back now on this thursday morning, august 6th, 2009. a little bit gray out here today. but still a good day to be here, midtown, the big apple. we've got a great crowd out with us. always happy. big smiles on their faces in rockefeller plaza. i'm natalie morales along with lester holt, helping us out while matt is off today. >> coming up in this half hour, we're going to turn to the

disturbing story of what happened yesterday. i was in suburban pittsburgh covering that suburban shooting at the gym. we're learning more about the shooter. he posted a youtube video diary, and we'll try to find out what was going on in his mind. we try to find the warning signs. >> it is mazing that these people are blogging about this. and he blogged about this earlier this year, saying he had the guns, and actually went there and then he chickened out. >> yeah, back in january. but again, who read it. >> that's exactly right. also coming up, do you have any phobias? >> yeah. how long is the show? >> me, too. big, big fear of snakes, spiders, anything that is creepy and crawly. well, there are a lot of people, of course, millions who suffer from serious anxieties whether it is spiders, as we mentioned, or large crowds. we're going to tell you thank you identify if your fear is a bigger problem than you might think and give you some pointer on how to cope. plus dr. nancy is going to be here to answer some of your questions if you suffer from some of these anxiety >> a lot of people suffer from

tech phobia. the kids know more about technical things than the parents. we're going to help you arm yourself is what you need to know about cell phones and computers before you buy one for your 'tween, in particular. >> do you text? >> i text, yeah. i don't -- >> i haven't mastered the texting. the blackberry thing is fine. >> blackberry, with the texting sometimes, can we just talk to each other? >> exactly. >> let's do this in two minutes rather than throwing messages back and forth. >> you start writing everything in code. everything becomes lol. >> or as our producers say oot. out of time. >> right now they're telling us oot. a little bit later guess who's here? rick springfield. >> oh, wow. >> i love him. he actually has a new lullabies album out. he's going to stop by a little bit later on. first let's go back inside, get a check of the headlines any from ann curry at the news desk. >> okay, thank you so much. good morning once again, everybody. in the news this morning, new information in home video are

surfacing today that might help explain what a man -- what caused a man to open fire inside a fitness center this week, killing three people before turning the gun on himself. nbc's mike taibbi is in bridgeville, pennsylvania, with more on this story. mike, good morning. >> good morning, in. in his revealing and rage-filled blog, sodini himself, the suspect, really set off enough warning signals to get the cavalry on his case. if anybody was reading it. no evidence at this point that anybody was reading it. turns out he also talked about his life and problems in videos he posted only youtube. the 48-year-old law firm systems analyst was cryptic in describing his life and what was wrong with it. >> it's easy for me to hide from my emotions for one more day. take a long drive in the car. listen to some music. daydream. or just do some mundane task around the house that really doesn't need to be done, that's not too important. and there you go. one more day, and one more day turns into one more year.

>> reporter: neighbors say they found sodini's demeanor increasingly disturbing. >> he was kind of a reclusive person. so i'm not sure that i would pick up on him looking troubled. i kind of always thought he was a little, you know, different. >> reporter: but none of his neighbors said they had a clue about what sodini had been thinking and writing since last september. that's when he first complained in a blog that he never married. listed his date of death, august 4th, 2009. and first wrote about his exit plan. in december, he wrote he had no girlfriend since 1984. complaining that 30 million women have rejected me. january 5th, every evening i am alone. and the next day he was supposedly ready to act, at first writing i can do this. but then, 8:45 p.m., i chickened out. i brought the loaded guns, everything. hell. experts in criminal profiling say there's no question those blog entries reflected real

intent. >> it's like a bank account where you -- most of us put money into a bank. he was putting deposits of rage, anger, frustration, sense of isolation, and all of this just built up and built up and built up over time. >> reporter: this past monday, it was clear that intent would soon become action. sodini wrote, tomorrow is the big day. maybe soon i will see god. what dozens of women saw tuesday night was a man dressed in black gym clothes who walked silently into their aerobics class, reached into a duffel bag for three of the four handguns he'd packed, and started shooting. >> he just had a lot of hatred in him, and he was hell-bent on committing this act. and there was nobody going to stop him. >> reporter: his victims, radiologist elizabeth betsy gannon, 49. 37-year-old physical therapist, jody billingsley, and 46-year-old single mom, heidi overmier. of the nine women injured by gunfire, three are still listed

in serious condition. all are expected to survive. ann? >> all right, mike taibbi this morning. mike, thanks so much for your reporting. our best wishes to all of those who are still recovering from this. there is some encouraging news this morning and it's about the economy. job layoffs are easing. new claims for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week to 550,000, and that is a drop of 38,000. the senate is expected to approve a $2 billion extension of the cash for clunkers program today. consumers would then have until labor day to trade in their gas guslers and get new car rebates of up to $4500. and look at this. a dolphin near naples, florida, went on a people watching excursion on tuesday. the six foot long bottlenose jumped out of the water and landed on the deck of a woman's boat. passengers kept the dolphins wet until wildlife officials showed up to safely hoist it back into the water. huh. don't see that every day. it is now six minutes past the

hour. let's go back outside. >> what are the odds of that? >> i know. >> thank you very much. al is out in los angeles. he's got our weather. hey, al. >> i wonder if that -- that dolphin jumped in there on porpoise. >> oh. >> thank you. >> the timing is finally working out with that rim shot. >> they were right on it. right on it. anyway, let's take a look, see what's happening. as we look at the satellite radar combination you'll see we do have rain along the mid-atlantic states, moving into the northeast. also some strong storms firing up, kansas, oklahoma, on into nebraska. and a little wet weather back through the western plains. we've got a risk of strong storms over a 12-state area back out through the plains.

that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thanks. this morning on "today's" daily dose, dealing with your phobias. according to the national institutes of health, more than 19 million adults in this country suffer from a specific phobia and it gets worse. women are twice as likely to have them. dr. nancy synderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning. first of all, women are twice as likely to suffer these? >> well, it may be because women admit to it. men sort of self-medicate sometimes with alcohol. but, yeah, women seem to be more at risk for general anxiety disorders and these phobias. >> what does a phobia specifically mean? >> it's a kind of anxiety disorder where you have an overwhelming and unrealistic

fear of something. the kind of thing that gets in your way. you are afraid to go out. you're afraid to go camping. you're afraid of the possibility of a snake. you're afraid of social situations. they're broken down into specific categories, like a specific phobia, you're afraid of snakes or spiders. a social phobia, where you may say, you know, i'm afraid of being nude in public, or being embarrassed of public speaking. and then agoraphobia where people are really afraid of being in places where they can't escape. which is where you start to see people shutting in themselves, their apartments, because they're really afraid of interacting with other people. >> and so the reality is, then, that you know, these, youny, are -- in other words, it causes you have to bizarre behavior. in other words it affects your life in a negative way? >> it absolutely impedes your -- >> i have one of those then. >> what is yours? >> i was afraid. this makes a lot of sense that you're afraid of sharks. but i was afraid of shafrks to a point where as a kid i wouldn't go in the pool. >> even in the pool? >> even in the pool. because of something that happened when i was a kid that

scared me. >> overwhelming, unrealistic, because you know sharks don't live in a pool but it's a real fear for you. >> i got over it. >> otherwise, you know, you cut off a significant part of your life. >> and it's over now. i can swim in oceans. i can swim with sharks. all of that. >> and most of the time these things develop from teenage lives between 11 and 15, and rarely do they start in people over the age of 25. >> so instead of feeling bad about ourselves we should understand something triggered this in us. what are the best things we can do to deal with phobias? >> you have to recognize that you have it, which i know sounds like the old cop-out. then you have to figure out is it a silly phobia, like walking, just avoid snakes. or real phobia, i'm afraid of being in shopping centers where it really does change the quality of your life and you go get help? help can be a couple of things. it can be talking through it. it can mean sometimes medication. beta-blockers, which can sort of lower your heartrate and make you feel not as anxious. sometimes anti-anxiety drugs or antidepressants. but a lot of times it means addressing that specific phobia with specific therapy.

>> let's talk about some of these specific therapies -- or phobias. you mentioned a couple of them. fear of nudity. i'm not going to use the latin names because i don't think they'll be taken well. fear of walking. fear of walking? >> yeah. >> fear of walking? >> who knows why these things happen. some of them are really, really, really fringe ones. the more common are absolutely fear of being in public places. fear of public speaking. but those are things that people learn to conquer as they go through, you know, the educational system. and as they have to be in the workforce. but some of them, like fear of spiders, can haunt people forever. >> what explains fear of beautiful women? what is that? >> heaven knows. maybe having a narcissistic mother. we do know that interestingly, outgoing people, extroverts, have fewer phobias than people who are truly introverted. and people who are narcissistic have more of a problem. so, what psychiatrists will do sometimes is tell people sort of work out of their shell. and if you can be a more outgoing personality, you have a

better chance of dealing with some of your phobias. >> there are actually a latin name for fear of having peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. >> fear of being bald. >> which, i think, now that makes a lot of sense. maybe somebody feels that year going to be ridiculed. what would you say would be the best thing about that? >> shave your head. >> take control before it -- >> before it takes control of you. fear of elevators, very common. people who are afraid of being in tight situations where they have no control, it's one of the reasons why people avoid going to the doctor. >> here's one, fear of england and its culture. i think that -- >> i think that's asianic. >> oesh. that's okay. we should understand our fears. >> they're common. some of them are silly. some of them are real. and some of them truly paralyze people. >> so don't let pep do something about it. >> yes. >> dr. nancy synderman. always great to talk to you. >> thanks, annie. >> when we come back, nancy is going to talk about spiders and snakes and answer your questions. coming up later if you have kids, everything you need to know before you grant them a

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we're back with more of "today's" daily dose. this morning we're talking about phobias. the most common mental disorder in the united states. nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy synderman is back to answer your questions about that. natalie is standing by with the crowd with a question. >> i have lauren from new jersey and she has what she calls a severe phobia. what is your fear much? >> birds. >> like you're thinking like alfred hitchcock type? >> yeah, kind of like that. >> all birds? >> all birds. >> how severe is your fear? >> well, growing up i always -- i had a pet bird. and i'm an animal lover, but now ever since i guess in my teens, i would say, when they're around me my eyes water severely.

>> wow. >> i hear the flapping noise and i cringe. >> okay. >> something must have happened. >> dr. nancy? >> it's classic. it goes back to being a teenager. something happened. a pet bird, who knows what trauma. but the fact that you're outside in the plaza where you know there are city birds out there, it's not a paralyzing fear. >> yeah, but isn't that -- her heart rate increases, that's still not good. should she try to do something about it? >> well, you know, i think she's going to have to decide. she's outdoors so she's not a shut-in. but, you know, seeing to figure out what that trigger was as a young preteen. this is classic. >> that's interesting. so we can really address it, identify it, talk about it, learn more about it, learn about birds, maybe that might help. we've got a question from kurt in ohio, via skype. kurt, what's your question? >> yeah, hi, myself and my dad are a bit afraid of snakes, pretty much all our lives and i recently became a father about a year ago. so my question is, is there

anything genetic about phobias? and is there anything that i can do to help my son ethan to not have that same fear? >> kurt, good question. >> you know, kurt, there's an interesting twin study, where twins who were separated at birth ended up years later having some of the same phobias. so there may be a genetic component to some of this. but most of the time phobias are environmental. so just because, you know, there's a fear of snakes in your family doesn't necessarily mean your son. so the thing to do, really, is not to assume your son will be scared. and let him see your fear and then sort of grow up with it. >> so don't add to it. you're saying. >> but we don't really understand all the genetics of this. it's an interesting question. >> it might have been smart for babies -- the babies that survive were more likely probably to be afraid of snakes than maybe the babies that didn't. may be an evolutionary reason for this. who knows. another question from angela in california, she writes, i have arachnophobia so severely that i

consider my phobia a handicap. i don't go camping, go outside or garden. it is a paralyzing phobia that causes me to hyperventilate and go into a panic attack. >> big fear of spiders. >> right. >> a lot of people have fear of spiders. this is one of the classic times where immersion therapy makes sense. you go see someone who is a spider specialist. who can explain to you that most spiders are here to do good things. take tarantulas, which are scary looking and hairy and big, and let them literally be on your skin and recognize that a tarantula isn't going to hurt you. because most of us, that's what we're scared of, the big, fuzzy spiders. when you do that you sort of desensitize yourself. and so you figure out intellectually that you can override the irrational fear. and this is a classic one. >> okay. we've got natalie again back outside. hey, natalie. >> hey. we have mary here from minnesota. and your fear is actually your husband's fear. >> correct. yes. >> can you tell us what it is that your husband fears or has an anxiety about? >> my husband david is very

accident prone. so he has many injuries, and he might have to have worn a neck brace and a cast and a wrap for like a sprain. and he's very anxious about events like the wedding of our daughters, and at what point should he be on medication? >> oh, boy. >> well, this is an interesting question. it may be phobia. it may be anxiety. he may be hypochondriac. so, he really needs to sit down -- >> is he a hypochondriac, mary? >> i don't know. >> and so when guys become hypochondriacs when they end up doing is self-medicating with braces, sometimes a swig of alcohol. what they don't do, usually, is go see the doctor where they can really sit and talk with somebody. men enter the medical system after a crisis, and after there's really something there. the problem is as the wife, by the time he does hurt himself you won't care anymore because he's going to wear you out. >> you want to try to talk to people as much as possible. >> you need to get your husband into a third party. a neutral source who will sit

him down. because it's very easy when it's your spouse saying oh, my neck hurts, my knee hurts, by the seventh day you don't care what hurts. you know what i'm talking about. >> okay. now we have a skype question from i think jennifer in north carolina. >> is it alicia in north carolina? >> hi. >> hi. >> we're being told to wash our hands to prevent catching the flu and getting sim when does it go from being cautious to being a phobia? >> you become the howard hughes of your generation you have a true phobia. i think one of the things we're doing right now with medicine and on programs like this, as we sort of talk about the swine flu and what to do we're telling people all the time wash your hands, wash your hands. use hand sanitizer. and that's smart. but, if you find that you're not touching doorknobs, you're not picking up pieces of paper, you're not shaking hands with people, and it becomes a barrier to just normal social

interaction, then it's a true phobia. good hand washing is very different than being afraid to touch anything and everything. so you have to sort of answer that, and if you're really gets in the way of having a normal life, it's a true phobia. >> just got your name. thank you so much alicia in hawaii this morning. >> and happy birthday, alicia. >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> okay. is there ever a time we should leave the phobias and just leave them alone and not do anything with them? >> if they're silly little ones. i hate cockroaches. they give me the heebie-jeebies. but would i not go someplace? you know, probably not. but if you have something like a fear of vomiting to the point you say i won't get pregnant, i won't eat foods, i won't go to restaurants, then that truly is changing the quality of your life, that's when you have to sit down with somebody. there's a way out of this. >> dr. nancy synderman. thank you so much. >> you bet, ann. >> still to come this morning the fourth time is a charm. we're going to meet today's "ambush makeover" victims. one kept coming until she finally got noticed and the results are just ahead. . toothpaste is abrasive on dentures

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is coming to our plaza to take on our summer concert stage tomorrow. here on. and we've got some music perfect for a friday morning. meanwhile, still to come in this half hour, tech support for parents. >> that's right for those of us who have really yet to learn how to use all the features of our cell phones, what's a parent to do when your child wants a cell phone or wants to use your computer? we're going to have some helpful hints with a parenting expert coming up. also some tricks to keep us safe on the cell and online, as well. features that you may not know about. >> hmm. also, have you seen this guy? he's the cake guy hailing from hoboken, new jersey. he's got some tips on everything from flouring your cake, your cupcakes, specifically, and creating a simple layer cake. and apparently for filling your cal -- >> cannellonis? >> what are they called? >> calzones? what are those called? >> they're cannellonis.

>> cannolis. >> they're cannolis. >> i should know that living in new york city. >> cannellonis are beans. >> they're really tasty. >> it's the pasta. >> can elevnelloni is a bean. calzone is the pizza -- let's just go to al. al, we miss you. if you were here, we would not have on offensive moment for italian americans everywhere. >> wow. unbelievable. >> you know, television can be ugly. >> can be? yes. can be disastrous. >> well -- >> hello, al. >> somebody ought to lock the kitchen door to make sure the cake boss doesn't see you. in the meantime, let's show you what's happening as far as your weekend. here's what we've got for you. saturday, risk of strong storms, great lakes into the central plains. wet weather, pacific northwest. sunny and mild up and down the

east coast, sizzling in the southwest and the southern plains as well. then on sunday -- sunday! -- we're looking at more showers in the pacific northwest. rain moves into the northeast with some thunderstorms. warm in the plains, hot in thehe and natalie, i will see you back in new york tomorrow. >> holy cannoli. >> and we will straighten out this italian pastry thing. >> okay. you know what?

we really miss you, al, so get your bottom back here. okay? and coming up next, setting limits on your kids' cell phones right after this. announcer: there's a place called hidden valley. where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. hidden valley ranch, makes vegetables delectable. now rediscover the delectable taste that can only come from hidden valley, the original ranch.

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three tasty ingredients, one great combination. ♪ raisin bran crunch®! ♪ from kellogg! i'm pretty much the same as i am in a plastic bottle? except that you'll save, like, $600 bucks a year. but other than that, we're pretty much the same. pur. good, clean water. this morning on "today's family," parents tech 101. more than half of america's 'tweens ages 10 to 14 have cell phones nowadays. now if your kid isn't one of them, chances are he or she will be. "today" contributor and clinical psychologist ruth peters has some very useful parental guidelines. ruth, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. >> a lot of kids right now asking, mom i want a cell phone. base everybody has one. there's a lot of pressure, social pressure. >> they say everybody has one. >> right, exactly. that's the excuse they say. what you say first of all,

though, that you really got to make sure, for parents, they want their kids in some ways to have them too for safety and convenience but you say that you have to really learn how to set the boundaries. >> you really do. and this segment came out from my own patients who were saying we have problems with this. or they're bringing me technical tools that they've learned about. and that's why i wanted to share them with everybody. you do have to set boundries and limits and you need to know the technology to do that. >> and there are a lot -- there's a lot of technology out there. >> there's a lot. free, some you can pay for. but there's a lot of inexpensive or free things out there. >> let's go through some of them right now in talking about parental control. a lot of filters or features available. including the content filters. and these are divided by age, right? >> yes, they really are. and there's, i wrote on article on todayshow.com so anybody wants to check on how to get this, they can go there. first of all, you can have c-7 plus which is like a g-rated tv for downloading in case your kid has a phone with web access. that would be no sexual things,

no violence or anything like that. and then you're going to have your t-13, that's like your pg-13. and then you have your ya-17 plus, which is like r-rated. and so you can actually set your kids' cell phone so that the filter comes on like that so they don't get into these areas. they can't surf these areas, download explicit material. or download whatever, yes. >> and is there a cost associated with these filters? >> usually those filters are free. and so you go to your cell phone provider. usually they're free. >> okay. next is usage control. and this just puts the parent in charge of their child's cell phone usage and it's usually password plow texted. so can parents then block certain things from all -- >> wonderful. i love this. you can block up to 20 numbers on certain providers, okay, if you don't want the boyfriend calling. and your kid can't change it, because it's pass word controlled so that the parent goes up on their laptop and sets

it and the kid can't change it. you can block up to 20 numbers. you can block the access to use the phone during school time or after 11:00 at night. but there's a thing called allowable numbers. 911 or parents always get through the blocking. you can block the number of minutes the kids can have or the number of texts they can have there a month. it's wonderful. >> it's again through the cell phone provider. >> right. and there might be a minimal charge for that. depends upon your provider. >> probably worth the cost for sure. now tell me about sham reason. this is like a mini gps on the phone so you can keep track of kind of where your kid is. >> chaperone, this is verizon, it's about $9.99 but it is the best ten bucks you've ever spent. it's got family locator. you go on your cell phone or your laptop and you can tell where the kid's phone is. hopefully the phone is with the kid. >> okay. >> or you can have child zones where you will be sent a text when the child gets to the zone, you set up the zone, or when the child's phone leaves the zone so you know if the kid -- >> you're alerted to it. >> as to where the child is

where they say they're going to be. if that's not cool, i don't know what -- and that's on the todayshow.com site. you can check into that. >> moving on to computers. you say start with the internet provider's sites because most of them are free of charge. >> absolutely. all of them have the filters in terms of the age. then you can get some of the fancy things which can help you block various access to things. check with what you have, and then if you don't like it check some other ones and you may want to change your provider >> what about myspace, facebook. they have a lot of security features already built in. >> two things. join them yourself. and let your child know that this is transparent, you're going to know that i'm going to be joining. i'm going to be one of your friends. let them know whether they like it or not. >> uh-oh. >> and randomly check on it. and also there's some really good things that is commonsense media.com has actually a tutorial for kids, how do you pick your cell phone -- or how do you pick your name for your facebook? what's a safe way of doing it.

so that's very necessary. >> and regardless of your internet plan you say you can also purchase some software programs. >> right. and i've got one here >> this is great. i was reading about this on your article. >> it is terrific. you just plug it into a usb port and it can actually turn on and off the computer if it's not there. if the parent takes the key the computer doesn't work. you can set up to ten parental controls. it's about $50 to buy this and it actually filters what websites and alerts you either through a text message that you set up, or through an e-mail if the child is wandering or trying to wander outside of the accessible sites. >> that's great. just a way to lock up your computer too. >> a way to have control over your child. >> and what about when the time is right to lift these restrictions? how do you know your child has reached that maturely level and also that you trust them enough? >> i think when life gets boring. when there hasn't been sneaking out, there isn't drug usage, you've walked by and the kid doesn't close their laptop real quick. when you have scrolled through the phone enough time to look at their texts that it's really

boring then can you start backing off. but until boredom sets in you've got to keep watching. parents can never become uninvolved in this endeavor. you have to stay on it. it's a very dangerous area and you have to be part of it. >> so often we report on all the horrible stories out there. >> that's right. that can be avoided with parental controls. >> you have the right controls. ruth peters, great information, as always. and again, if you want more information on this, as ruth mentioned, just go to our website, todayshow.com. coming up next, the cake boss. and his mom. they've taken over. and ann, who finally knows what a cannoli is. >> now that's a cannoli. >> that's a cannoli!

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it's the biggest little thing you can do. this morning in "today's kitchen," hot chef betty -- oh, i practiced. his passion for uniting old world recipes with modern-day techniques has made him the cake boss. his hit reality show on tlc features a behind-the-scenes look at italian baking in hoboken, new jersey. and buddy is here along with his name mary who helps run the business. >> yay. >> bravo. >> such a hit on tlc, right? >> it's been a whirlwind. it's been really great. the show is doing really well. we're really excited. >> you learn how to do this stuff, i understand, from your father? >> yes. >> the original cake boss.

>> been in heaven 15 years. gone but never forgotten. >> that's right. >> there you go. >> did he teach you how to make these? >> yes. >> cannolis. >> yeah, cannolis. not calzones or whatever. >> can lenny beans. >> no. >> why does everything start with a "c"? huh? >> okay. >> i'm going to start by filling a cannoli and showing you what we do. this is a pastry bag. but my mom has been filling cannolis way before the pastry bag even was going on. she used to fill them the old-fashioned way. >> this is how we used to do them many, many years ago. the customers would come up. we could never do this anymore. >> we make too many. >> the cream is actually -- >> egg, sugar, a little bit of cinnamon, chocolate chips, you know, and we mix in bastaca with the ricotta. >> what is that? >> it's a ricotta cheese that's in a sense smoother. >> bottom line, it's fattening. >> okay. >> okay. move over. now we're going to go over to some pretty cupcakes.

and this is my technique for making a pretty cupcake quick at home. this is great to do at home. >> this is handy this little -- >> turntable. this is definitely the thing that makes things go easier. so, we're going to make -- >> are you making a rose? >> this is a pink rose. >> buddy you're showing off. i'm telling you i'm impressed >> how fast can we doist? >> unbelievable. >> you've done this since how old? >> i've been doing this since i was about 12. i can actually do it blindfolded. >> oh, my gosh. >> now ladies. >> i did it on the show once blindfolded. >> and on the show you guys have made some pretty elaborate creati creations. you made an endangered animal cake? >> yes. >> and you've got a big cake. >> i'm going to show you guys, this is -- >> come on, mary. >> this is how we tier cakes. this is a plastic food dowel. what this does is holds the

tiers so they don't sink in to one another. >> those are basically plastic -- >> pvc tubes that are -- >> and you can cut them to size? >> exactly. >> this is called rolled fondant. okay. and then, you know, i'm just going to show you what you can do here. >> you're showing off again. look at you. >> i'm the cake boss. >> your cakes were actually, you were one of the "today" show wedding cakes a couple years ago. >> yes. >> and you won. >> best-tasting cakes. >> that was two six. >> it's kind of hard to lose when your mom's a cheerleader. >> definitely, definitely really good. >> i get a little excited. >> the screaming that we see on the show, is that you? >> it is. >> the big italian family. >> you know and my favorite part, please, my favorite part of the show is that when my fans come into the bakery and tell me that it's the only show that a mom, dad, and the kids could -- and the kids could watch together. so we're bringing families together for a half an hour each

week, i mean we're doing something spectacular, you know. it's been awesome. >> do you do this? >> no. >> look at the size of these bags. >> i'm only interested in the baking part. my job was to take care of all the paperwork and keeping everybody happy. which is a job in itself. >> that's the mother's job. >> so i'm getting the technique here. come on, buddy. >> hold it in your hand. >> push it down? >> now we're going to squeeze, steady. squeeze. >> i'm squeezing. >> it's a lot harder than it looks. >> i like it. >> okay this is good. we've got to hold it up for the gravity. let's show people. we're running out of time. there you go, we did that. buddy, mary, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> fantastic. >> and the cake boss on tlc. >> the cake box? >> on tlc. >> we've had too much sugar this morning.

i don't think you can see this, but i'm done with the decoration at the tie top. >> my rose looks like a carnation. >> does anybody care we have rick springfield coming up, everyone has a story. >> and also "ambush makeover."