brother, and nephew. cameras are not allowed in the courtroom. on the stand, hudson's voice cracked as she teared up during her almost 50 minutes of testimony. i slept with my mom until i was 16 years old, she told prosecutors. on the tumultuous relationship with her sister, she said none of us wanted her to marry him. she testified, i tried to keep my distance from william. this is the role hudson never wanted to play. ♪ >> reporter: and despite all the fame, before she was voted off american idol. >> tonight, the lowest number of votes, jennifer hudson. >> reporter: before the lucrative endorsements and beautiful gowns, she was just jen fre inglewood, the violent

four square miles in this chicago. although hudson leaves this tough part of town, her family remained her in the home where she learned how to sing, now boarded up as a reminder of the cold day of deadly rage. the defense argued her brother was a drug dealer, an occupation that brought danger to his family. and that police wrongfully zeroed in on him because the case involved a celebrity and they needed a suspect. the on again and off again relationship was off and she had decided to see other people, a decision he would not accept. jennifer's sister was working that morning when prosecutors say her ex-husband entered the family home, killed hudson's mother and brother. when the shots rang out, it was such a common occurrence in the neighborhood, nobody reported it to police.

>> unfortunately it was a typical day in inglewood where you hear shots. i heard them, didn't think too much of it, except for, you know, gun shots again. >> hudson's 7-year-old nephew was missing. she and her sister waited two days as police desperately searched for him. >> i just want my son. that's all i have to say, please let my baby go. >> he was veanlially found dead in a parked suv. hudson has kept most of her anguish private, talking only a few times about the murder, including to oprah. >> how were you able to get through that time? >> well, my family. it's a very emotional subject for me. my baby, and god. >> and god. [ applause ] >> i can hear them saying, knock it off.

like my mom saying, stop crying. >> reporter: this is one of the reasons she's vowed she'll be in the courtroom every day. >> i think that by being in the courtroom every single day, jennifer is trying to say that this is not a crime that will go unpunished. in is not another nameless, faceless crime that occurs in a rough community that nobody pays attention to. >> reporter: is it a slam dunk case? >> there are no slam-dunk cases. it will be decided on the testimony of balances which is always a perilous thing. >> the jury questionnaire featured several questions aimed to eliminate bias. with her presence in the courtroom, some warn could be distracting. >> every move she makes said n. inside the courtroom will be watched by jurors. they won't all be watching her all of the time. they'll mainly being focused on the witnesses, try to tune her

out, but somebody on that jury is going to be looking at everything she and during the trial. >> reporter: hudson spoke softly on the stand today. the choice to put her there was a gamble for both sides. >> i think jurors are very good at seeing whether people are genuine. so her relatives were murdered. that's painful for anybody to see. if it's genuine pain that she expresses, it's going to help the prosecution. if the jurors feel that she is overreacting or acting in any way, it will hurt. >> reporter:n unpredictable challenge for a star cast in a role she never wanted in a past she could never completely leave behind. >> when we come back, imagine what it's like to vividly remember almost every day of your life. actress marylou henner of taxi

fame has that unique ability, but is it a blessing or curse? e-trade was founded on the simple belief that bringing you better technology helps make you a better investor. with our revolutionary new e-trade 360 dashboard you see exactly where your money is and what it's doing live. our e-trade pro platform offers powerful functionality that's still so usable you'll actually use it. and our mobile apps are the ultimate in wherever whenever investing. no matter what kind of investor you are, you'll find the technology to help you become a better one at e-trade. [ male announcer ] good morning, freedom. hello, adventure. today is yours to chart new paths and rediscover old ones. capability has found its versatility, making all days and all terrains equal. ♪

go ahead. raise your hands. lower your foot. today is yours to go find your power. and where you'll find it is within. netflix? it's this cool service that lets you watch unlimited movies and tv episodes instantly over the internet. yeah, we can watch netflix on our pc or on our tv. and netflix is only eight bucks a month! advil pm® or tylenol pm. the advil pm® guy is spending less time lying awake with annoying aches and pains and more time asleep. advil pm®. the difference is a better night's sleep.

with annoying aches and pains and more time asleep. on my journey across america, i found new ways to tell people about saving money. this is bobby. say hello bobby. hello bobby. do you know you could save hundreds on car insurance over the phone, online or at your local geico office? tell us bobby, what would you do with all those savings? hire a better ventriloquist. your lips are moving. geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

. happiness, it has been said is not guilty more than good health and a short memory. but if there's anyone equipped to dispute that idea, it's marilu henner, one of a dozen known people in the world with a kind of memory that produces third--year-old details as easily and vividly as this morning's breakfast. but she says she's not a genetic lottery winner. she has shared a few tips with abc's david wright. >> reporter: what if you could

remember every single day of your life? and have it all at instant recall, childhood birthday parties? and christmases? your first day at school and your last. what were you doing that day? who were you with? what day of the week was it? what did you have for lunch? >> when is your birthday? >> september '64, the 16th. >> do you know what day of the week you were born? >> you were born on a wednesday. >> reporter: she's trying to help me remember. you probably remember her from the hit tv show "taxi." what you might not know is she has an uncanny memory. >> do you remember when we performed last? >> i don't remember the date. >> it was november 4th of last year. >> reporter: she's one of 12 people in the world diagnosed with something they call highly superior auto by graph cal memory. most of us can remember major events, your wedding day, or

where you were on 9/11. henner can remember almost every day of her life. >> people say what is your earliest memory? >> reporter: what is it? >> it's fun i you're saying that. because i do remember being baptized. i remember the water and the white and like a certain kind of eye remember having, whenever i go back in a memory, i'm always in my body looking out. >> reporter: the way she describes it, it's almost like that movie limitless where bradley cooper pops a pill and suddenly his world comes into vivid detail. >> i've never seen that movie. >> reporter: you haven't seen it? >> is that terrible? >> reporter: she has scenes available to her in her head available to her in an instant? >> whether you see the videos moving simultaneously, it's like i, when somebody gives me a date or a year, i see all these little movie montages basically on a time continuum.

it's like i'm scrolling through them. >> reporter: she says that gift has helped her as an actress, but not in the way you might think. obviously you could remember your lines. >> that's more photographic memory, but definitely being an actress i learned how to embrace my memory. would do sense memory exercises in acting class and i would instantly cry or laugh and people would say, whou did you get there so fast? >> reporter: it gave you access to the emotional state that you needed? >> for the character. >> reporter: she said all of us have private mental calendars, a framework we use to keep tabs of the events of our lives. she calls it your track. >> if your life is a big jigsaw puzzle, what are the border pieces to help you fill in the picture? if you start with your track, a lot of times other memories will come in as a result. >> reporter: in her new book, she tries to help others unlock

their memory, to fill in the pieces of the puzzle. she invited my wife and me to a memory party. >> reporter: what's my birthday? >> the 16th. >> the book is called totally memory makeover. uncover your past, take charge of your future. as henner told the group, it's not just a parlor trick, this is important stuff. >> everything you've done in your life is on your emotional hard drive anyway and it's making you behave in certain ways whether or not you're conscious of it. so you might as well access it, understand it, explore it, and see what you can bring forward to the next few months, the legacy you're leaving your kids. >> reporter: she says the first step to improving your memory is knowing the things that trigger it. some remember visually a smell a flavor or even a sound. >> try to remember the best you can the first time you met each

other. write three bullet points. >> reporter: she had the couples play games, testing the memories we share. >> 18th of march was the year, but i can't remember the year. >> we have a huge discrepancy because i have spanish steps, not that night. it was a year or two before. >> reporter: if only they'd invent a pill so we could all have a memory like hers. henner's own husband makes his living selling the one thing in the world she doesn't need. >> he has the number one calendar company in the world. your husband makes calendars? >> it was meant to be. >> reporter: her son doesn't need a calendar either. he has his mom. >> everything i've done is documented somewhere in her

mind. >> reporter: she's your hard-drive? >> yeah. >> reporter: to henner, it's a gift she's happy to share. >> i meant something. i'm not couping time. i'm occupying space. there's something significant to what i'm doing. >> reporter: she figures life is short. you might as well try to remember as much as you can. i'm david wright for "nightline" in los angeles. >> when we come back, why in the land of plenty, the tiny dessert is all the rage. it was in my sister's neighborhood. i told you it was perfect for you guys. literally across the street from her sister. [ banker ] but someone else bought it before they could get their offer together. we really missed a great opportunity -- dodged a bullet there. [ banker ] so we talked to them about the wells fargo priority buyer preapproval. it lets people know that you are a serious buyer because you've been credit-approved. we got everything in order so that we can move on the next place we found. which was clear on the other side of town. [ male announcer ] wells fargo. with you when you're ready to move.

[ male announcer ] wells fargo. ♪ ♪ everyone has an inner mustang. unleash yours. the new 2013 mustang.

the heart attack grill, that las vegas joint that proudly serves 8,000 calorie quadruple cheese burgers, reportedly saw its second heart attack victim wheeled out of the diner in the last three months. it's rein fierces the wisdom of portion control. for those who love all things in moderation, especially sweet things, t.j. winick found a dlifl sign of the times. ♪ >> reporter: the icing on the cake. the cherry on the sunday. for many of us nothing tops dessert. only something con founding happening to our confections. our tarts are tiny. danish down right dimmin yutive. just when you thought they couldn't get smaller are, you

walk into baked by melissa. >> they're so cute and adorable. >> thank you. >> they're so micro, they're mini. they pack between 38-45 calories each and are about the size of a quarter. >> why is the size of these cupcakes appeal to your customers? >> because everybody is health conscious these days. we all like to indulge. >> reporter: the concept is not entirely new. doughnut holes have been filling our cravings for decades. but with a new focus on portion control, all kinds of sweets are down sizing. sina bonn has introduced mini buns alongside its classic 730 calorie roll. starbucks has stacked its shelves with petite treats. dairy queen offers a mini blizzard and baskin robins, cake bites. then cookies, bundt cakes

macaroons and more. chef mary nolan told me, it's like having the real thing without the guilt. a slice of cheesecake will run you 500 calories, easily, depending on the size. but one of these smaller ones, 150, maybe 2300 range. >> reporter: but the problem is, a little bit of dessert can still go a long way. >> it's easy to meet a lot. i was in a meeting one day that lasted a few hours and i definitely eight around, like 35 to 35 of them. >> 35 cupcakes! that's almost 1,800 calories. >> reporter: how many do you think the average person might eat? you know, by themselves, they don't look satisfying, like you're going to need more than one. >> to me, i think a box of six is the perfect amount for one person after dinner. >> reporter: that's fine, but it's about 300 calories. 12 cupcakes, 600 calories.

>> if you have 12, then you're having about one normal sized cup cake, which isn't even that bad. >> reporter: i suppose, but it does raise the question, is the mini trend more about packaging than actually eating less? >> that's where the self-control comes into play. let's say it was a special occasion, you're going to try more than one or two. >> reporter: that's one benefit. you can sample a few different flavors. she offers peanut butter and jelly, and smors. how good are they? >> it's heaven. >> reporter: and those small desserts, they tend to attract some small fans. >> reporter: they're so small. >> i know. that's why i love them. >> cute in small doses. so remember, with a little self-discipline, you don't have to worry about your eyes being bigger than your stomach. t.j.